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Braving Antarctica 14 times: how Chinese construction contributes to global polar expedition

09:06, December 20, 2024 By Luo Huangxun ( People's Daily

Aerial photo shows a view of China's Qinling Station in Antarctica. (Photo/Zhu He)

This year marks the 40th anniversary of China's polar expedition. On Nov. 1, China's 41st Antarctic expedition team set sail, starting a mission expected to last nearly seven months. I also embarked on my 14th journey to Antarctica, leading the Antarctic project builders from China Railway Construction Engineering Group (CRCEG) back to the Inexpressible Island in the Ross Sea.

Our mission is to complete the interior decorating, mechanical and electrical installations, and other tasks at China's Qinling Station, allowing the Chinese Antarctic expedition team to move into this new research station as soon as possible.

What is it like to journey to Antarctica 14 times?

During more than 2,000 days and nights I spent in building the Chinese research station in Antarctic, I experienced bone-chilling coldness while also nurturing a fervent passion for contribution. Throughout this period, the Chinese engineers and scientific teams have worked closely together, achieving a number of milestones in polar expeditions that weave an inspiring Chinese story.

This story demonstrates our unyielding perseverance in the battle against the fierce natural environment.

The Qinling Station is located on the Inexpressible Island of Antarctica, which is of high scientific research value but exposes harsh construction conditions. In winter, the temperature can plummet to minus 40 degrees Celsius, accompanied by prevailing off-shore winds that are exceptionally strong, dry, and frigid. The automated meteorological stations set up by the expedition team were frequently toppled by violent gales.

In January this year, when the curtain wall panels were being installed at the station, gusts of wind hitting 120 kilometers per hour whipped up snow and created a blinding whiteout that cut visibility to less than five meters. We could only hold onto a rope and feel our way forward.

The main steel structure of China's Qinling Station in Antarctica is constructed. (Photo provided by China Railway Construction Engineering Group)

Facing such adversities, we have continuously strengthened our resolve and built the Qinling Station into the one with the largest construction team, the most materials unloaded, the largest single building, and the shortest construction time among all Chinese scientific research stations in Antarctica.

This story highlights our pioneering spirit of innovation.

Innovation in equipment - Back in the 1980s, the construction of the Great Wall Station and Zhongshan Station used very little machinery but largely relied on manual labor. Today, at the construction site of the Qinling Station, we deployed 34 sets of machinery, including aerial work platforms and loaders, which significantly enhanced construction efficiency.

Innovation in technology - We adopted the Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology, which enabled a modular, prefabricated approach to construction, akin to assembling "building blocks." It allowed us to complete the largest single building in just less than 60 days.

Innovation in materials - New materials such as weathering steel have been applied to make steel tougher in ultra-low temperatures and allow it to withstand the highly corrosive coastal environment.

The extensive use of advanced equipment, innovative technologies, and specialized materials has provided strong support for our construction, allowing us to constantly set new records. By leveraging scientific methods and technological advancements, we have been making new milestones in this icy frontier.

This story reflects China's commitment to green and low-carbon development.

Strict ecological and environmental standards pose an additional challenge for our Antarctic construction efforts. We employed modular construction methods to minimize the generation of construction waste. We also introduced innovative waste treatment technologies and utilized materials free of formaldehyde and fluorine, fulfilling our commitment to leave minimum environmental impact on Antarctica.

Photo shows the modules of the main building of China's Qinling Station in Antarctica being hoisted. (Photo provided by China Railway Construction Engineering Group)

The Qinling Station utilizes passive ultra-low energy building technology, with over 60 percent of its energy derived from renewable sources like solar and wind power. This has effectively reduced energy consumption and carbon emissions. These measures reflect our commitment to upholding the green and low-carbon principle in every aspect of our construction.

Each arrival marks the beginning of a new journey. Braving snow and wind, polar expeditions are bound to witness more Chinese construction, Chinese people, and Chinese marvels.

(Luo Huangxun is the deputy production manager of the Antarctic project undertaken by China Railway Construction Engineering Group. The article is compiled by People's Daily reporter Sheng Yulei based on an interview with Luo.)

(Web editor: Chang Sha, Liang Jun)
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The United Kingdom (UK) announced on Thursday an additional 225 million pounds (283 million U.S. dollars) of military support for Ukraine to upgrade its defense next year.

The announcement was made during UK Defense Secretary John Healey's visit to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

The new support package includes a 186-million-pound package of key military equipment through the International Fund for Ukraine and 39 million pounds to provide more than 1,000 counter-drone electronic warfare systems and for joint procurement of respirators and equipment to enhance the protective capabilities of Ukraine's Armed Forces, according to a statement on the British government website.

"Our support for Ukraine is ironclad," Healey said, noting that the UK's support will continue for as long as it takes. (1 pound = 1.26 U.S. dollar)
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The death toll from a stampede at a children's carnival organized in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State in southwestern Nigeria, has risen to 35, police said Thursday.

Adewale Osifeso, the spokesman for the Oyo State police, told reporters in Ibadan that 35 minors had so far been "documented dead," while six others were critically injured and are receiving medical treatment.

"The case has been transferred to the homicide section of the State Criminal Investigation Department in Iyaganku (in Ibadan), with the Deputy Commissioner of Police leading the investigation," Osifeso said, adding that eight people, identified as the organizers of the children's carnival, had been arrested.

The carnival took a tragic turn after the private organizers announced plans to distribute cash to 5,000 children, which triggered a chaotic rush to enter a high school, the venue of the funfair in the Basorun area of Ibadan, on Wednesday morning.
As part of an experiential learning trip, Clemson students went to Georgetown, South Carolina, where they visited the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center, toured Hobcaw Barony and went to Sandy Island where they interacted with the Gullah-Geechee community and concluded their trip with a private visit to the Gullah Museum.

Georgetown trip As part of an experiential learning trip, Clemson students went to Georgetown, South Carolina, where they visited the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Cent

Doctoral students Akshit Suthar and Crystal Anderson have been working on an umbrella project at the James C. Kennedy Waterfowl and Wetlands Conservation Center at Clemson Universitys Belle W. Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest Science in Georgetown.

As part of their research, Suthar and Anderson co-teach an undergraduate class  Historical Rice Fields and Tidal Wetlands of Coastal South Carolina: Drones, Ducks and Decision Support. In speaking with Jim Anderson, director of the Kennedy Center and the Baruch Institute, Suthar and Crystal Anderson thought it would be good to get the undergrads into the field where they could better understand the wetlands and waterfowl, the history of the antebellum rice fields and the Gullah-Geechee community, as well as assist with data collecting for his and Andersons research.

Suthar has been using drones for waterfowl research and wetlands management. It is the first waterfowl drone survey conducted in South Carolina. Crystal Anderson is currently conducting a social dimension survey to explore how waterfowl managers, the public and Gullah communities engage with antebellum rice fields and their perspectives on priorities for future management. To deepen their understanding of social surveys, students have been assigned to design their own survey focusing on hunter satisfaction with current hunting rules and regulations.

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We designed the program for students to learn about the history, wildlife ecology and simultaneously they can go in the field and have real-world experience which will help them to be ready for the job market or their masters program in the future, Suthar said. We teach about the different methodologies and how they can use drones for wildlife research. Also, our social dimension theme helps them design their social surveys and reach out to the people and collect their perceptions about the landscape.

From Oct. 31 to Nov. 3, the students went to Georgetown where they visited the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center, toured Hobcaw Barony and went to Sandy Island where they interacted with the Gullah-Geechee community and concluded their trip with a private visit to the Gullah Museum.

While at the Yawkey Wildlife Center, the students learned the background of what once was a historical rice field impoundment. This structure now continues the legacy established by Tom and Jean Yawkey of conducting pioneering waterfowl, wetlands and wildlife management activities supported by natural resources research. It also provides unique educational opportunities by interpreting the propertys diverse cultural and natural history.

The morning in the Yawkey Wildlife Center was my favorite part, said Sarah Kolarik, a senior wildlife and fisheries biology major from Travelers Rest. Jamie (Dozier, project leader of Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center) talked to us about management and what waterfowl are eating, and freshwater and saltwater fields and how they manage for that. What really made it memorable for me was just how wild it was. It was just a massive expanse of open land and native plants. I got to watch a northern harrier glide totally silently across the rice field for probably half an hour. There were just so many birds. All you could hear was bird song all around you. I think Im probably going to hang onto that and carry it with me.

From there, the students toured Hobcaw Barony, a 16,000-acre research reserve with a rich diversity of every ecosystem found on the South Carolina coast. The students explored pine forests, hardwood bottomland forested wetlands, rice fields, a former slave village and coastal marshes. They also collected data using drone-based aerial surveys.

On their final full day, the students visited the Sandy Island Gullah Community where they interacted with the Gullah-Geechee residents to collect social dimension data. They were treated to a traditional Gullah meal.

Sandy Island is a really unique place, Kolarik said. Theres land there held by The Nature Conservancy. We got to walk around and look at all the different ecosystems they have on the island, including maritime forests and sand hills. We talked to people who live on Sandy Island. The person leading the tour was Tyler Pratt, who was a Clemson graduate, and currently works for the University of South Carolina on shared property with Clemson and Hobcaw Barony.

That evening, the students had dinner with Jim Anderson at The Root in the historic waterfront of Georgetown where they discussed the course and future career objectives.

Before returning to Clemson, the students stopped for a private tour of the Gullah Museum, led by Janette Rodrigues and her sister Beatrice. The students were given a comprehensive overview of Gullah history, language and culture, and were able to view art pieces associated with Gullah life. Suthar and Crystal Anderson said the trip gave the class a unique perspective into the program and the research being conducted on antebellum rice fields.

They learned about the history and the wildlife ecology, Suthar said. They also learned about the management. Many programs just take you into the field and you completely learn about the ecology or research. But they do not consider the social dimension. They also do not consider the management perspectives.

But on this trip, they experienced the people. They experienced the food. They experienced the culture. They experienced the exact area where these people used to work. This trip was more of an experience and holistic approach, how you can have ecology with imaging technology and human dimension.

Hannah Kern, a junior from Charleston, majoring in environmental and natural resources, said the trip was invaluable.

It was cool to get my name out there as a junior undergraduate and to be able to meet with so many different people, Kern said. I learned how to interact in those research environments. So much stuff is taught in class, but this was the first time that I was in a meeting where we talked and learned how to interact in those conference rooms. I got to see a lot more about what I want to do and dont want to do post-grad.

Kern said she also got a chance to connect with members of her research team. Prior to the trip, most of their interactions were through text messages or via Zoom.

Being able to stay in the cabin together at Hobcaw Barony was a fantastic experience and we got so much done with our research because we were able to communicate with each other the whole time.

After compiling the data collected for the social dimension survey on hunter satisfaction, the students will have their findings published and they will be listed as co-authors, a rare experience for undergraduates.

For the drone survey, they collected aerial images of the waterfowl and merged the color images with the thermal image, calculating and counting the birds using both images.

Ive also gotten a recreational drone pilot license, which is a good step up, Kolarik said. The next one would be a commercial drone pilot license and that would be valuable and applicable to my future as a wildlife biologist. These things are preparing me for either continuing in academia or going straight into the workforce. Ive gained a lot.
The Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (RSVGPF) have moved to assure those persons who have lost relatives to violent crime, that they are working to bring the perpetrators to justice.





And in support of this assurance, Commissioner of Police (Ag) Enville Williams, disclose at a media briefing last Monday, Dec. 16, that the police had made a breakthrough in the 2022 case involving 17-year-old Precious Williams, resulting in the arrest of Rolando Cato, a 25-year-old labourer of Ratho Mill, and who has been charged with the offence of murder.





Cato, aka Dinero, is currently incarcerated at His Majestys Prison in Belle Isle where he is serving an 18-year sentence for the offence of robbery.





He was arraigned on Tuesday, December 17, 2024, at the Kingstown Magistrates Court.





Readers will recall that the body of Precious Williams was discovered in a gutter adjacent to Joyettes Auto Collision in Richmond Hill, concealed in a bag, with multiple injuries about her body.





She is believed to have been brutally attacked and murdered sometime between May 9th and May 12th, 2022.

A post-mortem examination conducted on May 16, 2022, revealed that her death resulted from multiple sharp injuries.





This is the second major homicide that the police have successfully pursued to the point of making an arrest.

Rion Pittbull Cole, a labourer of Pauls Avenue, was charged with the murder 43-year-old Keisha Veronica Small which occurred between August 24 and 25, 2022. He is currently on remand ar His Majestys prison awaiting trial.





Smalls lifeless body was discovered on the tarmac of the decommissioned E T Joshua Airport.





During a press briefing in November 2023, Assistant Commissioner of Police with responsibility for crime Trevor Buju Bailey told reporters that investigations into the deaths of Small and Williams were ongoing, and that the public should maintain its confidence in the police to investigate crimes.





On Monday he told the media briefing, "The announcement of the closure of the case of who killed Precious Williams is a testimony to the hard work of the men and women in the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force, and by extension the Major Crimes Unit in collaboration with society.





He went on to say that the cracking of the Williams case was an example of the success that comes when the police and community collaborate.





And to those persons who await some closure on cases of murder of their loved ones, bailey assured them that the police were working assiduously to bring the perpetrator(s) to justice.





"Sometimes the result does not come with the snapping of a finger, but it really comes with a lot of painstaking hours, ACP Bailey contended.





Bailey, in fact, echoed an earlier sentiment expressed by the CoP (Ag) who committed to "pursuing to the very end perpetrators of crime and violence and these acts of murder.





He commended the staff at the Major Crime Unit (MCU) whom he said continues to be valiant in the effort aimed at giving to families the justice they deserve following such acts of violence.
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Israeli troops are seen at a village near the administrative border between the provinces of Daraa and Quneitra, Syria, on Dec. 17, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday urged Israel to stop violations of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Speaking at a press conference, Guterres condemned Israel's extensive airstrikes on Syria aimed at destroying strategic weapons and military infrastructure and its troops' entry into a demilitarized zone between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

"They are violations of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity and they must stop," he said. "Let me be clear: There should be no military forces in the area of separation other than UN peacekeepers. And those peacekeepers must have freedom of movement to undertake their important work."

Guterres underscored that Israel and Syria must uphold the terms of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement, which remains fully in force.

"This is a decisive moment -- a moment of hope and history, but also one of great uncertainty," the UN chief told reporters.

"Some will try to exploit the situation for their own narrow ends. But it is the obligation of the international community to stand with the people of Syria who have suffered so much," he said.
Winsberth Harry, President of the National Fisherfolk Organisation, pictured with device in hand, fully endorses the installation of the tracking device.

Thirty fishing boats here have been equipped with tracking devices to help ensure the safety of fishermen while at sea.





This pilot project, launched last Monday, December 16, is an initiative of the National Fisherfolk Organization (NFO) in partnership with the SVG Environment Fund.





Louise Mitchell, Executive Director of the SVG Environment Fund, stated that the project aims to assist fishermen while they are at sea.





The tracking devices will allow for real-time monitoring by the SVG Coast Guard, the Ministry of Fisheries, the SVG Conservation Fund, the National Fisherfolk Organization, and the company manufacturing the devices, Pelagic Data Systems.





And Winsberth Harry, president of the National Fisherfolk Organisation wants his organisations membership to get onboard with the project.





Harry admitted that fishermen are going further and further away from land as emerging factor, including the Sahara dust drive fish stocks away from traditional sites. This increases the chances of mishaps at sea making the devises important for tracking the route and location of fishing boats.





Instances of boat theft can be reduced when the gadgets are installed, Harry believes. He admits that he serving as a "mentor to boat owners whom he describes as "skeptical in hooking up with the technology.

He was part of the consultations at Barrouallie, Kingstown, Calliaqua, and the Grenadines in laying the framework for the DigiFish Project.





Harry took the opportunity of last Mondays function to appeal to sea moss harvesters and those who fish in rivers, to become members of the Fishing Organisation.





The National Fisherfolk Organisation "will work with anybody to promote fishing as a business, he assured, including those involved in repairs and maintenance.





Fisherman Julian Fairbaine is happy with the device in that it adds security for seafarers.





Reuben Bradshaw, captain of the boat Aquaholic, is satisfied those on land can have "peace of mind keeping contact. He sees the device as "beneficial. He and crew took this years Fisherman of the Year title.





Winston Edwards is a long line fisher and thinks that the devise should be on every vessel, so that in case of an emergency, "the Coast Guard will know where you are.

Edwards wants persons to "use it wisely.




Enville Williams, Acting Commissioner of Police (CoP) has identified the mentality of settling disputes directly and with force as a major cause of the violent crime here.

Too many young men in the country are adopting a foreign, gangster mentality, which leads them to accept that they had to settle their differences with the use of firearms.





Commissioner of Police (Ag) Enville Williams, who led A Police media briefing last Monday, Dec. 16, alluded to recent crime statistics which suggested that there was a problem in St Vincent and the Grenadines, as far as the way individuals related to each other.





He explained that his reference was to crimes of wounding, assaults, bodily harm and the like, i.e. of crimes committed by individuals against other individuals.





And while these types of crimes continue to increase, the CoP (Ag) said, ". crime against property, theft and the like, continue to drop.





He said that in relation to the recent deadly shootings, the police were working hard to establish motive(s), and he emphasised that proper motive needed to be established, even if it is that the police may have their suspicions and hunches.





Investigations, Williams said, pointed to increasing disagreements between persons whom he said were unable to come up with others ways to settle their disputes.





So, until the police were able to establish a motive for a crime, then the working theory is that people do not know how to resolve their differences, Williams reiterated.





The CoP (Ag) further argued that despite whatever may have led to the dispute in the first place, those involved were unable to arrive at a place where they were able to settle their differences amicably.





They do not know how to come to the police or access help from someone in society who can act as mediator, i.e. to sit down and trash out the issues.





"And that is what we are saying. we need to come from a societal standpoint where we know how to settle interpersonal differences, the CoP (Ag) said.





Without a mechanism for people to settle differences, then individuals will resort to everything else to settle the dispute.





He appealed to the perpetrators of these types of offences to think about their action before committing them.

"I want to appeal to us as a people as we are in this time of peace, to look at how we react to situations, Williams said.
Executive Chairman Adam Stewart and Corporate Manager of Employee Experience Jamie Green address team members during a group-wide town hall meeting broadcast live across the nine countries where Sandals and Beaches Resorts operate.

Multinational luxury hotel brand Sandals Resorts recently held its second Caribbean-wide town hall meeting for 2024, where Executive Chairman Adam Stewart addressed thousands of team members live from Montego Bay.





The event, connected employees across nine countries, and showcased a suite of transformative projects focused on enhancing both the team member experience and the companys offerings.





A standout announcement was the launch of the Sandals PALM Pass, a groundbreaking team member discount programme offering savings across a wide range of merchants, including supermarkets, restaurants, gyms, and travel services.





"This is our way of easing the burden of rising global costs, an impassioned Stewart shared. "Ive seen our head office working tirelessly, reaching out to business leaders across the Caribbean to make this happen. the beginning of Sandals efforts to enrich the lives of its team.





The PALM Pass is part of a larger wave of enhancements, including improved gratuity offerings and expanded discounted rates for team members and their families. These initiatives were informed by a group-wide survey earlier this year, where team members were invited to share how Sandals could elevate the employee experience.





Building on feedback from the survey, Sandals established eight pillars of employee welfare, which focus on communication, social engagement, collaboration, health and wellness, recognition, and innovation.





"From mental health initiatives to improved dining facilities, were ensuring these pillars touch every level of the organisation, Corporate Manager of Employee Experience Jamie Green said feel the impact of the eight pillars of employee experience.





Stewart also shone a spotlight on the transformative power of the Sandals Corporate University (SCU), the fully funded training ground empowering employees to grow within the company.





"We are a people business. The real horsepower that makes us who we are is our 18,500 team members., he emphasized.





Looking ahead, Sandals also announced plans for new resorts in The Bahamas, Jamaica, and other destinations, promising more than 5,000 new hires and 300 managerial positions. Stewart encouraged team members to enroll in the SCU, reiterating that Sandals is dedicated to promoting from within. (Source: Sandals Resorts)




St. Vincent Brewery Ltd. (SVBL) has introduced an exciting transformation with three fresh features to its line of Hairoun soft drinks.





The three fresh features include: reimagined innovative names, a sleek new design, andfor the first timea full nutritional panel, providing transparency for todays consumers value.





"Our new visual identity reflects our commitment to quality and celebrates the flavors of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, said Mr. Lamont Medica Commercial Manager at St. Vincent Brewery Ltd. "We wanted to bring our Carbonated Soft Drinks to life in a way that resonates with everyone who loves these refreshing drinks, from our local fans to consumers worldwide.





Driven by consumer insights and feedback, SVBLs Commercial team conceptualized Island Flavours and Island Mixers as a cohesive pair. Now branded as Island Chill and Island Mix, these titles capture the essence of the Caribbean: Island Chill includes classics like Kola Champagne, Mauby, and Bitter Lemon, perfect for fans seeking pure refreshment; while Island Mix which includes Ginger Ale, Soda Water, and Indian Quinine Tonic brings enjoyment for those who appreciate them on their own but also love mixing it up with their favorite spirits.





Ms. Shafia London, Country Manager at the St. Vincent Brewery Limited also shared that "todays health-conscious consumers want transparency, so we are proud to provide clear, easy-to-read nutritional labels on every bottle. Each bottle highlights sugar content, calories, and potential allergens, empowering consumers to make informed choices while enjoying the same great flavors they know and love.





Addressing the nutritional label, Ms. London acknowledged that she was approached about one year ago by Chief Health Promotions Officer, Ms. Shanika John, about the absence of a nutritional label. This spurred a discussion and subsequent action to close this critical but overlooked label requirement gap. The company quickly made the changes to adhere to the standards of nutrition labels so they can help consumers make informed choices about the soft drink line.




"I never want to relive that experience.





That was the sentiment expressed by Stephanie Browne, former Parliamentary Representative for the Southern Grenadines., and echoed by many of the Beryl survivors on Union Island.





The memories of Hurricane Beryls passage on July 01, 2024 linger fresh in their minds and the physical scars still evident but they are relentless as they make every effort to resume a normal life.





But after 5 months since Beryl barreled through Union with a ferocity that ripped houses apart, flipped 40-foot metal containers, overturned mini vans, destroyed jetties, beached boats and claimed the lives of 6 persons, Union Island is a juxtaposition of completely rebuilt structures and demolished structures.





Union Island, PSV, Palm Island and Mayreau bore the brunt of Beryls ferocity but Union suffered the most infrastructural damage.





Relief work





NEMOs presence is quite evident on the island. Their temporary office, located within the office of the TCMP, is set to be relocated to a more permanent building not too far away.





However, even amidst the good being done, there are several deserving residents who have registered their damages in the hope of receiving assistance, but when the time comes for distribution their names cannot be found. There were complaints that and persons who registered after others has already received assistance.

On Thursday 12th December, Mayreau residents were directed to journey to union to get their (assistance)cards.





The work of international agencies and religious disaster response bodies, including the Seventh-day Adventist, is also evident.





Other issue  water, etc.





All in all, work is ongoing and there is a need for skilled workers - carpenters, masons, plumbers and electricians. Just about 30 % of the houses have been rebuilt. As it stands, work continues on 25% of the homes but about 45 % remain in dire need of repair. Most of the government facilities, e.g. hospital, schools, have been repaired or nearing completion.





VINLEC has restored electricity to the main populated areas on the island, while both telecommunications providers are yet to get their game sorted out as connectivity is unreliable at this time. Were it not for the Starlink service, Union, Mayreau, Palm and PSV would be out of the communications loop.

Reliable access to water is still a real issue in Union Island. Many households lost their water tanks during Beryl, so there is little capacity to store rain water.





The water issue is being addressed by the government and the CWSA. A (water) truck arrives every Thursday. This is expected to continue as the next few months the dry season will begin and. A separate report on the water issue will follow shortly.





Commerce and animal care





Local vegetable vendors are still plying their trade and some supermarkets carry the basic items.





As for the stray animal issue, some are already being rounded up and sold.





One suggestion making the rounds is to corral the animals (cattle and small ruminants) in several fenced areas which can be rotated. When one area is grazed, they can then be moved to another area to allow that used area to rejuvenate.





The added suggestion is to use the salvaged galvanize from the destruction by Beryl to make fencing for the corrals. There is also the option of using fencing material/wire.





As in Canouan, the name Ian Wace, a British financier and co-founded Marshall Wace Asset Management, surfaces in conversations with residents and others. It is evident that his benevolence is appreciated and this was demonstrated when he was featured in skit performed at the recent Christmas programme organized by the Primary and Secondary schools on the island.





Collectively, the folks from the Southern Grenadines are happy with the arrangement to travel unrestricted once a pass was obtained, reducing the burden of travel costs. This allows families and workers to travel freely as well as to secure material/supplies from the mainland.





The main providers of this service include the Jaden Sun Fast Ferry which makes almost daily trips from St. Vincent to Canouan, Mayreau and Union; Bequia Express which moves workers from Canouan to Union daily; and Gem Star and the Southern Grenadines Express which are the primary movers of construction materials, and fuel.





Some persons have been taking advantage of the free travel to visit family in the Southern Grenadines, with one person admitting that they have made at least ten such trips.





But, Union is still hurting, Union still NEEDS help!





Community activist Lennox "Bumba Charles is crying out for Psychologists and Social Workers to assist Unionites still suffering from post traumatic stress syndrome (PTSS aka PTSD - disorder). He reminds the authorities that many residents who would have narrowly escaped death and suffer from that and other traumatic experiences, require counseling and occupational therapy to assist them to return to their once normal lives.





Despite the relatively slow pace of reconstruction and other ongoing challenges, there is that optimism that 2025 will be the year of a difference.








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.
Spark Utilities, a world-class utilities operator based in King Salman Energy Park (Spark) has signed an MoU with GCC Lab to provide technical and construction services at Spark to improve the provision of utilities services to tenants.

The agreement will leverage the expertise and innovative and sustainable solutions developed by GCC Labs, said a statement from the company.

Spark Utilities is the third-licensed utilities company in the kingdom to sell and distribute power to tenants by Saudi Arabias Water & Electricity Regulatory Authority (WERA).

The signing marks a significant milestone in the provision of best-in-class technical services to Spark tenants, reinforcing Spark Utilities commitment to providing convenient and reliable access to power, water and gas services.

The deal was inked by Ahmed Al Essa, the CEO of Spark Utilities on the sidelines of the Saudi Smart Grid Conference, held at Riyadh in the presence of several industry leaders, stakeholders and government representatives.

As per the deal, Spark Utilities and GCC Lab will explore ways to improve systems efficiency and implement advanced technologies to connect tenants to essential utilities services in the most efficient and sustainable manner, it stated.

On the agreement, Ahmed Al Essa, the CEO of Spark Utilities, said: "We are proud to sign this agreement with GCC Lab and look forward to working together to advance the provision of utilities services across Spark."

The partnership seeks to leverage the combined expertise of both entities to enhance the value proposition of Spark as a strategic energy hub.

"This new partnership represents a significant step forward in our commitment to providing innovative, reliable and sustainable utility connections," stated Al Essa.

"By combining our expertise, we aim to streamline electricity and water network services, ultimately supporting Sparks economic growth and meeting critical regulatory standards," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Digital Dubai has signed an agreement with the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF), to develop national competencies that can anticipate and shape the future through innovative concepts, technologies, skills and tools.

The agreement was signed by Tariq Al Janahi, Chief Executive Officer of the Corporate Enablement Sector at Digital Dubai; and Saeed Al Falasi, Executive Director of Future Design and Acceleration at DFF. The collaboration highlights a mutual dedication to cultivating capabilities that align with and emerging technologies and future demands.

This partnership focuses on empowering participants in the Digital Pioneers Programme, an initiative by Digital Dubai that trains new graduates over a one-year period to become future leaders through a blend of technical and behavioural skills, with a strong emphasis on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and tools of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Investing in talent

Al Janahi said: "This agreement aligns with Digital Dubais direction to enhance digital competencies, invest in its talent driving the digital transformation process, and provide them with advanced and diverse training resources. We are pleased that DFF serves as a key learning and training hub for Dubais digital talent.

The significance of this agreement lies in the shared vision of both entities to anticipate future technologies and implement strategies that ensure readiness to shape Dubais future. Both entities are committed to establishing Dubai as a model for future cities, a goal reflected in the Digital Dubai Vision, which seeks to digitise all aspects of life in the emirate. This collaboration aligns with the directives of our wise leadership and the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, which emphasises the importance of developing highly skilled local talent to contribute to shaping the future," Al Janahi added.

Al Falasi said: "Imagining, designing, and executing the future - while remaining ready for its opportunities and transformations - is a core principle of DFFs various programmes and initiatives. The strategic partnerships with leading entities, such as Digital Dubai, a benchmark in world-class digital transformation leadership, reinforce Dubai's status as the worlds most future-ready city."

Mastering future technologies

"Dubai consistently launches strategic initiatives and programmes aimed at building capabilities and enhancing skills. These efforts empower talent and professionals to gain expertise and remain competitive in mastering future technologies, such as prompt engineering, testing emerging technologies, driving government innovations, and advancing research and development. This aligns with our leadership's vision which emphasises investing in future skills and empowering pioneers to shape the future across all sectors, Al Falasi added.

The agreement is a strategic step towards preparing highly skilled professionals equipped with future design tools and technologies. This collaboration enhances agility and proactivity, ensuring sustainable growth and competitiveness. It supports Dubais goal of securing its position among the worlds top three economic cities at the beginning of the next decade," Al Falasi concluded.--TradeArabia News Service
AISIN Corporation, a global leader in automotive components, has unveiled its ambitious vision for the future of the global aftermarket industry and introduced new tyre brand  AITERRA  at Automechanika Dubai 2024.

The event, which was held recently, at the Dubai World Trade Centre, served as an ideal platform for the company to share its strategic plan to become a total automotive parts and service provider.

AISIN aims to cater to a wide range of customer needs by expanding its current product line-up, which includes cooling systems, drivetrain products, steering and suspension, chemicals and fluids, and many more, beyond traditional in-house brands. As part of its future plans, the company will offer a comprehensive range of aftermarket parts, including essential maintenance items such as wiper blades, lubricants, high-quality batteries, tire accessories, wheel balancers, paints, car lifts, and other tools for vehicle upkeep.

Wide range of equipment

During the event, the company also showcased its wide range of equipment for automotive service and maintenance, including rim solutions and e-mobility components.

Masahiro Shiiya, president of AISIN Corporations Global Aftermarket company, stated: At AISIN, our expansion strategy is a clear reflection of our vision to evolve as a comprehensive automotive parts and service provider. We're not just focusing on traditional components but broadening our offering to include essential maintenance items such as tires, lubricants, and service tools, supported by our global network of 36 locations.

Our commitment to sustainability is embodied in AITERRA, where advanced technology meets eco-friendly solutions, driving us towards a zero-emission future. With regional customisation and a focus on emerging trends, we ensure our products and services cater to local needs while staying ahead of the competition. Automechanika Dubai provides an excellent platform for us to showcase innovations like AITERRA, reinforcing our leadership in the global automotive aftermarket industry.

Aftermarket business

Leveraging a current global network of 36 locations across 17 countries, AISINs aftermarket business is well-positioned to cater to the unique needs of each regional market. The companys extensive manufacturing capabilities and global reach enable it to deliver high-quality products and services to customers worldwide, ensuring timely and efficient solutions.

A significant development in AISINs expansion is the upcoming launch of its own tire brand, AITERRA, slated for release in April 2025. The name AITERRA combines two powerful elements: AI from AISIN, symbolising the companys commitment to cutting-edge technology and innovation, and Terra, the Latin word for Earth, reflecting AISIN's deep connection to the environment and its focus on sustainable solutions. The synergy between AITERRA tires and AISIN's other products is expected to provide a comprehensive and unified solution for consumers, offering everything from vehicle maintenance to fuel efficiency and safety

AISIN is renowned for its cutting-edge technology and high-quality products. Being consistently ranked as a Top 10 global Tier One automotive supplier, it continues to drive innovation in the automotive industry, addressing critical challenges such as electrification, sustainability, and zero-emission solutions.

With a global footprint, AISIN is shaping the future of mobility by delivering cutting-edge products and services. By expanding its aftermarket business and introducing new brands like AITERRA, AISIN is reinforcing its position as a leading provider of automotive solutions for today and tomorrow.--TradeArabia News Service
Movenpick Hotels & Resorts, a leader in hospitality since 1948, has announced the opening of Movenpick Waad Al Shamal, in Saudi Arabias northern region.

A beacon of elevated hospitality, this property brings Movenpicks signature service excellence to Waad Al Shamal, a strategic economic and industrial hub that plays a vital role in Saudi Arabias Vision 2030 ambitions.

Movenpick Waad Al Shamal features 245 rooms and suites, including two Presidential Suites that offer an exceptional blend of comfort and modern design. The hotel also offers 18 state-of-the-art meeting rooms and expansive banqueting facilities, creating the ideal destination for conferences, corporate gatherings, and special celebrations. Whether for business or leisure, guests will find a setting crafted to inspire and connect.

Culinary journey

Dining at Movenpick Waad Al Shamal offers a culinary journey through five distinct experiences. Yasmeen Restaurant offers a vibrant selection of Saudi and international cuisines, celebrating the flavours of the region with a contemporary twist. Zafaran Restaurant immerses guests in the rich culinary traditions of Turkiye, providing a truly authentic dining journey.

For a refreshing retreat, the Oasis Pool Bar serves signature drinks and light bites in a relaxed poolside setting. The Flora Lobby Lounge provides a welcoming space for guests to unwind with Movenpicks signature coffee blends and pastries and invites guests to indulge in the celebrated Movenpick Chocolate Hour, a daily immersive chocolate tasting experience that delights visitors of all ages.

With its commitment to nurturing local talent and fostering connections, Movenpick Waad Al Shamal marks a transformative step in the regions hospitality landscape. Over 55% of the workforce are Saudi nationals, reinforcing the hotels alignment with the national goal of empowering the local workforce.

Paul Stevens, Chief Operating Officer, Premium, Midscale & Economy Division for Middle East, Africa & Turkiye at Accor, commented: The property reflects our brand's ethos of meaningful connections and uplifting guest experiences. With its strategic location and alignment to Vision 2030, this hotel sets the stage for future growth while showcasing the best of Saudi hospitality.

Founded in 1948 by Ueli Prager, Movenpick pioneered the Swiss restaurant scene, and later evolved into a premium international hotel brand renowned for its culinary excellence. Today, Movenpick continues to embody the same ethos of generous hospitality, where food & drink is central to creating meaningful human connections, sparking creativity, and promoting positive good through kindness and care.

Range of experiences

With this philosophy in mind, Movenpick Waad Al Shamal curates a range of experiences designed to inspire guests and locals, fostering lasting memories and nurturing the inherent human desire for connection. Guests can enjoy a fitness centre, outdoor pool, and wellness services, ensuring a holistic and rejuvenating stay.

General Manager Naseer Thodi said: Our vision is to establish Movenpick Waad Al Shamal as a true destinationone where guests can immerse themselves in the rich tapestry of Saudi culture, forge meaningful connections, and experience the exceptional hospitality that defines Movenpick. As the first five-star hotel in the Northern Province of Saudi Arabia, we take great pride in leading the regions transformation. I am especially proud of our talented local team, who have embraced Movenpicks values with enthusiasm and dedication, making this journey even more rewarding.

To celebrate its debut, Movenpick Waad Al Shamal is offering Members of ALL, Accors award winning loyalty programme, an exclusive 15% discount on all stays from December 15, 2024, for one month.--TradeArabia News Service
Perhaps it is because there is no consequence for the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission (T&TEC) that it continues to disconnect the electricity supply of its customers without warning.

Regulated Industries Commission (RIC) executive director Dr Michelle Salandy confirmed to a parliamentary Joint Select Committee (JSC) on Local Authorities, Service Commissions and Statutory Authorities (including THA) that T&TEC faces no repercussions for the failure to adhere to its code of practice that gives specific step-by-step guidance on disconnection, reconnection, and theft of electricity, among other things. Now that information is in the public sphere, the public will no doubt hold the commission to account.
An online MBA seems like the perfect option for many; it allows you to study flexibly, save money, and progress into your dream career. But is it the right choice for you? Here are the possible benefits of studying for an MBA online.

What Is an MBA?

A master of business administration (MBA) provides you with the management knowledge you need to move into leadership or management roles. MBA programs usually last two years, and you can study full-time, part-time or online. The course aims to prepare you for the business world, offering case studies and real-world examples that show you how you can put your knowledge into practice.

The units for an MBA vary depending on where you choose to study and if you specialize in finance or change management. Most MBAs will offer similar units, where you will learn about marketing, business policy, ethics and more. A list of popular MBA units is included below:

Art and practice of leadership

Advanced organizational behavior

Business analytics and visualization

Business consulting

Business ethics and sustainability

Financial analysis

Marketing management

Managing innovation and entrepreneurship

Organization change management

Performance management rewards

Strategic human resource management

Strategic management and business policy

What Are the Benefits of Studying for an MBA Online?

Studying for an MBA online can have many benefits, including flexibility and lower cost. Review the list of benefits below to see if they are suitable for you.

It Is Flexible

Online study is super flexible, allowing you to complete the MBA on your own time. You can plan your classes and studies around your schedule, accessing the material at any time. This makes it a great choice if you need to work while you study or fit your studies around childcare and other responsibilities.

It Can Be Cheaper

An online MBA is often cheaper than in-person study, generally making it more accessible for students. You can choose to pay per unit, too, allowing you to access the course and spread out the cost. Online MBAs also often come with funding opportunities that can help reduce the cost.

It Offers Career Opportunities

An online MBA can increase your career opportunities, allowing you to progress as a business leader or a manager. After completing their coursework, some students move into the following roles:

Chief executive officer

Director of business development

Senior managing consultant

Human resources director

Strategic planning manager

Marketing/communications director

Financial manager

It Gives You Transferable Skills

Studying online gives you transferable skills that you dont get when attending classes in person, like learning to work independently while managing the distractions of home life. These are essential transferable skills in our increasingly digital world, where more and more management positions are being held remotely or on a hybrid basis. If you can study successfully at home, you can work successfully at home!

Choose Your MBA Program Today

An online MBA can allow you to access the same information as in-person classes but with a flexible schedule! Why not try a trusted MBA course online to see what your new career holds?

This content is for informational purposes only. The publisher does not represent or warrant that product information in this content is accurate or complete since this information was provided by the promoted brand. The reader is solely responsible for investigating all claims and conducting their own due diligence prior to purchase of any product or service.

Lee Enterprises newsroom and editorial were not involved in the creation of this content.
The states water agency announced Friday it will usher in a critical milestone of groundwater pumping limits and regulation to the Willcox Basin by formally designating a state-run Active Management Area there.

The Arizona Department of Water Resources made the decision in the face of severe declines in groundwater levels, reports of drying wells, and clear patterns showing increased sinking and cracking of land due to unregulated pumping.

But it also faces sharp criticism from numerous Willcox-area farmers who say the regulation will hurt if not cripple their livelihoods and seriously damage a rural economy that runs almost exclusively on agriculture.

In a news release Friday morning, Gov. Katie Hobbs office characterized the state decision as historic action to secure Arizonas water future and protect rural Arizonans from unchecked groundwater pumping.

Rural communities deserve to have their groundwater protected, and todays action is a critical milestone for the people of southeastern Arizona, Hobbs said in the release. For too long politicians have buried their heads in the sand, refused to take action, and caved to out-of-state special interests profiting off Arizonas water.

Ive heard from families, farmers, and businesses who have experienced the devastating impacts of unchecked pumping by unaccountable, big corporations. Their wells are running dry, their homes are damaged by fissures in the earth, and their farms are barely able to get by. This newly designated AMA at the Willcox Basin will bring much-needed relief to Arizonans and protect their water for generations to come, the Democratic governor said.

The Willcox Basin AMA will be the seventh AMA the state has created since it enacted the groundbreaking Arizona Groundwater Management Act in 1980. Five of them encompass urban areas including the Tucson and Phoenix areas. Douglas Basin voters living south of the Willcox Basin voted to create an AMA in November 2022.

But the path to a Willcox Basin AMA has been the most contentious if not most rancorous process for any of them.

Many basin homeowners, some farmers and conservationists have been pushing hard for regulation of pumping for a decade or longer, only to be turned back repeatedly. Not only did the Arizona Legislature decline to pass any legislation establishing a formal mechanism to regulate rural groundwater, but Willcox Basin residents themselves voted overwhelmingly in 2022 to turn down a citizens initiative to create an AMA there.

At a public hearing last month in Willcox, about 85 miles east of Tucson, a majority of speakers made it clear they thought an AMA was the wrong solution for the basin, not least because most AMAs like Tucsons are served by surface water supplies such as the Central Arizona Project  which dont exist in the Willcox area.

At that Nov. 22 hearing, Barbara Pierce, a Willcox-area vineyard owner representing the Arizona Wine Growers Association, testified that creating an AMA would have a devastating effect on the regions vibrant wine and grape-growing industry, preventing it from realizing its potential. She was one of several farmers including a number of grape growers and vineyard operators to issue similar warnings that day.

The industrys development has been with the intent of developing grapes with low water usage, Pierce said.

Establishment of an AMA would have serious, irreparable negative consequences, not only to our members, and severely diminish their ability to grow grapes, manufacture its wines and produce high quality economic development in rural Arizona, Pierce testified.

But in its news release Friday, the Hobbs administration said the action will protect more than 8,100 people and the local economies that rely on Willcox groundwater, allowing existing users to continue using water, and putting in place conservation requirements to help protect the aquifer.

The Willcox Basin AMA will also protect Arizona families, farmers, businesses, and private property owners from additional large, out-of-state corporations locating to the Willcox Basin to exploit groundwater supplies, the Governors Office said.

This decision by me goes to the heart of our states landmark 1980 groundwater protection legislation which invests in the ADWR Director the duty to take necessary steps to defend our groundwater supplies for future generations, said ADWR Director Tom Buschatzke in the news release.

A former ADWR Director, Kathleen Ferris, told the Arizona Daily Star Friday, While this is a courageous decision, it is the only one possible given the severe groundwater depletion and land subsidence in the Willcox Basin. Regulation of groundwater pumping will benefit all of the residents of the Basin and give them a chance for a sustainable future.

The basin meets two of three state requirements for proving an Active Management Area is needed, Buschatzke wrote in his order Thursday designating the AMA. One is that active management is needed to protect the basins groundwater supply so it can meet future needs, the order said.

The other is that land subsidence or earth fissuring in the basin is endangering property or potential groundwater storage capacity, Buschatzke wrote.

The Willcox Basin covers 1,911 square miles, including the Sulphur Springs Valley of eastern Cochise County near the Chiricahua Mountains, and a swath of southern Graham County. The basin is roughly as arid as the Tucson area, getting 10 to 12 inches of rain annually in its flatlands on the valley floor, and 14 to 18 inches annually in the surrounding mountains.

Most immediately, creation of the Willcox Basin AMA makes permanent a ban on all expansion of irrigation thats been in place since ADWR proposed this measure in late October.

Also, from now on, all owners of wells pumping more than 35 gallons per minute must measure their water use and submit annual reports about it to the state. Well owners must install state-approved measuring devices by March 31, 2025 and file their first annual report of water usage a year later, Buschatzkes order said.

The new AMA will also require those drilling wells of that pumping volume to limit their impacts on existing wells and to conduct analysis of their pumpings projected effects on the existing wells.

The AMA will also establish conservation requirements for farmers, city residents and industries, and set management goals and a management plan for governing the basins pumping.

Existing farmers will get grandfathered rights that protect their legal ability to pump, but theyll still be subject to conservation requirements that will ultimately reduce their pumping.

In its presentations at public meetings and public hearings on the AMA proposal, ADWR has said water levels in parts of the Willcox Basin have fallen more than 400 feet since the 1950s and that pumping in the basin far exceeds the rate of natural recharge of the aquifer by rainfall.

An estimated 5.7 million acre-feet of groundwater  equivalent to nearly six years worth of Central Arizona Project deliveries to Phoenix and Tucson from the Colorado River  was pumped from storage between 1940 and 2015.

ADWR has said that if all pumping in the basin were to immediately stop, it would take more than 280 years for the aquifer to recover.

Our community is facing difficult decisions as Arizona moves forward with an Active Management Area for the Willcox Basin, said Willcox Mayor Greg Hancock in the governors news release. While there are a range of views on the AMA, the urgency of addressing our water challenges cannot be overstated.

Governor Hobbs has demonstrated a strong commitment to protecting Arizonas precious water resources. We recognize the perspectives many residents and stakeholders have raised, and we are committed to ensuring that our communitys voice is heard throughout this process, the mayor said.

At the November public hearing, farmer Sonia Gasho said the states plan is a dictatorial position.

It wont put water back in anyones wells. It will adversely affect the local economy. Agriculture is the main economic driver in this valley, besides government-related jobs, Gasho testified.

On Friday, Gasho pronounced herself "very disappointed" at the new AMA designation, particularly since Willcox Basin residents voted so overwhelmingly against the idea in 2022.

"Its insulting ton constitutuents of the Willcox Basin to move forward on this so soon . . . i think the governor and Tom Buschatzke completely ignored the will of the people."

If the AMA goes through and "we don't have some action in the Legislature to come up with another option, it wlll put the Sulphur Springs Valley out of business," Gasho said.

"Agriculture is the first economic driver in the valley and second in Cochise County to government as an employer. It's no small thing," Gasho said.

But also on Friday following the governors announcement, Willcox Basin chile grower Ed Curry reacted much more favorably to the decision.

It stops any new drilling right now. It stops expansion. We needed to stop that, bad. It really pushes the conversation: Do we really want an AMA order or do we want something else?

Now, state officials, legislators and local residents will have 21 months before a new Willcox Basin management plan must be completed to either come up with ways to improve the AMA or to come up with legislation that would override it with a different management structure acceptable to all parties, Curry said.
Enterprises in Vietnam are facing significant cybersecurity risks as the country led Southeast Asia in suffering from on-device threats involving malware in the first half of 2024, according to Russia-based cybersecurity company Kaspersky.

According to a recent report by Kaspersky, businesses across Southeast Asia experienced a total of over 24,289,901 million on-device threats in January-June.

As described by Kaspersky, on-device threats typically involve malware spread via removable media like USB drives, CDs, and DVDs or through files that arrive on computers in non-open forms, such as those in complex installers or encrypted files.

Among the regions countries, Vietnam was most affected by such threats with 10,531,086 incidents, followed by Indonesia with 7,954,823 incidents.

Thailand and Malaysia also faced significant challenges, registering 2,650,007 and 1,965,270 threats, respectively.

The Philippines recorded 687,567 cases while Singapore had the lowest incidence, with 501,148 threats.

The statistics were created by Kaspersky Security Solutions scans of files on the hard drive at the moment they were created or accessed, as well as the results of scanning removable storage media, according to CyberSecurity Asia.

Yeo Siang Tiong, general manager for Southeast Asia at Kaspersky, commented that the increasing digitization of financial systems, e-commerce, and other industries has pushed up the number of Internet users and at the same time expanded the attack surface for cybercriminals.

In addition, the lack of awareness of best practices and varying levels of security protection also contributed to businesses facing high numbers of threats and attacks, he added.

Yeo emphasized that protection against attacks originating from removable devices or non-open form files requires strong security solutions, which are capable of treating infected objects and further enhanced with a firewall, anti-rootkit functionality, and control over removable devices.

Perform regular computer scans for viruses and malware to prevent spread, he said.

In order to bolster protection against on-device threats, Kaspersky advises that organizations should keep software updated to prevent the exploitation of vulnerabilities, while backing up data regularly for quick access in emergencies.

In addition, businesses should avoid pirated software, assess supply chains for potential vulnerabilities, and closely monitor network access to detect unusual activities.

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French shipping and logistics giant CMA-CGM Group, the third-largest container shipping company in the world, has announced an electric barge project in Vietnam.

The battery-powered barge will transport goods between Binh Duong Province and deep-sea terminal Gemalink, with 25 percent of its stake owned by CMA-CGM Group, in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, a representative of the company told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Thursday.

With each 180-kilometer round-trip, the e-barge is not only expected to enhance the efficiency of inland waterway transport but also to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 778 metric tons annually.

The e-barge's charging infrastructure will be supported by a newly built solar farm at the deep-sea terminal, capable of generating one gigawatt-hour of electricity per year.

The e-barge, co-designed by CMA CGMs R&D team and leading battery producer CATL, is capable of transporting over 50,000 TEUs annually after beginning operations in 2026.

Notably, the project will highlight cooperation between CMA CGM and NIKE, which is committed to using the e-barge for the transportation of NIKE products from Binh Duong Province to Gemalink.

The e-barge project will not only contribute to boosting socio-economic growth in Vietnams southern region, but also increase the nations competitiveness in the renewable energy and logistics fields.

On November 19, Mathieu Friedberg, senior vice-president of CMA-CGM, told Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha that the group was planning to invest in an e-barge project with its operations along inland waterway routes.

The group is running four shipping lines serving six international seaports in Vietnam with 15 international routes connecting the country to Europe, the U.S., and other key destinations.

CMA CGM Group has over 160,000 employees working in 160 nations and more than 650 ships that connect 400 ports worldwide.

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Over the last decade, Masato Shiota brought his papermaking business back from the brink, paying down debt and buying machinery to automate some production. But he struggles to find workers to keep output at full capacity.

"We have three machines but only have two running on any day," said Shiota, president of Wako Seishi, which produces tissues, disinfectant wipes and toilet paper in Ino, a town on the smallest of Japan's four main islands known for its paper industry.

"If we don't have the people we can't make products and we can't turn a profit. We'll go under. This is the biggest problem for small and medium-sized companies."

Shiota's experiences and those of several other Ino business owners show how a labour shortage is a growing threat to smaller companies that provide seven out of every 10 jobs in Japan. The country faces a deficit of 3.4 million workers by the end of this decade and 11 million by 2040, according to a 2023 study by Recruit Works Institute.

In the first half of this year, a record 182 companies went under because of worker shortages, according to research firm Teikoku Databank, up 66% on a year earlier. Overall bankruptcies look set to surpass 10,000 this year, the highest since 2013, data from Tokyo Shoko Research showed this month.

While labour shortage-related bankruptcies are a small portion of the total, the surge will ripple through to these companies' suppliers and customers, potentially causing a "chain of bankruptcies or mergers", according to Takayasu Otomo, a researcher at Teikoku Databank.

Japan in March raised borrowing costs for the first time in 17 years, signalling the world's fourth-largest economy had turned a corner after years of stagnation.

Yet Reuters interviews with 16 people, including business leaders in Ino, industry experts and officials, reveal challenges for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's efforts to revitalise rural economies facing ageing and shrinking populations.

While Japan is allowing more underperforming businesses to fail, the accounts suggest the worker shortage is threatening firms that are otherwise robust, including those that have invested in automation and creative hiring.

Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry did not respond to questions about the experiences of business owners in Ino.

'Economic metabolism'

Shiota, who also heads the local papermaking association, has 42 employees and saw demand for disinfectant wipes surge during the pandemic.

He has cut out unprofitable products and, with government support, invested 80 million yen ($520,000) to automate his lines. But Shiota said he has little ability to pay workers more beyond a recent increase in the minimum wage, which will rise again next year.

Japan remains resistant to large-scale immigration, so some companies have plugged labour gaps by employing short-term workers from Vietnam and other Asian countries. But a weakening yen makes it harder to attract foreign workers.

Some Japanese officials see bankruptcies triggered by labour shortages as an inevitable effect of what they call "economic metabolism" - whereby less-dynamic companies are swept away, allowing workers and capital to migrate to more productive ones.

When asked about the rise in these bankruptcies, one senior official, granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter, said it was "natural" for such economic metabolism to take place.

The bankruptcy rate remains low compared with some countries, the official said, adding that if such bankruptcies did not occur, workers would be stuck at low-wage companies.

Fishmonger Yasushi Miyamoto, 70, prepares local delicacy, bonito seared over a hay fire, in Ino, Kochi Prefecture, Japan, August 10, 2024. Photo: Reuters

Learning to adapt

Nestled alongside the Niyodo river, Ino is known for traditional products such as "Tosa washi" paper, made by hand for 1,000 years and used in calligraphy and on "shoji" sliding doors.

Given its population of 20,000 and location off the beaten track, Ino's papermakers have carved out niches to survive. Toyo Tokushi, owned by the Moriki family, diversified into adult diapers in 1970, which now account for 70% of sales.

Faced with a staffing crunch, the company for the first time is considering hiring graduates straight out of high school, said Kei Moriki, the 32-year-old director.

Even so, he said he isn't sure that the company can muster the resources to train employees with no work experience.

Old trophies from an annual softball tournament held by the local paper manufacturers association adorn the company headquarters. Toyo Tokushi hasn't fielded a team in around 20 years, Moriki said, as his workforce has aged.

Elsewhere in Ino, there are few izakaya pubs left and only one fish shop, down from a dozen in 2007, according to locals.

Ishiba has given few details about how he plans to revitalise rural areas, but has promised to lay out a plan by early next year to raise the minimum wage by 42% by the end of the decade.

Meanwhile, the government is on a push to help small and medium-sized enterprises raise prices so they can hike wages that lag the OECD average. Higher wages would also help smaller companies attract workers.

But in Ino, business owners say it's not straightforward.

Kashiki Seishi, a maker of washi paper, used to source everything from local farmers, according to chief executive Hiromasa Hamada. But since 2017 the six-person company has also depended on volunteers from a programme that allows people to work on farms in exchange for room and board.

"I don't think it's healthy for a business to rely on volunteers," said the 44-year-old Hamada, a seventh-generation papermaker.

But he appears to have little choice, as there are fewer farmers in the nearby ranges to collect wood and other materials he needs.

In 10 years, he said, "there might be no one left in the mountains".
The Vietnam International Defense Exhibition 2024 officially opened at Gia Lam Military Airport in Hanoi on Thursday, showcasing military equipment and weaponry, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), tanks, armored vehicles, missiles, helicopters, and infantry weapons.

The four-day event has attracted numerous delegations and visitors from both domestic and international backgrounds.

Scud-B ballistic missiles, T-90S/SK battle tanks, A-10 attack aircraft, and C-130J Super Hercules military aircraft are displayed in an outdoor area.

Meanwhile, the indoor area features many weapons, tanks, and UAVs from Russia, India, Israel, China, and the U.S., with some of them introduced for the first time in Vietnam.

A VT4 main battle tank model designed and assembled by Chinas Norinco. The tank, which weighs 52 metric tons, is produced for export. It integrates the technology of Type 99A tanks that the Chinese military force is using. Photo: Ha Quan / Tuoi Tre

The 2024 International Defense Expo will last until Sunday, gathering over 200 enterprises from more than 30 countries, including the U.S., Russia, the UK, France, Germany, India, Japan, South Korea, China, and others.

The expo, in its second edition, features combat vehicles, weapons, military equipment, and technological solutions for the navy, army, air defense force, logistics, and technical support.

The first Vietnam International Defense Expo was held in 2022, attracting 174 enterprises from 30 countries.

Vietnams standard service rifle STV-380, which has been mass-produced to replace AK-47 assault rifles. The rifle comes in different models, integrated with picatinny rails for adding accessories like sighting devices, flashlights, and grenade launchers. Besides STV-380, the Vietnamese military also uses STV-416 and STV-022, depending on each mission. Photo: Ha Quan / Tuoi Tre

Military officers point at an SBT12M1 sniper rifle, which was designed to defeat enemy personnel and armored vehicles at distances of up to 1,200 meters. An SBT12M1 sniper rifle weighs 13 kilograms when loaded and can hold a maximum of five bullets. Photo: Ha Quan / Tuoi Tre

According to a representative of Smith & Wesson from the U.S., this is the second time the company has joined the Vietnam International Defense Exhibition as it sees a high demand for weapons, especially M&P9 M2.0 pistols, in 40 countries, including Belgium, the U.S., and Thailand. Photo: Ha Quan / Tuoi Tre

Besides military officers, young and middle-aged visitors pay attention to weapons showcased by Czechias Colt CZ Group. Many countries have used the groups guns, such as CZ P-09 and CZ P-10 pistols, and CZ Scorpion Evo 3. Colt CZ Group also introduces its CZ BREN 2 and CZ BREN 3 rifles at the Vietnam International Defense Exhibition 2024. Photo: Ha Quan / Tuoi Tre

The Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security introduces many new products, such as portable drone jammer DJH09 and UAVs integrated with security data collection and management software, at the Vietnam International Defense Exhibition 2024. The ministrys booth features smart robots, firefighting robots, and AK-47 bullet-proof vests. Photo: Ha Quan / Tuoi Tre

A SKYBEAM handheld counter-drone gun attracts many visitors. The gun, manufactured by Israel, is often used by military and police forces in protection missions. Photo: Ha Quan / Tuoi Tre

South Koreas military vehicle model has its exterior removed, exposing its internal components and engine. Photo: Ha Quan / Tuoi Tre

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What you need to know today in Vietnam:

Politics

-- The Vietnam International Defense Exhibition 2024 officially opened at Gia Lam Military Airport in Hanoi on Thursday. The four-day event has attracted numerous delegations and visitors from both domestic and international backgrounds to view displays of military equipment and weaponry, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), tanks, armored vehicles, missiles, helicopters, and infantry weapons.

Society

-- After a police investigation into a collision between a foreign man and a ride-hailing driver last week, the two met again on Thursday. In the presence of police officers, they shook hands, apologized, and agreed to let bygones be bygones.

-- Vietnam and Indonesia recorded the highest number of incidents caused by internal device threats in Southeast Asia during the first half of 2024, according to a report released by cybersecurity firm Kaspersky on Thursday.

-- Temperatures in northern Vietnam have dropped on Friday compared to previous days. In the southeastern provinces, the early morning weather is cool, with some areas recording as low as 19C.

Business

-- According to sources, Vietjet is reporting to the Ministry of Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam regarding its plan to wet lease (including aircraft and crew) the Chinese-made COMAC ARJ21 aircraft. Specifically, the airline plans to wet lease two COMAC ARJ21 planes from Chengdu Airlines, starting January 15, to meet peak demand during the Lunar New Year, due late next month. Key routes to be operated include Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to and from Con Dao Airport off the southeast coast of Vietnam.

-- As of the end of November, the total capital raised through public offerings of stocks and bonds by public companies reached VND 173 trillion (nearly US$7 billion), with stock offerings alone accounting for VND134.8 trillion, as per a report the State Securities Commission unveiled at its recent year-end review conference for 2024.

Lifestyle

-- Ho Chi Minh City will celebrate Lunar New Year's Eve for the 2025 Year of the Snake with a 3D light projection show on the facade of the City Hall on the evening of January 28, followed by an artistic fireworks display from midnight to 12:15 am on January 29 (Lunar New Year's Eve).

-- The wedding of successful Mongolian entrepreneurs E. Zorigtbaatar and E. Enkhriitsetseg took place on Thursday aboard the Nautilus cruise ship in An Thoi Ward, Phu Quoc City, off the southern coast of Vietnam. The ceremony blended the couple's traditional Mongolian culture with elements of Vietnamese cultural customs.

Education

-- Nearly 30 student teams competed on Thursday in the Dancing Robot contest organized by the Institute of Intelligent and Interactive Technologies at the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City.

World News

-- The looming presidency of Donald Trump was already influencing global economic policymaking this week, as the U.S. Federal Reserve hinted at fewer rate cuts and other major central banks adopted a cautious stance on their monetary policies, Reuters reported.

-- A stampede at a school funfair in Ibadan, a city in southwestern Nigeria, left 35 children dead and six others critically injured, AFP cited police as reporting on Thursday.
Eurovision this week announced its 2025 theme and unveiled its stage design.

Inspired by the Swiss tradition of direct democracy, which revolves around listening and dialogue, Art Director Artur Deyneuve chose listening as the central guiding theme of Basel 2025, calling it Unity Shapes Love.

Deyneuve says: If we listen to one another, we find love.

This message will also be conveyed visually through the iconic Eurovision heart symbol, which stands for dialogue, unity and the unifying power of music.

Florian Wieder oversees the Eurovision stage design for an eighth time, and for Basel has taken inspiration from the epic Swiss mountains and the countrys linguistic diversity.

Reto Peritz and Moritz Stadler, the Contests Co-Executive Producers said, In Florian Wieder, we have a Stage Designer on board who is a creative visionary and who knows Switzerland like the back of his hand. He has succeeded in creating a signature stage, which will forever be associated with Eurovision in Switzerland.
By Thu Tra & Tien at

Analysts have said that Viet Nam is attracting great interest from global aerospace giants as the country advances its defence modernisation strategy amid regional dynamics.

Major players like Airbus and Boeing are expanding their presence in the country. They view it as vital in ensuring regional stability and fostering defence industrial collaboration, technology transfer, and workforce development.

Industry reports have shown that Viet Nams defence expenditure grew at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.9 per cent between 2020 and 2024. From 2025 to 2029, this spending is expected to further accelerate at a CAGR of 5.6 per cent.

Zakir Hamid, head of Airbus Defence and Space in the Asia-Pacific Region, said Airbus would like to strengthen the partnership with Viet Nam in its defence industry modernisation and capability development by providing cutting-edge solutions to support the countrys ambitions.

"We are committed to addressing the growing demand for advanced defence capabilities in the Asia-Pacific, where Viet Nam holds a significant place as one of our key markets," he told a press conference in Ha Noi on December 18.

"One of our key platforms is the C295 - a versatile, class-leading aircraft uniquely suited to Viet Nams evolving defence needs."

Hoang Tri Mai, Airbus chief representative for Viet Nam, said that Airbus was looking towards a long-term partnership with Viet Nam, contributing to the countrys modernisation goals.

Currently, Viet Nam has more than 10 Airbus helicopters in service, primarily supporting the oil and gas industry and fulfilling critical search and rescue missions.

Meanwhile, Dale McDowall, vice president for Southeast Asia Business Development in Defence, Space, and Security at Boeing, said the US firm wanted to collaborate with local partners to modernise Viet Nams defence capabilities.

"We aim to identify local partners in Viet Nam, support military capability upgrades, and boost investments," he told a press conference in the city on December 18. McDowall added that his company was confident in the potential for extensive commercial and defence collaboration with Viet Nam.

The two giants are also among 200 domestic and foreign exhibitors who are joining the Vietnam Defence Expo 2024. These exhibitors come from 30 countries and territories worldwide, including China, France, India, Israel, the UK, and the US.

The event, which opened on December 19, featured high-level seminars on defence industrial cooperation, unmanned systems, and advanced weaponry. It provided a platform for Viet Nam to enhance its international reputation, adopt cutting-edge technologies, and lay the groundwork for a modern, self-reliant defence system.

State-owned defence firm Viettel and other local companies also showcase missile defence systems, drones, air defence radars, armoured vehicles, and artillery.

At the event, Airbus showcased its defence and security product portfolio such as Flexrotor, a next-generation Unmanned Aerial System (UAS). Meanwhile, Boeing offered four products in defence and security, combined with rescue and disaster relief capabilities, including the heavy-lift CH-47 Chinook helicopter and the multirole MH-139 Grey Wolf helicopter.

Other firms such as US defence giants Lockheed Martin and Textron Aviation Defense also have their places at the expo. They have all been involved in talks with Vietnamese authorities for the sale of helicopters, Reuters reported.

Lockheed is also discussing a possible deal on C-130 Hercules military transport planes, according to Reuters.

Within the framework of the exhibition, exchange programmes to promote collaboration between agencies, units, and enterprises, as well as among enterprises themselves; thematic workshops on military technology; and activities showcasing achievements in defence cooperation, have been arranged.  VNS
HA NOI  In the three years since the implementation of the United Kingdom - Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA), its positive impacts on trade and investment are clear to see.

Businesses, industries and even localities have embraced the benefits of this new-generation FTA to open markets and drive export growth.

The latest report from the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) highlights that by 2022, 44 out of 63 provinces and cities in Viet Nam exported goods to the UK under UKVFTA, an increase of 13 localities compared to 2021.

Among the standout performers is Hoa Binh Province, which has seen significant growth in its exports to the UK.

Agricultural products, such as rice, fruits and vegetables, are particularly well-positioned under UKVFTA. These products align with Hoa Binhs strengths, where agriculture contributes 22.12 per cent to the provinces GRDP.

The provinces key products, such as Cao Phong oranges, red Tan Lac grapefruits and a River fish, have gained a foothold in the UK market. Through companies like R.Y.B JSC, over 100 speciality items, including honey-preserved lemons, turmeric starch and herbal teas, have reached UK consumers.

The initial positive reception signals the potential for larger orders in the years ahead.

To maximise UKVFTAs benefits, businesses in Hoa Binh have proactively adapted their practices.

They are aligning production processes and sourcing materials to meet the agreements stringent rules of origin. Efforts to overcome technical barriers include improving product quality, professionalising sales processes and investing in branding. These measures have enhanced the competitiveness of local enterprises and their products in the UK market.

The provincial Department of Industry and Trade underscores the importance of understanding UKVFTAs commitments, especially those related to tariffs and origin rules. Training sessions help businesses stay informed and prepared to comply with international standards.

Looking forward, Hoa Binh aims to amplify the UKVFTAs advantages. Plans include increasing education and outreach about UKVFTA provisions to a broader audience, including small-scale farmers and micro-enterprises. It will also develop support programmes tailored to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to enhance product quality and market readiness.

The province intends to boost market research to identify high-potential export products for the UK market while aligning export strategies with environmental protection and social welfare policies to ensure long-term, sustainable growth.  VNS
HA NOI  Viet Nam has been striving to build an automotive industry for many years to come, with the goal of replacing imports and gradually moving towards exports.

The industry is at a pivotal stage as it has to navigate opportunities and challenges presented by an array of free trade agreements (FTAs).

With 16 FTAs in effect, including the United Kingdom  Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA), the countrys ambition to expand its automotive footprint on the global stage is gaining momentum. However, to thrive in the highly competitive market, structural reforms and strategic foresight are crucial.

The UKVFTA and other major agreements, such as the European Union - Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA), provide Viet Nams automobile industry with unparalleled access to global markets. Key provisions include gradual tariff reductions on imported automotive components and vehicles.

This reduction allows Vietnamese manufacturers to import high-quality components and advanced technology at lower costs, boosting domestic producers' competitiveness. Additionally, the agreements open export opportunities for Viet Nams automotive parts and components.

But Viet Nams growing automobile industry faces fierce competition.

Imports from established automotive hubs like Thailand, Indonesia and the EU often outperform domestically produced vehicles due to superior quality and competitive pricing. The reduction of import tariffs has intensified this pressure, prompting concerns over market share erosion for local manufacturers.

For instance, under the EVFTA, tariffs on completely built units imported from the EU will reduce annually by approximately 6.4 per cent, reaching 0 per cent by 2030.

Moreover, compliance with stringent environmental, labour and technical standards imposed by FTAs remains a significant hurdle. As an emerging market, Viet Nams automotive sector must navigate these complexities while maintaining cost efficiency.

To capitalise on FTA benefits, Viet Nams government has implemented several supportive policies. These include tax incentives and fee reductions aimed at bolstering domestic production and encouraging foreign investment.

Meanwhile, Vietnamese automotive enterprises must also thoroughly understand FTA commitments, including the UKVFTAs, to harness available opportunities effectively.

Embracing innovation, enhancing product quality, and fostering strategic partnerships will be key in seizing the opportunities presented by the agreements and ensuring sustainable growth in the long term. VNS
HA NOI  An increasing number of Vietnamese enterprises are showing interest in Saudi Arabia, particularly in the sectors of Viet Nam's advantages and the Middle East country's needs, a diplomat has said.

In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency, Vietnamese Ambassador to Saudi Arabia ang Xuan Dung affirmed that in 2024 trade and investment cooperation continues to be a highlight in the bilateral relations.

Saudi Arabia is now one of Viet Nam's most important partners in the Middle East, with bilateral trade reaching over US$2.82 billion in the first 11 months of 2024. Notably, Viet Nam recorded a trade surplus of over $152 million.

In terms of investment, by the end of October, FPT became the first Vietnamese company to open a regional office in Riyadh, laying the foundation for its operation expansion in the promising market of information technology (IT) and artificial intelligence (AI).

Recently, the Viet Nam Oil and Gas Group (Petrovietnam) signed a cooperation agreement with Saudi Aramco, one of the largest oil corporations in the world, and both parties are swiftly planning to implement this document. Vietnamese construction companies have won sub-contracts for mega construction projects in the Middle East country, while many others are participating in bidding for other projects, said the diplomat.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh made two successive visits to Saudi Arabia in 2023 and 2024. There is an agreement between the leaders of both countries to upgrade the bilateral relationship in the near future, the ambassador said, expressing his belief in the bright prospects for bilateral cooperation in 2025 and the following years.

There is new momentum and ample room for stronger and more comprehensive cooperation in trade, investment, labour and tourism, he said.

He once again emphasised the great potential for trade and investment cooperation that should be further tapped as both countries are pushing forward with plans to modernise and diversify their economies in the digital economy era. This requires increasing proactivity from both sides, particularly from businesses and investors.

In 2025, labour collaboration will also thrive as the number of skilled Vietnamese workers going to Saudi Arabia under contract is projected to rise, supporting the countrys demand for human resources to effectively implement its Saudi Vision 2030, Dung believed.

He went on to say that people-to-people exchanges and tourism cooperation are also expected to see encouraging results as more Saudi Arabian tourists are showing interest in visiting Viet Nam, combining travel with exploring business opportunities.

Last week, the Vietnamese Embassy in Saudi Arabia, in collaboration with the Department of Cultural Diplomacy and UNESCO under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, successfully organised the Viet Nam Culture Day helping to strengthen cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, he said.

The ambassador said he believes the outcomes of these activities will gradually be reflected in the increasing number of Saudi Arabian tourists to Viet Nam in the coming time.

The ambassador proposed the two countries soon finalise agreements on investment protection, labour and the establishment of a business council, which will undoubtedly lay the foundation for deepening the bilateral economic and trade relations.  VNS
HCM CITY  Manulife Vietnam has been recognised in the 'Top 100 Best Places to Work in Viet Nam 2024 - Large Enterprises' by Anphabe.

This marks the seventh consecutive year that the Canadian insurance company has been honoured with this prestigious HR award.

The ranking measures the attractiveness of employers in the market, endorsed by the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and verified by Intage Vietnam to ensure fairness and objectivity.

To identify the top 100 companies with the best workplaces in Viet Nam for 2024, Anphabe independently evaluated over 65,000 experienced employees from more than 700 brands across 18 different industries.

Thanh Nguyen, CEO and Chief Happiness Officer at Anphabe, said: As the insurance industry embraces major innovations in both services and working environment to retain talent, Manulife Vietnam was excellently named among the Top 100 Best Places to Work in Viet Nam.

"This achievement is a testament to their commitment to cultivating a high-quality work environment, implementing appealing policies, offering professional development opportunities, and launching numerous initiatives to strengthen the connection between staff and leadership.

Ton That Anh Vu, Chief Human Resources Officer at Manulife Vietnam, added: This award is a driving force for us to continue developing our work environment, particularly by investing in our people - the core factor throughout our operations.

While emphasising the role of individuals in the collective growth of the company, Vu said that at Manulife, every employee is encouraged to develop individually into the better versions of themselves everyday, bringing positive value to customers and community, and thereby extending the values Manulife has nurtured over more than a quarter-century in Viet Nam.

Manulife Vietnams work environment is highly regarded by employees for its attractive benefits, clear career progression and inclusive and fair atmosphere.

In 2024, the company launched several initiatives to prioritise talent development and engagement, including management and leadership development programs, domestic and international learning opportunities, comprehensive wellness programs such as Better Me, Family Day, and numerous awards to honour outstanding individuals.

Additionally, through programs such as Coffee Chat, Quarterly Leadership Connect, and the Global Colleague Forum, the company continues to foster a culture of connection between employees and leadership, as well as colleagues globally.

Previously, Manulife Vietnam was named 'Best Companies to Work For in Asia 2024' for the sixth consecutive year at the HR Asia Awards, a leading HR award in Asia. These accolades affirm the companys ongoing efforts in pursuing a people-centric approach for long-term development.

Leading the Vietnamese life insurance market in terms of charter capital, the company currently serves nearly 1.5 million customers with a team of experienced employees and advisors, and a network of modern offices nationwide.

With appealing human resources policies, Manulife Vietnam is also considered one of leading employers in the insurance industry.  VNS
HCM CITY  Domestic and international industrial parks and related stakeholders shared experiences implementing smart and sustainable industrial park models and proposed policy solutions to transition Vietnamese industrial parks from traditional models to smart and sustainable ones at the Viet Nam Industrial Park Forum held in HCM City on Thursday.

Organised by the Viet Nam Industrial Zone Portal, the event themed The Era of Advancement for Viet Nam Industrial Parks attracted the participation of 300 senior leaders and 35 presentations.

It served as a platform for nationwide industrial parks to share long-term visions, exchange practical experiences, propose initiatives, and recommend urgent solutions to enhance the competitiveness of Vietnamese industrial parks regionally and globally, focusing resources on investment promotion and attracting high-quality FDI.

It connected industrial parks with investors and financial organisations to fund sustainable projects, foster cooperation between government agencies, local authorities, and international organisations with industrial parks and manufacturers, promote sustainable industrial growth and meet the common standards of major global investors.

Speaking at the forum, Nguyen Chi Toan, deputy chairman of Viet Nam Industrial Real Estate Association, said in the context of the implementation of the National Strategy on Green Growth, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 2030), and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26), the transition from traditional industrial parks to green industrial parks and ecological industrial parks is an inevitable development.

The development of green industrial parks aligns with the nations growth ambitions and the global green transition towards Net-Zero through activities to improve production efficiency, reduce energy consumption and develop green spaces in industrial parks, Toan said.

Green industrial parks are often assessed based on international standards such as the worlds leading green building assessment standard LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), ISO 14001: Environmental management system, ISO 50001: Energy management system, and BCA Green Mark certification.

The US$1.3 billion, 44ha factory of LEGO Group in the Viet Nam  Singapore Industrial Park III in Binh Duong Province, which is designed to be the groups most sustainable in the world, is one of the new factories in the country that meets green and sustainable standards, he said.

Nguyen ong Trung, deputy director of the Department of Foreign Affairs under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that Viet Nam remains an attractive destination for global investment flows.

Total registered foreign direct investment (FDI) in Viet Nam reached nearly $31.4 billion in the first eleven months of the year, up 1 per cent over the same period in 2023.

FDI inflows into Viet Nam are led by high-value industries such as processing, electronics, auto components, semiconductors and green technology, he said.

The country has seen a transition from attracting traditional manufacturing projects, taking advantage of low labor costs, to attracting investment flows into high-tech, specialised, and high-production capacity, he said.

At the forum, experts discussed policies and laws, infrastructure transformation for sustainable development, and promoting FDI, financial markets, labor and employment, and ESG practices in industrial parks.

Given the increasingly severe and pervasive impacts of climate change on global environments, economies, and societies, the transition to a low-carbon economy is highlighted not merely as an environmental imperative, but also as a significant economic opportunity, experts said.

The digital revolution, with artificial intelligence (AI) at its core, is widely recognised by scholars and experts as a key driver shaping the future global landscape, they said.

The country had 416 industrial parks established in 61 cities and provinces with a total industrial land area of around 89,000 hectares by 2023, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment, of which, 296 industrial parks have come into operation.  VNS
TOKYO  Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong ien, and Japan's Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) Muto Yoji co-chaired the 7th meeting of the Viet Nam-Japan Joint Committee on Industry, Trade and Energy Cooperation in Tokyo on Friday.

During the meeting, the two ministers expressed their satisfaction with significant achievements in bilateral cooperation since the previous meeting held in Viet Nam in November last year. They reaffirmed the importance of the joint committee mechanism in addressing business challenges, promoting investment and trade exchange, enhancing supply chain resilience, developing a digital economy, and advancing renewable energy and low-carbon emissions.

The ministers affirmed directions for future bilateral cooperation.

In the industrial sector, Muto emphasised that Vietnam plays a vital role in the global supply chain for Japanese companies, and both sides will collaborate to enhance the stability of this supply chain toward future economic growth.

They welcomed the launch of the Viet Nam-Japan Joint Initiative in the new era in March this year, building on the objectives of the previous Vietnam technology innovation partnership. Both ministers expressed their hope for further progress in Viet Nam's industrialisation and modernisation efforts, aiming to become a high-income nation by 2045.

At ien's request, Muto affirmed his commitment to encouraging and supporting Japanese businesses to increase investments in Viet Nam, and enhancing industrial workforce training, particularly in semiconductor.

Besides, Viet Nam proposed Japan share its experience and support technology transfer related to high-speed rail construction, enabling Vietnamese companies to gradually master technology and enhance their capabilities.

Regarding the trade sector, the ministers reaffirmed their commitment to creating a free, fair, non-discriminatory, transparent and stable trade and investment environment and an open market, and maintaining a rules-based multilateral system within the World Trade Organisation (WTO) framework. They welcomed the outcomes of the 13th WTO ministerial conference and reiterated their commitment to continuing to reform the WTO.

Both sides also reaffirmed their commitment to promoting economic integration in the Asia-Pacific region, and mutual support and close coordination within the multilateral framework for economic and trade cooperation, of which both countries are members. In particular, they emphasised the importance of maintaining high standards of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), while affirming that both countries will continue to work closely with each other and other members within the framework of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) to ensure the negotiation process on remaining IPEF issues achieves favourable results.

The ministers discussed and agreed on several measures to enhance cooperation aimed at improving bilateral trade volume, promoting trade activities, connecting logistics, and developing e-commerce and the digital economy - essential trends in the 4th Industrial Revolution.

Regarding the energy sector, they welcomed the achievements of the second Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) Ministerial Conference and the second AZEC Summit, affirming AZEC plays a crucial role in promoting emission reductions and enhancing regional cooperation to achieve economic development goals and address climate change.

Minister ien suggested Japan continue supporting Viet Nam in implementing the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), selecting suitable specific projects to jointly refine financial and technological mechanisms.

The two ministers welcomed Viet Nam's announcement to restart nuclear power plant construction projects to ensure national energy security. Japan, with its advanced technology and high safety standards, is ready to support Viet Nam in rebuilding nuclear power plants and training high-quality human resources in the nuclear energy sector.

They also discussed and agreed on measures to enhance cooperation in specific energy areas, such as decarbonisation in industrial parks and supply chains, and support Viet Nam in improving energy efficiency and power regulation.

The ministers adopted the joint statement of the meeting and instructed their officials to discuss and finalise plans for implementing the specific cooperation contents they had agreed.

Earlier, on Thursday, as part of the official visit to Japan, the delegation from Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan co-organised the Viet Nam-Japan Business Forum.  VNS
HCM CITYThe HCM City Department of Information and Communication is holding a book week at HCM City Book Street to commemorate the 80th founding anniversary of the Viet Nam People's Army (VPA) (December 22, 1944 - 2024) and the 35th anniversary of the All Peoples Defence Festival (December 22, 1989 - 2024).

Nguyen Ngoc Hoi, deputy director of the department, said the event had the participation of 24 publishing houses and book distributors in the city, offering around 20 cultural activities such as book introduction, traditional music performances, talk shows and an exhibition praising the VPA.

The exhibition showcases 343 documents, images, and publications with the theme of The Heroic Army - Strong National Defence, reflecting the VPA through the two resistance wars to save the country from 1944-1975, and the VPA in building national defence and fulfilling international obligations.

The event also introduces new books on heroic military forces and individuals such as uong Chung Ta i (The Way We Go) published by the Tre (Youth) Publishing House and Nhung Tran anh Tieu Bieu Cua Luc Luong Vu Trang Thanh Pho Ho Chi Minh Giai oan 1945  1989 (Battles of HCM Citys Armed Forces during 1945  1989) by the Su That (Truth) National Political Publishing House.

uong Chung Ta i is compiled by two siblings Hoang on and Hoang on Nhat Tan, portraying over 20 heroes who had great contributions to national liberation and the development of HCM City from 1945 until now such as late Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet and late General Mai Chi Tho.

Meanwhile, the other book compiled by Military Region 7 highlights battles of the citys armed forces to protect the country from 1945 to 1975, particularly during the General Offensive and Uprising in the spring of 1968. The task of building and protecting the fatherland after national liberation is also featured.

The organiser also offers talk shows with historic witnesses and music performances by veterans and art troupes in the city.

The book week remains open at the book street on Nguyen Van Binh Street in District 1 until December 22. VNS
HCM CITY  Viet Nam has secured the 36th position in the ranking of the 40 most beautiful countries in 2024 in a testament to its undeniable charm and appeal, according to US News & World Report.

The comprehensive evaluation process accentuates the unique attributes that distinguish Viet Nam on the international stage.

Since its inception in 1933, US News & World Report has been committed to delivering valuable insights, and this latest ranking highlights Viet Nams evolution into a modern and dynamic nation.

Home to breathtaking landscapes and a rich cultural heritage, Viet Nam has garnered recognition not only for its stunning natural beauty but also for its exquisite cuisine and warm hospitality.

With an overall score of 26.6 points, it excels in several categories, including its exceptional culinary offerings (63.7 points), picturesque landscapes (45.2 points), rich cultural attractions (41.6 points), and a compelling historical narrative (48 points).

The economic reforms initiated in 1986 have positioned Viet Nam on the global stage, enhancing its competitiveness and underscoring its commitment to sustainable development, according to the publication.

As it embraces open trade and progressive industrial policies, Viet Nam invites travelers worldwide to immerse themselves in its vibrant culture and stunning scenery.

Do not miss the opportunity to explore a country that has captured the hearts of many, said James Anderson, an American traveler in HCM City, told Viet Nam News.

Whether you are drawn to its lush landscapes, delectable cuisine, or the warmth of its people, Viet Nam provides a distinctive and unforgettable experience.

As a part of the broader narrative of the worlds beauty, it is not merely a destination; it is an invitation to immerse oneself in a realm of wonder.

The US-based publication, which released this list on December 14, based its rankings on insights gathered from over 17,000 travelers and experts. Greece has been honoured with the top ranking.

In addition, Viet Nam has been recognised as one of the safest destinations for women traveling alone, as voted by the British magazine TIME OUT.

The Southeast Asian nation welcomed over 15.8 million international travelers in the first 11 months, up over 40 per cent year-on-year, according to its Statistics Office.  VNS
Commander of the 371 Air Division of the Air Defence-Air Force, Colonel Nguyen Van Thien, spoke to Nhan Dan (The People) online newspaper about strategic solutions to help air force units progress towards modernity in line with the demands of national defence, focusing on efficiency, strength and modernisation to enhance national security capabilities.

Could you share how the directive on building a streamlined, strong, modern military has been implemented within your division ?

Building a streamlined, strong and modern military is a consistent policy of the Party and a necessary task in the new situation. This ensures that the military remains robust, contributing to maintaining stability for the nation's development and prosperity.

Over the past years, the 371 Air Division has thoroughly embraced and implemented the policy through basic, cautious and solid measures. Our focus has been on several key areas.

Firstly, we have prioritised strengthening education and awareness, ensuring that officers and soldiers understand the policy of building a streamlined, strong and modern military. This helps to foster a sense of responsibility and determination among all ranks, ensuring alignment with the Party's direction for military development in the new situation.

We have also made significant strides in streamlining organisational structure and staffing. For instance, in 2023, the division merged the Logistics Office and Technical Office into a unified Logistics-Technical Office. Additionally, we have actively reviewed and reassigned personnel to correct any imbalances in troop numbers between various units, ensuring sufficient manpower for training and combat readiness.

Another key measure has been the proactive application of e-Government and administrative reform in military affairs. We have digitalised various processes, including document management, staff records, military data and health insurance management.

Modernisation requires political strength. What specific measures has the 371 Air Division taken to build a politically robust force?

Building a politically strong force is a fundamental task to ensure the division always has clear political goals and is unwavering in its loyal to the Party, State and the people. In recent years, the 371 Division has undertaken several initiatives to strengthen our political and ideological foundation.

We have rigorously implemented measures to enhance the quality of political and ideological education, legal dissemination and internal discipline. The division has also leveraged the role of organisational structures to train and nurture officers and soldiers with firm political resolve, clear goals and a high sense of responsibility and ethical conduct.

Moreover, we have integrated organisational and staffing improvements with training, monitoring and capacity-building measures to strengthen the political, ideological and ethical standards of Party organisations at all levels, particularly grassroots.

We have also focused on fostering a culture of competition for excellence, with a strong emphasis on information and dissemination related to military duties, national defence and the traditions of our armed forces. Furthermore, we are vigilant in combating hostile ideologies and safeguarding the Party's political guidance within each unit.

Could you share with us some strategic solutions which contribute to the Air Forces process of becoming "revolutionary, regular, elite and modern"?

The Air Defence-Air Force is one of the forces the Party and State have designated to progress towards modernity. As a key unit of the Air Defence-Air Force, the 371 Division plays an important role in this process. We fully recognise the responsibility, so, the Party Committee and leadership of the division are implementing a comprehensive set of measures to ensure we uphold the heroic traditions of our air force and continue to excel in the new era. There are several measures to do that.

First, we are prioritising the construction of a politically, ideologically and organisationally strong division, aligned with the demands of modern warfare. This is the key factor in enhancing the division's overall capability.

We are focusing on the development of officers, pilots, engineers and technical staff to become 'elite air defence-air force personnel'. Our approach to training emphasises political integrity, responsibility, professional competence, technical expertise, combat readiness and discipline.

We are also strengthening technical support and improving the ability to operate and maintain advanced weapons and equipment, encouraging innovation and technical improvements to support our journey towards modernisation.

Given the rapid development of scientific and technological revolution, how has the 371 Division organised training to adapt to modern technological combat conditions?

Our military doctrine remains clear 'People first, weapons second'. No matter how advanced the technology, it is the human factor that ultimately determines the success or failure of warfare. With this in mind, the 371 Division has taken several key steps to ensure our personnel are prepared for high-tech combat scenarios.

Firstly, we focus on political and ideological education to build resilience, determination and trust in our capabilities, while emphasising confidence in the military strategies and tactics we employ, along with our current weapons and equipment.

We have also emphasised learning from past wars, particularly the experience of defeating advanced enemy technologies during the Viet Nam war. This allows us to apply and adapt the lessons in the context of modern national defence capabilities.

Secondly, we actively advance training in high-tech combat conditions, in line with resolutions from the Party and the Air Defence-Air Forces leadership. This includes practical exercises to enhance our troops' proficiency with existing weapons and systems, ensuring effective collaboration during joint operations with ground and air units. Additionally, we have conducted training exercises under various conditions, including night flying and simulated operations in diverse weather environments.

In particular, in the recent past, the division has innovated training methods and ways to organise training to suit the actual conditions and situations, improving the level, professional quality and combat readiness of the components and forces. For example, mobilising Regiment 921 to Tho Xuan Airport, Phan Rang Airport to organise flight training, mobilising the pilot force of Regiment 927 and 923 to participate in flights, combat duty and vice versa to save engine hours of Su-30 aircraft.

Third, along with flight training, ground training is maintained closely and systematically, ensuring a balance between ground training and air training, ensuring completion of all plans and achieving quality.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution demands increasingly high standards from the armed forces. Could you share some of the innovative models and initiatives to improve training effectiveness?

In recent years, the 371 Division has actively encouraged scientific research and the development of technical improvements. Particularly within our aviation support teams, we have seen many initiatives that have made a tangible differences to the divisions technical readiness.

Several initiatives have significantly improved maintenance and technical support for our aircraft, leading to higher quality in weaponry and equipment upkeep. The innovations have received high recognition at both military and air force levels, with many winning awards in national competitions for innovation.

A prime example of such individuals is Lieutenant Colonel ong Van uc, assistant for Electronic Radio, Technical Division - E923. He is an aviation technical officer, who has contributed numerous research topics and technical innovations, which have been successfully applied in practice within the unit. He has also participated in the Military Youth Innovation Competitions, winning high-ranking awards, such as 'Designing a device for testing the ballistic parameter settings in the 101 weapon control system on the Cy-30MK2 aircraft', and he was awarded third prize in the 'Youth Innovation in the Armed Forces' competition in 2023. He also participated and awarded the silver prize in the same competition in 2024 for 'Creating a device to automatically read self-test data of the air-to-air weapon control system on the Su-30MK2 aircraft'.

Lieutenant Colonel Le Van Thu, a professional military officer and aircraft engine mechanic of Squadron 2, Regiment 923, has also made significant contributions with his innovation 'The Su-30MK2 aircrafts main landing gear lifter'  an initiative that has been implemented, reducing manpower and operational time in performing technical maintenance tasks for aviation missions. This achievement earned him recognition and a commendation from the air force.

In addition, many other individuals and groups within the division have made notable contributions to scientific research.

Moving forward, the division's leadership will continue to focus on promoting scientific research, ensuring the availability of funding and facilitating the implementation of technical improvements, innovative training models and effective solutions. Timely recognition and rewards will be given to individuals and teams with outstanding achievements.  VNS
BUENOS AIRES  El Popular, the mouthpiece of the Communist Party of Uruguay, spotlighted Viet Nam's socio-economic achievements in 2024 through an article published on Thursday (December 19).

The article quoted a speech by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at the national conference reviewing the Southeast Asian countrys culture, sports, and tourism sector, noting that Viet Nam is expected to meet and exceed all the 15 key targets for the year, with economic growth surpassing 7 per cent.

It emphasised that these economic indicators are not only expanding the scale of Vietnam's economy but also improving its per capita income.

The article highlighted Viet Nam's stable political and social environment, bolstered defence and security capacities, and enhanced quality of life for its citizens in both material and spiritual aspects.

For tourism, El Popular shed light on the country's remarkable progress in 2024, saying Viet Nams destinations welcomed 110 million domestic visitors and 17.5 million international tourists, marking a 38.9 per cent increase compared to 2023.

The article underscored that 2025 holds particular significance for Vietnam as it marks several historic milestones.

These include the conclusion of the 2021-2025 socio-economic development plan, the 95th anniversary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam, the 50th anniversary of the Southern Liberation and National Reunification Day, the 135th birth anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh, and the 80th anniversary of the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam, now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

El Popular also highlighted Viet Nams re-organisation of its political system and all-level Party congresses in 2025, towards the 14th National Party Congress. These events signal the beginning of a new era - the era of the nation's rise. VNS
BERLIN  Viet Nam  Germany defence relations have entered a new phase, marked by expanded military cooperation, Vietnamese Defence Attache to Germany Colonel Nguyen Tuan Minh affirmed at a recent ceremony in Berlin to celebrate the 80th founding anniversary of the Viet Nam Peoples Army and the 35th anniversary of the All-People Defence Festival (December 22).

Highlighting the significant changes in the bilateral defence relations over the past two years, Minh stated that the partnership has evolved beyond basic training assistance to encompass broader military and defence collaboration, following the signing of a cooperation deal during German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's visit to Viet Nam in November 2022.

Key development steps in the partnership include regular exchanges between security and defence policy experts to build mutual understanding and trust, cooperation in UN peacekeeping operations, with Germany providing financial support and training for Vietnamese soldiers, and strengthened collaboration in military law building, military medicine, and search and rescue work.

Director General for Security and Defence Policy at the German Federal Ministry of Defence Mirko Freitag, for his part, highlighted Viet Nam's crucial role as an ASEAN member and its significant voice at multilateral forums. Germany will continue to support Viet Nam in the peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with international law.

The Southeast Asian country has been an important partner of Germany in the UN peacekeeping framework, he stressed, adding the two nations should work together to contribute to the global security and peace.

Looking ahead to the 50th founding anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2025, the Vietnamese Defence Attache Office will promote high-level delegation exchanges between the two defence ministries, including visits at the deputy minister and ministerial levels. The office also aims to promote the signing of Memoranda of Understanding in such areas as peacekeeping operations, military law, civil defence, search and rescue operations, and disaster prevention.

Vietnamese Ambassador Vu Quang Minh told the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)'s resident reporters in Berline that since its establishment, the Defense Attache Office has made significant contributions to the defence cooperation between the two countries. Over the past five years, the office has catalysed transformative changes, bringing the bilateral defence cooperation to a new height.  VNS
HA NOI  US and French partners have expressed their hope to deepen relations with Viet Nam in the fields of defence cooperation in general and defence industry in particular, while attending the Vietnam International Defence Expo 2024, being held in Ha Noi from December 19-22.

Admiral Samuel J. Paparo, Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command; Jedidiah Royal, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs; and US Ambassador to Viet Nam Marc Knapper all showed their impressions with the expos opening ceremony.

Regarding the message of "Peace - Cooperation - Shared Development delivered by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in his speech, Knapper said that this is strongly shared by the US, and the country hopes to deepen its friendship with Vietnam and enhance bilateral cooperation in this area.

The US has sent a delegation of representatives from defence companies, with an unprecedented scale, to this years expo, which demonstrates the country's commitment to its relationship with the Southeast Asian nation, said the ambassador.

For his part, Paparo said he is delighted at the strong development of the US-Viet Nam relations in recent years, particularly the upgrade of the relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace, Cooperation, and Sustainable Development in September 2023. He stated that this is a great source of pride for both the US and Vietnam.

According to the Admiral, in the field of defence, the two countries have had close cooperation across various areas and tasks, and have worked together to build capacity.

Cooperation in enhancing capacities benefits both countries and does not undermine the sovereignty or rights of any nation in the region, he affirmed, assessing that Viet Nam plays an equal role alongside all other nations.

Viet Nam is independent, and able to protect its own interests, and contributes to the international community.

In addition, it has participated in humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and military medicine, and has contributed to promoting the central role of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and advocated for a rules-based international order, which supports stability, independence, and development in the region, he added.

Meanwhile, Royal confirmed that the US always welcomes opportunities for stronger cooperation with Viet Nam and other countries in the region, both bilaterally and multilaterally.

French Ambassador to Viet Nam Olivier Brochet stated that the Viet Nam International Defence Expo 2024 continues to demonstrate the desire to affirm the capabilities of Viet Nam's defence industry, following its successful debut in 2022. This event provides an opportunity to strengthen military and defence cooperation between Viet Nam and other countries.

He said France's participation in this expo is aimed at contributing to the realisation of the directions set by Vietnamese Party General Secretary and then State President To Lam and French President Emmanuel Macron, when they announced the elevation of their bilateral relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in October 2024. Specifically, both sides were committed to developing defence relations to enhance self-reliance in line with the needs of each side.

To achieve this goal, they decided to create new momentum for cooperation in the defence industry through research, proposal, and implementation of structural projects.

Recognising the great potential of Viet Nam's defence industry and its important role in the modernisation of the Viet Nam People's Army, the diplomat emphasised that French defence companies are ready to partner with Vietnamese defence enterprises in this effort.

He also expressed his confidence that there will be significant opportunities for defence industry cooperation between the two sides. VNS
HA NOI  Communication helps gain understanding from those who do not know us, affection from those who do, reduce the hostility of those who dislike us and at least mitigate the aggression of those who are irreconcilably opposed, said Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs o Hung Viet, quoting President Ho Chi Minh at Thursday's seminar on human rights communications.

The seminar was organised by the Governments Steering Committee on Human Rights and The World & Vietnam Report. The event forms part of a series of activities commemorating the 76th anniversary of International Human Rights Day (December 10, 1948  December 10, 2024), showcasing Viet Nams progress in ensuring human rights.

Deputy Minister Viet highlighted the critical need for innovation in human rights communication. He acknowledged Viet Nams advancements in external communication efforts, supported by the active participation of the entire political system.

However, he also identified several areas requiring improvement. For example, engagement with foreign policymakers, citizens and the overseas Vietnamese community must be improved to expand international reach.

He called for enhanced collaboration with international organisations and foreign media to present a fair and accurate image of Viet Nams human rights efforts, counter misinformation and promote dialogue on global platforms.

Nguyen Thi Thanh Huong, representing the Steering Committees Standing Office, emphasised the increasing importance of external communication amid Viet Nams rising international status.

"This work ensures the global community accurately understands Viet Nams principles, policies and achievements in human rights while combating misinformation, she noted.

In his closing remarks, Nguyen Truong Son, editor-in-chief of The World & Vietnam Report, expressed optimism that the seminar would inspire effective and engaging communication efforts.

As Viet Nam continues its development journey, human rights and citizenship will remain on top of its agenda, he noted.

The seminar brought together experts, diplomats and representatives from various sectors, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Information and Communications, academic institutions and ASEANs Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights.

Key discussions centred around strategies to improve the effectiveness of external communication on human rights. Participants explored critical themes through two-panel discussions: 'External Communication and Human Rights: Where Do They Intersect?' and 'Solutions to Enhance Human Rights Communication in the New Context.'

Presentations addressed Viet Nam's role in combating false narratives, lessons from ASEAN communication strategies and innovative approaches to human rights storytelling.  VNS
HA NOI  Party General Secretary To Lam on Friday attended a ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Viet Nam People's Army (December 22, 1944 - 2024) and the 35th anniversary of the All People's Defence Festival.

Party and State leaders attended the event alongside revolutionary veterans, Vietnamese Heroic Mothers and diplomatic representatives of partner countries and international organisations in Viet Nam.

Addressing the event, the Party chief said that the Viet Nam People's Army is of the people, by the people and for the people.

The army shares hardships with the people and is always at the forefront to help mitigate the consequences of disasters and crises, serving as a pillar of support for the people in times of danger and challenges.

In recent years, the army has revamped its forces and laid a solid foundation to build a revolutionary, elite and modern peoples army, with notable progress in technological advancements and international integration.

Army units have also actively participated in United Nations peacekeeping operations, joint training, disaster relief, war aftermath recovery and cooperation with international partners, safeguarding the nation from afar and enhancing the armys and the countrys presence globally.

With outstanding achievements over 80 years of development and achievements, the Viet Nam People's Army has been honoured with five Gold Star Medals, one First-Class Military Exploit Order and two First-Class Labour Orders, among many other awards.

For its 80th anniversary, the Viet Nam People's Army has received the Ho Chi Minh Order  a prestigious recognition for the armys rich history and exceptional contributions to the nation.

Party leader Lam underscored that with the ultimate goal of building a peaceful, prosperous nation and helping to build a world without war, Viet Nam is consistent in its policy of resolving all disputes and conflicts through peaceful means based on international law.

The country respects the independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of all nations and does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, nor does it participate in military alliances or partner with one country to oppose another. It does not allow foreign military bases on Vietnamese soil or use Vietnamese territory to target other countries.

Viet Nam will also avoid the use of force or threat thereof in international relations, said Lam.

In the new revolutionary period, the Viet Nam People's Army is required to excel in all missions to build and defend the socialist Vietnamese homeland and maintain the Party's leadership as well as the unified management of the State over national defence, thereby strengthening the great unity of the people.

In addition to harnessing the people's collective strength, the Party leader emphasised the need to build a revolutionary, elite and modern army with loyalty to the Party, the State and its people, effectively responding to emerging security challenges and promoting international integration to maintain peace for the country's development.  VNS
SEOUL  The Vietnamese Embassies and Defence Attache Offices in the Republic of Korea (RoK) and Myanmar held ceremonies marking the 80th founding anniversary of the Viet Nam Peoples Army (VPA) and the 35th anniversary of the All-People Defence Festival (December 22) on Thursday (local time).

In the RoK, Deputy Ambassador Nguyen Thi Thai Binh affirmed that over the past eight decades, the army has remained a loyal and reliable force serving the Party, State and people. Driven by the spirit of securing independence, freedom, and prosperity for the people, it has overcome formidable challenges and made considerable sacrifice to obtain major achievements.

The diplomat laid stress on the significance of the political event to the country, affirming the pivotal role of the army in the national protection, construction, and development over the past years.

Vietnamese defence attache Senior Lieutenant Colonel Le Hiep Lam recalled the 80-year history of the VPA and highlighted the countrys four nos defence policy. He said the army has actively promoted international integration, affirming defence diplomacy as an important pillar of the nations diplomacy that has contributed to consolidating strategic confidence and developing ties with the international community both bilaterally and multilaterally.

In recent years, the VPA has developed itself into a more streamlined and powerful force, standing ready to enter a new era  that of the nations rise, he stressed.

Regarding the defence cooperation between Viet Nam and the RoK, Lam stated that it has been strengthened over the recent past, with breakthroughs in defence industry and mutal support at multilateral forums in the new situation.

In Myanmar, Vietnamese defence attache Colonel ao Van Duy briefed some 300 international and Vietnamese guests on the VPA's glorious achievements in the national liberation, construction, and protection.

Viet Nam has stayed steadfast with its four nos defence policy and accelerated international integration and defence diplomacy, making contributions to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world, he said.

The defence cooperation between Viet Nam and Myanmar has been unceasingly fortified and developed, built on traditional friendship and mutual respect, he stated, elaborating the two countries have carried out multiple collaboration activities, from the exchange of high-level delegations and training to support for each other in multilateral activities in the region and beyond.

He took the occasion to thank the Myanmar partners and people for their valuable assistance over the past time and expressed desire to reinforce existing areas of defence cooperation and explore new cooperation opportunities aligned with both nations' circumstances and needs.  VNS
HA NOI  State President Luong Cuong received outgoing Australian Ambassador to Viet Nam Andrew Goledzinowski in Ha Noi on Friday, congratulating the diplomat on fulfilling his duties and appreciating his substantial contributions to the countries relations.

Through the ambassador, the President conveyed his regards and thanks to the Governor-General of Australia for sending congratulations on his election as State leader of Viet Nam. He also wished Australia more achievements in national development.

Viet Nam always views Australia as one of the leading partners in the region, and the two countries share high strategic trust as well as common visions and viewpoints on many regional and international issues, he noted.

Cuong affirmed Viet Nam's hope to further enhance ties and cooperation with Australia for the sake of the two peoples, for peace and stability in the region and the world at large.

For his part, Goledzinowski said during his term, bilateral relations have reaped numerous positive results, adding many practical activities were held to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relationship last year while mutual visits at all levels have been frequent.

The ambassador voiced his hope that Viet Nam will obtain even greater attainments in the new era, and that the two countries will keep promoting cooperation in the coming time, particularly in the economy, trade, and investment as many Australian businesses are interested in the Southeast Asian nation.

Australia also wishes to contribute more to Viet Nam's development while sharing and supporting each others legitimate interests at multilateral forums, he went on, saying his country backs the settlement of the issues related to East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea) in accordance with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

He pledged continued efforts on whatever position he will hold to help nurture the two countries relations.

Lauding the breakthrough strides of bilateral relations in all aspects during the ambassadors term, Cuong described the elevation of their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership in March this year as extremely significant, perceiving that this new relationship framework will enable both sides to further expand and deepen their connections as well as coordination at multilateral forums.

The President expressed his belief that Goledzinowski, with his sentiments and experiences, will continue to actively contribute to the Viet Nam - Australia relations in the time ahead.  VNS
The Australian ambassador voiced his hope that Viet Nam will obtain even greater attainments in the new era, and that the two countries will keep promoting cooperation in the coming time, particularly in the economy, trade, and investment
VIENTIANE  Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Public Security, Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Long and his Lao counterpart Senior Lieutenant General Khamking Phuilamanyvong co-chaired a conference in Vientiane on Friday to review the progress of a project on building a resident and citizen identity management system in Laos.

The Vietnamese official led a delegation of the Ministry of Public Security on a working visit to Laos from December 19-20.

In his speech, Long emphasised the strategic importance of the project to the two countries' cooperation, saying that it aims to not only modernise social governance but also demonstrate both sides' determination to tighten their friendship.

He noted during the project implementation, the two ministries have agreed on many important aspects. Notably, the project approval decisions were issued, creating favourable conditions for developing resident data towards providing personal identity numbers to Lao citizens in March 2025.

He affirmed that these achievements show the close and consistent leadership of the two states, as well as the effective coordination between the two ministries to ensure the project progress and quality.

Long suggested the Lao Ministry of Public Security give advice to the Lao Government to establish a committee for consistently steering this work from central to local levels, and assign responsibility directly to heads of local police agencies.

The official proposed temporary decisions be issued to create a legal framework and then fine-tune legal documents to secure the legal system's consistency. He also highlighted the importance of upgrading infrastructure to ensure the interoperability of systems.

Phuilamanyvong acknowledged the significant support from the Vietnamese ministry in supporting its Lao peer in implementing the project, suggesting the two sides enhance their coordination, regularly share information and analyse data to improve data and digital infrastructure policies.

The project helps Lao improve state management, protect its national security, and benefit the Lao people, he stressed, adding that it also contributes to the elevation of the Laos - Viet Nam relationship to a new level.

On December 19 afternoon, the Vietnamese delegation paid a courtesy visit to General Vilay Lakhamphong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Security of Laos.  VNS
HA NOI  General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV) To Lam held phone talks with Secretary-General of the ruling Peoples Action Party (PAP) and Prime Minister of Singapore Lawrence Wong on Friday afternoon, during which the Vietnamese Party chief suggested the two countries further strengthen political trust through meetings and exchanges of all-level delegations.

Lam congratulated Wong on his election as PAP Secretary-General, expressing his belief that under the leadership of the government led by Wong, Singapore will achieve greater accomplishments, further fostering its economy and strengthening its international position.

Lam highly appreciated support and cooperation provided by the Singaporean government to Viet Nam since the early days of its "oi moi" (renewal) and international integration. He affirmed that Viet Nam always attaches importance to and wants to boost and deepen the Strategic Partnership with Singapore in a more robust, substantive, and effective manner.

He suggested strengthening cooperation between the CPV and the PAP, saying that relevant agencies of the two nations need closely coordinate to build strategies and plans for cooperation in areas such as digital transformation and renewable energy, aiming to create significant breakthroughs to meet the demands and development goals of the new era.

He also proposed boosting financial and tourism cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges; as well as expanding defence and security cooperation, including the establishment of a national population data centre and the integration of digital platforms such as SingPass and VNeID, which are actively being studied by both sides to facilitate entry and exit for citizens of the two countries.

For his part, Wong concurred with Lam's proposals regarding orientations for stepping up bilateral cooperation in the coming time, saying that Singaporean businesses are eager to expand their investment and business activities in Viet Nam, especially in new sectors such as renewable energy development, carbon credit trading, and developing new-generation Viet NamSingapore industrial parks (VSIPs) with a focus on hi-tech industries, clean energy, semiconductor production, and artificial intelligence (AI) - aligning with the developmental trends and priorities of both nations and supporting the common goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

The two leaders expressed their satisfaction with the strong and comprehensive development of bilateral cooperation over the past 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties and more than 10 years of the Strategic Partnership. They affirmed that the network of 18 VSIPs in Viet Nam stands as a symbol of successful cooperation between the two nations.

Viet Nam and Singapore have been actively advancing the Digital Economy - Green Economy Partnership - an important cooperation area that facilitates the transformation of both economies toward new potential fields such as digital economy, green economy and circular economy, innovation, clean energy, and responding to climate change.

They agreed on the importance of enhancing coordination between the two countries within ASEAN and other regional and international forums to contribute positively to the group's resilience, prosperity and sustainable development, and promoting its central role in the region.

The two sides also agreed to assign relevant agencies from both nations to promptly finalise the contents, towards elevating bilateral relations to a new height.

On this occasion, Wong invited the Vietnamese Party chief and his spouse to pay an official visit to Singapore at a convenient time in 2025. The latter accepted the invitation with pleasure and, in return, invited the Singaporean leader and his spouse to visit Viet Nam at an appropriate time.  VNS
HA NOI  Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son talked over the phone with the UKs Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy on Friday.

The two officials applauded the increasingly fruitful and extensive growth of the Viet Nam - UK relations over nearly 15 years since the establishment of their strategic partnership, particularly in politics - diplomacy, trade - investment, security - defence, climate change response, and education - training.

Son affirmed that Viet Nam treasures and wishes to enhance the strategic partnership in an increasingly substantive and effective manner.

Meanwhile, Lammy stressed that Viet Nam is a priority partner of the UK in Southeast Asia, especially in economic development, security, and defence. He also expressed his delight at the two sides approval of the Viet Nam - UK Action Plan for 2024-26 at the bilateral strategic dialogue in October 2024.

Discussing measures for fostering political trust to create momentum for further cooperation intensification, the officials agreed to increase mutual visits at all levels, especially high level; continue to productively implement bilateral cooperation and dialogue mechanisms such as the strategic dialogue, the defence policy dialogue, and the migration dialogue; and work closely to implement the Viet Nam - UK Action Plan for 2024-26.

Both sides noted with satisfaction the strides in economic collaboration, an important pillar of the countries strategic partnership.

Son congratulated and highly valued the UKs official participation in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). He voiced his belief that together with the positive impact of the UK - Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA), the UKs engagement in the CPTPP will help promote trade between the bloc and the European country, and also strengthen the flourishing Viet Nam - UK strategic partnership.

Regarding cooperation in climate change response and energy transition, the Vietnamese diplomat appreciated the UKs support for Viet Nam within the framework of the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) between Viet Nam and the Group of Seven (G7). He called on the UK to continue supporting Viet Nam to carry out the Resource Mobilisation Plan (RMP) for implementing the JETP, announced at COP28, to facilitate Viet Nam's access to financing, technology, and human resource training.

Lammy affirmed the UKs commitment to accompanying and assisting Viet Nam in climate change response and sustainable economic development. He also expressed his country's interest in expanding investment in Viet Nam's offshore wind power sector.

In terms of security and defence cooperation, Son welcomed the participation of a high-level delegation from the British Ministry of Defence in the second Viet Nam Defence Expo, taking place in Ha Noi from December 19 to 22.

Lammy noted defence enterprises of the UK are ready to collaborate with Vietnamese partners in this area.

Both sides agreed to further strengthen ties in security - defence, particularly through the implementation of dialogue mechanisms, maritime cooperation, capacity building, crime prevention, and migration management.

The two officials expressed confidence that the fruitful outcomes of bilateral cooperation, along with efforts by agencies, organisations, and partners from both countries, will help elevate the Viet Nam - UK strategic partnership in the coming time, especially when the countries will celebrate the 15th anniversary of their strategic partnership in 2025.  VNA/VNS
HA NOI  Economic diplomacy has truly become a key component in all external affairs, especially high-level diplomacy, contributing effectively to implemeting strategic breakthroughs, Prime Minister Pam Minh Chinh said while chairing a conference with ambassadors and heads of Vietnamese representative agencies abroad to review the economic diplomacy work in 2024, in Ha Noi on Friday.

The conference was held in a hybrid format, connecting the Government headquarters with 94 Vietnamese representative offices abroad and the People's Committees of 63 centrally-run cities and provinces nationwide.

The PM affirmed that economic diplomacy has been institutionalised and systematised in a methodical manner, gaining consensus and active participation from the entire political system, along with close coordination among ministries, sectors, and localities.

He applauded the positive results in the economic diplomacy work, which have become a highlight of Viet Nam's foreign relations, noting that these have importantly contribute to the country's socio-economic development achievements.

Chinh spotlighted 700 economic diplomacy activities, trade and investment, and tourism promotion programmes carried out by Viet Nam's diplomatic missions abroad, and over 400 trade and investment promotion activities of localities in domestic areas and foreign countries in diverse and flexible formats. He said the work has become increasingly substantive and systematic.

He asked for greater determination and effort, and decisive actions to create breakthroughs in the economic diplomacy work, saying that the work must be one of key contributors to achieving the goal of 8 per cent economic growth in 2025, and double-digit growth in the coming time.

He said the economic diplomacy work should pay heed to promoting the signing of legal frameworks such as free trade agreements (FTAs), investment protection agreement (IPAs), comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA); evaluating unique potential, outstanding opportunities, and competitive advantages of Viet Nam and its partners to identify potential areas for cooperation; innovating visa policies and diversifying visa types; and fostering connections between businesses of Viet Nam and other countries.

He also requested renewing traditional growth drivers such as export, investment, and consumption; promoting new growth motivations such as green economy, digital economy, circular economy, knowledge economy, sharing economy, and night-time economy; and concentrating on building brands for Vietnamese products and services, and diversifying products, markets, supply chains.

It is necessary to boost diplomacy in all fields, expand cooperation in technology, especially technology transfer related to manufaturing semiconductor chips, AI; and enhance partnership in exploiting outer space, sea space, underground space, he stressed.

The PM assigned specific tasks to Vietnamese ambassadors and heads of diplomatic representative offices abroad, including calling on US agencies to promptly remove Viet Nam from the D1 - D3 lists of high-tech export restrictions, and soon recognise Viet Nam's market economy; promoting cooperation with China in border gate economic development and transport connectivity, particularly railway connection; cooperating with Middle Eastern countries to build an international financial hub in HCM City.

He expressed his belief that with the collective strength, solidarity, and determination of ministries, sectors, localities, associations, and businesses, especially the proactive role and leadership of the diplomatic sector and Vietnamese missions abroad, the economic diplomacy work will continue to be implemented strongly, comprehensively, and more creatively with breakthrough results, contributing to laying a solid foundation for the country to enter a new era -- the era of the nations rise.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the economic diplomacy work has played an active role in implementing the Government's and the Prime Minister's directives to rejuvenate traditional growth drivers and foster new growth engines.

In nearly 60 foreign affairs activities conducted by high-ranking Party and State leaders in 2024, economic content became a focus, producing concrete and substantive results, especially the PM's visits to India, Australia, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Hungary, Romania, and Dominica, along with working visits to China and Russia. Over 170 cooperation agreements were signed during these engagements.

Viet Nam has increased the total number of FTAs the counry signed and joined to 17. It has actively promoted the implementation of these agreements and worked diligently to address market barriers, contributing significantly to export recovery and growth.

Economic diplomacy activities, particularly in technology, semiconductors, and innovation, has been vigorously promoted with key partners and major corporations. Prominent companies such as Apple, Intel, Google, NVIDIA, Samsung, LG, Cadence, Qorvo, Marvell, and Siemens have invested and expanded their investment and business, and established cooperative ventures with Viet Nam.  VNA/VNS
GIA LAI  Despite a variety of obstacles, the Army Corps 15 still places a high priority on preschool education in the Central Highlands region.

For the corps soldiers, persuading parents from ethnic minority groups to send their children to school is a difficult task.

Creating the best conditions for the children, including a place to eat, rest and an ideal learning environment, requires even more effort, determination and sacrifice from those who "sow seeds" at the countrys border line in Gia Lai Province.

On a visit to Ro Mah Duet's farm in the province's uc Co District, Major Pham Van Hung, captain of Team 12, Company 72, asked: "Why dont you let the children go to school? Why let them wander around the field like this?"

Duet, holding his youngest child, an infant, said: "Our family is going through a really challenging time.

Major Hungs question is a concern for the Army Corps 15s soldiers. Duet's answer also partly expresses the hardships of local residents and the obstacles children face on their journey to literacy.

The difficulty Duet mentioned is not simply about economic conditions, but also about barriers of awareness.

People's lives in the border regions have seen a significant transformation in recent years. But for a variety of reasons, children continue to live in underprivileged conditions.

Due to high poverty rates and low education levels, most people in the border areas do not fully understand the importance of education for children.

Every day, barefoot and bareheaded children still accompany their parents to the fields. They are frightened before strangers, and many children in isolated areas aren't even able to speak Vietnamese.

At some schools in the border areas of Chu Prong District, 90 per cent of the students belong to ethnic minority groups.

To maintain a stable number of students, teachers sometimes travel to the homes of absent children to convince their families to send them to school.

On rainy days, students who live far away find it especially hard to get to school. Teachers must go to each home to pick up the children.

Officers and soldiers of Army Corps 15 encourage local residents to work at rubber plantations for a stable income, and persistently encourage them to send their children to school.

Colonel Khuat Ba Cao, Party secretary and deputy commander of Army Corps 15, said: The foundation that helps ethnic minority people feel secure is that their children are cared for and educated wholeheartedly.

The Army Corps has built 11 schools to teach nearly 7,000 students, of which more than 70 per cent are children of ethnic minority groups in the Central Highlands, he said.

The corps has made an investment in modern facilities and equipment.

Teacher Tran Thi Lan at Rose Kindergarten said children at first felt timid, but have now gained confidence in speaking the common language after spending time with their teachers. They can also read poetry, dance, sing and tell stories.

18-4 Kindergarten in uc Co border district under the management of Army Corps 15 has waived tuition for students from ethnic minority groups and provided financial assistance for their daily school meals.

One example of a school with modern facilities for border children is Sao Mai Kindergarten in uc Co District, which is a part of Company 75, Army Corps 15.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Duong Kim Tuan, director of Company 75, preschool education is crucial because it establishes the groundwork for children's future growth. To enhance the quality of education, the company has invested in facilities, outdoor toys and teaching equipment.  VNS
HA NOI  A fire broke out at a car tyre warehouse in Ha Noi's Hoang Mai District late on Thursday (19 December), according to local police.

The fire started around 11:30pm at the warehouse on Nguyen Canh Di Street, with witnesses reporting a strong smell of burning rubber as the blaze erupted. Nearby residents detected the fire, attempted to extinguish it, and promptly alerted authorities.

Despite their efforts, the intensity and rapid spread of the flames made it impossible for residents and on-site forces to approach the area.

Upon receiving the report, Hoang Mai District's Fire Prevention and Rescue Police quickly dispatched four fire engines and a team of officers and soldiers to prevent the fire from spreading to adjacent houses.

After approximately 90 minutes, the fire was brought under control. Fortunately, no casualties were reported, but authorities are assessing the property damage.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.  VNS
HA NOI  Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long has signed a decision approving a scheme on global integration in education and training until 2030, aimed at fostering socio-economic development, people-to-people diplomacy and international cooperation across various sectors.

The scheme targets having at least 10 administrative units join the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities by 2030, and integrating foreign curricula into preschools and general education establishments in five more cities and provinces.

A key pillar of this scheme is the aspiration for all of high school students to meet national standards for foreign language proficiency, with a particular emphasis on establishing English as a second language in schools. It also prioritises the professional development of teachers and education managers at all levels, ensuring they possess the necessary foreign language skills to guide their students effectively.

In higher education, the goal is for over 20 per cent of joint training curricula with foreign establishments to involve disciplines offered by universities ranked among the worlds top 500.

Viet Nam also aims to increase the proportion of international students pursuing Vietnamese degrees to 1.5 per cent and ensure that 8 per cent of all Vietnamese lecturers engage in academic exchange, teaching, or research abroad annually.

Furthermore, over 20 per cent of curricula in Vietnamese universities are expected to meet accreditation standards from reputable international organisations. The scheme also envisions attracting two additional campuses of prestigious foreign universities to Vietnam.

To such end, it outlines four key tasks and solutions, including perfecting education-training policies and mechanisms, promoting cooperation and fostering an international environment in education-training, improving the quality of education and training, and strengthening the capacity of educators and raising their awareness of global integration.

Bilateral and multilateral partnerships will be actively expanded, with a focus on neighbouring countries, nations with advanced education systems, strategic and comprehensive partners, and traditional friends.

The plan advocates for the development of new school models based on international best practices to create a globally-oriented learning environment. Strengthening partnerships between Vietnamese and foreign general education establishments through twinning models is also a focus, toward mutual recognition of degrees and training processes.

It also seeks to increase student and lecturer exchanges while attracting international scholars and students to teach, study and conduct research in Vietnam.

To further elevate Viet Nam's academic standing, universities are encouraged to upgrade domestic scientific journals up to international standards and increase the rate of lecturers publishing in reputable global academic journals.

The country will increase the scale of overseas training funded by the state budget, focusing on faculty members in priority scientific fields critical to the national development; as well as encourage studies and scientific research abroad through non-state funding sources.  VNS
HA NOI  Over 80 per cent of communes cultivating key crops like rice, longan, lychee, dragon fruit, coffee, pepper and tea aim to have core farmer teams trained in effective and safe use of fertilisers and pesticides under the Integrated Plant Health Management (IPHM) programme by 2030.

Each province growing these crops will have five national and 20 provincial IPHM trainers, while each commune will have two community guides and five core farmers.

This was highlighted by Le Van Thiet, Deputy Director of the Department of Plant Protection under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, during the workshop on safe and effective use of fertilisers and pesticides within the IPHM Programme held on Thursday, both in person and online.

The programme also strives to apply IPHM principles to 90 per cent of the cultivation area for rice, longan, lychee and dragon fruit, and 70 per cent for coffee, pepper and tea in each province. This would reduce pesticide use and chemical fertilisers by 30 per cent.

Over 90 per cent of communes involved in these crops are expected to implement the proper collection of used pesticide packaging.

The Department of Plant Protection has collaborated with associations and organisations to expand the use of biological fertilisers and pesticides.

According to Thiet, unpredictable climate change is posing significant challenges, including natural disasters, storms, droughts and saltwater intrusion, which negatively impact crop growth and livelihoods.

Climate change also creates ideal conditions for the emergence of new pests, making agricultural production increasingly difficult.

Currently, Viet Nam has 8,000 planting area codes and over 1,500 packing facility codes.

The adoption of scientific and technical advancements is expected to enhance product quality, facilitating easier export.

To build a sustainable and modern agricultural sector by 2030, with a vision towards 2050, localities must focus on expanding advanced production models.

There is also a need to develop and replicate biological solutions for pest control, promote the use of biological fertilisers and pesticides, and cooperate with foreign companies.

The sector must prioritise applying Industry 4.0 technologies and digital transformation in farming and information access. This will enable proactive disease control, minimise chemical inputs, optimise resources, and enhance farmers' profits.

To develop and expand the IPHM programme successfully, the involvement of the entire political system is essential, Thiet said.

Participants at the workshop said that implementing IPHM addresses urgent needs such as soil degradation, climate change adaptation, product value enhancement, and ecological protection.

The programme encourages ecological, organic, and circular agriculture, producing safe, climate-resilient crops while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting soil and water health.

Farmers are urged to adopt biological pesticides derived from microorganisms rather than live organisms.

Pesticides remain vital for pest control, ensuring food security, boosting productivity, and maintaining crop quality.

However, Viet Nam's tropical climate also presents significant pest and weed challenges.

Nguyen Van Son, Chairman of the Viet Nam Pesticide Manufacturers and Traders Association, said that both chemical and biological pesticides contribute to agricultural development in Viet Nam and worldwide.

Proper and regulated use of pesticides can ensure safe agricultural production for both domestic and export markets.

Coordinator for Croplife Viet Nam, ao Thu Vinh, said that IPHM practices and improved crop varieties strengthen plant health, enabling resilience to environmental and pest stressors.

Advanced breeding methods, such as genetic modification (GMO) and gene editing, further enhance crop productivity while minimising protection measures, reducing costs, and preserving resources like soil nutrients.

From 1996 to 2020, genetically modified crops reduced pesticide use by over 748 kilograms, fuel consumption by 14.662 million litres, and CO2 emissions by 2.33 million kilograms, equivalent to taking 1.58 million cars off the road for a year.

"Viet Nam is accelerating research on gene-editing technologies. Progressive and forward-looking policies will serve as a catalyst for creating and introducing improved crop varieties to farmers, empowering them to implement IPHM/IPM effectively and promote sustainable farming, Vinh said.  VNS
HA NOI  Ten people have been arrested and more than 200kg of drugs seized after police busted a trafficking gang smuggling narcotics from Cambodia and Laos to Viet Nam.

The Drug Crime Investigation Police Department (C04) under the Ministry of Public Security said the ring leader was Ly Thanh Huu, 40, from Hoc Mon, HCM City.

Documents and other items relating to the smuggling operation were also seized.

Police say Ly Thanh Huu has changed his smuggling routes many times to evade the authorities.

At the end of August 2024, the police received information that the smugglers would transport drugs across the border on a passenger bus on the Dien Chau (Nghe An) - Son Tay (Ha Noi) route and would deliver five sacks of drugs to the My inh National Stadium area.

On the afternoon of August 30, when the passenger bus arrived at the My inh Stadium, the bus attendant took out five sacks and two plastic bags from the trunk of the passenger bus and left them on the side of the road waiting for someone to come out to receive.

A few minutes later, two men came on a motorbike and picked up the drugs.

The police arrested bus attendant Ho Quang Nhan, 25, Quan Trong Cao and Ly Van Huy, 22, from Nghe An Province.

About 110 kg of synthetic drugs, 170 electronic cigarettes and many related documents were seized.

Cao confessed that in addition to the drugs discovered, he also sent three cardboard boxes containing drugs to his neighbour's residence in Minh Khai, Bac Tu Liem District, Ha Noi.

Based on the mens confessions, police extended the investigation and dismantled the mass ring including one of the leaders with Lao nationality.  VNS
HCM CITY - Vietnam News Agency's southern branch signed a cooperation agreement with Long An University of Economics and Industry on December 19 in HCM City on workforce training and media promotion.

The two sides will plan and implement media strategies, including event coverage for the university to promote scientific research and other areas on Vietnam News Agency's media platforms, as well as organise events.

They will work together on seminars and conferences to share experience and improve the quality of both sides workforce, in addition to field trips, life skills classes and academic health programmes for students.

They will also co-operate in providing information and consultation for businesses and organisations in the areas of economy, trade and investment.

The agreement acts as a foundation for both parties to plan specific activities and utilise their resources and strengths efficiently, and it will be carried out in a timely manner.  VNS
HCM CITY  Nature-based initiatives are crucial to address the escalating impact of climate change in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta, speakers said at a forum.

Speaking at the recent Mekong Connect 2024 forum in An Giang Province, Luu Thi Lan, Project Manager for Nature-based Solutions at World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Vietnam, said the region, which is among the five most vulnerable deltas worldwide, is facing multiple challenges related to the impact of climate change.

The problems include sediment loss resulting from upstream hydropower projects, freshwater scarcity, land subsidence, and saltwater intrusion, she said.

To tackle the challenges, WWF Vietnam is executing the Mekong Nature-based Solutions project, which aims to support local communities in adapting to climate change.

The initiative seeks to restore natural water flow, encourage sediment accumulation, and develop adaptive livelihood models to promote sustainable development within the region, she said.

The project includes seven pilot flood-based livelihood models spanning 170 hectares, featuring activities such as flood-season fish stocking, ecotourism, and floating rice cultivation.

Preliminary data from WWF showed that these models yield a return on investment between 1.2 to 1.5 times, decrease fertiliser usage by 20-30 per cent in subsequent rice crops, and enhance sediment deposition capacity by 20-30 times compared to traditional triple-crop rice farming practices.

In addition, these models contribute to the enhancement of fishery resources and biodiversity.

While some households initially experienced losses, the environmental benefits are becoming increasingly apparent, Lan noted.

Linkages and cooperation

Experts have called for Mekong Delta localities to strengthen economic ties with HCM City, optimise resources, and focus on green, sustainable development.

Minister of Science and Technology Huynh Thanh at highlighted that enhancing cooperation is vital for tackling climate change challenges in the region.

Vice Chairman of HCM City Peoples Committee Duong Ngoc Hai said regional cooperation has not reached its full potential due to various challenges related to natural conditions, infrastructure, investment and governance, among others.

Chairman of An Giang Province Peoples Committee Ho Van Mung stated that the province is committed to boosting regional linkages for climate action and sustainable development.

As the agricultural nucleus of Viet Nam, the Mekong Delta contributes over 95 per cent of the nations rice exports, 60 per cent of aquatic product exports, and 70 per cent of fruit production.

Spanning more than 40,000 sq.m, the region is home to over 20 million residents.

However, its vital role in Viet Nams economy and food security is significantly threatened, experts warned.

Mekong Delta is one of the five most vulnerable regions globally, alongside the Ganges River Delta (India and Bangladesh), Mississippi River Delta (the US), Volta River Delta (Ghana), and Nile River Delta (Egypt).

Founded in 1961, WWF is a Swiss-based non-governmental organisation focused on wilderness preservation and minimizing human environmental impact.

First held in 2015, the annual two-day forum has become a major platform for connecting cities and provinces in the Mekong Delta with HCM City and other regions across Viet Nam.  VNS
HA NOI  The Viettel High Technology Industries Corporation (VHT), a subsidiary of the the Viettel Military Industry and Telecoms Group (Viettel), announced on Friday that it has received a certification from the Ministry of Defence, and the Army of Malaysia, recognising that Viettel's military communication products meet standards to be supplied to the Malaysian Army.

A ceremony to hand over the certification took place at Viettel's exhibition area at the ongoing Vietnam International Defence Expo 2024 in Ha Noi.

Previously, Viettel's products underwent extensive testing in Malaysia in harsh combat conditions. The tests were conducted by the Malaysian Army, an experienced unit in evaluating and testing military products in accordance with NATO standards. Viettel's products successfully passed all quality and performance tests, with some parameters even exceeding the standards of similar products tested in Malaysia.

VHT General Director Nguyen Vu Ha said this certification helps strengthen Viettel's position in the international market, particularly in Malaysia, where there was previously limited information about Vietnam's capability in researching and producing hi-tech defence products, adding that the event helps promote defence cooperation between Vietnam and Malaysia, expanding business opportunities of Viettel in Malaysia.

Military communication products mark the beginning and lay the foundation for other product lines of Viettel, such as radar, optoelectronics, and electronic warfare to make deeper inroads into this Southeast Asian market, he stressed.

Viettel has applied the latest technologies in the world to design and manufacture fourth- and fifth-generation military communication devices. It has mastered core technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), and AI-based high-speed broadband adaptive communication technologies.

Badrul Hisham bin Ahmad Badarudin, Director of MIM Defense of Malaysia said after signing the cooperation agreement, the firm, together with Viettel, conducted testing and evaluation of various communication equipment. The evaluation results from the Malaysian Ministry of Defence showed that Viettel fully meets Malaysia's standards. He added that MIM Defence will continue working with Viettel to supply military equipment to the Malaysian market in the future.

Earlier, at the 18th Defence Services Asia (DSA) and the third National Security Asia (NATSEC Asia) exhibitions in Malaysia in May, the VHT inked a strategic cooperation agreement with MIM Defense to develop international business. This strategic partnership allows the two companies to explore business opportunities in domestic and international markets, while tapping collective strength to develop their business in the Southeast Asian region.  VNS
HCM CITY  Viet Nams HCM City has been recognised as one of the top travel destinations in Asia for 2025, according to a vote by the American magazine CN Traveler.

The magazine tells its readers to explore the diversity of Asia from the ancient ginkgo forests in Zhejiang, China, to the historic streets of Osaka, Japan. It describes the continent's rapidly developing cities as well as its vast, unspoiled natural landscapes and rich culinary traditions. Viet Nam's cities uniquely blend history and modernity, making them essential stops for visitors, the article states.

HCM City has emerged as one of the worlds fastest-growing tourism hubs, surpassing pre-pandemic records at an impressive rate. There's no better time to visit than in 2025, according to the magazine.

Beyond its urban and tourism infrastructure, HCM City stands out as one of Southeast Asia's cultural centers - serving as the region's hub for commerce, cuisine and fashion. Notably, in 2023, the inaugural Michelin Guide to Viet Nam awarded the city's first star to the new Vietnamese restaurant, Anan Sai Gon. Despite its modernity, the city retains much of its traditional charm, featuring bustling markets and rustic street vendors alongside ancient architecture.

In addition to HCM City, CN Traveler also highlighted other cities and areas including Asir in Saudi Arabia; Hangzhou in China; Karakol in Kyrgyzstan; Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia; Muscat in Oman and Osaka in Japan. VNS
Drawing on insights from nearly 100 healthcare professionals worldwide, the ACCA report underscores the vital role of enterprise risk management in fostering better decision-making and enhancing patient care. This study emphasises that breaking down departmental silos is crucial for aligning healthcare organisations shared objectives of quality care, financial sustainability, and regulatory compliance.

ACCA's new research highlights the need to break down silos in healthcare risk management to improve outcomes. Photo: ACCA

Rachael Johnson, head of risk management and corporate governance at the ACCA, underscored the importance of collaboration. By collaborating and learning from each other, different departments in healthcare can meet shared objectives more effectively. They also crucially become better prepared for emerging threats and trends, she said.

The report identifies several enablers of a robust risk culture, including effective communication, cooperative education, and fostering a transparent environment. Cross-functional knowledge-sharing and ethical decision-making are also highlighted as key practices for managing interconnected risks, such as rising cybercrime, fraud, and evolving workforce challenges.

Mark Millar, past ACCA president and non-executive director at East Suffolk and North East Essex NHS Foundation Trust, cautioned against viewing risk management solely through a financial lens. Understand that risk in healthcare is far more than a financial issue. It is about life and death. Old cultural attitudes viewed people who raised the profile of risk as admitting to failure and subjected them to criticism or censure. A more helpful culture is one that encourages the sharing of information willingly to address challenges and make improvements, Millar emphasised.

The study provides a comprehensive analysis of how regions around the world are prioritising risks and addressing unique challenges in an interconnected landscape. Africa is striving to unlock the potential of telemedicine while simultaneously addressing infrastructure gaps and corruption risks, which are critical for fostering trust and access.

Similarly, Canada is navigating the complexities of cybersecurity alongside the need to adapt to shifting regulatory landscapes, reflecting a global push for digital resilience.

The United Kingdom, in parallel, is addressing the pressing issue of talent retention in an era of rising living costs and rapid technological advancements, echoing challenges faced by other developed economies.

In the Caribbean, efforts focus on managing climate-induced risks alongside workforce shortages, highlighting the dual impact of environmental and demographic shifts. Irelands endeavours to integrate clinical and enterprise risk management underscore a broader need for cohesive systems to mitigate fragmentation, a challenge that resonates across borders in todays interconnected world.

Despite these regional nuances, the report highlights a universal need for collaboration and a shared understanding of risk management practices across the healthcare sector.

As healthcare systems become increasingly complex, the ACCA report positions accountancy professionals as pivotal players in driving change. From promoting cross-departmental communication to embedding risk cultures, these professionals provide the financial insights and strategic frameworks necessary to build resilient, patient-centred systems.

ACCA urges businesses to prioritise climate resilience as COP29 summit opens The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) unveiled its latest report on November 11 titled "Weathering the storm: Building resilience against climate disruptions", exposing widespread neglect of climate risks as many organisations fail to update business continuity plans or invest in resilience measures.

Accounting oversight to strategic decision-making Initiatives by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and its partners have played a significant role in enhancing green capabilities and knowledge within the accounting and auditing sector. To Quoc Hung, country director at ACCA Vietnam, spoke with VIRs Hazy Tran about the increasingly pivotal role of accounting and auditing in strategic decision-making.
China ready to expand mutually beneficial cooperation with UK: spokesperson

Xinhua) 09:36, December 20, 2024

BEIJING, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- China stands ready to expand mutually beneficial cooperation with the United Kingdom (UK) under the strategic guidance of the two countries' leaders to boost each other's economic and social development, the Ministry of Commerce said Thursday.

Spokesperson He Yongqian made the remarks at a press conference in response to a question regarding the UK's plan to cooperate more with China on investment and trade.

China attaches great importance to its economic and trade ties with the UK and is willing to promote the steady and sustained development of the China-UK global comprehensive strategic partnership for the 21st century, said He.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
This campaign goes beyond delivering festive joy through meaningful activities, and aims to rekindle cherished cultural values and foster magical connections among family and friends through the heartfelt wishes of people for the new year.

According to Le Trung Tin, marketing director of Coca-Cola Vietnam, having been a part of Vietnamese celebrations for over 30 years, Coca-Cola believes that the spirit of togetherness creates magical moments during the festive season. Acting as a bridge, Coca-Cola hopes these deeply felt wishes will make everyone's Lunar New Year even more special. Through the Tet 2025 campaign and a series of meaningful activities, we aspire to contribute to a vibrant, prosperous, and loving spring filled with connections for millions of Vietnamese families, said Tin.

Expressions of affection, though seemingly simple, can deepen understanding and strengthen bonds, transforming them into something truly magical.

Recognising this, Coca-Cola aims to be a bridge this Tet, helping everyone convey their heartfelt wishes to loved ones in unique, personalised ways that go beyond traditional greetings.

To facilitate this, Coca-Cola will launch an innovative online platform with an engaging interface, allowing people to send New Year's wishes to their loved ones effortlessly.

Moreover, Coca-Cola is unveiling special Tet packaging that retains the iconic Golden Swallow, a symbol of joy and hope that has become synonymous with the brand during Tet.

This vibrant design, complemented by dazzling fireworks, conveys messages of prosperity and success.

The new packaging includes three unique can designs featuring the motifs "An (Peace), Tai (Wealth), and Loc (Prosperity)", each symbolising a blessing and a wish for good fortune during the celebrations.

In addition, Coca-Cola is introducing an exciting promotion titled Open the Tet Pack - Hunt for Golden Caps. This programme offers thousands of attractive prizes, including 500 24k Gold Swallow Caps and numerous valuable red envelopes.

Notably, Coca-Cola will introduce a series of exceptional events leading up to the New Year, providing consumers with memorable Tet experiences. The events, featuring 'first-time' performances, are sure to bring surprise and delight. This will also be an unmissable highlight of the festive season, serving as a wish for a brilliant new year that Coca-Cola wants to extend.

Extending the spirit of togetherness during the Tet holiday, Coca-Cola will continue to collaborate with the Red Cross in the third year of the "Zero-Dong Tet Market" initiative.

With VND5 billion ($208,000) in goods, an estimated 6,500 underprivileged families in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Danang, Long An, and Thua Thien Hue will have the opportunity to shop for essential supplies, making their Tet meals more festive. Consistently striving to support the local community, Coca-Cola hopes that every family can celebrate a warm and special Tet together.

Coca-Cola's Tet 2025 campaign again underscores the brand's enduring commitment to Vietnamese consumers.

This campaign is expected to invigorate the festive season with new experiences that evoke deep emotions, uniting everyone around the Tet dining table through shared heartfelt wishes.

Coca-Cola is one of the best-known international brands in Vietnam. Coca-Cola Vietnams manufacturing facilities in Ho Chi Minh, Danang, and Hanoi employ around 4,000 people, while creating an additional six to eight times of indirect jobs throughout the companys value chain.

As a total beverage company, Coca-Cola is continuously investing in product innovation, diversifying packaging options, and providing a wide portfolio of quality beverage products, which includes less-sugar and zero-sugar variants.

Coca-Cola says will appeal US tax court penalty worth $6 bn Coca-Cola said Friday it plans to pay a tax penalty worth $6 billion while it pursues an appeal in a long-running dispute with the Internal Revenue Service.

Celebrating 30 years of Coca-Cola in Vietnam Coca-Cola is celebrating 30 years in Vietnam with the launch of its "Our Bottles Can Live Many Lives" initiative.
Taking place from December 19-22, the Expo is gathering a lot of attention in the global defence and high-tech industry, bringing together nearly 200 exhibitors and companies from 27 countries and territories around the world.

Among the exhibitors, CT Groups high-tech divisions, in collaboration with the Ministry of Science and Technology, have made a notable impression with their groundbreaking solutions and vision for sustainable development.

The company made significant advancements while dedicating two years to research amid the COVID-19 crisis.

"We are fully prepared to enter a new era, backed by a strong team of professors, doctors, and engineers, proficient in cutting-edge technologies. We call on the government to support the development of the nation's technological sector, ensuring a sustainable future for Vietnam," said Tran Kim Chung, chairman of CT Group.

At the event, CT Group showcased its standout subsidiaries across four high-tech sectors including CT UAV, specialising in unmanned aerial vehicles, CT Semiconductor, focused on semiconductor chips, Carbon Credit Trading Platform Asean in carbon credits, and CTOptimal, a pioneer in AI.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and high-ranking officials visiting CT Group's booth

CT UAV, a technology subsidiary of CT Group, was a key attraction at the exhibition with its 1/6 scale Prototype of the CT-2W1, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

Boasting a maximum speed of 200 km per hour, a capacity of five passengers, and a flight endurance of up to 2 hours, the CT-2W1 represents a significant advancement in urban mobility. CT UAV innovative unmanned aerial vehicles are poised to revolutionise a wide range of industries.

While CT UAV was the focus with its unmanned aerial vehicles, CT Semiconductor presented its AMB5600 semiconductor testing machine. The advanced equipment is currently employed for research and training at the Semiconductor Chip Training Centre NIC in Hoa Lac. This marks the first appearance of such a chip testing system in Vietnam's training infrastructure.

Meanwhile, CTOptimal, a major entity within CT Group's AI division, impressed with its suite of specialised AI solutions, applied across three key sectors of logistics, healthcare, and UAV.

CT Group also presented the carbon credit trading platform Asean at the exhibition, underscoring its commitment to carbon credit solutions.

For more information, please contact CT Group at 20 Truong Dinh street, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City

Email: info@ctgroupvietnam.com

CT Group wins at HR Asia Awards 2022 CT Group was honoured by HR Asia  the continent's leading magazine  with the prestigious Best Place to Work in 2022 Asia award on August 11. This is the second time CT Group has received this prestigious award and the first time that the group has surpassed nearly 600 competitors in Vietnam to achieve the highest score  4.68/5 points (94 per cent).

CT Group: first corporation to launch a Talent Acquisition Centre CT Group held an intimate HR Dinner exchange programme with the participation of leaders from prestigious universities and top employers in Vietnam on the evening of September 24. At the same time, the group also launched a Talent Acquisition Centre (TAC) with seven domestic divisions, including a Hanoi and international branch.
Typhoon Yagi caused severe damage, significantly impacting the lives and activities of teachers and students across many schools in Lao Cai province, one of the hardest-hit areas in the country in terms of human and material losses. To join hands with the people and the education sector of Lao Cai, Tokio Marine Insurance Vietnam has donated 20 high-capacity water purifiers and contributed to the reconstruction of school facilities in the locality as part of its Clean Water for Children and School Restoration initiative.

Recent floods caused by Typhoon Yagi left many schools in Lao Cai facing severe challenges as their water sources have been polluted by landslides. The lack of clean water has disrupted daily activities and caused significant health risks to thousands of kindergarten, primary, and secondary school students at locations ranging from central areas to remote regions. The post-storm terrain disruption has made restoring clean water systems exceedingly difficult.

Tokio Marine Insurance Vietnam has discussed with representatives of Lao Cai Department of Education to understand the situation and propose solutions to support schools in overcoming difficulties through the Clean Water for Children and School Restoration venture.

This initiative involves donating 20 high-capacity RO Kangaroo water purifiers to 20 schools in five districts of Bat Xat, Van Ban, Bac Ha, Muong Khuong, and Bao Yen in Lao Cai. This solution contributes to ensuring a safe and clean water supply, helping to minimise health risks, and support recovery after the disaster.

Representatives from TMIV's management board and staff along with local schoolteachers at the delivery ceremony

Representatives from Lao Cai Department of Education and Training, along with the principals of 20 schools at the kindergarten, primary, and secondary levels across the province, expressed their sincere and heartfelt gratitude to Tokio Marine Vietnam for the project, which has helped teachers and pupils overcome the challenges following the storm.

In addition to delivering water purifiers, TMIV has contributed VND200 million ($7,856) to Nam Pung Preschool in Bat Xat district, Lao Cai  one of the schools severely damaged in terms of infrastructure after the storm, with landslides and flooding causing significant damage to classrooms and functional rooms.

During the donation ceremony in Bat Xat, Nguyen Tho, vice principal of the school, expressed her gratitude for the companys support and encouragement towards the teachers and students. Tho shared that thanks to the support from TMIV, the schools management board would be able to conduct the renovation and repair work, including re-laying the floors, repairing the roof, and replacing all doors affected by the storm, ensuring a safe and stable environment for their school children.

Toan Duong, TMIV deputy CEO (fourth from left), along with TMIV members and beneficiary Nam Pung kindergarten's management board

On December 13, representatives of TMIV management board and company staff have paid a direct visit to local schools in Bat Xat, Lao Cai to deliver essential life supplies and sweets to the kindergarten and primary school children. In the spirit of sharing and caring contribution from company members, TMIV hopes that the small gifts will contribute to bringing warm moments to the school teachers and pupils, encouraging them to overcome hardship in life.

The TMIV team and local primary students in Muong Hum village, Lao Cai

Bui Quynh Lien, director of Bat Xat Department of Education and Training said, "Demonstrating the spirit of community support after recent Typhoon Yagi, Tokio Marine Insurance Vietnam has assisted the students from schools in Bat Xat district, both materially and spiritually. Your strong support not only helps alleviate difficulties and create better conditions for the pupils to return to school, but also exemplifies the spirit of delivering safety to the community.

Founded in 1996, Tokio Marine Insurance Vietnam (TMIV) is the first foreign-owned non-life insurer in Vietnam. With high-quality Japanese general insurance solutions, the company strives to provide safety and security to the business community while contributing to the sustainable development of local society by looking beyond profit through meaningful social projects. In the wake of Typhoon Yagi, TMIV has been helping customers to quickly recover from losses through prompt and professional claims handling, demonstrating its mission to protect clients at any time of need.

Typhoon could change mindsets in insurance sector Experts predict that Typhoon Yagi will prompt consumers to re-evaluate the role of insurance in disaster protection, pushing insurers to adopt technology for faster damage assessments and quicker payouts.

Typhoon Yagi a wake-up call for Vietnams insurance needs With serious damages of Typhoon Yagi, Vietnamese people are urged to pay more attention to insurance in response to unexpected events.
According to a report by Anphabe, the expectation of employees for ideal workplace criteria has changed over the last decade. Notably, rewards remain the top consideration, but the level of interest decreased from 43 per cent in 2018 to 34 per cent in 2023.

Instead, leadership and management factors are increasingly receiving more attention, rising from 25 per cent in 2018 to 30 per cent in 2023. This indicates that leadership and management teams play a key role in creating a happier working environment but also lay a foundation for a companys sustainable development.

The biennial awards seek to honour outstanding leaders and organisations with excellent practices to nurture talent and build a strong workforce. Award-winning individuals and organisations will become role models to inspire change and share successful experiences with the business community.

Participating in the Vietnam Excellence Awards is an opportunity to motivate senior leaders and staff to create an environment where people are at the centre of all changes and join hands. This will help build Vietnamese human resources towards more humane and sustainable values in a world that changes every day, said Nguyen Duc Khuong, president of the Association of Vietnamese Scientists and Experts.

Thanh Nguyen, CEO of Anphabe, said, Businesses need to step up their efforts and create new values amidst the volatile business environment. Only a few names have truly succeeded in paving their paths with exceptional strategies and methods. The awards recognise outstanding leaders and organisations, and promote experience sharing and inspiration for change, thereby contributing to the development of the Vietnamese business community.

The awards are given by consulting firm Anphabe, along with the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce Vietnam, and the Hong Kong Business Association Vietnam.

Nestle Vietnam won 12 outstanding awards at the MMA Smarties Vietnam 2024 Nestle Vietnam won 12 awards in the categories of mobile marketing and communication strategies at the MMA Smarties Vietnam 2024 on October 25.

Gamuda Land Vietnam named Best Developer at PropertyGuru awards Gamuda Land Vietnam was named in multiple categories at the Vietnam PropertyGuru Awards 2024 on November 15 in Ho Chi Minh City.
This MoU forms a partnership between the two organisations in which Cyto-Facto Inc will provide training, consulting, and technology in cell and stem cell production (including mesenchymal stem cell production from knee synovial membrane) following Japanese quality control standards.

The signing ceremony between Hoa Lam Shangri-La Healthcare and Cyto-Facto Inc

They will also provide consultative support in implementing automated cell and stem cell processing systems for Hoa Lam Shangri-La Healthcare Park.

In addition, Cyto-Facto Inc is going to consult on establishing a quality control centre adhering to international standards, for Hoa Lam Shangri-La Healthcare Park.

This collaboration is expected to further advance the development of Hoa Lam Shangri-La Healthcare Park, particularly in stem cell and regenerative medicine.

Currently, stem cells are widely utilised in regenerative medicine and chronic disease treatment.

Vietnams healthcare sector has successfully implemented hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (bone marrow transplants) in treating blood cancer and using adipose-derived stem cells for knee osteoarthritis treatment, applying stem cells for cardiovascular disease treatment as well as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

International collaboration in stem cell research, development, and application, particularly with Japan  renowned as the cradle of cellular technology with three Nobel Prizes in Biomedical  will provide enhanced healthcare opportunities for millions of Vietnamese patients suffering from chronic and severe illnesses.

The MoU signing ceremony between Hoa Lam Shangri-La Healthcare and Cyto-Facto Inc

Cyto-Facto Inc is the first company to separate from the Foundation for Biomedical Research and Innovation at Kobe  a core organisation within the Kobe Biomedical Innovation Cluster, Japan's largest life sciences and biomedical cluster.

Cyto-Facto Inc has accumulated extensive manufacturing technology experience and has implemented production lines for stem cells and immune cells, including Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cells, Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells, and Mesenchymal Stem Cells at various developmental stages.

Notably, Cyto-Facto Inc is recognised as Asias first company to manufacture commercial CAR-T products under the Good Manufacturing Practices standards of the Pharmaceutical Inspection Co-operation Scheme.

Vietnam hailed for wise investment in health care Wise investment in health care is one of the factors leading to Vietnams spectacularly effective COVID-19 response, said an article published on the Japan Times on July 26.

HCM City welcomes volunteers to relieve overwhelmed health care system More than 1,300 people in Ho Chi Minh City have signed up to volunteer for the fight against the outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant following an appeal letter from Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son.
Road in Gresford closed due to incident on a railway bridge

This article is old - Published: Friday, Dec 20th, 2024

A road in Gresford has been closed due to an incident on a railway bridge.

North Wales Police say that Springfield Lane in Gresford, has been closed while officers attend the incident.

Members of the public and motorists are being asked to avoid the area.
Shock court victory by three councillors who took on Welsh Gov, Council and Developers over LDP

This article is old - Published: Friday, Dec 20th, 2024

Cllr Marc Jones has won a landmark Court of Appeal judgement against Wrexham County Borough Council, the Welsh Ministers, and a range of housing developers over Wrexhams Local Development Plan (LDP).

Cllr Jones was the named person on the court documents, but the action was effectively taken as part of a cross party trio of councillors, Cllrs Hugh Jones and Cllr Mark Pritchard  supported by around 28 councillors.

155. For the reasons set out above, the PCPA 2004 does not impose a duty on a LPA in Wales to adopt a LDP which, following the examination process, the Inspector has recommended for adoption. It follows that the resolutions passed by WCBC on 19 April 2023 and 14 June 2023 were not unlawful. I would therefore allow this appeal and dismiss the third to ninth respondents claim for judicial review.

(- from judgement)

The judgment unanimously quashes the High Court judgment of Mr Justice Eyre made in December 2023 and dismisses the controversial judicial review.

It is now possible that the Local Development Plan could once again return to the Guildhall chamber and be subject to an unprecedented un-adoption vote.

As readers will have been long following, the LDP has been a thorny issue with multiple fraught votes again the plan in the Guildhall chamber.

A consortium of developers challenged those decisions, with BDW Trading Ltd, Bloor Homes Ltd, Redrow Homes Ltd, Harworth Estates Investment Ltd, Russell Homes UK Limited, Castle Green Homes Limited and SG Estates Limited winning a court order effectively instructing adoption. Following that court order the final adoption of the LDP was via a minority vote of councillors after a boycott and walk-out.

A court hearing to challenge that outcome a year ago had slammed councillors for basically taking up court time on the matter.

A subsequent two day hearing took place in London in October as Cllr Jones appeal (up against the developers and Welsh Ministers and Wrexham Council) to that decision was heard, and as we reported the court appeared very interested in the democratic process in the Guildhall chamber, as well as focusing on the word may.

The Judgement highlighted that debate and their verdict on its usage. The court concluded that the language confered a discretionary power, not a duty and when the LDP came back to the Guildhall councillors did infact have a choice on what should then have happened.

116. Sections 65(9), 67(1) and (2) and 71(4) all use the word may. LPAs, like the WM, are subject to democratic accountability. If Parliament had intended to impose an obligation on LPAs in Wales to adopt a LDP in accordance with the recommendations of the Inspector, it would have said so expressly.

117. There is no reason why the word must, or some equivalent expression, could not have been used in s.67(1) and(2). For the reasons set out above, Part 6 of the PCPA 2004 does not provide any basis for implying into those provisions an obligation on the part of LPAs in Wales to adopt a LDP.

(- from judgement)

The whole LDP issue has been unusually fraught; arguments on if councillors were threatened or warned about being jailed over a vote, a four month probe by police saw the CPS decide not to take criminal proceedings forward, with Cllrs Jones and Pritchard branded shallow versions of Trump and Kim Jong Un by local Welsh Labour, allegations of bullying and intimidation of councillors  and even seeing the then First Minister personally slate Cllr Pritchard on the Senedd floor comparing him to a Clochemerle-esque character.

A meeting of the Full Council was held on 20 December 2023. Members were advised that they had no choice but to adopt the LDP and that a failure to do so could expose the individuals concerned to punishment for contempt of court. The members resolved to adopt the LDP.

(- from judgement)

The disputes spilled into public meetings, with Audit Committee being a particular venue for proxy battles (Claim LDP not a governance issue as councillors exercised their democratic right to have an opinion / Another ban on discussing elephant in the room Local Development Plan at Audit Committee ).

Although not publicly linked directly to the LDP dispute, Wrexham Council has not only lost its Chief Executive, but saw the Chief Exec bring forward his leaving date to the end of December with some. As noted in our departure reports, it was unusual that the Leader of the Council did not pay tribute in any way to the outgoing Chief Exec despite opportunities to do so.

Today the Appeal Courts verdict and full judgement has been published  a lengthy 33 pages of narrative, discussion and decision with detailed case law and legislative reference.

The future of the LDP in place is uncertain, and the council and related process is in uncharted waters.

Reaction

Speaking after the judgement was handed down late this afternoon, Cllr Marc Jones, who leads the Plaid Cymru group on Wrexham Council, said: This is a landmark decision  its a major breakthrough in ensuring local councils are able to have the say in what happens in their communities. The arguments put forward by our opponents tried to say that we had no choice  that we had to vote for this flawed plan regardless of the damage it would do to Wrexham.

The judgment, by the second highest court in Wales and England, is very clear  local councils in Wales do have a choice when it comes to adopting these plans. To have a vote with no choice is not democracy. Last year we saw three votes on the LDP where councillors were told they could go to jail or face fines for voting in a certain way. This was the legal advice councillors were given.

Councillors were advised they had no choice on all three occasions where they had a vote. The Court of Appeal has made it clear that they did and the council could have contested the Developers High Court Judicial Review. In choosing not to contest that court case while employing a barrister to contest the Court of Appeal case, those making decisions on behalf of the council have  either wittingly or unwittingly  sided with the developers and Welsh Government.

Cllr Jones said, They were denied legal advice that had been obtained by senior officers and this left the leaders of three groups (which between them made up the majority of councillors) with no option but to seek independent legal advice.

That independent legal advice, now confirmed by the Court of Appeal, was that there was a case to be made on behalf of the council not to adopt the LDP under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. The failure to do so should be a consideration for the council in moving forward.

Cllr Jones said: Id like to thank everyone who supported us  whether with kind words or donations to the Crowdfunder that paid for the legal team. Id also like to thank that legal team who have worked for the past year in preparing this case. Our barrister Andrew Parkinson in particular did a great job in arguing the case against three experienced barristers.

All the councillors who made a stand during this process all deserve thanks too  this is a victory for local democracy because people had made it clear that huge new housing estates without new facilities were not acceptable. Thats especially true when we have 1600 empty properties and 3,000 homes already granted planning permission in the borough but not yet built.

Cllr Jones gave his ideas on what he hoped would now take place, What does this judgement mean in practice? It should mean that Welsh Government ministers recognise the legal process and respect the two votes not to adopt the plan in April and June 2023. They should also disregard the December 2023 vote because it was made under duress. They can do that and start talking to the council about how we make this plan work for Wrexham people  or theyll face a further legal challenge.

Thousands of people have supported the campaign against the two new super-estates being proposed on Cefn Rd and Ruthin Rd  the two new estates amount to 3,100 new houses on open countryside. This is a victory for them as much as anyone else but should also send a very clear message to Labour in Wales and London  siding with big housing corporations against local communities is not a good look.

More reaction will no doubt emerge soon
Welsh Ambulance Service urging public to have a safe Mad Friday

This article is old - Published: Friday, Dec 20th, 2024

The Welsh Ambulance Service is urging the public to drink responsibly during the Christmas party weekend.

For a lot of workers today  December 20  is the last day of work before the Christmas period.

Also known as Mad Friday, Frantic Friday or Black Eye Friday, it is one of the busiest nights of the year for emergency services, marked by increased alcohol consumption and a surge in incidents and accidents.

Last year, the service received 1,250 calls to 999 on the last Friday before Christmas and a further 1,932 calls to its 111 service.

This was an overall increase of more than 200 calls from just the previous Friday.

As the festive season kicks into high gear, the Trust is asking partygoers to stay safe.

Top tips for a safe night out:

Eat before you start your night  it can provide more energy, slow the absorption of alcohol and you will feel better the next day.

Try pacing and spacing  having a soft drink or water between alcohol drinks slows the rate of your drinking.

Plan your journey home  nominate a designated driver, check when the last train is or pre-book your taxi or Uber.

Look after each other  watch out for friends and colleagues to ensure everyone gets home safely.

Respect emergency workers  it is never OK to assault emergency workers, even in drink.

Use 999 appropriately  if it is not serious or life-threatening emergency, visit the NHS 111 Wales website, or call 111.

Jonathan Edwards, the Trusts Assistant Director of Operations (Resourcing and EMS Coordination), said: Parties and get-togethers are a big feature of this time of year, which in turn puts pressure on blue light services.

Its easy to forget how much alcohol youve consumed when youre enjoying yourself, but while were dealing with alcohol-related incidents, we could be delayed in treating someone whose situation really is life or death.

Were not killjoys but we are asking the public to drink responsibly and enjoy themselves safely.
Wrexham Council grants Honorary Freedom of the County Borough to HMS Dragon

This article is old - Published: Friday, Dec 20th, 2024

Wrexham Council has granted the Honorary Freedom of the County Borough to HMS Dragon, a Royal Navy destroyer.

At a meeting of the full council on Wednesday (18 December) councillors were told the award marks the first such affiliation between Wrexham and a Royal Navy warship since the Second World War.

The honour, conferred under the provisions of Section 249 of the Local Government Act 1972, represents the highest accolade that the council can bestow.

Councillor Beverly Parry-Jones, the Armed Forces Champion, said: Affiliations between warships and local communities are a time-honoured tradition, serving as a symbol of unity and mutual support.

This is the highest honour which the council can confer.

The commanding officer of HMS Dragon, Commander Ian Giffin attended the ceremony remotely.

Commander Giffin noted the warm reception his crew has received from Wrexham, saying: The welcome we have received has exceeded expectations. Im so grateful to all of you for welcoming us with such open arms.

We very much look forward to similar events next spring and early summer.

I just want to say a huge thank you again for this great honour, and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas from Dragon.

HMS Dragon is one of the Royal Navys Type 45 destroyers, renowned for their advanced capabilities in air defence and their striking red dragon emblem on the bow.

Commissioned in 2012, the ship plays a vital role in global maritime security operations and demonstrates British naval power around the world.

A Freedom of the City parade will be held in Wrexham in 2025, allowing residents to celebrate the ship and its crew. As part of this affiliation, the bond between HMS Dragon and the community of Wrexham will be formalised.

Councillor Parry-Jones highlighted the boroughs strong ties to the armed forces, adding: We are proud of our history, supporting and commemorating our armed forces, and have a special appreciation and remembrance of all men and women of Wrexham who serve or have served.
K tc x vung bin tai x Tam Quang, huyen Tuong Duong (Nghe An). Anh: TTXVN phat Chap cnh nhung uoc mo Tai Nghe An hien c 2 m hnh K tc x vng bin do cc on Bin phng trien khai, o au at tai x Tam Quang (Tuong Duong) v Truong Trung hoc co......[Nhieu Hon...]

2025-02-25
Aukera, one of Indias leading grown diamond jewellery brands known for its proposal and engagement rings, has launched Lock Your Love campaign to celebrate love and togetherness. Through this contest, the brand offers participants an opportunity to win a proposal ring worth 1 lakh. The contest is exclusively intended for in-store participation and symbolically captures the essence of sealing love forever. It is open to all couples.



Proposal rings, a specialty at Aukera, represent the intimate start of a couples journey. Unlike engagement rings, which often involve family opinions, proposal rings are a personal symbol of commitment, shared privately between partners, making the moment of saying yes even more special. This focus on proposal rings has made Aukera a favorite destination for couples, inspiring the launch of this unique contest.

Inspired by the iconic Ponte Milvio bridge in Italy, also known as the Bridge of Love, Aukera has set up a Wall of Love across all seven brand outlets. Couples visiting any store can collect a lock and key from the in-store team, symbolically seal their love on the wall, and celebrate their journey together. The campaign includes an exciting reward where couples stand a chance to win a stunning proposal ring worth 1 lakh, a meticulously crafted piece from Aukeras exquisite collection of rings and solitaires. Participants are encouraged to seal their love on the Wall of Love, capture the special moment, and share their pictures on social media while tagging the brands official social handles. At the end of the 2 week-long contest, lucky winner will receive a proposal ring through a lucky draw of the keys collected.

The emotional narrative of the campaign is brought to life through a 35-second digital film that highlights couples deeply in love, ready to take the next step in their journey. The film beautifully encapsulates the emotions of commitment, timelessness, and the joy of celebrating relationships with a perfect symbol of lovea grown diamond ring.

Speaking about the campaign, Lisa Mukhedkar, Co-founder and CEO of Aukera, said,  Bridal rings is a core strength for Aukera. New age couples choose Aukera for their designs and craftsmanship - across proposal, engagement and wedding rings. Lock you Love is a great way to engage our customers - an activity they find endearing, making them part of the practice globally - of locking love.

Lock Your Love is garnering immense love across Instagram, Twitter, and Radio. Participants are actively sharing heartwarming photos and videos of themselves sealing their love on the Wall of Love, tagging Aukeras handles, and celebrating the unique experience. The buzz is palpable, with couples expressing their excitement to win the grand prize of a stunning proposal ring worth 1 lakh. The overwhelming response showcases how the campaign has struck an emotional chord, turning moments of love into cherished memories.

With its focus on love and commitment, Aukera invites all couples to visit their nearest store, lock their love, and celebrate their journey with a chance to win a Proposal Ring.
Over the past week, Bandish Bandits Season two has been making waves across the film fraternity, earning accolades from some of the biggest names in the industry. From heartfelt appreciation by Kunal Kemmu, Aparshakti Khurana, Soha Ali Khan, Sunny Kaushal to Ananya Pandays love for the showeach has celebrated this extraordinary musical drama. And now, joining the chorus of praise is none other than the versatile filmmaker Karan Johar, who shared his admiration for the series in his quintessentially eloquent style.

With widely popular songs till date in his own films, Karan highlighted the shows unique take on the eternal clash between preserving Indias rich musical heritage and embracing contemporary influences like K-pop and hip-hop. Describing it as "a gharana of love, anguish, and tradition," he shared how the series struck a deep chord with him, making him ponder and admire in equal measure. He praised the narrative's exploration of unfulfilled love and the ideological tug-of-war between purity and modernity, calling the musical drama a "melange of mohabbat" that left his heart thumping with emotion.

Created by Amritpal Singh Bindra and Anand Tiwari, who has also directed the series, Bandish Bandits is a Leo Media Collective Private Limited production, written by Tiwari in collaboration with Atmika Didwania and Karan Singh Tyagi. The new season features a stellar ensemble cast, including Ritwik Bhowmik, Shreya Chaudhry, Sheeba Chaddha, Atul Kulkarni, Rajesh Tailang, and Kunaal Roy Kapur, alongside new additions such as Divya Dutta, Rohan Gurbaxani, Yashaswini Dayama, Aaliyah Qureshi, and Saurabh Nayyar in pivotal roles. Bandish Bandits Season two is now streaming exclusively on Prime Video in India and over 240 countries and territories worldwide.

Also Read: Prime Video announces a Line-up of Exceptional Indian Stories for the 55th IFFI
The year 2024 was critical for the news industry. Major elections across the globe, impacting over half the worlds population, underscored the need for reliable journalism to combat misinformation and enable informed decision-making. Simultaneously, conflicts and crises dominated headlines, highlighting the important role newsrooms play in providing accurate and timely information.

However, research has shown there is declining trust and engagement among users. In her blog, Durga Raghunath, Head of India News Partnerships at Google, wrote that working with news partners, the goal has always been to identify and address the fundamental challenges facing the news industry  sustainability and user growth, so that news media businesses can better achieve their business goals.

Raghunath highlights the significant impact of Googles scaled and in-depth work with Indian news publishers, spanning efforts to understand new user behaviours and revenue streams, programs that have driven modernization and substantial revenue increases, and collaborative initiatives like Shakti, which has established a robust framework for combating misinformation. The tech giant continues to partner with news organisations through the Google News Showcase.

She emphasised that Googles commitment to support, collaborate and deeply partner with the Indian news ecosystem remains strong as it looks to build on the existing work and create value for both news publishers and Google in 2025.

A look at some of Googles programs in 2024

Driving performance, growth and revenue:

Over the span of two years, the GNI Indian Languages Program has supported publishers in delivering news across Indias diverse linguistic landscape. Googles research on Indian Languages  Understanding Indias Digital News Consumer revealed a large, underserved audience seeking news in their native languages. This led the company to launch the Indian Languages Program to empower local publishers with the tools and training they need to build robust digital infrastructure, modernize their online presence, and enhance user experience and engagement across platforms.

Since its launch, the program has supported 500+ publishers from 28 states in nine languages. Participating publishers have seen a 15% increase in active users and a 32% increase in page views, along with wider reach; a 39% increase in digital ad revenue; and deeper audience insights with GA4 and NCI. They have also adopted new content formats and reduced story production time using AI tools like Pinpoint.

Building on the focus on revenue sustainability, Google conducted a study titled, The Indian News Consumer: Willingness to Pay and Key Drivers, to help publishers build sustainable revenue streams. The study revealed that quality, flexibility, and convenience are key to winning Indian news subscribers. Specifically, 67% of current subscribers cited reliable content as their primary motivation to subscribe, while barriers include confusing pricing plans, limited budgets, and a lack of flexible payment options. These insights are being used to equip publishers with the knowledge they need to navigate the digital landscape, capitalize on the opportunities, and support sustainable growth, keeping the news consumer at the heart of their strategies.

Further supporting emerging news organisations, the GNI Startups Lab India program  a 16-week initiative crafted to cater to the unique needs of news startups  empowered the 10 participating publishers with the tools, resources, and mentorship necessary to drive sustainable business growth. Through workshops, sustainability diagnosis (assessing performance across product, audience, monetization, and financial resilience), and one-on-one mentoring, startups received actionable insights to plan for future growth and explore new monetization and engagement strategies. By the end of the program, participants experienced a total digital ad revenue increase of over 150% month-over-month, 36% increase in monthly page views and 43% increase in user engagement.

In addition to Googles scaled programs, it also partnered with publishers like ABP Network, Amar Ujala, Eenadu, Indian Express, India Today, Malayala Manorama, HT Media, NDTV and The Times of India on tailored digital transformation initiatives that support experiments to better understand users, aid modernization and innovation and improve revenue.

Combating misinformation:

In addition to driving performance, a critical focus has been combating misinformation, especially during key events like Indias general elections. And so, this year, Google supported Shakti, a consortium of news publishers and fact checkers in India, launched to combat misinformation. This initiative brought together over 50 news publishers and 300 journalists to debunk misinformation and deepfakes in 10 local languages, reaching a vast audience. In just three months, over 6,600 fact-checks were amplified, leading to a 180% surge in regional language fact-checks and a 92% increase in election-related fact-checks. By providing a collaborative platform for sharing fact-checks, research resources, and alerts, Shakti enabled newsrooms to publish fact-checks 78% faster and facilitated the creation of over 67 new fact-checking desks.

With over 1,700 journalists receiving specialized training, the Shakti program has now expanded to include 100 publishers across languages, formats and new topics and is covering state elections in Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and Delhi. Complementing this effort, Googles support to award-winning news and information literacy programs  Sach Ke Saathi Seniors, FactShala, and more  provided capacity building and mentoring in over 100 cities this year, empowering diverse groups, including youth and senior citizens, to develop critical thinking skills, identify misinformation, and locate trustworthy sources.

Advancing newsrooms with AI:

Recognizing the transformative potential of AI in journalism (with transcription, research, translation or data analysis), Google introduced new training programs to empower news organizations to integrate these technologies responsibly. The tech major partnered with FT Strategies earlier this month to host an AI Design Sprint for 14 news publishers. This workshop focused on practical AI use case implementation, providing hands-on experience in solution design, action planning, and risk management, enabling participants to holistically consider the implications of AI adoption and adopt a practical, agile approach.

Expanding Google News Showcase:

In May 2021, Google announced a package of investments to support Indias news ecosystem, including launching Google News Showcase  a product experience for readers and licensing program for news publishers. Since its launch, Showcase deals have been signed with 90+ partners representing 175+ publications in India, with many of these renewed this year. Showcase now covers 8 languages, including Kannada, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Bengali, English, and Hindi.

Raghunath concluded by stating that Google is dedicated to supporting news organizations with the tools, resources, and expertise they need to thrive in the digital age. Over the course of 2025, it will partner with more news organizations to help them meet their business goals.

Also Read: Vinay Singh on how Fireside Ventures is empowering Indias new-age consumer brands
Filamchi Bhojpuri, a leading channel dedicated to Bhojpuri cinema, is taking a significant leap by entering the realm of film production. The channel is now set to create original films, embarking on a new chapter to offer captivating content that speaks directly to the heart of Bhojpuri-speaking audiences.

The channels debut production, Saas Kamaal Bahu Dhamaal, features Bhojpuri cinema icon Amrapali Dubey in the lead role. The film will premiere on December 21, 2024, at 5 PM, exclusively on Filamchi Bhojpuri. The movie boasts an impressive ensemble cast, including Vidya Singh, Manoj Bhattacharya, Lado Madhesia, Jay Yadav, and Jyoti Mishra, each delivering remarkable performances.

Speaking about the project, Amrapali Dubey said, Saas Kamaal Bahu Dhamaal is an engaging narrative that delves into the intricacies of familial relationships while blending humour and drama. Its a story that entertains and educates, offering viewers an emotional and thought provoking experience.

Aditya Pittie, Managing Director of IN10 Media Network, while conveying his thoughts, states, Filamchi has always been dedicated to celebrating Bhojpuri cinema and its cultural vibrancy. With this step into original film production, we aim to deepen our connection with our audience in Bihar, Jharkhand, and beyond. Our first production, Saas Kamaal Bahu Dhamaal, underscores our commitment to delivering high-quality, relatable, and impactful storytelling. This is just the beginning, as we plan to bring many more such stories to life that resonate with our viewers.

The film stands out for its engaging screenplay, great performances and memorable music, making it a perfect choice for family viewing.

Saas Kamaal Bahu Dhamaal is set to redefine the Bhojpuri cinema, offering a fresh take on family dynamics with a mix of comedy, drama and heartfelt moments. Dont miss the premiere on December 21, 2024, at 5 PM on Filamchi Bhojpuri.

Also Read: Filamchi Bhojpuri Channel revamps its branding with new avatar
As we conclude another year, it is essential to reflect on the key developments, challenges, and achievements that have shaped different sectors throughout the past 12 months. The year 2024 has been marked by dynamic shifts, rapid innovation, and the continued adaptation to both external factors and emerging trends.

Adgullys annual feature  REWIND  revisits different sectors and identifies the key developments as well gauges the long-term impacts of those developments. We speak to a cross-section of industry leaders to bring a 360-degree view of the industry landscape, the growth trends, financial performance, disruptions, innovations, challenges and more.

In this REWIND 2024 article, Ramesh Kalyanaraman, Executive Director, Kalyan Jewellers, shares his insights into the years defining trends and developments that shaped the jewellery industry and the Indian economy at large. Highlighting Kalyan Jewellers performance during the year, Ramesh Kalyanaraman also sheds light on the key achievements and milestones that marked the companys journey in 2024.

Over of the Indian economy in 2024

The Indian economy witnessed a significant shift towards digital consumption post pandemic, with increased screen time on digital, social media, and OTT platforms. This shift compelled brands across sectors, including us, to adapt similar marketing strategies. The result was a growing focus on digital advertising, targeted content, and consumer engagement through new-age platforms, ensuring businesses remained competitive and relevant in a rapidly evolving environment.

Overview of the Jewellery sector in 2024

Kalyan Jewellers operates in the highly competitive jewellery sector. This sector thrives on cultural and traditional demand, with strong consumption linked to weddings, festivals, and auspicious occasions. Companies are prioritising customer experience and omni-channel retail strategies to gain an edge.

In this context, the Indian jewellery market achieved substantial growth in 2024, driven by the rapid formalization of the sector. The markets value reached Rs 6.4 lakh crore, supported by an average annual revenue growth of 8% from fiscal 2019 to fiscal 2024. The organised markets share grew significantly, accounting for approx 40% of the total jewellery sector by fiscal 2024, up from 35% in fiscal 2019. This shift was driven by rising consumer preferences for premium products, better shopping experiences, and a wider variety of offerings. Additionally, the emergence of the franchise model has enabled Kalyan Jewellers to expand into new markets through an asset-light approach, promoting quicker market penetration and store expansion.

Key trends and developments

Kalyan Jewellers, as well as the jewellery sector at large, experienced a wave of transformation and innovation in 2024, marked by several notable trends and developments. The rise in digital marketing and omnichannel sales channels allowed Kalyan Jewellers to cater to tech-savvy younger consumers. Hyperlocal marketing strategies gained traction, as companies tailored campaigns to regional tastes and preferences.

Consumer demand for unique, personalised, and multi-purpose jewellery options continued to grow. The sector also witnessed an increased emphasis on sustainable sourcing and ethical practices, with a shift from unorganised to organised channels driven by consumer preference for higher-quality products and better shopping experiences. Celebrity and influencer-driven marketing campaigns played a significant role in brand visibility, while the franchise model emerged as a crucial strategy for store expansion and market penetration.

The 2024 Union Budget brought a significant boost to the industry with a reduction in customs duties on gold, silver, and platinum, a move that is expected to drive up demand and support growth in the organised jewellery sector even next year. This combination of evolving consumer preferences, technological adoption, regulatory changes, and innovative marketing campaigns underpinned the sector's strong performance in 2024.

Performance of Kalyan Jewellers during 2024

Kalyan Jewellers achieved notable success in 2024, reflecting its ability to adapt to emerging industry trends. The company prioritized a digital-first approach, allocating a significant level of its media budget to digital marketing, with a strong emphasis on vernacular content. This strategy facilitated deeper market penetration and enhanced customer engagement with next-gen consumers. Its hyperlocal strategy played a significant role in its growth, enabling the brand to cater to local tastes and preferences across different regions. This approach contributed to Kalyans continued success across India.

The brands marketing efforts were marked by high-impact campaigns that drove visibility and consumer engagement. Notable initiatives included the Womens Day #SimplyMe campaign, the Gudi Padwa campaign with Pooja Sawant, and product-specific promotions for Nimah and Antara jewellery lines. Celebrity collaborations with prominent figures like Rashmika Mandanna, Kalyani Priyadarshan, Jahnvi Kapoor, and Kriti Sanon further amplified brand visibility, with many campaigns achieving viral status on social media. Kalyan maintains consistent ad spends at approximately 2% of its revenue, ensuring sustained brand presence and top-of-mind recall among consumers.

Kalyan Jewellers also delivered a strong financial and operational performance in 2024. It recorded consolidated revenue growth of 37 per cent in the September quarter from the year-ago period. The company recorded a 39% revenue growth in its India operations, driven by robust same-store sales growth of 23%. The reduction in customs duty on gold imports announced in the Budget led to a surge in footfalls from July to August, helping offset the usual slowdown during the Shradh period. The brand launched 26 showrooms across its Kalyan and Candere formats, increasing its total showroom count to 303 as of September 2024.

Kalyans Middle East operations also performed well, achieving 21% revenue growth compared to the previous year and contributing 14% to consolidated revenue in H1 this year. The companys digital-first jewellery platform, Candere, recorded 22% revenue growth in H1 2024-25, and has close to 50 showrooms, highlighting its focus on omnichannel expansion and operational efficiency.

Also Read: How startup jewellery brand Palmonas is taking the storytelling route to success
Lloyds Banking Group faced backlash as the UKs Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) banned one of its sustainability ads, citing misleading environmental claims. A LinkedIn post promoting the bank's reduced reliance on fossil fuels and renewable energy investments was flagged for omitting significant information about its ongoing financing of high-emission industries.

The ASA stated the ad gave the impression that renewable energy formed a significant proportion of Lloyds' financing, contradicting its 2023 sustainability report, which disclosed emissions equivalent to 32.8 million tonnes of CO2.

The watchdog criticized Lloyds for failing to contextualize its environmental claims, asserting this omission likely misled consumers. Lloyds responded, maintaining its commitment to net-zero goals by 2050, stating, The ASA council outcome relates to a single LinkedIn post for a sustainability awareness day, which will not be repeated.

This marks the second instance of greenwashing violations in the banking sector, following a similar ruling against HSBC in 2022. Campaigners like Adfree Cities are pushing for stricter laws to curb ads from major polluters.

Also Read: Lloyds Metals & Energy ropes in ABND for their Branding mandate
The Dutch Data Protection Authority (DPA) has fined Netflix 4.75 million for insufficiently informing customers about the use of their personal data between 2018 and 2020. An investigation launched in 2019 revealed that Netflix's privacy statements lacked clarity regarding the purpose, legal basis, data-sharing practices, retention policies, and data security during international transfers.

Dutch DPA chairman Aleid Wolfsen criticized Netflix, stating, "That must be crystal clear," especially when customers seek clarification. The case stemmed from complaints by Austrian NGO None of Your Business, highlighting cross-border GDPR violations. Netflix, which has since updated its privacy practices, is contesting the fine.

Also Read: Netflix India in 2024: A Landmark Year for Storytelling and Entertainment
As we conclude another year, it is essential to reflect on the key developments, challenges, and achievements that have shaped different sectors throughout the past 12 months. 2024 has been marked by dynamic shifts, rapid innovation, and the continued adaptation to external factors and emerging trends.

Adgullys annual feature, REWIND, revisits different sectors, identifies key developments, and gauges their long-term impacts. We speak to a cross-section of industry leaders to provide a 360-degree view of the industry landscape, growth trends, financial performance, disruptions, innovations, challenges, and more.

In this Rewind 2024 article, Prasun Kumar, Chief Marketing Officer, Magicbricks, does a recap of the trends and developments dominating the residential real estate sector in 2024, how Magicbricks performed during 2024, and the major developments and achievements during the year.

Overview of residential real estate in 2024

Homeownership sentiment is at its strongest, reflecting across key metrics. Residential demand continues to rise, with developers responding through expedited construction  evident from a 15% QoQ increase in under-construction supply between July and September. This year presents an excellent opportunity for homebuyers and investors alike, not only due to rising demand, but also increased rental yields, now at 3.62%. The market dynamics showcase a robust investment climate, combining growing demand with favourable returns on real estate investments.

Key trends and developments

Premium homes are becoming a significant focus for homebuyers, with 25.5% of respondents from our Housing Sentiment Index survey eyeing properties above Rs 1 crore, especially in the Rs 3.5-5 crore range. Post-COVID, theres also a strong preference for bigger homes  45% want properties over 2,000 sq. ft., and 56% favour 3BHKs or larger, reflecting the shift towards space and functionality.

Residential supply is also skewing towards premium homes with 52% of supply being priced above Rs 10,000 per sq. ft., across prime markets.

Another trend observed is that Tier 2 cities like Lucknow, Jaipur, and Kanpur are standing out with higher appreciation rates than metros like Delhi. Religious hubs and hill stations like Shirdi, Nainital, and Dehradun are also witnessing growing demand, driven by interest in holiday homes and lifestyle investments.

Emerging Tier 2 Stars: Lucknow (23.52%), Jaipur (18.46%), and Kanpur (15.62%) are outperforming Delhi (15.1%) in capital appreciation, highlighting their appeal for long-term investment.

Religious Hubs Gaining Momentum: Cities like Prayagraj (28% YoY), Varanasi (18%), Puri (52%), and Shirdi (67%) are experiencing a surge in residential demand, driven by thriving religious tourism.

Hill Station Boom: Demand is soaring in scenic spots like Nainital (60.89%), Dehradun (43%), Shimla (34%), Karnal (28%), and Rishikesh (26%), reflecting a strong trend towards holiday homes and lifestyle investments.

Magicbricks performance in 2024

2024 has been a landmark year for us, marked by initiatives that deliver maximum value to developers. We scaled up our Site Visit Product in Bengaluru and Hyderabad, collaborating with over 100 developers in each city and facilitating 1,000+ home bookings within six months.

Additionally, we have launched Indias first Property Visit Festival, running from December 15 to January 31, a unique effort to sustain robust residential demand. Traditionally, demand slows post-festive season, but this initiative connects developers with intent-driven buyers while simplifying homebuying journeys.

Our recent acquisition of PropViz enables us to offer cutting-edge 3D visualization tools like virtual walkthroughs and real-time inventory systems, further enhancing developer solutions. Together with verified leads and site visits, Magicbricks now provides a comprehensive suite tailored to developers' needs.

Also Read: Why Social Proof is Key for Real Estate Brands
Rediffusion has unveiled a groundbreaking AI-generated video for Tata Power, developed entirely by its Rediffusion AI Design (RAID) Studio. This innovative project highlights the agencys commitment to combining creativity with advanced technology, setting a new benchmark in AI-powered visual storytelling.

The one-minute long commercial builds on the very successful Duniya Apne Hawale corporate campaign of Tata Power where the globe - Mother Earth - is subjected to a lot of abuse till it is rescued by young children. The current Christmas film is an extension of the same thought - the younger generation protecting the planet in partnership with Santa Claus.

The creation process of the commercial involved meticulous attention to detail, with precise AI prompts crafted to achieve the desired expressions, lighting, and visual aesthetics. The music too is AI generated. The result is a visually stunning and impactful video that demonstrates the potential of artificial intelligence in redefining the creative process.

As a leader in sustainable energy solutions, Tata Power continues to embrace innovation in its approach to stakeholder engagement. This collaboration with Rediffusions RAID Studio exemplifies the synergy between advanced technology and meaningful communication, reinforcing Tata Powers commitment to delivering impactful and dynamic messages.

The RAID Studio team is leading the charge in integrating AI into creative workflows, enabling faster, more agile solutions while maintaining high-quality standards. This project underscores the transformative power of AI in elevating creativity and delivering compelling narratives, says Pramod Sharma, National Creative Director of Rediffusion.

Adding to that Neilloy Chakravarty, Head of RAID Studio says, The Tata Power Christmas commercial took us a lot of effort and learning. Getting Indian skin tones right is actually tougher than it seems. AI is still WIP but despite the challenges and imperfections, we today have technology that is magical.

This AI project at RAID Studio was led by Yogesh Sadekar.

We have atleast three more client commercials in AI that we will release before the New Year, says Carol Goyal, Executive Director of Rediffusion.

Also Read: Parle & Rediffusion unveil a heartwarming new film for Londonderry
5 Dead, 37 Injured in Fire After LPG Tanker Collides With Other Vehicles on Jaipur Highway 2

A deadly collision involving an LPG tanker and multiple vehicles turned a stretch of the Jaipur-Ajmer highway here into an inferno on Friday morning, killing five people, injuring 37, and engulfing over 30 vehicles in flames as thick black smoke filled the sky.

Eyewitnesses reported spotting the flames from over a kilometre away and ambulances and fire brigade teams rushed towards the crash zone as panic and chaos set in. A school van driver on his way to pick up students recounted with horror the sight of a man engulfed in flames.

Jaipur Police Commissioner Biju George Joseph told PTI that five people lost their lives and 37 suffered injuries in the accident.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma rushed to the SMS Hospital, where the injured were admitted, spoke to administration officials and doctors and issued directions to ensure proper treatment was facilitated. He also visited the accident site and spoke to police officials.

In a post in Hindi on X, the chief minister said, Deeply saddened to hear the news of casualties in the gas tanker fire incident on the Jaipur-Ajmer National Highway. As soon as the information about the incident was received, I went to the SMS Hospital and directed the doctors there to provide immediate, necessary medical facilities and take proper care of the injured.

Sharma, Governor Haribhau Bagade, and former chief minister Ashok Gehlot expressed their condolences for the loss of lives in the crash.

The station house officer of Bhankrota, Manish Gupta, said it was difficult to bring the fire under control initially.

Fire brigade teams initially were unable to reach the vehicles that were burning. There are three petrol pumps in the area but fortunately, they are safe, he added.

More than 25 ambulances shifted the victims to the hospital.

A nearly 300-metre busy stretch of the highway was affected by the accident, leading to a long queue of vehicles.

Police officials said the fire engulfed some establishments along the highway as well and details of the actual losses were not yet clear.

The school van driver told PTI that the flames were visible from a kilometre away and there was panic and chaos on the highway.

As I got closer to the spot, I saw people running in haste and shouting for help. I saw a man engulfed in flames. It was a frightening scene. Fire brigades and ambulances were there but it was difficult for them to reach the spot initially, he said.
Kevin Lamar Harris launched the HBCU Cybersecurity Clinic at Stillman in 2022 and played a pivotal role in securing a $500,000 donation from Googles Cybersecurity Clinics Fund last year, according to Maab Ibrahim, Google.orgs cybersecurity lead, in a news release.

Google has donated $1 million to the program in Harris' honor, according to a December announcement.

Harris died Oct. 5 at age 50.

Stillmans cybersecurity model is the first of its kind among historically Black colleges and universities, according to the release.

Harris' work led to the Consortium of Cybersecurity Clinics, a national organization modeled after medical and legal clinics that works to give cybersecurity students real-world experience in local communities. Stillman was the first HBCU in the consortium, according to the college.

His leadership inspired and facilitated our funding for additional clinics at minority-serving institutions, which now includes four other HBCUs, as well as tribal and women-serving colleges  a legacy that will forever honor his memory," Ibrahim said.

Stillman is deeply grateful for Googles support, according to Kimberly Woodard, Stillmans vice president for institutional advancement.

This gift is a meaningful tribute to his contributions and will ensure his impact continues to inspire future generations of Stillman students, Woodard said.

Stillman is located in Tuscaloosa and was founded in 1875 by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church.
Authorities have released the name of a man killed in a Leeds shooting earlier this week.

The Jefferson County Coroners Office identified the victim as Luis Enrique Herrera-Valenciana. He was 25 and lived in Leeds.

Police responded just before 1 p.m. Wednesday to a mobile home in the 700 block of Morgan Street.

Herrera-Valenciana was pronounced dead on the scene at 1:28 p.m.

Chief Paul Irwin said a female victim was taken to UAB Hospital with life-threatening injuries.

A male suspect was taken into custody at the scene. No formal charges have yet been announced.

Irwin said the deadly shooting appeared to be domestic-related.

Herrera-Valenciana is the citys second homicide this year and his death happened just over one week after the citys first homicide of 2024.
A Dothan attorney is demanding the police department release bodycam footage of arrests after four of his clients were allegedly tased or beaten as they left an event at the local Elks Lodge on Sunday.

We have multiple clients who were arrested, who were beat upon, and who were tased, and we want answers, said attorney Dustin Fowler on Thursday.

Press conference involving police brutality in Dothan, Alabama. Posted by Buntin, Etheredge & Fowler, LLC on Thursday, December 19, 2024

Fowler said his clients were charged with resisting arrest and assault after they were stopped for no apparent reason. He told AL.com on Thursday the charges were frivolous.

There was a call out to the venue where they were at, and our clients were leaving, he said. Theyre working, good people.

Fowler said several of his clients, Stephanie Franklin, Zaire Downey, Candice Downey and Shan Walker, were tased and one woman was beaten on the ground by officers on December 15. He said he did not know how his clients got into an interaction with the officers.

Fowler said his clients had nothing to do with the officers being called out to the venue. Cell phone footage, captured by someone nearby, shows an officer striking a woman who is on the ground.

Chief of Police William E. Benny released a statement Thursday saying a standard use of force review was underway within the department following the arrests.

We take all such incidents seriously and are committed to ensuring transparency and accountability in our operations, he said.

Benny said the department would update the public and asked for citizens to let the investigation process take its course in the meantime.

At a press release Thursday, Fowler said he sent a letter to the city attorney requesting the footage be preserved and had not heard a response. He said he had not gotten a response from any public officials about the arrests.

We just want transparency and accountability, he said. He is asking the city that all body and dashboard camera footage, along with any statements, be preserved and released.

Fowler said is he is making a public demand for the records, and the next step will be litigation.

At this point in time theyre doing nothing but sitting on their hands, he said at the press conference Thursday.
Have a great weekend -- and be careful in all that shopping traffic.

Todays report follows in podcast and text form. Thanks for reading (or listening),

Ike

No. 1 in executions

Alabama led the nation in executions this year, topping Texas by one, reports AL.coms Ivana Hrynkiw.

The non-profit Death Penalty Information Center confirmed the stats in its annual year-end report. Nine states executed 25 inmates in 2024. Alabama, using the new nitrogen hypoxia execution method, put six people to death. Texas followed with five. Missouri and Oklahoma executed four each while South Carolina executed two and Georgia, Utah, Florida and Indiana each executed one.

On the front end of the Death Row pipeline, Alabama sentenced four people to death this year. Nationally, 26 people were placed on Death Row.

Using nitrogen gas did create some controversy, particularly after the first use ever of the method against convicted killer Kenneth Smith. Smith, who chose nitrogen over lethal injection, thrashed on the gurney for several minutes before dying. Alabama officials have defending the method, arguing that Smiths actions were due to his holding his breath while the gas was being applied.

Carload of guns

Heres our periodic reminder to lock up your guns and keep them inaccessible to folks who are up to no good.

Obviously, accidental shootings are the worst consequence of not putting away firearms. But you dont want to lose a gun, either. And there are bad guys who make part of their living stealing guns out of trucks.

Heres an alleged example:

Homewood Police chased and arrested two men who are suspected of 18 vehicle burglaries overnight in Moody, reports AL.coms Carol Robinson.

Officers say their vehicle contained 10 guns, three that already been confirmed as stolen, as well as drugs.

Both the men already had outstanding warrants from the U.S. Marshals and Mississippi law-enforcement agencies.

Hogtied in Morgan County

Theres a stereotype about tough rural Southern law enforcement. In Laceys Spring on Thursday night, civilians apparently showed they were no shrinking violets.

AL.coms Howard Koplowitz reports that, according to the Morgan County Sheriffs Office, civilians stopped a vehicle leaving the scene of several traffic wrecks, then, when one of the vehicles occupants tried to fight, hogtied him and held him at gunpoint until deputies arrived.

The other occupant of the vehicle escaped on foot. Authorities were searching for him.

Reactor plant slowdown

A nuclear-reactor project has been paused, and the City of Gadsden is assuring its citizens that the $232 million project and associated jobs are still coming, reports AL.coms William Thornton.

City officials and Ultra Safe Nuclear Corp. have said the plants operations wouldnt involve radioactive material. The plan is for Ultra Safe to produce non-radiological modules that will be taken to construction sites before radioactive material is added to the reactors.

The plant was announced in June 2023. Ultra Safe filed Chapter 11 this October. The project is on hold while the company is in court.

Plans have been to have the facility running by 2027.

More Alabama News

Born on This Date

In 1899, U.S. Sen. and Congressman John Sparkman of Hartselle. He was Adlai Stevensons running mate in his 1952 presidential loss to Dwight Eisenhower.

In 1901, engineer and physicist Robert J. Van de Graaff of Tuscaloosa. He was the man behind Van de Graaff generators.

The podcast
A driver who makes nationwide deliveries and was reported missing last month to Decatur police was found dead inside her vehicle Thursday in Indiana, authorities said.

Foul play is not suspected in the death of Ann Theresa Kipp, a 62-year-old subcontracted driver for RXO who had a Decatur mailing address but did not live in the north Alabama city, Decatur police said Thursday.

Kipp was reported missing to Decatur police on Nov. 3.

She made a delivery in Corinth, Mississippi on Oct. 10 before calling her employer Oct. 16 to request time off because she was not feeling well.

Kipp was in Louisville, Kentucky when she made that call.

On Oct. 20, her employer tried contacting her but the effort was unsuccessful. Her employer told authorities Kipp was in Scottsburg, Indiana at the time.

On Thursday, police officers with the Indianapolis Police Department found Kipp dead inside her vehicle.

Indianapolis police are taking over the investigation into Kipps death.
A Georgia man charged in four slayings during a 2020 crime spree across Alabama has been convicted in the killings of a Tallapoosa County couple.

After 2 1/2 weeks of trial, the jury on Wednesday found 37-year-old Derrick Lee Hightower guilty of four counts of capital murder  capital murder during a robbery, capital murder during a burglary and capital murder for the killings of two or more people in one scheme.

Willie Tidwell, 61, and his wife Barbara, 65, were killed during a break-in at their Dadeville home.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. The sentencing phase of the trial will begin Jan. 2.

Hightower last year pleaded guilty in the shooting death of 36-year-old Antione Harris inside a Birmingham home and to attempted assault for shooting at Birmingham police Sgt. Demarcus Brown during an arrest attempt. He also apologized to the victims family.

He avoided the potential death sentence by pleading in Jefferson County. It is not clear why he took the case to trial in Tallapoosa County.

The Columbus man is also charged with capital murder in Lee County for the slaying of 54-year-old Nancy Nash, who police believe was killed when she interrupted a burglary.

A trial date has not yet been set in that case.

All four of the victims were killed between Friday, April 17, 2020, and Saturday, April 18, 2020.

Nancy Nash

The first known victim in Hightowers alleged spree was Nash, a grandmother from Smiths Station.

Auburn police responded to the Farmville Volunteer Fire Departments call for assistance on a vehicle fire in the 9500 block of U.S. Highway 280 West around 6 a.m. that Friday.

When officers arrived, they found a white 2005 Chevrolet Silverado truck on fire and Nash dead nearby at Creative Habitats Landscaping. Nash had been shot several times.

Three shell casings were found inside the business, as well as one projectile that was lodge in an interior wall.

Investigators also discovered Nashs 2019 black Nissan Frontier missing. Evidence suggested that the suspect or suspects entered the building while Nash was alone inside and robbed her of her vehicle.

Next, Hightower carried out the double murder of the Tidwells. They were found that Friday night by a concerned family member.

Willie and Barbara Tidwell were shot to death in their Dadeville home Friday, April 17, 2020. (Contributed)

Hightower stole two guns from the couples home and was also convicted of theft of property.

Willie was a hard working man, with a heart of gold that could fix anything. He was an avid Alabama fan and he loved fishing, camping and anything Elvis, according to his obituary. Willies family was his world and he loved his grandchildren immensely.

Barbara loved her family very much, especially her grandchildren and was happiest when they were all together. She enjoyed sewing and doing crafts, her obituary read. Barbara enjoyed the simple things in life. She loved sitting on her back porch, reading and planting flowers.

The couple had been married for 20 years.

Kentrice Hill, 24, of Birmingham, is also charged with capital murder in the Auburn and Dadeville slayings. She remains held without bond in the Lee County Jail.

Hightower was taken into custody April 18, 2020, in Birmingham.

Birmingham police were notified about 11 p.m. Friday, April 17, that a vehicle being sought out of Auburn was spotted at the USA Economy Lodge on Crestwood Boulevard. That vehicle was taken during Nashs homicide.

Police also received reports that the suspect was seen in the area of the motel.

A silver sedan was seen leaving the area and Birmingham police tried to stop the vehicle. At that point, Hightower got out of the sedan and exchanged gunfire with Birmingham police. Officers lost sight of the suspect after the shooting.

Early that Saturday morning, as police continued their search, evidence led them to a home in the 100 block of Briar Grove Drive.

A resident in the area was letting his dogs out in the backyard to use the restroom when a Black male wearing all black  later identified as Hightower - appeared seemingly out of nowhere and said, Hey, you got a phone? the resident told AL.com. The resident asked that his name not be used for fear of retribution.

The resident said, no, and Hightower fled on foot toward the area of Briar Grove Road.

Police on Saturday, April 18, 2020, were searching for a suspect who is believed to have been wounded by police gunfire in east Birmingham.

It was then, investigators believe, that the suspect broke into the home where Harris was fatally shot. A nurse and her three children lived at the home but were not there when the home invasion and subsequent shooting took place.

A short time later, the resident who encountered the suspect said, he heard a barrage of gunfire. The next thing he knew, his neighborhood was flooded by SWAT.

Hightower had taken a vehicle from the house on Briar Grove and was in that vehicle when Birmingham police tried to stop him.

He got out of the vehicle and exchanged gunfire with officers before fleeing the scene.

Hightower fled on foot after crashing the stolen car. Police used the tag information on that vehicle to go to the home on Briar Grove Road where they found Harris dead.

A large perimeter was set up in the Crestwood Boulevard and Montevallo Road areas.

Police on Saturday, April 18, 2020, were searching for a suspect who was believed to have been wounded by police gunfire in east Birmingham.

About 4 p.m. that Saturday, Hightower walked out of the neighborhood that backed up to where police had set up their command post.

Authorities said all of the Alabama victims appeared to be random targets, crimes of opportunity. Many of their stolen belongings were found in Hightowers possession.

Hightower went to prison in Georgia in 2006 on cocaine charges and again in 2014 on an aggravated assault conviction. He was sentenced to 10 years in the assault case, but it wasnt clear how long he actually served.
The search continues for an Alabama toddler discovered missing after a crash that killed his father and sister, and critically injured his mother.

Law enforcement officers searched the property at familys Winfield home Wednesday night and returned Thursday with police dogs. The house is surrounded by yellow police tape.

Andy Hamlin, district attorney for the states 24th Judicial Circuit which includes Fayette County, said Thursday his office is assisting in the investigation.

This case has been the top priority of all agencies involved since a vehicle crash brought his disappearance to our attention 11 days ago, Hamlin said.

The prosecutor said authorities have made a great deal of progress and expect to release more information in the coming days.

Kahleb Collins has not yet been found.

We are aware of the high public interest in this case and appreciate the communitys concern, Hamlin said.

In cases like this, we must carefully balance transparency with the need to protect the integrity of a very active and complex investigation.

We ask the public to be cautious about unverified information circulating on social media, Hamlin said.

The investigation began Dec. 8 when Kahlebs father, 40-year-old Steven Bradley Brad Collins, his sister, 2-year-old Ryleigh Collins, and mother, 22-year-old Wendy Pam Bailey were in a horrific crash on Fayette County 73 near Morris Cemetery Road, about two miles south of Glen Allen.

Steven Bradly Collins, left, and Ryleight Collins, right were killed in a Dec. 8, 2024, traffic crash in Fayette County. Wendy Pam Bailey, center, is in critical condition.(Facebook)

A crash report said Collins was driving 92 mph hour on the road that had a 45-mph speed limit.

The driver was driving aggressively at an extreme rate of speed, the ALEA trooper wrote. Due to his actions, the driver was unable to operate his vehicle safely on the wet roadway.

The wreck happened when Collins was trying to negotiate a curve to the right, according to the report.

The force of the impact caused Collins and his wife to be ejected from the truck. They were not wearing seat belts.

Ryleigh Collins, who was unrestrained in the back seat, was pronounced dead on the scene at 11 a.m.

Collins, who worked for a roofing company, was taken by ambulance to UAB Hospital where he died the following day at 1:06 p.m.

Bailey was airlifted to UAB where she remains in critical condition. Authorities said she regained consciousness earlier this week.

Following the deadly crash, investigators learned that the familys 1-year-old son was missing.

Kahleb Rowan Collins, 1, and sister, 2-year-old Ryleigh Collins.Facebook

The Fayette County Sheriffs Office on Monday issued a press release saying Kahleb had been missing since the Dec. 8 single-vehicle crash.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency on Tuesday issued a missing alert for Kahleb.

The boys grandfather, 55-year-old John Elton Bailey, is charged with failure to report a missing child and allege that Kahleb was last seen Sept. 4.

The criminal complaint states Bailey failed to report a missing child by delaying to make or failing to cause to be made the report with willful and reckless disregard for the safety of the child and the child suffered serious bodily harm or death, to wit: physical injuries to the child and the child was removed from the home and taken to an unknown location and no report was made by any resident of the home.

Bailey was arrested Dec. 11 and remains held in the Fayette County Jail on $100,000 bond.

One of Baileys appointed attorneys, James Standridge, said the public defenders office is now working to learn the facts of the case prior to the preliminary hearing which is set for Jan. 15.

From now until then, Standridge said, we will be gathering facts and conducting an investigation and see if we can find out what the true facts are.

John Bailey is Wendy Baileys father and lived with the family in Winfield.

Brad Collins on Nov. 6 posted this on Facebook: Our son is not doing well. He is not growing has major back issues. His organs are growing but not his body. He has to have surgery at some point. Keep him in your prayers. Been rough and just seems going to be a long rough road ahead of us.

Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriffs office at 205-932-3205, the State Bureau of Investigation at 334-676-7894 or Hamlins office at 205-367-9915.
Royal sources confirmed to BBC that Prince Andrew will not be joining the Royal Family for their traditional Christmas gathering at Sandringham.

According to BBC, it is believed that Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, will be making an "honourable withdrawal" from the holiday events to avoid becoming a distraction and opting to stay home at Windsor on Christmas Day.

It follows a recent High Court ruling and the naming of an alleged Chinese spy that is associated with Andrew.

Chris Yang, whose real name is Yang Tengbo, had previously been barred from the UK. Yang, in a statement Monday, denied doing anything wrong or illegal.

While Andrew is no longer a working royal, he usually would have attended one of the family gatherings.

However, as BBC noted, aides to the royals are worried that Andrew will overshadow the public celebrations due to the ongoing furor over his links to Yang.

The Christmas morning church service at Sandringham normally draws big crowds and press coverage.

However, it was reported that Andrew was told in private to keep a low profile this year, which was intended to ensure he would not steal the show at the family gathering.

Previously, Andrew would attend family events despite stepping back from royal duties, so that is a change.

The royal Christmas dinner had been expected to serve up to 45 guests, The Prince of Wales recently announced, although that number may drop to 43 without Andrew.

Andrew's ex-wife, Sarah, is expected to spend Christmas with him at Royal Lodge in Windsor.

Their daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, are apparently going to be with their in-laws for the holiday.

Yang Tengbo was previously known only as "H6" in legal documents after an anonymity order but was identified in court as having an "unusual degree of trust" with Prince Andrew.

He went to the prince's birthday bash in 2020 and was invited to act on Andrew's behalf regarding potential investments in China.

He was sent back to France after a ban on Yang coming to the UK was upheld by the UK's national security court, amid suspicions that Yang was part of an "elite capture" operation being orchestrated by the Chinese state to exert influence over Western countries.

Prince Andrew, meanwhile, insisted he cut all ties with Yang and that all interactions were official, with no topics of security ever being raised.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall is proud that the state leads the country in a specific category -- executions.

Marshall posted a screenshot on X of an article written by AL.coms Ivana Hyrnkiw about Alabama leading the nation in executions in 2024.

In the post, Marshall said the mark was a team effort and was glad the victims received long awaited justice.

This has been a team effort, Marshall posted on X. I would like to thank Commissioner John Hamm and @ALCorrections, as well as my dedicated group of capital litigators, for delivering long-awaited justice for each of these victims.

In a report by the Death Penalty Information Center, the countrys death penalty watchdog, Alabama led the nation with six executions in 2024.

This is the first time the state led in capital punishment.

The individuals put to death included Kenneth Smith, Jamie Mills, Keith Gavin, Alan Miller, Derrick Dearman, and Carey Grayson.

Grayson, Miller and Smith were executed using nitrogen hypoxia. Mills, Gavin, and Dearman died by lethal injection.

Nitrogen hypoxia was never used as an execution method in the United States until Smith was put to death in January.

Advocates and experts expressed concern over each execution primarily Smiths and Graysons as both struggled and writhed during the administration of the gas.

In November, ahead of Graysons execution, UN experts stated that the use of nitrogen hypoxia should be banned due to it likely constituting inhumane treatment or torture.

We reiterate our call for an urgent ban on execution by nitrogen asphyxiation, which is clearly prohibited under international law, the experts said.

Public support for the death penalty is currently at 53% according to the Death Penalty Information Center. That mark is a 50-year low according to the organizations report.

However, despite the waning support nationwide, Marshall and other state leaders remain content on using the death penalty as a means to obtain justice for victims they argue.
Alabama women made up a portion of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, World War IIs only Womens Army Corps unit of color.

The true story of this group of women is told in Netflixs The Six Triple Eight, which stars Kerry Washington and was written and directed by Tyler Perry.

The 855 women who were part of the battalion contributed to the war effort by sorting through a three-year backlog of mail, estimated to be 17 million pieces of mail, that hadnt been delivered to American soldiers far from home. The ladies were given six months to complete the task, but were able to do it in three.

Romay Davis, a Montgomery woman, was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2021 for her service.

Davis, a native of Virginia, enlisted in 1943, following her five brothers. After the war, she went on to live overseas, work in fashion and run a Winn-Dixie grocery store.

She was the oldest living member of the Six Triple Eight at the age of 104, until her death in June 2024.

Another Alabama woman was Talladega College alum was 1st Lt. Lillian W. Duncan who graduated in 1937, continued her service, returning to active duty in 1949 as a captain in the U.S. Air Force, according to the school.

At one point in her military career, she was stationed in London and later at McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey, where she earned the Air Force Commendation Medal. In 1964, she retired as a major and went on to become an educator. Duncan died in 2010.

All told, an estimated two dozen Alabama women were a part of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion.

Six Triple Eight will be available to stream on Netflix starting Dec. 20.
Alabamas U.S. senators on Friday expressed their support for a bill that would inflict crushing consequences on the Mexican government over its seizure of Birmingham-based Vulcan Materials property there.

Sens. Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt, both Republicans, spoke in favor of the Defending American Property Abroad Act, which they are both co-sponsoring and would prohibit the Mexican government from profiting from its unlawful seizures of Vulcans property and port facility in Mexico, among other provisions.

In May 2022, the Mexican government forcibly shut down Vulcans operations in Mexico. About a year later, Mexican military police breached Vulcans port facility at gunpoint.

Instead of using its armed forces to confiscate the fentanyl killing hundreds of American citizens every single day, the Mexican military ... confiscated a port rightfully owned by an American company  an Alabama company. Instead of going after the cartels, our neighbor went after law-abiding Americans, Britt said.

Alabamas junior senator noted the seizure occurred under then-Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who claimed Vulcans activities were harming the environment and declared the land a nature reserve.

Make no mistake: that action was illegal under both Mexican and international law, and its unacceptable that Mexicos new President [Claudia Sheinbaum] seems to be carrying the water for him,

Vulcan has had a presence in Mexico for 30 years, Tuberville noted, and has paid million in taxes to the Mexican government and hired Mexican nationals to work at the facility in Quintana Roo on the Yucatan Peninsula.

He called the Mexican governments claim that Vulcan has been operating illegally categorically false.

Tuberville said the seizure represents a baseless attack on U.S. companies and demonstrates a disregard for rule of law.

While Alabamas senior senator said he had confidence in President-elect Trump standing up for Vulcan, he implored President Biden to use diplomatic channels and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to ensure Vulcan can retain critical operations in Mexico.

We cannot allow this to stand, and I know President Trump is not going to allow this to stand, Tuberville said, adding that Mexicos actions will discourage future U.S. investment in the country.

Its a fight any country should think twice about starting, he said.

The bill would also deny access to U.S. ports to any vessel in the Western Hemisphere that seizes American companies.

Any country that violates the bill, should it become law, will be met with crushing consequences, Britt said.

The U.S. can no longer stand by as its companies are terrorized by foreign governments, she said. We will not sit back and watch as our own government allows our interests around the world, in our own hemisphere, to come under attack.
A case that could flip the balance of political power in Alabamas largest county is now before a federal judge.

Plaintiffs say the Jefferson County commissions current five-district map illegally packs Black voters into two districts, unfairly diluting their influence elsewhere.

Currently, the five districts are solidly partisan and generally divided by race, with three white, Republican members and two Black, Democratic commissioners.

A ruling could shuffle county leadership, with implications for taxes, finances, development and services. Jefferson County has about 674,000 people.

Kathryn Sadasivan of the NAACPs Legal Defense Fund, one of the plaintiffs, described the current maps for District 1 and District 2 as having tendrils that extend out to collect an overabundance of Black residents.

The map does so in extreme excess of what is needed to create the court-ordered majority minority districts from nearly 40 years ago, Sadasivan said.

For the county, attorney Taylor Meehan defended the maps as a continuation of lines drawn as the result of a 1986 consent decree that ordered district lines to give Black voters a chance at representation.

Meehan said several factors went into the district lines, including making sure Birmingham was the population center for Districts 1 and 2. She added that the lines continued to extend to make up for population loss to ensure the districts were evenly split.

We absolutely dispute the facts that there were specific racial targets in the redistricting, said Meehan, whose Chicago-based firm, Consovoy McCarthy, who was hired by the county to lead the defense team.

Teams of lawyers for activists and the Jefferson County Commission made their arguments Thursday before Judge Madeline Haikala during a hearing that lasted about five hours.

Haikala set a trial date for Jan. 13. She previously allowed the case to proceed in court over the objections of the county.

However, in her questioning, Haikala specifically noted that District 2, represented by Commissioner Sheila Tyson, has more Black voters than the number required to make it a majority minority district.

Im counting that as circumstantial evidence that the court can consider, Haikala said.

Some arguments in the Jefferson County case are similar to the Alabama case that was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court which ruled that the states congressional map was unfair to Black voters.

The national ruling ultimately led to new federal voting maps that ushered in Shomari Figures of Mobile as the second Democratic member of Alabamas incoming congressional delegation.

Plaintiffs in the case include the Alabama State Conference of the NAACP, Metro-Birmingham Branch of the NAACP, Greater Birmingham Ministries, and residents Cara McClure, Alexia Addoh-Kondi, Cynthia Bonner, JaNelle Brown, Eric Hall, Michael Hansen, Julia Juarez, Charles Long, William Muhammad, Fred Lee Randall, Tammie Smith and Robert Walker.
Limestone County Circuit Court Judge Matthew Huggins denied a motion by New Beginnings Covenant Ministries and Belle Mina Methodist to halt the construction of a quarry less than a mile from the heart of the Belle Mina community.

The two churches are suing Stoned LLC, of Huntsville, and Grayson Carter & Son, Inc, of Athens to stop the quarry being built off Mooresville Road.

A hearing was held in the case on Tuesday. Huggins denied the temporary injunction on Thursday,

Another hearing in the case is set for 9 a.m. Feb. 6.

While were disappointed that the court did not grant our request to temporarily stop work at the quarry, this does not impact our case long term, Southern Environmental Law Center senior attorney Sarah Stokes said. The construction and operation of this quarry will interfere with residents daily lives by flooding their properties, impacting air quality, road degradation, and noise pollution. We will be back in court in February ready to defend New Beginnings Covenant Ministries and Belle Mina Methodist Church.

The churches sued the developers saying the construction and operation the companies limestone quarry and rock crushing facility will have a harmful impact on the communitys quality of life.

The boundary of the under-construction 199-acre limestone quarry and rock crushing facility comes approximately 25 feet from residential properties, and three churches are located within half a mile of the quarry.

Belle Mina Methodist Church has been the host of several community meetings after the developers applied for air pollution and water quality permits with the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, which were later granted.

Both Auburn University, which operates the experiment station near the site, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have expressed concerns about the impact of the quarry on the experiment station and endangered species in Limestone Creek and its tributaries where the quarry will discharge water.

The Athens company trying to bring a rock quarry to the southeastern Limestone County community of Belle Mina is promising much needed tax revenue and about 75 jobs.

During an ADEM hearing last March, Randy Thomason, a Grayson Carter & Son Contracting corporate officer, promised the company will be a good community citizen.

Efforts to reach the developers for comment have been unsuccessful.
This is a guest opinion column

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 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.

But that hope is also tinged with disappointment that President Joe Biden isnt doing all he can to make that happen.

At this moment, journalists and non-governmental organizations are 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.

But representatives from our State Department have not joined them. That includes Roger D. Carstens, the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs.

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.

Miller was more blunt, however, in an earlier briefing: No, there is no one there; there is no one on the way, he said. We will continue to assess the situation and when we decide its appropriate to send personnel in, Ill come out and make an announcement about it.

Americans deserve better answers. Why is a president who said its a top priority to return American hostages not 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.

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.

Why are top U.S. representatives not there, as well, working with rebels to unearth clues about Austins movement and whereabouts? We dont really know, other than a vague security concern. Its possible, of course, that events are occurring under the radar, in the name of security. Still, the near silence now coming from our own government, is frustrating.

We believe the incoming Trump administration cares 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.

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.

Tony Hunter is chairman and CEO of the McClatchy Media Company.
If we dont want to see the annual 1500-page Christmas continuing resolutions, Republicans might take a lesson from the Polish Left about making a statement about what you stand for. In 2016, they occupied Parliament for 26 days over Christmas to protest a budget they did not like and deemed invalid. Yes, the world media painted it as defense of democracy, but American conservatives -- avoiding that Leftist filter -- should learn a lesson.

As usual, after symbolic debate on a variety of irrelevancies, the Senate is moving towards taking up a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government. The current CR, which is the trans equivalent of a real budget, runs out Friday. Congress should have had funding bills in place by September 30 but, well, there were so many Biden judges to stuff.

The usual suspects, of course, are bemoaning this is not how you should run a government! It isnt, but there is method to this madness.

If Majority Leader Chuck Schumer allowed the kind of real debate with real amendments that the worlds greatest deliberative body still rides on the gases of, then lots of pork in the form of earmarked sacred cows would be gored. Cant have that!

so, hold the bill until the last possible moment before Christmas, put it forward as all or nothing, and then push the story (happily taken up by a pliant media) that Republicans will take away your Social Security payment if they dont fund the government. Five days before Christmas and with the end of the current Congress in a little more than two weeks, lots of members will hold their noses and vote for it.

What else could conservatives do?

Well, they might take a lesson from liberals in Poland.

In mid-December 2016, the conservative Law and Justice government also had to enact its budget, and the Polish Left (basically the folks now running the country) opposed it. Two days earlier, the government had adopted new rules about journalists roaming through Parliament, which is what the Left really didnt like.

When a leftist parliamentarian took to the floor to oppose the budget but carrying a Free Media! card, he was ruled out-of-order. In response, the Left physically blocked access to the lectern where speakers addressed parliament. The government, having to pass its budget and not wanting physically to break up the occupation of the chamber, adjourned the meeting to an adjacent chamber and adopted the budget there.

In outrage at being outmaneuvered over their political stunt, the Left announced a physical occupation of Parliament. They literally sat in the chamber from December 16, 2016 until January 12, 2017. Every day. Including Christmas Eve. Including Christmas. Including New Years Day.

Now, all those days are important all around the world. In Poland, Christmas Eve is especially important. Poles will do everything and come from everywhere they can to be at their family tables on Christmas Eve for the Wigilia dinner.

The Polish Left (whose comfort with Polands Christian heritage is at least as hostile to that of the American Lefts in the United States) maintained discipline. It sat in Parliament. It even organized its own Wigilia.

Of course, they did not have the quorum to do anything, but they made a symbolic statement. Eventually, they had to accept some minor face-saving accommodation and give up. But not before they made their point in the national and international media all, of course, in the name of saving democracy in Poland.

For all the Republicans huffing and puffing about Christmas CRs in Washington, a question: are you willing to reject the CR and physically sit in Congress, daring your Democratic colleagues to come back and enact a real budget or sitting them out through January 3, when you take over?

Because anybody who thinks using usual parliamentary procedure is going to change anything is, frankly, deluded. Speaker Mike Johnson has put forward budget bills to die in Chuck Schumers Senate. He cant come over, hogtie the Majority Leader, and force votes -- and, unless five Democrats voluntarily absent themselves, the votes wont be there anyway.

So, your options:

Hold your nose and pass the CR; or Reject the CR but then do the heavy lifting of making it clear you are ready to fund the government with a real debate, no matter when, even if we have to sit there through Christmas until the new session.

What this process really argues for is an end to lame-duck sessions, such as the five-week process of government-by-losers weve seen. In the 18th century, there was a reason for that process. Today, when most congressmen and senators commute back and forth to their states at least once a week, there isnt. There should be no reason to bring back a Congress containing defeated or retiring members after a general election when that new Congress could just as easily be seated.

And, if we were doing that, it would mean this continuing resolution would be addressed by Republican majorities in the Senate and House which means wed probably have at least some budget bills in lieu of that CR.

I know that the calm, middle-of-the-road response to this will be: relax, just one more time and then well fix things. Well, unless you also fix how you lose the public narrative every time you threaten a shutdown, you havent fixed things.

So, except for exciting press releases, are we ready to do what it takes to end this annual abuse or will it be business as usual? Because the annual celebration of Christmas pork in place of a Christmas goose is not quite accurate: its just the American taxpayer who gets goosed in the end.

Image: AT via Magic Studio
As Barack Obama slowly fades from the landscape, lets consider how he has helped to destroy Western civilization, especially the United States of America. He did this via his fealty to Iran, which allowed unchecked, deadly drug trafficking into America while giving Iran the time, space, and funds to develop its nuclear weapons.

The Obama Administration killed hundreds of thousands of Americans by allowing the Iran-founded and funded terrorist organization Hezbollah to operate in the Western Hemisphere, where it built a narco-terror network that shipped illegal drugs into this country. The Middle Eastern threat is now below our southern border, something obvious as far back as 2011:

Over the last several years Hezbollah and its patrons in Iran have greatly expanded their operations in Latin America to the detriment of inter-American security and U.S. strategic interests. Today, Hezbollah is using the Western Hemisphere as a staging ground, fundraising center, and operational base to wage asymmetric warfare against the United States. Venezuelas Hugo Chavez and other anti-American governments in the region have facilitated this expansion by rolling out the welcome mats for Hezbollah and Iran.

Thirteen years ago, it was estimated that Iran/Hezbollah was remitting $300-$500 million annually to Middle East terrorists. By 2017, that number was believed to be $1 billion or double the 2011 take. Their profits were derived from drug and weapons trafficking, money laundering, and other criminal activities.

Image made using Grok AI.

Beginning in 2008 and for the next eight years, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) ran Project Cassandra, an investigation into these activities. In 2017s The Secret Backstory of How Obama Let Hezbollah Off the Hook, Josh Meyer explained that the Obama administration interfered with an ultimately blocked the DEAs efforts to neutralize these operations:

In its determination to secure a nuclear deal with Iran, the Obama administration derailed an ambitious law enforcement campaign targeting drug trafficking by the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah, even as it was funneling cocaine into the United States, according to a POLITICO investigation. [snip] Over the next eight years, agents working out of a top-secret DEA facility in Chantilly, Virginia, used wiretaps, undercover operations and informants to map Hezbollahs illicit networks, with the help of 30 U.S. and foreign security agencies. They followed cocaine shipments, some from Latin America to West Africa and on to Europe and the Middle East, and others through Venezuela and Mexico to the United States. They tracked the river of dirty cash as it was laundered by, among other tactics, buying American used cars and shipping them to Africa. And with the help of some key cooperating witnesses, the agents traced the conspiracy, they believed, to the innermost circle of Hezbollah and its state sponsors in Iran.

After all this effort, though, Obamas Justice Department declined to prosecute major players. For example, Hezbollahs envoy to Iran, a Lebanese bank that laundered billions in drug money and that was a central figure in a U.S.-based cell of the Iranian Quds force, got a pass.

If you read the 65-page report highlighted in the Politico article, you can readily understand that the United States missed a great opportunity to either dismantle Hezbollahs Western Hemisphere operations or dramatically curtail them. The reason for Americas passivity was Obamas 2015 Iranian nuclear deal, the real purpose of which was to pad the Presidents resume with a fake foreign policy achievement and threaten Israel.

Hundreds of thousands of Americans died from drug overdoses because the Obama administration freed Hezbollah to operate, which it now does in conjunction with Mexican cartels and China. In my opinion, this was willful mass murder, which President Barack Obama sanctioned.

The reality, which Obama may or may not have recognized, is that Iran is our enemy. Its leaders have repeatedly called for our destruction. In 2023, the Tehran leadership announced, Death to America is not a slogan. It is policy.

Iran and its proxies have attacked and killed American soldiers and citizens of our ally, Israel, and interfered with the worlds shipping, undermining Western economies. We should never forget how Irans revolutionaries held and tortured 53 American hostages at our embassy in Tehran from 1979-1981. We should never forget that Hezbollah killed 241 American troops killed in 1983 in Beirut, Lebanon. Allowing Iran to profit from illegal drug trafficking that has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans should be impermissible, even for a theoretical higher purpose.

And of course, it was all for nothing. Obamas 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which included the United States, United Kingdom, Russia, France, China, Germany, and the European Union, was as likely to succeed as Bill Clintons 1994 Agreed Framework with North Korea to forestall their nuclear ambitions. (Clintons deal failed completely when North Korea was discovered to have been cheating for an unknown number of years.) Both deals were padding for resumes and for public consumption. Both deals had ten-year durations with partners who could not be trusted not to cheat.

History shows that Iran was cheating from day one and the deal was never worth the paper it was printed on. Unfortunately, as part of the sham agreement, Iran received $150 billion to renew and expand its terror program.

Daniel Greenfield summed up the problem of negotiating with terrorists:

Offering to negotiate with Islamic terrorists is a statement of weakness. Jihadists only offer to negotiate out of fear, weakness or to entrap us and assume we do the same. [snip] Western liberals believe that peace will be achieved when all the wars end, but peace in the Muslim world is not a permanent state, rather it is a temporary truce in an endless war.

In effect, what Clinton and Obama did, respective, was to give the North Koreans and Iranians space to develop nuclear weapons. These deals were corrupt betrayed the American people.

The truth is that when dealing with Islam, you can only have a civilized discussion if they know you have the bigger stick.

At the end of the day, what crime did Barack Obama commit? Treason:

Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000 and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.

He entered into an agreement he knew would never last and that Iran would quite obviously use as time, room, and money to go nuclear. He aided the funding by allowing Hezbollahs narco-terror campaign in this hemisphere to be left untouched, a decision that effectively killed hundreds of thousands of Americans. The money that Iran received from having its assets unfrozen and its drug-dealing unchecked enhanced Irans ability to expand and export its terror operations, destabilizing the Middle East and beyond and allowing it to try to destroy our best ally, Israel.

In my view, former President Barack Obama is guilty of treason and should be held accountable.
The media have a new talking point to trash Trumpthey have decided that they will say that the elected to nothing Elon Musk is president, and Trump is just his puppet. What a joke.

Not once have I ever seen these same people question who has been the president the last four years while Bidens mind has clearly been shot. They intentionally spread the lie that Biden was sharp as a tack and doing a great job.

The WSJ put out a lengthy article yesterday reporting that unelected bureaucrats have been running the show for Biden before and during his presidency, because he has been incapablethis has been abundantly obvious for a long time, yet the complicit media willingly participated in the coverup. They have clearly done a massive disservice to the American people and the world, as we have had cascading disasters and wars.

During the 2020 presidential primary, Jill Biden campaigned so extensively across Iowa that she held events in more counties than her husbanda fact her press secretary at the time, Michael LaRosa, touted to a local reporter. His superior in the Biden campaign quickly chided him. As the three rode in a minivan through the states cornfields, Anthony Bernal, then a deputy campaign manager and chief of staff to Jill Biden, pressed LaRosa to contact the reporter again and play down any comparison in campaign appearances between Joe Biden, then 77, and his wife, who is eight years his junior. Her energetic schedule only highlighted her husbands more plodding pace, LaRosa recalls being told. The message from Bidens team was clear. The more you talk her up, the more you make him look bad, LaRosa said. To adapt the White House around the needs of a diminished leader, they told visitors to keep meetings focused. Interactions with senior Democratic lawmakers and some cabinet membersincluding powerful secretaries such as Defenses Lloyd Austin and Treasurys Janet Yellenwere infrequent or grew less frequent. Some legislative leaders had a hard time getting the presidents ear at key moments, including ahead of the U.S.s disastrous pullout from Afghanistan.

The WSJ did another story in June about Bidens diminished capacity, and most of the media and other Democrats ripped it as if it were fiction. But then, the public saw the incompetent Biden at the debate, and the same people who had said he was sharp as a tack chased him out, superimposing the incompetent Harris in the race, lying to the public about how great she was.

Robert Hur investigated Biden for improperly handling classified documents for fifty years, and said he was guilty. Yet he didnt charge him because he said he was too incapacitated to stand trial. Instead of admitting that this was true, most of the media, his cabinet, and other Democrats came out and essentially called Hur a liar.

Political animal Merrick Garland and other Democrats did everything they could to keep the public from seeing the actual interview of Biden, because they were campaigning for him. Transparency was the enemy. Most of the media never cared about the public seeing the truth. Of course the media also lied and claimed that the politicized justice department was independent and not politically motivated.

For the last three months, Biden and the unelected bureaucrats at the White House have known that the December 20th budget deadline was looming, and didnt lift a fingerbut somehow this is all Trumps and Musks fault, even though Trump is not president yet. Trump cant sign or veto any bill to keep the government running, but the media and other Democrats have always blamed Republicans for government shutdowns, no matter how many times the Democrats have blocked the bills.

Whoever is running the show for Biden, after Trump won, is spending money, issuing regulations as fast as they can, and handing out pardons and commutations as if they were candy. They are trying to Trump-proof America because they really dont care about the people. They care about a powerful government pushing the radically destructive Democrat agenda.

There is no way that Biden remembered what date Hunter started to accept kickbacks from Burisma, yet somehow he was able to get that date in Hunters blanket pardon. Someone wrote the pardon and put it in front of him and told him what to say. When did the Big Guy start to get his 10%?

Some unelected bureaucrat at the Social Security Administration has handed almost 50,000 unelected bureaucrats a gift, allowing them to work from home for another five yearsso a total of nine years. (I wonder if there is any room to cut the overhead of entitlement agencies?) Somehow, the media doesnt care about this pure abuse of power by an unelected bureaucrat.

The media and other Democrats have told endless lies for almost ten years seeking to destroy Trump as they have interfered in elections; and the same media and other Democrats have told endless lies to cover up the corruption and incompetence of Biden as they have interfered in elections.

No matter how obvious it has been that Biden was a figurehead and too inept to run again, we didnt hear endless calls for his resignation, nor did we hear that unelected bureaucrats doing Bidens job was a threat to the Constitution and our republic. Nope, those lies were told continuously about Trump as the media tried to tip the election.

These people posing as journalists should clearly be fired because they are just pure propagandists pushing an agenda.

I have a serious question: Would the general public even know if the government shut down since so few federal workers have shown up to work for years? Doubtful.

Image generated by AI.
If you're travelling to Mexico City, make sure to stop by the new U.S. Embassy. For the record, I've been to the old one a few times. Renewed my U.S. passport there and voted too. Nice place and location.

As Kellin Dillon wrote, there is a new building:

U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar inaugurated the new U.S. Embassy in Mexico City on Tuesday, Dec. 17, an event that also served as a farewell ceremony to the Biden-era diplomat. The diplomatic headquarters, located in Miguel Hildago, is seven stories tall and reportedly cost more than $1 billion to construct. Once open for operations, it will be the largest U.S. embassy in the world.

Largest embassy? That's a bit of a shock. I thought that London or Moscow would be bigger, but it probably does reflect our relationship with Mexico.

Over the new few months, the embassy will be the primary contact between Mexico City and Washington D.C.

By the way, the new man nominated as ambassador is Ron Johnson. He previously served in the U.S. Army at the rank of colonel, held the position of the U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador, and worked for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) at the Special Operations Command.

Of course, the ambassador will carry out the President's policy. I'm sure that he will work very closely with future Secretary Marco Rubio. Nevertheless, I don't recall a man with this background before: a colonel, ambassador, and work at the CIA in Special Operations Command. Not your typical diplomat or generous campaign donor that we've seen this before. My guess is that this choice reflects the importance of Mexico in the upcoming administration. Time will tell but this is not your typical diplomat.

We wish you him well and I hope that he enjoys the new facility.

P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.

Image: Dept. of State
Rachel Darling, a breast radiologist for the University Health Breast Center, was seen demonstrating the use of artificial intelligence to aid in studying mammography scans of patients on July 12, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Christopher Lee / Staff Photographer Customer service specialists for Frost Bank were seen at the contact center at One Frost, an offsite campus that houses a 24 hour call center, on Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Christopher Lee / Staff Photographer Jose Hernandez, a customer service specialists for Frost Bank, was seen demonstrating a mock up of the AI powered chat module at the contact center at One Frost, an offsite campus that houses a 24 hour call center, on Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Chat bot modules utilizing artificial intelligence are used at the Frost contact center to streamline responses with customers by providing the customer service specialist specific responses to resources that can be suggested to the customer. Christopher Lee / Staff Photographer Cynthia Lopez, the mammographic technologist team lead at University Health Breast Center, was seen demonstrating the attachments for a mammography machine used to achieve scans of breasts of patients which then doctors can utilize artificial intelligence to examine on July 12, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Christopher Lee / Staff Photographer Nirmal Ranganathan, Vice President of Engineering and Chief AI Architect for Rackspace Technology Inc., talks to a reporter during an interview at the companys new building, which is nicknamed Rackspace New Castle, on Thursday, June 13, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. He oversees the companys generative artificial intelligence project called Foundry for AI by Rackspace (FAIR) that launched a year ago. Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News Laura Miller, head of Frost Banks digital services team, posed for a portrait at their corporate offices on July 18, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Christopher Lee / Staff Photographer Bill Phillips, the chief information officer and interim chief operations officer at University Health Systems, posed for a portrait next to mammography scans of patients which then doctors can utilize artificial intelligence to examine on July 12, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Christopher Lee / Staff Photographer USAA Chief Information Officer Amala Duggirala talks during an interview at the companys corporate office on Monday, July 22, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News Nirmal Ranganathan, Vice President of Engineering and Chief AI Architect for Rackspace Technology Inc., at the companys new building, which is nicknamed Rackspace New Castle, on Thursday, June 13, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. He oversees the companys generative artificial intelligence project called Foundry for AI by Rackspace (FAIR) that launched a year ago. Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News Nirmal Ranganathan, Vice President of Engineering and Chief AI Architect for Rackspace Technology Inc., talks to a reporter during an interview at the companys new building, which is nicknamed Rackspace New Castle, on Thursday, June 13, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. He oversees the companys generative artificial intelligence project called Foundry for AI by Rackspace (FAIR) that launched a year ago. Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News Bill Phillips, the chief information officer and interim chief operations officer at University Health Systems, was seen presenting charts that demonstrate the near future uses of artificial intelligence in medicine on July 12, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Christopher Lee / Staff Photographer Rachel Darling, a breast radiologist for the University Health Breast Center, was seen demonstrating the use of artificial intelligence to aid in studying mammography scans of patients on July 12, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Christopher Lee / Staff Photographer Customer service specialists for Frost Bank were seen at the contact center at One Frost, an offsite campus that houses a 24 hour call center, on Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Christopher Lee / Staff Photographer

On a monitor in a dark room, artificial intelligence draws a pale circle to highlight a possible cancer.

Its a reminder of, Hey, go take a second look at this area just to be sure,  Dr. Rachel Darling, a radiologist at University Healths Breast Center, said as she demonstrated how the technology aids in reading mammograms and other studies.

Helping doctors find cancer is just one example of how AI  the computer technology that can automate tasks and continuously learn  is working behind the scenes in businesses across the region. And, just as a patient may never know the role a computer program played in their care, most people are unaware of how much AI is already a part of their everyday lives.

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Since going mainstream in early 2023 through the public release of ChatGPT, businesses of all sorts are thinking about how to make the most of the technology, and about its risks. From customer service, technical support and web search to marketing, sales and banking, AI is increasingly a part of our digital lives.

It even played roles in this story. AI contributed by transcribing interviews and helping with research. It also aided in the storys editing, design, publishing and web search optimization. Hearst, the San Antonio Express-News parent company, in October partnered with OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, to expand the reach of both companies products.

When AI came out from behind your Google search  and then got in the hands of all of us is when you started to see the conversation really level up  and both positive and negative, said Laura Miller, Frost Banks executive vice president of consumer strategy and digital.

As that conversation spanning government, academia and industry continues, some of San Antonios largest companies are the quickest adopters of AI technology. They include information technology, cybersecurity, healthcare and manufacturing.

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Heres a look how some of them are using AI.

Rackspace Technology

Rackspace Technology Inc. is both a producer and consumer of AI technologies.

The San Antonio cloud computing firm has been building and selling software that uses machine learning software, a precursor to AI that requires more human interaction to tweak the algorithms, since 2019. In June 2023, it launched a spinoff for AI development, Foundry for Generative AI by Rackspace, which it calls FAIR.

At the time, Srini Koushik, the companys chief technology officer, said the addition would help us really compete in this world and turn this company around.

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Since then, Rackspaces efforts to complete its financial turnaround continues and FAIR has gained 40 global customers across several industries seeking help bringing AI into their businesses.

The idea of FAIR, according to Nirmal Ranganathan, Rackspaces vice president of engineering and its chief AI architect, was to build, test and use the generative AI tools internally before showing them to customers.

Our view in general is AI is not there to replace all of us, he said. Its really there to help us, assist us.

First came the Intelligent Copilot Enterprise, or ICE, an AI chatbot that automates routine tasks such as generating emails or presentations and pulls up information.

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So, one person might ask, Hey, create me an email for customer introduction about Rackspace and the key services and then its going to generate that information, but all grounded on Rackspace knowledge, Ranganathan said.

Then theres Rackspace Intelligent Technology Assistant, or RITA, which launched in May. Its integrated through Microsoft Teams and automates internal tasks such as computer help tickets or reviewing timesheets.

The companys AI Developer Assistant, AIDA, is improving consistency and saving time in computer coding.

As Im writing a piece of code and using that system to generate code quality check, this helps as it starts to create a lot more consistency, he said.

That helps with multiple coders working from different locations.

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The company also is incorporating AI into the companys Human Resources portal, Ask HR. Ranganathan said he can see the technology eventually helping with customer support, but it hasnt incorporated the capability yet.

At this point, he said he thinks about AI as a co-worker rather than a tool.

I know what I need, it just takes me time to put some of this together. Right now, I can use an AI assistant to get that part of it done, he said. The ideas are still coming from me, not from AI. AI is just helping fill the gaps.

USAA

USAA, the San Antonio-based insurance and financial services giant is using AI mainly for training employees, predicting pricing and understanding its customers.

Amala Duggirala, the companys executive vice president and chief information officer, said its approach reflects the companys history of incorporating technology.

Its not using technology for the sake of using it, she said. That became part of our DNA over a long period of time. We absolutely want to innovate, to create the best experiences for our members, but we dont want to innovate to create a best use case for our technology.

The company now is using predictive algorithms to gain insight on its members life events, Duggirala said. It uses information such as interactions with USAAs website and purchases to try to discern events in members lives, such as buying a house or car, being deployed or getting married.

Its not invading privacy at all, she said, because its information members provide in accordance with their self-selected privacy preferences.

While AI is not actively listening and offering suggestions to representatives during customer service calls like it is at some companies, it is auto-recording and can summarize the conversations.

We are not yet in the listen live mode, she said. We are testing the functionalities out right now.

The companys automated phone system and online chatbot isnt AI-enabled, but they are algorithm-based and there are no immediate plans to change them because USAA has decided to not put AI in a direct interaction with its members.

We always wanted to ensure we have some degree of control over the decisioning to be done through much more proven or transparent technologies than artificial intelligence, Duggirala said.

All AI programs use algorithms to scour vast amounts of data, which means the quality of the outputs depends largely on the quality of the data fed into the model.

Duggirala said her main concern with the technology is understanding exactly how it comes up with the answers it creates and the information it surfaces. She also worries about a phenomenon called drift, in which large language models behave in unexpected ways outside of their original parameters. It can contribute to AI hallucinations, in which models generate misleading or incorrect responses.

Both drift and the ability to transparently explain how you arrived at a particular position are known hurdles with the technology she said.

Once (data) goes into the model, which is a black box  nobody can tell the exact path it took to arrive at this decision and if it will arrive at the same decision one more time, Duggirala said. Its difficult to go back and do forensics to see how the model came up with a specific answer.

If there are some kind of quality issues (with the data), then your algorithm can lead to incorrect answers, she said.

Model testing, stringent parameters and continued education about the tech help limit such risks. At USAA, an AI council oversees the implementation of the technologies in coordination with the companys ethics and risk councils.

While USAA currently does not use AI to generate documents, the company does use it for quality checks on documents. On the insurance side of the business, AI eventually could be helping with claim processing paperwork and research.

AI has become a very strong argumentation technology for us as an organization, Duggirala said.

In November, USAA donated $2 million to the University of Texas at San Antonio to expand its AI research capabilities.

University Health

University Health puts its AI use into two categories: health care functions and customer-facing components, according to Bill Phillips, the expanding health care networks longtime chief information officer and current chief operating officer.

It really took off about a year ago, he said. It was almost like a light switch. When it came, the light switch came on and, you know, were flooded with (vendors)  everybodys got an AI product now for various things.

The technology is really going to revolutionize health care, he said, from patient involvement to the medical treatment and then ultimately handling a lot of the business functions of a health care organization.

In treatment, its already helping medical professionals predict who in an emergency room may need to be admitted and helping detect breast and lung cancers. The technology acts as a failsafe by helping guide doctors to areas they may want to recheck as they review images and scans.

University Health also has rolled out a program intended to help providers give patients their full attention during conversations. It records and culls out the noise  non-health-care topics  from the medial discussion and helps doctors enter notes into the patient record.

Were also piloting right now  were one of the few in the country  where certain types of physician letters are automatically being generated based on reading the notes automatically and writing letters to the patients, he said.

University Health is also acquiring a program to help patients schedule or reschedule appointments, make payments  even find parking on its sprawling campus.

So thats where Im getting into that patient focus, trying to make it easier, trying to make it better with communication to the patients about appointment reminders and visits, Phillips said.

As the products keep coming, the health system is also AI strategy, governance and policies because the technology is coming so fast.

Looking ahead, Phillips said he sees the health care applications expanding, especially in the realm of genomics, the study of DNA and how genes work together. AI can analyze those components along with an individuals history to provide predictions about potential health complications.

You know: You have an X percent rate of getting this type of cancer, you have an X percent rate of getting heart disease by this age, he said. Thats coming. It started already.

But even with AI assisting, Phillips said, humans always have the final say in a patients care.

Frost Bank

Frost Bank, the largest regional bank based in San Antonio, is using AI behind the scenes mainly for fraud detection and to help its service agents assist customers.

The 156-year-old bank has customer service representatives available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. About 40 of a total 250 agents are using AI embedded in its customer service software system that auto-summarizes conversations and provides suggestions that could help answer customer questions.

Laura Miller, Frost Banks executive vice president of consumer strategy and digital, said the banks approach to AI focuses on using the technology for what it is, and not what its purported to be, because its not human.

So, if its not human, dont use it as humans, she said.

Her challenge is scaling the technology. How do we scale this internally to help the humans be more human  have space for humanity and still be efficient? she said.

Apprehension of the technology is understandable, Miller said, citing how some fear that AI will take away their jobs or sense of purpose.

I think theres a fear that AI will render us purposeless; and if purpose is the cornerstone of your well-being and happiness, then something that threatens that is scary, she said.

With education and exposure, though, the tech becomes less frightening. Miller cited the video game Roblox, which lets people build virtual worlds with the help of an AI gaming assistant.

You dont realize that theyve taken an AI and put it into the hands of your 10-year-old in a way that enables your child to create things that you never would have imagined, she said. Just as a child might not know AI is helping them build worlds, Frosts customers may not know AI is pitching in while theyre speaking with service reps.

The goal is an interaction where the agent is present in the conversation and not distracted by looking up answers or next steps. Toward that end, the AI monitors the conversation and offers suggestions to the customer service rep.

AI has access to our knowledge base, not our customer data but all of the articles and how-tos and answers to frequently asked questions, and it reads the chat conversation and says, Yeah, this is the piece of information on file in your knowledge base that goes with what youre talking to the customer about, she said.

That allows the agents to focus on the dialogue, which, hopefully, increases customer satisfaction.

As at other San Antonio companies, Frost has an AI responsibility council helping to onboard the technology.
In the 19th century, the Southern states argued that putting an end to the slave economy would collapse the cotton, tobacco, and rice industries. Some claimed that freeing the slaves would produce widespread unemployment and civil unrest.

Another contention was that slavery had existed all through history, notably in ancient Greece and Rome. Its defenders pointed out that slavery is mentioned in the Bible and that St. Paul returned Philemon, a runaway slave, to his owner. It was even claimed that slaves benefited from the practice as they were better cared for than the workers in the North. Sen. John C. Calhoun (D-S.C.) said, Never before has the black race of Central Africa, from the dawn of history to the present day, attained a condition so civilized and so improved, not only physically, but morally and intellectually.

This led to the conclusions that slavery is part of the natural order, that some people are simply inferior beings and so are better off enslaved, and that living as a slave is preferable to starving to death. Its estimated that 1213 million Africans were brought to America as slaves, not including those who died along the way. In some years, that number might have been as high as 23%. The last census taken before the Civil War recorded 4 million slaves in the South.

It hasnt gone away. Its estimated that there are around 50 million slaves worldwide and 1 million in the U.S. alone. Modern slavery generates over $200 billion annually in global profits and includes forced labor, sex- and human-trafficking, and debt bondage.

In 2021, a federal grand jury in Waycross, Georgia indicted two dozen defendants who allegedly used H-2A visa applications to bring in dozens of migrant workers as agricultural workers. The federal program requires that workers be paid a fair wage and reimbursed for expenses including travel, food, and lodging. The defendants instead kept most of that money, using it to buy land, homes, vehicles, and even a restaurant and a night club.

Those workers were likely part of the greatest mass migration movement in American history, which started in 2020, when pResident (not a typo) Biden reversed 89 of Donald Trumps immigration policies. The total number of illegals welcomed into the U.S. by Biden and the left is impossible to define precisely, but estimates hover around 11 million.

In an official statement, the White House incongruously defended its actions in welcoming millions of unvetted, unvaccinated third-world immigrants by saying, President Biden believes that securing the border is essential. Since his first day in office, President Biden has called on Congress to secure our border and address our broken immigration system.

Color me skeptical. 8 USC 1182(f) states,

Whenever the President finds that the entry of any aliens or of any class of aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, he may by proclamation, and for such period as he shall deem necessary, suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate.

So why doesnt he close the border? Simple. He doesnt want to. The Democrats (leftists) see potential future voters, and the RINOs (leftists) see cheap labor.

Nancy Pelosi can always be counted on to weigh in with a pithy comment. When Bill Melugin asked her about border security, she replied, We have a shortage of workers in our country. In Florida, some of the farmers and the growers saying, Why are you shipping these immigrants up north? We need them to pick the crops down here.

That sounds like what people said about cotton, tobacco, and rice in the nineteenth century.

In 1994, 32% of Democrats polled believed that immigrants strengthened America because of their work ethic and talents. In 2019, that percentage had increased to 83%. That belief among Republican respondents changed from 30 to 38%. Cecilia Munoz, Obamas domestic policy adviser, explained the shift: You have political figures adopting the activists agenda and the activists language. Political leaders who are listening to them are focusing only on some pieces of the issue where the activism is most vocal ... for example, immigration enforcement.

Ask your leftist acquaintances or any politician how many immigrants the U.S. should take in every year. One million? Two? Once that number is reached, how do we prevent others from entering? If they tell you comprehensive immigration reform, ask them to tell you exactly what that means.

Forgotten in all of this is the misery endured by the child sex slaves and those enslaved in forced labor. There are a million of them here.

Did we abolish slavery with the passage of the 13th Amendment, or have we simply outsourced the ownership?

Image: woodleywonderworks via Flickr, CC BY 2.0.
Texas's governor, Greg Abbott, has always been a little ahead of the national news and public opinion.

He sees things others don't.

He almost singlehandedly shifted the public debate against illegal immigration, when, after Florida's Gov. Ron DeSantis flew a shipment of illegals from Texas to Martha's Vineyard, exposing wealthy leftists in exclusive enclaves as hypocrites, Abbott continued the maneuver on a grand scale, by offering free bus rides to illegals to New York City and beyond, transporting more than 100,000 illegal border crossers. That made a major impact in New York City, blowing out its budget and forcing its mayor to eventually say he wanted to be a Republican.

Abbott also managed to block caravans coming in, and defied the Biden administration by setting up blockages on the Rio Grande, making it far more difficult for migrants to swim across. He also placed razor wire in some parts of the border -- and while he lost Biden's court case against it, saw how the Border Patrol wouldn't cooperate in taking it down.

This was a harbinger of what was to come as Joe Biden and Kamala Harris opened the border wide, even distant and fancy areas were flooded with human waves of foreign migrants and yes, immigration became a top issue in the 2024 elections. It would have been ignored otherwise.

He similarly raised public awareness of the NGO migrant industrial complex in his attorney-general's prosecution of Catholic Charities for migrant laundering, demanding that the group open its books as required by law of any NGO to show what it was spending its federal cash on. The group resisted and now has a court case. That maneuver, blasted by the pope and some radical leftist bishops did much to shine a light on NGOs' role in encouraging illegal immigration based on its incentives for federal funding, the more illegal migrants it can service, the more federal cash they can access. It was unprecedented, shining a light on a part of illegal immigration that has contributed to the border surge same as cartel human smugglers and Biden himself in his policy.

Now he's stepping ahead of the curve again -- putting up billboards in multiple languages around Mexico to warn potential illegal migrants not to cross illegally in the hands of human smugglers -- they will be harmed, they will be arrested.

Bill Melugin at Fox News has a tweet of what he's doing and the approach he's taking:

BREAKING: Texas Governor @GregAbbott_TX announces a new billboard campaign in MX to dissuade migrants from crossing illegally & paying cartels to smuggle them.



How much did you pay to have your daughter raped?



Your wife & daughter will pay for their trip w/ their bodies. pic.twitter.com/OCL9r0CQSF  Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) December 19, 2024

Up until now, the Biden administration has mostly posted newspaper and radio ads, and not many, certainly none with these kinds of realistic warnings -- your wife will be raped, your kids will be enslaved, you will find yourself in handcuffs -- in the classic public service announcement style. With migrants passing through these routes, they are sure to have an impact.

And they are ultimately compassionate, given that none of the warnings are unrealistic. These are exactly the kinds of things that happen to those who place their trust and cash in the hands of human smuggling rackets. Many end up as child labor or prostitutes in indentured servitude to pay their "debts." Many end up as outright slaves, re-introducing slavery into the Americas.

What are the bishops going to do, condemn this? Is the pope going to condemn this, too? They are all on record as deploring the bad treatment migrants get at the hands of smugglers (albeit mostly on those who oppose illegal immigration). Now it's time for them to either admit they are as hypocritical as the Martha's Vineyard denizens, this time addicted to the money migrants bring in to their organizations, or else prove they mean it by supporting it, or at least keeping their mouths shut.

It raises questions as to why the Biden administration never bothered doing this -- and we all know why they didn't. They were too busy Letting Them In. They had a political interest in promoting illegal immigration, and too bad about all the child slaves and raped women. Too bad about all the people who died in locked trucks around cities like San Antonio, or in car chases around San Diego County. Too bad about all the two-year-olds dumped in the desert at the border.

Abbott is taking another important step that could dissuade illegal migrants from coming in and like everything else he does, it could well make a difference. He is to be praised for his initiative.

Image: X screen shot

This post has been corrected from an earlier version that misidentified Abbott's role. The Martha's Vinyard maneuver was launched by Florida's Gov. Ron DeSantis from migrants ensconced in Texas. Abbott then magnified the maneuver through the great busings to blue cities that followed.
What a hullaballoo! The truth is coming out about what really happens in Congress with these grab-bag omnibus bills.

What caused the usual yawning head-nodding to veer into a fierce show of resistance to congressional business as usual? How did we reach a point at which there will not be any more legislation that costs us our precious labor be passed in a matter of hours without a thorough review by We the People and their elected representatives? How did this happen?

As we all know, the porkfest of a continuing resolution was thoroughly Grokked. One of the weapons behind its demise was the fact that the Federalists Senior Legal Correspondent Margot Cleveland assigned pages in the document to her followers based on their X handle and asked for thoughtful analyses of the myriad components of this document.

Image of the new town square by Grok AI.

The result was that thousands commented on X, including many members of Congress, and addressed it throughout the whole constellation of social media fora. Hundreds of thousands engaged each other in the new e-village green. Strangers became allies and partners. Millions read the comments, especially those from prominent pundits with huge followings.

Everyone I know was talking about iteveryone, that is, except for my closest lefties. They just didnt want to talk about anything political at all.

Elon has been saying, You are the media now recently, and this has resonated with We the People. It is having a ripple effect across all media platforms. Its certainly upsetting the traditional journalism applecart. We are a deeply political population, with many millions of us invested in the processes whereby we are governed and informed. As we should be, half of all Americans are voting these days.

We are also well-educated, and some of us are very smart. Every possible subject is discussed widely on X, especially now that censorship of the conservative voice has been largely removed. Facts and opinions, ideas and experiences...all are informing our broad political decisions, as well as personal ideas about our own lives. Its a great time for finding ones voice.

Being well-informed is one of the democratic components of our constitutional republic. That we are able to be so is a testament to our founders commitment to freedom of speech. They, I suspect, would be delighted with the inclusion our electronic communication has brought to the collective voice as well as the individual voices of the American people.

Thank you, Elon Musk, for providing the sound system for todays American voices and the Song of Freedom.

Anony Mee is the nom de blog of a retired public servant who X-tweets here.
Samsungs Galaxy S25 Ultra is no doubt going to support wireless charging, but it isnt yet confirmed what that support looks like. Specifically with regard to the charging speed and the kind of wireless charging technology. That being said, a leaked image of a Galaxy S25 Ultra case may reveal that information to some degree.

A recently posted image from Jukanlosreve on X shows an upcoming case from Spigen for Samsungs next top-tier flagship. Its called the Liquid Crystal case, and it has a key feature that basically reveals details about what kind of wireless charging support Samsungs upcoming Galaxy S25 series will have.

Spoiler alert, it probably isnt going to be Qi2, not natively at least. Theres a reason for this based on this case leak, as well.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra may not natively support Qi2 wireless charging because it has no built-in magnets

Keep in mind that this is not confirmed by Samsung, but according to Jukanlosreves image leak, the Galaxy S25 Ultra doesnt have built-in magnets for a magnetic power profile. Previous rumors have already suggested this. The case from Spigen seems to unofficially confirm it. The case itself has what seems like a circular magnet for wireless charging. This would allow the Galaxy S25 Ultra to attach to magnetic wireless charging pads.

In the same image, the cases box has a tiny label on it that says MagFit for MagSafe. If the Galaxy S25 Ultra had a magnetic power profile with built-in magnets, this case wouldnt need the MagFit tech. As Phone Arena points out, native Qi2 support requires the phone to have those built-in magnets. So its reasonable to assume that Qi2 wireless charging isnt supported without a magnetic case.

How fast will the wireless charging be?

Thats tough to say at the moment, but there have been rumors surrounding this point already. Some say that it will be up to 25W, but its unclear how Samsung might make that possible without the built-in magnets. This also isnt the first leak thats popped up suggesting the Galaxy S25 series wont have native Qi2 support. A post from earlier this week mentioned the use of a magnet case to support the Qi2 standard. That means it wouldnt be native. And this leak from Jukanlosreve seems to support that rumor.

Another post says Samsung will have multiple magnetic accessories for the Galaxy S25 series. So it seems Samsung will offer its own accessories to consumers as well.
The Files by Google app will soon support Googles AI chatbot Geminis Ask about this PDF feature. The company originally showcased this functionality for Gemini at the I/O 2024 event in May. The search titan released a new feature for PDFs after it rolled out a new PDF viewer for the Files by Google app earlier this month.

You will soon be able to ask Gemini about a PDF in the Files by Google app

The Files by Google app is getting a trio of new features. The Gemini AI chatbots Ask about this PDF is one of the biggest highlights of the apps new functionalities. Using the feature, you can ask Gemini about a PDF file in Files by Google. You can simply say Hey Google or press & hold the power key, then tap Ask about this PDF, and ask a question.

Notably, this feature allows you to quickly get answers without having to scroll through multiple pages of a PDF file. The new functionality will be available on devices running Android 15 or higher. Furthermore, you will need a subscription to Gemini Advanced to utilize this functionality. The new feature is joining the existing Circle to Search shortcut feature. The company says the new PDF feature is rolling out soon.

Two more features are coming to the Files by Google app

Google will roll out two more features for the Files by Google app. You will soon be able to utilize Quick Share to receive files directly from Files by Google. Also, you can move files to the Safe Folder using the Recents section without opening them. This feature is available in version 1.5687.704205387.1 of the application.

The new feature joins the Share, Add to Starred, and Move to Trash options. The overflow menu for the Recents carousel section at the top of the homepage now shows the Move to Safe Folder option.
Google is many things. Its a search engine, its an email provider, its a mobile platform, but a tool for US propaganda? That might be up for debate, but Russian President Vladimir Putin seems to think so. During Putins annual phone-in session with the countrys citizens, the Russian President accuses the US government of using Google as a tool to advance its political agenda.

Slow YouTube speeds

Back in August, YouTube acknowledged that there have been reports that users in Russia were unable to access its platform. The company stated that this was due to actions taken on its part, nor were there any technical issues. Instead, some critics believe that Russian authorities are the ones causing disruptions to YouTube.

This is apparently to prevent the countrys citizens from accessing videos on YouTube that might contain content that is critical of Putin and his government. Unsurprisingly, the Russian government has denied those claims. Putin claims that Googles reduced investments in the country and the failure to supply the necessary equipment created these problems.

Putin was quoted as saying, Google, by reducing its investments in Russia and failing to supply the necessary equipment, has created problems for itself. Furthermore, YouTube and Google must comply with our laws and refrain from using the internet to advance their governments political goals.

YouTube has also, since the start of the Ukraine war, removed over 1,000 Russian channels. This includes state-backed news outlets and over 5.5 million videos. As a result, 17 Russian TV channels have brought Google to court. The courts have also issued compound fines, which the government is hoping will force Google to change its mind.

Russian alternatives

Russia has actually blocked access to several major social media websites. This includes Twitter (now known as X), Facebook, and Instagram. Interestingly enough YouTube is still accessible. Russia is hesitant to block the platform. Blocking access to YouTube could cause its citizens to turn on the government as it is accessed by approximately 50 million Russians on a daily basis.

In countries like China, where authorities block popular Western-based services, companies have created their own local alternatives. This includes Bilibili, Baidu, and Xiaohongshu, Chinas answer to YouTube, Google, and Facebook respectively. Russia has done something similar with platforms like VK, RuTube, and Telegram.

The difference is that none of these platforms have managed to challenge YouTube in any significant way. This could also be another reason why Russia is hesitant to block YouTube completely.
Google introduced the Android XR operating system for virtual reality headsets earlier this month. Apart from smartphones, TVs, tablets, smartwatches, and cars, Android will now also support VR headsets. Notably, Samsungs Project Moohan (Infinity in Korean) will be one of the first devices to support the new platform. Google hasnt yet revealed everything about the Android XR platform. However, recently a Samsung executive revealed that the Android XR devices, including Samsungs upcoming product, will support the Find My Device feature.

You will be able to locate your Samsung Android XR headset using the Find My Device feature

Googles VP and GM of the AR & XR division, Shahram Izadi has revealed to Android Faithful that Android XR devices will support the Find My Device feature. This will allow you to locate your Android XR headset using Googles Find My Feature, in case you place it. Since users do not wear these types of electronic devices continuously, they can easily misplace them.

Notably, while its hardly a surprise, this is a great piece of news. Android XR is based on Android and utilizes Googles services. So, we already expected the new platform to support the Find My Device feature. Other Android devices already support this functionality. Notably, Izadi has discussed the Android XR platform with the publication in a 30-minute interview, which you can watch below.

Android XR platform will support more Better Together umbrella of features by Google

Furthermore, Izadi went on to reveal that more Android capabilities will be available for the Android XR platform. The new platform will support most of Googles Better Together umbrella of features for Android. Notably, we expect Android XR devices will support features like Quick Share, Family Link, and multi-user support.

Notably, Izadi also discussed the split-compute configuration of Android XR during the interview. He also talked about how the new OS for VR headsets optimizes battery life, how Gemini will be able to control apps, and more.
The Ultra variants of the Galaxy S phones have typically been the most exciting variants, but that might change next year. While the Galaxy S25 Ultra has a ton of hype around it, our attention remains on the Galaxy S25 Slim. Rumors say that this phone will have a much thinner profile, and thats all that we know. Well, thanks to some new leaks, we might know some of the Galaxy S25 Slims specs.

Of course, youll want to take this news with a grain of salt. Right now, were still several months away from this phones launch. Samsung hasnt given away any official information about this phone.

However, a recent leaked Galaxy Unpacked promo image may have just showed it sorta. The image, which you see below, shows four devices. We know that three of them are the Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25+, and Galaxy S25 Ultra. Unless Samsung is launching a Galaxy S25 Ultra Mini FE+, we can guess that the fourth device is the Galaxy S25 Slim.

It seems odd that Samsung would showcase this device so early in the year, as rumors point to the Galaxy S25 Slim coming in the second quarter of the year. Only time will tell.

Some of the Galaxy S25s specs have surfaced

Several sources just spilled the beans on the Galaxy S25 Slim, and it looks like Samsung might pull out all of the stops with this phone. Starting off with a leak from reputable tipster Ice Universe, the Galaxy S25 Slim could be under 7mm thick. Ice refers to the thichness as 6.xmm. So, it could be anywhere between 6.9mm and 6mm. Either way, thats rather thin, as some of the thinnest phones on the market are around 7mm thick.

Ice also says that this phone will have a screen size of 6.66 inches. Thats a pretty average screen size. Its outside of the small phone category, but its not quite a tank.

Camera

Moving onto the camera specs, Tipster Debayan Roy claims that the Galaxy S25s main camera could pack 200 megapixels. 200MP cameras are becoming more common among smartphones. Along with that, this phone could have a 50MP ultrawide camera. Lastly, it could also have a 3.5x telephoto camera with a 50MP resolution. Obviously, these cameras will bin down to a lower resolution by default.

Samsung could use the ISOCELL HP5 sensor for the main camera and the ISECELL JN5 for the other two. We dont know what to expect for the selfie camera.

Battery & Processor

As for the battery, these specs might be a little disappointing. The battery capacity could be 5,000mAh, but it could also be as low as 4,700mAh. Well, sacrifices need to be made in the name of thinness.

Weve followed rumors about Samsung using a Snapdragon processor for its upcoming phones and rumors about it using an Exynos processor. Well, acording to the tipsters, it looks like the Galaxy S25 Slim will use the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor.
USAA plans to offer no-interest loans to military customers in the event of a government shutdown. Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News

Ahead of a potential government shutdown this weekend, USAA is offering no-interest loans to its military and other affected members to substitute for missing paychecks.

The San Antonio-based insurance and financial services company said Thursday it would provide loans of up to $6,000 and other payment assistance if lawmakers do not hammer out a bill and pass it by a Friday night deadline.

Stability plays an important role in the financial security of our members, and empowering that security is our mission, Mark Pregmon, vice president of consumer lending at USAA Federal Savings Bank, said in a statement. Our members can count on USAA to be there with them in the event of a government shutdown and ensure that their day-to-day financial needs continue to be met.

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President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday effectively tanked a bipartisan deal lawmakers had hashed out to avoid the partial government shutdown, describing the legislation as full of giveaways for Democrats and calling for lifteing the debt ceiling while President Joe Biden is still in office. It left Republicans and Democrats scrambling to come up with a solution.

A government shutdown could cause havoc for many families in San Antonio and Texas, where many military personnel live. The city has two Air Force bases and two Army installations that collectively employ about 80,000 active duty, reserve and National Guard personnel and civilian workers. They could struggle to make mortgage, rent and car payments without their government paychecks, depending on how long a shutdown lasted.

Across the U.S., it would mean hundreds of thousands of other federal employees could be sent home  or stay on the job without pay  just ahead of the holidays.

Each federal agency determines its own plan for how to handle a shutdown, but any government operations deemed non-essential are suspended. Sometimes workers are furloughed, meaning they keep their jobs but temporarily dont work until the government reopens. Other federal workers may stay on the job but without pay, with the expectation that they would be paid back in full once the government reopens.

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Workers are exempted from furloughs if their jobs are national security-related or if they perform essential activities that protect life and property. While troops would stay at their posts without pay, many civilian employees in agencies like the Department of Defense would be sent home. National parks and monuments, including the San Antonio Missions National Historic Park, would close and employees be sent home.

To be eligible for a loan, USAA said members must be employed by an affected federal agency, have direct deposit set up for a checking or savings account, have received a qualifying direct deposit to that account within 30 days of the shutdown, have credit approval and have a physical U.S., Army Post Office, Diplomatic Post Office or Fleet Post Office address.
Boohoo shareholders have rejected efforts by Sports Direct 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.

It said it hoped the pair could help turn around the business after dismal results.

However, at a meeting in Manchester, a majority of Boohoo shareholders voted against motions to appoint the pair as directors.

Boohoo held the meeting on Friday in Manchester (Ian West/PA)

Around 63.7% of shareholder votes were cast against Mr Ashleys appointment, with only 36.2% in his favour.

The results of the meeting also showed that 63.7% of votes were cast against Mr Lennons appointment.

Tim Morris, independent non-executive chair of Boohoo, said: I would like to thank our shareholders for their support of the board.

We remain focused on delivery of our business review with the objection of unlocking and maximising value for all shareholders.

Dan Finley, chief executive of Boohoo, said: Our group is a dynamic business, with great brands and extremely talented people, underpinned by best-in-class infrastructure.

Since my appointment, I have hit the ground running, taking immediate and decisive actions to maximise and unlock value for all shareholders.
A father who armed himself with a bat before deliberately driving into a motorcyclist who was involved in a high-speed chase with his son has been jailed for 11 years after being found guilty of manslaughter.

Richard Radbourne, 47, died from multiple traumatic injuries including a severed spinal cord and brain damage after Murat Karakas used his Audi Q3 to drive into him as he rode his Harley Davidson in Comberford Road, Tamworth, Staffordshire, behind Max Karakas on March 3.

Karakas, 51, had armed himself with a small rounders bat when he learned there had been a disagreement between his son and Mr Radbourne, an HGV driver, and got into his car to go and find them as the motorcyclist pursued his son.

Murat Karakas has been jailed for 11 years for manslaughter (Staffordshire Police/PA)

Stafford Crown Court heard that Max Karakas and Mr Radbourne were travelling above 70mph on 30mph speed limit roads when Karakas approached them head-on, allowing his sons vehicle to pass before moving over the central line and hitting the motorcyclist.

Opening the crowns case at trial, prosecuting barrister Michael Burrows KC said Karakas, of Gillway Lane in Tamworth, drove his big car at a motorcycle to cause at least serious harm to Mr Radbourne, who was catapulted from the bike.

A post-mortem examination showed Mr Radbourne suffered multiple serious injuries including a bleed on his brain, damage to his brain stem, a severed spinal cord, a torn aorta and fractures to his spine and thigh bones, and he died at the scene despite the efforts of passers-by and paramedics.

Judge Kristina Montgomery KC said Karakas, who had trained as a teacher in his home country of Turkey before coming to the UK and studying to become a boiler and gas engineer, had formed a blockade with his vehicle to stop Mr Radbourne, who the court heard had been drinking on the evening of the crash, from following his son.

She said: The fact is when you saw your sons car approaching and the motorcycle behind it, you slowed and pulled over the centre lines into Mr Radbournes path, having let your son pass.

The resulting collision between your vehicle and Mr Radbourne was inevitable and the consequences were clearly to be anticipated by anyone.

He had been thrown clear of his motorcycle by some distance. Your vehicle collided with Mr Radbournes motorcycle with such ferocity it was indistinguishable as a Harley Davidson to a trained police officer.

Karakas had shown remorse for what he had done, phoning for an ambulance after the collision and writing a letter detailing his devastation to the court, but Judge Montgomery said he had not accepted accountability.

She said: I accept it is genuine in that the outcome was something you didnt desire but it is difficult to reconcile those words with the evidence at trial.

Remorse is only genuine if it accepts accountability and I dont find that you found yourself accountable for your actions.

Using your vehicle, a substantial vehicle as it was, to stop an oncoming motorcyclist by creating a collision was a highly dangerous act. There was a clear and obvious danger to the rider.

She also said Karakas had been preoccupied with self-preservation after the crash, passing the bat to a family member to spirit away from the scene before police found it.

The judge ordered Karakas to serve two-thirds of his 11-year sentence in prison before he could be released on licence.

He was also disqualified from driving for five years on his release and must take an extended retest before he is allowed to drive again.

In a statement read out at court on Friday, Mr Radbournes father Kevin described his son as having a wicked sense of humour and a cheeky smile whose motorcycle was his pride and joy.

He said: To lose my son in such a senseless and tragic way is very difficult to come to terms with.

He was my youngest son, my baby. He was 47 but still very precious to me. We are left with a void that can never be filled.
Eight Palestinian children have arrived in Ireland for treatment as part of a multi-agency effort.

Ireland is to take in 30 children following an appeal from the World Health Organisation (WHO) to address the urgent health needs of people in Gaza.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly confirmed the first group of Palestinian children arrived in Dublin on Thursday evening, along with eight carers and 11 siblings.

The group travelled on a plane provided by the Slovakian government for the medical evacuation and were accompanied by three medical doctors from Irelands health service as well as a translator.

Several politicians welcomed them to Ireland including the Palestinian ambassador to Ireland, Dr Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid, and Slovakian ambassador Andrej Droba.

The group will travel to hospital for a full medical assessment on Friday before settling into their accommodation over the weekend.

The Irish Government approved the initiative in September.

Ireland is estimated to be receiving up to 30 paediatric patients in total from Gaza (Niall Carson/PA)

The Department of Health said Ireland will opt-in on a case-by-case basis for each child requiring treatment based on its capacity.

The WHO has coordinated the evacuation of 2,300 patients through Egypt since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, which has put pressure on the countrys health system.

The patients travelling to Ireland are part of the group that was in Egypt.

Ireland is estimated to be receiving up to 30 paediatric patients in total from Gaza.

Their health needs are categorised under cancer, haemodialysis and other severe medical conditions, with the exception of orthopaedics.

Michael Martin said: Children in Gaza cannot go into the New Year facing more serious injury and trauma (Brian Lawless/PA)

Micheal Martin, Irelands deputy premier and Foreign Affairs Minister, said: The long-term impact of the physical and mental scars being inflicted on children in Gaza is unconscionable.

Ireland has continued to work with our international partners, most notably UNRWA (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees), to provide urgent assistance to people in Gaza.

The medical evacuation of children to Ireland is part of our consistent support for the people of Palestine.

I am conscious that many other critically ill patients remain in Gaza, and their requests for medical evacuation are being delayed or denied by Israeli authorities.

This denial of medical care is unacceptable and must stop.

Since the beginning of this conflict, Ireland has consistently called for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages and a massive surge of humanitarian aid, including urgent medical care for critically ill children trapped in Gaza.

This must happen. Children in Gaza cannot go into the New Year facing more serious injury and trauma.
The King joked that he was still alive during a visit with the Queen to Walthamstow after Augusts peaceful anti-racist protest in the area.

The couple attended a reception in celebration of community cohesion at Waltham Forest Town Hall in east London on Friday, and greeted crowds who had gathered outside.

Asked How are you? by Sikh faith representative Harvinder Rattan, the King smiled as he replied: Im still alive.

The royal couple waved at the crowds outside the town hall and went on a walkabout after meeting representatives from different faith communities in the listed building.

During the visit, Camilla donated 25 toys to Citizens UK, to be passed on to children living in asylum hotels, and a donation to a food bank was left on the Kings behalf.

The donation included Waitrose cartons of long-life milk, Christmas puddings, custard and mince pies.

The royal couple attended a reception in celebration of community cohesion (Mina Kim/PA)

After listening to a performance by a childrens choir, A Little Choir of Joy, Charles told them: I do hope you have a very happy Christmas.

He then joked that the children in the choir, made up of eight to 12 year-olds from schools in the borough, should make the most of it for the poor teachers.

Charles was presented with a Christmas card from the choir, with messages written inside which included Your majesties, thank you so much for visiting us today and hope you enjoyed our singing.

The Queen gave toys to Citizens UK for children living in hotels as asylum seekers (Mina Kim/PA)

Refreshments for the reception were provided by Haven Cafe, whose owner Usman Khalid is a former asylum seeker who trains refugees to be baristas.

Following the town hall engagement, Charles visited the nearby William Morris Gallery and viewed its William Morris & Art from the Islamic World exhibition.

Charles during a visit to the William Morris Gallery (Aaron Chown/PA)

After disorder across some parts of the UK, thousands of people gathered in Walthamstow for a counter-demonstration on August 7, and those planning to protest outside an immigration centre failed to turn up.

The area in north-east London was one of hundreds of locations earmarked for protests, and there with fears of widespread unrest.

Caroline Akuffo showed Charles a photo of the pair meeting in Japan in 1970 (Mina Kim/PA)

Instead, at least 5,000 counter-protesters gathered outside the immigration centre, taking a stand, they said, against racism and violence.

Among those greeting the royal couple in the town hall was Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy, who said the visit means a lot.

Speaking after the royals departed, the Labour MP told the PA news agency: The far-right are very active in our local community, and they continue to come and protest here.

The royal couple listened to a performance by a childrens choir during their visit (Mina Kim/PA)

That means that we as a community have to be constantly vigilant and it means a lot that the King has recognised the community, the grassroots activism.

We never want to get to a place again where people are having to challenge the far-right on our streets.

Buckingham Palace said Augusts peaceful protest demonstrated the true community spirit of the borough, coming together to keep people and communities safe.

Waltham Forest was officially recognised as a Borough of Sanctuary by the national charity City of Sanctuary in December 2023.
US pop star Lizzo said she was in a very dark place but music saved my life after three former dancers filed a lawsuit against her.

In August 2023, the US singer and her production company were sued by ex-dancers Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez, who accused the Good As Hell singer of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment.

At the time, the pop singer described the allegations as gut-wrenchingly difficult and overwhelmingly disappointing, saying the claims are as unbelievable as they sound.

A Baby, This is Keke Palmer Exclusive with @lizzo Today  pic.twitter.com/w70TwTe8Ic  Keke Palmer (@KekePalmer) December 19, 2024

In her first interview on the matter, Lizzo said on the Baby, This Is Keke Palmer podcast: The last year and a half, I needed time to process and grow as a person.

I was literally living in my dream and then the tour ended, and three dancers just completely blindsided me with a lawsuit.

Grammy-winning star Lizzo said it was the sexual harassment allegations against her which upsets me the most, but called the claims silly and ridiculous.

Lets be clear, I did nothing wrong, she told Palmer.

The 36-year-old said she was in the recording studio immediately after the lawsuit was filed, writing so many songs that the world will never hear because I was angry.

Music saved my life, straight up, because that period of my life that period of my life was very dark because of the feeling of betrayal, Lizzo said, becoming emotional.

Lizzo said music saved her life after a lawsuit was filed against her (Yui Mok/PA)

I hired you, I believed in you, and to feel betrayed on that level was deeply earth-shattering.

In September 2023, similar allegations were made against Lizzo by stylist Asha Daniels who alleged she was subject to racial and sexual harassment and a hostile work environment while on tour with Lizzo.

Earlier this month, a US judge dismissed the allegations against Lizzo as an individual, however her company Big Grrrl Big Touring Inc remains a defendant in the ongoing case.

Lizzo told Palmer: Were continuing to fight the other claims until theyre all dismissed, and not dropped, dismissed.

Lawyer Ron Zambrano said in a statement to the PA news agency: Following up on reporting about comments Lizzo made on a podcast appearance regarding being dismissed from a lawsuit, we just wanted to clarify that Lizzo remains a defendant in the harassment lawsuit filed by dancers Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez, which is currently being reviewed by the court of appeals.
A man who admitted to tripping out on drugs while failing to attend his trial has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 25 years for his pivotal part in a fatal ambush.

Vittorio Di Murro, 26, of Walthamstow, east London, was arrested in Anzio, Italy, last October where he fled two days after he and others attacked 25-year-old Jordan Briscoe with a single knife on March 5 2023.

Mr Briscoe was lured to Arnold Road, Tottenham, north London, by what the prosecution said was a fake request by a woman to meet up to buy drugs.

Jordan Briscoe was ambushed and killed in north London (Metropolitan Police/PA)

His partner, Rianne Lucas, found out she was pregnant with his child after the murder, and told the Old Bailey on Friday that she now has to provide for her daughter alone because of a senseless act.

Four other men were convicted of Mr Briscoes murder at an earlier trial and have all been locked up for life  Karl Black, 44, Ayyub Kigozi, 19, and Jabir Sitar, 21, all from Walthamstow, and Jahoe Allen, 34, of Uxbridge, west London.

Christina Manen, 37, of Ramsgate, who was the one to contact Mr Briscoe, was found guilty of manslaughter.

Di Murro was originally tried with his five co-defendants, but the Old Bailey heard on Friday that his legal team withdrew and he was discharged from that trial because he consistently disrupted proceedings by failing to attend.

Judge Anthony Leonard KC said a separate trial was fixed for Di Murro alone but the pattern continued, with him failing to attend pre-trial hearings as well as 11 of his conferences with his lawyers.

Di Murro said he was unwell on the first day of his trial but the judge said a doctor found there were no signs he was ill.

Concerns were then raised that he was taking illicit substances, which were affecting his behaviour.

On December 12, a day when you were said to be unfit to attend court although you seemed capable of attending a social visit in prison you acknowledged that you had taken something that was good, the judge said.

You described yourself as tripping out.

Di Murro did not give evidence in his trial and was convicted on Wednesday, after which he dispensed with his legal team and said he would represent himself.

I have gone through the history of this to show why I have proceeded to sentence with you being unrepresented and in your absence, Judge Leonard said.

I consider you to be unrepresentable.

I make it clear that your behaviour does not affect the sentence I impose.

What your behaviour has done is cause the family of the deceased to have to constantly put up with interrupted proceedings which must have caused them strain and I pay tribute to their fortitude.

The judge ordered that the victim impact statements from Ms Lucas and Mr Briscoes mother Claudette be sent to Di Murro in prison.

The victim impact statements show that your group cut short the life of a man who was much loved and who no one had to a bad thing to say about, he said.

His partner Rianne did not know at the time Jordan was murdered that she was pregnant with his child and she will now bring up her daughter who will not know her father.

He also said Di Murro played a pivotal part in the attack by arranging for the two youngest defendants, Kigozi and Sitar, to join the group.

The judge did not accept that Di Murro was struggling with any mental health needs, adding: Any issues you have are a result of your admitted use of illicit drugs.

In an emotional address, Ms Lucas told of how her partner was known in their community as the happy man, adding: Not everybody knew his name but they knew his smile.

Not long after I found out I was pregnant, she continued. As much as I was happy that I would always have a piece of him with me, I also knew with everything in me how much he wanted to be a dad and how happy he would have been.

Its not fair to our beautiful daughter who I now have to raise by myself. A daughter I have to now provide for alone because of a senseless act. A daughter who, when she wants to see her dad, I have to take her to the cemetery.

Claudette Briscoe spoke of the joy and light her son brought to her and her familys lives.

The pain of knowing his daughter will grow up without her fathers love and guidance is a burden that weighs heavily on my heart every single day, she told the court.

His daughter will never hear his voice, feel his embrace or experience the joy of having him by her side.

Adding to our pain is the disrespectful behaviour of the defendants, the mother added.

This last defendant in particular has shown no willingness to claim his part in my sons tragic end.

Doorbell footage showed a group surrounding Mr Briscoe in Tottenham in March last year just before 10pm, talking to him for around 11 minutes asking him about drugs and asking for his name, age and about his religion.

They then moved out of the cameras view to carry out the fatal attack.

Kigozi was also found guilty of robbing Mr Briscoe of his phone during the incident.

The jury took less than an hour to convict Di Murro of murder.
Lord Peter Mandelson has said it is a great honour to serve the country as the Prime Minister confirmed he had appointed him the next British ambassador to the US.

Labour grandee Lord Mandelson, who served in the cabinets of Sir Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, becomes the UKs top diplomat in Washington DC as US President-elect Donald Trump is set to return to the White House.

It is a great honour to serve the country in this way, Lord Mandelson said.

He added: We face challenges in Britain but also big opportunities and it will be a privilege to work with the Government to land those opportunities, both for our economy and our nations security, and to advance our historic alliance with the United States.

Donald Trump has pledged to introduce wide-ranging tariffs on the first day of his new administration (Allison Robbert/AP)

Lord Mandelson will take up the role in early 2025.

Sir Keir Starmer said that he was delighted to appoint Lord Mandelson, and he will bring unrivalled experience to the role.

In a statement, the Prime Minister said that the United States is one of our most important allies and as we move into a new chapter in our friendship, Peter will bring unrivalled experience to the role and take our partnership from strength to strength.

He also thanked outgoing ambassador Dame Karen Pierce for her invaluable service and steadfast support she has given him personally since his election in July.

Sir Keir added: She made history as the first woman to serve as UK Ambassador to the US and she has been an outstanding representative of our country abroad. I wish her all the very best in future.

The political appointment comes as Mr Trump will return to the White House in January.

Lord Mandelsons trade experience is seen as a strength amid concerns over what the second Trump presidency could mean for the UK.

Mr Trump has pledged to introduce wide-ranging tariffs on the first day of his new administration, which starts on January 20, with experts predicting damaging consequences for Britains goods trade with the US.

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, has already hit back at the Labour peer after his words emerged, describing Lord Mandelson as an absolute moron.

A source previously described Lord Mandelson as having unrivalled political and policy experience, particularly on the crucial issue of trade, and on Friday a Cabinet minister suggested he would be a really good fit for the position.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander described him as an individual of very significant international standing. She told Sky News: We need someone as the next ambassador to the US who is going to be able to promote our economic and security interests with one of our closest allies, and so I think he is a really good fit for the job.

Lord Mandelson, pictured right along with Tony Blair in 2001, was seen as a key architect of New Labour (PA)

Lord Mandelson 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 Sir Tony 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 William Hague.
Netflix spy thriller Black Doves starring Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw is to return for a second series.

The first instalment saw Oscar-nominated actress Knightley portray Helen Webb, a dedicated wife, mother and professional spy who has been passing on her politician husbands secrets for 10 years to the organisation she works for  the Black Doves.

After her lover Jason is assassinated, she sets out on a mission to investigate who killed him with Sam Young, a Champagne-drinking assassin played by Bafta-winning Whishaw.

Black Doves Season 2 is coming, darlings. pic.twitter.com/gJbuTag3nT  Netflix (@netflix) December 20, 2024

Set against the backdrop of London at Christmastime, together they uncover a vast conspiracy that links London to a looming geopolitical crisis.

In a new clip posted by Netflix on Friday, Knightley can be seen meeting Whishaw at a bar which is decked out with festive decorations.

She greets him with Merry Christmas to which he replies Hello darling before giving her a kiss on the cheek.

As they clink glasses of fizz, Knightley says: Heres to Black Doves season one, before Whishaw adds: Dont forget season two, darling.

The pair then unwrap small parcels which contain what appear to be bullets, and after staring at the small pellets they both drop them into their full glasses.

Alongside the clip, the streamer added: Black Doves Season 2 is coming, darlings.

Ben Whishaw will return to his role for series two of Black Doves (Ian West/PA)

The first series also stars Happy Valley star Sarah Lancashire as spymaster Reed as well as Carnival Rows Andrew Buchan, Bullet Train actor Andrew Koji, Chernobyls Sam Troughton, The Diplomat star Adam Silver and In My Skin actress Gabrielle Creevy.

Knightley serves as an executive producer on the thriller alongside This Is Going To Hurts Jane Featherstone, Giri/Hajis Chris Fry and the creator-writer of the new series Joe Barton, who is known for The Lazarus Project.

The 39-year-old actress received Academy Award nods for her portrayal of Elizabeth Bennet in 2005s Pride & Prejudice and for 2014s The Imitation Game, a biopic about Alan Turing set during the Second World War.

She is also known for the blockbuster film series Pirates Of The Caribbean, Christmas classic romcom Love Actually and period drama Atonement.

Whishaw, 44, has won the Bafta best actor award for This Is Going to Hurt and The Hollow Crown: Richard II, as well as picking up the best supporting actor prize for A Very English Scandal.
Mourners gather near a tribute to Samuel Paty, French history and geography teacher - Getty/Alain Jocard

A French court on Friday convicted two friends of the jihadist who beheaded a French history and geography teacher of complicity in the killing, jailing them for 16 years.

Prosecutors had sought life sentences for Naim Boudaoud, 22, and Azim Epsirkhanov, 23, for the brutal murder outside Samuel Patys school in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, west of Paris, which horrified France.

Mr Paty, 47, was killed in October 2020 by an 18-year-old Islamist radical of Chechen origin after showing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in class.

His killer, Abdoullakh Anzorov, died in a shoot-out with police. It later transpired he sent a photo minutes after the murder to a member of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the group that toppled Syrias Bashar al-Assad, and received a warm reply.

The friends were found guilty of providing Anzorov logistical support, including to buy weapons.

Prosecutor Marine Valentin said that the accused had been fully aware of the killers jihadist convictions when they helped him.

Mr Paty was killed after an online campaign against him that was whipped up by a radical Muslim cleric and the father of one of his pupils.

Brahim Chnina and Abdelhakim Sefrioui were jailed for 13 and 15 years, respectively, for terrorist criminal association.

Chnina, 52, an Algerian-born father of five, triggered the outpouring of hate against Mr Paty with mistaken claims of discrimination against his then 13-year-old daughter.

Prosecutors described him and Sefrioui, 65, as an infernal duo who should have realised that by denouncing the history teacher on social media as a blasphemer they risked inciting a terrorist to attack him. At the time of the attack, Sefrioui headed a group named after Sheikh Yassin, the founder of Hamas.

In all, eight people were found guilty.

The other four defendants received sentences of between one and five years, including the only woman, Priscilla Mangel, 36, a social media influencer with open jihadist sympathies.

Mr Patys sister Mickaelle complained on Friday that prosecutors demands were very weak.

I think my brother died for nothing, she said, adding that teachers were still being targeted by violence and threats, she told BFM TV. In a book on the issue, she said: There has been no awakening, no jump start, and our enemies have gained further ground.

Mr Paty had used the cartoons, first published in Charlie Hebdo magazine, as part of an ethics class to discuss freedom of expression laws in France, where blasphemy is legal and cartoons mocking religious figures have a long history.

I have decapitated the teacher

Anzorov was shot dead shortly after the murder, but not before he sent a message to a contact in Idlib, Syria, saying: I have decapitated the teacher. I am going to do jihad in France. He sent a photograph of Mr Patys head. The contact replied: Allahu akbar. Let the peace, mercy and blessing of Allah be on you.

Intelligence agents have identified the contact as Farrukh Furkatovitch Fayzimatov, 28, from Tajikistan, the court has been told.

Fayzimatov is said by the US Department of the Treasury to have used social media to post propaganda, recruit new members, and solicit donations for HTS, which is a proscribed terrorist organisation in America as well as several other countries.

The Liberation newspaper said in an article three years ago that French intelligence services doubted that HTS had ordered the killing but believed that Anzorov had been in touch with members in or near Idlib.

A few weeks before Mr Patys murder, Anzorov had posted on Snapchat a message saying that the best group to join at the moment is Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

Shortly after the murder, a spokesman for HTS told a French journalist specialising in radical Islam that the group did not know Anzorov and had had no involvement in the murder. However, he failed to condemn the killing.
The U.S. continues to wage a new 'Cold War' in Cyberspace

Ecns.cn) 09:44, December 20, 2024

For many years, the United States has employed various means to attempt to monitor, influence, and dominate cyberspace, continually undermining the open, free, fair, and rational order of cyberspace through actions such as manipulating cyber opinions, conducting cyber attacks, and more. Influenced by the supremacist hegemonism mindset, the activities of the United States in cyberspace have increasingly taken on an offensive nature, leveraging the concept of "cybersecurity" to gradually expand its control over the global cyberspace and initiate a new "Cold War" in this domain.

The United States continuously manipulates cyber opinions through cyberspace. Leveraging its informational technology and resource advantages, the United States carries out large-scale, systematic, and indiscriminate cyber monitoring and espionage activities globally. From ordinary citizens to heads of state, political leaders, international organizations, diplomatic missions, and corporations, they are all "caught in the net" by U.S. intelligence agencies, and even U.S. allies are not spared, which has become an open secret.

The U.S. government uses the internet to disseminate false information to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. Such behavior includes ideological infiltration and control of target countries via the internet, smearing foreign governments, inciting public emotions, misleading cyber opinions, interfering in the internal affairs of other countries, and even overthrowing foreign governments. The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) in the United States widely uses social media to fund NGOs to publish multimedia content, conduct online training, and incite color revolutions. For example, it created the "hijab controversy" to incite the public and launch opinion attacks to smear the Iranian government; it funded NGOs in the Kosovo region of Serbia to provoke conflicts between the Serbian government and the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government in Prishtina, interfering in the internal affairs of other countries and attempting to invade and split them.

The U.S. government uses its authority to manipulate international opinion platforms in cyberspace. In April 2024, U.S. President Biden signed a package of "foreign assistance acts," which included a mandate for ByteDance to divest its TikTok business in the United States within nine months or face a ban in the country. This action exemplifies the United States' double standards in maintaining its cyber hegemony by controlling and manipulating international opinion platforms.

The United States conducts offensive cyber operations globally. The United States has fully implemented an offensive cyberspace strategy. The U.S. Cyber Command became the tenth combatant command of the U.S. Armed Forces in 2018, one of the highest-level military branches. Since its inception, the U.S. Cyber Command has emphasized the proactive use of cyberspace for dynamic force projection, rapidly generating non-kinetic effects to achieve " forward defense" and "persistent engagement," and establishing cyberspace information superiority for joint forces. In terms of mission tasks and operational patterns, "hunting forward" is the concrete action implementing the "forward defense" strategy and the "persistent engagement" principle. Although the Cyber Command repeatedly emphasizes that "hunting forward" operations are purely defensive, they are substantively offensive and have taken greater efforts in recent years to conduct comprehensive deterrence and strikes against cyber forces in Russia, Iran, and other countries, striving to shape a hegemonic position in cyberspace.

The United States frequently employs false narratives to smear other countries while covering up its own cyber attacks. In recent years, the U.S. government and its intelligence agencies have tried to link China with cyber attacks worldwide through the fictional "Volt Typhoon"hacker group to obscure their own malicious activities in global cyberspace. The origins of the " Volt Typhoon" incident can be traced back to an information warfare meticulously orchestrated by the U.S. government. "Volt Typhoon" is a false information and opinion manipulation operation orchestrated by U.S. intelligence agencies such as the National Security Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the participation of multiple federal government administrative units and cybersecurity authorities from the "Five Eyes Alliance" countries. This operation not only involves the dissemination of false information but also includes conspiratorial fraud against the U.S. Congress and taxpayers, aimed at maintaining the U.S. hegemony in the cyber domain.

Moreover, the United States attempts to strengthen its leadership in cyberspace by formulating international cyber rules and uses cyber warfare means to uphold its global hegemony. The United States continuously strengthens cooperation with other countries, using the pretext of enhancing ally cybersecurity to expand its control over cyberspace and seize more cyberspace resources. While claiming to serve the cybersecurity of its partners, it actually increases control over cyberspace and initiates a new "Cold War" in this domain. These actions may grant the United States short-term hegemony but come at the expense of the long-term interests of individuals, organizations, and countries globally. The essence of cyberspace hegemonism in the digital age is to place one's own interests above the interests of other countries, ignoring or denying the sovereign interests and development aspirations of other countries or regions. This will have a severe impact on the security and stability of global cyberspace. We must be highly vigilant, take precautions, and regard the concept of building a cyberspace community with a shared future as the fundamental strategy to address this issue.

(Web editor: Tian Yi, Zhong Wenxing)
The two vehicles involved with a car accident ExcellED Montessori Preschool are seen with hydraulic lift still underneath the white car on the right on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, in Northwest Bexar County. A teacher was killed and five children were hospitalized after a car crashed into a playground and pinned several people, including children, underneath Thursday evening, officials said. Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News Alexia Rosales, 22, was killed Thursday when two vehicles crashed through a fence at ExcellED Montessori, a preschool Northwest of San Antonio. Courtesy ExcellED Montessori Facebook Bexar County Sheriff Deputies are seen on the scene of a car crash at ExcellED Montessori Preschool on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, in Boerne, Texas. A faculty member was killed and five children were hospitalized after a car crashed into a playground and pinned several people, including children, underneath Thursday evening, officials said. Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News Law enforcement empty one of the two vehicles involved with a car accident at ExcellED Montessori Preschool on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, in Northwest Bexar County. A teacher was killed and five children were hospitalized after a car crashed into a playground and pinned several people, including children, underneath Thursday evening, officials said. Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News Members of law enforcement watch traffic pass as they divert traffic from entering a parking lot with a car crash under investigation at ExcellED Montessori Preschool on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, in Boerne, Texas. A faculty member was killed and five children were hospitalized after a car crashed into a playground and pinned several people, including children, underneath Thursday evening, officials said. Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News Dressed in festive pajamas, a woman looks out inside ExcellED Montessori Preschool on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, in Boerne, Texas. A faculty member was killed and five children were hospitalized after a car crashed into a playground and pinned several people, including children, underneath Thursday evening, officials said. Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News People are seen entering and leaving ExcellED Montessori Preschool on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, in Boerne, Texas. A faculty member was killed and five children were hospitalized after a car crashed into a playground and pinned several people, including children, underneath Thursday evening, officials said. Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News People are seen in the main entrance to ExcellED Montessori Preschool on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, in Boerne, Texas. A faculty member was killed and five children were hospitalized after a car crashed into a playground and pinned several people, including children, underneath Thursday evening, officials said. Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News An investigator photographs the scene of a car crash at ExcellED Montessori Preschool on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, in Northwest Bexar County. A teacher was killed and five children were hospitalized after a car crashed into a playground and pinned several people, including children, underneath Thursday evening, officials said. Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News A Leon Springs fire truck drives illuminates a building at ExcellED Montessori Preschool on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, in Northwest Bexar County. A teacher was killed and five children were hospitalized after a car crashed into a playground and pinned several people, including children, underneath Thursday evening, officials said. Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News

A teacher who was killed at a Boerne area preschool when two vehicles crashed through a fence  pinning her and several children  has been identified.

Alexia Rosales, 22, was identified Friday by the Bexar County Medical Examiners Office. Her cause and manner of death are still under investigation.

The deadly accident occurred Thursday afternoon as parents were leaving a holiday performance at ExcellED Montessori, a preschool located at 27521 Interstate 10, which accepts children from 10 weeks to 6 years old.

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The driver, a parent, had loaded her children into her vehicle when, for an unknown reason, she suddenly accelerated, hitting another car in the school parking lot, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said.

The impact sent both vehicles crashing through the fence. On the other side of the fence, the teacher was watching over students as they played.

Rosales and several children were pinned under the car for some time, Salazar said.

Bexar County Emergency Services District 4 firefighters used a hydraulic lift to free the victims from under the vehicle, the sheriff said.

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Rosales died at the scene.

Five children and another faculty member in her 20s were rushed to an area hospital. Some were gravely injured, while others were taken as a precaution, Salazar said.

The driver reportedly had a past medical history that may have contributed to the crash. Salazar said he didn't expect to file charges.

"It appears that it was a tragic accident," he said.

In a statement posted on social media Friday morning, ExcellED Montessori said Rosales was a beloved teacher.

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Yesterday, we lost someone truly special. Alexia Rosales, a beloved teacher at ExcellED Montessori, passed away in a tragic accident, the school said. Alexia wasnt just a teacher  she was a bright light in all our lives. Her smile, laughter, and boundless love for the children and everyone around her made our school feel like a second home.

Her impact on our community is immeasurable, and her absence leaves a hole in our hearts. As we grieve, we want to come together to support her family in this incredibly difficult time.

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The preschool set up a GoFundMe fundraiser online to help with funeral costs and other expenses. By 1 p.m. on Friday, it had raised more than $18,000.

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On the GoFundMe page, the school said its community was heartbroken.

"Her smile lit up every room, and her laughter brought so much joy to our days. She had a special way of connecting with everyone  making you feel seen, heard, and valued," the school wrote. "Watching her with the kids was something truly special. She loved each child as if they were her own, pouring her heart into every moment."

ExcellED Montessori closed its Fair Oaks Boerne campus Friday. It will reopen on Dec. 30.

At this time, we ask for grace, patience, and prayers for everyone affected, the school said in the post.
Lord Mandelson has previously served as business secretary, first secretary of state and an EU commissioner for trade - Heathcliff O'Malley for The Telegraph

Almost nobody in Washington DC will know who Lord Mandelson is, a US congressman has suggested.

Glenn Grothman, the Republican chairman of National Security, a sub-committee of the US House of Representatives for border and foreign affairs, estimated that 15 of the 435 members of the House would be able to name the Labour peer.

Lord Mandelson is set to be announced as the new British ambassador to the US as Sir Keir Starmer attempts to build a strong relationship with the incoming Trump administration through appointing a political figure to the role.

The selection marks a political comeback for one of the key architects of New Labour under Sir Tony Blair.

Heidi Alexander, the Transport Secretary, described Lord Mandelson as an individual of very significant international standing on Friday morning, making him a really good fit for the position.

However, the move prompted some backlash as John McDonnell, the former shadow chancellor, said it showed that Sir Keir had lost all sense of political judgment.

Glenn Grothmann was asked if he or his fellow congressmen knew of Lord Mandelson - Tom Williams/Getty Images

Sir Keir will be hoping that Lord Mandelsons considerable political experience as business secretary, first secretary of state and an EU commissioner for trade will help the UK to navigate potential trade wars and avoid tariffs threatened by Donald Trump.

However, the extent of Lord Mandelsons reputation in Washington DC was brought into question by Mr Grothman.

Asked if he or his fellow congressmen knew anything about Lord Mandelson, Mr Grothman told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: Well, I have read a little bit more about him quite frankly tonight.

I would be surprised of the 435 members in the US House of Representatives if 15 of them could name the new ambassador from Britain.

Mr Grothman went on to suggest that the UKs decision to leave the European Union (EU) could help it avoid tariffs.

Asked how the country could avoid the imposition of the levies, he added: I would suggest just meeting with various congressmen who could maybe provide a little bit of a counterbalance if Donald Trump tried to do something there.

And I think president Trump  the type of person that he is, though I dont know if he has ever spoken on the issue in the past  probably appreciates that Great Britain pulled out of the EU.

I think if you want to help another country that is not part of the EU, you better help Britain.

John McDonnell said Sir Keir had lost all sense of political judgment after the appointment - Tejas Sandhu/Getty Images

Ms Alexander backed Lord Mandelson to do well in his new role.

I think Lord Mandelson is an individual of very significant international standing. He has been a previous EU trade commissioner  hes a very experienced politician, the Cabinet minister told Sky News.

We need someone as the next ambassador to the US who is going to be able to promote our economic and security interests with one of our closest allies and so I think he is a really good fit for the job.

But Mr McDonnell, the MP for Hayes and Harlington, made his opposition to the appointment clear in a post to X, formerly Twitter.

He said: For many reasons associated with Peter Mandelsons history in and out of political office, many will feel Keir has lost all sense of political judgment on this decision.
The Labour peer Peter Mandelson will be the UK ambassador to the US during the second presidency of Donald Trump. Photograph: Thomas Krych/Story Picture Agency/Shutterstock

Peter Mandelson has been formally unveiled as the UKs ambassador to Washington, with a series of ministers hailing him as a political heavyweight who will be a reliable conduit into a potentially chaotic second Donald Trump administration.

Some Labour MPs were, however, less enthusiastic, questioning why Keir Starmer would reward and trust a figure who had previously weighed in with outspoken criticism of the partys policies and personalities.

The decision, which emerged on Friday evening, was formalised in a Downing Street statement in which Starmer hailed Lord Mandelson, who was a cabinet minister under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown before becoming the EU trade commissioner, for bringing unrivalled experience to the role.

The foreign secretary, David Lammy, said Mandelson had a wealth of experience in trade, economic and foreign policy from his years in government and the private sector. The peer said he was deeply honoured, promising to advance our historic alliance with the United States.

A political appointment had been anticipated in place of the departing ambassador, Karen Pierce, given the likely intricacies of Trumps presidency.

The president-elect has promised wide-ranging tariffs on the first day of his new administration, which starts on 20 January, with experts predicting damaging consequences for Britains goods trade with the US.

In a sign of the challenges ahead, a senior adviser to Trumps election campaign, Chris LaCivita, hit back at the Labour peer after it emerged he had called the president-elect little short of a white nationalist and racist. He described Mandelson as an absolute moron on Friday afternoon.

One Labour MP described Mandelson as a political networker whose tough approach to deal-making could pay dividends in Washington.

They said: Mandelson is very good at making relationships, [he] has unmatched negotiation skills as shown in his EU trade commissioner role and has a trade union background which is overlooked. Trump is transactional, and Mandelson will be able to cope with this.

Another acknowledged Starmer had to be realistic, but described their amazement, insisting: In a room with Trump, Mandelson will look like an angel. But this is politics, hard politics.

Mandelson nonetheless arrives with some baggage, including his support for closer ties with China, with Global Counsel, the advisory firm he cofounded, having worked with Chinese companies.

Some new Labour MPs, who have been subject to strict discipline from the leaders office since taking their seats, also questioned whether Starmers fondness for control would be compatible with Mandelsons tendency to speak freely and go off-piste with policy.

One said: Lots of MPs are already wondering whether its worth reading off the PMQs question scripts if we get embarrassed for sticking by senior party figures when they suddenly veer off what is supposedly Labour policy.

With him in this gig, a lot of us will say: Well, if hes allowed to freelance, why cant I? The pressure is already high.

Another described it as a smart political move, but noted that Downing Street would need to ensure it could rein in Mandelsons ability to dictate to the Labour leadership.

They added: If Starmer wants to maintain control over the PLP [parliamentary Labour party], hell need to be able to demonstrate that he can do this with the heavyweight and architect of politics hes built himself on, otherwise chaos will descend on our benches.

Figures on the left were more obviously displeased. The former shadow chancellor John McDonnell said on X: For many reasons associated with Peter Mandelsons history in and out of political office, many will feel Keir [Starmer] has lost all sense of political judgment on this decision.
Arno Rabinowitz left South Africa for London in 1956, partly as a consequence of his anti-apartheid activities Photograph: none

My father, Arno Rabinowitz, who has died aged 90, was a pioneering educational psychologist and a widely admired mentor, counsellor and confidant. His existence was down to a confluence of luck: his mother, Tilly, was one of three siblings evacuated from eastern Europe in the early 1920s during the pogroms against Jews. These three were Ochberg Orphans, fortunate recipients of the philanthropy of another emigre, the industrialist Isaac Ochberg, who enabled Jewish orphans to emigrate to safety in South Africa.

Arno was born in Johannesburg, to Tilly (nee Abrahams) and Danny Rabinowitz, a hotelier. He went to school at Highlands North in Johannesburg and later studied English and politics at the University of the Witwatersrand in the 1950s. There he was involved in clandestine anti-apartheid activities and was briefly a legal intern, in which capacity he saw Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo in court.

Partly as a consequence of his political activities, he left South Africa for London in 1956, where he promptly fell in love with Gwen Dunkley, a teacher. Together they went for two years to Roubaix, northern France, where Arno taught English and philosophy; on their return they married.

Arno studied psychology at Birkbeck, University of London, and subsequently qualified as an educational psychologist at the London Child Guidance training centre in Hampstead. He worked at the Bethlem and Maudsley hospital school in south London, and became principal of the first special needs nursery school in the UK, Katharine Elliot school in Shrewsbury; he joined the Inner London Educational Authority, rising to become acting principal educational psychologist until the body was shut down by Margaret Thatcher in 1990. He then continued in private practice, lectured at universities in Northern Ireland and Pakistan, and held several advisory roles including at the Institute of Education and Peper Harow school in Surrey.

Although never taking on any formal roles, Arno was politically engaged throughout his life; he was a committed socialist and Labour party member, and latterly as a self-appointed gadfly and irritant to Croydon council (where he lived for almost 60 years). He loved to travel, owned a house in Spain and regularly visited his siblings in South Africa, the US and Canada. He read voraciously, was active online until a few weeks before his death and was known as a witty and subversive raconteur.

He is survived by Gwen, his sons, Gideon and me, six grandchildren, Joel, Anna, Louis, Raoul, Sophie and Laura, and his siblings, Cyril, David and Lila.
The unpaid work element is often seen as a way of paying back the community harmed by the offence - Lucinda Cameron

The backlog of unpaid work criminals in Scotland have been ordered to carry out has risen to nearly three-quarters of a million hours, the Telegraph can disclose amid warnings the system is broken.

Figures obtained under Freedom of Information showed offenders handed community payback orders (CPOs) in Scottish courts have 731,533 hours of work that have not been carried out.

The total is the equivalent of 30,480 days or 83.5 years, with the vast majority of councils reporting they had tens of thousands of hours outstanding. It was also disclosed that 921,010 CPO hours of work had been imposed during the current financial year.

Stephen Kerr, a Scottish Tory MSP who obtained the figures, said they demonstrated the SNP governments soft-touch approach to criminal justice that prioritises the perpetrators of crime over the victims.

He said the CPO system was broken, with the orders increasingly becoming a paper exercise that did not translate into any real punishment.

Mr Kerr said the CPO system was broken - Ken Jack

SNP ministers have argued that community punishments are more effective than short prison sentences and have previously created a presumption against jail terms being imposed of less than a year.

CPOs can include a range of measures including supervision, drug treatment and unpaid work. Sheriffs can hand offenders an order for a wide range of offences as an alternative to prison.

The unpaid work element is often seen as a way of paying back the community harmed by the offence and has traditionally involved activities such as picking litter, cleaning graffiti or painting public spaces.

However, experts have previously warned that local authorities were struggling with staff shortages, hampering their ability to supervise the criminals.

A breakdown of the figures showed that as of mid-November this year 125,031 hours in Glasgow had not been completed, 81,004 hours in Edinburgh and 31,034 hours in Dundee.

A backlog

Among the other local authorities with high totals of uncompleted hours were Fife (43,504), South Lanarkshire (38,367), West Lothian (31,888) and West Dunbartonshire (31,356).

In addition, 67,789 hours of work imposed in North Lanarkshire had not been completed, along with 10,048 in Argyll and Bute and 5,483 hours in Stirling.

Glasgow and Edinburgh councils denied there was a backlog, instead insisting that the totals reflected hours of unpaid work in progress or waiting to be completed.

But Mr Kerr said: The SNP Scottish Government has failed on justice. They have recklessly pursued a soft-touch approach to criminal justice that prioritises the perpetrators of crime over the victims and now it emerges that they have been hiding three-quarters of a million-hour backlog.

Each one of those hours that remain undone is a criminal, convicted of a crime, unpunished while the creaking justice system, a victim of years of SNP neglect, is unable to cope with the pressure.

Some of the community activities include picking litter or cleaning graffiti - Christopher Furlong

He accused SNP ministers of failing to provide enough funding to councils for them to administer the CPO system and argued the Scottish Government should produce a plan showing how the backlog would be cleared.

Otherwise, he warned that this pattern of leniency will only get worse, with the publics trust in the criminal justice system being seriously undermined.

More than 250,000 hours of unpaid work were written off during the pandemic, as Covid restrictions meant some offenders were unable to complete their CPOs. However, the backlog has returned to almost the same level.

A Scottish government spokesman said: Having unpaid work hours to be progressed in the system is normal, as it takes time for individuals to undertake the unpaid work they have been sentenced to. In 2022/23, 760,000 unpaid work hours were successfully completed, with more than 10 million hours being completed since the introduction of CPOs.

Full confidence

He said the Scottish Government had full confidence in councils to deliver the programme and the draft Budget for the coming financial year included an 11 million increase in spending on community justice.

An Edinburgh City Council spokesman said: Edinburgh Justice Services do not have a backlog of Community Payback Order hours waiting to be completed. The hours shown as remaining are CPO hours that are in progress.

A spokeswoman for Glasgows Health and Social Care Partnership said: Glasgow does not have a backlog of unpaid work hours. These are outstanding hours of work in progress, which people subject to a community payback order are currently working through.

Glasgow will always have a high volume of hours given the number of people on community payback orders in the city.
Looking out to sea  the Ship Inn at Porthleven in Cornwall. Photograph: Tracey Whitefoot/Alamy

Atlantic viewpoint, Cornwall

The Ship Inn in Porthleven is perfect for watching storms sweep in from the Atlantic and envelop its eye-catching clock tower, while you enjoy the fire and excellent bar. If the pubs 17th-century walls could talk they would recount tales of smugglers and pirates and heroic lifeboat rescues. These days you might overhear surfers regaling each other with stories of heroic waves ridden on the reef. The fire keeps burning and the ale keeps flowing regardless.

Layla Astley

Rustic retreat, Dorset

After a stomp across the glorious Dorset countryside, relax at the Vine Inn, Pamphill, just north of Wimborne. This tiny pub is a rare unpretentious gem. Squeeze into either the small lounge or the cosy bar or climb the steep wooden stairs to the larger games room. A popular summer stop for cyclists, in winter it becomes a warm, intimate and authentic retreat from the modern world. The friendly landlady serves local real ale (Camra-recognised) and reasonably priced toasties and sandwiches are on the menu. Website? You must be joking 

Heather

Guardian Travel readers' tips

Every week we ask our readers for recommendations from their travels. A selection of tips will be featured online and may appear in print. To enter the latest competition visit the readers' tips homepage

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Big-hearted micropub near Nottingham

The Dog & Parrot is a perfectly formed micropub in Eastwood where you will get a warm welcome, not just from the staff but from the regulars, whether they be of the two-legged or four-legged variety. It is the beating heart of the town; they are a base for the local branch of the British Legion, raising funds or enabling other charities/individuals to do the same. They support other local businesses and create a friendly, safe haven for their customers who they treat like friends. The rest rooms are a bit special too.

Jayne

The allure of Cotswold cosiness

The soft sandstone exterior and gentle golden glow of winter lights lured me into the lounge bar of the Lamb in Great Rissington last December. I had strayed from our Cotswold tour and its stop at Bourton-on-the-Water by striding out on a snowy winter walk. Inside, log fires seemed everywhere and the crannies and corners of the pub were full of locals more than happy to invite me over after I ordered my real ale pint and warming venison soup. The vibe was somewhere between a Miss Marple movie and a Game of Thrones set as the flickering flames cast light then darkness on us. We chatted and laughed our way through the early evening before I left the pub, almost reluctantly, to go back to the tour group hotel. I was sent on my way with a dozen or so hearty hugs, back slaps and wishes for a merry Christmas.

April

Ales and Dales, North Yorkshire

The Craven Arms and Cruck Barn in Appletreewick is the perfect pub to aim for when youve had a lovely walk along the River Wharfe from the old, attractive village of Burnsall. Theres always good, locally sourced food here and if you time it right, a fantastic beer festival with the additional delight of the architecture, which is a truly amazing cruck barn (a barn made from curved timber).

Elizabeth Leicester

Cumbrian community local

The Mardale Inn is a community pub in Bampton, set amid gorgeous northern farmland, miles from the honeypot areas of the Lakes. In summer the Mardale welcomes Coast to Coast walkers, but in winter it shares its bargain dinner, bed and breakfast deals with us softies who want to sit in front of the log fire, eat amply, be looked after by the friendly staff and sleep in the comfy beds. I stayed there last week, it felt like a weeks relaxing holiday rolled into one cosy night.

Lynn Fotheringham

Talk of the town on the East Sussex shores

Known (lovingly) by regulars as the Doom and Gloom, the Horse and Groom is the oldest pub in St Leonards-on-Sea. Its your favourite locals favourite local: an eclectic range of odd interlocutors comprised of creative boho types and grumpy blokes (its a talking pub: no music), excellent local Sussex ales, knackered board games, decor untouched by time. In the cold months, friends whittle away the time here chatting or scrabbling; conducted best with a port sat near the open fire. Pints start well below 5 with Harveys on tap. The bracing seafront with its galleries and restaurants is minutes away on foot.

Elian

Fish curry and a pint, Flintshire

The White Horse is a beautiful historic whitewashed local in the tiny hillside village of Cilcain in north Wales hugely underrated Clwydian Range. The brooding Moel Famau looms across the valley, and the White Horse is best visited after the three-hour summit circular walk. Leave your walking boots outside, and settle in to genuine friendly service, excellent local ales and homemade Goan fish curry. The dart board provides hours of fun, and we walked the mile back along empty country lanes to our lodge complete with outdoor Japanese soaking bath at Trelan Farm, serenaded by owl hoots.

Matt Lunt

A warm hug of a pub, Dumfries and Galloway

The Anchor in Kippford on the Solway coast is a gloriously warm hug of a pub. An embracing tankard of seasonal good cheer with roaring fires and window views of the glimmering, mist-cloaked Urr Water. Crowd pleasing home cooked meals  easy on the pocket and served by friendly staff  are but one reason to visit. Local ales, fine wines and varied non-alcoholic selections make this glowing lamplit haven of a pub very difficult to leave.

Stewart Parsons

Winning tip: Follow the cobbles to the Baum, Rochdale

The Baum in Rochdale is the perfect pub to take shelter in winter. Its tucked away on a quiet cobbled street (Toad Lane) with a great history  the co-operative movement began here. Inside, the warmly lit, wood-panelled rooms provide a cosy haven from the outside world. Theres a great choice of cask ales on tap and delicious, hearty pub food. If you want to earn your pint and pie, Hollingworth Lake, Marsden Moor and the hills of the Calder Valley provide many walk options nearby.

Charlotte
Mr Musk has shared his political views on Germany with his 208 million followers on X - PHILIP PACHECO

Elon Musk has backed the far-Right AfD party to save Germany, wading into the countrys fledgling election campaign.

Only the AfD can save Germany Mr Musk declared to his 208 million followers on X, formerly Twitter, which he owns.

Election campaigning kicked off in Germany after the government of Olaf Scholz was brought down by a vote of no confidence on Monday.

The AfD is currently polling between 17 per cent and 19.5 per cent, with higher support in eastern Germany, despite some of its members having expressed Nazi sympathies.

On Friday, Dr Beatrix von Storch, the partys deputy leader, told The Telegraph: Anyone who previously doubted whether Musk, the richest man in the world, is also the smartest  well, now its clear.

He is at the very least one of the smartest because he is calling people to vote for the AfD, he said. Only the AfD can save Germany, repeating Musks claim.

Dr Storch said Mr Musk is one of the smartest people in the world - Hauke-Christian Dittrich

Mr Musks message reposted German right-wing influencer Naomi Seibt, who criticised Friedrich Merz, chancellor candidate for the conservative CDU party, who currently sits ahead in the polls.

Ms Seibt, who is closely linked to the controversial hard-line right-wing populist and anti-immigration party, accused Mr Merz of refusing any form of dialogue with the AfD.

He strictly rejects a liberal approach and refuses any discussion with the AfD, said Seibt.

Musk has shifted his focus to politics in recent months, supporting US president-elect Donald Trump.

His tweets have increasingly focused on politics, as highlighted in a recent Wall Street Journal analysis, and he has already expressed support for other anti-immigration parties across Europe.

The German government said it had taken note of Musks post but declined to give any further comment at its regular press conference.

Meanwhile, the AfD heartily welcomed Musks support, with party leader Alice Weidel thanking Mr Musk in a video message:

Dear @elonmusk,

Thank you so much for your note. The Alternative for Germany is indeed the one and only alternative for our country; our very last option. I wish you and President Donald #Trump all the best for the upcoming tenure! And also, I wish you and all the American people pic.twitter.com/iVBfPDoRfp  Alice Weidel (@Alice_Weidel) December 20, 2024

Ms Weidel criticised former chancellor Angela Merkel of the CDU, claiming she was a socialist who ruined the economic backbone of the country.

The AfDs popularity comes despite some of its members having expressed Nazi sympathies.

One member claimed Nazi SS members were not all criminals while another was fined 13,000 (11,000) for using the Nazi SS slogan alles fur Deutschland (a Nazi slogan) in a speech in 2021.

Many of its members were discovered to have attended a secretive meeting with neo-Nazis and other extremists late last year which had discussed the forced deportation of foreigners from Germany.

The party is considered too extreme for other European hard-right figures such as Marine Le Pen in France and Giorgia Meloni in Italy, who have distanced themselves from the group.

Ms Le Pen cut ties with the party after the not all criminals remark, made by Maximilian Krah.

Ms Le Pen, a French far-right leader has distanced herself from AfD - Sarah Meyssonnier

The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the German equivalent of MI5, monitors the party, which it officially classifies as a suspected right-wing extremist group.

And in some federal states, the controversial party is also classified as confirmed extremists.

Musk had already voiced support for the AfD last year when he attacked the German governments handling of illegal migration.

The tech billionaire has also previously benefited the party, albeit inadvertently.

Tesla, Musks electric car company, opened the 4.2billion Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg in 2021.

While it succeeded in creating thousands of more jobs, discontent over the sites impact on the local area led to a boost in AFD voters in Brandenburg in state elections in 2024.

Demonstrators protested against the expansion of the Tesla Gigafactory - Christian Mang

This was despite the fact that when the local parliament approved a scaled-down version of the plant, only the AfD and a left-wing party voted against it.

While AfD ultimately failed to win the state election with 29.2 per cent of the vote, they were only narrowly defeated by Mr Scholzs party, who won 30.9 per cent.

Mr Musks backing of AfD is not the first time he has waded into European politics.

Last month, Musk called for the sacking of Italian judges who had questioned the legality of government measures to prevent irregular immigration.

And this week Nigel Farage, leader of Britains right-wing Reform UK party and friend of Trump, posted a photo of himself and Reforms treasurer meeting Musk at Trumps Florida residence and said he was in talks with Musk about financial support.
Nick Fuentes holds a rally at the capitol in Lansing, Michigan, on 11 November 2020. Photograph: Nicole Hester/AP

The far-right American political activist Nick Fuentes said he was a possible target of a man later fatally shot by Illinois police after the man apparently appeared at his door armed with a gun and a crossbow.

The man, 24-year-old John Lyons, who was also wanted in an earlier triple homicide, was shot and killed by police in the Chicago suburb of Berwyn after a Wednesday night foot chase, according to authorities. The pursuit started on the block where Fuentes, 26, lives.

Lyons appears to have shown up to Fuentess house with a pistol and a crossbow while the rightwing influencer was livestreaming, according to social media posts Fuentes made Thursday. Berwyn police confirmed it had responded to a report around 11.40pm of a man with a gun.

Fuentes, a white supremacist who has praised Adolf Hitler, commented on the incident in a series of X posts, alleging that the armed individual made an attempt on my life.

I am grateful to God that I am still alive today, he posted, and shared a surveillance video appearing to show a man with the weapons.

While heartbreaking, it could have been so unimaginably worse, the post continued. God have mercy. Doxing is not a game.

Last year, Fuentes was expelled from the Conservative political action conference over his history of openly promoting antisemitic and racist rhetoric. In 2022, he attended a dinner with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago. Trump later said he didnt know Fuentes or his background.

Following Wednesdays incident, Fuentes said he will now have to uproot my life and relocate. While I can handle whatever comes to my front door, it is irresponsible to expect my neighbors with young families to share that burden.

Related: White supremacist Nick Fuentes charged over Chicago pepper-spray incident

Earlier this month, the commentator was charged with battery for allegedly pepper-spraying a woman who showed up at his home. A judge ordered him and the woman, 57-year-old Marla Rose, to have no contact with each other.

Lyons fled from officers on foot, according to police, and then forced his way into another home where he fatally shot two dogs. Police said Lyons disobeyed orders to stop and fired at officers. Officers then returned fire, killing Lyons.

Police believe Lyons committed a triple homicide in a small village about 11 miles north-west of Champaign earlier on Wednesday and named Sara Mason, 26; Janis Mason, 61 and Caleb Mason, 23, as victims.
Campaigners say the company behind the Vulcan South mine, one of the four projects approved by Tanya Plibersek, has itself described the project as independent from a neighbouring mine. Photograph: Koalas Not Coal

Climate campaigners have challenged a claim by the Albanese government that it has not approved any new coalmines in 2024, saying a Queensland mine given a green light this week was a new development.

The environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, approved four coalmine projects on Thursday, describing them all as expansions of existing mines that would mainly be digging up coal to make steel.

On social media, the minister wrote: In 2024 Labor has approved 0 new coalmines.

But the comments have infuriated climate campaigners, who say Vitrinite, the company behind the Vulcan South mine in Queensland, one of the four projects approved, has itself described the project as independent from a neighbouring mine.

Vitrinites environment report on the project, published in October, said its Vulcan South mine and its existing Vulcan mine were approximately 10kms apart and were independent projects.

Vitrinite said in the report that Vulcan South, which is intended to operate until 2033, was a greenfield development and is not part of a staged development and is not part of a larger project.

Related: Man who falsely claimed to be bitcoin creator sentenced for continuing to sue developers

The company has said its plans would see the loss of 1,166 hectares of koala habitat, and would affect the habitat for the greater glider, squatter pigeon and a threatened ecosystem dominated by brigalow trees.

Claire Gronow, a coordinator for campaign group Lock the Gate, said: Vitrinite says this is a new mine. We were disgusted when we saw those social media posts. Were gobsmacked.

Jenny Brown, a climate campaigner at Queensland Conservation Council, said: Its hard to agree that there are no new coalmines being approved.

Plibersek attempted to downplay the decisions to approve the four mines, saying the mines were extensions and the coal would be used for steelmaking and that there was currently no feasible renewable alternatives for making steel.

On Friday the climate change and energy minister, Chris Bowen, also said the projects were part of existing mines.

A spokesperson for the minister said: The independent scientific experts and the ministers department classify the [Vulcan South] project as an expansion.

Climate groups estimate the four approved coal projects would release more than 880m tonnes of CO2 across in their lifetimes  the equivalent of almost double Australias annual emissions  most of which are released when the coal is burned overseas.

Three coalmine expansions approved in September would release about 1.3bn tonnes of CO2, campaigners said.

Brown claimed the government was trying to greenwash its decisions.

Climate change does not care about technicalities, or whether this is an extension or a new mine  they have the same implications for the country, the environment and our wildlife, she said.

Prof Lesley Hughes, a councillor at the Climate Council, said: Our atmosphere doesnt care if this coal is for steel or power  its all heating our planet and driving climate pollution. Burning coal fuels the climate crisis, worsening bushfires, floods and heatwaves that devastate our communities. This decision flies in the face of science, common sense, global responsibility and our duty to protect our kids future.

On Friday, climate activist Zack Schofield, of the Rising Tide group, was filmed spray-painting the word LIAR on the glass front of Pliberseks electorate office in Redfern, Sydney.

Schofield said he would hand himself in to police, saying his actions were a response to the coalmine approvals.

Plibersek said a member of her staff was inside at time the office was sprayed.

She said: Australia is a great democracy. Its terrific that we are free to disagree with governments, and with each other. But the way we disagree matters. It should be peaceful, respectful and lawful.

This kind of vandalism and intimidation is completely unacceptable. We all have a duty to call it out, wherever it happens.

All morning, my hardworking staff have been giving statements to the police instead of helping local residents with things such as Medicare, Centrelink and disability matters, like they usually do.
A celebrity politician might make Britains sometimes lonely voice heard in the cacophony of Washington. Photograph: Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images

For some months, Lord Mandelson had been going round London suggesting he had no desire to be appointed to the role of Washington ambassador, saying he would rather not become a hotel manager so late in his career.

His feigned lack of interest in shepherding a succession of middle-rank ministers through the British embassy, a 96-year-old recently restored Lutyens building, is typical of the smoke and mirrors that has surrounded his potential appointment.

At another point, it was suggested that the appointment of Mandelson was being blocked by the foreign secretary, David Lammy, who feared one of the key roles in his job  guiding the special relationship through a second Trump term  would effectively be snatched from him by the publicity-attracting former minister.

Lammy had already lost responsibility for EU negotiations and had to swallow the appointment of one Blairite, Jonathan Powell, as national security adviser, so tolerating a third reduction to his portfolio might be too much.

In the end, if Lammy ever harboured such doubts  and the evidence is thin  he was big enough to see the virtue in the appointment of the first political ambassador to Washington in 50 years.

A celebrity politician, rather than a conventional diplomat, might make Britains sometimes lonely voice heard in the cacophony of Washington.

There are also self-evident dangers in the appointment. It had been suggested that either Mandelson or David Miliband, the former Labour foreign secretary, would be offered the post if Kamala Harris was appointed, since they were natural ideological soulmates, but a lower-profile professional diplomat would handle relations if Trump triumphed.

Instead, Keir Starmer has taken the risk of appointing Mandelson.

The two men are not personally close, although Starmer was one of a tiny number of elected MPs invited to his wedding to long-term partner Reinaldo Avila da Silva.

Starmer, if anything, has kept Mandelson at a distance, but the former Labour cabinet minister still had full access to Downing Street through Morgan McSweeney, Starmers chief of staff and a close ally of Mandelson.

One Labour figure said: Its a curious appointment, not very Keir. Does not feel right, but not very much does now. Feels very Morgan.

An internally famous paper attributed to McSweeney written in 2021 on how Starmer had to embrace the conflict that is inevitable with the left in the party was heavily influenced by Mandelsons thinking, or in fact may have been authored by him.

On the surface, Mandelson may not be natural material for Maga fans. Liberal, internationalist, pro-European, free trading, he in some senses personifies what Republicans dislike about Europe.

But the calculation is that the collective mentality of the Trump team  apart from loyalty to the leader  is to respect those who stand their ground, express a view backed by evidence and defend their national self-interest.

If anything, Trump has a thing for strong men. It is a point Nigel Farage has acknowledged, one of the few non-Labour politicians to endorse his appointment.

Related: Mandelsons China stance makes him bad choice for US ambassador, say critics

On the other hand, if Trump turns against someone, it can prove fatal. In 2019 Trump effectively enforced the resignation of the British ambassador, Sir Kim Darroch, branding him a very stupid guy after confidential emails emerged in which the ambassador had called his administration clumsy and inept.

With two dismissals from public office under his belt, he cannot afford a hat-trick.

One diplomat said that the trick with Trump is to steer a course between respect and fawning. He likes to collect different options.

In the transatlantic debates ahead, Mandelson will be able to lean on his knowledge of trade built up as European commissioner between 2004 and 2008, and then as president of the Board of Trade in Gordon Browns administration from 2008 to 2010, having first taken the role under Blair in 1998.

Trump famously puts tariffs at the centre of his politics, not just as a means to right trading wrongs, but as a lever to secure political advantage.

By contrast, as commissioner Mandelson was an unabashed advocate of free trade. In 2005, he argued: The European economy stands or falls on our ability to keep markets open, to open new markets and to develop new areas where Europes inventors, investors, entrepreneurs can trade.

But drill deeper and Mandelson was a more subtle thinker on globalisations threats, the growth of Brics countries and trade at the service of development.

Many of these more technical speeches passed the political class by. At the same time, he grasps the weeds of trade deals, including tariffs, regulations and service agreements.

As a result, there is succession of on the record criticisms of Trump made by Mandelson in the past that he will just have to acknowledge and play down, including in 2018 describing Trump as a bully and mercantilist.

His views on China also put him closer to the Elon Musk camp than the many China hawks in Congress and the administration.

But Mandelson is not just being hired as a trade buff; his biggest task will be to predict, navigate and influence the Trump administrations approach to China, Ukraine, Israel and Iran, as well as bilateral issues such as the Chagos Islands, all the time trying to synchronise with other western powers.

He reads people, or in his own phrase, I see into people, making often summary judgments about personalities and motives.

In a sense, the appointment, surely the last in an extraordinary chequered career, is a return to his first role under Tony Blair  the man charged with seeing round corners.

But it is a skill set that now faces its greatest challenge.

Trumps modus operandi is to put unpredictability at the centre of his statecraft, so as to destabilise his adversaries.

The test of Mandelsons success at the end of the four years may well be if he has helped the UK avoid making the fateful choice it has always sought to avoid since the second world war  between an isolationist US and multilateral Europe.
border force

Illegal foreign workers have been found to be using social media in attempt to evade a surge in raids by Home Office immigration officers.

Vietnamese migrants working in nail salons are posting on social media to warn others that officers have targeted shops in their area.

Hundreds of warning posts have been uploaded, including one on a Vietnamese Facebook site that reads: The Home Office and taxmen have been checking around Cardiff. Everyone, immediately avoid the area.

Other migrants are offering a service to keep a lookout for officers who are cracking down on illegal working as part of the nationwide effort Operation Tornado.

Richard Johnson, the Home Offices immigration compliance enforcement lead for Wales and the West of England, told the BBC: Illegal working is a huge issue for us at the moment.

Its not just nail bars, its all different sectors  theres construction, theres vape shops, theres barbers, restaurants and takeaways.

A message posted to Facebook in Vietnamese that reads: The Home Office and taxmen have been checking around Cardiff. Everyone, immediately avoid the area. Also take note of your working hours and salaries

Enforcement teams have conducted raids in salons and convenience stores suspected of illegally employing people across South Wales under the operation.

When uniformed officers visit the premises, the migrants quickly take off their masks and pretend they do not work there while the business denies employing them.

The Home Office said it had ramped up the UK-wide raids over 2024, carrying out 3,188 visits that resulted in 2,299 arrests between July 5 and Oct 31 this year. There were 2,371 visits with 1,836 arrests for the same period in 2023.

To help counter the tactics of illegal workers, Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, announced that her office will spend 8 million on equipping immigration enforcement officers with body-worn cameras and biometric kits to gather evidence.

Some 5 million will be spent on providing cameras to 1,200 officers so they can share indisputable evidence of illegal working with the courts. Another 3 million will give fingerprint kits to all enforcement officers for on-the-spot ID checks on migrants and high-risk individuals.

Cameras and biometric kits for officers

A source said: One of the tactics that illegal workers use is to take off their waiters jacket if it is a restaurant and claim they were a customer. Now the officers will have evidence they can present to courts to show they were working illegally.

Over one week in November under Operation Tornado, penalties worth up to 4 million were issued to more than 50 businesses. If an employer hires an illegal worker, now they can get fined 45,000 for every illegal worker and if they offend again, it could be 60,000, said Mr Johnson.

However, such hefty fines are not deterring everyone. Posing as a skilled Vietnamese nail technician in the UK without a visa, an undercover BBC journalist called a dozen salons to see if they would give her work and had two job offers within an hour.

The employers seemed more concerned about the technician being able to do the job rather than having the documentation to work legally. Hourly rates varied depending on the level of experience  basic skills could earn about 30 per day whereas experienced technicians could make up to 160 per day.

Too risky

Other businesses said they were not taking on staff without papers as it was too risky.

More than 34,000 people crossed the Channel in small boats this year, with Vietnam making up the fourth largest group  behind Afghanistan, Iran and Syria  with 3,307 arrivals in the year to September 2024.

Many Vietnamese migrants told the BBC that they came to the UK seeking work because of failing businesses and debts. Their first step, experts have suggested, is often to access Europe by taking advantage of a legal work visa system in Hungary and other parts of Eastern Europe.

Dame Angela Eagle, the minister for border security and asylum, said: People who come to the UK and work illegally often in extremely poor conditions are sold a false promise about their ability to live and work here.

Putting an end to this is part of our plan for change to dismantle the criminal smuggling gangs making millions out of small boat crossings and restore order to the asylum system.
Jacob Beltran covers crime, breaking news and general assignments for the Express-News. He can be reached at jbeltran@express-news.net.

A San Antonio native, Jacob began his journalism career in 2010. He's worked for the student-run newspaper for San Antonio College, The Ranger, and for Texas A&M University-San Antonio, The Mesquite.

He enjoys video games, photography and exploring during his free time.
The Indiana state police superintendent, Doug Carter, announces the arrest of Richard Allen during a news conference in Delphi, Indiana, on 31 October 2022. Photograph: Michael Conroy/AP

An Indiana man convicted in the 2017 killings of two teenage girls has been sentenced to 130 years in prison  the maximum term the trial judge was able to impose.

Richard Allen, 52, was convicted last month in the murder of best friends Abigail Williams, 13, and Liberty German, 14, in the small town of Delphi, close to eight years after the childrens bodies were found near a hiking trail.

The murders shocked America and went for a long time without a breakthrough in finding the killer. State police arrested Allen in October 2022 after what authorities described as a long-term and complex investigation that determined Allen encountered the girls on a trail and, armed with a gun, forced them down a hill and cut their throats.

Related: Clergy abuse survivors say theres still long ways to go after sentencing of New Orleans priest

After Allen received the maximum sentence, Judge Frances Gull told him it ranks right up there with the most hideous crimes.

These families will deal with your carnage forever, the judge added.

Allen, who worked at the local CVS pharmacy, had pleaded not guilty to the killings and his lawyers claimed the murders were part of a ritual sacrifice. In a sentencing memorandum, his defense said Allen had a long history of mental health illness.

Allen was not a suspected of the killings until 2022 when a filing clerk organizing thousands of tips discovered a lead sheet showing that Allen had reached out to investigators soon after the killings, saying hed been at the hiking trail on the day of the murders, had been incorrectly marked clear.

But a trail of evidence had long pointed to Allen. One of the victims had recorded a man who prosecutors alleged was Allen in cellphone video that day.

An unspent .40-caliber round that came from Allens gun was found at the scene and a black 2016 Ford Focus was seen on security video nearby. Allen owned the only car of that kind registered in the county when the murders occurred.

In court, prosecutors played a jail phone recording of Allen to his wife they said amounted to a confession. In it, Allen said: I did it, I killed Abby. I killed Abby and Libby.

However, his wife did not appear to believe him and said his medication must be messing with his mind. A prison psychologist also testified at trial that Allen confessed to her that he had killed the girls.
One of Salvinis first moves after he took office in 2018 was to declare Italian ports closed to rescue ships engaged in saving migrants fleeing Libya. Photograph: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty

Judges in Sicily have acquitted Italys deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini of charges of kidnapping and dereliction of duty after he refused to let a Spanish migrant rescue ship dock in an Italian port in 2019, keeping the people onboard at sea for days.

The case dates back to a time when Salvini, head of the far-right political party Lega, served as the interior minister during the first government of the then prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, from 2018-19.

One of Salvinis first moves after he took office was to declare Italian ports closed to rescue ships engaged in saving people fleeing Libya. There were subsequently 25 standoffs between rescue vessels and Italian authorities, some of which became the focus of investigations.

Early in August 2019, Salvini blocked the humanitarian rescue boat Open Arms, carrying 147 refugees, from docking in a port, forcing it to anchor off the island of Lampedusa while conditions onboard deteriorated, resulting, among other things, in a scabies outbreak. During the standoff, some people threw themselves overboard in desperation as the captain pleaded for a safe, close port.

After a 19-day ordeal, the people that had been picked up at sea were finally able to disembark on the orders of a local prosecutor.

Salvini, who was forced out of his position as interior minister shortly after the affair, was investigated on allegations of kidnapping and dereliction of duty.

I have kept my promises, combating mass immigration and reducing departures, landings and deaths at sea, Salvini said on Friday before the ruling.

Prosecutors, who had requested a six-year prison sentence, argued: The duty to save lives at sea is a responsibility of states and takes precedence over norms and bilateral agreements aimed at combating irregular migration.

However, after a three-year trial, culminating in 24 hearings that included the testimony of 45 witnesses, including the Hollywood actor Richard Gere, who had visited the ship in solidarity during the standoff, judges in the Sicilian capital, Palermo, did not find the evidence presented by the prosecutors compelling enough to warrant the ministers conviction.

Salvini, who now serves as infrastructure and transport minister and deputy prime minister in a coalition government with the prime minister, Giorgia Melonis far-right Brothers of Italy party, had always denied the charges and insisted he was proud of what he did in order to to defend Italys borders.

Today is a beautiful day for Italy, Salvini told reporters outside the courtroom after the verdict. Today the judges have said that we have done our duty, that defending the borders is not a crime but a right.

Before the verdict, he rallied supporters to engage in public demonstrations against what he labelled a political trial.

Nationalist politicians across Europe have weighed in on Salvinis behalf, from Frances Marine Le Pen to Hungarys Viktor Orban.

Orban tweeted justice for Salvini on Thursday alongside a photo of himself and others holding up T-shirts emblazoned with Salvinis face in a mock-up wanted poster.

Meloni expressed great satisfaction over the ruling, which she said proved that the accusations were unfounded and surreal.

Oscar Camps, founder of the Spanish NGO Open Arms, said he hoped prosecutors would appeal against the verdict.

With this trial we wanted to restore the dignity of the 147 people who were held on board and deprived of their liberty for 20 days, he said.

We were stopped from carrying out our work during those weeks while we were off the coast of Lampedusa and unable to reach a safe port  saving lives is what Open Arms has been doing for the past 10 years, what we have been doing up until today and what we will carry on doing tomorrow. Our work will not be stopped.
Keith Rutter was a gym-goer, rower and mountain walker, and completed the Munros in 1987 Photograph: famiiy handout

My colleague and friend Keith Rutter, who has died aged 85 after a short bout of pneumonia, was a distinguished historian and numismatist of ancient Greece.

Since 1971, Keith had a distinguished career at the University of Edinburgh. He was a devoted servant of the university, an inspirational teacher, and an influential scholar who published widely on aspects of ancient history and historiography beyond numismatics. He was a passionate enthusiast of Greek culture in all its phases, and a huge source of support to generations of students and colleagues around the world.

Born in south Manchester, Keith had a very happy childhood; he was the son of Polly Faulkner and George Rutter, an engineer. After a scholarship to Manchester grammar school, he went to Queens College, Cambridge, in the late 1950s to study classics, where he discovered a love of rowing. He completed his PhD in 1969 and published the work on the coinages of ancient Naples and Campania in 1979. This remains the standard work, as does the volume of Historia Numorum covering the ancient Greek coinages of Italy (2001).

At his death, the next volume, about Sicily, was almost ready for publication. He also wrote a more general book, The Greek Coinages of Southern Italy and Sicily (1997), while two trips to Iran sparked an interest in Achaemenid coinage, the subject of another book that he had almost completed. He also had a wider interest in Greek coinage and the archaic and early classical Greek world; The Archaic and Early Classical Greek World: Using Coins as Sources is in the course of publication.

After he retired in 2004, Keith continued to teach and write. He spent time in Athens teaching and played a major role in securing funding for the biannual Leventis visiting professorship and conference at Edinburgh University. He learned Portuguese and visited Brazil three times, to teach numismatics in both Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. No one who knew him will forget his gentle, kind and convivial manner.

In 1969 he married Wendy Millen, a teacher whom he had met at primary school, and they enjoyed holidays in Iran, Syria and Central America. A gym-goer, rower and mountain walker, he completed the Munros in 1987. With his daughter, Catherine, he trekked in Pakistan, India, Tajikistan and Peru.

Wendy and Catherine survive him.
Lucy Letby, Dr Dewi Evans and a court sketch of Letby. Composite: Guardian Design/PA/AP

In the account Dr Dewi Evans gives of the work he did for the police and prosecution cases against Lucy Letby, he says he suspected foul play within 10 minutes of reading the first medical records of a baby that he saw.

Evans, then 67, a retired consultant paediatrician, says when he looked at postmortem photos of that first baby he saw bleeding over the liver. I thought, Oh my God. This baby has suffered trauma. We knew instantly that something suspicious had gone on.

Cheshire police were impressed, agreed fees, then supplied Evans with the medical records for all babies whose collapses at the Countess of Chester hospital they were investigating. The Crown Prosecution Service instructed six more medical experts, but Evans was their lead, and his evidence would prove crucial to securing the convictions of Letby, a neonatal nurse at the hospital, in one of Britains most astonishing criminal cases.

Letby was convicted of murdering seven babies in 2015 and 2016 and attempting to murder seven more. The murder charges were based on her having injected air, either into the babies stomachs via feeding tubes, or into their veins causing air embolism, a lethal condition. The murder convictions included the baby whose records Evans saw first, anonymised as Baby O; Letby was accused of harming the liver and injecting air.

Since the trials ended in July, many leading medical experts have spoken out and criticised, even ridiculed, the evidence presented by Evans and the CPS on which Letby was convicted, in particular about the injection of air.

At a press conference on Monday, Letbys barrister Mark McDonald acknowledged the grief and distress of the parents whose babies died, while saying his duty was to represent Letby, who has always maintained she is innocent. McDonald revealed that two consultant neonatologists  specialists in premature babies  had produced two new reports, on Baby O and Baby C. They too found that Baby Os liver damage was catastrophic. But they concluded that a doctor caused the damage, by mistakenly puncturing the liver with a needle, while inserting a cannula during resuscitation efforts.

Hospital notes documenting the failed resuscitation of Baby O state that Dr Stephen Brearey, senior consultant and neonatal lead, inserted the cannula. Brearey declined to comment.

That alternative report would form evidence for Letbys application to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, McDonald said. He also said he would directly ask the court of appeal to quash the convictions, arguing that Evans was an unreliable witness because remarkably he had changed his mind since the trial on how three babies died.

Evans hit back, describing McDonalds comments as unsubstantiated, unfounded, inaccurate, and maintaining that Letby was guilty of committing all the crimes.

This intense focus on one expert witness and his reliability, after convictions on such a scale, has few precedents in the history of Englands criminal trial system.

Very, very informal

The way Cheshire police quickly selected Evans as their expert has itself become a focus of criticism by the expert group now supporting Letby. It was, he acknowledges, very, very informal.

Evans retired as a consultant paediatrician, with experience of neonatology, in 2009. After that, he worked prolifically as an expert witness. In May 2017, he read about the Chester investigation, and emailed a contact at the National Crime Agency (NCA).

If the Chester police have no one in mind, Id be interested to help, he wrote. Sounds like my kind of case.

Evans told the Guardian: They [the NCA] rang me back and said: Are you interested in this? And I said: Tell Cheshire police to ring me up. It was very, very informal, almost a chance encounter actually. The police followed up with a phone call, and in July 2017, Evans drove to Chester and saw those first medical records.

In internal police emails disclosed to Letbys defence and seen by the Guardian, one officer wrote to the NCA after that first meeting: We were certainly impressed with Dr Evans and hes clearly very interested in assisting us!

The officer asked the NCA if there were references for Evans from other police officers. It is not clear if the Cheshire force conducted a wider search for their lead expert.

Other expert reviews

At the opening of her public inquiry into Letbys crimes in September, Lady Justice Thirlwall dismissed concerns over the convictions as noise. But her inquiry has published extensive evidence the trial did not see, showing that the same medical records Evans saw were also reviewed by senior, specialist, currently practising consultants, none of whom found foul play.

The reviews were commissioned after a higher than average number of babies died on the hospitals neonatal unit (NNU) from June 2015, which was recognised to be a crisis in June 2016, when Babies O and P, two triplets, died.

After those deaths, the consultants led by Brearey and his colleague Dr Ravi Jayaram, escalated suspicions against Letby, based on her being on shift when babies died.

The hospitals medical director, Dr Ian Harvey, commissioned an independent review by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, which found that the NNU was short of consultants. Harvey also asked the consultant neonatologist Dr Jane Hawdon, of Royal Free London, to review the individual babies case notes.

Hawdon reached explanations for 13 of 17 babies who had died or collapsed. She made no suggestion that the babies died from air injection, or any deliberate harm.

Dr Jo McPartland, a consultant pathologist at Alder Hey hospital, whose three consultants had conducted postmortems, then reviewed the four babies whose collapses Hawdon had been unable to explain: A, I, O and P.

Five years later, based on the prosecution experts medical opinions, led by Evans, Letby was convicted of murdering all four babies by air injection, including causing air embolism in Baby A.

McPartland reported in January 2017 of Baby A that there was no evidence of air embolism [sic]. The pathologists agreed there were medical reasons for Baby Is death, including extreme prematurity. Baby O was found to have died due to the liver damage, but a prior collapse was unexplained. Baby Ps cause of death had been determined as prematurity, but could have been classed as unexplained or unascertained. McPartland did not suggest any deliberate harm.

Giving evidence to the inquiry, Hawdon said she now felt misled, and would not have taken on the review had she known the consultants were strongly accusing Letby. She also said she would now agree with the hospital consultants that more deaths were unexplained. Harvey firmly denied the accusation that he had misled her.

McPartland told the inquiry that if she had known the hospital consultants were asking if deliberate harm had been inflicted, she would not have done the same exercise, and would have said the police and a forensic pathologist should be called in.

Another leading expert, Dr Janet Rennie, a consultant neonatologist at University College hospital, London, later compiled reports on the babies, instructed by the Chester hospital. In her reports, seen by the Guardian, Rennie mostly concluded that the causes of their collapse were unexplained.

The Guardian has seen further preliminary medical reports produced in 2020 by Dr Grenville Fox, a consultant neonatologist at Guys and St Thomas NHS foundation trust in London. A law firm asked him to consider whether there had been care failings with three babies the CPS would later charge Letby with harming: B, N and Q. Fox found their collapses could be expected for premature babies with their medical conditions, and did not criticise the care.

None of these experts made any suggestion of air embolism, or air injected down feeding tubes, nor that any baby had been deliberately harmed in any way.

The coroner for Chester held an inquest into Baby As death that could not determine the cause of death and also did not find any deliberate harm or air embolism.

Experts say that causes of babies collapses cannot always be explained, even by extensive review, including postmortems.

Asked by the Guardian to explain how he diagnosed air embolism when none of these experts did, from the same medical notes, Evans said he had done so independently.

Well without being too blase about it, its only difficult if you dont know the answer, OK. Once you know, you know  Its not very good asking me why I diagnosed air embolus. I think you should be asking other people why didnt they make the diagnosis.

He explained that he identified it due to rashes, air observed in some postmortems  although bodies produce air after death  and by excluding other medical causes. But he also acknowledged that air embolism is very difficult to prove: Trouble is you dont get evidence: air embolus doesnt leave any marks, you see.

Changes of mind

Letbys conviction for killing Baby C has become the subject of a mounting controversy, with Evans publicly stating that he has now changed his opinion on how the baby was harmed. In a recent interview with the Guardian, Evans admitted he no longer stood by a key diagnosis he produced for the trial.

Letby was charged with killing Baby C by injecting air down the feeding tube into the stomach. The charge was based on Evanss opinion, stated in a written experts report, that air in the stomach seen on an X-ray taken on 12 June 2015 had most likely been injected. It emerged at the trial that Letby had not worked at the hospital from the day Baby C was born, 10 June 2015, to the day of the X-ray.

Evans departed from his written opinion when giving evidence in court, saying Letby may have injected air into the babys vein the following night, when she was on shift. Since the trial, he has said this is firmly his opinion.

Evans told the Guardian he now recognised there were probable medical causes for the air in the stomach seen on the X-ray, including that the baby had not had a bowel movement.

What I had not realised  I dont think any of us realised  was the delayed bowel action was a more important factor in causing the air in the stomach, he said.

In a subsequent email, Evans said: Air via an NG [feeding] tube is one explanation regarding [Baby Cs] X-ray findings. [The babys] lack of intestinal movement, and  treatment with CPAP, later Optiflow [breathing aids], offer a more realistic explanation 

Evans said his new opinion was based on the babys sudden collapse and unsuccessful resuscitation on 13 June 2015, on ruling out other possible causes, and realising that Letby was on shift, and had gone into the babys room.

Something must have happened, he said. I know thats not a very scientific term.

Evans said in October he had written a new report on Baby C, and sent it to Cheshire police. McDonald said that despite numerous requests to the CPS, they had yet to share it.

The two consultant neonatologists, Dr Neil Aiton and Dr Svilena Dimitrova, who produced the new reports for Letbys appeals, said on Monday that medical causes explained Baby Cs death, and there was no evidence of deliberate harm.

Professional misconduct

Letbys barrister for the trial, Benjamin Myers KC, repeatedly accused Evans of not acting properly as an independent expert witness. Experts legal duty is not to take a side or be concerned with the outcome of a case, but to provide objective opinion on their area of expertise. Myers accused Evans of making up alleged harms to support the case that Letby was guilty. Evans denied that, and stood by his opinions.

Months into the trial, damning criticisms of Evans were made by a senior judge, Lord Justice Jackson, in a different civil case. He dismissed Evanss report as worthless and stated that Evans had breached his experts duty by deciding on an outcome he wanted, then working out an explanation to achieve it.

Of greatest concern, Jackson wrote in the decision, Dr Evans makes no effort to provide a balanced opinion. The judge said Evans had either not taken steps to inform himself about other medical experts conclusions, or he had disregarded them. Either approach amounts to a breach of proper professional conduct.

Myers applied for Evanss evidence in the Letby prosecution to be disregarded, but the trial judge, Mr Justice Goss, refused, and said instead that Myers could make the jury aware of the judgment, and question Evans about it.

There followed a fractious exchange about the report, which Evans said was only a letter to a solicitor that he did not expect to go before the court. Myers challenged Evans that working out an explanation was precisely what you were doing in this [Letby] case at various points. Evans denied that, maintained that he had provided his clinical opinion of the babies deaths and collapses, and told Myers he was being rather insulting.

In May, the court of appeal refused Letbys application for permission to appeal; the judges upheld Gosss decision to retain Evans in the trial, said Evans did have the requisite expertise and dismissed concerns about impartiality.

Only lost one case

In his many statements to the media since the trial ended with Letbys multiple convictions, Evans has repeatedly said as a mark of his credentials that in 35 years working as an expert witness, he only lost one case. Yet that perspective has itself raised concerns.

Prof Gillian Tully of Kings College London, a former forensic science regulator, said she was deeply disappointed by his comments. She said: That is entirely inappropriate. An expert should not be concerned about the outcome of a trial, only about providing independent evidence. They must not see themselves as being on one side; they have to be impartial. I dont see how somebody can claim to be impartial if they say they have won or lost cases.

Evans responded by saying that his record showed his work stood up to scrutiny: I would suggest that this indicates being careful. And thorough. Its proof of my impartiality. Partisan witnesses dont last long.

Evans responded to McDonalds criticisms this week by pointing out that Letby was convicted of murder. He also referred to the court of appeal judgment, saying the judges were supportive of my evidence.

Responding to the Guardians questions about Baby C, Evans stood by his opinions, and wrote in an email: Lucy Letby murdered Baby C. Get that into your head.
The King greets children from A Little Choir of Joy in a reception at Waltham Forest Town Hall - MINA KIM/REUTERS

The King joked that he was still alive during his final public outing before Christmas.

The King and Queen attended a reception in celebration of community cohesion at Waltham Forest Town Hall in east London, where they greeted crowds gathered outside.

Asked how are you? by Harvinder Rattan, a Sikh faith representative, the King smiled as he replied: Im still alive.

The visit comes as Buckingham Palace sources confirmed the monarchs cancer treatment will continue into next year but is moving in a positive direction.

The King was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer in February and has undergone weekly treatment ever since, barring a brief pause during a visit to Australia.

While his treatment cycle will continue into 2025, aides insisted there had been no change to his condition and that it was simply a case of maintaining the very encouraging status quo.

The King was presented with a book of the collection by Hadrian Garrard during a visit to the Islamic World exhibition on Friday - ANDREW CHOWN/WPA POOL

The pair appeared in good spirits in east London, where the Queen handed two bags of Buckingham Palace teddy bears to Citizens UK to donate to children, while a food package including Waitrose cartons of long-life milk, Christmas puddings, custard and mince pies was left on the Kings behalf for a food bank.

Monwara Ali, the chief executive of Waltham Forest Community Hub, gave the King a high-five and Alexandra Martinelli-Kinmonth, of The Together Space charity, made him a cup of tea.

He smiled and said he hoped it had some honey in, which it did, she said.

The town hall reception is to celebrate community cohesion - MINA KIM/REUTERS

Outside, the monarch enjoyed a rendition by A Little Choir of Joy, a childrens choir made up of eight to 12-year-olds from across schools in the borough before chatting to well-wishers.

The Queen, who has only recently recovered from a bout of pneumonia, waited in the car.

It marked the Kings final official engagement before he headed to his Sandringham estate in Norfolk for the Christmas break.

He is planning to embark on a full programme of both UK and overseas engagements next year, with a visit to Auschwitz scheduled for Jan 27, to mark the 80th anniversary of the camps liberation.

He is also expected to visit Italy in the spring on behalf of the Government.

The Kings cancer diagnosis came after undergoing treatment for an enlarged prostate.

He was treated at The London Clinic at the same time as his daughter-in-law, the Princess of Wales, who had major abdominal surgery.

The King greeted Caroline Akuffo on Friday who showed him an old photo of the pair meeting in Japan in 1970 - MINA KIM/REUTERS

Both the King and the Princess were discharged from the hospital on Jan 29  the monarch waved as he left via the front door while the Princess was spirited home unseen.

Both were said to be well and their respective treatments successful. However, both would later face the devastating news that cancer had been found during surgery.

The King immediately began a course of regular treatment and public engagements were postponed on medical advice.

But he remained wholly positive and continued working behind closed doors.

He returned to public-facing events in late April and even managed a ten-day tour of Australia and Samoa in October, said to have been the perfect tonic.

A palace spokesman said on his return: Were now working on a pretty normal looking full overseas tour programme for next year, which is a high for us to end on, to know that we can be thinking in those terms.
Leader of UN-backed government in Tripoli Abdul Hamid Dabaiba said he was concerned the country could become a battlefield between countries. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

Russias move to reinforce its military base in eastern Libya after the toppling of the Assad regime in Syria is facing resistance from the countrys UN-backed government.

The prime minister of the Tripoli-based government, Abdul Hamid Dabaiba, said he rejected any attempt to turn Libya into a centre for major-power conflicts, stressing that the country would not be a platform for settling international scores.

We have concerns about moving international conflicts to Libya, and that it will become a battlefield between countries, Dabaiba said.

Libya has endured years of conflict since the 2011 Nato-backed uprising ended dictator Muammar Gaddafis 40-year reign. The country remains divided between the UN-recognised government in Tripoli and a rival administration in the east, backed by military leader Khalifa Haftar.

Reports in recent days have indicated Russian forces were transferring military equipment from Syrias Tartus naval base and Hmeimim airbase to eastern Libya, where the rival administration has received Russian support for years.

Dabaiba said his government would not allow the transfer of Russian weapons to Libya, warning that it would only complicate Libyas internal crisis further. He added that no one with an ounce of patriotism wants a foreign power to impose its hegemony and authority on the country and the people.

Dabaiba said he had been in touch with the Russian ambassador to Libya to demand an explanation.

Russias bases in western Syria have been crucial to its ability to project power in the Mediterranean and north Africa. Moscow has been negotiating with Syrias new leaders to retain them, but no agreement on the leases has been made.

Related: Inside the Russian airbase in Syria where troops form fragile truce with rebels they once bombed

Jalel Harchaoui, associate fellow at the defence thinktank RUSI, described Dabaibas remarks as a watershed moment, adding: Just him saying those words is deeply problematic to Russia because part of the Russian doctrine in the Middle East is never to be perceived as being completely 100% on one side against the other.

So Russia was supposed to be this magical actor that was basically eliciting the active approval of both sides of the Libyan crisis. And all of that is gone.

Dabaiba s intervention, he said, may reflect that he feels this is the time to look like a good guy to the Americans, because he is under pressure on many fronts.

The US has started to impose unprecedented economic pressure on the main Libyan actors over corruption.

The new head of the Libyan Central Bank, Naji Issa, revealed in a letter this week to the Libyan national audit bureau that the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, with the support of the US Treasury, has said it will suspend all dollar exchange transactions with the bank until an independent auditor, specialising in combating money-laundering and terrorist financing, is appointed to oversee all transactions.

The Federal Reserve has been putting pressure on the Central Bank partly after the Libyan National Oil Corporation admitted that Libya finished 2023 with only $14bn (11bn) worth of income from the sale of 1.2m barrels a day of crude oil, leaving about $9bn missing, or spent on fuel for crude oil swaps.

Harchaoui said The letter shows the Americans are worried about what the hell is happening. So they need an audit, and they need the Libyans to pay for that audit.

Libyan officials said the audit is likely to reveal evidence of the oil smuggling in the east, and the deep financial connections with Russia, and so open the path to impose sanctions on the key figures involved.

Harchaoui said it was incontrovertible that, since the fall of Assad earlier this month, Russian cargo planes have made several flights to the Libyan al-Khadim base east of Benghazi, including two from Belarus. There have also been flights from Moscow to Libya which flew over Turkish airspace.

Harchaoui said, regardless of whether the new government in Damascus completely throws Russia out of Syria, the value of the bases to Russia would change.

The environment in Syria, for Russia, has become more hostile, more uncertain, more precarious and more costly, he said.

The level of intelligence-sharing that existed between the Assad regime and Russia, necessary for Russia to maintain its own military presence  thats gone. Maybe the new government will promise something equivalent, but it could never be at the same level of comfort as before.

He said Haftar was obsessed with the need for Russian air defences to avoid a repeat of the attacks on his forces in 2020, when they were decimated by Turkish-supplied drones.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Russian cargo planes that flew to Libya transported advanced air defence equipment, including radars for the S-400 and S-300 air defence systems

Russia had this year already increased its footprint in Libya, bringing more armoured vehicles, military trucks, equipment in general and personnel. The number of troops had risen to about 1,200-1,500 from about 900 last year.
Lord Mandelson is the first political appointment to the ambassadorship in decades - Heathcliff O'Malley for The Telegraph

Donald Trumps campaign manager has called Lord Mandelson an absolute moron and said he should stay home after the Labour peer was announced as the UKs next ambassador to Washington.

Chris LaCivita, who masterminded Mr Trumps presidential bid earlier this year, hit back at Sir Keir Starmers choice for the role and praised the incumbent, Dame Karen Pierce.

This UK government is special, he said. Replace a professional universally respected ambo with an absolute moron - he should stay home! Sad!

Mr LaCivita made the comments on X, formerly Twitter, sharing an article by The Telegraph reporting Lord Mandelsons previous comments about Mr Trump.

Chris LaCivita, who masterminded Mr Trumps presidential bid earlier this year - Brian Snyder/Reuters

Responding to the post, a Government spokesman referred The Telegraph to Sir Keirs statement welcoming Lord Mandelsons appointment.

Mr LaCivita joined the Trump campaign in 2022 and was made co-chair with Susie Wiles, who has since been appointed Mr Trumps White House chief of staff.

In an interview with an Italian journalist in 2019, unearthed by this newspaper, Lord Mandelson described the president-elect as a danger to the world and little short of a white nationalist and racist.

He is the latest Labour official to be caught out by historic comments about Mr Trump, after David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, was forced to row back on his previous statement that the Republican was a neo-Nazi sympathiser.

This UK govt is special replace a professional universally respected Ambo with an absolute moron - he should stay home ! SAD! Mandelson described Trump as a danger to the world and 'little short of a white nationalist' https://t.co/EpegH7FbMw  Chris LaCivita (@ChrisLaCivita) December 20, 2024

Lord Mandelson, who is the first political appointment to the ambassadorship in decades, was hailed by Government sources on Thursday as a safe pair of hands whose political and business experience would allow him to curry favour with Mr Trumps White House.

In response to his appointment, the New Labour architect said on Friday: We face challenges in Britain but also big opportunities and it will be a privilege to work with the Government to land those opportunities, both for our economy and our nations security, and to advance our historic alliance with the United States.

Sir Keir said: The United States is one of our most important allies and as we move into a new chapter in our friendship, Peter will bring unrivalled experience to the role and take our partnership from strength to strength.

Lord Mandelson will replace Dame Karen, a career diplomat who has built close links with the Trump transition team, in January after the presidential inauguration.

Credit: Alain Elkann Podcast

It had been suggested in some government circles that Dame Karen would continue in her role in Washington after Mr Trumps inauguration because of her success in winning over members of the Trump team and organising two meetings with Mr Trump for Sir Keir and Lord Cameron.

However, Mr LaCivitas complaint suggests Lord Mandelson may find it difficult to build inroads with Mr Trump, who has threatened to impose tariffs of up to 20 per cent on British goods.

Analysis suggests that the policy would spark a trade war and could cost the UK economy up to 22 billion.

Lord Mandelsons appointment has also been criticised by some MPs over his links to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The pair were photographed together shopping in St Barts in 2006. Lord Mandelson has since said that he regrets ever having been introduced to Epstein.

Peter Mandelson and convicted paedophile Jeffery Epstein were photographed together in 2006

Approached by The Telegraph about his previous comments, Lord Mandelson said he never held the view that Mr Trump was a danger to the world or a racist, but that he was expressing the views of others in his circle.

In the interview, he said that even those with a sneaking admiration for the president would regard him as reckless and a danger to the world, warning that Mr Trump would never be viewed by people in Britain as a true embodiment of or spokesman for our values.

He has since called for the UK government to build closer links with Mr Trump in Washington, and suggested Nigel Farage, a friend of the president-elect, could act as a bridge between Downing Street and the White House next year.

Sir Keirs team made direct contact with Mike Waltz, Mr Trumps national security adviser, earlier this month, and the two leaders spoke on the phone earlier this week.

However, there have also been signs of tension after some Labour staff came to the US to campaign for Kamala Harris during the presidential race. The Trump campaign took legal action and accused the party of foreign interference.
Barry Manners on his 2011 return visit to Baghdad, where he had been held as a human shield. Photograph: Supplied

A man who was among British Airways passengers and crew taken hostage in Kuwait and used as human shields during Saddam Husseins invasion, who are suing the airline, said his ordeal was made worse by its staffs homophobia.

On Friday, more than 100 claimants served legal papers on BA and the government, who they say both knew the invasion had taken place hours before flight BA149 landed in Kuwait in 1990.

Barry Manners, then 24, said the attitude of BA staff, who took charge at the hotel where people were held, changed when they discovered that his partner, Anthony Yong, had Aids after he requested medication.

He said they told them to stay in the room to avoid contaminating others and talked about transferring Yong to the local infectious disease hospital, despite the risk this would pose to him with his compromised immune system.

They dropped a litre of disinfectant outside the room for us to disinfect the room, and food was brought up, said the 58-year-old. We had strict instructions that when they would knock on the door three times or something, a tray of food would be left. We then had to wait five minutes so that they could clear the corridor.

Do you know [the TV Aids drama] Its a Sin? I think its set in 1983-84, and those were the sorts of attitudes that youd expected then, of people being isolated and chained to beds and God knows what.

Well, thats where we were, but seven years later, at the behest of an organisation that had had dozens, at least, of their own personnel whod actually become ill with that very disease. I was just astonished that these attitudes existed  it was like being back in the middle ages.

He said that after about 10 days in the hotel, BAs sales manager phoned saying they were being moved to the local hospital, and BA crew, along with hotel management, lined up to evict them.

But they refused to go and barricaded the door using furniture. After a standoff lasting a couple of days, BA and the hotel relented, but instead made them move to a prefabricated building in the hotel grounds, he said.

We were basically expelled from the hotel, said Manners, a district councillor in Kent. But were then near the beach, in a war zone. Were about 50 to 80 metres back from the shoreline. Theres anti-aircraft type, heavy-calibre machine-guns lined up along the coast that were firing off at night, so you just feel youve got ordnance going off almost next door.

Conscript soldiers would come round scrounging for food, which was obviously very disconcerting because were vulnerable and youve got people with Kalashnikovs wandering around looking through your kitchen to see what food they can take.

He said that after a couple of weeks being confined there, Yong, whose family they had been on their way to visit in Malaysia, managed to get temporary Indian travel documents by handing over cash, and so he was taken out of the country overland posing as an Indian citizen.

Meanwhile, Manners was taken to Baghdad where he spent about three months as a human shield at a hydroelectric plant where he was told he was to be executed if the Americans invaded.

When he was released and met Yong back in England, he said his partner was an absolute mess, he looked like hed just been liberated from Belsen [concentration camp]. I was really shocked at his deterioration.

Yong died about 15 months later, having never received so much as a call from BA to check how he was, Manners said.

Im still angry, said Manners. The way we were treated was  particularly cruel and unnecessary. It was ignorance. It almost certainly hastened his demise.

In 2021, the then foreign secretary, Liz Truss, admitted the government had covered up the fact that the British ambassador in Kuwait had warned the Foreign Office that the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait was under way before flight BA149 landed. But she said the warning had not been passed on to BA.

Matthew Jury, McCue Jury & Partners LLP, who is representing the claimants, said: It is never excusable for a government to use citizens as pawns in a military operation. Its equally shocking that one of the UKs flagship companies could be complicit in the same.

A BA spokesperson said on Friday: Our hearts go out to all those caught up in this shocking act of war 34 years ago, who had to endure a truly horrendous experience.

UK government records released in 2021 confirmed British Airways was not warned about the invasion.
Peter Mandelson (L) shopping with the late paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein on St Barts, 2006

The appointment of Mandelson as Britains next ambassador to Washington, DC tells us much about what kind of person Keir Starmer is. It also shows that this Government thinks Donald Trump is a fool. The reasons that recommend Mandelson as Britains next ambassador from the Court of St. James are the reasons that the court of King Donald will treat him with suspicion. Mandelson is well-connected and deeply experienced, a veteran technocrat. In MAGA parlance, that makes him an elite globalist, a deep-state Swamp-dweller.

American politics is a cold civil war. Mandelson has an unerring talent for backing the losing side. As Tony Blairs brain, Mandelson was the architect of the technocratic centrism that collapsed in the financial crisis of 2008. He supported the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the totemic fiasco of liberal overreach whose domestic blowback carried Trump to the White House in 2016. As an EU commissioner between 2004 and 2008, Mandelson set the trade policy of an anti-democratic power that sought to supplant the United States.

While Trump backed Brexit in 2016, Mandelson was on the board of the Remain campaign. Mandelson responded to defeat by calling for a second referendum. This was the British mirror image of official Washingtons response to Trumps 2016 victory. In both countries, unelected bureaucrats and opaque party managers strove to override a democratic verdict they disliked. Trumps team will see Mandelson as an enemy of the people, and a friend of those who tried to delegitimise Trumps 2016 win and then tried to lock him up before he could win again.

Mandelsons record since leaving government in 2010 will be even more repugnant to the Trump team. Trump sees economic policy as an instrument of national security, and China as Americas main rival in both fields. Mandelson for his part has advocated for deeper trade links with China since 2009. In 2011, he was rumoured to be Chinas preferred candidate to lead the IMF. From 2015 to 2022, Mandelson led the Great Britain-China Centre, an NGO funded by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office.

Mandelsons fingers are sticky with the low-hanging fruit of directorships. They are stained by the industrial-scale harvesting of the address book that is Global Counsel, the lobbying operation that Mandelson set up in 2010 with Benjamin Wegg-Prosser, the erstwhile director of communications at No. 10 under Blair. Global Counsel lobbies for Tiktok, which even the Biden administration admitted is a threat to Americas national security. Until early 2024, Mandelson advised the Chinese fast fashion company Shein, which abandoned plans for a New York Stock Exchange launch after Congress raised objections on alleged use of forced labour in its supply chain, which Shein strongly denied.

As recently as September, Mandelson called for deeper economic ties between Britain and China in a speech at Hong Kong University. Mandelson described reducing trade ties, which is Trumps signature economic policy, as the biggest mistake.

Everyone makes mistakes. Mandelsons will now be scrutinised. He retained his directorship of the Russian defence conglomerate Sistema despite Putins invasion of Ukraine in 2014. In June 2009, then Gordon Browns business secretary, Lord Mandelson is said to have stayed at Epsteins lavish Manhattan townhouse while the financier  by then convicted  was in prison.

A spokesperson for Lord Mandelson said he very much regrets ever having been introduced to Epstein. This connection has been a matter of public record for some time. He never had any kind of professional or business relationship with Epstein in any form.

Donald Trump divides the world into friends and enemies. The charmless, dubious Mandelson will never obtain a free-trade deal while the British government mounts a China charm offensive. Trump will see our man in Washington as Chinas man in London. This will confirm everything his friend Nigel Farage says about the corruption of Britains elite, and confirm Farage as the real link between Trump and the UK.
The St Louis Cathedral in New Orleans. Photograph: Bill Clifton/Alamy

Links have continued surfacing between a bankruptcy case in Houston that forced a judge there to resign  while thrusting him under FBI investigation  and a contentious, costly financial reorganization being pursued by the clergy abuse-plagued Roman Catholic archdiocese of New Orleans.

Perhaps the most notable so far: a portion of a transcript from a March 2023 hearing that until now had largely gone unnoticed shows how  before corruption allegations prompted his resignation  David Jones exalted the wisdom of one of the most tendentious rulings made by fellow bankruptcy judge Meredith Grabill with respect to the New Orleans archdioceses chapter 11 reorganization.

Grabill months earlier had kicked four clergy abuse survivors off a committee advocating on behalf of molestation victims interests in the archdiocesan bankruptcy because of actions she attributed to their attorney.

Related: Louisiana diocese prepares to file for bankruptcy over clergy abuse claims

Jones claimed he had not spoken with Grabill about her decision  and then cited it to justify forcibly removing a creditor involved in a bankruptcy protection case filed by a California biotech company named Sorrento Therapeutics, litigation that was then pending in his courtroom but has since ended.

What has raised alarm among multiple parties involved in the church bankruptcy and interviewed by the Guardian: statements made months earlier by an archdiocesan lawyer seemingly contradict Joness claims that he did not speak with Grabill about the committee removals in her case. That church bankruptcy attorney, Mark Mintz, remarked during what is known as a status conference that Grabill had spoken with Jones and another judge before deciding to enact the committee removals  a comment that Grabill left unchallenged, according to a separate, publicly available transcript.

Furthermore, the concerned parties  some of whom spoke with the Guardian on condition of anonymity to frankly discuss sensitive legal matters  took note of how Grabill later hired a number of bankruptcy professionals present for the March 2023 hearing in Joness courtroom to essentially consult her on resolving the New Orleans churchs years-long reorganization.

Those mentioned as present at the March 2023 hearing, according to the transcript, before later being hired by Grabill included national business turnaround expert Mohsin Mo Meghji as well as attorneys for the global Latham & Watkins law firm.

It has not been clear what if any direct role Jones had in Grabills decision to bring Meghji, his M3 Partners group and the Latham attorneys aboard the church bankruptcy at a cost of $350,000  an amount that otherwise would have been available to help settle the proceeding. Neither Jones, Grabill nor Meghji immediately responded to attempted requests for comment.

Nonetheless, James Adams, whom Grabill removed from his role as chair of the abuse survivors committee in 2022 alongside three other fellow panel members, said the increasingly evident ties between the New Orleans church bankruptcy and the matter leading to Joness resignation left him feeling as if he and others similarly situated might not be getting a fair shake.

Its impossible to feel we are with these same characters showing up in both courts, Adams said. It seems like its a routine, a business model used by bankruptcy professionals. And its not just lawyers and consultants  its also judges who are part of this  little circle.

Another clergy abuse survivor with a molestation claim ensnared in the church bankruptcy, Mark Vath, added that the conflicting stories  and all the same players involved absolutely decrease my confidence in the integrity of this process.

Its obvious why to any logical or rational person, Vath said. Its unfortunate  when you see them cross paths like that.

Meghji, along with attorneys for Latham, ultimately issued a report in October with recommendations on how Grabill can compel those involved in the church bankruptcy to resolve a case where the archdiocese and clergy abuse survivors remained hundreds of millions of dollars apart in settlement negotiations.

Yet many awaiting the resolution of the church bankruptcy have noted how the FBI has reportedly sought information about Meghji, M3 Partners and Latham, among others, as well. As the Wall Street Journal wrote, that scrutiny came after Meghji and his associates hosted a banquet that listed Jones as a guest of honor at one of the priciest restaurants in Manhattan  and then, working for Sorrento, took steps to ensure the biotech firms bankruptcy case ended up in front of Jones.

Jones ultimately invited an FBI investigation into whether he had coordinated with bankruptcy restructuring professionals in a way that interfered with the fair administration of cases in front of him after a lawsuit revealed his sexual affair with former Jackson Walker law firm attorney Elizabeth Freeman. Freeman had worked on Sorrentos bankruptcy and others that had been before Jones, who ultimately had to resign his post and is widely believed to be under the threat of criminal indictment.

The banquet hosted by Meghji and his associates to fete Jones was not the only reason they were drawn into the investigation. Jones had also authorized Sorrento to borrow $30m at Meghjis urging to pay its employees and professional advisers, as the Journal also reported. Sorrentos shareholders objected to the loan and its expensive terms  but to no avail.

There has been no public indication whether the investigation of Jones as well as the others could expand into Grabill, who appointed Meghji and his colleagues to work on the archdiocese bankruptcy in August. The Wall Street Journal broke news of federal agents interest in Meghjis team in October, two weeks before it delivered its report to Grabill in the New Orleans church bankruptcy.

Whatever the case, there is no doubt one of the most consequential rulings that Grabill has issued in the New Orleans churchs reorganization reverberated across two bankruptcies.

Grabill imposed a $400,000 fine on clergy abuse survivors attorney Richard Trahant, who advised the principal of a New Orleans Catholic high school  who happened to be his cousin  that the institutions chaplain had a stained past.

The church soon had to admit to the school that the chaplain  Paul Hart, who has since died  molested a teenage girl in the 1990s, though he avoided substantial punishment due to technicalities. Hart was compelled to quickly retire and publicly lied about how his health was the only thing influencing his decision to step down.

Grabill ruled that the episode violated a confidentiality order keeping much of the information associated with the bankruptcy shielded from public access. She fined Trahant $400,000 in October 2022. And she removed four of his clients  including Adams, the former chairperson  from the creditors committee tasked with protecting clergy molestation victims in the bankruptcy.

Trahants appeal of the punishment was still pending as of Thursday.

Multiple legal commentators have told the Guardian that Grabills punishment of Trahant and his clients was highly unusual, given its severity and the fact that ultimately an abuser was removed from a school campus.

But judges at the federal district level in New Orleans have left Grabills decision in place. And in March 2023, Grabill received a hearty endorsement from Jones before he cited her ruling in granting a request from Sorrento to remove a competitor from participating in a committee of unsecured creditors in Sorrentos bankruptcy, as the Wall Street Journal reported. The removed committee member was NantCell, an immunotherapy company founded by billionaire Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong.

Jones defended that action by citing one of Grabills stated justifications for the removals in New Orleans: as he described it, to protect the ability of the committee to function.

Judge Grabill was actually pretty thoughtful in her analysis as to what ought to occur, Jones said.

There is no right to appear or to be on a committee, which I agree with. Its a privilege.

Jones asserted that he had not gotten an opportunity to talk to her about it.

But, during an April 2022 status conference, Grabill had allowed a statement from Mintz  the archdiocese bankruptcy attorney  saying she had indeed spoken with Jones as she mulled how to address the situation with Trahant and his clients.

Youve talked to judge Jones, Mintz said, I think, as you said before.

Grabills only reply to Mintz referring to Jones came when the lawyer alluded to how very little time Jones gave federal investigators to examine claims that a participant in an unrelated case was abusing his position on a creditors committee to benefit himself.

Thats the nature of things over there, Grabill said. She did not elaborate, but that appeared to be a complimentary reference on Joness preference for quick, decisive work.

Adams vehemently disputes that Grabills removal of him and three of his fellow committee members had anything to do with the groups functioning. He said he wondered whether the removals were instead driven by the embarrassing media coverage that the New Orleans archdiocese as well as its bankruptcy case in general endured thanks to Harts exposure.

I can tell you that all the votes were unanimous, Adams said of his time as the committees chair. The committee was moving unanimously in the same direction. There was no discord whatsoever.

Vath for his part said it would be naive at best to not suspect that there may have been communication between the two judges respectively over the Sorrento case and the New Orleans archdioceses unresolved chapter 11 filing.

Jones stepped down from the federal bankruptcy bench in Houston eight months after the March 2023 hearing. Another judge who was listed as a guest of honor for the Manhattan banquet hosted by Meghji, Christopher Lopez, oversaw the Sorrento case through its conclusion.

Related: Clergy abuse survivors say theres still long ways to go after sentencing of New Orleans priest

New Orleans archdiocese lawyers have since proposed to Grabill that the church and its affiliates  but not their insurers  should pay an average of $125,000 to each of more than 500 clergy sexual molestation claimants whose abuse drove the institution to seek bankruptcy protection in May 2020.

Survivors attorneys countered that their clients deserve  on average  about $2m per claim. Recently settled bankruptcy cases started by dioceses elsewhere have produced in the neighborhood of $600,000 for each abuse claim.

Meanwhile, since at least April, Louisiana state police have been investigating the New Orleans archdiocese for alleged child sex trafficking over the course of decades, a suspicion in part ignited by revelations in the bankruptcy. A state police search warrant alleges that widespread sexual abuse of minors dating back decades was covered up and not reported to law enforcement.

One of the citys longtime Catholic priests, Lawrence Hecker, received a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment on Wednesday, a little more than two weeks after pleading guilty to charges of child rape as well as other crimes.
People check in for their American Airlines flights in Terminal B at San Antonio International Airport, Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 27, 2022. Sam Owens/Staff photographer

American Airlines said it will take its inaugural flight between San Antonio and Washington, D.C. on March 2.

Tickets for the nonstop flight will go on sale Monday.

This week, the Department of Transportation gave final approval to the Fort Worth-based airline to launch service to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).

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The flight will depart from San Antonio International Airport at 6:35 a.m. and land at DCA at 10:41 a.m. Eastern time. The return flight will take off from Washington at 7:45 p.m. and get to San Antonio at 10:43 p.m. Central time.

"This new route is a game-changer, bringing our customers an even more seamless travel experience and strengthening our region's direct connection to the heart of the nation, Airport Director Jesus Saenz said in an American Airlines news release.

San Antonio leaders pushed for a flight to D.C. for years, saying it would benefit military personnel and San Antonio's medical, cybersecurity and information technology sectors. But previous pushes failed to get Congress to exempt the city from two rules that restrict the number of direct flights to Reagan National.

The slot rule controls the number of takeoffs and landings at DCA; the perimeter rule prohibits flights to or from airports outside a 1,250-mile boundary around DCA. Supporters say the rules prevent additional congestion and delays at Reagan National.

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A bill reauthorizing the Transportation Departments Federal Aviation Administration, which Congress passed in May, opened several new nonstop slots for airports outside the 1,250-mile perimeter, giving the San Antonio airport a shot.

The change was thanks, in large part, to bipartisan congressional support backing the change.
Leanne Ekland, the mother of Max Dixon: They need to explain the aftermath of using a knife and the ripple effect it causes. Photograph: ITV

The mother of a boy stabbed to death alongside his best friend in a case of mistaken identity in Bristol has said the teenage killers have taken my heart. She called for extra education in schools about knives and for families to do more to keep tabs on their children.

Leanne Ekland, the mother of Max Dixon, 16, who was murdered in Bristol in January, described how she thought her son was tucked up in bed when the stabbing happened and dashed to his side as he lay fatally wounded on the street.

She said: It was such a panic. I was sat down on the floor, and the paramedics were cutting his clothes, and I just kept thinking: Hes going to be so annoyed with you because youre cutting his coat off. It was his Christmas coat. I just needed to make sure Max knew I was there with him. He knew I was there.

Of the killers, Ekland said: Theyve taken my heart. Everyone says it will get better. But I dont think it will and I dont want to move on. He completed our family. He was the glue. I think they [the killers] need to understand that they destroyed me.

Max was killed with his friend 15-year-old Mason Rist after being chased and stabbed by four teenagers in Knowle West. The two boys had been wrongly identified as being responsible for bricks being thrown at a house in a rival area, Hartcliffe. Their attackers were armed with machetes and a sword.

On Thursday their attackers  Riley Tolliver, 18, Kodishai Wescott, 17, and two boys of 15 and 16 who cannot be named because of their age  were sentenced at Bristol crown court. A getaway driver, 45-year-old Antony Snook, was jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum of 38 years last month.

Wescott was detained for life with a minimum term of 23 years and 44 days, while Tolliver received a minimum term of 23 years and 47 days. The 15- and 16-year-old boys were jailed for life with minimum terms of 15 and 18 years respectively.

Ekland said Max was a fun-loving boy with three older sisters, good at school and popular, adding: When he was younger he always wanted to be a firefighter. Max and Mason had known each other since nursery school. They had a real special bond. They brought the best out of each other.

On the night of the stabbing, Ekland thought Max was in safe in their house but he and Mason had gone out for food.

She said: A car pulled up outside my house, and [there] was shouting up at my windows that Max has been stabbed. I said: No, hes in bed, and the realisation hit me. I asked the boys to take me down to where Max was.

Ekland often thinks about how Max and Mason would have felt. They must have been petrified. They wouldnt have had a clue what was going on.

I dont understand gang culture. That night, they didnt even give those two boys a chance to fight back, they didnt even give them a chance to say, We had nothing to do with it.

Ekland said more education about knife crime was needed. They need to explain the aftermath of using a knife and the ripple effect it causes. I think it starts at home with the parents, because I think theres a lot of parents out there that dont know what their children are getting up to.

In September, the UK government banned zombie-style knives and machetes. Ekland said this was a start. Im hoping things will change. I hope youngsters will realise that you cant just go out and carry a knife. If you get caught with a knife, you should have consequences.

She said she did not want to think about the killers. I try not to think about them because it takes away my love for Max  He didnt just die, he was brutally murdered and theres no reason for him to have been.

I still have a plate and a cup in Maxs bedroom which I will not take out because thats what he used that night. Everything which belongs to Max is precious and I wont get rid of that.
Lord Mandelson was a former cabinet minister and has a new role under Sir Keir Starmers party - Wiktor Szymanowicz

MPs have questioned Sir Keir Starmers judgement in appointing Lord Mandelson as US ambassador over his links to Jeffrey Epstein.

It was confirmed on Friday that Lord Mandelson, a former cabinet minister and a key architect of New Labour under Tony Blair, will take over as British ambassador to the US when Donald Trump begins his second term as president.

But MPs have raised concerns about the appointment because of Lord Mandelsons links to Epstein, a convicted paedophile, who affectionately referred to Mandelson as Petie.

Epstein and Lord Mandelson are said to have enjoyed a particularly close friendship and were pictured together in St Barts in 2006, with Lord Mandelson trying on a white belt, watched on by Epstein.

The trip was organised by Ghislaine Maxwell, whom Lord Mandelson met through her father Robert Maxwell, the one-time Labour MP and disgraced newspaper magnate, in the early 1990s.

Lord Mandelson (pictured left) and Mr Epstein are said to have enjoyed a particularly close friendship

Lord Mandelson, the former EU trade commissioner, was in St Barts on holiday and arranged to meet Maxwell. She brought Epstein with her and the pair accompanied Lord Mandelson on a shopping trip. It is understood the trio enjoyed ice cream and coffee.

Epstein, who killed himself while awaiting trial on fresh charges in 2019, was also a friend of Prince Andrew.

Speaking about Lord Mandelsons appointment, Dame Caroline Dinenage, a former Conservative minister for women and equalities said: Labour would already be raging about cronyism if a Conservative Government had sent a political appointee to this important diplomatic post.

Mandelsons previous links to Epstein not only raise questions about his suitability but Starmers judgement. Does the PM have a blind spot where his mates are concerned?

Uncomfortable and inappropriate

Rosie Duffield, who resigned from the Labour Party earlier this year over the freebies scandal, described Lord Mandelsons appointment as uncomfortable and inappropriate.

She said: I am sure many women are as uncomfortable as I am that someone who appeared to be very closely connected to convicted criminal Jeffrey Epstein has been given such a prestigious job. There must have been other contenders who had no such association.

I am not the only MP who is less than happy about this. It feels completely inappropriate that he has been given such a role, given his links to Epstein.

Sir Iain Duncan Smith, who was leader of the Conservative Party and the Opposition from 2001 to 2003, said that he was calling for an inquiry into Lord Mandelsons appointment and his links to Epstein were a good example of why one was needed.

He faces scrutiny for his background

He said: The fact is that his global company did business with huge numbers of people in very dodgy arenas. He worked with Chinese state-owned entities and TikTok, which caused huge problems in the states.

He voted against the genocide amendment in the Lords, and the truth is that because hes a political appointee and has not had the scrutiny that would be the case for a diplomat, it is more important than ever that he faces scrutiny for his background.

This is essentially the most important diplomatic post in the world for Washington. Ive called on the intelligence committee to carry out an inquiry into Mandelsons appointment.

If Mandelson has been involved with Epstein, that is yet another reason we should have an inquiry into his connections, his contacts and his business links.

It boils down to one simple fact: appointing him is fraught with issues and we need to be able to judge it properly. But if hes pictured with Epstein thats a very good example as to why we need this inquiry - he comes with some very large baggage.

Big hitter

On Friday afternoon, Zarah Sultana, the Independent MP for Coventry South, tweeted the picture of Lord Mandelson and Epstein together. Ms Sultana represented the Labour Party until she was suspended over voting to scrap the two-child benefit cap.

She said: The British public expect high-quality candidates for such a position, and due diligence must be carried out. They deserve to know the nature of Peter Mandelsons relationship with the notorious sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, and what he knew about Epsteins activities.

Diane Abbott, the Labour MP, also expressed her frustration at Lord Mandelsons appointment on X, formerly Twitter. She said: 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.

In a statement given to the Telegraph previously about his links to Epstein, a spokesperson for Lord Mandelson said he very much regrets ever having been introduced to Epstein.

It added: This connection has been a matter of public record for some time. He never had any kind of professional or business relationship with Epstein in any form.
Despite Owen Jones' 'investigation', the BBC's reporting had "led many British Jews to conclude that the BBC has become institutionally hostile to Israel"

Ever since the atrocities of October 7, the Guardianista enfant terrible Owen Jones has harboured a singular preoccupation with the Jewish state. Fourteen months on, scroll through his X account  with its million followers  and youll find it hard to see a mention of anything else.

Of course, Jones has no problem with Jews. Perish the thought! Just their inexplicable affection for their homeland. His is a righteous anger  a crusade, if you will  against those nasty, scheming, ethnic cleansing, apartheid-loving, white supremacist, baby-killing, genocidal (whisper it) Zionists. In fact, in November, Jones even christened his crusade with a name: BattleLines. But the Jews? Oh, the Jews are fine. So long as they denounce their own country.

This week, the BattleLines cause propelled our intrepid crusader straight through the gates of Broadcasting House, where he pillaged and marauded and came up with cast-iron evidence that the BBC is  wait for it  infested with horrible Zionists who are infusing its coverage with pro-Israel bias. At which I, for one, breathed a sigh of relief.

Only recently, the Board of Deputies, the Jewish Leadership Council and the Community Security Trust, the three main voices of Anglo-Jewry, warned that the BBCs reporting had led many British Jews to conclude that the BBC has become institutionally hostile to Israel. But they had nothing to worry about.

Brave Owen Jones has revealed that the corporation is actually the broadcasting equivalent of Theodor Herzl, Zeev Jabotinsky and Moshe Dayan rolled into one. Phew! How typical of those cunning Jews to make everyone believe the opposite.

The results of this so-called investigation were published on the obscure alternative news website Drop Site News (presumably, the reviled mainstream media wouldnt touch it). In summary  I read all 9,200 words so that you dont have to  the conclusions were fourfold. First: thirteen BBC journalists think the corporation is far too pro-Israel for their tastes.

Who were these whistleblowers? We dont know, as they were anonymous; but one cant help but wonder if they might work for BBC Arabic, perhaps, which averaged more than one correction per week between January 2021 and July 2023, including the use of inflammatory anti-Israel terminology and parroting Hamas narratives?

Second, Raffi Berg  the mild-mannered Middle East editor of the BBC website, whom I know to be a journalist of rare standards of integrity, as honest as the day is long (though to be fair, he is Jewish)  is apparently some kind of Zionist puppet-master, putting his thumb on the scales of the corporations coverage to take a pro-genocide line at every turn.

Evidence of Bergs supposed pro-Israel bias includes articles with headlines like thousands call for Mid-East peace. That story in particular opened thus: Thousands of pro-Israel supporters have gathered in Londons Trafalgar Square to call for an end to the violence in the Middle East. Organisers said they wanted people in Gaza and Israel to live in peace, but argued that Hamas must accept responsibility for the conflict. Disturbing, no? The story wasnt even written by Berg. Jones objected to the fact that he was merely there and had filed a single line of description.

Also cited was Bergs fine 2020 book about Mossads humanitarian rescue of thousands of Ethiopian refugees from Sudan in the Eighties, which apparently relied in part upon a close relationship with a former senior Mossad commander. Now if youre writing a book about a famous Mossad operation, it might make sense to rely closely upon people who have worked for, er, Mossad.

No? OK, maybe its just me. All together, now: booooo! (If you want to show support for poor old Berg, buy a copy. Its entitled Red Sea Spies.)

Third, Jones presents the case of the death of a man with Downs syndrome in Gaza, who came from a family of terrorists, as incontrovertible evidence that certain BBC journalists are  metaphorically at least  singing Hava Nagila while shooting Uzis in the air with joy at the suffering of Palestinian civilians. Lastly, our fearless reporter offers a data analysis of BBC reporting, which in the eyes of some observers is more than a little half-baked.

Im not going to go through this investigation point by point. It would take quite a lot of time; both Christmas and Chanukah are coming; and I turned 46 just a few days ago. If, for some reason, you are interested in the granular detail, and have the stomach for it, and have a sick bag to hand, just in case, David Collier, the independent researcher, has published a deep dive on his blog.

But it is worth asking what lies behind this intense drive to criticise Israel, often in the most magnified and  many would argue  wildly inaccurate terms? Why not Syria, or Ethiopia, or Yemen, or Turkey? Or North Korea, or Venezuela, or Sudan?

Jones is neither Jewish nor Palestinian. To my knowledge, he has never set foot in Israel, not even for a holiday in Eilat or to attend Tel Aviv Pride, and he is not known for spending much time in the Arab world. Neither is there any reason to think he is on the payroll of the Iranian regime. Whats with the obsession? What is it about the Jewish state that so agitates him?

Jones would reply, of course, that he simply objects to genocide. In fact, he has argued this on X. Yes, Im obsessed with fighting a genocide being facilitated by my government, he posted today. Guilty! This is not something be ashamed of. It is the people who stayed silent, or who cheered on this abomination, who should be ashamed. They will never scrub the shame away.

But all people of sound mind know that there is no genocide in Gaza. Nobody sensible takes these claims seriously, not even Keir Starmer. Not even, might I add, David Lammy.

The tunnel vision is inexplicable. It seems pretty hard to produce decent journalism when youre in such a frame of mind. I think of the time, for instance, when Jones watched traumatic GoPro footage of the Hamas atrocities, took notes, and used them to create a video of his own claiming that there was no conclusive evidence of rape, in spite of the multiple eyewitnesses and the morgue worker (interviewed recently by Allison Pearson) who described treating female bodies that had been so brutally assaulted that their pelvises had been shattered.

I know, I know. Woodward and Bernstein eat your hearts out. But in that twilight kingdom of which Jones is ruler, his million followers on X view him as the prophet of Fleet Street. And however disturbing this sorry state of affairs, this is not just about Jones and his acolytes. This is about the BBC; what its misreporting of the conflict means for its global audience; and what its Jewish employees have to face every day.

Speaking to the Jewish Chronicle on condition of anonymity, one BBC staffer said: Every week it gets a little harder being a Jew at the BBC. Harder to sit in the office and listen to colleagues discussing their very personal views about the war in Gaza and attacks by Hezbollah on Israel. It is harder listening, watching and reading the loaded output about events in the Middle East and colleagues partial and often offensive social media posts. Harder to go home at night and speak to friends and family who hold me responsible for the BBC contributing to the rise in antisemitism in the UK.

As a case in point, Joness latest offering, which singles out a Jewish member of staff as a locus of power behind the BBCs output on Israel, relies on moles within the broadcaster who apparently fed him titbits of pernicious information designed to frame the Jewish journalist.

From one point of view, this was not just a hit-job by a discredited digital doofus. Jones was simply a contract killer for various BBC staff who harboured a hatred of their Jewish editor. Doesnt this apparent vendetta rather confirm the fears of the hundreds of Jewish journalists who have tried to raise the alarm about the culture at the broadcaster but been dismissed?

A final thought. In standing up against the bullying, doing his best to uphold BBC impartiality in the face of pro-Hamas onslaughts from within, and taking a massive hit for the team at the hands of Owen Jones, isnt Raffi Berg a bit of a Chanukah hero?
In retirement Pat Milner became an expert clockmaker Photograph: none

My friend Pat Milner, who has died aged 91, was one of the first student counsellors in the UK. Her career started in 1965 when she applied for a pioneering diploma course at Reading University.

In a 2001 interview with her former colleague Stephen Palmer, she described it as a road to Damascus experience. For the first term, I believed the theories of this man, Carl Rogers, were ludicrous and would never work, she said. What did he mean really listen? Of course we listened! In practice, genuineness, warmth and empathy opened up a new world of human understanding. It was mind-blowing. Thus converted, I hitched up my wagon and set off to pan for more psychological gold.

She found gold as a Fulbright scholar at the State University of New York doing a masters in counselling in 1966. In 1969 She became a student adviser at University College London, before joining, in 1975, South West London College (now closed), introducing staff and students to person-centred counselling. I was a student then lecturer there on courses run by Brigid Proctor with Pat and Gaie Houston, later joined by other visiting tutors.

Pat also co-edited several books, including  with Palmer  volumes one and two of Counselling  the BACP counselling reader, published in 1996 and 2001, and Integrative Stress Counselling: a humanistic problem-focused approach, published in 1998.

Born in Bolton, Pat was the elder daughter of Tom Milner, a railway worker, and Edith (nee Evans), a shorthand typist. Pat suffered several serious illnesses as a child and spent much time in hospital. She eventually won a scholarship to Bolton school. Having trained as a teacher in 1953, between 1957 and 1963 she served in the education branch of the WRNS (Womens Royal Naval Service), before applying to Reading University.

She lived for most of her working life in London, in a house overlooking Greenwich Park, with her long-term partner, Joan Beech, and in retirement she became an expert clockmaker.

Pat will be remembered with affection by those she taught. Later, living in sheltered housing in Blackheath, and after being diagnosed with dementia, she remained the same wise, bright egalitarian person, organising a choir in this new community.

She is survived by two nieces. Joan predeceased her, as did Pats sister, Beryl.
Governments are failing to address the toxic social conditions that cause chronic stress and cannot be medicated away, Dr Matt Fisher says. Illustration: Nash Weerasekera/The Guardian

Too many people are being prescribed antidepressants to deal with stressful life events or social problems, according to a growing chorus of doctors and researchers.

More than 14% of Australians are currently taking antidepressants, one of the highest rates in the world. Dr Matt Fisher, who researches wellbeing and the impact of stress, says while he has heard health workers talk about this as a good thing, because it means more people are getting access to help, he doesnt see it as a success story.

Fisher, a senior research fellow with the University of Adelaides Stretton Institute, is concerned Australias high use of antidepressants constitutes a failed attempt to medicate away what are, in fact, social problems. He says while antidepressants may be of benefit to some people suffering persistent psychosocial distress, they should not be the default, first response.

Chronic stress, where people are exposed to an ongoing, recurrent stressor without any easy or accessible way to resolve it  increasing the risk of isolation, exclusion, humiliation and harm  is a significant driver of mental distress in Australia, including depression and anxiety, Fisher says.

The common causes of chronic stress include things such as being in debt, having a low income, poor working conditions, or being exposed to racism or domestic violence.

In his book, How to Create Societies for Human Wellbeing, Fisher argues that current policies in Australia are contributing to these toxic social conditions causing chronic stress, in turn leading to high and growing rates of psychological distress such as depression.

It is the kind of stress that cannot be medicated away, he says, and that governments are failing to address.

And while wellbeing does have significant political currency at the moment, Fisher says, he believes the initiatives proposed by governments to promote wellbeing fail to recognise social problems and chronic stress as a root cause of mental ill health.

Governments evade the problem by persisting with individualised, medicalised, drug-based strategies Dr Matt Fisher

It means policies to address wellbeing too often focus on the individual, encouraging people to be more resilient, to exercise more, to eat better, to see a doctor, to get therapy, or to take antidepressants.

These medical and pharmacological-focused solutions might be helpful for some but do little to help with the kind of chronic stressors that drive ill health, Fisher says, such as toxic workplaces or insecure housing.

Governments evade the problem by persisting with individualised, medicalised, drug-based strategies, he says. These strategies arent reducing high rates of mental distress, sometimes do harm, and marginalise attention on social causes.

Some of this harm was evident when Guardian Australia invited readers to share their experiences of being prescribed antidepressant medications, receiving almost 800 responses.

When Jackie, from Darwin, was 15 she became depressed after being bullied at school. When she told her GP of these problems, she was prescribed antidepressants.

I felt like I was the one who had to be fixed for not being able to endure [the bullies] torment, Jackie, now in her 20s, says.

A significant number of people reported being prescribed the drugs for stress that was driven by a difficult life event such as divorce or the death of a loved one, or for chronic stressors such as poverty or neglect.

It was these readers who were most likely to say that they wished they had never been prescribed antidepressant medications in the first place, and that the drugs had ultimately harmed them.

The president of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, Dr Elizabeth Moore, says while depression often coexists with life stressors, its crucial to distinguish between social challenges and clinical conditions.

While more people are seeking help and mental health stigma is decreasing, barriers to accessing psychological treatments  such as long wait times, high costs and limited availability  can make medication the default option. Its easily dispensed, often subsidised, and therefore affordable for many, she says.

Many times, prescribing antidepressants may be the only available option to manage conditions, even though non-pharmacological treatments are more suitable but harder to access.

But Dr Mark Horowitz, who co-authored the Maudsley antidepressant deprescribing guidelines, says it is not acceptable to prescribe antidepressants as a stopgap measure in the absence of accessible, affordable social and other services. He likens it to prescribing someone antibiotics to treat a viral infection, despite knowing antibiotics only work against bacteria but are useless on viruses.

A great disservice is done when we falsely classify social problems as medical problems Dr Mark Horowitz

I think a great disservice is done when we falsely classify social problems as medical problems, Horowitz says.

Just because that social condition is a tough problem, it does not mean we can get out of it by pretending it is a different sort of problem and offering people antidepressants.

In 2023, the UKs National Health Service (NHS) in England announced an initiative to move away from the pill for every ill approach, funding non-pharmaceutical alternatives for mental health and providing long-awaited deprescribing services to help people stop taking antidepressants.

It was in part a response to a review by Public Health England, which found increasing rates of inappropriate antidepressant prescribing was only exacerbating mental ill health. Medicines associated with dependence or withdrawal symptoms can harm patients if they are prescribed inappropriately; affecting their physical, emotional, social and sexual health, the NHS found.

This was the case for Simon, of Brisbane, who was prescribed antidepressants about 15 years ago when he was 22 and his father was dying from cancer. Along with grief, he was suffering from domestic violence. Then, his mother also became ill.

But instead of helping him, he found the antidepressants led to him losing motivation, numbing him. I lost all motivation to do anything and lost my job, and after my mother died I started having many days of just never leaving the house and I became almost a recluse, Simon says. Antidepressants make me complacent with doing nothing and the lack of activity is far worse than the depression I had.

Prof Orla Mundoon, an author and social psychologist with the University of Limerick in Ireland who examines how social contexts can shape behaviour, says experiences like Simons are a global phenomena.

We are overmedicating people, she says. Westernised countries, in particular, perceive distress or feeling unhappy with life as originating within people, and as caused by a neurotransmitter malfunction. This ignores the key cause of unhappiness for most of us, which is stress and trauma.

Talk therapy, group-based social supports and exercise are as successful as antidepressants for all but the most severe cases of depression, Mundoon says, something she believes is not clearly communicated with patients enough at the time of prescribing.

Like Horowitz, she does not believe that it is reasonable to prescribe antidepressants in response to pervasive stressors, even as an interim measure.

It pathologises people, rather than helping with the circumstances of their lives, she says.

Fisher says tackling these social drivers of chronic stress and therefore depression and anxiety requires policies more supportive of families and child development. Maintaining wellbeing also means providing access to healthy, sustainable food; affordable and safe housing; and affordable healthcare and education.

Fisher says this is not to say wellbeing means striving towards a kind of idealised, utopian society  rather, he says, wellbeing is an ongoing process embedded in the ways we live. And while he believes antidepressants may be of benefit to some people and does not wish to demonise them, he says too often theyre the default, first response. In the meantime, governments do too little to recognise, resist and change the conditions that do harm.

The most effective, long-term response to epidemics of psychological distress is to adopt a public health approach to wellbeing promotion, he says. Australia needs a major shift in policy orientation away from expensive, remedial, ineffective medical responses to psychosocial distress.

 In Australia, support is available at Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14, and at MensLine on 1300 789 978. In the UK, the charity Mind is available on 0300 123 3393 and Childline on 0800 1111. In the US, call or text Mental Health America at 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.
The Pirates of Penzance is on stage with the English National Opera at the London Coliseum - Alastair Muir

Theatregoers watching the Pirates of Penzance have been warned about alcohol misuse by the English National Opera.

The London Coliseum is staging a revival of Gilbert and Sullivans classic, but audiences were greeted with a sign saying: Please note this production contains references to alcohol misuse and mild violence.

Please speak to a member of staff for more information.

Music critic, Richard Bratby, claimed the warning was about someone pouring a glass of sherry.

Ive been a venue manager, he wrote on social media.

You have a duty of care to your public; there are many instances when content warnings are useful and necessary, and responsible venues are mindful of these things.

But I must admit, Id probably have let a single reference to sherry pass.

The thing is, in this case the alcohol misuse is simply pouring a glass of sherry.

I guess that makes my late Grandmother George Best.

Isabelle Peters as Mabel and William Morgan as Frederic in the Pirates of Penzance - Alastair Muir/Amx

The Victorian two-part opera had its London debut in April 1880 having first launched in Devon before enjoying success in New York.

The tale follows Frederic, a pirates apprentice, who falls in love with the daughter of a major general.

Set to be released from his apprenticeship upon turning 21, he hits a snag having been born on Feb 29, meaning he is still technically a youngster.

However, the latest audience has questioned the need for the warning.

Dr Annette Rubery, a biographer, wrote: Amazing. Were actually offended by the Victorians.

Classical music blogger, Norman Lebrecht, wrote that its management needs to walk the plank, as he branded the opera company hopeless.

John Tomlinson as Sergeant of Police in the show which is directed by Mike Leigh - Robbie Jack/Corbis Entertainment

After the opening night earlier this month, the London Coliseums show runs from Jan 24 to Feb 21 next year.

A number of other London shows also received trigger warnings this year.

In April, ticket holders for Out, at Lilian Baylis Studio in Finsbury, were warned about the potentially uncomfortable sound of actors eating oranges on stage.

Earlier this year, The Globe Theatre was accused of appeasing gender activists as staff were told to replace words like gentleman with someone and to avoid using the word guys.

In February, Rishi Sunak, the then prime minister, condemned the West Ends Noel Coward Theatre for hosting Black Out nights for all-black-identifying audiences.

A 2019 production of Fairview at the Young Vic caused controversy by asking white members of the audience to come on stage to replicate the white gaze felt by black people.

The measures prompted Dame Judi Dench to hit out at trigger warnings.

The actress said those theatregoers who require trigger warnings before performances should stay at home after she learnt there were ones in place for a number of Shakespeare plays.

The ENO did not respond to a request for comment.
The Duke of York boasted of obtaining an account with a Chinese state-owned bank more than 15 years ago, The Telegraph can disclose.

A leaked email shows Prince Andrew was given preferential treatment, giving him the opportunity to open an account with the Bank of China in 2008.

The Telegraph understands the account was based in China, and would have enabled the Duke of York to receive payments for business deals without the scrutiny of UK authorities.

The discovery of the bank account will put the Duke under intense pressure to disclose in full his business dealings in China amid a spying scandal that has shredded what remained of his reputation.

His close confidant Yang Tengbo, also known as Chris Yang, is suspected of being a Chinese spy who has been banned from Britain as a threat to national security. Mr Yang, who denies all wrongdoing, was a founding member of Pitch@Palace in China, a money-making business venture set up with the Duke in 2016.

However, the leaked email shows the Duke planning to open an account in China eight years earlier, suggesting his business deals in the country are more extensive than previously thought.

In the email, sent on Jan 12, 2008, to a British financier, the Duke wrote: Just thought youd like to know that I have been allowed to have a bank account in The Bank of China. I dont know all the details yet but it seems to be happening.

Normally you have to present yourself in person but they will make an exception for me.

Might be useful Thats all for now.

The email was signed off The Duke of York and sent from his BlackBerry phone.

A second leaked document  a diplomatic cable marked unclassified and sensitive written in April 2010 by Sir Sebastian Wood, the UKs ambassador to China  also reveals the Dukes determination to frequently make trips to China. The briefing note was written following a trip made by the Duke to Beijing in spring 2010 with plans for another visit in the autumn.

Sir Sebastian wrote: The Duke returns to China for a longer visit in September. I have emailed the department separately in support of his wish to visit China annually.

The Telegraph understands that intelligence agencies in the UK have been scrutinising the alleged money trail linking Mr Yang to the United Front Work Department, an arm of the Chinese Communist Party that is deployed by President Xis regime to buy influence and gain strategic advantage overseas.

The Duke is under intense pressure to disclose in full his business dealings in China - Reuters/Toby Melville

It is also likely to be looking at any payments made to the Duke, who has been struggling for cash since being exiled from the Royal family in the aftermath of his friendship with the financier Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted paedophile.

In October 2007, three months before he was granted the account, the Duke travelled to China in an official capacity, undertaking public engagements as the UKs then-trade envoy.

On the trip, he attended a dinner in Shanghai hosted by the Bank of China and the Royal Bank of Scotland at the Jean-Georges Restaurant.

A day later on Oct 6, the Duke visited the Bank of Chinas offices on the 29th floor of the Bank of China Tower in Pudong, a district of Shanghai, where he was given a briefing by the banks bosses. The Bank of China is the worlds fourth-largest bank with global assets worth an estimated $4.5 trillion.

The proximity of that meeting to the email sent a few months later suggests that the Duke may have been given access to a Chinese bank account as a direct consequence of duties performed under his official role as trade envoy, tasked with promoting British exports abroad.

Looking for ways into the establishment

Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former Conservative party leader whose repeated criticism of China prompted Beijing to impose sanctions on him, said it was now important for the British intelligence services to scrutinise whom the Duke had been associating with in China.

Sir Iain, Tory MP for Chingford and Woodford Green, said: When it comes to the Royal family, the Government has to take an interest in what they are doing. The advice going to members of the royals should always be very clear.

China, Russia and Iran are always looking for ways into the political establishment.

What Im concerned about is what weve learned in the last week is that the security services didnt seem to take any interest in what Prince Andrew was doing, in terms of whom he mixed with, and I think thats a major problem.

One expert, with experience of doing business in China, said: One reason you might want a bank account is if you were investing directly in Chinese businesses or getting payments from China.

If this was essentially a domestic bank account allowing them to hold renminbi [or yuan the Chinese currency], that would tend to suggest either that person is receiving payments from a Chinese business or that they were moving money into a Chinese business.

The Duke of York was approached for comment but did not respond.
Nearly 200 women marched in Grand-Bassam, Ivory Coast, on 10 December, at the end of 16 days of activism against sexual violence. Photograph: Tora San Traore/The Guardian

With their chants ringing through the streets, nearly 200 women and girls march through the Ivory Coast town of Grand-Bassam. It is early December, and the march is the culmination of 16 days of activism to denounce femicide in the west African country.

The demonstrators, aged between 14 and 75, are dressed in orange and armed with slogans expressing their pain. Tired of being killed, tired of being raped, one woman chants in French. Protect us alive, not dead, yells another.

Many are schoolgirls from the Girls Training and Education Institute (IFEF) of Grand-Bassam, marching for the first time against gender-based violence. They all have anecdotes about how it has affected them and those around them.

Sarah Rokiata, 16, became aware of the issue after a friend told her that someone in the village had operated on her for her wellbeing. Later, Rokiata learned that was code for female genital mutilation.

We are the women and girls of tomorrow, she says. We have to fight against rape, we have to fight against femicide, we have to fight against excision.

The march in Grand-Bassam, the colonial-era capital of Ivory Coast, echoes the first public demonstration by women  in 1949  when more than 2,000 marched to free their husbands imprisoned by French colonial authorities.

Related: I was forced to have sex or I would not eat. Then I found a way to escape my traffickers

Meganne Boho, the president of the Ivorian League for Womens Rights, says: Contrary to what school textbooks say, those women didnt just march for their husbands, they marched for themselves, for their freedom. And 75 years later, were retracing their steps to pay tribute to these warriors.

Sylvie Kassi, 52, is at the head of the procession. I hear about violence on the radio, I hear about forced marriages on the TV, but this is the first time Ive seen women get together and take to the streets to say stop to violence, she says. Im proud to be part of it.

During the days leading up to the march, activities across the country included womens forums with discussions and theatre and a caravan crisscrossing the country to raise awareness of gender-based violence in schools and among the wider public.

The marchers stop in front of the towns courthouse to voice their dissatisfaction with the failure of the justice system to protect victims and the lack of severe penalties in cases of violence against women.

Perpetrators of femicide are tried either for murder, which carries a sentence of between 10 and 20 years, or for rape, with a sentence of between five and 20 years. But a deep distrust of law enforcement agencies means most cases never make it to court. And those that do are not taken seriously, say activists.

There are too many closed cases when it comes to femicide and violence against women in general, says Amandine Yao, founder of the Gouttes Rouges organisation. Were calling for justice.

The 16 days of activism started on 25 November and were organised by a coalition of womens rights organisations. Gender-based violence is still prevalent on the continent despite years of work by such groups. In 2023, there were an estimated 21,700 victims of femicide committed by an intimate partner or relative in Africa, according to the UN.

In Ivory Coast, a survey by the nonprofit Citizens for the Promotion and Defence of the Rights of Children, Women and Minorities (CPDEFM), found that more than 416 femicides took place across six of Abidjans 13 communes between 2019 and 2020. Several horrific cases made the headlines this year: a 19-year-old stabbed to death, allegedly by her partner after he accused her of stealing; a soldier who shot his wife and then killed himself in April.

Activists, however, believe the figures do not fully represent the scale of the problem.

In Ivorian law, the term femicide does not exist. We are advocating for it to be recognised in the penal code Ferela Soro, lawyer

It is complex to carry out studies to obtain statistics on femicide, but it is not impossible because  the culture of silence is gradually receding, says Marie-Michelle Nda, director of CPDEFM. But we need financial resources, logistical resources [and] the government must support us in this fight.

In 2021, the Ivorian government adopted measures to protect victims of domestic violence, rape and sexual violence in general, including establishing emergency protection orders. It also ended the requirement for a victim to supply medical certificates, and introduced training for gendarmes and police officers on gender-based violence.

In September, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ranked Ivory Coast as the leading African country in the fight to end discrimination against women.

But many women say there is still a lot to do, including recognising femicide.

In Ivorian law, the term femicide does not exist, says lawyer and activist Ferela Soro, general secretary of the Organisation for Feminist Reflection and Action. In order to impose harsher penalties, we are advocating for femicide to be recognised in the penal code on an equal level with infanticide or patricide.

For the young women joining the march, it is an opportunity to fight for their right to be safe.

We are vulnerable, says Rokiata, surrounded by her friends who nod in agreement. We deserve to be protected so that we dont die tomorrow.
Reg Ellicott in 2018. He joined the RAF in 1951 Photograph: provided by family

My great-uncle, Reginald Ellicott, who has died aged 94 from cancer, enjoyed a distinguished postwar career in the RAF, rising to the rank of squadron leader.

Reg was Anglo-Indian, a distinct minority community in India that left in large numbers after the turbulent British withdrawal from the country in 1947. Born in Karachi, he was the son of Archibald Ellicott, an excise inspector, and his wife, Vivienne (nee Ellicott; they shared a surname as they were cousins), a civil servant. From 1940 the family lived in Bombay (now Mumbai) where Reg attended Christ Church high school. They sailed for Liverpool in 1949, settling in Clapham, south London, later that year.

Reg joined the RAF in 1951, and completed his officer and navigator training. He was posted to 139 Squadron at RAF Hemswell in Lincolnshire where, as a pilot officer he flew the Canberra light bomber. In 1953, he saluted the newly crowned Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, leading a flypast of Canberras as part of the Coronation celebrations.

At a dance at RAF Hemswell Reg met Freda Ormsby. They married in 1955, and moved to RAF Marham in Norfolk, where Reg flew Valiants, high-altitude jet bombers, and later the Victor and Vulcan bombers. All were part of a new V Bomber Force capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear bombs.

The cold war period was a perilous time for Reg and other aircrew. 139 Squadron was part of the UKs nuclear deterrent, and took part in regular quick reaction alerts (QRAs) that required crew to be airborne within minutes. Siren alerts announcing QRA scrambles were a regular feature, and Reg would have to fly eastwards towards the USSR, with a live nuclear bomb load, not knowing whether the operation was an exercise or a real operation. Only when crew received the coded Return to base was it made clear it had been an exercise.

In November 1956, Reg flew in Operation Musketeer, an attempt to seize back control of the Suez canal from Egypt under President Gamal Abdel Nasser, who had nationalised it. He flew a Valiant out of Malta for the operation. Later he undertook secret work using radar to track incoming missiles. His task was to warn senior staff and politicians in the event of a hostile ballistic missile launch.

Reg and his family moved around for service. He was in East Yorkshire (1970-72), Hong Kong (1972-74), at Strike Command in High Wycombe (1975-77), on an exchange tour in Jever, Germany (1978-80), and, finally, at North Yorkshire RAF Fylingdales (1981-84). In 1989, he retired to Stilton in Cambridgeshire.

A warm, modest and intelligent man, Reg was never happier than when surrounded by his family.

Freda died in 2021. Reg is survived by his daughters, Sharon, Kate and Charlotte, his grandchildren, Luke, Holly, Sam, Izzy, Alice and Ed, three great-grandchildren and his great-nieces, Juliet, Karen and me.
Medieval bakers at work in the 15th century - Hulton Archive

Medieval mince pies were big enough to feed an entire family, documents unearthed by the National Archives suggest.

Centuries-old recipes which explain how to make extra-large versions of the festive treat have been found in the vast repository in Kew, west London.

One recipe, dating back to the 17th century but thought to have been inspired by the meaty treats of the preceding medieval period, told cooks to stuff their mince pies with minced meat, including mutton and veal.

The practice of putting meat in a mince pie had largely died out by the 20th century, according to English Heritage, but remained common into the Victorian period.

The recipe, titled Six Minst Pyes of An Indifferent Biggnesse, requires cooks to amass one halfe-peck  or 2.5kg  of flour, six eggs, 2lbs of butter, 2lb of sugar and a loyne of fatt mutton, with a litle of a Legg of Veale to mynce with it.

It says the meat should then be mixed with currants, cloves, mace, nutmeg and pepper and topped with orange juice, lemon juice and sliced dates.

When the Pyes are filled slyce Dates and stick in the top, and when you sett them into the oven wash them over w[i]th the yolkes of eggs and pynn them upp in Papers, the recipe concludes.

Kathryn Maude, who leads the medieval team at the National Archives, said: This recipe needs about 2.5 kilos of flour, so its cooking for a crowd. It would make six family-size mince pies, rather than the small ones were used to.

Beginning in the Middle Ages, mince pie recipes included minced meat  often lamb, as here, but sometimes beef or pork.

The recipe was preserved for posterity at the Warwickshire home of Viscount Conway, a courtier during the reign of Charles I.

The Christmas period has long been a time for extravagance in kitchens and dining rooms - duncan1890/Digital Vision Vectors

Christmas feasts could be extravagant among the nobility and upper classes in the early modern period.

One set of household accounts held at the archives, whose origin is unclear, details an extensive list of ingredients required for your supper for the 23rd and 25th of December.

It includes a turkey, a goose, 100lb of butter, a stone of beef, a leg of mutton, 4lb of fruit, pepper, raisins, currants, cloves, dates, ginger, nutmeg, sugar, bread, three more rabbits, four woodcocks, a dozen larks, two rabbits, a capon, eggs, a shoulder and leg of mutton, mustard and a loin of veal.
Jesus San Miguel, who was given probation for the fatal stabbing of a fellow John Jay High School student in 2023, leaves the courtroom during a break in his trial on Monday. Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News Jesus San Miguel, 20, watches his defense attorney John Charles Bunk cross examine a witness in court on Monday. Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News Video surveillance footage shows Joshua Kinnaman, center, enter La Fiesta de Jalisco during the trial of Jesus San Miguel on Monday. San Miguel was convicted of killing Kinnaman in 2023. Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News Prosecutors Raul Jordan, left, and Willem VanZeben, right, confer during the trial of Jesus San Miguel on Monday. Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News

A Bexar County jury has sentenced a man to probation after he was convicted of fatally stabbing a John Jay High School student last year during a fight.

Jesus San Miguel, 20, was sentenced to 10 years probation after the jury deliberated for about three hours on Thursday.

In addition, Judge Velia Meza also sentenced San Miguel to 30 days in jail.

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After his release from jail, San Miguel will spend 60 days on house arrest.

In October, San Miguel was found guilty of the fatal stabbing of Joshua Kinnaman, 18, on April 4, 2023. The jury convicted San Miguel of criminally negligent homicide  a lesser offense than the original murder charge.

San Miguel bonded out of jail on April 6, 2023. He could have received between 2 and 10 years in prison.

"You need to feel the sting of what it means to be locked up, you haven't felt that sting," Meza said.

READ MORE: Judge limits contact for Brad Simpson and some of his children

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Bexar County prosecutor Raul Jordan said San Miguel was armed with a knife when he walked into La Fiesta de Jalisco, a Mexican restaurant across the street from John Jay High School. There, he was challenged by Kinnaman to a fight that started over "trash talk" between the two, Jordan said.

"Jesus San Miguel brought a knife to a fist fight," Jordan said. "Turning what should have been a schoolyard scrap between two friends who had known each other since middle school into a deadly incident where one young man lost his life."

As the two fought in the parking lot of the restaurant, San Miguel stabbed Kinnaman in the torso with a knife.

San Miguel fled the scene, and Kinnaman ran inside the restaurant seeking help. He was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he later died.

Security cameras at the restaurant captured nearly the entire incident. Footage showed Kinnaman and San Miguel arriving at the restaurant with their group of friends. It also showed the fight that occurred in the parking lot.

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Testimony established that the teens worked at Walmart. Kinnaman was dating another Walmart employee and he was angry at San Miguel after he "trash talked" Kinnaman to the employee he was dating.

The Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office said Kinnaman was punctured in the liver and kidney during the stabbing and died from blood loss.

"We will never be the same because of you," said Jessica Kinnaman, mother of Joshua Kinnaman, to San Miguel during the victim impact statement. "As a family we are broken beyond repair."

San Miguel must report to court on Dec. 30 to begin his jail sentence.
The federal court has imposed a record fine of $25m on AGL for receiving and retaining money from welfare recipients who had ceased being its customers. Photograph: Mark Sykes Energy And Power/Alamy

Government services minister, Bill Shorten, has called for someone senior at AGL to be held accountable for the companys misuse of the Centrepay payment system to wrongly take money from the welfare payments of former customers.

On Thursday, the federal court imposed a record fine of $25m on AGL for receiving and retaining money from welfare recipients who had ceased being its customers.

They did so using Centrepay, a government-run system designed to help welfare recipients pay for essential services.

Guardian Australia revealed widespread failures of that system earlier this year, including that multiple energy retailers had allegedly used it to wrongly divert money from 483 welfare recipients who owed the company nothing.

Shorten described the case as a very significant victory for the Australian Energy Regulator, which brought the case against AGL.

He also described it as a legal spanking for AGL.

Weve seen some corporations, basically overcharging people, or garnisheeing peoples Centrelink when they shouldnt have, Shorten said on Friday.

Related: Man who falsely claimed to be bitcoin creator sentenced for continuing to sue developers

Weve put in significant reforms in recent months to fix this problem for our most vulnerable Australians.

I hope someone senior at AGL is held accountable, he said.

AGL shareholders too should be given answers how this could happen.

On Thursday, the company indicated the fine was larger than it had expected. It said it was considering an appeal on the penalty amount. But it apologised for the conduct in a statement to the ASX.

AGL is disappointed that this issue occurred and apologises to the affected customers, the company said. Since the issue was identified by AGL in mid-2020, AGL has undertaken significant process enhancements to improve its handling of Centrepay payments.

The court heard that AGL had failed to stop automatic deductions via Centrepay from customers that it knew had left and been issued a final bill.

It also heard that AGL had been caught in such conduct in 2013, years earlier, and had been told to cease by the federal government. It promised to do so, implemented fixes, but then removed those fixes in 2016. No one at the company had been able to explain why that occurred, the court heard.

But it allowed money to again be wrongly taken from welfare payments between 2017 and 2020. The federal court found more than 16,000 breaches of the national energy retail rules.

The AER chair, Clare Savage, said the ruling served as a warning to other energy retailers.

The record $25m penalty reflects the seriousness of the breaches and serves as a warning that the AER expects all retailers to refund customers if they have been overcharged and to provide consumers the full protections afforded under the rules, she said.

The actions by AGL negatively impacted hundreds of people over an extended period, many of these may have been experiencing vulnerability.

The AER is still considering potential enforcement action against three other energy retailers for similar alleged conduct.
Sue Gray, a former civil servant, joined the Labour party before the general election. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA

Keir Starmer has named 30 new peers, including his former chief of staff Sue Gray, as the government moved to rebalance the political forces in the House of Lords after big reforms to the upper house were put on hold.

In the much-trailed announcement, a string of other Labour grandees were appointed, including the former ministers Thangam Debbonaire and Kevin Brennan; the longtime Tony Blair staffer Anji Hunter; and the former TUC head Brendan Barber.

The new Labour peers also include Luciana Berger, a former MP who quit the party over concerns about antisemitism under Jeremy Corbyn; David Evans, who was Labours general secretary; and the former Welsh first minister Carwyn Jones.

In addition to Gray, another of Starmers former close aides, his ex-head of strategy Deborah Mattinson, was named.

Of the new Labour peers, 17 are women, after the party pledged to redress the gender imbalance in the upper house.

Six new Conservative peers were also appointed, including Therese Coffey and Rachel Maclean, ex-ministers who lost their seats at the election.

The Tory list, compiled by Kemi Badenoch, included two people sympathetic to her views on the culture wars: Toby Young, the journalist and free speech advocate; and Nigel Biggar, an Oxford academic who has argued for a more positive view of Britains colonial past.

Young said he aimed to work with Badenoch on how to restore free speech to pride of place in our democracy and repair the damage Keir Starmer has done to this vital human right.

Two Liberal Democrats were made peers, including the partys former president Mark Pack.

Gray, a senior civil servant who joined Labour before the general election, was appointed No 10 chief of staff after Starmer became prime minister.

She stepped down from the role in October amid tensions with Starmers head political strategist, Morgan McSweeney, who replaced her.

At the time Downing Street said Gray, whose expected peerage was revealed by the Guardian, would take up a post as Starmers envoy to the nations and regions, but she turned this down.

The list of political peerages, which are separate to Rishi Sunaks upcoming resignation honours, still leaves Labour short of a majority in the Lords, which has more than 800 members and is the biggest legislative chamber in the world apart from Chinas National Peoples Congress.

The new intake moves Labour up to 215 active peers, against 277 Conservatives, although 45 of the latter are hereditary peers who are due to be removed from the chamber.

While Starmer has pledged to replace the Lords with an elected second chamber, for now the government has committed only to getting rid of the hereditary peers.

A Labour source said the party remained committed to an overdue programme of reform but that immediate action was needed first.

The Tories stuffed the House of Lords, creating a serious imbalance in the chamber, the source said. This needs to be corrected to drive through the governments plan for change and deliver on our mandate from the British people.

Grays move from the civil service to Labour prompted criticism from a number of Conservative MPs, with some noting her previous role in leading an investigation into Downing Street parties under Boris Johnson.

The Conservatives, however, did not comment on her appointment to the Lords, perhaps mindful of its own record on peerages.

Despite recommendations that the Lords should be cut to about 600 members, a large number of Tory peers were appointed during the Conservative administration, some of whom have made barely any contribution.

In contrast, Fridays list of peers largely consists of people with a long record of political or public service.

Labours nominations include the likes of Mary Bousted, a former head of the National Education Union; Anne Longfield, who was childrens commissioner for England; and Claude Moraes, the veteran civil liberties campaigner, as well as a number of other former MPs.
The Labour grandee will become Britains new ambassador to the US in 2025

If you seek the ultimate example of the roller-coaster ride that politics can be, you need look no further than the life and work of Peter Mandelson. Time and again he has risen, time and again he has been cast down, often thanks to a lack of judgment, strange in a man who is manifestly far from stupid: but then, miraculously, a resurrection has been accomplished.

Only the other day he failed to become Chancellor of the University of Oxford; but his consolation prize, suspected even before the Oxford defeat was confirmed, turns out to be the Washington embassy. Early next year, Lord Mandelson is due to jet across the Atlantic to be the governments chief emissary to Donald Trump. Some may reflect how much the two of them have in common  not least their ability to survive a scandal.

Mandelson, who will replace Dame Karen Pierce, a highly experienced diplomat, as the UKs ambassador to America, was born into politics. His maternal grandfather was Herbert Morrison, who also ended up in the House of Lords, but was thwarted in an ambition to become leader of the Labour party. The main reason Clement Attlee clung on for over three-and-a-half years after losing the 1951 general election was to ensure Morrison did not succeed him.

Mandelson too has not always been hugely popular among his generation of Labour big cheeses, recalling the great Ernie Bevins response to the observation that Morrison was his own worst enemy. Not while Im alive he aint, said Ernie.

Much has been made of the fact that David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, has been rude about President-elect Trump, and that this might sour or impede Britains relations with him. Writing in Time magazine in 2018, Lammy said, among other things, that Trump is not only a woman-hating, neo-Nazi-sympathising sociopath. He is a profound threat to the international order that has been the foundation of Western progress for so long.

Were that not sufficient to make his point, he has also compared Trumps ideas with those of the Ku Klux Klan, and has on other occasions compared him with Hitler. Some Washington insiders have remarked since the Trump victory on November 5 that he neither forgets nor forgives such slights, and will await an opportunity to disoblige Lammy, a man of whose capabilities at this challenging time for world affairs many diplomats have quickly formed a poor estimation. At a time when the Prime Minister will be worried about the potential erosion of the vital Anglo-American relationship, there is a certain logic to the appointment of Mandelson, schmoozer supreme.

However, he too appears to lack an unblemished record in respecting the next president. In a typically frank podcast with an Italian journalist in 2019, Mandelson observed that what Donald Trump represents and believes is anathema to mainstream British opinion and the idea that as a result of Brexit we have to kowtow to an American president who holds those views will outrage people in Britain. He felt Trump was little short of a white nationalist and racist and reckless and a danger to the world. So he, too, will have some ground to make up when he next meets the new president  as Chris LaCivita, Trumps campaign manager, made clear on Friday when he described Mandelson as an absolute moron who should stay home.

But it is in that context that Mandelsons Teflon coating will become so useful. He entered high-end Labour politics in 1985 as Neil Kinnocks press spokesman, and to his credit professionalised the operation; Labour lost the 1987 election, but not so badly as it had lost in 1983. He is regarded as British politics first spin doctor, which not only reflected the seriousness of his approach but also the deep cynicism he helped create around our politics. Not for nothing was he christened the Prince of Darkness.

His reward was to become MP for Hartlepool in 1992, but with Kinnock gone from the leadership and replaced by the far more traditional John Smith, the Prince found himself in outer darkness. Smiths untimely death in 1994 was his way back. He was friends with both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and chose the former as the man to back for Labours future, this ruthlessness attracting Browns chronic animosity.

Mandelson thus became one of the architects of New Labour, and acquired significant power in a party now largely stripped of all vestiges of socialism. He ran the triumphant 1997 campaign and was made a minister of state in the Cabinet Office. Within a year he was in the cabinet as Trade Secretary, and it was then that things started to go wrong.

Operating on the principle that nothing is too good for the workers, he had in 1996 bought one of a procession of fine properties, in Notting Hill, helped by an interest-free loan of 373,000 (an awesome amount then for a man on an MPs modest salary) from his colleague Geoffrey Robinson. Robinson was also a businessman being investigated by the Department of Trade, so the conflict of interest was glaring.

Worse than that, Mandelson had not declared the loan in the Register of Members Interests, and nor had he told his building society that he had another loan on the property, which could have resulted in serious court proceedings. He had no choice but to resign. Robinson was forced to resign his government job too, and accused his colleague of lying to the House of Commons about the loan.

Despite this scandal, Mandelson was back in the cabinet within a year, in October 1999, as Northern Ireland Secretary. This time he lasted 15 months, forced to resign in January 2001 having been accused of using his cabinet position to help Srichand Hinduja, an Indian businessman, to secure a British passport.

Peter Mandelson developed a reputation as a Svengali-like operator under Tony Blair - Stephen Lock Retained

The Hinduja family firm had sponsored the Faith Zone at the Millennium Dome, one of Mandelsons less successful responsibilities as Cabinet Office minister. At the time of Mandelsons resignation, Hinduja said: I have never at any time linked our support for the faith zone of the Millennium Dome with our request to Mr Mandelson for information in 1998.

In a remarkably prescient observation amid a row in 1997 over a decision to use Teflon-coated glass fibre cladding for the Dome instead of PVC-coated material, Mandelson had joked: Having been PVC Man, I am now Teflon Man.

In June 2001, Mandelson was returned again for Hartlepool, famously blustering in his victory speech that I am a fighter and not a quitter.

During his political career, Mandelson was repeatedly pushed out and brought back into the political fold - Ian Jones

In 2004, the twice-disgraced cabinet minister then headed for Brussels as a European Commissioner, where he held the trade portfolio and expanded an international network of contacts  a number of whom owned yachts on which he would holiday, notably Oleg Deripaska, the Russian oligarch.

Despite Gordon Browns antipathy towards his former colleague he realised he could not do without his mixture of cunning, cleverness and experience, and Mandelson was summoned back to London, with a peerage, to become Business Secretary. During this time he was alleged to have stayed at the Manhattan town house of Jeffrey Epstein, a friend, while the disgraced hedge fund manager was in prison for soliciting prostitution with a minor.

Once Labour lost office in 2010 he devoted himself to private work, co-founding Global Counsel, a consultancy group which he chaired. Politically these were less successful years than his time in government: he was part of the unsuccessful official campaign to remain in the EU and detested Jeremy Corbyn.

Earlier in 2024 Lord Mandelson was in the running for the Chancellorship of the University of Oxford - Heathcliff O'Malley for The Telegraph

However, once Sir Keir Starmer became leader of the opposition Mandelson rapidly made himself indispensable to him, providing advice and even claiming in one interview last year that the former director of public prosecutions was the nearest thing to Blair.

In April, Mandelson insisted that he would not join a Labour government. I will continue to always be a cheerleader and champion of a Labour government but I do not intend to be a member of it, he said.

Doubtless he will already have had his eye on the prize of Britains top diplomatic posting in DC, where the palatial British residence would satisfy his taste for impressive properties.

Announcing the appointment on Friday, Starmer said: Peter will bring unrivalled experience to the role and take our partnership from strength to strength.

Whether this will be the end of the story  or whether further ups and downs await  only time will tell.
People walk between buildings on the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Tuesday. Photograph: Steven Senne/AP

US colleges and universities are issuing warnings to their international students to return to campus before Donald Trump assumes office as president in preparation for a repeat of potential travel bans seen during his first term.

More than a dozen US schools have issued advisories. Some students must be back soon anyway since their spring semester begins before the president-elect takes office, but others are warning that students who depend on an academic visa may be at risk and should return to campus before Trumps inauguration on 20 January.

Although Trumps plans for any travel bans remain unclear, the president-elect has threatened to invoke a travel ban as he did via executive order during his first term, which affected those from predominantly Muslim countries: Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen.

This included students and faculty of higher education institutions. More than 40,000 people were refused visas as a result of the ban, according to the US state department.

Related: Immigrant rights groups gear up to fight Trump mass deportation plan

The list of schools includes Ivy League universities such as Harvard and Brown, Boston schools such as Northeastern University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and other schools around the country, from Johns Hopkins University to the University of Southern California. Some offer classes that begin the day after inauguration day.

Cornell University told its students that a travel ban involving the 13 nations Trump previously targeted is likely to go into effect soon after inauguration, and that new countries could be added to the list, particularly China and India. It advised students, faculty and staff from those countries to return to campus before the semester starts on 21 January.

Cornell also warned these students to carry all relevant documents and ensure they are up to date, with a suggestion to also have on hand evidence of funding and certificate of enrollment or transcript.

Other schools didnt go so far as to say a ban is likely but instead advised students to plan ahead and prepare for delays.

In an email to students on special visas shared with Axios, the University of Southern California said it is especially important given that a new presidential administration will take office on January 20, 2025, and  as is common  may issue one or more executive orders impacting travel to the US and visa processing. While theres no certainty such orders will be issued, the safest way to avoid any challenges is to be physically present in the US before the spring semester.

Wesleyan Universitys office of international student affairs wrote in a letter to students: If you are planning to travel internationally over winter break, we strongly recommend that you re-enter the US and return to campus by Sunday, January 19, 2025.

With the presidential inauguration happening on Monday, January 20, 2025, and uncertainties around President-elect Donald Trumps plans for immigration-related policy, the safest way to avoid difficulty re-entering the country is to be physically present in the US on January 19th and the days thereafter of the spring semester.

More than 1.1 million international students are from more than 210 places of origin studied at US higher education institutions during the 2023/2024 academic year, a 7% increase from the previous academic year, according to Open Doors, a data project funded in part by the US state department.

Students from India and China have accounted for more than half of all international students in the US.

Jacky Li, a third-year environmental studies major at University of California, Berkeley, will be traveling home to China on 21 December and returning on 16 January, though he made his plans months before Berkeley officials sent the advisory. He told the Associated Press that worry is growing among international students.

Theres a fear that this kind of restriction will enlarge into a wider community, considering the geopolitical tensions nowadays around the world, so the fear is definitely there, Li told the news agency.

If the US is really a champion of academic freedom, what you should do is not restrict this kind of communications between different countries of the world, he added.

Trump has previously said hell revive the travel ban and expand it, pledging new ideological screening for non-US citizens to bar dangerous lunatics, haters, bigots and maniacs.

We arent bringing in anyone from Gaza, Syria, Somalia, Yemen or Libya or anywhere else that threatens our security, Trump said at an October 2023 campaign event in Iowa.

Trump also vowed to revoke the student visas of radical anti-American and antisemitic foreigners at our colleges and universities in response to the wave of campus protests in support of Palestinians in Gaza and divestment from Israel that swept the country earlier this year.

The Associated Press contributed to reporting
Sara Sharifs murder starkly illustrates the dangers of vulnerable children being homeschooled - Surrey Police/PA

The pandemic has triggered a homeschooling boom in England, with nearly 112,000 children  a 21 per cent jump on last year  being educated at home. For a small but devastating minority, however, this decision is taken not by parents wanting the best for their child, but to enact grotesque violence behind closed doors.

This week, the Childrens Wellbeing and Schools Bill was put forward in Parliament  part of which will include a register identifying children in England who are not currently attending school, to stop them dropping off the grid. The Prime Minister urged that we must be clear about overhauling childrens social care to keep young people safe and looking again about the framework for home schooling we need to learn those lessons. We are taking steps.

The bill was announced on the same day as sentencing for the father and stepmother of 10-year-old Sara Sharif, who was hooded, beaten and burned during an unthinkable campaign of abuse. When she was found dead at her home in Surrey last year, four months after having been removed from school, the torture she had endured was, according to Mr Justice Cavanagh, nothing short of gruesome. She was found with more than 70 injuries, including 11 spinal fractures, signs of a traumatic brain injury, six bite marks across her body, and the imprint of a scalding iron. Sentencing the people who should have kept her safe to life in prison, the judge called the degree of cruelty involved almost inconceivable, and said that the case starkly illustrates the dangers of vulnerable children being homeschooled.

The landmark Childrens Wellbeing and Schools Bill was announced by Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson on the same day as Sharifs father and stepmother were sentenced - Shutterstock

Across paediatric care, schools and councils, there are similar concerns. But, while many have welcomed news of the bill, its not enough just to know the whereabouts of those families argues Ellie Pirrie, senior policy officer at the NSPCC.

They need to actually have proper resources and support to actually discharge those duties to make the register workable, and to know where those families are for support, she says. In a government review published last year, the number of rapid reviews (undertaken in response to a serious child safeguarding incident) featuring homeschooling rose to 395, from 342 in 2022. While elective home education in and of itself is not a safeguarding risk, Pirrie explains, the lack of powers and oversight on the part of statutory safeguarding agencies mean that these children can sometimes go missing.

Ann Marie Christian, a social worker for 28 years before becoming a child safeguarding consultant for local authorities and schools, says that the pandemic has helped to keep children out of school, and out of sight. Prior to 2020, she was involved in cases in which parents were fined or imprisoned for taking their child out of school. Yet after Covid, thats when I found that the general public were more involved in [saying] actually, I dont have to send my kids to school. And since then, thats our challenge.

Schools are the biggest referrers to social services, responsible for 20 per cent of reports each year. The rise in homeschooling is mostly attributed to lax attitudes to in-person education cultivated during the pandemic, along with growing autism spectrum disorder and mental health needs among children (which can make classroom learning more challenging). When homeschooling is used as a ruse in which to inflict harm, the result, Christian says, is a cohort of ghost children.

Dylan Price, a primary school maths teacher, describes safeguarding  above education  as by far and away the number one aspect of our jobs.

Its the most important part and we get regular reminders and training on spotting signs of abuse at home, he says. There is constant flagging of literally anything, from a scruffy jumper, to more serious markers of neglect like hygiene or health problems, behavioural changes, or physical injuries.

Most of the time, this leads to nothing, but schools have really robust reporting systems  which fall away entirely once a child is educated at home. Taking away the huge system in place for keeping children safe that school provides will definitely likely impact negatively on children who are vulnerable, he adds.

Some paediatricians report that, on hearing a vulnerable child is homeschooled, alarm bells instantly ring. It is a sad fact that is sometimes difficult for people to grasp, that grown-ups can do horrible things to children and young people, one paediatrician, who did not wish to be named, says. Sadly, bad things do happen to children at the hands of others  I have seen it lots in my career  and if children are unaccounted for, you have no way of knowing whats happening to them or their wellbeing.

Stories like Saras are the tip of the iceberg, he believes; cases made public only because they have resulted in death, unlike the many children enduring horrific yet non-fatal torment. Warning signs he has seen among patients include bruised babies (for which there is typically little medical explanation, given theyre not moving), or children with unexplained injuries. The idea that some children are unaccounted for completely to the wider world is extremely worrying to me, and risky.

Schools role in highlighting abuse became all the more pronounced during the pandemic. Child protection referrals to social services reached almost 670 per day in 2021  up nearly 10 per cent on the year prior, per NSPCC analysis. In just one month in 2020, at Great Ormond Street Hospital, cases of abusive head trauma soared by 1,493 per cent compared to the same period in the three previous years, triggering calls to tackle the unseen pandemic spreading beneath the radar.

Even though the shocking murder of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, just six when he was killed after a brutal campaign of poisoning, starvation and beating by his father and his girlfriend during lockdowns in 2020, led to calls for safeguarding reforms, it is still too easy for abusers to slip the net.

With homeschooling legal, and no third parties around to flag potential concerns among suspected abuse cases, efforts at intervention can easily be shut down. Social services, for example, can only enter homes with guardians say-so, unless there are strong suspicions of harm.

Arthur Labinjo-Hughes was just six when he was killed after a brutal campaign of poisoning, starvation and beating by his father and his girlfriend during lockdowns in 2020

Christian adds that while some parents refuse to let social services into their homes, others, such as Saras father, Urfan Sharif, are skilled manipulators, wont to perform disguised compliance in front of authorities  where you attend meetings and talk the talk, but behind closed doors, abuse is happening. Families know when visits are taking place, so they clean the house and get all the dodgy people out so it looks pretty when were there. In spite of these well-worn tactics and rising reports of child abuse (offences have doubled in England in the past five years), the threshold to open cases, Christian believes, remains very high.

There are fears too that the national register (for which there was a consultation under the last government in 2019, before being ultimately scrapped) will not go far enough. The bill stipulates that parents whose child is subject to a protection investigation or under a protection plan will not have an automatic right to educate their children at home, but many, like Sara  who, while attending school, began wearing a hijab to hide her bruises  was not under any intervention from social care at the time of her death.

Unique reference numbers will be created for at-risk children, accessible across all services, in a bid to create better wraparound care. But this system also requires sufficient staff to monitor those who might be vulnerable and adequate resources to help those in need. Yet, a social worker crisis is already afoot and predicted to worsen over the next decade.

Will Forster, the MP for Woking, Saras constituency, said in the Commons this week that her legacy should be one where she is the last vulnerable child to be killed by people that should have looked after her. Only a concerted effort from the Government can ensure thats the case.
Chinas President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, meets a crowd during a visit to Macao to mark its 25th anniversary of handover to Chinese rule. Photograph: Xinhua/Rex/Shutterstock

Chinas president, Xi Jinping, has urged the gambling hub of Macau to diversify away from casinos, as he addressed the Chinese territory at the inauguration of its new leader.

Xi was in Macau to mark the 25th anniversary of its return from Portuguese to Chinese rule on 20 December 1999. In the quarter-century since then, Macau has been run as a special administrative region of China, a semi-autonomous territory with a similar legal status to Hong Kong, but it has traditionally been much more pliant to Beijings rule than the former British territory. More than half of its 700,000 population have immigrated from China in recent decades.

On Friday, Sam Hou Fai was sworn in as the citys new chief executive. The senior judge is the citys first leader to have been born and raised in mainland China, having grown up in south Chinas Guangdong province. He is fluent in Portuguese.

Xi said: At present the overall situation in Macau is stable, but the internal and external environment is undergoing profound changes. Efforts should be made to promote moderate economic diversification [and] focus on cultivating new industries with international competitiveness.

Despite being more obedient than Hong Kong over the years, Macau has traditionally had a small civil society. For decades there was a small annual vigil each 4 June in memory of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, something that would not be tolerated in mainland China. But after the crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, the authorities in Macau tightened restrictions on free expression. In 2021, Macaus top court, headed by Sam, upheld a ban on the annual vigil.

Macau is the only place in China where gambling is legal. Tourists from mainland China flock to the city to visit its casinos. Last year the industry generated more than $22bn ($17.5bn), and gaming tax accounts for about 80% of the local governments tax revenue.

The city has also been a hub for money laundering. Since Xi came to power in 2012, he has cracked down on corruption, a policy that has reduced the amount of money flowing through Macau. In 2012, the citys gambling revenues were much higher than they are today, at $38bn.

Sam, 62, has been president of Macaus top court since 1999. He was the only candidate approved by Beijing to run in the election for chief executive, which was held in October. On Friday he promised immediate action to diversify Macau away from the casino industry.
Manchester City have suffered a fresh injury blow with defender Ruben Dias ruled out for up to four weeks.

Manager Pep Guardiola has revealed the Portugal international sustained a muscular problem in the latter stages of last weeks derby defeat to Manchester United.

PEP  [Ruben Dias will be out for] three or four weeks. It's muscular. [He played] 75 minutes against United and he felt something but he is so strong and wanted to stay on the pitch. pic.twitter.com/6SEEuOwftL  Manchester City (@ManCity) December 20, 2024

Guardiola said at a press conference: After 75 minutes against United he felt something.

Hes strong and wanted to stay on the pitch, but now hes injured.

Guardiola also added that goalkeeper Ederson is doubtful for Saturdays Premier League trip to Aston Villa.

The news comes just as City, who have lost eight of their last 11 games in all competitions, winning just one, had hoped their injury issues were starting to ease.

Ederson could be back on the sidelines (Martin Rickett/PA)

John Stones and Mateo Kovacic are both back in contention having been on the bench against United and Manuel Akanji could also return at Villa Park.

Guardiola said: Manu and John have been back in training for the last few days so thats good for us. The more players that come back the better.

Rico Lewis returns from suspension but centre-back Nathan Ake is still sidelined with a thigh problem while Rodri and Oscar Bobb are long-term absentees.
The six new Tory peers who will enter the House of Lords are true radicals, the smart and the very brave, Kemi Badenoch has said.

Toby Young, the founder and director of the Free Speech Union, is among those who have been nominated as a Conservative life peer by the Tory leader.

Mrs Badenochs nominations also include Liz Trusss deputy prime minister Dame Therese Coffey, as well as former housing minister Rachel Maclean, Oxford professor Nigel Biggar, former deputy mayor of London Roger Evans and Joanne Cash, a barrister and co-founder of Parent Gym.

Sue Gray, the partygate investigator who went on to become Sir Keir Starmers chief of staff, was named among 30 new Labour peers.

Downing Street announced a raft of new nominations to the House of Lords on Friday afternoon, which also included former shadow cabinet minister Thangam Debbonaire.

Former MP Luciana Berger, who resigned from Labour in 2019 over the antisemitism scandal before rejoining in 2023, will also sit on the Labour Lords benches.

Overall, 38 new appointments were announced, including the six from the Tories, Labours 30, and two from the Liberal Democrats.

Writing for the Conservative Home website, Mrs Badenoch warned a battle for the soul of the right of politics is coming.

She added: To win we will need those who understand duty and sacrifice, who fight for others, not for themselves or for recognition, true radicals, the smart and the very brave.

That is the story of my appointments to the House of Lords today.

She described the nominees as formidable Conservatives, who would help to take the fight to Labour.

Most prominent among Sir Keirs nominees, former civil servant Ms Gray became known in 2022 with the report into Downing Street parties, and then became the Labour leaders chief of staff in opposition before following him into Number 10.

She quit the role in October after a series of internal rows.

Former deputy prime minister Dame Therese Coffey has received a peerage (Lucy North/PA)

Dame Therese told the PA news agency: Im honoured that the leader of my party Kemi Badenoch has put me forward and I look forward to being an active member of the Lords.

She said she would be thinking through what her key priorities would be in the House of Lords and was looking forward to returning to Parliament.

Its a great end to a very extraordinary year for me, she added.

Mike Katz, the national chairman of the Jewish Labour Movement and Anne Longfield, who served as the Childrens Commissioner for England between 2015 and 2021 will also be made life peers.

Among the other Labour names on the list put forward by Sir Keir are former MPs Ms Debbonaire, Julie Elliott, Lyn Brown, Steve McCabe and Kevin Brennan, as well as former Welsh first minister Carwyn Jones.

Ms Debbonaire had served as Labours shadow culture secretary but lost her seat at the general election to the Green Party.

I'm honoured to be asked to join the House of Lords. Im grateful to the Prime Minister for giving me this opportunity to serve the country and support the Labour government he leads to transform the UK.  Thangam Debbonaire (@ThangamDebb) December 20, 2024

Mr McCabe said he was very pleased to have been nominated and would use his position in the Lords to continue pursuing interests he championed in the Commons.

I want to help the Labour Government succeed and I want to continue to look after the interests of people of the area that I served as an MP for many years, he told the PA news agency.

Mr McCabe, the former Birmingham Selly Oak MP, listed better diagnoses of heart valve disease, access to IVF and his work with Labour Friends of Israel among the issues he would like to pursue.

Ms Gray is not the only member of Sir Keirs inner circle to be nominated, with Deborah Mattinson, his former director of strategy, also getting a nod.

There are also two nominations from the leader of the Liberal Democrats Sir Ed Davey, including Mark Pack who has been president of the party since 2020.

Labour has pledged to reform the House of Lords and has already moved to get rid of hereditary peers.

Labour has pledged to reform the House of Lords (PA)

The announcement will boost Sir Keirs numbers in the upper chamber, which sat at 187 Labour peers compared with 273 from the Conservatives.

A Labour source said that the Conservatives had created an imbalance in the Lords that needed to be corrected.

They said: The Tories stuffed the House of Lords, creating a serious imbalance in the chamber. This needs to be corrected to drive through the Governments plan for change and deliver on our mandate from the British people.

We are committed to an overdue programme of reform and have already laid legislation to remove the right of hereditary peers to sit and vote in the Lords.
Scotlands biggest teaching union will ballot members over potential strike action in Glasgow.

The EIS will open a ballot on January 6 as it looks to pressure the council into reversing cuts to teaching numbers passed earlier this year which could eventually see 450 jobs lost, with the figure already down by 120 this year.

The announcement comes just weeks after the Scottish Governments budget for the next financial year increased funding for local authorities by around 1 billion.

EIS general secretary Andrea Bradley said the ballot was a huge test of credibility for the council, the government and local authority body Cosla.

With the ink on the budget agreement, and the pledge on teacher numbers, barely even dry, the largest local authority in Scotland has yet to confirm it will abide by the terms of the agreement, she said.

Nationally, we have already seen another local authority, Falkirk, take its own plans for deep cuts to education off the table following the budget agreement between the Scottish Government and Cosla.

The city of Glasgow must now follow suit, cancel its programme of teaching cuts, and confirm that it will meet its obligations under the budget agreement.

If the council fails to do this by the new year, it faces the prospect of strike action by Glasgow teachers who are angered by the impact of the cuts to learning and teaching provision already, who will be outraged if Glasgow City Council reneges on the agreement in respect of the draft budget, and who remain determined to fight for the future of education in the city, in the best interests of the young people of Glasgow.

The time is now right for Glasgow City Council to show a bit of festive cheer, and make an early new years resolution to meet the terms of the budget agreement by cancelling its programme of education cuts.

The unions secretary in Glasgow Jane Gow said: Glasgow City Council can end the prospect of strike action in schools at a stroke, by confirming that it will abide by the budget agreement reached between the Scottish Government and Cosla.

The council must deliver on this pledge, and meet its obligations to the learners, teachers, parents and carers within the Glasgow schools community.

A spokesperson for Glasgow City Council said: We have received notification of the intention to ballot and await the outcome in the new year.

The council previously said: We acknowledge that Glasgows portion of last years funding from the Scottish Government has now been released.

This amount was factored in when the councils budget was set in February.

We continue to engage with the Scottish Government regarding next years census figures.

A Cosla spokesperson said: The agreement between Scottish Government and Cosla to work together towards maintaining teacher numbers at 2023 levels is Scotland-wide.

Ultimately decisions are taken at an individual council level where appropriate staffing levels will take account of local metrics and local needs, like falling or rising school roles, measures of deprivation and targeted funding for specific interventions.

Scottish Government provided a range of example exceptions to this agreement where local circumstances dictate.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: The Scottish Government is determined to increase teacher numbers in Scotlands schools, which is why we have reached an agreement with local government to restore teacher numbers to 2023 levels next year.

The budget, if passed, will make 186.5 million available to do this. It will also include an additional 28 million for local authorities to help support additional support needs, which can be used by authorities to buy in additional staff, such as ASN teachers.

We welcome our new collaborative agreement with Cosla which is predicated on trust and a shared commitment by the Scottish Government and local authorities to work together to restore teaching posts, freeze learning hours, make meaningful and quick progress on reducing class contact time for teachers, and create a new joint education assurance board to improve education.
Footage of an incident at Manchester Airport between police officers and members of the public went viral on social media in July.

Here, the PA news agency sets out what happened.

 July 23: According to Greater Manchester Police (GMP), an altercation takes place between passengers from a Qatar Airways flight which arrives at Manchester Airport at 7.20pm. A second incident, which police describe as a violent altercation involving members of the public, happens in the Starbucks of Terminal Two just after 8.20pm. A third incident happens in the car park pay point area shortly before 8.30pm. Brothers Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, and Muhammed Amaad, 25 and their mother Shameem Akhtar, 56, from Rochdale, are allegedly assaulted. Police say three of their officers receive head injuries, including a broken nose. Four men are arrested at the scene for affray and assault on emergency service workers.

Solictor Aamer Anwar (second right) with brothers, Muhammad Amaad, 25, (left) Fahir Amaaz, 19, and their mother Shameem Akhtar, 56, during a press conference at the Midland Hotel in Manchester (Owen Humphreys/PA)

 July 24: A police officer is removed from operational duties after footage of the incident, appearing to show a man being kicked and having his head stamped on as he lies on the floor, is shared online. Police make a voluntary referral of their response to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). That night, an estimated 200 people gather outside Rochdale police station to protest in response. GMP say the protest concludes without incident.

 July 25: A GMP officer is suspended from all duties. The IOPC confirms it is independently investigating the level of force used. Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham says he has seen full footage of the incident, which shows a fast-moving and complicated situation with issues for both sides. Protests in Manchester city centre that evening involve blocked roads and tram lines while videos online appear to show a handful of demonstrators with their faces covered, throwing eggs at Rochdale police station. Rochdale MP Paul Waugh says he has spoken to the family involved and they want to appeal for calm.

 July 26: The IOPC announces that a police constable is under criminal investigation for assault and has been told he is being investigated for potential gross misconduct for a number of alleged breaches of professional standards, including his use of force. Former Rochdale MP George Galloway visits the town and says he plans to meet the family involved.

 July 27: New footage, appearing to show events in the moments before the video which has already been shared, becomes public. The Manchester Evening News publishes the video, which appears to show men throwing punches at officers. Two female officers appear to be struck, with one ending up on the ground.

 August 1: Solicitor for the family, Aamer Anwar, says he has spoken with the IOPC about lodging a formal complaint against officers and says the family wants to understand on what legal basis Mr Burnham was shown the complete CCTV.

 August 6: The family and their lawyer hold a press conference in which they outline their version of events.

 August 8: The IOPC reveals a second officer is under criminal investigation for assault, relating to an incident shortly afterwards when two other men were arrested. The watchdogs acting regional director Catherine Bates says its investigation is ongoing in parallel with a GMP investigation into whether criminal offences were committed by members of the public.

 August 15: GMP says a comprehensive file of evidence has been submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for advice as part of an investigation into a series of alleged criminal offences.

 September 5: The family meet with the IOPC to discuss progress on its investigation.

 September 6: A spokesman for the police watchdog says it will investigate whether someone employed by the force shared footage.

 October 7: MPs from Reform UK write to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, pledging to launch a private prosecution against those involved if charges are not brought by the CPS.

 November 18: The CPS says it is still considering material and working with police and the IOPC while inquiries continue. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage says the party will make a legal application.

 December 16: The IOPC shares the final piece of evidence from its investigation with the CPS.

 December 20: It is announced that Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, has been charged with two offences of causing actual bodily harm, one charge of assaulting an emergency worker and one charge of common assault, and Muhammed Amaad, 25, has been charged with one count of causing actual bodily harm. No police officers will be charged, the CPS says.
City Manager Erik Walsh speaks to a staff member after city council voted to amend his contract to raise his base pay from $374,400 to $461,000 during a city council meeting in the City Council Chambers on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024 in San Antonio. Council voted to approve the raise. Salgu Wissmath/Contributor District 8 council member Manny Pelaez, far left, speaks to City Manager Erik Walsh, far right, as city council discuss a vote to amend Walshs contract to raise his base pay from $374,400 to $461,000 during a city council meeting in the City Council Chambers on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024 in San Antonio. Council voted to approve the raise. Salgu Wissmath/Contributor

City Council members showered City Manager Erik Walsh with praise Thursday before agreeing to boost his pay by nearly $87,000  a 23% raise.

That amendment to his employment contract puts his new base salary at $461,000, effective Jan. 1. That's slightly behind Austin City Manager T.C. Broadnax, who is paid just over $470,000.

But Walsh will be the best paid city manager in Texas when taking into account what officials call his projected cash compensation  his salary plus perks, such as a $500 monthly car allowance. That will bring his compensation to $476,300, the city said.

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One of the obligations that we have to run a city is to make sure that we hire the best damn city manager in the United States, because we deserve nothing less, District 8 Councilman Manny Pelaez said ahead of the vote to amend Walshs contract. And so for me, Erik, this is not about you. This vote Im taking today is about retaining you, but also recruiting the next Erik Walsh.

Thursdays 9-1 vote was the first time the mayor and City Council have updated Walsh's employment contract since promoting him from deputy city manager to city manager in January 2019.

In addition to increasing his base salary, the amended contract will allow him to serve for an indefinite term and will remove his $75 phone allowance.

District 6 Councilwoman Melissa Cabello Havrda was the only council member who opposed the pay increase. District 9 Councilman John Courage was absent.

I cant in good conscience approve a $100,000 raise with poverty levels as they are in this city, when so many people in San Antonio are struggling and were still scrambling to find funding for essential city services, said Cabello Havrda, who is running for mayor.

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District 5 Councilwoman Teri Castillo, who voted in favor of the raise, was the only council member who didnt support asking voters in the November election whether to remove the restrictions on the city managers salary and tenure, which capped Walshs pay at no more than 10 times the citys entry-level wage and limited him to serving no more than eight years.

Those caps had been in place since late 2018, when the firefighters union persuaded voters to write those restrictions into the city charter during a years-long struggle with then-City Manager Sheryl Sculley over a new labor contract. At the time of the election, Sculleys base pay was $475,000.

Fifty-four percent of voters approved repealing the restrictions in the Nov. 5 election.

I was opposed to this, but the voters made their decision, Castillo said before Thursday's vote.

Though the union opposed removing those caps, it launched a lukewarm campaign against the measure, spending less than $200,000 to try to defeat it.

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Joe Jones, president of the San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association, said the union wasnt surprised the mayor and City Council want Walshs salary to be on par with what other big city managers earn.

Our perspective is they need to do the same thing with their firefighters and paramedics because we need to be put on pay parity with the San Antonio police officers, Jones said.

So when we come back into (contract) negotiations in two short years, were going to remind them, Hey, you guys believed in pay parity: you changed it for the City Council and you changed it for the city manager. Well, the same applies to the fire department, Jones added.

The next mayor and council will see their increase rise by more than $24,000 come June as a result of another charter amendment that voters approved last month.

Castillo was one of several council members who told Walsh that they expect him to work to raise wages for the citys lowest paid workers.

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The city's entry-level hourly wage was last raised from $17.50 to $18 in October 2023.

Representatives from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represents San Antonio city workers, told council Thursday that they support the salary hike for Walsh. But they urged the city to raise the hourly entry-wage to at least $20 when the next fiscal year starts in October 2025.

Walshs amended contract does not include a performance-based bonus or retention bonus, both of which were part of Sculleys various contracts.

In 2016, Mayor Ivy Taylor did away with the practice of giving Sculley, who was hired in 2005, an annual retention bonus. The council amended her contract to tie the bonus, of up to $100,000 annually, to her performance.
File - Alberta Premier Danielle Smith wears a cowboy hat during the Calgary Stampede parade in Calgary, Friday, July 7, 2023. (Jeff McIntosh /The Canadian Press via AP, File)

TORONTO (AP)  The premier of Canada's oil-rich province of Alberta said on Thursday that Americans will pay a lot more for gas if President-elect Donald Trump imposes a 25% tariff on all Canadian products.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said in an interview with The Associated Press that American refineries won't have much choice but to increase the price of gas. Alberta provides 4.3 million barrels of oil a day to the United States.

We would be responsible for about 25% of the American need for energy, Smith told the AP.

The U.S. tends to consume about 20 million barrels a day, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. It has also been producing domestically about 13.2 million barrels daily.

They are going to have to increase the price of gasoline by 25%," Smith said. "Do Americans really want to pay an extra buck a gallon on gasoline?

The president-elect has also talked about his desire to keep things like fuel prices low," she added.

Trump said the U.S. subsidizes Canada and is threating to impose the tariffs on all Canadian goods. He also wants Canada to stem what he calls a flow of migrants and drugs into the U.S.  even though far fewer of each crosses into the U.S. from Canada than from Mexico, which Trump has also threatened.

About 60% of U.S. crude oil imports are from Canada. Alberta has about a trillion barrels of oil, 200 billion of which are recoverable.

Smith said the U.S. faces a problem.

If you don't get it from Canada there aren't a lot of great places you can get it from. You can get it from Venezuela or Iran or Iraq," Smith said.

I would humbly argue that Canada is a better friend and ally than any of those jurisdictions," she added.

Smith also said Canada has a particular type of oil that American refineries need. She said they just need to make sure there are more pipelines.

The sponsor of the Keystone XL crude oil pipeline pulled the plug on that contentious pipeline in 2021, after Canadian officials failed to persuade President Joe Biden to reverse his cancellation of its permit on the day he took office.

Smith would love to get more pipelines approved during Trump's tenure. She noted Alberta's government took a billion dollar hit when Keystone XL was nixed as the government backstopped costs.

Smith also noted that Canada has critical minerals the U.S. needs, and that China is banning the export of some minerals to the U.S.

The U.S. has major aspirations to continue building out its AI data centers and critical minerals are going to be central to that, Smith said. Canada has virtually everything the Americans are going to need.

Canada has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is eager for and is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum and uranium to the U.S.

Nearly $3.6 billion Canadian dollars ($2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day. Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states.

Smith responded to a social media post by Trump this week about Canada's trade surplus, saying the U.S. has a deficit with Canada because Canada sends billions of dollars' worth of raw materials like oil, gas and timber to U.S. refineries and factories. Smith said the U.S. relies on raw materials from Canada "to make trillions of dollars of wealth in your country.

About 60% of U.S. crude oil imports and 85% of U.S. electricity imports are from Canada.

Canadas ambassador to Washington, Kirsten Hillman, has said the U.S. had a $75 billion trade deficit with Canada last year. But she noted a third of what Canada sells into the U.S. is energy exports and said there is a deficit when oil prices are high.

Smith also addressed the uncertainty in Ottawa with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau facing calls from within his own party to resign.

Trudeau, whose mandate expires next year, is expected to reshuffle his Cabinet on Friday as the crisis mounts.

Smith also called for an election so that Canada would become stronger at the negotiating table with Trump.

We dont have a leader of our country who has a four year mandate, Smith said. It would be a lot stronger to have a prime minister who says OK weve got four years to battle this out, you are not getting rid of me so lets talk turkey.
By Kate Holton

LONDON (Reuters) -Britain named Labour Party grandee Peter Mandelson as its ambassador to the United States on Friday, seeking to woo Donald Trump's administration, avoid a trade war and ensure the countries remain aligned over Ukraine.

A former European commissioner for trade and a key figure in Labour's success under former leaders Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, the 71-year-old is the first political appointee to the role in almost half a century.

His past reputation as a charming but ruthless behind-the-scenes operator saw him dubbed "Prince of Darkness" in UK media.

The selection is one of Keir Starmer's most significant foreign policy moves since becoming prime minister in July, given the potential reverberations from Trump's return to power.

Starmer said Mandelson would start early next year, replacing the highly-regarded Karen Pierce: a career diplomat from the politically neutral civil service at the end of her term.

"The United States is one of our most important allies and as we move into a new chapter in our friendship, Peter will bring unrivalled experience to the role and take our partnership from strength to strength," Starmer said in a statement.

Mandelson will have to argue that Ukraine should receive all the support it needs in its war with Russia and that, as a close ally, Britain should be spared any trade tariffs Trump may impose.

He may be wary of Trump's well-advertised relationship with Nigel Farage, the populist politician who championed Britain's EU exit and is a vocal critic of Starmer's government.

"We face challenges in Britain but also big opportunities and it will be a privilege to work with the government to land those opportunities, both for our economy and our nations security, and to advance our historic alliance with the United States," Mandelson said in a statement.

No stranger to controversy, he was twice forced out of cabinet over separate scandals, and his belief in closer ties with China and opposition to Brexit may be at odds with Trump's outlook.

The fate of a previous UK ambassador to Washington may serve as a warning. Kim Darroch was forced to quit in Trump's first term when leaked memos showed he had called the U.S. government inept, earning the wrath of Trump who called him stupid.

Mandelson believes Britain must navigate a path between the U.S. and the EU without choosing one over the other. "We have got to find a way to have our cake and eat it," he told a Times podcast this year.

(Reporting by Kate Holton; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Andrew Cawthorne)
Palestinian women mourn Wednesday at the morgue of Nasser Hospital following Israeli attacks in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.

There are clear signs of ethnic cleansing by Israel as it wages war in Gaza, according to a new report from Doctors Without Borders, which became the second group in a week to condemn the country's conduct in the besieged enclave.

Our firsthand observations of the medical and humanitarian catastrophe inflicted on Gaza are consistent with the descriptions provided by an increasing number of legal experts and organizations concluding that genocide is taking place in Gaza, the aid group, also known as Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), said in the report published Thursday.

In the north of the Strip in particular, the recent military offensive is a clear illustration of the brutal war the Israeli forces are waging on Gaza, and we are witnessing clear signs of ethnic cleansing as Palestinian life is being wiped off the area, it said.

While we dont have legal authority to establish intentionality, the signs of ethnic cleansing and the ongoing devastationincluding mass killings, severe physical and mental health injuries, forced displacement, and impossible conditions of life for Palestinians under siege and bombardment  are undeniable, it added.

NBC News has asked the Israel Defense forces for comment on the report. It has strongly rejected accusations of genocide and ethnic cleansing in the past, while insisting that it does everything possible to limit the loss of human life.

Displaced Palestinian children desperately reach for bread at a food distribution site in Khan Younis.

Human Rights Watch, in a separate report also released Thursday, accused Israeli authorities of intentionally depriving Palestinians in Gaza of access to safe water for drinking and sanitation.

Water is essential for human life, yet for over a year the Israeli government has deliberately denied Palestinians in Gaza the bare minimum they need to survive, Tirana Hassan, the groups executive director, said in a statement released alongside the report, Extermination and Acts of Genocide: Israel Deliberately Depriving Palestinians in Gaza of Water.

This isnt just negligence; it is a calculated policy of deprivation that has led to the deaths of thousands, she added.

An IDF spokesperson said that it firmly rejects allegations asserting it has deliberately targeted water infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, adding that its strikes in Gaza are carried out in accordance with international law and with all feasible efforts  taken to mitigate harm to civilians.

The spokesperson added that the military was working to reactivate a desalination plant in Gaza's southern city of Khan Younis, among other projects that include repairing damaged pipes.

But the reports add to a chorus of criticism from aid and rights groups. Amnesty International became the first major nonprofit group to accuse Israel of acts of genocide in the Gaza Strip in a report this month, echoing similar claims from numerous United Nations agencies.

At the time, an IDF spokesperson called Amnestys claims entirely baseless.

A Palestinian boy looks out from the aftermath of an Israeli strike in Gaza City.

While war crimes such as genocide are legal designations that would normally be made by a judge, the charities accusations will do little to dispel the charges already brought against the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against Netanyahu for crimes against humanity, along with Yoav Gallant, his former defense minister, as well as Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif. Israel said it killed Deif, the head of the Qassam Brigades, in August.

Israel responded furiously to the warrants, with Netanyahus office branding them antisemitic, rejecting the charges as absurd and false. Oren Marmorstein, a spokesperson for Israels Foreign Affairs Ministry, told NBC News on Sunday that Israel had filed an appeal of the ICC warrants.

The war in Gaza has raged for 14 months and, according to local officials, more than 45,000 people have been killed in Israel's military campaign there. Israeli forces entered Gaza in response to the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack, in which around 1,200 people Israelis were killed and around 250 people taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.

Around 100 hostages are still being held by Hamas and other militant groups, although a third are thought to be dead.

While Israel has long justified the death toll and high levels of destruction in Gaza in the context of its war against the Iran-backed militia, there appears to be a limited response from Hamas in large parts of Gaza even as its campaign continues, according to Andreas Krieg, a senior lecturer at Kings College Londons school of security studies.

Injured civilians arrive at hospital in Gaza City after an Israeli airstrike on the Dar al-Arqam and Shaaban al-Rayes schools sheltering displaced people on Thursday.

Certainly in part of the Gaza Strip in the north, I would concur with the observation that the intent there is no longer to fight Hamas because there isnt much resistance left anyway, but its the intent of ethnic cleansing and depriving the local population of their livelihood, which is water, electricity, which then has an effect of intentionally killing people, Krieg said.

The Israeli military has insisted that it does everything possible to limit the loss of human life. But many of its actions in Gaza would be "permissible, acceptable under any circumstance within a Western military, Krieg told NBC News Friday, adding that it was important to make the legal distinction between genocide and acts of genocide.

We always think about genocide being some sort of coherent strategy, like in Rwanda, for example, where the government was clearly giving permission to people to kill a particular group of people, and then its orchestrated more or less with central supervision, he said. Thats obviously not the case here, but the fact is that the IDF has been given an extremely permissive environment.
Convicted Delphi, Indiana, killer Richard Allen was sentenced on Friday to 130 years in prison for the 2017 murders of two teenage girls as the victims' families spoke out in court.

Allen was given 65 years for each murder, to run consecutively.

Allen, wearing an orange jumpsuit, a gray sweatshirt and ankle chains, looked over at the courtroom seats reserved for his family, which sat empty. None of his relatives attended the sentencing.

He showed no reaction to his sentence.

Last month, a jury found Allen guilty on all charges in the double homicide: felony murder for the killing of 13-year-old Abigail "Abby" Williams while attempting to commit kidnapping; felony murder for the killing of 14-year-old Liberty "Libby" German while attempting to commit kidnapping; murder for knowingly killing Abby; and murder for knowingly killing Libby.

PHOTO: People hug on the courthouse grounds after the verdict is given, Nov. 11, 2024, at the Carroll County Courthouse in Delphi, Ind. (Alex Martin/Journal and Courier via USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

MORE: Delphi man found guilty on all charges in murders of teen girls

A gag order prevented the families of Abby and Libby from commenting during or after Allen's trial.

Libby's grandmother, Becky Patty, broke her silence on Friday, saying at sentencing, "I can never change my choice to let Libby and Abby go to the trails that day."

"I hope he lives with the same fear he caused Abby and Libby in the last hour of their lives," she said.

PHOTO: Photos of Abby Williams, left, and Libby German, right, at police headquarters in Delphi, Indiana. (Lindsey Jacobson/ABC News, FILE)

MORE: Delphi murder trial top takeaways

Libby's mom, Carrie Timmons, said Allen's decisions created a "path of destruction."

"I was blind that such evil existed," she said.

PHOTO: An undated handout photo shows Libby German of Delphi, Ind., who was murdered in Feb. 2017. (Courtesy Becky Patty)

Timmons said she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, guilt and anxiety.

She said Libby would be 22 years old now, but the family has stopped celebrating her birthday because it's too difficult.

"You could've taken accountability," Libby's grandfather, Mike Patty, said to Allen. "You need to stand up and not appeal."

PHOTO: Mike Patty, grandfather of Liberty German, speaks after the sentencing of Richard Allen, Dec. 20, 2024, in Delphi, Ind. (Michael Conroy/AP)

MORE: Delphi double murder trial: Delphi suspect went to police 3 days after the murders, but he 'fell in the cracks' for years: Sheriff

Abby's grandmother, Diane Erskin, said, "This is a day of great sadness for our family. We won't be going home to celebrate with champagne."

Nearly eight years since her granddaughter's murder, Erskin said, "I've watched her friends graduate college and wonder how many great grandkids were murdered that day, too."

Erskin said Abby's last words in Libby's phone were "don't leave me up here," so the grieving grandmother didn't let herself leave the trial even during tough testimony.

PHOTO: An undated handout photo shows Anna Williams with her daughter, Abby Williams, who was murdered in Delphi, Ind., in Feb. 2017. (Courtesy Anna Williams)

MORE: Girls on Delphi trail on day of murders speak out: 'That was the man I had waved at'

Indiana State Police Lt. Jerry Holeman called the crime "brutal," telling the judge Abby and Libby were stalked, kidnapped, humiliated and "treated like animals."

"I can't imagine their fear," he said.

He called Allen "manipulative and persuasive" and said he has a "lack of remorse."

Judge Fran Gull said to Allen, "I've spent 27 years as a judge and you rank right up there with the most heinous crimes in the state of Indiana."

"You rank right up there in the extraordinary impact on family, including the generational impact," she said. "These families will deal with your carnage forever."

PHOTO: Richard Allen, 50, was charged with the murders of Abby Williams, 13, and Libby German, 14, in Delphi, Ind., in February 2017. (Indiana State Police)

"You sit here and roll your eyes at me like you rolled your eyes at me through this trial," she said.

At a news conference after the sentencing, Carroll County Prosecuting Attorney Nicholas McLeland thanked Abby and Libby for helping catch their own killer.

Libby had the "wherewithal to pull out her phone ... to know that something wasnt right" and record the suspect as he walked across the bridge, McLeland said, calling it "arguably the biggest piece of evidence that we had -- that recording."

He praised Abby for hiding the phone from the killer so law enforcement could find it.

PHOTO: Flowers sit by a bridge near Delphi, Ind. where Liberty German and Abigail Williams were seen before they were reported missing by their families on Feb. 13, 2017. (Alex Perez/ABC News, Files)

Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter stressed that anyone who shares the leaked crime scene photos of Abby and Libby should be held accountable.

"The crime scene photos are still out there," McLeland said, urging anyone who receives the photos to delete them to avoid revictimizing the families.

PHOTO: Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter speaks after the sentencing of Richard Allen, Dec. 20, 2024, in Delphi, Ind. (Michael Conroy/AP)

McLeland has filed a motion to keep the crime scene photos, autopsy photos and Allens mental health records confidential.

Carroll County Sheriff Tony Liggett apologized to the families for the case taking eight years to reach a conclusion.

PHOTO: A sign for the Monon High Bridge Trail is shown in Delphi, Indiana. (ABC News)

"There will never be any closure in this case," the sheriff told reporters. "A form of justice was served, but it does not bring Abby or Libby back. These families will live every day without two of the most important people in their lives. Theyre missing milestones because a low-life coward decided to take their innocent lives."

Abby and Libby were walking along a Delphi hiking trail when they were attacked on Feb. 13, 2017. Their throats were slit and their bodies were dumped in the nearby woods.

Moments before the murders, Libby posted a photo of Abby on Snapchat showing her on the Monon High Bridge. After crossing the bridge, the girls saw a man behind them -- who became known as "bridge guy" -- and Libby started a recording on her phone, according to prosecutors.

As police looked for the suspect, they released footage from Libby's phone to the public: a grainy image of "bridge guy" and an audio clip of him telling the girls to go "down the hill."

PHOTO: The trail in Delphi, Indiana, where Abby Williams, 13, and Libby German, 14, were killed on Feb. 13, 2017. (ABC News)

Allen, a husband and father who worked at the local CVS, was arrested in 2022.

"He developed photos with no remorse and he didn't blink," Becky Patty said in court on Friday.

Allen admitted to police he was on the trail that day, but he denied being involved in the crime.

The prosecution's key physical evidence was a .40-caliber unspent round discovered by the girls' bodies. Police analysis determined that unspent round was cycled through Allen's Sig Sauer Model P226, prosecutors said.

Another major focus of the trial was Allen's multiple confessions in jail and his mental health at the time. The defense argued Allen was in a psychotic state when he confessed numerous times to his psychologist, corrections officers and his wife.

Delphi murders: Convicted killer Richard Allen sentenced to 130 years originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Speaker Mike Johnson said Thursday night that Republicans will "regroup" and "come up with another solution" after the government funding bill they negotiated with President-elect Donald Trump that would avert a government shutdown failed to pass.

The bill failed by a 174-235-1 vote with 38 Republicans voting against it.

Johnson blamed Democrats for the bill's failure.

MORE: Trump threatens government shutdown unless debt limit demand met, blames Biden if it happens

The only difference on this legislation was that we would push the debt ceiling to January of 2027, Johnson claimed. I want you all to remember that it was just last spring that the same Democrats berated Republicans and said that it was irresponsible to hold the debt limit, the debt ceiling, hostage. What changed?

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries celebrated the bill's defeat, saying in a statement that Republicans were not serious about helping working class Americans.

President-elect Donald Trump earlier Thursday endorsed the deal that House Republican reached to continue to fund the government through March and avoid a government shutdown at the end of the week.

"All Republicans, and even the Democrats, should do what is best for our Country, and vote YES for this Bill, TONIGHT!" Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

Trump said the "newly agreed to American Relief Act of 2024 will keep the Government open, fund our Great Farmers and others, and provide relief for those severely impacted by the devastating hurricanes."

He also said that the bill would push raising the debt ceiling to January 2027 from June of next year. Congress last raised the country's borrowing limit in June 2023 and had suspended it until June 2025.

"A VERY important piece, VITAL to the America First Agenda, was added as well - The date of the very unnecessary Debt Ceiling will be pushed out two years, to January 30, 2027. Now we can Make America Great Again, very quickly, which is what the People gave us a mandate to accomplish," Trump wrote.

GOP House leaders and Vice-President-elect JD Vance were hoping to appease both Trump's demands that any legislation to fund the government also deals with raising or eliminating the country's debt ceiling, as well as House Republicans on the right who are traditionally against any spending deal or debt limit increase.

Meanwhile, Democrats refused to budge from the deal they originally worked out with Republicans that Trump and Elon Musk demolished on Wednesday.

Jeffries called the latest proposal "laughable" as Democrats gathered to strategize their next move.

The Musk-Johnson proposal is not serious. Its laughable. Extreme MAGA Republicans are driving us to a government shutdown," he said.

Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin said it was unclear who Democrats were negotiating with -- Trump or Musk.

Asked about Republicans who say they have now done their part and that Democrats would own any shutdown, Raskin replied, "It's an intolerable way of proceeding... Democrats are going to try to figure out how to salvage the public good out of the wreckage just foist upon us."

That bipartisan deal called for extending government spending at current levels until March and added other provisions like relief for disaster victims and farmers and a pay raise for members of Congress.

Things changed Wednesday after Musk began a pressure campaign on X with multiple posts opposing the deal. Later that day Trump and Vance posted a statement calling on Congress to "pass a streamlined spending bill," with the president-elect echoing Musk's threats of primarying any GOP member who didn't comply.

Trump told ABC News' Jonathan Karl Thursday morning that there will be a government shutdown unless Congress eliminates the debt ceiling or extends the limit on government borrowing before he takes office.

"We're not going to fall into the debt ceiling quicksand," he said. "There won't be anything approved unless the debt ceiling is done with."

Under current law, the federal government would hit its borrowing limit sometime in the spring of 2025, during the first months of the second Trump presidency. Trump, however, said he wants it taken care of now, while Joe Biden is president.

"Shutdowns only inure to the person who's president," Trump said.

PHOTO: House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries speaks to the press as he is flanked by Rep. Katherine Clark and Rep. Pete Aguilar on Capitol Hill, Dec. 18, 2024, in Washington. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

Some Senate Republicans, including John Kennedy and Mike Rounds, expressed displeasure with Johnson's bill and praised Trump for stepping in.

But Sen. Thom Tillis, whose home state was devastated by Hurricane Helene, said he'd do everything in his power to slow down the passage of any government funding bill that doesn't include disaster relief.

MORE: Government funding plan collapses after threats from Trump and Musk as shutdown looms

Congress faces a deadline of Friday night, when the current government funding extension expires, to pass a new one or non-essential agencies would shut down.

House Republicans of every stripe were seen rotating in and out of the speaker's office on Thursday -- including House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole, Majority Whip Tom Emmer, Texas Rep. Chip Roy and Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris of Maryland.

PHOTO: Sen. John Thune talks to reporters about the proposed budget continuing resolution that would avoid a looming government shutdown at the U.S. Capitol, Dec. 18, 2024, in Washington. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Jeffries told reporters that raising the debt limit as part of the government funding bill is "premature at best."

"We are going to continue to maintain an open line of communication to see if we can resolve this issue on terms that are favorable to the everyday Americans," Jeffries said when asked if he was speaking to Johnson.

Behind closed doors during a caucus huddle Thursday morning, Jeffries delivered the same message to Democrats: Republicans backed out of a bipartisan deal and now have to figure out a way to get out.

"This kind of chaos and dysfunction has real-world impacts on hard-working people," Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., said.

Rep. Bill Keating, D-Mass., told ABC News that Jeffries quoted President John F. Kennedy to the caucus: "Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate."

"He said, look, we kept all our doors open during this negotiation. We made concessions. Most of us weren't happy with the outcome of this, but you have to do your basic job. He's saying that will continue. We're open to everything, but we're not open to the kind of bullying tactics that Elon Musk is doing," Keating said.

PHOTO: U.S. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer speaks with members of the news media as he leaves the office of U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, in Washington, Dec. 19, 2024. (Leah Millis/Reuters)

Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., quipped, "We had a deal. We negotiated a deal, and then Musk decided to change the deal. Do I call him 'President Musk?'"

MORE: Senate Republicans weigh in on new government funding challenges as clock ticks

Texas Rep. Greg Casar, the new chair of the progressive caucus was also critical of Musk.

"If Elon Musk is kind of cosplaying co-president here, I don't know why Trump doesn't just hand him the Oval Office, or Speaker Johnson should maybe just hand Elon Musk the gavel if they just want that billionaire to run the country," Casar said.

While many Democrats support eliminating the debt limit in principle, members left their closed-door meeting opposed to striking it now as part of a spending deal, stressing it should be a separate matter.

ABC News' Emily Chang, Ivan Pereira and Jay O'Brien contributed to this report.

House Republicans regrouping after government funding bill fails originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
The president of Anderson Express, a Michigan manufacturer, was stabbed at work on Tuesday. Douglas Sacha/Getty Images

An employee stabbed a Michigan company's president during a staff meeting, the police said.

A suspect, whom fellow employees describe as quiet, left the scene but was subsequently arrested.

Authorities are looking into whether the attack was inspired by the UnitedHealthcare CEO's killing.

Authorities say they're looking into whether a stabbing during a company meeting in Michigan might have had a "copycat" motive inspired by the recent killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York.

The Fruitport Township Police Department said in a news release that the president of the manufacturing company Anderson Express Inc. was stabbed at about 9:20 a.m. on Tuesday at the company's address in Muskegon, about 35 miles northwest of Grand Rapids.

The police said a preliminary investigation found that a 32-year-old male employee stabbed Erik Denslow, the company president, in the side with a knife.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Denslow was said to be out of surgery and in serious but stable condition.

Anderson Express did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

The police said the suspect fled the scene in his vehicle before being stopped and taken into custody about 15 minutes later. They identified him as Nathan Joseph Mahoney.

Speaking with local media, the police said Mahoney had worked at the company for only about two weeks. The news release said fellow employees described him as having a "quiet demeanor."

Muskegon County Sheriff's Office records show Mahoney is being held on a more than $500,000 bond. He was arraigned Wednesday and charged with assault with intent to commit murder. Amy P. Campanelli, who is listed as Mahoney's attorney in charging documents, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Denslow has been president of Anderson Express for a little under two years, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Authorities are searching for a motive, including whether the attack was inspired by the killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO, who was fatally shot earlier this month, leading to a widely publicized manhunt and the subsequent arrest of a suspect.

"We haven't ruled out copycat motive in regards to this," Fruitport Township's deputy police chief, Greg Poulson, told the local outlet News 8 on Wednesday.

He added: "We're going through all his social accounts, all his electronic media, and trying to determine a motive for this act."

Poulson also told News 8 that threatening CEOs and high-profile businesspeople "seems to be a popular thing in this day and age."

Correction: December 20, 2024  An earlier version of this story misstated the location of Muskegon, Michigan. It's northwest, not northeast, of Grand Rapids.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Federal regulators are urging people not to use liquid-burning firepits following two deaths and 60 injuries within the past five years.

The fire pits that require users to pour isopropyl rubbing alcohol or another liquid fuel into an open container and then ignite at the same spot are considered "extremely dangerous," according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

In an alert issued Thursday, the commission insisted consumers immediately stop using and dispose of these products, adding they should no longer be sold. The warning does not refer to a specific brand but to all fire pits that match the product description.

The fire pits presents two major hazards, including the risk of third degree burns dealt in less than a second, caused by flame temperatures over 1,600F. The commission also warned that flames can jet out of the container when refueling a pit with an active fire.

"Igniting a pool of alcohol or other liquid fuel in a fire pits open container creates an uncontrollable pool fire, which can suddenly produce larger, hotter flames that can spread beyond the fire pit product," the CPSC wrote. "A small flame in the fire pit can be hard to see and can ignite alcohol or other liquid fuel as it is poured, causing an explosion that propels flames and burning liquid onto the consumer or bystanders."

CPSC releases photos of fire pits included in warning

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a recall for all fire pits that require to pour isopropyl alcohol or a liquid fuel into an open container or bowl and then ignite in the same spot.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) shared examples of FLIKRFIRE personal fireplaces that have been recalled following two reported deaths.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) shares a example of a Colsen-branded fire pit included in its Dec. 19, 2024 recall.

Fire pit explosion killed elderly couple in June

The type of fire pits included in the recall were responsible for two deaths and at least 60 injuries since 2019, according the CPSC, which did not specify what the incidents were.

In June, a fire pit explosion reportedly killed an elderly couple during a Father's Day family gathering in Dover, New Hampshire.

Herm and Thelma Stolzenburg, both 93, died when the tabletop fire pit suddenly exploded and engulfed the two in a tragic accident, local stations WBZ-TV and WMUR-TV reported. The couple, who were married for 71 years, died a week after the incident from third-degree burn injuries.

"It was a nanosecond, and the flame just came off of that thing," the couple's daughter Dee McEneaney told WMUR-TV. "There was no time to react in any other way than I did. But to just get up and start screaming and try to help. I was trying to bat the flames on my mother with my hands, and my Dad too, and I look at her and have to go to my Dad."

The pair shared three children, three grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, WMUR-TV reported.

Nearly 90,000 Colsen fire pits recalled in October

On Oct. 17, The CPSC issued a recall for 89,500 Colsen fire pits ranging from 5 to 18 inches wide, and sold through several retailers including Amazon, Wayfair and Walmart between January 2020 to July 2024.

The commission said the recall was due to 31 reports of "flame jetting and flames escaping" from the fire pits that caused 19 burn injuries.

Two of the reported injuries left third degree burns to more than 40% of victims bodies, the CPSC reported, and "at least six incidents have involved surgery, prolonged medical treatment, admission to burn treatment facilities, short-term disability, loss of function, physical therapy, or permanent disfigurement."

Contributing: Max Hauptman

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fire pit notice: Feds issue warning about 'extremely dangerous' items
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 12: Steve Bannon, former advisor to President-elect Donald Trump, arrives for a court hearing at Manhattan Criminal Court on November 12, 2024 in New York City. Bannon attended a hearing ahead of his December trial for allegedly defrauding supporters in "We Build the Wall," an online fundraising effort to raise money in Trump's attempt to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

A post on X shows Trump ally Steve Bannon stating that President-Elect Donald Trump can actually run for a third term as President by law.

Verdict: False

The 22nd amendment of the U.S. Constitution explicitly limits all presidents to two terms. While the amendment does not specify that the terms must be consecutive, it is generally implied that the terms dont need to be.

Fact Check:

With the looming threat of a government shutdown approaching, Trump has suggested extending the debt ceiling limit to 2029, throughout all of his presidency, according to The Hill. The House of Representatives voted down a shorter spending bill Dec. 19, The Associated Press reported.

A video being shared on social media shows Trump ally Steve Bannon giving a speech at the New York Young Republicans Club gala, and in it Bannon posits that President Trump can run for office a third time in 2028. He also claims that this was Trumps third election victory, and that he was told that since the Constitution doesnt say consecutive, maybe we do it again.

This scenario will not be legally possible, however. The 22nd Amendment does not allow for this, as it clearly states that no person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice. Mr. Bannon credited Mike Davis, also a Trump loyalist and Republican lawyer, with the idea that because the word consecutive is missing from the Amendment. (RELATED: Does the Governor of Kentucky Get To Pick A Replacement If Mitch McConnell Steps Down?)

President-Elect Trump has joked about this very topic, as well. During a meeting with House Republicans in November, Trump said that maybe the GOP should do something in regards to creating a way for him to run again in 2028.

Check Your Fact has reached out to the Trump administration for comment, and will update if we get a response.
Swedish police said Friday a man had been shot dead in a parking garage in the city of Norrkoping, with media identifying the victim as the rapper Gaboro, who reportedly had links to criminal gangs.

A video purporting to show the killing quickly spread on social networks. In the video, seemingly filmed with a camera worn by the shooter, a person carrying a handgun can be seen firing multiple shots in a car garage.

Police said they were aware of the video and that it was part of their investigation.

They said a man in his 20s, who had been found injured at the scene on Thursday morning, was later pronounced dead in hospital.

Police said in a statement that they were seeking information about a silver station wagon that may be connected to the case.

A police car stands near a parking garage where rapper Gaboro was shot dead on Thursday evening, in central Norrkoping, Sweden, Dec. 19, 2024. / Credit: Anders Wiklund/TT via Reuters

"The police are still working very intensively on the case, which is classified as murder," the statement said.

Multiple media outlets reported that the man was the rapper Gaboro, whose songs have been streamed millions of times on Swedish music streaming giant Spotify.

Sweden has seen a rise in gang shootings and bombings linked to score-settling between rival groups, with police struggling to control the illicit drug market.

Several high-profile artists have previously been victims of the violence.

In June, 26-year-old rapper C.Gambino  whose real name is Karar Ramadan and is not to be confused with American rapper Childish Gambino  was killed in a shooting. He had been named the country's hip-hop artist of the year the month before.

Another award-winning Swedish rapper, Einar, was shot and killed in Stockholm in a gang conflict in October 2021.

Nevertheless, police told Reuters this week that they were making headway in their effort to curb. deadly gang violence, resulting in fewer shootings and shooting deaths.

"This is the first time we have seen the trend pointing clearly downwards over an extended period of time," Police National Operations Department head Johan Olsson told Reuters.

Last year, 53 people died in 363 shootings, which often took place in public and sometimes claimed the lives of innocent victims and passers-by.

Flowers are placed near a parking garage where the rapper Gaboro was shot dead on Thursday evening, in Norrkoping, Sweden, Dec. 19, 2024. / Credit: Anders Wiklund/TT via Reuters

Teen shooter connected to man accused of plotting separate attack

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By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The top Democrat on the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee said on Friday that Republicans in Congress were protecting Elon Musk's Chinese investments by scrapping provisions restricting U.S. investments.

Representative Rosa DeLauro said in a letter that Musk, CEO of electric car maker Tesla, may have upended the government funding process to remove a provision that would regulate U.S. investments in China given his "extensive investments in China in key sectors and his personal ties with Chinese Communist Party leadership, and calls into question the real reason for Musks opposition to the original funding deal."

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Musk posted a number of critical posts about DeLauro on X on Friday including one that said she "needs to be expelled from Congress!"

President-elect Donald Trump has named Musk, a billionaire, as co-head of a project to cut government costs. Musk helped lead opposition online to a government funding bill that would have included the Chinese investment restrictions.

Musks investments in China and his ties with the Chinese Community Party have only grown over the last few years with Teslas Shanghai plant producing about 50 percent of Teslas global automobile output," DeLauro wrote.

Nearly a quarter of Teslas global revenue in 2023 drew from sales of Chinese-made vehicles from the Shanghai factory, DeLauro said, adding that Tesla broke ground on a $200 million factory in China to manufacture large batteries critical to its electric vehicle supply chain.

She added that proponents of regulating U.S. investment in China "have advocated for the inclusion of large battery manufacturing in the list of technologies subject to outbound investment screening."

In October, the Treasury finalized rules effective Jan. 2 that will limit U.S. investments in artificial intelligence and other technology sectors in China that could threaten U.S. national security.

On the House floor, DeLauro vowed to continue fighting for the provisions. "This is something that simply must be done to safeguard our supply chains and our critical capabilities," she said adding Musk had "bullied Republicans into going back on their words."

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Leslie Adler and David Gregorio)
We may earn money from links on this page, but commission does not influence what we write or the products we recommend. AOL upholds a rigorous editorial process to ensure what we publish is fair, accurate and trustworthy.

How to get a defensive driving discount on your auto insurance (SimpleImages via Getty Images)

Remember when you first got your driver's license? Even if you've logged thousands of miles since then, there's always room to sharpen your driving skills  and save money doing it. One of the easiest ways to do both is through an online or in-person defensive driving course.

These courses could save you an average of 3% to 10% on your car insurance premiums. But the benefits don't stop there: The National Safety Council reports that motorists who completed their courses saw their violation rates drop by 70%, with drivers 65 and older experiencing a massive 85% decrease in surchargeable violation rates  savings that can far exceed any insurer discount.

Having recently completed an online defensive driver course myself, I can tell you it was a valuable refresher. Whether you're looking to save money or become a safer driver (or both!), here's what you can expect to learn, pay and save before signing up.

In this article:

What is a defensive driving course?

A defensive driving course is a training program that helps you become a safer driver by improving your driving skills and situational awareness. Often called "good driver discount" programs, these classes can qualify you for savings on your auto insurance premiums while making you a more confident driver.

Nowadays, you can choose between classroom courses or, as most people prefer, online instruction. While some states require these courses after traffic violations, you can also choose to take them voluntarily. Most courses take between four and eight hours to complete, with costs ranging from $12 to $100 and up.

Online courses typically cost less than classroom training and let you learn at your own pace from the comfort of home. However, some drivers  particularly those with a shaky driving history  may benefit more from being in a classroom.

In these courses you can expect to learn:

Accident prevention and driving techniques

How to handle adverse weather conditions

Strategies for dealing with aggressive drivers

The effects of medication, alcohol and fatigue on driving

Tips for adjusting to age-related changes in vision, hearing and reaction time

Stress-reduction techniques and how to avoid road rage

Motorcycle, bicycle and pedestrian awareness

You can find DMV-approved defensive driving courses through your states Department of Motor Vehicles, organizations like the National Safety Council or traffic schools through the American Safety Council. Or call your insurance company for guidance.

 Our writers personal experience

I took a six-hour online course with the Florida Safety Council this year. It cost just $12.50 and immediately provided a $46 discount on my annual premium  a 3% savings. The good news? The certificate is transferable to other insurers, which means I'll still get a discount if I switch companies during the certificate's three-year validity period.

Who's eligible for a defensive driving insurance discount?

Eligibility for defensive driving class discounts vary across the country. In some states, any driver of any age can qualify, while in others, eligibility depends on factors like your age and specific insurance provider. These insurance discounts are especially common for groups that insurers consider higher risk, such as younger and older drivers.

Here's who typically qualifies:

Drivers in states with mandatory discount laws (may vary by age)

Drivers ages 50, 55 or older

New drivers under age 25

Professional drivers

Expert tip: The best way to find out if youre eligible is to log in to your insurance companys web portal and check the requirements online. You can also call your insurance company directly or check with your insurance agent.

Which states require mandatory discounts for taking a defensive driving course?

While most states  including California, Florida and New York  require insurance companies to provide a discount for taking a defensive driving course, the following states do not:

Arizona

Hawaii

Indiana

Iowa

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Missouri

Nebraska

New Hampshire

North Carolina

Ohio

South Dakota

Texas

Vermont

Wisconsin

However, even if you live in one of these states, its still worth asking your insurer if you can get an auto insurance discount.

 Dig deeper: How to switch car insurance companies: 5 simple steps  and why it pays to shop around

How to earn a defensive driving discount

Earning a defensive driver discount is a straightforward process. First, check that youre eligible and your insurance company offers this discount. (If not, its an ideal time to compare other insurers!)

Here are 5 easy steps to get started:

Contact your insurance provider to confirm eligibility. Not all drivers will qualify for this discount, so make sure you meet the age and other eligibility requirements. For example, some insurers, like Nationwide, require that you havent had any claims in the past three years. Other insurers, like Geico, may be more forgiving. Choose an approved course and sign up. Log in to your insurance companys online portal and navigate to the defensive driver course section to see which providers are listed. If you cant find information on providers or have questions, call your insurance company for guidance. Complete the course and obtain your certificate. In most states, youll need to sit through a mandatory four to eight hours to complete the course  and youll be timed. The courses include a combination of videos, reading material and quizzes. Youll also need to complete a final exam to obtain your certificate of completion. Submit the certificate to your insurance company. Submit proof of attendance through your insurance companys online portal or email it to your insurance company or insurance agents office  and verify that theyve received it. Confirm the discount on your next policy statement. Once your certificate has been successfully submitted, you should see a discount by your next statement or even within a few days (my own was credited quickly). If you dont see it by your next statement, call your insurance company.

Expert tip: Some insurers require you to complete the course before your current policy renewal date to receive the discount, so be sure to ask about any deadline  and get your course confirmation in before it.

 Dig deeper: Whens the best time to shop for car insurance? (Hint: It could be right now)

How much can you save with a defensive driving discount?

Savings vary significantly by state and insurer, but most drivers can expect a discount between 3% and 10% off their premium. Based on the national average annual premium of $3,017, according to the Motley Fool, this discount could add savings of $90 to $300 in your budget every year.

My defensive driving course through my insurer resulted in a modest but welcome $23.51 savings on my six-month premium  about a 3.2% reduction overall. Keep in mind these discounts typically last for three years before you need to retake the course.

Expert tip: Ask your insurance provider if completing a defensive driving course can help remove points from your driving record. New York, Nevada, Virginia and a handful of other states allow this, and it could lead to more savings on your premium.

Is a defensive driving discount worth it?

Yes, especially if you opt for a lower-cost online course. While my personal savings with my insurer were modest at $46 a year, Ive since eliminated bad driving habits and Im much more unlikely to repeat the action that caused my minor fender bender in 2023.

Here are the top benefits you can expect to reap from taking a defensive driving course:

Insurance premium reductions that typically last three years

Greater confidence behind the wheel

Enhanced driving skills and accident prevention

More patience with other drivers and less escalation of anger

Less likelihood of being involved a traffic violation

So, if youre ready to become a safer driver and potentially save money, check with your insurer about a defensive driving course and how much of a discount you can earn. It could be a smart investment in your driving future.

 Dig deeper: Car insurance myths: Red cars, rate negotiations and other popular misconceptions

Other ways to save on your car insurance

While a defensive driving discount is valuable, it's just one of many ways to reduce your premium costs. Consider combining it with these other car insurance discounts and money-saving strategies

Shop around every 6 to 12 months

One of the best ways to save on car insurance is to shop around for a new policy. Start comparing quotes from competitors about a month before your policy renews  you just might find significant savings by switching carriers, even if you're happy with your current coverage.

Bundle your insurance

Consider packaging your auto insurance with home, life or renter insurance to unlock multipolicy discounts. Most insurers offer discounts of 5% to 25% for bundling policies. Plus, having all your policies with one company often results in simpler paperwork.

Look into multicar discounts

Most insurers offer 5% to 25% off for adding a second or third vehicle to your policy. This discount typically applies even if the cars are driven by different family members, as long as theyre living at the same address.

Increase your deductible

Opting for a higher deductible can significantly lower your monthly premium. Just make sure you can comfortably cover the higher out-of-pocket cost if you need to file a claim. This is especially important if youre on a fixed budget without much wiggle room.

Maintain a good credit score

Your credit score can have a big impact on your insurance rates in most states. Be sure to keep your score healthy by paying bills on time and keeping your credit utilization low. Drivers with poor credit typically pay $230 to $550 more annually for car insurance than those with fair credit, according to a recent industry report.

Consider use-based insurance

Usage-based insurance programs (UBIs), including telematics programs, track your driving habits through an app or device and reward safe driving with discounts. While drivers can save between 10% to 40% with use-based programs, these programs can also backfire by interpreting defensive moves as risky behavior.

Ask about low-mileage discounts

If youre driving less due to remote work or retirement, you might qualify for a low-mileage discount. Many insurers offer reduced rates for drivers who drive less than 7,500 miles annually. You could also consider a separate pay-per-mile insurance program, which calculates your policy based on the number of miles you drive.

Install anti-theft devices

Adding security features like alarms, GPS tracking systems or kill switches can earn you a safety discount on your policy. Many insurers offer discounts from 2% to 10% for vehicles with anti-theft devices, including factory-installed alarm systems, steering wheel locks and aftermarket GPS trackers.

Expert tip: Don't be shy about asking your insurance agent these and any other discounts available. Many aren't automatically applied, and you might be missing out on savings you're already eligible for.

 Dig deeper: 9 smart ways for seniors and mature drivers to save on car insurance

Learn more about auto insurance and smart ways to save

FAQs: Safe driving discounts and your car insurance

Learn more about saving money on your auto insurance policy  and keeping you and your finances safe  with these common questions. And take a look at our growing library of personal finance guides that can help you save money, earn money and grow your wealth.

Do I need to retake my defensive driving course to maintain my discount?

Yes  most states require you to retake the course every few years to maintain your discount. Check with your insurance provider for specific requirements in your state.

Can I take my defensive driving course online?

Yes, most states allow you to complete an approved defensive driving course online. However, some states may require in-person attendance  for example, if you have to take the course as a result of a court order or have a history of aggressive driving.

Will my insurance company pay for my driving safety course?

No. While insurance companies wont cover the cost of your course, the premium reduction usually pays for the course fee within the first year.

Im moving to a new state. Can I transfer my auto insurance policy?

When you move to a new state, you cant always transfer your existing auto insurance policy. Each state requires different insurance regulations and minimum coverage levels. But moving to a new location is among the best times to shop for a new policy.

Even moving a few miles away could affect your rates  sometimes significantly. And you just might see further discounts, for example, if your new home has a covered garage or off-street parking.

Is there ever a time when I can drop full-coverage car insurance?

While full coverage can definitely provide greater financial security and peace of mind for many drivers, there may be situations where it may be costing you more than it's worth  for instance, if you drive a low-value vehicle or you own your car outright. Learn more about when liability, comprehensive and collision coverage makes sense, and when it might not be the best choice for your needs and budget, in our comprehensive guide to full-coverage car insurance.

Does my car insurance policy cover guests or temporary drivers?

Generally, yes. If you give someone permission to drive your car occasionally, they're usually covered under your policy's "permissive use" provision. However, keep in mind there may be restrictions for extended or frequent use. Learn more in our guide to auto insurance coverage when lending your car.

Sources

About the writer

Kat Aoki is a seasoned finance writer who's written thousands of articles to empower people to better understand technology, fintech, banking, lending and investments. Her expertise has been featured on sites like Lifewire and Finder, with bylines at top technology brands in the U.S. and Australia. Kat strives to help consumers and business owners make informed decisions and choose the right financial products for their needs.

Article edited by Kelly Suzan Waggoner
American Public Power Association | Unsplash

(The Center Square)  A consumer watchdog group is applauding rate hike reductions for two Illinois utilities, but said more work is needed.

The Illinois Commerce Commission approved revised grid plans from Commonwealth Edison and Ameren, but considerably slashed the companies rate hike requests.

The ICC approved ComEds $1.5 billion in investments and system improvements designed to strengthen power grid reliability and support the ongoing electrification of the states power system. The decision cut the utilitys proposed $2 billion in spending by about 25%.

The Commission approved Ameren Illinois' $83 million in investments and system improvements, cutting the utilitys proposed $333 million in spending by about 75%.

We are encouraged that state regulators cut wasteful spending by hundreds of millions of dollars for both utilities, Citizens Utility Board spokesman Jim Chilsen said. Thats a step in the right direction, but were still concerned about the rate hikes and how it will impact customers.

Chilsen said both utilities were required to refile a grid plan earlier this year after the ICC gave a thumbs down to the utilities initial proposals in 2023.

Both utilities brought grid plans before the ICC with accompanied rate hikes and the ICC rejected those grid plans, Chilsen said. One of the reasons they said was they did not prove that the plans are affordable for consumers.

ComEd is Illinois largest electric utility, serving about 3.8 million customers across the state, and Ameren Illinois serves about 1.2 million electric customers in Central and Southern Illinois.

"Our focus remains on modernizing the grid to keep it reliable and resilient in the face of extreme weather events," said Ameren Illinois Regulatory Policy and Energy Supply Vice President Matt Tomc. "At the same time, we'll make continued progress in driving the clean energy transition forward."

The rate hikes will take effect within the next few weeks. CUB said it does not yet have details on how this will impact individual bills.

After extensive review, the Commission is confident that both ComEd and Ameren have the tools necessary to make needed investments to drive the clean energy transition and continue modernizing Illinois electric grid. These plans are a key component to meeting the goals of [the Clean Energy Jobs Act] and represent significant improvement in meeting its requirements, ICC Chairman Doug Scott said. The investments approved today will deliver significant benefits to the utilities customers in an affordable, cost-effective manner.

In 2020, federal prosecutors and ComEd reached a deferred prosecution agreement to resolve a federal criminal investigation into a years-long bribery scheme. As part of the agreement, the utility admitted it paid $1.3 million in jobs and contracts to associates of former Illinois House Speaker Michasel Madigan over nine years to influence the former House speaker. ComEd agreed to pay a $200 million fine. A former ComEd official, Fidel Marquez, pleaded guilty to bribery charges in September 2020. A jury convicted four former ComEd lobbyists and executives in a bribery and corruption trial in 2023.
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The clues that alcohol was a factor in a catastrophic boat crash that drowned one teen and permanently disabled another emerged immediately.

The captain, a well-connected Doral real estate broker, admitted to drinking that day. The severely injured girl had a blood alcohol level of nearly twice the legal limit. And investigators the next day found 61 empty booze bottles and cans on the boat, which had been carrying 12 underage girls.

Yet it took less than seven hours for investigators to rule out alcohol as a factor, records reviewed by the Miami Herald show.

Miami-Dade Countys top prosecutor, State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle, and the man who runs the state agency charged with keeping boaters safe, Rodney Barreto, have declined to be interviewed. In public statements, they have praised their teams for meticulously reviewing every aspect of the case and gone out of their way to underscore that alcohol was not a factor in this tragedy.

They cant know that, because their investigators failed to give the boat captain George Pino a sobriety test. It was not a decision made alone by an investigator on the bay that night: He was in touch with his bosses on land and with Fernandez Rundles office, which had the power to ask a judge to compel a sobriety test  but did not, records reviewed by the Herald show.

Those records, obtained under Floridas public records law, reveal a bungled investigation and a State Attorney who resisted more serious charges despite mounting evidence that alcohol was a factor in the tragedy.

George Pino being examined before his police interview on Sept. 4, 2022. Captured by police body camera.

Sobriety test? Up to you

It was supposed to be a day of celebration. George and Cecilia Pino, 54 and 50, were celebrating their daughters 18th birthday and invited 11 of her high school girlfriends to join them for an afternoon at Elliott Key, a popular boating spot in Biscayne National Park, before returning to a dinner at the exclusive Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, where the Pinos are members.

As they were heading back to Ocean Reef on a clear sun-washed evening, Pino slammed his 29-foot Robalo into a concrete channel marker in Biscayne Bay. The boat capsized, all 14 people were ejected and three of the girls were found unconscious in the water.

The lead investigator on the case that night said he saw no indication Pino was drunk, though the officers body-cam video reviewed by the Herald reveals Pino telling him he had two beers.

FWC officer William Thompson asked Pino if hed take a sobriety test, but did not press him. In fact, the first thing Thompson said to Pino after he told him he had two beers was, Its not illegal to drink a couple beers and drive [a boat], the body cam footage shows. Thompson also told Pino the test was voluntary and Its up to you completely.





When Pino declined to have his blood tested for alcohol, the FWC did not urgently contact the State Attorneys Office, which has a prosecutor on call 24/7 to help officers get a search warrant, arrest warrants and court orders for evidence. The second page of a State Attorney Offices slideshow for the FWC on vessel homicides gives the hotline number for the prosecutors.

Email records obtained by the Herald show that Laura Adams, the State Attorneys chief of traffic and vessel homicide, was included in communications about the investigation in the hours immediately after the incident. She could have advised investigators to get a warrant for a Pino blood alcohol test. In an email Wednesday to the Herald, the State Attorneys Office said, It was not asked to respond or assist in getting a warrant.

Thompson was also regularly communicating from the scene with his FWC superiors on land, a Herald review of emails and the officers body-cam video shows. They, too, could have insisted on getting a warrant. They did not.

Thompson did not respond to the Heralds emails seeking comment. The State Attorneys Office also declined to comment about the case: Due to the fact that this is an ongoing criminal prosecution, it would be inappropriate to address any further matters related to this prosecution, the agency said in an email to the Herald Wednesday.

Pinos defense attorney, Howard Srebnick, has said the crash was a tragic accident and the empty booze containers found on Pinos boat stemmed from five boats tied up that day on Elliott Key.

The FWC would not make Barreto, 67, a longtime lobbyist who chaired the South Florida Super Bowl Host Committee three times, available for an interview with the Herald. Instead, the agency forwarded Barretos statement to the Herald from August reiterating how the FWC did not have probable cause to conduct a sobriety test on Pino.

The FWC investigation was conducted by highly trained professionals who meticulously followed established protocols to gather all evidence, interview relevant witnesses, and consult with subject matter experts, the FWC said in the statement. The investigations findings were based on factual data, including GPS records, witness statements, and forensic analyses, which were documented and reviewed in collaboration with the Miami-Dade State Attorneys Office.

Edward ODonnell, a Miami criminal defense attorney, said investigators could have sought a warrant to compel a blood alcohol test in an abundance of caution.

They are not allowed to take blood just because they want to, but they always find enough signs they can cite to allow them to get the blood when theres a death and [obvious] that some drinking has been going on, he said.

Despite no sobriety test of Pino, it took less than seven hours for Thompson, a certified drug recognition expert, to rule out alcohol as a factor in the crash, which occurred at 6:37 p.m. on Sept. 4, 2022, the Sunday of Labor Day weekend. Shortly after midnight, at 1:06 a.m., Thompson emailed a one-page document, known as the FWCs 24-hour report, to his supervisor, FWC emails show.

The document asks whether the crash was alcohol related, and officers can check one of three boxes: Yes, No or Unknown.

Thompson checked No.

12 underage girls and 61 empty booze cans

The next day brought a literal pile of evidence of alcohols involvement, but the FWC and prosecutors withheld that information from the public for months.

The day after the crash, Labor Day 2022, FWC investigators pulled Pinos boat from the bay and found 61 empty alcohol bottles and cans, including Coronas, Truly Hard Seltzers and Bud Lights. Also found: an empty bottle of La Marca Prosecco and a half-drunk bottle of Chambord raspberry liqueur.

One of the girls on the boat, months later, would tell investigators the boat was stocked with alcoholic drinks when the group set out from Ocean Reef to Elliott Key, around three and a half hours before the crash. The 17-year-old also said she saw Pino drinking at Elliott Key.

Sixty-one empty booze bottles and cans plus one empty bottle of La Marca Prosecco and a half-drunk bottle of Chambord raspberry liqueur were found by FWC officers the next day on the boat.

Pinos acknowledgment that he had been drinking is nowhere in Thompsons final report of the crash.

Records confirm at least one of the girls was drinking heavily that day. Katerina Katy Puigs toxicology report from Nicklaus Childrens Hospital in Miami, where she was airlifted to the night of the crash, shows her blood alcohol level was almost twice the .08% legal limit for driving. Her test was taken at 10:33 p.m., four hours after the crash that left her with a traumatic brain injury.

Katy, who was 17 at the time of the boating accident, is permanently disabled and has been undergoing intensive physical therapy to relearn how to walk.

Ivan Cabrera, the attorney representing Katys family in a civil suit they filed against the Pinos, said in the suit that Pino and his wife purchased copious amounts of alcohol for the outing, and three minors, including Katy, consumed enough alcohol to intoxicate a small army.

The Sept. 18, 2023, court filing adds that the Pinos drank with Katy to the extent all of her normal faculties were impaired, then allowed her to board a vessel which was unsafe for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which are that the operator of the subject vessel had consumed alcohol to the extent that his normal faculties were impaired which is evident by the fact that he hit a channel marker which was clearly visible

A toxicology test of Katerina Katy Puig taken at Nicklaus Childrens Hospital four hours after the crash shows her blood alcohol limit was nearly twice the .08% legal limit for driving.

The Puigs, the Pinos, Hudson Excess Insurance Company and Citizens Property Insurance Corp. are in litigation over who will pay a $16 million court-ordered settlement in the civil suit. (The Fernandez family has not sued.) A judge sealed George Pinos settlement, which was separate from his wifes.

In a statement Thursday to the Herald, Srebnick, Pinos attorney, explained how the empty booze containers wound up on Pinos boat:

The collection of 61 bottles reflects that Georges boat was properly disposing empty containers consumed by a five-boat, 36-person, flotilla at Elliott Key, celebrating the birthday of Georges daughter.

Multiple trained officers and first responders observed that George was not intoxicated. None of the charges brought by the state allege that alcohol was a contributing factor in the accident.

George did not exceed any posted speed limit. This was a tragic accident during which George sustained a head injury that rendered him unconscious until he came to. With blood gushing from his head and leg, George dove under the boat to attempt to rescue the injured passenger.

FWC violated its own training

The man who oversees the state agency that investigated the crash, FWC chair Barreto, told the public his officers had no probable cause to forcibly test Pino for alcohol.

Records obtained by the Herald through Floridas public records law cast doubt on that position.

Those records show that FWC officers are trained to pursue sobriety tests of captains in crashes involving death or severe injury, and to reach out to on-call prosecutors and judges to secure warrants for those who do not voluntarily comply.

Treat every accident investigation as criminal until [its] not  Because most times you only get one shot! reads a key passage from a 2024 FWC training presentation of boating investigations, one of scores of documents reviewed by the Herald.

That guideline is forcefully echoed in another training slideshow, this one prepared by the Miami-Dade State Attorneys Office for the FWC in 2023. The slideshow notes its not difficult to get a search warrant and it provides the FWC with a template for a search warrant affidavit where only the names and key facts have to be pasted in.

WHEN IN DOUBT, GET THE BLOOD! is a mantra that appears throughout the slideshow  including the last line of the 52-page presentation, titled Search Warrants In Vessel Homicide Investigations. And get that warrant quickly, the slideshow presses, because alcohol levels dissipate over time in the body.

None of this happened with Pino, despite the catastrophic injuries and young victims involved.

Three minor charges

Authorities spent nearly a year on the investigation, releasing a final report in August 2023, and concluding that Pino deserved three misdemeanor charges of careless boating, one for each of the girls most seriously injured that day: Luciana Lucy Fernandez, 17, who was trapped under the boat and drowned; Katy Puig, 17, the girl who is relearning how to walk; and Isabella Rodriguez, 16, who suffered a head injury and brain bleed.

What the report says: As part of this investigation, alcohol was not considered to be a contributing factor to this accident.  No one admitted to the consumption of alcohol.



Evidence shows: Within seven hours, investigators concluded that alcohol was not involved despite Pino himself admitting to the consumption of alcohol on the day of the crash. Later in the investigation, a girl on the boat told investigators she had a few drinks and witnessed Pino having a drink at Elliott Key.

The day after the crash, 61 empty bottles and cans were found by investigators on the boat. And the night of the crash, blood alcohol results from Katy Puig's toxicology report showed her blood alcohol level almost twice the legal limit.

What the report says: I requested a voluntary blood draw and George Pino declined due to not having an attorney present.



Evidence shows: Pino did not ask for a lawyer in the body-cam footage. Instead, Pino admitted several times to having two beers.

In defending the charges, FWC Chairman Barreto told the Herald:

The law does not enable our officers to compel a blood draw or breath test without probable cause, Barreto said, noting that his investigator saw no signs of impairment and No one admitted in interviews to consuming alcohol.

In fact, it appears investigators did have probable cause, according to best practices in the FWCs and State Attorneys Offices training manuals, which list significant injuries and deaths as probable cause for a blood draw. And at least two people interviewed by FWC investigators admitted consuming alcohol: a 17-year old girl on the boat and George Pino himself.

Did not investigate whether Pino misled authorities

Pino told investigators the wake from a larger, oncoming boat in the channel caused him to lose control of his boat and crash into the green concrete channel marker, #15, the last in the channel, at approximately 45 mph.

Multiple pieces of evidence contradict his account and investigators themselves did not believe it.

According to Thompsons report, none of the witnesses interviewed corroborated Pinos narrative, a photograph taken by a boater on the scene within minutes of the crash showed no evidence of a boat coming at Pino, and GPS data from Pinos boat showed no sudden changes in direction  or any turns at all  for one mile before the collision.

The FWC and prosecutors did not investigate whether Pino was lying to authorities.

In Florida, providing law enforcement with false information related to a crime is a first-degree misdemeanor. The information must be communicated orally and corroborated by an audio recording, a written statement or a witness, the law states.

Pino met those standards: He told investigators about the alleged boat coming toward him and provided a written statement.

You can certainly be charged with obstruction of justice if you lie about a material piece of evidence, said Lawrence Kerr, a longtime Miami criminal defense attorney.

Key witnesses never interviewed

From the beginning, the FWC and State Attorneys Office told the public and the Fernandez and Puig families that they conducted a thorough investigation.

But neither the FWC nor prosecutors took detailed statements from key witnesses on the scene immediately after the crash, who described Pinos actions far differently from what the FWC did. The FWC investigation describes him rescuing girls in the chaotic moments after the crash. Three eyewitnesses spoke of coming upon a dazed Pino clinging to the hull of his overturned boat, Lucys body trapped underneath. (An autopsy by the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner found no alcohol or drugs in her system.)

After the Herald published the accounts of the three witnesses, another witness came forward, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue firefighter Matthew Smiley. Smiley, after reading the Heralds stories, talked to prosecutors. He told them he was among the first of the responders at the scene, and that when he pulled Pino from the water, he appeared intoxicated.

The veteran firefighters assessment of what he saw prompted prosecutors to reexamine the case and conclude they had enough to charge Pino with felony vessel homicide, more than a year after they charged him with the three misdemeanor careless boating counts, sources told the Herald. If convicted of the felony, Pino could face up to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Both the first witness, a charter boat captain who gave a sworn statement to prosecutors in June, and the firefighter were put in contact with the State Attorneys Office by the attorney for the Fernandez family, Joel Denaro.

But even then, and despite the mounting evidence, Fernandez Rundle hesitated to go beyond the misdemeanor charges.

Tension in State Attorneys Office

A review of text messages between the State Attorneys Office and the FWC show the two agencies early on agreed that the crash did not warrant felony charges.

Four days after the crash, the agencies were already contemplating misdemeanor charges, according to a text conversation between Fernandez Rundle and FWC Lt. Col. Alfredo Escanio, the deputy director of the south region.

Escanio asked Fernandez Rundle for contact information for the chief of the misdemeanor section at the State Attorneys Office. She provided it and noted the chief would be expecting the FWCs call.

Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle, left, and Rodney Barreto, chair of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The FWC investigated the George Pino boat crash; the State Attorneys Office determined the charges.

The State Attorney also resisted filing a more serious reckless boating charge.

FWC Major Alberto Maza, responding to an email from Baretto about the investigation, said in his email FWC was not able to prove reckless. State attorney said we did not have enough (went with careless).

Careless boating, a second-degree misdemeanor, carries a penalty of 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. Reckless boating, a first-degree misdemeanor, carries a penalty of up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

The State Attorneys Office had its own internal spats about Pinos initial misdemeanor charges.

Fernandez Rundle and Adams, the lead prosecutor on the Pino case, had a heated text message exchange on Sept. 18, when the State Attorneys Office was weighing charging Pino with a felony. The text thread was heavily redacted, but shows Fernandez Rundle was hesitant.

She expressed concern about not giving the families false hope.

Its about making families feel so distressed and putting them on a roller coaster, Fernandez Rundle texted to Adams.

Texts between Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle and Assistant State Attorney Laura Adams reveal tension between the pair over the Pino case. The exchange was provided to the Herald in a public records request.

The next day, Sept. 19, Adams, a prosecutor of three decades, resigned from the office. On Oct. 8, Adams walked back her resignation in writing: ...I ask most respectfully that you allow me to withdraw the submitted resignation letter and to continue doing a job I love  as difficult as that job can be at times.

An email that Ed Griffith, a spokesperson for the State Attorneys Office, sent to the Herald Wednesday denied any discord: The State Attorney and Assistant State Attorney Laura Adams were not at odds on the charging decision related to the case of George Pino.

Prosecutors charged Pino with vessel homicide slightly more than three weeks later on Oct. 31. Pino, who has pleaded not guilty, was booked into jail and quickly released without having to post a bond, unusual for a felony case, legal experts say.

Pinos attorney, Srebnick, said after the new charge that he wants the State Attorneys Office to understand that this was just an accident.

There was no crime committed here, Srebnick said.

Not testing Pino for alcohol may hinder the prosecutors case against Pino, said Chris Pearson, a former Key Biscayne marine patrol officer, as well as attorneys following the case.

Its a huge tragedy and its gonna be hard for justice to be done here because of the lack of testing and proof that he was impaired, Pearson said.

Concluded Jack Hickey, a veteran Miami maritime lawyer: Its a sad situation, but the State Attorney has rethought the case, probably because of public outcry and the press shining the light on the facts.

Damage to the 29-foot Robalo piloted by George Pino, who crashed his boat into a concrete channel marker in Biscayne Bay on Sept. 4, 2022. The boat crash led to the death of Luciana Lucy Fernandez, a 17-year-old student at Our Lady of Lourdes Academy, and severely injured her classmate, Katerina Puig.

About this series

The Miami Herald spent two years dissecting the 2022 boat crash that killed 17-year-old Luciana Lucy Fernandez and critically injuring Katerina Katy Puig. Herald reporters meticulously reviewed agency reports, spoke to witnesses never contacted by investigators and delved into public records to shine a light on what went wrong in Biscayne Bay, leading to George Pino being charged with misdemeanors, and ultimately, a felony.

The map in the story was created by georeferencing images from a FWC GPS forensic report of the boats navigation system devices and NOAA data. The boats route is an estimate based on detailed images showing the path of the vessel on September 4, 2022 and prior trips in the area.

Credits

Grethel Aguila | Reporter

David Goodhue | Reporter

Joan Chrissos | Editor

Sohail Al-Jamea | Video Editor

Susan Merriam | Data visualization & development

Kevin Scott | Audience Engagement
A Missouri man who pleaded guilty to entering the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, will be allowed to travel to Washington, D.C., to attend the presidential inauguration next month.

Federal Judge Tanya Chutkan made the decision Thursday. Eric Peterson is slated to be sentenced on January 27, a week after President-elect Donald Trump takes the oath of office on the Capitol grounds. According to his plea agreement, in addition to whatever sentence he receives, Peterson must also pay $500 in restitution to the Architect of the Capitol.

The Department of Justice accused Peterson of knowingly entering and remaining in a restricted area with intent to impede and disrupt the orderly conduct of government business and official functions. The DOJ also accused him of engaging in disorderly and disruptive conduct within the United States Capitol Grounds.

RELATED STORY | Meta donates $1 million to Trump's inauguration fund

The U.S. Capitol was also the site of the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection when hundreds of his supporters entered, disrupting the counting of the Electoral College.

The Department of Justice also recently objected to allowing fellow Jan. 6 defendant Cindy Young to attend the inauguration during her supervised release after a misdemeanor conviction relating to the insurrection. A judge has not yet decided whether Young should be allowed to attend.
At least one person has been killed and several embassies have been damaged in an early morning Russian missile attack on Ukraines capital Kyiv.

The Kyiv City Military Administration confirmed the death in a post on Telegram, adding that 12 others have been injured. Of those injured, five were hospitalized while the rest were treated at the scene.

It comes a day after Russian leader Vladimir Putin challenged Ukraine to a duel in his end-of-year conference, prompting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to call the Russian leader a dumbass.

Let them propose some kind of technological experiment  a kind of high-tech duel of the 21st century, lets say, Putin said during Thursdays event in Moscow. Zelensky in response hurled the rude epithet at the Kremlin leader in comments made online.

According to Ukraines Air Force Command, Russia fired five ballistic missiles at Kyiv at around 7 a.m. on Friday. Ukrainian air defenses shot down all five missiles. In addition, 40 UAVs were shot down, and another 20 drones did not reach their targets, according to the command. However, falling debris caused damage and injuries in the city center, officials said.

In one district, an office building, road surface and gas pipe were damaged, and five cars caught fire, Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, said on Telegram. In another district, a fire broke out at the site of a building under construction.

Several embassies housed in the same building were damaged, according to Ukraines foreign ministry, with a spokesperson, Heorhii Tykhyi, calling the attack barbaric.

Buildings damaged during the missile barrage. - State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Reuters

A woman reacts at the scene of missile damage. - Thomas Peter/Reuters

These are the embassies of Albania, Argentina, Palestine, North Macedonia, Portugal and Montenegro, Tykhyi told a media briefing. Windows and doors were smashed in the premises.

Portugal said the facility suffered light damage and summoned the Russian charge daffaires to protest.

Russias defense ministry said it launched long-range missiles at Ukrainian military targets on Friday, in response to a Ukrainian attack targeting a chemical plant in Russias Rostov region earlier this week. That attack was carried out using American-made ATACMS missiles, the ministry said.

In response to the actions of the Kyiv regime, supported by Western curators, this morning a group strike with long-range precision weapons was launched against the SBU command post, the Kyiv Luch design bureau, which designs and manufactures Neptune missile systems, Olkha ground-based cruise missiles, and the positions of the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system, Russias Ministry of Defense wrote on Telegram.

The strike targets were achieved. All objects were hit, it added.

Zelensky said Friday in response to Russias missile attack of Kyiv more sanctions against Russia are needed.

I would also like to thank all of our partners who are responding to this and other Russian attacks by being ready to provide more air defense systems, the Ukrainian president added.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, the city of Kherson was heavily targeted Friday morning in a shelling attack by Russian forces attempting to advance, according to local military authorities.

Russian strikes on the southern city killed two people and injured a further 10, according to the head of the Kherson region military administration Oleksandr Prokudin.

This story has been updated with additional information.

CNNs Nathan Hodge, Svitlana Vlasova and Lauren Kent contributed reporting.

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Accused UnitedHealthcare CEO killer Luigi Mangione spent his first night back in the Big Apple under the same NYC federal prison as disgraced rap mogul Sean Diddy Combs.

The two inmates, who are both awaiting trials for their respective high-profile federal cases, are locked away at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

Mangione was arrested on Dec. 9 over the suspected killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Accused CEO killer Luigi Mangione is escorted by law enforcement officials after landing in Manhattan on Dec. 19, 2024. Robert Miller

Mangione agreed to be extradited hours earlier from Blair County, Pa., where he had been held since he was nabbed by police at a McDonalds in Altoona.

The 26-year-old Baltimore native landed at Long Islands MacArthur Airport before being flown into Manhattan Thursday afternoon, landing at the South Street Helopad street helipad, from where authorities transported him to Manhattan federal court.

Mangione faces an 11-count indictment levied against him by state prosecutors in the Dec. 4 fatal shooting of Thompson outside the Hilton in Midtown.

He is due to return to Pennsylvania on Feb. 24 for a preliminary hearing over criminal charges in the Keystone State.

Combs is sitting behind bars at the Brooklyn lockup facing charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and prostitution.

He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Sean Diddy Combs performs at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards at the Prudential Center on Sept. 12, 2023. Getty Images for MTV

The Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, NY, on Oct. 28, 2024. AP

The infamous Metropolitan Detention Center in Sunset Park has been plagued by tales of barbaric and reprehensible conditions for inmates.

The jail itself has faced intense scrutiny in recent years amid a spate of vicious inmate attacks and complaints about dismal living conditions  including worm- and maggot-infested food, filthy cells and power outages.

Along with Mangione and Combs, the complex has held notorious sex abusers R. Kelly and Ghislaine Maxwell.

Mangione faces an 11-count indictment levied against him by state prosecutors in the Dec. 4 fatal shooting of Thompson outside the Hilton in Midtown. Paul Martinka

The Brooklyn federal lockup isnt the only connection between the two inmates.

Last week Mangione hired high-powered lawyer Karen Friedman-Agnifilo to represent him.

Friedman-Agnifilo is married to Marc Agnifilo, who has been representing the rapper as he battles sex-trafficking charges.

Combs is sitting behind bars at the Brooklyn lockup facing charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and prostitution. Getty Images

She is a former prosecutor who ditched her longtime position as the head of the sex crimes unit in the Manhattan District Attorneys Office in 2021 to join her husbands private firm, Agnifilo Intrater LLP.

Her marital relationship even caused career strife at times: Friedman-Agnifilo was forced to recuse herself from several cases in which her husband was representing accused suspects, including Harvey Weinsteins rape prosecution.
More than 10 years after its disappearance, the search is set to resume for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.

Malaysia Minister of Transport Anthony Loke announced on Friday that Malaysia has agreed to resume its search for wreckage of the missing flight, multiple outlets including Reuters reported. The Boeing 777 was carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew when it vanished on its way from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Beijing, China on March 8, 2014.

Malaysia will work with robotics company Ocean Infinity for the search. Ocean Infinity, based in Austin, Texas and the United Kingdom, last searched for the plane's wreckage in 2018. If the partnership transpires, a contract would cover an 18-month period and Ocean Infinity would be paid $70 million, only if substantial wreckage was found, Reuters reported.

A precise search location was not shared by Loke, but he confirmed that some debris, which is believed to be from the missing aircraft, has surfaced along the coast of Africa and on islands in the Indian Ocean.

What happened to MH370?

In the early morning of March 8, 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 departed from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia for Beijing. Less than 30 minutes after taking off, the plane's data reporting system shut down, but it momentarily remained on course, according to previous USA TODAY reporting. But by 40 minutes from takeoff, the plane's transponder, which transmitted its location and altitude, shut down.

Malaysia's Subang Air Traffic Control reported that it lost contact with the flight about two-and-a-half hours after takeoff, per pervious USA TODAY reporting. The last signal on the radar for MH370 was when it transferred into Vietnamese airspace above the Cau Mau province.

Searches for the missing flight were more consistent within the first few years of its disappearance but have trailed off with time. The last year was led by Ocean Infinity in 2018. Several countries pooled together $150 million, which resulted in an unsuccessful three-month search.

Contributing: Reuters; Christine Rushton, USA TODAY

Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Flight MH370: Malaysia announces new search for missing aircraft
WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty The outside of the Supreme Court of New South Wales

An Australian man who killed his pregnant wife and then put her body in a bath of acid has been sentenced to over 21 years in jail.

On Thursday, Dec. 19, Meraj Zafar, 23, appeared via video link in the Supreme Court in Sydney, where Justice Deborah Sweeney delivered the verdict, per the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

Zafar and Arnima Hayat, 19, married in a private Islamic ceremony in October 2021 without family or friends in attendance, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. Hayat's body, which had to be identified using DNA samples, was found just a few months later after Zafar killed her at their home in the Sydney suburb of North Parramatta on Jan. 29, 2022, according to the outlet.

After the murder, Zafar  who pleaded guilty in May  bought "five 20-litre tubs of acid over two trips," which he put in the bath "in an attempt to dispose of Hayats remains," the Sydney Morning Herald stated. The day after his wife's death, he was reportedly seen on CCTV driving a truck to the home improvement store Bunnings Northmead, where he allegedly picked up the supplies.

Related: Man Described Newlywed Bride as His 'Everything.' But He'd Actually Murdered Her on Their Honeymoon in Fiji

Getty Close up of a police vehicle in Sydney, Australia

Zafar has been sentenced to 21 years and six months, with a non-parole period of 16 years, 9News reported. He will be eligible for parole in 2038.

The court heard that the day before her death, the victim had texted a friend saying: "I have nobody except you," to which the friend responded, "You have got no choice. You have to stay with him," per the ABC.

Justice Sweeney said Zafar murdered his wife by "obstructing her breathing or smothering her" the day after she sent the message, according to the broadcasting company.

He reportedly googled "Can hydrochloric acid burn through skin?" multiple times, before purchasing the acid which he placed in the bath, per the outlet.

He acted in such a way because of his anger at the prospect of Ms Hayat leaving him," judge Sweeney said in court, the Sydney Morning Herald reported of his apparent motive.

Related: Dentist Accused of Killing Wife by Poisoning Her Shakes Charged with Attempting to Get Fellow Inmate to Kill a Detective: Police

Steve Christo/Corbis via Getty Sydney, Australia

"This was against a background of controlling and violent behavior by the offender. The offense occurred in the home of Ms Hayat, where she was entitled to feel safe, the judge added, per the outlet, which stated that the victim's mother, Mahafuza Akter, "broke down" and "was inconsolable" after hearing the verdict.

The victim's father, Abu Hayat, said in a victim impact statement that Zafar had burned the face I used to talk to and kiss every night, according to the publication.

Hayat  who was a medical student  also texted a friend, "I hate him," just hours before her death, 9News reported. The outlet added that the victim had told friends she was planning to leave her husband but was "scared" and that he'd "frequently bashed and strangled her."

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 publication reported that Hayat didn't report the violence to police, but mentioned it to friends multiple times.

On the night of Hayat's murder, Zafar's mother reportedly called police after her son told her the couple had had a fight and she wasn't breathing, per 9News.

The Supreme Court of New South Wales (NSW) didn't immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE. The NSW Police Force said it was unable to provide additional details because the case was with the court.

Read the original article on People
Suzanne Simpson's family will hold a private memorial on Friday. The Olmos Park real estate agent and mother of four was last seen Oct. 6. Her body has not been found. Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News

Two months after Suzanne Clark Simpson went missing, her family and friends gathered to honor her with a memorial service.

The private memorial was held Friday morning at First Presbyterian Church in downtown San Antonio.

Chandler Simpson, Suzanne Simpsons 20-year-old daughter, told the Express-News the memorial provided the family comfort  and closure.

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She estimates that about 500 people attended the service.

The service was beautiful, she said. All the love and support shown yesterday was a representation of bringing my mom home and making her whole through memories, tears, laughs and cries.

Suzanne Simpson, a real estate agent and mother of four children, ages 5-20, was last seen alive on Oct. 6. Police believe she is dead, but have found no trace of her remains, despite extensive searches.

They have charged her husband Brad Simpson, 53, with her disappearance and death.

In November, Chandler Simpson leveled accusations against her father.

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My mom was a victim of abuse from my father, she wrote on Instagram. My father took my mothers life in a state of rage and control.

Suzanne Simpson was known as the parent in charge, managing everything from kindergarten play dates and high school lacrosse games to college student needs in two different states, a family member previously told the San Antonio Express-News.

For 16 years, she worked as a real estate agent at Nix Realty Company, an independent brokerage in Olmos Park that specializes in the sale of luxury homes. She was known for her cheerful demeanor, optimism and friendliness.

Before the memorial on Friday, Barton T. Simpson, Brad Simpsons brother, posted a photo on Facebook of him and his wife, Marnie Tate Simpson, Suzanne Simpsons mother, Barbara Clark, and others.

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He also thanked the people who helped plan the memorial.

We are celebrating Suzannes incredible life today. She was a bright light to all who knew her, Barton Simpson wrote. Marnie and I are here with Suzannes mom, Barbara Clark, as well as my parents Dee Ann and Skinner Simpson. Unending gratitude to Bob Fuller, First Presbyterian Church, Debbi Chesney, Porter Loring and Suzannes many friends who made this possible.

Later, Barton Simpson told the Express-News it was a nice tribute.

In a post to Facebook, Jane Fritz wrote that she attended the memorial service for a beautiful friend of the family and a close friend to many of her girl group.

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The church was packed, Fritz wrote. Many I did not know but all knew Suzanne. Our daughter Julie and her small friend group were particularly close and each spoke at the service along with Suzannes beautiful children. What a legacy. What a beautiful person. My heart hurts for all.

Brad Simpson is being held at the Bexar County jail in lieu of $5 million bail, charged with murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon causing serious bodily injury, tampering with a corpse and possession of a prohibited weapon.

Brad Simpsons lawyer, Steven Gilmore, is seeking to have the murder charge against Brad Simpson thrown out, arguing that the indictment does not detail the manner and means by which Suzanne Simpson was killed.

The indictment, handed down by a Bexar County grand jury earlier this month, says Simpson killed his wife by a manner and means unknown. It says that after her disappearance, knowing that an investigation was in progress, Simpson concealed a power saw and an automatic weapon so they could not be used as evidence against him.

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Police investigators found Suzanne Simpsons DNA on the power saw, Barton Simpson confirmed to the Express-News.

In an affidavit supporting Simpsons arrest, Olmos Park Police Lt. Hector Ruiz described his movements the night Suzanne Simpson was last seen alive and the next day, Oct. 7, when she was reported missing by a friend.

According to the affidavit, Olmos Park police officer Jarrod Tubbs said a teacher at the Simpsons 5-year-old daughters school said the child told her that on that the night of Oct. 6, a Sunday, her father had pushed her mother against a wall, hit her on the face and hurt her elbow. Her father also turned off her mothers cell phone, the girl said.

In addition, a neighbor told police he witnessed Brad Simpson and Suzanne Simpson loudly arguing and physically struggling after 10 p.m. on Oct. 6 in front of his home.

The neighbor said he later heard screams from a wooded area across from his home. About an hour later, he heard Brad Simpsons truck start and leave the area, Ruiz wrote.

By viewing security video, police tracked Brad Simpson to his daughters school, a Boerne Whataburger and a local Home Depot, where he purchased concrete, heavy duty trash bags and Clorox disinfectant spray, among other items. The items were visible on his truck bed in the surveillance video.

A man told police that Simpson walked up to him in the Home Depot parking lot and asked him where the nearest dump was in Boerne. The man gave him directions to the solid waste site in Boerne.

Surveillance video captured Brad Simpson leaving the Boerne waste site and going to a nearby gas station.
(Reuters) - Cambodia's influential former Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Friday that Japan would be granted visitation rights to the country's Ream Naval Base, a facility the United States is concerned could become a military outpost for China.

Chinese military vessels have been rotating through Ream since a Beijing-funded upgrade started in June 2022. Cambodia has denied reports of a secret deal with China to station its forces at the base.

The upgrade came after Cambodia demolished a U.S.-built facility at the base in Sihanoukville in 2020, having declined Washington's offer to repair it.

Hun Sen, now Cambodia's Senate president, announced the decision to grant U.S. ally Japan access during a visit by Akiba Takeo, its national security adviser.

According to a post on Hun Sen's Facebook page that was accompanied by footage of their meeting, he praised the role of Japan in a region he said recognised the country as a good partner.

Ties between the United States and Cambodia have been strained in recent years, in part due to Phnom Penh's strengthening alliance with Beijing and a sustained government crackdown that has decimated the political opposition.

Hun Sen's son, Hun Manet, a U.S.-educated graduate of the West Point military academy, succeeded his father as prime minister last year after nearly four decades in power.

But Hun Sen has remained a powerful figure in Cambodia and has regularly met foreign leaders and delegations at home and abroad, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, whom he visited earlier this month.

The offer to Japan comes two months after a Cambodian deputy premier told a Washington think tank event that any country's military, including the United States, could call at the port once the base was completed, adding it "is not for the Chinese".

It also follows a visit to Cambodia on Monday by the USS Savannah, an Independence-variant littoral combat ship, the first of its kind by a U.S. navy vessel in eight years.

(Reporting by Martin Petty)
By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Joe Biden's administration will provide U.S. lawmakers an assessment by Jan. 17 on the credibility of assurances by the United Arab Emirates that it is not providing - and will not provide - weapons to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan, according to a letter seen by Reuters on Thursday.

The letter came from Brett McGurk, Biden's coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa. The White House has been under pressure from fellow Democrats to halt weapons sales to the UAE until the U.S. certifies it is not arming the RSF, one of the parties in a brutal civil war that has killed tens of thousands.

U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen and Representative Sara Jacobs filed legislation in the Senate and House last month that would have halted the weapons sales.

"Despite reports we have received suggesting the contrary has occurred to date, the UAE has informed the Administration that it is not now transferring any weapons to the RSF and will not do so going forward," McGurk wrote.

The administration would "monitor for indicators of the credibility of these assurances provided by the UAE," he wrote. He added that by Jan. 17, "I commit to providing you with the executive branch's up-to-date assessment in that regard."

U.S. law requires congressional review of major arms deals. Senators can force votes on resolutions of disapproval that would block such sales. Although the law does not let House members trigger such votes, resolutions must pass both chambers of Congress, and potentially survive a presidential veto, to go into effect.

War erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the RSF over a transition to free elections. The United Nations has said nearly 25 million people - half of Sudan's population - need aid, famine is looming and some 8 million people have fled their homes.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was to announce at the United Nations on Thursday additional funding for humanitarian assistance to Sudan and efforts to support civil society in the country.

Sudan's army has accused the UAE of providing weapons and support to the RSF in Sudan's 18-month-old war. The Gulf state denies the allegations. U.N. sanctions monitors have described as credible accusations that the UAE had provided military support to the RSF.

The UAE has long been a major purchaser of U.S. weapons.

In October, the Biden administration announced, for example, that it had approved a potential sale of GMLRS and ATACMS munitions, and related support, for $1.2 billion.

GMLRS, or Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System rockets, are made by Lockheed Martin, with L3Harris Technologies producing the solid propellant rocket motor for the system. The long-range ATACMS are made by Lockheed Martin.

Van Hollen's and Jacobs' resolutions sought to stop that sale.

"Without the UAEs support, the RSF will not have the same capabilities to wage this war  making negotiation and a ceasefire a much likelier alternative," Jacobs said in a statement.

Van Hollen said he would closely monitor the assessment of the UAE's compliance. "Should the UAE fail to live up to these assurances, we retain the right to refile our Joint Resolution of Disapproval to block the sale in the next Congress," he said.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Don Durfee and David Gregorio)
By David Ljunggren

OTTAWA (Reuters) -Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday looked set to lose power early next year after a key ally said he would move to bring down the minority Liberal government and trigger an election.

New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh, who has been helping keep Trudeau in office, said he would present a formal motion of no-confidence after the House of Commons elected chamber returns from a winter break on Jan. 27.

If all the opposition parties back the motion, Trudeau will be out of office after more than nine years as prime minister and an election will take place.

A string of polls over the last 18 months show the Liberals, suffering from voter fatigue and anger over high prices and a housing crisis, would be badly defeated by the official opposition right-of-center Conservatives.

The New Democrats, who like the Liberals aim to attract the support of center-left voters, complain Trudeau is too beholden to big business.

"No matter who is leading the Liberal Party, this government's time is up. We will put forward a clear motion of non-confidence in the next sitting of the House of Commons," said Singh.

The leader of the Bloc Quebecois, a larger opposition party, promised to back the motion and said there was no scenario where Trudeau survived.

The Conservatives said they would ask Governor General Mary Simon - the personal representative of King Charles, Canada's head of state - to recall Parliament to hold a no-confidence vote before the end of the year. Constitutional experts say Simon would reject such a move.

"We cannot have a chaotic clown show running our government into the ground. What is clear is that Justin Trudeau does not have the confidence of Parliament," Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre told reporters.

Shortly after Singh issued his letter a smiling Trudeau, under growing pressure to quit after the shock resignation of his finance minister this week, presided over a cabinet shuffle.

Trudeau's office was not immediately available for comment.

Trudeau, who has not publicly spoken about Freeland's exit, usually addresses reporters after cabinet shuffles but left without saying a word. Major domestic media organizations said his office had canceled traditional end-of-year interviews.

Votes on budgets and other spending are considered confidence measures. Additionally, the government must allocate a few days each session to opposition parties when they can unveil motions on any matter, including non-confidence.

Singh's move is a political risk, since the polls showing a bad defeat for the Liberals also have bad news for the NDP.

Darrell Bricker, CEO of polling firm Ipsos-Reid, said Singh saw a chance to replace the Liberals as the first choice for voters who opposed the Conservatives.

"Waiting to give the Liberals and even Trudeau a chance to get off the mat is ill-advised," he said by email.

Before Singh made his announcement, a source close to Trudeau said the prime minister would take the Christmas break to ponder his future and was unlikely to make any announcement before January.

Liberal leaders are elected by special conventions of party members, which take months to arrange.

Singh's promise to act quickly means that even if Trudeau were to resign now, the Liberals could not find a new permanent leader in time for the next election. The party would then have to contest the vote with an interim leader, which has never happened before in Canada.

So far around 20 Liberal legislators are openly calling for Trudeau to step down but his cabinet has stayed loyal.

The timing of the crisis comes at a critical time, since U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is due to take office on Jan. 20 and is promising to impose a 25% tariff on all imports from Canada, which would badly hurt the economy.

The premiers of the 10 provinces, seeking to create a united approach to the tariffs, are complaining about what they call the chaos in Ottawa.

(Reporting by David Ljunggren, editing by Ismail Shakil and Chizu Nomiyama)
By Andrius Sytas

VILNIUS (Reuters) -Lithuania has found no sign that the crash on Monday of a DHL cargo plane was caused by sabotage, and believes technical issues were a more likely explanation, officials said on Wednesday.

The aircraft crashed as it came in to land at Vilnius airport on Monday, killing one person on board. Germany's foreign minister later said the incident might have been an accident or a hybrid attack during "volatile times".

"With all we have and all we know, there are no signs that it could have been an act of sabotage," Lithuanian Defence Minister Laurynas Kasciunas told reporters on Wednesday.

A visual analysis of the crash showed there was no external impact on the plane as it landed, while surviving crew members said there had been no chaos or concern inside the aircraft preceding the crash, and no smoke or smell, the minister said.

Investigators were leaning towards a technical cause for the incident, said Vilmantas Vitkauskas, head of the country's National Crisis Management Center.

"If we get additional data we might change our direction, but we don't have it at the moment," Vitkauskas told reporters.

Vilnius airport systems that are used to guide incoming aircraft were found to be functioning as usual when tested on Tuesday, he said.

The aircraft did not use GPS for landing, and any interference with such signals was unlikely to have had an impact, the officials said.

(Reporting Andrius Sytas, writing by Louise Breusch Rasmussen; editing by Stine Jacobsen, Terje Solsvik and Bernadette Baum)
This story contains mention of possible domestic violence. Those facing domestic abuse can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or visit its website for a virtual chat.

Extended family members of five people fatally shot in what police believe to be a murder -suicide case in Utah released the victim's names Thursday.

They are: Bu Meh, 38, her daughters Kristina Ree, 8, and Nyay Meh, 2, and her son Boe Reh, 11, according to a statement released by the West Valley City Police Department on behalf of the family. In the statement, the family called it "senseless acts of violence."

Their bodies were found Tuesday in their home in West Valley City, a Salt Lake City suburb. A handgun was found under the body of husband and father, 42-year-old Dae Reh. Police said they believe he was the shooter.

The couple's teenage son was also shot in the head and, on Thursday, remained in critical condition unable to communicate with authorities.

"Sha Rey is our 17-year-old hero," the family wrote in the statement. "He has a long and complex road to recovery. He needs our full attention, our unconditional love and the Savior's gifts of healing and peace."

As of Friday, a motive in the killing remained under investigation, according to police.

NY govenor: Drones banned over 'critical infrastructure' sites in New York amid recent sightings

Mother killed was refugee who came to US to flee violence

This is a photo of protest of the military coup in Myanmar. The woman killed was a refuge who came to U.S. to flee violence in Myanmar.

According to the family, the mother was a refugee who fled violence in Myanmar, an Asian country northwest of Thailand.

The mother came to the United States with her husband and young family "with little more than clothing on their backs, where she taught herself English, learned new skills and worked to support her family.

She achieved a way of life "far beyond the nightmare of her former country or the refugee camp," her family said in the statement.

"For reasons that we cannot comprehend, her husband robbed her and their children of that security and their very lives," her extended family wrote. "While the perpetrator of these heinous acts is deceased, we know that God's justice is not."

No note found at slain Utah family's home

The discovery took place after the mother failed to report to work this week, according to the West Valley Police Department, the lead agency on the case. A concerned relative entered the garage of the home, found the17-year-old boy critically injured, and notified police.

Police said they believe the killings took place over the weekend, police spokesperson Roxeanne Vainuku announced during a news conference this week.

Officers found no note at the crime scene, and there is no history of domestic violence on records at that home, Vainuku said.

"We understand how frustrating it is for an incident of this magnitude to happen and to not understand why. We know people want to know why. We want to know why," Vainuku said. "The truth is we may never know. It's hard to comprehend."

Anyone with information about the killings is asked to contact West Valley police.

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: West Valley City, Utah murder-suicide: Family identifies 5 killed
NORA, S.D.  On a nearly invisible corner of 307th Street and 475th Avenue in the middle of Union County, South Dakota, where farmland hugs you from everywhere and the topography begins to roll, is the Nora Store.

It's here where you find Father Christmas.

He has the bellowing laugh and the twinkling eyes and the type of generosity in which you wait for him to pull a candy cane out of his pocket. Even more than the jolly old elf, he is the humble and charming Mike Pedersen. He plays a restored pipe organ in the middle of nowhere in what has become a gathering spot at Christmas for people from across the Midwest to enjoy warm apple cider and sing carols.

He has been doing this for 35 years.

I just want people to leave feeling blessed and refreshed, Pedersen, 73, says. I never dreamed it could have turned into something like this.

Mike Pedersen looks outside from the front door on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, at the Nora Store near Alcester, South Dakota.

How a house painter came to Christmas caroling

Nora is an unincorporated town in southeast South Dakota with a population of two: Pedersen and his neighbor, Luke Lyle.

Mike Pedersen poses in front of the pipe organ on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, at the Nora Store near Alcester, South Dakota.

There first was the Ronning General Store in the late 1800s, next to a creamery where farmers brought in their milk every Tuesday and Friday and became well known for its Sunshine butter brand, Pedersen says.

After that closed in 1906, the Nora Store opened on the same corner promptly in 1907, notably selling vinegar for farming and flour sacks for handmade clothing.

After the Nora general store closed in 1962, it would be a decade until Pedersen settled in.

By then, mice and cats had beat him to it, nesting into the corners of the Nora Store and in its dilapidated kitchen. For the next 13 years, Pedersen tidied it and warmed it, and this would become his home.

Mike Pedersen plays the pipe organ on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, at the Nora Store near Alcester, South Dakota. He has been hosting a Christmas sing-a-long for 35 years.

A hobby becomes so much more

Hosting sing-a-longs every holiday was never his intent.

In 1986, he bought a few acres to move out of the Nora Store and into the home next door. (Someone had to keep up those population numbers.) And he began collecting parts of an old pipe organ stored at the University of South Dakotas National Music Museum in Vermillion.

Oh, music has always been just a hobby, says Pedersen, who once took piano lessons from an old neighbor lady while living in Los Angeles before he moved back to South Dakota, and plays music and sings at church.

Mike Pedersen plays the pipe organ on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, at the Nora Store near Alcester, S.D. He has been hosting a Christmas sing-a-long for 35 years.

By the fall of 1989, he and a few buddies started piecing the organ back together enough that the Lords plan made itself clear.

This hobby would become a life. He took out an ad in the local newspaper and invited people to come sing Christmas carols.

On a recent blustery morning, Pedersen sat at the organ, remembering the first time he played it. I was awestruck to sit in front of such a thing," he says. I thought, Oh, what a blessing! I didnt deserve it, but I had to hear what it sounded like, so this is what I heard.

Then he turned his back from the crowd and into the black-and-white haven of his keys, he played the first song he had ever played on it:

Jesus loves me, this I know,for the Bible tells me so.Little ones to him belong;they are weak, but he is strong.

There are about 20 guests singing along and calling out their favorite classics to play next. They had arrived in a caravan for a private sing-a-long, from the Trinity Lutheran Church in Tea about 40 minutes away.

You can tell were Lutheran because no one is sitting in the front row, says Dick Gors, president of their 55-and-older church group that gathers monthly and attends the Nora Store Christmas as its December activity each year.

The store doesn't sell anything, it simply is a place to gather once a year, with some parents who came as children now here with their own children.

Weve been coming here for five years now, says Linda Dannen, of Tea, as she and her husband, Leo, sat in the back row and shared a hymnal. Mike is a joy, and he makes it a good day.

Together, they tapped their feet while Pedersen commanded his organ and they sang, Away in a Manger, Silent Night and Oh Come, All Ye Faithful.

Pedersen took off his shoes around song three to better feel the music and encouraged everyone to ring the bells he placed in each row.

Guests also sing solos, play their own instruments and even bring cookies for the crowd. Like any place of worship, visitors found an infectious feeling of hope in the room.

'Is this my last hurrah?'

This year, Pedersen wondered if this might be his finale: I was having a bad hip and a bad attitude."

But then attention turned to Nora. A South Dakota magazine featured the Nora Store, and CBS News featured him earlier this week.

Pedersen would stay one more year, and now Nora might need more parking.

Pedersen walks gingerly with a cane, and takes a break from the organ and wonders aloud if its soon time to, play music in heaven?

Nora has been my life ministry, but is this my last hurrah? he says after the show. Me and fame? I dont need any of that. Im just trying to be a servant and bless you this Christmas.

Magic for your Christmas

There is a magic in little Nora, in that century-old country store on the corner transformed into a nostalgic wonderland. But its not the trinkets on the wall, a guestbook the size of an encyclopedia, the baby Christmas tree twinkling in the corner or the faux Poinsettia adorning his organ.

Oh, theres no place like Nora for the holidays, Pedersen improvises as he sings, for the holidays you cant beat home sweet home!

Visitors finish with We Wish You a Merry Christmas, before Pedersen gives hugs and kindly bid everyone farewell and a happy holiday.

To put a bow on the magic of the hour, Pedersen escorts us to the door and hangs his arm out to wave, the way Father Christmas departs in his sleigh, and do you know what?

It started to snow.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Nora Store Christmas in South Dakota
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

This holiday season, you will probably be attending a number of parties that may or may not involve eggnog. If youre an enthusiastic home cook who is planning on whipping up eggnog from scratch, great! If not, youre probably standing in a grocery store on your phone searching for best eggnog to buy 2024 and thinking about which ready-made mix is worth purchasingbecause when eggnog is bad, it can be deeply unpleasant: Too sweet, too thin, or even worse, spoiled. Have no fear! This holiday season, I gave my colleagues the very lovely gift of having to taste seven different eggnogs in one sitting to find the very best one.

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

To find the most delicious eggnog, we sampled seven nogs youre likely to find online or at your local supermarket. We poured each out into cups, then sampled them without knowing which eggnog was which. After each of our editors tasted their way through the seven cups of eggnog, we tabulated the results and crowned an overall winner wed be happy to serve at our own holiday parties, plus a few other worthy contenders.

The Criteria

Great eggnog should be smooth and creamy. It should be well-spiced, but not so much that it feels like youve emptied your entire spice cabinet into the beverage. It should be sweet but not cloyingly so. It should be pleasantly eggy and thicker than milk, but not so rich that it tastes like someone blended up a dozen eggs into the beveragenor should it feel like youre sipping on melted ice cream. (Because commercial eggnog must be pasteurized, many eggnogs run the risk of tasting like creme anglaise, the custard base thats often churned to make French-style ice cream.)



Overall Winner

365 Organic Eggnog

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

This is the perfect balance of sweet and eggy, our associate editor Yasmine wrote. Similarly, our editorial director Daniel thought this had just the right consistency and spice level, and enjoyed it so much that he had a second glass and took it home after the taste test. Everyone thought this was a pleasantly drinkable eggnog: creamy, nicely spiced, and not too sweet.



Runners Up

The Best Eggnog for Booze Lovers: Pennsylvania Dutch Egg Nog

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

$11 at finewineandgoodspirits.com

Consisting of just six ingredientscream, rum, eggs, brandy, blended whiskey, and holiday spicesthis sample had the fewest ingredients of all the eggnogs we tasted. It was also the only boozy one we tried. While Yasmine and our senior social media editor Kelli found it overpowering and had too much of a sharp boozy flavor, our associate visuals director Amanda and Daniel all gave it high scores for flavor. Amanda loved it and thought it had the perfect texture, and while our associate editorial director Megan noted that she liked the idea of a spiked eggnog, she would have preferred to add her own. I know it would make me tipsy after one cup, Yasmine wrote. So if thats what youre going for



The Best Eggnog for Vanilla Lovers: Hood Golden Eggnog

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

$3 at Amazon

Both Daniel and Kelli described the flavor of this as melted vanilla ice cream, making this a strong contender for those who enjoy vanilla-forward eggnog. This tastes delightful, Yasmine noted. Basically what you want to be drinking when you smell vanilla extract, if that makes sense. Amanda thought it tasted perfectly balanced, though there was slightly too much vanilla for Megan. Everyone did, however, like its smooth, velvety texture: It had good body and wasnt too thick or thin. The color, as promised, was a lovely golden hue that made you feel like there were plenty of yolks in the beverage.

The Contenders

365 Organic Eggnog

Hood Golden Eggnog

Organic Valley Eggnog

Tuscan Farms Holiday Eggnog

Upstate Farms Holiday Nog

Pennsylvania Dutch Egg Nog



Pittsford Farms Dairy Eggnog

In Conclusion

Our editors are not immune to the charms of stabilizers and thickeners like gellan gum, guar gum, or carrageenan, which companies often use to give products more body. Only one of our top three picks, Pennsylvania Dutch Egg Nog, contained zero stabilizers or thickeners. Our editors generally preferred eggnogs that werent overly sweet, though they did have a soft spot for the vanilla-forward flavor of Hoods Golden Eggnog, which contains high fructose corn syrup, natural and artificial flavoring, food coloring, as well as plenty of stabilizers and thickeners. Though we enjoyed most of the eggnogs we triedand would have been happy to sip on them at a holiday partysome of the contenders were slightly too sweet and not spiced enough. Ultimately, most of us would have preferred to make our own from scratch, which would have allowed us to adjust for sweetness, spice, and booze level.



Our Testing Methodology

All taste tests are conducted with brands completely hidden and without discussion. Tasters taste samples in random order. For example, taster A may taste sample 1 first, while taster B will taste sample 6 first. This is to prevent palate fatigue from unfairly giving any one sample an advantage. Tasters are asked to fill out tasting sheets ranking the samples for various criteria. All data is tabulated and results are calculated with no editorial input in order to give us the most impartial representation possible.



Read the original article on Serious Eats
A San Antonio, Texas teacher died after a "tragic" crash that downed a fence and hit several pre-school-aged children, law enforcement said.

The crash occurred around 4 p.m. on Thursday as parents were picking up their children from Excelled Montessori Plus after a holiday performance, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said during a news conference. As the children were being picked up, an unidentified parent loaded her children in her vehicle, and then accelerated into the building and another car, the sheriff said.

When the parent struck the other car, both vehicles ended up hitting a fence where several children were playing on the other side, according to Salazar. The now-deceased teacher was with the children playing when the crash occurred, and she got pinned under one of the vehicles "for some time," the sheriff said.

Firefighters were able to get her from under the vehicle using a hydraulic lift, but she died on the scene, Salazar said. At least five children were taken to a hospital for medical treatment for various injuries ranging from grave to precautionary, but all of them are alive, according to the sheriff.

The parent involved in the crash does have a past medical history that may have contributed to the incident, so investigators have ruled out intoxication as a factor, according to Salazar. He said he did not know if there would be any criminal charges filed against her. The sheriff also did not know the exact condition of the other driver, but from his understanding, she was OK.

'We lost someone truly special'

Excelled Montessori Plus identified the deceased teacher on Friday in a Facebook post as 22-year-old Alexia Rosales.

"Yesterday, we lost someone truly special. Alexia Rosales, a beloved teacher at Excelled Montessori, passed away in a tragic accident," the post reads. "Alexia wasnt just a teachershe was a bright light in all our lives. Her smile, laughter, and boundless love for the children and everyone around her made our school feel like a second home."

"Her impact on our community is immeasurable, and her absence leaves a hole in our hearts. As we grieve, we want to come together to support her family in this incredibly difficult time."

GoFundMe created for Alexia Rosales

In Excelled Montessori Plus' Facebook post, the school said it created a GoFundMe for Rosales "to help with funeral costs and other expenses."

"Any contribution would mean the world if youd like to honor Alexias memory and support her loved ones," the post reads. "Lets come together as the community Alexia loved so much. Thank you for your kindness and prayers."

As of Friday, more than $20,000 has been raised, which is over $10,000 more than the GoFundMe's goal of $10,000.

"Alexia wasnt just a teachershe was family," according to the GoFundMe. "Her smile lit up every room, and her laughter brought so much joy to our days. She had a special way of connecting with everyonemaking you feel seen, heard, and valued. Watching her with the kids was something truly special. She loved each child as if they were her own, pouring her heart into every moment."

"Were heartbroken. Losing Alexia feels like losing a part of ourselves. Her warmth, kindness, and energy will always stay with us, but the void she leaves behind is immense."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Teacher killed in 'tragic' crash at San Antonio, Texas school
Cristina Geraldyn Salazar-Hinojosa with her children.

A Texas mother says she was unfairly deported to Mexico and forced to depart the U.S. with her four children after missing an immigration court hearing because she was recovering from delivering premature newborn twins by emergency C-section.

Infants Ashley and Allison, both of whom are U.S. citizens born in Houston, have been enduring pneumonia and bronchitis, often needing oxygen masks to breathe, since arriving to Mexico, Salazar-Hinojosa told Noticias Telemundo in Spanish.

I feel bad, I feel devastated to see my daughters sick," she said.

According to the family, the chain of events started on Sept. 13, when the twins were born 35 weeks premature.

"I had to have an emergency C-section. My babies were born prematurely. I was very ill because of my hemorrhage, Salazar-Hinojosa said.

Salazar-Hinojosa's husband, Federico Arellano, called a phone number given to the family by immigration services to inform them of the situation because the mother was scheduled to appear in immigration court on Oct. 9, according to an affidavit from Arellano shared with NBC News Thursday night.

The family was told on the phone that the immigration hearing would be rescheduled, Arellano stated in his affidavit.

During a press conference Monday, Arellano told reporters in Houston his wife missed the Oct. 9 hearing because she was told by doctors to recover at home.

Arellano, 24, and Salazar-Hinojosa, 23, have been married since 2019. Arellano is a U.S. citizen born in Houston and Salazar-Hinojosa is a Mexican national. In addition to twins Ashley and Allison, the couple also share a 2-year-old son, Federico, born in Mexico. Arellano is also a stepfather to his wife's 7-year-old daughter, Yitzel, also born in Mexico.

Federico Arellano and Cristina Geraldyn Salazar-Hinojosa.

On Dec. 6, the family received a phone call from immigration authorities and they were told to report to an office in Greenspoint, Texas, four days later to discuss Salazar-Hinojosa's case, according to Arellano's affidavit.

Salazar-Hinojosa said she arrived at the appointment with her husband and four children thinking it would be like any other of her previous routine appointments.

Instead, immigration authorities arrested Salazar-Hinojosa, and she and her four children were sent to Mexico, according to the family's attorney Isaias Torres. Arellano's affidavit also states that when he asked immigration authorities to let him keep the twins, they responded, "'NO' that the babies were too young and should stay with their mother."

"We didnt have anything with us, no clothes, no diapers, nothing. We didnt have anything with us," Salazar-Hinojosa told Noticias Telemundo. "They didnt let me make any calls to my family, they took my phone away from me, they snatched it out of my hands."

Arellano tried to intervene on behalf of his family. According to Salazar-Hinojosa, her husband begged immigration authorities to please not take his family away from him.

"He wanted to see if we could get a lawyer to see what we could do, and they said no, that they had to take us now," Salazar-Hinojosa said. She added that immigration authorities then insisted she sign the paperwork for her deportation.

"They said that if I didnt sign the deportation forms and all that, they were going to arrest my husband and fine him," Salazar-Hinojosa said, adding that she was afraid they would arrest her husband if she didn't sign; "they forced me."

After the family realized they could not stop Salazar-Hinojosa's deportation on such short notice, the mother felt she had no other choice but not keep her children with her, telling Noticias Telemundo she worried that her husband would struggle balancing work and childcare on his own.

Federico Arellano with his children.

Immigration officials confirmed to NBC News on Wednesday that they had deported Salazar-Hinojosa from Texas.

While some media outlets reported that the mother, the twins and the two other children had been deported, Immigration and Customs Enforcement told NBC News that it had only formally deported Salazar-Hinojosa.

"ICE does not deport U.S. citizens. Any decision for minors with U.S. citizenship to depart the U.S. with their parents is up to the parents, an ICE spokesperson said.

ICE alleged Salazar-Hinojosa entered the U.S. illegally on June 28 through the Rio Grande Valley area in Texas. The spokesperson said she was released June 29 under the Alternatives to Detention program, pending her immigration proceedings.

The spokesperson said Salazar-Hinojosa failed to show up to the Oct. 9 hearing and was ordered removed by a judge with the Justice Department's Executive Office for Immigration Review. DOJ did not respond to a request for comment.

Torres told WOAI that "this case shouldnt have gone to this extreme. There were options, legal options that were available and he was not given that opportunity.

A second attorney representing Arellano and his family, Silvia Mintz, told Noticias Telemundo she believes "ICE officers abused their discretion, because Cristina is not a criminal, the children are newborns, and this could have been resolved with a motion to reopen the case."

Both Mintz and Torres told KHOU Arellano tried to explain, but ICE agents prevented him.

They were shocked and surprised that they were separated, Torres said.

Cristina Geraldyn Salazar-Hinojosa with her children.

The attorneys have said they plan to file a complaint with the Office of Inspector General as well as immigration petitions to see if Salazar-Hinojosa and her children can return to the U.S. under parole. That process could take several months.

President Joe Biden has been criticized by Republicans who have said his policies have left the border open to illegal immigration. But in June, the Migration Policy Institute reported that Bidens deportations were on track to surpass those of Donald Trump's first administration.

Trump was elected in November after vowing to conduct the largest mass deportation operation in American history. His pick to head ICE, Tim Homan, has said that the only way to not break up families under Trumps plan is to send them all back.

People born in the United States  with the exception of children of certain foreign diplomats  are constitutionally guaranteed U.S. citizenship regardless of whether their parents are illegally here. Trump recently said in a "Meet the Press" exclusive interview that he wants to end that guarantee.

In a 2021 report, the Government Accountability Office found that over about five years, ICE arrested 674, detained 121 and removed 70 people that the GAO said were potentially U.S. citizens. The GAO found ICE did not keep sufficient data on U.S. citizen deportations at the time.
James Dunn, owner of Tattoo Monkey studio on the Southwest Side, said he fired tattoo artist Joe "Joe Loco" Sanchez after learning of the woman's story, which she posted on social media, prompting other women to share stories of misconduct about Sanchez. Eugenio Marongiu/Getty Images/Image Source

An employee at a San Antonio tattoo shop passed himself off as the owner when he welcomed a prospective apprentice into the store this month and allegedly sexually assaulted her while giving her a tattoo, according to the shop's real owner.

James Dunn, owner of Tattoo Monkey studio on the Southwest Side, said he fired tattoo artist Joe "Joe Loco" Sanchez after learning of the woman's story, which she posted on social media, prompting other women to share stories of misconduct about Sanchez.

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A Dec. 10 report the alleged victim filed with the San Antonio Police Department, which is investigating the case, said the alleged assault occurred Dec. 9 at the shop at 7903 SW Loop 410 Ste. 113. The woman also detailed the alleged incident in a Dec. 10 post to social media, which she wrote as a warning to other potential victims.

"Hey girls, just wanted to share my experience at tattoo monkey on the SW side," the woman wrote, "specifically joelocotattoos ... do NOT go to this man for tattoos."

ALSO READ: Top 10 Comfort Food Restaurants in San Antonio

"When I got there he was nice, but when he started the tattoo he got very touchy," she wrote. The post progresses into graphic detail.

Joe Loco, whom Dunn identified as 50-year-old Joe Anthony Sanchez, had made an arrangement with the woman to work at "his" tattoo shop, according to a police report.

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The shop's Instagram account had posted a job ad for a tattoo artist, Dunn told the Express-News, and the alleged victim replied to it. Sanchez had access to the Instagram account to schedule tattoo appointments. He used the Instagram account to respond to the 18-year-old's inquiry. He told her he was the shop owner. At that point, Dunn said, Sanchez most likely began messaging the woman on his personal Instagram account. She agreed to an apprentice-like business arrangement where she would exchange her labor for a tattoo from Sanchez.

The woman claimed that Sanchez touched her buttocks and crotch without her consent while tattooing her, and eventually escalated to non-consensual digital penetration. The victim wrote that she told police that she told him "no," but that she was "too scared of a confrontation during the penetration."

Sanchez has not been charged with a crime in connection to the allegations. He has not responded to Express-News' request for comment.

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"I thought maybe he didn't mean to have (his hand) there so I let it go, but then he started to touch me while doing the tattoo," she wrote in the social post. "Me personally, I can't stick up for myself, so I just laid there while he did all of this waiting for the tattoo to be over."

Tattoo Monkey said Dec. 10 on Instagram that Sanchez was not the shop's owner, and that he had been terminated from his position that day.

Dunn told the Express-News that he was not aware of any potential misconduct occurring within the shop, and that he fired Sanchez immediately upon learning about the allegations.

"Somebody started spamming the shop page," Dunn said. "I started receiving more information, and then I saw a very detailed post where an 18-year-old female was explaining some serious allegations."

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Dunn said he confronted Sanchez through a phone call.

"You could tell he was nervous," he said. " You could tell it in his voice. He was kind of fumbling his words."

As the messages online poured in, Dunn made the decision to terminate Sanchez.

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"I said, 'I need you to come over here, you need to pick up your stuff,'" Dunn said. "I said, 'You're done. You're done. These are serious allegations.'"

The 18-year-old's post led to several other potential victims coming forward with allegations of their own.

"I'm still in denial about the situation," the 18-year-old wrote. "I was scared and just wanted it to be over that's why I didn't do anything in the moment."
As U.S. diplomats arrived in Damascus on Friday, Syria's de facto new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa will likely have greeted them with a clear message: Under his rule, there will be no threat to the West.

Sharaa, who has dropped his nom de guerre of Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, has been pushing this line in meetings with Western diplomats and the media since rebel forces, led by his Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, toppled the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. As his new administration takes charge, he has also called for the United States and other countries to drop sanctions against Syria.

Now, after all that has happened, sanctions must be lifted because they were targeted at the old regime, Sharaa, dressed in a smart suit and a white shirt, told the BBC in an interview earlier this week, having abandoned the camouflage military fatigues and turban he once wore as a jihadist leader.

The victim and the oppressor should not be treated in the same way, he added.

He has also attempted to move away from his past as a jihadist leader with links to both the Islamic State terrorist group and Al Qaeda.

Striking a more moderate tone, Sharaa has vowed to usher in an era of change driven by a vision of an inclusive Syria in which the countrys many religious and ethnic groups will be represented.

Ahmed al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani and the head of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebel group.

But with a $10 million U.S. bounty on his head and as the current leader of a group that has been designated a terrorist organization by Washington and others, he faces an uphill battle to convince people that he is a changed man.

Sharaa has been embracing a more conventional image, Joze Pelayo, an associate director at the Atlantic Councils Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative, told NBC News. But I think he needs to walk the talk for that recognition and for that approval to remain sustainable.

Sharaa has also attempted to present HTS as more moderate, insisting in his BBC interview that it should not be considered a terrorist group because it does not target civilians or civilian areas.

Sharaa, then known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, in a media appearance in July 2016.

Unlike the Taliban in Afghanistan, which barred women from higher education, public spaces like parks and most jobs, the BBC reported that Sharaa said he would be much more inclusive and had pointed to HTS' record in regions it has governed in recent years, particularly in the city of Idlib in Syrias northwest.

There, he said, universities had been teaching for more than eight years, adding, I think the percentage of women in universities is more than 60%.

Sharaa also promised that a Syrian committee of legal experts would be formed to write a new constitution for the country. They will decide. And any ruler or president will have to follow the law, he said.

Hes saying all of the things that I think Washington and Europe want to hear in terms of a transition leading to a government thats inclusive and reflective of the will of all Syrians, said Dana Stroul, a former senior Defense Department official who served in the Biden administration.

What we dont know is, how long that will hold? Will he walk the walk and not just talk the talk? And if he doesnt win in the elections, will he peacefully stand aside for whoever does win? I think those are big questions," added Stroul, who is now a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

The Biden administration has said it is weighing whether to remove HTS from its list of terrorist organizations  but that will depend on whether it views Sharaa and his new leadership group as one that it can engage with.

Were watching what they do now and certainly making clear that they want to be inclusive in dealing with other groups inside Syria, making clear that they respect women and minorities as they stand up interim governing authorities  making clear that Syria wont be used as a base for terrorist groups, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said at a briefing Tuesday.

But while many are wary of Sharaa's transformation, throughout Syria's civil war he carved out his own path during his rise to power, defying ISIS and Al Qaeda along the way.

People celebrating the end of the 54-year Assad family rule in Damascus.

Born in Syria in 1982, he was among the foreign fighters to cross into Iraq to fight against U.S. forces after they invaded the country in 2003 and was detained by the American military, according to The Associated Press.

As Syrias civil war erupted in 2011, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), sent him back home to establish the Al-Nusra Front, a branch of Al Qaeda. But when Baghdadi called on Sharaa to merge Al-Nusra with the ISI and form ISIS, he refused and instead pledged allegiance to Al Qaeda.

In 2017, he dissolved the Al-Nusra Front to form HTS, which would maintain power in Idlib before it led the sweeping rebel takeover of Syria earlier this month, forcing out Assad and his regime.

Sharaa's track record as a leader in Idlib, where HTS was in control, was relatively positive, current and former U.S. officials have said. But its an open question how he and his allies would fare governing the whole country, which is much more diverse than Idlib.

But in a report last year on human rights practices in Syria, the State Department said HTS had reportedly permitted confessions obtained through torture and executed or forcibly disappeared perceived opponents and their families.

HTS held detainees incommunicado in secret detention facilities referred to as security prisons, it added, citing another study by the United Nations Commission of Inquiry for Syria.

Hossam Jazmati, a Syrian researcher who has written extensively about Sharaa, also noted that for months in Idlib, the HTS leader had faced protests from both hard-line Islamists and more moderate Syrian activists, some of whom accused HTS of trying to quell critics' voices with arrests and detentions.

A taxi passes a man at Yarmouk camp in Damascus, Syria, on Thursday.

Jazmati said Sharaa will have to carefully consider his approach should opposition to his leadership arise in Damascus and beyond particularly if he wants the support of the international community. That approval, he added, is what matters most for him so that his organization is removed from terrorism classification.

Pelayo at the Atlantic Council agreed. Sharaa understood the importance of projecting the appearance of a modern leader to facilitate normalization, avoid further tensions and remove the current sanctions that are on the Syrian government, he said.

Over the past two weeks, he has shown that he can tweak kind of his ideological background if that means success for his political aspirations, Pelayo said, adding that Sharaa appeared to have a lot of them.
Democrats in the House of Representatives killed a spending deal approved by President-elect Donald Trump with the help of conservative Republicans after Elon Musk scuttled the original bipartisan deal.

The bill failed with all but two Democrats and 38 Republicans voting against it, and 172 Republicans voting for it.

House Republicans said they had struck a deal on a short-term funding bill 24 hours after Musk and Trump derailed a resolution and steered the government into a shutdown the weekend before Christmas.

But congressional Democrats called the plan that Trumps billionaire deputy touted hours earlier laughable. House Democrats were heard chanting hell no as they met to review it on Thursday.

News of a newly hashed-out deal arrived one day after the worlds wealthiest person and the incoming president commanded members of Congress to reject a bipartisan stop-gap funding bill as lawmakers prepared to vote.

Its not serious, its laughable. Extreme MAGA Republicans are steering us towards a government shutdown, Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters Thursday of the Trump-backed deal.

Its an absolute slap in the face, Democratic congreswoman Jill Tokuda told The Independent. Its disgusting that they would try to use this as a tool to increase the debt limit for two years, which we know will ultimately result in tax credits for the uber wealthy on the backs of our working people.

House Speaker Mike Johnson is steering Republicans towards a stopgap spending bill to avert a government shutdown (AP)

Congressman Robert Garcia, a Democrat from California, specifically criticized lifting the debt limit.

This is a complete bulls*** attempt to try to allow Donald Trump to eliminate the debt ceiling for two years and he can give away all this money to all his billionaire friends, he told The Independent.

Trump had called on lawmakers to abolish the debt ceiling, a limit set by lawmakers to determine how much money the federal government can borrow to pay its bills. It was last raised in 2023 through January 1, 2025.

A new deal proposed extending the very unnecessary ceiling through January 30, 2027, Trump said.

Now we can Make America Great Again, very quickly, which is what the People gave us a mandate to accomplish, Trump said.

Tennessee Republican congressman Tim Burchett told The Independent that the debt ceiling is an arbitrary thing.

And reality is, I dont know why they ever put a debt ceiling on anything, he said. He later voted against the legislation.

Asked whether Musk and his incoming Department of Government Efficiency co-chair Vivek Ramaswamy will have an impact on an upcoming fight for House Speaker, he told The Independent: Of course, they have to. I mean, theyre prominent people, and they have very big checkbooks.

Donald Trump, Elon Musk and JD Vance called on Congress to reject a bipartisan stopgap funding measure, forcing lawmakers to scramble ahead of a government shutdown (AP)

The new proposal would have stripped out provisions to criminalize the distribution of pornographic deepfakes, and cut funding for treatments of sick cell disease, pediatric cancer research, and breast and cervical cancer detection, among other provisions.

Why would you cut funding for nutritional assistance ... for seniors, for veterans? Jeffries said in remarks on the House floor.

Everything that was there to help with healthcare, the measures that were included to attempt to help the average family  they're all gone, Democratic congresswoman Marcy Kaptur told The Independent.

Is he going to own the United States before it's all over? she wondered of Musk.

He has a lot of personal interests here, and he's not elected to anything, she added. Some people are calling him the president and President Trump the vice president. I have to do some homework on who this man really is.

Conservative opposition also helped sink the bill, with Republican congressman Chip Roy railing against the legislation on the floor, which led to Democrats applauding him.

The president-elect had said that the country would be far better off closing up for a period of time than agreeing to a deal that was supported by both Republicans and Democrats until Musk spent Wednesday firing off dozens of social media posts condemning the deal and threatening to fund primary challengers against Republicans who voted for it.

Shutting down the government (which doesnt actually shut down critical functions btw) is infinitely better than passing a horrible bill, Musk said.

Congress has until midnight Friday to approve a spending bill that would avert a government shutdown, with potential employee furloughs and service interruptions across federal agencies.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson spent much of Thursday negotiating a deal that extended government funding at its current levels until March, more than a month into Trumps administration and a new Congress.

This shows how much your voice matters!



And having a President like @realDonaldTrump means that your voice is finally heard. https://t.co/0a7QDJx9zt  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 19, 2024

On his Truth Social, Trump lambasted Roy for getting in the way for the sake of some cheap publicity for himself.

Republican obstructionists have to be done away with, Trump added.

In another post, he called Roy just another ambitious guy, with no talent.

By the way, hows Bob Good doing? said Trump, referencing the Virginia congresswoman who lost a primary election to a Trump-endorsed challenger; Good, like Roy, had supported Trumps former rival Ron DeSantis.

I hope some talented challengers are getting ready in the Great State of Texas to go after Chip in the Primary, Trump said Thursday. He wont have a chance!

The vote puts Johnson in danger. Republicans will have only 220 seats in the House next year, with a handful of members leaving to work in Trumps administration. Only a few Republicans opposing his speakership could prevent him from leading the House of Representatives.

Eric Garcia contributed reporting from Washington, D.C.
WASHINGTON - President-elect Donald Trump failed the first big test of whether he can hold together fractious Republicans to pass his second-term agenda when 38 GOP House members bucked him on government funding legislation late Thursday.

Now the question is whether the rest of his agenda is already in jeopardy, even before the former and future president's January 20 inauguration.

We got some independent thinkers, even those who are very strong Trump the Republicans have always had a harder time corralling our side," Nebraska Republican Rep. Don Bacon said Thursday after the vote when asked what it means for Trump's ability to control his party going forward.

Trump has been riding high after cementing his political comeback in November with a victory that included wins in every swing state and the popular vote. Republicans were largely unified behind him during the campaign, which saw him overcome four criminal cases, two impeachment and the fallout from Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol to try and overturn the 2020 election won by President Joe BIden.

Since his 2024 White House victory, Trump and Republican allies have claimed the win came with a mandate to enact sweeping changes for the nation. But the president-elect couldnt keep his party united behind his first big pre-inauguration policy push  keeping the U.S. government open through March while lifting the cap on the amount of debt the federal government can incur.

Trump blew up an initial short-term spending deal Wednesday that Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson negotiated with Democrats when the president-elect called for removing provisions that his rival party's members liked and adding the debt limit increase, which some fiscal hardliners in his own party oppose.

President-elect Donald Trump is joined by House Speaker Mike Johnson at the Army-Navy football game in Landover, Maryland on December 14, 2024.

Johnson came back with a new spending plan Thursday approved by Trump that had a two year suspension of the debt ceiling. That approach failed, despite the president-elect urging Republicans to support it. "All Republicans, and even the Democrats, should do what is best for our Country, and vote 'YES' for this Bill, TONIGHT!" Trump wrote on social media.

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, spoke against the revised funding plan on the House floor Thursday.

What were doing right now is to continue to double down on the things that are destroying the Republic, Roy said, adding: I'm absolutely sickened by a party that campaigns on fiscal responsibility and has the temerity to go forward to the American people and say you think this is fiscally responsible. It is absolutely ridiculous.

Roy also called the legislation embarrassing," "shameful," and asinine and said Republicans are "profoundly unserious about actually reducing deficits."

Trump won the GOP presidential nomination in 2016 as an outsider campaigning against establishment Republicans, and continued to butt heads with many in his own party after taking office. During his first term he was able to pass major tax cut legislation, but saw other priorities dashed by GOP opposition, notably when Republican Sen. John McCain provided the decisive vote against repealing the Affordable Care Act enacted under Trump's successor, President Barack Obama.

Trumps occasional clashes with his party continued through the end of his first term, when some Republicans denounced his actions surrounding the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Former GOP House members Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger served on the House committee investigating January 6 and harshly condemned Trump. Both are no longer in Congress, with Kinzinger opting not to run again and Cheney falling to a Trump-backed primary challenger.

The primary threat has been a powerful tool used by Trump to keep Republicans in line. Before the House vote Thursday on the spending plan, Trump posted on social media that he hoped Roy would get a primary challenge and issued a broader threat, saying "Republican obstructionists have to be done away with." It didn't stop the GOP defections.

You cant primary every Republican who voted against the spending bill, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., said after the vote.

I mean, you can, Massie added. Youll weed out the weak. But the rest of us will have antibodies.

Trump has consolidated his grip on the GOP since his first White House term, partly through primaries that have brought more Trump-friendly Republicans to Congress, and is broadly popular in his party. He focused on immigration enforcement and economic issues during the campaign, and is expected to pursue legislation to enact his campaign promises into law, including more tax cuts and stronger border enforcement.

The strong opposition from some in the GOP to Trumps spending proposal demonstrated the limits of his ability to control a GOP caucus that is not always aligned with his populist approach, though. Government spending, in particular, can be a tricky issue for a party that has long campaigned on fiscal restraint.

Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., said Thursday as the votes on the spending bill were being counted that the legislation may be a trial run" for Republican governance during the next Trump term.

I think that things will eventually work themselves out, but there may be lessons learned here, Gimenez said when asked about Trumps ability to rally his party and pass his agenda going forward.

House Speaker Mike Johnson talks to reporters outside of the House Chambers in the U.S. Capitol on December 19, 2024 in Washington, DC.

Bacon said debt ceiling and short-term spending legislation will always involve some fiscally-conservative Republicans in opposition. "So you gotta have Democrats on board," he added.

The Nebraska GOP congressman also questioned the influence of billionaire Elon Musk, a close Trump adviser, on the spending legislation. Musk began posting social media messages blasting the first version of the bill hours before Trump weighed in and the GOP responded by stripping out provisions supported by Democrats.

I was troubled that he put out false information, which in the social media environment people tend to believe what they see and some of that stuff was just out and out lies," Bacon said of Musk's influence.

Concerns about the original House spending legislation should have been worked out directly with House Speaker Mike Johnson, Bacon said, adding: "I dont really get the beat-up-your-own-team on social media. Its not right."

Some Republicans dismissed concerns this week that the failure of Trump's first big policy play - before he's even been sworn in - could spell trouble for his agenda.

Every issue is different, every vote is different." said Rep Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla.

Massie predicted other Trump policy proposals would pass without GOP resistance under the right circumstances.

"I mean, if you put a bill to fund the (border) wall on the floor on January 3 that will pass," he said. "The problem is, the swamp wants what the swamp wants and theyre going to try to attach what Trump wants to what the swamp wants."

Before the House voted Thursday, Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., said Trump's authority is not in doubt.

Let's be very clear, President Trump is the leader of the Republican Party," Van Orden said. "President Trump is going to be leading this nation for the next four years."

The turmoil in the House is just "building the muscle memory between the executive branch and the legislative branch," he said.

"This is the first time we've worked collectively together after President Trump was elected," Van Orden added. "So I expected this to be a sort of disjointed process, because now we are understanding how to communicate with each other. So this, this is a good thing.

Sudiksha Kochi contributed

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump's agenda in trouble? What GOP revolt on spending bill tells us
The Philadelphia school district failed to show it protected Jewish students from harassment despite repeated, extensive notice that students, teachers and administrators were engaging in antisemitic behavior, the U.S. Department of Education has concluded after a federal civil rights investigation.

Philadelphia school administrators did not adequately address allegations that students were performing Nazi salutes, drawing swastikas on school property and uttering slurs and threats against Jewish students  in some cases neglecting to even document the incidents, the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights found. Federal investigators also cited complaints about allegedly antisemitic social media posts by a school board member, an assistant superintendent and four teachers.

The Philadelphia district, among the largest public school systems in the U.S., did not evaluate whether a hostile environment existed in its schools, and did not demonstrate that it took steps to eliminate any such hostile environment and prevent its recurrence," the civil rights office said in a Dec. 18 letter to the district's lawyers.

The letter noted that Philadelphia officials have agreed to take various steps to resolve the case. The agreement includes annual training for administrators, faculty and staff; age-appropriate anti-harassment programming for students; better documentation of complaints; and an anti-harassment statement.

The Philadelphia School District has committed to taking essential steps to redress any hostile environment in its schools so that Jewish students, like all students, can learn in an environment free from discriminatory harassment, Catherine E. Lhamon, assistant secretary for civil rights, said in a statement.

The Anti-Defamation League, a prominent Jewish advocacy group, was among several Jewish groups to file complaints against the district earlier this year. The Education Department opened an investigation to determine whether district officials appropriately responded to the alleged harassment as required under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on shared ancestry.

ADL said it hopes the agreement between the Education Department and the school district will help prevent additional harassment and targeting of Jewish students.

We are grateful for the Jewish students and parents who had the courage to speak out against the pattern of antisemitic harassment, abuse and bullying they were experiencing, said Jonathan Greenblatt, ADLs chief executive officer.

ADL has filed similar complaints against other school districts, including Berkeley and Santa Ana in California.

The Philadelphia district said it takes all complaints of bullying, harassment, and discrimination seriously, including allegations of antisemitism and Islamophobia. The district also said its committed to continue efforts to create welcoming and inclusive environments that allow our students to feel safe and heard.

Federal investigators said they were concerned that district staff had retaliated against parents who filed complaints. In one such incident, a teacher identified the complainant by name on her Instagram account and wrote she was taking the gloves off, adding: Zionism is Racism, the civil rights office said in its letter. Another teacher reposted the first teachers post and wrote: These are some disgusting, cowardly, genocide supporting fools. They thought they could hide.

Andrew Goretsky, the director of ADLs Philadelphia office, said ADL believes that antisemitic harassment, assault and vandalism are underreported because of fears of retaliation.

Colleges, universities and high schools nationwide saw a wave of pro-Palestinian student protests in response to Israels war against Hamas in Gaza. The war began when Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023, taking hostages and killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians. More than 45,000 Palestinians have been killed in 14 months of war, according to Gazas health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

A congressional hearing earlier this year spotlighted antisemitism in K-12 education, with the leaders of New York City Public Schools, the Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland, and the Berkeley Unified School District in California all vigorously denying they had failed to address hostility toward Jewish people.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two U.S. senators introduced bipartisan legislation on Friday that would impose sanctions on Turkey, citing concerns over military action by that country or groups that it backs, in northern Syria.

Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham introduced the "Countering Turkish Aggression Act of 2024" in the hope the sanctions threat would move the parties toward a ceasefire. But they said Washington should work with Turkey diplomatically to facilitate a sustained ceasefire and demilitarized zone between Turkey and Syria.

"These sanctions seek to prevent further Turkish or Turkish-backed attacks on the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which risk the re-emergence of ISIS (the Islamic State militant movement), threatening the national security of the U.S. and the rest of the globe," they said in a statement.

Hostilities in northern Syria have escalated since Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad was ousted less than two weeks ago. The United States has brokered a fragile ceasefire in the area between Turkey and Syrian groups it backs, and U.S.-backed Kurdish Syrian fighters.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Rod Nickel)
As millions prepare to journey "over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house" this holiday season, an active weather pattern threatens to complicate travel plans across the United States. AccuWeather meteorologists are forecasting significant disruptions, with icy and snow-covered roads in the Northeast and flooding and avalanche risks ramping up along the Pacific Coast.

A series of potent storms is expected to hammer the West Coast through the weekend after Christmas while precipitation in the Central and Eastern states will also contribute to travel woes. Whether by car or plane, travelers should brace for delays and hazardous conditions on their way to holiday celebrations.

Close to one storm per day will roll ashore along the West Coast from Washington to Northern California. While there may be a slight pause centered on Christmas Day in the storm train, each storm will increase the risk of flash flooding, road washouts, mudslides in the lower elevations and snow-clogged roads at times with an avalanche risk high up in the mountains.

AccuWeather has a separate story covering more specific information on the West Coast.

A storm will push across the northern Plains with spotty snow near and north of its track. As that storm reaches the Mississippi Valley on Tuesday, a moisture flow will cause precipitation to become widespread and significant.

Rain, patchy fog and spotty thunderstorms will shift encompass the central Gulf coast, Tennessee Valley and southern Appalachians on Monday night and the day before Christmas. A batch of rain and thunderstorms may survive the trip to the southern Atlantic coast by Christmas Day.

Whenever mild and moist air flows over a zone of cold and dry air, dense fog can form and where the air remains cold enough, there will be some ice and snow concerns for travelers from the Great Lakes region into Monday night shifting to the central Appalachians, New England and perhaps part of the mid-Atlantic on Tuesday.

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There will be a bit of snow or a wintry mix in the region from Boston and New York City to Philadelphia and perhaps even Washington, D.C., for a time on Tuesday.

Enough snow and/or ice will occur from the central Appalachians to the mid-Atlantic coast and southern New England to make roads slippery for a time. Heavier snow will fall from northern Michigan to northern New York and northern New England.

A plume of moisture may remain over the lower Mississippi and Ohio valleys on Christmas Day as one of the storms moves offshore over the Atlantic. The lingering moisture will help to fuel a new storm with drenching downpours and locally severe thunderstorms over the South-Central states.

This moisture may expand northward into lingering chilly air over the Midwest once again later Christmas Day and into Thursday.

Fog can be locally dense along portions of the central Gulf coast from Monday to Thursday this week.

Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
Luigi Mangione had a busy Thursday, with a whirlwind two-state courthouse tour turned spectacle featuring a helicopter ride, a throng of escorts  including the mayor of New York City at one point  and new revelations of his alleged intent to wack an insurance company CEO.

The 26-year-old murder suspect began his day at a jail in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, his home for the last 10 days, and ended it in a notorious federal prison in New York.

Along the way, he participated in three court hearings, was hit with four new charges, and hopped a ride in several vehicles, a plane and a helicopter  with cameras tracking him nearly every step of the way. Tourists were seen nearby taking videos and photos upon his arrival at a Manhattan heliport.

The eventful day came two weeks after the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a Manhattan sidewalk, sparking a dayslong manhunt for a bushy-browed suspect that ultimately led to Mangiones arrest at a McDonalds in Pennsylvania.

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 New York City Police Department intelligence report obtained by CNN.

The targeted killing of a health care insurance executive unleashed what some observers describe as Americans pent-up anger and frustration with the nations health insurance industry. Mangiones striking physical appearance, too, has given him a quasi-folk hero status online  or at least a sympathetic hearing from those with their own health care insurance issues.

Mangione has been indicted on 11 charges in New York, including first-degree murder as an act of terrorism. He has not yet pleaded to the charges.

He also faces charges in Pennsylvania in connection to the 3D-printed firearm and false ID allegedly in his possession when he was arrested. Blair County District Attorney Peter Weeks said he would not push to have those charges heard ahead of Mangiones much more serious charges in New York.

And a federal complaint against him was unsealed midday Thursday adding four new charges and providing new details on a notebook authorities say was in his possession.

The state trial against Mangione will come before his federal trial, prosecutors said.

Heres a look at the course of his day from dawn to dusk.

Reports of new federal charges

Early Thursday, sources told CNNs Kara Scannell that Mangione was expected to face federal charges related to the CEOs shooting.

His attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, issued a statement criticizing the existing case and the potential federal case.

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. We are ready to fight these charges in whatever court they are brought.

Hearings in Pennsylvania

On Thursday morning, Mangione arrived at the Blair County courthouse in Hollidaysburg clean-shaven and wearing an orange jumpsuit. He was escorted out of the police vehicle and into the courthouse by officers and did not speak or turn around.

His first hearing concerned the forgery and firearms charges in Pennsylvania. Outside the court, two people wearing green hats like the ones worn by the Luigi character in the Mario video game held signs supporting Mangione.

Next, Mangione formally waived extradition at a second hearing. The judge asked Mangione if he wished to waive extradition, and his lawyer, Thomas Dickey, turned to Mangione and asked, Thats what you want to do? to which Mangione replied yes.

Luigi Mangione appeared in Pennsylvania court Thursday wearing an orange jumpsuit. - Dave Klug

In court, he appeared calm and answered yes or no to the judges questions, CNNs Danny Freeman said. He smiled at times and chatted with sheriffs deputies, but mostly kept his head down and examined papers in front of him, Freeman added.

It was altogether a stark contrast from his outburst last week when he yelled a message to the media while being escorted by police.

With his hands shackled in front and an officer on each elbow, Mangione left the courthouse and walked toward the right passenger door of a black SUV with New York plates. With cameras flashing, he stuck his tongue in his right cheek. He looked both ways. He looked toward the cameras.

Luigi Mangione was escorted into a black SUV after his Pennsylvania court hearings. - Pool

Everything we did today was in his best interest, Dickey told a gathering of media members. Were ready now to defend  move forward and start defending these charges in New York and Pennsylvania.

Next to Dickey, a man held a black sign with yellow letters reading, Support hero Luigi Mangione.

Flights to New York

Police drove Mangione to the Altoona-Blair County Airport, where he boarded a jet headed for Islip, New York. From there, he was placed into an NYPD helicopter that flew to Manhattan.

The copters arrival at the Wall Street heliport led to an extraordinary scene: Mangione, surrounded by a swarm of gun-toting NYPD officers, in a slow, lengthy perp walk from the helicopter into a black van, with cameras catching every step.

It was almost Hannibal Lecter-esque, defense attorney Jeremy Saland told CNN Thursday evening.

Mangione was escorted by police from a helicopter to a van on Thursday in New York. - Pamela Smith/AP

A few steps behind the officers were New York Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch. We wanted to personally be here to show the symbolism of leading from the front, Adams said.

Ive never seen anything like this, CNN correspondent Brynn Gingras said, noting the extent of law enforcement presence. They clearly want the photo opportunity to show what they believe: They got their guy.

The perp walk was a substantial departure from how federal suspects are normally processed because the parading of a suspect can be prejudicial, CNN senior justice correspondent Evan Perez explained.

The spectacle of the heavily armed police presence may be a reflection of Mangiones notoriety.

The security around Mangione today is because of what theyve been seeing in terms of the public support for him and their security worries about somebody not trying to attack him, but to try and free him from law enforcement, CNN chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst John Miller said.

Cameras are not allowed in federal courtrooms, and the federal Bureau of Prisons does not release booking photos of inmates, so Mangiones helicopter departure may be the last time he is seen in public for some time.

Mangione formally went into federal custody about 1 p.m., prosecutors said.

Federal charges unsealed

Four federal charges against Mangione were unsealed in a complaint midday, including two counts of stalking, a count of murder through the use of a firearm and a firearms offense. He could face the death penalty if found guilty of the federal murder charge, according to prosecutors, who have not said whether they will seek that punishment. The decision would ultimately need to be approved by the US Attorney General.

The federal complaint also provides new details on a notebook allegedly in his possession, which contained several handwritten pages that express hostility toward the health insurance industry and wealthy executives in particular.

In an August 15 notebook entry, the writer states, the details are finally coming together and that, Im glad in a way that Ive procrastinated because it allowed time to learn more about UnitedHealthcare, according to the complaint.

In another entry, on October 22, the writer called an upcoming investor conference a true windfall and described the intent to wack the CEO of an insurance company at the conference.

The NY state case against Mangione will proceed in parallel with the federal case against him, according to the Manhattan District Attorneys Office.

Mangione met with his attorneys in the New York federal courthouse ahead of his initial appearance before Magistrate Judge Katharine Parker, who oversaw the court proceedings at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Courthouse.

Mangione, now wearing a white button-down shirt and khaki pants, later answered yes twice to confirm that he understood his rights and had seen the federal complaint against him.

Federal prosecutors asked that Mangione be detained and his attorneys told the court they will not seek bail at the moment but reserve the right to do so later. Asked by the court if he understood what he was accused of, Mangione again responded, Yes.

Defense attorney Karen Agnifilo said she was seeking clarity about the simultaneous state and federal charges against her client. Parker said those issues could be raised later. Agnifilo declined to comment after the hearing, saying: Mr. Mangione appreciates everyones support.

The 15-minute hearing was over by 3:15 p.m. and after a brief consultation with his attorneys, Mangione, in shackles, was escorted out of the courtroom by two federal marshals.

Mangione will be held in Brooklyns Metropolitan Detention Center, the only federal jail operating in New York City. Known as MDC, the federal lockup is where other high-profile defendants such as Sean Diddy Combs  who is represented by Mangione defense attorney Mark Agnifilo  have been held. The prison is notorious for its poor living conditions.

After the hearing, Edward Kim, acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in a statement that Mangione shot Thompson in a grossly misguided attempt to broadcast Mangiones views across the country.

But this wasnt a debate, he said, it was murder.

CNNs Kara Scannell, Andy Rose, Danny Freeman, Sara Smart, Rebekah Riess, John Miller and Lauren del Valle contributed to this report.

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Thousands of Starbucks baristas and Amazon employees are currently on strike just days before Christmas, protesting their respective retail giants nationwide during the busiest shopping season of the year, according to their unions.

International Brotherhood of Teamsters President Sean O'Brien, whose union is representing the Amazon workers, drew attention to the timing in his statement released upon the strike's launch.

"If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon's insatiable greed," O'Brien said in the Thursday statement.

The unions chose to strike over the holidays for two overlapping reasons, experts told ABC News: Workers retain maximum leverage if they can disrupt a company at a moment of roaring sales; and the public is more likely to pay attention at a time when Amazon and Starbucks tend to be on customers' minds.

"This is a time when both companies make a lot of money," Kate Bronfenbrenner, a labor relations professor at Cornell University, told ABC News. "The unions are being strategic about when to strike."

MORE: Teamsters say 'momentum continues' as Christmastime strike against Amazon enters 2nd day

Nearly 9,000 Amazon workers on Thursday began what they are calling "the largest strike against Amazon in U.S. history," targeting facilities in New York City, Atlanta, Southern California, San Francisco and Illinois.

The Teamsters say they have organized 20 bargaining units at various Amazon facilities, calling on the company to formally recognize unions at each location and begin negotiating workplace conditions.

In response to ABC News' request for comment, Amazon spokesperson Eileen Hards said the striking workers are not Amazon employees.

"For more than a year now, the Teamsters have continued to intentionally mislead the public  claiming that they represent 'thousands of Amazon employees and drivers'. They don't, and this is another attempt to push a false narrative," Hards said. "What you're seeing at these sites are almost entirely outsiders  not Amazon employees or partners  and the suggestion otherwise is just another lie from the Teamsters.

On Thursday, Starbucks Workers United, a union representing 525 Starbucks stores in the U.S., said that baristas in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle would go on strike in the coming days.

Five days of escalating strikes began Friday and will continue until Dec. 24 in "three of the company's priority markets" during what it called the company's busiest days of the year, Starbucks Workers United said.

In February 2024, Starbucks Workers United and Starbucks announced they would work on a "foundational framework" to reach a collective bargaining agreement for stores, something the union says has not come to fruition.

In response to ABC News request for comment, Starbucks spokesperson Phil Gee said the company has not experienced a significant impact from the strike.

We are aware of disruption at a small handful of stores, but the overwhelming majority of our US stores remain open and serving customers as normal, Gee said.

In a previous statement to ABC News, Starbucks said it remains willing to continue negotiations with the union. "Workers United delegates prematurely ended our bargaining session this week. It is disappointing they didn't return to the table given the progress we've made to date," the company said. "We are ready to continue negotiations to reach agreements."

PHOTO: Starbucks workers picket outside of a Starbucks store, Dec. 20, 2024, in Burbank, Calif. (Caroline Brehman/EPA-EFE via Shutterstock)

Paul Clark, professor of labor and employment relations at Pennsylvania State University, said the strikes aim to derail company operations when business is humming.

Both the Teamsters and Starbucks Workers United have sought to disrupt the companies by targeting locations in major cities, where even a hiccup in service could impact a large number of customers, Clark said. Each union represents a relatively small share of the respective company's workforce, however, making it unlikely that the workers will impose a significant disruption, he added.

The Amazon workers said to be striking represent less than 1% of the company's 800,000 operations employees. Starbucks counts thousands of U.S. stores, meaning the union represents a fraction of its locations.

"The likelihood that this will have significant economic impact on those companies is probably very small because of the small subset of employees involved," Clark said. "The bigger benefit of the strikes for the unions is the increased attention that it draws."

MORE: Amazon strike could lead to delays in delivery of holiday gifts

Diego Franco, a barista at a Starbucks in the Chicago suburbs, told ABC News that workers began picketing the store at which he works at 4:30 a.m. local time on Friday.

"Our regulars showed up at the same time of day as usual, and we caught them at the store, saying we're currently on strike. Most of them walked back to their car and went elsewhere," Franco said.

Workers at the store filed federal charges against Starbucks over alleged illegal retaliation against union members, Franco said. Striking workers are also pressuring Starbucks to provide a reasonable offer in contract negotiations, he added.

When asked whether the holiday timing of the strike could elicit backlash from customers eager for their coffee, Franco said, "They should be frustrated with the company. We're the ones who serve them. We're the faces they see every morning."

Why are Amazon and Starbucks workers striking over the holidays? originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
alexander paffendorf comp image

The alleged co-conspirator in the Wisconsin school shooting was referred to as ominously creepy and quiet by current and former California neighbors, according to reports.

An unidentified ex-neighbor from San Diego described Alexander Paffendorf, 20, as very creepy, describing how she never heard him speak a word despite living next to him and his parents for six years, TMZ reported.

He looks like someone who would shoot up a place, she said, adding that neighbors had theorized about him before he was accused of plotting a coordinated attack with Natalie Samantha Rupnow, who opened fire at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison on Monday, killing two people and injuring six.

One former neighbor described Paffendorf as very creepy and never speaking. Facebook / Gabriella K. Kranich

Paffendorf always had a hood on and doesnt make eye contact, according to the neighbor.

She mentioned he would follow her closely as she walked down the stairs and had once stood outside her window, despite not uttering a single word. When she confronted Paffendorfs parents about him lurking outside her window, they blew her off.

He was very disconnected in his own world, she said.

Current neighbors also described Paffendorf as quiet and reclusive.

Current neighbors of Paffendorf in Carlsbad also described him as quiet and reclusive. Google St View

Ive only seen him a few times, the neighbor said. Hes real quiet, just seen him walk to his car and back, said hello, thats about it, Carlsbad resident Alex Gallegos told NBC Philadelphia.

Authorities revealed late Tuesday that Rupnow, 15, had been in contact with Paffendorf leading up to the massacre.

Paffendorf was allegedly planning a mass shooting at a government building in a parallel and coordinated attack with Rupnow, who killed substitute teacher Erin West and freshman Rubi Vergara before turning the gun on herself Monday.

He exchanged messages with Rupnow about targeting a local government building while she shot up the school, according to a gun violence restraining order obtained by CBS 8.

Paffendorf was allegedly planning a mass shooting at a government building in a coordinated attack with Natalie Rupnow. Facebook / Andrew P Paffendorf

During an FBI interview, Paffendorf admitted to the FBI agents that he told Rupnow that he would arm himself with explosives and a gun and that he would target a government building, the two-page emergency restraining order from the Carlsbad Police Department states.

The civil order doesnt say which building he allegedly planned to strike or details of his conversations with Rupnow.

A San Diego Superior Court judge approved the order under Californias red flag gun law Tuesday night, according to the local California station.

The motive for the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School is still unknown. JEFFERY PHELPS/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

The order required Paffendorf to turn over all his guns and ammunition to police within 48 hours.

Paffendorf has not been charged with a crime, but a court hearing on the restraining order is set for Jan. 3.

Four days after the school shooting, investigators still have not revealed a motive.
The Judson ISD board has approved a cost-cutting plan that involves closing Coronado Village Elementary School and relocating a STEM academy. Robin Jerstad

A hand-drawn sign from Coronado Village Elementary School students reading, We love our school board, hung on the wall beside Judson Independent School District trustees as they agreed to shutter the campus to cope with declining enrollment.

At a crowded board meeting on Thursday night, the Judson ISD board voted 6-1 to approve a cost-cutting plan that will result in Bexar Countys 26th school closure since 2023.

I know this is a difficult decision, I really do, but at some point, we knew we were going to find ourselves here with building a new middle school and building a new elementary school, said Superintendent Milton Fields.

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Next year, Coronado Villages dual language program will be relocated to Selma Elementary School, one of two new campuses funded by a $345 million bond package approved by voters in 2022 to address overcrowding at certain campuses and improve security.

District officials have insisted that affected employees will retain their jobs.

The vote makes Judson one of five San Antonio school districts to consolidate campuses in the last two years because of fewer students and reduced funding.

READ MORE: SAISD board approves school closure plan after emotional debate

Trustees also approved redrawing attendance zones to even out enrollment across the districts 29 schools. The recommendation came from the districts growth and planning committee, a task force of community members assembled in September to determine the most efficient uses of facilities and transportation.

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The committee will discuss options for repurposing Coronado Village at a Jan. 19 meeting before bringing a recommendation to the board for approval.

A dual-language campus that opened in 1971, Coronado Village is currently 41% under capacity with 469 students, according to district and state data. It is one of 15 Judson campuses more than 20% below capacity while six schools experience overcrowding due to residential development in the districts northern end.

Program changes

Of more than a dozen people who signed up to speak during the public comment portion of the board meeting, none expressed opposition to Coronado Villages closure. Instead, most protested other proposed changes to programming.

"Bilingues hoy, lideres manana," a poster held up by a student in Wortham Oaks Elementary Schools Spanish Immersion Program read.

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The recommendation presented to the board last month included sunsetting the language program, which teaches English-speaking students to be4 fluent in Spanish. District officials have said it isn't viable to continue pouring money  including $400,000 for salaries  into a program with only 80 students and suggested phasing it out over the next three years.

Fifth-grade student Andrea Ewing told trustees that she knew little to no Spanish when she became one of 14 students in the founding class of the Spanish immersion program five years ago. Now, she can fully read, write and speak the language.

Language connects us and breaks down barriers, she said. The Spanish immersion program gave me not only the gift of communication but also the gift of familyBecause we have been classmates for many years, our families have become very close and become a village.

The outpouring of support for the program prompted trustees to remove it from the recommendation. Those who showed up to urge against the relocation of JSTEM Academy, a STEM-based educational program with over 400 students, were not as lucky.

Trustees approved moving the specialized program from Judson Middle School to Kitty Hawk Middle School next year to ensure equitable student distribution when Cibolo Creek Middle School opens next fall.

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At a board workshop earlier this month, Fields showed interest in conducting a survey to gauge the number of eighth graders who want to finish next year at Judson Middle School while the rest of the JSTEM program transitions to Kitty Hawk.

At Thursdays meeting, several attendees criticized the superintendent for not following through with that plan.

If the board votes on these issues tonight without further discussion, it will send a clear message that the students in this district and the people who care about them are not a priority, said Mercedes Weakland, a seventh-grade JSTEM student.

Fields said he opted against the survey after his staff looked into the financial feasibility of the proposal and found that it would cost the district $500,000 in transportation and technology costs.

When I hear it will cost half a million dollars to do the split for one year between Kitty Hawk and Judson Middle SchoolI cant recommend that, he said.

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Not unanimous

Before casting the only dissenting vote on the facilities plan, trustee Monica Ryan questioned why the districts recommendation didnt include closing a middle school campus.

Ryan said the plan will leave the districts six middle school campuses operating at less than 60% capacity next year. She cited neighboring North East ISDs recent proposal to close a middle school and two other campuses in response to the same budgetary challenges saddling Judson.

She called it financially irresponsible that the district hadnt presented more options to address its projected $25 million budget deficit and said trustees should have had more time to analyze different scenarios.

It doesnt matter because its going to pass 6-1 tonight no matter what, but its just disappointing that we didnt value our community and take more time to make sure we got everybodys input, Ryan said.

Trustees disagreed with Ryans criticism of the process and applauded the committee and district staff for the time and effort they put into coming up with a plan that addresses the district's current and future needs.

To say this is all of a sudden, it just baffles me because we have been talking about this for almost a year, Stephanie Faulkner said. Its been coming, weve been building, we knew, we had planning, we had input, weve had opportunity.

The districts presentation said the growth and planning committee also considered closing Judson Early College Academy or Judson Middle School but ultimately decided against it.
Global software and cloud solution providers SoftwareOne and Crayon Group have agreed to merge, forming a combined entity with a total revenue of 1.6 billion Swiss Francs (CHF) (A$2.85 billion) and presence across more than 70 countries and around 13,000 employees.

Under the agreement, SoftwareOne will launch a recommended voluntary stock and cash offer to acquire all outstanding shares in Crayon in accordance with the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.

Crayon CEO Melissa Mulholland said our strong hyperscaler partnerships, including with Microsoft, will give us a strengthened services offering that will meet future customer needs.

The merger of both companies comes amid Microsoft making changes to incentives for its enterprise (tier one) Licensing Solution Partners (LSPs), which will face a significant drop from January 2025 as it shifts to newer models such as Microsoft Customer Agreement (MCA) and Cloud Solution Provider (CSP).

Both companies have a customer-centric business model and an aligned go-to-market approach. By joining forces, SoftwareOne and Crayon will create a larger marketplace and enhance their differentiated services offering to capitalise on the current digital landscape driven by mega-trends, including public cloud adoption and increased focus on managing cloud spend, data and AI and security.

SoftwareOne CEO Raphael Erb said both organisations see an opportunity as businesses continue to drive digital transformation.
by Arundathie Abeysinghe

According to the WHO, around 3,000 people in the country take their own lives every year. A large proportion are young students between the ages of 12 and 25, suffering from stress, anxiety and isolation. The social stigma towards mental health care and the absence of professionals and safe listening spaces in schools take their toll. Psychologists: Awareness programmes involving the entire community are needed.

Colombo (AsiaNews) - Sri Lanka has one of the highest suicide rates in the world. Despite a decrease in recent years, the phenomenon continues to cause concern, especially for young people between the ages of 12 and 25.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), around 3,000 Sinhalese die by suicide every year and many more attempt it. A considerable proportion are students unable to cope with stress, isolation and pessimism.

In recent weeks, there has been a spate of student suicides, especially in Colombo and its suburbs. Episodes that have highlighted the severity of the crisis, prompting discussion and calls for swift action, including the need for systemic changes at the policy level to address the problem.

One of the causes identified is the lack of mental health care, a stigmatised issue, especially in educational settings. Schools are not equipped to deal with its complexity and in most cases, there is little or no discussion of these issues.

Many students are reluctant to express their problems and their discomfort remains hidden until it becomes untenable. Most schools consider psychological problems as minor and do not provide students with assistance.

In major hospitals in Sri Lanka, however, mental health care services are offered, particularly for depressive disorders, psychoactive substance disorders and schizophrenia. However, many young people tend to avoid seeking treatment because of social stigma.

Experts believe that young people's mental health problems should be recognised and treated as a specific malaise, different from those affecting adults, by giving them special care.

Psychologists Nadeera Kalupahana and Udaya Siritunga explain to AsiaNews that in order to curb the increase in student suicides, it is necessary to provide psychological assistance in schools, where students can discuss their emotional and psychological difficulties freely and confidentially.

It would help this process if professional mental health counsellors and psychologists were placed in educational facilities to help students deal with stress and anxiety. Psychological awareness programmes should be organised with the participation of parents and communities, providing highly specialised and expert-led psychological services to safeguard the safety and well-being of students.

The two scholars in recent years have collected data on those who have survived suicide attempts, which provided much insight into the psychological processes that lead to these fatal decisions.

Most of these suicide attempts by minors were impulsive, sudden decisions, requests for help rather than a genuine desire to end their lives, Nadeera and Udaya point out. Some of them regretted their actions and are glad they survived.

Although clinical conditions such as depression and anxiety disorders are increasingly common among young people, in most cases the idea of suicide is a last resort due to the lack of early care or clinical treatment such as therapy or medication if needed.

University lecturers Lilantha Malalasekara and Dushni Weerasinghe are of the opinion that research on the topic suggests multidisciplinary collaborations, community engagement and the use of media for suicide prevention.

As well as responsible storytelling, instead of promoting sensational news, including greater engagement of young people in recreational, sporting or artistic activities. It is also necessary to train teachers in the prevention, assessment, management and follow-up of anyone affected by suicidal behaviour.

There is also a need to promote systematic and fundamental governance and policy changes to save the lives of Sri Lankan students.
John Klotz, 31, of Nebraska, was sentenced to prison for stalking Black Rifle Coffee influencer Heather Lynn. Jacy Lewis/ Reporter-Telegram, Photographer

A Nebraska man who sent lewd and threatening messages to a San Antonio social media influencer  and then showed up in Texas with ropes, tape and sex toys  has been sentenced to five years in prison.

John Alexander Klotz, 31, pleaded guilty in April to a charge of cyberstalking. Klotz was sentenced Thursday to five years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release with GPS monitoring, according to the U.S. District Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas.

Klotz targeted a coffee writer and influencer who goes by the name Heather Lynn on social media. Klotz sent hundreds of messages through Instagram from February through October 2022 threatening her with his " violent and sexual" desires, according to his plea agreement.

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The messages  as many as 100 a day  included threats of rape, bondage and other sexual perversions, the plea deal said.

FBI agent Landon Maroney testified in 2022 that Klotz messaged Lynn that he said at 12 years old he knew he was a killer, and at 14 he was able to take those urges away by doing other activities." Lynn became alarmed and saved screenshots of Klotzs messages, Maroney said.

Klotz told Lynn he planned on flying to Texas to find her, and that he had seen her at a Black Rifle Coffee franchise in San Antonio on Oct. 7, 2022. Klotz was working as an influencer for Black Rifle Coffee.

The next day, he showed up unannounced at a Black Rifle Coffee shop in Boerne she was visiting. Lynn hadnt publicized in advance which stores she was going to visit.

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Klotz was arrested at the Boerne store. He had booked a one-way airline ticket and flew from Omaha, Neb., to San Antonio on Oct. 4, 2022, Maroney said.

HILL COUNTRY: How a Hill Country city is attacking its housing shortage

An FBI search of Klotz's luggage found a duffel bag filled with silk ties, duct tape, electrical tape, rope, condoms and a multitude of sex toys, Maroney said. Klotz also had examination gloves, lubricant and benzocaine, a local anesthetic, in powder form and five books on bondage.

Klotz also sent similar messages to two other Black Rifle Coffee influencers, according to Maroney.

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A long report by Article18, CSW, Open Doors and Middle East Concern raises the issue. The future for migrants is uncertain with abuse and violence potentially waiting for them should they return to Iran. In 2023, 20 per cent of asylum seekers in Georgia came from Iran, 90 per cent fleeing after converting to Christianity.

Tehran (AsiaNews)  Immigration authorities in Georgia systematically refuse asylum applications submitted by Iranian Christians, pursuing a policy of rejections despite well-founded fears of persecution upon their return to their country of origin.

A report based on interviews with migrants and their legal representatives made available by Article18, an advocacy NGO dedicated to religious freedom in Iran and persecuted Christians, notes that asylum-seekers [. . .] face an uncertain future, with little hope of being recognised as refugees but having few alternative options to access international protection.

The document, which is the result of joint work by Article18, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), Open Doors, and Middle East Concern, shows that several asylum seekers whose applications were rejected in Georgia have lived for years as refugees in neighbouring countries.

In Turkey, they have become victims of persecution and abuse by the countrys authorities, ending up in a "limbo" of harassment and fear of repatriation.

Several individuals no longer know what to do, nor where to go, the report reads. They appeal to the Georgian authorities to recognise the legitimacy of their claims, and to the international community to open up new safe, legal routes for resettlement.

In 2023, about 20 per cent of all asylum seekers in Georgia were from Iran, 90 per cent fleeing the country after converting to Christianity. However, in the past three years, Georgias immigration department has accepted less than 1 per cent of the almost 1,200 Iranians who have applied for asylum for various reasons, not all related to sectarian persecution.

Various factors are behind the rejections, the report suggests, including Georgias burgeoning relationship with Iran and intolerance of expressions of Christianity other than Georgian Orthodox.

In most cases, the requests are rejected because the authorities claim that the applicants faith is not genuine, but this argument fails in two cases, that of Pastor Reza Fazeli (pictured) and Amin Zangeneh Zad, whose requests were turned down even though their faith was accepted.

Consequently, the report notes a growing sense of hopelessness among Iranian Christian asylum seekers in Georgia, who feel increasingly doubtful about their chances of being granted refugee status, and equally uncertain about other options available to them.

Another asylum seeker who spent nearly a decade in Turkey before moving to Georgia, Sasan Rezaee, said he was "so tired" that he even contemplated returning to Iran and accepting "whatever punishment they may give me.

My body and my soul cannot stand this pressure much longer, but what can I do? he said. I cant stay here in Georgia. I cant stay in Turkey. I dont want to go to Armenia, and I dont want to go back to my country. But if they reject me here and I dont have access to go to another part of the world, I will return to my country, because Im tired of the asylum seeker situation. Im so tired. I even think of suicide sometimes.

Iliya Rahnamas case is similar. Forced to leave Georgia earlier this year after his request was turned down, he laments the unequal treatment meted out to Iranian applicants.

What was our mistake? Most countries talk about freedom of religion. OK, I was Muslim and in 2012 I believed in Jesus Christ. Was that a mistake? Sometimes, I am confused why Europe, the USA, and other countries cant understand about Iranian Christians. Why do they close their eyes? he said, desperate. Please open your eyes. Please have mercy. Please get justice for us.

The report concludes with some recommendations for Georgian authorities and the international community.

Advocacy groups want the Georgian government to ensure that immigration officials conduct a more thorough refugee determination process, recognise the diversity of Christian beliefs when evaluating the authenticity of a conversion, refer to the reports of the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran when assessing the situation of Christians in the Islamic Republic and determining whether asylum seekers have a well-founded fear of persecution if they return.

Lastly, the international community should urgently put pressure on Georgia regarding the situation of asylum-seeking Iranian Christians, open new safe and legal pathways for the resettlement of Iranian Christians, increase efforts to ensure that Iranian Christians fleeing their country because of religious persecution  or fear of it  are protected and resettled quickly, strengthen regional protection mechanisms to ensure the continued presence of Iranian Christians in the Middle East and the Caucasus.
Today's news: Pakistan is developing long-range ballistic missiles; In Hong Kong also drones, artificial intelligence and new surveillance cameras; Adylbek Kasymaliev was appointed as the new prime minister of Kyrgyzstan; The Syrian provisional government wants to create special courts for those who committed crimes during the regime.

MYANMAR

The Myanmar army is also imploding from within: the BBC reports on the case of spies secretly working for pro-democracy rebels. The army only has full control over less than a quarter of Myanmar's territory. The junta still controls major cities and remains extremely dangerous, according to the UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar. But it has lost significant territory in the past 12 months. Soldier spies appear loyal to the army, but secretly work for pro-democracy rebels.

PAKISTAN

Pakistan, which has a nuclear arsenal, is developing long-range basestar missiles that could enable it to strike targets far beyond South Asia, making it an emerging threat even to the US. The surprise revelation by Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer underscored how the once close ties between Washington and Islamabad have deteriorated since the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in 2021.

HONG KONG

Hong Kong authorities are stepping up surveillance of the city's 7 million inhabitants with plans to deploy automated police drones, artificial intelligence and thousands of new cameras in public places, including taxis, according to a recent government announcement. Police are currently installing an additional 2,000 surveillance cameras in public places, including the controversial smart lampposts targeted by protesters in 2019.

KYRGYZSTAN

Kyrgyzstan's president, Sadyr Zaparov, officially appointed Adylbek Kasymaliev as the new prime minister and head of the presidential administration, also appointing the new vice-premier Daniar Amangeldiev and the new economics minister, Bakyta Sydykova, explaining that former prime minister Akylbek Zaparov was dismissed for violation of the tax system, urging not to politicise the issue.

SYRIA

The new Syrian rulers have pledged to create special courts for those who committed crimes against Syrians under the regime of deposed President Bashar al-Assad, according to the spokesman for the interim government. In an interview with Al Jazeera's Osama bin Javaid, Obaid Arnaut said that a key part of the new government's mission, which ushers in a new era, is to restore the population's confidence in the rule of law and the country's judicial system.

RUSSIA - UKRAINE - NORTH KOREA

As Currentime's military affairs specialists inform us, attacks against Ukrainian positions are taking place in the Kursk region by groups of North Korean soldiers, whose ranks have been replaced by new units after heavy losses, with the tactic of frontal attack in compact rows under Russian cover going over the corpses of comrades, literally as cannon fodder.

ARMENIA

The director of the consulting company Ameria, Tigran Dzrbasyan, stated that Armenia is facing a difficult demographic challenge, which he called the perfect storm, in the face of the worldwide decline in the birth rate as a result of women's activism in the social sphere, the prevalence of industry over agriculture, and the transmigration of the population from the countryside to the cities, and Armenians are also involved in these processes.
Leader of the local Church from 2001 to 2013, he is being remembered for his spirituality and interfaith dialogue. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong called him a devoted shepherd and steadfast pillar of the Catholic community. For the imam of the Ba'alwie Mosque, he was a keen supporter of such inter-faith discourse. Tomorrow a requiem Mass will be held at the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, followed by cremation.

Singapore (AsiaNews)  Archbishop Emeritus Nicholas Chia of Singapore passed away on Tuesday at the age of 86. Known as the peoples priest, he chose Omnia omnibus", or "all things to all men" as the motto for his episcopal office.

He was the first native-born Singaporean to serve as archbishop of Singapore (2001-2013), an office now held by Card William Seng Chye Goh. Pope Francis visited the city-state last September.

As shepherd of the flock, he stressed the importance of spirituality for Catholics  both clergy and laity  to combat the challenges to moral values posed by secularism and materialism in society, reads a statement by the Archdiocese of Singapore.

On Wednesday, Card Goh announced on social media that Archbishop Chia "passed away peacefully" at the St Theresas Home (which Pope Francis visited during his Singapore trip).

The memorial service for the prelate will be held tomorrow at the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, followed by cremation at the Mandai Crematorium.

Nicholas Chia was born on 8 April 1938 in Singapore into a devout Catholic family. He studied at Holy Innocents' English School and sang in the choir of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Ordained a priest in 1964, he was parish priest, teacher, and finally archbishop from 2001 to 2013 until he retired at the age of 75, having reached the age limit.

To help the laity grow in spirituality, he opened the Catholic Spirituality Centre in Hougang in 2004. He also worked tirelessly on the promotion of priestly vocations, reads the message posted by the Archdiocese on its website. He also set up the Professional Standards Office (PSO) in 2011 to guide the professionalism of clergy and Church workers, including volunteers, especially those dealing with children.

Following the prelates passing, many people have expressed gratitude to Chia for his ministry, starting with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong who described the archbishop as A devoted shepherd and steadfast pillar of the Catholic community, his unwavering faith, humility, and compassion enriched many lives.

Minister Lee Hsien Loong recalled shared moments, talking and working together. More than once, we had to deal with delicate matters that concerned racial and religious harmony, Lee writes in a post online. On these occasions, I always found him clear and steady, understanding fully the issues and the stakes, exercising firm leadership as he worked with the government to resolve the problem.

Lee praised the archbishops efforts at promoting interfaith dialogue. Singapore has lost one of her illustrious Catholic sons. He will be deeply missed, the minister wrote. He is not alone.

Syed Hassan Bin Syed Mohamed Al-Attas, imam and head of the Ba'alwie Mosque was one of the people who shared memories of Archbishop Chia's ministry on the archdiocese's website, stressing his commitment to interfaith dialogue.

The harmony we have garnered between various communities in Singapore has been made possible by the continuous commitment from religious and community leaders to enhance understanding between all groups, the imam wrote. Emeritus Archbishop Chia had been a keen supporter of such inter-faith discourse and we deeply appreciated the close rapport we developed through the years.

For Tan Thiam Lye, president of the Taoist Federation (Singapore), His legacy of kindness, wisdom, and collaboration will continue to guide and inspire those who strive to build a more harmonious society. We believe that a life lived in service to others leaves an enduring legacy.
by Maria Casadei

In the past few days, two proposals for constitutional amendments to merge elections had been tabled but did not receive parliamentary approval. The plan was to hold the general consultations and those of the individual states at the same time. For the supporters, including the BJP, this system would obscure the role of regional parties.

New Delhi (AsiaNews) - The Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian parliament, has rejected two bills to change the Constitution and thus allow the implementation of the One nation, one election plan promoted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). On 17 December, despite 269 votes in favour and 198 against (a qualified majority is needed to approve constitutional amendments), the proposals failed to pass.

The One nation, one election project envisages the simultaneous holding of national and state elections. Currently, India is governed with separate election schedules: every five years there are general elections to choose members of parliament, state elections for members of the legislative assemblies of individual states, and local elections for councillors in rural and urban areas. The aim of the plan is to maintain the five-year time frame but holding all elections on a single date.

In March 2024, an ad-hoc committee chaired by former President Ram Nath Kovind had issued an in-depth report on the economic and social implications of the plan. According to the BJP and PM Modi, the proposal would drastically reduce election costs, leading to a 1.5 per cent increase in their domestic product. Critics, on the contrary, point out that simultaneous elections would lead to even higher costs: with 900 million voters, India would have to buy new voting machines, hire additional security personnel and election officials. According to a Department of Law and Justice report published in 2015, the estimated cost of holding elections on a single date would be around Rs 92.84 billion, more than double the current expenditure of Rs 45 billion (for general and state elections).

In August, PM Modi had also stated that frequent elections hinder the nation's progress. With elections being held every three to six months, any development plan is tied to election results. Proponents of One nation, one election cite, in particular, welfare programmes, which have slowed down in recent years precisely because of elections. More continuous governance would allow a faster development of the country.

Opposition parties, led by Congress, have called the One nation, one election plan undemocratic and unconstitutional, considering it a risk to India's federal structure. According to the Congress, the plan would favour national parties at the expense of regional ones, centralising power in the hands of the central government and weakening the autonomy of individual states.

The system of simultaneous elections is not new in India: it was adopted from 1951 to 1967, until the dissolution of some state legislative assemblies led to the adoption of separate elections. The reintroduction of this system has been debated for decades: it was previously proposed by the Election Commission in 1983, the Legislative Commission in 1999 and the government think tank Niti Aayogh in 2017.

Following the lack of consensus in the Lok Sabha, the bills will be sent to a joint parliamentary committee for wider consultation. The committee, comprising 31 members of the Lok and Rajya Sabha (the two houses of parliament), will examine the two proposals and submit a report within 90 days in an attempt to break the current impasse.

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An official statement from the Royal Cabinet has informed of the meeting at the Royal Palace of Casablanca between King Mohammed VI of Morocco and the President of Mauritania, Mohamed Ould Cheikh Al-Ghazouani, at a key moment for the stability and development of North Africa with the Atlantic initiative launched by the Moroccan monarch which is aimed at benefiting the economies of the Sahel countries and strengthening their institutions.

                  



His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, received today, His Excellency Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, President of Mauritania pic.twitter.com/TqlFdbppNZ  TheMoroccanMonarchy (@M_RoyalFamily) December 20, 2024

The Moroccan royal statement said that this meeting is part of the solid relations of trust and cooperation between the two countries, and the ties of sincere brotherhood between the two brotherly peoples. During this meeting, the leaders of the two countries appreciated the positive developments registered by the Moroccan-Moroccan partnership in all fields.

They also stressed their interest in developing strategic projects to unite the two neighboring countries, as well as in coordinating their contribution within the framework of the Royal initiatives in Africa, in particular the African-Atlantic gas pipeline, and the initiative to facilitate the access of Sahel countries to the Atlantic Ocean.

King Mohammed VI receives Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, at the Royal Palace in Casablanca

PHOTO/MAP

Upon his arrival at the Royal Palace, Mohammed Ould Sheikh Al-Ghazouani reviewed a unit of the Royal Guard before the official reception with dates and milk, according to authentic Moroccan traditions.

African leadership

This private visit to Morocco by the Mauritanian president comes a few days after an impromptu trip to Mauritania by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune to participate in the Continental Conference on Education, Youth and Employability, organized by the African Union (AU) in the country's capital, Nouakchott, on December 9, 10 and 11. The first visit of an Algerian president to Mauritania in 37 years.

Mohammed VI in his official speeches has maintained his outstretched hand to Algeria to recover good relations, despite the aggressive position of the Algerian government and institutions towards Morocco with strange movements in the Sahel and with the intention of isolating Morocco in its relations with Maghreb countries such as Tunisia and Libya, where the Moroccan role of intermediation to achieve a definitive and stable solution for Libya has been reinforced with the sessions held in the Moroccan town of Bouznika between members of the House of Representatives and the High Council of State.

In addition, Mohammed VI's African leadership role was demonstrated this week by his mediation in securing the release of four French citizens held for a year in Burkina Faso. France expressed its public recognition of the Moroccan king's work in this case.

Mauritanian President's wife recovering in Morocco

The first lady of Mauritania, Meriem Bint Dah, wife of President Mohammed Ould Sheikh Ghazouani, operated on at the military hospital in the Moroccan capital, Rabat, has expressed her deep gratitude to the Mauritanian people for the wave of solidarity and sincere prayers she received following her recent illness.

In a statement issued by the Press Office of the Presidency of the Republic, Al-Ghazwani's wife thanked all citizens from various parts of the country who expressed their interest and sympathy towards her, noting that these good feelings and touching invitations had been a great positive impact on her morale and contributed to improving her health condition.

First Lady of Mauritania, Meriem Bint Dah, wife of President Mohamed Ould Sheikh Ghazouani

The statement confirmed that Bint Al-Dah is in a state of continuous improvement, praising the spontaneous popular outburst that demonstrated the spirit of solidarity and love among the members of the society. He also expressed his sincere thanks to all those who visited her or provided support. at this stage, stressing that she is on the way to a full recovery.

It is noteworthy that the Mauritanian president had left his country the day before yesterday Wednesday afternoon for Morocco, on a private visit, the Mauritanian news agency reported, without disclosing details, while media sources reported that Ould Ghazouani is visiting the Kingdom to check on the health situation of his wife, who is being treated by a Moroccan medical team.
20 December 2024 13:58 (UTC+04:00)

Akbar Novruz Read more

The Russian government has approved a draft agreement to jointly develop transit cargo transportation along the North-South international transport corridor. Signed by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, this agreement aims to increase the corridor's efficiency and potential, linking Moscow and Baku. By ensuring the free movement of goods through both countries' territories, the agreement sets the background for a robust and dynamic trade route, with projected annual cargo volumes set to rise to 15 million tons by 2030.

But, what is this project?

The International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) is primarily designed for transporting cargo from India and the Persian Gulf region to Russia, Western Europe, the Baltic States, and Scandinavian countries. The main advantage of the North-South Transit Corridor compared to other routes is that the transit distance and time are reduced by two to three times. Now, imagine a trade route that stretches from the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf to the Baltic Seaone that promises to revolutionize the flow of goods between continents. This is the potential of the North-South Corridor, a strategic transport link where Azerbaijan stands at the very heart of transforming global trade. While this corridor already facilitates significant exchanges between Iran, Russia, and Azerbaijan, its true power is still unfolding, with much more on the horizon.

Prospects, hidden potential

Today, the North-South Corridor is primarily used to transport goods between Iran, Russia, and Azerbaijan, bypassing traditional trade routes. However, with sanctions currently in place on both Iran and Russia, many countries have yet to fully embrace the opportunity this route offers. But the future looks bright. As geopolitical conditions evolve and sanctions ease, the corridor will become a vital trade passage, attracting Northern European and Southern countries eager to take advantage of its speed and efficiency.

One of the most exciting developments is the Rasht-Astara railway, which is slated for completion in 2027-2028. Being developed by Russia, this railway will supercharge the North-South Corridors capacity, allowing goods to travel between the Indian Ocean and the Baltic Sea in just 10 days. This swift, cost-effective route promises a wealth of opportunities, benefiting not just the countries involved, but the entire global trade network.

In addition, a recent high-level visit has signalled that the North-South Corridors reach is about to get much broader. A delegation led by Rovshan Rustamov, Chairman of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC (ADY), travelled to Iran, where they toured critical railway infrastructure in the city of Julfa. Among the most significant discussions was the construction of a railway bridge over the Araz Rivera joint project between Azerbaijan and Iran that will directly link Nakhchivan with the rest of Azerbaijan. This bridge will create an uninterrupted land corridor, further strengthening regional trade flows and connectivity.

While in Julfa, the ADY delegation also visited a wheel pair replacement facility, an essential piece of the railway puzzle to ensure the smooth operation of vehicles. But the most exciting stop was in the Iranian city of Astara, where Rustamov met with Jabbar Ali Zakeri Sardroudi, head of Iranian Railways. Here, they delved into the future of the Astara terminal, which is undergoing major developments that will enhance its capacity and efficiency. By the end of 2025, this terminal will play a critical role in turning the North-South Corridor into a truly dynamic trade route.

Perhaps the most compelling sign of the corridors growing importance is the expansion of the "Southern Cargo Terminal" LLC, which manages terminals in both Azerbaijan and Iran. This expansion is expected to streamline operations, reducing bottlenecks and vastly improving logistical efficiency. The terminal will be pivotal in connecting the Asian, European, and Middle Eastern markets, cementing its status as a key gateway for trade in the region.

This collaboration between Azerbaijan and Iran is setting the stage for an even more integrated and prosperous trade corridor. As the terminals capacity grows and new infrastructure projects are completed, the North-South Corridor will become a central piece of Azerbaijans economic puzzle, further enhancing its role as a key player in global trade.

The North-South Corridor is not just a transportation route; its an opportunity to reshape how goods move between continents, connecting Asia, Europe, and the Middle East like never before. Azerbaijan is positioning itself as a linchpin in this evolving global trade network, investing in infrastructure, forging strategic partnerships, and pushing forward with projects that will make this corridor a mainstay in the global economy.

With projects like the Rasht-Astara railway, the Araz River bridge, and the expansion of key terminals, Azerbaijan is setting the stage for a future where this corridor will become one of the most important trade arteries in the world.

Even though the Azerbaijani government has removed/paused the clause regarding the Zangazur Corridor issue from the peace deal between Armenia, this actually emphasizes this project's importance. Russia urgently needs the transport corridor; it is, in fact, a matter of strategic necessity for Moscow. Access to Middle Eastern markets could greatly boost Russia's economic dynamics, enhance international trade, and provide other benefits.

Consequently, Russia is actively pursuing the launch of the Zangazur corridor. If the corridor becomes operational, it would enable integration with the North-South corridor, allowing railway transit through Armenia and Nakhchivan to reach Julfa, where they could connect with the Iranian railway system. However, it is indeed yet to be decided regarding the issue. One thing is for sure, as Azerbaijan strengthens its role as a trade hub, the North-South Corridor will undoubtedly transform the landscape of global commerce, bringing new economic opportunities to the region and beyond.
20 December 2024 21:08 (UTC+04:00)

Elnur Enveroglu Read more

In a recent comprehensive interview with Rossiya Segodnya International News Agency, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev addressed the longstanding issue of the OSCE Minsk Group. This organization, formed to mediate the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Garabagh region, has long been a contentious topic in peace negotiations.

President Ilham Aliyev emphasized the need to abolish the OSCE Minsk Group, questioning its relevance now that Armenia has recognized Garabagh as part of Azerbaijan. He stated,Our second condition is the abolition of the OSCE Minsk Group. Since this issue is decided by consensus, it is formally impossible to do it without Armenia's consent. Although the OSCE Minsk Group has not been functional for a long time, it still formally exists. Our question is this: if Armenia has recognized Karabakh as a part of Azerbaijan and the Minsk Group was created to solve the Karabakh issue, why is it still needed?

However, the quotes of the Azerbaijani President above are as simple as the plain mathematical calculation, which is complicated by the third party for an obvious reason  to preserve the organization its presence in the South Caucasus.

The OSCE Minsk Group was established in 1992 by the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), now known as the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), to facilitate a peaceful resolution to the conflict. Azerbaijan joined the OSCE Paris Charter in December 1993, hoping for a diplomatic solution.

Following the first participation of Azerbaijan in the OSCE Summit in Helsinki on July 810, 1992, the country was encouraged to join the OSCE Paris Charter, on December 20, 1993, in hopes of finding a peaceful solution to the conflict.

The tradition of holding a series of meetings by the OSCE Minsk Group came at least as long as a decade until 2002 with no effective result leaving many questioning the true intentions behind the prolonged negotiations. They simply said OSCE mediation had not been effective enough. But the reason behind the scene remained unclear and this uncertainty in the long-lasting and ineffective negotiations made those parties quite happy who are groundlessly accusing Azerbaijan over a so-called ethnic cleansing in Garabagh, literally in Azerbaijans own territory.

However, there were a couple more meetings in 2015 and 2017 in Switzerland between Azerbaijan and Armenia with the mediation of the unsuccessful OSCE Minsk Group. Although the latter summit was to mitigate tensions on the former Line of Contact, that caused Armenia to resort to its offensive in 2020.

The Second Garabagh War effectively ended the relevance of the Minsk Group in the South Caucasus. Despite its diminished role, the Minsk Groups co-chairs continued their activities independently, often with conflicting objectives. The final roundtable discussions in 2020 marked the end of an era, with Azerbaijans decisive actions seemingly at odds with the Minsk Groups peace agenda.

Later, the OSCE Minsk Group showed its negative effect, discouraging Armenia to finalise the peace talks. This created an impression for Yerevan as though the processes would return to 30 years ago.

As the head of state emphasized today, Armenia's reluctance to disband the OSCE Minsk Group stems from its hope that time will eventually favor its position.

However, there is optimism for Armenia to put this behavior aside and seal the peace deal. Because at the final stage, every provision for signing peace has been agreed upon, and all that is missing is for Armenia to sign the document. Once the peace agreement is signed, the need for the OSCE Minsk Group and the European Union Mission monitoring the border with binoculars will become obsolete, paving the way for lasting peace in the region.
The illegal practices of the American cyber attack

People's Daily Online) 09:57, December 20, 2024

For a long time, the United States has been attempting to shape its global cyberspace hegemony. From the PRISM spying scandal that shook the world a decade ago to the "Hunting Forward" incidents in recent years, numerous evidences indicate that the United States has been conducting cyber attacks and espionage activities against global cyberspace. With the advancement and evolution of IT technology, its actions have become increasingly covert, and its ambitions have become more apparent. These actions not only disrupt the global cyberspace order but also seriously impair the sovereignty and national security of other countries, threatening the privacy rights of every internet user.

The Originator of Global Cyber Attacks and Espionage

The United States continuously utilizes various cyber tools and espionage activities to infiltrate the cyberspace of other countries. Through agencies such as the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), it orchestrates numerous illegal actions behind the scenes, making it the originator of global cyber attacks and espionage. The cyber attacks and eavesdropping activities launched by the United States against other countries are not only a disregard for international law and national sovereignty, reflecting its arrogant and unreasonable hegemonic attitude, but also a serious threat to global cyber order and personal security, potentially causing immeasurable damage to ordinary residents.

Unsubstantiated traceability in cyberspace

Not only does the United States conduct cyber attacks and espionage activities globally, but it also attempts to package its illegal aggression as just defense through false accusations and exaggeration of facts, shifting responsibility to other countries for no reason. For a long time, the United States has accused China of stealing military technology, aerospace technology, satellite data, and other intelligence information through cyber means, but has never provided practical and effective evidence. In May 2023, the United States, without any basis, fabricated the so-called "Volt Typhoon" concept, dismissing China as supporting hacker organizations to conduct cyber attacks on other countries, and joined its allies and international media in hyping up the cyber threat from China. Under this strategy of "the thief crying 'stop thief'", the United States is trying to cover up its essence as a "hacker empire", filling the international public opinion with unwarranted misunderstandings and accusations, further exacerbating tensions in global cybersecurity.

The coalition behind the cyberattack

Apart from initiating cyber intrusions on its own, the United States also leverages traditional alliances and the power of companies to build a cyber attack and espionage alliance. Its core consists of the Five Eyes Alliance countries (the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand), with its periphery including traditional allies such as Japan, South Korea, Israel, and the Philippines. Meanwhile, large U.S. technology companies serve as the technical support and execution force. The landmark activity of this alliance is the " Hunting Forward" operation, led by the U.S. Cyber Command, dedicated to "enhancing the security of critical networks relied upon by the United States, allies, and partners." Behind the construction of this new cyber attack and espionage alliance lies the concrete practice of the U.S. Department of Defense's "Fifth Domain" concept, which expands U.S. military hegemony from land, sea, air, and space to cyberspace through strengthening cooperation with traditional allies in the cyber domain. Through this cross-country, multi-domain cyber attack and espionage cooperation, the United States has built an "unrighteous alliance" centered on itself.

The United States has never ceased its cyber attacks and espionage activities globally and has repeatedly attempted to give legitimacy to its illegal actions by hyping up cybersecurity threats and creating international tensions. This approach not only runs counter to the principles of free and open cyberspace and the demands of peaceful and secure times but also damages the sovereignty and interests of other countries and undermines the good order of global cyberspace.

Source: Global Times Online

(Web editor: Tian Yi, Zhong Wenxing)
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, joined by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks to reporters about requiring American citizenship to vote in national elections, as they introduce the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press

President-elect Donald Trump lashed out at U.S. Rep. Chip Roy Thursday, calling for the Texas Republican to be primaried as congressional budget talks broke down.

Writing on Truth Social, Trump said Roy was getting in the way, as usual, of having yet another Great Republican Victory.

Chip Roy is just another ambitious guy, with no talent, he wrote. I hope some talented challengers are getting ready in the Great State of Texas to go after Chip in the Primary. He wont have a chance!

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Trump did not specify why he was mad at Roy. With another federal shutdown looming, Republican and Democratic leaders were close to a deal on a temporary spending deal that would keep the government running through March 14 when Trump called this week for Republicans to block the deal.

In another post Thursday, Trump trumpeted a new Republican spending bill that would keep the government open and do away with the debt ceiling through 2027, which would allow unlimited federal borrowing. The government is set to shut down on Saturday night.

Roy, who has long voiced concern about a looming fiscal crisis, came out against allowing the nations debt load to increase at a time Trump and other Republicans are promising spending cuts.

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20 December 2024 13:21 (UTC+04:00)

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A meeting was held at the Azerbaijan Entrepreneurs Confederation (ASK) with the leadership and members of the renowned Turkish OSTIM Medical Industry Cluster Association, Azernews reports.

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20 December 2024 18:42 (UTC+04:00)

Nazrin Abdul Read more

The European Investment Bank has allocated 43 million euros in loans to the public sector in Azerbaijan for the first time, Azernews reports.

The investment will be used to build two new data centers for "AzInTelecom" LLC in the Absheron and Hajigabul regions.

According to Elkhan Azizov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of AzInTelecom, the goal of the project is to expand further the cloud services provided to both the public and private sectors.

"I hope that this project will provide a significant boost to the development of digital infrastructure in our country and elevate the ecosystem to a new level. As AzInTelecom, we will continue to work tirelessly to build a sustainable digital future for Azerbaijan," he said.

It should be noted that a number of advanced technologies and methods will be used to minimize carbon emissions in both the primary and backup data centers to be built in the Absheron and Hajigabul regions. To maintain ecological balance, innovative approaches such as energy efficiency, efficient water usage, waste disposal, and natural cooling systems will be applied in both buildings.

The construction of both data centers has already received the "TIER 3 Design" certificate, which sets international quality standards for sustainability and reliability. "AzInTelecom" has also obtained the initial "LEED" report required for the international "LEED v4" certificate, which determines the environmental sustainability of the infrastructure for these data centers.

It should also be noted that the main goal of AzInTelecom's "AzInCloud" platform is to promote digital transformation in the business environment and enhance the role of businesses and individuals in digitalization across Azerbaijan.
20 December 2024 15:43 (UTC+04:00)

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Members of the Independent Industrialists and Businessmen's Association (MUSIAD) in Azerbaijan have invested 61.3mln ($36.1mln) in the country's economy over the past three years, Azernews reports, citing Rashad Cabirli, Chairman of the Board of MUSIAD Azerbaijan, as he said at a meeting with journalists.

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20 December 2024 12:22 (UTC+04:00)

Laman Ismayilova Read more

On December 24, Baku Museum Center will host another portrait concert as part of the "Music Nights at The Museum" project, dedicated to the works of the composer, Honored Artist of Azerbaijan Javanshir Guliyev, Azernews reports. The event is organized by the Baku Contemporary Music Society in collaboration with the Museum Center.

The concert dedicated to the work of composer and Honored Art Worker of Azerbaijan, Javanshir Guliyev will take place on December 24. The event is organized by Baku Contemporary Music Society in partnership with Baku Museum Center.

Media partners of the event are Azernews.Az, Trend.Az, Day.Az, Milli.Az and Turkic.world.

Born in Nuha (now Sheki), Javanshir Guliyev entered the Sheki Music College in 1968. That same year, he joined the Folk Instruments Faculty of the Azerbaijan State Conservatory named after Uzeyir Hajibayli (now Baku Music Academy named after Uzeyir Hajibayli). Two years later, he became a student of the Conservatory's Composition Faculty, graduating in 1975 under the guidance of composer and professor Jovdat Hajiyev.



As a student, Javanshir Guliyev was fascinated by the experimental approach to creating musical compositions, which he implemented in his works. His "First Quartet," written in his second year, became a vivid example of the young composer's innovative approach, blending national music with modern compositional techniques. Although this experimental work was met with great interest, it sparked creative debates on "Nationality and Modernity" at several conservatory conferences within the USSR Composers' Union.



During his student years, in 1973, the composer started working as a sound engineer at AzTV, a position he held for seventeen years. From 1990 to 1993, he served as the Artistic Director of Azgosconcert. In 2003, he earned the title of Associate Professor at the National Conservatory and became a full Professor in 2005. Starting that year, he also served as a Professor at the "Stage Arts" Faculty of Near East University in Northern Cyprus.



Songs composed by Javanshir Guliyev have been performed by Brilliant Dadashova, Zulfiya Khanbabayeva, and Aygun Kazimova. Many of them became hits: "Hr sey gozldir hyatda," "Hicran," "Itkin glin," "Qzm," "Sevcym," "Tnha qadn," "Mni daha gozlm," and others. He also composed music for films and plays, such as "Fryad," "Love of Shirbala" (Sirbalann mhbbti), "Itkin glin," "The Pain of a Milk Tooth" (Sud disinin agrs), "Ashig Garib," and many other productions, films, and TV series.



Javanshir Guliyev was the first composer to use the saz instrument alongside the violin, cello, and flute. In 1980, he wrote the "Overture" for zurna and symphony orchestra, reflecting his unique perspective on Azerbaijani music. In total, the composer's portfolio includes almost a thousand songs, 300 of which are included in the four-volume collection "MAHNILAR."



Javanshir Guliyev is renowned not only for his pop compositions but also for serious works, which he represented in international music symposia and festivals from Poland to the USA. These include the Sonata for Saz and Violin, Seven Pieces in Mugham Modes for Piano, the Second Quartet, and the First Suite from the ballet "Oguzname," performed in various countries such as the USA, Finland, Yugoslavia, Germany, the Netherlands, and Turkiye.

The 1992 composition "sgr mars," written shortly after the Khojaly tragedy, remains highly popular to this day. It was once sung even by children in kindergartens and is now performed during national army parades.



In 2000, Javanshir Guliyev received the "Golden Dervish" theater award. In 2002, he was awarded the Humay prize, and in 2015, he received the "Qzl Peri" cinema award and the Azerbaijan Filmmakers Union Award "For Contributions to National Cinema."



The portrait concert program will feature the composer's works: Sonata for Saz and Violin, Second String Quartet, and "Seven Pieces" for Piano. The performers include Humay Gasimzada (piano), Samir Asadov (violin), Aslan Muradoglu (saz), and the "kinci" Quartet. The evening moderator is composer Firudin Allahverdi.






20 December 2024 13:37 (UTC+04:00)

Laman Ismayilova Read more

Azerbaijani Culture Minister Adil Karimli continues his visit to Italy, Azernews reports citing the ministry.

As part of the trip, the minister visited the National Museum of 21st Century Arts in Rome and met with the artistic director of the cultural institution, Francesco Stocchi.

Francesco Stocchi expressed his gratitude to the minister for visiting the museum and providing information about its history and exhibitions. He mentioned that the museum showcases contemporary art pieces, which attract significant interest from both local and foreign visitors.

Adil Karimli shared information about Azerbaijan's leading museums and exhibition halls. He noted that Azerbaijani museums collaborate with several museums in Europe and that exhibitions of contemporary European artists are organized in Baku.

During the conversation, ideas were exchanged regarding the cooperation between Azerbaijani museums and the National Museum of 21st Century Arts.

Following the meeting, the Azerbaijani delegation toured the museum.

It is worth noting that the project of the National Museum of 21st Century Arts in Rome and the Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku was designed by the renowned architect Zaha Hadid.
20 December 2024 16:05 (UTC+04:00)

Laman Ismayilova Read more

Azerbaijani Culture Minister Adil Karimli, who is on a visit to Italy, has met with his counterpart Alessandro Giuli, Azernews reports, citing the ministry.

During the meeting, Alessandro Giuli said that trade and energy relations between the two countries are developing at a high level. He pointed out that the Italian side is also interested in cooperation with Azerbaijan in the cultural sphere.

"We appreciate the contribution of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation to the restoration of historical and religious heritage in Italy, as well as in the Vatican, for which we express our gratitude to the Azerbaijani side," the minister added.

In turn, Adil Karimli drew attention to the strengthening of relations based on mutual trust and friendship between the leaders of Azerbaijan and Italy every year. It was emphasized that the Azerbaijani state attaches great importance to cooperation with Italy. In 2014, a Joint Declaration "On Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Italian Republic" was signed.

Cultural cooperation between the two countries is also developing. Relations in such areas as the preservation of historical and cultural heritage, architecture and design are particularly satisfying.

It was stated that Italy has extensive experience in the restoration and protection of historical and cultural heritage, museum and library affairs. The Azerbaijani side is interested in using the experience of a friendly country in this area.

The Azerbaijani minister brought to the attention that during the Armenian occupation of the Azerbaijani territories, the centuries-old historical and cultural heritage of our people was destroyed and vandalized.

Extensive restoration and reconstruction work is being carried out in the territories liberated by the Azerbaijani state.

President Ilham Aliyev and First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva pay special attention to the restoration of historical and cultural monuments. Italy also contributes to the restoration of the territories liberated from occupation.

The minister also exchanged views on the management of art and culture centres, the organization of mutual tours of music ensembles and other issues of mutual interest.
20 December 2024 14:19 (UTC+04:00)

Akbar Novruz Read more

Although Azerbaijan has been a victim of Armenia's occupation policy for 30 years, it has always adhered to the principles of international humanitarian law.

Azernews reports that Aydin Safikhanli, head of the Ombudsman's Office, made this statement during a seminar titled "Activities for the implementation of international humanitarian law: positive experiences and problems." The event was organized jointly by the Office of the Ombudsman of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Safikhanli emphasized the importance of ensuring the rights of Azerbaijanis that have been violated for many years. "This issue also includes the principles of international law," he stated, underscoring the significance of addressing longstanding violations in line with humanitarian and legal standards.
20 December 2024 12:29 (UTC+04:00)

Akbar Novruz Read more

On December 18, 2024, the German-Azerbaijani Chamber of Commerce (AHK Azerbaijan) held its Members' General Meeting, bringing together over 80 representatives from the business community, Azernews reports.

Held biannually, the event serves as a platform to review the Chambers activities, celebrate accomplishments, and outline future objectives.

The meeting opened with a welcoming address by Anar Hasanov, Chairman of the Board of AHK Azerbaijan. Hasanov announced that 15 new companies joined the Chamber in the last six months, bringing the total membership to 196, encompassing a wide range of industries from both Germany and Azerbaijan. The commitment and quality of our Chambers work continue to attract companies from diverse sectors, which is a testament to our shared success, he remarked. Hasanov also highlighted the contributions of the Chambers working groups and acknowledged the dedication of their chairs in driving impactful initiatives.

In his address, Hasanov presented an overview of AHK Azerbaijans activities throughout the year, including delegation trips, B2B events, and social gatherings. He extended his gratitude to the companies that provided sponsorship support, recognizing their vital role in advancing the Chambers projects.

Dr. Ralf Horlemann, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Azerbaijan, also addressed the attendees, reflecting on the German Embassys initiatives during COP29, which included facilitating business visits for over 300 German delegates to Azerbaijan. Dr. Horlemann praised AHK Azerbaijans contributions during the global climate conference and expressed optimism about a stronger German-Azerbaijani partnership in the post-COP29 era, particularly in the transformation of the energy system.

The newly appointed Executive Director of AHK Azerbaijan, Nargis Wieck, introduced herself to the members. Azerbaijan is a strategically important partner for both Europe and Germany. Beyond its pivotal role in energy and logistics, the country offers a wealth of business opportunities, Wieck noted. She emphasized Azerbaijans ongoing efforts to modernize its economy and underscored the potential for German technology and expertise to play a crucial role in fostering sustainable growth.

During the meeting, Board Member Farid Guliyev presented the financial report for the past year and oversaw the election of internal auditors for 2025. Following the voting process, Zalbey Agadadashov (Director, Turan Legal and Tax LLC), Vugar Hajiyev (QHSE Team Leader, PMD Project LLC), and Zahra Aliyeva (Director, German Language Training Center) were elected as the internal auditors.

The event concluded with the introduction of new members and a business dinner, providing attendees with valuable networking opportunities and fostering collaboration across industries.

Note that, the German-Azerbaijani Chamber of Commerce (AHK Azerbaijan) is the official representative of the German economy in Azerbaijan providing information services and support to the companies in their market and business research since 2012.
20 December 2024 17:37 (UTC+04:00)

Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, the National Leader of the Turkmen people and Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty of Turkmenistan, has sent a congratulatory message to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on his birthday, Azernews reports.

His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Dear Ilham Heydar oglu,

Please accept my warm congratulations and best wishes on the occasion of your birthday!

The great successes achieved in all areas of Azerbaijans public and political life, the significant accomplishments in the country's economic development, and the strengthening of its authority on the global stage are inextricably linked to your name.

Taking this pleasant opportunity, dear Ilham Heydar oglu, I sincerely wish you good health, happiness, and success in all your endeavors.

Respectfully,

Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov

National Leader of the Turkmen people,

Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty of Turkmenistan
20 December 2024 21:25 (UTC+04:00)

By Alimat Aliyeva

The armed forces of Taiwan reported the approach of 12 aircraft and 5 ships from the People's Republic of China toward the island over the past day, Azernews reports.

"12 PLA aircraft and 5 PLA Navy ships operating around Taiwan were detected before 6 a.m. today. Five of the aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's southwestern air defense identification zone. We have been monitoring the situation and responded accordingly," the agency stated.

Taiwan has been governed by its own administration since 1949, when remnants of the Kuomintang forces, led by Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975), fled to the island after being defeated in the Chinese Civil War. Beijing considers Taiwan to be an integral part of the People's Republic of China, and tensions over the islands sovereignty have remained a sensitive issue ever since.

Interesting Context: The frequent military maneuvers by China near Taiwan have become a regular occurrence in recent years, especially in the wake of Taiwan's increasing diplomatic and military relations with Western nations, particularly the United States. These developments are seen by Beijing as a direct challenge to its claim over Taiwan. The situation remains one of the most significant flashpoints in East Asia, with the potential to escalate into broader geopolitical tensions. The recent uptick in Chinese military activity also underscores the growing strategic importance of the Taiwan Strait in global security discussions.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott and incoming Border Czar Tom Homan make remarks at a Thanksgiving lunch event at Forward Operating Base Eagle, a newly built military base serving Operation Lone Star near the Rio Grande River on Tues, Nov. 26, 2024, in Eagle Pass, Texas. Christopher Lee/Staff Photographer

Texas is putting up dozens of billboards in Mexico and Central American countries warning migrants of the dangers of trying to come to the U.S., Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday.

The billboards will offer bleak messages in multiple languages. Many girls who try to migrate to Texas are kidnapped, one will say. Your wife and daughter will pay for their trip with their bodies, will read another. A third will ask, How much did you pay to have your daughter raped?

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This is tough medicine, Abbott told reporters in Eagle Pass, describing the roughly $100,000 marketing campaign as an attempt to push back on messaging by cartels and smugglers. He did not say where the money for the ads was coming from.

We are trying to provide a push back against that narrative and provide reality  facts  for immigrants thinking about coming here to save their lives, to save them from sexual assault  save them from being arrested, and let them know there are consequences if they take any further steps to come to the state of Texas, Abbott said.

The governor rolled out the campaign on a border ranch where the owners say they have found migrant women beaten and left to die.

It makes you terrified to go outside of your own house and enjoy your own property, Kimberly Wall said.

Sexual assault of migrants has been documented for years, though there is limited data on its prevalence. The New York Times in 2019 found more than 100 documented reports of sexual assault of undocumented women along the border in the past two decades, a number the paper reported is probably far from a complete accounting. Reuters reported last year that criminal investigations of rape in the Mexican border cities of Reynosa and Matamoros were the highest on record, as more migrants were waiting there for legal entry into the country to claim asylum.

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Abbott cast the campaign as the latest effort by Texas to deter migration to the state. Under his direction, Texas has spent more than $11 billion over the last four years on a border security crackdown that includes stringing razor wire and other barriers along the Rio Grande and arresting migrants on trespassing charges.

The governor also vowed that Texas will work closely with the incoming Trump administration on President-elect Donald Trumps mass deportations, though he did not say exactly what role the state will play.

Abbott has largely avoided commenting on Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckinghams offer to let the Trump administration use a 1,400-acre ranch in Starr County to house those waiting to be deported.
20 December 2024 21:50 (UTC+04:00)

By Alimat Aliyeva

Representatives from the Japanese Ministry of Defense, Tokyo City Hall, and environmental experts are investigating the site of a fluoride-containing water leak at an American airbase, Azernews reports.

"It was reported that in October, there was a water leak containing PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, synthetic chemical compounds containing fluorine) in the area of the firefighting training range at the US Yokota Airbase. In response to local concerns, we negotiated with the American side to conduct an on-site inspection. As a result, today representatives from the Japanese Ministry of Defense, relevant departments, the Tokyo Mayor's Office, and local authorities will inspect the site of the firefighting exercises at the airbase and receive explanations from the American side," said a government official.

PFAS compounds are a significant environmental concern due to their persistence in the environment and potential health risks. These chemicals are known to contaminate water sources, soil, and wildlife, and have been linked to various health issues, including liver damage and developmental effects. The issue of PFAS contamination around American military bases in Japan, particularly in Okinawa, has been a growing public concern. About 70% of US military bases in Japan are located in Okinawa, but Yokota Airbase is situated in the western part of Tokyo.

Interesting Context: The discovery of PFAS contamination near US military bases in Japan is not an isolated incident. The environmental and health risks associated with these substances have sparked growing debates globally, particularly in areas with heavy military presence. In recent years, the US military has been under increased scrutiny for its role in PFAS contamination in various locations worldwide. This ongoing investigation in Japan could have broader implications, not only for the militarys environmental policies but also for how other countries address the legacy of PFAS contamination.
Official Oregon Coast / Washington Coast Lewis and Clark Guide - Corps of Discovery, Sacegawea

Updated 12/27/2024

Seaside and Tillamook Head

SAUVIE ISLAND. Just north of Portland's grand St. John's Bridge, along Highway 30, you'll find this enormous park. The Corps of Discovery explored this island a little as they came down the Columbia. It now holds the distinction of being the only L&C site that has a nude beach.

COLUMBIA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM. Learn about the Corps' campsite and activities along the Columbia. 511 E Bridge Street, Vernonia. 503-429-3713.

PRESCOTT BEACH COUNTY PARK. The Corps spent the night near here on Nov. 5, 1805, just upstream from present-day Rainier - and about a mile from St. Helens. Their campsite of November 6, 1805, was near Cape Horn in Wahkiakum County, Washington.

JULIA BULTER HANSEN NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE. On the Washington side, Lewis & Clark notated scientific descriptions of various wildlife here. On Highway 4, in Cathlamet, Washington.

ASTORIA AND ASTORIA COLUMN. There are no actual Lewis & Clark sites in this charming and ultra-atmospheric town, but it's full of numerous other time-traveling opportunities. The Astoria Column has a mural that talks about the Corps' time here, and the hill it resides on is also the birthplace of cable TV. There are several historical museums that delve into Lewis & Clark history and loads of Victorian mansions. www.oldoregon.com.





MEGLER REST AREA. The Corps was trapped here by a winter storm for five miserable days in late November of 1805, nicknamed Clark's Dismal Nitch. Highway 401, Washington Coast.

STATION CAMP. This park, near Chinook, Washington, was where they settled down to camp and spotted the ocean for the first time - or so they thought - with Clark writing "Ocian in view! O! the joy" on November 7. In fact, what they were seeing was the limitless horizon, unbounded by any more bends in the river. The ocean was still 20 miles away. This was also where the famous vote was taken later in November - the first to include votes by a woman and a black man.





FORT COLUMBIA STATE PARK and CAPE DISAPPOINTMENT. Lewis was the first to romp around this headland, hoping to catch sight of the ocean. Later, on November 18, Clark and a handful of men come here and actually spotted the ocean for the first time. Clark carves his name next to Lewis' on a tree (although that was never found). Highway 101, Chinook, Washington.

ILWACO HERITAGE MUSEUM. An interpretive center with loads of L&C information. Ilwaco, Washington.





FORT CLATSOP NATIONAL MEMORIAL. Just south of Astoria, this is where the Corps established winter camp from December 1805 to March 1806. The replica of the fort burned down in the mid-2000s, but has since been rebuilt. The visitor center is still growing and providing a wealth of information - not to mention the living history programs during the summer. Of the 112 days they stayed here, only 12 were without rain. Off Highway 101, east of Warrenton.





SEASIDE SALT WORKS. From January to February 1806, one group from the Corps went to the beaches of Seaside and boiled sea water for salt. The site is considered to be the exact spot by historians. Look for Lewis & Clark Way to find the replica of the boiling structure. Seaside. Take the Virtual Tour of Seaside, Oregon.





TILLAMOOK HEAD. Clark and a party of 13 meandered over the headland to check out a beached whale in Cannon Beach. Clark gushed over one viewpoint here in his journals, blessed with clear, sunny weather. There is a monument to him along this six-mile trail to Cannon Beach. Take the Virtual Tour of Seaside, Oregon. There's also an old WWII radar station, albeit just the remnants.





ECOLA STATE PARK. Wander the same trail as Clark, his men and Sacagawea on their way to the creek and the beached whale. Incredible views are to be had here. Cannon Beach. Take the Virtual Tour of Cannon Beach.

LES SHIRLEY PARK. At the northern end of Cannon Beach, just north of downtown and the bridge, you'll find this park commemorating the spot with the beached whale - which was on the north side of Ecola Creek. It's considered to be the southernmost point the Corps traveled. Take the Virtual Tour of Cannon Beach.





WHALE PARK. A gazebo-like structure at the entrance to downtown Cannon Beach, close to the beach, features a whale sculpture, commemorating the whale on the other side of the creek. Take the Virtual Tour of Cannon Beach.





NEHALEM BAY. Or did the Corps of Discovery stop at Cannon Beach? There is a rogue (yet almost convincing) theory Clark and the 13 came to 45 miles south of Fort Clatsop and not 25 miles, which would've brought them to the mouth of the Nehalem Bay. Come explore this stunning area and check out the insistence of the locals that this area was the Corps' last stop. This is only one theory, and the vast majority of historians do not buy into it. Still, even if you don't believe - it's a stunning place to light the fires of imagination. Take the Virtual Tour of Nehalem Bay, Manzanita.

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Latest local and travel news from Manzanita, Oregon coast: Manzanita, Wheeler, Nehalem, Nehalem Bay. Updates, alerts, weather, travel info

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The latest local news out of Cannon Beach on the north Oregon coast, including travel news as well

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Lincoln City, Central Oregon Coast - Latest Local News, Updates, Lincoln City Travel news, various news from around the Lincoln City area

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The latest discounts and deals out of Cannon Beach, on the N. Oregon coast. Check back frequently

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New: Oregon Coast Road, Traffic Conditions Up to minute conditions, alerts for coast range highways, 101

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Secret Beach Near Arch Cape Tunnel, North Oregon Coast It's nicknamed "Magic Rocks Beach" because of layers of large cobblestones that make interesting noises

Oregon Coast Cleanup Finds Plenty of Wacky and Disturbing Oddities and plenty of plastics were picked up from the beaches

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Surreal Science of the Oregon Coast: a Look Back at Spring's Strange News Mother Nature can be a real crazy person on the beach

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180 Miles of Oregon Coast in Four Minutes Video: Zip up the coast, south to north (from Florence to the very tip of NW Oregon), in just over four minutes.

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Video Tour of Manzanita, North Oregon Coast - from BeachConnection.net A video tour of Manzanita, on the north Oregon coast

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Sneaky Oregon Coast Restaurant Reviews An ongoing series of clandestine visitations by two writers on the Oregon coast (who will remain anonymous) to various beachy places to munch.

Restaurants, Dining in Manzanita, Rockaway Beach, Wheeler, Nehalem It's here where youll find long-standing gems that seem timeless and classic, yet often cutting-edge in the culinary fireworks.

Oregon Coast Tour: Florence, Oregon's Gazebo Park, Old Town This cozy little park is perfect for a romantic interlude along Florence's Bayfront, after dark, as the lights of Old Town glitter softly on the river

Neskowin's Mysteries: Oregon Coast Virtual Tour, Lincoln City / Inland 101. Secret spots of Neskowin, more mysteries and prolliferation of shells on this atmospheric beach.

Yaquina Head Lighthouse and its Lore - Newport, Oregon Coast Virtual Tour Ghost tales of the Newport, Oregon landmark busted, but other scary tales remain

Neskowin and Ghost Forest Stump on Oregon Coast Another highlight here is the freaky 2,000-year-old stumps - nicknamed the "ghost forest."

Bob Creek Wayside - the secret cave, on the Oregon coast, between Yachats and Florence

Forbidden Cliffs Virtual Tour - Oregon Coast, near Nehalem Bay It is one of the stranger and more startlingly beautiful places on all of Oregon's Coast.

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Oregon Coast Virtual Tour: Mystical Spot Along Yachats Bay With a touch of Tolkiens Middle Earth, this little Oregon Coast spot classifies as a bonafide nook or cranny with an ethereal slant.

Neptune State Park, between Florence and Yachats - Oregon Coast Virtual Tour. It's lodged in the middle of forestland and rather easy to drive past if youre not looking carefully.

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Oregon Coast Lodging Reviews, Lodging Listings Oregon Coast Lodging in Yachats, Waldport, Newport, Nye Beach, Otter Rock, Depoe Bay, Gleneden Beach, Lincoln Beach, Lincoln City, Neskowin, Pacific City, Tierra Del Mar, Garibaldi, Rockaway Beach, Manzanita, Cannon Beach, Seaside, Florence and Astoria

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Bizarre Bar Tales of the Oregon Coast, Part 1 After the sun slides down below the horizon, it's when this region shows its true colors

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Digging Into Oregon Coast Sentinels Brings More Ghosts to Light Researching the ghost tales can conjure even more spirits

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Guy DiTorrice is the former head of the Oregon Coast Visitors Association and formerly gave fossil tours of central coast beaches as "Oregon Fossil Guy"

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Oregon Coast Real Estate Advice - by David Timme

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Dining, Restaurants in Manzanita, Nehalem, Rockaway Beach - N. Oregon Coast

Updated Weekly

(Manzanita, Oregon) - Oregon's north coast presents some of the best restaurants and dining possibilities along the entire shoreline. It's here where youll find long-standing gems that seem timeless and classic, yet often cutting-edge in their culinary fireworks.

It's no secret that in the Nehalem Bay area, you have to be among the best to remain in business during those often-lonely winter months where tourists can be few and far between. So those that have weathered the years do so because they are exceptional, competing with the best Portland can provide, and thus often thrive during the off-seasons.

Nehalem Bay consists of the towns of Wheeler, Nehalem and Manzanita, with Rockaway Beach on the outskirts. A 15-minute drive from Manzanita will land you in Cannon Beach, where numerous scrumptious possibilities reside, as well as down south just beyond Tillamook Bay.

There are also options here to order food online while on the Oregon coast.

For a complete list of dining possibilities on the Oregon coast, see the Oregon Coast Restaurant Dining Guide

MacGregor's A Whiskey Bar, Manzanita, is an upscale, intimate cocktail lounge in the heart of Manzanita, Oregon. Their mixologists can whip up anything you desire, though the focus is obviously on whiskey - MacGregor's has over 200 bottles of brown liquor. Reading and drinking have always gone hand-in-hand, so it only made sense for literary agent Chip MacGregor and writer Holly Lorincz-MacGregor to open the bar three years ago; Chip will happily talk to customers about the amazing top shelf. They also offer great food, beer, wine, and a variety of liquors, starting at moderate prices. If youre in the mood for a tasting adventure, they have pre-set and custom flights available, like the Oregon Bourbon flight or the Japanese Whisky flight, or maybe a tequila or rum flight. Coastal nights and MacGregor's front porch firepits make for the perfect setting when youre in the mood for a wee dram. 387 Laneda Avenue. 503-368-2447. Website here.





San Dune Pub. With a historical, even slight maritime vibe, the San Dune Pub is a classy staple among locals, regulars and tourists alike. There is nothing typical about this place, it's all about the food. Known for their exceptional burgers, they create a menu that suites every palate. Homemade salad dressings, sauces, and desserts are amazing. Appetizers in the $3 - $9 range include hummus as well as the usual. Other highlights: Fresh Willapa Bay Oysters and Seafood Bisque (weekends only). Plenty of burgers in varied incarnations like chili, bacon, cheese, teriyaki, BBQ, chipotle, veggie or chicken; lots of seafood possibilities. Wraps and ciabatta sandwiches around $8 include chicken, Caesar, pesto, turkey and bacon/swiss, among others. Soups and salads abound. Less than ten minutes from the surfing paradise of Short Sands; legendary live music hotspot. 17 beers, large wine selection, full service bar. 127 Laneda Ave., Manzanita, Oregon. 503-368-5080. www.sandunepub.com (burgers, seafood, chicken, tacos, lunch, dinner)

Restaurants Near the Nehalem Bay Area (Cannon Beach, Tillamook, Pacific City)

Cannon Beach Fultano's Pizza. Serious gourmet Italian at a family price. They deliver to local hotels, and they feature slices for lunch. Also you can order online. There's a special thin crust recipe that's especially tasty, crunchy and yet still tender in a way that manages to combine both those latter qualities seamlessly. Gourmet varieties like the Margherita (garlic and herb olive oil, three cheeses, red onion and more), a Greek-themed specialty, a Goat Cheese pizza, and specialties with Teriyaki Chicken, Linguica, BBQ Chicken and a variety of seafood selections. One item features a distinctive sausage with mashed grapes for the sauce, providing a subtle, sweet tang. The sausage is spicy and zippy, making a nice balance to the slight sweetness. One must-try is their pasta (about $10). They have a homemade tomato sauce that stacks up against anything Europe could dish out. 200 N. Hemlock and Second Street, Cannon Beach Oregon.. www.CBfultanos.com (503) 436-9717. Family dining Cannon Beach, pizza

Meridian Restaurant & Bar - 60 mins from Wheeler. A soaring ceiling with hardwood exposed native wooden beams gives way to tall windows that provide a stunning ocean view. The centerpiece to this dreamy atmosphere is a towering fireplace that doubles the cozy yet shimmering, seamless ambiance. The other centerpiece is the catch of the day and seafood thats already become famous. All dishes sourced from Northwest farms, most entrees are $20 to $30, some up around $45. The menu changes periodically, but a sampling of approaches includes: A smoked, black cod with pickled mustard seed, grilled cauliflower steak in a burnt carrot mole, abalone with mushrooms, or a rockfish rapini that graced with wasabi, Cara Cara orange and hot honey. Innovative breakfasts take on delights like hash pork confit or eggs benedict. Brunch and lunch menu features burgers, crab cakes, plenty of seafood and salad options. 33000 Cape Kiwanda Dr. Pacific City (35 mins from Wheeler, Oregon). 503.483.3000. Meridian Restaurant website.

MacGregor's Whiskey Bar, Cannon Beach. Searching for a crackling fireplace and something good to warm your insides? Cozy cabin walls, sharing a building with the historic Morriss Fireside Lodge. One of the largest selection of whiskeys on the coast  including over 200 brown liquors and a top shelf that will make you grin  but they also offer a full bar, incredible craft cocktails, beer, wine, and unique foods Recently moved to a larger space: 100 E 2ND St. Cannon Beach, Oregon. 503-436-0322 and 503-436-2917 for the Cannon Beach Restaurant. Website here.

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State Rep. Brian Harrison, a Republican who represents a district south of Dallas, during a Texas House of Representatives Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence hearing on Monday, Oct. 21, 2024, at the state capitol in Austin. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer

Days before the Nov. 5 election, Republican state Rep. Brian Harrison sounded off about a small line buried on a state administrative website. Among the forms of discrimination that the Texas Workforce Commission listed as grounds for investigation was the term gender identity.

The Texas Legislature never authorized this, Harrison wrote in a social media post that included a siren emoji and gained more than 64,000 views. My office will be demanding answers.

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The post was effective, according to email communications obtained by Hearst Newspapers, setting off a chain reaction that sent the agencys staff into a frenzy and prompted intervention by Gov. Greg Abbotts office.

While the agency didnt appear to change any policies for handling discrimination complaints, it did ultimately remove the offending language from its website. Harrison announced he was proud to have helped deliver this victory for Texas.

The episode shows how sensitive state officials have recently become to conservative criticism that they may be promoting or protecting LGBTQ rights. It came as prominent Republicans, including President-elect Donald Trump, were hammering Democrats in campaign ads as catering to the transgender community.

The commission did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Neither did Abbott, who appointed the agencys three commissioners.

Emails show commission officials reached out to Harrisons staff that same morning to explain that the definition was in line with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June 2020, known as Bostock v. Clayton County, which set a landmark precedent that discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity falls under the Civil Rights Acts prohibition on sex-based discrimination.

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Rob Wiley, a Dallas employment lawyer, said the state labor codes language mirrors the federal law, and courts have previously determined matching laws should be interpreted the same way barring an overpowering, countervailing reason. That means the Supreme Courts definition of sex discrimination should apply to Texas law as well, he said.

In fiscal year 2023, discrimination on the basis of sex made up 14% of employment discrimination claims, 14% of state agency employment discrimination claims and 5% of housing discrimination claims submitted to the agencys Civil Rights Division, according to the TWCs most recent available annual report. Those are not broken down to show how many may have been related to gender identity or sexual orientation.

Wiley said there could be real and serious ramifications of removing the language from the TWC website.

They have an important job in educating employers and employees about their rights and responsibilities, Wiley said. It would be a huge disservice if the TWC started misleading gay workers about their rights, or making employers think its OK to discriminate.

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Remove from all documents

Harrisons message on X started gaining steam in conservative circles as soon as he posted it the night of Oct. 30.

It even drew attention from Doug Deason, a major GOP campaign donor from Dallas, who shared the post from his own account along with contact information for the commissions executive director.

The buck stops with the TWC Executive Director Ed Serna, Deason wrote on X. He needs to be held, and hold his people, accountable for this nonsense.

By around 10 a.m. the next morning, the governors office called the commission asking how it planned to respond to the tweet and potential media requests, according to emails Hearst Newspapers obtained through a public records request.

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The Texas Workforce Commission removed LGBTQ language from its website after a state lawmaker's social media post. The Houston Chronicle obtained the agency's internal correspondence through a public records request. Texas Workforce Commission

And minutes later, a senior editor at the conservative news blog Texas Scorecard, which is published by Michael Quinn Sullivan, a hardline activist and Abbott critic, reached out to the commission asking about Harrisons claims.

Staffers at the commission plotted what to do in a flurry of emails, deciding in the end to remove the terms gender identity and sexual orientation from the online list of classes protected by anti-discrimination laws but to keep the broader category of sex, the emails show.

TWC is modifying verbiage on our website page to remove gender identity which technically falls under the broader category sex, communications director Amy Landrum wrote in an email to Serna. She noted commission employees held a call with Harrisons staff with perceived satisfactory outcome. Hours later, Harrison declared victory.

After I exposed Texas Workforce Commission's statements treating gender identity as a protected class last night, and after my office's discussions with them today, I am pleased to report that this highly troubling language is being removed, he wrote.

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It is unclear from the communications, which contained extensive redactions, who made the decision to remove the phrasing. The terms were also removed from a section of the website about workplace harassment.

Need to remove from all documents, one internal memo said. Comb through our templates. Position manuals.

The memo went on to say that TWC staff needed to advise investigators, but they were warned to not blow it out of proportion.

Abbotts input

Emails show the agency coordinated closely with Abbotts office when crafting a public response about the change.

The commission seemed to agree with the governors office that it would hold on a response to Texas Scorecard unless the outlet followed up, emails show.

In the meantime, Abbotts team helped draft language. The suggestions were redacted from the records, but a later email shows the final language read: TWCs website has been updated to accurately reflect prohibited classifications as set forth in the text of federal statutes. TWC continues to investigate employment discrimination complaints consistent with federal and state law.

The Texas Workforce Commission removed LGBTQ language from its website after a state lawmaker's social media post. The Houston Chronicle obtained the agency's internal correspondence through a public records request. Texas Workforce Commission

Landrum and Sarah Fischer, the press officer who handles media requests, appeared worried that the statement would be confusing to the public, but it was ultimately not changed.

The OOG response makes it sound like gender identity is a prohibited classification as in you cannot legally file a complaint related to gender identity, Fischer wrote in a Microsoft Teams message to Landrum.

Agree. ??? Landrum responded.

I dont think that response is helpful, Fischer said, adding later: It makes it sound like we are not upholding the federal law.

Landrum later asked a digital media coordinator to begin monitoring social media every 30 minutes. The team divided up shifts to monitor social media three times daily over the weekend, and they discussed increasing social and news monitoring in general to three times daily through the election cycle.

Fischer at one point remarked to Landrum: I cant tell you how much I appreciate your help today. Please let me know if theres anything I can do to help speed along the process so you can get back to Halloween.

Landrum told Serna that the team decided not to respond to Scorecard that day after all.

The following morning of Nov. 1, a second request from the outlet came through the commissions web form. This time, Scorecard wanted to know if any policy changed alongside the removal of the term. Fischer noted in Teams messages that it seems like others on social media have this same question.

After some back-and-forth with the governors office, Fischer sent the statement, drafted with input from lawyers and the governors office, to Scorecard around 5 p.m. The website had already posted its story earlier in the day but added the TWC statement later.

The Texas Workforce Commission removed LGBTQ language from its website after a state lawmaker's social media post. The Houston Chronicle obtained the agency's internal correspondence through a public records request. Texas Workforce Commission

Landrum gave staffers an update later that day from Serna, the commissioners executive director.

Ed just called to check in and he's good with the response and all actions to date, she said. He doesn't think it will die down until after the election.

Disagreement over changes

The terms are still gone from the website. Advocacy groups say theyre concerned Texans may now be misled or confused about their rights under the law.

No one should have to live in fear of being fired for who they are, said Brad Pritchett, interim CEO of Equality Texas, an LBGTQ rights advocacy group. LGBTQ Texans are protected by federal law, whether or not Harrison agrees. Our state is bigger than the prejudices of one small man.

Harrison still holds that there was a policy change at TWC. In an interview this week, he asked rhetorically, Why would they update the website if it wasnt a policy change or, at a bare minimum, a gross misrepresentation of the policy?

Regardless, he said hell be looking into whether the Legislature needs to address the issue in the coming session that begins in January by making sure anti-discrimination laws dont apply to gender identity.

Harrison, a former chief of staff in the Department of Health and Human Services under the Trump administration, said he believes the state too often bends to federal will, and this is just one example of many hes highlighted on his social media.
Oregon Coast Lighthouses at a Glance

Published 09/30/2011

(Oregon Coast)  A list of Oregon coast lighthouses and some supplemental information. Search here for latest news on these lighthouses or further information. (From the upper half of the coastline only - more do exist south). See the virtual tour links provided for deeper details on the lighthouses.

Heceta Head Lighthouse, near Florence (above).

It stands 56 feet high on a 200-foot-high cliff, and is considered among the world's most photographed lighthouses. Construction on the Heceta Head Lighthouse started in 1892, firing up about two years later. It's visible some 21 miles out to sea.

The first-order Fresnel lens was made by Chance Brothers of the Birmingham area, who only manufactured two other lights in the U.S. That original lens still remains, with eight prisms and a total of 392 pieces that are two inches thick. A total of 12 lighthouse lenses were made in England and brought here, but apparently the Heceta Head Lightouse is the only one of them left that is first-order. You can visit year round, but it is dependent on weather and staffing.





Yaquina Head Lighthouse, Newport. On the tip of three-mile-long Yaquina Head sits the big one, standing at 93 feet tall. It is Oregon's oldest and tallest, first fired up in 1873, sometime after the name of the headland was finally switched from Cape Foulweather to Yaquina Head (and the cape ten miles up the road received that name).

The keeper's quarters here were built in 1873 but demolished in 1984. There are 114 steps up to the very top, which guides let you briefly peek into.

Yaquina Bay Lighthouse in Newport. The second light in town is actually now simply a big home open to the public. It only existed as a lighthouse in the 1880's for three years, then shut down when the larger light to the north was built on the headland. After its shut down, and sat abandoned, sinking into greater and greater disrepair until some locals began rescuing it in the mid 20th century.

Now, you can tour the quarters and see how people lived (and dressed) back then as volunteers give you tours of the stately residence. (541) 265-3100.

Cape Meares Lighthouse. Just around the corner from Oceanside, it's the shortest on the Oregon coast, standing at a stumpy 38 feet high. The cliff is a few hundred feet high, however, making it the highest standing Oregon lighthouse in the end.

Back in 1890, it was constructed of bricks that were made right on the spot, along with iron plates that had to be hauled by wagon from Portland over the bumpy terrain of the coast range. The first order Fresnel lens was imported from Paris, France, shipped around Cape Horn, up the west coast to Cape Meares and then brought up 217 feet from a boat below the cliff by a wooden crane.

It's open to the public April through October.

Tillamook Rock Lighthouse, between Cannon Beach and Seaside. It's the only lighthouse in Oregon completely not accessible because it sits about a mile offshore.

It's been nicknamed Terrible Tilly because of the adverse conditions crews had to endure on this remote rock.

The lighthouse went into service in 1881, manned by four people at a time, stuck there for months. A giant winch was used to bring supplies and personnel from visiting ships to the rock, which was a dangerous and unwieldy endeavor under even the best conditions.

Living on the rock meant being regularly attacked by enormous storms. Having boulders and logs tossed through glass was not an irregular occurrence. One tale has a giant bird slamming into the glass around the holidays - when the men aboard were running low on supplies. So, they turned the ill-fated winged beast into a holiday feast.

The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1957.

On the southern Oregon coast, you'll find other lighthouses. The list includes: Umpqua River Light in Winchester Bay, Cape Arago Lighthouse in Coos Bay, the Coquille River Lighthouse in Bandon, and the Cape Blanco Lighthouse in Port Orford. Oregon Coast Lodging in these areas - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours

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Images, Video and Tales from Oregon Coast / Washington King Tides

Published 12/16/24 at 7:25 p.m.

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff





(Depoe Bay, Oregon)  As Roxy Music put it in the early '70s, It's a crazy scene.

That could've well applied to king tides this weekend on the Oregon and Washington coastlines, with wave height hitting 20  23 feet at times, major breakers action at Shore Acres and a run-in with flooding in various areas.

The whole weekend produced dramatic video and photos  as well as tales. Not everyone was on their best behavior, either. Some ventured too close to the chaos, but so far there have been no reports of injuries.

Oregon King Tides Project has not yet posted the submissions from the December round of king tides, but the group's spokesman, Rhiannon Bezore, was able to pass on a few. Among them, this shot at the top of gargantuan waves at the north jetty of Tillamook Bay at Barview from CL Downing.

The combination of the extreme high tides and large storm swell meant a lot of onshore impacts this past weekend, Bezore told Oregon Coast Beach Connection.  There was significant flooding in Nehalem, with people kayaking in the streets at high tide, and many reports of limited beach access from high water, including at Nelscott Beach in Lincoln City.





See wild 'n frothy video from the Washington coast.

Among the hotspots was Shore Acres State Park near Coos Bay. There were some posted online from this weekend, showing towers of water over the diagonal-lined cliffs. Then from the November round of king tides comes this one from the project and Holly Harlukowicz.

This as yet unnamed slough was photographed by Sue Solin and hasn't yet made the Oregon King Tides Project site.

One of the most dramatic moments came from the flooding at Nehalem, with Buttercup Ice Cream and Chowders showing off video of an employee having to kayak the streets of the north coast town.

According to Nan Devlin, executive director of Tillamook Coast Visitors Association, that deluge has finally receded.

It started on Friday in Nehalem with a bit of flooding then Saturday full-on flood, with people getting to work in downtown by kayak, Devlin told Oregon Coast Beach Connection. It's all backed off now. Next King Tides are mid-January. They are usually the worst.

Today is the first day of the December #kingtides ! Head to the coast today through Dec.15th to #catchtheking  King Tides can impact our coastal communities in different ways, including increased erosion and flooding. They also give us a sneak peek at what sea level may look like in the future.  If you're out on the coast this weekend, remember to SAFELY take pictures to help us document the impacts of King Tides. Submit your photos to www.oregonkingtides.net/participate/submit  #oregonkingtides #Oregon #communityscience #optoutside #adventurephotography #oregoncoast Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition The Oregon Coast Oregon Sea Grant Posted by Oregon King Tides Photo Project on Friday, December 13, 2024

Oregon King Tides Project provided this video of the Depoe Bay seawall.

The group's Larry Gooldy snagged this impressive shot of the spouting horn at Depoe Bay during the last round in November.

Lincoln City's SW 32 St access was deluged and smacked hard by big waves this weekend, and luckily no one was injured or hit.

The King Tides Project Flickr page shows the injuries suffered by one man who got swatted by a wave and dragged for a bit last month.





This weekend started off a bit rough, with the National Weather Service pointing out a couple of people right up against the seawall at the Experience Westport webcam, just as a huge wave washes over. There were no reports there of injuries.

Again, not everyone was being as wise as they should be, but incidents  so far appear to be less this time around.

Still, Bezore urges extreme caution at these events.

As always, we emphasize that safety precautions should be followed at all times when visiting the beach, especially during king tide events, Bezore said. Storm surge, high tides, and sneaker waves are all very dangerous, with fast moving, powerful water posing risks for anyone on or near the coast. It is important to respect all safety signage and beach and road closures; remain a safe distance from the ocean; dont turn your back on the water; and stay off of logs, jetties, narrow beaches, and away from cliff edges.

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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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Sunday, March 23, through Saturday, March 29 at the Lincoln City Cultural Center. Lincoln city events



Oregon Coast Town Turns 60: How Lincoln City Began

March of '65 it finally got its name. History, Lincoln City events



Central Oregon Coast St Paddy's Day Music in March - Numerous Lincoln City ev...

AML Trio, March 8; Elton John Tribute, March 8; Spring Break Party, Casino



Literally a St. Paddy's That Glows on Central Oregon Coast, Lincoln City Marc...

Celtic Light Orchestra shreds the stage while illuminating it. Lincoln City events



Antique Week Morphs Into Lincoln City Retro Expo, with 100 Floats on Central ...

February 8-17, a wide array of antiques and collectibles. Lincoln City events



Valentine's Dance in Lincoln City Brings Legendary Oregon Coast Big Band

Feb 14 is the Sweethearts Dance at Lincoln City Cultural Center. Lincoln City events



Planet Parade Above Oregon, Washington and Coastlines Now Through Early Feb

Six planets overhead and four of them visible without optics. Astronomy, sciences, Washington coast events, south coast events, Florence events, Astoria events, Seaside events, Cannon Beach events, Manzanita events, Rockaway Beach events, Tillamook events, Garibaldi events, Oceanside events, Pacific City events, Lincoln City events, Depoe Bay events, Newport events, Waldport events, Newport events, Yachats events



First Day Hikes Guide You Along Washington / Oregon Coast Wonders

Dozens of parks in the Pacific Northwest. Washington coast events, south coast events, Florence events, Astoria events, Seaside events, Cannon Beach events, Manzanita events, Rockaway Beach events, Tillamook events, Garibaldi events, Oceanside events, Pacific City events, Lincoln City events, Depoe Bay events, Newport events, Waldport events, Newport events, Yachats events



Lighting the Dock, Extra Glass Floats Part of Holidays on Central Oregon Coast

Deck the Dock in Lincoln City, Dec 6 - Glass Floats, Dec 6-7 - Otis Christmas Bazaar, Dec 15. Lincoln City events



Central Oregon Coast Kicks Off Holidays with Two Cheery Events in Newport

Holly Jolly Free Family Affair on Dec 8; Baroque Holidays Dec 4. Lincoln City events



Oregon Coast Glass Floats Hit 25-Year Mark: Lincoln City Celebrates How It St...

How did it start? And who got the glass ball rolling? Opens Nov 16. Lincoln City events



Oregon Coast King Tides 2024 - 25: What's New, Different, Full Dates (Includi...

Slightly different dates for both states; what to expect. S. Coast events, Astoria events, Seaside events, Cannon Beach events, Manzanita events, Rockaway Beach events, Tillamook events, Garibaldi events, Oceanside events, Pacific City events, Lincoln City events, Depoe Bay events, Newport events, Waldport events, Newport events, Yachats events, Florence events



Musical Journeys to New Places Hit Central Oregon Coast at Lincoln City, Newport

Goddess Within Me on Oct 27; Camp Crush Nov 8; Bowie tribute Nov 9. Newport events, Lincoln City events



Lincoln City's Hiking Trails Passport Now Available: Hike and Maybe Win Orego...

Scan QR codes, access maps, and enhance your trail experience. Lincoln City events, Pacific City events



Oregon Shores' Toast to the Coast Cruise in Portland Benefits Beaches, Volunt...

October 19, where attendees get to engage in a unique boat trip. S. Coast events, Astoria events, Seaside events, Cannon Beach events, Manzanita events, Rockaway Beach events, Tillamook events, Garibaldi events, Oceanside events, Pacific City events, Lincoln City events, Depoe Bay events, Newport events, Waldport events, Newport events, Yachats events, Florence events



SOLVE's Beach and Riverside Cleanup Needs Volunteers on Oregon Coast, Around ...

September 20 through September 28. S. Coast events, Astoria events, Seaside events, Cannon Beach events, Manzanita events, Rockaway Beach events, Tillamook events, Garibaldi events, Oceanside events, Pacific City events, Lincoln City events, Depoe Bay events, Newport events, Waldport events, Newport events, Yachats events, Florence events



Grand New Mural Fills Part of Sky at Central Oregon Coast's Lincoln City

Adorning the exterior walls of Lincoln City?s City Hall and McKay?s Market. Lincoln City events



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Held at the D River State Recreation Site. Lincoln City events



High-Profile Events, Changes at Lincoln City and the Funding That Brings the ...

Explore Lincoln City recently announced its community partnership funding. Lincoln City events



Comet Visible Sunday on Oregon / Washington Coast, Perhaps Exploding Star Later

Comet 13P/Olbers seen with binoculars; expecting a nova star this year. Astronomy, Sciences, S. Coast events, Astoria events, Seaside events, Cannon Beach events, Manzanita events, Rockaway Beach events, Tillamook events, Garibaldi events, Oceanside events, Pacific City events, Lincoln City events, Depoe Bay events, Newport events, Waldport events, Newport events, Yachats events, Florence events




Quite the Week for Washington, Oregon, Coast: Meteors, Solstice Moon, Planets, King Tides

Published 12/10/24 at 6:35 p.m.

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff





(Manzanita, Oregon)  There is quite the potpourri coming up for the skies above Earth right now  and especially for the Oregon coast and Washington coast. The Solstice Full Moon, the Geminid Meteor Shower peaks and king tides all overlap in the coming days, and the planets are doing some really stunning things as well. (Above: stars over Rockaway Beach - photo Oregon Coast Beach Connection).

The peak of the Geminid meteor showers happens December 12 and 13, though you should be able to see a fair amount on either side of those dates as well. Sometimes they produce as many as 100  150 meteors in an hour.

The winter solstice full moon happens December 15, and that has its own special set of astronomy tidbits.

Then there's king tides coming up because of that full moon, happening December 13  15 along the Oregon coast and most spots on the Washington coast (though some locales are slightly offset, such as up north around Forks).

Geminids 2024

If you've encountered clear nights and looked up, it's quite possible you've already seen some of these meteors.

According to Jim Todd, astronomy expert with Portland's OMSI, it's the early morning of December 12 and 13 that will be the most prolific, but it's still possibly putting a good show for a few days after. It technically goes until December 21.



Above: stars move in amazing ways at night at Arch Cape near Cannon Beach

This is the one major shower that provides good activity before midnight as the constellation of Gemini is well placed from after 10 p.m. onward, Todd told Oregon Coast Beach Connection.  In 2024, a nearly full moon will greatly reduce the number of meteors seen. If your skies are clear and transparent, you can still see many bright meteors by facing a direction with the moon at your back.

See Oregon Coast Weather (including tides) - Inland Oregon Weather

Still, these ones are bright enough they should put on a spectacle, Todd said. Indeed, Oregon Coast Beach Connection spotted one enormous meteor early in December.

Due to their medium-slow velocity, persistent trains are not usually seen, Todd said. Geminids are pieces of debris from 3200 Phaethon, an asteroid with unusual characteristics in that its orbit looks more like that of a comet than an asteroid, and has been referred to as a 'rock comet.' 

The Solstice Full Moon 2024

If you've ever noticed how bright the moon is in winter, you're absolutely right. It's brighter than summer and gets much higher in the sky. This full one takes place on December 15.

The Full Moon nearest the Winter Solstice is the highest full moon of the year, Todd said. Plus, notice the beautiful white as it rises from the east.

It is always named for the fact it comes closest to the Winter Solstice, which comes December 21. That will be the shortest day of the year, and after that  thankfully  days start getting longer.



Check out the moon over Waldport.

The highest 'Full Moon' for December is when the Moon will be over 72 degrees above the southern horizon (approximately the height of the midsummer mid-day Sun which culminates at 68 degrees), Todd said.

King Tides December 2024

That moon and its interaction with the sun are the reason there are king tides. They are created when the moon and sun line up just right, and their combined gravitational force yanks at the Earth much more than any other time of year, creating bulges in the planet that move the tides. Oregon Coast's King Tides Project Hosts Photo Contest

King tides make a special raucous in Seaside - Seaside Aquarium photo.

What are actually known as perigean spring tides refer to the highest tides of the year. With the full moon happening on the 15th, tides always get shifted around more just ahead of the full moon.

The night sky above Bandon, on the south coast. Photo courtesy Manuela Durson Fine Arts

This year, most of it happens on December 13  15, but some areas in northern Washington get it on the 14th through 16th. - www.oregonkingtides.net - See the Washington King Tides Project for detailed dates.

December's Planetary Show

Todd said you'll see Venus low in the west just after sunset, with it and Jupiter putting on a phenomenal show.

Saturn shines in the south most of the night, Jupiter rises in the early evening alongside Taurus and Orion, while Mars trails a couple of hours behind, visible high in the early morning sky, Todd said.

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New, Accessibility-Focused Park Opens in Lincoln City, Inspired by Oregon Coast Landmarks

Published 12/12/24 at 6:15 a.m.

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff





(Lincoln City, Oregon)  A new kind of park and playground for the Oregon coast gets its opening fanfare soon, with the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Lincoln City's Schooner Creek Discovery Park at 10 a.m. on December 14. Explore Lincoln City says it encourages the public to show up at 4815 SE 51st in Lincoln City, celebrating this new inclusive and accessible playground.

Its features are designed to make the playground enjoyable and safe for everyone of all ages  and all kinds of abilities.

The City of Lincoln City furthers its commitment to inclusion with this opening of its first inclusive and accessible playground, said Explore Lincoln City. Having wheelchair accessibility with multigenerational play components supports usage by those with disabilities, and represents the inclusive playground theme - 'Where Everybody Finds Their Favorite Spot.' 

The opening event is hosted by Lincoln City Parks & Recreation Department as well as Lincoln City City Council, featuring Oregon officials such as the Lincoln City mayor, OR State Senator Dick Anderson, State Rep. David Gomberg, local city councilors and other leaders. It will be rain or shine  and those who attend the central Oregon coast happening will enjoy free treats and prizes, and try out all the new playground equipment.

The first 100 youth to attend the ribbon cutting will receive two free passes to the Lincoln City Community Center, the agency said.





LCP&R undertook extensive public outreach to inform the design of the playground and the broader park. It incorporates some of the Oregon coast most beloved landmarks into its design. Drawing inspiration from Siletz Bay, the playground features four climbing structures modeled after the Four Brothers rock formations and a play hill reminiscent of the sand spit along the bay.

Inclusive equipment at the playground includes non-verbal communication boards and accessible surfacing throughout with contrasting surface colors for those with low vision. Plantings create enclosed areas at the playground's edges, while benches are designed with companion seats for wheelchair users. The play hill has an accessible path to the top and an accessible slide with a dignity landing. The climber includes a transfer station at the base with accessible belt climbers to reach higher levels. Swing options include a rope nest and other inclusive swings with varying challenges. Cozy spots, logs, and wood domes provide quiet spaces to rest. There are also musical instruments that are accessible and engaging to the senses, among other features.





Schooner Creek Discovery Park spans 6.71 acres and is the top priority of the 2016 Lincoln City Parks System Plan. The park will feature several firsts for Lincoln City and the Coast, including the first inclusive and accessible playground, the first permanent outdoor pickleball courts, the first covered multi-sports court, and the first public turfed multi-sport field. Additionally, the park will have a special event stage and lawn, picnic shelters, an open space trail, and more. The playground opening marks the completion of Phase 1 of the project, with Phase 2 (stage, promenade, and lawn) expected to be finished in 2025, and Phase 3 (multi-sport courts and fields) slated for completion in 2026.

The park's development and construction involve a partnership between Lincoln City City Council, Lincoln City Parks & Recreation Board, Friends of Lincoln City Parks and Recreation 501c3, and the Design/Build team led by LC Parks & Recreation, LC Public Works, K&E Excavating, DOWL, and Understory Landscape Architecture.

Phase 1 playground construction is partially funded by various donors and grants, including Travel Oregon, Rep. Gomberg and Senator Anderson with advocacy for State Bill 5202, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, Christmas Cottage in Lincoln City, Ford Family Foundation, Friends of LCP&R, Lincoln County Community & Economic Development, Marie Lamfrom Charitable Foundation, Oregon Community Foundation, Oregon Parks Foundation, Pacific Power Foundation, Reser Family Foundation, Roundhouse Foundation, Siletz Tribal Charitable Contribution Fund, and many other individual community donors.

This inclusive and accessible playground embodies Lincoln Citys vision of welcoming all, making certain that everyone has access to outdoor recreational opportunities, Lincoln City Mayor Susan Wahlke said. I am very excited about the completion of this first phase of development at our new Schooner Creek Discovery Park. Since this new playground incorporates multigenerational play amenities to support use by those with disabilities and mobility needs, I look forward to many hours of fun here with my grandson.

The Schooner Creek Discovery Park playground will open on Dec 14 to welcome all visitors, who are encouraged to visit and explore the new features.

For more info on Schooner Creek Discovery Park development, see https://www.lincolncity.org/departments/ parks-recreation/schooner-creek-discovery-park-development.

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Four Brothers structure at Lincoln City

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Offshore Quake Thursday Creates Tsunami Warning, Evacuations on Southern Oregon Coast

Published 12/08/24 at 2:55 a.m.

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Reedsport, Oregon) - Early Thursday morning, a significant earthquake struck just offshore from Eureka, California, prompting a brief yet alarming tsunami warning from the U.S. Tsunami Warning System and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This led towns along the southern Oregon coast to issue evacuation alerts.

The earthquake, measuring a magnitude of 7.0, hit 45 miles southwest of Eureka at 10:44 a.m. Such a magnitude meets the threshold for potential tsunamis. By 10:49 a.m., the National Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, Alaska, had issued a tsunami warning stretching from San Francisco to the southern Oregon coast.

Reedsport activated its levee system, and all south coast towns had one degree of warning or another: Bandon, Coos Bay, Port Orford, Gold Beach and Brookings.

At a magnitude 7.0, that is the threshold for the possibilities of a tsunami.

There is a tsunami warning for the southern Oregon coast from the California border northward to the Douglas / Lane county line. If you are in the warned area, move inland to higher ground, the warning initially read.

Some 1.3 million people live along that stretch of the warning, said the US Geological Survey (USGS).

Just before noon, the warning was cancelled, but not before many in south coast towns of Brookings, Gold Beach, Bandon, Coos Bay and Reedsport went to higher ground. In Brookings, webcams at the harbor showed fishing boats heading out to sea quickly after the alert went out.



Battle Rock, Port Orford, courtesy Flickr / Julia Sumangil



Oregon State Parks closed all beaches in that region. They were reopened around 3 p.m.

Luckily, this event was a side-to-side quake in the southern quake zone, and not a strike-slip. That would have caused a tsunami. This area  from northern California through to just north of Coos Bay  gets quakes quite often, and it has nothing to do with the big one expected from the Cascadia faultline. That one could happen tomorrow, in the next few weeks, or maybe not for another few hundred years.

The fault system where the earthquake originated is in the Mendocino Fracture Zone, which is the boundary between the Pacific and Juan de Fuca oceanic plates, said Oregon Emergency Management Thursday.



Above Coos Bay - photo Manuela Durson - see Manuela Durson Fine Arts

Oregon Coast Visitors Association (OCVA) has some employees living on the south coast, including Dave Lacey in Gold Beach and Stacy Gunderson in Brookings.

Later afternoon on Thursday, no one as yet had any numbers on how many people evacuated, but Gunderson told Oregon Coast Beach Connection Brookings has some natural safeguards.

Fortunately, much of the town is in the 'safe' zone, she said. I can say the schools stayed open and for the most part, it was business as usual.

All an abundance of caution, said OCVA's Lacey.



Above Yoakam Point - photo Manuela Durson - see Manuela Durson Fine Arts



In Reedsport, the town activated its levee system, manmade walls which can keep out waves up to a certain height. Many there went to higher ground or were told to get behind the levee system.

In Coos Bay, Janice Langlinais, executive director of Oregons Adventure Coast, said there was much movement in that town as well.

We did evacuate because the Coos Bay visitor center is in the center of downtown, Langlinais said. Most of the downtown was evacuated to higher ground, but as soon as the warning was canceled, people started moving back into the downtown core.



Near Gold Beach, photo Manuela Durson - see Manuela Durson Fine Arts

Around the Port Orford area, Cape Blanco Heritage Society's Rebecca Malamud-Evans said that while she was already inland and stayed there after the warning. She got the impression from her social media feed that area had a slightly chaotic evacuation.

Oregon officials will evaluate the response as they did in previous tsunami alerts on the coast, including the largescale one in 2011. Looking Back: Tsunami Scare on Oregon Coast

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More About Beach Safety Guides

Watching Storms Safely on the Oregon Coast Officials get fairly worried when this part of the year comes along, as beach safety is a concern year-round. but even more so when those attractive, monster waves start rolling in and crowds start arriving to watch

Tips for Spotting A Sneaker Wave - in Oregon or Any Other Beach It doesn't take big storms to create wonton ocean surges. Sneaker waves can happen even in somewhat calm conditions

Can You Swim in the Pacific Ocean on the Oregon Coast? While there is no real official stand on this by Oregon tourism or state authorities, the general answer is: yes, sort of - but that doesn't mean you should.

Can I Drive on Oregon Coast Beaches? Rules, Regulations for Cars, Vehicles

Pet Safety Tips for Your Dog on the Oregon Coast

Beach safety is something you have to keep in mind not only for yourself but for your pet as well Places not to go with your dog on the coast, and beaches where they will have fun plenty of fun

Surprising Unknown Rules of the Oregon Coast There's a lot coastal tourism entities haven't told you: beach fires, camping, dogs, running out of gas

Oregon Coast Safety Reminders for Holiday: No Fireworks, Camping on Beaches It turns shooting off fireworks on all Oregon beaches is against the law, and camping on the beaches is prohibited on most of the coast

Oregon Coast Beach Safety from Oregon State Parks and Recreation

Live Earthquake, Tsunami Updates from Oregon Coast, Washington. B.C., California, Alaska

Latest in Oregon Coast Tsunami Debris News - How to Report Tsunami Debris

Flood watch active for Oregon Saturday and Sunday

14 Mar 2025 at 4:02am

A flood watch was released by the National Weather Service on Friday at 10 a.m. in effect until Sunday at 11 p.m. for Central Coast of Oregon, Central Oregon Coast Range Lowlands, Central Oregon Coast ...

Update: Flood watch expected to expire at 10 a.m.

21 Feb 2025 at 10:40pm

The watch was for South Central Oregon Coast and Curry County Coast ... yourself camping in a low-lying region. To ensure your safety, the weather service offers essential flood safety guidelines ...

Spring Whale Watch Week returns to the Oregon Coast for spring break visitors

13 Mar 2025 at 11:56am

Oregon State Parks will host Spring Whale Watch Week along the Oregon Coast from Saturday, March 22 through Sunday, March 30. Trained Oregon State Park volunteers and rangers will be stationed at 14 s ...

Jackson County sheriff to conduct watercraft dry dock safety inspections

13 Mar 2025 at 6:00am

The Jackson County Sheriff?s Office Marine Division is conducting watercraft dry dock safety inspections this weekend. Boat owners who pass inspection will get their 2025 Oregon State Marine Board ...

Oregon moves to ban net-pen aquaculture

5 Mar 2025 at 3:18am

Oregon is set to join West Coast neighbors in banning commercial net-pen aquaculture, a move that has sparked debate among industry advocates and environmentalists.

Oregon elk tranquilized, freed from buoy and rope tangled in its antlers

13 Feb 2025 at 8:55pm

An elk is now buoy-free on the Oregon coast after wildlife and emergency ... held a pre-operation safety meeting, and made sure they had the right resources before trying to free the elk.

Nonprofits sue agency over delayed Endangered Species Act protections for Chi...

18 Feb 2025 at 5:58am

According to the lawsuit, the nonprofits petitioned the agency to list the Oregon Coast, southern Oregon and northern California coastal Chinook salmon populations as endangered in August 2022.

Legislators push to prohibit net pen aquaculture in Oregon

26 Feb 2025 at 10:26am

Oregon is the only West Coast state that allows commercial fish farming using net pens. State legislators could prohibit the practice.
Oregon Coast Frequently Asked Questions - Oregon Coast FAQ's

Updated Weekly





(Oregon Coast)  Nature, beaches, wildlife, creatures, places to eat, places to stay, things to see and do and lots more. These are the oft-asked questions about the region, and you will get a hefty overview of everything you ever wanted to know about this shoreline. More questions and answers will be added periodically. (or Ask an Oregon Coast Question here)

Also, keep in mind many of your questions may be answered in the column just to the right, with all the lodging, dining, weather and events links.

You'll find answers regarding:

Lodging

Dining

Beaches, Maps

Beach Safety

Swimming

Driving on Beaches

Bonfires

Pets - Pet safety

Tides

Kids

Traffic alerts

Mileage, Directions

Attractions



Where can I find lodging on the Oregon coast? Vacation rentals on the Oregon coast? It all depends on where you're heading. You can find Oregon coast lodging listings here, including a format for smartphones. Oregon coast vacation rentals are listed. Links to larger, more detailed listings for each of the areas are found there. There are categories for pet friendly lodgings and oceanfront lodgings as well. Or you can search for what amenities you want here.

Where can I find a large, comprehensive list of lodging? The Oregon Coast Lodging Comprensive Guide does just that.

Where can find places to to eat on the coast? The Oregon coast restaurant dining guide will help you narrow that down, including some links to the latest restaurant news and reviews.

What are the best beaches on the Oregon coast? Now that's a tricky question, and it all depends on what you prefer. Do you like sandy, soft beaches? Ones that go on for miles and miles? Or do you like some rocky spots of interest in between? Do you perhaps prefer purely rocky spots with lots of tide pools and wild wave drama? See the virutal tours at right for further information.

Heading north to south, really sandy beaches include Warrenton and Gearhart, most of Seaside, and most of Cannon Beach, the towns of Manzanita, Rockaway Beach, Pacific City, parts of Oceanside, Lincoln City, Gleneden Beach, Waldport, most of Newport, and some areas just north of Yachats.

Those with mixed sand and rocky attractions include just south of Cannon Beach, Oceanside, parts of Pacific City, parts of Newport, and the 20-mile stretch between Yachats and Florence. Purely rocky areas include Yachats, Depoe Bay and some spots just north of Manzanita.

It's best to follow those links to the virtual tours of each area to get a better overview.

Oregon Coast Beach Safety - what is dangerous on the Oregon coast? See the Oregon Coast Beach Safety Articles, Updates section for a vast array of tips, including swimming on the coast, pet safety, driving on the beaches or even any beach closures and health alerts, if any. Or the Oregon State Parks Beach Safety Guide

Can You Swim on the Oregon Coast?

Can I Drive on Oregon Coast Beaches? Rules, Regulations for Cars, Vehicles

What is there to do? You're kidding, right? The question should be what ISN'T there to do? Beaches and all the obvious means of fun (like walking, sandcastles, kites, wading, etc) abound, and rocky areas provide crazy wave action. But if you love fine dining, attractions for kids, live music, wine tasting and shopping  it's all there. You may find the Atypical Things To Do on the Oregon Coast particularly illuminating, however.

What is there to do for kids on the Oregon coast? Every area is different. See Oregon Coast for Kids, Children: Family Attractions, Beaches Guide

Where can I find updated weather? Constantly updated weather forecasts, conditions and alerts are at Oregon Coast Weather. From there, follow links to individual cities for even more information, including tide tables and any weather alerts from National Weather Service.

How do I know if there's a traffic problem in the coast range or on Highway 101? Oregon Coast Traffic Conditions has all this up-to-the-minute info and even more.

Where can we see whales on the Oregon coast? Probably the best place year-round is the Whale Watch Center in Depoe Bay, as they have people there to help you see them. But they can be spotted from anywhere, though it depends on weather and sea conditions. They are more easily seen from high vantage points.

Also, Depoe Bay does tend to have a better vantage point to the year-round whales that tend to linger, and there does seem to be a bit more of them there and just south of Depoe Bay. See the Tips for Spotting Whales and the Oregon Coast Whales page, which features lots of general guides and news about local whales.

When can I see whales on the Oregon coast? More tend to be spotted on the great migration months of December into January, and then March through June. More importantly, however, are general conditions. Whales get hidden by large waves and rain with fog, so calm seas are a big plus. State officials say head to a high spot, bring binoculars and plenty of patience.

Again, much more is at the Tips for Spotting Whales and the Oregon Coast Whales page.

Maps of Oregon Coast? If you're looking for a general map of the area, see Oregon coast map and mileage page. Maps for individual areas  with tons of details about them, including milepost information  are at the virtual tours. For Clatsop County there are the Astoria, Warrenton, Gearhart Virtual Tour, Map; the Seaside Virtual Tour, Map; the Cannon Beach/Arch Cape Virtual Tour, Map. In Tillamook County, it's the Rockaway Beach, Manzanita, Nehalem Bay Virtual Tour Map; the Tillamook Bay virtual tour and map; the Three Capes Virtual Tour and Map for Oceanside, Netarts and Pacific City. On the central coast and for Lincoln County, there's the Lincoln City and Neskowin Virtual Tour, Map; the Depoe Bay and Gleneden Beach Virtual Tour and Map; the Newport Virtual Tour and Map; the Waldport, Seal Rock Tour and Map; and the Yachats Virtual Tour and Map. Also see the Upper Lane County virtual tour and map for those hidden beaches south of there.

What about beach bonfires on the Oregon coast? Camping on beaches of the Oregon coast? What are the rules for dogs? What if I run out of gas? See the Surprising Unknown Rules of the Oregon coast for these answers, including some rules about a few lodgings that aren't always talked about.

Where can I find a guide to Oregon coast beaches? Again, your best bets for a serious overview are the virtual tours listed above, which provide you a quick glance what these beaches and towns look like, and then you can click on the individual tour stops to see more. There are literally hundreds of photos between all the tours.

Beyond the virtual tours, there are complete guides to some beach areas which list every beach access. See the Seaside Complete Guide, Cannon Beach Complete Guide, Lincoln City Complete Guide and the Waldport, Seal Rock Complete Guide.

What is Sea Foam on the Coast? The short answer is a form of phytoplankton, more or less.And no, it's not pollution. It's a good thing. More at Oregon Coast Science Experts: What is Sea Foam?

Oregon Coast Tsunami Debris Questions: What are the Red Bulbs?

What are these Creatures I Found on Oregon Coast? See the Oregon coast science section to answer questions about creatures found on beaches.

Where Can i Find a List of Attractions on the Oregon coast? Oregon Coast Attractions, Spas lists the manmade attractions and the natural attractions.

How Do We Report Tsunami Debris on the Oregon coast? Tsunami Debris News from Oregon Coast - How to Report Debris

When is the Next Glass Float Ball Drop in Lincoln City?

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Oregon Coast Outdoor Guide - At a Glance

Published 05/01/2011

Wreck of the Peter Iredale, Warrenton

(Oregon Coast) - Long walks on the beach, playing in the sand or bouncing around the many rocky slabs that comprise chunks of this area are the big attraction to the Oregon coast. But theres also crabbing, clamming, hiking, boating, kayaking, whale watching and other activities that make for a complete visit.

If you've ever needed a quick reference guide to the outdoors for the Oregon coast  this would be it. Follow the links to further information and details.

Astoria/Warrenton Area: see the Astoria Virtual Tour and do a search on Astoria/Warrenton articles. Astoria itself has no beaches as its on the mouth of the Columbia. But there are numerous lakes and outdoor attractions here, as well as many riverside beaches.

The beach starts at Warrenton, where youll find more enormous lakes, the Wreck of the Peter Iredale and a bundle of civil war-era fortress attractions. The south jetty is a spectacular beach spot and viewpoint. Soft, sandy beaches continue down for 15 miles or so.

Seaside, Oregon and its upscale little brother Gearhart are comprised of mostly soft, sandy beach spots. Take the Seaside, Oregon Virtual Tour or the Complete Guide to Seaside for a complete list of all beach accesses there.

Cannon Beach comes up next, where Haystack Rock and miles of pristine beaches lay.

The northern end features landmarks like Ecola State Park, a heap of hiking trails and the surfing hotspot of Indian Beach. South of town, the beaches meander beneath high cliffs, the rocks-meets-sand beaches of Arch Cape, and major hiking drama around Cape Falcon. Theres more at the Cannon Beach Virtual Tour and the Cannon Beach, Oregon Complete Guide, which lists all beach access.

The Manzanita area begins with Neahkahnie Mountain, its stunning overlooks and miles of trails to the top of the mountain. The sandy stretch of Manzanita gives way to the Nehalem Bay and all its outdoor activities, such as clamming, fishing, boating and more. Then Rockaway Beach continues southward with seven more miles of strand. Theres more at the Nehalem Bay Virtual tour.

Barview begins the next stretch, the northern part of Tillamook Bay. There, Garibaldi, Bay City, Tillamook and Bay Ocean provide all sorts of boat ramps, fishing guide tours and more. See the Tillamook Bay Virtual Tour.

The Three Capes Loop is 25 miles of amazing, often clandestine beaches and cliff viewpoints. There, Cape Meares, Oceanside, Netarts, Cape Lookout, Tierra Del Mar, Pacific City and Cape Kiwanda create a great variety of things to do. Miles and miles of hiking trails snake throughout the area. There is the Three Capes Virtual Tour that tells more, as well as the Three Capes Complete Guide, which outlines every beach access.

Just south of there, you get to the stunning and secretive beaches of Neskowin, and 15-minute drive from there will get you into Lincoln City. The town is about ten miles of meandering, beachy fun, which includes a glorious bay and a huge array of beachcombing possibilities. See the Lincoln City Virtual Tour or the Lincoln City, Oregon Complete Guide.

Depoe Bay is the next little town, although theres plenty to do along the stretches of sand at Gleneden Beach and Lincoln Beach, where it suddenly turns into the rocky cliff areas that the little town is known for. The bay here is chock full of fishing and whale watch guide boats. Just south of town are many high vantage points, like Cape Foulweather, with a mix of rocky platforms and low beaches. See the Depoe Bay Virtual Tour.

Newport features miles and miles of beaches again, many of them surfing hotspots. Yaquina Head is huge for hiking. Fishing, clamming and other activities are big at Yaquina Bay, and then the area becomes the sandy stretch known as South Beach. See the Newport Virtual Tour.

Waldport and Seal Rock are just south of town, with more of a mix of stunning rock climbing possibilities and long walks on the beach. This is where the Oregon coast starts to get filled with secret spots. The Waldport  Seal Rock Virtual Tour and the Waldport  Seal Rock Complete Guide will show you more, including all beach access.

At Yachats, the landscape turns from sand to surfaces made of rocky basalt, and these massive, craggy structures dominate. Theres the 804 Trail here  which is handicap accessible  and other hidden beaches, towering viewpoints and long walk possibilities like Cape Perpetua, the Devils Churn and a stellar chunk of the Oregon Coast Trail. See the Yachats Virtual Tour for details.

Between here and Florence sits 25 miles of unforgettable beaches, hiking trails and natural wonders. See the Upper Lane County Virtual Tour for details and photographs.

Then to Florence, where the river that heads to the sea is the center of life, and surfing, sandboarding, boating and hiking happen along miles and miles of trails, lakes and huge sand dunes. See the Florence, Oregon Virtual Tour.

Below: a cave near Florence, just beneath the Heceta Head Lighthouse.

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Wednesday on Syria's triumphant HTS rebels to follow through on promises of inclusion, saying it can learn a lesson from the isolation of Afghanistan's Taliban.

The Islamist movement rooted in Al-Qaeda and supported by Turkey has promised to protect minorities since its lightning offensive toppled strongman Bashar al-Assad this month following years of stalemate.

"The Taliban projected a more moderate face, or at least tried to, in taking over Afghanistan, and then its true colors came out. The result is it remains terribly isolated around the world," Blinken said at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York.

After some initial overtures to the West, the Taliban reimposed a strict interpretation of Islamic law that includes barring women and girls from secondary school and university.

"So if you're the emerging group in Syria," Blinken said, "if you don't want that isolation, then there's certain things that you have to do in moving the country forward."

Blinken called for a "non-sectarian" Syrian government that protects minorities and addresses security concerns, including keeping the fight against the Islamic State group and removing lingering chemical weapons stockpiles.

Blinken said that HTS can also learn lessons from Assad on the need to reach a political settlement with other groups.

"Assad's utter refusal to engage in any kind of political process is one of the things that sealed his downfall," Blinken said.
Oregon Coast Science Experts: What is Sea Foam? (Video)

Published 10/06/2013 - Updated 2024

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff





(Oregon Coast)  It can be the talk of the town when it happens  or talk of the towns - along the Oregon coast. Huge amounts of sea foam can make quite the splash around the region, especially during and just after those wild winter storms. (Above: foamy Lincoln City).

But just what is sea foam?

What it isn't is a form of pollution  it's exactly the opposite, in fact. It does create a kind of shocked reaction in people that haven't seen sea foam before, and this in turn causes them to ask locals about something the locals don't understand is even being questioned in the first place. Beach-dwelling Oregonians are very used to it.

Dr. Bill Hanshumaker, with the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport [as of this writing in 2013], said that essentially foam in the ocean is created by tiny little phytoplankton that have died and how their skeletons change the surface tension of the water. The more phytoplankton, the more dead ones you have. The more skeletons of phytoplankton you have out there, the more surface tension and the more bubbles you have in the form of sea foam.



Above: photo of diatoms under a microscope courtesy Seaside Aquarium

Phytoplankton are tiny one-celled organisms that are essentially the bottom of the food chain, kind of like microscopic plants. Whales eat gobs of them, and they also in turn create just about all that sea foam the Oregon coast is known for.

It's a lot like soap bubbles, Hanshumaker explains. In fact, just like it  except the materials are different, and almost as clean.

It's very much the way that soap bubbles are created by changing surface tension and allowing air to be trapped between layers of fluid, Hanshumaker said.



Oregon Coast Beach Connection photo: Really thick foam near Yachats - so heavy it started to float upwards, looking like snow going the wrong direction



The critical ingredient in foam  on an even tinier level - is the cytoplasm of phytoplankton, a kind of fatty material that holds them together.This is inside the phytoplankton cell. These cytoplasm bits wind up gluing the skeletons together, forming layers that trap the air inside the fluid known as the ocean, and thus creating the bubbles.

This is the cause of all the foam you see on the Oregon coast  and other beaches around the world  whether it's a lot of foam or just a little bit. Almost all the time, except for unusually calm days, you'll see sea foam.

In stormy weather, however, that's when it can get really spectacular, showing up in huge masses of sudsy stuff that can look like snow.

The more wind, however, the more foam you're apt to see. But a few other elements can send these big phytoplankton events into overdrive, like a phytoplankton bloom  which is sort of a mass birth of the little critters.

First you have upwelling, which is cold water causing a lot of nutrients coming up, Hanshumaker said. When there's a lot nutrients in the water, you have a phytoplankton bloom, diatoms, dinoflagellates  a huge population. Then you have the wind and storms which breaks apart cells, the cell fat tends to glue the skeletons together and trap the air, causing them to pile up in suds-like masses.

REALLY Wild Sea Foam - Oregon Coast Sent to us by a reader in 2022 (and we apologize but we can't find who it came from.....but we think it's Sherry Smith). Appears to be Yachats. This is what sea foam looks like when it goes BONKERs in the winter (and spring). Amazing major suds events. What is sea foam? It's actually a good thing and kind'a complex. See https://www.beachconnection.net/news/seafoam100613_510.php Posted by Oregon Coast Beach Connection on Thursday, November 7, 2024

Upwellings in the ocean can change their habits from year to year, causing foam to be a bit different each year. in 2012, for instance, winds shifted back and forth from southwest to northwest. This causes foam clumps and spectacular foam events to be rather episodic  meaning on and off. If you have winds more continually from the northwest, this keeps the upwellings around and thus the sea foam sightings as well, Hanshumaker said.

Diatoms tend to be more prevalent in this part of the Pacific Ocean than dinoflagellates. Dinoflagellates are actually the form of phytoplankton that cause glowing sand to happen on the beaches at night (more about glowing sand here). So if you see a lot of sea foam happening, and there hasn't been any rain in the last 24 hours to kill off the dinoflagellates, you're chances of seeing glowing sand is increased some.

Diatoms tend to really let you know when there's a lot of them. All of a sudden, especially in winter and spring, you start to see brown foam in the surf, often on the beaches too. This is caused by huge amounts of diatoms. That Wonderful But Weird Thing That Freaks Out People on Oregon Coast: Brown Waves

This tends to happen up around Seaside, Gearhart and Warrenton in such a heavy-handed way it alarms tourists. Because of the Columbia River, nutrient levels can be so good for diatoms they appear in such large, dark clumps of brown foam that it looks like oil on the beaches, or some brown sludge even. The waves in Seaside can be quite brown at times.

But it's a good thing. In fact, it's the sign of a healthy ocean. The Seaside Aquarium and local tourism officials are forced to field lots of questions about it from tourists and post many signs on the subject as it really freaks people out.

In fact, on many occasions on beaches you'll see dark, brown streaks or spots, or even black spots. That usually is not oil  except maybe on some of the few beaches where driving is allowed, like Pacific City, Gearhart or Warrenton.

Another interesting factoid about these forms of sea foam: what they look like under a microscope.

Dinoflagellates look like a soap bubble with a tail, or a hook, Hanshumaker said. Diatoms have a more symmetrical structure.

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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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Surprising Unknown Rules of the Oregon Coast

Updated Weekly

Camping is banned on the beaches of Manzanita

(Oregon Coast)  Secrets are aplenty along this shoreline, and not just in the form of hidden spots. Bundles of factoids exist just under the surface that could really avoid all sorts of problems on your coastal visit.

Many of them are rules or tidbits of common sense you should probably heed, yet coastal visitor agencies haven't imparted these bits of necessary wisdom.

Can You Pitch a Tent Just About Anywhere? Sleep on the Beach?

This is not allowed, especially on most beaches. Towns and villages like Manzanita, Tierra del Mar and all of Clatsop County between Cannon Beach and Astoria completely ban camping on the beach, as do some state parks. It may not be outright stated that it's prohibited to pitch a tent on some beaches, but don't be surprised if authorities come and boot you. Read the signs at the beach access.

Unfortunately, it is not clearly makred in all coastal towns. Most, if not all, have banned sleeping on the beaches or in parking lots, but they have not yet put up signs declaring it illegal.

As tempting as it may seem, any expert on the beaches will tell you not to sleep on any beach for a number of safety reasons.

You cannot park and sleep within city limits of just about all towns. You cannot sleep in your vehicle in the parking lots of waysides and beaches within city limits. In fact, most parking areas have signs designating no parking within certain times at night.

You can sometimes park and sleep in gravel pullouts or viewpoints along Highway 101 that are outside of towns, but make sure you look at the signage as sometimes other civic authorities have declared it as illegal.

Some beaches will let your pooch run unihibited.

Dogs on the Beach

Numerous beaches do require Fido to be on a leash, especially state parks. Make sure you check the regulations at the access. More obscure beaches and many strands in front of cities don't seem to regulate leashes - but again, you must check the signage, if any. Oregon State Parks strongly urges you to "be a responsible pet owner regarding cleaning up after your pet so our beautiful Oregon coast beaches can be enjoyed by all."

Most beaches now have doggie doo-doo bag dispensers so you can clean up after your pet.

Florence: don't use beach logs for fires.

Beach Fire Rules: Simple but Strict

Oregon State Parks oversees this states beaches and these rules, but they often differ from access to access. These are posted on most trails or accesses. While most allow fires  some dont. Be sure to check.

The rules are strict, but theyre also basic common sense.

Dont use large logs  only small pieces of wood. Obviously, build them AWAY from the vegetation line, quite a ways away. The same with piles of driftwood: stay from them as you could start another, larger fire.

When youre done with your beach fire  do NOT bury it. Put it out with water, but leave the remnants visible so any still-hot embers that may be left arent lurking beneath the surface, waiting to burn someone walking barefoot over what looks like regular sand. These fires can smolder for hours.



The Nightmare of Running Out of Gas

This warning sign is almost halfway between Tillamook and Portland.

Luckily, almost every beach town now has a gas station open late or all night, so running out of gas isnt as big a problem as it used to be a decade or two ago.

The off-seasons see shorter hours for gas stations.

Even in the summer, most stations shut down before 9 p.m., and there are several stretches where there are no gas stations - and the distances between stations are often 20 to 30 miles in lots of places.

Highway 6, between Portland and Tillamook, has a 40-miles stretch where there are no gas stations. The last one until Tillamook is at about the 41-mile marker. Road signs on both directions of the highway warn where this gasless tract begins. Get fueled up in Tillamook, or along Highway 26 before the Highway 6 junction, just to make sure.

Rockaway Beach has no gas station.

Towns like Yachats, Rockaway or Manzanita could find you stranded after the early evening, or stuck in one of the long stretches near there, between major towns. There are no stations in Rockaway, and those in Garibaldi or Manzanita close in the evening  more than ten miles away in either direction. There is no longer a gas station in Cannon Beach, either.

If youre traveling in the middle of the night, the only all night gas stations are in Tillamook and Seaside, about fifty miles of no gas.

Watch your fuel gauge closely if you're making long trips late at night on the central coast as well. In Florence, Newport and Lincoln City there are usually 24-hour gas stations, but not in other towns. Those stations in Depoe Bay, Yachats and Pacific City close down rather early.

There are no gas stations in that 20-mile stretch between Lincoln City and Pacific City, or that 25-mile frontier between Yachats and Florence. Update/Note: at this time (April 2016) htere is no gas station in Yachats, leaving the only stations nearby in Waldport, 7 miles north of Yachats. This could change in the next year, however.

The beaches between Florence and Yachats are stunning, but there are no gas stations in that 25-mile stretch.

An interesting tip that may come in handy: If you are in danger of running out of gas, make it to a city with cab service. Sometimes, you can call on a cab to bring you gas in a can from their own supply. This isn't guaranteed, however, and they dont advertise this at all, because theyre technically not allowed to do this. Besides, towns large enough to have cab services usually have a late-night gas station or two.

Are You 25 Years or Younger in Seaside?

You may have a problem. Many lodgings in the north coast town don't allow young folks under the age of (approximately) 25 to rent a room without a parent or guardian. It's a popular hotspot for early twentysomethings, and young partiers have apparently ruined it for the rest in the eyes of many business owners. The age limit differs between lodgings, but it's generally around 23 - 25. It's best to call ahead to your favorite lodging to double-check.

Even More: Oregon Coast Frequently Asked Questions

Find out about Oregon coast whales, find lodging lists for the Oregon coast, places to eat, about swimming on the coast, about crab shells, strange creatures on the beaches, maps for the coast, what is the best of the Oregon coast, and more about nature, beaches, things to do and attractions. Oregon Coast Frequently Asked Questions.

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Unusually Large Number of Female Dungeness on Washington Coast Beaches, Officials a Little Worried

Published 12/09/24 at 9:55 p.m.

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Coplais, Washington)  Here's a bit of a weird one: wildlife officials in Washington don't know what to make of a new find along the state's coastline. There's a whole lotta female Dungeness crabs showing up on the beaches  where they normally are not this time of year. And there's way more than usual. (Photo WDFW: female Dungeness laden with eggs)

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) said the find has them a little concerned with a big schedule of clam digs coming up, wanting to make sure clam diggers don't mistake the air bubbles in the surf for clams. Female Dungeness need to be left alone when crabbing, both here and on the Oregon coast, to ensure a healthy population.

When you see a certain kind of bubbles in the wet sand at the tideline it's known as a show, a term associated with razor clams. It generally means there's a clam down there and it's a sign to dig for the razor morsel.

However, some Washington coast beaches have had shows that were female Dungeness in a rather sensitive state.



Courtesy Washington Sea Grant

How to tell the difference between a male and female Dungeness? The underside of the female Dungeness crab has a wider, rounder middle area, while the male's is a long, thinner shape.

WDFW has received reports of gravid (egg-bearing) female Dungeness crabs on beaches during razor clam digs last week and this week, the agency said. Although its common to encounter a few crabs during fall digs, recent numbers have been uncommonly high. We arent certain of the reason for the increase and are unable to plan for such a rare event.

Normally, WDFW said, gravid female Dungeness go back to shallow coastal waters this time of year, where the water is colder and calmer - more ideal conditions for their eggs to develop. The crabs burrow into the seabed just offshore, which is where they stick around until the eggs are ready in spring or summer.

Why there's so many on the beach tidelines right now is an oddity.

During low tides some crabs may become exposed, partially buried, or detectable by bubbles in the sand, WDFW said.

What worries them a bit is that people will mistake them for the clams they're digging up. Here's how to tell the difference:

Buried crabs air bubbles create a show much like that of a razor clam, so please be careful when digging, the agency said. Unlike razor clam shows, which only have one hole - a small dimple, doughnut, or keyhole indentation - crab shows often have two holes close together. Another difference is that razor clams release one quick spurt of water, with a 'show' developing immediately. Buried crabs produce a stream of water, and the 'show' doesnt develop further because the crab isnt moving. You may also see the crabs hump in the sand.

See what the baby Dungeness looks like: Tiny and See-Through on the Oregon Coast: Adorable but Eerie

They're asking the public to pay close attention to the differences. It's really important female Dungeness eggs don't get disturbed and accidentally get destroyed. WDFW said to dig slowly and carefully out on the Washington coast, especially with the schedule of digs allowed this week and later in December.

Slowly probe the sand, WDFW said.



Photo Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

If you accidentally dig up a crab while digging for razor clams, please rebury it, WDFW said. Most buried crabs are within protected bays or along coastal beaches below the low water line; relatively few have been found in sections of beach overlapping with razor clam beds. Although we have unfortunately received reports of crabs being destroyed, we estimate the number to be a fraction of the overall population.

There have not been any reports sent to Oregon Coast Beach Connection on this find on the north Oregon coast  though it's possible there's been some since the area can have a lot of similarities to the south Washington side in some categories.

Mating begins in early spring for Dungeness, according to Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW). Males start looking for females that are likely molting soon, and when the lady Dungeness is ready she'll send signals to the male via special chemicals they can sense.

When they meet, a male and female may touch each other with their antennae to let each other know they are not going to attack, ODFW said.

Eggs inside the female are many, and males often carry the female around after she's molted to protect her. It's a weird kind of romantic.

In Washington, razor clam digs coming up in evening tides include Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis and Mocrocks.

Dec. 12, Thursday, 4:00 p.m.; -0.5 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

Dec. 13, Friday, 4:50 p.m.; -1.2 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

Dec. 14, Saturday, 5:36 p.m.; -1.6 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

Dec. 15, Sunday, 6:21 p.m.; -1.6 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

Dec. 16, Monday, 7:05 p.m.; -1.5 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

Dec. 17, Tuesday, 7:48 p.m.; -1.1 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

Dec. 18, Wednesday, 8:31 p.m.; -0.5 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

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Woman Rescued by Multiple S. Oregon Coast Agencies After Missing for 3 Days Near Coos Bay

Published 12/11/24 at 8:15 p.m.

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff





(Coos Bay, Oregon)  On Sunday, a tense three-day ordeal came to an end when a woman who had been missing in a south Oregon coast forest was found and brought to safety. (Photos courtesy USCG)

US Coast Guard (USCG) personnel along with partner agencies rescued a 64-year-old woman from Shore Acres State Park, Sunday. The USCG said she'd been missing since Friday evening in the area while foraging with a group of friends.

She was reported missing Friday afternoon, which brought in USCG personnel from North Bend and the Astoria station, with Oregon State Police (OSP) beginning the search. OSP soon called in for the Coast Guard's help, concerned with the woman's lack of survival gear, the rugged terrain and that nightfall was quickly coming.

An initial flight crew aboard an MH-65E Dolphin helicopter from Air Station North Bend was dispatched to the area Friday night, USCG said. The crew utilized thermal imaging but were unable to find anyone until weather forced the aircrew to return to base.

By Saturday, crews from all over joined the search: Coos County Sheriff's Office, multiple ground search parties, K-9 teams, Oregon Department of Emergency Management, the Coos County Search and Rescue Team, along with more USCG personnel. Conditions were not ideal for much of the day, but when they improved another Coast Guard flight crew flew over the area.

More crews were brought in from outside of the south Oregon coast region.





A Coast Guard flight crew from Air Station Astoria aboard an MH-60 Jayhawk was also dispatched to the park on Saturday night, arriving several hours later, USCG. The helicopter was equipped with a Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) camera to help the crew pick up on any body heat signatures in the area. During this search, no one was found.

Sunday, it was a team from California Oregon Regional Search and Rescue Task Force (CORSAR) that first heard the woman's shouts around 12:30 p.m. It was a very remote area of Shore Acres State Park, requiring the ground party to hack their way through foliage to reach her.

The party located the missing woman who was showing signs of hypothermia and dehydration, USCG said.

A Coast Guard helicopter was used to pull the woman out of the woods, hurrying her to a clearer landing site where ground crews took over. There, they built a fire to warm her up.

The North Bend crew arrived on scene at 1:45 p.m. and deployed the rescue swimmer, USCG said. The rescue swimmer placed the woman in a hypothermic bag, set up the hoist, and the flight crew safely moved the woman into the helicopter.





The helicopter crew then flew her to Bay Area Hospital in North Bend and EMS personnel took over from there.

Later, officials learned she had taken shelter beneath a log and because of this could not be seen by the FLIR camera. The helicopter flying overhead did cause her to begin shouting more, which in turn allowed ground searchers to hear her.

USCG said four agencies assisted with the rescue, along with four different USCG flight crews flying a total 8.7 hours, over five sorties. There was also an airplane from the Sheriff's department involved and several ground search parties.

Cmdr. Jay Kircher, operations officer and one of the helicopter pilots at Coast Guard Air Station North Bend, said USCG regularly trains and practices with other agencies on the Oregon coast, keeping sharp their abilities to coordinate and efficiently execute rescues.

Its fantastic to see this teamwork in action and produce a successful outcome, he said.

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Updated Weekly

A Guide to Oregon Coast Seafood Restaurants, Dining

(Oregon Coast) - For many, it's half the reason to head to the Oregon coast. For others, it's simply a requirement of being an Oregonian: indulging in the seafood, the fish 'n' chips, and of course, the chowder.

Some of the best of Oregon coast seafood restaurants are represented here  the places to chow down on chowder and other former ocean dwellers, often while staring at the waves and the place your dish came from. From family friendly to upper crust upscale, this is where to start when you get those hunger pangs after bounding around the beach.

For a full list of Oregon coast restaurants, menus, and items other than seafood....

Cannon Beach. The very family-oriented Cannon Beach Fultano's Pizza feeds your need for fishies with pizzas. Shrimp pizzas feature mushrooms and olives, a shrimp margherita with garlic and herb infused olive oil topped with a three-cheese blend, roma tomatoes, fresh garlic, red onions and fresh basil. The Seafood pesto pizza has a pesto sauce with shrimp and baby clams. You can also put anchovies or smoked oysters on your pizzas. 200 N. Hemlock and Second Street. www.CBfultanos.com (503) 436-9717.

Pelican Brewing Company Cannon Beach. Appetizers include Smoked Oyster Bruschetta features brined, smoked oysters served with spent-grain bread crostini, aioli, oven-roasted tomato and arugula; Smoked Chicken Lettuce Wraps in a spicy Asian BBQ sauce and rice noodles; salmon cured in one of their beers; or a towering plate of onion rings and other unique specialties. An interesting variety of flatbreads with seafoods or sausage are around $15. Heartier full plate dishes are $13 to $25 and include fish and chips, a smoked half chicken, mac n' cheese, a malt crusted salmon, Pacific NW Cioppino (a spicy broth with prawns, clams, Dungeness crab, fresh fish), a Sweet Potato Quinoa Cake, or fish tacos marinated and served with a spicy Baja sauce. There's even a 14-Hour Slow Smoked Tri-Tip. Many sandwiches and burgers round out the main courses, often including a cured salmon and BLT wrap, a burger with cajun sauce and poblano chili, and other incarnations. Salads, soups and chowder - along with many desserts - round out the offerings. 1371 S. Hemlock Street. Cannon Beach, Oregon. 503-908-3377. http://pelicanbrewing.com/pubs/cannon-beach/

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Manzanita. At the San Dune Pub in Manzanita, everything is around $10 for their seafood menu. Their fish tacos are rather legendary, and come in sets of two. There are also shrimp tacos. There is the clam strips platter, a phat fish 'n' chips the famed fish burger, oyster burger or an oyster Po' boy sandwich. Don't forget prawn cocktails or the calamari that comes with a chipotle mayo. 127 Laneda Ave., Manzanita, Oregon. 503-368-5080. www.sandunepub.com

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Pelican Tillamook Tap Room. Inside a soaring family-friendly facility, you are dining with a view of the tap room, where much of the Pelican Brewery action happens. Deep in the heart of inland Highway 101 and the area's green, rolling hills, about 12 miles from the beaches. Indulge in a more downhome version of the Pelican's favorite cuisine, with specialties for kids as well. Start with appetizers like fries, a hummus based on their beer that comes veggies and chips, oyster shooters or fried cheese curds. Big sandwiches and burgers on tap such as various burgers, including one very spicy one with chipotle and fried jalapenos. Take to the ocean with the oyster basket (local Netarts oysters) or their famed fish and chips. A scrumptious Reuben is literally piled high with corned beef, while the elk burger will intrigue you. 1708 First Street. Tillamook, Oregon. 503-842-7007. Website here

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Meridian Restaurant & Bar, Pacific City. A soaring ceiling with hardwood exposed native wooden beams gives way to tall windows that provide a stunning ocean view. The centerpiece to this dreamy atmosphere is a towering fireplace that doubles the cozy yet shimmering, seamless ambiance. The other centerpiece is the catch of the day and seafood thats already become famous. All dishes sourced from Northwest farms, most entrees are $20 to $30, some up around $45. The menu changes periodically, but a sampling of approaches includes: A smoked, black cod with pickled mustard seed, grilled cauliflower steak in a burnt carrot mole, abalone with mushrooms, or a rockfish rapini that graced with wasabi, Cara Cara orange and hot honey. Innovative breakfasts take on delights like hash pork confit or eggs benedict. Brunch and lunch menu features burgers, crab cakes, plenty of seafood and salad options. 33000 Cape Kiwanda Dr. Pacific City, Oregon. 503.483.3000. Meridian Restaurant website.

Pelican Brewing Pacific City. At the scenic and family-friendly Pelican Pub and Brewery, you get a free show with your meal. The waves are startling, and you can watch the action of Pacific City boaters and surfers.

For dinner, starters include crab cakes, calamari and a bay shrimp martini (around $10 or less). Seafood pastas include smoky linguine with clams that has garlic, fennel and proscuitto ham with manila clams; a seafood mac 'n' cheese with sauteed bay scallops shrimp, pepper bacon and fresh spinach; an oyster Po' Boy with oysters dipped in their famed beer batter; steak and seafood with shrimp and scallops; a grilled yellowfin tuna, pan fried oysters; or a pan-seared Pacific Rockfish with Kiwanda Cream Ale tomato and caper sauce. Check out the malt encrusted salmon and a massive bouillabaisse that hosts two kinds of shrimp, local Dungeness crab, calamari and other klinds of fish in a saffron-fennel broth. The crab crusted Mahi-Mahi is draped in local crab and a citrus beer blanc.

Pizzas can have seafood as well, like the smoky scallop. Their dinner menu ranges from $12 to $25.

That's just dinner. There's plenty for lunch that's less expensive, and some of their breakfast items boast seafood. 33180 Cape Kiwanda Drive. Pacific City, Oregon. 503-965-7007. www.pelicanbrewery.com.

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Lincoln City. The Inn at Spanish Head's Fathoms Restaurant provides one awe-inspiring ocean view along with a huge menu of seafood. Appetizers (around $10) include Seafood Cocktails Jumbo Prawn, Dungeness Crab, Cumin and Coriander Fried Calamari, or crab cakes with Asian mustard.

The steamed clams comes with one pound of Manila Clams simmered in garlic, herbs and white wine, or the surf and turf dish includes one massive steak and an Australian lobster tail ($43).

In the $15 - $25 range is salmon (grilled, poached or blackened) in an orange chipotle glaze, crab stuffed halibut in a Bearnaise sauce, blackened ahi tuna, battered halibut served with mango pineapple salsa or tartar sauce, a Coconut and Macadamia Nut Crusted Halibut with a Thai peanut sauce, and a seared ahi tuna with a mango pineapple salsa. 4009 SW Highway 101. Lincoln City, Oregon. 541-994-1601 or 800-452-8127. www.spanishhead.com /site/restaurant.html

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Depoe Bay. In Depoe Bay, a splendid view of the ocean gives way to stunning seafood at the famous Tidal Raves. Start off with a Crisp Calamari quick fried in cornmeal and rice flour, served with cilantro-lime dip, maybe Manila clams in a dry white wine sauce, Dungeness crab, various seafood cocktails, or a Pacific Oyster Basket that's either pan fried or panko fried (all between $6 - $13).

Salads come with shrimp or a massive Pacific Oyster stew.

Dinner entrees (from $17 to $20) boast a green curry halibut with steamed peanut rice, lots of fish 'n' chips. Seared Sea Scallops on potato hash studded with sun dried tomato, bacon. and smoked tomato glaze, a Char Grilled Wild Salmon with crab risotto and vodka sauce, Dungeness Crab Casserole or that massive and famous Cioppino that's stuffed with clams, shrimp, crab and fish in a tomato-herb broth.

There's a Thai Barbequed Shrimp with an exotic curry, a linguine tossed with clams, crab, shrimp and fin fish in a choise of sauces, an herb crusted Pacific snapper with shrimp-caper sauce and smoked salmon potato cake or the coconut shrimp with a Saigon slaw and ginger-orange sauce. 279 NW Hwy 101. Depoe Bay, Oregon. 541-765-2995. www.tidalraves.com

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Yachats. The Adobe Restaurant boasts an impressive view of the consistently crazed waves of Yachats. You could almost imagine those yummy critters hopping straight out of the surf and onto your plate. Appetizers include oysters in a red sauce, breaded calamari rings, steamed clams with garlic bread or shrimp or crabmeat cocktail. Salads are famous for their seafood nirvana. There's New England clam chowder. Entrees ($17 - $20) have Yaquina Bay oyster rolled in bread crumbs in various forms; seafood fettuccine with sauteed bay shrimp, baby scallops and Dungeness crab in a garlic cream sauce; a smoked salmon fettuccine; scampi al ferri; beer battered jumbo prawns; a shrimp stir fry in fresh veggies and butter; a corn tortilla filled with Oregon shrimp; scallops sauteed and breaded in a white Tarragon sauce; a pot of baked crab in a shallot cream sauce or a Captain's Platter with numerous former ocean dwellers, including the catch of the day. 1555 Hwy 101. Yachats, Oregon. 800-522-3623. (541) 547-3141. www.adoberesort.com/dining.htm

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More from Nehalem Bay, Manzanita, Rockaway Beach, Wheeler - Blog, Articles

Manzanita Freaky Facts, Weird Science on N. Oregon Coast How is Manzanita related to a doomsday volcano? What about its wild history of ancient shipwrecks, treasure hunting? What famous person died there? Why do local waters sometimes glow?

Oregon Coast Question Answered: Best Beaches of Manzanita? The area runs the gamut of landscape geography, from towering cliffs, soft sand beaches, rocky places to amble around a variety of waterways

Rockaway Beach, Oregon Tourism, Sites and Sights What was once called Garibaldi Beach, according to the history books, became named Rockaway Beach early in the last century and has been a tourism hotspot ever since

Latest in Manzanita, Oregon Coast: Beach Dangers, Lodging, Rentals, Spring, Sunsets, Debris, Oswald Gas canisters, spectualar sunsets, spotting whales, i-phone lodging listings, Manzanita maps, rentals in Manzanita, more news

Manzanita - Rockaway Blog: Latest Out of Manzanita, Rockaway Beach, Wheeler and Nehalem Bay

Manzanita at the Distance: Amazing Objects, Secrets Come to Light (Photo Essay) Not everything about an Oregon coast beach is at its best when walking on the beach. Not everything that's awe-inspiring about the area happens when you're close to it.

Manzanita, Oregon Explorations: Photos of Stunning Sunsets at Manzanita Between Cannon Beach and the Nehalem Bay sits the somewhat secretive village of Manzanita

N. Coast Time Lapse: Manzanita, Wheeler, Cannon Beach, Seaside The latest video experiment from Oregon Coast Beach Connection shows some fascinating things happening with the scenery that we see everyday

Wandering Rockaway Beach: the Sandy Wonder at a Second Glance A longtime Oregon coast vacation spot, one with a history literally going back to the beginning of the last century, Rockaway Beach is seven miles of gorgeous sand and a myriad of wowing wonders

Stunning Sights of Manzanita, a N. Oregon Coast Oasis (Photo Tour) This little north Oregon coast village is a kind of forested wonder and oasis of breathtaking sights and attractions tucked away a bit from the masses of traffic zipping along Highway 101

More Reasons to Meander Around Manzanita You could literally spend days just bouncing around the beaches and the nooks and crannies of Manzanita and never get bored. It's the viewpoints that often amaze the most, and for good reason. Neahkahnie Mountain is one of the most spectacular and photogenic spots on the entire Oregon coast

Astounding Sights and Sounds Between Cannon Beach and Manzanita For those intrepid explorers of the Oregon coast it's a goldmine of fantastic sights and discoveries. This thoroughly clandestine beach goes by the name of Falcon Cove, situated on the north Oregon coast between Arch Cape and Manzanita

Rockaway Beach Briefly - A Small Photographic Tour Rockaway Beach has been a favorite Oregon coast destination for over 100 years now, albeit a bit clandestinely

Details and Delights of an Oregon Landmark: Exploring Rockaway Beach This is the calm and cozy sandy wonder from the Oregon coast, boasting seven miles of soft granules and a kind of 1800's Old West look against an ocean backdrop

Shooting Stars, Other Galactic Fun Above N. Oregon Coast This weekend has proven to be filled with a variety of surprises in nature along the Oregon coast, including a few at night in Manzanita

That Beachy, Forested Wilderness Between Manzanita and Cannon Beach An intricate Oregon coast oasis of the untamed and rugged in between two very civilized worlds, near Manzanita, Wheeler and Nehalem.

Oregon Coast Oddities at Manzanita: Curiosities of Rock Manzanita is a cozy north Oregon coast hamlet that sits equal distance between the more bustling Cannon Beach and Rockaway Beach

Oregon Coast in 2011: Most Memorable Photos of Manzanita, Wheeler, Rockaway About 15 minutes south of Cannon Beach, you'll find the Nehalem Bay area, with its viewpoints and the towns of Manzanita, Rockaway, Nehalem and Wheeler

Historic North Oregon Coast Landmark: Wild Sides of Rockaway Beach South Jetty At the southern side of the Nehalem Bay mouth, at Rockaway Beach, the south jetty juts out into the sea

Nocturnal North Oregon Coast: Rockaway Beach After the Sun Goes Down By night, however, Rockaway Beach reveals an esoteric, even alien-looking side

New Public Fishing Dock for North Oregon Coast Town This Saturday marks the gran opening celebration for a brand new fishing dock on Lake Lytle, in the north Oregon coast town of Rockaway Beach

Video Tour: Moving Around Manzanita, Nehalem Bay Move slowly throughout the north Oregon coast town and witness dozens of details - TimeLapse Video of Wheeler, Manzanita, Oswald West State Park
More About Yachats, Oregon, Travel Info

Best of Yachats Beaches, Central Oregon Coast This central Oregon coast village is mostly made of rocky shelves, but there are 20 miles or so just south of town that alternate between sandy and rocky ledges

A Trippy Central Oregon Coast Labyrinth: Strawberry Hill, Near Yachats A surreal little wonder called Strawberry Hill sits tucked away in a kind of beachy middle of nowhere

Oregon Coast Photo Essay: Subtle Wonders of Chaos in Yachats There's a lot about this little central Oregon coast wonder that's fairly obvious right off the bat: a dramatic, crazed coastline where rocky basalt structures coax the waves into a constant state of crashing

Central Oregon Coast Stunner: Bob Creek Beach, Near Yachats Bob Creek State Park, several miles south of Yachats, sits just a few miles within the borders of Lane County

Curious, Mind-Bending Views Come from Different Angles Near Yachats, Oregon Cape Perpetua soars upwards and yields an endless array of Oregon coast surprises around it

See the Yachats, Oregon Coast Video below: stunning scenes from the 804 Trail, Cape Perpetua, Yachats Bay, Smelt Sands, Bob Creek and much more
ShorePoint Health Punta Gorda (Fla.) hospital will not reopen after sustaining significant damage during Hurricanes Helene and Milton this fall.

Operations at the 208-bed hospital and its emergency department were suspended ahead of the hurricanes in September, but the facility sustained irreparable damage from the storm surge and flooding.

"After months of assessment and review, the catastrophic damage to the ShorePoint Health Punta hospital has been found to be beyond repair and the hospital will not reopen," John Wright, marketing director of Port Charlotte, Fla.-based ShorePoint Health, confirmed to Becker's Dec. 20.

"Work to decommission the hospital has begun and the hospital license will be conveyed to the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration on Feb. 28, 2025," he said in a statement.

Most staff members have transitioned to roles at the health system's other hospital: ShorePoint Health Port Charlotte, Mr. Wright told local news outlets.

In November, Altamonte Springs, Fla.-based AdventHealth signed a definitive agreement to acquire ShorePoint Health Port Charlotte and "certain assets" of Punta Gorda.

It remains unclear whether AdventHealth plans to repair structural damages and resume hospital services at the facility, once the deal is finalized.

"We look forward to providing more information when the transaction is complete in the first quarter of next year," an AdventHealth spokesperson said in a statement to Becker's.
Hospital financial metrics overall have improved slightly in 2024 and on average, hospitals are more financially stable heading into 2025 when compared with last year, according to Kaufman Hall's National Hospital Flash Report.

However, many hospitals are still well below pre-pandemic and even 2021 financial benchmarks. Syntellis Performance Solutions, a Strata company, gathered data from 1,300 hospitals in the month of October. Here are 10 things to know about hospital profitability based on the data.

1. Average hospital operating margins jumped in October to 6.5%, compared with 3.5% in September. Year-to-date average operating margins in October held relatively steady at 4.4%, up slightly from the previous six months when year to date operating margins were 4.3%.

2. Operating margins increased 9% month over month and 11% year over year in October. Year to date operating margins climbed 21% by the end of October compared to the same period last year, but were down 7% compared to 2023.

3. Operating EBITDA margin climbed 5% month over month and 7% year over year in October. The metric was up 13% year to date compared to last year, but still down 11% compared to 2021.

4. The year-over-year operating margin growth broken down by region is:

West: 17%

Midwest: 8%

South: 9%

Northeast / Mid-Atlantic: 5%

Great Plains: 22%

5. Net operating revenue per calendar day grew 10% year over year. Broken down by region, net operating revenue per calendar day growth was:

West: 12%

Midwest: 10%

South: 10%

Northeast / Mid-Atlantic: 10%

Great Plains: 14%

6. Small hospitals with 25 beds or less reported 10.4% year over year operating margin growth in October. Hospitals with 100-199 beds had an 8.1% year over year operating margin increase and those with 300-499 beds reported 26.7% operating margin jump in October. However, hospitals with 500-plus beds reported a slower 3.5% year over year operating margin growth.

7. Hospital discharges per calendar day increased 4% year over year and 3% month over month. Observation days as a percentage of patient days dropped 8% compared to October 2023.

8. The average length of stay dropped 4% year over year in October, and was down 2% year to date compared with 2023.

9. Inpatient revenue per calendar day was up 1% month over month and 6% year over year while outpatient revenue jumped 7% month over month and 13% year over year. Outpatient revenue grew 32% year to date compared to 2021 while inpatient revenue grew just 14% in the same period.

10. Labor expenses per calendar day grew 1% month over month and 7% year over year, showing stabilization. However, labor expenses are still up 18% compared to year to date 2021.
The man accused of gunning down a US insurance executive on the streets of Manhattan appeared in front of a judge Thursday to face federal charges including murder.

The hearing for Luigi Mangione in a New York courtroom came two weeks after the killing which brought into focus widespread public anger with the US health care system.

Earlier Thursday, federal prosecutors announced charges against Mangione, 26, in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson, including murder, stalking and firearms offenses.

Wearing shackles around his ankles, Mangione appeared in court, US media reported, hours after being extradited from Pennsylvania, where he was arrested last week after a days-long manhunt.

The fresh charges expand the case against the Ivy League graduate, coming two days after prosecutors filed separate state charges against him, including one count of murder in the second degree as "an act of terrorism."

Highlighting the intense media attention the case has garnered, multiple television networks covered his trip from Pennsylvania to New York live.

Dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit and appearing calm, Mangione left the Pennsylvania courthouse in a black SUV, escorted by several police vehicles.

After being flown by plane to an airport outside New York City, he boarded a helicopter to Manhattan, where television footage showed over a dozen officers, some in tactical gear, waiting to retrieve him.

New York Mayor Eric Adams was among the officials escorting Mangione.

"This act of terrorism and the violence that stems from it is not something that will be tolerated in this city," Adams told reporters. "We wanted to personally be here to show the symbolism of leading from the front."

Thompson's murder brought into focus widespread public anger against the US health care system and many social media users have since lionized Mangione.

Outside the Manhattan courthouse, protesters rallied in his defense, holding posters that read "Health over wealth" and "Luigi freed us."

Mangione was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on December 9, five days after Thompson was shot dead on a Manhattan street.

Mangione made two brief court appearances in Pennsylvania Thursday. He waived a preliminary hearing on firearms and forgery charges and then agreed to be sent back to New York.

Police say a "life-changing, life-altering" back injury may have motivated Mangione, although they added that there was "no indication" he was ever a client of UnitedHealthcare.

Mangione was arrested following a tip from staff at a McDonald's restaurant in Altoona, where he was found wearing a mask and a beanie while using a laptop, and gave officers a fake ID, charging documents showed.

When he was arrested, Mangione had a three-page handwritten text criticizing the US health care system. As officers led him away, he shouted about an "insult to the American people."

Police have said Mangione's fingerprints matched those found near the crime scene, and that shell casings match the gun found on him when he was arrested.

Reports that the casings of the bullets allegedly fired by Mangione had the words "depose, deny, delay" inscribed on them prompted horror stories on social media about health insurers who allegedly used those very tactics to get out of paying for needed medical care.

Such fights with sick and ailing consumers are only one of the gripes many have with a health system that has also been criticized for mystery billing practices, opaque middlemen, confusing jargon and costly drugs.
Ohio lawmakers have passed hospital price transparency legislation that now heads to Gov. Mike DeWine's desk for his signature, The Columbus Dispatch reported Dec. 19.

Three things to know:

1. The legislation would require hospitals to post a list of standard charges for their services, both with and without insurance, according to the report. Hospitals would also be required to publish the cost for at least 300 shoppable services.

2. Hospitals that do not want to publish a price list for shoppable services can offer an online price estimate instead, according to the report. They are not permitted to sell patients' personal data from the estimator or use it for targeted advertising.

3. The Ohio Department of Health would be required to fine violators and publish a list of those who do not comply with the law.
Mouneer Odeh has been named the inaugural chief data and artificial intelligence officer of Los Angeles-based Cedars-Sinai.

Mr. Odeh most recently served as vice president of analytics at Fairfax, Va.-based Inova Health System and has also worked in data analytics roles at Philadelphia-based Jefferson Health and Quest Diagnostics.

"We are excited to support Mouneer as he builds upon our existing data analytics environment and AI capabilities, strengthening our systemwide strategy and charting a new course through rapid evolution of this exciting field," Cedars-Sinai CIO Craig Kwiatkowski, PharmD, said in a Dec. 20 statement shared with Becker's.

Cedars-Sinai joins several health systems that appointed their first chief AI officers in 2024, including Cleveland Clinic, Richmond, Va.-based VCU Health, and Washington, D.C.-based Children's National Hospital.
MedHQ, a healthcare advisory and administrative service provider, has named Erik Miller CEO, effective in early 2025.

Mr. Miller joined MedHQ in 2023 and is currently the company's president, according to a Dec. 19 news release.

"Erik has played an instrumental role in broadening MedHQ' s reach and integrating service lines," Tom Jacobs, founder of MedHQ, said in the release. "His transition to CEO has been in process for more than a year, and we are excited to see Erik and the rest of the MedHQ team lead the company in its next phase of growth."
New York City-based NYC Health + Hospitals has appointed chief medical officers to two of the health system's long-term care facilities.

Melissa Martin, MD, has been named CMO of NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler and Lucan Rodrigues, MD, has been named CMO of NYC Health + Hospitals/McKinney, according to a Dec. 19 news release from the health system.

Dr. Martin previously served as medical director for ArchCare at Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Care Center and as medical director for The New Jewish Home Manhattan, both based in New York City.

Dr. Rodrigues previously served as CMO and vice president of medical services at Silvercrest Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation and chief of palliative and hospice medicine at Flushing Hospital Medical Center, both based in New York City.
Though funding models vary throughout the healthcare industry, one revenue source remains constant: the charitable gift.

Tens of millions of dollars were donated to cancer centers in 2024. Here are some of the largest gifts, as reported by Becker's:
In states with total abortion bans, federal law requires physicians to provide an abortion if it stabilizes an emergency condition, but hospitals are leaving physicians to fend for themselves to navigate this "minefield," according to a Senate Finance Committee report.

In September, the committee sent letters to eight hospitals after receiving "concerning reports of pregnant women being denied or experiencing delays in accessing emergency, stabilizing health care at their facilities," the report said, from hospitals in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina and Texas.

Five things to know:

1. Citing declining birth rates and legal challenges, several hospitals and systems have shuttered labor and delivery services. One Idaho hospital said on Facebook that it closed its obstetric services due to the state's legal and political climate.

"Highly respected, talented physicians are leaving," the hospital said. "Recruiting replacements will be extraordinarily difficult. In addition, the Idaho Legislature continues to introduce and pass bills that criminalize physicians for medical care nationally recognized as the standard of care. Consequences for Idaho Physicians providing the standard of care may include civil litigation and criminal prosecution, leading to jail time or fines."

2. Emergency medicine clinicians, OB-GYNs and family medicine physicians told the committee they receive limited communication from hospital leadership on navigating the conflict between state laws and Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, a federal law passed in 1986.

A family physician who provides obstetrics services in a Texas hospital said the organization was "conspicuously and deliberately silent" on guiding employees through this tension.

3. At the same time, abortion laws are becoming murkier across state lines. Texas' attorney general filed a lawsuit against a New York physician of allegedly providing a Texas woman with abortion medication via telehealth.

4. Even in states where abortion is legal, health system policies can lead to confusion. In California, which does not have an abortion ban, the state's attorney general acted when a hospital allegedly denied abortion care to a woman experiencing an obstetric emergency, forcing her to seek care elsewhere.

5. The Supreme Court has refused to weigh in on several lawsuits that question whether EMTALA supersedes state law for abortion care. Idaho physicians are allowed to provide emergency abortion care, but Texas physicians are not.
At least 18 staffers at Colonial Heights (Va.) Rehabilitation and Nursing Center have been charged with elder abuse and neglect after a patient death, The Progress-Index reported Dec. 18.

On Dec. 18, the facility was raided by police, the attorney generals Elder Abuse Task Force and the Virginia Department of Health Professions. Five staffers, including the director, were arrested, police said. The charges range from misdemeanors including falsifying records to obstructing the legal process, as well as felony counts of abuse and neglect of vulnerable adults.

Police began investigating the facility Oct. 5 after a report of possible elder abuse and neglect was made by the family members of a discharged patient. The patient died Oct. 29 while the investigation was ongoing, ABC affiliate WRIC reported.

On Thursday, Dec. 19, a spokesperson with the Colonial Heights Police Department said 16 people have been arrested out of 18.

"The Virginia Department of Health has been cooperating and will continue to cooperate with law enforcement on the current investigation of Colonial Heights Rehabilitation and Nursing Home," an agency spokesperson told ABC affiliate WRIC. "Independent of law enforcement, VDHs Office of Licensure and Certification is currently conducting an investigation into this provider. Due to the ongoing criminal investigation, VDH cannot comment further on this matter at this time."

Becker's reached out to Colonial Heights Rehabilitation and Nursing Center and will update this story if more information becomes available.
Fourteen states and Washington, D.C., are experiencing high or very high levels of respiratory illness, with influenza, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytical virus all contributing to increased healthcare visits across the U.S.

The states are Louisiana, Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, New Jersey, New York City, Kansas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington, D.C.

Here are four more updates:
In the healthcare supply chain, "resilience" has become a ubiquitous term. It emerged as a critical focus during the COVID-19 pandemic, when hospitals and health systems struggled to procure personal protective equipment, ventilators and medications.

The disruptions brought renewed attention to deep-rooted vulnerabilities in the healthcare supply chain, sparking industrywide calls for greater transparency and supplier diversification for essential products.

Nearly five years since the onset of the pandemic and despite heightened attention building more resilient systems, little progress has been made. Recent disruptions, including the ongoing IV fluid shortage, underscore just how far the industry has to go to achieve true supply chain resilience, as described by hospital leaders.

The American Hospital Association's 2025 Environmental Scan report found 80% of healthcare providers expect supply chain disruptions to worsen or remain the same over the next year. Additionally, 39% of providers said product shortages have forced them to cancel or reschedule procedures at least quarterly.

Here are some of the barriers standing in the way of a more resilient supply chain, and what health systems are prioritizing to improve their ability to predict and respond to disruptions.



What is getting in the way of resilience?



When asked to define supply chain resilience, George Godfrey, chief supply chain officer of Coral Gables-based Baptist Health South Florida, and Tom Harvieux, senior vice president of St. Louis-based BJC HealthCare, painted similar visions  though they acknowledged that achieving these goals industrywide remains a formidable challenge.

"In an ideal world, supply chain resiliency would encompass complete visibility through real-time tracking and of all supplies, diversified supply resources and advanced technology that automates inventory and demand management activities, including sourcing changes due to supply disruptions," Mr. Godfrey told Becker's.

To Mr. Harvieux, this means understanding risk at every stage of the supply chain, including knowing where products are made, the country of origin and raw material sources.

"When you understand where things are, you can begin to have dialogs with trading partners to assess risk and prepare for disruptions," he said.

Mr. Godfrey noted, however, that the size and complexity of healthcare supply chains, spanning tens of thousands of items, makes complete transparency a difficult and distant goal.

A major barrier to greater supply chain resilience is the healthcare industry's dependence on a small number of manufacturers in critical product categories, leaving hospitals with few alternatives when disruptions occur.

This vulnerability became clear during the IV fluid shortage, when Hurricane Helene severely damaged a North Carolina plant owned by Baxter, the nation's largest supplier of IV fluids. The resulting production slowdown triggered a nationwide shortage, prompting some health systems to delay elective surgeries and temporarily limit the number of new peritoneal dialysis patients. To ramp up supplies and manufacturing capacity, Baxter activated seven manufacturing plants worldwide to boost production and shipments from Spain and Mexico.

Baxter has been working to restore manufacturing operations and anticipates to reach 100% allocation levels by the end of 2024.

The long-term tight supply of IV fluids can be traced to the low profitability of these products. Manufacturing IV solutions requires significant investment in regulatory approvals, infrastructure and resources to meet high production standards. Additionally, there are considerable costs associated with space and weight requirements, making it difficult for new players to enter the market.

Currently, the U.S. IV fluid market is largely dependent on four manufacturers: Baxter, producing 60% of the country's IV fluids; B. Braun Medical, producing 23%; and ICU Medical and Fresenius Kabi, rounding out the rest of the market.

National policy interventions, such as the Defense Production Act, have provided short-term relief during periods of need, as seen during the pandemic and IV fluid shortage. The DPA allows the government to prioritize domestic production of essential medical supplies, helping to alleviate supply bottlenecks.

The Biden administration invoked the DPA to expedite the recovery of Baxter's IV fluid facility in North Carolina. However, the legislation remains a reactive strategy for addressing immediate crises rather than being a part of a long-term, proactive approach.

Experts say the lack of transparency in the pharmaceutical supply chain is one of the biggest barriers to building greater resilience and addressing medication shortages, which have long been a challenge for hospitals.

For example, Erin Fox, PharmD, senior director of drug information and support services at the University of Utah Health in Salt Lake City, told Becker's in June 2021 that half of drug shortages stem from manufacturing problems.

She also noted that much of the drug manufacturing process, including the source of raw materials and where specific drugs are produced, is opaque.

How health systems are coping



For Mr. Godfrey, resilience comes down to preparedness and adaptability. "In today's healthcare environment, supply chain resiliency refers to our systems ability to anticipate, prepare for, respond to and recover from disruptions while maintaining outstanding patient care and operational stability," he said.



Despite disruptions beyond their control, health systems are making strides toward greater resilience.

Technology has emerged as one asset in this pursuit. Mr. Godfrey and Mr. Harvieux said their health systems have adopted solutions to enhance visibility, improve tracking and ensure a more agile response to supply disruptions.

The AHA report underscored the increasing role technology plays in strengthening supply chains. It found that 62% of healthcare providers are focusing on stock-keeping unit rationalization, and 54% are working to enhance supplier performance key performance indicators.



"The pandemic forced us to become much better at managing supply chain-related data," Mr. Godfrey said. "To improve supply chain visibility, we developed several business intelligence workbooks, providing us with daily dashboards."

Baptist Health South Florida's adoption of tools such as HealthChain have enhanced real-time visibility, improving activities such as contract renewals and invoice match exceptions, with the tool ensuring a quicker deployment of actions with associated resolutions and improved communication, he said.

Over the past few years, Mr. Harvieux has noticed health systems place increased focus on collaboration to better anticipate product shortages or shipment delays, and shield themselves from operational disruptions when shortages do arise.

"Before COVID, the healthcare supply chain was very price focused," he said. "Post-pandemic, we have made a large effort at BJC and our peers around the country on how we focus on the end-to-end channel management and foster collaborative planning."

For example, BJC is a member of the Healthcare Industry Resilience Collaborative, a nonprofit consortium of more than 90 health systems, suppliers and industry partners that share mitigation strategies and set standards to enable greater reliability and predictability across the healthcare supply chain.



BJC also invested in a new warehouse that was built during the pandemic, which has allowed the health system to carry more inventory and respond more effectively to shortages. This strategy helped BJC avoid some of the worst effects of the IV fluid shortage, Mr. Harvieux said.

He also emphasized that the shift toward greater collaboration with suppliers, manufacturers and even competitors has been a crucial development.

However, other experts have cautioned that despite initial progress in the wake of the pandemic, the momentum for long-term supply chain improvements has since slowed.

"When the pressure's off, you don't pay as much attention to these issues as you did in the past," Eugene Schneller, PhD, a professor of supply chain management at Tempe-based Arizona State University, told the Association of National Account Executives. "Notably, we still don't have provider systems that have resilience in their mission statement or as part of their governance processes."

For Mr. Harvieux, it remains crucial for BJC HealthCare to sustain the momentum of collaboration that spurred the industry's response during the early days of the pandemic.

"There are a lot of challenges, but it really comes down to communication, collaboration and then, ultimately, it comes down to reliably and consistently sharing information and not going back to the old ways," he said.
Hospitals and health systems are focused on addressing staffing challenges and implementing workforce stabilization strategies. While on-demand staffing is not universally adopted, it has gained traction in recent years to address staffing challenges and stabilize the workforce. St. Louis-based SSM Health is among the health systems that have turned to on-demand staffing platforms to fill staffing gaps.

In July 2023, SSM Health launched a partnership with ShiftMed, a national platform based in McLean, Va., that connects healthcare professionals with jobs at healthcare facilities. Since then, ShiftMed's technology has been integrated in phases across SSM Health's facilities, which include care delivery sites in Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma and Wisconsin.

Jennifer Garnica, BSN, RN, associate vice president and chief nursing officer of SSM Health St. Louis University Hospital, told Becker's she is encouraged by the results thus far.

"Having that on-demand partner gives us a lot of really flexible options, and it offers us a lot of things," she said. "It offers us the opportunity, one, to not just provide staffing at our ministries and our hospitals  and that's obviously really important when we have shifts that need to be covered  but it also has lent the opportunity to build this community workforce and pipeline for nurses."

ShiftMed nurses in surrounding communities take shifts at SSM Health facilities, allowing them to experience the organization and decide if they want to transition into full-time roles. Through this partnership, SSM Health has added close to 200 nurses to its workforce. Additionally, the health system's operational vacancy rate remains at about 10% or less, which Ms. Garnica said helps ensure safe staffing levels.

However, she acknowledged that on-demand staffing comes with challenges, such as integrating with current staffing and scheduling processes. Despite these challenges, Ms. Garnica views the partnership as a positive step for SSM Health, particularly in reducing reliance on third-party agency staffing.

"It truly is on demand," said. "We use them when we need them, and if we don't need them, then they're not here. So it's really kind of the best of both worlds."

Financial impact is another factor Ms. Garnica highlighted, noting that onboarding costs are reduced when on-demand nurses transition to full-time roles.

"If I have an on-demand nurse that's maybe worked with us for even a couple of months and they decide to convert to a full-time employee, that onboarding and orientation time is usually very short because they've already been working with us," she said.

From a quality perspective, she said the consistent presence of on-demand nurses benefits patient care.

"A lot of these folks work very consistently in our hospitals, and so you build that relationship and consistency with that staff, which helps you continue to keep quality metrics where they need to be," she said.

The long-term effectiveness of on-demand staffing at SSM Health remains to be seen. However, Ms. Garnica said that in 2025, the health system expects increased programs and flexible options for staffing to help meet the needs of current employees and the operational needs of ministries and patients.
Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels said Israeli air strikes on Thursday killed nine people, after the group fired a missile toward Israel, badly damaging a school.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened further retaliation.

The Huthis, who control most of Yemen's population centres, have repeatedly launched missiles at Israel since the Gaza war broke out more than a year ago.

Israel has previously hit back against targets in Yemen, but Thursday's were the first against the rebel-held capital Sanaa.

"The Israeli enemy targeted ports in Hodeida and power stations in Sanaa, and the Israeli aggression resulted in the martyrdom of nine civilian martyrs," rebel leader Abdul Malik al-Huthi said in a lengthy speech broadcast by the rebels' Al-Masira TV.

Al-Masira had earlier reported the raids that "targeted two central power plants" in and around Sanaa, while in Hodeida it said "the enemy launched four aggressive raids targeting the port... and two raids targeting" an oil facility.

It said the strikes killed seven people at Al-Saleef port, while two more were killed and others wounded in the strike on the oil facility.

Hodeida is a key entry point for fuel and humanitarian aid to impoverished Yemen, which has been ravaged for years by its own war.

Israel said it struck the targets in Yemen after intercepting a missile fired from the country, a strike the rebels subsequently claimed.

Huthi spokesman Yahya Saree said the rebels fired ballistic missiles at "two specific and sensitive military targets... in the occupied Yaffa area", referring to the Jaffa region near Tel Aviv.

Israel's military said it "conducted precise strikes on Huthi military targets in Yemen -- including ports and energy infrastructure in Sanaa, which the Huthis have been using in ways that effectively contributed to their military actions."

AFP photos from Ramat Gan, in the Tel Aviv area, showed part of a school building pancaked from an explosion, behind a sculpture of an animal with polka dots.

The Huthis said later that they launched a drone at a "military target of the Israeli enemy in the occupied Yaffa area". There was no confirmation from the Israeli side.

The military said inquiries into the initial attack showed "it is likely that the damage was caused by partial interception of the missile launched from Yemen and that the missile warhead was the part that exploded and damaged the school."

The rebels belong to the Iran-backed "axis of resistance," along with Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which has been weakened after a conflict with Israel and the loss of its Syrian supply line following former president Bashar al-Assad's ouster.

"After Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Assad regime in Syria, the Huthis are almost the last remaining arm of Iran's axis of evil," Netanyahu said.

"The Huthis are learning and will learn the hard way, that those who strike Israel will pay a very heavy price for it."

The Huthi leader retorted: "We are fully convinced of our position and are ready to confront any level of escalation."

Israel's military had initially announced the interception of a missile launched from Yemen "before it crossed into Israeli territory".

Iran denounced the subsequent Israeli raids as a "flagrant violation of the principles and norms of international law and the UN Charter".

Palestinian militant group Hamas, at war with Israel in Gaza, called Israel's retaliatory strikes a "dangerous development".

Thursday's missile interception was the second this week, after Israel's military said it intercepted a launch from Yemen on Monday. The Huthis also claimed that launch, saying it was aimed at "a military target of the Israeli enemy in the occupied area of Yaffa".

Also Monday, an Israeli navy missile boat intercepted a drone in the Mediterranean after it was launched from Yemen, the military said.

The Huthi rebels have said they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians and pledged Monday to continue operations "until the aggression on Gaza stops and the siege is lifted".

On December 9, a drone claimed by Huthis exploded on the top floor of a residential building in the central Israel city of Yavne, causing no casualties.

In July, a Huthi drone attack in Tel Aviv killed an Israeli civilian, prompting retaliatory strikes on Hodeida which killed at least nine people, according to the rebels.

The Huthis have also regularly targeted shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, leading to retaliatory strikes on Huthi targets by United States and sometimes British forces.

Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said the Huthis had become a "global threat," pointing to Iran's support for the rebels.

"We will continue to act against anyone, anyone in the Middle East, that threatens the state of Israel."
235a Millisle Road in Donaghadee is among the homes in the town said to have drawn interest fuelled by TV series Hope Street, which is shot in the town

Viewers of BBC NI drama series Hope Street are helping fuel interest in properties in the town where its filmed, a property website has said.

PropertyPal said its data suggests interest in Donaghadee homes rose while season four was being shown on TV in the last few months.

The series, which aired its season finale this week, is a co-commission between BritBox North America, BBC Northern Ireland and BBC Daytime, made with support from Northern Ireland Screen.

Donaghadee sets the scene for the majority of filming in locations across the town such as Shore Street, Donaghadee lighthouse and Port Devine Harbour.

Over the past two months, while the show was airing, PropertyPal said the number of users browsing properties in Donaghadee increased by 25%, while property views rose by 21% compared to last year.

PropertyPal said popular listings in the area had included 138 Warren Road, 235a Millisle Road and Kilcoroon Cottage.

Donaghadee was named as one of The Sunday Times Best Places to Live in 2024, alongside Portstewart and Belfasts Ormeau Road.

Described as a hotspot on the Ards Peninsula, the town was praised for its charming lighthouse, multicoloured houses, and a centre packed with useful independent shops, friendly cafes, pubs and restaurants showcasing local produce.

Emma McNally, PropertyPals chief operating officer, said: Hope Street showcases the beautiful seaside location of Donaghadee and the popularity of both the programme and its setting has led to a spike in interest in property listings in the town.

"Last month we saw a rise in traffic to Donaghadee properties, contributing to an overall 20% increase in website traffic compared to the same time last year.

"With the show being broadcast on BBC One, across all of the UK, the exposure is not only positive for Donaghadee, but for NI as a whole and we anticipate that this momentum in traffic will continue to grow.
What happened to Russell Crowes career? Where did it go wrong?

For a while, the Gladiator star was one of the finest actors around. Now, hes slumming it in the terrible new Marvel adaptation Kraven the Hunter. Louis Chilton looks at how Crowe lost his way

Aaron Taylor Johnson as Sergei Kravinoff and Russell Crowe as Nikolai Kravinoff

Louis Chilton UK Independent Fri 20 Dec 2024 at 07:46







What has become of Russell Crowe? When the Australian-Kiwi actor, 60, signed on to star in Kraven the Hunter, he might have thought he was onto a winner: a blockbuster Spider-Man spinoff, in which he plays the father of the man many think will be the next James Bond (Aaron Taylor-Johnson).
It wasnt about the many rumoured beefs this towering icon of American song, who can boast more than 220 million record sales, has had over her career  with JLo, with Eminem, with Nicki Minaj. Nor was it about the duality of being a totemic diva since her career blew up in 1990 while being a parent to twins Moroccan and Monroe since 2011. Her co-parent is TV host Nick Cannon, who has 10 other children.
Rosemary Nelson: There were some rogue police officers who would have been quite happy for her not to be around
The Home Office said an investigation into the alleged people smuggling remains ongoing (PA)

A 23-year-old man has appeared in court charged with smuggling 14 Albanian nationals into Scotland in a livestock wagon by ferry.

Co Armagh man Patrick McKinney, 23, has been charged with 14 counts under section 25 of the Immigration Act and one count of culpable and reckless conduct in connection with the incident.

The Home Office said the 14 foreigners were found by officers concealed in the wagon in unsafe conditions at the Loch Ryan Terminal at Cairnryan in Dumfries and Galloway.

According to the BBC, McKinney made no plea and was remanded in custody.

An investigation is ongoing.

Home Office Criminal and Financial Investigations lead Anthony Hilton said: Our investigation remains ongoing, and we continue to carry out inquiries at pace.

Were doing everything we can to stay ahead of the people smugglers who exploit our borders and put the lives of desperate people on the line for financial gain.
Headaches among injuries reported by PSNI officers after Hillary Clinton protest at Queens

Pro-Palestine group says details support their belief rally was peaceful

Protesters and police outside Queens University during a visit from Hillary Clinton. Pic: Alan Lewis

Flavia Gouveia Fri 20 Dec 2024 at 07:16

Four headaches and a number of strains or sprains were among the injuries reported by PSNI officers following a pro-Palestine protest at Queens University, Belfast.
Craig Ballentine (33) faced jail time for a negative review of his former employer

A Co Tyrone man who was held in Dubai for posting a negative Google review of his previous employer has returned home.

Craig Ballentine said it was a Christmas miracle when he flew into Dublin Airport on Friday morning after being held by United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities since October.

The 33-year-old from Cookstown was arrested accused of slander and faced potential jail time due to the UAEs strict cybercrime laws.

The strict legislation prohibits any form of online criticism.

The Cookstown man left a negative online review relating to a dog grooming centre where he had been working when the centre recorded him as having absconded following a period of sick leave.

Mr Ballentine had been stranded in Dubai since October without employment and faced two years in prison.

Speaking on Friday morning, he said the entire process was very overwhelming and confusing, which put his family through a tough time.

Its been a tough time for them, Mr Ballentine told Good Morning Ulster. Especially a week and a half ago when they had said it would be at the end of February [before coming home] when I contacted my mum and she broke down crying.

The excitement is starting to kick in now to get back home to Cookstown and see family and friends. You have to remain positive, things can change in a second in life.

Speaking to the BBC Mr Ballentine added: "I will have an extra big fry in the next hour or two and then it will be mainly focusing on seeing friends and family.

"On Christmas Eve, we are going to do the 12 pubs of Christmas - there are a few friends from Liverpool coming over, we do it every year - and I texted them this morning, saying, 'I'm coming'."

In 2023, Mr Ballentine was working in a Dubai dog grooming salon and needed time off after falling ill.

He provided his employer a doctors note as proof, however, after not showing up for work he was flagged as absconded, meaning he could not leave the country.

Mr Ballentine proceeded to get the ban lifted, costing him thousands of pounds in the process, and returned to Northern Ireland, posting a negative while there.

Returning to Dubai for a holiday in late October, he was arrested upon arrival and transferred from Abu Dhabi to Dubai to await the outcome of his case.

Mr Ballentines travel ban has since been lifted. He has since paid a fine, however may have to return to Dubai early next year for further court hearings.

In a social media post Radha Stirling, CEO of advocacy group Detained in Dubai, said it was she was pleased to see that Craig had returned home.

In November, First Minister Michelle ONeill  who is Craigs local MLA  said she was monitoring his case.

She said: We thank First Minister Michelle ONeill and the government for securing a diplomatic arrangement to get Craig home for Christmas. So happy for Craig and his family!

Craig, Sean and his family have thanked is this evening for all our help and advice and we are so pleased for them. The thought of spending Christmas in Dubai under these conditions was just awful for them, she added.
Shots were fired in the air at the event in Londonderry in August 2021 (PA)

Police who faced criticism for their handling of a republican commemoration where shots were fired in the air have been cleared of misconduct.

A Police Ombudsman investigation into the events in Londonderry in August 2021 found that although the PSNI planned appropriately for the INLA commemoration, by the time it became apparent that firearms were likely to be used it was too late to mount an operation to intervene.

Footage that circulated widely on social media at the time showed two masked men firing shots from what appeared to be automatic weapons in front of a mural of INLA hunger striker Michael Devine in the Galliagh area of Derry.

The commemoration marked the 40th anniversary of Mr Devines death after 60 days on hunger strike inside the Maze paramilitary prison.

There was significant criticism of the policing operation, including from unionist politicians who questioned why officers had failed to intervene.

The Police Ombudsmans office subsequently commenced an investigation to assess the appropriateness of the PSNIs planning and response to the incident.

Commenting on the findings of the watchdog probe, the chief executive of the Police Ombudsmans office, Hugh Hume, said it was clear that police had used all information available to them while planning for the event.

Unfortunately, that information was somewhat limited, and it was unclear exactly what would happen, what format it would take, and whether firearms would feature, he said.

By the time it became apparent that firearms were likely to be used, police did not have enough time to task appropriately trained officers to intervene.

Nevertheless, it is clear that police had begun considering a range of different options weeks in advance, and policing plans were reviewed and updated as additional information was received.

He said during that time police undertook a community impact assessment and analysed available intelligence.

Once shots had been fired at the event, the police commander at the scene determined that sending additional officers into an area where possible gunshots had been fired was likely to put officers at risk and create a threat to the lives of members of the public.

The commander instead ordered additional steps to assist in gathering evidence about the event. A search of the scene was also later carried out, but no bullet casings were recovered.

Although the Police Ombudsmans investigation found no evidence of police misconduct, the watchdog has made several policy recommendations to the PSNI.

These included that the PSNI should develop specific guidance to assist officers in planning for and responding to such events.

In response, the PSNI told the ombudsman that although it did not have specific guidance, it did have policies aligned to the Authorised Policing Practice (APP), which is an official source of professional practice for policing across the UK.

The police also said measures were in place to ensure that learning, good practice and feedback were shared among officers involved in co-ordinating such operations.

Commenting on the PSNI response, Mr Hume said: Whilst the value of the national APP is accepted the ombudsman believes there should be clear local strategic objectives and guidance for such events, to assist police commanders in their response to both pre-planned and spontaneous incidents.

The ombudsman also recommended that minutes should be produced of all operational planning meetings for such events. The PSNI said that although minutes had not been produced for one meeting related to the operation, it was its policy to do so. The PSNI has now issued a reminder to relevant officers.

A third recommendation relating to media training for officers conducting interviews was accepted by the PSNI.

Commenting on the findings, PSNI Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton said: The Police Service of Northern Ireland acknowledges the findings of the Police Ombudsman and has accepted its recommendations.

Its worth highlighting that operations of this type are amongst the most complex and dynamic we have to contend with. They often place our commanders in circumstances where they have to make significant decisions on the safety of the public and our officers with much less information than they would like.

The ombudsmans recommendations are useful organisational learning points which we have already incorporated into the planning and operational response to such events helping us prevent any recurrence.

We remain committed to learning, listening and continuously improving our organisational response and in that spirit will further reflect upon the findings of the ombudsmans full investigation to identify if there are any other opportunities to share feedback and good practice.
Turkey's Pegasus Airlines said Thursday it would buy 200 Boeing 737 MAX 10 aircraft in its largest-ever order worth some $36 billion as it seeks to expand its service.

"Pegasus has signed an agreement with The Boeing Company for 200 Boeing 737-10 aircraft," the low-cost airline said in a statement that valued the "historic" contract at "approximately $36 billion".

"The first 100 aircraft, for which we have placed firm orders, will begin joining our fleet starting in 2028," said Pegasus CEO Guliz Ozturk in the statement, which described it as "the largest order in Pegasus' history".

It said the deal also included options to purchase another 100 planes from the US aircraft maker.

"We will evaluate converting the remaining 100 aircraft options into firm orders in the coming years, based on market conditions and the needs of our fleet," Ozturk said.

Established in 1990, Pegasus Airlines operates 109 international routes to 53 countries as well as flying to 35 destinations within Turkey, its website says.

It operates out of its primary hub at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen airport on the Asian side of the city.
The Police Ombudsman has found the PSNI did not have time to mount an operation to stop the firing of shots at an INLA commemoration.

An investigation by the Ombudsman into the incident in Londonderry on August 20, 2021, found the PSNI planned appropriately for the event.

However, by the time it became apparent that automatic firearms were likely to be used at the commemoration for hunger striker and INLA man Michael Devine, it was too late.

Footage of the incident showed two masked men firing a volley of shots into the air in the Galliagh area to mark the 40th anniversary of Devines death, while the crowd who had gathered applauded.

After the shots were fired in front of the mural dedicated to Devine, the two gunmen and three other masked men walked off.

The Police Ombudsman report into the response by the PSNI said there was significant criticism of the policing operation at the time, including from unionist politicians who queried why police had failed to intervene.

The Police Ombudsman, Marie Anderson, subsequently commenced an investigation to consider the appropriateness of the PSNIs planning and response to the incident.

Speaking after the conclusion of the investigation, the offices Chief Executive, Hugh Hume, said it was clear that police had used all information available to them while planning for the event.

Unfortunately, that information was somewhat limited, and it was unclear exactly what would happen, what format it would take, and whether firearms would feature, he said.

By the time it became apparent that firearms were likely to be used, police did not have enough time to task appropriately trained officers to intervene.

Nevertheless, it is clear that police had begun considering a range of different options weeks in advance, and policing plans were reviewed and updated as additional information was received.

During this time police undertook a community impact assessment and analysed available intelligence.

Once shots had been fired at the event, the police commander at the scene determined that any attempt to send additional officers into an area where a commemoration was taking place and where possible gunshots had been fired was likely to put officers at risk and create a threat to the lives of members of the public.

Instead, he ordered additional steps to assist in gathering evidence about the event.

A search of the scene was also later carried out, but no bullet casings were recovered.

Although the Police Ombudsmans investigation found no evidence of police misconduct, it did result in a number of policy recommendations being made to the PSNI.

These included that the PSNI should develop specific guidance to assist officers in planning for and responding to such events.

The PSNI responded that although it did not have specific guidance it did have policies aligned to the Authorised Policing Practice (APP), which acts as an official source of professional practice for policing across the UK.

It also stated that measures were in place to ensure that learning, good practice and feedback was shared among officers involved in co-ordinating such operations.

Reacting to the PSNI response, Mr Hume stated: Whilst the value of the national APP is accepted the Ombudsman believes there should be clear local strategic objectives and guidance for such events, to assist police commanders in their response to both pre-planned and spontaneous incidents.

The PSNI also responded to a recommendation that minutes should be produced of all operational planning meeting for such events, stating that although minutes had not been produced for one such meeting, it was service policy to do so.

It issued a reminder to relevant officers.

A third recommendation relating to media training for officers taking part in interviews was accepted by the PSNI.

Commenting on the publication of the investigation, Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton said the PSNI acknowledges the findings and has accepted its recommendations.

Its worth highlighting that operations of this type are amongst the most complex and dynamic we have to contend with, he said.

"They often place our commanders in circumstances where they have to make significant decisions on the safety of the public and our officers with much less information than they would like.

The Ombudsmans recommendations are useful organisational learning points which we have already incorporated into the planning and operational response to such events helping us prevent any recurrence.

We remain committed to learning, listening and continuously improving our organisational response and in that spirit will further reflect upon the findings of the Ombudsmans full investigation to identify if there are any other opportunities to share feedback and good practice."

Devine, who came from the Creggan area of Derry, died at the Maze prison on August 20, 1981 aged 27 - 60 days after he joined the hunger strike.

He joined the INLA in 1974. Two years later, he was arrested after an arms raid in Donegal. He was sentenced to 12 years in jail for possession.
Controversial anti-transgender schoolteacher Enoch Burke has been released from jail by the High Court despite not purging his contempt after a judge concluded he was exploiting his imprisonment for his own ends.

But he was warned he would be fined 1,400-a-day if he chooses to continue breaching a court order restraining him from entering the grounds of Wilsons Hospital School when it reopens after Christmas.

Mr Justice David Nolan said Mr Burkes behaviour suggested he was acting under the influence of others who had persuaded him to be a martyr.

The decision came in a chaotic hearing during which Mr Burke repeatedly talked over the judge as the ruling was being delivered.

Giving reasons for his decision, Mr Justice Nolan said it was one of those very rare occasions where coercive imprisonment should stop, at least for the moment.

The judge said he also had to consider the burden on the taxpayer, which he said was continuing to pay Mr Burkes salary while he appeals his dismissal, on top of the 84,000-a-year it was costing to keep him in jail.

It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that Mr Burke is exploiting his imprisonment for his own ends, the judge said.

Mr Justice Nolan said the only possible interpretation of Mr Burkes actions was that he sees some advantage to his continued imprisonment.

It is clear to me he is being persuaded by others that he is best seen as a martyr, he said.

In total, Mr Burke has spent 512 days in Mountjoy Prison, over three separate periods since August 2022, for his repeated refusal to comply with various court orders requiring him to keep away from the secondary school in Multyfarnham, Co Westmeath, where he taught German and history.

He was suspended and later dismissed by the schools board of management after publicly clashing with its then principal over a request that teachers address a transgender child by a new name and they/them pronouns.

Mr Burke, who is from a family of well-known evangelical Christians, refused to do so on religious grounds.

Despite being suspended and later sacked, he continued to show up at the school each day for work, even after the board secured a temporary injunction restraining him from doing so. The High Court granted a permanent injunction in May last year.

The matter was before the court today for a periodic review of Mr Burkes incarceration for defying the permanent injunction.

The judge said that instead of imprisonment he would impose a daily fine of 1,400 on Mr Burke for each day he defies the order  double the 700 fine previously imposed on him by another judge.

He urged Mr Burke to use the Christmas period to reflect on his fruitless campaign and said it was open to the school to again seek his attachment and committal if he continued to breach the order in the New Year.

The judge said it would be a travesty if Mr Burke was to end up spending more time in prison over something that is entirely misconceived.

Mr Burke never paid the fines previously imposed on him, and Mr Justice Nolan said he now owed the State 193,000.

Lawyers for the school previously raised concerns that there was no mechanism to collect the fines from him.

In his ruling, the judge directed that representatives of the Attorney General and the Department of Finance come before the court to advise on what mechanism is available to ensure Mr Burkes salary could be used to discharge the fines.

Mr Justice Nolan noted the matter had taken up considerable court time, giving rise to no less than 41 orders in the High Court alone.

He said Mr Burkes talents as a teacher were being entirely wasted and that he repeatedly came to court to make a misguided and at times ridiculous argument that the school and the court are trying to abolish religious liberties.

The judge continued: For a man of such intelligence, this sort of nonsense suggest to me that he is acting under the influence of other parties.

Mr Justice Nolan said it was noteworthy that when he asked Mr Burke at a previous hearing if he was under the influence of someone else, before the teacher could reply his mother Martina jumped from behind the bench and accused the judge of being under the influence some other party.

During todays hearing, Mr Burke repeatedly talked over Mr Justice Nolan and refused to answer when asked if he would comply with the court order.

Mr Burke was accompanied in court by his mother Martina and siblings Ammi, Isaac and Josiah.

A flashpoint arose almost immediately when the judge said that anyone creating a disturbance would be removed by gardai and banned from future hearings in the matter.

Mr Burke repeatedly queried these comments, saying the judge did not have the power to bar people from court. The judge insisted he did and several times asked Mr Burke to sit down and stop talking, but the teacher ignored these instructions.

Mr Justice Nolan rose to consider his ruling and when he came back Mr Burke continued to raise the issue, repeatedly saying Judge, you told a lie this morning.

Mr Burke continued to speak over the judge throughout the delivery of the ruling.

He [Mr Burke] asserts that his religious beliefs prevent him from describing transgender people as they and he projects his imprisonment as some form of punishment visited upon him because he has stood up for his beliefs. He is profoundly incorrect, Mr Justice Nolan said.

His jailing has been brought about by his own decision to breach court orders by attending at the school when he knows he should not do so.

He has chosen to interpret the orders of the court as requiring him to act in a manner inconsistent with his religious beliefs when it is patently clear to the general public and anybody following this matter that this is indeed not the case.

The judge said Mr Burke was free to hold his views and to speak about them trenchantly but he was not free to go around flouting the law.

The reason why Mr Burke is here today is he will not abide by the court order, he said.

After the ruling, Alex White SC, for the board of management, said it was concerned Mr Burke would be at the school when it reopens on January 6.

He may well be, and at that point the fine of 1,400 will be in motion, the judge replied.

Mr Burke was freed by the court twice before, only to again face applications from the board to commit him to prison.

His most recent imprisonment began on September 2 after he repeatedly turned up at the school following the commencement of the educational year.

Jailing him in September, Mr Justice Michael Quinn said he was satisfied Mr Burkes attendance at the school was disruptive of the duties and functions of staff seeking to provide ordered schooling to pupils.

While Mr Burke claims that he has been imprisoned for his religious views, several judges have rejected this, saying compliance with court orders did not require Mr Burke to abandon his beliefs.
Laws on drink and drug-driving could be reviewed amid concern about rising deaths on the roads, the Transport Secretary has suggested.

Heidi Alexander said it might be time to have a look at those (laws) as part of a wider effort to improve road safety, including new awareness campaigns.

Describing it as a priority for her, she told LBC on Friday: This is a conversation that Ive been having with officials in the first couple of weeks that Ive been in post.

I was appointed three weeks ago and one of the first things I said to do was to get the team in who are working on a new road safety strategy that my predecessor committed to. I think she was entirely right to do that.

Her comments came two days after 19-year-old Thomas Johnson was jailed for nine years and four months for causing the deaths of three of his friends in a car crash in Oxfordshire last year.

Johnson had been inhaling laughing gas behind the wheel and driving at speeds of more than 100mph before losing control of his car and crashing into a lamppost and a tree.

But while Ms Alexander said she was in favour of more action on drink and drug-driving, she did not back calls for younger drivers to be banned from carrying passengers.

Drink-driving deaths reached a 13-year high in 2022, the latest year for which figures are available, with an estimated 300 people dying in crashes where at least one of the drivers was over the limit.

The drink-drive limit in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is 80mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood, but nowhere else in Europe has a limit above 50mg/100ml.

The Scottish Government reduced its limit to that level in 2014.

AA president Edmund King said: We need more awareness campaigns and sustained police action to reduce this carnage.

The Government is right to address drink and drug driving but we also feel there is merit in looking how Australia and New Zealand have reduced new driver and passenger fatalities by limiting the number of passengers for at least six months after passing their test.
Lord Peter Mandelson, the UKs new ambassador to the US (Jonathan Brady/PA)

Lord Peter Mandelson has made a career of comebacks  from spin doctor to returning to cabinet after quitting twice  and is back again as Britains ambassador to the US.

It marks the first political appointment to the UKs top diplomatic post in Washington in decades.

Peter Mandelson started out as a Labour communications director in 1985 and was first elected as an MP in 1992. He served in the cabinets of Sir Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

Tony Blair with Peter Mandelson (Owen Humphreys/PA)

Donald Trump  who returns to the White House in January, four years after being ousted  may relate to his comeback story.

The Labour grandee resigned twice from cabinet, in 1998 and 2001, became Britains European commissioner between 2004 to 2008, and then made an astonishing return in 2008 under Mr Brown, who made him a peer to become business secretary.

A lynchpin of the New Labour project from its birth in the early 1990s, Lord Mandelson witnessed and participated in the feuds that dominated much of its 13 years in power.

His ability to manipulate the levers of power from the shadows earned him monikers such as the Prince of Darkness and the Dark Lord.

His first departure from the Department of Trade and Industry in 1998 came after it emerged he had received a 373,000 home loan from then paymaster general Geoffrey Robinson.

He returned to the cabinet as Northern Ireland secretary in 1999 but quit again in 2001 as he became embroiled in the Hinduja affair.

He had been accused of helping one of the Indian billionaire Hinduja brothers get a British passport in return for a 1 million donation to the Millennium Dome.

Despite being cleared by an inquiry of any impropriety in the case, his Westminster career looked finished and he became a European commissioner in Brussels.

Lord Mandelson looks on as Gordon Brown delivers a speech (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

Mr Brown recalled him to the cabinet table as business secretary in October 2008, in a move widely seen as an attempt by the then-PM to shield himself from Blairite criticism as he came increasingly under fire.

Lord Mandelson was chief strategist for Labour in London in the 2010 election while Mr Brown toured the country.

Controversy has continued to court him after Labour left government, with questions raised about his links with the disgraced US financier and child sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein.

A vocal critic of Jeremy Corbyns leadership of the Labour Party, Lord Mandelson has since provided advice to Sir Keir Starmer as he sought to win power.

In recent years, the peer has made regular broadcast appearances for Times Radio.

Earlier this year, he was widely tipped as the next chancellor of Oxford University, a position which instead went to Tory peer Lord William Hague.
Lord Mandelson served in the cabinets of Sir Tony Blair and Gordon Brown (Yui Mok/PA)

Lord Peter Mandelson is a really good fit to become the next UK ambassador to the US, a Cabinet minister has said as the Labour grandee is expected to be named to the post.

Lord Mandelson, who served in the cabinets of Sir Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, is poised to be the UKs next top diplomat in Washington, in a political appointment as Donald Trump returns to the White House.

The tenure of Dame Karen Pierce, the current office holder, is expected to come to an end in early 2025 and Lord Mandelson had been widely tipped as the person next in line for the job.

Lord Mandelson is an individual of very significant international standing and an experienced politician, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said.

His trade policy experience, including as an EU trade commissioner, would be really important at a time when Mr Trump has threatened to introduce new tariffs, she said.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said Lord Mandelson would be a good fit for the job (James Manning/PA)

We need someone as the next ambassador to the US who is going to be able to promote our economic and security interests with one of our closest allies, and so I think he is a really good fit for the job, Ms Alexander told Sky News.

A source said that the move shows how important the UK sees our relationship with the Trump administration and described Lord Mandelson as somebody with unrivalled political experience.

The source said: The fact the Prime Minister has chosen to make a political appointment and send Lord Mandelson to Washington shows just how importantly we see our relationship with the Trump administration.

Were sending someone close to the Prime Minister with unrivalled political and policy experience, particularly on the crucial issue of trade. Hes the ideal candidate to represent the UKs economic and security interests in the USA.

The move would come as Mr Trump is set to be inaugurated for the second time, with questions over what a second Trump presidency could mean for the UK.

Lord Mandelson was a key figure in New Labour under Sir Tony Blair (James Manning/PA)

Mr Trump has pledged to introduce wide-ranging tariffs on the first day of his new administration, which starts on January 20, with experts predicting damaging consequences for Britains goods trade with the US.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said that the UK would have to make sure that we avoid tariffs as he faced questions on his approach to the incoming US president.

He told the Commons Liaison Committee he was alive to the danger of tariffs but would not speculate as to what the incoming president might do.

He said: I am not a fan of tariffs and, therefore, we have to make sure that we avoid tariffs.

Former British ambassador to the US Lord Kim Darroch told BBCs Newsnight that he thought it was a good appointment.

Speaking to the programme, he said: Ive been saying for a long time ever since the election outcome that I thought Peter Mandelson was the right man for the job and Im glad that its been announced.

Lord Darroch was in post during Mr Trumps first presidency but quit his stateside role in 2019 after messages he wrote criticising the administration were leaked to the press.

The Times reported Lord Mandelson was chosen ahead of former foreign secretary David Miliband, ex-development secretary Baroness Amos and Baroness Ashton of Upholland, who served as European trade commissioner.

In November, Lord Mandelson, the former MP for Hartlepool, told the BBC that he would be very interested in giving advice on trade to whoever got the job.

Speaking on the BBCs Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme, Lord Mandelson said he was more in favour of a new relationship rather than a special one with the US.

He said at the time that nobody had spoken to him about the job.

Lord Mandelson 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 Sir Tony 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 William Hague.
A car plowed into a busy outdoor Christmas market in the eastern German city of Magdeburg on Friday, injuring an unknown number of people in what authorities say was a suspected attack.

Magdeburgs deputy mayor says at least one person was killed 50 were injured after car plowed into a Christmas market.

The driver of the car was arrested, German news agency dpa reported, citing unidentified government officials in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. Regional government spokesperson Matthias Schuppe and city spokesperson Michael Reif said they suspected it was a deliberate act.

Reif said there were numerous injured, but he didnt give a precise figure.

The pictures are terrible, he said. My information is that a car drove into the Christmas market visitors, but I cant yet say from what direction and how far.

Magdeburgs University Hospital said it was taking care of 10 to 20 patients but was preparing for more, dpa reported.

The sounds of sirens from first responders clashed with the markets holiday decorations, including ornaments, stars and leafy garland festooning the vendors booths.

Debris could be seen on the ground in footage of a cordoned-off part of the market.

This is a terrible event, particularly now in the days before Christmas," Saxony-Anhalt governor Reiner Haseloff said. Haseloff told dpa that he was on his way to Magdeburg but couldnt immediately give any information on victims or what was behind the incident.

Chancellor OIaf Scholz posted on X: My thoughts are with the victims and their relatives. We stand beside them and beside the people of Magdeburg.

Magdeburg, which is west of Berlin, is the state capital of Saxony-Anhalt and has about 240,000 residents.

The suspected attack came eight years after an attack on a Christmas market in Berlin. On Dec. 19, 2016, an Islamic extremist plowed through a crowded Christmas with a truck, killing 13 people and injuring dozens more. The attacker was killed days later in a shootout in Italy.

Christmas markets are a huge part of German culture as an annual holiday tradition cherished since the Middle Ages and successfully exported to much of the Western world. In Berlin alone, more than 100 markets opened late last month and brought the smells of mulled wine, roasted almonds and bratwurst to the capital. Other markets abound across the country.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said late last month that there were no concrete indications of a danger to Christmas markets this year, but that it was wise to be vigilant.
People hold a photo of history teacher Samuel Paty during a memorial march in homage to him in Paris in 2020 (Lewis Joly/AP)

Frances anti-terrorism court on Friday convicted eight people of involvement in the beheading of teacher Samuel Paty outside his school near Paris four years ago.

Mr Paty, 47, was killed by an Islamic extremist outside his school on October 16 2020, days after showing his class cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed during a debate on free expression.

The assailant, an 18-year-old Russian of Chechen origin, was shot to death by police.

Those who have been on trial on terrorism charges at a special court in Paris since the end of November were accused, in some cases, of providing assistance to the perpetrator and, in others, of organising a hate campaign online before the murder took place.

The 540-seat courtroom was packed for the verdict, which marked the final chapter of the Paty trial. Heavy surveillance was in place, with more than 50 police officers guarding the proceedings.

French President Emmanuel Macron leaves after paying his respects by the coffin of teacher Samuel Paty during a national memorial event in 2020 in Paris (Francois Mori/AP)

Seated in the front row was Samuel Patys nine-year-old son, accompanied by family members. As the lead judge delivered sentences one after the other, emotions in the room ran high.

I am moved, and I am relieved, said Gaelle Paty, Samuel Patys sister, as she addressed a crowd of reporters after the verdict. Hearing the word guilty  thats what I needed.

I spent this week listening to a lot of rewriting of what happened, and it was hard to hear, but now the judge has stated what really happened, and it feels good, she added.

Families of the accused reacted with gasps, cries, shouts, and ironic clapping, prompting the judge to pause multiple times and call for silence.

They lied about my brother, shouted one relative. Another woman, sobbing, exclaimed, They took my baby from me, before being escorted out by police officers.

The judge met or went above most of the terms requested by prosecutors, citing the exceptional gravity of the facts.

Naim Boudaoud, 22, and Azim Epsirkhanov, 23, friends of the attacker, were convicted of complicity in murder and sentenced to 16 years in prison each. Boudaoud was accused of driving the attacker to the school, while Epsirkhanov helped him procure weapons.

Brahim Chnina, 52, the Muslim father of the schoolgirl whose lies sparked the events leading to Mr Patys death, was sentenced to 13 years for association with a terrorist enterprise. Prosecutors had sought 10 years for him.

Abdelhakim Sefrioui, a Muslim preacher, was given 15 years for organising a hate campaign online against Paty.

The shocking death of the teacher left an indelible mark on France, with several schools now named after him.

The trial had begun in late November. The defendants were accused of assisting a perpetrator or organising a hate campaign online in lead-up to the murder.

At the time of the attack, there were protests in many Muslim countries and calls online for violence targeting France and the satirical French newspaper Charlie Hebdo.

The newspaper had republished its caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed a few weeks before Mr Patys death to mark the opening of the trial over deadly 2015 attacks on its newsroom by Islamic extremists.

The cartoon images deeply offended many Muslims, who saw them as sacrilegious. But the fallout from Mr Patys killing reinforced the French states commitment to freedom of expression and its firm attachment to secularism in public life.

A Republican Guard holds a portrait of Samuel Paty in the courtyard of the Sorbonne university during a national memorial event in 2020 in Paris (Francois Mori/AP)

Chninas daughter, who was 13 at the time, claimed that she had been excluded from Mr Patys class when he showed the caricatures on October 5 2020.

Chnina sent a series of messages to his contacts denouncing Mr Paty, saying that this sick man needed to be fired, along with the address of the school in the Paris suburb of Conflans Saint-Honorine.

In reality, Chninas daughter had lied to him and had never attended the lesson in question.

Mr Paty was teaching a class mandated by the National Education Ministry on freedom of expression. He discussed the caricatures in this context, saying students who did not wish to see them could temporarily leave the classroom.

An online campaign against Mr Paty snowballed, and 11 days after the lesson, Anzorov attacked the teacher with a knife as he walked home, and displayed the teachers head in a post on social media. Police later fatally shot Anzorov as he advanced toward them, armed.

Chninas daughter was tried last year in a juvenile court and given an 18-month suspended sentence. Four other students at Mr Patys school were found guilty of involvement and given suspended sentences; a fifth, who pointed out Mr Paty to Anzorov in exchange for money, was given a six-month term with an electronic tag.

Sefrioui, the preacher on trial, had presented himself as a spokesperson for Imams of France although he had been dismissed from that role. He had filmed a video in front of the school with the father of the student. He referred to the teacher as a thug multiple times and sought to pressure the school administration via social media.

Some of the defendants expressed regrets and claimed their innocence on the eve of the verdict. They did not convince Mr Patys family.

Its something that really shocks the family, lawyer Virginie Le Roy said. You get the feeling that those in the box are absolutely unwilling to admit any responsibility whatsoever.

Apologies are pointless, they wont bring Samuel back, but explanations are precious to us, Ms Le Roy said. We havent had many explanations of the facts.
Republicans decision to abandon a congressional spending plan will cost about 2.1 million troops their pay over the Christmas holidays unless some agreement is reached before Fridays deadline to prevent a government shutdown, the Pentagon warned.

Even if they do not get paid, those troops will be required to report for duty both overseas and at home, Pentagon press secretary Major General Pat Ryder has said.

Without an agreement to fund the government, troops will not receive their end-of-month pay packets and reservists drilling after Friday will not be paid, he said.

In addition, about 365,000 US Defence Department civilians will be required to work without pay if the government is shut down, according to defence officials. Most are deemed essential because they work in critical national security jobs. An additional 435,500 civilians would be furloughed.

The military payroll is just one of thousands of federal accounts that would be affected, but one of the most visible.

Congress was on the verge of passing a stopgap measure on Wednesday to keep the government running when President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk used Mr Musks social media platform X to attack the 1,500-page Bill over its unrelated spending add-ons and threaten any Republican politician who supported its passage.

Support for the Bill quickly failed.

House Republicans were scrambling late on Thursday to get an agreement on an alternative.

I think a shutdown deprives the military of a paycheck, Andy Ogles of Tennessee told reporters as he walked into House Speaker Mike Johnsons office late on Thursday. So the last thing we want to do is shut down the government.

House Democrats, however, had already begun to say the new slimmed-down spending plan was untenable.

The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Mr Trump was aware that his stand on the Bill could result in the military not being paid.

Other civilian personnel deemed not essential to immediate military operations will be furloughed, Mr Ryder said.

In previous shutdowns Congress has worked to secure troop pay, but not everyone was covered. In 2019, members of the US coast guard were left out and went more than a month without pay.

A lapse in funding will cause serious disruptions across the defence department and is still avoidable, Mr Ryder said.

On Friday, hours before the start of a federal government shutdown, Mr Trump doubled down on his insistence that a debt ceiling increase be included in any deal  and if not, let the closures start now.

Mr Trump issued his latest demand as House Speaker Mike Johnson arrived early at the Capitol, meeting some of the most conservative Republicans in the House Freedom Caucus who helped sink Mr Trumps Bill in a spectacular Thursday evening flop.

The clock is now racing toward the midnight deadline to fund government operations.

If there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now, Mr Trump posted on social media.

The incoming Trump administration vows to slash the federal budget and sack thousands of employees. Mr Trump himself sparked the longest government shutdown in history in his first term at the White House, the monthlong closures over the 2018-19 Christmas holiday and New Year period.

More importantly for the president-elect is his demand for pushing the thorny debt ceiling debate off the table before he returns to the White House.

The federal debt limit expires on January 1, and Mr Trump does not want the first months of his new administration saddled with tough negotiations in Congress to lift the nations borrowing capacity. It gives Democrats, who will be in the minority next year, leverage.

Congress must get rid of, or extend out to, perhaps, 2029, the ridiculous debt ceiling, Mr Trump posted  increasing his demand for a now five-year debt limit increase. Without this, we should never make a deal.

The Republican speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Mr Johnson is racing behind closed doors to prevent a shutdown. Mr Trump, and billionaire ally Mr Musk, unleashed their opposition  and social media army  on the first plan Johnson presented, which was a 1,500-page bipartisan compromise he struck with Democrats that included 100 billion dollars (79 billion) in disaster aid for hard-hit states, but did not address the debt ceiling situation.

A Trump-backed second plan, Thursdays slimmed down 116-page Bill with his preferred two-year debt limit increase into 2027, failed in a monumental defeat, rejected in an evening vote by most Democrats as an unserious effort  but also some three dozen Republicans.

On Friday morning, Vice President-elect JD Vance arrived early at the speakers office at the Capitol, where a group of the most hardline Republican holdouts were meeting Mr Johnson. The speaker has insisted on finding a way forward.

Government workers have already been told to prepare for a federal shutdown which would send millions of employees into the holiday season without pay.

US President Joe Biden has discussed the potential shutdown with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Friday.

Theres still time, Ms Jean-Pierre said, to avoid a partial government shutdown.

She said Republicans created the situation and are responsible for fixing it.

Republicans blew up this deal. They did, and they need to fix this, Ms Jean-Pierre said.
A woman warms her dog in front of a destroyed burning car after a recent Russian attack in Kyiv, Ukraine (Alex Babenko/AP)

A Russian ballistic missile attack on Ukraines capital in Kyiv has killed at least one person and injured at least 12 others, officials said.

Moscow claimed it was in response to a Ukrainian strike on Russian soil using American-made weapons.

At least three loud blasts were heard in Kyiv shortly before sunrise on Friday.

Firefighters work at a site after a Russian missile attack in Kyiv, Ukraine (AP)

Ukraines air force said it intercepted five Iskander short-range ballistic missiles fired at the city.

The attack knocked out heating to 630 residential buildings, 16 medical facilities, and 30 schools and kindergartens, the city administration said, and falling missile debris caused damage and sparked fires in three districts.

We ask citizens to immediately respond to reports of ballistic attack threats, because there is very little time to find shelter, the air force said.

During the almost three years since the war began Russia has regularly bombarded civilian areas of Ukraine, often in an attempt to cripple the power grid and unnerve Ukrainians.

Meanwhile Ukraine, struggling to hold back Russias bigger army on the front line, has attempted to strike Russian infrastructure supporting the countrys war effort.

People take shelter in a metro station during an air raid alarm in Kyiv (Efrem Lukatsky/AP)

The Russian Ministry of Defence said the strike was in response to a Ukrainian missile attack on Russias Rostov border region two days earlier.

That attack used six American-made Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS, missiles and four Storm Shadow air-launched missiles provided by the United Kingdom, it said.

That day, Ukraine claimed to have targeted a Rostov oil refinery as part of its campaign to strike Russian infrastructure supporting the countrys war effort.

The use of Western-supplied weapons to strike Russia has angered the Kremlin.

Ukraine fired several American-supplied longer-range missiles into Russia for the first time on November 19 after Washington eased restrictions on their use.

Police officers collect evidence following recent Russian attacks in Kyiv (Efrem Lukatsky/AP)

That development prompted Russia to use a new hypersonic missile, called Oreshnik, for the first time.

President Vladimir Putin suggested the missile could be used to target government buildings in Kyiv, though there have been no reports of an Oreshnik being used for a second time.

Answering the Ukrainian attack on Rostov on Wednesday, the Defence Ministry said it carried out a group strike with high-precision, long-range weapons on the command centre of Ukraines military intelligence agency and another location where it said Ukraines Neptune missile systems are designed and produced.

The attack also targeted Ukrainian ground-based cruise missile systems and US-made Patriot air defence systems, the Defence Ministry said.

The objectives of the strike have been achieved. All objects are hit, the defence ministry said in a Telegram post.

Its claims could not immediately be verified.
Germanys Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks with the media as he arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels (Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP)

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has dismissed an assertion by Elon Musk that only a far-right party can save Germany, but said that freedom of opinion also goes for multibillionaires.

Germany is expected to vote in an early election on February 23 after Mr Scholzs three-party governing coalition collapsed last month in a dispute over how to revitalise the countrys stagnant economy.

Mr Scholz is hoping to win a second term, but polls have shown the main opposition centre-right Union bloc in the lead and the chancellors centre-left Social Democrats trailing well behind.

President-elect Donald Trump listens to Elon Musk as he arrives to watch SpaceXs mega rocket Starship lift off for a test flight from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas (Brandon Bell/AP)

The far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, is polling strongly but its candidate for the top job, Alice Weidel, has no realistic chance of becoming chancellor because other parties refuse to work with it.

In a post on his social network X, formerly Twitter, early on Friday, Mr Musk wrote: Only the AfD can save Germany.

Ms Weidel posted a video on X thanking Mr Musk  an ally of US President-elect Donald Trump  and declaring that her party is indeed the one and only alternative for our country; our last option, if you ask me.

Asked about Mr Musks comment at a news conference with his Estonian counterpart, Mr Scholz replied: We have freedom of opinion  it also goes for multibillionaires, but freedom of opinion also means that you can say things that arent right and dont contain good political advice.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz welcomes Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal at the chancellery in Berlin (Ebrahim Noroozi/AP)

I say emphatically that the democratic parties in Germany all see it differently, he added.

Earlier Friday, the government was asked whether Mr Musks comment would have any consequences for its own presence on X.

Spokesperson Christiane Hoffmann noted that the German government has expressed concern about how X developed since Mr Musk took over the former Twitter but has concluded time and again that it will stay because it is an important medium to reach and inform people and it brings significant disadvantages if the government, or the chancellor, is not represented on relevant social media.

Mr Scholz lost a confidence vote on Monday, leaving the decision on whether to dissolve parliament and hold an early election with Germanys usually largely ceremonial head of state.

President Frank-Walter Steinmeiers office said Friday he will make an announcement on December 27.
The United Arab Emirates has informed the United States that it will not arm paramilitaries in Sudan's brutal civil war, US lawmakers long critical of the Gulf power's role quoted the White House as saying on Thursday.

The assurance came as the United States announced $200 million in new aid for Sudan, one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters where tens of thousands have died in fighting since April 2023.

Two US lawmakers said the UAE pledged to address their concerns and that, as a result, they would drop their attempt to block $1.2 billion in sales of advanced rockets and long-range missiles to the Gulf country.

Senator Chris Van Hollen, a member of US President Joe Biden's Democratic Party, released a letter addressed to him from the White House that described UAE assurances on its relationship with Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which is at war with the army.

"Despite reports we have received suggesting the contrary has occurred to date, the UAE has informed the administration that it is not now transferring any weapons to the RSF and will not do so going forward," said the letter signed by Brett McGurk, the White House coordinator on Middle East policy.

The UAE has long denied arming the RSF, with which it has fought Yemen's Huthi rebels.

The Gulf country's embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In the letter, McGurk promised to offer an assessment on the "credibility and reliability of these assurances" by January 17 -- three days before Biden hands the White House back to President-elect Donald Trump.

Van Hollen applauded the White House intervention and said he would again attempt to block arms sales if the UAE did not comply.

"The United States should use all of our leverage to help bring peace and stability to the people of Sudan," he said on the Senate floor.

Fellow Democrat Sara Jacobs, who led a parallel effort in the House of Representatives, also vowed to "carefully monitor" adherence by the UAE.

"Without the UAE's support, the RSF will not have the same capabilities to wage this war -- making negotiation and a ceasefire a much likelier alternative," she said in a statement.

United Nations experts tasked with monitoring an arms embargo on the Darfur region said last year that accusations the UAE had funneled weapons to the RSF through Chad were "credible."

Trump has shown a greater willingness to sell weapons to the UAE, and in his last term promised advanced F-35 jets and armed drones as part of a deal in which the Gulf country recognized Israel.

The F-35 purchase languished after Biden defeated Trump in the 2020 election and promised greater oversight of the weapons.

The World Food Program warned Thursday that Sudan risks becoming the largest hunger crisis in recent history, with 1.7 million people across the country either facing famine or at risk of famine.

"The world cannot -- must not -- look away from the humanitarian catastrophe that is happening in Sudan on our watch, before our eyes," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a UN Security Council meeting on Sudan.

Without naming other countries, Blinken said that the Security Council "must make clear to the outside actors fanning the flames in Sudan that this conduct cannot continue."

He announced another $200 million in relief, saying that in some parts of Sudan, people are eating grass and peanut shells to survive.

Edem Wosornu, operations director of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said $4.2 billion is needed to support Sudan next year.

"The volume of humanitarian aid reaching people in need remains a fraction of what is required," Wosornu told the council.

Nearly all of the vast Darfur region of western Sudan is now controlled by the RSF, which has also taken over swaths of the neighboring Kordofan region as well as much of the center of the country.

The regular army retains control of the north and east, while the capital Khartoum and its surrounding cities are a battleground between the warring parties.
Supporters hold candles during a candlelight vigil outside the Wisconsin Capitol in Madison (Morry Gash/AP)

The Wisconsin 15-year-old who shot and killed a teacher and a fellow pupil was in her first term at the school but seemed to be settling in, a school official said.

Abundant Life Christian School (ACLS) student Rubi Patricia Vergara, 14, of Madison, and teacher Erin West, 42, of DeForest, were killed on Monday.

Two other pupils who were shot remained in hospital on Thursday in a critical condition.

Families of the victims remembered them as people of faith who had deep connections within the Christian school.

Barbara Wiers, the schools director for elementary and communications, said the attack lasted eight minutes and the communitys faith and connection to one another has sustained them as they struggle with the possibility that the shooters motive might remain undetermined.

A person who did not wish to give his name places flowers outside the Abundant Life Christian School (Nam Y Huh/AP)

Are we broken right now? Yes. Are we bruised and battered? Yes, she said. But we will laugh again, and He will turn our mourning into joy again. And we will go on.

Police say pupil Natalie Samantha Rupnow injured herself at the school and died at a Madison hospital. Police have said her motivation for the attack remains a key part of their investigation.

This was her first term at ACLS, Ms Wiers said.

The school was working with her family on attendance, but teachers had no significant concerns, she said.

I pray for this family because right now theyve lost a daughter and they are wounded, she said.

And theyre dealing with the fact that their daughter did this terrible thing and hurt these other people. It has to be one of the loneliest, bitterest places to be.

Rubi Vergaras funeral is scheduled for Saturday at City Church, which is adjacent to the school, and Mrs Wests funeral is on Monday at Doxa Church in Madison, where she was a member, according to obituaries.

ALCS is a better school for the work of Erin West, the school said in a statement.

A supporter signs a cross during a candlelight vigil outside the Wisconsin Capitol in Madison (Morry Gash/AP)

She worked three years as a substitute teacher before accepting a staff position as the sub coordinator and in-building substitute teacher, according to the statement.

She served our teachers and students with grace, humour, wisdom, and  most importantly  with the love of Jesus, the school said. Her loss is a painful and deep one and she will be greatly missed not just among our staff, but our entire ALCS family.

Rubi Vergara was a freshman at the school and an avid reader, loved art, singing and playing keyboard in the family worship band, according to her obituary.

The school described her as gentle and loving.

Rubi was a blessing to her class and our school, the school said. 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.

Police tape after the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School (Mark Vancleave/AP)

Rupnow brought two guns to the school.

A man in California told authorities he had been messaging her about attacking a government building with a gun and explosives, according to a restraining order issued against him on Tuesday under Californias gun red flag law.

The order required the 20-year-old Carlsbad man to turn his guns and ammunition into police within 48 hours, but its unclear Thursday whether he complied, would be charged or was in custody.

The order did not say what building he had targeted or when he planned to launch his attack. It also did not detail his interactions with Rupnow except to state that the man was plotting a mass shooting with her.

A spokesperson for the Carlsbad Police Department said federal authorities were leading the investigation and we do not believe there is a threat to our city.

Police, with the assistance of the FBI, were scouring online records and other resources and speaking with the shooters parents and classmates in an attempt to determine a motive, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said on Wednesday.

No decisions have been made about whether Rupnows parents might be charged, but they have been cooperating, he said.
Syrian activists gather at the Umayyad square during a protest to demand a secular state, in Damascus on Thursday Omar Sanadiki/AP)

The first US diplomats to visit Syria since President Bashar Assads ousting earlier this month held talks with transitional officials in Damascus on Friday to press for an inclusive government and seek information on the whereabouts of missing American journalist Austin Tice.

The top American diplomat for the Middle East, Barbara Leaf, former special envoy for Syria Daniel Rubinstein and the Biden administrations chief envoy for hostage negotiations, Roger Carstens, met with interim leaders and members of civil society, officials said.

Details of the meetings were not immediately available and a news conference the officials had planned was cancelled because of unspecified security concerns.

Ms Leaf and the others had left the Four Seasons hotel in Damascus earlier on Friday without making any comments to waiting journalists.

The State Department said the delegations agenda would concentrate on seeking information about Mr Tice as well as pushing the principles of minority rights and a rejection of terrorism. The administration says those will be critical for US support for a new government.

A Syrian fighter stands guard as activists gather at the Umayyad Square in Damascus (Omar Sanadiki/AP)

Shortly before the delegation arrived in Damascus, the US military said it had conducted airstrikes in northeastern Syria on Thursday, killing a leader of the so-called Islamic State group and one other militant.

Ms Leafs team is also the first group of American diplomats to visit Syria formally for more than a decade, since the US shut its embassy in Damascus in 2012, although a small number of US diplomats had been assigned to political advisory roles with military units inside Syria since then.

They will be engaging directly with the Syrian people, including members of civil society, activists, members of different communities, and other Syrian voices about their vision for the future of their country and how the United States can help support them, the State Department said.

The US has redoubled efforts to find Mr Tice and return him home, saying officials have communicated with the rebels who ousted Mr Assads government about the American journalist. Mr Carstens travelled previously to Lebanon to seek information.

Mr Tice, who has had his work published by The Washington Post, McClatchy newspapers and others, disappeared at a checkpoint in a contested area west of Damascus as the Syrian civil war intensified.

A video released weeks after Mr Tice went missing showed him blindfolded and held by armed men and saying, Oh, Jesus. He has not been heard from since. Mr Assads government publicly denied that it was holding him.

The rebel group that spearheaded the assault on Damascus that forced Mr Assad to flee  Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS  is designated a foreign terrorist organisation by the US and others. While that designation comes with a raft of sanctions, it does not prohibit US officials from speaking to its members or leaders.

The State Department said Mr Rubinstein, Ms Leaf and Mr Carstens would meet HTS officials but did not say if the groups leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was once aligned with al Qaida, would be among them.

US officials say Mr al-Sharaas public statements about protecting minority and womens rights are welcomed, but they remain sceptical that he will follow through on them in the long run.

Although the US has not had a formal diplomatic presence in Syria since 2012, there are US troops in small parts of Syria engaged in the fight against the Islamic State militant group.

The Pentagon revealed Thursday that the US had doubled the number of its forces in Syria to fight IS before Mr Assads fall.

The US also has significantly stepped up airstrikes against IS targets over concern that a power vacuum would allow the militant group to reconstitute itself.

The diplomats visit to Damascus will not result in the immediate reopening of the US embassy, which is under the protection of the Czech government, according to US officials, who said decisions on diplomatic recognition will be made when the new Syrian authorities make their intentions clear.
The infamous heist shook the peace process to its core with suspicion immediately falling on the Provisional IRAThe Northern Bank replaced millions of pounds of notes soon after the huge crimeIt was far from the victimless crime some portrayed it as

26.5 million was stolen from the banks headquarters in Belfast.

On the 20th December 2004, one of the most audacious crimes ever carried out in the UK rocked Northern Ireland  the Northern Bank robbery.

A massive heist, 26.5 million was stolen from the banks headquarters in Belfast.

The gang responsible held the families of bank workers Chris Ward and Kevin McMullan hostage while they forced them to steal the cash and hand it over.

Suspicion immediately fell on one organisation, the only one thought capable of such an operation  the Provisional IRA.

The robbery shook the peace process to the core, with politicians from both the UK and Ireland coming out in condemnation against it.

Why did the IRA emerge from the shadows to carry out this robbery and why did they do it?

Ciaran Dunbar is joined by Belfast Telegraph Northern Ireland editor Sam McBride.
The Malaysian Cabinet has approved a renewed effort to locate Malaysia Airlines flight 370, which disappeared in 2014 over the southern Indian Ocean.

On Dec. 20, Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced that U.S.-based marine exploration company Ocean Infinity will lead the search for the aircraft's wreckage in a 5800-square-mile area off Western Australia's coast.

"They have informed us that the best time for searching is between January and April. We are trying to finalise the contract as soon as possible. They have committed that the search will begin once the contract is signed," Loke said, according to The Straits Times.

The Cabinet agreed in principle on December 13 to move forward with a renewed search for Malaysia Airlines flight 370.

The Transport Ministry is currently negotiating the terms of the contract with U.S.-based Ocean Infinity, with finalization expected in early 2025. The agreement will follow a "no find, no fee" model, ensuring no payment is made if the wreckage remains undiscovered. If successful, Ocean Infinity is seeking a fee of US$70 million, mirroring the terms proposed during the 2018 search.

"The contract will last for about 18 months. All other terms and conditions will be finalised and brought to the Attorney-General's Chamber for vetting," Loke said.

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 vanished on March 8, 2014, with 239 people aboard during its journey from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Despite multiple search efforts over the years, including a costly operation in the southern Indian Ocean, no definitive traces of the aircraft have been found.

Since its disappearance, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 has been the subject of numerous conspiracy theories. Speculations have ranged from claims of a deliberate "death-dive" by the pilot to suggestions of a possible hijacking. However, none of these theories have been substantiated by official investigations.

Meanwhile, in November 2023, a Beijing court commenced hearings for compensation claims filed by over 40 families of Chinese passengers who were on board the flight. These families account for two-thirds of the total passenger manifest.
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PITTSFIELD  The Department of Early Education and Care has issued an emergency suspension of the child care license for a program run out of the home of a Pittsfield High School administrator accused of selling cocaine.

The day care center, identified by the state agency as Destiny Crews Family Child Care Program, and also known online as Destined for Greatness Childcare, was initially licensed in January with capacity for six children.

The license was suspended Monday, less than one week after Dean of students Lavante Wiggins, 30, was arrested by federal authorities on cocaine distribution conspiracy charges. Destiny Crews is referred to as Wiggins' girlfriend in a police report. Wiggins' address is identified in federal and state court documents as the same Pittsfield address where the day care was licensed to operate.

The agency says it is now "pursuing legal action" to revoke the license. License holders in Massachusetts have the option to challenge a move to revoke the potential revocation. If a revocation is ordered, a licensee can then appeal in court.

An affidavit attached to the criminal complaint against Wiggins says that his codefendant, Theodore "Monty" Warren, 42, of Pittsfield, allegedly brought the proceeds earned from two cocaine transactions to Wiggins at that address. Those transactions allegedly were completed with an unnamed cooperating witness at the direction of the FBI.

There were no allegations in the complaint that any of the FBI-monitored and directed drug sales happened at that address. Crews did not return a request for comment. She has not been implicated in the federal case against Wiggins.

A spokesperson for the Department of Early Education and Care said the agency is conducting its investigation with law enforcement and the Department of Children and Families. The spokesperson declined to comment on the investigation any further, and did not specify which law enforcement agency or agencies are involved.

The Department of Early Education and Care oversees early education and child care programs, offers professional development and technical assistance to programs. It falls under the auspices of the state Executive Office of Education.

The Department of Early Education and Care spokesperson said Destiny Crews Family Child Care Program does not currently have any children in its care. The spokesperson did not immediately respond to a question Thursday about how recently the program was operating.

Wiggins' arrest last week has rocked the school district, and preceded separate allegations against an administrator and a former teacher at Pittsfield High School. On Wednesday, the Pittsfield School Committee met for the first time since the scandal erupted, and disclosed that a third-party law firm would be hired to investigate the district's response to the allegations and its hiring process.

The Department of Early Education and Care requires background checks for household members of prospective licensees above 15 years old. The school superintendent previously said that its own background check into Wiggins "did not uncover any indications of the issues" raised by federal authorities.

Wiggins, a graduate of Endicott College in Beverly, was hired to be a dean of students at Pittsfield High School in 2021. He was placed on paid administrative leave after his arrest.

He and Warren have been charged with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute cocaine, according to federal prosecutors. According to the affidavit, a law enforcement official who began investigating Wiggins in March accused him of operating a drug trafficking organization in Pittsfield and the surrounding area.

Wiggins also has two open motor vehicle cases in Central Berkshire District Court stemming from recent traffic stops by state police. In both cases, Wiggins was cited for driving on a suspended license. In one case the vehicle was unregistered.

He is due in Central Berkshire District Court for a pretrial hearing on Monday.
LENOX  School officials and police are investigating the recent discovery of a swastika in a Lenox Memorial Middle and High School classroom.

The antisemitic symbol was found scrawled on a whiteboard in one of the high school classrooms, said Principal Jeremiah Ames. He sent out a message to families and other members of the School Committee on Thursday evening.

Tragically, this appears to have occurred very recently, Ames stated, leaving us without the benefit of thinking it was an older act that went unnoticed. We take this matter very seriously and have conducted an extensive investigation.

The probe, conducted with close involvement by Lenox Police School Resource Officer William Colvin, included reviewing dozens of hours of security footage, interviewing everyone who recently accessed the classroom, and speaking with custodial staff, tradespeople and our faculty to uncover any context of similar incidents.

Colvin documented all details, sharing them with neighboring communities in case this is part of a broader trend, Ames said. The incident also was reported to the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires.

We have an investigation open and we are working hand in hand with the school as we often do, Lenox Police Chief Stephen E. OBrien told The Eagle. We will investigate and see if a crime was involved.

There are no leads, Ames said in an interview. He had been optimistic that with numerous cameras in the building, the timeline had been nailed down. After interviewing all the students in the classroom, I was sure we would find something, but we came up empty, and it was very, very frustrating, very mysterious, he said.

The incident apparently occurred early last week, he said, and the investigation has been ongoing and intensive since then.

While this incident frustrates, angers, and disappoints us, we must remain focused on its impact, he wrote in his message. Acts of hate and bias like this harm members of marginalized groups in our community. No student, regardless of background, should feel threatened or unsafe in their learning environment.

In the Western world, the swastika represents a symbol of the German Nazi Party starting in the 1930s through World War II. The symbol remains in frequent use by neo-Nazis worldwide, including in the U.S.

"This unwelcome incident is not indicative of the Lenox School Community, the beliefs we hold, or our aspirations to be the place where students, staff, and families experience a sense of belonging," Lenox schools Superintendent William Collins wrote in a message to The Eagle. "I can guarantee you that our student body and staff, almost to a person, finds this sort of hatefulness as distasteful as I do."

Ames urged anyone in the school community affected by the incident or any other hateful messages to speak with a school counselor or a trusted adult.

And he warned of harmful consequences for whoever is responsible.

You have hurt and offended members of our community," he said, "and you have violated the values of respect, tolerance, and inclusion that we hold dear.

Ames urged any community members with questions about the incident or suggestions for combating bias, or who need additional support, to reach out to him at the school.

I encourage everyone in our community to remain vigilant and to report any incidents of antisemitism to the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires, Ames stated. Together, we must continue our shared commitment to creating a safe and inclusive environment for all.

Last April, the Anti-Defamation League issued a report on hate incidents in Berkshire County.

The report cited a swastika and antisemitic comments drawn in a boys bathroom stall in May 2023 at Monument Mountain Regional High School; antisemitic slurs directed at a Jewish teacher at Nessacus Regional Middle School in Dalton, also in May; and swastikas and anti-LGBTQ+ slurs targeting a student at Lenox Memorial Middle and High School, found in April 2023.

Another incident was a report of swastikas, racist and anti LGBTQ+ graffiti drawn in the sand in April 2023 at the Lake Mansfield swimming beach in Great Barrington.

The ADL report stated that the number of incidents deemed antisemitic in 2023 were the highest ever recorded in Berkshire County and statewide.

Seventeen reports were made about incidents across the Berkshires, seven in Great Barrington, according to ADL data. Three reports were about incidents in Pittsfield. During the previous year, in 2022, there were three antisemitic incidents.
GREAT BARRINGTON  Berkshire Community College is looking to expand to the south once again, and is urging anyone with an available space of the right size to consider leasing to the school.

BCC is looking for 9,300 usable square feet for classroom and office space in the towns of Great Barrington, Lee, Lenox or Stockbridge, particularly due to the popularity of its English learning program at its Pittsfield location, according to Linda M. Clairmont, BCCs executive director of Workforce and Community Education.

But the state and college will also consider a 9,000- to 10,000-square-foot space in those towns, according to a request for proposals issued on behalf of the college by the Massachusetts Division of Asset Management and Maintenance on Dec. 13.

I would encourage anyone who thinks they might be able to submit a proposal to take a crack at it, Clairmont said, "because Berkshire Community College is eager to expand its presence in South County and ... were looking for a partnership.

The deadline for proposal submissions is 2 p.m. Jan. 23. Proposals will not be opened until then.

A move would mark a return to South County after the college sold its Great Barrington satellite building on Main Street in 2021 to developer Alander Group following pandemic shifts that included a switch to remote learning.

BCC officials at the time said the $1.45 million sale would help the college continue granting $350,000 in scholarships every year. College leaders also said they still were committed to programming in Great Barrington.

Founded in 1960, BCC was the first community college established by the state. It is one of 15 community colleges throughout Massachusetts and enrolls approximately 2,000 students every year.

Clairmont told The Eagle that the reason for branching out to the south again is primarily because of the colleges ESOL  or English Speakers of Other Languages  program is so popular. The college previously ran this program at its Great Barrington location.

Now, Clairmont said, the Pittsfield location has 120 enrolled in ESOL, and a waiting list of roughly 150. Of the students in this program about half live in Central Berkshire, and the other half in South County.

BCC also wants the new space to be big enough to offer other things, she said.

That includes workforce education programs like a phlebotomy training course, other for-credit classes and a return of adult programming through the Osher Institute of Lifelong Learning  or OLLI.

The vision is to sort of try to capture a space, Clairmont added, that would allow us to have a larger presence and offer more in South County.
Sanna Sayed, left, tries on an outfit with Farah Talib Aziz manager Sarah Khawaja at Sugar Land Town Square on Tuesday. Elizabeth Conley/Staff Photographer Farah Talib Aziz manager Sarah Khawaja listens to a customer at Sugar Land Town Square store on Tuesday. Elizabeth Conley/Staff Photographer An employee at Farah Talib Aziz restocks shopping bags at the Sugar Land Town Square store on Tuesday. Elizabeth Conley/Staff Photographer Roosevelt Nivens, superintendent of Lamar CISD, participates in a panel discussion during a luncheon at Houston Marriott Sugar Land on Tuesday A new ranking puts Sugar Land in Fort Bend County and Atascosita, in northeast Harris County, as among the fastest-growing cities in the United States. Elizabeth Conley/Staff Photographer Robin Elackatt, mayor of Missouri City, participates in a panel discussion during a luncheon at Houston Marriott Sugar Land on Tuesday. Elizabeth Conley/Staff Photographer

Formal wear designer Farah Talib Aziz, who is based in Karachi, opened her first, and thus far only, U.S. boutique in May on Sugar Lands City Walk, steps from the town square and city hall.

Fort Bend Countys large Pakistani and Indian community was a key reason, store manager Sarah Khawaja explained on Tuesday, but over the past six months, clients from across the country have visited the store to try on the designers intricately embroidered bridal outfits and clothes such as kurtas, a kind of tunic; blouse-like cholis; and kalidars (or sometimes kalidaars), which are similar to elaborate frocks.

Touch wood, we are truly, truly, truly and humbly blessed, Khawaja said, after fielding a call from one customer and preparing to greet several others. We hardly get time.

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Across the way, at the Marriott hotel, the Greater Houston Partnership was hosting a luncheon on the future of the Houston region, with a particular focus on Fort Bend County and the growth of its communities and schools and the addition of new businesses such as Farah Talib Aziz.

Over the last decade, Fort Bends business community has seen an astonishing surge, with the number of businesses rising from 8,600 to 15,000, said Bob Harvey, GHP president and CEO, citing data from the Fort Bend County Economic Development Council.

The businesses range from mom-and-pop restaurants and fashion boutiques to major corporations such as Frito-Lay, which in 2021 announced a $200 million expansion of its Rosenberg facility, and nonprofits such as Memorial Hermann, which in 2022 announced a $231 million expansion of its Sugar Land hospital.

The growth of the Houston region has been such that it can be described in terms of geography as well as population and the economy, Harvey said. When he began his tenure at the partnership, the GHP conceptualized a Houston region of 10 counties; today, its 12.

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Sugar Land had the sixth-highest population growth of any U.S. city from 2017 to 2022, according to a new ranking from SmartAsset, a personal-finance website, with population growth of 23.6% over the period. The Census Bureau estimated the citys population in 2022 at about 109,400. And its not just Sugar Land, SmartAsset noted. The ranking highlighted a sudden shift in Atascocita, an unincorporated community in northeastern Harris County, that stood out last year: In 2022, Atascocitas population grew by 25%, the fastest rate of any census-designated area in the country. The Census Bureaus most recent tally, in 2020, put the areas population at almost 90,000.

The growth of the region presents its challenges, and has elicited some pushback. Colony Ridge, a development northeast of Harris County not far from Atascocita, has in recent months become the subject of viral anti-immigrant conspiracy theories.

Meanwhile, Khawaja, who moved to Sugar Land from New York two years ago, says Fort Bend County continues to offer attractive amenities: good schools, lovely parks, a sense of peace.

Everything has been changing, day by day. You do see growth, thats for sure, Khawaja said. Ill say about my personal experience, whomever Ive met, or the people I know, I know for sure they love it here.
Jeff Robbins, a part-time resident of Stockbridge, is a former U.S. Delegate to the United Nations Human Rights Council and a former assistant U.S. attorney and chief counsel for the Democrats on the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. He is the author of Notes from the Brink: A Collection of Columns About Policy at Home and Abroad.
For many people, Christmas music marks the beginning of the holiday season. Of course, the melodies of Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, and Johnny Mathis, along with the songs of sleigh bells and snow, stockings and Santa Claus, may warm our hearts and prepare us for the wonders of winter. However, for millions of Christians around the world, it is the hymns, carols, and songs commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ that tell a much different story. Beyond seasonal sentiments of merriment and cheer, these songs contain a rich and treasured theology of Christs glorious birth, ministry, and character. And though reflective, commemorative, and celebratory in nature, they also prepare the hearts of faithful and hopeful believers for the joyous return and second coming of Gods one and only Son.

Here, then, is a brief look at our favorite Christmas hymns that point us to Jesus Christ.

1. O Come, O Come Emmanuel

O come, o come, Immanuel

And ransom captive Israel

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear

Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel

Shall come to you, O Israel

Isaiahs prophecies regarding the Messiah preceded one of the darkest chapters of Israels history. As Gods people mourned in captivity and languished in exile in Babylon and later Persia, hope came in the form of Gods promise of restoration, the return to their homeland, and their eventual ransom and rescue at the hands of the Messiah, the Branch of Jesses stem (see Isaiah 11:1-3), who would be called Immanuel (God with Us) (see Isaiah 7:10-16; Matthew 1:23). Until the arrival of the Son of God, Gods people waited in lonely exile." Even today, the Bible says that all creation waits in expectation for Christs return, when the children of God, exiles on this earth, return to their eternal home and share in His glory (Romans 8:19). O Come, O Come Emmanuel is a song of hope, longing, and anticipation for all generations.

Tyler Michael & Sarah Smith | 'O Come, O Come, Emmanuel' from CCM Magazine on GodTube.

2. The First Noel

The first Noel the angel did say

Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay;

In fields where they lay keeping their sheep,

On a cold winters night that was so deep.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,

Born is the King of Israel

The long and storied history of the word Noel provides insight into the wonder of this classic Christmas hymn. Long associated with the celebration of Christmas, the term Noel can be linked to the French phrase bonnes nouvelles (good news). And if we go back ever farther, we can also find a variant of the word derived from the Latin for birthday or to be born. Therefore, in singing of the first Noel, the angels herald the first birthday and good news of all creation. What an appropriate announcement for the glorious birth of the true King of Israel, man of heaven, and last Adam, in whom salvation is found (2 Titus 2:11; Romans 10:13) and creation starts anew (1 Corinthians 15:45-47; 2 Corinthians 5:17).

Michael Sweet Noelle Music Video from Dennis Disney on GodTube.

3. O Little Town of Bethlehem

O little town of Bethlehem

How still we see thee lie

Above thy deep and dreamless sleep

The silent stars go by

Yet in thy dark streets shineth

The everlasting light

The hope and fears of all the years

Are met in thee tonight

With the birth of Jesus Christ, the little town of Bethlehem rose to prominence, becoming one of the most iconic locations on earth for all of history. Here, in this humble town in the hill country of Judah, God chose to make His entrance in human form, as prophesied by the prophet Micah (Micah 5:2). And here, in the city of David (1 Samuel 16:4-13; Luke 2:4) and house of bread, the heir to the throne of David (Luke 1:33) and Bread of Life came into the world to fill the hungry with good things (John 6:22-23; Luke 1:53) and establish His throne forever (Luke 1:33). O Little Town of Bethlehem is a beautiful reminder of the many ways God uses small beginnings (Zechariah 4:10) and the humble and foolish things of the world to confound the wise (1 Corinthians 1:27; see also Luke 1:52).

O' Little Town of Bethlehem ~ Sarah McLachlan from Bill Lourdes on GodTube.

4. Away in a Manger

Away in a manger

No crib for a bed

The little Lord Jesus

Laid down His sweet head

The stars in the bright sky

Looked down where He lay

The little Lord Jesus

Asleep on the hay

Few images in the nativity speak to the humility of Jesus Christ quite like the manger, in which the King of Kings and Son of God was placed following His birth (Luke 2:7-16; see also Philippians 2:5-11). Here, once again, we find the Bread of Life (John 6:35) and Living Bread of Heaven (John 6:51) being put in a feeding trough commonly used for sheep. Fittingly, the Lamb of God (Isaiah 53:7; John 1:29, 36) and Good Shepherd (Psalms 23), who would later lay down His life for His sheep (John 10:11), was also laid in a manger when there was no room or crib for His bed (see Luke 9:58).

Acoustic Version Away In A Manger from Lewis Moore on GodTube.

5. Silent Night

Silent night! Holy night!

Radiant beams from Thy holy face

With the dawn of redeeming grace

Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth!

Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth!

Most parents know how emotional and chaotic the moments leading up to the birth of their children can be. The first Christmas was probably very similar. And yet, it was remarkably different. Amidst the chaos of the nativity, the world was turned upside down. In the darkness of a fallen, sinful, and broken world, peace and stillness came to earth in the form of a baby, the long-awaited Prince of Peace (Psalms 46:10). On that silent night, Christ the Savior was born (John 3:16; 1 Timothy 1:15; Mark 2:17; Luke 19:10). And with the dawn came the hope and promise of His redeeming grace (Ephesians 1:7-8; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 3:24).

Brynn Elliott | 'Silent Night' (acoustic) from CCM Magazine on GodTube.

6. Come All Ye Faithful

O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant!

O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;

Come and behold Him

Born the King of Angels:

O Come, let us adore Him,

Christ the Lord.

In his letter to the church in Philippi, the apostle Paul once appealed to the eternal citizenship of the redeemed in Christ (Philippians 3:20). Likewise, O Come All Ye Faithful serves as an invitation to all the citizens of Heaven above.



Sing, choirs of angels, sin in exultation,

Sing, all ye citizens of Heaven above!

Glory to God, glory in the highest:

O come, let us adore Him, (3x)

Christ the Lord.

Right out of the pages of Scripture, it is a call to worship, to sing with the angels, and to come and adore Him (Psalms 95:6), this Christ the Lord, God of God, and light of light (Genesis 1:3; Matthew 4:16; John 9:5; Psalms 18:28; Psalms 27:1; John 1:5; 1 John 1:5). In churches around the world every Christmas, the joyful chorus of the faithful and triumphant is heard as the call to worship and adoration is heeded.

Beautiful 'O Come All Ye Faithful' Cypress Fyre A Cappella Cover from Chris Rupp on GodTube.

7. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

It came upon the midnight clear,

That glorious song of old,

From angels bending near the earth

To touch their harps of gold:

Peace on earth, good will to men,

From heavens all-gracious King.

The world in solemn stillness lay,

To hear the angels sing.

Every year, people around the world enter the Christmas season with heavy hearts and long faces. Of course, there are many reasons why people may mourn this time of year. And despite the wisdom of the world, hope in times of present sadness often comes by treasuring the glorious songs and stories of old, none more joyous than the birth of Jesus Christ. Until that day when Christ returns and He wipes away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain (Revelation 21:4), peace on earth and goodwill to men are found in heavens all-gracious King.. In Him alone we place our hope; in Him alone we are sustained.

8. O Holy Night

Cherished by millions of Christians around the world since it was first penned and put to song, O Holy Night has a unique history, originating from the mind of one who, by all accounts, had very little religious conviction at the time he wrote it. Nevertheless, O Holy Night is packed with theological significance as it affirms and triumphantly celebrates Christ who was, Christ who is, and Christ who is to come.

Nearly the entire theology of Scripture is contained in this one song, which calls upon all who hear it to raise a grateful chorus and fall on their knees in reverence, awe, and adoration of Christ the Lord, in whose presence every night is a Holy Night (Philippians 2:10-11; Psalms 113:2; 145:1; Revelation 7:12).

9. What Child is This?

What Child is this, who laid to rest,

On Mary's lap is sleeping?

Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,

While shepherds watch are keeping? Chorus:

This, this is Christ, the King,

Whom shepherds guard and angels sing:

Haste, haste to bring Him laud,

The Babe, the Son of Mary!

Shortly after Christ calmed the wind and waves on the sea, it was the disciples of Jesus who asked themselves, who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him? (Luke 8:25) Years before Jesus performed a single sign or miracle, the world asked a similar question: what child is this? The Bible provides the clearest answer: this is Christ, the King (Luke 1:30-33; John 1:1-18; 4:25-26; Matthew 1:18-25).

10. Mary, Did You Know?

Mary did you know

That your baby boy will one day walk on water?

Mary did you know

That your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?

Did you know

That your baby boy has come to make you new?

This child that you've delivered

Will soon deliver you

On the list of Christmas songs about the birth of Christ, Mary, Did You Know? is one of the newest. That hasnt stopped it from becoming one of the most widely recorded and popular songs this time of year. In it, lyricist Mark Lowry gives voice to the many questions the virgin Mary undoubtedly had following the angels annunciation (Luke 1:26-38), through her delivery, and the eventual life and ministry of her adult son. Of course, we can never know how much Mary pondered and treasured following the miraculous events of Jesus birth. However, through this song, we can all treasure the thoughts of one who bore witness to the wonders of the Messiah from His birth and beyond.

Mark Lowry Performs Mary, Did You Know? from CCM Magazine on GodTube.

11. Angels We Have Heard on High

Sweetly singing o'er the plains

And the mountains in reply

Echoing their joyous strains Angels we have heard on high

Sweetly, sweetly through the night

And the mountains in reply

Echoing their brief delight Gloria, in excelsis Deo

Gloria, in excelsis Deo

At the birth of Christ, a multitude of heavenly host appeared in the skies above Bethlehem praising God and singing, glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased (Luke 2:13-14). Today, the church triumphantly recounts the song of the heavenly host by singing the same chorus: gloria, in excelsis Deo. And like the shepherds in the field, Christs followers call to each other to come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand (Psalms 95:6). What a great privilege it is to join with the chorus of angels and shepherds and sing the same song of praise to the same Jesus who is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

12. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

With Hark! The Herald Angels Sing the joyful chorus of angels and men herald more than just the birth of another baby (Luke 2:8-14). With this glorious hymn, we sing of all that Christ came to accomplish on this earth (Revelation 5:13; Isaiah 6:2-3). In Christ, God and sinners are reconciled (2 Corinthians 5:18); and in Him, joyful nations rise (Psalms 86:9; Revelation 98:4). Through Jesus, our Emmanuel, God came to dwell among us (John 1:14; 3:16; Romans 8:3; Hebrews 2:14). He is the heaven-born Prince of Peace and Son of Righteousness (Isaiah 9:6; Psalms 29:11; Isaiah 26:3; John 16:33). Light and life to all He brings; risn with healing in His wings (John 8:12; Psalms 30:2; Jeremiah 17:14; 1 Peter 2:24; Isaiah 40:31; 53:4). Mild He lays His glory by, born that man no more may die, born to raise the sons of earth, born to given them second birth (John 3:3-15; 16; 5:24; 6:47; 10:27-28; 11:25-26; 1 John 5:11-12).

13. We Three Kings of Orient Are

We three kings of Orient are;

bearing gifts we traverse afar,

field and fountain, moor and mountain,

following yonder star. O star of wonder, star of light,

star with royal beauty bright,

westward leading, still proceeding,

guide us to thy perfect light.

In most homes, no nativity display is complete without a careful placing of the three wise men with their chosen gifts for the newborn king. Of course, we do not know how the Bethlehem star (Matthew 2:2) brought these three (or more) magicians and astrologers from the East to Jerusalem and then Bethlehem. All we know is that the God of creation, who counts the stars and calls them by name (Psalms 147:4), moved the heavens to guide foreigners to come and worship His Son, thy perfect light. (see also Amos 5:8-9; Isaiah 40:26; Psalms 8:3-9; 19:1-6). And for the one called King of the Jews, these men brought deeply symbolic gifts that point to the very character and nature of Jesus Christ (see Isaiah 9:6-7; Revelation 17:14; Hebrews 2:17; 4:14; 1 John 4:10; John 19:31-42; Luke 23:50-56; Matthew 26:6-13; Romans 5:10; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

14. Coventry Carol

Lully, lulla,

thou little tiny child,

by by, lully lullay.

O sisters too,

how may we do

for to preserve this day

this poor youngling,

for whom we do sing



This 16th century English Christmas carol has a much more somber tone than many hymns and carols on this list as it references the Massacre of the Innocence by King Herod upon receiving news that the King of the Jews was born in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1-23).

Herod the king,

in his raging,

charged he hath this day

his men of might,

in his own sight,

all young children to slay.

Accordingly, Coventry Carol takes the form of a lullaby sung by mothers of the doomed children. A deeply tragic perspective on the Christmas story, this hymn reminds us that false, earthly kings will always be threatened by the true King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Nevertheless, it is Christ who rules over the nations (Psalms 22:28) and turns the heart of kings like channels of water wherever He wishes (Proverbs 21:1). Furthermore, as Isaiah prophesied, the government will rest on His shoulders. (Isaiah 9:6-7; emphasis added)

15. Do You Hear What I Hear?

Do you hear what I hear?

Said the night wind to the little lamb

Do you see what I see?

(Do you see what I see?)

Way up in the sky, little lamb

Do you see what I see?

(Do you see what I see?)

A star, a star, dancing in the night

With a tail as big as a kite

With a tail as big as a kite

It should never be lost within the charm of Bing Crosbys voice, that the answer to his questions surrounding the Christmas story, do you hear what I hear? and do you see what I see?, will be, for many, no. When it comes to many theological truths, the Bible calls upon those with eyes to see and ears to hear (Revelation 2; Isaiah 6:8-10), a common phrase spoken throughout the ministry of Jesus (Matthew 7:13-14, 24-27; 13:10-15; 11:15; Mark 4:9, 23). Unfortunately, the Bible speaks of those with eyes who do not see and ears who do not hear. The same is true of Christmas. At no other time of the year is the gospel and person of Jesus Christ proclaimed more loudly and clearly than at Christmas. And yet, despite the many songs, hymns, and carols about Jesus that fill the homes and cars of millions of people around the world this time of year, multitudes will still miss the true meaning of Christmas.

Said the king to the people everywhere

Listen to what I say! (Listen to what I say!)

Pray for peace, people, everywhere

Listen to what I say! (Listen to what I say!)

The Child, the Child sleeping in the night

He will bring us goodness and light

He will bring us goodness and light

Sadly, many will see the nativity on display but never encounter Christ beyond the manger; they will listen to and even the sing the songs of Christs birth but never hear or receive the saving message of His gospel. The eternal joy of Christmas will be lost to those who do not see and do not hear.

16. Joy to the World

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!

Let earth receive her King!

Let ev'ry heart prepare Him room,

and heav'n and nature sing,

and heav'n and nature sing,

and heav'n, and heav'n and nature sing.

In the words of one of the most popular Christmas hymns of all time, there is great joy for all who know that the Lord has come and choose to receive Him as their King (Psalms 96:11-12; 150:1-6). For Christ alone breaks the curse of sin and sorrow and comes to make His blessings flow (Genesis 3:17-18; 1 Timothy 1:13-16; 2 Corinthians 9:8; John 10:10; Ephesians 3:20). Unlike nearly every human ruler or king in history, He rules the world with truth and grace (Isaiah 40:22; 9:6; Psalms 22:28; Daniel 4:17; emphasis added). Unfortunately, for those who, like many on that Bethlehem night, have no room for their King, the hope, joy, and peace that He alone brings will remained on the other side of a closed door. They will never know the wonders of His love (Psalms 17:7-10; Psalms 136:4; Ephesians 3:17-19) or sing for joy as only the redeemed in Christ can.

Justin Gambino | 'Joy To The World' (acoustic) from CCM Magazine on GodTube.

17. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen

God rest ye merry gentlemen

Let nothing you dismay

Remember Christ our Savior

Was born on Christmas Day

To save us all from Satan's pow'r

When we were gone astray

Oh tidings of comfort and joy

Comfort and joy

Oh tidings of comfort and joy

Oh, tidings of comfort and joy is the resounding chorus of the traditional English carol. But what is it that brings such delight to these so-called merry gentlemen? Christ our Savior, born on Christmas Day, of course. It is He who saves us from Satans powr and rescues us from sin and death (Colossians 1:13; Acts 26:18; Revelation 12:10; Romans 6:14; 8:37). Like sheep who were gone astray (see Isaiah 53:6), we were given a Good Shepherd (Psalms 23; John 10:11-18), who caused the iniquity of us all to fall upon Him (Isaiah 53:6). It was He who came on Christmas morning to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). To the once lost but now rescued and redeemed, Christs birth brings tidings of true comfort and joy. In Him alone is the fullness of a true merry Christmas.

18. Sussex Carol

On Christmas night all Christians sing

To hear the news the angels bring

On Christmas night all Christians sing

To hear the news the angels bring

News of great joy, news of great mirth

News of our merciful King's birth

Then why should men on earth be so sad?

Since our Redeemer made us glad

Then why should men on earth be so sad?

Since our Redeemer made us glad

In the popular Sussex Carol, carolers sing a chorus, why should men on earth be so sad? Since our Redeemer made us glad? Like many songs of Christs birth, the Sussex Carol is a call for the redeemed in Christ to be glad an rejoice (see Nehemiah 8:10; Psalms 51:12; Psalms 118:22-23; Psalms 92:4; Philippians 4:4). For God so loved the world that He sent His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16) And to those who believe, not in Santa Claus or some generic Christmas spirit and cheer, but in the saving grace and power of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Christmas is a season of inexpressible and glorious joy (1 Peter 1:8-9).

19. The Little Drummer Boy

So to honor Him, pa rum pum pum pum

When we come. Little baby, pa rum pum pum pum

I am a poor boy too, pa rum pum pum pum

I have no gift to bring, pa rum pum pum pum

Thats fit to give a King, pa rum pum pum pum

Rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum.

Shall I play for you, pa rum pum pum pum

The fictional tale of The Little Drummer Boy may be the inspiration for a holiday film classic and a song that shares its name. However, though its main character does not come directly from Scripture, his song does reflect on a theological truth. In the words of David, what shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me? (Psalms 116:12) The Little Drummer similarly questions what gift could a poor boy bring thats fit for a king? In response to the goodness and mercy of God, many have asked the same question. And yet, Jesus reminds us in the story of the widows gift that God does not look at gifts the same way we do (Luke 21:1-4). Whether we are young or old, rich or poor, drummer boy or wise man, Christ looks at the heart and desires true worship from those who truly love Him.

20. Go Tell it on the Mountain

Go, tell it on the mountain,

over the hills and everywhere;

go, tell it on the mountain

that Jesus Christ is born.

In his letter to the church in Rome, the apostle Paul wrote, how will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will the believe in whom they have not heard? (Romans 10:14) The same could be asked of the audience and eyewitnesses of the first Christmas. How would the world ever know of the glorious first moments when God came into the world if they had not gone and told on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere that Jesus Christ is born? The Christmas story may have begun with a call to come and see, but like the gospel, it ended with a desire and command to go and tell (Matthew 28:19-20; Luke 2:8-18).

Today, Christians carry the same responsibility, to commemorate and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, but also to sing and bring glory to His name by telling the world that Christ the Savior has come and will come again. May we praise His name forever; and may His power and glory we evermore proclaim! Amen.



Further Reading

25 Christmas Hymns to Celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ

10 Christmas Carols That Tell the Real Story of Christmas

What Can We Learn from Old Christmas Hymns?

What is the Purpose of Singing Hymns?

10 Glorious Advent Hymns: Rejoice in the Arrival of Christmas

Photo credit: GettyImages/MKucova

Joel Ryan is an author, writing professor, and contributing writer for Salem Web Network and Lifeway. When hes not writing stories and defending biblical truth, Joel is committed to helping young men find purpose in Christ and become fearless disciples and bold leaders in their homes, in the church, and in the world.
Scripture tells us the fates of a couple of early church leaders. Stephen was stoned (Acts 7:59-6) and James was killed by the sword (Acts 12:2). Some literature suggests that Peter believed he was unworthy to be crucified in the manner of his Savior, so he requested to be crucified upside down.

Many of us are curious about how other believers died, perhaps wanting to know what it will take to proclaim Jesus as Lord if they face persecution, but also seeking encouragement from the faith of such people. But was Peter really crucified upside-down? What evidence do we have, and does it matter to us how he died?

The Evidence Surrounding Peters Death

Jesus told the disciples If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me (Matthew 16:24). Jesus warned that following him would be hard, and one might even die for declaring him Lord and Savior. In Matthew 10:28, Jesus encouraged the disciples do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. He expected his friends to face death and counselled them accordingly. Even if they were not killed outright, they would certainly die to self (Galatians 2:20). The Apostle John, for example, was not murdered but was exiled for his faith. There has to be death for a follower to be reborn. These are general assertions for all disciples of Jesus Christ.

But Jesus also prophesied specifically about Peters death, as recorded in John 21:18-19: truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go. (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, Follow me. This verse is one reason why Peter is believed to have been crucified, especially the words stretch out your hands. He could have been stretched out upon a cross.

In 2 Peter 1:14, the Apostle looks toward his imminent death when he writes I know that the putting off of my body will be soon. The signs are clear to him that he will die soon, at the hands of his enemies.

Historically, too, John Oakes indicates there is plenty of evidence that Peter died by crucifixion. The early church fathers are unanimous in claiming that Peter died in Rome, by crucifixion, during the persecution of Nero in AD 64. When there is a lot of writing by independent authors dating from roughly the same time regarding the same event, one can feel confident that this is history and not a legend passed down over time. Moreover, the evidence is presented as a bland, straightforward fact. Distortions tend to feature exaggerations and drama; events become romanticized to the point of being incredible.

Distortions in the Texts

A story has circulated about Peters speech to the Roman soldiers who executed him. This is supposedly recorded in the apocryphal Acts of Peter written towards the end of the 2nd Century. Sean McDowell asserts that, while Roman executioners varied their crucifixion practices for their own sadistic pleasure, [...] do you think Roman executioners took suggestions from criminals as to how they wanted to be crucified? Probably not. It seems unlikely they would allow their victim to dictate terms, even the terms of a torturous death.

Historians cannot find adequate evidence to support the claim that Peter was crucified upside down. Although this form of torture would have featured its own unique types of pain and humiliation, the idea was to cause asphyxiation.

Numerous experts explain how crucifixion would have killed a person. The body pulled against arms nailed through the wrists and stretched over the head or to the sides. A victim hung there, trying to exhale, but had to push against the feet nailed to the wood below in order to do so, causing new agonies. What agonies would Peter have endured? Jesslyn Shields say that hanging upside down puts strain on the lungs, intestines, diaphragm, heart, and other organs. Being upside down would have led to asphyxiation. The soldiers would have achieved the result they wanted, but even if Peter lost consciousness, there was another potential benefit to this approach.

The soldiers sought to mock the Messiah and to mock the disciples faith. Emily Hall explains that in the last half-century, it has been common for the upside-down cross to be employed as a symbol of atheism, humanism, and the occult. Is it possible that, far from being Peters choice, this was the soldiers way of heaping further humiliation onto the Apostle and burgeoning Christian church?

The Salient Facts

We know that Peter died for his faith. He was crucified. We can trust these facts because of Christs prophetic words and because of what was written by objective viewers. Evidence includes writings from the first and second centuries such as the Pseudo-Abdias  an early name for the New Testament Apocrypha  as well as 4th Century works by Jerome and a couple of early Christian converts such as Dionysius, mentioned in Acts 17.

Some details of his death have passed into the realms of tradition, however, and details are unreliable. Researchers at Bible & Archaeology remind us to beware: here we have a great example of how traditions develop over time and eventually become what is known  stories we have heard and believe to be true, and often assume are preserved in the Bible somewhere, but actually aren't.

For example, many writers assume Peter was killed in Rome. Nicola Denzey Lewis at Biblical Archaeology says there is no solid evidence for this. Eusebius Pamphilius (3rd-4th Century historian) argues that the tradition that Peter suffered martyrdom in Rome is as old and as universal as that in regard to Paul, but owing to a great amount of falsehood which became mixed with the original tradition by the end of the second century the whole has been rejected as untrue by some modern critics, who go so far as to deny that Peter was ever at Rome.

Christian scholars have been keen to reinforce the reasonableness of their faith, highlighting the significant amount of evidence they possess surrounding Christ and the disciples, and dismissing any assertions suggestive of mere legend.

How Does This Impact Our Faith?

What if it turns out that Peter was not crucified upside-down  how would that impact the faith of many who came to believe this story? The answer is that it should not impact their faith in Christ. Those who worship Peter as a saint, believing in the stories about his life, are worshiping a god other than the Christian God. This is a form of idolatry, even Paganism.

Christians do not come to faith in God through Peter, or through the lives and truths of any person other than through the work of Christ on the cross, of which there is substantial evidence. The life of any faithful believer (of which Peter was one) points to Jesus. If a believer in life weakens when faced with death, this is not so surprising; Christs own disciples failed to do so. Even though we are assured of the Holy Spirits help when we face persecution (Luke 12:12), reports about martyrdom are remarkable.

Is there anything about the disputed subject of Peters crucifixion which can encourage us as believers? Two elements stand out:

1. What Christ tells us is always true, but we do not always need every detail. Christ told Peter he would die for following him; yet Jesus did not shed light on every specific facet of the event. He alluded metaphorically to death on a cross. Peter struggled with doubts, while Jesus spoke in parables a lot of the time. But Peter also became a faithful Apostle without a clear picture of his future. We can follow his example by faithfully continuing our Christian walk in spite of lacking a clearer picture of what we are going to face.

2. The proliferation of writings about Peters martyrdom reassures us, even if the details are hazy. Most peoples lives across the scope of humanity have been forgotten. People will not write about us unless we do something that stands out. The sheer fact of there being so many documents relating to the Apostle Peter should tell us that he was justly famous among religious scholars and historians. Peters fame glorifies God; he points to Christ at all times. His testimony is not believed and celebrated because of his fame  his fame is derived from the way he faithfully followed Christ to a cross of his own.

A Hero of the Faith

Peter might have been crucified upside down or right side up. There is simply too little evidence to suggest the former, although there were more than two options. The fact remains, however, that Peter died for his faith. His doubts about Jesus sovereignty were removed and he was willing to give his life in order to share the gospel with people who would ultimately kill him. Peter is justly considered a hero of the faith.

Sources

How did St. Peter die? | Britannica

What is the evidence that Peter was crucified upside down in Rome?  Evidence for Christianity

Photo credit: Unsplash/Daniele Franchi

Candice Lucey is a freelance writer from British Columbia, Canada, where she lives with her family. Find out more about her here.
LSPedia expands global presence with new office in Hyderabad, to serve pharma sector

December 20, 2024 | Friday | News

To strengthen its footprint in India's thriving pharmaceutical industry

US-based LSPedia has announced the opening of its new office in Hyderabad, from January 2025. This strategic expansion supports the company's mission to serve international markets, scale customer service capabilities, and strengthen its footprint in India's thriving pharmaceutical industry.

The Hyderabad office will play a key role in LSPedia's global growth strategy, delivering service to customers in Bahrain, Bangladesh, Singapore, Switzerland, UK, and the balance of the EU. Providing around the clock support and maintaining its industry leading first-response times, the team will augment US-based support to ensure seamless customer service across all time zones.

The Hyderabad office will enable LSPedia to provide localised service to Indian Marketing Authorization Holders (MAHs) and Contract Manufacturing Organizations (CMOs). By offering the same trusted OneScan software relied upon by pharmaceutical companies globally, LSPedia will help Indian businesses streamline operations, ensure compliance, and grow global markets.

In addition to supporting Indian customers, the Hyderabad team will work closely with international clients offering implementation expertise, technical support, and accelerated resolution times. This expansion enhances LSPedia's ability to serve global customers with tailored solutions and consistent service quality.

LSPedia's expansion highlights its commitment to improving pharmaceutical supply chain security and patient safety worldwide. The Hyderabad office reinforces its ability to partner with pharmaceutical companies across the globe, offering cutting-edge solutions and a local touch to tackle industry challenges with confidence.


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Traditional Li textile techniques get all-round protection, development in Hainan province

10:09, December 20, 2024 By Cao Wenxuan ( People's Daily

Traditional Li textile techniques: spinning, dyeing, weaving and embroidering were added by UNESCO to its Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, according to the 19th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage held on Dec. 5.

The techniques were included in the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding in 2009.

Tan Zhaoyan, who lives in Wuzhishan, south China's Hainan province was quite excited about the news.

A Li textile techniques competition is held in Sanya, south China's Hainan province to celebrate the Shangsi Festival, also known as the Double Third Festival, an ancient Chinese festival celebrated on the third day of the third lunar month, April 9, 2024. (People's Daily Online/Chen Wenwu)

The traditional textile techniques of spinning, dyeing, weaving and embroidering of the Li ethnic group refer to the traditional techniques adopted by Li women in Hainan province to make clothes and other articles of daily use with natural fibers such as cotton and flax. Textile made with these techniques are known as "Li embroidery."

Under the influence of her grandmother and mother, Tan, born in the 1990s, learned these techniques at a young age. However, her grandmother and mother would still be concerned sometimes about the declining interest among young people in learning these traditional skills.

Upon graduating from university, Tan found herself at a crossroads, torn between pursuing a conventional career path and preserving the heritage of Li textile techniques. In 2015, she decided to return home and establish a Li embroidery studio, dedicating herself to the preservation and transmission of these invaluable skills.

Her studio was a 10-square-meter room with a loom and a sewing machine. Tan and her mother were the only employees.

Despite the rough start, Tan's business soon thrived. As China sped up efforts to protect intangible cultural heritage, protection and training facilities of Li textile techniques sprung up, and Tan were always busy weaving, selling and negotiating with partners.

"I found there were more people interested in these techniques, and some villagers even wanted to join my studio," Tan told People's Daily.

In 2019, she set up a Li embroidery culture company, whose sales volume exceeded 700,000 yuan ($96,130) last year.

In addition to the significant efforts dedicated to safeguarding Li textile techniques, Tan attributed the success of her business to another key factor. As she showcased a video on her mobile phone featuring models flaunting garments adorned with Li embroidery elements on the runway at this year's Paris Fashion Week, Tan emphasized the impact of this additional reason.

In order to make Li textile techniques more modern and international, an international Li embroidery training program was hosted by the Wuzhishan municipal government and Istituto Marangoni, a private Italian school of fashion and design in August last year.

The program selected 30 Li textile artisans from Hainan and offered them free training for two years. Tan was among the 30 selected.

"Leather making and Li textile techniques can spark a unique synergy," Tan remarked. "Variations in pattern size can also exude distinct beauty."

In the classroom, renowned foreign designers introduced new concepts, inspiring Tan to draw inspiration from her surroundings. "For a homework assignment, I crafted accessories using beads that collected from grass and wove them into a waistband. It didn't take long for a tourist to spot and purchase it in the store," Tan said.

A Li textile techniques competition is held in Sanya, south China's Hainan province to celebrate the Shangsi Festival, also known as the Double Third Festival, an ancient Chinese festival celebrated on the third day of the third lunar month, April 9, 2024. (People's Daily Online/Chen Wenwu)

In early September this year, when Tan learned of the opportunity to participate in the Paris Fashion Week, she felt a mix of nervousness and excitement.

"After receiving the design sketches from the designer, we needed to fill the design papers and verify relevant information, and then distribute them to local weavers," Tan said.

Within just two weeks, the Li textile artisans from Hainan provided 10 patterns and nearly 30 fabric samples. Ultimately, the Li textile garments they designed became a hit during the Paris Fashion Week.

"International exchange activities not only introduce Li embroidery and culture to more people, but also allow inheritors of intangible cultural heritage to absorb and incorporate new design concepts, infuse fashion into their works, and keep the Li textile techniques up-to-date," said Wang Yuzhao, deputy director of the Wuzhishan cultural center.

Since last year, Wuzhishan has dispatched four groups totaling 69 intangible cultural heritage professionals to showcase intangible cultural heritage clothing and skills at the Milan Fashion Week in Italy, as well as to participate in tourism and cultural promotion activities in Singapore and Malaysia.

These international occasions brought market benefits to Li embroidery. Soon after the Paris Fashion Week concluded, Tan received a cooperation invitation from a company outside Hainan, with a plan to produce 1,500 pieces of Li embroidery.

"I've been rushing to finish orders recently, hoping that Li embroidery will be seen and loved by more people," Tan said.

"Li embroidery is hailed as the 'living fossil' of China's textile industry," said an official with the Hainan Provincial Department of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports. According to the official, five 300-square-meter Li embroidery craftsmanship centers and 16 villages for the inheritance of the techniques have been established in six cities and counties.

The number of inheritors has grown to over 20,000, and more than 100 primary and secondary schools in the province have introduced practical courses on Li textile techniques.

Meanwhile, Hainan province is formulating a five-year action plan (2025-2029) for the protection and development of traditional Li textile techniques of spinning, dyeing, weaving and embroidering, aiming to comprehensively enhance the protection and inheritance of these techniques and further advance their industrial development.

(Web editor: Chang Sha, Liang Jun)
The Shadow Creek neighborhood in Pearland. Godofredo A. Vasquez, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

While property taxes bedevil homeowners across Texas, those in Pearland may have it especially rough.

Property taxes there are 10th highest among U.S. cities, according to a study from SmartAsset.com, a personal finance website. The median home value in the suburb is $364,000, the study found. The owner of a median-priced home with a mortgage in the city pays annual real estate taxes of $7,847, for an effective property tax rate of 2.16% of home value.

Several other Houston-area communities made the SmartAsset list. Atascocita was 20th, with a rate of 1.94%. Sugar Land ranked 28th at 1.77%. Houston was 35th at 1.70%.

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These property tax rates are even higher than the Texas statewide average. In this state, as in most, property taxes are levied by local government entities, such as cities, school districts, school districts and utility districts. In 2024, according to the Tax Foundation, the effective property tax rate in Texas was 1.47%, the seventh highest among all states.

SmartAsset's ranking looked at 342 U.S. cities with populations of at least 100,000 people. The study used data from the Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey, which asks a sample of residents with mortgages in each community about their property tax payments.

Rockford, Ill., had the highest property tax rate in the nation, at 2.64%. Honolulu had the lowest, 0.28%, working out to a median property tax burden of $2,346 per year on a house worth $823,500 in the Hawaiian capital.

Jaclyn DeJohn, director of economic analysis at SmartAsset, said in an email that property taxes are generally an important consideration for potential homebuyers.

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"While a mortgage will eventually be paid up, the taxes will continue throughout your duration of homeownership," she said. "In some cases, it can be as high as a small mortgage itself."

The SmartAsset study didn't drill down into what's driving property taxes up in particular communities. But the ranking suggests that growth is a factor in property tax rates. The three highest-ranked Houston suburbs have experienced rapid population growth in recent years, with Sugar Land and Atascocita last year ranked among the fastest-growing places in the entire country. By contrast, The Woodlands, a more mature community, comes in at 61st on SmartAsset's list with a tax rate of 1.53%.

DeJohn explained that population growth can drive up property taxes in two ways. First, a surge in homebuying can have the effect of shaking up the snow globe, so to speak, when it comes to property tax assessments.

"When homes are sold, built, or renovated, the city often reassesses the value of the property," she said. "Since real estate taxes are generally based on this perceived property value, lots of activity in the housing market can increase taxes on individual plots and structures, raising the average."

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Second, she said, population growth can trigger new spending by local governments on amenities such as new schools or parks.
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Linemen tend to fallen power lines in the East End neighborhood of Houston, days after Hurricane Beryl made landfall, on Thursday, July 11, 2024 in Houston. A plan is in the works to partially relieve Houston-area ratepayers of CenterPoint Energy's $800 million lease of controversial generators that have sat mostly unused during power outages. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer

A plan is in the works to partially relieve Houston-area ratepayers of CenterPoint Energy's $800 million lease of controversial generators that have sat mostly unused during power outages.

The bulk of the lease includes 15 large generators, each big enough to power roughly 30,000 homes. These generators have been under public scrutiny since July, when a Houston Chronicle investigation revealed CenterPoint has never deployed them to restore outages, including in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, because they take days to move and aren't suited for use after storms damage neighborhood-level power lines and poles.

Proposal would help power San Antonio

According to a proposal under evaluation by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the states power grid operator, the 15 generators could be sent to CPS Energy, San Antonios electric utility, to mitigate a power supply crunch in that region.

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While the generators are in San Antonio, CenterPoint would receive no revenue or profit from ERCOT for their use. CenterPoint would also not charge Houston-area customers for any costs incurred while the generators are in San Antonio, which would reduce customer bills starting in spring 2025.

ERCOTs board will vote on the plan at its next meeting in February. If approved, the generators would be moved to San Antonio in the spring and stay with CPS Energy for approximately two years, or until additional power lines are built to relieve the regions power shortfalls.

Even after CPS Energy is done with the generators around 2027, CenterPoint wouldn't charge its Houston-area customers for any future use of the generators until its lease is up in 2029, according to a statement from the Houston utility. CenterPoint said it plans to market the units for other purposes and mentioned that there is significant demand for such generators as artificial intelligence drives a massive build-out of data centers desperate for electricity.

Lowering Houston bills

So far, CenterPoint has received approval from the Public Utility Commission of Texas to pass on approximately $350 million of its generator costs to customers through rate increases. This has added $2.39 per month to the average households bill.

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In a statement, CenterPoint CEO Jason Wells said the company is optimistic it will finalize a solution.

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, Wells said.

If the proposal is approved, CenterPoints generators would replace the need for CPS Energy to continue operating two natural gas power plants at its Braunig complex past their planned March retirement. Maintaining operations at these two power plants is expected to cost $56 million, which would be paid by utility customers across the state.

Need for additional power supply

ERCOT has already ordered CPS Energy to keep the largest of the three Braunig power plants open at a cost of $34 million. Additional power supply is needed in the San Antonio region because there isnt enough power line capacity to move plentiful electricity generated by wind farms in South Texas to power-hungry cities further north, according to ERCOT.

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Without the Braunig units, which are located north of the bottleneck, or CenterPoints generators, those power lines could become overloaded, which could in a worst-case scenario lead to outages. Overloaded power lines in South Texas were a major trigger of a grid emergency in September 2023, the first to occur since the infamous outages of the February 2021 freeze.

Chad Seely, ERCOTs general counsel, told the PUC at its Thursday meeting that ERCOT is still assessing how much it would cost to use CenterPoints generators to mitigate San Antonios power shortfalls instead of the Braunig units. ERCOT plans to issue on Friday a request for companies to submit other solutions to see if a more cost-effective alternative emerges, he said.

The market (would be) competing against what we believe is a better, more reliable solution that is probably less costly than the Braunig units, Seely said, referring to the proposal to use CenterPoints generators, which would still be paid for by utility customers across the state.

New rules for generator leases

At its Thursday meeting, the PUC approved new rules that would require utilities to provide more information on the intended use and capabilities of their generators when seeking approval from the agency before entering into a lease. Utilities would have to file a detailed after-action report after using their generators.

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Rate increase applications related to any generator leases would have to be approved under a comprehensive rate case filed every four years, rather than through periodic rate increases that receive less review. The initial $200 million of costs for CenterPoints lease were approved in one of those expedited reviews.

Since Beryl, CenterPoint has repeatedly said its large generators were acquired to restore power after rare outages that occur when power demand nears supply on the Texas grid, such as what happened during the 2021 winter freeze.

CenterPoint plans to keep its large generators in the Houston region from December to March in case of extreme cold, which ERCOT has said could be more likely this winter. ERCOT has modeled a nearly 80% chance of outages if Texas were to see conditions similar to the 2021 freeze in January.

Continued scrutiny

Still, CenterPoint has provoked the ire of lawmakers and regulators who say the company misled them on the mobility and usefulness of the large generators after hurricanes and other storms. CenterPoints process for leasing the generators, the subject of months of litigation before the PUC ultimately approved it in 2023, has also received criticism for whether it was truly competitive.

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In response to the controversy, CenterPoint has offered to forgo approximately $110 million of profit, including $40 million of prospective profit from the generators. It has also leased more small- and medium-sized generators usable after storms cause damage to power lines and embarked on a program to donate 21 backup generators to critical facilities across the Houston area.

At an ERCOT meeting earlier this month, PUC Chairman Thomas Gleeson called the proposal for CPS Energy to use CenterPoints generators an elegant solution. But it may still not be enough for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a vocal CenterPoint critic. Steven Aranyi, Patricks communications director, said in a statement that Patrick has not agreed to support any plan to transfer the generators to CPS Energy.

Lt. Gov. Patricks focus has always been making sure Houston-area ratepayers are made whole for CenterPoints irresponsible decision to lease unusable generators. That remains his goal. However, no indication has been made that this will be the case, Aranyi said.

Patrick has previously called for the PUC to claw back rates associated with CenterPoint's $800 million lease of generators and for the utility to absorb the cost. Sen. Phil King, R-Weatherford, has filed a bill that would refund Houstonians for charges associated with the CenterPoint lease.
Gavin And Stacey star James Corden has said he never ever thought the sitcom would be a long-running show and that its success had been a dream come true.

The 46-year-old added that just having a show that is worthy of a Christmas special was enough for him and that he thought ending at three series was the right decision.

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Gavin And Stacey: The Finale will air on Christmas Day on the BBC and it will be the shows final episode following 2019s festive special which ended on a cliff-hanger when Vanessa Nessa Jenkins, played by Ruth Jones, proposed to Cordens character Neil Smithy Smith.

Corden and Ruth Jones were speaking ahead of the shows Christmas special (Ian West/PA)

Speaking at a screening in London ahead of the Christmas Day episode airing, Corden said: Weve honestly never ever thought past what weve been commissioned to do, when we were writing the scripts for the first series, we didnt know if the show would get green lit.

Then it gets green lit, then you shoot it, and then youre hoping that someone finds it, then you get to do another series.

And then suddenly, as that one starts coming out, it feels like lots of people are watching it.

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And then we did the first Christmas special, which was just a dream come true for us, like an absolute dream come true, to have a show that was considered worthy of a Christmas special, that was enough for us is the truth.

And then we really felt like we probably told enough of the story, and if were honest with ourselves, we were finding it hard to construct ways for the families to keep meeting up And so I think when we ended the third series, it was definite that was it.

He explained that a finale episode was not certain and there was a chance that he and co-writer Jones would leave the show at its cliff-hanger ending.

Corden added: We had a week in September, where we were like lets get together then, and if theres nothing there, if the characters dont show us what the story is, it doesnt matter.

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We havent told anybody, we havent told the cast, we havent spoken to the BBC, and its kind of lovely hearing Charlotte (Moore, the BBCs Chief Content Officer) talk about those moments.

The special will air on Christmas Day at 9pm (Toffee International Ltd/Tom Jackson/PA)

We didnt contact Charlotte till weve written, I think 70 pages of this special, because by then we felt like, oh, weve got something that we feel that were ready to share.

Because it may sound like a complete nonsense but it doesnt really feel like were in charge of writing, I feel like we just have to be together, and we sort of open a portal and the characters arrive, and they tell us what they want everybody to know.

The actor, who used to front US talk show The Late Late Show With James Corden, said he felt the shows success was a lesson in impatience.

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He added: Were sort of told now, particularly in television, or the way that we consume stuff, we talk about content and we talk about consumers, and we talk about speed, and weve decided that speed is the single most important thing in everything that you can do, I ordered it then, and it arrived then.

And you get young people now watching things at twice the speed that it was ever meant to be formatted at, and youre told speed is important, and heres a show that ended 15 years ago, waited 10 years to tell another hour-long story, and waited five more years to end it.

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And maybe the lesson for all of us is actually, maybe time and patience, and care, might be the answer to things to have a longevity outside of what we consume on our phones.

Gavin And Stacey: The Finale will air on BBC One from 9pm on Christmas Day and will also be available on BBC iPlayer.

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The documentary Gavin And Stacey: A Fond Farewell will be shown at 7pm on New Years Day on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
A judge has stated that a couple are arguing over silly things after being told that a wife has allegedly breached sworn undertakings given to court in relation to the use of an immersion switch in the 400,000 family home.

In the case at the Family Law Court, Judge Alec Gabbett made his comment to the warring couple who have been before the court a number of times concerning the use of the house immersion.

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The separated couple - who continue to live in the family home with their children - each have temporary Protection Orders against each other and have provided sworn undertakings in court that cover the use of the house immersion switch which is to be left on during the day.

In court, solicitor for the husband, Lorraine OCallaghan Daly told Judge Gabbett that there have been numerous breaches of the sworn undertaking concerning the immersion by the wife.

She said: The situation is quite fraught in the family home."

Ms O'Callaghan Daly said that the situation has changed from turning off the immersion switch and it has now led to when my client goes to have a shower the lights are turned off.

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She said that her client is entitled to live freely in his own home.

Judge Gabbett said: What you are trying to illustrate is that there is a campaign to get him out of the house?

In reply Ms OCallaghan Daly said: Yes judge.

Solicitor, Anne Walsh for the wife, told Judge Gabbett that not on any occasion has her client interfered with the immersion switch.

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Ms Walsh said: "There is no reason for her to do so. They have a back-boiler which heats water. They have a central heating system which heats the water and she has no reason to go anywhere near the immersion switch. There is no timer on it. She doesn't use it at all herself so she has never gone near it.

Ms OCallaghan Daly reminded Judge Gabbett that in June 2023 both parties gave undertaking to the court and part of that undertaking was that the wife would not interfere with the immersion switch.

Ms OCallaghan Daly told Judge Gabbett that the reason we are here is that you made it clear that if either party breaches an undertaking it would be contempt of court and you would deal with it very seriously and the breaches have been happening from last November to last August.

Judge Gabbett said that this was a fair point but that he made his comments in the context of a hot and heavy climate at home and now the two are handling themselves quite well.

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The judge was told that the couple have circuit court proceedings in train aimed at finalising a divorce "and these need to be moved on".

Ms O'Callaghan Daly said that her client believes the value of the family home is 400,000 while the wife believes it is worth around 300,000.

Judge Gabbett said that the more you get for the house the better "because you are going to have to buy two houses out of it" as part of the divorce.

In January of this year at Ennis District Court, Judge Adrian Harris ordered the husband not to enter his ex-wifes bedroom as part of conditions attached to a two month suspended prison term imposed on him arising from a row over the use of a shower on their childs Confirmation day.

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Judge Harris imposed the bedroom ban on the man after finding the man guilty of a breach of a Protection Order the mans ex-wife had obtained against him.

Ms OCallaghan Daly told Judge Gabbett that the case is under appeal by her client to the circuit court and a hearing date is awaited.

Judge Gabbett said that the issue of alleged breaches concerning the immersion is not appropriate for his jurisdiction anymore - our business is done.

The judge said that the matter can be addressed as part of the couples circuit court proceedings.
US president-elect Donald Trump is adopting a wide-ranging legal strategy in suing media companies over what he describes as false or misleading coverage about him, filing cases under civil anti-fraud laws in addition to defamation lawsuits.

Some legal experts say the cases appear aimed at punishing outlets for critical coverage, and that the novel legal strategies are an effort to get past steep hurdles in defamation lawsuits, which can be difficult for public figures in the US to win.

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Mr Trump has said the lawsuits, three of which were filed in the past year, are necessary because media companies are very dishonest and need to be held accountable.

President Trump will continue to hold those who have committed, and are committing wrongdoings, accountable for blatantly false and dishonest reporting, which serves no public interest and only seeks to interfere in our elections on behalf of political partisans, Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement to Reuters when asked about the president-elects legal strategy.

Mr Trump has one pending defamation case and is appealing a loss in another. His legal campaign against the media also includes at least two lawsuits brought under unfair trade practices laws and civil anti-fraud statutes aimed at protecting consumers from subpar products.

Media advocacy groups said Mr Trumps use of such laws against news outlets could be a way of circumventing legal protections for the press, which can only be held liable for defamation against public figures if they say something they knew or should have known was false.

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There is this broader trend of litigants trying to evade the First Amendment protections that the courts have recognized in the defamation context by pleading their claims as something other than defamation claims, said Jameel Jaffer of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, referring to the part of the US Constitution that protects free speech.

Defamation cases against journalists

Mr Trump on Monday told reporters he planned to aggressively pursue defamation cases against journalists.

He followed through that night by suing the Des Moines Register newspaper in Iowa state court over an opinion poll by the newspaper that showed Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris ahead of Mr Trump before the November 5th election -- but not for defamation. He instead brought his case under Iowas deceptive and unfair trade practices law, which makes it illegal to deceive or mislead consumers in the sale of merchandise.

Mr Trump's lawsuit said millions of Americans "were deceived by the doctored Harris Poll".

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The Register acknowledged in a statement that the poll did not reflect Mr Trumps ultimate margin of victory but said it stands by its reporting and believes the lawsuit is meritless.

On Monday, Mr Trump also mentioned his ongoing $10 billion lawsuit against CBS over the networks October "60 Minutes" interview with Ms Harris, which Mr Trump said was deceptively edited. CBS said in a statement that it did not mislead the public and believes the lawsuit is meritless.

That case in federal court in Texas was brought under the states deceptive trade practices and consumer protection act.

Both of them are equally frivolous, said media attorney and Boston College Law School professor Jeffrey Pyle, referring to the lawsuits.

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'Creative lawyering'

Suing media companies under different laws could avoid some of the obstacles that often doom defamation cases, but it still carries risks, legal experts said.

"This is creative lawyering. It doesn't mean that it's easier to win these other kinds of cases," said Ilya Shapiro of the conservative Manhattan Institute.

Iowa's consumer protection law, for instance, requires plaintiffs to prove a business knowingly did something deceptive and intended it to influence consumers.

Some legal experts said Mr Trump could have a hard time convincing a judge that news coverage aimed at selling newspapers fits under laws typically wielded against businesses that swindle consumers. In a long line of cases, courts have rejected efforts to bring what are essentially defamation cases under the guise of other laws.

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Mr Trumps lawsuits could still saddle news outlets with litigation costs and force them to turn over potentially embarrassing internal documents. Some experts said it would be corrosive to press freedoms if judges allow the cases to proceed.

If courts allowed Mr Trump to use consumer protection laws to go after news outlets, for instance, it could open the door for state attorneys general to open official investigations using their broad authority to police the marketplace.

Trump's mixed record in defamation cases

Consumer protection laws are meant to insure youre not marketing harmful products to the public, and are not meant to cover situations like this, said Gabe Rottman of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. When theyre used this way, it can pose a chilling effect on news gathering and reporting.

Mr Trump's record with defamation cases is mixed. He claimed a recent success in a defamation case he brought against ABC News and anchor George Stephanopolous. ABC agreed to donate $15 million to Mr Trumps presidential library and apologise for Mr Stephanoplous' comments about Mr Trump.

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ABC said in a statement that it was pleased the parties had reached an agreement to dismiss the lawsuit.

Mr Trump lost a $475 million defamation lawsuit against CNN in 2022, when a federal judge in Florida found he could not sue over the networks comparison of him to Adolf Hitler and use of the term the big lie to describe his false claims that he won the 2020 election because those statements were opinions.

The judge ruled those comments were opinions, and therefore protected speech. Mr Trump is appealing.
A car has ploughed into a busy outdoor Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg, killing at least two people and injuring at least 60 others in what authorities called a deliberate attack.

The driver was arrested at the scene shortly after the car barrelled into the market at around 7pm on Friday when it was teeming with holiday shoppers looking forward to the weekend.

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Verified bystander footage distributed by the German news agency dpa showed the suspect surrender. He stood in the middle of the road and put his hands up before lying down and waiting for armed officers to take him into custody.





The two people confirmed dead were an adult and a toddler, but officials said additional deaths could not be ruled out because 15 people had been seriously injured.

The violence shocked the city, bringing its mayor to the verge of tears and marring a festive event that is part of a centuries-old German tradition. Several other German towns cancelled their weekend Christmas markets as a precaution.

The suspect is a 50-year-old Saudi doctor who moved to Germany in 2006, said Tamara Zieschang, the interior minister for the state of Saxony-Anhalt. He had been practising medicine in Bernburg, about 25 miles south of Magdeburg, she said.

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As things stand, he is a lone perpetrator, so that as far as we know there is no further danger to the city, Saxony-Anhalts governor, Reiner Haseloff, told reporters.

Every human life that has fallen victim to this attack is a terrible tragedy and one human life too many.



The cordoned-off Christmas market in Magdeburg (Heiko Rebsch/dpa via AP)

The violence occurred in a city of about 240,000 people west of Berlin that serves as Saxony-Anhalts capital.

It 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.

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Christmas markets are a huge part of German culture as an annual holiday tradition cherished since the Middle Ages and successfully exported to much of the western world.

German interior minister Nancy Faeser said late last month that there were no concrete indications of a danger to Christmas markets this year, but that it was wise to be vigilant.

Magdeburg resident Dorin Steffen told dpa she was at a concert in a nearby church when she heard the sirens. The noise was so loud you had to assume that something terrible had happened.



A police officer guards a cordoned-off area of the market in Magdeburg (Ebrahim Noroozi/AP)

She called the attack a dark day for the city.We are shaking, Ms Steffen said. Full of sympathy for the relatives, also in the hope that nothing has happened to our relatives, friends and acquaintances.

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The attack reverberated far beyond Magdeburg, with Mr Haseloff calling it a catastrophe for the city, state and country. He said flags would be lowered to half-mast in Saxony-Anhalt and that the federal government planned to do the same.

It is really one of the worst things one can imagine, particularly in connection with what a Christmas market should bring, the governor said.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the attack interrupted the anticipation of a peaceful Christmas.

Chancellor OIaf Scholz posted on X: My thoughts are with the victims and their relatives. We stand beside them and beside the people of Magdeburg.

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Magdeburg mayor Simone Borris, who was on the verge of tears, said officials plan to arrange a memorial at the citys cathedral on Saturday.

Natos secretary-general, the European Commissions president, Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US Vice President-elect JD Vance also expressed their condolences on X.

Our prayers go to the people affected by this terrible attack on a Christmas market in Germany. What a ghastly attack so close to Christmas, Mr Vance wrote.
The disappearance 10 years ago of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 with 239 people on board remains one of the world's greatest aviation mysteries.

The Boeing 777 went missing on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8th, 2014.

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Satellite data analysis showed the plane likely crashed somewhere in the southern Indian Ocean, off the coast of western Australia. However, two major searches failed to come up with any significant findings.

Now Malaysias government has agreed in principle to accept a second no find, no fee proposal from a US company to renew the hunt for the aircraft.

Here are some details of the search for MH370 and the unresolved mystery of what happened.

What is known?

The last transmission from the plane was about 40 minutes after it took off from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing.

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Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah signed off with "Good night, Malaysian three seven zero", as the plane entered Vietnamese air space.

Shortly thereafter, its transponder was turned off, which meant it could not be easily tracked.

Military radar showed the plane left its flight path to fly back over northern Malaysia and Penang island, and then out into the Andaman Sea towards the tip of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It then turned south and all contact was lost.

Underwater searches

Malaysia, Australia and China launched an underwater search in a 120,000sq km area in the southern Indian Ocean, based on data of automatic connections between an Inmarsat satellite and the plane.

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The search, which cost about A$200 million (120 million), was called off after two years in January 2017 with no traces of the plane found.

In 2018, Malaysia accepted a "no-cure, no-fee" offer from US exploration firm Ocean Infinity for a three-month search, meaning the company would only get paid if it found the plane.

Underwater vehicles were used in the search for flight MH370. Photo: Leut Kelli Lunt/Australia Department of Defence via Getty

That search covered 112,000sq km north of the original target area and also proved fruitless, ending in May 2018.

Debris

More than 30 pieces of suspected aircraft debris have been collected along the along the coast of Africa and on islands in the Indian Ocean, but only three wing fragments were confirmed to be from MH370.

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Most of the debris were used in drift pattern analysis in the hopes of narrowing down the aircraft's possible location.

Investigation report

A 495-page report into MH370's disappearance, published in July 2018, said the Boeing 777's controls were likely deliberately manipulated to take it off course, but investigators could not determine who was responsible.

A woman writes a message during an anniversary event held by relatives of the passengers. Photo: Arif Kartono/AFP via Getty

The report also highlighted mistakes made by the Kuala Lumpur and Ho Chi Minh City air traffic control centres and issued recommendations to avoid a repeat incident.

Investigators stopped short of offering any conclusions about what happened to MH370, saying that depended on finding the plane's wreckage.

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Conspiracy theories

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The inability to locate MH370's crash site has fuelled numerous conspiracy theories, ranging from mechanical error or a remote-controlled crash, to more bizarre explanations like alien abduction and a Russian plot.

In recent years, some aviation experts have said the most likely explanation was that the plane was deliberately taken off course by an experienced pilot. Investigators, however, have said there was nothing suspicious in the background, financial affairs, training and mental health of both the captain and co-pilot.

Resumption of search

Malaysia's transport minister announced on Friday the government had agreed in principle to resume the search for the wreckage following a new proposal from Ocean Infinity, which would receive $70 million if substantive wreckage is found.

The new search, once a contract is signed, would expand the previous search area by 15,000sq km, the minister said. The contract would cover 18 months and the firm had indicated the best time for the search would be between January and April.
The cancer treatment of Britain's King Charles is expected to continue into 2025 almost a year after it was discovered while he was treated in hospital for an enlarged prostate.

Buckingham Palace sources told Sky News that his treatment has been moving in a positive direction and as a managed condition the treatment cycle will continue into next year.

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Further details of Charles' condition have not been disclosed, and when announcing the diagnosis in February, the Palace asked for privacy and only confirmed it is a form of cancer.

Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla will attend a reception at Waltham Forest Town Hall on Friday (Aaron Chown/PA)

Charles was diagnosed after a separate issue of concern was noted and investigated while he was being treated for his benign prostate condition.

He cancelled all face-to-face public duties but returned in April and has since travelled to France for D-Day commemorations, hosted an incoming state visit for the Emperor of Japan, and undertaken a hectic tour to Australia and Samoa with the Queen, despite still undergoing outpatient cancer treatment.

As the Prince of Wales, Charles was the UK's longest-serving heir to the throne, and he became king on September 8th, 2022 on the death of his mother, the late queen.

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Later today, Charles and Queen Camilla will attend a reception at Waltham Forest Town Hall to celebrate community cohesion in the London borough.

They will meet local community volunteers, young people, emergency services, and faith representatives operating in Waltham Forest.
The search has been expandedfor those killed or trapped alive by an earthquake in the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu

Rescue workers arriving from abroad fanned out through the capital Port Vila on Thursday, encountering flattened buildings that had not yet been searched.

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Three days after the violent magnitude 7.3 quake struck just offshore from Vanuatus most populous island, uncertainty persisted about the number of people dead and wounded.

Damage was concentrated in Port Vilas downtown area and the official figure of 10 confirmed deaths and more than 200 people injured was a day old and likely to rise, officials said.





Not all of those killed or hurt had been brought to a hospital and would not be included in the figures, aid agencies said. Some residents were scared to visit badly-damaged Vila Central Hospital, the main treatment facility.

Nearly 1,000 people were displaced, according to United Nations figures. Aid workers estimated about 20,000 people were likely without water.

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The biggest threat was the spread of illness from people drinking contaminated water, said Brecht Mommen, a Unicef water, sanitation and hygiene specialist based in Vanuatu.

Its a rush against time to get water trucks organised for those areas so that we prevent a second disaster, which is a diarrhea outbreak, he said.

It was still unclear where broken pipes were located in the immense network servicing Port Vila and it was unknown how long it would take to find and fix them all, he added.

Relief efforts were hampered by blocked roads, traffic jams and patchy communications.

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Rain forecast in the next few days threatens to worsen landslides prompted by the quake which included a major slip that has blocked Vanuatus sea port.



In this photo released by Vanuatu Red Cross Society, a volunteer inspects a damaged road in Efate, Vanuatu (Vanuatu Red Cross Society/AP)

The airport, currently open only for humanitarian flights, will resume commercial airline operations on Sunday, according to local news outlets.

It prompted quiet hope for a return to normal among residents accustomed to life in one of the worlds most natural disaster-prone countries.

The country is also among the worlds most imperilled by climate change. Earlier this month Vanuatu led a group of small island nations in a landmark case on the matter in the top United Nations court.

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The countrys envoys argued that as rising seas threaten the existence of Vanuatu and other nations, major polluting countries should be ordered to take more responsibility for curbing their emissions.

Lush tropical forests and azure seas make the country a popular destination for holidaymakers from Australia and New Zealand, and tourism accounts for about 40% of the economy. The other major contributor is agriculture, with products exported or sold to tourist resorts.

Disasters of recent years have frustrated its growth. Visitor numbers dwindled during the coronavirus pandemic and had barely started to recover before three major cyclones in 2023 dealt another blow. In May, the countrys national airline collapsed.

Vanuatu is currently led by a caretaker government after President Nikenike Vurobaravu dissolved Parliament in November as Prime Minister Charlot Salwai faced a no-confidence vote.

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Mr Salwai, now the caretaker leader, is Vanuatus fourth Prime Minister in four years, with his predecessor toppled in a confidence vote in 2023 after a month in office. An election is due in January.
This Glenbrook Valley home was featured in the 1956 Parade of Homes. TK Images The house in Champion has a terrazzo floor, walls of windows and a wide stone fireplace. TK Images This home built in 1972 off FM 1960 in the Champions area of northwest Houston comes at the end of the midcentury modern era. TK Images Vintages features in this Glenbrook Valley home on Glenforest Court include poured terrazzo floors, unpainted paneling and brick and built-ins. TK Images/TK Images / Robert Searcy Properties At just over 1,800 square feet, this "midcentury modest" home is in southeast Houston's Meadowcreek Village neighborhood. TK Images / Robert Searcy Properties This Glenbrook Valley home, built for the Montalbano lumber company family, was recently sold, according to Realtor Robert Searcy. Gustavo A. Ariza/TK Images / Robert Searcy Properties This midcentury modern home was built in 1950 in central Baytown. TK Images / Compass A midcentury modern home in the Braeburn Valley neighborhood along Braeswood in southwest Houston. TK Images / Compass This 2019 file photo shows a house in the Sharpstown area of southwest Houston. Chronicle file An interior view of a midcentury modern home in the Willowick subdivision of Memorial. Houston Association of Realtors; Giorgio Villani/World Wide Realty This 4,676-square-foot midcentury modern home in the Willowick subdivision of Memorial is listed for just over $1.8 million. Houston Association of Realtors; Giorgio Villani/World Wide Realty This 1965 contemporary house on Capetown Drive in Nassau Bay is on the market for $405,900. Houston Association of Realtors; Marvin Loyd of Coldwell Banker Realty - Houston Bay Area This Memorial midcentury modern home in the Willowick subdivision was built in 1965. Houston Association of Realtors; Giorgio Villani/World Wide Realty The primary bath shows the midcentury style of a house on the market on Wyoming Street in Baytown. Houston Association of Realtors; Gay Milliorn of Re/Max Excellence A view from the dining room into the kitchen at a midcentury modern home on Wyoming Street in Baytown. Houston Association of Realtors; Gay Milliorn of Re/Max Excellence

Houstons vast stock of ranch-style houses is diminishing, one teardown at a time, and with them go pockets of midcentury modern homes, the flashier sibling of the more humble single-story residences.

For aficionados of the style, the loss is making them ever harder to find.

From a real estate standpoint, if people have their heart set on one, the one thing I tell everybody is you have to go where the houses are, said Robert Searcy, a Realtor who tracks midcentury modern homes.

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Midmods, as they are sometimes called, were built in the 1950s and 1960s and are characterized by clean lines, flattened or butterfly roofs, clerestory windows that follow the roof line, and floor-to-ceiling windows. For the period, they had relatively open floor plans that might include an atrium.

Some would be finished with poured-in-place terrazzo floors. Flashes of the pastel colors of the time could be found in the floors or in kitchen and bath counters of Formica. It was the beginning of the Space Age, and its influence can be seen in some of the homes' light fixtures and textiles.

Not as prevalent as the standard midcentury ranch, they popped up in clusters in Sharpstown, Meyerland and Westbury, early versions of master planned communities that were being built to house Houston's population boom of the '50s and '60s.

But changing tastes and, in some cases, the destructive floods of Hurricane Harvey, have led to the demise of many. Prices for those that remain can vary from $200,000 for a well-worn model to $2 million for a well-maintained example in Memorial, Searcy said. Established suburban areas such as Clear Lake and Baytown also have some mid-mods, and there are a few in northwest Houston such as the Champions area.

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This custom home on Wyoming Street in Baytown is on the market for $244,900. Houston Association of Realtors; Gay Milliorn of Re/Max Excellence

You can usually count on one hand what is available in the context of what youre looking for, Searcy said.

Glenbrook Valley, along Sims Bayou near Hobby Airport, has been designated a historic district for its collection of midcentury moderns.

Designed by Koetter Tharp & Cowell, this midcentury modern home in Memorial features expansive windows and an open floor plan. Houston Association of Realtors; Giorgio Villani/World Wide Realty

A 1956 Parade of Homes brochure describes several of the neighborhoods new homes, many along Cayton street, including a "Suburban Styline" model with a large covered porch and turquoise and tan kitchen.

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Other popular areas for midcentury modern homes include inner Loop neighborhoods such as Woodshire and Woodside off Stella Link and Braeswood Place, and a bit farther out in Willow Meadows and neighborhoods along Braeswood Boulevard.

On the west side, the vintage style can be found in Spring Branch and Memorial. In Memorial Bend, a postwar neighborhood with opera theme streets along Beltway 8 near CityCentre, grand scale new homes have replaced many of the original midcentury and midmods destroyed by Hurricane Harvey.

Built in 1960, this home by designed by William Floyd is in the Memorial Bend neighborhood near Beltway 8 in west Houston. TK Images / Robert Searcy Properties

Due to timing, some of Houston's most popular neighborhoods don't have any midcentury moderns.

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People ask for them in the Montrose and the Heights, Searcy said. Those neighborhoods werent always what they are today. They were going through a decline cycle in the '50s and '60s. They werent building mod palaces.
The Wisconsin 15-year-old who shot and killed a teacher and a fellow pupil was in her first term at the school but seemed to be settling in, a school official said.

Abundant Life Christian School (ACLS) student Rubi Patricia Vergara, 14, of Madison, and teacher Erin West, 42, of DeForest, were killed on Monday.

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Two other pupils who were shot remained in hospital on Thursday in a critical condition.

Families of the victims remembered them as people of faith who had deep connections within the Christian school.

Barbara Wiers, the schools director for elementary and communications, said the attack lasted eight minutes and the communitys faith and connection to one another has sustained them as they struggle with the possibility that the shooters motive might remain undetermined.



A person who did not wish to give his name places flowers outside the Abundant Life Christian School (Nam Y Huh/AP)

Are we broken right now? Yes. Are we bruised and battered? Yes, she said. But we will laugh again, and He will turn our mourning into joy again. And we will go on.

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Police say pupil Natalie Samantha Rupnow killed herself at the school and died at a Madison hospital. Police have said her motivation for the attack remains a key part of their investigation.

This was her first term at ACLS, Ms Wiers said.

The school was working with her family on attendance, but teachers had no significant concerns, she said.

I pray for this family because right now theyve lost a daughter and they are wounded, she said.

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And theyre dealing with the fact that their daughter did this terrible thing and hurt these other people. It has to be one of the loneliest, bitterest places to be.

Rubi Vergaras funeral is scheduled for Saturday at City Church, which is adjacent to the school, and Mrs Wests funeral is on Monday at Doxa Church in Madison, where she was a member, according to obituaries.

ALCS is a better school for the work of Erin West, the school said in a statement.



A supporter signs a cross during a candlelight vigil outside the Wisconsin Capitol in Madison (Morry Gash/AP)

She worked three years as a substitute teacher before accepting a staff position as the sub coordinator and in-building substitute teacher, according to the statement.

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She served our teachers and students with grace, humour, wisdom, and  most importantly  with the love of Jesus, the school said. Her loss is a painful and deep one and she will be greatly missed not just among our staff, but our entire ALCS family.

Rubi Vergara was a freshman at the school and an avid reader, loved art, singing and playing keyboard in the family worship band, according to her obituary.

The school described her as gentle and loving.

Rubi was a blessing to her class and our school, the school said. 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.

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Police tape after the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School (Mark Vancleave/AP)

Rupnow brought two guns to the school.

A man in California told authorities he had been messaging her about attacking a government building with a gun and explosives, according to a restraining order issued against him on Tuesday under Californias gun red flag law.

The order required the 20-year-old Carlsbad man to turn his guns and ammunition into police within 48 hours, but its unclear Thursday whether he complied, would be charged or was in custody.

The order did not say what building he had targeted or when he planned to launch his attack. It also did not detail his interactions with Rupnow except to state that the man was plotting a mass shooting with her.

A spokesperson for the Carlsbad Police Department said federal authorities were leading the investigation and we do not believe there is a threat to our city.

Police, with the assistance of the FBI, were scouring online records and other resources and speaking with the shooters parents and classmates in an attempt to determine a motive, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said on Wednesday.

No decisions have been made about whether Rupnows parents might be charged, but they have been cooperating, he said.
Two men have been charged with assaulting police after a disturbance at Manchester Airport.

But no police officers will face charges over their role in the incident, the UK's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.

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Footage of fracas was shared online in July and prompted protests after it appeared to show a Manchester police officer assaulting a man as he lay on the floor.

The altercation, in the airports Terminal Two, allegedly happened after an earlier confrontation between passengers on a Qatar Airways flight which arrived at 7.20pm on July 23rd.

On Friday, the CPS said Mohammed Fahir Amaaz (20), of Rochdale, had been charged with two offences of causing actual bodily harm, one charge of assaulting an emergency worker and one charge of common assault and Muhammed Amaad (25), also from Rochdale, also is charged with causing actual bodily harm.

The men will appear at Liverpool Magistrates Court on January 16th.

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Prosecutors said experts had concluded there was no realistic prospect of conviction of any police officers.

Frank Ferguson, head of the CPS special crime and counter terrorism division, said: We have reviewed all the available evidence, including witness statements, video footage, expert reports and other material related to police use of force, to make an independent and objective assessment about whether it is appropriate to present charges for the court to consider.

Based on a careful consideration of this evidence, we have concluded that two men should be charged with offences including assaults on police officers.

We have concluded no charges should be brought against any officers. We examined potential offences of actual bodily harm, and common assault, and reviewed expert evidence in the form of an independent report from an expert in the use of police force, to inform this decision.

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We always ensure police training is also taken into account in the context of these decisions, and in this case the combination of evidence, and the expert opinion meant there was no realistic prospect of conviction.

We acknowledge that in this case as in any other, the strength of feeling has been high. Our specially trained prosecutors are often at the forefront of dealing with high-profile cases subject to intense public and media scrutiny and will always make independent and objective decisions based on all available evidence.

Two men and their mother alleged they had been assaulted during the incident and police said three officers received injuries, including a broken nose.

World Family of man involved in Manchester Airport incid... Read More

Four men were arrested at the scene for affray and assault on emergency service workers.

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Parallel investigations have been carried out by Greater Manchester Police and the UK's Independent Office for Police Conduct.

GMP said it submitted a comprehensive file to prosecutors in August.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size At a climate-controlled storage facility in Melbournes outer suburbs, stringybark spears rest in white corflute boxes. On a bench in front of us, a fishing hook from West Cape York made from turtle carapace sits next to a stack of notes with illustrations, and a photograph of the man who wrote them: Donald Thomson, nonchalantly handling a taipan on the Cape York Peninsula in 1928. He was a naturalist, a biologist, a zoologist, a botanist, says Elaine Thomson, his daughter. He was also a vehement defender of Aboriginal rights. He wanted to study people in their environment. To him, they were inseparable. You cant know the people if you dont know the environment in which they live, and what it means to them, and how it informs their history, and their social interaction. Naturalist, biologist, zoologist, botanist and vehement defender of Aboriginal rights, Professor Donald Thomson pictured with a taipan in 1928. Elaine and her sister Louise Thomson-Officer have spent several years working with the University of Melbourne to bring Thomsons lifes work together. In 1973, the family donated the first component of the collection, about 7500 artworks, weavings and cultural objects. Now, theyve donated the rest  the UNESCO-inscribed Donald Thomson Ethnohistory Collection, an archive of thousands of pages of field notes, photographs and 7.6 kilometres of colour film, the detailed record of his work understanding and documenting Australias Indigenous cultures. The entire collection is now under the universitys care. Thomson first visited Cape York in 1928, where he met the Yintjingga people and, in Elaines words, fell in love. Professor Donald Thomson collected art and day-to-day items from Aboriginal communities through trade and gifts. Credit: Wayne Taylor

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They were honest and generous and inclusive, she says. They let him into their lives and adopted him as a family member. And these communities entrusted him with their culture. For the next four decades he spent long periods with Aboriginal communities in Cape York and Arnhem Land. He collected art and day-to-day items from these communities through trade and gifts. While petty theft and grave robbery were rife in the anthropological profession, Thomson was distinctly ethical and respectful. Not only was he a witness to the depth of Indigenous culture and economic life, he saw first-hand their destruction and mistreatment. He documented violence, abuse and imprisonment, and dedicated himself to exposing and ending these practices. When Elaine was a child at home in Melbourne, her mother, Dorita, would arrange airdrops of supplies to Thomson in Central Australia. Some of the artefacts from Donald Thomsons collection. Credit: Wayne Taylor His love of the people was evident all the time, she recalls, as was his outrage at how they were treated. Thomson was outspoken in a time when advocating for Indigenous rights was, to put it lightly, not popular work. He was also well-connected. Elaine later learnt that the Bob that her father often spoke of was prime minister Robert Menzies. They had a difficult relationship. Thomson felt that Menzies didnt do enough to help Indigenous people.

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In Victoria, he was involved in the Aboriginal Welfare Board, and sat on the board of the Lake Tyers Victorian Aboriginal Reserve in Gippsland. Lake Tyers was described by Thomsons biographer Robert Macklin as more like a prison than a home, and Thomson fought hard to get better conditions approved. He was ignored, and he duly resigned. Downstairs in the universitys storage facility, theres a collective intake of breath. Were looking at century-old bark paintings, carefully preserved. One depicts a boat, illustrating the trading relationship between Arnhem Land and Makassar, a once-wealthy port, which is now part of Indonesia. Its a relationship that long predates British colonisation. Professor Marcia Langton with Elaine Thomson and Professor Su Baker, with some of the artifacts. Credit: Wayne Taylor Another is a design that is usually painted on the body, which has been painted on bark for Thomson, for posterity. As with many items in the collection, the process of creation and the ceremonial use are the important bits. But the record is an invaluable tool for study. While the artworks and objects have been in the universitys collection for decades, its Thomsons extensive notes that give them context. Professor Marcia Langton, an anthropologist and geographer from the University of Melbourne, says the collection is a link to millennia of cultural practices that were interrupted by colonisation. Its highly likely that many objects in the collection have not been made for decades because of cultural and economic change in these communities, she says. If you can buy a metal fishhook and a fishing line for $30, why would you spend days making this beautiful hook?

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Langton is chair of the University of Melbournes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Heritage Oversight Committee. She and her team are developing a facility for visitors from Arnhem Land, Cape York and beyond to interact with and learn from the collection. Loading Now so many of these traditions have been revived, but people dont understand the origins, she says. Weve had requests from communities who say that we really need our young people to see these things, so they know what the old people did. Its heartbreaking. Elaine says her father died believing he had failed in his lifes mission to improve conditions for the people he loved. After he died in 1970, his widow, Dorita, donated his object collection to the University of Melbourne. With the help of Museums Victoria, which ended up as caretaker, Dorita facilitated access to the objects, and sent out hundreds of photos and copies of material  which Elaine says her mother paid for. Theres a huge need for research, says Langton. Theres so much we dont know about our collections. And we have to make sure that not only are communities of origin well-informed, but that the Australian public have knowledge of this human cultural wealth. In May 2025, a selection of works from Thomsons collection will form part of the exhibition 65,000 Years: A Short History of Australian Art at the Potter Museum of Art. Five decades after his death, his collection still has much to tell us. This is what my father wanted all along, says Elaine. This is for all Australians, as a teaching tool and trying to bridge the gap so to speak. That was the point.
Among the 500,000 objects in the collection of the Powerhouse museum, its new trust president nominates a shopping arcade sign as his favourite.

Business leader, and former Labor roads minister, David Borger, has the job of delivering the largest cultural infrastructure project in Australia since the Sydney Opera House.

Powerhouse president, David Borger, says there is a lot riding on the opening of the Parramatta museum. Credit: James Brickwood

All of that will be during an election campaign year, smack bang in the middle of one of the most marginal seats in NSW.

Id be derelict in my duty if I didnt feel pressure because theres a lot riding on the opening of this museum, Borger says.
Eisenbergs trick, though, is that he can fully inhabit these earnest, prickly personalities while also viewing them from outside, at least enough to be alert to what makes them funny. Otherwise, he wouldnt have been able to write and direct A Real Pain, in which he and Kieran Culkin star as David and Benji Kaplan, cousins who are more like brothers, though they havent seen so much of each other lately.

Jesse Eisenberg was not a good choice to play Superman villian Lex Luthor, nor has he had much luck since with extending his acting range. Now entering his forties, hes still most at home playing anxious adolescent types, inwardly focused yet hyper-sensitive to slights.

Davids neuroses are visible literally at a glance, especially from our first glimpse of Eisenberg scurrying through the airport with a cap pulled down over his curly hair, awkwardly holding his passport out in front of him. Benji is his equally vulnerable opposite number, in some ways a variant on the brash lost boy Culkin played in Succession, though with a softer heart and less wealth to shield him.

At first, Benji seems the less functional of the pair, off on his own planet to the point of having only a hazy sense of what other peoples lives might look like (he cant understand why he isnt visited more often by David, whos recently married with a young son). Yet, hes emotionally open in a way David not so secretly envies  and subsequent events pose the question of who truly has the more viable design for living.

Their double act is entertaining and touching, even if David could use an extra dimension to make him more than just a straitlaced foil (I kept wondering what his dreams were before he resigned himself to supporting his family selling internet ads). But this is only half the movie: the other half concerns the journey they undertake from New York to Poland in honour of their family heritage, in particular the grandmother theyve just lost.

Is A Real Pain first and foremost a film about the Holocaust? This may be a trick question, pointing to an even trickier one: is it possible to tell a story with concentration camps in the background and do any degree of justice to this history they represent, without having this overwhelm everything else?
Im not sure about you, but in many ways this is a year I am happy to leave behind. While the past 12 months have been full of wonderful journalism, great moments with colleagues and unique experiences and opportunities, for Sydney and our state it has also been repeatedly punctured by tragedy.

Ill come to that shortly. But first, lets talk more about the good of 2024. As I told you after the broadcast rights were announced in 2023, I am obsessed with the Olympics, and the Paris Games were a real highlight of this year. Australias stunning competitive success gave us all a much-needed energy boost, and I loved the added bonus of Celine Dions return to live performance with her opening ceremony showstopper atop the Eiffel Tower.

Celine Dion performs on the Eiffel Tower during the Opening Ceremony for the Paris.Olympics. Credit: Olympic Broadcasting Services via AP

Elsewhere, the long-awaited opening of Sydneys new metro rail line electrified the city and showed us that we can still actually build nice things. There were lots of smaller uplifting stories too, such as the late Sydney artist Ellen Waugh OAM, who resisted decades of approaches by cashed-up developers to buy her South Coogee home. Instead, she signed a deal for Randwick City Council to have the first right of refusal to buy her home when she died. Why? Because the council would then be able to raze the house and complete the final missing link in a continuous coastal pathway between Bondi and Malabar. I loved this story because it showed that  even in Sydney  generosity of spirit can still trump greed and money.

In a huge year of local, national and international news, my overriding view of 2024 though is that it has been a very difficult time for many.
A married couple accused of spying on Australia for Russia will remain behind bars after prosecutors asked for more time to translate information on electronic devices.

However, the defence for one of the accused said the lengthy adjournment may spark a bail application.

Kira Korolev, a 40-year-old Russian-born Australian Army private, and 62-year-old Igor Korolev, a self-employed labourer, were arrested in Brisbane in July.

Igor (left) and Kira Korolev are charged with preparing to carry out an act of espionage.

Police allege Ms Korolev travelled to Russia without declaring it to authorities while on long-term leave from the defence force in 2023 and coached her husband to access her official work account.
A childcare worker who warned authorities about one of Australias worst paedophiles has been found not guilty and had charges dismissed against her for accessing confidential records.

Yolanda Borucki, 59, was charged with using a restricted computer service and causing more than $5000 in detriment to her former employer.

She is the former colleague of Queensland childcare worker Ashley Paul Griffith, 45, who was sentenced to life behind bars in November over 1600 child abuse offences.

Yolanda Borucki had allegedly accessed confidential records on children from her Brisbane home and sent them to a Channel Nine reporter. Credit: A Current Affair

Borucki and Griffith worked at the same childcare centre in 2021 and she assisted in reporting him to authorities that year.
The Albanese government has secured a $190 million security deal with Solomon Islands, nearly three years after the Pacific nation signed a security agreement with China, as the third deal in a concerted Australian push to counter Beijings growing influence in the region.

But the future of 14 Chinese police officers stationed on the Solomons remains unclear, as does the status of a security deal inked between the two nations in April 2022, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese insisting Australia was the Solomons security partner of choice.

Anthony Albanese and Jeremiah Manele at Parliament House in June. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

In a joint statement, Albanese and Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele said the pact to support the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force reflects Australias role as Solomon Islands security partner of choice.

The support responds to Solomon Islands strong desire to build an enduring sovereign security capability, thereby reducing its reliance on external partners over time, the statement said.
They must also decide whether he or she was in a position to make that choice freely and was not constrained in any way. Loading Carole Hardouin-Le Goff, a law professor whose specialty studies are in sexual violence, also saw the need for explicit consent  known as positive consent or only yes means yes  for sexual acts to be enshrined in French law, as it has been in Canada and Spain. France, she said, has ratified the Istanbul Convention, which states that consent should be in the law. The issue of consent has loomed large from the start of the Pelicot trial, and defence lawyers exploited its absence from legislation.

In France, its not necessary to have obtained the victims consent to necessarily ensure that there is no rape, said defence lawyer Guillaume de Palma in the opening days of the trial. For the charge of rape to be established, the guilty intent of the perpetrator must be demonstrated. No defendant could confirm he had asked for any kind of consent from the inert victim. Crowds gather at Place de la Republique in Paris to support Gisele Pelicot. Credit: AP Despite damning video evidence, at least 35 of the defendants denied aggravated rape charges, claiming that Dominique Pelicot tricked them into believing they were taking part in a sex game or that Gisele Pelicot was feigning sleep. Gisele Pelicot made a critical point: Ive seen individuals take the stand, most of them denying rape. I want to say to these men: at what point [did you get] consent when you entered this room? At what point do you become aware of this inert body?

Others defendants said that the husbands consent applied to his wife. As the husband had given me permission, as far as I was concerned, she agreed, claimed one of them, Andy Rodriguez. According to Darsonville, The problem in France currently [is a defendant saying], I didnt intend to rape, I intended to have a sexual relationship with someone I thought was consenting. Its a completely legal act and thus very hard to convict someone. The push for including consent in legislation dealing with rape had gained significant support in France before the Pelicot trial. In a November 2023 poll, 89 per cent of respondents favoured updating the legal definition of rape. Last year, France opposed a move to make non-consensual sex a criminal offence across the European Union. French president Emmanuel said that, while he was against legislating on the issue at an EU level, he favoured new legislation in France. Didier Migaud, the justice minister in former prime minister Michel Barniers government, also recently backed the change.

Aurore Berge, the outgoing equality minister, agreed that Darsonville was right that the law needs to be changed, and the question of consent needs to be written down in black and white in the penal code, and defined in the penal code. Loading However, other legal experts and womens rights activists said consent puts scrutiny on the victims behaviour and words, rather than on the accused, and a person can say yes without wanting to. Anne-Cecile Mailfert, a feminist who runs La Fondation des Femmes, said English law on rape should not be seen as a model as it is based largely on the consent of the victim, which is the hardest thing to prove. She claimed consent law is a key factor in the catastrophic low conviction rate in the UK  there is a 1 per cent chance of a reported rape ending in a conviction, according to recent figures.

The Pelicot trial shows that French law poses no problem. As soon as you drug someone, its de facto rape by surprise, so the notion of consent is taken into account, Mailfert argued. Loading In France, only 6 per cent of rape cases go to court and very few of these end in convictions  from 36,000 complaints last year there were 2083 convistions. But thats not because of the definition of rape, Mailfert said. The real problem is resources for proper investigations, overcrowded prisons and judges encouraged to drop cases that arent clear-cut, said Mailfert. She cited prejudice among male judges, adding, Above all, the Pelicot trial has highlighted the evils of toxic masculinity and rape culture in society.
The kitchen was completely reconfigured to have an island, which is painted Benjamin Moore Tarrytown Green, a deep pine green. French Blue Photography The home of Annalee and Evan McCord. French Blue Photography Before: A center wall separated the family room and living room. Courtesy of Home Girls Design The kitchen was completely reconfigured to have an island, which is painted Benjamin Moore Tarrytown Green, a deep pine green. French Blue Photography One corner of the kitchen has floating shelves to hold baking supplies for Adelaide, who likes to bake. French Blue Photography Before: The kitchen had black cabinets and beige ceramic tile on the floor. Courtesy of Home Girls Design A new fireplace and built-in shelves and cabinets were added to this wall in the living room. French Blue Photography This built-in desk at the front of the primary bedroom suite is Evan McCords work-from-home space. French Blue Photography The couple added on a new primary bedroom suite, which has a bigger bathroom and closet. French Blue Photography This shower niche is a tidy place to keep toiletries. French Blue Photography The "project room" is where kids to school work and keep school supplies since they attend school two days a week and then study at home three days a week. Home Girls Design In the laundry room, they moved out the water heater to make more room for the washer and dryer and a built-in kennel for their dog, Laszlo, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel. French Blue Photography Before: The cluttered laundry/mud room had a bulky water heater that ate up a lot of space. Courtesy of Home Girls Design One of the bathrooms grew to hold a second sink after they absorbed utility space nearby. French Blue Photography Before: The McCords three kids shared this bathroom when it had one sink. Courtesy of Home Girls Design The kitchen was completely reconfigured to have an island, which is painted Benjamin Moore Tarrytown Green, a deep pine green. French Blue Photography

When Annalee and Evan McCord bought their 1950s-era home more than a decade ago, they knew that someday theyd renovate to get the place the way they really wanted it.

Years passed, and the McCords didnt do much more than think about it. Now and then theyd talk to a contractor but, for whatever reason, the timing never felt right.

Last year, though, the couple met mother-daughter contractors Brigitte Howell and Haley Ottmann of Home Girls Design and realized it was go time.

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Our house was eclectic in that it was a mix of hand-me-downs from when we got married, things from different families and things we got from Warrenton and Round Top. Our style was survival-with-little-kids with things that wont get ruined or broken, said Annalee, who is 42 and a kindergarten teacher. A lot of the furnishings were at a breaking point and needed to be replaced. A lot of the house was at a breaking point, too.

Their three-bedroom, two-bathroom, 1,962-square-foot home had plenty of space when it was just Annalee and Evan and their eldest daughter, Adelaide, who is now 14, but theyve since had two more children, son Graham, now 12, and youngest daughter Mae, who is 9.

This summer, Annalee and Evan, who is 39 and vice president associate general counsel at Hines, will have been married for 18 years. They were both students at Abilene Christian University but didnt meet until Evan went to Oxford, England, to study abroad. The same semester, Annalees uncle taught in Oxford, and she went along to be a nanny for his kids, Thats when she started dating Evan, who was one of her uncles students.

They could have bought a bigger home elsewhere, but they wanted to stay close to their extended family. The couples children are the fourth generation in Evans family to live in the Afton Village neighborhood in the Spring Branch area, and many family members are still nearby.

In the early planning stages of the five-and-a-half month construction project, Ottman and Howell talked to the McCords about how they used the space to help figure out what was important.

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We went through the house, and in one room wed say, This is where we like to do puzzles and school and art and games and then in the next room wed say, This is where we do puzzles and school and art and games. It was every room, Annalee said. Even in the kitchen, we like to hang out and play cards. You gravitate toward where everyone is.

The children attend a University-Model School, where the kids go two days a week and then do their schoolwork from home three days a week, so they needed a room for their home studies.

Adelaide and Graham are often content doing schoolwork from their rooms now, but the familys projects room  previously a dining room  is where Mae does her schoolwork and where the other kids store school materials, books and art supplies.

Big moves in the construction project were the creation of a new, 360-square-foot primary bedroom suite and the removal of a main living area wall with a brick fireplace that required support beams so they could create an open concept area.

They also reimagined the utility room after they found another place for the hot water heater. The improved utility room even has a built-in kennel for the familys dog, Laszlo, a sweet Cavalier King Charles spaniel.

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Everyone helped with decisions: Annalee felt strongly about paint colors, while Evan had more opinions on the lighting. Graham and Mae worked together to pick out tile for their shared bathroom and Adelaide launched a Pinterest board with her preferences.

The big main living area has a round dining table that can expand when others come over for dinner, a living room with a big sectional and a new, more streamlined fireplace in a wall with built-in bookcases.

Supply-chain issues have caused a few hiccups in getting things done, including causing a big delay in the arrival of their Bosch dishwasher. And theyre still waiting for a West Elm chair that will go in the living room. (They expect to receive it a year after their initial order.)

Their kitchen used to be dark, with cabinets painted black, beige granite counters and beige tile backsplash. Now, its picture perfect with light Mont Blanc quartzite counters, white cabinets, gold lighting and hardware and an island painted Benjamin Moores Tarrytown Green, a deep pine.

Annalee was most interested in a functional kitchen, with pullout shelving in her pantry and shelves spaced to hold specific things. Some of her ideas came from the homes of friends they stayed with during construction.

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There were things I didnt notice or appreciate until someone else had it, Annalee said. I saw a spice rack (in a pullout drawer alongside the stove) and thought yes, that would be handy. And I like that the spices dont sit out on the counter all of the time.

Beige ceramic tile that used to covered the kitchen and family room floors has been replaced with salvaged hardwood that matches what they had in the formal living room, dining room and bedrooms, a great solution when you have an older home and want to extend the wood flooring.

The new bedroom suite gave Annalee and Evan a bigger bedroom, bathroom and closet, instead of the cramped spaces that were standard for the 1950s. It also meant that each of their kids has a room  no more sharing, even if the kids really enjoyed their bunkbeds.

Mae has closets with plenty of room for her things and Graham has a big shelf to hold his Lego structures and floating shelves at bedside for the stacks of books he loves to read. The two share a bathroom now, and it grew by a few feet  enough to add a second sink  when they absorbed some utility space and moved the door closer to the hallway.

Adelaide moved into what used to be the primary bedroom, so now she has her own bathroom that got a couple of updates with paint and new cabinet hardware. Because that bedroom was large, some of it was used for the new hallway that leads to the new primary bedroom suite.

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The new suites entrance has a built-in desk that serves as Evans office on Fridays, when he works from home. The two have a large closet that they share, with clothing racks customized to hold different things and shelves for Annalees shoes.

I love its layout and location in the house. It feels so relaxing on mornings when we dont have to be somewhere right away. It feels restful and I love how that all turned out, Annalee said.
Oral Biology hires four experienced faculty members

Joining the faculty of the Department of Oral Biology are, from left, Rohitashw Kumar, Carla Alvarez Rivas, Harim Tavares dos Santos, and Zhibin Cui. Photo: Douglas Levere

The fact that we were able to attract these highly qualified, research-intensive candidates speaks to the prestige of our oral biology department and the dental school. 

Four scholars, all considered trailblazers in the field of dental, oral and craniofacial research, have recently been hired as tenure-track assistant professors in the Department of Oral Biology in the School of Dental Medicine.

Each of them brings expertise in different diseases that originate in or affect the oral cavity.

The fact that we were able to attract these highly qualified, research-intensive candidates speaks to the prestige of our oral biology department and the dental school, says Stefan Ruhl, chair of oral biology. We are thrilled to welcome these four stellar faculty members to our department. I know they are destined to make great strides throughout their careers at UB.

The new faculty members are Zhibin Cui, Rohitashw Kumar, Carla Alvarez Rivas and Harim Tavares dos Santos.

Hiring these four individuals is a significant boost to the research efforts of oral biology. They are an exceptional cadre of young investigators with diverse research interests  from oral cancer to salivary gland biology, says Mira Edgerton, professor and department vice chair who chaired the search. This talented cohort of teacher-scholars brings an array of scientific expertise that will enhance the academic and research experience of our students and enrich the dental school.

Zhibin Cui

Formerly an assistant professor in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco, Cui has worked toward better understanding the complex interactions between genetic mutations and the tumor immune microenvironment, particularly in relation to resistance to chemotherapy and immunotherapy. After his dentistry training, Cui earned his PhD from Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicines Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery-Head and Neck Cancer Program in Shanghai, China.

Cui conducts basic and translational research on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, one of the most aggressive malignancies in the oral cavity. His research aims to identify novel molecular targets to improve therapeutic options for therapy-resistant head and neck cancers.

He is a recipient of the prestigious Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program (TRDRP) postdoctoral fellowship and has a robust publication record, with recent studies published in Cell Death and Disease and Molecular Cancer Research.

UBs strengths in immunology, molecular biology and translational research align seamlessly with my focus on head and neck cancer immunology, he says. In addition, UBs commitment to innovation and the chance to work alongside renowned faculty make it the ideal place to advance my research on the intricate relationships between genetics and the tumor immune microenvironment.

Rohitashw Kumar

Kumar joined UBs Department of Oral Biology in 2010 as a postdoctoral associate and was promoted to a research scientist and research associate. In these roles, he focused on oral fungal infections.

He earned his doctorate in life sciences from Jawaharlal Nehru University in India. His continuing research focuses on how certain proteins lining the mouth play a role in how the whole body reacts to oral diseases such as fungal infections. Hes also examining how substances in saliva, including metal ions and small pieces of protein, help maintain a healthy balance of bacteria and other microorganisms in the mouth. His long-term research goal is to create interventions that can alter protease-mediated inflammatory responses in the oral environment, thereby halting disease progress.

He has been awarded the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Institutional Research Training Grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in recognition of his scholarly contributions. In addition, hes published more than 20 peer-reviewed research articles, and his research initiatives have received funding from the NIHs National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.

Kumar says his experience as a postdoctoral associate at UB allowed him to thrive in a distinguished setting surrounded by innovators, thought leaders and researchers who prioritize teaching and mentoring students.

I have continually aimed to join this exceptional research community as a faculty member, he says.

Carla Alvarez Rivas

Alvarez Rivas recently completed an NIH-funded postdoctoral fellowship at the American Dental Association (ADA) Forsyth Institute located in Cambridge, Mass., where she researched periodontal immunology.

Alvarez Rivas earned her DDS from the University of Chile and a PhD in biomedical sciences from the University of Chiles Medical School.

Shes currently studying different types of memory T cells associated with periodontitis. These immune cells can remember past infections, and shes trying to determine the difference between the cells participating in health versus disease.

Most recently, Alvarez Rivas was awarded a seven-year National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research award. Her goal is to find ways to stop periodontitis from becoming a chronic, life-lasting condition.

UBs Department of Oral Biology offers everything I sought to successfully establish my lab, she says. This includes a clear commitment to developing future leaders in dental and oral health research with support from highly collaborative and interdisciplinary faculty, access to advanced technologies and a well-established PhD program in oral sciences that attracts top students eager to engage in cutting-edge research.

Harim Tavares dos Santos

Tavares dos Santos most recently worked as a senior research scientist at the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery in the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine.

He earned his DDS from the Federal University of Sergipe and his PhD in oral pathology from the University of Campinas, both in Brazil.

Throughout his masters and PhD programs, Tavares dos Santos focused on the analysis of head and neck diseases, with emphasis on salivary gland (SG) cancers. He participated in a stomatology residence program at AC Camargo Cancer Center in Brazil and was invited to teach in the Department of Dentistry at Ages University Center in Brazil.

Tavares dos Santos has detected new receptors for specialized pro-resolvin lipid mediators in Sjogrens disease and irradiated SGs, all of which may be targets to reduce SG inflammation. Moreover, he has identified tuft cells in mouse and human SGs and has been developing the tools necessary to understand how these cells regulate SG immunity. Tavares dos Santos has been awarded grants by the Sjogrens Foundation and the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.

Tavares dos Santos says he chose UB for its strong emphasis on innovative research and reputation as one of the leading dental programs in the United States and worldwide.

Through my research, he says, I aim to mentor future dental researchers, advance knowledge in epithelial biology and enhance the quality of life for patients.
Craigs Investment Partners (Craigs or the Firm), a leading wealth management firm in New Zealand, today announced that TA Associates (TA), a leading global private equity firm, has signed a conditional agreement to make a strategic investment in the Firm. Under the agreement, Craigs existing employee and director shareholders will retain 50 percent ownership of the Firm, partnering closely with TA.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241218087239/en/

TA is an ideal partner to support Craigs growth ambitions and ongoing commitment to client outcomes given its significant global experience investing in wealth management, and its strong understanding of the regional market, said Simon Tong, CEO of Craigs. Craigs and TA are aligned on a client-first philosophy and the importance of a personalized approach to wealth management. Client outcomes remain our top priority, and there will be no change in the people or our approach to providing outstanding service to our clients.

The partnership between Craigs and TA aims to further enhance Craigs position as a leader in the New Zealand wealth management market while enabling its continued expansion. Leveraging over 50 years of experience helping high-quality companies grow, TA will provide deep industry knowledge, strategic resources and a robust global network to accelerate Craigs growth strategy.

This is an exciting opportunity that connects our local team with TAs extensive global experience in wealth management, supporting our ability to deliver enhanced outcomes for clients in an increasingly dynamic environment. Access to TAs international network, best practices and insights will help us elevate our services while maintaining the personalised approach that sets us apart, Tong continued.

Over the past 40 years, Craigs has established itself as one of the largest and most respected wealth management firms in New Zealand, offering a comprehensive range of personalised wealth advice and services to its clients, said Edward Sippel, head of TA Associates Asia Pacific Ltd. and a Managing Director at TA. We deeply respect this history and are honoured to support the Firms continued growth strategy and commitment to delivering best-in-class client outcomes.

TA has a long history of partnering with world-class wealth managers like Craigs, said Lily Xu, Vice President at TA. We are excited to collaborate with the entire Craigs team to expand the Firms reach, continue enhancing its service offerings, and explore strategic M&A opportunities.

The agreement remains subject to certain approvals being obtained, including Court approval, Craigs shareholder approval and Overseas Investment Office (OIO) consent. Settlement is expected to occur late in the first quarter of 2025. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Craigs Investment Partners Limited is a NZX Participant firm. Craigs Investment Partners Limiteds Financial Advice Provider Disclosure Statement can be viewed at craigsip.com/terms-and-conditions. Please visit craigsip.com for more information on Craigs Investment Partners financial advice services.

About Craigs Investment Partners (Craigs)

Craigs Investment Partners is one of New Zealand's largest investment advisory firms, offering bespoke solutions to both private investors and corporate clients. Craigs provides the complete breadth of private client and wealth management services including investment advice and management, securities trading, research, cash management, institutional dealing, and investment banking.

Craigs has over 180 qualified Investment Advisers, servicing over 65,000 private wealth investors across 19 branches in New Zealand. Craigs has a team of 650 employees, $32 billion in funds under advice (FUA), and is currently 100% owned by employee and director shareholders. www.craigsip.com

About TA Associates (TA)

TA is a leading global private equity firm focused on scaling growth in profitable companies. Since 1968, TA has invested in more than 560 companies across its five target industries  technology, healthcare, financial services, consumer and businesses services. Leveraging its deep industry expertise and strategic resources, TA collaborates with management teams worldwide to help high-quality companies deliver lasting value. The firm has raised $65 billion in capital to date and has more than 150 investment professionals across offices in Boston, Menlo Park, Austin, London, Mumbai and Hong Kong. More information about TA can be found at www.ta.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241218087239/en/
Police search for a man in Buffalo Bayou on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. The man, who jumped into the bayou at the end of a police chase was found dead after a four-hour search of the water. Courtesy/OnScene.tv

A man drowned early Friday after jumping into the Buffalo Bayou in an ill-fated attempt to escape police, officials said.

The man, who hasn't been identified, was one of four people riding in a black Kia Sorrento that fled a traffic stop in west Houston around 2 a.m. Friday, according to the Houston Police Department.

The car had been reported stolen out of Fort Worth, police said.

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Officers chased the car from the city's west side to Second Ward, east of downtown. When the car reached the 400 block of Jensen, it turned into a parking lot, and struck a guardrail that was leading down to the bayou, police said.

Four men got out of the car. Two immediately surrendered to police, but two others ran and jumped into the water, police said.

Police said one of the men immediately started asking for help because he couldn't swim, and was rescued by the Houston Fire Department.

The other man didn't resurface. His body was found by a dive team around 6 a.m.

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The men weren't immediately identified. Police said all four were between 19 and 20, and were from the Fort Worth area.
On December 17, 2024, SBC Medical Group Holdings Incorporated (SBC Medical, or the Company), announced that its subsidiary, SBC Medical Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "SBCMG"), has decided to sell all shares of its subsidiaries, SBC Kijimadaira Resort Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Kijimadaira") and Skynet Academy Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "SNA"), as outlined below. The decision to sell these subsidiaries was made to concentrate SBCMG's management resources on its core medical services business, in line with its strategy of prioritizing and focusing on key business areas.

The subsidiaries being sold operate in the following industries:

Kijimadaira : Ski resort operations

: Ski resort operations SNA: Flight training operations



The shares will be sold to a company wholly owned by Yoshiyuki Aikawa, the CEO of the Company. Since this transaction constitutes a related party transaction, it was deliberated and approved by the Companys Board of Directors and Audit Committee. To ensure the fairness of the transaction, an independent third-party organization conducted a valuation. The results are as follows:

The valuation of Kijimadaira shares reflects its negative equity, resulting in a nominal sale price. The valuation of SNA shares was determined based on the discounted cash flow (DCF) method. However, the transaction amount is not material in terms of financial reporting.



The impact of this transaction on the Companys consolidated financial statements is expected to be minimal, with no significant changes to its financial position anticipated.

The transaction is expected to close by the end of December 2024, subject to standard closing conditions. SBC Medical remains committed to advancing its growth strategy centered on the medical services sector.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241218444849/en/
Diana Guadalupe Zavala Lopez, seen here in a photo provided by the Houston Police Department in 2023, was sentenced to four years in prison for tampering with a human corpse after police found her newborn dead in a Shell station toilet, according to court documents. COURTESY/Houston Police Department

A 27-year-old woman was sentenced to four years in prison Monday for tampering with a human corpse after police found her newborn dead in a Shell station toilet in 2023, according to court documents.

Diana Guadalupe Zavala Lopez was seen on surveillance footage leaving a Shell station at 13114 South Post Oak with blood on her pants in April 2023. According to court documents, she told detectives she was unaware she was pregnant when she gave birth to the child, whose corpse was later discovered by a store clerk still in the toilet at the location.

BABY MOSES LAW: How high-profile abandoned baby cases in Houston led lawmakers to take action

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Diana Guadalupe Zavala Lopez wiped her legs and shoes of the blood and obtained a mop from outside the restroom and attempted to clean up the restroom, charging documents stated. (She) confirmed she made no effort to check the infant for signs of life, no attempt at CPR and made no attempt to pull the infant out of the toilet.

Zavala Lopez was arrested by border patrol agents in Brownsville in August 2023. Detectives stated they were able to connect her to the Shell station where the deceased infant was found using Flock safety cameras, which recorded her license plate number.
Alexis Payton speaks to the media at the Hattie Mae White Educational building on Friday, August 16, 2024, about the death of his son, Landon at Marshall Middle school yesterday. Karen Warren/Staff photographer A photo of Landon Payton during a vigil at Marshall Middle School on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, in Houston. Annie Mulligan/Contributor Alexis Payton poses for a portrait holding a photo of his 14-year-old son, Landon, during an interview on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024 in Houston. Landon Payton died suddenly after a medical emergency in the Marshall Middle School gym on Aug. 14. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer A memorial for a Marshall Middle School student who passed away the first week of school remains on the fence on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024 in Houston. Elizabeth Conley/Staff Photographer Community leader Monique Howard speaks with Jalen Payton during a vigil for his brother, Landon Payton, on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, in Houston. Annie Mulligan/Contributor Alexis Payton talks about his 14-year-old son, Landon, during an interview on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024 in Houston. Landon Payton died suddenly after a medical emergency in the Marshall Middle School gym on Aug. 14. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer

One in six automated external defibrillators in Houston ISD facilities were missing or flagged for having broken or expired parts during annual inspections in the months before Marshall Middle School student Landon Payton's death, according to records obtained by the Houston Chronicle.

A review of inspection records by the Chronicle shows that the Marshall gym's AED was one of 172 devices across the district flagged for having expired parts during inspections. That device was inspected in May, three months before Payton's death, records show.

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Its adult electrode pads, used to stick to and administer an electric shock to a patient, expired four months prior to inspection. More than 20 AEDs had one or more parts that expired more than a year before inspection. Inspectors noted that an additional 15 AEDs were missing or malfunctioning.

Altogether, defective AEDs made up about 16% of the more than 1,100 HISD defibrillators subject to inspection between Aug. 2023 and May 2024, a Chronicle analysis of district records found.

Twelve facilities had no AEDs that were both functioning properly and up-to-date at the time of inspection, the Chronicles analysis found. Those included the Mickey Leland College Preparatory Academy, where all seven of the campus AEDs were marked as expired by inspectors.

Some, such as Las Americas Newcomer School and Energized for Excellence Elementary, share campuses with other schools.

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It is unclear whether replacement parts were ordered for campuses after the annual inspection. The district said in August it had ordered replacement parts for all expired or malfunctioning devices after Paytons death, and any AED with a battery or pads scheduled to expire before the end of 2025 has since been stocked with backup parts, HISD said in a December report.

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HISD did not confirm whether the parts had been replaced or that the AED was working at the time of Payton's death, although a quote for replacement parts addressed to Marshall Middle School is listed at the bottom of the document.

"This confirms what we already knew, that the school district did not keep up with the maintenance of the AEDs," Chris Tritico, the attorney representing the family, told the Chronicle. "This instance with the pads being expired is some indication that the machine was not functioning properly."

AED inspections at Houston schools

There was an average of four AEDs  working or nonworking  per facility, including stadiums and administration buildings, the reports show.

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While early childhood centers and elementary schools typically had about three AEDs, high schools and stadiums averaged about 10. Some buildings, such as Bellaire and Lamar High Schools, had more than 25.

Under Texas law, every campus is required to have at least one working AED. As of Oct. 1, all HISD campuses have a minimum of two working AEDs, while 75% of campuses have three or more working AEDs on site, HISD said in a statement in December. The district has not yet released its most recent data to the Chronicle.

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The district hired service technicians to conduct annual inspections of AEDs, while on-campus staff conduct monthly inspections, HISD said after Paytons death. HISD said principals and work location supervisors were responsible for maintaining AEDs prior to the emergency. That authority has been placed within its central office, the district said in August.

HISD said it also centralized its AED inspection and certification software so it can receive real-time updates on the status of each device.

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"Parents should have more confidence in HISD's safety program as a whole," said Craig Straw, HISD's director of safety and emergency management. "We're continually moving forward. We're getting more compliance, more readiness, more capability ... We're making sure our first responders, our administrators and key personnel are all monitoring it.

Just under 140 AEDs were also equipped with pedi pads, which are designed for children age 8 and younger. Around one-quarter of pedi pads were also logged as expired in the district.

Electrode pads' adhesive may begin to dry as they expire, causing them to not stick properly to the patient. Expired batteries may not turn on or possess enough power to administer a shock correctly, said Martha Lopez-Anderson, executive director of childrens sudden cardiac arrest awareness organization Parent Heart Watch.

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"Having these devices is incredibly important, but it's equally important to understand the paramount importance of maintaining these devices," Lopez-Anderson said. "The reason that we have them is for an emergency, and you can't predict that ... A family has lost their child. The community, his classmates  the impact is incredible."

Landon's cause of death has not yet been released. His family may file a lawsuit if it is determined that an AED was needed at the time of his emergency.
Replacing open canals with pipelines in Oregons Tumalo Irrigation District does not unreasonably burden neighboring landowners, even if it lowers property values, according to a federal appeals court.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected arguments that Tumalo Irrigation District violated easements across neighboring properties by installing the pipeline, as removing open canals and harming surrounding riparian vegetation isnt legally a nuisance.

No evidence suggests that the original parties to the express easement contemplated that the irrigation system would benefit plaintiffs property with seepage from open canals, the 9th Circuits ruling said.

The appellate court has dismissed the claims of several neighbors who oppose the irrigation piping project, only about two weeks after oral arguments in the case were heard earlier this month in Portland, Ore.

The 9th Circuit has decided that U.S. District Judge Michael McShane properly threw out the lawsuit last year, agreeing the project does not exceed the scope of TIDs rights of way on plaintiffs land.

The appellate court said the arguments of the opponents would produce an absurd result thats contrary to common sense.

If opponents were correct that federal law limits the easements vertical reach, the irrigation district could not perform necessary construction of and maintenance on natural ground canals and laterals, such as digging out accumulated silt, the ruling said.

Contrary to the claims of opponents, the irrigation district has demonstrated the piping project is necessary to improve water delivery to farmers and improve public safety by preventing drownings, the 9th Circuit said.

Plaintiffs fail to establish genuine factual disputes as to these issues, and even if the project will devalue their properties, their claims fail as a matter of law, the ruling said.

The 9th Circuit also rejected the argument that USDA violated the National Environmental Policy Act by insufficiently analyzing the effects of awarding $30 million to the project.

Implementing on-farm irrigation efficiency upgrades  an alternative to piping touted by opponents  was properly eliminated from the USDAs analysis because itd be difficult to implement without enhancing water delivery reliability and public safety, the 9th Circuit said.

The environmental assessment acknowledged that the project would affect riparian vegetation in and around the open canals, but determined that the affected areas did not meet the functional criteria for wetlands and that the project would benefit downstream riparian areas, the ruling said.

During oral arguments in early December, opponents alleged the piping project was the most destructive, most invasive, most deleterious option the irrigation district could have chosen.

Converting canals to underground piping is not necessary for irrigation, as conserving the 50% of water lost to seepage doesnt show reasonable necessity as required by the easement, said Esack Grueskin, attorney for the opponents.

The purpose of the canal is not for giving any specific allotment to the districts patrons or promoting specific conservation benefits, Grueskin said.

Attorneys for the irrigation district and USDA countered that riparian areas created by water seepage arent protected as wetlands under state or federal regulations.

Regardless of the piping project, the irrigation district isnt obligated to run water through the artificial canal built through the desert, said Mark Reinecke, its attorney. You cant force somebody to deliver water to seep into the ground for their personal enjoyment.
Andrea Leinfelder is the space reporter for the Houston Chronicle. She can be reached at andrea.leinfelder@houstonchronicle.com.

Andrea has written about NASA and the commercial space sector since 2020, with her coverage spanning human spaceflight, robotic exploration and operations in low-Earth orbit. She also follows Elon Musk's Texas footprint.

Originally from Florida, Andrea graduated from the University of Florida in 2012 and has worked for the Houston Chronicle since 2014. She previously wrote for The News-Press in Fort Myers, Fla. She enjoys traveling, eating her way across Texas and chasing her 2-year-old son and 6-year-old dog.
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Ethiopias cement sector is poised for growth with the launch of Lemi National Cement Factory, the countrys largest cement facility. The factory boasts a production capacity of 10,000tpd of clinker and 15,000tpd of cement, increasing national supply by 50 per cent.

"Our facility meets Ethiopia's demand for high-quality cement, supporting infrastructure and industrialisation," said Biru Wolde, group CEO of East African Holdings Co, Lemi National Cement Factory's parent company. The factory complements its Dire Dawa plant, which produces 3500tpd of clinker, addressing supply gaps and stabilising cement prices, now averaging ETB1500 (US$11.82)/bag in Addis Ababa.

Ethiopias cement market faces challenges, including high energy costs, logistical inefficiencies and currency fluctuations. However, abundant limestone reserves and the adoption of renewable energy are reshaping the sector. Lemi National Cement is investing in cutting-edge technology and green energy, reducing costs and emissions while aligning with Ethiopia's industrialisation goals.

Government support for manufacturing expansion, coupled with ambitious infrastructure projects, underpins demand. "The government's focus on industrialisation creates opportunities for manufacturers like Lemi to contribute to economic transformation," added Mr Wolde.

Despite hurdles like supply shortages and illegal market practices, Ethiopia's construction sector is set to thrive, driven by cement production, industrial parks and urbanisation projects. Lemis plans to add another production line underscore its commitment to meeting demand and reinforcing Ethiopia's economic growth.

Mr Wolde concluded, "Lemi National Cement plays a vital role in stabilising the market and advancing Ethiopia's infrastructure ambitions."
Smoked meats are ready to come out of the smoker at CorkScrew BBQ in Spring. Texas barbecue might not travel as far and wide as Santa Claus on Christmas Eve night but it does find its way all over the country during the holiday season. J.C. Reid/For the Chronicle

It might not travel as far and wide as Santa Claus on Christmas Eve night but Texas barbecue does find its way all over the world during the holidays.

Food from Houston-area barbecue joints ends up on plates from coast to coast and border to border, and some orders even find their way to international homes.

That includes CorkScrew BBQ, the Spring establishment that recently earned a Michelin star.

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"It's really, really neat to ship Texas barbecue all around the country. It's a testament to what Texas barbecue is," owner and pitmaster Will Buckman said.

REPRESENTED WELL: How Texas barbecue came to dominate the new Michelin Guide

Texas barbecue travels across U.S. and around world

CorkScrew BBQ only ships its meats within the U.S., and Buckman said the farthest they are shipping their food this season is Maine. But he said his barbecue is traveling outside the country this holiday season as people going to Poland and Egypt included CorkScrew BBQ in their luggage.

Truth BBQ, ranked eighth in the Houston Chronicle's Top 100 Restaurants of 2024, ships about 1,500 orders on average for Thanksgiving and Christmas, according to owner Abbie Byrom.

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The establishment ships internationally in addition to domestically with orders every year coming in from places such as Hawaii and the United Kingdom. Truth even once shipped its barbecue to New Zealand, albeit not during the holidays.

"I always wonder how people find out," said Byrom, who noted the business starts preparing for holiday orders in September. "That's kind of what the feeling is. It's like, 'oh my gosh, how did somebody here find out about us?' It's always a crazy story...It's always connected in a way that you don't expect."

Business is brisk with holiday orders

Some of the shipments the restaurants send out are gifts from businesses. Tejas Chocolate & Barbecue co-founder Scott Moore Jr. said a third of the restaurant's holiday orders this year came from one business shipping out brisket to its clients as gifts.

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"It's incredibly flattering, honestly, that people look to us to help them celebrate a special occasion," Moore said. "It's very heartwarming."

Moore said the last month of the year is consistently the busiest time of year thanks in part to holiday events like family gatherings and office parties in addition to the holiday shipping.

Not everyone includes shipping as part of their holiday promotions and menu, and it's not just Christmas that can drive a holiday rush. Blood Bros. BBQ owner Quy Hoang said the restaurant, which doesn't do shipping, gets more orders for Thanksgiving than Christmas.

AROUND THE WORLD: How Texas barbecue continues to incorporate global flavors

"Our brisket fried rice, it's crazy that a lot of people will order that for Thanksgiving dinner," Hoang said. "Who would have thought brisket fried rice would be a Thanksgiving side someone's serving at their Thanksgiving dinner?"

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Buckman said that CorkScrew doesn't even push shipping that much. But when the holidays start inching closer, the business receives a bunch of customer requests for shipments.

Just like Santa Claus receiving tons of letters and gift lists from children as Christmas approaches.
Dayton City School announces that it has received an A School Letter Grade on the Tennessee State Report Card for the 2023-24 academic year. This grade reflects the schools commitment to excellence in student achievement and academic growth. The A grade signifies outstanding performance and highlights the dedication of students, teachers, and staff throughout the year, said officials. Dayton City School is one of 290 out of around 1,800 public schools statewide to

earn an A rating.

In addition to the A grade, Dayton City School is honored to have been recognized by the state as a Reward School, a TVAAS Level 5 School, and one of only 10 Exemplary Districts in Tennessee.

We are thrilled with this achievement and proud of the continuous dedication of our entire school community, said Trish Newsom, superintendent of Dayton City School. This recognition highlights the commitment of our students, faculty, and staff in striving for academic excellence every day. We are also honored to have been recognized as a Reward School and a TVAAS Level 5 School and to be named one of only 10 Exemplary Districts in the state. These honors reflect our educators' hard work and passion and the support of our families and community members. We are excited to build on this momentum and continue to provide our students with the best possible educational experience.

The 2023-24 State Report Card provides valuable insights into the performance of public schools and districts across Tennessee, giving families and communities the tools they need to advocate for their students, said Lizzette Reynolds, commissioner of Education. We are especially proud of the schools that performed highly on the School Letter Grades and are moving the needle for kids, and we encourage all Tennesseans to actively engage and contribute to the ongoing success of all our schools.

Over the past year, Dayton City School has made investments in its academic programs, including expanding literacy and math intervention efforts, enhancing teacher professional development, and implementing Capturing Kids' Hearts to foster a positive school culture. These initiatives have contributed to the schools continued growth and success in achieving the highest letter grade and receiving multiple state recognitions.






Nationally renowned artist Alan Shuptrine has been selected to participate with Art in Embassies, a department within the U.S. Department of State. Mr. Shuptrines work will be displayed within the residence of the United State Ambassador to Qatar, Minister-Counselor Timmy T. Davis, an American diplomat and Foreign Service consular.

The Art in Embassies focuses on promoting diplomacy and cross-cultural connections through visual art. The idea began in 1953 when the Museum of Modern Art provided art for U.S. embassies across the globe. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy officially established the AIE as a program of the Department of State. Artists who are selected by curators are invited to participate. Artwork is hand-selected for private residences of the Ambassadors, embassies, consulates, and other U.S. diplomatic facilities around the world.

Mr. Shuptrines works can be found in numerous private collections, museums, historical institutions, corporate offices, and many collections, nationwide. Mr. Shuptrines chosen piece, Dancing Man, will be on display in the ambassadors private residence in Qatar for the next three years where official functions are held throughout his tenure.

Mr. Shuptrine is honored to have been chosen as a visual arts representative for the United States. He is preparing for a second international venue as he is currently creating a body of work for his upcoming 2025 Artist in Residency at Skibo Castle in Scotland.
The Hamilton County school board passed a resolution Thursday night asking the Tennessee General Assembly to stop the expansion of the private school voucher program, joining almost 90 other public school districts in the state.

Felice Hadden and Jodi Schaffer voted no. Ben Daugherty abstained. The others voted yes.

Members of the community spoke before the board in favor of the item with concerns that the voucher program would undermine the reputation of public schools, divert needed funding and instead fund sub-par education in private schools that arent monitored by the state.

State legislators are considering expansion of the existing voucher program with a higher income threshold. The bill specifies that a school district will not get less than it did the year before due to student exodus.

A new state funding formula enacted in 2023 added $64 million to the Hamilton County schools budget. The formula designates a base funding per student, plus more for a students poverty, learning disabilities, non-English language and other factors.

Hamilton County Education Association President Jeannette Omarkail told the board the voucher program sends the message that the public schools are failing.

The bill requires that a school district must have a certain number of schools deemed failing to open it up to the program.

If you were to ask the public school parents in your district about their satisfaction with their schools, I believe they would give their school an A or B, not an F, Ms. Omarkhail said. If they are dissatisfied they already have the option to choose another school within Hamilton County.

The resolution outlined five other requests, including one for federal lawmakers to fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, a federally-mandated program which requires extra staff, space and equipment to educate some students.

The resolution asks the General Assembly to send more money for positions that proactively support student mental health, but board member Ben Daugherty argued that the vague wording is asking for an open checkbook, and that Hamilton County needs money for facilities first.

Weve got roofs with leaks Weve got A/C units that need massive updates, said Mr. Daugherty, who abstained from the vote.

Schools werent built to have more and more staff, he said.

Also Thursday night the board approved Phase 1 of a $60-million bond to tackle deferred maintenance, including installing a new $6-million HVAC unit at Orchard Knob Middle School. Phase 1 totals $31 million.

These hit all across the district, Superintendent Dr. Justin Robertson said.

The board plans to spend up to $100,000 to hire architects to assess the condition and viability of building expansions at Orchard Knob Middle, Thrasher Elementary School, Normal Park Upper and Lower schools, Center for Creative Arts and the Gateway building downtown. These will be the very first projects within the county-wide school facilities overhaul.

"This is a great step, said board member Ben Connor. Its something that has been a long time coming for District 6.

Mr. Connor gave at expectations marks in Dr. Robertsons end-of-year evaluation because of poor situations in his districts part of that facilities overhaul and fails in the use of the Gateway building. Mr. Connor had advocated to relocate CCA to the Gateway building to make room for Normal Park schools to move and expand.
Bicycles used by employees sit in an emtpy parking lot at NASA Johnson Space Center along NASA Road 1 Sunday, Jan. 21, 2018, in Houston. NASA is one of the many government departments and offices hit by the government shutdown. Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle

After Congress failed to pass a bill that would reauthorize federal funding through March Wednesday, the looming threat of a government shutdown may soon become a reality.

A report from the Washington Post alleged Democrats and Republicans have struck a tentative deal to avoid a total shutdown, but the deal is on shaky ground and a final vote is expected to come Thursday evening.

LOCAL LEADERS: Texas Republicans divided over spending bill to avoid government shutdown

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While a shutdown would likely have a limited impact on Houston residents at large, those that work at federally-funded agencies and departments may find themselves scrooged just days before Christmas, said Ed Hirs, an economics lecturer at the University of Houston.

Its pretty clear Congress is acting the part of the Scrooge here, Hirs said. But President-elect Donald Trump is the real Scrooge since hes bullying Republicans into not signing a bill they had negotiated in good faith with Congress.

What happens during a government shutdown?

According to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, Congress must pass budget legislation each year that authorizes federal spending throughout the county. A shutdown occurs when Congress fails to pass this legislation or the president refuses to sign it.

During a shutdown, federal agencies must cease all non-essential functions, which can impact everything from environmental and food safety inspections, audits performed by the Internal Revenue Service and air travel, according to the committee.

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What would a government shutdown mean for Houston?

Hirs told the Chronicle that the most acute impact of a government shutdown would be felt in the local branches of federal entities like courts, customs and, for Houston in particular, NASA and the Port of Houston.

"The federal court system will slow, especially for juries, panels and things of that nature," Hirs said. "A government shutdown is also probably going to slow prosecutors as well, except some of those who are handling arrest warrants and things like that."

Hirs said some federal judges would likely remain, but trials and other proceedings would slow significantly.

Many federal employees would be forced to go without income for the duration of the shutdown, and the only recourse available to them during that period would be to file for unemployment, Hirs said.

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People who work for federal agencies are definitely facing an uncertain holiday season, Hirs said. Hopefully itll only be a brief interruption. Congress is coming up on Christmas recess, so theres definitely some pressure to get something done before then.

He added that many government employees would continue to work unpaid for the duration of the shutdown. While Congress has offered back pay to federal employees in previous shutdowns, Hirs said that is not guaranteed.

Could a shutdown impact travel plans?

Hirs said that, in all likelihood, the shutdown likely wouldn't throw a wrench into holiday travel plans. The Federal Aviation Administration will continue to operate in the event of a shutdown, as will law enforcement and military personnel, Hirs said.
Cherokee Nation Speaker of the Council Mike Shambaugh speaks during the 2022 Tri-Council meeting. The Council unanimously approved a resolution at the Dec. 16, 2024 legislative bodys monthly meeting withdrawing from Tri-Council.
Photo Credit: Unsplash/ Timothy Eberly

The head of a Texas school district has stated that the Bible had to be removed from school libraries due to a new state law prohibiting sexually explicit material.

Canyon Independent School District Superintendent Darryl Flusche announced in a leaked email earlier this week that under House Bill 900, the Holy Bible is deemed unsuitable in the district's libraries. This bill, passed by the Texas Legislature in 2023, was established to protect schools from sexually explicit content.

In his email to parents, Flusche explained that the full text of the Bible had been removed because it fell under this mandate, although portions of the Bible remain available in the district's libraries. Flusche cited the law's definition of sexually explicit material as any communication, language, or material that describes sexual conduct in a way that is patently offensive according to the Texas Penal Code.

He indicated that the Canyon Jr. High library has 30 titles of Bible stories or portions of the Bible and noted the school's strong connections with local churches willing to donate Bibles upon request.

The email has sparked outrage among local parents. During a school board meeting on December 9, Canyon ISD parent Regina Kiehne told school officials, It seems absurd to me that the Good Book was thrown out with the bad books.

According to the Christian Post, the mother of two Canyon ISD students, Kiehne stated, In a day when we need security guards and bulletproof windows and doors, I think having the Word of God available to our children cannot only be preventative to violence but also provide comfort and a sense of security in a chaotic world.

It just makes sense to have the Word of God in our school library. After all, it (the Bible) is the book of wisdom. It is the bestselling book of all time; it is historically accurate, scientifically sound, and most importantly, life-changing, she added.

Kiehne also highlighted the Bible's reputation in history, asserting, The only reason something is stolen is because it is valuable. The Bible holds great value. It should be valued in our Texas school system.

This incident reflects extensive discussions in Texas about the inclusion of religious texts in public education. In the past year, certain state lawmakers, including Republican Rep. Bill Zedler, have advocated for displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms across the state, arguing that they provide a moral foundation that aligns with American values.

However, these efforts have encountered pushback from critics who contend that such displays violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
U.S. Department of Justice building in Washington, D.C. | Photo Credit: Official website of the U.S. Department of Justice

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a complaint against the city of Brunswick, Georgia, for its attempts to permanently shut down a Christian charity that provides services to the homeless.

The lawsuit was filed on Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, accusing municipal officials of wrongfully trying to close a homeless ministry known as The Well.

Brunswick has been accused of violating the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) of 2000 in its attempts to close The Well. The Well is operated by FaithWorks, an organization affiliated with the South Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church.

The complaint stated, Through its campaign to shut down The Well, including a mandatory closure order and a nuisance lawsuit, Brunswick imposed a substantial burden on the religious exercise of FaithWorks, and of The Wells staff and leadership, without a compelling interest and without using the least restrictive means of achieving that interest, in violation of RLUIPA.

The DOJ emphasized that operating The Well is an expression of faith that is significantly hindered by the city's efforts to close it. FaithWorks, which runs The Well, is an extension of the Methodist Church, and providing basic services to the poor and unhoused individuals are cornerstones of FaithWorks religious practice, the department stated.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the DOJ Civil Rights Division also stated on Tuesday, asserting that the Christian ministry has the right to operate in Brunswick.

Federal law protects the right of religious groups such as The Well to use their land to help others. The division will continue to vindicate the rights of groups to exercise their religion and fight local land use laws that unlawfully restrict those rights, he stated.

The Well began its operations in downtown Brunswick in 2014, providing meals, showers, and shelter for the homeless, particularly during harsh weather conditions. However, in April 2023, Brunswick ordered The Well to temporarily shut down after receiving reports that individuals brought in by the charity were allegedly committing violent acts and disrupting the community.

During the subsequent 65-day closure, The Well's staff implemented various policy changes and increased security measures to address safety concerns. Nonetheless, shortly after the charity reopened in July 2023, the city filed a nuisance complaint against The Well in an attempt to permanently close the charity.

The Rev. Wright Culpepper of FaithWorks thanked the DOJ for filing the complaint against Brunswick, stating that the suit should provide much needed relief.

The Superior Court lawsuit  though a temporarily stayed order of the court  created an additional cloud of uncertainty that delayed our ability to continue our services and respond more quickly to the needs of those in crisis, Culpepper appealed.
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The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty recently honored residents of Sweetwater, Texas, for their efforts to oppose the removal of a Nativity scene outside the local courthouse.

The A religious liberty advocacy organization announced on Tuesday that the citizens were the recipients of its inaugural "Tiny Tim Toast" award for their strong turnout in defense of the Nativity display.

Sweetwater, a town of approximately 10,000 residents located about 40 miles west of Abilene, hosted a public forum last week where the Nolan County Commissioners Court addressed a request to dismantle the Nativity scene. Although Carolyn Anne Frawley attended the commissioners' meeting on December 9, she was the only person to voice opposition to the display.

In a letter to the editor of the Sweetwater Reporter, Frawley expressed her opposition to the Nativity display on government property, citing concerns regarding the separation of church and state. Notably, she left Christian uncapitalized in her letter while capitalizing only Jewish, Muslim, atheist, and freethinkers.

Frawley wrote, Not all residents of Nolan County are of one religion. There are people who are Jewish and maybe even Muslim and of course Atheist. Yes, we do exist even though many Christians choose to ignore or use intimidation to keep Freethinkers whispering instead of speaking out. She added, The obvious Christian law display must be removed from our public property. The Nolan County Courthouse is a representative place for government business for ALL Nolan County residents, not just Christians.

Despite Frawleys objections, eight individuals spoke in favor of keeping the Nativity scene, resulting in no action from the authorities and allowing the display to remain, as reported by KTXS-TV.

Mark Rienzi, president and CEO of Becket, praised the solidarity of Sweetwater residents, stating, The locals stood their ground with unshakable resolve. God bless them for the courage they showed in the face of adversity  it should be an inspiration to all those who wish to keep the Christmas and Hanukkah season sacred.

The Tiny Tim Toast award, named after the character in Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, replaces Becket's annual Ebenezer Award, which had highlighted the most outrageous offenders of the holidays for the past 23 years. This year, the organization decided to honor an individual or group who inspires hope and perseverance in the face of adversity during the Christmas and Hanukkah season.

Rienzi emphasized, Every Christmas and Hanukkah season, there are some bureaucrats and activists who seek to shut out the lights on religious displays and expression. This year, Becket is happy to raise a hearty toast to all those who stood firm against these efforts, unwavering in defending faiths rightful place in the public square. Heres to you, the citizens of Sweetwater, Texas, for keeping the faith.
Home News Biden admin. accused of failure to prosecute church attacks, 'one-sided' FACE Act enforcement

Despite skyrocketing violence against churches and pro-life organizations, the U.S. Department of Justice didn't prosecute anyone under the FACE Act for such crimes against churches and prosecuted only two attacks on pro-life pregnancy centers, according to a recent congressional hearing.

The U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee held a hearing Wednesday, led by Chairmen Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, to discuss concerns with they believe are disparate prosecutions of pro-life advocates under the Biden administration.

Witnesses included Erin Hawley, senior counsel and vice president of the Center for Life and regulatory practice at Alliance Defending Freedom, and Thomas More Society Senior Counsel Steve Crampton.

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Paul Vaughn, a Christian father of 11 convicted under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, and Jessica L. Waters, a pro-choice professor at American University, also testified.

Lawmakers sought answers to the accusation that the Justice Department hasn't charged pro-choice activists who engaged in violence and vandalism against churches and pro-life pregnancy centers in the wake of the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade in the same way as pro-life advocates charged with protesting and disrupting abortion clinics.

"Since the start of the Biden-Harris administration until May 2024, the DOJ had brought a total of 24 FACE Act prosecutions against 55 defendants, with only two of these cases concerning attacks on pregnancy resource centers," Roy said during the hearing.

Signed by President Bill Clinton in 1994, the FACE Act makes it a federal crime to block or use intimidation to prevent people from receiving an abortion or "reproductive health services." The law does not only apply to abortion facilities, however, as places of worship and pro-life pregnancy resource centers are also protected under federal law.

"Statues of Lady Justice show her wearing a blindfold because it is not supposed to matter who is being judged, what they believe, or who they voted for," Roy stated.

"Unfortunately, over the last four years, the Biden-Harris administration has weaponized this act [through] disproportionately targeting pro-life Americans for FACE Act violations while simultaneously failing to protect pregnancy resource facilities, despite being the target of growing violence," the subcommittee chairman added.

Following the Dobbs decision leak and the subsequent overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022 that allowed dozens of states to enact restrictions on abortion access, pro-choice radicals also engaged in a wave of violence against pregnancy centers, including firebombing and vandalism.



Highlighting these concerns about the potential misuse of the FACE Act, Hawley cited the Family Research Council's February 2024 Hostility Against Churches report during her testimony.

The report identified at least 436 acts of hostility against churches in the United States in 2023, more than double the number identified in 2022. The hostile actions reported include 315 acts of vandalism, 75 arson attacks or attempts, 10 gun-related incidents, 20 bomb threats and 37 other incidents.

While the FACE Act is also supposed to protect houses of worship, Hawley noted that the Department of Justice under the Biden administration didn't prosecute individuals under the law for this type of violence.

Hawley questioned why the DOJ had prosecuted more pro-life advocates who obstructed access to abortion facilities than the pro-choice activists who committed hostile acts against pregnancy centers.

"The Biden DOJ's one-sided use of the FACE Act raises serious concerns about viewpoint-based selective enforcement," Hawley testified. "While the executive branch does have discretion to decide whether to prosecute a case, it cannot selectively enforce the law in a way that violates the Constitution."

She argued that the DOJ's actions have left churches and pro-life organizations "largely unprotected."

While some pro-life activists are still waiting for prosecutions of activists who vandalized or firebombed their clinics, the Justice Department is prosecuting four pro-abortion activists who pled guilty earlier this year to vandalizing several pro-life pregnancy centers in Florida. Their guilty pleas come more than two years after vandalizing the centers.

Vaughn, sentenced to three years of supervised release following his conviction under the FACE Act, argued that there is "no reason" for the federal law to remain on the books.



The pro-life advocate believes that state laws are sufficient when it comes to addressing crimes like trespassing.



In October 2022, Vaughn was one of originally 11 people indicted for blocking the entrance to the Carafem Health Center Clinic in the Nashville suburb of Mt. Juliet on March 15, 2021. The FBI arrested the advocate in front of his family during an early morning raid.



"My family spent 20 months of having a potential decade in prison hanging over their heads," the father told lawmakers. "We endured long, stressful days of the actual trial for the sake of government winning a case with no regard to actually seeking justice."



"If abortion is returned to the states, so should the laws governing," he added.

The American University professor who also testified at the hearing expressed support for the FACE Act. Waters cited an uptake in pro-lifers blockading clinics, as well as violence against abortion facilities and their staff around the time Congress decided to implement a federal remedy to address it.



According to the professor, state laws often failed to act as a "deterrent effect," adding that most states didn't have enough resources to respond to large blockades formed by pro-lifers.



"It is plain that many of us differ on questions of the legality and morality of abortion,'" Waters said. "I'm under no Illusions about that as I sit here."



"But where I do hope we do not differ is in our condemnation for vandalism, violence, threats against any reproductive health care facility, whether it is a pro-life facility, an IVF clinic, or a facility that offers comprehensive ranges of services including abortion," she added.
Macao Post and Telecommunications Bureau to issue philatelic products

Xinhua) 10:21, December 20, 2024

This photo taken on Dec. 19, 2024 shows the philatelic products to mark the 25th anniversary of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Garrison stationed in Macao. The Macao Post and Telecommunications Bureau will issue philatelic products on Dec. 20 to mark the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Macao Special Administrative Region and the 25th anniversary of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Garrison stationed in Macao. (Xinhua/Chen Duo)

This photo taken on Dec. 19, 2024 shows the stamps to mark the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Macao Special Administrative Region. The Macao Post and Telecommunications Bureau will issue philatelic products on Dec. 20 to mark the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Macao Special Administrative Region and the 25th anniversary of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Garrison stationed in Macao. (Xinhua/Chen Duo)

Lau Wai Meng (C), director of Macao Post and Telecommunications Bureau, displays new philatelic products during a press conference in south China's Macao, Dec. 19, 2024. The Macao Post and Telecommunications Bureau will issue philatelic products on Dec. 20 to mark the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Macao Special Administrative Region and the 25th anniversary of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Garrison stationed in Macao. (Xinhua/Chen Duo)

Lau Wai Meng (C), director of Macao Post and Telecommunications Bureau, displays new philatelic products during a press conference in south China's Macao, Dec. 19, 2024. The Macao Post and Telecommunications Bureau will issue philatelic products on Dec. 20 to mark the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Macao Special Administrative Region and the 25th anniversary of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Garrison stationed in Macao. (Xinhua/Chen Duo)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
Defense attorney Tony Buzbee during day three in suspended Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton impeachment trial in the Senate Chambers at the State Capitol in Austin, Texas, Thursday, Sep. 7, 2023. Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News

An anonymous Jane Doe filed a lawsuit against Tony Buzbee in New York Thursday alleging the embattled Houston attorney gave her a venereal disease, according to court documents.

Buzbee, who is representing more than 100 alleged victims of Sean Diddy Combs in a civil suit, has recently become the center of a flurry of litigation alleging the Houston attorney engaged in fraud and other misconduct.

Tony Buzbee, left, and Mitch Little, right, attorneys for Attorney General Ken Paxton, listen as votes are read out loud in the impeachment trial of Paxton at the Texas Capitol on Saturday, Sep. 16, 2023. Aaron E. Martinez/American-State

Buzbee told the Chronicle in a statement that this suit is just the latest move in a campaign to dissuade his firm from pursuing litigation against Combs and his associates.

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The conspiracy to discredit me and intimidate me from pursuing claims in the Diddy litigation has become criminal, Buzbee said in an email. This latest case, like the others, is frivolous, laughable and ridiculous and will be dismissed like the others.

The Jane Doe alleged that she contracted the disease from Buzbee in 2018 after he flew her to Texas and seduced her, according to the suit. The woman claimed Buzbee concealed the disease during their initial intimate encounter, and later offered to represent her in a 2021 divorce proceeding in exchange for her silence.

At Defendants insistence and direction, Plaintiff entered into a divorce agreement that resulted in a dramatic loss for Plaintiff, who otherwise stood to recover an equitable split of the marital assets, the suit alleged.

The complaint, which was filed by Bohrer PLLC, accused Buzbee of legal malpractice for allegedly using his power of attorney to doctor medical records, further concealing the alleged condition. The suit alleged Buzbee advised the woman to accept an inadequate settlement so that his alleged misconduct would not be made public during legal proceedings.

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While the disease was not specified in the complaint, the suit alleged the Jane Doe would suffer from pain and embarrassment for the rest of her life.

Buzbee claimed that, prior to filing the lawsuit, an attorney at Bohrer PLLC demanded $20 million or the firm would trash his reputation. Buzbee added that he has reported the firm's alleged misconduct to the relevant authorities, and his firm plans to file a lawsuit against the attorney representing the Jane Doe.

The news came just days after Buzbee, who announced he was pursuing litigation against Combs in October, was named in two federal suits alleging fraud and other misconduct related to his representation of various clients. In response, Buzbee filed a suit against Jay-Zs Roc Nation, which he accused of paying individuals to sue him as an intimidation tactic.

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It now seems that every other day there is another false claim filed, all of which are being ginned up by individuals working on behalf of or in concert with Roc Nation, Buzbee said. This latest one is provably false with literally no factual basis or merit whatsoever.
Home News Global Methodist Church condemns killing of 3 UMC members in Nigeria

The leadership of the Global Methodist Church has condemned the killing of three members of the United Methodist Church in Nigeria amid reports that GMC members were responsible.

In a statement emailed to The Christian Post on Thursday, the GMC Assembly of Bishops responded to reports that there had been violence between groups in Munga Dosa, Nigeria, resulting in fatalities and several homes being burned down.

"We are deeply grieved by the loss of life and the devastation that has occurred," said the assembly. "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."

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"We urge 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 says there is "significant uncertainty surrounding the events" and warned "against accepting unverified accounts or accusations circulating on social media."

Earlier this week, UM News reported that violence broke out in Nigeria between members of the UMC and the GMC after a Sunday gathering at Bwoi United Methodist Church in Bunkabu, a conflict that led to the torching of nearby huts and the death of two young children ages 2 and 4. A 27-year-old killed in the confrontation has been identified as UMC church lay leader Elisha Masoyi.

The altercation came after the state government shut down both UMC and GMC churches in the area amid a conflict that caused instability and disrupted peace, according to UM News.

According to the church leaders, the violence may have stemmed from a local decades-old feud between families, with ongoing disputes between the UMC and the GMC being one factor.

Bishops John Pena Auta and Scott Jones, who are part of the four annual conferences of the GMC in Nigeria, issued a joint statement saying they "deplore all forms of violence being practiced."

"This is especially wrong when the persons involved are members of Methodist churches. We call upon all persons to practice love, mutual understanding, and respect for differences," Auta and Jones stated.

UMC Bishop-elect Ande Emmanuel and Nigeria Lead Bishop John Schol condemned the violence, saying 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."

"We further urge GMC members, at all levels, to put an immediate end to the violence and refrain from disseminating misinformation that fuels fear and disdain that can lead to violence," they stated, as quoted by UM News.

"Likewise, we call our United Methodist members to be guided by integrity and respectful while working towards maintaining peace."

Following decades of debate, the UMC General Conference voted earlier this year to remove church rules banning the blessing of same-sex unions, the ordination of noncelibate homosexuals and the funding of LGBT advocacy groups.

Approximately 7,500 congregations have departed from the UMC over the sexual ethics debate in recent years, with thousands of them joining the theologically conservative GMC.

In Nigeria, not only is same-sex marriage and the sexual act of homosexuality illegal, but the government also prohibits people from being involved in LGBT advocacy groups.

UMC Bishop John Wesley Yohanna of the Nigerian Episcopal Area sent a statement to Nigerian state officials in July explaining that the regional body voted to join the GMC at a special called session held earlier that month.

However, a group of Nigerian UMC officials released a statement disputing Yohanna's claims, arguing that only the former bishop and about 10% of the regional body had left the UMC.

Since then, both Methodist denominations have staked claim to the Episcopal Area, which includes four annual conferences and approximately 560,000 members.

In August, it was reported that Nigerian officials deported UMC Bishop Eben Nhiwatiwa of Zimbabwe, who had been part of a three-person team meant to assist in leadership transition for the regional body. But Nhiwatiwa claimed that he left the country because elements sympathetic to the GMC spread rumors that the UMC bishop was there to promote homosexuality in defiance of national law.
Home News Kroger, Sam's Club push back on reports that they sell abortion pill

Two major retailers are insisting that they have no plans to sell the abortion pill after a report and their online catalogs indicated otherwise.

Kroger Foods, one of the largest supermarket chains in the United States, has pushed back on the assertion made by The Washington Stand and Live Action News in stories published last week that it was selling the abortion pill marketed as mifepristone in the U.S. at a significantly discounted price of $7 to members of the Kroger Health Savings Club.

Live Action News, the news arm of the pro-life activist organization Live Action, provided a screenshot of mifepristone's entry on the Kroger Health Savings Club website, which made it clear that the abortion pill is "used to end a pregnancy."

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The Washington Stand, affiliated with the Christian conservative group Family Research Council, published a follow-up story Monday after receiving a statement from the supermarket chain declaring that "The Kroger Company Family of Pharmacies do not carry Mifepristone, nor do we dispense it."

When the publication noted that the product was still listed on Kroger's Health Savings Club website, the retailer reiterated that it does not sell the abortion pill and maintained that it was "listed on the Kroger Health Savings Club site in error."

According to The Washington Stand, the listing remained on the site at 5 p.m. EST. TWS sent a further email acknowledging Kroger's response but also pointing out that the abortion drug webpage was still live. Several minutes later, Kroger responded, stating, 'The link that you are using is old.' By 8 a.m. the following morning, the mifepristone listing was removed."

Live Action News and The Washington Stand also reported that Sam's Club, a division of Walmart, has also begun selling mifepristone. Sam's Club sent the publications a response stating, "We use a third party vendor to aggregate medication pricing, and their tool provided incorrect information."

Live Action News updated its original story Wednesday, including the company's response. The update also highlighted how the drug search feature on the Sam's Club website has now been removed. Screenshots documenting the previous presence of the abortion pill on the website show that Sam's Club, unlike Kroger, had listed the potential side effects of the drug.

"Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, or dizziness may occur," the warning asserted. "Bleeding and cramping are expected during this treatment."

The section devoted to side effects also stressed that "Bleeding and spotting may last up to 30 days and may be much heavier than a normal period."

"In very few cases, this bleeding will need to be stopped by surgery," the site warned.

It urged women to "get medical help right away if you bleed enough to soak through 2 thick, full-size sanitary pads each hour for 2 hours in a row."

Additional possible side effects include a fever in excess of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit as well as "fainting, fast heartbeat, stomach/abdominal pain, or tenderness." The website acknowledged that "serious medical problems can occur when a pregnancy ends, including sometimes fatal infections and bleeding."

Concerns about the side effects of the abortion pill are one factor behind the efforts by pro-life organizations to oppose the push to make the drug more widely available.

Major U.S. retailers have begun to sell the abortion pill following the Food and Drug Administration's loosening of abortion pill restrictions in recent years under the Biden administration.

The pharmacy chains Walgreens and CVS have already started selling the abortion pill in certain states. Other retailers, including Walmart, Kroger's, Costco, McKesson and Albertson's have faced pressure to do so.
Home News Michael Brown apologizes amid allegation of inappropriate relationship with friend's wife

Michael Brown, a Christian author, radio host and founder of the FIRE School of Ministry, has asked for forgiveness regarding allegations of misconduct from a couple of decades ago as a widower has come forward to accuse him of an inappropriate relationship with his late wife.

In a video posted on YouTube Tuesday, Brown addressed the recently reported allegations, saying that in late 2001 and early 2002, he developed an "emotional, not a physical, tie with another individual."

The Roys Report published a story about a man identified as "Ray," who said he and his wife were close friends with Brown and considered him a spiritual mentor. He accused Brown of pursuing an inappropriate relationship with his wife in the early 2000s. The wife died in 2021.

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In his video, Brown said he confessed his wrongdoing in 2002 to that friend and Brown's wife, Nancy.

Brown said that while he wanted to confess the matter publicly to his church community, the spouses involved in the situation decided it would be best to leave the matter undisclosed, having concluded that it was not adultery.

"That's the reason I have never discussed it with anyone else until recently. It was not to hide things. It was to honor my spouse whom I had hurt so deeply," he said. "In the months that followed in 2002, I made radical changes to my schedule and lifestyle. I received intensive counseling and experienced the holy discipline of the Lord."

Regarding an earlier allegation of misconduct with a FIRE School of Ministry staffer, named in reports as "Erin" to protect her identity, Brown said he apologized for interactions that she considered uncomfortable, which began when she was 18 years old and involved the slapping of her buttocks, kisses on the lips and hand-holding.

Erin said she quit working at the FIRE School of Ministry in 2002 when she was just 21 because she had grown uncomfortable around Brown. The ministry leader said that while he apologized to Erin in front of his wife in 2002, it was now clear that he didn't understand the "depth of what she was experiencing as a result of my actions."

Brown directly addressed the former staffer, asking her for forgiveness.

"Please forgive me for my actions, which caused you so much pain," he said. "Had I more clearly understood the result of those actions in 2002, I would have responded very differently. Again, from the heart, I ask you to forgive me. I am truly and deeply sorry."

From there, Brown directed his comments to staff members of FIRE, asking for forgiveness among those he has worked with in ministry over the decades.

"Please forgive me for my failings and my poor judgment and any mishandling of these situations during that time 23 years ago," said Brown. "I fell short of the high standards that we set. I disappointed you and I hurt you."

Brown then told "the larger Body of Christ" that "I deeply regret my behavior from 23 years ago, to the extent that it has caused pain, or been a distraction, or caused you to question God, or wonder who the real Dr. Brown is, I ask you as well to forgive me."

"I know I failed you during that period," he added, vowing that he "will continue to work to regain your trust."

Brown drew a parallel to Peter, who denied Jesus three times and wept bitterly when he realized the error of his actions, was "restored to God's grace," and "became a far better man through his experiences."

"If dredging up this painful time in my life, a time when I also wept bitterly for many days, deepens my humility and dependence on the Lord, then all the more do I embrace what He has called me to walk through today," said Brown.

"Regardless of the findings of the third party investigation, I do not minimize the wrongness of my past actions, and in the days ahead, I remain fully submitted to The Line of Fire Board, as I have entrusted the process into their hands."

Earlier this month, The Roys Report published allegations that Brown had engaged in inappropriate behavior with Erin from when she was 18 to 21 years old.

She had reportedly considered Brown to be like a father, while Brown considered her comparable to a daughter, with her even referring to him as "dad" from time to time.

In a statement given to both TRR and The Christian Post, Brown denied that he had engaged in adulterous behavior but also acknowledged a "lack of judgment" regarding his relationship with the former staffer.

"Nancy and I did have a relationship with the woman in question and considered her to be like a family member, and she conducted herself as one who viewed our relationship the same way. But she was not a family member, and aspects of my interaction with her, although totally non-sexual in every way, reflected a definite lack of judgment on my part," Brown added.

The Line of Fire Board reportedly hired the law firm Mitchell, Stein, Carey, and Chapman in November to conduct a third-party investigation into the abuse allegations against Brown.

Earlier this month, Brown announced that he was deactivating his account on the social media platform X, where he had some 63,000 followers until the investigation into the claims concluded.

"Because I can't make any comments on the current situation I'm dealing with until the investigation is completed, I'm going to deactivate my account until then. May the Lord be glorified," Brown wrote on X.
Home News Samuel Rodriguez on whether the Holy Spirit makes you 'weird or wired'

Even for the most devout people of faith, the Holy Spirit can be mysterious and the least understood person of the Holy Trinity.

Bible scholars point to Abrahamic religions, where the Holy Spirit has equal footing with God the Father and the Son of God, Jesus.

According to Acts 5:3-4, the Holy Spirit is considered fully God, co-equal and co-eternal with God the Father and the Son of God. The Holy Spirit is known to be the source of wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord.

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In John 14:26, the Holy Spirit is seen as our comforter, teaching people all things and allowing people to experience and witness its presence and power.

"The Holy Spirit is the invisible fullness of God that connects us to everything Jesus paid for on the Cross," says Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference and pastor of New Season Church in Sacramento, California. "This results in our Heavenly Father receiving all of the glory. It is the spirit of Christ in us."

In his latest book, Fresh Oil, Holy Fire, New Wine: Living the Vibrant Holy Spirit-Filled Life, Rev. Rodriguez challenges readers to reconsider what they know and how to relate to the Holy Spirit. His desire is for readers to discover how to align and unleash the promise, power and purpose of the Holy Spirit in all areas of their lives. In doing so, they will fully embrace a supernatural relationship through its almighty presence.

"This book is a biblically substantiated metaphor," explains Rev. Rodriguez. "Of course, all of the three descriptors from my book's title point to the Holy Spirit. And it's all about whether or not the Holy Spirit makes you weird or wired. Does it make you this awkward anomaly that can never connect, impact or influence the world around you? Or does it connect you to the finished work of Christ?"

Rodriguez joins the "Crossmap Podcast" to discuss the most practical way to describe the Holy Spirit to someone that won't scare them away. Listen as he shares why people struggle with supernatural filling over feeling and the major pitfalls in chasing feelings in worship.

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Home News Virginia teacher fired over refusal to use trans pronouns appeals case to state Supreme Court

A Christian teacher in Virginia, who was fired for refusing to refer to a trans-identified student by using male pronouns even though the student is female, has appealed his case to the state Supreme Court.

Peter Vlaming, who taught French at West Point High School for seven years before being fired, appealed his case to the Virginia Supreme Court after the Circuit Court for the County of King William dismissed the case, conservative legal firm Alliance Defending Freedom, which is representing the Christian teacher, said in a statement.

Vlaming was placed on administrative leave in 2018 after he said he couldnt in good conscience comply with the superintendents order to refer to a female student as a male.

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However, the teacher consistently used the students preferred name instead of the students given name, and although he attempted to avoid the use of any pronouns in an effort to accommodate the student, he was nonetheless directed to cease avoiding the use of male pronouns to refer to the student, even when the student wasnt present, ADF said.

Peter has every right to fight this unlawful decision by the school board, and we will be defending him every step of the way, ADF Senior Counsel Tyson Langhofer, director of the ADF Center for Academic Freedom, said.

Peter went above and beyond to treat this student with respect, including using the students preferred masculine name and avoiding pronoun usage in the students presence. This was never about anything Peter said  or didnt say  it is about a school demanding total conformity in utter disregard of Peters efforts and his freedoms under Virginia law, Langhofer added.

The legal firm said their client is suing the school board for violating his rights under the Virginia Constitution and commonwealth law.

In December 2018, Superintendent Laura Abel said in a statement that Vlaming was engaging in discrimination by not using the pronouns. That discrimination then leads to creating a hostile learning environment. And the student had expressed that. The parent had expressed that, stated Abel, as reported by the Richmond Times-Dispatch at the time.

I won't use male pronouns with a female student that now identifies as a male though I did agree to use the new masculine name but avoid female pronouns, Vlaming said in response to the suspension at the time. Administration is requiring that I use masculine pronouns in any and every context at school. I was informed that any further instances of using female pronouns would be grounds for termination.

In a previous interview with CBN News, the teacher said: Theres bound to be opposition to living for God. I was brought to a point where I had to make a decision that cost something. And when that happens it's an opportunity to grow in your faith. It's an opportunity to show the Lord, yes, I am for you. Yes, I trust you.

An online petition calling for him not to be fired was also started by his supporters and nearly 2,900 people signed it.

A GoFundMe campaign to support Vlaming and his family financially has raised $59,019.

In June, another teacher in Virginia, Byron Tanner Cross from Leesburg Elementary School, filed a lawsuit against the Loudon County School Board after its leadership put him on leave for rejecting policies that would implement transgender ideology in local schools.

On Aug. 31, the state Supreme Court rejected a request by the Loudoun County School Board to allow Cross' suspension and granted an appeal to review the merits of a lower court decision in favor of Cross and agreed to keep an injunction reinstating the teacher in place.
Home Opinion This is the critical question for immigration reform

The last four years have witnessed the largest immigration surge in U.S. history, surpassing the great migration boom of the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Consequently, it is hardly surprising exit polling demonstrated that Immigration Reform was one of the most important issues to voters in the 2024 election cycle. The unprecedented numbers of people illegally crossing the border into the U.S. during the Biden presidency brought the already simmering illegal immigration issue to the boil.

America has desperately needed significant reform of the immigration system for decades. There are few segments of the American political system which are, and have been, as broken as our immigration policies.

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Under President Biden, the non-enforcement of our immigration laws reached new heights of non-enforcement. In fact, the Biden Administration with the collaboration of sanctuary cities and sanctuary states raised non-enforcement to a veritable art form.

So what do we do now? How should President-elect Trump proceed in fulfilling his campaign promises?

I, having been involved in several attempts to bring about serious immigration reform, most recently in President George W. Bushs second term, suggest several lessons that must be heeded.

First, the American people will not accept immigration reform that allows significant numbers of people (such as the dreamers) to stay unless they are convinced that the federal government is going to control the border. Control means we decide who comes in and who goes out and we have verified who they are and where they are. Controlling the border does not mean closing the border. We need immigration to keep our economy growing, but in controlled numbers of people with skills and without criminal records.

President-elect Trump is right to begin with emphasizing deporting any illegal immigrants with criminal records here or in their own countries. The President-elect was also right to say that he wanted to find a way for the dreamers to stay. Who are the dreamers? They are people who were brought here by their parents, usually as young children and many of them have grown up here and have little, if any, memory of their native countries. Under DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), children who were brought here as children before June 15, 2012 have temporary status for deferred action from deportation. DACA is currently under Supreme Court review.

The principle at work in DACA is that we normally dont punish children for their parents crimes and the parents are the ones who broke the law by bringing their children to the U.S.the children did not bring themselves.

Second, there are those on the left-wing of the Democrat Party and the right-wing of the Republican Party who would rather have the issue to campaign on rather than have a solution to the problem. To pass meaningful reform, there will have to be a bipartisan coalition of the middle right and the middle left.

I believe the contours and ingredients of such a grand bargain are there and the moment is ripe to bake the cake.

As a nation, we should acknowledge that our immigration system has been broken for at least half a century. We have had two signs up at the border, one saying, No Trespassing! and the other saying, Help Wanted! In many ways, it is as if we had not enforced the speed limits on the Interstate Highways for 25 years. Then we send out notices informing drivers that the government has been monitoring our velocity by satellite for the last quarter century and they are now billing us retroactively for excessive speeding every time we exceed the speed limit. I dont know about you, but I would need a substantial loan and an installment plan. And, I believe most of us would think it wasnt fair that the government didnt fine us earlier.

So what should we do? I would suggest that we pass legislation that gives those in the United States illegally three months to come forward, register, undergo a background check, pay a fine, and apply for legal status. If they have been law-abiding residents both here and in their country of origin, if they have paid their taxes, and if they have been productive members of society, they would begin a ten-year probationary period. If they stay out of trouble with the law, pay their taxes, and demonstrate that they can read, write, and speak English, they can earn permanent legal statusnot citizenship.

The penalty for having entered illegally is the forfeiture of the opportunity for citizenship. If they desire citizenship, they would have to leave the country, apply for reentry, and begin the legal process anew.

Some would object that this is amnesty. It is not. Amnesty is what President Carter granted those who dodged the draft during the Vietnam War by leaving the country. President Carter let them come home with no penalty or fine of any kind. (I would have let the draft evaders come home, but I would have required them to spend two years working in Veterans Hospitals taking care of the young men who took their place.)

Let me be clear. If you came here illegally and you have a criminal record in your country of origin or here in the U.S., you should be arrested, detained, and deported.

When it comes to the dreamers, I believe we should put forth a pathway to citizenship, whereby if they successfully navigate the ten-year probationary period and the other requirements listed above, they could apply for citizenship in the U.S., the only country they may have ever known.

A prime example of such a dreamer is Jaime Cachua, a 33-year-old man who was brought to America from Mexico by his family when he was 10 months old. Since then, he has lived in Rome, Georgia. He is married to an American citizen and they have four children who are also citizens. He served in the U.S. Army, works as a customer service specialist at a local car dealership, and serves as a leader in his local church. Jaime Cachua is the kind of man any country should want as a citizen and he, his wife Jennifer, and their children are the human face of the immigration crisis that must not be forgotten.

For people who seek to come to America the day after passage of a successful immigration reform, they must apply at the now-controlled border and only be admitted under terms and conditions specified by the government of the United States.

We should be grateful that so many people around the world want to come to America. However, if we allowed everyone who wanted to come to America to come, we would soon find that our country would resemble more the countries the immigrants are coming from than the country we now have. There is a limit to how many people we can assimilate into American society within a specified time period and still maintain the uniqueness of our society that acts as a magnet for people across the planet.

As we work urgently to implement immigration reform, we must pay the most careful attention to ending the disastrous abuse of adults and children by the drug cartels and human traffickers who are committing such widespread human rights abuses of those seeking entry into the United States. As long as we do not enforce our laws and protect our borders, we must assume some moral culpability for the actions of the human jackals and the heinous abuses they are inflicting on those seeking to enter our country illegally.

Finally, we should remember that all of us are the descendants of immigrants unless we are Native Americans. And all of the immigrant groups that have come to America have enriched our culture with their unique contributions to our vocabulary, music, cuisine, etc. How much more vibrant is American culture as a result of our fellow Americans of, for example, Irish, Italian, Asian, Polish, and African-American origin?

The genius of the American melting pot is that E Pluribus Unum (out of many, one) is true and we can all be proud of our immigrant origins, celebrating our various backgrounds as hyphenated Americans, understanding that we should put the emphasis on the right part of the designationAmerican. Which is not based on any ethnicity or origin, but on allegiance to a revolutionary set of principles and beliefs set out in the remarkable Declaration of Independence.

We must always remember that America is still the only country in the world not based on blood or ethnicity but on allegiance to Americas founding principles. Anybody can become an American in a way that someone cannot become a Frenchman, a German, or a Japanese.
Home Opinion No, Washington Post, you cant memory-hole your support for trans insanity

Every so often a punchy meme recirculates on X, and it reads: Start thinking of an excuse why you supported sterilizing children.

The memes background is a pink and blue transgender banner, and its terse message reminds those who supported so-called gender-affirming care that the ugly truth will one day be so undeniable as to be inexcusable, even for the most die-hard believers. By the looks of it, some prominent media outlets are slyly starting to memory-hole that enthusiastic support as the ghastly reality of child sterilization and other serious long-term repercussions via this care surfaces more widely.

None other than The Washington Post now appears to be backpedaling.

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In an Editorial Board column published Sunday, the prominent newspapers editors are furrowing their brows as ultra-concerned arbiters of truth and supposed defenders against democracy dying in darkness. They are admitting that the state of Tennessee  at the center of U.S. v. Skrmetti at the Supreme Court on Dec 4  has legitimate worries about puberty-blocking drugs and cross-sex hormones, and it has legal room to prohibit them for minors, as approximately half the US states have done.



Robust science, not red-state laws, should settle this hot-button dispute, these elite editors opine.

Along with the many unknowns of these risky interventions, they further noted how doctors like Johanna Olson-Kennedy delayed releasing results of federally-funded research on puberty blockers because her findings, as she told The New York Times, might be politically weaponized. The WaPo editors additionally observe that some patients who transitioned later experience regret and suffer the fate the treatments were supposed to avoid: a body that doesnt match their gender identity.

Dear Washington Post editorial board, if youre genuinely trying to break free from the clutches of transgenderism, let me help you out here with a fresh, heaping helping of unwavering clarity.

No human has ever transitioned their sex  nobody ever will, not even those who experience body dysmorphia, and there is no such thing as a gender identity. All of it is a lie.

No scientific evidence exists for an amorphous gender inside a person apart from their sex  no brain imaging scan, no blood test, no genetic marker, nothing. Its an entirely fictitious construct, one that psychologically dissociates us. Nor is a body that doesnt match their gender identity a thing. There arent two parts to be matched. Your words here are predicated on the notion of a false, split self, not a whole human person. This is basic reality and basic science. Its not complicated.

While I have a hunch that your editorial board op-ed wouldnt have seen the light of day had Vice President Kamala Harris eked out a win on Nov. 5, since you now appear to be pivoting with all this nuance, lets take a trip down memory lane, shall we?

Remember this heavily slanted article from January 2018 that was, for all intents and purposes, a cheery advertisement for pediatric gender clinics? Among the many troubling assertions in it, some of the most alarming were from Dr. Stephen Rosenthal of the University of California, San Francisco. His claims went unchallenged (except for brief, tepid criticism from Erica Anderson, a man who claims to be a woman, no less) when he said that puberty blockers pose a theoretical harm to bone development, and how youth patients in the clinic must "determine their gender" by age 14. What does that even mean? Also uncritically reported was how UCSF gender clinicians "anticipate a future in which trans women will be able to carry their own babies to term, thanks to medical breakthroughs such as uterine transplantation."

For the record, editors, "trans women" are men and they cannot and will never give birth, and anyone who attempts transplanting a uterus in a male body is committing a medical atrocity.

As one who has reported extensively on these issues and co-produced several seasons of a documentary podcast, if youre serious about delving into the truth, here are a few pointers.

Come clean and admit that your coverage of these issues was one-sided and painfully biased. Ask tough questions of the activist doctors you relied upon and scrutinize their activities in many hotly contested cases nationwide. I recommend starting with Rosenthal and Olson-Kennedy. Those two involve themselves in legal matters of all kinds from contentious child custody disputes to lawsuits against states like Alabama that are trying to safeguard children. Talk to Ted Hudacko, whose son, as a minor, underwent a surgical procedure to implant a puberty-blocking device in his arm at the pediatric gender clinic Rosenthal co-founded, in clear violation of a court order.

You might also explain to Katherine Cave why you dismissed her. Cave, as you may recall, detailed in The Public Discourse how she got nowhere with you in 2017 when she alerted you to the enormous depth of this scandal. We know you were at least aware of it then; some of us were reporting on these subjects when almost no one else was.

Consider apologizing to the American College of Pediatricians for your hit piece that you published in June of last year, and for this similarly dishonest 2020 article characterizing the radical feminist Womens Liberation Front as right-wing (they are not).

You should self-reflect that you were part of an insular information ecosystem that declined to review watershed works like Abigail Shriers Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters, and tuned out radical feminists like Kara Dansky who has labored tirelessly for years, pointing out the dangers of gender medicalization in her books The Abolition of Sex: How the Transgender Agenda Harms Women and Girls: and The Reckoning: How the Democrats and the Left Betrayed Women and Girls. You might also engage other thoughtful left-wing voices, like Lisa Selin Davis, who has tried for years to cover these issues fairly in mainstream outlets.

You should also contact Jennifer Bilek, whose astonishing investigative work tracing the money trail behind the trans industry connected the dots for so many who were struggling to discern what was driving this behemoth. While youre at it, speak with Dr. Michael Laidlaw, an endocrinologist who has been FOIA-ing the NIH and other government entities, uncovering appalling anecdotes  such as Olson-Kennedy lowering the age for the cross-sex hormone cohort inclusion criteria from 13 to 8 in the same study she withheld.

If you want to be courageous and cutting-edge, reach out to the extremely brave women at Reduxx and inquire about the group of seedy academics who write sadistic pornography, and whose online forum their journalists infiltrated. Some of those castration-enthusiast men have shaped transgender health guidelines for years.



Be forewarned, its a dark abyss.

If you start doing good journalism along these lines, maybe you will earn back the public trust. Until then, it seems youd rather have us believe that you want to see scientific integrity and more caution with these experimental medical practices and that you have never thought otherwise.

For many of us in these brutal trenches, that wont fly given how youve carried water for this reprobate movement, only occasionally allowing a few words of criticism to appear in your pages. This is called a limited hangout, right? It has been beyond infuriating to watch you refuse to do your job as thousands of children were irreversibly sterilized and maimed and countless families were fractured.

Amid these changing cultural, scientific, and political winds Id advise that you fess up, Washington Post. Remember, confession is good for the soul, and Ill remind you that screenshots and Wayback Machine are forever.

Some of us have kept the receipts on your derelict reporting.
Home News At least 2 killed, dozens injured in Christmas market attack in Germany

An individual plowed their black BMW into pedestrians at high speed at a crowded Christmas market in Germany at around 7 p.m. local time Friday, resulting in at least two deaths and an estimated 60 people injured. The suspected driver, a 50-year-old Saudi national who worked as a doctor, was arrested after the incident.

Reports surfaced that a driver drove through the crowds at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg, with police closing down the market in response, according to the British Broadcasting Corporation.

The suspected driver has been arrested by authorities, with an "extensive police operation" taking place shortly after the tragic event, the BBC added.

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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz took to his X account to respond to the incident, tweeting in German that his thoughts are with the victims and their families.

We stand by their side and by the side of the people of Magdeburg. My thanks go to the dedicated rescue workers in these anxious hours, stated Scholz, as rendered into English by Google translate.

The Magdeburg Christmas market was a major event, reported CNN, scheduled to take place from Nov. 22 through Dec. 29, and featured approximately140 market vendors.

In December 2016, an Islamic extremist named Anis Amri drove a truck through a Christmas market in Berlin, resulting in 13 deaths and dozens of injuries. Amri was killed in a shootout with authorities days later.

This is a developing story and information may change. We will continue to report further updates.
Home News California man detained in connection with Abundant Life School shooting; guns seized

Authorities detained a California man and seized guns and ammunition from his home in the ongoing investigation into the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Wisconsin.

The FBI went to the home of Alexander Paffendorf, a 20-year-old man from Carlsbad, California, on Tuesday night in connection with a deadly mass shooting at the private Christian school in Madison earlier this week, according to a gun violence restraining order obtained by San Diego's CBS 8.

Paffendorf is accused of communicating with the Abundant Life shooter, Samantha Rupnow, and planning a second attack that was intended to coincide with the Dec. 16 shooting.

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Rupnow, 15, carried out the attack at Abundant Life Christian School, killing a student and a substitute teacher before turning the gun on herself.

The FBI's involvement came following the issuance of the gun violence restraining order by a San Diego Superior Court judge on Dec. 17.

The order revealed that Paffendorf was in contact with Rupnow and was coordinating an attack at an unidentified government building.

Paffendorf, according to the restraining order, confirmed the plot to FBI agents in a subsequent interview.

According to the two-page restraining order from the Carlsbad Police Department, "During an FBI interview, Paffendorf admitted to the FBI agents that he told Rupnow that he would arm himself with explosives and a gun and that he would target a government building."

FBI agents "saw the messages from Paffendorf to Rupnow," according to the order cited by CBS 8.

FBI agents detained Paffendorf shortly after the restraining order was signed. Neighbors in upscale Carlsbad, located about 35 miles north of San Diego, told reporters they saw a heavy police presence. Officers were reportedly seen carrying a "black gun box" from Paffendorf's residence.

It's not clear whether Paffendorf was arrested or just simply detained, according to an NBC affiliate.

On Wednesday night, the Madison Police Department published a FAQ page for the Abundant Life School shooting, which included an updated timeline for the shooting.

According to the department, officers were dispatched to the school at 10:57 a.m. on Dec. 16. The first law enforcement officers entered the building at 11:00 a.m., just three minutes after the initial 911 call. The first 911 call was made by a second-grade teacher, not a student as previously reported.

Madison police also said two firearms were recovered from the school, although only one was used in the shooting.

"We will not be releasing any more information about these firearms at this time," the statement read.

Police say detectives have interviewed both Rupnow's mother and father and had consent to search both of their homes. Both are said to be cooperating with investigators.

While investigators are still working to determine a motive in the shooting, the Madison Police Department website states "there is nothing to suggest" gender identity was a factor.

"There appears to be a combination of many factors right now," the statement reads. "We'll share this information at a later time when it will not jeopardize the investigation."

Madison police also directed any questions about the California arrest to the FBI.

In response to the tragedy, the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI), which accredits Abundant Life Christian School, has expressed grief and is offering support for the victims' families. ACSI has launched a fund to assist those affected by the shooting, ensuring that 100% of donations go directly to the school community.

Dr. Larry Taylor, ACSI president and CEO, said in a statement: "We are praying for those who were injured, the families of the victims, and the entire school community, knowing that the Lord is close to the brokenhearted. We are thankful to law enforcement and first responders for their help. We have always considered the safety of students as one of the highest priorities."

Taylor added that the ACSI accreditation protocol includes "several benchmark indicators" in regard to school security but did not offer details.
Home News Candace Owens crowned 'Antisemite of the Year' by watchdog group

A watchdog group crowned Candace Owens as the 2024 "Antisemite of the Year," highlighting the political pundit's remarks about the Holocaust, Israel and the Jewish community.

StopAntisemitism, a grassroots organization that exposes groups or individuals who they say spread hatred of the Jewish people and Israel, holds an annual poll to determine who gets the "distinct dishonor" of "Antisemite of the Year."

This week, the group announced on social media that Owens won the award via a poll with over 30,000 votes. Other contenders for the award included environmental activist Greta Thunberg and Twitch streamer Hasan Piker.

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"Once celebrated for her unapologetic takes that catapulted her into the conservative spotlight, Owens was given platforms by prominent Jewish conservatives like Dennis Prager and Ben Shapiro," the group stated.

"But after Hamas' October 7th massacre, she revealed her shocking antisemitism, leading to her departure from Shapiro's Daily Wire and condemnation from PragerU."

The 35-year-old commentator reacted to the announcement during a Monday episode of her new podcast "Candace." Owens denied holding anti-Jewish beliefs, asserting that the "pro-Israel lobby" is using the accusation of antisemitism to silence debate.

She likened pro-Israel organizations to the activist group Black Lives Matter, which she believes accuses people of white supremacy to "amass power" rather than combat racism.

"We're doing the exact same thing again with antisemitism, and it's so weird because you have people that are supposed to be brilliant who should work through that this isn't going to work socially," said Owens.

"It's not landing; people are getting tired," she added. "You can't just keep calling everyone Adolf Hitler; you're taking the sting out of Adolf Hitler. People are now making jokes about Adolf Hitler because you just refer to every person that you have a disagreement with as the spawn of Hitler."

Owens and The Daily Wire publicly parted ways earlier this year following a series of remarks from Owens that many condemned as antisemitic. Owens had accused Israel of genocide for its response to Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack that killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in southern Israel.

She also claimed that Israel enforces "Jim Crow" policies by forcing Muslims to live in Jerusalem's Muslim Quarter. However, Israel doesn't force Muslims to live there, and it also has a Christian Quarter and a Jewish Quarter.

The conservative outlet and Owens went their separate ways shortly after the pundit liked a tweet in March asking if author Rabbi Shmuley Boteach was "drunk on Christian blood," an antisemitic stereotype.

After she departed from The Daily Wire, Owens continued to attract controversy for her statements about Israel and the Jewish community, which resulted in Australia and later New Zealand denying entry to the pundit.

Australian officials cited remarks Owens made in a July podcast, in which she referred to reports of Nazi experiments on Jews as "bizarre propaganda."

In response to Owens' remarks, Laurie Cardoza-Moore, president of the nonprofit Proclaiming Justice to The Nations, urged churches to cut ties with Owens.

"Candace Owens has verged into the abyss of blind Jew-hatred, rooted in the sewers of historical Christian antisemitism, which led to the death of millions of Jews in the name of Christianity," Cardoza-Moore said in a statement last month.

"It's time that churches close the doors on Candace. The Candace Owens we once knew is no longer there," Cardoza-Moore continued. "She has no substance beyond her repugnant, unfounded, and obsessive hate for God's Chosen People. There is no place for her anywhere in the Conservative Christian world."
CNN reports that CEO Barry Litwin told all corporate employees Friday is their last day at the company with no severance pay coming. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Party City has decided to close all its stores and go out of business, according to a report Friday from CNN.

CNN reports that CEO Barry Litwin told all corporate employees Friday is their last day at the company with no severance pay coming.

The decision comes after Bloomberg reported earlier this month the company was considering bankruptcy. Party City declared for bankruptcy in January 2023 before exiting in September of that year.

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Home News Christian mom of 5 acquitted of blasphemy charges in Nigeria after yearslong ordeal

After a two-and-a-half-year legal battle that saw her imprisoned for 19 months in Nigeria, Rhoda Jatau, a Christian mother of five, has been fully acquitted of blasphemy charges.

A judge in Bauchi State court has acquitted Jatau, according to a Thursday announcement by the legal advocacy group ADF International, which supported her case.

She was charged under sections 114 (public disturbance) and 210 (religious insult) of the Bauchi State Penal Code and faced a potential five-year prison sentence if convicted.

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Jatau was initially detained in May 2022 on allegations of blasphemy after she shared a WhatsApp video condemning the lynching of Deborah Emmanuel Yakubu, a Nigerian university student who was brutally murdered and set on fire by her classmates for professing her Christian faith, said ADF International.

Throughout her imprisonment, Jatau endured repeated denials of bail and was held incommunicado, having limited access to legal counsel and family members during court appearances.

Her lawyers consistently argued that the prosecution had failed to establish the basic elements of the case against her, citing significant legal shortcomings in their approach.

"After a two-and-a-half-year ordeal, including 19 long months in prison, we are happy that Rhoda finally has been acquitted of any wrongdoing," stated the Nigerian ADF International allied lawyer who served as lead counsel on Jatau's case.

In December 2023, Jatau was granted bail and remained in an undisclosed location while her trial proceeded.

The final acquittal comes amid growing international pressure and advocacy from religious freedom organizations.

"We are thankful to God for Rhoda's full acquittal and an end to the ordeal she has endured for far too long," said Sean Nelson, legal counsel for ADF International. "No person should be punished for peaceful expression, and we are grateful that Rhoda Jatau has been fully acquitted."

Nelson stressed that "Rhoda should never have been arrested in the first place."

"We will continue to seek justice for Christians and other religious minorities in Nigeria who are unjustly imprisoned and plagued by the draconian blasphemy laws," he declared.

In Nigeria, blasphemy laws are often used to target religious minorities. Advocates say blasphemy laws contribute to societal tensions in a country of more than 200 million people, nearly evenly split between Christians and Muslims.

In October 2023, United Nations experts sent a joint allegation letter to the Nigerian government, stating that blasphemy laws violate international human rights standards and pointing out the unjust nature of Jatau's detention.

ADF International said it is currently supporting the legal defense of Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, a Sufi Muslim musician who was sentenced to death by hanging for sharing song lyrics deemed "blasphemous" on WhatsApp.

Yahaya has been imprisoned for over four and a half years and is now appealing to the Supreme Court of Nigeria in hopes of overturning the death penalty imposed under the country's blasphemy laws.
Home News Megachurch ordered to stop holding outdoor tent services amid noise complaints

A judge has temporarily blocked a multisite megachurch in Pennsylvania from hosting outdoor tent services on a property due to noise complaints from local community members.

Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Chelsa Wagner recently issued an injunction against Revival Today Church of Moon Township that will take effect on the morning of Dec. 26.

J.J. Richardson, an attorney representing 13 families who live near Revival Today who filed a complaint against the church over noise issues, welcomed the ruling.

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"They're very pleased and very gratified.  They feel that [Judge Wagner] followed the law and that she made the right decision," Richardson said, as quoted by The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

"All my clients have ever wanted was for Revival Today to follow the rules and to follow the same rules that every other individual and business in Moon Township is required to follow."

The Christian Post reached out to Revival Today Church for this story. A spokesperson responded that the church would not comment on the matter.

In May, Revival Today began holding large outdoor tent services and festivals at a property off of Coraopolis Heights Road. Many locals complained that the noise and traffic from such events have been disruptive.

Township officials say the church has violated multiple ordinance and zoning rules and must be brought into compliance.

David Strassburger, a lawyer representing the church, argued in court earlier this month that the township is trying to unjustly penalize the church to appeal to locals who opposed it.

"This was essentially the easiest path for the township to try to shut us down because what they're really concerned about is noise, traffic and parking, and that's for another day," said Strassburger, reported the Post-Gazette.

Revival Today was founded in 2007 by evangelists Jonathan Shuttlesworth and Adalis Shuttlesworth and is "dedicated to evangelistic ministry" and "reaching those who have never heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

In addition to its Moon Township campus, Revival Today holds worship services at two locations in Fort Worth, Texas, and in-person events across the United States.

"Since 2015, Jonathan has conducted many open-air crusades and outreaches in America's inner cities dedicated to winning the lost," states the church. "Revival Today's heartbeat is for the lost. The nations of the world are overripe for Revival  AND WE ARE DETERMINED TO BE A GREAT PART OF IT!"
Home News Bible college claims religious exemption as Calif. regulators revoke credentials

A California regulatory agency has revoked a Bible schools permission to operate in the state, but school officials claim they are being discriminated against and can still operate under state religious exemption laws.

Olivet University, a Christian Bible college headquartered in Anza, California, lost its general approval to operate in the state last week after California's Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) accepted the decision of a state administrative law judge that the school had failed to meet multiple state education standards for administration.

The school insisted on Tuesday, however, that it would continue to operate in the state uninterrupted under a religious exemption.

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In response to recent media reports suggesting that Olivet University has ceased operations in California, we firmly clarify that this information is false, the school said in a statement.



"The University operates in California under religious exemption, enabling us to provide uninterrupted education to theology students from bachelor's and master's degrees to doctorate degrees, who comprise the majority of our student body."

Olivet's lawyer referenced CA Education Code (CEC) 94874.7, which is the Verification of Exemption section, and highlighted that according to this code, the religious school "may request, and obtain, from the bureau verification that the institution is exempt." The legal advisor emphasized that the key word is "may" and Olivet is not required to request exemption but as long as the institution meets all the exemption criteria, they are exempt.



The school cites its accreditation body ABHE's handbook, which says "Some jurisdictions will allow operation without registration due to 'religious exemption' while others will expect formal registration and/or approval."

Olivet President Jonathan Park admits more time and discussion are needed with ABHE if the school can actually maintain its accreditation status as a religious exempt institution.

Last week's finalization of Judge Debra Nye-Perkins' decision to revoke Olivet's permission to operate in California came after a two-year process triggered by a Newsweek reporter contacting the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE), a regulatory agency within the DCA, about allegations of Olivet's engagement in human trafficking, according to official BPPE documents, which CP has reviewed.

Olivet school officials have denied the human trafficking allegation and say they are victims of a T-visa scheme by several former students.

BPPE proceeded with an investigation into the school that included unannounced site visits in November 2022 and January 2023 to Olivet's three California campuses in Anza, Mill Valley and Los Angeles.

In an order issued on Dec. 5 and finalized on Dec. 10, Nye-Perkins instructed Olivet to stop enrolling new students in all education programs beginning on the effective date of this decision and propose a teach-out plan for current students within 30 days.

Nye-Perkins acknowledged the universitys claims of bias but revoked its general approval to operate anyway, arguing that it is the only way to ensure public protection after reviewing a complaint from the BPPE outlining 14 causes for discipline against the university, and listening to testimony from all parties involved.

BPPE's complaint outlining causes for discipline included: merging of classes that could cause learning impairment, hybrid-learning designated classes failing to have a component of face-to-face instruction, failing to have updated and current faculty contracts, and failing to maintain Student Performance Fact Sheets (SPFS) data in its entirely, among others.

In particular, the SPFS issue was highlighted because Olivet was cited by BPPE previously for failing to provide any SPFS data during an unannounced visit to the Anza campus in February 2019. BPPE issued a citation on Jan. 28, 2020, after Olivet failed to provide SPFS backup data as requested, an administrative fine of $5,000, and the school was ordered to have a written policy of how it would comply with SPFS submission requirements in the future.

The SPFS contains information about students' graduation rates, job placement statistics, and salary and wage data, to help prospective students have transparent information about a private postsecondary institution's performance.

During the 2022 BPPE unannounced visit, Olivet provided some SPFS backup data  as opposed to none in 2019  but the quantity and quality were deemed insufficient to meet BPPE standards.

"Despite this citation and Order of Abatement, respondent continued to violate California Code of Regulations, title 5, section 74112, as set forth above," Nye-Perkins noted.

The judge found that the BPPE had fully established all the allegations against Olivet except for one cause of discipline, which she found the BPPE had only partially established. The judge also ordered Olivet to pay some $64,000 to cover the cost of the enforcement and the BPPE investigation.

During a hearing prior to Nye-Perkins decision, Olivet President Jonathan Park, who assumed his post in June, testified that he believes the school was not treated fairly by the BPPE compared with other universities because of media allegations, particularly by Newsweek.

The university has also consistently alleged through attorneys that Newsweek had actively pushed for Olivet to lose its permission to operate in the state of California, similar to how actors with the publication influenced education officials in New York to not renew the school's permit to operate.

It was pointed out that both Newsweek co-owners Dev Pragad and Johnathan Davis were, at one point, active members of World Olivet Assembly, the global denomination affiliated with Olivet University, and they both had ties to the school. Pragad and Davis are both reportedly no longer members of the denomination.

Olivets lawyers insist that Newsweek has been fueling an ongoing campaign to damage the schools reputation with negative reporting. The university reported that it filed a defamation lawsuit against Newsweek on June 30, 2023.

Since the order by Nye-Perkins, there has been much speculation about the future of the university, which largely serves international Christian students from countries with significant religious persecution.

In a response to BPPEs complaint, Olivet officials stated that more than 90% of tuition for their students in the last five years has been covered by scholarships and grants from successful alumni or the school, and raised concern about how the revocation of its license to operate could impact students.

If Olivets license were revoked pursuant to this Accusation, all these students would be harmed; not only losing the opportunity to finish their degree, but forcing them to have to leave the U.S. The majority of students studying in Olivets theology programs are from countries where Christians are subject to extreme discrimination, the school argued. Should they lose the opportunity to study at Olivet, its not easy for them to find other ways to pursue their study in their own country where Christianity is persecuted.

The Association for Biblical Higher Education in Canada and the United States (ABHE), which serves as the accrediting body for the more than 30 graduate and undergraduate degree and certificate programs offered by the school, was asked by The Christian Post how Olivet's loss of BPPEs approval to operate in California might affect its eligibility for accreditation by its standards.

Lisa L. Beatty, executive director of the ABHEs Commission on Accreditation, pointed CP to the ABHEs Institutional Accreditation Conditions of Eligibility, which states in part that in order to be eligible for accreditation: The institution must document authorization by all relevant governmental agencies to operate as an educational institution and to grant all degrees, certificates, and diplomas that it awards.

The ABHE last reviewed Olivet University on Feb. 14 and found the school in good standing.

Accredited status is granted to those institutions that evidence substantial compliance with ABHEs Institutional Accreditation Standards, including documentation of the appropriateness, rigor, and achievement of stated student learning outcomes and all other Title IV eligibility requirements, the ABHE notes on Olivet Universitys Accreditation Fact Sheet.

During the hearing, BPPE special investigator Robert Dawkins testified about what he saw during his unannounced visit to the Anza campus on Nov. 15, 2022. He was told by former Olivet President Matthias Gebhardt that there were 80 students enrolled but when he toured living quarters, classrooms and the campus, he only saw one student and one faculty member during that time.



Later he was brought by another BPPE staff to observe a classroom where Microeconomics (ECON 310) and Microeconomics (ECON 610) were being taught and noted, "there were only seven students present with the instructor not present but appearing by live stream," according to court documents. "[T]he students were not interacting with the instructor but were just observing."

Joanna Murray, a senior education specialist with the BPPE, testified about concerns she had while observing a class for Old Testament II at the Mill Valley campus, during the BPPE unannounced visit on January 31, 2023.

Murray sat at the back of the classroom of Old Testament II and observed as the professor lectured the class of five students.



"Ms. Murray stated that the class was scheduled from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., and this was a four-unit class and should be meeting four hours per week. However, this class was only scheduled for two hours per week, documents recorded. Additionally, the class actually met for only one hour and 15 minutes and went from 1:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m."



Murray observed the professor instructing the students to turn to the Bible and look up verses. She said the students were assigned a Bible and a reflection paper at the end of the class which didn't seem to have enough rigor for a graduate level course.

"Ms. Murray also noted that the five students in this class were masters degree level students and were a couple of quarters into their masters program," the document recorded. "Ms. Murray noted that this class had a lack of rigor for learning for a masters level class.

Olivets Vice President Walker Tzeng, who has experience working as a peer evaluator for ABHE and completed 18 site visits to various institutions, argued that the concerns that were raised by the BPPE were largely addressed.

Tzeng also argued that the BPPE was biased against Olivet because it is a Christian institution and because it has international students.

Dr. Tzeng stated that BPPE has a racial bias, and an Americanized cultural bias against respondent regarding its investigation. He criticized the BPPE investigators for failing to research respondent prior to the site visits, and for conducting unannounced site visits that he characterized as an attempt to find gotcha accusations, according to court documents.

Olivets vice president also criticized the BPPEs assessment of the schools quality of education particularly as it relates to outcomes.

He stated that the goal of [Olivet] is to make an impact for the ministry for the Kingdom of God, which incorporates faith-oriented academics. He stressed, You cant have a secular viewpoint for faith academics, court document recorded. He stated that the BPPE improperly focused on the technical stuff.

In discussing the BPPEs seventh cause for discipline on Olivets failure to demonstrate possession of sufficient financial resources based on the 2021 asset-to-liability ratio being less than the required 1.25, Tzeng argued that the ratio used by the investigator is relative as it is one of several types of ratios that could have been used to assess the financial health of the school.

He argued that the United States Department of Education uses the federal financial composite score ratio, which is a total composite using reserve, equity, and liability to assets. Tzeng noted that if the investigator had used that computation instead of the one selected by the BPPE, Olivet would have been found to be above the required ratio as used by the educational industry.

Schools have a lot of reasons why they may have a lower ratio for one year versus another, these things happen, Tzeng contended. In the education industry we dont consider it a problem unless there are multiple years  it is not as serious of an issue as [BPPE] claims.
Bible Removed From TX School Distrtict, Megachurch Pastor Sells Access To AI Avatar, Disney Drops LGBT Storyline

link to download the audio instead. link to download the audio instead. 07:20 07:20

Top headlines for Friday, December 20, 2024

In this episode, we discuss the Ohio Senate's recent decision to permit public school students to leave campus for religious instruction. Next, we explore the controversy surrounding a megachurch pastor who created, and then quickly shut down, an AI app version of himself that offered prayers for a hefty monthly fee. Finally, we examine The Walt Disney Company's decision to scrap an LGBT-related storyline from an upcoming children's program in response to growing backlash.

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The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Baron Williams of Oystermouth, and Hebrew scholar Irene Lancaster, discuss the implications of assisted suicide being made legal if Kim Leadbeater's bill succeeds, and why they are against this.

IL: Before we start this dialogue I should point out that, given the recent second reading of the Assisted Dying Bill in the Commons, I have today reregistered with a young GP at a new medical practice who I know shares our view on the sanctity of life and won't be tempted to assist my own death ostensibly for my 'own good', but in practice against my will. I also encourage everyone to update provision for end of life care.

We are very lucky in this country to have experienced the chief rabbinate of Lord Immanuel Jakobovits (1921-99) who officiated in this post from 1967 to 1991 and had huge influence on our own community as well as on the public at large.

Lord Jakobovits' seminal book 'Jewish Medical Ethics' (1959/75) is still relevant today and continues to be an invaluable source of science and wisdom combined. In addition Lord Jakobivits encouraged scientific endeavour, and especially space exploration, much to the delight of the Astronomer Royal, Heather Couper.

This is what Lord Jakobivits had to say about life: 'The value of human life is infinite and beyond measure ... Any part of life - even if only an hour or a second - is of precisely the same worth as seventy years of it, just as any fraction of infinity, being indivisible, remains infinite.'

To sum up, his motto was the Deuteronomic 'Choose life'. This is the Jewish way and has always been. Where others choose death, observant Jews have chosen life.

This is not to diminish the suffering of people in pain. However, this is why the way forward is an increase in funding of palliative care. To cross that line, to treat a patient's suffering by ending the patient, is actually deathcare, not healthcare. It is tantamount to murder, which is against Halakha (Jewish law). In Jewish law we are forbidden to murder another human being, which is actually what 'assisted dying' is, as Orwell would point out!

RW: This is the key point, I think. For a person of religious commitment, there is no human circumstance in which it's impossible to turn to God and to act in a way that honours God and bears witness to God in some fashion. As soon as you say there are specified conditions in which this is no longer possible, you're implying that our humanity in effect disappears, or is radically undermined by some conditions in such a way that it loses its full dignity.

And that's a dangerous door to open - as so many disability campaigners who have expressed their concern about this legislation are pointing out. Some lives are being judged as less genuinely human than others.

IL: Tragically, however, this rational Jewish stance towards life and death, living and dying and treating the weak, old, sick and vulnerable with dignity as G-d's creatures, has been dismissed by a number of lawyers and members of the chattering classes as 'merely religion' and therefore as 'irrational', an infantile pastime, irrelevant to the serious business of carrying out state murder.

RW: It's sometimes a difficult point in debate. As I've said more than once in arguing the case, of course my opposition is grounded in my Christian commitment. But a Christian, just like a Jew, will want to say, 'If this is the will of the Creator, we should expect that there are sound arguments against assisted dying that can be based on practical considerations as well as the fundamental religious perspective.'

So we need to fill out the 'religious' case with the many concerns about practical challenges and risks that are being discussed extensively in the debate. These are issues about the risks of open or implied coercion, the radical change in the relation between physician and patient, the temptation to see assisted dying as a neater and cheaper option than the expense of palliative care, and so on.

Some of my friends in Canada have pointed out to me that over there, where they have a fairly 'permissive' assisted dying regime (MAID, 'Medical Assistance in Dying'), the number of people in some economically deprived areas who opt for physician-assisted suicide is much higher than in the rest of the population.

That ought to make us stop and think. Is this going to turn out to be another turn of the screw in economic deprivation and disadvantage? A default-setting assumption that assisted dying is for those who can't afford or can't articulate an alternative? We're never just talking about decisions in an economic and social vacuum. And that's one reason why it won't do to set up an opposition between 'irrational' religious apologists and 'detached' scientific commentators.

IL: For the fact is that some of our greatest Jewish rabbis, Bible commentators and Talmud scholars were like our late contemporary, Lord Jacobovits, medical doctors and scientists, as well as communal leaders. These include the mediaeval giants, Maimonides (Rambam) and Nachmanides (Ramban).

As well as Lord Jacobovits, in our own day, Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik (1903-93), affectionately known as the Rav, emphasized that Judaism is based on the scientific approach, and is neither a faith nor irrational.

He further emphasizes that Judaism is 'this-worldly, here-and-now grounding', as opposed to religious approaches that focus on the transcendent realm. For him Judaism is an entirely rational, cognitive process which utilizes the analogy of mathematical, natural sciences.

RW: I think that Christian participants in the debate would say very much the same. Christianity has sometimes given the impression that it is excessively focused on the heavenly realm; but in fact there is another dimension to it, which you can see in Jesus' own emphasis on every day being a day when you can respond to God with your full being, without trying to map out and control every possible future problem.

And many theologians across the centuries have stressed that the material world we inhabit is a place where we can see God at work in daily things. The Christian sacraments express the idea that this world in its physical reality is also where God communicates with us.

IL: Now Rabbi Shlomo Brody, an Israeli expert on medical ethics, has just sent me a link to his organization Ematai, which includes his recent op-ed for the UK-based Jewish Chronicle on the current proposed bill, as well as offering positive suggestions on how we can help the terminally ill and dying through palliative care.

RW: The elephant in the room in our recent debate has been the deep concern that the presence of a less expensive alternative to end-of-life care by way of palliative medicine is bound to put pressure on an already pressurized health system, and also on the funding of research in palliative care.

Think it through: investing in palliative care research and provision means leaving open a better choice for more people. Cutting back on this means that, if research and provision are squeezed, the choice of not accepting assisted dying will become much harder. There will be less incentive to go on reducing the number of unmanageably painful conditions by sustained research; there will always be the consciousness that a sufferer is a drain on scarce funds.

As the debate has gone on, it has been instructive to see at least some commentators in favour of a change in the law becoming more open about this. Well yes, they say, perhaps it's time to come clean about some people being an unnecessary burden on public resources.

And that's where I believe a line is crossed. That's where two highly problematic things emerge. One is that lives are being assessed on a financial basis. The other is that pressure increases on those who don't want to die.

Kathryn Mannix, a palliative specialist, in her excellent book With the End in Mind, describes the case of someone emigrating from the Netherlands to the UK after a very bad experience with a medical system that - gently but persistently - pushed him again and again on whether he wouldn't be better off opting for assisted dying.

And despite the insistence of campaigners that the proposed legislation would have robust safeguards and - for example - protections for young people, I don't see any careful statement of the evidence from other jurisdictions that such safeguards are stable.

We have seen in some European instances how the pressure to extend definitions to include mental distress and to accommodate the wishes of younger people shifts the goalposts. I don't know, but I suspect that many of the general public who support the legislation aren't fully aware of some of these complications.

IL: In his biography by Tom Baldwin, the present PM is quoted as stating that he promised an aging BBC personality that he would bring forward this bill. This is not the best basis on which to introduce a life-changing law that will have unforeseen repercussions for our children and grandchildren. We have seen what has happened already in Canada, the Netherlands, Belgium and a number of American states. A desire to die becomes a duty to die.

Relatively young people are being asked to give up their lives in Canada rather than undergo routine, minor surgery. I don't know about you, but this seems to be very similar to the methods used in Nazi Germany to hasten the death of the weak, feeble, infirm, old and handicapped. Later, this same approach was used on the Jews en masse, who were also regarded as being essentially defective. What do you think of this state of affairs?

RW: That phrase 'essentially defective' is important. As I said earlier, one of the risks is that we end up in effect defining certain conditions as 'defective'; if you suffer in this way, the governing assumption is that you ought to be ready to die. Now of course the legislation is supposed to be about increasing choice, not about the state's power to take life.

But the question that still haunts me is the risk of changing the ground rules in a way that gives some people the right to decide what counts or what should count as a conditon that makes life not worth living. Supporters of the bill argue that 'religious zealots' are trying to limit other people's freedom; I think that the argument can be made the other way around as well.

IL: In the Spectator of 21 September, the writer Matthew Hall recounts the physician-assisted death euthanasia of his Canadian aunt, aged 72. MAiD, which you mentioned above, is now the fifth most common cause of death of Canada and may soon extend to the mentally ill, as in Nazi Germany. What is being done in Canada is still regarded as murder-suicide here. But maybe not for much longer.

Matthew Hall recounts: 'My aunt's body was zipped into a black nylon bag and trolleyed out into a van.... Dial-a-death proved, even for someone as implacably opposed to euthanasia as I am, seductive. It offered a small glimpse into how evil works: remove the sacred boundary and it becomes commonplace. Easily digestible. The norm.'

RW: 'The norm'. There's the heart of it. Like many people in the medical and clerical world - and plenty more non-professionals like yourself who have simply worked with or sat alongside people with appalling terminal conditions - I'm not unfamiliar with terrible and heartbreaking situations, and I don't for a moment belittle the awfulness of some extreme cases, or the kind intentions of many who want to see a change in the law.

But assisted dying advocates will sometimes speak as though religious believers were determined to inflict maximal pain on sufferers and to keep them alive at all costs. This is nonsense, of course. We are all familar with instances of physicians taking steps that they know will in practice accelerate death as well as controlling pain.

Prolonging life at all costs is not a religious or ethical priority. But the base line we have hitherto held is that there is a difference between good and compassionate medical practice as we have known it - increasing sedation, withdrawing certain supports and so on - and actually initiating a fresh process whose primary aim is to end life. That is the new norm and I don't think its implications have been fully weighed.
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Starbuck workers picket outside of a closed Starbucks on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, in Burbank, Calif. Damian Dovarganes/AP A closed store sign is seen in the window of a Starbucks as workers picket outside the location on company Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, in Burbank, Calif. Damian Dovarganes/AP Starbucks baristas and other workers start a five-day strike to protest a lack of progress in contract negotiations with the company Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, in Burbank, Calif. Damian Dovarganes/AP

Starbucks Workers United announced a five-day strike lasting through Christmas Eve at locations in three major U.S. cities.

The strike was announced Thursday after negotiations over employee compensation between the coffee giant and its union broke down. Starbucks Workers United, which represents around 525 of Starbucks' more than 16,000 stores, announced in a Tuesday news release that 97% of its members voted to authorize the strike if the coffee retailer did not resolve what the union called "unfair labor practices."

EARLY ADOPTER: Upper Kirby Starbucks becomes first in Houston to unionize

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"Its time to finalize a foundational framework that includes meaningful investments in baristas and to resolve unfair labor practice charges," said Silvia Baldwin, a barista and union delegate, in the release. Starbucks cant get back on track as a company until it finalizes a fair contract that invests in its workforce. Right now, Im making $16.50 an hour. Meanwhile, Brian Niccols compensation package is worth $57,000 an hour. The company just announced Im only getting a 2.5% raise next year, $0.40 an hour, which is hardly anything."

Will the Starbucks strike impact any Texas locations?

Starbucks Workers United said on social media that, for the time being, the strike is limited to locations in Seattle, Los Angeles and Chicago, but plans are in the works to take the strike nation-wide if the union's demands are not met.

There are at least three locations in Houston where employees have voted to join the union, including a Texas Medical Center location at 6400 Fannin St., which unionized in February 2023. The Houston locations have since been joined by employees at Starbucks across the state, such as in Denton County, where two locations voted to join Starbucks Workers United on Tuesday, according to ABC 13.

Why are Starbucks workers striking?

The strike began after negotiations, which Starbucks agreed to begin hashing out in February, over compensation, benefits and labor practices broke down. The coffee giant agreed to work out a "foundational framework" with Starbucks Workers United for a new employment contract, and have spent the last ten months in a back-and-forth in the hopes of reaching an agreement.

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Starbucks Workers United said both sides have been in engaged in "hundreds of hours of bargaining and countless hours of preparation," over the past year, and voted to authorize the strike Tuesday ahead of its last scheduled bargaining session with the coffee retailer before the new year.

Can customers get involved?

As part of the strike, Starbucks Workers United is asking employees and those who wish to show solidarity with their cause help the union conduct an awareness campaign at non-union locations.

The union posted a sign-up form that residents can use to volunteer for the campaign. Starbucks Workers United also maintains an updated map that can be used to identify non-union locations.

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"Baristas are making the brave decision to strike because Starbucks backtracks on the path forward," Starbucks Workers United stated on the form. "Striking baristas are asking allies to join us in action by hosting small flyering events at not-yet union stores near them between Friday, Dec. 20 - Tuesday, Dec 24."

What has Starbucks said in response?

In a statement to the Chronicle, Starbucks said it had made significant progress in its negotiations with Starbucks Workers United and had made 30 meaningful agreements. The company said the unions demands were unsustainable.

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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, the statement read. 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 year contract. This is not sustainable.
Desired Candidate Profile

UNHCR is looking for an Inter-Agency Coordination Associate, G6 for an initial period of 6 months, with a possible extension subject to performance and availability of funds.



The successful candidate will work in tandem with the Inter-Agency Coordination team, under the supervision of the Inter-Agency Coordination Officer, fulfilling responsibilities as outlined in the job description.



The candidate should possess a proven ability to manage Inter-Agency Coordination and Protection against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) functions. Experience in humanitarian coordination, particularly in refugee contexts, and in the development and implementation of PSEA strategies and programs, is highly desirable.



The candidate must demonstrate clear and effective communication skills and foster a collaborative and supportive work environment.



Prior experience with UN/UNHCR or other international public sector organizations is an added advantage. Knowledge of international refugee law, the refugee coordination model framework, and inter-agency PSEA policies and regulations is highly desirable.



Proficiency in English is required, and a working knowledge of Romanian and Russian will be considered a significant asset.





Minimum Qualifications:



Years of Experience / Degree Level

For G6 - 3 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 2 years relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher



Field(s) of Education

Not applicable.



Certificates and/or Licenses

International Law, Political Science, Social Science,

International Relations, Communications

(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)



Relevant Job Experience

Essential

Knowledge of UNHCR and interagency policies, standards, programmes and humanitarian operations in operational context. Demonstrated coordination and inter-personal skills. Drafting skills and strong ability to collect, analyze, and communicate information in written/oral formats.



Desirable

Solid experience in humanitarian coordination (including but not limited to interagency coordination) is an asset. Emergency response experience is an asset. Previous experience in intersectorial collaboration is an asset. Strong computer skills - with a preference for ability to use Excel, Powerpoint, Publisher, etc. Some knowledge of data base design and management will be an asset.



General information:



This position is open to applications from internal and external candidates, provided that requirements regarding professional experience, academic qualifications, language, etc. are fulfilled.



Candidates must meet the essential minimum requirements of the position and must have either Moldovan citizenship or the legal status necessary to work in Moldova.



UNHCRs workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages and opinions. We seek to sustain and strengthen this diversity and to ensure equal opportunities, as well as an inclusive working environment, for our entire workforce. Joining us means living, sharing and promoting these core values of inclusion, diversity and gender equality.



Applications are encouraged from all qualified candidates without distinction on the grounds of race, colour, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity.



UNHCR reserves the right to retain applications and consider external candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNHCR at the same grade or lower level and with similar job descriptions, experience, and educational requirements for the appointment of a shorter duration (Temporary Appointment).



UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing, training or any other fees).





Remuneration & Benefits:



A competitive compensation and benefits package is offered. The annual net salary is between MDL 386,058 and MDL 450,403 depending on relevant experience, excluding dependency allowances (if applicable) and mandatory deductions. Mandatory medical insurance (1.05% to 2.40 %) and pension fund enrollment cost (7.9%) will be deducted from the net salary.



Annual leave: UNHCR staff members holding a temporary appointment will accrue annual leave at the rate of 1.5 working days for each full calendar month of service (i.e.: 18 working days per year).



Pension system: Staff members holding an initial temporary appointment for 6 months or more will become participants in the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF).



Health insurance plan: locally recruited staff members in the Republic of Moldova will be enrolled in the Medical Insurance Plan (MIP). The coverage is optionally available for eligible family members.



For more information on UN salaries, allowances and benefits, please visit the portal of the Office of HR Management of United Nations:



https://onehr.un.org/salary-survey/#/viewdutystation/636b9e0899530c554d34b467

Shortlisted candidates may be required to undertake a test. Only those shortlisted will be contacted. Late applications will not be considered.

Deadline for applications: January 7, 2025, Midnight Geneva Time

Link for application: Careers
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

Reference code: SVN2024-36

Open to External Candidates

Position Title : National Consultant - Enumerator, services of collecting data in the field (Roster) Duty Station : Republic of Moldova Type of Appointment Duration of Consultancy : : Consultancy Upon request for 2 months with the possibility of extension

Closing Date : 03 January 2025

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: Enumerator, services of collecting data in the field, Category B Consultancy

Project Context and Scope: IOM Moldova operations are informed by qualitative and quantitative data on mobility, migration, and displacement. With the continuing war in neighboring Ukraine, as well as the EU accession agenda, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), through its Data and Research Unit, is aiming to reinforce its capacity to support authorities to provide assessment and monitoring activities to systematically track and analyze movements and displacement dynamics. This will involve scaling up when needed operational capacity to ensure timely and accurate data collection and analysis, enabling a comprehensive understanding of population needs and trends. IOM aims to provide actionable data to support effective decision-making and ensure that the needs of displaced and vulnerable populations are addressed promptly and efficiently.

Organizational Department / Unit to which the Consultant is contributing: Data and Research Unit (DRU)

Category B Consultants: Tasks to be performed under this contract

1. Identify reliable sources of information/key informants to collect relevant information on inflows and outflows of migrants/internally displaced persons across official and unofficial border crossing points along the border with Ukraine;

2. Collect and compile the available field information on in and out flows and update it on hourly/daily/weekly basis;

3. Conduct Displacement Tracking Matrix survey and (if requested) registration, in a designated geographical area, according to the operation planning led by the DRU Team Leader/Focal Point;

4. Collect GPS points of official and unofficial (if any) border crossing points as well as of the collective centers/displacement sites and infrastructures;

5. Assess the situation in collective centers and camp-like settings through direct observation and triangulate the information to facilitate its analysis;

6. Ensure of the quality of the information collected by systematically verify and correct the questionnaire/form at the end of the interview/registration;

7. Liaise with various humanitarian, governmental partners and the displaced community in the field;

8. Report on a daily basis on the activities conducted and the realities/issues encountered to the DRU Team Leader/Focal Point and make relevant recommendations;

9. Respect IOMs Data Protection Principles;

10. Perform other duties as they might be assigned.

Performance indicators for the evaluation of results: The consultants performance will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

1. The ability to effectively perform data collection in the selected locations as outlined by the DRU Team Leader/Focal Point.

2. Achievement of the target number of surveys collected within the agreed timeframe.

3. Demonstrated responsibility and dependability in carrying out assigned tasks.

Education, Experience and/or skills required

Education

High School diploma with one year of relevant experience performing the same responsibilities.

Experience

Experience in data collection methods

Experience in building and maintaining key informant networks

Experience in using paper questionnaires and forms when conducting interviews

Experience using computers, mobile phones, and/or tablets for data collection or data entry

Experience with Kobo or other data collection software

Languages

Fluency in Russian and Romanian is required. Ukrainian is an advantage.

Travel required

N/A

Competencies

Values

Inclusion and respect for diversity: 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.

Professionalism: demonstrates ability to work in a composed, competent and committed manner and exercises careful judgment in meeting day-to-day challenges.

Core Competencies  behavioral indicators

Teamwork: 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.

Managing and sharing knowledge: 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.

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 03 January 2025.

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 20.12.2024 to 03.01.2025
UNICEF Moldova is hiring a National Individual Consultant, to identify and evaluate the current financial instruments and platforms that assist migrants in managing and monitoring remittances sent to households in Moldova. Additionally, the consultancy seeks to propose recommendations for developing new monitoring tools and/or enhancing existing ones to better meet the needs of the primary beneficiaries.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have

How to apply:

To read more detailed information and apply for this position, please visit UNICEF webpage:

https://jobs.unicef.org/en-us/job/578079/national-individual-consultancy-on-mapping-the-existing-platforms-to-support-migrants-to-manage-and-monitor-the-remittances-sent-to-the-households-in-moldova

Extended application deadline: 5 January 2025

UNICEF is here to serve the worlds most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered staff members under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEFs policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants. Consultants are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

Alte articole de la acest autor:
Oxfam

Oxfam has reported a net deficit of 28.4m after its income declined by more than 30m last year and its expenditure increased.

The international aid organisations accounts for the year to 31 March 2024 show its income dropped by 31.6m to 368m while its expenditure increased by 36m to 396m.

Oxfams drop in income was driven by the absence of large fundraising appeals run by the Disasters Emergency Committee, like those for the Turkiye-Syria earthquake and Pakistan floods in 2022-23.

Meanwhile, it recorded a 5% decrease in unrestricted donations and legacies, which dropped to 65.2m this year.

As a result of the deficit it recorded, Oxfams general reserves fell to 32.9m, below its 35m to 45m target.

Oxfam announced a raft of cost-cutting measures last week, which included a recruitment freeze, travel restrictions and limiting its use of external consultancies.

Investment in raising funds

Oxfams retail activities, including high street shops, generated 103m in 2023-24, up from 98.0m the year before, with strong growth in womens fashion and online sales.

However, its trading costs also increased by 11.6m, which meant its net retail income decreased from 16.0m to 9.2m.

This came in a year when the organisation opened up its second UK superstore in Manchester , and announced plans to open a further 10 such stores over the next five years.

Oxfams charitable expenditure also increased by 18.9m to 272m, with a focus on flexible funding to shift power to local partners in the Global South.

Some 127,000 was paid to Oxfams chief executive in 2023-34, although this was split between former CEO Danny Sriskandarajah and his interim replacement Aleema Shivji.

Past year has been extremely difficult

Despite the decline in income, Oxfam reported that its work reached 11 million people, an increase of 1.2 million on the previous year.

New CEO Halima Begum, who joined in April, said: The past year has been extremely difficult with the world facing the triple threats of conflict, climate change and the cost-of-living crisis.

We are facing a very challenging fundraising environment compounded by the sustained burden of rising costs.

However, it is incredibly heartening to see so many of our donors continue providing their invaluable support to Oxfam.

Equally, our retail network continues to attract shoppers both on the high street and online, particularly with the growing interest in buying pre-loved items including clothes and books.

Weve made significant investments in our shops this year to help sustain our life-saving and life-changing work with communities and partners around the world.

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This month, after fifty-four years of tyranny and violence in Syria, the regime of Bashar al-Assad came to a rapid end. Over twelve days, the country swelled with hope and relief. Journalists who had been working in exile were suddenly able to return homeincluding Dima Izzedin, who broke into tears while reporting the news again at last, after fourteen years, live from Damascus. Media coverage around the world was dominated, perhaps understandably, by images of freedom. But that left little room for other plot pointsIsraeli air strikes in Syria, the cutting of electricity and water linesthat complicated the reality on the ground.

The fall of Assad was a fast-moving story, which caught news organizations off guard. In the days that followed his departure from the country, on December 8, a rush of foreign journalists parachuted in to uncover the horrors he had wrought, interviewing survivors and families still looking for loved ones. As they competed for scoops, they often seemed out of their depth. In an especially embarrassing instance, CNNs Clarissa Ward documented in real time the release of a supposed prisoner who a fact-checking media platform later revealed was a member of Syrian air force intelligence. Going forward, foreign reporters would be well served by following the work of Syrian journalists, who know the place best.

One of the first reporters with whom I spoke in the days that followed Assads ouster was Zaina Erhaim, an award-winning Syrian journalist based in London and a media and gender consultant in the Middle East and North Africa region. Journalists should be paying attention to what is happening and how people are living what is happening from different backgrounds, specifically oppressed backgrounds, she advised. Rather than imposing their own prejudices and stereotypes on them. A common mistake among outsiders coming in, she observed, has been asking Syrians to compare their situation to regime changes elsewhere. Instead of saying Is this going to be leading to where Libya was? ask them open questions, she told me. Meet women who were living under the control of rebel groups in 2013 and 2014. They will say what they witnessed, the resistance that they have.

Ola Salem, the managing editor of New Lines, a magazine that specializes in connecting world history to current events, agrees. One of the typical ways of thinking about the conflict is how previous conflicts played out, she said. Because of Iraq and Libya, journalists and others immediately drew comparisons to the chaos that followed the euphoria, as if thats inevitable. Warning about chaos is needed, but thats different from framing it in the same terms. Syria was liberated by its own people, and the regimes fall did not happen as a result of a foreign invasion. Salem, who is Egyptian American, has felt that some of the best coverage of the events of the past month has come from Syria TV, whose reporters embedded with the rebels and covered every aspect of the developments from the front lines, she noted.

Ranim Badenjiki, a human rights defender from Aleppo, has been based in Rabat, Morocco, for almost a decade. For seven years, she has been part of the Syria Campaign, fighting alongside activists and campaigners for a free and democratic Syria. Badenjiki, who has monitored the recent news obsessively, witnessed a great deal of misinformation spread online. International media is very selfish, very insensitive, she told me. Everyone was racing to get exclusives and get the most dramatic story ever. A number of reporters, she observed, rushed to Sednaya, where Syrian prisoners had been held underground, as if it were a museum, she said. They would go and start reporting on everything, stepping on paper on the ground and treating the prison as if its not a crime scene. In the frenzy, evidence of imprisoned people was lostcomputers went missing, hard drives were stolen, and DNA evidence was tampered withmaking it harder for Syrians to track down their loved ones.

Its important for journalists to do textured and nuanced coverage of the impact of these autocratic regimes and dictatorships, Mohamad Bazzi, the director of the Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies and a journalism professor at New York University, told me. But its also important to pivot the coverage rather quickly and step back with the wider lens and look at the historical ramifications. What weve been seeing lately is all too familiar: the treatment of a major historical event in the Middle East with an excessive focus on emotion, at the loss of analysis, chronology, and expertise. Presenting the story of Assads collapse with tunnel visionoften unaware of context or simply dismissive of itreduces Syrians to passive subjects in front of a camera.

Erhaim has found that, after years away from Facebook, shes been able to talk with many valuable contacts there: Syrians are trying to focus on themselves and other Syrians, she said, rather than the international community and international media thatve been let down by so many times.

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Global aerospace company AAR Corp. has agreed to pay more than $55 million to resolve allegations of bribing Nepalese and South African public officials, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said on Thursday.

The amount involved settlements with the SEC and U.S. Justice Department.

Deepak Sharma, a former executive of a wholly owned AAR subsidiary, also settled related SEC charges, agreeing to pay $184,597 in disgorgement, or the return of ill-gotten gains, the SEC said.

In a statement, AAR said U.S. authorities had credited the company for voluntarily reporting the matter, adding the alleged misconduct was the work of a former employee and of a third party.

We thank the DOJ and SEC for their collaboration and their recognition of the companys substantial cooperation, AAR CEO John Holmes said.

Lawyers for Sharma did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

According to the SEC, between 2015 and 2018 Sharma allegedly carried out a bribery scheme for AAR to win a $210 million contract for the sale of two Airbus AIR.PA A330 jets to government-owned Nepal Airlines.

The agency also alleges Sharma was involved in a separate scheme to win an aviation services contract from a subsidiary of South African Airways, which is also government-owned.

The SECs order finds that AAR paid millions of dollars in bribes to Nepalese and South African officials as part of the two schemes, the agency said.

Representatives of Nepal Airlines and South African Airways did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

(Reporting by Singh and Gillison in Washington; Editing by Jamie Freed)
The movie version of "Wicked" has become a massive success, grossing over $530 million worldwide and receiving high praise for the performances of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.

However, an intriguing look back at the movie's early development shows that the casting could have looked quite different, with Demi Moore potentially stepping into the role of the legendary green-skinned Elphaba.

In the late 1990s, the project was initially optioned by Moore's production company, Moving Pictures.

Producer Marc Platt recalled to Vanity Fair that when he took on the role of president of production at Universal, the project had already generated interest.

Gregory Maguire's novel, "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West," was seen as a prime candidate for adaptation, with its narrative and strong characters.

Michelle Pfeiffer, Emma Thompson and Nicole Kidman were reportedly considered to play Glinda.

Moore was considered a top choice for Elphaba due to her star power at the time.

The pursuit of "Wicked" also attracted other big names, including Whoopi Goldberg, who was eager to secure the rights for her own production.

Producer Suzanne Todd mentioned that Goldberg's manager was vying to purchase the rights for her and was clear that there was a deep interest in bringing the complex story of Oz's misunderstood witch to life.

As the project moved into the screenwriting phase, Linda Woolverton, who is popular for her work on Disney classics, delivered a draft that Platt described as a "fairly faithful adaptation."

Woolverton's vision focused on Elphaba as a warrior and portrayed the Wizard as an authoritarian leader, aligning with the themes of Maguire's book.

Woolverton also suggested transforming the story into a musical, drawing from her experience in Disney musicals.

According to Platt, "It was, as I recall, a fairly faithful adaptation of a very big, dense, thick novel. The focus was Elphaba as the warrior and The Wizard as this authoritarian leader, which is very much the DNA of Gregory's book."

Despite the promising beginnings, Woolverton's script ultimately did not come to fruition.

Todd explained, "Linda is the one who really wanted to do a musical. The idea came from her work at Disney, where she had also worked on the musicals of those animated films."

Stephen Schwartz, who recognized the potential for "Wicked" as a musical, successfully secured the rights and paved the way for its later success on stage, which would eventually lead to the film we know today.
President Joe Biden announced the cancellation of debt for more than 50,000 public service workers, allocating $4.2 billion to student loan relief. Eric Gay/Associated Press

The Biden-Harris administration will cancel the debt for more than 50,000 public service workers, allocating $4.2 billion for student loan relief.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, this reliefwhich is the result of fixes that the administration has made to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Programbrings the total loan forgiveness by the administration to approximately $180 billion for nearly five million Americans, including $78 billion for 1.1 million borrowers through the program.

The public servants approved for debt cancellation today include teachers, nurses, service members, law enforcement officials, and other public service workers who have dedicated their lives to giving back to their communities and who are finally earning the relief they are entitled to under the law, Biden stated in a news release. From day one of my administration, I promised to make sure that higher education is a ticket to the middle class, not a barrier to opportunity.

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The loan forgiveness program provides an incentive for Americans to pursue and remain in careers in education, public health, law enforcement, emergency response, and other critical public service fields by forgiving borrowers remaining student loan balance after they have made the required 120 qualifying monthly payments. The relief announced today includes both borrowers who have benefited from the administrations limited PSLF waiver, a temporary opportunity that ended in October 2022, as well as from regulatory improvements made to the program during this administration.

Four years ago, the Biden-Harris Administration made a pledge to Americas teachers, service members, nurses, first responders, and other public servants that we would fix the broken Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, and Im proud to say that we delivered, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona stated in a news release. The U.S. Department of Educations successful transformation of the PSLF Program is a testament to whats possible when you have leaders, like President Biden and Vice President Harris, who are relentlessly and unapologetically focused on making government deliver for everyday working people.

According to information from the U.S. Department of Education, in total, the Biden-Harris Administration has approved $56.5 billion for more than 1.4 million borrowers through Income-Driven Repayment, including the Saving on a Valuable Education plan; $28.7 billion for more than 1.6 million borrowers who saw their institutions close, or are covered by related court settlements; and $16.2 billion for almost 572,000 borrowers with a total and permanent disability.
Five-year-old Jesus Bindel Rodriguez, from Honduras, waits on the Mexican side of the middle of the Brownsville & Matamoros Express International Bridge for the fourth day in a row hoping for his family to be able to pass together into the United States to seek asylum, Wednesday, June 27, 2018 in Brownsville. Jesus, along with his parents and three siblings, is hoping to escape violence threats against the family in their hometown in Honduras. ( Mark Mulligan / Houston Chronicle ) Mark Mulligan, Houston Chronicle / Houston Chronicle

It was Fathers Day. But for around 5,000 young children, seeing their dads  much less hugging them to celebrate  was out of the question.

People in here are locked up in cages. Essentially, what look like animal kennels. I dont know any other way to describe it, NBC News correspondent Jacob Soboroff said on air. Soboroff had just toured a Brownsville warehouse that used to be a Walmart supercenter. In June 2018, it had become the epicenter of a program unprecedented in its deliberate and methodical cruelty.

Whats different from what was going on in this building during the Obama administration is the systematic separation of children from their parents under the zero tolerance policy, Soboroff explained.

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The scene is at the center of Separated, a damning new documentary by Errol Morris based on Soboroffs memoir of the same name. The news correspondent recalls feeling used by the Donald Trump administration. As one of a handful of reporters granted access to the Brownsville warehouse and similar facilities in nearby McAllen, Soboroff realized that the atrocity was the point. The administration wasnt hiding the 10-year-olds wrapped in aluminum, sleeping on concrete floors and sticking their small fingers into gaps in the chain-link fence. The officials wanted those scenes to get out in order to scare people away from crossing the border.

Watching the documentary at home this week, as photo after photo of wide-eyed children barely out of diapers flashed onscreen, I felt my throat constrict. The monstrosity of Trumps hardline policy, which left lasting psychological effects on many thousand state-created orphans, hundreds of whom still havent been reunited with their parents, wasnt news to me. But hearing ProPublicas leaked audio of inconsolable toddlers wailing for their parents, and the jeering voice of the Border Patrol agent who mocked them, brought all the outrage I felt in 2018 rushing back.

How could we have let that outrage subside in the first place? Thats one of the central, and difficult, questions Morris film poses.

To its credit, the documentary doesnt rely on stoking outrage through visceral horror to capture and keep its viewers attention. It doesnt even focus all that much on Trump. Instead, it traces the thread of responsibility to reveal the ordinary yes-men who allowed his worst impulses to be realized.

Morris is unsparing in pointing fingers. From Stephen Miller, the dead-eyed advisor considered to be one of the architects of zero tolerance; to Tom Homan, who, as acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, recommended the policy, first during the Obama administration and then again under Trump; and then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who was a driving force in implementing it.

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But the harshest rebukes went to someone whose name I didnt immediately recognize. Scott Lloyd, at first introduced only as the Trump-era director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, willingly sat down for an interview with Morris. His hair is perfectly coiffed. His face is boyish. But when Morris asks him simple questions  about his role, or about his employees many warnings when they started seeing younger and younger kids enter ORR care  Lloyd squirms.

Jonathan White was one of several valiant ORR employees who raised the alarm more than a year before the family separation policy was officially on the books. White explains how Lloyd did not just ignore those concerns. He allegedly directed his staff to stop keeping the informal spreadsheet they had started when they noticed there was no comprehensive tracking system to help reunify separated children with their parents. Thats inexcusable, White said, for a man who, by law, was the legal guardian of thousands of unaccompanied children.

White didnt mince words: Scott Lloyd is the most prolific child abuser in modern American history.

Over and over, Morris and Soboroff grapple with the devastating consequences of complicity: both through overt action and spineless inaction. For example, Congress is singled out for being morally outraged at the time, but then failing to close the loopholes that can  and likely will  allow migrant families to be torn apart yet again.

But, as Soboroff argues, there is also complicity in willful ignorance.

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The Houston Chronicle reported on child separations in November 2017. Only a week after Soboroff and other journalists reported from the South Texas facilities in June 2018, Trump signed an executive order undoing the policy. It was an astonishing and rare example of the president buckling under the fierce reprimand of an American public that had no stomach for seeing kids in cages. At the time, two-thirds of Americans said they opposed the policy, and made it clear through widespread protests.

A young protestor holds a sign during an immigration rally in Houston that started at city hall and marched to U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz's office on Saturday, June 30, 2018 in Houston. Rallies were held across the nation calling on federal agencies to reunite families separated at the border under Trump's "zero tolerance" policy, as well as calling for the abolishment of ICE. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle) Elizabeth Conley, Staff / Houston Chronicle

Actress and activist Cheryl Allison wears a "I Really DO Care, Don't U" green jacket as she speakes during the Keep Families Together rally at Dallas City Hall Saturday, June 30, 2018. The jacket mocks the one First Lady Melania Trump wore which said the opposite. The rally and march was part of a nationwide effort protesting President Donald Trump's 'zero-tolerance' border policy. (Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News via AP) Tom Fox

Even a few years later, Democratic Senator Dick Durbin promised a Senate investigation that would hold government officials responsible for the fundamental human rights violations that they perpetrated.

That investigation never came. The Justice Department under Attorney General Merrick Garland has done nothing to penalize or bring to account any of the people involved in concocting and implementing a policy President Joe Biden has called criminal. It is remarkable, Soboroff notes, how quickly the public moved on once Trump  a clear and easy target  was out of office.

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I dont see the same outrage. I dont see people reminding Biden that there needs to be a criminal investigation and accountability, Soboroff said in the film. People went back to wanting to know less.

Ironically, even the documentarys TV debut on Dec. 7 was tied up in these questions of complicity. The film was originally going to air on MSNBC earlier this year. Then the network announced it would hold it until after the presidential election, raising the suspicions of several  including Morris. Reportedly, NBC executives didnt want to offend Trump, in the hopes that he might agree to a debate on the network.

The specter of a second Trump term haunts the documentarys final minutes. The implication is clear: We, the public, must remain vigilant to keep something like this from happening again. We cannot be yes-men, too.

David Xol-Cholom, of Guatemala hugs his son Byron at Los Angeles International Airport as they reunite after being separated about one and half years ago during the Trump administration's wide-scale separation of immigrant families, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020, in Los Angeles. Ringo H.W. Chiu, FRE / Associated Press

I choked up again as it sunk in. Now a second term is a reality, thanks in large part not just to willful ignorance, but to an American public whose views on immigration have sharply soured after record numbers of people were encountered at the border and allowed into the country under the Biden administration. Yes, following Bidens immigration crackdown, numbers at the border are now at historic lows. But the perception of an uncontrolled border remains.

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Certainly, were still far from an orderly and effective immigration system  one that enforces law and order without cruelty.

For many of Trumps voters, the promise of mass deportations resonates, even if they threaten to upend our communities. Miller and Homan have been tapped to return to the White House  and have vowed to do so with vengeance.
WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 16: U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks at the Department of Labor on December 16, 2024 in Washington, DC. Biden signed an executive order establishing the Frances Perkins National Monument in Maine. Perkins was the first female Cabinet secretary and served as the Labor Secretary under Franklin Roosevelt. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Did you miss it? On Tuesday, the electoral college made official what weve known for six weeks: Donald Trump defeated Kamala Harris for the presidency.

Americans could be excused for being unaware that electors met in all 50 state capitals and the District of Columbia to cast votes. In nearly every presidential election year, the constitutionally required but largely ceremonial event passes with little notice.

The tragic exception, of course, was in 2020: Loser Trump followed weeks of lies and scores of lawsuits alleging election fraud with an illegal scheme creating fake pro-Trump electors in battleground states  a prelude to the violent insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. (Unlike Trump, his accomplices in the scheme are, justly, still being prosecuted.)

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Its great that the transfer of power is proceeding peacefully, as it always has except at the onset of the Civil War, and, yes, in 2021. Yet you can thank President Joe Biden, Vice President Harris and their fellow Democratic good losers for that, not Trump. No one can credibly doubt that, had he lost again, hed be raising another ruckus. Or worse, that thered be violence. Trump suggested as much, telling Time in April, If we dont win, you know, it depends.

States and the federal government prepared for mayhem that never came. Gabriel Sterling, the top Georgia election officer who four years ago publicly and presciently warned Trump that someones going to get killed because of his provocations, and who endured death threats himself, said of the electors' meeting this week, To be honest, I forgot about it.

As Trump declared in last months victory speech, Its time to unite.

But as Biden said afterward in congratulating him: You cant love your country only when you win.

Biden  who still hasnt received Trumps acknowledgment of Bidens 2020 victory, let alone congratulations, and who, thanks to Trump, is considered illegitimate by seven of 10 Republicans  expressed hope that we can lay to rest the question about the integrity of the American electoral system.  It can be trusted, win or lose.

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Indeed. And thats why, in this week of the uneventful electoral college vote, Americans should take the occasion to note the damage that Trump has wrought to the citizenrys faith in elections by his years of demagogically disparaging them  instead of joining him and his MAGA minions in memory-holing their falsehoods about election fraud.

Trump has gone silent about rigged elections since he won in November. And yet, up to the final hours of voting, he was crying foul. A lot of talk about massive CHEATING in Philadelphia. Law Enforcement coming!!! he posted on election day.

City and state officials, including Seth Bluestein, a Republican member of Philadelphias board of elections, reposted Trumps lie to insist there was absolutely no truth to it. For that, Bluestein suffered antisemitic attacks and threats online. Countless election workers have known the feeling. Thanks, Trump.

Days earlier, Trump claimed, Pennsylvania is cheating, and getting caught, at large scale levels rarely seen before. He spread a false conspiracy theory of vote stealing in one county, adding, We caught them cold. No, he hadnt; there were no vote thieves to catch.

After Trump won Pennsylvania  surprise!  he clammed up about Democrats' alleged heists there and in all six other battleground states that he carried, including four states governed by Democrats. I guess as vote riggers go, Democrats are just inept?

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Even before the election, Trump stifled his talk that early and mail voting are rife with fraud, but only after advisors, apoplectic that Republican candidates were being shortchanged, appealed to his yuge ego: Sir, your people are so excited to vote for you that they want to as soon as they can, one said during an April meeting at Mar-a-Lago. You gotta tell them its OK.

Trump has not, however, changed his tune about the 2020 election. The president-elect continues to lie that he won it, so routinely that reporters let it go unchecked. Whats worse, looking ahead, is that Trump reportedly is making fealty to his election lies a job requirement for appointees to high-level administration posts.

So it is that hes tapped former Florida Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi to be U.S. attorney general. She was part of the first wave of the Big Lie, as former Trump White House aide Alyssa Farah Griffin put it to the House Jan. 6 investigation committee. Bondi rushed to Pennsylvania after the 2020 election to spread disinformation about dead voters and ballot dumps. She was with lead election denier Rudy Giuliani for Team Trumps ludicrous news conference at Four Seasons Total Landscaping in a Philadelphia industrial park. And she was fulminating on Fox News: We are not going anywhere until they declare Trump won Pennsylvania.

In 2022, former Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson told the Jan. 6 committee that Bondi contacted her before she testified to press Hutchinson to remain loyal to Trump, according to the Washington Post. (Yet its former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, the committees vice chair, that House Republicans now want prosecuted for witness tampering for her talks with Hutchinson.) This year, Bondi echoed Trumps falsehoods about noncitizens voting from her platform as a leader of a pro-Trump policy institute. And she promised retribution for Trumps indictments: The Department of Justice, the prosecutors will be prosecuted.

No doubt Bondi as the next attorney general would carry out Trumps calls for the Justice Department to investigate the 2020 election, to prosecute Biden and to get House Jan. 6 committee members behind bars.

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Is she going to continue  pushing out the Big Lie? Californias new Democratic senator and Jan. 6 committee veteran Adam Schiff recently asked on MSNBC.
Texas law now required hospitals to ask patients about their citizenship  making some undocumented people afraid to seek health care. Zoonar RF/Getty Images/Zoonar RF

For me, the most dreaded part of a doctor's appointment is filling out the endless forms piled onto a clipboard. From medical history to health insurance, the questions are never-ending. And, as of Nov. 1, hospitals across Texas are required to ask patients yet another question: Are you a U.S. citizen?

Earlier this year, Gov. Greg Abbott passed Executive Order GA-46 mandating that all Texas hospitals receiving funding from Medicaid or Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) request patients citizenship status to calculate the cost of medical services provided to people without legal standing to be in the state. This order comes as a part of Abbotts broader efforts to target migrant populations, which include making it a state crime to be undocumented, spewing anti-immigrant rhetoric and shelling out $150 million to have migrants bused out of Texas.

As a public health advocate, I work with undocumented people, and Ive seen how the executive order has already sent shockwaves across migrant populations in Texas. Last month I met an unhoused man  well call him Miguel  who was resting alongside a bridge, his arms and legs marred by open wounds from a hard fall onto concrete. Despite my urgent pleas to call 911 and be taken to the nearest hospital, Miguel refused my help.

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Like many other undocumented people Ive talked with, Miguel said that hes become more reluctant to seek medical attention. Some people, when they need health care, consider traveling to a different state. They worry that receiving care in a Texas hospital means risking deportation.

Although hospitals are now required to ask all patients about their citizenship status, answering it is entirely optional for the patient, and refusal to do so should not interrupt medical care. The governor disputes this  but the executive order that he signed into law explicitly states that any response to such information requests will not affect patient care. That clearly implies that there should be no consequences for any patient who isnt a citizen or who declines to answer the question.

For patients who choose to respond to the question, immigration status qualifies as Protected Health Information under HIPAA, so hospitals cannot release it to federal or state authorities without explicit patient consent.Additionally, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act mandates that hospitals provide emergency care services to anyone in need, no matter their citizenship status.

But the governor apparently doesnt want people to know that. In November, after a Houston cardiologist went on TikTok to tell people that they dont have to answer the citizenship question, Abbott threatened, via X, to defund the institutions where the doctor works. Hey Texas Childrens Hospital & Baylor College of Medicine, he tweeted, this doctor is putting your Medicaid & Medicare funding at risk.



If Abbott succeeds in deterring undocumented migrants from obtaining medical care, Texass economy is likely to take a hit. Based on Floridas experience with similar legislation and my interactions with this population, we can expect the loss of longtime employees and abandonment of ongoing projects, especially in the construction, farming and transportation sectors, where undocumented immigrants are disproportionately represented. Not to mention the many disruptions in the supply chain and a host of trickle-down effects.

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Rohit Chopra, director of the CFPB, testifies during the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing titled "The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Semi-Annual Report to Congress," in the Dirksen Building on Nov. 30, 2023.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Friday sued the operator of the Zelle payments network and the three U.S. banks that dominate transactions on it, alleging that the firms failed to properly investigate fraud complaints or give victims reimbursement.

The CFPB said customers of the three banks  JPMorgan Chase , Bank of America and Wells Fargo  have lost more than $870 million since the launch of Zelle in 2017.

Zelle, a peer-to-peer payments network run by bank-owned fintech firm Early Warning Services, allows for instant payments to other consumers and businesses and has quickly surged to become the biggest such service in the country. At the same time, Democrat lawmakers have stepped up criticism of banks in recent years over the financial crimes happening on Zelle.

"The nation's largest banks felt threatened by competing payment apps, so they rushed to put out Zelle," CFPB Director Rohit Chopra said in a statement. "By their failing to put in place proper safeguards, Zelle became a gold mine for fraudsters, while often leaving victims to fend for themselves."

The suit is the latest move by the CFPB in the waning days of the Biden administration. Many of the actions it has taken, including steps to limit credit card late fees and overdraft charges, have been met with stiff opposition from banks and their trade groups. Corporations have had success pushing back against regulators by choosing legal venues known as friendly to suits challenging federal oversight.

In fact, JPMorgan said in August that it was considering litigation against the CFPB if the regulator sought to punish the bank for its role in the Zelle network.

The CFPB wants to force banks to stop their allegedly unlawful practices around Zelle and to pay an unspecified amount in penalties, it said.
Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk gestures behind protective glass during a rally for Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. president Donald Trump, at the site of the July assassination attempt against Trump, in Butler, Pennsylvania, U.S., October 5, 2024.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a meagdonor and adviser to President-elect Donald Trump, is now seeking to influence Germany's election, posting an endorsement on X of the country's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

In a post Thursday night, Musk wrote, "Only the AfD can save Germany."

Musk, who has over 200 million listed followers on the site that he owns, made the comment while sharing a post from far-right influencer, Naomi Seibt, who claimed that Germany's "presumptive next chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) is horrified by the idea that Germany should follow Elon Musk's and Javier Milei's example," referring to the president of Argentina.

Seibt has a history of promoting white nationalist ideology, The Guardian previously reported, and has denied the validity of scientific consensus around climate change, namely that it's driven by fossil fuel emissions.

In a post on X, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) called Musk an "out of touch billionaire running the incoming Trump Administration" who "enthusiastically supports the neo-Nazi party in Germany."

"The AfD's mission is to rehabilitate the image of the Nazi movement," Murphy wrote. He added that one of the party's leaders has a license plate that's "an open tribute to Hitler," and another "described Judaism as the 'inner enemy' in Germany."

Musk and Tesla's investor relations team didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

On Friday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, a center-left Social Democrat, dismissed Musk's claim that only the far-right party can "save Germany."

Under Scholz's leadership, Germany's left-wing coalition collapsed in November, and AfD is currently polling in second place ahead of February elections. Throughout Germany, where the AfD has placed highly in state elections, the other parties have generally refused to form coalitions with it.

According to Pew Research, "AfD has campaigned against weapon deliveries to Ukraine and called for an end to sanctions on Russia," a view shared by Musk.

Far right parties have also gained ground in the Netherlands, Austria, Finland and elsewhere. Many cheered Trump's election, which Musk helped finance through $277 million in contributions to the campaign and related Republican causes.

Tesla's stock is up about 75% since Trump's victory, surpassing its prior all-time high from 2021 last week.

AfD has reportedly criticized Tesla and its factory outside of Berlin. The party claimed many of Tesla's thousands of workers there commute in from Poland or Berlin, limiting the economic benefits to the local community in Brandenburg.

The AfD generally views electric vehicles as part of an ideological climate movement, and not good for Germany's auto industry.

Europe has been a tough market for Tesla this year. According to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, sales of Tesla cars declined 40.9% in November, exceeding the overall 9.5% dip in sales of battery electric vehicles.

Elsewhere in Euopre, Musk endorsed right-wing Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and has voiced support for Nigel Farage in the U.K, a populist politician and head of Reform UK. In South America, Musk endorsed and has a friendship with Argentina's President Milei, a self-described anarcho-capitalist.

In Magdeburg, Germany, on Friday, a driver veered his car into crowds of people at a Christmas market, resulting in fatalities and dozens of injuries.

In response to a post on X showing Chancellor Scholz in a press conference after the incident, Musk wrote, "Scholz should resign immediately. Incompetent fool."

WATCH: Musk's early influence on government
An Eli Lilly & Co. Zepbound injection pen arranged in the Brooklyn borough of New York, US, on Thursday, March 28, 2024.

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved Eli Lilly 's blockbuster weight loss drug Zepbound for treating patients with the most common sleep-related breathing disorder, expanding its use and possibly its insurance coverage in the U.S.

The weekly injection is now the first drug treatment option cleared for patients with obesity and moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA, which refers to breathing interrupted during sleep due to narrowed or blocked airways. Zepbound should be used in combination with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity, the FDA noted in a release.

An estimated 80 million patients in the U.S. experience the disease, according to Eli Lilly. Roughly 20 million of those people have moderate-to-severe forms of the disease, but 85% of cases go undiagnosed, the company told CNBC earlier this year.

"Too often, OSA is brushed off as 'just snoring'  but it's far more than that," said Julie Flygare, president and CEO of Project Sleep, a nonprofit advocating for sleep health and sleep disorders, in a release from Eli Lilly. "It's important to understand OSA symptoms and know that treatments are available, including new options like Zepbound. We hope this will spark more meaningful conversations between patients and health care providers and ultimately lead to better health outcomes."

Eli Lilly expects to launch the drug for OSA at the beginning of next year. It is the first approval beyond obesity treatment for Zepbound, which entered the market late last year and is also being tested for several other obesity-related conditions, such as fatty liver disease. Tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Zepbound, has been sold on the U.S. market for longer as the diabetes drug Mounjaro.

The agency's decision could pave the way for Eli Lilly to gain broader insurance coverage for Zepbound, which, like other weight loss drugs, is not covered by many insurance plans. That includes the federal Medicare program, which only covers obesity drugs if they are approved and prescribed for an added health benefit.

The approval also backs up mounting evidence that there could be further health benefits tied to GLP-1s, a class of weight loss and diabetes treatments that have soared in popularity and slipped into shortages over the past year. Notably, Zepbound's main rival, the weight loss drug Wegovy from Novo Nordisk , is not approved for OSA.

Zepbound could be a valuable new treatment option for patients with OSA, which can lead to loud snoring and excessive daytime sleepiness, and can contribute to serious complications including stroke and heart failure. Patients with the condition have limited treatment options outside of wearing masks hooked up to cumbersome machines that provide positive airway pressure, or PAP, to allow for normal breathing.

Eli Lilly in April released initial results from the two clinical trials, which showed that Zepbound was more effective than a placebo at reducing the severity of OSA in patients with obesity after a year.

In June, Eli Lilly released additional data from the studies showing that Zepbound helped

resolve OSA in almost half of patients. The first study examined the weekly injection in adults with moderate-to-severe OSA and obesity who were not on PAP therapy. The second tested Zepbound in adults with the same conditions, but those participants were on and planned on continuing PAP therapy.

The data showed that 43% of people in the first study and 51.5% of patients in the second trial who took the highest dose of Zepbound achieved "disease resolution," according to the company. That compares with 14.9% and 13.6% of patients who took a placebo in the two trials, respectively.

Researchers came to those conclusions by examining an apnea-hypopnea index, or AHI, which records the number of times per hour a person's breathing shows a restricted or completely blocked airway. The index is used to evaluate the severity of obstructive sleep apnea and the effectiveness of treatments for the condition.

Disease resolution for OSA is defined as a patient having fewer than five AHI events per hour, the company said. It is also defined as a person having five to 14 AHI events per hour and scoring a certain number on a standard survey designed to measure excessive daytime sleepiness, according to Eli Lilly.
Germany's stock market is massively outperforming its European peers this year and moving in lockstep with U.S. equities. The main market, the DAX 30 , is up about 19% so far this year, compared with the 5% hike of the European benchmark, the Stoxx 600 . The gains in Germany are closer to performances seen stateside, where the S & P is up about 23% year-to-date. Several reasons underpin these gains, including low expectations at the start of the year, the exposure to the United States economy and the upcoming snap election, analysts told CNBC. Sabrina Reeh, senior portfolio manager at DWS, told CNBC on Wednesday that valuations were relatively low at the start of the year and the sentiment was "muted" across Germany equities, but that earnings developments ultimately came in "better than expected." One stock in particular propelled the German market: SAP , whose shares rose nearly 59% this year. Maximilian Uleer, head of European equity and cross asset strategy at Deutsche Bank, told CNBC that the company has contributed 8% to the year-to-date performance of the German market. In late October SAP shares hit an all-time high after the company raised its full-year targets and posted strong numbers for its cloud business. At the time, CEO Christian Klein said SAP was "confidently" raising the outlook and added, "we are making strong progress on Business AI." The stock has kept gaining ground since the results. The success of German equities this year is also related to their exposure to the United States. "DAX companies generate a higher share of their revenue in the U.S. than in Germany. Despite concerns about potential tariffs, a significant portion of that revenue is produced local for local and likely not subject to tariffs," Deutsche Bank's Uleer said. Snap Election: A positive surprise Though the collapse of the German government in November largely emerged as a surprise, analysts recognize the development could become a positive for equities. "From a market perspective, snap elections are perceived as an opportunity for more structural reforms and higher spending, be it via a shift within governmental spending priorities or via a higher fiscal deficit," Uleer said. This is particularly relevant as manufacturing, traditionally a big component of the German economy, has been hit hard throughout 2024. The latest PMI data showed further contraction for the embattled sector in December. DWS' Reeh mentioned how the snap election helped with the overall sentiment toward the German market. "We don't know the actual political agenda," she said, noting that it is unclear how many parties will be forming the upcoming government, but lower regulations and relaxing the debt brake may help improve sentiment. Germany is now holding conversations about easing its famous debt brake, which stipulates strict debt targets. It is so far unclear how much more Berlin is willing to spend, but the overall trajectory points to a little bit more stimulus. Trump's tariffs Despite Germany's outperformance in 2024 and the potential new post-election stimulus, analysts have raised concerns about the impact of possible U.S. tariffs on Berlin. President-elect Donald Trump has already threatened such measures on European economies, which could expose Germany's auto sector to further pain. Trump's announcements are the "key item to watch," Reeh said when asked about whether the German market's outperformance will continue in the new year.

Cityscape of Berlin, Alexanderplatz, TV Tower (Fernsehturm) Spreephoto.de | The Image Bank | Getty Images

Germany's stock market is massively outperforming its European peers this year and moving in lockstep with U.S. equities. The main market, the DAX 30 , is up about 19% so far this year, compared with the 5% hike of the European benchmark, the Stoxx 600 . The gains in Germany are closer to performances seen stateside, where the S&P is up about 23% year-to-date. Several reasons underpin these gains, including low expectations at the start of the year, the exposure to the United States economy and the upcoming snap election, analysts told CNBC. Sabrina Reeh, senior portfolio manager at DWS, told CNBC on Wednesday that valuations were relatively low at the start of the year and the sentiment was "muted" across Germany equities, but that earnings developments ultimately came in "better than expected." One stock in particular propelled the German market: SAP , whose shares rose nearly 59% this year. Maximilian Uleer, head of European equity and cross asset strategy at Deutsche Bank, told CNBC that the company has contributed 8% to the year-to-date performance of the German market. In late October SAP shares hit an all-time high after the company raised its full-year targets and posted strong numbers for its cloud business. At the time, CEO Christian Klein said SAP was "confidently" raising the outlook and added, "we are making strong progress on Business AI." The stock has kept gaining ground since the results. The success of German equities this year is also related to their exposure to the United States. "DAX companies generate a higher share of their revenue in the U.S. than in Germany. Despite concerns about potential tariffs, a significant portion of that revenue is produced local for local and likely not subject to tariffs," Deutsche Bank's Uleer said.

Snap Election: A positive surprise

Though the collapse of the German government in November largely emerged as a surprise, analysts recognize the development could become a positive for equities. "From a market perspective, snap elections are perceived as an opportunity for more structural reforms and higher spending, be it via a shift within governmental spending priorities or via a higher fiscal deficit," Uleer said. This is particularly relevant as manufacturing, traditionally a big component of the German economy, has been hit hard throughout 2024. The latest PMI data showed further contraction for the embattled sector in December. DWS' Reeh mentioned how the snap election helped with the overall sentiment toward the German market. "We don't know the actual political agenda," she said, noting that it is unclear how many parties will be forming the upcoming government, but lower regulations and relaxing the debt brake may help improve sentiment.

Germany is now holding conversations about easing its famous debt brake, which stipulates strict debt targets. It is so far unclear how much more Berlin is willing to spend, but the overall trajectory points to a little bit more stimulus.

Trump's tariffs
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WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden signed a government funding bill on Saturday that averted a government shutdown and marked the end of a chaotic, high-stakes week in Congress. The White House said in a statement that the bill had been signed. Biden has not made any public statements following the 11th-hour congressional negotiations that led to the U.S. Senate approving the bipartisan federal spending bill. "While it does not include everything we sought  President Biden supports moving this legislation forward," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement Friday.

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the economy at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC, U.S. December 10, 2024. Kevin Lamarque | Reuters

The bill authorizes continued funding of the federal government at current levels for three months and provides additional disaster relief and farm aid.



The House overwhelmingly approved the measure on Friday evening by a vote of 366 to 34, with support from every Democrat and more than three-quarters of Republicans. In the Senate, the bill passed by 85 votes to 11 shortly after midnight. Of the no votes, Republicans cast 10 and one came from Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent who caucuses with Democrats. The resounding support for the stopgap funding bill reflected a desire in both parties to avoid a costly shutdown that could have jeopardized paychecks for hundreds of thousands of federal employees a few days before Christmas. The dramatic votes in both the House and Senate capped off several days of chaos on Capitol Hill, during which House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., tried and failed to meet the demands of President-elect Donald Trump. Trump and his billionaire campaign donor Elon Musk, the Tesla CEO, doomed an initial, negotiated funding plan Wednesday by harshly criticizing its provisions, sending Republicans scrambling most of Thursday to find a replacement.
Investors should look to the unloved region of Europe for opportunities, according to fund manager Sean Peche, who said there are some "very attractively priced" companies in the region.

Europe has fallen out of favor, Ranmore Fund Management's Peche told CNBC's Silvia Amaro  and investors have been distracted by Donald Trump's U.S. election win.

"At the same time as Europe's been struggling you've had this Trump euphoria," Peche said. "So everyone's been rushing to invest in the U.S. ... But running off to the latest, shiniest thing is not normally a good way to make money."

Peche shrugged off investor concerns over France, which  along with Germany  has been in the throes of political turmoil in recent weeks. French President Emmanuel Macron named Francois Bayrou his new prime minister last week following the toppling of Michel Barnier's government.

Macron called a snap election in June which delivered a result with no clear majority, sparking months of political chaos and gridlock.

But Peche remains unfazed. "Maybe the euro falls apart, it probably doesn't. And the companies that we own are very attractively priced," he added.

These stocks include French bank BNP Paribas  which he noted has grown book value (or net worth) consistently  and Dutch investment bank ABN Amro, which has a 10.2% dividend yield. "That's very attractive," Peche said.

Looking to the U.K., the fund manager said that "attractive" stocks such as Associated British Foods , which owns retail giant Primark, were also being ignored by investors.

"Primark is doing really well. It's a nice, diversified business with [a] great management team. I'm not going to wake up tomorrow and find that the management team has done something stupid," he said.

"They're attractively priced. We're getting a nice dividend. They're buying back shares, but it's out of favor because it's a mid-cap and it's listed in the U.K."
Morgan Stanley still sees more upside ahead for Nvidia despite its recent losses. The investment bank reiterated that the artificial intelligence chip maker is a top pick heading into 2025, reaffirming an overweight investment rating. The firm's $166 price target implies about 27% upside from the stock's Thursday close. "We have tended to be most enthusiastic on Nvidia when the near-term data points appear mixed, but underlying dynamics are very strong," analyst Joseph Moore wrote to clients on Friday. "We think we are approaching that point now  there are a number of concerns here, some of which are overstated, some of which are anxiety inducing short term, but we believe irrelevant longer term." Moore's call comes as the stock snapped a five-day decline on Thursday. During that stretch, Nvidia fell into a correction , usually defined as a retreat of 10% or more from a recent high or a record close. Even with the Thursday gain, Nvidia was still more than 12% below its all-time high close. The week-to-date loss was a bit more than 2% while the year-to-date gain approaches 164%. NVDA 5D mountain NVDA, 5-day Nvidia has recently been buffeted by a number of investor anxieties. Moore pointed to a continued deceleration in builds of the company's Hopper chips, which he believes is a "non issue" given that there has not been a "notable shift" in that slowdown. The analyst also cited progress by Marvell Technology and Broadcom in application-specific integrated circuit, or ASIC, but the capabilities of Nvidia's Blackwell chips "raise the bar materially," Moore said. Although Moore noted worries surrounding shipments of Blackwell chip variants, he still anticipates that all of those chips will get sold. Looking into 2025, he anticipates the next couple of quarters may be "transitional," seeing similar revenue upside as the last two quarters until Blackwell bumps numbers higher in the second half of next year. "[B]y mid year we remain comfortable that the focus will remain on Blackwell which will be the driving force behind revenue in 2H, potentially unlocking more significant upside," Moore concluded. Like Moore, much of Wall Street is bullish on Nvidia. Of the 64 analysts covering the stock, a total of 58 have a strong buy or buy rating. Only six are neutral on Jensen Huang's company, which currently boasts a market value of $3.2 trillion. Analysts' average 12-month price target of $170 reflects more than 30% upside from current levels.
A person walks past the entrance to a Wells Fargo bank branch on Amsterdam Avenue on June 25, 2024, in New York City.

Wells Fargo has withdrawn from a group of global banks committed to curbing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing the number of high-profile firms exiting climate initiatives amid mounting political pressure.

The bank has ended its membership in the Net-Zero Banking Alliance, a spokesperson said on Friday, two weeks after another notable exit by Goldman Sachs .

Financial firms, which have long been criticized for their ties to the fossil fuel industry, have tried to integrate net-zero standards more prominently into their operations. But more recently, they have started to scale back some of those initiatives to avoid irking Republicans.

GOP officials have cracked down on companies they view as climate-friendly. Last month, asset management giants BlackRock , Vanguard and State Street were accused of violating antitrust law through climate activism in a lawsuit by Texas and 10 other Republican-led states.

Wells Fargo, however, did not give a reason behind the move.

"The alliance prefers not to see any bank leave but respects the decision Wells Fargo has made based on its own individual circumstances," an NZBA spokesperson said.

The NZBA is a group of banks "committed to aligning their lending and investment portfolios with net-zero emissions by 2050," according to its website.

Since the UN-backed alliance was founded in April 2021, it has attracted over 100 banks while five have left, the group's spokesperson said.

"The overall increase in membership indicates how important understanding climate risk and the transition to net zero has become to banks and companies around the world," they added.

Wells Fargo's exit was first reported by Bloomberg News earlier on Friday.




Hindustan Construction Company on Friday (December 20) said it has divested its stake in Steiner AG to Uniresolv, an affiliate of Geneva-based m3 Immobilier Holding SA (m3) to focus on core operations in India.Hindustan Construction Company (HCC), in a statement, said this has allowed for SAG subsidiary Steiner Development AG (SDAG) to start afresh as a direct subsidiary of m3 Immobilier, with aspirations to launch a Swiss IPO, while also helping HCC realise earnout liquidity of up to205 crore from SDAG's future success."In line with HCCs strategy to focus on its core EPC operations and pursuant to a Court-approved Scheme of Arrangement, HCCs stake in Steiner AG (SAG) (held via its wholly-owned subsidiaries, HCC Mauritius Investment Limited (HMIL) and HCC Mauritius Enterprises Limited (HMEL) has been sold to Uniresolv SA, an affiliate of m3 Immobilier Holding SA (m3), a prominent player in Genevas real estate and finance sectors," it said.According to the statement, at closing, HCC will also retain ownership of two SAG subsidiaries -- Steiner Eagle AG (SEAG) and Steiner India Ltd (SIL), which hold Rs 1,174 crore of contractual receivables and claims and Rs 43 crore of Indian land assets, the embedded asset value of which the entities expect to realise in 5 years."m3 will work closely with HCC to realise the assets in SEAG, of which HCC will share up to205 crore with m3," HCC added. Its Vice Chairman Arjun Dhawan said HCC is proud of its 15-year association with Steiner, and its legacy of landmark projects across Switzerland."This transaction with m3 reflects a mutual desire to grow our respective core businesses in India and Switzerland, and to maximise long-term shareholder value," he added.Chairman of m3 Groupe Abdallah Chatila said, "A combination of m3 Immobilier and Steiner Development is a major milestone in the history of the m3 Groupe as we strengthen our presence across the entire Swiss market".According to the statement, HCC and m3 Groups will work together in achieving each company's future goals, while positioning the combined m3 Immobilier and Steiner Development as the leading independent real estate developer in Switzerland's eastern and western markets.HCC's advisors to the transaction were Walderwyss AG and Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas. It serves the infrastructure sectors of transportation, power and water.
As Kuwait strengthens its ties with India, Rabah Al-Rabah, Director General of the Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), has expressed strong support for a free trade agreement between Kuwait, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and India.Speaking to CNBC-TV18, Al-Rabah emphasised that such an agreement could significantly boost trade and create a large, dynamic trading area, capitalising on the geographical advantages of the two regions."I would push and encourage the signing of the free trade zone between Kuwait, GCC, and India," Al-Rabah stated, noting that the initiative could open doors to increased trade and economic collaboration.Al-Rabah's call for a free trade agreement comes at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to make a historic visit to Kuwait. This marks the first state visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the country in 43 years.India, with a population of 1.4 billion and being the worlds third-largest economy, remains a crucial trading partner for Kuwait. In FY24, trade between the two nations was valued at over $10 billion.Al-Rabah believes that the timing of the Indian Prime Ministers visit is ideal for bolstering these ties. He also noted the significance of Indias potential use of Kuwaits newly developed Port of Mubarak in the north, a key infrastructure project in collaboration with Chinese companies. This port, set to become a major hub for trade, could serve as a strategic gateway for India to expand its trade with Europe and the Middle East, Al-Rabah added.When asked about the sectors that Kuwait's Chamber of Commerce is most interested in developing with India, Al-Rabah pointed to food, medicine, healthcare, oil, petrochemicals, machinery, textiles, and construction. These sectors, he explained, align with both countries strategic interests and have significant potential for collaboration.Rabah: I would push and encourage the signing of the free trade zone between Kuwait, GCC and India. I think it could create a very good opportunity for increasing the trade.Our Chamber being part of the federation of the GCC Chambers, we have been pushing for this for many years. I think it's a great opportunity.I know, some of the GCC countries have moved forward, but I think for a free trade zone between India and Kuwait could create a very big trading area. Don't forget the geographical location between our two blocs. So I think India is very important.Rabah: I think the visit of the Prime Minister of India has come at the right time because India is the worlds third largest economy with 1.4 billion population. India will stay and will continue to be very important to Kuwait as India is always one of our major trading partners for many years.Dont forget also that Kuwait last week, signed on improving and establishing with Chinese companies and Chinese government the Port of Mubarak in North of Kuwait. This port is supposed to be very, very important and India as well can utilise this port in the North of Kuwait for big feeders to start trade with Europe and some countries in the Middle East and some of the Arab countries.Rabah: I think food and medicine will be number one. Healthcare is also very, very, important. Oil and downstream industries and petrochemical industries as well will be very important. Of course, there are some other sectors like machinery, textile, construction, these are also some of the most important sectors.
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There was once a time when Eddie Murphy was the biggest movie star on the entire planet. And when you go back and watch his performances in 80s classics like Beverly Hills Cop, Trading Places, and 48 Hrs., its certainly no secret why.

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Even in more recent, not-so-acclaimed projects, Murphys dominant energy still comes through to some extent. Like, were not going to go to bat for Candy Cane Lane, a movie in which Murphy battles an army of CGI French hens commanded by a demonic Christmas elf, but theres no denying that the guy has screen presence.

And the recent, surprisingly enjoyable, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F proved that Murphy is fully capable of tapping into that same well of charisma that made him so wildly popular in the first place.

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Given all of this, acting opposite Murphy is likely a daunting task for any actor, but it turns out that theres a trick: Dont do anything. At least thats what his Beverly Hills Cop co-star Paul Reiser suggests.

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Reiser recently appeared on Ted Dansons Where Everybody Knows Your Name podcast and the subject of the classic 1984 action-comedy came up. Resier explained that he had met Murphy prior to the production, when the future SNL star was a young stand-up comedian. I knew Eddie from the comedy clubs, and he was sort of legendary. He was out on Long Island and we were in the city, and we kept hearing, Oh, theres a kid out on Long Island. Hes so funny.

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When Reiser got the chance to catch his act, he, too, was blown away by the teenager, telling Danson that he had never seen that kind of talent.

Because Reiser had a familiarity with Murphy, when he landed a little bitty part in Beverly Hills Cop, he knew exactly what to do. I wasnt intimidated, cause I knew him and it was easy to play, Reiser claimed. And Reiser got a lot of praise for his work in the film, which really just amounted to staying out of Murphys way. I remember somebody goes, Oh, you were so funny in that scene with Eddie. I go, Look at the scene. Im not talking.

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Heres a rule for all of you kids, Reiser added, if youre in a scene with Eddie Murphy, shut the fuck up and just stand there and let him and be Eddie Murphy. And youll go, Oh, he looks good  the other guy looks good, doesnt he?

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Obviously, Reiser does have dialogue in his scenes, but he never tries to top, or even meet Murphys comic energy. In the end, Reiser was happy to get credit for just standing there (while) Eddies bouncing stuff off of me.

Of course, this trick only works with Eddie Murphy, hence why Reiser didnt refuse to say his lines on Mad About You.
Since it apparently bears repeating for the 1,000th time, the general rule for watching South Park is that, if you find yourself identifying with Eric Cartman, then you are exactly what were all laughing at, not trans people.

In 2014, Trey Parker wrote a South Park episode satirizing the then-new political debate over transgender people using the bathrooms that match their identity. In The Cissy, Cartman exploits the newfound sensitivity over toilet usage by identifying as transginger and causing a scene in the girls bathroom when the boys' stalls were all occupied before convincing the school to assign him a private lavatory where he can perform BDSM on a toilet bowl. Critically, thats barely the first five minutes of the episode and hardly a complete picture of the points Parker made about the issue. But a decade later, so many South Park fans still havent watched The Cissy in its entirety before shaping their policy opinions around it.

Earlier this week, the right-wing Twitter slop poster Community Notes & Violations went viral for tweeting neither a note nor a violation, but a cherry-picked clip from the first two minutes of The Cissy with the title, South Park Was Way Ahead of Its Time.

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And Republican shitposters are way behind South Park  they can't even get to the first commercial break.

As so many South Park fans with attention spans lasting longer than the length of the Twitter clip pointed out, The Cissy wasnt actually a condemnation of transgender people who quietly use the bathroom that matches their identity. In fact, it was one big satire of the obsessive, bigoted types like Community Notes & Violations who think that taking a dump in a toilet can, itself, be a human rights violation.

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After Cartman spends the entire runtime of The Cissy abusing the inclusive language used by the trans-tolerant, the entire student body of South Park Elementary votes in favor of a bathroom policy wherein every student can piss and shit in whichever restroom they are most comfortable, and anyone who has a problem sharing a bathroom with people who might be transgender will have to use the special designated bathroom designed to keep them away from normal people who dont care.

Somehow, this is far from the first time that The Cissy has been cited by the exact people South Park was satirizing on a huge platform. Last year, Fox News Digital associate editor Alexander Hall wrote an article titled, Classic South Park Clip Mocking Transgender Bathroom Policies in Schools Goes Viral about a different instance of the same scene amassing millions of views from people who didnt actually watch the episode. Hall, apparently, has not finished The Cissy or simply lied about the in-show context as he recounted the first few minutes of the episode as if it was condemning the transgender ideology and not, you know, Hall himself.

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The sad part about the continued popularity of The Cissy is that the episode is actually a great satire of the entire debate over gender identity policies, both of the left-leaning obsession with replacing all gender-related terminology with approved trans-inclusive language and of the objective weirdos who spend all their time worrying about where trans people take their shits. Sadly, as is the case any time South Park addresses social issues, the conservative side only understood half of the parody, and theyve astoundingly decided that Cartman is their moral compass when it comes to the trans community.

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Its only a matter of time before conservative Twitter and Fox News take their hatred of San Francisco to the next step and go full pro-Cthulhu.
Ukraine has faced one of the most severe cyberattacks in recent history, targeting its state registries and temporarily disrupting access to critical government records.

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olga Stefanishyna attributed the attack to Russian operatives, describing it as an attempt to destabilize the countrys vital digital infrastructure amid the ongoing war.

Its already clear that the attack was made by the Russians in order to disrupt the work of the critically important infrastructure of the state, Stefanishyna noted in a Facebook post.
Photo: Alex Kent

The bill to end forced broker fees finally became law last week (no thanks to Eric Adams, who declined to sign it). And as expected, the Real Estate Board of New York sued. On Monday, the real-estate interest group filed a suit arguing  interestingly enough!  that the FARE Act violates brokers First Amendment rights.

How? Per their claim, the law infringes on commercial free speech because it makes it illegal for brokers to publish an apartment listing and then seek to receive compensation from a tenant, thus inhibiting brokers from advertising open listings  an arrangement where multiple agents post a listing to bring potential tenants to a landlord, even though they werent explicitly hired by that landlord. (This kind of thing often means the tenant pays the fee.) The suit also claims the law violates the Contracts Clause in the Constitution by voiding certain contracts that involve tenant-pays fee agreements and that its preempted by state law. Finally, the suit claims, it will make everyone feel bad! The net effect of the FARE Act will not only be angry brokers and landlords, but, most of all, angry consumers.

To make sense of all of this, we reached out to Roderick Hills, a law professor at New York University who focuses on constitutional and local government law. We asked him whether he thinks REBNYs lawsuit holds any water and what it might mean for the bill going forward.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

What do you think about the suit?

This is a kind of argument that you give students on a final exam to show why its wrong. It doesnt really make any sense. But its not frivolous. And the beauty of this is REBNY doesnt need to care whether they win  they have enough money that they can try to throw in a speed bump.

So you think they may want to delay the law?

Even though a lawsuit might not prevail, a district court might give REBNY a preliminary injunction, and that would slow the law down. And that would be months and months of charging brokers fees  thats worth a lot of money.

Got it. So lets get into the actual arguments. First, theyre saying that the FARE Act violates commercial free-speech law. If Im understanding this right, its because they can no longer post listings if they werent hired by the landlord?

The argument I take REBNY to be making is not that a broker cannot advertise a listing but that brokers are unlikely to do so knowing that tenants will not be willing to pay for the service. But in any case, nothing in the text of the bill supports the idea that brokers are directly prohibited from publishing whatever they want to publish. Its true that one section says, No person shall post a listing for the rental of residential real property that represents that fees must be paid in a manner that would violate this section. But so what? That just says, dont lie.

So the suit claims the law inhibits brokers from advertising open listings where they are not retained and paid by the landlord. What youre saying is that brokers can post whatever they want, but they cant misrepresent what the law says, which is that the person who hires the broker pays the broker. And as for anything else, its up to brokers if theres a financial incentive for them to take on an open listing because they werent hired by the landlord, meaning they might not get a fee from anyone.

Yeah, they are talking up their theory as best they can, but the law here doesnt say what they claim it says. Inhibits is a nicely ambiguous word for the plaintiffs purposes.

Thats making more sense to me now.

The second thing is that nothing in this law bars brokers from saying anything they want in their advertisements. If they want, they can say, If you get this apartment, you have to pay us a million dollars. This law doesnt prevent that  a different law prevents that. If you demand payment from someone who doesnt owe it to you and you make some argument that its required by a law, you might be sued for fraud.

What about REBNYs claim that the law also violates the Contracts Clause of the Constitution? If a contract exists but has illegal terms  asking the tenant to pay a broker they didnt hire  does it violate the Contracts Clause to say that contract is void?

Imagine a building owner hires a cleaning service but they say to the cleaning service, We want you to pay your janitors less than minimum wage. That contract is illegal. Minimum-wage laws can be enforced, and you cant contract your way out of them. So all this says is that the party who hires a broker has to pay the broker. You might say, Oh, well, we dont like that because we want to make a contract that says somebody else will pay the broker. Well, you might want to make a contract that says you can only pay somebody 50 cents an hour. So what?

Their last argument is that this city law would be preempted by state law that governs brokers.

Thats their best argument. Its not a frivolous argument, and I can see a judge scratching their heads. I dont think that the city could, for example, regulate the licensing of real-estate brokers. But saying that you cant regulate what tenants are charged  I think its harder to say that theres preemption there.

Why?

In general with preemption, the further the state law gets from what the local laws addressing, the harder it is to make an argument for it. And this is pretty far out because its about what landlords are charging and what tenants are paying, which actually doesnt regulate brokers at all, strictly speaking. It has effects on brokers, but thats true of a lot of laws  zoning laws have an effect on brokers.

So what state law are they leaning on?

The lawsuit cites a state agency rule about compensation that says, A real estate broker shall make it clear for which party he is acting and he shall not receive compensation from more than one party except with the full knowledge and consent of the brokers client. So you have to disclose stuff. It basically says, make it clear and make sure that everythings with full knowledge and consent of the brokers client. But does it say that they must be able to receive compensation from the lessee rather than the lessor? No.

How do you think that will hold up?

Is there a chance the district court judge will find preemption? Maybe. But I give it very low odds.

So its a long shot, but a shot theyre willing to take if it means delaying or getting around the new law.

I would call it a lottery ticket. Its no dumber filing this lawsuit than going into a bodega to buy a lottery ticket, hoping you get at least your money back.
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Photo-Illustration: Curbed; Photos, clockwise from left: Frankie Alduino, Jonas Fredwall Karlsson, Jutharat Poupay Pinyodoonyachet, Luiz C. Ribeiro, Kit Noble, Michelle Groskopf

It might feel impossibly distant now, but 2024 began with many of us transfixed by a standoff over a secret tunnel dug beneath a Brooklyn synagogue. Since then, our readers have dwelled on all sorts of real-estate stunts and mishaps, like the band of squatters who took over an abandoned Beverly Hills mansion or the loft owner who discovered her tenant had a habit of demolishing his rentals. Then there are the stories that burrowed into bigger, ongoing controversies: How did the Alexander brothers become the citys most elite brokers while allegedly assaulting more than a dozen women? Who are the volunteers valiantly, maybe barely, holding back a tide of feral cats? Readers also loved our dives into the perennial mysteries of living in New York City: How does a family of five make do in a one-bedroom anyway? Why do the brand-new units on StreetEasy already look outdated? And finally, of course, there was an insatiable interest in a certain celebrity couple (farewell Bennifer 2.0!) and the real-estate symptoms of a marriage hurtling toward its end.

Below, youll find our list of the 20 most-read articles we published this year, measured by total collective minutes of audience engagement. Its just a small sample of the work Curbed puts out, alongside New Yorks print edition and its other five digital sites  Intelligencer, the Cut, Vulture, Grub Street, and the Strategist  and a growing portfolio of newsletters. For more of all of it, be sure to sign up for Curbeds daily newsletter (along with our Design Hunting and Listings Edit newsletters) and subscribe. If you havent already, download the all-new New York app and read it all in one place.

By Christopher Bonanos

Photo: Hannah Yoon/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The S.S. United States, the biggest passenger ship ever built in America, has spent the last two and a half decades moored in Philadelphia. A real-estate companys plans to turn it into a floating hotel may not work out. Read the story 

By Kim Velsey

Photo: Exclusive to New York Magazine

The standoff gripped the city for more than a week: When Chabad leaders moved to fill in the secret tunnel under their headquarters on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, chaos ensued. Read the story 

Photo: Kit Noble

By Kim Velsey

A waterfront house might last for two years or ten. These homeowners are willing to take the risk. Read the story 

By Kim Velsey

It isnt just Ben and Jen. Brokers say that theyre often the first to get the call when couples are headed for a breakup. Read the story 

By Bridget Read

Photo: Creative Home Engineering

From installing electrified doorknobs to ballistics-grade walk-in closets, the citys ultrarich are feeling ultra-paranoid. Read the story 

By Christopher Bonanos

Photo: Jonas Fredwall Karlsson

The Power Broker is turning 50. Caros final LBJ book is almost  well, he wont say exactly, but hes trying for 900 words a day. Read the story 

By Christopher Bonanos

Photo: Luiz C. Ribeiro

In May, 75 illegal weed shops were shut down in New York. It was the start of a big sweep: the Adams administrations Operation Padlock to Protect. Read the story 

By Chris Crowley

Photo: Here & Now/ Co-owner Tobly McSmith

For the handful of New York City kava bars serving a largely sober clientele, the citys concerns over the effects of kava and kratom has led to closures, trials, and the loss of permits. Read the story 

By Laura Fenton

Photo: Frankie Alduino

These parents love their pricey neighborhoods more than having privacy from their children. This is how they make do. Read the story 

11.

By Adriane Quinlan

Photo: Christopher Payne

After the two comedians bought the decommissioned ferry, it sat, and sat, and sat. But their plan for transforming it into a venue isnt a pipe dream. Its actually underway. Read the story 

By Kim Velsey

Photo: Douglas Elliman

The supertall at 9 Dekalb is now the most recognizable feature in the Brooklyn skyline. But it may have been doomed from the start. Read the story 

By Kim Velsey

Photo-Illustration: Curbed; Photos: Douglas Elliman, Core Group Marketing

It used to be that seven to ten years was the shelf life of a beautifully finished apartment, says one broker. Now you look at something and say, How can this look dated already? Read the story 

By Rafil Kroll-Zaidi

Illustration: Ben Kirchner

New York created a program that let citizens earn money by reporting polluters. Then it went to war with them. Read the story 

By Molly Osberg

Photo: Jutharat Poupay Pinyodoonyachet

Volunteers are the only thing standing between the city and a stream of sick cats. Theyre barely making a dent. Read the story 

By Ben Ryder Howe

Photo: Larry Malvin Photography

Phoenix Suns co-owner Justin Ishbia made a quiet deal for a land swap on a coveted slice of Lake Michigan. Then his old-money neighbors found out. Read the story 

By Andrew Rice

Photo: Alamy

Donald Trumps most troubled real estate could soon become a slick machine to curry favor with the president. Read the story 

By Bridget Read and James D. Walsh

Photo: Alexander Team/Facebook

How did the Alexander brothers become real-estate elites while allegedly raping or assaulting more than a dozen women? Read the story 

By Suzanne Seggerman, with additional reporting by James D. Walsh

Illustration: Federico Yankelevich

He moved into our Noho loft  then tore out most of the interior walls. Turns out it wasnt his first impromptu demolition. Read the story 

By Bridget Read

Photo: Michelle Groskopf/Michelle Groskopf

After a fugitive doctor abandoned his mansion, an enterprising group of party-throwers slid in the front door. Read the story 

1.

Illustration: Kyle Hilton

Nine stranded passengers made a mad dash across Africa to meet back up with their boat. Read the story 
China aims to enhance sci-tech popularization through law revision

Xinhua) 10:23, December 20, 2024

BEIJING, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- China is considering expanding public access to science and technology knowledge through a draft law revision.

The second draft revision to the Science and Technology Popularization Law will be submitted to a session of the country's top legislature for deliberation from Saturday to next Wednesday, Wang Xiang, a spokesperson for the Legislative Affairs Commission of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, told a press conference on Thursday.

The latest draft proposes the designation of September as an annual national science popularization month.

It also includes provisions to encourage social entities to establish awards for science popularization according to law, support enterprises to open their laboratories and production lines to the public, and help organizations and individuals to utilize new media to undertake diverse forms of science outreach.

The draft includes new provisions related to talent training, the establishment of volunteer service teams, and an incentive mechanism for science popularization personnel.

If adopted, this would be the first revision to the Science and Technology Popularization Law since it was enacted in 2002.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
New York, US (PANA) - A senior UN humanitarian official on Thursday issued an urgent plea for international support to alleviate the devastating toll of the ongoing war in Sudan, as millions remain in desperate need of aid and protection
A disgraced Manhattan financier could be facing up to 16 years in prison after he preyed on teenage girls and raped at least one 14-year-old girl.

Michael Olson, 56, pleaded guilty to a handful of charges from a 75-count indictment, including criminal sale of a controlled substance to a child, rape in the second degree, criminal sexual act in the second degree, and use of a child in a sexual performance as a sexually motivated felony.

He is scheduled to appear in court for sentencing on Feb. 5, 2025. He is expected to receive a sentence of 16 years, according to amNY.

Disgraced Financier Pleads Guilty to His Crime

Reports about his possible sentence come after Olson was accused of targeting multiple teenage girls and drugging and raping a 14-year-old teen.

His crimes were discovered in May 2023 when his 14-year-old victim overdosed on cocaine and ketamine in a hotel room in Manhattan. EMS officials who responded to the scene noted that there were numerous narcotics present at the scene, including the aforementioned drugs and Xanax, per a news release from the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.

Read Also: Florida Teen Collected Own Evidence of Rape After Police Charged Her With Filing False Report

The overdose launched a subsequent investigation where officers found out that Olson had targeted that 14-year-old on Instagram and exploited her financial situation over a six-month period.

Apart from drugging the victim, Olson was also accused of repeatedly raping the child in hotel rooms in Queens and Manhattan, paying her $700 per week for sexual conduct, and taking her on trips to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Miami while portraying her as his daughter.

In addition to the 14-year-old, investigators found that Olson had texted multiple other girls in middle and high schools on Instagram---particularly those whose posts mentioned they were struggling financially or those who uploaded photos depicting self-harm.

Attempts to Skirt the Trial

Prior to pleading guilty to the charges against him, Olson had previously attempted to skirt prosecution by getting a reduced sentence at a treatment facility. In a letter he wrote to his family, a copy of which was obtained by the New York Post, he said he was careful not to "behave too normally" so he could get his charges dismissed "after six years" and have "no criminal record."

However, a judge ordered a new mental health evaluation in September, where he was found fit to stand trial.
Every Christmas I remember a ticking-off from my late mother-in-law, an observant Roman Catholic, after I'd jeered at some celebrity for being as thick as brandy butter.

'It's not a sin to be stupid,' she said.

Her point was that people like me attach too much weight to intelligence, treating it as a virtue akin to goodness when we ought to see it as a mere accident of birth. Those born a sausage or two short of a full English were to be pitied, not mocked.

Well, I can't pretend that I've always abided by my mother-in-law's stricture in newspaper columns I've written over the years.

But bearing her lesson in mind, and in the spirit of Christmas peace and goodwill, I feel moved today to make what may be a most unpopular suggestion: shouldn't we try to be a bit kinder to Prince Andrew  or, failing that, at least a little fairer?

I don't know about you but I find something ugly about the lynch mob gleefully descending on him, yet again, this time over his embarrassing association with a man now suspected of being a Chinese spy. It looks like bullying to me.

Much to my surprise, I felt a pang of sympathy for him over his withdrawal from yesterday's traditional Christmas lunch at the Palace for the extended Royal Family, apparently after pressure from on high and a quiet word from his ex-wife, Fergie.

Indeed, I find myself in the same difficulty as Emily Maitlis, the interviewer whose grilling precipitated his fall into the abyss. Where this latest episode is concerned, at least, she and I both find it hard to see exactly what Andrew has done wrong.

Prince Andrew and ex-wife Sarah Ferguson at the Christmas morning church service in Sandringham, Norfolk, last year

As she said in a podcast: 'I don't understand why this is laid at the door of the Prince, with so much castigation and so much blame.

'If Andrew didn't know this man was a spy, and there is nothing to suggest he did, then why is he being blamed?'

Of course, it's possible that evidence may one day emerge of shady financial dealings with the Chinese, or some other impropriety (I'd be most interested to know, for example, where Andrew found the money to stay on at Royal Lodge, Windsor, after his brother the King cut off his handsome annual allowance).

But unless and until such evidence comes to light, I can't see why his association with Yang Tengbo should warrant his exclusion from the bosom of his family at Christmas.

After all, he is by no means the only public figure played for a fool by Yang (I'm assuming that he may indeed be a spy, which  unsurprisingly, perhaps  he hotly denies). To judge by the photographs, he appears to have got on swimmingly with all sorts of other British VIPs, including a couple of former prime ministers.

Leave aside how unlikely it is that Prince Andrew is privy to any secrets that might interest the Chinese. Why single him out for vilification? As far as I can see, on the evidence so far, the only fault of which he may be guilty in this case is being a lousy judge of character. This is hardly an offence deserving total ostracism.

If you ask me, the trouble with Andrew is that he appears to suffer from a mixture of stupidity, arrogance and a phenomenal lack of self-awareness  a most unattractive combination, which makes him very hard to love and all too easy to despise.

But then in fairness, I don't think we can altogether blame him even for his arrogance or his inability to see himself as others see him. For hasn't he been conditioned to arrogance from his earliest childhood, by the extraordinary circumstances of his upbringing?

On the evidence so far, the only fault of which he may be guilty in this case is being a lousy judge of character. This is hardly an offence deserving total ostracism, writes Tom Utley

Consider. For the first few decades of his life, before the Jeffrey Epstein/Virginia Giuffre scandal, he was always surrounded by sycophants. They indulged his every whim, laughed uproariously at his feeblest jokes and never stopped telling him what an honour it was to be admitted to his presence.

If we were all as dim as he seems to be, how many of us could survive such sustained royal treatment without feeling a vastly inflated sense of our own wit, wisdom and worth?

As for his shortage of a brain cell or two, this was never more evident than in his immediate reaction to that car-crash of an interview with Ms Maitlis about the shocking allegations arising from his friendship with Epstein.

Unbelievably, he is reported to have thought it went 'rather well'.

In short, he was too blinkered to see how implausible most viewers would find his bluster about his inability to sweat, and his claim that he couldn't have had sex with the 17-year-old Virginia Roberts (now Giuffre) in London because he distinctly remembered he took his daughters to Pizza Express in Woking on the day in question.

Nor did he seem to realise how he'd be mocked for his insistence that he didn't throw a birthday party for the convicted sex-trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell at Sandringham. She had merely come along to a 'straightforward shooting weekend'.

I reckon Sam McAlister, who wrote a book about the programme on which the Netflix docudrama Scoop was based, put it well in an interview she gave to Town & Country magazine.

'Prince Andrew is in a really invidious position because effectively what he's been told all his life is that he's amazing, he's brilliant,' she said.

'He's never had a job interview. He's never had a 360 [an employee evaluation procedure]  you know, he's not been knocked back in life. So he has an extraordinary capacity for misunderstanding his own capabilities. I call it royal delusion.'

That strikes me as just the right phrase for his condition. Indeed, I read the other day of another member of his family who suffered badly from royal delusion.

I'm thinking of his great-great-aunt Alexandra, the ill-fated last Tsarina of Russia. In the 1890s, she wrote a poignant letter to her grandmother, Queen Victoria, quoted in my friend Frances Welch's eye-opening, harrowing new book, The Lives & Deaths Of

The Princesses Of Hesse (hurry, hurry, hurry, with only five days left to Christmas).

In it, Alexandra seeks to allay the old Queen's fears about the perils of marrying into the Russian royal family: 'You are mistaken, my dear grandmama. Here we do not need to earn the love of the people. The Russian people revere their Tsars as divine beings.'

How she must have wished, on that grim morning in 1918 when she, her husband and children were murdered by Russian revolutionaries in that cellar in Ekaterinburg, that she had listened to her wise old grandmama.

I wonder if her great-great-nephew sometimes wishes he himself had followed his own wise mother's example, by earning the love of the British people through selfless service.

But come on, it's Christmas. After all these years of his utter humiliation, is it stupid and wet of me to ask: 'Can't we give the poor guy a break'?

On second thoughts, don't answer that. Just have a very happy one yourselves!
A key role of the City Minister is to fight corruption in Britains financial sector.

So how troubling that the current incumbent of this Treasury post is herself under investigation for embezzlement.

Tulip Siddiq is being probed over a claim she and her family siphoned off 4 billion intended for a Kremlin-funded nuclear power plant in her native Bangladesh.

The allegation is part of a formal inquiry by the Bangladesh government into her aunt Sheikh Hasina Wazed, an autocrat who ruled the country for 15 years.

Given the seriousness of the accusation, how is it possible for Ms Siddiq to remain in post? After all, she has influence over billions of pounds of British taxpayers money.

The Labour MP may, of course, be entirely innocent. But surely the most prudent and honourable course of action would be to step down, pending her name being cleared. Until then, a cloud of suspicion will inevitably hang over her.

Indeed, imagine if a Tory minister had found themselves embroiled in an identical scandal.

Labour would shriek for resignations, the BBC would frenziedly live blog, and Emily Maitlis and the Lefty commentariat would post endless overwrought tweets.

Tulip Siddiq pictured with prime minister Keir Starmer. The senior Labour minister is being investigated over claims that she and members of her family have taken bribes of up to 4billion in a nuclear power plant deal

Russian President Vladimir Putin (centre), former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina (left) and Tulip Siddiq MP (far left) attend the signing ceremony in the Kremlin on Jan 15, 2013

Sir Keir Starmer says he retains full confidence in Ms Siddiq, who has not yet commented on the allegations.

But what due diligence did the Prime Minister do on Ms Siddiq before he gave her the job?

Once more, this raises questions over Sir Keirs judgment. Where suitability for high office is concerned, many of his Cabinet appointments have been found wanting.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy has little understanding of diplomacy and sparse knowledge of the world (he notoriously claimed Libya was next door to Syria).

Chancellor Rachel Reeves, whose misleading CV called her an economist, has sent the economy into a tailspin. Louise Haigh, the PMs erstwhile transport secretary, quit over the revelation she was a convicted fraudster. And Sir Keir himself has been beset by sleaze allegations.

No one has been more pious in lecturing the country about bringing integrity back to politics. Yet his government is already one of the dishonourable in living memory.

So what is the PM going to do about Ms Siddiq? Act decisively and ask her to step down  or sit on his hands? We all know the answer to that question.

Draining our money

It is a scandal families are expected to pay yet more to bail out the catastrophic incompetence and greed of the water firms.

Ofwat, the spineless regulator, disgracefully caved into the companies demands for more money  allowing them to raise bills by an eye-watering 36 per cent (an average of 157) over the next five years.

The utility giants say higher charges will fund investment to fix leaks, build reservoirs and stop our seas and rivers being used to dump raw sewage. And yes, this is a fantastically expensive undertaking.

But if they think the public welcomes bigger bills in return for better infrastructure, they are seriously deluded.

Had these companies not racked up mind-boggling debts while trousering billions in dividends and bonuses, they wouldnt need to fleece customers further for a basic service that should already be provided.

Ministers have ordered an independent review of the sector, but this will inevitably take time when urgent action is needed.

Holding executives criminally liable for violating the environment would be a start.

As things stand, this dysfunctional industry is failing on almost every level.
Natalie Rupnow, the 15-year-old teen who opened fire at the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, may have been plotting separate attacks with a man in California.

FBI agents who were parsing through Rupnow's social media profiles and documents to identify her motive found that she was in contact with 20-year-old Alexander Charles Paffendorf, a man in Carlsbad, California. He was allegedly plotting a separate mass shooting event targeting a government building.

Specifically, the man told Rupnow that he would "arm himself with explosives and a gun" to attack an unspecified government building, per the New York Times.

The man has been detained and questioned by federal agents on Tuesday. His court hearing is scheduled for January 3, per CBS News, citing a court order.

Are There More Details About the School Shooting?

As of writing, police have yet to say what Rupnow's motive was in the Madison shooting but noted that a "combination of factors" led to the incident.

Authorities are still investigating whether Rupnow was targeting anyone in the attack or if she had planned it in advance.

"I do not know if she planned it that day or if she planned it a week prior," Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said. "To me, bringing a gun to school to hurt people is planning. And so we don't know what the premeditation is."

A Madison city website that provided details about the school shooting noted that police officers found two guns at the scene, but Rupnow used only one. The gun she used was a 9mm pistol. Not much information was shared about the other gun found at the scene.

What About the Victims of the Shooting?

The Madison school shooting led to the deaths of three people: 42-year-old substitute teacher coordinator Erin M. West, 14-year-old freshman Rubi P. Vergara, and Rupnow herself.

Vergara's funeral will be held beginning Saturday at City Church. Her obituary noted that Vergara was an "avid reader" and played keyboard in the family worship band.

West's funeral was set for Monday at Doxa Church. West is survived by her three daughters, according to her obituary.
The new year is a chance to start fresh.

It's the perfect time to set goals and try new things in all areas of your life, including your style.

Seasonal nail designs are a fun and easy way to instantly look more fashionable.

Which is why we are not surprised Google searches for new year nails have risen by 47.2% on TikTok.

Fresha, the leading marketplace platform for beauty and wellness, exclusively spoke with April Arabella, to weigh in on whats to come.

April offers insight into the colors, shapes, and designs that will dominate the scene in 2025.

According to the Cherry Bomb Nails technician, everything from metallics to minimalist designs are in.

Read on for eight nail trends to try in 2025.

Kylie Jenner has long influence nail trends. Google searches for new year nails have risen by 47.2% on TikTok

CHROME FINISHES

'In 2025, well see a strong move toward bold designs,' says April.

'Expect to see a lot of chrome and metallic nails, with shades like silver, gold, and even holographic finishes making their way into mainstream fashion.

'Hailey Bieber has been rocking the chrome look quite frequently over the past few months, a sign that this trend isnt slowing down for 2025.'

Chrome nails come in a variety of colors, including pink, blue, purple and multi-color.

To achieve the look, a special chrome powder is applied over a base color to create a reflective finish.

MINIMALISM AND GEOMETRIC SHAPES

'Minimalist nail art will also continue to dominate with subtle geometric designs and negative space manicures,' says April.

'We're also predicting a comeback of the classic French manicure with a modern twist, such as inverted tips or colorful accents.'

Inverted tips are a classic French manicure turned upside down, where the colored line is painted along the cuticle.

Cynthia Erivo pushes boundaries in nail art with unique embellishments, vibrant colors and daring designs

JEWEL TONES

'For 2025, deep jewel tones are set to take over, with rich emerald greens, royal purples, and sapphire blues growing in popularity,' says April.

'Emerald green has been everywhere since the release of Wicked, and we expect to see the Elphaba influence continuing into the new year!'

Cynthia Erivo is considered a nail trailblazer, often using her talons as a complement to her distinctive style.

The star continually pushes boundaries in nail art with unique embellishments, vibrant colors and daring designs.

WARM NEAUTRALS

According to April, 'A rise is also predicted for warm neutral colors like soft taupe, caramel, and even a touch of burnt orange at the start of the year, bringing a cozy and earthy vibe to the winter season.'

This trend is in line with Pantone's Color of the Year: Mocha Mouse.

BEJEWELED TOUCHES

Whether you're heading to a glamorous NYE party or a casual dinner, bejeweled nails instantly add a touch of magic to an outfit.

Designer Marc Jacobs has been embracing long and decorative nails since 2020.

Coordinating his nail designs with his outfits, his nails are a seamless extension of his iconic style.

At the 2024 Met Gala celebrating "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion", the fashion icon showcased black nails embellished with large green rhinestones.

CELEB NSPO

Marc Jacobs isn't the only public figure to inspire nail trends.

According to April, Hailey Beiber and Zendaya's sleek, metallics nails and subtle geometric designs are setting the tone for 2025.

'Their influence continues to spark interest in experimental but elegant nail styles,' she says.

'Social media trends, particularly on Instagram and TikTok, are also contributing to this shift, as more people are seeing inspiring nail design content.'

Whether you're heading to a glamorous NYE party or a casual dinner, bejeweled nails - like Marc Jacobs' - instantly add a touch of magic to an outfit

FUNCTIONAL LENGTHS

'Long coffin nails remain a favorite, offering a modern and elegant look, while shorter, rounded shapes like oval nails are gaining traction for their practicality and timeless appeal, providing something for everyone,' shares April.

'The edgy stiletto nail is also making a statement for those who want to embrace drama.

'Expect these shapes to be paired with bold and contrasting colors for maximum impact!'

DEEP FRENCH TIPS

An evolution of the classic French manicure, this style feature exaggerated smile lines, offering a modern twist on a timeless favorite.

It makes the tips of the nails appear longer and slimmer.

While the tip is painted white, the rest of the nail is pink or nude.

Try the trends at home:

April suggests: 'You can start by experimenting with simple designs like a two-tone French tip or creating minimalist geometric patterns with nail tape.

'Whether you're testing out a bold new color or a understated design, playing around at home will give you the confidence to rock these trends when you book your next nail salon appointment.

'If youre looking for a professional touch to nail your 2025 looks, visit Fresha to book your appointment now.'
The UK's beloved Pizza Express is taking on America with a new restaurant opening in Florida.

Founded in 1965 by Peter Boizot, the chain, which first launched in London's Soho, has long been a staple on the British high street.

It's a level of success that the team are hoping to recreate across the pond with its first pizza restaurant in Florida, which will open next year.

Franchisee Purple Square Management, which currently operates in over 245 locations, including with Dunkin Donuts and Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, will team with the chain to open its first US location.

The move will bring Pizza Express closer to its goal of expanding to 1,000 restaurants globally by 2030, alongside its restaurants in India, Hong Kong, and Singapore, among others.

Chris Holmes, Chief Development Officer of Pizza Express, said: 'This marks a major milestone in our global journey, as we introduce our brand to one of the world's most dynamic markets.

'We are a place where pizza fans, no matter how small, can enjoy Dough Balls on demand, where mates or dates can sip Margaritas with Margheritas or enjoy a Peroni with a Padana.

'With an American love story behind our popular American pizza, it only seems right that we share this joy with American pizza fans together with our first franchise partner, Purple Square. We are here to raise the bar of pizza in the United States as we bring the best of Pizza Express to new audiences.'

UK chain Pizza Express is set to open its first restaurant in America (pictured: Pizza Express in London)

Meanwhile, Vik Patel, President and CEO of Purple Square Management Company said: 'This is a full circle moment to bring a brand I've loved and grown up with in London to a new market eager for an elevated pizza experience.

'We know this concept has the potential to resonate with U.S. consumers in a truly unique way.

'Walking into a PizzaExpress location is a one-of-a-kind experience, designed to welcome everyonewhether you're bringing the kids out for a slice or soaking in the energy of live music.

'We're thrilled to introduce its rich legacy, inclusive atmosphere, and affordable price points to our home state of Florida. This is just the beginning of a journey we're confident will inspire a new wave of dining experiences across the country.'

It comes after celebrity chef Marcus Wareing said Pizza Express serves the best pizza in London - and he has eaten the same dish there for 20 years.

The Michelin-starred chef sparked a fevered debate on TikTok channel Top Jaw last summer by revealing his love of the chain's 'American Hot' pizza on a 'Romana' base with extra chili.

Some urged him to 'hand back his stars' or 'take away his Michelin star now', while others praised his 'lack of food snobbery' and said 'everyone enjoys what they enjoy'.

Meanwhile, food critic Hannah Evans said theMasterChef judge's comments 'simply revealed he's out of touch with London's banging food scene'.

The chain, founded in 1965 by Peter Boizot, is aiming to expand to 1,000 restaurants globally by 2030

Pictured: Pizza toppings sit in glass bowls as an employee garnishes pizzas in the kitchen of a PizzaExpress restaurant in London

Others on the video app discussed their favourite dishes at the chain, including the Sloppy Giuseppe  which was also backed by host Jesse Burgess - and the Calzone 'Nduja.

And he's not the only high-profile fan. Hollywood star Eva Longoria once told Jack Whitehall the best Italian food she ever had was at a Pizza Express in Cardiff.

Wareing, who owns three restaurants including the Michelin-starred Marcus in Knightsbridge, spoke to Top Jaw last July.

In a clip from the interview entitled 'Best Pizza in London', Burgess asked him: 'What is the best pizza?'

Wareing replied: 'This one is easy, but you're not going to like the answer: Pizza Express. I know, I know.

'I still eat the same pizza I've been eating for the last 20 years, American Hot, love it, Romana, a little bit of extra chilli, I love it, it's got to be a Romana base.

'And do you know what? Every time I go, it's cooked exactly the same.'

Burgess said: 'You know, I like Sloppy Giuseppe on a Romana base.'

How Pizza Express was founded by Associated Press worker who couldn't find a good pizza in London Pizza Express founder Peter Boizot The first Pizza Express opened on Wardour Street in London's Soho on March 27, 1965, opened by founder Peter Boizot. He had been working in the Associated Press news photography department in Rome and selling postcards from a barrow in St Peter's Square, but is said to have been unable to find anywhere in London to buy a proper Italian pizza. He shipped over an authentic pizza oven over from Naples and was also the first man to import Peroni beer to the UK. A Pizza Express restaurant, pictured in 1997 The original location in Soho opened selling square slices of pizza in greaseproof paper through the front window, before launching a restaurant designed by Enzo Apicella with a wine menu and dining tables. Mr Boizot sold his shares in the firm in 1992 and the company was owned by a variety of firms until Chinese private equity group Hony Capital bought it in 2014 for 900million. The chain has 370 restaurants in the UK and Ireland and 80 sites abroad in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Mr Boizot died in December 2018 aged 89, and his entire estate was swallowed up by a 45,000 tax bill owed on his death. He lost the bulk of his money by taking over and investing in his struggling local football club, Peterborough United, and buying a theatre, art galleries and a hotel. In March 2020, all Pizza Express's restaurants in the UK were forced to shut indefinitely due to the pandemic. That July, the group announced that 'dozens' of its closed restaurants would not be reopening amid reports that it had accrued a debt pile of 1.1billion. The next month, it was announced that the company would shut 67 of its UK restaurants and cut 1,100 jobs. In November 2020, the group's restructure was completed and reportedly helped cut the debt by more than 400million. Then in October 2021, Pizza Express said it planned to open 50 new restaurants in a post-pandemic expansion. Advertisement

Then Wareing replied: 'You've got your flavours, I've got mine. It works.'

Burgess then said: 'Pizza Express are going to absolutely love that.'

Hannah Evans, deputy food editor at The Times, wrote in the newspaper at the time: 'I will never be comfortable hearing a chef slag off Pizza Express.

'It was a stalwart of my childhood. I had birthday parties there. But come on, Marcus. The best pizza in London. Really?

'Saying Pizza Express does the best pizza is a panicked cop out, like saying the best Italian in London is by Jamie Oliver. Where's your insider intel, eh?'

A Pizza Express spokesman told MailOnline: 'Our iconic American Hot has long been a favourite with customers - and now a Michelin-star chef, too!

'There will always be a marble table with Marcus' name on it at Pizza Express.'

It is well known that Wareing loves to visit Pizza Express with his children, after he has previously spoken about it in other publications.

Speaking to Spear's Magazine in 2012 he said: 'This may be a surprise but I am a regular at our local Pizza Express with our children and I think it is a fantastic business. I have tried other pizza restaurants but the service is lacking.

'When I go here I know what I am getting, how long it will take, the kids love it and it gives me a day off from cooking!'

When asked by The Guardian where he takes his kids to eat out the former MasterChef judge said: 'They love Pizza Express, which I think is consistently good. And The Butcher and Grill in Battersea. They get a proper meal, and colouring books.'

US actress Ms Longoria, who writes cookbooks and previously founded an Los Angeles diner, also praised the branch while filming BBC comedy series Decline and Fall in Wales.

Speaking about his co-star on food critic Jay Rayner's Out To Lunch podcast in 2021, Whitehall claimed Longoria was completely unaware that Pizza Express is a popular restaurant chain in the UK.

Whitehall told Rayner: 'She said, ''Oh God, I found the most incredible little Italian last night. The owner, I think it's family-owned, he was so charming and I had the best pasta I have ever had anywhere in the world. It's called . . . Pizza Express.'''

Speaking to MailOnline at the time, an Italian staff member at the Cardiff branch, who asked not to be named, said: 'I'm not surprised she liked Pizza Express.

'I'm from Naples myself and I can tell you that our food's authentic. Our ingredients are fresh and we have high standards.

'It's no wonder she thought it was the best Italian food she's ever had.'

Pizza Express was founded in 1965 by Peter Boizot, who brought to London a pizza oven from Naples and a chef from Sicily after a trip.

Opening its first restaurant on Wardour Street, the chain now has 370 restaurants in the UK and Ireland and 80 sites across Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

In July 2014, the group was sold to the China-based private equity firm Hony Capital in a deal worth 900million.

Five years later, Pizza Express hired financial advisers in preparation for talks with creditors after experiencing financial difficulties following a downturn in demand for eating out.

In March 2020, all Pizza Express's restaurants in the UK were forced to shut indefinitely during the Covid pandemic.

That July, the group announced that 'dozens' of its closed restaurants would not be reopening amid reports that it had accrued a debt pile of 1.1billion.

The next month, it was announced that the company would close around 67 restaurants in the UK and cut 1,100 jobs.

In November 2020, the group's restructure was completed and reportedly helped cut the debt by more than 400million.

Then in October 2021, Pizza Express said it planned to open 50 new restaurants in a post-pandemic expansion.
He has detailed how you can make your plane ride more comfortable

As people around the globe prepare to travel home for the holidays, a spine surgeon is sharing the numerous ways you can make your plane ride more comfortable.

Forget shifting every few minutes, Dr. Alexander Butler is dishing out how you can get cozy and protect your back while in the air.

The US-based orthopedic surgeon, who practices at Lenox Hill Hospital, explained that by just preparing for your trip, you can save your back plenty of tension.

While speaking to the New York Post, he shared the six ways you can have a more enjoyable trip.

He first advised passengers to ditch the shoulder pain that comes with lugging a duffle bag through the airport and opt for a roller suitcase.

'Generally speaking, makes transport through the airport much simpler,' he explained.

Dr. Alexander noted that you can then throw this bag in the overhead bin and use the space under you for your legs or a small purse.

In addition to bringing a roller suitcase, the doctor recommends stretching before boarding.

As people around the globe prepare to travel home for the holidays, a spine surgeon is sharing the numerous ways you can make your plane ride more comfortable (stock image)

Make traveling comfortable! The six ways to ease back pain Use a roller suitcase

Stretch before boarding

Sit on an aisle seat

Adjust your posture

Drink water

Take over-the-counter medicine after the flight Advertisement

Sitting on a plane for a prolonged period of time can lead to muscle cramps, which the doctor said can be eased by stretching ahead of time.

'This leads to anterior tilt of the pelvis, which is a very common cause of low back pain,' Dr. Alexander told the outlet.

If you tend to have back pain post-traveling, the health pro recommends you do some planks, glute bridges and cossack squats.

Although most people want to rest their heads on the window while traveling, the medical expert revealed that the aisle seat is actually best for your back.

'To minimize prolonged periods in a single position, I think it is highly beneficial to get up, stand or walk for several minutes at least once per hour while on a long flight.

'An aisle seat can make this much more convenient,' Dr. Alexander explained.

In addition to moving around often, the health guru suggested you adjust your posture frequently.

He told the outlet: 'Any active effort to pull the shoulders down and back while tucking the chin and neck into the chair itself can mitigate this.'

Forget shifting every few minutes, Dr. Alexander Butler is dishing out how you can get cozy and protect your back while in the air (stock image)

Next, Dr. Alexander urged passengers to stay hydrated while aboard.

According to the pro, dehydration is common on flights and sipping on booze doesn't help.

He added: 'My favorite trick is to pack an empty water bottle and a nutritious meal with a disposable container in my carry-on.

'This keeps me well-hydrated and well-fueled without needing to spend extra money on whatever is offered before or during the flight.'

Lastly, the doctor said that you can rely on over-the-counter medicine to relieve pain.

'Ultimately, pain from a flight is likely due to a stiff muscle, joint or other structure.

'The best fix for this is to restore normal motion through physical activity, stretching or corrective exercise as soon as travel is complete,' he said.
A mother who claims to be the UK's most tattooed is worried she might not have a Christmas dinner for her children - because her ink scares supermarket staff.

Melissa Sloan, 47, from Kidderminster, is covered from head to toe in more than 800 tattoos - from abstract piece on her face, to portraits of the the Kray twins on her thigh.

And although she loves her ink, Ms Sloan admits the public hasn't been quite as accepting as she would have hoped.

The mother said simple tasks have become more difficult due to her appearance, and her Christmas lunch is now 'in limbo' as she can't easily shop at the supermarket.

She said: 'I can't just pop into my local supermarket and shop for my Christmas dinner.

'People will stare when I go to pick up the cranberry sauce and turkey for me and my kids, and I just dont want to deal with it.

'I feel like I scare the supermarket workers, too  they have given me terrified looks as Ive walked by in the past.

'Its meant to be a time of joy and celebration but right now, my Christmas dinner is in limbo. All I want is to be treated like a normal person.'

Melissa Sloan, 47, from Kidderminster, is covered from head to toe in more than 800 tattoos - from abstract piece on her face, to portraits of the the Kray twins on her thigh

Ms Sloan (left before the majority of her face tattoos) admits the public hasn't been quite as accepting as she would have hoped

Because of her tattoos, Ms Sloan thinks she will have to send her husband and children to do the big shop for Christmas Day.

And she claims that getting a Christmas dinner at the local pub is out of the question.

She said: 'Going to the pub is way out of the question, too.

'I attempted to have a Christmas tipple recently but had to leave before it turned to violence.'

Ms Sloan, who claims she was once forced to watch her children's nativity through the window, said she is only asking for 'acceptance'.

The mother said simple tasks have become more difficult due to her appearance, and her Christmas lunch is now 'in limbo' as she can't easily shop at the supermarket

Pictured: Tattoos on Melissa Sloan's lower back, in various different styles

Because of her tattoos, Ms Sloan thinks she will have to send her husband and children to do the big shop for Christmas Day

She said: 'I don't understand why people just cant accept me for who I am.

'My tattoos dont make me any less human than everyone else.

'I should be able to pop to Tesco with my kids and pick up Christmas essentials.

'But sadly, it's just not possible. I can't even attend carol services and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.

'Just because I am covered head to toe in tattoos doesnt mean I dont deserve respect and kindness.'
Charles met Caroline again outside the community hall in east London today

King Charles made a wry joke about his health this afternoon amid reports his cancer treatment will continue into next year.

The King, 76, joked he was 'still alive' during a visit to a community event at Waltham Forest Town Hall in Walthamstow when asked how he was.

Harvinder Rattan, Sikh faith representative, said: 'Your Majesty, good morning, how are you?'

The King, 76, replied, jokingly: 'I'm still alive.'

It comes as it was confirmed the king's cancer treatment will be ongoing in the New Year, although aides stressed that doctors were pleased with his progress.

Elsewhere in the visit, the King was surprised by a woman he first met more than 50 years ago in Japan.

The Monarch was in his early 20s when he first met and shook hands with Caroline Akuffo in 1970, nearly 6,000 miles from London.

But as Charles and Queen Camilla, 77, stepped out in east London this afternoon, he was reunited with a delighted Caroline, who showed him a black and white photograph of their first meeting.

The image shows a young Caroline shaking hands with Charles, who would have been around 21 years old at the time.

The monarch, 76, spoke to Caroline Akuffo outside Waltham Forest Town Hall in east London, who presented him with the old picture

The then-Prince of Wales met Caroline during his visit to Japan, where he toured his Japanese World Expo in Osaka.

Charles has since been very fond of the country and has since visited four times during his life.

He recently welcomed Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako to London in June for a three-day visit and even held a glitzy state banquet for the pair.

Caroline looked ecstatic as she spoke to King Charles and pointed to the picture of them together.

The royal looked deep in thought as he touched the image, seemingly thinking back to sweet memory.

Elsewhere, the king was captured making a wry comment about his health in a quip which illustrated his dry sense of humour.

Today's engagement was designed to highlight community cohesion in the UK.

Thousands of residents in Waltham Forest held a peaceful anti-racism protest following the nationwide disorder after the stabbing of three children at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday activity in Southport in July.

Charles and Camilla met locals at a reception where refreshments were provided by Havens Cafe, whose owner Usman Khalid is a former asylum seeker who now trains refugees to be baristas.

The King spoke to Usman and said his coffee 'looks good.'

The black and white image shows a young Caroline shaking hands with Charles, 76, who would have been around 21 years old at the time

Camilla handed over two bags of Buckingham Palace teddy bears to community group Citizens UK who will donate the toys to local children

Outside, the King enjoyed a rendition by A Little Choir of Joy, a children's choir made up of 8 to 12 year-olds from across schools in the borough

King Charles attends reception at Waltham Forest Town Hall in east London

Camilla handed over two bags of Buckingham Palace teddy bears to community group Citizens UK who will donate the toys to local children.

George Gaillett, community organiser at Citizens UK, said afterwards: 'The Queen said 'we hope you can distribute this and they can go to the right people'.'

Alexandra Martinelli-Kinmouth, of charity The Together Space, made the King a cup of tea.

She said afterwards: 'I said to him I hope it's not too cold and spoke about my charity.

'He smiled and said he hoped it had some honey in, which it did.'

The King and Queen also donated food to Tracey Rogers, of Highams Park Hub, to be handed out at a food bank.

The bags of Waitrose Duchy Originals produce was brought by staff before the couple arrived.

Tracey said afterwards: 'I went to the Coronation and told him the atmosphere was absolutely phenomenal.'

Camilla chats with members of the neighbourhood at the community cohesion event

Queen Camilla beams as she stands alongside a member of the community at the event

Monwara Ali, CEO of Waltham Forest Community Hub, gave the King a high-five.

She said afterwards: 'It's important that our generation, particularly those in leadership roles, need to engage with the younger generation; it's part of our succession plan.

'He was happy to do it and the fact he agreed was amazing.'

Outside, the King enjoyed a rendition by A Little Choir of Joy, a children's choir made up of 8 to 12 year-olds from across schools in the borough.

He also went to speak to the youngsters and said: 'I hope you have a Happy Christmas. And also to your poor teachers.'

The King greeted dozens of well-wishers who turned out while the Queen - who is still suffering from the aftereffects of pneumonia - waited in the car as it was too cold.

King Charles speaks with Ahsan Khan, Deputy Leader of Borough Waltham Forest

Caroline Akuffo, 77, showed the King a black and white photo she had kept framed on her wall from a meeting in Osaka, Japan, in 1970.

She said: 'It was a trade fair. He came to the pavilion and I remember shaking his hands and they were so soft it was like holding cotton wool.

'He was so happy to see the photo and said I was wearing a lovely dress.'

Waltham Forest was officially recognised as a Borough of Sanctuary by the national charity City of Sanctuary in December 2023.

Following the engagement the King and Queen were expected to head off to Sandringham to begin the Royal Family's Christmas break.
After the 'hot assassin' Luigi Mangione debuted a new look behind bars, including what appeared to be freshly groomed eyebrows, people flocked to social media to try to figure out how he was able to get his brows done in jail.

On Thursday, the 26-year-old was photographed wearing an orange prison jumpsuit when he left a Pennsylvania court with a clean-shaven look, debuting a fresh haircut and an apparent eyebrow trim.

Luigi later appeared in a New York City courtroom to face murder charges for the December 4 shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50.

The CEO was shot dead as he walked to a Manhattan hotel where the United States' biggest medical insurer was holding an investor conference.

The pictures quickly made their way to social media, where people wondered where Luigi got his new look.

In a viral X (formerly Twitter) thread, one user tweeted, 'A fade and threaded eyebrows in jail??? They are trying to start a revolution,' in response to before and after pictures of the University of Pennsylvania graduate.

The X user went on to explain, 'Its a prison fade and floss thread, they only got so much behind bars y'all.'

FEMAIL reached out to experts to find out if it is possible to thread eyebrows with dental floss - and what might really be behind Luigi's prison glow up.

When Luigi Mangione arrived in New York on Thursday, social media users noticed he had a fresh shave, haircut, and newly groomed eyebrows

Luigi, 26, was seen wearing his orange prison jumpsuit as he was extradited from Pennsylvania to New York City

In a viral X (formerly Twitter ) thread, one user tweeted, 'A fade and threaded eyebrows in jail??? They are trying to start a revolution,' in response to before and after pictures

On X, the praise for Luigi's new look continued as one user tweeted, 'They did an amazing job with what they had. He's also rocking that orange suit like he's a fashion model.'

'His eyebrows look better than mine now,' another complimented.

Dr. Ross Kopelman, who specializes in eyebrow restoration, provided insight to DailyMail.com

Others thought that the former fraternity brother got his eyebrows done after seeing the brouhaha online about them, as an X user chimed in, 'They saw us say the eyebrows didnt match so they got him cleaned up.'

However, not everyone thought he groomed his unruly monobrow with dental floss.

'Pretty sure they get a barber visit before the trial, especially for something this public, right?' one person asked.

'From my experience, we could see an actual barber with clippers every other Tuesday if you made an appt in time, but if an inmate had the means to line you up in their cell, then you could get right whenever,' a former prisoner responded.

Kopelman Hair Restoration hair transplant surgeon Dr. Ross Kopelman, who specializes in eyebrow restoration, told DailyMail.com, 'If the brows were shaved by a barber, we would typically expect to see a flat, even stubble surface left behind, especially when viewed up close.'

Dr. Kopelman explained that when brows or trimmed with clippers or a razor, 'the result might look clean from a distance but would lack the precise definition.'

Dr. Kopelman explained that when brows or trimmed with clippers or a razor, 'the result might look clean from a distance but would lack the precise definition'

A fade and threaded eyebrows in jail??? They are trying to start a revolution https://t.co/me1utiWnC2  b (@twunkez) December 19, 2024

On X, the praise for Luigi's new look continued as one user tweeted, 'They did an amazing job with what they had. He's also rocking that orange suit like he's a fashion model'

'Threading, on the other hand, involves removing hairs at the follicle level, which creates a sharper, cleaner appearance around the edges of the brows,' Dr. Kopelman, who's based in New York, told FEMAIL. 'This method is particularly effective for sculpting intricate brow shapes because it removes even the fine, vellus hairs that shaving often leaves behind.'

'Threading could explain the polished look of his brows, though it requires skill and a tool - traditionally, a cotton or polyester thread twisted to pull hairs out by the root,' Dr. Kopelman theorized.

'The claim circulating online about threading with dental floss is technically plausible but less conventional,' Dr. Kopelman said.

'Threading relies on the friction and twisting action of the thread to pluck hairs, and dental floss, being strong and pliable, could potentially work in a similar manner.'

Luigi had much fuller brows when he arrived for an extradition hearing at Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania on December 10

The University of Pennsylvania graduate also looked different after his arrest in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on December 9, 2024

'However, achieving professional-grade threading results with floss would require significant skill and precision. It's not something an average person could easily replicate, particularly without prior threading experience.'

Dr. Kopelman believes that Luigi would have had to improvise in prison with 'makeshift tools,' like 'small, sharpened objects to trim or shave the brows, or even fire-singed methods to burn away hairs in a controlled manner.'

'These methods could potentially result in a clean look, but achieving Mangione's level of refinement under such conditions would require creativity and expertise.'

'The strikingly clean and deliberate appearance of his brows does suggest they were shaped with care and skill, whether by a barber, a skilled hand using threading techniques, or some other method, Dr. Kopelman revealed.

Celebrity eyebrow specialist Joey Healy, based in New York City, also weighed in about his brow transformation.

'I think this heavy, unibrowed look seemed stormy and almost menacing because it placed such heaviness around the eye area,' Joey said. 'Now, maybe this is part of his cleaned-up look to make him a more likable vigilante.'

Joey agreed that he didn't appear to use a razor because there's no stubble - instead, he thinks it's thread, although unlikely it's dental floss, because of its waxy coating.

'The interesting thing is thread can come from anything: a piece of clothing, a mattress,' Joey said.
Princess Beatrice's stepson Wolfie was shocked to learn his friend was given 15,000 from the tooth fairy, his mother Dara Huang recently revealed.

Dara, 41, documented her and son Christopher 'Wolfie' Woolf Mapelli Mozzi's whirlwind trip to the United States, before the eight-year-old returned to the UK for Kate's Christmas carol concert earlier this month.

Sharing pictures of Wolfie from their holiday on Instagram, the architect captioned her post: 'What a beautiful week! A lot of trips to Target and being with my favourite people, spending all my time with my colleagues, friends and family- so grateful for every second.'

She also revealed her 'favourite Wolfie quote of the week' that was delivered after her son learned one of his friends was given 15,000 from the tooth fairy.

Recalling Wolfie's hilarious one-liner, Dara wrote: 'My favourite Wolfie quote of the week to his friend Lucian: What do you mean you got 15,000 pounds from the Tooth Fairy!?!

"If you tell your parents they would freak out!!!

British presenter AJ Odudu left a comment under Dara's post, with the pair having become friends when the Harvard graduate judged Channel 4's The Big Interiors Battle in 2023.

AJ's noted how generous the tooth fairy had been, writing: '15k a tooth?!! Send that tooth fairy round to mine asap.'

Dara, 41, documented her and son Christopher 'Wolfie' Woolf Mapelli Mozzi's whirlwind trip to the United States in an Instagram post

She also revealed her 'favourite Wolfie quote of the week' that was delivered after her son learned one of his friends was given 15,000 from the tooth fairy

Dara shares Wolfie with Beatrice's now-husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, with the royal affectionately referring to their son as her 'bonus son'.

Reflecting on Princess Beatrice's relationship with her son, Dara told Harper's Bazaar: 'Wolfie has had two sets of parents trying to help him on bothsides, and I just think, "The more, the merrier".'

Dara and Edoardo became engaged in 2017 after the pair met in 2015. One year later, they had their son.

But their relationship was short-lived and they parted ways in 2018 - just weeks before rumours broke out that Edoardo and Princess Beatrice were in a relationship.

When asked if it was love at first sight with Edoardo, she previously told Lifestyle Asia: 'He was the father of my child, and he left as quickly as he came, so I would say unfortunately it's not an instinct you can trust!'

However, Edoardo is said to enjoy an amicable relationship with Dara.

In recent years, Wolfie has joined the Royal Family on official engagements, such as the Princess of Wales's 2024 carol concert.

He was pictured walking alongside Edoardo and Beatrice, who is pregnant with her second child, as they arrived at Westminster Abbey.

Wolfie made his first official appearance with the family at the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee pageant in 2022.

Dara also shared pictures of Wolfie from their holiday on Instagram

In recent years, Wolfie has joined the Royal Family on official engagements, such as the Princess of Wales's 2024 carol concert

He was pictured walking alongside Edoardo and Beatrice, who is pregnant with her second child, as they arrived at Westminster Abbey

He sat in between his father and stepmother, who refers to him as her 'bonus son', in the royal box outside Buckingham Palace.

Dara's father emigrated from Taiwan to the US before he became a NASA rocket scientist.

She has an undergraduate degree from the University of Florida - where she grew up - and a masters in architecture from Harvard.

She has spoken openly about being a child of immigrants on social media.

In March 2022, she wrote on Instagram: 'What does an immigrant look like? My mother was an immigrant of war; leaving everything she had to flee to Taiwan.

'My father, was the only child of 7 who could afford to be educated. He immigrated to the USA on a full scholarship.

'After, he served the US government for 40 years at NASA (once part of the military) and pledged his allegiance to defend his new country.

'I am an immigrant of the United Kingdom. The values of working hard, appreciating opportunity, not taking things for granted and fighting for a better life were the values that I was taught led by the two best examples. We all received dual citizenship.'

Princess Beatrice's stepson Wolfie made his first official appearance at a royal family event when joining Beatrice and Edo at the Platinum Jubilee Pageant today

She continued: 'Immigration can be a wonderful thing; a contribution to society, a creation of new prosperity and the beginning of hope. Let's open our hearts and help those around us, at this time.'

Dara has since established her own architecture and interior design company, Design Haus Liberty, in 2013 and later founded Vivahouse, which converts disused commercial properties into living spaces.

She has worked on projects including the Tate Modern Museum in London and the Tribeca skyscraper in New York.

She has won awards including the Clifford Wong Prize, the KPF Travelling Fellowship and the Young Architects Award.

She has previously appeared as an expert on Channel 4 programme Britain's Most Expensive Houses.

Speaking to Architecture Magazine in February, Dara opened up about her upbringing inspired her line of work.

She explained: 'I loved drawing in my childhood and this led to a career in architecture.

'Growing up, I was exposed to diverse cultures and their unique architectural marvels.

He also attended Kate's 2023 Christmas carol concert last year

'I remember being fascinated by the way different spaces made me feel and how design could profoundly influence our experiences.'

Dara was granted British citizenship in January 2022 - she announced the news with a picture holding her new citizenship in front of a Union Flag and a portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth.

She currently lives in Chelsea, West London, with her son, and is in a relationship with London-based financier, Filippos Kodellas de la Morena, whom she met in 2020.

When her former fiance and Beatrice announced their engagement, she told MailOnline: 'I wish the best for Edoardo and Beatrice and look forward to uniting our families.'

Beatrice has been described as a hands-on stepmother, whilst her mother Sarah Ferguson has said she considers Wolfie a grandson.
Andrew Scott has revealed what he believes to be the fate of his divisive character in the hit film All Of Us Strangers.

The actor, 48, played screenwriter Adam in the stirring movie which blurs the lines between reality and fantasy.

It's based on the 1987 novel Strangers by Taichi Yamada and in the end viewers are left questioning whether the protagonist has been dead or alive the whole time.

Now - weighing into a popular debate among fans - Adam has expressed that he 'doesn't believe' his character had passed away, which many theorise may be the case.

Speaking to The Guardian, he expressed: 'People have come up with extraordinarily personal and creative ideas about what they think the film is saying.

'All of Us Strangers is great because it ignites the audience's imaginations and sometimes there's a poverty of imagination in our movies.

'Sometimes, the worst thing you can do is to reduce the magic by over-explaining it. I guess that's my way of saying I'm not answering that.'

The movie has had people in tears since its release back in January with many believing it was overlooked at this year's award season.

Andrew Scott has revealed what he believes to be the fate of his divisive character in the hit film All Of Us Strangers

The actor, 48, played screenwriter Adam in the stirring movie which blurs the lines between reality and fantasy

The emotional drama starring Andrew and Paul Mescal ties together a beautiful romance with deep grief, as Andrew's character, Adam, remains deeply affected by the death of his parents (Claire Foy and Jamie Bell).

The film begins as we meet Adam living a life of solitude in his derelict high-rise city apartment in London.

Watching Frankie Goes To Hollywood performing The Power Of Love on his TV, a motif that continues to recur throughout the film, Adam then gets a knock on the door as he meets his neighbour Harry, played by Paul Mescal.

As Harry arrives drunk holding a bottle of whiskey he quotes the lyrics from the Frankie Goes To Hollywood hit, whispering: 'I'll protect you from the hooded claw/ Keep the vampires from your door'.

After asking Adam whether he can join him for the night, Adam declines, but he later meets Harry in the lift, and the pair begin a passionate relationship.

As Adam learns to love someone and let someone in, he remains deeply affected by the death of his parents after they both died in a car crash when he was 11 years old.

The film depicts a romance between Harry and Adam. However Harry dies the very night he meets Adam, as is discovered later in the film

Throughout the film, Andrew continues to visit his parents in his childhood home, which is just as he remembered them in the 1980s (pictured Claire Foy who plays his mother)

Throughout the film, Andrew continues to visit his parents in his childhood home, which is just as he remembered them in the 1980s.

After saying goodbye to his parents for the final time in a deeply emotional interaction, Adam appears ready to move on from his grief and begin a life with Harry.

However, he returns to Harry's flat to discover his dead body beside the same bottle of whiskey he was carrying when he turned up at Adam's door that first night.

As Adam stares in a state of shock at Harry's body, the door goes again and Harry enters wearing the same pink jumper from that first night as he asks: 'I'm in there, aren't I?'

When he weeps in Adam's arms it becomes clear - Harry has been dead the entire film after he died the night Adam declined to spend the night with him.

Yet once you realise, the clues throughout the film begin to present themselves.

Firstly, on the night they meet Harry is holding the same Japanese whiskey he is found with when he dies, and is wearing the same ratty pink jumper.

The pair are also the only two occupants in the building, and Harry mentions that the windows have been locked to stop people from jumping.

The emotional drama starring Andrew and Paul Mescal ties together a beautiful romance with deep grief

Adam then visits his parents as we learn for the first time that he can see dead people and interact with them in an incredibly lifelike way.

After his visit he meets Harry in the lift and their relationship begins. Growing closer throughout the film, the pair go on a blurry night out together and it gets increasingly difficult to make out what is real.

This is where things become rather confusing as after Adam takes a huge dose of ketamine is unclear what is reality.

As lights flash and the music blares, Harry disappears and Adam's vision becomes distorted as he struggles to make out if Harry is really there or not.

On the tube ride home Harry keeps appearing and disappearing as Adam loses his grasp of reality.

At the end of the film, Adam enters Harry's flat and finds an empty bag of drugs and bottle of whiskey before he sees Harry's body and realises he has overdosed.

It is implied that the body is in an advanced state of decomposition as Adam recoils from the smell - suggesting he has been dead for a long time and no one has noticed.

However, is Adam dead too?

Now - weighing into a popular debate among fans - Adam has expressed that he 'doesn't believe' his character had passed away, which many theorise may be the case. Andrew and Paul pictured in February

Some theories suggest that the main character is also not alive, hence why he can interact with dead people so easily.

Adam strangely lives in an empty apartment block, perhaps implying that there is a reason no one else resides there or he doesn't really live there at all.

At the beginning of the film a fire alarm goes off, prompting one theory that Adam died in a fire that day, trapping his spirit with Harry.

Speaking about this theory, director Andrew Haigh said: 'Someone asked me the other day if they'd all died when the building burnt down. They said, "Oh, did the building burn down at the beginning or the end?" And I'm like, "Building burned down?"

'But it's because there's a fire alarm in the beginning, and I think someone thought that maybe when he went out and came back in again, they both burned to death in the apartment and the rest of it is some kind of purgatory.

'I kind of like that idea, actually. I know lots of people think that maybe Adam is not alive and I can understand why they might think that. The opening shot is a strange shot and there are sometimes times that I think that maybe he's not alive as well.'

Another debate is whether the ghosts are real or not?

There is a theory that Adam's parents and Harry aren't actual ghosts and could just be figments of Adam's imagination.

Early on we learn that Adam is writing a script about his parents, therefore all the visits to his childhood home could be imagined as part of his project.

However, this doesn't explain why Adam is unable to understand that Harry is also a ghost even though he knows this is true of his parents.

Either way Adam has curated these figures in his life out of his own loneliness and grief as he struggles to move on from his childhood trauma and find his place in the world.
At 64, Judy King sat on a psychologist's couch, her life poised on the edge of a revelation.

Memories she had long buried erupted like a landslide, leaving her breathless and in tears.

For decades, the Sydney-born woman had locked away the pain inflicted by those meant to love her most. But as the walls of repression crumbled, a harrowing picture emerged - one she could no longer ignore.

Piece by piece, Judy began reconstructing her fractured past, tracing her journey back to when she left Australia so many years earlier. What surfaced was a lifetime of trauma that would break most: a childhood marred by abuse from her father, a teenagehood violated by her uncle's rape, and the heartbreak of giving up her baby girl for adoption at just 19.

'I didn't just feel worthless - I believed I was at the very bottom of humanity's ladder,' Judy shares. 'I was a prisoner of my own inner chaos, completely disconnected from the world and how others saw me.'

'I was afraid of everything as a child,' she continues. 'Self-confidence wasn't just low - it was non-existent.'

Now 82 and living in Mallorca, Spain, Judy exudes a strength forged through decades of healing. Though she misses her homeland, she's finally ready to share her story - a testament to resilience, survival and reclaiming the self.

Abused by her father as a child, raped by her uncle as a teenager then having to say goodbye to her baby girl at 19 - it would be enough to crush anyone. That's what happened to Judy King (pictured left with her two brothers in an undated childhood photo)

'I believed I occupied the lowest rung on the human ladder,' says Judy (pictured here in her twenties, after giving up her daughter for adoption)

As a child, Judy's life was marked by isolation and sacrifice. While her two younger brothers were sent to boarding school, Judy was left behind, 'sacrificed' to stay home with her parents.

Her father, a salesman, was often away, leaving Judy at the mercy of her mother - a woman she describes as volatile and incapable.

'When dad wasn't around, my mother relied on me - she was quite hopeless - but when he came home, she wanted nothing to do with me,' Judy explains.

'She was a strange woman - very hot and cold. Looking back, she was probably a psychopath. She was never a good mother and was incredibly lazy.'

Judy recalls her mother spending days lounging on her bed, adorned with expensive pearls, yet utterly indifferent to the world around her. 'She would call me from another room to fetch her a packet of cigarettes from her bedside table - something she could have easily done herself. That's how lazy she was,' Judy says.

Both of Judy's parents were abusive and neglectful. They never picked her up from school or attended assemblies, treating her as though she were invisible.

Her mother, whom she describes as a 'living embarrassment', always seemed to need help with the simplest tasks. Yet, despite her mother's erratic behaviour, Judy still felt a deep sense of love and a need to protect her.

Growing up on Sydney's North Shore, Judy endured horrific abuse at the hands of her father, while her mother turned a blind eye. Adding to the emotional damage, her parents branded her with cruel labels.

'You were always a dreadful flirt. Everyone said so. You were a classifiable delinquent. Everyone thought so - your school, your grandmother, all the family!' they would taunt.

Judy had no idea what words like 'provocative' or 'flirtatious' even meant as a child, but their accusations stuck, leaving her grappling with misplaced guilt and shame.

Judy grew up Sydney's North Shore where her father abused her and her mother turned a blind eye. Judy was told she was 'provocative' and 'flirtatious' as a child

Judy's life took a harrowing turn when she was sent to live with her uncle and aunt in Maroubra. It was there something utterly baffling happened that would take her years - decades - to properly explain.

She became convinced she had accidentally set the kitchen on fire - a belief her relatives denied, insisting no such event had occurred and dismissing her as 'mad'.

Years later, a flashback prompted by therapy unveiled the truth behind her confusion. Her uncle had taken her to the basement of his Newtown pub, where he assaulted her on an old iron bed, surrounded by beer barrels. The imagined fire was her mind's way of processing the trauma - her way of interpreting the blood and pain she couldn't understand at the time. Though the fire never happened, its emotional weight burned within her for decades.

By 17, Judy was out of Maroubra and sought refuge in a home for the elderly in beachside Coogee. So fraught was that period of time that she still doesn't quite know how she ended up there. Pieces are still missing to this day.

But the new living situation brought no respite. As her awful teenage years drew to a close she became involved with an abusive and controlling boyfriend. He got her pregnant - another catastrophe.

'I was so naive I didn't understand how I could fall pregnant to such an terrible person,' she says. 'I went to the priest to confess and confided in him, despite having committed every sin in the book.'

The priest connected her with a kind-hearted nun who became a lifeline in her darkest hour. 'She was the first person who admired and defended me,' Judy recalls.

The nun helped Judy navigate her pregnancy in secrecy. Together, they decided Judy would give her baby up for adoption, and to protect her identity, she took on a false name: Catherine Johnson.

This new identity, though temporary, brought Judy a sense of escape and empowerment.

'It was thrilling and exciting,' she says. 'I worked at the nursery, getting up at 6am to care for children and change nappies before heading to the office.'

Judy, now 82, started unravelling her past after seeing a psychologist at 64. She has been seeing a therapist for the last 20 years

Amid the chaos of her life, Judy finally found a fleeting sense of stability and purpose.

After giving birth to her baby girl, Judy had only a brief moment to bond with her. If she'd had the chance, she would have named her Rebecca Lea.

By the age of 20, Judy was working in real estate and property development in Paddington, finding solace in restoring old houses. The work became a powerful outlet for her.

'The desire to repair and restore old houses that had fallen into ruins was an external metaphor for what I longed to happen inside me,' she reflects.

Despite the emotional weight she carried, Judy threw herself into her work. 'I worked hard seven days a week but had a marvellous time. The houses in Paddington are beautiful, and I still adore them to this day. I still know the area like the back of my hand.'

In 1968, Judy's father died from an infection that caused his throat to swell shut. He was rushed to Liverpool Hospital but died shortly after arrival.

A year later, at 27, Judy left Australia with her future husband to explore the world. Over the years, she lived in London, Kuala Lumpur, Sri Lanka and eventually Mallorca.

Judy put her story into words and self-published a book titled 'Agnes, A Childhood Betrayed and Reclaimed'

Her marriage, like much of her life, was marked by pain. It lasted seven years and was abusive. Moving to Spain wasn't Judy's dream - it was her ex-husband's - but she's since grown to accept it.

'Relationships were never my strong point. When you have an abusive childhood, you gravitate towards toxic people,' Judy says.

'You can't control it; it's like I was going back to my parents in a way. You gravitate towards what you know and what feels familiar.'

Judy never had the chance to meet her daughter.

After her mother's death, Judy's brother uncovered a box of letters addressed to her, letters she hadn't known existed. By then, it was too late to reply.

'My brother called me saying he'd found these old letters addressed to me, but he had no idea who they were from 0 he still didn't know I had a daughter,' Judy says.

'I didn't know what he was talking about until I saw the letters myself. I tried my best to find her in 2006 but couldn't - it was impossible. To this day, I have no information about her.'

Though she has made peace with the situation, Judy admits it still weighs on her. 'It's always in the back of my mind. I had no option but to give her up when I was younger because I had no money.'

Today, Judy focuses on herself - a form of self-care she never knew growing up. She doesn't resent her parents anymore. In fact, she feels nothing for them at all.

Despite the painful memories tied to Sydney, Judy has managed to reclaim the city in her own way. Seventeen years later, she returned to launch her book, Agnes: A Childhood Betrayed and Reclaimed.

'I dream about Potts Point. I would live in Australia again if I could. Sydney is one of the most beautiful places to live, and I miss it,' she says.
After Luigi Mangione was apprehended last week and charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, America was astonished to learn that the 26-year-old was the privileged son of wealthy parents with the world seemingly at his feet.

Yet, the accused assassin is also thought to be afflicted with spondylolisthesis, a debilitating back problem.

Here, Amiee Thomason, a 28-year-old single mother living in Oklahoma City, reveals her own devastating experience living with the same excruciating condition

I was shocked when I saw the X-ray of Luigi Mangione's back that went viral on social media.

He, like me, seems to suffer from spondylolisthesis.

There's been a lot of speculation about motive and what might have driven Mangione  if he indeed turns out to be guilty  to kill a man in cold blood. The pain caused by his condition  which is brought on by slipped vertebrae in the spine  has been a big part of that discussion.

Of course, it goes without saying that murder is always wrong. But I also know, from first-hand experience, what torture it is to live with spondylolisthesis.

It's the agony of two bones rubbing against each other. It's debilitating  and constantly in flux. It can be an intense sharp pain, or a burning. At other times, it can send nerve pain shooting down both legs.

Aimee Thomason (pictured), a 28-year-old single mother living in Oklahoma City, reveals her own devastating experience with spondylolisthesis.

Thomason didn't know she had spondylolisthesis until after she'd given birth to her daughter in 2018. (Pictured: Aimee's spine with the slipped verterbrae).

At my worst, it would leave me in tears, sometimes bed-bound for days.

It's no exaggeration to say it feels like a death sentence  to be so young and have a back problem of this sort.

I was born with a congenital 'bilateral pars defect', which is a sort of stress fracture in the lower spine. I didn't know I even had the condition until I gave birth to my daughter, aged 21 in 2018.

The stress on my body from giving birth worsened the fracture and, in the months following, a terrible pain emerged.

I hoped it would fade, but it only got worse. So, in 2019, I went to a chiropractor who suggested a routine of exercises and prescribed some cortisol shots in my back.

Still, the pain worsened. I had to start sitting in the bath to shower. And during my day job as a hairdresser, I had to sit on a saddle stool and started missing shifts.

I was also drinking a lot  after a while, it was the only thing that kept me going.

By 2022, aged 26, I had almost stopped work entirely and I'd ceased being able to do all the things other young, single mothers could: I couldn't take my daughter to the playground or watch her at her dance recitals because standing and sitting still were both now agonizing.

There's been a lot of speculation about motive and what might have driven Mangione (pictured) - if he indeed turns out to be guilty - to kill a man in cold blood. The pain caused by his condition has been a big part of that discussion.

An X-ray of Luigi Mangione's (pictured) back went viral on social media.

Spondylolisthesis also ruins your sex life  it messes up the nerves that connect you with down there and it can leave permanent damage.

A friend of Mangione said that the accuser killer once told him that he wasn't in a relationship because, '[Mangione] knew that dating and being physically intimate with his back condition wasnt possible.'

My doctor told me that sexual dysfunction is more prevalent in male spondylolisthesis patients and that, while they'll often still be able to perform in bed, they might not be able to enjoy sex or reach completion because of the pain.

In my case, damage to my nerves meant it took me forever to reach orgasm.

So, I found myself constantly faking it with my then-boyfriend (the first man I dated after splitting from my daughter's father). After a while, that got pretty exhausting, and it would start arguments because my boyfriend couldn't understand.

He pushed me to see a specialist, which I did, finally receiving news that I needed surgery. But it also precipitated my decision to breakup with my boyfriend  as I'd realized how traumatic the treatment and recovery would be.

The fact I needed surgery was doubly devastating because I'm a self-employed, single mom and only have the bare-minimum health insurance coverage.

My daughter and I moved in with my mother, leaving my own rental apartment, and I asked my insurer if they would cover the procedure.

They said no, and that I had to do physical therapy and a series of epidural steroid injections to manage the pain.

I complied, once. But the injection made me pass out.

In the end, I was lucky and instead was able to go through Mercy Charity, a wonderful organization which matches you with a sponsor. They found someone who remained anonymous and committed to cover most of the bills, which otherwise would have cost me $227,000.

I had the surgery in October. It was extremely invasive and terrifying.

They cut me from the front as if I were undergoing a caesarean section. They then placed a small metal cage in front of the section of my spine that had slipped, turned me over and placed rods into two of my vertebrae, fixing them to the cage to hold my spine in the correct position.

By 2022, Aimee (pictured with her daughter) almost stopped work entirely and ceased being able to do all the things other young mothers could.

There have been suggestions online that Mangione had undergone a similar surgery like, but that something had gone wrong.

When I woke up, the relief from the pain was instant. And (as I discovered after recovery) straightening my spine even made me a little taller.

I had to stay in hospital for ten days, but the surgery was undoubtedly the best thing I ever could have done.

Of course, I'm still healing from the operation, but the chronic pain is gone.

I've seen some suggestion online that Mangione had undergone surgery like mine for his condition, but that something had gone wrong during the procedure, leaving him in an even worse state. Though I don't know if that's truly the case.

I have also read unconfirmed stories about his use of illegal psychedelics to manage his pain. I can understand that impulse.

Personally, I've never tried 'magic mushroom' therapies  but I wouldn't be against it.

Before my operation, I was using the anti-inflammatory drug Voltaren and taking regular saunas to ease the pain. I also became a medical marijuana user, which helped me a lot, and I still use it for pain management to this day.

Thankfully, I've always resisted taking opioids. It is all too easy in America to jump on the pain management train and find yourself unable to get off.

But that's often easier said than done. And if you're in that much pain, you might just try anything.
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Health chiefs have criticised firms for selling festive-flavoured vapes to children as they revealed 170 kids have been hospitalised from vaping.

More than one child every week is now being admitted to hospital with vaping-related injuries, with the rate increasing five-fold in five years.

Health bosses said flavours such as mince pie, candy cane, Christmas pudding and gingerbread are likely to be appealing to younger age groups but there is nothing joyful or fun about the serious effect vaping can have on their health.

It is illegal to sell vapes to under-18s but NHS England found online stores are pumping out Christmas deals and festive flavours that can be purchased with little to no checks.

It called on stores to tighten up their controls in a bid to stem the tide of children getting hooked on nicotine and falling ill.

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, national medical director at NHS England, said: More than 30 children and young people being admitted to hospital oven seven months for conditions linked to vaping, such as breathlessness and potential lung damage, is simply alarming.

With vape companies pumping out Christmas deals and festive flavours, like Christmas pudding, candy cane, mince pies or gingerbread, they are likely to be appealing to younger age groups, and despite websites often stating vapes are for over 18s, it is possible to purchase them with little to no checks.

While vapes can be a useful tool to help adults quit smoking, they should not be used by children and under 18s - theres nothing joyful or fun about the serious effect they can have on young peoples health as well as the potential long-term consequences.

Health bosses said flavours such as mince pie, candy cane, Christmas pudding and gingerbread are likely to be appealing to younger age groups (file image)

More than one child every week is now being admitted to hospital with vaping-related injuries (file image)

We urge online retailers to ensure they have proper checks in places, including age verification, to avoid young people purchasing festive flavoured vapes over the festive period.

New analysis by NHS England reveals 31 children were admitted to hospital with vaping-related injuries between March and October this year, a rate of 4.42 a month.

This is up from 11 child admissions across the whole of 2020/21, when the rate was 0.91 per month.

There were 37 such admissions in 2021/22, 40 in 2022/23 and 51 in 2023/24.

There have been 280 hospitalisations with vaping-related disorders across all age groups from March to October this year, up from 177 across the whole of 2020/21.

Youth vaping has more than doubled in the last four years, with the government blaming the targeting of vapes to children via flavours, branding and advertising.

In 2023, one in four 11 to 15-year olds had tried vaping.

Indoor vaping will be banned in public places and bright packaging and fruity flavours restricted as part of a major government crackdown on the habit.

New analysis by NHS England reveals 31 children were admitted to hospital with vaping-related injuries between March and October this year (file image)

As of February, a total of 1,009 reactions to vapes have been recorded by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. Here are the 10 most common reports

Retailers will be forced to obtain a licence to sell vapes and tobacco and could face fines of up to 2,500 for breaching stricter rules.

Under ministers plans, manufacturers will have to sell vapes in plain packaging and stop producing tasty flavours in a bid to make them less attractive to children.

The gadgets will be hidden from view in shops, as is already the case with cigarettes, and there will be a ban on vaping advertising and sponsorship.

Shops could face on the spot fines of 200 if caught flouting the law by trading standards, while repeat offenders could face stiffer financial penalties in court and have their licence revoked.

The new world-leading reforms feature in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which the Government introduced to Parliament last month [November].

Disposable vapes are also due to be banned from 1 June 2025 under separate environmental legislation.

The proposals, which will be subject to public consultation, are aimed at protecting children from becoming hooked on nicotine while enabling adult smokers to use vapes as a quit aid.

Professor Chris Whitty, the Chief Medical Officer for England, has described the rising numbers of children vaping as a major concern and said the marketing of vapes to children is utterly unacceptable.

Caroline Cerny, deputy chief executive at Action on Smoking and Health, said: Currently unscrupulous manufacturers can brand, and market vapes so they appeal to children which is unacceptable.

Vapes are a valuable quitting tool and less harmful than smoking, but as this data shows, theyre not risk free.

Legislation currently going through Parliament will help address this, and regulations to stop vapes being marketed to children must be prioritised.

While this data is very concerning, it must also be remembered that smoking remains far more lethal and many, many more children will be admitted to hospital each year as a consequence of exposure to smoke.

It is vital the Government continues to tackle smoking alongside developing responsible regulations for vapes.
A record number of humans, cattle and birds have been infected with bird flu this year, in a wave that experts have called 'astounding.'

And this week, the US reported its first severe human case of H5N1  with California declaring a state of emergency over the virus just hours later.

The CDC still says the virus poses a 'low' threat to the public, adding there is no evidence it has started to spread from person-to-person.

But infectious disease experts are alarmed over the figures, warning the scale of cases and every infection outside of birds raises the risk of the virus gaining mutations, allowing it to spread between people.

Dr Marc Johnson, a virologist at the University of Missouri, said on X: 'This virus might not go pandemic, but it is really trying hard, and it sure is getting a lot of opportunities.'

Overall, figures show since the virus was detected in the US in January 2022, more than 12,000 wild and domestic flocks have been infected.

After the virus spread to cows this year, it was diagnosed in 866 herds across 16 states  with the majority in California and Colorado.

And 61 cases have now been detected in humans across nine states this year, the most cases reported in the US in at least two decades. Before the current outbreak, the last human case of bird flu was in 1997.

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California has declared a state of emergency over the emerging bird flu pandemic (stock of workers wearing hazmat suits). The above shows workers in the Eden Valley, Minnesota, in 2015. They were responding to a bird flu outbreak at a poultry farm

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The patients almost all had direct contact with either infected birds or cattle, and only suffered mild symptoms  such as conjunctivitis, or pink eye.

However, the tide has started to shift to those who don't work with birds or cattle.

In September, a patient in Missouri became the first to be infected without any direct exposure to infected animals. It's unclear how they became ill.

A teenager in California who was not exposed to infected cattle was sickened last month.

And the disease may be evolving to become more dangerous. A strain linked to wild birds has caused severe disease in humans, including a patient in Louisiana and a teenager in Canada  who was hospitalized for at least three weeks and needed help to breathe.

There is no evidence any of the patients spread the disease to other patients.

However, the virus has been detected in unpasteurized or 'raw' milks, leading the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to announce that all companies handling raw milk will be required to share samples for testing upon request.

Many experts, including officials at the World Health Organization, have criticized the US response to the outbreak.

Experts have described it as a pandemic 'unfolding in slow motion.' Until last month, nearly all testing of cattle and of people exposed to infected cows were voluntary.

Even now, mandatory testing is limited only to cattle moving between state lines.

Cases have also been sporadically recorded in pigs, which has concerned researchers because these animals can catch both human and bird strains of flu  and could be 'mixing vessels' for a new strain of bird flu virus.

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This map shows cases of the virus detected in wild mammals, such as red foxes and seals

And infections have been recorded among 419 non-bird wild animals in the US since May 2022, including red foxes, skunks, seals and raccoons.

Experts warned these animals may pick up the virus after eating from carcasses of birds that had died from the bird flu.

Wastewater surveillance for the virus has also picked up traces in 60 of the more than 250 sites monitored across the US.

In California and Iowa, more than 80 percent of samples have tested positive.

The US already has a stockpile of about 20million bird flu vaccines in its national stockpile, officials say, which are 'well matched' to the H5N1 virus.

It also has the capacity to quickly make 100million more if necessary. However, the Biden administration said earlier this month that it has no plans to authorize a vaccine.

There are also supplies of antivirals such as oseltamivir (Tamiflu)  which used to treat the latest US bird flu patient in Louisiana  available.

Still ongoing, is work to develop a bird flu vaccine for poultry and tests showing that human antivirals would work just as well on sick cows.
A British woman who developed an Italian accent  despite never visiting the country  has told how she feels she has 'lost [her] identity'.

Althia Bryden, 58, fears her new distinctive accent is stuck after suffering a stroke in May that left her unable to feel the upper right side of her body.

After rushing to hospital, doctors diagnosed the retired customer service advisor with aphasia, when someone has difficulty with their language or speech and she later underwent surgery in August to remove the blockage to her brain.

But when she woke from this, she discovered she had a new accent, which medics suggested was the extraordinarily rare condition foreign accent syndrome (FAS).

The mother-of-two, from Highbury in north London, says she now slips Italian words and mannerisms including 'mamma mia' and 'si' into conversation without even realising.

It means she is just one of a handful of people to have ever experienced the speech disorder, which usually occurs as a complication from a stroke or head injury.

Recalling her ordeal, she said: 'Even my laugh is not the same. I'm not me, it's like someone is impersonating me.

'I feel like a clown with an upside-down smile that people are watching perform.

Althia Bryden, 58, fears her new distinctive accent is stuck after suffering a stroke in May that left her unable to feel the upper right side of her body

After rushing to hospital, doctors diagnosed the retired customer service advisor with aphasia, when someone has difficulty with their language or speech and she underwent surgery in August to remove the blockage to her brain

'They are laughing, but I still have an upside-down smile. It's very sad  everything is different, even my body language is different.

'People aren't meeting the original me, I don't know who I am.'

On May 4, Mrs Bryden's husband Winston, 63, found her unresponsive in bed and her face visibly drooping on the right side.

After immediately calling for an ambulance she was rushed to hospital where she discovered she had also lost the ability to speak.

Doctors pinpointed the cause of her stroke as a carotid web  a rare shelf-like structure in the neck that can interrupt blood flow to the brain.

'The only thing I could do was point,' Mrs Bryden said.

'Doctors gave me a notepad, then I realised I couldn't write because I'm right-handed and if someone wrote something down, I could not read it.

'My brain couldn't understand it  it was very frightening for me and I felt afraid and confused.

On May 4, Mrs Bryden's husband Winston, 63, found her unresponsive in bed and her face visibly drooping on the right side

Doctors pinpointed the cause of her stroke as a carotid web  a rare shelf-like structure in the neck that can interrupt blood flow to the brain

'I felt like a shell of the person I once was. I was so alone and isolated, and I remember feeling just totally lost.'

She spent nine days in hospital before being discharged and returned to hospital for surgery to remove the carotid web in August.

Following the operation, a nurse woke her to take her blood pressure and Mrs Bryden responded without thinking, she claimed.

'Completely out of the blue, I just started speaking,' she said. '[The nurse] looked as shocked as I did.

'I remember thinking, "Who is that talking?". I couldn't believe it was me talking, but I also didn't recognise the sound of my voice.

'The nurse rushed to get colleagues round to my bed. No one could believe I was talking after so long.

'But the more I spoke, the more confused we all became.

'They asked me if I had an Italian accent before my stroke and were telling me I had a strong accent.

Following the operation, a nurse woke her to take her blood pressure and Mrs Bryden responded without thinking, she claimed

While strokes are the most common cause of FAS it can also occur following trauma to the brain, bleeding in the brain or a brain tumour

'Doctors and nurses saw me as a bit of a medical marvel  none of the nurses, doctors, therapists or surgeons had dealt with FAS in their whole careers.

'This is when I realised just how rare this condition is. I wish more people knew about it.'

She is currently awaiting a formal diagnosis.

While strokes are the most common cause of FAS it can also occur following trauma to the brain, bleeding in the brain or a brain tumour.

Other causes reported in medical journals include multiple sclerosis and conversion disorder, when someone experiences temporary physical symptoms, such as blindness or paralysis.

Cases have been documented around the world, including people changing their accent from pure Japanese to Japanese with a Korean accent and British English to English with a French accent.

Foreign accent syndrome: What do we know? Foreign accent syndrome is a rare disorder that sees the patient speak with a different accent than their natural speaking style. It is usually the result of a head or brain injury, with strokes being the most common cause. FAS can also occur after trauma to the brain, bleeding in the brain or a brain tumour. Other causes have also been reported including multiple sclerosis and conversion disorder. It has only been recorded 150 times worldwide since its discovery in 1907. FAS has been documented in cases around the world, including accent changes from Japanese to Korean, British English to French and Spanish to Hungarian. It causes suffers to pronounce vowels in different manners, move their tongue and jaw differently while speaking to produce a different sound and even substitute words for others they may not normally use. In some cases no clear cause has been identified. Foreign accent syndrome can last months or years, or sometimes it may even be permanent. Advertisement

But in some cases no clear cause has been identified.

FAS, which is still poorly understood, can also last months or years, it can sometimes even be permanent.

'Before, I didn't sound like the Queen, but I sounded British,' Mrs Bryden said.

'I've always lived in London, but all my family are from Jamaica.'

When visiting her in hospital, one of Mrs Bryden's sons couldn't help but laugh and was forced to leave the room to compose himself, she said.

She can even hear the accent in her thoughts. whenever she utters an unfamiliar word, Mrs Bryden and her husband have to search for its meaning to understand it.

'I have no idea I'm about to do it  my brain just converts the English word into Italian,' she said.

'It always takes me and Winston by complete surprise. I'll randomly say things like "mamma mia" or "bambino".

'The first time I did it, I was talking to my brother-in-law, and I said "si" as he was talking.

While she says she feels 'lucky to be alive' after suffering the stroke, she does wake up each morning hoping the accent has vanished.

She also says she finds it difficult to introduce herself to new people as she has to explain her situation, often leaving them confused.

'I'm still looking for the person I was before,' Mrs Bryden added. 'Where do I go to find the button to switch this stuff off?'

She has since sought help from a speech and language therapist and the Stroke Association, attending support groups. The charity has also arranged home visits from a coordinator for her.

'They're a listening ear for me,' she said. 'It made me realise having FAS is part of my story, and I shouldn't be ashamed.'

'I want to meet someone with it, and be able to relate to someone and have that connection.'

Juliet Bouverie OBE, chief executive of the Stroke Association, said: 'Every day in the UK over 240 people wake up to the catastrophic impact of a stroke, which can leave survivors unable to move, see, speak, or even swallow.

'It's a traumatic, life-changing event that robs survivors and their families of the life they knew.

'Recovery for a stroke survivor is a hard slog of gruelling and repetitive therapy.

'But with strength, determination and the right support, recovery is possible.

'We support stroke survivors and their families to find the strength they need to find their way back to life.'
A woman has sensationally claimed that coming off the Pill left her 'disgusted' by men and 'turned me lesbian'.

Amy Parker, from Adelaide in Australia, ditched her hormonal birth control in February after ending her seven-year relationship with her ex-boyfriend.

But it was only when the 28-year-old began to date again in May that the thought of meeting men filled her with 'unease'.

After switching her dating app filters to 'women-only' she says she underwent a 'sexual awakening' and could now 'never go back to men'.

She believes the 13 years she spent on the popular form of hormonal contraception somehow masked her true identity.

It comes after three women told MailOnline last year how they also only realised they were gay after coming of the Pill for the first time themselves.

There is little research in this area, but the internet is awash with anecdotes of the same thing happening.

The Pill has a long list of possible side-effects  from weight gain and nausea, to breast tenderness and menstrual cycle changes.

Amy Parker, from Adelaide in Australia, ditched her hormonal birth control in February after ending her seven-year relationship with her ex-boyfriend

But it was only when the 28-year-old began to date again in May that the thought of meeting men filled her with 'disgust and unease'. Pictured, Amy with girlfriend Bonnie

But limited evidence suggests there could be some truth to the claim.

Experts in the field of evolutionary psychology have also long held that changes in women's sex hormones play an important role in what a woman looks for in a mate.

Recalling her bizarre experience, Ms Parker said: 'I'd heard before that the Pill could influence your sexual attraction, but not to this level.

'I'm so glad I came off the Pill and discovered who I truly am and what my sexual preference is. This is me in my truest form. It's very freeing.

'It's frightening to think how much this has influenced potentially the last 13 years of my life.

'I'd always considered myself straight.

'I went on the contraceptive pill at 15 for my periods and stayed on it every day. My doctor told me I didn't need to have a break so I never did.'

Discussing her previous heterosexual relationship, she added: 'I thought he was the one. We were head over heels for each other.

After switching her dating app filters to 'women-only' Amy says she underwent a 'sexual awakening' and could now 'never go back to men'

She believes the 13 years she spent on the popular form of contraception influenced her true identity. Pictured, with girlfriend Bonnie

'We had bought a house and built a life together. We were going to start trying for a family this year.

'He was my absolute best friend and the one person in the world I trusted. By the end, we loved each other but we weren't in love with each other.'

After downloading Hinge and Bumble she found she 'couldn't hold a conversation with any matches' and 'had no interest at all' in pursuing anything further.

'Within two weeks of getting the apps, it just got in my head what if I started chatting to women,' she added.

'I didn't feel the same way that I thought about dating men, that disgust and uneasy feeling. I felt intrigued and excited and like I was doing something a bit cheeky.

'I'd never done anything like this before or had any thoughts like this before. I thought what am I feeling and why am I feeling this way? I was very confused.'

It was then that she met her now-girlfriend of four months Bonnie.

'Being in a relationship with a woman is not even comparable to being in a straight relationship,' Ms Parker said.

After downloading Hinge and Bumble Amy found she 'couldn't hold a conversation with any matches' and 'had no interest at all' in pursuing anything further

'Being in a relationship with a woman is not even comparable to being in a straight relationship,' Ms Parker said

'The emotional intelligence and level of communication is like nothing I've ever experienced before.

'Sleeping with a woman for the first time was a billion emotions at once. Of course, it was new and nerve-wracking but in the same breath exciting and I felt relieved.

'I felt like this is what intimacy on a sexual level should feel like. It was this awakening, eye-opening moment. It felt like I'd been missing out on this my entire life.

'I felt sadness that it took me 28 years to experience this type of intimacy. Now I would say I'm 100 per cent gay. I could never go back to men.'

There are two main types of birth control pills for women  combined oral contraceptives, also called the Pill, and a progestin-only pill.

Both are prescribed by a doctor and taken at the same time each day, with women advised to take a week's break each month.

The combined pill contains artificial version of the female hormones oestrogen and progesterone, which are produced naturally in the ovaries.

It works by preventing the ovaries from releasing an egg each month and thickening the mucus in the neck of the womb, so it is harder for sperm to penetrate the womb and reach an egg.

Side effects of the pill including nausea, breast tenderness or enlargement, headaches, weight gain, missed periods, mood changes, decreased sex drive and vaginal discharge, have long been shared

The NHS says natural family planning can be up to 99 per cent effective when done correctly and around 75 per cent if not used according to instructions. By comparison, the Pill, implant, IUS and IUD are 99 per cent effective with perfect use, while condoms are 98 per cent

The proportion of Brits taking oral contraceptives has fallen by more than two-thirds, from 420,600 in 2012/13 to 126,400 in 2022/23, according to NHS data. Around 555,400 women turned to the health service's sexual and reproductive health services in 2022/23  equivalent to four per cent of 13 to 54-year-olds

The progestin-only pill  sometimes called the mini-pill  only has one synthetic hormone, progestin, and mimics naturally occurring progesterone.

Oestrogen has been linked to some health conditions so women at risk may be recommended this pill.

While it may sound outlandish, there is some evidence the combined and progestin-only oral tablets can alter how women perceive attractiveness.

Research suggests that women who take the Pill have a continued preference for less masculine men.

Women who don't, meanwhile, experience a preference for more masculine men at the most fertile period of their natural cycle, and less masculine men during the second half of their cycle  when levels of the hormone progesterone are high.

One study involving 2,000 women, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, also explored sexual satisfaction and partner attraction among women who met their partners when they were on the pill versus those who only started using birth control after starting the relationship.

Results showed women who met their partners when they were on the pill scored lower in both measures.

They also rated their partner's body and sexual adventurousness lower than the control group.

Last year, NHS figures also suggested thousands of British women had ditched the Pill in favour of a celebrity-inspired 'natural' contraception trend.

Oral contraception use has dropped by more than two-thirds, from 420,600 in 2012/13 to 126,400 in 2022/23.
Many of will be plagued with runny noses, coughs and sore throats this winter. But it can be tricky to tell whether it's a cold or the flu responsible.

Flu figures released this week by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) show cases and hospitalisations have continued to rise.

More than 17 million flu vaccinations have been administered in the UK this year, but still experts fear the outbreak of flu will continue to pick up pace in the coming weeks as a result of more people socialising indoors over Christmas and the New Year.

Separate figures reveal the vomiting bug norovirus  which can also cause diarrhoea  have hit a decade-high.

It comes as health leaders have already warned the health service must brace itself for a 'quad-demic' driven the four winter illnesses  flu, Covid, norovirus and cold-like respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

So what are the tell-tale signs of the flu and norovirus? And how can you tell them apart from the common cold?

Here, MailOnline breaks down the difference between each illness and when you should seek medical help.

Flu figures released this week by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) show cases and hospitalisations have continued to rise

Colds

Rhinoviruses are the most common cause of a cold, but these minor infection of the nose and throat can be due to one of more than 200 different viruses.

If symptoms are mostly restricted to the upper airways, it is likely to be a cold.

Dr Jamie Winn at Universal Drugstore said: 'The common cold and the flu belong to two different viruses, common colds are rhinoviruses whereas flu is from influenza strains.

'Typically the flu tends to be more severe, with more sudden symptoms, and can lead to more complications.'

He explained that while the common cold typically causes a cough, sore throat, and nasal congestion  while the flu can cause a high fever, body aches, and chills.

However, the overlap in symptoms between a cold and the flu, including sneezing and a blocked nose can make clinical diagnoses challenging.

Dr Winn explained that viruses that cause flu and the common cold thrive in cold temperatures, meaning cases are more likely to rise in the winter months.

He said: 'Studies show that viruses, especially flu, travel better in dry air, and colder temperatures mean dryer air.

'Alongside this temperature change, less sunlight means people get less Vitamin D which can help to protect the immune system and protect from respiratory viruses.'

Graphic shows the common symptoms (green tick), occasional and possible symptoms (orange circle) and the symptoms that never occur (red cross) with the common cold, flu and Covid

Another reason for the spread of flu during winter is people spend more time indoors, where there is less ventilation.

He said: 'With the festive season, we also see an increase in travel which can help to spread any cold and flu viruses around the country.

'People also tend to increase their alcohol consumption at this time of year, something which can lower the immune system and make us more susceptible to catching viruses.'

There is no cure for the common cold, but there are a few ways of soothing the symptoms.

Getting plenty of rest, drinking lots of fluids, breathing in steam to ease your blocked nose and drinking hot lemon and honey to soothe a sore throat are all simple ways to treat a cold.

Flu

Triggered by influenza viruses, the illness usually causes people to have a cough, which is also seen with common colds.

But symptoms of the flu are typically much more intense than colds and can even cause stomach issues.

It can prove fatal in some cases if complications, such as pneumonia, arise among the most vulnerable.

Professor Ron Eccles, who ran the Common Cold Centre at Cardiff University before retiring from the university in 2017, told MailOnline: 'Flu typically causes chills, a fever, headaches, muscle aches and pains.

'The flu feels worse because the symptoms affect the whole body and are not restricted to the upper airways.'

He added: 'Gastrointestinal symptoms like vomiting and diarrhoea are also more prevalent in influenza cases.'

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Latest UKHSA data shows flu cases are surging. Just over one in five tests (21.7 per cent) of Brits of all ages with coughs and colds carried out at the end of last week came back positive for the influenza virus.

Rates were highest among 5 to 14-year-olds at 39.8 per cent, up on the 30 per cent logged in the previous week.

NHS data released this week also suggested flu hospital admissions in England have already surpassed last year's peak and are running at their highest level so far this winter.

Figures show more than 2,600 beds alone have been taken up by flu patients, an increase of almost 40 per cent on last week (1,795).

Of these, 125 were in critical care  up 90 per cent on the previous seven days.

Dr Winn explained most people with the flu will be contagious three to four days after their symptoms begin.

'In order to help prevent the spread, its important to practice good hygiene such as hand washing and using tissues, avoid close contact with others if you have symptoms, and ensure the space youre in is well ventilated,' he added.

Since September, health officials have urged the millions of people in England eligible to come forward for their flu jabs, to reduce their risk of becoming severely unwell and needing hospital care.

More than 17 million flu vaccinations have been administered in the UK this year, but still experts fear the outbreak of flu will continue to pick up pace in the coming weeks as a result of more people socialising indoors over Christmas and the New Year

Dr Winn said: 'Flu vaccinations are incredibly important, not just for yourself but also for community protection.

'A regular flu jab will stop you from getting sick and can prevent further complications. It also carries the benefit of keeping your immunity high against new strains.

'Secondary to this, regular flu jabs also help protect more vulnerable members of your family and community and reduce the strain on healthcare systems.'

Just like treating a cold it's important to get plenty of of rest and drink lots of fluids.

You can also take over-the-counter medications.

Dr Winn said: 'Acetaminophen or ibuprofen can help with headaches, muscle aches, and fever. Guaifenesin can loosen mucus to clear your airways.

'Pseudoephedrine can help with a stuffy nose while an antihistamine such as chlorpheniramine can stop a runny nose. And if you are coughing, look for products with dextromethorphan.'

But he warns that you should keep an eye on your symptoms to make sure you do not have something more serious.

'With either the flu or a cold, consider visiting a doctor if your symptoms persist for over a week or if you have a high temperature, difficulty breathing, or other signs of infection,' he explains.

Rates of the vomiting bug, which can also cause diarrhoea, are also more than double the levels seen pre-Covid for this time of year, fresh figures show

Norovirus

According to figures released by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the total number of norovirus reports this year (4,523) was also more than double that of five years ago (2,057).

There were 782 confirmed cases of the bug between November 25 and December 8.

It marks a rise of a fifth on the 649 reported in the previous fortnight and is almost double the that of five years ago (400).

Since the start of the 2024/2025 season, the number of norovirus outbreaks reported in hospital settings is also 24 per cent higher than the five-year average.

However, actual case numbers nationwide may be even higher.

This is because the figures are based on positive laboratory reports and NHS hospitals reporting suspected and confirmed norovirus outbreaks.

Most of those infected suffer nausea, diarrhoea and vomiting and recover at home.

But norovirus can pile pressures on hospitals because infected patients need to be isolated in single rooms or wards need to be closed to new patients to contain the spread.

The majority of people will not need to speak to a doctor about a norovirus infection.

In most cases, it will clear up on its own.

Rest and having lots of fluid are often recommended by health chiefs to help recover. Paracetamol may also aid a fever or aches and pains.

Rehydration drinks, such as Dioralyte, which replace crucial salts as well as water, can be bought from a pharmacist.

Parents are advised to avoid giving fizzy drinks or fruit juice to children with norovirus, as this can make the diarrhoea worse.

Many patients also ask doctors for antibiotics, but these are ineffective against viruses.

Patients with particularly severe projectile vomiting and diarrhoea can, however, get anti-sickness medicines from a GP.
Sexually transmitted infections are typically found on the genitals or mouth, but doctors are now warning the eyes could become infected as well.

Chlamydia and gonorrhea - two of the most common STDs - can lead to conjunctivitis, or pink eye, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

This causes an unpleasant infection that leads to irritation, pain, swelling, discharge, and red eyes.

STIs infect mucous membranes  thin, moist tissues found in the genital tract, urethra, throat, and eyes.

And the chlamydia or gonorrhea infection can enter the eyes through direct contact with infected body fluids during or after sex, by touching the eyes during or after sex.

A nationwide increase in STIs could be driving what eye specialists report is a rise in STI-associated eye infections.

Dr Catherine Heyman, the founding dean of High Point University's School of Optometry in High Point, North Carolina, said that optometrists have seen an increase in eye infections caused by STIs which can be very serious and cause permanent vision loss if not treated urgently.

The CDC has been keeping track of exploding numbers of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis for years. The latest figures showed that in 2023, five Americans caught a sexually transmitted infection every minute.

The CDC says there are signs the STI epidemic is slowing after spiking 90 percent in the last 20 years

The CDC has tracked rising cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis for years. In 2023, five Americans contracted an STI every minute

Chlamydia was the most commonly reported STI in 2023 with 1.6million cases, followed by gonorrhea with 600,000 cases.

It's estimated that chlamydia is behind 20 percent of adult bacterial eye infections.

Another study reported that, worldwide, eye infections caused by gonorrhea in adults are rare.

In the US, about 146 cases of gonorrhea are reported per 100,000 people, but the specific rate of gonococcal conjunctivitis (GC) isnt well studied. A recent study in Ireland found that GC occurred in 0.19 cases per 1,000 patients seeking care for eye problems, mostly affecting young adult men.

Eye infections caused by chlamydia are treated with antibiotics taken by mouth, often with a single dose of azithromycin. That single dose works by treating the body-wide infection, including the reproductive system, which may not show symptoms but can still carry the bacteria.

For those caused by gonorrhea in adults, doctors will typically administer a single dose of an injectable antibiotic followed by a single dose of azithromycin to treat a possible co-infection with chlamydia.

If the infections go untreated, they could wreak long-term damage to the eyes including severe scarring, ulcers on the cornea, vision loss, and worsened infection throughout the body with potentially life-threatening complications.

Dr Heyman warned: These infections can be initially misdiagnosed and managed incorrectly because they masquerade as a less severe infection, allowing the infection to worsen before proper treatment is initiated.

There is a risk that a doctor may see a patient and misdiagnose their STI conjunctivitis with common viral pink eye, which can resolve on its own.

And a person who experiences pink eye may not immediately associate their symptoms with an STI, especially if they have no other symptoms, raising the risk= they mistake it for a common, self-resolving issue rather than a pressing health concern.

While public health experts have been concerned over the rise in STIs, the latest CDC figures show gonorrhea cases fell for a second year in 2023, declining seven percent from 2022 to below pre-pandemic levels.

Chlamydia case rates remained stable, however.

Meanwhile, a major driver of the rise in STIs has been a surge in syphilis over the past 20 years, especially among babies who catch it from their moms, which has alarmed doctors because it can be fatal for infants.

In a small piece of good news, though, cases of syphilis rose by just one percent in 2023 after years of double-digit increases.

Gonorrhea infection gets into the eyes through direct contact with infected body fluids during or after sex, by touching the eyes during or after sex, or during birth

Chlamydia was the most commonly reported STI in 2023 with 1.6 million cases. Rates stayed relatively stable

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Syphilis can be cured with antibiotics in the early stages, but the damage thats done to the body before treatment often cant be reversed.

Syphilis can affect the heart and blood vessels, damage organs, form growths and tumors on tissues and bones, cause brain damage, and pregnancy complications such as stillbirth and birth defects.

The infection can damage the eyes by inflaming various parts, including the conjunctiva, cornea, uvea (the inner layer), episclera (the outer layer), optic nerve, and retina.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology said: Any of these can cause serious, long-lasting problems for your vision, like blurriness, pain and dryness.

It is often called the Great Masquerader because it can affect many different parts of the eye and mimic other diseases.

Syphilis doesnt have to enter the eyes to become a major problem for ones vision. It spreads through the bloodstream, so even if theres no direct contact with the eyes, the infection can affect various parts of the body, including the eyes.

Last year, five women in Michigan ranging in age from 40 to 60 contracted syphilis in their eyes.

All of them suffered from worsening vision; some experienced headaches and earaches, and others saw flashing lights. They all sought help from doctors within a week of each other.

In 2023, cases of syphilis rose by just one percent in 2023 after years of double-digit increases

Pink eye is an unpleasant infection that causes irritation, pain, swelling, discharge, and red eyes

It turned out they shared a common link  a sexual partner who had early asymptomatic syphilis.

Proper hygiene and using protection during sexual activity are vital to preventing the spread of STIs and eye infections caused by them.

The AAO recommends contact[ing] your primary doctor if you are worried that you might have an STD.

It's also a good idea to see an ophthalmologist if you have concerns about your eyes.
The Criminal Mind by Dr Duncan Harding (Michael Joseph 25, 400pp)

The Criminal Mind is available now from the Mail Bookshop

Dr Harding is a leading forensic psychiatrist often called as an expert witness in serious trials.

This compelling memoir, featuring some of the most complex and baffling cases he worked on is brilliantly set against the story of his own life and troubled upbringing in a broken and violent home.

Superbly written, as tense as a thriller, this is a book that will make you miss the bus so gripping are these cases.

Here is the charming and likeable young girl who has burnt her family home to the ground, killing her father and horrifically wounding her mother. But why did she do it? The answer is shocking.

Here is the privileged teenager who drowned his aunt after his family confiscated his phone. Murder  or manslaughter?

And here is the bully who killed his wife after she nagged him to do the tiling. Mentally disturbed, or just a bad man?

And did he get off?

Absolutely riveting, a book you wont forget.

The Peepshow, the Murders at 10 Rillington Place by Kate Summerscale (Bloomsbury 22, 320pp)

The Peepshow is available now from the Mail Bookshop

Kate Summerscale more or less singlehandedly detonated the recent explosion in true crime with her award-laden account of a gruesome child murder in Victorian England, The Suspicions Of Mr Whicher.

Now she has turned her meticulous attention to one of the most horrible murder stories of post-war Britain, the multiple killings by Reg Christie, a loathsome, sexually repressed former policeman who murdered a number of women, mostly sex workers, as well as his wife Ethel.

He may also have murdered the wife and child of Tim Evans, a tenant in the same building, who had been hanged three years before Christies arrest in 1953. Was this one of the worst miscarriages in history?

Summerscale spares little in her vivid portrait of the tawdry realities of life in post-war London, with the sleaze, the spivs and the sex workers,

the doss-houses and back-street abortions, and the simmering racism that exploded in the Notting Hill riots a few years later.

She has a superb eye for detail, though sometimes too much: I could have done without the image of Christie lying in his bath and boasting to a prison guard about his sex life.

Decoy by Robert Murphy (HarperElement, 9.99, 304pp)

Decoy is available now from the Mail Bookshop

The police do not always get the best coverage, so it helps to be reminded how courageous they often are. Its 1979 in Bristol, and a brutal and prolific attacker is roaming the streets.

The police have tried all their usual tactics to catch the Clifton Rapist but to no avail. Now public pressure is rising. Young women are warned not to go out alone.

A daring new plan is hatched. A small group of young female officers  some just teenagers  risk their lives, walking the streets of Bristol late at night, acting as bait trying to lure the monster.

Theres a killer on your track: the words crackled into the earpiece of WPC Michelle Leonard, a decoy officer dressed as a student on a cold night in March 1979. Michelles choice was stark: should she walk into the dark side streets in the hope her killer would attack, or remain on the main road and stay safe?

She bravely chose the former and was grabbed by a man who snarled, Dont scream or Ill kill you. The plan had worked.

This is a gripping reconstruction of a remarkable honeytrap operation, which led to the capture of one of the most repellent criminals in history.

Life Inside by Linda Calvey (Welbeck 9.99, 320pp)

Life Inside is available now from the Mail Bookshop

She was widely known in the criminal underworld as the Black Widow, which gives you some idea that Linda Calvey was not a lady to be trifled with.

She spent the first half of her life running with some of Britains top gangsters, robbing banks and rubbing shoulders with the Kray twins.

That all ended in 1990 when her lover Ronnie Cook was murdered at point-blank range, of which Linda claims she was falsely accused. Here, in punchy, engaging prose is her raw account of life as Britains longest serving female prisoner.

There are fights and scams, fears and anxieties, dodgy dealings and great kindnesses, as well as encounters with some of the most feared inmates such as Charles Bronson, Rose West and Myra Hindley. I dont want anything to do with killers and nonces, she tells the Durham governor. He replies, Well, you wont have anyone to talk to.

Shes a ballsy character, if youll forgive the expression, is Linda, and we join her celebrating when she leaves the slammer for the last time. A page-turner.
The Uncomfortable Truth

by Anna Mathur

(Penguin Life 16.99, 352pp)

In this punchy book packed with bracing common sense, psychotherapist Anna Mathur asks us to look our worst fears in the face.

We spend our lives finding new ways to skirt around the truths of life, she writes. But avoidance of lifes truths carries the highest price of all. Burnout, perfectionism, addiction, anxiety, people-pleasing, grief, and so, so much shame.

Among the ten fears she asks us to lean into are: Some people dont like me, I am going to fail, I will hurt people I love, life isnt fair, bad things will happen, I will lose people I love, and I am going to die.

If you dive headfirst into those uncomfortable truths, Mathur writes, youll feel less burdened by the troubles of the world on your shoulders and by the constant nagging voice of self-blame.

So: face up to past and future uncomfortable truths, rather than hiding away from them. In order to live a full and thriving life, you must live a risky one.

Stop Lying To Yourself

by Simon Gilham

(Ebury 14.99, 208pp)

Successful CEO and now highly successful relationship guru Simon Gilham speaks to millions of his followers daily on social media, in short, sharp bursts of harsh wisdom.

Heres a collection of 101 of his mantras, in large print on one side of the page, with a brief expansion and explanation on the other side.

This is far from being gentle woo-woo. Some people talk to you in their free time and some people free their time to talk to you. Make sure you know the difference.

They dont leave you for someone better, and they dont leave you for someone whos better looking. They leave you for someone whos easier.

When I was reading this book on the Tube, the man beside me asked to photograph the page I was reading: One of the most toxic traits a person can have is expecting you to be OK with something when they wouldnt be OK with it if the roles were switched.

Clearly, it hit the spot.

Bad Therapy

by Abigail Shrier

(Swift Press 20, 320pp)

When her 12-year-old son had a stomach ache, American author Abigail Shrier was shocked to discover hed been asked to fill in a mental-health questionnaire at the doctors, including queries such as, Are you having thoughts of killing yourself just now? If yes, please describe.

Todays paediatricians are asking children as young as eight whether they feel their parents might be better off without them.

In her highly persuasive anti-therapy diatribe, Shrier argues that, far from helping young children, such language can harm them.

Parents are signing their children up for therapy in astonishing numbers. But it should come with a warning label. Therapy can deliver unintended harm . . . It can hijack our normal processes of resilience, interrupting our psyches natural ability to heal itself, in its own way, at its own time.

She implores parents to stop implanting outsized worries in childrens heads, and stop allowing interlopers to insert themselves between you and your kids.

Watching the rising tide of adolescent unhappiness, mental health experts present themselves as the solution. Most of them ought to be fired on the spot.

Much More To Come

by Eleanor Mills

(HQ 16.99, 320pp)

Eleanor Mills hit what she calls the midlife maelstrom when, aged 49 in 2020, she was made redundant from the magazine editing job that had defined her for 25 years. Utterly thrown at first, she managed to pull herself back up again, through a mixture of hard work, determination, bloody-mindedness and rage that the world was writing off women like me when we still had so much to offer.

She coined the word Queenager to describe magnificent, adventurous women in their 50s, and set up a business called Noon, a community for women in midlife.

New friendships and relationships in a womans 50s are forged in fire, she writes, because by that age, over half of women have been through massive life-events: divorce, bereavement, redundancy, bankruptcy, or physical and mental health issues.

Mills has great fun with these women, as they blossom into midlife, swimming in the Ladies Pond in Hampstead Heath, going trekking in the Atlas Mountains, and laughing their heads off.

The Paleo Life

by Clare Foges

(Piatkus 16.99, 288pp)

Journalist, broadcaster and former speech writer for David Cameron, Clare Foges was wondering why she was feeling perpetually anxious and having panic attacks.

It dawned on her that we are living in a way evolution did not design us for, sitting in brightly lit boxes for nine hours a day, bringing up our children hundreds of miles from our families, or grazing all day on processed treats.

Its time to go back to our Stone Age roots, she argues.

Im not about to go all Flintstones, she assures us.

But she advises us to make some of the Paleolithic-era-inspired choices shes made about how to live, which have helped her feel better.

These include: have candlelit, screen-free evenings; make a social map so you dont squander time on acquaintances rather than connecting with the few friends who really matter; stop spending money the whole time; go for country walks; use your hands to do physical tasks; do a bit of Stone Age squatting every day; bring back regular rituals; and (if youre a parent), build your own alloparenting network  alloparenting meaning involving others, as our Stone Age ancestors did.

Nothing to Fear

by Julie McFadden

(Vermillion 16.99, 240pp)

You might think theres nothing worse than death but, according to hospice nurse Julie McFadden, there is. Its a death thats resisted, painful and chaotic.

In her impassioned book about how to die a good death, and how to help someone you love to do so, McFadden (who has more than a million followers on TikTok) implores us to be prepared for death, to talk about it in advance, to accept it, and to understand that death is as natural a process as birth.

Our bodies are built to be born, and they are built to die.

This book is a celebration of the hospice movement, which helps dying people in their dying moments.

A highly rational person, she herself clearly saw an angel standing serenely over the bedside of one dying woman  who then rallied and ate pancakes for breakfast the next morning.
Most of us are lucky enough to get a bit of time off over Christmas, and what better way to spend it than curled up on the sofa with a book?

But what should we be adding to our to be read list? Well, between all that festive mushy stuff  family games and Christmas songs and heaps of chocolate  we think a touch of murder is in order.

Okay, maybe its not the time of year to delve into a serial killer biography. But we definitely think a good cosy crime novel  a murder mystery without any of the grizzly stuff  is a necessary reprieve from Christmas-mania.

If you feel the same, weve rounded up ten of our favourite cosy crime novels. Magnifying glasses at the ready  theres a murder to solve!

The 10 best cosy crime novels

We Solve Murders by Richard Osman (16.99, Waterstones)

Having already dominated bestseller lists with his The Thursday Murder Club series (currently being adapted into films produced by the actual Steven Spielberg), Richard Osman has returned with a brand new series, this time featuring retired copper Steve Wheeler and his impulsive daughter-in-law Amy.

Steve is enjoying retired life and has accepted his days of adventure are over. Amy, meanwhile, thinks adrenaline is good for the soul, and is currently working as a private security officer keeping a world-famous author alive. Then a dead body, a bag of money and a restless killer have Amy sending an SOS to the one person she can trust. Can Amy and Steve stay one step ahead of their deadly enemy?

Murder on Lake Garda by Tom Hindle (7.99, Waterstones)

Tom Hindle has been hailed as the heir to Agatha Christie, and this captivating cosy crime novel hasnt left Waterstones bestseller section since it released in July. On the private island of Catello Fiore, surrounded by the glistening waters of Lake Garda, the illustrious Heywood family gathers for their son Laurences wedding to Italian influencer Eva Bianchi.

But as the ceremony begins, a blood-curdling scream brings proceedings to a halt. With the wedding guests trapped as they await the police, old secrets come to light and rivalries bubble. Everyone is desperate to know: who is the killer? And can they be stopped before they strike again?

Murder Under the Mistletoe by Reverend Richard Coles (12.99, Waterstones)

Reverend Richard has presumably spent many a Christmas at his local church  but were hoping this novel isnt inspired by real-life events! Its Christmas Day at Champton Rectory, and Canon Daniel Clement and his mother, Audrey, are enjoying a big knees up with local residents.

At the festive feast, peace and goodwill prevail. That is until two meet under the mistletoe  and one of them drops dead. Daniel suspects murder has returned to Champton, but can he and Detective Sergeant Neil Vanloo unite to solve the crime and capture the Christmas killer?

The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood (9.99, Waterstones)

You might not recognise the name, but Robert Thorogood has some pretty impressive cosy crime credentials, having created the BBCs Death in Paradise series. The Marlow Murder Club follows 77-year-old Marlow resident Judith Potts, who lives a secluded life with her whisky and crosswords.

Thats until, while out swimming one night, Judith witnesses a brutal murder. The police dont believe her so she decides to investigate herself, helped along the way by salt-of-the-earth dog-walker Suzie and prim-and-proper Becks. Together, they form the Marlow Murder Club, and when another body turns up, they realise they have a serial killer to track down

The Appeal by Janice Hallett (9.99, Waterstones)

This quirky thriller invites readers to become the detective  and its so popular, its spurned multiple follow-ups (theres even a Christmas one). Between the covers, youll find all the documents you need to solve the case of who murdered one of the newcomers to the small town of Lockwood.

Someone has already been convicted  yet they could be innocent, and its up to you to uncover whats really going on. The evidence is all here, so can you discern the clues and uncover the truth?

The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie (7.99, Waterstones)

The first of the Marple series, Agatha Christies masterpiece pioneered a now well-known subgenre: quiet English village, shocking murder, and unlikely detective. Nobody liked Colonel Protheroe, so when hes found dead in the vicarage study, theres no shortage of suspects. In fact, Jane Marple can think of seven.

Police dismiss Miss Marple as a prying busybody. But what if shes the only one who can uncover the truth? One of the most famous crime novels of all time, Christie is a master at keeping you gripped until the very last page.

The Maid by Nita Prose (9.99, Waterstones)

Molly the maid is alone in the world. A nobody. Shes used to being invisible in her job at the Regency Grand Hotel, wiping away the dust, crime and secrets of guests who pass through. But that changes when Molly discovers an infamous guest, Mr Black, dead in his bed. Its not a mess that can be so easily cleaned up.

Thrust into the spotlight, Molly becomes embroiled in a hunt for the truth. She must learn who to trust as she navigates the secret underbelly of the hotel if shes to succeed in her search for the cold-blooded killer.

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz (9.99, Waterstones)

He might be most famous as a childrens author, but Anthony Horowitzs venture into the cosy crime world is as sophisticated as it is gripping. When editor Susan Ryeland is given the tattered manuscript of Alan Conways latest novel, she has little idea it will change her life. Shes worked with Conway for years, and his detective, Atticus Pund, is renowned for solving crimes in sleepy English villages.

But Conways latest tale is different. Yes, there are dead bodies and suspects, but theres also another story of real-life jealousy, greed, ambition and murder hidden in the pages. Can editor-turned-sleuth Susan unravel the truth from the fiction?

The Trial by Rob Rinder (7.49, Waterstones)

After years of sitting in the courtroom, Rob Rinder (AKA Judge Rinder) has decided to start writing about the crimes too. When hero policeman Grant Cliveden dies from a poisoning in the Old Bailey, it threatens to shake the country to the core.

The evidence points to one man: the notorious criminal Jimmy Knight. But as trainee barrister Adam Green starts to build his defence, it quickly becomes clear hes not the only person with an axe to grind against Cliveden

The Cat Who Solved Three Murders by LT Shearer (9.99, Waterstones)

Retired police detective Lulu Lewiss life changed forever when she met a street cat named Conrad. Theres something very special about this particular feline, but its a secret she needs to keep for herself.

When Lulu heads to a friends birthday in Oxford, she expects to have a quiet weekend. But a brutal murder and a daring art theft mean her plans are shattered. Instead, she and Conrad find themselves of the trail of a killer a killer who may well strike again.
Santa has a job on his hands delivering presents across the globe this Christmas Eve  as he sets out on his sleigh from the North Pole.

But perhaps it's time he switched to something a bit more 21st century, though still with a link to the Arctic Circle  or at the very least Scandinavia.

How about the new Polestar 4 from the cool Swedish electric car-maker which I've been driving?

Polestar is a spin-off from Sweden's Volvo, though both are now owned by Chinese car conglomerate Geely.

Priced from 59,990, the big talking point about the four-door five-seater is that it's the world's first car with NO rear window.

Instead, the view out the back is from a rear-facing HD 'stay-clean' camera on the roof.

Live feed: The Polestar 4 has a rear-facing camera on the roof

This sends unobstructed, wide-angle, high-resolution live images to the driver via a digital screen where the rear-view mirror would usually be.

The screen can be flipped to become a normal reflective mirror. You get used to using it.

However, you are looking at an image on a flat two-dimensional digital screen, whereas in a mirror your eyes are looking farther 'into' a virtual 3D reflection.

You can't use it like a traditional mirror to judge distance by moving your head slightly.

On the other hand, the absence of a window allows for more rear space and headroom for passengers in the rear who enjoy limousine levels of space and legroom, as well as an extended panoramic glass roof.

The roof-mounted camera housing is designed to direct air and rain and keep dirt and grime away from the lenses.

Hi-tech: What the driver sees - and the screen can be flipped to become a normal reflective mirror

Inside, you can set the interior ambience of mood and lighting. Irritatingly, there are basic functions that can only be set by fiddling around on the central screen  such as mirror settings.

I drove the Long Range Single Motor rear-wheel drive model with 200kW (268bhp), which accelerates from rest to 62mph in 6.9 seconds up to a top speed of 124mph.

It has a range of up to 385 miles  so Santa will need to carefully plan his charging.

The more powerful all-wheel drive 400kW (536bhp) Long Range Dual Motor accelerates from 0-62mph in just 3.7 seconds with the same top speed but a shorter range of 367 miles and costs from 66,990 (polestar.com).
Britain faces many pressing financial challenges. One of the worst is the parlous position of those aged under 30, known as Gen Z.

For the first time, a generation will be significantly poorer than the one before.

This is well known, but the fact that the most watched TED talk of 2024 was called how the US is destroying young people's future perhaps underlines how this debate is shifting gear.

New York University marketing professor Scott Galloway delivers a stinging rebuke that will resonate with young people, and his appraisal is as relevant to the UK as the US.

The problem faced by a typical twenty-something is daunting: how to buy a house and pay down debt while also building an emergency fund and future savings.

The figures are sobering. First-time buyers in England put down an average 55,372 to secure a home, a daunting amount to save - and especially when the average UK salary for those aged 22 to 29 is 32,292.

A red-hot rental market makes the challenge harder. Rents have surged by about 28 per cent in four years, taking the average monthly cost to 1,330, says the Office for National Statistics.

Great downsizing? Andrew Oxlade says the 'Great Wealth Transfer' could begin in 2025

Buying your first home has always been hard. But never this hard.

When I stepped on to the property ladder in 2001, buying a one-bed flat aged 28, the average house price was 3.6 times the average salary.

Today the ratio is 6.1, according to Nationwide Building Society (see chart below).

And student debt is also very different. My 9,000 of maintenance loans seems trifling by modern standards.

Today's students can easily face debts of 50,000 on graduation day. They then face a 9 per cent wage slice for repayment of the loans for those fees and living costs. Little, if anything, is left over to save.

The Resolution Foundation think tank underlined this grim situation in an 'Intergenerational Audit' last month.

It found that the proportion of under-35s living with their parents had risen from 26 per cent in 2000 to 39 per cent by 2022.

It blamed the 'costly housing, repeated economic shocks and stagnating living standards' that have defined our 21st century financial lives.

The figures are likely to have worsened in recent years with house prices continuing their relentless climb.

What can stop, stall or even reverse this trend of generational impoverishment?

Perhaps Labour will make good on its housebuilding pledges, easing property price pressure. Perhaps the limited levers within tax and benefits policy will swing towards the young. Given the history of successive governments in these areas, neither looks certain.

So, what could be a meaningful solution? Perhaps the obvious answer is that the generation that has more could give to the generation that has less.

There is a mechanism for this: death. The number of adults receiving an inheritance over a two-year period rose from 1.7 million in 2008-10 to 2.1 million in 2018-20.

These two gifting rules are key

But you can, of course, pre-empt death by giving wealth away whilst alive, and be able to appreciate your own acts of generosity.

In the tax world, this is known as 'gifting'. It's worth familiarising yourself with all the gifting rules but I would say two of the most important are:

1. That you can give away 3,000 each year free of inheritance tax. This can be carried forward for one year, offering the opportunity to give away 6,000 if you missed a year.

2. You can give away as much as you like, and if you live for seven years it won't be liable for IHT. You also pay less than the full 40 per cent rate if you die between three and seven years after the gift - it tapers down.

But there has been little incentive to gift. In fact, there has been a very good reason to hold on to your money and use your pension scheme as a tool in estate planning. Pensions have been exempt from IHT.

If you die under 75, a pension pot is passed on entirely tax-free. A death after age 75 means beneficiaries escape IHT on the pot but must pay income tax on withdrawals from it.

But significant change is coming. The pensions exemption will be removed in April 2027, it was announced in October's Autumn Budget, and this will upend many areas of financial planning. It could also spark an unprecedented giveaway.

As a reminder of the basic inheritance tax rules, you can leave up to 325,000 tax-free when you die, with an additional 175,000 allowance if you leave your home to your children or grandchildren.

Married couples with direct descendants can potentially leave up to 1m tax-free as they can transfer unused allowances. The tax rate on any remaining liability is 40 per cent.

With such high limits, fewer than five per cent of estates are liable. But that is changing.

The proportion of liable estates was expected to rise rapidly anyway, and the inherited pensions change will only accelerate the trend. (The chart below shows the official forecast BEFORE the pension change).

This is because mainstream asset prices, such as those for property and stock markets, have marched higher so that today the 1m threshold looks far less generous than it did when it was set, back in 2017.

Consider a married couple with a 500,000 house and who have each accrued 300,000 in their pensions and tucked away a combined 100,000 in Isas. Prior to the Autumn Budget, they would have comfortably avoided IHT, because their pension pots would have been ignored.

Under the new system, there would be a potential liability of 40 per cent on the 200,000 portion above the 1m combined allowances.

It is, of course, impossible to know how much your pensions and Isas will dwindle as they are used to fund your retirement. You can't predict the timing of your death.

But there is also much you can plan for within estate planning options. Trusts, legal structures that can shield assets from inheritance tax, are likely to become far more popular.

Estate planning is complex and one of those areas where specialist support is highly advisable.

The power of gifting

More than anything, the attractions of giving your money away or spending it will grow from 2027.

Gifting was already on the rise. The value of gifts of more than 10,000 rose from 13.1billion in the two years prior to 2008-10 to 29billion in the two years prior to 2018-20, according to the Resolution Foundation.

Those gifting amounts may look paltry compared to the amounts that may be handed down in 2030 or by 2035.

Faced with the twin pressures of a future tax headache and a son or daughter in need of a mortgage deposit today, it will make more sense to gift.

It could even drive a surge in 50 and 60-somethings downsizing, as they attempt to make their wealth more liquid.

This, in turn, could help ease pressure on the property market. In combination, it could ease the inter-generational wealth gap.

Parents want to help. The 2024 Fidelity Global Sentiment Survey showed most British people want to help their descendants - 61 per cent made it a priority to 'help my children/grandchildren with their future financial situation'.

Yet only 25 per cent were confident that they could. It was in stark contrast to a global average of 40 per cent.

There is a growing appetite for more radical thinking. Speaking to senior colleagues and peers in the pensions industry in recent weeks, most are reconsidering their plans.

Many told me they are giving serious consideration to downsizing, when before it had been a vague notion.

It has a double appeal - freeing large amounts of money that can be passed on to contribute towards first-time deposits.

But it also has a more self-indulgent appeal: why delay your acts of kindness until after death? Give now, enjoy seeing it used - and also pay far less tax.

Perhaps a bigger downsizing trend will begin from here. And perhaps the most watched TED Talk of 2035 will chart how the Great Wealth Transfer began in 2025.
Daniel Kretinsky's acquisition of Royal Mail is getting closer to realisation after gaining national security clearance from the UK Government on Friday.

Pat McFadden, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, has approved the takeover under the National Security and Investment Act.

Royal Mail's parent company, International Distribution Services (IDS), agreed in May to a 3.6billion acquisition by Kretinsky's EP Group.

The proposed deal has generated considerable controversy, partly because of Royal Mail's role in the UK's communications infrastructure and Kretinsky's commercial ties in Russia.

The Czech billionaire's interests include a 49 per cent holding in EUStream, which transports gas from Russia to Central and Eastern Europe via Slovakia.

Under a contract with Gazprom lasting until 2028, EP receives income from the state-owned energy giant for supplying Russian gas across Europe. The arrangement is legal under European Union laws.

Approval: Daniel Kretinsky's acquisition of Royal Mail is getting closer to realisation after gaining national security clearance from the UK Government

The Cabinet Office said EP Group's IDS acquisition is 'subject to the parties ensuring that Royal Mail Group remains able to and continues to provide services that are in support of UK national security'.

Shareholders holding 75 per cent of IDS shares now need to accept the deal before it can be finalised.

Besides security concerns, the transaction has come under heavy criticism as it is being financed with 3billion of high-interest loans and IDS already has 2billion in debts.

To help secure approval, Kretinsky has made numerous guarantees regarding the postal service's operation.

These include pledges to uphold the universal service obligation (USO) to deliver letters six days a week to all UK addresses for the price of a stamp.

In addition, the UK Government will hold a 'golden share' in IDS that will prevent the Royal Mail's branding, headquarters and tax residency from changing without its consent.

And there will be no raid on the pension surplus, whilst Royal Mail staff have been promised a 10 per cent share of any dividends paid to Kretinsky.

However, the postal service's finances have come under significant strain due to a slump in letter deliveries and the high costs of abiding by the USO whilst maintaining a large labour force.

Its record of service has also attracted scrutiny; regulator Ofcom fined the company 10.5million last week for missing delivery targets for first and second-class mail.

Many prominent British firms have succumbed to overseas ownership in recent years, driven by cheap valuations relative to their international peers.

Cybersecurity specialist Darktrace, music rights investor Hipgnosis Songs Fund, and energy investment group Smart Metering Systems were all bought by private equity firms earlier this year.

Investment platform Hargreaves Lansdown, soft drinks maker Britvic, and packaging provider DS Smith have also agreed to billion-pound takeover deals.
Ozempic maker Novo Nordisk saw its value fall by as much as 82billion yesterday after a weight loss drug trial fell short of expectations.

It was one of the Danish pharma giant's worst days on the stock market, as its shares fell by up to 29 per cent.

The company later clawed back some of its losses but was still off by 21 per cent at the close and lost its crown as Europe's most valuable company.

It represented a sharp setback for the group whose valuation has soared over the past few years due to demand for drugs including Wegovy and Ozempic.

The company has become so important to the Danish economy that the krone weakened yesterday as foreign investors sold shares and converted the proceedings into other currencies.

Wegovy is taken as a weekly injection and tricks the body into thinking it is full. It is available on the NHS.

Sister drug Ozempic, which has the same key ingredient, has taken off in the US. Celebrities who have taken it include actress Amy Schumer and TV host Kelly Osbourne.

But investors were yesterday disappointed with the results of a trial for its next weight loss drug  a combination of Wegovy and another of its drugs, Saxenda.

Novo Nordisk had been hoping the treatment, called CagriSema, would help patients lose an average of 25 per cent of their body weight. But instead, the late-stage trial showed patients only lost an average of 22.7 per cent of their body weight. This has sowed seeds of doubt over Novo Nordisk's ability to reign supreme amid fierce competition in the weight loss market.

The drug only slightly beat the other main weight loss drug on the market, Zepbound, which is known as Mounjaro in the UK. Patients taking the rival drug  made by Eli Lilly, the world's largest pharmaceutical company  lost 22.5 per cent of their weight in a previous trial.

But Martin Holst Lange, Novo Nordisk's executive vice-president for development, said: 'We are encouraged by the weight-loss profile of CagriSema.'

Some believe the market reaction was overdone. Jakob Westh Christensen, market analyst at eToro, said: 'This is just one study and one potential drug in Novo Nordisk's extensive research and development portfolio.'
Credit Suisse collapsed due to 'years of mismanagement', according to a damning report from Swiss MPs.

The global banking giant, which employed more than 50,000 staff worldwide and more than 5,500 in the UK before its failure in March 2023, was brought down by a bank run when wealthy clients and ordinary customers in Switzerland withdrew funds.

The bank was eventually rescued by arch rival UBS, a move that was backed by the Swiss government.

Before its collapse, Credit Suisse had lurched from crisis to crisis.

Although the report lambasted the Swiss government and regulators, it ultimately blamed the bank's management for its collapse.
For many, the festive period is usually a time of giving. But with a cost-of-living crisis, one Scrooge-like businessman has decided that he will charge family and friends 75 to attend his Christmas dinner.

Richard Carter, owner of card reader company Lopay, says he is tired of always footing the bill and being the one left buying others rounds during seasonal catchups.

So, in what he described as a 'cheerful change' to MailOnline, the businessman will be asking his 12 expected Christmas Day guests to pay for their own food and drink.

Not too worried about some last-minute change of plans from his dinner party attendees, Richard hopes they will all manage to see 'humorous side' of his 'unique' plan.

The main event of any Christmas Day feast is always the cut of meat on offer, but the entrepreneur is also making the controversial choice to omit the roast turkey.

Instead, guests will be treated to a prime rib of beef, with the rest of the planned menu leaving Richard wondering if he's actually charging too little.

'I've not worked out how much exactly the dinner will set me back but when you factor in the cost of a prime rib of beef and all the wine and alcohol that will be consumed, maybe 75 is a little light after all,' Richard quipped.

Also included in the businessman's banquet will be iberico ham for starters, with all the customary trimmings coming alongside the rib of beef.

Businessman Richard Carter intends on charging his guests 75 each for their festive meal

The ploy is not just due to Richard's penny-pinching ways, but will also raise funds for charity

Guests will also receive a welcome glass of champagne upon arrival with an offering of either a nice white burgundy or a Spanish red to accompany their main course.

Living in the lavish west London environs of Fulham, the father-of-two is determined to press ahead with his scheme despite the protestations of his wife Nicola.

'My wife thinks I've gone a bit bad but she's used to it at this stage', remarked Richard.

Even the prospect of being labelled a 'Scrooge' will not deter him: 'I'm not worried about gaining that sort of reputation mainly because I've already earned that over the years'.

It is the first year Richard has attempted to charge for Christmas dinner, and with him and his family taking turns each year to host the big day, he reckons it might not be his turn for a 'good few years again'.

Despite all the furore over Richard's ploy, it is not simply a by-product of his penny-pinching ways, with all the funds raised from the meal set to be donated to charity.

'We haven't decided what charity the money raised will go to yet. I think we will put it to a vote with a few drinks in hand at the end of the meal itself and see where we end up', the Lopay founder said.

Away from the dinner table though, Richard's brand has sky-rocketed to become one of Britains highest-rated, lowest-cost card reader services.

Perhaps guests will be able to tap and pay with one of his company's devices on the big day too.
A doctor has revealed how a two-year suspension on his medical licence after speaking out against the Covid vaccine cost him almost everything he had.

Queensland's Supreme Court recently handed back Dr William Bay's medical licence after it was suspended by the state's Medical Board for criticising Covid vaccines, which sparked complaints from the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).

Representing himself Dr Bay, 46, was up against 10 opposing lawyers, including King's Counsels Angus Scott and Felicity Nagorka, but was able to convince Justice Thomas Bradley that all the accusations against him were 'entirely unfounded'.

Before his licence was suspended in August 2022, Dr Bay was working as a trainee GP at a clinic as well as doing private house calls and medical teleconferences.

Despite his legal victory, Dr Bay said he was unlikely to get his job back at the clinic because professional development organisation, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), has 'kicked him out'.

'They said even if I was to be found innocent they would never let me back in,' Dr Bay told Daily Mail Australia.

'That puts a spanner in the works about resuming one's career.

William Bay with his beloved 2020 Mini John Cooper Works Clubman, one of the possessions he lost in his long fight to get his medical licence back

Having been unable to work in medicine forced Dr Bay to sell all his assets and eventually become an UberEats delivery driver

'The animus as the judge described concerning AHPRA is very real and it is not just contained to AHPRA and the Medical Board. The establishment is out to get me.

'The whole purpose of their college was supposed to look after me, to guide me. Rather than providing support they excluded me. It's pretty vindictive really.'

Dr Bay still has the option of practicing privately and charging patients directly, but may have difficulty billing through Medicare.

The two years he has spent fighting to regain his licence cost the father-of-two his marriage.

It has also left him becoming an UberEats delivery driver during the last few months to survive.

'I had to sell my house, my car and all my assets,' he said.

The most 'traumatic' material loss was his car, a gleaming 2020 Mini John Cooper Works Clubman.

In May 2023, Dr Bay was also thrown in jail for a night after staging a protest with supporters outside the AHPRA offices in central Brisbane.

Dr Bay outside Queensland's Supreme Court where he won back the right to practice medicine after having his licence suspended for two years over criticising the Covid vaccines

After being charged with disobeying a police direction to stop the protest Dr Bay, who wearing his medical uniform and wielding a megaphone, was thrown in a community holding cell overnight.

Police told him they would let him out but only if he promised not to come into the city to protest again but Dr Bay refused.

'I was locked in with violent criminals and rapists,' he said.

'There was blood on the walls, faeces on the floor and urine everywhere.'

A magistrate threw out the charges the next day with Dr Bay making no commitment to stay away from the centre of city.

Dr Bay, who is a former Queensland Open chess champion and held various jobs before becoming a doctor, was sceptical of vaccines even as a medical student because he is 'a big believer in the power of the human body and mind to heal itself'.

He first suspected something was wrong with the Covid vaccines when he, along with all other medical professors, received a March 9, 2021 email from APHRA and medical boards warning they could face legal repercussions for questioning the jabs.

The email warned 'any promotion of anti-vaccination statements or health advice which contradicts the best available scientific evidence or seeks to actively undermine the national immunisation campaign ... may be in breach of the codes of conduct and subject to investigation and possible regulatory action'.

Dr Bay was arrested and thrown in jail overnight for staging protest in the centre of Brisbane

Dr Bay said the entire basis of his suspension was this 'gag order'.

'Not only did they threaten me they followed through and I was out of work for two and a half years,' he said.

'I could not work in any role that any linked to health care.

'Their internal tribunal and suspended me not for any clinical problems, not any medical problems, not for any patient complaints purely for five complaints about my speech which was criticism of them, the government and the Covid vaccines.'

AHPRA has previously denied to Daily Mail Australian that the notice should inhibit doctors in performing their duties.

'Doctors do not need to be afraid to take notes about the vaccine,' a spokesman said.

'It is good medical practice and a professional obligation for doctors to make accurate medical records.

'We encourage practitioners to discuss the various vaccines with their patients and use their professional judgement and the best available evidence to help the patient make the safest choices.

'The Boards' expectations of registered health practitioners in relation to vaccination and public health matters is not new and predates the COVID-19 pandemic.'

Dr Bay said he began seeing severe vaccine side effects that occurred hours after getting the Covid jabs or sometimes the next day.

'I was seeing blood coming from different parts of the human body from the nose, the mouth, from the anus that I normally wouldn't be seeing in normal patients,' he said.

'I was having to attend people's home up to seven times a night for chest pain. I saw cardiac arrests. I saw patients dying several hours after having the vaccines. I saw people immobilised. I saw children incapacitated and unable to move.'

He said what was even worse was that some of the same patients were being told by emergency department doctors the symptoms were 'all in their mind'.

'Yes, the injuries were bad but what really was upsetting me is that these patients seemed so psychologically harmed by being gaslit by the doctors in emergency department when they got there,' Dr Bay said.

The Health Department states on its website that Covid vaccines 'have been thoroughly assessed by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and found to be safe and effective'.

'The TGA checks all Covid-19 vaccines for quality, safety and effectiveness before approving them for use in Australia,' the department said.

'This is the same process that all vaccines go through in Australia. Medical experts at the TGA continuously check all vaccines to make sure they are safe.'
On April 20, 1999, two teenage boys dressed in black trench coats went on a killing rampage at Columbine High School in what was at one time the deadliest school shooting in American history.

Armed with an assortment of weapons and homemade bombs, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold shot and killed 12 classmates and a teacher at the Colorado school, and wounded two dozen others before taking their own lives.

Twenty-five years later, the name Columbine has become synonymous with school and mass shootings in America and across the world.

The massacre has spawned a subculture of fans, known as Columbiners, who are fascinated with the killers and have created an online community with an estimated more than 70,000 members worldwide.

Harris and Klebolds infamous slaying has created a school shooting blueprint for 'copycat' shooters and been linked to more than 50 fatal hate-filled attacks across the globe including in Russia, Germany, Finland and Canada.

But the Columbine effect has seemingly had the worst impact on America with 32 fatal school shootings having been connected to the attack, including the three deadliest school massacres in US history.

Virginia Tech shooter Seung-Hui Cho said he wanted to 'repeat Columbine' before carrying out his 2007 attack. Sandy Hook gunman Adam Lanza had an 'obsession' with Columbine and Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz researched the 1999 massacre before gunning down 17 people at his Florida high school.

There have been 426 school shootings - not all of which were fatal - across the US since the Columbine massacre, according to The Washington Post's School Shooting tracker, with the most recent occurring just three days ago.

Natalie Rupnow, 15, armed herself with a pistol and opened fire at her small Christian school in Madison, Wisconsin on Monday, killing a teacher and another student. Six others were injured in the attack.

Rupnow, who turned the gun on herself after the massacre, has been pictured wearing the same band t-shirt as Columbine killer Harris.

Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold went on a killing rampage at Columbine High School in suburban Denver school on April 20, 1999, killing 13 people and injuring a further 24

The gunmen who, in hopes that their story would outlive them, created home videos of the preparations for their attack and detailed their plans in a manifesto. Harris and Klebold are pictured examine a sawed-off shotgun at a makeshift shooting range the year of the shooting

Eric Harris (left) and Dylan Klebold (right), perpetrators of the Columbine massacre

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Although it was not the world's first-ever school shooting, Columbine was the first infamous school massacre because people were intrigued by its unique circumstances.

Columbine, unlike other school slayings, was carried out by two gunmen who, in hopes that their story would outlive them, created home videos of the preparations for their attack and detailed their plans in a written manifesto.

The pair also did not target anyone in particular when they stormed the storm, but instead fired randomly at their victims. They had also designed bombs that were intended to kill indiscriminately.

Harris and Klebold's attack came at the start of the digital age and the 24-hour cable news cycle, coverage about the violent attack was readily and permanently available to anyone across the globe.

The first so-called Columbiners were mostly just 'curious teenagers' fascinated by the criminal mind and interested in analyzing the massacre.

But now the online cult is comprised of thousands of adolescents who openly say they condone the Columbine murderers and have even likened Harris and Klebold into heroes, according to the Atlantic.

Columbine groupies, who according to the magazine often describe themselves as 'awkward outcasts', claim to feel a connection with the killers - despite neither of the pair having been loners.

Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz researched the 1999 massacre before gunning down 17 people at his Florida high school

Investigators said that Cruz, who was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole in 2022, aspired to be 'the youngest mass murderer'

Adam Lanza, 20, who killed 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School had an 'obsession' with Columbine, police found. He idolized the killers and even created a Tumblr page that paid homage to the pair

Virginia Tech shooter Seung-Hui Cho claimed to be inspired by Harris and Klebold and called them 'martyrs' in his videotape suicide manifesto

Columbine also created a 'common knowledge' playbook for school shootings, The Conversation reported, with dozens of perpetrators using the 1999 massacre as a model for their own attacks.

Robert Steinhauser, who shot and killed 16 people at his secondary school in Erfurt, Germany, researched Columbine online before he carried out the deadly attack on April 26, 2002.

Eerily reminiscent of Harris and Klebold's attack, Steinhauser dressed all in black and moved methodically through the school building, picking his victims one-by-one. He then turned the gun on himself.

Matti Saari, dubbed the 'YouTube gunman', shot and killed 10 students in an exam room at a college in Finland on September 23, 2008.

Saari, 22, carried out the attack 24 hours after posting a video on the internet in which he turned to the camera and declared: 'You will die next.'

Police ruled that Saari, who had been planning his rampage from as far back as 2002, drew inspiration from Columbine. He was reportedly fascinated with the killing and clips from Colorado massacre were listed among his favorite YouTube videos.

Investigators found a note in his home that said 'I have always wanted to murder as many people as possible'.

Nikolas Cruz, the 14-year-old who killed 17 people when he opened fire on Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, also researched the massacre before targeting his own high school.

Investigators said that Cruz, who was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole in 2022, aspired to be 'the youngest mass murderer'.

Similarly, Virginia Tech shooter Seung-Hui Cho claimed to be inspired by Harris and Klebold and called them 'martyrs' in his videotape suicide manifesto.

Adam Lanza, 20, who killed 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School had an 'obsession' with Columbine, police found. He idolized the killers and even created a Tumblr page that paid homage to the pair.

Matti Saari, dubbed the 'YouTube gunman', shot and killed 10 students in an exam room at a college in Finland on September 23, 2008. Police ruled that Saari, who had been planning his rampage from as far back as 2002, drew inspiration from Columbine. He was reportedly fascinated with the killing and clips from Colorado massacre were listed among his favorite YouTube videos

Vladislav Roslyakov - who launched a gun and bomb rampage at his college in Crimea, Russia in 2018 - is believed to been inspired by a music video dedicated to Columbine. Roslyakov, 18, stalked his college halls with a shotgun and let off homemade explosives before killing himself in the library

Robert Steinhauser, who shot and killed 16 people at his secondary school in Erfurt, Germany, researched Columbine online before he carried out the deadly attack on April 26, 2002. Eerily reminiscent of Harris and Klebold's attack, Steinhauser dressed all in black and moved methodically through the school building, picking his victims one-by-one. He then turned the gun on himself

Harris and Klebold also provided copycats with a depiction of how gunmen should dress, behave and speak.

Santa Fe High School shooter Dimitrios Pagourtzis dressed in a long, dark trench coat - the same attire that Harris and Klebold wore during their rampage - when he shot 10 people dead on May 18, 2018.

Pagourtzis, 17, also shared a photograph on his now-defunct Facebook page of a military-style 'duster' featuring the same red star medallion worn by Klebold, according to The Houston Chronicle.

Wisconsin shooter Natalie Rupnow was seen wearing a KMFDM band t-shirt ahead of Monday morning's atrocity.

The German industrial band came into focus in the wake of Columbine. Harris had been pictured wearing the same branded black T-shirt before the massacre, and both he and Klebold were avid fans of the band.

KMFDM released a statement in 1999 expressing their sympathy in the wake of the Columbine shooting and distancing themselves from any Nazi associations.

Similarly, Vladislav Roslyakov - who launched a gun and bomb rampage at his college in Crimea, Russia in 2018 - is believed to been inspired by a music video dedicated to Columbine.

Roslyakov, 18, stalked his college halls with a shotgun and let off homemade explosives before killing himself in the library.

CCTV footage allegedly showed Roslyakov wearing a similar outfit to the portrayal of Harris in a music video for the anti-gun song Pumped Up Kicks by Foster The People, which was inspired by the Columbine massacre.

It is suggested that Roslyakov copied the portrayal of Harris in the video by wearing a white T-shirt with black writing, black tight trousers with his hair combed back and a gun slung over his shoulders.

The clip that Roslyakov is said to have copied was not from Foster The People's official music video. The band, whose bassist's cousin survived Columbine, said the song was inspired by school shootings.

Wisconsin shooter Natalie Rupnow was seen wearing a KMFDM band t-shirt ahead of Monday morning's atrocity. The German industrial band came into focus in the wake of Columbine

Eric Harris is pictured wearing a KMFDM branded black T-shirt. He and Klebold were avid fans of the German band

Caleb Sharpe, 15, had been watching documentaries about Columbine and the Sandy Hook massacre for about a year before he fatally shot a classmate and injured three others at his school in Washington state on September 13, 2017

Santa Fe High School shooter Dimitrios Pagourtzis dressed in a long, dark trench coat - the same attire that Harris and Klebold wore during their rampage - when he shot 10 people dead on May 18, 2018. Pagourtzis, 17, shared chilling photos on his - now removed - Facebook of a 'Born to Kill' t-shirt shortly before Friday morning's massacre

Pagourtzis, 17, also shared a photograph on his now-defunct Facebook page of a military-style 'duster' featuring the same red star medallion worn by Klebold

The Columbine effect goes far beyond online forums and internet searchers, with multiple shooters even saying they were inspired to carry out their own attacks after viewing mainstream media coverage about the massacre.

Columbine was cited in court documents after a 15-year-old Oregon boy injured 10 students when he opened fire at Springwater Trail High School in 2007. He had recently watched a TV documentary about the killings.

Similarly, Caleb Sharpe, 15, had been watching documentaries about Columbine and the Sandy Hook massacre for about a year before he fatally shot a classmate and injured three others at his school in Washington state on September 13, 2017.

Court records revealed he watched the Mind of a Rampage Killer documentary at least 10 times before carrying out his attack, The Spokesman reported.

Another 15-year-old held his teacher and 24 classmates hostage at gunpoint in a five-hours standoff in 2010 after reading a book about Columbine. The Wisconsin teen shot himself as police stormed the classroom.

A Louisiana boy, also 15, in 2009 opened fire on his teacher after he ordered her to say 'Hail Marilyn Manson', which she refused.

The teen, who kept a manifesto titled Deadly Diary II, was fascinated by Columbine and Manson, whose music was falsely linked to the Columbine killers despite the pair not appearing to be fans.

Eric Harris (L) watches as Dylan Klebold practices shooting a gun at a makeshift shooting range March 6, 1999 in Douglas County, CO in this image from video released by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department

Dylan Klebold was one of the two teenagers behind the Columbine High School Massacre in 1999, one of the deadliest school shootings in history

The Columbine effect also spawned concerning rhetoric surrounding school shootings.

Some gunmen have reportedly discussed the massacre with their classmates, while others have joked about the incident.

Charles Andrew Williams, who shot two people dead and injured 13 others in California in 2001, even once commented that he was 'going to pull a Columbine'.

Perpetrators have also chosen the anniversary of the Columbine massacre as the date to carry out their own shootings. Threats of shootings are also regularly made on the Columbine anniversary date.
An illegal immigrant who said he was a teenager when he violently assaulted a worker during a robbery at a branch of Wickes in Berkshire was accused by a judge of lying about his age.

Karandeep Singh, who was jailed this week for almost five years following a trial at Reading crown court, claimed he was only 18 years old when he left a member of staff at the hardware store in Slough with a head wound on May 25 last year.

Singh carried out the attack with 34-year-old Satwant Singh after a member of staff challenged them as they tried to steal spirit levels from the shop.

Karandeep Singh failed to turn up for his trial and - after being arrested on a warrant - denied he was the same Karandeep Singh who had been at the Wickes store.

Fingerprint evidence proved this to be a lie that 'wasted precious police time', said Judge Sarah Jane Campbell.

The court heard how the two men attended the Wickes store in Farnham Road and were recognised by staff, who had seen them acting suspiciously before.

After picking up a spirit level, Satwant Singh was challenged by a store worker named Morgan Duffy.

The co-defendant initially claimed he was going to pay for it, but then brazenly walked out without doing so.

Karandeep Singh said he was aged 19 when he violently assaulted a shop worker during a robbery - a claim that was questioned by Judge Sarah Jane Campbell

Satwant Singh, 34, was found guilty of robbery and jailed for three years and eight months

When Duffy attempted to grab the spirit level, Satwant Singh grabbed him and dragged him outside, where Karandeep Singh hit him in the head with the spirit level, the court heard.

'As a result, Mr Duffy was caused a 9cm wound to his head which had to be glued and he had to go to A&E,' said Campbell.

'Staff at Wickes have become wary about coming into work.'

The court heard that Karandeep Singh, who stated he has a five-year-old child, said he was aged just 18 at the time of the incident.

He pleaded with the court to take his immaturity into account and consider that his crime was due to the impulsivity of youth.

Campbell, sentencing, told his defence lawyer: 'He does have three alias birthdays on the Police National Computer and he looks to me a little bit older than 19, I have to say.

'One of the alias birthdays places him as being five years older, which perhaps fit a little bit more with his appearance.'

Defending barrister Tobias Smith informed the court he had been instructed by Singh to put his claimed birth date of 2005 forward.

The attempted robbery took place at the Wickes store in Farnham Road, Slough, where shop worker Morgan Duffy confronted the two men

'The date of birth will have come from somewhere, some sort of document', Smith said. 'Some people physically mature at different rates.'

Smith added: 'He has no status in the UK, having arrived four months previous to the incident.

'He had taken a journey from [the Indian state of] Punjab to the UK in the hope he would build a better life for himself and to bring his wife and five-year-old son over to the UK.

'Now the reality of the situation turned out to be something quite different.

'He found himself having travelled without any support from his family, he was homeless for the entire of his time in the UK, up until when he was was bailed to a bail hostel.'

The court heard how Karandeep Singh had failed to turn up for his trial on 1 October this year and was convicted in his absence, which Campbell described as 'a deliberate attempt to evade justice'.

'When you were ultimately arrested on a warrant, you started to deny your identity and so efforts had to be made to match your fingerprints with the fingerprints [of] the Karandeep Singh who was arrested,' Campbell told him.

'That was a continued effort to attempt to evade justice on your part.'

Karandeep Singh was convicted of robbery and section 20 grievous bodily harm and sentenced to four years, eight months and 14 days in prison.

Satwant Singh, who was convicted of robbery only, was jailed for three years and eight months.
She claims 'miracle' drug cured her of the skin condition

Doctors advised she move to the UK for a 'normal life'

A woman who was forced to leave Australia due to a debilitating skin condition has enjoyed a pain-free swim at the beach for the first time in over 50 years.

Faye Haines, 54, was diagnosed with an extremely severe case of eczema at just four-months-old described by countless specialists as the worst they had seen.

Ms Haines was essentially allergic to everything including dust mites, makeup, fragrances, materials, plastics, food, textiles, dyes, pollen and grass.

Her allergies would trigger her chronic eczema, causing a painful rash with oozing sores that erupted all over her body and caused her skin to peel off.

In her late teens to early 20s, Ms Haine's eczema was rife. She was hospitalised 20 times and would have to be bandaged up like she was a burns victim.

'When I went into hospital, they would wrap me from head to toe with bandages because I lost so much skin that it was like fluid I was just weeping,' Ms Haines told Daily Mail Australia.

'I'd had to have wet treatments where they would wrap me a couple times a day in wet bandages and excessive amounts of cream.

'I was also treated intravenously for the infection. My doctors said I had to do the bandages at home, which obviously made it extremely difficult to lead a normal life.

Faye Haines was diagnosed with an extremely severe case of eczema at four-months old, which required her to bandage her body from head to toe (she is pictured as a young adult)

Ms Haines explained she had a long-list of allergies which would worsen her eczema (pictured)

'I couldn't shower as doctors told me to avoid water and advised me to bathe in salt water but when I went to the beach I would just be screaming because the salt water was like pouring acid over the cuts covering my entire body.'

Doctors prescribed Ms Haines a high dose of prednisone but that did not work.

However, everything changed after she discovered she was allergic to the Australian climate after a trip to the UK when she was 19-years-old.

'Wearing full bandages in the Australian heat was pretty damn difficult and I just ended up becoming more and more isolated,' Ms Haines explained.

'When it was hot I'd have flies swarming around me, like going for all the open wounds on my body.

'I couldn't go out walking, forget going on a bush walk, forget the beach, forget everything that makes Australia the country that it is.

'As soon as I left the country, it [severe eczema] went away. It was just mind-boggling to go from a kind of disability to being absolutely normal.

'But when I came back [to Australia] it came back. When I went to the UK again in my 20s, again I was cured.'

Doctors tried to treat Ms Haines but nothing worked to alleviate the painful red rash that would takeover her entire body (pictured). However everything changed when she moved to the UK

After a trip abroad, Ms Haines (pictured) soon realised that she was allergic to Australia

After three trips to the UK, doctors advised Ms Haines to consider moving overseas permanently for the chance of a 'normal life'.

In 1999, Ms Haines made the difficult decision to move to the UK, leaving her family and friends in Australia.

'I still had eczema but on a scale of one to 100, it was probably at about 30 or 40 in the UK as opposed to 100 in Australia,' she said.

Ms Haines would visit Australia every year at Christmas and for the entire month experience the excruciating symptoms of her severe eczema.

After a brief stint back in Australia with her husband and their son, Ms Haines moved back to the UK again in 2016.

However, after experiencing a horrific reaction following her second Covid vaccine which left her bedridden for two years, Ms Haines was desperate for a cure.

The mum-of-one shared pictures of her condition to an Australian eczema Facebook group and was advised to try a 'biologic' treatment called Dupilumab (Dupixent).

Ms Haines made a plan to be healthy enough to travel back to Australia to trial the drug and in August this year had her first injection.

The injection worked within hours, with Ms Haines left in complete disbelief.

'I could win the lottery fifty times and it wouldn't come close to the feeling I have from being eczema free,' she said.

'It's a bloody miracle and feels incredible, I still can't believe it and never thought I'd have skin so clear and soft.

'It's quite insane the basic things I can do now like jump in the shower, walk in the park, go for a swim  they were off limits before.'

Within hours, Ms Haines (pictured with her husband) was cured of her debilitating eczema

The 54-year-old (pictured) is now excited to enjoy her first Australian summer

What was once off-limits, like bushwalking, is now something Ms Haines can enjoy with her son (pictured)

Last week, Ms Haines swam at an Australian beach for the first time in 54 years without feeling any pain.

The Newcastle local is now able to take her 10-year-old son to the park, on bush walks and even to the beach.

'It's really a blessing for my family to see me healed, because now I can spend time with them as I was meant to be,' Ms Haines said.

'I hope I live to 110 because I have a lot of lost time to make up for. I feel like I can live for the firs time ever with no pain.'

Along with her fortnightly injections, Ms Haines also uses products from Australian-owned natural skincare brand MooGoo to help rejuvenate her skin.

She said products like the Udder Cream, the Amplified Anti-Ageing Peptide and shampoo cured her of her dry skin and scalp.

'The injections took all the eczema away, but it didn't really take the dryness. It was like I was snowing,' Ms Haines said.

'The cream I've been using has made my skin really soft, and the dryness is almost gone. I started using the MooGoo shampoo and conditioner and it worked. I've noticed my hair is starting to grow back what I lost with the eczema on my scalp.'

Eczema is one of the top 10 chronic health conditions in Australia, causing dry, itchy, scaly and painful lesions on the body.

Australia has one of the highest rates of eczema, with up to 2.8million Aussies suffering from it, according to Eczema Support Australia.

Extreme weather including searing heat, tropical storms, increased humidity can often disrupt the skin's barrier function and trigger or worsen eczema symptoms.
The California man accused of plotting a coordinated attack with Wisconsin school shooter Natalie Rupnow has been pictured for the first time.

Alexander Paffendorf, 20, of Carlsbad, was detained by FBI agents on suspicion of 'plotting' to coordinate a mass shooting at an undisclosed government building.

Paffendorf admitted to agents that he had been messaging 15-year-old Rupnow about attacking a government building with a gun and explosives, according to court documents made public Wednesday.

A San Diego judge judge issued a restraining order Tuesday under California's gun red flag law against Paffendorf, requiring him to surrender any firearms and ammunition to police within 48 hours, and prohibited him from acquiring any more.

Shortly afterwards, neighbors told CBS 8 they saw more than a dozen police cars enter the apartment complex where Paffendorf lives on Tuesday night and saw officers coming out of the building carrying what was described as a 'black gun box.'

The order doesn't say what building he had targeted or when he planned to launch his attack. It also doesn't detail his interactions with Rupnow except to state that the man was plotting a mass shooting with her.

Paffendorf appears to live at the property raided by police with his father, address records revealed. A court hearing for Paffendorf is scheduled for January 3.

The 20-year-old seemingly has maintained a low-profile online, with DailyMail.com finding no social media accounts associated with his name. He is also 'touchy about getting his photo taken', according to a Facebook post from an account apparently linked to his father.

Alexander Paffendorf, 20, of Carlsbad, California was detained by FBI agents on suspicion of 'plotting' to coordinate a mass shooting at an undisclosed government building

Officers were seen entering Paffedorf's apartment in Carlsbad and carrying out a 'black gun box'. Address records suggest he lives at the property with his father

It was not immediately clear how Paffendorf knew Rupnow, and Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes told the Journal Sentinel he did not have any information about the arrest in California, and referred questions to the FBI.

DailyMail.com has approached the FBI, San Diego Police and San Diego Superior Court for comment.

Police are still investigating why the 15-year-old student at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison shot and killed a fellow student and teacher on Monday before shooting herself, Barnes said.

Two other students who were shot remained in critical condition on Wednesday.

The student who was killed in Monday's school shooting was identified in an obituary released Wednesday as Rubi Patricia Vergara, 14, of Madison.

She was a freshman at the school and 'an avid reader, loved art, singing and playing keyboard in the family worship band,' according to the obituary.

The Dane County medical examiner Wednesday evening identified the teacher who was killed as 42-year-old Erin Michelle West.

The school's communication director, Barbara Wiers, said in a statement Wednesday evening that Vergara had attended the school since kindergarten.

West worked as a substitute teacher for three years before accepting a position as the school's substitute coordinator and an in-building substitute teacher, Wiers said.

'Our hearts are heavy with these losses,' Wiers wrote in an email to AP.

It is unclear whether any of the victims were specifically targeted in the attack.

But Lyndsay O'Connor, a mother of two survivors, suggested that the regular study hall teacher, who was not there due to a 'planned absence,' may have been Natalie's target - though her idea has not been verified by police.

'We don't know if her target was the original teacher or just the kids in the class. She would have had to walk by the door and the door was open,' O'Connor said.

Paffendorf admitted to agents that he had been messaging 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow (pictured) about attacking a government building with a gun and explosives, according to court documents made public Wednesday

It was revealed Wednesday that Rupnow had two handguns with her but used only one in the attack, the city's police chief said

Rupnow had two handguns with her during the attack but only used one to carry it out, Barnes revealed Wednesday, noting that he does not know how the teenager obtained the weapons.

'We may never know what she was thinking that day, but we will do our best to try to add or give as much information to our public as possible,' he said.

Investigators don't know if anyone was targeted in the attack or if the attack had been planned in advance, the police chief added.

'I do not know if if she planned it that day or if she planned it a week prior,' Barnes said. 'To me, bringing a gun to school to hurt people is planning. And so we don't know what the premeditation is.'

While Rupnow had two handguns, Barnes said he does not know how she obtained them and he declined to say who purchased them, citing the ongoing investigation.

Police have said they received a call at 10.57am Monday morning, and within three minutes, county sheriff's deputies had arrived at Abundant Life Christian School, which educates about 420 students. Local police arrived seconds later.

At 11.05am, they said that they'd found the shooter wounded and recovered the weapon. Rupnow was pronounced dead on the way to hospital.

Simultaneously, fire department workers got to the scene and began to care for the victims.

The school shooting took the life of 14-year-old Rubi Patricia Vergara

Erin M West, 42, worked at Abundant Life Christian School as the substitute coordinator before she was gunned down in a school shooting on Monday

Police, with the assistance of the FBI, have been scouring online records and other resources, as well as speaking with the shooter's parents and classmates in an attempt to determine a motive for the shooting, Barnes said.

Authorities raided the Rupnows' Wisconsin home after the tragedy, and the shooter's father has been reportedly compliant with the ongoing investigation.

Investigators have been trying to figure out if the teen's parents, Jeff and Melissa, had any involvement or contributed to Natalie's actions.

Online court records show no criminal cases against her father, Jeffrey Rupnow, or her mother, Mellissa Rupnow.

They are divorced and shared custody of their daughter, but she primarily lived with her father, according to court documents. Divorce records indicate that Rupnow was in therapy in 2022, but don't say why.

No decisions have been made about whether Rupnow's parents might be charged in relation to the shooting, Barnes said.

Police are still investigating why the 15-year-old student at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison shot and killed a fellow student and teacher on Monday before shooting herself

Authorities raided the Rupnows' Wisconsin home after the tragedy , and the shooter's father has been reportedly compliant with the ongoing investigation

The school shooting was the latest among dozens across the US in recent years, including especially deadly ones in Newtown, Connecticut, Parkland, Florida, and Uvalde, Texas.

But the Wisconsin shooting stands out because school shootings by teenage females have been extremely rare in the US, with males in their teens and 20s carrying out the majority of them, said David Riedman, founder of the K-12 School Shooting Database.

Abundant Life is a nondenominational Christian school that offers prekindergarten classes through high school. About 420 students attend the institution.
Prince Harry pressured New York cops to speed up their investigation and make arrests after their 'high speed' chase with photographers through the streets of Manhattan.

He even claimed there was a cover-up, letters and emails obtained by DailyMail.com show.

'The duke feels intentionally misled and is suspicious of a cover-up,' one missive from his security company to the New York Police Department said.

Harry also demanded that arrests be made the very next day and threatened to make an official complaint.

The demand came after John Hart, the NYPD's top intelligence officer, had sent police in London two letters, one saying there was not enough evidence to make arrests and a second  three months later  saying there was.

To date, no arrests have been made in connection with the May 2023 incident.

Hart's original letter was sent in September 2023. The second arrived on December 6 that year, midway through a hearing in London when he was trying to get the British government to pay for protection for him and his family while visiting the UK.

But TorchStone then sent an email saying Harry was upset at the slow pace of the NYPD's investigation and felt 'intentionally misled'.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle leaving the Ziegfeld Theatre in Manhattan on May 16, 2023. Later this night after meeting their private security company, they'd allegedly be chased down by paparazzi during a bizarre 'two-hour' car chase

Meghan received the Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Award and posed with journalist and feminist activist Gloria Steinem

The couple said in a statement that after they left the ceremony they were involved in a 'near catastrophic car chase' involving a 'a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi'

Harry even asked California Governor Gavin Newsom for a contact with the prosecutors in New York  and wanted to take the matter higher if 'necessary'.

This new information is the latest twist surrounding the car chase incident after Harry's wife Meghan Markle had received the Ms. Foundation for Women of Vision Award at the Ziegfeld Ballroom on May 16 of last year.

The couple claimed in a statement that after they left the ceremony they were involved in a 'near catastrophic car chase' involving 'a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi' who pursued them through the streets of Manhattan.

One of their security team, Chris Sanchez from TorchStone, told CNN that it was 'chaotic' and 'could have been fatal' and involved ruthless photographers jumping curbs and going through red lights. Footage captured by TMZ showed Harry and Meghan in a taxi at one point.

Omid Scobie, a biographer of the Sussexes, even claimed the 'pursuit went on for two hours' and Harry and Meghan's car 'went up to 80 miles an hour'.

But skeptics immediately called the account into question because of the amount of traffic there usually is on Manhattan streets.

New York Mayor Eric Adams said it was 'hard to believe' there was a lengthy high speed car chase.

The NYPD's top intelligence officer John Hart revised his original statement that there was no probable cause to arrest any of the photographers involved in a later letter

The letter sent on September 18, 2023, said that a thorough review of the incident had taken place on May 16, 2023, and they concluded 'that the behavior in question was reckless' but they 'did not have sufficient evidence to arrest an individual'

Emails obtained by DailyMail.com through a Freedom of Information request show that Harry's team repeatedly pressed the NYPD about the incident.

The first letter from the NYPD was dated September 18, 2023, and was addressed to Richard Smith, the Chief Superintendent Commander for Royalty and Specialty Protection at the Metropolitan Police in London.

The letter says that a thorough review of the incident had taken place and they concluded 'that the behavior in question was reckless', but they didn't have enough evidence to make an arrest.

In a statement at the time, the NYPD said there were 'numerous photographers that made their (the Sussexes) transport challenging'.

'The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination and there were no reported collisions, summonses, injuries, or arrests in regard,' said Julian Phillips, the Deputy Commissioner for Public Information.

Hart later met with three people from TorchStone for 30 minutes on Microsoft Teams.

The subject of the visit was: 'NYC Visit of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex', referring to the planned visit that October by the Sussexes to New York for World Mental Health Day.

Then, on December 6, 2023, Hart sent the second letter to TorchStone, the private security firm used by the Duke. This time the document was titled 'Duke and Duchess Revised'. Hart wrote in the subject line 'as discussed'

The letter was the same as the first one except for one key difference - this time the NYPD said tthere ws 'sufficient evidence' to arrest two people

Omid Scobie, a biographer of the Sussexes, claimed the 'pursuit went on for two hours' with speeds up to 80 miles an hour' but New York's Mayor Eric Adams said it was 'hard to believe' there was a high speed car chase through Manhattan's crowded streets

The emails do not state whether the matter of revising the letter came up and no agenda was included in the material released.

Then, on December 6, Hart sent the second letter to police in London, copying it to TouchStone under the subject line 'as discussed'.

The letter was the same as the first, with one key difference - there was now 'sufficient evidence to arrest two individuals for reckless endangerment'.

The second letter appeared to provide a sense of vindication for the Sussexes and arrived at a crucial time for the Duke.

December 6 was the second day of a three-day hearing at the High Court in London where he was trying to compel the British government to give him full royal security protection while on visits to the UK.

Prince Harry was opposing a decision made in 2020 by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures to downgrade his protection status after he stepped back from being a working royal.

During the proceedings Harry's lawyer read out an emotional statement on his behalf in which he said that without proper protection he couldn't bring his family back to Britain.

Harry said: 'I can't put my wife in danger like that, and given my experiences in life, I'm reluctant to unnecessarily put myself in harm's way too.'

In his final ruling released in February this year, Sir Peter Lane, the presiding judge, said that on the final day of the hearing, Harry's lawyer 'produced a copy of a letter dated December 6, 2023, from the Chief of Intelligence in the New York City Police Department'.

The judge wrote that he considered the letter as part of an 'important point' about the potential danger posed to Harry and his family by paparazzi. But ultimately the judge rejected Harry's demands and ruled the British government did not have to give him the same level of security he enjoyed when he was a working royal.

Yet even after getting the revised letter, it seems Harry was not done holding the NYPD's feet to the fire.

TorchStone sent a letter to Hart on December 21, 2023, expressing the Duke's frustration over the lack of action the NYPD has taken now that probable cause was established. The representative stated Prince Harry felt 'intentionally misled and is suspicious of a cover-up'

Harry was fighting to get back added protection in the UK that had been removed after the couple stepped back from their royal duties. He used Hart's letter during proceedings, but a judge ruled against him

In a December 21, 2023, email, a representative from TorchStone contacted Hart expressing the Duke's frustration in frank terms.

It read: 'Chief Hart, I am writing on behalf of the Duke of Sussex as he has asked that certain things be taken care of by this Friday as it relates to the incident last May in NYC, before he moves forward with an official complaint to the Manhattan District Attorney's office.

The email was sent on the Thursday before Christmas, meaning that Harry wanted action within a day.

'He would like the arrests of the paparazzi to happen or have an official letter stating why they have not been arrested or a letter from the DA's office on why they haven't accepted charges.

'He intends to file a formal complaint about the handling of the situation since May and a complaint against you on whether the DA's office had the evidence of the paparazzi in the first place to press charges.

'The Duke has contacted Gov. Gavin Newsom's office to assist in finding the right point of contact in the Manhattan District Attorney's office or higher up for further discussions.

'If there is anything that you would like me to formally pass to the Duke, please let me know and I would be happy to do so.'

In the end, the NYPD decided it only wanted to handle the issue through lawyers. 'Okay - based on this we will refer all case updates or lack thereof only through counsel,' Hart replied.

'Please let us know if they have any further travel to NYC region - we will continue to provide coverage reflective of the October visit.'

DailyMail.com sent a detailed series of questions to Harry and Meghan's representatives, TorchStone, the NYPD, the Manhattan District Attorney's office and Gov. Newsom's office.

The NYPD, the DA, Gov. Newsom and the Sussexes' team did not respond. TorchStone declined to comment.
Keir Starmer has handed his ousted former aide Sue Gray a peerage, it was confirmed today.

Ms Gray, a former senior civil servant, stepped down as the Prime Minister's 170,000 chief of staff in October following reports of a clash with other senior aides.

She subsequently accepted and then rejected a role as his envoy to the nations and regions amid claims of a new disagreement over pay.

Rumours that she would be given a seat in the House of Lords have circulated for weeks.

And this afternoon she was among new 30 Labour members of the unelected upper house - which Sir Keir vowed to abolish before the election.

Others handed peerages include former ministers and MPs Luciana Berger, Kevin Brennan, Lyn Brown, Thangam Debbonaire and Julie Elliott.

There is also a gong for former Labour Party general secretary David Evans and Mary Bousted, the former joint general secretary of the hardline NEU education union.

The Tories, for their party, handed peerages to Liz Truss's former deputy PM Therese Coffey, ex minister Rachel Maclean and Toby Young, a political commentator and director of the Free Speech Union.

Ms Gray, a former senior civil servant, stepped down as the Prime Minister's 170,000 chief of staff in October following reports of a clash with other senior aides.

Rumours that she would be given a seat in the House of Lords by Sir Keir have circulated for weeks.

Others handed peerages include former shadow minister and MP Thangam Debbonaire (left) and Mary Bousted, the former joint general secretary of the hardline NEU education union.

Ms Gray's three months in No10 were marked by regular reports of tensions within Sir Keir's top team, while it was leaked that she was earning more than Sir Keir's salary of 166,786.

The official, whose son, Liam Conlon, is a Labour MP, said she was leaving the chief of staff role in October because it was 'clear to me that intense commentary around my position risked becoming a distraction'.

She was replaced as Sir Keir's chief of staff by Morgan McSweeney, the apparent victor in a Downing Street power struggle.

He had previously overseen Labour's victorious general election campaign and been the PM's top political adviser in No10.

The ex-chief of staff was said to be taking a holiday before starting her new job as envoy, after she faced intense scrutiny in the media.

But six weeks later it emerged that she will now not be taking up the role as planned after her break from Government.

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Ms Gray's three months in No10 were marked by regular reports of tensions within Sir Keir's top team, while it was leaked that she was earning more than Sir Keir's salary of 166,786.

The Tories , for their party, handed peerages to Liz Truss 's former deputy PM Therese Coffey (left), ex minister Rachel Maclean and Toby Young (right), a political commentator and director of the Free Speech Union.

Ms Gray would have acted as a go-between for ministers with devolved governments in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and regional mayors across England.

But her future in the job was cast into doubt not long after she resigned as chief of staff, when she failed to appear at the first summit between the Government and leaders from Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the English regions.

Asked why there were no plans to fill the role given it was previously described as 'vital' to Government, No 10 said Ms Gray had been 'uniquely placed' to hold the position and repeated that the role would be kept 'under review'.

The House of Lords has some 800 members, most being life peers.

Since coming to power, Labour has started to enact reforms of the House of Lords promised in its election manifesto, including stripping out the remaining places for hereditary peers reserved in the upper chamber.

Adding more Labour peers would boost the party's representation. Labour has 187 peers compared to 273 from the Conservative Party.

The Liberal Democrats have 78 and there are 184 crossbench peers.

Sue Gray and friends: all the new peers created today Labour: Prof Wendy Alexander - former Scottish Labour leader and MP Sir Brendan Barber  ex-TUC leader Luciana Berger  former MP Mary Bousted  formerly joint leader of National Education Union (NEU) Kevin Brennan  former MP and minister Lyn Brown  former MP and shadow minister. Dinah Caine  chairwoman of Camden STEAM charity Kay Carberry  ex- assistant gen sec of the TUC Margaret Curran  former MP Thangam Debbonaire  former MP and shadow minister Julie Elliott  former MP David Evans  former Labour Party general secretary Sue Gray  former Chief of Staff to PM Theresa Griffin  former MEP Anji Hunter  former head of government relations in Downing Street. Carwyn Jones  former First Minister of Wales Mike Katz  national chairman of Jewish Labour Movement Gerard Lemos  chairman of English Heritage, National Savings & Investments (NS&I), and London Institute of Banking and Finance. Alison Levitt KC  senior judge Anne Longfield  Former Children's Commissioner for England Deborah Mattinson  former Director of Strategy to Sir Keir Starmer. Steve McCabe  former MP and whip Claude Moraes  former MEP Wendy Nichols  UNISON Yorkshire and Humberside official Simon Pitkeathley  CEO Camden Town Unlimited and Euston Town, formerly Mayor of London's 'Champion for Small Business'. Prof Dame Anne Marie Rafferty  former president of the Royal College of Nursing. Krish Raval  Founder of Faith in Leadership Marvin Rees  former Mayor of Bristol Revd Dr Russell David Rook  Partner at the Good Faith Partnership Phil Wilson  former MP and whip Conservatives: Nigel Biggar  Regius Professor Emeritus of Moral Theology at the University of Oxford and Anglican priest. Joanne Cash  Co-founder of Parent Gym and barrister Dame Therese Coffey  former deputy prime minister and MP. Roger Evans  former deputy mayor of London Rachel Maclean  former MP and minister Toby Young  founder and director of the Free Speech Union Lib Dems: Shaffaq Mohammed  former Sheffield City councillor and chairman, Liberal Democrat Carers Commission Dr Mark Pack  former president of the Liberal Democrats Advertisement

Former Labour MP Steve McCabe said he was 'very pleased' to have been nominated for a peerage and would use his position in the House of Lords to continue pursuing interests he championed in the Commons.

'I want to help the Labour Government succeed and I want to continue to look after the interests of people of the area that I served as an MP for many years,' he also told the PA news agency.

Mr McCabe, the former Birmingham Selly Oak MP, listed better diagnoses of heart valve disease, access to IVF, and his work with Labour Friends of Israel among the issues he would like to pursue.

But he added: 'I mean, there are so many other things happening at the moment in terms of health, education, housing, demands on the economy, it would be a bit silly for me to go in with a slate saying I want to do this, that, and the other.

'It would be much more sensible to just take stock of what is happening.'

Mike Katz, national chairman of Jewish Labour Movement, said he would use his peerage to continue to fight the 'toxic racism' of antisemitism.

He warned anti-Jewish hatred was now at 'unprecedented levels' in the UK in a post on X, formerly Twitter, welcoming his nomination to Parliament's upper house.

Mr Katz added: 'More positively, I passionately believe in this Government's commitment to creating a fairer, more prosperous society, and its determination to build the homes and the infrastructure that our country needs and our people deserve.

'I can't wait to get started.'

Dame Therese said she was 'honoured' to have been awarded a peerage and that it marked a 'great end to a very extraordinary year'.

'I'm honoured that the leader of my party Kemi Badenoch has put me forward and I look forward to being an active member of the Lords,' she told the PA news agency.
With her health in decline, 76-year-old Patricia Bunting was determined to have one final foreign holiday with her grandson William, who is 23 and has autism.

'She wanted to see him happy and to make memories,' says Emma Bunting, Patricia's daughter. 'She knew it would be her last holiday abroad and she saved up for nearly three years for it.'

Mrs Bunting, a former cleaner and factory worker, receives the state pension and, since her bus driver husband Joseph died of a heart attack in 1993, a small widow's pension.

The pair were joined on their three-week trip to Walt Disney World in Florida by her unemployed sons Paul, 40, (Emma's twin brother) and David, 42, who both live with their mum in Wigan, Greater Manchester.

'It was her 21st trip to the US since she first went with my dad in the late 1980s,' adds her daughter Emma, a cleaning supervisor, who remained at home with her younger son Joseph, ten.

'She loves it there - the people, the food, the weather. She always took out travel insurance and never had to use it.

In early 2022, however, she was diagnosed with the lung condition chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and had started using inhalers to help her breathe. November's holiday was her first trip to the US since then.

'She also uses a walker or a wheelchair to help her,' adds her daughter. 'She has artrial fibrillation, too, a heart condition that causes an irregular heart rate.'

With her health in decline, 76-year-old Patricia Bunting was determined to have one final foreign holiday with her grandson William, who is 23 and has autism

But Patricia has been hospitalised since November 23

The grandmother had looked into getting coverage for her trip, but told Emma she had been quoted around 3,000. 'I said, maybe you shouldn't go, but Mum said: 'I'll be ok.'

Fateful words. For what befell Patricia is by turns a story that will evoke sympathy from some  while also offering a salutary lesson about the recklessness of going abroad without insurance, especially to America, when suffering from serious chronic illness.

Five days before her scheduled flight home, on November 23, Patricia passed out in her hotel bathroom and was rushed to Orlando Health Dr. P. Phillips Hospital.

She spent five days in intensive care with Covid, before contracting pneumonia. She also suffered a gastrointestinal bleed and blood clots in her legs.

In a critical condition and too ill to leave hospital, her medical bills become ever more insurmountable by the day. The family are unaware of how much they owe but, after more than three weeks in hospital, it is likely to run into the tens of thousands of pounds.

A 2021 estimate put the average per-day hospital cost in the US at $2,883 (2,269). That would put Mrs Bunting's at nearly 57,000 already  and more when her spell in intensive care is factored in.

Five days before her scheduled flight home, on November 23, Patricia passed out in her hotel bathroom and was rushed to Orlando Health Dr. P. Phillips Hospital

On Tuesday a spokesman for Orlando Health Dr. P. Phillips Hospital described Mrs Bunting's condition as 'serious'.

In a statement, the hospital added: 'Although we can't comment on specific patient cases, Orlando Health has a longstanding generous financial assistance program for patients who have limited or no resources to pay for medically necessary services rendered at an Orlando Health facility.

'Orlando is a popular international tourist destination and we encourage all visitors to consider purchasing travel insurance for unexpected, emergency medical expenses.'

The UK Foreign Office advises that 'If you do not have appropriate insurance before you travel, you could be liable for emergency expenses, including medical treatment, which may cost thousands of pounds.'

One example it lists is 'stomach bug or infection treated in a hospital in the USA and possibly medical evacuation/repatriation' which it estimates could cost you '150,000+' without travel insurance.

Relatives are trying to get Patricia back to England so she can be cared for by the NHS. In the meantime their grandmother faces spending a lonely Christmas in a hospital bed on the other side of the Atlantic.

The family has launched a crowdfunding appeal on GoFundMe which so far has raised more than 31,000 of a 50,000 target.

They had hoped it would allow them to pay for a specialised air ambulance with a bed and oxygen to fly Patricia home under medical supervision and help pay a little of her hospital bill, too.

'She's nowhere near stable enough to be able to get a commercial flight home, which would be much cheaper.' says Emma.

But since launching the appeal, the family say they have discovered that the cost of a medically assisted flight may be as much as 130,000. And that is on top of the huge cost of her hospital stay.

Emma flew out to be by her mother's bedside as soon as she could, arriving shortly after her brothers and son returned home at the end of November. She has been staying in $50 (39) a night family accommodation at the hospital two floors below where her mother is being treated.

Patricia collapsed during her vacation to Orlando

Emma told the Mail: 'I'm only getting about three hours sleep a night, but it's good because I'm nearby if the nurses ring, and it's cheaper than a hotel.

'Mum is a tough cookie, but she's not out of the woods. She's on continuous oxygen, and on morphine for pain, as well as antibiotics. She's had two bouts of pneumonia. She sleeps a lot and can't really talk beyond muttering a few words. She's only able to eat protein shakes and broths.

'She's a Catholic and a priest has given her a prayer shawl and some rosary beads which have been a great comfort to her.

But nothing can keep the loneliness at bay. 'She's so far away from family it's killing her. She can't see her sister and her grandchildren. There's Facetime but it lacks the human element.

'She wants to be back for Christmas but I think I'm going to be spending it with her here in the US.'

While Emma admits her mum might have been more cautious about travelling, she understands her decision: 'People have said she was daft not to get insurance, but she didn't know she was going to get ill, did she?

And she's full of praise for all those who have donated money to get her mum home: 'There are lovely people who've got a heart and given to the fundraiser even though they don't know her. We're a working class family, we're not millionaires. How else are we supposed to pay for all this?'

More than 1,200 donations have so far been made to the family's appeal, ranging from 5 to 2,000.

Emma said she has, unfortunately, also received some unpleasant messages since launching the appeal, with some 'keyboard warriors' accusing her of exaggerating her mother's condition and the medical costs  and even of masterminding a money-making scam.

'I don't justify them with an answer. I have a good cry sometimes but don't let my mother see me upset,' she said.

Patricia's sister Linda Bennett, 70, a former nursing assistant who also lives in Wigan, said on Tuesday that other relatives had chipped in to help pay for the cost of Paul, David and William's holidays but that Patricia had insisted on paying for hers herself.

She is stuck in a Florida hospital with no insurance as the bills rack up, so her family launched a fundraiser to help

'She's always been a frugal person and has a lot of pride. She's never claimed benefits,' says Linda. 'She saved up for the holiday from her pensions  about 1,400 for flights and accommodation. She owns her semi-detached house but it needs a lot of repairs.'

Asked how much she'd like to have her sister home from Christmas, Linda replied: 'One million per cent.'

Meanwhile, back in the US, Emma has a clear message for anyone thinking of risking a foreign holiday without travel insurance.

'Don't do it. It's not worth it. Don't look at it as an unnecessary expense.'

She added: 'We can't fault the medical care that Mum has received here  but it is very, very expensive. I haven't even asked what the medical bill at the hospital is so far, but it'll be tens of thousands of dollars.'

And yes  Emma says she did make sure to take out travel insurance herself when she jetted out to be at her mother's bedside.

But, as her mum languishes in her hospital bed in Florida a country the grandmother used to call her 'happy place'  Emma is counting on the kindness of strangers to reunite her family this Christmas.
Nobody thought that a 'family-friendly' dog like Hunter would ever be a danger to baby Arabella.

The 18-month-old puppy would regularly join the infant in her travel cot, nuzzling and sniffing at her before wandering off.

'We used to think he was like Scooby Doo,' said one female relative.

But on Wednesday last week, Hunter 'just snapped'. What followed was like a scene from a horror film as the dog attacked the eight-month-old in a frenzy of violence, biting her so badly that she had to be airlifted to hospital with injuries that left her fighting for her life.

Arabella Williams's mother, who had tried to prise the dog's jaws apart as it tossed her daughter around 'like a rag doll', broke a finger in the process.

When police arrived at the house in Hawkinge, near Folkestone, Kent, a firearms officer shot Hunter dead in the front room and neighbours later saw the dog's corpse being removed in a body bag.

A 76-year-old woman and an 18-year-old man have been arrested on suspicion of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control. The case raises some disturbing questions because Hunter was an XL Bully, a breed that many people assume was banned under legislation passed by the outgoing Tory government in February of this year.

But, while it is against the law to sell, give away, abandon or breed from an XL Bully, people who owned dogs before the legislation came into force were entitled to apply for an exemption certificate that would allow them to keep their 'pet' as long as it was muzzled and put on a lead in public.

Genetic research carried out by the BullyWatch campaign group revealed that half of Britain's XL Bullies were descendants of an inbred dog named 'Killer Kimbo' from the US

You might have thought that this would solve the problem of people being mauled to death but far from it. The fact that the dogs can be kept unmuzzled at home means that owners and people who visit them  like Arabella  continue to be vulnerable. That adds up to a lot of potential victims.

When the XL Bully was added to the list of dogs banned by the Dangerous Dogs Act of 1991, it was thought that there were about 10,000 of them in England and Wales, but that proved to be a huge underestimate.

No fewer than 61,000 owners applied for exemption certificates before the deadline lapsed and 55,000 XL Bullies have been successfully registered.

A BBC investigation this week revealed that an average of more than 100 dangerous dogs a month have been destroyed since the ban was introduced.

Freedom of Information Act responses from 19 police forces in England and Wales show that, in the first eight months of 2024, 1,991 suspected banned dogs had been seized, either because they were unregistered or had been involved in a violent incident. Of these, 818 have been put down.

Despite this cull, there are still tens of thousands of XL Bullies living in homes up and down the country. And what fearsome creatures they are. While they may not be as large as a breeds such as the Dobermann Pinscher, which stand up to 35 in (89 cm) tall, what they lack in height they more than make up for in terms of strength and ferocity.

Muscular and barrel-chested, their jaws are so strong that they have a bite force of around 305 pounds per square inch (PSI)  compared to a Pit Bull's 235 PSI. As one NHS consultant put it: 'Once they grip, they don't let go.'

The XL Bully was developed in the 1990s by crossing American Pit Bull Terriers with other large, heavily muscled dogs, such as the American Staffordshire Bull Terrier and the American Bulldog.

To qualify as an XL, a male Bully must stand at least 20 in (51 cm) high at the shoulder, with female XLs only slightly smaller. Males can weigh anything from 70 lb to 150lb, which makes them a terrifying adversary.

17-month-old Bella-Rae Birch was killed by an XL Bully in Merseyside in 2021

While they make up less than 1 per cent of the total dog population in the UK, XL Bullies are estimated to have been responsible for at least six of the ten reported dog mauling deaths this year.

These victims include 41-year-old Michelle McLeod from Aberdeen, who was mauled to death by her XL Bully, Bailey, this month. The animal was seized by police and put down. It later emerged that Michelle had been charged with failing to control Bailey in June after he attacked a neighbour's dog.

Her death came less than a month after ten-year-old Savannah Bentham died from neck injuries inflicted by an XL Bully at her caravan home in East Heslerton, North Yorkshire. The family had owned the dog for four years.

In May, 50-year-old Angeline Mahal was killed at home by her two XL Bullies in Hornchurch, east London. Three months earlier, in Essex, 68-year-old grandmother Esther Martin died after being attacked by two of the dogs while visiting her 11-year-old grandson. All the XL Bullies involved had been granted exemption certificates.

'The law has not gone far enough,' says Marie Hay, who is among a growing number of people calling for stricter regulations. 'It might be working in public but it's not stopped people from being attacked within their own homes. XL Bullies shouldn't be kept as family pets. Ninety-nine per cent of these owners must know their dogs are temperamental. Anything can make these dogs snap.'

Marie and her two daughters were walking along the seafront in Redcar, North Yorkshire, in February last year when their pet husky Naevia was attacked by two XL Bullies.

They had just arrived at the beach when a man parked his car yards from where they were walking and opened his boot to release two large dogs, one brown and one silvery-white.

Marie was startled by their intimidating physiques and menacing body language. And she was right to be afraid, for just 30 seconds later they hurtled towards her and her girls and launched a vicious attack on their seven-year-old pet.

'They were grunting almost like hogs,' says 42-year-old Marie, from Middlesbrough. 'One jumped on Naevia, ripping her shoulders and chest and then the other joined in. Naevia was screaming like a baby.'

It took Marie, her 20-year-old daughter Jessica and several members of the public to restrain the dogs which  snapping ferociously  sank their teeth into Jessica's hand and injured three others.

All the while, Marie was screaming for someone to get her other daughter, a terrified five-year-old, off the beach. 'Those dogs wanted to kill Naevia,' says Marie. 'I looked at the brown one and there was pure death in its eyes.'

The savage attack was all the more horrifying because it went on for more than ten agonising minutes, ending only when Marie managed to put one dog in a headlock and their owner restrained the other.

But, for poor Naevia, the diagnosis looked bleak. Her chest had been ripped open, her kidneys were failing and she had lost vast amounts of blood. It took multiple operations, a dose of the painkiller ketamine and three different antibiotics to save her  a course of treatment that left Marie with a 30,000 vet bill.

In August, the owner of the two XL Bullies, John Pickering, was sentenced to two years in jail for being 'in charge of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury'. Banning the 51-year-old scaffolder from owning any animal for life, the judge described the attack as 'savage and despicable' and Pickering's XL Bullies have since been put down.

While they make up less than 1 per cent of the total dog population in the UK, XL Bullies are estimated to have been responsible for six of the ten reported dog mauling deaths this year

The attack on Marie's family happened just eight months before Rishi Sunak announced he would outlaw XL Bullies.

The then prime minister was spurred into action by a series of vicious maulings involving the breed. Indeed, XL Bullies were responsible for around half of all fatal dog attacks in the UK between 2021 and 2023  six of which were in 2022 alone. These included fatal attacks on ten-year-old Jack Lis in Wales in 2021 and 17-month-old Bella-Rae Birch in Merseyside a year later.

Driven by campaigners, including former law lecturer Lawrence Newport, former environment secretary Steve Barclay said banning the dogs was an 'important measure to protect public safety'.

And yet, ten months after the Government acted, the attacks continue to happen. Gemma, a 22-year-old nursery teacher from Glasgow, was walking her 15-year-old chihuahua, Fudge, in October when a man with a tan-and-white XL Bully approached them. Without warning, the dog charged at Fudge and started biting him.

'The man kept saying: 'He's just playing.' But he couldn't get him to stop,' says Gemma. 'When he finally let go, I grabbed Fudge. I knew at this point that there's no way he was going to be saved; he had blood pouring out and his legs were all bent.'

A subsequent examination revealed that Fudge had four punctures to his body, both back legs were paralysed and his tongue had been ripped to shreds. He had to be put down.

Gemma says Scottish Police charged a man but she has not had any further updates.

The sentencing for a dog attack in the UK depends on the severity of the incident. If the dog injures a person, the owner can receive up to five years in prison, a fine or both. If a dog kills a person, the owner can be charged with manslaughter and face a sentence of up to life in prison.

Despite recent tragedies, Benedict Treloar, from the Campaign for Evidence- Based Regulation of Dangerous Dogs, maintains that the new law 'has done a good job at preventing and reducing the impact of really severe attacks in public'.

But the ban has been fiercely opposed by dog owners and animal welfare groups, such as the RSPCA and the Dogs Trust, which claim it is a 'knee-jerk policy'.

XL Bully owner Sophie Coulthard and campaign group Don't Ban Me, Licence Me resorted to legal action, arguing that the ban was unlawful because it was based on 'unreliable' material, lacked a 'proper' analysis of its impact and included 'vague' standards.

Coulthard, who is a recruitment consultant from Wandsworth, south-west London, insists that she has never had any problems with her two-year-old XL, Billy.

'He's just a really lovely, affectionate dog,' she tells me. 'He gets so much positive attention, especially when I take him out in a Christmas jumper.'

Coulthard believes a surge in dog ownership during the pandemic (it is now thought 13.5 million dogs are kept as pets) led to irresponsible breeding.

'We need better legislation on the people who can breed and own dogs,' she says. 'If we had that, we wouldn't be in this position right now.'

But at the High Court this week, Mrs Justice Beverley Lang dismissed Coulthard's legal challenge, saying there was 'sufficient evidence of an alarmingly high level of fatal attacks' by XL Bullies or XL Bully crossbreeds.

'People are in denial about XL Bullies,' says Marie Hay. 'Their owners claim that 'in the right hands they're gentle'. But it's in their genetics, they're brought up to be fighting dogs.'

Indeed, genetic research carried out by the BullyWatch campaign group revealed that half of Britain's XL Bullies were descendants of an inbred dog named 'Killer Kimbo' from the US.

BullyWatch says that dogs related to Killer Kimbo have been found to be responsible for at least ten violent incidents worldwide and are suspected of being involved in dozens more.

Colin Tennant, a leading expert in dog behaviour and training, blames American rappers for glamorising these dogs, which have become a status symbol in recent years, with puppies selling for more than 2,500.

'It's inadequate men using a dog as an extension of their inadequate ego,' he says. 'They tell me: 'Well, if I have a big dog . . . and somebody attacks me, I can defend myself.' They're often the worst dog owners. They want the dogs to be aggressive as a threat.'

I ask Tennant if it's possible to retrain these dogs to be less vicious. 'The crucial period is the first six months,' he says. 'After that, once the damage is done, it's impossible.'

His recommends the introduction of mandatory dog-training classes leading to 'a certificate after six months to say that you've got control over that dog on a lead and it has to be temperament-tested twice a year.' If this test revealed a dog was becoming aggressive, the dog would be confiscated. He says such a system 'could save millions of attacks'.

But Benedict Treloar insists that only a ban on XL Bullies will solve the problem and he's not persuaded by the argument that it's unfair to single out this breed.

While it will take some years for Britain's XL Bullies to die out, the legal ban on breeding and selling them should mean that violent incidents involving this breed will become less frequent.

'The number of these dogs within the canine population is not growing and will slowly decline as these dogs age out of the population,' Treloar says. 'In ten years' time, hopefully, we will have no deaths from XL Bullies.

'If the Government hadn't acted decisively and ownership of the breed had continued to rise, we could have been seeing 20 or 30 dog deaths a year.'

This may be true but it will be of scant consolation to the families who have lost loved ones to XL Bullies since the ban came into effect.
Determined to shame the men who raped her with the force of her steely presence, Gisele Pelicot has missed barely a moment of their trial, insisting on remaining in court even when graphic videos of the attacks were replayed.

Midway through the 15-week hearing, however, she quietly slipped away from the judicial tribunal in Avignon and asked to be driven to a huge hypermarket in the town of Carpentras, 25 miles away.

She went there to thank a dutiful security guard without whose diligence her grotesque husband, Dominique, might never have been caught and would doubtless still be drugging her and inviting men to defile her to this day.

While the Pelicot case has cast ordinary French men in an unfavourable light, causing us to wonder whether there is something in their culture that made so many of them capable of the cruellest form of misogyny, the heroics of Thibaut Rey  astute, sharp-eyed, with a zealous sense of justice  go some way towards restoring their honour.

Though the world's media have sought him out at the LeClerc shopping centre where he works, these past four months, M. Rey, 38, has hitherto shied away from describing how he brought Pelicot to justice.

As the trial ended, however, he told me his exclusive story, the banality of which juxtaposes with the shocking court evidence, and somehow makes it more compelling.

We rewind to Saturday, September 12, 2020. The first wave of the Covid pandemic was almost over, but shoppers were still subject to strict safety precautions.

At LeClerc, numbers were limited, and they were required to wear masks and produce vaccination certificates.

Gisele Pelicot with security guard Thibaut Rey, 38, who has hitherto shied away from describing how he brought Gisele's grotesque husband, Dominique Pelicot, to justice

Since all the security guards were busy enforcing these rules, Pelicot must have seen an opportunity to indulge in one of his favourite little pastimes  positioning the camera on his mobile phone in such a way that it could film the underwear of unsuspecting women.

As it was a sultry day, and many of the female customers wore short dresses and skirts, his sordid trick would be that much easier. So, with Gisele looking after their grandchildren in Paris and his urge for thrills running rampant, he made the short drive from their home in Mazan to the hypermarket.

However, his furtive behaviour was picked up by a woman monitoring the CCTV cameras, and she radioed M. Rey.

For 15 minutes, they watched as the grey-haired, surgically masked man, wearing a sweatshirt and red shorts, sidled up to women browsing around the cosmetics department and placed a cooler-bag beside their feet.

'We worked out that the phone was jutting out of this bag, and he was filming up their skirts,' the guard told me. 'We saw him do this to three women, and he was obviously pretty good at it.

'It didn't look like the first time he had done it.

'I went and found the first victim, but she didn't want to make a complaint. She just said she hadn't got time. But when my colleague in the surveillance room told me he was still at it, with a different woman, I decided to confront him directly  this time using the strong-arm method, to impress on the victim just how serious the offence was.'

CCTV footage shows M. Rey grabbing Pelicot's phone, holding him by the arm, and telling him of his disgust  in forthright language  as he implores the shocked middle-aged victim to wait for the police to arrive.

'I told her: 'If you don't press charges, he will just go home and do this again.' I was thinking of my mother and sister, who shop here, so it got a bit personal,' he says. 'Pelicot didn't resist. He froze with terror. I saw the fear in his eyes.'

Though the guard could not know it, Pelicot wasn't panicking over the punishment he faced for 'voyeurism'. As he well knew, having been convicted of the same offence in a Paris supermarket, ten years earlier, the worst he could expect was a caution or a small fine.

Yet he was also aware that, when he was arrested for up-skirting for the first time in 2010, bungling French police had given him a fortuitous let-off. Had they run the DNA sample he had been obliged to provide through the national database, they would have found that it matched that of a man who had lured a young estate agent to a Paris apartment, in 1999, then knocked her out with chloroform and attempted to rape her. This was the young Pelicot, then in his 30s and working in property sales.

Inexplicably, on that occasion investigators failed to check his DNA  leaving him free to put his wife through a decade of hell.

But he must have realised that they were unlikely to make the same mistake twice.

And, of course, they didn't. His arrest at the hypermarket, brought about solely by M. Rey's instinct and professionalism, was the crucial moment in this astonishing story.

It prompted the exhaustive house search that uncovered the vilest family archive ever assembled: more than 20,000 videos and photos of strange men abusing Gisele, often in ways that defy description, plus indecent images of Pelicot's daughter, Caroline, his pregnant daughter-in-law, and even his supposedly much-loved grandchildren. When a friendly police officer told the security guard, a few weeks later, that he had unwittingly ended the reign of a monster, he was horrified beyond words.

Graffiti posted by feminist groups on the walls near the court in Avignon that says '20 years for each' (the maximum sentence that could be handed down to the rapists)

Gisele arrives in front of the courthouse before a verdict in the Pelicot case is delivered on December 19 in Avignon, France

Dominique pictured arriving at the courthouse to face the verdict

'My mother tells me every morning that I'm a hero, but for me the only satisfaction is that Madame Pelicot's Calvary has come to an end, and that I may have helped to stop it,' he reflects.

With the momentous trial over, he has been informed that he will be awarded France's highest commendation, the Legion d'Honneur, yet he is equally proud that the nation's new heroine came to show her appreciation and has since returned several times  always greeting him with a hug.

The rape trial of the century may have ended, yet the Pelicot saga is far from over. Not only because he will be back in the dock in a couple of years, this time in Versailles, for the above-mentioned attempted rape of the estate agent, who is now in her 50s and still traumatised.

Though investigators probed his evil doings for three years, sifting through hundreds of thousands of phone messages and computer files, and delving deeply into the backgrounds of the 51 defendants, when the inquiry was called to a halt (partly for fear that Pelicot's death might deprive his wife of justice) many secrets remained.

Gisele is known to have been raped by a further 21 men, at the very least; attackers whose faces, either by stealth or luck, were not captured by Pelicot's video camera, and who are identifiable only by the code-names he gave them, plus random comments he added to their computer files.

Among them are 'Richard', a local water company employee, who was the first to creep upon the comatose Gisele, according to Pelicot's records; 'Black Villiers', an IT worker who ogled her at a shopping centre before his rape; 'Guillame', a greengrocer and volunteer fireman, who returned to attack her several times; and 'Luc Pizza', who fantasised about raping her and her daughter together.

Then there was 'Michel', who arrived at the house wearing open-toed sandals and had a retiring manner, leaving Pelicot to surmise that he may have been a monk from a nearby monastery.

While all these men, and doubtless more besides, have evaded detection, having investigated this perplexing affair since it first came to light last year, I have little doubt that some people know who they are.

Their secrets probably lie hidden in the many scenic villages dotted around Mont Ventoux  the forbidding 6,000ft mountain that locals called 'The Beast of Provence' before Dominique Pelicot stole that soubriquet.

Though these folk may welcome the British tourists who flock here in the summer to sample the region's wines and watch the arduous Tour de France cycle-climb, behind their cheery facade they are deeply insular and guard one another's privacy fiercely.

Among the procession of so-called 'Monsieur Ordinaires' who so casually took the opportunity to defile a sleeping grandmother, the majority lived within a small radius of the mountain.

Investigators concluded that none of the defendants had operated as a ring that met in person, deciding they had contacted Pelicot individually via private messages after initial exchanges on the now-closed website Coco.fr.

Given the close proximity of their homes, however, I think this stretches credulity. For example, I discovered that three of the men convicted yesterday not only lived in Bedoin, a village of 4,000 people, six miles from Mazan, but that their houses were only 200 yards apart. They even socialised in the same tabac.

The Pelicots' home in Mazan. Gisele is known to have been raped by a further 21 men, at the very least

One of them was the youngest man to rape Gisele, lorry driver Florian Rocca, now 32, whose former partner still lives in the smart detached house they shared, with their three children plus two by her new partner.

Her mother described Rocca as a 'good father' and a fundamentally 'decent' person who had gone astray.

Just around the corner, in a gated compound, is the handsome family home of Cyrille Delville, 54, who raped Gisele for almost an hour, without a condom, one night in September 2019: attacks documented by Pelicot in 48 separate files labelled 'Cyril de Bedoin'.

Of all the attackers, few were as unlikely as this redoubtable member of the village community, the father of two grown-up children by his partner of 33 years, and until the trial a respected civil engineer.

But the sorriest story I heard in Bedoin was related by Michele, an 86-year-old woman with whom I struck up a conversation as she pushed her shopping in a pink trolley.

Like everyone in these parts, she had been following news reports of the trial from the outset. But it was only a few days ago, when some of the accused were named, that she sank into despair.

For among those identified was wine company rep Joseph Cocco, 69, who lived with one of her three daughters for 15 years, and whom she once regarded as her son-in-law.

'I haven't even been able to discuss this with my daughter yet,' the rheumy-eyed woman told me. 'To know that he was involved in this will destroy her.

'It is killing me. I thought I knew this man.

'Yes, he could be bad-tempered sometimes, but this is something else. These men are worse than animals. At least animals do this to procreate.

'Maybe there is something bad in every man  it shows that we just don't know the people who live with us.'

It was a remark I heard in other villages surrounding the mountain, such as Loriol-du-Comtat, where three more of the rapists lived; and in a nearby village where I met the man described to me by Pelicot's lawyer, Beatrice Zavarro, as 'the smartest in this entire case'.

A local councillor and town planning chief who pleaded with me not to identify him, he was among dozens of suspects arrested in the dawn raids staged after Pelicot's cache of videos was uncovered.

However, though he admitted to contacting Pelicot on Coco.fr, with a view to a sexual encounter, and exchanging a flurry of messages with him, when investigators opened the computer file under his name it was blank.

The councillor, a 48-year-old bachelor, claims he realised he was being tricked into an illicit encounter and did not go to the house.

Yet he was under suspicion for two years before police told him he would have to appear as a trial witness but wouldn't be charged.

During that purgatorial waiting period, he confided in just one person  his boss, the mayor.

But as he told me: 'Everybody here knows somebody who is involved.

'Even if it's not a friend, it will be the friend of a friend, or someone at the grocery store.'

Gisele Pelicot leaves the courthouse after hearing the verdict of the court that sentenced her ex-husband to the maximum term of 20 years jail

In a selfie snapped by her cruel and abusive spouse, Gisele is seen beaming at the camera held by her then-spouse at a sun-soaked marina

This astonishing story first came to my attention in June 2023 when, following brief reports in the regional French press, I headed for Mazan. There I met with blank faces and closed doors, but surprisingly Madame Zavarro invited me into her cluttered office in the back-streets of Marseille and opened her files.

As this feisty little lawyer told me about the man she had agreed to represent  an outwardly proud family patriarch who professed to 'adore' his wife, despite subjecting her to a fate arguably worse than death  I could barely believe what I was hearing.

His crimes were so ghastly, so bestial, that I doubted that anyone would want to read about them, even in a form sanitised for public consumption.

It was a view that grew stronger when, soon afterwards, a source close to the investigation showed me a video image that still haunts me. In a dimly lit bedroom with peach-coloured wallpaper, a middle-aged woman lay on a rumpled bedspread with her eyes tightly closed and her knitted pink nightgown riding up.

Spooning behind her was an overweight young man  who hadn't troubled to remove his grubby white socks.

I later learned that this was Charlie Abdo, a then-29-year-old agency worker, who returned to rape her on six occasions, even though  by his own admission  he came to realise after the first couple of visits that she had been rendered unconscious with sleeping pills.

Of course, I was wrong in thinking that all this would be too much for readers to stomach.

The trial has been covered by hundreds of journalists from every continent, prompting the millions who have followed it to ponder the unfathomable depths of human depravity.

And by virtue of her beatific decision to sacrifice her anonymity and face down her tormentors, Gisele Pelicot has become a totem of female indomitability. A modern-day Joan of Arc, no less.

In France, the expectation is that her courage will be rewarded with lasting societal and legal changes  changes that ensure French women are no longer vulnerable to such protracted and appalling abuse.

Like everyone who has sat through this stomach-turning trial, I pray these expectations are realised. Yet after some of the vignettes I have witnessed behind the scenes these past four months, I have grave doubts that they will materialise.

In the rapists' home villages, the talk among the men is no less crudely sexist, and even among some of the older women I met attitudes remain primitively patriarchal. Reeling off an oft-repeated mantra, a woman who has lived in Malemort for all her 80 years said she refused to believe any wife could be raped for a decade without knowing.

She topped off this iniquitous slander by quoting the turn-of-the century French writer Pierre-Jules Renard: 'L'homme propose, la femme dispose.'

That this jaw-droppingly outdated saying  which translates as 'men make propositions and women avail themselves'  still pertains in parts of France speaks volumes.

Yet these retrenched attitudes weren't only to be found in the rural backwaters. Perhaps the most revealing thing I have seen happened when, by chance, I walked behind two defence lawyers  both young and female  as they went to lunch at a restaurant near the Avignon court.

Along the way they passed one of the slogans that feminist groups have posted on walls around the city  a huge sign demanding '20 Years for Every One of Them' (the maximum sentence that could be handed down to the rapists).

In Britain, as in any other modern democracy, members of the legal profession would surely have ignored this graffiti, no matter whom they represented.

Extraordinarily, however, these learned young pillars of French femininity clawed off the number '2' on the sign with their fingernails, so that it read '0 Years' for the rapists. Then they strolled away, giggling at their handiwork.It left me to wonder what planet they were on.

But this is planet France, and they have another famous saying here: 'Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose.' The more things change, the more they stay the same. This time, in the name of Gisele, we must hope they will turn out differently.

Additional reporting: Rory Mulholland in Avignon.
QUESTION: Has a non-singing bass player been the lead songwriter in a major band?

There are lead-singing bass-playing superstars throughout pop music: Sting, Paul McCartney, Lemmy Kilmister and Phil Lynott spring to mind, but non-singing band leaders are rare.

The standout example has to be Steve Harris of Iron Maiden. When you think of Iron Maiden, the operatic gymnastics of frontman Bruce Dickinson and the evocative cover art probably spring to mind, yet behind it all is Harris, who has written most of Maidens output, which includes classics of the genre such as Hallowed Be Thy Name, The Number Of The Beast, Rime Of The Ancient Mariner, Run To The Hills and Infinite Dreams. Harris is completely self-taught, and his bass-playing has given Iron Maiden their signature galloping style.

Black Sabbaths bassist, Terence Geezer Butler, was the principal lyricist for his group and responsible for writing classics such as War Pigs, Paranoid and N.I.B. Unlike Harris, Butler didnt write all the music, which was a collaboration with Tony Iommi, adding Black Sabbaths signature riffs, and Ozzy Osbourne causing a stir as frontman.

Nikki Sixx, the co-founder and bassist of American bad boy heavy metal band Motley Crue, and primary songwriter of the band, penned songs such as Shout At The Devil, Looks That Kill, Wild Side and Girls, Girls, Girls.

Douglas Glenn Colvin, aka Dee Dee Ramone, was the bassist with punk rockers the Ramones. He wrote many of the bands best-known songs, including Rockaway Beach and Poison Heart.

Gary Stevens, Hinckley, Leics

Adrian Smith, Nicko McBrain, Bruce Dickinson, Steve Harris and Dave Murray of Iron Maiden

QUESTION: What is the meaning of the mirror and the light in Wolf Hall: The Mirror And The Light?

The Mirror And The Light was the final part of the Wolf Hall trilogy written by Hilary Mantel. The book begins in 1536, shortly after the execution of Anne Boleyn, and ends in 1540 with Thomas Cromwells own execution.

Before incandescent bulbs, the light of a candle was often magnified by placing it in front of a mirror to reflect the rays back into the room. Mantel weaves this idea as a metaphor throughout the story.

The title comes directly from a line Cromwell offers Henry VIII, saying: What should I want with the Emperor if he were Emperor of all the world? Your Majesty is the only prince, the mirror and the light of other kings. Here Cromwell is flattering the king, where all others are a mere reflection of his light.

But light is fleeting, as those who attempt to please difficult masters soon find out: If Henry is the mirror, he is the pale actor who sheds no lustre of his own, but spins in a reflected light. If the light moves he is gone.

Sarah Westwood, Birmingham

QUESTION: In linguistics, what is meant by stunt words, ghost words and pseudowords?

Stunt words are deliberate inventions often created for linguistic or playful purposes, designed to attract attention. Dr Seuss was a master: Sometimes I feel quite certain theres a jertain in the curtain.

Ghost words are errors that entered dictionaries or linguistic records but have no real origin or usage in authentic language.

Tomorrow's questions:

Q:Following the recent discovery of tubarial glands, what are some parts of the human body you never knew you had? Emma Butler, Cardiff Q: Who coined the term ultra-processed food? What foods fall into this category? Mark Saunders, Sandown, Isle of Wight Q: Is there a difference between casserole and stew? Shirley Cawley, Peterborough, Cambs Advertisement

They arise from misinterpretations, typographical errors or editorial mistakes.

The term was coined by Professor Walter William Skeat in 1886, in a yearly address to the London Philological Society.

Skeat criticised several erroneous words. These included abacot, the misspelling of a bycoket (a type of headwear) and kimes, a misspelling of knives.

The most famous ghost word was dord, which appeared in a 1934 Merriam-Webster dictionary due to a misunderstanding of an abbreviation (D or d for density).

Pseudowords are non-existent but pronounceable words created for experimental or educational purposes. Unlike stunt words, they lack intended meaning but adhere to language rules.

The most famous pseudoword was wug from the Wug Test conducted by Jean Berko Gleason in 1958. It studied childrens understanding of linguistics. A child is presented with an imaginary object and is told, This is a wug. Then a second object is presented and the child is asked what the two are called, the correct answer being wugs.

Pseudowords allow the subject not only to read them but work with them. For example, if you were asked to conjugate the verb to blenk, you should be able to say, I blenk. He blenks. I blenked... etc.

Martin Webber, Pangbourne, Berks
A stolen car with the words 'We don't accept cash here' has been rammed into the front of a popular fast food restaurant after it decided to go cashless this year.

The Volkswagen sedan was driven through the front of a Nando's restaurant on Barkly Street in Footscray, in Melbourne's inner city, early on Friday morning.

The incident is believed to be sparked by a decision the South African-based company takeaway chain made to go cashless in May.

The decision sparked outrage, with Aussies slamming the move.

The restaurant addressed the criticism in signage in-store that suggested concerns about the decline of cash are simply conspiracy theories.

'Sorry, guess we're part of the New World Order now,' the sign read.

'Just kidding. Card payments mean we spend less time counting coins and more time perfecting your chicken.'

But dozens of Aussies were left less than impressed.

A stolen Volkswagen sedan with the words 'We don't accept cash here' spray-painted on the side was rammed through the front of a Nando's in Melbourne on Friday morning

The incident is believed to be sparked by the decision the South African-based company takeaway chain made to go cashless earlier this year (pictured is signage in-store)

'I understand it's a business's right to refuse payment types. As someone who mostly uses card, I still think this is a really stupid move and will be taking out elsewhere,' one long-time patron wrote on Reddit at the time.

'Begs the question if card is so much more convenient for business why are they still allowed surcharges,' another commented.

'Maybe I'm a boomer-ish gen-Z member, but it's pretty ironic that legal tender is slowly becoming something only useful for buying non-legal items,' a third wrote.

But not everyone was against the move.

'Not only does [cash] it make you vulnerable to being robbed... it always takes so long if you have to count coins and makes people behind wait,' one said.

'The problem with cash is that cash handling, management and transportation is a business and ironically an increasingly unprofitable one,' a second added.

A Nando's employees revealed customers often complained about the cash ban.

'Nothing new. No surcharge for card, Nando's is expensive enough as it is lol. It is annoying when customers try and complain to me or scold me for it though, not much I can do about it, I wasn't even there when the decision was made,' they wrote.

Emergency services officers are pictured on the scene at a Nando's on Barkly Street in Footscray in Melbourne's inner city where a car was rammed through the front of the restaurant at 2.15am on Friday

Victoria Police are currently searching for the driver who fled the scene shortly after.

No injuries were reported and nothing was stolen from the restaurant.

A police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia: 'Emergency services were called to a fast-food restaurant on Barkly Street, Footscray about 2.15am after reports a car had into the front of the building.'

'On arrival no person was present and a stolen white Volkswagen sedan was still on scene. At this stage investigators do not believe entry was gained to the building and the exact circumstances are still to be established.'

Anyone who witnessed the incident or who has footage is urged to contact police.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Nando's for comment.
A record 1.6billion will be spent on fixing potholes next year in a massive boost for the Daily Mails campaign to end the scourge.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander last night unveiled the 50 per cent hike in funding for resurfacing local roads - enough to fix 7million extra potholes.

Nearly 700million will go to town halls in the North of England and Midlands, with a further 678million for London, the South East and South West.

Nearly 245million will go to councils in the East of England.It means Labour looks set to exceed its manifesto promise of fixing 1 million more potholes a year in 2025/26, the year the funding relates to.

Motoring groups hailed the announcement, saying it could provide the turning point for finally getting to grips with Englands crumbling local and residential roads.

Writing in todays Daily Mail, Ms Alexander said: Readers will know the Daily Mail has been campaigning for this action for years, and we are finally putting in the funding needed to reverse decades of decline.

'We are ensuring every region gets its fair share, and empowering councils to tackle this problem head-on. They know local roads best, and they will prioritise repairs where people need them most.

'So whether its helping families get to school safely, ensuring ambulances can reach patients without delay, or keeping delivery drivers moving, filling the nations potholes has to be a priority.

A record 1.6billion will be spent on fixing potholes next year in a massive boost for the Daily Mails campaign to end the scourge (File image of potholes)

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander (pictured) last night unveiled the 50 per cent hike in funding for resurfacing local roads - enough to fix 7million extra potholes

She added: Potholes have plagued drivers across the country for too long, and the state of our roads has become a visible symptom of the national decline overseen by the previous government.

'Today, I am announcing a plan to end this scourge, resurface roads, and back our nations motorists.'

She said the Government will also increase fines for cowboy roadworks firms which leave roads in a worse state than they found them or finish fixing surfaces well past the set deadline.

The Daily Mail has been campaigning to end the nations pothole plague, which is costing drivers millions of pounds in repair bills and putting cyclists lives at risk.

Every driver has to dodge six potholes per mile on average and 500 is the average cost of the damage they cause to vehicles.

Around one in every ten miles of local roads, which councils are responsible for fixing, now have surfaces in a poor condition.

The crisis has sparked an 80 per cent surge in compensation claims lodged with town halls by cyclists and drivers, with nine in ten relating specifically to damage caused by potholes.

Trade body the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) estimates that the pothole backlog repair bill stands at as much as 16billion, suggesting the Government will need to keep pouring in funding if it is to get a grip of the crisis by the end of its first term.

The RACs Simon Williams said: This is the biggest one-off road maintenance funding settlement councils in England have ever been given, so we have high hopes its the turning point that ends the degradation of our roads and finally delivers fit-for-purpose, smooth surfaces for drivers and all other road users.

In a previous report, the National Audit Office pointed to industry estimates of a 15.6billion backlog in road maintenance across the country

The Daily Mail has been campaigning to end the nations pothole plague, which is costing drivers millions of pounds in repair bills and putting cyclists lives at risk (file image)

Whats particularly positive is that this announcement is not just about giving councils money to fix dangerous potholes, it comes with the important caveat of using the money wisely by carrying out preventative maintenance to stop more potholes appearing in the future.

Edmund King, AA president, said: Drivers and riders across England will be pleased to see this significant cash injection into smoothing out the local road network.

With most journeys starting and ending on local roads, it is vital to restore the structural integrity of the streets we live on.

Clamping down on poor works carried out by utilities companies and overrunning roadworks is sorely needed, and we are pleased to see action being taken here.
The remaining members of the Bali Nine have been escorted from Darwin to their home states by Australian Federal Police officers - the law enforcement agency infamous for their two-decades-long incarceration in a foreign hellhole.

Smugglers Matthew Norman, Scott Rush, Michael Czugaj, Martin Stephens and Si Yi Chen have all left the Howard Springs Accommodation Village near Darwin where they have spent the past four days after landing in Australia on Sunday.

Czugaj was seen boarding a Brisbane-bound plane early on Friday morning with a phalanx of heavily-armed AFP officers attempting to hide him from waiting media.

AFP officers reportedly threatened a journalist from The Australian with 'further action' if any photographs were taken inside the terminal, despite there being no law against the practice.

Ironically, it was the AFP who tipped off their Indonesian counterparts about the group's plans to smuggle 8.3kg heroin out of Denpasar Airport back to Australia in April 2005.

The infamous group ended up spending 20 years in an Indonesian cell, some with the death penalty hanging over their heads.

Czugaj, who was wearing dark glasses, a white face mask, a cap and a blue collared shirt, refused to speak to media after landing in Brisbane.

He was seen walking arm-in-arm with a blonde female relative who tried to push cameras away as they left the airport.

Matthew Norman, Scott Rush, Michael Czugaj, Martin Stephens and Si Yi Chen will be reunited with their loved ones this Christmas (pictured: Martin Stephens, Michael Czugaj, Scott Rush, Matthew Norman and Si Yi Chen look on as Australia and Indonesia sign an agreement)

Czugaj (pictured during his 2005 trial) was seen boarding a Brisbane-bound plane early on Friday morning as heavily-armed AFP officers attempting to hide him from waiting media

'Where's dad's car, is dad's the white one?', Czugaj could be heard saying.

Meanwhile, Matthew Norman and Si Yi Chen reportedly arrived at Gate 10 in Melbourne Airport at 6.50am on Friday where they were greeted by a small group of family members.

Neither commented to waiting media.

Norman is set to move into a $4million waterfront mansion in the seaside town of Torquay - a major switch-up from the squalid Bali prison cell he used to call home.

Martin Stephens flew to Sydney where he was also assisted by AFP officers.

In 2005, Lee Rush, father of jailed Bali Nine member Scott Rush, contacted the Australian Federal Police requesting they stop his son from leaving Australia, desperate to prevent him from getting involved in any drug activity.

The AFP forwarded that information to Indonesian authorities who pounced on the group and arrested them at the airport.

Rush's lawyer claimed in 2005 that the AFP had abandoned promises to stop the group from leaving Australia, instead letting them fly to a country that they knew could execute the smugglers.

Subsequent arrests at Bali's Denpasar Airport and other locations in Indonesia saw the plot foiled, and ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were sentenced to death. Both were executed by firing squad in April 2015.

Scott Rush (pictured left) with his dad Lee Rush who tipped off the Australian Federal Police about his son's drug smuggling plan

Scott and Lee Rush (also pictured right Scott's mum Christine) talk in 2005 shortly after the arrest of the Bali Nine

In the same year, the AFP denied moral complicity in that sentence, saying Indonesian authorities were acting on more information about the group than just the tip-off from the worried dad.

'I want to take the pressure off Scott Rush's father,' then AFP Commissioner Andrew Colvin said at a press conference.

'A lot of the way it's been reported is that his tip-off led to this. It didn't. I feel for Mr Rush that it's been portrayed that way.

'The AFP was already aware of, and had commenced investigating, what we believed was a syndicate that was actively recruiting couriers to import narcotics to Australia at the time of Mr Rush's contact with the AFP.'

Commissioner Colvin also insisted there had not been enough evidence to arrest the Bali Nine members before they left Australia, and that allowing them to travel exposed the wider syndicate.

'At the time, we were working with a very incomplete picture. We didn't know everybody involved, we didn't know all the plans, or even what the illicit commodity was likely to be,' Commissioner Colvin said.

He said it was 'operationally appropriate' for the AFP to then cooperate with, and seek help from Indonesia.

Pictured Top L-R: Myuran Sukumaran, Scott Rush, Tach Duc Thanh Nguyen, Renae Lawrence, and Bottom: Si Yi Chen, Matthew Norman, Michael Czugaj, Martin Stephen and Andrew Chan

Commissioner Colvin said it was beyond their jurisdiction to request Indonesian authorities allow the drug couriers to fly back to Australia and arrest them there.

'This is the harsh reality for Australians who go overseas and become involved in serious crimes,' he said.

Then AFP Deputy Commissioner Michael Phelan indicated that the AFP needed more information about the wider syndicate.

'To let them come back through to Australia, we may have grabbed a couple of mules, but we would not have been able to have any evidence in relation to the wider syndicate,' he said.

However Mr Phelan admitted he felt conflicted about handing the information to the Indonesians.

'I've agonised over it for 10 years now, and every time I look back, I still think it's a difficult decision,' he said.

'But given what I knew at that particular time, and what our officers knew, I would take a lot of convincing to make a different decision.

'I've seen the misery that drugs causes to tens of thousands of families in this country.'

Mr Phelan said he was under no illusion about what handing over the information could mean.

'Yes, I knew full well that by handing over the information and requesting surveillance and requesting evidence gathered, if they found them in possession of drugs they would take action and expose them to the death penalty,' he said.

'I knew that, I went in with an open mind.'

Of the other Bali Nine members arrested in the original bust, Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen died from cancer in 2018, while Renae Lawrence was released that year after her life sentence was reduced to 20 years on appeal.
The driver of a livestock wagon was in custody last night (THU) after allegedly smuggling 14 Albanians from Northern Ireland onto the British mainland.

Officials confirmed the arrest was made at Loch Ryan ferry port in Dumfries and Galloway, 80 miles south of Glasgow.

The Home Office said the 14 Albanian nationals were discovered concealed in a livestock wagon in unsafe conditions on Wednesday.

It is understood the vehicle had arrived aboard a ferry from Belfast.

Details of the journey allegedly made by the migrants were unclear on Thursday night.

However, routes from Ireland to the UK mainland have long been feared to be susceptible to people smuggling due to minimal border controls in the Common Travel Area.

Illegal migrants are also known to have exploited the lack of a hard border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The 14 people found in the lorry are now thought to be free to lodge asylum claims or be considered for help under modern slavery laws.

Officials confirmed the arrest was made at Loch Ryan ferry port (pictured) in Dumfries and Galloway, 80 miles south of Glasgow

It is understood the vehicle had arrived aboard a ferry from Belfast (file image)

A Home Office spokesman said: Irish national Patrick McKinney, 23, has been charged with 14 counts under section 25 of the Immigration Act and one count of culpable and reckless conduct in connection to the incident.

He remains in custody.

Anthony Hilton, of the Home Offices criminal and financial investigations unit said: Our investigation remains ongoing, and we continue to carry out enquiries at pace.

Were doing everything we can to stay ahead of the people smugglers who exploit our borders and put the lives of desperate people on the line for financial gain.
A transgender woman serving a life sentence for brutally killing her own parents has bemoaned her transfer to a men's prison.

Amber Kim, 36 - who was convicted in 2008 as Bryan Kim - served about four years in gender-affirming housing at the Washington Corrections Center for Women for fatally stabbing her father, Richard Kim, and bludgeoning and strangling her mother, Terri Kim in December 2006 before taking $1,000 from their account.

But after she was caught having sex with a female inmate at the prison, Kim was transferred to the Monroe Correctional Complex, a men's prison - despite her insistence that the act was consensual, the Seattle Times reports.

She now claims that her incarceration in a men's prison constitutes cruel and unusual punishment, according to a personal restraint petition filed in the state Court of Appeals.

'For Ms. Kim, the risk of violence, sexual assault and harassment is not merely speculative,' her attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington wrote in the petition, according to the Huffington Post.

They claimed that before she was transferred to the women's facility in 2021, she experienced 'two attempted sexual assaults, inappropriate touching by [Department of Corrections] employees and ongoing sexual and verbal harassment by male inmates.'

Kim also wrote in a declaration attached to the petition that the women's prison was a 'massive improvement' over what she had experienced at the men's facility.

Transgender convicted murderer Amber Kim, 36, has filed a petition claiming her transfer to a men's prison constitutes cruel and unusual punishment

Kim was convicted in 2008 of two counts of aggravated first-degree murder for fatally stabbing her father, Richard Kim, and bludgeoning and strangling her mother, Terri Kim

She was transferred to the Monroe Correctional Complex, a men's prison, (pictured) after she was caught having sex with a female inmate at a women's prison

'Without the emotional burden of facing constant harassment and spending my future avoiding physical violence, I was able to focus on my mental health, plan for the future and engage with positive programming,' Kim wrote.

She went on to note that there were other transgender women at the facility and the majority of other inmates treated her 'like any other women.'

But when she was moved to Monroe, Kim said she learned she was going to be living in a unit for people convicted of sex offenses, former gang members and a small number of transgender women.

'I knew I would not be safe,' she wrote.

In protest, Kim began a hunger strike that lasted for 17 days - and only ended when DOC officials told her she would be denied access to an upcoming procedure if she were to continue.

'I felt that DOC was trying to force me to choose between safe housing or a gender-affirming surgery that would allow me to live my life more fully.'

Instead, Kim has been living in solitary confinement for the past six months.

If she were to be transferred to general population at Monroe now that she is further along in her transition would increase her risk of harassment.

Kim claimed she would live in 'constant fear' of 'physical assault, sexual assault' and harassment if she were to be put in general population at the men's prison

'If I am eventually placed in men's general population, I will live in constant fear,' Kim wrote in her 27-page declaration. 'I am afraid of physical assault, sexual assault and the constant harassment.

'I will face the ultimate paradox: my continued physical transition helps address my debilitating gender dysphoria, but the more female-presenting I become in appearance, the more unwanted, nonconsensual attention I will receive from the men in prison.'

Her attorneys have also argued that a housing review completed just one month after Kim received an infraction for having sex with her cellmate recommended she remain in the women's prison in general population.

But a few weeks later, the team conducted another review and decided Kim should be transferred to Monroe.

She also claimed her treatment at the Washington Corrections Center for Women

Under the Washington Department of Corrections policy, trans inmates placed in a gender-affirming facility may be transferred 'due to documented, objective safety and security concerns.'

Housing decisions are made on a case-by-case basis review process based not only on the safety of the transgender individual but also the safety of the population where they will be housed, Department of Corrections spokeswoman Rachel Ericson told the Seattle Times.

In Kim's case, the team ruled: 'Due to the nature of the culture inside America's prisons, where incarcerated individuals are not able to come forward with information that may lead to others getting in trouble without fear of reprisal, there is no sound practices for determining actual consensual sex.'

Kim's attorneys, though, argue that the recommendation to transfer her was 'arbitrary, in bad faith and lacking a legitimate penological purpose.'

Kim said she now hopes her petition 'forces [the Department of Corrections] to reconsider how they treat incarcerated people.

'Prison is supposed to be limited to a loss of liberty,' she argued. 'But prison is not supposed to include the loss of the pursuit of happiness.'
A kindergarten has cancelled Mother's and Father's Day celebrations and renamed the holiday 'Family Day' in a bid to be more inclusive.

Early Childhood Management Services (ECMS), which manages dozens of kindergarten and childcare centres across Melbourne, emailed parents just three hours after school finished for the year on Thursday.

The email from St Helena Preschool in Eltham North explained the two holidays would be celebrated differently, renaming both days to 'Family Day'.

'Next year we'll be holding Family Day to honour all caregivers or significant figures in your children's lives,' the email read.

'Children will be encouraged to express gratitude and recognise those who play a supportive role in their lives.

'We won't be holding titled celebrations like Mother's Day or Father's Day but we will have a fabulous Family Day celebration.'

The change applies to more than half of the 69 private centres across Melbourne.

ECMS CEO Kieran Kearney said people sometimes found it difficult to accept change but that Family Day was a more inclusive holiday.

Parents at St Helena Preschool in Eltham North (pictured) were sent an email notifying them that Mother's and Father's Day would be renamed to 'Family Day' in 2025

ECMS CEO chief executive Kieran Kearney (pictured) said change 'is hard for everyone' and insisted Family Day would be more inclusive than Mother's and Father's Day

'This isn't just a micro issue, this is recognising that family means different things to different people in different communities,' Mr Kearney told 7News.

'Change is hard for everyone and we find change hard too, so it can be difficult to accept that change.'

Daily Mail Australia has contacted ECMS for further comment.

Parents with children at the kindergarten said they were 'blindsided' by the decision and that they weren't consulted about the new holiday.

Some took to social media to share similar sentiments, with one parent slamming the renamed celebration as 'ridiculous'.

'Ridiculous. It's not inclusive if it doesn't include people who want to celebrate mothers or fathers days,' they wrote.

'What could be more inclusive than excluding 97 per cent of the population?' a second person commented.

But others defended the move.

'Isn't it already inclusive though? We usually give gratitude to all mother and father like figures in our lives,' they wrote.

It comes after several early learning centres replaced gender-centric words like 'mother' and 'father' with non-gendered words like 'parents', 'special person' and 'family' (stock image)

'It's not an exclusive biological mother and father thing. If replacing it with a "Family Day" is your idea of inclusiveness, then you've never understood why we have those days from the beginning.'

Others argued having one celebration instead of two was easier for working parents and that the holiday included all people who raise children.

'To be honest, as working parents with a kid in childcare this would be fine by my household,' one person wrote.

'If kindergarten kids dont have parents or parent-like people in their lives, who are they being raised by anyway? God forbid a grown adult feels left out of something happening at a kindergarten,' a second said.

It comes after an elite private school in NSW changed a Mother's Day stall to a 'Family Day' stall in May this year.

Students from kindergarten to year six at the Hunter Valley Grammar School, 310km north of Sydney, were invited to purchase from the non-gendered stall.

Last year, several early learning centres hosted events that replaced gender-centric words like 'mother' and 'father' with non-gendered words like 'parent'.

The shift in thinking was sparked by a new resource from the Early Childhood Australia advocacy group, which provided educators with a guide to including diverse families on Mother's and Father's Day.

The resource urged educators should give children the option to make a gift for a 'special adult' who wasn't their mum or dad and to avoid gender stereotypes.
An active-duty Marine has been arrested in connection with a grisly murder that saw a 26-year-old reality TV star wash up dead in a pond over 50 miles away from her last known location.

Willie Richard Ellington, 20, was arrested and charged with first degree murder in connection with the murder of reality TV star Tshey Bennett on Saturday, according to the Escambia County Sheriffs Office.

He was stationed at NAS Pensacola on Florida's Gulf Coast and is now being held at Lee County Detention Facility in Oplikea, Alabama.

He also faces charges of possession of child pornography, as a result of his Thursday arrest.

Bennett, who appeared on season one of the HollyHoodTV series Skrippa Bootcamp earlier this year had been reported missing just days before police found her deceased body ditched in a pond over 50 miles away in Mobile, Alabama on Thursday.

The 20-year-old Marine is alleged to have murdered the then-missing Bennett, after the pair met up at the Sweet Dreams Inn in Pensacola at around 4 pm on Friday, police said.

Police believe Bennett was working as an escort at the time she met up with her alleged murderer.

Following the 'suspicious circumstances' surrounding her disappearance, investigators from the Escambia County Sheriffs Office began investigating her case as a possible homicide.

Willie Richard Ellington, 20, who was stationed at NAS Pensacola on Florida 's Gulf Coast, was arrested and charged with first degree murder in connection with the murder of reality TV star, Tshey Bennett on Saturday

Bennett, who appeared on season one of the HollyHoodTV series, Skrippa Bootcamp earlier this year, had been reported missing just days before police found her deceased body ditched in a pond over 50 miles away in Mobile, Alabama on Thursday

Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones praised the investigative efforts of his office and Escambia County and revealed that a tip-off led the responding authorities to the suspect.

'Escambia County investigators tipped us off their suspect might be on a bus scheduled to stop in Opelika,' Jones told WKRG.

'Our team quickly scrambled to the station and set up a surveillance operation. When the bus arrived, investigators spotted and apprehended a man matching the suspects description.'

It was then that officials found Bennett's body, who they believe was murdered in Northwest Florida before her body was strangely dumped in Mobile.

Police have not specified how Bennett's body ended up in the pond nor did they reveal the exact cause and manner of her death.

'Throughout the investigation, it was determined that Tshey Bennett was working as an escort and had met the suspect at the Sweet Dreams Inn at the time of her disappearance,' police said in a statement.

The 20-year-old Marine is alleged to have murdered the then-missing Bennett, after the pair met up at the Sweet Dreams Inn (pictured) in Pensacola at around 4 pm on Friday

A close friend of Bennett's, Muranda Newson, posted a heartfelt tribute to the 26-year-old mom and her son on Facebook: 'I hate that Im typing this. I hate that handsome boy who is hurting.

'I really really hate someone did this to you baby you didnt deserve this at all. So sweet so smart so about your money baby I just dont understand,' she wrote.

The Escambia County Sheriffs Office has not released further information regarding the case at this time.
A key DNC fundraiser is calling out the 'delusions' of Democrats and Kamala Harris about the vice president taking another shot at running for office, including a 2028 White House bid.

Many have wondered where Harris goes from her defeat to Donald Trump, with some suggesting she either run for president again - where she leads early primary polling - or run to replace Gavin Newsom as governor of California.

Lindy Li, the woman's chair of the Democrat National Committee, poured cold water on those possibilities Thursday.

'This is not what America wants,' she said of Harris' potential to run in the future. 'November 5th was a decisive defeat for the Democratic Party.'

Li has called herself a 'conservative Democrat' and previously suggested that party leaders Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi wanted an open primary to replace Joe Biden rather than gifting Harris the nominee.

She says that Harris suffered a 'resounding defeat' and any future run would be 'indulging in delusions.'

'We don't want to be coconut-pilled,' she said, referencing an infamous Harris quote.

'We do not want Kamala Harris. We don't want failed border policies,' and I feel like I'm liberated, and I can finally tell the truth that the Democrats completely failed on the border,' she told Fox News.

Lindy Li, the woman's chair of the Democrat National Committee, poured cold water on the possibilities of Kamala Harris running for president again on Thursday

She says that Harris suffered a 'resounding defeat' and any future run would be 'indulging in delusions'

LI says she's suffered abuse an ostracization from fellow Democrats over her criticism because she 'dared to tell the truth,' comparing the party to 'a cult.'

'I'm probably going to get canceled again for what I am about to say  men are men and women are women, and it's an issue when men are trouncing women in women's sports. This should not be a controversial take,' she said.

She paraded her views as 'common sense' that the Democrats are far removed from in 'their ivory towers.'

Li, who is a naturalized immigrant, said that Democrats must return to strong borders and 'bread and butter issues.'

'Just because you care about these issues doesn't make you a sexist, racist,' she said.

In response, outgoing DNC chair referred to Li as 'narcissism incarnate' and lying about her title with the organization.

'On Election Day, she was anchored at the entrance of the Harris election night reception attempting to greet and take selfies with any and all notable Democrats. This is yet another desperate cry for attention,' Harrison wrote on social media.

'I also love how she gives herself all of these elaborate DNC titles  next, Queen Regnant of the DNC. Whatever she creates next she should just add "former."

'Go get that contributor contract Lindy.'

Since Harris lost the election, Li has voiced her concern about the future of the party, and criticized Harris for her devastating loss against Trump.

'It was just startling how there was no sense of responsibility. They essentially set $2 billion on fire in 100 days,' she said.

Li criticized Harris' unchecked spending on the campaign trail, warning that Democratic donors were furious for some of the reports of mismanaged spending that turned political consultants into 'multi-millionaires.'

LI says she's suffered abuse an ostracization from fellow Democrats over her criticism because she 'dared to tell the truth,' comparing the party to 'a cult'

Li criticized Harris' unchecked spending on the campaign trail, warning that Democratic donors were furious for some of the reports of mismanaged spending that turned political consultants into 'multi-millionaires'

'There's a lot of conflict of interest here. And we need a careful accounting and probably more granular than the FEC report would offer,' she said. 'Because if we don't do that, how are voters and donors ever going to trust the Democratic Party again?'

Li also criticized Harris in November for failing to strike the right tone after the campaign in a call with donors.

She said she was 'stunned' there was no post-mortem or lessons learned, and spent more time 'patting each other on the back,' despite deep debts left over from the campaign.

'I believe at one moment in the call she was talking about her Thanksgiving recipe  I think I was stunned to hear that, given just the extent and brutality of the loss.' she said.

Harris lost big to Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, but if the 2028 election were to be held today, a significant margin of Democrats would vote for her again.

The vice president remains at the top of a list of Democratic potential candidates for 2028, according to a new poll, suggesting she still retains high name recognition and goodwill from the party.

Harris leads the potential field with 41 percent of the vote, according to a Puck News/Echelon Insights survey.

The rest of the pack combined - 13 Democratic politicians who all scored in the single digits - garnered 43 percent, with 16 percent of those surveyed saying they were 'unsure' to the question of who they would vote for if a party primary were held today.

Many have wondered where Harris goes from her defeat to Donald Trump , with some suggesting she either run for president again - where she leads early primary polling - or run to replace Gavin Newsom as governor of California

Harris' 'frenemy' from California Gov. Gavin Newsom is at second place with just eight percent.

Since Harris lost the election, Newsom traveled to the White House to meet with President Joe Biden and pointedly vowed that the state of California would resist President-elect Donald Trump's agenda.

But other Democratic governors remain in the early conversation of who could run in 2028.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro earned seven percent in the poll, a once-rumored vice presidential pick who was ultimately turned down by Harris as a running mate in favor of Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota who receives six percent in the poll.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg also remains in the list of potential candidates as he sits at six percent.

Other possible candidates include Democratic socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with four percent and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer with three percent.

Candidates in the bottom tier include Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore.

Democratic senators in the conversation include Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, and Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock.
This has been a traumatic year for several members of the Royal Family  and none more so than for Princess Michael of Kent.

I hear that Marie Christine is unable to use her hands this Christmas after breaking both her wrists in a fall down the stairs at Kensington Palace, where she lives with her husband, Prince Michael, a beloved first cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth.

She attended King Charless pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace on Thursday with her wrists encased in splints. The accident comes ten months after the death of her son-in-law and while she continues to recover from heart surgery.

She was carrying an armful of overcoats when the accident happened. Luckily, she fell into the coats but broke multiple small bones when she put out her hands out to break her fall.

So many things that you rely on being able to do, like cleaning your teeth, are impossible, says the princess, 79, an author. I can type with one finger on a mobile, but I cant use a laptop.

She adds: I am told that, after an accident like this, if you do one wrong movement on top of the unhealed bones, you are back where you started.

Nicknamed Princess Pushy because of her supposedly assertive personality, Marie Christine also reveals that she underwent heart surgery a year ago.

Marie Christine is unable to use her hands after breaking both her wrists in a fall down the stairs at Kensington Palace, where she lives with her husband, Prince Michael

Prince and Princess Michael of Kent leave after attending King Charles III's Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace, London.

It shocked me, she tells Majesty magazine. I still have to rest every afternoon.

The princesss serious health problems come after the tragic death of her son-in-law, Thomas Kingston, who was found dead in February.

Handsome and popular, the financier was married to Prince and Princess Michaels daughter, Lady Gabriella Windsor.

He died aged 45 from what was described as a traumatic head wound. A gun was found near his body at his parents Cotswolds home.

Marie Christine says she had no indication that he was unwell. Tom was a lovely man, so kind and so thoughtful, she says. They were very happy together.

She attended King Charles s pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace on Thursday with her wrists encased in splints.

Marie Christine also reveals that she underwent heart surgery a year ago, saying she still has to rest every afternoon

Referring to her son, Lord Frederick Windsor, his wife, the actress Sophie Winkleman, and their two daughters, Isabella and Maud, the princess says: We often had them here with Freddie and Sophie and the girls for Sunday lunch. We never had any inkling anything was wrong.

Lady Gabriella told the inquest earlier this month that her husband shot himself in an impulsive decision caused by an adverse reaction to a cocktail of prescribed drugs.

She insisted that there had been no suicidal indicators from her husband and blamed the powerful drugs he was taking for a number of health issues.
A police officer slapped a 16-year-old boy with mental health difficulties multiple times in the face 'for his own safety' because she believed he was experiencing a medical emergency, a court has heard.

Metropolitan Police constables Sevda Gonen, 33, and Stuart Price, 35, are on trial at Westminster Magistrates' Court charged with carrying out an unlawful search, amounting to assault by beating on November 14, 2023.

Gonen, of Leytonstone, London, faces a further charge of assault for striking the boy 'multiple times in the face with an open palm' after 'she allowed her frustrations to get the better of her', the prosecution alleged.

Both officers deny the charges.

Gonen told the court on Thursday that she believed the boy had fallen unresponsive and decided to 'slap his cheeks very gently to rouse him or get a reaction'.

Police were initially called after the boy was reported to have been aggressive at his home address and acted violently towards a mental health worker who was attempting to perform an assessment.

The boy's mother told the court that her son has psychotic episodes and is a 'completely different character' when he is unwell.

A camera inside a police vehicle captured conversation between the officers on their way to the boy's home in north London, in which Gonen was heard to call him 'a f****** little sh*t', the court heard.

Metropolitan Police constables Sevda Gonen, 33, and Stuart Price, 35, are on trial at Westminster Magistrates' Court charged with carrying out an unlawful search, amounting to assault by beating on a 16-year-old boy last November

Gonen, of Leytonstone, London , faces a further charge of assault for striking the boy 'multiple times in the face with an open palm' after 'she allowed her frustrations to get the better of her', the prosecution alleged

Price said of the boy: 'He's a f****** dickhead,' with Gonen replying 'I've had enough of him.'

Gonen apologised for the remarks, telling the court that the conversation was 'in the heat of the moment'.

Prosecutor Lyndon Harris said Gonen 'in particular disliked' the boy and 'had formed the impression that he was wasting their time by faking some form of mental illness'.

Once at the address, Price, of Gamlingay, Cambridgeshire, offered to drive the boy to hospital in a police van after his mother told officers she was concerned for her son's welfare.

The boy then climbed into back of the vehicle but left his foot out, preventing the closing of the rear door, the court heard.

In bodycam footage, Price is heard to tell the boy: 'We're just trying to take you to hospital. You're not in trouble.'

Footage from within the police vehicle showed that the boy lit a cigarette and started to smoke as the van was driven to Whittington Hospital, the court heard.

Gonen then climbed into the caged back of the vehicle and pushed the boy into the corner, which the prosecution accepted was lawful.

The incident occurred as the officers attempted to take the boy to the Whittington Hospital in the belief he was experiencing a 'medical episode'

After a struggle, the boy was placed in handcuffs but not arrested.

In a subsequent use of force form, filled out by Price, the officer said the boy had 'actively offered resistance to Gonen's efforts to take his cigarette', with Gonen writing in her form the boy offered 'aggressive resistance'.

Gonen said the boy's smoking made her 'panic' as there were 'huge safety risks', adding that she suffers from asthma and smoking in the vehicle was 'criminal damage'.

The boy was searched after officers expressed concern he could have something in his pockets.

The prosecution said the search was unlawful as the boy had not been arrested.

Price told the court the search was to 'prevent further offences taking place'.

He can be heard on bodyworn footage, shown in court, telling Gonen: 'Just to let you know he's been spitting in my face.'

The officers then agreed to section the boy and Gonen told the boy that he was being sectioned under the Mental Health Act.

Gonen said she was worried about him spitting, so put a coat collar by his mouth, the court heard.

The officer told the court she never had any 'malice' towards the boy, adding: 'The only way I could manage the spit was to get hold and restrain him by the hair. I was also mindful that he could possibly headbutt us.'

The boy's eyes lowered and he became less responsive, with Price heard on footage saying: 'You alright, mate? We're just trying to help you mate.'

Price then said to Gonen: 'Yeah, he's hot to touch.'

In bodyworn footage shown to court, Gonen then appears to slap the boy's face several times while holding him by the hair, causing his eyes to flicker.

Discussing her actions, Gonen told the court: 'Any time there was a concern for his life, I decided the best course of action was to gently slap him on his cheeks.

'I was never trying to hurt him, this was solely for his own safety.

'At that moment in time I thought I was saving somebody's life. I thought I was preventing a medical emergency from occurring.'

The prosecution said this constituted assault by beating as it was excessive, not an approved technique, and 'PC Gonen did not reasonably believe that it was necessary'.

Mr Harris said it was 'evident' Gonen had a 'dislike' of the boy and was 'frustrated' by the incident in the vehicle and what she perceived as his 'playacting'.

The prosecutor added: 'PC Gonen did not consider this to be a medical emergency, the evidence suggests she allowed her frustrations to get the better of her and she struck him in the face while holding him by the hair multiple times.'

In a subsequent interview, Price said the slaps were 'clearly not an approved police technique', but Gonen was trying 'to rouse him to see if it was a medical emergency'.

The Metropolitan Police made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct in December 2023, and the watchdog passed a file to the Crown Prosecution Service in April.

The trial continues.
The iconic Sydney fireworks are at risk of being cancelled as train strikes spark safety concerns for thousands who rely on public transport on New Year's Eve.

Police Commissioner Karen Webb said she could not rule out cancelling the fireworks show if 250,000 revellers are able to get home safely that night.

'I have grave concerns,' she said on Friday.

'Each year, we police New Year's Eve on the basis that 250,000 people can come into the city and then safely leave the city.

'Leaving the city is based on access to transport, including trains.

'And if trains aren't available, and people can't leave the city, I have very large concerns of the risk that will create to the public because families won't be able to get home and they'll be trapped in the city with no way out.

'I haven't ruled out that I will recommend to the government that we cancel the fireworks. It's that serious.'

The major update comes after the Federal Court dismissed the NSW government's technical argument trying to invalidate the industrial action on Thursday afternoon.

The iconic Sydney fireworks now hang in the balance as rail strikes spark safety concerns for the thousands of revellers using public transport on New Year's Eve (last year's are pictured)

NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb has threatened to cancel the fireworks show if its 250,000 spectators cannot get home safely afterwards amidst ongoing train strikes

Trains in the city were still running on Friday morning but services were delayed or outright cancelled across the network.

Transport Minister Jo Haylen said the T4 Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra line were suffering the worst delays in an interview with 2GB.

'We are being hit hard by the union's industrial action trains are running, they're not running to timetable, unfortunately,' Ms Haylen said.

'We will continue to experience delays and cancellations, it's likely to get worse throughout the day.'

Cancellations have been reported on the T3, T9, and T1 lines.

The Minns government said it will continue its attempt to block the strikes in court.

Officials argue the rail strikes should be suspended because it damages the state economy and puts the public's safety at risk.

The Fair Work Commission will hear the case on December 23 and Christmas Eve.

Premier Chris Minns (pictured) has said his government will continue trying to suspend the strikes via court action after negotiations with the unions fell apart

As of Friday morning all trains across Sydney had reported delays and lines were cancelled

Premier Chris Minns said the state and the unions were still 'miles apart' in their negotiations.

'I can't promise that we will win those court cases, and I want to make it absolutely clear that even if we don't win in the Fair Work Commission or through the court process, I cannot be dragged back to the negotiating table and pay an exorbitant amount of money with a blank cheque,' Mr Minns said.

The Rail, Tram, and Bus Union (RTBU) represents more than 35,000 workers in rail and public transport industries across the state.

The union has not yet implemented the more than 200 work bans at its disposal but new bans will be put in place soon if their negotiations continue to fail.

Union leaders can bar members from working with contractors and place a limit on the number of kilometres workers can travel among other things yet to be enacted.

A reduction in the kilometres workers will travel is expected to begin next week if members approve.

RTBU president Craig Turner warned that he was willing to bring in more work bans beginning Christmas week if his union's demands were not met.

Mr Turner tried to soothe travellers anxieties during an appearance on 2GB where he said that delayed trains are not uncommon at this time of year.

'[Trains] won't be running to timetable honestly  not many trains do over the year anyway, so people shouldn't be worried, they shouldn't be worried,' he said.
More than half of households - or 35 million people - received more in benefits than they paid in taxes last year according to official figures.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the proportion stood at 52.6 per cent for the year to March 2023, the third year running that it has been higher than 50 per cent.

It comes as Labour grapples to bring down the 137 billion benefits bill - and after the Prime Minister promised sweeping changes.

The share of households receiving more in benefits than tax hit a record high of 55 per cent in the 2020-2021 financial year. It came down to 53.6 per cent in the following year and the to 52.6 per cent in 2022/23.

It is likely to reflect vast sums spent by the government to support households during the pandemic and later after Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine prompted energy bills to spike.

Before the pandemic the share had previously been above 50 per cent over four years from 2009 to 2013 and again in 2018/19.

The figure had hovered around 40 per cent in the 1980s and 1990s before the dependence on welfare trended higher in the 2000s and 2010s.

The 35 million who received more benefits than they paid in taxes included more than 10 million retired people - or 85 per cent.

More than half of households - or 35 million people - received more in benefits than they paid in taxes last year according to official figures (File image)

It comes as Labour grapples to bring down the 137 billion benefits bill - and after the Prime Minister promised sweeping changes (File image)

But it also included nearly 25 million, or 45 per cent, of those who were not retired.

That is likely partly to reflect the scourge of worklessness across the country.

The number of people of working age who are neither in employment nor looking for work stands at more than 9.3 million or more than a fifth of the population.

That includes a near-record 2.8 million classed as long-term sick as well as students and those who look after the family or home.

In a recent article for the Mail on Sunday, Sir Keir Starmer promised to try to tame the huge bill for welfare benefits - including a blitz on cheats and those who game the system.

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Last month, Labour ministers pledged a drive to get Britain working again and achieve an ambitious target of getting another two million people into jobs - but were accused of putting off urgently needed reforms to cure sicknote Britain.

The government published a White Paper focused on employment support, including a revamp of Jobcentres and extra NHS appointments in unemployment hotspots.

But a shake-up of the benefits system and a crackdown on welfare spending will not take place for months with plans not even published until 2025.

Former pensions minister Ros Altmann said: It certainly suggests that there is a disproportionate burden on those in society who pay tax.
Hospices are being handed back money taken from them by Labours national insurance raid repackaged as bumper new funding, it is claimed.

The Government yesterday said adult and childrens hospices will receive 100 million to help with providing end of life care in what it described as the biggest investment in a generation.

But the Conservatives accused ministers of taking millions of pounds from hospices and palliative care charities in the autumn Budget - before telling them to be grateful for getting some money back.

Shadow health minister Dr Caroline Johnson criticised Labour for having the audacity to make such a claim, adding: This is socialism at its finest.

Tory former health minister Neil OBrien, who described Chancellor Rachel Reeves as the Grinch who stole Christmas when she hiked employers national insurance contributions in her October statement, yesterday called for charities and voluntary groups to be exempted from the increase.

Hospice organisations have previously said they would face further financial burden without such an exemption.

While Hospice UK said the latest funding would be hugely welcomed, end-of-life charity Marie Curie warned a one-off investment will not be enough to make the improvements needed.

Speaking in the Commons before Parliament breaks up for Christmas, health minister Karin Smyth was repeatedly asked whether the 100 million funding would cover the costs in the NICs rise but declined to answer directly.

The Keir Starmer-led (pictured) Government yesterday said adult and childrens hospices will receive 100 million to help with providing end of life care in what it described as the biggest investment in a generation

Hospices are being handed back money taken from them by Labour s national insurance raid repackaged as bumper new funding, it is claimed (File image)

Conservative MP Sir Bernard Jenkin said a hospice which serves his Harwich and North Essex constituency estimates the national insurance changes will cost them 300,000 in a full year, asking: Can the minister now give a guarantee that they will be compensated by the Government in full?

Ms Smyth replied: We will announce allocations for the whole sector and the NHS in the usual way in the new year.

Tory MP Martin Vickers said any increase in funding for hospices is welcome, but added: This (funding announcement) lets be honest, is giving with one hand and taking with the other.

The Department of Health and Social Care also confirmed a separate 26 million in continued grant funding for next year under the Childrens Hospice Grant.

In a written statement, Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said it is only right hospices are given the financial support to provide their services, while care minister Stephen Kinnock said the funding will allow hospices to improve their physical and operational environment, enabling them to provide the best possible care to their patients.

Toby Porter, chief executive of Hospice UK, said: Todays announcement will be hugely welcomed by hospices, and those who rely on their services.

'Hospices not only provide vital care for patients and families, but also relieve pressure on the NHS.

The Conservatives accused ministers of taking millions of pounds from hospices and palliative care charities in the autumn Budget (File image)

This funding will allow hospices to continue to reach hundreds of thousands of people every year with high-quality, compassionate care.

Ralph Coulbeck, chief executive at Haven House childrens hospice, said it is a relief to know the childrens grant is being maintained next year, adding that it will help to support the vital care we provide to seriously ill children and families.

Matthew Reed, chief executive of Marie Curie, described the palliative and end-of-life care system as being in crisis with access to the right care depending often on where someone lives.

He said: Marie Curie welcome additional investment in the palliative care sector and look forward to further clarification on how this funding will be used to ensure better care for all dying people who need it.

However, a restricted and one-off investment is not going to meet the recurring cost pressures, and ongoing needs of the sector - including the long-term implications of additional national insurance contributions, ongoing pressures as a result of rising costs of pay, and increased numbers of people dying over the next 20 years.
Luigi Mangione ditched his orange jumpsuit for a more fashion-forward ensemble when he appeared in Manhattan federal court on Thursday.

The 26-year-old suspected killer was seen wearing his prison garb when he left a Pennsylvania court earlier in the day as he sported a clean-shaven look with a fresh haircut and an apparent eyebrow trim.

But when he appeared in a New York City courtroom to face murder charges for the December 4 shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, Mangione was seen wearing 'a white button-down shirt, navy three-quarter zip pullover and khaki pants,' TMZ reports.

He was not handcuffed during the hearing, but when the hearing ended, he was led from the courtroom by two US Marshals with his ankles shackled, according to CNN.

The accused murderer was indicted on charges of murder as an act of terrorism earlier this week, under a New York state law that allows for stiffer sentences when a killing is aimed at terrifying civilians or influencing government.

Yet many throughout the country have expressed their support for Mangione, who has received 54 emails, 87 pieces of mail and 163 deposits into his commissary account - which allows inmates to purchase items behind bars, since his arrest last week, the Independent reports.

His attorney representing him on Pennsylvania gun charges has also claimed that he declined offers from strangers to pay Mangione's legal bills, as his supporters raised over $100,000 for his defense fund.

Any further fan mail will now be forwarded to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where Mangione is being held in custody.

Luigi Mangione, 26, was seen wearing his orange prison garb as he was extradited from Pennsylvania to New York City on Thursday

When he appeared in Manhattan federal court, Mangione wore 'a white button-down shirt, navy three-quarter zip pullover and khaki pants'

Prosecutors have argued in a newly-unsealed federal indictment that police found notes Mangione wrote, in which he expressed his desire to 'whack' the CEO off an insurance company.

He allegedly wrote about his disdain for the health insurance industry and its executives in a notebook police retrieved when he was arrested on December 9 in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

In one entry from August 15, Mangione allegedly wrote how 'the details are finally coming together' and that 'the target is insurance' because' it checks every box.'

On October 22, Mangione allegedly wrote: '1.5 months. This investor conference is a true windfall... and - most importantly - the message becomes self evident.'

UnitedHealthcare CEO Thompson was then gunned down on the street in the early morning hours of December 4 as he walked to a midtown Manhattan hotel where his Minnesota-based company was holding an investor conference.

The shooting was captured on security video, but the suspect eluded police for days before Mangione was captured about 277 miles west of New York City.

There, police said they retrieved a manifesto outlining his grievances against UnitedHealthcare.

'To save you a lengthy investigation, I state plainly that I wasn't working with anyone. This was fairly trivial: some elementary social engineering, basic CAD, [and] a lot of patience,' he allegedly wrote in the manifesto, according to the Daily Beast.

Mangione is facing murder charges for the December 4 shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50

Thompson was shot at point-blank range when walking outside a midtown Manhattan hotel

He went on to say he had 'respect' for federal investigators, and apologized for causing any 'traumas,' but seemed to defend his alleged actions.

'Frankly these parasites had it coming,' the manifesto wrote.

It claimed that the United States had the 'most expensive healthcare system in the world,' but blasted the system for making America only the 42nd in life expectancy.

Officers also said they matched a gun found on Mangione with the shell casings recovered at the scene and his fingerprints with a water bottle and energy bar wrapper found nearby.

Mangione was also said to be carrying a passport, a fake ID and about $10,000 in U.S. and foreign currency.

He is now facing forgery, gun and tampering with records or identification charges - which his lawyer Tom Dickey has questioned.

The accused murderer was indicted on charges of murder as an act of terrorism earlier this week

He appeared in court on Thursday, when he waived a preliminary hearing on the Pennsylvania forgery and gun charges in exchange for the prosecutor giving him a 20-page investigative report from the Altoona Police Department.

He then agreed to be extradited to New York, as officers waited to take the murder suspect back to the Big Apple.

Meanwhile, dozens of protesters showed up outside the Pennsylvania courthouse to support Mangione, holding signs with messages such as 'Health insurance practices terrorize people!' and 'Death by denial is murder!'

Some reportedly flew in from as far as California to support the alleged assassin, and at least two protesters were dressed as Luigi from the Super Mario Bros video game.

Then, when Mangione arrived in New York, social media users noticed he kept pushing his tongue against his cheek.

While it's likely a nervous tic, the gesture sparked claims online that he was trying to send some sort of message to his supporters.

When Mangione arrived in New York on Thursday, social media users noticed he kept pushing his tongue against his cheek

Protesters showed up outside the Pennsylvania court to support Mangione on Thursday

One X user wrote: 'Luigi, pushing his tongue against his cheek means contempt! Which Means DISRESPECT! He sent a signal to ALL!'

Another person on the discussion website called Datalounge agreed, claiming Mangione was 'showing his tongue up into his upper cheek. Wisdom tooth pain or secret terrorist signal?'

According to Vocabulary.com, the phrase 'tongue-in-cheek' describes an 'exaggerated facial feature meant to convey contempt or irony.'

In addition to the state charges in New York and Pennsylvania, Mangione is now facing federal charges of murder through use of a firearm, stalking and a firearms offense.

The murder by firearm charge could result in a death penalty.
Michael Leunig cared little about fitting in, less about conforming with woke cultural demands and not one iota about even being particularly relevant, say his peers.

Which is probably why he was so widely popular, they add.

In the offbeat and colourful world of editorial cartooning, the late artist, poet and social philosopher, who died at the age of 79 on Thursday, was never worried about being considered unconventional.

And he was certainly that, according to fellow award-winning newspaper cartoonist Warren Brown.

'Leunig wasn't a conventional cartoonist at all, not by any stretch of the imagination,' Brown told Daily Mail Australia.

'He was not a daily editorial cartoonist, or a political cartoonist, in the sense that he would draw caricatures of business people and politicians or the issue of the day.

'His commentary was often social - but don't get me wrong, the social part of it always had a sharp political edge to it.

'Leunig was like no other cartoonist; his work was a wonderful marriage of writing and drawing and ideas that actually became its own artform.

Late cartoonist, poet and philosopher Michael Leunig, who died at the age of 79 on Thursday, surrounded by his children and to the sounds of Beethoven and Bach

Leunig's hit books and calendars made him a household name throughout the country

'He was obviously a deep thinker, a complex character and that's why people adored him.'

Revered equally among his contemporaries as much as his fans, Brown said it was unlikely Australia would ever seen another cartoonists make such a wide impact.

Born in Melbourne in 1945, Leunig attended school at Footscray North Primary School and Maribyrnong High School and briefly attended university before dropping out and focussing on his drawing.

He eventually found his way to his hometown's The Age newspaper, where he would work for 55 years before ultimately parting ways with the company in September amid a round of furious cost-cutting.

His work, however, transcended the reach of the Melbourne daily, with his beloved cartoons, filled with iconic characters like the round-nosed Mr Curly and his coterie of ducks, featuring in whimsical calendars that won him fans around the country and the globe.

His ability to find the humour and, more importantly, the humanity in the inane connected with people across all walks of life.

'Often you'd see in newspapers, Leunig would fill in for another editorial cartoonist, who was on leave or whatever, and their cartoon would always be having the Prime Minister or the Premier doing something,' Brown recalled.

'Then all of a sudden, there'd be a week or so of Leunig, and the cartoons would all be about something completely irreverent, like, "Oh, we've got, you know, ducks doing something or other" and the readers absolutely loved it.

Award-winning Daily Telegraph cartoonist Warren Brown

Leunig with two of his most popular cartoon figures in Sydney in 2001

'it didn't matter that it wasn't hard on the news commentary. It was a sort of social commentary. It had a whimsical nature to it.

'There was a childlike innocence to a lot of his work - but that doesn't mean that he didn't have a kind of rapier-mind and take on what was right - he certainly had a pretty clear vision of what was right was wrong.

'It was kind of like him almost trying to make sense of the world, and through the prism of his mind, he sort of opened doors for other people to think in a different way, to think like him.

'And we appreciated it and we understood he was doing things differently: "Oh, it's a Michael Leunig!" Because if it was anybody else we'd go, "What is this? I don't get it."'

For all his childlike innocence, Leunig attracted considerable controversy in his final years at The Age for his unabashed views - and confrontational cartoons - at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

An outspoken critic of compulsory vaccinations, he used his platform to provoke debate about the government policy at a time when doing so was often met with social ostracism.

Brown, who has won countless awards for his thought-provoking editorial cartoons at The Daily Telegraph over almost four decades, knows only too well the challenges Leunig faced in expressing his views.

'In recent times he copped quite a bit of flak for various cartoons,' he said.

Leunig attracted controversy with his outspoken views about compulsory vaccinations during the coronavirus pandemic

'In this day and age when, and I hate this word, but when everybody's so "woke" - sorry, I can't think of any other word to use - it's really difficult for cartoonists.

'There's an appetite out there for people to attack on all sorts of fronts and be offended - people sort of enjoying being offended by things.

'It's very hard for cartoonists because, certainly, you don't necessarily be an agent provocateur, but the job is to make people think.

'It's sometimes a really complex relationship ... because you do want to make people laugh, but you also want to make them think about life or an issue or the world in a different way.'

What's more, Brown, cartoonists had the briefest of windows in which to achieve their mission.

'A cartoon has a life expectancy of about four seconds: So someone opens a newspaper, and they look at it, they see it, they read it, and they kind of look at it again, then they laugh, or whatever, and that it - that's all the time you've got,' he said.

'It's the whole Oscar Wilde thing: "Brevity is the soul of wit." That's the trick to it, you've got to be able to get that message across very quickly, in four seconds.

'If you're able to get that message across, and it's a hand grenade and it goes off, that can be fantastic.

Leunig's best-selling cartoon collections won him fans around the world

'Sometimes I've been on a train and been sitting in the crowded train, and someone's got the newspaper, and I'm sort of anxiously waiting for them to get to the cartoon.

'Then they get there, and you watch their eyes, and you watch the smoke or whatever, and then move on.

'If I got a smirk, it worked, you know, you've done your job and it's really rewarding.

'But sometimes you can put it all out there in the cartoon, and it's a hand grenade that you're not expecting to go off, and it goes off in a way you didn't expect.

'That's what happened, I think, with Michael Leunig during COVID.

'Cancel culture was heading for him in a big way.

'It was very difficult for him, as it would be for anyone, to see people move away from him and let him go.'

Farewell Michael Leunig ... a poignant cartoon from one of the artist's popular calendars

As difficult as that time must have been, Brown said the enduring memories of Leunig will actually remain ones of joy and wonder.

'His legacy will be all his charming characters, Mr. Curly and the ducks and those sorts of things,' he said.

'And the wonderful innocence of them, I think that might have been his legacy will be.

'We were almost at the point that we thought, "Michael, he'll be around forever".

'Sadly, none of us will be ...but his art certainly will live on forever though.'
Keir Starmer's government is set to give local authorities more powers to seize land and pay the owners less in a so-called 'bulldozer blitz' to build 1.5million new homes.

The Times reports that local authorities will be given the power to take control of brownfield land without handing over 'excessive' amounts of money in a bid to grow Britain's housing stock.

Currently, government bodies have to pay 'hope values' when they issue compulsory purchase orders, which reflect beliefs on what the land would be worth with the requisite planning permission.

These are said to sometimes significantly drive up prices, leading to major delays as owners haggle over values.

Reforms introduced earlier this year allowed councils to apply for permission to use compulsory purchase orders without hope values.

But these new reforms would allow for councils to do this without needing to consult the government, and would likely include urban sites with potential for housing and land allocated for homes by local plans but yet to be developed.

Matthew Pennycook, the housing minister, told the newspaper the reforms 'will make the process faster and more efficient, enabling more land value to be captured and then invested in schemes for public benefit'.

A government spokesperson said that in a consultation on the changes there was 'an appetite amongst some town and community councils for a more proactive approach' to compulsory purchase.

Keir Stamer's (pictured) government will be giving more power to council to let them seize land and pay the owners less in its 'bulldozer blitz' to build 1.5million new homes

The Times reports that local authorities will be given the power to take control of brownfield land without paying 'excessive' amounts of money

'The government is concerned there is a significant amount of suitable land available for housing which is currently lying vacant or underutilised and not coming forward for development,' they added.

Earlier this month, Sir Keir said he would prioritise 'human beings wanting to have a house' over the environment.

Asked on a visit to a construction site in Cambridgeshire whether environmental concerns would stand in the way of building, he said: 'The starting point is local plans, and that's really important for councils to develop the plan according to the target, taking into account local need and working with developers.

'But are we going to push it through if those plans don't work? Yes we absolutely are.

'Are we going to push away the planning rules and make them clearer, as we have done today, get away the blockers that are stopping the houses being built? Yes, we are absolutely intent.

'For years, we have had not enough houses being built. That means that individuals and families don't have the security that they want.

'We are determined to break through that, to do what's necessary.

'Of course we want to get the balance right with nature and the environment, but if it comes to a human being wanting to have a house for them and their family, that has to be the top priority.'

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But defiant Brits have launched a furious defence against Labour's 'war on rural England'.

Cornwall councillor Jenny Cruse said Labour's proposed target was 'undemocratic', arguing the priority should be bringing 2,700 empty homes back into use before building new homes on unspoiled land.

She said: 'Angela Rayner is mad if she thinks this will work, she hasn't got a clue. What they are proposing isn't democratic, it doesn't align with our local plan.

'I can't believe how worried and stressed people are about this, we are being totally disregarded.

'People really care about our area but I don't think Angela Rayner even knows where Cornwall is.

'They are saying to us it doesn't matter what local communities think, we are going to make the decision anyway and people don't matter.

'This is a Marxist plot and I can't believe we have sleepwalked into this. It's not about being a NIMBY, it's that everything they are doing is flying in the face of democracy.'
Eric Adams' former chief adviser and her son who was once paid to perform as a DJ at City Hall both pled not guilty to bribery charges as the mayor fights his own corruption case.

Ingrid Lewis-Martin, who until recently was one of the most powerful people in city government, was brought into a Manhattan courtroom in handcuffs Thursday.

She and her turntable spinning son Glenn D. Martin II - who goes by the stage name 'Suave Luciano' - and real estate investors Raizada Vaid and Mayank Dwivedi all pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors said Lewis-Martin - who resigned Sunday - and her son raked in over $100,000 and got other help in exchange for her speeding approvals for construction projects.

They claimed Martin II acted as 'intermediary' for his mother, while receiving help from the businessmen with some of his own ventures, including a clothing line and an attempt to secure a Chick-fil-A franchise.

Martin II, who performs under the stage name DJ Suave Luciano, doesn't appear to have prior food-service management experience, prosecutors said.

According to the indictment, Martin II asked Vaid by phone for help handling application 'questions about previous business history and stuff.'

Vaid responded that he would 'be with you to take care of those.'

Eric Adams' former chief adviser Ingrid Lewis-Martin and her son Glenn Martin II - aka DJ Suave Luciano (pictured center) - who was once paid to perform as a DJ at City Hall both pled not guilty to bribery charges as the mayor fights his own corruption case

Ingrid Lewis-Martin, who until recently was one of the most powerful people in city government, was brought into a Manhattan courtroom in handcuffs Thursday

In a text message, an attorney for Martin II, Michael Cibella, accused prosecutors of 'twisting facts' against his client, who he said had merely 'developed a friendship with successful, hard working businessmen.'

The indictment goes on to describe Martin-Lewis discussing the franchise plan with an unidentified person and saying: 'Your sister has to be rich! Im gonna retire.'

It's unclear whether the franchise ever came through. A message seeking comment was sent to Chick-fil-A.

The indictment claimed that the luxury car was 'something neither he nor Lewis-Martin could have funded without the bribe money.'

Martin II - whose father, also named Glenn Martin, worked with Adams on the police force - was also granted the opportunity to spin records at police functions.

DJ Suave Luciano also made an appearance when Adams held a meeting declaring war on 'drill' music.

At a recent event, Lewis-Martin promised the appearances were always out of the goodness of her son's heart.

'He always volunteers. They try to write us up in the papers, but he doesnt take any money. Hes a volunteer. Just saying that,' the New York Post reported.

Ingrid Lewis-Martin until recently was one of the most powerful people in city government under Mayor Eric Adams

Lewis-Martin's lawyer said outside court that she simply helped a constituent cut through the Big Apple's thick red tape.

'What she was doing here was just moving things along,' said the attorney, Arthur Aidala, calling the case 'ridiculous.'

He said the $100,000 was for a legitimate business deal involving Lewis-Martin's son but didn't provide details.

'From the moment Lewis-Martin became the second most senior person in City Hall, she abused her position and sold her influence to enrich herself and her family,' prosecutors said in a court document.

Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat facing his own federal bribery charges, is not a target of this investigation, according to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

But the indictment deals another blow to an administration already beset by overlapping scandals, including multiple pay-to-play allegations involving members of Adams' inner circle.

Lewis-Martin, 63, has been one of the mayors closest confidants, serving in senior roles as Adams ascended the ranks of government in New York over nearly two decades.

Prosecutors wrote that Dwivedi, a hotelier with a background in finance, and Vaid, a developer who goes by 'Pinky,' repeatedly asked Lewis-Martin for help getting approvals for such projects as a rooftop bar and a hotel.

Ingrid Lewis Martin and her son Glenn Martin surrender to the Manhattan DA's office on corruption charges

Prosecutors said Lewis-Martin - who resigned Sunday - and her son raked in over $100,000 and got other help in exchange for her speeding approvals for construction projects

She in turn pressed officials in the city's Department of Buildings to take action, which they did, prosecutors said.

'Again and again, she delivered for them,' Bragg said at a news conference, describing the alleged arrangement as 'naked cronyism.'

Teny Geragos, a lawyer for Dwivedi, said he 'did nothing wrong. We look forward to setting the record straight.'

Court documents recount Vaid sending Lewis-Martin text messages plainly asking for her to 'call your source to approve application' or to 'please get this through,' and her relaying those requests to a top buildings official.

In one instance, a buildings department employee met with Vaid the next day, according to the documents.

Beginning in December 2022, Lewis-Martin tried to cover her tracks by telling Vaid to make any 'asks' through Signal, an encrypted messaging app, prosecutors wrote.

An attorney for Lewis-Martin declined to explain the directive but noted that many government officials use Signal.

In addition to the charges outlined Thursday, prosecutors said in court that Lewis-Martin is the subject of several ongoing investigations.

Lewis-Martin's lawyer said outside court that she simply helped a constituent cut through the Big Apple's thick red tape

Lewis-Martin, 63, has been one of the mayors closest confidants, serving in senior roles as Adams ascended the ranks of government in New York over nearly two decades

Prosecutors seized her phone and searched her home in September, after meeting her at an airport as she got off a flight from Japan.

The investigators also seized phones from a top city official overseeing a real estate deal and a broker involved in city leases, both of whom accompanied Lewis-Martin on the trip to Japan.

She has said she's being 'falsely accused' and that she had 'not made any arrangements in advance to take any gifts or money, or to have any gifts or money given to a family member or friend in order for me to do my job.'

Federal prosecutors charged Adams in September with accepting luxury travel perks and illegal campaign contributions from a Turkish official and other foreign nationals looking to buy his influence.

The mayor has pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy, wire fraud and bribery. Adams' federal trial is scheduled for April.

His administration has been enveloped by a series of investigations, searches and seizures, leading to the resignations of his police commissioner, schools chancellor, multiple deputy mayors and his director of Asian affairs.

Bragg also is prosecuting a bribery conspiracy case against former buildings commissioner Eric Ulrich, who has pleaded not guilty.

No buildings department employees or officials have been charged in the alleged scheme involving Lewis-Martin.

Her messages went to Ulrichs successor, and it's unclear whether anyone at the agency had any inkling of the alleged pay-to-play behind the scenes.

Douglas Muzzio, a retired political science professor and longtime commentator on New York politics, said the latest charges involving City Hall 'might be the final shoe to drop' in the public's perception of Adams' tenure.

But he noted the mayor has been able to endure his own indictment.
EXCLUSIVE

Abu Hayat was devastated as he walked out of the NSW Supreme Court after watching his daughter's killer be jailed for what he thought was 22 years.

'I am not happy with that sentence - 22 years is not enough,' he told Daily Mail Australia after catching the train home to western Sydney. 'I'm not happy.'

But Mr Hayat was left briefly speechless when he was told the man who murdered his darling Arnima would likely serve just 16 years - and could be free as soon as 2038.

Arnima was 19 and pregnant when Meraj Zafar choked or smothered her to death in their North Parramatta flat after she tried to leave their violent marriage in January 2022.

A pathologist could not determine precisely how Ms Hayat died because Zafar had placed her body in a bath filled with hydrochloric in an attempt to dissolve her remains.

Bangladeshi-born Mr Hayat could not comprehend someone killing his eldest child, let alone denying him the chance to see her face one last time, and then not having to face the harshest possible penalty.

Zafar was sentenced on Thursday to 21 years and six months in prison but Mr Hayat did not understand until informed by Daily Mail Australia that was only the maximum term he could serve.

Arnima Hayat (pictured with her parents) was an 18-year-old medical science student at the University of Western Sydney and had never previously had a boyfriend

Devastated father Abu Hayat thought his wife's killer was going to jail for 22 years but Meraj Zafar was given a 16-year minimum term for murdering 19-year-old Arnima Hayat

Justice Deborah Sweeney set a much shorter non-parole period, which meant after taking into account the time Zafar had already spent behind bars he could be a free man in a little more than 13 years.

'Seriously?' Mr Hayat said when told Zafar would be eligible for parole in March 2038.

'Again, I cry. Sixteen years? Not 22? Sixteen years?'

Mr Hayat understands Australia does not have the death penalty but believes Zafar should be executed for what he did to his daughter, as would happen in his home country.

'After she died, every day, every night, I miss my daughter,' Mr Hayat said. 'My heart is broken but we can't do anything.

'I lose everything. It is very hard for me.'

Arnima had called her father 'Papa' and he called her 'Annie'.

The pair had been extremely close and enjoyed shopping mall trips together, with Arnima looking for dresses and wanting to order a double cheeseburger or sushi.

'She always say, "I love you Papa". She is 19 years old and she say "I love you Papa",' he said.

'She always come to me, "Papa, one day when I become a doctor I earn a lot of money and give you money. I will buy you a house. I will buy a BMW car. You will see".'

Mr Hayat says he sometimes sees his daughter in the faces of other young women and regularly visits Arnima's grave at Rockwood Cemetery.

Ms Hayat, a medical science student, had wanted to leave Zafar amid what a judge called his 'controlling and violent behaviour'. Justice Deborah Sweeney jailed Zafar for a maximum 21 years and six months during a sentencing hearing in the NSW Supreme Court on Thursday

'Muslims say if someone kill you, you go to Jannah - to heaven,' he said. 'My daughter was murdered by her husband, she is in heaven.'

Justice Sweeney found Arnima's murder was objectively in the 'mid range of seriousness'.

'The offender acted with reckless indifference to life in killing Ms Hayat by obstructing her breathing by applying compression to her neck and/or smothering her,' she said.

'He acted in such a way because of his anger at the prospect of Ms Hayat leaving him and ending their marriage.

'This was against a background of controlling and violent behaviour by the offender. The offence occurred in the home of Ms Hayat, where she was entitled to feel safe.

'The offender did not undertake any significant planning or organisation in killing Ms Hayat.

'I also take into account his conduct in relation to her body after her death. Taking into account those factors I assess the offence as in the mid range of seriousness.'

Mr Hayat had never liked Zafar, who married Arnima on October 13, 2021 in a private Islamic ceremony not attended by members of either of their families.

Mr Hayat sometimes sees his daughter in the faces of other young women and regularly visits Arnima's grave at Rockwood Cemetery. He is pictured barefoot at Arnima's graveside after her funeral in February 2022

She was an 18-year-old medical science student at the University of Western Sydney and had never previously had a boyfriend. Zafar was a 20-year-old tradie with a history of illicit drug use and heavy drinking.

Months before the wedding Arnima had already been complaining to friends about Zafar's violence towards her and Zafar had quarrelled with Mr Hayat about the pending marriage.

On October 8, 2021, Zafar - who refused to allow Arnima's parents to meet his own family - had telephoned Mr Hayat and said, 'I will kill you.' Mr Hayat went to police.

Over the coming days Arnima collected her belongings from her parents' home and had no further contact with them before she was murdered.

'I know this guy very bad,' Mr Hayat said. 'But after marriage I don't even know where they are living.'

A month after the wedding, when the couple was in a rented North Parramatta apartment, Arnima told a friend Zafar had bashed her and she regretted marrying him.

Arnima texted her friend at 8.30pm on January 29, 2022, stating, 'I have nobody except you.' Her friend replied: 'You have got no choice. You have to stay with him.'

At 9.10pm Arnima responded: 'No, I hate him.' That was the last contact Arnima had with anyone other than Zafar.

Sometime before Zafar left the flat at 9.55pm, he killed Arnima.

Arnima Hayat was just 19 and pregnant when her controlling husband Meraj Zafar choked or smothered her to death in their North Parramatta flat in January 2022

Abu Hayat was left briefly speechless when he was told the man who murdered his darling Arnima would likely serve just 16 years - and could be free as soon as 2038

The next day Zafar returned to the apartment and late in the morning drove to a Bunnings store where he purchased a 20 litre tub of hydrochloric acid which he put in a bath with Arnima's body.

That afternoon he went back to Bunnings and bought four more 20 litre tubs of acid which he poured into the bath to dispose of Arnima's body and obscure how he had killed her.

Zafar called his mother and said his wife was not breathing but did not want to call an ambulance because 'the police will put me in jail'. His mother then called Triple-0.

When police arrived and found Arnima's body lying naked and face-down in the bathtub Zafar had fled the premises.

At 8.30pm that night Zafar conducted four internet searches with the question: 'How many years do you get in Sydney for murder.'

Zafar surrendered to police early the next afternoon and told the arresting officer, 'I don't want to do 20 years. I was like you know what, I have done a mistake. I have to do it.'

Arnima's body was unrecognisable due to decomposition and her identity was only confirmed using DNA.

Zafar pleaded guilt to murder and in a letter addressed to the court and Arnima's family said he took full responsibility for his actions.

Justice Sweeney found Arnima's murder was objectively in the 'mid range of seriousness'. Her parents Abu Hayat and Mahafuzer Akter are pictured

'I don't know how to begin to say how sorry I am for all that I have caused and all that I have affected through my actions,' he wrote.

'It's the most terrible thing to do to someone else.'

The now 23-year-old said no one should be treated with violence or 'discarded' in the way Arnima had been.

'I hope one day you can forgive me,' he said. 'I am very sorry.'

Mr Hayat directly addressed Zafar last month during a pre-sentence hearing.

'You killed my daughter, you broke her future... you broke my family, you broke my heart,' he told the killer. 'We lost our daughter and everything else.'

Mr Hayat said he had been unable to see his daughter one last time because the hydrochloric acid had disfigured her features.

'He burned the face I used to talk to every night - he burned her,' he said. 'Can you imagine someone burning your child?

'He burned her, and I can never see her again.'

Arnima Hayat lived in this ground floor flat for three months before she was murdered in January 2022

Meraj Zafar was filmed in his work truck when he fled the flat where he had placed Arnima's body into a bath he filled with 100 litres of hydrochloric acid to dissolve her remains

'Muslims say if someone kill you, you go to Jannah - to heaven,' Mr Hayat told Daily Mail Australia. 'My daughter was murdered by her husband, she is in heaven.' He is pictured at his daughter's grave

Ms Hayat's mother Mahafuzer Akter also made a statement read by a volunteer from the Homicide Victims Support Group.

'My tears are never ending and the deep ache in my heart never stops - never stops, never stops,' she said.

'I cry day and night because she was stolen from me.'

'The dreams we shared for her future were everything a mother could hope for, and losing that dream has left a void that can never be filled.

'What happens to her dreams now that she has been murdered, the dreams we built together? Moving to Australia was supposed to be the start of our dreams, not the end.'

Ms Akter said her daughter had been murdered by the person supposed to love her and 'protect her' and that she would 'give anything to see her face one last time'.

'Instead, I sit by her grave every Friday stroking the grass because I can no longer stroke her hair - I kiss and hug her tombstone, longing to hold her and smell her.'

Once the grieving mother's statement was complete, Justice Sweeney told her: 'Ms Akter, I'm sorry for the loss of your beautiful daughter. You have my sympathy.'

While on remand, Zafar served a five-month sentence for intimidating Mr Hayat and Justice Sweeney set the 16-year term to commence wo months after he first entered custody.

Zafar will be eligible for parole on March 30, 2038.
Gisele Pelicot's children have hit out at the 'low' sentences for some of the men who raped their mother, with one of the perpetrators set to be free in just five years.

The children of Dominique Pelicot, who was sentenced to 20 years on Thursday for orchestrating and committing the mass rape of his now ex-wife, believe the verdicts handed down by a French court to the guilty men in the case were too low.

Pelicot's children reacted angrily as some of the sentences were read out, deploring 'it's not possible' as one convicted rapist was handed just five years.

Firefighters, soldiers, lorry drivers, a DJ and a journalist were among those found guilty of raping and sexually abusing 72-year-old Gisele at the behest of her husband over the course of a decade - all without her knowledge.

The 51 men faced a combined sentence of 600 years ahead of the jail terms being handed down today. They will serve just a fraction of this - with a collective sentence of 400 years given out by the panel of five judges.

Defendants cowered behind masks and beneath hoods as they entered the court this morning, with several emerging again this afternoon after being given sentences equivalent to or less than those they have already served.

'The children are disappointed by these low sentences,' said the family member after the verdict, asking not be identified.

Madame Pelicot later emerged from the courtroom to the waiting cameras of the world's media, saying she was 'emotional' as she issued a statement after what she said had been 'a very difficult test for me.'

Gisele Pelicot leaves the courthouse after hearing the verdict that sentenced her ex-husband to the maximum term of 20 years in jail

The children of Dominique Pelicot believe the verdicts handed down by a French court to the guilty men in the case were too low. Pictured: Pelicot's children Caroline, Darian, and, David

The only defendant likely to receive the maximum sentence of 20 years is Pelicot himself, who has been dubbed 'The Monster of Avignon'

Crowds of journalists and members of the public gathered at the entrance of the courthouse in Avignon and Gisele Pelicot arrived this morning

Women gather in support of Gisele Pelicot outside the Avignon courthouse on November 27

Police had to protect the man hiding behind a face mask and hood from angry protesters jeering at him

While the men who raped Pelicot have been sentenced it has been revealed that as many as ten defendants are considering appealing the ruling, The Times reports.

Under French law, defendants have an automatic right to force a retrial through right of appeal.

Defence attorney Christophe Bruschi, who represented Joseph Cocco, a 69-year-old man who was handed three years in jail after being found guilty of sexual assault, gloated that his client had 'walked free' having already served his sentence.

Shocking footage shows the lawyer laughing at the protesters, labelling them 'a bunch of hysterical knitters' and taunting them by saying 'my client has a message for you - the message is s***'.

He went on to say: 'Your request for 20-year prison sentences for all the defendants has been refused. My client has walked free... He thanks you and says, 'Up yours!''

Bruschi had smiled as he left the court, and told the waiting journalists: 'I don't want to provoke anybody when I walk past. I have individuals who are shouting. We may all be a bit provocative sometimes, aren't we?

'But when it comes to these debates I've listened and asked questions,' he insisted.

Brushci's client Cocco, a pensioner and among the oldest of the defendants in the notorious trial, was prosecuted for 'sexual assault in a group' and not for rape or attempted rape.

'It was difficult to get an erection,' he said in his defence during the trial, adding that he stayed at the Pelicots' home for 10 minutes and then left.

'Had I known what he was doing to his wife I would have reported him. This is atrocious,' he said.

Found guilty of sexual assault, he has been sentenced to three years in prison, which he has already served awaiting trial.

Bruschi launched a bizarre rant as he was confronted by protesters, saying he had a message from his client and swearing at them

One of the defendant arrives at the courthouse in Avignon on December 19, 2024, after being booed by crowds outside

One accomplice was seen hanging his head in shame as he walked into the court

One of the sex attackers was met by a furious crowd when he was trying to leave the court after the verdicts were handed down

Gisele Pelicot (R) sits beside her daughter Caroline Darian (C) and her son (L) at the courthouse during the trial, pictured on September 2

The Pelicot home in the village of Mazan, now known as the house of horrors

He was just one of the dozens of men invited by Dominique Pelicot to rape his unconscious wife at their home in Mazan, southern France - all without her knowledge.

Judges have also found Pelicot guilty of recording and illegally broadcasting images of his wife and of recording images of three other women.

Police found some 20,000 lurid images and videos of Pelicot's wife being abused in files on his computer, as well as pictures of his daughter and his two daughters-in-law naked.

His daughter Caroline Darian yelled at him as his sentence was delivered: 'You will die alone like a dog in jail!' She has directed the phrase at her cowering father, who the family has condemned, throughout the trial.

Speaking outside court after the sentences were handed down, Pelicot's lawyer Beatrice Zavarro said her client was 'stunned' at the judges' decision to hand him the maximum sentence, as well as the suggestion that he could be kept in longer if he was still considered a security threat.

Maitre Zavarro said that no decision had yet been made on whether Pelicot will lodge an appeal, which he is able to do for the next ten days.

She said she will not criticise any decision made by the courts. Asked how her client is reacting, she said he is 'showing the same attitude as he has done throughout [the trial].'

Gisele Pelicot speaks during the trial of her husband with 50 co-accused at the courthouse in Avignon

Florian Pelicot, the youngest of the Pelicots' three children, arrives at the courthouse in Avignon to hear the verdict in his father's trial

Caroline Darian and David Pelicot, the children of Frenchwoman Gisele Pelicot, the victim of an alleged mass rape orchestrated by her then-husband Dominique Pelicot, arrive to witness the verdict in the trial for Dominique Pelicot and 50 co-accused

Some 180 journalists from across France and the globe queued outside the Avignon Criminal Court before dawn this morning to hear the verdicts

Pelicot and his legal team will consider whether or not to appeal, she said, concluding in her comments: 'We are going to take the 10 days to digest this and he is going to think about his future.'

Gisele Pelicot arrived at the courthouse in Avignon with her lawyers early this morning to see the verdicts delivered in the case, which has lasted more than three months.

Her three children, sons David and Florian and daughter Caroline, arrived moments before her as they prepared to see their father and his accomplices served justice.

Each of the defendants was allowed to bring one relative into the court to learn their fate. One woman was seen breaking down in tears as she kissed her partner - probably for the last time for several years.

The trial  which has gathered international attention  has gripped France and the world since its outset in September.

Some 180 journalists from across France and the globe queued outside the Avignon Criminal Court before dawn this morning to hear the verdicts.

Feminist campaigners protesting in the street outside the courthouse waved placards demanding 'Christmas in jail' and 'Easter behind bars' for Pelicot and the other defendants.

Dominque Pelicot (pictured) drugged his ex wife Gisele and invited dozens of men to rape her while he watched and filmed them over a decade long period of hell

Dominique Pelicot is seen arriving at court in the back of a police car earlier this week

Mme Pelicot looked at each of the defendants as their verdicts were read out. This court sketch depicts her looking at her husband

Pelicot's lawyer Beatrice Zavarro said her client was 'stunned' at the judges' decision to hand him the maximum sentence

This court-sketch depicts Gisele Pelicot during the hearing of the verdicts

David Pelicot, one of Gisele's two sons, is seen giving a thumbs up as he takes a phone call outside the courthouse after his father was given the maximum sentence of 20 years in jail

Supporters of Mme Pelicot have welcomed her with flowers, applause and words of encouragement throughout the more than three month trial, with the mother-of-three breaking into a smile as she was cheered by the crowds gathered outside the courthouse this morning.

People were heard crying: 'Justice for Gisele!' and sang protest songs calling for women to 'rise up against male violence'.

Just moments earlier her alleged rapists had run the gauntlet to enter the courthouse with their faces covered.

Other defendants - including primary defendant Pelicot - were brought to the court in prison vans with sirens blaring across the medieval city.

The trial galvanized campaigners against sexual violence and spurred calls for tougher measures to stamp out rape culture.

The defendants were all accused of having taken part in Dominique Pelicot's sordid rape and abuse fantasies that were acted out in the couple's retirement home in the small Provence town of Mazan and elsewhere.

Dominique Pelicot testified that he hid tranquilizers in food and drink that he gave his then wife, knocking her out so profoundly that he could do what he wanted to her for hours.

A man holds placards which read 'Stop violence against women' and 'Justice for Gisele Pelicot' as journalists queue to enter inside the courthouse before the verdict in the trial for Dominique Pelicot

A large banner that campaigners hung on a city wall opposite the courthouse read, 'MERCI GISELE' - thank you Gisele

Two women hold placards reading 'thank you Gisele' in support of the French grandmother

One of the men was found guilty and sentenced to 12 years imprisonment not for assaulting Gisele Pelicot but for drugging and raping his own wife - with help and drugs from Dominique Pelicot, who was also found guilty of raping that man's wife, too.

The five judges voted by secret ballot in their rulings, with majority votes for the convictions and sentences.

Campaigners against sexual violence were hoping for exemplary prison terms and viewed the trial as a possible turning point in the fight against sexual violence and the use of drugs to subdue victims.

Gisele Pelicot's courage in waiving her right to anonymity as a survivor of sexual abuse and successfully pushing for the hearings and shocking evidence - including videos - to be heard in open court have fueled conversations both on a national level in France and among families, couples and groups of friends about how to better protect women and the role that men can play in pursuing that goal.

'Men are starting to talk to women - their girlfriends, mothers and friends - in ways they hadn't before,' said Fanny Foures, 48, who joined other women from the feminist group Les Amazones in gluing messages of support for Gisele Pelicot on walls around Avignon before the verdict.

'It was awkward at first, but now real dialogues are happening,' she said.

'Some women are realizing, maybe for the first time, that their ex-husbands violated them, or that someone close to them committed abuse,' Foures added. 'And men are starting to reckon with their own behavior or complicity - things they've ignored or failed to act on. It's heavy, but it's creating change.'

A large banner that campaigners hung on a city wall opposite the courthouse read, 'MERCI GISELE' - thank you Gisele.
A growing backlash against working from home has been highlighted in a new poll - with complaints such as colleagues 'shirking' instead and pets invading Zoom calls.

The survey has found that 55 per cent of workers suffer from 'video call fatigue', 32 per cent have eavesdropped on a stranger's meeting and a worrying 11 per cent admit WFH has increased their weekly alcohol consumption.

Global learning platform Kahoot! commissioned the OnePoll report which now reveals the experiences of 2,000 UK professionals who are engaged in hybrid working.

It comes after data released in June, published in the journal Nature, also showed the Covid-era practice of remote working did not make workers more efficient.

And MailOnline previously revealed how firms were offering would-be employees six-figure salaries - all while working from home.

The new survey indicates a WFH productivity drop - as 46 per cent of hybrid workers now believe they are more productive in the office than remote and only 23 per cent think they are more productive at home.

Furthermore, 42 per cent of UK employees blur their Zoom background due to shame about their domestic environment - an indicator of the unequal resources people have access to working from home.

Sean D'Arcy, chief solutions officer at Kahoot! said: 'The study shows that a third of UK hybrid workers would quit if WFH days were reduced, underscoring the lasting impact of the remote work shift.

Pictured: woman working from home, sat on the sofa with a laptop on her lap. More and more Brits are now working from home

Sean D'Arcy, Chief Solutions Officer at Kahoot! has pointed out the study shows 'a third of UK hybrid workers would quit if WFH days were reduced'

'Yet, the novelty of remote work has faded, with many employees reporting video call fatigue, productivity drops, and privacy concerns. Workers also highlight that increasing interactivity could help alleviate fatigue and make meetings more effective.

'Rather than forcing employees back to the office, employers should focus on improving hybrid work by optimizing meetings, keeping them shorter, more purposeful, and engaging.'

The survey highlighted an increasing dependence on and normalisation of the WFH practice.

It showed that 29 per cent of people between 18 and 24 and 34 per cent of 25-to-34-year-olds would be more likely to quit their jobs should more days in the office be mandated.

Meanwhile, two out of five UK workers are working from home some or all of the time  and two-thirds of managers are doing so, official figures showed last month.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that for 28 per cent of employees, so-called 'hybrid' working had become the 'new normal' - and 13 per cent are working only from home.

It was feared the figures may foster resentment among hardworking office, shop or factory staff  revealing that it is their bosses who are reaping most of the benefits of extra lie-ins and work-outs.

Though WFH of course also comes with its risks.

Millions of Brits are exploiting working from home arrangements to nap during office hours

After the practice became commonplace following the 2020 Covid era, a series of embarrassing Zoom blunders followed - sometimes involving high-profile figures.

These instances included John Nicolson MP's pet cat Rojo disrupting his Zoom meeting and reports of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Zoom calls often being interrupted by their son Archie who 'climbs in front of the web camera'.

The popularity of WFH has nevertheless been highlighted on occasions like last week where Scotland Yard braced itself for the first staff strike in its history as 999 call handlers, PCSOs and child-protection experts announced plans to walk out over the right to work from home.

Just a day after Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley revealed the force faces devastating budget cuts, with 2,300 officers and 400 staff to be axed, civilian police workers voted to strike after being told to return to the office in the New Year.

Just over 50 per cent of the Met Police's 2,400 Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) members backed industrial action as they were informed they could not work from home all the time.

The decision left senior officers fuming, saying it could not come at a worse moment as the force faces a 450million funding black hole.
Vladimir Putin claims he wants to compromise with Ukraine and its Western allies in a bid to end the conflict.

In a TV address yesterday, the Russian president suggested peace talks could begin without any prior conditions.

His remarks raised hopes that the war, which has caused more than one million casualties, could end in 2025.

President Putin said Russia needed a long-lasting peace rather than a temporary truce which would allow the enemy [Ukraine] to resupply. He said: Ukraine is being exhausted of its military equipment, the enemy is unable to hold its positions.

Putin added that while he is ready for negotiations, Volodymyr Zelensky would be required to stand for election as he was not the legitimate authority in Ukraine.

He said: Its [Ukraines] constitution does not allow the extension of the presidents mandate, even under martial law.

Since Zelenskys presidential term expired in May, the Ukrainian government has promised to hold elections immediately after the war.

Putin added that talks should be based on the reality at the front  meaning the Kremlin would keep the territory it has gained in eastern Ukraine in recent months.

He said: We have always said we are ready for negotiations and compromises and we are in a strong position. Soon those Ukrainians who want to fight will run out. Soon there will be no one left who wants to fight.

Ukraines shortage of manpower has been identified by Western officials as the countrys biggest security challenge.

Russian president Vladimir Putin suggested peace talks could begin without any prior conditions

However he called for an election in Ukraine, saying Volodymyr Zelensky (pictured) was not the legitimate authority

Ukrainian servicemen fire a howitzer toward Russian positions near the front line in Chasiv Yar, Donetsk

By contrast, Russia has been able to replace the approximately 10,000 troops it is losing as casualties on a weekly basis.

The Kremlin wants to incorporate four Ukrainian regions into Russia. Western-backed Ukrainian troops are losing territory in these areas, which is strengthening Putins position.

President Zelenskys only bargaining chip is the 500 square kilometres of territory occupied by Ukrainian troops in the southern Russian province of Kursk.

In a rambling question-and-answer session broadcast live on state television, Putin asserted that he should have sent troops into Ukraine sooner than February 2022.

He also said Russia should have been better prepared for the conflict  Kremlin defence chiefs wrongly predicted they could seize Ukraine in a matter of days.

Russia's T-72 tanks drive during military drills held at a firing range amid Russia-Ukraine conflict, in the southern Krasnodar region, Russia, December 2, 2024

Ukrainian servicemen of the 43 Artillery Brigade fire a 2S7 Pion self-propelled cannon towards Russian positions at a front line in the Donetsk region

The failure prompted a purge of senior military and intelligence officials in Moscow.

Putin also said he could fire another Oreshnik hypersonic missile into Ukraine to test Western air defence systems  which failed to intercept the missile fired last month.

Last night, Western officials suggested Putin still intends to achieve his pre-war aims, including the subjugation of the entirety of Ukraine.

They cast doubt on any suggestion Putin could be willing to reach an equitable agreement or recognise Ukrainian sovereignty.
An Ohio mother has been arrested after witnesses said they watched a woman violently dunk her three-month-old infant into a lake.

Sharon Rose O'Hara, 39, was seen on July 28 repeatedly banging a car seat on the ground at Caesar Creek State Park with the infant still strapped inside, the shocked onlookers told police.

She then allegedly became even more aggressive as she brought the car seat with the baby inside over to the lake at the park and started slamming the baby into the water, WXIX reports.

But to make matters worse, when police arrived on the scene, they noticed O'Hara had a nine-year-old child with her, according to WKRC.

At one point, O'Hara even took the baby out of the car seat and started flipping the infant back and forth and dunked her underwater, prosecutors say.

Bystanders eventually ran over to stop O'Hara and protect the baby, while another called 911.

That child then told cops that they had been treated badly by their mother for days leading up to the incident at the lake.

Sharon Rose O'Hara, 39, was arrested for allegedly dunking her three-month-old into a lake

The incident reportedly occurred on July 28 at Caesar Creek State Park in Ohio (pictured)

O'Hara was finally indicted in the incident on Monday, with a grand jury report stating that she 'caused serious physical harm to her three-month-old child and created a substantial risk to the health and safety of her 9 year old,' according to Law & Crime.

The mother was then arrested on Tuesday and was charged with three counts of endangering a child and one count of felonious assault.

She is being held at the Warren County Jail, as her children remain in the custody of a relative. The current condition of the infant is unclear.
Sydneysiders have been urged to keep an eye out for symptoms

A tourist infected with measles has put an entire city on high alert after travelling to multiple locations across Sydney's CBD and its surrounding suburbs.

The European traveller arrived on Flight JQ62 from Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam to Sydney at 11.45am on December 11.

They then travelled around the city on public transport for five days before isolating on December 16.

Across that time the person rode on seven buses and twice on the light rail while visiting supermarkets, cinemas and a medical clinic.

Anyone who may have been in the same location as the tourist at any time during their travels has been urged to monitor for symptoms of the deadly virus.

Symptoms must be observed for 18 days following any potential exposure.

Sydney Local Health District clinical director of public health Dr Leena Gupta said people only need to be vigilant if they were in the same place at the same time.

'While these locations pose no ongoing risk, if you, or someone you know, visited the above locations at those times you should monitor for symptoms,' Dr Gupta said.

An urgent measles warning has gone out in Sydney after an infected European traveller who arrived from Vietnam travelled around the city for five days (stock image)

The European traveller took multiple busses and light rails, as well as visiting supermarkets, a cinema and a health clinic (a bus in Sydney is pictured)

'Symptoms to watch out for include fever, sore eyes and a cough, usually followed three or four days later by a red, blotchy rash that spreads from the head and face to the rest of the body.

'It can take up to 18 days for symptoms to appear after an exposure, so it's important for people who visited these locations to look out for symptoms up until January 3, 2025.'

If symptoms develop in this time people are urged to contact their local GP or emergency department to seek treatment.

Those who think they are infected should call ahead before visiting the hospital, in order to limit further exposure of the virus.

Dr Gupta said the incident serves as an important reminder for people to stay up to date with their vaccines.

'We want to remind the community to make sure they are up to date with their vaccinations, particularly prior to international travel,' she said.

'The measles vaccine can also prevent the disease even after exposure, if given early enough. This should be a reminder for everyone to check that they are protected against measles, which is highly infectious.'

Every person born after 1965 should check that they have had two doses of the measles vaccine regardless of if they have been exposed, the doctor said.
The Rail Tram and Bus Union has accused NSW's police commissioner of 'resorting to scaring the people' after she threatened to cancel the New Year's Eve fireworks.

RTBU state secretary Toby Warnes lashed top cop Karen Webb and the Minns government during a fiery press conference on Friday.

He said the union was 'devastated' that Ms Webb had threatened to cancel the fireworks display after negotiations with the government fell apart on Thursday.

It came just hours after the police commissioner said she wouldn't hesitate in recommending to the state government that the fireworks be cancelled.

Ms Webb said rail strikes had sparked safety concerns for the 250,000 people who rely on public transport to get in and out of Sydney's CBD on New Year's Eve.

'If trains aren't available, and people can't leave the city, I have very large concerns of the risk that will create to the public because families won't be able to get home and they'll be trapped in the city with no way out,' she said earlier on Friday.

But Mr Warnes hit back with a clear message for Sydneysiders.

'If the fireworks are cancelled, that will be on the government completely,' he said.

RTBU state secretary Toby Warnes (pictured) lashed top cop Karen Webb and the Minns government during a fiery press conference on Friday

NSW police commissioner Karen Webb said she would not hesitate in recommending to the state government that the fireworks be cancelled (pictured, fireworks in 2023)

RTBU president Craig Turner voiced his secretary's sentiments when he emphatically said the cancellation would have 'nothing to do with us'.

Mr Warnes conceded that the RTBU would follow instructions from the Fair Work Commission if it ordered industrial action to stop.

'That is a matter for the state government and the Fair Work Commission,' he said.

'We would prefer if there was no interruption at all.'

The state government plans to argue the industrial action could cause a risk to public safety on New Year's Eve at a Fair Work Commission hearing on Christmas Eve.

But the action, limiting how far drivers can travel in a shift, would only delay trains and force some cancellations, the major train union said.

'There will absolutely still be trains running on New Year's Eve,' Mr Warnes told ABC Radio.

Work bans forced scores of train delays and cancellations on Friday - many workers' final day in the office for 2024 - while the South Coast line was shut completely.

Ms Webb (pictured) said rail strikes had sparked safety concerns for the 250,000 people who rely on public transport to get in and out of Sydney's CBD on New Year's Eve

Transport Minister Jo Haylen poured scorn on the union's portrayal that work bans were a means of getting the government back to the negotiating table.

'They say, "well, let's talk about it",' she told reporters.

'But the fact is unless you agree with them, there's no end point.'

New Year's Eve is the busiest day on Australia's largest rail network as millions of people are shuttled around Sydney Harbour and elsewhere in the city for the fireworks and other celebrations.

Some 3,200 services run about every five minutes 'to get people in and out safely', Ms Haylen said.

Unions continue to demand four annual wage increases of eight per cent, which Mr Minns has said is unaffordable and could not occur while he is denying nurses a similar claim.

The government previously offered 11 per cent across three years, including superannuation increases.

Rail workers were willing to settle for a middle ground, Mr Warnes said.

'If the government wants to come to the table with an offer, they should make that offer and then we'll take it to our members,' he said.

'If our members accept it, then the dispute is resolved.'

Outside of that, the Fair Work Commission can be asked to settle the dispute from February.
The Merced River in August 2022 near the Merced County community of Stevinson, where the river dried up for four months. Courtesy of NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service

Two years ago, California water regulators were stunned to learn that a major river in the San Joaquin Valley had stopped flowing. The waterway ran dry for 5 miles, leaving young fish stranded in muddy pools, birds fleeing to new homes, and paddlers, waterfront property owners and farmers gripped with frustration.

In a state partly defined by its thirst for water, the emptying of the Merced River for four months in 2022 remained something of a mystery. Fed by the snowy peaks of the Sierra, the Merced has long been heavily pumped for agriculture, and its levels often dip considerably during droughts. Yet California generally restricts water draws to keep at least some flow moving downstream.

Drought map: Track water shortages and restrictions across the Bay Area

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An investigation that state water regulators are just finishing into why the river dried up offers some insight: While water users clearly drew out more water than was healthy for the Merced, the California State Water Resources Control Board found that the users were largely within their legal rights to do so, highlighting a fundamental problem with the states regulatory system.

In a recent interview with the Chronicle, officials at the water board said the dozens of farms, ranches and irrigation districts that pumped from the Merced River two years ago did not appear to draw more water cumulatively than they were allowed to.

Rather, officials said, regulators didnt have the tools to monitor, in real-time, the extent of the water being taken, which could have informed their response. However, even if they had more information on the pumping, they would have had difficulty doing something about it quickly because their authority over longtime water users is limited.

The state water board is expected to present a report on its findings in the coming months.

Clearly, no one wants to see this happen again, said Erin Foresman, a program manager at the board. But we dont have the high resolution, timely data that we need, she said, and we dont have a system that identifies limits for many water users.

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The shortcomings of water governance in California probably contributed not only to the draining of the lower reaches of the Merced, near its confluence with the San Joaquin River, between June 8 and Oct. 5 of 2022, but also to several other dry periods on the river over the previous decade.

State water data reviewed by the Chronicle show that the river had no flow for parts of 2021, 2016 and 2014. Additionally, in 2015, the river was barely a trickle at times.

Huh? The river is dry

Left, the Merced River, as viewed in Stevinson (Merced County) in August of 2022. Right, the Merced River in Stevinson on Wednesday. Courtesy of NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service, Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle

The Merced River is best known as the waterway at the center of Yosemite Valley. Born amid lofty mountains, the roughly 135-mile river runs through Yosemite National Park, then descends into the states farm belt, converging upon the San Joaquin River.

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The emptying of the lower section of the Merced in 2022 was brought to the attention of state water regulators by scientists at federal and state fisheries agencies. Jon Ambrose, a branch chief at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fisheries service, remembers his disbelief when he was touring the area as part of his job to ensure healthy water conditions for fish.

We stopped on an old bridge on the lower river and went, Huh? The river is dry, he said. It was really a surprise to me to see a river this size going dry.

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While no major runs of migratory fish were peaking at the time, Ambrose said the disconnected river could have delayed the journeys of threatened chinook salmon and steelhead. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife later reported that some juvenile fish, mostly largemouth and smallmouth bass, were observed in pools that eventually dried up.

Perhaps worse, Ambrose said, is that the lack of flow in the river raised water temperatures and reduced water quality both upstream and downstream, creating an unsavory environment for plants and animals well beyond where the river went dry.

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Why is it that people arent outraged by this? Ambrose asked. The headwaters of this river are so well known, but its almost as if once they flow out of the national park theyre forgotten.

Grower Bob Kelley stands beside a water pump operated by the Stevinson Water District on the lower Merced River. The district has been unable to pump water some years because of the rivers disappearing flows. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle

At least one group of farmers didnt lose sight of the problem. In fact, growers at the Stevinson Water District, which pumps water from the Merced River where it dried up, have reached out to the state water board several times about not being able to take their share of river water. They filed complaints as far back as 2016, records show.

Weve known firsthand that the river is dry and you cant take any water out of it, Bob Kelley, a farmer and former general manager of the Stevinson district, told the Chronicle. Weve had to rely on groundwater.

Unfortunately, Kelley said, the quality of groundwater that many growers use near the river tends to decline as the waterway empties. Salt in the supply, he said, has killed crops, including valuable almond trees.

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We appreciate the (states) attention now, but it wasnt there for years, he said.

The water rights quandary

A water pump operates on the Merced River. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle

State water officials began investigating the Merced River in the fall of 2022 shortly after the fisheries agencies reported the waterless channel, clearly the driest the river has been in recent memory. At the time, with the wet season beginning, the river was flowing again.

The water boards preliminary analysis, which looked at data from flow gauges and water use reports over the four dry months, found that the water draws that drained the Merced could have been perfectly legal under the roughly 120 water rights held on the river. A water right is basically permission to take water, the amount of which depends on the type and seniority of the right.

In 2022, the third year of a severe drought, state regulators had enacted emergency curtailments on water rights holders because of the rivers already diminished flows, which prevented some from pumping. However, those who were allowed to continue pumping, according to the analysis, still took enough for the river to empty.

Foresman, with the state water board, explained that regulators werent able to curtail all of the water right holders because of the seniority of their rights. For example, riparian rights, under California law, give property owners along a river, notably farmers, the ability to essentially take all they want under certain conditions, including not storing the water or moving it off-site.

In the summer and fall of 2022, as many water users took what they wanted, regulators also werent able to adequately track the movement of water in the river. While many of Californias flow gauges relay immediate measurements of water levels, the picture they provide is limited. The gauges cover only a fraction of the river corridors, theyre managed by a jumble of agencies that dont always maintain them, and the data they collect isnt optimized for quick action  for example, automatic alerts are not sent to warn of low flows.

Furthermore, knowing who is taking water, and where, is challenging. Large users are required to report their draws weekly, but smaller users, which make up many of the diverters along the lower Merced, dont have to submit information on water use for months.

Diversion reporting is slow, Foresman said. She added that we, as a matter of protocol, are not usually checking (gauges) every day to make sure theres flow in a river.

While the states analysis spotlights the limitations of regulators, it doesnt rule out other problems contributing to the Merced Rivers dewatering. This includes people taking water illegally.

The Merced Irrigation District, the largest user of water on the river, suspects this is the case.

Something is going on where theres increased diversions and demand below us. Theres just no question, said Mike Jensen, the districts public and government relations manager.

The district pumps its water about 25 miles upstream of where the river has run dry, supplying roughly 2,200 growers who farm almonds, corn, alfalfa and many other crops. As part of its license to operate a hydroelectric project on the Merced, the district is required to also release water into the river, from Lake McClure, making sure a certain amount of flow moves downstream.

Jensen said the district has met its flow obligations over the years, making him think that pumping without an appropriate water right on the lower river is the likely reason the Merced has shriveled up. Evaporation and seepage amid hotter, drier conditions, among other things, could also account for the water loss, according to state officials.

Trees grow on the farm of Bob Kelley near the Merced River. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle

The Stevinson Water District shares the belief that illegal water draws are at least part of the quandary. In its early communications with the state, district officials alleged that some landowners were pumping water to neighboring parcels in violation of their riparian rights. Kelley, the farmer in the district, said it was enough water that the state should have looked into it.

This is significant to us, he said, explaining that growers might not have used briny groundwater if river supplies had not been wrongly taken. It might have kept us from being injured in terms of dead trees.

Kelley is in agreement with the state that just too little is known about the river.

What needs to happen is a more robust understanding of whats occurring here, whether its unlawful diversion of riparian water or theres not enough water for legal diversions.

Limited authority

A water meter tracks water use at a pump on the Merced River. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle

The states accounting of water supplies has improved in recent years, but it remains flawed.

After the 2012-2016 drought, when the lack of information on Californias low-flowing rivers became abundantly clear, the Legislature approved funding to expand and modernize the states network of stream gauges, which continues to be done.

Also, the state water board, at the direction of the Legislature, tightened rules for how water rights holders measure and report their draws. Still, compliance and accuracy have lagged while some of the deadlines for reporting water use are too late to act on. Further updates to the reporting rules, albeit small ones, are under consideration, such as simplifying how water users submit information. The water board is also overhauling its data system, which will help flag reporting errors and make it easier to analyze water use.

In addition to the data shortfalls, the states authority to restrict senior water rights holders remains limited. Recent legislation has increased fines for unauthorized water use, but getting violators to stop pumping often requires time-consuming regulatory procedures, which can be strung out further by legal challenges.

Also, not everyone agrees the state water boards powers should be increased, and some, fearing too many restrictions, have lobbied against expanding the boards purview. Many who secured water rights before 1914, when the state began regulating water supplies, have gone to court  with success  to argue that their pre-1914 rights predate board jurisdiction.

The question over the states authority is yet to be fully resolved. Previous battles have been isolated and often petered out when the weather turned wet and supplies rebounded. However, with climate change increasing the severity of droughts, the issue is bound to come to a head.

Its unfortunate to see senior water users trump the power of the water board, said Keiko Mertz, policy director at Friends of the River, an environmental group that has fought to protect Californias waterways, including the Merced River. It can be incredibly challenging for the water board politically.

On the Merced, the state water board has begun meeting with water rights holders to obtain better water data in hope that the parties will work among themselves to address the problem, thereby avoiding a water rights showdown.

They have to figure out a way to share the shortage, Foresman said.

The Merced Irrigation District is leading the effort to increase flows on the river, though district officials say their first step, before considering any shared sacrifice, will be trying to stop illegal pumping.

We are as concerned as anybody about making sure the river has water in it where its supposed to and when its supposed to, Jensen said.

The Merced River, as seen in the Merced County community of Stevinson. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle

Friends of the River and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration want to see a more aggressive approach to fixing the Merced.

Both have asked the state water board to permanently establish what are called minimum flow requirements in the section of river that has run dry. This basically means assigning reductions to water users up and down the river to compensate for the missing water. The policy would theoretically boost river levels but also involve an onerous study of the river and the diversions as well as unleash inevitable debate over water rights.

Already, there are efforts under way to increase flows on the Merced, though none are perfect nor a sure thing.

The state water board has been trying to update its sweeping Bay Delta Plan, which would require water users to leave more water in several rivers running to the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, including the Merced. Flows in the Merced in an average year, between February and June when many of the fish need them most, have been less than 30% of what naturally flows because of water use.

The Bay Delta Plan update, as drafted, however, wouldnt enact restrictions on the Merced during the months that have run dry. The plan has also stalled amid opposition.

Additionally, the Merced Irrigation District could be required to release more water downstream when its license for power generation on the river is renewed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. If and when this might happen remains unclear.
The Aussie dad who allegedly faked his six-year-old son's cancer diagnosis with his wife to dupe well-wishers out of $60,000 has fronted court again.

Ben Stephen Miller, 44, of West Lakes in Adelaide, appeared in Port Adelaide Magistrates Court on Friday charged with an act likely to cause harm and deceiving others for personal gain.

Magistrate Alison Adair granted Miller bail but under strict conditions as his case moves through the courts.

He is banned from seeing his two children and wife Michelle Bodzsar, 44, who remains in custody, and he is required to report twice a week at a police station.

He was required to surrender his passport, cannot visit an airport, must wear an electronic tracking device at all times and live with his parents at Waterloo Corner in Adelaide's north.

Miller will face court again on March 18 for a charge determination hearing.

Police allege the pair raised $60,000 between November 18 and December 12 after falsely portraying their six-year-old son had 'stage one eye cancer'.

The couple allegedly shaved their son's head and eyebrows, bandaged his head to look like he was receiving radiation treatment and made him travel in a wheelchair.

Ben Miller and Michelle Bodzsar (pictured), both 44, were charged with criminal neglect and deception offences. Miller appeared before Port Adelaide Magistrates Court on Friday where he was granted strict bail

The couple allegedly shaved their son's head and eyebrows, bandaged his head to look like he was receiving radiation treatment and made him travel in a wheelchair

The private school Miller and Bodzsar's son attended sent a letter to parents after news broke of the alleged cancer scam.

In the letter, the deputy principal insisted the 'care and wellbeing of our students is always our top priority'.

'We want to assure you that we are taking this matter very seriously and are working closely with SAPOL and those directly impacted by the situation,' the Adelaide Advertiser reported.

'The police are currently seeking any individuals who may have information related to the investigation or who believe they have contributed financially to the family involved.

Police allege the pair, from Adelaide's western suburbs, raised $60,000 in two weeks for the six-year-old's ongoing 'cancer treatments' before they were arrested. Pictured is the fundraising page which included a photo of their six-year-old son

Contact details for a child helpline were also provided in case parents need support for their children after the incident.

The letter also confirmed 'the school has not endorsed or participated in any fundraising activities' in relation to the alleged cancer scam.

Both the boy and his sister, who is aged between six and 12-years-old, have been removed from their parents' care and are living with a relative.

In a press conference after charges were laid, police said: 'Our investigation has confirmed the child is not seeking medical treatment.'

'We believe this farce illness is causing significant and serious psychological harm to the child and their sibling.'

Bodzsar will spend Christmas and New Year behind bars, with her next bail application expected to be heard in early January.
The first picture has emerged of a Hollywood actor's former girlfriend who died on the day he was due to stand trial for allegedly assaulting her.

Jason Hoganson was jailed in August for attacking Rachel Usher, 42, in the street and breaching a restraining order.

The 53-year-old, who was the leading man in the cult 1980s film Empire State, was freed from HMP Durham 19 days later under Sir Keir Starmer's measures to tackle overcrowding.

But he was rearrested just 48 hours later on two counts of allegedly breaching a restraining order and one count of assault.

Prosecutors said that Hoganson was suspected of sending Ms Usher two letters while he was behind bars in August and on September 3.

He was then accused of assaulting her by slapping her cheek at her home the day after his prison release.

Hoganson, from Newcastle and of no fixed abode, denied two counts of breaching a restraining order and one of assault by beating and he was remanded in custody until his trial on October 30.

However on the day the trial was due to start, prosecutors received the tragic news that Ms Usher had died due to reasons unrelated to Hoganson.

The first photograph has emerged of Rachel Usher, 42, the former girlfriend of Empire State actor Jason Hoganson, 53, who died on the day he was due to stand trial for allegedly assaulting her

Jason Hoganson was jailed in August for attacking his ex-girlfriend, Rachel Usher, in the street and breaching a restraining order

Jason Hoganson pictured at the time of his appearance in 1987 movie Empire State

A funeral notice for mother-of-three Ms Usher confirmed she died on 30 October.

Tributes posted by family and friends described her as 'a lovely soul' and 'a beautiful person inside and out'.

One wrote: 'R.I.P lovely lady. Heaven has gained a beautiful angel.'

A second tribute described Ms Usher as having 'a beautiful heart to match that beautiful face', adding that her smile 'always lit up a room'.

Another said she had an 'infectious laugh and gorgeous smile.'

On Wednesday this week, the case was listed back at Newcastle Magistrates' Court to determine whether the trial would go ahead in Ms Usher's absence.

Jonathan Stirland, prosecuting, said: 'The matter was listed for trial and, on the day of trial, the Crown got news that the victim had sadly passed away.

'However, the Crown indicated that they were still minded to continue with the prosecution.

Hoganson struggled with his early success after starring in Empire State and his life descended into crime and addictions

Jason Hoganson, with his face crisscrossed with angry scars and his head covered in distinctive tattoos, gave a jubilant thumbs up to the camera as he left prison

The 53-year-old actor seen outside HM Prison Durham on September 10

'That meant that the Crown had to get a death certificate and, I understand, an interim death certificate has been given to the court and the defence.'

Mr Sirland said Ms Usher's statements would be used in evidence, however, Mark Styles, defending, said the trial shouldn't go ahead as Ms Usher couldn't be cross-examined in person and he had letters she had written to Hoganson, which 'undermined her credibility as a witness'.

District Judge Paul Currer decided that the trial should still go ahead in Ms Usher's absence.

He added: 'It's in the interest of justice for the trial to go head - it's allegations of a serious breaches of a restraining order and an offence of battery.'

Hoganson was remanded in custody to next appear for his trial at Newcastle Magistrates' Court on January 24 next year.

Originally from Wallsend, Hoganson - who now has 109 convictions on his record - struggled with his movie career and fell into a life of drink, drugs and crime.

Hoganson had a leading role in the 1988 Hollywood movie Empire State, alongside Irish actor Ray McAnally, Jamie Foreman and US star Martin Landau.

Playing an enigmatic Geordie drifter living among mobsters in London, Hoganson had been talent-scouted by producers who contacted his drama teacher looking for a youth to play the part in the 1987 movie.

Former actor Jason Hoganson and star of the film Empire State is now living on the streets and self-harming after battling drug addiction

Police have struggled to find him after he allegedly breached his licence conditions and evaded the force that is hunting for the actor to put him back behind bars

Newcastle Crown Court previously heard Hoganson was caught on doorbell video camera when he attacked his former partner in Newcastle on December 11 last year.

Prosecutor Amy Levitt said he already had a restraining order to keep him away from the woman when he attacked her.

Miss Levitt told the court at the time: 'Footage shows the defendant assaulting the complainant. He slaps her to the face and she walks away. He walks after her.

'There are further hits and a push, where she falls to the floor. The assault continues while she's lying on the floor.

'She describes him, having pushed her, hit her, kicked her and put his body weight on her. The assault lasted around three minutes.'
Texas Governor Greg Abbott's new anti-border crossing campaign uses shocking language to warn illegal migrants that their daughter may be raped if they try to cross.

The Lone Star State is launching a visceral billboard campaign in Mexico and Central America to deter illegal immigration by highlighting sexual assault and other dangers.

One of the 40 billboards asks illegal migrants a shocking question in multiple languages: 'How much did you pay to have your daughter raped?'

Abbott's move was made not long after Donald Trump's 'border czar' Tom Homan said the Texas governor had done more to secure the border than any member of the Biden administration.

The campaign is costing $100,000, with Abbott hoping to warn those looking to cross the border of the cost they'll face for doing so.

Another warned that migrants will be arrested if they enter Texas illegally. In addition to Spanish, billboards are being produced in Russian, Chinese and Arabic.

Messages on other billboards include: 'Many girls who try to migrate to Texas are kidnapped. For the sake of your family, stop.'

Another reads: 'This fourteen-year-old girl was raped by more than 20 men on her way to the border.'

Texas Governor Greg Abbott's new anti-border crossing campaign uses shocking language to warn illegal migrants that their daughter may be sexually assaulted if they try to cross

One such sign (pictured right) asks illegal migrants a shocking question in multiple languages: 'How much did you pay to have your daughter raped?'

One more reads: 'Your wife and daughter will pay for the trip with their bodies.'

'They give potential illegal immigrants thinking of leaving their home country  and those already on the way  a realistic picture of what will happen to them on their journey or if they illegally cross into Texas,' Abbott said.

'Our goal right now, immediately, is not only to discourage them from coming, but to help them understand the consequences,' Abbott said.

Abbott held the unveiling of the campaign in Eagle Pass, next to what were the charred remains of what's known as a 'rape tree,' which Abbott claims was used by traffickers to sexually assault migrants before being burned down as a memorial.

'It makes you terrified to go out of your own house and enjoy your own property,' said rancher Kimberly Wall.

'I know my husband has found three different rape trees and burned them down. You don't know if you'll be attacked by one of the men hiding in the brush. We all want a better life for everybody.

'We want no more rape trees in Texas,' Abbott said, although a 2022 investigation called into question whether or not such things exist.

The number of migrants caught illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border soared to record highs after President Joe Biden took office in 2021, fueling criticism by Abbott and other Republicans.

The campaign is costing $100,000, with Abbott hoping to warn those looking to cross the border of the cost they'll face for doing so

Another warned that migrants will be arrested if they enter Texas illegally. In addition to Spanish, billboards are being produced in Russian, Chinese and Arabic

Trump recaptured the White House in November pledging mass deportations and aggressive border security efforts.

Biden toughened his border policies earlier this year, leading to a steep drop in migrants caught crossing illegally in recent months.

Abbott said the billboard campaign costs about $100,000 and aims to turn back migrants thinking of crossing illegally before Trump takes office on Jan. 20.

'There are many people who may make a last-gasp effort,' Abbott said.

Texas officials said in November that the state would offer 1,400 acres of land near the border to the incoming Trump administration for its mass deportation initiative.

Last week, Homan revealed his plans for more than 1,400 acres of Texas land the Lonestar State gifted the federal government last month.

Speaking to Dr. Phil, the talk show host turned closed border advocate, Homan said he has been devising plans to use the 1,402-acre ranch in Starr County that Texas officials acquired in October to facilitate the construction of a border wall.

'I'm writing the plan as we speak. I was working on it last night as a matter of fact,' Homan, 63, a former Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, told Dr. Phil on Merit TV.

Abbott's move was made not long after Donald Trump's 'border czar' Tom Homan said the Texas governor had done more to secure the border than any member of the Biden administration

The Lone Star State is launching a visceral billboard campaign in Mexico and Central America to deter illegal immigration by highlighting sexual assault and other dangers

He went on to praise Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's administration for its efforts to secure the southern border with Mexico - and said he would use the land as a holding area for migrants before they could be put on deportation flights.

'The 1,400 acres of land, that saves us from acquiring the land,' Homan said.

'The government never buys things fast and when we do, we overpay for it, so having this from the state of Texas is great.'

The state's Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham had suggested last month that the former ranch could be used for such deportation efforts as she announced that the state was giving the federal government ownership of the property.

'I was brainstorming with my team, and we figured, the Trump Administration probably needs some deportation facilities because we've got a lot of these violent criminals that we need to round up and get the heck out of our country,' she explained to Fox News.

'We're happy to make this offer and hope they take us up on it,' she said of the land she said had been overrun with drug smuggling and human trafficking.

Trump had tapped Homan to lead the 'largest' deportation of migrants in US history when his administration takes over on January 20.

Migrants who have committed crimes while in the United States will be the first to be targeted - but Trump's plans don't stop there.

As DailyMail.com previously reported, Trump's team also plans to target legal migrants, including asylum seekers and those who entered the US with humanitarian parole under the Biden Administration.

Additionally, the incoming government is seeking ways to change who is considered an American, by ending birthright citizenship guaranteed under the US Constitution.
A grieving mother has been left devastated after learning that a Texas county secretly donated her daughter's body to science and chopped up and sold her parts.

Aurimar Hurriago Villegas, 21, was riding in the back of a vehicle in a suburb of Dallas with two acquaintances on October 29, 2022, when 25-year-old Shardrel Webb fired a gun into the rear of the car, NBC News reports.

Paramedics later found her slumped over in the back seat, dead from a single gunshot wound to the head.

But without permission from Villegas' family, county officials donated her body to the University of North Texas Health Science Center.

She then became one of 2,350 individuals whose remains were sent to the Fort-Worth school under an agreement with two Texas counties to be used for scientific research, medical education, and profit through its Willed Body Program.

Under the deal, any bodies that are declared 'unclaimed' could be sent to the school -even though county coroners, medical institutions and others repeatedly failed to contact family members before declaring the bodies 'unclaimed.'

For Villegas, that meant her body was cut up, and the parts that were not damaged by the gunshot wound were assigned monetary figures - including $900 for her torso and $703 for her legs.

Other remnants were cremated and buried in a field alongside strangers in Dallas, as Villegas' mother, Arelis Coromoto Villegas, desperately fought to get her daughter's body back home to Venezuela - not knowing what had happened.

Aurimar Hurriago Villegas, 21, died from a single gunshot wound to the head on October 29

Her family fought for years to bring her body home to Venezuela, not realizing her body was declared 'unclaimed' and sent to the University of North Texas Health Science Center

Aurimar had crossed into the United States in September 2022, and had been in constant communication with her mother ever since.

The two even spoke just hours before Aurimar's death, but NBC News reports that Arelis was not immediately made aware of her daughter's passing - even though the Dallas County Medical Examiner's office had her phone number on file.

Instead, she learned about her daughter's murder from Aurimar's younger sister, Auribel Acero Villegas, who was just 17, and had spoken to a neighbor in Venezuela who knew Alexis Moreno - another neighbor, with whom Aurimar had been living.

One day later, Auribel said she spoke briefly with someone she believed worked at the Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office.

The person on the other end asked for permission to use Moreno as the family's primary point of contact, which she agreed to.

'That's as far as the conversation went,' Auribel said.

But Aurimar's case file contained no mention of any such phone call.

Aurimar had crossed into the United States in September 2022, and had been in constant communication with her mother ever since, even speaking with her just hours before her death

Instead, an entry dated October 31 - two days after Aurimar's death - a county official reported meeting with Moreno in person and speaking to Arelis on Moreno's cellphone.

It claimed that Arelis granted Moreno authority to act as Aurimar's legal next of kin - which Arelis told Noticias Telemundo never happened.

She insisted she only wanted Moreno's help to coordinate her daughter's return to Venezuela.

Then, without requiring Arelis to sign anything, a county employee updated Aurimar's file to list Moreno as her official next of kin in the county's system - a move that granted him authority over what could be done to her body, while potentially cutting out her mother.

The county employee wrote Arelis' number in the file, but there is no indication anyone at the office attempted to contact her over the next two years, as the grieving mother, her family and friends launched a fundraising campaign to help send Aurimar's remains home.

Because nobody made arrangements for Aurimar's body it was 'now considered to be abandoned,' according to a letter sent on December 15, 2022

Any attempts to glean details about Aurimar's death and claim her body were complicated by the fact that even though Arelis could make and receive phone calls through WhatsApp, she could not afford to call landlines in the Untied States.

But two and a half weeks after her death, Moreno wrote to the University of North Texas Health Science Center, offering to donate her body to the program on behalf of her mother - despite Arelis insisting she never agreed to that.

Tyler Johnson, the assistant manager of the center's body donation program, replied the next day, writing in Spanish: 'First, I need to confirm you and the mother understand body donation.'

When Moreno then confirmed he wanted to proceed, Johnson sent a donor consent form and gave him an eight-hour deadline to return them.

Moreno never wound up sending back the paperwork, and soon, Aurimar's family said, he stopped answering their messages as well.

Under an agreement with two Texas counties, any bodies that are declared 'unclaimed' could be sent to the University of North Texas Health Science Center to be used for scientific research, medical education, and profit through its Willed Body Program

Aurimar's body parts were cut up and the parts that were not damaged by the gunshot wound were assigned monetary figures - including $900 for her torso and $703 for her legs

Then, six weeks after Aurimar's death, the Medical Examiner's Office concluded its work on the case, and because nobody had followed through on making arrangements for Aurimar's body it was 'now considered to be abandoned,' according to a letter sent on December 15, 2022.

It said her remains 'will be processed following our standard procedures,' according to NBC News, which reports that Arelis never received any such notification.

One day later, Aurimar's body was delivered to the University of North Texas Health Science Center - without her family's knowledge.

By early 2023, Arelis said she began to worry something was wrong.

She had received Johnson's email address from Moreno's sister-in-law, not knowing what his role was, but knowing he may have information about her daughter's body. So she wrote to him on February 10, saying: 'I have not heard anything about the body of my daughter Aurimar del Carmen Iturriago Villegas.

'Please, I need to know. God bless you greatly.'

Johnson, the assistant manager of the center's body donation program, quickly replied and copied his supervisor, Claudia Yellot, forwarding Arelis his earlier exchange with Moreno, adding that her former neighbor never followed up to complete the donation.

He suggested she contact the Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office, but did not mention that the Health Science Center already had her daughter's body parts in its possession and would soon be preparing it for one of its customers.

The biotech company Relievant Medsystems paid the center $35,672 to host a four-day course and needed 18 torsos for training on its Intracept back pain procedure - which Boston Scientific later paid $150million to acquire.

Jessica Sachariason, a spokesperson for Boston Scientific, told NBC Relievant officials did not know the center provided the company dozens of unclaimed bodies over the years.

She said the company has since updated its policies to require consent from the dead or their next of kin for any human specimens used in training.

'Our deepest condolences go out to the mother and the family of Aurimal Iturriago Villegas,' Sachariason said. 'No family member should have to experience somthing this tragic.'

Aurimar's mother, Arelis, prays for her daughter's body to come home

A full month and a half after the training, on July 5, 2023, the Health Science Center sent a portion of Aurimar's body to a Dallas-area crematory, then in September - just weeks after what would have been her 22 birthday - her ashes were delivered to the Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office as required under the medical school's contract with the county.

Then, on January 23, 2024, Aurimar's legs were used to train students studying to become physician assistants.

That same month, Arelis received a call on WhatsApp from the Dallas County District Attorney's Office saying prosecutors reached a plea deal to send Webb, the shooter, to prison for 23 years.

Arelis thanked the officials for the information and asked about her daughter's body.

The District Attorney's Office then told her prosecutors tracked down information and discovered that Aurimar had been deemed 'unclaimed' by the county and cremated. A prosecutor also attempted to connect Arelis with local officials who could answer more questions about the location of Aurimar's remains.

When she finally learned that her daughter's body was sliced up at the Health Science Center and cremated, an official sent her a map of a cemetery marking where her daughter's ashes were buried.

'Even though it hurts my soul, I think I'm going to throw in the towel and leave things in God's hands,' Arelis told Telemundo.

But her family says they are worried about her, noting she has been refusing to eat, her blood pressure spiked and she suddenly appears much older as she prays every night to bring her daughter home.

Meanwhile, the Health Science Center has issued an apology.

'We have become aware of issues within our Willed Body Program, and that failures existed in its management and oversight. The program has fallen short of the standards of respect, care, and professionalism that we demand,' they wrote in part.

'The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth extends its deepest apologies to the families who have been impacted.

'We are committed to operating all programs with transparency, integrity and the highest ethical standards, and we are dedicated to maintaining trust in our institution.'

'We hope these actions can ensure our educational studies are made with every effort to show dignity, grace and respect.'
ABC chose to settle with Donald Trump over George Stephanopoulos' on-air comments because they didn't want the star anchor, who is 'sloppy electronically,' to come under further scrutiny.

Stephanopoulos was the impetus behind a lawsuit after he inaccurately said on-air that the president-elect was found 'liable for rape' - rather than the correct phrasing of sexual abuse - against writer E. Jean Carroll in March.

The network, which has signed Stephanopoulos to a contract extension despite the settlement, reportedly was eager to make a deal to avoid him further embarrassment via his personal correspondences.

'He is sloppy electronically,' a source told Puck of Stephanopoulos, somewhat ironically, as Trump once referred to him as 'Slopadopoulos.'

More seriously, however, the source claimed: 'They didn't want the phone going into discovery.'

The case going further could've forced Stephanopoulos to give over his mobile devices and have his text messages and emails made public.

The network confirmed reports that the anchor has signed a new, multi-year contract with the network but sources told the website it comes with a pay cut from his $20-25 million-per-year and the possibility that eventually his role will be reduced.

Other reasons cited for the settlement included the likelihood that a pro-Trump judge and jury in Florida was likely to rule against them and being seen as at war with a sitting president while trying to cover him.

ABC chose to settle with Donald Trump over George Stephanopoulos' on-air comments because they didn't want the star anchor, who is 'sloppy electronically,' to come under further scrutiny

Stephanopoulos was the impetus behind a lawsuit after he inaccurately said on-air that the president-elect was found 'liable for rape' rather than sexual abuse against writer E. Jean Carroll in March

There were even fears that the case might be elevated to the Supreme Court, which could overturn decades old protections for the press.

The settlement stipulates that the network will pay $15 million as a charitable contribution towards Trump's presidential library. They will also pay his legal fees as part of the settlement, which have totaled $1 million.

Stephanopoulos is reportedly 'apoplectic' and 'humiliated' about the decision by his longtime employers to pay the settlement money.

However, legal experts have claimed that ignoring multiple network warnings not to say 'rape' on-air likely hurt their ability to fight back against Trump.

Multiple anonymous sources now tell the New York Post that Stephanopoulos was warned not to say 'rape' multiple times before going to air.

The segment involved him interviewing Mace, with Stephanopoulos pressing her on why she endorsed Trump after he was found liable of sexual abuse.

Stephanopoulos said: 'I'm asking you a question, about why you endorse someone who's been found liable for rape?'

Mace, who has seen her stock rise since Trump's election, accused the anchor of trying to shame her by bringing up the case.

The network, which has reportedly signed Stephanopoulos to a contract extension despite the settlement, reportedly was eager to make a deal to avoid him further embarrassment via his personal correspondences

The congresswoman went on: 'As a rape victim, who's been shamed for years now because of her rape. You're trying to shame me again.'

Mace was raped when she was 16 years old and says it is what drives her to be an advocate for women's issues.

''I have endorsed a man that I believe is best for our country. It's not Joe Biden. You looked at the dueling rallies yesterday, in Georgia.

And here you are trying to shame a rape victim. I find it disgusting.'

'You keep saying I'm shaming you. How is a question about a presidential candidate' Stephanopoulos said. 'You're asking a rape victim,' Mace cut in.

The settlement, first reported by Fox News, was publicly filed on Saturday and revealed that the parties had come to an agreement in the suit.

As part of the agreement, ABC also has to post a note on its website expressing regret over the claim in a March 10 segment on 'This Week' made by Stephanopoulos.

A statement from the network said: 'ABC News and George Stephanopoulos regret statements regarding President Donald J. Trump made during an interview by George Stephanopoulos with Rep. Nancy Mace on ABC's This Week on March 10, 2024.'

Trump's lawyers accused Stephanopoulos of making the statements with 'malice' and a disregard for the truth

The segment involved him interviewing Republican Rep. Nancy Mace, with Stephanopoulos pressing her on why she endorsed Trump after he was found liable of sexual abuse

Trump had sued Stephanopoulos and the network for defamation soon after the segment aired.

His lawyers accused Stephanopoulos of making the statements with 'malice' and a disregard for the truth.

A New York jury in May 2023 ordered Trump to pay $5 million in damages for sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll in the 1990s.

He was then ordered to pay another $83.3 million for defamation after he publicly denied sexually abusing Carroll in a department store dressing room in 1996.

Jurors had deliberated for less than three hours following a two-week civil trial in which the former president testified for just three minutes.

Stephanopoulos was initially defiant of the lawsuit, telling Stephen Colbert that he wouldn't be 'cowed out of doing my job because of a threat'.

He added: 'Trump sued me because I used the word 'rape,' even though a judge said that's in fact what did happen. We filed a motion to dismiss.'

Trump is also suing CBS News for $10 billion in damages alleging the network practiced 'deceptive conduct' when they interviewed Vice President Kamala Harris in October.

Lawyers for the president claimed numerous violations by the broadcaster including lying in a thoughtful and malevolent way, according to a lawsuit.

They wrote the complaint is because of 'CBS' partisan and unlawful acts of election and voter interference through malicious, deceptive, and substantial news distortion calculated to confuse, deceive, and mislead the public.'

Trump and his team also allege that CBS News was trying to run cover for Democrats by making Kamala Harris' performance look better than it was.
A pair of twerking porch pirates have returned to the scene of their crime to whine about the revealing Ring doorbell footage the victim posted online.

Two masked thieves were caught on video stealing packages from a Sicklerville, New Jersey, home before 'twerking' for the victim's Ring doorbell camera.

The footage, later posted to the Ring Neighbors app's 'Safety and Security' feature, shows the brazen thieves running up to the Independence Square townhome just after 6:30 pm on December 9.

One suspect can be seen nabbing a package from the front stoop as the other bent over, flashing his partially-clothed behind to the camera and 'twerked' before they both fled.

The stolen packages included drinking glasses and baby items that valued $74, the Gloucester Township Police Department said.

Just two days after the cheeky theft, a lone porch pirate returned under the cover of the night - and a facemask and hoodie - to the scene to complain over scandalous footage the victim posted online.

'Come on dude, not cool bro, come on, not cool,' the hooded thief said, inching closer to the doorbell camera to show the lewd footage.

A pair of twerking porch pirates have returned to the scene of their crime , not to thieve once more, but instead to whine about the revealing Ring doorbell footage the victim posted online

Just two days after the cheeky theft, a lone porch pirate returned under the cover of the night - and a facemask and hoodie - to the scene to complain over scandalous footage the victim posted online

'That's my a** on the internet!'

Only ten minutes later, the suspect returned to the front stoop holding one of the stolen items - a broken glass - placing it carefully in front of the house before running away.

'Uh, I meant to give this back,' the alleged thief said to the camera.

Gloucester Police have since issued their own statement regarding the slightly-comedic theft, warning locals about the pirates - and offering their own take on the incident.

The video release, titled 'You Cant Make This Stuff Up: Crime Stoppers Exclusive,' offered a video account of the incident coupled with a humorous written account of the 'naughty' thievery.

The stolen packages included drinking glasses and baby items that valued $74, the Gloucester Township Police Department said

One of the two suspected porch pirates appeared to be wearing a sweatshirt that said 'Hollywood' across the bottom along with several lines of lyrics from 2Pac and Dr. Dres 1995 hit song 'California Love.

The Gloucester Township Police are looking for help identifying the two individuals in the videos.
READ MORE: Bodies of man and woman found inside Sydney unit

Four men have been arrested over the fatal shooting of two people at a beachside property in Rye, on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula.

Charlyze Hayter, 19, and Jackson Gilmour, 29, were allegedly killed inside Mr Gilmour's Parson Street home in Rye in the early hours of December 2.

Police on Friday arrested a 24-year-old man and a 25-year-old man from Narre Warren, in Melbourne's south-east, as well as a 24-year-old man from Narre Warren South and a 28-year-old man from Narre Warren North.

Victoria Police said detectives would now interview the four men.

Investigations into the deaths of Ms Hayter and Mr Gilmour remain ongoing.

Mr Gilmour was asleep inside the property on December 2 when Ms Hayter and an unknown man armed with a rifle allegedly broke into the home shortly after 4am.

Both Mr Gilmour and Ms Hayter were allegedly shot during an ensuing struggle.

Police were called to the house shortly after 4am on Monday, December 2, following reports of a loud row between a group of people at the property.

Charlyze Hayter, 19 (pictured) was allegedly shot dead inside the home in Rye, on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula, on December 2

Jackson Gilmour, 29 (pictured) was asleep inside the property at the time when Ms Hayter and an unknown man armed with a rifle allegedly broke into the beachside home

Officers discovered Mr Gilmour and Ms Hayter with critical gunshot wounds inside the home.

Despite the best efforts of paramedics, they died at the scene.

Victoria Police said at the time Mr Gilmour and the two intruders were known to each other and launched an extensive manhunt for Ms Hayter's alleged accomplices, amid concerns there was a gunman on the loose.

Mr Gilmour, who was affectionately known as Jack to friends, had lived on the Mornington Peninsula for more than 10 years.

The double deaths have shocked local residents of Rye, a wealthy seaside suburb 98km south of Melbourne, known for its beaches.
This is the moment a public meeting descended into chaos after one councillor called another 'a Nazi' during a heated row over the green belt.

Police were called to an 'explosive' argument between the pair at the Oldham Council meeting after two councillors from the same party started 'squaring up' to each other.

The heated row broke out during a debate about a 'controversial' Places for Everyone housing scheme.

After insults of 'dictator' and 'Nazi sympathiser' were hurled, the meeting was aborted and a riot van turned up outside the council building in Greater Manchester.

A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said: 'Officers responded to reports of a disturbance from a member of the public at Oldham Civic Centre on West Street at around 5.30pm on Wednesday 18 December 2024.

'Police are currently investigating reports of racially aggravated public order and enquiries into this remain ongoing.'

Footage shows Oldham Mayor Zahid Chauhan calling for calm before the councillors start shouting at each other in chaotic scenes.

Shouts of 'take that back' and 'we all heard what he said' can be heard in the chamber before the meeting was paused for nearly two hours.

A council meeting descended into chaos after one councillor called another 'a Nazi'

Councillors were debating the town's participation in Greater Manchester's controversial joint housing and business development plan

Independent Councillor Marc Hince claims he was called a Nazi because he attended a World War Two party years ago dressed as a German soldier.

He later said: 'During last night's full council meeting... two Conservative members called me a Nazi, without any reason or provocation. Something I find deeply offensive and absolutely uncalled for.

'Naturally, I challenged the individual vociferously. However, I reflected on my actions and apologised unreservedly to all elected members and the chamber as a whole.

'Unfortunately, despite requests from the mayor and their own Group Leader they refused to apologise,' ITV News reported.

Shelley Kipling, Acting Chief Executive of Oldham Council, said: 'Unfortunately, police had to be called to the council chamber last night.

'The meeting was adjourned. We will be in touch with group leaders over the coming days to reschedule the meeting.'

Oldham is expected to build 11,560 homes by 2039 after agreeing - alongside the majority of councils in the Greater Manchester combined authority - to allocate land for 115,000 new homes.

However, after Labour lost its ruling majority in the local elections, opposition members voted in favour of the the authority asking to leave the deal.

On Wednesday, councillors complained that Housing Secretary Angela Rayner had not yet been informed of Oldham's 'revocation' of the scheme.

Earlier this year, Labour was accused of 'totally misleading' the public after it emerged that unspoilt green belt land could be flattened to meet its ambitious housebuilding targets.

The government announced in July - almost immediately after coming to power - that it plans to build 1.5 million new homes in the next five years.

Ministers admitted some land in the official green belt land would have to be built on, but said this would only be so-called 'grey belt' areas.

This is plots that were previously built on with uses such as petrol stations and car parks.

However an analysis of the proposed national planning policy framework (NPPF) shows that councils will have to free up other land if they do not have enough unused brownfield and 'grey belt' sites.

MailOnline has contacted Oldham Council for comment.
Revellers have been pictured soaking up the festive atmosphere as they head out for office Christmas parties ahead of 'Mad Friday'.

Swigging from open bottles of prosecco on the streets of Leeds, Brits were seen packing out pubs last night.

A variety of outfits - including elf costumes and fake Santa beards - were also on display.

The festive cheer comes ahead of 'Mad Friday', the last Friday before Christmas where many revellers celebrate with one too many drinks.

The day has become so notorious, however, that it has even earned the nickname 'Black Eye Friday'.

It is known as being one of the NHS's busiest days of the year for treating alcohol-related illness and injury.

LEEDS: Two revellers swig from a bottle of prosecco on the streets of Leeds

LEEDS: An array of Christmas outfits were seen last night, including these four dressed as Santa's and elves

NEWCASTLE: Last night's partying came ahead of 'Mad Friday', the last Friday before Christmas

CARDIFF: Revellers enjoy the Christmas spirit in Cardiff City Centre

CARDIFF: 'Mad Friday' is known as being one of the NHS's busiest days of the year for treating alcohol-related illness and injury

LEEDS: Here is a look at people in Leeds getting into the festive spirit

LEEDS: Christmas party revellers take to the streets of Leeds in their Santa hats

CARDIFF: Two revellers pictured on the streets of Cardiff last night, with one dressed as a turkey

LEEDS: The office Christmas party season is in full swing, with workers packing out pubs

LEEDS: A group of four brave the cold weather on their Christmas night out

LEEDS: Full marks go to this Christmas outfit by a partygoer in Leeds

CARDIFF: A group of lads are pictured out on a night out in Cardiff

CARDIFF: A police van is called to a bar on a night notorious for being 'Mad Friday'

CARDIFF: The last Friday before Christmas is renown for people perhaps drinking a little too much

NEWCASTLE: This group certainly went all out for their festive outfits

CARDIFF: A reveller takes to the streets in an extremely festive red suit

NEWCASTLE: A group of girls pose for a photo with Christmas lights appearing in the background

NEWCASTLE: Revellers enjoy a festive night out in Newcastle on Thursday evening
Jeremy Clarkson has held talks with Tory leader Kemi Badenoch at his Oxfordshire pub as they plot to undo Labour's inheritance tax raid on farmers.

The former Top Gear presenter turned agriculturalist has been vocal in his opposition to the decision to make families of farmers pay tax on part of their lands when they die.

And he hosted Ms Badenoch at The Farmers Dog in Asthall, Oxfordshire, to discuss the proposed changes, after he led tractor protests in Westminster against it.

Labour claims its support for farmers is 'steadfast' - but there is ongoing outrage from rural communities about Rachel Reeves' announcement that farms will be subject to IHT - at a reduced rate - on the agricultural value of the land for the first time.

After her visit to the Cotswolds Ms Badenoch wrote on X: 'A delight to meet local farmers at Jeremy Clarkson's pub, where everything served is produced by British farmers.

'Family farms across the country are now at risk because of Labour's Budget.

'Conservatives support farmers and will reverse the cruel family farms tax at the first opportunity.'

A source told the Telegraph: 'They discussed the general challenges facing farmers  tax, regulation and Labour's family.

'They discussed how you make farming attractive to the next generation so that UK farming can prosper in the future.'

Kemi Badenoch meets Jeremy Clarkson at his pub to discuss the challenges facing farmers

The former Top Gear presenter, who has been vocal in his opposition of Labour 's planned inheritance tax raid on farms, spoke to the Tory leader on Thursday

Kemi Badenoch meets Jeremy Clarkson at his pub in Asthall, which he purchased earlier this year

As well as the introduction of a 20 per cent inheritance tax rate on farms worth more than 1 million, Labour are also planning to speed up the phase-out of EU-era subsidies in favour of nature-friendly farming payments.

Tax experts have estimated that up to 75,000 farm owners could be hit by the tax changes.

Ministers insist the changes will affect only the wealthiest quarter of landowners, but the National Farmers Union and other groups have warned the impact will be more widespread and could affect British food production.

Last month dozens of tractors lined up in Whitehalll to protest the proposed tax changes.

Clarkson led a convoy of tractors bearing 'the final straw' signs before joining a huge rally attended by the likes of Andrew Lloyd-Webber, Tory party leader Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage.

Mr Clarkson, who runs Diddly Squat farm in Chipping Norton, was holding a sign reading 'With our farmers'.

Asked what his message was for the government, he told Sky News: 'Please, back down'. And asked how bad the policy could be for farmers, he said: 'It's the end.'

In a second interview, Clarkson said Rachel Reeves has used a 'blunderbuss' to hit the agricultural sector.

Kemi Badenoch meets Jeremy Clarkson at his pub, The Farmer's Dog

The former Top Gear presenter met with the Tory leader at his pub The Farmer's Dog in Asthall, to discuss the proposed changes

Kemi Badenoch looked in high spirits as she met Jeremy Clarkson on Thursday

Kemi Badenoch shakes Jeremy Clarkson's hand as the pair meet at his pub to discuss the challenges facing farmers

Badenoch has been vocal in her opposition of the tax changes, having attended a farmers protest last month

Badenoch discusses Labour's tax changes with a group of farmers including Jeremy Clarkson at his pub, The Farmer's Dog, in Asthall

Badenoch and Clarkson were seen entering the pub on Thursday as they sat down to discuss Labour's inheritance tax raid on farmers

Badenoch and Clarkson appeared in deep conversation as they met at The Farmers Dog in Asthall, Oxfordshire, to discuss the proposed changes

Ms Badenoch met with several farmers at The Farmers Dog pub in Asthall to discuss Labour's inheritance tax raid on farmers

Ms Badenoch was seen talking to several farmers, including Clarkson, as they shared a cup of tea at the Farmers Dog pub in Asthall

Badenoch pictured talking to farmers at Clarkson's The Farmers Dog pub in Asthall

The Met Police estimated more than 10,000 people had joined the rally in central London shortly before midday. Ms Badenoch also attended the protest along with several other Tory MPs.

She said in a speech: 'The policy is cruel it is unfair and it is going to destroy the family farm as we know it. That is why at the first opportunity we will reverse the family farm tax.'

Ms Badenoch explained that she understood the plight of farmers and described the tax as an attack on their way of life.

In an emotional speech, National Farmers' Union (NFU) president Tom Bradshaw also accused ministers of a 'stab in the back'.

Earlier this month, a Government report found the UK was 75 percent self-sufficient in the food that can be grown in this country in 2023, and produced the equivalent of 62 percent of overall food consumed.

The figures are broadly unchanged over the past two decades, but the report also warned long term declines in 'natural capital' - resources such as clean water, healthy soils and wildlife - is a pressing risk to UK food production.

The report also said extreme weather continues to have a significant effect on domestic production, particularly arable crops, fruit and vegetables.

And the UK continues to be 'highly dependent' on imports to meet demand for fruit, vegetables and seafood, which are significant sources of nutrients for consumers, and many of the countries this food is imported from face their own climate-related challenges and sustainability risks, the report said.
A man suspected of taking part in the murder of a 2-year-old toddler in Washington state was arrested at a homeless shelter in Alameda on Wednesday. Rafe Swan/Getty Images

A man suspected of taking part in the murder of a 2-year-old toddler in Washington state was arrested at a homeless shelter in Alameda on Wednesday, police said.

Police arrested Jerome Lewis, 31, at about 9 a.m. at one of Alamedas city-owned homeless shelters, where he had been living, according to the Alameda Police Department.

Lewis is one of two suspects in the April 4 shooting death of 2-year-old Synsyr Lewis in Federal Way, Wash., about 20 miles south of Seattle, according to the Federal Way Police Department. The other suspect, Jayson Jack, 17, was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder in Washington on Oct. 2 and is being charged as an adult, police said.

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Prosecutors believe Jack and Lewis intended to kill the childs father, Tyrell Lewis, who had bad blood with Jerome Lewis, the Seattle Times reported, based on court records filed Wednesday. Jerome Lewis and Tyrell Lewis are not related, but Jack is a cousin of Tyrell Lewis wife, according to the Seattle Times.

Just before 10 a.m. that morning, prosecutors allege, Jack fired into a parked SUV occupied by Tyrell Lewis, the 2-year-old and his 3-month-old sibling, before fleeing in a stolen vehicle driven by Jerome Lewis, according to the Seattle Times.

The 2-year-old was transported to a local hospital where he later died, police said.

Lewis was booked into the Santa Rita Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder and bail was set at $3 million, police said. He does not have a criminal record in Alameda and is expected to be extradited to Washington, police said. Lewis arraignment was scheduled for Friday morning, according to jail records.
Serial rapist Dominique Pelicot is already likely to die behind bars after being sentenced to 20 years in prison for the campaign of abuse he and dozens of strangers waged against his wife Gisele.

But he could yet face another shameful trial as investigators believe the depraved 72-year-old may be responsible for the rape and murder of Sophie Narme, a real estate agent, in 1991.

Detectives are probing the cold case that bears a shocking resemblance to an attempted rape of 23-year-old real estate agent known as Marion in 1999. She fought her attacker off, and Pelicot's DNA was later recovered at the scene - though he maintains he did not try to rape her.

It comes as psychologists who interviewed Pelicot explained his complex psychological issues, positing that sexual abuse he claimed to have experienced as a child likely 'sharpened' traits that led him to become the man who so heinously abused his own wife.

Dr Laurent Layet - one of the first doctors to interview with Pelicot following his arrest in 2020 for taking photos up women's skirts in a shopping centre - said he encouraged authorities to further investigate the man whom he said showed 'no signs of severe mental illness'.

Dr Layet declared that Pelicot exhibited 'egomania, narcissistic fragility, emotional disorders... an abnormal sexual deviancy combining candaulism [exposing your female partner to others for sexual enjoyment], voyeurism and somnophilia.'

Pelicot is definitely not 'mad', and cannot chalk his crimes up to mental illness, the psychologist said.

But he added that the 'Monster of Avignon', as he has come to be known, is a misplaced moniker - claiming Pelicot had developed two completely distinct personalities.

Dr Layet told the BBC that he witnessed a 'fissure' in Pelicot's psyche, explaining how he had developed two 'water-tight parts with no leakage between them. His split personality is very effective and very solid. We either have the ''normal Mr Pelicot'' or the other Mr Pelicot at night, in the bedroom.'

Serial rapist Dominique Pelicot is already likely to die behind bars after being sentenced to 20 years in prison for the campaign of abuse he and dozens of strangers waged against his wife Gisele

Gisele Pelicot leaves the courthouse after hearing the verdict of the court that sentenced her ex-husband to the maximum term of 20 years jail

In a selfie snapped by her cruel and abusive spouse, Gisele is seen beaming at the camera held by her then-spouse at a sun-soaked marina

One of the rapists who had served time in remand is challenged by crowds outside the court

France's worst-ever sexual abuse case finally concluded yesterday after a months-long trial, with Pelicot and another 50 men tried and brought to justice.

During the trial, several psychologists who analysed Pelicot revealed chilling insights into the mind of the man.

He oversaw a near-decade-long campaign of abuse between 2011 and 2020 in which he systematically drugged his wife unconscious and invited dozens of strangers to their family home to rape her on camera.

A psychological report submitted to the court suggested Pelicot displayed a tendency towards 'paraphilia'  sexual arousal in atypical situations  and also 'somnophilia'  an attraction to unconscious partners.

This made him a 'very caring and much-loved grandfather by day' but 'a rapist at night', psychologist Bruno Daunizeau explained in the report.

The 'two-faced personality' of a 'sex addict' and 'manipulative pervert' meant Mr Pelicot acted like the split-personality character in 'The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde', the Gothic horror novel by Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson.

'During the day, you can be normal, and have another face at night,' said Dr Daunizeau.

Marianne Douteau, another psychologist, told the court that Pelicot still felt his life could have carried on as normal, despite the crimes he has admitted to.

She agreed he had a 'split personality', and had inherited the temper of a violent father.

Ms Douteau said Pelicot 'complains that this criminal case against him has destroyed his life.

'He claims everything could have continued as before if he had not been arrested.'

Pelicot is said to have claimed: 'Gisele would not have known anything, we would have continued to be happy.'

Dr Douteau added that Pelicot 'has a two-sided personality  he is a patriarch but he is also irresponsible and manipulative. Behind closed doors he does not respect limits.'

Pelicot told detectives that he considered himself a 'good husband' to the woman he married in 1971 and had three children with.

He said he was 'respectful of his wife's desires and refusals' to sex, but 'also had fantasies about swinging' and 'got pleasure in seeing his wife undergo sexual acts that she normally refused'.

Frenchwoman Gisele Pelicot, the victim of an alleged mass rape orchestrated by her then-husband Dominique Pelicot at their home in the southern French town of Mazan, leaves the courthouse surrounded by French police and journalists after the verdict in the trial for Dominique Pelicot and 50 co-accused, in Avignon, France, December 19, 2024

A man hiding his face is surrounded by French police, journalists and protesters as he leaves after the verdict in the trial for Dominique Pelicot

Gisele Pelicot arrives in front of the courthouse before a verdict in the Pelicot case is delivered on December 19, 2024 in Avignon, France

Dr Paul Bensussan said Pelicot had tried to justify his abuse of his wife by the abuse he himself suffered as a child, telling the court that he believed the defendant will always present a danger.

The doctor said: 'Pelicot is a persistent liar... he has a split personality. Even if he says he acknowledges his crimes, he will remain a voyeur and exhibitionist.

'I do not believe that this can be treated.

'Sexual orientation is given for life, whether that sexuality is deviant or not. And the problem with perversion is that the doses must be increased.

'The only cure is old age because this leads to physical decline... this is not a satisfactory treatment.'

Turning to Madame Pelicot and her children, Dr Bensussan said: 'I will have to be a be a little crude and I apologise in advance to the civil parties [Madame Pelicot and her children].

'Pelicot explained that she refused what he wanted (to have sex with other partners). But asleep she could refuse him nothing.

'This is rape by order... (for him) it is as if she were the one who had soiled the family.'

Another psychologist who interviewed Pelicot in December 2020 a month and a half after he was taken into custody, told the court: 'Pelicot said: ''My wife and I had a discussion about swinging but she didn't agree so I drugged her''.'

Annabelle Montagne said Pelicot maintained he loved his wife, but she added: 'He sees his partner as an object to satisfy his sexual and narcissistic needs. His wife is then a partial object and no longer an object of total love.'

Pelicot, who has been remanded in custody since his arrest in 2020, was considered too ill to give evidence on Monday, so will be cross-examined by prosecutors later in the week.

He was first arrested in September 2020 for filming up women's skirts at a supermarket in Carpentras.

His devices were searched, and police discovered he had meticulously catalogued thousands of photos and pornographic videos of women, including family members.

It was while in custody that Pelicot reported a hard drive, hidden under a printer, which contained a file called 'Abuses'.

It classified the nickname and telephone numbers of attackers, together with thousands of videos and photos of Gisele Pelicot being raped between 2011 and 2020.

Dominique Pelicot is accused of orchestrating the rape ring

Madame Pelicot is determined that the public knows that she played no part in her husband's warped sexual fantasies that he played out at their picturesque chalet home in the Provence village of Mazan (pictured)

Pelicot moved his family from greater Paris in 1991 - the same year he is suspected of having raped and murdered real estate agent Sophie - and later set up his sordid sex ring.

He set up an online forum called 'Without Her Knowing' on the now defunct website coco.fr on which he put out a search for men willing to 'abuse my sleeping wife'.

Pelicot sedated his wife by putting Temesta  a powerful anxiolytic  into her evening dinner, before inviting strangers to come and rape her for the camera.

Yesterday, the Monster of Avignon was slapped with a 20-year prison term by Judge Roger Arata after he pleaded guilty to drugging Gisele repeatedly for almost a decade to rape her and to offer up her unconscious body for sex.

Several abusers escaped justice, with police unable to identify more than 20 men involved in Gisele's abuse.

But Arata handed down guilty sentences to another 50 men besides Pelicot.

In all, the court found 47 of the defendants guilty of rape, two guilty of attempted rape and two guilty of sexual assault.

Chaos erupted outside the courtroom with a large group of baying protesters gathered outside shouting 'shame on you' as the defendants emerged, hiding their faces behind masks and under hoods.

Rapists involved in the case included civil servants, ambulance workers, soldiers, prison guards, nurses, a journalist, a municipal councillor and truck drivers.
The decision to allow a Turkish heroin dealer to stay in Britain to protect his 'right to a family life' has prompted fresh scrutiny over the use of the European Convention on Human Rights by criminals seeking to dodge deportation.

The 70-year-old man, who is believed to be one of the country's biggest drug dealers, won his bid after claiming that he would be at risk of persecution if he returned to Turkey due to being an Alevi Kurd.

This is despite the tribunal hearing that the serious criminal, who was granted anonymity, has visited the Mediterranean country eight times since first arriving on British shores.

He eventually won his appeal on the basis of Article 8 of the ECHR, which protects the right to a family life, even though he had an extramarital affair during one of his return trips.

The drug kingpin is just one of a long list of serious criminals who have used the ECHR to fight deportation from Britain.

They range from convicted terrorists and ISIS supporters to a paedophile who abused a 13-year-old girl.

Also among those who have made use of the legislation is an Italian-born man who stabbed a headmaster to death outside the gates of his school, and a father of four who was accused of fatally shooting a man in the head in his native Albania.

Below, MailOnline rounds up some of the most notorious recent cases -

Fatmir Bleta - Alleged killer

Fatmir Bleta was sentenced to 13 prison after leaving Albania after allegedly shooting a man in the head with a Kalashnikov rifle

Father of four Fatmir Bleta, 64, fled Albania in December 1998, two months after he allegedly shot a man in the head with a Kalashnikov rifle.

After arriving in Britain he sought asylum - falsely claiming to be Kosovan. This request was refused, but he was granted indefinite leave to remain and gained British citizenship in 2017.

He was convicted of making an untrue statement to procure a passport the following year, along with three other counts of dishonesty.

After completing a second jail sentence in 2018, the Home Office tried to deport him but it was argued that it would violate his family rights as it would be 'unduly harsh' on his wife and four children, who joined him in the UK in 2000, under Article 8 of the ECHR.

Earlier this year, it also emerged that two of Bleta's children have been convicted and jailed for drug offences.

Daughter Sara, 28, a former actress, was jailed for four years for supplying class A and B drugs while son Dorian, 37, is serving an 18-year prison sentence for trafficking cocaine.

Wahbi Mohammed - The 21/7 plotter

Wahbi Mohammed was jailed for 17 years, reduced to 13 years on appeal. He was freed in 2013 and his lawyers have since used human rights laws to resist his deportation

Somali-born Wahbi Mohammed helped plot the 21/7 bombings  the failed attack designed to kill scores of commuters two weeks after the London 7/7 attacks in 2005 which claimed 52 lives.

Mohammed's brother Ramzi Mohammed was a would-be suicide bomber but when his bomb malfunctioned, Wahbi helped him try to escape.

Wahbi was jailed for 17 years, reduced to 13 years on appeal. He was freed in 2013 and his lawyers have since used human rights laws to resist his deportation, saying he risks being tortured.

Mohammed, 41, is registered as living in a smart semi-detached house on a leafy street in south-west London.

When the Mail visited his address in October, the property's smart doorbell was answered remotely by two burly men who arrived moments later in a flashy Range Rover Evoque SUV, worth 45,000.

Ismail Abdurahman - Hid would-be suicide bomber

Somali-born Ismail Abdurahman provided would-be suicide bomber Hussain Osman with a safehouse from police

Another 21/7 terrorist, Somali-born Ismail Abdurahman, provided would-be suicide bomber Hussain Osman with a safehouse from police.

A judge said that if the bombers had been caught sooner, Jean Charles de Menezes, an innocent Brazilian man, may not have been shot dead after armed police mistook him for one of the attackers.

Abdurahman, 42, now lives in a three-storey terraced home on a quiet tree-lined street in London's Peckham Rye.

A source said he would likely never be deported because it would infringe his human rights, as Somalia authorities would likely mistreat him for his crimes.

In 2016, ministers were ordered to hand Abdurahman 13,600 of taxpayers' money for his legal fees after the Islamist convict successfully argued he had been denied the right to a fair trial.

He was initially treated as a witness, and so quizzed without a lawyer. However, when the terrorist began to incriminate himself, police delayed allowing him access to legal advice and did not tell him of his right to silence.

Ahmed Alsyed - the ISIS fanboy

Footage recovered from Ahmed's phone showed him posing in combat fatigues and making a hand gesture associated with IS

Extremist Ahmed Alsyed Alsyed was given sanctuary in Britain after leaving his homeland Sudan, but had his 'heart set' on joining Islamic State.

Footage recovered from Alsyed's phone showed him posing in combat fatigues and making a hand gesture associated with IS at a paintball camp in Surrey.

Alsyed, of West London, was jailed for four and a half years in 2018 after pleading guilty to the collection of terrorist information, preparation of terrorist acts and dissemination of terrorist publications.

Now 26, he was last known to be living in a 280,000 semi-detached house in Twickenham.

Mourad Mosdefaoui - ISIS recruiter

Mourad Mosdefaoui, 43, said he had gone three times to the Algerian consulate in London but was rejected

Mourad Mosdefaoui, a recruiter who lured youngsters to Islamic State on social media, was jailed for two years in 2015.

His asylum claims have been refused but he cannot be deported, after arguing that being returned to Algeria may breach his human rights.

Mosdefoui, who is now living in Edinburgh, told the Mail earlier this year that he had gone three times to the Algerian consulate in London but was rejected.

He said: 'They said because of the human rights stuff [they can't deport me], but if they can't deport me why do they leave me like this?

'I have no access to a dentist, or the GP, I have no work, no public funds'.

Learco Chindamo - Headteacher killer

Milan-born Learco Chindamo (pictured), now 42, stabbed head-teacher Philip Lawrence to death outside his London school in 1995

Learco Chindamo was just 15 years old when he fatally stabbed Philip Lawrence after the headteacher rushed out the gates of his London secondary school to defend a pupil who was being attacked.

The killer was controversially freed on licence in 2010 after serving 14 years for the 1995 killing, which shocked the nation.

However, an immigration tribunal ruled that Chindamo, who was born in Italy, could not be forced to leave because it would breach his human rights, in particular his 'right to family life'.

This was due to Chindamo having 'no ties' to the country.

Jumaa Kater Saleh - Paedophile

Paedophile Jumaa Kater Saleh not only managed to stay in the UK - he received damages from the government

Jumaa Kater Saleh was convicted as part of a predatory sex gang for the 'deliberate, targeted abuse of a young and vulnerable girl', who was aged 13 at the time.

The Sudanese man arrived in the UK in a lorry before seeking asylum in Britain, and despite having his bid rejected he was given leave to remain until he turned 18. But due to a backlog of cases, he stayed after this date.

Following his sex offence conviction, he was sentenced to four years in a young offenders' institution.

After being let out in May 2009 he was due to be automatically deported, but following a legal challenge under Article 3 of the ECHR - which protects against 'inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment' - he was allowed to stay.

During his legal fight he was kept in a detention centre for eight months. The paedophile was later paid damages for the time he was held.

Abu Qatada - Hate preacher

Islamic cleric Abu Qatada was shielded from deportation by the Human Rights Act for nearly 12 years

Islamic cleric Abu Qatada was shielded from deportation by the Human Rights Act for nearly 12 years.

Despite being wanted for terror offences in his home country of Jordan, the Court of Appeal ruled that removing him from the UK would breach his rights.

This decision was upheld by the European Court of Human Rights, which blocked the UK from deporting him because there was a risk that evidence obtained through torture may be used against him.

He was finally kicked out after Jordan signed a treaty insisting that no such evidence would be presented.
Malaysia has agreed to resume the search for the wreckage of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in a new stretch of the Indian Ocean.

Flight MH370, a Boeing 777 carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew, vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014.

'Our responsibility and obligation and commitment is to the next of kin,' Transport Minister Anthony Loke told a press conference.

'We hope this time will be positive, that the wreckage will be found and give closure to the families.'

Malaysian investigators initially did not rule out the possibility that the aircraft had been deliberately taken off course.

Debris, some confirmed and some believed to be from the aircraft, has washed up along the coast of Africa and on islands in the Indian Ocean.

Loke said the proposal to resume the search in the southern Indian Ocean came from exploration firm Ocean Infinity, which had conducted the last search for the plane that ended in 2018.

A contract would be signed to cover an 18-month period and the firm would receive $70 million if wreckage found is substantive, he said, adding the search will be on the seabed of a new area covering 15,000 sq km (5,790 sq miles). No precise location of the new search area was given.

Malaysia 's cabinet has agreed to a proposal to launch a new search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which disappeared mysteriously 10 years ago, the transport minister said Friday (file image)

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Marking 10 years since MH370 vanished without a trace, as many as 500 relatives of victims lost on the flight gathered at a shopping centre in the Malaysian city of Subang Jaya for a service on March 8, 2024

More than 150 Chinese passengers were on the flight. Others included 50 Malaysians as well as citizens of France, Australia, Indonesia, India, the United States, Ukraine and Canada, among others.

Relatives have demanded compensation from Malaysia Airlines, Boeing, aircraft engine maker Rolls-Royce and the Allianz insurance group among others.

Loke said Malaysia had assessed new data on the possible location from multiple experts and Ocean Infinity was confident about the chances of locating the wreckage.

'The data has all been presented. Our team has gone through and they felt that it is credible,' he said.

Malaysia engaged Ocean Infinity in 2018 to search in the southern Indian Ocean, but it failed on two attempts.

That followed an underwater search by Malaysia, Australia and China in a 120,000 sq km (46,332 sq mile) area of the southern Indian Ocean, based on data of automatic connections between an Inmarsat satellite and the plane.

The new arrangement would be on a no-find-no-fee principle, whereby Malaysia would not be required to pay Ocean Infinity unless sufficient wreckage is found and verified.

Asked about the prospects of locating all of the plane, Loke said it would be unfair to expect a concrete commitment.

A piece of MH370's wing found on Reunion - a French island east of Madagascar - in July 2015

By October 2017, 18 suspected pieces of debris from MH370 had been found

'At this point of time, nobody knows for sure. It has been over 10 years,' he said.

MH370's last transmission was about 40 minutes after it took off from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing. The captain signed off as the plane entered Vietnamese air space and soon after its transponder was turned off.

Military radar showed the plane left its flight path to fly back over northern Malaysia then out into the Andaman Sea before turning south, then all contact was lost.

A 495-page report into the disappearance in 2018 said the Boeing 777's controls were likely deliberately manipulated to go off course, but investigators could not determine who was responsible and stopped short of offering a conclusion on what happened, saying that depended on finding the wreckage.

Investigators have said there was nothing suspicious in the background, financial affairs, training and mental health of both the captain and co-pilot.
Tony Blair's close ally Peter Mandelson is set to become the UK ambassador to the United States, despite previously branding Donald Trump a 'bully' and laying into his 'America First' agenda.

Lord Mandelson, the former Cabinet minister and EU commissioner nicknamed 'the Prince of Darkness' due to his Machiavellian maneuverings, will be installed in Washington following Mr Trump's inauguration on January 20.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander insisted today that he would ensure that Britain has a 'good relationship' with the incoming hard right Washington administration.

But questions have been raised over the peer's previous attacks on Trump and praise for China.

In 2018 he tore into the then president over his hostility towards the Asian superpower in an article for the London Standard, saying: 'It is absurd to imagine putting a country of such weight in the naughty corner.

'It is also necessary to recognise Mr Trump's behaviour for what it is: he is a bully and a mercantilist who thinks the US will gain in trade only when others are losing.

'His idea of a progressive trade policy is one that forces everyone else to give the US more favourable treatment rather than a trading system from which everyone gains.

His protectionist 'America First' platform and hostility to free trade agreements ignore the fact that the US is at near full employment, that banning imports will raise the prices of goods for American consumers, and that in a world of cross-border value chains US manufacturers and manufacturing-related services benefit hugely from supplying production outside US territory.'

Lord Mandelson, the former Cabinet minister and EU commissioner nicknamed 'the Prince of Darkness' due to his Machiavellian maneuverings, will be installed in Washington following Mr Trump's inauguration on January 20.

In 2018 he tore into the then president over his hostility towards China, saying: 'It is absurd to imagine putting a country of such weight in the naughty corner. It is also necessary to recognise Mr Trump's behaviour for what it is: he is a bully and a mercantilist who thinks the US will gain in trade only when others are losing.'

Mandelson was business secretary and secretary of state for Northern Ireland under Tony Blair and has more recently been described as a 'significant influence' on the office of Sir Keir.

However, he has more recently warmed towards the Trump team. Last month he told Sir Keir Starmer to end his feud with Elon Musk, who will have a key role in the new US administration.

He also suggested that the Labour government should use Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, as a bridgehead.

Sir Keir and Mr Musk, the Tesla boss and owner of X who has an estimated fortune of around $300billion, clashed earlier this year over the widespread rioting in the UK.

But speaking to The Times' podcast How To Win An Election, Lord Mandelson praised the billionaire as a 'sort of technological, industrial, commercial phenomenon'.

'It would be unwise, in my view, for Britain to ignore him. You cannot pursue these feuds,' the former Cabinet minister added.

'You can't afford to do it. We should try and kick it into touch as soon as possible.

'If I were the Government here, I'd be asking the embassy in Washington DC to find out who his other British friends are. Who are they all?

'And they've got to be used, I think, as a bridge to Musk. And so that's what I would do.

'You know, swallow your pride, find out who his friends are and try and get into those networks.'

Trump has vowed to introduce a range of tariffs during his second term in the White House, including a 10-20 per cent levy on all goods imports.

There will also be higher tariffs on goods from China, Mexico, Canada and nations that retaliate with protective measures of their own.

It has sparked fears that the UK could be sucked into a trade war between the US and the EU, despite having left the latter.

Ms Alexander told Sky News: 'I think Lord Mandelson is an individual of very significant international standing.

'He has been a previous EU trade commissioner, he's a very experienced politician.

'We need someone as the next ambassador to the US who is going to be able to promote our economic and security interests with one of our closest allies, and so I think he is a really good fit for the job.'

Although Lord Mandelson had said at the time 'nobody has spoken to me about it', the sources had said he would be encouraged to take the role because he had the strength of character to deal with Trump

Peter Mandelson (left) receives a Chinese-made T-shirt from Chinese Commerce Minister Bo Xilai at a press conference in 2005

She added that Lord Mandelson's experience of trade policy would be 'really important' in the context of concerns about the new tariffs President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to introduce.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has previously said he believed the Labour politican had the necessary trade expertise and networking abilities to bolster the UK's interests during this delicate period of time.

It is a 'delicate' period that has seen frosty relations, with Mr Trump saying he would implement tariffs on goods coming in from the UK.

There is also the awkward issue of Foreign Secretary David Lammy's scathing criticism of the president-elect over the years, which has included calling him a 'woman-hating, neo-Nazi sympathising sociopath,' 'a tyrant in a toupee' and 'a dangerous clown'.

Mandelson got the nod ahead of a string of prominent Labour rivals including former Cabinet ministers David Miliband and Baroness Amos.

The Lord's expertise as a former EU trade commissioner could prove vital during what look set to be fraught discussions with the Trump administration over free trade.

He has held several other positions such as business secretary and secretary of state for Northern Ireland and has more recently been described as a 'significant influence' on the office of Starmer and a 'core part' of his network.

It was previously speculated by senior Labour insiders in November that if Kamala Harris were triumphant, Labour peer Valerie Amos would stand the best chance of being put in the position.

Although Lord Mandelson had said at the time 'nobody has spoken to me about it', the sources said he would be encouraged to take the role because he had the strength of character to deal with Trump - and the experience to handle the critical trade negotiations.

Mandelson previously ran to be Oxford University's next chancellor but was pipped at the post by Lord William Hague of Richmond.

He did not, however, rule out 'double-jobbing' at the time as Britain's next ambassador to the US while also serving as the university's chancellor.

The 71-year-old's entry into the role represents nothing short of a remarkable political comeback for a man who had to resign twice from Tony Blair's cabinet before returning under Gordon Brown.

He also served as EU trade commissioner and was vigorously anti-Brexit, including running the campaign for a second referendum.

Lord Mandelson is an ally of Morgan McSweeney, Starmer's chief of staff, and was backed for the role by Mr Lammy.

Last month he urged the PM to use Nigel Farage's links to the Trump team as a 'bridge' to further the UK's interests. 'You can't ignore him,' he said. 'He's an elected MP, he's a public figure. He's a bridgehead, both to President Trump and to Elon Musk and others.'

Peter Mandelson had been the frontrunner to become British Ambassador to Washington were Donald Trump to win the election

A younger Peter Mandelson is seen during the second day of the Labour Party Annual Conference Conference on September 27, 2004 in Brighton, England

Mr Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on all imports into the US, potentially triggering a major trade war. While China is his first target, the EU and UK could also be hit.

Sir Keir yesterday told MPs he wanted to avoid getting sucked into a trade war, adding: 'We have to make sure we avoid tariffs.'.

The president-elect has also spoken warmly about Sir Keir and the special relationship, despite their political differences. Ahead of talks in New York in September, he described the PM as a 'very nice guy'.

But, during the presidential campaign his team accused Labour of election interference after its head of operations said 100 current and former staffers were helping Mr Trump's Democrat opponent Kamala Harris.

Dame Karen Pierce is the current ambassador to the US and she will remain in the post until the end of January when Trump is inaugurated.

In his role, Mandelson will be able to enjoy the new lavishly renovated British embassy in Washington and the ambassador's Queen Anne residence, which is the only building in North America designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.

Speaking to the BBC previously, Lord Mandelson said he was 'more in favour of a new relationship rather than a special one' with the US.

He added: 'Can I just make the point if you don't mind: nobody has spoken to me about this job.

Speaking to the BBC previously, Lord Mandelson said he was 'more in favour of a new relationship rather than a special one' with the US

Sir Keir yesterday told MPs he wanted to avoid getting sucked into a trade war, adding: 'We have to make sure we avoid tariffs.'

'I read about it in the papers but nobody has actually spoken to me about it, so let's put it to one side.'

Pressed on whether he would be interested in the Washington role, he said: 'I would be very interested indeed in giving advice about trade to whoever is appointed.'

Sir Keir has told the Commons Liaison Committee he is 'alive to the danger of tariffs' but would not 'speculate as to what the incoming president might do'.

He said: 'I am not a fan of tariffs and, therefore, we have to make sure that we avoid tariffs.'

Lord Mandelson was one of the architects of New Labour, helping to restore the party to power in the 1990s.

He served as business secretary and Northern Ireland secretary under Sir Tony, but then 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.
This is the moment an e-bike lithium battery exploded inside a home - setting the south east London flat ablaze.

The force of the explosion was so great that it blew the doors off the home in Catford.

The blaze was started by an e-bike battery being charged in the home, according to the brigade.

It was a normal pedal bike which had a lithium-ion battery fitted, which was bought online second hand.

The fire on Saturday was tackled by 60 London Fire Brigade firefighters accompanied by eight engines, with three people being taken to hospital for treatment for injuries and smoke inhalation.

LFB added this shows the dangers of unregulated e-bike sales.

The video shows the force of the explosion is so great that it blew the doors off the home in Catford, according to neighbours

The fire on Saturday was tackled by 60 firefighters accompanied by eight engines

The blaze was started by an e-bike batter on charge in the home, according to London Fire Brigade

The charger being used was generic and not specific to the battery pack.

The fire was caught on video by neighbour Andrew Bowker's doorbell camera.

Mr Bowker said he had never seen a fire like it, saying: 'The explosion blew off the doors'.

The 40-year-old said: 'It had blown bits of brick onto my driveway and all the way down the street. The damage was unbelievable.'

Adding: 'Those e-bikes are dangerous. It's terrifying what can happen - and so quickly.'

The fire lit up the dark winter night in the south east London neighbourhood, as doorbell footage shows

Neighbour Andrew Bowker said: 'It had blown bits of brick onto my driveway and all the way down the street. The damage was unbelievable'

Around 60 London Fire Brigade firefighters accompanied by eight engines were sent to the scene to tackle the blaze

It was a normal pedal bike which had a lithium-ion battery fitted, which was bought online second hand

The aftermath of a fire caused after an e-bike battery exploded in Catford, south east London

The scene following the fire at the south east London flat which started after an e-bike battery exploded

Deputy assistant commissioner Richard Field said: 'This was a devastating fire that has destroyed most of a family home. It's fortunate that no lives have been lost'

DAC Field said: 'The stark reality is that some of these vehicles are proving to be incredibly dangerous and are at greater risk of malfunctioning'

Deputy assistant commissioner (DAC) Richard Field said: 'This was a devastating fire that has destroyed most of a family home. It's fortunate that no lives have been lost.

'The stark reality is that some of these vehicles are proving to be incredibly dangerous and are at greater risk of malfunctioning.

'Particularly if they've been modified, fitted or converted with second-hand products or if the batteries are used with the incorrect chargers.

'We always recommend purchasing items from a reputable high-street seller where, at this time, a product is more likely to meet safety standards.

'If you're planning on buying an e-bike or e-scooter for yourself or a loved one for Christmas and you see an offer online that seems too good to be true, it probably is.'
Gisele Pelicot faces the harrowing ordeal of going through her trial again as it is revealed that as many as ten defendants are considering appealing the ruling.

Beatrice Zavarro, Dominique Pelicot's lawyer, said he might be among those considering appealing, which would mean challenging his 20-year prison sentence for orchestrating and committing the mass rape of his now-ex wife.

He is likely to die behind bars.

Under French law, defendants have an automatic right to force a retrial through right of appeal.

Speaking outside court after the sentences were handed out yesterday, Pelicot's lawyer said her client was 'stunned' at the judges' decision to hand him the maximum sentence, as well as the suggestion that he could be kept in longer if he was still considered a security threat.

Zavarro note that no decision had yet been made on whether Pelicot will lodge an appeal, which he is able to do for the next ten days.

The historic trial in Avignon, southern France, lasted three months and took place before five judges.

51 men were sentenced to more than 400 collective years behind bars with all of Pelicot's accomplices found guilty of sex crimes with 46 convicted of rape, two of attempted rape ad two of sexual assault.

Gisele Pelicot, the victim of a mass rape orchestrated by her then-husband Dominique Pelicot at their home in the southern French town of Mazan, talks to journalists, surrounded by relatives and her lawyers, after the verdict in the trial for Dominique Pelicot and 50 co-accused, at the courthouse in Avignon, France, December 19, 2024

This court-sketch made on December 19, 2024 in Avignon shows the court during the hearing of the verdict of the court that sentenced Dominique Pelicot to the maximum term of 20 years jail

Gisele Pelicot leaves the courthouse surrounded by French police and journalists after the verdict in the trial for Dominique Pelicot and 50 co-accused, in Avignon, France, December 19, 2024

By appealing, a retrial would involve a jury and would be shorter than the first trial.

However, it would be a further strain for the brave Gisele, 72, who told cameras yesterday the ordeal had been 'a very difficult test for me'.

Meanwhile her lawyer said in the event of an appeal, she would not have to testify again but would want to take an 'active part' in the trial.

At the same time, feminist groups who supported Gisele throughout her trial have slammed the sentencing, claiming it was too lenient.

Gisele's children also hit out at the 'low' sentences for some of the men who raped their mother.

They deplored 'it's not possible', as one convicted rapist was handed just five years.

Firefighters, soldiers, lorry drivers, a DJ and a journalist were among those found guilty of raping and sexually abusing Gisele at the behest of her husband over the course of a decade - all without her knowledge.

Defendants cowered behind masks and beneath hoods as they entered the court this morning, with several emerging again this afternoon after being given sentences equivalent to or less than those they have already served.

Serial rapist Dominique Pelicot is likely to die behind bars after being sentenced to 20 years in prison for the campaign of abuse he and dozens of strangers waged against his wife Gisele

In a selfie snapped by her cruel and abusive spouse, Gisele is seen beaming at the camera held by her then-spouse at a sun-soaked marina

Gisele Pelicot arrives in front of the courthouse before a verdict in the Pelicot case is delivered on December 19, 2024 in Avignon, France

A man hiding his face is surrounded by French police, journalists and protesters as he leaves after the verdict in the trial for Dominique Pelicot

Despite the possibility for an appeal, Pelicot could face another shameful trial as investigators believe the depraved 72-year-old may be responsible for the rape and murder of Sophie Narme, a real estate agent, in 1991.

Detectives are probing the cold case that bears a shocking resemblance to an attempted rape of 23-year-old real estate agent known as Marion in 1999.

She fought her attacker off, and Pelicot's DNA was later recovered at the scene - though he maintains he did not try to rape her.

It comes as psychologists who interviewed Pelicot explained his complex psychological issues, positing that sexual abuse he claimed to have experienced as a child likely 'sharpened' traits that led him to become the man who so heinously abused his own wife.
Convicted rapist and former actor Simon Monteiro - dubbed the 'playboy rapist' - will no longer be required to wear an ankle bracelet in public.

Monteiro served 11 years in jail before being released on parole in April 2020 after raping his ex-girlfriend in a Sydney apartment.

He entered her home uninvited, hitting and threatening to suffocate her before the sexual assault.

After she went to police, he slashed her furniture, soaked her books in water and killed her fish.

The 58-year-old, who maintains his innocence, was put on an extended supervision order in July 2020 with 26 conditions imposed on his life in the community.

On Friday, some of these restrictions were revoked or amended after an urgent hearing in the NSW Supreme Court.

Justice Peter Garling found Monteiro posed a reduced risk to the community compared with in 2020, when the supervision order was imposed.

Evidence provided to the court by a number of women showed that after spending years in the community, there had been no recurrence of the sexual offending that landed the 58-year-old behind bars in the first place.

Monteiro served 11 years in jail before being released on parole in April 2020 after raping his ex-girlfriend in a Sydney apartment

A requirement that Monteiro be electronically monitored at all times through an ankle bracelet was no longer necessary, Justice Garling said.

'(Monteiro's) behaviour since the (order) was imposed is such that any deterrent effect of it has ceased,' the judge said.

The ankle bracelet had caused the 58-year-old difficulty in getting a job, which was vital for his rehabilitation and integration back into the community, Justice Garling added.

The judge revoked a further condition that Monteiro get permission from Community Corrections before spending a night anywhere but his home.

However, he declined to toss a condition requiring the convicted rapist to inform his supervising officer of anyone he had intimate or sexual relations with.

This was because there was still some risk posed to the community, the judge found.

Instead, Justice Garling doubled the amount of time required for this condition, giving Monteiro 48 hours to advise of his recent sexual partners.

A condition forcing the 58-year-old to provide information about any new employment, volunteer work or study to his supervising officer prior to commencement was revoked.

Monteiro was unhappy about the results, saying he would ask Justice Garling to recuse himself from hearing the case further

'In practice this condition has, at least from (Monteiro's) perspective, provided a barrier to engaging in employment or educational courses,' the judge said.

A series of conditions relating to the rapist's use of the internet, dating apps, social media platforms, mobile phones and other communication devices will be varied.

Justice Garling declined to remove a final condition that Monteiro get permission from Community Corrections before he can legally change his name.

Monteiro was unhappy about the results, saying he would ask Justice Garling to recuse himself from hearing the case further.

'This is just meaningless today,' he said after the decision was handed down.

A hearing in May has been scheduled to determine whether the supervision order in its entirety should be varied or revoked.

Monteiro's case has been in the headlines for many years not only thanks to his formerly glamorous lifestyle and supposed ties to Hollywood A-listers, but in his complaints about prison conditions which included demands for a cell by the coast, a soft-bristled toothbrush and an orthopedic mattress.

In October of 2017 Monteiro told the New South Wales state parole board it was 'in the public interest' he be released from prison despite the creation of a Change.org petition with over 46,000 signatures urging he should never be released.
An infamous cartel boss has been killed by Mexican police just days after the organised gang shot dead multiple people in a cockfight bloodbath.

Jose 'El Chabelo' Isabel was the boss of the Sinaloa Cartel in the city of Manzanillo which is also the home of Mexico's busiest port.

Isabel and an unnamed accomplice have been gunned down by Mexican police, according to reports.

Isabel was already wanted by the authorities on a homicide warrant before the fatal encounter.

This comes after the cartel carried out a mass shooting at a cockfight arena in the Las Parotas neighborhood of Manzanillo which left two people dead.

A shocking picture from the incident shows multiple people cowering in fear on the ground following the deadly shooting.

Prosecutors in the Mexican state of Colima have not released details about the victims other than to identify Isabel.

The state, which runs along the pacific coast, has reported a massive 623 homicides between January and October this year.

A shocking picture from the cockfight shootout shows multiple people cowering in fear on the ground following the deadly shooting

The New York Post reported that Isabel and an unnamed accomplice have been gunned down by Mexican police

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That gives Colima, which is smaller than Delaware and has a population of just 731,391, a harrowing murder rate of 105 per 100,000 residents.

This is five times higher than the national average in Mexico.

The Sinaloa cartel grew from a small crime syndicate in the 1980s into the one of the world's most powerful and violent drug trafficking gangs.

It first focused on smuggling marijuana into the USA before, under the leadership of Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, it diversified into harder drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin.

This only solidified the gang's position as the most dominant drug cartel in Mexico.
Pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson has been hit with bombshell claims the company sold dodgy cold and flu medication to Australians.

Brisbane-based law firm JGA Saddler filed a class action against the multi-billion dollar company on Friday over the allegations.

Millions of Aussies could be eligible for compensation over claims Johnson & Johnson falsely stated several medications it sold relieved congestion.

The class action pertains to tablets in products such as Codral Day and Night and Sudafed PE that contain a substance called phenylephrine.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last year ruled the drug did not provide effective relief as a nasal decongestant when taken in the form of a tablet.

The class action claims Johnson & Johnson knowingly marketed and sold medications that don't work to Aussies for years.

The advertising on the Johnson & Johnson Codral Day and Night medication states 'Phenylephrine helps to relieve blocked and runny noses'.

A similar advertisement on the packaging of Sudafed PE medication refers to the drug as a 'nasal decongestant'.

Millions of Aussies could be eligible for compensation over claims Johnson & Johnson falsely stated several medications (pictured) it sold relieved congestion.

The medication's website indicated that the product 'provides fast, powerful relief from sinus pressure and nasal congestion.'

Lawyer and director of JGA Saddler Rebecca Jancauskas said the company misled customers.

'Customers should be able to confidently buy medicines that work as advertised and when they don't, the company involved should be held accountable,' Ms Jancauskas told Nine News.

'Johnson & Johnson has manufactured and marketed a medication that decades of evidence have shown doesn't work as claimed.

'Australians have trusted these products to work as advertised and wouldn't have bought them if they realised they were ineffective at treating congestion.'

The law firm has asked anyone in Australia, who bought tablets from Johnson & Johnson containing phenylephrine, to register for the class action.

Consumers who brought products from as far back as 2005 to December 2024 could be compensated if the class action succeeds.

They could also receive the value of the product they bought at that period of time, according to Ms Jancauskas.

Lawyer and director of JGA Saddler Rebecca Jancauskas (pictured) said Australian consumers should be able to buy medication confidently knowing that they work

Brisbane ear, nose and throat specialist Dr Jo-Lyn McKenzie said the allegations will impact the trust consumers place in medications and pharmacies.

Ms McKenzie said Australians should make sure they are aware of the efficacy of medications before consuming them.

'This situation serves as a reminder for Australian consumers to be cautious and informed,' she said.

'Rather than relying on direct-to-consumer advertising, take the time to have meaningful conversations with health professionals who can provide evidence-based recommendations.'

Dr McKenzie told the ABC phenylephrine began to be widely used in cold and flu medication after pseudoephedrine was taken off the shelves of pharmacies in 2006.

Pseudoephedrine was removed because it was being used in the production of methamphetamine.

After the sale of the tablets containing the substance were restricted, Johnson & Johnson used phenylephrine instead so that the company could continue to sell medications.

Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) was made aware that the FDA met in 2023 to investigate the efficacy of oral tablets that contained phenylephrine to provide nasal decongestion relief.

Ms Jancauskas said the company misled customers (pictured Johnson & Johnson's office in Sydney)

The FDA's advisory committee also discussed whether the drug should be reviewed as 'safe and effective'.

'At this time, the TGA has no plans to conduct a review of the effectiveness of oral phenylephrine but will continue to monitor the outcomes of the FDA review,' they said.

Medicines in Australia that contain phenylephrine must be registered in the ARTG (Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods).

Under Australian law the active ingredient in a medication must be displayed on the main label of the product to ensure consumers can make an informed choice about whether they want to purchase the product.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Johnson & Johnson for comment.
A mother-of-five who was brutally killed by her violent husband was failed by two police forces before her death, an inquest has found.

Lucy-Anne Rushton, 30, was murdered by Shaun Dyson in a 'prolonged attack' in 2019 during which he stamped, kicked and jumped on her and made her swallow her wedding ring.

The attack was so brutal that Ms Rushton had suffered 37 rib fractures, a broken breastbone and collapsed lungs when she died.

Dyson was convicted of Ms Rushton's murder and sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 17 years in 2019.

Both Dorset Police and Hampshire Constabulary missed opportunities to save the mother including when officers visited her home just weeks before her death.

A year before she was fatally attacked, police responded to an altercation between Ms Rushton and Dyson at a hotel in Bournemouth, Dorset.

The pair were overheard arguing in their room with Dyson calling her a 'drunken slut'.

And just one month before her death, Ms Rushton's concerned brother reported Dyson to police for taking photos of him sexually abusing her on her 30th birthday.

Mother-of-five Lucy-Anne Rushton who was brutally killed by her violent husband was failed by two police forces, a primary school and child services

Shaun Dyson murdered the 30-year-old in a 'prolonged attack' during which he made her swallow her wedding ring

Dyson killed Ms Rushton in an early morning assault at her home in Andover, in June 2019. Rushton and Dyson are pictured on their wedding day

But none of these incidents were properly followed up by the investigating forces, an inquest at Winchester Coroner's Court heard.

Dorset Police failed to secure CCTV evidence of the hotel altercation, while Hampshire Constabulary failed to complete a risk assessment.

One of Ms Rushton's children also made comments at primary school about violence at home which were not referred to children's services.

When the matter was eventually referred, just days before Ms Rushton's death, children's services declined the referral.

And while Ms Rushton's murder was investigated, a detective was found to have forged signatures on a witness statement.

Robert Ferrow, 50, who had 18 years experience working for Hampshire Constabulary, allowed a witness to sign blank pages and go home so he could transcribe notes from their conversation.

In June 2019, Dyson killed Ms Rushton in the early morning assault at her home in Andover, Hampshire, where he stamped, kicked and jumped on her.

During his trial, the court heard there were also children at the property on the night of the 'brutal' attack.

Murder victim Lucy-Anne Rushton with her mother Myra Simpson

The couple married in 2010 and endured a 'toxic and volatile' relationship, the court heard.

On the night before her death, Ms Rushton received a phone call from an ex-partner, which angered Dyson.

A child who was in the house later heard him tell Ms Rushton to swallow her ring because 'we're not together any more'.

The child was later woken up at around 4am on June 23 to the sound of 'hitting noises' and shouting.

Dyson then phoned the police in a 'strikingly calm' manor, before paramedics found Ms Rushton's lifeless body on a bed.

The killer then lied to police, telling them Ms Rushton had drowned after he tried to wake her up by throwing water on her.

Dyson was discovered by police later that day hiding in a bedroom cupboard while officers were conducting a 'more thorough' search of the house.

The court heard Dyson had been having his own secret affair prior to Ms Rushton's death.

Flowers outside the house where Ms Rushton was killed in 2019

Now, after a three week inquest, the jury have recorded a unanimous narrative conclusion highlighting the failings in the lead up to Ms Rushton's unlawful killing.

The jury chairperson said: 'The relationship between both parties was abusive and violent, the relationship made a material impact on her death.

'In 2018 they were staying at a hotel in Bournemouth, a 999 call was made, police responded and when questioned by police [Ms Rushton] denied any altercation.

'CCTV evidence showed a physical confrontation, this was not secured by police, a public protection notice issued by the police was submitted three weeks after.

'This was received by the home local authority [Hampshire County Council], this was not actioned...

'The children attended a local primary school, one child reported violence at home, the school did not refer this to child services.

'A referral was made on 7 June, 2019, following sizeable concerns, the referral was declined by child services.

'On 30 May, concerning photos were shared with the police, several lines of inquiry were not followed and a risk assessment was not completed.

'Lucy-Anne Rushton died on 23 June 2019 as a result of a prolonged, brutal attack, Lucy-Anne Rushton was unlawfully killed.'

A public protection notice records safeguarding concerns about an adult or child that is shared between organisations.

Speaking after the jury delivered their conclusion, assistant coroner for Hampshire Darren Stuart said he plans to write a prevention of future deaths report highlighting 'shortcomings' that give him 'cause for concern'.

He said: 'In relation to Hampshire Police the contact with Ms Rushton on 30 May, 2019, in particular, with the passing on of images and consideration of those images constituting a criminal offence and action around that.

'The failure to complete a formal risk assessment or issue a public protection notice following contact between police and Ms Rushton on May 31, poor decision making and rationale by police on duty.

'In relation to the school.. to address the approach to record keeping, at the time there were records being kept of a paper nature that were not recorded on the online system.

'Failures in relation to those shortcomings are ones that give me cause for concern in relation to future deaths.'

He also gave his condolences to Ms Rushton's family, represented by her mother, Myra Simpson, and her son, Luke Simpson, and apologised for the length of time since her death.

'Five years to see the end of this process is far too long a period of time,' Mr Stuart said.

'I regret sincerely that it has taken this long.

'I understand that this has had a profound impact on the family with young children losing a mother.

'I am sure the jury will join me in extending heartfelt condolences for your terrible loss.'

A tribute from Ms Rushton's family was read out at the inquest by the coroner's officer, Patrick Parker.

Ms Rushton's son, also called Luke, 19, said: 'My mum was a very caring person, I have really happy memories of her taking us on holiday to Spain.

'I will remember her as someone who made people laugh, she was a brilliant mum.'

The tribute continued: 'Lucy was killed in the most disturbing way.

'All we have is memories and photos.'

'She was the best mum and loved her children more than anything in the world.

'[Dyson] has destroyed and divided our family.'
China to continue counternarcotics cooperation with U.S. on basis of equality, mutual benefit and respect: FM spokesperson

Xinhua) 10:46, December 20, 2024

BEIJING, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- China will continue the counternarcotics cooperation with the United States on the basis of equality, mutual benefit and mutual respect, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Thursday.

Spokesperson Lin Jian made the remarks at a daily press briefing when asked to comment on Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy of the United States Rahul Gupta's recent remarks concerning China.

It is reported that Gupta said on Wednesday that since the San Francisco Summit between leaders of China and the United States, the two countries have made significant progress on the fentanyl issue. China has taken offline many websites and online platforms that sell the precursors of fentanyl, made arrests, and scheduled over 50 controlled substances, which have contributed to the drop in overdose deaths. And it's critical that the United States should sustain this progress moving forward while working on other aspects in relationship with China. When asked about the threat of tariffs on the fentanyl issue by President-elect Donald Trump, Gupta said there is no harm in keeping the pressure, and stressed the need to make sure the pressure is kept with a sense of understanding of what is already happening and the progress that is already being made.

Noting China is one of the world's toughest countries on counternarcotics both in terms of policy and its implementation, Lin said China, in the spirit of humanity and goodwill, has given support to the U.S. response to the fentanyl issue to assist global drug control.

"China announced back in 2019 the decision to officially schedule fentanyl-related substances as a class. We are the first country in the world to do so," Lin said.

Working together on counternarcotics is an important common understanding reached by Chinese and U.S. presidents in their meeting in San Francisco, Lin said, adding that with China's active effort, China-U.S. counternarcotics cooperation has achieved positive progress.

The two countries launched the Counternarcotics Working Group and carried out cooperation on the scheduling of drug-related substances, joint handling of drug-related cases, technology exchange, multilateral cooperation and removing of online ads, the spokesperson said.

"We hope the United States will not take China's goodwill for granted, and will value China's contribution and effort, avoid undermining the foundation for the cooperation, and work with China to continue the positive dynamics in the counternarcotics cooperation," Lin said.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
Aryan Brotherhood prison gang members Ronald Yandell, left, of Pinole and William Sylvester of Norco (Riverside County) were sentenced for crimes including murder in aid of racketeering. California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

Two members of the white-supremacist Aryan Brotherhood prison gang were sentenced Wednesday to two consecutive life terms each for orchestrating murders and running drug trafficking operations inside and outside of prison, the U.S. Attorneys Office said.

Ronald Yandell, 62, of Pinole and William Sylvester, 56, of Norco (Riverside County) were convicted by a federal jury on April 30 of charges including conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering and conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin, the U.S. Attorneys Office said. Yandell and Sylvester, both already serving murder sentences, carried out the crimes while they were cellmates at California State Prison Sacramento.

On Aug. 15, 2015, two Sacramento prison inmates murdered Hugo Pinell  an inmate and member of rival gang Black Guerrilla Family  at Yandells command, the U.S. Attorneys Office said. Yandell had offered the inmates membership in the Aryan Brotherhood in exchange for carrying out the killing.

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A year after the murder, federal agents intercepted calls Yandell made using a smuggled cellphone, over which he bragged about ordering the murder and sponsoring the killers as new gang members, the U.S. Attorneys Office said.

Yandell was found guilty of one count of murder in aid of racketeering for Pinells slaying, as well as five counts of conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering for the planned but ultimately thwarted killings of Kenneth Johnson, James Mickey, Paul Diaz, Michael Trippe and Doug Maynard, the U.S. Attorneys Office said.

On Oct. 7, 2001, Sylvester murdered Ronald Richardson, another Sacramento prison inmate who was part of a rival gang, in order to gain membership in the Aryan Brotherhood. Sylvester and another inmate plotted the attack in advance and crafted weapons which they used to stab the victim to death, the U.S. Attorneys Office said.

Sylvester was found guilty of murder in aid of racketeering for Richardsons slaying and conspiracy to conduct the affairs of an enterprise through a pattern of racketeering activity.

Between 2011 and 2016, Yandell and Sylvester oversaw a wide-ranging drug dealing operation from their shared cell, using contraband cellphones to manage the distribution of heroin and methamphetamine, the U.S. Attorneys Office said.

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The hero barber customer who jumped from his chair to save a police officer has spoken for the first time since going viral - and revealed he went straight back after to finish his trim.

Kyle Whiting was halfway through his haircut when he noticed a police officer being attacked by a man at a bus stop across the road.

The 32-year-old had just dropped his partner at Warrington Hospital after she'd injured her foot, and decided to pop to the barbers as they faced a long wait to be seen.

Visiting the Haron Barber's in Cheshire for the first time on Tuesday, Mr Whiting had just sat down in the chair when his hairdresser suddenly stopped cutting his hair.

Looking out the window, he saw a man - in a black jacket and grey hoodie - hit a police officer forcing him to the ground.

Without hesitating he ran out of the shop and across the road with his barber's cape still on to help the fallen officer.

'At this moment I think s*** better go and help him. There's no other officers on the scene,' he told MailOnline.

'So I literally ran out and ran over, dragged him off, pinned him down, and held the back of his arm and put my knee on his back.'

Kyle Whiting was halfway through his haircut when he noticed a police officer being attacked by a man at a bus stop across the road

The 32-year-old had just dropped his partner at Warrington Hospital after injuring her foot and decided to pop to the barbers as they faced a long wait to be seen

Visiting the Haron Barber's in Cheshire for the first time on Tuesday, Mr Whiting had just sat down in the chair when his hairdresser suddenly stopped after seeing the attack

After pulling the aggressor off other witnesses gathered around to help before police back up arrived just after 11.40am.

Another cop from a marked car parked around the corner then ran over before a second squad vehicle pulled up.

The assisting officers then arrested a 50-year-old man and Mr Whiting walked back into the barbers as a hero as he finished getting his haircut.

He then went back into the hospital where the officer he had just saved was sat next to him and his partner also waiting to be checked over.

'Once he was detained, I just went back in for my haircut and then went back into the hospital,' he said.

'And sat right next to us is the police officer that had just been assaulted.

'One of the police officers that was on scene sent me a message through messenger as well to say "thank you so much for your support".

'Everything happens for a reason. I have never been to this barbers before.

Mr Whiting said he came away from the incident unscathed and put his bravery down to the way he was brought up

Looking out the window, Mr Whiting saw a man - in a black jacket and grey hoodie - hit a police officer forcing him to the ground during

Another cop from a marked police car parked around the corner then ran over before a second squad vehicle pulled up

'I spoke to the officer. I double checked he's okay. I think he just had an injured hand from landing on the floor.

'He was very grateful, very thankful.

'It's just all happens so sudden. It was just an instinct.'

Mr Whiting revealed that his sister is a police officer saying that he would want someone to do the same for her if she was in trouble.

'You put yourself self in other people's shoes and if that's your sister, if that's your mum, dad or children, would you want somebody to go and help them?,' he continued.

'If it was my sister alone without another duty officer, I'd want somebody to be there to protect her to prevent her from getting any serious injuries.'

Mr Whiting said he came away from the incident unscathed and put his bravery down to the way he was brought up.

He said: 'I was completely fine, I got the guy from the back and grabbed his arm until other support came.

'I used to play rugby and my dad's a Millwall fan as well. My dad is like a proper geezer's geezer.

'The way I was raised and where I grew up in Kent you learn from a very young age to look after yourself, so to speak.'

Without hesitating he ran out of the shop and across the road with his barber's cape still on to help the fallen officer

A Cheshire Constabulary spokesperson said: 'Officers have thanked a member of the public for his support after an officer was assaulted in Warrington.'

The force confirmed that officer 'has since been passed to the care of health professionals'.

The officer who was attacked is understood to have suffered a broken finger as well as bruised ribs.

UK Cop Humour, which shared the video, joked: 'Not all heroes wear capes...but this one does.

'Can we take a moment to applaud this fella, mid-haircut, but dashing out to aid a copper.

'Not enough people like you around. Kyle was keeping an eye on what was going on outside, because his sister is a police officer.

'Upon seeing the single-crewed officer attacked, he dashed out mid-haircut without a thought for his own safety to assist the officer.'

MailOnline has approached Cheshire Constabulary for an update on the incident.
Kim Jong Un has sent thousands of troops to reinforce the Russian military, including to the Kursk border region, where Ukrainian forces seized territory earlier this year.

But Ukraine's position in the region could soon be in jeopardy due to 'suicidal charges' from North Koreans, after Kyiv already lost roughly 40 per cent of the territory it seized in Kursk, according to the Times.

Drone footage shows the Russian meatgrinder tactic in action, with two dozen North Korean soldiers seen slowly jogging towards the Ukrainian front line in clusters across an open, snow-covered battlefield.

They didn't try to seek cover, which was 'like a dream for our mortars and machinegunners,' Ukrainian veteran Vitaliy, 35, told the Times.

Vitaliy fought in the battle of Bakhmut, which saw waves of Russian murderers and rapists being sent to their deaths as apparent cannon fodder.

'The Wagner group had a simple order: advance or die. It looked like exactly the same thing for the Koreans,' he said.

The Khorne Group - an organisation linked to Kyiv forces in the 116th separate mechanised brigade and 95th air assault brigade -, shared footage showing what appeared to be North Korean soldiers dumbfounded by a Ukrainian FPV drone above them.

Another dark clip showed a line of what were said to be the bodies of soldiers from Pyongyang lying in blood-covered snow alongside slain Russians after their troop was all but wiped out.

The Khorne Group said: 'The long awaited North Koreans. Weakness and bravery are their tactics, their trump card is good fitness.' They were 'applying the same tactics as 70 years ago', Khorne Group added, alluding to the Korean War.

North Korean soldiers are seen in this image shared by Zelensky

The Khorne Group - an organisation linked to Kyiv forces in the 116th separate mechanised brigade and 95th air assault brigade -, shared footage showing what appeared to be North Korean soldiers dumbfounded by a Ukrainian FPV drone above them

A macabre image is believed to include dead North Koreans killed fighting for Russia in Kursk region

Reports say new footage shows North Korean troops on the frontline fighting for Vladimir Putin in Russia's Kursk region, partially occupied by Ukraine

At least 100 North Korean soldiers deployed to support Russia's war effort in Ukraine have been killed since entering combat in December, South Korean lawmakers claimed yesterday.

Ukrainian and South Korean officials say the North Koreans have proven a burden to Russian forces due to their outdated battlefield tactics, while inexperience with drone warfare makes them easy targets for Kyiv's battle-hardened warriors.

It comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared Russian troops were 'burning the faces' of dead North Korean servicemen to conceal their identities, sharing macabre images to illustrate his claim.

Citing a report by South Korea's intelligence services, MP Lee Seong-kweun said yesterday: 'In December, they (North Korean troops) engaged in actual combat, during which at least 100 fatalities occurred.

'The National Intelligence Service also reported that the number of injured is expected to reach nearly 1,000.'

Despite those losses, the agency also said it had detected signs North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was preparing to train a new special operations force to ship westward.

Lee noted that the North's elite Storm Corps - from which the initial deployment was drawn - had 'the capacity to send reinforcements'.

The NIS also predicted 'that Russia might offer reciprocal benefits' for a new deployment, Lee said, including 'modernising North Korea's conventional weaponry'.

Russia burns faces of dead North Korean soldiers to hide losses, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says

North Korean soldiers' faces revealed in first close-up videos as they fight for Putin in the Kursk region on the border with Ukraine

The lawmaker added that 'several North Korean casualties' had already been attributed to Ukrainian missile and drone attacks and training accidents, with the highest ranking 'at least at the level of a general'.

The NIS said the high number of casualties could be attributed to the 'unfamiliar battlefield environment, where North Korean forces are being utilised as expendable frontline assault units, and their lack of capability to counter drone attacks,' said Lee.

'Within the Russian military, complaints have reportedly surfaced that the North Korean troops, due to their lack of knowledge about drones, are more of a burden than an asset.'

Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Centre for Countering Disinformation in Kyiv, said: 'The Russians' tactics in the Kursk direction are as follows - North Korean soldiers are being accumulated in the woodland and driven to storm narrow sections in several directions at the same time. Their losses are significant.'

Meanwhile, Zelensky claimed to have evidence of Russian soldiers masking and even burning the faces of dead North Korean troops to conceal their identities.

In one piece of footage shared on the Telegram messaging app, a North Korean soldier appeared to wave to camera as a Russian voice said: 'Tell him to put on a mask put on a mask.'

He shared images of a Russian soldier leaning over a body and setting it alight, with flames seen licking up from the corpse's head.

Zelensky said: 'Russia is not only involving North Korean soldiers in assaults on Ukrainian positions, but also trying to hide the losses of these people.

North Koreans were fighting with severely outdated tactics according to analysts and officials

A macabre image is believed to include dead North Koreans killed fighting for Russia in Kursk region

A North Korean soldier is seen hiding from a Ukrainian drone

'There were attempts to keep the presence of soldiers from North Korea a secret.

'While they were being trained, they were even forbidden to show their faces. The Russian military tried to delete any video evidence of their presence.

'And now, after the battles with our guys, the Russians are also trying to literally burn the faces of the killed North Korean soldiers.

'This is a demonstration of the contempt that now reigns in Russia  contempt for everything human. There is no reason for Koreans to fight and die for Putin.

'This madness must be stopped  stopped with a reliable and lasting peace and Russia's responsibility for this cynical war,' he concluded.

Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky previously said North Korean troops had been at the heart of an 'intensive offensive' in Kursk.

North Korea and Russia have strengthened their military ties since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

A landmark defence pact between Pyongyang and Moscow signed in June came into force earlier this month.

Experts say North Korea's Kim is keen to acquire advanced technology from Russia and battle experience for his troops.

Pyongyang on Thursday lashed out at what it called 'reckless provocation' by the United States and its allies for a joint statement criticising North Korea's support for Russia's war in Ukraine, including the deployment of troops.

A foreign ministry spokesman said the 10 nations and the European Union (EU) were 'distorting and slandering' Pyongyang's 'normal cooperative' ties with Moscow, according to state media.
A convicted double-killer who brutally murdered a kindly pensioner after being released on licence from his original sentence is set to die in jail.

High on drink and drugs, Brian Whitelock inflicted such a horrific assault on his latest victim Wendy Buckney, 71, that a pathologist found her injuries were too many to count.

Today, the 57-year-old received a rare whole-life order from a judge at Swansea Crown Court after jurors convicted him of Ms Buckney's murder following a trial last month.

Whitelock murdered and sexually assaulted Ms Buckney in August 2002.

The retired riding school owner, who believed in 'second chances', had offered him odd jobs and food after he moved to her village following his release on life licence from his original jail term  against the advice of her family.

Whitelock was previously handed a life sentence with a minimum jail term of 18 years for murdering Nicky Morgan, 27, who he battered to death with a hammer in 2000.

He was also convicted of the manslaughter of his own brother Glen, 35, who died in a house fire started by Whitelock to cover his tracks after killing Mr Morgan following a row.

Sentencing today, Mr Justice Griffiths told Whitelock: 'Every murder is a tragedy but the murder of Wendy Buckley was particularly senseless.

'She was over 70, a pensioner with mobility issues who knew you had been in prison but she told people that: 'everyone deserves a second chance'.'

Brian Whitelock, 57, was told today he will die in jail and family members of three of his victims applauded the decision

Wendy Buckney, 71, was 'brutally' killed in a horrific attack using a knife, table leg, and wooden shelf

He told Whitelock: 'You brutally murdered her anyway, you killed her for your own pleasure while high on a combination of street valium and drink.

'You were hell bent on consuming drugs and alcohol knowing full well the effect that had on you.

'You inflicted a frenzy of violence on her which caused her to die a brutal, terrifying death. There were too many injuries to count.

'The seriousness of the offence is exceptionally vile.'

The judge said the aggravating features were 'sustained, exceptionally cruel and sadistic violence, the use of a knife, sexual assault, degradation of her body, voluntary intoxication and the fact that Mrs Buckney was a vulnerable pensioner.'

Whitelock pulled out the power line to the video link disconnecting himself from the proceedings just seconds before the judge gave his sentence. The judge directed he be informed of the decision by prison staff.

He said: 'I sentence you to imprisonment for life. This is the case of the most extreme gravity, the seriousness of this murder requires you to be kept in prison for the rest of your life. You will never be considered for parole.'

Jurors in Whitelock's trial last month heard he moved in opposite Ms Buckney in the village of Clydach, near Swansea, and she wanted to help him get his life back on track.

She would employ him to do odd jobs in her home, insisting to her sceptical sister Ann that 'everyone deserves a second chance'.

But in August 2022, Ms Buckney was murdered by Whitelock in a horrific attack  with her attacker inflicting a catalogue of injuries using a knife, table leg and wooden shelf as well as sexually assaulting her.

Whitelock was seen the following morning by neighbours leaving Ms Buckney's home in the village of Clydach, six miles from Swansea city centre, wearing only inside-out boxer shorts and covered in blood. He told horrified locals: 'I've killed Wendy. I don't know why, she was good to me.'

A post-mortem examination found that 'vulnerable' Ms Buckney, who suffered from mobility issues, had 'too many' stab wounds and blunt force injuries for pathologists to count after the horror attack. Prosecutor Christopher Rees KC told Swansea Crown Court Ms Buckney 'must have suffered greatly'.

Footage of the arrest shows Whitelock tell police 'wait till you turn her over' and 'I'm so sorry like, for her like, for Wendy' as he is put in handcuffs and escorted into a police vehicle

Brian Whitelock, 57, was found guilty after a jury took just 27 minutes to decide he murdered retired generous riding school owner Wendy Buckney, 71

Wendy Buckney pictured before the attack. She was killed with a kitchen knife, broken table leg and and wooden shelving during a sustained assault in her own home

Whitelock was seen leaving Ms Buckney's home wearing only inside-out boxer shorts and covered in blood

Police officers are given flowers to leave at the scene amid investigations into the tragic incident in Wales

Police sealed off the area on August 23, 2022, while forensic officers examined the crime scene in the search for evidence

The prosecutor called Whitelock 'a man with a long-standing drug problem and significantly with a history of violence and of trying to divert blame and responsibility for his actions'.

In the days following his arrest, Whitelock changed his story to say he had found Ms Buckney injured and had gone to help her and had seen 'shadowy figures' outside her flat - adding: 'I'm not doing another life sentence.'

Mr Rees said Ms Buckney had no children but was well-loved by her 16 nieces and nephews and two adult step-children, having taught hundreds of children how to ride.

She had given Whitelock work despite being warned against it by her family.

Whitelock conducted his own defence, in which he bizarrely claimed he had suffered two significant head injuries which had affected his behaviour  even though the prosecution said there was no evidence he had suffered such injuries.

When jurors returned a guilty verdict after just 27 minutes' deliberations, he ranted: 'I hope you all suffer a brain injury, I hope you all suffer a brain injury. I hope you all suffer what I went through. You are all bang out of order.'

Locals left flowers at the scene where Wendy Buckney-Morgan, 71, was found dead on August 23, 2022.

A postmortem examination found 'vulnerable' Ms Buckney had 'too many' injuries for pathologists to count and flesh from her body was found on the walls and ceiling after the horror attack

Whitelock was also found guilty of the manslaughter of his own brother Glenn (pictured) in a fire as he tried to destroy the evidence of the killing

Whitelock was convicted of murdering friend Nicky Morgan (pictured), 27, after battering him to death with a hammer

Speaking after the verdict, Ms Buckney's sister Ann, accompanied by other family members, said: 'We are grateful that the truth has been heard. Wendy was a very much loved, sister and aunty whose kindness, laughter, and spirit touched the lives of so many. Our lives will never be the same without her'.

Detective Chief Inspector Matt Davies, of South Wales Police, said 'defenceless' Ms Buckney was the victim of a 'senseless murder'.

Meanwhile, relatives of his first victim, Nicky Morgan, who Whitelock battered to death with a hammer, told how they warned probation officials he was likely to kill again  three years before Ms Buckney's murder.

Mel Huxley said she had objected to Whitelock being freed in 2019 after he broke terms when placed in an open prison the previous year, which included drinking and being in an 'altercation' with a shop security guard.

When his release was again considered in 2019, she said: 'My last words to the parole board were that I will categorically, 100 per cent, guarantee that he'll murder again, and that we will back here. And we were.'

A later review found 'the likelihood of him committing further harm was assessed as low' unless he relapsed into alcohol and drug misuse and he was released in November 2019.

Asked for her reaction to hearing Whitelock had killed for a third time, Mrs Huxley added: 'I thought 'I told you so'.
Swedish rapper Gaboro has been shot dead in a car park as his killer filmed the execution - just six months after award-winning rapper C.Gambino was also killed in a car park.

A disturbing video allegedly showing the murder of 24-year-old Gaboro, whose real name was Ninos Khouri, is circulating on social media.

Footage which was filmed by the gunman appears to show him ruthlessly shoot his target over and over again as Gaboro tried to get away.

Police were informed of a shooting in a parking lot in central Norrkoping at around 8pm last night.

Once they arrived at the scene, police found Gaboro with gunshot wounds.

He was rushed to hospital but died from his injuries.

According to officers, no arrests have been made yet and the search for the killer continues.

According to local outlet Expressen, Gaboro had been convicted of minor drug offences and had links to a gang.

The Swedish rapper died from his injuries

Rapper Gaboro tragically died Thursday evening after being shot in the Swedish city of Norrkoping

Swedish rapper C.Gambino was shot dead back in June in a garage in Gothenburg

The rapper's death comes just a few months after award-winning Swedish masked rapper C.Gambino was shot dead in a car park ambush.

The 26-year-old, whose real name was Karar Ramadan, was one of Sweden's biggest rap stars and had been named rapper of the year a month before his death.

The artist had parked his car at a garage in Gothenburg on June 4, where one or more attackers were lying in wait, according to police.

He was shot and hit by multiple bullets, investigators said, with pictures from the scene showing a spray of bullet holes in a glass door.

Police said the killing was 'linked to a gang conflict' and that C.Gambino was 'known to police'.

Sweden had the EU's highest rate of deadly gun violence per capita last year.

With two weeks left of this year, 40 people have been shot dead in Sweden - a chilling number for a European country of only 10 million people.

A disturbing video, which was allegedly filmed by the gunman, has been circulating online

According to local police, no arrests have been made yet and the search for a perpetrator continues

That still represents a 35% decrease compared to 2022, the most lethal year of the gang wars, when 63 people were shot dead.

Meanwhile, shootings have decreased by a third to 262 in 2024 from 390 in 2022, police data showed.

There were tentative signs of improvement in 2023, but the sustained decline is giving police confidence they may finally be turning the corner.

Police say gangs have begun using social media platforms as 'digital marketplaces' to openly recruit children, some as young as 11, to commit murders and bombings across the Nordic region.

The parking garage where the rapper was killed in central Norrkoping, Sweden on Thursday evening, 19th December 2024

Flowers are left in the garage where Gaboro tragically died

Inexperienced teenagers, seen as expendable by the gangs, are easier for police to catch than those ordering the shootings.

Still, 72% of deadly shootings were solved in 2023, compared to just 29% in 2022, helped in part by surging camera surveillance.

Police aim to employ 2,500 cameras and drones this year, a five-fold increase from five years ago.
A furious 'Nazi' row that erupted between councillors was sparked after one of the men used the phrase 'Sieg Heil' at a previous meeting and was also pictured in German uniform.

Riot police were called to Oldham council offices this week after a heated debate about the green belt ended with the elected officials allegedly squaring up to each other.

The meeting boiled over when Lewis Quigg, the deputy leader of Oldham Conservatives, was heard calling the Labour council leader a 'dictator.'

He was then heard shouting over Independent Marc Hince as he gave he addressed the meeting. Video footage then showed Hince turning around to somebody behind him and shouting 'take that back now!' before later telling councillors 'I will not be called a Nazi.'

The argument prompted a 90-minute pause in proceedings, when police were called. It was reported later that Cllr Graham Sheldon, the Oldham Conservative leader, and Cllr Quigg argued and squared up to each other during the break, although the latter denies any physical confrontation.

The source of the row stemmed from when Councillor Marc Hince had to previously apologise for wearing a Nazi uniform with three Swastikas and an Iron Cross on it for a WW2-themed party celebrating the film Yanks starring Richard Gere and Lisa Eichhorn.

Speaking to MailOnline today, Cllr Hince said that 'to the best of my knowledge' it was the only time he had worn a Nazi uniform or memorabilia.

Although he also said the Nazi phrase 'Sieg Heil' ('Hail Victory') during a parish council meeting in May this year, Cllr Hince said this was in response to another councillor who he claimed was making Nazi salutes in his direction.

This is image of Councillor Marc Hince in a Nazi uniform that sparked mayhem at a council meeting in Oldham this week

Hince (third from right in pale yellow shirt) said 'Sieg Heil' during this parish council meeting in May. He claimed he used the phrase when asking the councillor in purple (far left) if he was making Nazi salutes

A riot van arrived outside the meeting in Oldham on Wednesday after the 'explosive' row

He told MailOnline: 'I am not a Nazi and therefore do not subscribe in any associated beliefs [or] doctrines.

'It is clear all this is just an attempt at misrepresentation by politically motivated mischief makers.'

Addressing his 'Sieg Heil' comment, he said: 'I am actually challenging a fellow councillor, Louie Hamblett, who appears to making Nazi salutes in my direction when voting.

'[It is] part of the ongoing smear campaign against me.

'You can clearly hear me say ''Sieg Heil, is that what you mean Louie'' as I challenged him.

All this stemmed from after the local elections in May when the council fell into [No Overall Control] and we would not support a Lib Dem/Conservative coalition.'

He added: 'When I said ''Sieg Heil'', I wasn't making a statement, I was asking a question to a fellow councillor.'

Speaking about the time he wore a Nazi uniform, he said: 'This was over 12 years ago.

'The party I attended was in fact a well publicised WW2 event called Yanks Weekend in Saddleworth where unsurprisingly there were countless others dressed in both Allied and Axis uniforms.

'Unfortunately WW2 German decorations and uniforms carry the swastika.

A council meeting descended into chaos after one councillor called another 'a Nazi'. Pictured: Cllr Marc Hince

Councillors were debating the town's participation in Greater Manchester's controversial joint housing and business development plan. Pictured: Cllr Lewis Quigg

'This was many years before I stood for public office and in no way reflects my personal or political views.

'The uniform was lent to me by a friend who attended many WW2 events.'

The heated row broke out during a debate about a 'controversial' Places for Everyone housing scheme.

After insults of 'dictator' and 'Nazi sympathiser' were hurled, the meeting was aborted and a riot van turned up outside the council building in Greater Manchester.

Footage showed Oldham Mayor Zahid Chauhan calling for calm before the councillors shouted at each other in chaotic scenes.

Shouts of 'take that back' and 'we all heard what he said' can be heard in the chamber before the meeting was paused for nearly two hours.

In a public statement after the meeting, Hince added: 'I believe politics is the problem not the solution and tonight's meeting went a long way to proving that.

'I understand as an elected councillor, not everyone will agree with the decisions I make. However, I make these decisions with [integrity] and respect those who disagree. I have always tried to engage where possible with people with opposing viewpoints.

'I could never have envisaged or prepared for the level of personal abuse I have received, particularly online and the attempts to smear me as an individual.

'In particular characterising me as a Nazi on the basis I attended a well-known local WW2 event dressed as a German soldier over 12 years ago.

'This abuse has affected not just my professional career, but also my personal life, with both myself and my wife being abused in public and online.

'This has also had a significant impact on my health, due to the stress this has caused me and my family.

'As a public figure, I expect some level of abuse from those unwilling to engage and resort to name calling.

'However, I do not expect the same level of abuse from fellow councillors.

'During [Wednesday's] council meeting a Conservative member called me a Nazi on two occasions, without any reason or provocation.

'[It is] something I find deeply offensive and absolutely uncalled for. Naturally, I challenged the individual vociferously.

'However, I reflected on my actions and apologised unreservedly to all elected members and the chamber as a whole.

'Unfortunately, both this councillor and another Conservative Councillor who had been verbally abusive to a council officer refused a request from both the Mayor and their Conservative Group Leader to apologise, leading to the meeting being adjourned.

'More alarming[ly], during the adjournment one of the Councillors in question seemed to verbally [threaten and abuse the Conservative Group Leader.

'Despite several attempts to pacify both councillors after the recess, they continued with their disruptive behaviour.

On Wednesday, councillors complained that Housing Secretary Angela Rayner (pictured) had not yet been informed of Oldham's 'revocation' of the scheme

'With one of the Councillors after announcing his resignation from the Conservative Party, taking it then upon himself to sack on the spot his former Group Leader without any process and announcing he had withdrawn the Conservative Group Leaders Party membership.

'Ironically these are the actions of someone who refers to me as a Nazi!

'Because of the appalling actions of these two Councillors the council meeting was effectively abandoned, meaning important issues such as the protection of our green belt could not be resolved.

'I hope both Councillors reflect on their behaviour and actions and act accordingly.

'I would like to thank the Mayor, and Group Leaders Cllr Shah, Cllr Sykes, Cllr Sheldon, Cllr Gafoor and Cllr Hobin for their support and condemnation of abuse laid against me.'

Shelley Kipling, Acting Chief Executive of Oldham Council, said: 'Unfortunately, police had to be called to the council chamber.

'The meeting was adjourned. We will be in touch with group leaders over the coming days to reschedule the meeting.'

A spokeswoman for Greater Manchester Police said: 'Officers responded to reports of a disturbance from a member of the public at Oldham Civic Centre on West Street at around 5.30pm [on December 18].

'Police are currently investigating reports of racially aggravated public order and enquiries into this remain ongoing.'

Oldham is expected to build 11,560 homes by 2039 after agreeing - alongside the majority of councils in the Greater Manchester combined authority - to allocate land for 115,000 new homes.

However, after Labour lost its ruling majority in the local elections, opposition members voted in favour of the the authority asking to leave the deal.

On Wednesday, councillors complained that Housing Secretary Angela Rayner had not yet been informed of Oldham's 'revocation' of the scheme.

Earlier this year, Labour was accused of 'totally misleading' the public after it emerged that unspoilt green belt land could be flattened to meet its ambitious house building targets.

The government announced in July - almost immediately after coming to power - that it plans to build 1.5 million new homes in the next five years.

Ministers admitted some land in the official green belt land would have to be built on, but said this would only be so-called 'grey belt' areas.

This is plots that were previously built on with uses such as petrol stations and car parks.

However an analysis of the proposed national planning policy framework (NPPF) shows that councils will have to free up other land if they do not have enough unused brownfield and 'grey belt' sites.
Gail's plans to open up to 40 more stores next year and hire another 1,000 staff as the bakery firm presses on with expansion plans despite bitter 'gentrification' rows.

The upmarket chain has enjoyed rampant growth over the past three years and is now valued at an estimated 500million - more than double the 200million in 2021.

Gail's has also expanded from 70 bakeries to 150 over the same time period, having only opened its first site less than two decades ago in London's Hampstead in 2005.

The chain's chief executive and co-founder Tom Molnar has revealed he is targeting 300million in sales next year amid plans to open another 30 to 40 bakeries in 2025.

Gail's believes it has benefited from the high street crisis of empty stores, taking on sites with favourable deals from landlords desperate for rent income after a closure.

Now, it has also opened its first outlets at major travel hubs - first at London St Pancras train station on December 12 and then at London Bridge station today.

The site at St Pancras was described by the bakery chain's property director Brett Parker this week as being 'designed to reflect the warmth and generosity of Gail's in a slightly more formal way than is perhaps seen in their London village bakeries'.

He added that it was a 'cross between a business lounge and a bakery' and has a 'creative acknowledgement' of New York's iconic Grand Central railway station.

Gail's bakery opens its new outlet at Walthamstow Village in East London on October 3

Customers visit the Walthamstow Village branch of Gail's after it opened following a backlash

Gail's chief executive and co-founder Tom Molnar is targeting 300million in sales next year

It comes after Gail's opened its 150th UK site on October 24 in Watford town centre -almost exactly two years after reaching a 100-store milestone on October 27, 2022.

Mr Molnar told The Sunday Times last month that Gail's had benefited from the crisis on high streets, which saw net store closures of 11 shops a day in 2023.

The 58-year-old said: 'There are lots of empty sites on the high street. You get really attractive deals (from landlords). That's been really fundamental to us.

'The first day we opened in Cobham, I sat down having a coffee next to this older gentleman. He said: 'You know what this place was before it was a bank? It was a bakery'.

'So it was a bakery built to be a bakery. Then it became a bank. And now it's back to being a bakery again.'

But Mr Molnar also admitted that prices will have to go up because of Chancellor Rachel Reeves's Budget that will cost Gail's up to 2billion, due to changes to national insurance contributions, the minimum wage and business rates relief.

Gail's pro-Brexit and anti-lockdown chairman Luke Johnson is pictured at the Soho branch

Gail's has only seen rapid expansion in recent years since the pandemic as it began pushing its model of upmarket coffee and bakery products to Britons whose savings had grown during successive lockdowns.

Luke Johnson: Oxford medical student who made millions in pizza Gail's chairman Luke Johnson began his career at 18 when he organised parties as an Oxford medical student. The entrepreneur worked at TV-AM as an assistant to former Conservative MP Jonathan Aitken, who was an investor in the broadcaster, and was also an analyst at investment bank Kleinwort Benson. But he made his fortune with Pizza Express after buying it with fellow medic Hugh Osmond for 8million in 1983. It grew from 12 outlets to more than 200 and the pair then floated it on the stock exchange 10 years later. He also co-founded investment firm Intrinsic Value in 1999, and invested in businesses such as Belgo Group, which owned The Ivy and Le Caprice. Mr Johnson set up Risk Capital Partners in 2001 which owns stakes in a range of businesses including Brighton Pier Group and Gail's. He also became the youngest ever chairman of Channel 4 in 2004 and donated money towards the Brexit campaign before the EU referendum. Mr Johnson spoke out against pandemic restrictions, saying in October 2020 that the country could not afford another lockdown. And in a column for The Sunday Times in 2019, he said he worried that 'climate alarmists are unduly pessimistic and anti-business, and that global warming is used by some as a convenient stick with which to beat capitalism for purely political reasons'. Advertisement

The chain has become hugely popular with middle-class customers around London and has also expanded into towns and cities across South East England and beyond in recent years.

Its bread is made daily in one of five large bakeries at Hendon in North London, Milton Keynes, St Albans, Manchester and Bath - and then distributed across its network with deliveries between 4am and 6am.

But the chain has also faced a 'gentrification' backlash in some areas when trying to open new stores - most notably in Walthamstow Village in East London, where residents launched concerns it would put other local shops out of business.

Hundreds of people signed a petition against a new branch there, in the name of 'protecting the unique identity of our community and safeguarding the soul of a beloved neighbourhood'.

Residents told MailOnline at the time that the Gail's branch was the 'ultimate sign of gentrification' and would see independent coffee shops lose trade.

Some business owners even claimed local resistance is down to the firm's pro-Brexit and anti-lockdown chairman Luke Johnson, who has called some eco activists 'alarmists'.

There was an apparent feeling that Mr Johnson did not align with the politics of the area, which backed Remain in 2016 and has had a Labour MP for more than 30 years.

People in the area claimed the plans were 'not great for coolness factor' and the chain was 'probably out of reach price-rise for a lot of the community'.

Others pointed out that while they liked Gail's and had visited other branches, they did not agree with it coming to Walthamstow and would instead support local firms.'

However, the Walthamstow branch eventually opened on October 3.

During this year's General Election campaign, the Liberal Democrats targeted constituencies where there are Gail's outlets - believing there were Conservative voters who could be prepared to swing - in a scheme launched by Sir Ed Davey and dubbed 'Operation Cinnamon Bun'.

Objections were then again raised last month when Gail's confirmed it was opening in Primrose Hill next year, amid concerns the picturesque shopping hub could be 'steamrollered' by a new outlet there.

Gail's has faced a 'gentrification' backlash in some areas when trying to open new stores - most notably in Walthamstow Village in East London, pictured on its opening day in October

Baristas serve drinks to customers at the branch of Gail's at Walthamstow Village in October

Taking over from an independent delicatessen, which was forced to close due to entering liquidation, the company will now have three outlets within a ten-minute walk from each other - the other two being in Camden Market and Parkway.

Community campaigner Phil Cowan told the Camden New Journal: 'The proposed store will represent yet another rung on the ladder towards identikit retail environments, which is both sad and ironic considering that people so enthusiastically celebrate Primrose Hill just as it is  a proudly independent village.'

Outside of London, Worthing locals also attempted to stop the opening of the chain in their seaside West Sussex town in August, but were unsuccessful and it opened on September 19.

The Worthing Society, which aims to 'preserve' and 'safeguard' the town's heritage, had expressed concerns the bakery's aesthetic might not harmonise with the historic street where it was opened.

The arrival of a Gail's in a town is however claimed to be a boost for property prices and a strong indicator that an area is on the up.

Customers stand in line as they visit the Gail's branch in Walthamstow Village in October

And Mr Molnar previously told the Mail that it was a huge compliment that people ask him for a Gail's in their locality.

Last month Gail's parent company, Bread Holdings, hired Goldman Sachs to prepare an auction amid speculation it could be valued as high as 500million.

Bloomberg then reported last week that food investment firm McWin Capital Partners was in talks to buy the chain to pre-empt a sale process.

McWin - already a backer of the parent company - already owns exclusive franchise agreements for Subway and Popeyes in some European countries.

Retail expert Jonathan De Mello, founder and chief executive of JDM Retail, told MailOnline: 'Gail's are a great British success story, and continue to motor ahead with their expansion plans across the UK; seeking new avenues for expansion given their increased presence on the high street.

'This is exemplified by their recent push into transport hubs; which makes eminent sense given the nature of their product  and I expect them to open in lots more transport hubs in London and beyond over the next couple of years.

'Gail's products have proved very popular with a broad customer base seeking quality  the queues out the door of various branches illustrate this, and the potential scope for them to expand further.

'As they expand, they must be mindful of potential cannibalisation of sales of existing outlets  but so far, there is clearly a lot of demand and still limited supply. Opening up in new types of locations like transport hubs enables them to tap into a new customer base - and is a smart move.'
A knife rampage at a primary school has left a seven-year-old girl dead, a teacher in life-threatening condition and six others wounded.

Police said the attack happened at 9.50am at the Precko Elementary School in the neighbourhood of the same name in Zagreb, Croatia, on Friday.

State HRT television said the attacker entered the school and attacked the children and the teacher in the hallway with a sharp object.

Police described the attacker as a 'young male' and he was later confirmed to be 19 years old. He was identified by local media as a former student of the school and was detained by police.

Following the attack, the suspect fled and hid at a nearby healthcare centre, where he tried to commit suicide with a knife and was apprehended by police, the minister added.

The suspect has a record of mental disorders and a year ago attempted suicide, said Bozinovic. The 19-year-old was injured during his suicide attempt.

The teacher and five pupils wounded in the attack have been taking to hospital.

The seven-year-old girl succumbed to her injuries this morning, while the teacher suffered life-threatening injuries, police said.

Police officers stand, following a knife attack in a primary school, in Zagreb, Croatia, December 20, 2024

Video footage published by Croatian media showed children running away from the school building and a medical helicopter landing in the schoolyard

Video footage published by Croatian media showed children running away from the school building and a medical helicopter landing in the schoolyard.

Parents and pupils voiced shock and anger and police sealed off the Precko primary school after the attack, thought to be the first such school atrocity of its kind in Croatia.

Parents quoted by state-run broadcaster HRT said pupils had just finished their school breakfast when they saw a young man beating a boy and then panic broke out.

'I heard from my sister that there was no one at the entrance and that the attacker entered, breaking into a first-grade classroom and then into a fifth-grade class,' Filip, 14, told AFP outside the school, referring to his sister who was a first-grade pupil.

Filip - who attends the school in the afternoon - said other first graders leaving the scene were 'speechless from shock'.

Others called for more security after the attack.

'We must have fences. Today there is everything, radars, detectors, cameras, analytics, AI... But what do we have? A man enters an open, unprotected school!' parent Marko Sikirica told reporters, looking visibly shaken.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said at the start of the government session that he is 'appalled' by the attack and that authorities are still working to determine exactly what happened.

People stand near an ambulance, following a knife attack in a primary school, in Zagreb, Croatia, December 20, 2024

'We are shocked, as is the entire Croatian public, with the horrible tragedy at the primary school,' Mr Plenkovic said.

Mr Plenkovic said several children have been taken to four hospitals in Zagreb.

Zagreb mayor Tomislav Tomasevic, Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic and Education Minister Radovan Fuchs rushed to the school following the attack.

Around midday, about a dozen police cars with their lights on were parked in front the school, according to an AFP reporter.

The area was sealed off and forensic experts dressed in white overalls were collecting evidence from the school yard.

Fatal attacks on the public are rare in Croatia.

In July, a gunman killed six people at a nursing home in eastern Croatia's Daruvar in an attack that horrified the Balkan country.

Last year neighbouring Serbia was rocked by back-to-back mass shootings, including a massacre at a school in the capital in Belgrade in which 10 people were killed.

Croatian authorities said they planned to hold a national day of mourning on Saturday.
Two people have been killed and three others were injured after a train crashed into a tractor-trailer stranded on a crossing in Texas.

A shocking video taken at the incident captured the moment the train slammed into the vehicle.

In the footage the tractor-trailer can be seen on a level crossing seemingly unable to move.

A freight train, travelling at speed, then ploughs into the truck sending debris flying into the air in multiple directions.

Sadly, two employees from Union Pacific - rail freight transportation company - were killed in the crash that occurred at around 5pm on Wednesday in the west Texan city of Pecos.

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.

A shocking video taken at the incident captured the moment the train slammed into the vehicle

Sadly, two employees from Union Pacific - rail freight transportation company - were killed in the crash that occurred at around 5pm on Wednesday in the west Texan city of Pecos

An aerial view of the damage caused by the freight train after it slammed into the tractor trailer at speed

The National Transportation Safety Board sent a team to investigate. It said in a statement Thursday that it doesn't 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 haven't 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 east of El Paso.

Tarango said the cleanup was underway.
This is the shocking moment a Boeing 737 passenger jet overshot the runway and stopped just 15 yards from the sea.

Footage shows flight DY430 approaching the runway in Molde on the northern shore of the Romsdal Peninsula in Norway and veering off it shortly after landing at speed.

The flight made the terrifying landing after setting off from Oslo late yesterday afternoon.

The domestic flight, which takes around 45 minutes, departed an hour late at 6.19pm before skidding off the Molde runway in adverse weather conditions.

The Boeing 737-800 stopped 49 feet short of plunging into the icy sea that surrounds much of the airfield.

The 11-year-old aircraft came to a halt around 492 feet beyond the end of the runway.

Passengers on the Norwegian flight were evacuated via slides as the emergency services raced to the scene.

A spokesperson for the low-cost airline said there were 165 passengers and six crew members onboard the plane at the time.

Footage shows flight DY430 approaching the runway in Molde on the northern shore of the Romsdal Peninsula in Norway and veering off it shortly after landing at speed

Passengers on a Boeing 737 were left terrified after the plane overshot the runway and stopped just 15 yards from the sea

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Authorities are looking into what caused the plane to overshoot the runway.

The Norwegian spokesperson said there was a lot of strong wind and that the runway was slippery from the freezing temperatures.

The country's airport operator Avinor and the local police said it was too early to speculate on the runway's condition, but confirmed strong gusts had been reported in the region.

Several passengers noticed that the plane had landed further along the runway than normal, adding that some people were visibly anxious about it.

They were taken into the airport terminal where they answered questions by accident investigators.

Avinor, the emergency services, and the municipality's crisis team all provided assistance at the scene.

Molde Airport temporarily closed the runway and suspended all flight operations.

The Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority is assessing the situation.
In this image taken from body camera video, Alameda police officers attempt to take 26-year-old Mario Gonzalez into custody April 19, 2021, an encounter that ended in Gonzalezs death. Prosecutors dismissed charges against the last officer accused in Gonzalezs death. Alameda Police Department/TNS

Alameda County prosecutors on Friday announced that they had dismissed a charge against an Alameda police officer in the death of Mario Gonzalez, a 26-year-old man who died after being arrested, handcuffed and pinned to the ground in 2021.

Prosecutors said in a statement that Alameda officer Eric McKinley would no longer be prosecuted for involuntary manslaughter after determining that a forensic pathologist hired to perform a second autopsy on Gonzalez made inconsistent statements while under oath about the cause of death.

An Alameda County Superior Court judge dismissed the charges against two other officers involved in Gonzalezs arrest in October.

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Dr. Bennet Omalu was hired by Gonzalezs family as they pursued a civil case against the city of Alameda, its police department and the officers who arrested Gonzalez. While Alameda County medical examiners found that Gonzalez died from the effects of methamphetamine use, Omalu concluded that he died from restraint asphyxiation, prosecutors said. Alameda officials paid the family $11 million to settle the lawsuit.

Alameda County prosecutors said Friday that Omalu filed a court motion seeking to avoid testifying in McKinleys criminal case. In the motion, Omalu signed a declaration under penalty of perjury that was inconsistent with his sworn deposition in the civil case. While he did not change his conclusion about Gonzalezs death, the alleged inconsistences led prosecutors to conclude they could not pursue the charges against McKinley.

The April 2021 encounter between Gonzalez and the officers occurred less than a year after the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis. Former Alameda County District Attorney Nancy OMalley cleared the officers of wrongdoing in 2022, but this year, the office of former District Attorney Pamela Price filed criminal charges against the three officers.

Omalu and representatives from his office could not be immediately reached for comment. Omalu, who has offices in Sacramento and Stockton, has been credited for his research on chronic traumatic encephalopathy in the brains of athletes, though the accuracy of his findings was called into question.

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A Missouri teenage given a light jail sentence after killing three friends by driving drunk when she was 17 is now tampering with her alcohol monitor, prosecutors say.

Hailey Zenk, now 19, was freed on bail again this week despite allegedly violating a key part of the probation she was slapped with after the February 2023 crash in Lincoln County, Missouri.

Zenk took a plea in June over the deaths of William Flickinger, 18, Emily McNees, 17, and Kaeden Tyler, 15, and served just 120 days in jail before being released on probation.

She was back in court this week after the court was alerted to two instances of her tampering with her SCRAM alcohol monitor, and after a judge denied raising her bail she was released on a $20,000 cash-only bond.

She will be back in court in February and may see her lenient probation order upgraded to prison time after tampering with the device.

Douglas Meyer, the stepfather of Kaeden Tyler, condemned Zenk's behavior and said he hopes to see Zenk imprisoned.

'Every single time, theres bad news. Its like opening up another wound,' he told FirstAlert4.

'Maybe wrongs are being righted, and hopefully, the judge will do the right thing and see through all the mistakes shes made since the beginning.'

Upon her release under new conditions this week, Zenk was placed on house arrest and is only allowed to leave for treatment, church or if her probation officer makes an exception.

Hailey Zenk, 19, twice tampered with her alcohol monitor after she was released on probation earlier this year related to a tragic February 2023 drunk driving crash that killed three of her friends

Emily McNee (pictured) was killed in the horror crash in the early hours of the morning, and Zenk was found to have a combination of drugs and alcohol in her system

William Fleckinger (left) and Kaeden Tyler (right) also tragically lost their lives in the crash

The crash that killed Fleckinger, Tyler and McNees unfolded shortly before 4:30am Sunday February 5, 2023, when cops said Zenk was speeding at 81mph in a 35mph zone.

Zenk, who was 17 at the time, lost control of the vehicle and crashed it into a tree, killing her three friends. Zenk and another passenger survived the crash but were hospitalized.

The teen driver was found to have a combination of drugs and alcohol in her system at the time of the crash.

However, the leniency shown to Zenk sparked outrage from the community, as she was allowed to enter an Alford Plea - where she pleaded no contest and did not admit guilt, but acknowledged there was enough evidence to convict her.

She was initially sentenced to 10 years for driving while intoxicated resulting in two or more deaths, seven years for DWI leading to serious injury and seven years each for three counts of involuntary manslaughter, but the judge decided to impose a suspended execution of sentence.

This meant Zenk served just 120 days in St. Charles County jail before she was released on probation - angering the victims' families.

'We are greatly disappointed and outraged. Its just unthinkable that they think 120 days is going to teach her anything because not even killing three people did,' Kaeden Tyler's aunt Jordan Reichert said at the time.

Zenk was hauled back into court this week after tampering with her alcohol monitor, and will be on house arrest under strict limitations until her probation hearing in February

Cops said Zenk was speeding at 81mph in a 35mph zone when she crashed

Families of the victims condemned the lenient sentence Zenk received earlier this year after she served just 120 days in jail, 'one month for every one of those kids she killed'

The family of victim Emily McNees (pictured) said after Zenk was hauled back into court this week: 'She's already got the ultimate second chance, and she ruined it'

Debbie Bogert, the grandmother of the surviving victim Trevor Bogert, added: '120 days? Thats one month for every one of those kids she killed.

'My grandson underwent 19 blood infusions and 11 surgeries and still has more surgeries to undergo in the future. All of the family and friends today got slapped in the face when we heard that sentence. To see the look in my grandsons eyes when he was told what she got, its just unthinkable.'

Despite tearfully apologizing after her sentencing, Zenk went on to tamper with her alcohol monitoring device twice within the first two months of her release.

As she was hauled back in court Thursday, Zenk's attorney requested her bond be reduced to $10,000, but the judge denied the petition.

Victims' families said they were pleased to see the bail was not reduced, but said Zenk's post-trial behavior has disappointed them.

'She's already got the ultimate second chance, and she ruined it,' said Dakota McNees, the aunt of victim Emily McNees.

'Our loved ones didnt get a second chance.'

Zenk is set to be back in court February 7 over the potential revocation of her probation - just two days shy of the two-year anniversary of the crash.
A grieving Uvalde father was tackled by police and pinned to the floor as he was escorted out of a court hearing on the 2022 school shooting.

Brett Cross and his wife Nikki were at the courthouse on Thursday to attend the hearing of former Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Police Chief Pete Arredondo and former UCISD officer Adrian Gonzales, who are accused of child endangerment for their response to the Robb Elementary shooting.

Footage of the incident shows Cross telling officers to 'get the f**k off him' as they lead him out of the courthouse and then pin him to the ground.

His wife then tries to intervene and gets surrounded by cops before she falls backward as four officers continue holding Cross down.

Cross is eventually seen back on his feet, continuing to argue with the cops.

He was the legal guardian of Uziyah 'Uzi' Garcia, one of the 19 children killed in the massacre in Texas.

'We weren't even allowed to make it into the courtroom. My wife and I were assaulted by the sheriff's dept,' Cross later said on X.

'We are currently at the doctors, having our wounds tended to.'

Brett Cross, the guardian of a child killed at the Uvalde school massacre, was pinned down to the floor by police after he was escorted out of a hearing on the 2022 shooting

Cross was the legal guardian of Uziyah 'Uzi' Garcia, one of the 19 children killed in the massacre in Texas

During Thursday's hearing, the judge refused to throw out criminal charges accusing the former Uvalde schools police chief of putting children at risk during the slow response to the school shooting, while a lawyer for his co-defendant said they want to move the upcoming trial out of the small town where the massacre occurred.

Judge Sid Harle rejected Pete Arredondos claim that was he improperly charged and that only the shooter was responsible for putting the victims in danger. Nineteen children and two teachers were killed in the shooting on May 24, 2022.

Harle also set an October 20, 2025, trial date. An attorney for Arredondos co-defendant, former Uvalde schools police officer Adrian Gonzales, said he will ask for the trial to be moved out of Uvalde because his client cannot get a fair trial there. Uvalde County is mostly rural with fewer than 25,000 residents about 85 miles west of San Antonio.

'Everybody knows everybody,' in Uvalde, Gonzales attorney Nico LaHood said.

Both former officers attended the hearing.

Nearly 400 law enforcement agents rushed to the school but waited more than 70 minutes to confront and kill the gunman in a fourth-grade classroom. Arredondo and Gonzales are the only two officers facing charges  a fact that has raised complaints from some victims families.

'We weren't even allowed to make it into the courtroom. My wife and I were assaulted by the sheriff's dept,' Cross later said on X

Former Uvalde school district police chief Pete Arredondo, right, and his attorney Paul Looney walk into the Uvalde County Justice Center

Documents revealed harrowing 911 calls and other police communications from the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting

Both men have pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of abandoning or endangering a child, each of which carry punishment of up to two years in jail. Gonzales has not asked the judge to dismiss his charges.

A federal investigation of the shooting identified Arredondo as the incident commander in charge, although he has argued that state police should have set up a command post outside the school and taken control.

Gonzales was among the first officers to arrive on the scene. He was accused of abandoning his training and not confronting the shooter, even after hearing gunshots as he stood in a hallway.

Arredondo has said he was scapegoated for the halting police response. The indictment alleges he did not follow his active shooter training and made critical decisions that slowed the police response while the gunman was hunting his victims.

It alleges that instead of confronting the gunman immediately, Arredondo caused delays by telling officers to evacuate a hallway to wait for a SWAT team, evacuating students from other areas of the building first, and trying to negotiate with the shooter while victims inside the classroom were wounded and dying.

Arredondos attorneys say the danger that day was not caused by him, but by the shooter. They argued Arredondo was blamed for trying to save the lives of the other children in the building, and have warned that prosecuting him would open many future law enforcement actions to similar charges.

Surveillance videos from the school hallway have shown police officers running away from the classroom

Just before the 18-year-old gunman Salvador Ramos arrived at the school, he shot and wounded his grandmother at her home

'Arredondo did nothing to put those children in the path of a gunman,' said Arredondo attorney Matthew Hefti.

Uvalde County prosecutors told the judge Arredondo acted recklessly.

The massacre at Robb Elementary was one of the worst school shootings in U.S. history, and the law enforcement response has been widely condemned as a massive failure.

Nearly 150 Border Patrol agents, 91 state police officers, as well and school and city police rushed to the campus. While terrified students and teachers called 911 from inside classrooms, dozens of officers stood in the hallway trying to figure out what to do. More than an hour later, a team of officers breached the classroom and killed the gunman.

Within days of the shooting, the focus of the slow response turned on Arredondo, who was described by other responding agencies as the incident commander in charge.

Multiple federal and state investigations have laid bare cascading problems in law enforcement training, communication, leadership and technology, and questioned whether officers prioritized their own lives over those of children and teachers. Several victims or their families have filed multiple state and federal lawsuits.
Luigi Mangione's fans are expressing outrage online that the alleged assassin could face the death penalty after being indicted on federal charges in Manhattan.

The alleged killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was charged Thursday with federal crimes of murder, stalking and weapons violations, escalating the case after his indictment on state charges.

While the death penalty has been outlawed in New York for decades, the federal charges against Mangione, 26, 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. One of these images was even posted near the scene of Thompson's murder.

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.

'They literally wanna kill him for daring to threaten capitalism and corporate greed. They dont even do this to school shooters.'

Another X user added: 'Very few school shooters have gotten the death penalty. Yet the U.S. is trying to charge Luigi Mangione so he gets the death penalty for killing one man. You can kill dozens of kids and get a lesser sentence because their lives dont matter as much as a CEOs. Thats America.'

Fans of Luigi Mangione have expressed outrage online about him possibly facing the death penalty. He is seen arriving in Manhattan on Thursday

Some are pointing out that the government's handling of Mangione, which included a perp walk straight out of a Hollywood film, is only increasing the public's fixation on him.

One X user said: 'luigi stepping out with a fresh cut/shave, possible death penalty charges, and an nypd photoshoot is the craziest thing in the world. are they actively trying to make him a martyr? whether you're for or against him, they're making it SO easy for everyone to lionize him'

Another X user said: 'They are trying to prosecute Luigi Mangione for the Death Penalty and I dont think they realize how idiotic of a decision they are making if they decide to pull through with it. The government is setting itself up for its own demise.'

A reply to that tweet said: 'totally agree , literally setting themselves up to have a martyr for the cause did they never watch hunger games?! he is our mockingjay.'

On Thursday Mangione was taken on a private plane from Pennsylvania to New York after he waived extradition in a hearing in Pennsylvania. Mangione was then switched to a helicopter and flown to downtown Manhattan to be indicted for murder charges. He has since been ordered held in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

The newly unsealed federal indictment against Mangione includes more details of the notes police say they found on his notebook when he was arrested last week - including his desire to 'wack' the CEO of an insurance company.

Mangione repeatedly wrote about his disdain for the health insurance industry and its executives, per prosecutors. In an entry from August 15, Mangione allegedly wrote how 'the details are finally coming together' and that 'the target is insurance' because' it checks every box.'

The NYPD put up a huge show of force as Mangione landed on a Manhattan helipad

On October 22, Mangione allegedly wrote: '1.5 months. This investor conference is a true windfall... and - most importantly - the message becomes self evident.' In the same entry, Mangione describes his intent to 'wack' the CEO of an insurance company.

Mangione appeared in Manhattan court wearing street clothes  a white button-down shirt, navy three-quarter zip pullover and khaki pants. He had no shackles on his hand but there were shackles around his ankles.

He was received at a downtown NYC helipad by dozens of armed NYPD officers as well as mayor Eric Adams and police commissioner Jessica Tisch.

Earlier on Thursday, fans with placards in Pennsylvania flocked to see the alleged killer whose good looks have made him a pin-up for some internet users, outraging many others appalled by Mangione's alleged crimes.

At least two of them were dressed as Luigi from the Super Mario Bros video game.

Several TikTok users shared on the platform that they had driven as much as six hours to attend the court appearance.

Some reportedly flew in from as far as California to support the alleged assassin.

Mangione, center, sits in court reading the federal complaint while wearing orange slip on shoes and his ankles shackled in Manhattan federal court

Mangione is accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson at point-blank range on December 5

Protesters showed up outside the Pennsylvania court to support Mangione on Thursday

The alleged murderer waived a preliminary hearing on the Pennsylvania forgery and gun charges in exchange for the prosecutor giving him a 20-page investigative report from the Altoona Police Department. Mangione also agreed to be extradited to New York.

Earlier this week, he was indicted on charges of murder as an act of terrorism, under a NY state law that allows for stiffer sentences when a killing is aimed at terrifying civilians or influencing government.

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.
Police have launched a homicide investigation after a man was killed, and two others were injured, in a knife fight in Melbourne on Friday night.

The fight occurred at McBurnie Drive, Kurunjang, in Melbourne's north-west, just after 7pm on Friday.

Emergency services were called to the scene following reports a fight had broken out between a group of people.

Officers found three men injured at the scene, however despite the best efforts of paramedics, one victim was declared dead.

The two others were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

A crime scene has been set up and officers are investigating what may have caused the incident.

'At this early stage in the investigation, its believed the parties involved in the brawl were known to each other,' Victoria Police said in a statement.

No one has been arrested.

Officers found three men injured at the scene, however one victim was declared dead despite the efforts of paramedics to revive him (pictured stock image)

Police have cordoned off the area.

The street is expected to be blocked off well into Saturday morning.

Anyone who witnessed the incident, has dash cam or CCTV footage or information has been urged to contacted Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Irish teacher Enoch Burke, who was jailed for a third time in September after he was involved in a transgender row over him refusing to 'call a boy a girl', has been released from prison after his punishment was deemed to be ineffective.

The Evangelical Christian had been jailed for contempt of court in September after defying a High Court injunction banning him from the grounds of Wilson's Hospital School in County Westmeath, Ireland.

But Mr Burke has now been released after Justice David Nolan ruled that jailing him for contempt did not have the 'coercive effect desired', the Irish Independent reports.

Instead of imprisonment, Mr Burke will now receive a daily fine of 1,400 (1,100) for each day he defies the order to stay away from the school grounds.

A similar 700 (550) daily fine imposed on Mr Burke last year proved ineffective, as the teacher never paid the fines and lawyers for the school voiced concerns that there was no mechanism to collect the unpaid fines amounting to 193,000.

The judge said if Mr Burke breaches the injunction again once the school reopens in January, the Attorney General and the Department of Finance should come before the court to determine a mechanism to use his salary to directly pay the fine.

Mr Burke became caught up in a transgender row in May 2022, when he told his headteacher that he 'opposed transgenderism' due to his religious beliefs.

He stated that he would not address a student, who was transitioning, by their new name and with 'they' pronouns and publicly criticised the school's 'demand' that he use the student's chosen pronouns.

Mr Burke leaves court in June 2024 with members of his family after his release from prison

Mr Burke was seen engaging in a lengthy conversation with gardai outside the school gates before he was arrested in September

Former History and German teacher Enoch Burke seen outside Wilson's Hospital School in January 2023, violating their court order to stay away

During the chaotic hearing this morning, Mr Burke repeatedly talked over Justice David Nolan, who urged him to use the Christmas period to 'reflect on his fruitless campaign'.

When deciding whether to keep Mr Burke in prison, Mr Justice Nolan said he had to consider the burden on the taxpayer, who is footing the bill to keep Mr Burke in jail at a cost of 84,000 a year, according to the Irish Times.

The taxpayer is also still paying Mr Burke's salary of more than 70,000 while he appeals his dismissal from the school.

'It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that Mr Burke is exploiting his imprisonment for his own ends,' the judge reportedly said.

He added that Mr Burke's actions indicate that he sees his continued imprisonment as an advantage.

The judge, who said Mr Burke repeatedly came to court to make 'misguided and ridiculous arguments', said at the hearing: 'It is clear to me he is being persuaded by others that he is best seen as a martyr.'

Mr Burke - who had only been released from prison in June - was sacked from the school for gross misconduct in January 2023.

He was first jailed in September 2022 and spent 100 days in prison before his release.

He was jailed for a second time in September 2023 in which he spent Christmas behind bars before he was released in June this year. He spent a total of 512 days in prison.

Mr Burke is appealing his dismissal from the school. Despite his dismissal, a court heard in February he was still being paid his salary pending his appeal against the school's decision to sack him.

At that time, he had been paid around 72,000 while still on administrative leave.

Mr Burke pictured at Wilson's Hospital School gate in 2023. He has repeatedly defied a High Court injunction banning him from the school's grounds

Irish teacher Enoch Burke has been jailed for a third time after he was arrested outside the school that sacked him for refusing to 'call a boy a girl'. (Mr Burke pictured here arriving at the court of appeal in Dublin in February 2023)

Enoch Burke's mother, father, sister and brother seen protesting outside Ballinrobe Community School in November on the day it was being visited by Norma Foley, the Minister for Education

Justice Michael Quinn said after jailing Mr Burke in September that there was an 'urgent requirement' for him to deal with the difficulties Wilson's Hospital School has been experiencing, due to Mr Burke's continued presence there.

He said Mr Burke was disrupting day-to-day activities and duties performed by teachers and staff in the school.

The history and German teacher refused to give a 'yes' or 'no' answer when asked if he intended to return to the Westmeath school again.

As the order was passed, Mr Burke told Justice Quinn: 'You will answer to God for imprisoning me for my religious beliefs.'

During the September hearing, he and his family protested that the many judges who have dealt with the case had failed to deal with a report made by the then school principal Niamh McShane.

Mr Burke said Ms McShane had claimed he was guilty of gross misconduct due to his refusal to call a transitioning student by a new name and the pronoun 'they'. He said the legality of that demand was never considered by the court.

However, last year, Judge Owens found the school was right to suspend Mr Burke over fears of 'harmful and disruptive conduct'.

He cited Mr Burke's challenge to the principal during a staff meeting, a chapel service and at a dinner.

Enoch Burke being removed by Gardai on January 25 2023 after following a bus through school gates

Wilson's Hospital School in County Westmeath, Ireland. The former teacher took issue with the former headteacher asking staff to refer to a transgender student by their new name and pronouns

Mr Burke insisted after he was jailed in September: 'This court is simply denying me my religious beliefs, and my right to my religious beliefs. I am a Christian. I have Christian beliefs. My belief is male and female, God made them male and female.'

He quoted passages from the Bible, including Genesis and the Gospel of Matthew, and claimed teachers in Ireland were being 'commanded to force transgenderism on students'.

He said this was a 'hellish ideology' which resulted in children taking puberty blockers and being 'scarred for life'.

He said his religious beliefs would not lead children 'down the road of suicide, mutilations, regret' and a breakdown of relationships with their parents.

'I did not force my beliefs on anyone,' he said. 'That belief was forced on me. I was commanded to feed that poison to young people in my care.'
A Texas teacher was killed and five students were injured at a daycare after a parent drove into a fence and crashed into the school.

Alexia Rosales, 22, of San Antonio, passed away with a student cradled in her arms at Excelled Montessori Plus Daycare Preschool in Scenic Oaks on Thursday.

'[She was] protecting the baby,' her mother, Berenice, told DailyMail.com of Alexia, who was trapped underneath the car, while sobbing on Friday. 'You can tell she was a teacher from the heart.

'[The students] love her so much, they always wanted to be around her.'

She and another teacher Alicia, 23, who asked to go by her first name, had taken five or six students outside to play after the holiday performance around 4pm when a mother suffered a medical episode while picking up her kids.

Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said a parent was loading her kids into the vehicle when 'for whatever reason, she accelerated into another car,' he said at a press conference.

'She, in turn, pushed that other car, and then both cars ended up hitting a fence,' he said.

Alexia and at least one of the students were pinned under the car for 'some time,' the sheriff and Alicia said, and the fire department had to use a hydraulic lift to remove the vehicle from the victims.

Alexia Rosales, 22, of San Antonio, passed away with a student cradled in her arms after being trapped underneath a car following a crash at Excelled Montessori Plus Daycare Preschool in Scenic Oaks on Thursday

Rosales' family remember their bright daughter as angelic and someone who loved her job and her students. '[She was] protecting the baby,' her mother, Berenice, told DailyMail.com while sobbing on Friday. 'You can tell she was a teacher from the heart'

Alicia was pinned under the gate and was able to hand some of the children to others.

'We were outside playing with the kids, and next thing I know, I was looking up at the sky,' she recalled. The 'babies were okay,' she said.

Police do not believe the driver was under the influence and she does have past medical conditions that 'may have contributed to this,' according to Salazar.

'At this point we don't believe it has anything to do with intoxication or any sort of criminality,' he said.

A school spokesperson told KSAT 12 that the mother suffered a medical episode and hit the gas while in reverse, causing her to plow into the other car and into the fence.

Salazar does not expect criminal charges to be filed against the driver.

The five students, Alexia, and Alicia were taken to the hospital with 'various level of injuries,' Salazar said.

Alicia, who was not trapped under the car, told DailyMail.com that she had to receive 12 stitches on her forehead where she had a gash so deep it went 'all the way to the skull.'

The Rosales family told DailyMail.com that they have not been allowed to see their daughter's body since her death yesterday.

'They didn't let me see her,' Berenice recalled. She and her husband, Carlos, went to the hospital to identify her, but they claimed they were turned away.

'I don't even know if it's her,' Berenice sobbed. 'How do I know if it's her?

'Why don't they let us identify her as her parents?'

She and another teacher, who was not identified, had taken five or six students outside to play after the holiday performance around 4pm when a mother suffered a medical episode while picking up her kids

The driver backed into another car and both hit a fence, pinning Alexia and the others under the vehicle

A school spokesperson told KSAT 12 that the mother suffered a medical episode and hit the gas while in reverse, causing her to plow into the other car and into the fence

Salazar does not expect criminal charges to be filed against the driver

Berenice and Carlos said they were told they could not see Alexia's body until it arrived at a funeral home.

The Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office told DailyMail.com on Friday that an autopsy has not been completed yet and said it was procedure not to allow loved ones to see the bodies.

'It's our procedure, they can't see them in our facility,' a spokesperson said over the phone.

Bexar County Sheriff Deputy Johnny C. Garcia told DailyMail.com that the investigations department 'does not have any holds preventing the family from viewing the decedent involved in the crash.'

Assistant Public Information Officer for the County Manager, Isaac Neri, told DailyMail.com they could not comment on why the family was not allowed to see their daughter, but said: 'The body was visually identified on site by the school owner.

'Once the medical examiners office concludes the investigation, the body can be released for funeral arrangements.'

Rosales' family remember their bright daughter as angelic and someone who loved her job and her students.

'She was an angel, she never gave me any problems,' her mother said. 'All she did was study and work... She was born to be a teacher.'

Despite her family's worries she wouldn't get paid enough working in education, she continued forward with her students.

'She loved [it] since she was little,' Carlos said.

Alexia and the others were pinned under the car for 'some time,' the sheriff said, and the fire department had to use a hydraulic lift to remove the vehicle from the victims

She would come home to her parents and tell stories about the kids, and although she was tired, her mother said she was 'happy.'

Alexia was also finishing up her degree and was stressing about finals while working part-time at the daycare. She was nearly done with the semester - finishing with all As and Bs, her parents said.

She was due to graduate next year.

They also remember their daughter kindness and said she was a 'simple' person who always care about everyone and was family-oriented.

The last thing Berenice recalled her daughter saying to her was 'I love you, mom' as she left for the day on Thursday morning.

Their family from Arizona - whom they were supposed to spend New Year's with - are currently traveling in to be with them ahead of the Christmas holiday.

Alicia, who has been friends with Alexia since they were teens, said her fellow teacher was 'so sweet and loving.'

'She loved the babies,' she said. 'She was kindhearted, [a] gentle soul, someone you could call at any hour of the night.'

The school remembered the educator as a 'bright light in all our lives.'

'Her smile, laughter, and boundless love for the children and everyone around her made our school feel like a second home,' it said in a statement.

'Her impact on our community is immeasurable, and her absence leaves a hole in our hearts. As we grieve, we want to come together to support her family in this incredibly difficult time.'

The school has set up a GoFundMe to help the family.

The fundraiser garnered nearly $2,000 toward its $10,000 goal in an hour and exceeded it within three hours.
Shocking footage captured the moments after a woman fatally shot her estranged husband on the steps of a Mississippi courthouse after their divorce hearing.

Tanya Saucier, 49, was arrested Tuesday for gunning down James Ray Saucier, 62, outside the entryway of Pearl River County Chancery Courthouse in Poplarville after finalizing their divorce paperwork.

Video footage captured the chaos that ensued minutes after the shooting that left witnesses scrambling to try to save the victim and officers taking Tanya into custody on charges of first-degree murder.

'The life-saving efforts that our citizens attempted for Mr. Saucier was phenomenal,' Maj. Scott Allee, the Pearl River County Sheriff's Office Lead Investigator, told WLOX.

Staff from the courthouse were seen surrounding James Ray, who was lying just feet away from the building's front doors.

Jansen Owen, who represented Tanya during the divorce process, was captured shirtless while he knelt near the victim - his clothing ripped off in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

Other employees of chancery clerk's office also jumped into action.

'They were out there, he was in their lap,' Owen told the outlet.

'They helped me to apply pressure to his wounds. They took my tie and applied a tourniquet to his wounds.

Video footage captured the moments after Tanya Saucier, 49, shot her estranged husband in front of a Mississippi court house following a court proceeding finalizing their divorce

The shocking footage showed courthouse employees as well as a shirtless Jansen Owen, Tanya's defense attorney, surrounding James Ray Saucier, 62, after he was gunned down

Tanya had initially filed for divorce on December 27, 2023, after James Saucier (pictured) allegedly shot her in the eye, head and chest on September 1, 2023

'Those girls in the chancery clerk office are real heroes.'

Pearl River County Chancery Court Clerk Melinda Bowman emotionally relived the experience while recalling her staff's actions.

'They were all ministering to him. They're all deeply committed Christians, as I am,' she told the outlet.

'And they knew he was about to close his eyes to this life and they began talking to him about what was going to happen and they said, "All you have to do is run to Jesus."'

Bowman then recalled how James Ray squeezed the hand of one of the women twice before he closed his eyes for the last time.

'Yesterday was the greatest example of them going above and beyond,' she added. 'And I've never been prouder.'

Gunfire broke out at the courthouse around 12.15pm on Tuesday afternoon, according to the Pearl River County Sheriff's Office.

Tanya allegedly shot her estranged husband several times after a proceeding where their attorneys negotiated the terms of their divorce officially wrapped up.

According to Donald Rafferty, James Ray's attorney, she became upset with the litigation process during the hearing, WDAM reported.

It was also revealed that Tanya wasn't even supposed to be at the courthouse in the first place, WLOX reported.

Due to the Sauciers' volatile relationship, the court wanted to keep the couple separated during the ordeal.

The court ordered Tanya to appear in front of the judge at around 10am and leave immediately after.

James Ray showed up around an hour later to complete his part in finalizing the paperwork, at which point Tanya was supposed to be gone.

But she never left the premises and instead waited in her truck until James Ray exited the building, witnesses told investigators.

'I was leaving the building, Mr. James Ray was leaving right behind me, at which point I heard gunfire,' Owen recalled to the outlet.

'And ultimately determined that Miss Tanya had opened fire,' he added. 'I saw her continue to shoot at Mr. James Ray. She approached me, at which point I grabbed her and held her against the vehicle.'

Video footage also captured the gun, which was determined to be a 9mm handgun, lying on the ground just feet away from where several people were seen attempting to preform life-saving measures on James Ray

Due to the couple's history of violence, the court scheduled Tanya to appear in front of a judge at 10am and immediately leave afterwards so James Ray could arrive to finalize his part in the paperwork

Witnesses told investigators that instead of leaving, Tanya waited in her truck for her estranged husband to exit the building

Owen also kicked the gun - which was confirmed to be a 9mm handgun - away from a frenzied Tanya, WLOX reported.

A court officer who was at the building right across the street ran over to the scene and apprehended Tanya seconds before Poplarville Police officers arrived and took her into custody.

Tanya originally filed for divorce in December of 2023 after James Ray allegedly shot her in the eye three months prior, according to court documents obtained by WDAM.

Additionally, James Ray allegedly shot her once in the head and four times in the chest during the same incident after he became upset with her while drinking, Fox 8 reported.

A family friend told Fox 8 News that the couple had a long history of domestic violence.

'Once they were married, things fell through,' a loved one of Tanya, who chose to remain anonymous, told the outlet. 'It got bad. Very violent.'

Court documents revealed that James called 911 to report that he had shot his wife in the head - an act that his attorney and family members claim was in self-defense.

'She lost her eye. She's got brain issues. She has seizures,' Tanya's loved one told Fox 8. 'She's on medication. She's in constant pain.'

One of Tanya's Facebook posts show the aftermath following the incident where James Ray allegedly shot her in the eye, once in the head and four times in the chest after he became upset with her while drinking

A family friend of Tanya told an outlet that the pair had a long history of domestic violence and that the 49-year-old woman was living in 'constant fear'

Donald Rafferty, James Ray's attorney, said that Tanya became upset with the litigation process during the hearing

The same family member also noted how her original prosthetic eye, along with most of her belongings and her two black Labrador retrievers, were destroyed in a fire.

'She was harassed,' they added. 'She's been tormented over and over and over again to where she lived in fear. Constant fear.'

James Ray was indicted in August of this year on charges of aggravated assault and domestic violence with a deadly weapon. His trial was scheduled for March 2025.

Court records also show that Tanya filed for a protective order on April 2 that was approved on November 26.

Her divorce lawyer, Owen, noted that there's no excuse for her actions.

'There is no justification, there is no excuse for anybody to open fire on somebody in a public setting like that,' he told WLOX.

'We do not do vigilante justice in America,' he added. 'What Miss Saucier did yesterday is unjustifiable and I witnessed her murder him.'

Due to the documented history of violence between the two, Jose Raspanti, a Fox 8 legal analyst, said that her attorney may use lack of mental capacity as her defense - but it would have to meet the criteria.

'I don't think there's going to be a good self-defense argument,' he told the outlet. 'She chose to take the law into her own hands and kill this man.

'No matter what he did to her before, she can't choose to end his life in her own specific time and place.'

Tanya made her first court appearance on Wednesday, where she was denied bond by the justice court judge.
The man who murdered Delphi teenagers Liberty German and Abigail Williams will spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Judge Frances Gull sentenced Richard Allen to 130 years in prison on Friday morning following a brief hearing, during which family members and investigators shared emotional testimony about the horrific nature of his crime and strongly urged the judge to impose a harsh sentence.

Allen, 52, was charged on two counts of murder and two counts of felony murder, which is murder committed in the act of another crime.

Two of those counts were vacated Friday under double jeopardy rules leaving two murder counts. He received the maximum sentence of 65 years for each to run consecutively. Prosecutors had not sought the death penalty.

Allens wife Kathy was not in court to witness her husbands sentencing and Judge Gull dismissed the defenses contention that the hardship his imprisonment would cause her should be seen as a mitigating circumstance.

Addressing Allen who wore a gray sweatshirt over his orange prison jumpsuit, his wrists cuffed and fixed to the transportation belt around his waist, Judge Gull said, Ive been a criminal court judge for 27 years and presided over the most hideous cases in the state of Indiana.

You rank as one of the most hideous. Youre right up there. You rank right up there with the extraordinary impact [your actions] have had on the familiesgenerational impact.

The families will deal with your carnage forever and you sit here and roll your eyes at me as you have rolled your eyes at me repeatedly during this trial.

Richard Allen, 52, leaves the Carroll County Courthouse, Friday, after being sentenced to 130 years in prison for the 2017 murders of Abby Williams, 13, and Liberty German, 14, in Delphi, Indiana

Sheriffs officers outside of the Carroll County Courthouse escorting in Richard Allen for his sentencing Friday

Allen was charged on two counts of murder and two counts of felony murder, which is murder committed in the act of another crime. Two of those counts were vacated Friday under the law double jeopardy rules

Asked if he had anything to say Allen said No, before he was led out by Carroll County Sheriffs Deputies.

Earlier the court heard from six of Libby and Abbys relatives as well as lead investigator Jerry Holeman who described the girls murders as one of the most brutal cases he had ever known.

In a chilling revelation Libbys grandmother Becky Patty recalled that, just days after he killed the girls Allen, who worked at the local CVS, developed photographs of Libby that would be used at her funeral.

She said, He watched as we struggled .never blinking an eye. No remorse. I wonder what he was thinking.

Patty spoke of her loathing for the man who has devastated so many lives in taking the girls. She said, I hope hes not held in a single cell. I hope hes in General PopulationI hope he spends each day living with the same fear he inflicted on Libby and Abby the last moments of their lives.

Addressing her own hatred she said, I hope God can see my heart and forgive me.

Libbys mother, Kerry Timmons gave voice to the families agonizing grief, loss and trauma.

She said, The last 2,867 days have been absolute hell. Next week we should have been celebrating our birthdays. She would be 22 and she should be here.

Liberty German (left) and Abigail Williams were murdered as they were on a hike at the Monon High Bridge outside their hometown of Delphi, Indiana

Spectators line up to enter the Carroll County Courthouse for the sentencing of Allen on Friday

Family members of Liberty German, and Abigail Williams listen as Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter speaks during a news conference in Delphi in October 2022

Prosecutor Nick McLeland delivered his closing statement on November 7, calling February 13, 2017, 'a day this community will never forget'

I quit celebrating at her 14th and my 39th.

She went on to speak of the hole in her soul and the broken relationships and shattered lives and dreams that have come in the wake of the girls deaths.

Next Libbys cousin, Josh Lank, stood to read his impact statement saying, God doesnt have a place for sick, twisted individuals like him. The Devil has a special place for them and I hope prison community gets him there faster than the sentence.

This follows almost six weeks since the Allen was found guilty on all four counts with which he was charged in the murders of the two best friends.

After deliberating for 18 hours, the Carroll County jury reached its unanimous verdict  Allen was guilty of all charges in the 2017 murder.

The trial lasted 17 days, with 60 witnesses and more than 300 exhibits presented. Prosecutor Nick McLeland delivered his closing statement on November 7, calling February 13, 2017, 'a day this community will never forget.'

He told jurors that on that day, Abby and Libby went for a walk on the trails and never returned. McLeland said Richard Allen murdered them.

McLeland showed the video recorded by Libby at 2.13pm, 'the moment the girls were kidnapped.' The shaky footage showed Abby picking her way across the bridge with the bundled-up figure of a man walking with purpose behind her.

Defense attorney Bradley Rozzi argued the state failed to prove its case. He criticized the prosecution's timeline and ballistics evidence, claiming both were unreliable

Richard Allen posing for his mugshot after being arrested for the 2017 murders

'Guys, down the hill,' echoed through the silent room along with a startled chirp from one of the girls and the horrified words, 'That be a gun.'

McLeland presented additional evidence connecting Allen to the crime scene. A bullet cartridge found near the bodies had been cycled through Allen's gun. When police searched Allen's home in October 2022, they found a a Bridge Guy starter kit, consisting of a Carhartt jacket and a Sig Sauer P226 firearm, both linked to the crime

During the trial, McLeland showed the video recorded by Libby at 'the moment the girls were kidnapped.' In the shaky footage Abby could be seen picking her way across the bridge, with the bundled-up figure of a man walking behind her

The only item missing was the phone Allen used in 2017 at the time of the murders, something he had never let law enforcement inspect.

Allen was, the prosecutor told jurors, familiar with the area. He had frequently visited the Monon High Bridge alone and with his family. See how they pieces are starting to fall into place? he urged.

McLeland reminded them that the state presented evidence that the cartridge found between the girls bodies had, he said, been cycled through Richard Allens gun. It was he suggested concrete evidence that connected Allen to the girls and the crime scene.

McLeland reminded the jury that the state presented evidence that the cartridge found between the girls bodies had, he said, been cycled through Richard Allens gun. It was he suggested concrete evidence that connected Allen to the girls and the crime scene.

'That could have ended the case,' he asserted. 'But then he starts to confess.'

McLeland played a phone call Allen made to his wife on April 3, 2023, in which he confessed, 'I did it. You know I did it. I killed Abby and Libby.'

McLeland called the confession 'unprovoked' and 'uncoerced,' reinforcing Allen's guilt.

Defense attorney Bradley Rozzi argued the state failed to prove its case. He criticized the prosecution's timeline and ballistics evidence, claiming both were unreliable.

Richard Allen's House was 1.7 miles from the Monon High Bridge - a 34 minutes walk

A makeshift memorial to Liberty German, and Abigail Williams near where their bodies were discovered was placed along the Monon High Bridge Trail

Libby's grandmother Becky Patty told the trial that Libby had told her, 'Someday I'm going to grow up and help police solve crimes. That's exactly what she did, and she brought Abby along with her'

Rozzi suggested that Allen's confessions were the result of mental illness caused by solitary confinement. He explained they caused an already fragile egg to become seriously mentally ill and develop Major Depressive Disorder with Psychosis.

He also pointed to data from Libby's phone, showing that someone plugged headphones into it at 5.45pm on February 13, 2017, and removed them at 10.32 pm. He suggested that this indicated someone else may have been involved after the girls went missing. But the prosecution dismissed this as a technical glitch caused by dirt or water.

Rozzi told them: 'The magic bullet is nothing more than a tragic bullet. It is the catalyst that landed Rick in that prison.' The prison in question was Westville Correctional Facility in Westville some 76 miles outside Delphi.

He even likened Allen's treatment behind bars to thumbscrews and the rack.

These were, he said, 'medieval devices to interrogate people. As society we've evolvedto a more subtle form called solitary confinement.

But in his rebuttal McLeland sought to refocus jurors' minds. 'There are two victims in this case,' he said. 'Liberty and Abigail. But they're more than victims, they're heroes. Libby for making the video. Abby for hiding the phone and both of them for camouflaging the bullet.'

Finishing his brief response, he reminded them of the testimony of Libby's grandmother Becky Patty delivered on the first day of evidence.

He said, 'Libby told her, 'Someday I'm going to grow up and help police solve crimes. That's exactly what she did, and she brought Abby along with her.'
A mother who died after a planned surgery was cancelled three times would have survived had she been treated earlier, a coroner had said.

Karen Dack was booked for operations at the Leicester Royal Infirmary (LRI) in April and May this year, however, each procedure was called off due to a lack of theatre capacity.

Ms Dack, from Melton, Leics, ended up having an urgent operation when her condition deteriorated but she developed sepsis and died after the procedure, an inquest heard.

Leicester assistant coroner Diane Hocking said the evidence she heard showed Ms Dack would have survived had she been operated on sooner.

Ms Dack's partner, Emmi Akamo, said she had been failed 'multiple times' by the hospital.

The 40-year-old told the BBC: 'She should still be here with us. We were told it was a routine thing, keyhole procedure and that is why it really hurts.

'Each time she was in hospital ready for the operation, doing nil-by-mouth, only for it to be called off.

'She was a great mother, full of life and love, and she just wanted to get her health sorted.'

Karen Dack, pictured, was booked for operations at the Leicester Royal Infirmary (LRI) in April and May this year, however, each procedure was called off due to a lack of theatre capacity

Ms Dack's partner, Emmi Akamo, pictured, said she had been failed 'multiple times' by the hospital

Despite the death, a hospital boss told a coroner there were no plans for theatre expansions.

In a Prevention of Future Deaths report Mrs Hocking said she fears 'this issue will happen again, and further deaths may occur'.

The report which was welcomed by the family, described how the mother of four was suffering symptoms of stricture and obstruction of the bowel.

She was admitted to the LRI's emergency department in April, but urgent surgery didn't happen as 'there were no intensive care beds and her condition had appeared to have resolved', the report said.

A fast-tracked operation was planned for May 17, but she was taken to LRI's emergency department on May 2. Another procedure was planned but then deferred for 'more urgent' cases.

The report goes on to say that a consultant had planned to operate Ms Dack the following day but this wasn't communicated clearly and she was discharged and told to return for elective surgery as previously planned on May 17.

But just days later, she returned to the infirmary suffering from abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhoea.

Once again, a surgery planned for May 7 didn't happen due to the number of operations already scheduled.

The coroner heard from a senior clinical director at the LRI who said there had been a review of how patients are prioritised for operations

The coroner went on to say that the patient's condition continued to deteriorate on May 8 probably because of bowel perforation and Ms Dack died of sepsis despite surgeons' attempts to save her.

The coroner heard from a senior clinical director at the LRI who said there had been a review of how patients are prioritised for operations.

But he said there were 'no immediate plans' for theatre expansion at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (UHL), which runs the LRI, and that the categorisation and access to emergency theatres 'are probably as good as they can get' with the currently available resources.

Mrs Hocking's report added: 'I am concerned that whilst UHL is doing its utmost to deal with this problem, the fact is that regardless of how patients are categorised, there are still the same number of theatres available and that this issue will happen again, and further deaths may occur.'

The report has been sent to the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) which has been asked to set out how it will address her concerns.

A further statement from Ms Dack's family said: 'Karen was a beloved mother, daughter, sister, and friend whose death was entirely preventable.

'We hope her tragic loss drives urgent reforms to ensure no other family endures such a devastating outcome.'

The DHSC said it would respond to the coroner in due course and was committed to reducing operation waiting times.

A DHSC spokesperson added: 'Our deepest sympathies are with Karen's family and friends in this tragic case.'

Gang Xu, UHL's deputy medical director, said: 'We extend our deepest sympathies to the family of Karen Dack.

'We acknowledge the findings of the coroners' report and are awaiting a response from the Department for Health and Social Care.'
Gisele Pelicot, the French woman whose ex-husband was jailed for 20 years for orchestrating and committing mass rapes against her with dozens of strangers, has no fear of a new trial if there is an appeal, her lawyer said Friday, but warned that she does not want to be seen as an 'icon'.

The 72-year-old has been hailed as a hero and feminist icon for her courage and dignity in the over three-month historic trial that ended Thursday with all 51 defendants, including her ex-husband Dominique Pelicot, being convicted.

Gisele Pelicot said afterwards that she respected the verdicts of the court, although her elder son on Friday said that while satisfied with his father's sentence, he was 'disappointed' by the leniency of the other verdicts.

After Gisele Pelicot described the process as a 'difficult ordeal', she risks having to go through another trial, with two defendants already lodging an appeal.

Beatrice Zavarro, Dominique Pelicot's lawyer, said he has not ruled out doing the same, which would mean challenging his 20-year prison sentence for orchestrating and committing the mass rape of his now-ex wife.

Under French law, defendants have an automatic right to force a retrial through right of appeal.

Speaking outside court after the sentences were handed out yesterday, Dominuque Pelicot's lawyer said her client was 'stunned' at the judges' decision to hand him the maximum sentence, as well as the suggestion that he could be kept in longer if he was still considered a security threat.

Zavarro noted that no decision had yet been made on whether Pelicot will lodge an appeal, which he is able to do for the next ten days.

Gisele Pelicot has no fear of a new trial if there is an appeal, her lawyer said Friday

She risks having to go through another trial, with two defendants already lodging an appeal and the lawyer of her ex-husband not ruling out doing the same

The 72-year-old has been hailed as a hero and feminist icon for her courage and dignity in the over three-month historic trial that ended Thursday with all 51 defendants, including her ex-husband Dominique Pelicot, being convicted

Meanwhile, one of Gisele Pelicot's lawyers Stephane Babonneau said that she is not afraid of facing a new trial.

'If it were to happen, she has already indicated to us that she would face it - if she is healthy, obviously, since she is a lady who is now 72,' Babonneau told France Inter radio.

'In any case, she has no fear of it, that is what she told us.'

Asked about his client's state of mind, Babonneau replied that 'she was very happy to go home. She is very relieved'.

But he warned against seeing Gisele Pelicot as an 'icon' even as she is applauded by world leaders for her courage in ordering the trial to be open to the public to raise awareness of sexual violence against women and drug-induced rape.

'What she doesn't want is for other victims to think 'this lady has extraordinary strength, I couldn't do that',' he said.

'She doesn't want to be seen as an icon. She doesn't want to be seen as someone extraordinary. And in reality, she is someone who remains very simple and who has decided to try to live her life in the most normal way,' he added.

Dominique Pelicot, who had confessed to the crimes, was found guilty by the court in the southern city of Avignon and sentenced to the maximum of 20 years in prison.

Gisele Pelicot, the victim of a mass rape orchestrated by her then-husband Dominique Pelicot at their home in the southern French town of Mazan, talks to journalists, surrounded by relatives and her lawyers, after the verdict in the trial for Dominique Pelicot and 50 co-accused, at the courthouse in Avignon, France, December 19, 2024

This court-sketch made on December 19, 2024 in Avignon shows the court during the hearing of the verdict of the court that sentenced Dominique Pelicot to the maximum term of 20 years jail

Gisele Pelicot leaves the courthouse surrounded by French police and journalists after the verdict in the trial for Dominique Pelicot and 50 co-accused, in Avignon, France, December 19, 2024

Serial rapist Dominique Pelicot is likely to die behind bars after being sentenced to 20 years in prison for the campaign of abuse he and dozens of strangers waged against his wife Gisele

For almost a decade, Dominique Pelicot had recruited strangers online and invited them to the family home to rape Gisele Pelicot, who had been heavily drugged with sleeping pills.

He also took videos of the rapes and took meticulous records, which were used as evidence in the trial.

Dozens of other defendants - the men who visited the Pelicot family home to rape Gisele Pelicot as she lay unconscious after being drugged by her husband - were handed terms of between three and 15 years.

Six of the jail terms were partly suspended, while six men walked free after the trial due to the terms of their sentencing.

Gisele's children hit out at the 'low' sentences for some of the men who raped their mother.

They deplored 'it's not possible', as one convicted rapist was handed just five years.

'As for Dominique Pelicot I am satisfied with the verdict,' Gisele Pelicot's son David, told broadcaster BFMTV. 'Now he must pay the bill for the atrocities he committed to our mother.'

He added: 'I am a bit more disappointed concerning what the other accused were given.'

David Pelicot said he and his sister Caroline and younger brother Florian were 'quite surprised' with the sentences given to the other accused, saying they had been given less than the national average term for rape.

In a selfie snapped by her cruel and abusive spouse, Gisele is seen beaming at the camera held by her then-spouse at a sun-soaked marina

Gisele Pelicot arrives in front of the courthouse before a verdict in the Pelicot case is delivered on December 19, 2024 in Avignon, France

A man hiding his face is surrounded by French police, journalists and protesters as he leaves after the verdict in the trial for Dominique Pelicot

He said Dominique Pelicot would 'take his secrets to his grave' and added that despite the over three months of trial 'we have many questions to which we do not have answers'.

David Pelicot said there remained the question of whether Dominique Pelicot had also assaulted Caroline. He said his son had now filed a complaint against his grandfather for groping which could lead to a trial if accepted by prosecutors.

World leaders including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez had on Thursday paid tribute to Gisele Pelicot and they were joined Friday by French President Emmanuel Macron.

'Thank you Gisele Pelicot,' Macron wrote on X. 'For all of us, because your dignity and your courage have moved and inspired France and the world.'

In a sign of the international resonance of the trial, Gisele Pelicot's face dominated the front pages of newspapers across Europe.

'She may not have imagined that she was trading anonymity for the status of a feminist icon,' The Times of London said in an editorial.

'The dignity with which she has conducted herself stands in dramatic contrast to the depraved transgressions of her attackers who cowered behind masks as they entered court,' it added.

Firefighters, soldiers, lorry drivers, a DJ and a journalist were among those found guilty of raping and sexually abusing Gisele Pelicot at the behest of her husband over the course of a decade - all without her knowledge.

Gisele's children hit out at the 'low' sentences for some of the men who raped their mother

Defendants cowered behind masks and beneath hoods as they entered the court this morning, with several emerging again this afternoon after being given sentences equivalent to or less than those they have already served.

Despite the possibility for an appeal, Dominique Pelicot could face another shameful trial as investigators believe the depraved 72-year-old may be responsible for the rape and murder of Sophie Narme, a real estate agent, in 1991.

Detectives are probing the cold case that bears a shocking resemblance to an attempted rape of 23-year-old real estate agent known as Marion in 1999.

She fought her attacker off, and Pelicot's DNA was later recovered at the scene - though he maintains he did not try to rape her.

It comes as psychologists who interviewed Pelicot explained his complex psychological issues, positing that sexual abuse he claimed to have experienced as a child likely 'sharpened' traits that led him to become the man who so heinously abused his own wife.
San Francisco Sheriff Paul Miyamoto has rehired a former deputy. Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle 2023

A former San Francisco deputy who was ensnared in the sprawling Ghee Kung Tong organized crime case nearly a decade ago has been rehired at the sheriffs office, officials confirmed.

Sgt. Michael Kim left the department in 2016 amid an FBI investigation into his ties to Raymond Shrimp Boy Chow, a crime boss convicted of running a San Francisco Chinatown organization as a racketeering enterprise and ordering the killing of its previous leader.

Kim was rehired this month after applying for the position of deputy sheriff, sheriffs office spokesperson Tara Moriarty said.

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Nothing surrounding the circumstances of his resignation that occurred approximately nine years ago precludes his ability to reapply to law enforcement agencies, Moriarty said in a statement. Kim was rehired after undergoing the same process that all candidates undergo.

Kim is reentering the office, which is led by Sheriff Paul Miyamoto, as a new hire and will be required to participate in training for assignment to custody operations at the jails, Moriarty said.

In 2018, Kim pleaded guilty to misdemeanor criminal contempt after federal prosecutors said he gave a false declaration regarding a bulletproof vest that he lent to a Chow associate years earlier.

A judge ordered Kim pay a $30,000 fine and sentenced him to three years of probation. Federal court records show Kim was granted an early termination of his supervision after two years, after probation officers reports of his good behavior.

Kims attorney in the federal case, Jonathan McDougall, did not respond to requests for comment. In court records, McDougall said his client had accepted responsibility for wrongdoing.

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I deeply regret that I have put my family, my livelihood and future success in extreme danger, Kim stated, according to court records.

State records show Kim began working at the sheriffs office in 1999 and that he resigned in February 2016. It does not appear that Kims criminal case resulted in the state revoking his peace officer certification  a move that would have prevented him from working as a sworn officer anywhere in California.

Officers can be decertified for committing what state regulations define as serious misconduct, which could include dishonesty, abuse of power, physical or sexual abuse and breaking the law.

The commissions records show Kims certification listed as inactive in October, and more recent documents werent immediately available. Kims conviction predated state lawmakers 2021 passage of SB2, which established a process to decertify officers.

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Luigi Mangione may never be photographed again, with the heartthrob facing a federal trial where cameras are banned and then potentially life behind bars.

Suspected murderer Mangione, 26, set the internet ablaze on Thursday after he made a court appearance in Altoona, Pennsylvania sporting a tidied-up look.

He was then flown to New York City and given a dystopian-looking perp walk which saw him flanked by multiple police officers and NYC Mayor Eric Adams.

Ghoulish fans of the alleged killer drooled over his good looks - but Thursday's widely-shared images of Luigi may be the last photos and videos they ever see.

Mangione was hit with federal murder and stalking charges this week over the December 4 murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, in Midtown Manhattan.

Photography is banned at both federal trials and at court proceedings in New York State, which has filed its own murder and terrorism charges against Mangione.

From now on, court sketches are likely the only new images of Mangione that will be released.

He is being held in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn and will be transported to court each day in a secure van that will park inside the courthouse building.

Prosecutors are confident in their case against Mangione and if they do end up securing a conviction, he could face life behind bars, or even the death penalty if the federal charges stick too.

Luigi Mangione's dramatic perp walk in Manhattan on Thursday may be the last time the alleged assassin is seen for some time after he was slapped with federal charges

Social media erupted at the sight of Mangione in an orange prison jumpsuit arriving in New York, as observers were stunned by the huge number of heavily armed NYPD officers flanking the suspect

Police sources told the New York Post that federal prosecutors pushed for their own case to make sure Mangione was eligible for the death penalty.

New York outlawed the death penalty in 2004, however federal authorities are able to push for capital punishment in certain murder cases.

If Mangione is convicted and sentenced to death he can be transported to another state to be executed.

Officials will likely be relieved that future Mangione photo opportunities will be limited, potentially forever.

His handsome looks and decision to murder the CEO of a controversial health insurance company has seen him likened to a hero by many Americans, although that outpouring has itself triggered revulsion.

Fans have used AI to create images that depict Mangione as a Catholic saint, with investigators hopeful that a lack of new images will cool public feeling and make it easier to find an impartial jury.

But they have an uphill struggle. Even those who have vociferously condemned Mangione's alleged crimes say that the way he is being charged is unsettling.

They have highlighted why Mangione faces harsher charges and punishment that mass murderers or school shooters.

That in turn has sparked speculation that the government wants to make an example out of him and assuage the concerns of corporate America. Critics claim that is a brazen example of two-tier justice.

'Very few school shooters have gotten the death penalty. Yet the U.S. is trying to charge Luigi Mangione so he gets the death penalty for killing one man,' one posted on X.

'You can kill dozens of kids and get a lesser sentence because their lives dont matter as much as a CEOs. Thats America.'

Supporters lined the streets in Pennsylvania and Manhattan when Mangione was transferred, including some who dressed as Luigi from the Super Mario Bro's franchise.

Protesters showed up outside the Pennsylvania court to support Mangione on Thursday

Some supporters dressed as Luigi from the Super Mario Bro's franchise to show their support

Supporters seen in Manhattan on Thursday, with one holding a sign depicting the words Mangione allegedly left by Brian Thompson's body (right)

Mangione, center, sits in court reading the federal complaint while wearing orange slip on shoes and his ankles shackled in Manhattan federal court on Thursday

Many also questioned the NYPD's decision to have such a high-profile perp walk with Mangione on Thursday, which only increased the public fixation on him as it resembled a scene from a Hollywood movie.

One X user said: 'Luigi stepping out with a fresh cut/shave, possible death penalty charges, and an NYPD photoshoot is the craziest thing in the world.

'Are they actively trying to make him a martyr? Whether you're for or against him, they're making it SO easy for everyone to lionize him.'

The newly unsealed federal indictment against Mangione includes more details of the notes police say they found on his notebook when he was arrested last week - including his desire to 'wack' (sic) the CEO of an insurance company.

Mangione repeatedly wrote about his disdain for the health insurance industry and its executives, per prosecutors. In an entry from August 15, Mangione allegedly wrote how 'the details are finally coming together' and that 'the target is insurance' because' it checks every box.'

On October 22, Mangione allegedly wrote: '1.5 months. This investor conference is a true windfall... and - most importantly - the message becomes self evident.'

In the same entry, Mangione describes his intent to 'wack' the CEO of an insurance company.

Mangione, a member of a wealthy Maryland family, had never received health insurance from United Healthcare.

He fell off the radar earlier this year after suffering severe back pain and undergoing extensive surgery on his spine.

The alleged murderer waived a preliminary hearing on the Pennsylvania forgery and gun charges in exchange for the prosecutor giving him a 20-page investigative report from the Altoona Police Department. Mangione also agreed to be extradited to New York.

Earlier this week, he was indicted on charges of murder as an act of terrorism, under a NY state law that allows for stiffer sentences when a killing is aimed at terrifying civilians or influencing government.

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.
A group of deranged gunmen filmed a deadly ambush on police officers in Mexico, capturing the moment they unleashed a barrage of bullets on the lawmen.

The terrifying incident unfolded Tuesday morning in Jerecuaro in the state of Guanajuato.

Two cops were killed in the shooting, while an adult pedestrian was shot and died at the hospital.

A child was also wounded in the attack.

The municipal officers were parked in pickup truck and were surveying a road that links Jerecuaro and Apaseo el Alto when they were ambushed.

Footage showed the gunmen stepping out of one of their vehicles and firing assault rifles at the truck.

The assassins' driver recorded the shooting and panned the camera at one of his accomplices as the gunman emptied his ammunition.

As the getaway driver started to pull away, one of the shooters noticed that a police officer was still alive.

The terrifying incident unfolded Tuesday morning in Jerecuaro in the state of Guanajuato, leaving two officers and a pedestrian dead

A gunman armed with an assault rifle began to fire when the group saw that one of the two officers was still alive

'He's down there, he's down there,' the driver shouted as he rode up the officers.

'Kill him, kill him,' he repeatedly screamed.

A gunman opened the front passenger door and began to fire while another stepped out and shot.

No criminal group has claimed responsibility for the incident in Guanajuato, where the Union de Leon, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel have been involved in a long-running dispute over fuel theft and the drug trade.

A law enforcement investigator stands near the body of one of the two police officers who were shot dead by a criminal group in Jerecuaro, Mexico on Tuesday

The cops, who were identified only as Carlos and Erick, were laid to rest Wednesday.

'Their bravery, commitment and sacrifice will always remain engraved in our hearts,' the Jerecuaro Department of Public Security, Transit and Civil Protection said in a statement.

'They will always be remembered with affection and gratitude by all who had the privilege of knowing them. May their legacy of honor and service inspire future generations.'

The attack took place a day after four state police officers were killed and two were wounded when their two pickup trucks were intercepted by gunmen in a SUV in the municipality of Uriangato.

The municipal police department in Jerecuaro held a funeral for the two cops who were executed while on patrol

On October 24, two car bombs exploded in Jerecuaro and Acambaro, injuring three police officers and causing extensive damages to buildings and residences.

Guanajuato topped all of Mexico's 31 states and Mexico City, the capital, with 3,390 murders - an average of eight per day - from January 1 to December 16, according to data released by Mexico's State Public Security System Executive Secretariat.

At least 67 police officers have been murdered this year.

Guanajuato Governor Libia Munoz acknowledged that law enforcement forces are entrenched in a 'one-side war' with criminal organizations.

'It is a war that we face unequally,' Munoz told reporters.

'That is, they were attacked with automatic long weapons, when we do not have permission to carry those weapons as agencies. It is something that we are already discussing in the National Security Council.'
A new experience inspired by the Emmy-winning series Bluey will debut at Disney theme parks in the US and cruise line.

Disney confirmed that an upcoming experience dedicated to Bluey will be at Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort and the Disney Cruise Line in a December 19 press release.

The new Bluey experience will first begin on Disney Cruise Line voyages originating from Australia and New Zealand in January 2025.

The vessel passengers who visit the Bluey experience will be able to interact with the title character and her sister Bingo.

'From special meet-and-greets, to an interactive and clue-filled game that ends in a dance party featuring Bluey's signature moves, families in the region can embark on a magical holiday with their favorite blue heeler,' the press release read.

The company has yet to reveal details about the upcoming Bluey experience at the Florida and California theme parks.

Disney worked alongside BBC Studios and the producers of Bluey to create some of the upcoming experience's features.

The future experience was announced days after Disney and BBC Studios announced a movie named after the title character will be hitting theaters in 2027.

A Bluey experience featuring the title character and Bingo will be added to Disney theme parks and its cruise line

Travelers aboard the Disney Wonder cruise ship for an Australian sailing can participate in the Bluey experience starting January 10, 2025

Josh D'Amaro, Chairman of Disney Experiences, explained the company was 'thrilled to bring her story to life' and considers Bluey a 'household name.'

He added that the company is also eager to watch young guests and their families make memories at its theme parks and cruise line.

'It's a lovely day to go boat riding and we're incredibly excited that Bluey and Bingo will be sailing on Disney Cruises, bringing Bluey's magic to families on the high seas,' Ludo Studio revealed.

'The Heeler family's debut at Disney Theme Parks and Cruises really is the icing on the cake for what has been an exceptional year for Bluey,' Nicki Sheard, CEO of BBC Studios, Brands and Licensing, said in the press release.

'We are committed to creating the very best-in-class experiences for our fans and can't wait to open the doors to families next year.'

Bluey has attracted millions of fans worldwide shortly after it premiered in Australia in 2018 and debuted in the US in 2019.

The show was later named 2024's most-watched show in the US, according to Ludio Studio co-founder Daley Pearson in an Instagram post.

Despite the show's popularity, social media was divided over whether a Bluey experience would be good for Disney.

The company has not revealed many details about the arrival of the Bluey Disney experience at Walt Disney World

Multiple X users were thrilled about the addition, and one person admitted they were 'crying' over excitement.

At least two tweeters were not as happy with the upcoming experience.

One fan claimed: 'Bluey must be raking in the numbers on Disney plus if disney is willing to pay the licensing fees to have them in the parks at a time where they are getting rid of licensed characters and finding ways to avoid paying them on merchandise.'

Various Reddit users gave more positive responses and one person is hoping the experience plan won't go 'Kabluey.'

'My pipe dream is a Bluey land with highly interactive elements that are fun for kids and adults together,' a Redditor wrote in a post.

'My kids would want to spend a whole day there. (And it better be big because the crowd will be huge).'

Other Reddit user said the upcoming experience wasn't the 'Disney vibe' and another added that Bluey was 'driving them up the wall.'

Prior to the experience announcement, social media had already been in a frenzy after Bluey creator Joe Brumm confirmed he was stepping away from the series.

The Disney experience announcement comes days after producers confirmed a Bluey movie would be hitting theaters in 2027

Disney fans looking for new attractions other than Blue may be interested in the upcoming Villains Land.

D'Amaro announced construction for the upcoming Walt Disney World addition would begin in 2025 at the D23 Expo last August.

'This land will be home to the villains that you know and those that you loathe, which means happily ever after... It may feel like just a distant dream,' D'Amaro said.

He added that Villains Land will be a 'fearless new vision for what a Disney experience can be.'

Disney also confirmed it would be adding a new ship called the Disney Treasure, which had its christening in November 2024.

The ship includes several areas dedicated to Disney films and theme park attractions and has over 1,200 rooms.

The Disney Treasure's maiden voyage will be a seven-night Eastern Caribbean Cruise from Port Canaveral on December 21.
This is the emotional moment a Brit who faced two years in a Dubai jail for writing a negative online review about his employer was reunited with a friend.

Craig Ballentine, 33, from Cookstown, County Tyron, Northern Ireland, landed in Dublin on Thursday morning in time for Christmas after his travel ban was lifted.

Footage shows an emotional Ballentine arriving on Irish soil as he is greeted by his friend Sean at the arrivals hall.

His release came after several politicians highlighted Ballentine's case, including Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill.

Upon Ballentine's return, O'Neill said: 'I am delighted to hear the news that Craig has arrived back in Ireland. It has been a difficult few months for him and his family who were concerned for his safety.

'My office was happy to assist in any way we could throughout this ordeal. I hope that Craig can now enjoy time at home in the company of his family and friends who have supported him throughout this difficult situation.'

Ballentine had accepted a role last year in a Dubai canine salon where he worked for nearly six months.

While in Dubai, Mr Ballentine was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and needed to take days off work.

Craig Ballentine made an emotional return to Ireland after being detained in Dubai

Craig was greeted by a friend at Dublin airport when he arrived on Irish soil yesterday morning

"The last two months have been overwhelming, but getting home is a Christmas miracle."

Cookstown man Craig Ballentine returns home after being detained in Dubai for two months. pic.twitter.com/L4z3xBlmtN  BBC News NI (@BBCNewsNI) December 20, 2024

He informed his boss and sent her his doctor's note but according to Dubai employment law his employers reported him to the authorities as 'absconded', his lawyers say.

This led to his unemployment and a travel ban that took two months and thousands of pounds to remove before he could return home to Northern Ireland.

After returning home, Ballentine, who is an Autism support worker, left a Google review complaining about the Dubai grooming centre, his former boss and the problems she had caused.

Ballentine later visited Abu Dhabi in October this year for a short holiday with friends.

But suddenly, he was taken to Dubai to face charges of slander and was again stuck in the country, facing two years in prison due to the United Arab Emirates' extremely strict cyber laws.

Upon his return yesterday, Ballentine told BBC Northern Ireland said it was a 'Christmas miracle' to be able to make it back home in time for the festive period.

'The happiness kicked in when I just arrived at Dublin Airport, when I saw Dublin from the sky, that was it', he told the broadcaster.

It comes as British teenager Marcus Fakana, 18, faces a year in a hellhole Dubai prison over a holiday fling while visiting the UAE.

Craig Ballentine (pictured) accepted a role last year in a Dubai canine salon where he worked for nearly six months. When he returned to the UK, he wrote a scathing review about his employer

When he returned to Dubai in October for a holiday with friends, he ended up detained due to extremely strict cyber laws in the UAE

Fakana, of Tottenham, north London, enjoyed a holiday romance with the 17-year-old girl at the Hilton Dubai Palm Jumeirah - but her mother reported him to the authorities after finding birth control pills in her daughter's luggage.

He was originally accused of rape, but it is not clear whether the accusation of rape originally came from the girls mother or was due to a misunderstanding or mis-translation by police officers, but the term raped by force in Arabic appeared on the initial police report.

But he was cleared after police reviewed hotel CCTV footage which showed the girl going into his hotel bedroom at 4am.

However, the fact that she was 17 put her under Dubai's age of sexual consent and Marcus was convicted of having under-age sex and will spend one year behind bars.
Britain's worst railway stations were today revealed to be in the North West of England, with at least one in ten trains cancelled at 20 stations so far this year.

Leyland, Poulton-le-Fylde and Blackpool North had the most services axed out of any of the UK's top 1,000 busiest stations, with at least 13 per cent cancelled at all three.

Also in the top ten worst performing between January and November 2024 were Kirkham & Wesham, Horwich Parkway, St Helens Central, Broad Green, Handforth, Glossop and Deansgate  all with cancellation rates of over 11 per cent.

The worst performing major stations were Preston at 10 per cent, Manchester Victoria at 9.5 per cent and Manchester Oxford Road at 8.1 per cent, according to the National Rail figures compiled by rail performance-tracking website On Time Trains.

Northern Rail, which runs trains through all the worst stations among its network of 500 stops across northern England, has apologised - while Department for Transport (DfT) officials admitted that rail users were 'being let down by poor services'.

And a passenger campaign group said the data proved transport investment has been 'unfair and unbalanced for too long', favouring the South East of England.

The worst performing station in the South was Leagrave in Bedfordshire at 8.9 per cent in 28th place, while the worst in London was Hendon in 37th at 8.4 per cent.

Other poor stations in London were Cricklewood (8.2 per cent, 40th), Kentish Town (8.0 per cent, 45th). The worst station on the Transport for London network was South Acton on the London Overground's Mildmay line (7.9 per cent, 47th).

The UK's best performing station was Great Yarmouth in Norfolk at 0.3 per cent, then Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire at 0.7 per cent. These were followed by Clacton-on-Sea in Essex and Windsor & Eton Central in Berkshire, both at 0.8 per cent.

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Michael Solomon Williams of the Campaign for Better Transport said: 'Transport investment has been unfair and unbalanced for too long, favouring the South East.

Worst performing train stations so far this year

Leyland 13.9% Poulton-le-Fylde 13.4% Blackpool North 13.1% Kirkham & Wesham 12.9% Horwich Parkway 12.0% St Helens Central 11.7% Broad Green 11.6% Handforth 11.6% Glossop 11.6% Deansgate 11.5% Chorley 11.3% Wigan Wallgate 11.3% Wigan Wallgate 11.2% Bolton 11.1% Wigan North Western 11.1% Salford Crescent 10.9% Widnes 10.9% Huyton 10.9% Salford Central 10.1% Preston 10.0% Burnley Manchester Road 10.0% Blackburn 9.8% Great Malvern 9.6% Manchester Victoria 9.5% Accrington 9.4% Data from On Time Trains shows proportion of cancelled services from January to November 2024 Advertisement

'The result is passengers in the North and the South West suffering travel misery, as we see here.

'To cut carbon emissions and clear our traffic-clogged streets, we need more people to take the train, which means giving people confidence that their journey won't be horribly disrupted.'

He added that was a 'chance for reform coming up', with the creation of Great British Railways (GBR), a new public sector body to hold responsibility for rail infrastructure and train operation.

Mr Williams told MailOnline: 'This needs to be seized as an opportunity to rebalance transport investment across the country and address workforce challenges such as driver shortages and the skills gap, so that people can rely on rail wherever they live.'

The Government hopes legislation for the creation of GBR will be introduced in summer 2025, with the organisation becoming operational from the end of 2026 at the earliest.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I'm not happy about the performance of Northern Rail at the moment.'

She explained the issue with Northern 'is related to the availability of train crew specifically on a Sunday', adding: 'One of the things we've had to do there whilst we work through resolving that with the trade union and local workers is we've actually decided to reduce the timetable slightly to improve reliability'.

It comes after Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, said in October that rail services in the North of England had become 'embarrassing' and were 'ruining people's lives' following a 'big deterioration in performance'.

A spokesman for Northern Rail told MailOnline today: 'We are sorry for our recent performance, accept it has not been good enough and understand the impact this has on our customers.

Leyland station in Lancashire has had the most services cancelled so far this year out of any of the UKs top 1,000 busiest stations, with 13.9 per cent axed between January and November

'We are sorry for our recent performance': Northern Rail, which runs trains through all the worst 20 stations among its network of 500 stops across northern England, has apologised

'We are working hard to address issues with traincrew availability so we can improve reliability for our customers.'

Best performing train stations so far this year Great Yarmouth 0.3% Henley-on-Thames 0.7% Clacton-on-Sea 0.8% Windsor & Eton Central 0.8% Lowestoft 0.8% Marks Tey 0.9% Wickford 0.9% London Fenchurch Street 1.0% Southend Victoria 1.0% Billericay 1.0% Colchester Town 1.0% Manningtree 1.0% Kelvedon 1.1% Rochford 1.1% Rayleigh 1.1% Hockley 1.1% Grove Park 1.1% Grays 1.1% Canterbury West 1.1% Limehouse 1.2% Caterham 1.2% Benfleet 1.2% Ingatestone 1.2% West Ham 1.2% Witham 1.2% Advertisement

Northern services have been suffering after staffing levels were hit by the expiry of a rest day working agreement, specifically impacting availability on a Sunday.

The spokesman continued: 'We recently secured a new rest-day working agreement for our train drivers, however an offer that was put to our conductors in the North West to secure a commitment to work on Sundays was rejected by their members in a referendum vote.

'If it had been accepted, we believe that deal would have improved reliability in the short-term while we worked with the RMT to secure a longer-term agreement.

'Despite this setback, we will continue to work with colleagues and the RMT union to find a new way forward. We realise there is more to be done to address issues with performance and are now focused on delivering our improvement plan.'

And a DfT spokesman told MailOnline: 'Passengers are being let down by poor services, which is why we are committed to delivering the biggest overhaul of the railways in a generation.

'Bringing services back into public ownership will put passengers at the heart of everything we do and allow us to reinvest into our railways. We have been clear we will not tolerate poor performance and will continue to hold all operators to account, regardless of ownership.'

MailOnline understands ministers are continuing to meet with managing directors of the worst-performing train operators and their Network Rail counterparts, to address poor performance and raise standards.

The DfT has also asked operators to prepare to display performance information at most stations, while officials are also aiming to simplify ticketing and fares.

The worst performing major station within the data was Preston with 10 per cent of trains axed

Manchester Victoria station also performed badly, with 9.5 per cent of its trains cancelled

A spokeswoman for Network Rail, which manages Manchester Piccadilly but does not run train services, said: 'At Manchester Piccadilly station, our job is to help keep passengers safely on the move.

'We appreciate how frustrating it is for passengers when services are cancelled or disrupted. We support our train operating colleagues at Manchester Piccadilly to deliver a reliable train service for passengers.'

The data was compiled by On Time Trains, which logs a cancellation when a service with an arrival and/or departure at a station is axed.

This means that a service arriving five minutes late which then has its departure cancelled counts as cancelled overall.

The percentage is the proportion of scheduled services with an arrival and/or departure which are cancelled at the station.

On Time Trains put together data for the top 1,000 busiest stations with the aim of giving a clear picture of performance at stops with a reasonable amount of footfall.

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If an advance alternative or emergency timetable is in effect, such as during a strike day or snow day, services are considered based on that alternative timetable.

For example, if a service that normally runs every day is not included in the alternative timetable, then it is considered neither scheduled nor cancelled in the data.

A spokesman for the Rail Delivery Group, which represents operators, said: 'We know how important reliability and punctuality is to customers.

'The rail industry is working hard to maintain as many services as possible, but delays and cancellations can occur due to various factors like weather and flooding, industrial action, infrastructure issues such as track or signalling faults, train faults and external incidents such as trespass.

'We know this isn't acceptable to those who rely on the rail network for work, business travel or for leisure, and everyone across the railway is working hard to make sure that train services are reliable and punctual for customers. The industry is working together to address the main causes of delays and cancellations.'
Nigel Farage has called the decision to charge two brothers six months after a brawl at Manchester Airport 'long overdue' - as the pair's family criticised the decision not to pursue a prosecution against one of the police officers caught up in the incident.

Protests erupted in July after videos of the incident shared online showed an officer kicking 20-year-old Mohammed Amaaz during an attempted arrest of him and his 25-year-old brother Muhammed Amaad.

But dramatic CCTV footage later emerged showing that the three officers had been attacked, leaving a WPC with a broken nose and another officer slumped on the floor.

Last month, with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) apparently no closer to announcing charges against the brothers, Nigel Farage hired two solicitors to bring a case against them.

He contrasted prosecutors' slow progress with bringing charges against the pair with the ultra-fast prosecution of far-right figures 'who said unpleasant things on social media' and suggested this was evidence of a 'two-tier' justice system.

Now the CPS has said the two men have been charged with assaults on police officers on July 23 and that none of the police officers will face charges.

Mohammed Amaaz is charged with two offences of causing actual bodily harm, one charge of assaulting an emergency worker and one charge of common assault, while Muhammed Amaad, 25, is charged with causing actual bodily harm.

Mr Farage and his deputy Richard Tice said today that the charges were 'long overdue'.

Video footage of the incident on July 23 at Manchester Airport went viral on social media and sparked protests across the country

Mohammed Amaaz, 20, (left) with his brother Muhammed Amaad, 25, (right) and their lawyer (pictured centre)

Nigel Farage threatened to launch a private prosecution against the brothers

It's obvious the CPS have only charged the attackers today because of the pressure applied by Reform UK MPs,' they said.

They added they expect a parallel investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) to 'exonerate' the police officers, adding: 'Nothing less will be acceptable.

But Aamer Anwar, representing the brothers, said: 'The family feel betrayed by both the IOPC and CPS, but neither organisation has a track record of delivering justice where allegations of police violence are involved.

'To be clear nobody should be above the law and the question asked at the very start was what possible justification can there be for the use of excessive, disproportionate and potentially lethal force against any civilian who is incapacitated by a Taser and poses no threat.

'At that point, it remains the case that a decision is still to be made whether officers from the GMP should face disciplinary proceedings, following a series of complaints raised by six members of the public, including our clients in relation to the incident.'

The altercation, in the airport's Terminal Two, allegedly happened after an earlier confrontation between passengers on a Qatar Airways flight.

The two defendants will appear at Liverpool Magistrates' Court on January 16, 2025.

Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Stephen Watson said he was satisfied with the CPS' decision.

Mohammed Amaaz pictured near to his home in Rochdale

Brothers Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, and Muhammed Amaad, 25, have been charged with assaults on police officers at Manchester Airport on July 23 - pictured is Terminal 3

'I welcome today's decisions from the Crown Prosecution Service to charge two men with assaults on our officers and a member of the public at Manchester Airport earlier this year,' he said.

'I also welcome their decision to take no further criminal action against serving officers.

'I appreciate that a full and thorough independent investigation has led to this outcome. Following this decision, I have lifted the suspension of the officer involved.'

Mr Watson said the force would continue to 'cooperate' with the IOPC's misconduct investigation into the incident.

'Whilst co-operating fully with the IOPC in the discharge of their independent investigation into the conduct of our officers, GMP has offered support to our officers and will continue to do in the coming months,' he said.

'I know that these matters have understandably generated a great deal of debate, scrutiny and speculation.

'We now have specific charging decisions and the court proceedings must be allowed to progress without the prejudice or taint that can emerge as a result of misplaced commentary, speculation or the sharing of digital content.'

Frank Ferguson, Head of the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said: 'Following our review of an incident at Manchester Airport in July 2024, the Crown Prosecution Service has today issued charges against two individuals.

'This was a high-profile incident that attracted significant public interest and media coverage at the time, and we have worked closely from the outset with investigators from the Independent Office for Police Conduct and Greater Manchester Police.

'We have reviewed all the available evidence, including witness statements, video footage, expert reports and other material related to police use of force, to make an independent and objective assessment about whether it is appropriate to present charges for the court to consider.

'Based on a careful consideration of this evidence, we have concluded that two men should be charged with offences including assaults on police officers.'

Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Stephen Watson (pictured) welcomed today's decision by the CPS

A spokesman for the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said: 'We are aware of the Crown Prosecution Service's decision to take no further action against police officers involved in a series of arrests at Manchester Airport on July 23.

'Our independent investigation into the use of force by police on six people during the incident continues and is nearing completion.

'Throughout the investigation, during which two officers were interviewed under criminal caution in relation to alleged assaults during the incident on July 23, we shared relevant evidence with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), as it became available, to assist with making a swift decision in this case.

'On Monday, we shared the final such piece of evidence with the CPS to consider potential charges.

'We will now work to conclude the few remaining lines of inquiry as quickly as possible.

'At that point, we will decide whether anyone serving with GMP should face disciplinary proceedings, and we will reach a decision on a series of complaints raised by six members of the public in relation to the incident.

'It was important for events at Manchester Airport on July 23 to be carefully investigated.

'The IOPC and GMP investigations are separate, and with different remits, but between them ensure there is an appropriate level of scrutiny of these matters.'
Tech journalist Kara Swisher has been trying to gather a group of wealthy people to buy the Washington Post from Jeff Bezos.

The podcaster told Axios of her plans, arguing that although Bezos does not currently want to sell the paper, the Amazon owner will eventually change his mind.

Swisher, who started her career at the Post's mailroom, says Bezos will want to get rid of the paper because it has become a 'managerial nightmare.'

'The Post can do better' she told the outlet.

'It's so maddening to see what's happening. ... Why not me? Why not any of us?'

Swisher admitted that if Bezos wants to sell, there would be a long line of suiters.

'Hopefully not Elon,' Swisher said. 'Though he seems pretty busy these days being President (Not) Elect.'

Back in October, the newsletter Status reported that Swisher was 'interested in assembling a consortium of wealthy investors to make a bid for the paper.'

Tech journalist Kara Swisher is trying to get a group of 'civic-minded' people to run the Washington Post and buy it from Jeff Bezos

Swisher told Axios that she would not be opposed to Bezos remaining at the company as an investor. She argued he will eventually want to sell the paper

Swisher told Axios that she would not be opposed to Bezos remaining at the company as an investor, but the paper would be run by 'a board of civic-minded people.'

Liberals were outraged by the Post' decision to not endorse a candidate for the 2024 presidential election.

A Harris endorsement had been drafted and was being reviewed by Bezos, according to the paper's page editor David Shipley but was spiked just 11 days before the election.

At least one Post editor resigned following the move, which saw the paper lose hundreds of thousands of subscribers.

However, publisher Will Lewis rejected claims that Bezos was involved in the endorsement decision.

'Reporting around the role of The Washington Post owner and the decision not to publish a presidential endorsement has been inaccurate,' Lewis said.

'He was not sent, did not read and did not opine on any draft. As Publisher, I do not believe in presidential endorsements.

'We are an independent newspaper and should support our readers' ability to make up their own minds.'

He added the move is not, 'tacit endorsement of one candidate, or as a condemnation of another'.

The Washington Post - which notably gained its fame for its coverage of the 1970s Watergate scandal - has previously faced allegations of writing with a liberal bias

The announcement marked the first time in 36 years that the paper has decided to not make a presidential endorsement and the timing of the decision has raised eyebrows.

'To declare a moment of high principle, only 11 days before the election that is just highly suspect that is just not to be believed that this was a matter of principle at this point,' Former Post editor Marty Baron said.

He noted that Donald Trump has 'continually' threatened Bezos and anyone who he deems a political enemy.

'If their philosophy is readers can make up their own minds on the big issues that they face in this democracy, then don't run any editorials,' Baron said.

The Posts move came the same week that the Los Angeles Times announced a similar decision, which triggered the resignations of its editorial page editor and two other members of the editorial board. In that instance, the Times owner, Patrick Soon-Shiong, insisted he had not censored the editorial board, which had planned to endorse Harris.

'As an owner, Im on the editorial board and I shared with our editors that maybe this year we have a column, a page, two pages, if we want, of all the pros and all the cons and let the readers decide,' Soon-Shiong said in an interview with Spectrum News. He said he feared endorsing a candidate would add to the countrys division.

In August, the newly rebranded Minnesota Star Tribune also announced it would no longer endorse candidates. The paper is owned by billionaire Glen Taylor, who also owns the Minnesota Timberwolves. Its publisher is Steve Grove, who was economic development commissioner in the administration of Gov. Tim Walz  Harris running mate.
A Texas woman has shared her terror after she sat on her toilet seat and was bitten by a snake nesting underneath.

Maria Jaimes, from Bastrop, had wandered into her bathroom early on Sunday without bothering to flip on her lights.

As she sat down she recalled feeling a 'poking' sensation on her leg and assumed her husband had left something on the seat.

But as she turned on the lights, she was horrified to discover the creature coiled under the toilet.

Despite her terror she managed to snap a picture showing the rat snake poking out.

'Very scary situation on a Sunday morning at 4:30 a.m. with lights off,' she told KXAN.

'As scared as I was when this happened, I am the one who took these pictures because no one would believe it.'

Jaimes said she thinks the snake might have crawled into her bathroom through a vent which she has not boarded up with wire.



A Texas mom has shared her terror after she sat on her toilet seat and was bitten by a snake nesting underneath

'I just want people to be aware this happens in real life and to be aware,' she added.

However, Alan Brown, technical director at ABC Home and Commercial Services, said such occurrences are rare.

'Snakes coming up in the toilet is an infrequent occurrence,' he said.

'In 25 years of pest control, I have never dealt directly with it or have anybody that I know of deal with it.

'It is something if you do an internet search, you will find there are occurrences. I think it's more of an urban legend most of the time but it does happen.'

He warned that snakes can still make their way inside via the vent stack on a roof or by swimming up through sewage lines.

'In some cases, they just make their way into a house traditionally, through a crack or a crevice. Or [they] make their way in and are looking for water and curl up in a toilet, as well,' he added.

The creature was lurking under the toilet seat when Maria Jaimes went to use the restroom in the early hours of Sunday

Jaimes, from Bastrop, described feeling a 'poking' on her leg as she sat down

Texas rat snakes are subspecies of western rat snakes, a nonvenomous species of Colubridae found in central North America.

They usually grow up to six feet in length, but have been known to grow as long as eight and a half feet.

They are typically found in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma.
The Biden administration canceled an additional $4.28 billion in student loan debt as the end of the term nears in just one month.

The latest round of debt forgiven as approved for nearly 55,000 public service workers.

The move brings the total student loan debt forgiven under the Biden administration to nearly $180 billion for some 4.9 million borrowers.

However, the administration also announced it is withdrawing unfinished rules that would have provided for additional debt relief for more than 38 million Americans.

President Biden made canceling student loan debt one of the top priorities of his administration over the past four years, but as he prepares to depart office, some of those efforts are expected to be halted under Donald Trump.

With that, the Biden administration has taken multiple steps to wrap up work before Biden departs, but not everyone is happy about it.

Critics of debt cancelation have accused the administration of bailing out student loan borrowers by transferring the debt to American taxpayers.

At the same time, student loan advocates are expressing disappointment more was not accomplished in Biden's term due to legal challenges.

The Biden administration announced it canceled $4.28 billion in student loan debt on Friday for public service workers. The move brings the total student loan debt forgiven under Biden to $180 billion for 4.9 million borrowers

The new relief announced Friday is the result of changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program made since Biden took office.

The administration has forgiven $78 billion in debt for more than one million borrowers through PSLF.

'Four years ago, the Biden-Harris Administration made a pledge to Americas teachers, service members, nurses, first responders, and other public servants that we would fix the broken Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, and Im proud to say that we delivered,' said Education Secretary Miguel Cardona in a statement.

Just 7,000 borrowers qualified for the loan forgiveness program before Biden took office and his team made PSLF changes.

Borrowers in public service jobs qualify to have debt forgiven after making 120 qualified payments.

Apart from making technical changes to the program, the Biden administration also made it so more borrowers could participate, and made it so the program is managed by the Education Department rather than another loan servicer so borrowers could track where they stand in terms of having their debt canceled.

Apart from forgiving debt for pubic service workers, the Biden administration has also made strides to cancel debt for borrowers through the Income-Driven Repayment plans which has amounted in more than $56 billion being canceled for 1.4 million borrowers under Biden.

Another 1.6 million borrowers have seen $28.7 billion wiped out after being cheated by schools while more than half a million borrowers saw $16.2 billion in debt canceled for permanent disability during his term.

But some of Biden's key plans to cancel student loan debt for a broader swath of borrowers might not come to be before he exits office in January.

The Biden administration is scrapping proposed rules that would have paved the way to canceling student loan debt for 38 million borrowers

The president's first plan to cancel up to $20,000 in student loan debt for qualified borrowers was blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2023.

After that, Biden went to a so-called 'Plan B,' but the administration announced it would withdraw those proposed rules as the clock ticks down as the effort faced legal challenges.

Should the proposed rules be left as is and not scrapped, the Trump administration could use them to advance its own agenda more quickly.

The plan unveiled earlier this year would have eliminate accrued interest for more than 20 million borrowers who owe more money on their student loans than they originally took out. It also cut down the time borrowers would have to repay their loans before seeing forgiveness.

'We are deeply disappointed that the actions of right-wing attorneys general have blocked tens of millions of borrowers from accessing critical student debt relief,' said Persis Yu of the Student Borrower Protection Center.

'President Bidens proposals would have freed millions from the crushing weight of the student debt crisis and unlocked economic mobility for millions more workers and families,' she added.

Biden's separate Saving on Valuable Education (SAVE) plan launched earlier this year through the rule-making process was also challenged by Republicans and has been temporarily blocked by the courts.

The plan would have lowered monthly payments for borrowers relative to other income-driven repayment plans, stopped interest from building up and allowed some borrowers to see their debts erased after ten years rather than the standard 20 to 25 years.

The incoming Trump administration could simply drop the case essentially pausing the plan altogether, but the courts still need to weigh in.

If the SAVE plan does not move forward, it would mean many borrowers could face higher costs when payments resume.
Kamala Harris abruptly canceled her Christmas vacation trip to Los Angeles as new revelations about Joe Biden's decline sent shockwaves through Washington.

The Vice Presidents office said Harris would not travel to California on Thursday as planned and would instead remain in the capital.

Guidance from Harris' aides said she would 'receive briefings and conduct internal meetings with staff. It came as the fate of a congressional effort to fund the federal government remains uncertain and a shutdown looms.

The sudden jettisoning of Harris holiday prompted widespread speculation on social media that Biden could be in poor health.

Her announcement came hours after a bombshell Wall Street Journal investigation exposed how frail the president has been throughout the last four years.

The explosive report drew back the curtain on how 'eager beaver' aides covered up for Biden right from the very start of his term.

Aides scrapped meetings on his 'bad days' and had other officials take up roles usually performed by the president.

They also hired a voice coach in an effort to beef up Biden's failing voice.

And key politicians told who they were unable to get hold of the president, including ahead of the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan.

On Thursday, Biden, 82, returned with his family to the White House after a trip to Delaware.

He exited Marine One and walked across the South Lawn with his wife Jill, and holding the hand of his grandson Beau Biden. Hunter Biden traveled with the president.

Vice President Kamala Harris canceled her Christmas vacation travel plans to Los Angeles

In Delaware on Wednesday the Biden family attended a Mass commemorating the death of the presidents first wife and daughter in a traffic accident 52 years ago.

The Mass was held at St. Joseph on the Brandywine after a church service in Wilmington.

The president and First Lady are scheduled to travel to a childrens hospital on Friday afternoon to visit patients and families.

Harris staying in Washington is likely due to the uncertainty of whether the House of Representatives can pass a stopgap continuing resolution bill to fund the government.

The vice president may be needed to vote in the Senate in case of a tie.

It would also look bad politically if she left Washington for her Christmas vacation while legislators remained in town to hammer out a deal.

The Vice Presidents office did not return a DailyMail.com request for comment.

Earlier this week President-elect Donald Trump blew up a bipartisan agreement in Congress for a 1,547-page bill that included significant additional spending.

The Republican 'Plan B' effort was a considerably smaller piece of legislation at just 116 pages, but it also failed to pass Thursday night.

A total of 38 Republicans rebelled and opposed it. And all Democrats but two also voted against.

If Congress fails to pass a continuing resolution before midnight Friday the government faces a partial shutdown.

U.S. President Joe Biden and grandson Beau Biden are seen as Marine One lands on south lawn at the White House on December 19, 2024 i

US President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, and grandson Beau Biden, walk on the South Lawn of the White House after arriving on Marine One

Biden has kept a low profile throughout the negotiations, as members of Congress continue to negotiate the spending deal without hearing directly from the president.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre criticized Republicans for walking away from the initial deal, and urged them to move forward.

In a statement the White House said: 'President Biden supports the bipartisan agreement to keep the government open, help communities recovering from disasters, and lower costs.

'Not this giveaway for billionaires that Republicans are proposing at the 11th hour.'
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said her office filed charges for the first time using legal tools afforded to them after the passage of Prop. 36. Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

San Francisco prosecutors filed multiple weapon and drug charges against a man accused of selling narcotics in the citys Tenderloin neighborhood.

Martinez Guillory, 51, was arrested by BART police officers on Wednesday evening after officers allegedly saw him piggy-back through the fare gates at the Civic Center station behind another rider without paying his fare.

Police stopped Guillory and searched his backpack where they allegedly found herion, cocaine and crack along with a digital scale and packaging material for the drugs. Officers also allegedly found a semiautomatic pistol with a loaded magazine.

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The charges against Guillory, which included possession of a firearm by a felon and the possession of drugs with the intent to sell them, represented the first time that San Francisco prosecutors utilized the legal tools afforded to them by Prop. 36, which California voters passed in November. Prosecutors brought sentencing enhancements in Guillorys case that would result in more severe consequences should he be convicted.

My office is committed to using every tool available to protect the safety of the public, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said in a statement. With the passage of Prop 36, my office now has new tools available that we will use appropriately, as intended by the voters, and move to hold who would break our laws accountable.

Guillory was expected to be arraigned Friday afternoon.
Seven inmates have been killed following a prison riot in southern Mexico.

The knife and gun-wielding inmates have claimed that the rampage started after soldiers 'tried to kill them'

The violence started in the early hours of yesterday morning when prisoners resisted being transferred to other jails and started fighting police with guns and knives - according to the Mexican authorities.

Four police officers and six other inmates were injured during the rampage in the city of Villahermosa, the capital of the Gulf coast state of Tabasco.

Shocking video footage taken from inside the prison shows a large fire burning in the background as prisoners appear to be walking freely around the grounds.

The blazes were allegedly started after the inmates set fire to mattresses.

Another video shows smoke billowing from a fire close to the perimeter wall of the jail and a military truck with what appeared to be an armed officer on the back is eeen driving past the site.

According to reports, gunshots and detonations could be heard from outside the prison.

Shocking video footage taken from inside the prison shows a large fire blazing in the background as prisoners appear to be walking freely around the grounds

The blazes were allegedly started after the inmates set fire to mattresses

Inmates went on to make wild claims that the soldiers were trying to kill them.

One convict said: 'We are in creset in Villahermosa, we are being attacked by the National Guard, they are shooting at us.'

Another claimed: 'They are killing us, they are killing us here in the prison.

'Families, come help us.

'The government of May (Tabasco governor Javier May Rodriguez), and Victor Hugo Chavez (head of the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection), are killing people in the prison.'

After regaining control of the facility several hours later, authorities found a plethora of weaponry including an assault rifle, five pistols, a hand grenade, 23 machetes, 14 knives and 23 homemade shivs.

State police chief Victor Hugo Chavez said late Thursday that officers were met by gunfire early in the day when they entered the prison to transfer two dangerous inmates to a federal penitentiary.

One of the inmates with a gun held out for about three hours, protected by 20 fellow prisoners.

Chavez did not specify if police opened fire on the group, but said: 'Authorities have to act to defend their own lives, too.'

They did not explain how the firearms got into the prison.

Jails in Mexico are known for notoriously loose controls and corruption, to the extent that gangs at some penitentiaries control their own cell blocks and extort other prisoners for protection money.

Following the violence, concerned relatives showed up outside the prison to demand answers.

One family member said: 'They don't want to come out to face us, if there are ambulances here, something is going on inside.

'There are wounded people, dead people too.'

Violent episodes were also reported in other areas of the city, including an arson attack at a supermarket and the burning of several vehicles.

Angry relatives even reportedly blocked the main highway that leads to the prison.

They demanded that the authorities provide them with information about what was happening beyond the prison walls.

One video showed smoke billowing from a fire close to the perimeter wall of the jail and a military truck with what appeared to be an armed officer on the back is seen driving past the site.

State prosecutor Jose Barajas Mejia confirmed that seven people were killed during the prison riot.

The authorities have so far only released the first names oft the deceased. They are: Jorge Francisco, Marcelo, Mario de Jesus, Alejandro, Ivan, Cristhian, and Antonio.

Barajas said the cause of the unrest could be related to gang violence inside the prison.

He stated: 'Violent individuals have maintained control, even while inside the prison.'

The situation has since been brought under control as the authorities investigate the causes behind the riot.
Angry residents of a Mayotte neighbourhood damaged by Cyclone Chido heckled French President Emmanuel Macron, who replied they would be in 'deeper s**t' without France as he toured the Indian Ocean archipelago.

Nearly a week after the storm hit, the lack of potable water was testing nerves in France's poorest overseas territory.

'Seven days and you're not able to give water to the population!' one man shouted at Macron.

'Don't set people against each other. If you set people against each other, we're screwed,' Macron told the crowd in the Pamandzi neighbourhood on Thursday night.

'You are happy to be in France. If it wasn't for France, you would be in way deeper s***, 10,000 times more, there is no place in the Indian Ocean where people receive more help.'

In the past, Macron has often got in trouble with off-the-cuff remarks in public that he says are meant to 'tell it like it is' but have often come across as insensitive or condescending to many French people and contributed to his sharp drop in popularity over his seven years as president.

Back home, opposition lawmakers pounced on the comments on Friday.

'I don't think the president is exactly finding the right words of comfort for our Mayotte compatriots, who, with this kind of expression, always have the feeling of being treated differently,' Sebastien Chenu, a lawmaker from the far-right National Rally (RN), said.

Emmanuel Macron speaking to a local resident in Mayotte. While visiting the islands yesterday he received a frosty response from citizens who voiced their anger at the government for the lack of aid distributed to Mayotte

During a particularly testy encounter - where locals heckled the president - The Guardian reported that Macron swore at the crowd

Hard-left lawmaker Eric Coquerel said Macron's comment was 'completely undignified'.

Asked about the comments in an interview on Friday, Macron said some of the people in the crowds were RN political militants, and that he wanted to counter the opposition's narrative that France had been neglecting Mayotte.

'I hear that narrative, which is fuelling the National Rally and some of the people who were insulting us yesterday, whereby 'France is doing nothing',' Macron told MayotteLa1ere.

'The cyclone wasn't decided by the government. France is doing a lot. We must be more efficient, but divisive, rabble-rousing speeches won't help.'

Officials in Mayotte have only been able to confirm 35 fatalities from Chido, but some have said they fear thousands could have been killed.

Some of the islands' worst-affected neighbourhoods, hillside shantytowns comprised of flimsy huts that are home to undocumented migrants, have not yet been reached by rescue workers.

Macron, who had extended his visit to Mayotte to spend more time surveying the damage from the worst storm to hit the territory in 90 years, responded that authorities were scaling up distributions.

'I understand your impatience. You can count on me,' he said.

The French state spends about 1.6 billion euros per year on Mayotte, or about 8% of the budget for overseas territories and 4,900 euros per inhabitant, compared with 7,200 euros people in Reunion Island or 8,500 euros for people in Guadeloupe, according to official 2023 budget documents.

Some in the Tsingoni neighborood greeted Macron more positively on Friday, thanking him for coming to see them. A 70-year-old woman offered a blessing while patting him on the head.

The previous evening, Macron replied testily to a jeering crowd that chanted for his resignation and accused his government of neglecting Mayotte, which is located some 8,000 km (5,000 miles) from metropolitan France.

He told reporters on Friday that France had invested heavily in Mayotte but that its institutions could not keep up with arrivals of undocumented migrants.

Concerns about immigration have helped make the territory a stronghold for the RN, with 60% voting for Marine Le Pen in the 2022 presidential election runoff.

Macron later led a crisis meeting of officials before departing in the afternoon for Djibouti, where he will share a Christmas meal with French troops stationed there.

Damaged homes on the islands. Cyclone Chido battered the French overseas department on Saturday December 14 leaving infrastructures damaged and homes flattened

Macron is reported to have said: 'You are happy to be in France. If this wasn't France, you'd be in a bath of s*** 10,000 times worse. 'There is no other place in the Indian Ocean where people are helped as much, that's a fact.'

Ali Djimoi, who lives in the Kaweni shantytown on the outskirts of the capital Mamoudzou, said Mayotte had been 'completely abandoned' by the French state.

'The water running out the pipes - even if it's working you can't drink it, it comes out dirty,' he told Reuters.

Djimoi said eight people in his immediate neighbourhood were killed in the storm, two of whom were quickly buried close to a mosque.

Authorities have warned it will be difficult to establish a precise death toll, in part because some victims were buried immediately in accordance with Muslim tradition.

The many undocumented migrants from Comoros, Madagascar and other countries also complicate matters. Official statistics put Mayotte's population at 321,000, but many say it is much higher.

Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said 80 tons of food and 50 tons of water were distributed on Thursday in nine of Mayotte's 17 communes and that the remaining eight would receive provisions on Friday.

'Everything has been put in place to allow the distribution of 600,000 litres of water per day, or two litres per Mayotte resident,' he said on X.

The islands, close to the Comoros archipelago, first came under France's control in 1841. In 1974, Mayotte voted to stay French at the same time the three main Comoro islands opted to form an independent state.

Chido also killed at least 73 people in Mozambique and 13 in Malawi after reaching continental Africa, according to officials in those countries.
A Belgian couple who used their four daughters as sex slaves to fulfill their sexual fantasies have been sentenced to more than a decade in prison.

The mother and father - who are unnamed for legal reasons - are both in their forties and from the province of Limburg, and appeared in court in Tongeren last month for the rape of their four daughters, who were between the ages of 12 and 21 at the time of the horrific abuse.

The man is said to be the father of one of the girls, while the other three are the woman's children from a separate partner.

Police were first made aware of the case when the two youngest daughters managed to escape the family home by bike on December 30 last year.

The sisters arrived at a centre for sexual violence where they reported that they and their two other siblings had been repeatedly raped by their parents since January 2022.

The girls were examined and were found to have pelvic injuries, bruising and sexually transmitted diseases, Dutch outlet De Telegraaf reports.

According to local media the parents abused their daughters because they desired threesomes but lacked funds to hire prostitutes.

As a result, the mother would take the girls out of their bedrooms and lead them to her partner where he would rape them up to nine times a day.

A Belgian couple who used their four daughters as sex slaves to fulfill their sexual fantasies have been sentenced to more than a decade in prison

The couple appeared in court in the town of Tongeren (pictured) last month where they were sentenced to over a decade in prison each

The mother reportedly participated in threesomes occasionally.

The girls were given alcohol, muscle relaxants and lubricants when the abuse took place.

One girl was told the sex would help her with her own relationships, while another was told that being sexually active with her stepfather would help her lose weight.

They were also threatened with being kicked out and ending up on the streets if they refused their parents' sexual advances.

Texts from the mother to the girls showed the level of manipulation they faced, with messages revealing how she would tell them that if they didn't participate they would destroy the family.

Following the two youngest daughters' escape, the couple were arrested in their home on December 30, 2023.

The mother admitted during an interview with police that she participated in the rapes of her daughters and stepdaughter because her partner would often beat her if she did not comply.

She also confessed that she was afraid of losing him and was worried she would end up on the streets.

The daughters were raped up to nine times a day

Meanwhile, the father accused his partner of coming up with the idea to rape their daughters.

He also said it was often the girls who approached him themselves.

When delivering a verdict, the judge said: 'The proven facts are extremely serious. The defendants used their daughters to satisfy the father's sexual fantasies. At first they tried to do this by means of paid sex, but when they found that the financial resources were no longer available or that no one could be found, the defendants turned to the children within their own family and treated them as free sex slaves'.

The man was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

The judge said: 'He could not control his sexual urges and showed absolutely no respect for the sexual integrity of his daughter and stepdaughters. In a completely deceitful manner, he continued to maintain that everything happened at the request of the children.'

The mother will spend 13 years behind bars.

'As the mother of three victims, she facilitated the abuse of her own daughters by, as it were, making them available to her partner and placing her relationship with him above the sexual integrity of her children,' the judge said.

'Statements show that she orally satisfied at least one of the victims herself. She therefore directly participated in the rapes.'
There will be profound shock and anger right across Germany this evening. A nation is in mourning. Tonight's abhorrent scenes of tiny, broken bodies littering that most precious of German festive traditions  the Christmas market  in the centre of Magdeburg have shocked the civilised world.

But surprise? Very sadly, there will not be much of that. For Germany has been dreading if not half-expecting some sort of Christmas outrage as I have learned for myself.

That's because I have spent the past week in Germany visiting Essen, another city where scenes at a Christmas market have caused panic and confusion in recent days - as I will explain below.

The stories and fears I've heard from ordinary Germans painted a picture of a nation in turmoil. Tonight's atrocity is only going to exacerbate what is already a very serious schism here.

When I visited, people were still confused and, understandably, a little angry in the centre of Essen, though the mood was very much calmer than it was a few days ago. Back then, many people were scared witless, grabbing their children and running for the exits.

As I stood in the Christmas market, amid the oom-pah music, the fairy lights and the little stalls selling hot chocolate, hefty sausages, toys, candles and all the ephemera you would expect at a traditional German Christmas market, I could see why.

For in mid-afternoon on Sunday December 8, this snug ambiance  what the Germans like to call 'Gemutlichkeit' - was suddenly disrupted by chants of 'Allahu Akbar'.

Out of nowhere came a large, boisterous crowd  mostly Arabic, almost entirely young men  who barged past the fairground rides and on down the narrow pathways between the market traders with their jewellery displays, gingerbread houses and puppet shows.

On and on they came for more than an hour, chanting unfamiliar slogans and waving flags and banners.

It was in Essen's Christmas market, much like this one in Cologne visited by Robert, where the friendly ambience was suddenly disrupted by Syrian migrants chanting 'Allahu Akbar'

On and on they came for more than an hour, chanting unfamiliar slogans and waving flags and banners in Stuttgart. Reports say that there were upwards of 5,000 marchers

Reports say that there were upwards of 10,000 marchers.

Though the event turned out to be entirely peaceful, it was woefully ill-judged.

Germans have not forgotten that it was at a Christmas market in Berlin where a failed asylum-seeker from Tunisia drove a stolen truck into the crowds in 2016. He left 13 dead and 56 injured. Tonight's atrocity seems similar.

In the Essen area, memories are especially raw of what happened just up the road in Solingen less than four months ago. The town was celebrating a late-summer 'festival of diversity' when a 26-year-old Syrian man  already in breach of a deportation order having lost his asylum appeal  went berserk with a knife.

Three passers-by were killed and five more seriously wounded.

Both attacks, it transpired, were linked to the terror group Islamic State. Then, three weeks ago, police thwarted a plot by a 37-year-old Iraqi asylum-seeker to drive a vehicle packed with explosives into a Christmas market in Augsburg. And that was all before tonight.

Visit any major square in Germany right now and it's not hard to spot the giant concrete anti-truck defences, despite feeble attempts to disguise them with Christmas wrapping.

Hence the acute nervousness, bordering on panic, in Essen earlier this month, as this vocal crowd took everyone by surprise as they started marching  some say aggressively  through a Christmas market spread over several city squares.

Similar scenes were playing out at other Christmas markets, including those in Dresden and Stuttgart. The occasional firework only added to the tension.

The more worldly Christmas shoppers might have recognised what was really going on. Indeed, they might even have joined with applause. For, alongside the now-ubiquitous Palestinian flag, the large majority of flags and banners carried three red stars between a green and a black stripe. These were the colours of the old Syrian republic prior to the murderous Assad dictatorship.

On the weekend in question, this crooked regime had only just collapsed with ex-President Bashar al-Assad and his family fleeing to Moscow. No wonder all these Syrian refugees, driven from their homeland by Assad, wanted to celebrate the longed-for revolution. Unfortunately, most Germans do not follow Middle Eastern affairs.

Nor do they know their Syrian flags. Furthermore, neither the police nor the organisers had warned them that a demonstration was coming straight through the Christmas market.

'There must have been very bad planning by the police because we had no idea what was happening,' says Chiara Piccoli, behind the bar of the pop-up Taverne zum Greifen. One minute, she was pouring out mugs of wassail, a piping hot mix of beer and cider. The next, her customers were running away.

Out of nowhere came a large, boisterous crowd who barged down the narrow pathways between the market traders with their jewellery displays, gingerbread houses and puppet shows. Pictured: Hardman at Essen's Christmas market

Chiara Piccoli, who runs the Christmas taberna in Essen, described the marchers as 'intimidating'

Firing up his pedal-powered forge for another public demonstration, pony-tailed 'new hippy' blacksmith Maik Pabel, 23, tells me that what should have been a bumper Sunday was a disaster.

'This was my black day at the market. I had no visitors for five hours,' he says. 'I had one family booked in for a birthday workshop. They just rang up and said they didn't want to come. They said: 'Sorry but the kids are afraid',' says Mr Pabel.

'We later heard that 300 people had registered for a protest but then 10,000 turned up and chose their own route.'

Some will argue that this was just an overblown case of cultural misunderstanding and that we should all 'move on'. Let us be clear, too. There is no proof that tonight's attack was Syria-related.

However, the marchers could hardly have chosen a more unfortunate time or place. For this has only served to inflame the broader debate now driving a wedge through a deeply divided country.

'We are pleased that Assad's unjust regime has ended. However, chanting Islamist slogans is completely unacceptable, especially in the atmosphere of a Christmas market,' Bavarian MP Andrea Lindholz told German newspaper Bild. 'Anyone who flees to a democratic constitutional state and then glorifies Islamism should leave our country.'

But this is not the voice of the extreme Right. Ms Lindholz is a family lawyer who represents the CSU, the Bavarian wing of the party once led by Angela Merkel.

As Chancellor, it was Mrs Merkel who opened the borders to more than a million Syrian refugees in 2015, earning her plaudits across the West for her liberalism (Time magazine named her its Person of the Year).

Today, as she tours the country promoting her memoirs and insisting she has no regrets, her old party is turning its back on her. Former Merkel loyalists now see her legacy  dependence on cheap Russian gas, exports to China and US military protection plus open borders for asylum-seekers  as a disaster.

Growth in Germany is now the lowest in the G7 nations (just below Britain) while business confidence is in freefall as companies face the prospect of tariffs from an incoming Trump administration in the US.

Beatrix von Storch, the far-Right AfD party's deputy leader, says that 'every Syrian asylum seeker, especially those celebrating the fall of Assad, should go home'

Archaeologist and art curator, Jabbar Abdullah, 35, left Syria in 2014, after police discovered that he was responsible for an outbreak of graffiti against president Assad in his home town of Raqqa

With energy prices soaring, Germans have not felt this poor in a generation. That is why scenes like the Christmas market are prompting many Germans to ask whether their generosity has run its course. For the fall of Assad has not just coincided with Christmas. It has also coincided with the implosion of the German government.

On Monday, Chancellor Olaf Scholz lost a no-confidence motion in the German parliament, the Bundestag, and his three-way centre-Left/Green/liberal coalition has collapsed. There will now be a February election in which migration is already a key issue. No European nation in recent years has taken in more refugees than Germany and a very large number of them  around a million  are Syrians who were fleeing the Assad regime.

Up to a third now have jobs and, in many cases, citizenship. An estimated 500,000, however, are living on benefits.

The far-Right AfD party is now arguing that many  if not most  of them should now return home, since the Assad threat has now been expunged. 'These Syrians were declared to be refugees because they were fleeing from Assad. There should now be no further question. Every Syrian asylum seeker, especially those celebrating the fall of Assad, should go home,' Beatrix von Storch, the party's deputy leader, tells me.

The AfD is currently twice as popular as Mr Scholz's centre-Left SPD in the opinion polls. Way out in front is the centre-Right CDU which is now adopting a similar stance.

'Two-thirds of Syrians in Germany are not gainfully employed,' said CDU leader Friedrich Merz, the man most likely to be Germany's next Chancellor, this week. 'Many of them must return to their country to contribute to reconstruction.' While advocating a deportation policy for some, he has also said that 'well-integrated Syrians who contribute to society are welcome to stay'.

His party is split over whether to offer financial incentives.

'I don't believe that a Syrian who doesn't intend to leave Germany anyway will do so for 1,000 euros,' says the CDU's Serap Guler, the party's first MP of Turkish origin. 'We shouldn't start a bidding war.'

However, Jens Spahn, who served as Angela Merkel's health minister through the Covid crisis, is advocating a 1,000 return package.

'Those who are actually integrated, who pay for themselves and their families, who speak the language, are part of our German society, they should get an offer to stay,' he said. 'At the same time, those who do not need our protection anymore, they need to leave.' Many on the centre and Left of German politics argue that Syria is no safer than it was. They also point out that Germany's health service would be in chaos if the country's 6,000 Syrian doctors were now to return home. However, no one, including the AfD, is suggesting that.

'We would be happy to keep the doctors but, to be fair to Syria, don't they need those doctors?' says Beatrix von Storch. 'And if we are losing a million migrants, with 500,000 of them on benefits, then there would be positive impacts for the economy.' Migrant support groups point out that Syria is woefully ill-equipped to cope with a sudden influx of repatriations and argue that refugees should be allowed to remain in the West until they have homes and jobs to which they can return.

Robert Hardman visits Fronhof, Solingen, the square in which a Syrian knifeman killed people celebrating at a 'festival of diversity' back in August

Astrid Muller, who owns the 'Weinachtspyramide' bar in Essen, says people in the market were 'scared and saying: 'What's happening?''

Similar debates are starting to play out across Europe. In the UK, the Home Office has announced a pause in the processing of asylum applications from Syria. The Austrian government has done the same and says it is drawing up 'a programme of orderly repatriation and deportation'. However, it is in Germany where the issue is of an entirely different magnitude.

And now those once-welcoming European hosts are talking about deportations. I travel an hour south to the cathedral city of Cologne, adopted home city of archaeologist and art curator, Jabbar Abdullah, 35.

'I see this as discriminatory,' he tells me over a beer in his local bar. 'Of course there is a moral obligation for us to do something for Syria but not to go back.

'It is an impossible situation for those who have made Germany their homeland. There are children who have grown up here who cannot speak Arabic.'

He was a student when he had to flee Syria in 2014. The police had discovered that he was responsible for an outbreak of graffiti in his home town of Raqqa, where messages such as 'Assad is a child-murderer' started popping up.

He says he has endured plenty of racism and was even reported to police for 'planting a bomb' while working on the restoration of an old city wall. But he believes that if Syria stabilises and Germany, with other Western powers, offers to help with reconstruction then '200,000 Syrians will go home in the first year'. If things get worse, however, then he warns of an even greater exodus from Syria.

As for the Christmas market invasion in Essen, he asks for understanding. 'It was not intended in a bad way. You have people who have only just arrived in Germany and don't know what Christmas is. 'The police should not have allowed a demonstration in a Christmas market anyway.' Across town, Cologne's famous Christmas markets  all six of them  are in full swing. At one of the countless gluhwein stands, I chat to Steffi, Olga and Englebert who work for a car dealership and all say that the whole point of a Christmas market is to escape politics and the outside world.

They cannot imagine why anyone would want to demonstrate in a place like this.

On a cold, clear night, this city looks magical in full festive mode, though here, too, memories linger of the notorious New Year's Eve celebrations here in the early hours of 2016. More than 500 women reported sexual assaults by roaming gangs of young migrants, most of whom turned out to be North African.

The outrage was compounded by initial police attempts to conceal the scale of the crimes and the ethnicity of the attackers.

As with the terror attacks elsewhere, such episodes cause just as much anxiety among the millions of entirely peaceful migrants who are currently hoping to build new lives in Germany. They are the ones who will feel the repercussions.

In daylight, I drive to Solingen and walk through Fronhof, the square in which that Syrian knifeman killed those poor souls celebrating 'diversity' back in August. Few want to talk about it.

'We are only just getting back to normal now,' says Edi Aytemur, manager of a nearby pizzeria.

Outside, a pensioner, who will only give his name as Ludwig, is blunt: 'There are far too many people here who can't speak German, can't speak English and have no qualifications. Yet they get help while old people like us are not looked after. And now, when it's dark, I don't go out. I don't feel safe anymore.'

Back in Essen, all is calm in the Christmas market as I drop in at the popular 'Weinachtspyramide' bar in the centre of Willy-Brandt-Platz for an excellent hot chocolate. This was one of the first places to be overrun by the Syrian demonstrators.

'It was a bad day,' says owner Astrid Muller.

'The police were nowhere and then later said, 'Everything is good'. Well it was not good. People were scared and saying: 'What's happening?'.'

Does she have a message to those celebrating the fall of the hated Assad? 'Here, take a shovel. Go home and build a new country.'

To repeat, we have no indication whether tonight's atrocity has any Syrian connection. However, with the horrors of Magdeburg fresh in the mind and an election looming, that is going to be a sentiment which will be heard long and loud in the weeks ahead.
Sean 'Diddy' Comb's attorney Marc Agnifilo has joined the defense team of alleged assassin Luigi Mangione, in a bizarre overlap of two the nation's most famous ongoing criminal cases.

Mangione landed in Manhattan on Thursday to be arraigned for the murder of UnitedHeathcare CEO Brian Thompson, and Agnifilo was one of the attorneys waiting to represent him in court.

The alleged killer of Unitedhealthcare CEO Brian Thompson had already retained Agnifilo's wife, former Manhattan Chief Assistant District Attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo.

But it was a surprise when Marc Agnifilo was also spotted walking into the Manhattan federal court where Mangione was arraigned on Thursday.

The power couple reportedly met with Mangione before his arraignment, where he was charged with federal crimes of murder, stalking and weapons violations, escalating the case after his indictment on state charges.

They also drove to see Mangione in jail in Pennsylvania earlier this week.

Marc Agnifilo has worked for various high-profile defendants including cult leader Keith Raniere and 'Pharma Bro' Martin Shkreli.

Mangione was taken on a private plane from Pennsylvania to New York after he waived extradition in a hearing in Pennsylvania. He was then switched to a helicopter and flown to downtown Manhattan to be indicted for murder charges.

The NYPD put up a huge show of force as Mangione landed on a Manhattan helipad

The alleged killer had already retained Agnifilo's wife, former Manhattan Chief Assistant District Attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo . But it was a surprise when Marc Agnifilo was also spotted walking into the Manhattan federal court where Mangione was arraigned on Thursday

He has since been ordered held in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn - the same facility where Diddy is awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

The newly unsealed federal indictment against Mangione includes more details of the notes police say they found on his notebook when he was arrested last week - including his desire to 'wack' the CEO of an insurance company.

Mangione repeatedly wrote about his disdain for the health insurance industry and its executives, per prosecutors. In an entry from August 15, Mangione allegedly wrote how 'the details are finally coming together' and that 'the target is insurance' because' it checks every box.'

On October 22, Mangione allegedly wrote: '1.5 months. This investor conference is a true windfall... and - most importantly - the message becomes self evident.' In the same entry, Mangione describes his intent to 'wack' the CEO of an insurance company.

Mangione appeared in Manhattan court wearing street clothes  a white button-down shirt, navy three-quarter zip pullover and khaki pants. He had no shackles on his hand but there were shackles around his ankles.

He has not yet entered a plea.

In addition to separate state charges in New York and Pennsylvania, Mangione faces federal charges of murder through use of a firearm, stalking and a firearms offense, according to the complaint.

Mangione was received at a downtown NYC helipad by dozens of armed NYPD officers as well as mayor Eric Adams and police commissioner Jessica Tisch.

Luigi Mangione, center, stands flanked by his attorneys Karen Agnifilo, left and Marc Agnifilo, right, during his initial court appearance in Manhattan

The power couple reportedly met with Mangione before his arraignment, where he was charged with federal crimes of murder, stalking and weapons violations

Sean "Diddy" Combs attends a pre-trial conference in his sex trafficking case with his attorney Marc Agnifilo on December 8

Mangione was received at a downtown NYC helipad by dozens of armed NYPD officers as well as mayor Eric Adams and police commissioner Jessica Tisch

Mangione is seen in Manhattan before his arraignment on Thursday

One of the federal charges against Mangione, murder by firearm, could bring the possibility of the death penalty, though prosecutors have not said whether they will seek it.

Earlier on Thursday, fans with placards in Pennsylvania flocked to see the alleged killer whose good looks have made him a pin-up for some internet users, outraging many others appalled by Mangione's alleged crimes.

The alleged murderer waived a preliminary hearing on the Pennsylvania forgery and gun charges in exchange for the prosecutor giving him a 20-page investigative report from the Altoona Police Department. Mangione also agreed to be extradited to New York.

Earlier this week, he was indicted on charges of murder as an act of terrorism, under a NY state law that allows for stiffer sentences when a killing is aimed at terrifying civilians or influencing government.

NYPD officers were present in court for the extradition hearing, ready to take the suspect back to NYC. CNN has reported that Mangione will be flown to the city later on Thursday.

Dozens of protesters showed up to court to support Mangione in a bizarre continuation of a public fixation with the alleged killer. They held signs with messages such as 'Health insurance practices terrorize people!' and 'Death by denial is murder!'

The 26-year-old was taken directly to the airport to board a private plane that will take him to New York City to face murder charges over the killing of UnitedHeathcare CEO Brian Thompson

Mangione's good looks have seen him declared a hero by some internet users, sparking fury among those outraged by his alleged crime

Protesters showed up outside the Pennsylvania court to support Mangione on Thursday

Luigi Mangione supporters line-up outside the Blair County Courthouse complex in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania

At least two of them were dressed as Luigi from the Super Mario Bros video game.

Several TikTok users shared on the platform that they had driven as much as six hours to attend the court appearance.

Some reportedly flew in from as far as California to support the alleged assassin.

In a court filing last week, Mangione's Pennsylvania defense attorney Tom Dickey argued prosecutors hadnt shown theres sufficient evidence to hold Mangione, that he was in New York when Thompson was killed or that he is a fugitive from justice.

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 (446 kilometers) west of New York.

Mangione is accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson at point-blank range on December 5

Surveillance camera footage showed the gunman, suspected to be Mangione, shooting UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson at point blank range outside of a Hilton hotel in midtown Manhattan on December 4

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.

His lawyer, Dickey, has questioned the evidence for the forgery charge and the legal basis for a gun charge. He had previously indicated Mangione would fight extradition to New York while being held in a Pennsylvania state prison.

Mangione, an Ivy League computer science graduate from a prominent family, 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 last week.
A woman is searching for answers on the internet after finding a message in a bottle in Texas.

Laurie Levermann Coker was walking on a beach with her dogs in South Padre Island, Texas, when she found the bottle washed up on shore.

'I've never found one before, and I've been here for almost five and a half, six years,' Coker told FOX Weather.

'I've been walking up and down this beach, two miles a day and an hour or more, and I pick up lots of things.'

She opened the bottle and read a brief note - 'By Angela (23) and Emily (24) from Keewaydin Island. Sent out 6/15/2024.'

Having never heard of Keewaydin Island before, Coker looked it up online and discovered it was an island off Southwest Florida that is only accessible by boat.

The glass bottle traveled around 1,000 miles in the Gulf of Mexico from Florida to Texas or was carried to the Atlantic Ocean by the Gulf Stream.

Taking the bottle home with her, Coker has been investigating the item online and recently spread the word about her desire to learn about Emily or Angela in an Instagram post.

Laurie Levermann Coker found a message in a bottle while walking her dogs on a beach in South Padre Island, Texas

Coker has begun using the internet to figure out who the previous bottle finders are

'I let it sit on my counter, and it was so funny because I was in my kitchen, I was like, "What the heck is that smell?",' Coker revealed to FOX Weather.

'And it turned out the barnacles were dying. It really smells bad.'

After doing a little digging, Coker eventually created a social media post targeting locals who might have more information.

'On South Padre Island, there are several pages for tourists to come and ask questions or for locals to talk to each other and stuff,' she said.

'I posted it there, and then I thought, well, maybe Naples has the same kind of thing, right?'

Coker received responses on a separate social media post and a former student of hers claimed she would 'put it on TikTok.'

Nearly two weeks later, Cocker has still not heard back from anyone about the women mentioned in the message.

Even if she doesn't hear back, Cocker says she will eventually take a boat out onto the water and throw the bottle back into the sea.

Coker is planning to take a boat out and throw the bottle back into the sea

Pictured: South Padre Island, where Cocker found the message in a bottle

'Hopefully, somebody else will find it. And I mean, it could just end up right back on my beach, or it could just end up like 6 miles from here down the beach,' Coker said.

'Or it could end up in North Padre. I have no idea where it's going to go,' the beach walker added.

Coker is not the only person from the Lonestar State who found a message in a bottle this year.

Texas residents Markus Hogue and his 12-year-old son, Gabriel, found a message in a bottle while visiting Padre Island National Seashore on June 1.

'My son was out there looking for something to get his mom and his girlfriend and I happened to walk across it,' Hogue told USA TODAY.

Hogue added that he assumed it was trash before realizing it was a message in a bottle.

According to Hogue, the message, which was written in Spanish, read, 'I am sending you this message so that you know how much Mom and Dad love you. I love you daughter, never forget it.'

A woman named Smyth Murphy discovered the world's oldest message in a bottle from 1876 one month later while visiting the Jersey Shore.

Besides Coker, Markus Hogue and his 12-year-old son Gabriel found a message in a bottle while visiting Padre Island National Seashore

The bottle featured a note that read 'Yacht Neptune off Atlantic City, New Jersey. Aug. 6 - 76.'

She also found a business card for WG & J Klemm, a Pennsylvania-based company ran by William and John Klemm until 1881.
Tony Blair's close ally Peter Mandelson was confirmed as the new British ambassador in the United States - with a mission to charm Donald Trump.

Lord Mandelson, the former Cabinet minister nicknamed 'the Prince of Darkness' due to his Machiavellian maneuverings, will be installed in Washington following Mr Trump's inauguration on January 20.

Sir Keir Starmer tonight said that the rare political appointment to the role - usually held by a seasoned diplomat - would benefit from his 'unrivalled experience' which includes working as an EU trade commissioner.

But questions have been raised over the peer's previous attacks on Trump and praise for China.

In 2018 he tore into the then president over his hostility towards the Asian superpower in an article for the London Standard, saying: 'It is absurd to imagine putting a country of such weight in the naughty corner.

'It is also necessary to recognise Mr Trump's behaviour for what it is: he is a bully and a mercantilist who thinks the US will gain in trade only when others are losing.

'His idea of a progressive trade policy is one that forces everyone else to give the US more favourable treatment rather than a trading system from which everyone gains.

His protectionist 'America First' platform and hostility to free trade agreements ignore the fact that the US is at near full employment, that banning imports will raise the prices of goods for American consumers, and that in a world of cross-border value chains US manufacturers and manufacturing-related services benefit hugely from supplying production outside US territory.'

Lord Mandelson, the former Cabinet minister and EU commissioner nicknamed 'the Prince of Darkness' due to his Machiavellian maneuverings, will be installed in Washington following Mr Trump's inauguration on January 20.

In 2018 he tore into the then president over his hostility towards China, saying: 'It is absurd to imagine putting a country of such weight in the naughty corner. It is also necessary to recognise Mr Trump's behaviour for what it is: he is a bully and a mercantilist who thinks the US will gain in trade only when others are losing.'

Mandelson was business secretary and secretary of state for Northern Ireland under Tony Blair and has more recently been described as a 'significant influence' on the office of Sir Keir.

However, he has more recently warmed towards the Trump team. Last month he told Sir Keir Starmer to end his feud with Elon Musk, who will have a key role in the new US administration.

He also suggested that the Labour government should use Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, as a bridgehead.

Sir Keir and Mr Musk, the Tesla boss and owner of X who has an estimated fortune of around $300billion, clashed earlier this year over the widespread rioting in the UK.

But speaking to The Times' podcast How To Win An Election, Lord Mandelson praised the billionaire as a 'sort of technological, industrial, commercial phenomenon'.

'It would be unwise, in my view, for Britain to ignore him. You cannot pursue these feuds,' the former Cabinet minister added.

'You can't afford to do it. We should try and kick it into touch as soon as possible.

'If I were the Government here, I'd be asking the embassy in Washington DC to find out who his other British friends are. Who are they all?

'And they've got to be used, I think, as a bridge to Musk. And so that's what I would do.

'You know, swallow your pride, find out who his friends are and try and get into those networks.'

Tonight Lord Mandelson said: 'It is a great honour to serve the country in this way.

'We face challenges in Britain but also big opportunities and it will be a privilege to work with the government to land those opportunities, both for our economy and our nation's security, and to advance our historic alliance with the United States.'

Trump has vowed to introduce a range of tariffs during his second term in the White House, including a 10-20 per cent levy on all goods imports.

There will also be higher tariffs on goods from China, Mexico, Canada and nations that retaliate with protective measures of their own.

It has sparked fears that the UK could be sucked into a trade war between the US and the EU, despite having left the latter.

Although Lord Mandelson had said at the time 'nobody has spoken to me about it', the sources had said he would be encouraged to take the role because he had the strength of character to deal with Trump

Peter Mandelson (left) receives a Chinese-made T-shirt from Chinese Commerce Minister Bo Xilai at a press conference in 2005

Sir Keir has previously said he believed the Labour politican had the necessary trade expertise and networking abilities to bolster the UK's interests during this delicate period of time.

It is a 'delicate' period that has seen frosty relations, with Mr Trump saying he would implement tariffs on goods coming in from the UK.

There is also the awkward issue of Foreign Secretary David Lammy's scathing criticism of the president-elect over the years, which has included calling him a 'woman-hating, neo-Nazi sympathising sociopath,' 'a tyrant in a toupee' and 'a dangerous clown'.

Mandelson got the nod ahead of a string of prominent Labour rivals including former Cabinet ministers David Miliband and Baroness Amos.

The Lord's expertise as a former EU trade commissioner could prove vital during what look set to be fraught discussions with the Trump administration over free trade.

He has held several other positions such as business secretary and secretary of state for Northern Ireland and has more recently been described as a 'significant influence' on the office of Starmer and a 'core part' of his network.

It was previously speculated by senior Labour insiders in November that if Kamala Harris were triumphant, Labour peer Valerie Amos would stand the best chance of being put in the position.

Although Lord Mandelson had said at the time 'nobody has spoken to me about it', the sources said he would be encouraged to take the role because he had the strength of character to deal with Trump - and the experience to handle the critical trade negotiations.

Mandelson previously ran to be Oxford University's next chancellor but was pipped at the post by Lord William Hague of Richmond.

He did not, however, rule out 'double-jobbing' at the time as Britain's next ambassador to the US while also serving as the university's chancellor.

The 71-year-old's entry into the role represents nothing short of a remarkable political comeback for a man who had to resign twice from Tony Blair's cabinet before returning under Gordon Brown.

He also served as EU trade commissioner and was vigorously anti-Brexit, including running the campaign for a second referendum.

Lord Mandelson is an ally of Morgan McSweeney, Starmer's chief of staff, and was backed for the role by Mr Lammy.

Last month he urged the PM to use Nigel Farage's links to the Trump team as a 'bridge' to further the UK's interests. 'You can't ignore him,' he said. 'He's an elected MP, he's a public figure. He's a bridgehead, both to President Trump and to Elon Musk and others.'

Peter Mandelson had been the frontrunner to become British Ambassador to Washington were Donald Trump to win the election

A younger Peter Mandelson is seen during the second day of the Labour Party Annual Conference Conference on September 27, 2004 in Brighton, England

Mr Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on all imports into the US, potentially triggering a major trade war. While China is his first target, the EU and UK could also be hit.

Sir Keir yesterday told MPs he wanted to avoid getting sucked into a trade war, adding: 'We have to make sure we avoid tariffs.'.

The president-elect has also spoken warmly about Sir Keir and the special relationship, despite their political differences. Ahead of talks in New York in September, he described the PM as a 'very nice guy'.

But, during the presidential campaign his team accused Labour of election interference after its head of operations said 100 current and former staffers were helping Mr Trump's Democrat opponent Kamala Harris.

Dame Karen Pierce is the current ambassador to the US and she will remain in the post until the end of January when Trump is inaugurated.

In his role, Mandelson will be able to enjoy the new lavishly renovated British embassy in Washington and the ambassador's Queen Anne residence, which is the only building in North America designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.

Speaking to the BBC previously, Lord Mandelson said he was 'more in favour of a new relationship rather than a special one' with the US.

He added: 'Can I just make the point if you don't mind: nobody has spoken to me about this job.

Speaking to the BBC previously, Lord Mandelson said he was 'more in favour of a new relationship rather than a special one' with the US

Sir Keir yesterday told MPs he wanted to avoid getting sucked into a trade war, adding: 'We have to make sure we avoid tariffs.'

'I read about it in the papers but nobody has actually spoken to me about it, so let's put it to one side.'

Pressed on whether he would be interested in the Washington role, he said: 'I would be very interested indeed in giving advice about trade to whoever is appointed.'

Sir Keir has told the Commons Liaison Committee he is 'alive to the danger of tariffs' but would not 'speculate as to what the incoming president might do'.

He said: 'I am not a fan of tariffs and, therefore, we have to make sure that we avoid tariffs.'

Lord Mandelson was one of the architects of New Labour, helping to restore the party to power in the 1990s.

He served as business secretary and Northern Ireland secretary under Sir Tony, but then 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.
A man who had his wall crashing down during Storm Darragh has been left over 4,000 out of pocket after his insurance company said the wind was too slow.

Martyn Rigby, 35, from Bolton, Greater Manchester, paid over 200 for a 'platinum' Admiral insurance policy to protect when he and his wife of three years Mariana, 36, moved to their home in January.

The couple hadn't tried to use the policy until earlier this month, on December 7, when strong winds during Storm Darragh toppled a wall between his home and the street.

The first-time homeowner immediately called Admiral, but he was told the speed of the wind meant the weather event did not meet its definition of a storm.

Furious Mr Rigby said: 'They rejected my claim for compensation and said the wind in my area was only 47mph that day, and that their policy is 55mph.

'They said they can tell the exact wind speed in every postcode, but didn't answer when I asked how.

'I felt like they were giving excuses not to pay out.'

Now, the 35-year-old's property is exposed to the street, and he's been forced to pay 4,700 out of pocket to get the wall fixed, putting pressure on his family before Christmas.

Martyn Rigby, 35, pictured, paid over 200 for a 'platinum' Admiral insurance policy to protect when he and his wife of three years Mariana, 36, moved to their home in January

The couple hadn't tried to use the policy until earlier this month, on December 7, when strong winds during Storm Darragh toppled a wall between his home and the street

Mr Rigby, who works as a chef, added: 'I had an expensive bike which I stored in the shed, but obviously because that was now exposed to the outside, I had to remove all the things from my shed and put them in my house for extra security.

'Normally throughout the day we'd leave our curtains open, but now because it's facing the road we're keeping them closed for safety reasons.'

The money Mr Rigby had spent on the wall had been saved up for Mariana's marriage visa, which does not allow her to work.

He added: 'The money I had saved was going to be for my wife's visa, which is due in June. I now rapidly have to try to finance 4,500 by then ready to pay for the next visa.

'You just kind of lose trust in insurance companies, because you expect them to be there for you, to have your back with these issues.

'To turn around and say 'sorry no, we can't do anything for you', what was the point in me insuring with them to begin with? Why am I paying for this premium sum when I could have got the cheapest one instead?'

A spokesperson for Admiral said: 'We are sorry that Mr Rigby is unhappy with the service provided by us in relation to the incident at his home on 7th December and we have undertaken a thorough investigation in response.

'Mr Rigby's home insurance covers for damage or loss as a direct result of the causes listed in his policy booklet, such as fire, theft and flood.

Mr Iliffe's aerial being repaired on the roof of his property in Kidderminster. His insurance provider Ageas told him only winds of 55mph or above qualify as a storm

'We use satellite-based weather data which is accurate to a specific postcode to assess for storm damage.

'We looked at the weather data for 7th December 2024 and for two weeks prior, allowing a degree of flexibility on the wind speed factor and for unique factors such as where Mr Rigby's property is located.

'When Mr Rigby's outside walls were damaged, there were strong winds and heavy rain at that time, however they didn't meet the storm damage criteria, even when we added in a degree of flexibility.'

This wasn't the first time this has happened as man whose house was wrecked by Storm Darragh was refused a pay out after insurers told him it was not a storm because the wind speeds were under 55mph.

Dennis Iliffe was informed the winds that battered his property in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, were 2mph too slow for his insurance provider Ageas to pay up.

This is because the Association of British Insurers defines a storm as 'a period of violent weather defined as wind speeds with gusts of at least 48 knots (55mph)'.

An 'absolutely astounded' Mr Iliffe was facing being left 500 out of pocket after getting his aerial replaced and chimney repaired following the storm last weekend.

He told BBC News of his insurance firm: 'They didn't want to know. They said the gust was only 53mph and it has to be 55mph to be declared a storm.'
A Texas mother allegedly faked a cancer diagnosis for her daughter and got her addicted on ketamine in a sickening years-long campaign of abuse.

Denise Zamora was taken into custody this week accused of abusing her daughter, 15, whose name is not known, for over six years.

Investigators told NBC5 that Zamora also faked her own cancer diagnosis and said they are investigating claims she committed upwards of $1 million in Medicaid fraud.

Officials are urging anyone who donated to the mother's online appeals to come forward for information, claiming Zamora kept the alleged scam running for years.

They said Zamora's daughter was deaf and non-verbal, and her mother would answer for her at medical visits.

Tarrant County investigators alleged that Zamora put her daughter through pain treatments involving ketamine and other drugs.

It is claimed these 'treatments' led her daughter to become addicted to ketamine, as experts described the episode appearing to be a tragic case of Factitious Disorder, previously called Munchausen Syndrome.

Zamora is now facing a slew of felonies including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, serious bodily injury to a child, and endangering a child.

Denise Zamora, pictured, is accused of faking her disabled daughter's cancer diagnosis for cash and attention

Following Zamora's first court appearance this week, police sources claimed Zamora told friends and neighbors that she was also suffering from cancer and going through chemotherapy, reports NBC5.

She allegedly went as far as shaving her own head to convince others of her condition, and constructed a swanky new Texas home in 2020 for $300,000.

Zamora's arrest warrant details 20 pages of allegedly false claims she made to health experts, including faking headaches, nausea, stomach pains, heavy menstrual bleeding, seizures, and spinal issues beginning in 2018, reports Fox4.

The allegedly unnecessary treatments led Zamora's daughter to end up using a wheelchair and having a feeding tube inserted, despite being able to walk and eat normally.

Her daughter went for at least seven ER visits and 12 hospital admissions, and was prescribed 19 different medications for 44 diagnoses, investigators said.

Medical professionals reportedly became suspicious of Zamora as she would speak for her daughter, and she was placed under video surveillance while they were in a hospital room together.

According to her affidavit, Zamora was 'caught on covert video surveillance taking a syringe from the vanity and using the syringe to insert what appeared to be a clear unknown liquid into the victims feeding bag.'

She then 'took the feeding bag down and pouring some of the contents into a cup. then presented it to the nurse that the victim had thrown up', the filing said.

Zamora built this swanky home for herself in 2020, with the property estimated to be worth $300,000

Another allegation claims that Zamora told doctors her daughter could only eat through a feeding tube, but when they were separated her daughter immediately began to eat by mouth.

As investigators urge the public to come forward if they think they sent money to Zamora on fraudulent grounds, GoFundMe reportedly said they do not have any active fundraisers for the mother.

Medical experts have said they believe the child is a victim of Munchausen syndrome-by-proxy, a disorder where a caregiver, often a parent or guardian, pretends someone else has health problems.

The disorder has varying motivations, often cited as either attention for appearing to be a caring person or soliciting money from well-wishers.

Detectives said Zamora refused to answer questions on her intentions when confronted with the allegations, and 'denied doing anything to the victim and continually blamed the doctors.'

The charges Zamora now faces include aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, related to a scalpel she allegedly used to insert a feeding tube into her daughter.
A children's hospital nurse Shantel Gillespie, 30, was found dead in her luxury Boston apartment just days after earning her degree.

The mother-of-three had just graduated from Laboure College of Healthcare in Milton, Massachusetts, when she was found dead two days later on December 12.

The Boston Police Department is treating her death as a potential homicide.

'While we are still awaiting a cause and manner of death determination from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, we have reason to believe that Ms. Gillespie's death is a homicide,' the department said in a statement.

Officers responded to 390 Harrison Ave. for a wellness check around 7 p.m. that evening. The address is home to The Harris, a luxury apartment complex located near the SoWa Open Market in Bostons South End.

Shantel's sister, Shanakay Gillespie, created GoFundMe to honor her memory and seek justice. The fundraiser claims Shantel was a victim of domestic violence.

'My sister had 1 goal in life: to make a better life for herself so her children would grow up wanting of nothing,' her sister wrote.

'From long work hours, to classes and clinical, to coming home to nurture three children.

Beloved Children's Hospital nurse Shantel Gillespie, 30, was found dead in her luxury apartment

Officers responded to 390 Harrison Ave. for a wellness check around 7 p.m. on the evening of December 12

'Over all the years she worked tirelessly to have a successful future while battling to break the cycle of domestic violence.'

The fundraiser has received more than $44,000 from over 650 donors as of Friday afternoon.

The donations will help transport Shantel's body back to Jamaica, support her three young children, and contribute to the pursuit of justice.

Born and raised in Mandeville, Shantel immigrated to the United States in 2014.

For the past five years, she worked as a clinical assistant at Boston Children's Hospital while striving to fulfill her dream of becoming a nurse.

Laboure College mourned the loss of Shantel in a social media post: 'The Laboure community is devastated by the loss of Shantel Gillespie. Shantel completed the nursing degree program last week and was preparing for her Pinning Ceremony in January.'

Reflecting on her sister's achievements, Shanakay wrote, 'My sister had one goal in life: to make a better life for herself so her children would grow up wanting for nothing. Over the years, she worked tirelessly to achieve that.'

Shanakay also shared the bittersweet memory of celebrating Shantel's recent accomplishment.

The Boston Police Department is treating her death as a potential homicide

The mother of three had just finished her degree at Laboure College of Healthcare but was found dead two days later

'We cried tears of joy together celebrating a victory well deserved. Today, we cry tears of sorrow at such a tragedy. She never received her degree, never walked the stage, and never got to say goodbye to her children. Her bright future was stolen far too soon.'

The investigation into Shantel Gillespies death is ongoing.

Police have not yet announced any suspects or arrests.
The San Francisco Symphony plans to honor Music Director Laureate Michael Tilson Thomas with a one-night-only concert at Davies Symphony Hall to celebrate his 80th birthday. Jana Asenbrennerova/Special to The Chronicle

The San Francisco Symphony plans to honor Music Director Laureate Michael Tilson Thomas with a one-night-only concert at Davies Symphony Hall to celebrate his 80th birthday.

The event, scheduled for April 26, is slated to feature Thomas conducting two works: Benjamin Brittens The Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra and Ottorino Respighis Roman Festivals.

Additional program details and guest artists will be revealed closer to the date.

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The concert should be a joyous return to the stage for Thomas, who led the Symphony for 25 years.

Michael Tilson Thomas, former music director of the San Francisco Symphony, conducts one of his final concerts with the orchestra at Davies Symphony Hall on Jan. 25. Jana Asenbrennerova/Special to The Chronicle

Thomas retired from the organization in 2020, but his final season of programming was significantly thwarted by the COVID-19 pandemic closures.

Thomas was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive form of brain cancer, in 2021. After undergoing surgery and treatment, however, he has continued to make guest appearances at the podium. His last performance with the San Francisco Symphony was in January, conducting Mahlers Fifth Symphony  considered to be his farewell, at least locally, until now.

Known for his innovative approach to classical music, Thomas reshaped the citys cultural landscape through ambitious projects like the experimental SoundBox series and multimedia education initiatives such as Keeping Score. His tenure at the Symphony transformed its national and international profile, while his commitment to education touched generations of students in the Bay Area.

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Thomas, whose career has spanned more than five decades, remains one of the most respected figures in classical music. His numerous accolades include 12 Grammy Awards and a Peabody. He was also a National Medal of Arts recipient, Kennedy Center Honoree and a member of the California Hall of Fame.

In honor of his 80th birthday, a collection of his compositions, Grace: The Music of Michael Tilson Thomas, was released in October, with proceeds benefiting brain cancer research at UCSF.

Michael Tilson Thomas and the S.F. will celebrate his 80th birthday with a concert at Davies Symphony Hall. Jana Asenbrennerova/Special to The Chronicle

Tickets for the concert will be available starting Jan. 28, with prices beginning at $99.

Fans and friends are encouraged to share memories of the conductor on social media using the hashtag #MTT80.
Elon Musk has infuriated Germany by claiming that the far-right AfD party is the only party that can 'save' the country, days after reports suggested he may donate as much as $100million to Nigel Farage.

The Tesla CEO today retweeted a video by a German rightwing activist about the leader of the centre-left CDU party, Friedrich Merz, adding: 'Only the AfD can save Germany.'

The party's leader, Alice Weidel, responded: 'Yes! You are perfectly right.'

Though the German government refused to comment on the matter, lawmakers from across the political spectrum were up in arms over Musk's comments.

'It is threatening, irritating and unacceptable for a key figure in the future US government to interfere in the German election campaign,' Dennis Radtke, an MEP for the centre-right CDU, told the Handelsblatt daily.

Germans are set to go to the polls on February 23 after the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition last month in a row over the budget.

Radtke called Musk a 'threat to democracy in the Western world', accusing the world's richest man of turning X, previously called Twitter, into a 'disinformation slingshot'.

Alex Schaefer, a lawmaker from Scholz's centre-left Social Democrats, said Musk's post was 'completely unacceptable'.

'We are very close to the Americans, but now bravery is required towards our friend. We object to interference in our election campaign,' Schaefer told the Tagesspiegel daily.

Elon Musk (pictured has infuriated Germany by claiming that the far-right AfD party is the only party that can 'save' the country

It comes amid reports suggesting he may donate as much as $100million to Nigel Farage (pictured)

The party's leader, Alice Weidel (pictured), responded positively to Musk's post

Former finance minister Christian Lindner, from the pro-business FDP party, said that some of Musk's ideas had 'inspired' him but urged the Tesla boss not to 'rush to conclusions from afar'.

'While migration control is crucial for Germany, the AfD stands against freedom, business - and it's a far-right extremist party,' tweeted the politician, whose fallout with Scholz triggered the coalition's implosion.

Scholz himself was restrained when asked about Musk's comments, noting: 'We have freedom of expression, which also applies to multi-billionaires'.

He added that this 'means that you can say things that are not right and do not contain good political advice'.

At a regular press conference in Berlin, a government spokesman avoided commenting directly on Musk's post, reiterating Scholz's point that Germany respects freedom of expression.

But she added the government was worried about 'how X has developed in recent years, especially since Elon Musk took over'.

Despite such concerns, the government had decided not to close its accounts on the platform as it remained an important channel for reaching out to people, she said.

It is not the first time Musk has weighed in on German politics.

Last month he tweeted in German that 'Olaf is a fool' after the collapse of Scholz's government - with the chancellor responding that the comments were 'not very friendly'.

Nigel Farage and Party treasurer Nick Candy during their meeting on Monday with with Elon Musk at Mar-A-Lago, the Florida home of US President Elect Donald Trump

The prospects of the worlds richest man putting his financial muscle behind Nigel Farage s fledgling party intensified this week

As a foreign citizen, Musk cannot donate directly to a political party in the UK. However, a loophole in Britains election laws means he could give an unlimited sum via one of his companies based in the UK

Mr Musk responded to Mr Farage's post about their meeting on his X social media site

And last year Musk said Berlin-funded migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean could be seen as an 'invasion' of Italy.

Tesla has a factory outside Berlin, and Musk visited Germany ahead of the last national elections in 2021, meeting with Armin Laschet, who was then the candidate for the CDU/CSU bloc to become chancellor.

Laschet went on to lead the conservatives to their worst-ever results at the polls.

There have also been concerns in Britain that Musk is taking a close interest in the country's political scene, appearing to cosy up to Reform's Nigel Farage.

Musk is reported to be considering a donation of as much as $100million (80million) to help build up Reform into a political machine capable of overthrowing Labour at a general election.

Britain's elections watchdog is pushing for a change in the law that could prevent Musk from doing this.

As a foreign citizen Musk cannot donate directly to a political party in the UK. But a loophole in Britains election laws means he could give an unlimited sum via one of his companies based in the UK.

The Electoral Commission confirmed earlier this week it is pushing ministers to tighten the law to limit companies to donating only funds that are generated in the UK.

Chief executive Vijay Rangarajan said: Its crucial that UK voters have trust in the financing of our political system, so they need to see how parties and campaigners are financed and how they spend that money at elections.

Mr Rangarajan said officials were discussing proposals with the Government.

Downing Street said it was examining reform of electoral law, but it was not a priority for the current session of Parliament.

The PMs official spokesman said Sir Keir was committed to protecting democracy from the threat of foreign interference by strengthening the rules around donations'.
A woman who stabbed her teenage lover in the back with a pair of scissors while 'blackout drunk' has been jailed.

Abbie Lucas, 30, from Whitstable in Kent, downed several bottles of wine during a 'three to four-day bender' before attacking her 19-year-old 'friend with benefits' after he stormed out during a row.

When he returned to collect his belongings, Lucas used her long acrylic nails to scratch his neck before thrusting the scissors into his back as he bent down to pick up a shoe, leaving a 6cm 'stab hole'.

The teenager was so badly injured that he had to be airlifted to King's College Hospital in London.

Meanwhile, police found the 30-year-old thug hiding in the basement stairwell, where she claimed to be for her own safety.

She reportedly had glazed eyes, blood on her face, smelled of alcohol and was speaking incoherently.

The pair had only known each other for a few weeks and Lucas's victim was staying with her in temporary housing.

She told police officers she had 'blacked out' because of her boozy session but while saying she could be a 'nightmare', claimed if she had stabbed him it would have been in self-defence.

Abbie Lucas, 30, (pictured) was jailed for one year today after being found guilty of wounding her 19-year-old 'friend with benefits'

Her teenage lover was left with a 6cm 'stab hole' in his back when she stabbed him with a pair of scissors

She told police officers she had 'blacked out' because of her boozy session but while saying she could be a 'nightmare', claimed if she had stabbed him it would have been in self-defence

During her interview with police, Lucas said: 'I love that boy. I don't know what the f*** happened and I wish I did.

'I just wish it never happened. The worst thing is I don't remember it. That's what's so frustrating.'

The attack allegedly happened after the pair went out in Herne Bay and Margate on August 22.

The teenager said he was cooking when he heard his lover being 'loud and abusive' and 'screaming and shouting' in a communal hallway.

When he went to investigate, Lucas grabbed his neck and pulled his hair.

He told the court he was not drunk but had smoked 'a joint or two' throughout the day.

He said he lashed out in self-defence using his hand, doing 'just enough to get her off me'.

Yet when he returned to pick up some clothes, Lucas 'lunged' with the scissors and stabbed his back.

The attack allegedly happened after the pair went out in Herne Bay and Margate on August 22

During her trial in September, prosecutor Tom Worden told the jury her attack had 'no justification'

He said: 'I didn't know [that I had been stabbed] - I thought I had been punched - until I went into the other room.

'I genuinely thought I had been punched. It was not even that hard, that's what's crazy. I just walked off with my belongings and carried on.'

It was only when one of his friends started screaming that he realised he had been stabbed, he said.

The bloody scissors were found the following day in a bush outside Lucas's home.

During her trial in September, prosecutor Tom Worden told the jury her attack had 'no justification'.

He said: 'This was an unprovoked attack, stabbing someone in the back.

'Even if she were acting in self-defence, there can be no justification for stabbing [the victim] in the back causing him such a significant wound, and the force she used went well beyond anything that might be considered reasonable in the circumstances of this case.'

She was sentenced to a year in prison at her sentencing today at Canterbury Crown Court (pictured)

After he was stabbed, the 19-year-old, who has since turned 20, said he went into a friend's flat in the same development.

He said Lucas banged on the door and said: 'You're f***ed'.

During cross examination, the victim denied the suggestion Lucas had stabbed him in self-defence after an alleged altercation during which she was screaming for him to leave her flat.

Lucas denied wounding with intent and the less serious offence of unlawful wounding.

She was cleared of wounding with intent but convicted of wounding during a trial in September.

She was jailed for one year at her sentencing today at Canterbury Crown Court.
A celebrity pastor has asked a court to intervene after AI generated misinformation was shared on YouTube linking him with the alleged crimes of Sean 'Diddy' Combs.

Lawyers representing T.D. Jakes, 67, filed a motion in California to subpoena Google to share the identities of account holders who have been sharing the content.

A report by NBC described the videos as pushing fake narratives linking Jakes with the rapper and his ongoing sex trafficking case.

Videos seen by the outlet have apparently implicated Jakes in these allegations without any evidence and used AI images to depict him and others in lewd acts.

The outlet reviewed a dozen YouTube channels that had been posting the AI generated content which centers around Black celebrities including the pastor.

The filing says the accounts are making false claims against Jakes and are using AI to create images, thumbnails and voice-overs for the videos.

According to the motion, fake images have been created showing Jakes in a prison jumpsuit, in handcuffs and in sexual scenarios with male celebrities.

Video titles also claim that Jakes was arrested, had come out as being gay and stepped down as the senior pastor at The Potter's House, a megachurch.

Lawyers representing T.D. Jakes, seen here, filed a motion in California to subpoena Google to share the identities of the account holders who have been sharing the content

A report about the content by NBC described the videos as pushing fake narratives linking Jakes with the rapper, seen here, and his ongoing sex trafficking case

The motion said his legal action came after a yearlong attempt to engage with YouTube on the issue.

It said that the platform had managed to remove some of the misleading videos but a majority remained.

Should the motion and subpoenas be a success, his legal team could pursue defamation against the people behind the channels.

Hundreds of videos have been shared about the pastor that have received millions of views relating to his past association with Combs.

Since 2021 he has hosted sermons on Revolt, a media company that Combs started in 2013 before he stepped down last year and sold his stake.

NBC report that some of the accounts that are pushing these videos are being ran out of Pakistan, South Africa, the Philippines and Kenya.

Jakes acknowledged the fake content in a sermon last month, telling his audience: 'All of you who expect me to address a lie, you can log off.'

Combs, 55, is currently behind bars at the notoriously tough Metropolitan Detention Center in New York City as he awaits trial.

Video titles also claim that Jakes was arrested, had come out as being gay and stepped down as the senior pastor at The Potter's House, a megachurch

Jakes is seen here preaching inside a filled Potter's House in Dallas, Texas on May 14, 2006

He was federally charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution on September 17.

The rapper has been accused of arranging 'Freak Offs,' described as 'elaborate and produced sex performances' arranged and directed by Combs while he masturbated and often recorded them.

He has pleaded not guilty to charges alleging he coerced and abused women for years, aided by associates and employees, and silenced victims through blackmail and violence, including kidnapping, arson and physical beatings.

Dozens of people, some of whom were minors at the time, have sued Diddy in civil courts for a string of offenses, which he also denies.

Jakes congregation meanwhile was left wracked with worry after he was seen involuntarily shaking while delivering a sermon last month.

Those inside The Potter's House megachurch in Dallas, Texas, were seen reacting in real-time as he suffered a medical emergency.

A livestream clip captured him saying, 'Oh lord, my strength, my redeemer, let them go in peace,' moments before his voice faltered.

Staff quickly surrounded him, urging the congregation to 'give him space' as the livestream ended abruptly.

His daughter, Sarah jakes Roberts, later posted an updated saying that he was recovering well and under medical care.

The a highly influential figure televangelist has built The Potter's House into a thriving megachurch with over 30,000 members. His institution boasts a weekly attendance of 17,000.

Known for his motivational messages, Jakes is also a prolific author and entrepreneur, with a reported net worth of $20 million.

DailyMail.com has approached Google for comment.
A US strike has killed an Islamic State group leader in Syria.

The US strike took place on Thursday in Deir Ezzor province in eastern Syria, killing IS leader 'Abu Yusif' and another operative, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on social media, without providing further details on the two jihadists.

'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,' CENTCOM said.

The strike 'was conducted in an area formerly controlled by the Syrian regime and Russians,' it added.

Washington has stepped up military action against the jihadist group since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government, hitting areas that were shielded by Syrian and Russian air defences before a lightning offensive by rebels who now control the country.

The US has for years carried out periodic strikes and raids to help prevent a resurgence of IS, but has launched dozens of strikes since Assad's fall.

On December 8 - the day rebels took the capital Damascus - Washington announced strikes on more than 75 IS targets that CENTCOM said were aimed at ensuring it 'does not seek to take advantage of the current situation to reconstitute in central Syria.'

American forces killed an Islamic State group leader and another of the group's members in a strike in Syria (file image of US soldiers in Syria earlier this year)

People listen to victory speeches of the rebel force leaders who retook Damascus earlier this month (picture taken on December 20)

And on Monday, CENTCOM said US forces killed 12 militants from the group in strikes it said were carried out 'in former regime and Russian-controlled areas.'

The announcement of the latest strike came a day after the United States said it had this year doubled the number of troops it has in Syria as part of the anti-IS fight.

The United States had for years said it has some 900 military personnel in the country as part of international efforts against the jihadist group, which seized swathes of territory there and in neighboring Iraq before being defeated by local forces backed by a US-led air campaign.

But there are now 'approximately 2,000 US troops in Syria' and have been for at least a few months, Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder told journalists, saying he had just received the updated figure.
The government have released an apology after launching an 'offensive' NHS poster featuring a Sikh man whilst urging the public to quit smoking.

The poster featured a stock image of a Sikh man wearing a turban alongside the phrase: 'Make 2025 the year you quite smoking'.

It has since been deleted from the NHS website.

The Sikh Code of Conduct, also known as the Rehat Maryada, strictly forbids the use of tobacco as well as opium, liquor or cannabis.

The first Sikh guru, Guru Nanak, believed that the consumption of any mind-altering substance - which wasn't used for medical reasons - would only distract from God.

According to their religious code, Sikhs are not allowed to even go near to such substances - even by mistake.

It is understood that although the advertisement contained NHS branding, it was commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care.

The government have released an apology after launching an 'offensive' NHS poster urging the public to quite smoking featuring a Sikh man (pictured)

It is understood that although the advertisement contained NHS branding, it was commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care

Health Secretary Wes Streeting branded the advertisement 'inappropriate' and 'offensive' in recent correspondence with Sikh Federation UK seen by Sky News.

The Ilford North MP has said he will look into how the blunder arose so they can put steps in place to 'make sure similar mistakes aren't repeated'.

Harwinder Singh from the Sikh Education Council told the publication that he hopes the NHS as well as other factions of the government can learn from such errors.

Mr Singh noted while there are Sikhs who do smoke, using a picture of a turbaned Sikh for the poster creates an association between 'smoking tobacco and the wider Sikh community specifically'.

A Department for Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'This image was included in our Stop Smoking campaign materials in error and we apologise wholeheartedly for any offence caused.

'The post was never used on DHSC channels and the image has been deleted and we are putting processes in place to ensure mistakes like this do not happen again.'
Not even Santa is safe this Christmas.

A group dressed as Santa Claus and his helpers were set to deliver gifts in Brazil when they were robbed at gunpoint by a pair of motorcycle-riding bandits.

Surveillance footage captured the December 15 incident, showing the group standing on and around a pickup truck in Guaruja, a coastal city in southeastern state of Sao Paulo.

As the kind-hearted volunteers were about to leave hand out presents, the gun-toting thieves pulled up on a motorcycle.

The motorcycle was still moving when one of the suspects hopped off and aimed his weapon at a man in a Santa Claus costume.

A woman dressed as Mrs. Claus stood on the pickup truck's flatbed as the gunman approached vehicle's driver.

One of the victims could be heard in the video telling the assailant, 'Calm down, man, hold on.'

The thieves reportedly made off with personal belongings from the volunteers. Video showed a bag slung over the motorcycle's handlebars.

Surveillance footage captured the December 15 incident, showing the group standing on and around a pickup truck in Guaruja, a coastal city in southeastern state of Sao Paulo, when the thieves approached

The thieves made off with the volunteers' personal belongings. Video showed a bag slung over the motorcycle's handlebars.

The Sao Paulo Department of Public Safety said it in a statement that it was reviewing the security camera footage to identify the suspects.

'The police authorities are at the victims' disposal to formalize the report and begin investigations,' the Sao Paulo Department of Public Safety said.

Department crime stats show that at least 162,409 robberies were recorded from January to October of this year. Data for November is not yet available.

Sao Paulo authorities reported 190,990 incidents during the same period in 2023.

The incident occurred two weeks after a pair of bandits dressed as Santa Claus made Brazil's naughty list.

The duo was seen on camera breaking into a shop in Claudio, a city in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais.

The festive looters fled with 33 cell phones, five video games and a speaker.

Last month, a condo manager intervening in a fight over the hanging of Christmas decorations attacked a tenant with a hammer in the city of Paranoa.

Authorities in Sao Paulo, Brazil have been reviewing surveillance camera footage as part of an investigation into the robbery

The violent outburst occurred after an elderly resident decided to decorate the building, despite the objections of some of tenants.

After a resident ripped down the ornaments adorning his door and hallway, the elderly tenant returned to replace the decorations, leading to an argument between her and the angry neighbor.

That's when the building's manager stepped in and decided to hang the decorations himself.

In surveillance video, the manage appeared to argue with the protesting tenant before charging at him with a hammer.
A moon-faced assistant principal charged with molesting girls as young as six carried out his sick schemes with 'planning, sophistication or professionalism', prosecutors claim.

David Braff, 42, appeared in court. in Ventura County, California, Friday accused of 17 counts of lewd acts on children  the oldest of whom was just 10.

He is alleged to have committed the crimes on eight different girl over a four-year period while he was working as a counselor at McKevett Elementary in Santa Paula, some 70 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

At the time of his arrest, Braff was employed as an assistant principal at Ingenium Charter Middle School 40 miles east in Winnetka.

Appearing in blue prison scrubs before a judge on Friday, the suspected child molester said nothing during his brief scheduled arraignment in Ventura County Superior Court.

At the request of defense attorney Nicholas Gray, Judge Paul Kawai agreed to continue Braff's arraignment to January 24 next year and remanded him back to Ventura County Jail where he's been held since his November 22 arrest.

Braff, from Thousand Oaks, California, was held after authorities launched an investigation into sexual abuse allegations against him in October.

The defendant is alleged to have molested multiple elementary school children over a number of years, shattering the trust placed in him by parents, educators, and the public, said Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko.

David Lane Braff, 42, who has been in custody since his November 22 arrest, was seen attending his arraignment hearing in blue prison scrubs in Ventura County Superior Court on Friday

The school principal and counselor is charged with 17 counts of lewd acts upon a child under 14, alleged to have taken place over a four-year period while he was working at McKevett Elementary

Prosecutors say the alleged offenses took place in a school office between 2015 and 2019 and the victims were aged from six to 10.

The alleged felonies involve 'vulnerable' victims, according to prosecutors.

Shocked by the charges against him, Ingenium Charter issued a lengthy statement saying school staff were 'devastated.'

'Upon learning of the allegations from McKevett Elementary in Ventura County, Ingenium took immediate actions to ensure the safety of its students,' the statement went on.

'We take the safety and well-being of our students as our highest priority, and we are committed to ensuring a safe and supportive environment for all members of our community.

'We are working closely with the appropriate authorities and will continue to provide any assistance necessary to support the investigation.

The charter school also encouraged others who knew potential victims to cooperate with law enforcement.

The Santa Paula United School District made a similar statement and said it was 'working in close collaboration with law enforcement' in the investigation of the crimes Braff allegedly committed against young children in an office at McKevett Elementary.

Braff, 42, is accused of molesting eight female students, aged six to 10, at a school office at McKevett Elementary in Santa Paula between 2015 and 2019

Braff was employed as an assistant principal at Ingenium Charter Middle School at the time of his arrest

Cops are still looking into Braff's work history but he's believed to have held jobs at other schools in California and he may also have volunteered at various youth organizations.

'Given the defendant's history of re-occurring access to children, this investigation and prosecution remains ongoing,' added DA Nasarenko who is urging members of the public to come forward if they have any information about Braff.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was hammered Friday with questions on why President Joe Biden wasn't speaking out ahead of a potential midnight government shutdown.

Biden has kept a low profile in the aftermath of Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris' election loss, with one prominent Democrat blasting him for 'quiet quitting.'

There have also been new questions raised about his cognitive abilities after The Wall Street Journal released a damning report Thursday suggesting that his decline started years ago.

The president and his family returned to the White House last night after a mid-week trip to Wilmington, Delaware, to attend church services to mark the anniversary of the death of his first wife Neilia and baby daughter Naomi.

It was Jean-Pierre who put out a statement Thursday night condemning Republicans - including President-elect Donald Trump - for blowing up a bipartisan deal to fund the government through the new year.

During Friday's abridged 36-minute press briefing, Jean-Pierre fielded a number of questions asking why the American people weren't hearing directly from the president.

'We've heard that message from you, but why aren't we hearing that directly from the president? Why haven't we seen or heard from President Biden?' asked a reporter.

Jean-Pierre answered that 'this is a strategy that we have done many times before.'

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre faced an onslaught of questions Friday on why President Joe Biden wasn't speaking out ahead of a potential midnight government shutdown

Biden sits with a kid during a trip to Children's National Hospital in D.C.

'And this is for Republicans in Congress, in the House specifically, to fix. They created this mess,' she scolded. 'There was a bipartisan agreement. There was.'

She then got pressed on why Biden hadn't gone in front of cameras to make this condemnation himself.

'He stands ready to get a bipartisan deal through, that's what he wants to see,' she said. 'And, you know, this is something that Republicans should own here.'

Another journalist asked the press secretary if Biden being involved 'would do more harm than good.'

'I just - I kind of took this question. I got some formulation of that question moments ago,' Jean-Pierre said. 'The president knows how to deal with Congress. He's been around for some time, as you all know. And this is not the first time that we've had this strategy.'

'It is their mess to fix,' she reiterated.

She was also pressed on whether Biden had reached out to House Speaker Mike Johnson, who Jean-Pierre also assigned much of the blame.

Jean-Pierre also blamed Trump and billionaire Elon Musk.

Biden has kept a low profile in the aftermath of Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris ' election loss

President Joe Biden (left) and first lady Jill Biden (right) are photographed outside the White House Friday ahead of a visit to a D.C. children's hospital for Christmas programming

'I have answered this in so many ways, and I'm going to answer it now: We've got to be really clear, Speaker Johnson created this mess and he needs to fix it,' she said.

She was next asked if the president was 'leading.'

'The president is the president of the United States and he is leading,' she answered. 'And to be very clear, as it relates to this ... we have done this strategy before, this is not new, where we have said Congress needs to deal with this. This is their No. 1 job to keep the government open.'

The reporter then probed: 'To be clear, the strategy is he is leading by staying in the background.'

'The strategy is Congress, Republicans in particular, need to do their jobs and get out of their own way and focus on the American people not their billionaire friends,' she said.
Donald Trump has said he will require NATO countries to spend at least five per cent of their GDP on defence.

The US president-elect's team told European officials that the bloc would have to more than double its spending target of two per cent - which over a quarter of its members are currently set to fail to meet.

People briefed on the talks said that Mr Trump had committed to continuing to supply Ukraine with military aid, despite pledging to cut-off funding to Kyiv in a bid to force Volodymyr Zelenskyy into peace talks with Russia.

A source told the FT that the incoming president was keen to reward countries which increased defence spending with improved trade deals with the US.

They said that he would be pushing for a target of at least three per cent at a meeting of leaders in The Hague next June - a figure already being considered by Nato allies.

Mr Trump remains against Ukraine being granted NATO membership and would still be pushing for an immediate end to the war on taking office next month, the source added.

The US will have spent around 3.1 per cent of GDP on defence this year, the White House office of management and budget said - less than the 3.4 per cent spent in 2020, Trump's last full year in the Oval office.

Some nations are however concerned about the fiscal implications related with higher defence budgets, which could require difficult fiscal decisions elsewhere.

Donald Trump is to demand NATO countries increase their defence spending to five per cent of their GDP on his return to the White House

NATO general secretary Mark Rutte shakes hands with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Brussels on Wednesday

A Leonard battle tank deployed in the direction of Kurahove, Ukraine on December 19

This year, only 23 allies out of 32 are expected to meet or exceed the target of 2 per cent.

Seven European countries, including Italy and Spain, are still failing to meet the benchmark that was first implemented in 2014.

It comes as President Zelenskyy and NATO secretary general Mark Rutte met representatives from several NATO countries including the UK, France, Germany and Italy in Brussels on Wednesday to discuss defence policies ahead of the Trump presidency.

The Ukrainian president said on Thursday that European funding pledges would 'not be sufficient' without a US contribution.

Mr Rutte has previously said he would push for the target to be 'much more' than the current benchmark.

He pointed to what he called a 'coordinated campaign to destabilise our societies,' including cyberattacks and assassination attempts orchestrated by foreign powers.
GOP congresswoman Nancy Mace has seemingly questioned whether Fox News host Trey Gowdy is actually transgender.

The South Carolina representative made the shocking post on X, seemingly in response to Gowdy jabbing her political credentials.

In a Fox News segment earlier in the day, he said of the surrounding the ongoing government shutdown: 'Nancy Mace would not be in the House if it werent for Donald Trump, and she cant vote the way that he asked her to today?'

Shortly after, Mace went on the attack.

'I have a message for Trey Gowdy: You let Hillary Clinton off the hook for Benghazi. Sit your ass back down,' she fumed.

She then followed this up with a picture of Gowdy from his days as a congressman, writing: 'Which bathroom do we think Trey Gowdy uses?'

The bathroom comment refers to Mace's crusade against incoming transgender representative Sarah McBride from being able to use the bathrooms on Capitol Hill that relate to her gender.

It wasn't the only explosive X scandal of the day for Mace.

The South Carolina representative made the shocking post on X, seemingly in response to Gowdy jabbing her political credentials

Nancy Mace (R-SC) looks on towards other members of Congress doing television interviews at the U.S. Capitol on January 18, 2024 in Washington

Consultant Wesley Donehue, who is the CEO of a South Carolina political consulting agency, revealed he dropped Mace as a client after becoming 'fed up' with her antics.

He said: 'You can stop texting me.

'I fired Nancy Mace as client a few months back because I'm a political consultant and not a babysitter, a sex therapist or a doctor who can prescribe fixes for chemical imbalances.

'I don't have time for her constant egotistical bulls*** and drama in my life.

'Imagine wanting to run statewide and thinking this is a good idea.

'The upstate loves Trey Gowdy.

'This is what happens when a person cannot control their emotions enough to think strategically.'

In another post he said the comments made by Mace were a 'childish attack' on Trey and a 'step too far'.

Her former communications director Natalie Johnson also shared a clip of Mace and Gowdy on Fox News together.

In it, she can be heard describing herself as a 'huge fangirl' of Gowdy. Johnson posted: 'Its tough being a sycophant.' Gowdy has yet to respond to the post made by Mace.

Mace had been posting after The House failed to pass an 11th-hour GOP spending deal which was backed by Trump and Elon Musk put Speaker Mike Johnson back at square one on Thursday night.

The Republican bill went down in flames with a 174 to 235 vote after nearly every Democrat and 38 House Republicans voted against it.

Gowdy is seen here participating in a news conference with fellow Committee Republicans after the release of the Committee's Benghazi report on Capitol Hill June 28, 2016

Mace is seen here speaking during the Republican National Convention, July 17, 2024, in Milwaukee

The slimmed down deal was brought for a vote after Trump and Musk called on Johnson to scrap a broader bipartisan bill negotiated between Republicans and Democrats that would have funded the government through mid-March.

But the new slimmed down Republican bill included a provision demanded by Trump to push back the debt ceiling limit until 2027.

Democrats opposed it because it eliminates one of the only leverage tools they would have under Trump and some conservative Republicans are completely against raising the debt limit altogether.

Democrats have blasted Republicans for scrapping the bipartisan deal worked out over weeks of negotiations and any move to include the debt ceiling.

The government is forced into a shutdown when funding runs out, and Congress is unable to pass more funding to keep the lights on.

The government is funded through spending bills that provide federal agencies money annually.

When spending bills have not been passed by Congress for an entire fiscal year, Congress can pass a temporary spending measures to allow federal government operations to continue at the previous year's levels. These temporary measures are known as continuing resolutions (CRs).

It's reaching an agreement on this temporary measure that has the House currently deadlocked.
Jack Epstein is the Chronicles former wire editor. Between 2000-2009, Jack Epstein headed the San Francisco Chronicles foreign service, overseeing coverage by freelancers and stringers from Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. Before joining the Chronicle, he spent many years in Latin America and has a B.A. in Latin American Studies from UCLA.

He began his journalism career in 1980 freelancing from Central and South America. Jack had worked previously for two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Brazil and Panama and traveled throughout the region, producing the 1977 travel guide, Along the Gringo Trail.

In 1982 he received a grant from the Fund for Investigative Journalism to research the links between Central Americas Miskito Indians and the CIA, spending four months in Nicaragua, Honduras and Costa Rica, producing a series of articles for Pacific News Service and the National Catholic Reporter.

From 1983 to 1988 Jack freelanced in the San Francisco area, writing for the San Francisco Chronicle, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Dallas Morning News California Lawyer, and California Business magazine.

In 1989 he moved to Mexico City to teach journalism at the Colegio Americano and to freelance from Mexico and Central America.

Four years later he moved to Rio de Janeiro, where he worked primarily for the Associated Press, San Francisco Chronicle and TIME magazine.

Jack returned to California in 2000 and joined the Chronicle.
An Ohio woman was violently murdered after she stabbed her abusive boyfriend while trying to defend herself, police said.

Kylene Young, 39, of Columbus, was found dead inside her home on the 2500 block of Harrisburg Pike Monday afternoon with multiple stab wounds and her car missing, according to detectives.

Young was killed after she and her boyfriend, Tyler Stiers, 23, allegedly got into a fight inside the apartment.

In a sworn statement to detectives, Stiers admitted that he hit her with a 'closed fist' before 'she stabbed him in the arm in self-defense.'

Stiers said that he struck her several more times with his fist before grabbing the knife from her hand and repeatedly stabbing her.

Stiers was taken into custody the next day after police caught him driving through Athens County in her car.

Columbus police were dispatched to Young's apartment at around 1pm Monday to preform a welfare check, but ultimately needed fire crews to assist in forcing their way through the door.

Once inside, officers were met with Young unresponsive inside the home with multiple stab wounds, according to a criminal complaint.

Kylene Young, 39, of Columbus, Ohio, was found dead inside her home on Monday afternoon with multiple stab wounds and her car missing

Tyler Stiers, 23, who detectives say was the last to see Young alive, was arrested and charged with her murder after officers found him driving through Athens County in her car the next day

Stiers admitted that he hit Young with a 'closed fist' before 'she stabbed him in the arm in self-defense.' Stiers said that he struck her several more times with his fist before grabbing the knife from her hand and repeatedly stabbing her

Medics pronounced the 39-year-old property manager dead at the scene just minutes after arriving.

Young's family members disputed the claim that the pair were still dating, ABC 6 reported.

Officers noted how Stiers was the last person they knew to be with her before she was found dead.

A stolen vehicle report was filed a day before her car was discovered with Stiers inside.

Deputies arrested the 23-year-old on charges of receiving stolen property and held him for questioning into Young's death.

Investigators identified a bloody palm print at the scene that matched Stier's, 10 WBNS reported.

He was booked into the Southeast Ohio Regional Jail and charged with Young's murder.

The Columbus Police Department didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com.
Elon Musk weighing in on the conservative Republican 17,000 page report on the 'weaponization' of the federal government with a one word response.

'Wow,' the tech billionaire and close Donald Trump ally wrote on X about the release of the House subcommittee report on Friday, sharing a write-up with his some 200 million followers.

On Friday, the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government released its final report on its findings about what it calls the 'Biden-Harris Administration's weaponized federal government.'

According to the subcommittee lead by hard-right Republican Congressman Jim Jordan of Ohio, the investigation found numerous instances where the government was weaponized against Americans.

The report highlighted a series of findings as the subcommittee carried out its work during the 118th Congress.

It argues that there is a 'two-tiered system of government' and accuses the Biden administration of making that system 'more stark.'

Elon Musk weighed in on a 17,000 page subcommittee report by the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government staff writing on X 'Wow'

The subcommittee wrote that its mission has been to 'protect and strengthen the fundamental rights of the American people.'

'By investigating, uncovering, and documenting executive branch misconduct, the Select Subcommittee has taken important steps to ensure that the federal government no longer works against the American people,' it claimed.

The report said that the work is 'not complete,' but a 'necessary first step.'

It states that during the Biden Administration, multiple agencies including the White House engaged in a 'vast censorship campaign against so-called mis-, dis-, or malinformation.'

It lays out its findings that the federal government and law enforcement coordinated with academics, nonprofits, and other private entities to censor speech online.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) in a Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government hearing

One of the examples it gave was Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg writing a letter in August to the subcommittee where he said the Biden administration including the White House repeatedly pressured his team to censor certain COVID-19 content.

Zuckerberg wrote it was ultimately Meta's decision on whether to take content down, but he wrote that he believed the government pressure was wrong.

The subcommittee also investigated what it called the weaponization of federal law-enforcement resources.

The report said many FBI whistleblowers disclosed examples of 'waste, fraud, and abuse at the FBI' to the subcommittee.

'When these whistleblowers came forward, the Bureau brutally retaliated against many of them for breaking rankssuspending them without pay, preventing them for seeking outside employment, and even purging suspected disloyal employees,' the report read.

The report is broken up into four parts and totals 17,000 pages start to finish including its findings through appendix including hearing lists and transcripts.
This is the moment a Saudi doctor who drove through a massive crowd at a German Christmas market, killing at least two and injuring nearly 70 people, was arrested.

The driver of the car, reported to be a dark BMW, was arrested following the crash which took place at 7:04pm today in the city of Magdeburg, according to unidentified government officials in the state of Saxony-Anhalt who spoke to the dpa news agency.

Video footage of the moment appears to show armed police crowding around a dark car and forcing a bearded man to slowly exit.

Several cops were seen crowding around the man with their weapons drawn while shouting at him. Cops were also seen shooing the growing crowd around the arrest incident, as a police officer crouches down over him with a torch.

The suspect of the attack has been named as psychiatrist Taleb A., a specialist in psychiatrist and psychotherapy. Spiegel reported that he was born in the Saudi Arabian city of Hofuf. He is said to have been a man from Saudi Arabia who was born in 1974, per Welt.

According to state leader Reiner Haselhoff, the man is a Saudi doctor who works in Saxony-Anhalt. He revealed that the terror attack, which has officially left two dead but local media reports has killed 11, was perpetrated by a 'lone' doctor 'who has been in Germany on a has a permanent residence permit since 2006.

'From what we currently know he was a lone attacker so we don't think there is any further danger for the city,' he added.

German broadcaster MDR reported that a suspected explosive device was sitting in the vehicle. Police have since said no device was found.

While official figures say that two people, including a toddler, have died, local media have put the death toll at 11.

This is the moment the alleged Saudi perpetrator of the horrific Christmas market car smash was arrested with an explosive device after he drove through a massive crowd

Bild reported that the car was driven 'at least 400m (1,300ft) across the Christmas market', per a police spokesperson

Video grab taken from a footege by News5 shows an injured person lying on a stretcher as police and ambulances stand next to the Christmas market, where a car crashed into a crowd

Police vans and ambulances stand next to the annual Christmas market in the city center following a possible terror incident on December 20, 2024 in Magdeburg, Germany

Bild reported that the car was driven 'at least 400m (1,300ft) across the Christmas market', per a police spokesperson.

According to emergency services, who have set up tents to immediately treat victims, at least 15 people were 'severely' injured.

Local authorities said that around 100 firefighters are at the scene with seven fire brigades, while 50 rescue service personnel are there.

Video footage too graphic to share appears to show the dark car careening into the dense crowd, leaving dozens of people lying on the floor.

Within seconds, countless revellers can be see fleeing for their lives in the wake of the crash. Separate footage showed children crying loudly as several small crowds of people formed over those injured in the crash, in apparent attempts to help them.

One man who spoke to German newspaper Mitteldeutsche Zeitung said the Christmas market has turned to 'war-like conditions', while another eyewitness told the newspaper that there were countless families in the 'fairytale area' of the market when the car crashed through the crowd.

Local police said on X that 'extensive police operations are currently taking place', adding that further reports will be made shortly.

The Magdeburg Christmas market is located on the Old Market, directly next to Magdeburg Town Hall near the River Elbe, and was closed by organisers following the incident.

Organisers have also asked people to leave the city centre. A spokesperson in the city said that all hospitals are 'preparing for a mass casualty event.'

Magdeburg's University Hospital said tonight it was 'taking care of 10 to 20 patients', adding it was preparing for more.

Neighbouring cities, including Halle, around 50 miles from Magdeburg, are preparing its hospitals to take on victims.

Halle is also stepping up its own security measures in the wake of the incident.

Regional government spokesperson Matthias Schuppe and city spokesperson Michael Reif said they suspected it was a deliberate act.

Emergency personnel work at a Christmas market after a car drove into a group of people, according to local media, in Magdeburg, Germany, December 20, 2024

Police have swarmed the area around the Christmas market

Organisers have also asked people to leave the city centre

The driver of the car, reported to be a dark BMW, was arrested following the crash which took place at 7:04pm today

A car drove into a group of people at a Christmas market in the eastern German city of Magdeburg on Friday, leaving between 60 and 80 people injured

At least one person is reported to have died in the crash

'The pictures are terrible,' Reif said. 'My information is that a car drove into the Christmas market visitors, but I can't yet say from what direction and how far.'

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed his concern in a post to X, writing: 'The reports from Magdeburg suggest something bad. My thoughts are with the victims and their families.'

In a post to X, Germany's interior minister said: 'The news from Magdeburg is deeply shocking. The emergency services are doing everything they can to care for the injured and save lives.

'Our thoughts are with the victims and their families. The security authorities will clarify the background.'

Saxony-Anhalt's Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff said in the wake of the attack: 'This is a terrible event, especially now in the days before Christmas.'

Haselhoff is said to be travelling to the city to bear witness to the aftermath of the attack.

Robert Habeck, Germany's vice-chancellor, said in a post to X: 'What terrible news from Magdeburg, where people wanted to spend the Advent season in peace and community.

'My thoughts are with the victims and their families. I thank all the emergency services on site who are doing everything they can to help and to clarify the background.'

CDU candidate for chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) wrote on X: 'This is very depressing news from Magdeburg. My thoughts are with the victims and their families. I thank all emergency services who are caring for the injured on site.'

According to emergency services, several people were 'severely' injured

Organisers of the Christmas market have asked people to leave the city centre

Magdeburg, which is west of Berlin, is the state capital of Saxony-Anhalt and has about 240,000 inhabitants

AfD leader Alice Weidel, meanwhile, wrote on the platform: 'The images from Magdeburg are shocking! My thoughts are with the bereaved and injured. When will this madness end?'

Magdeburg, which is west of Berlin, is the state capital of Saxony-Anhalt and has about 240,000 inhabitants.

The horror crash comes less than a month after Germany's interior minister Nancy Faeser said that while there were no concrete indications of a danger to Christmas markets this year, it was wise to be vigilant.

This is a breaking story - more to follow.
Serial shoplifters are being sent to jail as California finally cracks down on retail theft thanks to a new law.

Proposition 36 enables law enforcement to clamp down on repeat offenders by charging them with a felony after a third arrest.

In Sacramento, police have already been on the ground putting their new powers into use.

As part of 'Operation Ugly Sweater', Sacramento Sheriff's Office conducted a stake-out of two businesses and managed to arrest 31 suspected thieves, including three people facing Proposition 36 felonies.

Before the law came into effect Wednesday, shoplifters who had stolen goods amounting to less than $950 could only be issued misdemeanors under state laws.

'Suspects are very open about the fact that they know theft in the state of California under $950 is a misdemeanor,' Det. Andy Cater told KCRA. 'They have no problem telling us, "Why? I didn't steal a felony amount".'

Among those arrested was a woman who could be heard begging to be given a citation even after cops explained the new rules.

The arresting officer said she was caught after emerging from a changing room in different clothes.

Serial shoplifters are being sent to jail in California at the state finally cracks down on retail theft thanks to a new law

Proposition 36 enables law enforcement to clamp down on repeat offenders by charging them with a felony after a third arrest

'Our officers are feeling more empowered,' Cater said. 'We're not just racking up another citation.

'Our officers feel like what they're doing matters and that they want to do the extra legwork to make sure that we get a good conviction.'

Other arrests following the stake-out included a person allegedly using counterfeit money and a person on parole who was found in possession of a loaded weapon and drugs, according to the cops.

Voters in all 58 of California's counties voted for Proposition 36 which rolled back the part of the previous statute, Proposition 47.

Proposition 47 reduced five non-violent, low-level crimes from potential felonies to misdemeanors with disastrous effects.

Voters overwhelmingly rolled back portions of the 2014 law earlier this year - with all 58 California counties, in a rare occurrence, agreeing.

That stands in stark contrast to a decade ago, when 58 percent of voters across the state elected to pass Proposition 47.

Thought by many to be soft on crime, the bill was championed by progressives like LA County District Attorney George Gascon and San Francisco Mayor London Breed - both of whom were recently voted out of office.

Sacramento's Det. Andy Cater said he arrested charged three felonies using Proposition 36 provisions following a sting operation earlier this week

Before the law came into effect Wednesday, shoplifters who had stolen goods amounting to less than $950 could only be issued misdemeanors

The law had been centered around crimes like shoplifting and personal use of illegal drugs, and was further touted by California Governor Gavin Newsom. He fought desperately to keep a law off the ballot, to no avail.

Last year, Sacramento ranked 7th for the worst city for shoplifting in the US, following a steep increase in the crime.

Between 2019 and 2023, retail theft increased by almost 70 percent in Sacramento.
A musical family-of-six has been slammed for being 'remarkably tasteless' and 'shameful' after releasing a parody song exploring the Gisele Pelicot mass rape trial.

The Marsh family, from Faversham, Kent, excitedly announced over social media that they had 'hastily assembled' what they described as a 'work of heart rather than of art' with their twist on Paul Simon's 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover.

But the subject matter - pertaining to the biggest rape trial in French history - has left many feeling outraged.

Their song came just hours after Dominique Pelicot was sentenced on Thursday to 20 years in jail for orchestrating and committing the mass rape of his now ex-wife.

Firefighters, soldiers, lorry drivers, a DJ and a journalist were among those found guilty of raping and sexually abusing 72-year-old Gisele at the behest of her husband over the course of a decade at their home in Mazan, southern France - all without her knowledge.

The 51 men face a collective sentence of 400 years given out by a panel of five judges, such was the seriousness of their crimes.

In the wake of the sentencing, history lecturer Dr Ben Marsh, 48, his wife Danielle, 47 and their four children - Alfie, 18, Thomas, 16, Ella, 15 and Tess, 12, shared their rendition of the Paul Simon classic, which they have named Legal Case That's Like No Other.

Describing it as 'super-topical', the family wrote in a statement: 'It's our twist on Paul Simon's fantastic '50 Ways to Leave Your Lover' released in December 1975, but parodied to address the culmination of the mass rape trial in France which ended today with the conviction of 51 men in Avignon.

The musical Marsh family has been slammed for being 'remarkably tasteless' and 'shameful' after releasing a parody song exploring the Gisele Pelicot mass rape trial

Dr Ben Marsh and his wife, Danielle, alongside their four children, have presented their twist on Paul Simon's 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover

Their song came just hours after Dominique Pelicot was sentenced on Thursday to 20 years in jail for orchestrating and committing the mass rape of his now ex-wife, Gisele Pelicot

'It's a news story we've been following, like many others, with a mix of horror and disbelief, and one that we touched on in our latest song reflecting on sexual pressure, workplaces, attitudes.

'But we were very struck by the incredible courage of Gisele Pelicot, and the inspiring solidarity shown by supporters.'

The family has also swapped out the names from the original song for those of the convicted men.

Lyrics for the otherwise jaunty tune include 'La honte change du camp' (shame must change sides), Dom, Youre facing the can, man' and 'Its a pretty long haul, Paul, For your sexual assault.'

Other lines include 'cant take it back, Jacques, knew it was wrong, Jean,' and 'just pull up your pants, Vince'.

The parody, which has been viewed more than 307,000 times on X, has however sparked a torrent of comments from those who say it 'misses the mark' and is 'really really poor taste.'

Many simply said: 'Please delete'.

One X user wrote: 'This badly misses the mark. It trivialises Gisele Pelicots ordeal and her courage, and its an extremely ill-chosen melody given the inevitable association in most peoples minds with the original lyrics. 50 convictions for rape is not a clever play on the original.'

Actor James Dreyfus, best known for playing Constable Kevin Goody in The Thin Blue Line, called the song 'remarkably tasteless and opportunistic'

The song has sparked a torrent of comments from those who say it 'misses the mark' and is 'really really poor taste'

Another said: 'This is so disgusting. Using the horrific gang rape of a woman to get attention for your Van Trapp wannabe family. Shameful.'

A third wrote: 'Can you talk us through the mental process which led to you thinking a jaunty song about prolonged gang rape was a good idea at all, before you chose to then do it in the style of a song about lovers?'

Some fans queried whether their children should have been involved in such a song given the adult content matter.

One, who called it 'absolutely disgusting', said 'you should delete, apologise, and reconsider subjecting your children to this. For their sake if nothing else.'

Actor James Dreyfus, best known for playing Constable Kevin Goody in The Thin Blue Line, called the song 'remarkably tasteless and opportunistic.'

He added: 'To use the horrific exploitation & abuse of Gisele Pelicot & set it to the tune of 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover for clicks seems bafflingly tone deaf to me.'

Among the dissenters there were however those who applauded the family.

One fan called it 'so powerful and very sensitively accomplished.'

Dominique Pelicot, who has been dubbed 'The Monster of Avignon', was sentenced on Thursday to 20 years in jail for orchestrating and committing the mass rape of his now ex-wife

Firefighters, soldiers, lorry drivers, a DJ and a journalist were among those found guilty of raping and sexually abusing 72-year-old Gisele at the behest of her husband over the course of a decade at their home in Mazan, southern France - all without her knowledge

The Marsh family first found fame in 2020 during lockdown with their version of Les Miserables' One Day More, which went viral.

They followed up on this success with their rendition of the Bonnie Tyler classic, Total Eclipse of the Heart, now renamed Totally Fixed Where We Are.

Their viral fame has seen the family appear on Jimmy Kimmel Live, BBC's Comic Relief and Children In Need.
Germany's Christmas markets have been a target for attacks for nearly a decade.

This evenings tragedy echoes the devastation seen in 2016 when a truck was driven through Berlins Christmas market by an Islamic extremist.

An HGV ploughed into a crowd of pedestrians on December 19 that year, leaving 13 dead and injuring dozens.

One of the victims was the original Polish truck driver who was found dead in the cab, having been stabbed and shot.

The attacker, failed Tunisian asylum seeker Anis Amri, was killed four days later by police during a shootout in Milan, Italy.

He had arrived in Germany a year and a half earlier. The 24-year-old, who used 14 different identities during his time in the country, had been on a list of potentially violent Islamic extremists.

An HGV ploughed into a crowd of pedestrians on December 19 2016, leaving 13 dead and injuring dozens. Pictured: Heavily-armed police walk through the reopened Breitscheidplatz Christmas market three days after the attack

Politicians lay candles during a memorial service on the fourth anniversary of the Islamist attack on the Christmas market at Breitscheidplatz

A car drove into a group of people at a Christmas market in the eastern German city of Magdeburg this evening, leaving at least 11 dead and nearly 70 injured

The terror seen that night had, mercifully, not been repeated since, though there have been numerous subsequent attempts or planned attacks on other Christmas markets.

In June, a 15-year-old German-Afghan boy was sentenced to four years for plotting an attack in Leverkusen, in western Germany, the previous Christmas.

A 16-year-old Russian national was also arrested in connection with the plot last year.

A court ruled that the Islamist-motivated teen had planned to kill unbelievers by driving a rented truck into visitors in the same manner as was seen in 2016.

Recent weeks have seen a series of security incidents at Christmas markets.

On December 1 in Schoneck, Saxony, the mayor and another individual were shot at with a Softair pistol, but nobody was harmed.

And three days later a 37-year-old Iraqi national was arrested in Augsburg, Bavaria, for allegedly financing terrorism, scouting the Christkindlesmarkt, and sharing Islamic State propaganda.
President Joe Biden, 82, played with a toddler Friday as first lady Jill Biden read Twas the Night Before Christmas amid fallout over a shocking report that suggested that his cognitive decline started years ago.

The Bidens made their annual trek to the Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C. Friday afternoon for a Christmas-themed book reading.

As the first lady, an educator by trade, read the story, Biden made faces at the children in the crowd.

When a toddler approached him - making Dr. Biden crack up - the president motioned that it was OK to climb up on his chair.

The child did so, then left, then returned and threw a small ball at the president.

Children's Hospital CEO Michelle Riley-Brown commended the president for tagging along to the event, which historically has been attended by first ladies.

'We've never had a president join for four years straight,' Riley-Brown said.

Biden then asked if it was OK for him to say a few words.

President Joe Biden, 82, played with a toddler Friday as first lady Jill Biden read Twas the Night Before Christmas amid fallout over a shocking report that suggested that his cognitive decline started years ago

When a toddler approached him - making Dr. Biden crack up - the president motioned that it was OK to climb up on his chair. He held the young one for a few seconds, before the child ran off

'This is a tough time to be here,' the president said, acknowleding that he knew from personal experience.

His first wife Neilia and daughter Naomi were killed in a Christmastime car crash in 1972 - the same year he was elected to the U.S. Senate.

The crash left young sons Beau and Hunter injured and Biden spent hours at a Wilmington hospital over the holidays during their recovery.

The president and his family took a mid-week trip to Wilmington, Delaware this week to attend church services on the sad anniversary.

'Keep the hope,' Biden told the families. 'These guys are going to take care of everything.'

Biden's appearance came hours after reporters were clamoring over why he hadn't personally spoken out about the brewing government shutdown.

Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre fielded a number of questions earlier Friday afternoon about why the president hadn't been more vocal after President-elect Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk derailed a bipartisan spending deal.

'We've heard that message from you, but why aren't we hearing that directly from the president? Why haven't we seen or heard from President Biden?' asked a reporter.

Jean-Pierre answered that 'this is a strategy that we have done many times before.'

President Joe Biden was later repaid by being the hit with a small ball, as Dr. Biden continued to read the story to the children

A reporter later probed: 'To be clear, the strategy is he is leading by staying in the background.'

'The strategy is Congress, Republicans in particular, need to do their jobs and get out of their own way and focus on the American people not their billionaire friends,' she said.

The inquiries came after one prominent Democrat blasted Biden for 'quiet quitting' as he's limited public appearances and questions to the media in the aftermath of Vice President Kamala Harris' election loss.

On top of that, new questions arose this week when The Wall Street Journal reported on the many ways Biden's top White House staffers cocooned him so it was less apparent that he was showing signs of old age.
The military wings belonging to Dambusters hero Guy Gibson are set to fetch thousands of pounds at auction.

The wings form part of a large collection of memorabilia amassed by a newspaper photographer who became friendly with relatives of the distinguished Wing Commander, who led the famous 'bouncing bomb' attack on three dams in Germany's Ruhr valley in 1943.

The cloth wings were taken from a uniform originally given to Gibson's cousin. They are among a hoard including his flight logbook and a childhood letter addressed 'To Granny', said to be a rare example of personal correspondence from Gibson.

Photographer Derrick Warren was captivated by the Dambusters story - imortalised in 1955's 'The Dam Busters' film - in childhood. His interest developed into a life-long passion and saw the Coventry Evening Telegraph photographer form friendships with Gibson's family, including wife Eve.

Mr Warren died two years ago at the age of 81 and his extraordinary collection is now being sold by Gildings Auctioneers in Market Harborough, Leicestershire, on January 7.

Gildings' Director Mark Gilding said: 'We're delighted to offer Derrick Warren's incredible tribute to Guy Gibson.

'It's very rare to find items directly owned by Gibson such as the cloth wings, so this is an unmissable opportunity for collectors.

The wings form part of a large collection of memorabilia amassed by a newspaper photographer who became friendly with relatives of the distinguished Wing Commander

Guy Gibson led the famous 'bouncing bomb' attack on three dams in Germany 's Ruhr valley in 1943

The cloth wings were taken from a uniform originally given to Gibson's cousin

They are among a hoard including his flight logbook, a childhood letter and a flight mask

'It's not known whether the aircraft-related parts and equipment are from Dambusters aircraft but items from these planes and period are still very much a rarity.'

Of the 133 crew members who took part in the Dambusters raids, 53 were killed and three were taken prisoner.

Gibson was one of the survivors and was released from flying duties after being awarded the Victoria Cross for commanding the raid, codenamed Operation Chastise.

In March 1944 he was selected as a Conservative parliamentary candidate for Macclesfield, but still itched for a return to the skies. Gibson persuaded Air Vice Marshal Arthur Harris to allow him to fly operationally again - and was killed that September when his de Havilland Mosquito crashed in the Netherlands while returning from raids on the towns of Rheydt and Monchengladbach in Germany.

A full RAF tour of duty was 30 missions, but at the time of his death aged 26, Gibson had flown at least 174 missions.

The wings, which are in a presentation frame, are expected to sell for between 1,000-1,500.

A facsimile copy of Gibson's logbook featuring autographs including from Gibson's wife and the head of World War II Bomber Command, Arthur 'Bomber' Harris, has a guide price of 300-500.

Also included in the 54 lots is a photograph of a Lancaster Bomber taken by Derrick and signed by many connected to 617 Squadron, including Barnes Wallis, the engineer who invented the bouncing bomb.

Of the 133 crew members who took part in the Dambusters raids, 53 were killed and three were taken prisoner. Pictured: Wing Commander Guy Gibson (in door of aircarft) and his crew board their Avro Lancaster bomber for No. 617 Squadron's raid on the Ruhr Dams

Also included in the 54 lots is a photograph of a Lancaster Bomber taken by Derrick and signed by many connected to 617 Squadron, including Barnes Wallis, the engineer who invented the bouncing bomb

Among the lot is a childhood letter addressed 'To Granny', said to be a rare example of personal correspondence from Gibson

Also among the auction is a flying mask from an iconic Lancaster Bomber

Items related to Lancaster aircraft include a World War II flying cap, respirator and harness, and a steering yoke are also included in the sale.

Until its closure in March 2023, Mr Warren's collection was on display in the Heritage Centre at the Dambusters' base, RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire.

The Dambusters raid is widely regarded as the ultimate example of British bravery, ingenuity and commitment to duty in the face of near impossible odds during World War II.

As the RAF's most experienced and decorated pilot who had already flown over 170 missions, Gibson was tasked with leading the men from the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA in 19 Lancaster bombers.

The last surviving member of 617 Squadron to have taken part in the Dambusters raid, Squadron Leader George Leonard 'Johnny' Johnson died in 2022, aged 101.

The last member of 617 Squadron, Wing Commander John Bell died in March this year, aged 100.
The House passed a government spending bill Friday evening to avoid a government shutdown set to ensue at midnight, but now the clock is ticking for the Senate and President Joe Biden.

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.

However, the Senate must now vote to approve the bill and President Joe Biden must sign it into law to avoid a lapse in federal spending set to occur just after midnight Friday.

Both are expected to approve the CR, though if they don't do it quickly enough federal funding may run out and the government could, at least momentarily, enter into a partial shutdown.

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 late Friday came after President-elect Donald Trump and billionaire Elon 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.

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson heads in for a vote to keep the federal government operating beyond a midnight deadline and avert a partial shutdown that could disrupt the Christmas holiday, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., December 20, 2024

House Speaker Mike Johnson speaking before the vote failed on the Trump-backed spending deal on Thursday as the deadline loomed before the government shutdown

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.

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 spending bill will now also need to pass in the Democrat-controlled Senate.

If the bill is passed by the upper-chamber then it would then be based to President Joe Biden.

Once Biden signs the bill it will become law and the government shutdown will officially be avoided.
In 2017, newly engaged Meghan Markle spent her first Christmas with the Royal Family, marking a significant step into royal life.

Instead of staying at Sandringham, which had ample bedrooms, she and Prince Harry accepted an invitation from Prince William and Princess Catherine to stay at their newly renovated country residence, Anmer Hall.

There, they joined in the long-established Christmas celebrations, which royal biographer Andrew Morton describes as surprisingly laid-back.

In his book, Meghan: A Hollywood Princess, the author writes: 'Though it was fresh and exciting for Meghan, Christmas at Sandringham has a regular soothing rhythm, like one of the many grandfather clocks that dominate the corridors.'

Indeed, the Duchess recalled her 'amazing' first Christmas at Sandringham with the Royal Family in her 2022 Netflix documentary, Harry & Meghan.

'I remember so vividly the first Christmas at Sandringham,' Meghan recalled. 'Calling my mum, and she's like, "How's it going?" And I said, "Oh my gosh, it's amazing."

'It's just like a big family like I always wanted,' she added. 'And there was just this constant movement and energy and fun.'

She then detailed how at dinner she was sat next to Prince Philip, 'H's grandfather'.

In 2017, newly engaged Meghan Markle spent her first Christmas with the Royal Family, marking a significant step into royal life

Meghan explained: 'And I just thought it was so wonderful. And I was like, "Oh, we chatted and it was so great." And I talked about this, and talked about this.

'He [Harry] was like, "You had his bad ear. He couldn't hear anything you were saying." I was like "Oh. Well, I thought it went really well."'

Meghan was invited to spend Christmas at Sandringham five months before her wedding to Harry.

This decision was seen as a highly personal gesture from Queen Elizabeth, signalling her warm welcome to the former actress.

The festivities commenced at 4pm on Christmas Eve in Sandringham's wood-panelled drawing room, where the family gathered for afternoon tea - a meal cherished by the late Queen Elizabeth II.

The spread included an assortment of delicate sandwiches, scones, muffins and cakes, accompanied by Earl Grey and the Queen's favourite Indian blend tea.

At 6pm, the family reconvened in the elegant white drawing room to exchange presents, continuing a cherished royal tradition.

Gifts were displayed on cloth-covered tables, each pile marked with a name card.

Prince Harry and Meghan were seen leaving Buckingham Palace after Queen Elizabeth's annual Royal Christmas Lunch

Meghan beamed as she was photographed in the car leaving the family lunch

Instead of staying at Sandringham, which had ample bedrooms, Meghan and Harry accepted an invitation from William and Catherine to stay at their newly renovated country residence, Anmer Hall

The gift exchange, as described by Mr Morton, could become quite lively. 'Princess Margaret's ex-husband Lord Snowdon once described the scene as "total uproar" as everyone tore open their gifts,' he says.

Rather than opting for lavish presents, the Royal Family are known to select quirky, humorous and often unusual gifts for each other.

Harry has a track record of delivering the most entertaining surprises, with other family members joining in on the playful spirit.

'One year, Harry gave the Queen a shower cap with the printed phrase "Ain't life a bitch" on it,' Mr Morton reveals.

'Another year he gave her a singing Big Mouth Billy Vass, which has pride of place on the piano in her Balmoral study.

'In her day, Diana was once given a pair of false bosoms, while Princess Anne received a monogrammed door mat.

'One report suggested that Meghan got into the zany spirit, giving the Queen a singing hamster, which, apparently, the corgis eyed dolefully.'

Following this laughter-filled exchange, the family retired to their rooms to prepare for the evening's formal dinner.

Harry and Meghan joined the Royal Family for the customary walk to St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham

Dressed in a beige wrap coat by Sentaler, Stuart Weitzman boots and a custom Philip Treacy beret, Meghan exuded sophistication

Kate and Meghan curtsied at Queen Elizabeth upon her arrival at the church

Meghan joined the Royal Family at Sandringham for the first time in 2017

The event adhered to a black-tie dress code, with elegant gowns taking centre stage.

At 8pm sharp, the family gathered for pre-dinner drinks, with Queen Elizabeth making her entrance fifteen minutes later, ready to enjoy her signature dry Martini.

But not everyone was entirely delighted by the formalities. Sarah Ferguson reportedly expressed frustration with the numerous outfit changes required during the event.

According to Mr Morton: 'The Duchess of York once recalled: "Christmas can be exhausting, not least because you sometimes change seven times in twenty-four hours. You never let the Queen beat you down for dinner, end of story - to come in any later would be unimaginably disrespectful."'

The banquet that followed was a feast of local delicacies, featuring Norfolk shrimps, Sandringham estate lamb and Tarte Tatin.

Adding a festive touch, the royals pulled crackers filled with silver or gold crowns, bringing a sense of shared merriment to the occasion.

'Like everyone except the Queen, Meghan crowned herself with the paper hat,' Mr Morton pens.

After the service, the family returned to Sandringham for lunch and gathered to watch the Queens annual Christmas broadcast, a tradition that capped off their celebrations

Christmas morning began with Meghan and Harry sharing breakfast with William and Kate at Anmer Hall, while George and Charlotte unwrapped their presents.

Later, Meghan joined the royals for the customary walk to St Mary Magdalene Church.

Dressed in a beige wrap coat by Sentaler, Stuart Weitzman boots and a custom Philip Treacy beret, the Duchess exuded sophistication as she walked alongside William and Kate, smiling and waving to the crowds gathered along the path.

Meanwhile Queen Elizabeth, for the first time, arrived by car, accompanied by Camilla.

After the service, the family returned to Sandringham for lunch and gathered to watch the Queens annual Christmas broadcast, a tradition that capped off their celebrations.

In her speech, she referenced 'new members' of the family - a sentiment widely interpreted as a nod to Meghan.
American journalist Austin Tice was abducted in Syria in 2012. His parents, Marc and Debra Tice, believe he is now being held outside of Damascus. With the fall of the Syrian government, the Tices want the Biden administration to do all it can to bring their son home. Joseph Eid/AFP/Getty Images 2018

In the 12 years since journalist Austin Tice was abducted in Syria, his family and his co-workers at McClatchy, where I serve as chairman and CEO, 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 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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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 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.

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

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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Amidst the alleged Chinese spy scandal that Prince Andrew is linked to, Sarah Ferguson is thought to have influenced her ex-husband's decision to not attend the Royal Family's Christmas celebrations at Sandringham.

'Sarah the Duchess of York has literally saved Christmas for the Royal Family,' Rebecca English said on Mail+'s Palace Confidential.

Sitting beside Diary Editor Richard Eden and Mail on Sunday's Charlotte Griffiths, Rebecca described how 'if it hadn't have been for his ex-wife having a quiet word in his ear,' the exact situation for this year's festivities and Andrew may still not be known.

The Prince voluntarily agreed to pull out of the celebrations with Fergie, MailOnline revealed earlier this week. The Duchess joined the family's festivities last year for the first time since 1992.

It came after it was revealed an alleged Chinese spy, Yang Tengbo, is said to have become a 'close' confidant of the Duke of York and has since been banned from entering the UK after an MI5 investigation.

Mr Tengbo has denied being a spy or doing anything illegal. He challenged his ban at the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) in July, but lost his appeal last week.

A statement from Prince Andrew's office said: 'The Duke of York followed advice from His Majesty's Government and ceased all contact with the individual after concerns were raised.

'The Duke met the individual through official channels with nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed. He is unable to comment further on matters relating to national security.'

Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew attending Royal Ascot together back in 2019

The Duke of York at St George's Chapel at Easter earlier this year

Watch the latest episode of Palace Confidential here:

Recently, the Daily Mail revealed that King Charles did not want to ban his brother and had hoped Andrew would 'do the decent thing' and choose not join the family at Sandringham, including the traditional Christmas Day church service and walkabout.

Rebecca shared how 'instrumental' Fergie had been with her ex-husband's situation.

'I've been told by sources on both sides of the fence that she has been instrumental in just being a small, still voice of calm in her dealings with her ex-husband and I've been told that the King does understand it's a very delicate situation,' she said.

The Royal Editor added: 'She has been very loyal to Andrew with all his difficulties over the years, but also to actually be fair to her, has been respectful to the King and the Queen and the late Queen Elizabeth.'

Fergie still lives with her ex-husband at Royal Lodge, despite being divorced since 1996.

Rebecca said: 'I think they very much appreciate and are grateful for her saying to Andrew, "look why don't we just take a step back this year and see where the future lies".'

The couple's daughters, Princess Beatrice, 36, and Princess Eugenie, 34, had already decided spend the day with their in-laws instead of the Royals, as they have not done so in a few years.

'It sounds like they're going to be spending Christmas together on their own, like the couple they used to be,' Richard added. 'So maybe it's about time they got married again!'

Fergie attending the walkabout on Christmas Day with other royals last year for the first time since 1992

The couple sharing a kiss on Buckingham Palace's balcony on their wedding day in 1986

Sarah and Andrew visiting the Isle of Wight together back in 1986

Fergie has previously described her and Andrew as the 'happiest divorced couple in the world' and added that she 'hopes' the Prince still 'loves her' like she loves him.

Charlotte reflected on how Fergie said she was 'sort of' still looking 'after a sad man' like when she cared for her father, speaking in an interview with The Sunday Times before the recent scandal broke but published after.

Fergie added how she won't let her ex-husband down and that they both look after one another.

'I thought that was really touching as well because she's going to spend her Christmas alone without her daughters, just with Andrew out of pure loyalty,' Charlotte said.
READ MORE: One of Stonehenge's most famous rocks 'came from Scotland'

Why the mighty Stonehenge was built around 5,000 years ago has long been one of the great mysteries.

But according to a new study, we may finally have an answer.

Scientists say Wiltshire's famous stone circle was built as a symbol of unification between three distinct corners of Britain.

We know that Stonehenge's rocky slabs were transported as far afield from southwest Wales and northeast Scotland.

So the scientists, from University College London and Aberystwyth University, theorise that Scottish and Welsh people brought their own local stones down to Wiltshire as a well-meaning contribution to assembling the structure.

In that sense, it represented a powerful  and very early  symbol of British unity.

Stonehenge's builders had attempted to establish 'political unification and shared identity across much or even all of Britain', the authors say in their paper, published in Archaeology International.

They add: 'Bringing together these extraordinary and alien rocks... symbolised and embodied far and distant communities within a complex material.

A symbol of British unity? Wiltshire's famous stone circle is one of the world's most iconic historic sites and a British cultural icon - but its intended purpose has long divided academics

The new research comes a day before the winter solstice - the shortest day of the year where thousands of people flock to Stonehenge (pictured in 2021)

'[Stonehenge was a] monumental expression of unity between people, land, ancestors and the heavens.'

In the paper, the researchers say Stonehenges long-distance links add weight to the theory that the Neolithic monument may have had some unifying purpose in ancient Britain, to go with its symbolic value.

'The fact that all of its stones originated from distant regions, making it unique among over 900 stone circles in Britain, suggests that the stone circle may have had a political as well as a religious purpose,' said lead author Professor Mike Parker Pearson at UCL's Institute of Archaeology.

'[It was] a monument of unification for the peoples of Britain, celebrating their eternal links with their ancestors and the cosmos.'

Even though England, Scotland and Wales did not exist as concepts when Stonehenge was built 5,000-odd years ago, we know the structure is indeed representative of all three countries.

Stonehenge is famous for its great sandstone slabs, known as sarsens, which were sourced locally  likely hauled from West Woods in Wiltshire, around 15 miles north.

But in addition to the tall Sarsen stones that make up Stonehenge's distinctive appearance, the world-famous site is also home to around 80 'bluestones'  smaller stones that have a bluish tinge when freshly broken or when wet.

Among Stonehenge experts, it is generally agreed the bluestones came from Craig Rhos-y-Felin in the Preseli Hills of south-west Wales (although how exactly they got to Wiltshire is hotly debated).

Researchers say Stonehenge's Altar Stone (pictured) came from Scotland. Lying flat at the heart, the six-tonne, five-metre-long rectangular Altar Stone is a grey-green sandstone

Meanwhile, around 80 smaller 'bluestones' (pictured) - stones that have a bluish tinge when freshly broken or when wet - came from Wales

How were the stones moved to Wiltshire? The matter of why Stonehenge was built is perhaps the most tantalizing question for academics - but there's the additional question of how. Scientists know that the sarsens were sourced locally in Wiltshire, while the 'bluestones' were from Wales and the 'Altar Stone' from Scotland. But this raises questions about its journey given the limits of human technology during Neolithic times. It's possible that they were pulled by tribes of men along the ground using a series of logs - a labor-intensive task that would have taken months if not years. There's also the possibly stone was transported by boat or even carried by the movement of glacier ice. Advertisement

However, the Altar Stone, the largest bluestone at the centre of Stonehenge, actually came from northern Scotland  up to 1,000km (621 miles) away, scientists revealed earlier this year.

Lying flat at the heart of Stonehenge, the six-tonne, five-metre-long rectangular Altar Stone is a grey-green sandstone, far bigger and different in its composition from the other bluestones.

At the time, the research team (which included two authors of this new paper) analysed the age and chemistry of minerals from fragments of the Altar Stone.

They found a remarkable similarity with the Old Red Sandstone of the Orcadian Basin in northeast Scotland.

The team concluded 'with 95 per cent accuracy' that the stone came from this area  which encompasses parts of Inverness, Thurso, Orkney and parts of Shetland  although they've since ruled out Orkney as the location.

In this new follow-up paper, the team say the Altar Stone was brought by the Neolithic people of northern Scotland as a contribution or gift to the southerners.

'[This was] perhaps to cement an alliance or to take part in the extraordinary long-distance collaboration that building Stonehenge represented and embodied,' the authors say.

Likewise, the bluestones could have been transported by people from the Preseli Hills of south-west Wales as their own contribution  illustrating 'a political unification or a sacred peace'.

Earlier in 2024, researchers concluded that the Altar Stone came from the Orcadian Basin in northeast Scotland

What is the Altar Stone? The Altar Stone is a six-tonne sandstone slab that lies flat at the centre of Stonehenge. The five-metre-long rectangular Altar Stone is a grey-green sandstone, far bigger and different in its composition from the other bluestones. Researchers say the Altar Stone came from Scotland - potentially transported south by a Scottish tribe as their contribution to building Stonehenge. The Altar Stone may have once stood vertically at Stonehenge before falling to lie parallel with the ground. Advertisement

This follow-up paper now identifies Stonehenge construction 'as a monument of island-wide unification, embodied in part through the distant and diverse origins of its stones'.

'Unusually strong similarities in house floor layouts between Late Neolithic houses in Orkney and the Durrington Walls settlement near Stonehenge also provide evidence of close connections between Salisbury Plain and northern Scotland,' the team say.

Stonehenge was used as a cremation cemetery for mostly adult men and women for around five centuries in its early history.

Nearly half the people buried at Stonehenge had lived somewhere other than Salisbury Plain, the experts say  showing people historically flocked there from afar.

'The similarities in architecture and material culture between the Stonehenge area and northern Scotland now make more sense,' added Professor Pearson.

'Its helped to solve the puzzle of why these distant places had more in common than we might have once thought.'

The new research comes a day before the winter solstice  the shortest day of the year where thousands of people flock to Stonehenge.

During the winter solstice, the setting sun dips below the horizon over the middle of the Altar Stone and between the two largest upright stones (one of which is now fallen).

Stonehenge is famous for its alignment with the sun, but the ancient monument may have also been carefully designed to align with the movements of the moon

In the northern hemisphere, the summer solstice occurs when Earth's north is most greatly inclined towards the sun, and the winter solstice occurs when it's titled away from the sun

For thousands of years, it's thought people gathered at Stonehenge at both midsummer and midwinter solstices to conduct rituals and ceremonies relating to the changing seasons, the sun and the sky.

During the winter, Neolithic people also feasted close to Stonehenge at the nearby settlement village of Durrington Walls.

Largely because it's a whopping 5,000 years old, the origins of Stonehenge, including why and how it was built, are still a source of frenzied debate.

Professor Timothy Darvill, an archaeologist at Bournemouth University who passed away earlier this year, said Stonehenge served as an ancient solar calendar, helping people track the days of the year.

The British researcher said the sarsens each represented a single day in a month, making the entire site a huge time-keeping device.

Other theories include that it was a cult centre for healing, a temple or a place where ancestors were worshipped.
An interactive map has revealed a disturbing pattern in drone sightings across the US.

An unexplained drone invasion has targeted America's military bases worldwide since October, beginning with a swarm over Langley Air Force Base in Virginia.

The pattern became evident when similar activity was reported over New Jersey's Picatinny Arsenal on November 18.

Less than one week later, US bases in England and Germany began grappling with incursions by 'small unmanned aerial systems.'

Back in America sightings were gaining traction. 'Multiple' instances of drones appeared over New Jersey's Navy weapons station, and Ohio's Wright-Patterson Air Force Base closed its airspace due to similar activity on December 13.

The list of affected bases continues to grow, with one in Texas joining the ranks after drones were spotted on December 18.

In White Settlement home to the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth and Lockheed Martinresidents and police officers observed drones flying in formation about 100 feet in the air, sometimes hovering in groups of six.

Christopher Cook, police chief in White Settlement, said: 'We haven't seen the formation of drones like that before.'

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Drones were spotted over White Settlement, a suburb of Fort Worth in North Texas that is home to the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, this week

The White House said the sightings near or over the Department of Defense (DoD) 'are not new.'

'DoD takes unauthorized access over its airspace seriously and coordinates closely with federal, state, and local law enforcement authorities, as appropriate,' the statement continued.

The Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense, Federal Aviation Administration and the FBI released a joint statement on the matter this week.

'A combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones,' the agencies said.

While the White House said drones have long been infiltrating airspace over bases, none have appeared to gain the attention of those witnessed in the last few months.

The sightings started at Langley Air Force base when top Pentagon officials were baffled by a swarm of mystery drones that carried on for 17 days.

One or two fixed-wing drones flew more than 100 feet in the air as smaller quadcopters, the size of 20 commercial drones, flew slower and below them and occasionally hovered.

They were preceded by a drone estimated to be 20 feet long and flying 100 miles per hour at altitudes up to 4,000 feet.

The drones were nearly impossible to catch, despite the Air Force's vast resources, according to Gen. Mark Kelly, a decorated senior commander at the airbase.

Sightings over US military bases began as early as October, as several reports indicated drones near Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Virginia

Those were followed by drone presence at New Jersey's Picatinny Arsenal in mid-November

Since the sightings over New Jersey's Picatinny Arsenal in Rockaway began last month, the army research and manufacturing facility has reported 11 drone incursions.

A Picatinny Arsenal spokesperson told DailyMail.com: 'We can confirm that they are not the result of any Picatinny Arsenal or DEVCOM Armaments Center (formerly ARDEC) directed actions.'

Shortly after, reports began to emerge at US bases in England and Germany.

From November 20 to 26, 'small unmanned aerial systems' were spotted in the vicinity of and over three US bases Norfolk and Suffolk counties, England: RAF Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall and RAF Feltwell.

Just two weeks later, unidentified drones were spotted over the US Ramstein Air Base in Germany on December 3 and 4.

About ten days later, the Joint Staff of the Naval Weapons Station Earle in Monmouth County stated they were aware of reports of drones entering the base's airspace, though the exact timing of the incursions is unknown.

Bill Addison, public affairs officer for the naval station, said in a statement to ABC News: 'While no direct threats to the installation have been identified, we can confirm multiple instances of unidentified drones entering the airspace above Naval Weapons Station Earle.

'The base remains prepared to respond to any potential risks, leveraging robust security measures and advanced detection capabilities.'

That same day, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base just east of Dayton, Ohio temporarily closed its airspace due to drone sightings.

New Jersey's Naval Weapons Station Earle in Monmouth County reported on December 13.

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base just east of Dayton, Ohio temporarily closed its airspace due to drone sightings on December 13

Bob Purtiman, chief of public affairs for the 88th Air Base Wing at Wright-Patterson, said the 'small unmanned aerial systems' were monitored by officials during the shutdown.

'To date, installation leadership has determined none of the incursions impacted base residents, facilities or assets,' Purtiman told DailyMail.com.

In a recording of the air traffic control tower at the base posted on YouTube by The War Zone, a controller tells pilots to 'use extreme caution' due to 'heavy UAS activity' above. UAS stands for 'unmanned aircraft system.'

Wright-Patterson is located around five miles outside the city of Dayton in west Ohio. It's home to critical US Air Force commands, including the Air Force Research Lab.

Due to local media inquiries related to police radio traffic from last night, our team is releasing this statement:



We started responding to multiple reports of drones flying near city neighborhoods, federal and military properties on Tuesday, December 17, 2024 at 8:14 p.m. pic.twitter.com/SmT0hQJULE  Christopher Cook (@cooktx) December 18, 2024

And this week, FBI launched an investigation into drones that flew near Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth in Texas.

In an X post, White Settlement Police Department (WSPD) Chief Christopher Cook said his officers saw 'drones in the area flying near Bomber Road, Silver Creek, and N. Las Vegas Trail.'

The WSPD trying to locate the operator following multiple reports from the public.

'Out of an abundance of caution, reports have been initiated and we are working with the FBI, NCIS, and Air Force OSI to determine the flight trajectories and who was piloting the unmanned aircraft,' Cook added.

'While we do not believe there were any immediate threats related to last night's activities, it is concerning due to operating in 'NO FLY ZONES' near federal and military properties.'

The drones aren't just targeting military bases. Sightings in civilian communities have been widespread throughout the Northeast, with more than 5,000 reports across the country over the last month.

Citizens, law enforcement and government officials have all put forward theories as to who or what is behind the wave of drone reports  ranging from mass hysteria to foreign espionage, space aliens to the covert hunt for a loose nuclear bomb.

Despite mounting concern among residents and officials of communities affected by this bizarre drone 'invasion,' federal officials have repeatedly stated that there is no evidence to suggest the drones pose any threat to national security or public safety.

The flying objects (example above) are larger than drones used by hobbyists, witnesses have noted, raising questions about their proximity to critical infrastructure and sensitive sites

But multiple state officials have suggested that these drones could be conducting surveillance for foreign adversaries such as Iran, China and Russia.

Some politicians have even urged the military to shoot them down, including President-elect Donald Trump.

'Mystery Drone sightings all over the Country,' the Republican wrote on the social media site Truth Social on December 13.

'Can this really be happening without our government's knowledge. I don't think so! Let the public know, and now. Otherwise, shoot them down!!! DJT.'

Members of the public have also taken to social media to share countless photos and videos of what they believe to be drones or UAPs in their communities, and to express frustration over the federal government's response to these sightings.

Some have begun taking matters into their own hands by pointing lasers or even shooting at the drones, especially in New Jersey, which has become a hotspot for drone activity.

In a stern warning to the public, New Jersey's State Police and the FBI's Newark office have insisted the public stop trying to take down the state's mystery drones.

Whether the investigation into this most recent sighting over White Settlement reveals new information about the operator  or operators  behind these drones remains to be seen.

If there are any further sightings near military installations or other sensitive areas in the US, that could also help investigators narrow down the purpose of and potential level of threat posed by these aircraft.
The idea of a deadly artificial bacteria taking over the human body might sound like something from the next season of The Last of Us.

But a Nobel Prize-winning biologist has now warned that it could become a reality, amid rising interest in deadly 'mirror bacteria'.

Mirror bacteria are a type of fully synthetic life in which all the biological molecules are replaced with 'mirrored' alternatives.

Last week, a group of 38 leading scientists from around the globe issued an urgent warning calling for a halt on research which could create these lethal lifeforms.

Professor Gregory Winter, a molecular biologist from the University of Cambridge, who won the Nobel Prize in 2018 for his work on the evolution of antibodies, has now revealed to MailOnline exactly how these bacteria could take over the human body.

'If they found their way into the blood, colonies of mirror bacteria could, for example, block up blood vessels, leading to failure of circulation and strokes,' he warned.

'Or they could colonise the sites of wounds, leading to wounds that dont heal, helping infection by existing pathogenic bacteria.'

To make matters worse, Professor Winter warns that it would likely be 'impossible' to create a vaccine against these lethal infections.

It might sound like something out of The Last of Us (pictured) but scientists now warn that a deadly 'mirror bacteria' could take over the human body

A Nobel Prize-winning scientist has revealed how deadly 'mirror bacteria', a form of synthetic life made of mirrored biological molecules, could create deadly infections that our bodies would be unable to defend against (stock image)

In all life on Earth, there are a number of molecules which have a property of handedness or 'chirality'.

Just like your left hand is a mirror of your right, for each of these chiral molecules there exists a left and right-handed version.

These chiral molecules are a key part of basic cell function including DNA's right-handed spiral and the left-handed amino acids which make up every protein in our bodies.

However, since these molecules' mirror versions are otherwise identical, there is no reason that life shouldn't have evolved to have the opposite chirality.

This means that it is possible to build an artificial form of life in which every chiral molecule is replaced with its mirror version, creating a fully functioning mirror cell.

Even though the technology to do this is more than a decade away at the earliest, a group of scientists have recently begun to raise the alarm over the potentially devastating consequences of mirror life.

In a 300-page technical report, these researchers warned that there would be very little preventing mirror bacteria escaping from the lab and becoming established in the wild.

Professor Winter says: 'Bacteria can grow on nutrients that are non-chiral, converting these into chiral molecules, for example left-handed amino acids.

Professor Gregory Winter (pictured), a Nobel Prize-winning molecular biologist from the University of Cambridge, told MailOnline that infections of mirror bacteria could block blood vessels leading to strokes, circulation failure, or wounds that are unable to heal

What is mirror life? Life on Earth has evolved to have right-handed DNA and left-handed amino acids. Scientists call this naturally chiral. In mirror life, all of these molecules would be replaced by their mirrored alternative. A mirror organism would be able to function normally except for the fact that naturally chiral chemical processes wouldn't interact with it. This means a mirror bacteria would likely be invisible to the immune responses of any naturally chiral organism on Earth. Advertisement

'The same would be true for mirror bacteria except they would convert the non-chiral molecules into right-handed amino acids.

'Infecting mirror bacteria could therefore grow in living organisms using the non-chiral molecules as a source of nutrients.'

That would allow mirror bacteria to multiply within the body and create physical blockages.

While they can't interact with our bodies chemically, the bacterial colonies would eventually grow to the point that they clog up our blood vessels - leading to fatal consequences.

The reason this is so dangerous is that life on Earth has evolved defence mechanisms based on chiral molecules like right-handed DNA and left-handed proteins.

This means that the immune systems of every organism on the planet would not be able to destroy or even detect an infection of mirror bacteria.

'For example, human white cells in the blood have evolved to recognise and digest invading bacteria, but the "left-handed" enzymes involved would struggle to digest right-handed proteins of the mirror bacteria,' says Professor Winter.

'For similar reasons, it would be difficult or impossible to create effective vaccines against mirror bacteria.'

In a recent paper published in Science, 38 leading scientists called for a pause on research into mirror life. This is because the mirrored proteins would make these bacteria invisible to our bodies' immune system (stock image)

How 'mirror bacteria' could take over the human body By feeding on nutrients within our bodies, mirror bacteria would be able to convert non-mirrored materials into energy to grow.

As the infection spreads, the mirror bacteria would multiply unchecked, slowly accumulating in our bloodstream.

The infection would eventually grow to the point where it begins to clog up blood vessels.

After a while, these bacterial blockages could trigger fatal strokes or circulation failure.

The bacteria might also grow in wounds, preventing the body from ever healing. Advertisement

Professor Winter says that, in time, it might be possible to create suitable antibiotics to deal with mirror bacteria or create bacterial viruses to attack and kill the mirror bacteria.

However, he says that there is 'no guarantee that we would have the time' to develop these defences before serious damage is already done.

If a mirror bacteria escaped from a lab into a populated area these unique characteristics mean it could lead to devastating consequences.

Professor Winter says: 'At the beginning, it might spread slowly as it wouldnt have specialised mechanisms to infect humans, but it could soon start to evolve and become more infectious.

'More worrying, it could infect other living organisms, including plants and animals, and be impossible to eradicate from the delicate ecosystem that supports us.

'Climate change would be least of our problems if mirror bacteria escaped into the environment.'

Yet an outbreak of mirror bacteria could be even more disasterous than the pathogens imagined by apocolyptic films and television like 12 Monkeys and Contagion.

In those pieces of science-fiction the spreading infection only attacks people, leaving the rest of nature to flourish.

An outbreak of a mirror bacteria could be even more disasterous than the diseases imagined by apocolyptic films like Contagion (pictured) since the bacteria would affect all life on Earth, not just humans

However, mirror bacteria wouldn't need to specialise to infect any particular species and could spread through any organism on Earth.

Since mirror bacteria don't interact with the immune systems of their hosts, they would be able to infects plants and animals just as easily as humans.

That means mirror bacteria could infect every living plant, potentially devastating food crops around the world.

Dr Jonathan Jones, a co-author on the paper and plant disease expert from the Sainsbury Laboratory, told MailOnline: 'Plant disease is something that is quite rare actually, most pathogens can't grow on most plants.

'But if this played out, you might end up with a bacterium that could grow on all plants; so it's not just the crop plants we need to worry about, it's the whole ecosystem.'

The good news is that mirror life is currently no more than a theoretical risk.

Currently, researchers have made some progress in manufacturing mirror proteins and the field of artificial cell construction but both of these fields are in their relative infancy and would need decades of work to get to the point of making mirror life.

Dr Andreas Pluckthun, an expert in protein engineering from the University of Zurich who has worked on the creation of mirror proteins, told MailOnline that creating mirror life would take 'the concerted effort of a thousand people for 20 years'.

Unlike most of the world's deadliest pathogens (illustrated) there would be no way to defend against mirror bacteria. Mirror bacteria would also be able to infect any organism regardless of species, potentially leading to massive ecological damage and a devastating pandemic

'This is not something that's inconceivable but it's not something a terrorist could do in a basement,' Dr Pluckthun says.

The cost of generating a mirror organism would also be astronomical with costs extending into the tens of millions of dollars to create even small stretches of DNA.

And, while mirror proteins themselves could have potentially life-saving applications in cancer treatment or other therapies, there is almost zero benefit to making a mirror bacterium.

Dr Pluckthun says: 'One has to realise that the effort to do this is so huge and that the time needed would be so long that this is a super remote possibility that surely doesn't worry me.'
It's been more than 20 years since the legendary Concorde last flew, but China could be the one to provide its spiritual successor.

A Beijing-based company called Space Transportation is working on a supersonic jet that's even faster than NASA's 'Son of Concorde'.

In tests, the jet's engine reached Mach 4 or 3,045mph  four times the speed of sound  at altitudes of more than 65,600 feet, reports South China Morning Post.

This is twice as fast as the defunct Concorde's max speeds (Mach 2 or 1,338mph) and three times that of NASA's 'Son of Concorde' (937 miles per hour).

'This engine has significant commercial potential in the field of high-speed flight within near-space environments,' Space Transportation said in a statement.

The successful test flight is a key milestone for developing the Yunxing supersonic civilian jet, which will fly passengers from London to New York in under 2 hours.

Space Transportation aims to have the aircraft ready for its first flight by 2027 and the first commercial high-speed point-to-point transport flight to take place by 2030.

Yunxing passengers will be high enough to see the curvature of Earth  where the horizon is a slight curve rather than a straight line, normally seen from 50,000 feet.

The jet reached Mach 4 or 3,045mph - four times the speed of sound - at altitudes of more than 65,600 feet

Called Jindouyun, the jet engine reached Mach 4 or 3,045mph - four times the speed of sound - at altitudes of more than 65,600 feet

Jindouyun, or JinDou400, was named after the 'somersault cloud' used by the Monkey King in the classic Chinese novel 'Journey to the West'.

On Tuesday (December 17) it completed its test flight in northwestern China, reports Global Times, the daily tabloid owned by the Chinese Communist Party.

Jindouyun is a 'ramjet'  a type of 'airbreathing' jet engine that uses the engine's forward motion to compress the incoming air.

Ramjet engines burn oxygen directly from the atmosphere, rather than needing to carry their own supply, making them a low-cost, high-power option.

'This test flight provided key performance data on the engine, validating critical systems including the fuel supply, electrical and control systems,' the firm said.

'It also confirmed the engine's stability and reliability, marking a major milestone in its development from a prototype to a fully functional product.'

Powering the Yunxing aircraft, the Jindouyun engine could usher a new era of superfast passenger travel for commuters and holiday-makers alike.

Promo images suggest Yunxing will be a sleek and futuristic vessel, more like something from Thunderbirds than what we're used to seeing at airports.

The successful test flight is a key milestone for developing the Yunxing supersonic civilian jet, which will fly passengers from London to New York in under 2 hours

Powering the Yunxing aircraft, the Jindouyun engine could usher a new era of superfast passenger travel for commuters and holiday-makers alike

Space Transportation aims to have the aircraft ready for its first flight by 2027 and the first commercial high-speed point-to-point transport flight to take place by 2030. Pictured, the firm's promo

Yunxing is now a serious rival for NASA in the race to fly paying passengers aboard a supersonic jet for the first time since Concorde

What are ramjets? Ramjet engines burn oxygen directly from the atmosphere, rather than needing to carry their own supply. In a ramjet, the high pressure is produced by 'ramming' external air into the combustor using the forward speed of the vehicle. Ramjets produce thrust only when the vehicle is already moving; ramjets cannot produce thrust when the engine is stationary or static. Since a ramjet cannot produce static thrust, some other propulsion system must be used to accelerate the vehicle to a speed where the ramjet begins to produce thrust. Source: NASA Advertisement

The plane will be made of lightweight, high-strength composite materials, designed to withstand extreme aerodynamic heating while travelling at Mach 4.

Unlike traditional planes that build speed horizontally for takeoff, Yunxing will perform vertical takeoffs and landings, allowing it to ascend and descend in tighter spaces.

This means it won't have to use conventional runways at today's airports, potentially operating from smaller, urban airport facilities instead.

Yunxing is now a serious rival for NASA in the race to fly paying passengers aboard a supersonic jet for the first time since Concorde.

After years of anticipation, NASA finally unveiled its supersonic X-59 plane aircraft, unofficially dubbed 'Son of Concorde', back in January.

Developed for NASA by Lockheed Martin, the $247.5 million X-59 plane is capable of cruising at 937 miles per hour  faster than the speed of sound but not anywhere near Mach 4.

However, because of its more modest supersonic speeds, X-59 may be a more realistic contender for passenger travel in the near-term compared with other experimental vehicles in development

If cleared for commercial travel, it could be used by flight operators and take passengers from London to New York in under four hours  still slashing today's travel time in half.

The X-59's thin, tapered nose accounts for almost a third of its length and will break up the shock waves that would ordinarily result in a supersonic aircraft causing a sonic boom

Meanwhile, another American company called Boom Supersonic is working on its own supersonic craft, called Overture, which is eyeing commercial passenger flights in 2029.

Last year, a scaled-down prototype of Overture, called XB-1 Baby Boom, has completed 'key milestones' during testing as it progresses towards its first flight.

As for Concorde, the legendary Anglo-French creation had its first commercial flights in 1976, but it was grounded in October 2003 in the aftermath of the catastrophic Air France Flight 4590 crash.

Other reasons for the demise of Concorde were high fuel costs, concern over its noise and a preference for lower fares over speed.

No government or manufacturer has since been able to build a commercial plane that can travel faster than the speed of sound.
This Christmas Eve, children around the world may be hoping to catch a glimpse of Santa's sleigh flying through the skies.

But NASA has warned that jolly Old Saint Nick won't be the only thing whizzing over our heads this December 24.

A massive 'Christmas Eve asteroid' the size of a 10-story building will skim past Earth at 14,743mph.

According to NASA's Asteroid Watch dashboard, asteroid 2024 XN1 should pass by harmlessly at a distance of 4.48 million miles (7.21 million km) from Earth.#

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.

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.'

But at an estimated size of 29 to 70 metres (95-230 ft) in diameter, this is a stark reminder of just how close Earth can get to a deadly encounter.

If 2024 XN1 were to hit the planet, scientists estimate that it would impact with a force equivalent to 12 million tonnes of TNT and flatten an area of 700 square miles (2,000 square km).

NASA has warned that the huge 'Christmas Eve asteroid' will skim past Earth on December 24 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.

2024 XN1 will reach its closest point to Earth at 02:56 am GMT on the morning of Christmas Eve.

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.

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

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

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'

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).

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.

On December 23, a small space rock named 2013 YB actually has a slim chance of slamming into Earth.

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.

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

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'.

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.
A 2,000-year-old bone box etched with the name of Jesus' brother discovered in Israel is now on display in the US.

The limestone box, or ossuary, features the inscription 'James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus,' written in ancient Aramaic.

Because the names correspond to those of Jesus of Nazareth's brother and father, many speculate that the box once held the remains of James the Just, the first leader of Christians in Jerusalem after the crucifixion.

The burial box is currently on display at Pullman Yards in Atlanta, as part of an exhibit featuring 350 historical items from the time of Jesus.

The discovery, made in 1976, has been described as 'the most significant item from the time of Christ,' according to the exhibit.

However, like many Biblical archaeological finds, the ossuary became embroiled in controversy shortly after its public unveiling in 2002.

In 2003, its owner, Oded Golan, was accused of forging the inscription, with experts alleging he added the phrase 'brother of Jesus' to the limestone.

Golan fought to clear his name, and after a ten-year trial, the Israeli antiquities collector was acquitted. Yet, the mystery of the 'Jesus box' endures.

A 2,000-year-old bone box etched with the name of Jesus' brother discovered in Israel is now on display in the US

Although Golan was cleared of all charges, the judge stated that the verdict 'does not mean that the inscription on the ossuary is authentic or that it was written 2,000 years ago.'

'We conducted several chemical tests, particularly on the inscription itself, which is the most critical element of the ossuary,' Golan told Crosswalk Headlines this week.

'We proved that the entire inscription is authenticit was engraved several thousand years ago.'

If authentic, the ossuary would be the oldest physical evidence of Jesus.

During the first century, Jews laid their dead in caves, later collecting the bones to place them in ossuaries.

The box's authenticity is further questioned by some theologians who believe Mary remained a virgin her entire life, suggesting the ossuary may be a forgery.

However, the box is empty - the bones were lost long ago.

The Bible mentions Jesus' brothers several times: James, Jude, Simon, and Joses. James' name always appears first, implying he was the eldest among them.

Additionally, several biblical passages suggest that James and his brothers did not initially believe Jesus was the son of God.

The limestone box, or ossuary, features the inscription 'James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus,' written in ancient Aramaic

The discovery, made in 1976, has been described as 'the most significant item from the time of Christ,' according to the exhibit

According to Mark 3:21, when Jesus' family heard about his actions, they went out to 'seize him' because they believed he was 'out of his mind.'

James is said to have died as a martyr either in 62AD by being stoned to death on the order of a high priest, or in 69 AD by being thrown off the pinnacle of the Temple by scribes and Pharisees and then clubbed to death.

According to early church history, high priests were on a mission to stop the idea that Jesus was the Savior from spreading following the crucifixion.

Golan said he bought the James Ossuary when he was a student of engineering in Israel.

'I didn't recognize its importance at all,' Golan said.

A study in 2015 set out to determine if the James Ossuary may have come from a tomb believed to belong to Jesus' family.

The Talpiot tomb was found in south of the Old City in East Jerusalem in 1980, and contained six burial boxes with the names of Jesus' brother, father and mother.

Researchers conducted a chemical analysis on the James Ossuary, finding it contained signatures from the boxes found in the family tomb.

James is said to have died as a martyr either in 62AD by being stoned to death on the order of a high priest, or in 69 AD by being thrown off the pinnacle of the Temple by scribes and Pharisees and then clubbed to death

Another artifact bearing the name of Jesus' brother was found in 2017 - a 1,600-year-old heretical document describe how Jesus passes on knowledge of heaven and future events, including James' inevitable death.

The text, from the story the 'First Apocalypse of James', refers to James as Jesus' brother, though 'not materially'.

The story was deemed 'forbidden' because writings that added to or changed the existing New Testament in any way were not permitted.

It forms part of the Nag Hammadi library, a series of 52 religious manuscripts written sometime between the 2nd and 6th Century AD.

Spread across 13 leather-bound vellum codices found buried in Egypt, they are of a heretical tradition known as Gnosticism  an early, mysterious form of Christianity.
Dark energy, one of the most mysterious concepts in astronomy, has baffled the world's greatest minds for decades.

Dark energy is a placeholder term scientists use to refer to whatever is causing the universe to expand faster over time.

But we dont know exactly what dark energy is  and no one has ever directly seen or measured it.

But now, scientists from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, say they have finally cracked the puzzle with a radical new theory.

In a shock new paper, they say that dark energy isn't real after all.

Instead, new 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.

Lead author professor David Wiltshire says: 'Our findings show that we do not need dark energy to explain why the Universe appears to expand at an accelerating rate.'

Scientists claim to have solved the mystery of dark energy by showing why we don't need this strange force to explain the Universe's expansion. These findings were based on observations of supernovae in galaxies such as NGC 5643 (pictured)

This research arrives at a moment of growing uncertainty around the current 'standard model' of the universe.

Scientists have generally assumed that the universe is made up of ordinary matter, as well as 'dark matter' (a type of material which isn't visible or detectable) and a constant outward force called dark energy.

Dark energy is commonly thought to be a weak anti-gravity force which acts independently of matter and makes up around two-thirds of the mass-energy density of the universe.

This theory works well to explain the cosmic microwave background radiation left behind by the Big Bang and the distribution of galaxies in the universe.

However, in 1998 the Hubble Space Telescope measured the distances between distant galaxies and found that the universe was currently expanding much faster than the theory should predict.

This issue has once again come to the fore as new measurements by the James Webb Space Telescope confirmed that the gaps between galaxies are growing eight to 12 per cent faster than expected.

In their new paper, published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Letters, Professor Wiltshire and his colleagues have re-assessed the light from distant 'supernovae'  stars that have exploded at the end of their life.

On the standard model of cosmology, the universe contains matter, dark matter, and a weak anti-gravitational force called dark energy. These together explain how the cosmos went from the Big Bang to what we see today

While dark matter is a type of matter which can't be observed or seen, dark energy is a type of energy which doesn't interact in a normal way with matter. Scientists have proposed that these two things might make up as much as 96 per cent of the universe. Pictured, NASA's map of dark matter in the universe

Observations taken by the Hubble Space Telescope (pictured) show that the universe is expanding faster than the standard model would predict. This doesn't fit with the idea that dark energy leads to a steady rate of expansion. Pictured, a galaxy cluster as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope

What is the timescape model? The timescape model is an alternative cosmological model which takes into account the effect of gravity on time. Time moves slower within strong gravitational fields, such as the one around Earth. That means a clock in the Milky Way would be 35 per cent slower than a clock in empty space. The timescape model predicts that millions more years have passed in the spaces between galaxies. At a steady rate of expansion, the voids would have grown more than in other areas. This creates the illusion that the universe's expansion is accelerating. Advertisement

They chose to look at a type of supernovae called 'type Ia' supernovae which are caused by dying white dwarfs (what stars become after they have exhausted their nuclear fuel).

Because the brightness we see is a product of the distance between the light and the observer, scientists can measure the brightness of a type Ia supernova to figure out how far it is.

By comparing that data with the speed the object is moving away from Earth, scientists can work out how much the universe has expanded since the supernova occurred.

By looking at this data, the researchers tried to see which of the models of the universe would best explain what they found.

What they discovered was that the alternative timescape theory not only fit the data but actually provided better predictions about how the supernovae should appear.

Professor Wiltshire says: 'The research provides compelling evidence that may resolve some of the key questions around the quirks of our expanding cosmos.

'With new data, the universe's biggest mystery could be settled by the end of the decade.'

This theory does away with the need for dark matter by challenging one of the basic assumptions of traditional cosmology.

Scientists argue that time moves faster in the gaps between the stars. Even at a steady rate of expansion, these voids will grow faster than the cosmos' populated regions, creating the illusion that the universe is accelerating. Pictured, the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument map of the universe

The researchers found that their 'timescape' model was better at predicting the data from a type of supernova in galaxies like NGC 1015 (pictured). This suggests that we don't need dark energy to explain why the universe is expanding at its current rate

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.

Professor Wiltshire adds: 'We now have so much data that in the 21st century we can finally answer the question  how and why does a simple average expansion law emerge from complexity?'

The authors say that science will soon be in a position to prove that this model is correct.

The European Space Agency's Euclid satellite, which was launched in July 203, has the power to distinguish between the uniform expansion of the Friedman equation and the timescale alternative.

While this will require at least 1,000 high-quality supernovae observations, it puts scientists within touching distance of solving one of the universe's biggest mysteries.
Area 51's 'literally out of this world' UFO secrets might finally come to light sometime next year.

Jim Goodall, an aviation journalist with firsthand sources who have worked at the classified base, gave an interview in the mid-1990s where he discussed top-secret technologies at the site that 'would make George Lucas envious.'

'One gentleman spent 12 of his 30 years in black programs at Groom Lake [as Area 51 is also known],' Goodall explained in the unearthed documentary interview.

'I asked him, 'Can you really tell me what's happening out there?'' he continued.

'And he said, 'Well, there's a lot of things going on there that I won't be able to tell you until the year 2025.''

The mention of '2025' could refer to an executive order by then-President Bill Clinton, which established a 25-year timer for the 'automatic declassification' of government secrets.

This means many top-secret projects from the 1990s could soon be declassified.

Area 51 is just one of many sensitive military facilities located within the US Air Force's Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR), a sprawling military training area in Nevada's Mojave Desert.

The shroud of secrecy surrounding Area 51 has fueled widespread conspiracy theories about its true purpose, including claims that it houses captured or crashed UFOs.

Above, a satellite view of Area 51. The United States Air Force facility is a remote detachment of Edwards Air Force Base, within the Nevada Test and Training Range

UFO enthusiasts are pouring over comments Goodall (pictured) made in the mid-'90s, quoting his anonymous sources. One Area 51 source told him, 'I won't be able to tell you until the year 2025. But we have things in the Nevada desert that would make George Lucas envious'

In the resurfaced interview, Goodall recounted a conversation with a 'safety specialist' and US Air Force chief master sergeant who worked at the Nevada test site.

The specialist reportedly told him: 'We have things out there that are literally out of this world better than Star Trek.' or anything you can see in the movies.'

When Goodall asked his anonymous source, 'Do you believe in UFOs?' the answer was unequivocal.

'He looked at me with a straight face, one-on-one, and said, 'Absolutely. Positively. They do exist,'' Goodall recalled in the documentary.

'I said, 'Can you expand upon that?' And he replied, 'No, I can't.''

From his vantage point spying on Area 51 in the Nevada desert, Goodall caught glimpses and heard firsthand accounts of exotic craft that defied conventional understanding.

'There is a stealth or low-observable electronic warfare aircraft. It's been referred to as 'Excalibur,'' he said in the interview.

'There's an aircraft designed to fly very, very high, but also very, very slow and incredibly quiet,' he add.

A rendering of the metallic egg-shaped UFO is seen. 'X-rays couldn't penetrate it; it showed up on X-ray as a solid object. They tried to open it and penetrate its hull; they couldn't,' Taber said

Goodall also discussed how witnesses near the Skunk Works facility reported seeing three triangle-shaped craft that made 'no noise,' even when flying at relatively low altitudes.

He then shared reports of an aircraft tracked by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) out of the San Francisco Bay Area TRACON (Traffic Control) in Oakland, California.

This craft, spotted at least eight times since 1986, reportedly flew through controlled airspace at speeds exceeding 10,000 miles per hour.

'And it's a very, very large aircraft at that,' he added.

Goodall's accounts align with claims made on the record by Ben Rich, the late director of Lockheed Martin's classified Skunk Works division.

'Ben Rich told me twice before he died,' Goodall recounted, ''We have things at Area 51 that you and the best minds in the world won't even be able to conceive of for another 30 or 40 yearsand they won't be made public for another 50.''

Rich died on January 5, 1995.

But Goodall today noted that Area 51 has become much more difficult to penetrate than during his 1990s heyday  which might indicate it will hold on to its secrets well beyond 2025, matching a timeline closer to Rich's 50-year window.

'That veil is pretty thick today,' Goodall told Las Vegas TV news reporter George Knapp in 2019. 'The security around Area 51 is thicker than we've ever seen.'

In 2021, private pilot and amateur photographer Gabe Zeifman nabbed this image of a triangle craft while flying his own plane past the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR), past Papoose Dry Lake, and past Groom Lake which is home to Area 51

Above: a collection of once 'top secret' aircraft made by Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works for the US military over the years

Last year, defense aerospace contractor Eric Taber told to DailyMail.com that a close relative who worked as an Area 51 contractor, Sam Urquhart, had revealed that he had worked on strange 'egg-shaped' spacecraft at the mysterious desert base.

This egg-shaped metallic UFO was kept at Area 51 in the 1980s, after the CIA found the strange craft in the desert, according to Taber.

'It was egg-shaped, about the size of an SUV, smooth and seamless, metallic-looking, silverish gray in color, with no control surfaces, no flaps, no inlet, and no exhaust, and no writing or symbols on the outside,' Taber was told by his late great uncle Urquhart.

Other claims of alien craft housed at Area 51 have included the so-called 'Fluxliner' or Alien Reproduction Vehicle (ARV), a man-made reverse-engineered alien spacecraft uncovered by an aerospace industry illustrator in 1988.

In 2021, Gabriel Zeifman captured an image of a triangular craft that might have been a UFO or might have been a man-made craft capable of hypersonic flight.

The craft was parked just a 120-feet wide by 320-feet long shelter at Area 51 that has been identified in the past as Hangar 19.

Defense industry watchers at The War Zone speculated that the triangle might have been an actual known hypersonic aircraft, called the Martin Marietta X-24B.

'Although its odd shape is intriguing,' the site noted, 'most things that fly out of Groom under a secretive test regime look alien, at least historically speaking.'
A psychologist has revealed three telltale signs that your partner is a narcissist.

Amy Brunell, professor of psychology at The Ohio State University, said that all narcissists have the same core characteristics: entitlement, self-centeredness and a lack of empathy for others.

Because these individuals tend to lead with their charming, likable personality early in a relationship, it can be difficult to spot those negative traits at first.

'People are surprised when I say this, but when I meet someone who is very charming and outgoing, I am on alert,' Brunell said.

'There are people who are charming and likable who are not narcissists, for sure. But from my experience, I think it is wise to be aware and protect yourself.'

But Brunell has an easier method - identifying narcissistic people early on and get them out of your life.

The initial red flag is love bombing, which often takes the form of excessive flattery, gift-buying and overwhelming attention at the beginning of a relationship.

It may feel like an innocent expression of your partner's love and admiration for you, but it is actually a manipulation tactic, said Brunell.

A psychologist has revealed three telltale signs that your partner is a narcissist

'It's great until it isn't, and often then it seems too far into a relationship to break it off. That's why it is best to look for these signs early,' she added.

Other common signs of narcissism include a constant need for attention and admiration, taking advantage of others and expecting special favors without reciprocation, according to Brunell.

Brunell discussed the latest research on narcissists and how to deal with them in an article published in the journal Cambridge Elements.

The new research could prove especially useful for those who are already in long-term relationships with narcissists.

One recent study found that even narcissists can become more empathetic when directly asked to consider someone else's perspective in a situation.

Another found that when narcissists recalled a time when they showed concern, love or acceptance for another person, their narcissism declined over time.

'These lines of research and others like them show promise and suggest that narcissists don't lack the ability to change their ways for the better,' Brunell said.

'But it remains unknown how long such positive effects last or how it works outside the laboratory.

'These offer some hope, but we just don't know yet whether these tactics will work in the real world.'

Even early in a relationship, there are other red flags to look out for, such as love bombing. This often takes the form of excessive flattery, gift-buying and overwhelming attention

While leaving a narcissistic long-term partner comes with many challenges, those who are still early in the relationship may have a chance to get out.

'If you're in a new relationship and you're getting the vibe that this person is narcissistic, the best thing you can do is get out,' Brunell said.

But even then, 'It is hard to do when they flatter you and pay so much attention to you.'

These general principles apply to all narcissists.

But there are different types of narcissism to watch out for.

Brunell explained three major forms that the latest research has identified.

The first 'Agentic Grandiose Narcissism.' This type is characterized by grandiosity, high self-esteem, extraversion, arrogance and dominance.

They have 'exalted' perceptions of themselves, especially when it comes to their own competence and intelligence. As a result, they feel they are superior to others, even if that is not reflected by reality.

To maintain their feelings of superiority, these characteristics aim to make others feel inferior by insulting or diminishing them. To these people, nothing matters more than personal status, not even intimacy with others.

The second type is Communal Grandiose Narcissism. These narcissists seek out admiration by being caring and helpful, which may sound counter-intuitive.

But although it may seem like communal narcissists are deeply concerned with others, their behavior is actually motivated by a selfish need to be admired.

For example, one study found that when communal narcissists were given empowering feedback about their personality, they actually became less helpful in response.

Third is Vulnerable Narcissism, which is characterized by low self-esteem and negative emotionality. These narcissists typically struggle with anxiety and depression.

They tend to be socially inhibited, defensive and vindictive, and find it difficult to trust others because they think everyone is out to get them.

Even so, these narcissists are hypersensitive to social approval because they struggle to regulate their self esteem, and thus rely heavily on others' feedback.

Although researchers have gained a lot of new insight into the different forms of narcissism in recent years, Brunell said there is still much experts do not know, especially when it comes to actually dealing with these personalities.

'People encounter narcissists all the time. But we need more research on best practices for interacting with them day-to-day,' she said.

'There's a lot of good practical advice, but we don't know how well it works yet.'
Attorney Dean Royer speaks at a news conference outside the federal courthouse in San Francisco on Thursday. Royer represents activists who filed a class-action lawsuit against Reps. Jared Huffman and Mike Thompson over U.S. military aid to Israel. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle

Northern California residents angered by Israels ongoing war in Gaza filed a class-action suit Thursday against two of their congressional representatives, Mike Thompson and Jared Huffman, accusing them of causing local misery as well as international carnage by supporting billions of dollars in military aid to Israel.

In funding this genocide, Mr. Huffman is a criminal and has made all of us a criminal, Linda Helland, a Mendocino County resident and a plaintiff in the lawsuit, said at a gathering outside the federal courthouse in San Francisco where the suit was filed.

Thompson has made me complicit in the killing of my own people, said another plaintiff, Tarik Kanaana, a Palestinian American who lives in Sonoma County.

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The suit was filed on behalf of all taxpayers in the two districts who have suffered moral and emotional/psychic injury from Israels use of their tax dollars, attorney Dean Royer said in the court filing. There are 21 named plaintiffs, but organizers said they would expect 500 to 1,000 participants if the case proceeds.

The positions and voting records of the two congressmen on Israel are similar to those of most, though not all, Democrats in California and other states. The suit did not say why Thompson and Huffman were targeted, but Royer said the suit is community-led and the congressmen were targeted after their constituents banded together to seek legal action.

A protestor writes slogans outside the federal courthouse during a news conference on Thursday. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle

Citing congressional approval in April of $26.38 billion in military aid to Israel, with support from Thompson, D-Napa, and Huffman, D-San Rafael, the suit seeks a court order prohibiting them from voting for future military funding, and for unspecified damages for emotional distress  uncontrollable weeping, inability to sleep, distractions from work, despair for the future of their children and humanity.

First, however, the suit will have to survive in federal courts, which have dismissed a lawsuit filed by Palestinian-rights advocates in the Bay Area accusing President Joe Biden and his aides of complicity in genocide.

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In a ruling in January, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White of Oakland said there was strong evidence that Israels siege in Gaza is intended to eradicate a whole people and therefore plausibly falls within the international prohibition against genocide.

But White said that foreign policy is constitutionally committed to the political branches of government and courts have neither the competence nor the authority to intervene. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld his ruling in July.

Royer, the plaintiffs attorney in Thursdays case, said taxpayer lawsuits are judged by a different standard.

Were not asking the court to tell Congress to make policy, he told the Chronicle. Were asking the court to say taxpayer dollars cannot be used to fund genocide.

International law defines genocide as actions committed with the intent to destroy in whole or in part a national, ethnical, racial or religious group. The International Court of Justice, in a suit by South Africa, has found plausible evidence that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Gaza health officials say more than 45,000 Palestinians have been killed since the October 2023 assault by Hamas that killed more than 1,100 Israelis, according to Israels government.

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Protesters rally Thursday outside the federal courthouse in San Francisco, where activists filed a class-action lawsuit against Reps. Jared Huffman and Mike Thompson over U.S. military aid to Israel. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle

Biden has rejected the courts finding, and Israel describes it as blood libel.

Thompson and Huffman have generally agreed with Bidens position, primarily blaming Hamas for the violence while urging Israel to do more to protect innocent Palestinians.

Israel has a right to defend itself and its people from terrorism like we saw on October 7, but they must do so while prioritizing the safety of civilians, Thompson said in a statement in November 2023.

President Biden is correct in reminding Israel that its military response must respect international law, Huffman said three weeks after the Hamas attack. Notwithstanding Hamas well-documented strategy of using innocent Palestinians as human shields, every effort must be made to minimize non-combatant civilian casualties and avoid any form of collective punishment.

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The lawsuits plaintiffs include Norman Solomon, a veteran journalist and political commentator who lives in Huffmans district.

Solomon said at Thursdays press conference that Huffman has repeatedly said he is helping to ship military aid to Israel in part because he opposes antisemitism. As a Jewish American I find that rationale disgusting.

Lauren Ott, a spokesperson for Thompson, said the congressman understands that it has been the civilian population that has paid the cost of Hamas terrorist attack on Israel and he remains gravely concerned about the scale of civilian loss in this war.

Thats why he has advocated and continues to advocate for the Biden administration to work with the State Department and our allies to help secure a negotiated bilateral ceasefire, the immediate release of all hostages, and the establishment of a two-state solution to ensure peace and self-determination for the Palestinian and Israeli people.

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Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies has revealed that Rose Ayling-Ellis will be joining the cast for series two, in what he branded the show's 'scariest' episode yet.

The BBC favourite is returning to screens on Christmas Day with a one-off festive special, followed by a new series slated to air next year.

Speaking at a Q&A ahead of the upcoming Christmas Special, Russell confirmed that Rose will be making a guest appearance in an 'absolutely terrifying' episode.

He said: 'There is one thing, we finished an episode last Friday, I took it to show my sister, and she was literally on the edge of her seat.

'We've got a story with Rose- Ayling Ellis in the lead... she's the lead in one episode, which is stunning, isn't it? I think its our scariest episode, its absolutely terrifying, but shes magnificent, Ncuti with her and guest names in the cast are phenomenal.

'So there's great episodes to come, a big range of episodes, mad ones, scary ones, completely mad ones, good stuff to come.'

Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies has revealed Rose Ayling-Ellis will be joining the cast for series two, in what he branded the show's 'scariest' episode yet (pictured in character)

The show is set to return for a new series in 2025, amid claims that star Ncuti Gatwa's future is already in doubt

Despite a second series still due to air, it's thought that Disney are yet to officially greenlight a third, meaning fans could face a lengthy wait of up to two years between runs

He added: 'We always want guest actors on Doctor Who to have fun, but Rose takes it to a whole new level. She storms in with an astonishing performance of terror, anger and bravery in one of the most frightening episodes weve ever made.'

Meanwhile, Rose said: 'I loved Doctor Who when I was growing up, so being cast in the show was a dream come true.

'My inner child is ecstatic with excitement! Working with Russell and filming alongside the talented cast and crew has been an incredible experience. Ncuti is a wonderful Doctor, and I cant wait for audiences to see what we have created together.'

Russell also confirmed that fans will get answers to the long-running mystery surrounding Anita Dobson's charater Mrs Flood, hinting there's plenty more of her character to come in 2025.

This year's festive edition of Doctor Who will see the titular Time Lord join forces with lonely traveller Joy, played by Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan, after landing in the mysterious Time Hotel.

Steven Moffat has once again returned to pen the festive episode and star Ncuti shared that he previously crossed paths with Nicola as they both starred in the blockbuster Barbie.

Russell said: 'It was a straight offer, we read that part we said, Steven, what about Nicola? And you just hope and pray someone like that is free, but you kind of knew each other, didn't you Ncuti?'

Ncuti added: 'We were Barbie and Ken. But we never worked together on that film. But I've always been a huge fan of Nicolas work, and she worked with Alex [Sanjiv Pillai] quite a lot on Bridgerton, so there was that connection.

'But, what a talent and what a joy. It's hard to not go into that pun when talking about Nicola because she's just so full of light, and was just so up for everything.

Rose said: 'I loved Doctor Who when I was growing up, so being cast in the show was a dream come true'

Russell also confirmed that fans will get answers to the long-running mystery surrounding Anita Dobson 's charater Mrs Flood (pictured with Steven Moffat)

Steven has once again returned to pen the festive episode and star Ncuti shared that he previously crossed paths with Nicola Coughlan as they both starred in the blockbuster Barbie

Rose, who was crowned Strictly Come Dancing champion in 2021, is set to appear in an episode from the show's second series, which Russell teased will be 'absolutely terrifying'

This year's festive edition of Doctor Who will see the titular Time Lord join forces with lonely traveller Joy, played by Bridgerton star Nicola

'I dont know how we managed to get the time this time around, but we had a couple of days rehearsal with Alex, which is so nice when you're filming to have a couple of days just set aside for understanding everything about your characters and the scenes that you're going through, and it felt, we said quite a lot that doing this episode felt like a play, rehearsing a play.

'I feel like your episodes feel like that, Boom, felt like that as well. There's a lot of layers in them, youre a very clever man Steven... so we were lucky enough to have a couple of rehearsal days.'

Doubts have been cast around Doctor Who's future in recent months, with questions raised about whether star Ncuti Gatwa will return for a third series.

The future of the hit sci-fi show may not be so secure after it was revealed that there will be a gap of at least two years following the second outing of the star as the titular character next year.

The extended wait may mean the Scottish actor might not return at all according to The Mirror.

Insiders have told the publication that eyebrows were raised about the show after a mysterious edit was made to Graham Norton's BBC One chat show.

Russell previously said 'no decision' had been made yet for the line-up of series three in July.

Appearing at Comic Con in San Diego alongside Ncuti and Millie Gibson, the screenwriter spoke about what was in store for the science fiction show.

Russell admitted decisions about who would star in series three haven't been made yet as they are still in the middle of filming the second season.

The screenwriter said: 'We've shot season two, but that's only halfway through. We've got all those months of post to come. It's a long way off, so no decisions yet.'

Meanwhile, Millie Gibson, 20, who plays Ruby Sunday, will reportedly only make a fleeting appearance in the next series - despite joining Ncuti and Russell at Comic Con.

She will be replaced by Varada Sethu, 32, who has already been spotted filming alongside Ncuti for the latest dramatic run of episodes.

Doctor Who's festive special airs on Christmas Day at 5:10pm on BBC One and iPlayer. The show is available on Disney+ internationally.
George Clooney opened up about his seven-year-old twins with wife Amal Clooney and why he thinks they're becoming 'too British' in a pair of unearthed clips.

The 63-year-old actor and his 46-year-old British-Lebanese wife share Alexander and Ella, and he opened up about his family's holiday traditions in recently-unearthed clips from 2020 and 2023.

Clooney - who was seen in St. Tropez with Amal - was speaking with Stephen Colbert in a 2020 interview on Late Night, when he spoke about his multi-lingual kids.

He revealed that he is trying to prevent his multi-lingual kids from cherishing the British slang they've learned so far.

'Look, I've got problems already, which is I'm desperately trying not to make them little Brits," Clooney revealed.

'It's not a jumper, it's a sweater. It's not a boot, it's the trunk. It's the pavement, it's the sidewalk,' he said.

George Clooney opened up about his seven-year-old twins with wife Amal Clooney and why he thinks they're becoming 'too British' in a pair of unearthed clips

The 63-year-old actor and his 46-year-old British-Lebanese wife share Alexander and Ella, and he opened up about his family's holiday traditions in recently-unearthed clips from 2020 and 2023

Clooney was speaking with Stephen Colbert in a 2020 interview on Late Night, when he spoke about his multi-lingual kids

'I've done everything to change their version to speak with an English accent so they were writing out their note,' to Santa, he added.

'I said, "So then we're going to leave them cookies, and my son goes, "No, it's milk and a mince pie.'"

He revealed he's devised a way to have his kids behave when the holidays come around.

'I've devised a way to get them to behave. When they're asleep in the morning and they start to make noises...and you can hear the two of them getting at each other or something, and I stand outside their door, and I go, "Oh, hey, hi, Santa,"' Clooney said.

'And then you hear Santa is there and he's like "Ho ho ho!" And I say, "What are you doing here, Santa?" and he says, "Oh, I'm just making sure that the kids are being good kids,"' Clooney admitted.

'And I say, "I think they are, Santa." And you can hear them going, "We are Santa! We are!"' Clooney said.

'And then he leaves and they come out, and they're unbelievably well behaved. By the way, that can work on your parents as well at a certain age,' he joked.

Jimmy Kimmel revealed in a 2023 interview with Clooney that he ran into Amal, who told him that their twins now speak two different languages that the actor doesn't speak, French and Italian.

'I've done everything to change their version to speak with an English accent so they were writing out their note,' to Santa, he added

He revealed he's devised a way to have his kids behave when the holidays come around

Jimmy Kimmel revealed in a 2023 interview with Clooney that he ran into Amal, who told him that their twins now speak two different languages that the actor doesn't speak, French and Italian

'I'm not a very smart person, and my wife speaks French and Italian,' Clooney said, adding he is, 'enjoying the ignorance'

Clooney most recently starred in Wolfs with his Ocean's 11 co-star Brad Pitt, and he will make his Broadway debut next year in his adaptation of his film Good Night, and Good Luck

'I'm not a very smart person, and my wife speaks French and Italian,' Clooney said, adding he is, 'enjoying the ignorance.'

The celebrated actor and filmmaker added that he thinks his children think he might be 'dumb' because he tries to fake certain things in the languages they know.

'I'll try to fake something in the wrong language and they'll just look at me like, "You're an idiot."'

Clooney most recently starred in Wolfs with his Ocean's 11 co-star Brad Pitt, and he will make his Broadway debut next year in his adaptation of his film Good Night, and Good Luck.
Line of Duty star Martin Compston has opened up about the future of the popular BBC series.

The much-loved show wrapped up in 2021 after six successful series.

Since then, fans have been desperate to know if there will be another installment after the ending of the final episode.

Martin - who plays legendary DS Steve Arnott in the programme - recently appeared on The Chris Moyles Show on Radio X.

Host Chris, 50, asked the question on everyone's lips to find out if it's coming back any time soon.

Martin, 40, replied: 'I love that people ask and the love that people have.

Line of Duty star Martin Compston opened up about the future of the popular BBC series during an interview on Radio X, saying 'Were not planning anything immediately'

Martin starred as Steve Arnott in the series alongside Vicky McClure as Kate Fleming and Adrian Dunbar as Ted Hastings

'When people stop asking about it itll be a sad day. I do love that but, you dont want to give fans false hope because people get excited.'

He added: 'Were not planning anything immediately. Wed love to do another one at some point but were all working next year on other stuff.'

Chris joked: 'Well stop working on other stuff, stop being so selfish.'

Despite there being nothing set in stone, Martin seems to be hopeful about the future.

Martin later confessed: 'I'm hopeful and sure well get to it at some point, but honestly once were going to do it youll hear it from us first.

'We'd be delighted to tell people!'

Just last month Martin's co-star Adrian Dunbar appeared to 'confirm' the show's return.

The Irish actor, 66, has played Superintendent Ted Hastings in Line of Duty from the very start of the series.

He opened up about his character's hilarious sayings on the show, such as 'Jesus, Mary and Joseph and the wee donkey' and 'Theres only one thing Im interested in and that is catching bent coppers.'

The actor spoke to radio host Chris Moyles about the future of the popular show, saying: 'I'm hopeful and sure well get to it at some point'

During an interview with Virgin Radio UK, he told Ryan Tubridy: 'The one I didn't get in, which is kind of a really good Irish one about not stopping things happening is, "Don't stall the digger".

'That's a good one, isn't it? Like, you know, "You've got to keep going'" That's going in the next season.'

Not only that, he also explained that Jed Mercurio has been working on it.

He added to the radio host: 'He is writing We haven't got a script on the desk yet.

'We know that Dr. Mercurio is out there doing something, Jed is writing. But as to when it's going to happen, we don't know.'

Recently fans were also thrilled after Martin reunited with his co-star Vicky McClure to appear in a new Waitrose Christmas advert.

Line of Duty first hit screens back in 2012.

Throughout the series members of AC-12 Steve, Ted and DI Kate Fleming were trying to find out the identity of 'H'.

During the last episode of series six, it was finally revealed - but viewers were left underwhelmed and many took to social media to share their disappointment.
Back in lockdown, I was living by myself and doing my best to mend a broken heart from yet another emotionally unavailable man. I know, it's a tale as old as time.

I was licking my wounds and bingeing episodes of Yellowstone. 'Beth would never put up with this s***,' I thought to myself, as I sobbed about a man who, upon reflection, really wasn't worth the tears.

So when an older, shorter, but kind man came into my orbit about halfway through that damn lockdown, I wasn't too worried.

While I adored his attention, I shamelessly (and shallowly) thought he was so far removed from my usual type that there was no danger of getting my heart broken again.

Well, spoiler alert, there was a plot twist I didn't see coming.

When I finally got the blasted Covid, he would leave comforting food packages at my door. And once it finally choofed off out of my system, he registered to become my 'bubble buddy' (remember when you had to register to let someone stay at your house? Wild times!)

We stayed up all night drinking gin martinis and eating sushi. To this day, it's still one of the best nights of my life.

What happened though, was I caught the feels. For a man well under six foot with a receding hairline, and a job in an industry that, at the time, was not exactly going gangbusters.

Selena Gomez and her powerful music producer fiance Benny Blanco in October this year

This was not the Brad Pitt (circa Legends of the Fall era) I had in mind for myself. But what I fell for was his deep voice, his powerful stare, and an aura that made him deliciously alpha. The way he gave a big, booming laugh if I said something funny - I couldn't get enough of it.

Sadly, after we came out of lockdown, we both got on with our very busy lives. Although we do occasionally dance into each other's lives from time to time, and when we do, it's glorious.

But it got me thinking about the Lana Del Reys, the Selena Gomezes, and the Ariana Grandes of this world, who are constantly belittled for their choice in men.

Men who don't live up to the handsome Hollywood type we've grown accustomed to seeing our celebrities marry. Think Brad and Angelina, George and Amal, Ryan and Blake. All ridiculously good-looking. But why do we assume they've made better mating decisions?

Having dated on both sides of the fence, I've discovered that often the most handsome ones have personalities based solely on just that - being hot. They haven't had to work hard on their personalities, and it shows.

I remember going out with a former AussieBum model who bored me to tears. God, he was pretty though. Could I see a life growing old with him? Nope. How dull. Give me a man with depth, humour and wisdom any day over a chiselled jawline.

Men like this have learned to lean into what really counts - the art of conversation, emotional connection and being reliable. I can't count the number of times a man with 'model vibes' left me questioning my worth or feeling insecure, whereas the so-called 'average Joe' left me feeling absolutely adored.

So why do we glorify superficial standards when love, at its core, thrives on the unseen qualities?

Lana Del Rey and her tour boat captain husband Jeremy Dufrene, whom she married in September

Jana explains why the likes of Selena Gomez, Lana Del Rey and Ariana Grande have chosen average-looking men over Hollywood hunks

Take Adam Driver, for instance. The man isn't winning any 'prettiest face' contests, but slap him in a black cape as Star Wars' Kylo Ren, and suddenly we're all swooning over his deep voice and commanding presence.

It's a vibe, not a face. So much so that even Burberry stuck him shirtless on a horse to sell one of their fragrances. That man made big bucks for his sexy vibe - and men, that's worth bottling!

And don't even get me started on what has become known as 'pretty fatigue'.

There's an invisible stress when you date someone everyone else finds perfect. Am I matching his energy? Is he noticing that wrinkle I just found? I swear, it's refreshing to date a guy who's more interested in the footy score than his own reflection in the mirror.

I have a strict rule: If they spend more time getting ready to go out than I do, they are not for me. Red flag, red flag.

There's something about a man with an imperfect face who still carries himself like a king. It's confidence, not cheekbones, that'll have you whipping your clothes off in a lusty flurry.

My lockdown bubble buddy had a wonky nose from his younger years playing footy, and I actually grew to love it. It was part of his charm, and I found it adorable.

So maybe next time your friends raise an eyebrow at your unconventional crush, remind them that real love isn't skin deep.

After all, it's the guy who brings you sushi and martinis when you're on your last leg that ends up stealing your heart - not the guy flexing his abs on Instagram.

I'm personally chuffed for Selena's engagement. I've found myself lost down many a Benny Blanco Insta reel hole, and that man is hilarious. Oh, and a good cook! Oh, and ridiculously creative. I would say she's hit the jackpot.
Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is already in the works.

The third installment of the franchise is set to his theaters on Friday, but Paramount Pictures is already developing the next chapter, as per The Hollywood Reporter.

The latest installment in the film, based on the popular Sega video game, has a planned 2027 spring release date.

There has not yet been an announcement regarding who is writing and directing the upcoming film.

Jeff Fowler served as director for the first three films. The third film was penned by Pat Casey, Josh Miller, and John Whittington.

It comes after Jim Carrey, 62, who plays mad scientist Ivo Robotnik/Doctor Eggman in all three films, claimed that he took the role because he 'needed money.'

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is already in development, as the third film hits theaters this Friday; Sonic pictured in still from the film

It comes after Jim Carrey, 62, who plays mad scientist Ivo Robotnik/Doctor Eggman in all three films, claimed that he took the role because he 'needed money'; seen December 16

The first two films have grossed over $725 million worldwide. The franchise, which began in 2020, has also spawned the Paramount+ series Knuckles.

The world's most famous hedgehog uses his speedy skills to fend off a nefarious new enemy in Sonic the Hedgehog 3.

Ben Schwartz returns to voice the beloved title character from 2020's Sonic the Hedgehog and 2022's Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

Colleen O'Shaughnessey returns to voice Tails and Idris Elba is also back to voice Knuckles in the highly-anticipated sequel.

They must all team up to face the nefarious Shadow - a new villainous character voiced by Keanu Reeves.

Paramount has already set a December 20 release date, putting it up against Disney's Mufasa: The Lion King.

Carrey recently cut a dapper figure while attending the Los Angeles premiere of Sonic The Hedgehog 3 at TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on Monday.

The Ace Ventura: Pet Detective actor flashed a bright smile on the red carpet, following his recent claims that he took the role because he 'needed money.'

The latest installment in the film, based on the popular Sega video game, has a planned 2027 spring release date

There has not yet been an announcement regarding who is writing and directing the upcoming film

Jeff Fowler served as director for the first three films. The third film was penned by Pat Casey, Josh Miller, and John Whittington; Carrey seen in a still with Sonic

While on the red carpet Carrey  who once had an estimated net worth of $300 million  also mingled with his co-star Keanu.

It comes after the Canadian actor backtracked on his money claims, telling Comicbook.com, 'It's not really about the money. I joke about the money.'

He also joked about gambling away his fortune. 'I gamble. Flea circuses are my thing,' the actor humorously stated.

He then walked back comments about him being ready to retire, after previously stating in 2022 that he was 'being fairly serious' about retiring from acting.

'You can't be definite about these things,' he told the publication.

'I said Id like to retire, but I think I was talking more about "power-resting." Because as soon as a good idea comes your way or a group of people that you really enjoyed working with and stuff, it just  things tend to change.'

It's unclear how much he got paid for his latest role, but the iconic actor used to command a cool $20 million for films like The Cable Guy in 1996.

Carrey enjoyed a legendary run with hits like Liar Liar, The Truman Show, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Bruce Almighty, but his star began to dim in the late 2000s.

Despite once having an estimated net worth of $300 million, Carrey still needs to make sure the bills get paid  which is why hes come out of 'retirement.'

Despite once having an estimated net worth of $300 million, Carrey recently said he came out of retirement because 'I bought a lot of stuff and I need the money'; seen in a still

The Canadian actor later backtracked on his money claims, telling Comicbook.com, 'It's not really about the money. I joke about the money'

'I came back to this universe 'cause, first of all, I get to play a genius, which is a bit of a stretch, and it's just... it's just... I bought a lot of stuff and I need the money, frankly,' he quipped on the red carpet of Sonic the Hedgehog 3s London premiere on Monday.

But dont be fooled into thinking its entirely about the paycheck; Carrey was quick to add, 'At the same time, it had heart, and that's why I did it the first time. There was something beautiful about the heart of the piece.'

Of course, he couldnt resist throwing in his signature humor, concluding, 'I hope it will bring families together and cure several diseases.'

Carrey recently finally bid farewell to his Los Angeles estate. An undisclosed buyer snapped up Carreys sprawling Brentwood sanctuary last week for $19.8 million  a cool $10 million under the original February 2023 asking price, per SFGATE.

While the five-bedroom, nine-bathroom retreat didnt fetch its initial number, Carrey still walked away with a hefty profit, having scooped up the property for just $3.8 million back in 1994.

Two months after listing the LA property in 2023 for $28.9 million, Carrey cut the price to $27 million, and in October 2023, he reduced that number to $24 million.

And in May 2024, the Truman Show actor slashed the price to $21.9 million  bringing the total discount to $7 million.

He bought it while he shot to fame starring in the hit movie Ace Venture: Pet Detective.

The actor also owns a property in Maui, confirming in 2017 that he is a resident of the island after buying a home near the waterfront in Makena.

His luxury car collection is rumored to have taken a bite out of his fortune as well. The comedian has owned several Mercedes, a Porshe Panamera and a Tesla, according to Supercarblondie.

Hes also shared stories of his travels to various corners of the globe, from humble trips to Buffalo, NY, to lavish getaways in London and awe-inspiring visits to Machu Picchu, Peru.

Carrey enjoyed a legendary run with hits like Liar Liar, The Truman Show, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Bruce Almighty, but his star began to dim in the late 2000s

Carreys journey from humble beginnings to Hollywood icon began in the streets of Toronto, where he grew up.

After leaving school in 1978 to help support his family, Carrey spent two years working as a janitor in a factoryfar from the spotlight, but not for long.

By age 15, he was already performing stand-up comedy in local Toronto clubs, and by 1979, he was earning a living as a comedian.

At 19, Carrey took a leap of faith and moved to Hollywood, where he quickly immersed himself in both television and film. In 2004, he solidified his place in both countries by obtaining dual U.S. and Canadian citizenship.

Carreys first TV special, Jim Carrey: Unnatural Act (1991), earned rave reviews and opened the door to his breakout role on the sketch comedy series In Living Color, where his zany, larger-than-life persona became a household name.

Interestingly, in 1985, Carrey made a daring and prescient decision: he wrote himself a check for $10 million for 'acting services rendered,' dated it ten years into the future, and kept it in his wallet as a symbol of his ambition.

Remarkably, in November 1995, Carrey learned that he had been cast in Dumb and Dumber for exactly $10 million.

In 2022, he announced his plans to retire from acting once and for all, claiming that Sonic the Hedgehog 2 would be his final film.

Carrey commanded a cool $20 million for films like The Cable Guy in 1996

'It depends, if the angels bring some sort of script that's written in gold ink that says to me that it's gonna be really important for people to see, I might continue down the road, but I'm taking a break,' he said at the time.

At the Sonic 3 premiere, an interviewer from the Associated Press said to him: 'You said in a past interview that you'd come back if you got a script written in gold ink written by angels...?'

As Carrey began to laugh he replied saying: 'That might've been hyperbole, yeah.'

The Sonic series has been one of the most lucrative projects of his career, with the first two films grossing a combined $725 million worldwide.
Real Housewives of Potomac star Karen Huger is facing an ultimatum after she was found guilty of a DUI - get help, or don't return to the reality series, a source has revealed.

On Wednesday, Huger, 61, was found guilty of 'DUI, negligent driving, failure to control speed to avoid a collision, and failure to notify authorities of an address change,' per Fox 5 DC.

She could face up to two years in prison, and a sentencing hearing has been scheduled for January 29, 2025.

She was initially charged in March, after she crashed her Maserati in Potomac, Maryland, after allegedly driving at a speed too high for the conditions before she ultimately struck a median and two signs.

After she was found guilty, bodycam footage from the night of her accident was released, in which she appeared incoherent, referring to herself as 'Thomas Jefferson's concubine' and telling officers that she was 'extremely intelligent.'

Huger, who has said the accident happened due to her being in a 'super emotional state,' was later charged with a DUI and DWI.

And according to a source, Huger's role in the Real Housewives of Potomac is now at risk.

'Shooting for the upcoming season is done. But after her DUI arrest Karen Huger will not be asked to return unless she cleans herself up,' a source told DailyMail.com exclusively.

On Wednesday, Karen Huger was found guilty of 'DUI, negligent driving, failure to control speed to avoid a collision, and failure to notify authorities of an address change,' per Fox 5 DC

She is now facing an ultimatum - get help, or don't return to Real Housewives of Potomac, a source has revealed

She could face up to two years in prison, and a sentencing hearing has been scheduled for January 29, 2025

'Right now, she is on the chopping block. Of course, she may go to jail which would make it impossible for her to return anyway,' the insider continued.

They added that at this point, Huger would have to do a 'complete turnaround' in order to come back to the show.

'She was obnoxious to police and disrespectful of the law enforcement, the source said.

'This will all be taken into consideration, and she is going to have to get sober before any decisions are made.'

Another insider exclusively told DailyMail.com, 'People feel like she is in so much pain after losing her parents but it still not an excuse for her behavior.

'It is sad to watch the bodycam footage. She could have seriously hurt, if not killed someone.'

DailyMail.com has reached out to Huger's representatives for comment.

The consequences for a first-time DUI in the state of Maryland are a fine of $1,000 and up to one year in jail, according to the Maryland Department Of Transportation.

'Shooting for the upcoming season is done. But after her DUI arrest Karen Huger will not be asked to return unless she cleans herself up,' a source told DailyMail.com exclusively

Huger is married to husband Raymond A. Huger, who has appeared on The Real Housewives of Potomac

'Although we are disappointed in the jurys verdict, we of course respect their decision and appreciate their time hearing our case,' Huger's attorney, A. Scott Bolden, told People

Another insider exclusively told DailyMail.com, 'People feel like she is in so much pain after losing her parents but it still not an excuse for her behavior'

However, this is not Karen's first such incident. In 2016, she told BOSSIP that she had been arrested 10 years prior for drunk driving.

'I [got] pulled over,' she told the outlet at the time.

'Technically I wasnt driving, I was pulled over into a parked area where you should not park.

'I turned off the car and I called my husband. However, the teddy bear cops found me first, and I collected my DUI.'

She pled guilty to 'Driving While Impaired By Alcohol' and was put on probation.

After she was found guilty on Wednesday, her attorney put out a statement which said Huger was 'disappointed in the jurys verdict.'

'Although we are disappointed in the jurys verdict, we of course respect their decision and appreciate their time hearing our case,' her lawyer, A. Scott Bolden, told People.

Bolden, who is a partner at Reed Smith law firm, added, 'We continue to reserve Mrs. Hugers right to an appeal and intend to fully pursue justice on her behalf.

'We appreciate your support and prayers for Mrs. Huger and her family at this time.'
Ethan Slater and Ariana Grande are 'relieved' that Slater's ex-wife Lilly Jay kept her cool in an emotional essay she penned about her divorce from the Wicked actor.

On Thursday, Jay broke her silence on the end of her marriage to Slater, which resulted in him finding love with his Wicked co-star Grande.

'They're relieved that Lilly didnt throw them under the bus,' a source spilled to DailyMail.com.

'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,' they continued.

'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.'

The source explained that while the former couple's divorce agreement 'restricted [Jay] from disclosing certain details about the events that transpired' around their split, it didn't prevent Jay from 'expressing 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.

The insider said that the psychologist 'showed dignity' by not publicly discussing 'the affair'.

Ethan Slater and Ariana Grande are 'relieved' that Slater's ex-wife Lilly Jay kept her cool in an emotional essay she penned about her divorce from the Wicked actor

'Lilly was essentially silenced, unable to speak freely. Despite the circumstances, she came out of the divorce a winner,' a source said

'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,' they explained.

They also claimed that Jay took a swipe at her ex-husband in the essay.

'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 didnt want to give an interview until she was ready. She wanted to control her own narrative and tell her story on her terms. And she did just that.'

DailyMail.com has contacted reps for Jay, Grande, and Slater for comment.

In an essay for The Cut, published on Thursday, the clinical psychologist, who shares a two-year-old son with Slater, reflected on navigating life as a single mom and the end of her more than decade-long relationship.

'Motherhood, I have learned, fills your time but not your mind,' she wrote.

'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.'

Slater, 32, began dating Grande, 31, following his separation from Jay (pictured together last month)

'Ethan and Ariana are fully aware of what happened, as is everyone who was around at the time,' a source told DailyMail.com

In her essay, Jay noted that she had not prepared to get divorced right after giving birth to her first child as her husband moved on 'with a celebrity' (Slater pictured in November with Grande)

She continued: 'This, I tell myself, is nothing to be ashamed of and nothing to hide.'

Jay also reflected how nobody 'one gets married thinking they'll get divorced, in the same way we don't board a plane expecting to crash.'

'But 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,' Jay noted, alluding to his relationship with Grande.

Despite their split, she still praised Slater for being a wonderful co-parent as she stated that while their 'partnership has changed' their 'parenthood has not.'

Jay explained that while 'people from [her] past have reached out to say they saw my face in a tabloid' that her 'patients have remained silent' about it.

'At the Children's Hospital, my invisibility was welcome protection from hard conversations for me and my patients,' she said.

At her lowest, she said that she 'feared that loss of control and postpartum depression would destroy' her for her 'entire adult life.'

Additionally, Jay noted that her career has seemingly been affected by her and Slater's public fallout.

Jay and Slater officially finalized their divorce in September after separating last year; Slater pictured with Lilly

This has, admittedly, left her to stew angrily on 'darker days' about '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 told readers.

'You know how a sponge is most effective at absorbing liquid when its already a bit wet? 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.'

Jay and Slater officially finalized their divorce in September after separating last year.

Slater filed for divorce on July 26, 2023, five years after he tied the knot with Jay, who he began dating when they were both just teenagers.

At the time, Grande was still married to Dalton Gomez; she filed for divorce in September 2023 and listed the date of separation as February 20, 2023.

Grande's divorce was settled in October 2023, with the performer making a single $1,250,000 payment to Gomez in lieu of spousal support.

She also paid $25k of the real estate broker's attorney fees.

Grande and Slater met in December 2022 on the UK set of the film adaptation of the Broadway musical Wicked, in which Ariana plays Glinda  the good witch  alongside Ethan as munchkin Boq.

Both parties announced they had split from their spouses within a few days of each other.

In October, Slater addressed the backlash over his and Grande's relationship amid infidelity rumors

Grande announced her separation from Gomez just three days before confirming her new relationship with Ethan, who then filed for divorce from Lilly.

He cited irreconcilable differences and asked for joint custody of their two-year-old son.

Jay later damned Grande in a series of disparaging interviews, telling Page Six the music artist is 'not a girl's girl' and adding that 'my family is just collateral damage' to her.

In October, Slater addressed the backlash over his and Grande's relationship amid infidelity rumors.

'I think there was something that was really difficult about things in your private life being commented on and looked at by the public,' he told GQ.

He continued: 'There were a lot of big changes in private lives that were really happening, so its really hard to see people who dont know anything about whats happening commenting on it.'

Last month, Grande insisted that 'there couldnt be a less accurate depiction of a human being than the one that the tabloids spread about him [Slater].'

'No one on this earth tries harder or spreads themselves thinner to be there for the people that he loves and cares about,' she told Vanity Fair.
Hayley Atwell cut a stylish figure as she and her co-star Tom Hiddleston attended the opening night of Shakespeare's The Tempest at Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London on Thursday.

The actress, 42, graced the carpet wearing a Chloe lace-up wool-blend jacket and matching wide-leg trousers.

The beauty added inches to her frame with a pair of black platform-heeled boots and toted her essentials in a Chloe Penelope tote bag which retails from 1,425.

To complete her look, Hayley further accessorised with a pair of gold-toned teardrop earrings and styled her brunette tresses in loose waves.

Meanwhile, her co-star Tom, 43, looked incredibly dapper in a blue suit as he posed up a storm on the carpet alongside Hayley and British director Jamie Lloyd.

As he smiled for the cameras, Tom completed his look with a pair of brown leather Chelsea boots.

Hayley Atwell, 42, cut a stylish figure as she attended the opening night of Shakespeare's The Tempest at Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London on Thursday

She was also joined by her co-star Tom Hiddleston, 43, who looked incredibly dapper in a blue suit

Sigourney Weaver joined the afterparty in a black jumpsuit teamed with a bejwelled cropped jacket.

The 75-year-old actress made her West End debut as Prospero in a new production of William Shakespeare's play The Tempest while Tom and Hayley star in Much Ado About Nothing.

The two plays are part of a season of Shakespeare by The Jamie Lloyd Company at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

They are the first plays by the Bard to be staged at the theatre since Peter Brook's production of The Tempest starring John Gielgud in 1957.

Each play is directed by Jamie, who previously staged Romeo And Juliet, which starred Marvel actor Tom Holland and Francesca Amewudah-Rivers in the title roles, in the capital.

Alien actress Sigourney plays the storm-creating magician Prospero in the new staging of the Shakespeare classic The Tempest, in a role typically played by a man.

The production opened on December 19 and will run until February 1 2025.

Meanwhile, Tom and Hayley play sparring enemies-to-lovers Benedick and Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing, which will run up until April 5 2025.

Loki star Tom said earlier this year: 'Working with Jamie Lloyd on Harold Pinter's Betrayal was one of the most fulfilling and meaningful experiences of my performing life.'

The actress, 42, graced the carpet wearing a Chloe lace-up wool-blend jacket and matching wide-leg trousers

The beauty added inches to her frame with a pair of black platform-heeled boots and toted her essentials in a Chloe Penelope tote bag which retails from 1,425

To complete her look, Hayley further accessorised with a pair of gold-toned teardrop earrings and styled her brunette tresses in loose waves

Sigourney Weaver joined the afterparty in a black jumpsuit teamed with a bejwelled cropped jacket

The 75-year-old actress made her West End debut as Prospero in a new production of William Shakespeare's play The Tempest while Tom and Hayley star in Much Ado About Nothing

'I could not be more thrilled to have been given the opportunity to collaborate with him again, this time on one of Shakespeare's most warm-hearted and joyful plays: Much Ado About Nothing.'

'It's an honour to have been invited by Andrew Lloyd Webber to bring Shakespeare back to the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, in a season alongside Sigourney Weaver in The Tempest, and to be working with the great Hayley Atwell for the first time.'

Captain America actress Hayley added: 'I am thrilled to be joining Jamie Lloyd's company for the third time in my career.'

'His bold and electric direction, combined with the warmth and wit of one of Shakespeare's most celebrated comedic duos is a truly exciting opportunity and one that I hope will delight our audiences.'

Meanwhile, her co-star Tom, 43, looked in high spirits as he posed up a storm on the carpet alongside Hayley

The duo were also joined by British director Jamie Lloyd who cut a smart casual figure in a brown textured co-ord

The trio stopped on the carpet to get several snaps together ahead of Sigourney Weaver's West End debut

While Tom (pictured in May) stars in Much Ado About Nothing alongside Hayley. The production opened on December 19 and will run until April 5

The two plays are part of a season of Shakespeare by The Jamie Lloyd Company at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane (Hayley pictured in April)

'I look forward to working with my talented friend Tom Hiddleston and bringing The Bard back to Theatre Royal Drury Lane.'

Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, who owns the theatre, previously said: 'When I was nine years old I was taken to the Theatre Royal Drury Lane to see Peter Brook's legendary production of The Tempest with John Gielgud as Prospero.'

'It made a profound impression on me. At the final performance, Gielgud broke Prospero's staff and pronounced that Shakespeare would never again be performed at the Theatre Royal as it would be 'lost to musicals'.

'Ever since I owned the Theatre Royal I have been determined to prove him wrong. It is therefore a massive joy that Jamie Lloyd is bringing back Shakespeare to the Lane and even more wonderful that the first of two Shakespeare plays will be The Tempest.'
She was recently announced as a cast member on the upcoming Yellowstone spinoff series The Madison.

And now Danielle Vasinova is opening up about her memories of one of her greatest trials  the brutal battle with Covid-19 that left her legally dead for three minutes.

The 42-year-old actress  who previously accused her Shark Tank star ex-boyfriend Robert Herjavec of rape  was struck with the pandemic-spawning illness in late 2019, which led doctors to initially misdiagnose her because of their lack of familiarity with the new virus.

'On December 12, 2019, I died for three minutes,' Vasinova  who also appeared in an episode of Yellowstone co-creator Taylor Sheridan's prequel series 1923  told People on Thursday.

She admitted that she assumed it was just the standard flu bug that she was suffering from in the early days of her illness, and doctors weren't much more helpful at that time, before some areas went into lockdown and many businesses temporarily closed.

Vasinova was diagnosed with strep throat and given a prescription for antibiotics after she visited an urgent care as the illness continued to increase in severity.

Yellowstone spinoff star Danielle Vasinova, 42, revealed to People that she 'died for 3 minutes' while battling Covid-19 in December 2019 on Thursday; pictured in June 2023 in LA

The actress thought she had the flu before being misdiagnosed with strep throat. But after she went to the ER she crashed. After doctors restarted her heart, she was put into an induced coma and transferred to the ICU

'But by the next day, I could barely walk,' she recalled. 'My legs wouldn't move. It was bizarre.'

By 2 a.m. that night it was clear to her that something was seriously wrong.

'I felt like I was going to die,' she admitted.

The noted equestrian said that her uncle dropped her off at an emergency room, which may have been the key to saving her life, though he was greeted by a shocking sight when he returned to visit her at her hospital room.

'He said people were running around me, and a tiny girl jumped on top of my chest and began pumping, pumping, pumping,' she recounted to People. 'And then he saw my heartbeat on the monitor just go. Flatlined.'

According to Vasinova, a full three minutes passed without any heart activity. During that time a nurse continued chest compressions, and eventually her heart began beating again.

At that point, doctors transferred Vasinova to the hospital's intensive care unit, where she was put into an induce coma in hopes of keeping her alive.

She shared that she was suffering from 'complete organ failure' at that point as the novel coronavirus wracked her body.

Vasinova was suffering from 'complete organ failure,' but she miraculously recovered; pictured in March in LA

She didn't experience any visions during her 'death,' but she does see the presence of angels in life now and notices unusual repeating numbers, like '5555' or '7777'; seen in LA in February 2020, shortly after her recovery

'I went from young and healthy to this infection that completely took over my body all of a sudden,' she said. 'It just came on, and it just rocked my world.'

The experience didn't leave Vasinova with any of the cliched memories that people whose hearts have stopped beating for extended periods sometimes recall, but she nevertheless felt that a higher power was protecting her.

'I didn't see the light or a tunnel but they say it can come back to you in flashbacks,' she admitted.

Afterward, though, she began to see the presence of angels in her daily life, and she began to notice unusual number sequences, like '5555' or '7777.'

'It was bizarre, but something was telling me, "There's something more for you. You weren't meant to go just yet. You're meant to do something else,"' she said.

Vasinova described her brief 'death and rebirth' as a 'turning point' for her that left her feeling 'much more connected.' Now she's grateful for everything life has to offer her.

'Life is so precious and it is such a gift,' she mused. 'We're here to do some good in the world, to be of service, and to be forever grateful.'

Later, after she had recovered, Vasinova was happy to be able to share her gratitude with the ER nurse who didn't give up on her until her heart was restarted.

Vasinova later found the nurse who died chest compressions and saved her life in an emotional reunion. She gave her a bracelet decorated with a ruby as a 'Thank you for saving my life'; seen November 20 in NYC

Vasinova was announced this week as a star of the Yellowstone spinoff The Madison. Michelle Pfeiffer will lead the show as Stacy, a New Yorker her moves to a Montana ranch; seen in June 2023 in NYC

Vasinova, who is of native ancestry, was announced to play Kestrel, 'an indigenous woman married to a Montana rancher who lives with her family on a double-wide trailer on [Stacy's] ranch'; pictured November 20 in NYC

She presented the miracle worker with a bracelet decorated with a ruby as a 'Thank you for saving my life.'

'I didn't know if she was going to recognize me, but when she opened the door, I started crying, and she just lost it,' the actress recounted. 'She told me she never knows who lives or dies after they get transferred. She just gave me the biggest hug. Because I'd been gone for three full minutes. But I came back.'

Now things are looking brighter than ever for Vasinova, who was announced earlier this week as part of the cast of the upcoming Yellowstone spinoff The Madison, which will star Michelle Pfeiffer in a lead role.

Vasinova, who is of native background, will be playing Kestrel, 'an indigenous woman married to a Montana rancher who lives with her family on a double-wide trailer on [Pfeiffer's character Stacy's] ranch,' according to the show's official logline.

The show's is described as a 'heartfelt study of grief and human connection following a New York City family in the Madison River valley of central Montana.'
Arizona Muse has declared herself to be an 'activist model' but says her outspoken beliefs about sustainability and environmental awareness have 'directly affected' her income within the fashion industry.

The American model, 36, revealed she is so strong in her concern for the planet that she turns down work from brand's that do not impact the environment positively.

Arizona has even launched her own charity, Dirt, which helps create silk, wool and leather, for the fashion industry, without the use of harmful chemicals.

She told Elle Spain: 'I am no longer a model, I am an activist model and I take this to its ultimate conclusion. I have been afraid at times, because obviously this limits the number of brands and actions you can carry out and it also directly affects your income, and we all work for money, but I made a decision and I have stuck to it'.

'I am proud of it, and I think it also brings me value, so I do not collaborate with brands whose impact is not positive'.

Arizona went on to explain how she only began her career as a model 'by chance' and the fashion industry was never something she 'fantasied about dedicating her life to'.

Arizona Muse, 36, has declared herself to be an 'activist model' but says her beliefs about sustainability have 'directly affected' her income within the fashion industry

The American model revealed she is so strong in her concern for the planet that she turns down work from brand's that do not impact the environment positively

'Maybe that is the reason why I have felt a little lost on many occasions, but I am very grateful, because also, thanks to this world, I began my career as an activist, which has completely changed my life and professional trajectory, it has even had an impact on how I feel about myself, which makes me happy. It is a feeling of pride and empowerment that is difficult to describe.

Throughout her career she has modelled for the like Prada, YSL, Chanel and appeared in a 2013 Louis Vuitton add with the late great David Bowie.

Arizona welcomed her first child Nikko, 14, with fashion stylist and former flame Manuel Quintana when she was 20.

The couple eventually split, and she then married Osteopath Boniface Verney-Carron three years ago, welcoming a daughter with him at the end of 2018.

Arizona announced the arrival of her baby daughter by sharing an adorable snap of her laying alongside the newborn in November 2018.

Speaking to Town and Country magazine, the Arizona previously reflected on being a young parent.

She said: 'I dont know what its like to be a 20-year-old who didnt have a child. I loved having Nikko.

'He was like a doll. I was a child myself and it was an "ignorance is bliss" situation.'

Arizona candidly admitted her reasoning for marriage being particularly meaningful to her, given that Nikko 'doesn't have a relationship' with her ex-fiance Manuel.

She said: 'It meant a lot to me to get married. Especially because I already had a child who doesnt have a relationship with his dad.'

Arizona has even launched her own charity, Dirt, which helps create silk, wool and leather, for the fashion industry, without the use of harmful chemicals

She told Elle Spain : 'I am no longer a model, I am an activist model and I take this to its ultimate conclusion'

Arizona went on to explain how she only began her career as a model 'by chance' and the fashion industry was never something she 'fantasied about dedicating her life to'

Throughout her career she has modelled for the like Prada, YSL, Chanel and appeared in a 2013 Louis Vuitton add with the late great David Bowie

Touching on how she burnt herself out by working and parenting in the early days, she told: 'By the time Nikko was three, I was totally exhausted.'

Arizona battled on because she feared that if she took time off her career would disappear.

It caused her massive amounts of stress that she 'was under, every single day, for years'.

She added: 'I probably needed to take some time off, but I was stuck in this fear cycle.'
Raj Salwan was just elected mayor of Fremont, the East Bay city that is home to Elon Musks Tesla factory. Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

While Democrats struggle with how to respond to Elon Musks powerful new role in the Trump administration, the mayor of the city with the most to lose by incurring Musks wrath is confident in his approach to dealing with the worlds richest man.

Raj Salwan, a 50-year-old Indian immigrant who was just elected mayor of Fremont, the East Bay city that is home to Musks Tesla factory, is not even a full-time elected leader. Like many smaller city electeds, he spends about half his week doing his day job  in his case as a veterinarian to supplement his annual mayoral salary of $55,485.96.

Though he has never met Musk, Salwan cant ignore his influence over Fremont, nor can most Americans, as Musks profile in President-elect Trumps administration swells. This past week, Musks online opposition (America is headed for disaster, with no money for anything, unless the government overspending is addressed Musk wrote on X) helped kill a Republican-backed government funding bill. Some Democrats noted how Trumps opposition to the deal followed Musks.

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Welcome to the Elon Musk presidency, one where Donald Trump is relegated to the vice presidency, Long Beach Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia said Thursday on MSNBC.

Musks power has long been felt in Fremont, where the Tesla plant is a major piece of its economy. It employs more than 20,000 workers and generates point-of-sale taxes for Fremont on the more than 500,000 autos annually produced there, in addition to an estimated $35 million in property taxes. The city created an 800-acre innovation district several years ago near the plant as a magnet (along with massive tax breaks) to attract clean tech businesses to town.

Salwan tries not to get incensed by the litany of idiotic, incendiary and untrue things Musk posts to X, the social media site he owns. That means not biting when Musk posts erroneous nonsense like what he did last month when he wrote that Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., is trying to change the outcome of the election by counting NON-CITIZEN votes. That was false, according to Politifact.

Salwan tries to remain grounded by focusing on what Musk does rather than what he says  particularly when it comes to what a Bloomberg analysis found to be North Americas most productive automobile plant. If Salwan wants Fremont to become one of the Bay Areas big four cities along with San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose, he knows that continuing a good relationship with Tesla (and Musk) is a must.

Hes in a precarious position: While residents likely expect their leader to stand up to billionaire bullies, Musk has also made clear hes willing to retaliate against those who criticize him. After Musk reopened the Fremont plant in 2021 in violation of Alameda Countys COVID-19 restrictions, then-Assembly Member Lorena Gonzalez wrote F Elon Musk on what was then Twitter. Musk announced the same year his decision to move Teslas headquarters to Texas, and appeared to confirm it was in part because of the tweet.

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The Tesla factory and parking lot are visible sandwiching Thermo Fisher Scientific, as work restarted at Tesla before Alameda County officials gave the approval to reopen in Fremont on May 11, 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle

Hes a huge personality, and, you know, hes generating a ton of business for our community. He was the darling of the left, and now hes the darling of the right. So hes shifted a lot, but for us, for our city, hes a huge generator of business for our community, Salwan said.

That doesnt mean that Salwan will ignore any comments that are a threat to his community, particularly to immigrants, he said. Nearly half of Fremonts residents  49 percent  were born outside the U.S.

Salwan is one of them. Born in a small village near the northern Indian city of Amritsar, Salwan immigrated to the U.S. with his family when he was 6 and grew up in Fremont. In those days, Fremont was more of a white, blue-collar town, and the auto plant there didnt make Teslas, it cranked out Toyota Corollas from a facility jointly owned by General Motors and Toyota.

He knows what it is like to be attacked as an immigrant of color. When he was a kid, he was one of the few Indian Americans in Fremont and recalled being called a camel-jockey (an epithet targeted typically at Middle Eastern immigrants but Salwan recalled it being said to many brown-skinned people) during the Iran-Contra scandal of the 1980s.

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Now, more than 61% of Fremont residents are Asian American and Salwan said he stands ready to protect them, even if it means taking on Musk.

I would be willing to publicly make a statement if I think hes in the wrong, you know, especially if it affects our city. But at the same time, Im not trying to pick fights. But you know, if we agree on business, if we agree on building more electrical vehicles in Fremont, Im all for that. You know, if its good for us, good for our city, its good for our community and its a boon to all of our region.

Salwan insists that when it comes to Musk, hes not going to pick fights based on his political rhetoric. But Teslas track record with Musk in charge has led to a litany of lawsuits over how the company allegedly treats its workers, and that should be in Salwans purview too.

Its hard to ignore what Tesla has allegedly been doing while the plant has been cranking out cars and providing Fremont with a waterfall of tax revenue. Federal regulators and worker advocates say it has been mistreating its employees and the environment.

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Last year the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued Tesla, saying that since 2015 it has subjected Black employees to a hostile work environment because of their race, Virtually every day, African American workers are called the N-word and other slurs, like Black bitch and boy, by co-workers and even managers, the suit said.

The company has denied any wrongdoing.

Earlier this year, two employees led a class-action lawsuit against the carmaker, saying Tesla failed to pay overtime and provide meal and rest breaks, didnt offer paid sick leave or reimburse employees for work-related expenses and failed to provide written descriptions of quotas that workers were required to meet.

Last year, Tesla agreed to pay $1.5 million to settle a case accusing the company of improperly storing and discarding toxic waste from its electric vehicle manufacturing and servicing.

Salwan said while Fremont is proud to be home to Tesla, with that privilege comes a responsibility to uphold the highest standards of equity, diversity and inclusion. While I cannot comment on the specifics of ongoing legal matters, I firmly believe that no workplace should tolerate a hostile environment or discriminatory practices of any kind. I encourage all companies in Fremont to lead by example, fostering workplaces that are inclusive, respectful, and supportive of all employees.

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Fremont Mayor Raj Salwan walks along State Street in his town on Thursday. Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

Some political bodies are pushing back on Musk.

In October, the California Coastal Commission rejected the Air Forces plan to give Musks SpaceX company permission to launch up to 50 rockets annually from Vandenberg Air Force Base on the Central California coast. During the deliberations, Commissioner Gretchen Newsom (no relation to Gov. Gavin Newsom) said, Elon Musk is hopping about the country, spewing and tweeting political falsehoods and attacking FEMA while claiming his desire to help the hurricane victims with free Starlink access to the internet. Musk is suing the commission in federal court over its decision, saying it violated his First Amendment rights.

Gov. Newsom, who has had multiple public spats with Musk, whom he has known for decades and vacationed with in the past, criticized the commission for politicizing the decision.

Im with Elon, Newsom said.I didnt like that.

Rep. Ro Khanna, another Democrat who has known Musk since 2010 and communicates with him, praised Salwans approach.

Raj has got the perfect temperament as mayor of Fremont. Hes pragmatic, hes focused on economic development, hes focused on supporting public safety, Khanna said. The congressman added that if there are situations of someone in Fremont whos been a tax paying citizen, a law abiding citizen, facing immigration issues, he can contact my office and help put them in touch with resources. But hes going to be focused on the citys economic development, the citys public safety, and of course, hes going to be there for vulnerable, law-abiding citizens in our community.

Khanna has set his own line for dealing with Musk, whose new job in the Trump cabinet is to co-lead with Vivek Ramaswamy the broadly defined Department of Government Efficiency, charged with cutting government bureaucracy.

We should oppose him where it makes sense, such as if he wants to cut Social Security or Department of Education funding or veterans funding or Medicare or Medicaid, we need to be the party that is for responsible government and not shutting down government before Christmas. At the same time, we could recognize that hes a leading entrepreneur whos created companies that are producing high-paying jobs in my district, but also around America.
Brynn Whitfield has responded to chatter that she's leaving the Real Housewives of New York City after two seasons.

A statement purported to be from the 38-year-old Bravo personality has been circulating online, and claims that she plans to exit the series.

But Brynn tried put the rumor to rest on Thursday, claimed to her 562,000 followers that the note 'was an AI post.'

Per Collider, the allegedly fake note reads, in part, 'After two incredible seasons, Ive made the difficult decision to step away from The Real Housewives of New York.

'This journey has been one of the most rewarding, wild, and unforgettable experiences of my life, and Im so grateful to Bravo, the crew, my castmates, and the fans whove supported me along the way.

'Sometimes you know when its time for a new chapter, and for me, that time is now. Im excited to focus on my personal growth, new opportunities, and maybe even a little less drama (just a little!),' it read.

Brynn Whitfield (second to left) has responded to online chatter that she's leaving the Real Housewives of New York City after two seasons; (L-R) RHONY castmates Ubah Hassan, Brynn, Jessel Taank, Erin Lichy, Jenna Lyons and Sai De Silva

A statement purported to be from the 38-year-old Bravo personality has been circulating online, and claims that she plans to exit the series; pictured in October

But Brynn tried to put the rumor to bed on Thursday, claiming to her 562K Instagram followers that the note 'was an AI post'

The TV star's playful response included a clip of her in front of a green screen as she feigns a seamless string of expressions ranging from laughter to shock to sadness.

Someone behind the camera is heard giggling while watching Brynn's face change.

The post was captioned, 'My reaction when people ask if the [apple emoji] rumor on X is true.'

'That was an AI post! Fake news. I didnt put out any statements while in St Barths lol,' she claimed, referencing her recent vacation.

A rebooted cast of the show's New York City franchise was announced in 2022.

Andy Cohen announced the six new ladies who would be taking over RHONY during the final night of BravoCon that year.

In addition to Whitfield, the other newcomers were Jenna Lyons, Sai De Silva, Ubah Hassan, Jessel Taank and Erin Lichy.

Racquel Chevremont later joined the women for season 15, and the latest episode sees drama unfold when they travel to Puerto Rico.

The alleged statement from her had been spreading on social media without attribution

'That was an AI post! Fake news. I didnt put out any statements while in St Barths lol,' Brynn claimed on social media, referencing her recent vacation. Days earlier she showed off her stunning figure in a bikini

Brynn is known for her drama-stirring antics on the series, and in the latest season has clashed with Rebecca Minkoff, who appears on the show as 'friend' versus a full-time cast member.

She was also branded a 'mean girl' by viewers after one scene showed her mocking Ubah's speech and accent.

'Brynn making fun of Ubahs words, whos first language isnt English, is not the flex she thinks,' wrote one person on X.

'I really am shocked by how rotten Brynn is I feel so betrayed and manipulated for liking her last season like this girl is miserable lmao,' another weighed in.

And one social media user wrote, 'I kinda see why Brynn is single. Shes very immature even in her friendships. Major turnoff. Fratboy is kind of an accurate description of her.'
Chris Martin looked on proudly as he and ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow's daughter Apple made her high society debut at the Le Bal des Debutantes in Paris last month.

And in an new profile for Rolling Stone, the Coldplay frontman, 47, admitted that he never imagined himself one day participating in a debutante ball.

But he ended up doing it out of 'love' for his 20-year-old child, who was later accused of exhibiting 'mean girl' behavior during the nepo-baby event.

[It is] so not something I ever thought I'd do, but because I'm so in love with her, I'm like, "OK,'" Chris told the outlet.

The interview was conducted one week before Apple's appearance at the exclusive event, where she was supported by Chris, mom Gwyneth, 52, younger brother Moses, 18, and Gwyneth's mom Blythe Danner, 81.

The A-list family, who were personally invited by the ball's host, were decked out in Valentino looks.

Chris Martin looked on proudly as he and ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow 's daughter Apple made her high society debut at the Le Bal des Debutantes in Paris last month; Gwyneth and Apple pictured

Apple wowed the crowd as she posed for photos in a custom blue Valentino Haute Couture gown that took the Italian luxury fashion house 750 hours to craft, according to Vogue.

Apple was among 20 young women who were presented at the glitzy event held in the $1,000-a-night Hotel Shangri-La.

She arrived on the arm of her date, Count Leo Henckel von Donnersmarck, before letting loose with her famous parents, who divorced in 2016.

At one point during the gala, Apple and Chris enjoyed a father-daughter dance that was filmed and posted by the TikTok account @gala.fr.

Chris, donning a black tuxedo, looked beyond proud as he and Apple slow danced before sharing an embrace.

However, the sweet moment was overshadowed by accusations that Apple was acting like a 'mean girl' at the event.

She was scrutinized for 'hogging the camera' from a fellow debutante and 'rolling her eyes' at her dashing date.

Apple was slammed as 'entitled' and 'obnoxious' by online critics while others came to her defense, calling her behavior 'playful' or 'joking.'

And in an new cover story for Rolling Stone, the Coldplay frontman, 47, admitted that he never imagined himself one day participating in a debutante ball; Chris seen in October

But he ended up doing it out of 'love' for his 20-year-old child, who was later accused of exhibiting 'mean girl' behavior during the nepo-baby event

In response, a source in Apple's mom Gwyneth's camp told DailyMail.com that Apple is a 'girls' girl' not a 'mean girl.'

'Apple's more playful and fun and she's really a total girls' girl.She would never mean to take the spotlight from anyone, that was not her intention.

'To characterize her as a mean girl is very untrue,' the insider said.

'She really had such a wonderful evening and I feel bad that this is even taking away from that because it was such an uplifting evening for her and the other girls.'

Even Alienor Loppin de Montmort, the alleged victim of Apple's 'mean girl' behavior, spoke up in her defense.

She called Apple 'the nicest girl ever' in a statement to PEOPLE.

'[Apple] really doesn't deserve an ounce of what she's getting. She was the nicest girl ever towards not only me but all the debs!'

Weeks later, Apple broke her silence on the drama when she uploaded a cheeky TikTok featuring two female friends.

The interview was conducted one week before Apple's appearance at the exclusive ball, where she was supported by Chris, mom Gwyneth, 52, younger brother Moses, 18, and Gwyneth's mom Blythe Danner, 81

At one point during the gala, Apple and Chris enjoyed a father-daughter dance that was filmed and posted by the TikTok account @gala.fr

Seemingly poking fun at the date eye-rolling incident, Apple mimed a voiceover saying: 'I mean... I don't know how anyone has a problem with us.'

One pal standing beside Apple then mouthed: 'We are such a delight we are two of the funniest girls' as Apple stood behind her and hurled a dirty look her way.

The voiceover continued: 'And I know us offline, when I tell you there aren't two more generous charitable kind...'

Elsewhere in Chris' interview with Rolling Stone, the proud dad spoke about life as an empty nester after both his kids moved away for college.

'It's sad. That's the only word,' said the musician of his new normal. 'But of course, it'd be weirder if they were still like, 'I can't leave.' Then you'd be more worried.'

Both Apple and Moses are college students, with the former attending Vanderbilt University and the latter a freshman at Brown.

It was noted in the Rolling Stone profile that Apple's recent debutante ball gave the family the perfect opportunity to reconnect.

Chris and ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow, who divorced in 2016, share both Apple, 20, and son Moses, 18

While on the topic of his kids, Chris said, 'I like them very much. Even though they're not biologically mine - I'm breaking the story now,' he joked.

He then shared how he likes to 'embarrass' his 18-year-old son Moses.

'My favorite new thing to embarrass my son is, if we're walking down the street and someone comes up to us and they say, 'I'm sorry to disturb you while you're with your son,' I say, 'That's not my son. That's my partner,'' he revealed with a laugh.

'Yeah. I like them a lot. I think they are mine, to be fair,' Chris said.
It's always great when exes get along - but maintaining a close bond with a former lover can be a tricky thing to explain to your new partner.

Just ask Sydney property developer Max Shepherd and his American actress girlfriend Vail Bloom, who are possibly having some difficult conversations at the moment.

You see, a few days ago we published photos of Max, 31, reuniting with his old flame Dina Broadhurst, 46, after he flew in from the States so they could sell their renovated apartment in Darling Point.

In between meetings with real estate agents, Max and Dina, who dated for four-and-a-half years until 2023, enjoyed some rest and relaxation at Kutti Beach.

So relaxed were the pair that art collector Dina whipped off her bikini top and paraded around topless in front of her toyboy ex, who didn't seem fazed by the display.

When Daily Mail Australia snapped the duo's reunion, and contacted Vail for comment in Los Angeles, well, it's safe to say there were some robust messages flooding into our inbox.

It seems as though Dina Broadhurst's topless reunion with her ex Max Shepherd might have ruffled the feathers of his new girlfriend Vail Bloom, who looked sombre in LA on Thursday

Max, 31, (left) had been photographed alongside his ex Dina, 46, at Kutti Beach in Sydney on Tuesday. The famous 'nude artist' even engaged in a spot of topless sunbathing

Dina and Max said they were just good friends and nothing more - and we are not suggesting otherwise - but Vail had a more pointed message for her boyfriend's ex.

She confirmed she was still dating Max and made it clear she felt it was 'very inappropriate' for Dina to be swanning around topless in front of her man.

While stressing she had a good relationship with Dina, she questioned whether the socialite - dubbed 'the nude artist' because of her fondness for scantily clad self-portraits - still would have gone topless if she were there too.

'She's always been nice to me and I like her. I'm sure she didn't mean anything by it or think about it,' Vail said as she broke her silence on the beach photos.

'However, she could try thinking how her choices come across to others and, personally, I don't think it's totally the most appropriate for her to sunbathe topless when Max is around, to each's own.'

Resurfacing in LA just hours after speaking to us on Thursday, Vail looked notably stony-faced as she stepped out to run some last-minute Christmas errands.

Keeping a low profile, Vail kept things casual in an oversized denim shirt and straight leg jeans, which she styled with a pair of beige sandals.

The Vanderpump Rules star, who has two young children from a previous relationship, grabbed some festive presents as she arrived home with a toy airplane and bags of shopping in hand.

But she didn't appear to have completely brushed off the drama of recent days as she looked sombre while stepping out of her lavish LA family home.

The American actress, 42, emerged looking stony-faced just hours after our photos of Max and Dina came to light

We snapped the Vanderpump Rules star emerging from her Los Angeles house on Thursday

Vail kept things casual in an oversized denim shirt and straight leg jeans, which she styled with a pair of beige sandals

In an unexpected reunion on Tuesday, Max hit the beach with Dina and another female friend - and our snapper was on hand to capture every moment.

Max had returned to Australia from the U.S. to sell the luxury apartment he owns with Dina - who recently became single again after splitting from Winning Appliances heir John Winning Jr.

Cooling off amid the soaring temperatures, Dina went topless and left little to the imagination in a barely there pair of thong bikini bottoms. A shirtless Max didn't seem to bat an eyelid as he lay in the shade nearby.

When approached about their unexpected reunion, Dina and Max both said they were good friends and were currently working together to sell their property.

Dina told us: 'We are great friends and business partners,' while Max added: 'We are just friends and currently selling a property together.'

In fact, the exes did recently list the lavish unit they used to share in Sydney's Darling Point, putting it on the market for a whopping $11.5million.

Vail, who has two young children from a previous relationship, grabbed some festive presents as she arrived home with a toy airplane and bags of shopping in hand

When we approached Vail for comment, she said she was still dating Max and made it clear she felt it was 'very inappropriate' for Dina to be swanning around topless in front of her man

In an unexpected reunion on Tuesday, Max hit the beach with Dina and another female friend - and our snapper was on hand to capture every moment

They bought the three-bedroom, two-bathroom harbourside pad in 2022 for $5.2million before overseeing an ambitious renovation.

Construction took two years to complete and involved a complete interior demolition, but it was not to become the couple's forever home.

Dina and Max, who share a 15-year age gap, called time on their relationship last year, having first got together in 2018.

In a sign of things to come, Max had been notably absent from Dina's social media pages since February 2023, while she hadn't appeared in any of his posts since December 2022.

A source then confirmed the break-up to Daily Mail Australia and not long after, Max jetted off to Europe to nurse his broken heart on several luxury superyachts.

After the break-up, Dina moved on with multimillionaire refrigerator heir John Jr., as they started dating after knowing each other for quite some time.

However, their whirlwind eight-month romance didn't last as the art collector realised their lifestyles weren't compatible. They split just hours before Dina made a solo appearance at Bernadette Fahey's wedding to Jordan Sukkar.

Max debuted his romance with Vail in November last year.

Dina and Max (pictured in an old social media post), who share a 15-year age gap, called time on their relationship last year, having first got together in 2018

Max debuted his romance with Vail in November last year

At the time, the couple shared some very loved-up snaps together to Instagram as they flaunted their newfound affections for one another.

In June, Vail paid tribute to Max in a gushing post to mark his 31st birthday and lauded his close bond with her two children.

'Happy Birthday to the man of my dreams, and Charlie's dreams and Jack's - We all love you! Endlessly!' she wrote in the caption.

'Can't believe a year's gone by. To many more trips around the sun - Happy birthday, my love. See you soon.'
Molly-Mae Hague has opened up about her 'lovely' reunion with her ex-fiance after they took their daughter Bambi to a soft-play centre last weekend.

The influencer, 25, shocked fans in summer when she announced she had split from the boxer, also 25, who she met on Love Island in 2019.

For the first time since their break-up, Molly-Mae and Tommy were back in each other's company as they reunited for a festive day out with Bambi, 23-months, in Cheshire, on Saturday.

Speaking about the reunion in a new vlog on her YouTube channel, Molly-Mae said: 'Tommy and I took Bambi to a soft play yesterday together, which was actually a really lovely thing to do and was really enjoyable to do that together.'

But Molly-Mae revealed that while it was a lovely day, she was left feeling deflated after she woke up to find that people had been leaving cruel comments about her weight under pictures of the day out.

'I was looking at the comments, because naturally you go to the comments section, and what killed me was people were more concerned about how large I looked,' she said.

Molly-Mae Hague has opened up about her 'lovely' reunion with her ex-fiance after they took their daughter Bambi to a soft-play centre last weekend

The influencer, 25, shocked fans in summer when she announced she had split from the boxer, also 25, who she met on Love Island in 2019

For the first time since their break-up, Molly-Mae and Tommy were back in each other's company as they reunited for a festive day out with Bambi, 23-months, in Cheshire, on Saturday

'The top liked comment was "Molly-Mae's been bulking" and I was like oh okay. And normally things don't really bother me but then all the comments were like "Look's like Molly-Mae's eaten someone" and you can always trust the TikTok comment section to... people come up with really innovative things to say.

'Like they wouldn't just say "Oh looks like Molly-Mae's put on weight" they're like "Molly-Mae's eaten someone" and I'm like do you know what, creative I like it. But I read it and I was like hmm, I think because I was already feeling a bit sensitive this week as to my appearance and I was just feeling a bit thingy about it, even today I was just like oh I don't feel my nicest.'

Molly-Mae went on to say that the horrible comments did at least distract from the attention of her being seen with Tommy.

'But I'm really glad that that took priority over co-parenting news and us being seen out together,' she said.

Being candid about how the comments made her feel, Molly-Mae said: 'Also it is a bit confidence knocking when you're already.. It's like whatever, if I hadn't been feeling sensitive about that already I think probably literally wouldn't have cared but this week I was already feeling sensitive about me not looking my best at the minute and it being December, and it's bulking season.

'Like whoever wrote the bulking comment do you not realise we're in winter this is the time to bulk.'

Molly-Mae's positive comments about time with Tommy came hours after the release of a trailer for her new Prime series Behind It All - where she got tearful about their split.

The trailer showed the influencer break down in tears as she admitted to feeling 'angry' and 'hurt' by Tommy.

Speaking about the reunion in a new vlog on her YouTube channel, Molly-Mae said: 'Tommy and I took Bambi to a soft play yesterday together, which was actually a really lovely thing to do and was really enjoyable to do that together'

Molly-Mae Hague breaks down in tears as she admits to feeling 'angry' and 'hurt' by ex-fiance Tommy Fury during a brand-new trailer for her series Behind It All

The former Love Island star says the couple were 'utterly obsessed' with each other until the sudden breakdown of their five-year relationship

In a first look at her six-part series with Prime Video, Molly says: 'All I ever wanted was to get married and suddenly overnight every part of my life changed'

The former Love Island star, 25, says the couple were 'utterly obsessed' with each other until the sudden breakdown of their five-year relationship, describing the aftermath of their split as the worst months of her entire life.

In a first look at her six-part series with Prime Video, Molly says: 'All I ever wanted was to get married and suddenly overnight every part of my life changed'

Viewers are given an insight into why the couple's picture-perfect romance fell apart as Molly is filmed having a heated row with Tommy, 25, over the phone.

She says: 'I'm actually not having this conversation with you' before the boxer hangs up and Molly rolls her eyes in frustration, commenting: 'Ah, honestly'

During an emotional talk with her mother, she reveals the depth of her heartbreak, admitting: 'I am angry at him, and I am very hurt' before she's filmed hugging daughter Bambi saying: 'I feel like sometimes it just really hits you that I'm in this alone now.'

Molly reflects on the moment she got engaged to Tommy, replaying the video of his Ibizan clifftop proposal while admitting all she wanted was to spend her life with the boxer

Reflecting on his daughter's overnight success, which saw her go from Love Island contestant to the UK's biggest influencer, Molly's father Stephen, says: 'She's just a normal girl, she just has the world's eyes on her.'

Molly's sister Zoe, adds: 'There is a whole other side to Molly'

Proving the show will be a family affair, Molly's grandmother also features, as she hilariously comments: 'It's very sexy clothes' while speaking about the star's new fashion line.

The documentary series follows Molly as she navigates her breakup from Tommy, launches her first clothing business Maebe and parents the couple's one-year-old daughter Bambi, who is also seen in the preview clip speaking the words, 'Dada.'
Wendy Williams was a proud mom on Thursday, as she attended her son Kevin Jr.s graduation from Florida International University in a rare public outing.

The beloved American television host, 60, arrived to the event in Miami on a mobility scooter in a stylish sequin black dress.

Williams  who was diagnosed with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia in May 2023  was joined by her father, Thomas Williams Sr.

Photos from inside the event show the mom-of-one beaming as Kevin Jr., 24, received his diploma in a traditional blue college robe. At one point she also appeared emotional as she watched her only son walk 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. Their divorce was finalized in 2020.

Her outing comes after a family insider has 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.'

Wendy Williams, 60, was a proud mom on Thursday, as she attended her son Kevin Jr.s, 24, graduation from Florida International University in a rare public outing

The beloved American television host arrived to the event on a mobility scooter

Williams was diagnosed with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia in May 2023

While arriving to the event, flanked by a couple armed guards, Wendy had a Louis Vuitton monogrammed tote bag in her lap, and finalized her look with chunky black boots.

The star also accessorized with gold bangles on her arm, and a large silver ring. Wendy further sparkled up her look with a silver 'W' necklace.

She wore her brunette hair straight and sported a classic red lip and black eyeliner.

While inside, Wendy stood up at one point, and was seen making her way through the crowded aisles.

It's unclear if her ex-husband  who recently claimed Wendy 'fraudulently concealed $48 million' in their divorce settlement  also attended the event.

Wendy and Kevin began dating in 1994 before saying 'I do' in 1999. The pair welcomed their son in August 2000.

Despite not having any prior television experience, Hunter became his wife's manager and production partner early in their relationship, eventually helping her launch her talk show, for which he served as an executive producer.

Ultimately, Williams filed for divorce after about 20 years of marriage in April 2019 citing 'irreconcilable differences.'

Wendy was seen on another rare outing in a video posted earlier this week. She was spotted outside the Fort Lauderdale restaurant, Sista Saras Shonuff Oysters, with her nephew Travis Finnie, though it's unclear what day the clip was taken on.

Wendy appeared emotional as she watched her only son walk the stage

Kevin received his diploma wearing a traditional blue college robe

Wendy wore a stylish sequin black dress for the special celebration

While arriving to the event on Thursday, she had a Louis Vuitton monogrammed tote bag in her lap, and finalized her look with chunky black boots

The star, flanked by a couple armed guards, also accessorized with gold bangles on her arm, and a large silver ring

She was pictured on her way to the graduation

Wendy also accessorized with a sparkling 'W' necklace

She was joined by her father, Thomas Williams Sr.

Photos from inside the event show the mom-of-one beaming as her son received his diploma

She wore her brunette hair straight and sported a classic red lip and black eyeliner

While inside the event Wendy stood up at one point, and was seen making her way through the crowded aisles

Her outing comes after a family insider has 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'

Wendy's health diagnosis came one year after she was placed under a court-ordered legal guardianship that oversees both her finances and health

Wendy appeared to be in good spirits in the video, smiling as she received her food order. She was also heard thanking the workers.

At the start of the clip a fan greeted her by saying her signature catchphrase, 'How you doin'?' with the star smiling and returning the greeting.

Wendy's diagnosis came 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 Williams 'has 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 William'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 Williams' life as she prepared to launch a new podcast- but featured shocking scenes showing the former host drinking vodka in bed and having panic attacks - leading to fan backlash against Lifetime.

Morrissey is now locked in a legal battle with the network over the documentary.

In a filing obtained by The US Sun last week, Morrissey's attorneys called Williams '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.

Last month, attorneys for the star's guardian, Sabrina Morrissey, claimed in new filings that Williams 'has 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 William'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 Williams' life as she prepared to launch a new podcast- but featured shocking scenes showing the former host drinking vodka in bed and having panic attacks - leading to fan backlash against Lifetime

The filing further asked for parts of the case about Williams' 'health, familial relationships, and finances' to be redacted to protect her privacy.

'We respectfully request that the Court grant Plaintiffs motion for limited redactions to protect non-public information from the Guardianship Proceeding that has been placed under seal by the court overseeing that proceeding.

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 Morrissey 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 Williams was allegedly paid $100,000 per episode for her involvement in the four-part docuseries.

At the same time, it was revealed that William's guardian had filed a lawsuit against the parent company of Lifetime, A&E Television Networks with allegations of 'blatant exploitation' in 'disgusting' fashion.

Morrissey filed the lawsuit under temporary seal - which keeps details in the case protected from the public - in October, but the docs were 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 Williams' guardian told the court.

Morrissey added that the talk show host 'did not have the capacity to consent,' according to THR, and producers did not get her consent, as her court-appointed guardian, to produce it.

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

Kevin Jr. smiled at his family members as he walked the stage

She was later seen leaving in the evening time

Her father was pictured on a wheelchair as he arrived

He appeared to be holding Wendy's Louis Vuitton bag in his lap

Williams 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 Morrissey 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 Williams had signed a talent agreement before she was 'mentally incapacitated' as was claimed by the 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 Morrissey for attempting to infringe on A&E's First Amendment rights as they give the example of Morrissey'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 Morrissey had forced their production company to defend itself against 'meritless claims' from the documentary.

TMZ also claims A&E says in the countersuit that Morrissey is trying to deny Williams: '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.

Williams' publicist previously blasted the Lifetime documentary that she signed her famous TV client up for.

Shawn Zanotti 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.'

Zanotti, who has been working as a publicist for Williams since 2021, spoke with NBC News about her grievances with the making the four-part documentary.

In an interview with the outlet, Zanotti claimed: 'I felt that [Williams] was being exploited. She thought we were focusing on the comeback of her career... She would be mortified.

Wendy shares her son with ex-husband Kevin Hunter; the trio seen in 2017

She filed for divorce from Hunter in 2019, after he fathered a baby with a mistress. Their divorce was finalized in 2020; pictured in 2018

'There's no way you can convince me that she would be OK with looking and seeing herself in that way.'

She also told People that she felt 'lied to' about it.

Despite having encouraged her client to sign up for the show, Zanotti later said: 'I would never let Wendy put her name and brand on the line like that ever. She's an icon. It's not the story we signed up for and I feel lied to.

'It's so difficult for me to even watch. Wendy would be mortified.'

The Wendy Williams Show aired its final episode in June 2022 after 13 years  without Williams 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.
Paul McCartney delighted fans as he brought his former Beatles bandmate Ringo Starr on stage at his epic London gig.

The legendary frontman, 82, took to the stage for his Got Back tour at The O2 in Greenwich on Thursday.

Paul invited Ringo, 84, from the audience to join him on drums for hits Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band and Helter Skelter.

The pair looked delighted to play together as Paul wrapped his arm around Ringo in a touching moment for fans.

Paul and Ringo's performance was the first time the old friends have played together in five years, last taking to the stage for Macca's Freshen Up tour in 2019.

The music legend also called on Rolling Stones star Ronnie Wood to perform Get Back with him.

Paul McCartney delighted fans as he brought his former Beatles bandmate Ringo Starr on stage at his epic London gig on Thursday

The legendary frontman, 82, took to the stage for his Got Back tour at The O2 in Greenwich

For his performance the previous night, Paul was full of personal anecdotes as he took to the stage at London's O2 arena

Reflecting on his years with The Beatles, Paul revealed the touching impact of the band's famous show in Jacksonville, Florida.

The Liverpudlian foursome were set to play the Gator Bowl in the city in 1964, however they were told the audience would be segregated by colour.

Recalling the story, Paul told the crowd: 'We didn't quite sort of understand it until we went there and we were playing a place called Jacksonville in the South.

'And the promoters said "Ok tonight you are playing to a segregated audience." And we said "What are you talking about?"

'They said there will be black people on one side and white people on the other, and we were like "No, I mean why would you do that what is the point?"'

He continued: 'So we refused to play it [segregated] and we did play it and it was integrated.'

Revealing the touching impact from the show, he continued: 'Just the other day I got a text from this girl who was there at the time, she was a black girl and she was sitting with some white kids.

Paul invited Ringo, 84, from the audience to join him on drums for hits Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band and Helter Skelter

Old friends and bandmates Ringo and Paul are pictured in 1963

Paul took to the stage playing guitar as he brought up Ringo to play the drums with him

The pair looked delighted to play together as Paul wrapped his arm around Ringo in a touching moment for fans

Paul and Ringo's performance was the first time the old friends have played together in five years, last taking to the stage for Macca's Freshen Up tour in 2019

Ringo was seen in the crowd with his wife Barbara Bach as he was called up on stage by Paul

And she said "I had never sat with white people before." Imagine that, but she said "I loved it because we were all just Beatle fans screaming and it didn't matter".'

Paul also paid tribute to John Lennon during the set as he spoke about his late bandmate and friend.

Discussing how attitudes towards male emotions have changed he explained how back in the day it was viewed as strange to tell your friends you loved them.

He told the crowd: 'Even in a group you couldn't turn to your mates and say "I love you man," it just was not done you know.'

In an emotional tribute the star then performed a rendition of the band's 1969 hit Something on a ukulele gifted to him by the late George Harrison.

Meanwhile Paul gave The O2 Arena a veggie makeover for his final shows of 2024 with none other than Linda McCartney Foods.

The Band on the Run inspired Van on the Run food truck was outside the venue offering Linda McCartney's Best Burgers, Korean chicken bites, Vegemince Chilli nachos and Vegan Sausage corndog with chips.

The music legend also called on Rolling Stones star Ronnie Wood to perform Get Back with him

For his performance the previous night, Paul was full of personal anecdotes as he took to the stage at London's O2 arena

The Liverpudlian foursome were set to play the Gator Bowl in the city in 1964, however they were told the audience would be segregated (John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and Paul L-R pictured 1964 in Liverpool)

Like Pauls music has changed the world, Linda McCartneys love of animals inspired her to become the meat-free food pioneers since 1991, and has changed the way that the UK eats plant based food.

Rebecca Fairbairn, Head of Marketing at The Hain Celestial Group, said: 'Were excited to be taking over concessions inside the arena for a celebration of music and plant-based living.

'While Paul McCartney has been inspiring generations through his music, Linda McCartney Foods, which is part of Hain Celestial Groups global family of brands, has been pioneering plant-based living for over 30 years so this is a perfect collaboration of our shared values.

'We look forward to giving fans a taste of our delicious, sustainable range for this unforgettable event and sharing the familys best recipes!'
Lindy Klim and her ex-husband, Michael Klim, have reunited for the festive season.

The former couple, who split in 2016 after six years of marriage, reconnected in Melbourne on Thursday along with their three kids Stella, 18, Rocco, 16, and Frankie, 13.

Lindy, 45, seemed overjoyed to see her Olympic swimmer ex as he emerged from a vehicle with luggage bags.

The Balinese princess looked relaxed in an oversized grey T-shirt and cream shorts as she stepped out barefoot to see Michael.

Embracing each other with a friendly kiss on the cheek followed by a warm hug, Michael, 47, looked equally elated to see the mother of his three children as the family had a chat on the street.

Michael dressed casually in a black T-shirt and trousers, while wearing a knee splint - possibly due to his auto-immune disorder diagnosis, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy.

Lindy Klim and her ex-husband, Michael Klim, have reunited for the festive season

The former couple, who were married from 2010 to 2016, reconnected in Melbourne on Thursday

They were seen with their children Rocco, 16, and Frankie, 13 (all pictured)

Lindy's seven-year-old daughter Goldie, who she shares with recently ex-husband Adam Ellis, was also at the family reunion.

It's unclear if the exes will be spending Christmas Day together with their kids.

Lindy and Michael's meeting comes after the model's heartbreaking separation from Adam, which she publicly addressed last month.

She and the British property developer have gone their separate ways after six years of marriage.

Speculation of a break-up first began to swirl in October when Lindy shared a picture without her ring on, with sources since claiming the couple have been over for some time.

She finally broke her silence on the breakdown of her marriage after months of speculation, revealing that her estranged husband has been grappling with a private mental health battle, which ultimately affected her own wellbeing.

Lindy's seven-year-old daughter Goldie, who she shares with recently ex-husband Adam Ellis, was also there

Lindy looked relaxed in an oversized grey T-shirt and cream shorts as she stepped out barefoot

She seemed overjoyed to see her Olympic swimmer ex as he emerged from a vehicle with luggage bags

They embraced each other with a friendly kiss on the cheek followed by a warm hug

'Adam and I have separated but we still love him,' Lindy told Stellar magazine.

'He's an incredible father, not only to Goldie but to the rest of my children. But he's been struggling with his mental health for the last two years which, in turn, has affected my personal wellbeing and my mental state as well.

'Things really spiralled out of control. I'm not the person that Adam needs. I'm not a doctor. I mean, I'm there for support, obviously, but I was being dragged under by everything.'

Lindy said she was 'living with constant anxiety' and told the publication that her family eventually stepped in and raised their concerns about her health after she dramatically lost weight.

'I got really, really skinny, but it wasnt until I visited Australia that I realised the state I was in,' she added.

Lindy has since relocated back to Australia from Bali after her and Adam's separation and shared photographs of her moving into her new home in Melbourne in October.

In the Instagram post, Lindy admitted she was 'literally starting from scratch again' after relocating to Melbourne in the big change.

Lindy also shared a photo of the first meal she enjoyed in her new home with her friends and family.

Michael appeared equally elated to see Lindy and their kids together

The family members were all smiles as they stepped out into the street

It's unclear if the exes will be spending Christmas Day together with their kids

'Christening the new house with dirty take out,' the image was captioned.

Rumours of a break-up between Lindy and Adam emerged in October when she posed for a picture with her four children - with no sign of her husband.

After posting the image to Instagram, eagle-eyed followers noticed that Lindy was also no longer wearing her engagement ring.

An insider later claimed the pair have been well and truly over for some time.

'They have also not been seen together for a number of months,' an insider told Confidential.

'Plus he isn't in any of her social media photographs.'

Daily Mail Australia was the first to reveal a potential split between Lindy and Adam after the celebrity fashionista posted the tell-tale family photo to her social media.

Meanwhile, Lindy amicably co-parents the three children she shares with Michael - who is now in a relationship with Michelle Owen - and credits her ex-husband for her confidence.

Following her divorce from Michael, Lindy married Ellis in a lavish Tuscan ceremony.

Highly-regarded athlete Michael retired from competitive swimming in 2007 and runs a successful swim school business in Bali, where he lives with Michelle.

Michael dressed casually in a black T-shirt and trousers
Abbie Chatfield has delivered a fiery rant, attacking federal Liberal leader Peter Dutton over his housing policy.

The 29-year-old Fboy Island star slammed the opposition leader's proposal that Australians can use up to $50,000 of their super funds to buy their first home.

They will then eventually have to return the borrowed funds to their super.

Taking to her Instagram on Thursday, Abbie threw shade at the plan in a lengthy video in which she criticised Dutton's policy as one that will see 'the rich get richer' while everyday Australians would be left behind.

'Dont be fooled! This is NOT a policy that will benefit everyday Australians in the long run,' Abbie said in the caption.

'Accessing your own retirement fund is NOT financially sound, and a policy like this will only result in increased housing prices, which will result in higher economic inequality.

Abbie Chatfield has delivered a fiery rant, attacking federal Liberal leader Peter Dutton over his housing policy

The 29-year-old Fboy Island star slammed the opposition leader's proposal that Australians can use up to $50,000 of their super funds to buy their first home

'The rich will get richer while you take away from your own retirement security.'

She also included a caption on her video that read: 'Even if you hate me please watch this video. The Liberals dont care about the economic struggles of the average Australian.

'Peter Dutton is exploiting your lack of financial literacy.'

In the accompanying clip the high-profile media celebrity sought to shed light on what she thought were the major flaws in Dutton's scheme.

'Peter Dutton is exploiting your lack of financial literacy and your desperation to own a home in this next election with this new policy that he has put forward and please dont get tricked by it, okay?' she began.

After outlining the scheme, Abbie concluded: 'The issue is thats not going to help you or the housing market.'

Abbie's point was that first homebuyers would lose daily interest for as long as it takes them to repay their super loan.

Taking to her Instagram on Thursday, Abbie threw shade on the plan in a lengthy video in which she criticised Dutton's policy as a scheme that will see 'the rich get richer' while everyday Australians would be left behind

'There's also a chance that house prices could go into decline,' she added.

Abbie said that some first home buyers may be vulnerable to other market forces that the scheme does not properly account for.

'You may make a bad purchase,' she suggested.

'If you buy a property and you sell it for less than what you bought it for you still have to put that money back into your super account.'

Elsewhere, Abbie outlined her belief that the policy would only benefit the already well off.

'They [LP] want people who are on the higher economic end of the scale in Australia to earn more money. The rich will get richer with these policies,' she said.

'Property owners will earn more money because the housing prices will inevitably go up if everyone who wants to buy a house the first time can access their super,' she said.

She concluded: 'And the only people who will pay for it is you. Please learn about these policies a bit more. [Dutton] is tricking you and counting on you not knowing the repercussions of these policies.

'Even if you hate me please look into it.'

Abbie's fans were quick to support her take on the opposition leader's proposal.

'All I can think of it took me ages to even build up my super to $50,000 from when I started working then I'll have to do it all over again in future? Nah,' commented one fan on the post.

Added another user: 'But the idea people should even have to access their retirement funds just to get into the housing market is sick. Either which way they gonna f*** you up at either stage of your working life.'

'This incredible woman not only graduated, but graduated with honours. She knows what she is taking about. Take a seat,' gushed another fan.

Abbie's comments come after Dutton's scheme has been widely criticised by the government, the Greens, super funds and economists.
1000-Lb. Sisters star Amy Slaton has plead guilty to 'simple possession' drug charges and signed a plea deal.

The 37-year-old reality star was arrested at a Tennessee zoo back in September after she called them herself for a camel bite, though they discovered marijuana and mushrooms in her vehicle.

She pleaded guilty in a plea deal submitted to the Crockett County courthouse in Tennessee on Thursday, according to US Weekly.

Slaton received a suspended sentence of 11 months and 29 days to time served, and she won't spend any time behind bars.

The reality star was also ordered to pay a $500 fine and attend an alcohol and drug assessment, and she was forbidden from contacting Tennessee Safari Park.

The filing added that her additional charges of child abuse and child endangerment were dismissed.

1000-Lb. Sisters star Amy Slaton has plead guilty to 'simple possession' drug charges and signed a plea deal

The 37-year-old reality star was arrested at a Tennessee zoo back in September after she called them herself for a camel bite, though they discovered marijuana and mushrooms in her vehicle

The Crockett County Sheriff's statement from September revealed, 'Upon arrival, deputies were immediately overtaken by suspicious odors coming from the guests vehicle.

Slaton was then taken to the ER to receive treatment for the camel bite, before she was taken into custody.

After the police investigation, Slaton was charged with, 'llegal possession of Schedule I, illegal possession of Schedule VI, and two counts of child endangerment.'

The child endangerment charges came from the fact that her two children, sons Gage, 4, and Glenn, 2, were in the car where the suspicious smells came from.

Slaton shares the children with her ex Michael Halterman, though she was arrested with a man named Brian Scott Lovvorn.

The Department of Children and Family Services was involved in the case after Slaton's arrest to see if the children were in any danger.

Slaton and Lovvorn both initially pled not guilty drug possession and child endangerment charges, though Slaton has since pleaded guilty to the lesser charge.

She also surprised fans when she went to a court hearing and appeared to be engaged, with a ring on her left ring finger.

The Crockett County Sheriff's statement from September revealed, 'Upon arrival, deputies were immediately overtaken by suspicious odors coming from the guests vehicle.

Slaton was then taken to the ER to receive treatment for the camel bite, before she was taken into custody.

The Department of Children and Family Services was involved in the case after Slaton's arrest to see if the children were in any danger

She was seen holding hands with Brian Scott Lovvorn, her friend who was arrested with her, as they were released from police custody. Whether or not they are indeed dating has yet to be confirmed.

Slaton has dated two men since finalizing her divorce from ex-husband Michael Halterman last year - Tony Rodgers and Kevin.

Slaton and Halterman share two children and had reportedly clashed over their appearance on the TLC reality show.

The pair welcomed their first child, Gage Deon, in November 2020 and their second son, Glenn Allen, in July 2022.
Kim Kardashian shocked her BFF Tracy Romulus by gifting her a $100,000 matte black Tesla Cybertruck for her 45th birthday this week.

The SKIMS founder, 44, shared footage of herself surprising Romulus with the new car on Thursday.

Kim parked the luxury vehicle in the driveway of her $60million Calabasas mansion and told Romulus to 'turn around.'

Once Romulus spotted the car, which had a large red bow pinned to the hood, she exclaimed: 'What! Kim are you f***ing serious?! Are you nuts? Are you crazy?'

Kim, who stood nearby laughing and smiling, told Romulus that it was her birthday gift.

'Shall we take your car tonight,' Kim asked, before embracing her excited pal in the driveway.

Kim Kardashian shocked her BFF Tracy Romulus by gifting her a $100,000 Tesla Cybertruck for her 45th birthday

The SKIMS founder, 44, shared footage of herself surprising Romulus with the new car on Thursday

Referring to Kim as her 'crazy, over the top [best friend],' Romulus uploaded a blurry image of the Cybertruck to her own Instagram Story.

Over top of video of her and Kim gawking at the Cybertruck in the driveway, Romulus wrote: 'I literally have no words... @kimkardashian... no one does gift giving like you... this is so over the top crazy... only you... i love you...'

Kim and Tracy looked to be gearing up for a girls' night out in Los Angeles.

They coordinated for Tracy's birthday by wearing matching black leather trench coats.

Kim made the rare move of rocking Converse sneakers as she is still recovering from a foot injury.

Along with being among Kim's closest confidants, Tracy works closely with the billionaire.

According to her LinkedIn, Tracy has been the Executive Vice President, Communications at SKIMS, Kim's successful shapewear line, since 2017.

Kim's custom Cybertrucks, one black and one silver, could be seen parked in the background of the Instagram Story clips posted Thursday.

She added her first Cybertruck to her car collection in February 2024, followed by a sleek matte black version in May.

Kim parked the luxury vehicle in the driveway of her $60million Calabasas mansion and told Romulus to 'turn around'

Once Romulus spotted the car, which had a large red bow pinned to the hood, she exclaimed: 'What! Kim are you f***ing serious?! Are you nuts? Are you crazy?'

Referring to Kim as her 'crazy, over the top [best friend]' Romulus also shared footage of the big surprise to her own Instagram on Thursday

The reality TV star is a longtime Tesla fan and recently introduced fans to her $30,0000 Tesla bot.

She posed for a bizarre Instagram photo-shoot with the droid, with one image showing her holding hands with it in a Cybertruck.

However, she was forced to deny accusations that she was being 'paid' by Tesla founder Elon Musk.

A rep for Kim told The New York Times last month that the SKIMS founder was not financially compensated for the photos.

Kim's surprise for Tracy comes amid a heavy promo push for SKIMS' new winter lingerie line ahead of the holidays.

On Wednesday, Kim shared new sizzling campaign snaps that showed her straddling a fur bench in a skimpy bras and underwear.

The sultry Winter Heat collection includes thong underwear, knit sweaters, bralettes and a plethora of other fashion basics.

Products range in price from $16 for knit socks to $128 for an oversized hoodie.

Kim is a huge Tesla fan and owns two custom Cybertrucks

She sparked controversy last month after posing for bizarre photos with her $30,000 Tesla bot

Last week, Kim celebrated the opening of the new SKIMS flagship store on New York City's Fifth Avenue.

It marked the brand's sixth brick-and-mortar store in the United States.

Other locations include: Washington, D.C., Aventura, Florida, Austin and Houston, Texas and Atlanta, Georgia.

During the NYC grand opening on November 12, Kim dished on her and her family's famously extravagant Christmas Eve bash.

The lavish soiree is held every year at one of the Kardashian-Jenners kids' homes.

Kim hosted in 2023 and turned her Calabasas mansion into a winter wonderland.

She also invited a slew of celebrity guests, including 13-time Grammy winner Babyface, who performed for lucky attendees.

But Kim told Vogue that they'll be having a more 'intimate' family gathering this year.

Kim's surprise for Tracy comes amid a heavy promo push for SKIMS' new winter lingerie line ahead of the holidays

On Wednesday, Kim shared new sizzling campaign snaps that showed her straddling a fur bench in a skimpy bras and underwear

'We're doing a really low key Christmas Eve party this year just because we have a lot of construction going on,' the SKIMS founder, 44, revealed.

The mom-of-four is currently renovating her $60million Calabasas mansion while her sister Khloe is also renovating the house she purchased right next to their mom Kris Jenner's in Hidden Hills.

She continued: 'We're doing a family intimate one that I'm really excited about  still dressing up to the nines because that's what we do.

'We've had some legendary Christmas Eve parties and they're just beginning. Our kids love them and now all their friends want to come,' she told the outlet, adding: 'It's such a fun tradition.'
The windows of the Dior store in San Franciscos Union Square are covered with bullet holes Friday morning. Police fatally shot a man believed to have been a security guard at the store early Friday after he was sought in connection with an assault Thursday evening. Michael Barba/The Chronicle

San Francisco police officers fatally shot a man early Friday who was suspected of striking pedestrians with his vehicle, officials said.

The man, who police said may have been a Dior security guard, was suspected of driving onto a nearby sidewalk near Kearny and Post streets Thursday evening, striking three people, including a child. Family members identified the man as Peter Hodge, NBC reported.

A woman and the child were walking out of a Chipotle restaurant around 6:30 p.m. Thursday when the driver allegedly struck them. They were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

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The third victim, a man on an e-bike, left the scene after being struck and then chased by the man police killed Friday, officials said. Assistant Police Chief David Lazar said Friday morning that police hoped to speak to the man on the e-bike to learn more about the altercation Thursday that preceded the shooting.

Lazar said at a news conference that police believe the man who was shot was a security guard, possibly for the Dior store in Union Square, though those details had not been confirmed. Dior representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Workers board up windows shattered by bullets at the Dior store in San Franciscos Union Square. Police shot and killed a man who may have been a security guard at the store after they say he struck pedestrians with his vehicle. Michael Barba/The Chronicle

Police, who were searching for the man after the altercation Thursday, said they located the mans vehicle around 1:35 a.m. Friday near Grant Avenue and Post Street. According to a statement released Friday morning, police surrounded the car and tried to approach the man, who was inside the vehicle.

Police did not immediately disclose what prompted the shooting. Lazar said a gun was later found at the scene that police believed belonged to the man who was killed, but it was not immediately clear whether the man fired at officers.

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Were still sorting out what the suspect had and what the suspect did  his actions, Lazar said. Were still determining what exactly evolved that resulted in us using force, Lazar said. There are a few officers involved. Were sorting out the exact number who discharged their weapon.

The man was taken to a hospital after the shooting and later pronounced dead.

There were at least nine bullet holes in the Union Square Dior store Friday morning, some of which shattered the stores windows. A trail of about two dozen chalk markings apparently left by police led south down Grant Avenue. Workers were carrying large wooden planks to board up the stores broken windows.

Milana Buzzoni, a sales associate at the Oliver Peoples eyewear store several doors down from Dior, said she was stunned by the news. She knows a security guard who works nights at the Dior, but wasnt sure whether it was man police shot.

I have no words, Buzzoni said. I hope its not the man Im thinking of.

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The incident is being investigated by a host of city agencies, including the San Francisco District Attorneys Office.
Gen Z TikTok users have been left shocked by resurfaced footage of Australia's Next Top Model, the Australian spin-off of Tyra Banks' infamous ANTM.

Fashion designer Alex Perry looked almost unrecognisable when he was spotted taking a trip to Coles in Sydney's inner west last week.

The rarely-seen 61-year-old showed off a filled out physique in his white T-shirt paired with some black grunge cargo pants.

In the first few seconds of the viral video montage, Perry can be heard asking: 'What are those feet? Gorilla feet? Transgendered feet?'

He appears throughout the two-minute montage of un-PC clangers, with a measuring tape in hand, and a hard word for the often teenage models about their weight.

'Just stop chowing down, you guys have got to exercise. Just get on the treadmill,' he tells one model in the clip.

In another moment, he assessed one model: 'She's really pretty, she's really sleek. Beautiful skin,' before asking another judge, 'do you reckon she's got to drop some K-Gs?'

@imperialbedrooms They dont make them like they used to? australiasnexttopmodel antm model  original sound - imperialbedrooms

Model Cheyenne Tozzi, Alex Perry, Jennifer Hawkins, and Zac Stenmark question a hopeful model at Season 10 auditions in Melbourne, 2015

'Alex Perry is living his karma,' one person commented as they referenced the renowned designer's recent public appearance.

'Can't talk if you see him now,' another user commented.

'How is Alex Perry not cancelled?' asked another.

With a fourth person chiming in: 'Alex Perry they could never make me like you.'

One Gen Z TikToker was so baffled by what they had just witnessed, that the closest thing they could liken the series to was a Chris Lilley skit.

The show saw young girls, most still teenagers, aspiring toward a high-fashion modelling career as they compete to avoid elimination each week by a panel of high-profile judges.

Fates on the show were determined by a panel of three judges: model, Myer face and former Miss Universe Jennifer Hawkins, sunglasses-topped Perry and, a rotation of high-profile fashion names including Linda Evangelista, Jean Paul Gaultier, Kelly Osbourne and Tyra herself.

Alex Perry with model contestants Yolanda Hodgson and Jess Bush at the world premiere screening of Australia's Next Top Model Series 7 at Moore Park in July, 2011

Models Leah Johnson, Mikarla Hussey, Eloise Hoili, Adele Thiel, Lol Van Vorst and Laura Mitchell pose for a photo at Australia's Next Top Model party at The Loft, Sydney in 2009

Sarah Murdoch pictured announcing the wrong winner of Australia's Next Top Model on live TV

'She looks like a wild pig,' Perry said while making snorting sounds at one model of colour.

The guest judges were called in to fill the shoes of the late Charlotte Dawson, the shows long-time judge who took her own life.

'Oh my god she's got a muffin top, it's coming out over the jeans,' judge Charlotte said in one clip.

Bullying, verbal and physical abuse, fat shaming, tears, and tantrums were all fair game in the reality format, which raked in the highest number of viewers for a reality series on subscription TV.

Elsewhere in the video, the show's style director Jonathan Pearce kicked off because models were drinking coffee during a swimwear shoot.

'We've got a swimwear shoot and we've got people ordering bloody ice chocolates with cream!' he exclaimed in dismay.

Pearce asked the model, 'Do you reckon that's a good decision? I'm confiscating this one.'

In yet another clip, an enraged model who'd just lost a competition screamed: 'She's a f**king ugly dero mole. She's fat. She's a size 16.'

Promotional advertisement for Australia's Next Top Model

The Australian judging panel also asked models who they thought was 'the fattest' of their competitors.

'She looks trashed,' Perry began in another tear down moment. 'She looks like she's been at Arq, rolled out, and just dragged something through her hair.'

Many commenters said that particular comment, referencing Sydney's gay nightclub, was 'iconic.'

While observing another runway, Perry said a model's expression made her look like American cold case victim JonBenet Ramsey.

'She is JonBenet Ramsey, aged 18,' he quipped. 'Murderous beauty queen.'

Speaking to Daily Mail on Friday under the condition of anonymity, one former Top Model said it's not an excuse, but the TV series was a product of its time.

'You can't take that back but that's just how the industry was, and that's what the show was. It was the early 2000s.'

'I grew up watching this stuff. No wonder our body image is so distorted,' one TikTok user commented on the video.

'Alex Perry makes gorgeous clothes for women but I don't know how he manages because good god, he hates us!' added another.

'Watching this back is WILD,' someone else commented.

Perry was the only judge to helm all 10 seasons of Australia's Next Top Model and he famously campaigned for the show's 178cm height restriction to be enforced.

'I like sleek, runway greyhounds. Its my aesthetic,' he explained in an old interview.

Daily Mail has reached out to Perry for comment.

In May 2020, Tyra took to Twitter to address some backlash America's Next Top Model was facing after it was added to the streaming site Netflix.

'Been seeing the posts about the insensitivity of some past ANTM moments and I agree with you. Looking back, those were some really off choices,' she wrote on Twitter at the time.

'Appreciate your honest feedback and am sending so much love and virtual hugs.'
Tommy Lee's hygiene habits have left fans 'disgusted.'

The rocker's fourth wife Brittany Furlan, 38, revealed that the Motley Crue drummer, 62, is not big on taking showers.

While appearing on Wednesdays episode of Kaitlyn Bristowes 'Off the Vine' podcast, Furlan shared the musician only showers 'once a week.'

However, Brittany insisted that her husband  who was previously married to Pamela Anderson  is 'very neat' and not 'dirty.'

She explained that he doesn't shower frequently because he was born in Athens, Greece, where  as per her and Lee  they do not bathe everyday.

'He said growing up... that that's a thing in Europe. You don't need to shower every day,' she told Bristowe.

Tommy Lee's, 62, hygiene habits have left fans 'disgusted', after the rocker's wife Brittany Furlan, 38, revealed that he is not big on taking showers; pictured in 2022

'They would just do the white washcloth if they felt like they were getting a little funky. My husband showers, like, once a week.'

'My husband's very neat, which people wouldn't expect from someone who's a musician.'

She went on, 'They would expect him to be a f*****g nightmare, like, dirty. He doesn't shower a lot, but he's very neat.'

Even though he doesn't take a full shower daily, Lee does take a 'bird bath,' according to Furlan.

Fans took to the comments to express their distaste after learning about Lee's showering habits.

'He looks dirty,' one wrote.

'That's just nasty,' another added.

'He could shower twice everyday and he would still give the ick.'

'I'm sorry but that's gross - you need to shower daily - that's just gross.'

'Now I smell a** every time I look at him.'

'That's so gross,' another added.

'Why would she admit this? Gross.'

Furlan shared the musician only showers 'once a week'; Tommy pictured with ex-wife Pamela Anderson in 2005

She shared the tidbit on Wednesdays episode of Kaitlyn Bristowes 'Off the Vine' podcast, but insisted that her husband is 'very neat' and not 'dirty'

She explained that he doesn't shower frequently because he was born in Athens, Greece , where  as per her and Lee  they do not bathe everyday

'He said growing up... that that's a thing in Europe. You don't need to shower every day,' she told Bristowe; the pair pictured in 2019 in Hollywood

Even though he doesn't take a full shower daily, Lee does take a 'bird bath,' according to Furlan; Lee seen in 2021

Fans took to the comments to express their distaste after learning about Lee's showering habits. 'He looks dirty,' one wrote

'Why would she admit this? Gross,' another one added

'That's so gross,' someone else chimed in

'No,' another simply wrote

'I know that [cat emoji] stank [vomit emoji],' yet another person wrote.

Unlike her husband, Furlan said she prefers to shower every day.

'This hair is so thick so I wash the hair like once a week, and then I shower every night.'

She said she is so 'overly clean' that she's most likely 'stripping [her] body of all the oils it probably needs.'

Elsewhere in the episode Furlan was asked if Lee ever gives her the 'ick' - a sudden, inexplicable loss of attraction.

'No, because he's so handsome. It's really crazy. He's a really good looking guy. He doesn't really give me the ick.'

Furlan  who married Lee in 2019  also shared they are also on 'opposite schedules' and that she is a 'night owl' while Lee is a morning person.

Lee was previously married to Anderson, 57, from 1995 until 1998. They share two sons together Brandon, 27, and Dylan, 26.

Mila Kunis and her husband, Ashton Kutcher, admitted in 2021 that they only bathe their children when they see dirt and avoid using soap on own their bodies; seen in 2023

Kristen Bell previously revealed she likes to 'wait for the stink' before bathing her two children; she is seen in 2023

In 2021 Jake Gyllenhaal told Vanity Fair: 'More and more I find bathing to be less necessary, at times'; the actor pictured in 2024

He was also married to Heather Locklear from 1986-1993, and Elaine Starchuk from 1984-1985.

Lee is not the first Hollywood star who doesn't shower daily.

Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis shocked fans in 2021 when they revealed their shower habits.

'I wash my armpits and crotch daily and nothing else ever,' Kutcher shared on Dax Shephard's Armchair Expert podcast.

Mila said she washes her 'slits and t**s' and also revealed that she did not bathe her children Wyatt and Dimitri 'everyday' when they were infants.

Dax's wife Kristen Bell revealed she likes to 'wait for the stink' before bathing their two children during an interview on The View in 2021.

The revelation led to a series of other stars coming out to reveal their washing habits, with Jake Gyllenhaal telling Vanity Fair: 'More and more I find bathing to be less necessary, at times.'

He noted: 'I do also think that there's a whole world of not bathing that is also really helpful for skin maintenance, and we naturally clean ourselves.'

Even hunks like Brad Pitt have been exposed for their cleaning habits, as the actor's roommate revealed that he would go days without showering.

Even hunks like Brad Pitt have been exposed for their cleaning habits, as the actor's roommate revealed that he would go days without showering; Pitt seen in 2023

Despite his clean-cut image nowadays, the actor used to go days without showering before he found fame.

His former roommate Jason Priestley, 54, revealed Brad's showering routine during an interview on Live with Kelly and Mark in January, 2024.

The Beverly Hills, 90210 actor told hosts Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos that he, Brad, and their roommate would compete to see who could go the longest without showering.

As Kelly questioned Jason more about the filthy game, asking who would go the longest without showering, he admitted: 'Brad, always Brad.
Tammy Hembrow showed off her incredible figure as she stepped out for her athleisurewear brand Saski's Christmas lunch on Friday.

The fitness influencer, 30, took to Instagram to share a gallery of snaps from the festive occasion and she certainly pulled out all the stops for the occasion.

She put on a busty display in a halter neck pink top with a plunging neckline, which she styled with a coordinated low-rise skirt that gave a flash of her hips.

Tammy gave herself a few extra inches in a pair of heeled pink sandals and carried her essentials in a small white handbag.

She let her outfit do all the talking as she kept her accessories simple and she bolstered her stunning features with a high-glamour make-up palette.

Tammy, who founded Saski back in 2017, appeared to have spared no expense on the high-end lunch as she treated her colleagues for Christmas.

Tammy Hembrow showed off her incredible figure as she stepped out for her athleisurewear brand Saski's Christmas lunch on Friday

The fitness influencer, 30, took to Instagram to share a gallery of snaps from the festive occasion and she certainly pulled out all the stops for the occasion

The lunch included a range of alcoholic drinks including wine and Aperol spritz, as well as delicious of oysters and sashimi.

The group appeared to have a great time at the lavish lunch as they saw in the festive period in style.

It has already been a busy few weeks for Tammy as she recently returned to Australia with her new husband Matt Zukowski after their honeymoon.

Tammy married the Love Island Australia star, 29, at the Chateau Du Soleil in Byron Bay, surrounded by family and friends last month.

They then jetted off to Lapland, Finland, for a picture-perfect snowy honeymoon and spent a few weeks seeing the sights including the Northern Lights.

Since returning Down Under, Tammy has marked a huge step in her newly married life as she has already changed her name.

The bio on her Instagram account, which boasts an impressive 17.3 million followers, now bears the name Tammy Zukowski.

She put on a busty display in a halter-neck pink top with a plunging neckline, which she styled with a coordinated low-rise skirt that gave a flash of her hips

Tammy, who founded Saski back in 2017, appeared to have spared no expense on the high-end lunch as she treated her colleagues for Christmas

The Christmas lunch included a range of alcoholic drinks including wine and Aperol spritz, as well as delicious plates of oysters and sashimi

The group appeared to have a great time at the lavish lunch as they saw in the festive period in style

It has already been a busy few weeks for Tammy as she recently returned to Australia with her new husband Matt Zukowski (both pictured) after their honeymoon

However, her account handle @tammyhembrow remains unchanged.

Tammy and Matt got engaged during a holiday in the Maldives in December last year after just three months of dating.

Tammy has been engaged twice before, the first time to influencer Reece Hawkins, who she shares her son Wolf and daughter Saskia with.

In November 2021, she then became engaged to restaurateur and former Ironman Matt Poole. The pair split in December 2022 and share their daughter Posy.
Bindi Irwin's American husband Chandler Powell has confused fans after they heard him speaking with an odd accent in a new social media video.

The Florida-born conservationist, 28, shared a clip to Instagram in which he was seen with his daughter Grace Warrior, three, releasing a baby turtle into the water.

'He'll swim! There he goes, high five,' Chandler tells his daughter in the footage.

Several of Chandler's fans quickly took to the comment section to state the American reality star appeared to be speaking in a distinctly Australian accent.

'Chandler is sounding more and more like an Aussie everyday,' one follower joked.

'Your accent makes everything better lol,' a second person added.

Bindi Irwin's American husband Chandler Powell has confused fans after they heard him speak with an odd accent in a new social media video. Pictured with their daughter Grace Warrior

In 2023, fans also noticed Chandler speaking with an Australian twang.

Chandler and Bindi, 26, live in Queensland, Australia and are raising their daughter as an Australian citizen, so it is possible he is trying to adopt the accent to feel closer to them.

The daughter of the late Steve 'The Crocodile Hunter' Irwin tied the knot with the Florida-born wakeboarder in an intimate ceremony at the start of the Covid pandemic on March 25 2020.

She told HELLO! magazine it was tough not having family and friends present for their nuptials as they were forced to follow the strict lockdown rules at the time.

Bindi said she would 'love' to have a second ceremony with guests who were unable to attend their official wedding, perhaps when their daughter Grace Warrior is older.

The couple welcomed Grace on March 25, 2021, exactly one year after they exchanged vows at Australia Zoo.

It comes after Bindi revealed how her husband Chandler is always by her side as she battles severe endometriosis.

She recently told Nine Honey how 'lucky' she is to have such a ceaselessly supportive partner.

The Florida-born conservationist, 28, shared a clip to Instagram in which he was seen with his daughter Grace Warrior, three, releasing a baby turtle into the water

Several of Chandler's fans quickly took to the comment section to state the American reality star appeared to be speaking in an Australian accent

'I thank my lucky stars daily that I can count on him so completely,' she told the publication last month.

'It's the best feeling to have a partner who you love so much and can rely on through all of the ups and downs of life.'

Bindi continued: 'He has held my hand when I've been at my lowest and never once wavered.

'One of the reasons I fell in love with Chandler was because he is the most steadfast person I have ever met.

'No matter what happens, he is strong, steady and above all, kind.'

The pair recently revealed whether they are planning to expand their family.

The couple were answering questions on the Australia Zoo YouTube channel when a fan asked if they planned to give daughter Grace Warrior, three, a sibling.

They explained they often get asked about their family plans, with Bindi also admitting she had 'a lot of feelings' about the question.

Chandler then said: 'Basically we get asked this question a lot and Bindi, a lot of you may already know, she went through a big journey with endometriosis.'

'Basically it was an absolute miracle we had Grace' he continued.

'We love her so much and are revelling in every moment we have with her, with our little miracle baby. We are so happy with our little family of three.'
Australian actress Cate Blanchett is renowned for truly embodying the characters she portrays.

And fans might have to do a double take when they see the Blue Jasmine star in her next big screen feature.

Cate, 55, took to Instagram on Thursday to share a promotional photo from her upcoming spy thriller Black Bag.

The actress looked almost unrecognisable in the image, with her trademark platinum bob nowhere to be seen.

Instead, she was sporting long brunette locks, parted in the middle and falling down her shoulders.

Cate cut quite the chic figure in a retro-style brown leather jacket with gold buttons.

Fans of Cate Blanchett (pictured) might have to do a double take when they see the Aussie actress in her next big screen feature

The actress looks almost unrecognisable the upcoming spy thriller Black Bag (pictured), with her trademark platinum bob replaced with long brunette locks

She wore this under a plain black blouse and matching pants that the matched with a black and gold belt around her svelte waist.

The star added a hint of intrigue and mystery to to the ensemble with a pair of retro tinted sunglasses.

Cate's fans were quick to fawn over the post offering such epithets as: 'Fierce as always.'

Another jumped in, summing up the sentiment of many with: 'Whoa! What a transformation...always beautiful.'

The upcoming American spy thriller for Focus Feature is directed by Steven Soderbergh, known for the likes of Erin Brockovich, Logan Lucky, Magic Mike, and the iconic Ocean's Trilogy.

The movie will see Michael Fassbender as the leading star alongside Cate, and they are joined Bridgerton favourite Rege-Jean Page and Skyfall's Naomie Harris.

Also starring is Marisa Abela, who recently made headlines for her role in Amy Winehouse biopic Back To Black, and The Crown actor Tom Burke.

The film centres around intelligence agent Kathryn Woodhouse (Cate) who is suspected of betraying her nation.

The movie will see Michael Fassbender (pictured) star alongside Cate, and they are joined Bridgerton favourite Rege-Jean Page and Skyfall's Naomie Harris

Cate recently left fans baffled after describing herself as 'middle class', despite a staggering $95million net worth

Her husband George (Fassbender) a legendary agent himself must decide between loyalty o his wife or to his country.

Cate recently left fans baffled after describing herself as 'middle class', despite a staggering $95million net worth.

The Australian star spoke during a press panel at Cannes Film Festival in May where she discussed the importance of giving refugee filmmakers space to tell their stories.

During the chat, Cate acknowledged her privileged position but left fans stunned as she went on to describe herself as 'middle class', despite her celebrity status.

'I'm white, I'm privileged, I'm middle class and I think one can be accused of having a bit of a white saviour complex,' she said.

But many were stunned that someone with a net worth of $95million and a multinational property portfolio would consider themselves 'middle class'.

Cate was privately educated at a Melbourne girls' school and has gone on to become a global celebrity and Hollywood star with a net worth of $95million.

The actress, who was born and raised in Sydney, is based in the UK and has lived in East Sussex with her playwright husband Andrew Upton and their four kids since 2015.

The couple, who tied the knot back in 1997, share three sons Dashiell, 22, Roman, 19, and Ignatius, 16, and a daughter Edith, eight.

Cate owns a 5million historic country estate in East Sussex, where she also bought up land next door - a 1.5million farmhouse with 100 acres.

She also bought a 5million eco home in Cornwall, back in 2020 and has been busy renovating the five-bedroom property.

Cate and her Australian husband Andrew also have property Down Under as they also own an investment home in Sydney's CBD.

Earlier this year, they sold their three-bedroom family home in Prahran, Melbourne, for more than $3million - much higher than the guide price of $2.25million to $2.45million.
Dina Broadhurst has never been backward in coming forward when it comes to flaunting her physique.

And the Australian 'nude artist', 46, did just that again this week when she shared a bevvy of pulse raising bikini photos to social media.

Dina took to Instagram to share a carousel of selfies that showed her displaying her trim, taut and terrific beach bod.

Striking a confident pose in front of a mirror, Dina held her phone aloft and started snapping.

She wore a skimpy two piece Tringl bikini that featured a striking black and teal pattern.

The barely there swimwear showed off Dana's toned torso to good effect, while the side tie bikini bottoms clung to her tiny waist.

Dina Broadhurst (pictured) has never been backward in coming forward when it comes to flaunting her physique

The Australian 'nude artist', 46, did just that again this week when she shared a bevvy of pulse raising bikini photos to social media

Striking a confident pose in front of a mirror, Dina held her phone aloft and started snapping

Dina was not afraid to show off an ample amount of cleavage in the photos, thanks to her skimpy bikini top.

One photo that showed her posing side on and almost in silhouette, further accentuated her slender and svelte legs.

Another, taken from Dina's point of view from the wait down, further illustrated this point.

The perspective of the photo almost created an optical illusion, giving the impression that Dina's pins were impossibly long.

Dina recently set tongues wagging when she was spotted on a friendly beach outing with her ex Max Sheppard.

The two had dated for four-and-a-half years until 2023 when they amicably parted ways.

Property developer Max moved on with U.S.-based Vanderpump Rules star Vail Bloom, while Dina took up with Winning Appliances heir John Winning Jr.

The socialite joined Max, 31, and another female friend on Tuesday for a sunbathing session at Kutti Beach, a half hour's drive from the luxury apartment the ex-couple own together.

The barely there swimwear showed off Dana's toned torso to good effect, while the side tie bikini bottoms clung to her tiny waist

One photo that showed her posing side on and almost in silhouette, further accentuated her slender and svelte legs

The perspective of another photo almost created an optical illusion, giving the impression that Dina's pins were impossibly long

And it was so sweltering hot that afternoon that Dina whipped off her red bikini top, leaving almost nothing to the imagination in a tiny pair of tie-side bottoms.

Max and Dina, who share a 15-year age gap, called time on their relationship last year, having first got together in 2018.

A source confirmed the break-up to Daily Mail Australia at the time. Afterwards, Max jetted off to Europe to nurse his broken heart on several luxury superyachts.

Max last appeared on Dina's social media accounts in February 2023. His last post of her came in December 2022.

After the break-up, Dina moved on with another younger man, multimillionaire refrigerator heir John Winning Jr., after the pair had known each other for some time.

But after eight months of dating, the art collector came to the realisation their lifestyles were not compatible and they broke up just hours before Dina made a solo appearance at Bernadette Fahey's wedding.

Dina and John Jr. have since unfollowed each other on Instagram.

Dina made a name for herself in the Australian art world by leaving little to the imagination in her provocative Helmut-meets Kim-Kardashian-creations.

She also recently shared a breathtaking gallery of property photos to social media which showcase the stunning $11.5million Sydney mansion she recently listed on the market.

The 46-year-old beauty posted a carousel of snaps to Instagram which captured her incredible property in all its glory, which included its spacious interiors and exquisite architecture.

The gallery highlighted the luxury apartment's spacious, light-filled interiors, adorned with elegant finishes and modern decor.

Each image perfectly captured the artistic blend of luxury and design that defines Broadhurst's impeccable taste.

Dina purchased the sprawling three-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment in ritzy Darling Point with Max in 2022 for $5.2million.

Since then she's completely renovated the harbourside property into a luxury home studio.

Construction took two years to complete and involved a complete interior demolition, reported the Wentworth Courier.
Golden Globes nominees will leave the awards ceremony with a hefty bundle of gifts, whether they win or lose.

Actors nominated in the various categories at the upcoming 82nd annual show, which takes place January 5, will receive a specially curated bag of pricey goodies from the luxury lifestyle magazine Robb Report.

This year's collection of party favors has a value of $1 million and includes beauty products, fashion items, travel packages, and experiences.

Luke Bahrenburg, Robb Report's president and Penske Media Corporation's Head of Luxury Sales, said this week: 'This years collection embodies the pinnacle of luxury, offering recipients an extraordinary journey through bespoke craftsmanship, exclusive experiences, and iconic brands that define excellence.'

He added, 'From meticulously curated travel adventures to rare, indulgent treasures, every detail reflects our commitment to celebrating the best in class.'

The gift bag, which will be given to presenters as well as nominees, is twice the value as last year's offering.

Golden Globes nominees will leave the awards ceremony with a hefty bundle of gifts, whether they win or lose

Actors nominated in the various categories at the upcoming 82nd annual show, which takes place January 5, will receive a specially curated bag of pricey goodies from the luxury lifestyle magazine Robb Report

It's a beachside villa in Turks and Caicos with a $507,492 price tag that has tipped the bag's value this year.

The $1 million-figure is the total of all gift options offered, but not everyone will leave with every item.

Guests are given a book with a directory of each gift, its value, and how many are available. Some presents will be received by all, and others are limited.

Food/beverage: Liber Pater Wine tasting and dinner experience in Bordeaux, France ($272,000, available to one participant), Liber Pater trio of ultra rare 2015, 2018, and 2019 vintages ($34,8000, available to one participant), A rare bottle of Komos XO tequila ($2,000, available to 10 participants) from Casa Komos Brands Group, Reposado Rosa, Anejo Cristalino, Anejo Reserva, and Extra Anejo ($950, available to 15 participants) from Casa Komos Brands Group, A sustainability-minded trip to the Komos Foundation in Tequila, Mexico ($5,500, available to one participant) from Casa Komos Brands Group, A bottle of The Hearach Single Malt Scotch Whisky and/or Isle of Harris Gin ($90 and $150, available to all 100 participants) from Isle of Harris Distillery, A humidor made for travel ($440, available to 20 participants) from Davidoff Cigars

Travel and Experiences: Three-night stay in a 6-bedroom Caribbean estate villa ($35,000, available to one participant) at Round Hill Hotel and Villas, A private flight and stay in Finland to see the Northern Lights ($48,000, available to one recipient) via ACX Access and Helsinki Citycopter, A three-night stay in a beachside villa in Turks and Caicos ($507,492, available to nine recipients) at The Reserve at Grace Bay by Beach Enclave, a five-day luxury yacht charter throughout the Coral Triangle in Indonesia ($60,000, available to all 100 participants) via Celestia Phinisi Yacht, A one-night stay in a Beverly Hills suite ($1,500, available to all 100 participants) at LErmitage Beverly Hills, A three-night stay in the Bali Jungle ($5,800, available to three participants) at Mandapa, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, A five-night stay in a Grand Cayman resort ($55,000, available to all 100 participants) at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, A five-night stay and wellness experience in the Maldives ($33,800, available to 50 participants) at JOALI BEING, A two-night stay and whisky experience in Tasmania, Australia ($4,935, available to five participants) at The Tasman, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Hobart

Beauty, Apparel, and Wellness: The Fluid Cream ($209, available to all 100 participants) from EAU DOMAINE, A choice of decadent organic-linen or cotton sateen sheets ($572  $1,392, available to all 100 participants) from Coyuchi, A cutting-edge LED Light Therapy Face Mask Series 2 ($469, available to all 100 participants) from CurrentBody, A non-surgical Stemcell Facelift ($40,000, available to one participant) performed by Dr. Simon Ourian, Vitamin C Serum and COQ10 ($98, available to all 100 participants) from EXPONENT, A skin-care essentials kit ($290, available to all 100 participants) from FEMMUE, A personalized, dance-focused workout and wellness experience ($15,000, available to 25 participants) from FORWARD__Space, Pure Gold Radiance Concentrate serum ($935, available to 40 participants) from La Prairie, A custom-designed suit handcrafted in Italy ($11,400, available to three participants) from NB44, A NordicTrack Ultra 1 treadmill ($15,000, available to four participants) from NordicTrack, A fragrance from Perfumehead's LA Collection ($615, available to 50 participants), A Maybourne Beverly Hills Oxygen Facial ($1,400, available to 10 participants)

This year's collection of party favors has a value of $1 million and includes beauty products, fashion items, travel packages, and experiences including a $209 Le Domaine cream

A trio of ultra rare 2015, 2018, and 2019 vintages valued at $34,8000 is available to one participant

Each guest will receive Atlas Bespoke Weekender Bag (pictured) which was designed exclusively for the 2025 Golden Globes

The gift bag, which will be given to presenters as well as nominees, is twice the value as last year's offering

Guests are given a book with a directory of each gift, its value, and how many are available

Ariana Grande received a Golden Globe nomination in the category Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture for her role as Glinda in Wicked; pictured at the First-Time Nominee Celebration at The Maybourne Beverly Hills on December 17

Pamela Anderson was nominated in the Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama for her role in The Last Showgirl; pictured at the First-Time Nominee Celebration at The Maybourne Beverly Hills on December 17

Ariana Grande received a Golden Globe nomination in the category Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture for her role as Glinda in Wicked.

Her co-star Cynthia Erivo also received a nod in the Best Performance By A Female Actor In A Motion Picture  Musical Or Comedy category for her turn as Elphaba.

And Pamela Anderson was nominated in the Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama for her role in The Last Showgirl.

Selena Gomez will go up against Grande in the Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture for her role in Emilia Perez.

Her co-star Zoe Saldana was also nominated in the same category.
The Holiday has cemented itself as a festive classic that Brits still sit down to watch every Christmas, almost two decades after it hit screens.

The beloved movie sees chronically unlucky in love Amanda (Cameron Diaz) plan a house swap and spend the holidays in a cute country cottage in the UK, which belongs to journalist Iris (Kate Winslet).

Surrey-based Iris ditches her picturesque English home for Amanda's LA mansion and both lovelorn women are swept off their feet with an exciting new romance when they meet Graham and Miles.

But what most fans don't know is that one hilarious scene in the movie was actually inspired by a real life moment on set.

Director and writer Nancy Meyers revealed that the slightly odd scene where Miles apologises to Iris for 'grazing her boob' as he reaches across in a sushi bar came after an awkward moment between Nancy and Jack Black.

The actor, 55, accidentally grazed Nancy's boob while filming and she found it so hilarious she spontaneously wrote it into the script the next day.

What most fans don't know is that one hilarious scene in The Holiday was actually inspired by a real life moment on set

In the slightly odd scene, Miles apologises to Iris for 'grazing her boob' as he reaches across her in a sushi bar

She told ComingSoon: 'One day on the set he bumped into me and said, 'Oh, sorry about the boob graze,' and I just laughed so hard because men bump into women all the time like that and act like they didn't do it.

'But he immediately said sorry about the boob graze so I wrote it into the next scene he did.'

And it's not the only part that's reminiscent of reality - Nancy actually wrote the the parts of Iris and Amanda specifically for Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet.

The revelation comes just after Jude Law sent the internet into meltdown as he hinted at a sequel to the beloved film.

Last week, the English actor, 51, reunited with director Nancy as she took him out to lunch to celebrate him being awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Filming the actor at the table, Nancy shared: 'Look who I'm having lunch with today -Jude Law! Congratulations on your so well deserved star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame, that's amazing.

'I don't think I've seen you since we wrapped The Holiday speaking of which, I've seen you interviewed a lot and they keep asking you if there's going to be a sequel - what do you think?'

Letting out a loud sigh, Jude huffed and exclaimed: 'give me a second', before turning and placing his serviette and glasses on his head in the style of the film's Mr Napkin Head.

The actor, 55, accidentally grazed Nancy's boob while filming and she found it so hilarious she spontaneously wrote it into the script the next day (pictured in 2015)

Kate Winslet and Jack Black starred in the hit. The actress played Iris who swapped homes with Amanda and began dating Miles (Jack)

The revelation comes just after Jude Law sent the internet into meltdown as he hinted at a sequel to the beloved film

When asked if a sequel was in the works Jude huffed and exclaimed: 'give me a second', before turning and placing his serviette and glasses on his head in the style of Mr Napkin Head

As Jude sat beneath the napkin, Nancy asked: 'is that a yes Jude?' while he shook his head around.

After Nancy shared the video on social media, fans went wild, claiming the pair had 'broken the internet' with the skit.

They commented: 'Just casually breaking the internet'; 'For the love of god, please give us a sequel we are dying without a new Nancy Meyers movie!!!';

'We desperately need you back in the director's chair making another movie.'; 'The way I gasped when you mentioned a squeal thinking it was an official announcement!! but Jude doing Mr Napkin Head made it all ok';

'The Holiday: Mr Napkin Head Strikes Again'; 'The pitter patter my heart just did'; 'please nancy we NEED you to direct again'; 'Whaaaat!!!!! What are you doing to us Nancy????? I'm dreaming and screaming over here!!!!'

'girl don't play with my feelings I've been watching this movie since I was 6'; 'The answer is YES.'; 'Oh my G. Who could handle this!?!?'; 'MAKE IT HAPPEN PLEASE'.

Jude previously revealed he'd be willing to reprise his role, announcing at New York City's Tribeca Festival in June: 'I love the idea.'

The original movie told the tale of Surrey-based journalist Iris (Kate) who swaps homes with Amanda (Cameron), a movie producer from Hollywood, following respective heartbreaks.

The fans couldn't believe it and rushed to the comment section to express their shock

While in Surrey, Amanda finds romance with Iris's book editor brother, widower Graham while Iris meets Miles (played by Jack) and dates him.

Graham is father to children Olivia and Sophie, played by Miffy Englefield and Emma Pritchard, as the girls also fall in love with Amanda as they accept her into their family.

Despite his on screen daughters being grown up now, Jude believes the plot could still be revisited as he added that he doesn't believe his character will have changed much.

'I think Graham still has cardigans and glasses, and reads,' he joked. 'He's probably worried sick about the girls, right? The daughters will be 28, 29.'
Simon Cowell showed his competitive side as he enjoyed a swimming race with his son Eric on Thursday.

The TV judge, 65, took to Instagram as he shared a rare video of the pair as they took to the pool to go head to head.

Eric, 10, secured the victory as he exclaimed: 'I win I win', before celebrating and ordering his dad out of the shot.

Talking to the camera, Simon joked: 'Well that was difficult but it was worth it,' as Eric boasted: 'I won, I won, get out the picture, I won.'

The music mogul, who shares Eric with his wife Lauren Silverman, looked to be enjoying an escape from the UK winter as he donned a pair of stylish shades in the sunny pool.

Simon teased in the caption: 'I still think I won! Love, Simon x'.

Simon Cowell shared a rare father son moment with son Eric to Instagram on Thursday as the pair went head to head in a swimming race

Eric, 10, secured the victory as he exclaimed: 'I win I win', before celebrating and ordering his dad out of the shot

Earlier this month the star shared how Eric is following in his footsteps as he attended the Katie Piper Foundation's third annual charity carol concert at St Peters Church.

Simon - who has been a patron of the charity for 15 years - gushed about his 16-year friendship with Katie as he gave a speech on the night, hailing her tireless work to help other burn survivors.

'You're the real definition of what I call strength, being a survivor in so many ways and real, real, true inspiration,' he said.

At the end of his speech, Simon made a touching comment about his son Eric's soon-to-be involvement in the charity.

Sharing his desire to pass on the baton to Eric Simon said: 'I am honoured to be a friend. I will always be here with you, with Lauren, and in years to come Eric. [to Eric] Over to you next!'

Addressing Katie in his speech, Simon said: 'You are honestly one of the most special people I've ever met because I want to take you back 16 years.

'16 years ago I saw the documentary, and I saw someone in tremendous pain. I can't imagine what you went through.

'You put those two elements together, and how do you actually just get out of bed in the morning after that? And she got through.

The music mogul, who shares Eric with his wife Lauren Silverman, looked to be enjoying an escape from the UK winter as he donned a pair of stylish shades in the sunny pool.

Talking to the camera, Simon joked: 'Well that was difficult but it was worth it,' as Eric boasted: 'I won, I won, get out the picture, I won'

Earlier this month the star shared how Eric is following in his footsteps as he attended the Katie Piper Foundation's third annual charity carol concert at St Peters Church (Simon and Eric pictured in September)

'Im sorry to talk for you but weve spoken about it. Its a painful process, again, mentally and physically, to get through the way she got through.'

He continued: 'I joke about the fact that I saw the documentary and I offered Katie a job but she turned me down. She said no, I want to start this charity.

'I've seen you [to Katie] over the years, give so much of yourself to so many people in such a spectacularly extraordinary way.

'You've always been here for me as a friend, and to so many people, I'm sure, here as a friend, you're the real definition of what I call strength, being a survivor in so many.'

The carol concert saw a special performance by Britains Got Talent 2024 finalist Innocent Masuku and burns survivor Mobi1, as well as readings by Simon's wife Lauren, Katie Piper and daughters and Katie Brindle.
Sir David Jason has praised the 'hysterical and moving' Only Fools and Horses: The Musical after it's gala performance.

The actor, 84, who portrayed Derek 'Del Boy' Trotter on the beloved BBC sitcom, said the stage show 'brought a tear to my eye' as memories of his time on the series came flooding back.

Sam Lupton has taken on his iconic character with Vinny Jones playing Danny Driscoll and Paul Whitehouse as Grandad.

Speaking to The Sun at London's Eventim Apollo, David said it was 'hysterical' and added: 'What I did like about it was that so much of the original script was used and they did it so well that sometimes it even took me by surprise and I was laughing.

'So the whole show was a memory for me of the whole thing: the script, the characters - it was lovely to see them all.

'Some of the good characters and actors that are no longer with us as well, so it nearly brought a tear to my eye.'

Sir David Jason has praised the 'hysterical and moving' Only Fools and Horses: The Musical after it's gala performance (pictured in October)

The actor, 84, who portrayed Derek 'Del Boy' Trotter on the beloved BBC sitcom, said the stage show 'brought a tear to my eye' as memories came flooding back (pictured with Sam Lupton as Del Boy at the gala performance)

Only Fools and Horses The Musical will run for 28 shows at London's Hammersmith Eventim Apollo from December 17.

The show is now on a nationwide tour until July 5 next year, following its record-breaking four-year sold-out run in the West End.

The beloved BBC sitcom ran from 1981 to 1991 followed by several Christmas specials that ended in 2003.

In January 2022, Only Fools and Horses topped a BBC poll of the best 20 TV programmes the corporation has ever made.

Sir David reportedly almost quit Only Fools And Horses during its prime back in 1986 and almost an entirely different ending for Del Boy character was written.

According to The Sun, as the actor contemplated leaving, head writer John Sullivan wrote a potential final episode called Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.

The episode did air that year but it almost had a very different ending. It saw a character named Jumbo Mills arrive in Peckham after supposedly making a fortune while living in Australia.

The initial idea was that Jumbo would cross paths with Del and tempt him to return to Australia with him to make his fortune there.

Sam Lupton has taken on his iconic character with Vinny Jones playing Danny Driscoll and Paul Whitehouse as Grandad

Speaking to The Sun at London's Eventim Apollo, David said it was 'hysterical' and added: 'What I did like about it was that so much of the original script was used and they did it so well'

David pictured in 1983's Christmas special as Del Boy

This would have given David the opportunity to make a clean break from the show while setting up for the series to carry on without him.

Producers were reportedly contemplating making Nicholas Lyndhurst the star of a new version of the show called Hot Rod, centred around his character Rodney.

While the fate of Only Fools And Horses hung in the balance, David ultimately changed his mind and decided to stay with the series.

The episode aired with Del rejecting Jumbo Mils' offer to go to Australia.
Military trucks maneuver in snowfield

China Military Online) 11:05, December 20, 2024

A convoy of military trucks attached to a regiment under the Chinese PLA Xinjiang Military Command maneuver in the snowfield during a driving skill training exercise on December 2, 2024. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Wei Chunpan)

A convoy of military trucks attached to a regiment under the Chinese PLA Xinjiang Military Command maneuver in the snowfield during a driving skill training exercise on December 2, 2024. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Wei Chunpan)

A convoy of military trucks attached to a regiment under the Chinese PLA Xinjiang Military Command maneuver in the snowfield during a driving skill training exercise on December 2, 2024. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Wei Chunpan)

(Web editor: Tian Yi, Zhong Wenxing)
Customers browse through the aisles of flowers at the San Francisco Flower Market in 2021. The longtime market will be moving from its familiar South of Market location next week. Jessica Christian/The Chronicle 2021 Flowers are grouped in a warehouse at the San Francisco Flower Market. After 58 years at its SoMa location, the market is moving to Potrero Hill. J.K. Dineen/The Chronicle After 58 years on the corner of Sixth and Brannan streets, the San Francisco Flower Market will shut its roll-up doors on Thursday, Dec. 26. J.K. Dineen/The Chronicle A San Francisco Flower Market vendor displays a sign announcing the markets move after 58 years on the corner of Sixth and Brannan streets. J K Dineen/The Chronicle

Its last call for roses and tulips at the San Francisco Flower Market at Sixth and Brannan.

While most of San Francisco was still asleep, the citys flower community  the growers, importers, wholesalers, retailers, designers  started gathering at 6 a.m. Tuesday to bid farewell to the funky collection of warehouses in SoMa that has been its home since 1956.

A mariachi band weaved through the winterberry wreaths, the fresh cut flowers at Rafas Wholesale, the tea and spray roses from Neve Bros. Petaluma farm. There was tequila in paper cups. Bouquets wrapped in Chinese newspapers. The concrete floors were damp and speckled with pine needles, green leaves and trampled blossoms.

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For multigenerational growers such as Victor Neve, the celebration was bittersweet.

The first time I came here, I was holding my dads hand, said Neve, the third-generation grower who cultivates lilacs, peonies and clematis at Lassen Ranch in Shasta County.

After 58 years on the corner of Sixth and Brannan, the San Francisco Flower Market will close its roll-up doors for the last time on Thursday, Dec. 26. A week later, the new 125,000-square foot flower market will open at 901 16th St. on Potrero Hill. Twenty-seven of the current flower market tenants will be making the move. Thirteen decided to retire or strike out on their own.

Neve, who will be moving to the new market, said he toured the space a few months ago. It was then that it hit him that the move was real  the collection of warehouses that had been home to his family business for 65 years would be gone.

It was a little overwhelming  I had to step outside and take a few deep breaths, he said. But Im looking forward to it. Im pumped. People are going to love it.

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Mariachi musicians perform at the San Francisco Flower Market in a ceremony marking its move from its longtime SoMa home on the corner of Sixth and Brannan streets. After 58 years at this location, the market will shut its roll-up doors on Thursday, Dec. 26. J.K. Dineen/The Chronicle

The flower markets move caps a long saga about the future of the historic institution and how it would fit into a shiny new Central SoMa, then envisioned as a burgeoning district of technology headquarters and new condos.

As city planners worked to figure out how to satisfy the then-insatiable demand for office space, real estate investment trust Kilroy Realty bought the flower mart for roughly $70 million and pitched plans to redevelop it into what would become the pillar of the Central SoMa plan: a more than 2-million square foot office campus, spread across three new buildings ranging from eight to 18 stories in height.

But the flower market wasnt going to go away quietly. Led by Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who was at the holiday celebration Tuesday, vendors organized to save the market. Initially, Kilroy agreed to find a temporary location for the flower market and then include it in the development. Eventually, the market vendors decided that it would be better to move only once, and Kilroy bought the 1-acre Potrero Hill site for $99 million and agreed to build a new market.

Supervisor Aaron Peskin, left, and flower vendor Willy Neve attend a farewell gathering at the San Francisco Flower Market. After 58 years on the corner of Sixth and Brannan streets, the market will shut its roll-up doors on Thursday, Dec. 26. J K Dineen/The Chronicle

Now, in a post-pandemic world where that futuristic vision for the neighborhood seems obsolete, there is little demand for new office space in a city with dozens of vacant buildings. Kilroy is currently looking into interim uses to fill the warehouses. In total, Kilroy has spent a total of $579 million on assembling the sites at Central SoMa and Potrero Hill, and delivering a new facility for the vendors  without any sense of when it might get a return on that investment.

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In a statement, Kilroy Vice President Mike Grisso said the company is pleased to have delivered a new, state-of-the-art wholesale flower market that will allow the flower industry to thrive well into the future.

With the move rapidly approaching, vendors said they had mixed feelings about the new space. Retired vendor Elmer Micheletti said he thought the operating costs at the new facility would be prohibitive. Micheletti showed up to the holiday party with his Baldoni Luigi accordion, which he played sitting in a folding chair on a cart that was being pushed by fellow wholesale flower retiree David Gregoire.

Elmer Micheletti plays his accordion at the San Francisco Flower Market. After 58 years on the corner of Sixth and Brannan streets in SoMa, the market is relocating to Potrero Hill. J K Dineen/The Chronicle

Now I just come here to play my accordion, he said. We wont have a better flower mart than this. It breaks my heart.

Uncle Willy Neve, who, at 96, still works four days a week, said the move is going to be tough.

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I dont like it, he said. We are going to have to improve the inventory, so the customer can come there and get everything they need. If we dont, weve got a problem.

General manager Jeanne Boes said the trepidation about the move is natural, and there are still unanswered questions. Some of the tenant improvements that were promised were cut because of construction costs, leaving at least one tenant without refrigeration. The deal with Kilroy also includes a $20 million subsidy for taxes and other expenses that kicks in when the office project is built. If the office market doesnt recover, and the project is not built, the tenants could be on the hook.

Most of my tenants dont like change, and this is home, she said.

The market employs about 300 people and supports dozens of small businesses, from florists in San Francisco to farmers along the central coast.

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A lot of workers dont speak English or have formal education  but you dont really need that here, said Boes, who started working there nearly 40 years ago while at San Francisco State University. There are not too many jobs left in California that you can say that about.

Flowers are stacked inside a San Francisco Flower Market warehouse. The market is closing on Thursday, Dec. 26, and relocating to Potrero Hill. J.K. Dineen/The Chronicle

Boes said the market will get less and less busy as Christmas approaches  its just the greens and garlands and poinsettias  but she will be working hard to get ready for the move.

Someone said to me, Dont stress, Jeanne, (the move) will just happen, she said. I know it will just happen. Im trying to make it organized so Potrero Hill doesnt hate us.

One vendor who wont move in immediately is Neve, who has become somewhat of an outlier because he grows everything that he sells, rather than importing product from big exporters like Ecuador or the Netherlands. This is the start of his offseason.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead was seen on set of The Hand That Rocks the Cradle remake for the first time on Thursday with newly dyed blonde hair.

The actress, 40, will star as Claire Bartel in the upcoming thriller, a role which was originally played by Annabella Sciorra in 1992's version.

As filming got underway in Los Angeles, Mary wore a casual, oversized pink jumper with a pair of light wash jeans and trainers.

She wore minimal makeup and sported a new blonde hairstyle for her role as the pregnant housewife.

The original follows Rebecca De Mornay as a woman named Peyton Mott who's husband kills himself after being accused of sexual misconduct by his patients.

In an attempt to avenge her husband's suicide she poses as a nanny for the Bartel family after Claire is name of one of her husband's accusers.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead was seen on set of The Hand That Rocks the Cradle remake for the first time on Thursday with newly dyed blonde hair

The actress, 40, will star as Claire Bartel in the upcoming thriller, a role which was originally played by Annabella Sciorra in 1992's version

The remake from 20th Century Studios, will star Maika Monroe opposite Mary as Peyton, as reported by Deadline.

Mary most recently starred in Disney+ TV series Ahsoka and A Gentleman In Moscow alongside her husband Ewan McGregor.

The couple got candid with Variety about their on screen reunion seven years after their alleged affair scandal which rocked both of their marriages.

In the accompanying article they discussed their latest critically-acclaimed project and how parenthood has not only changed their careers but also themselves as people.

Mary and Ewan can be seen on the Paramount+ on Showtime series based on Amor Towles' 2016 novel as they revealed that it was Ewan's idea for them to work together on screen again.

The actress said: 'Ewan was reading the novel and he started slyly mentioning to me, in very subtle ways, that there was a great female character in the book.

'He was definitely hinting to me that it could be a good opportunity for us to work together.'

Ewan portrayed Count Alexander Rostov while Mary starred as his onscreen wife Mary Urbanova.

Mary was first attached to the project in October (pictured in May with her usual hair style)

The original follows Rebecca De Mornay (pictured) as a woman named Peyton Mott who's husband kills himself after being accused of sexual misconduct by his patients

In an attempt to avenge her husband's suicide she poses as a nanny for the Bartel family after Claire is name of one of her husband's accusers (Annabella Sciorra pictured as Claire in the 1992 version)

Mary most recently starred in Disney+ TV series Ahsoka and A Gentleman In Moscow alongside her husband Ewan McGregor (L-R Mary as Anna, Ewan as Count Rostov and Alexa Goodall as Nina in A Gentleman in Moscow)

The series will mark the third on-screen collaboration between Mary and her husband, following 2017's Fargo and 2020's Birds of Prey.

The two originally met on set of the FX series in 2016 and though the two have since married in 2022 and share a two-year-old son named Laurie together, their public relationship began under very controversial circumstances.

Ewan was married to Eva Mavrakis for 22 years until their split in May 2017 - they shares daughters Clara, Jamyan, Esther and Anouk.

The actor met Mary when they were both working on Fargo in late 2016 when Ewan was still married to Eva and Mary was still with her ex-husband Riley Stearns.

They were pictured kissing London cafe in October 2017 and later announced he had been separated Eva since May.
Anna Richardson has described suing Arnold Schwarzenegger as both 'traumatic' and 'transformative' after she accused him of groping her back in 2000.

The TV presenter, 53, sued the actor for libel after she alleged the actor, now 77, touched her breast when she interviewed him on ITV series Big Screen in 2000 while he was promoting his new film, The Sixth Day.

Arnold denied the allegations and the pair settled out of court in 2006.

Reflecting on the event she told The i Paper: 'It was a terrible, traumatic event in my life, but it was also transformative and life-changing.'

Admitting it was a 'huge risk' to take him to court, she explained: 'Im glad to say that after three years, we settled out of court, literally on the steps of Londons High Court.

'If Id lost, I would have been bankrupt. Without question. I would have lost the flat I co-owned with my partner. It was a huge risk, but I was absolutely determined.'

Anna Richardson has described suing Arnold Schwarzenegger as 'traumatic' but 'transformative and life-changing' as she admitted it was a 'huge risk'

The TV presenter, 53, sued the actor for libel after she alleged the actor, now 77, touched her breast when she interviewed him on ITV series Big Screen in 2000 (pictured in March)

Anna made the claims in an interview with the Los Angeles Times in 2003 - when Schwarzenegger was running for governor of California - in which several women accused the star of sexual misconduct.

She told the paper that in previous encounters the actor had been 'a perfect gentleman' but said during the interview at The Dorchester hotel in London, 'This time was quite different. He was already kind of hyped up. He kept looking at my breasts, kept asking if I worked out.

'I went to shake his hand and he grabbed me onto his knee and he said, "Before you go, I want to know if your breasts are real."'

Anna, who was 29 at the time, said she looked around the room for help, but no one came to her assistance.

She continued: 'At that point, he circled my left nipple with his finger and he said, "Yes they are real."'

Arnold's campaign team refuted the allegations, claiming it was Anna who provocatively approached the star, cupping her right breast and saying, "What do you think of these?"'

In response to accusations from several women who alleged to have been groped by the Hollywood star, he apologised for having 'behaved badly sometimes' and doing some things that 'were not right, which I thought were playful.'

Schwarzenegger said he would address specifics of the allegations after the election but later dismissed the claims as 'old news' and announced he would not appoint an investigator to look into the women's claims.

Reflecting on the event she said: 'It was a terrible, traumatic event in my life, but it was also transformative and life-changing' (pictured in 2000)

Following the publication of the LA Times article, Richardson sued Schwarzenegger and his top aides, Sean Walsh and publicist Sheryl Main for libel, claiming that their denials implied that she had 'deliberately and dishonestly fabricated' the allegations.

The libel lawsuit was settled out of court, with lawyers for Schwarzenegger and Richardson stating: 'The parties are content to put this matter behind them and are pleased that this legal dispute has now been settled.'

Richardson reflected on the incident when she appeared on Simply Be's Shaping Success YouTube series.

Asked by host Fleur East to recall a positive moment that had 'shaped her' in life, Richardson confessed: 'This comes with a negative moment, it's a yinyang thing.

'I had to interview Arnold Schwarzenegger in a sort of junket situation which is when you're kind of in a sausage factory line of journalists. You go to a hotel, the star's sitting there, you do a four minute interview with them about their film and then you leave again.

'And during this particular interview with Arnie - and I have to choose my words very carefully here - but there was an incident. Or there was an alleged incident between us and subsequently I took legal action and sued Schwarzenegger and his team for libel.

'So I have to be very careful about what I say but I sued him and we settled out of court. Now this is a great big story that's kind of wrapped up in about 10 seconds of explanation but that moment defined me afterwards.'

Revealing the impact it had on her career, Richardson confessed she was out of work for two years and ended up in debt.

She continued: 'I spent a long time out of work which was really difficult.

Anna made the claims in an interview with the Los Angeles Times in 2003 - when Schwarzenegger was running for governor of California - in which several women accused the star of sexual misconduct (pictured at a campaign rally)

'So I went from presenting a show and working in television to signing on and people in my local job centre going "are you that girl that does that show?".. and I'm like "yeah I'm that girl, can I just get my housing benefit?"

'So it was very difficult times but that taught me real resilience and to be unafraid to stand up to what I considered to be an injustice.'

Richardson also spoke about the significance of speaking out prior to the 2017 #MeToo movement.

She explained: 'I think that women have been carrying this message for decades and it's been falling on deaf ears.

'But certainly in terms of my situation and what allegedly happened, I took legal action, and this was well ahead of the #MeToo movement. So when the whole #MeToo thing happened I felt really frustrated about that.

'I thought seriously? Are we seriously here again 15 years later talking about this? It's still going on but I was there 15 years prior.

'I think there's something about women and people, speaking truth to power and saying this isn't ok actually.'

Asked how she found the courage to speak out, Richardson revealed: 'It was a strange knowing that I have to do this.

'This thing that has happened is not right and it's about speaking truth to power and saying "I don't care who you are. I don't care what threats you come out with".

'This is about standing up and saying, this is wrong, this is unacceptable and I need to put this right.'

Richardson went on to note: 'There's something in this country, in this culture and as women, we're very afraid to say I'm not happy about this or we need to talk about this.

'Particularly with wanting to confront, we're told as women that you're not allowed to confront, you should be quiet.

'Whereas if you're a guy, it's acceptable to do that. I've raged against that being forced into a box as a woman, that is something that will get to me. I almost can't help myself to speak out about something that's an injustice or not right.'

Richardson was able to renter the television industry working behind the scenes as a producer and later resumed presenting.

She has hosted a series of shows of Channel 4, including Supersize vs Superskinny, The Sex Education Show and Secret Eaters.

Richardson is the current host of Naked Attraction and Changing Rooms.
Ariana Grande's boyfriend and Wicked co-star Ethan Slater has been condemned by fans after his ex-wife Lilly Jay opened up on the 'darkness' of watching him move on.

Ethan, 32, and Ariana, 31, met on the British set of the film adaptation of the celebrated musical in 2022, when both were married. Ariana plays Glinda the good witch alongside Ethan as munchkin Boq.

Lilly, 32, who was married to Ethan for six years, revealed her grief at having to witness her ex-husband promote Wicked around the world, calling it a very painful reminder of the 'public downfall of my marriage'.

She explained that she had moved to Britain with their newborn baby to 'support' Ethan as he filmed Wicked. They were high school sweethearts, however, he then left her and began a relationship Ariana.

In an essay for The Cut published on Thursday the clinical psychologist reflected on navigating life as a single mother and the end of their relationship.

As the article continues to rack up views online, furious fans have flocked to social media to condemn the actor and issue a warning to Ariana.

Ariana Grande 's boyfriend and Wicked co-star Ethan Slater has been condemned by fans after his ex-wife Lilly Jay opened up on the 'darkness' of watching him move on

Lilly, 32, who was married to Ethan for six years, has revealed her grief at having to witness her ex-husband promote Wicked around the world

Taking to X, they wrote: 'Ethan slater IS an horrible person idk why some of yall defending him and im sorry but theres no man on earth, especially NOT that one whos worth any of this.'

'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.'

'Ethan slater is a truly horrible person for what he put his ex wife through.'

'Ethan slater ruined his own marriage!! you can't wreck a home from the outside, however i wish ariana had been a little more wiser.'

'Ethan Slater's actions are deeply disappointing and disrespectful to his wife, especially after all she's been through.'

'That piece from ethan slaters ex wife is a devastating read wow.'

Lilly wrote in her candid article: '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.'

Ethan, 32, and Ariana, 31, met on the British set of the film adaptation of the celebrated musical in 2022, when both were married. Ariana plays Glinda the good witch alongside Ethan as munchkin Boq

As the article continues to rack up views online, furious fans have flocked to social media to condemn the actor and issue a warning to Ariana

She admitted there are 'days when I can't escape the promotion of a movie associated with the saddest days of my life are darker'.

Lily also said that as she rocks their son to sleep for 'countless hours' she is also 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 said.

And in another slight on her ex and his new lover: '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 recent months Ethan and Ariana have been on front pages all over the world as they embraced on red carpets to promote Wicked, arguably the biggest movie of 2024.

Meanwhile Lily, who was married to Ethan between 2018 and 2024, is bringing up their toddler.

She wrote: 'Days with my son are sunny. Motherhood, I have learned, fills your time but not your mind.

Lilly wrote in her candid article: 'I confidently moved to another country with my 2-month-old baby and my husband to support his career; seen in 2018

In her essay, she noted that she had not prepared to get divorced right after giving birth to her first child as her husband moved on 'with a celebrity' (pictured in November with Ariana)

'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.'

Ms Jay also reflected how nobody 'one gets married thinking they'll get divorced, in the same way we don't board a plane expecting to crash.'

'But 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,' Jay noted, alluding to his relationship with Ariana.

She went on to write: '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.'

Despite their split, she still praised Slater for being a wonderful co-parent as she stated that while their 'partnership has changed' their 'parenthood has not.'

'Both of us fiercely love our son 100 percent of the time, regardless of how our parenting time is divided,' she emphasized.

Jay explained that while 'people from [her] past have reached out to say they saw my face in a tabloid' that her 'patients have remained silent' about it.

'At the Children's Hospital, my invisibility was welcome protection from hard conversations for me and my patients,' she said.

'And while I still firmly believe in following my patients' leads and not presuming to know what parts of my personhood resonate with them, the publicity I did not consent to increasingly feels like both a challenge and an opportunity.'

Grande and Slater met in December 2022 on the UK set of the film adaptation of the Broadway musical Wicked

In an essay published on Thursday the clinical psychologist reflected on navigating life as a single mother and the end of their relationship (pictured here in November 2018)

'If I'm discovered  as what, being vulnerable?  perhaps it could be a point of connection rather than a clinical liability,' she added.

At her lowest, she said that she 'feared that loss of control and postpartum depression would destroy' her for her 'entire adult life.'

Additionally, Lilly noted that her career has seemingly been affected by her and Ethan's public fallout.

'It's hard to measure an absence, and I can't say for sure how much my career has been impacted by what's out there online,' she wrote.

'But there have been hints along the way, like the job offer that dissolved without explanation after yet another tabloid news cycle or the patient who's scheduled for a first appointment but seemingly vanishes.'

This has, admittedly, left her, on 'darker' days to stew angrily 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 told readers.

Jay proceeded to explain that if she 'can't be invisible anymore' that she thought it was time to properly 'introduce' herself to the world.

Ariana announced her separation from Dalton just three days before confirming her new relationship with Ethan, who then filed for divorce from Lilly (seen with Ethan in June)

Ariana and Ethan pictured with Wicked co-stars Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey, Cynthia Erivo, and Michelle Yeoh

'You know how a sponge is most effective at absorbing liquid when it's already a bit wet? 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,' she concluded.

Earlier in her essay, she noted that during her pregnancy she had 'never felt happier nor more aware of how precarious happiness could be.'

'I survived preeclampsia, a life-threatening birth complication, and finally, our family was whole. Mine is a story of worrying in the wrong direction,' she recalled.

Despite understanding how hard the postpartum period can be on a marriage, Jay said she 'confidently moved to another country' her then-two-month-old baby and husband to 'support his career.'

Jay and Slater officially finalized their divorce in September after separating last year.

Slater filed for divorce on July 26, 2023, five years after he tied the knot with Jay, who he began dating when they were both just teenagers.

At the time, Grande was still married to Dalton Gomez; she filed for divorce in September 2023 and listed the date of separation as February 20, 2023.

Ariana's divorce was settled in October 2023, with the performer making a single $1,250,000 payment to Gomez in lieu of spousal support.

She also paid $25k of the real estate broker's attorney fees.

In October, Slater addressed the backlash over his and Grande's relationship amid infidelity rumors

Both parties announced they had split from their spouses within a few days of each other.

Ariana announced her separation from Dalton just three days before confirming her new relationship with Ethan, who then filed for divorce from Lilly.

He cited irreconcilable differences and asked for joint custody of their two-year-old son.

Lilly later damned Ariana in a series of disparaging interviews, telling Page Six the music artist is 'not a girl's girl' and adding that 'my family is just collateral damage' to her.

In October, Ethan addressed the backlash over his and Ariana's relationship amid infidelity rumors.

'I think there was something that was really difficult about things in your private life being commented on and looked at by the public,' he told GQ.

He continued: 'There were a lot of big changes in private lives that were really happening, so it's really hard to see people who don't know anything about what's happening commenting on it.'

Last month, Ariana insisted that 'there couldn't be a less accurate depiction of a human being than the one that the tabloids spread about him [Slater].'

'No one on this earth tries harder or spreads themselves thinner to be there for the people that he loves and cares about,' she told Vanity Fair.
Molly-Mae Hague looked casual chic as she enjoyed a festive evening out with her daughter Bambi at Dunham Massey House, Manchester, on Thursday.

The former Love Island star, 25, shared a peek into her night out, documenting the highlights on her Instagram Stories.

In one black and white snap of herself and Bambi, Molly-Mae kept cosy in a black oversized padded jacket paired with brown trousers.

She completed the look with a pair of Ugg boots and kept accessories to a minimum.

Meanwhile, 23-month-old Bambi looked adorable in a teddy bear coat.

In another snap, the pair were seen enjoying a hot chocolate, with Molly-Mae sweetly sharing some the cream with her little tot.

Molly-Mae Hague exuded casual chic as she enjoyed a festive evening out with her daughter Bambi at Dunham Massey House, Manchester, on Thursday

The former Love Island star, 25, shared a peek into her night out, documenting the highlights on her Instagram Stories

She captioned the snaps: 'Christmas activities >>>'

Molly-Mae recently opened up about her 'lovely' reunion with her ex-fiance Tommy Fury when they took their daughter Bambi to a soft-play centre last weekend.

The influencer shocked fans in summer when she announced she had split from the boxer, also 25, who she met on Love Island in 2019.

For the first time since their break-up, Molly-Mae and Tommy were back in each other's company as they reunited for a festive day out with Bambi in Cheshire.

Speaking about the reunion in a new vlog on her YouTube channel, Molly-Mae said: 'Tommy and I took Bambi to a soft play yesterday together, which was actually a really lovely thing to do and was really enjoyable to do that together.'

But Molly-Mae revealed that while it was a lovely day, she was left feeling deflated after she woke up to find that people had been leaving cruel comments about her weight under pictures of the day out.

'I was looking at the comments, because naturally you go to the comments section, and what killed me was people were more concerned about how large I looked,' she said.

It comes after Molly-Mae opened up about her 'lovely' reunion with her ex-fiance Tommy Fury after they took their daughter Bambi to a soft-play centre last weekend

The influencer shocked fans in summer when she announced she had split from the boxer, also 25, who she met on Love Island in 2019

'The top liked comment was "Molly-Mae's been bulking" and I was like oh okay. And normally things don't really bother me but then all the comments were like "Look's like Molly-Mae's eaten someone" and you can always trust the TikTok comment section to... people come up with really innovative things to say.

'Like they wouldn't just say "Oh looks like Molly-Mae's put on weight" they're like "Molly-Mae's eaten someone" and I'm like do you know what, creative I like it.

'But I read it and I was like hmm, I think because I was already feeling a bit sensitive this week as to my appearance and I was just feeling a bit thingy about it, even today I was just like oh I don't feel my nicest.'

Molly-Mae went on to say that the horrible comments did at least distract from the attention of her being seen with Tommy.

'But I'm really glad that that took priority over co-parenting news and us being seen out together,' she said.

Being candid about how the comments made her feel, Molly-Mae said: 'Also it is a bit confidence knocking when you're already...

'It's like whatever, if I hadn't been feeling sensitive about that already I think probably literally wouldn't have cared but this week I was already feeling sensitive about me not looking my best at the minute and it being December, and it's bulking season.

'Like whoever wrote the bulking comment do you not realise we're in winter this is the time to bulk.'

Molly-Mae broke down in tears and admitted feeling 'angry' and 'hurt' by Tommy during a brand-new trailer for her series Behind It All

Molly-Mae's positive comments about time with Tommy came hours after the release of a trailer for her new Prime series Behind It All - where she got tearful about their split.

The trailer showed the influencer break down in tears as she admitted to feeling 'angry' and 'hurt' by Tommy.

The former Love Island star says the couple were 'utterly obsessed' with each other until the sudden breakdown of their five-year relationship, describing the aftermath of their split as the worst months of her entire life.

In a first look at her six-part series with Prime Video, Molly says: 'All I ever wanted was to get married and suddenly overnight every part of my life changed'

Viewers are given an insight into why the couple's picture-perfect romance fell apart as Molly is filmed having a heated row with Tommy, 25, over the phone.

She says: 'I'm actually not having this conversation with you' before the boxer hangs up and Molly rolls her eyes in frustration, commenting: 'Ah, honestly'

During an emotional talk with her mother, she reveals the depth of her heartbreak, admitting: 'I am angry at him, and I am very hurt' before she's filmed hugging daughter Bambi saying: 'I feel like sometimes it just really hits you that I'm in this alone now.'

The former Love Island star says the couple were 'utterly obsessed' with each other until the sudden breakdown of their five-year relationship

Reflecting on his daughter's overnight success, which saw her go from Love Island contestant to the UK's biggest influencer, Molly's father Stephen, says: 'She's just a normal girl, she just has the world's eyes on her.'

Molly's sister Zoe, adds: 'There is a whole other side to Molly'

Proving the show will be a family affair, Molly's grandmother also features, as she hilariously comments: 'It's very sexy clothes' while speaking about the star's new fashion line.

The documentary series follows Molly as she navigates her breakup from Tommy, launches her first clothing business Maebe and parents the couple's one-year-old daughter Bambi, who is also seen in the preview clip speaking the words, 'Dada.'
Tom Cruise displayed his close friendship with his agent Maha Dakhil this week when the pair were spotted enjoying a cosy dinner.

The occasion marked their second outing together in a week after the actor was previously seen dropping her off at London's Chiltern Firehouse.

Tom, 62, and Maha, 49, have enjoyed a close relationship for over two decades.

So, who is Maha Dakhil? Here, MailOnline takes a look...

Tom Cruise displayed his close friendship with his agent Maha Dakhil this week when the pair were spotted enjoying a cosy dinner

The occasion marked their second outing together in a week after the actor was previously seen dropping her off at London's Chiltern Firehouse. So, who is Maha Dakhil?

What does she do for work?

Alongside Tom, Maha also represents major stars including Dakota Johnson, Madonna and Natalie Portman.

Until last year she worked at the internal board of CAA (Creative Artists Agency), arguably the most powerful agency in Hollywood.

She starred in the 10-part docuseries What Happens In Hollywood in 2021 which 'examines Hollywood's role in framing society's overall view of sex and sexuality,' as per IMDb.

In October 2023 she resigned from the agency from her role after she shared the inflammatory post on Instagram amid the Israel and Hamas conflict.

Despite stepping down she continued to manage Tom and also works as an agent for Madonna, Anne Hathaway and Steven Spielberg, and signed former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama's production company Higher Ground.

The agent, who is half Libyan, shared a post on her Instagram stories from an account that goes by FreePalestine and shared its take on the October 7 attacks on Israel. The post partly read: 'You're learning who supports genocide.'

'That's the line for me,' Maha wrote alongside the post.

'What's more heartbreaking than witnessing genocide? Witnessing the denial that genocide is happening,' she wrote in a second Instagram post.

Alongside Tom, Maha also represents major stars including Dakota Johnson, Madonna and Natalie Portman (pictured with Madonna)

Until last year she worked at the internal board of CAA but stepped down after she shared the inflammatory post on Instagram amid the Israel and Hamas conflict

A source told The Ankler that Maha tried to organise a meeting with some of her Jewish colleagues to further explain and apologise, but several of the co-workers were so furious they refused to attend, an allegation that has since been refuted.

The agency confirmed that she also stepped down from her position as co-head of the motion picture department. Since then however she has been promoted to Managing Director of the agency.

Maha deleted the messages shortly after posting them and apologised in a statement to Variety, saying: 'I made a mistake with a repost in my Instagram Story, which used hurtful language.

'Like so many of us, I have been reeling with heartbreak. I pride myself on being on the side of humanity and peace.

'I'm so grateful to Jewish friends and colleagues who pointed out the implications and further educated me. I immediately took the repost down. I'm sorry for the pain I have caused.'

But the posts had made their way around the Hollywood community, Variety reported, and many of her colleagues at CAA were reportedly 'offended and saddened.'

Maha addressed her comments again on Instagram, writing: 'Choice of words is important. Dialogue is healing. As each excruciating day passes, I'm listening and learning more from my friends. Thank you.

'I'm holding all our families in my prayers  I am grieving for everyone who is suffering right now. I continue to mourn all innocent lives. My mission is peace.'

When were they first spotted together?

Tom seen with Maha as they arrived together in London in his helicopter in September (pictured in June at the Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One London premiere)

Earlier this week, they enjoyed a three and a half hour dinner at GAIA London

Earlier this week, they enjoyed a three and a half hour dinner at GAIA London.

They arrived to the upmarket eatery in a black chauffeur driven Mercedes just after 7.30 p.m. on Wednesday night, before ultimately leaving around 11 p.m.
Katie Holmes cut a casually chic figure as she stepped out in New York City on Thursday.

The actress, 46, whose ex of six years Jamie Foxx threw major shade at her on his recent Netflix special, looked in good spirits despite his outburst.

She wore baggy orange jeans, a grey jumper and a long black coat and carried a sleek leather bag with him.

Katie completed her look with a pair of dark shades and wore a red hat while opting or low-key makeup.

Her outing comes just days after Foxx's special What Had Happened Was hit Netflix. It featured a shady reference to their six year romance.

Sitting down at a piano, the Hollywood star sang: 'Sisters, I'm here to tell you, I've been cured.

Katie Holmes cut a casually chic figure as she stepped out in New York City on Thursday - after her ex Jamie Foxx's savage jibe

She wore baggy orange jeans, a grey jumper and a long black coat and carried a sleek leather bag with him

As audience members applauded and leapt out their seats, Jamie continued: 'I'm back on the black side of town!

'No more white girls. No more potato salad and raisins. No more white girls. No more spray tan, no more big t*tties no ass, no more white girls.'

Jamie has had several high-profile relationships over the years with both black and white women.

In 1993 he dated Connie Kline, and the pair went on to welcome daughter Connie one year later.

Between 1996 and 2001, he was linked to Haitian actress Garcelle Beauvais, before going on to date actress Leila Arcieri in 2005.

In 2008, Jamie dated Kristin Grannis, the mother of his second daughter, Anelise.

He then dated Katie from 2013 to 2019.

Following her split from Foxx, Katie dated chef Emilio Vitolo Jr. between 2020 and 2021 and was briefly linked to musician Bobby Wooten in 2022. The actress, who was married to Scientologist Tom Cruise from 2006 to 2012, is understood to be currently single.

Jamie and Katie dated from 2013 to 2019 (pictured May 2019 at Met Gala in New York City)

Holmes is now enjoying focusing on her career since her daughter Suri started college at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and has been busy on Broadway.

Prior to her daughter's move, Holmes opened up about how she was feeling with the transition.

'I'm proud of my daughter,' she told Town & Country.

'Of course, I will miss the close proximity, but I'm really proud of her and I'm happy.'

She continued: 'I remember being this age, this time of beginnings.

'It's exciting to learn about yourself, and I loved that time, so it makes me happy to think about it like that.'

Holmes stars in the long-awaited revival of Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize-winning play - which will close in late January - along with The Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons and Zoey Deutch.
When paparazzi photographs emerged of Eamonn Holmes and his new girlfriend enjoying a mini break in the City of Love this week, gossip ran rife about their relationship among the presenter's closest friends.

While a miserable looking Eamonn, 65, shuffled around in an electronic mobility chair - which he uses due to a crippling back problem - Katie Alexander, who is 21 years his junior, was alongside, sporting a 1,000 Hermes scarf, a 139.99 Mango faux leather coat with a 1,600 Louis Vuitton handbag as they left the Louvre museum in Paris.

What puzzled Eamonn's friends was the dazzling ring on psychotherapist Katie's wedding finger - given that the Good Morning presenter's divorce from his ex-wife and co-host Ruth Langsford is nowhere near complete, and that his agent had insisted the pair were only in Paris to 'visit art and museums'.

Everyone is asking the same question: what would Katie, an attractive and intelligent 43-year-old divorcee, see in Eamonn, who - following his recent health battles - is said to be becoming increasingly cantankerous? (Since a nasty fall in 2022, Eamonn has finally given in to using a walker and mobility chair. He also underwent a double hip replacement operation in 2015.)

Katie, a mother of two, is said to spend a lot of time at Eamonn's new bachelor pad, a penthouse in a modest block of flats on the Kingston one-way system in south-west London.

But friends tell me that they are 'too polite' to ask Holmes about the exact nature of their relationship.

All of Eamonn's friends are asking the same question: what would Katie, an attractive and intelligent 43-year-old divorcee, see in Eamonn, who - following his recent health battles - is said to be becoming increasingly cantankerous?

'It's all a bit weird,' said one. 'Eamonn and Katie spend a lot of time together and he definitely makes murmurs that things are of a romantic nature.

'Eamonn loves a pretty woman and he has always been a big flirt. He and Katie spend a lot of time together now and they do, despite what the photographs imply, have quite a giggle together.

'Plus, she is a psychotherapist and he loves a chat, so they have a bond there, but I can't see them getting married anytime soon.'

Friends say that Eamonn and Ruth, who have 22-year-old son Jack together, had initially struggled to remain amicable during their divorce proceedings but things have 'thawed' recently.

Ruth is said to be 'worried' for Holmes since their split and wants to ensure 'he looks after himself' as he embarks on a new romance.

At work too, it has been a colourful week for Holmes. His GB news co-host, Isabel Webster, who Eamonn has called his 'work wife', was sacked from their breakfast show with immediate effect on Wednesday.

But despite reports that Eamonn was left 'reeling' by the news of Isabel's shock exit, sources tell me he is 'relieved'. Perhaps because, I'm told, she is a close friend of Ruth's.

The two women always got on 'extraordinarily well' before she and Holmes split.

Eamonn and Katie were spotted by paparazzi in Ibiza while enjoying a luxurious cruise around Europe - a freebie given to Eamonn after he signed a lucrative deal to be an ambassador for the holiday company Not Just Travel

'Isabel and Ruth were close,' says a well-placed source. 'And that was always going to cause some issues between Isabel and Eamonn.

'They had a lot of shared friends who had to pick sides, Isabel didn't do that as such but the split got messy. Eamonn and Isabel would argue a bit. Not huge rows - just bickering - but it put added pressure on him at a difficult time and he didn't always enjoy working with her.

'He is in pain at work so he just needs to get in and get out without any aggravation.'

'Eamonn looks depressed when he's at work,' said a GB News insider. 'He just sits there looking miserable.'

Bosses hope he will be cheery about Webster's replacement Ellie Costello who, aged 31, is ten years younger than her predecessor.

'She's bubbly and fun, something that Eamonn really does need right now,' added the source.

Indeed, Eamonn and Katie have been dating since the Mail revealed that he and his wife of 14 years had parted. He and Ruth, who met in 1996, initially kept their relationship secret so as not to upset Eamonn's first wife, Gabriella - with whom Eamonn has three children.

Eamonn met Katie on X (formerly Twitter) in 2015 after she commented on a post and it sparked a conversation. And then, last October - nine months before Eamonn and Ruth confirmed they had separated - they met at a fundraising event in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, for a charity of which Eamonn was a patron and that Katie had worked for.

Friends say that Eamonn and Ruth, who have a 22-year-old son named Jack together, had initially struggled to remain amicable during their divorce proceedings but things have 'thawed' recently

Katie had recently split from her husband of two years, George Alexander, who recently confessed he had a 'lot of sympathy' for Ruth following her split from Eamonn.

'I have had my heart broken when my marriage to Katie ended,' he added.

It's not clear when this early exchange between Eamonn and Katie blossomed into a friendship, but it has been reported that Ruth discovered Eamonn had been showering Katie with gifts in the run up to their split. He had accompanied her on a trip to a safari park with her children, a 14-year-old daughter and 13-year-old son, and had even given them tickets to a Beyonce concert.

But anyone who knows Holmes will be aware that he loves female company. Even when he was with Ruth, friends told me he would cheekily flirt with other women.

One woman told me Eamonn would often arrange to meet up and was very supportive of her career. Another said that Eamonn would make plans with her to socialise, insisting that his then wife Ruth preferred to be at home.

'Eamonn would always say that Ruth didn't want to go far,' said one source close to the star. 'He loved to have a pretty girl on his arm to go anywhere. Ruth works hard, she had both This Morning and Loose Women to host when they were together, as well as a really lucrative job at QVC. She didn't always want to be gallivanting with Eamonn so he would find others to do that with.'

But Eamonn's new relationship seems rather more serious than the others.

Katie has already been to Belfast - somewhere Ruth was not keen to visit - to meet Holmes' three children from his first marriage: Declan, 35, Rebecca, 32, and Niall, 30.

And their jaunt to Paris was one in a long string of romantic dates. On December 5, the couple was seen leaving a Christmas carol concert in west London. Earlier in the day they had been together for the prestigious Television and Radio Industries Club lunch.

In summer, there was a luxurious cruise around Europe - a freebie given to Eamonn after he signed a lucrative deal to be an ambassador for the holiday company Not Just Travel.

They jetted out to Barcelona and boarded the ship - they were in a 1,500-a-night mega suite - and headed to Toulon on the French Riviera, then on to Marina di Carrara in Italy. Next they sailed down to Civitavecchia, north of Rome, before heading on to Ibiza.

They were spotted by paparazzi in Ibiza and again at the airport when they arrived home. I'm told Eamonn hates the attention - and can't work out how the paps always know where he will be.

'He can't quite work out why it keeps happening,' said one source close to him. 'He has an inkling that it might be someone who isn't a massive fan of his and that brings a bit of a cloud to the relationship.'

Perhaps that explains why Eamonn isn't cracking a smile in any of the paparazzi pics. Friends insist he loves life with Katie.

'It might not look like it a lot of the time,' says one friend. 'But he is happier than he has been, he's getting out there and trying to enjoy his autumnal years, despite being in a lot of pain sometimes.

'Again, it might not seem obvious but he is footloose and fancy-free now, and is enjoying some freedom, travelling a lot with an attractive woman on his arm. It's just a shame he doesn't smile a bit more about it.'
Taron Egerton enjoyed a romantic stroll with new girlfriend Chloe Bennett in New York City on Thursday, just days after the pair confirmed their romance.

The Welsh star, 35, and Marvel actress, 32, wrapped up from the winter chill as they took in the sights of the Big Apple.

Taron wore a dark cardigan over a casual black ensemble which he teamed with a pair of comfortable beige high top trainers.

Meanwhile Chloe, who's best known for her role in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, opted for a long brown coat and jeans.

The stunner completed the look with a knitted beanie while styling her long high-lighted tresses in loose waves.

Last week the couple were spotted for the first time together as they once again strolled though the streets of New York before stopping in a cafe for a kiss.

Taron Egerton, 35, enjoyed a romantic stroll with new girlfriend Chloe Bennett, 32, in New York City on Thursday, just days after the pair confirmed their romance

Taron and Chloe have been secretly seeing each other for several months with the pair enjoying dates in the UK and US, claims The Sun.

The Welsh star reportedly joined celebrity dating app Raya after his split from is long-term girlfriend Emily Thomas in April 2022.

He deleted all traces of the assistant director from his Instagram profile at the time, with sources close to the star claiming their relationship became 'strained' due to their busy schedules.

An insider has now said of his new relationship: 'Taron has had a turbulent few years but things are much better with Chloe in the picture.

'They met in the US and went on a string of dates here before deciding to take a trip to the UK together.

'He showed her some of his favourite spots and they managed to fly under the radar, which was convenient because they're both super-private people.

'They are busy and taking it slowly, but from what they've been telling friends, it is going really well.'

Representatives for Taron and Chloe have been contacted by MailOnline for comment.

Last week the couple were spotted for the first time together as they once again strolled though the streets of New York before stopping in a cafe for a kiss

Chloe as Daisy Johnson / Quake in Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D

Taron has been secretly dating the actress for several months with the pair enjoying dates in the UK and US according to reports

The Welsh star reportedly joined celebrity dating app Raya after his split from is long-term girlfriend Emily Thomas in April 2022 (seen with Emily in 2020)

Chloe most recently dated Charles Melton (pictured) with the pair quietly breaking off their romance towards the end of 'last year' after they were first romantically linked in spring 2023

Chloe most recently dated Charles Melton with the pair quietly breaking off their romance towards the end of 'last year' after they were first romantically linked in spring 2023.

The Riverdale actor - who recently starred alongside Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman in Netflix's May December - was previously seen with the Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. actress back in August of last year.

At the time, the pair had attended a Taylor Swift concert at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and were spotted strolling side-by-side outside of the large venue.

Chloe previously dated boxer and YouTube star Logan Paul.

Taron split from his long-term girlfriend Emily after six years together in 2022.

Emily has worked on blockbuster movies including the likes of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Wonder Woman and Justice League.

Taron previously split with his partner in 2018 before confirming they had romantically reconciled at the pre-BAFTA Filmmakers Dinner four months later.

In November of that year, the actor dropped the bombshell he had split from Emily after two years together.

A month later he was spotted putting on a very cosy display with Kirsty Gallacher, then 42, with the pair leaving a party together at 4am.
It is Wicked. Really, really Wicked.

We all know of men who can't control themselves. That after their wife has given birth - and when the husband is no longer the infant in the family - they toddle off to pastures new.

But for a woman to aid a man in doing this to another woman is, well, as I say, Wicked.

To recap. Ariana Grande, a 31-year-old pop star famed for her high voice and even higher ponytail, met an actor ginger nut called Ethan Slater, 32, on the set of her latest film, a musical based on the Wizard Of Oz called, well, you guessed it. He plays a munchkin: not a huge leap.

They start 'growing closer' while both married to other people, Grande to Dalton Gomez, an estate agent, and Slater to Lilly Jay, a brilliant clinical psychologist specialising in women's mental health. Both Slater and Grande filed for divorce last year, within days of each other, and three days later announced their relationship.

Slater's wife of six years has spoken of the 'darkness' of being so publicly cuckolded. Watching him promote the musical on red carpets around the world is, she says, a painful reminder of 'the public downfall of my marriage'. He of course claims they were separated when he met the Hollywood star. To cap it all, Jay and Slater have a young son - she almost died giving birth to him - who was less than a year old as this happened.

Ethan Slater and Ariana Grande together on the red carpet at the Wicked premiere last month

Lilly Jay, a clinical psychologist, with Ethan Slater. The pair have a young son together

Now, Jay has written an essay published in The Cut this week - so much more high-brow and considered than canoodling on a carpet - saying how she noted that during her pregnancy she had 'never felt happier nor more aware of how precarious happiness could be. I survived preeclampsia and finally, our family was whole. Mine is a story of worrying in the wrong direction,' she wrote.

Yeah. Take your eye off the ball and the man will soon score a spectacular own goal.

I kind of love Jay because she hasn't taken this lying down.

In interviews, she has branded the popstrel to be 'not a girl's girl' and that 'my family is just collateral damage'.

To be humiliated in public is horrendous, and I should know. My husband of three years had numerous affairs, both before and after we were married. I only found out by opening my laptop and seeing he had lazily left his email queue open. And there they were, hundreds of emails, the most recent arranging to meet up in New York, on a trip paid for by me.

I stood up and found the camera I'd given him to take travelling in India (he'd whined it was 'really heavy, and the strap will make me hot'), and scrolled through photos of him in bed with a blonde, cuddling her on a balcony, which he hadn't bothered to delete. Her delicate wrist was adorned with friendship bracelets. Well, she was no friend to the sisterhood!

I'd given my husband a beautiful home, a leg-up in his career. I was funny, generous, warm, well-groomed and expensively dressed and yet still he cheated.

Lilly Jay gave her husband an even greater gift: a child. Women tend to blame ourselves but, Lilly, I am telling you now that his desertion is not your fault. It's about his weakness. And it is also about Grande's predatory behaviour; because as the big star she holds all the power. I'd imagine as a lowly cast member making moves on the star would get him sacked. And is she certain of his motives? Look at this ginger nobody's new-found level of fame.

Liz Jones on her wedding day to her ex-husband, who cheated on her multiple times

My husband seemed proud of his prowess. While he begged me to forgive him, he still, in an interview in The Guardian, spoke without regret of his infidelity: I suppose it buffed his 'bad boy' novelist kudos.

Of course, people fall out of love. But as a betrayed wife, I couldn't understand why he would say this. As Emma Thompson says so movingly to her errant husband in Love, Actually, 'You've made the life I lead foolish.'

Once the news of our marriage breakdown made the front page, men would look me up and down and think: 'Hmm, there must be something wrong with her.' Women, though, would come up to me on the street or check-out counter and say, 'You are well rid.'

The best thing about a marital breakdown being played out in public? You can, like Jay, wreak delicious revenge. I published the emails between my husband and the woman I gave a highly insulting name. Oh, and I published her real name, too: it's Daphne. And the name of the next one (I stupidly took my ex back), Kavita, a work experience girl he met at a literary festival.

Of course, both women told me they had no idea we were still a couple, as my husband had lied.

But women need to be more mindful of the lives they destroy - they could have easily googled us to find out we were still together - and remember, if he can cheat on me, he can cheat on you, too.

Ariana Grande with her ex Dalton Gomez. Both Slater and Grande filed for divorce last year, within days of each other

Will Ariana and the ginger nut go the distance? He will benefit financially, but only if they get married. While she clearly believes she is catnip to men (as she sings in Let Me Love You: 'Now I'm out here single, I don't really know what's next I'm a chill and sit back, I know they will be coming from the right and the left'), I can't see her residing long in the hearts of her very young fans, starry-eyed idealists all.

I stalked Daphne on social media for years. When I told my by-then ex-husband she had just had a baby. 'Has she? I haven't thought of her in years, didn't know she was on Facebook,' he said. These infatuations, potted in the compost of carnal desire, rarely thrive.

Lilly Jay. One day, he will regret that he lost you, and become a bitter loveless failure no woman will touch with a barge pole.

I speak from experience.
Brittany Murphy's co-stars from her final film have recalled that she suffered a lot before she died.

Murphy, whose former home is on the market, passed away at the age of 32 on December 20, 2009, about six months after production wrapped on Something Wicked.

The actress had been going through a 'hard time' physically on the set, according to co-star Katie O'Grady.

'She was just a little bird that you wanted to be around and you wanted to help,' the Portlandia star told People.

O'Grady and Murphy met in Eugene, Oregon, where they were working on the supernatural thriller.

From her interactions with the actress, who had captured hearts in movies such as Clueless and Girl, Interrupted, O'Grady recalled that 5ft3in star seemed 'frail,' and was 'going through a hard time.'

She remembered the cast and crew had the impression they needed 'to be soft around her,' and that the 8 Mile star was so 'petite,' it seemed as if she could be 'scooped up' with little effort.

Brittany Murphy's co-stars from her final film are speaking about their experience with the late actress 15 years after her untimely death at age 32 on December 20, 2009. Pictured in Beverly Hills on December 1, 2009

Murphy's had lost considerable weight prior to the project, but denied she had an eating disorder. Her co-stars said the Critics Choice Awards nominee's physical discomfort did not get in the way of her professionalism, or kindness.

O'Grady described a day in which they were filming in a jail cell and it was extremely hot, and everyone was sweating, but Murphy wanted to make sure there was enough water for everyone.

Another time, the Happy Feet voice actress took time to teach a novice co-star about eye lines and where to look depending on which side of the face the camera was on.

'You could just feel a really deep kindness, a soft spirit about Brittany, that it made you just feel comfortable and soft,' the Half Sisters actress said.

Co-star October Moore, spoke about getting ready to shoot a confrontational scene with Murphy, and was fidgeting with her slip-on shoes. The two were sitting at a bistro table, so Murphy suggested she 'just take them off.'

'That was such a kindness from a seasoned professional to a very new actor,' Moore told the publication.

'She made me feel very comfortable and at ease and just had this kind of effervescent sweetness.'

O'Grady recalls shaking Murphy's 'little hand,' goodbye as the leading lady told her 'I'm so glad I got to meet you,' after production had wrapped.

Murphy's final film was the supernatural thriller Something Wicked. The movie, shot in 2009, was not released until 2014

Murphy was a popular and talented actress who had captured hearts in films such as Clueless (Seen her with Clueless co-star Jeremy Sisto)

The actress received accolades for her strong performance in the Oscar winning 1999 film, Girl, Interrupted

'She made moments and she created moments with everybody that she met to the best of her ability that she could with the energy that she had,' co-star Katie O'Grady told People (Pictured in Beverly Hills in March 2022)

October Moore, spoke about preparing to shoot a confrontational scene with Murphy, and was fidgeting with her slip-on shoes and Murphy suggested she 'just take them off.' 'That was such a kindness from a seasoned professional to a very new actor,' the actress told the publication

'There was still some part of her so present and so loving to take the time to do that in such a soft way. It was such a kind and loving goodbye,' the Silent Echoes writer and director said.

'She made moments and she created moments with everybody that she met to the best of her ability that she could with the energy that she had.'

Commenting on Murphy's limited physical strength, O'Grady said she wished her co-star had someone she could rely on with her on set. 'I just feel that she could have used somebody in her life that maybe was strong.'

Murphy's husband, British screenwriter Simon Monjack was often on set, according to O'Grady, but he did not provide the kind of protection she thought Murphy needed.

'We know when we meet somebody that's not well, and an instant feeling of this woman needs to be protected, this woman needs strength, energy, support,' she explained.

Murphy's official cause of death was listed as pneumonia, but was also suffering from anemia, according to the Los Angeles Coroner's office.

Her husband, British screenwriter Simon Monjack died of the same conditions five months later in May 2010 at age 40 (pictured in Beverly Hills in March 2008)

Monjack died of the same conditions five months later in May 2010 at age 40.

Something Wicked was finally released in 2014, but even though she attended the premiere, O'Grady has yet to see the movie. The Cellar Door star feels she might be ready now, as a way of paying her respects to her late friend and co-star.

'She really deserved a different story. Her core is so good. Her spirit is so good,' she said.

'That was not a person who was out in the world to hurt or make people feel small,' O'Grady maintained. 'That was not a woman who deserved that story. But that was her story and that was why she was here, and that was all that was meant to be.'
Roland Li covers commercial real estate for the business desk, focusing on the Bay Area office and retail sectors.

He was previously a reporter at San Francisco Business Times, where he won one award from the California News Publishers Association and three from the National Association of Real Estate Editors.

He is the author of Good Luck Have Fun: The Rise of eSports," a 2016 book on the history of the competitive video game industry. Before moving to the Bay Area in 2015, he studied and worked in New York. He freelanced for the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and other local publications. His hobbies include swimming and urban photography.
Leonardo DiCaprio was seen with his pretty niece Normandie DiCaprio in Santa Monica, California on Thursday.

They were joined by Robert De Niro and his girlfriend, Tiffany Chen.

The Taxi Driver actor, 81 - whose new sequel Meet The Parents 4 has been slammed - joined the others to grab a meal at celebrity hotspot, Giorgio Baldi, with Christmas just around the corner.

The Hollywood star and Chen, 45, notably welcomed their first child together - a daughter named Gia - in April 2023.

De Niro kept it casual wearing a black polo shirt as well as a pair of khaki pants for the nighttime excursion.

He layered the outfit with a black jacket and additionally slipped into a pair of black sneakers for a finishing touch.

Robert - who worked with Leonardo on Killers Of The Flower Moon (2023) - easily carried a navy cap in his right hand while exiting the restaurant, while he held his smartphone in the other.

Leonardo DiCaprio was seen with his pretty niece in Santa Monica, California on Thursday.

The star's teenage niece, Normandie, also joined on the lowkey dinner outing

The actor's girlfriend, Tiffany - whom he was first romantically linked to in 2021 - put on a stylish display in a black dress as well as a long black coat.

The martial arts instructor also donned a pair of black, over-the-knee heeled boots while her dark locks were pulled back into a sleek ponytail.

Chen sported a pair of fashionable shades and carried a yellow purse in her hand that offered a pop of color to the monochromatic look.

Leonardo covered in up in a black hoodie that was zipped up at the front and also opted for black pants and comfy sneakers.

The Titanic star - who celebrated his 50th birthday last month - sported a black shirt underneath as well as a black cap that was placed on top of his head.

The star's teenage niece, Normandie, also joined the lowkey dinner outing with the stars.

She is the daughter of Charity Moore and Adam Farrar - who is notably DiCaprio's estranged stepbrother. When she was six-years-old, Normandie was 'abducted' by her own father.

The scandal took place in early 2014 when both Adam and Charity had been arrested separately on drug charges.

She was found in the state of Texas and brought back to California, where she was put into the care of Leonardo's own father, George DiCaprio.

Robert De Niro, 81, and his girlfriend, Tiffany Chen, 45, enjoyed a dinner date

Earlier this year in May, Leonardo and his niece Normandie were spotted in Beverly Hills as he treated her to a lavish shopping spree.

After enjoying dinner at Giorgio Baldi on Thursday, the group was seen leaving the popular eatery by stepping out into the chilly night temperatures.

Robert and Tiffany first crossed paths in 2015 while on set of this film titled The Intern - also starring Anne Hathaway.

In the movie, Chen played the role of a Tai Chi instructor who assists De Niro's character, Ben. At the time, the actor was still married to Grace Hightower, whom he divorced in 2018.

The star and Tiffany were first romantically linked three years later in 2021 and welcomed their daughter Gia last year in April - which is Robert's seventh child.

However, he didn't confirm the big news until one month later while talking to ET Canada.

When questioned about raising six children, the actor replied with, 'Seven, actually. I just had a baby.'

Robert and Tiffany first crossed paths in 2015 while on set of this film titled The Intern - also starring Anne Hathaway; seen earlier this month in NYC

Earlier this year in January, Robert opened up about raising a new baby in his 80s while talking to AARP The Magazine.

'Everything that I'm consumed with or worried about just goes away when I look at her. It's wondrous,' he gushed to the outlet.

The Goodfellas star then became emotional while adding, 'When she gets older - who knows? But that very sweet way she has of looking at you, taking you in, thinking and watching and observing...'

'I want to be around for as long as I can to enjoy it and enjoy her,' De Niro added to the publication.

And during an interview with People in February, he expressed, 'She's such an adorable baby. So sweet.'

'[When I] look at her, everything else goes away. So it's a great joy and relief to just be with her in the moment.'

Robert is also father to six additional children: Drena, 53, Raphael, 48, twins Aaron and Julian, 29, Elliot, 26, as well as Helen Grace, 12.

In regards to his big family, the star stated, 'The fact that they'd all be together is everything to me.'

'Everything that I'm consumed with or worried about just goes away when I look at her. It's wondrous,' he gushed to the outlet; seen in October in Lisbon

With 2024 coming to a close, Leonardo has been surrounded by rumors that he is engaged to supermodel, Vittoria Ceretti, 26; seen in 2023 in L.A.

While De Niro and Chen mainly keep their relationship private, the pair have still been seen out together on various occasions.

Most recently, the couple attended iHeartRadio z100's Jingle Ball concert in NYC earlier this month.

Four months earlier in September, they held hands while stopping by the Megalopolis premiere in the Big Apple.

With 2024 coming to a close, Leonardo has also been surrounded by rumors that he is engaged to supermodel, Vittoria Ceretti, 26.

Speculation arose when Ceretti - whom he was first romantically linked to in August 2023 - was spotted wearing a heart-shaped ring on her left hand, as well as an email sent to gossip blog DeuxMoi.

However, sources previously shut down the rumors to TMZ and stated the model has reportedly owned the ring since 2022.

Speculation arose when Ceretti - whom he was first romantically linked to in August 2023 - was spotted wearing a heart-shaped ring on her left hand, as well as an email sent to gossip blog DeuxMoi; Ceretti seen in September in Paris

But fans still took to social media to share their thoughts on a possible engagement late last month, with one penning, 'NAH MY DAWG FINALLY TIED DOWN???'

'OMG SHE DID IT! SHE BROKE THE CURSE!!' another wrote, referencing to the actor's alleged '25 and under' rule.

One fan typed out, '50 is a good age to settle down and start a family,' while another shared, 'I fear he gonna divorce her before she hits 30.'

Last month, the pair whisked themselves away to Mexico to celebrate his 50th birthday - and he was later seen during Art Basel this month in Florida without Vittoria by his side.
Swimsuit model Devon Windsor was seen posing in stylish bikini from her the winter collection of her stunning swimwear line.

The 30-year-old star from St Louis, Missouri displayed her lean size zero figure with her toned tummy while on a white sand beach.

The former Victoria's Secret pinup - who is an impressive 5ft11in - was photographed on a balcony with the seashore behind her.

The dark brown shiny suit had a chic top and high-waisted bottoms as she had a colorful wrap over her tanned shoulders.

'Salty,' was all she wrote in her caption.

Devon launched her popular self-named brand four years ago and has been modeling the collections ever since in Miami and the Bahamas.

Swimsuit model Devon Windsor was seen posing in stylish bikini from her the winter collection of her stunning swimwear line

The 30-year-old star from St Louis, Missouri displayed her lean size zero figure with her toned tummy while on a white sand beach

Devon appears to be at her thinnest in years after welcoming two daughters with husband Johnny Dex Barbara.

In 2021 she gave birth to their first child, Enzo Elodie Barbara, and in May 2023 she welcomed their second daughter, Celine Blue Barbara.

Devon has been a model for over a decade and has been in the swimsuit-making business for the last four years.

In 2019 she launched Devon Windsor Swim, an affordable swimwear line which also captures her personal style.

'I am super excited to announce that I am launching Devon Windsor Swim this summer !!! I have been working for the past year on this project and cannot wait to see you guys wearing it!' she announced on social media at the time.

Speaking with V Magazine about starting up the collection, she said: 'Being in the fashion industry, I was always interested in expanding my brand outside of just modeling.

'I loved the aspect of design and the creativity and freedom in being able to have your own line. Swimsuits have always been a passion of mine because I love the oceanit is where I feel most at home.

The former Victoria's Secret pinup - who is an impressive 5ft11in - was photographed on a balcony with the seashore behind her

The dark brown shiny suit had a chic top and high-waisted bottoms as she had a colorful wrap over her tanned shoulders. 'Salty,' was all she wrote in her caption

'Over the past couple of years, I have noticed a gap in the market for a swimsuit that is more than your average basic bikini, without breaking your bank.

'For me, swimwear is a strong form of self-expression and something that you should feel confident and powerful in. With this in mind, I decided to create an affordable line of statement swimsuitsDevon Windsor.'

As far as what makes her collection standout in the marketplace, she said: 'I wanted this line to be a reflection of my personal style, while also being a collection and brand that everyone could find something they love.

'I also wanted the collection to be affordable, and something that carries a lot of design details.

'The range offers a large variety of versatile silhouettes, colors, patterns, textures and hardwareall with an immense amount of detail that went into selecting each.

Devon launched her popular self-named brand four years ago and has been modeling the collections ever since in Miami and the Bahamas

Seen this week with her husband Johnny Dex Barbara

'I feel like the versatility of each piece and huge attention to detail that I put into each aspect of every design is what sets this line apart from others.'

Outside of the corporate world, Devon is a busy mother of two. She shares daughters Enzo Elodie Barbara, two, and Celine Blue Barbara, six months, with her husband Jonathan.

Devon married her businessman beau in a beachside St. Barts ceremony in 2019.

Discovered at the age of 14, Devon has been a professional model ever since.
Kim Kardashian almost spilled out of her low-cut red leather grommeted dress on Thursday evening.

The 44-year-old SKIMS mogul was attending a Christmas party at Mexican restaurant Casa Vega in Sherman Oaks, California.

The mother of four had on her black boot for her broken foot with the other foot in a gold heel as she pushed her way around the restaurant on a decorated black scooter.

Also at the holiday bash was 40-year-old sister Khloe Kardashian in a black dress with over-the-knee boots.

And their mother Kris Jenner, 69, had on the same outfit as Khloe only hers was winter white.

At the event, the family's band was represented with Kylie Jenner's Sprinter drink, Kendall Jenner's 818 tequila.

Kim Kardashian almost spilled out of her low-cut red leather grommeted dress on Thursday evening

The 44-year-old SKIMS mogul was attending a Christmas party at Mexican restaurant Casa Vega in Sherman Oaks, California

This comes after Kim said her family's annual Christmas Eve party will be more 'low-key' this year.

Matriarch Kris started the tradition back in 1987 at her home, but in recent year, her daughters Kourtney, 45, and Kim have hosted at their houses.

Kim explained that the gathering will be a little more 'intimate' this year, due to 'construction' work going on.

Speaking to Vogue, Kim shared: 'Just because we have a lot of construction going on, so we're doing a really family intimate one that I'm really excited about.'

However, that won't stop the family getting all glammed up.

Kim added: 'Still dressing up to the nines, because that's what we do.'

The Skims founder - who has North, 11, Saint, nine, Chicago, six, and five-year-old Psalm with ex-husband Kanye West - says the parties are so legendary that even their children's friends wish they could attend.

She has vowed to keep the festive family tradition going.

She said: 'They're just beginning. Our kids love them and now all their friends want to come. It's such a fun tradition.'

Before she went out, she took selfies at home with Tracy Romulous in the background

One of the only times it was cancelled was amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, it was recently reported that Kim has started dating again.

The reality star split from comedian Pete Davidson, 31, in late 2022 after nine months together.

And now she is said to be involved with someone who is not in the public eye.

A source told Us Weekly: 'Kim has started dating someone new and keeping it very under wraps.

'She's said the next person she dates will be someone who isn't famous.'

The mother of four had on her black boot for her broken foot with the other foot in a gold heel as she pushed her way around the restaurant on a decorated black scooter

She had on a long necklace with matching earrings

The star seemed to be in great spirits as she smiled for Khloe who took the video

Kim wore long bangs in front with her hair jet black

The video lasted a long time as she showed off her look

For a moment, she flashed a devilish look

The dress had cut outs on the sides showing Kim's ribs

Her glam squad worked hard to get the right look for the ex-wife of Kanye West

Kris had on all white as she held a bottle of tequila

Also at the holiday bash was 40-year-old sister Khloe Kardashian in a black dress with over-the-knee boots

The Kardashians star doesn't speak out much about her private life but did note last year that she was going to 'take [her] time' with finding love again.

Speaking on the 'On Purpose with Jay Shetty' podcast, she said: 'I think I'll always be a hopeless romantic and always want to be in love and definitely love sharing my life with someone, and love creating a life with someone.

'I definitely will take my time. And I think there's so many factors, especially when you have kids and being mindful of people that enter in your life. I think just having that mutual respect, treating people with respect is just a given.'

Kim was married to Damon Thomas from 2000 until 2004, and Kris Humphries for a period of 72 days in 2011.

The businesswoman was married to rapper Kanye from 2014 until 2022.
Strictly's Vito Coppola publicly shared his love and support for Graziano Di Prima five months after the dancer was sacked over abuse allegations.

In July, Graziano was axed from the BBC show over reports he 'hit and kicked' his former partner Zara McDermott, 27, during rehearsals last year.

After a few months out of the spotlight, he has been making his way back into the public eye lately, recently starring in Netflix film, A Paris Christmas Waltz, starring alongside Matthew Morrison, Jen Lilley, Jade Ewen and Paul Freeman.

While his fellow Strictly professionals have not commented on the allegations, on Friday Vito publicly declared his support as he shared a snap of the pair catching up over coffee.

On his Instagram Story the Italian dancers were seen beaming at the camera, with Vito writing: 'amico mio ti voglio bene', which translates to 'my friend I love you'.

Strictly's Vito Coppola publicly shared his love and support for Graziano Di Prima on Friday in an Instagram post five months after the dancer was sacked over abuse allegations

Graziano fled the UK when the abuse scandal broke to his native Italy with his wife - who is a professional dancer on the Italian version of the series.

Earlier this month, he returned for the first time since leaving, being spotted arriving for a dance class in London.

The former Strictly pro recently broke his silence following his sacking as he teased his return to the spotlight.

Graziano took to social media to share he is raring to get back on the stage, posting a moody video of himself walking on a bridge at night time, before being joined by Giada.

Alongside the clip, Graziano wrote: 'Dance has always been the center of my life, my greatest passion, the path I chose and dedicated years of study, sacrifice, and love to.

'After a period of reflection, I feel stronger than ever and eager to return to what I love most: dancing.

'The future is a whole world of new open windows, ready to welcome new dreams and new challenges, and I'm excited to continue this journey with even more determination and inspiration.'

Speaking to his fans, Graziano added: 'A heartfelt thank you to everyone who is always there for me. I'm thrilled to dance again with the same enthusiasm and dedication as always.

'See you soon, whether on stage or through new projects that I will be very excited to share with you.'

In July, Graziano was axed from the BBC show over reports he 'hit and kicked' his former partner Zara McDermott , 27, during rehearsals last year

According to The Sun, Graziano has now 'called in top lawyers to sue the BBC ' in a bid to clear his name.

Barristers from Whitestone Chambers have 'already read thousands of text and WhatsApp messages' and believe the Italian 'could sue for unfair dismissal'.

A source said: 'Graziano feels he wasn't allowed a fair opportunity to give his side of the story so has been heartened to hear the legal team think he has a case for unfair dismissal.'

They added: 'They've also looked at his BBC contract and believe there are grounds to sue. He is weighing up his options but remains hopeful he can clear his name.'

Strictly production staff raised concerns about Graziano's conduct last year, but bosses only went as far as to issue quiet warnings to him.

The group expected him to be sacked instantly. They are said to be furious that their complaints were ignored, meaning the abuse towards Zara was allowed to continue and Graziano was even signed on for the upcoming 2024 series of Strictly .

It was not until staff got hold of a video allegedly showing Graziano repeatedly hitting Zara  nine months after their initial complaint  that he was fired.

Graziano later confirmed and regretted his actions against Zara.

After a few months out of the spotlight, he has been making his way back into the public eye lately, recently starring in Netflix film, A Paris Christmas Waltz

Addressing his exit from the show, a 'devastated' Di Prima wrote on Instagram: 'I deeply regret the events that led to my departure from Strictly .

'My intense passion and determination to win might have affected my training regime.'

'While respecting the BBC HR process, I acknowledge it's only right for the sake of the show that I step away. I am saddened that I wasn't allowed to offer a quote to the online news stories, and I take on board the sensitivity of the situation.

'There's more to this story that I am unable to discuss at this time, but I am committed to being strong for my family and friends. I wish the Strictly family nothing but success in the future.'

Graziano joined Strictly in 2018 and was last year partnered with the former Love Island star but they were eliminated in week six.

He was previously paired with presenter Vick Hope, Loose Women star Judi Love and in 2022 and he reached the quarter-final with actor Kym Marsh.
Grace Gummer and husband Mark Ronson are expecting their second child together nearly two years after welcoming their first baby, a girl named Ruthie.

The daughter of Meryl Streep, 38, revealed the big news as she debuted her growing baby bump on Wednesday during Ronson and Justin Theroux's holiday bash at Pebble Bar in NYC.

The actress and record producer, 49, tied the knot in 2021 and their first child was born in early 2023.

While attending the star-studded event this week, Gummer donned a skintight reddish-orange dress that clung to her frame to show off her burgeoning stomach.

Her blonde locks were parted to the side, and effortlessly cascaded down past her shoulders in light waves.

In one image from the party, Mark could be seen standing by her side wearing a light blue button up while Theroux also joined in for the lighthearted snap.

Grace Gummer, 38, and husband, Mark Ronson, 49, are expecting their second child together - nearly two years after welcoming their first baby, a girl named Ruthie

Back in March of last year, Ronson's sister Annabelle Dexter-Jones revealed to People that her brother and Grace had become parents.

At the time, she informed the outlet, '[Gummer] just had the baby. She's two and a half months now. She's stunning.'

In October 2023, it was announced that the couple were expecting baby number one when Gummer unveiled her baby bump at W Magazine's 50th anniversary party in the Big Apple.

A source told Page Six they are 'thrilled' to be parents and added that the Uptown Funk hitmaker 'has always wanted to be a dad.'

Earlier this year in January, Mark revealed the name of their baby girl while accepting a Critics Choice Awards for the song, I'm Just Ken, which is included on the Barbie soundtrack.

While on stage, the star addressed the crowd and expressed, 'To my wife and my daughter, Ruthie and Grace, you are my world and my everything, so thank you so much.'

'And if I forgot anybody, I'll make a post later on Instagram,' Ronson added before concluding his speech at the ceremony.'

Since welcoming their first child, Grace and Mark have been seen on a few, rare outings with their little one.

The daughter of Meryl Streep revealed the big news as she debuted her growing baby bump on Wednesday during Ronson and Justin Theroux's holiday bash at Pebble Bar in NYC (seen above with Hannah Bronfman)

The actress and record producer tied the knot in 2021 and their first child was born in early 2023; seen in June in NYC

Earlier this year in March, the two brought their daughter Ruthie along for a relaxing family vacation in Mexico.

The couple spent time on the beach and at one point, stepped into the shallow shore with their daughter.

During an interview with People in February, the record producer opened up about becoming a parent in a candid chat.

'The most important thing is being around for her, so I've never had that - I mean, obviously with my wife too, I love her; I never want to be apart from her for more than a day if I don't have to be.'

'I have to be away sometimes to go write music and do whatever I have to do. But it's like once you have the child too, it really truly does just become everything that is now the most important thing.'

He sweetly added, 'My family is my anchor. For everything, they're at the forethought of every single decision I make.'

Mark further recalled that Ruthie 'was born in the middle of making' the soundtrack for Greta Gerwig's Barbie.

'Her first time in a recording studio was when we were doing the final mix on I'm Just Ken, and I was walking her back and forth, listening at a much more reasonable volume than I usually would be.'

During an interview with People in February, the record producer opened up about becoming a parent in a candid chat

Both Gummer and Ronson mainly stay private about their relationship and personal life.

However, the two have been seen at a number of events together, such as Milan Fashion Week in February and the 2024 Oscars in March.

The lovebirds became engaged in May 2021, and tied the knot a few months later in August during an intimate ceremony in New York City.

The British-born DJ also confirmed they said 'I do' in an Instagram post in September 2021 as he celebrated his 46th birthday.

At the time, he uploaded a photo from their wedding day and penned, 'To my truest love...out of nowhere, you made 45 hands down the greatest year of my life. And I'm sure it took me 45 years to become the man worthy of your love.'

After marrying Gummer, Mark has also developed a close bond with his mother-in-law and Hollywood actress, Meryl Streep; seen in February in L.A.

'I hope I spend every one of these birthdays by your side til my last day. And beyond. Forever and ever yours  (and yes, we got married).'

After marrying Gummer, Mark has also developed a close bond with his mother-in-law and Hollywood actress, Meryl Streep.

In February, The Devil Wears Prada star and Ronson appeared on stage together during the 2024 Grammy Awards to present Album of the Year.

At one point, she stated, 'I'm really, really honored to be here tonight with you, Mark, to present the most important award of the night, the best album of the year,' with the star also adding that, 'She can do everything.'
Vanessa Kirby is reportedly engaged to boyfriend Paul Rabil after two years together.

The actress, 36, who starred as Princess Margaret in Netflix's The Crown, is allegedly set to head down the aisle with lacrosse player love, 39, after he popped the question, according to Page Six

MailOnline have contacted representatives of Paul and Vanessa for comment.

The couple first sparked dating rumours walking hand-in-hand through New York City in October 2022.

However, Vanessa and Paul didn't make their romance Instagram official until November 2023.

At the time, American Paul - who is the co-founder of the Premier Lacrosse League - shared a series of photographs of the couple including one of them embracing on a beach.

Vanessa Kirby is reportedly engaged to boyfriend Paul Rabil after two years together

The actress, 36, who starred as Princess Margaret in Netflix 's The Crown , is allegedly set to head down the aisle with lacrosse player love after he popped the question, according to Page Six

'From the very minute we first met in Des Moines, around the world and back, life is far better, more purposeful and more beautiful with you,' he wrote about the film star.

The couple have been spotted on several occasions together since 2022, but had kept quiet about their blossoming romance.

Paul previously dated Mexican actress Eiza Gonzalez and was married to fellow sportswoman Kelly Berger, from 2014 until 2017.

In April 2022, Vanessa was linked to Christopher Abbott after the pair were spotted enjoying a drink at a trendy bar in London's Soho.

The pair, who met when they played a married couple in 19th Century romantic drama The World To Come in 2020, were deep in conversation at Ducksoup.

An onlooker said the stars 'looked super comfortable in each other's company' as they drank wine and chatted for a couple of hours at an outside table.

Vanessa previously dated Callum Turner after they starred in 2014's Queen And Country.

They got together a year later but parted in 2020, blaming busy schedules for their split.

The couple first sparked dating rumours walking hand-in-hand through New York City in October 2022. However, Vanessa and Paul didn't make their romance Instagram official until November 2023 [pictured in October 2023 with Sophie Tabet]

Vanessa previously dated Callum Turner after they starred in 2014's Queen And Country. They got together a year later but parted in 2020, blaming busy schedules for their split (pictured together)

It was reported in December 2022 by Just Jared that Paul split with actress Eiza Gonzalez, 34, after seven months of dating [pictured together in 2021]

The actress previously told how she preferred to keep her relationship with Callum out of the spotlight so that it didn't become 'interesting' to people.

She told Marie Claire magazine: 'I keep my relationship super private.

'He is just completely wonderful and he's my best friend, so that's... I guess you can either choose to talk about it or not. If you talk about it, it becomes interesting to people, but if you don't, then it's not.'

Meanwhile It was reported in December 2022 by Just Jared that Paul split with actress Eiza Gonzalez, 34, after seven months of dating.

The source said: 'The split happened a few weeks ago and it wasn't ugly at all. Their work schedules just weren't aligning and it put a strain on their relationship. They're going to remain friends though!'

MailOnline has previously reached out to representatives of both Vanessa and Paul for comment at the time.

Paul was also married to fellow sportswoman Kelly Berger, from 2014 until 2017.
Kyle Richards put on a brave face as she said goodbye to her in-laws following a family lunch in Beverly Hills on Thursday.

The reality star, 55, who is reportedly 'heartbroken' over estranged husband Mauricio Umansky dating women young enough to be his daughter, was seen sharing farewell hugs with her daughters and Umansky's parents outside the Porta Via restaurant.

The influencer appeared to be relying on her large family, including her estranged husband's parents, during the difficult split, as Umansky seems to jump from one woman to another.

Richards was seen with her daughters, Farrah Aldjufrie, 36, from her first marriage and Alexia, 28, Sophia, 24, and Portia, 16, whom she shares with Umansky.

The Halloween franchise actress looked relaxed in a pair of chocolate brown jeans and a tan V-neck sweater, which complemented the warm tones in her skin.

Her long dark hair was styled straight and her makeup looked natural behind a large pair of dark framed sunglasses.

Kyle Richards, 55, put on a brave face as she said stepped out for a family lunch in Beverly Hills on Thursday

She and Farrah, who looked casually chic in a burgundy mock turtleneck sweater and wide leg jeans, seemed to walk away together.

The Buying Beverly Hills star, 54, whose love life seems to have become quite chaotic, was seen earlier this week in Aspen with 33-year-old model Klaudia K, before stepping out with someone else.

The tony Colorado ski town is where he, Kyle and their kids have often spend the holiday season.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star spoke out about what she considers her ex's midlife crisis on the latest episode, which streamed on Tuesday night.

'I would say this to his face - which I actually have - but kind of watching how he's been navigating through this situation there's been times I thought "Oh this is giving major midlife crisis vibes,"' she said.

'All the way down to a car he bought for our house in Aspen that I just call the "midlife crisis mobile.'

The couple married in 1996, but went their separate ways in 2023, although they are still legally married and share the family home.

Richards and her girls are reportedly planning to go to Aspen for the holidays.

The reality star and her children was seen sharing farewell hugs with estranged husband Mauricio Umansky's parents outside the Porta Via restaurant

The influencer appeared to be relying on her large family, including her mother-in-law and father-in-law, during the difficult split, as Umansky seems to jump from one woman to another

There appeared to be no bad blood between Richards and her in-laws. She and Umansky married in 1996, but went their separate ways in 2023, although they are still legally married and share the same home

'I'm going to be with my family, my daughters, thats my home!' she told TMZ.

She added that their dad is 'welcome to join' them.

Umansky and Richards have not yet brought up the topic of divorce, according to The Holiday Exchange star.

But it seems like they may have to soon.

It seems obvious they cannot make their Hollywood marriage work any longer.

'That's not something that we have talked about yet,' she told Andy Cohen Tuesday on What What Happens Live.

Richards and her daughter Farrah Aldjufrie, 36, were seen walking away from the gathering together

The reality star and her children will be spending the holidays at their home in Aspen. 'I'm going to be with my family, my daughters, thats my home!' she told TMZ , adding that their dad, who is already in the tony Colorado ski town, is 'welcome to join' them

Mauricio was seen with model and artist Klaudia K, 33, in Aspen

'The reason I didn't talk about that on camera is because that's obviously something I would have to talk about with him first.'

'It just hasn't come up yet. We're good friends and we get along really well and I don't know, we just live separate lives,' she said.

Bringing up the 'D-word' doesn't appear to be anything the pair are eager to do.

'We just kind of let it go and [we're] just really good friends and we care about each other and we get along ... it is what it is right now.'
Britney Spears returned home from her Mexico getaway with a special friend.

On Thursday, the 43-year-old pop star was seen traveling from Cabo San Lucas in Mexico to her home in Los Angeles shortly after she claimed she was planning to move there.

She carried a rabbit plushie  the same stuffed animal that also made an appearance in one of her most recent dancing videos she filmed during her trip.

As she headed back home, she traded in her bikini for a long, black trench coat, which she paired with knee-high boots and a chic fedora.

At one point, she was also seen trying to keep a low profile, hiding her face with a pair of oversize sunglasses and hugging her stuffed plushie tightly.

She also carried an overflowing, cream-colored tote bag and had her team assisting her with a trolley full of her suitcases with another, larger stuffed animal of a rabbit.

Britney Spears returned home from her Mexico getaway with a special friend. On Thursday, the 43-year-old pop star was seen traveling from Cabo San Lucas in Mexico to her home in Los Angeles shortly after she claimed she was planning to move there

She carried a rabbit plushie  the same stuffed animal that also made an appearance in one of her most recent dancing videos she filmed during her trip

Just a couple days earlier, Spears treated her 42 million Instagram followers to a since-deleted video of herself dancing in a blue bikini.

In one short segment of the clip, she pulled out a stuffed rabbit and was heard calling it: 'Bad bunny baby.'

The Princess of Pop  who recently shared her worries that she might 'get hurt again'  also alluded to sustaining a jet ski injury during vacation.

Earlier this week, she also shared another video of herself dancing in an animal-print, one-piece swimsuit.

In her caption, she spoke about wanting to move to Mexico because of how 'sacred' the place was to her.

At the beginning of the month, she celebrated her birthday there during her Mexico getaway and shared another post, in which she said she was 'house hunting.'

Spears, who regained control of her life and finances after her conservatorship ended in November 2021, has been spending a lot of time in Mexico lately.

However, a source told The Hollywood Reporter that she has not made the move even though she said she had.

As she headed back home, she traded in her bikini for a long, black trench coat, which she paired with knee-high boots and a chic fedora

At one point, she was also seen trying to keep a low profile, hiding her face with a pair of oversize sunglasses and hugging her stuffed plushie tightly

She also carried an overflowing, cream-colored tote bag and had her team assisting her with a trolley full of her suitcases with another, larger stuffed animal of a rabbit.

She has been on a weeks-long trip in Mexico after going to Cabo San Lucas to celebrate her birthday earlier this month. This week, she said she was house-hunting and planning a move there

Just a couple days earlier, Spears treated her 42 million Instagram followers to a since-deleted video of herself dancing in a blue bikini. In one short segment of the clip, she pulled out a stuffed rabbit and was heard calling it: ' Bad bunny baby'

She called the country 'sacred' but admitted it is sometimes hard to fully move on from the past.

Spears wrote in the caption of one of her latest posts: 'When it hurts so bad it starts to feel good!!! So many of the vibes and moods us women specifically go through is a process of healing, and its a very fragile thing!!!'

She added: 'Not sure why I'm explaining myself, but there's a little negativity with me mentioning my move to Mexico!!! It's a gift from God that I will never take for granted!!!

'OK yes, when I come back, Ill showcase the living room during the day so you can see the view!!! It's insane, and way better for the viewing eye, but for some reason, this place has been sort of sacred to me, and I didn't want to share all aspects of possibilities,' she continued.

'It will grow and expand if I follow my heart, but sometimes it's complicated to even try to move forward if you think you might get hurt again!!!'
Billy Bob Thornton refused to star in an action-packed blockbuster Tom Cruise movie 18 years ago

The ex-husband of Angelina Jolie said he rejected the chance to play a Mission: Impossible III villain in 2006.

That is because the Oscar winner 'didn't want to be the guy trying to kill Tom Cruise.'

The 69-year-old Bad Santa actor wasn't interested in portraying arms dealer Owen Davian in the successful movie.

The film saw the character - who was played by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman - go up against Cruise's Ethan Hunt.

Also in the film were Keri Russell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Maggie Q and Michelle Monaghan.

Billy Bob Thornton refused to star in a Tom Cruise movie. The ex-husband of Angelina Jolie said he rejected the chance to play a Mission: Impossible III villain in 2006. That is because the Oscar winner 'didn't want to be the guy trying to kill Tom Cruise'

The 69-year-old Bad Santa actor wasn't interested in portraying arms dealer Owen Davian in the successful movie

And there was another big movie he said no to.

Ahead of Sam Raimi's 2002 Spider-Man movie, Thornton turned down the part of Norman Osborn/ Green Goblin - which went to Willem Dafoe.

That was because he didn't want to wake up in the early hours and sit in a makeup chair for 'five or six hours'.

Speaking The Playlist's Bingeworthy podcast, he said: 'I don't have much interest in those kinds of roles.

'With the Green Goblin, I didn't feel like getting up at 4 a.m. for five or six hours of makeup.

'And with Mission: Impossible III, I didn't want to be the guy trying to kill Tom Cruise,' added the ex of Laura Dern.

Cruise and Timothee Chalamet attend the UK Awards Screening of A Complete Unknown at Ham Yard Hotel on December 17 in London

The star recently received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance in Landman, and his on-screen character has developed a big fan following on social media

Thornton prefers not to be typecast as a 'bad guy in a big movie'.

He added: 'If you're the bad guy in a big movie like that, audiences remember it forever.

'I prefer to keep things looser and less predictable.'

When Thornton does accept roles, he doesn't always watch himself back - because he gets 'nervous' about seeing his work on screen.

The star recently received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance in Landman, and his on-screen character has developed a big fan following on social media, but Billy Bob has made a concerted effort to avoid the online acclaim.

The actor - who plays Tommy Norris, a landman at an oil company, in the drama series - told 'Extra': 'I get nervous watching myself, so I haven't actually seen them myself.'
Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bongiovi held hands as they took one of their dogs for a walk Friday in New York City.

The newlyweds, sipped on iced coffee drinks, perhaps the celebrate the production wrap on the fifth and final season on Stranger Things, as they took their curly pup Winnie our for a stroll in Manhattan.

The Damsel star, 20, shared her own eclectic style, donning a large navy blue hoodie over some loose-fitting patchwork plaid pajama pants.

She wore white sneakers and a green quilted jacket.

The Enola Holmes star's long, brown hair was styled in a low ponytail.

She accessorized with a large beaded necklace and small gold hoop earrings and appeared to be wearing no makeup.

Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bongiovi looked very much in love as they took one of their dogs for a walk Friday in New York City. The Damsel star, 20, donned a loose fitting navy blue hoodie over some patchwork plaid pajama pants. She wore white sneakers and a green quilted jacket

Bongiovi, 22, looked at ease in faded jeans with blue sneakers and a black Louis Vuitton athleisure jacket.

The actor and model kept warm in a knee-length gray coat and wore square framed sunglasses.

Winnie looked adorable with a pink rose attached to her collar.

The couple, who tied the knot in a small ceremony in May before having a formal wedding in Tuscany in the Fall, are reported looking forward to the holiday season.

An insider told People, Christmas is the Emmy nominee's favorite holiday.

'She always starts decorating early,' they said.

'She's embracing it all even more now as [a] married [woman],' the source told the publication.

No word on what each has on their wish list, but Brown has some subtle suggestions for gifts and stocking stuffers for her 63.4 million fans.

Bongiovi, 22, looked at ease in faded jeans with blue sneakers and a black Louis Vuitton athleisure jacket. The actor and model kept warm in a knee-length gray coat and wore square framed sunglasses. Winnie looked adorable with a pink rose attached to her collar

The pair, who tied the knot in two separate weddings earlier this year are preparing for their first holiday season as a married couple

No word on what each has on their wish list, but Brown has some subtle suggestions for gifts and stocking stuffers for her 63.4 million fans

On Friday, the multi-faceted actress revealed she had just returned from Ulta.

She had a bag full of goodies from her Florence by Mills collection.

'Whats inside?' she wrote next to the snap.

She then listed the contents: 'Buzz-worthy lips holiday kit, wildly me eau de toilette, glow forward glaze drops.'

The fashionista has also launched her own Florence my Mills clothing line.

It currently focuses mostly on intimates and athleisure clothes in the US, but she's released some tops, pants and dresses currently being sold at About You in the UK.
San Francisco State University officials issued a campus lockdown after police said someone made an anonymous threat of violence. Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

San Francisco State University placed the campus on lock-down for several hours Thursday afternoon, after receiving an anonymous threat that police ultimately determined was not credible.

Officials instituted a shelter-in-place order some time before 12:30 p.m. and lifted it at 4 p.m., after searching the university grounds.

Before completing their sweep, law enforcement asked people to stay away from campus. Classes and all other university activities were canceled for the day, and final examinations will be rescheduled, university officials said.

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Throughout the day, staff released a flurry of updates, mostly advising that the search and lock-down would continue out of an abundance of caution.

At 4 p.m., authorities permitted students to return to dormitories, and allowed university employees to retrieve any items they had left behind. Students living on campus will receive a separate notice about means of support, San Francisco State officials said in their final advisory.

They encouraged students whose final exams had been disrupted to discuss an alternative with faculty.

Officials did not provide additional details about the nature of what they described as a threat of violence.

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Jamie Foxx ignored his recent controversies - including being blasted for his offensive song about white women - as he teamed up with Cameron Diaz to promote their upcoming Netflix movie.

The streaming giant took to Instagram on Friday to post a video of the 57-year-old Oscar winner behind a piano and his 52-year-old co-star dancing beside him ahead of the release of her comeback flick Back In Action.

Jamie tickled the ivories as he began the fun clip by singing the name of their film: 'Back In Action. Back In Action. Satisfaction. We're Back In Action.'

Cameron showed off her dance moves including doing an impressive back bend while shaking her hips and hands before belting out a big laugh.

The two stars sat next to each other on the piano bench a Jamie said: 'People don't even realize how long we've been friends.'

Cameron replies: 'That's true. We were in Any Given Sunday together, which was in 1999. And now we're Back In Action, baby.'

Jamie Foxx ignored his recent controversies - including being blasted for his offensive song about white women - as he teamed up with Cameron Diaz to promote their upcoming Netflix movie

Jamie then picks up the song once again as he croons: 'Back In Action, we've been friends since before Apple started making the iPod and now they make the iPhone and not the iPod.'

Cameron then urges her co-star: 'Tell 'em what else happened, Jamie.'

And then the A-lister goes on to name things that did not exist before their friendship began in 1999 including Martha Stewart getting into weed and becoming BFFs with Snoop Dogg, keyboard cat, NFTs, DVDs, Salt Bae, and several other pop culture moments.

Cameron also mentioned that she had starred in four Shrek movies since 1999 and even teamed up with Jamie once again in 2014's Annie remake.

This comes as he has been at the center of a growing row over a controversial comment about white women after previously being hit by a 'anti-semitism' scandal.

The star has landed himself in hot water after making the questionable remark in his new Netflix special What Had Happened Was - with many believing he was taking a swipe at his ex Katie Holmes.

He said of dating: 'Sisters, I'm here to tell you, I've been cured. I've been cured of everything, no more white girls. I'm serious, no more white girls. No more white girls. No more. No more white girls.'

It is not known if he is still dating his latest girlfriend Alyce Huckstepp after their relationship was confirmed in August 2023.

The streaming giant took to Instagram on Friday to post a video of the 57-year-old Oscar winner behind a piano and his 52-year-old co-star dancing beside him ahead of the release of her comeback flick Back In Action

Jamie tickled the ivories as he began the fun clip by singing the name of their film: 'Back In Action. Back In Action. Satisfaction. We're Back In Action'

Cameron showed off her dance moves including doing an impressive back bend while shaking her hips and hands before belting out a big laugh

The two stars sat next to each other on the piano bench a Jamie said: 'People don't even realize how long we've been friends'

Cameron replies: 'That's true. We were in Any Given Sunday together, which was in 1999. And now we're Back In Action, baby'

Jamie then picks up the song once again as he croons: 'Back In Action, we've been friends since before Apple started making the iPod and now they make the iPhone and not the iPod'

Cameron then urges her co-star: 'Tell 'em what else happened, Jamie'

It comes as it was revealed he had a glass thrown at his face at his 57th birthday dinner last weekend that left him needing stitches.

He was out celebrating his birthday after finally revealing the reason behind his mystery hospitalization last year, explaining he suffered a stroke caused by a bleed on the brain.

The comments about 'white women' is not the first time he has been caught up in scandal.

Last year he was forced to apologize for a controversial post branded anti-Semitic by fans.

The controversy began when Foxx took to Instagram to share an emotional message that read, 'They killed this dude called Jesus... what do you think they'll do to you???!'

It was followed by the hashtags #fakefriends and #fakelove, and some interpreted to be anti-Semitic.

Foxx followed with a statement clarifying that he did not have the Jewish community in mind when he uploaded the note.

His ex Katie was spotted for the first time on Sunday since he made an offensive comment about about being 'cured' from dating white women.

On Sunday, the actress, 45, put on a brave face as she flashed a tight smile while walking down the busy streets of New York City.

Jamie has recently hit headlines for all the wrong reasons in recent weeks after making an offensive comment about 'white women'

The star landed in hot water after making a controversial comment in his new Netflix special What Had Happened Was - with many believing he was taking a swipe at his ex Katie Holmes

He said: 'Sisters, I'm here to tell you, I've been cured. I've been cured of everything, no more white girls. I'm serious, no more white girls' (seen with Katie in 2019 - they dates from 2013 to 2019)

Her outing came just days after Foxx's special What Had Happened Was hit Netflix. It featured a shady reference to their six year romance.

Sitting down at a piano, the Hollywood star sang: 'Sisters, I'm here to tell you, I've been cured.

'I've been cured of everything, no more white girls. I'm serious, no more white girls. No more white girls. No more. No more white girls.'

As audience members applauded and leapt out their seats, Jamie continued: 'I'm back on the black side of town!

'No more white girls. No more potato salad and raisins. No more white girls. No more spray tan, no more big t*tties no ass, no more white girls.'

Jamie has had several high-profile relationships over the years with both black and white women.

In 1993 he dated Connie Kline, and the pair went on to welcome daughter Corinne one year later.

Between 1996 and 2001, he was linked to Haitian actress Garcelle Beauvais, before going on to date actress Leila Arcieri in 2005.

In 2008, Jamie dated Kristin Grannis, the mother of his second daughter, Anelise.

It is not known if he is still dating his latest girlfriend Alyce Huckstepp after their relationship was confirmed in August 2023 (seen together in September)

The comments about 'white women' is not the first time he has been caught up in scandal

Just last year he was forced to apologize for a controversial post branded anti-Semitic by fans - which Jennifer Aniston then had to deny she had 'liked'

Jamie then apologized for his choice of words and clarified the meaning of the previous post, explaining he was calling out a 'fake friend' and not the Jewish community

He then dated Katie from 2013 to 2019.

Some reacted to his comments online as they penned: 'Jamie Foxx what a misogynist black racist unbelievable any white man say something like he just said about the black women there would be an uproar.',

'Jamie Foxx declares he's 'cured' of dating white women following stroke after six-year romance with Katie Holmes UM EXCUSE ME 'CURED'? IMAGINE A WHITE PERSON SAYING THEY'RE 'CURED DATING BLACK PEOPLE'?'

His comments about 'white women' come after he was accused of being anti-Semitic by some of his fans last year.

He shared a message that read, 'They killed this dude called Jesus... what do you think they'll do to you???!'

It was followed by the hashtags #fakefriends and #fakelove, and some interpreted to be anti-Semitic.

Someone named Jennifer Aniston appeared to 'like' the remarks - but Aniston quickly created a post of her own to distance herself from the perceived contention and denied any connection to it in her Instagram Stories.

'This really makes me sick, 'she wrote.

'I did not 'like' this post on purpose or by accident,' The Morning Show star maintained.

'And more importantly, I want to be clear to my friends and anyone hurt by this showing up in their feeds  I do NOT support any form of antisemitism. And I truly don't tolerate HATE of any kind. Period.'

There are dozens of fan accounts on social media under the name Jennifer Aniston.

Foxx followed with a statement clarifying that he did not have the Jewish community in mind when he uploaded the note.

His controversies stem back to 2012 when he hit headlines for a joke he made during a Saturday Night Live monologue

His recent controversy comes after it was revealed that he had a glass thrown at his face at his birthday party in Beverly Hills last Friday night and required stitches

Jamie attempted to rectify the situation as he shared a second post that read, 'I want to apologize to the Jewish community and to everyone who was offended by my post. I now know my words of choice have caused offense and I'm sorry. That was never my intent.

'To clarify, I was betrayed by a fake friend and that's what I meant with 'they' not anything more,' he explained.

'I only have love in my heart for everyone. I love and support the Jewish community. My deepest apologies to anyone who was offended. Nothing but love always, Jamie Foxx,' the message ended.

National Director and CEO of the Anti-Defamation League Jonathan Greenblatt then tweeted to thank Jamie for his apology.

'We welcome @iamjamiefoxx's apology and thank him for his clarification.'

His controversies stem back to 2012 when he hit headlines for a joke he made during a Saturday Night Live monologue.

Foxx was joking about his 2012 movie Django Unchained in which he played a slave-turned-bounty-hunter.

In his monologue he said: 'I kill all the white people in the movie, how great is that?' as some of the audience laughed in response.

The video of him on SNL started recirculating on social media after the antisemitism row.

Foxx said in the monologue: 'I got a movie coming out, Django Unchained, check it out. I play a slave. Uh, how black is that?

'And in the movie I have to wear chains. Umm ... how whack is that?

'But don't worry about it, because I get out of the chains, I get free, I save my wife, and I kill all the white people in the movie. How great is that? And how black is that?'

His recent controversy comes after it was revealed that he had a glass thrown at his face at his birthday party in Beverly Hills last Friday night and required stitches.

The incident occurred at the restaurant Mr. Chow, where Foxx was seen arriving for a celebratory dinner that included his daughters Corinne, 30, and Anelise, 16, as well as his ex Kristin Grannis, who is Anelise's mother.

'Jamie Foxx was at his birthday dinner when someone from another table threw a glass that hit him in the mouth,' a spokesperson for the actor told DailyMail.com.

'He had to get stitches and is recovering. The police were called and the matter is now in law enforcement's hands,' the representative continued.

Police were called to Mr. Chow at around 10pm, but Foxx had left the premises by the time they reached the restaurant, law enforcement sources told TMZ.

Foxx is claimed to have been listed as one of the parties involved in the alleged incident, in an assault report that was taken by the authorities.

DailyMail.com has also reached out to Mr. Chow for comment.

The claims came after Foxx finally revealed the reason behind his mystery hospitalization last year, explaining he suffered a stroke caused by a bleed on the brain.

The actor was rushed to the ER in April 2023 after suffering a mystery 'medical complication', which his family decided to keep private at the time.

Foxx has now revealed exactly what happened to him and admitted he lost 20 days' worth of memory and was unable to walk amid his terrifying health battle.

During an emotional scene on his Netflix special, What Had Happened Was... he recalled: 'On April 11, I was having a bad headache, and I asked my boy for Aspirin.

'I realized quickly that when you're in a medical emergency, your boys don't know what the f**k to do.'

Foxx then confessed: 'I don't remember 20 days.'

Becoming emotional, Foxx broke down in tears as he declared to the audience that he was 'back', adding: 'You don't know how good this feels.'

The Hollywood star went on to admit it's still 'a mystery' what led to his brain bleed, adding: 'We still don't know exactly what happened to me.'

After starting his sentence with 'What had happened was,' Jamie broke down in tears and was comforted by the applauding audience.

He continued: 'Your life doesn't flash before you. It was kind of oddly peaceful. I saw the tunnel, but I didn't see the light. It was hot in that tunnel.'

Jamie then quipped: 'S**t, am I going to the wrong place?'

The Oscar-winning actor credited his sister Deidra with 'saving his life' after she drove him to Atlanta's Piedmont Hospital, where he underwent a life-saving procedure.

Addressing why his family wanted to keep details of his health scare to themselves, he said: 'I was dizzy from the stroke, so my head would bob around, and my family thought everyone would 'meme the f***' out of me.''

Last week Jamie finally revealed the reason behind his mystery hospitalisation last year, sharing he suffered a stroke caused by a bleed on the brain

Jamie went on to reveal that he vividly remembers waking up from his coma on May 4, and being unable to walk.

He recalled: 'When I woke up, I found myself in a wheelchair. I couldn't walk.'

Yet Jamie didn't want to believe he'd had a stroke and recounted his therapist telling him about his ego: 'You need to kill the old Jamie so the new Jamie can thrive.'

He also reflected: 'God blessed me with money and fame, but when I forgot about God, He blessed me with a stroke.'

The Netflix special marks Jamie's big return to the stage following his hospitalization.
Florence Pugh looked sensational as she attended a special screening of We Live In Time at the Ham Yard Hotel in London on Friday night.

The critically-acclaimed actress kept it classy as she went braless under a black silk dress, with puffed sleeves and lace detail.

She paired the stunning outfit with some open toe chunky heels which were emblazoned with sequins.

Not one to shy away from rocking a bold look having previously shaved her golden locks off for a buzzcut style back in 2023 - Florence, 28, oozed confidence as she wore her blonde locks in a wet look, quiff style.

The actress flaunted a dark manicure, and her face was beautifully aglow in dewy makeup.

She was joined by director John Crowly who looked dapper in a a navy suit and screenwriter Nick Payne who kept things casual in jeans, an untucked shirt and jacket.

Florence Pugh looked sensational as she attended a special screening of We Live In Time at the Ham Yard Hotel in London on Friday night

The critically-acclaimed actress kept it classy as she went braless under a black silk dress, with puffed sleeves and lace detail

Florence is promoting her latest romantic drama, which sees Almut (played by Florence) and Tobias (played by Andrew Garfield) brought together in a surprise meeting that changed their lives forever.

The outing comes after the actress said she began to feel like her life had 'spun' out of control after she put having a Hollywood career above all else.

Florence revealed after wrapping We Live In Time, that she was forced to reevaluate her personal life and how she many sacrifices she had made.

In an interview with The Times, she revealed how 'relationships came and went' after she split from her long-term boyfriend, Zach Braff, in 2022.

She said: 'I had this opportunity to look at my life away from my work. And I realised, OK, I need to wake the f*** up.

'I had to look away from my career, from movies, from wanting to be this kind of actor, that kind of actor. Or how many awards I would love to get before I pass away.

'Thats been my focus for ten years, but I want to make sure that the things I need to do, whether children, family, change, change in relationships  well, I realised I need to make changes now. Because Im a worker bee and that is why Ive never wanted a break. Everything was just, wow! Whats next? And it is only ten years in that I can now go, oh, I need to do a bit of my life.'

The Hollywood star decided to take a career hiatus this year - her first since her debut film, The Falling, in 2014 - to focus on her personal life.

She paired the stunning outfit with some open toe chunky heels which were emblazoned with sequins

Not one to shy away from rocking a bold look having previously shaved her golden locks off for a buzzcut style back in 2023 - Florence, 28, oozed confidence as she wore her blonde locks in a wet look, quiff style

The actress flaunted a dark manicure, and her face was beautifully aglow in dewy makeup

In September, the actress then confirmed her relationship status after sparking romance rumours with Peaky Blinders star Finn Cole.

Florence was seen slipping out of The Perfect Couple premiere after-party as she made a quick getaway with the actor.

Confirming her loved-up status during her October cover shoot with Vogue, she said: 'I am. OK, so something that I resonate with is that I believe that if magic is real, then it's falling in love.'

Florence candidly revealed they are 'figuring it out' and admitted she is ready to start a family.

She added: 'We are figuring what we actually are. And I think for the first time, I'm not allowing myself to go on a roller-coaster.

'I'm allowing myself to take time to let something evolve and let it be completely real to its core, as opposed to racing into that.'

She was joined by director John Crowly (right) who looked dapper in a a navy suit and screenwriter Nick Payne (left) who kept things casual in jeans, an untucked shirt and jacket

It comes after she revealed she began to feel like her life had 'spun' out of control after she put having a Hollywood career above all else

Florence revealed how 'relationships came and went' after she split from her long-term boyfriend, Zach Braff, in 2022 (pictured together in 2023)

Florence is promoting her latest romantic drama, which sees Almut (played by Florence) and Tobias (played by Andrew Garfield) brought together in a surprise meeting that changes their lives for ever.

In September, the actress confirmed her relationship status after sparking romance rumours with Peaky Blinders star Finn Cole (Finn pictured in 2022)

'Falling is the most amazing feeling but unfortunately if that's the only thing that you know in a relationship, then that's the thing that you chase. That's not gonna last.'

Prior to Finn, Florence was in a relationship with former Scrubs star Zach, 49, from 2019 until their split in 2022.

Giving a rare insight into their relationship, the star explained: 'I had to be public in the past because people were bullying me and bullying my partner.

'Mine and Zach's relationship was actually quite private until it was nasty, and I could see the toll that it was taking on him and us and our families. And that's when I spoke out.

'I think for anyone I'm with, I want to protect them. It's not nice knowing that people are saying the worst things I've ever read about someone that I love.

'So that was necessary. I needed to talk about it. I think any relationship in this limelight is going to be stressed.'
Sears has closed its final store in Washington, leaving it operating in only four states across the US.

The department store, which was once the largest in the country, closed an outlet in the Southcenter Mall in Tukwila, Washington, on December 15.

In the weeks leading up to its closure, the store, which had been there for three decades, hosted discount sales for shoppers.

Its closure means that Sears only has eight stores remaining across California, Florida, Massachusetts and Texas.

Locals expressed their sadness at the store closing its doors.

'It's a landmark, it's something you grew up with, it's something you could trust,' Barbie Talamante, a former Sears staffer, told the Seattle NPR station KUOW-FM.

'As a little kid you'd go into a Sears store, your parents would buy the washers, dryers, paint, draperies, whatever.'

Talamante had worked at Sears for more than 10 years, and this is the second store she has had to see close down.

The department store, which was once the largest in the country, closed an outlet in the Southcenter Mall in Tukwila, Washington, on December 15

But according to a Reddit post from 2022, the Tukwila store already appeared to be past its prime two years ago.

'It had a random mix of products, the top floor was closed and the washrooms were boarded shut,' a user wrote on the social media site, alongside photos of the store.

'It gave it a real Dawn of the Dead vibe.'

Despite its reputation for bargains, discount stores like Walmart have siphoned off Sears' customers over the last several years.

The department store was founded in 1892, and as recently as 2012 boasted over 4,000 stores across the US.

But the vast majority have now shuttered since the company filed for bankruptcy in October 2018.

The company also closed its final location in the New York area at the beginning of this year.

A store in Jersey City, just over the Hudson river from Manhattan, announced a 70 percent off closing sale in a Facebook post in January - ending 40-years in the Newport Centre Mall.

Sears is now owned by Transformco, a retail company headed by hedge fund operator Eddie Lampert.

Lampert bought control of Sears for $11 billion in 2005 - merging it with Kmart, which he had bought out of bankruptcy two years previously.

Pictures of the Washington store from 2022 appeared to show areas closed off for customers

The vast majority of Sears stores have shuttered since the company filed for bankruptcy in October 2018 (Pictured: A closing down sale at a store in Jersey City)

Sears discontinued its catalog in 1993 - just short of its 100 year anniversary (Pictured: The Sears bumper Christmas catalog from 1968)

The company opened its first retail store in Chicago in 1925 - next to its warehouse which it had used for catalog orders

Sears was once the biggest retailer in the US (Pictured: The Sears store at Burbank Town Centre reopened in October 2023 after closing in November 2022)

But the combined brands have struggled to stave off competition from other big-box retailers including Walmart and Target and e-commerce giant Amazon.

It is a familiar story for many companies amid the so-called 'retail apocalypse' sweeping the US - which is seeing big-name stores shutter in their thousands.

The troubled retailer quietly reopened two stores in 2023, including one in Burbank Town Center mall, north of Los Angeles.

But visitors branded it the 'saddest thing Ive ever seen' with empty shelves and stained carpet.

Plans for the company going forward are unclear, and it is not known whether further closures are planned in 2025.
Reese's is introducing a new flavor next year, it has announced.

The chocolate maker, which is famous for its peanut butter treats, will debut a red velvet peanut butter cup in January.

The limited-edition cups, released ahead of Valentine's Day, will feature the brand's signature chocolate and peanut butter combination, but with an added layer of red velvet-flavored creme.

Red velvet, which is widely considered to be a Southern recipe, typically has a cocoa flavor but with a tangy twist.

That is thanks to ingredients like buttermilk or vinegar, according to Allrecipes.

The new flavor be available in regular, king-size four cup packs and miniature sizes - and fans are already expressing their excitement at trying the sweet treat next year.

One fan, who calls themselves 'snackolator' on Instagram, said it sounded like a 'dream flavor.'

'I am very much looking forward to trying them,' they wrote.

The limited-edition cups, released ahead of Valentine's Day, will feature the brand's signature chocolate and peanut butter combination, but with an added layer of red velvet-flavored creme

'Looks so yummy I can't wait to try,' another fan commented on the social media post.

'This is delightful. And if you disagree, you're wrong,' another user added.

Similar to the Werewolf Tracks candy released this past Halloween, the red velvet cups feature a split-layer design with red velvet creme on top and classic milk chocolate on the bottom, Allrecipes reported.

Eagle-eyed fans had been on the look-out for the treat in stores since the new flavor announcement leaked in mid-October.

And now some fans have seen the items in US locations, despite the official limited-time release not rolling out until January.

Reese's is famous for its peanut butter and chocolate treats

The new flavor be available in regular, king-size four cup packs and miniature sizes (pictured)

It comes after Hershey's, the major US confectioner which owns Reese's, was reportedly being eyed up for a takeover by Mondelez International, the maker of Oreo cookies and Ritz crackers.

The potential blockbuster deal, which was first reported by Bloomberg earlier this month, could create a $50 billion snack powerhouse.

According to sources close to the matter, the Chicago-based snack giant has made a preliminary approach to Hershey's.

Mondelez, valued at $84 billion, is keen to combine forces with Hershey's, which has a market worth of about $35 billion.

But the company, which was formerly known as Kraft, faced the wrath of Cadbury's chocolate fans when it took over the British brand in 2010.

Mondelez faced a string of complaints, which included changing the recipe of the brand's iconic Creme Eggs, shrinking bars, bizarre new recipes and job losses.

The fallout led to claims that Cadbury had 'betrayed its heritage' after the takeover, according to a 2016 TV documentary from the respected Dispatches series.
The Confederation of Real Estate Developers Associations of India (CREDAI) has urged the Central Government to reconsider its proposal to impose an 18% Goods and Services Tax (GST) on Floor Space Index (FSI) and additional FSI charges paid to local authorities for real estate projects.

CREDAI warned that the move could escalate housing prices by approximately 10% across India, disrupting housing affordability and project viability.

CREDAI emphasized that applying GST on FSI charges would significantly increase construction costs, especially if imposed retrospectively. Developers could face hefty financial liabilities, potentially stalling ongoing projects and jeopardizing homebuyers' investments. Even a prospective implementation could hinder the government's Housing for All mission by making affordable housing economically unviable.

FSI charges constitute a significant portion of project costs, said Boman Irani, President of CREDAI National. The proposal to impose 18% GST on these charges could destabilize the real estate sector, leading to increased housing prices and delayed project deliveries. We urge the government to exempt FSI charges from GST.

CREDAI cited legal provisions supporting its stance. According to Notifications 14/2017 and 12/2017 under the GST Act, services provided by Central, State, or local authorities related to functions listed in Article 243W of the Constitutionsuch as urban planning and land regulationare exempt from GST.

The twelfth schedule of the Constitution explicitly includes urban planning, land-use regulation, and slum improvement among municipal functions, reinforcing the industry's claim that FSI charges should remain outside the GSTs scope.

The association also highlighted that developers cannot claim Input Tax Credit (ITC) on GST paid for such charges, causing double taxation and further inflating housing costs. This, in turn, would adversely impact the purchasing power of middle-class homebuyers, who make up 70% of the housing market.

CREDAI has appealed to the Central Government to maintain the current exemption on FSI charges. The association warned that imposing GST could create a cascading effect, reducing housing supply and demand while affecting economic growth linked to the real estate sector.

The government must maintain the current status quo, Irani stressed. Any retrospective or prospective GST levy could destabilize the sector, delay project completions, and compromise homeownership dreams for millions of Indians.
Businesses today must adopt proactive strategies like Freedom-to-Operate searches and patent liability insurance to mitigate risks and protect their innovations

In November 2024, a US jury ruled in favour of Netlist, a company specialising in computer memory and storage solutions, ordering Samsung to pay $118 million in damages for willfully infringing Netlists patented technology. This follows an earlier verdict in April 2024, where another jury found Samsung guilty of similar patent infringements, awarding $303 million to Netlist. Together, these penalties amount to $421 million-an extraordinary sum that could destabilise even the most established organisations.

In India, the Delhi High Court recently delivered a landmark judgment favoring the plaintiff, Antenna Inc., in a patent infringement case against Mobi Antenna Technologies. The court issued a permanent injunction against the defendant and ordered them to pay damages of USD 26.04 million (INR 216 crores) to compensate for the plaintiffs loss of profits due to the infringement.

Protecting Intellectual Property: A recent American survey highlights the substantial financial commitment of research-based organisations in the pharmaceutical sector. The annual R&D budget in this industry often runs into hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars. The cost of developing a new drug ranges from $314 million to $4.46 billion, depending on the therapeutic area and assumptions used in data modeling. These figures emphasise the immense investments required in R&D, making intellectual property (IP) protection and preemptive strategies essential.

In contrast, R&D expenditures in non-pharmaceutical sectors are generally lower. However, extensive patenting is increasingly common, posing risks for companies introducing new processes or products without adequate precautions. A company might unknowingly infringe on a competitors patent, leading to unforeseen and costly litigation. Patent disputes can result in significant delays, financial losses, and reputational damage, even when unintentional.

Escalating Costs of Patent Litigation: The median cost of litigating a patent lawsuit through trial ranges from $600,000 for cases with less than $1 million at stake to $3.625 million for cases involving over $25 million. Similar trends are observed in India, where litigation and settlement costs are substantial.

Sometimes, defendants find themselves embroiled in patent litigation due to unintentional or inadvertent infringement. In such cases, the defendants are essentially victims, underscoring the need for safeguards to prevent unnecessary legal disputes.

Tools to Mitigate Patent Infringement Risks:

Patent Liability Insurance

One effective safeguard against the financial risks of unintended patent infringement is patent liability insurance. This insurance, provided by specialised firms, helps cover legal expenses and damages arising from unintentional infringement. While popular in several countries, its adoption is steadily growing in India.

Freedom-to-Operate (FTO)

Another cost-effective tool to minimise patent infringement risks is a Freedom-to-Operate (FTO) search. This process evaluates whether a new product or process infringes on existing patents, enabling informed business decisions and reducing the likelihood of legal disputes. Many companies conduct FTO searches before initiating new R&D projects to mitigate financial and reputational risks.

An FTO search involves analyzing granted and pending patents to form a techno-legal opinion on whether a product, process, or service infringes existing IP rights. These searches can be conducted using free databases provided by intellectual property offices, with directories available on the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) website.

When Patents Block Freedom to Operate

If an FTO search reveals conflicting patents, companies have several options:

1.Licensing Agreements: Companies can negotiate in-licensing or purchase patent rights to gain access to the necessary technology.

2.Patent Pools: Collaborative agreements among companies in the same technological field allow shared access to patents, resolving disputes and controlling costs, especially for essential products like medicines.

3.Designing Around: Companies can modify existing processes or products to avoid infringement.

Steps to Minimise Litigation Risks: Regardless of the strategy chosen, it is crucial for companies to address patent infringement risks early in the research and commercialization process. Proactive measures such as in-licensing, cross-licensing, patent pooling, and designing around can help avoid future disputes.

A systematic FTO search before launching a new product is indispensable for minimizing infringement risks. While an FTO search cannot completely eliminate the possibility of litigation due to limitations in patent databases and search expertise, it significantly reduces potential threats.

(The writer is deputy controller of patents and designs, Kolkata. ; views are personal)
The resurgence of the Marcoses, the entrenchment of the Aquinos, and the dominance of families like the Dutertes show the enduring grip of oligarchy

The 1987 Philippine Constitution, crafted in the aftermath of the 1986 People Power Revolution, was supposed to mark the dawn of a new democratic era. The ousting of Ferdinand Marcos Sr., after decades of corruption, repression, and dynastic rule, was a victory for the Filipino people, or so they were told. Yet, the Constitution, supposedly a tool for dismantling the oppressive old order, contains a glaring, unimplemented clause: Article II, Section 26, which bans political dynasties. Nearly four decades later, this promise remains a cruel joke, the prohibition nothing more than a symbol of a nation shackled by its feudal past. Political dynasties thrive unabated, and the Philippines remains trapped in a cycle of oligarchy, where power is passed down like a family heirloom, not earned through democratic means.The rise of Corazon Aquino, the hero of People Power, has proven to be a double-edged sword.

While she restored democracy in name, she failed to eradicate the dynastic forces that had long plagued the country. Instead of dismantling the Marcos empire and the dynasties that thrived in its wake, Aquinos presidency paved the way for a new set of ruling families to stake their claim on the throne. The irony is staggering: Aquino, the symbol of resistance to Marcos, was unable to disarm the very forces that helped prop up the dictatorship. Her administrations failure to enact meaningful reform paved the way for the Marcos familys return to power, with Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr.s rise in 2022 exposing the unyielding grip of dynastic politics, illuminating the eternal truth behind the words of Jose Rizal, a true revolutionary executed by the Spanish in Manila: The Filipino is not a slave of the Spanish Government. He is a slave of his own people.The Marcoses, who plundered billions from the nations coffers, are not the only ones to have manipulated the system to their advantage.

Under Cory Aquino, the promise of land reform was shattered, epitomised by the Mendiola Massacre of 1987, where farmers demanding land reform were gunned down. The Aquino family, despite their image as the champions of democracy, have blood on their hands, betraying the very people they claim to defend. The hypocrisy of the political elite is staggering, with families like the Marcoses and the Aquinos using their histories of violence and corruption as stepping stones to further entrench their power. But the Aquino-Marcos rivalry is only the tip of the iceberg. In Mindanao, the Duterte familys hold on power predates Rodrigo Dutertes presidency, with a history of death squad killings and iron-fisted rule. As mayor of Davao City, Duterte ruled with an iron fist, silencing dissent and using extrajudicial executions to rid the streets of perceived enemies.

His presidency, marked by a brutal war on drugs that left thousands dead, further entrenched the dynastic system, where political power is synonymous with violence and impunity. Dutertes rise to the highest office in the land was not a victory for the people, but for a political family that used populist rhetoric to cloak its real agenda: maintaining a stranglehold on power.

The Macapagal-Arroyo family, meanwhile, turned corruption into an art form. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyos presidency was marred by scandal after scandalfrom the Hello Garci election fraud to the NBN-ZTE broadband deal, which saw billions in kickbacks siphoned off to the ruling elite. Despite the overwhelming evidence of corruption, she escaped any lasting accountability, a reflection of the Philippines toxic political culture where the powerful are above the law.

Like so many others, she found ways to use the machinery of the state to protect her interests.The brutality of the Philippines political system is not just figurative. The 2009 Maguindanao Massacre, orchestrated by the Ampatuan clan, remains the deadliest attack on journalists in history. Fifty-eight people, including 32 journalists, were slaughtered in cold blood in a bid to eliminate electoral competition.

And yet, despite the horrific nature of the crime, justice has been slow and incomplete, as political dynasties use their influence to shield themselves from the consequences of their actions.In regions like Cebu and Ilocos Norte, political dynasties such as the Osmenas, Garcias, and Farinases manipulate elections and use their wealth to maintain control, treating public office as their domain. This cycle of violence and impunity, where the ruling class prioritises their interests, extends to the economic realm, with families like the villagers growing their wealth through political power. The system persists due to cultural deference to family authority, weak institutions, and pervasive poverty, with voters often coerced into supporting the very dynasties that sustain their suffering.

Foreign powers, particularly the United States, have long been complicit in this system. During the Marcos era, the US provided crucial support to a regime known for its human rights abuses, all in the name of anti-communism. This foreign patronage emboldened the Marcoses and set a dangerous precedent for other dynasties, who continued to seek validation and support from foreign powers. The interplay between domestic power struggles and international interests further deepens the fractures within the Philippines, exacerbating the countrys internal divisions.

The Philippines educational system, which fails to foster critical thinking or civic engagement, ensures that the cycle of dynastic rule will continue. Schools produce citizens ill-equipped to challenge the status quo, while the media, often co-opted by powerful families, serves to protect the interests of the elite. Social media, too, has become a tool for dynasties to spread propaganda, rehabilitate their tarnished images, and silence critics.

The current political spectacle centred around Vice President Sara Dutertes public threats against President Marcos, is a stark reminder of how fragile the Philippines democracy truly is. The alliance between the Marcoses and the Dutertes, forged during the 2022 election, is now on the brink of collapse. What once seemed like a partnership between the North and souths ruling classes has devolved into a bitter feud, exposing the cracks in a political system built on corruption, nepotism, and violence.

This is not a battle for the peoples interests, but a struggle for control between two families, each vying for supremacy in a system that has failed its citizens.This feud is not just politicalit has geopolitical ramifications. Marcos pivot towards the US and his opposition to Chinas claims in the South China Sea have reignited regional tensions, while Dutertes pro-China stance during his presidency deepened divides within the Filipino elite.

This divergence in foreign policy has intensified the rift between the Marcos and Duterte families, as they seek to align themselves with opposing global powers.

The Philippines, caught between these imperial rivalries, faces not only internal political decay but external pressures that threaten to destabilise the nation further.As the midterm elections approach, this dynastic battle threatens to unravel whatever semblance of governance remains. Marcos seeks to consolidate power, while Sara Duterte faces the looming threat of impeachment. Yet, the Duterte familys influence, particularly in Mindanao, ensures that this battle will not stay within the confines of parliament. The streets could erupt, worsening societal divides.

(The writer is a journalist and a policy analyst; views expressed are personal)
With the success of Rising Rajasthan Investment Summit 2024,' the state is poised for an economic transformation

Sone ri dharti jathe-ar chandi ro aasman - translates to Where the earth is made of gold and the sky is built with silver. This cherished folk song beautifully captures the essence of Rajasthan's Thar Desert. Today, these words remain as relevant as ever, reflecting the states unique charm and its emergence as a hub of global investment opportunities. Rajasthan, Indias largest state, is rich in minerals, endowed with vast solar and wind energy resources, and brimming with potential for investors worldwide.

The Rajasthan Government has successfully hosted the 'Rising Rajasthan Investment Summit 2024' in Jaipur this week. Throughout the event, memorandums of understanding (MOUs) totalling over Rs 35 lakh crore were signed, highlighting the immense investment potential of the state. Actually, very few places can match Rajasthan's allure.

It boasts nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites, iconic palaces and forts, 320 sunny days a year, powerful winds, and expansive land. Combined with excellent law and order and robust rail connectivity, these factors place Rajasthan in a league of its own as a destination for investment. Currently, the state is undergoing an economic transformation. The government aims to propel Rajasthans economy from $180 billion to $350 billion by enhancing the Ease of Doing Business and creating employment opportunities for the youth.

Over the next five years, the administration seeks to generate one million jobs across private and public sectors, with a focus on attracting significant investments. Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma envisions Rajasthan as a pivotal player in India's economic growth. His administration is fostering a pro-business environment across industries, recognising that Rajasthan's development is integral to achieving the vision of a Developed India by 2047. Rajasthan's rich natural resources, skilled workforce, and outstanding connectivity make it a magnet for investments.

Over 58 per cent of the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) and 39 per cent of the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) pass through the state. This infrastructure connects Rajasthan to domestic and export markets, while its proximity to northern states and western ports ensures seamless trade access. With the third-largest national highway network and second-largest rail network in India, along with nine inland container depots, seven airports, and an air cargo complex, Rajasthan is a logistical powerhouse.

Rajasthans investment prospects span diverse sectors: petroleum infrastructure, food processing, education, chemicals, electronic systems, automotive, electric vehicles, and renewable energy. Traditional industries like tourism, and emerging fields like startups, also offer immense potential.

For instance, in agriculture and agro-processing, Rajasthan is a top producer of mustard, millet, guar gum, fenugreek, isabgol, and medicinal crops. The sector contributed 29 per cent to the states Gross State Value Added (GSVA) in 2022-23.

The state also ranks second in livestock population and milk production and is a leader in spices, organic farming, and coarse wool. With these advantages, the agriculture sector presents vast opportunities in agri-food parks, warehousing, and cold chain facilities.

Rajasthan's journey from a cultural and historical treasure to a thriving investment hub reflects its unparalleled potential and forward-looking vision. The states abundant natural resources, excellent infrastructure, and strategic location make it an ideal destination for investors across various sectors, from renewable energy and agriculture to manufacturing and technology.

With an ambitious economic transformation underway, Rajasthans government is committed to creating a pro-business environment that will not only attract global investments but also create employment opportunities for its youth.

As the state continues to capitalise on its diverse strengths, the Rising Rajasthan initiative stands as a testament to its growing prominence on the global stage.

The government's efforts, backed by strategic partnerships and forward-thinking policies, position Rajasthan as a key player in India's economic future, driving growth, prosperity, and development.

The initiative seeks to bolster Rajasthans industries, create jobs, and amplify its economic potential, ensuring the timeless folk song Sone ri dharti jathe-ar chandi ro aasman resonates on a global stage.

(The writer is Executive Member, National Institute for Locomotor Disabilities, Kolkata. Views expressed are personal)
India on Friday said the Speaker of Peoples Republic of Maldives accompanied by a parliamentary delegation will visit the country from February 10-14 next year. Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita informed the Lok Sabha in a written response to a query.

He was asked whether a number of parliamentary exchanges have been conducted by the government recently in alignment with the emphasis on the Neighbourhood First Policy adopted in the recent years. The query also sought details of all parliamentary exchanges held in the recent years with special reference to the Peoples Majlis of Maldives.

In keeping with the objectives of the Neighbourhood First Policy for enhancing people to people relations, regular parliamentary exchanges with our neighbouring countries have been taking place over the years, he said. In his response, he also shared details of the recent parliamentary exchanges with the neighbouring countries including with the Maldives.

At the invitation of Honble Speaker of Lok Sabha, Speaker of Peoples Republic of Maldives accompanied by a parliamentary delegation will visit India from 10-14 February 2025, the minister said. He informed the Lower House that the Lok Sabha Speaker visited Maldives from September 1-4 in 2019; and the Speaker of Maldives visited India in December 2019, in April 2022 and in August 2022.

Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu had visited India in October this year and held extensive talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He had said in joint press conference after meeting Modi that the ties between the Maldives and India are centuries-old, as evident throughout our histories. Besides, Margherita said, an 11-member Sri Lankan parliamentary delegation led by the Speaker visited India from December 16-20 in 2023.
The Supreme Court on Friday ruled that the Delhi-Noida-Direct (DND) flyway will be toll-free as it dismissed a plea by a private firm challenging the 2016 decision of the Allahabad High Court order asking it to stop collecting toll from commuters. The decision will benefit lakhs of people who commute daily on the flyway.

A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan held that awarding a contract to private firm Noida Toll Bridge Company Ltd (NTBCL) to collect toll from commuters plying on the DND flyway was unjust, unfair and arbitrary.

There is no reason for the collection of user or toll fee to continue. We hold that the agreement (for toll collection) is invalid, the bench said. It pulled up the NOIDA authority for delegating toll collection to private firm NTBCL, which did not have any prior experience and said it has resulted in unjust enrichment.

The Bench said NOIDA overstepped its authority by delegating the powers to NTBCL to collect or levy fees and it has led the general public to part with hundreds of crores of rupees. The High Court, in October 2016, had ruled that there will be no toll collected henceforth from those using the 9.2 km-long, eight-lane DND flyway. The order was passed as the High Court allowed a PIL by the Federation of Noida Residents Welfare Association.

The PIL, filed in 2012, had challenged the levy and collection of toll in the name of user fee by the Noida Toll Bridge Company. In an over 100-page judgment, the high court had held, the user fee which is being levied/realised is not supported by the legal provisions relied upon by the Concessionaire (Noida Toll Bridge Company), Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (promoter and developer of the project) and the Noida Authority. It had said the right to levy and collect user fee from the commuters as conferred upon the Concessionaire under the concession agreement suffers from excessive delegation and is contrary to the provisions of the UP Industrial Development Act.
Light rain showers will rotate through the Bay Area on Saturday morning. Baron/Lynx

Updated forecast: Storms to soak Bay Area, sweep Sierra during Christmas week

The final days before the Christmas holiday are shaping up to be wet ones, as two weak storm systems bookend the weekend with rain. They are part of a larger train of atmospheric river-induced storms that look to bring several rounds of rain and wind to the Bay Area through the end of next week.

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Timeline

Friday will start with areas of dense fog, particularly along the Pacific coast, western San Francisco, the Marin shoreline, and through the interior East Bay down to the South Bay. The fog could cause some morning flight delays at the regions three major airports.

Otherwise, the rest of Friday will be problem-free from a weather standpoint. Partly sunny skies will emerge across much of the Bay Area, with temperatures climbing into the low to mid-60s in most areas and reaching the mid- to upper 60s in the South Bay.

But enjoy the dry conditions while they last.

Light rain is expected to move into the North Bay early Saturday, starting around 4 a.m. in areas like Healdsburg, Santa Rosa and Petaluma. As the morning progresses, the showers will gradually creep southward, reaching San Francisco, Oakland and the Peninsula by late morning. Areas south of the Peninsula and Oakland, from Hayward to San Jose, will see little to no rain at all.

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The light rain showers will continue for the rest of the daytime hours on Saturday, making a coat and umbrella necessary accessories for last-minute shopping and holiday errands. Temperatures on Saturday will be slightly cooler than Friday, ranging from the upper 50s to low 60s in most locations, with slightly warmer temperatures in the South Bay.

Thankfully, things should start to dry out around the region by 4 p.m. Saturday, but patchy areas of dense fog will linger in many spots.

Low clouds and fog will persist into Saturday night and the early morning hours Sunday, with lows generally in the upper 40s to mid-50s.

Much of Sunday will remain dry and mild, but I wouldnt expect much in the way of sunshine. A decent south/southwest wind will drag in some mild air, pushing temperatures into the mid-60s in most locations, but that will just set the stage for the return of rain showers later in the day.

More rain will move into the area on Sunday evening. Baron/Lynx

Pockets of light to moderate rain will slide into the North Bay, Peninsula and East Bay sometime after 6 p.m. Sunday and will persist intermittently into the overnight period.

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From there, the region should get about a 24-hour break from precipitation before a more impactful storm system with more widespread rain moves in on Christmas Eve.

Churned up ocean

With an atmospheric river remaining pointed toward the West Coast for the foreseeable future, and with several storm systems poised to move through, the oceans will start to kick up a fury this weekend. We wont see waves as big as the ones last weekend, but the waters will be rough enough for the National Weather Service to issue a high surf advisory for the entire Bay Area coastline through the weekend.

Soggy Sierra

If you thought that the return of multiple atmospheric river-induced storms this weekend was good news for Sierra Nevada ski resorts, you might need to think again. Both storm systems will be rather warm, and snow levels should hover between 7,000 and 8,000 feet around the Tahoe resorts. And even then, only a few inches of snow will fall above those levels.

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The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Uttar Pradesh and Haryana Governments to impose a complete ban on firecrackers until further orders. The Delhi Government has also imposed a round-the-year ban on firecrackers in the National Capital.

The SC has also ordered the states falling in the National Capital Region (NCR) to constitute teams of various officials to ensure strict compliance with the anti-pollution measures under Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).

During the hearing, Senior advocate Shadaan Farasat, appearing for the Government, conveyed this to a Bench of Justices AS Oka and AG Masih hearing the question of air pollution in the National Capital. He emphasised that for this measure to be effective, neighbouring NCR states must adopt similar bans, as firecrackers could still be brought into Delhi from those states.

We are of the view that this ban will be effective only when other states forming part of the NCR region impose similar measures. Even the state of Rajasthan has imposed a similar ban in that part of State of Rajasthan which falls in NCR regions. For the time being we direct the states of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to impose a similar ban which is imposed by the state of Delhi, the Bench said.

The Bench was informed that while Haryana had permitted the use of green crackers, Rajasthan had imposed a complete ban on firecrackers in the areas falling within the NCR. The Bench further stated that such a ban would be effective only if other NCR states imposed similar restrictions. The matter has been listed for further hearing on January 15, 2025, to consider additional directions on the firecracker ban.

The Supreme Court had earlier expressed concerns over inadequate enforcement of firecracker bans in Delhi-NCR. On December 12, the Supreme Court directed the Delhi Government and NCR states to decide on a complete year-round ban on firecrackers, including their manufacture, storage, sale, distribution, and use.

We direct NCR states to constitute the teams of members of police, revenue officials to monitor the implementation of GRAP IV measures. We say this that the members so created in this team will work as officers of this court. They will regularly submit reports of compliance and breaches to CAQM [Commission for Air Quality Management] so that immediate action be taken by all concerned, it directed.

The Bench was hearing the case concerning the Delhi air pollution crisis. The Court has been monitoring action taken by authorities in the adjoining States to curb stubble-burning incidents, among other things.

Meanwhile, in a notification issued by the Delhi governments environment department on Thursday,There shall be a complete ban on manufacturing, storage, selling (including delivery through online marketing platforms) and bursting of all kinds of fire crackers in NCT of Delhi throughout the year with immediate effect.

The Delhi Police and Revenue Department, GNCTD shall ensure implementation of the directions under their respective jurisdiction in letter and spirit. The violation of the directions issued under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 shall be punishable under Section 15 of the said Act, the notification read.

Meanwhile, Delhi and its neighboring areas like Noida, Ghaziabad, and Gurugram woke up to a thick blanket of dense fog on Thursday morning, adding to the chill of an already cold day. The fog reduced visibility significantly, while the regions air quality remained perilously high in the severe to severe-plus category, prompting health concerns. Calm winds and high humidity contributed to shallow fog in various parts of Delhi-NCR, further worsening pollution levels.

The air quality index (AQI) stood at 451, crossing over the severe plus threshold while the AQICN.Orgs real time data recorded AQI 999 at ITI Shahdara Jhilmil in east Delhi.

With 13.182 per cent, the Transport sector is the key contributor to air pollution in Delhi, followed by Industry (6.418 per cent), Residential (3.422 per cent), Waste (1.238 per cent), Constructions (1.723 per cent), and Dust (0.916 per cent). The PM2.5 particles, measuring 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter pose significant health risks as they can penetrate deep into the lungs when inhaled.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for the next five days for Delhi, forecasting the persistently low visibility to continue until December 23. The IMD also indicated that the cold and fog conditions would likely worsen due to northern winds.

Out of the 36 air quality monitoring stations across Delhi, 32 reported AQI levels in the severe plus category, with several locations recording values exceeding 480, posing extreme health risks to residents. Alarming figures have been reported from Anand Vihar (478), Ashok Vihar (472), Bawana (454), Burari Crossing (473), Mathura Road (467), Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range (451), Dwarka Sector 8 (460), ITO (475), Jahangirpuri (478), and Punjabi Bagh (476).

Other notable locations include Nehru Nagar (485), Rohini (470), Vikas Marg (466), and Vivek Vihar (475) while the remaining stations reported severe levels.

The situation in the National Capital Region (NCR) cities also remains critical, with Haryanas Faridabad at 289, Gurugram at 370 and Uttar Pradeshs Ghaziabad at 386, Greater Noida at 351, and Noida at 366.

The conditions are a result of the ongoing influence of western disturbances, which are also responsible for a drop in minimum temperatures. As per IMD, the minimum temperature in Delhi had dipped to 5C on Thursday morning, while earlier this week, the city recorded a low of 7.4C.Early morning visuals from areas such as Ashoka Road, Kushak Road, and Maulana Azad Road on Thursday showed thick fog enveloping the National Capital.

Moderate fog reported at Safdarjung airport. Safdarjung airport recorded lowest visibility 250m between 7 am to 7.30 am which improved thereafter becoming 300m at 8 am. Palam airport recorded lowest visibility 600 m during 7.30 am to 9 am which improved thereafter becoming 700m at 9.30 am. The ventilation index lower than 6000 m2/s with average wind speed less than 10 kmph is unfavourable for dispersion of pollutants.

The Delhi Airport, considering the situation, issued a passenger advisory in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, requesting the passengers to contact their concerned airlines for updated flight information before travelling. Low visibility procedures are still in progress at Delhi Airport. However, there has been no impact on flight operations. Passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information, the post read.
The Director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhopal and Acting Director of AIIMS, Gorakhpur, Prof Ajay Singh visited and inspected Mahayogi Gorakhnath University and Arogyadham in Gorakhpur on Thursday.

Describing the facilities at Guru Gorakhnath Medical College Hospital and Research Centre (Gorakhnath Medical College) as excellent, Prof Singh stated that AIIMS, Bhopal and Gorakhpur, will collaborate with the college to provide top medical care to patients in Purvanchal.

Visibly impressed by the campus, the state-of-the-art medical facilities at the colleges hospital, and the work culture at Mahayogi Gorakhnath University, the director emphasised that collaborating with the university would lead to significant achievements.

Prof Singh announced that AIIMS, Bhopal and Gorakhpur, will provide live ICU services to Gorakhnath Medical College, adding that with the combined efforts of AIIMS Bhopal, Gorakhpur, and the colleges hospital, even better patient care will be delivered.

Prof Singh announced that AIIMS, Bhopal and Gorakhpur, will soon provide training in new techniques to the medical, nursing, and paramedical staff, as well as students of Gorakhnath Medical College.

He stated that this training will directly benefit more patients in the future.

During the AIIMS directors inspection, Vice-Chancellor of Mahayogi Gorakhnath University Dr Surinder Singh informed him that Medanta Hospital is also linked to Gorakhnath Medical College for live ICU services. Critical patient treatment has already begun, and a 24-hour surgery emergency service is operational.

The vice-chancellor further highlighted that in recent days, two complex cancer surgeries had been successfully performed, while an 18-bed dialysis unit is also running at the facility.

Upon his arrival, Prof Singh was accorded a warm welcome by Dr Pradeep Kumar Rao, Registrar of Mahayogi Gorakhnath University; Dr Arvind Singh Kushwaha, Principal of the Medical College; and Dr Giridhar Vedantam, Principal of the Ayurveda College.

Also present were Dr DS Ajitha, Dean of Nursing and Paramedical Faculty; Dr Sunil Kumar Singh, Dean of Allied Health Sciences; Dr Vimal Kumar Dubey, Dean of Agricultural Science; Dr Rohit Kumar Srivastava, Head of the Paramedical Department; Dr Shashikant Singh, Head of the Pharmacy Department; and Dr Tarun Shyam, Head of the Commerce Department, among others.
AAP supremo and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday accused BJP chief JP Nadda of equating Purvanchalis with Rohingyas and

Bangladeshi people, and admitting deletion of their votes in Delhi ahead of the upcoming Assembly polls.

Taking a dig at the BJP for not announcing its chief ministerial face for the Delhi Assembly polls due in February, Kejriwal called the

saffron party a "wedding party without a groom".

"They should tell the name. Its a right of the people to know," he said addressing a press conference. Kejriwal accused the BJP of hatching a conspiracy to get the names of Purvanchalis in Delhi deleted from the voters list because they supported the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the elections.

"BJP president JP Nadda openly admitted in Parliament deletion of names of Purvanchalis, Rohingyas and Bangladeshis. The Purvanchalis are called Rohingyas. How can those who came from UP and Bihar to Delhi and were settled here for 30-40 years be called Rohingya or Bangladeshi?" he asked.

Arvind Kejriwal affirmed, As we all know, a voter card is essential not only for voting but also for accessing several government services. By targeting voter cards, BJP is effectively depriving Purvanchalis of basic services and benefits.

Kejriwal said the AAP workers will go door to door across Delhi to tell the Purvnachali people about the BJP's "conspiracy".

AAP's Rajya Sabha MP from Delhi and a Purvanchali face of the party, Sanjay Singh, will undertake 'Ratri Pravas" (night stays) at Purvanchali dominated areas of the city to expose the BJP's "well planned conspiracy", he said.

The issue of deletion of votes in Delhi was raised in Parliament by Singh earlier this week. Nadda claimed the names of Bangladeshis and Rohingyas are being removed from the voters' list following the process laid down in the Constitution and asked the AAP if it was wining with their votes.

Singh claimed that BJP workers had submitted applications to delete the names of Hindu voters under false pretences of labelling them as Rohingyas and Bangladeshi infiltrators.

Meanwhile, Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva called Arvind Kejriwal an expert at changing both his face and his statements according to the situation. Today, he is trying to show himself as a supporter of Purvanchals people, but they have not forgotten his

statement of September 30, 2019, when he said, Biharis come to Delhi with a 500-rupee ticket, get 5 lakh worth of free treatment, and leave, he said.

People from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Haryana have not forgotten that Arvind Kejriwal has repeatedly stated that Delhis border hospitals and schools are under heavy pressure from outsiders, he added.
Spain has made a significant move to modernize its air force by signing an agreement with Airbus for 25 next-generation Eurofighter aircraft. The order, comprising 21 single-seater and four twin-seater jets, is scheduled for delivery beginning in 2030. This latest procurement follows a previous 2022 contract for 20 fighters and will expand Spains Eurofighter fleet to 115 aircraft. While the deals exact value remains undisclosed, it can be benchmarked against Italys recent similar purchase of 24 Eurofighters for approximately 7.5 billion euros. The new aircraft will replace Spains aging F-18 fleet, marking a substantial upgrade in the countrys military aviation capabilities. Market Response Despite the substantial order, Airbuss stock performance has shown weakness in recent trading. The shares declined by 1.2 percent to 154.72 euros on XETRA, continuing a downward trend that has left the stock significantly below its 52-week high of 172.82 euros reached in March 2024. The company, currently valued at 125.9 billion euros, has maintained its shareholder returns in 2024, distributing a regular dividend of 1.80 euros per share, along with a special dividend of 1.00 euro per share paid in April. Ad Airbus Stock: New Analysis  23 December Fresh Airbus information released. Whats the impact for investors? Our latest independent report examines recent figures and market trends. Read our updated Airbus analysis

Spain has made a significant move to modernize its air force by signing an agreement with Airbus for 25 next-generation Eurofighter aircraft. The order, comprising 21 single-seater and four twin-seater jets, is scheduled for delivery beginning in 2030. This latest procurement follows a previous 2022 contract for 20 fighters and will expand Spains Eurofighter fleet to 115 aircraft. While the deals exact value remains undisclosed, it can be benchmarked against Italys recent similar purchase of 24 Eurofighters for approximately 7.5 billion euros. The new aircraft will replace Spains aging F-18 fleet, marking a substantial upgrade in the countrys military aviation capabilities.

Market Response

Despite the substantial order, Airbuss stock performance has shown weakness in recent trading. The shares declined by 1.2 percent to 154.72 euros on XETRA, continuing a downward trend that has left the stock significantly below its 52-week high of 172.82 euros reached in March 2024. The company, currently valued at 125.9 billion euros, has maintained its shareholder returns in 2024, distributing a regular dividend of 1.80 euros per share, along with a special dividend of 1.00 euro per share paid in April.

Ad

Fresh Airbus information released. Whats the impact for investors? Our latest independent report examines recent figures and market trends.
Former chief justice of India D Y Chandrachud on Friday said media reports of him being considered for the National Human Rights Commission chairperson's post were "untrue".

"This is untrue. Presently, I am enjoying my retired life," country's 50th CJI, who demitted office on November 10, told PTI.

The post of NHRC chairperson is lying vacant since former Supreme Court judge Justice (retd) Arun Kumar Mishra completed his tenure on June 1.

On December 18, a high-powered committee led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting to select the next chairperson of NHRC, sources had said.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi attended the meeting as leaders of the opposition in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha respectively, they had said.

Justice (retd) Mishra served as the eighth chairperson of the rights panel after being appointed in June, 2021.

According to the law governing NHRC, while the committee which selects the NHRC chief is headed by the prime minister, it has the Lok Sabha speaker, home minister, leaders of opposition in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha besides deputy chairperson of Rajya Sabha as its members.

Vijaya Bharathi Sayani, a member of the NHRC, became its acting chairperson after Justice Mishra retired.

A former chief justice of India or a retired judge of the top court are appointed as NHRC chairperson by the president on the recommendation of the selection committee.

Former CJIs H L Dattu and K G Balakrishnan have been at the helm of the rights body in the past.
The Mumbai police launched a probe after two motorcycle-borne allegedly conducted a recce of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut's bungalow in Bhandup on Friday, officials said.

The incident took place around 9 am outside Raut's 'Maitri' bungalow, an official said.

"Two men came on a two-wheeler and stopped outside Raut's bungalow for some time and left the place," he said.

A few persons waiting outside the bungalow spotted the two suspects and informed the Sena (UBT) MP's younger brother and local MLA Sunil Raut, he said.

Soon afterwards, the police were alerted. A team from the Kanjurmarg police station reached the bungalow and launched a probe, the official said.

"Police are examining the footage from the CCTV cameras at the bungalow, which shows two suspects on a two-wheeler," he said.

It is suspected that the duo conducted a recce. Hence, attempts to get information about them and their vehicle were on, he said.

So far, no case has been registered in this connection, according to him.

"If anything serious is found in the detailed inquiry, a case will be registered against the suspects," he said.

Raut is known as a vocal critic of the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday announced judicial probes into the Parbhani violence and the murder of village head Santosh Deshmukh in Beed district.

The state will also provide financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh each to the kin of Deshmukh and Somnath Suryawanshi, who died after his arrest in connection with the violence in Parbhani over the alleged desecration of a replica of the Constitution, he said.

Announcing the transfer of Beed Superintendent of Police, the CM said the police were found to be lax.

Fadnavis said the abduction and murder of Deshmukh, sarpanch of Massajog village, is already being probed by a special investigation team (SIT) under an IG-rank officer. In addition to that, a judicial probe will be done within three to six months, he said.

The CM assured the House that those responsible for unleashing anarchy in Beed district would be punished irrespective of their political links.

Sharing the details tied to the sarpanch murder, Fadnavis said on December 6, Ashok Ghule, Sudarshan Ghule and Pratik Ghule went to the site of an energy project site in Beed district and beat up the watchman Amardeep Sonawane and project manager Shivaji Thopte.

Deshmukh was informed about the incident as the Ghules are from the neighbouring village, he said.

Fadnavis said that on December 9, Deshmukh's vehicle was intercepted by a black Scorpio and another car at a toll naka. He was pulled out and bundled into the Scorpio, the CM told the House.

Deshmukh was mercilessly thrashed inside the car, taken out and again beaten up. The accused fled after realising that Deshmukh had died, he said.

Fadnavis said Deshmukh's brother was in touch with one Vishnu Chate pleading with him to let go of the sarpanch. Chate was the former tehsil chief of NCP in Beed district.

Before Deshmukh's murder, manager Thopte of the energy company had filed a police complaint on November 29 alleging an extortion bid, he said.

The complaint said that one Walmik Karad talked over the phone to Sunil Shinde and Chate when they were present at the company's office in Massajog village. Karad demanded that the company stop the work. That day, Sudarshan Ghule also came to the office and asked the company official to stop work.

Project manager Thopte was subsequently called to Parli, where Karad threatened and asked him to either stop the work or pay Rs 2 crore, Fadnavis said.

The link between the extortion and murder is being probed. I assure the House that the mastermind in the case will be brought to book. If Walmik Karad's involvement in the murder is established, action would be taken. His involvement in the extortion case has been proved, said the CM.

While Deshmukh was a Maratha, some of the accused including Chate belonged to the Other Backward Classes. This had given a caste angle to the incident, especially against the backdrop of the Maratha quota agitation and opposition by OBCs to it.

All those directly and indirectly involved in these criminal activities in Beed district will be booked under MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act), he said.

Opposition leaders have claimed that Karad is a close associate of NCP minister Dhananjay Munde who hails from Beed district.

The CM also shared details related to the Parbhani case.

On the afternoon of December 10, Fadnavis said one Sopan Pawar desecrated a (glass-enclosed) replica of the Constitution near Babasaheb Ambedkar's statue outside Parbhani railway station. Police reached the site where a crowd had gathered and vandalised vehicles, he said.

The collector was asked to reach the spot and defuse tension, the CM said.

The next day, a bandh was called in the city and Parbhani district during which peaceful protests were held. However, 200-300 people resorted to violence and damaged property, the CM said. Police had to use tear gas and lathi charge to control the situation, he said. Some women even entered the collector's office and vandalised it, Fadnavis said.

Police booked 51 persons for arson and arrested 43 of them, while women and children were let off after being given notice, he said.

Sopan Pawar is mentally unstable and has been under treatment since 2012, the CM said. Four doctors checked him and mentioned his mental illness, mood disorder and behavioural issues in their report, Fadnavis said.

There is no conspiracy theory. There was a Sakal Hindu Samaj morcha in the morning that day to highlight atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh and the desecration took place after five hours. Pawar wasn't part of the morcha, he said.

Leaders from all political parties were present. This was not a Hindu versus Dalit case, the CM asserted.

The judicial inquiry into the Parbhani violence will be done to clear all doubts. Ambedkar is not limited to any caste. He belongs to all, said Fadnavis.

About the death of Somnath Suryawanshi after his arrest in connection with the violence, Fadnavis said he told a magistrate that the police did not torture him.

Medical examination showed there were old injuries on his body and he was suffering from breathlessness. CCTV footage and evidence prove that no force was used on Suryawanshi during his custody, the CM said.

We should introspect if lawlessness should be tolerated. There was a total loss of Rs 1.89 crore due to the damages to vehicles and shops. There were no combing operations (by police). Only those involved in rioting were picked up, he said.
Rajya Sabha adjourns sine die

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned sine die on Friday after the House adopted a motion to nominated 12 members to the joint committee of Parliament on simultaneous polls.

When the House met this morning, it witnessed protests by opposition members and was adjourned amid the din.

The Chairman also held a meeting with Leader of the House J P Nadda and Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge besides leaders of various opposition parties in a bid to end the impasse in the House.

When the House again met at 12 noon, the Chairman asked Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal to move a motion for nominating members of the upper house to the joint committee of Parliament to examine the bills related to 'one nation, one election'.

The motion was adopted with a voice vote to nominate 12 members of the Rajya Sabha to the joint committee on simultaneous polls.

The Chairman then made his concluding remarks, saying this session's productivity stood at a mere 40.03 percent with just 43 hours and 27 minutes of effective functioning.

"As Parliamentarians we are drawing severe criticism from the people of India and rightfully so. These persistent disruptions are steadily eroding public trust in our democratic institutions," he noted.

Lok Sabha adjourns sine die

Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die on Friday amid protests by opposition and treasury benches over the alleged insult to B R Ambedkar and directions by Speaker Om Birla to members against holding demonstrations at any gate of Parliament.

As soon as the Lok Sabha convened for the day, the Speaker called Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal to present a resolution for setting up a joint committee of Parliament to examine the bills related to 'one nation, one election'.

Slogans of 'Jai Bhim' reverberated in the House as the Speaker read out directions barring demonstrations and protests at the gates of Parliament.

As the protests continued, the Speaker adjourned the House sine die.

Even before the House proceedings began, Congress members started raising slogans "Jai Bheem, Jai Jai Bheem".

Amid the slogans by the opposition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi entered the Lok Sabha chamber.

As Meghwal moved the resolution, Congress members led by Manickam Tagore stormed the Well raising slogans.

Protesting opposition members remained in the Well as 'Vande Mataram' was played as per convention at the end of the Parliament Session.

Except TMC, most of the opposition party members, including DMK and NCP, joined the protest from their seats. Congress member Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was present in the House.
Several Delhi schools received bomb-threat emails on Friday, making it the sixth such incident in the last 11 days, officials said.

Security personnel conducted search operations at the schools, but nothing suspicious was found, an official said.

"We received a call regarding the bomb threat at 5:02 am from DPS, Dwarka, in Sector 23," the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) official said on Friday.

Police, the fire department, bomb detection teams, and the dog squad participated in the search operation, but nothing was found so far, another official said.

Around five schools in Dwarka, along with some in other districts, received similar emails, the official said.

At some places, students were asked not to come to school, while others switched to online classes after receiving the threat, he added.
Marc Guiu's first-half hat trick helped Chelsea ease past Shamrock Rovers 5-1 to complete the league phase of the UEFA Conference League with a 100% record.

The 18-year-old forward, who netted twice in a 3-1 win over Astana in the previous round, opened the scoring in the 22nd minute with a header from close range at Stamford Bridge.

Markus Poom equalized for the Irish visitors, but Guiu restored Chelsea's lead with an angled shot from the left in the 34th.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall made it 3-1 six minutes later before Guiu completed his first hat trick for the Blues with a header in stoppage time.

I've never seen anyone press like him," Dewsbury-Hall told TNTSports about Guiu. "He doesn't slow down, he'll keep working hard. You forget how young he is. He's only 18. I'm happy that he got his hat trick, he deserves it.

Guiu, who joined Chelsea from Barcelona this summer, has scored six goals in six games in the third-tier competition.

Marc Cucurella finished off the rout in the second half.

It's now eight straight wins in all competitions for Enzo Maresca's team, which equals the club's record set in December 2016.

Of the 36 clubs involved in the revamped competition, the top eight in the standings go directly to the round of 16 in March. Teams ranked ninth to 24th go into the knockout playoffs in February. The bottom 12 teams are eliminated.

Unlike the new-look Champions League and Europa League, teams in the Conference League face six opponents, not eight, in the league phase that replaced the traditional group stage.

Chelsea was the only team that stayed perfect, the only team that qualified to the round of 16 with a game to spare, and it scored 26 in six games, by far the most goals.

Despite its first defeat in the competition, Rovers finished 10th and became the first Irish club to advance to the knockout stage of a European competition.

TOP EIGHT

Rolando Mandragora netted for Fiorentina three minutes from time to salvage a 1-1 draw at Vitoria, a result that gave the Portuguese team second place with 14 points. Fiorentina, runner-up in the previous two editions, was a point back in third.

Rapid Vienna beat Copenhagen 3-0 to advance from fourth place on 13 points. Djurgarden was fifth with 13 points after a 3-1 win over Legia Warsaw, which was seventh place.

Lugano finished sixth after being held 2-2 at home by Pafos from Cyprus.

Cercle Brugge's 1-1 draw against Basaksehir was enough to finish eighth.
Ustad Zakir Hussains life and legacy, with his humility, artistry, and deep connection to tradition, Will continue to inspire

It would be wrong to say that I  like many other admirers of Ustad Zakir Hussain  am not shocked and mourning the demise of the maestro on December 15, 2024. But while there are countless messages on social media from those who are offering their tributes and remembering the maestros greatness, it is a moment to also remember Zakir Hussain for his humility despite his multiple accolades and achievements. I must also convincingly add that it would further be wrong to say that the world of taal and rhythm fell silent on December 15, 2024, as Ustad Zakir Hussain breathed his last in San Francisco at 73, leaving behind an unparalleled legacy in the realm of music. For decades, his hands transformed the tabla from a classical Indian percussion instrument into a universal language, one that bridged the East and the West, traditional and contemporary, music and magic. It can, however, be said that while the taals and taranas seem momentarily muted, Zakir Hussains music continues to echo in the hearts of millions.

Born on March 9, 1951, in Mumbai, Zakir Hussain was the son of Ustad Alla Rakha, another tabla virtuoso. From a young age, Zakir was destined for greatness, showing an uncanny ability to master the intricacies of rhythm. His music wasnt just a recital of beats  it was a dialogue, a dance, a spiritual experience. Even as a child prodigy, he bore the weight of his fathers towering legacy with grace, eventually shaping his own path and taking tabla to a realm previously unimaginable.

Redefining the Tabla

Zakir Hussain revolutionised the art of tabla playing, elevating it from its conventional role as a supporting instrument to a soloists pride of place on the world stage. With a profound understanding of tradition and heritage, he seamlessly blended his technical virtuosity with creative improvisation, crafting performances that transcended genres and boundaries. His hands moved like poetry, crafting rhythmic patterns so intricate and yet so accessible that even the untrained ear could sense the brilliance of his craft.

His collaborations with artists across the globe are a testament to his genius. With guitarist John McLaughlin, he co-founded the band Shakti, a pioneering force in fusion music that blended Indian classical music with jazz and rock. His work with Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead in Planet Drum brought Indian percussion to global prominence, winning a Grammy for Best World Music Album in 1992.

He had the remarkable ability to connect disparate musical traditions, forging symphonies that spoke to the universal spirit of humanity. Whether performing with Ravi Shankar in a sitar-tabla jugalbandi or jamming with Yo-Yo Mas Silk Road Ensemble, he approached each with reverence and curiosity, breaking barriers without ever diluting the essence of the tabla.

What Parampara (Lineage) Meant for the Ustad

Despite his global persona, Zakir Hussain remained deeply rooted in Indian musical traditions. His performances were steeped in the wisdom of centuries, carrying forward the parampara (lineage) of the Punjab gharana while infusing it with his own innovations. He viewed the tabla as not just an instrument but a storyteller, capable of expressing every shade of human emotion  from the ecstatic to the meditative. His renditions of complex talas (teental, jhaptal, and rupak tal) revealed his mastery of rhythm and timing, yet what set him apart was his ability to infuse each beat with life and soul. Even as he experimented with cross-cultural sounds, Zakir Hussain never let the tabla lose its identity. He saw fusion as a dialogue rather than a compromise, where traditions could coexist and enrich one another.

In his lecture-demonstrations, Zakir Hussain often spoke about the spiritual dimension of music. For him, the tabla was a medium of devotion and transcendence, a way to connect with the divine. It is this depth of understanding that lent his performances an ethereal quality, leaving audiences spellbound.

A Lesson in Humility

Zakir Hussains fame was unparalleled, yet his humility remained his most endearing quality. Despite receiving countless accolades, including the Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Kalidas Samman, the United States National Heritage Fellowship, and the Grammy Awards, he carried himself with the grace and simplicity of a true artist. He was equally at ease performing in the grandest concert halls of the world and in intimate baithaks (gatherings). He often attributed his success to his gurus, his parents, and his fellow musicians, never once allowing his stature to overshadow his respect for the art form. I am just a student, he would say, even as the world hailed him as a master. He viewed music, like life, as a journey rather than a destination and won the love and admiration of millions of fans worldwide. His recordings, whether solo albums like Making Music or collaborations like Friday Night in San Francisco, remain timeless treasures.

Zakir Hussains artistry lies in his unparalleled ability to create magic through jugalbandis with luminaries of Indian classical music. His tabla became a dynamic companion, engaging in profound musical dialogues with Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasias flute, Ustad Amjad Ali Khans sarod, Pandit Shivkumar Sharmas santoor, L. Subramaniams violin, and Ustad Bismillah Khans shehnai. These collaborations celebrated the interplay of rhythm and melody, captivating audiences with performances that evoked joy, wonder, and reverence. Zakir Hussain also collaborated with maestros like Ustad Ali Akbar Khan (sarod), creating harmonies that bridged the spiritual and the artistic. In recent years, he extended his genius to a new generation, performing with Niladri Kumar (electric sitar), Rakesh Chaurasia (flute), and Kala Ramnath (violin), proving his tabla transcends time and tradition. These jugalbandis were not mere performances but soulful exchanges, transforming the stage into a realm of divine musical ecstasy.

Zakir Hussains tabla seamlessly complemented the soul-stirring renditions of legends like Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Kishori Amonkar, Pt. Birju Maharaj, and Pt. Rajan-Sajan Mishra. With Pandit Jasraj, his intricate rhythmic patterns enriched majestic khayal performances, blending melody and rhythm to captivate audiences. Equally remarkable were his collaborations with Girija Devi, Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna, Pt. Ajoy Chakraborty, and Ustad Rashid Khan, where his tabla brought depth to thumris, kritis, and other gayaki angs, enhancing their emotive essence. With humility and brilliance, he elevated vocal accompaniment and the rhythmic artistry of ghungroos, setting unparalleled standards in the interplay of rhythm and melody.

Legends Never Die

And as we remember the legend, it was he who transformed the tabla into an instrument of infinite possibilities, inspiring countless musicians to explore its depths. His students, many of whom are now torchbearers of the art form, continue to carry forward his teachings, ensuring that the rhythms he created will never fade. In the words of the maestro himself: Music is a prayer. Its a conversation with the universe. Its infinite, just like the spirit of the human soul.

Wah Ustad Wah ! We will never miss saying this. Farewell.

 Rajdeep Pathak, Programme Executive, Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti
Keir Starmer sent a troupe of 100 Labour election agitators to America during the 2024 election to destabilise and manipulate the Trump campaign. Sadly for the Democrats and Labour, the election interference from a foreign country did not work, and the Democrats lost. Now, Starmer is sending the Prince of Darkness himself, Lord Mandy, to Washington as a British ambassador so that he can mix things up for Trump during his presidency.

Lord Mandy describes Donald Trump as a danger to the world and as a white nationalist and racist.

Will the Americans fall for such malicious trickery? Probably not, is the simple answer. They certainly do not appreciate interference from foreign entities, and the Trump administration will not abide by some jumped up socialist British interference via the Labour Party in Washington. Lord Mandys mission is to advise Trump to side with the EU and Starmers Brexit Betrayal. Americans pride themselves greatly on breaking away from the authoritarian inhibitive clutches of the Mother Land and the pilgrims who sailed across the Atlantic in the Mayflower are never forgotten.

As for tax without representation, the Boston Tea Party is another chapter in the historical books of engrained American antipathy with the ways of the British.

There is some good news for Lord Mandy though, Barack Obama and Big Mikey will probably invite him around once in a while during his stay, maybe they can have a sauna together and do the things they like to do.
December 19, 2024: Russian troops in Ukraine have been seen using Chinese 4x4 Tiger/ZFB-05 vehicles. These have a roof opening for one of the crew to use a machine gun up there. These vehicles were brought in by the Chechen contingent fighting alongside the Russians. The Tiger is a licensed version of an Italian vehicle.

The ZFB weight 4.6 tons with a 1.1 ton cargo capacity. A two man crew is required and the vehicle can carry up to nine passengers. Another half dozen passengers can be added in an emergency. Max road speed is 100 kilometers an hour and max road range is 800 kilometers on internal fuel.

China openly copies a lot of foreign military equipment designs, often in many variations because multiple manufacturers get involved. While the Chinese military thought the American HMMWV/hummer was a useful design, it was not adopted widely.

The basic tactical vehicle in the Chinese military is the BJ2022. The BJ2022 entered service in 2007 after being developed as a joint venture between a Chinese firm and Chrysler. Because of that American connection, the BJ2022 was legally based on the Jeep Cherokee. BJ2022 comes in two versions, with one being a bit longer and serving as something similar to the old American  ton truck. Most of the BJ2022 are basically much updated World War II American jeep designs that borrow much from SUV and four-wheel drive innovations. The basic version can carry a payload of 500 kg and seats four. The longer version carries 750 kg and seats up to eight. These are four-wheel drive vehicles have manual transmissions and are mainly used on roads or flat terrain.

Chinese hummer-like vehicles are popular with Chinese and foreign special operations troops. The Chinese armed forces are not buying a lot of these vehicles, only a few thousand or so a year at most although civilian versions became popular with Chinese and export customers. The most popular of these hummer clones comes from Dongfeng, which initially produced some hummers under license. Dongfeng has since produced a number of hummer variants, including armored models equipped to handle RWS/remote weapons systems. These were nicknamed Mengesha/east wind warrior. The latest of these, the CSK-181 is an eight ton armored hummer design similar to the new American JLTV. One characteristic of the Chinese hummers is the built-in night vision cameras, one in front and one in the back with a flat-screen display for the driver to use. There is also a satellite navigation system.

Although China tried Russian and European designs in their search for a new tactical truck similar to the American hummer, they finally settled on a hummer clone of their own. China still uses the Russian and German designs for most of its tactical vehicles but it is also buying a growing number of locally made hummer clones.

China got their hands on an American hummer in 1988. Initially, Chinese military officials felt the hummer was too expensive. But the performance of the hummer in the 1991 Gulf War with growing use of the American civilian version of the hummer, especially those brought in by oil companies for use in remote areas, changed minds. By 2003, two Chinese companies were producing hummer clones and the Chinese Army adopted one of them as the EQ2050. Within a decade an armored version was developed as the EQ2058 followed by several other variants, including a longer 6x6 vehicle.

Meanwhile, the United States developed a new hummer-like vehicle, the JLTV/Joint Light Tactical Vehicle hummer/MRAP replacement. Export versions sell for up to $400,000 each depending on accessories. Buyers like Britain order vehicles that allow for a lot of substitution of some American components with British equivalents and the use of British accessories. The American designer and manufacturer, Oshkosh, has been promoting the JLTV to military and police organizations worldwide and already has several other NATO allies discussing JLTV acquisition.

Mass production for JLTV began in late 2019 with most of those vehicles going to the U.S. Army, which currently plans to buy 49,000 vehicles to replace armored HMMWV vehicles as well as many MRAP armored trucks. As of early 2019, about 12,000 JLTVs had been produced with the last of the JLTVs being delivered by the end of the 2030s.
Derry businessman Garvan O'Doherty has agreed the sale of property and land in the city to Ulster University to help advance the expansion of the Magee campus.

Earlier this week The Magee Taskforce delivered its report and action plan for the expansion of Ulster Universitys Magee campus to 10,000 students.

Established by the Economy Minister Conor Murphy in March, The Magee Taskforce was set up to develop a plan which would deliver on the New Decade New Approach agreement reached between the British and Irish Governments and local parties in 2020.

The Taskforce said its plan requires an investment from the Executive, including 291million for new developments, property purchases and refurbished buildings and public realm.

The Garvan O'Doherty Group confirmed the sale of sites on Derry's Queens Quay and Strand Road.

A spokesperson said, "Bringing economic life back to the city centre, creating new jobs in new industries, are the catalysts we need to realise Derry's untapped potential.

"There has been considerable interest in these sites, and we have had other, higher offers, but decided to sell at a lower price in the civic interest.

"We all want to see Magee expand to 10,000 students and this will facilitate that."
The upcoming deal by NVIDIA and Run:ai saw a massive roadblock when the European Commission first halted the deal for an investigation to look into possible anti-competition concerns, but the latest from the Commission gave its green light to the companies. Initially, the European authorities have claimed that the deal may threaten competition inthe market, especially in the AI space.

NVIDIA recently made a significant run towards being the highest-valued company in the world and defeating Apple, and this feat was largely attributed to their massive AI developments and presence in the industry.

EU Green Lights NVIDIA's Acquisition of Run:ai After Probe

A new report from Reuters shared that the European Commission has given their green light to the NVIDIA and Run:aideal which will have the massive semiconductor company acquire the AI startup. According to the Commission, it has given the company an "unconditionally" approval for the deal to proceed, following an inquiry from less than two months ago.

It was previously revealed by the Commission that NVIDIA's deal would focus on increasing the second most valuable company's control in the GPU industry, but after the investigation, it concluded that it does not raise any flags.

The company's plans for acquiring Run:ai faced this inquiry and had to seek an antitrust clearance from the Commission as it allegedly brought threats to the markets in both NVIDIA and Run:ai's industries.

NVIDIA's Bid for Run:ai Looks to Accelerate the Space

Last April, NVIDIA announced its bid to acquire the Israeli startup, Run:ai, for a deal valued at $700 million, as it plans to deliver a GPU orchestration software using the Kubernetes-based workload management provider.

NVIDIA and Run:ai has long collaborated on massive projects since 2020, and both companies look to expand their services to improve more infrastructure use via this deal.

NVIDIA's Massive Growth Thanks to AI

NVIDIA made a significant entry into the artificial intelligence industry and their massive bets in the fairly new technological space have paid off, with the company's GPU hardware first seeing significance as it was adopted by many AI developers in the industry. Because of its AI chips, the company has seen unprecedented performance and cemented its legacy as one of the top names in the AI space.

Last November, the company was able to achieve its biggest milestone to date as it took the title of "World's Largest Company" in terms of its valuation after being able to achieve a $3.73 trillion value. The company was able to surpass Apple who has long held the position as the Cupertino tech giant only had a $3.38 trillion valuation, boasting of an 850 percent growth since 2022.

While Apple was able to take the top spot again, NVIDIA demonstrated that it could rise to the top and be one of the largest companies in the world thanks to its strategic focus on artificial intelligence.

Now, NVIDIA is looking to expand its company more, particularly with their latest plans to acquire Run:ai, a company that will help them manage their workloads, as well as optimize their infrastructure in hybrid environments or via the cloud. After seeing an EU inquiry regarding the deal, the Commission found that everything checked out for NVIDIA and Run:ai, allowing them to proceed with the acquisition.
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SK Hynix lands US$458 million CHIPS Act grant

The US Department of Commerce has awarded SK Hynix a grant of up to US$458 million under the CHIPS and Science Act (CHIPS Act), supporting the company's efforts to strengthen the AI supply chain in the US. The funding will support the establishment of a research center in Indiana focused on next-generation high bandwidth memory (HBM) and advanced packaging R&D.

The grant will contribute to SK Hynix's planned investment of approximately US$3.87 billion in Lafayette, Indiana, where the company will construct an AI memory packaging factory alongside advanced packaging manufacturing and R&D facilities. These developments aim to address significant gaps in the US semiconductor supply chain. The Commerce Department will release the funding incrementally as SK Hynix achieves specific project milestones.

This strategic investment marks a crucial step towards enhancing supply chain security in the US. With AI applications driving unprecedented demand for HBM, the technology has emerged as one of the core bottlenecks in the AI industry supply chain. The new facility will enable domestic HBM production, creating approximately 1,000 new jobs at the facility, with hundreds more positions generated through construction-related opportunities.

In a parallel development, SK Hynix will partner with Purdue University to establish a research center in Indiana, integrating the development, production, and packaging of next-generation HBM technology as a vital component of the US semiconductor ecosystem.

Additionally, the US government has committed to providing SK Hynix with loans of up to US$500 million, as part of the authorized US$75 billion loan program under the CHIPS Act.
The US government releases first-ever quadrennial supply chain review

The White House issued what it describes as the inaugural Quadrennial Supply Chain Review on December 19, 2024, which the incumbent Biden-Harris Administration says represents its efforts to strengthen economic security and build resilient supply chains.

According to the administration, the review outlines government initiatives aimed at addressing supply chain risks, bottlenecks, and efficiency. The White House suggests these efforts are contributing to job protection and community development across the country.

Manufacturing initiatives and supply chain perspectives

US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo stated, "Strengthening supply chains and revitalizing America's position in semiconductor manufacturing has been a cornerstone of the Biden-Harris Administration's agenda from the very beginning."

She added, "This review underscores our commitment to partnering with industry to proactively address supply chain challenges, develop innovative solutions, mitigate future disruptions, and bring back American manufacturing. By working together, we are bolstering economic and national security and building supply chains that can meet the demands of tomorrowparticularly in critical sectors like information and communications technology and semiconductors."

SCALE tool introduction

The Department of Commerce's (DOC) Supply Chain Center has introduced its SCALE supply chain risk assessment tool, presenting initial findings in the Review.

According to the DOC, SCALE aims to enhance the government's capability to assess resilience and vulnerability, using more than forty indicators to evaluate current or prospective risk across the US goods economy.

The department suggests this tool will strengthen its industry collaboration efforts around supply chain risk, noting that building resilience requires coordination between public and private sectors.

Assessment findings and implications

The Review's assessment indicates most US goods industries show exposure to structural supply chain risks, with nearly every industry reportedly scoring high in at least one risk indicator. According to the analysis, the US goods economy shows significant interdependence, with more than 86% of industries reportedly depending on inputs from other industries classified as medium-high or high-risk.

The review suggests US goods industries demonstrate limited import diversification, reporting that nearly 38% of industries rely heavily on single-country-sourced products, with over half showing minimal source-country diversification for critical inputs. The assessment identifies electronics, chemicals, and transportation among the highest-risk industries, citing high import levels from certain countries, including China, as potential risk factors.

Strategic initiatives and industry developments

The Review highlights several DOC programs reportedly aimed at strengthening supply chains, particularly in ICT and semiconductor sectors, including the CHIPS and Science Act, BEAD Program, Tech Hubs program, and Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund.

The administration reports that private investment announcements in semiconductor and electronics sectors have reached over US$450 billion since its term began, which it attributes largely to public investment initiatives.

Current challenges and industry perspectives

According to the Congressional Research Service, over 90% of advanced semiconductor production is concentrated in East Asia, with TSMC reportedly accounting for more than half of this production.

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) reports that US semiconductor manufacturing market share declined from 37% in 1990 to 12% in 2020. The CHIPS Act, allocating US$52 billion, aims to address this trend, according to administration officials.

McKinsey & Company analysis suggests supply chain diversification could potentially reduce reliance on high-risk regions by 25%, though the firm notes this would require significant coordination and investment. Experts from the Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE) emphasize that successful reshoring efforts would likely require coordinated policies, infrastructure development, and workforce training programs.

The DOC indicates it will continue to develop policies aimed at supply chain resilience, though the long-term impact of these initiatives remains to be seen.
Swisstech to announce Step into Future and Experience Swiss AI Innovation at CES 2025 in Las Vegas

swisstech announced today its participation at CES 2025 in Las Vegas, the world's most influential tech event held January 7-10, 2025. With the theme, "Step into the future: Experience Swiss AI innovation," swisstech will present two dedicated pavilions featuring Switzerland's leadership in artificial intelligence, innovation, and its thriving business ecosystem.

As part of CES Unveiled Amsterdam, Switzerland Global Enterprise will introduce Switzerland's world-class advancements in AI, highlighting solutions that accelerate digital transformation for businesses across a wide range of industries. The pavilions at CES Las Vegas will emphasize Switzerland as a hub for cutting-edge technologies, from AI-powered automation and robotics to advanced medtech, fintech, edutech and cybersecurity solutions. Switzerland recently debuted one of the fastest computers in the world, the new ethical supercomputer Alps, which will strongly contribute to research infrastructure.

Key highlights include:

Two Pavilions: Located at the Venetian Expo Eureka Park, Level 1, Hall G, Booth 61033 and Global Pavilion, Level 2, Hall D, Booth 50435 32 Swiss startups, leading companies, and research institutions contributing to Switzerland's reputation as a global hub for AI and technology will be featured.

Collaboration Opportunities: Attendees will have the chance to engage with Swiss innovators, experience solutions live and explore partnership opportunities that leverage AI to solve real-world business challenges.

Why Switzerland?

Switzerland consistently ranks among the top nations for innovation, boasting a favorable regulatory environment, world-class universities, and a robust tech ecosystem. It is home to breakthrough developments in AI, driven by collaboration between the public and private sectors. In the field of academia, EPFL and ETH Zurich Universities are stepping up their efforts to lead Swiss AI research to the international forefront, enhancing their collaborations and announcing the foundation of the Swiss National AI Institute (SNAI) with the goal of addressing challenges in AI. With CES 2025's global reach, Switzerland aims to strengthen its position as a destination for businesses seeking AI solutions that are both impactful and sustainable.

Switzerland's presence at CES 2025 underscores its commitment to supporting the growth of AI and digital transformation on an international scale. The event will be an opportunity for businesses to discover how Switzerland's AI ecosystem can drive the future of business globally.

Eureka Park at the Venetian (booth #61033): 24 Companies

8inks

Absolute Magnetics

Acktao

Aerospec

Beekee

Calopad

Clever Forever Education

csky.ai

Enerdrape

E-Outdoor

GraphEnergyTech

Identic AI

Lifehive

Magnes

mimic robotics

Neural Concept

Nutrix

Perovskia Solar

Rimon Technologies

Senbiosys

swip

Swistor

Wearin'

Sonixapp

Global Pavilion at the Venetian (booth #50435): 9 Companies

Algorized

Avatronics

Ecorobotix

GreenGT

GLOBAL ID

Hemargroup

Hypergate

Sensoryx

For more information on Switzerland Global Enterprise at CES 2025, see: https://www.s-ge.com/en/event/swiss-pavilion/swisstech-pavilion-ces-2025?ct.

Credit: swisstech
Merck to set up new advanced materials center in Japan

Merck has announced plans to invest over EUR70 million(US$72.53 million) to construct a new advanced materials development center (AMDC) at its Shizuoka site in Japan. This latest investment brings Merck's total investment in the Shizuoka site to over JPY120 million since 2021.

The new AMDC will feature a 5,500-square-meter facility with cutting-edge cleanrooms and advanced laboratories. The facility is designed with scalability in mind to accommodate future expansions to meet evolving industry demands.

Accelerating innovation for chip advancement

Building upon its established Patterning Center of Excellence in Shizuoka, Merck's new AMDC will enable the development of cutting-edge solutions for the latest semiconductor nodes and innovative materials that meet stringent environmental standards. Through the expansion of facilities and consolidation of critical R&D activities, Merck aims to accelerate innovation, improve efficiency, and better support customer needs.

"The construction of the new AMDC at our Shizuoka site reflects our strategic commitment to innovation and our confidence in Japan's semiconductor industry as a vital contributor to the global market," said Kevin Gorman, SVP and head of patterning solutions at Merck.

"As a pioneer in patterning materials innovation, this investment enhances our ability to deliver Materials Intelligence to our customers worldwide, supporting the growth of the semiconductor industry both in Japan and globally."

Deepening industry partnerships

Japan is a key market for Merck's Patterning business. In addition to serving major customers, Merck has established strong partnerships with leading equipment manufacturers. These collaborations have been instrumental in tackling some of the industry's most complex challenges. The company remains committed to further enhancing these relationships to advance the technology roadmap.

Advancing sustainable chip technologies

The AMDC aligns with Merck's dedication to advancing chip technologies and promoting sustainable innovation. By focusing on cutting-edge materials and solutions, such as EUV (Extreme Ultra Violet) materials and DSA (Directed Self Assembly), the AMDC aims to address environmental challenges while meeting the demands of next-generation applications, including AI chips and advanced nodes.

"At Merck, our Patterning business powers next-generation semiconductor applications," said Tomohide Katayama, head of core product R&D, Formulations at Merck. "Research at the new AMDC will involve exploring alternative materials and technological solutions that support sustainable manufacturing practices and deliver the high performance our customers expect."

Through these efforts, Merck is expanding its technological capabilities to contribute to a more sustainable and innovative future for the semiconductor industry.

The new AMDC is expected to commence operations in 2026, further reinforcing Merck's commitment to driving technological advancement and supporting the industry's growth.
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People are being warned against one Christmas dessert trend circulating on social media this festive season.

As one of the most-loved festive desserts, tiramisu is a crowd-pleaser but users on TikTok are taking it to the next level with the tiramisu drawer trend which has gone viral.

The trend started with one user who showed herself christening her new fridge by laying out the traditional Italian dessert directly into one of the drawers. The video now has over 6 million views and 22.3k saves.

Now, hygiene and cleaning experts at Alliance Online have shared an important health warning to home chefs who may be thinking of trying the trend for the Christmas season. Rachael Kiss at Alliance Online explores the trend:

Beware of cross contamination

Unless your fridge is brand new, its likely that youve stored raw produce like fruits, vegetables and meat which can carry a host of bacteria like E.coli or salmonella unless thoroughly cleaned after use. Fridge drawers are notoriously difficult to clean due to their corners and crevices which means its really difficult to thoroughly make sure youre avoiding cross contamination.

Preventing allergic reactions

As fridge drawers are not designed for food preparation and therefore difficult to clean this can also mean exposing you or guests to allergens like nuts, shellfish or dairy products. If youre hosting anyone with allergies its always best to be on the safe side and prepare your dish in a food safe dish.

READ NEXT: Holiday and honeymoon warning as major Irish travel agency closes suddenly

Harmful plastics

The materials used in the drawer are not designed to hold foods which will absorb contaminants which means potentially harmful chemicals could be leaking into your tiramisu without even realising. Most household fridges dont contain drawers labelled as food-safe for direct contact so its always best to double check first.

Temperature control

Preparing a tiramisu in your fridge drawer can lead to uneven cooling as the drawer is not insulated for temperature stability. This means perishable ingredients in the dish like mascarpone and eggs are at risk and increase your risk of food borne illnesses.

Rachael summarises: Users on TikTok have taken inspiration from some of the best restaurants in the world which feature their own version of tiramisu drawers but forget that these establishments are fully equipped to safely do so. The tiramisu drawers you see in these restaurants feature steel refrigerator drawers which are designed to hold food and be cleaned thoroughly by kitchen staff who are also trained in food safety.

"Its important with any food-related trend on TikTok to pay attention to proper food preparation and hygiene practices first, especially if youre playing host for your Christmas dinner!
RMB moves to take 4th spot as currency for global payments: SWIFT

11:07, December 20, 2024 By Ma Jingjing ( Global Times

File photo shows a worker counting Chinese currency Renminbi (RMB) at a bank in Linyi, east China's Shandong Province. (Xinhua/Zhang Chunlei)

The Chinese yuan moved one position up to the fourth most active currency for global payments by value in November, with a share of 3.89 percent, according to a report from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial (SWIFT).

Overall, yuan payments value increased by 22.12 percent compared to October, according to the report. SWIFT is a global provider of financial messaging services.

China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is the largest market for offshore yuan transactions, taking up 76.18 percent, followed by the UK at 6.16 percent and Singapore at 3.76 percent, the report said.

The data shows that the yuan is becoming increasingly popular as more countries are willing to use the Chinese currency in cross-border trade settlement, conduct cross-border investment and financing, and sign currency swap deals with China, Xi Junyang, a professor at the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, told the Global Times on Thursday.

With solid efforts to promote yuan's internationalization in recent years, China has seen a strengthened role of the yuan across the board, from international payment and settlement, investment and financing, and reserves to pricing.

As of the end of August, the People's Bank of China (PBC), the country's central bank, signed bilateral currency swap agreements with 42 foreign central banks or monetary authorities. A total of 29 bilateral currency swap agreements are in force, with a total scale of about 4.1 trillion yuan ($561.72 billion), the Xinhua News Agency reported, citing a PBC report.

The PBC stressed at a meeting on Monday that the central bank will steadily boost financial reform and high-level opening-up next. It said efforts will be made to promote the internationalization of the yuan in a careful and robust manner, further enhance its functions as an international currency for cross-border payments, investment and financing, reserves, and other functions. Meanwhile, the central bank will strengthen the competitiveness of the yuan cross-border payment system.

The internationalization of the yuan is an important part of China's financial opening-up. Looking ahead, efforts are needed in several aspects to boost the yuan's internationalization, Xi said. He said the country should continue to expand opening-up, strengthen connect programs with other markets, and facilitate convenience in cross-border investment and fund-raising.

As an increasingly international currency, the yuan is able to maintain a stable exchange rate in the future thanks to multiple favorable factors, including the central government's supportive macroeconomic policies that have improved market expectations, sustained economic recovery, and foreign exchange market resilience.

(Web editor: Tian Yi, Zhong Wenxing)
MBABANE  The recent heatwave has seen three people drowning in one day.

Two of the deceased are said to have drowned while swimming in rivers on Wednesday. The first incident happened at Mzimpofu River situated at Thulwane, where a 14-year-old girl of Mdumezulu reportedly drowned while swimming. In an almost similar incident, a 16-year-old boy is said to have drowned while swimming at Mbuzi Beshuki Dam under Lobamba.

At Siphofaneni, a 38-year-old man of Gucuka is said to have drowned in Mhlathuze River at Madlenya. Drowning seems to be on the rise as it has claimed many lives within a short space of time. A man of KaPhunga reportedly drowned while praying with his colleagues at Manzamnyana.

A scholar reportedly drowned during his trip with his colleagues at Mantenga. In another most recent incident, a deputy sherriff reportedly drowned after he slipped into the Usutu River. The Royal Eswatini Police Service has always warned the public against swimming and crossing flooded rivers, especially during the rainy season. These latest fatalities add to a growing number of drowning incidents that have occurred recently. In light of these tragic events, the Royal Eswatini Police Service is urging the public to exercise extreme caution when swimming in rivers and dams, especially during periods of high temperatures.
From Youghal to Inchydoney Beach, enthusiastic sea dippers will be taking to the water this Sunday, December 22, in aid of LauraLynn - Irelands Childrens Hospice.

The centre is a worthy cause - offering a specialist paediatric palliative care services to babies, children, and young people across Ireland with life-limiting conditions.

So, what kind of temperatures will the dippers tip their toes into?

Right now, the sea water around the East Cork coast and surrounds, is between 10C and 12C, says Peter Murphy, a swimmer for all seasons.

Dip for LauraLynn is a wonderful opportunity for people to come together and make a splash for charity, swimming at the spot of their choice. It is a fun event for all the family, for friends and neighbours who, at the same time, are raising vital funds for a childrens hospice charity.

Marie Lynch, Community Assistant Director of Nursing at LauraLynn, is responsible for the Cork hub.

I dont take on the water, she adds hastily. Its not for me! But I do admire anyone that does!

Sea swimmers achieve great things, and we have a great team of people here in Cork doing the challenge that are supporting children with life-limiting conditions.

Maries team of hospice nurses and therapists achieve great things.

In 2023, LauraLynn extended their facility of community care, and our team was established here in May 2022, in Mallow, says Marie.

There are seven nurses on the team as well as a music therapist and a play therapist who all work closely together.

With Munsters large population, the hub supports families in Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Waterford and south Tipperary. Having a hub here in Mallow alleviates the burden of travelling to the Dublin centre to avail of supports for sick children.

Here, we collaborate with a range of services including palliative care teams, CUH and CHMH supports, that all get to know the families going through an end-of-life journey at the time. These supports are big pillars for LauraLynn here in Cork.

Marie says LauraLynn is a happy place to work.

People often think being associated with it would be sad. But in fact, it is a happy place.

LauraLynn is focused on helping the child and their parents live the best life they can given the time they have left. The family know that their childs life is limited. Living well and dying well is what we try to help happen.

Its valuable services achieve great things.

The children, 80 of whom we supported last year, get to know the nurses who regularly visit their homes, says Marie. The nurses not only support the child, they also support the family - parents, siblings, grandparents. We call it our Laura-Lynn family.

The nurses are amazing people. It takes a dedicated team to provide their round-the clock utmost care to a precious child who has a life-limiting condition. They make all the difference to a challenging situation.

The parents are amazing as well, who look after their terminally ill child 24/7, says Marie. They deserve a break. They deserve to have time to try and keep healthy, to try and keep positive for their sick child.

The nurses and the family work as a unit. They work together supporting the sick child as a whole family unit.

Sarah Gibson is one such parent who knows all about the mighty team effort that is required to support a terminally child. She lost her first-born Martin almost three years ago.

He was a great character. He had that glint in his eye, you know? He had vivid blue eyes. Martin communicated through his eyes.

His prognosis was poor when he was born to Sarah and Marty on July 3, 2010.

We were told that he had days, maybe weeks to live, says Sarah. It was heartbreaking. My world turned upside down. Martys world turned upside down.

The young first-time parents faced a life-changing uncertain future.

It was very emotional, recalls Sarah, who is from Wicklow and loves visiting her best friend in West Cork.

We tried to find the joy in having our first-born while not knowing how long wed have him with us. Martin was dependent on oxygen. He was tube-fed from birth. He had no gag reflex, so he was in danger of choking. Martin had to be suctioned around the clock.

Time meant everything.

It was minute by minute for us, says Sarah. I never left his side.

Martin came home from Crumlin for a short period in late 2010, which was a joyous period. It was equally frightening though when he got very sick at home and returned to hospital for surgery.

It was a whole new world for the Gibsons.

Crumlin became our world, says Sarah. For the first year of Martins life, we spent our time in and out of hospital. I gave up work and Marty took time off work.

LauraLynn became a big part of the childs world too.

In 2011, LauraLynn opened, says Sarah. That opened up doors for us. The help and support we received from LauraLynn from the day it opened was second to none.

Martin had many stays at Laura-Lynn. The Butterfly Room where he was cared for by dedicated hospice nurses was really lovely. The atmosphere there is really homely.

Sarah remembers lovely times spent with her son.

His eyes would light up every time he went there. I knew by his expression that he loved it there. I learned as a mother how to pick up and share his emotions. It was pure magic. Being non-verbal, Martin and I shared a special bond of understanding.

Id often get an unexpected smile from Martin when he reacted to something. It was a bit of magic.

Sarahs blue-eyed boy made an impression, and he made lasting impressions.

I still go to LauraLynn, says Sarah. The nurses and staff there often speak about Martin. The hospice nurses treated Martin like he was their own child.

Martin had loads of other mammies besides his real mammy! says Sarah. The way that he was looked after by the nurses and support workers at LauraLynn was just unbelievable. Nobody realises what the staff do at LauraLynn unless they step in there. No words I say can give enough credit to them.

Sarah gives great credit to those dipping their toes into the sea for LauraLynn on December 22.

I think they are amazing people, and I want to thank them for supporting LauraLynn.

Sarah and Marty often speak about their beloved son.

We avail of the bereavement service that LauraLynn provides for grieving parents, grandparents and siblings, says Sarah.

Loved ones grieve for a lost child all their lives. You are always reminded of the child you lost when you see your friends child starting school or doing things like scoring a goal at a match.

Grief is not a nice place to be. You go to that place with constant reminders, said Sarah.

She reminds herself often that she has another equally precious son.

I dont want Patrick to see his mammy sad. I put on a brave face.

Sarah reminds me of what a lovable rogue her oldest son was.

When Martins younger brother Patrick asked for a treat, I would turn to Martin and ask if Patrick should have one, says Sarah. Martin would wiggle his little finger to give the go-ahead.

I do like talking about him, adds Sarah. Even though Ill probably get a little wobble after talking to you about him - but thats OK.

Sometimes, Id love to know what Martin would have said to me if he could speak to me, says Sarah.

I think I know what he would say. I was lucky you were my mammy.

For further information please visit lauralynn.ie
For close to three decades, J.J. (Joe) Lee animated Cork, UCC, and Irish history on the national and international stage.

Such was his association with the place, that he, a Kerryman, is still often referred to as a Corkonian.

Lees magisterial monograph, Ireland 1912-1985: Politics And Society, published late in 1989 by Cambridge University Press while he was based in UCC, surely contributed to his association.

But his Leeside sojourn was just one chapter in a stellar career, which saw Joe deploy his dynamic take on Irish history in Germany, Cambridge, New York and beyond.

Now, for the next generation, a new book, A Tract For Our Times: A Retrospective on Joe Lees Ireland 1912-1985, assesses the lasting legacy of Joes landmark volume.

Published by UCD Press, and adorned with a Mick ODea portrait of the historian himself on the cover, this new book is required reading.

A Tract For Our Times: A Retrospective On Joe Lees Ireland (UCD Press) is available in bookstores and from www.ucdpress.ie - the cover is a Mick ODea portrait

Born in Castlegregory in 1942, Joe was educated by the Franciscans at Gormanston and went on to UCD to take a Double First in History and Economics.

After a short stint at the Department of Finance, he resumed his academic trajectory with an NUI Travelling Scholarship which brought him to the Institute for European History in Mainz, and from there to Cambridges Peterhouse as Fellow, Tutor, Lecturer and Director of Studies.

Fifty years ago, in 1974, he became Professor of Modern History at UCC, and from 2002 until 2017 he was Director of New York Universitys Glucksman Ireland House.

A sought-after public intellectual, a Sunday newspaper columnist, and a member of Seanad Eireann, Joe produced five monographs, five edited collections, and a stunning 101 scholarly articles.

On the occasion of his retirement, his contributions to the academy and public life were celebrated by Uachtaran na hEireann, Michael D. Higgins.

Speaking to the domestic and international impact of Ireland 1912-1985: Politics And Society, the President observed that Joe had penned a classic of history-writing and an incisive, sometimes unsparing, analysis of the independent Irish state and its economic travails and tribulations.

Joe had also managed to transcend the reach of the academy to become widely popular and much-discussed by the general public. He even appeared on a long slot on The Late Late Show.

More than three decades later, the purpose of A Tract For Our Times is to honour Joes contribution to historical scholarship by gauging the impact of Ireland 1912-1985 as a historical analysis and commentary through the contributions of a dozen of the leading historians of modern Ireland.

It also provides some rich biographical insights on Joe, as a person and a scholar.

For a country that has undergone so much change since the late 1980s, one might wonder how Ireland 1912-1985 stands the test of time.

Not long after the publication, Ireland experienced a dramatic decade beset with revelation after revelation, marked by significant levels of secularisation and demographic change.

Also, the range of archival material that has become available since Joe was undertaking his research, has been seismic.

But the reality is that no scholar since has, as Diarmaid Ferriter observed in 2019, matched the quality of his writing and the depth of his analytical probing of politics and policy formation in the formative decades of the Irish State.

For me personally, this project has been a point of personal privilege. UCCs School of History is where I had cut my teeth in the profession, but timing meant that I had to travel to New York to experience the mentorship and generosity of Joe.

As Director of Glucksman Ireland House, Joes energy and international stature made a massive impact on the study of the Irish diaspora, especially from a North American perspective.

His approach and openness has deeply influenced me as a scholar and teacher, and I try to pay it forward with my own students and mentees on a daily basis.

For the many thousands of readers influenced by his provocative intervention in Ireland 1912-1985, Joe succeeded in activating a lively debate which still resonates and is evident in A Tract For Our Times.

As an academic and a public intellectual, he made massive contributions to national life in Ireland and far beyond Irish shores.

There is no doubt that his monumental monograph elevated his profile, but more importantly to the man himself was how the reception of Ireland 1912-1985 demonstrated that ordinary Irish people could appreciate and debate complex history when they read it.

If, in writing the book, he wanted to explain his country to himself, as he retrospectively observed in 1991, in the process he had also eloquently explained it to us all. And for that we must be very grateful.

A Tract For Our Times: A Retrospective On Joe Lees Ireland (UCD Press), edited by Miriam Nyhan Grey, is widely available in bookstores and from www.ucdpress.ie

Dr Miriam Nyhan Grey teaches at the Department of History, MIC (Limerick). Having completed her Phd at the European University Institute in Florence, she spent 15 years at New York Universitys Glucksman Ireland House. She is the author of Are You Still Below?: The Ford Marina Plant, Cork, 1917-1984 (2007), the editor of Irelands Allies: America And The 1916 Easter Rising (2016), and the co-editor of Forged In America: How Irish-Jewish Encounters Shaped A Nation (2023). Miriam now lives in Cork and Joe is enjoying retirement in Dublin.
Perhaps youre preparing to cook your first Christmas dinner for the family - or maybe youre an old hand at it. Either way, a few tips and tricks never go amiss!

Cork chef Rory OConnell is back with another double helping of his annual series How to Cook Well at Christmas in the coming days.

They are a big hit with viewers, with a combined audience of 553,000 viewers watching in 2023.

In the first of the two specials, on RTE1 on Sunday, December 22, at 7.30pm, Rory prepares a salad of roast butternut squash with chickpeas and salmoriglio, and follows this with savoury turkey and ham, bread and butter pudding, and a chocolate and pear flan.

In the second special, on Monday, December 23 at 7pm, he prepares a choux pastry and choux rings with smoked trout and almonds, a three cheese mille feuille with cranberries and a very seasonal Christmas ice-cream with whiskey-soaked prunes, served in an ice bowl.

Rory has been teaching people how to cook for years - the Ballymaloe Cookery School he co-founded with his sister Darina marked its 40th anniversary last year.

The ritual around eating and meals is about so much more than just the food itself, he says. And I suppose thats never more true, really, than at Christmas.

Its the time of year when you pull out some of those dishes that you only use once a year, and most of the preparations can be done before your guests arrive, allowing you, the cook, to enjoy the event as much as everyone else.

There is more festive food advice in Off Duty Chef Bringing It Home For Christmas on RTE1 on Monday, December 23 at 6.30pm, as podcaster, author and chef Mark Moriarty aims to take the stress out of cooking on the big day.

He has curated a three-course menu, packed with tips to get ahead, and featuring a show-stopping vegetarian centrepiece to compliment the traditional festive ham - ensuring no-one is left out.

For starters, Mark dishes up a classic French Onion Soup, with golden caramelised onions and a gooey delicious comte cheese topped toast. The beauty of this recipe is that it can be prepared days in advance to save time.

For the mains, he presents a sticky soy-glazed ham with simple yet elegant sides, including a glazed and studded swede, perfect for vegetarian diners.

To round off the meal, Marks indulgent bread and butter pudding, studded with dark chocolate and pistachios, is a real crowd-pleaser.
Irelands first supervised injection centre is due to open in Dublin, but it will be 2026 before a decision is made on if Cork will get a similar facility.

Cork North-Central Fine Gael TD Colm Burke, who is also Minister of State for Public Health, Wellbeing, and the National Drugs Strategy, told The Echo that the Dublin centre must be reviewed before the Government considers setting up more.

Mr Burke told The Echo that setting up the Dublin facility was a long process, with legislation first passed in 2015, a planning process, judicial review in the High Court, back to the planning process, then acquiring funding for the development.

The whole idea is that people injecting themselves have to have a safe place to do it, and that its supervised so they can avail of assistance on offer in the facility.

He said he hoped to have the Dublin centre open before Christmas, and that they are now waiting for a final inspection before he will sign the license agreement.

The department will be getting feedback on it all the time but officially its going to be reviewed after six months, after 12 months and a final report will be prepared after 18 months  then after the full 18 months we will be able to look and see would it be appropriate to open these in other areas such as Cork, he said.

We need to build up expertise on this first, work with people and see if we have a system of moving them away from injecting heroin.

The life expectancy of people using heroin is very low, but from meeting with housing agencies who deal with people who lived on the street but are now in full time housing, they are seeing people in their early 40s developing Alzheimers and dementia.

Thats a huge challenge  people who had been involved in drugs but came through a rehab programme, are in recovery, have secured proper housing but now they are developing Alzheimers and dementia very early, said Mr Burke

At the most recent meeting of Cork City Council, Deputy Lord Mayor Honore Kamegnis motion calling for a supervised injection centre in Cork was passed unanimously.

Corks James Leonard, former co-host of The Two Norries podcast and expert on addiction, told The Echo: The supervised injection facility will go a long way to keep people alive, vitally important in today climate with nitazene, fentanyl, and other strong synthetic substances that are deadly.

They also reduce drug litter, reduce blood-borne infections, and allows for brief interventions and signposting of services.

The government has been talking about a health-led approach to drug use and this is part of it. With regards Cork, it will be a couple of years at least, possibly more with the nimbyism that will go on. Nobody will want it near their home or business and that could delay it.

Mr Leonard explained: Its a classic harm-reduction approach to drug use and will help to keep our most socially excluded citizens alive until hopefully they eventually get to live a decent life again.

If someone dies on our streets from drugs, theyre not some statistic, theyre people with hopes and dreams like you and me, families and friends, potential and skills.

The person dies, and everything they could have went on to do and achieve dies with them.
MBABANE  Some African MPs have angered Ukraine by visiting the Donetsk Region of Ukraine, temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation.

The Members of Parliament (MPs) are members of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), and among them was Mbabane East MP Welcome Dlamini. The PAP members comprised of a delegation of 17 parliamentarians that included an Eswatini MP, and the visit was undertaken this past week. The visit of the PAP delegation came at a time when the Russian Federation took over Ukraines Donetsk Region, where the Russian army is reportedly making advances amid ongoing clashes. Donetsk Region belongs to industrialised regions of Ukraine.

Timing

In a statement that was issued by Ukraines ministry of Foreign Affairs, following the visit of the African delegation and the timing, it was stated that the African parliamentarians showed gross disrespect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and disregarded the fundamental principles of international law. The ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expresses a strong protest in connection with the visit of a delegation of the Pan-African Parliament consisting of representatives of Ethiopia, Tanzania, Malawi, Uganda, South Sudan, the Comoros Islands, Equatorial Guinea, Djibouti, Eswatini, Zambia, Somalia and Mozambique to the territory of the Donetsk Region of Ukraine, temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation, reads the statement.

The ministry stated that by taking part in the Russian propaganda campaign, the African parliamentarians showed gross disrespect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and disregarded the fundamental principles of international law. The statements made by them during this visit about opposing colonialism, made on Ukrainian land illegally seized by Russia in the course of the neo-colonial war of aggression against Ukraine, are completely absurd, reads the statement. Adding, Ukraine stated that the visit by the African delegation contradicts the spirit of friendship and mutual respect that characterise Ukraines relations with the States of the African continent and causes serious damage to the reputation of the PAP, which was established in 2004 as one of the organs of the African Union (AU), in particular with the aim of promoting peace, security and stability.

The statement further stated that the visit contradicts the Joint Statement of the Chairperson of the African Union, and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission dated February 24, 2022, which calls on Russia and other regional or international actors to imperatively respect international law, the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of Ukraine. We would like to hope that this visit and the statements made during it do not reflect the official position of the African Union and the Pan-African Parliament.

Ukraine demanded that the leadership of the African Union and the Pan-African Parliament must strongly condemn the visit of its representatives to the territory of the Donetsk Region of Ukraine, temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation, and to avoid any contact with representatives of the Russian occupation administration in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. Noteworthy, Eswatini has abstained from voting whenever African bodies and other international bodies, such as the United Nations (UN) and AU, stated their stance in the Russia and Ukraine war, which started in 2022.

Relations

Eswatini has a number of bilateral relations with the Russian Federation which range from military and medicine, among others. Just last year, the Russian Federation Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov visited Eswatini with his delegation, where he expressed Russias interest in more areas of collaboration. Eswatini also has strong relations with the European Union (EU), which forms part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), which is a transatlantic alliance of 32 like-minded North American and European countries securing peace since 1949, which is heavily against Russian operations in Ukraine.

Given the complexity of the relations Eswatini has with these organisations and the country, efforts to get the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pholile Shakantu, to explain whether the countrys foreign policy and relations with these organisations, especially those under the EU or NATO is concerned, proved futile as the text message that was sent to her had not been responded to at the time this report was compiled. The Government Spokesperson, Alpheous Nxumalo, referred all questions surrounding Eswatinis partaking in the visit to the Clerk to Parliament, Benedict Xaba.
Up to 10 attempts were made by a man to stab and slash another man shortly after 5pm in Cork city centre, and the investigating detective testified that the accused acted as if the attack was a badge of honour.

Detective Garda Conor Cronin gave evidence at Cork District Court in the prosecutions objection to bail being granted to Aaron Bohane.

He is charged with assault causing harm to Gavin Sheehan at Oliver Plunkett St, and producing a bladed weapon.

Det Garda Cronin said the evidence against Mr Bohane was very strong.

He said the injured party was walking along Oliver Plunkett St shortly after 5pm on September 6.

He said that Mr Bohane, aged 24, was in a doorway on the street, while a man with him was acting as a lookout. He gave Aaron Bohane a gesture, Det Garda Cronin said.

Mr Bohane removed a silver-coloured knife from the waistband of his pants and he viciously assaulted the injured party from behind.

In the course of 16 seconds, he attempted to stab and slash him up to 10 times.

The male with him then strikes the injured party over the head with a glass bottle.

The injured party had serious lacerations to his head, arms, and back and was taken to Cork University Hospital for surgery, Det Garda Cronin said.

He alleged that the accused was arrested 10 minutes later and had blood on his clothing and shoes.

Mr Bohane said the injured party had previously threatened his partner and he acted like the assault was a badge of honour  he showed no remorse, the detective said.

He said that school-going children were among the members of the public in the area at the time of the incident, which was captured on CCTV.

Solicitor Shane Collins-Daly asked whether a statement of complaint had been made by the injured party and if he had consented to gardai accessing his medical records in connection with the investigation.

Det Garda Cronin confirmed that the complainant had done both.

Mr Collins-Daly said Mr Bohane, of no fixed address and originally from Ballincollig, denied being involved in any sort of feud and said this was an isolated incident.

As Judge Mary Dorgan refused bail to Mr Bohane, she described photographs of deep stab wounds to the injured party as being nauseating.

The defendant was remanded in custody until January 8.
Lengthy delays, including an 85-minute wait for an ambulance for a player injured in a club match in Pairc Ui Rinn and a two- and-a-half-hour delay before an ambulance arrived in Castletownbere, West Cork, to a person hurt in a fall, are symptoms of an ambulance service not properly managed by the outgoing Government.

That is according to Corks two Sinn Fein TDs, Donnchadh O Laoghaire and Thomas Gould, as well as West Cork independent councillor Finbarr Harrington.

They were responding to the publication of an internal audit report which disclosed that paramedic posts were being suppressed despite a need to double the staffing; that new ambulances were needed but not funded; and that the records of the National Ambulance Service were incomplete.

According to Cork South Central TD Mr O Laoghaire, the conclusion of the latest audit was in line with previous reviews and plans, and all had been highly concerning.

The reality on the ground is serious, he said. Earlier this year, we had a number of serious incidents which I raised in the Dail  including an ambulance taking 85 minutes to tend to a serious injury during a club match in Pairc Ui Rinn and a similar incident in Ballyphehane.

We hear regularly from constituents about delays in responding, though enormous credit is due to the paramedics and the emergency personnel, who do all within their power to respond rapidly, but are constrained by the system.

Too many paramedics are working excessive hours. This is causing significant patient safety risks and driving burnout among the paramedic workforce.

Mr O Laoghaire and his Cork North Central colleague Mr Gould called for a fully- resourced five-year plan to double the paramedic workforce, upgrade the fleet, develop advanced and specialist paramedic grades, and expand the work of the ambulance service and paramedics in local communities.

West Cork-based councillor Finbarr Harrington said that, while the shortage of vehicles was concerning, he was more worried about the lack of staff and the particular difficulties experienced in remote areas due to the failure to recruit more people locally.

If our ambulance here in Castletownbere is gone to Cork or somewhere else, which they have to do now to cover, we might be covered then from as far away as Caherciveen or Killarney, he said.

That ambulance would have to come all the way here to us, whereas if we had enough staff here and had localised ambulances, they would come nearer to us.

In a response to a query from The Echo, the HSE press office issued a statement in which it said that it had received extra capital funding in September to increase its allocation for the fleet to 34.3m, allowing it to commission into service 94 emergency ambulances, 10 community paramedic vehicles, eight critical care and retrieval ambulances, and eight driver training vehicles.

In terms of staffing, the statement said that a business plan for National Service Plan 2025 funding for three additional roles within the NAS Fleet and Assets team will enhance its ability to address the recommendations of the audit.
Gardai have arrested three people as part of an intelligence-led operation targeting an organised criminal group suspected of committing burglaries at commercial properties in Cork, Galway, Mayo, Kildare and Wexford.

Two locations in the Dublin Metropolitan Region were searched on Thursday December 19, 2024, by Gardai from the North Western and Southern Regions investigating an organised criminal group which targeted at least 12 commercial premises.

An estimated 200,000 worth of cigarettes and vapes were stolen.

During the course of the searches, quantities of cigarettes were recovered.

Two men, aged in their 50s and 40s, and a woman, aged in her 40s, were arrested and are all currently detained at a Garda Station in the Garda North Western Region.

Investigations are ongoing.
Gardai are appealing for witnesses following a serious injury collision which occurred in Bantry last month and which saw a woman in her 60s hospitalised.

On Saturday, November 30 shortly before 6pm gardai and emergency services responded to a collision involving a car and a pedestrian at Glengarrif Road, Newtown, Bantry, a garda spokesperson said.

The pedestrian, a female aged in her 60s, was injured and continues to receive hospital treatment.

Gardai are appealing for witnesses to come forward.

Additionally, they are seeking camera footage, including dashcam video, from those who were traveling in the area at the time, to assist with the investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Bantry garda station on 027 20860, the garda confidential line on 1800 666 111, or any garda station.
Cork Airport was a hub of activity this morning as passengers began filtering home from places near and far for the Christmas holidays.

Among those returning to Leeside was the airports three millionth passenger for 2024, on what was earmarked as the facilitys busiest day over the festive period.

Anne Abernethy, from East Cork, with daughters Emily, who is home from Barcelona, and Louise, who was returning from South Korea for Christmas. Picture: Larry Cummins.

With a live choir performance from the Cork Light Orchestra, as well as free tasters from Clonakilty Black Pudding and Murphys, both those coming and going were treated to a pure injection of Christmas spirit as they reunited with family and friends.

Speaking to The Echo, Louise Abernathy from East Cork  who was returning from South Korea  said that despite her long journey, she was feeling good and is looking forward to the festive season at home.

Excited

Its great to be back in Cork, Im very excited, she said.

Im back for two weeks, itll be short but good. I moved over to South Korea in September and I love it over there, Im teaching kids for the first time.

My plans for Christmas are to eat, drink, and spend time with my family.

Also returning from a teaching gig was Jessica OCallaghan, from Lehenaghmore, who not only brought home gifts from Dubai, but a new partner Billy, who happens to be a Cork local himself.

Billy OGorman, Boherbue, and Jessica OCallaghan, Lehenaghmore, who were returning from Dubai for Christmas. Picture: Larry Cummins.

Im teaching in Sharjah at the moment, its my third year there. I always look forward to coming home, especially at Christmas  its not the same when youre away, she said.

Boyfriend

Coming in to Cork is just the best, your family can be there for you, [and] you dont have any extra journeys to make. Im kind of like Santa coming back, I have a bag full of presents now for my brothers and my mom  and I brought my boyfriend too  I went all the way to the UAE to meet somebody from 50 minutes away.

My plans now for the next two weeks is to just spend as much time as I can with my family.

In what she described as a big homecoming for Christmas, Stephanie Binks from Glanmire was among those disembarking a flight from London Heathrow, returning after a 12-week stint travelling across Asia: I live in London, but Ive been travelling, so I havent been home since the summer time  its emotional, I was a bit teary-eyed coming in. Im hoping for a quiet Christmas  Im looking forward to spending time with my family.

Stephanie Binks, Glanmire is welcomed home from Asia by her parents Pamela and Roger. Picture: Larry Cummins.

Im meeting up with the girls tomorrow too, and we have a bottomless brunch planned for Sunday.

Lovely

Claire Sexton, from Barryroe, who was returning on crutches from Dubai, was greeted by her brother Eoghan, who had the task of carrying her bags.

Ive been living in Dubai for six years, Im teaching out there  I come home most Christmases and every summer, she said.

Im limited with my knee  I tore my ACL playing camogie  but Im hoping to get out in the fresh air and enjoy some time at home, maybe go for a walk on the beach.

Its really good flying into Cork, its really quick, and its lovely having the band - it wasnt Christmassy at all in Heathrow or Dubai, so this is great.

Welcoming Muhammad Asim, who was the three millionth passenger to use Cork Airport in 2024, were: Barry Holland, communications manager at Cork Airport; Sean MacSuibhne, airport duty manager; and Tara Finn, head of development at Cork Airport. Picture: David Creedon.

Celebrating breaking the three millionth passenger milestone for this year, Daa CEO Kenny Jacobs said it is the cherry on top of a brilliant 2024.

Im extremely proud of the great work that the team in Cork are doing.

2025 promises to be an even busier and better year for Cork Airport.
There have been calls for a final decision to be made on upgrading the R624 road to provide improved access to the town of Cobh.

For many years, the Cobh and Harbour Chamber have highlighted the importance and need for the redevelopment of the R624, with one main bridge connecting Cobh to the mainland.

Speaking to The Echo, Fine Gael county councillor Sinead Sheppard said she feels that, on top of tourism and economic reasons, it is essential the people of Cobh have a proper modernised road infrastructure.

It is needed, she said.

We are an island with a huge population of over 15,000 people. It is the one road in and off the island. If even minor road accidents happen there, the whole place is shut down.

It is imperative really that our infrastructure here in Cobh matches what our tourism aspirations are.

I feel if our road was upgraded, that leads to better infrastructure and a better life for everyone.

Final decision

Labour Party city councillor Peter Horgan said there now must be a final decision to upgrade the Fota road at Belvelly, so that part of the Docklands is not put on indefinite hold.

If the incoming Government is serious about the Docklands in Cork, then one of the first items the minister for transport must do is instruct Transport Infrastructure Ireland to upgrade that road, he said

The report, as far as I am aware, on the upgrading options, has been presented by Cork County Council. Officials in Dublin must now act, or a significant portion of the Docklands project is in peril once more.

Paramount importance

In a statement, the Cobh and Harbour Chamber called for the issue of the R624 redevelopment be given paramount importance.

The recent An Bord Pleanala decision further underscores the urgent need for investment in infrastructure to support both commercial and residential development, which is crucial to our communitys growth, safety and sustainability, it stated.

The R624 as the sole access road to the area needs to be upgraded to a national road and to come under the Transport Infrastructure Irelands remit. We urgently call on public representatives and Cork County Council to prioritise this issue and work collaboratively to achieve this.
Cafes are more than just places to get a daily shot and a pastry. They are sites of conversation, connection, and creativity.

In the documentary Spill The Beans on RTE Radio 1 on St Stephens Day at 6pm, Brian OConnell explores the human stories inside some of Corks cafes - places that can alleviate loneliness, spark romances, maintain friendships and build community.

Brian hears from cafe owners who are trying to do all that, and spends time with a diverse and enlightening collection of customers, who are also drawn inside by a need for social connection.

Meanwhile, another RTE Radio 1 documentary heads to Cobh.

In The Irish Veterans Who Faced Homelessness And Found Each Other on RTE Radio 1 on Friday, December 27 at 3.30pm, Eimer McAuley meets a group of ex-personnel who faced homelessness after their service but found a place to live - and a new lease of life - in Cobh.

After leaving the Defence Forces, many veterans face housing insecurity, as some struggle to reintegrate. Here, they tell their stories of service and reflect on what life has been like since moving into the Cobh house, which was opened by the ONE charity, in a groundbreaking development that they hope will lead the way for veteran support in Ireland.

On a spiritual level, in Our Divine Sparks on RTE Radio 1 on Friday, December 20 at 10pm, Andrea Corr talks about how her faith has remained and evolved throughout the highs and lows of her life and career.

RTE Lyric FM marks 40 years since The Pogues Rum, Sodomy & The Lash came out

Forty years after the Pogues album Rum Sodomy & The Lash was released, The Lyric Feature on RTE Lyric FM on Sunday, December 22 at 6pm celebrates the landmark, with contributions from James Fearnley and Jem Finer of the band, as well as Shanes sister Siobhan.

At the heart of the documentary is a portrait of a young Shane MacGowan at the peak of his creative powers.

Get into the festive mood with Christmas In Kildare on RTE Lyric FM on Christmas Eve at 7pm, as Marty Whelan and Celine Byrne introduce RTEs annual Christmas concert from St Brigids Cathedral, marking her 1.500th anniversary.

Comedian David ODoherty and his father, renowned jazz pianist, Jim Doherty, reminisce at a grand piano and listen to some of Jims favourite numbers in David ODoherty And His Dad Do Jazz on RTE Radio 1 on Christmas Day at 5pm.

Finally, Doc on One  Harwood, Johanna Harwood on RTE Radio 1 on Christmas Day at 2pm tells the amazing story of Irish woman Johanna Harwood.

She wrote the first two James Bond films, including one of the most famous visual jokes in the whole series. Now in her 90s (refusing to reveal her exact age) and living in Monaco, she looks back on a life as colourful and exciting as any Bond script.
Visitors to Douglas Court Shopping Centre are now never in any doubt about the importance of community engagement that will greet them.

No surprises then that Christmas was a truly spectacular affair, with amazing decorations that brought cheer to one and all.

A collection of hand-decorated, lifesize reindeer, created by local schools is currently on display in Douglas Court Shopping Centre, just one of the shopping centre's ongoing community initiatives. All pictures: Chani Anderson

People simply adore the giant reindeer and the free carousel, that is running every day until the end of this years celebrations, adding to a truly fantastic atmosphere. The decorations and the lights on the trees are truly amazing and you can interact with everything that is on display within the mall.

Sarah, 10, from Rochestown Douglas ETNS pictured in Douglas Court Shopping Centre.

We are delighted with the way people have enjoyed the spectacular display we currently have in Douglas Court, said Property Director Bartosz Mieszala.

The exterior of the Douglas Court Shopping Centre all lit up for Christmas, complete with carousel and giant reindeer. Picture: Chani Anderson

Following on the success of previous community engagements including Kuite festival and Halloween project, the team at Doughlas Court really wanted to have something very special for Christmas.

The arrival of Santa was truly spectacular. Father Christmas was welcomed joyously by visitors, who applauded as he arrived on a sleigh drawn by six white horses.

The day of Santas arrival was really joyful for everyone who attended and it was the real launch of Christmas in the Douglas area. We loved seeing the smiles on the faces of our staff, along with the many people who turned up on the day. We had over 1,000 kids on our carousel that day alone, enthused Bartosz.

People also love the Find the Elves event, where we gave away 1,500 branded chocolate bars for the ones who located all the elves hiding within the shopping centre. The atmosphere was electric on that day. Talking about it now still brings a smile to peoples faces and makes us very proud of what we achieved over last number of months.

"Thats not all though, another highlight of this season is that we now have three reindeers on display which we gave to local schools to decorate. These were just white statues and the plan was to give the kids a chance to creative and bring their own joy to the Christmas festivities.

"The brief was simple  make the reindeer your own and get creative. Three schools went in completely different directions to deliver something absolutely spectacular and these three are now on display within our mall for all of Douglas to see them."

Regina Mundi College

We celebrate a vibrant ethos inspired by our founder, Miss Corrigan, who envisioned education as a fusion of faith, cultural richness, academic excellence, and service. Grounded in Christian principles while embracing respect for diverse traditions, our school fosters loyalty, responsibility, and a commitment to individual and collective flourishing.

Rhian Lloyd Evans, Art teacher Melissa Murphy, Cadhla Cahill Murphy, Ella-Jane Stephens and Faye Dunwell from Regina Mundi College in Douglas Court Shopping Centre with the reindeer they hand decorated as part of a local schools art installation currently on display in the shopping centre.

Our mottoes  Sapientia et virtute (With wisdom and courage) and Each for all and all for each  reflect our dedication to cultivating personal growth and community spirit.

Enter Oengus, our enchanting reindeer, a symbol of imagination and sustainability. Inspired by Irish mythology, Oengus brings to life the magic of storytelling and childhood wonder, perfectly aligned with our values.

Faye Dunwell 16, Rhian Lloyd Evans 16, Cadhla Cahill Murphy 16 and Ella-Jane Stephens from transition year in Regina Mundi College pictured in Douglas Court Shopping Centre.

With a nod to sustainability, Oengus embodies our commitment to creativity and environmental stewardship. From clothing to accessories, we champion practices like sourcing from local charity shops, showing how small actions can inspire big dreams.

Join us in celebrating Oengus, where imagination meets purpose, and lets create a world of wonder together.

Christ King Girls' Secondary School

Winter Solstice-inspired project: At Christ King Girls Secondary School in Douglas, we are committed to educational excellence and the holistic development of each student. Our project draws inspiration from Irish Neolithic art and the profound significance of the winter solstice on December 21st, the shortest day and longest night of the year.

Robyn Carroll, Rugile Abmorseva and Amy Strode, transition year student from Christ King school pictured in Douglas Court Shopping Centre with the reindeer they created.

The winter solstice sunrise alignment at Newgrange is a phenomenon steeped in spiritual and cultural meaning. This fleeting moment, when sunlight pierces the ancient mound, symbolizes the triumph of light over darkness, a universal theme celebrated across various cultures and belief systems.

Our artwork incorporates motifs found on the kerbstones surrounding Newgrange, including patterns that reflect the artistic ingenuity of Neolithic Ireland. We selected the colour blue to represent the sky and water, essential elements of life for Neolithic communities and a reminder of their deep connection to the natural world.

Ella-Jane Stephens and Cadhla Cahill Murphy both 16 from transition year in Regina Mundi College pictured in Douglas Court Shopping Centre.

Through this project, we honour the heritage of Irish Neolithic art while celebrating themes of renewal, hope, and the enduring interplay of light and darkness.

1. Triskele: Thought to symbolise land, sea and sky.

2. Concentric lozenges: Diamond represents day and night.

3. Double spirals: May represent the Spring and Autumn equinoxes.

4. A kerbstone: At Newgrange, Co Meath.

Douglas Rochestown Educate Together National School

Christmas was given an extra splash of cheer this year with Snowy the Reindeer from Douglas Rochestown Educate Together National School. Our students were very excited to get to be involved in this community art project.

Alix and Sarah from Rochestown Douglas ETNS pictured in Douglas Court Shopping Centre.

Aines Fourth Class spent some time drawing beautiful designs to help us decide how to decorate our reindeer. Once the final design was picked, Ciaras Senior Infants painted the green jumper that Snowy is wearing.

Harry from Julies Fourth Class helped us to paint the legs. Maireads First Class painted his antlers and, with the help of some other First Class friends in Sarahs class, they added some decorations to his jumper. Aines Class painted Snowys neck and face and added some beautiful finishing touches including more decorations on his jumper, as well as his shining red nose.

Alejandro Carmona Zwiner, 10, Jack ODonoghue 10 and Calvin Gleeson 10 from Rochestown Douglas ETNS pictured in Douglas Court Shopping Centre with the reindeer they helped to decorate.

Thank you so much to Douglas Court Shopping Centre for inviting us to be a part of this project! We had so much fun!

Douglas Court, proud of community engagement

Bartosz Mieszala says: Were really proud of our engagement with the local community at Douglas Court. We aim to provide a space that everyone feels is their own in a way, and so we really want the shopping centre to be somewhere that local artists can showcase their work, whether theyre a performer, a painter or someone who loves to embrace creativity and there is more of these project to come in the New Year which Im really excited about."

Pure is just one of the many appealing new shops breathing a renewed energy, glamour and buzz around the Douglas Court Shopping Centre.

But thats not all as with recent additions of newly revamped Dunnes Stores, featuring the James Whelan Butchers, off beat Donuts, Baxter & Greene deli, along with a selection of fish, sushi, and new bakery. Youll also find some new shops including most recent additions of Pure Concept Store and Grounded 2 Established in 2002, Pure Concept Store has elevated and evolved with the times, while consistently delivering exceptional customer service  a core value that has remained a constant through the years.

"Now exclusively offline, luxury brands have never been more seamless to shop. Grounded 2 is a family business offering a selection of ASAI bowls, desserts, coffee and toasties with a 'West Cork twist', where the business originated Centre is growing and transforming, but it wouldn't be possible without our tenants, staff customers and community; therefore, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their ongoing support and loyalty to Douglas Court all the fantastic feedback weve been receiving this season," concludes Bartosz.

Oh yeah. If you want to meet Santa, he's in Douglas Court every day until Christmas Eve  just strolling through the centre adding everyone to the "nice list".

Douglas Court Christmas Giveaway Images on Instagram
Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions.

Record wind-generated electricity across Northern Ireland and Scotland Tuesday night pushed Britains power prices below zero.

Wind output peaked at a record high 22.4 gigawatts (GW), breaking the previous high set Sunday evening, the national system operator said, as Bloomberg reported. The record output provided more than 68 percent of the countrys power.

From 5:30 to 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday, the half-hourly price fell to 6.57 pounds per megawatt-hour, according to data from European power exchange Epex Spot.

Setting another clean electricity generation record just four days after the previous high shows the pivotal role wind is playing in keeping the country powered up during the festive season, said Dan McGrail, chief executive of RenewableUK, as reported by Yahoo Finance. This is also demonstrated by todays official figures which reveal that renewables have generated more than half our electricity for four quarters in a row.

The record was a major reversal from last weeks low wind output when electricity was mostly supplied by gas.

The enormous fluctuations in Europes weather have demonstrated the challenge to governments in supplying power as the transition to renewable energy speeds up, Bloomberg reported.

When weather in the United Kingdom is cloudy or winds are calm, gas will still be used to generate electricity.

Wind turbines in the hills of County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Alan Currie / iStock / Getty Images Plus

Indeed, toward the end of last week, windless days saw UK gas-fired plants churn out the most electricity on record. And despite the return of gusty weather since then  with wind output still above 22,000 megawatts on Wednesday morning  robust demand has kept gas-fueled plants online, reported Bloomberg.

The unpredictable conditions and refueling outages at some nuclear power plants led to gas-fired plants generating roughly 70 percent of the countrys power at times, The Times reported.

Energy prices in the negative numbers have been recorded for 131 hours in the UK this year, an increase of 45 hours over 2023.

NESO, Britains energy system manager, has said the country would need approximately 22GW of battery storage  an increase of 17GW  to assist with managing system volatility as intermittent renewable power supplies more of the UKs electricity.

Wind power was the largest source of energy in the UK from January to September of 2024.

The UKs Labour government has a goal of quadrupling offshore wind power, doubling onshore wind and tripling solar by 2030, with an overall target of 95 percent green energy.

This is a historic shift which shows that Britains successful transition to clean power is taking place at amazing speed, as we celebrate a landmark year for the UKs world-class renewable energy sector, McGrail said, as reported by Yahoo Finance.
Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions.

Plaintiffs arrive for the nation's first youth climate change trial at Montana's First Judicial District Court in Helena, Montana on June 12, 2023. William Campbell / Getty Images

The Montana Supreme Court upheld a landmark victory on Wednesday, affirming a lower courts decision that the energy policies of the state violated youth activists constitutional rights to a clean environment.

The ruling in Held v. Montana last August invalidated a law stopping regulators from taking into consideration the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions when issuing permits for new fossil fuel projects, reported The Guardian.

The six-to-one decision was the first state supreme court decision of its kind in the United States.

This ruling is a victory not just for us, but for every young person whose future is threatened by climate change, said 23-year-old Rikki Held, the lawsuits named plaintiff, on Wednesday, as The New York Times reported.

Many of the 16 youth plaintiffs in the case testified that they had witnessed extreme weather in Montana, a state that has big investments in gas, oil and coal.

The young environmental activists were represented by attorneys from nonprofits Western Environmental Law Center and Our Childrens Trust.

Lead counsel for the plaintiffs Nate Bellinger said the ruling showed that the future of our children cannot be sacrificed for fossil fuel interests, reported The New York Times.

Professor of Law Emeritus Patrick Parenteau, a senior climate policy fellow at the Environmental Law Center at Vermont Law and Graduate School, said Montana was one of only a few states that had environmental provisions written into its constitution, and that they were possibly the strongest in the nation. Parenteau said similar lawsuits were likely to be filed in other states following the decision.

Parenteau added that the strong language in Montana District Court Judge Kathy Seeleys opinion from last year had paved the way for the Montana Supreme Court to uphold the decision. Parenteau said he did not see a way to appeal the decision in the U.S. Supreme Court, since the case was within the scope of state law.

Its a landmark because its the first court in the U.S. to recognize a constitutional right to a stable climate, Parenteau said, pointing out that the decision could face political opposition, since there was strong support for the fossil fuel industry by state officials.

Thats where the limits of a judicial decision like this come into play, Parenteau explained. Not to diminish it, just to say what the reality is: It takes a much broader political consensus to really address climate change.

Western Environmental Law Center said the ruling was a turning point in Montanas energy policy, as BBC News reported.

The nonprofit said its legal team are committed to ensuring the full implementation of the ruling.

Several states  including Alaska, Hawaii and Utah  are scheduled to hear similar cases, as well as countries like Pakistan, Uganda, Colombia, Australia and New Zealand.
MBABANE  The National Commissioner of Police, Vusi Masango, alleges that there is an appearance of bias in the Supreme Courts Phase II judgment.

The concern stems from the fact that Chief Justice (CJ) Bheki Maphalala, who is one of the Supreme Court judges who presided over the matter, is married to a police officer, who stands to derive a financial benefit from the order made by the court. The wife in question is Constable Innocentia Tsabedze, who is a junior police officer, and she stands to make financial gain from the directory order, which had not been prayed for and for which no notice was given. On November 29, 2024, the Supreme Court found that Circular No.2 of 2014 (Phase II Restructuring of the Royal Eswatini Police Service and His Majestys Correctional Services) is binding to the parties. The court directed that government should comply with, and honour its commitment and undertaking as contained in the circular within a reasonable time.

Increases

Circular No.2 of 2014 makes provision for immediate salary increases for senior officers in both the police and Correctional Services in terms of Phase I. Phase II was to benefit junior officers. However, only Phase I was implemented. The Supreme Court also ordered that the intended disciplinary proceedings arising from or pertaining to Circular No.2 of 2014 and delivery of the petition in respect of terms of service are unlawful and shall not proceed.The matter was heard by the CJ, together with judges Phesheya Dlamini, Sabelo Matsebula, Mbutfo Mamba and Magriet van der Walt.

The Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) has filed an application to review, correct and set aside the judgment of the Supreme Court. REPS also wants the court to stay the execution of the order of the Supreme Court, pending the finalisation of the review application. The police service further prayed that the High Court order of March 21, 2024, which stated that marching to the Prime Ministers Office is clearly a demonstration, be reinstated. According to the national commissioner, a reasonable person who knows that a close family member of a judge stands to make a pecuniary benefit from the order which the judge made, would reasonably apprehend bias on the part of the judge.

This apprehension of bias taints the entire appeal and renders it a nullity. It is a manifest miscarriage of justice for a judge to make an order which will financially benefit a member of his family, said Masango. The veracity of these allegations is still to be tested in court. The Royal Eswatini Police Staff Association (REPOSA) and the Eswatini Correctional Services Staff Association are yet to file their answering papers. Masango also argued that there was no relief founded on the Circular No.2 of 2014, which was before the High Court. He said REPOSA did not seek a mandatory order, both in the High Court and on appeal, directing compliance with Circular No.2 of 2014.

Conclusion

According to Masango, in this case, the duty of the original Supreme Court bench was to ascertain whether the full bench of the High Court reached the correct conclusion on the case before it. Secondly, he said REPOSA did not seek an order, both in the High Court and on appeal, permanently staying intended disciplinary proceedings arising from the circular. He told the court that the principal secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Public Service issued Establishment Circular No.2 of 2014. This ministry is responsible for the implementation of the circular, he said.

The PS, argued Masango, was not a party to the proceedings, both at the High Court and on appeal. He said, despite this, the original bench made an order which engages the responsibility of the Ministry of Public Service. If the present respondents (REPOSA and Eswatini Correctional Services Staff Association) had prayed for the implementation of Circular No.2 of 2014, the principal secretary in the Ministry of Public Service would have placed his ministrys version to the court. Suffice to say, the version of the ministry is that the second phase of the restructuring was implemented in October 2022 already. The Supreme Court effectively took its eyes off the ball and red-carded a spectator, submitted Masango.

Exceptional

He submitted that it is an exceptional circumstance resulting in the alleged miscarriage of justice for the Supreme Court to make an order on an issue which did not have to be determined as it was not prayed for and the issue engages the mandate of persons who were not before court. The national commissioner stated that he believes that the Supreme Court has the discretion to raise an issue, which was not before the High Court and which the parties have not raised, of its own accord. In the exercise of this discretion, Masango said the court is obliged to give the parties notice of the issue it intends to raise and afford them an adequate opportunity to deal with the issue. He said this is an obligation imposed on the court by the constitutional right to a fair hearing, which all litigants are entitled to. He pointed out that Chapter III of the Constitution, where the right to a fair hearing is located, expressly binds the Judiciary.

In the case at hand, the court did not give the applicants notice of the issue concerning relief based on the circular. The issue was raised in court during arguments when the lawyers were on their feet. The applicants were taken by surprise to be confronted with an issue which did not arise from the notice of appeal and the pleadings which were filed in the court below. By so doing, the court infringed the applicants fair hearing right, said Masango. According to the national commissioner, in relation to the issues which were not before the High Court, the original bench sought facts from the practitioners, while they were on their feet arguing the case.

I am advised and verily believe that in application proceedings, the evidence is in the affidavits. It is not adduced by practitioners in response to questions from the court. The applicants legal representatives repeatedly said they had no instructions on the factual matters which the court was raising with them. It is an exceptional circumstance resulting in a failure of justice for the Supreme Court not to give notice to the applicants of issues it wants to determine, but which do not arise from the notice of appeal and from issues which were before the High Court, Masango further submitted.

He argued that the constitutional right to a fair hearing includes the right to have a dispute determined by an impartial court. This means a court free from the appearance of bias, he said.

The chief justice was a member of the original bench which decided the appeal. On the face of the judgment, the chief justice was one of its co-scribes. The chief justices wife, 5444 Constable Innocentia Mdi Tsabedze, is a junior police officer who stands to make financial gain from the directory order which had not been prayed for and for which no notice was given, argued Masango. The matter will be heard on a date yet to be fixed by the registrar of the Supreme Court.
After nearly two weeks of announcements, OpenAI capped off its 12 Days of OpenAI livestream series with a preview of its next-generation frontier model. Out of respect for friends at Telefonica (owner of the O2 cellular network in Europe), and in the grand tradition of OpenAI being really, truly bad at names, its called o3, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told those watching the announcement on YouTube.

The new model isnt ready for public use just yet. Instead, OpenAI is first making o3 available to researchers who want help with safety testing. OpenAI also announced the existence of o3-mini. Altman said the company plans to launch that model around the end of January, with o3 following shortly after that.

As you might expect, o3 offers improved performance over its predecessor, but just how much better it is than o1 is the headline feature here. For example, when put through this year's American Invitational Mathematics Examination, o3 achieved an accuracy score of 96.7 percent. By contrast, o1 earned a more modest 83.3 percent rating. What this signifies is that o3 often misses just one question, said Mark Chen, senior vice president of research at OpenAI. In fact, o3 did so well on the usual suite of benchmarks OpenAI puts its models through that the company had to find more challenging tests to benchmark it against.

ARC AGI

One of those is ARC-AGI, a benchmark that tests an AI algorithm's ability to intuite and learn on the spot. According to the test's creator, the non-profit ARC Prize, an AI system that could successfully beat ARC-AGI would represent "an important milestone toward artificial general intelligence." Since its debut in 2019, no AI model has beaten ARC-AGI. The test consists of input-output questions that most people can figure out intuitively. For instance, in the example above, the correct answer would be to create squares out of the four polyominos using dark blue blocks.

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On its low-compute setting, o3 scored 75.7 percent on the test. With additional processing power, the model achieved a rating of 87.5 percent. "Human performance is comparable at 85 percent threshold, so being above this is a major milestone," according to Greg Kamradt, president of ARC Prize Foundation.

OpenAI

OpenAI also showed off o3-mini. The new model uses OpenAI's recently announced Adaptive Thinking Time API to offer three different reasoning modes: Low, Medium and High. In practice, this allows users to adjust how long the software "thinks" about a problem before delivering an answer. As you can see from the above graph, o3-mini can achieve results comparable to OpenAI's current o1 reasoning model, but at a fraction of the compute cost. As mentioned, o3-mini will arrive for public use ahead of o3.
This week, we're looking back at our hellish 2024 and trying to figure out where to go from here. We began the year with enormous hype around artificial intelligence, but that's cooled off after seeing how useless many AI features have been. It's also clear that many companies, including Microsoft and Apple, are trying to push half-baked AI concepts onto users. Looking forward, we're expecting a rough few years for the tech industry (not to mention the world as a whole).

Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcast, Engadget News!

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Topics

2024 in review: AI hype hasnt led to much and the social media vibes are in flux  1:12

What were looking forward to in 2025  21:43

Tiktok appeals its ban all the way to the US Supreme Court  29:53

TP-Link routers are being investigated by US authorities  32:39

Quick thoughts from last weeks Game Awards  35:35

Working on  38:26

Pop culture picks  39:17

Interview with Tim Miller and Dave Wilson of Primes Secret Level  49:20

Credits

Hosts: Devindra Hardawar and Cherlynn Low

Producer: Ben Ellman

Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien

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Last week, Google allegedly instructed contract workers evaluating Gemini not to skip any prompts, regardless of their expertise, TechCrunch reports based on internal guidance it viewed.

Now, contractors have allegedly been instructed not to skip prompts that require specialized domain knowledge and to rate the parts of the prompt you understand, adding a note that its not an area they have knowledge in. Apparently, the only times contractors can skip now are if a big chunk of the information is missing or if it has harmful content.

Google filed a statement to Engadget, saying its raters perform a wide range of tasks across many different Google products and platforms. They provide valuable feedback on more than just the content of the answers, but also on the style, format and other factors.

 Mat Smith

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The biggest tech stories you missed

A literal set and forget.

Lenovo

Elevation Lab has released an accessory for the Apple AirTag that extends its battery life by up to 10 years and makes it waterproof. The TimeCapsule contains your AirTag and two AA batteries. You dont need to open your AirTag and tinker with it  you only have to remove its backplate and coin battery before attaching it to the case. As you can see, it will make your tracking device a lot bigger and considerably heftier, so its mostly ideal for use with large objects, such as vehicles and big suitcases. Peace of mind for $20  plus two AAs.

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Continue reading.

The concepts broke cover last year.

Honda is officially introducing two Series 0 electric vehicle prototypes at CES next year, and the company says theyll be available for purchase around the world sometime in 2026. The vehicles will be based on the futuristic-looking concepts the company presented at CES 2024, including a flagship model called the Saloon, which featured a low profile and aerodynamic design.

Continue reading.

The company teased a rollable laptop concept in 2022.

Lenovo

According to images shared by leaker Evan Blass, Lenovos sixth-generation ThinkBook Plus will have an extendable rolling display. The company first teased a rollable laptop concept in 2022. The display can extend and unroll until you effectively have two screens stacked on top of each other. Lenovos images show a video call open on the top part of the display, and what looks like a PowerPoint presentation on the bottom. It looks a little weird.

Continue reading.
Benzino is clapping back at 50 Cent after the latter joked about footage of Benzino threatening to unalive himself went viral.

50 Cent took to Instagram Wednesday, December 18 to share what appears to be a domestic dispute between Benzino and his girlfriend, Ashley, who is seen begging Benzino to put a knife down.

In the footage, Benzino  real name Raymond Scott  is seen laying on the floor in the midst of what seems to be a mental breakdown, begging Ashley to, "Call them please," to which she responds, "I'm not! Give me the knife."

"Benzino caught on video, by his girlfriend Ashley Bell, threatening to unalive himself with a knife because she called the cops for him allegedly beating her," 50 Cent, 49, wrote in the caption of the Instagram post.

Hours later, Benzino immediately denied those claims, maintaining that he and Ashley were simply role playing to rehearse lines for a Tubi movie. That said, fans simply weren't buying his response, which they deemed highly questionable.

"I just want to let everyone know I'm okay, alright?" Benzino, 59, stated in the response video reposted by 'The Neighborhood Talk.' "Second of all, I want to let everyone know that [it] was a rehearsal for a Tubi movie. My girl was helping me out, we was doing a script reading, and that was a rehearsal for a Tubi movie."

"I would never ever put my hands on any woman. I've never done that in my life. That's for cowards. And I surely wouldn't do anything to hurt myself," he doubled down. "I also wanna let Curtis [50 Cent] know, good lookin'. Thanks Curtis for promoting me. Keep on posting me, that's dope. Post this if you wanna post something," Benzino said.

"I'm in that gym heavy, benching 315. What you doing, Curtis?" the rap star clapped back before wishing the viewers a happy holiday. Despite the calm demeanor, fans didn't buy the story for a second, immediately becoming skeptical of the mention of a Tubi movie.

"What's the movie title then?????" one fan shot back. "Sir Tubi said keep them out of it. They said you're not in any upcoming movies so try again," a second wrote. "Ok let's go with that unc," a third laughed. "Tubi acting never that good my guy bye," another wrote in disbelief.

Benzino's daughter, Coi Leray, has previously admitted to wanting "nothing to do with" her father, and stated that she didn't "respect his decision" after the rapper defended disgraced R&B star, R. Kelly.

R. Kelly is currently serving a whopping 30 years in prison following sex trafficking and federal racketeering convictions.

"I want everybody to know I want nothing to do with anything my father has going on," Leray, 27, wrote on X. "I haven't spoken to him in over a year and I don't condone or respect any of them interviews he got going on.

"I don't respect his decisions and I really want nothing to do with him please dont even think of me when you see him," she unapologetically added.
Tristan Thompson has finally cleared his substantial child support debt of $224,000 owed to Jordan Craig, the mother of his firstborn son Prince.

According to 'The US Sun,' Craig had taken legal action in 2023, pushing for court intervention to garnish Thompson's salary after mounting frustration over missed payments.

The timing of the debt clearance is particularly interesting, as it coincides with Thompson's career revival. After signing back with the Cleveland Cavaliers in September 2024, the player also made a curious financial move, taking out a $1 million loan against his Hidden Hills mansion - a property he purchased for $12.5 million in December 2022.

Thompson's financial dealings and personal life have been under constant media spotlight, largely due to his high-profile relationship with Khloe Kardashian and the multiple cheating scandals that followed.

He has four children in total: Prince with Jordan Craig, True and Tatum with Khloe Kardashian, and Theo with Maralee Nichols.

This latest development suggests Thompson might be working to clean up his public image and take more responsibility for his parental obligations.

While the settlement of this debt is a positive step, it remains to be seen whether this marks a genuine turning point in Thompson's responsibilities to the family he's created over the years.

Thompson has not commented on the situation.
Kim Kardashian knows how to make a statement, and her latest gift to her bestie and business partner, Tracy Romulus, is no exception. To celebrate Tracy's 45th recently, Kim surprised her with a Tesla Cybertruck  a gift as bold and unique as the pair's friendship.

In a Wednesday video on Tracy's Instagram Stories, Kim urged her friend to "look outside." What subsequently awaited Tracy was the futuristic electric truck that's been equally praised and criticized since its unveiling. Indeed, on the negative end, apparent quality issues surrounding the Cybertruck and its polarizing look have become a recurring meme on TikTok.

Regardless, the gift stunned Tracy. "What?! Are you f***ing serious? Are you nuts?" she exclaimed. Overwhelmed by the gesture, she also added, "You've officially lost your mind, @kimkardashian."

Tracy, the chief marketing officer for SKIMS parent company, KKW Brands, later reflected on the moment. "I honestly have no words," she wrote. "No one does gift-giving like you. This is so over-the-top crazy... I love you."

The Cybertruck, with its stainless steel panels and futuristically sharp angles, has been touted for its toughness. Nevertheless, according to a 2023 Reuters report, it has also sparked some safety concerns among car experts.

Still, Tesla CEO and billionaire magnate Elon Musk has assured customers that the truck is built with occupant and pedestrian safety in mind.

Kim K. and the Tesla Robot

Kardashian and Tesla have a previous relationship. Last month, Kim appeared in a controversial photoshoot with Tesla's Optimus Bot, sharing playful videos interacting with the humanoid robot and the Cybertruck. Despite speculation, a representative denied she had any financial ties to Tesla for these posts, per Us Weekly.

For Kim and Tracy, however, the truck is more than just a vehicle  it's an emblem of their bond. Over the years, the pair have celebrated birthdays and weathered mishaps, like a failed attempt to fly to Las Vegas for Kim's 42nd birthday. Still, this latest gesture might be Kim's most extravagant yet.

See some TikTok takes on the Cybertruck below.
Former Disney Channel stars Anneliese van der Pol and Johnno Wilson, known for their roles as ex-spouses on the Raven-Symone-led Raven's Home, have tied the knot in real life.

The couple eloped in an intimate ceremony at the Santa Barbara Courthouse on December 11, 2024, nearly a year after their engagement.

Read more: Kim Kardashian Gifts Her Bestie Tracy Romulus This Controversial Car

Wilson and van der Pol played Garrett Grayson and Chelsea Daniels on the sitcom Raven's Home, which aired from 2017 to 2023.

Their real-life romance blossomed during their time on set. "He stood up, came over to me, and introduced himself," van der Pol tells People. "He was cheerful, confident, and handsome. The rest is history."

Wilson proposed in December 2023. "When we first got together, we didn't think about marriage," he says. "But at some point, we knew we [would] be together forever and wanted to combine our lives in every respect."

Van der Pol adds, "I want Johnno to be a witness to my life, and I want to be a witness to his."

The quick wedding emerged thanks to Wilson's work schedule: a two-month filming commitment in Toronto prompted the pair to forgo their initial plans for a small family wedding in South Carolina.

Van der Pol joked she was thrilled to skip the elaborate planning, saying, "I wanted to be on Johnno's SAG health insurance as soon as possible and didn't want to miss the 2024 joint filing deadline!"

The courthouse's Spanish-style architecture provided a stunning backdrop for their vows. Van der Pol wore a vintage Jessica McClintock dress discovered by her sisters. Wilson donned a tuxedo gifted by his brother.

Following the ceremony, the newlyweds enjoyed an eight-course dinner at Caruso's, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Santa Barbara.

While planning a small celebration with family and friends this spring, plus a possible honeymoon vacation, van der Pol and Wilson are savoring their new chapter as husband and wife.

"Life is just easier with him," van der Pol says, adding, "He's my greatest support and makes me laugh every day."
Amy Slaton accepted a plea deal for "simple possession" after she was arrested at a zoo in Tennessee back in September.

The '1000-Lb Sisters' star pleaded guilty in a plea deal on Thursday, December 19, submitted to the Crockett County courthouse in Tennessee, according to documents obtained by 'US Weekly.'

Slaton, 37, ran into legal troubles after an incident related to an unexpected camel bite led to a drug bust while her children were present. Additional charges of child abuse and child endangerment were both dismissed.

Slaton was with another man during the time of the incident, Brian Scott Lovvorn, who was arrested on the same charges.

The TLC star received a suspended sentence  meaning she won't spend time behind bars under the condition that she continues to comply with conditions ordered by the court  of 11 months and 29 days to time served.

The conditions of Slaton's agreement states that she will complete an alcohol and drug program in addition to paying a $500 fine. She is to have no contact with the Tennessee Safari Park in Crockett County, per the filing.

Things took a turn that day when authorities at the Sheriff's Department received a call from Tennessee Safari Park in Alamo on Labor Day following reports of a patron being bitten by one of the wildlife and safari park's camels.

1000-Lb. Sisters star Amy Slaton pleads guilty to simple possession, signs plea deal after zoo arrest View: https://t.co/ewHbcfh99w pic.twitter.com/CrK8AVxpTv  RONDON (@MenorRondon) December 20, 2024

Upon arrival, authorities "were immediately overtaken by suspicious odors coming from the guest's vehicle," the statement said. Law enforcement searched the car where both Slaton and Lovvorn sat with her two sons, Gage, 4, and Glenn, 2.



Following the search, it was revealed that Slaton had mushrooms and marijuana in her vehicle at the time of her arrest.

Slaton was also hauled off to receive medical attention after she was bit by a camel at the safari. She was spotted by 'TMZ,' laying on a gurney to be assisted by paramedics.
Wendy Williams is celebrating the wins.

'The Wendy Williams Show' star was spotted wiping away tears recently as she appeared at her son Kevin Hunter Jr.'s college graduation Thursday, December 19, as she continues her battle with dementia.

Williams, 60, was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and primary progressive aphasia back in May of 2023.

The beloved gossip queen was seen during the rare sighting wearing a sequined black dress in addition to a joyful smile throughout the ceremony. Clasping her hands together in awe, Williams appeared to be having a proud mama moment.

HOW YOU DOIN? | A rare Wendy Williams sighting as she supports her son Kevin at his college graduation pic.twitter.com/1qXkn2O7xi  KenBarbie (@itsKenBarbie) December 20, 2024

Those in attendance with Williams at the ceremony included her father, Thomas Williams Sr., 93, and her sister, Wanda Finnie, who came to support the former radio show host's only son, Kevin Hunter Jr.

As 24-year-old Kevin took the stage to receive his degree from Florida International University (FIU) in Miami, Williams was seen smiling and wiping away happy tears.

Kevin  who started his college journey at Barry University  reportedly graduated from the university's Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, per the 'New York Post.'

Wendy Williams made a heartwarming public appearance to honor her son, Kevin Hunter Jr., as he achieved his college graduation. So wrong for what they did to Wendy  pic.twitter.com/4sOVMTWtCe  Officially4Money (@4MoneyCGB) December 20, 2024

Despite being a dedicated student, Kevin reportedly took time away from his education back in 2021 and 2022 in order to help take care of his mother, who was publicly struggling with her health.

Seeing Williams out and about seems to be becoming commonplace, as she was recently spotted by fans on a run to get food from Sista Sara's Sho'noff Oysters, and fans say, "She looks good!"

She was reportedly traveling alongside her nephew, Travis Finnie, as she sat comfortably in the back seat of a black truck as restaurant staff rushed to present her with her order.

"How you doin' Wendy Williams?" a member of the staff exclaimed, coining her famous phrase, "How you doin' baby? You look good!" the staff member added, prompting Williams to respond warmly with a smile.

The beloved star's recent appearances comes after it was reported that Williams was "permanently incapacitated" in a legal filing made by the entertainer's guardian, Sabrina Morrissey. After seeing Williams' bright-eyed potential, fans began to question those claims.

"She doesn't look or sound 'permanently incapacitated'. Something is super off with this whole mess," one fan defended. "I'm confused! The news media is never correct," a second speculated, while others remained cautious, saying, "Don't believe the hype. Continue keeping her in prayer."

Williams was placed under legal guardianship back in 2022 following a diagnosis of alcohol-related brain damage.
King Charles made a comment in jest that he's "still alive" when asked about his health.

The king, alongside Queen Camilla, attended their final engagement before Christmas. The pair engaged with faith leaders, volunteers, and emergency service members at the Waltham Forest Town Hall in North London on December 20.

Harvinder Rattan, representing the Sikh faith, greeted Charles and Camilla with the warm greeting: "Your Majesty, good morning, how are you?," before asking about Charles' health.

"I'm still alive," the 76-year-old quipped.

His remark comes after news the royal monarch will continue undergoing cancer treatments into the new year.

Following his disclosure of a prostate cancer diagnosis in February, the British monarch has maintained a veil of secrecy around his medical condition in the subsequent months. Yet, during a recent excursion to the Army Flying Museum in Middle Wallop, Hampshire, in May 2024, Charles opted to shed more light on his treatment journey.

While visiting the Museum on May 13, Charles reportedly told British Army veteran Aaron Mapplebeck  a cancer survivor  how he experienced a loss of taste, although he did not specify whether the effects were temporary, according to the 'Daily Mail.'

Back in November, 'ENSTARZ' previously reported how the queen was battling a chest infection, forcing her to cancel her scheduled appearances.

"With great regret, Her Majesty has therefore had to withdraw from her engagements for this week, but she very much hopes to be recovered in time to attend this weekend's Remembrance events as normal," the statement concludes.

The queen will also reportedly miss a reception for Olympic and Paralympic medalists on November 7 at Buckingham Palace, per 'TODAY.'

At the time, doctors advised that Camilla take a short period of rest at home. Per the Palace, it was understood that there was no cause for alarm, as doctors claimed at the time she had a "relatively minor bug," which could have been picked up during her extended travels.
Bishop T.D. Jakes is taking legal action against what his team describes as a coordinated campaign of AI-generated misinformation connecting him to Sean "Diddy" Combs' alleged misconduct.

On December 19, Jakes' legal team filed a motion in California court targeting YouTube's parent company, Google.

The motion, filed by attorney Dustin Pusch, seeks to unmask the identities of YouTube account holders from Pakistan, South Africa, the Philippines, and Kenya who have been creating and monetizing false content about the pastor. These accounts have been using AI-generated images and voice-overs to allegedly spread fabricated stories.

As stated in the legal motion: "These YouTubers are purportedly using the sordid and sensational allegations revolving around Sean 'Diddy' Combs to attack, humiliate, degrade, and defame Bishop Jakesand many other prominent black celebritieswith manufactured claims that he is guilty of the same crimes and other lewd and repulsive conduct as Mr. Combs."

NBC News' investigation in January revealed dozens of YouTube accounts using clickbait headlines and AI-generated content to falsely associate various celebrities, including Jakes, Denzel Washington, and Steve Harvey, with the Diddy scandal. These videos have garnered millions of views, allowing creators to profit through advertising revenue.

The motion further explains that "YouTubers are using Bishop Jakes's prominence as clickbait to attract unwitting users to view their knowingly false videos for their (and possibly other foreign companies') financial gain."

If successful, this legal action would allow Jakes' team to proceed with defamation lawsuits against the content creators, marking one of the first major legal challenges to AI-generated celebrity defamation campaigns.
Royal family member Princess Michael is on a healing journey after a gruesome mishap which took place at Kensington Palace.

The princess, 79, was badly bruised after she fell down the stairs of her home at her royal residence in London, breaking both her wrists in the jarring accident.

As she continues to heal, the princess  who shares her royal residence with her husband, Prince Michael  maintains that routine activities have become more difficult after sustaining the injuries.

"So many things that you rely on being able to do, like cleaning your teeth, are impossible," Princess Michael stated, per the 'Daily Mail.' "I can type with one finger on a mobile, but I can't use a laptop."

The royal was reportedly carrying an arm full of overcoats when she fell and stretched her arms out to break the fall, resulting in multiple small broken bones.

The arrival of The Kents, 7 cars, and 2 people on foots



The Duke of Kent, Princess Alexandra, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent were joined with their family. pic.twitter.com/JHQeZJOa9V  Sarahsecret (@sarahdiaryz) December 20, 2024

"I am told that, after an accident like this, if you do one wrong movement on top of the unhealed bones, you are back where you started," she said. She attended King Charles' pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace on December 19 with both wrists in splints.

Princess Michael of Kent's double injury comes ten months after she underwent heart surgery.

"It shocked me. I still have to rest every afternoon," she stated per 'Majesty Magazine,' in an interview published on December 17. The same interview also features the princess' first comments on the unexpected death of her late son-in-law, Thomas Kingston.

Kingston was married to Princess Michael's daughter, Lady Gabriella Windsor, when he was found dead at 45 years old due to a "traumatic wound to the head," per 'PEOPLE.' A gun was found near his body. "Tom was a lovely man, so kind and thoughtful. They were very happy together," Princess Michael told 'Majesty Magazine' of his marriage to her daughter.

"We often had them here with Freddie and Sophie and the girls for Sunday lunch," she stated, referring to her son, Lord Frederick Windsor, his wife Sophie Winkleman and their two young daughters, per the media outlet.

Princess Michael  born Baroness Marie-Christine von Reibnit  is a first cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth. As she was spotted smiling while driving to the King's traditional holiday lunch with her husband, she appears to be in good spirits.
Farmers and crofters are being reminded to apply to the Scottish Suckler Beef Support Scheme (SSBSS) before the deadline of 31 December 2024.

The scheme, totalling 40m, is available for calves provided they are at least 75% beef bred, born on a Scottish holding and kept there for 30 days.

NFU Scotland, which is reminding farmers to apply, said the importance of the scheme to Scotlands iconic red meat sector 'cannot be underestimated'.

The SSBSS rate per animal will be determined by the total number of eligible animals claimed.

The scheme budget of 40m is split with 34m for calves born on the mainland and 6m for calves born on the islands.

Last year, payment rates were 105.10 for mainland calves and 151.24 for island calves.

NFU Scotlands livestock policy manager, Lisa Hislop urged farmers and crofters to apply before the upcoming deadline of 31 December.

The scheme ensures producers around the country are encouraged to keep producing beef calves to underpin the production of high-quality Scotch Beef."

After successful industry lobbying, the Scottish government confirmed that the scheme will be a feature of future support arrangements until at least 2028.

And this is the final year of the current scheme whereby any farmer or crofter producing beef calves can claim for any calf born between 1 January 2024 and 2 December 2024.

This is provided the calves are at least 75% beef genetics and have been kept on the holding of birth for at least 30 days.

From 2025, a 410-day calving interval condition will be introduced to the eligibility criteria," Ms Hislop explained.

"Farmers will not be required to calculate calving intervals for claims as this will be automatically calculated using birth registration details on ScotEID for the claimed calf and the cows previous calf. Heifers will be exempt for calving interval conditions.

"We continue to engage with officials on the future of SSBSS beyond 2025 and 2026," she concluded.
The Defra Secretary has said that farmers are 'in it for the money' because they are 'businesses that need to make a profit'.

Steve Reed was speaking in the House of Commons during a session with MPs looking at the so-called 'family farm tax', which was announced in the budget.

Made on Wednesday (19 December), the comments are likely to infuriate farmers as mass tractor rallies and protests continue across the UK.

Mr Reed told MPs: The shadow secretary of state, as well as the former prime minister, keep telling farmers theyre not in it for the money. We know that they are.

Theyre businesses that need to make a profit, and our new deal for farmers, including increasing supply chain fairness, is intended to make farms profitable and successful for the future, in a way that they were not under the previous government.

The government's farm inheritance tax plans will impose a 20% inheritance tax on farm assets worth 1m or more from April 2026.

But during the parliamentary session, the Environment Secretary said that the vast majority of agricultural property relief (APR) claimants 'will not pay anything'.

"This government, unlike the previous government that thought farmers were not in it for the money, wants them to succeed," he said.

Responding, Liberal Democrat rural affairs spokesman Tim Farron warned that farmers were 'genuinely devastated' by the governments 'family farm tax'.

Mr Farron, who represents a rural constituency, said the move would 'affect many in my patch who are on less than the minimum wage.'

Touching on a serious matter, Shadow Defra Secretary Victoria Atkins said that 'not everyone will be able to celebrate Christmas' this year as a farmer recently 'killed himself'.

"The message he left his family, who wish to remain anonymous, is that he did this because he feared becoming a financial burden to his family because of changes to inheritance tax.

This is the human cost of the figures that the Secretary of State provides so casually. What does the Secretary of State say to that grieving family?

Mr Reed replied: I send my heartfelt sympathies to that family but I think it is irresponsible in the extreme to seek to weaponise a personal tragedy of that kind in this way.

"Where there is mental ill health then there needs to be support for that, and this government is investing in it."

He concluded in saying: She knows from the last year for which data is available that the vast majority of claimants will pay absolutely nothing following the changes to APR.

It comes as the NFU said today that its campaign against the inheritance tax was a 'fight we will not abandon', as its new banner campaign gets well underway.

This week marked the beginning of the next phase of campaigning to stop the so-called 'family farm tax', as the 'Big Banner' initiative was unveiled.
Hundreds of farmers have been applauded for providing more nesting and feeding habitat across southern and eastern England for the benefit of turtle doves.

The Operation Turtle Dove project is celebrating another record year of effort since establishing in 2012, with 442 farms now taking part.

As part of it, land managers work together with conservationists to deliver suitable conditions for turtle doves to successfully breed and fledge more chicks.

Over the course of this year, the project has provided over twenty tonnes of specialist seed to farmers and landowners.

The initiative also works to create feeding areas, maintain dense scrub and hedgerows for nesting sites, and construct ponds for drinking.

The overall aim of the project is to improve the future of this migratory species that spends winter in West African countries before migrating back to British shores for spring and summer to breed.

Mike Shurmer, head of species for RSPB England, which is part of the Operation Turtle Project, thanked farmers for working to help save the species.

"The record number of dedicated farmers and volunteers involved ensures we can continue to support the UK population of this iconic species," he said.

"We see more and more of these heroes rewarded with the purring song of the Turtle Dove returning to their land as a result of the great work they have done.

The project managers say that farmers' efforts are important now more than ever, with an estimated 2,100 breeding territories remaining in the UK as recorded in the 2021 survey.

However, there is hope for these birds following the 25% increase in turtle doves across Western Europe  equivalent to 400,000 breeding pairs.

Rick Bayne, senior project manager for Operation Turtle Dove, also commended those farmers participating in the project for working to help save the species.

"Its amazing to hear about birds returning to breed in parts of southern and eastern England after the hard work and dedication of so many land managers and communities."

These efforts support more than just turtle doves, with other farmland bird species benefitting from habitat creation.

Farmers were recently applauded for boosting the rare and elusive corncrake bird species as part of a project which reached a major milestone last week.
The 60-year-old actor reprises his role as DI Geordie Keating as the ITV drama returns for a new series in the New Year and plans to remain in the series for several years to come.

Robson Green

Robson is quoted by the Daily Star newspaper's Hot TV column as saying: "I never get itchy feet because I'm at a stage in my life where I want to work with people who make me genuinely happy, in front of the lens and behind it.

"I'm not chasing awards. I'm not chasing fame. I'm just being present in a very enjoyable and healthy environment, and that's what 'Grantchester' is.

"It's one of the nicest jobs I have ever done in my career."

Robson has a new co-star in the form of Rishi Nair  who plays vicar Alphy Kotteram  and the actor explained that his alter ego forms an uneasy alliance because he is anti-police.

Rishi told RadioTimes.com: "He is anti-police. He has this kind of perception about the institution. Growing up as a brown man in the '40s and '50s in Britain, his experience with the police would have been very different to the previous two vicars.

"So, he has this kind of perception about them, and he has this personality trait that anyone that abuses their power, or anyone in a position of power that abuses that, he always stands up to that morally.

"And obviously Geordie's first interaction with Alphy is when he's come to arrest him. He thinks that he's broken into the vicarage and he's stealing."

The 33-year-old star added: "So he immediately puts Geordie in that box of police institution that he's grown up around, and that's why their relationship is really rocky to begin with."
The Drewry World Container Index (WCI) composite index slightly increased by 7.76 per cent to $3,803 per 40-foot equivalent unit (FEU) on December 19, 2024, up from $3,529 per FEU the previous week. Shipping freight charges surged ahead of the proposed ILA strike in January 2025. The anticipation of a rate hike under the Trump administration also contributed to the rise in the index. The index was 63 per cent below the previous pandemic peak of $10,377 in September 2021 but 168 per cent higher than the average of $1,420 in 2019 (pre-pandemic).

The average year-to-date (YTD) composite index is $3,946 per FEU, which is $1,084 higher than the 10-year average of $2,862 (inflated by the exceptional 2020-22 COVID period).

Drewry WCI rose7.76 per cent to $3,803 per FEU on December 19, spurred by potential ILA strike and anticipated rate hikes under Trump. Despite this, it remains 63 per cent below its 2021 peak but 168 per cent above 2019 average. Freight rates on key routes varied, with increases on the Shanghai to US lanes and decreases to Europe, as the market braces for more hikes due to geopolitical factors.

Freight rates from Shanghai to Los Angeles increased by 26 per cent or $917 to $4,499 per FEU, and those from Shanghai to New York increased by 17 per cent or $875 to $6,074 per FEU. Similarly, rates from Rotterdam to New York edged up by 3 per cent or $91 to $2,713 per FEU.

On the other hand, rates from Shanghai to Genoa and from Rotterdam to Shanghai decreased by 2 per cent to $5,424 per FEU and $508 per FEU, respectively. Rates from New York to Rotterdam and from Shanghai to Rotterdam shrank by 1 per cent to $824 per FEU and $4,819 per FEU, respectively, while those from Los Angeles to Shanghai remained stable.

Drewry expects an increase in rates on the Transpacific trade in the coming week, driven by front-loading ahead of the looming ILA port strike in January 2025 and the anticipated tariff hikes under the incoming Trump Administration.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL)
Vietnams textile and garment exports (excluding yarn and fibre) grew by 10.6 per cent year-on-year (YoY), reaching $33.650 billion between January and November 2024, according to the Customs IT and Statistics Department of the General Department of Customs under Vietnams Ministry of Finance. But in November 2024, these exports decreased by 5.0 per cent month-on-month to $3.051 billion.

During the eleven-month period, Vietnams yarn exports rose slightly by 0.7 per cent year-on-year, totalling $4.022 billion. In volume terms, yarn exports increased by 4.5 per cent, with the country exporting 1.701 million tonnes of yarn in the first 11 months of 2024. On a month-on-month basis, yarn exports eased by 7.5 per cent in value and 6.6 per cent in volume. In November 2024, Vietnam exported 161,954 tonnes of yarn, valued at $367.706 million.

Vietnam's textile and garment exports (excluding yarn) rose 10.6 per cent YoY to $33.65 billion from January to November 2024, despite a 5 per cent MoM dip in November. Yarn exports grew 0.7 per cent YoY to $4.022 billion. The US, Japan, and South Korea were key textile markets, while China led in yarn imports. Cotton imports rose 2.3 per cent to $2.65 billion.

The United States remained the largest market for Vietnams textile and garment exports, accounting for 43.43 per cent of the total, equivalent to $14.616 billion. Japan and South Korea were also key markets, with exports amounting to $3.983 billion and $2.920 billion, respectively.

For yarn exports, China was the largest buyer, accounting for 48.53 per cent of Vietnams total yarn shipments, valued at $1.951 billion. Yarn exports to India were valued at $59.292 million during the January to November 2024 period.

On the import side, Vietnams cotton imports rose by 2.3 per cent year-on-year to $2.650 billion between January and November 2024. The volume of imported cotton reached 1,369,731 tonnes, marking a 12.6 per cent year-on-year increase. The country also imported 1,126,291 tonnes of yarn, valued at $2.474 billion, reflecting a 24.0 per cent increase in value and a 17.6 per cent rise in volume. Fabric imports totalled $13.572 billion, up 14.3 per cent year-on-year.

In 2023, Vietnams textile and garment sector saw a decline of around 12 per cent, dropping to $36.23 billion. Although the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS) had set an export target of $48 billion, the sector did not meet this goal. In 2022, the sectors exports grew by 14.7 per cent to $37.5 billion, still falling short of the $43 billion target. In 2021, exports totalled $32.75 billion, marking a 9.9 per cent increase from $29.81 billion in 2020.

In response to declining global market demand, VITAS has lowered its export target for textiles, garments, and yarn to $44 billion for 2024.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL)
The superstar will be in Dallas next week for an exclusive event where he will unveil never-seen-before content from the film. This special event will also feature none other than Sukumar Garu, the director of Rangasthalam, the highest-grossing Telugu film of all time and a National Film Award winner.

After the teaser launch of Game Changer, actor Ram Charan jetted off to Dallas to attend a pre-release event for the film. The RRR actor enjoys a massive fan following in the US and other overseas markets and the excitement surrounding Game Changer, directed by visionary filmmaker Shankar, is reaching unprecedented heights.
Critic's rating 2.5 /5

Anil Sharma began his career with emotional films such as Shradhanjali (1981) and Bandhan Kuchchey Dhaagon Ka (1983) but later transitioned to the action genre with Hukumat (1987). The film turned out to be a sleeper hit, cementing his reputation as an action director. With his latest release, Vanvaas, the filmmaker appears to have returned to his roots.



After watching Vanvaas, the immediate question that arises is why Nana Patekar is being so criminally overlooked by filmmakers today. Even at 75, he exudes the charisma to single-handedly carry a film. Hes fitter than most actors half his age, and when he immerses himself in a scene, its impossible not to applaud. A striking example is the films climax, where he moulds a pind out of snow and performs his own pind-daan (last rites), breaking down as he mourns his own passing. Its a profound study in the portrayal of grief and loneliness.



Arguably, only one other actor of this generation could arguably have executed such a scene betterAmitabh Bachchan. The comparison feels apt, given that Bachchan played a somewhat similar role in Baghban (2003), where he portrayed Raj Malhotra, a father abandoned by his grown-up children. However, Raj Malhotra had the emotional solace of his wife Pooja, played by Hema Malini. In stark contrast, Patekars Deepak Tyagi has no such comfort, as his wife Vimla, played by Khushboo in a rare Hindi film appearance, has passed away. Adding to his agony, Deepak is suffering from dementia, and even his memories of her are fading.



His three sons and daughters-in-law abandon him in Kashi in this vulnerable state. Stripped of any means of communication or identification, his money is stolen, and he cant even recall his name or address. His deteriorating mind convinces him that instead of him being lost, it is his three young children who are missing in the crowd. It is at this juncture that he encounters Veeru (Utkarsh Sharma), a petty conman who scams people under the pretext of helping them. Initially, Veeru views Deepak as just another target, but as an orphan himself, he begins to empathise with the old man. Veeru vows to help Deepak, and the remainder of the film revolves around their attempts to restore his memory. Along the way, Veeru is joined by a diverse group of companions, including his girlfriend Sapna (Simratt Kaur), a nautch girl, her aunt (Ashwini Kalsekar), and his best mate (Rajpal Yadav).



At 160 minutes, the film feels overly long. Anil Sharma, adhering to his old-school filmmaking approach, uses lip-synced songs as a narrative device. While they serve their purpose within the story, trimming or removing them could have significantly reduced the runtime. Although the music aligns with the films context, the songs fail to leave an impression when considered independently.



Anil Sharma excels in capturing the bustling atmosphere of Kashi and later Shimla, effectively showcasing the crowded streets and chaotic energy. However, the films primary issue is that, apart from Khushboo, who exits the screen all too soon, no other actor comes close to matching Nana Patekars towering performance. Aware of this disparity, the director allows the narrative to often feel like a one-character play, with the camera relentlessly following Patekar. It seems the actor was given free rein to interpret the role, resulting in a masterclass in acting. Yet, cinema is ultimately a collaborative art form, and this collaboration feels uneven, as the other actors struggle to keep pace with a giants footsteps. Utkarsh Sharma has gamely tried to up the ante and match his senior's intensity. Full marks to him for the effort.



In summary, Vanvaas is a compelling showcase for Nana Patekars talent, but its uneven execution and excessive length dilute the overall impact.

TRAILER : Vanvaas
NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER OF THE SECURITIES DESCRIBED HEREIN

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / December 19, 2024 / Gold Mountain Mining Corp. (TSX:GMTN)(OTCQB:GMTNF)(FRA:5XFA) ("Gold Mountain" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that further to its news release dated December 10, 2024, it has closed a non-brokered private placement of 22,000,000 flow-through common shares (the "FT Shares") of the Company at a price of $0.055 per FT Share for gross proceeds of $1,210,000 (the "FT Offering").

The gross proceeds from the issuance of FT Shares will be used to incur "Canadian exploration expenses" as such term is defined under subsection (66.1(6) of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "Tax Act") and will qualify as "flow-through mining expenditures" as defined in subsection 127(9) of the Tax Act, and "BC flow-through mining expenditures" as defined in Subsection 4.721(1) of the Income Tax Act (British Columbia) (the "Qualifying Expenditures").

The Qualifying Expenditures will be incurred on or before December 31, 2025, and renounced to the subscribers with an effective date of no later than December 31, 2024, and as required under the Tax Act. The BC mining flow-through share ("BCMFTS") tax credit allows BC residents who invest in flow-through shares to claim a provincial non-refundable tax credit of 20% of the BC flow-through mining expenditures.

The proceeds from the Offering will be used to fund the Company's exploration expenditures on its Elk Gold Project located in Merritt, British Columbia.

In connection with the FT Offering, the Company will pay finder's fees of $84,700 and issue 1,540,000 non-transferable share purchase warrants (the "Finder Warrants") to eligible finders. Each Finder Warrant is exercisable into one common share of the Company at a price of $0.055 per share for a period of 24 months from the date of issuance.

The securities issued under the Offering are subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day, in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws.

The FT Offering remains subject to the final approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange.

About Gold Mountain Mining

Gold Mountain is a British Columbia based gold and silver exploration and development company focused on the Elk Gold Project, a producing mine located 57 KM from Merritt in South Central British Columbia. Additional information is available at www.sedar.com or on the Company's new website at www.gold-mountain.ca.

For further information, please contact:

Gold Mountain Mining Corp.

Email: cc@gold-mountain.ca

Website: www.gold-mountain.ca

Twitter: www.twitter.com/goldmtnmine_

The TSX has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this News Release.

Forward-Looking Statements

Forward-looking statements in this news release may include, but are not limited to, statements relating to those in respect of the FT Offering, the intended use of proceeds, the tax treatment of the shares to be issued under the FT Offering pursuant to the Tax Act and Taxation Act (British Columbia), the timing to renounce all Qualifying Expenditures in favor of the subscribers (if at all), and the conditions and approvals required and applications being filed in connection therewith. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof, and except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company assumes no obligation or intent to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements made herein or otherwise, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contact Information

Calvin Cheung

CFO

cc@gold-mountain.ca

6048666818

SOURCE: Gold Mountain Mining Corp

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Galway Metals Inc. (TSXV:GWM)(OTCQB:GAYMF) (the "company" or "Galway Metals"), is pleased to announce an update on recent insider purchases, through a series of transactions conducted through the facilities of the TSX Venture Exchange. Robert Hinchcliffe, President, CEO and Director, acquired an aggregate 1,030,000 common shares of the Company in the current calendar year at an average price of approximately $0.45 per share. These purchases come after acquiring 1,664,000 share in the open market in 2023. As a result, Mr. Hinchcliffe now owns a total of 7,750,746 common shares of Galway Metals, representing approximately 9% of the issued and outstanding shares of the Company.

About Galway Metals Inc.

Galway Metals is a Canadian mineral exploration and development company focused on advancing its 100%-owned, high-grade, open-pitable flagship Clarence Stream gold project in SW New Brunswick. Clarance Stream is an emerging gold district with an exploration strike length of approximately 65 km and widths of up to 28 kms in certain areas. Galway Metals also has 100%-ownership in the Estrades project, a former producing high-grade, gold-rich polymetallic VMS mine in the northern Abitibi of western Quebec. Led by a management team with a proven track- record of creating shareholder value having sold Galway Resources for US$340 million, Galway Metals is focused on creating value for all its stakeholders.

For additional Information on Galway Metals Inc., Please contact:

Robert Hincliffe President & Chief Executive Officer

Telephone: 1-800-771-0680

Email: info@galwaymetalsinc.com

Website: www.galwaymetalsinc.com

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Cautionary Statement

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Toronto Stock 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.

This News Release includes certain "forward-looking statements" which are not comprised of historical facts. 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. Risks, uncertainties and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, the Company's objectives, goals or future plans, information with respect to the OTCQB listing, DTC eligibility, and broadening U.S. institutional and retail investors. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to changes in economic conditions or financial markets, political and competitive developments, operation or exploration difficulties, changes in equity markets, changes in exchange rates, fluctuations in commodity prices capital, operating and reclamation costs varying significantly from estimates and the other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, an inability to predict and counteract the effects of COVID-19 on the business of the Company, including but not limited to the effects of COVID-19 on the price of commodities, capital market conditions, restrictions on labour and international travel and supply chains, and those risks set out in the Company's public documents filed on SEDAR. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law.

SOURCE: Galway Metals Inc.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
BALI, INDONESIA / ACCESSWIRE / December 19, 2024 / KSU Taman Wijaya Rasa (otherwise known as Kostajasa) - a cooperative based in Kebumen, Central Java province, Indonesia - has once again demonstrated its commitment to sustainable forestry by achieving its fourth cycle of FSC Forest Management certification. This milestone marks more than 15 years of continuous certification, underscoring Kostajasa's dedication to responsible forest management and contributions to the local community.

Kostajasa manages a group of smallholders in the region, focusing on valuable timber species such as Teak, Mahoni, and Sengon. This year, the cooperative expanded its scope to include Coconut Sugar as a Non-Timber Forest Product (NTFP), further diversifying its contributions to sustainable economic development.

A symbolic certificate handover ceremony was held in Kebumen on Monday, December 16, 2024, to celebrate their ongoing achievements and vital role in sustainable forestry. The event was attended by distinguished guests, including representatives from FSC Indonesia, Cabang Dinas Kehutanan (CDK) Wilayah 8 (a regional branch of the forestry service in Indonesia), and the Kebumen Cooperative Office. Todd Frank, SCS Global Services' Director, Southeast Asia, presented Kostajasa with the FSC certificate.

"We are grateful for this achievement," said Untung Karnanto, Manager, Kostajasa at the event. "FSC certification is not just an accolade but concrete proof that we have met international standards in forest management. Today, we hold a thanksgiving ceremony to celebrate successfully obtaining FSC certification once again for international-scale community forest management for the fourth cycle."

"Kostajasa's consistent FSC certification over the past 15 years exemplifies the strength and staying power of community-driven sustainable forest practices," said Todd Frank. "Their dedication to responsible forest management not only supports the environment but also strengthens local livelihoods. SCS Global Services is proud to stand alongside Kostajasa in their journey toward a more sustainable future."

Through its activities, Kostajasa has made significant contributions to the local community and its members. By providing market access for selling logs and creating job opportunities for harvesting teams, the cooperative has enhanced livelihoods while promoting sustainable forest management practices. These efforts highlight the critical role that forestry cooperatives play in balancing economic, social, and environmental priorities.

The Kebumen Cooperative Office acknowledged Kostajasa's unique position as the only cooperative in the region actively focusing on forestry activities. This focus not only supports the livelihoods of its members but also contributes positively to environmental conservation.

"Kostajasa's achievement is exemplary," remarked Haryono Wahyudi, Head of Disperindag KUKM (Department of Industry, Trade, Cooperatives, and Small and Medium Enterprises) Kebumen. "Their work benefits both the community and the environment, making them a vital part of our region's sustainable development."

The cooperative's long-standing FSC certification highlights their adherence to global sustainability standards, ensuring responsible management of forest resources. By maintaining certification over four cycles, Kostajasa has proven its resilience and unwavering commitment to sustainable practices that benefit both people and the planet.

###

About SCS Global Services

SCS Global Services is a global leader in third-party environmental and sustainability verification, certification, auditing, testing, and standards development, currently celebrating its 40th year of services. Its programs span a cross-section of industries, recognizing achievements in climate mitigation, green building, product manufacturing, food and agriculture, forestry, consumer products, and more. Headquartered in Emeryville, California, SCS has representatives and affiliate offices throughout the Americas, Asia/Pacific, Europe, and Africa. Its broad network of auditors are experts in their fields, and the company is a trusted partner to companies, agencies, and advocacy organizations due to its dedication to quality and professionalism. SCS is a California-chartered Benefit Corporation, reflecting its commitment to socially and environmentally responsible business practices. SCS is also a Participant of the United Nations Global Compact and adheres to its principles-based approach to responsible business. For more information,?visit?www.SCSGlobalServices.com

For more information about SCS, its programs and services, visit www.scsglobalservices.com



View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from SCS Global Services on 3blmedia.com.



Contact Info:

Spokesperson: SCS Global Services

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/scs-global-services

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: SCS Global Services

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Oakville, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 19, 2024) - FendX Technologies Inc. (CSE: FNDX) (OTCQB: FDXTF) (FSE: E8D) (the "Company" or "FendX"), a nanotechnology company developing surface protection coatings, announces it granted 55,000 restricted share units ("RSUs") to a consultant. The RSUs vest as to 1/3 of the grant on each of the grant date, December 20, 2024 and January 18, 2025. The RSUs were granted in accordance with the Company's equity incentive plan dated October 19, 2021. The RSUs are subject to a hold period of four months and one day from the date of grant.

About FendX Technologies Inc.

FendX is a Canada-based nanotechnology company focused on developing products to make people's lives safer by reducing the spread of pathogens. The Company is developing both film and spray products to protect surfaces from contamination. The lead product under development, REPELWRAP film, is a protective surface coating film that, due to its repelling properties, prevents the adhesion of pathogens and reduces their transmission on surfaces prone to contamination. The spray nanotechnology is a bifunctional spray coating being developed to reduce contamination on surfaces by repelling and killing pathogens. The Company is conducting research and development activities using its nanotechnology in collaboration with industry-leading partners, including McMaster University. The Company has exclusive worldwide licenses to its technology and IP portfolio from McMaster, which encompass both film and spray coating nanotechnology formulations.

ON BEHALF OF FENDX TECHNOLOGIES INC.

"Carolyn Myers"

Carolyn Myers

Chief Executive Officer and Director

For more information, please visit https://fendxtech.com/ and the Company's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

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.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, including with respect to: the plans of the Company; and products under development and any pathogen reduction benefits related thereto. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts; they are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "aims," "potential," "goal," "objective," "prospective," and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "can," "could" or "should" occur, or are those statements, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions that forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made and involve several risks and uncertainties. Consequently, there can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and that actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.

Important factors that could cause future results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include: product candidates only being in formulation/reformulation stages; limited operating history; research and development activities; dependence on collaborative partners, licensors and others; effect of general economic and political conditions; and other risk factors set forth in the Company's public filings which are available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Accordingly, the reader is urged to refer to the Company's such filings for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects. Except to the extent required by applicable securities laws and the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors should change.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/234597

SOURCE: FendX Technologies Inc.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 19, 2024) - First Majestic Silver Corp. (NYSE: AG) (TSX: AG) (FSE: FMV) (the "Company" or "First Majestic") announces that Gatos Silver, Inc. ("Gatos") has advised the Company that it has amended and restated its agreements (the "Amended Agreements") with Dowa Metals & Mining Co., Ltd. ("Dowa") regarding the Los Gatos Joint Venture (the "LGJV"). The Amended Agreements, which become effective on January 1, 2025, expand Gatos' management rights within the LGJV and allow for the financial statements of the LGJV to be fully consolidated. For copies of the Amended Agreements, please see the Form 8-K filed by Gatos under its EDGAR profile at www.sec.gov/edgar. The Amended Agreements do not affect the respective ownership interests of Gatos and Dowa in the LGJV, which remain unchanged at 70% and 30%, respectively. Concurrent with this news release, the Company has filed a material change report dated December 19, 2024 (the "December Material Change Report") under its SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.com, with further details of the Amended Agreements.

As a result of the Amended Agreements, First Majestic has updated the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information (the "Pro Forma Financial Information") that was previously prepared by the Company and that was included in its management information circular (the "Circular") for the upcoming January 14, 2025 special meeting of First Majestic's shareholders (the "Special Meeting") to reflect full consolidation of the LGJV in the Pro Forma Financial Information (as opposed to accounting for Gatos' 70% interest in the LGJV using the equity method of accounting, which is reflected in the Pro Forma Financial Information set out in the Circular). The updated Pro Forma Financial Information based on fully consolidating the LGJV is attached to the December Material Change Report.

First Majestic's shareholders are encouraged to read the updated Pro Forma Financial Information in the December Material Change Report, together with the Circular and the other materials for the Special Meeting, when voting their shares in respect of the Special Meeting. Electronic versions of the materials for the Special Meeting are available at www.AGSpecialMeeting.com.

The Company would like to remind shareholders that the Special Meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 14, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. (Pacific Time) at the offices of Bennett Jones LLP, located at Suite 2500 - 666 Burrard Street, Vancouver, British Columbia V6C 2X8. Only First Majestic shareholders of record as of November 25, 2024 are entitled to vote at the Special Meeting. For further details regarding the Special Meeting, please see the Company's news release dated December 10, 2024.

First Majestic has retained Kingsdale Advisors ("Kingsdale") as a Strategic Advisor and to assist in the solicitation of proxies for the Special Meeting. Any shareholders who need assistance with voting their First Majestic Shares may contact Kingsdale by telephone at 1-866-851-3214 (toll-free in North America) or 1-647-577-3635 (text and call enabled outside North America), or by email at contactus@kingsdaleadvisors.com.

Gatos Stockholder Meeting

Holders of shares of Gatos common stock ("Gatos Shares") are also required to provide their approval of First Majestic's acquisition of all of the outstanding Gatos Shares (the "Transaction"), and accordingly, Gatos has announced that it will hold its stockholder meeting virtually on Tuesday, January 14, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. (Pacific Time), one hour prior to First Majestic's Special Meeting. Subject to the approval of First Majestic's shareholders and Gatos' stockholders and the satisfaction or waiver of other conditions precedent, it is anticipated that the Transaction will close in January 2025.

Important Information for Investors and Shareholders about the Transaction and Where to Find It

This news release is not intended to and does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to subscribe for or buy or an invitation to purchase or subscribe for any securities of First Majestic or Gatos or the solicitation of any vote or approval in any jurisdiction, nor shall there be any sale, issuance or transfer of securities of First Majestic or Gatos in any jurisdiction in contravention of applicable law. This news release may be deemed to be soliciting material relating to the Transaction.

In connection with the proposed transaction between First Majestic and Gatos pursuant to the Merger Agreement and subject to future developments, First Majestic has filed a registration statement on Form F-4 (the "Form F-4") with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), which includes a proxy statement of Gatos that also constitutes a prospectus of First Majestic (the "Proxy Statement/Prospectus"). The Form F-4 was declared effective by the SEC on December 2, 2024. Gatos filed a Proxy Statement/Prospectus with the SEC on December 3, 2024, which it commenced mailing to its stockholders on December 6, 2024. First Majestic filed the Information Circular in connection with the proposed Transaction with applicable Canadian securities regulatory authorities on December 10, 2024. This news release is not a substitute for any registration statement, proxy statement, prospectus or other document First Majestic or Gatos has filed or may file with the SEC or Canadian securities regulatory authorities in connection with the proposed Transaction. First Majestic commenced mailing the Meeting Materials to its shareholders on December 10, 2024. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS OF GATOS AND FIRST MAJESTIC ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND MANAGEMENT PROXY CIRCULAR, RESPECTIVELY, AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED OR TO BE FILED WITH THE SEC OR CANADIAN SECURITIES REGULATORY AUTHORITIES CAREFULLY IN THEIR ENTIRETY IF AND WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BEFORE MAKING ANY VOTING OR INVESTMENT DECISION WITH RESPECT TO THE TRANSACTION BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT FIRST MAJESTIC, GATOS, THE TRANSACTION AND RELATED MATTERS. Investors and security holders may obtain free copies of the Proxy Statement/Prospectus, the filings with the SEC that are incorporated by reference into the Proxy Statement/Prospectus and other documents filed with the SEC by First Majestic and Gatos containing important information about First Majestic or Gatos and the Transaction through the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov. Investors will also be able to obtain free copies of the management proxy circular and other documents filed with Canadian securities regulatory authorities by First Majestic, through the website maintained by the Canadian Securities Administrators at www.sedarplus.com. In addition, investors and security holders may obtain free copies of the documents filed by First Majestic with the SEC and Canadian securities regulatory authorities on First Majestic's website or by contacting First Majestic's investor relations team. Copies of the documents filed with the SEC by Gatos are available free of charge on Gatos' website at www.gatossilver.com or by contacting Gatos' investor relations team.

Participants in the Merger Solicitation

First Majestic, Gatos and certain of their respective directors, executive officers and employees may be considered participants in the solicitation of proxies in connection with the proposed Transaction. Information regarding the persons who may, under the rules of the SEC, be deemed participants in the solicitation of the shareholders of First Majestic and the stockholders of Gatos in connection with the Transaction, including a description of their respective direct or indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, is included in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus described above and other relevant documents when they are filed with the SEC and Canadian securities regulatory authorities in connection with the proposed Transaction. Additional information regarding First Majestic's directors and executive officers is also included in First Majestic's Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders and 2024 Proxy Statement, which was filed with the SEC and Canadian securities regulatory authorities on April 15, 2024, and information regarding Gatos' directors and executive officers is also included in Gatos' Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 filed with the SEC on February 20, 2024, as amended by Amendment No. 1 to such annual report filed with the SEC on May 6, 2024 and Gatos' 2024 Proxy Statement for its 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which was filed with the SEC on April 25, 2024. These documents are available free of charge as described above.

ABOUT FIRST MAJESTIC

First Majestic is a publicly traded mining company focused on silver and gold production in Mexico and the United States. The Company presently owns and operates the San Dimas Silver/Gold Mine, the Santa Elena Silver/Gold Mine, and the La Encantada Silver Mine as well as a portfolio of development and exploration assets, including the Jerritt Canyon Gold project located in northeastern Nevada, U.S.A.

First Majestic is proud to own and operate its own minting facility, First Mint, LLC, and to offer a portion of its silver production for sale to the public. Bars, ingots, coins and medallions are available for purchase online at www.firstmint.com, at some of the lowest premiums available.

FIRST MAJESTIC SILVER CORP.

"signed"

Keith Neumeyer, President & CEO

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This news 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, which are intended to be covered by the safe harbor created by such sections and other applicable laws and "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian securities laws (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). These statements relate to future events or the future performance, business prospects or opportunities of First Majestic and/or Gatos that are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management of First Majestic and/or Gatos made in good faith in light of management's experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: closing of the Transaction and the terms and timing related thereto; the anticipated timing of shareholder meetings; and the timing for the Amending Agreements becoming effective. Assumptions may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Consequently, guidance cannot be guaranteed. As such, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon guidance and 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".

Actual results may vary from forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to materially differ from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to: satisfaction or waiver of all applicable closing conditions for the Transaction on a timely basis or at all including, without limitation, receipt of all necessary shareholder, stock exchange and regulatory approvals or consents and lack of material changes with respect to First Majestic and Gatos and their respective businesses, all as more particularly set forth in the Merger Agreement; the timing of the closing of the Transaction and the failure of the Transaction to close for any reason; the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against First Majestic or Gatos and others related to the Transaction; and unanticipated difficulties or expenditures relating to the Transaction. First Majestic is not affirming or adopting any statements or reports attributed to Gatos (including prior mineral reserve and resource declaration) in this news release or made by Gatos outside of this news release. In addition, the failure of a party to comply with the terms of the Merger Agreement may result in that party being required to pay a fee to the other party, the result of which could have a material adverse effect on the paying party's financial position and results of operations and its ability to fund growth prospects and current operations. Although First Majestic has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended.

First Majestic believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included herein should not be unduly relied upon. These statements speak only as of the date hereof. First Majestic does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, except as required by applicable laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/234640

SOURCE: First Majestic Silver Corp.


Picture1 Group Photo: From Left Professor Li Wai Chi, Mr. Cheung Kin Chung, Professor Zhao Pengfei, Dr. Wong Yau Kar, Madam Wong Wai Ching, Professor Wong Yuk Shan, Dr. Liu Yung Chau, Mr. Feng Dajun, Madam Wu Cheng, Dr. Liu Yi Man, Professor Reggie Kwan Ching Ping, Mr. Yiu Pak Leung, Madam Huang Zhaoxia, Mr. David Leung Yiu Fai



Picture 2 Group Photo: From Left Dr. Liu Yi Man, Madam Gladys Yam Ying Sim, Mr. Lam Chun Sing , Mr. Wong Kam Leung , Mr. Yiu Pak Leung, Dr. Wong Yau Kar, Madam Wong Wai Ching, Dr. Liu Yung Chau, Professor Wong Yuk Shan, Madam Wu Cheng, Mr. Tai Chak Tong, Mr. Feng Dajun, Professor Zhao Pengfei, Madam Huang Zhaoxia, Madam Li Min, Professor Reggie Kwan Ching Ping, Mr. Tsui Hoi Shan



Picture 3: The guest lineup at the symposium was impressive, featuring around 60 representatives from various sectors, including politics, business, and education



Picture 4: Mr. Feng Dajun, Deputy Director General of National Association of Vocational Education of China



Picture 5: Group Photo:From Left:Dr. Wong Yu Kar, Madam Wang Wai Ching, Professor Wong Yuk Shan, Dr. Liu Yung Chau, Mr. Feng Dajun, Madam Wu Cheng, Dr. Liu Yi Man, Professor Reggie Kwan Ching Ping

HONG KONG, Dec 20, 2024 - (ACN Newswire) - The leaders of National Association of Vocational Education of China visited Hong Kong, jointly sponsored by The Chinese Occupational Education Association of Hong Kong and co-sponsored by the Hong Kong Metropolitan University, organized Hong Kong Vocational Education Service in Joint Construction of the "Belt and Road" Vocational Education Symposium. It was held at the International Conference Center on the 12th floor of the Jockey Club Institute of Healthcare of the Hong Kong Metropolitan University on December 17, 2024. Mr. Feng Dajun, Deputy Director General of National Association of Vocational Education of China, and Wu Cheng, Deputy Director of Education and Science of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, attended the meeting.Picture1 Group Photo: From Left Professor Li Wai Chi, Mr. Cheung Kin Chung, Professor Zhao Pengfei, Dr. Wong Yau Kar, Madam Wong Wai Ching, Professor Wong Yuk Shan, Dr. Liu Yung Chau, Mr. Feng Dajun, Madam Wu Cheng, Dr. Liu Yi Man, Professor Reggie Kwan Ching Ping, Mr. Yiu Pak Leung, Madam Huang Zhaoxia, Mr. David Leung Yiu FaiThis symposium can be said to have a strong lineup of guests, with over 60 participants from various sectors including politics, business, and education. In addition to Dr. Liu Yung Chau, Honorary Chairman of the Council of the COEAHK, Professor Wong Yuk Shan, Chairman of the Council, Dr. Wong Yau Kar, Dr. Liu Yi Man, Vice Chairmen, and all other directors attending. Madam Wu Cheng, Deputy Director of Education and Science of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region also attended.Picture 2 Group Photo: From Left Dr. Liu Yi Man, Madam Gladys Yam Ying Sim, Mr. Lam Chun Sing , Mr. Wong Kam Leung , Mr. Yiu Pak Leung, Dr. Wong Yau Kar, Madam Wong Wai Ching, Dr. Liu Yung Chau, Professor Wong Yuk Shan, Madam Wu Cheng, Mr. Tai Chak Tong, Mr. Feng Dajun, Professor Zhao Pengfei, Madam Huang Zhaoxia, Madam Li Min, Professor Reggie Kwan Ching Ping, Mr. Tsui Hoi ShanThe meeting is divided into two parts. The first part is the keynote speech, and the second part is the symposium. From macro level to micro level, the government's policy is to jointly construct the "Belt and Road" and promote vocational education to overseas, and then how to implement the "apprenticeship system". Vocational education in Hong Kong is promoted by the government, enterprises, and schools, and the integration of industry and education, as well as school enterprise cooperation, are relatively international and market-oriented.The first part is the keynote speech, delivered by Mr. Feng Dajun, Deputy Director General of the National Association of Vocational Education of China, on the topic of "Strengthening Exchange and Cooperation, Jointly Promoting Vocational Education Going Overseas". Dr. Wong Yau Kar, Vice Chairman of the COEAHK, delivered a keynote speech on the theme of "Advantages and Challenges of Hong Kong Vocational Education's Participation in the Joint Construction of the "Belt and Road". Dr. Zhao Pengfei, former president of Guangdong Construction Vocational and Technical College, gave a keynote speech on the topic of "Practice and Prospects of Chinese Characteristics Apprenticeship System under the Background of Industry Education Integration".The second part is a guest speech, delivered by Dr. Liu Yi Man, Vice Chairman of the COEAHK, Mr. David Leung Yiu Fai, Chief Consultant of the MTR Academy, Professor Li Wai Chi, Vice President of HKCT Institute of Higher Education, and Mr. Chris Cheung Kin Chung, President of the CLP Power Academy.in his opening remarks, reflected on the history of the China Vocational Education Society and pointed out the significant contributions of the Hong Kong Vocational Training Council since its establishment in enhancing vocational education.Professor Wong Yuk Shan, in his opening remarks, stated that the National Association of Vocational Education of China was founded on May 6, 1917 in Shanghai by 48 renowned figures in the education and business sectors, including Huang Yanpei, Cai Yuanpei, and Liang Qichao. As for our COEAHK, it was officially established on January 12, 2024, at the age of less than one. It was founded under the initiative and strong support of Dr. Liu Yung Chau. COEAHK is committed to promoting and improving vocational education in Hong Kong, exploring and exchanging theories and practices of vocational education, promoting the spirit of craftsmanship, and facilitating the development of vocational education in Hong Kong and other cities in the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area. It aims to cultivate talents for innovation, modern industry, and service industries in the region.Picture 3: The guest lineup at the symposium was impressive, featuring around 60 representatives from various sectors, including politics, business, and educationDeputy Director General Feng Dajun said that in September and October 2013, President Xi Jinping proposed the cooperation initiatives of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road respectively. By the end of June 2023, China has signed more than 230 cooperation documents on jointly building the "Belt and Road" with more than 150 countries and more than 30 international organizations. At present, China has launched "Chinese+Vocational Education" characteristic projects in more than 40 countries and regions, and more than 400 vocational colleges in mainland China and foreign educational institutions have cooperated in running schools. The number of full-time students studying in China has reached 17000. China's vocational education has established stable connections with over 70 countries and organizations. In the process of exchange, vocational colleges in the mainland and universities in Europe, Africa, Thailand and other countries along the Belt and Road have carried out vocational education projects. National Association of Vocational Education of China has always played an important role in promoting the Belt and Road Initiative. Hong Kong's vocational education has a flexible education and training mechanism, an open market school running mode, and an international talent training orientation. It has prominent regional advantages in the international exchange and cooperation of vocational education along the "Belt and Road".Picture 4: Mr. Feng Dajun, Deputy Director General of National Association of Vocational Education of ChinaDr. Wong Yau Kar stated that from the 1980s to 2019, vocational colleges have trained over 900,000 graduates from various industries in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong SAR government has established a dedicated department to promote the development of vocational education. The Vocational Training Council (VTC) was established in 1982. The government is also vigorously promoting the establishment of the "University of Applied Sciences"(UAS), and the Metropolitan University of Hong Kong has become a UAS. The characteristic of vocational education in Hong Kong is its high degree of internationalization, and the use of English is the key to international integration. It is suggested that the development of vocational education should be based on future needs, the integration of industry and education, school enterprise cooperation, and the construction of a connected education system from middle school to university and even master's degree.Professor Zhao Pengfei stated that apprenticeship is the best way to achieve industry education integration and school enterprise cooperation. The Chinese government policy requires all regions to actively carry out modern apprenticeship pilot programs through school enterprise joint enrollment and training. The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security both support the apprenticeship system. There are more than 1000 pilot projects for modern apprenticeship system in China, with 2480 cooperative enterprises, benefiting more than 100000 students (apprentices). The pilot project for new apprenticeship system in enterprises has trained more than 20000 employees, with a clear requirement to train 1 million new apprentices from 2019 to 2021. The important achievements of modern apprenticeship system pilot are government policies, industry standards, and school enterprise models. Modern apprenticeship system is a "dual education", "dual identity", "work study alternation", and "job training". It refers to "school+enterprise", "student+apprenticeship", "learning+work", and "education+training" respectively. The development of apprenticeship system vertically connects the primary, middle, and high-level apprenticeship systems, and horizontally connects them to the integration of general education and vocational education.Dr. Liu Yi Man said that Hong Kong acted as a super connector to promote the high-quality development of the "Belt and Road" vocational education. Promote China's vocational education to go overseas and help build an education powerhouse, with Hong Kong as the first stop, serving as a super connector for "going out " and "bringing in". Especially in the field of internationalization and artificial intelligence, it is very important. In the future, our country's vocational education will have great potential in international talent joint training, collaborative development of curriculum standards, and the clustering effect of overseas education. The continuous evolution of artificial intelligence technology has brought tremendous changes to the production models of various industries.Mr. David Leung Yiu Fai said that MTR Academy was established in 2016 to cooperate with the national the Belt and Road Initiative. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of MTR Corporation and one of the earliest corporate colleges in Hong Kong. Our vision is to become a recognized center for railway management and technical education and research in the railway industry in Hong Kong, mainland China, and overseas. Through the MTR Academy, there are also master's programs in rail transit, joint courses with overseas universities, and community participation. Currently developing consulting services for the Middle East market.Professor Li Wai Chi said that the last era was the Internet+ era. The next era is the era of Al, make good use of Al, comprehensively popularize artificial intelligence knowledge, and improve students' artificial intelligence literacy. Relying on the platform of vocational colleges, we can use Unicom x financing to implement the policies and measures of different government departments on strengthening science and technology, education and talent. Colleges and enterprises in the two places can rely on the country and enterprises to jointly build the Belt and Road development and provide formal vocational skills training according to their human needs at different stages of development. Colleges and relevant administrative departments in both regions will jointly develop and construct an international vocational education and qualification system with Chinese characteristics.President Chris Cheung Kin Chung of CLP Power Academy stated that the title is "Power to Move Upward". The institute is not only studying for colleagues at the CLP Power, but can also be read to public, all students are part-time students. There are currently multiple courses, QF architecture, jointly offered with universities. Due to the fact that CLP Power is the most professional in the enterprise/industry, but not the most specialized in teaching, it is best to cooperate with universities to provide scenes for students to understand operations. Collaboration with VTC, some transitional courses, these courses form an ecosystem. Entering the mechanical and electrical industry, seeking opportunities to move upstream is to obtain a diploma (educational background). In addition to the diploma, there is also an exemption from the electrician license (industry qualification), which creates an ecological environment. Partners include the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications, and the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers.Dr. Liu Yung Chau expressed his gratitude during his closing remarks at the symposium. 2024 is the most important year in the development of the COEAHK. The inauguration ceremony was taking place on 12 January 2024. Both governments attach great importance to it, and Chief Secretary for Administration of HKSAR Mr. Chan Kwok-ki, Dr. Choi Yuk-lin, Secretary for Education, and Professor Sun Dong, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, all attended. The leaders of the National Association of Vocational Education of China visited Hong Kong this time, with the theme of the forum, "Building the Belt and Road through Hong Kong's Vocational Education Services," reflect a commitment to the strategic importance of vocational education in the Belt and Road Initiative. The first three speakers including Deputy Director General Feng Dajun, Dr. Wong Yau Kar, and Professor Zhao Pengfei giving keynote speeches from the three dimensions of "Vocational Education Going overseas", "Vocational Education Jointly Building the the Belt and Road" and "Integration of Industry and Education". Mr. David Leung Yiu Fai, Professor Li Wai Chi, President Chris Cheung Kin Chung and Dr. Liu Yi Man participated in the symposium to promote vocational education in Hong Kong and participate in the national strategy of the Belt and Road from the perspective of enterprises and educational institutions.Picture 5: Group PhotoFrom LeftDr. Wong Yu Kar, Madam Wang Wai Ching, Professor Wong Yuk Shan, Dr. Liu Yung Chau, Mr. Feng Dajun, Madam Wu Cheng, Dr. Liu Yi Man, Professor Reggie Kwan Ching PingSource: The Chinese Occupational Education Association of Hong KongCopyright 2024 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
Regulatory News:

CTP, Europe's largest listed developer, owner and manager of industrial and logistics properties by gross lettable area (GLA), has signed a deal with Grammer Jifeng Automotive Seating CZ to build a new 21,000 sqm modern manufacturing and testing warehouse facility at CTPark Cheb in the north-west of the Czech Republic.

Grammer Jifeng Automotive Seating CZ specialises in the production of interior components for the automotive industry, developing technologically advanced products for premium car brands. The new facility at CTPark Cheb is scheduled to be operational by late 2025. Grammer Jifeng Automotive Seating CZ represents the merger of Grammer AG and Ningbo Jifeng Auto Parts Co. Ltd. two leaders in the production of automotive interior components. The new facility will build on the existing presence of both companies in CTP's portfolio that together already lease over 72,000 sqm of space at CTP parks in the Czech Republic.

CTPark Cheb is strategically located close to the German border. It is ideally situated for businesses from the automotive sector due to the region's industrial heritage with a labour force equipped with the right knowledge. The Park also benefits from direct motorway access to Germany which is reachable within 10-minutes, where many multinational automotive companies are located.

Grammer Jifeng Automotive Seating CZ's new production facility will include specialist laboratories, vibration rooms, testing facilities and storage areas, all with a focus on high technological and environmental standards set within attractive landscaped grounds.

Carsten Winkelbach, Managing Director of Grammer Jifeng Automotive Seating CZ, said:

"This cooperation with CTP allows us to further develop our capacities in line with the growing demands of our customers. Cheb's location convinced us with its strategic location close to the German border, which ensures easy access to foreign markets and connections with suppliers and customers. We very much appreciate CTP's professional approach, which always aims to adapt to our needs as much as possible. Thanks to this project, we are able to create up to 433 new jobs, which will also support the growth of the region's economy."

Jakub Kodr, Head of Business Development, Czech Republic commented:

"Working with Grammer Jifeng Automotive Seating CZ has been enjoyable from the start. Their decision to build the new facility at CTPark Cheb was made carefully and involved detailed analysis of the labour market in the area. Ultimately, they chose the Park for its strategic location, skilled workforce and the approach we took to understanding their needs that will ensure we can deliver the facility tailored to their highly bespoke requirements."

About CTP

CTP is Europe's largest listed owner, developer, and manager of logistics and industrial real estate by gross lettable area, owning 12.6 million sqm of GLA across 10 countries as of 30 September 2024. CTP certifies all new buildings to BREEAM Very good or better and earned a negligible-risk ESG rating by Sustainalytics, underlining its commitment to being a sustainable business. For more information, visit CTP's corporate website: www.ctp.eu

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241219125840/en/

Contacts:

CONTACT DETAILS FOR ANALYST AND INVESTOR ENQUIRIES:

Maarten Otte, Head of Investor Relations

Mobile: +420 730 197 500

Email: maarten.otte@ctp.eu



CONTACT DETAILS FOR MEDIA ENQUIRIES:

Patryk Statkiewicz, Group Head of Marketing PR

Mobile: +31 (0) 629 596 119

Email: patryk.statkiewicz@ctp.eu



SEC Newgate

James Carnegie

Mobile: +44 (0)7827 486 224

Email: CTP@SECNewgate.co.uk
The expanded grant will be delivered by UNICEF in coordination with local and international partners to respond to growing needs that have left 3.2 million children out of school.

NEW YORK, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Chad is one of the poorest countries in the world. In all, more than a third of the population needs humanitarian assistance. The war in neighboring Sudan, intercommunal conflict, climate change and other issues are triggering more forced displacement and disrupting the educational pathways of millions of learners.

In response to these multiplying crises, Education Cannot Wait (ECW) and its strategic partners announced today a US$20 million grant that will extend the Fund's Multi-Year Resilience Programme in Chad, reaching approximately 66,000 crisis-affected children and adolescents.

The grant will be delivered by UNICEF in coordination with the Government of Chad and a number of national and international partners. ECW funding in Chad now tops US$61 million and has reached over 880,000 children with the safety, hope and opportunity that only a quality education can provide.

ECW's catalytic grant represents a significant contribution to the Humanitarian Response Plan in Chad, which calls for US$28.2 million toward education. Overall, 50% of the humanitarian appeal remains unmet.

"Chad has opened its doors for refugees and integrates refugee children into the national education system. This is a shining example of refugee protection. However, the current needs far outstrip the resources available. We must support Chad to sustain its solidarity with refugees. Far more financial resources are needed, and it is incumbent on the public and private sector to contribute their share. Through substantive additional funding, we can and must step up funding to ensure access to quality and protective learning environments for refugee children and adolescents, as well as their teachers, in Chad. Taken together with other actions, this is an essential investment in refugee education and a realization of the commitments we all made at the Global Refugee Forum," said Yasmine Sherif, Executive Director of Education Cannot Wait, the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises in the United Nations.

"The challenges facing education in general are significant. The support from the Multi-Year Resilience Programme plays a crucial role in meeting education in emergency needs in Chad. This support not only addresses immediate educational crises but also contributes indirectly to the socio-economic development of the affected provinces. We thank Education Cannot Wait for their ongoing efforts to support education in emergencies in Chad, and we encourage continued support in our efforts to address urgent educational needs," said Chad's Minister of National Education and Civic Promotion, Mr. Mamadou Gana Boukar.

Chad is one of the world's largest hosts of refugees. In all, there are over 1.7 million forcibly displaced persons in Chad, including 1.2 million refugees. Forced displacement, food and nutritional insecurity, health emergencies, and the effects of climatic hazards remain the four primary drivers of humanitarian needs in Chad.

These factors - along with a large influx of refugees fleeing the war in Sudan and returnees from the Central African Republic and Cameroon - are straining national resources and impeding progress to ensure universal education. Approximately 3.2 million children and adolescents are outside the school system. Even when they are in school, the quality of education often falls behind, high school fees keep children out of school, and access is often limited as severe weather events become even more dangerous as the result of climate change.

"UNICEF expresses its gratitude to Education Cannot Wait for its unwavering support of school-aged children affected by complex crises in Chad. The second phase of the Multi-Year Resilience Programme aims to ensure access to inclusive, quality education. This programme will strengthen the education system's resilience in the face of various challenges, particularly in the provinces of Ouaddai and Logone Oriental, over the coming years. Together, we can change lives and build a bright future for children in Chad," said Dr. Marcel Ouattara, Acting Representative of UNICEF Chad.

Of the 66,600 children targeted through the catalytic investment, over 40% will be refugee children. The programme will also train over 1,500 teachers on conflict and risk reduction, mental health and psychosocial support, and pedagogy. The programme also makes important strides in providing civil registration for children, reaching vulnerable girls, and providing bespoke education pathways for children with disabilities.

About Education Cannot Wait (ECW):

Education Cannot Wait (ECW) is the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises in the United Nations. We support quality education outcomes for refugee, internally displaced and other crisis-affected girls and boys, so no one is left behind. ECW works through the multilateral system to both increase the speed of responses in crises and connect immediate relief and longer-term interventions through multi-year programming. ECW works in close partnership with governments, public and private donors, UN agencies, civil society organizations, and other humanitarian and development aid actors to increase efficiencies and end siloed responses. ECW urgently appeals to public and private sector donors for expanded support to reach even more vulnerable children and youth.

On X/Twitter, please follow: @EduCannotWait @YasmineSherif1 @KentPage

Additional information available at: www.educationcannotwait.org

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2585593/Screenshot_2024_12_19_131221.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1656121/Education_Cannot_Wait_Logo.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/education-cannot-wait-announces-us20-million-multi-year-resilience-programme-catalytic-grant-in-chad-total-ecw-funding-in-chad-tops-us61-million-302336778.html
HONG KONG, Dec 20, 2024 - (ACN Newswire) - Leading international index provider, MSCI, recently announced the updated ESG ratings for Huatai Securities Co., Ltd. (the "Company" stock codes: 601688.SH, 6886.HK, HTSC.L). Due to its exemplary ESG practices, Huatai Securities' MSCI ESG rating has been upgraded from AA to AAA. This marks the second consecutive year of improvement, earning the Company the highest rating in the global investment banking industry.The rating report underscores Huatai Securities' industry-leading performance in five key areas: Corporate Governance, Financing Environmental Impact, Responsible Investment, Human Capital Development, and Corporate Behavior. This demonstrates the Company's robust ESG governance capabilities and its strong commitment to stakeholders.In recent years, Huatai Securities has fully adopted new development philosophies, incorporating sustainable development into its operations and management. The Company continues to make significant progress in aligning its business practices with global ESG standards.In Corporate Governance, Huatai Securities' Board of Directors and ESG Committee have adopted a global perspective while remaining deeply attuned to local realities. By closely monitoring societal and economic developments, the Company has identified core ESG issues that align with current priorities, positioning itself as a market leader in corporate citizenship and responsibility.In terms of the Financing Environmental Impact, Huatai Securities has integrated ESG principles into its due diligence processes for investment and financing activities. The Company has established guidelines for investments in environmentally sensitive industries, actively expanded its green finance product portfolio, and extended its carbon finance services. Initiatives such as the "One Yangtze River" ecological protection project have supported biodiversity mainstreaming and contributed to the green transformation of economic and social development.In Responsible Investment, Huatai Securities has consistently elevated the importance of ESG factors in its investment decision-making processes. By leveraging its industry-leading digital capabilities, the Company has integrated ESG data across its research and investment platforms to generate actionable insights. Furthermore, Huatai has embraced its role as an active shareholder, promoting sustainable development values across a wide range of companies and industries.In Human Capital Development, Huatai Securities has established platforms to empower employees and promote their comprehensive professional growth. The Company has prioritized enhancing employees' technical expertise and strengthening training in financial ethics and professional conduct, fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration among its workforce.In Corporate Behavior, Huatai Securities has established robust systems for anti-bribery, anti-corruption, professional integrity, and whistleblower protection. The Company has prioritized strengthening corporate ethics and upholding principles of integrity, thereby laying a solid foundation for sustainable growth.Through years of consistent effort, the principles of ESG and sustainable development have become deeply embedded in the ethos and behavior of Huatai Securities' workforce. This collective commitment has been a driving force behind the Company's ongoing progress. Looking ahead, Huatai Securities remains steadfast in its dedication to ESG principles, establishing a strong foundation to build a world-class investment bank with both local strengths and global influence. The Company is determined to contribute to high-quality, sustainable economic and social development, delivering greater value and impact for the future.About Huatai SecuritiesIncorporated in April 1991, Huatai Securities is a leading technology-driven securities group in China, with a highly collaborative business model, a cutting-edge digital platform and an extensive and engaging customer base. It provides comprehensive financial services to individual and institutional clients, including wealth management, investment banking, sales and trading, investment management, etc., with a substantial international presence.For enquiries, please contact:Citigate Dewe RogersonBenny Liu Linda PuiTel: +86 10 6567 5056 Tel: +852 3103 0118Email: HTSC@citigatedewerogerson.comSource: Huatai Securities Co., Ltd.Copyright 2024 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
Global technology corporation FPT recently secured the 2024 EcoVadis Gold Rating for its overseas branch in Germany, positioning the company among the top 5 percent of businesses globally for sustainability practices. This recognition reaffirms the company's unwavering commitment to corporate responsibility and sustainable development.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241220491600/en/

(Graphic: Business Wire)

EcoVadis, a leading global platform for sustainability assessments, evaluates businesses across four critical areas: environmental impact, labor and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement. Since its founding in 2007, EcoVadis has created a benchmark for over 130,000 companies across 220 industries and 180 countries, offering a robust framework for assessing and comparing corporate sustainability performance.

FPT attained an overall score of 79/100, with 80/100 in Environment, Labor Human Rights, and Ethics, and 70/100 in Sustainable Procurement. These results highlight its proactive measures to minimize environmental impact, cultivate an inclusive and equitable workplace, uphold the highest ethical standards, and ensure responsible practices across its supply chain.

Mdm. Chu Thi Thanh Ha, FPT Software Chairwoman, FPT Corporation, stated, "FPT has been a strategic partner to leading companies in Germany's key sectors, including energy, automotive, and manufacturing industries that require the highest standards of sustainable business practices. This recognition highlights our ability and commitment to integrating technological innovation with corporate responsibility, aligning with the same standards upheld by our clients. We look forward to creating impactful differences, delivering lasting values for our global customers, and contributing to a sustainable future for generations to come.

In 2024, FPT solidified its position as a leader in sustainability by earning the prestigious EcoVadis Platinum rating, led by its French subsidiary, placing the company among the top 1% of global businesses. FPT further demonstrated its commitment to sustainability and corporate responsibility by achieving ISO 45001 certification for occupational health and safety across its campuses in Vietnam, Germany, and France. The company also received the Job Creation Award at the ESG Business Awards and joined the Pledge 1% movement to support community initiatives. These achievements highlight FPT's unwavering focus on sustainable business practices, social responsibility, and fostering an inclusive workplace culture.

Since entering the European market in 2008, FPT has become a trusted digital transformation partner for over 150 leading businesses, including German giants like E.ON, RWE, Schaeffler, and Covestro. With a strong presence in nine countries, including a new office in Nuremberg, Germany and a recent expansion into the Scandinavian market. FPT continues to grow its footprint. In 2024, its German subsidiary also earned the Great Place to Work certification, reflecting its commitment to a positive workplace culture and its goal to expand its European workforce to 1,000 IT professionals by 2030, half of whom will be local employees.

About FPT

FPT Corporation (FPT) is a globally leading technology and IT services provider headquartered in Vietnam. FPT operates in three core sectors: Technology, Telecommunications, and Education. During over three decades of development, FPT has constantly provided practical and effective products to millions of people and tens of thousands of business and non-business organizations worldwide, establishing Vietnam's position on the global tech map. Keeping up with the latest market trends and emerging technologies, FPT has developed the Made-by-FPT ecosystem of services, products, solutions, and platforms, which enables sustainable growth for organizations and businesses and offers distinctive experiences to customers. In 2023, FPT recorded a total revenue of USD 2.17 billion and 48,000+ employees. For more information about global IT services, please visit https://fptsoftware.com/.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241220491600/en/

Contacts:

Media

Mai Duong (Ms.)

FPT Corporation

FPT Software PR Manager

MCP.PR@fpt.com


Original-Research: ZEAL Network SE - from NuWays AG



20.12.2024 / 09:01 CET/CEST

Dissemination of a Research, transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this research. The result of this research does not constitute investment advice or an invitation to conclude certain stock exchange transactions.

Classification of NuWays AG to ZEAL Network SE



Company Name: ZEAL Network SE

ISIN: DE000ZEAL241



Reason for the research: Update

Recommendation: Buy

from: 20.12.2024

Target price: EUR 60.00

Target price on sight of: 12 months

Last rating change:

Analyst: Henry Wendisch



Early X-Mas present for shareholders, guidance raised again

FY'24 sales should arrive between EUR 175-185m (eNuW old: EUR 170m), whereas EBITDA should range between EUR 55 and EUR 59m (eNuW old: EUR 45m). This corresponds to an EUR 17m increase over the old sales guidance and a EUR 13m increase over the old EBITDA guidance, implying a strong incremental EBITDA margin of 75%. At mid-point of the new guidance, this implies Q4 sales growth of 100% and an EBITDA expansion by 130% yoy, highlighting the strong Q4 performance.



The record and historically unprecedented 7x peak and consecutively rolled-over jackpots (vs. 5x in 2023 and 6x per 9M'24), which put Germany in a never seen before lottery fever, explains our EUR 11m top-line underestimation. Consequently, we raise our Q4 estimates for MAU (eNuW: 1.5m old vs. 1.6m MAU new), average pay-in per user APPU (eNuW: EUR 51.40 old vs. EUR 56.60 new) and lottery billings margin (eNuW: 16.3% old vs. 17.3% new) above our previous assumption. As we model with statistically average jackpots, these KPIs should normalize again going forward. Regarding EBITDA, by adding the EUR 11m of underestimated sales and keeping our Q4 OPEX estimate mainly unchangend, we arrive at our new FY'24e EBITDA estimate of EUR 57m (+ 75% yoy).



Additional to that, a key highlight should be the acquisiton of new customers during the peak jackpot time. Previously, we anticipated a user intake of 400k in Q4, which now seems too low. Therefore, we now expect 590k users to have registered during Q4, which would imply a staggering 1.4m new registrations (+134% yoy) for FY'24e. This bodes extremely well for the future, as the larger customer base (with its extremely loyal and steady spending behaviour) expands the revenue base even more. On average, 1 of 4 registrations becomes a monthly active user (MAU). Given the overall elevated online marketing activity during black and cyber week, we expect a slightly higher, but a still very attractive Q4 CPL of EUR 40 (FY'24e average: EUR 37, -19% yoy). To put this into perspective, we calculate a marketing ROI of 34% (net income effect per user divided by effective customer acquisition cost) for FY'24e (vs.

20% in FY'23), highlighting the improving and value accretive marketing operations. - see p.2 for details



Against this backdrop, we maintain our positive view on the stock and reiterate our BUY recommendation. Furthermore, we leave our FY'25e and beyond estimates unchanged, explaining our unchanged PT of EUR 60.00, based on DCF.



You can download the research here: http://www.more-ir.de/d/31579.pdf For additional information visit our website:

https://www.nuways-ag.com/research-feed



Contact for questions:

NuWays AG - Equity Research

Web: www.nuways-ag.com

Email: research@nuways-ag.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nuwaysag

Adresse: Mittelweg 16-17, 20148 Hamburg, Germany

++++++++++

Diese Meldung ist keine Anlageberatung oder Aufforderung zum Abschluss bestimmter Borsengeschafte.

Offenlegung moglicher Interessenskonflikte nach  85 WpHG beim oben analysierten Unternehmen befinden sich in der vollstandigen Analyse. ++++++++++



The EQS Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases.

Archive at www.eqs-news.com



2055297 20.12.2024 CET/CEST






Q2 Metals Corp. (TSXV:QTWO)(OTCQB:QUEXF)(FSE:458) ("Q2" or the "Company") announces that pursuant to its equity incentive plan and subject to the acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange, the Company has granted 2,500,000 stock options to directors, officers, and consultants of the Company to purchase an aggregate of 2,500,000 common shares in the capital of the Company at an exercise price of $0.82 per share until December 20, 2029.

The Company has also granted an aggregate 750,000 deferred share units (each, a "DSU") and 6,000,000 performance share units (each, a "PSU") to certain directors and executive officers of the Company. The DSUs will vest one year after their date of grant and do not settle until a director ceases to serve as a director of the Company. The PSUs will vest on the later of (a) one year after their date of grant and (b) the successful completion of specific key performance objectives. Any PSUs that have not vested on or before December 20, 2027 will expire. Once vested, each PSU and DSU will entitle the holder thereof to receive either one common share of the Company or the cash equivalent of one common share, as determined by the board of directors of the Company, net of applicable withholdings.

Q2's Equity Incentive Plan's objective is to promote the long-term success of the Company and the creation of shareholder value by aligning the interests of eligible persons under the plan with the interests of the Company. The Equity Incentive Plan includes (i) a rolling 10% stock option plan and (ii) a fixed 10% plan which permits the Company to issue up to 13,041,422 common shares in respect of aggregate performance-based awards other than stock options.

About Q2 Metals Corp

Q2 Metals is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on unlocking its portfolio of lithium projects in the Eeyou Istchee James Bay region of Quebec, Canada, that includes both its 100-per-cent-owned Mia Lithium Property and the Cisco Lithium Property.

The Cisco Property is comprised of 767 claims, totaling 39,389 hectares ("ha"). The Cisco Property transects the Billy Diamond Highway, and the main mineralized zone is located only 6.5 kilometres ("km") away from the highway. The Cisco Property is approximately 150 km north of Matagami, a small town that contains the closest rail link to much of James Bay; and is within the greater Nemaska traditional territory of the Eeyou Istchee Territory, James Bay, Quebec.

The Cisco Property is situated along the Frotet Evans Greenstone Belt, comprised of a volcanic package dominated by mafic to felsic metavolcanic rocks, of the southern James Bay Lithium District, the same belt that hosts the Sirmac and Moblan lithium deposits, located 130 km and 180 km away, respectively.

The Cisco Lithium Property has district-scale potential with an already identified mineralized zone and discovery drill results that include:

120.3 metres at 1.72% Li2O (hole CS-24-010);

215.6 metres at 1.69% Li2O (hole CS-24-018);

347.1 metres at 1.35% Li2O (hole CS-24-021); and

188.6 metres at 1.56% Li2O (hole CS-24-023)

Since May 2024, the Company has drilled a total of 6,359.7 m over 17 holes. All drill holes intercepted pegmatite with visual indications of spodumene mineralization identified.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Alicia Milne

President & CEO

Alicia@Q2metals.com

Telephone: 1 (800) 482-7560

E-mail: info@Q2metals.com

Jason McBride

Corporate Communications

Jason@Q2metals.com

WWW.Q2Metals.com

Follow the Company: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram

Qualified Person

Neil McCallum, B.Sc., P.Geol, a registered permit holder with the Ordre des Geologues du Quebec and Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101 ("QP"), has reviewed and approved the technical information in this news release. Mr. McCallum is a director and VP Exploration for Q2.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian legislation. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "estimates", "plans", "may", "should", "would", "will", "potential", "scheduled" or variations of such words and phrases and similar expressions, which, by their nature, refer to future events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. Accordingly, all statements in this news release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations and orientations regarding the future including, without limitation, any statements or plans regarding the options, DSUs and PSUs granted under the Company's equity incentive plan, the geological prospects of the Company's properties and the future exploration endeavors of the Company. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of material factors and assumptions.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this news release speak only as of the date of this news release or as of the date specified in such statement. Forward looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, the prospectivity of the greenstone rocks in the area, the possibility of future development and mining infrastructure scenarios, the potential for development, the potential scale of the Cisco Property, the focus of the Company's current and future exploration and drill programs, the scale, scope and location of future exploration and drilling activities, the Company's expectations in connection with the projects and exploration programs being met, the Company's objectives, goals or future plans, statements, exploration results, potential mineralization, the estimation of mineral resources, exploration and mine development plans, timing of the commencement of operations and estimates of market conditions. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include failure to obtain necessary approvals, variations in ore grade or recovery rates, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, unsuccessful exploration results, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, results of future resource estimates, future metal prices, availability of capital and financing on acceptable terms, general economic, market or business conditions, risks associated with regulatory changes, defects in title, availability of personnel, materials and equipment on a timely basis, accidents or equipment breakdowns, uninsured risks, delays in receiving government approvals, unanticipated environmental impacts on operations and costs to remedy same. Readers are cautioned that mineral exploration and development of mines is an inherently risky business and accordingly, the actual events may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Additional risk factors are discussed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis for its recently completed fiscal period, which is available under Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedarplus.ca.

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. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update this forward-looking information except as otherwise required by applicable law.

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.

SOURCE: Q2 Metals Corp.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2024) - Defence Therapeutics Inc. (CSE: DTC) (OTCQB: DTCFF) (FSE: DTC) ("Defence" or the "Company"), a Canadian biopharmaceutical company developing radiopharmaceuticals and ADC products using its proprietary platform and drug delivery technologies in addition to novel immune-oncology vaccines, is pleased to announce that Dr. Elias Theodorou has joined the board of directors, effective immediately.

Dr. Elias Theodorou, Ph.D., is a molecular biologist with over 25 years of experience in cancer research, stem cell differentiation, and gene delivery. He is the Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder of Protos Biologics Inc., where he has developed innovative DNA delivery systems. Previously, he served as the Director of Research at WBC Biosciences LLC, where he co-invented a method to modify innate immune cells for enhanced anticancer properties.

Dr. Theodorou has held leadership roles at ATUM Inc. and Metagenomix Inc., significantly advancing molecular biology tools and inventing novel methods for drug screening. He earned his Ph.D. from Yale University, focusing on identifying novel drivers of neural differentiation. He has authored numerous publications and holds patents related to gene therapy and protein engineering.

"With his vast experience in gene and payload delivery, we are grateful to welcome Dr. Elias Theodorou on our board of directors. Dr. Theodorou is a strong molecular research scientist who will bring overall guidance for Defence's development, mainly in the USA, due to his extensive knowledge, involvement and leadership roles with successful US biotech companies," mentioned Sebastien Plouffe, President, CEO and Founder of Defence Therapeutics.

"I believe the Accum technology has a great potential in the ADCs and radiopharmaceuticals applications. I am excited to join Defence Therapeutics on the board of directors, to bring my knowledge and guidance to the Company's development, as well as to be part of its success," mentioned Dr. Elias Theodorou.

The company has granted 100,000 incentive stock options to Dr. Theodorou, in accordance with the terms and conditions of Defence's stock option plan. Each stock option vests immediately and is exercisable at a price of 60 cents per share for a period of three years from the grant date.

The Company would also like to announce that Mr. Arnab De is appointed CFO and Corporate Secretary, and is stepping down from the board of directors, effective immediately, in replacement of Mr. Joseph Meagher (former CFO) and Miss Carrie Cesarone (former Corporate Secretary). The Company would like to thank Mr. Meagher and Miss Cesarone for their valuable contributions. Defence's current board of directors are represented by five board members: Mr. Sebastien Plouffe, Dr. Sarkis Meterissian, Dr. Philippe Lefrancois, Dr. Svetlana Selivanova and Dr. Elias Theodorou.

About Defence:

Defence Therapeutics is a publicly-traded clinical-stage biotechnology company developing and engineering the next generation of radio-immuno-conjugate and ADC products using its proprietary platform in addition to novel immune-oncology vaccines. The core of Defence Therapeutics platform is the ACCUM technology, which enables precision delivery of radio-immuno-conjugates or ADCs in their intact form to target cells, and vaccine antigens. As a result, increased efficacy and potency can be reached against catastrophic illness such as cancer and infectious diseases.

Cautionary Statement Regarding "Forward-Looking" Information

Neither the CSE 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.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/234528

SOURCE: Defence Therapeutics Inc.




TOKYO, Dec 20, 2024 - (JCN Newswire) - Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (hereafter, Mitsubishi Motors) is pleased to announce that PT Mitsubishi Motors Krama Yudha Indonesia (hereafter, MMKI), its production hub in Indonesia, has reached a cumulative total production of one million vehicles. A ceremony was held at the site today to commemorate this achievement.The ceremony was attended by Vice Minister of Industry Faisol Riza from the Indonesian government, Yasushi Masaki, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Republic of Indonesia, Takao Kato, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mitsubishi Motors, suppliers, and other partner companies.At the ceremony, Takao Kato, President and Chief Executive Officer said, "Thanks to the support of Indonesia's government, our suppliers, and our partner companies, our Indonesian production hub has become a major pillar of our company's business." He continued, "The vehicles produced here are sold throughout Indonesia, and some are exported to other countries, including ASEAN countries, so this facility plays an important role as a key ASEAN production site. We will continue to roll out highly appealing products and contribute to the further development of the Indonesian economy."The production hub, located in the GIIC Industrial Estate in Indonesia's Bekasi Regency, is a joint manufacturing company established by Mitsubishi Motors, Mitsubishi Corporation, and local partner PT Krama Yudha. It began production in April 2017 with an annual production capacity of 160,000 vehicles. In fiscal year 2019, that production capacity was raised to 220,000 vehicles, and the vehicles produced by the company are now exported to roughly 50 countries.History of MMKIFY2017 - Began production of Pajero Sport (April) and Xpander (September)FY2018 - Began exporting of Xpander (April) and production of Colt L300 (May)FY2019 - Began production of Xpander Cross (November)FY2023 - Began production of Xforce (October) and Minicab EV (December)Began exporting of Xforce (February)FY2024 - Reached one million in cumulative vehicle production (October)Factory Overview (MMKI)Location; Bekasi Regency, West Java Province, Republic of Indonesia(Located 37 km east of Jakarta)Representative: President Director Minoru SaitoShareholders: Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, 51%; Mitsubishi Corporation, 40%;PT Krama Yudha, 9%Start of production: April 2017Production capacity: 220,000 vehicles/yearSite area: 30 hectaresEmployees: Approximately 3,500 (as of end of September 2024)Models produced: Pajero Sport, Xpander, Xpander Cross,Colt L300, Xforce, Minicab EV (L100 EV in Indonesia)About Mitsubishi MotorsMitsubishi Motors Corporation (TSE:7211) - a member of the Alliance with Renault and Nissan - is a global automobile company based in Tokyo, Japan, which has about 28,000 employees and a global footprint with production facilities in Japan and the ASEAN region. Mitsubishi Motors has a competitive edge in SUVs, pickup trucks and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and appeals to ambitious drivers willing to challenge convention and embrace innovation. Since the production of our first vehicle more than a century ago, Mitsubishi Motors has been a leader in electrification - launched the i-MiEV, the world's first mass-produced electric vehicle in 2009, followed by the Outlander PHEV, the world's first plug-in hybrid electric SUV in 2013. With a target of increasing the sales ratio of electrified vehicles to 100% by 2035, Mitsubishi Motors will deliver models that embody Mitsubishi Motors-ness and contribute to the realization of a carbon-neutral society.For more information on Mitsubishi Motors, please visit the company's website at www.mitsubishi-motors.com/en/Source: Mitsubishi MotorsCopyright 2024 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
Greece is pursuing an ambitious island energy transition program. pv magazine visited the island of Tilos for a firsthand account of how one community has blazed a trail in the energy transition. From pv magazine 12/24-01/25 Tilos became the first Greek island to approach energy self-sufficiency when a smart renewable energy microgrid and battery was installed in 2017. An initial attempt had been made in 2012, after Greece's Centre for Renewable Energy Systems (CRES) invited island proposals to go green. A change in the program meant Tilos did not follow through, but "we didn't stop trying to ...

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.
COMPANY ANNOUNCEMENT NO. 13-2024

20 December 2024, Copenhagen, Denmark

The FLSmidth & Co. A/S Board of Directors announces the following proposed changes to the Board ahead of the Annual General Meeting on 2 April 2025:

Current Vice Chair, Mads Nipper, is proposed to be elected as Chair of the Board, succeeding the current Chair, Tom Knutzen, who has decided to not seek re-election

Christian Bruch is proposed elected as a new member of the Board and assume the role of Vice Chair

Rune Wichmann and Lars Engstrom are proposed elected as a new members of the Board

Daniel Reimann will not seek re-election to the Board

Following a 12-year tenure, Tom Knutzen has decided to step down as Chair of the Board and not seek re-election. After joining the Board as a member in 2012, Tom Knutzen was elected Vice Chair in 2017 and Chair in 2022. During his tenure, Tom Knutzen has overseen a significant company-wide transformation, including; completion of the acquisition and integration of thyssenkrupp's mining business; creation of pure play strategies for the Mining and Cement businesses with enhanced strategic focus on services and core technologies; carve out and ongoing exit of all non-core mining activities; as well as the announced intention to explore divestment of the Cement business.

Succeeding Tom Knutzen, the Board recommends the election of Mads Nipper, who has been a member of the Board since 2022 and serves as the current Vice Chair. Mads Nipper has an extensive experience within management of global companies as well as the personal qualifications required to be Chair. Mads Nipper currently serves as CEO of the multinational renewable energy company rsted in Denmark and previously served as CEO of Grundfos and CMO at Lego.

Daniel Reimann, who was elected to the Board in 2023, will not seek re-election at the Annual General Meeting in April 2025.





Three new profiles proposed to join the Board

Christian Bruch has a doctorate in Engineering from the Swiss Institute of Technology Zurich. He brings close to 25 years of management experience in various industries with a special focus on process and energy technologies . Christian has since 2020 served as the President and CEO of Siemens Energy. Prior to that he held various executive roles with Linde AG, most recently in the Executive Board being responsible for the Engineering Division, Technology & Innovation and Digitalisation. Christian Bruch is proposed to assume the role of Vice Chair.

Rune Wichmann will contribute with his experience from Private Equity and Consulting including strategy development, aftermarket commercial excellence, M&A, capital markets, finance and accounting. Rune has since 2022 served at Altor Equity Partners, currently as a Partner, and prior to that he served for more than 17 years at Bain & Company and Qvartz, latest as a Senior Partner. Rune has a MSc in Economics from the University of Copenhagen.

In addition, the Board proposes to elect Lars Engstrom as a member of the Board. This proposed expansion of the Board is recommended to further strengthen and broaden the competencies of the Board in terms of industry specific knowledge as well as broad-based global industrial experience to ensure FLSmidth is even stronger positioned for its future transformation and growth journey.

Lars Engstrom brings a wealth of global mining industry and industrial experience stemming from a distinguished career spanning more than 30 years with executive roles at Sandvik, Atlas Copco, Munters Group and BE Group. In his latest role Lars served as the President of the Mining & Rock Technology Business Area at Sandvik. Today, Lars serves as a Board Professional and serves on the Boards of Kalmar Oyj, Normet Group Oy and Alcadon Group as well as serves as an Advisor to Boart Longyear. Lars has a MSc in Industrial Engineering and Management from Linkoping Institute of Technology.

Full information on the proposed members of the Board of Directors will be provided in the notice convening the Annual General Meeting, which will be disclosed in late February or early March 2025.





Contacts:



Investors Relations

Andreas Holkjr, +45 24 85 03 84, andh@flsmidth.com

Jannick Denholt, +45 21 69 66 57, jli@flsmidth.com

Media

Jannick Denholt, +45 21 69 66 57, jli@flsmidth.com





About FLSmidth

FLSmidth is a full flowsheet technology and service supplier to the global mining and cement industries. We enable our customers to improve performance, lower operating costs and reduce environmental impact. MissionZero is our sustainability ambition towards zero emissions in mining and cement by 2030. We work within fully validated Science-Based Targets, have a clear commitment to improving the sustainability performance of the global mining and cement industries and aim to become carbon neutral in our own operations by 2030. www.flsmidth.com.

Attachment
Strong demand from a globally diversified investor base, with high re-up rate and new LP commitments, making Evolution II 65% larger than its predecessor

Investors attracted to Nordic Capital's subsector-specialism and mid-market investment strategy in Northern Europe

Continued focus on successful partnerships with growth companies, to accelerate long-term growth and expansion

LUXEMBOURG, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Nordic Capital today announced the successful First and Final close of Nordic Capital Evolution II ("Evolution II" or "the Fund") at the hard cap of EUR 2 billion. Raised within four months from launch with excess demand, the Fund closed at its hard cap and significantly exceeded its target of EUR 1.4 billion.

Evolution II attracted excess demand from its launch and benefited from strong support from its current investor base, with a high re-up rate of over 100% by capital, and significant LP commitments from new investors and geographies, including a significant increase from the Americas. Evolution II is 65% bigger than its predecessor fund, Evolution I, which raised EUR 1.2 billion in three months in 2021. Evolution II is the fourth Nordic Capital fund since 2020 to have benefited from a rapid fundraise. The demand for the Fund and the pace of its fundraise underline investors' confidence in Nordic Capital's long-standing investment model and portfolio performance.

Nordic Capital's Evolution strategy expands the firm's winning subsector model and powerful platform to a broader spectrum of mid-market companies. Evolution II will target investments predominantly in Northern European companies with an EV of EUR 100 million to EUR 400-500 million. Similar to its predecessor, the Fund will focus on control buyouts and non-cyclical growth opportunities in Nordic Capital's focus sectors, Healthcare, Technology & Payments, Financial Services and Services & Industrial Tech. While it will target lower mid-market opportunities, Nordic Capital's flagship funds will continue their focus on upper mid-market companies.

As a long-established subsector specialist, Nordic Capital is committed to finding and developing non-cyclical companies in fast-growing segments within its well-recognised subsectors. It works in close partnership with founders and management teams to develop companies with the potential to lead their markets and shape industries. As an Article 8 fund, Evolution II will continue to drive sustainability agendas and seek to promote long-term, environmental, social and good corporate governance practices within the companies it backs.

Nordic Capital has a strong 35-year history of investing in and successfully growing and developing mid-market companies. This, combined with its repeat sub-sectors strategy, supports a strong investment pipeline and dealmaking for the Evolution Funds. Evolution I, which was raised in 2021, has completed ten investments to date, of which 70% have been made in collaboration with the companies' founders and 80% completed outside broad auction, demonstrating the Evolution strategy's strong focus on partnership.

Joakim Lundvall, Partner and Co-Head of the Evolution advisory team said:

"We are delighted to witness such strong demand for Evolution II from both existing and new investors. Their unwavering support is a testament to their confidence in Nordic Capital's mid-market strategy. Our strong Evolution team, with its clear focus on business growth driven by local market expertise and deep sector knowledge, has cultivated a robust pipeline and secured partnership investments with growth companies within attractive niches. Over the last three years, a number of founders of companies have formed partnerships with Nordic Capital because they have experienced first-hand how we can help make great companies even better and support their expansion into new markets."

Jonas Agnblad, Partner and Co-Head of the Evolution advisory team said:

"With the Evolution funds, Nordic Capital's long-standing sector strategy is now applied to a wider range of mid-sized companies, offering a partnership model that can help scale and professionalise companies. The partnership model includes both our own expertise, our broad network of experts and a platform that can support growth and international expansion. By contributing experience in product innovation, international expansion and long-term sustainable value creation, Nordic Capital looks forward to helping more mid-market companies develop and reach their full potential."

Par Norberg, Partner and Head of Investor Relations, Nordic Capital Advisors, commented:

"We are very pleased with the outcome of Evolution II. This is a great achievement for the team, and we would like to express our sincere gratitude to Nordic Capital's global investor base. This type of result is only possible with the backing of long-standing existing investors as evidenced by the strong reup rate, combined with the confidence gained in Nordic Capital by new investors. We are humbled that investors have prioritised and partnered with Nordic Capital, and we are enthusiastic about working together during Evolution II and beyond."

The Evolution Funds are advised by a dedicated team of 20+ professionals, with a range of tenure and industry experience. The team also draws on Nordic Capital Advisor's wider organisational capabilities, including its operational and sector focused expertise and well-established regional network.

Evolution II attracted investors from across the globe, including 41% from Europe, 35% from the Americas, 21% from Asia and 3% from the Middle East. The investor base comprises a well-diversified mix of institutional investors: public and private pension funds (c.41%); asset managers and advisers (c.26%); sovereign wealth funds (c.14%); family offices and foundations (c.13%); and financial institutions (c. 6%).

Evolution II will continue Nordic Capital's strong sustainability commitment. This year Nordic Capital received a top ESG rating from the UNPRI for the second consecutive year, and further advanced its climate agenda with the announcement that its greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets have been approved by the Science Based Target initiative. Nordic Capital has a clear commitment to making a positive contribution to society by backing businesses that are solving some of the world's global challenges or supporting the development of companies with strong sustainable foundations.

The fundraising was led by Nordic Capital, supported by Rede Partners who acted as placement agent, with Kirkland & Ellis as lead legal counsel.

Press contact:

Katarina Janerud, Communications Manager

Nordic Capital Advisors

Tel: +46 8 440 50 50

e-mail: katarina.janerud@nordiccapital.com

About Nordic Capital

Nordic Capital is a leading sector-specialist private equity investor with a resolute commitment to creating stronger, sustainable businesses through operational improvement and transformative growth. Nordic Capital focuses on selected regions and sectors where it has deep experience and a long history. Focus sectors are Healthcare, Technology & Payments, Financial Services, and Service & Industrial Tech. Key regions are Europe and globally for Healthcare and Technology & Payments investments. Since inception in 1989, Nordic Capital has invested c. EUR 26 billion in close to 150 investments. The most recent entities are Nordic Capital XI with EUR 9.0 billion in committed capital and Nordic Capital Evolution II with EUR 2 billion in committed capital, principally provided by international institutional investors such as pension funds. Nordic Capital Advisors have local offices in Sweden, the UK, the US, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and South Korea. www.nordiccapital.com.



"Nordic Capital" refers to, depending on the context, any, or all, Nordic Capital branded entities, vehicles, structures, and associated entities. The general partners and/or delegated portfolio managers of Nordic Capital's entities and vehicles are advised by several non-discretionary sub-advisory entities, any or all of which are referred to as "Nordic Capital Advisors".

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/nordic-capital/r/nordic-capital-s-second-mid-market-fund--evolution-ii--closes-at-eur-2-billion-hard-cap-after-rapid-,c4085503

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/2166/4085503/3185576.pdf Press release_Nordic Capital Evolution II_2024-12-20_vF https://news.cision.com/nordic-capital/i/joakim-lundvall-and-jonas-agnblad-2,c3365055 Joakim Lundvall and Jonas Agnblad 2 https://news.cision.com/nordic-capital/i/par-norberg-low-res,c3365056 Par Norberg low res

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BEIJING, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, encouraged students in the Macao Special Administrative Region to deepen their understanding of the history of Chinese culture and engage in both regional and national development during a visit to the Macau Museum on Thursday.

"I hope you learn more about the history of Chinese culture, study it well and use the knowledge to better build our homeland and make Macao even better," Peng said after talking with students at the museum.

During her visit, Peng admired the cultural relics, gained an in-depth understanding of Macao's historical evolution and the blend of Chinese and Western architecture, industries and cultural life. She also joined an activity at which almond cookies, a local delicacy, were made and interacted with artisans skilled in tile painting and wood carving.

Peng is in Macao accompanying Xi for the celebrations of the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to China.

Over the past 25 years, Macao has leveraged its rich historical and cultural heritages to promote traditional Chinese culture and foster cultural exchanges between China and other countries, using its geographical advantage.

Macao is now home to at least 12 national intangible cultural heritages including Cantonese Opera, Cantonese Naamyam (Narrative Songs), Herbal Tea Brewing and Festival of the Drunken Dragon, reflecting that traditional Chinese culture has been well preserved and inherited in the region.

Initiatives such as the "Chinese Excellent Traditional Culture into the Campus" have helped instill love for traditional Chinese culture and patriotic values in the younger generations by facilitating student visits to places like Xian Xinghai Memorial Museum and General Ye Ting's Former Residence.

In addition, over the past years, the SAR has vigorously enhanced cultural exchanges between Macao students and their mainland counterparts, setting a strong foundation for Macao students to better integrate into the overall development of the country.

In December 2021, about 170 primary and secondary school students from Macao participated in the "Tiangong Class," a space education program connected to China's space station, hosted at the Macao Science Center. During the activity, they had the chance to interact with astronauts.

Since its inception in 2005, the Cultural Practice Activities for Hong Kong and Macao University Students has engaged thousands of young people from the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions. In 2023, students from Macao and Hong Kong visited Xiong'an New Area and held in-depth discussions on topics like entrepreneurship and employment at the Zhongguancun Beijing-Hong Kong-Macau Youth Innovation Center.

In addition to its active integration into national development, Macao strategically utilizes its geographical advantages to promote cultural exchanges between China and other countries.

Bordering the Pacific Ocean in the east, Macao is known as one of the first cities in China to open to the outside world, evolving into a vibrant cultural exchange hub between China and the West.

The China-Portugal Joint Laboratory of Cultural Heritage Conservation Science, supported by the Belt and Road Initiative, received grants from China's Ministry of Science and Technology in September 2020.

As a national-level strategic platform for technological innovation, co-established by the City University of Macau and the University of Evora in Portugal, the joint lab is based in Soochow University in east China's Jiangsu Province.

To date, the laboratory has served as a bridge between China, Portugal and other BRI partner countries, promoting China's cultural narrative, fostering cultural confidence and safeguarding cultural heritages along the Maritime Silk Road.

For more information, please click:

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2024-12-20/Peng-Liyuan-calls-on-Macao-students-to-embrace-Chinese-culture-1ztZ3auwjW8/p.html

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Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
SHENZHEN, China, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- For six years, VOZOL has been dedicated to providing an exceptional vaping experience for all consumers. In line with this commitment, they are confidently launching two new products simultaneously to cater to their users' diverse needs.

ACE MAX is specially crafted for those who seek top-tier quality and a premium vaping experience. Made from high-quality zinc alloy, similar to the materials used in Louis Vuitton accessories, it seamlessly combines durability with luxury.

Featuring the world's first and largest touchscreen, at 1.47 inches, consumers can enjoy effortless operation without the hassle of physical buttons or complicated menus.

The ACE MAX is undeniably appealing to trendsetters, offering three interactive thematic modes to choose from.

The Classic Space Launch theme is designed for adventurers; the Racing Speed Mode is tailored for thrill-seekers; and the Barbie Pink Heart Launch theme, adorned with playful heart motifs and eye-catching effects, is perfect for those who appreciate aesthetics. It serves as a fashion statement that satisfies every visual craving.

The ACE GO is the ideal choice for savvy vapers seeking high quality without overspending.

Constructed from lightweight aluminium alloy-widely used in aeroplane wings-this product is designed for easy portability, making it perfect for travel and sports.

VOZOL consumers are known for their individuality and passion for art, and the ACE GO's unique triangular screen allows them to stand out in a sea of conventional rectangular displays.

Whether you seek luxury or value, VOZOL's ACE MAX and ACE GO provide the perfect solutions to meet your needs.

Now available! Head to the VOZOL website or your nearest retailer to discover the device that belongs to you!

For inquiries and further details, reach out to:

Business Contact: sales@vozol.com

Marketing Cooperation: marketing@vozol.com

For more information on the range of products, visit https://www.vozol.com/

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2584085/ACE_MAX.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2584084/ACE_GO.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/vozol-launches-two-new-open-system-for-uk-and-european-markets-in-december-2024-302336114.html
EQS-News: Meet and Code / Key word(s): Miscellaneous

Meet and Code 2024: Bridging the Digital Divide for Youth across Europe



20.12.2024 / 11:15 CET/CEST

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.





Meet and Code's purpose is to promote inclusivity, empowering underserved communities, and foster the digital skills needed for the future

Meet and Code ( www.Meet-and-Code.org/ ), a European civil society initiative aimed at equipping youth and children from underserved backgrounds with coding and digital education, has reached over 32,000 young people across 13 European nations in 2024, its eighth year. Meet and Code's purpose is to promote inclusivity, empowering underserved communities, and foster the digital skills needed for the future. The initiative also supports the European Commission's goal of equipping 80% ( http://apo-opa.co/3ZPhbrU ) of adults with basic digital skills and growing the ICT workforce to 20 million employed professionals in the EU by 2030.

With a focus on accessibility, Meet and Code 2024 reached individuals who may not have otherwise had the opportunity to engage with technology. Forty percent of participants came from underserved communities, with 32% from socially deprived neighborhoods. Additionally, 22% did not own personal IT devices. Meet and Code continues to bridge the digital divide, offering transformative experiences that provide a pathway to the digital world.

Michael Vollmann, Europe Lead Education at Amazon Community Impact, expressed his admiration for the program's efforts, saying, "I am inspired by the profound impact of initiatives like Meet and Code in shaping the digital future for young people across Europe. These numbers represent real lives being transformed through access to technology and education. The program's focus on personal growth, confidence-building, and empowerment aligns perfectly with Amazon's mission to advance equity in education."

Diversity and inclusion are key pillars of Meet and Code's mission, and the 2024 program was no exception. This year, around 42% of participants were female, demonstrating the importance of creating opportunities for young women in technology. Meet and Code continues to focus on breaking barriers in education by engaging traditionally underrepresented groups, including children and youth with disabilities.

Clemens Frede, Managing Director at Haus des Stiftens, highlighted the impact of Meet and Code on participants and their future career prospects. "Meet and Code continues to break down barriers to technology, opening doors for young people who might otherwise be excluded. The workshops not only teach coding but also empower participants to think critically and creatively about their futures, connecting digital skills with real-world relevance. The transformative nature of this initiative speaks volumes about its potential to drive social change."

The 2024 program also reinforced the value of collaboration with local non-profits, which are integral to reaching communities in need. These organizations play a vital role in delivering the workshops, with 66% stating that the microgrants provided by Meet and Code were essential to their ability to host events. Beyond financial support, this initiative enables them to grow their capacity, tackle local challenges, and provide digital education to underserved youth.

Anna Sienicka, Senior Vice President at TechSoup, reflected on the power of collaboration, saying, "This year, we have seen how collective efforts can make a real difference in the lives of underserved youth across Europe. Meet and Code's ability to provide digital education to young people from low-income households and those with disabilities is a testament to the transformative power of technology. As we look to the future, it is crucial that we continue to build on these efforts to ensure equal opportunities for all."

Looking ahead, Meet and Code remains committed to expanding its reach and empowering the next generation of innovators. Since its launch in 2017, the initiative has reached over 330,000 young people and supported more than 9,000 coding projects.

The 2024 edition also saw the return of the Meet and Code Awards, recognizing exceptional events in three categories aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

Girls do IT!: (SDG 5: Gender Equality): Encouraging girls to pursue careers in technology.

Encouraging girls to pursue careers in technology. Diversity (SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities): Empowering underrepresented communities in digital education.

Empowering underrepresented communities in digital education. Code for the Planet (SDG 13: Climate Action): Using coding to drive environmental action.

Winners in each category will be announced during an awards ceremony on February 11, 2025 and each will receive a 3,000 cash prize.

With the support of partners such as Amazon, Haus des Stiftens, and TechSoup, Meet and Code will continue to inspire and equip young people with the skills needed to thrive in a digital-first world.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Meet and Code.

Download image: https://apo-opa.co/4gFXcTo

20.12.2024 CET/CEST Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.



The EQS Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases.

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ROME (dpa-AFX) - President Joe Biden will have an audience with Pope Francis in Vatican on January 10 to discuss efforts to advance peace around the world.Biden accepted the Pope's invitation to visit the Vatican in a phone call Thursday.The two leaders discussed efforts to advance peace around the world during the holiday season. The President thanked the Pope for his continued advocacy to alleviate global suffering, including his work to advance human rights and protect religious freedoms.Biden will travel to Italian capital Rome from January 9 to 12. During the visist, Biden wil also meet Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.'He will meet with Italy's leaders to highlight the strength of the U.S.-Italy relationship, thank Prime Minister Meloni for her strong leadership of the G7 over the past year, and discuss important challenges facing the world,' the White House said.Most probably, it will mark President Biden's last official foreign tour before he steps down later next month.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.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Dec. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) successfully concluded its 19th edition, hosted in Riyadh at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center from December 15 to 19, 2024. Organized by the United Nations, the event featured over 100 experts, specialists, officials, and stakeholders from 160 countries, alongside more than 1,000 international speakers.

The forum served as a distinguished platform for global digital transformation experts, fostering discussions on artificial intelligence and digital innovation. It provided an opportunity for the exchange of experiences, information, and best practices, while addressing emerging digital challenges and collaboratively identifying solutions across governments, private enterprises, and non-profit sectors.

This year's edition was held under the theme "Building Our Multistakeholder Digital Future" and centered around four key sub-themes: Harnessing Innovation and Balancing Risks in the Digital Space; Enhancing the Digital Contribution to Peace, Development and Sustainability; Advancing Human Empowerment and Inclusiveness in the Digital Age; and Improving Digital Governance for the Internet We Want.

Discussions focused on achieving a shared understanding of how to maximize the global internet's potential, mitigate risks, and address challenges to support the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Key topics included leveraging digital innovation while addressing associated challenges, supporting strategic digital government initiatives, and promoting global peace and sustainability through digital tools.

His Excellency the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Eng. Abdullah bin Amer Alswaha, expressed his great pride in the forum's success, saying: "This year's edition of the forum is the largest to date in terms of participants and working sessions, as confirmed by the United Nations. As one of the fastest-growing countries in the digital sector, Saudi Arabia is committed not only to facilitating internet access and harnessing technological developments to drive progress and sustainable development, but also to enhancing digital cooperation to achieve the SDGs."

The forum's activities featured a strong presence from public and private sector institutions and international entities dedicated to enabling digital transformation and fostering innovation. Success stories were showcased, demonstrating how these entities have accelerated digital government services for the benefit of society. Sessions and workshops addressed critical digital challenges, transformative applications of digital innovations, and opportunities for adopting and expanding access to digital technology and governance.

Participants engaged enthusiastically in interactive sessions with experts who shed light on diverse aspects of internet governance and digital collaboration, responding to inquiries and providing valuable insights. These interactions offered Saudi national cadres and emerging talents an exceptional opportunity to expand their knowledge and expertise.

The forum was an opportunity to showcase the Kingdom's great capabilities in communications and information technology, the tremendous digital developments and achievements in e-commerce, banking, healthcare services, and official government transactions.

The forum also served as a platform to highlight Saudi Arabia's remarkable advancements in communications and information technology, including progress in e-commerce, banking, healthcare services, and official government transactions. It reaffirmed the Kingdom's rapid strides in building a thriving digital economy, its leadership in promoting digital inclusion, and its efforts to bridge the global digital divide in alignment with the UN's SDGs.

By hosting the 19th edition of IGF, Riyadh reaffirmed Saudi Arabia's commitment to solidifying its position as a global leader in digital innovation, international cooperation, and shaping the future of internet governance.

For more information about the Internet Governance Forum, please visit: https://www.intgovforum.org/en

For more information about the Digital Government Authority, please visit: https://dga.gov.sa/en

Media contact:

Mahmoud Ashour: mahmoud.ashour@traccs.net
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control has imposed sanctions on Georgia's Internal Affairs Minister and a top official from Ministry of Internal Affairs for their role in the brutal crackdowns on media members, opposition figures, and protesters - including during demonstrations throughout 2024.Georgia's Minister of Internal Affairs Vakhtang Gomelauri and Deputy Head of the Special Task Department Mirza Kezevadze have overseen the violence perpetrated by the Special Task Department during protests before the passage of the 'foreign influence law' in May.During protests, the Special Task Department violently targeted political opposition leaders, journalists, and youth activists who were peacefully expressing their views, the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control said.'In the wake of Georgia's election, key officials in the Ministry of Internal Affairs engaged in a severe and vicious crackdown against their own people, including the intentional targeting of journalists and use of violence,' said Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley T. Smith. 'The United States remains committed to holding accountable those who seek to limit the rights of their citizens and undermine fundamental freedoms - in Georgia and around the world.'In late November, mass protests erupted across the country in response to Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze's announcement that Georgia would suspend talks on accession to the European Union. Security forces from the Ministry of Internal Affairs' Special Task Department responded to protests with disproportionate violence to suppress dissent and discourage protesters. The Special Task Department utilized tactics including mass beatings, verbal abuse, and threats of sexual violence. Police violence by members of the Special Task Department occurred while individuals were in police custody, in detention, and at locations outside the protest area. The Special Task Department also deliberately targeted journalists as they reported on the violence and repeatedly abused detained protesters.The Department of State is also taking further steps to impose visa restrictions on additional Georgian individuals and their family members, including law enforcement and security officials who were involved in the violence against protesters, and municipal government officials who abused their power to restrict fundamental freedoms, including the right to vote without coercion or intimidation.Separately, on Thursday, the United Kingdom designated five individuals responsible for human rights violations in Georgia.Copyright(c) 2024 RTTNews.com. All Rights ReservedCopyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. Department of Commerce has awarded SK hynix, the leading producer of high-bandwidth memory, $458 million in direct funding under the CHIPS Incentives Program's Funding Opportunity for Commercial Fabrication Facilities.This funding will support SK hynix's $3.87 billion investment in West Lafayette, Indiana, to build a memory packaging plant for artificial intelligence products and an advanced packaging fabrication and R&D facility. This is expected to fill a critical gap in the U.S. semiconductor supply chain. The Commerce Department said it will disburse the funds based on the company's completion of project milestones.In addition to the direct funding, the CHIPS Program Office will provide up to $500 million in loans to SK hynix under the award.'With this investment in SK hynix and their partnership with Purdue University, we are solidifying America's AI hardware supply chain in a way no other country on Earth can match, creating hundreds of jobs in Indiana, and ensuring the Hoosier State plays an important role in advancing U.S. economic and national security,' said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.The CHIPS investment in SK hynix represents a significant step in advancing the security of the U.S. supply chain as HBM manufacturing will be available in the United States. AI is driving the growth and demand for HBM capacity, which is one of the core supply chain constraints for the AI industry.Additionally, this investment is expected to create approximately 1,000 new facility jobs and hundreds of construction jobs and establish a research hub in Indiana through SK hynix's partnership with Purdue University. The next generation HBM that will be researched, developed, mass-produced, and packaged in this ecosystem with Purdue University will play an important role in the U.S. semiconductor ecosystem, according to the Department of Commerce.'SK hynix looks forward to collaborating with the U.S. government, the State of Indiana, Purdue University, and our U.S. business partners to build a robust and resilient AI semiconductor supply chain in the U.S.,' said SK hynix CEO Kwak Noh-Jung.Copyright(c) 2024 RTTNews.com. All Rights ReservedCopyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2024 / Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. (TSX:NDM)(NYSE American:NAK) ("Northern Dynasty" or the "Company") and 100%-owned U.S.-based subsidiary Pebble Limited Partnership ("Pebble Partnership" or "PLP") advise that Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy recently sent a report entitled "Alaska Priorities for Federal Transition" to President-elect Donald Trump along with a letter, asking that the President-elect issue an Alaska-specific Executive Order on his first day in office reversing several unfriendly resource extraction initiatives put in place by the Biden Administration.

Included in the document are many recommendations including, but not limited to, simplification of the Clean Water Act regulations consistent with the Supreme Court Sackett decision on the definition of Waters of the United States, the requirement for State Approval for 404 (c) vetoes under certain conditions, and that changes be made to compensatory mitigation requirements to account for Alaska's unique characteristics.

"We would like to say we are in agreement with all of the Governor's requests as they will enhance the permitting process, which will allow an unbiased science and fact-based regulatory oversight and process, helping the U.S. to achieve security of supply of critical metals from American/Alaskan sources. In particular, we see that a number of the requests relate to the Clean Water Act regulations as set out above (Sacket decision), and to several of the findings and directions within the Remand Order issued by US Army Corps of Engineers Administrative Appeal of our Record of Decision denial," said Ron Thiessen, Northern Dynasty President and CEO. "The recommendations would empower the State's right to direct and oversee the permitting process, particularly on State lands, reduce agency overreach and duplication of work among federal agencies, simplify the permitting process and help unlock the State's vast critical mineral potential for the benefit of all Americans."

The full report can be found at the following link: https://gov.alaska.gov/dunleavy-administration-submits-transition-report-to-trump-transition-hq/.

About Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd.

Northern Dynasty is a mineral exploration and development company based in Vancouver, Canada. Northern Dynasty's principal asset, owned through its wholly owned Alaska-based U.S. subsidiary, Pebble Limited Partnership, is a 100% interest in a contiguous block of 1,840 mineral claims in Southwest Alaska, including the Pebble deposit, located 200 miles from Anchorage and 125 miles from Bristol Bay. The Pebble Partnership is the proponent of the Pebble Project.

For further details on Northern Dynasty and the Pebble Project, please visit the Company's website at www.northerndynastyminerals.com or contact Investor services at (604) 684-6365 or within North America at 1- 800-667-2114. Public filings, which include forward-looking information cautionary language and risk factor disclosure regarding the Company and the Pebble Project can be found in Canada at www.sedarplus.ca and in the United States at www.sec.gov.

Ronald W. Thiessen

President & CEO

U.S. Media Contact:

Dan Gagnier, Gagnier Communications (646) 569-5897

Forward-Looking Information and other Cautionary Factors

This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements" under the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and under applicable provisions of Canadian provincial securities laws. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, which address permitting, development and production for the Pebble Project are forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of factors and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by NDM as of the date of such statements, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies and such statements should not be in any way be construed as guarantees that the Pebble Project will secure all required government permits, establish the commercial feasibility of the Pebble Project, achieve the required financing or develop the Pebble Project.

For more information on the Company, Investors should review the Company's filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov and its home jurisdiction filings that are available at www.sedarplus.ca.

SOURCE: Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Zeus North America Mining Corp. (CSE:ZEUS)(OTCQB:ZUUZF)(FRANKFURT:O92) (the "Company" or "Zeus") reports that on December 19, 2024 at the special meeting (the "Meeting") its shareholders approved the plan of arrangement between the Company and its wholly owned subsidiary Kelso Mining Inc. ("Kelso") dated August 26, 2024 (the "Arrangement"), to spin out its Chlore Property located in the Omineca Mining Division of North-Central British Columbia to Kelso.

A total of 19,093,499 (32.25%) common shares were voted at the Meeting. All shares that were voted at the meeting voted in favour of the Arrangement.

Under the terms of the Arrangement, Zeus' shareholders will be issued one share of Kelso with respect to every 150 shares of Zeus owned on the share distribution record date (the "Share Distribution Record Date"), which will be determined by Zeus's Board of Directors and announced by a news release in advance.

Holders of Zeus options and warrants, who exercise their options and/or warrants before the Share Distribution Record Date, will also be entitled to receive one share of Kelso with respect to every 150 shares of Zeus. The Chlore Property will be transferred to Kelso.

Upon completion of the Arrangement, Zeus shareholders will ultimately own shares in two public companies: Zeus, which will be focused on its properties in the State of Idaho known as the Cuddy Mountain, Selway and Great Western properties and Kelso, which will focus on the Chlore Property.

Completion of the Arrangement is subject to the approval of the Supreme Court of British Columbia and the final acceptance by the Canadian Securities Exchange. The Court hearing to approve the Arrangement will take place on January 7, 2025.

The disclosure regarding the Arrangement is provided in the Company's information circular dated November 5, 2024 and the news release dated August 26, 2024 which are available on www.sedarplus.com under the profile of Zeus North America Mining Corp.

On behalf of the board of directors.

"Dean Besserer"

President and CEO

For more information, please contact the Company at info@zeusminingcorp.com

FOR INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACT:

Kin Communications Inc.

Ph: 604-684-6730

ZEUS@kincommunications.com

About Zeus North America Mining Corp.

Exploring in Idaho's newest Copper Belt. The Company is focused on its exploration properties in the state of Idaho, USA known as the: Cuddy Mountain; Selway; and Great Western properties, respectively. The Idaho properties consist of 102 (Cuddy Mountain), 57 (Selway) and 38 (Great Western) lode mining claims respectively and cover a cumulative area of approximately 4,200 acres. The Company's flagship Cuddy Mountain Property is adjacent to Hercules Metal Corp.'s Leviathan Copper Porphyry discovery. The Company is in the business of mineral exploration.

Forward Looking Statements

When used in this news 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 the Company 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 news 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 news release include, amongst others, the Company's plans regarding the Arrangement and exploration plans. Such statements and information reflect the current view of the Company. There are risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in those forward-looking statements and information.

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 or implied by such forward-looking statements. 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. Such factors include, among others: currency fluctuations; limited business history of the parties; disruptions or changes in the credit or security markets; results of operation activities and development of projects; project cost overruns or unanticipated costs; shareholder, court and regulatory approvals; and general development, market and industry conditions.

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). The Company cautions that the foregoing list of material factors is not exhaustive. 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. The Company 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 news release represents the expectations of the Company as of the date of this news release and, accordingly, are subject to change after such date. The Company does not undertake to update this information at any particular time except as required in accordance with applicable laws.

The Canadian Securities Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

SOURCE: Zeus North America Mining Corp.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2024) - Denarius Metals Corp. (Cboe CA: DMET) (OTCQX: DNRSF) ("Denarius Metals" or the "Company") announced today that it has received the required consents from holders to approve certain amendments (the "Amendments") to the trust indentures for its convertible unsecured debentures. The Company has an aggregate principal amount of CA$19,252,000 of convertible unsecured debentures (the "2023 Debentures") issued and outstanding under a trust indenture dated October 19, 2023, as amended and supplemented on October 31, 2023 (together, the "2023 Indenture") and an aggregate principal amount of CA$13,758,000 of convertible unsecured debentures (the "2024 Debentures") issued and outstanding under a trust indenture dated May 30, 2024, as amended and supplemented on June 25, 2024 (together, the " 2024 Indenture").

Holders representing 78.95% and 99.02% of the total outstanding principal amount of 2023 Debentures and 2024 Debentures, respectively, consented to the Amendments to the 2023 Indenture and the 2024 Indenture which include:

2023 Indenture:

delaying the commencement of the Gold Premium Payment (as defined in the 2023 Indenture) from January 31, 2025 to January 31, 2026; and

extending the Maturity Date (as defined in the 2023 Indenture) of the 2023 Debentures from October 19, 2028 to October 19, 2029.

2024 Indenture:

delaying the commencement of the Gold Premium Payment (as defined in the 2024 Indenture) from June 30, 2025 to June 30, 2026; and

extending the Maturity Date (as defined in the 2024 Indenture) of the 2024 Debentures from May 30, 2029 to May 30, 2030.

To make the Amendments, the Company required the written consent of the holders of at least 66 2/3% of the total outstanding principal amount of each of the 2023 Debentures and the 2024 Debentures. The Amendments are subject to the final approval of Cboe Canada and are expected to become effective on or about December 31, 2024.

Holders of the debentures who responded to the solicitation and consented to the Amendments will receive a consent fee on or about December 31, 2024 equal to two percent (2%) of the number of debentures they hold. Consent fees will be satisfied through the issuance of additional debentures, denominated in a principal amount of CA$1.00 per debenture, to the consenting holders and will not be paid in cash. Based on the consents received, the Company will issue a total of 304,000 consent fee debentures to holders of the 2023 Debentures and 272,460 consent fee debentures to holders of the 2024 Debentures. Pursuant to the consent solicitation process, Mr. Serafino Iacono (Executive Chairman and CEO), Mr. Michael Davies (Chief Financial Officer), Mr. Federico Restrepo-Solano (Director and COO) and Ms. Amanda Fullerton (General Counsel and Secretary) will receive an aggregate of 168,160 consent fee debentures. All debentures issued as a consent fee will be subject to a statutory four month hold period.

About Denarius Metals

Denarius Metals is a Canadian junior company engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development and eventual operation of polymetallic mining projects in high-grade districts. Denarius Metals has two mines expected to be in operation in the next 12 months, the Zancudo Project in Colombia and the Aguablanca Project in Spain.

In Spain, Denarius Metals owns a 100% interest in the Lomero Project, a polymetallic deposit located on the Spanish side of the prolific copper rich Iberian Pyrite Belt, and a 50% interest in Rio Narcea Recursos, S.L., which owns a 5,000 tonnes per day processing plant and has the rights to exploit the historic producing Aguablanca nickel-copper mine, located in Monesterio, Extremadura, Spain, approximately 88 km northwest of the Lomero Project. Denarius Metals also owns a 100% interest in the Toral Project, a high-grade zinc-lead-silver deposit located in the Leon Province, Northern Spain.

In Colombia, Denarius Metals is carrying out construction activities at its 100%-owned Zancudo Project, a high-grade gold-silver deposit, which includes the historic producing Independencia mine, located in the Cauca Belt, about 30 km SW of Medellin.

Additional information on Denarius Metals can be found on its website at www.denariusmetals.com and by reviewing its profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information", which may include, but is not limited to, statements with respect to anticipated business plans or strategies, including Cboe Canada final approval, finalization of the consent solicitation process, amendments to the 2023 Indenture and 2024 Indenture and issuance of debentures as a consent fee. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Denarius Metals to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements are described under the caption "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Information Form dated April 25, 2024 which is available for view on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this press release and Denarius Metals disclaims, other than as required by law, any obligation to update any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, results, future events, circumstances, or if management's estimates or opinions should change, or otherwise. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

For Further Information, Contact:

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/234612

SOURCE: Denarius Metals Corp.
CLEVELAND, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Elliott Investment Management L.P. ("Elliott"), Clayton, Dubilier & Rice ("CD&R"), and American Greetings Corporation ("AG") announced today an agreement under which Elliott will purchase a majority ownership stake in American Greetings, a global leader in the large and enduring Celebrations marketplace. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Recognizing the tremendous opportunity ahead, CD&R and the Weiss family, descendants of Jacob Sapirstein, who founded the company in 1906, will maintain a significant minority ownership interest in American Greetings.

American Greetings is a creator, manufacturer, and distributor of physical and digital Celebration products worldwide with iconic brands, including American Greetings, Papyrus, and Carlton Cards. Its digital business is a leading provider of digital greetings and premium Celebrations content through proprietary technology platforms and apps, with popular digital brands, including American Greetings, Blue Mountain, Jacquie Lawson, SmashUps, and Creatacard. American Greetings partners with a wide range of leading global customers, including grocery, mass, drug, dollar, and specialty retailers, to serve and delight consumers with innovative Celebration products, including greeting cards, gift packaging, party goods, and balloons. American Greetings, with its unique consumer-centric and holistic category approach supported by best-in-class consumer analytics, delivers frictionless Celebration shopping experiences for consumers wherever and however people wish to shop - online, in-store, or curbside pickup.

"We are pleased to be partnering with the American Greetings management team, CD&R, and the Weiss family. As a leader in the Celebrations market in the United States, Canada, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, American Greetings is ideally placed to drive the category, helping people to connect and celebrate life's moments. Elliott has significant experience investing in the consumer sector, including our stewardship of Barnes & Noble and Waterstones, and we are pleased to bring this experience to bear in supporting American Greetings through its next chapter of growth," said Paul Best, Senior Managing Director and Head of European Private Equity at Elliott.

"We look forward to partnering with Elliott as we continue to expand our Celebrations portfolio across more product categories, customers, and geographies. This is an exciting opportunity to better serve our associates, consumers, and retail partners," said John Compton, CD&R Partner and current Chairman of American Greetings. Paul Best from Elliott will assume the role of Chairman of American Greetings post-closing.

Upon the close of the transaction, Joe Arcuri, the current President, Chief Executive Officer and Board member of American Greetings, will continue in his role. "Over the past few years, our consumer-led, industry-leading Celebrations approach and innovative products are thriving and resonating with consumers. This transaction is a testament to our associates' ongoing dedication to serve and delight our consumers and customers," said American Greetings CEO Joe Arcuri. "Our next phase of growth is underway, and we are confident that Elliott's deep expertise, outstanding track record of success, and resources make them the ideal strategic partner to accelerate our growth within the Celebrations global marketplace."

Transaction Approvals

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including the receipt of regulatory approval, and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2025.

Advisors

Elliott has obtained committed financing from Barclays, UBS Investment Bank and BofA Securities. Davis, Polk & Wardwell served as legal advisor, and UBS Investment Bank served as financial advisor to Elliott in the transaction. Debevoise & Plimpton LLP served as legal advisor, and Centerview Partners and BofA Securities served as financial advisors to American Greetings.

About American Greetings

American Greetings is a global leader in the large and enduring Celebrations marketplace. The company helps people celebrate holidays, each other, and all of life's special moments, in-person and online, guided by a mission to "make the world a more thoughtful and caring place every single day." American Greetings offers products wherever and however people wish to purchase them - online, in-store, or curbside pickup. Celebrations happen throughout the year, driven by traditional holidays, key milestone moments such as weddings, baby showers and graduations, as well as recurring everyday events such as birthdays and anniversaries. The company's brands include American Greetings, Papyrus, Carlton Cards, and Recycled Paper Greetings. Its digital business unit, AG Interactive, is a leading provider of digital greetings and premium Celebrations content through proprietary technology platforms and apps. Its popular digital brands include American Greetings, Blue Mountain, Jacquie Lawson, SmashUps, and Creatacard. For more information, visit corporate.americangreetings.com and follow us @AmericanGreetings on Facebook and @amgreetings on Instagram.

About Elliott

Elliott Investment Management L.P. (together with its affiliates, "Elliott") manages approximately $69.7 billion of assets as of June 30, 2024. Founded in 1977, it is one of the oldest funds under continuous management. The Elliott Funds' investors include pension plans, sovereign wealth funds, endowments, foundations, funds-of-funds, high net worth individuals and families, and employees of the firm.

About Clayton, Dubilier & Rice

Founded in 1978, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) is a leading private investment firm with a strategy of generating strong investment returns by building more robust and sustainable businesses through the combination of skilled investment experience and deep operating capabilities. In partnership with the management teams of its portfolio companies, CD&R takes a long-term view of value creation and emphasizes positive stewardship and impact. The firm invests in businesses that span a broad range of industries, including industrial, healthcare, consumer, technology and financial services end markets. CD&R is privately owned by its partners and has offices in New York and London. For more information, please visit www.cdr.com and follow the firm's activities through LinkedIn and @CDRBuilds on X/Twitter.

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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/elliott-investment-management-to-acquire-majority-interest-in-american-greetings-302337239.html
LONDON, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Education (GEDU) has partnered with triple accredited business school, ICN, to boost its international business offering for students.

ICN has three campuses; Paris, Nancy and Berlin, and is ranked in the top one per cent of business schools globally.

Their courses also consistently rank highly in the QS rankings:

EMBA: 66th EMBA in Europe/151-160 globally

MIM: 101-110 Master's in Management

MSc Luxe (Luxury and Design Management): 61-70

MSc International Finance (Finance and Risk Management): 101-110

GEDU Deputy CEO Professor Ray Lloyd said this will bolster GEDU's efforts to extend high-quality education to the rest of the world.

"We are delighted to welcome ICN into the GEDU family," said Professor Lloyd.

"They have done an amazing job in climbing the world rankings in the last few years and we feel privileged that they have chosen GEDU to help them develop into a genuine leader in business education.

"They will now be in a position to further develop their offering in both Nancy and Paris and, over the next few years, open in other locations outside France to ensure they have a significant footprint on the world stage.

"At the same time, we will work to ensure that their ambitious research agenda is delivered and that its impact is amplified.

"ICN's innovative ATM teaching methods, combining Art, Technology and Management, have been a huge success, resulting in global recognition for their high-quality higher education and will add significantly to GEDU's ambition to provide access to high quality education to students across the globe."

ICN Business School Dean, Professor Florence Legros welcomed the partnership.

"This strategic partnership with GEDU marks a pivotal milestone in the history of ICN Business School," said Professor Legros.

"With this partnership, ICN is equipping itself to assert its academic excellence and ensure its development in an increasingly competitive global environment.

"Thanks to GEDU, a globally recognized leader in higher education, we will be able to maintain and enhance our position among the world's top management schools, backed by our triple accreditation: EQUIS, AMBA, and AACSB.

"This partnership will enable us to strengthen our robust academic model, grounded in pedagogical innovation and our unique ATM (Art, Technology, Management) approach, while opening new avenues for our international reach."

About GEDU:

The Group offers a range of educational opportunities, including the full range from K12 to higher education qualifications, apprenticeships, and language schools. It has operations in 12 countries, including the USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, France, Spain, Malta, UAE, India, Saudi Arabia, and Australia. Its portfolio covers a wide range of subject areas and is characterised by a keen focus on both employability and student experience to maximise return on investment for students.

About ICN:

ICN is among the 1% of business schools with triple accreditation (AACSB, EQUIS, AMBA), guaranteeing its global reputation for academic and professional excellence.

The school's international outlook has also been recognised by the French news magazine Le Point (2021), which ranked ICN in 6th place. Our innovative teaching method, which combines Art, Technology and Management, is delivered across our three campuses in Paris, Nancy and Berlin.



The school now has 3000 students, 38% of them from overseas, with a strong emphasis on international study. Our mission is to provide students with an innovative, transdisciplinary education that prepares them to become responsible managers equipped with the skills to work in a global business world.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2586012/Partnership.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/british-education-group-gedu-adds-icn-a-triple-crown-institution-to-its-portfolio-302337233.html
Inviting public opinions for 2025 Chinas Government Work Report

english.www.gov.cn) 12:42, December 20, 2024

The Chinese government website launched the online initiative, Share Your Views on 2025 China's Government Work Report, on Dec 20, 2024. The initiative, supported by people.com.cn, xinhuanet.com, chinadaily.com.cn, chinanews.com, and official websites of local governments and related departments, aims to solicit public opinions and suggestions on government work. It will run through to the annual sessions of the national legislature and the national political advisory body in 2025.

It covers 11 topics, including China's business environment, economy and trade, finance, innovation and digitalization, work in China and travel in China. Suggestions can be submitted via english.www.gov.cn, its app and participating websites and platforms, and will be forwarded to the draft team of the Government Work Report and relevant departments for further consideration.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
HONG KONG, Dec 20, 2024 - (ACN Newswire) - Trio AI Limited ("Trio AI"), an artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure service provider in Asia with a computing power of more than 1,000 GPUs, is enhancing the regional technology applications and ecosystem. Trio AI recently announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with HKT Limited ("HKT") to explore opportunities in the Artificial Intelligence Super Computing (AISC) solution through their combined business networks and expertise. In addition, Trio AI is collaborating with METAX to leverage AI computing resources supported by METAX chips, introducing more diverse cloud services. This collaboration aims to help enterprises unleash their full potential during digital transformation, marking a significant step in advancing Hong Kong as an International Innovation and Technology (I&T) hub, providing computing power solution for large model training.In the rapidly evolving AI landscape, GPUs, which are key components of parallel computing, are experiencing significant market growth. According to Verified Market Research1, the global GPU market size was valued at US$33.47 billion in 2021 and is projected to reach US$477.37 billion by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 33.3% from 2022 to 2030, demonstrating strong market expansion.On 11 December 2024, Dr. David Chung, Chief Executive Officer, Trio AI, and Mr. Dennis Chung, Senior Vice President, Product Marketing & Solutions Consulting, Commercial Group, HKT, signed the MOU, in the witness of Mr. Chow Kok Kit, Executive Director, Valuetronics Holdings Ltd., and Mr. Steve Ng, Managing Director, Commercial Group, HKT. This agreement establishes a collaborative framework to explore the opportunities to resell, market and promote the AISC solution in Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area, and Southeast Asia.Dr. David Chung, Chief Executive Officer, Trio AI, said, "Artificial intelligence is poised to revolutionize all industries, driving unprecedented innovation, efficiency, and growth. From logistics to creative, healthcare to finance, manufacturing to retail, AI is empowering businesses to solve complex problems, optimize operations, and unlock new opportunities. On 23 August, we launched the first 1,000-GPU cluster in Hong Kong, and we plan to continue increasing our investment, with the capability to expand to over 10,000 GPUs in the future. We would like to express our gratitudeto HKT for their support in establishing this strategic partnership, and we look forward to more milestones in AI together with our partners, driving technological innovation in Hong Kong."Mr. Steve Ng, Managing Director, Commercial Group, HKT, said, "As a trusted enterprise technology solutions enabler, HKT is committed to harnessing the potential of enterprise AI and accelerating its adoption among businesses in the Greater Bay Area. Our strategic partnership with Trio AI expands access to HPC services for a broader range of enterprises and institutions, addressing the increasing need for supercomputing capabilities driven by AI, while fostering innovation and improving operational efficiency across various sectors. Powered by HKT's AI Superhighway, we provide ultra-high-speed2 and ultra-low-latency3 connectivity, linking Trio AI's 1024-GPU cluster with enterprise and institutional data centers across the city."Exploring AISC opportunities in Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area, and Southeast AsiaOver the next two years, Trio AI and HKT will work closely together to identify, develop, and implement go-to-market strategies for the AISC solution. This collaboration will also focus on multi- brand GPU management and AI professional services, utilizing Trio AI's AIDC platform management software alongside its AI professional services team to deliver high-quality AI solutions and operational experiences to customers. Furthermore, both parties will explore ways to leverage Trio AI's AI computing power and servers, providing high-quality AI computing resources for Hong Kong customers. Through this collaboration with HKT, a market-leading digital transformation partner offering end-to-end enterprise solutions, connectivity, and smart living offerings, Trio AI will gain greater brand recognition and expand the accessibility of its AISC solution to a broader range of enterprises, thereby strengthening its foothold in the industry.Enhancing computational power to support wider range of applicationsCompared to regular AI, AISC utilizes high-performance computing (HPC) systems with multiple powerful processors working in parallel. This dramatically enhances computational power, enabling advanced simulations and predictive analytics across various fields, such as research and industries requiring intensive computational resources. While regular AI focuses on performing intelligent tasks on a smaller scale, AISC leverages supercomputing to enhance AI capabilities, allowing for the processing of larger datasets and solving more complex problems efficiently.Dr. David Chung, Chief Executive Officer, Trio AI (first from the right), and Mr. Dennis Chung, Senior Vice President, Product Marketing & Solutions Consulting, Commercial Group, HKT (first from the left), signed the MOU in the witness of Mr. Chow Kok Kit, Executive Director, Valuetronics Holdings Ltd. (second from the right), and Mr. Steve Ng, Managing Director, Commercial Group, HKT (second from the left).Collaborating with METAX to build Hong Kong 1st domestic high-performance 1,000-GPU cluster, supporting businesses in global expansionIn addition, Trio AI is deepening its collaboration with METAX by leveraging AI computing resources supported by METAX chips, significantly enhancing AI infrastructure services. This aligns with the Hong Kong government's strategic direction for AI and serves local enterprises while also helping domestic companies leverage Hong Kong as a gateway to expand into countries of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The three key elements of AI are computing power, algorithms, and data. Trio AI is building and managing proprietary GPU computing power clusters, providing access to a diverse range of scalable GPU cluster, with the capacity expanding up to 10,000 GPUs, through customized deployment and on demand services. Trio AI will offer AI platform services, including essential value-added services such as model-as-a-service and data pools for development, to comprehensively support the integration of AI applications for businesses of all sizes.From left to right: Mr. Pak Ting, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Votee AI, Ms. Du Feilu, Chief Operation Officer, Trio AI, Mr. Dennis Chung, Senior Vice President, Product Marketing & Solutions Consulting, Commercial Group, HKT, Mr. Steve Ng, Managing Director, Commercial Group, HKT, Mr. Chow Kok Kit, Executive Director, Valuetronics Holdings Ltd., Dr. David Chung, Chief Executive Officer, Trio AI, Mr. Wallace Leung, Project Director, METAX, Mr. Billy Chen, Vice President, Wintoo, Ms. Beatrice Tai, Chief Operation Officer, Yedpay and esteemed guests attended the MOU signing ceremony.Dr. David Chung, Chief Executive Officer, Trio AI, said, " In November, we established the AI Application R&D Center at Hong Kong Cyberport to promote the in-depth integration of industry, academia, and research. By combining AI with the digital world, it creates an advanced accelerated computing platform. In this rapidly changing era, Hong Kong's strategic position enables us to efficiently support various clients and projects, achieving effective and unified deployment of multiple large model algorithms across diverse chips, providing ample computing resources for more AI enterprises.We are not only collaborating on new technology with METAX but also leading transformation and reshaping the future of the industry. We aim to provide professional, independent, and innovative services to enterprises in mainland China, the Greater Bay Area, Hong Kong, and across Asia, helping clients grow and facilitating intelligent transformation. This collaboration will greatly facilitate access to AI computing resources for enterprises, making cutting-edge technology services more accessible. We hope this collaboration sets a benchmark in the industry, inspiring more companies to accelerate their digital and intelligent transformations and create endless possibilities together."Mr. Wallace Leung, Project Director, METAX, stated, "Trio AI selected METAX, a leading Chinese high-performance GPU brand, to build Hong Kong's first Chinese high-performance 1024-GPU cluster; which uses 400G IB network + all-flash storage + high-performance GPU Server, optimizing for various large models and efficient tuning with GPGPU architecture. METAX warmly congratulates Trio AI and HKT on the MOU signing, which signifies a joint effort in promoting the many application scenarios of GPU clusters in Hong Kong. METAX GPU will continue to provide committed and strong computing support for the Hong Kong AI industry!"Accelerating digital transformation with AI: expert insights on AI opportunities for Hong Kong customersFollowing the signing ceremony, a panel discussion was held on "Unlocking the Value of AI Computing Power and Solutions to Empower Hong Kong Customers." Representatives from Trio AI's trusted partners including Votee AI, Wintoo and Yedpay shared valuable insights on the future of digital transformation for Hong Kong customers, emphasizing the importance of adopting AI technologies to strategize and streamline operations and enhance customer engagement.Mr. Pak Ting, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Votee AI, said, "At Votee AI, we are excited and honored to participate in this signing event. We see collaborations as key to empowering Hong Kong's innovative hub and with Votee AI being one of the leading generative AI platforms, we are very pleased to witness this important moment."Mr. Billy Chen, Vice President, Wintoo, said, "As a national high-tech enterprise specializing in AI, Wintoo is delighted to join this event as a partner of Trio AI. Our cloud-based platform is dedicated to leveraging AI to assess urban road conditions, and we hope to deepen our collaboration, expanding applications from Hong Kong to more regions, providing smarter solutions for clients, and improving roads to make cities better."Ms. Beatrice Tai, Chief Operation Officer, Yedpay, said, "We are excited to leverage Trio AI to reshape the payment landscape for businesses and consumers alike. Our approach to AI in payment processing goes beyond automation by focusing on security and user experience through the 3i framework-Identity, Individualization, and Insight. With AI, we are set to revolutionize payments by enhancing authentication to prevent fraud, personalizing user experiences, and providing valuable insights to drive smarter decisions."At the panel discussion, Mr. Pak Ting, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Votee AI (left), Mr. Billy Chen, Vice President, Wintoo (center), and Ms. Beatrice Tai, Chief Operation Officer, Yedpay (right) shared valuable insights on the future of digital transformation for Hong Kong customers.Remark:1.Source: Verified Market Research reporthttps://www.verifiedmarketresearch.com/product/graphic-processing-unit-gpu-market/2.Ultra-high-speed refers to a data transmission rate of 800 Gbps per second3.Ultra-low-latency refers to an end-to-end data transmission delay of less than 1 millisecondAbout Trio AI LimitedTrio AI Limited ("Trio AI") "), an artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure service provider in Asia with a computing power of more than 1000 GPUs, is enhancing the regional technology applications and ecosystem. With the vision of advancing Hong Kong's development as an International Innovation and Technology hub, we offer reliable, stable and cost-effective AI infrastructure services. We provide proprietary access to a diverse range of heterogenous GPU computing power, and a software platform integrating essential developer tools and more to support AI model training and inference, offering all-weather resilient AI infrastructure services for your AI needs.We cater to demand from government, various industry verticals, universities, and AI-native startups. We offer customized deployment, on demand and GPU for startups, ensuring cost-effective solutions adaptable to different usage patterns. Headquartered in Hong Kong, serving for Asia. Our strategic position allows us to efficiently support a wide range of clients and projects.For media enquiries, please contact:AJA (IR and Communications)Avy YuEmail: avy.yu@ajacapital.com.hk Tel: (852) 9500 4443Eudice LawEmail: eudice.law@ajacapital.com.hk Tel: (852) 9326 1113Source: Trio AICopyright 2024 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
EQS Post-admission Duties announcement: Haier Smart Home Co.,Ltd. / Third country release according to Article 50 Para. 1, No. 2 of the WpHG [the German Securities Trading Act]

Haier Smart Home Co.,Ltd.: Announcement on Poll Results of the First Extraordinary General Meeting of 2024



20.12.2024 / 13:24 CET/CEST

Dissemination of a Post-admission Duties announcement according to Article 50 Para. 1, No. 2 WpHG transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.





Announcement on Poll Results of the First Extraordinary General Meeting of 2024

Qingdao / Shanghai / Frankfurt / Hongkong, 20 December 2024 - Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. (the "Company" or "Haier Smart Home", D-share 690D.DE, A-share 600690.SH, H-share 06690.HK) today published an announcement in accordance with applicable trading rules of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Shanghai Stock Exchange, and applicable PRC laws in relation to the poll results of the first extraordinary general meeting of 2024.

The full announcement is available at:

https://www1.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/sehk/2024/1220/2024122001338.pdf

IR Contact:

Haier Smart Home Hong Kong

T: +852 2169 0000

Email: ir@haier.hk

Press Contact:

CROSS ALLIANCE communication GmbH

Sara Pinto

pi@crossalliance.de

T: +49 89 1250903 35

About Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd.:

Haier is one of the world's leading manufacturers of household appliances with a focus on smart home solutions and customized production. Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. develops, produces and distributes a wide range of household appliances. These include refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, air conditioners, water heaters, kitchen appliances as well as small household appliances and an extensive range of intelligent household appliances. The Company distributes its products through leading household brands such as Haier, Casarte, Leader, Candy, GE Appliances, AQUA and Fisher & Paykel. Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. has launched Smart Home Experiential Cloud in the Chinese market, which connects homes, users, enterprises and ecosystem partners, and facilitates the integration of Haier's online, offline and micro-store businesses and supports user interaction to further optimize the user experience.

20.12.2024 CET/CEST The EQS Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases.

Archive at www.eqs-news.com


SCHIPHOL-RIJK (dpa-AFX) - Airbus (EADSF.PK, EADSY.PK) said The Spanish government has signed a contract with Germany, NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency or NETMA for the acquisition of 25 Eurofighter aircraft. The acquisition was approved by Spain's Council of Ministers in September 2023 and includes the aircraft, engines, and the necessary support services. The agreement, which follows a previous contract signed in 2022 for a batch of 20 fighter jets, will see the Spanish Eurofighter fleet grow to 115 aircraft. All Spanish Eurofighters are assembled, tested and delivered at the Airbus Getafe site.'We are grateful for the trust of the Spanish government in our Eurofighter and in Airbus Defence and Space. Not only is this order an important demand and defence signal, it secures the supply chain in Spain and across Europe,' said Mike Schoellhorn, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space.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.
On December 17, 2024, local time, the inauguration ceremony for "A Glimpse of Chinese Culture Nishan House" took place successfully at the Confucius Institute in the Loire River Region, France. The event was attended by Liu Yuanyuan, Chinese-side Dean of the Confucius Institute; Corelia Mouanda, Cultural Director; and Lou Zhirui, Chairperson of the Angers Chinese Students and Scholars Association.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241219966171/en/

The inauguration ceremony (Photo: Business Wire)

The Nishan House takes its name from Nishan, the birthplace of the renowned Chinese philosopher Confucius in Qufu, Shandong Province. This cultural space is dedicated to fostering dialogue between civilizations and providing Chinese language and culture enthusiasts in Angers with access to a rich collection of literature and resources.

Since the sister-city relationship between Yantai, China, and Angers, France, was established in June 2006, the two cities have enjoyed fruitful exchanges and collaborations in economics, culture, and education. The launch of the Nishan House marks another milestone in these efforts, offering residents of Angers an opportunity to deepen their understanding of Yantai and Chinese culture. The curated selection of Chinese books is thoughtfully chosen to meet the interests and reading preferences of the Angers community, further strengthening cultural ties and promoting mutual learning between China and France.

Following the inauguration ceremony, attendees, including faculty and students of the Confucius Institute, viewed the promotional video "Yantai, China." The video showcased Yantai's stunning natural landscapes, rich cultural heritage, and dynamic economic development, captivating viewers with the unique charm of this picturesque coastal city.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241219966171/en/

Contacts:

Zhao Xiangyang

Tel.: +86 535-6789710

E-mail: yt6789710@yt.shandong.cn
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - NASA has announced that it is awarding Firefly Aerospace $179 million to deliver six experiments to the lunar surface. This fourth task order for Firefly will target landing in the Gruithuisen Domes on the near side of the Moon in 2028.Using the funding, Firefly will target landing in the Gruithuisen Domes on the near side of the Moon in 2028.As part of the U.S. space agency's broader Artemis campaign, Firefly will deliver a group of science experiments and technology demonstrations to these lunar domes, an area of ancient lava flows, to better understand planetary processes and evolution.Through its CLPS initiative, or Commercial Lunar Payload Services, NASA is furthering the understanding of the Moon's environment and helping prepare for future human missions to the lunar surface, as part of the agency's Moon to Mars exploration approach.'As NASA prepares for future human exploration of the Moon, the CLPS initiative continues to support a growing lunar economy with American companies,' said Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters in Washington. 'Understanding the formation of the Gruithuisen Domes, as well as the ancient lava flows surrounding the landing site, will help the U.S. answer important questions about the lunar surface.'Firefly's first lunar delivery is scheduled to launch in mid-January and will land near a volcanic feature called Mons Latreille within Mare Crisium, on the northeast quadrant of the Moon's near side. Firefly's second lunar mission includes two tasks: a lunar orbit drop-off of a satellite combined with a delivery to the lunar surface on the far side and a delivery of a lunar orbital calibration source, scheduled in 2026.'Firefly will deliver six instruments to understand the landing site and surrounding vicinity,' said Chris Culbert, manager of the CLPS initiative at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.Copyright(c) 2024 RTTNews.com. All Rights ReservedCopyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
Millions to Join "World Meditates with Gurudev" on December 21, 8:00 PM IST

In the fast-paced rhythm of contemporary life, meditation has emerged as a guiding light, leading individuals worldwide towards inner peace and self-discovery. This profound practice, deeply rooted in India's history and culture, has transcended geographical boundaries. In recent decades, meditation has emerged as a powerful tool in fostering international goodwill, promoting mental well-being, and offering a unique philosophical perspective on life. The global popularity of meditation today is a testament to India's growing influence, as the world increasingly turns to India not just for its economic potential but for the wisdom embedded in its spiritual traditions. India's promotion of meditation has bolstered its role as a global thought leader in areas of peacebuilding and conflict resolution. By positioning meditation as a cornerstone of global peace initiatives, India has solidified its reputation as a nation that offers solutions to the world's most pressing challenges.

Global spiritual leader and humanitarian Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar will guide a live World Meditation on Saturday, December 21, following the United Nations General Assembly's unanimous adoption of a resolution declaring December 21 as World Meditation Day. This historic event establishes an annual global celebration of meditation, highlighting its transformative benefits for mental and physical health and its potential to foster peace and unity.

The Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations in New York will commemorate the first World Meditation Day with a special event at the UN headquarters on December 20, 2024. Themed "Meditation for Global Peace and Harmony," the event will feature a keynote address by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, marking a significant moment in global recognition of meditation's value.

"The recognition of meditation by the United Nations is a profound step forward," said Gurudev. "Meditation nurtures the soul, calms the mind, and offers a solution to modern challenges."

Key Highlights

Keynote Address at the United Nations : Gurudev, renowned for his work in stress relief and conflict resolution, will address senior UN leaders, diplomats, and global dignitaries, emphasizing meditation's role in fostering peace and unity.

Global Livestream Event: On December 21, millions will join Gurudev in a worldwide livestreamed meditation session, aligning with the Winter Solstice - a time for reflection and renewal.

Event Details

What : "World Meditates with Gurudev"

When : Saturday, December 21, 2024, at 9:30 AM EST / 2:30 PM GMT / 8:00 PM IST

Where: Livestream at http://aolf.me/world-meditation-day

Why World Meditation Day Matters

The UN General Assembly's recognition of World Meditation Day is a bold acknowledgment of meditation's capacity to address rising stress, violence, and societal disconnection. Gurudev, who has dedicated 43 years to spreading meditation across 180 countries, views it as the most effective tool for cultivating mental clarity, emotional resilience, and societal harmony.

Gurudev's peace-building efforts underscore meditation's transformative power. He has mediated peace negotiations in conflict-stricken regions such as Sri Lanka, Iraq, Venezuela, and Colombia , where he played a pivotal role in ending the 52-year-long conflict between FARC and the Colombian government. In India, he contributed significantly to resolving the 500-year-old Babri Masjid-Ram Mandir conflict , fostering dialogue and understanding among diverse communities.

"Meditation not only calms the mind but also provides a higher perspective, empowering leaders and communities to transcend divisions and work toward lasting peace," Gurudev emphasized.

Global Outreach and Celebration



To make meditation accessible to all, the Art of Living Foundation is hosting thousands of events worldwide in government centers, diplomatic missions, and places of historical value. This initiative is aimed at leading the world toward a meditative lifestyle, showcasing the universal applicability of meditation as a cornerstone for global peace-building efforts.

Join the global movement on December 21 and experience the profound impact of meditation for peace, harmony, and renewal.

Official UN links for session on 20th Dec and Event day in 21st Dec

https://www.un.org/en/observances/meditation-day

https://journal.un.org/en/new-york/otherevents/2024-12-18

For media inquiries:

kushal.choksi@artofliving.org

https://www.artofliving.org/us-en/contact-us

SOURCE: Art of Living

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2024) - South Pacific Metals Corp. (TSXV: SPMC) (OTCQB: SPMEF) (FSE: 6J00) ("SPMC" or the "Company") announces that it has changed its auditor from Smythe LLP (the "Former Auditor") to Davidson & Company LLP (the "Successor Auditor") effective December 10, 2024.

In accordance with National Instrument 51-102 Continuous Disclosure Obligations ("NI 51-102"), the Company has filed a Notice of Change of Auditor with respect to the resignation of the Former Auditor and the appointment of the Successor Auditor (the "Notice"). The Notice and the required letters from both the Former Auditor and Successor Auditor are available under the Company's profile on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca).

The Company also announces that it has changed its financial year-end from December 31 to March 31. The change in financial year-end has been made to improve financial and operational efficiencies and to align with the availability of audit services. The Company's current financial year will, therefore, cover the 15-month period from January 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025, with comparative financial statements as at and for the year ended December 31, 2023. Thereafter, the Company will revert to a quarterly reporting calendar based on a March 31 financial year-end, with reporting periods ending on the last day of June, September, December, and March each year.

The next interim financial statements will cover the three-month period from October 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024. Further details regarding the change in financial year-end, including the Company's length and ending dates of the Company's financial reporting periods, are available in the Company's Notice of Change in Year-End prepared in accordance with NI 51-102 and filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR+.

About South Pacific Metals Corp.

South Pacific Metals Corp is an emerging gold-copper exploration company operating in the heart of Papua New Guinea's proven gold and copper production corridors. With an expansive 3,100 km land package and four transformative gold-copper projects contiguous with major producers K92 Mining, PanAust and neighbouring Barrick/Zijin, new leadership and experienced in-country teams are prioritizing thoughtful and rigorous technical programs focused on boots-on-the-ground exploration to prioritize discovery across its portfolio projects: Anga, Osena, Kili Teke and May River.

Immediately flanking K92's active drilling and gold producing operations to the northeast and southwest, SPMC's Anga and Osena Projects are located within the high-grade Kainantu Gold District - each having the potential to host similar-style lode-gold and porphyry copper-gold mineralization as that present within K92's tenements. Kili Teke is an advanced exploration project situated only 40 km from the world-class Porgera Gold Mine and hosts an existing Inferred Mineral Resource with multiple opportunities for expansion and further discovery. The May River Project is located adjacent to the world-renowned Frieda River copper-gold project, with historical drilling indicating potential for a significant, untapped-gold mineralized system. SPMC common shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSX-V: SPMC), the OTCQB Marketplace (OTCQB: SPMEF) and Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FSE: 6J00).

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.

Disclaimer and Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included herein, including without limitation, statements relating the future operations and activities of SPMC, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "potential", "possible", and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions, or results "will", "may", "could", or "should" occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements in this news release relate to, among other things, statements regarding the filing of future financial statements of the Company based on the timelines expressed in the Notice of Change in Year-End, including the Company's length and ending dates of the Company's financial reporting periods. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by SPMC, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and the parties have made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation, the ability of the Company to file its future financial statements on the timelines expressed in the Notice of Change in Year-End. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release concerning these items. SPMC does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by applicable securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/234628

SOURCE: South Pacific Metals Corp.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2024) - Caprock Mining Corp. (CSE: CAPR) ("Caprock" or the "Company") is pleased to announce a proposed financing of hard dollar units (the "HD Units") to raise aggregate gross proceeds of up to $305,125 and flow through units ("FT Units") to raise aggregate gross proceeds of up to $115,000. Each HD Unit will be issued at a price at $0.025 and will be comprised of one common share and one common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will be exercisable to purchase one common share of the Company at any time on or before the date that is two years following the issuance of the Warrant at a price of $0.06. Each FT Unit will qualify as a "flow-through share" (within the meaning of subsection 66(15) of the Income Tax Act (Canada). Each FT Unit will be issued at a price at $0.04 and will be comprised of one flow-through common share and one Warrant. The securities issued in connection with the financing will be subject to a four-month hold period expiring on the date that is four months and one day following the issuance of the HD Units and FT Units.

The gross proceeds from the sale of FT Units will be used by the Company to incur eligible "Canadian exploration expenses" that qualify as "flow-through mining expenditures" (as both terms are defined in the Income Tax Act (Canada)) (the "Qualifying Expenditures") related to the Destiny gold property (the "Destiny Project") located near Val D'Or, Quebec on which the Company entered into an option agreement (the "Option Agreement") (see press release dated December 4, 2024). The Qualifying Expenditures will be renounced in favour of the subscribers with an effective date no later than December 31, 2024. In addition, with respect to subscribers who are eligible individuals under the Taxation Act (Quebec), the Qualifying Expenditures 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 Taxation Act (Quebec) 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 Taxation Act (Quebec).

The net proceeds from the sale of the HD Units are expected to be used for expenditures on the Destiny Project as well as general working capital.

Certain finders are entitled to receive finder's fees of up to 8% of the proceeds from investors introduced by the finder together with finder warrants entitling the finder to acquire a number of HD Units equal to 8% of the number of HD Units or FT Units purchased by investors introduced to the Company by the finder. Each finder warrant will entitle the holder to acquire one HD Unit at a price of $0.025 for a period of two years following the closing date.

Option Agreement Share Issuance

Concurrently with the completion of the financing the Company is also expected to issue the initial tranche of common shares owing to Big Ridge Gold Corp. (the "Optionor") under the Option Agreement. The issuance will be comprised of 8,000,000 common shares issued at a deemed issue price of $0.05 per share. As the Optionor is the holder of approximately 19.3% of the outstanding common shares of the Company the Option Agreement constitutes a related party transaction under applicable securities laws. The transaction was negotiated by Vishal Gupta and Daniel Cohen on behalf of the Company as they are independent of the Optionor. Disinterested shareholder approval of the transaction was obtained at the annual and special meeting of shareholders of the Company held on November 7, 2024.

The securities issued under the Offering have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act or any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons absent registration or any applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws.

Forward-Looking Statements

All statements in this press release about anticipated future events or results constitute forward-looking statements including, but not limited to, statements with respect to: the closing of the financing described herein including the amount raised and the timing of closing and the timing of the issuance of shares pursuant to the Option Agreement. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect" and "intend" and statements that an event or result "may", "will", "should", "could" or "might" occur or be achieved and other similar expressions. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, are forward-looking statements, and include: the potential future exercise of the option by Caprock, including receipt of the consideration payable and the incurring of the expenditures by Caprock required for it to exercise the option. Although Caprock believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements and/or information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements since Caprock can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements, including the risks, uncertainties and other factors identified in Caprock's periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators. Forward-looking statements are subject to business and economic risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results of operations to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Caprock's expectations include risks associated with the business of Caprock; risks related to reliance on technical information provided by Caprock; risks related to exploration and potential development of the Company's mineral properties; business and economic conditions in the mining industry generally; fluctuations in commodity prices and currency exchange rates; uncertainties relating to interpretation of drill results and the geology, continuity and grade of mineral deposits; the need for cooperation of government agencies and First Nation groups in the exploration and development of properties and the issuance of required permits; the need to obtain additional financing to develop properties and uncertainty as to the availability and terms of future financing; the possibility of delay in exploration or development programs and uncertainty of meeting anticipated program milestones; uncertainty as to timely availability of permits and other governmental approvals; and other risk factors as detailed from time to time and additional risks identified in Caprock's filings with Canadian securities regulators on SEDAR+ in Canada (available at www.sedarplus.ca). Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and opinions of management at the date the statements are made. Caprock does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Neither Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this Release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/234644

SOURCE: Caprock Mining Corp.
Ledger Markets, a global leader in trading technology, has officially launched its highly anticipated stock signals tool for UK investors. This cutting-edge platform leverages advanced algorithms to deliver accurate and actionable stock market insights, empowering traders to make informed decisions in real time.

The stock signals tool is designed to meet the unique needs of UK clients, providing localized data and market-specific insights that align with the fast-paced nature of the UK financial markets. With its user-friendly interface and AI-powered capabilities, the tool aims to transform how investors approach trading and portfolio management.

"This launch is a significant step forward in empowering UK investors with the tools they need to navigate volatile markets effectively," said the CEO of Ledger Markets. "Our new stock signals tool provides unparalleled accuracy, giving traders an edge in a competitive financial landscape."

Relevance of the Launch

The UK stock market is among the most dynamic in the world, and investors face increasing challenges in managing information and making timely decisions. Ledger Markets' stock signals tool addresses these challenges by offering real-time alerts, market trends analysis, and actionable insights that cater specifically to the UK's financial environment.

The tool's release comes at a time when investors are seeking smarter solutions to stay ahead in unpredictable markets. By integrating Ledger Markets' stock signals into their strategies, traders can significantly improve their decision-making and overall trading performance.

Cutting-Edge Features

Ledger Markets' stock signals tool provides a suite of features tailored to UK clients:

Localized Market Data: Offers insights specifically for the UK stock market.

Real-Time Alerts: Helps traders act on opportunities as they arise.

AI-Powered Insights: Advanced algorithms analyze vast amounts of data for maximum accuracy.

User-Friendly Interface: Intuitive design ensures easy navigation for all levels of traders.

"Our commitment to innovation has always been driven by the needs of our clients," added the CEO. "This tool reflects our dedication to delivering practical, reliable, and forward-thinking solutions for traders across the UK."

Client-Centered Approach

Ledger Markets has designed its stock signals tool with the specific needs of UK investors in mind. The platform focuses on delivering simplicity and effectiveness to ensure it supports a wide range of users, from novice traders to experienced professionals.

With a proven track record of delivering innovative tools in global markets, Ledger Markets aims to set new standards in trading technology for the UK market.

About Ledger Markets

Ledger Markets is a global trading technology company dedicated to empowering investors with innovative tools and data-driven insights. With a mission to simplify and enhance trading strategies, Ledger Markets has earned a reputation for delivering cutting-edge solutions that enable traders to achieve consistent results.

Disclaimer

Trading involves risk, and past performance does not guarantee future results. The content provided by Ledger Markets is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Clients should conduct their own research or consult with a financial advisor before making investment decisions.

Media Contact

Organization: Ledger Markets

Contact Person Name: Eric Brown

Website: https://ledger966.com

Email: ericb@ledger966.com

Address: 3 Courtlands Road

City: Eastbourne

Country: United Kingdom

SOURCE: Ledger Markets

View the original press release on accesswire.com
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2024 / Trans Canada Gold Corp. (TSXV:TTG)(OTCQB:TTGXF) ("Trans Canada" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the voting results from the Company's Annual Meeting of shareholders held on December 19th, 2024 (the "Meeting"). A total of 22,473,049 common shares or 43.81% of the common shares were voted in favor of the election of all director nominees.

The re-appointment of Dale Matheson Carr-Hilton Labonte LLP, Chartered Professional Accountants, was also approved by the shareholders.

The Company further announces that its shareholders have approved the Company's amended 10% rolling stock option plan at the Meeting. The principal amendments to the stock option plan ensure compliance with the revised Policy 4.4 of the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") and include: (i) that share capital adjustments are subject to the prior approval of the TSXV, except where they relate to share consolidations or splits; and (ii) disinterested shareholder approval is required for any extension to stock options granted to individuals that are insiders at the time of the proposed amendment.

The maximum number of common shares which may be issued under the stock option plan is 10% of the Company's issued and outstanding share capital at the date of grant. The stock option plan has a "rolling" limit, as the number of common shares reserved for issuance pursuant to the grant of stock options will automatically increase as the Company's issued and outstanding share capital increases. The limit includes outstanding stock options previously granted.

ABOUT TRANS CANADA GOLD CORP. - OIL AND GAS PRODUCTION/REVENUE PRODUCING WELLS

The Company is a discovery focused Oil & Gas Resource Development and Mineral Exploration Company that is currently focused on developing and drilling its' production of conventional heavy oil exploration properties, increasing production capabilities, and increasing future oil production revenues through responsible exploration. The Company identifies, acquires and finances with its working interest partners, the ongoing development of oil and gas assets primarily situated in Alberta Canada. The Company has qualified Senior exploration management and Geological teams of professionals, seasoned in exploration production, field exploration and drilling. The Company currently works with Croverro Energy Ltd., who has demonstrated proficiency, expected of an experienced oil and gas technical team that has proven oil production, and revenue success with large multi-lateral wells currently under their supervision. The Company has the necessary manpower in place to develop its natural resource properties and manage its production properties. The Company is committed to minimizing risk through selective property acquisitions, and responsible exploration drilling, and maximizing long term petroleum and natural gas resource assets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Tim Coupland, President and CEO

Trans Canada Gold Corp.

Tel: (604) 681-3131

astar@telus.com

www.transcanadagold.com

or

Christian Timmins, Director

Trans Canada Gold Corp.

Tel: (403) 597-3410

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider, (as the term is defined in the Policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Perk Labs Inc. (CSE:PERK)(OTC PINK:PKLBF)(FKT:PKLB) ("Perk" or the "Company"), is providing an update on the Company's current situation.

The Company remains under a "failure to file" cease trade order ("FFCTO"), in accordance with Multilateral Instrument 11-103 Failure-to-File Cease Trade Orders in Multiple Jurisdictions, and trading in the Company's securities on The Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE") remains suspended until the FFCTO is revoked.

The Company's delayed financial statements are expected to be released as soon as possible. These have taken longer than anticipated to complete, in part due to resources and scheduling with the Company's new auditors. The Company regrets this delay in filing and the inconvenience to shareholders, and will file the required statements as soon as possible.

The Company continues to operate normally and to make progress with its product development and business expansion.

We look forward to resolving our regulatory delays and moving forward with our growth strategy.

About Perk Labs Inc.

Perk Labs Inc., (CSE:PERK)(OTC PINK:PKLBF)(FKT:PKLB), the owner of Getit Technologies Inc. and Perk Hero Software Inc. ("Perk Labs"), provides innovative mobile ordering and payment systems, allowing customers the ability to scan a QR code or NFC sticker to order and pay for their purchases directly from their phone. The Company specializes in providing a single unified payment interface for complex purchase environments - environments that have multiple retailers processing an array of different transactions, including food and beverage purchases, merchandise sales, ticketing, registrations, donations, parking fees, and service payments. The Company provides a custom-branded solution that is ideal for multi-transaction brands such as stadiums and arenas, university and college campuses, conference centers, hotels and resorts, festivals and events, and professional service companies.

For more information, contact:

Ryan Hardy

CEO

(833) 338-0299

investors@getittechnologies.io

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking information or forward-looking statements (collectively "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is typically identified by words such as: "may", "believe", "thinks", "expect", "exploring", "expand", "could", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "plan", "pursue", "potentially", "projected", "should", "will" and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. These forward-looking statements, which involve risks and uncertainties, relate to, among other things, the discussion of the Company's business strategies and its expectations concerning future operations, and expectations of future revenues for the Company. Although the Company considers these forward-looking statements to be reasonable based on information currently available to it, they may prove to be incorrect, and the forward-looking statements in this release are subject to numerous risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking information provided by the Company is not a guarantee of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Undue reliance should not be placed on such forward-looking information, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are based will occur.

SOURCE: Perk Labs Inc.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Designed with musicians, sound engineers, and audio enthusiasts in mind, the Kiwi Ears Division offers professional-grade tuning inspired by the iconic sound of classic studio monitors.

The Division stands as the ultimate headphones for monitoring and DJs, offering a dynamic bass response, a neutral and accurate midrange, and crystal-clear trebles. Built for versatility, it excels on both the stage and in the studio. Whether you're creating, performing or simply enjoying your favorite tracks, the Division delivers an exceptional listening experience that truly sets it apart.

40mm Dynamic Driver

The Division utilizes a large 40mm composite diaphragm dynamic driver. Engineered after a tried-and-true driver design, the Division's dynamic driver is powerful and accurate. The diaphragm tension has been adjusted after numerous tests to ensure the most efficient responsiveness, and the voice coil and magnets have also been upgraded to enhance the sound.

Professional Tonal Balance

The Division has been carefully tuned to reflect the heritage of classic DJ and monitoring headphones. The bass is focused on powerful impact and rumble that has a quick decay for a clean precise sound. The midrange is neutral to produce an accurate reference for instruments and vocals. The treble is extremely clear and detailed to bring out every nuance without any harshness.

Classic Sound With a Modern Style

The Division is available in two color schemes: black and pink. The headband is wrapped with a plush vegan leather layering that is comfortable and secure on the head. The earmuffs also feature vegan leather, and are designed specifically to reflect our tuning strategy. The headphones are extremely lightweight and are perfect for listening to your music on the go.

Wired Headphones

The Division is a wired headphone. The wired design is intended to bring out the best sound quality without any compression in your music. Additionally, the cable is equipped with a 3.5mm unbalanced plug and comes standard with a 6.3mm adapter plug, which can be used with any professional audio equipment.

Headphone Specifications:

Driver Unit: 40mm

Impedance: 32 Ohm

Sensitivity: 98dB+/-3dB

Frequency Response: 20Hz to 20KHz

Plug: 3.5mm+6.3mm adaptor /3.5mm

About Kiwi Ears

Kiwi Ears is a leading audio brand dedicated to crafting innovative, high-quality audio solutions for audiophiles, music enthusiasts, and professionals. From IEMs to over-ear headphones, Kiwi Ears combines cutting-edge technology with a passion for sound to create products that inspire and delight. The Division is more than just headphones, it's a tool crafted for creators, performers, and music enthusiasts who demand excellence. Step into a new world of sound with Kiwi Ears Division, where precision meets passion. The Kiwi Ears Division is now available for purchase at the Kiwi Ears official website and authorized retailers worldwide.

For more information about the Kiwi Ears Division, please visit the website:

Kiwi Ears Website

Linsoul Website

SOURCE: Linsoul Inc.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Designworks Collective, a leader in the wholesale and lifestyle markets, is proud to announce its acquisition of Archipelago Botanicals, an iconic brand celebrated for its luxurious personal care and home fragrance products. This strategic acquisition strengthens Designworks Collective position in high-growth markets while continuing to expand into the spa and hotel categories.

Archipelago Botanicals is renowned for its premium collections of botanically inspired personal care products and home fragrances. With a legacy built on delivering quality, consistency, and well-being, the brand has cultivated a loyal following of consumers seeking sophisticated, sensory-driven experiences.

"Archipelago Botanicals has always focused on natural and environmentally friendly product ingredients. From their bath & body ranges to their 'clean' laundry collection they have set a standard for product development and creation that I've always admired," said Joe Moore, CEO of Designworks Collective. "Acquiring Archipelago Botanicals leverages Designworks Collective's infrastructure and expertise, empowering us to build upon their heritage of products and expand the brand into the European markets.

The acquisition reflects Designworks Collective commitment to diversifying its portfolio and entering new markets. Archipelago Botanicals' emphasis on clean formulations, sustainable practices, and product design perfectly aligns with Designworks Collective values and vision.

Why Archipelago Botanicals?

The acquisition stems from a long-standing professional relationship between Designworks Collective CEO Joe Moore and Archipelago Botanicals Founder David Klass, who have known and respected each other for over 15 years.

Highlights of Archipelago Include:

Sustainable and Clean Solutions : With a focus on botanically inspired, environmentally conscious products, Archipelago Botanicals meets the growing consumer demand for sustainability without compromising luxury.

A Passion for Sensory Experiences : From indulgent lotions and bath products to candles and diffusers, Archipelago Botanicals excels at creating immersive, luxury moments.

An Established and Loyal Customer Base: The brand's widespread recognition and trusted reputation provide a solid foundation for growth in new markets.

"This acquisition is a powerful alignment of values and creativity," said David Klass, Founder of Archipelago Botanicals. "Joining Designworks Collective allows us to elevate our brand, expand into new markets and opportunities while maintaining the integrity and craftmanship that define us."

Future Plans

Designworks Collective and Archipelago Botanicals will collaborate to expand the product line and explore innovations in the personal care, home fragrance, and home cleaning spaces. Initial initiatives include:

Developing new product formulations focused on wellness, sustainability, and modern consumer needs.

Expanding into global markets to reach a broader audience of specialty customers.

Strengthen Archipelago's existing relationships with luxury hotels and spas.

This partnership combines Archipelago Botanicals' heritage and expertise with Designworks Collective leadership in design innovation and infrastructure, creating a dynamic force to transform how personal care and home fragrance products connect with consumers.

About Designworks Collective:

We are a studio of curators, thinkers, and makers with a passion for sharing imaginative ideas and creating great products. We have thoughtfully built and expanded our family of brands with one common thread - the customer. While separately, each company has a unique voice, together they are purposefully connected. Our customers inspire us to focus on today and take the time to plan for tomorrow, and that means being mindful about the experience you have every time you connect with one of our brands. Experiences that resonate and deliver measurable success for its clients.

About Archipelago Botanicals:

Archipelago's story began in a small studio in Santa Monica, California-a garage looking out onto the cluster of Catalina Islands that inspired our name-where we crafted our first candles and fragrances using a handful of essential oils and natural ingredients. We wanted to capture and recreate the experiences unearthed in our own travels. Archipelago continues to bring the best of the world back home-and infuse life's daily rhythms with a sense of calm and discovery. We pride ourselves in creating natural products that avoid harsh chemicals and always bringing forth the signature scents of a destination and feeling. Whenever we revisit a heritage product, we are reminded of those first days in a Santa Monica garage and recognize that no matter where we are, the art of living well is always within reach.

Contact Information

Alexi Mintz

Vice President, Brand Development & Strategic Partnerships

alexim@archipelago-usa.com

Danelle Woodson

HR Director

danelle@dw-collective.com





SOURCE: Designworks Collective

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2024) - Valkea Resources Corp. (TSXV: OZ) (OTCQB: OZBKF) (the "Company" or "Valkea") is pleased to announce the results of its Annual General Meeting ("AGM") held yesterday afternoon. Shareholders voted in favor of all items of business, including the election of directors and the appointment of the auditor.

Election of Directors

The following individuals were elected to the Board of Directors:

Chris Donaldson (Executive Chair)





George Salamis (Independent Lead Director)





Mark Bennett (Director)





Eric Zaunscherb (Independent Director)





Louis Archambeault (Independent Director)

The Company is delighted to welcome George Salamis as Independent Lead Director. Mr. Salamis brings over 30 years of global experience in the mining industry, with a strong track record of leadership and value creation. Mr. Salamis offers a wealth of technical and strategic expertise in the Central Lapland district, having worked as Vice President of Riddarhyttan Resources AB and advancing what is now known as the Kittila Mine until its sale to Agnico Eagle in 2006. As Executive Chairman of Integra Gold Corp., along with his team, he co-led the successful sale of the company to Eldorado Gold Corporation in a C$590 million transaction. His extensive technical and strategic planning expertise will provide invaluable guidance as Valkea advances its exploration activities in Finland.

"We are thrilled to welcome George to the Valkea team as our Independent Lead Director. His wealth of experience in Finland along with his technical insights will be tremendously valuable as we continue to grow the Company and unlock the potential of our gold projects in Finland," commented Chris Donaldson, CEO. "On behalf of the Board and management, I would also like to sincerely thank Craig Parry for his contributions to Valkea during his tenure as Chairperson. Craig has been instrumental in positioning the Company for future success and we are pleased he will remain involved as a Strategic and Technical Advisor to the Company."

Appointment of Auditor

Shareholders approved the reappointment of D&H Group LLP as Valkea's auditor for the upcoming fiscal year and authorized the directors to fix the auditor's remuneration.

About Valkea Resources

Valkea Resources is at the forefront of gold exploration in Finland's highly prospective Central Lapland Greenstone Belt. With an extensive portfolio of high-potential projects, including the flagship Paana project, Valkea Resources is committed to discovering and advancing significant gold deposits in one of the world's emerging gold districts.

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.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements or forward-looking information relating to the future operations of the Company and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements in this news release include but are not limited to: obtaining TSX-V approval; obtaining Ministerial approval and registration under section 71 of the Mineral Resources (Sustainable Development) Act 1990; and exploration activities.

Forward-looking statements are based on the reasonable assumptions, estimates, analyses and opinions of management made in light of its experience and its perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors that management believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date that such statements are made, but which may prove to be incorrect. Management believes that the assumptions and expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things: details regarding the Meeting. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive of all factors and assumptions which may have been used.

Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks, uncertainties and other factors include but are not limited to: the Company's early stage of development; the fluctuation of the price of metals; the availability of additional funding as and when required; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development; the timing and ability to maintain and, where necessary, obtain necessary permits and licenses; the uncertainty in geologic, hydrological, metallurgical and geotechnical studies and opinions; infrastructure risks, including access to water and power; environmental risks and hazards; risks associated with negative operating cash flow; and risks associated with dilution. For a further discussion of risks relevant to the Company, see the Company's other public disclosure documents.

Although management has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There is no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements, except as, and to the extent required by, applicable securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/234638

SOURCE: Valkea Resources
The "Europe E-Pharmacy Market Focused Insights 2024-2029" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Europe e-pharmacy market is expected to reach a value of $79.43 billion by 2029 from $29.65 billion in 2023, growing at a CAGR of 17.85% from 2023 to 2029

The Europe e-pharmacy market report consists of exclusive data on 51 vendors. The market is moderately competitive, with only a few leading companies dominating the market. However, there are significant growth opportunities for new entrants. Although the market is led by major players, many emerging and smaller companies have entered the market in the past few years.

Leading players focus on implementing various strategies, such as opening new facilities, marketing and promotional activities, pursuing M&A, increasing market penetration, and forming collaborations to enhance their market share and presence. These companies have a wide geographical reach across Europe, a diversified service portfolio, and a strong focus on delivering higher-quality services in Europe e-pharmacy market. Currently, some major companies are DocMorris (Zur Rose Group), Redcare Pharmacy (Shop Apotheke), Atida Sante Discount, and The Boots Company PLC.

In Europe, the market landscape for e-pharmacies is highly diverse mainly due to the regulations and demographics. In Europe, the UK and Germany are two major countries that allow to sale of prescription medicines through e-pharmacies. Some countries widely implemented e-prescription strategies, and some countries are expanding digital strategies to strengthen healthcare and pharmacy services.

For instance, in Finland, digital strategy is widely implemented. Finnish people can even buy their digital prescriptions in Estonia. Sweden and Denmark are the two countries with widely integrated digital tools in healthcare settings including pharmacies and are well ahead of the EU-5 countries. In Estonia, electronic solutions have long been leading the way in the healthcare sector, including e-pharmacies.

The EU-4 UK accounted for the largest Europe ePharmacy market share. In the European e-pharmacy market, the EU-4 and UK regions have shown promising growth and significant dominance, driven by the allowance of prescription medicine sales in Germany and the UK. Additionally, the rollout of e-prescriptions in Germany is creating substantial momentum for market growth in the region.

France is one of the leading countries by revenue share, despite only allowing the sale of OTC products online. Italy and Spain are emerging market destinations where further development is needed to achieve substantial growth. The increasing adoption of e-health platforms and the mandatory e-prescription model in Germany and the UK are driving the expansion of e-pharmacy services in these two countries.

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES DRIVERS

Recent Developments In Europe ePharmacy

Europe has witnessed significant development in the e-pharmacy sector over the past few years. This growth has been primarily driven by the five major countries: Germany, the UK, France, Italy, and Spain. Over the last 2-3 years, advancements in the healthcare sector across European countries have created a favorable environment for the expansion of the e-pharmacy market. For example, in 2022, the European Cross-Border Electronic Prescription (CBeP) system was introduced in six rapidly developing countries in the healthcare and e-pharmacy sectors, including Spain, Poland, Portugal, Croatia, Finland, and Estonia.

Additionally, several other countries are in the process of implementing CBeP, which is expected to create significant opportunities for the sale of over-the-counter (OTC) and certain prescription medications through e-pharmacies. Recently, Germany has made notable progress by taking steps toward the digitalization of its public healthcare sector, making e-prescriptions mandatory. As of 2024, patients in Germany now receive only digital prescriptions. This shift has increased public attention and acceptance of e-pharmacies, creating significant market growth opportunities.

Integration of E-pharmacies with Delivery Management Solutions

Integrating e-pharmacies with a delivery management solution is the new era of e-pharmacy development. Several integrated platforms offer pharmacy delivery services that help store data, deliver reports, and provide e-prescriptions. Furthermore, it also acts as a multi-store location and user management system. Providers offer data about medicine and drug inventory online with those delivery management services. The owner of delivery management systems (software) can access the system and edit drugs in case of unavailability.

Therefore, customers (physicians or patients) can easily select and buy the required medicine. Medicine delivery software and systems are integrated with multiple payment modes so patients can easily pay for selected medicines. Pharmacy services providers find it easy to conduct overall business procedures and streamline the functioning of systems with the help of pharmacy delivery management systems.

Rising Internet E-commerce Penetration

Europe continues to evolve with increasing internet penetration, even in remote areas. As internet access expands, more people are becoming aware of online sales channels, including e-commerce and e-pharmacies. The rise in internet usage has spurred rapid adoption of e-commerce, enhancing consumer awareness of online shopping. E-pharmacies have been developing as essential channels in the pharmaceutical supply chain and continue to grow with broad acceptance. Purchasing medicines from verified and legitimate e-pharmacy websites has become a common practice, particularly in Germany and the UK.

INDUSTRY RESTRAINTS

Substandard and Falsified Medicines

Counterfeit, substandard, and falsified drugs are major concerns for health professionals in Europe and worldwide, affecting both traditional and e-pharmacies. The WHO has stated that these types of drugs are becoming a significant public health threat, impacting both developed and developing countries. Worldwide, approximately 11% of medicines are substandard or falsified. Counterfeit medicines pose a serious threat to public health, and the increased use of e-pharmacies has made it easier for these drugs to enter supply chains. The growing concern over the use of online pharmacies, combined with the mass production of fake medicines, leads to an increase in the falsified drugs industry.

A WHO survey estimated that 50% of drugs sold online or over the internet are counterfeit, even if internet dispensaries may appear legitimate. The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy reported that 85% of online pharmacy drugs do not comply with the pharmacy laws and patient safety standards of NABP. In addition, it was revealed that 25% of patients treated with medicines from online pharmacies experienced adverse effects over the past decade.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

By Medicine Type: The OTC medicine segment holds the largest market share. The segmental growth is due to a shift towards home care, preventive healthcare, and the self -care/medication.

By Platform: The mobile segment shows the highest growth, with a CAGR of 18.03% as this platform is more convenient, portable, and accessible for buying medicines online.

By Product Type: The medication segment dominates holds the largest market share of over 75%. The growing patient population with various health conditions and the demand for self-medication drive the segment.

By Age Group: The above 50 age group segment shows the highest growth, as this age group accounted for a high prevalence of chronic diseases.

By Region: The EU-4 UK dominate hold the largest Europe e-pharmacy market share. The EU-4 UK region has shown promising growth and the highest dominance due to the allowance of prescription medicines in Germany and the UK.

Growth Factor: The Europe e-pharmacy market is set to grow due to the integration of e-pharmacies with delivery management solutions and increasing attention towards self-care self-medication.

RECENT VENDORS ACTIVITIES

In 2024, DocMorris announced that the online customer of the Zur Rose Pharmacy will be supplied with OTC and Prescription Medicines on request by the DocMorries Pharmacy from its Heerlen-based logistic center. In upcoming years, DocMorris will close its Zur Rose Pharma GmbH service location in December 2024.

In 2024, DocMorries announced that it increasing investment in new prescription medicine (Rx) customers, as its sales of Rx grew year-on-year in Europe.

KEY QUESTIONS ANSWERED

How big is the Europe e-pharmacy market?

What are the factors driving the Europe e-pharmacy market growth?

What is the growth rate of the Europe e-pharmacy market?

Who are the major players in the Europe E-pharmacy market?

Which region dominates the Europe e-pharmacy market?

Key Attributes:

Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 136 Forecast Period 2023 2029 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2023 $29.65 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2029 $79.43 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 17.8% Regions Covered Europe

Key Vendors

DocMorris (Zur Rose Group)

Redcare Pharmacy (Shop Apotheke)

Atida Sante Discount

The Boots Company PLC

Other Prominent Vendors

Apotekete AB

AMX Holdings (MEDIX PHARMACY)

Apteka.ru

Chemist Direct

Lloyds Pharmacy

MonCoinSante

Apotea AB

Azeta

BestPharmacy

Chemist 4 U

Cococenter

eApteka

DeOnlineDrogist

Farmacia Internacional

Euro-pharmas

Express Pharmacy

EVERER GmbH

University Pharmacy

Index Medical (Dr Fox Pharmacy)

Juvalis

INHOUSE PHARMACY

Lyf og heilsa hf.

lekarnawpk.cz

MediService AG

farmae.it

Lekarnar.com

MEDS

Lyfjaver

myCARE eK

PromoFarma Ecom, S.L.

Newpharma

Mistletoe Pharmacy

Prvalekarna

Oxford Online Pharmacy

parafarmacia-online

Pharm24

Pharmacy2U

Pharmacy4U

The PROTEK Group

The Independent Pharmacy

shopware AG (Sanicare)

Simple Online Pharmacy

MedExpress Enterprises Ltd

The French Pharmacy

UK Meds Direct Ltd

WebMed Pharmacy

Vamida

SEGMENTATION INSIGHTS

By Medicine Type

Over the Counter (OTC)

Prescription Medicine

By Platform

Mobile

Desktop

By Product Type

Medications

Health Wellness and Nutrition

Personal Care Essentials

Other Products

By Age Group

Below 50

Above 50

By Geography

EU-4 the UK Germany UK France Italy Spain

Central Eastern Europe Poland Netherlands Russia Switzerland Czech Republic

Nordic Countries Denmark Sweden Norway Finland Iceland



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London, United Kingdom--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2024) - Laura Cioffi, founder of Vertis Media, has been named one of the UK's top 10 business advisers, winning the Marketing Strategy category at the Enterprise Nation UK Adviser Awards 2024. This accolade highlights her exceptional contribution to the field of strategic marketing, particularly as a woman excelling in a traditionally underrepresented area.

Laura Cioffi Awarded Marketing Strategy Advisor of The Year 2024 by Enterprise Nation UK

Operating from Hammersmith, West London, Laura Cioffi has been instrumental in delivering strategic marketing advice that empowers entrepreneurs to grow their businesses. Her recognition at the prestigious awards ceremony, held at The Shard in London, underscores her dedication and the impact of her work.

"This recognition means so much to me. I'm passionate about helping businesses unlock their growth potential through strategic marketing, and this award celebrates not just my work but the success of every business I've had the privilege to support," Laura expressed.

The Enterprise Nation UK Adviser Awards, in association with Constant Contact, a global digital marketing platform, celebrated the country's most impactful business advisers across ten categories. Laura's achievement was bolstered by significant public support, with over 4,000 votes cast nationwide.

"Laura's achievement is a testament to her unwavering commitment to excellence in marketing strategy. Her work not only elevates Vertis Media but also significantly contributes to the success of businesses worldwide," said Marco Piscitelli, CEO of Vertis Media.

Emma Jones, CBE, founder and CEO of Enterprise Nation, remarked, "It's true to say that behind every good business, there's an excellent adviser. They are the unsung heroes behind Britain's growing army of small businesses, and yet we never get to hear about the work they do behind the scenes to cheerlead and support the nation's small firms."

The awards aim to highlight the crucial role advisers play in supporting Britain's small business community, encouraging more businesses to seek guidance for growth. Laura Cioffi's recognition serves as an inspiration for aspiring marketers and business advisers alike.

Vertis Media, co-founded by Laura Cioffi and Marco Piscitelli, specializes in strategic brand experiences and native content. The agency's data-driven insights and multi-channel campaigns have fostered successful partnerships with industry giants such as IBM, Unilever, and P&G.

Laura Cioffi

About Vertis Media

Vertis Media is a digital marketing agency specialising in strategic brand experiences and native content. Through data-driven insights and multi-channel campaigns, we help businesses connect meaningfully with their audiences across digital environments.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/234514

SOURCE: Vertis Media
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2024 / CECP: Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose:

By: Daryl Brewster, CEO, CECP

Companies are operating in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world. The world is changing fast. People are frustrated. Societal tensions and expectations surrounding corporate leadership are mounting, including accountability, trust, and resentment. Citizens voted in new administrations in the U.S. and beyond, and in some cases, taken concerns into their own hands.

The coming year is the time for corporations to put their corporate purpose into bold action. Why? Companies have the scope and scale to deliver as a significant employer, supply chain engine, and social impact partner with society. In fact, CECP was founded because corporate leaders saw that the disinvestment in local operating communities while globalization grew was a false promise of prosperity. Businesses of all sizes contribute significantly to the U.S. economy, with private sector businesses alone collectively representing over 87% of U.S. GDP. But sharper tools are needed to address this VUCA world-such as vision paired with a plan of action, methods to listen and respond to stakeholders, and metrics to maintain accountability. And it all starts with purpose.

What does authentic corporate action look like? Leading companies will succeed both economically and in rebuilding trust by increasing business and societal value. The four areas for companies to focus on in 2025 to deliver a return on purpose include:

Focus on Sustainable Value with a Clear Purpose

Drop the Labels, Do the Work

Amp up Investments in Local Communities

Engage with Employees by Tapping into the Total Talent Pool

Focus on Sustainable Value with a Clear Purpose

Investors must sift through thousands of data points simply to understand a company's future plans and how it is addressing risk. We know from Investing in Society that in 2022 only 55% of Fortune 500 and 73% of S&P Global 1200 companies had net-zero targets. To authentically communicate commitment, companies can increase their reporting in these areas. And investors want to hear this information directly from the CEO. By integrating corporate purpose into their reporting and strategic frameworks, CEOs can authentically demonstrate how their companies are addressing short-term challenges while advancing long-term societal and financial goals.

Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose's (CECP) Giving in Numbers: 2024 Edition found almost all of the surveyed companies reference applying their corporate purpose as they made business decisions outside of social investments. While this suggests an integration of corporate purpose into the company's daily operations, 92% of companies also reported that their leadership referenced their purpose as they made social investment decisions such as grantmaking, strategy, and the development of focus areas. This is why we are continuously supporting companies with developing their Integrated Long-Term Plan Frameworks to help CEOs and CFOs communicate long-term plans and sustainable business strategies.

At CECP's recent CEO Investor Forum, leaders shared their strategies for material metrics and long-term value creation. "In the future, every single workflow will have AI embedded into it, and that's the only real way of creating value," said Rohit Kapoor, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, EXL. "AI by itself does not create value. AI embedded into the workflow creates value. If you can combine deep knowledge of your clients' business models along with a strong technical expertise in data and how to embed AI into the workflow, that is a very powerful equation, and that's what our strategy is built on."

Come to CECP for

Define your corporate purpose: Leading CEOs and CFOs are sharing their long-term visions. Aradhana Sarin, CFO; John Murphy, President & CFO, The Coca-Cola Company; Gil Quiniones, President & CEO, ComEd; and more, joined the ranks of nearly 100 leading CEOs and CFOs who have presented their Integrated Long-Term Plans to an audience of institutional investors, representing trillions of dollars in assets under management.

Integrated Long-Term Disclosure Analysis: a confidential tool intended for companies to

gain insights into how their public-facing reports and disclosures align with the information that is most important to long-term institutional investors.

Strategy and Impact Roundtables: Driving Climate Action: Strategies for C-Suite Commitment and Internal Alignment.

Drop the Labels, Do the Work

The purpose of a corporation is to conduct a profitable, lawful, ethical, and sustainable business, creating value over the long-term, in consideration of its stakeholders. It articulates the impact a company aims to have on its stakeholders, society, and the environment while fulfilling its business objectives. A well-defined corporate purpose aligns a company's values, strategy, and actions with long-term goals that serve both economic and social interests.

In our increasingly polarized world, what to call such corporate purpose efforts-especially with threats on terms such as Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) and Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)-remains a debate. For instance, 18 percent of CECP Pulse Survey respondents reported that their company has chosen not to speak up publicly in support of ESG to avoid drawing attention from critics, while continuing to invest in ESG strategies because they view it as beneficial for the company and its stakeholders.

These attacks on language used demonstrate the challenges that acronyms and labels carry when there may not be an understanding behind them. CECP research shows that companies are continuing to pursue their strategies and underlying goals-like meeting the European Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD)-although how they talk about it may evolve. The same CECP Pulse Survey conducted about the backlash against ESG and the challenges of measuring its core areas found that a quarter of the respondents indicated that the backlash has not impacted their strategies. Companies have invested too much to pull back and know the business value of staying committed to these promises. "We must continue to break this mistaken paradigm that purpose and profit are at odds. They go together," said Sara Armbruster, President & CEO, Steelcase Inc. "The more we can put those two things together and thread the needle in harmonious ways - that's when the magic happens."

But concurrently, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is under attack by activists, with many companies re-evaluating the legal and political risks associated with programs to bolster historically underrepresented groups. A recent CECP Pulse Survey found a third of respondents have changed the name of their DEI programs or departments in the last two years, suggesting a movement toward reevaluating, or potentially renaming and clarifying the outcomes of these initiatives to better align with evolving external developments and stakeholder expectations. We advise discussing responsible business initiatives in clear language and less business jargon, such as explaining efforts to make their people feel welcome, included, and connected.

But let's not confuse external-facing tactics like renaming with strategy, as many companies are still actively doing the work and recognize these programs are critical drivers for innovation, financial performance, and market reach. A corporate focus on belonging can be expansive and include workplace safety, career development, workplace flexibility, and fair management. For example, Applied Materials Momentum Fund, provides women majoring in engineering with timely financial support to cover unexpected expenses and helps ensure they complete their bachelor's and master's degrees. This is a time for companies to realize the substantial benefits of diversity and economic inclusion in creating a competitive edge., provides women majoring in engineering with timely financial support to cover unexpected expenses and helps ensure they complete their bachelor's and master's degrees. This is a time for companies to realize the still substantial benefits of diversity and economic inclusion in creating a competitive edge.

Come to CECP for:

Corporate purpose communications audits: To determine if the company is communicating its corporate purpose in a way that breaks through and highlights what it does best.

Developing Business Champions toolkit: A toolkit for CECP-affiliated companies to engage internal audiences such as the C-Suite, internal communications, and middle managers.

Purpose resources and networks for CEOs: Board of Boards, CEO Roundtables, and the CEO Purpose Weekly bulletin.

Amp up Investments in Local Communities

In the coming year, corporate investments in local communities will reflect evolving priorities shaped by societal and policy shifts. As companies achieve lower taxes and likely greater profitability, they may face rising expectations to demonstrate returns on their broader societal contributions. The Median Total Community Investment (TCI) for all companies participating in CECP's Giving in NumbersTMSurvey increased 2% between 2021 and 2023 to US$22.9 million, which includes direct cash, foundation cash, and non-cash, such as product donations or pro bono services. And community investment as a percentage of pre-tax profit increased 25% between 2020-2022, bringing the 2022 median just under 1% of pre-tax profit being allocated to community investment.

Given a likely 5% tax cut, companies can build trust among their stakeholders by being transparent with the way they will invest that windfall. We encourage companies to do a wide variety of things to invest in their companies and stakeholders, including seeking to allocate a minimum 1% of pre-tax profit-CECP's long-standing industry standard-to address pressing community and social issues. To be in the top quartile of companies, companies must double that standard to reach above 2% of pre-tax profit.

Leading companies are strategic about their investments and have moved away from scattered charitable grantmaking toward investments that deliver measurable social and economic impact. Median investments in the areas of Community and Economic Development increased by 87% between 2021 and 2023. This includes contributions to community development (e.g., aid to Black-owned businesses and economic development councils), housing and urban renewal, and grants to neighborhood or community-based groups-including anchor institutions. This approach emphasizes long-term community benefits, often aligning with business goals such as workforce development or market expansion. These investments have not only addressed immediate challenges but have also positioned businesses as critical partners in fostering sustainable economic growth.

Come to CECP for:

Consulting and benchmarking: on sustainable business, communications, giving/volunteering, employee engagement, and belonging in support of company strategy and corporate purpose questions.

Corporate trend dataon societal and community investment: Over 23 years, CECP has created the largest dataset on trends in the industry, shared by more than 600 multi-billion-dollar companies, representing more than $439 billion in corporate social investments over that time span:

Convenings CECP Summit: An experience that brings together 200+ corporate leaders who drive social strategies at the world's largest companies. This year's Summit will be held in Boston on May 19-21 under the theme Unleash the Power of Purpose . This vital corporate network will engage and learn together, navigating an agenda that delivers powerful insights on investing in communities and working together within their industry.



Engage with Employees by Tapping into the Total Talent Pool

Business owners whose companies rely on immigrant workers are processing what the next Administration could mean for their future, especially for frontline workers. Key changes anticipated include stricter visa processes, heightened enforcement, and possible curtailment of programs like DACA, which has allowed many immigrants to work in the U.S. How should companies more readily engage with their employees while keeping this in mind?

One of the ways companies are mitigating these challenges is by focusing on retention strategies. Employers are proactively assessing their workforce, expanding analysis of a robust pipeline of talent needed for the jobs of the future, and reskilling current employees to stay up to date?. Pariveda believes Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOP) are a powerful way to support employee engagement by enabling employees to own part, or all, of the company they work for. Fidelity Investments is working to tailor engagement and charitable giving for the multigenerational workforce. And AI is empowering the workforce by saving time and enabling better decisions. Amit Bajaj, President - North America, Tata Consultancy Services said, "TCS has carved its place as a pioneer of emerging technologies like AI, which is disrupting industries globally-and we are set to create one of the largest AI-ready workforces in the world." By fostering a sense of ownership and investing in the development and upskilling of talent, employers will increase job satisfaction and career growth opportunities that boost employee morale and retention.

The focus on workforce development fosters a culture of belonging for your employees. Over the next five years, projections suggest that the U.S. will continue to diversify, with younger generations leading the way. Approximately 45% of Gen Z who were eligible to vote in 2024 are individuals of color. And as of this decade, white men now make up about 20% of U.S. college graduates, where in the early 2000s, white men accounted for approximately 30-35% of college graduates. These shifts have implications for meeting specific workforce needs, as the nation adapts to an increasingly racially and ethnically diverse population.

Come to CECP for:

Advanced Advisories and unlimited Fast-Track Consulting: Using proprietary frameworks

and knowledge, we develop customized advisory projects for companies to build, operationalize, communicate, measure, and report their purpose strategies.

Accelerators: on Resiliency in Crises & Disaster Response (January), Innovation in STEM & Workforce (March), and Elevating Employee Engagement (April

CECP's Employee Engagement Benchmark and BelongingBenchmark: to create an understanding of how your company compares to peers and then how your company should evolve strategy.

In 2025, businesses have a significant opportunity to demonstrate leadership by aligning corporate strategy with societal goals. But what does this mean for you and how will you navigate the next four years? How will your company step up to meet the needs of your people and communities? How will you leverage this societal role to deliver a measurable return on purpose for your company?

To support these vital societal policies and programs, leading companies will be well served to come together to share the business cases for responsible business and workplaces that care for their people and keep them safe, while allocating at least 1% of pre-tax profit to address pressing community and social issues. These actions will establish trust, create a culture where employees will stay, and meet stakeholder demands, ultimately building resilience for the future.

By focusing on dropping the labels and doing the work, amping up investments in local communities, engaging with employees by tapping into the total talent pool, and focusing on sustainable values with a clear purpose, companies create enduring value that benefits both their bottom line and society. Businesses are key players in shaping a thriving economy and a better world.

About Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose (CECP)

Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose (CECP) is the only business counsel and network dedicated to driving measurable returns on purpose. We promote responsible purpose-driven business as it increases customer loyalty, builds employee engagement, improves brand trust, attracts top talent, connects with strategic investors, and contributes to the bottom line.

More than 200 of the world's leading companies seek to improve their return on purpose through access to CECP's solutions in research and insights, strategy and benchmarking, and convening and communications. With our companies, we harness the power of purpose for business, stakeholders, and society.

For more information, visit http://cecp.co.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from CECP: Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: CECP: Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/cecp-chief-executives-corporate-purpose

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: CECP: Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Silver Spruce Resources Inc. (TSXV:SSE) ("Silver Spruce" or the "Company") along with our partner Colibri Resource Corp. ("Colibri" and together with Silver Spruce, the "Companies"), jointly announce the completion of core drilling operations at four polymetallic targets during our second drilling program at the Diamante project ("Diamante or the "Property"). The 7-hole, 800-metre program tested extensions to two 2022 drilling sections and two new priority target areas resulting from the 2022 through 2024 exploration programs (Tables 1 and 2, Figure 1).

The discovery of mineralization following up on a ground resistivity survey at El Pillado South, which includes an intercept of 94.80 g/t Ag, 0.08 g/t Au, 2.89% Pb, and 1.12 % Zn over an intersection length of 2.50 metres ("m"), was a highlight of the drilling program.

Greg Davison, Silver Spruce Vice-President Exploration and Director stated, "We were pleased to identify Ag-Pb-ZnAu vein-controlled mineralization within extensions to the previously drilled areas at La Prieta and El Pillado and two new opportunities for widening the target testing at El Pillado South and Mezquite-Raizudo based on the geological and geophysical interpretations and look forward to expanding future ground exploration of other known anomalous areas."

Ian McGavney, President & CEO of Colibri commented, "We encountered considerable difficulties with core quality and recovery in this year's drill program at Diamante. However, we are very pleased with the result from our El Pillado South drilling which targeted a large colour anomaly extending south of the Pillado zone. Both holes drilled at El Pillado South intersected longer intercepts of highly anomalous mineralization and a higher grade intercept of 94.80 ppm Ag, 2.89% Pb, and 1.12% Zn over a core length of 2.50 m. These results expand the scope of our exploration model and targeting which we believe significantly enhances the discovery potential at Diamante."

The drill-ready 1,057-ha Diamante gold-silver (Au-Ag) property is located 8 km northwest of the town of Tepoca, and 160 km southeast of the capital city of Hermosillo, eastern Sonora, Mexico (Figure 1).

Diamante offers strong precious metal tenor with a polymetallic endowment, multiple quality targets, styles of mineralization, limited artisanal mining and small-scale production, of particular significance for our exploration moving forward, only one phase of reverse circulation drilling prior to the Companies' 2024 program.

Table 1. Planned 2024 Diamante core drilling program

2024 Drilling Program

Two holes were drilled at each of El Pillado and La Prieta zones to follow up on previous positive drill results. Two holes were drilled to test the results of an electrical (resistivity) survey covering part of an extensive color anomaly located immediately south of El Pillado zone. One hole was drilled to explore Mezquite-Raizudo target area located approximately 2.3 km south-southwest of El Pillado.

Figure 1. Diamante 1 and 2 Concessions, north and south, respectively, showing current targets for 2024 program. Regional location shown in southeastern Sonora State, Mexico. Eight principal drill target areas with 17 permitted pads and requisite access routes (DIA 1 (north block) - La Prieta, El Pillado-El Caso-La Cruz, El Chon-El Chon Ouest, DIA 2 (south block)- Mezquite Raizudo, Calton, Anomalia Sur) are shown on shaded topography (GMCA report, January 2024).

El Pillado

El Pillado zone is located at the northwestern end of the southeasterly trending, 17-hectare colour anomaly (defined by argillic and iron oxide response by hyperspectral analysis) measuring approximately 550 m x 350 m (see Figure 2). Colibri and Silver Spruce have completed geological mapping and sampling at El Pillado and in 2022 completed 1,065 m in nine (9) reverse circulation ("RC") drill holes. Highlights of the 2022 drilling include:

0.18 g/t Au, 145 g/t Ag, 1.35% Zn and 1.01 % Pb over an intersection length of 12.0 m

0.21 g/t Au, 42 g/t Ag, 2,14 % Zn, and 0.68% Pb over an intersection length of 16.5 m

0.04 g/t Au, 6.27 g/t Ag, 0.78 % Zn, and 0.12 % Pb over an intersection length of 10.5 m

The 2024 drilling at El Pillado was planned to intersect a northeasterly trend of mineralization evident in the 2022 drilling. Both holes drilled in the 2024 program intersected multiple mineralized intervals indicated by the occurrence of fault rocks hosting vein quartz with or without galena, sphalerite, or pyrite and sericite alteration. Significant intercepts from 2024 El Pillado, El Pillado South and Mezquite-Raizudo areas drilling are contained in Table 2.

AgEq is calculated using the following metal prices: US$2654 per ounce Au, US$30.61 per ounce Ag, US$0.92 per pound Pb, and US$1.40 per pound Zn. No metallurgical recoveries have been applied.

Table 2. Significant assay highlights from 2024 Diamante diamond drilling program

El Pillado South

During 2024, Colibri and Silver Spruce completed 2 lines of electrical exploration (resistivity) located approximately 125 m southeast of the historical Pillado mine workings. Two holes were planned to test a domain characterized by sharp, moderately north dipping (apparent), resistivity gradients (see Figures 2, 3, 4 and 5). Both holes intersected significant lengths of anomalous mineralization, 22.5 m in hole DIA24-03 and 8.2 m in hole DIA24-04. Hole DIA24-03 included an intercept of 0.08 g/t Au, 94.80 g/t Ag, 2,89 % Pb, and 1.12 % Zn.

Figure 2. El Pillado and El Pillado South drilling target areas showing colour anomaly (see Figure3 below), resistivity survey lines and preliminary ENE-trending structure interpretation.

Figure 3. El Pillado south target showing distinct colour anomaly (argillic and iron oxide hyperspectral response from LANDSAT 8 OLI interpretation) and collar location for DDH DIA24-004 at apex of ridge along western resistivity survey line.

Figure 4. El Pillado and El Pillado South drilling target areas showing drill collars, AgEq values for core intervals, resistivity survey lines and preliminary ENE-trending structure interpretation.

Figure 5. El Pillado South drilling target area showing drill collars, AgEq values for core intervals, resistivity section and preliminary ENE-trending structure interpretation. Inset map on photomosaic from LiDAR survey.

La Prieta

La Prieta target consists of a southwest-striking, steeply northwest-dipping vein and vein splay structure. Colibri and Silver Spruce completed 941 m in nine (10) reverse circulation ("RC") drill holes. Highlights of the previous drilling include:

2.48 g/t Au and 56.7 g/t Ag over an intersection length of 9.0 m

1.76% Zn, 38.5 g/t Ag and 0.56 g/t Au over an intersection length of 13.5 m

1.61% Zn, 38.5 g/t Ag and 0.63 g/t Au over an intersection length of 10.5 m

During the 2024 program, two holes were drilled to test down dip and along trend to the northeast of previously intersected mineralization (Figure 6. Mineralized intervals consisting of vein quartz in altered and highly fractured andesite was intersected. However, core quality and recovery in the mineralized zones was poor and grades were anomalous.

Figure 6. La Prieta drilling target areas showing drill collars and AgEq values for core intervals. Inset map on high resolution LIDAR base.

Diamante - Recent Exploration

The Diamante property hosts numerous historical artisanal and small-scale mining sites and combined with mineralization on the nearby Jackie property exhibit the geological characteristics of epithermal low to intermediate sulfidation Ag-Au (Pb-Zn), high sulfidation Au-Cu, and potential transition zones within and peripheral to porphyry style Au-Cu mineralization.

Sporadic surface exploration since 2011 has resulted in several surface showings comprised of epithermal precious and base metal mineralization (Au-Ag+/-Cu, Pb, Zn). Colibri and Silver Spruce commenced geochemical and geological exploration activities on Diamante during 2021.

The 2022 exploration plans included a 2,000 metre reverse circulation drill program on Diamante 1 and 2 to evaluate four to seven of the principal targets exhibiting high grades of polymetallic Au-Ag-Pb-Zn-Cu mineralization with coincident alteration, shearing and veining. Mineralization was reported visually as pyrite, arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, argentiferous galena, argentite, hematite and probable metal oxides, carbonates and sulphates, including copper carbonate (malachite), copper sulphates and plumbojarosite.

Colibri (operator) and Silver Spruce completed the first-ever drill program on Diamante at the El Pillado and La Prieta targets located on Diamante 1. Results from the 2022 drilling include 2.48 grams per tonne ("g/t") Au and 56.7 g/t Ag over an intersection length of 9.0 metres ("m") from La Prieta and 0.26 g/t Au and 184.5 g/t Ag over an intersection length of 6.0 m from El Pillado. Drilling at both targets intersected highly anomalous base metals in highlighted drill assay intervals. Through the fall of 2023, Colibri and Silver Spruce completed a program of geological mapping, rock sampling and stream sediment sampling on Diamante resulting in the discovery of two new surface showings (see Colibri press release January 9, 2024). The prioritization of targets and drill plan for the 2024 program at Diamante was based on this work combined with comprehensive compilation and interpretation of historical exploration information.

The targets under consideration for current and future drilling include Aguaje, El Chon-El Chon Oeste, La Olla-La Cruz, El Caso, Calton, El Cumbro and additional Mezquite-Raizudo targets (see Silver Spruce press releases of April 26, 2021, January 24, 2022, and April 10, 2024, and Colibri press release January 9, 2024). Disseminated and stockwork mineralization at Anomalia Sur and El Puerto offer two known bulk tonnage targets for subsequent drilling programs.

Project Background

Silver Spruce can acquire up to 50% interest in the Diamante concessions with a cumulative land position of 1,057 hectares (see Press Release of April 29, 2021). The Diamante property consists of the Diamante 1 and Diamante 2 concessions located adjacent to the Jackie property which covers 1,113 hectares providing Silver Spruce with a total of 2,170 hectares of exploration ground. The Property is very well situated in terms of resource and logistics for exploration and is easily accessible from Sonora state Highway 16 which transects Diamante 1 and on several ranch trails and dry river beds to Diamante 2.

The Property is located within the west-central portion of the Sierra Madre Occidental Volcanic Complex within the northwest-trending "Sonora Gold Belt" of northern Mexico. Mining and exploration in the surrounding area is very active with adjacent and nearby properties held by Alamos Gold, Argonaut, Agnico Eagle, Evrim, Newmont, Garibaldi, Kootenay Silver and Penoles among others. Diamante is located approximately 12 km northwest of Minera Alamos' Santana Au development project which is nearing commercial production.

Geochemical Analysis, Quality Assurance and Quality Control

Drilling samples ( splits of sawn core) were delivered by the Project Geologist from the Property to the ALS sample preparation facility in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. The remaining  splits were transported to Colibri's storage facilities in Suaqui Grande, south of Tecoripa, Sonora, Mexico.

Sample shipments comprising a total of 368 samples in four shipments, including 37 QA/QC insertions, to ALS Global in Hermosillo were delivered on a regular basis during the program.

The samples were crushed to 70% passing 2mm (PREP-31) and a split of up to 250 grams pulverized to 85% passing 75 micrometres (-200 mesh). The sample pulps and crushed splits were transferred internally to ALS Global's North Vancouver, Canada or Lima, Peru analytical facility for gold and multi-element analysis.

Pulps (50gram split) were submitted for Au analysis by Fire Assay with Atomic Absorption finish (Au-AA24). The retained pulps also were processed by Four Acid Digestion followed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES) multi-element analyses (ME-ICP61). Over-limit Au and Ag samples were analyzed by Fire Assay with Gravimetric Finish Ore Grade (Au-GRA21 or Au-GRA22, Ag-GRA21). Overlimit base metals are analyzed by Four Acid Digestion followed by Ore Grade Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES) for Cu, Pb and Zn (Cu-OG62, Pb-OG62, Zn-OG62). High grade samples above the range of the Ore Grade OG62 analysis are digested, as above, and analyzed using Titration (e.g., Pb-Vol70).

Local chain of custody was monitored and maintained by the Project Geologist under the general direction of the QP. In-house quality control samples were inserted into the sample set by the Project Geologist. ALS Global conducts its own internal QA/QC program of blanks, standards and duplicates, and the results are provided with the Company sample certificates. The results of the internal and ALS control samples will be reviewed by the Company's QP and evaluated for acceptable tolerances prior to disclosure. All sample and pulp rejects will be stored at ALS Global pending full review of the analytical data, and future selection of pulps for independent third-party check analyses, as requisite. ALS Global in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, is a facility certified as ISO 9001:2008 and accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2005 from the Standards Council of Canada.

Difficult drilling conditions were encountered on the 2024 program at Diamante. In general, core quality, as measured by RQD, was poor. This was especially evident in mineralized or potentially mineralized intervals characterized by alteration, veining and micro veining, and oxidized and partially oxidized fractures. Similarly, core recovery in the mineralized intervals was less than 100% and locally was less than 40%. The core provides for the recognition of rock types and the recognition of alteration, vein quartz, and sulphide minerals comprising mineralization. However, the core quality precludes detailed evaluation, including quantitative structural analysis, and limits interpretation integrating previous drilling and geological mapping and sampling. The sampling and assaying provide a clear indication of the presence of mineralization consistent with the visual recognition. However, given the poor recovery, particularly in the anticipated mineralized intercepts in La Prieta, the drill core assays are not considered representative of in-situ grades.

Additional metal values disclosed herein by the Companies are reported from representative splits of drill chip samples whereas those reported from grab and channel samples from earlier programs may not be representative of the metal grades. The Company's Qualified Person believes that the sampling documentation, analytical protocols and quantitative data will withstand scrutiny for inclusion.

Qualified Persons

Greg Davison, PGeo, Silver Spruce VP Exploration and Director, is the Company's internal Qualified Person for the Diamante Project and is responsible for approval of the technical content of this press release within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"), under TSX guidelines.

Jamie Lavigne, P. Geo. and a Director for Colibri is a Qualified Person as defined in NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical information in this press release.

About Silver Spruce Resources Inc.

Silver Spruce Resources Inc. is a Canadian junior exploration company holding 100% of the Melchett Lake Zn-Au-Ag project in northern Ontario and has signed Definitive Agreements to acquire 100% interest in the Mystery Au project in the Exploits Gold Belt, Newfoundland and Labrador, 100% interest in the Pino de Plata Ag project located 15 kilometres west of Coeur Mining's Palmarejo Mine in western Chihuahua, Mexico and 25% interest in BIMCOL Minera's Diamante Au-Ag project located northwest from Minera Alamos' Nicho deposit in Sonora, Mexico. Silver Spruce also has a 50:50 joint venture agreement with Colibri on the nearby Jackie Au project. Silver Spruce Resources Inc. continues to investigate opportunities that Management has identified or that have been presented to the Company for consideration.

Contact:

Silver Spruce Resources Inc.

Greg Davison, PGeo, Vice-President Exploration and Director

(250) 521-0444

gdavison@silverspruceresources.com

Michael Kinley, CEO

(902) 402-0388

mkinley@silverspruceresources.com

info@silverspruceresources.com

www.silverspruceresources.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements," Statements in this press release which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future, including but not limited to, statements regarding the private placement.

Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others, the inherent uncertainties associated with mineral exploration and difficulties associated with obtaining financing on acceptable terms. We are not in control of metals prices and these could vary to make development uneconomic. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and we assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions will prove to be accurate.

SOURCE: Silver Spruce Resources, Inc.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- This week, the Royal Air Force (RAF) took a significant leap forward in redefining pilot training with the completion of successful demonstration flights of a revolutionary airborne augmented reality (AR) technology, ATARS (Advanced Tactical Augmented Reality System), on its Hawk advanced training jet. RAF test pilots were able to identify, engage, and defeat virtual adversaries and co-operate with synthetic wingmen while airborne in real time.

"We're thrilled to see the Royal Air Force embrace the transformative potential of ATARS (Advanced Tactical Augmented Reality System). This successful demonstration marks a massive milestone in, showcasing how Red 6's technology will revolutionize pilot training. By projecting synthetically generated entities through Red 6's patented augmented reality technology into the field of view of the pilots, ATARS negates the need to provide live aircraft and instructors for students to fly with, or against. This revolutionary technology promises to transform the capacity and quality of UK Military Flying Training by increasing the throughput of students at enormous cost savings to the MoD. It's an honour to collaborate with the RAF as we redefine the future of aviation training," said Daniel Robinson, Founder and CEO of Red 6.

This summer, the RAF awarded a contract to BAE Systems to conduct the in-flight demonstration of ATARS, developed by AR specialists Red 6, on a Hawk TMk2 aircraft. The contract was delivered by the UK Military Flying Training System (MFTS) Hawk Delivery Team at Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), the procurement arm of the UK MOD.

Air Commodore Rob Caine, the RAF's Head of Flying Training, said: "Exploitation of novel technologies like this is an essential part of ensuring the RAF is able to sustain our combat edge and to be ready to fly, fight, and win when called upon by our Country. This latest development is a very exciting proposition and a huge opportunity to improve training quality, increase throughput and lower essential overheads like aircraft, airspace, and instructors. We are all looking forward to seeing how we can take this kind of technology into our plans for the future."

This demonstration is full circle for Red 6 Founder and CEO, Daniel Robinson. Robinson was a Qualified Weapons Instructor on the Tornado F3 with the Royal Air Force, before being selected as the first non-American to fly the F-22 Raptor for the USAF. In 2018, he formed Red 6 with a vision to transform military flying training for all allied nations world-wide.

The ATARS assessment has provided the UK essential insights into the value of capabilities such as augmented reality which can be considered for inclusion in the UK's Military Flying Training System. Red 6 looks forward to continuing to work with the RAF to deliver a paradigm shift in capacity and capability, while delivering enormous cost savings to the MoD.

ABOUT RED 6

Red 6, founded in 2018, is the creator of Advanced Tactical Augmented Reality System (ATARS) and Augmented Reality Command and Analytic Data Environment (ARCADE). Red 6 systems are the first wide field-of-view, full colour demonstrably proven outdoor augmented reality solution that operates in dynamic outdoor environments. Together, they bring virtual and constructive assets into the real-world by allowing pilots and ground operators to see synthetic threats in real-time, outdoors, and critically, in high-speed environments.

Red6ar.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/raf-innovates-the-future-of-pilot-training-with-revolutionary-red-6-augmented-reality-technology-on-hawk-jet-302337382.html
ABU DHABI, UAE, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Juma Al Majid Co. LLC, the exclusive distributor for Hyundai in the UAE, announced the two Hydrogen Fuel Cell Buses are delivered and operated in the public transport in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the Capital of the UAE.

This celebration comes after the milestone of delivering the first buses in November 2024. Hyundai Elec City FC and Universe FC are participating in the Integrated Transport Centre (Abu Dhabi Mobility) Green Bus programme, which is taking place from present until the end of 2025. The programme consists of electric and hydrogen buses, in the city and regional bus categories. The Hyundai hydrogen buses are operating on their respective routes, Elec City FC on City Route 65, and Universe FC on Regional Route 160.

Suliman Al Zaben, Director of Hyundai UAE remarked: "We are proud to embark on this transformative journey with ITC towards sustainable and innovative transportation solutions. The delivery of these advanced hydrogen-powered buses to ITC marks a new chapter in our commitment to promoting clean energy and pioneering technologies in the region. This collaboration, supported by the visionary leadership of Juma Al Majid, reaffirms our shared dedication to creating a greener, more sustainable future while addressing the needs of Abu Dhabi's residents and commuters. Hyundai's excitement and optimism about the potential of this partnership with ITC underline our joint ambition to lead the transition towards emissions-free mobility in the UAE."

The Green Bus Programme in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi is a comprehensive plan to assess and manage public transport buses in the emirate. Its objective is to evaluate and select the most suitable technologies and solutions in hydrogen and electric power and to provide these options to residents, visitors, and commuters in Abu Dhabi. This will be achieved through collaboration with international government bodies and bus manufacturers. The programme is tailored to be more appropriate for the local environment. It also includes the enhancement and development of Emirati skills and expertise through specialised training programmes in hydrogen and electric buses, as well as practical training opportunities abroad.

Hyundai UAE continues to lead the way in sustainable transportation solutions. From the initial launch of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to these recent achievements in the UAE, Hyundai remains committed to driving innovation and building a hydrogen economy across the region.

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Sprocket Security , the expert-driven offensive security platform with an industry-leading continuous pentesting solution, today announced the launch of the Ahead of the Breach (AOB) Bot , an AI assistant that makes insights from the Ahead of the Breach podcast instantly searchable and accessible. With over 100,000 words of conversations with CISOs, penetration testers, and security researchers now available through the bot, security practitioners can quickly find relevant guidance without having to listen to hours of podcast episodes.

The bot draws from in-depth discussions between Ahead of the Breach host and Sprocket CEO Casey Cammilleri and industry leaders about offensive security strategies, vulnerability management, and real-world security challenges.

Powered by the Delphi.ai digital cloning technology, AOB Bot can provide specific, contextual answers to security questions by analyzing dozens of expert conversations from the podcast archive. Users receive detailed responses with direct citations to relevant podcast episodes and timestamps, making it easy to dive deeper into topics of interest.

Security professionals can quickly access expert guidance on topics including:

Building effective vulnerability management programs and prioritization frameworks

Implementing continuous penetration testing strategies

Designing purple team exercises and detection scenarios

Balancing innovation with security controls

Developing board-level security communications

Responding to emerging threats like AI-enabled attacks

"While our podcast features invaluable insights from security leaders, we know practitioners don't always have time to listen to every episode," said Casey Cammilleri, CEO of Sprocket Security. "AOB Bot makes these conversations instantly searchable, helping teams quickly find specific guidance when they need it most."

Experience Ahead of the Breach Bot at http://sprocketsecurity.com/aob-bot .

About Sprocket Security

Sprocket Security is an expert-driven offensive cybersecurity platform specializing in continuous penetration testing. From attack surface management to red and purple teaming exercises, Sprocket's platform is setting a new standard in offensive cybersecurity for enterprises across industries. To schedule a demo of Sprocket, please visit www.sprocketsecurity.com/watch-demo .

###

Contact Information

SOURCE: Sprocket

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Chicago, Illinois--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2024) - American Marketing Association Chicago is pleased to announce that registration is now open for BrandSmart 2025, the longest running brand marketing conference in the U.S. BrandSmart brings together noteworthy speakers and future-forward marketers at the top of their fields to share proven tools, smart ideas, and inspiring stories. Attendees will hear keynote presentations, attend insightful break-out sessions, and network with peer marketers. The event will take place in the heart of Chicago's loop at the University Club of Chicago on April 24, 2025, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Now in its 23rd year, BrandSmart is produced by the American Marketing Association Chicago, the largest AMA chapter in North America. More than 300 brand marketers are expected to attend.

"BrandSmart has set the gold standard as the nation's must-attend event for brand strategists and innovative marketers. Every year, it brings together a dynamic mix of seasoned professionals and emerging leaders from across the country to exchange ideas, inspire creativity, and drive the industry forward. This year promises to be our best yet, and we encourage everyone to secure their spot early for an unparalleled marketing industry experience," said AMA Chicago President Josh Blacksmith.

The conference theme, "Future-Proofing Your Brand," was chosen to empower marketers with the latest information and thought leadership to ensure that their brands thrive in ever-evolving markets. With marketing leaders from brands such as NASCAR, Medline, United Airlines, and Loyola University Chicago professionals working in B2B, B2C and the nonprofit industry will all find relevant sessions to attend throughout the conference. Main stage speakers and session leaders will cover timely topics that affect marketing decision making, including artificial intelligence, data privacy, omnichannel strategies, sustainability, and emotional branding. The content offers strategic inspiration and practical knowledge on a broad range of marketing skills, such as harnessing predictive analytics, fostering brand loyalty, and creating impactful DEI initiatives.

Sessions include:

NASCAR Chicago Street Race with Julie Giese

B2B Omnichannel Journey with Christine Mau of Medline

Beyond the Buzzword: Building Brand Loyalty Through Diversity and Inclusion with Omo Ogbomo-Williams of VML

Brand Analytics & Measurement with Julia Fedor, Director of Advertising & Social Media Operations at United Airlines

From Roots to Relevance: How a 500-year-Old Brand Adapts to Customer Needs with Frank Haas, Head of Corporate Brand Strategy & Communications at Gebruder Weiss

Brand Storytelling and Emotional Branding with Christine Buck, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer for the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), and the 2024 recipient of AMA Chicago's "Marketer of the Year" award

Data-Driven Insights for Sustainable Brand Growth with Lova Randrianasolo, PhD of Loyola University

Responsible Digital Transformation with Jennifer Severns from Severns Innovation Group

Reducing Failures: All You Need to Know You Learned in Marketing 101 with Gary Kash of Gary Kash Marketing Insights

AI for Job Security with Rick Wion of Ingredion Incorporated

Future Proofing Talent for Marketing Organizations with Tatia Torrey of Spencer Stuart

Additional speakers and sessions will be announced soon. Check the BrandSmart 2025 website for updates.

Early bird conference tickets are available through February 1, 2025. Additional pricing options are available for students, groups, and a membership/event ticket bundle. BrandSmart sponsors include Viant, VML, Cvent, Be Found Online, Mutinex, Robert Half Talent Solutions and fjorge. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit https://brandsmart.amachicago.org/pricing/.

About AMA Chicago

AMA Chicago is the largest professional chapter in the American Marketing Association's North American network. The American Marketing Association Chicago provides ongoing development opportunities for Chicagoland marketers to expand knowledge, improve skills, and grow both their networks and careers through access to innovative marketing thought leaders and cutting-edge programming. Visit amachicago.org.

The American Marketing Association Chicago's 2025 BrandSmart Conference at University Club of Chicago on April 24th is open for early bird registration.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

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To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/234626

SOURCE: American Marketing Association Chicago
??Cascale Collaborates with Industry Leaders to Advance Climate Action and Support Brands on Their Sustainability Journey

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS, HONG KONG, and OAKLAND, CA / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2024 / Cascale, the global nonprofit alliance formerly known as the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, announces its collaboration with FASHION LEAP FOR CLIMATE, an industry-leading initiative founded by ABOUT YOU Group, YOOX NET-A-PORTER, and Zalando in collaboration with Quantis. This joint effort aims to accelerate the adoption of science-based targets within the textile, apparel, and footwear industry and allows Cascale to better support its brand members in their sustainability and climate action journeys.

Climate Education for Industry Change

Launched in 2022, FASHION LEAP FOR CLIMATE is designed to elevate the fashion industry's response to the inherent climate challenges it faces. It supports fashion brands to learn how to measure their own carbon footprints and set targets in line with climate science. Since 2022, over 85 percent of the brand partners that have participated reported an increase in their understanding of climate issues and science-based targets to reduce Scope 3 emissions.

Recognizing the vital role fashion retailers play in driving industry transformation, FASHION LEAP FOR CLIMATE's co-founders have consistently focused on empowering brands, partners, and suppliers to accelerate their climate initiatives. Recently, ASOS, BOOZT, and Selfridges Group joined FASHION LEAP FOR CLIMATE as new members, extending the climate education program invitation to hundreds of fashion brands within their combined portfolio-further underscoring its growing impact.

Now, Cascale - uniting over 300 organizations across the global consumer goods industry - has joined forces with FASHION LEAP FOR CLIMATE to accelerate science-based target adoption and deepen its members' learning journey. This collaboration offers an immersive eight-week education program with step-by-step guidance on measuring corporate carbon footprints and submitting science-based targets to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), reflecting a collective, industry-wide commitment to meaningful climate action. A pilot program, launched on October 28, 2024, marked the beginning of this enhanced educational support for Cascale members.

Colin Browne, chief executive officer at Cascale, commented, "The climate crisis is here, and fashion's supply chain feels it every day. There's no time to waste. That's why we're excited to partner with FASHION LEAP FOR CLIMATE to accelerate the adoption of science-based targets across the industry. The need for clear, measurable climate action has never been more urgent. By helping our brand and retailer members better understand and commit to these targets, we can make meaningful progress and drive the real, lasting change this moment demands."

Cascale's Decarbonization Program will benefit from the comprehensive educational offerings provided through FASHION LEAP FOR CLIMATE, further enhancing members' capacity to reduce emissions. Since integrating SBTs into Cascale membership requirements in 2023, over 60 percent of Cascale corporate members have set or are actively working towards setting SBTs or science-aligned targets (SATs). Establishing these targets is critical to establishing effective decarbonization strategies and cutting emissions. Cascale's collaboration with FASHION LEAP FOR CLIMATE serves as a key initiative in accelerating progress toward Cascale's goal of 80 percent SBT or SAT adoption among its corporate members - including brands, retailers, holding groups, third-party retailers, and manufacturers - and reinforces the organization's commitment to combating climate change.

ABOUT CASCALE

Cascale is the global nonprofit alliance empowering collaboration to drive equitable and restorative business practices in the consumer goods industry. Formerly known as the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, Cascale owns and develops the Higg Index, which is exclusively available on Worldly, the most comprehensive sustainability data and insights platform. Cascale unites over 300 retailers, brands, manufacturers, governments, academics, and NGO/nonprofit affiliates around the globe through one singular vision: To catalyze impact at scale and give back more than we take to the planet and its people. LinkedIn | X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

ABOUT FASHION LEAP FOR CLIMATE

The FASHION LEAP FOR CLIMATE industry initiative was co-founded by ABOUT YOU, YOOX NET-A-PORTER and ZALANDO, and is run in partnership with ASOS, BOOZT and SELFRIDGES GROUP to drive climate education, engagement and action in the global apparel & footwear industry. Brands interested in learning how to measure greenhouse gas emissions, set targets aligned with climate science, and submit them to the SBTi, as well as retailers interested in accelerating the adoption of science-based targets among their brand partners, are invited to get in touch: info@fashionleapforclimate.com.

For further information on FASHION LEAP FOR CLIMATE, visit: https://fashionleapforclimate.com/

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Cascale on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Cascale

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/cascale

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Cascale

View the original press release on accesswire.com
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2024 / Governance & Accountability Institute, Inc.:

G&A's Sustainability Highlights (12.15.2024)

With 2024 rapidly drawing to a close, the attention of the ESG and sustainability world has shifted to what lies ahead for businesses, regulators, and governments in 2025. One thing is for certain: geopolitical uncertainties and new political leadership in the U.S., Germany, and other major economies will likely have an impact on global efforts to combat climate change. At the same time, many experts are optimistic that the use of advanced technologies and the implementation of mandatory climate disclosures will help companies make progress on their sustainability goals.

Our Top Stories in this issue focus on 2025 predictions for key climate and sustainability themes and trends. Sarah Nelson, Lead Economist of Economics & Sustainability for Oxford Economics, highlights five key sustainability themes she expects to see in 2025. First, she states that "political disruptions and ongoing conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan are reshaping international priorities, raising concerns about the future of global cooperation on climate action."

The second and third themes are related: Nelson sees continued challenges to global climate solutions from inequalities between high income nations and developing nations, with high income nations showing reluctance to commit funds at COP29. This lack of support from governments will present a challenge as "the private nature finance market is growing but remains far short of the scale needed to complement public nature finance commitments."

Nelson's fourth theme focuses on the opportunities and risks presented by artificial intelligence (AI) for meeting sustainability challenges, with the potential benefits of AI to help improve the energy grid and supply chains offset by the enormous amounts of electricity, water, and critical materials used by large AI models. The fifth theme highlights growing market expectations of corporate sustainability such as the implementation of mandatory climate disclosures in the EU. Overall, Oxford Economics remains skeptical that the inevitability of climate impacts will translate into a renewed sense of urgency among global leaders.

Sustainability Magazine strikes a more optimistic tone in its predictions for major trends in 2025. Among these trends are sustainability disclosure requirements becoming more stringent and standardized globally, with companies facing increased scrutiny and potential penalties for greenwashing. Sustainable finance such as ESG-linked financial products and green bonds are projected to expand rapidly. The use of ESG metrics in C-suite executive incentive plans is expected to intensify, particularly environmental metrics such as carbon emissions reduction.

Other predictions from Sustainability Magazine include an increased focus on water stewardship, circular economy models and sustainable packaging. Investments in renewable energy are expected to surge as more companies commit to 100% renewable energy goals. The publication also highlights the opportunities presented by AI to help companies optimize sustainability efforts across operations and supply chains, adopting AI-driven technologies to measure and reduce their carbon footprints.

As we look forward to 2025, the G&A team is available as always to help you navigate the challenges and opportunities you face on your sustainability journey. Email us at info@ga-institute.com. We wish you all the joys of the holiday season.

This is just the introduction of G&A's Sustainability Highlights newsletter this week. Click here to view the full issue.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Governance & Accountability Institute, Inc. on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Governance & Accountability Institute, Inc.

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/governance-accountability-institute-inc

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Governance & Accountability Institute, Inc.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
MIDLAND, MI / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2024 / DOW:

Keith Cleason Named President of Dow Packaging & Specialty Plastics

Jane Palmieri, President of Dow Industrial Intermediates & Infrastructure, to Retire from Dow

Marco ten Bruggencate Named President of Dow Industrial Intermediates & Infrastructure

Dow (NYSE:DOW) announced a series of business leadership changes.

Following the Company's recent appointment of Karen S. Carter as Chief Operating Officer, Keith Cleason has been named president of Dow's Packaging & Specialty Plastics (P&SP) operating segment, including responsibility for the Packaging and Specialty Plastics business performance. He succeeds Carter. In his new role, Cleason will also assume executive oversight for Latin America. The transition will begin immediately.

Cleason will be responsible for continuing the growth of P&SP in alignment with Dow's sustainability goals and targets. His comprehensive expertise in the industry will be instrumental in driving the business strategy, allocating resources, and managing the Company's assets to maintain Dow's leadership in the market.

"Keith's strategic mindset and his proven leadership make him ideal for this transformative phase of P&SP. His vision and expertise will be crucial in driving our sustainability goals while maintaining our competitive advantage," said Carter. "Keith's extensive experience in the industry and across our operating segment equips him well to drive growth and advance our strategic imperatives."

Cleason brings a wealth of experience to his new position, building on his most recent role as the business vice president for Olefins, Aromatics & Alternatives (OA&A) and Univation Technologies, Dow's wholly owned subsidiary for licensing and catalysts. Since joining Dow in 2001, he has held several significant positions including senior global asset director for Polyethylene, global business director for both Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) and High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE), and global strategic development director for Dow's Packaging and Specialty Plastics business unit.

Jane Palmieri, president of the Industrial Intermediates & Infrastructure business operating segment, will retire from Dow effective March 31, 2025. Palmieri has dedicated more than 30 years to the Company, significantly contributing to its success and growth during her tenure.

Palmieri has guided an industry-leading portfolio of businesses with annual sales exceeding $16 billion, including Polyurethanes, Chlor-Alkali & Vinyl, Construction Chemicals, and Industrial Solutions. Her strategic oversight extended to Dow's business operations in Asia Pacific and Latin America, as well as the Company's MobilityScience platform.

Dow Chair and CEO Jim Fitterling said, "Jane's visionary leadership and unwavering commitment have left an indelible mark on our organization. Her ability to drive innovation, understand and translate customer needs and foster growth has been instrumental in Dow's business success."

Throughout her distinguished career, Palmieri held various roles across Dow's businesses, including Dow Building and Construction, Dow Automotive, Dow Specialty Chemicals, Dow Coating Solutions, Dow Solar and the Sadara Board of Directors. She also serves on the board of directors of Stanley Black & Decker.

In a related move, Marco ten Bruggencate has been named president of Dow's Industrial Intermediates & Infrastructure business operating segment succeeding Palmieri. In his new role, ten Bruggencate will also have executive oversight for Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India (EMEAI). The transition will begin immediately.

"Business leadership requires not only a wealth of knowledge and expertise but the ability to inspire and guide their teams towards excellence. Marco has consistently demonstrated these qualities throughout his career, making him an invaluable asset to our organization," said Carter. "Marco's extensive experience and proven leadership make him exceptionally well-suited for this critical role. His deep understanding of our industry and commitment to innovation will undoubtedly drive our strategic initiatives and growth."

Most recently, ten Bruggencate served as the president of Dow EMEAI. Previously he served as commercial vice president for Packaging and Specialty Plastics for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He joined Dow in 2000 with the acquisition of Flexible Products Company and has held numerous sales, marketing, and commercial roles throughout his career, including positions with Dow Building Solutions and Dow Construction Chemicals.

About Dow

Dow (NYSE: DOW) is one of the world's leading materials science companies, serving customers in high-growth markets such as packaging, infrastructure, mobility and consumer applications. Our global breadth, asset integration and scale, focused innovation, leading business positions and commitment to sustainability enable us to achieve profitable growth and help deliver a sustainable future. We operate manufacturing sites in 31 countries and employ approximately 35,900 people. Dow delivered sales of approximately $45 billion in 2023. References to Dow or the Company mean Dow Inc. and its subsidiaries. Learn more about us and our ambition to be the most innovative, customer-centric, inclusive and sustainable materials science company in the world by visiting www.dow.com.

For further information, please contact:

Rachelle Schikorra

ryschikorra@dow.com

Keith Cleason



View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from DOW on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: DOW

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/dow

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: DOW

View the original press release on accesswire.com
XTEND Defense Secures $8.8M Contract to Supply U.S. Department of Defense (IWTSD) with AI-Driven, Tactical FPV, Smart Loitering Munitions

HERNDON, Va., Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- XTEND, a global leader in AI-powered autonomy and tactical drone solutions, has been awarded a $8.8 million dollar contract by the U.S. Department of Defense's (DoD) Irregular Warfare Technical Support Directorate (IWTSD) to deliver Precision Strike Indoor & Outdoor (PSIO) small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS).

PSIO sUAS represents a leap forward in tactical drone technology, being the first US DoD-approved system in this category (Indoor/Outdoor) for a flying loitering munition platform, utilizing cutting-edge artificial intelligence to enable real-time, high-precision strike capabilities with minimal human intervention. Developed and designed for rapid deployment across both urban and open-field environments, these drones provide unparalleled tactical advantages, boosting mission success rates while minimizing operational risks.

This award follows the successful completion of rigorous live-fire testing and safety evaluations. The PSIO sUAS, which complies with the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), will be produced domestically in the United States, with deliveries slated to begin in Q1 of 2025.

"We are honored to strengthen our partnership with IWTSD," said Aviv Shapira, Founder and CEO of XTEND. "The live-fire tests demonstrated the precision, reliability, and operational superiority of our Scorpio PSIO sUAS solution. This contract validates our technology's ability to address the complex challenges faced by modern defense forces."

AI-Driven, Battle Proven, Tactical Superiority

XTEND's PSIO sUAS is the culmination of two years of collaborative development with IWTSD and has already proven its capabilities in recent global conflicts, being one of the most operational loitering munition solutions used by IDF. By integrating advanced artificial intelligence with precise operational functionality, the system empowers military units to execute complex missions effectively, even in the most demanding scenarios.

About XTEND

XTEND is a local DC-based defense and security company with AI-driven autonomous and tactical drone solutions, serving the defense, law enforcement, and security markets worldwide. Known for its innovative, reliable technologies, XTEND provides mission-critical systems that deliver real-time situational awareness and actionable intelligence. With a focus on enhancing decision-making and operational efficiency, XTEND's portfolio of drone systems ensures success in even the most challenging environments. XTEND manufactures its drones and robots in both the state of Florida and North Carolina.

For more information, visit https://www.xtend.me/

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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/software-driven-smart-munitions-are-revolutionizing-warfare-302337435.html
Marshfield, Wisconsin--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2024) - Nelson-Jameson, a leading distributor in the food processing industry, announced the purchase of a 45,000-square-foot warehouse in northwest Pennsylvania, marking a significant step to enhance its capabilities and more efficiently serve customers and partners in the Northeastern United States. The Fairview location will be one of five Nelson-Jameson distribution centers across the country, reinforcing the company's core mission of delivering a broad range of products and services that help companies uphold the highest standards of food safety, quality and compliance.

The new Fairview, PA facility, located just 12 miles from Erie, PA, is expected to be fully operational around summer 2025 when Nelson-Jameson will re-establish localized service in the region. The facility will hire up to 20 full-time employees.

"Nelson-Jameson is committed to delivering exceptional service and prioritizing food safety for our customers in the Northeast," says Mike Rindy, President of Nelson-Jameson. "The new Fairview distribution center reflects our continued investment in the Northeast and our unwavering dedication to supporting our customers' success."

The Fairview distribution center, originally built in 2004, sits on an 8.4-acre lot with an adjacent 20-acre parcel reserved for future expansion. The building's 45,000-square-foot footprint is complemented by an additional 16,000-square-foot second floor mezzanine and is undergoing significant renovations to enhance functionality, capacity, and the employee experience. The facility also features 12 truck bays for its transportation and delivery fleet.

Key upgrades at the new distribution center include a refreshed exterior featuring newly paved employee and visitor parking lots. The climate-controlled warehouse will provide 1.1 million cubic feet of storage capacity and accommodate more than 3,800 pallet positions. Approximately 8,000 square feet of space will be allocated in the future for a new service and repair center. This expansion will further enhance Nelson-Jameson's customer offerings, leveraging its authorized service provider status for both Neogen and Alfa Laval. The renovation also includes substantial employee-focused improvements, including a new visitor reception area, employee break room, locker room, and lavatory to enhance the work environment. Additionally, a new warehouse transition corridor will be designed to meet SQF certification standards.

"These comprehensive improvements reflect Nelson-Jameson's intent to establish Fairview as a future-ready logistics hub that supports growing operational demands, modern infrastructure, and a seamless experience for employees, visitors, and customers alike," says Rindy.

The new Fairview distribution center is located at 7251 Klier Drive, Fairview, PA 16415. More information on the company can be found at nelsonjameson.com.





Photo Caption (Courtesy of Nelson-Jameson): Food processing distributor Nelson-Jameson unveils plans for its latest distribution center in Fairview, PA, set to be fully operational by Summer 2025.



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Nelson-Jameson is a fourth-generation, family-owned distributor to the food processing industry. From the company's roots in dairy production supplies, it has expanded to offer a broad range of food processing products and services that help food and beverage organizations operate efficiently with the highest quality, food safety, and compliance standards. The company represents more than 1,000 vendors, distributes more than 79,000 curated products, and employs more than 300 people nationwide. The food processing industry leader also operates NEXT Logistics, a transportation arm that provides delivery services from its Wisconsin, California, Idaho, Pennsylvania, and Texas strategic distribution centers.

Since 1947, Nelson-Jameson has supported food, beverage, and dairy processors with innovative products and a comprehensive set of solutions that keep pace with changing consumer tastes, manufacturing processes, and distribution channels. The company values delivering the exceptional for its customers by leading with the guiding principles of kindness and mutual respect. Nelson-Jameson is a supplier of choice for customers in all 50 states and international markets.

For more information, please visit www.nelsonjameson.com.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/234668

SOURCE: Nelson-Jameson Inc.
West Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2024) - Surge Battery Metals Inc. (TSXV: NILI) (OTCQX: NILIF) (FSE: DJ5) (the "Company" or "Surge") is pleased to announce that its Exploration Plan of Operations and Reclamation Plan Permit Application (EPO) has entered the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 30-day Environmental Assessment public comment period.

On November 21, 2023, the Company submitted its EPO to the Bureau of Land Management, Wells Field Office (BLM) for the Nevada North Lithium Project (NNLP). The permit application included all required biological studies, a Class III cultural inventory and hydrologic baseline evaluations to support the NEPA analysis.

The BLM has prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) to analyze the environmental impacts of the NNLP. The exploration project would allow Surge to disturb up to 250 acres compared to the current 5 acres and allow for expanded drilling in 2025 and beyond on the 7,819-acre Project Area. This expanded drilling will provide additional information on lithium mineral availability, mineral extraction and processing options, metallurgical attributes, strength characteristics of existing bedrock and overburden materials, and hydrogeologic characteristics of local groundwater systems.

The BLM is seeking input on the EA during a 30-day public comment period. The NNLP EA and the unsigned Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) can be found at BLM Announcements. The public comment period will close January 19, 2025.

Mr. Greg Reimer, Chief Executive Officer and Director, commented, "Since submitting our application we have been working hard to provide the BLM with necessary information as they developed their EA. We are very pleased to achieve this important step in the permitting process and look forward to comments from the public."

Qualified Person as Defined Under National Instrument 43-101

Alan J. Morris, MSc, CPG of Spring Creek, Nevada, a Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101 has reviewed and approved the technical aspects of this news release.

About Surge Battery Metals Inc.

Surge Battery Metals, a Canadian-based mineral exploration company, is at the forefront of securing the supply of domestic lithium through its active engagement in the Nevada North Lithium Project. The project focuses on exploring clean, high-grade lithium energy metals in Nevada, USA, a crucial element for powering the electric vehicles of tomorrow. With a primary listing on the TSX Venture Exchange in Canada and the OTCQX Market in the US, Surge Battery Metals Inc. is strategically positioned as a key player in advancing lithium exploration, contributing significantly to the sustainable future of the electric vehicle industry. At Surge Battery Metals, we are not just exploring minerals; we are pioneering the path to a cleaner and more sustainable future, driving innovation in the lithium sector, and contributing to the evolution of the electric vehicle industry.

About the Nevada North Lithium Project

The Company owns the Nevada North Lithium Project located in the Granite Range southeast of Jackpot, Nevada about 73 km north-northeast of Wells, Elko County, Nevada. The first three rounds of drilling, completed in 2022, 2023, and 2024, identified a strongly mineralized zone of lithium bearing clays occupying a strike length of more than 4,300 meters and a known width of greater than 1500 meters. Highly anomalous soil values and geophysical surveys suggest there is potential for the clay horizons to be much greater in extent, while wide drill spacing allows for significant upside to occur during infill drilling. The Nevada North Lithium Project has a pit-constrained Inferred Resource containing an estimated 8.65 Mt of Lithium Carbonate Equivalent (LCE) grading 2,951 ppm Li at a 1,250 ppm cutoff.

Keep up-to-date with Surge Battery Metals on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

"Greg Reimer"

Greg Reimer,

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 release.

This document may contain certain "Forward-Looking Statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. When used in this news release, the words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target, "plan" or "planned", "possible", "potential", "forecast", "intend", "may", "schedule" and similar words or expressions identify forward-looking statements or information. These forward-looking statements or information may relate to future prices of commodities including lithium and nickel, the accuracy of mineral or resource exploration activity, reserves or resources, regulatory or government requirements or approvals including approvals of title and mining rights or licenses and environmental, local community or indigenous community approvals, the reliability of third party information, continued access to mineral properties or infrastructure or water, changes in laws, rules and regulations including in the United States, Nevada or California or any other jurisdiction which may impact upon the Company or its properties or the commercial exploitation of those properties, currency risks including the exchange rate of USD$ for Cdn$ or other currencies, fluctuations in the market for lithium related products, changes in exploration costs and government royalties, export policies or taxes in the United States or any other jurisdiction and other factors or information. The Company's current plans, expectations, and intentions with respect to development of its business and of its Nevada properties may be impacted by economic uncertainties arising out of any pandemic or by the impact of current financial and other market conditions (including US government subsidies or incentives) on its ability to secure further financing or funding of its Nevada properties. Such statements represent the Company's current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon several assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political, environmental (including endangered species, habitat preservation and water related risks) and social risks, contingencies, and uncertainties. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause 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. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements and information other than as required by applicable laws, rules, and regulations.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/234697

SOURCE: Surge Battery Metals Inc.
Heidelberg, Germany--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2024) - European Wellness Biomedical Group (EWBG) has launched a new research initiative focused on Klotho, a protein with transformative potential in longevity medicine. Led by Professor Dr Mike Chan, the project aims to investigate Klotho's role in combating age-related diseases and its potential to regenerate critical organs, including the brain, kidneys, and heart.

(Caption) Prof. Dr. Mike Chan talks about the growing importance of Klotho in anti-aging medicine, highlighting its many potential benefits for health and longevity.

Klotho, first identified in 1997, is emerging as a major breakthrough in longevity and regenerative medicine. The protein plays a pivotal role in regulating key biological processes, including oxidative stress, mineral metabolism, and inflammation. Professor Chan's initiative will explore how boosting Klotho levels can address chronic conditions like neurodegenerative diseases, kidney failure, and heart disease, ultimately improving healthspan and extending lifespan.

"Klotho represents the next frontier in longevity medicine," said Prof. Mike Chan, Chief Scientist at EWBG. "Our research aims to understand how Klotho affects aging and how we can use it to treat chronic diseases that have long been associated with aging."

Research Focus Areas

The new initiative will focus on three primary research areas:

Neurological health : Investigating Klotho's neuroprotective effects and its potential to slow cognitive decline in diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's .

Kidney function : Examining Klotho's role in regulating mineral metabolism and its regenerative potential in treating chronic kidney disease (CKD) .

Cardiovascular health: Studying Klotho's influence on vascular function and its ability to prevent vascular calcification, a key contributor to heart disease.

This research builds upon existing collaborations at EWBG, where leading scientists are focused on advancing Klotho-based therapies for regenerative health.

Klotho is gaining attention for its ability to regenerate tissues and reverse damage caused by age-related diseases. Unlike NAD+, which primarily enhances cellular metabolism and energy production, Klotho offers a broader range of therapeutic applications, including tissue regeneration, cognitive function improvement, and cardiovascular health.

The decline in Klotho levels as we age has been linked to several chronic health issues. Research suggests that restoring Klotho levels can reverse the effects of oxidative stress, inflammation, and cellular senescence, offering new treatment possibilities for a range of age-related diseases.

Prof. Mike Chan: Leading the Charge in Klotho Research

Prof. Mike Chan, a leading expert in stem cell therapy and longevity medicine, is spearheading this groundbreaking initiative at EWBG. His extensive experience in bio-regenerative medicine positions him as a key figure in exploring Klotho's potential to revolutionize the treatment of age-related diseases. Through FCTI, a subsidiary of EWBG, Professor Chan and his team are developing therapies that combine stem cell technology and Klotho proteins to stimulate tissue regeneration in the brain, kidneys, and heart.

"By harnessing Klotho's regenerative properties, we hope to address chronic conditions that were previously untreatable," said Professor Chan. "Our ultimate goal is to improve quality of life and provide lasting solutions for those affected by aging-related diseases."

About Prof. Dr. Mike Chan

Prof. Mike Chan has been a pioneer of Cellular, Organo, and Cell Membrane Therapies in Europe and Asia since the early 1980s. He founded one of the world's largest research groups of Bio-Molecular Medicine based in Switzerland and Germany with a global presence in almost eighty countries.

He has conducted more than 1,000 lectures, seminars, and symposiums worldwide in the fields of anti-aging, cell regeneration, bio-regenerative medicine, and stem cell therapies. Author & co-author of numerous books and articles in the fields of cell therapy, immunology, bio-regenerative sciences, nutrition, and innovator of cellular- based nutraceuticals & cosmeceuticals.

Prof. Mike Chan is also the founder of European Wellness Biomedical Group, an International chain of research and treatment facilities (European Wellness Centers & Retreats) involved in anti-aging, longevity, and education (European Wellness Academy). He chairs and also sits on the board of numerous prominent anti-aging and cell therapy associations of the world.

(2nd from left-bottom row) Prof. Dr. Mike Chan and his team of international doctors at the European Wellness Biomedical Group, collaborate (EWBG) on cutting-edge research to harness Klotho's regenerative properties in treating age-related diseases.

About European Wellness Biomedical Group (EWBG)

European Wellness is a global leader in regenerative medicine and integrated healthcare solutions, with a mission to empower individuals to take control of their health and well-being. With a network of 46 premier centers and a team of highly skilled, multi-national doctors from around the world, the organisation is at the forefront of the wellness revolution, delivering innovative and personalized treatments to clients worldwide.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/234522

SOURCE: European Wellness Biomedical Group
Crolles, France - December 20th, 2024 Tronics, a TDK Group Company that manufactures custom MEMS products and standard inertial sensors for industrial applications, has announced its results for the first half of financial year 2024-2025 (from April 1 to September 30, 2024).

Tronics' Board of Directors met on December 19th, 2024, and approved the financial results for the first half of financial year 2024-2025, which were presented to the Supervisory Board on the same day.

The half-year financial report has been made publicly available and submitted to the French Market Authorities this day. This report is posted on the company's investors website, in the "Financial Documents" section:

https://www.tronicsgroup-bourse.com

Consolidated HALF-YEAR RESULTS

In accordance with IFRS 5 "Non-current assets held for sale and discontinued operations", the discontinued operations are identified in a separate line in the financial statements for the first half of financial year 2024-2025 and for the first half of financial year 2023-2024 for comparison purposes.

in k (IFRS) - Non audited First half of financial year 2024-2025 First half of financial year 2023-2024 From April 1, 2024 to

September 30, 2024 From April 1, 2023 to

September 30, 2023 Annual

variation 6 months 6 months Revenue from continuing operations

Operating income from continuing operations

Financial result from continuing operations

Net income from discontinued operations

Consolidated net income 7,551

876

(255)

0

608 6,852

635

(464)

2,011

2,167 +10%

+38%

-45%

na

-72%

Revenue for the first half of financial year 2024-2025 of the continuing operations totalled 7.55M, a 10% increase compared with the same period of last financial year (from April 1 to September 30, 2023). The manufacturing activities have generated 6M of revenue stable compared to the same period of last year. Engineering activities, dedicated to the development and the industrialization of future customized MEMS products, accounted for 1.5M in the first half of financial year 2024-2025 (versus 0.8M in the first half of financial year 2023-2024). That growth is mainly related to inertial projects on the Magelan platform.

Consolidated operating income from the continuing operations for the first half of financial year 2024-2025 amounted to +0.88M compared to +0.64M. This improvement is mainly due to the increase in revenue and improved operational performance.

After recognition of a negative financial result of (0.26)M, the consolidated net income amounted to 0.6M.

Discontinued operations

No result has been generated during the first half of the year. The liquidation of the legal entity Tronics Mems Inc has been postponed to 2025.

BALANCE-SHEET STRUCTURE

As of September 30, 2024, Tronics' equity amounted to (5.6)M. Cash amounted to 0.1M and gross debt to 11.6M, mainly related to the debt towards TDK Electronics AG.

OUTLOOK

In the second half of financial year 2024-2025, Tronics expects a decrease of its revenue compared to the first half of financial year 2024-2025, but an overall growth of its annual revenue compared to financial year 2023-2024. Tronics will remain focused on the ramp-up of the existing product portfolio and new product launches, which will allow for increased sales of innovative MEMS products for high value-added inertial and industrial applications.

-----

About Tronics Microsystems

Tronic's Microsystems SA is a division of TDK's Sensors Systems Business Company that manufactures MEMS inertial sensors that contribute to the advancement and digital transformation of industrial, energy, railway, marine and aerospace markets. The company is today the only supplier of both MEMS accelerometers (AXO product line) and gyros (GYPRO product line) components with a closed loop architecture and a digital SMD interface. The company also offers differentiated foundry services for custom inertial MEMS devices. Founded in 1997, Tronics operates a MEMS clean room and an assembly, packaging and test facility in Crolles, near Grenoble (France). The company is now EN9100-certified based on an IATF16949 qualified quality system which provides customers with the highest level of quality standard in the industry. Following the capital increase of December 2021, TDK Electronics AG (formerly EPCOS AG) now holds 87 percent of Tronics' shares.* ISIN code: FR0004175099 ALTRO

About TDK Corporation

TDK Corporation is a world leader in electronic solutions for the smart society based in Tokyo, Japan. Built on a foundation of material sciences mastery, TDK welcomes societal transformation by resolutely remaining at the forefront of technological evolution and deliberately "Attracting Tomorrow." It was established in 1935 to commercialize ferrite, a key material in electronic and magnetic products. TDK's comprehensive, innovation driven portfolio features passive components such as ceramic, aluminum electrolytic and film capacitors, as well as magnetics, high-frequency, and piezo and protection devices. The product spectrum also includes sensors and sensor systems such as temperature and pressure, magnetic, and MEMS sensors. In addition, TDK provides power supplies and energy devices, magnetic heads and more. These products are marketed under the product brands TDK, EPCOS, InvenSense, Micronas, Tronics and TDK-Lambda. TDK focuses on demanding markets in automotive, industrial and consumer electronics, and information and communication technology. The company has a network of design and manufacturing locations and sales offices in Asia, Europe, and in North and South America. In fiscal year 2024, TDK posted total sales of USD 14.6 billion and employed about 101,000 people worldwide

TRONICS CONTACT

Vincent Gaff

Director, Marketing & Business Development

Phone: 00 33 4 76 97 29 50

Mailto: info.tronics@tdk.com

For more information: www.tronicsgroup-bourse.com/en/

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December 20, 2024 - 6:00 PM - Diagnostic Medical Systems Group (Euronext Growth Paris: FR0012202497 - ALDMS et FR001400IAQ8 - DMSBS), a specialist in high-performance digital medical imaging systems for radiology and bone densitometry, announces an increase in Verso Capital's stake in DMS Group through the exercise of the Adjustment Warrants (BSA), in accordance with the acquisition agreement for Solutions For Tomorrow (SFT) completed in October 2023.

Following this operation, Verso Capital and its co-shareholder will hold 5,505,397 shares, representing 26,40% of the share capital. Verso Capital thus confirms its role as a key shareholder alongside the management team and reaffirms its full support for DMS Group's strategic ambitions.



ACCELERATION OF SYNERGIES AND MAJOR ADVANCEMENT IN DMS GROUP'S DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

The acquisition of Solutions For Tomorrow (SFT) aligns perfectly with DMS Group's strategic plan Imaging 2027, aimed at positioning the Group as an independent European medtech leader, a partner of global industry leaders, and a key player in consolidating the medical imaging market.

This partnership enables DMS Group to offer a comprehensive mobile x-ray portfolio, combining:

Onyx, the ultra-mobile high-end solution developed internally as part of the MC2 Project, featuring an innovative cold cathode tube technology (Carbon Nanotube);

!M1, SFT's motorized solution designed for large hospitals and the North American market.

Industrial and commercial synergies are progressing steadily, with the integration of the ADAM software into the !M1 system, significantly enhancing the appeal of the offering. These advancements were further supported by notable commercial achievements in 2024, including:

A 4-year Framework agreement with the Danish hospital sector;

A strategic partnership with two global American distributors, Medlink Imaging and JPI Healthcare, a key market with strong potential for the !M1 solution.

Finally, a major strategic contract for the supply of !M1 mobile units in 2025 is nearing finalization, marking a critical step in our development. The disclosure of the contract details is subject to an official government announcement. The Company will issue a press release with the details as soon as authorization is obtained.

-----------------------------------------------------



ABOUT DMS GROUP

DMS Group is a French manufacturer of digital radiology solutions with an international focus, recognized as a key player and essential partner in the value chain due to the quality of its solutions, flexibility, ingenuity, and responsible values.

In 2023, DMS Group achieved consolidated revenue of 42.2 million, with 75% generated internationally, and has a presence on all continents through a network of over 140 national distributors.

DMS Group is listed on the Euronext Growth Paris market (ISIN: FR0012202497 - Ticker: ALDMS) and is eligible for the PEA-PME Investment plan.

On June 13, 2023, DMS Group issued Warrants (BSA) listed on the Euronext Growth Paris market (ISIN: FR001400IAQ8 - Ticker: DMSBS), exercisable until September 12, 2025.

DMS Group is part of the ETIncelles program, supporting SMEs aiming to scale into mid-cap companies.

-----------------------------------------------------

CONTACTS

Investor Relations

relationinvestisseur@dms-imaging.com

Press Relations

relationpresse@dms-imaging.com

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Nine bright young scholars earned $11,500 to put towards the cost of college through a scholarship program promoting the sound money cause.

The Sound Money Scholarship is an annual essay contest organized by Money Metals Exchange (the U.S. precious-metals dealer ranked "Best Overall") and the Sound Money Defense League, a national public policy group at the forefront of sound money legislative battles across the country since 2014.

More than 200 students across four continents, a dozen countries, and 35 U.S. states competed for this year's scholarship funds, submitting essays addressing the problems of the Federal Reserve System, how a sound money monetary system could be restored, Central Bank Digital Currencies, and how a BRICS-currency might affect the value of the Federal Reserve Note.

Money Metals originally set aside 100 ounces of physical gold to reward over time those exemplary students who display a thorough understanding of economics, monetary policy, and sound money.

Scholarships have been funded via this rapidly appreciating asset base, with gold having more than doubled in nominal value since Money Metals established the fund in 2016.

"Money Metals is not just about buying and selling precious metals; we're committed to education and advocacy of the underlying sound money principles. Through our scholarship program, we're extending our support to students who share our belief in the importance of economic freedom and a stable currency," said Stefan Gleason, Chief Executive Officer of Money Metals Exchange.

"In addition to our precious metals depository storage solutions, innovative gold loan program, and active sound money public policy efforts, we are proud to provide students the opportunity to offset the ever-increasing costs of furthering their education," concluded Gleason.

The following are 2024's high school / undergraduate winners:

First place ($2,500): Tyler Lister, University of Central Arkansas

Second place ($2,000): Owen Holzbach, Ball State University

Third place ($1,500): Elizabeth Myers, University of Florida

Fourth place ($1,000): Caleb Dunn, Long Beach City College

Fifth place ($500): Gavin Xavier Chua, Guy M. Sconzo Early College High School

Sixth place ($500): Liam Phillips, West Sayville Christian School

The following are 2024's graduate winners:

First place ($2,000): Vibhu Vikramaditya, Gokhale Institute of Economics and Politics

Second place ($1,000): Benjamin Seevers, West Virginia University

Third place ($500): Patrick Frise, North Dakota School of Law

The following blue-ribbon panel of judges assisted Money Metals and the Sound Money Defense League in selected the finalists:

Dr. Jerry Kirkpatrick, Cal Poly Pomona

Eric Brakey, Free State Project

Ken Silva, Headline USA

Lawrence W. Reed, Foundation for Economic Education

Since its creation in 2016, the Sound Money Scholarship program has attracted almost 1,000 applicants representing more than 300 different high schools, colleges, institutes, and universities across more than 40 states, 7 countries, and 4 continents.

"Each year we receive even more entries for the Sound Money Scholarship. Today's students seem to know the Federal Reserve's policy of intentional monetary devaluation jeopardizes their future," said Jp Cortez, executive director of the Sound Money Defense League.

The deadline for applications for the 2025 Sound Money Fellowship - a separate program -- is December 31, 2024. Visit www.moneymetals.com/fellowship for more information.

And the deadline to submit scholarship applications for consideration next year is October 31, 2025. For more information, visit moneymetals.com/scholarship or email scholarship@moneymetals.com.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2024) - Auric Minerals Corp. (CSE: AUMC) (the "Company") announces that, further to the Company's news release dated December 11 , 2024, it has completed the filing of the Company's Form 51-102F4 - Business Acquisition Report ("BAR") in connection with its acquisition of Central Uranium Resources Corp. ("CURC"), a privately held arm's-length company established under the laws of the Province of British Columbia, and each of the shareholders of CURC, completed on December 11 , 2024 (the "Acquisition"). The BAR, a copy of which is available under the Company's profile on SEDAR+, includes CURC's audited financial statements and the management discussions and analysis for the period from incorporation on April 22, 2024 to September 30, 2024.

For additional details regarding the Acquisition, please refer to the news releases dated November 14, 2024 and December 11, 2024. The Company also wishes to clarify that the securities issued as consideration in the Acquisition are subject to a restricted period and cannot trade until the date that is 10 calendar days following the issuance of this Business Acquisition Report, as well as the filing of financial statements of the Company for the year ended October 31, 2024.

In addition, the Company wishes to announce that Dimitri Lakutin has resigned as Chief Executive Officer, President and Director of the Company, and that Christopher Huggins has been appointed acting CEO and Director of the Company. The Company wishes to thank Mr. Lakutin for his services. The Company is actively engaging in a process to retain a permanent CEO.

Mr. Huggins brings over 25 years of expertise in the mining, technology and capital equipment industries. Holding a BSc in Honours Geology, he began his career as a regional exploration geologist with Homestake, working on notable projects around Eskay Creek, Snip Mine, Stewart and Dease Lake camps. Over the past 15 years, he has delivered innovative capital equipment and financial solutions for surface and underground mining operations in the Northwest Territories and Yukon. Mr. Huggins has also managed global and national Caterpillar accounts at Finning; and been President, CEO and board member for a number of gold, uranium and battery metal exploration companies. Currently, he is CEO of Collective Metals Inc. (CSE: COMT) and Troubadour Resources Inc. (TSXV: TR).

For further information about Auric Minerals, please contact

The Canadian Securities Exchange (operated by CNSX Markets Inc.) has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/234723

SOURCE: Auric Minerals Corp.
From warm coats to ensuring families have gifts under the tree, here are just a few examples of the good work happening across our markets.

NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2024 / The PNC Financial Services Group

?In a season filled with holiday traditions, many PNC markets celebrate the tradition of giving back to those in need in their local communities.

A warm tradition in Central Illinois??

The Central Illinois volunteerism market, led by Jenna Wiesner and Dustin Wikoff in the Regional President's office, has been teaming up with Operation Warm since 2019 to ensure local children have what they need for winter. This year, PNC distributed 1,630 new winter coats worth $40,000 to early education centers in Springfield, Decatur, Rantoul, East Peoria, Peoria and Bloomington. To date, PNC has provided over 5,500 coats to children in Central Illinois.

A fuzzy fashion drive in Jacksonville??

North Florida teamed up with the Early Learning Coalition of Duval to provide Thanksgiving baskets and winter items like socks, slippers, hats, gloves and even stuffed animals to help families at The Weldon housing community stay warm.

Branches competed to collect the most donated items, with the winning branch earning a free employee breakfast. The Fort Caroline branch, managed by Melissa Larsuel, won and earned a grant for the organization by volunteering and donating for the drive. The team's grant amount was doubled thanks to a Double the Impact challenge celebrating volunteer efforts during the 20th anniversary year of PNC Grow Up Great, the company's signature philanthropic program focused on early childhood education. Finally, a team of PNC volunteers distributed the items at a family fun day that included games and nutrition education.

Stocking Minnesota teachers for success?

The Minnesota market gave back to pre-K teachers who are making a difference for our youngest learners through the Kids In Need Foundation. Teachers pay nothing to shop at KINF's Resource Center in Roseville, Minnesota, to get the supplies they need to support their students. PNC volunteers took over the Resource Center for a day, helping teachers stock up on supplies to transform their classrooms and create environments where every child has the chance to thrive.

Inspiring innovative futures in Central PA??

Just before the Thanksgiving holiday, a group of PNC volunteers, including PNC Regional President Jim Hoehn, joined United Way of the Capital Region in chaperoning low-and-moderate income elementary school students on a fun-filled trip to the Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts. The Center features the PNC Innovation Zone, a state-of-the-art space that engages youths in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) through purposeful gaming and innovative programming like afterschool programs and Girls Who Code.?

Building Brighter Futures in Northwest PA??

For the 16th year, the Northwest Pennsylvania market distributed coats to more than 1,300 children across five counties through a PNC Grow Up Great grant and Operation Warm. The PNC team, including Regional President Jim Stevenson, spent a morning at Century Child Development Center helping students pick out their new coats - and shooting a few hoops as well.

The market also served as presenting sponsor for the Festival of Trees, an annual fundraising event for Children's Miracle Network at AHN Saint Vincent Hospital and its Talent Attraction Program, which provides tuition assistance to students earning a degree in healthcare. Client and Community Relations Specialist Michelle Schrimper decorated the PNC tree, this year themed around Building Brighter Futures in recognition of PNC Grow Up Great's 20th anniversary.

Finally, Northwest PA sponsored 10 Lincoln Elementary students and their families through a PNC Giving Tree. These Erie families will have a brighter holiday season as employees purchased clothes, toys and books. In all, 50 students will be receiving gifts through the Holiday Support Program and the United Way Community School Bank Coalition.

Giving the Gift of Joy in Toledo???

Each year, the PNC Toledo team comes together to celebrate the holidays by donating new, unwrapped gifts to foster children in Lucas County Children Services through WTOL-TV's Gift of Joy sponsored by PNC.

Through this longtime partnership with the local news station, Bill McDonnell, PNC regional president for Toledo and Northwest Ohio, helps to promote the program through news spots, commercials, and a live interview on the event day.

For the celebration, PNC rents a trolley and loads it with toys, and employee volunteers deliver the gifts to the news station. Afterward, everyone gathers at the office to celebrate with a warm holiday luncheon. It's one of PNC Toledo's favorite days of the year - and results in thousands of toys to brighten the holidays for more than 2,000 children in the foster care system.?

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from The PNC Financial Services Group on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: The PNC Financial Services Group

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/pnc-financial-services-group

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: The PNC Financial Services Group

View the original press release on accesswire.com
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Members of Starbucks Workers United have launched a strike in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle to protest against unfair labor practices and stalled negotiations with the company.The strike, starting Friday, is expected to continue until December 24 at the primary locations during the peak holiday season.The union anticipates the strike 'to spread each day and ultimately reach hundreds of stores from coast to coast by Christmas Eve', aiming to compel the beverages company to honor its commitment to finalizing the first union contract.Earlier this year, Workers United and Starbucks had agreed to establish a foundational framework for the contract. However, despite repeated pleas from the union, the company has not presented a 'serious economic proposal'.'Nobody wants to strike. It's a last resort, but Starbucks has broken its promise to thousands of baristas and left us with no choice,' Fatemeh Alhadjaboodi, a Starbucks barista and bargaining delegate, said in a press release.'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. 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.'In response to the strike, Starbucks stated, 'We are ready to continue negotiations to reach agreements.'The company added, 'We need the union to return to the table,' emphasizing that it is ready to offer an average wage of $18 per hour and benefits including health care, free college tuition, paid family leave and company stock grants.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.
Regulatory News:

HSBC Continental Europe has signed a Memorandum of Understanding ('MOU') regarding the potential sale of its French life insurance business, HSBC Assurances Vie (France), to Matmut Societe d'Assurance Mutuelle ('Matmut') (the "Potential Transaction").

HSBC Assurances Vie (France) provides a wide range of life insurance solutions and services, with over 20 billion euros of outstanding assets, net income1 of 77 million euros and a Solvency II ratio of 287% in 2023. As part of the Potential Transaction, HSBC Continental Europe and Matmut would enter into a long-term arrangement for HSBC Global Asset Management (France) to continue to partner with HSBC Assurances Vie (France). HSBC Assurances Vie (France) will continue its existing distribution arrangements.

The Potential Transaction would provide customers and employees of HSBC Insurance Life (France) with the opportunity to join one of the leading French mutual insurance groups, which is in full development, and forms part of the simplification of the Group announced by Group Chief Executive, Georges Elhedery, on 22 October 2024. HSBC is focusing on developing its position in areas where it has the best growth opportunities.

Under the financial terms of the Potential Transaction, Matmut would acquire HSBC Assurances Vie (France) for cash consideration of 925 million euros. This is estimated to generate a pre-tax loss of approximately 0.1 billion euros for HSBC Continental Europe.

The MOU includes details of the parties' information and consultation processes with their respective employees' works councils, which will commence shortly. If, following the finalisation of these processes, the parties decide to proceed with the sale, they would enter into a binding sale and purchase agreement. Completion of the Potential Transaction would be subject to relevant regulatory and competition approvals and is expected to occur in the second half of 2025.

About HSBC Continental Europe

Headquartered in Paris, HSBC Continental Europe is an indirect subsidiary of HSBC Holdings plc. HSBC Continental Europe principally comprises, in addition to its banking, insurance and asset management activities based in France, the business activities of 10 European branches outside France (in Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Sweden) and the business activities of banking subsidiaries in Luxembourg and Malta. HSBC Continental Europe's mission is to serve both customers based in Continental Europe for their needs worldwide and customers based in other locations for their needs in Continental Europe.

About HSBC Assurances Vie (France)

HSBC Assurances Vie (France) is a French insurance company which is wholly-owned by HSBC Continental Europe. Experts in wealth management since 1986, HSBC Assurances Vie (France) offers a wide range of life insurance solutions and services designed to meet the needs of individuals, professionals and businesses in terms of life insurance, pensions, credit protection insurance and personal protection.

About HSBC Holdings plc

HSBC Holdings plc, the parent company of HSBC, is headquartered in London. HSBC serves customers worldwide from offices in 60 countries and territories. With assets of US$3,099bn at 30 September 2024, HSBC is one of the world's largest banking and financial services organisations.

About Matmut Group

With 4.5 million members and 8.3 million insurance contracts managed, Matmut Group is a major player in the French insurance market. It offers to all individuals, professionals, businesses, associations a complete range of personal and property insurance products (car, motorcycle, boat, housing, responsibilities, family protection, health, providence, legal protection and assistance) and financial and savings services (car credits, project, loan insurance, savings booklet, life insurance, retirement savings plan..). Matmut Group currently has 6,800 employees. Matmut Group achieved a revenue of 2.9 billion in 2023.

This announcement contains both historical and forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of terms such as 'expects,' 'targets,' 'believes,' 'seeks,' 'estimates,' 'may,' 'intends,' 'plan,' 'will,' 'should,' 'potential,' 'reasonably possible', 'anticipates,' 'project', or 'continue', variation of these words, the negative thereof or similar expressions or comparable terminology. HSBC Continental Europe has based the forward looking statements on current plans, information, data, estimates, expectations and projections about, among other things, results of operations, financial condition, prospects, strategies and future events, and therefore undue reliance should not be placed on them. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions about the HBCE group, as described under 'Cautionary statement regarding forward-looking statements' contained in the HSBC Continental Europe's Annual Financial Report for the period ended 31 December 2023. HSBC Continental Europe undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events discussed herein might not occur. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates. No representation or warranty is made as to the achievement or reasonableness of and no reliance should be placed on such forward-looking statements.

1 2023 net income based on International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) accounting.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241220911691/en/

Contacts:

Sophie Ricord

sophie.ricord@hsbc.fr

+33 6 89 10 17 62



Raphaele-Marie Hirsch

raphaele.marie.hirsch@hsbc.fr

+33 7 64 57 35 55
Black Book unveils critical insights into the global EHR landscape, spotlighting 121 local and regional vendors across 53 countries as they compete with multinational health IT giants. This comprehensive analysis delves into emerging trends, vendor performance, and the shifting dynamics of the highly competitive health IT market, offering a detailed overview of the evolving global healthcare technology ecosystem

Black Book Research has conducted an unprecedented global survey, gathering insights from users of local and regional Electronic Health Record (EHR) vendors and Health Information Technology (HIT) support service providers. This extensive study evaluated 121 vendors across 53 countries and territories exclusive of the United States, offering a comprehensive overview of the current EHR landscape.

Over the past decade, the EHR market has experienced significant consolidation, with the number of vendors decreasing from over 1,200 in 2014 to approximately 280 in 2024. This reduction is largely due to larger companies acquiring smaller ones to expand their market share. Despite this consolidation, the market remains highly competitive, with numerous vendors offering a variety of solutions tailored to different healthcare settings and regional requirements.

In this survey, Black Book received client feedback from two-thirds of the global EHR vendors with current implementations, accounting for a total review of 175 out of the 280 vendors. This extensive reach underscores the depth and breadth of Black Book's research, providing valuable insights into vendor performance and user satisfaction worldwide.

The local and regional vendors that received feedback, along with notable clients, achievements, and adoption growth by country, include:

Argentina

GNU Health : An open-source health and hospital information system with a strong focus on public health and social medicine. Adopted by various health institutions, including the University of Entre Rios, for teaching health informatics and implementation in different health institutions.

Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires/HIBA EMR: Developed its own EHR system, which is one of the largest HL7 implementations.

Armenia

Masys Apahov LLC: Contributed to developing the national electronic health information system, ARMED, connecting over 2,300 medical organizations nationwide.

Australia

MedicalDirector : With over 30 years of experience, its EHR solutions are widely adopted, offering cloud-based and on-premise options to healthcare providers.

MediRecords : Australia's first fully cloud-based EHR and practice management system, supporting primary care, hospitals, health departments, and virtual care providers.

Telstra Health: Developed the first FHIR-native Virtual Health Platform, enhancing real-time data exchange and system integration.

Bangladesh

DocTime : Digital healthcare platform offering telemedicine services and EHR solutions; provides 24/7 access to certified doctors, with 80% of patients connected to a doctor within 10 minutes.

EMR-BD : An electronic medical record system implemented in the pediatric neurosurgery department at the National Institute of Neurosciences & Hospital in Dhaka.

MedicBD : Recognized as the first e-health platform, offering EMR services that facilitate centralized patient data management for healthcare providers.

NIROG by HAEFA : A comprehensive EHR system tailored to operate efficiently in resource-limited settings, digitizing patient records and supporting offline functionality.

SJ EMR: A comprehensive EMR and telemedicine software solution featuring patient portals, appointment scheduling, telemedicine integration, ePrescription modules, and robust data security measures.

Belgium

NexuzHealth : Its centralized EHR system integrates patient data from various healthcare providers into a single, secure platform, enhancing collaboration among healthcare professionals.

Primuz : Developed by Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel (UZ Brussel), an integrated Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system implemented in several hospitals, including Heilig Hart Ziekenhuis in Lier.

Zorgi: Offers Xperthis CARE, an integrated EHR system designed to streamline clinical workflows and enhance patient care in healthcare facilities.

Brazil

MV : Recognized for its innovative platforms tailored to meet local healthcare challenges.

Philips Tasy : Stands out for its usability and task management tools.

Pixeon: Specializes in Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS), Hospital Information Systems (HIS), Radiology Information Systems (RIS), and Laboratory Information Systems (LIS). Its PACS technology has reduced medical film usage by up to 80%.

China

B-Soft Co., Ltd. : Provides comprehensive EHR solutions, including Hospital Information Systems (HIS) and Electronic Medical Records (EMR); serves over 7,000 clients, managing healthcare records for approximately 300 million people.

iSoftStone : A key player in the Chinese EHR market, contributing to its growth, projected to reach $3.49 billion by 2030.

Neusoft Corporation : Its RealOne Suite is designed for large hospitals, serving as an integrated platform to optimize hospital information systems and enhance clinical workflows.

Winning Health Technology Group: Offers comprehensive EHR solutions, including HIS and EMR, tailored to Chinese healthcare providers.

Croatia

IN2 Group : Its eHealth System is widely implemented across various healthcare facilities, streamlining patient data management and supporting clinical decision-making.

Medius: Offers a customizable EHR system designed to enhance clinical workflows and improve patient care.

Czechia

ICZ Group : Offers EHR solutions like ICZ AMIS*HD, a hospital information system that supports various clinical workflows, enhancing the quality and efficiency of patient care.

IZIP: Developed the Elektronicka Zdravotni Knizka (EZK), an "Electronic Health Book" aimed at centralizing patient health information, though the project faced challenges and was discontinued in 2012.

Egypt

E-Doctor : Specializes in healthcare IT solutions, including EHR systems tailored to local healthcare providers.

Health Information Systems : Offers EHR solutions designed to meet specific requirements of the local healthcare sector, integrating patient records, lab results, and imaging data into a unified system.

HealthTag: Recognized as the first Health Information Exchange Platform, enabling patients to store and access medical records digitally.

France

Cegedim : Provides EHR solutions through its subsidiary Cegedim Sante, serving over 100,000 healthcare professionals.

Maincare Solutions: Its EHR systems are utilized by over 1,000 clients, including 80% of French university hospitals and regional hospitals.

Greece

Computer Control Systems S.A. : Offers medical software including MediLab L.I.S. and MediRIS, serving healthcare professionals across Southeast Europe, the Balkans, and the Middle East.

Intrasoft International: Provides Health Insurance and e-Health Suite solutions to automate health insurance business processes and enhance efficiency.

India

Attune Technologies : Offers a cloud-based Hospital Information System (HIS) integrating various hospital functions.

Eka Care : Provides a comprehensive suite of EHR services designed to enhance healthcare delivery for doctors and patients.

Healthray : Offers an advanced EHR system providing robust healthcare productivity and cost-effective solutions.

Insta by Practo Technologies : A cloud-based Hospital Management System utilized by over 1,500 healthcare centers globally.

Scopex: Offers a suite of EHR services, including patient management, billing, and telehealth services.

Indonesia

Halomedis : Provides a suite of EHR software services tailored for healthcare providers.

Ksatria : Offers scalable EMR solutions supporting digital health transformation initiatives.

Medigo : Established in 2018, contributing to the digital transformation of the healthcare system.

Zi.Care: Provides Zi.Care HIS, integrating a fully structured EMR.

Iran

Dadeh Pardazan Salamat : Specializes in health informatics, offering tailored EHR solutions.

Fanap ICT : Offers EHR systems designed to enhance healthcare delivery.

Rayavaran : Developed the first Windows-based HIS in Iran.

Tebyan: Provides EHR systems designed to streamline patient data management and improve healthcare services.

Iraq

Shifa: A comprehensive healthcare platform offering services like Clinic Management Systems (CMS), EHR, and telehealth services.

Ireland

Servelec: Provides the Rio EHR system, enhancing patient care and integrating healthcare services.

Israel

iMDsoft : Offers the MetaVision suite for intensive care units and perioperative environments.

MedAware: AI-driven platform integrating with EHR systems to enhance medication safety.

Italy

Engineering Ingegneria Informatica : A leading IT services company offering tailored EHR solutions.

GPI: Specializes in healthcare technology, contributing to the digital transformation of the healthcare sector.

Japan

Fujitsu : Offers the HOPE LifeMark series to enhance clinical workflows and improve patient care.

M3 : Their cloud-based EHR system, M3 DigiKar, has been widely adopted.

NEC Corporation : Provides MegaOakHR, emphasizing medical safety support and operational efficiency.

PHC Corporation: Includes the Xirapha Karte system, expanding to cloud-based EMR solutions.

Jordan

Electronic Health Solutions (EHS): Enhances the quality and efficiency of the public healthcare sector with its Hakeem Program.

Kenya

KenyaEMR : Operational in 376 healthcare facilities offering HIV services, enhancing data management and patient care.

OpenEMR Implementations: Used in Siaya District Hospital, managing patient records and improving healthcare delivery.

Lebanon

ITG Holding : Offers comprehensive EMR services, including specialized modules for various medical specialties.

Sijilli: A mobile electronic personal health record system designed to serve Syrian refugees, enhancing healthcare accessibility and continuity.

Lithuania

Varutis: Provides Varis-ESIS, an integrated information system for healthcare providers.

Malaysia

AOIKUMO : Specializes in cloud-based EMR solutions for beauty, medical aesthetics, GP, and dental sectors.

GloboCare : Offers a robust Electronic Medical Record Management System deployed in over 20 hospitals across Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei.

Nano Medic Care Sdn Bhd : Provides the iHealth Clinical Management System, enhancing hospital operations and supporting telehealth services.

Origin Integrated Studios: Their Origin EMR is implemented in over 30 hospitals and 10 satellite clinics, serving over 10 million patients annually.

Mexico

Health Digital Systems (HDS) : Provides comprehensive EHR systems that enable real-time medical data sharing.

SoftMedic: Offers clinic management software with features like patient portals, laboratory modules, and telemedicine capabilities.

Moldova

BrilliantMD: Focuses on claims management software utilizing AI, machine learning, and blockchain technology.

Netherlands

ChipSoft : Developed the HiX platform, a fully integrated EHR solution, and a market leader in the Netherlands.

ORTEC : Contributes data science expertise to enhance existing EHR systems with advanced analytics.

Topicus: Provides Medicom, an integrated EHR solution supporting complex healthcare processes.

New Zealand

Intrahealth Systems Limited: Develops and supports electronic health record and medical practice management software.

Nigeria

Helium Health: Its flagship product, HeliumOS, is used by over 10,000 healthcare professionals, managing care for more than one million patients.

Norway

DIPS ASA : The largest supplier of electronic patient record systems to Norwegian hospitals.

Tietoevry Care: Offers modular, open, and interoperable EHR solutions.

Pakistan

DocTime : Provides telemedicine services and EHR solutions with a focus on accessibility.

Healthwire : Integrates EHR functionalities with secure video consultations.

InstaCare: A leading EHR system offering superior patient management and streamlined workflows.

Philippines

KonsultaMD : Offers telehealth services, integrating electronic health records.

Medcurial : The first EMR software certified by the Center for Health Development in Metro Manila.

SeriousMD: A leading EMR and practice management platform for healthcare professionals.

Poland

Asseco Poland : Developed the Asseco Medical Management Solutions (AMMS) platform.

Comarch Healthcare : Holds a 21.5% share in Poland's enterprise application software market.

KAMSOFT : Specializes in computer systems design for healthcare IT.

Medicover: Supports efficient patient data management and integrated healthcare services.

Portugal

Maxdata Software : Provides Clinidata, widely implemented in hospitals and laboratories.

Medidata: Enhances clinical trial workflows by securely integrating EHR data.

Romania

SIVECO : Offers tailored EHR solutions, including SIVADOC for document management.

UTI Grup: Developed the National E-Health Record system based on the HL7 standard.

Russia

1C Company : Provides EHR solutions like 1C: Medicine, streamlining operations.

Medos : Enhances operational efficiency through advanced EHR systems.

Softline: Designs comprehensive EHR systems tailored to healthcare providers.

Saudi Arabia

Cloud Solutions: Offers the VIDA EHR system, supporting digital transformation in hospitals.

Slovakia

Medirecords: Offers a customizable EHR system designed to enhance clinical workflows.

Slovenia

Medis : Provides comprehensive EHR systems supporting traditional and telehealth services.

Sistemi: Offers customizable solutions for patient management and clinical documentation.

South Africa

Healthbridge: Specializes in advanced EHR systems simplifying consultation processes.

South Korea

EZCaretech : Provides BESTCare, utilized by prominent medical institutions like Seoul National University Bundang Hospital.

Samsung Nexmed EMR: Features advanced analytics, robust security, and seamless integration.

Spain

GMV : Offers EHR solutions like Antari Professional and Antari Homecare.

Indra : Developed systems like Diraya, integrating comprehensive patient information.

NTT DATA Everis: Provides ehCOS CLINIC to enhance clinical workflows.

Sweden

Cambio Healthcare Systems: Offers the COSMIC platform, supporting hospitals and clinics.

Switzerland

HealthSwiss : Provides secure healthcare data management solutions compliant with GDPR and HIPAA standards.

ITH icoserve, Siemens: Facilitates efficient exchange of health information.

Thailand

HOSxP : A hospital information system used by over 800 hospitals.

SkyCare EMR: Optimized for the Thai healthcare market, featuring intuitive templates and compliance.

Turkey

Basarsoft : Integrates Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with healthcare applications.

MedData : Supports efficient patient data management.

Tibbi Bilgi ve Iletisim Sistemleri (TBIS): Adheres to national and international healthcare standards.

Uganda

UgandaEMR: Improves clinical documentation and reporting in over 1,900 facilities.

Ukraine

EMCImed : Automates and optimizes operations in medical institutions.

Helsi.me : A leading system with over 26.9 million registered patients.

Medstar Solutions LLC: Handles approximately 120,000 appointments per day, covering 15% of the market.

United Kingdom

EMIS Health : Supports over half of the UK's GP practices.

IMS MAXIMS : Offers modular, browser-based EHR platforms.

Nervecentre: Implemented in over 100 hospitals, supporting digital transformation.

Vietnam

FPT Information Systems : Provides EHR solutions like FPT.eHospital 2.0+.

Viettel Business Solutions: Connected over 1,500 medical facilities through its Telehealth platform.

Zambia

SmartCare: Deployed across numerous healthcare facilities, improving patient management.

Zimbabwe

OpenMRS: Facilitates the management of patient records in various healthcare facilities.

SOURCE: Black

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Dieppe, New Brunswick--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2024) - Colibri Resource Corporation (TSXV: CBI) ("Colibri" or the "Company") and option partner Silver Spruce Resources Inc. (TSXV: SSE) ("Silver Spruce") report drilling and assay results completed at the Diamante property, Sonora Mexico. A highlight of the drilling is the discovery of mineralization following up a resistivity survey which includes an intercept of 94.80 g/t Ag, 0.08 g/t Au, 2.89% Pb, and 1.12 % Zn over an intersection length of 2.50 metres.

Colibri and Silver Spruce completed 7 diamond drill holes for a total of 800 m during the 2024 drill program. Two holes were drilled at each of El Pillado and La Prieta zones to follow up on previous positive drill results. Two holes were drilled to test the results of an electrical (resistivity) survey covering part of an extensive color anomaly, approximately 600m x 350 m, located immediately south of El Pillado zone. One hole was drilled to explore El Mezquite-Raisudo target area located approximately 2.3 km south-southwest of the El Pillado. Significant assay results are contained in table 1.





Figure 1: Diamante Claims Map



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Ian McGavney, President & CEO of Colibri commented: "We encountered considerable difficulties with core quality and recovery in this year's drill program at Diamante. However, we are very pleased with the result from our El Pillado South drilling which targeted a large colour anomaly extending south of the Pillado zone. Both holes drilled at El Pillado South intersected longer intercepts of highly anomalous mineralization and a higher grade intercept of 94.80 ppm Ag, 2.89% Pb, and 1.12% Zn over a core length of 2.50 m. These results expand the scope of our exploration model and targeting which we believe significantly enhances the discovery potential at Diamante."

Table 1: Significant Assay Results





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AgEq is calculated using the following metal prices: US$2654 per ounce Au, US$30.61 per ounce Ag, US$0.92 per pound Pb, and US$1.40 per pound Zn. No metallurgical recoveries have been applied.





Figure 2: El Pillado and El Pillado South drilling target areas showing drill collars, AgEq values for core intervals, resistivity survey lines and preliminary ENE-trending structure interpretation



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Figure 3: El Pillado and El Pillado South drilling target areas showing colour anomaly



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Figure 4: El Pillado South drilling target area showing drill collars, AgEq values for core intervals, resistivity section and preliminary ENE-trending structure interpretation



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El Pillado

El Pillado has been the object of past small scale underground mining. Test pits and a decline date back to the 1800's and more recent test mining was completed at El Pillado during the 1990's. El Pillado zone is located at the northwestern end of large SE-NW trending colour anomaly measuring approximately 600 m x 350 m. Colibri and partner Silver Spruce have completed geological mapping and sampling at El Pillado and in 2022 completed 940.5 m in 9 reverse circulation ("RC") drill holes (Figure 1). Highlights of the 2022 drilling include:

0.18 g/t Au, 145 g/t Ag, 1.35% Zn and 1.01 % Pb over an intersection length of 12.0 m

0.21 g/t Au, 42 g/t Ag, 2,14 % Zn, and 0.68% Pb over an intersection length of 16.5 m

0.04 g/t Au, 6.27 g/t Ag, 0.78 % Zn, and 0.12 % Pb over an intersection length of 10.5 m

The 2024 drilling at El Pillado was planned to intersect a northeasterly trend of mineralization evident in the 2022 drilling. Both holes drilled in the 2024 program intersected multiple mineralized intervals indicated by the occurrence of fault rocks hosting vein quartz with or without galena, sphalerite, or pyrite and sericite alteration. Significant intercepts from El Pillado drilling are contained in table 1.

El Pillado South

During 2024, Colibri and Silver Spruce completed 2 lines of electrical exploration (resistivity) located approximately 125 m southeast of the historical Pillado mine workings (Figure 2). Two holes were planned to test a domain characterized by sharp, moderately north dipping (apparent), resistivity gradients (Figure 3). Both holes intersected significant lengths of anomalous mineralization, 22.5 m in hole DIA24-03 and 8.2 m in hole DIA24-04. Hole DIA24-03 included an intercept of 0.08 g/t Au, 94.80 g/t Ag, 2,89 % Pb, and 1.12 % Zn.

La Prieta

La Prieta target consists of a southwest striking, steeply northwest dipping vein and vein splay structure. Highlights of previous drilling include:

2.48 g/t Au and 56.7 g/t Ag over an intersection length of 9.0 metres ("m")

1.76% Zn, 38.5 g/t Ag and 0.56 g/t Au over an intersection length of 13.5 m

1.61% Zn, 38.5 g/t Ag and 0.63 g/t Au over an intersection length of 10.5 m

During the 2024 program, 2 holes were drilled to test down dip and along trend to the northeast of previously intersected mineralization (Figure 4). Mineralized intervals consisting of vein quartz in altered and highly fractured andesite was intersected. However, core quality and recovery in the mineralized zones was poor and grades were anomalous.





Figure 5: La Prieta drilling target areas showing drill collars and AgEq values for core intervals



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QP STATEMENTS

Difficult drilling conditions were encountered on the 2024 program at Diamante. In general, core quality, as measured by RQD, was poor. This was especially evident in mineralized or potentially mineralized intervals characterized by alteration, veining and micro veining, and oxidized and partially oxidized fractures. Similarly, core recovery in the mineralized intervals was less than 100% and locally was less than 40%. The core provides for the recognition of rock types and the recognition of alteration, vein quartz, and sulphide minerals comprising mineralization. However, the core quality precludes detailed evaluation, including quantitative structural analysis, and limits interpretation integrating previous drilling and geological mapping and sampling. The sampling and assaying provide a clear indication of the presence of mineralization consistent with the visual recognition. However, given the poor recovery, particularly in the anticipated mineralized intercepts in La Prieta, the assays are not considered representative of in-situ grades.

Jamie Lavigne, P. Geo and a Director for Colibri is a Qualified Person as defined in NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical information in this press release.

ABOUT THE DIAMANTE PROPERTY

The Diamante property is located within a belt of Epithermal Au-Au mineralization hosted by the Sierra Madre Occidental Volcanic Complex. Major gold mining operations in the area of the Diamante property include Alamos Golds' Los Mulatos Mine and Agnico Eagles' El India and Pinos Altos Mines. The Diamante project is located approximately 12km km northeast of Minera Alamos' Santana Au development project which is anticipated to commence commercial production within the next quarter. The Property is located approximately 170 km southeast of Sonora state capital Hermosillo and approximately 10 km northwest of the town of Tepoca. The property is accessed directly from Sonora State Highway 16.

ABOUT COLIBRI RESOURCE CORPORATION:

Colibri is a Canadian-based mineral exploration company listed on the TSX-V (CBI) and is focused on acquiring, exploring, and developing prospective gold & silver properties in Mexico. The Company holds four high potential precious metal projects: 1) 100% of the 4,766 hectare EP Gold Project in the significant Caborca Gold Belt which has delivered highly encouraging exploration results and is surround by Mexico's second largest major producer of gold on four sides, 2) 49% Ownership of the Pilar Gold & Silver Project which is believed to hold the potential to be a near term producing mine, and 3) two highly prospective interests in the Sierra Madre (Diamante Gold & Silver Project and Jackie Gold & Silver Project).

For more information about all Company projects please visit: www.colibriresource.com.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

This news release contains "forward-looking statements". Statements in this press release which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that they will prove to be accurate.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/234764

SOURCE: Colibri Resource Corporation
Houston, Texas--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2024) - Swishablast LLC, the parent company of SwishaHouse, today addressed recent public statements and legal actions regarding the company's leadership and operations. G-Dash, co-founder and CEO of Swishablast LLC, has released an official statement to address various claims regarding the company's history and current legal proceedings, currently being heard in Texas Federal Court under civil action number H-05-2989, case number 4:05-cv-02989.

Co-founder and CEO of Swishablast LLC, the label that houses SwishaHouse, G-Dash

According to company records, Swishablast was established in 2000 through a partnership between G-Dash and Michael "5000" Watts. Since its inception, G-Dash has overseen all business operations, negotiations, and contracts that contributed to SwishaHouse's growth and success in the music industry.

The statement addresses several recent developments, including concerns about unauthorized trademark filings and various business decisions affecting the company's operations. Recent actions that have impacted the company include the removal of historical content from social media platforms and disputes over brand usage rights.

The company reports that current legal proceedings have not resulted in any adverse findings against G-Dash's position. Moving forward, G-Dash continues to focus on executive leadership in the music industry, working with record labels and providing consultation services to emerging artists.

"To all the loyal fans and supporters: the truth cannot and will not be erased," G-Dash added. "SwishaHouse's success is the result of teamwork, vision, and leadership, and I will continue to preserve and protect its legacy."



You can read G-Dash's full statement here.

About SwishaHouse

SwishaHouse is a record label established in 2000, recognized for its role in shaping Southern hip-hop. It has supported the development of numerous artists and contributed to the growth of the genre. SwishaHouse remains focused on preserving its history while fostering new opportunities in the music industry.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/234489

SOURCE: Swisha House
Board member Drew Neville and the rest of the team at Children's Health Foundation of Oklahoma garner support and resources for crucial pediatric research that benefits children across the state.

Thousands of children throughout Oklahoma are facing pediatric diseases that impact their daily lives. The Children's Health Foundation of Oklahoma (CHF) was founded to support sick children and their families through funding research, education, and care across all of Oklahoma's 77 counties. Since 1982, the organization has raised more than $161 million for patients, and 75% of the state's pediatricians are currently supported by CHF.

This impact is what originally attracted Drew Neville to join the organization's board of directors in the late 1980s. Currently of counsel for McAfee & Taft, Neville has worked as a trial lawyer for over 50 years. He brings this unique mindset to the work he does on CHF's board, which has contributed to 36 endowed chairs in 13 different pediatric specialties-from oncology and neonatology to genealogy and pulmonology.

"Our board is very driven. You don't get to attend meetings and have a glass of wine and then go home," laughs Neville. "Everything we do is centered on funding crucial pediatric research, as research is the key to the cure."

Rallying Around Research

Through the support of community partners, donations, and community events, CHF recruits exceptional doctors for pediatric research that has positively impacted the lives of many children. For one mother located in Enid, this research saved her newborn baby's life. After she went home from the hospital, her child couldn't keep milk down while breastfeeding and was showing signs of malnutrition. CHF had a crucial piece of equipment that allowed the mother to receive DNA testing results within 24 hours rather than the typical two to three weeks. She discovered her baby had galactosemia, which involves the inability to break down the galactose in milk. She was advised to stop breastfeeding immediately, saving her baby's life.

Currently, Neville and the rest of the board are looking to the future, seeking ways to increase funding and support for future pediatric programming and research opportunities. Because of this dedication, no child is ever turned away from CHF's supported programs, regardless of their ability to pay.

"We have been very blessed with a wonderful, motivated staff who are here for the cause," says Neville. "If you don't constantly reinvest in your research, pediatric care could be set back, and we aren't OK with those ramifications. My favorite part of what we do is interacting with children and their families and positively impacting their life."

SOURCE: Children's Health Foundation

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Flin Flon, Manitoba--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2024) - Boreal Gold Inc (CSE: BGLD) (the "Issuer") wishes to announce its plans to raise up to $153,000 through a non-brokered private placement financing up to a Maximum Offering Amount of $153,000. The private placement will be comprised of 340,000 Flow-Through Shares at a price of $0.30 per Flow-Through Shares representing proceeds of $102,000 and 170,000 Units at a price of $0.30 per Unit, representing proceeds of $51,000 for an aggregate total raised of $153,000. The Units shall consist of, and separate immediately upon closing into, one common share of the Issuer (a "Common Share") and one (1) Warrant, each entitling the holder to purchase one Common Share at a purchase price of $0.30 cents per Warrant for a period of twenty-four (24) months following the date of closing.

The Offering is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals. All securities to be issued under the Offering will be subject to a four-month statutory hold period in Canada.

The funds will be utilized for general working capital purposes and ongoing work on the Fay Lake and Melgurd Lake properties.

Properties

The Fay Lake Property consists of 17 contiguous claims comprising of 2719 ha. lies 25km Northeast of Flin Flon, Manitoba. It is contiguous to the south with Hudbay Minerals Vamp Lake Cu-Zn-Au VMS property and also contiguous to the northeast, with the former Puffy Lake Gold mine. Fay Lake contains approximately 5 km of mapped VMS horizons similar to Vamp Lake. Separately, west of the rail line, a 9 km shear structure, presently known to contain similar mineralization as the Puffy Lake Gold deposit with samples assaying up to 14.33 g/t Au.

The Melgurd property consisting of 11 mineral claims totalling 7411 ha., lies Northwest of Flin Fon Manitoba just north of the Shotts Lake copper-zinc VMS deposit in Saskatchewan. Boreal's airborne magnetic and EM survey shows both EM conductors and gradient magnetic trends of the Shott Lake horizon continuing north onto the Melgurd property in the area of a felsic volcanic package. Prospecting and mapping in the summer and fall of 2023 and 2024 have outlined an area of significant garnet and anthophyllite alteration, locally this alteration is associated with gossans.

Going Forward based on Recent work on the Fay Lake (in Manitoba) and Melgurd Lake (in Saskatchewan) Properties

Planned Drilling

In 2025 drill holes are being planned for both Fay Lake and Melgurd Lake which will be undertaken subject to a planned brokerage financing in the New Year. This will follow up airborne targets, which have been verified by detailed analysis, ground geophysics as well as geological mapping, sampling and prospecting (2023 and 2024). Further ground geophysics is planned for the western portion of the Fay Lake Grid, not previously covered, prior to drilling.

Previous work

Historic work (Fay Lake)

The attraction of the property has been the high gold content of the Redwin massive sulphides. During the period 1932-the Fay Lake Mining Syndicate delivered three shipments of sulphide ore to Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting, from the shaft area and nearby trenches. The three shipments of ore are as follows (Letter from A. Kauffman, Chief Geologist HBM&S, 1949). HBED was not interested because of the low copper values and gold was then only $25/oz.

November 24, 1932: 42.6 tonnes (14.6 g/t Au; 50 g/t Ag; 0.20% Cu)

January 12, 1933: 40.0 tonnes (15.7 g/t Au; 7.9 g/t Ag; 0.65% Cu)

January 25, 1933: 147 tonnes (4.5 g/t Au; 4.5 g/t Ag; 0.51% Cu)

During this period the Syndicate excavated numerous trenches and two shafts and carried out a drill program in the main showing area however results from this program are not recorded. Various drill programs ensued along the extent of the 5 km horizon verified massive sulphides.

Recent work by Boreal Gold

In 2022, a 437.4 line-kms TDEM (Time Domain Electromagnetic) airborne survey was flown over the entire Fay Lake Property and a 757.7 line-kms TDEM (Time Domain Electromagnetic) airborne survey was flown over the Melgurd Lake Property. In the summer/fall of 2023 and 2024, grids were cut, chained, prospected, sampled and mapped in geological detail over both properties. In 2023, Petros Eikon was retained for geophysical interpretation of the airborne surveys over both the Fay Lake and Melgurd Lake properties, this included analysis, modeling and drill hole planning to intersect prospective airborne anomalies. In 2023, Boreal undertook 23.15 km of a ground magnetometer and a horizontal loop, electromagnetic survey (HLEM) with two different cable lengths (150 m and 250 m lengths) over the eastern (Redwin Grid) VMS horizon of the Fay Lake Property. These ground geophysical surveys, carried out by Sigfrid and Associates, better defined the airborne conductors and their dip as well as the continuity of the massive sulphide horizon (magnetic) with detailed ground magnetic surveys. John Pearson, M.Sc., P.Geo., FGC, FEC(Hon) completed on September 4, 2024 a National Instrument 43-101 on both the Fay Lake and Melgurd Properties.

Use of Proceeds

Boreal Gold intends to use the proceeds from this financing to perform ground geophysical surveys over the western portion of the Fay Lake grid (not previously covered) along with a portion of the Melgurd Lake grid to cover two to three prospective airborne conductors. The proceeds will also be used for assaying the rock samples collected on both the Fay Lake Property and the Melgurd Lake Property this past summer/fall and completing the mapping, prospecting and sampling reports on both properties and for corporate purposes.

Qualified Person

Stephen L. Masson, M.Sc., P.Geo. is the "Qualified Person" as defined by NI 43-101 for these projects, has reviewed and approved the technical disclosure contained in this news release.

About Boreal Gold Inc

Boreal Gold Inc is a Canadian junior mineral exploration company with a specific focus on mineral properties in northwest Manitoba and northeast Saskatchewan, Canada. All of the Issuer's properties are currently at the exploration stage. The Issuer has assembled a portfolio of base metal and precious metal prospects in strategic locations in the Provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

Boreal Gold Inc

"signed"

Richard Masson

President & CEO

No stock exchange or securities regulatory authority has reviewed or accepted responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Some of the statements contained in this release are forward-looking statements, such as estimates and statements that describe the Issuer's future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Issuer or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature, they involve inherent risks and uncertainties.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/234775

SOURCE: Boreal Gold Inc.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2024) - eXeBlock Technology Corporation (CSE: XBLK.X) ("eXeBlock" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the commencement of a non-brokered private placement of up to 22,000,000 units (the "Units") at a price of $0.025 per Unit to raise gross proceeds of up to $550,000 (the "Offering"). Each Unit will consist of one (1) common share of the Company (each a "Share") and one (1) non-transferable share purchase warrant (the "Warrants"). Each Warrant will be exercisable to acquire one (1) additional Share at an exercise price of $0.06 per Share for a period of two (2) years from the date of closing of the Offering (the "Closing Date").

Numus Capital Corp. (the "Agent") will act as the exclusive agent for the Financing. As compensation for its services, the Agent will receive cash compensation equal to 7% of the gross proceeds of the Financing. The Agent will also receive non-transferable share purchase warrants (the "Agent's Warrants") which will entitle the Agent to acquire such number of common shares as is equal to 7% of the number of Units placed by the Agent. The Agent's Warrants will be exercisable at a price of $0.06 per share any time for a period of 24 months from the Closing Date. The Agent is registered as an exempt market dealer and deals with eXeBlock on a non-arm's length basis, an insider of eXeBlock being indirectly a principal shareholder as well as a director and officer of the Agent.

Insiders of eXeBlock will participate in the Offering, which is subject to the approval of the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE"). The net proceeds from the Offering will be used for the due diligence and negotiation of new business opportunities and for general working capital.

All securities issued under the Offering will be subject to a statutory hold period of four-month and a day from the Closing Date.

About eXeBlock

eXeBlock, with its wholly owned subsidiary eXeBlock Subco, is listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol "XBLK.X". eXeBlock Subco is a company incorporated under the federal laws of Canada. eXeBlock is a technology company exploring new technology initiatives. Neither eXeBlock, nor eXeBlock Subco has current business operations.

Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Not for distribution to U.S. newswire services or dissemination in the United States.

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This press release may contain forward-looking statements and information that are based on the beliefs of management and reflect the Company's current expectations. When used in this press release, the words 'estimate', 'project', 'belief', 'will', 'anticipate', 'intend', 'expect', 'plan', 'predict', 'may' or 'should' and the negative of these words or such variations or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements and information. More particularly and without limitation, this news release may contain forward-looking information relating to the ability to identify and complete a transaction with a clear path to revenue, which depends upon the availability of such business opportunity, negotiation of acceptable terms, receipt of regulatory approvals and the approval of the Company's shareholders. Such statements and information reflect the current view of the Company with respect to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in those forward-looking statements and information. 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 are made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that statements are made and the Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. There are a number of important risk factors that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those indicated or implied by forward-looking statements and information. For a more detailed discussion of risk factors, refer to the Company's management discussion and analysis dated as of December 13, 2024 filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca) and on the CSE's website. The Company cautions that the aforementioned list of material risk factors is not exhaustive. When relying on the Company's forward-looking statements and information to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing risk factors and other uncertainties and potential events.

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.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/234783

SOURCE: eXeBlock Technology Corporation
Since 1906, Cass Commercial Bank has provided sophisticated financial services to businesses, franchises, and faith-based organizations.

"We're in a unique position for a commercial bank," says Dwight Erdbruegger, president of Cass Commercial Bank. "Our technology and services were designed to meet the needs of our parent company, Cass Information Systems, Inc. (CIS), which provides invoice auditing and payment services for Fortune 1000 companies. We're able to offer the sophistication and capacity of a much larger bank while also being small enough to provide every client with personal attention."

Cass Bank

Founded in 1906, Cass Bank has served the business community in and around St. Louis for generations. The bank has a reputation for being selective in its choice of clients, opting to work with companies that appreciate the value of its conservative lending approach. In addition to working with privately held businesses and nonprofit groups in the St. Louis area, Cass Bank also offers services to restaurant franchises across the country, including McDonald's and Domino's. The bank recently launched a new Equipment Finance division, offering solutions and cost-effective strategies to businesses looking to finance new vehicles, machinery, and technology.

"We are very much a relationship-oriented bank," Erdbruegger says. "Most commercial banks are transactional, but our clients know that we're with them for the long haul. We're focused on delivering long-term results, even when that means sacrificing short-term profits. We rarely lose a client."

Cass Bank, which has a 5-Star Superior Rating by Bauer Financial for its financial soundness, celebrated a successful year in 2024. In October, it was awarded the 2024 Better Business Bureau Torch Awards for Ethics. The Bank also received the 2024 Innovation in Philanthropy Award from the St. Louis Business Journal and was ranked as one of the St. Louis Top Workplaces 2024 from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Sophisticated Banking Solutions

As a global provider of payment management solutions for some of the world's largest companies, CIS has spent decades building Cass Bank into a sophisticated "payment engine" capable of processing billions of dollars each year. This investment in technology has allowed the bank to stand toe-to-toe with the largest commercial banks in the country without losing its deep personal connection with clients.

"Our clients are never exposed to the kinds of risks you might see at a large commercial bank," Erdbruegger says. "We're an extremely stable bank, and we're overcapitalized by design. We have not had a credit loss in more than a decade, which is remarkable for any bank."

Another important aspect of the bank's success, Erdbruegger notes, is its emphasis on professional ethics. Every Cass Bank employee is expected to "do the right thing" in their business dealings and to always deliver on their promises to clients. This philosophy of dedicated service even extends into online and after-hours support.

"Our customer service group is right here in St. Louis," Erdbruegger explains. "There's no automated system to navigate. When you call, you talk to a person. Our clients really appreciate that level of personal attention."

Champions of Faith-Based Banking

"From a banking perspective, churches have unique risks," says Erdbruegger. "We have developed a financial model that helps faith organizations understand what is possible and what is not. As a result, Cass Bank is one of the few banks with a long history of successfully lending to churches and other faith-based organizations."

Cass Bank provides a variety of services for religious organizations, from CFO-like financial advice to TouchPoint, a church management software solution. For Erdbruegger, this is just one more example of the Bank's dedication to its clients.

"We care about our community and our clients," Erdbruegger says. "We always try to do the right thing for them

Contact Information

Darlene Willman

314-506-5678

SOURCE: Cass Commercial Bank

View the original press release on accesswire.com
GCA AM Targets $150 Million Expansion for its GAR Fixed Income Strategy, Offering New Investors Access to Consistent Double-Digit Returns

GCA AM, the investment management division of Gulf Central Merchant Bank (GCMB), has announced a $150 million expansion target for its GAR Fixed Income strategy. Since its inception in 2018, the strategy has consistently delivered double-digit returns, and this new initiative aims to broaden investor access to its exceptional performance. The capital raise is scheduled to commence in Q1 2025.

Hakim Azaiez, CEO of GCMB and CIO of GCA AM, highlighted the importance of the expansion: "This initiative reinforces our commitment to providing clients with access to high-performing, resilient investment opportunities. By growing the GAR Fixed Income strategy, we aim to continue delivering the exceptional returns that have become a hallmark of our approach."

The GAR Fixed Income Strategy has consistently demonstrated its capacity to deliver strong, stable performance since inception, even amid volatile market conditions. This resilience makes it a compelling choice for both institutional and individual investors seeking reliable fixed-income solutions. The recent $150 million expansion target underscores GCA Asset Management's proven expertise in the fixed income space and reinforces its unwavering commitment to fostering long-term client success.

Disclaimer: Investments are subject to market risks, and the value of investments may go up or down. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Investors are encouraged to seek independent financial advice before making investment decisions.

SOURCE: Gulf Central Merchant Bank Ltd

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2024) - Blackrock Silver Corp. (TSXV: BRC) (OTCQX: BKRRF) (FSE: AHZ0) (the "Company" or "Blackrock") is pleased to report that all resolutions proposed and voted on at the Annual General Meeting of its shareholders held on December 20, 2024, in Vancouver, British Columbia (the "Meeting") were approved.

Shareholders approved: (i) fixing the number of directors of the Company at six (6); (ii) the election of William Howald, David Laing, Tom Peregoodoff, Andrew Pollard, Daniel Vickerman and Antony Wood as directors of the Company; and (iii) the appointment of its auditor, BDO Canada LLP, Chartered Professional Accountants, as the independent auditor of the Company and the fixing of the auditor's remuneration.

The Company's shareholders also approved and confirmed the Company's Omnibus Equity Incentive Compensation Plan (the "Omnibus Plan") at the Meeting.

A summary of all of the items approved at the Meeting (including details of the Omnibus Plan) are described in the Company's Management Information Circular dated November 8, 2024, which can be found under the Company's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. The Omnibus Plan, in its entirety, is attached as Schedule "A" to the Management Information Circular provided to shareholders of the Company in respect of the annual general meeting of the Company's shareholders held on December 20, 2024.

After the meeting, the directors of the Company: (i) appointed the following officers of the Company: Andrew Pollard as President and Chief Executive Officer, William (Bill) Howald as Executive Chairman, Randy Minhas as Chief Financial Officer, Daniel Vickerman as SVP Corporate development and Amit Kumar as Corporate Secretary; and (ii) appointed Tom Peregoodoff as the Lead Director.

About Blackrock Silver Corp.

Backed by gold and silver ounces in the ground, Blackrock is a junior precious metal focused exploration and development company driven to add shareholder value. Anchored by a seasoned Board of Directors, the Company is focused on its 100% controlled Nevada portfolio of properties consisting of low-sulphidation, epithermal gold and silver mineralization located along the established Northern Nevada Rift in north-central Nevada and the Walker Lane trend in western Nevada.

Additional information on Blackrock Silver Corp. can be found on its website at www.blackrocksilver.com and by reviewing its profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

For further information, please contact:

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.

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/234816

SOURCE: Blackrock Silver Corp.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2024) - Medaro Mining Corp. (CSE: MEDA) ("Medaro" or the "Company") announces that it has agreed to settle $87,777.00 of debt owing to a certain creditor by issuing 501,582 common shares ("Shares") in the capital of the Company at a deemed price of $0.175 per Share. No warrants will be issued in connection with the debt settlement.

The debt settlement will not create a new control person nor are any insiders participating in the settlement. The Company believes it is in the best interests of its shareholders to reduce the amount of indebtedness while preserving cash and improving its financial position.

The debt settlement transaction is subject to the approval of the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE") and pursuant to the policies of the CSE, the Shares are subject to a hold period of four months from the date of issuance.

On Behalf of The Board of Directors,

Michael Mulberry

Chief Executive Officer

About the Company

The Company is an exploration company based in Vancouver, BC. and holds options over the Superb Lake lithium property located in Thunder Bay, Ontario; Darlin, Rapide and the CYR South lithium properties in Quebec; and Yurichson Uranium property in the Athabasca basin Saskatchewan. The Company owns 100% of the current Lac Lamotte claim block. The Company is a party to a joint venture agreement that engages the Company in the development and commercialization of a new process to extract lithium from spodumene concentrate. For more information, investors should review the Company's filings that are available at www.sedar.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements that are not historical facts, including without limitation, statements regarding future estimates, plans, programs, forecasts, projections, objectives, assumptions, expectations or beliefs of future performance, including statements regarding regulatory approval and the timing thereof are "forward-looking statements." These forward-looking statements reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company based on information currently available. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including those detailed from time to time in filings made by the Company with securities regulatory authorities, which may cause actual outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. These factors should be considered carefully, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/234821

SOURCE: Medaro Mining Corp.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2024) - Gold Digger Resources Inc. (CSE: GDIG) ("Gold Digger" or the "Company") is pleased to announce an update on its proposed acquisition of Premium Uranium Corporation ("PURC").

Further to its news releases dated March 6, 2024, and June 13, 2024, July 23, 2024, September 30, 2024, and October 31, 2024 the Company is advancing toward the acquisition of all outstanding shares of PURC pursuant to a share purchase agreement dated March 6, 2024, as amended (the "SPA"). This acquisition is being executed with PURC, each of the shareholders of PURC (the "Vendors"), and UA92 (Pty) Ltd. ("UA92"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of PURC (the "Acquisition").

The Company is excited to announce that intends to close the Acquisition of PURC on or about the last week of December 2024. Upon completion of the Acquisition, PURC and UA92 will become wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Company and the Company will indirectly acquire UA92's mineral property comprised of several prospecting licenses in the Republic of Botswana (the "UA92 Project").

Additionally, the Company will no longer file a Form 2A Listing Statement with the Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE"). Instead, within 75 days following the closing, the Company will file a Form 51-102F4 - Business Acquisition Report ("BAR"), which will include details of the Acquisition and audited financial statements for PURC. Additionally, concurrently with closing, the Company will file a NI 43-101 technical report on the UA92 Project.

As part of the Acquisition, Gold Digger will issue a total of 13,300,000 common shares (the "Consideration Shares") to the Vendors, at a deemed price of $0.40 per share. The Consideration Shares will be subject to contractual resale restrictions in accordance with which one-sixth of the Consideration Shares will be released from lock-up on the later of: (i) six months from the closing date; and (ii) the filing date of the BAR in respect of the Acquisition. Further, one-sixth of the remaining Consideration Shares will be released from lock-up every six months thereafter over a thirty-six month period. In addition to customary closing conditions outlined in the SPA, the Acquisition remains subject to the approval of the CSE.

A subsequent news release will be disseminated upon completion of the Acquisition. For further information on the Acquisition terms, please see the Company's news release dated June 13, 2024.

About Gold Digger Resources Inc.

Gold Digger Resources Inc. is an early-stage mineral resource exploration company. The Company's material property is currently the Regnault Project, consisting of 71 contiguous mineral claims covering an area of approximately 3,678 Ha located north-northeast of Chibougamau in the Province of Quebec.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its 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.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements relate to future events or future performance. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements or information. More particularly and without limitation, this news release contains forward-looking statements and information relating to the expected timing for the closing of the Acquisition; the results of the completion of the Acquisition; that the Company will file a BAR within 75 days of closing; that the Company will file a technical report on the UA92 Project concurrently with closing; and the fact that a subsequent news release will be disseminated on closing, and other matters.

The forward-looking statements and information are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by management of the Company. As a result, there can be no assurance that the proposed Acquisition or related matters will be completed as proposed or at all. Although management of the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements and information are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements and information since no assurance can be given that they will prove to be correct. Such forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions of management, including, without limitation, that the parties will be able to obtain the requisite regulatory approvals and satisfy the other conditions to the consummation of the Acquisition on the proposed schedule and terms and conditions set out in the SPA; that the SPA will not be terminated prior to the closing the Acquisition; that the Acquisition will be completed in accordance with the terms and conditions of the SPA and within the timeframe expected; that no unanticipated events will occur that will delay or prevent the completion of the Acquisition; that the Company will be able to file the BAR within 75 days of closing; that an audit of PURC's financial statements will be completed within 75 days of closing; and that a technical report on the UA92 Project will be ready to be filed concurrently with closing.

Forward-looking statements and information are provided for the purpose of providing information about the current expectations and plans of management of the Company relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such statements and information may not be appropriate for other purposes, such as making investment decisions. Since forward-looking statements and information address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. These include, but are not limited to, the Company's failure to complete the Acquisition within the timeframe disclosed or at all; the Company's failure to obtain the applicable regulatory approvals of the Acquisition; the failure of the Company to file a BAR within 75 days of closing; and the failure of the Company to complete an audit of PURC's financial statements within 75 days of closing; and the risk that the technical report on the UA92 Project will not be ready at closing. Other factors may also adversely affect the future results or performance of the Company, including general economic, market or business conditions, changes in the financial markets and changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting the Company's operations and the Company's limited operating history. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and no undertaking is given to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. The forward-looking statements or information contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/234334

SOURCE: Gold Digger Resources Inc.
For nearly 50 years, Parker & McConkie has fought for victims injured by others' recklessness, achieving some of the most consequential victories in the Intermountain West.

Time and again, Parker & McConkie has taken on Goliath-sized defendants to see justice done for its clients. Parker & McConkie previously obtained the largest wrongful death judgment in Utah history, and, in 2020, the firm achieved another record wrongful death settlement against The University of Utah for the death of Lauren McCluskey. Three years later, in 2023, it reached another monumental settlement with The University of Utah for the death of Zhifan Dong. In the same year, it earned the largest personal injury settlement ever paid by Salt Lake County for the death of an inmate caused by the county's negligence. In 2018, Parker & McConkie prevailed in an appeal after a nursing facility claimed it was not liable for the death of a patient because its nurse failed to inform anyone that she had mistakenly administered a fatal dose of narcotics. In 2012, the firm prevailed in an appeal that required automobile insurers to provide reasonable explanations of the purpose of underinsured motorist benefits before securing waivers of those benefits from their insureds. Currently, Parker & McConkie represents the families of Gabby Petito and Amanda Mayne in lawsuits against the City of Moab and Salt Lake City, respectively, for negligently failing to perform a proper lethality assessment, which would have prevented Gabby's death at the hands of her fiance and Amanda's death at the hands of her ex-husband.

Accidents Can Happen to Anyone

Accidents strike without warning, leaving their victims to deal with debilitating debt and injuries. Unfortunately, few wrongdoers will do what is right simply because it is right. Instead, they must be compelled to compensate individuals and families fairly.

In the summer of 2018, a mother was driving her 9-year-old daughter to school. The drive seemed routine, as mother and daughter spent the time enjoying one another's company. But, before reaching their destination, a semitruck suddenly slammed into the back of their vehicle. The force of the impact caused by the 20,000 pound truck made the mother's seat buckle, launching her backwards into her daughter's head. The resulting trauma left her daughter with a severe traumatic brain injury.

Facing mounting medical bills and an uncertain future, the mother turned to her family attorney for help. This attorney was eager to settle their case quickly and presented a settlement offer that was far too low to compensate the family for their losses. Fortunately, the mother trusted her intuition and asked the lawyers of Parker & McConkie to dig deeper.

Reflecting on this case, Brian C. Stewart, litigation attorney, says, "Families should never settle without understanding the long-term impacts of an accident. In this case, the settlement offered by the insurance company would have paid the medical bills and the lawyer, but very little would have been left for the injured girl. We always ask ourselves, beyond compensation, what will be the victim's quality of life going forward, and what can be done to improve it?"

The team went to work on the case. Suspecting a defect in the seat that buckled during the collision, they drew on their considerable experience to invest the time and resources needed to prepare for a long and difficult fight in court with the manufacturer of the vehicle. Their investment paid off.

"Once the manufacturer realized that our firm would fight for our clients as long as necessary, they paid nearly 10 times what they had been previously told to settle for-a settlement of millions of dollars, which assured our young client's family that they would be able to care for her and help her lead a more normal life. Being able to provide for clients, like this little girl, who truly rely on us to fight for them is incredibly satisfying-it's our motivation and our passion," says Stewart.

World-Class Service

Parker & McConkie's reputation for legal excellence is matched by its superior service to clients. The firm limits the number of cases it handles to give clients the attention they deserve. Its practice model emphasizes an engaged, hands-on approach with senior litigation counsel working collaboratively with each member of the team-from discovery through settlement or trial. An uncommon benefit the firm offers: Clients are partners in their case, not bystanders.

"Our No. 1 goal is to achieve the best results possible for our clients," says Steven Jensen, litigator. "That's why we spend a lot of time in the early stages talking with them to make certain that we understand every aspect of their case, their individual concerns, and what is in their best interest long term. Their active involvement ensures they always understand their options and know the status of the case. We want to hear from them about immediate needs. For example, are they able to get proper medical care, remain in their home, and pay their bills?"

Criteria, Impact

Parker & McConkie has a simple rule when determining which cases it will accept: Can we make a significant difference in the life of the victim or make a meaningful impact to benefit our community by seeking justice and accountability?

"Client impact is our foremost concern, regardless of the complexity or monetary value of the case," says Stewart. "Some cases have little chance for a large financial award, but justice must be still be served."

The team's commitment to justice brings tremendous peace of mind to families and creates an important advantage in negotiations and before juries. Insurance companies, opposing attorneys, and judges know that if Parker & McConkie accepts a case, the firm believes the cause is just. The team won't stop fighting until every avenue and option is explored, including jury trials and appellate court hearings.

Parker & McConkie attorneys work diligently with accident reconstruction specialists, physicians, and other expert witnesses to expose details in a case that other attorneys might overlook. Most cases are won or lost during discovery. Parker & McConkie ensures it wins during discovery by preparing for trial from the start of each case, developing defense rebuttals and creative strategies for court.

"The average family involved in one of these cases rarely has the necessary resources," says Jensen. "We do, and we put our clients on an even playing field."

Championing the Underdog

The powerhouse firm of Parker & McConkie is one of the oldest personal injury law firms in Utah and among the most successful in the Rocky Mountains. Founded by attorneys Jim McConkie and Brad Parker in 1978, the firm has defended the rights of catastrophically injured victims and survivors for nearly 50 years. Over the years, Parker and McConkie have also successfully taken on many cases and causes to protect the civil rights and religious liberty of vulnerable people whose constitutional rights have been violated.

Coming from a family of lawyers, Parker learned early in life that good attorneys must be problem-solvers. He has dedicated his career to helping victims of negligence, improper conduct, deceit, or abuse of power.

As Utah's Assistant U.S. Attorney in the 1970s, McConkie prosecuted federal criminal cases and represented the United States in civil litigation. He also taught constitutional law as an adjunct professor at Westminster College.

Together, Parker and McConkie have been a force for good, bringing about important changes in the region. They are among the founders of the Citizens Against Nuclear Waste in Utah, a bipartisan group opposing the storage of radioactive waste in the state's west desert of Tooele County. In 2017 the pair formed the Refugee Justice League, a nonprofit organization of attorneys and other professionals-now over 800 strong-offering pro bono legal help to refugees who have experienced discrimination because of their religion, ethnicity, or national origin.

SOURCE: Parker + McConkie

View the original press release on accesswire.com
GrammaTech, Inc., a leading provider of cybersecurity services and tools that improve and accelerate software development, has been awarded a contract from DARPA to enhance its REAFFIRM firmware technology. REAFFIRM is a tool that automates the unpacking, disassembly, and analysis of firmware, an essential type of computer code that is embedded into a device's hardware to control how it functions.

Firmware vulnerabilities are a growing security concern, with Microsoft reporting that 83% of businesses experienced a firmware attack in the last two years. Current cybersecurity solutions don't adequately address firmware vulnerabilities, because firmware requires specialized tools for analysis and protection.

GrammaTech's solution, REAFFIRM, provides an end-to-end pipeline that extends from raw binary packages to actionable results. It improves analysis, efficiency, and automation for quicker and more accurate identification of security risks. This is a big step forward in reducing the complexity and manual burden at the root of the industry-wide resource constraint.

Ray DeMeo, Chief Growth Officer at GrammaTech, said: "Firmware security is a difficult problem, and one that our country and the world needs to solve to ensure the security of critical computing systems deployed at the Edge. At GrammaTech, we specialize in taking on hard problems and finding innovative, effective solutions. Our expertise in reverse engineering, software supply chain integrity, and cybersecurity makes us more than ready to expand our current capability for ease of adoption into DevSec operations."

This material is based upon work supported by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) under Contract No. 140D0425C0004. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

About GrammaTech:

GrammaTech is a provider of advanced cybersecurity services and leading developer of software-assurance solutions. Our origin story began in the computer science department at Cornell University and now traverses a thirty-five-year company history of delivering cutting-edge cyber capability in support of government, intelligence and mission-critical infrastructure. GrammaTech technology is used by software developers and system defenders alike, everywhere reliability and security are paramount. It covers threat detection and mitigation, malware analysis, machine learning and automation, migration to memory safe languages, attack surface area reduction, and software supply chain integrity.

Distribution Statement "A" (Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited)

Contact Information

Sarah Riggins

Project Manager, GrammaTech

sriggins@grammatech.com

301-530-2900

SOURCE: GrammaTech, Inc.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2024 / Rektron Group Inc. ("Rektron" or the "Company") (CSE:REK.U)(FRA:F75) a global commodities trading house, is pleased to announce that it has appointed its director and CEO Atanas Kolarov and its independent director Trevor Turner to the board of directors of its wholly-owned subsidiary DL Hudson Limited, effective December 18, 2024. Additionally, Mr. Kolarov has also been appointed as a director of Rektron's wholly owned subsidiary, Rektron AQ Limited, effective December 18, 2024.

Access to Annual General Meeting Materials

On November 15, 2024, all postal service by Canada Post was suspended as a result of labour action by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (the "Postal Strike"). On December 16, 2024, Canada Post announced the resumption of its operations and receipt and pick up of new parcels and mail to start on December 19, 2024. As a result, Canada Post has warned of delays to the backlog of items already in the system. Given the sizable backlog and potential operational challenges, it may take some time for Canada Post to regain its usual rhythm. The Company's upcoming annual general meeting (the "Meeting") will be held virtually on Thursday, January 9, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. (Toronto Time).

The information circular and the form of proxy for the Meeting and all other proxy-related materials (collectively, the "Meeting Materials"), can be found on the Company's website (at www.rektrongroup.com) or under the Company's profile on SEDAR+ (at www.sedarplus.ca). The shareholders of record as of the close of business on December 3, 2024 (the "Shareholders"), are entitled to receive notice of and to vote at the Meeting. Shareholders of the Company are encouraged to access electronic versions of the Meeting Materials and all other proxy-related materials online through the Company's website and SEDAR+, and to vote in accordance with the instructions set forth in the Circular.

Shareholders will still be able to vote their shares either directly by proxy (for registered Shareholders) or indirectly through their intermediary (for unregistered Shareholders who hold their shares through brokerage firms or other intermediaries). Registered Shareholders should complete all signed proxy forms as directed on the form of proxy no later than 11:00 a.m. (Toronto Time) on January 7, 2025. Beneficial owners can obtain a copy of the voting instructions form from their intermediary. If you are a registered Shareholder and do not receive the Meeting Materials by mail ahead of the voting deadline, please contact Odyssey Trust Company at 1-888-290-1175 or visit How Can We Help? (CA) - Odyssey Trust Company to obtain your control number and then to vote online here: https://vote.odysseytrust.com/. If you hold shares through an intermediary such as a brokerage firm, please contact your intermediary directly to obtain a copy of the voting instructions form.

Copies of the Company's financial statements and related management discussion and analysis for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2024, are available on the Company's profile on SEDAR+ and on its website. If paper copies of the financial statements and MD&A have been requested but not yet delivered, they will be delivered once the backlog is cleared.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors, Rektron Group Inc.

Swapnil Mokashi

Chairman of the Board

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Martyna Jovaisaite

Email: ir@rektrongroup.com

Phone: +1 (289) 482-0744

Web: https://www.rektrongroup.com/

About the Company

The Company is the holding and parent company of Rektron AQ Limited, which is the holding and parent company of DL Hudson Limited. DL Hudson Limited is the trading arm of a group of companies, of which there are several subsidiaries that support the group's global commodity trading operations. The Company is headquartered in Vancouver, BC, while Rektron AQ Limited is headquartered in London, UK.

The Company focuses on maintaining an experienced team of management and traders, extensive geographical and product diversification, trading and logistical expertise, and financial and risk management. The team at the Group is composed of energy and metals traders, and finance professionals with expertise from the City of London and Wall Street. The trading expertise includes principal energy and metals products, particularly ferrous and nonferrous metals, Energy Transition Commodities ("ETC"), recycled metals and crude and Euro VI-compliant refined oil products. The Company transacts across all compliant markets following the international trade regulations and guidelines.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation (collectively, "forward-looking statements") that relate to Rektron's current expectations and views of future events. Any statements that express, or involve discussions as to, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, through the use of words or phrases such as "will likely result", "are expected to", "expects", "will continue", "is anticipated", "anticipates", "believes", "estimated", "intends", "plans", "forecast", "projection", "strategy", "objective" and "outlook") are not historical facts and may be forward-looking statements and may involve estimates, assumptions and uncertainties which could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed in such forward-looking statements. No assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included in this news release should not be unduly relied upon. These statements speak only as of the date of this news release.

Forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Rektron's control, which could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to the other factors set forth under "Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" and "Risk Factors" in the Company's final prospectus dated March 4, 2024 and as amended on June 28, 2024 and August 12, 2024. Rektron undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for Rektron to predict all of them, or assess the impact of each such factor or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Any forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.

No securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this news release.

Contact Information

Jody Belly

Legal counsel

jb@lebeuflegal.com

+1(438) 939-2580

SOURCE: Rektron Group Inc.





View the original press release on accesswire.com
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2024) - Bloom Burton & Co. Inc. (Bloom Burton) announces that, today, it acquired 1,692,250 common shares (Shares) of Satellos Bioscience Inc. (Corporation) in connection with a public offering of the Corporation by way of a prospectus supplement dated December 17, 2024 to the short form prospectus dated April 7, 2024. Bloom Burton purchased the Shares at a price of $0.90 per Share for total consideration of $1,523,025. Combined with former treasury issuances of Shares by the Corporation, this resulted in a decrease of beneficial holdings of approximately 3.7% of the outstanding Shares on a partially diluted basis since the date of the last early warning report.

Prior to this acquisition, Bloom Burton, its affiliates and Brian Bloom beneficially owned 8,708,568 Shares and 7,528,732 derivative securities (i.e., warrants, broker warrants, compensation options and stock options), representing approximately 7.6% of the outstanding Shares on a non-diluted basis and approximately 13.3% on a partially diluted basis assuming exercise of such derivative securities (including all of the stock options). After this acquisition, Bloom Burton, its affiliates and Brian Bloom beneficially own 10,400,818 Shares and 7,528,732 derivative securities, representing approximately 6.3% of the outstanding Shares on a non-diluted basis and approximately 10.3% on a partially diluted basis assuming exercise of such derivative securities (including all of the stock options).

The securities noted above are held for investment purposes. Bloom Burton has a long-term view of the investment and may acquire additional securities including either on the open market or through private acquisitions or sell the securities including either on the open market or through private dispositions in the future, depending on market conditions, reformulation of plans and/or other relevant factors.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/234822

SOURCE: Bloom Burton & Co. Inc.
Dynamic Shares LLC, the sponsor of the Dynamic Short Short-Term Volatility Futures ETF (the "Fund" or "WEIX"), announced today its decision to liquidate and close the Fund, effective December 30, 2024. Dynamic Shares LLC has determined to liquidate the Fund due to insufficient investor interest.

The last day of trading for the Fund on the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe BZX) is expected to be Friday, December 27, 2024. Shareholders may sell their shares in the secondary market until the close of trading on this date. Following the close of trading, the Fund will cease operations.

On Monday, December 30, 2024, the remaining shareholders will receive the net asset value of their shares as of the December 27, 2024, distributed in cash. Shareholders do not need to take any action during this process.

Dynamic Shares LLC has coordinated with the Cboe BZX to ensure the orderly delisting and liquidation of the Fund.

Key Dates:

December 20, 2024 : Official announcement of liquidation.

December 23, 2024: Convert derivatives and money market fund holdings and other cash equivalents

to cash. (The creation of new shares in the Dynamic Short Short- Term Volatility Futures ETF (WEIX) will cease prior to the market open on Monday, December 23, 2024 .)

December 27, 2024: Last day of trading on Cboe BZX.

December 30, 2024: Fund liquidation and distribution to shareholders.

Investors are encouraged to review the Fund's prospectus, available on the Fund's website, for more information. If you have any questions, please contact Dynamic Shares at (312) 216-2890.

Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses of the Fund before investing. The prospectus contains this and other information about the Fund. A copy of the Fund's prospectus is available at www.dynamicsharesetf.com or by calling the Fund at (312) 216-2890. The prospectus should be read carefully before investing. Current and future holdings are subject to change and risks.

An investment risk in the Fund is subject to investment risks, including the possible loss of some or the entire principal amount invested. There can be no assurance that the Fund will be successful in meeting its investment objective. Investment in the Fund is also subject to the following risks (among others):

Algorithm Risk: the algorithm's predictions concerning the movement in price of VIX Futures Contracts may not anticipate actual market movements, and these predictions may affect the return on your investment.

Investment Objective Risk: The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective even if it will cause the value of the shares to decline.

Sponsor Risk: The sponsor will not materially modify the algorithm described in the prospectus after the prospected us declared effective by the SEC, even if the algorithm is unsuccessful and fails in its objective to better manage risks by causing the Fund to maintain lower notional exposure to VIX Futures Contracts during periods where such exposure would cause the Fund to incur losses and maintain similar notional exposure to VIX Futures Contracts during periods where exposure would cause the Fund to make profits.

More information about these risks and others can be found in the Fund's prospectus.

The Dynamic Short Short-Term Volatility ETF is distributed by Capital Investment Group, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC, 100 E. Six Forks Road, Suite 200, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27809. There is no affiliation between Dynamic Shares, LLC, sponsor of the Fund, including their principals and Capital Investment Group, Inc. RCDYN1224002



Contact Information

SOURCE: Dynamic Shares LLC

View the original press release on accesswire.com
tiun, a Zurich, Switzerland-based fintech startup helping media providers to attract, engage and convert younger audiences, raised $2.5M in Pre-Seed funding.

The round was led by Founderful and included participation from Blue Wire Capital and a16z scout Maximilian Lehmann, among other angel investors.

The company intends to use the funds to expand operations nd its development efforts.

Co-founded by Nikolaos Christoforakos, Sandro Zweig and Christian Heiduschke, tiun provides alternative monetization models for media platforms, that lower the entry barriers for younger consumers and encourage more platform engagement. Users can connect their preferred payment method (e.g. digital wallet) to log in and pay on their favourite online services in a few clicks, in a pay-for-what-you-use format, eliminating the need to create a new account and save their payment details every time.

FinSMEs

20/12/2024
Waken Mouthcare, a London, UK-based oral care brand creating mouthcare products, raised 950M in Crowdfunding.

215 investors participated in the campaign via Republic Europe (formerly Seedrs).

The company intends to use the funds to expand operations and its development efforts.

Co-founded by Simon Duffy MBE and Rhodri Ferrier MBE, Waken is an oral care brand using post-consumer recycled plastics and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified cardboard in their packaging. Working closely with dentists and formulation chemists, Waken has crafted a set of products including the Whitening toothpaste, the Daily Care mouthwash that delivers 12-hour protection for teeth and gums, and Dental floss thats made in Milan from 100% recycled materials.

The companys progresses included the following:

5.4m in Net sales and 3.4m units of oral care products sold to date (2019-2024)

Net sales of 1.7m in the twelve months to 31 July 2024

15,000 direct to consumer customer base

Nearly 4,000 distribution points at leading UK retailers including Amazon, Asda, Boots, Ocado, Sainsburys, Tesco and Waitrose

International sales in Singapore, Malaysia, Turkey, Korea and more.

FinSMEs

20/12/2024
While Allu Arjun was initially sent to 14-day judicial custody, he was later granted interim bail for four weeks read more

Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma aka RGV known for making movies like Raat, Shiva, Rangeela, Satya, Company, Sarkar and others, has urged stars to protest against Allu Arjuns arrest in Pushpa 2 stampede case. While the actor was initially sent to 14-day judicial custody, he was later granted interim bail for four weeks.

Taking to X, RGV tweeted, Every STAR should STRONGLY protest against @alluarjuns ARREST because for any celebrity whether its a FILM STAR or a POLITICAL STAR , is it a crime for them to be ENORMOUSLY POPULAR???"

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Comparing the incident to a similar tragedy involving late actress Sridevi, he questioned Telangana police and added, 3 people died in the lakhs of crowd who came to see SRIDEVI in the shooting of my film KSHANA KSHANAM ..So will the #TelanganaPolice now go to #HEAVEN to ARREST #sridevi ???"

Every STAR should STRONGLY protest against @alluarjun s ARREST because for any celebrity whether its a FILM STAR or a POLITICAL STAR , is it a crime for them to be ENORMOUSLY POPULAR???



3 people died in the lakhs of crowd who came to see SRIDEVI in the shooting of my film  Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) December 19, 2024

At the press conference held last Saturday, 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."

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He has now shared a statement on social media that reads- I remain deeply concerned about young Sri Tej, who is under constant medical care after the unfortunate incident.
It has been 25 years since Portugal handed back Macau to China. Beijing vowed to govern Macau under its One Country, Two Systems formula  the same as Hong Kong. The city on the Pearl River on Chinas southern coast, the only place gambling is legal in China, is preparing to celebrate the anniversary lavishly. Lets take a look back at when China regained control of the ex-Portuguese colony read more

Macau residents greet People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers December 20, 1999, as they enter the former Portuguese colony. Reuters

Today (December 20) is the 25th anniversary of Macau being given back to China.

The former Portuguese colony, the only place where gambling is legal in China, is preparing to celebrate the occasion in grand fashion.

This, amid Chinas President Xi Jinping makes a three-day visit to Macau.

But how did Chinese rule return to Macau on December 20, 1999?

Lets take a closer look

A brief look at Macau

First lets take a brief look at Macau.

As per Britannica, Macau is on the Pearl River on Chinas southern coast.

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It is around 60 kilometers away from Hong Kong.

Macau is made up of a small narrow peninsula jutting out of the mainland province of Guangdong as well as the Taipa and Coloane islands.

The name Macau comes from Chinas Ama-gao or Bay of Ama  named for the goddess of sailors.

According to BBC, the first inhabitants of Macau on record were those looking for shelter from the Mongols between 1127 and 1279.

Macau, before the Portuguese arrived, was a small fishing village with a population of around 400.

According to CIA.gov, Macau was first colonised by the Portuguese in the 16th century.

Portuguese captain Jorge Alvares first reached China in 1513.

Macau today is the gambling capital of the world. Reuters

Portuguese sailors managed to reach China by traversing the tip of Africa and sailing into the Indian Ocean basin.

It was the first settlement in the Far East by Europeans.

It wasnt smooth sailing.

As per Thought.Co, Portugal took another two decades get permission from the emperor to gets its trading ships anchored in the harbours surrounding Macau.

Portuguese traders and sailors could not remain on Chinese land during the night  nor could they build any structures on Chinese soil.

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Finally, in 1552, China gave the Portuguese permission to build drying and storage sheds for their goods.

Five years later, in 1557, Portugal was allowed to establish a trading settlement.

But none of this came cheap or easy.

Portugal gave China around 500 taels of silver (around 19 kilos) to the then regime.

Portugal viewed it as paying rent, but China thought of the money as tribute.

This created friction between the two parties.

In all, it had taken five decades for Portugal to establish its foothold in China  which would last for over 400 years.

In 1999, Macau was handed over to China.

It thus became the Macau Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China.

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China at the time vowed to administer Macau under its One Country, Two Systems formula  the same as Hong Kong.

China vowed that its political and economic system would not be imposed on the city and that Macau would enjoy a high degree of autonomy for the next 50 years  in all areas but foreign affairs and defence.

Today, Macau is the biggest gambling city in the world  far bigger than Las Vegas.

By the numbers

As per CIA.gov, Macau comprises just 28 square kilometres of land.

Its population, around 650,000, is overwhelmingly ethnic Chinese.

Of the total populace, 89.4 per cent are Chinese, 1 per cent are Portuguese, .08 per cent are Portuguese -Chinese, 0.2 per cent are non-Portuguese and others are 8.7 per cent.

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A number of different languages are spoken, including Cantonese English, Mandarin, Tagalog and Portuguese.

However, an overwhelming majority, 81 per cent, speak Cantonese.

Its inhabitants religious affiliations are  folk religion 58.9 per cent, Buddhist 17.3 per cent, Christian 7.2 per cent, other 1.2 per cent and none 15 per cent.

The population grew at .67 per cent in 2024, as per CIA.gov.

Around 80 per cent of Macaus tax comes from its casino industry.

Before it returned to China as a special administrative region, Macau had was administered under the colonial constitution passed in 1976.

It was run by a governor appointed by the President of Portugal  in concert with the Legislative Assembly.

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Return to Chinese rule, handover day

As per Britannica, under the colonial constitution, the minority Portuguese were in complete control of Macau.

Relations were finally properly established between Portugal and Chinas communist government only in 1979.

Then, in March 1984, the then Portuguese governor dissolved the assembly.

This came after some within the government opposed giving the Chinese majority the right to vote.

The next election, which came a few months later, was conducted after the Chinese were given suffrage.

It resulted in a number of Chinese officials being elected into the government.

Finally, in April 1987, Portugal and China concluded a pact to return Macau to Chinese rule on the lines of the Hong Kong Joint Declaration.

The declaration was signed by then Portuguese prime minister Anibal Cavaco Silva and Chinese premier Zhao Ziyang.

Finally, on December 20, 1999, it happened.

According to Sydney Morning Herald, at midnight in Macau, the Portuguese flag was lowered and the Chinese flag raised.

This ended 442 years of colonial rule in Macau.

The handover ceremony was attended by 2,500 local and foreigners.

Then Chinese president Jiang Zemin shakes hands with then Portuguese president Jorge Sampaio (R) watched by then Premier Zhu Ronji (L) during the Macau handover ceremony December 20. Reuters

Among the dignitaries were then Portuguese president Jorge Sampaio, then Chinese president Jiang Zemin and then Australian foreign minister Alexander Downer.

Sampaio, giving a speech, reiterated how the agreement defended the rights of the citizens of Macau.

Sampaio promised that the city would receive international standards of political, civil and economic rights and that democracy and freedom would be an irreplaceable reality.

Before the ceremony, the last governor of Macau, General Vasco Rocha Vieira, had given President Sampaio a grand tour of the city.

We were navigators and discoverers and only as a result of this were we conquerors and colonisers, Vieira said.

Meanwhile, many senior Portuguese officials were in a sombre mood as they departed from their homes and offices.

However, others were far happier to see the tiny garrison of Peoples Liberation Army troops.

Crowds of well-wishers lined the streets when they crossed the border in trucks and headed for their barracks, as per the newspaper.

Xi hails Macau

Xi arrived in Macau on Wednesday to mark a quarter century of Beijings rule over the former Portuguese enclave, and is likely during his three-day visit to urge further diversification from its casino industry.

Xis trip to the worlds biggest gambling hub is his third as president, during which he will attend the inauguration of the territorys new chief executive, elected in October. Xi last visited in 2019 when anti-government protests were rocking the neighbouring financial hub of Hong Kong.

Beijing has consistently praised Macau for its loyalty and stability, with more than half of its 700,000 population immigrating from China in recent decades.

The city was on high security ahead of Xis arrival on Wednesday, with several roads closed and Macaus light rapid transit operator announcing the temporary closure of a key section.

Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers on a truck wave as they are welcomed by thousands of residents in Macau December 20. Reuters

Xi, who was greeted at Macaus airport by dozens of cheering school children waving yellow and red flowers and lion dancers, said Macau was the jewel of the motherland.

I have always been concerned about the development of this place and the well-being of all its residents, he told the crowd, which included senior government officials and Macaus current leader Ho Iat Seng.

In the next few days, I will take a walk, have a look, and have extensive and in-depth exchanges with friends from all walks of life to discuss Macaus development plans.

Since he took office in 2013, Xi has called for the Macanese economys appropriate diversification and sustainable development, including casinos and the flow of funds across borders within a sweeping anti-corruption drive.

The move has throttled gambling revenues from the high roller VIP sector.

Xi will attend the inauguration of Macaus new administration during his trip and also conduct an inspection tour, state news agency Xinhua reported.

Sam Hou-fai, the former president of Macaus highest court, will be sworn in on Friday as the citys fourth post-handover leader  and the first to be born in China and not have a background in business.

Sam has said Macau cannot rely solely on casinos  which account for 81 percent of government revenue  and noted the sectors barbaric expansion over the years.

Macau saw just over 29 million visitor arrivals in the first 10 months of the year, compared with its resident population of 687,000 people.

With inputs from agencies
The FBI has detained Alexander Paffendorf, a 20-year-old man from California for allegedly conspiring with the 15-year-old Wisconsin school shooter, Natalie Rupnow to carry out a mass shooting. As per a report, Paffendorf admitted during the investigation that he would arm himself with explosives and a gun and target a government building read more

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) detained Alexander Paffendorf, a 20-year-old man from Carlsbad, California for allegedly conspiring with the 15-year-old shooter, Natalie "Samantha" Rupnow to carry out a mass shooting. Image courtesy: X/@TWPundit

Following the tragic school shooting in Wisconsin, authorities are leaving no stone unturned to uncover the chilling details behind the attack.

On Thursday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) detained Alexander Paffendorf, a 20-year-old man from Carlsbad, California for allegedly conspiring with the 15-year-old shooter, Natalie Samantha Rupnow to carry out a mass shooting.

Earlier this week, Rupnow had carried out a shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison claiming the lives of two innocent victims and injuring six, before she turned the gun on herself.

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Now, investigators are piecing together a disturbing cross-state plot that extends beyond the tragedy at the school. Heres what we know about the Paffendorf and his links with Rupnow.

Had plans to attack a government building

Authorities revealed that Alexander Paffendorf was detained by the FBI after agents discovered that he was plotting a mass shooting, stated a court document.

As reported by NBC 7, Paffendorf admitted during an FBI investigation that he had communicated with 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow. He reportedly told her of his intentions to arm himself with explosives and a gun and to target a government building."

While specific details of his conversations with Rupnow remain undisclosed, it is said that the FBI saw the messages from Paffendorf to Rupnow."

Police walk outside the Abundant Life Christian School following a shooting, December 16, 2024, in Madison, Wisconsin. AP

Following this, a San Diego Superior Court judge issued an emergency restraining order against Paffendorf under Californias red flag gun law. The order required him to surrender all guns and ammunition within 48 hours.

Law enforcement executed the order at Paffendorfs residence, where weapons were seized.

Although he was detained, it remains unclear if Paffendorf has been formally charged with any crimes. The two-page emergency order did not specify which government building he intended to target or the timeline for the alleged attack.

A dramatic arrest

Neighbours described a massive police presence outside Paffendorfs apartment complex in Carlsbad, California, shortly after a judge signed the emergency restraining order against him.

According to CBS 8, over a dozen police cars arrived at Paffendorfs residence soon after the order was approved.

They had their full guns out all over the street, said Alex Gallegos, a neighbour. There were cop cars. Id say about 15 cops here. Gallegos added that he witnessed officers carrying out a large black gun box from the apartment.

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Emergency vehicles are parked outside the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wis., where multiple injuries were reported following a shooting, Monday. AP

Despite the heavy police presence, Gallegos noted he did not see an arrest being made. However, he observed officers high-fiving each other after the operation concluded.

Shocked by the recent chaos, Patricia Sousa, a neighbour living across the street, told the Washington Post she had never interacted with Paffendorfs family or noticed any unusual activity.

Its a quiet neighbourhood, and nothing ever happens, Sousa said. Were on a cul-de-sac. Its a real quiet area.

Another resident, Bradley Skall, said he heard the police activity on Tuesday night but chose not to investigate. It was only later that he learned about Paffendorfs arrest.

Were all talking about him now, Skall said. Weve been scared, all of us. Like, I have a dog, and I walk my dog, and now Im scared to go outside.

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A spokesperson for the FBIs San Diego field office said in a statement Thursday that it was not aware of any ongoing threats associated with this matter in Wisconsin or California.

Meanwhile, halfway across the country in Wisconsin, a small, close-knit community continues to grapple with the devastating school shooting.

Authorities on Wednesday identified the two victims as 14-year-old student Rubi P Vergara and 42-year-old Erin M West, who was a substitute teacher.

Of the six others injured in the attack, two students are reportedly in critical condition with life-threatening injuries, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes confirmed earlier this week.

Officials confirmed that students were moved off campus to a designated site, Madison, Wisconsin, US. AP

What we know about Natalie Rupnow

Investigators are currently digging into the background of 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow to uncover the motive behind the tragic school shooting. They are also examining her online presence for clues that might explain what led to the devastating event.

So far, officials found that Rupnow had a deep fascination with neo-Nazi ideologies and previous school shooters. One of the accounts linked to her showed a particular interest in pages that glorified perpetrators such as Eric Harris, Dylan Klebold, and Nikolas Cruz.

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Her writings and online activity reflected similar ideologies, marked by alienation, hatred towards society, and a yearning for recognition through violence.

Among the evidence is an alleged shooting manifesto titled War Against Humanity, in which Rupnow expressed resentment, dark reflections, and ominous declarations.

Investigators are now delving into Wisconsin shooter Natalie Rupnow. They are checking her background, conducting searches at her home and examining her digital activities to uncover any clues that might explain the events leading up to the tragedy. Image courtesy: X/@IKchmt6jSYhp5I8

The document framed her attack as an act of vengeance and liberation, blaming societal norms and personal rejection for her suffering. It revealed her desire to assert control in a life she perceived as powerless and a determination to make her actions unforgettable.

Court documents also paint a picture of a turbulent family life. As reported by The Washington Post, Rupnows parents divorced and remarried multiple times. She was reportedly enrolled in therapy during her adolescence.

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The report further highlighted Rupnows unsettled childhood, with a custody arrangement requiring her to alternate between her parents homes every two or three days. This constant upheaval likely added to her feelings of instability and alienation.

With input from agencies
Frances mass rape trial has sparked a conversation about rape, with calls rising for an overhaul of the system that makes it difficult to report sexual violence. In the US, music mogul Sean Combs has been accused of sexual abuse by multiple women and men. Women are also speaking out about the rape and abuse they were subjected to by the late billionaire Mohamed al-Fayed in the UK read more

Frenchwoman Gisele Pelicot, the victim of a mass rape orchestrated by her then-husband Dominique Pelicot at their home in the southern French town of Mazan, talks to journalists, surrounded by relatives and her lawyers, after the verdict in the trial for Dominique Pelicot and 50 co-accused, at the courthouse in Avignon, France, December 19, 2024. Reuters

Frances historic mass rape trial has exposed the systemic abuse seemingly ordinary men commit against women. Dominique Pelicot drugged and raped his ex-wife, Gisele Pelicot, for several years and even invited dozens of strangers to rape her while she was unconscious at their home in Mazan, a small town in southern France.

On Thursday (December 19), a court in France found Dominique and 50 other men, all between the ages of 26-74, guilty. While 47 men were convicted of rape, two were found guilty of attempted rape and two guilty of sexual assault.

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Dominique Pelicot, 72, has been sentenced to 20 years in jail. The other 50 men were handed sentences from three to 13 years.

It was Giseles will to make the trial public that revealed the horrors men are capable of. Her desire to change society and help other victims of sexual abuse by waiving her right to anonymity turned her into a feminist icon.

The mass rape trial has sparked a conversation on rape culture and toxic masculinity in France. In other parts of the world, several cases of sexual abuse by powerful men have come to light in recent months as more women come forward.

Is the world witnessing a second wave of the #MeToo movement?

Lets take a look.

France stunned by Pelicot rape trial

Gisele Pelicot, 72, was betrayed by the man she trusted the most. Her former husband, Dominique Pelicot, shattered that trust. Her case highlights how women are most at risk at home.

Men who raped Gisele while she was unconscious had ordinary professions  a journalist, a DJ, lorry drivers and a nurse.

It brings us back to the idea of who we are as a society, for normal men to commit acts that are totally transgressive and criminal, feminist, lawyer and author Anne Bouillon told NBC News.

The mass rape trial has also shed light on Frances narrow definition of rape that excludes consent. Under French law, rape is defined as an act of sexual penetration committed by violence, coercion, threat or surprise.

About 500 activists have signed an open letter demanding a consent provision be included in the rape law.

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There are also calls to overhaul Frances system that makes it difficult for survivors to report sexual violence.

Earlier this month, seen as Frances first major #MeToo case went on trial. Christophe Ruggia, a film director, has been charged with sexually assaulting rising star Adele Haenel beginning when she was 12 and he was 36. A verdict is likely in February.

France is now feeling the Gisele effect.

Its totally because of Gisele that I have the strength to talk about it, Latika, 33, who told NBC News that she was also drugged and raped by her violent husband said.

Gisele has a message for other victims. Finally, I think of the unrecognised victims whose stories often remain in the shadows. I want you to know that we share the same fight, she said in her first statement outside court after the verdict.

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Sean Diddy Combs

American music mogul Sean Diddy Combs has been accused by hundreds of people, mostly women, of sexual assault.

Several women have levelled allegations of sexual assault dating back to 1991.

Combs has been charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution at the US District Court in New York.

Prosecutors allege Combs coerced women into participating in drug-fuelled orgies with male prostitutes, infamous as freak offs.

Sean Combs arrives at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala (Met Gala) to celebrate the opening of Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination in the Manhattan borough of New York, US, May 7, 2018. Reuters

These orgies went on for several days and are believed to have begun in the early 1990s.

Combs has been accused of drugging and raping women and videotaping these freak offs to pressure his victims into silence.

The disgraced media mogul faces a sentence of 15 years up to life in prison if convicted.

Americas music industry has not yet had the same impact of the #MeToo movement that Hollywood witnessed with film producer Harvey Weinsteins takedown in 2017.

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As far as Im concerned, its a continuation of #MeToo, Laura Palumbo, who has been a spokesperson for the US National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) for 15 years, told El Pais. There is still a lot more to add to #MeToo, from many different contexts: in the music industry, in the military, and on college campuses, she added.

According to Palumbo high-profile cases do have an impact. When they get broad media coverage, they generate dialogue and conversation. Its not just that they impact survivors, they also affect our conversation as a society: people believe, they support the victims. Among family, friends and neighbours, opportunities arise to increase awareness and impact, she explained.

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Mohamed al-Fayed

Former Harrods owner Mohamed al-Fayed may have raped and abused at least 111 women and girls over nearly four decades, police in the United Kingdom believe.

The late Egyptian billionaire, who moved to the UK, once owned the luxury department store Harrods in London.

After BBC aired a documentary on Fayed in September, as many as 150 women have spoken out about the harassment they were subjected to by the tycoon.

Mohamed Al Fayed could be one of Britains most notorious sex offenders. File Photo/Reuters

One woman, who was a teenager when she was allegedly assaulted, described Fayed as a monster, a sexual predator with no moral compass whatsoever, who saw staff at Harrods as his playthings.

The scale of these allegations against Fayed would make him one of Britains most notorious sex offenders.

He died last year at the age of 94.

With input from agencies
Malaysia has reignited the search for Flight MH370 nearly 11 years after its disappearance became aviations greatest mystery. With advanced technology and fresh data, Ocean Infinity will explore a new 15,000-square-kilometere area under a no find, no fee deal. Families hope this mission brings long-awaited closure read more

A man writes on a message board for passengers, onboard the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, during its fifth annual remembrance event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, March 3, 2019. File Image/Reuters

The Malaysian government has reignited its search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, one of aviations most enduring mysteries. Transport Minister Anthony Loke recently announced that a new agreement with US-based marine robotics firm Ocean Infinity has been approved in principle.

Under this no find, no fee arrangement, the company will receive $70 million only if significant wreckage is discovered. The deal is set to be finalised in early 2025, with the optimal search period identified as January to April.

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Our responsibility and obligation and commitment is to the next of kin, Loke stated during a press conference. We hope this time will be positive, that the wreckage will be found and give closure to the families.

The announcement has brought a mix of hope and emotion to the families of those aboard MH370. The New Straits Times quoted Jacquita Gonzales, the wife of inflight supervisor Patrick Gomes, who called it the best Christmas present ever.

Intan Maizura Othaman, whose husband was a cabin crew member, told papers, This announcement stirs mixed emotions  hope, gratitude, and sorrow. After nearly 11 years, the uncertainty and pain of not having answers have been incredibly difficult for us.

Jiang Hui, whose mother was on the flight, welcomed the decision but urged the Malaysian government to adopt a more inclusive approach. We hope the Malaysian government can adopt a more open approach, such as offering a public reward system where anyone can participate in the search, he told Reuters.

Why has Malaysia revived the search?

Ocean Infinity plans to search a newly identified 15,000-square-kilometre area in the southern Indian Ocean, using improved technology and data refined by expert analysis since their previous attempt in 2018. CEO Oliver Plunkett expressed confidence in the mission, citing advancements in underwater robotics and data interpretation.

In 2018, Ocean Infinity conducted a six-month search under a similar no find, no fee agreement but ended without success. This time, the firms new mission is bolstered by advanced technology and credible data reviewed by Malaysian authorities.

The data has all been presented. Our team has gone through and they felt that it is credible, Loke said. The no find, no fee arrangement ensures fiscal prudence while maximising the chances of success.

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At this point of time, nobody knows for sure. It has been over 10 years, Loke admitted.

What happened to Flight MH370?

Flight MH370, a Boeing 777 carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew members, disappeared on March 8, 2014, while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. It lost communication with air traffic control 38 minutes after takeoff over the South China Sea.

Military radar later tracked the plane as it deviated from its planned path, crossing the Malay Peninsula and the Andaman Sea before vanishing entirely 200 nautical miles northwest of Penang Island.

The disappearance of MH370 is widely regarded as aviations greatest mystery. Debris confirmed to be from the aircraft has washed up on the shores of Africa and Indian Ocean islands, but the main wreckage and black boxes remain elusive.

Speculation thrives as search continues

The search for MH370 has been the most expensive in aviation history, costing over $150 million. Initial efforts focused on the South China Sea and Andaman Sea before a novel analysis of satellite communications indicated the plane had travelled far southward over the Indian Ocean. Despite searching a 120,000-square-kilometre area, no wreckage was located.

Speculation about MH370s disappearance has ranged from technical failures to deliberate actions.

A flight officer scans the water in the southern Indian Ocean off Australia from a Royal Australian Air Force AP-3C Orion during a search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, March 22, 2014. File Image/AP

A 2018 investigative report suggested that the planes controls were likely deliberately manipulated, though it stopped short of assigning responsibility. The investigators highlighted at the time that the answer can only be conclusive if the wreckage is found.

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Investigators also ruled out suspicious activity in the backgrounds of the captain and co-pilot, as well as the flights cargo manifest. Despite this, conspiracy theories persist, including claims of hijacking, government involvement, and even a mid-air collision.

Also Read | Who were the Indians on board Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370?

With inputs from agencies
The Delhi Police has registered an FIR against Congress MP and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi for alleged physical assault and incitement during the Parliament scuffle on Thursday. The complaint was filed by BJPs Vadodara MP Hemang Joshi, who alleged that two BJP MPs sustained serious injuries after Gandhi pushed other MPs. What could happen next? read more

LoP in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi with other INDIA bloc members during a protest in Parliament premises demanding the resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah for his remarks related to B R Ambedkar, in New Delhi, Thursday, December 19, 2024. PTI

Union Home Minister Amit Shahs remarks on Dr BR Ambedkar have stirred a massive political drama outside the Parliament.

Tensions flared on Thursday with both the BJP and the Congress accusing each others Members of Parliament (MPs) of assault during protests.

In the latest development, the saffron party has filed an FIR against Congress MP and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi for alleged physical assault and incitement during the scuffle.

This came while the police were yet to act on a Congress complaint against the BJP MPs who pushed Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge to the ground, causing serious injuries.

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Whats the case against Rahul Gandhi?

The Delhi Police has registered an FIR against Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi based on a complaint filed by BJPs Vadodara MP Hemang Joshi, who went to Parliament Street police station with party leaders Anurag Thakur and Bansuri Swaraj.

In his complaint, Joshi alleged, At around 10 am, I along with Mukesh Rajput ji, Pratap Rao Sarangi ji, and other Members of Parliament belonging to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) were peacefully demonstrating," adding that Gandhi arrived around 10.40 am and forcefully barged toward the peaceful demonstrators" despite security instructions, which he said endangered the safety of the MPs.

He also accused Gandhi and other opposition members of instigating physical aggression that led to injuries. Mukesh Rajput sustained a severe injury to the back of his head, and Sarangi was hurt on his forehead, he said.

The case was registered under Sections 115 (voluntary causing hurt), 117 (voluntary causing grievous hurt), 125 (act of endangering life or personal safety of others), 131 (use of criminal force), 351 (criminal intimidation) and 3(5) (common intention to commit crime) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

He can be arrested without a warrant from the court, as Sections 117 and 125 are cognisable offences. However, arrest is not mandatory for offences that carry a jail term of up to seven years, as per Indian Express, which cited a 2014 case.

Additionally, all of these offences are bailable.

What happened outside the Parliament?

The chaotic scenes outside began on Thursday morning when the NDA and the INDIA bloc MPs, led by Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, held separate protests outside the Parliament over Amit Shahs controversial Ambedkar remarks.

The NDA MPs were protesting at the Makar Dwar (the main entrance to the building), while INDIA bloc MPs, carrying photographs of Ambedkar, were marching from the Ambedkar statue on the premises.

Rahul Gandhi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra take part in a protest of opposition MPs demanding Union Home Minister Amit Shahs apology for his remarks which they claimed were an insult to BR Ambedkar. PTI

While the BJP MPs were on the stairs that led to the entrance, Gandhi and other opposition MPs insisted they be allowed to enter the building  not through the space suggested by security personnel but through the centre.

Unable to enter, Congress MPs K C Venugopal, Hibi Eden, Jothimani S, Praniti Shinde, and others climbed onto the wall near the steps with Ambedkar portraits and yelled slogans. Vadra and Congress MPs protested at the Old Parliament buildings front gate.

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Amid the commotion, Sarangi fell down and sustained an injury on his forehead. While being taken to hospital, the BJP MP, who was bleeding from his forehead, said, I was standing near the stairs when Rahul Gandhi came and pushed an MP who then fell on me.

Sarangi and Rajput sustained injuries in the Parliament scuffle and were rushed to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.

After learning about their injuries, visuals showed Gandhi walking up to the BJP MPs who were trying to help the 69-year-old Saranngi, when BJP MP Nishikant Dubey shouted, Are you not ashamed, Rahul? You are resorting to gundagardi (rowdy behaviour). You pushed an old man. He pushed me, Gandhi responded to Dubey as he walked away.

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VIDEO | BJP MP Pratap Sarangi reportedly sustains injury during INDIA bloc's protest inside Parliament premises.#ParliamentWinterSession2024



(Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/koaphQ9nqz  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 19, 2024

According to The Indian Express, which quoted Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Ajay Shukla, the two MPs were in the ICU. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called up the injured MPs to enquire about their health, while several others visited them in the hospital.

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In his defence, Gandhi said that he was standing near the entrance and the BJP MPs were blocking his way. Acknowledging the incident, Gandhi said, This might be on your camera. I was trying to go inside through the Parliament entrance, BJP MPs were trying to stop me, push me and threaten me. So this happened Yes, this has happened (Mallikarjun Kharge being pushed). But we do not get affected by jostling. But this is the entrance, and we have the right to go in. BJP MPs were trying to stop us from going in The central issue that they are attacking the Constitution and insulting the memory of Ambedkar ji.

#WATCH | Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi says, "This might be on your camera. I was trying to go inside through the Parliament entrance, BJP MPs were trying to stop me, push me and threaten me. So this happened...Yes, this has happened (Mallikarjun Kharge being pushed). But we do not https://t.co/q1RSr2BWqu pic.twitter.com/ZKDWbIY6D6  ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2024

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The Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, also claimed that he too was assaulted as he, along with other MPs, reached Parliaments Makar Dwar.

The party shared another video to back their claim, saying, It is clearly visible in this video. BJP MPs are stopping opposition MPs from entering the House with sticks and placards in their hands. BJP MPs are pushing and shoving Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge ji, Priyanka Gandhi ji, and other women MPs. This is sheer hooliganism. There is BJPs dictatorship in the temple of democracy. This will not be tolerated at any cost.

What is Congress saying?

In a counterclaim, the grand-old party strongly denied the allegations and accused BJP MPs of pushing Kharge and physically manhandling Gandhi.

A delegation of Congress MPs, including Pramod Tiwari, Digvijaya Singh, Rajiv Shukla, and Mukul Wasnik, filed a complaint with the police, alleging BJP MPs misconduct. Eighty-four-year-old Dalit leader Mallikarjun Kharge was pushed around and misbehaved with, Congress MP Tiwari said.

In their complaint, the MPs said, While the protest was completely peaceful in nature and marked by displaying placards and images of the late Dr BR Ambedkar, certain unscrupulous Members of Parliament (MPs) belonging to the BJP stood in the way of the protest march with the sole intention of causing ruckus."

LoP in the Rajya Sabha and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge with party MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi during a protest by the INDIA bloc members in Parliament premises demanding the resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah for his remarks related to B R Ambedkar, in New Delhi, Thursday, December 19, 2024. PTI

Despite their repeated attempts at disturbing the peaceful protest, the Opposition MPs did not budge in their bid to stop the protest march, the BJP MPs exerted physical force on Shri Kharge Ji by pushing him to the ground. This has inflicted bodily injuries to Shri Kharge Ji, Shri Neeraj Dangi and others, the complaint stated, seeking an FIR against BJP MPs under sections of causing hurt, assault and use of criminal force.

The party has also written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, urging him to investigate the matter.

In the letter, Kharge said, I was physically pushed by BJP MPs, adding that the altercation caused him to lose his balance and fall to the ground.

He said the fall aggravated pre-existing knee injuries, which had required surgery. With great difficult and with the support of my colleagues, I limped to the House at 11 am, he noted, while urging the Speaker to order an inquiry.

He described the incident as an assault not just on me personally but on the Leader of the Opposition, Rajya Sabha, and the Congress President.

Congress MP Manickam Tagore described the FIR against Gandhi as a diversionary tactic and accused Amit Shah and his allies of attempting to silence dissent. Defending Babasaheb Ambedkars legacy is a badge of honour, not a crime.

Why did the chaos erupt?

The confrontation between the BJP and Congress erupted over remarks made by Amit Shah on Dr BR Ambedkar in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

As per India Today, Shah said, Abhi ek fashion ho gaya hai - Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar. Itna naam agar bhagwan ka lete to saat janmon tak swarg mil jata (It has become a fashion to say Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar. If they had taken Gods name so many times, they would have got a place in heaven)."

As per Hindustan Times, Shahs comments came during his speech concluding the two-day debate on the Glorious Journey of 75 Years of the Constitution of India.

His remarks sparked a furious response from the Congress leaders and led to protests outside the Parliament on Wednesday and Thursday.

Countering the protests, NDA MPs too held demonstrations as Parliament remained stalled with the row.

With inputs from agencies
Tulip Siddiq, serving as the UK Treasurys Economic Secretary, has been named in a corruption investigation launched by Bangladeshi authorities into the activities of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The investigation includes allegations of embezzlement. Who is Tulip Siddiq, and what are the allegations against her? How is she related to Hasina? read more

Tulip Siddiq is currently serving as the Treasurys Economic Secretary. Image courtesy: X/@AnnJohn30914404

A UK minister has been named in a corruption investigation initiated by Bangladeshi authorities as officials in Dhaka probe allegations of embezzlement.

Tulip Siddiq, 42, a Labour minister, is accused of assisting Sheikh Hasina, Bangladeshs recently ousted prime minister, in diverting 5.2 billion reserved for eight major infrastructure projects, including a nuclear power facility.

ALSO READ | Is Muhammad Yunus preparing Bangladesh for crisis or elections?

The claim is part of a broader probe by Bangladeshs Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) into Hasinas activities.

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Who is Tulip Siddiq?

Tulip Siddiq is the niece of Bangladeshs longest-serving prime minister, Sheikh Hasina.

Tulip Siddiq with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Sheikh Hasina in the Kremlin on Jan 15, 2013. Image courtesy: X/@MahyarTousi

Currently serving as the Treasurys Economic Secretary, Siddiq is responsible for dealing with corruption in UK financial markets. After the Labour Partys victory in July, she was appointed as the anti-corruption minister and City Minister, overseeing the UKs financial services sector.

Her father was a university professor in Dhaka, while her mother, Sheikh Hasinas younger sister, was granted political asylum in the UK, BBC said in a report. Siddiqs parents met and married in London before settling in Hampstead with their three children - Siddiq, her elder brother, and her younger sister.

Siddiq was raised in a Muslim household but her family embraced multicultural Britain in the heart of the [local] Jewish community.

Her maternal grandfather, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was Bangladeshs first president. In 1975, a military coup led to his assassination along with most of his family. Siddiqs mother and aunt survived because they were outside the country then.

As a child, Siddiq met prominent leaders such as Nelson Mandela, Bill Clinton, and Mother Teresa, and her family was invited to the White House. Siddiq joined the Labour Party at 16, citing the National Health Service (NHS) and the care her disabled father received as her main reasons.

According to BBC, she considers former cabinet minister Barbara Castle as her political heroine and described her mother and maternal aunt as two very strong feminists. Before entering politics, she worked with organisations such as Amnesty International, Save the Children, and the Greater London Authority.

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She began her political career as a councillor in Camden, north London. When Glenda Jackson, an Oscar-winning actress turned MP, announced her retirement, Siddiq was selected as Labours candidate for the Hampstead and Kilburn constituency.

ALSO READ | Why Bangladesh pulled plug on key internet deal with India

First elected as an MP in 2015, Siddiq was among 36 Labour MPs who nominated Jeremy Corbyn for party leader, though she supported Andy Burnham in the contest. She went on to win elections in 2017, 2019, and 2024, each time increasing her majority. In 2016, she was appointed shadow education minister but resigned three months later to oppose triggering Brexit.

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Tulip Siddiq at the Labour Partys annual conference in Manchester, northern England, September 23, 2014. Reuters/File Photo

Notably, she is largely recognised for her campaign to free her constituent, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian national who was held in Iran for nearly six years.

Since 2021, she has led Labours policy development for the financial services sector, referred to as the City after Londons financial district. In May, she told the Financial Times that Labour would push the Financial Conduct Authority to eliminate barriers to competitiveness and growth.

Married in 2013, Siddiq made history in 2019 when she became the first MP to vote by proxy after attending a crucial Brexit vote in a wheelchair just two days before giving birth to her second child, according to BBC.

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Siddiq succeeds Bim Afolami, a former HSBC banker, in leading Labours efforts in financial services, taking over from the previous Conservative administration.

Why has she been named in the corruption probe?

Siddiq is being investigated by Bangladeshs Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) over allegations linked to a nuclear deal involving the Russian state-owned firm Rosatom.

The Daily Mail reported that the agreement was signed in 2013 in the presence of Siddiq, Sheikh Hasina, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, before Siddiq entered Parliament.

Notably, the ACC is also examining allegations against members of Siddiqs family, including her maternal cousin, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, based in the US, and her paternal uncle, Tariq Siddiq, who is reportedly in hiding in Bangladesh. Court filings have named all three individuals.

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An ACC official said, The commission is committed to ensuring transparency and accountability, irrespective of the stature of those involved.

Syed Faruk, UK general secretary of the Awami League, Sheikh Hasinas party, has dismissed the accusations as 100 per cent politically motivated.

ALSO READ | With currency notes, how Bangladesh is erasing Mujibur Rahmans legacy

Faruk, a family friend of Siddiq, told the Daily Mail, They are attacking Tulip because she is the niece of our honourable prime minister, Sheikh Hasina.

Meanwhile, Matt Vickers, Conservative shadow home office minister said, The fact Labours anti-corruption minister is reportedly embroiled in a corruption case is the latest stain on Keir Starmers judgement.

Tulip Siddiq at a news conference in London, Britain October 11, 2019. Reuters/File Photo

It is high time she came clean. The British public deserve a government that is focused on their priorities, not distracted by yet another scandal.

Hasina, ousted in August following violent anti-government protests, is currently in India. Her government, which was in power for over 20 years, faced criticism for suppressing dissent. The new Bangladeshi administration has accused Hasina of crimes, including crimes against humanity linked to protests where hundreds were killed.

ALSO READ | 1975 and 2024: The story of Sheikh Hasinas two stays in India

Keir Starmer defends Siddiq

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has expressed support for Siddiq, confirming that she will continue her role overseeing anti-corruption efforts, BBC reported citing Downing Street.

Meanwhile, Siddiq has denied any involvement in the claims, an official spokesperson told the British broadcaster.

However, Siddiq has stepped back from any political decisions related to Bangladesh, the report said.

Rosatom issued the following statement, Rosatom State Corporation refutes provocative statements about the implementation of the Rooppur NPP project that have appeared in the media.

Rosatom is committed to a policy of openness and the principle of combating corruption in all its projects and maintains a transparent procurement system. External audits regularly confirm the openness of the business processes of the project. Rosatom State Corporation is ready to defend its interests and reputation in court.

We consider false statements in the media as an attempt to discredit the Rooppur NPP project, which is being implemented to solve the countrys energy supply problems and is aimed at improving the well-being of the people of Bangladesh.

With inputs from agencies
The US is staring at yet another shutdown, the 22nd since 1977. If US lawmakers cannot pass a spending bill, all government services deemed as non-essential will stop functioning on Saturday (December 21). An estimated 875,000 federal employees would be furloughed at a time when Americans would be travelling for the holidays read more

The dome of the US Capitol building is seen as the deadline to avert a government shutdown looms large in Washington. Reuters

Its looking like the US is hurtling towards a chaotic Christmas. Chaotic because it appears that America is heading for a shutdown this weekend after the US House of Representatives rejected a Republican-led funding bill aimed at averting the closure, with federal agencies due to run out of cash on Friday night and cease operations starting Saturday (December 21).

As the US Congress debates a way forward to keep government employees on the job, rather than send them home, we take a closer look at what exactly is a US shutdown, why it happens in the Western nation and what would it look like.

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What is a US government shutdown?

As the name suggests, a shutdown is when the government ceases to operate. In the US, a government shutdown occurs when all federal agencies stop functions that are deemed non-essential until money is appropriated for the next fiscal year.

While it sounds like very bad news, a shutdown in the US has become a kind of bargaining tool for political leaders and a problem that occurs way too often  there have been 14 since 1981.

Why does a US shutdown occur?

Such a phenomenon occurs owing to Americas federal system of governance. US Congress is meant to allocate funding to 438 different government agencies before October 1, the start of the fiscal year. However, US lawmakers dont meet this deadline and pass temporary spending bills to keep the government running.

This time around, the temporary bill ends on Friday (December 20) at midnight owing to which Republicans and Democrats have to prepare legislation that would push the deadline to March 14. If this measure isnt passed by both Houses  the Republican-controlled House of Representatives and the Democratic-majority Senate  until Friday midnight, then funding would lapse and at 12.01 am on Saturday, the US would be in the midst of another shutdown.

And it seems that the US is on the path to a shutdown, as the US House of Representatives, controlled by the Republicans, rejected the funding bill as they claimed that there were numerous expensive add-ons forced into the package.

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

What would a US government shutdown look like?

If the lawmakers fail to pass legislation, then a shutdown is inevitable. In a shutdown, government offices continue essential work, but tasks deemed non-essential are put on hold, salaries are stopped and many workers are furloughed until Congress passes new funding.

According to Shai Akabas, executive director of the Bipartisan Policy Centres economic policy programme, approximately 875,000 federal workers could be furloughed, while 1.4 million would continue working.

Several employees will be told not to report to work, barring those who provide key services such as air traffic control and law enforcement. Also, according to the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which is a major federal employee union, a US government shutdown would mean that essential staff would be working through the Christmas season without a pay cheque.

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Signs are posted outside of the Library of Congress in Washington DC in December 2018, notifying visitors that all Library of Congress buildings will be closed to the public in the event of a temporary government shutdown. File image/AP

While transport employees will have to work, absenteeism could be a problem, making travel during the holidays painful. For instance, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) wont be able to hire new airport security screeners during the busy holiday travel season.

A US shutdown would also affect Americas military. While approximately two million military personnel would remain at their posts, around 800,000 civilian employees at the Pentagon would be furloughed.

Contracts awarded before the shutdown would continue. However, new contracts, including renewals or extensions, would not be awarded.

Those who wish to secure a new Social Security card could experience delays. Environmental and food safety inspections have been delayed in past shutdowns. New loans for small farmers across the US would be halted. National parks, monuments and other sites would also be closed to the public.

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Wont a US shutdown save money?

It would seem that a shutdown would save money but thats not the case. Data shows that shutdowns tend to cost money. For instance, putting contingency plans in place has a real cost.

In addition, many user fees and other charges are not collected during a shutdown, and federal contractors sometimes include premiums in their bids to account for uncertainty in being paid.

While many federal employees are forced to be idle during a shutdown, they have historically received and are now guaranteed back pay, negating much of those potential savings.

Shutdowns also carry a cost to the economy. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that the 2018-2019 shutdown reduced Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by a total of $11 billion, including $3 billion that will never be recovered.

Thibault Denamiel, a fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, told AFP, Shutdowns have been shown to have a broader impact on the US economy, reducing growth by around 0.2 percentage points once private sector effects are taken in.

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Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonpartisan public policy non-profit, was also of the opinion that a shutdown is not good for the economy. In a Wall Street Journal report, she was quoted as saying, A government shutdown, where we end up paying people not to work, is precisely at odds with the important objective of DOGE, which is to increase efficiency. DOGE is the Department of Government Efficiency, a new body created by Donald Trump and co-chaired by Elon Musk.

A sign announcing Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo are closed due to a partial government shutdown is displayed at the Smithsonians National Zoo in Washington. File image/AFP

How have past US shutdowns fared?

If the US does witness a shutdown, this would be the 22nd such incident since 1977. Many shutdowns have been only a day old.

However, the longest shutdown was for 34 full days from December 21, 2018, to January 25, 2019. During that shutdown, national parks remained open, but trash started piling up as employees were furloughed. TSA employees started calling in sick, leading to delays at airports.

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With inputs from agencies
Earlier this week, a bipartisan 1,500-page bill to keep the government funded until March 2025 was ready to be passed. Then, Elon Musk took to X to rail against it as one of the worst bills ever written. Now, with a new Republican funding bill failing to pass the House, the US government is barrelling towards a shutdown. And Democrats are pointing the finger at President Musk read more

The United States government is set to shut down at midnight on Friday.

And Elon Musk is the driving force behind it.

Musk, a big supporter of US President-elect Donald Trump, interjected himself into the process.

This will be the first government shutdown since one that extended through December 2018 into 2019, during Trumps first four-year White House term.

Democrats are now attacking the wealthiest man in the world as President Musk.

But how did it happen? And what is his role in the shutdown?

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Lets take a closer look:

Musk speaks out

Earlier this week, a 1,500-page bill to keep the government running till March 2025 was ready.

Republicans led by House Speaker Mike Johnson had negotiated the provisions of the bill with Democrats in the House  where the GOP holds a slim majority and needs opposition support for the bill to pass  as well as the Senate which is currently run by the Democrats.

The bill set aside $100 billion for disaster relief, $10 billion in farm aid, mandating a raise for lawmakers and cracking down on hotel fees.

Then, Musk, who has been chosen to co-chair the proposed Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), threw a wrench into the works.

This should not pass, Musk wrote on his social media platform X.

Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!

Musk claimed it was one of the worst bills ever written.

Trump, Vance chime in

After Musks outburst, Trump and Vice-President-elect JD Vance also chimed in.

Republicans must get smart and tough, Trump and Vance said in a statement. If Democrats threaten to shut down the government unless we give them everything they want, then call their bluff.

Any Republican that would be so stupid as to do this should, and will, be primaried, Trump wrote on social media.

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Trump further demanded that Congress limit the bill to temporary spending and disaster relief and also raise the national debt ceiling now before it comes to a head next year.

Unless the Democrats terminate or substantially extend the Debt Ceiling now, I will fight till the end, Trump said on his Truth Social site.

In his statement with Vance, Trump said Republicans should restart negotiations over the legislation, arguing that anything else is a betrayal of our country.

Increasing the debt ceiling is not great but wed rather do it on Bidens watch, they said. If Democrats wont cooperate on a debt ceiling increase now, what makes anyone think they would do it in June during our administration? Lets have this debate over the debt ceiling now.

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Musk, meanwhile, continued to speak out against the bill on social media.

Stop the steal of your tax dollars! Musk wrote.

No bills should be passed Congress until Jan 20, when Donald Trump takes office. None. Zero, Musk wrote on Thursday.

The pressure seemingly worked and the bill died a quick death.

Representative Andy Barr, a Republican from Kentucky, said his office was flooded with calls from constituents.

US President-elect Donald Trump also came out against the bill. Reuters

My phone was ringing off the hook, he said. The people who elected us are listening to Elon Musk.

As per NBC, Fox News hosts were celebrating Musks new found powers.

Host Sean Hannity said theres a new sheriff in town, while Jesse Watters added that Musk blew up the bill all day.

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Musk is now the center of the universe on Capitol Hill in a way that nobody has ever seen, Fox and Friends Peter Doocy said.

New bill goes down in flames

As per NPR, on Thursday House Republicans unveiled a new bill more in line with Trump and Musks demands.

However, the bill failed in the House of Representatives after 235 members including 38 Republicans voted against it.

Among those was Representative Chip Roy of Texas.

Yes, I think this bill is better than it was yesterday on certain respects, but to take this bill  and congratulate yourself because its shorter in pages  but increases the debt by $5 trillion  is asinine, and thats precisely what Republicans are doing, Roy said on the floor as per NBC.

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However, even a simple majority wouldnt have been enough to pass the bill.

Under the expedited measures, the bill would have required a two-thirds majority.

Johnson, the House Speaker, tried to stay upbeat.

We will regroup and we will come up with another solution, Johnson told reporters as per NPR. So stay tuned.

But it was a dramatic turn of events for Johnson, who negotiated the bill and has been undermined by Trump as he faces re-election for his post in just a couple of weeks.

Representative Jon Bacon, Nebraska, told the outlet Trump and Johnson have been in touch.

I feel bad for Speaker Johnson but I do think today, once they sat down and talked through it, I believe that the speaker made a convincing case that what we had was a pretty good bill, Bacon said.

What we took away from the president is the debt ceilings his number one priority. It would have been helpful to know that two or three or four weeks ago.

With Republicans having a slim majority, it raises the possibility of a replay of leadership disputes that paralysed the House a year ago.

Many lawmakers were in the middle of holiday and year-end celebrations with staff when Trump came out against the legislation.

Ive been here 14 years, OK? So nothing up here surprises me anymore, said Rep. Steve Womack, a senior Republican appropriator from Arkansas. We shouldnt be in this mess.

Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform and a veteran of Washingtons budget battles, was concerned about the lack of a clear plan for resolving the dispute. Theres got to be a second part of the strategy, he said.

Norquist has been enthusiastic about Musks ability to generate public attention for efforts to reduce the size of government. But he suggested that the owner of a space rocket company wasnt the right person to spearhead a congressional spending debate.

He doesnt know politics like he knows physics, he said.

To say this is alarming and a setback is an absolute understatement, a veteran Republican operative told NBC.

But others were thrilled with Musks involvement.

In five years in Congress, Ive been awaiting a fundamental change in the dynamic, posted Rep. Dan Bishop, a Republican from North Carolina. It has arrived.

In just the last 24 hours, we did something that we never would have been able to do before, Charlie Kirk, the CEO of Turning Point, said as per NBC. I want to show the power that you have  is that you, everybody in this room and everyone watching online  you defeated the Washington insiders in hours, everybody, and that CR is dead.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is in a tough position. AP

The Speaker of the House need not be a member of Congress, Senator Rand Paul wrote on X. Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk  think about it. .. nothings impossible. (not to mention the joy at seeing the collective establishment, aka uniparty lose their ever-lovin minds).

Congresss next steps remain unclear.

Bipartisan agreement will be needed to pass any spending bill through the House and Senate.

There is no new agreement right now, just, you know, obviously looking at a number of options, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise told NBC.

Senator Kevin Cramer, Nevada, said Trump might help the new bill pass.

Quite honestly, I think one of the ways that this could get fixed fairly quickly would be if President Trump would come up to Washington tomorrow or spend the weekend here and talk to people face to face, Cramer said.

Lets face it.  Hes got a lot of sway and persuasion. He acts more like the sitting president than the sitting president. And if hed come up, I think he could help move things along.

As per NPR, the events show how much influence Musk has over the Republican Party.

Musk, whose X bio reads The people voted for major government reform, appeared buoyed by the experience.

The voice of the people was heard, Musk wrote. This was a good day for America.

Democrats go on the attack

The Biden administration criticised the possibility of a shutdown.

Republicans need to stop playing politics with this bipartisan agreement or they will hurt hardworking Americans and create instability across the country, said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries said the fallout would be Republicans fault. You break the bipartisan agreement, you own the consequences that follow, he wrote on X.

Democrats have insisted that they will not give way.

NPR quoted Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, as saying, Its a good thing the bill failed in the House. And now its time to go back to the bipartisan agreement, we came to.

Democrats also attacked Musk as being, for all intents and purposes, the functioning president.

It appears that Elon Musk is trying to take the role as an unelected president. And in fact, Donald Trump, it appears, is following his orders, Representative Barbara Lee told on CNN.

Its clear whos in charge, and its not President-elect Donald Trump, Democratic Pramila Jayapal wrote on X. Shadow President Elon Musk spent all day railing against Republicans CR, succeeded in killing the bill, and then Trump decided to follow his lead.

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont added, Democrats and Republicans spent months negotiating a bipartisan agreement to fund our government. The richest man on Earth, President Elon Musk, doesnt like it.

With inputs from agencies
After the first severe case of bird flu was detected in California causing a 65-year-old man to be hospitalised, authorities have declared a state of emergency in the state read more

A state of emergency has been declared in California, United States after cases of bird flu were observed in dairy cows in the state. As the country detected its first severe case of bird flu recently, new questions about the virus have come forward.

The illness reveals heightened risks from a virus previously known to cause conjunctivitis (eye redness) in infected farm workers. The Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 strain of virus, also known as Type A H5N1, was detected for the first time in US dairy cattle in March. Since then, bird flu has been confirmed in at least 866 herds in 16 states.

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According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 60 people in eight states have been infected so far in the country. In a shocking incident, bird flu was detected for the first time in Gentoo and King penguins in Antarctica this year in January, reported news outlet NDTV.

Here is what to know about the disease.

State of emergency in California

California declared a state of emergency to mobilise state resources and personnel more effectively in response to the outbreak, stated Governor Gavin Newsom. The state has been looking for bird flu in large milk tanks during processing. And they have found the virus it at least 650 herds, representing about three-quarters of all affected US dairy herds.

The virus was recently detected in Southern California dairy farms after being found in the states Central Valley in August. This proclamation is a targeted action to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility they need to respond quickly to this outbreak, Newsom said in a statement.

Risk to general public

Although there are risks of the illness spreading to humans as well, its chances are pretty low, officials of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated. Notably, no reports of person-to-person transmission has come to light yet while there have also been no signs of the virus changing its form to spread more easily among humans.

Tests showed that the strain that caused the persons illness is one found in wild birds. File image/Reuters

In general, flu experts agreed with that assessment, saying its too soon to tell what trajectory the outbreak could take. The entirely unsatisfactory answer is going to be: I dont think we know yet, said Richard Webby, an influenza expert at St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital. But virus experts are wary because flu viruses are constantly mutating and small genetic changes could change the outlook.

The severity of cases

The first case of severe illness caused by the virus was detected in Louisiana this week, confirmed health officials. The man who has been detected with this illness is aged 65 years and has underlying medical issues. The patient who is in a critical condition developed severe respiratory symptoms after exposure to a backyard flock of sick birds, officials said. That makes it the first confirmed US infection tied to backyard birds, the CDC said.

Tests showed that the strain that caused the persons illness is one found in wild birds, but not in cattle. Last month, health officials in Canada reported that a teen in British Columbia was hospitalised with a severe case of bird flu, also with the virus strain found in wild birds.

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Previous infections in the US have been almost all in farmworkers with direct exposure to infected dairy cattle or poultry. In two cases  an adult in Missouri and a child in California  health officials have not determined how they caught it.

Its possible that as more people become infected, more severe illnesses will occur, said Angela Rasmussen, a virus expert at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada. Worldwide, nearly 1,000 cases of illnesses caused by H5N1 have been reported since 2003, and more than half of the people infected have died, according to the World Health Organization. I assume that every H5N1 virus has the potential to be very severe and deadly, Rasmussen said.

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Protection against the flu

According to the CDC and other experts, individuals in contact with dairy cows, commercial poultry, or backyard birds face higher risks and should take precautions like wearing respiratory and eye protection, as well as gloves.

If birds are beginning to appear ill or die, they should be very careful about how they handle those animals, said Michael Osterholm, a public health expert at the University of Minnesota.

This electron microscope image released by the National Institute of allergy and Infectious Diseases shows avian influenza A H5N1 virus particles (yellow). AP

The CDC has paid for flu shots to protect farm workers against seasonal flu  and against the risk that the workers could become infected with two flu types at the same time, potentially allowing the bird flu virus to mutate and become more dangerous. The government also said that farmworkers who come in close contact with infected animals should be tested and offered antiviral drugs even if they show no symptoms.

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Factors that help spread bird flu

The H5N1 virus can also spread through raw milk, in addition to direct contact with farm animals and wild birds. Pasteurised milk is safe, as the heat treatment eliminates the virus, according to the US FDA.

High levels of the virus have been detected in unpasteurised milk. Recently, raw milk sold in California stores was recalled after the virus was found on farms and in the products.

In Los Angeles, county officials reported that two indoor cats that were fed the recalled raw milk died from bird flu infections. Officials were investigating additional reports of sick cats. Health officials urge people to avoid drinking raw milk, which can spread a host of germs in addition to bird flu.

With inputs from AP
The Winter session of Parliament will come to an end today, after it saw heated debates and discussions on One Nation, One Election bills. Today, also marks the final opportunity for the US Congress to fund federal agencies and avoid a government shutdown. Heres what else will make news today read more

Members during electronic voting after which two bills that lay down the mechanism to hold simultaneous elections, were introduced in the Lok Sabha at the Winter session of Parliament, in New Delhi, December 17, 2024. File image/PTI

It is a busy end to the work week on Friday - December 20, 2024, and a lot is lined up for the day.

Winter Session of the Parliament will end.

Today marks the deadline for US Congress to fund federal agencies and avoid a government shutdown.

French President Emmanuel Macron will Djibouti, marking his first trip back to the Horn of Africa in five years.

The Chinese rule will complete 25 years in Macau. President Xi Jinping to attend the inauguration of the regions new chief executive.

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Verdict expected in trial of eight people over the killing of teacher Samuel Paty in Paris.

Hungary PM Viktor Orban to visit Bulgaria.

Heres a glimpse of what will happen today.

Parliament to conclude its winter session

The Winter session of Parliament for 2024, which began on November 25, will conclude today.

One of the key highlights of this session was the introduction of the  One Nation, One Election bill. The proposed legislation seeks to synchronise Lok Sabha, Assembly, and local body electionsboth urban and ruralwithin the same year. Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal presented the bill in the Lok Sabha, sparking intense backlash from Opposition parties.

The idea of one nation, one election refers to holding simultaneous polls across the country, which means, that the elections for Lok Sabha and state assemblies will be held together. PTI.

In response to the protests, the government decided to establish a Joint Parliamentary Committee to examine bills related to One Nation, One Election. The panel will consist of 21 MPs from the Lok Sabha, including Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and BJP MPs Bansuri Swaraj, Anurag Thakur, and Bhartruhari Mahtab.

Deadline for Congress to stop US shutdown

Today marks the final opportunity for Republicans and Democrats in the US Congress to agree on measures to keep federal agencies funded through March 14, thereby avoiding a government shutdown.

Earlier, lawmakers proposed a stopgap measure that would maintain the federal budget of approximately $6.2 trillion at its current levels, ensuring continued funding for critical programs. These include military operations, air traffic control, and federal oversight in areas such as drug safety and securities markets.

A joint meeting of Congress is held at the US Capitol in Washington, US, July 24, 2024. File Image/Reuters

If lawmakers fail to act before the deadline, federal agencies will face a partial shutdown starting Saturday.

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French President Macron to visit Djibouti

French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Djibouti and Ethiopia, marking his first trip back to the Horn of Africa in five years.

During his previous visit, Macron engaged with French troops stationed in Djibouti. The strategically located nation, a former French colony on the northwestern edge of the Indian Ocean, also hosts military bases for the US and China.

French President Emmanuel Macron. File Photo/Reuters

Following his stop in Djibouti, Macron will travel to Ethiopia, where he is expected to inaugurate the newly renovated National Palace in Addis Ababa.

25 years of Chinese rule in Macau

Situated on Chinas southern coast, Macau returned to Chinese sovereignty on December 20, 1999, under the one country, two systems framework, similar to Hong Kong.

On Wednesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Macau to commemorate 25 years of Beijings governance over the former Portuguese territory. He is also expected to attend the inauguration of the regions new chief executive, 62-year-old Sam Hou Fai, who was elected in October.

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Macau stands out as Chinas only region where gambling is legal, with its economy heavily reliant on the casino industry. Reuters

Macau stands out as Chinas only region where gambling is legal, with its economy heavily reliant on the casino industry. The sector contributes approximately 80 per cent of the territorys tax revenue.

Verdict for Paris teacher Samuel Patys beheading case

A French court is expected to announce its verdict in the trial of eight individuals accused of involvement in the killing of history teacher Samuel Paty, a case that shocked France and the world.

Four years ago, Paty was brutally murdered after he showed caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad during a class on free speech. The 18-year-old attacker, of Chechen origin, stabbed and beheaded him outside his school in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, near Paris.

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Also read: Trial starts in France for beheading of teacher over Prophet Mohammeds caricature



Viktor Orban on Bulgaria visit



Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is set to meet with Bulgarian leaders in Sofia today.

Orbans visit comes as Romania and Bulgaria celebrate their successful full accession to the Schengen Area during Hungarys presidency of the EU Council.

Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orban. File Photo

The Hungarian premier will discuss the achievements of the Hungarian EU Council presidency at a joint press conference with European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

With input from agencies
Last week, at least six schools received bomb threats, forcing the suspension of classes while several others were sent bomb threats email on Friday read more

A student with his guardian returns from GD Goenka Public School, Paschim Vihar after the school received bomb threat, in New Delhi, Monday, December 9, 2024. PTI

Schools in session but not in Delhi as many of them continue to receive hoax bomb threats creating panic among students and staff. Several schools in the national capital have been receiving bomb threat emails, disrupting classes and causing unnecessary alarm.

On Friday, many schools received hoax bomb threats, making the 11th such case in just a week. Security personnel conducted search operations at the schools, but nothing suspicious was found. We received a call regarding the bomb threat at 5:02 am from DPS, Dwarka, in Sector 23, the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) official said.

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Last week, at least six schools received bomb threats, forcing the suspension of classes and prompting police as well as fire department officials to carry out an extensive search of the premises.

While the Delhi Police respond swiftly to distress calls made by schools that are victims of such threats, it has not been able to address the issue so far. Also, this is not the first time Delhi schools have received bomb threats. The issue has troubled different schools across the city all year long with at least 100 schools receiving bomb threats in May alone.

Delhi HC seeks answers from police

Earlier this year, the Delhi High Court sought a report from the city police and Delhi government on how they plan to tackle the problem of hoax bomb threats in schools.

The court was responding to a petition filed by a parent demanding a detailed action plan to deal with the issue.

It also urged for the establishment of a proper response plan which can be uniformly implemented across the city in case of a real threat.

Delhi Police submits plant to deal with bomb threats

In July, the city police told the Delhi High Court that it has prepared an action plan to deal with bomb threat calls made to schools as well as a procedure to be followed in cases of hoax calls.

In a status report filed in response to a petition raising concerns regarding bomb threats in schools this year, the Delhi Police said it has bomb disposal squads and bomb disposal teams to deal with such threats and incidents in terms of a standard operating procedure in place.

Police has dedicated Bomb Disposal Squads (BDS) and Bomb Disposal Teams (BDTs) which have the responsibility to deal with bomb threats and bomb-related incidents in Delhi for which a detailed Standing Operating Procedure has already been laid down, the status report said.

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Action Plan has been prepared highlighting the steps to be taken by different stakeholders on receipt of a bomb call. Further, a circular has been drafted highlighting the procedure to be followed by Delhi Police after a bomb call being declared as a Hoax Call, it added.

Indian airlines face same issue

Hoax bomb threats were not just sent to Delhi schools this year but also to several Indian airlines leading to disruptions in flight schedules and other services.

Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said last month that Indian airlines and airports received a whopping 999 hoax bomb threats this year, 10 times more than what it received last year.

The minister stated that the police have registered 256 complaints and arrested 12 individuals in connection with these threats.
PM Modi inaugurated several rail and road infrastructure projects, including 10 new Road Over Bridges (ROBs), flyovers, permanent ghats, and riverfront roads read more

The stage is set for Mahakumbh 2025 to be held in the city of Prayagraj in January. Millions of devotees from all around India will participate in the worlds largest religious gathering organised after a gap of 12 years.

In an effort to make the event more grandeur than in previous years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated development projects worth Rs 5,500 crore. The projects are aimed at streamlining amenities for participants of Mahakumbh and giving a boost to the citys infrastructure.

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Maha Kumbh is a living identity representing our legacy of the divine festival of our faith, spirituality and culture, the prime minister said as he addressed people in Prayagraj last week.

Recognised by UNESCO as an Intangible cultural heritage of humanity, the Mahakumbh is being celebrated after a gap of 12 years at the confluence of the sacred rivers Ganga and Yamuna. According to religious legend, the invisible sacred river Saraswati also converges here. Hence the confluence is called Triveni Sangam.

What has been launched?

PM Modi inaugurated several rail and road infrastructure projects, including 10 new Road Over Bridges (ROBs), flyovers, permanent ghats, and riverfront roads. These initiatives are designed to enhance seamless connectivity and accommodate the massive influx of devotees anticipated during the Mahakumbh.

In line with the central governments Swacch and Nirmal Ganga project, efforts have also been made to intercept, divert and treat sewage water that leads to the river. These initiatives will ensure that untreated water is not discharged into Ganga.

The prime minister has also launched significant temple corridor projects, including the Bharadwaj Ashram, Shringverpur Dham, Akshayvat, and Hanuman Mandir corridors. These developments are intended to improve access for pilgrims and boost spiritual tourism in the area.

When is Mahakumbh?

The Maha Kumbh Mela is scheduled to take place in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, from January 13 to February 26, 2025.

With inputs from agencies
Former chief minister of Haryana Om Prakash Chautala suffered a cardiac arrest at his Gurugram home and was immediately rushed to hospital but could not be saved, INLD spokesperson said read more

Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) president and former chief minister of Haryana Om Prakash Chautala passed away in Gurugram on Thursday. He was was 89.

Chautala suffered a cardiac arrest at his Gurugram home and was immediately rushed to hospital but could not be saved, party spokesperson was quoted as saying by PTI.

Chautala, son of former deputy prime minister Devi Lal, was last was last seen in public during on October 5 during the 2024 Haryana Assembly election. He was seen at a polling booth in Sirsas Chautala village

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Chautala, who served as the 7th Chief Minister of Haryana, also holds the record for being the oldest prisoner in Delhis Tihar jail where he was imprisoned at the age of 87 till his release in 2020.

In 1987, Chautala was elected to the Rajya Sabha and served until 1990. In December 1989, he became the chief minister of Haryana, replacing his father who had been appointed as the deputy PM of India. However, he was unable to secure a seat in the state assembly within the required six months and had to step down in May 1990.

Chautala later won a by-election and briefly served as chief minister again in 1990-91.

After the Congress won in the 1991 Haryana elections, Chautala entered the assembly through a by-election in 1993. In 1995, he resigned as a protest against a deal to share Haryanas water with neighboring states.

Chautala won a seat in the 1996 elections and became the opposition leader. INDL was formed in 1998.

In 1999, Chautala became the chief minister again, after the Haryana Vikas Party lost its majority.

Chautala had been a member of both the NDA and the Third Front, a coalition of parties created in 2009 that were not affiliated with either the NDA or the Congress-led UPA.

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Born on January 1, 1935, Chautala has three daughters and two sons, including Abhay Singh Chautala and Ajay Singh Chautala.

His son Abhay Singh Chautala is an MLA from from Haryanas Ellenabad constituency and has also been the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly from October 2014 till March 2019.

With inputs from agencies.
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) made his maiden visit to India from December 15 to 17. The visit has been hailed as successful in both India and Sri Lanka. There were lots of apprehensions both in India and Sri Lanka about the future of bilateral relations under the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National Peoples Power (NPP) government because of JVPs past anti-India approach. However, the joint statement titled Fostering Partnerships for Shared Future issued after the bilateral meeting between President Dissanayake and Prime Minister Narendra Modi indicates that both sides are committed to strengthening the long-standing bilateral ties.

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The main areas of collaboration mutually agreed upon and mentioned in the joint statement include the digital economy, tourism, renewable energy, information technology, agriculture, dairy farming, fisheries, maritime security, counter-terrorism, human trafficking, and capacity and capability building of Sri Lankan defence forces to deal with various security-related issues. Both sides also agreed to continue their ongoing preliminary work for inter-grid connectivity and a multi-product petroleum pipeline between the two countries, the supply of LNG, and the under-preparation Sampur Power Project.

In addition to bilateral cooperation, both sides agreed to collaborate for regional and multilateral cooperation under the Colombo Security Conclave, the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), and BIMSTEC. President Anura sought Indias support for Sri Lankas application to become a member of BRICS. Sri Lanka has extended its support to Indias candidature for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for 2028-29.

The reiterated intention to further the existing areas of bilateral cooperation in the joint statement reflects a pragmatic shift in JVPs anti-India approach. In the past, JVP expressed its opposition to the signing of the Economic and Technological Cooperation Agreement (ETCA). However, during his India visit, President Dissanayake agreed to continue the discussion on ETCA, which was initiated by former President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The National Peoples Power (NPP) administrations main priority is to bring economic stability and work towards economic recovery. India, which provided immense assistance to Sri Lanka to deal with the economic crisis, is considered a crucial partner in its march towards economic recovery, and hence AKD sought greater economic and financial engagement with India in addition to defence and security cooperation. Responding positively to the Sri Lankan request, India has announced grant assistance of $14.9 million to undertake a signalling system in the Maho Anuradhapura segment of Sri Lankan railways, a comprehensive scholarship program for 100 students, and training facilities for 1,500 Sri Lankan civil service officers over a period of five years. An MoU was signed to amend the Double Taxation Avoidance (DTA) Agreement to bring the DTA in line with international standards on prevention of tax treaty abuse.

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The visit is likely to facilitate a few new developments in the bilateral relations, including negotiations to explore the possibility of concluding a framework agreement on defence cooperation, establishing a joint working group to examine possibilities for the comprehensive development of the agricultural sector in Sri Lanka, and finalisation of a bilateral social security agreement.

The visit has created a cordial atmosphere for both sides to engage effectively. Nonetheless, the execution and implementation of several policy decisions will be challenging for both sides. Government-to-government-level collaborative projects between the two countries are expected to rise. However, attracting Indian private investors to invest in Sri Lanka will remain a challenge.

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Until and unless the use of bottom trawlers by the Indian fishermen is completely stopped, the fishermen issue will continue to irritate bilateral relations, as AKD has promised the Tamil population of northern Sri Lanka that he would resolve the fishermen issue.

During the visit, India urged the new administration to take a constructive approach to Tamil reconciliation but refrained from prescribing specific methods for achieving it. As JVP has promised to address the issue of Tamil reconciliation by bringing a new inclusive constitution, the Government of India has rightly avoided its insistence on the implementation of the 13th Amendment. The shift in Indias approach indicates that it is no longer inclined to micro-manage the domestic affairs of its neighbour. India is leaving it up to the Sri Lankan government and its people to decide on the right path to address the reconciliation issue. Hence, unlike in the past, the 13th Amendment is not going to be a major issue between the two countries, at least in the immediate future.

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AKD has reiterated Sri Lankas stated position of not permitting its territory to be used in any manner inimical to the security of India as well as towards regional stability. Despite such commitments in the past, Chinese submarines and research ships plying in Sri Lankan waters created tensions between India and Sri Lanka, as this is one of the major security concerns for India. Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe addressed the issue by declaring a moratorium on foreign research vessels, which is going to expire at the end of this month. The NPP government has not yet made any decision as it is waiting for a committee report that was set up to build a national policy on the issue.

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Meanwhile, Vice Chairperson of the National Committee of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Qin Boyong stated during her meeting with AKD on December 18, 2024, that China was planning to restart maritime research activities, which were temporarily halted. Dissanayakes response to the official request from China (if made) in this regard will be the key indicator of the NPP governments commitment to addressing Indias security sensitivities from an Indian perspective.

With the absolute majority in the parliament, the NPP government is in a comfortable position to deal with the domestic challenges to India-Sri Lanka bilateral relations. Coping with the China factor in the India-Sri Lanka bilateral relations, however, will be a major challenge for the Dissanayake administration. As the NPP government is hoping to maintain friendly relations with both India and China, prioritising its national interests, Sri Lanka is bound to experience constant pulls and pressures from these two competing powers. In this context, the Sri Lankan government has to walk a tightrope while managing its relations with India and China.

Gulbin Sultana is an Associate Fellow with the South Asia Centre of Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses.Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.
I remember an incident from the 1980s in Dhaka when some Indian Bengalis were harassed and attacked at a local fish market because the locals identified their accent as being from Indias West Bengal. A mob chased them to their car and shook the car in rage. It was only when their Bangladeshi host intervened, telling them that they were Bangladeshi but their accent was influenced by their education in India, that the mob let go of them. When I heard of this, I wondered what had brought such animosity into the minds of the Bangladeshis, a mere decade and a half after India helped them attain independence from Pakistan. Does history not acknowledge gratitude?

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For many in Bangladesh, an Indian Bengali was always assumed to be a Hindu, and the hostility stemmed from the fact that he was Indian and non-Muslim. I spoke about this with a friend, the daughter of a prominent Bangladeshi diplomat, and asked why, just 13 years after Bangladeshs independencea freedom struggle aided and won with Indias helpthere was so much animosity towards the very people who had assisted in their liberation from Pakistans brutal oppression. She explained that while Indians might expect Bangladesh to remain eternally grateful and dependent on India, the pride of the Bangladeshi people would never allow India to believe that out of gratitude, Bangladesh would survive as an appendage to India!

I continued visiting Dhaka over the years and saw how Bangladesh was evolving. On one hand, the country was diligently preserving its language and cultureundeniably Bengali. Women, draped in beautiful sarees and wearing bindis and flowers, proudly showcased their heritage, much like their counterparts in West Bengal, India. It was often difficult to tell if these women were Muslim or Hindu. It was heartening to see that despite escaping Pakistan, they had managed to retain what was most important to themtheir culture, ethnicity, identity, and language.

However, over time, things began to change. The hijab started to appear more frequently, and women who once wore saris began to cover their heads in Islamic-style hijabs. Arabic terms and nuances began to seep into everyday language, and more skull caps were seen in public. It seemed as though Bangladesh was moving towards a more orthodox stancethe same dogmatic orthodoxy it had fought to escape from Pakistan. I often wondered whether Bangladesh was experiencing an identity crisis: Were they Bengalis first and Muslims second, or had they become Muslim Bengalis?

Fast forward to today, and Bangladesh is in a state of turmoil. The democratically elected government of the Awami League, led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has been ousted, with Hasina now living in exile in India. The aftermath has shocked the world. A so-called student movement, with support from Jamaat-e-Islami, has destabilised Bangladesh. Violent attacks between the Bangladesh National Party (BNP) and the Awami League supporters have paralysed Dhaka. The ousting of Sheikh Hasina and the dismantling of her party raise the question: Was this what the Bengalis fought forfreedom from Pakistanso that people of the same religion, culture, and language could end democracy and bring Bangladesh to the brink of self-destruction? Was the student movement meant to turn citizens into murderers and destroy the democratic process that, despite radical pressures, managed to uphold a semblance of secularism?

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Bangladeshs journey has been two steps forward, four steps backward. The country is unknowingly veering toward the very Pakistan it once sought to escape. Bangladesh seems to have forgotten that the Pakistan it is now courting is the same one that committed atrocities against the Bengali people in 1971. The Indian Army, primarily composed of Hindu soldiers, fought to liberate them from Pakistans brutality, and countless Indian lives were lost in that struggle. Today, Bangladesh seems to ignore the sacrifices made by India, especially when it is turning a blind eye to the atrocities against Bengali Hindus.

Meanwhile, India has yet to establish a clear policy on its role in protecting Hindus worldwide. Diplomatic efforts to address the violence, rape, and persecution faced by Hindus in Bangladesh are ongoing, but how effective can they be when Bangladesh is speeding towards radicalisation and anti-Indian sentiment? This is yet another story of Islam versus India and Muslim versus Hindu, but its long-term impact on India is uncertain.

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When we think of Bangladesh, we cannot ignore its proximity to West Bengal, India. West Bengal is already grappling with the consequences of illegal immigration and the influx of Rohingyas, especially due to porous borders and inadequate security. Many of those coming in are Muslims, for whom Islamic identity often supersedes all others, making them susceptible to radicalisation. This influx threatens Indias security, too. Especially with the current West Bengal governments policies apparently catering to the Muslim vote-bank, the threat of illegal immigration and its larger impact on the security and demography of the state and the nation remain an internal challenge for India.

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Also, Bangladeshis are struggling to get visas for medical treatment in India, a reality that is hurting them. This concern, however, is not a priority for Mohammed Yunus, the head of the interim government. India now needs to use its political leverage more strongly through sanctions on trade, tourism, and education. The message should be clear: Bangladesh must respect the safety of Hindus, or India will take action. Indias stance will shape the future stability of the region, and even Pakistan is watching how the situation unfolds.

The world is preoccupied with conflicts in Israel, Palestine, Ukraine, and Syria, but Bangladeshs internal turmoil and growing radicalisation cannot be ignored. Bangladesh must choose a path of stability, or it risks alienating itself further from the global community. Indias resolve will be a defining factor in the regions future. If Bangladesh continues down this dangerous path, India may have to intervene more forcefully. Mohammed Yunus should know that India will not tolerate any harm to its interests or the safety of the Hindu community anywhere in the world.

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The international community is watching, and Indias role in ensuring the safety of Hindus in Bangladesh is becoming increasingly important. The Indian government must act decisively, and Yunus must understand that if he fails to protect Bangladeshs minorities, India will have no choice but to take firm action. What that action might be is unknown.

The world is waiting to see what will happen next, and Bangladeshs interim government knows deep down that its future depends on how it navigates its relationship with India.

The writer is an author, poet, and a member of the BJP. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.
India should be concerned, and so should the USfor Islamabads nuclear ambitions seem to be growingthat if Pakistan succeeds in developing sea-launched ballistic missile systems, the Chinese may lease nuclear submarines to it read more

Jon Finer, currently US Deputy National Security Advisor, made a stunning disclosure on November 19 about Pakistans long-range ballistic missile development programme. He was speaking at a Washington-based think tank after the US had announced sanctions against Pakistans state-owned National Development Complex (NDC) and three private entities that assist the NDC in developing ballistic missiles.

On the NDC, the official US note regarding the imposition of sanctions stated that it is located in Islamabad, Pakistan, has worked to acquire items in furtherance of Pakistans long-range ballistic missile programmeincluding special vehicle chassis intended to be used as launch support equipment for ballistic missiles and missile testing equipment. The United States assesses NDC is responsible for Pakistans development of ballistic missiles, including the SHAHEEN-series ballistic missiles.

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Finers speech was not specifically on Pakistan but rather on the present and emerging strategic nuclear scenario and the challenges, current and emerging, confronting the US in this area. For the first time, the US named Pakistan as an emerging threat to it and almost directly put it in the same category as China, Russia, and North Korea. This was most significant even if Finer left a little space for Pakistan when he added that the US hoped to address these issues with Pakistan through diplomatic means. Indeed, Finers comments are of such basic importance that they merit being quoted in fulleven if they are fairly extensive. It is only if they are closely perused in their entirety that their correct current and long-term meaning emerges and conclusions can be drawn.

Finer said, Recently Pakistan has developed increasingly sophisticated missile technologyfrom long-range ballistic missile systems to equipment that will enable the testing of significantly larger rocket motors. If these trend lines continue, Pakistan will have the capability to strike targets well beyond South Asia, including in the United States, raising real questions about Pakistans intentions.

The list of countries that possess both nuclear weapons and the missile capability to directly reach the US homeland is very small, and they tend to be adversarial towards the USRussia, North Korea, and China. So, candidly, it is hard for us to see Pakistans actions as anything other than as an emerging threat to the US. Now leaders across our administration, myself included, have raised these concerns repeatedly with senior Pakistani officials.

We have been a long-time partner with Pakistan on development, on counter-terrorism and other security issues, including quite sensitive issues. We have provided support to Islamabad during difficult times and we continue to desire a cooperative relationship in these areas of shared interest. That makes us question even more why Pakistan would be motivated to develop capabilities that could be used against us. Unfortunately, it is our sense that Pakistan has failed to take these concerns and frankly the concerns of others in the international community seriously and continues to advance these capabilities.

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As a result, the Biden Administration has implemented a series of steps to contend with further development of long-range missile systems. Over the last years we have issued three rounds of sanctions against non-Pakistani entities that have provided support to Pakistans ballistic missile programme and yesterday we issued sanctions directly against Pakistans state-owned National Development Complex, which the US assesses is involved in the development and production of Pakistans long-range ballistic missiles. For the first time we have sanctioned a Pakistani state-owned enterprise, Taj Missile Development.

Simply put, we will keep up the pressure on Pakistan regarding long-range missiles even as we also continue to seek a diplomatic resolution to address our concerns, and we encourage every other nation to do the same."

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The Pakistani response to the sanctions and Finers pointed comments was defiant, even if it sought to place Pakistans strategic challenges in the regionalmeaning Indiancontext. Its foreign ministry stated, Pakistan considers the US decision to impose sanctions on NDC and three commercial entities as unfortunate and biased. Pakistans strategic capabilities are meant to defend its sovereignty and preserve peace and stability in South Asia. The latest installment of sanctions defies the objective of peace and security by aiming to accentuate military asymmetries. Such policies have dangerous implications for the strategic stability of our region and beyond.

Pakistans strategic programme is a sacred trust bestowed by 240 million people upon its leadership. The sanctity of this trust, held in the highest esteem across the entire political spectrum, cannot be compromised.

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We also regret the imposition of sanctions on private commercial entities. Similar listings of commercial entities in the past were based on mere doubts and suspicion without any evidence whatsoever. While claiming strict adherence to non-proliferation norms, licensing requirement for advanced military technology to other countries have been waived off in the past.

Such double standards and discriminatory practices not only undermine the credibility of non-proliferation regimes but also endanger regional and international peace and security."

There is no doubt that this statement, even though it was issued by the countrys foreign ministry, was the work of the army, which controls Pakistans nuclear assets. The assertion that the countrys strategic programme is a sacred trust is meant to assure the country that the armythe political class has been added onwill never compromise on the countrys security despite any threat from any quarter, howsoever powerful it may be. It is also to convey a message of strength to the people that Pakistans strategic programme is being developed to give the country greater strategic strength and teeth so that even the worlds great powers cannot threaten it.

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The international strategic community will closely analyse the imposition of sanctions on the NDC, Finers statements, and the Pakistani response. While closing his address, he noted that the US pursued a bipartisan approach on strategic challenges that confront it. This is not true. Former President Barack Obamas approach towards Iranian nuclear ambitions and that of his successor and now the President-elect, Donald Trump, were different. Indeed, Trump abandoned the US-Iran nuclear deal, which was worked out by Obama and which had the support of the other P5 countries as well as Germany. Despite all his efforts, President Biden could not put the genie back into the bottle. In this background, the question arises if the incoming Trump administration will go along with the stand taken by the Biden people on Pakistans long-range ballistic missile programme. It is likely that it would because it would also view Pakistani ambitions both as an emerging direct challenge and also through the prism of the Sino-Pak nexus as well as Pakistans relations with North Korea.

The last point is relevant because it is well known that North Korea played a big role in the development of the Pakistani ballistic missile programme in the 1990s. It did so in exchange for the information and guidance given by Pakistan in respect of North Koreas nuclear weapons programme. It will be recalled that the late Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto had claimed that she had carried some important documents of a nuclear nature on her person while going on a visit to Pyongyang.

Pakistan takes pride in being the only Islamic country to possess nuclear weapons, even though it has always denied that its nuclear weapons and delivery systems are meant for the Islamic ummah. It has emphasised that they are meant to defend itself, against India, even if it has not directly named India at all times. Nevertheless, right from the time of ZA Bhutto, who said that Pakistan will eat grass but develop nuclear weapons, it has asserted that if Christians and Jews and Hindus (for Pakistan, India is Hindu) have nuclear capabilities and weapons, then it is not acceptable that the Islamic world should not have this capability or possess nuclear weapons.

There is little doubt that it will now seek to subtly spread the word that the reach of Pakistani nuclear weapons is growing with the development of its long-range ballistic missile capability and that this is an asset for the ummah as a whole; if for nothing else, it shows that Muslims are not lagging behind in frontier areas of knowledge. There is therefore an Islamic angle to Finers disclosures that neither the West nor India can afford to ignore.

The original fundamental purpose of Pakistans nuclear programme and its delivery systems was to deter India. It therefore developed delivery systems for these weapons that covered India as a whole. These systems included ballistic missiles. In addition to land- and air-based delivery systems against India, Pakistan also wished to develop sea-based delivery systems, thus developing a true triad. Sea-based delivery systems of a true triad require long-range missiles and nuclear-powered submarines. These platforms have the capability of remaining out in the oceans for long stretches of time and not being easily detectable. Pakistan is a long way from possessing the technology or the ability to develop such submarines.

However, India should be concerned, and so should the USfor Pakistans nuclear ambitions seem to be growingthat if Pakistan succeeds in developing sea-launched ballistic missile systems, the Chinese may lease nuclear submarines to it. However, for the time being, the US focus will remain on Pakistan making land-based long-range ballistic missiles that can reach the US mainland. That would also be an attribute of greater nuclear yearnings.

Israel will take Finers comments very seriously. It cannot do otherwise even when it is involved in the Gaza war. Israel is on the target of the Jihadi groups, and these are not only those under the control of Iran. It is likely that there will be, if it is not taking place already, close cooperation between the US and Israel on monitoring Pakistans long-range ballistic missile development. India should have no reluctance in gaining insights from the results of US-Israel cooperation in this regard. A special focus for India will have to be on Pakistani and Chinese cooperation on developing Pakistans sub-sea delivery capabilities. Israel and the US will not ignore these areas.

It is ironic that the US, which is so worried about Pakistan developing long-range missiles, had looked the other way in the 1980s when Pakistan was developing its nuclear programme. That was the era of the Cold War, and the US needed Pakistans assistance to defeat the Soviets in Afghanistan through the Mujahideen. Wise powers seek to see the long-term implications of their actions, but the US has shown a lack of this wisdom time and again. Indeed, the rise of China as an economic power and now a scientific and technological power too is because of US policies towards it when it opened up to the worldbut on its own termsafter 1978. It can only be hoped that Finers warnings to Pakistan will be followed up through the use of the multitude of pressure points that the US can bring to bear on Pakistan because of its many vulnerabilities, including economic.

The writer is a former Indian diplomat who served as Indias Ambassador to Afghanistan and Myanmar, and as secretary, the Ministry of External Affairs. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.
The intention should be to end the deadlock(s), not prolong them in the context of strategic concerns, which are more for India, both owing to historic reasons and ground realities read more

There are two ways to attempt resolving the India-China border dispute through the instrument of the Special Representatives (SR) of the two nations. One is a step-by-step, sector-by-sector approach. The other is a wholesale deal across the table, converting the existing Line of Actual Control (LAC) into an international border first, with post-accord adjustments, with specific queries and guidelines built into the same.

India and China are now following the sector-wise approach, which is time-consuming, so to say. It is a cartographers job, aided, assisted, and often guided by strategic considerations and security agencies. A wholesale pact is a here-and-now approach, involving a pre-meditated give-and-take approach, where national attitudes rather than approaches guide the process.

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Such a course works only against a set time frame. A prime example is the Radcliffe Commission, which fixed the India-Pakistan border at Partition and Independence. It is still argued that it was an arbitrary process, hence leaving many things unsaid and . Some even used to arguethey still dothat British Law Lord Cyril Radcliffe used a pen to draw the India-Pakistan border on a map first and then proceeded to identify it on the ground. According to themhalf jokingly, half mockingly, yet seriousthe blunt nib of the pen covered vast areas in reality, leading to unpleasant and undesired consequences.

Or was it so? Yes, the Radcliffe lines were not without fault and fault lines, yes, but the problems of partition violence were independent of Radcliffes work. If anything, it quickly disposed of the question of individual villages and communities. The unprecedented violence that followed was political.

So was the confusion, contradictions, and continuing confrontations that led to the Kashmir issue. The two emerging nations, India and Pakistan, and also Cyril Radcliffe had readily acknowledged the sovereignty of Kashmir, its ruler and his subjects, and the kingdom was not considered for merger with either of the new nations by the Border Commission.

Both India and Pakistan staked claims for Kashmir to merge with them while the ruler, Hari Singh, mischievously toyed with the idea of staying independentlike some other native rulers did at the time. Pakistan deploying so-called razakars forced Hari Singh to sign the Instrument of Accession with India.

Could Radcliffe have followed the sector-wise sector approach, invited suggestions and complaints, and sat at every flashpoint and tried to sort it out and arrive at a consensusor even give a split verdict, part favouring one and part favouring the other? The kind of balancing out both? Possibly such negotiations would have been continuing to date, with much more bloodshed spread over years and decades than actually occurredwhich was massive in every which way.

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The Radcliffe Commission worked on totally different landmasses, in Punjab in the West and Bengal in the East, and came up with a collective verdict, quick and fast. Yes, East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, became a problem area, but again it is wrong to assume that Radcliffe was to blame. It was a political decision of the leaders of the two yet-to-be-formed nations that it would have to be this way, and Lord Louis Mountbatten put Radcliffe to work with a stiff deadline.

Day job, part-time job

It is this kind of an approach that both India and China have to employ to arrive at a border settlement, which alone is the backbone of ensuring normalcy in bilateral relations for a long, long time to come. Yes, with Special Representatives (SRs) from the two countries at work, it is not a unilateral decision of the Radcliffe kind that they could arrive at. Instead, there would still have to be negotiationsand for 21 years since they began, the SRs have not made much progress.

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The recent SR meeting between Indias National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was the 23rd in the series, with many more to follow, so to say. It is sufficient to point out that the SRs role and hence the complicated border talks involving them have been made part-time jobs requiring the least urgency for officials on both sides, whose day job is something much bigger, consuming all their time and energy, even otherwise.

Can the two nations decide to make SRs work exclusively on border talks, on which alone real normalisation of bilateral relations hinges? What was thought of initially when the Vajpayee Government designated the nations first NSA, the late diplomat Brajesh Mishra, as the SR was aimed at feeling the waters. It remains so to date despite the constant change of SRs, without any real change in mandate, through the past years.

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Yes, in an operational sense, the Doval-Wang Yi meeting in Beijing was working on initial normalisation of ties, post-Galwan, for which agreements and accords were worked out by the defence forces of the two countries and also their foreign ministers. From India, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar was the point man.

A real breakthrough was seemingly achieved after NSA Doval met Minister Wang Yi in Moscow earlier this year in their principal roles. Their meeting again, this time wearing the SR caps, followed not long after. Of course, in between, the two sides declared that they have sorted out the post-Galwan border issues satisfactorilybut not the larger border dispute, which was not in anyones glare until that happened.

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At the Beijing talks with Doval, Wang said that it was important to draw from the lessons of the four-year-long military standoff at the LAC in order to maintain peace and tranquillity at the boundary. If it was a loaded statement, it went without being contesteda good beginning for talking forward the revived SR-level talks. The two also discussed related aspects of bilateral ties that the Galwan row had adversely impacted, with the aim to provide positive directions for cross-border exchanges, including the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage, data-sharing on trans-border rivers, and border trade.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry statement said that the two SRs held substantive discussions and reached a six-point consensus that would see efforts to maintain peace at the borders and develop bilateral relations. The Indian statement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) did not refer to any six-point consensus or agenda for the future, but it reiterated almost the same points on promoting bilateral exchanges.

Political guidelines

Significantly, the Chinese statement made a positive reference to the political guidelines that the two SRs had agreed upon on resolving the border dispute as far back as 2005, which Galwan 2020 violently interfered with. Political guidelines and a political solution on the top of it alone would help in a quick resolution of the vexatious border dispute, which, if left to heal, would also help heal wounded memories on both sides. For India, its memories of the 1962 military debacle. For China, its about Indias Forward Policy, which, even when contestable, was unsustainable, to say the least.

Time is the best healer, and it has done its bit through the succeeding decades, with border tensions between the two nations being relegated to the mind and memories rather than on the ground. It was thus that the informal summits between President Xi Jinping and PM Narendra Modi at Wuhan (2018) and Mahabalipuram (2019) were expected torather, believed to haveset the mood and methods for an early resolution of the border dispute. Again, Galwan 2020 happened, cruder and crueller than the pre-summit Chinese incursions in the tri-junction with Bhutan in Doklam, 2017.

Galwan ensured that for the two nations, years were lost and the mutual trust of the immediate and intermediary past was shattered. Now, both sides are picking up the pieces, which was to have been avoided in the first place. Hopefully, fast-tracking of the process might also ensure that another Galwan kind mistake does not erupt.

Going beyond ensuring peace and tranquillity, peace along the 3,488 km of shared borders between the two countries means a lot for their stand-alone and cooperative growth and development all through. Together they are; it would mean a lot again for regional peace and geo-strategic balancing or re-balancing, if you want to call it so in the context of the US-initiated Quad and Indo-Pacific. As the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao implied in Bengaluru in 2005, Together, Chinas hardware and Indias software can go a long waythe implication of the statement was not lost on his IT sector audience'.

Today, the LAC gives physical control of borders in respective possession without addressing territorial claims, on what remain as frontiers. The reasons are not far to seek, either. There has not been any clear-cut border in those areas from time immemorial, though China (alone) keeps producing maps that it claims belonged to a distant past. China has continued to reject the outcomes of the 1913-14 Simla Convention and the McMahon Line that sought to set out a border.

Arunachal and Aksai Chin

Today, the issue is more complicated and at the same time easy to resolve, if and only if there is a political will and direction with a deadline that can be real or imaginarybut one has to be there. The intention should be to end the deadlock(s), not prolong them in the context of strategic concerns, which are more for India, both owing to historic reasons and ground realities.

It has to begin with China giving up all purported claims to Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing continues to flag from time to time, only to irritate New Delhibut whose literary consequences are far more serious. It will have to decide to return Aksai-Chin back to India without wantonly dragging Pakistan back into what should essentially remain bilateral. In the past, China was believed to have taken a position that the PoK areas that Islamabad had passed on to Beijing as a traditional Chinese region could form part only of a trilateral discussion, be it of the India-China border dispute or India-Pakistan differences.

Let India accept, if it could otherwise, that China is in possession of those areas and also has the ownership it claims that it has. Nothing then should stop Beijing from giving those portions back to India as a part of an overall border solution. How an accord in this respect should be worded is for the two SRs to decide with legal assistance from both sides. How India takes possession of those areas is for New Delhi to worry about.

Yes, such courses are not going to be easy. But they are also not going to be as difficult as they have been made out (to be) through the current cartography-based step-by-step and sector-by-sector discussion. From a purely Indian standpoint, a strong, nationalist government of the BJP-Modi kind can market a political solution to the border dispute better than any other in its place. And the Chinese leadership has no reason to suspect that there would be a nationalist uprising against Xi if he struck a historic and momentous deal of the kind with PM Modi. It could only bolster their images nearer home and even more overseasand it would have their positive reflections and vibrations back home and across the larger region, going beyond South Asia but covering Asia as a whole and beyond.

In all this, a no-war, more-cooperation agreement between the two nations can go a long way in cementing not only bilateral relations but also bilateral trust that has been missing since the days of the forgotten five-point Panchsheel agreement, 70 years back, in 1954!

The writer is a Chennai-based Policy Analyst and Political Commentator. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.
Indonesias President Prabowo Subianto has greenlit the plan, with the expectation of further investment from Apple in the future. The first factory is set to be located on Batam Island, with the second factory, planned for Bandung read more

Apples relationship with Indonesia has been marked by a series of setbacks. The company previously committed to investing 1.71 trillion rupiah ($109.6 million) but fell short with an investment of only 1.48 trillion rupiah ($94.53 million). Image Credit: Firstpost | Mehul Reuben Das

Apple is reportedly gearing up to invest over $1 billion in Indonesia to resolve a ban on iPhone 16 sales. The proposed deal includes building two factories in the country, with the promise of boosting local production and employment. Sources have told The Information that Indonesias President Prabowo Subianto has greenlit the plan, with the expectation of further investment from the tech giant in the future.

The first factory is set to be located on Batam Island, focusing on manufacturing AirTags and employing an initial workforce of 1,000 people. This facility is projected to produce 20% of the global AirTag supply, though the timeline for reaching this milestone remains unclear. Additionally, tax and import benefits provided by the location could offer Apple significant financial advantages. The second factory, planned for Bandung, will handle accessory production and establish educational facilities, cementing Apples presence in the region.

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Many hurdles for Apple

Apples relationship with Indonesia has been marked by a series of setbacks. The company previously committed to investing 1.71 trillion rupiah ($109.6 million) but fell short with an investment of only 1.48 trillion rupiah ($94.53 million). Efforts to bridge the gap with an additional $10 million investment were swiftly rejected by the Indonesian government, as were subsequent offers, including a $100 million proposal for R&D centres and developer academies.

The negotiations gained momentum following Apple CEO Tim Cooks visit to Indonesia in April 2024, during which he met with then-President Joko Widodo and expressed interest in expanding manufacturing partnerships. Despite this, earlier attempts to resolve the investment shortfall fell through, leading to the current $1 billion deal.

Shifting manufacturing strategies

Apples latest move aligns with its broader strategy of diversifying its manufacturing operations. The investment in Indonesia may prove less costly than paying tariffs on goods imported from China, as proposed by US policies. Manufacturing AirTags, Apples most affordable product, may not yield immediate high returns, but the long-term benefits of maintaining access to the Indonesian market outweigh the costs.

Moreover, Apples success with iPhone assembly in India demonstrates the potential for significant gains through regional manufacturing partnerships. While the new deal doesnt currently include plans for a research and development centre, the proposed developer academies and factories are expected to strengthen ties between Apple and Indonesia.

Unlocking market access

By investing heavily in local production, Apple is aiming to secure its foothold in the Indonesian market while sidestepping potential import tariffs. The $1 billion investment represents a strategic effort to navigate regulatory challenges and maintain the companys competitive edge. Although the road has been bumpy, Apples latest commitment could pave the way for renewed growth and collaboration in Southeast Asia.
Since 2016, Wright has claimed to be the man behind Bitcoin, a claim that, if true, would make him one of the richest individuals in the world, with Bitcoin holdings estimated at $100 billion (80 billion). However, he failed to provide credible evidence read more

Wrights campaign to be recognised as Bitcoins inventor involved launching costly lawsuits against critics. His actions prompted the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA), a coalition of cryptocurrency industry players, to initiate a High Court trial aimed at curbing his legal pursuits. Image Credit: Reuters

A UK-based computer scientist, Craig Wright, has been convicted of contempt of court for persistently claiming to be Satoshi Nakamoto, the enigmatic creator of Bitcoin. Despite a High Court ruling in March that declared he was not Satoshi and ordered him to stop making such claims, Wright continued to pursue legal actions asserting intellectual property rights over Bitcoin, including a staggering claim for $1.2 trillion (911 billion).

In response, the court sentenced him to a 12-month prison term, suspended for two years, meaning he faces imprisonment if he repeats his claims. Wright, originally from Australia but living in the UK, attended the proceedings via videolink from an undisclosed location in Asia. His refusal to reveal his whereabouts complicates enforcement, with an international arrest warrant required if UK authorities choose to act.

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A campaign of Legal Terrorism'

Wrights actions were described in court as legal terrorism, causing significant distress to individuals and organisations. The judge, Mr Justice Mellor, labelled his arguments legal nonsense and noted that Wright appeared to be leveraging the UKs lack of extradition treaties with certain countries to avoid repercussions.

Since 2016, Wright has claimed to be the man behind Bitcoin, a claim that, if true, would make him one of the richest individuals in the world, with Bitcoin holdings estimated at $100 billion (80 billion). However, he failed to provide credible evidence, and the cryptocurrency community largely dismissed his assertions.

Legal efforts to stop false claims

Wrights campaign to be recognised as Bitcoins inventor involved launching costly lawsuits against critics. His actions prompted the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA), a coalition of cryptocurrency industry players, to initiate a High Court trial aimed at curbing his legal pursuits.

The court sided with COPA, ruling that Wright had lied extensively to support his claims. COPAs lawyer, Jonathan Hough, described Wrights behaviour as at times farce, but with deadly serious consequences, as it created a chilling effect on the industry by intimidating those who challenged him.

The mystery of Satoshi Nakamoto endures

Wright is one of many individuals who have claimed or been suggested as Satoshi Nakamoto. However, none have substantiated their claims, leaving the true identity of Bitcoins creator an enduring mystery.

Wrights conviction serves as a warning against fraudulent claims, reinforcing the need for accountability in the rapidly evolving world of cryptocurrency.
Foxconns interest in Nissan aligns with its recent focus on electric vehicles (EVs). The tech giant has been investing heavily in EV manufacturing as part of its diversification strategy. For Nissan, the potential partnership could provide much-needed financial relief read more

The ongoing talks between Foxconn, Renault, Nissan, and Honda underscore a pivotal moment for the auto industry. As Nissan navigates financial woes and restructuring, its potential partnershipseither with Honda or Foxconncould reshape its future. Image Credit: Reuters

Foxconn, the Taiwanese tech giant known for assembling iPhones, is reportedly in discussions with Renault to acquire the French automakers stake in Nissan. This development comes amid separate merger talks between Nissan and fellow Japanese carmaker Honda. If finalised, the Honda-Nissan merger could rival Toyotas dominance in Japan and strengthen the combined companys ability to navigate global market challenges.

The news of Foxconns interest has reportedly spurred Nissan and Honda to expedite their merger discussions, fearing that Nissan could become vulnerable to a Foxconn-led takeover. Honda is exploring various partnership structures, including a potential capital tie-up or the formation of a holding company, according to Honda Executive Vice President Shinji Aoyama.

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Foxconns EV ambitions and Nissans struggles

Foxconns interest in Nissan aligns with its recent focus on electric vehicles (EVs). The tech giant has been investing heavily in EV manufacturing as part of its diversification strategy. For Nissan, the potential partnership could provide much-needed financial relief. The automaker has faced a turbulent period, including slashed earnings forecasts, a global workforce reduction of 9,000 jobs, and a significant restructuring plan.

Foxconns discussions with Renault, Nissans largest shareholder, suggest that the Taiwanese firm sees an opportunity to leverage Nissans automotive expertise for its EV aspirations. Reports indicate that Foxconn executives are in France for talks, although neither Nissan nor Foxconn has commented on the matter.

Merger buzz fuels market optimism

Despite its challenges, Nissans stock surged 24 per centa record increaseon speculation about a potential merger with Honda. The merger discussions and Foxconns interest have created a sense of urgency within Nissan and Honda, with both companies aiming to solidify their positions in a rapidly evolving automotive industry.

The proposed merger could offer Nissan and Honda economies of scale and a united front to compete against global giants like Toyota and emerging EV players. However, Foxconns potential involvement could complicate the merger dynamics, adding another layer of strategic considerations for all parties involved.

What lies ahead

The ongoing talks between Foxconn, Renault, Nissan, and Honda underscore a pivotal moment for the auto industry. As Nissan navigates financial woes and restructuring, its potential partnershipseither with Honda or Foxconncould reshape its future. Meanwhile, Foxconns push into the automotive sector signals its ambition to become a significant player in the EV market. The outcome of these discussions will likely have far-reaching implications for the companies involved and the global automotive landscape.
Over the past year, NVIDIAs AI chips have reportedly bypassed export restrictions, raising concerns about regulatory adherence and the effectiveness of compliance measures. The department has asked Nvidia and its partners to tighten inspections and ensure stricter controls read more

NVIDIA has instructed distributors such as Super Micro and Dell to carry out random customer audits in Southeast Asia. Despite these efforts, some individuals involved in smuggling operations claim to have successfully avoided detection during inspections. Image Credit: Reuters

The US Department of Commerce has urged NVIDIA to investigate how its advanced AI chips have found their way into China despite a strict export ban. This development comes amid the Biden administrations intensified crackdown on semiconductor exports to the region. The probe centres on allegations of smuggling and potential misuse of the companys products, which are embedded in servers from major distributors like Super Micro Computer and Dell Technologies.

Over the past year, these chips have reportedly bypassed export restrictions, raising concerns about regulatory adherence and the effectiveness of compliance measures. The department has asked Nvidia and its partners to tighten inspections and ensure stricter controls.

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Spot checks uncover loopholes

To address these allegations, NVIDIA has instructed distributors such as Super Micro and Dell to carry out random customer audits in Southeast Asia. Despite these efforts, some individuals involved in smuggling operations claim to have successfully avoided detection during inspections. Investigations revealed that certain customers manipulated serial numbers on servers containing NVIDIA chips to mask their origins, even altering operating system details to evade scrutiny.

Both Dell and Super Micro emphasised their commitment to compliance, stating that any breach of export regulations could result in severe consequences, including terminating business relationships. Super Micro further reiterated its adherence to US export control laws and vowed to take action against unauthorised exports.

Smugglers stay a step ahead

Reports indicate that smugglers have been creative in their methods, including duplicating serial numbers from authorised servers and attaching them to unauthorised systems. These tactics have allowed NVIDIA chips to enter regions barred by US regulations, such as China. Meanwhile, Chinese universities and research institutes have reportedly acquired these chips through resellers, bypassing direct purchase restrictions.

This situation underscores the challenges faced by US regulators and companies in enforcing semiconductor export bans. The Commerce Department has yet to comment publicly on the matter, but the Biden administrations broader strategy has been to curb Chinas access to advanced technology.

Tighter controls amid rising tensions

The US government has steadily increased restrictions on semiconductor exports, targeting over 140 companies this year alone. High-end AI chips, like those produced by NVIDIA, are at the centre of these measures due to their potential military and technological applications.

As tensions between the US and China escalate, this case highlights the complexities of enforcing export controls in an interconnected global supply chain. With stricter inspections and investigations underway, NVIDIA and its partners face mounting pressure to ensure compliance while addressing the risks posed by unauthorised resales and grey market activity.
During a press briefing, the Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder confirmed that the United States has roughly 2,000 troops deployed in Syria read more

US forces patrol oil fields near Syria's northeastern border with Turkey in the Qahtaniyah countryside in the far northeast corner of Hasakeh province on Sept. 3. AFP

In a major turn of events the US Department of Defence disclosed on Thursday that the American troops station in Syria was doubled to support the fight against ISIS. The increase even predates the fall of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad by the rebel groups in the country.

During a press briefing on Thursday, the Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder confirmed that the United States has roughly 2,000 troops deployed in Syria.

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The confirmation came after the US military and Central Command have consistently reported having only 900 troops.

But when did the troop deployment increase?

While giving an update on the number, Ryder did not say exactly when the number of US personnel had increased. He mentioned that he had learned on Thursday that the number had been significantly higher for some time. I dont have a specific date to provide, Ryder said, referring to the timing of the increase.

My understanding is its been for a while, so clearly before the fall of the Assad regime, he said, adding, At a minimum months. Its been going on for a while, he added.

Ryder made it clear that the increase in troop deployment was not in response to the recent fall of the e Assad regime or to the search for missing American journalist Austin Tice, who was kidnapped in Syria in 2012.

The Pentagon official noted that the additional US troops were deployed in the country to defeat the Islamic State and prevent it from regrouping. He declined to provide further detail on the matter and concluded his assertion by stating that they are predominantly Army soldiers.

Meanwhile, a defence official who asked not to be identified said that the number of troops deployed in the country might be significantly higher than what was reported. The official insisted that the actual number of US forces in the country may have been intentionally covered up.

Ryder maintained that a core group of 900 troops in Syria are on longer-term deployments, generally for nine to 12 months. An additional 1,100 have rotated into Syria temporarily, for roughly 30 to 90 days. When asked why this information is being revealed all of a sudden Ryder reiterated that he had just learned of it himself. Given that there is significant interest in Syria, Ryder said, he felt compelled to disclose the correct number.

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With inputs from agencies.
The Baltic Sea cables, one linking Finland and Germany and the other connecting Sweden to Lithuania, were damaged on Nov. 17-18, prompting German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius to say he assumed it was caused by sabotage 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. Reuters

China has allowed representatives from Germany, Sweden, Finland and Denmark to board a Chinese bulk carrier at the centre of an investigation into Baltic Sea cable breaches, the Danish foreign minister said on Thursday.

The Yi Peng 3 vessel is wanted in Sweden for questioning over a breach of two undersea fibre-optic cables in November, and has been stationary in waters nearby for a month while diplomats in Stockholm and Beijing discussed the matter.

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Investigators quickly zeroed in on the ship, which left the Russian port of Ust-Luga on Nov. 15, and a Reuters analysis of MarineTraffic data showed that the vessels coordinates corresponded to the time and place of the breaches.

The Baltic Sea cables, one linking Finland and Germany and the other connecting Sweden to Lithuania, were damaged on Nov. 17-18, prompting German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius to say he assumed it was caused by sabotage.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen on Thursday said his country had facilitated a meeting earlier this week between representatives from Germany, Sweden, Finland and China, helping break a month-long standoff.

It is our expectation that once the inspection has been completed by this group of people from the four countries, the ship will be able to sail towards its destination, Lokke Rasmussen said.

LSEG data showed Yi Peng 3 remained anchored in the same spot in the Kattegat strait between Denmark and Sweden.

Swedish police in a statement said they participated on board the vessel as observers only, while Chinese authorities conducted investigations.

In parallel, the preliminary investigation into sabotage in connection with two cable breaks in the Baltic Sea is continuing, the police said.

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The actions taken on board the ship on Thursday were not part of the Swedish-led preliminary investigation, the police added.
The Economist has named Bangladesh as Country of the Year for 2024, but also said that Muhammad Yunus-led interim government will have to need to repair ties with India. Read more to find why it has picked Bangladesh read more

The UK-based media house, The Economist has named Bangladesh as Country of the Year, claiming that the nation has shown the most remarkable improvement over the past year.

Bangladesh, a neighbour of India, has seen extensive student-led anti-government protests which were followed bythe ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, the interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus and reports of atrocities against minorities, especially Hindus.

But why Bangladesh?

The Economist clarified that the country it selects every year as winner is not the richest, happiest or most virtuous place, but the one that has improved the most in the previous 12 months.

Our winner is Bangladesh, which also overthrew an autocrat. In August student-led street protests forced out Sheikh Hasina, who had ruled the country of 175 million for 15 years. A daughter of an independence hero, she once presided over swift economic growth. But she became repressive, rigging elections, jailing opponents and ordering the security forces to shoot protesters. Huge sums of money were stolen on her watch, The Economist report said.

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The report further said that Bangladesh has a history of vengeful violence when power changes hands. The main opposition party, the BNP, is venal. Islamic extremism is a threat. Yet the transition has so far been encouraging.

It further said that Yunus-led interim technocratic government is backed by students, the army, business and civil society and has restored order and stabilised the economy.

Bangladesh has to repair ties with India

The Economist report said that in 2025, Bangladesh will need to repair ties with India and decide when to hold electionsfirst ensuring that the courts are neutral and the opposition has time to organise.

None of this will be easy. But for toppling a despot and taking strides towards a more liberal government, Bangladesh is our country of the year, it further said.

The runner-up in the race

Syria was the runner-up and a late entrant in the race, the report said.

Reasoning, The Economist said that the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad on December 8 ended half a century of depraved dynastic dictatorship.

In just the past 13 years civil war and state violence have killed perhaps 600,000 people. Assads regime used chemical weapons and mass torture against perceived opponents, and resorted to industrial-scale drug-dealing to raise cash, it further said.

The report then said that Assads fall brought joy to Syrians and humiliation to his autocratic backers  Russia, which lent him air power to drop barrel bombs, and Iran, which counted Syria (with Hamas and Hezbollah) as part of its  axis of resistance.

5 countries were shortlisted

The Economist said that it shortlisted five names this year for the Country of the Year title. Two took a stand against bad government.

To claim the title, Bangladesh surpassed Syria, Argentina, South Africa and Poland.

Previous winners

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Among the previous winners are Greece (2023) for dragging itself out of a long financial crisis and re-electing a sensible centrist government, Colombia for ending a civil war, Ukraine for resisting an unprovoked invasion and Malawi for democratising, the report said.
Mahfuz Alam, a close aide of Muhammad Yunus and an advisor to the interim government, stoked controversy after saying that West Bengal, Assam and Tripura are part of Bangladesh read more

The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday denounced a Bangladeshi ministers comment about annexing India, saying that the interim government should be mindful of the comments made in public.

Mahfuz Alam, a close aide of Muhammad Yunus and an advisor to the interim government, stoked controversy after saying that West Bengal, Assam and Tripura are part of Bangladesh.

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.

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We would like to remind all concerned to be mindful of their public comments, he said.

While India has repeatedly signalled interest in fostering relations with the people and the interim government of Bangladesh, such comments underline the need for responsibility in public articulation, Jaiswal added.

What did the minister say?

In a now-deleted post on Facebook, Alam talked about annexing some parts of Indias eastern and northeastern territories. The post was published on the occasion of Vijay Diwas commemorating the war of 1971.

The Facebook post also contained a map that showed West Bengal, Tripura, and Assam as parts of Bangladesh.

Mahfuj Alam, special aide to Dr. #Yunus and Advisor of Interim Govt made a Facebook post this morning in which he talked of annexing some of India's eastern and northeastern territories (see the map shared by him).



He alleged that #India maintains a "contain" and "ghettoize" pic.twitter.com/nkvDVzRDRQ  Bangladesh Watch (@bdwatch2024) December 17, 2024

Alam said that Indias northeast and Bangladesh share similar cultures, adding that the creation of East Bengal was the result of anti-Bengal attitude of upper-caste Hindus and Hindu extremists.

India has adopted a program of control and colonization To ensure true freedom from India, we need to repeat 1975 and 2024, the advisor said.

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With inputs from agencies
The US Department of Defences latest report submitted to the US Congress says China has strengthened its ability to fight and win wars in a huge push after the 2020 military standoff with India read more

Following the 2020 military standoff with India along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), China has enhanced its development capabilities and concepts to strengthen its ability to fight and win war against a strong enemy, the US Department of Defence has said in its latest report to the US Congress.

In the report that covered the military and security developments involving the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) through early 2024, the US also revealed that China has not scaled back its military presence along the LAC in eastern Ladakh region. It said there was significant and sustained escalation in military infrastructure in the region.

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The Western Theatre Commands (WTC) primary focus is on securing the Peoples Republic of China border with India. In recent years, differing perceptions between India and the PRC regarding border demarcations have facilitated multiple clashes, force buildups, and military infrastructure construction, report said, referring to the developments along the LAC since the India-China military standoff.

The report further claimed that China has strengthened its training and infrastructure aimed at long-term sustenance of the troops along the LAC.

The report cited the Galwan clash of June 2020, saying that the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) has not drawn down its positions or troop numbers since the 2020 clash and has built infrastructure and support facilities to maintain multiple Brigade deployments along the LAC.

These engagements coincide with a significant and sustained escalation in military infrastructure to support a long-term presence on the LAC, the report said, referring to the developments on the LAC since the standoff.

On October 21 this year, the Indian government announced that India and China reached an agreement on disengagement and the resumption of patrolling from Demchok and Depsang in eastern Ladakh, the last two friction points of the 2020 standoff, returning to the status quo of pre-April 2020.

The US report also observed that since 1998, China has settled 11 land-based territorial disputes with six of its neighbours. It also said that the PRC, in the last decade, used a more coercive approach to deal with disputes over maritime features, rights to potentially rich offshore oil and gas deposits, and border areas.

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The report said that the PLA has continuously been improving its methods and standards of training combined arms units. Training encompassed individual to collective soldier events integrating reconnaissance, infantry, artillery, armor, engineers, and signal units, it said.

It also pointed out that in addition to continued deployments on the Indian border and in Myanmar, the PLA conducted multiple large-scale exercises in training areas throughout the country.

The report also pointed out that in 2020, PLA Special Operations Forces from the Tibet Military Region were deployed on the LAC with India following clashes between Chinese and Indian troops in eastern Ladakh.
Pelicot will now be facing further investigation for the rape and murder of an estate agent in Paris in 1991 and attempted rape in 1999 read more

Trouble for Dominique Pelicot is far from over as the French court opens further rape and murder investigations against him. The cases are being pursued after Pelicot was sentenced to 20 years in jail for drugging his wife, Gisele Pelicot, and inviting men to rape her. Pelicot will now be facing further investigation for the rape and murder of an estate agent in Paris in 1991 and attempted rape in 1999, The Guardian reported.

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With these cases, questions are now being raised about whether Dominique was a serial offender for decades. The two cold cases against Dominique were reopened by investigators in Nanterre outside Paris. As the authorities investigate the matter, Pelicot could face another trial at a later date.

On Thursday, Dominique was found guilty of crushing sleeping tablets and anti-anxiety medication into Gisele Pelicots food over a period of nine years from 2011 to 2020. He later invited dozens of men to rape her while she was unconscious. The case came to light after videos of the rapes of Gisele Pelicot by him and other men were found meticulously categorized on his computer hard drive in a file labelled abuse.

The 72-year-old eventually pleaded guilty to the charges in the court telling judges: I am a rapist. Not only this, a total of 50 men were also found guilty alongside Dominique in the Thursday hearing. However, another 20 men in the videos were not identified and are potentially still at large.

The dark past of Dominique Pelicot

Police investigated Dominiques computer after he was arrested for secretly filming womens skirts in a supermarket in the southern French town of Carpentras in 2020. However, he first came under the police radar a decade earlier in 2010, when he was caught filming womens dresses with a small camera hidden in a pen in another supermarket in the Seine-et-Marne area east of Paris.

At that time, he was arrested and was released after he paid a fine of 100 to avoid going to court. Interestingly, Gisele was not informed about the whole ordeal at that time. His other cases came to light after police collected Dominique Pelicots DNA and entered it into a national database.

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The DNA eventually matched with a trace of blood found on a shoe at the scene of an attempted rape of a young estate agent outside Paris in 1999. At that time, Dominique was 46 and was working as an estate agent himself. The case was not added to Dominiques file in 2010, but the reason for this is still not clear.

When he was arrested in 2020, the authorities opened a cold case. Dominique denied involvement in the case in 2022 when the authorities interrogated him. However, things changed when the police presented him with the DNA evidence of his blood on the shoe. He eventually admitted attempted rape to the police but denied using a knife as a weapon.

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He later told interrogators that he had an urge the moment he saw the woman, but that when he took her trousers off he had realized she was the same age as his daughter and had felt blocked. His wife, Gisele Pelicot, later told the court that she had no idea about the incident. When I discovered that hed attempted to rape a young woman the same age as his daughter, it was like an explosion, she said in court in Avignon.

A looming murder case

The authorities also found that there were similarities between the 1999 attempted rape and the 1991 rape and murder of another estate agent. The real estate agent was strangled to death and knifed, and was found on her stomach. Dominique denied any involvement, but the police have placed him under formal investigation into both cases.

Florence Rault, a lawyer for the families of the two women, said police work on the cases would continue after the sentencing in the Gisele Pelicot case. Investigations are ongoing, so we have to see what that brings. There are likely to be further interviews in the cases, she said. Clearly the families hope that they will one day have a definitive answer and a conviction in court, she added.

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With inputs from agencies.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) says Egypt is receiving hundreds of Sudanese refugees daily, with more than 845,000 refugees and asylum seekers registered as of November read more

Egypt adopted its first-ever asylum law this week, but it has sparked concerns among human rights groups who warn it takes a security-focused approach that could undermine refugee protections.

Signed into law by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Tuesday, the legislation comes as Egypt faces a severe economic crisis and fallout from regional conflicts, including Sudan and Gaza.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) says Egypt is receiving hundreds of Sudanese refugees daily, with more than 845,000 refugees and asylum seekers registered as of November.

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Official estimates suggest Egypt now hosts more than nine million guests  the government term for refugees and migrants.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said the nine million includes all who entered Egypt, regardless of legal status or migration reason.

For decades, the UNHCR managed refugee registration under a 1954 agreement, but the new law shifts these responsibilities to Egyptian authorities.

The law creates a permanent refugee committee under the prime minister to oversee asylum applications and services.

Activists argue the law was rushed without consultation with civil society organisations or the UNHCR.

The law was passed through with a great deal of urgency and secrecy, Karim Ennarah, director of the research unit at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), told AFP.

UNHCR declined an AFP request for comment.

Security-focused approach

Parliamentarians defended the law.

The urgency in enacting the legislation arises from the necessity of having a framework, Tarek Radwan, head of the parliaments human rights committee, said, citing the countrys geopolitical challenges and the growing refugee population.

No country can manage a steady rise in refugee numbers without regulations to govern their presence, he told AFP.

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The government says the law aligns with international treaties and aims to streamline refugee data by integrating its databases with those of the UNHCR.

However, critics say the law adopts a security-focused approach.

A major concern is a clause granting authorities the power to take necessary measures against refugees during wartime, counter-terrorism operations or national security crises.

Another controversial provision criminalises housing refugees without notifying the police, punishable by imprisonment.

The law also requires refugees who enter Egypt illegally to apply for asylum within 45 days of arrival.

These law gaps and vague language further weaken the already fragile protections for refugees, Ennarah said. It also creates a climate of fear around refugees.

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Strained system

Egypt has hosted large numbers of displaced people, including Syrians, Palestinians and Sudanese.

More than 1.2 million Sudanese refugees have arrived since April 2023, joining more than 150,000 Syrians and over 100,000 Palestinians.

Amid the countrys financial crisis, anti-refugee sentiment has been rising, with concerns about strains on healthcare, housing and education.

Refugees, however, receive little to no assistance from either the United Nations or the government.

Egyptian officials have repeatedly urged more international funding to manage the crisis, with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly saying in April that the support given to Egypt falls short of the burden of hosting millions of refugees.

In October, the European Union granted Egypt 12.2 million euros to provide health and education services to refugees, migrants and asylum seekers in Egypt.

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However, Egypts refugee policies have faced scrutiny.

In June, Amnesty International reported that 800 Sudanese detainees were forcibly returned without being allowed to seek asylum.

Human Rights Watch warned that the law could increase the risk of authorities arbitrarily denying asylum and undermining refugee rights.

It would fail to protect asylum seekers rights, allow authorities to use emergency powers to detract from rights, force refugees to comply with vaguely worded rules, and criminalise irregular entry, HRW said.
Many social media users have flagged a post on X calling for assassination of tech billionaire Elon Musk. The post has now been deleted with the user deactivating the account. But what it said? Read more to find out read more

A social media post on X, has sparked backlash after appearing to suggest harm to billionaire Elon Musk. The controversy began when a user named Bill Shea shared a post that referenced Musks remarks on a federal spending bill.

The original post, from an account called Republicans Against Trump, stated: Elon Musk is literally everything MAGA Republicans accused George Soros of doing. Shea reshared the post with a caption that drew heavy criticism.

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Folks, please do not forget Musk is the CEO of several companies. I say again, hes a CEO. Do with that information as you will, Shea wrote.

Accusations of incitement lead to backlash

Many social media users interpreted Sheas comments as a call for harm against Musk. The post quickly went viral, with numerous users accusing Shea of incitement. Following the uproar, Shea deleted his account.

Context of corporate violence heightens tensions

The controversy comes on the heels of the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, who was murdered outside a Manhattan hotel ahead of a company conference. The suspect, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, was apprehended after a five-day manhunt.

Thompsons death has fuelled a broader conversation about public resentment toward corporate leaders, especially in sectors like healthcare, where Americans frequently express frustration over costs and accessibility.

Poll reveals youth & partisan views on corporate violence

An Emerson College poll conducted after Thompsons killing revealed startling opinions among young Americans. Of voters aged 18-29, 41 per cent described Mangiones alleged actions as acceptable, with 24 per cent calling them somewhat acceptable and 17 per cent deeming them completely acceptable.

The poll also highlighted a significant partisan divide. While 22 per cent of Democrats found the act acceptable, only 2 per cent of Republicans and 16 per cent of independents shared that view.

The public fascination with Luigi Mangione has spilled over into real-world events. As per a report in ToI, in New York City, where the murder of Thompson occurred, a Mangione lookalike contest was recently held. Supporters argue that Mangiones actions have highlighted systemic issues in the healthcare industry, though critics condemn any attempts to glorify violence.

Former journalist sparks controversy with viral post

Adding to the uproar, former Washington Post journalist Taylor Lorenz stirred her own controversy on the social media platform Bluesky. Lorenz shared a celebratory image captioned CEO DOWN, which quickly went viral. While she criticised corporate executives for perpetuating systemic harm, Lorenz clarified that she opposes violence.

With inputs from agencies.
Musks latest intervention follows his vocal support for other European right-wing populist leaders, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Nigel Farage read more

Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X, voiced his support for Germanys far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party on Friday, declaring on the platform, Only the AfD can save Germany. The endorsement is part of Musks growing alignment with European far-right parties, drawing sharp criticism from German politicians.

Musks post accompanied a video commentary criticizing Friedrich Merz, leader of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and a frontrunner for chancellor, for ruling out cooperation with the AfD.

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Only the AfD can save Germany https://t.co/Afu0ea1Fvt  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 20, 2024

AfD celebrates, other parties angered

AfD leaders quickly celebrated Musks backing. Alice Weidel, the AfDs candidate for chancellor, responded on X, saying, Yes! You are perfectly right! She added a reference to a recent interview where she blamed former Chancellor Angela Merkels policies for ruining Germany and criticized the European Union as a Soviet entity.

The endorsement sparked outrage among Germanys mainstream political leaders. Dennis Radtke, a CDU member of the European Parliament, condemned Musks remarks, calling them threatening, irritating, and unacceptable interference in Germanys electoral process.

Alex Schaefer, a lawmaker from Chancellor Olaf Scholzs center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), called Musks comments completely unacceptable and urged Germany to stand firm against foreign meddling. We object to interference in our election campaign, he told Tagesspiegel.

Musks support for right-wing parties in Europe

The AfD, polling in second place ahead of the February 23 election, is poised to become the largest opposition party in parliament. Despite being labeled as extremist by some state-level domestic intelligence agencies, the party has surged in popularity amid growing radicalism.

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Musks latest intervention follows his vocal support for other European right-wing populist leaders, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Nigel Farage, leader of the UKs Reform Party. Earlier this week, Farage claimed Musk was right behind him and hinted at possible financial backing from the tech tycoon.

Germany heads to the polls after the collapse of Scholzs coalition government last month in a dispute over the budget.

With inputs from agencies
Even if Russia captures Pokrovsk, it would take years to win the control of the entire Donetsk province in eastern Ukraines Donbas region, said a senior US military official in recent remarks read more

Russia has launched a heavy attack on Eastern Ukraine, around the key logistical hub of Pokrovsk. Image used for representative purpose/Reuters

Even as Russia has reached the outskirts of Pokrovsk, a US defence official has said that the fall of the city would not mean Ukraines doom.

Pokrovsk is a strategically important city in eastern Ukraines Donetsk province. The city is a key logistical hub as well as an industrial hub. The fall of the city has previously been compared to the opening of floodgates, allowing Russia to advance further in any direction in Donetsk province.

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Even though observers dont paint a promising picture of Pokrovsk from Ukraines point of view, a senior US military officer has told The War Zone that even if Pokrovsk falls, it would take Russia several years to capture the entire Donetsk region.

The eastern Ukrainian region, Donbas, comprises two provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk. While Russia pushed to capture Ukrainian capital Kyiv in the initial weeks of the war and topple President Volodymyr Zelenskyys government, it soon shifted focus and changed course to capture Donbas. Overall, Russia controls around a fifth of Ukraine and has annexed four provinces of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia even though it does not control these provinces entirely.

Throughout this year, Russia has made gains in the Donbas region, winning strategically important places like Avdiivka, Vuhledar, and Ukrainsk, and getting dangerously close to Pokrovsk. In an offensive earlier this year, Russia also made significant gains in Kharkiv province.

Russia is making progress in Pokrovsk at great cost: US official

Even though Russia continues to make progress around Pokrovsk, it is coming at great cost, according to the senior US military official quoted above.

Last week, CNN reported that Russian forces were just 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) from Pokrovsk. Separately, Ukrainian military has confirmed that military positions around the city have been lost to Russia. Amid such reports, it is clear that the final battle for the control of the city is near.

The senior US military official told The War Zone that Russia is sustaining up to 1,200 casualties per day, which they said is not sustainable in the long run.

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The official did not specify if the casualties included wounded or dead or both.

The official further said that there are indications that theyre unable to regenerate their troop strength.

Even though Russia is able to replace the casualties for now, the official said that cannot last forever.

While they may be able to do that now, we certainly know that thats one of the concerns that they would have on how long [they could] sustain that regeneration over time. Its inevitable, quite frankly, that if they continue to sustain that level of casualty, eventually they have to look at another mobilisation, which obviously would be a large political decision, said the official.

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Russia to take 2 years to capture Donetsk even if Pokrovsk falls: US official

As for the Russian ability to control the Donetsk province, the official told The War Zone that even though Russia has made significant progress, its very short progress and as Ukrainians fall back to more defensible positions, it remains to be seen how the battle would play out.

In any case, the fall of Pokrovsk does not mean the fall of Donetsk, said the official.

Just because they take Pokrovsk, doesnt mean Donetsk falls. Theres a number of defensive lines after that. Even if they sustain their current rate of advance, it would take a couple of years for them to take Donetsk completely. That rate of advance could change one way or another, but just doing the math thats about what it would take right now, said the official.

The fall of Pokrovsk would nonetheless be damning for Ukraine as it would not just lose an industrial hub but also a logistical hub that serves as a gateway for further ingress into the region.

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If Ukraine loses Pokrovsk, it would be very important to hold onto Dnipro and prevent further march of Russia, said the official.
Even though significant progress has been made regarding a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and release of hostages, the deal is still weeks away, according to an Arab diplomat read more

The talks for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and release of hostages have made progress lately, but the deal is still weeks away, according to an Arab diplomat.

The statement comes in the wake of reports in recent days that a deal between Israel and Hamas was imminent and wases just days away.

Amid such reports, The Times of Israel has now reported an Arab diplomat as saying that mediators continue to make progress toward a ceasefire in Gaza and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas, but it will likely need weeks and not just days.

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The trajectory is good, but there are still major issues to be negotiated followed by difficult political decisions that both sides will need to make," said the diplomat.

In recent weeks, following a series of Israeli military successes against Hamas and Hezbollah, talks for a deal between Israel and Hamas have made progress. There have been reports that owing to the military pressure, Hamas has become flexible in negotiations and has agreed to major concessions to Israel, including agreeing to an extended ceasefire instead of a permanent end of the war and agreeing to presence of Israeli soldiers inside even after the fighting stops.

Israels Hebrew media outlets have also reported that even though the deal could still be struck before the end of the month as progress has been made, it could not be said with certainty as gaps still remain between both the sides.

An Israeli official told Channel 12 that we are in the final stages of reconciliation and it will be known in the coming days whether there will be a deal or not.

The official quoted the recent progress to the CIA Director Bill Burns efforts, who visited Qatar earlier this week to take part in the negotiations.

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After withdrawing from negotiations last month, Qatar appears to have resumed its role as a mediator in indirect talks between Israel and the United States.

The outgoing Joe Biden administration is coordinating peace efforts with the incoming Donald Trump administration. Officials from the incoming Trump administration have visited the region and held talks with leaders of Qatar and Israel, following which talks picked up pace.

Amid such developments, Yaron Cohen, the official in-charge of hostages-related matters at the Israels Prime Ministers Office (PMO), conveyed a message to the families of hostages on Thursday that recent developments and US influence have created conditions under which a deal can be reached, according to The Times of Israel.

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Tragedy struck off the Greek island of Rhodes as a speedboat carrying migrants capsized, leaving eight dead and 18 rescued. The incident happened while the speedboat attempted to evade a patrol vessel, causing migrants to fall into the sea. read more

Coast guard officers cover the bodies after a speedboat carrying migrants has capsized, in the southeastern Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, Greece, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. Image- AP

At least 8 people were killed after a speedboat carrying migrants capsized Friday morning off the eastern Greek island of Rhodes, Greek authorities said.

The incident happened as the boat was performing dangerous maneuvers to avoid a coast guard patrol, causing the migrants to fall into the sea.

According to reports, eighteen people were rescued, and rescue teams using coast guard vessels and a helicopter searched near Afantou Beach. Eight survivors were hospitalised, one in critical condition, the officials said. It remains unclear whether other passengers are missing.

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Rhodes, one of several large Greek islands located near the coast of Turkey, is on a busy illegal smuggling route in the eastern Mediterranean.

At the main port of the island, police and ambulance workers held up sheets of gray tarp as the recovered bodies were carried into an ambulance.

It was the second deadly incident involving migrants in the past week, as authorities in Athens brace for a spike in arrivals as a result of wars in the Middle East.

Seven migrants were killed and dozens are believed to be missing after a boat partially sank south of the island of Crete over the weekend  one of four rescue operations during which more than 200 migrants were rescued.

The search south of Crete around the tiny island of Gavdos was called off Wednesday.

The number of migrants traveling illegally to Greece is expected to top 60,000 this year, with Syrians making up the largest number, followed by Afghans, Egyptians, Eritreans and Palestinians, according to government data.

With inputs from agencies.
Japanese authorities have inspected a US airbase in Tokyo over the leak of chemical-contaminated water from the site read more

US soldiers wearing protective face masks are seen in front of C-130 transport planes during a military drill amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, at Yokota US Air Force Base in Fussa, on the outskirts of Tokyo, Japan May 21, 2020. (Photo: Reuters)

Japanese authorities on Friday staged an inspection of a US military base in Tokyo, a government spokesman said, after being informed by the American side of a chemical leak.

Japans probe at the Yokota Air Base followed a US notice two months ago that water containing PFOS  classified by the World Health Organisation as possibly carcinogenic to humans  had spilled from the site.

PFOS is part of a large group of man-made chemicals known as PFAS, sometimes called forever chemicals because they do not degrade easily, experts say.

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The US military informed Tokyo in October that the PFOS-laced water had leaked from an area of the base where a fire-fighting drill was being carried out, Fumitoshi Sato, deputy chief cabinet secretary, told reporters.

This inspection was realised in response to the fears and concerns harboured by local residents, and we will continue to work together with the US side, Sato said.

Officials including from the defence ministry and Tokyos metropolitan government visited the site on Friday, he said. Yokota Air Base was not immediately available for comment.

Americas military presence in Japan has frequently stoked local discontent in the past, with everything from noise to pollution to helicopter accidents.

This frustration is perhaps most evident on the southern island of Okinawa, which despite comprising just 0.6 percent of Japans landmass, hosts the vast majority of the countrys US military bases.

Okinawa is located east of Taiwan, a flashpoint for tensions between the United States and China.

Earlier this month, the United States began relocating thousands of Marines from Okinawa, with an initial detachment of approximately 100 logistics support Marines transferred to the US island territory of Guam.
Congo authorities suspected malaria in the mysterious flu-like disease, that has killed more than 143 people and in which more than four out of five patients have tested positive for malaria. read more

Concerns deepen in Congo as officials investigate a mysterious outbreak following the death of a man in western Congo exhibiting hemorrhagic fever symptoms. Authorities suspect a still-unidentified virus may be contributing to the outbreak alongside severe malaria, which has already claimed dozens of lives. Image- AFP

Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo are struggling to contain a severe outbreak of flu-like mysterious illnesses, worsened by high levels of malnutrition and endemic diseases in the region.

According to reports, a mix of severe malaria and potentially an unidentified virus are contributing to the outbreak, which has reportedly claimed hundreds of lives, including a man who recently died of hemorrhagic fever symptoms.

However, Ngashi Ngongo, Africa CDC chief of staff and head of the executive office said that the working diagnosis now is malaria,". The situation has been exacerbated by malnutrition in the region, he said, describing it as the most likely hypothesis.

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A theory of a viral haemorrhagic disease occurring against the background of malaria has not been ruled out, Ngongo said.

Challenges in diagnosis and response

The hardest-hit area, Panzi, faces multiple hurdles, including poor road access, lack of health infrastructure and critical drinking water and medicine shortages. Malaria is endemic in the region, which has a staggering malnutrition rate of 61%. The combination of weakened immunity and seasonal rainfall has exacerbated the crisis.

World Health Organization (WHO) head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed that most blood samples from the area tested positive for malaria but cautioned that more than one disease might be at play. Earlier tests ruled out coronavirus, concluding that the illness affects the respiratory system and presents symptoms such as fever, cough and headaches.

Historical and current health crisis

The region has a history of disease outbreaks, including typhoid fever, mpox, and anemia. Over the past year, Congo reported over 47,000 suspected mpox cases and 1,000 related deaths.

To combat the current outbreak, the WHO has sent anti-malaria medicine to local health centers, with more supplies expected soon. However, ongoing heavy rains and widespread malnutrition continue to complicate the situation, placing the already vulnerable population at heightened risk.

Authorities said efforts are underway to collect and test additional samples to identify other possible pathogens and strengthen the regions strained healthcare system.
To complete longstanding ambitions to neutralise Israels challenges in the region, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may order attacks on Irans nuclear facilities in 2025 as Iran and its allies stand significantly weakened, according to a report read more

The year 2025 may be decisive for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus quest to reshape West Asia.

For the past one year, Netanyahu has made significant progress in the quest: hammering Hamas in the Gaza Strip and neutralising its leaders, battering Hezbollah in Lebanon and removing much of its leadership, and making way for the fall of Assad dynasty in Syria by weakening Iran and its proxies that propped the regime of Bashar al-Assad through the decadelong civil war.

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In 2025, Netanyahu might be looking forward to taking decisive steps to complete the quest.

The final steps of Netanyahus quest might include neutralising the Iranian nuclear weapon and missile programmes, according to Reuters.

In two rounds of aerial battles this year, Israel has already taken out Irans air defences, leaving it essentially naked, and dealing a significant blow to its capability to a develop a nuclear weapon by striking at a key nuclear facility. In 2025, Israel may go for the ultimate kill as Netanyahu stands more emboldened as ever.

Why Netanyahu may strike Irans nuclear programme

Netanyahu, the longest-serving Israeli premier, has long been a hawk.

Throughout his political career, Netanyahu has pushed for hawkish solutions to the Iranian threat. He has also been hawkish on securing the Israeli security in the region, which often leads to statements suggesting an approach that would either reject or water down any Palestinian state in the future.

As Israel has long considered Irans nuclear weapons an existential threat, and as Iran currently stands weakest in a very long time devoid of allies, Netanyahu is poised to zero in on Irans nuclear weapons ambitions and missile programme as part of his unyielding focus to dismantling and neutralising these strategic threats to Israel, according to Reuters.

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Iran is very vulnerable to such an attack by Israel, said Joost R. Hiltermann, Middle East and North Africa Program Director of the International Crisis Group, to the news agency.

Hiltermann further said, I wouldnt be surprised if Israel did it, but that doesnt get rid of Iran.

As Donald Trump assumes office in the United States next month, Netanyahu may even have an ally in the mission.

Earlier this month, Wall Street Journal reported that Trump is weighing options to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, which range from stepping-up sanctions to conducting pre-emptive strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

A few days before the Journals report, The Times of Israel also reported that the Israeli military has been drawing plans to attack Irans nuclear facilities.

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Iran faces 2 uneasy choices

With the loss of strategic depth in Syria and weakening of its allies in the region and its own weakening, Iran faces two uneasy choices.

Either Iran would give up its nuclear weapons ambitions and negotiate or it would develop nuclear weapons to restore deterrence and risk confrontation.

If they (Iranians) do not back down, Trump and Netanyahu might strike, as nothing now prevents them, said Palestinian analyst Ghassan al-Khatib to Reuters.

However, considering the Iranian record so far, Khatib argued that the Iranian leadership may be willing to negotiate and compromise instead of going for a military confrontation with Netanyahu and Trump.

However, there are signs that Israel is convinced that Iran may go for developing nuclear weapons.

Earlier this month, The Times of Israel reported that the view within the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is that Iran may decide to develop nuclear weapons as it is scrambling to rebuilt deterrence that has been battered over the past year and nuclear weapons are the only way that may now provide any deterrence.

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Owing to such an assessment, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) is continuing its readiness and preparations for potential attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities, military officials told the newspaper.

As Iran and its allies stand considerably weakened from more than a fighting with Israel, the Israeli military now sees an opportunity for pre-emptive strikes to destroy Iranian nuclear facilities, according to the newspaper.
Austins mother, Debra Tice said that she believes her son is held at a secret prison outside the capital city of Damascus and that Netanyahu has assured her that Israel would not carry out attacks near the facility read more

This 2023 age-progressed photo released by the FBI Washington Field Office, shows what Austin Tice may look like in his 40s. Tice disappeared at a checkpoint in a contested area west of Damascus in August 2012. AP

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the country would not carry out strikes in the area where US journalist Austin Tice might be held hostage in Syria.

Talking to NBC News, Austins mother, Debra Tice said that she believes her son is held at a secret prison outside the capital city of Damascus and that Netanyahu has assured her that Israel would not carry out attacks near the facility.

In response to your letter, please rest assured that Israel and its intelligence agencies are fully coordinated with the relevant American authorities on the matter and that the IDF is not active in the area where Austin may be located, the Israeli prime minister said in response to a letter written by Debra Tice to the Israeli government.

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The fall of Syrian ex-President Bashar has brought hope for Debra whose son Austin, a journalist, went missing 12 years ago during the Civil War. It is, however, not known whether the journalist is alive or dead.

They were able to go through the tunnel and go up, but in the absence of the bombing, theyll be able to make a more thorough search inside the mountain, Debra Tice told MSNBC.

Bidens hostage envoy rakes up Austin during Syria visit

Meanwhile, US diplomats on Friday went on an official visit to Syria to meet the countrys new Islamist-led rulers.

During this meeting, US President Joe Bidens top official, Roger Carstens, who is responsible for freeing Americans held overseas, urged the new leaders to help and locate Austin Tice.

US diplomats have not been to Damascus on a formal mission since the early days of the civil war that erupted after Assad cracked down on anti-government protests in 2011.

They will meet representatives from HTS, which Washington deems a terrorist group, as well as activists, minority groups and civil society, the State Department said.

Syrian leaders say search for Austin on

Syrias new leadership said on Thursday it was searching for abducted US journalist Austin Tice, and that it was ready to cooperate with Washington to look for Americans who disappeared under ousted president Bashar al-Assad.

We confirm our readiness to cooperate directly with the US administration to search for American citizens who disappeared by the former Assad regime, the governments Department of Political Affairs added in a statement on Telegram.

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Putin says will ask Assad about Austin

Assad fled to Russia after rebels took over Damascus earlier this month and continues to reside at an undisclosed location in the country.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has promised that he would ask Assad about Austins whereabouts in Syria and help America find the journalist.

However, Putin also said during the same press conference that he had not yet met Assad but plans to do so soon.

With inputs from agencies
Russian President Vladimir Putin in making headlines again. After suggesting his countrymen to have sex during work breaks, he has now called for the creation of alternatives to pornographic content, suggesting that something more interesting and passionate should be developed read more

Days after making an unusual suggestion to his countrymen to have sex during work breaks, Russian President Vladimir Putin is now back with another proposal and this time it is about porn.

In his annual Direct Line event in Moscow on Thursday, which ran over four hours, Putin acknowledged widespread global popularity of pornographic content and suggested the creation of their alternatives which could be more interesting and passionate to capture the attention of people.

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He even emphasised, Porn sites are visited all across the world. It is not just an issue for us, but for everyone.

Something more engaging & interesting than porn

While Putin acknowledged that banning and prohibiting adult content could be one approach, he argued that it is more important to create alternatives that are more compelling.

The answer can be what? In general, you could ban, but you should always offer an alternative that is more interesting than a porn site. So that a person would get in there, open a porn site and say: Ive already seen this, I want to see something else," a report by Russia Today quoted Putin as saying at the event on Thursday.

Putin speaks about porn pic.twitter.com/F5vC88CA7S  RT (@RT_com) December 19, 2024

Putins message for Russians: Have sex during work breaks

Recently, the Russian president reportedly also suggested people of his country engage in sexual activity and have romantic meetings during their lunch and coffee breaks at work.

The suggestion seemed an attempt by Putin in addressing Russias declining birth rate and promoting the practice as a way to boost the countrys fertility rate which is currently around 1.5 children per woman, significantly below the 2.1 required for population stability.

As per reports, Putin said, The preservation of the Russian people is our highest national priority. The fate of Russia depends on how many of us there will be. It is a question of national importance.

Meanwhile, a host of initiatives have been introduced by the Kremlin to address the issue, including offering free fertility screenings for women aged 18 to 40 in Moscow, aimed at assessing their reproductive health.

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With inputs from agencies.
Misogynistic influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan, who are accused of sexually exploiting women, are facing a case of human trafficking in Romania read more

A court in Romania has halted a human trafficking case against misogynistic influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan.

After flagging irregularities in the prosecutors case last month, the court has not sent the case back to prosecutors. The court has given prosecutors five days to file the case again or let it die.

Two Romanian women are also accused in the case along with Tate siblings.

Andrew Tate is a leading figure of the anti-women, far-right, misogynistic world. He and his brother Tate run a series of businesses and are accused of sexually exploiting women. Through their businesses, they are accused of grooming women to perform sex work and holding them hostage to forcibly produce pornography. They are also accused of rape and human trafficking in Romania and the United Kingdom.

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Earlier this week, a British court on Wednesday (December 18) separately ruled in favour of the police who were seeking the seizure of Tate brothers bank accounts for tax evasion on income to the tune of around 21 million.

Whats this case against Andrew Tate?

The court said that it had identified problems in the manner of presenting the factual situation and describing the constitutive elements in the case against the two women accused, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).

The court further said that Andrew Tates right to a defence was violated in the way he was informed of the accusation of human trafficking regarding one of the alleged victims, as per RFE/RL.

The prosecutors had identified seven women who were sexually exploited forcibly, in order to obtain significant financial benefits for the four accused from people who accessed content on social media, according to RFE/RL.

In their case against Tate brothers, as per RFE/RL, the prosecutors charged Tate brothers of recruiting women victims for producing pornography by seducing them and claiming they wanted a relationship or marriage with them.

The prosecutors charged that these women victims were instead taken to properties outside Bucharest where they were subjected to physical violence and psychological abuse and were forced into producing pornography.

Later, the prosectors also accused the Tate brothers of forming an organised crime group, trafficking of minors, a sexual act with a minor, influencing statements, and money laundering, according to RFE/RL.

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Andrew Tates history of anti-women behavior

Even if Andrew Tate and brother Tristan are acquitted in the current case, they will not walk free.

Instead, the Tate siblings will be extradited to the United Kingdom where they are facing rape and human trafficking cases, according to The Daily Telegraph.

The British police have an international arrest warrant for Tate siblings over rape and human trafficking during 2012-15, as per the newspaper.

Andrew Tate is a self-avowed misogynist who calls himself king of toxic masculinity. He is a leading figure in the far-right manosphere on the internet.

In addition of his degrading views on women, Andrew Tate is also a follower of Hitler and former Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar. He has hailed both of them publicly. He is also a homophobic and compares acts of sleeping soundly and lack of stress to being gay in a derogatory manner.

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Over the years, Andrew Tate has preached that women deserve to be beaten if they complain when a male partner cheats in a relationship. He has also said that women should remain at home tied to men and produce kids, dont drive, bear responsibility for being raped, and that men should be allowed to do whatever they like with them, including rape, if they flag their cheating.

Despite such a behaviour, Andrew Tate is one of the most popular figures on the internet  particularly among young men. Last year, a YouGov survey found that 26 per cent of young British men agreed with him. To get an idea of the kind of views they agree with, consider this: Andrew Tate posted earlier this week that all women are soft prostitutes.

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Being surrounded by hot girls isnt a flex anymore because everybody knows all women are soft prostitutes and money is easy to make. Im not a hooker I just need a boyfriend who pays for my entire life and spoils me Youre a hooker with one customer bich shut up. (sic), said Andrew Tate on X.
Efforts to rescue affected wildlife are underway. A rescue center has treated about 500 oil-soaked birds, including cormorants, but over 30 have died read more

In this grab taken from a handout footage released by the Russian Emergencies Ministry on December 17, 2024, rescuers respond to an oil spill along the coastline of the Black Sea, caused by the wreck of two oil tankers. AFP

Volunteers worked tirelessly Friday (December 19) to clean up a massive oil spill along Russias Black Sea coastline, an event President Vladimir Putin has described as an ecological disaster.

The spill occurred after two aging Russian oil tankers were severely damaged during a weekend storm in the Kerch Strait, which separates southern Russia from Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014. One vessel split in half, killing a crew member, while the other ran aground.

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On the shoreline, volunteers shoveled sticky oil and tar-covered sand into white sacks for removal, while black sludge continued to wash ashore.

Ive never seen anything like this. I cant even really imagine it. It seems to me that nature will be affected for many decades to come, said Tatiana, a volunteer. Even when you remove the top layer of sand, theres fuel oil underneath. It feels like nature will be affected for decades.

Efforts to rescue affected wildlife are underway. A rescue center has treated about 500 oil-soaked birds, including cormorants, but over 30 have died, said center head Evgeniy Vitishko. Volunteers carefully cleaned oil from birds feathers and used syringes to feed them.

The Kerch Strait, a key route for Russian grain and fuel exports, saw roughly 40 per cent of the tankers combined 9,200 metric tons (62,000 barrels) of oil spill into the sea.

Authorities have detained one ship captain on suspicion of violating maritime safety rules, while the other is under house arrest.

The disaster has impacted an area known for its diverse wildlife, including dolphins, and contaminated over 45 hectares of a protected nature reserve. Popular tourist spots such as Anapa, known for its sandy beaches, are among the worst affected.

Russias emergencies ministry said more than 6,000 people, including volunteers, are involved in the clean-up, and over 3,300 tons of contaminated sand and soil have been collected.

With inputs from agencies
The ballistic missile attacks also targeted six diplomatic missions in Kyiv, Ukraines foreign ministry said soon after the airstrikes. The strikes also knocked out the heating systems of residential buildings, medical facilities and schools in Kyiv read more

Russia on Friday launched an attack on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv killing at least one person and leaving several others injured. The attack came in response to Ukraines strike on Russian soil using American-made weapons.

The ballistic missile attacks also targeted six diplomatic missions in Kyiv, Ukraines foreign ministry said soon after the airstrikes.

During the almost three years since the war began, Russia has regularly bombarded civilian areas of Ukraine, often in an attempt to cripple the power grid and unnerve Ukrainians.

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What do we know about the attacks?

According to a report by the Associated Press, the attacks occurred during the wee hours of Friday when residents heard at least three loud bomb blasts.

Ukraines air force said that it intercepted five Iskander short-range ballistic missiles fired at the city.

The ballistic missile attacks knocked out the heating systems of 630 residential buildings, 16 medical facilities and 30 schools and kindergartens, the city administration said.

We ask citizens to immediately respond to reports of ballistic attack threats because there is very little time to find shelter, the Ukrainian Air Force said.

Apart from this, debris fell on Kyivs city centre, smashing into several high-rise buildings and damaging the Catholic Church of St. Nicholas, which is a city landmark.

Why did Russia attack Kyiv?

The Russian Defense Ministry said that the strike was in response to a Ukrainian missile attack on Russias Rostov border region two days earlier. That attack used six American-made Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS, missiles and four Storm Shadow air-launched missiles provided by the United Kingdom, it said.

That day, Ukraine claimed to have targeted a Rostov oil refinery as part of its campaign to strike Russian infrastructure supporting the countrys war effort.

Attacks damage diplomatic missions

The Russian attacks damaged at least six diplomatic missions located in Kyiv. These are Albanian, Argentine, North Macedonian, Palestinian, Portuguese and Montenegrin.

Portugal has strongly condemned Russian strikes that targeted Ukraines capital and has summoned the charge daffaires of the Russian Federation.

There was a very intense attack by the Russian Federation on the city of Kyiv, and one of the explosions caused relatively light material damage to the diplomatic facilities of several countries, including the chancery of the Portuguese embassy, Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel told local media.

With inputs from agencies
The reduction, slated for implementation by the end of 2025, would calculate the 37.5-hour limit on an annual average, treating additional hours as overtime read more

Members of UGT (Union General de Trabajadores) and CCOO (Confederacion Sindical de Comisiones Obreras), two main Spanish trade unions, protest demanding fewer working hours from 40 to 37.5 hours per week. Reuters

Spain moved closer to adopting a shorter workweek with the same pay after the government and two major trade unions reached an agreement Friday (December 20) to reduce the maximum workweek from 40 hours to 37.5.

The measure, which Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz described as historic, still requires approval from a divided parliament.

The agreement between the left-wing minority government and the UGT and CCOO unions would affect approximately 12 million workers and aim to improve work-life balance while reducing carbon emissions.

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Diaz, also deputy prime minister and leader of the leftist Sumar party, hailed the initiative as a long-overdue step for Spanish workers.

Today, were settling a debt with the working people of Spain  with the new generations who understand that personal time is not a luxury, but a fundamental right, Diaz said.

The reduction, slated for implementation by the end of 2025, would calculate the 37.5-hour limit on an annual average, treating additional hours as overtime.

Enforcement mechanisms will include stricter work-hour recording requirements and penalties of up to 10,000 ($10,382) per non-compliant worker.

The unions played a key role in securing the deal, framing it as a measure to address precarious jobs while prioritising workers rights.

However, the plan faces resistance from Spains main business association, CEOE, which argues such changes should emerge from collective bargaining rather than government mandates.

The real focus should be on the economy, not headlines, said CEOE President Antonio Garamendi, who expressed concerns about increased costs for businesses.

Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo, a Socialist, suggested the timeline could extend into 2026 to provide flexibility for small businesses and build parliamentary support. With the governments reliance on smaller parties like Catalonias Junts, securing passage remains uncertain due to potential opposition from business-friendly factions.

The measure is a cornerstone of the ruling coalition deal between the Socialist Party and Sumar, underscoring Spains broader push to modernise labour laws and address workers rights in a post-pandemic economy.

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With inputs from agencies
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed Friday the appointment of veteran Labour politician Peter Mandelson, a former minister and EU trade commissioner, as the next ambassador to the United States read more

Former Labour politician Peter Mandelson (C) reacts as he is interviewed by media near the Houses of Parliament in London on June 24, 2016 after Britain voted to leave the European Union (EU). AFP File

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Friday that veteran Labour politician Peter Mandelson, a former minister and EU trade commissioner, will be appointed as the next UK Ambassador to the United States.

Mandelson, 71, is set to assume the role early next year, according to Downing Street, coinciding with US President-elect Donald Trumps return to the White House for a second term.

The United States is one of our most important allies and as we move into a new chapter in our friendship, Peter will bring unrivalled experience to the role and take our partnership from strength to strength, AFP quoted Starmer as saying in a statement.

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Foreign Secretary David Lammy praised Mandelsons wealth of experience in trade, economic and foreign policy from his years in government and the private sector.

He will arrive in Washington DC as we deepen our enduring alliance with the incoming United States administration, particularly on growth and security.

Mandelson, an EU trade commissioner from 2004 to 2008 who also co-founded the international public policy advisory firm Global Counsel, called his appointment a great honour.

We face challenges in Britain but also big opportunities, he added.

It will be a privilege to work with the government to land those opportunities, both for our economy and our nations security, and to advance our historic alliance with the United States.

Mandelsons appointment comes amid reported unease within the UK government about the prospects for Londons so-called special relationship with Washington during Trumps second presidency.

The US president-elects threat to impose blanket tariffs on all imports is a particular concern for Starmers new Labour government, which has vowed to boost Britains sluggish economic growth rates of recent years.

Part of the last Labour government removed from power in 2010, Mandelson is the first political appointment for the envoys role in decades. Britain typically picks seasoned diplomats to be ambassadors.

He will replace Karen Pierce, the current ambassador in Washington, who has been credited with forging strong links with the many staffers and advisors in Trumps team.

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Starmer thanked Pierce for her invaluable service for the last four years, and in particular the wisdom and steadfast support she has given me personally since July.

She made history as the first woman to serve as UK ambassador to the US, he noted, adding she had been an outstanding representative of our country abroad.
Top Chinese diplomat meets Arab diplomatic envoys

Xinhua) 13:07, December 20, 2024

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, meets with diplomatic envoys of Arab countries in China, in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 19, 2024. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

BEIJING, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with diplomatic envoys of Arab countries in China on Thursday in Beijing.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that China has always placed its relations with Arab countries in an important position in its foreign relations, and China-Arab relations have entered the best period in history under the guidance of the leaders of China and Arab countries.

China is ready to work with Arab countries to continue the good momentum of all-round China-Arab cooperation, advance modernization together and jointly build a high-level community of shared future, Wang said.

Noting that the Middle East belongs to the people of the Middle East, Wang said that the international community should respect the legitimate concerns, independent choices and historical and cultural traditions of countries in the region, and support regional countries to live in harmony and achieve long-term peace and stability.

He called for a comprehensive ceasefire and a permanent withdrawal of troops in Gaza as soon as possible, and a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian issue on the basis of the two-State solution.

Lebanon's sovereignty, security and territorial integrity must be preserved, and all parties in Syria should proceed from the long-term interests of the country and people and launch an open and inclusive political settlement process, Wang added.

China will continue to support Arab countries in strengthening their strategic independence and achieving unity and self-reliance, and make efforts for peace and stability in the Middle East, Wang said.

The diplomatic envoys of Arab countries in China said that Arab countries firmly support the one-China principle and speak highly of China's long-term support and assistance.

Hailing the first Arab-China Summit which elevated China-Arab relations to a new level, the diplomatic envoys expressed willingness to work with China to make good preparations for the second summit and push for more outcomes in China-Arab cooperation.

They also extended appreciation for China's fair stance on supporting the just cause of the Palestinian people and its positive contributions to peace and stability in the Middle East. They expressed the hope that China will play a greater role in easing the situation in the Middle East.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
As the United Kingdom braces for the upcoming presidency of Republican firebrand Donald Trump in the US, reports are emerging that veteran politician Peter Mandelson is set to become Britains next ambassador to the US read more

Peter Mandelson is set to become the United Kingdoms next ambassador to the United States. The appointment will be crucial since the seat will be filled for the first time in almost half a century. According to a report from the Times, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will announce that Lord Mandelson will take over the role as President-elect Donald Trump begins his second stint in the Oval Office.

As per the report, the prime minister believes that Mandelson, a former Labour MP who now sits in the House of Lords, has the trade expertise which will help the country navigate through challenging changes in trade relations with the US under the Trump presidency. Earlier this month, the British prime ministers chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, travelled to Washington for talks with Trumps incoming White House team.

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The fact the prime minister has chosen to make a political appointment and sent Lord Mandelson to Washington shows just how importantly we see our relationship with the Trump administration, a government source told BBC. Were sending someone close to the prime minister with unrivalled political and policy experience, particularly on the crucial issue of trade. Hes the ideal candidate to represent the UKs economic and security interests in the USA, the source added.

Who is Lord Peter Mandelson?

The British political veteran helped the Labour Party to make a comeback in the 1990s. He served as business secretary under former Prime Minister Gordon Brown and was made the president of the Board of Trade in 1998. In 2004, he was appointed as the European Commissioner for Trade.

He has also served in the Tony Blair Cabinet and has managed to gain a seat in the House of Lords, the upper chamber of the British parliament. However, Mandelsons illustrious career has been marred by controversies as well.

The Labour Party veteran was forced to resign twice from government over scandals and is famously called the Prince of Darkness. In 2023, Mandelson garnered scrutiny after his past links with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who referred to him as Petie, were revealed.

Interestingly, Mandelson also shared close ties with Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, which caused him a headache in 2008. While Mandelson might be appointed to strengthen ties between the Starmer administration and the upcoming Trump administration, the British politician has some differences with the American president-elect.

For a start, Donald Trump enthusiastically backed Brexit. Peter Mandelson did not. After Trump won the November 5 polls, Mandelson told the Times Britain can have our cake and eat it on trade, building closer ties with both the EU and the US rather than choosing between them, Politico reported. Hence, it will be interesting to see if Mandelson proves to be a solid bridge between the US and the UK if he is appointed for the post.

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Internally known as shuttle support, the program reportedly began amid Ulines struggles to staff its US warehouses. The company, controlled by billionaire donors Liz and Dick Uihlein, allegedly brings workers from its Mexico operations under tourist visas and B1 business visas read more

US President-elect Donald Trump speaks at a news conference at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort on December 16, 2024 in Palm Beach, Florida. Source: AFP.

Uline, a Wisconsin-based office and shipping supply company owned by two of Donald Trumps top political donors, has been accused of employing dozens of workers from Mexico at its US warehouses under visas not intended for labour.

The company, controlled by billionaire donors Liz and Dick Uihlein, allegedly shuttles workers from its Mexico operations to warehouses in Wisconsin and other states under tourist visas and B1 business visas, typically used for training purposes.

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Instead of receiving training, the Mexican workers reportedly perform standard warehouse tasks for months at a time, sources with direct knowledge of the practice said, according to a months-long investigation by The Guardian.

Program details

Internally known as shuttle support, the program reportedly began about three years ago amid Ulines struggles to staff its US warehouses, particularly in Pennsylvania, The Guardian quoted a source as saying.

The workers are transported to US locations, provided with lodging, food, and rental cars at company expense, and housed in hotels near Ulines facilities.

Over the investigation, reporters observed Mexican workers living in a hotel near Ulines headquarters in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. A staff member at the hotel confirmed that Uline booked blocks of suites for workers when the hotel opened three years ago.

One worker interviewed anonymously confirmed traveling to the US under a tourist visa and B1 visa, ostensibly for training. However, the tasks he described mirrored the duties he performs at Ulines Mexico facilities. Its not training, he said.

Some documents describe purported training programs but detail tasks more akin to standard warehouse work, including warehouse safety, using vehicle-mounted devices, and identifying warehouse locations.

Legal and ethical concerns

Lawyers and immigrant advocates contend the alleged practice likely violates immigration laws and exploits the workers. Under US visa rules, B1 visas are for temporary business activities, not productive employment, and tourist visas explicitly prohibit any form of work.

If theyre doing warehouse work, especially second or third shift, thats not a close call, said Marc Christopher, a Wisconsin-based immigration attorney. He added that he believed it was absolutely 100 per cent not allowed.

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Christine Neumann-Ortiz, the director of the immigrant rights group Voces de la Frontera, as saying that the program an example of international labour exploitation, alleging it undermines wages for US workers while underpaying the Mexican employees.

The Mexican workers are reportedly paid their regular wages into accounts in Mexico, supplemented by additional travel allowances. However, their pay is far less than their American counterparts.

Top brass was aware

The Guardians reporting suggests Ulines senior executives, including Liz Uihlein, have knowledge of the program.

Internal company documents reviewed by reporters indicated that Mexican workers are sometimes hired specifically to participate in the shuttle support program.

Requests for participants reportedly came from senior executives at Ulines Pleasant Prairie headquarters.

Contradictions in political support

The allegations against Uline come even as its owners, the Uihleins, are prominent donors to Donald Trump and other conservative politicians who have advocated strict immigration policies.

Dick Uihleins Super PAC, Restoration PAC, funded ads during Trumps 2024 presidential campaign attacking Vice President Kamala Harris for allegedly allowing an immigrant invasion at the US-Mexico border.

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Neumann-Ortiz noted the irony of the Uihleins profiting off the backs of Mexicans while supporting anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies. It really shows the cynicism  its a model of international labour exploitation, while at the same time really putting money into this propaganda campaign to try to pit workers against each other.
British Security Minister Dan Jarvis has said that the targeting of Sikhs by any foreign government would not be tolerated read more

British Security Minister Dan Jarvis has assured Sikhs in the United Kingdom that government would not tolerate their targeting by foreign governments.

The assurance comes in the wake of complaints by British Sikhs of being targeted by or on behalf of the Indian government. Similar complaints have been made by Sikh organisations in Canada and the United States, most of whom have been involved in support of Khalistan cause.

In a letter to Sikh Federation, Jarvis wrote that any foreign power to intimidate, harass or harm individuals or communities in the UK will not be tolerated, according to Guardian.

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The newspaper also urged Jarvis as urging India to cooperate with the Canadian government regarding the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a designated terrorist running Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), a designated terrorist organisation. Canada has accused India of having a hand in the death and its pursuit of Indian diplomats in the matter has plunged bilateral ties to an all-time low.

In the letter to Sikh Federation dated 10 December, Jarvis wrote: We do not tolerate intimidation or threats to life, and through our intelligence agencies and police forces will continue to use all the tools at our disposal to keep people safe. Any attempt by any foreign power to intimidate, harass or harm individuals or communities in the UK will not be tolerated.

Jarvis further writes: We take the findings from the Canadian investigations very seriously and the UK has full confidence in Canadas judicial system. All countries should respect sovereignty and the rule of law, and we encourage all involved parties, including the government of India, to cooperate with the legal process.

India has been concerned about the safe haven that the Khalistan movement has found abroad, most notably in Canada and the United Kingdom. The Khalistan movement seeks to carve out a nation for Sikhs called Khalistan out of India. For decades, the movement waged a brutal insurgency in India, primarily in the state of Punjab, which only ebbed in the 1990s. Even though the insurgency has ebbed in India, the safe havens abroad remain a concern for India.

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Sudans army and the RSF have been locked in conflict for more than 18 months, triggering a profound humanitarian crisis in which more than 12 million people have been driven from their homes and U.N. agencies have struggled to deliver relief. read more

Al-Fashir, a key battleground between the RSF and the Sudanese army, remains a focal point in the fight for control of Darfur. File Photo- Reuters

UN human rights chief urged the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to end the ongoing siege of Sudans al-Fashir where more than 700 people have been killed since May.

In a statement issued on Friday the siege and the relentless fighting are devastating lives every day on a massive scale,. This alarming situation cannot continue. The Rapid Support Forces must end this horrible siege.

The UN rights office said it had documented the deaths of at least 782 civilians and more than 1,143 injured since May, citing evidence-based partly on interviews of those who had fled the area. It said the casualties came amid regular and intensive shelling by the RSF of densely populated residential areas as well as recurrent airstrikes by the Sudanese Armed Forces.

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Such attacks on civilians may amount to war crimes, the U.N. human rights office said. Both sides have repeatedly denied deliberately attacking civilians and have accused each other of doing so in al-Fashir and its surroundings.

Al-Fashir, a key battleground between the RSF and the Sudanese army, remains a focal point in the fight for control of Darfur. Observers fear that an RSF victory could trigger ethnic retribution, similar to the violence seen in West Darfur last year.

Earlier this month, the RSF attacked the regions main hospital, killing at least nine people. Meanwhile, nearby Zamzam camp, home to over half a million people facing famine, has been targeted by RSF artillery in the past two weeks, displacing thousands.

With inputs from agencies.
A new Republican spending bill backed by President-elect Donald Trump was rejected by the US House of Representatives, leaving Congress with no clear plan to avert a government shutdown read more

The US House of Representatives rejected another spending bill backed by President-elect Donald Trump, which was touted as Speaker Mike Johnsons plan B to avert a government shutdown. On Thursday, the House voted 235-174 to reject the spending bill, where two-thirds of the chamber was needed for passage.

Despite multiple threats from billionaire Elon Musk, 38 Republicans joined 197 Democrats to oppose the controversial bill, which also called for the suspension of the debt ceiling. According to The Hill, the bill was debated in the House for roughly three hours, during which the Democrats - led by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries - called the legislation laughable.

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The House Republicans rushed to push for a new bill following the intervention of Trump and Musk. The two firebrands torpedoed the original bipartisan agreement, raising fears of a government shutdown. With the rejection of the latest bill, Johnson will have to scramble yet again to find a way out, as the current government funding expires at the end of the day on Friday.

Why the bill failed despite Trumps support

Johnson had to spend hours on Thursday behind closed doors to devise a plan B after Trump rejected the initial stopgap funding bill. The president-elect later threw his support behind the new plan to avert the government shutdown. SUCCESS in Washington! Trump posted on social media, as key Republicans said they had reached a tentative deal. Speaker Mike Johnson and the House have come to a very good Deal.

However, Trumps bubble was busted after some Republicans remained unpersuaded by the new deal, which did not have several key provisions that its predecessor had. Meanwhile, Democrats expressed anger against Johnson for scrapping the previous bipartisan bill.

Extreme Maga Republicans are driving us to a government shutdown, said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, calling the new bill laughable. A handful of Republican lawmakers rejected the bill largely because of the inclusion of a two-year suspension of the debt limit, which was a demand made by President-elect Trump.

More debt. More government. Increasing the Credit Card by $4 trillion with ZERO spending restraint and cuts. HARD NO, Republican Representative from Texas Chip Roy wrote on X. If Congress does not agree to a funding plan, the country will witness another government shutdown, which will have dire consequences for several federal agencies and federal employees.

Interestingly, the most recent government shutdown also came during the holiday season, which ultimately turned into the longest one in the countrys history. It was under Trumps presidency and lasted for 35 days from December 2018 to January 2019.

Under a shutdown, all government services that are not deemed essential will stop functioning. National parks will close, and government food assistance will be delayed, affecting thousands of people relying on federal agencies.

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With inputs from agencies.
House Republican leaders, in a closed-door conference meeting on Friday, proposed a plan to extend government funding until March and raise the debt ceiling after Donald Trumps inauguration and the GOP regains control of Congress, according to a report read more

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks briefly to reporters just before a vote on an interim spending bill to prevent a government shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday. AP File

House Republican leaders, in a closed-door conference meeting on Friday, proposed a plan to extend government funding until March and raise the debt ceiling after Donald Trumps inauguration and the GOP regains control of Congress, according to The Guardian report, citing Punchbowl News .

It remains uncertain whether this funding proposal can be implemented before midnight, when a government shutdown is set to begin, or if it will gain Trumps approval.

Trump has demanded an increase in the debt ceiling while Joe Biden is still president.

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According to the report, citing Punchbowl, House Republicans have put forward two options for funding the government over the next three months: one that could pass today but would require Democratic votes and excludes aid for farmers and disaster relief, or a second bill that includes both the aid and the spending but can only be voted on tomorrow under House rules.

On the debt ceiling, Republican leaders have reportedly agreed to increase it by $1.5 trillion in the first major piece of legislation Trump is expected to sign, alongside $2.5 trillion in spending cuts. These cuts would primarily target mandatory government spending, which includes Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, and programs designed to combat poverty and assist with food security, added the report.

Meanwhile, the US government has begun warning its employees that a shutdown could happen, The Guardian quoted Karine Jean-Pierre as saying.

We believe that theres still time for Congress to prevent a partial shutdown. We believe that, but in the interest of prudent planning, we want to be prudent here, agencies did start notifying their employees for of their potential furlough today at noon, the White House press secretary was quoted as saying.

If the government shuts down, Jean-Pierre warned that it could hamper preparations to transition to the second Trump administration.

If there is a shutdown, and I dont want to get too much into hypotheticals, but this is the reality, transition activities will be restricted, Jean-Pierre was quoted as saying.

Were doing everything to ensure a smooth transition, but the choice to allow a transition to move forward is with in the hands of Republicans in Congress, she added.

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Jean-Pierre made clear the White House views Trump and Elon Musk as responsible for the breakdown in the spending deal that has brought the government to the brink of a shutdown.

Congressional Republicans did what they did because of what the president-elect said, and what Elon Musk said, thats the reality," Jean-Pierre told reporters.

Hours before the start of a federal government shutdown, Trump doubled-down Friday on his insistence that a debt ceiling increase be included in any deal  and if not, let the closures start now.

He issued his latest demand as Speaker Johnson arrived early at the Capitol, instantly holing up with Vice President-elect JD Vance and some of the most conservative Republicans in the House Freedom Caucus who helped sink Trumps bill in a spectacular Thursday evening flop.

If there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now, Trump posted on social media.

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Trump does not fear government shutdowns the way Johnson and the lawmakers see federal closures as political losers that harm the livelihoods of Americans. The incoming Trump administration vows to slash the federal budget and fire thousands of employees. Trump himself sparked the longest government shutdown in history in his first term at the White House.

On Thursday, the House rejected Trumps new plan to fund operations and suspend the debt ceiling, as Democrats and dozens of Republicans refused to accommodate his sudden demands.

With inputs from agencies
The hornets were eradicated using traps and public reports in the northwest corner of Washington state. While officials celebrated the milestone, they warned the hornets or other invasive species could reappear read more

Agriculture and wildlife officials have declared the eradication of the so-called murder hornet from the United States five years after the invasive insects were first discovered in Washington state.

The northern giant hornet, as the species is officially known, has not been detected in the US for three years, the Washington State Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday. The hornets, native to Asia, were first identified in the US in December 2019 after sightings in Canadas British Columbia earlier that year.

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Known for their powerful sting and ability to spit venom, the hornets can be deadly to humans, though they are typically non-aggressive unless provoked. The insects pose a significant threat to honeybees, which are critical pollinators for crops. A single hornet colony can decimate a honeybee hive in hours, BBC reported.

The hornets were eradicated using traps and public reports in the northwest corner of Washington state. The first US nest was destroyed in 2020 after officials attached a tracking beacon to a hornet, followed it to its colony, and eliminated the nest.

This is a landmark victory in the fight against invasive species, said Mark Davidson of the US Department of Agriculture in a news release.

In 2022, scientists set roughly 1,000 traps across the state. A single nest discovered in 2023 was swiftly destroyed, containing nearly 1,500 hornets in various stages of development. In total, four nests were eradicated, according to BBCs report.

While officials celebrated the milestone, they warned the hornets or other invasive species could reappear. They got here once and they could do it again, said Sven Spichiger, a pest specialist with the Washington State Department of Agriculture.

Officials are investigating an unconfirmed sighting from October 2024 and plan to set traps in the area as a precaution.

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Despite their rarity, the 2-inch (5-centimetre) insects are reported to kill 50 to 75 people annually worldwide. In 2022, the Entomological Society of America renamed the species to northern giant hornet from Asian giant hornet to address concerns about anti-Asian bias.
The United States government has urged the Supreme Court to dismiss 26/11 Mumbai attacks accused Tahawwur Ranas plea who has filed petition for a writ of certiorari with the top court to avoid his extradition to India read more

The United States government supported the request of the Indian government and urged the Supreme Court to dismiss a petition filed by the 2008 Mumbai attacks convict Tahawwur Rana who had sought from court to block his extradition to India.

The US government requested the SC to reject the petition for a writ of certiorari submitted by Rana, a Canadian national of Pakistani origin.

On December 16, the US Solicitor General, Elizabeth B. Prelogar filed a response urging the top court to deny Ranas petition. The petition for a writ of certiorari should be denied, she told the court in the filing.

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In a 20-page submission, Prelogar argued that Rana is not entitled to relief from extradition to India in this case.

After having lost the legal battle against his extraditions in lower courts and several federal courts, including the US Court of Appeals for the North Circuit in San Francisco, which in August ruled, The (India US Extradition) Treaty permits Ranas extradition, he filed a petition for a writ of certiorari with the Supreme Court on November 13.

The petition for a writ of certiorari filed with the apex court represented Ranas final legal attempt to avoid extradition to India.

What is writ of certiorari?

A writ of certiorari is a request to a higher court to review a lower courts ruling. The word certiorari comes from Law Latin, meaning to be more fully informed.

Where is Tahawwur Rana?

Rana is currently lodged in a jail in Los Angeles. He faces charges for his role in the Mumbai attacks and is known to be associated with Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, one of the main conspirators of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.

India has been seeking his extradition as he is wanted in the case of 2008 Mumbai terror attack in which a total of 166 people, including six Americans, were killed.

What Ranas petition say?

In his petition for a writ of certiorari to review the judgment of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Rana has argued that he was tried and acquitted in the federal court in the Northern District of Illinois (Chicago) on charges relating to the 2008 terrorist attack on Mumbai.

India now seeks to extradite him for trial on charges based on the identical conduct at issue in the Chicago case, the plea has said.

Prelogar disagreed and said, The government does not concede that all of the conduct on which India seeks extradition was covered by the governments prosecution in this case. For example, Indias forgery charges are based in part on conduct that was not charged in the United States: petitioners use of false information in an application to formally open a branch office of the Immigration Law Centre submitted to the Reserve Bank of India.

It is not clear that the jurys verdict in this case  which involves conspiracy charges and was somewhat difficult to parse  means that he has been convicted or acquitted on all of the specific conduct that India has charged, she further said.

With inputs from agencies.
US Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer claimed that the development of long-range ballistic missile capabilities could allow Pakistan to strike its targets outside South Asia, including the United States read more

After the US State Department imposed sanctions on entities working for Pakistans ballistic missile program, a senior White House official raised concerns over the mission. On Thursday, US Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer said that the development of long-range ballistic missile capabilities by nuclear-armed Pakistan could eventually allow the country to strike its targets outside South Asia, including the United States.

Finer said that Islamabads conduct over the years also raises real questions about its intentions. Candidly, its hard for us to see Pakistans actions as anything other than an emerging threat to the United States, the US official said while delivering a speech at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Finers remarks over the matter came after the US Department of State imposed sanctions on four entities, which they claimed were helping Pakistans ballistic missile program.

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In the statement, the department argued that the decision was taken in light of the continuing proliferation threat of Pakistans long-range missile development." The four entities were: National Development Complex (NDC), Akhtar and Sons Private Limited, Affiliates International and Rockside Enterprise. The department claimed that the aforementioned entities were contributing to the proliferation or delivery of such weapons.

Pakistan reacts

Meanwhile, Islamabad reacted strongly to the development, calling the sanctions biased, Geo News reported. Pakistan stressed that the step from the US has dangerous implications for strategic stability of our region and beyond.

Pakistans strategic capabilities are meant to defend its sovereignty and preserve peace and stability in South Asia. The latest instalment of sanctions defies the objective of peace and security by aiming to accentuate military asymmetries. Such policies have dangerous implications for the strategic stability of our region and beyond, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in a statement.

The countrys Foreign Office also emphasised that Pakistans strategic programme is a sacred trust bestowed by 240 million people upon its leadership, insisting that the sanctity of the trust must be held in the highest esteem across the entire political spectrum.

In September this year, the State Department imposed sanctions on a Chinese research institute and several companies, claiming that they have been supplying the NDC with equipment.

At that time, Miller said that the Beijing Research Institute of Automation for Machine Building Industry had worked with Pakistan to procure equipment for testing rocket motors for the Shaheen-3 and Ababeel systems and potentially for larger systems.

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In 2023, Washington sanctioned three China-based companies, accusing them of supplying missile-applicable items to Pakistan. Pakistan is yet to respond to the recent sanctions by the US.

With inputs from Reuters.
While Macau basks in the prosperity driven by its booming gambling industry and tourism, Mayotte grapples with economic hardships relying heavily on French subsidies read more

(L-R) Chinese and Macau flags flutter during a flag-raising ceremony at the Golden Lotus Square to mark the 25th anniversary of Macau's handover from Portugal to China, in Macau, China December 20, 2024. Reuters; A person walks at a street during heavy rains in the aftermath of Cyclone Chido, in Mamoudzou, Mayotte, France, December 19, 2024. Reuters

Two islandsMacau and Mayottehave captured the headlines this week for starkly contrasting reasons, one symbolising celebration and promise, the other devastation and despair.

Macau, situated on the southern coast of China across the Pearl River Delta from Hong Kong, marked the 25th anniversary of its return to Chinese sovereignty. Once a Portuguese colony, Macau was handed back to China in 1999 under the one country, two systems framework. Known as a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China, Macau is famous for its unique blend of Portuguese and Chinese cultures, evident in its architecture, cuisine and traditions. Often called the Las Vegas of Asia due to its booming casino industry, Macaus geography includes a peninsula and two islands, Taipa and Coloane, connected by reclaimed land known as the Cotai Strip. Despite its small size, it is one of the worlds most densely populated regions.

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During the anniversary celebrations, Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasised Macaus development and success under the one country, two systems policy. He expressed optimism that the region would continue to achieve new milestones as long as the policy was implemented fully and consistently.

Meanwhile, Mayotte, a French overseas department located in the Indian Ocean, is reeling from the destruction caused by Cyclone Chido. Part of the Comoros archipelago between Madagascar and Mozambique, Mayotte became a French territory in 1974 and officially a department in 2011, following referendums where residents chose to remain under French sovereignty. Mayotte consists of two main islands, Grande-Terre and Petite-Terre, and several smaller islets, surrounded by a vast barrier reef that supports rich marine biodiversity. Despite its natural beauty, the region faces significant economic challenges, including high poverty rates and dependence on French subsidies.

French President Emmanuel Macron extended his visit to Mayotte to address the aftermath of Cyclone Chido, which has left 31 people confirmed dead and 2,500 injured so far. Residents, angry and despairing over the slow response to the disaster, voiced their frustrations during Macrons visit. Macron explained that he chose to stay overnight to show solidarity and avoid the impression that officials simply observe and leave. Rescue teams continue to search for survivors and deliver aid, but officials fear the death toll could rise into the hundreds or even thousands. The cyclone also caused devastation in Mozambique, claiming at least 73 lives on the mainland.

While Macau celebrated its progress and prosperity, Mayotte struggles to recover, highlighting the stark contrasts between these two unique islands.

Economic growth on the margins

Economic development in regions with unique political statuses can provide valuable insights into their quality of life and overall progress. Mayotte, a French overseas department in the Indian Ocean, and Macau, a SAR of China, offer two very different examples. While Macau has grown into a major centre for gambling and tourism, Mayotte faces ongoing challenges in its development.

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Macau: A Gateway to East Asia

Macaus history as a Portuguese trading port placed it as a cultural and economic bridge between the East and West. When it became part of China in 1999 as a SAR under the One Country, Two Systems policy, Macau was able to keep a lot of control over its own economic matters. Taking advantage of this autonomy, Macau turned into the Las Vegas of the East. Chinas policy to make the region a centre for international tourism and trade helped support this transformation.

After 1999, Macau focussed on building a big gambling industry. The government worked with private investors and relaxed gaming rules, which attracted global casino companies. This made Macau the worlds biggest gambling centre in terms of revenue. The industry drives economic growth and provides many jobs. Macaus tourism, based on its casinos, rich culture and closeness to mainland China, also plays a key role in Chinas Greater Bay Area plan.

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Macaus per capita GDP is one of the highest in the world, thanks to its booming gambling and tourism sectors. However, this economy depends on external factors like tourism from mainland China and regional stability. The COVID-19 pandemic showed how vulnerable Macaus economy is, as it shrank sharply when tourism stopped.

Macaus role is also important in global politics. As a link between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, it supports Chinas Belt and Road Initiative. Its legal and financial systems help trade and investment, making it an important part of Chinas global plans.

Macaus success shows the value of giving economic freedom to regions with special histories and cultures. By allowing Macau to create policies suited to its strengths, China helped it become a major gambling hub. In contrast, Mayottes development is limited by policies from Paris that often dont meet the islands specific needs and challenges.

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Mayotte: A disjointed development path

In contrast, Mayottes time under French rule was marked by neglect, with little investment in infrastructure or economic development. The decision to stay with France instead of joining the Comoros Islands for independence was mainly driven by a need for political stability and economic support. However, being an overseas department has not led to the expected economic growth and Mayotte remains one of the poorest regions under French control.

When Mayotte became a full overseas department of France in 2011, it was promised economic aid and infrastructure improvements. While French subsidies have helped improve healthcare and education, the economy is still mainly based on agriculture with little growth in industries or services. Unemployment is around 30 per cent and its GDP per capita is one of the lowest in the European Union. Efforts to connect Mayottes economy to regional trade networks in the Indian Ocean have struggled due to poor infrastructure and political instability in neighbouring countries.

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Mayottes social and economic conditions are tough. Poverty is much higher than in mainland France, and many people live in informal settlements. Access to basic services like water and electricity is unreliable. Though French subsidies have raised living standards compared to the Comoros, the gap between Mayotte and mainland France remains large, leading to social unrest and migration pressures.

Mayottes location in the Indian Ocean makes it important for Frances Indo-Pacific strategy. The island acts as a base for French military operations and a checkpoint for migration from East Africa and the Comoros. However, its strategic importance has not led to strong economic growth and the island remains dependent on French financial support.

Future prospects

Both regions show the dangers of depending too much on one source of income. Macaus heavy reliance on gambling makes it vulnerable to changes in tourism and global events. On the other hand, Mayottes farming-based economy and dependence on French subsidies make it susceptible to changes in aid and global market prices. Expanding into areas like renewable energy, tourism and regional trade could help both regions build more stable economies.

The economic paths of Macau and Mayotte offer important lessons in regional development. While Macaus risky approach has brought great wealth, Mayottes struggles highlight the need for specific economic policies and better infrastructure.
Data centers, computational infrastructure that powers nearly all of todays digital activities, especially commerce, consume vast amounts of water  up to 26 million liters annually for just a 1MW facility, according to a report read more

Data centers, computational infrastructure that powers nearly all of todays digital activities, especially commerce, consume vast amounts of water  up to 26 million liters annually for just a 1MW facility, according to a Lawfare report.

While these data hubs are critical for powering online activities, the unchecked expansion of such infrastructure, especially in water-stressed regions, is exacerbating water scarcity, with significant political, social, and ecological consequences.

Many countries, especially lower-and middle-income nations eager to capitalise on digital transformation and economic growth, have rushed to build this infrastructure and are currently expanding their data center footprints while ignoring potential water risks.

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The demand for data centers driven by artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly growing, with AIs water consumption expected to soon rival or exceed that of other water-intensive industries like cattle farming and textiles, reported Lawfare.

As climate change intensifies, the need for transparency about AIs contribution to data centers environmental impact becomes even more urgent, especially as industries continue to promote AI-driven solutions to societal challenges.

At the same time, the international community lacks a clear understanding of how data centers impact water resources, largely due to the absence of standardised regulations requiring operators to track and disclose their water usage, added the report.

In this context, transparency in reporting water use has emerged as a crucial policy tool to assess and mitigate both current and future water stress.

According to Lawfare, policymakers have a key opportunity to address water risks linked to data centers: by encouraging transparent reporting of water consumption, they can gain a clearer understanding of the scale of the issue and implement timely, effective interventions.

How data centers use water

While data center energy consumption has garnered attention, their significant water usage remains overlooked.

A small, 1MW data center can consume up to 26 million liters of water annually  equivalent to the yearly consumption of 62 US families. With over 40,000 megawatts of data center capacity in the US, the total water consumption amounts to the equivalent of 2 million families yearly needs, reported Lawfare.

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Liquid-cooled data centers primarily use water to regulate temperatures. Potable water is typically used to prevent impurities from damaging server systems.

Data centers employ either closed-loop or open-loop cooling systems, depending on whether the coolant water interacts with the air. Closed-loop systems are more water-efficient, as water is circulated through sealed pipes, minimising evaporation.

However, they are more expensive than open-loop systems, where water is lost to evaporation. Most large data centers use evaporative cooling methods. Water consumption varies based on activity levels and location, making it dynamic and sensitive to climate and resource availability.

Understanding the factors driving water use helps assess water loss and scarcity in a region.

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According to Lawfare, transparency in water loss, displacement, and distribution would allow policymakers to better evaluate localised water risks and establish usage limits.

Without this, addressing resource displacement and uneven scarcity becomes more challenging, added the report.

Data center-induced water stress spurs political tensions

Developing economies have prioritised data center expansion to drive digital transformation, often at the expense of local water resources.

Tech corporations benefit from incentives like tax subsidies and low-cost real estate, while regions already facing water scarcity struggle with the environmental impact.

According to Lawfare, in Bengaluru where data centers consume 8 million liters of water per day, expansion plans threaten a city still recovering from a severe water crisis.

This issue is not isolated.

In Uruguay, the governments approval of Google data centers during a historic drought sparked widespread protests. Similarly, in Santiago, Chile, local residents called for transparency over data center water use, while in the US, Loudoun County, Virginia, saw a 250% increase in data center water consumption since 2019, prompting public demands for more oversight, added the report.

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Civil action has driven some change.

In Chile, public pressure led to the revocation of Googles permits, while in Oregon and the Netherlands, citizen groups forced transparency on data center water use. Despite these successes, governments have yet to implement comprehensive transparency measures, leaving local communities increasingly vocal about the environmental impact of data centers.

Emerging actions are welcome but inadequate

Tech giants like Google and Microsoft have taken steps to address water stress through voluntary sustainability measures, such as green data centers, closed-loop systems, and renewable energy. However, these actions are insufficient without greater transparency.

Many cloud service providers (CSPs), including Google, Meta, and AWS, withhold water usage data, citing trade secrets, while local governments, incentivized by subsidies, enter confidentiality agreements that limit information sharing. This lack of transparency undermines accountability and exacerbates water stress.

In a landmark move, the EU introduced mandatory water and energy use reporting for data centers in 2024. While a positive first step, more widespread regulation is needed. Developing countries, balancing digital growth with environmental costs, must prioritize sustainability to prevent long-term political and ecological risks.

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Transparency: A crucial step toward sustainability

Transparency is essential for all stakeholders. Data center operators in water-stressed regions face long-term operational and legal risks if resources are depleted. The social and economic impacts of water insecurity will erode public trust and damage reputations.

Governments, particularly in the US, should mandate transparency from tech corporations at the outset, as regulators hold significant influence over global data center operations. Given the regional variability of water use, tailored transparency measures are crucial for addressing local water stress.

Civil society has driven accountability through fragmented but impactful actions, pushing for transparency and policy changes. As water resources are finite, immediate action is necessary to prevent disproportionate harm to vulnerable populations.

With inputs from agencies
As the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war continues to escalate, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin a dumbass. The scathing remarks from the Ukrainian leader came as he reacted to Putins latest remarks on Moscows invasion of Ukraine.

People are dying, and he thinks its interesting Dumbass, Zelenskyy wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, captioning the video of Putin talking about the war. The Russian leader was addressing his annual televised press conference, in which he claimed that Russias Oreshnik missile cannot be intercepted by air defences and urged the West and Ukraine to conduct a technological experiment.

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Lets call it a high-tech duel of the 21st century. Let them determine some site to hit, lets say in Kyiv, concentrate all their air defences there, and we will strike there with the Oreshnik and see what happens, Putin said. Its interesting," he remarked.

People are dying, and he thinks its interesting... Dumbass. pic.twitter.com/JyJ9ok0fok  Volodymyr Zelenskyy /   (@ZelenskyyUa) December 19, 2024

Zelenskyy calls Putin dangerous

The Ukrainian leader also slammed his Russian counterpart while delivering a speech at the European Council summit in Brussels on Thursday. Referring to Putin as a Russian dictator, Zelenskyy called him a very dangerous man. I think Putin is very dangerous, he doesnt care about human lives  I think he is crazy, really, Zelenskyy said after meeting with European heads of government. He loves to kill.

Meanwhile, during his press briefing, Putin expressed his readiness for discussion with US President-elect Donald Trump regarding the war. He said that he is ready to meet Trump any time, while acknowledging regret over not launching Russias full-scale war in Ukraine earlier.

If we ever have a meeting with President-elect Trump, I am sure well have a lot to talk about, Putin said, emphasizing Russias openness to negotiations and compromises,". While addressing the European summit, Zelenskyy urged both the European Union and Trump to secure a durable peace deal between the two nations.

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I believe that the European guarantees wont be sufficient for Ukraine, he said after talks with his EU counterparts. Zelenskyy mentioned that he was supportive of an initiative mooted by French President Emmanuel Macron to potentially deploy Western troops  but it needed to be fleshed out. If we are talking about a contingent, we need to be specific  how many, what they will do if there is aggression from Russia, he furthered.

With inputs from agencies.
Zelenskyy insisted that any steps to secure peace would have to involve the might of the United States read more

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday he needed both Europe and the United States on board to secure a durable peace, as he huddled with EU leaders at their final summit before Donald Trumps inauguration.

Trump returns to the White House next month having pledged to bring a swift end to a conflict that NATO says has left more than one million dead and wounded since Russian President Vladimir Putins 2022 invasion.

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Talk has increasingly turned to ways Europe could help guarantee any ceasefire, with embryonic discussions over a possible deployment of peacekeepers one day.

But there are few specifics and Zelensky insisted that any steps to secure peace would have to involve the might of the United States.

I believe that the European guarantees wont be sufficient for Ukraine, he said after talks with his EU counterparts.

Zelensky said he was supportive of an initiative mooted by French President Emmanuel Macron to potentially deploy Western troops  but it needed to be fleshed out.

If we are talking about a contingent, we need to be specific  how many, what they will do if there is aggression from Russia, he said.

The main thing is that this is not some artificial story, we need effective mechanisms.

Kyiv and its European allies fear that Trumps return means the volatile Republican could cut support for Ukraines military and force Zelensky to make painful concessions to Moscow.

Ukraines EU backers  fearful of being left on the sidelines  insist they want to step up support to put Kyiv in a position of strength for any potential negotiations.

Bad deal

As the change of guard approaches in the US, Zelensky has appeared to soften his stance on any potential peace push.

He has said that if Ukraine is given firm security guarantees by NATO and enough weaponry it could agree to a ceasefire along current lines and look to regain the rest of its territory through diplomatic means.

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But NATO members have rebuffed Kyivs calls for an invitation to join their alliance right away, sparking speculation that sending peacekeepers could be an alternative.

In the near term, Kyiv is desperate for more air defences and weapons as its flagging forces lose ground across the frontline to Russia.

We have to do everything that is in our hands to support Ukraine, said Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda.

Zelensky said it would be very difficult for Europe alone to support Ukraine without US involvement and pleaded for both sides to work together.

I think only together the United States and Europe can really stop Putin and save Ukraine, he said.

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European officials warned against trying to impose a deal on Ukraine  and said only Kyiv can decide when its time to negotiate.

The European Union stands united in its support to Ukraine to win a comprehensive, just and lasting peace, not any peace, not capitulation, said European Council chief Antonio Costa.

Now is not the time to speculate about different scenarios. Now is the time to strengthen Ukraine for all scenarios.

New Syria

While the conflict in Ukraine was top of the agenda for EU leaders, the collapse of Assads brutal rule in Syria also presented major opportunities  and uncertainty.

European nations  along with other international players  are jostling for influence in the war-torn country after the end of the Assad familys five-decade domination.

But they are wary of the new authorities who are spearheaded by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which has its roots in Al-Qaeda and is listed as a terrorist organisation by some Western governments.

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Leaders discussed how quickly they are willing to embrace the nascent authorities in Damascus.

HTS is under EU sanctions, though some including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said they were willing to reconsider these measures.

The bloc has laid out a raft of conditions the new authorities must respect.

Those include protecting minorities, overseeing an inclusive transition and shunning extremism.

Europe will do its part to support Syria at this critical juncture, because we care about Syrias future, said European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.

These efforts will have to be matched by real deeds by the new leadership in Damascus, so its a step for step approach.

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Tens of thousands of Black people took over white-owned farms after then-President Robert Mugabe initiated the land reforms in 2000. Mugabe, who died in 2019, justified the reforms as being necessary to redress some of the wrongs of colonialism that put most of Zimbabwes fertile land in the hands of a few white people. read more

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa unveiled a new policy on Friday, allowing beneficiaries of land seized from white landowners during controversial land reforms to sell their land and use it as collateral for bank loans.

Earlier, the resettled farmers couldnt transfer ownership of land.

However, ownership of the land can only be transferred between Indigenous Zimbabweans, a reference to Black Zimbabweans, and will need government approval under the new policy.

Tens of thousands of Black Zimbabweans seized white-owned farms after then-President Robert Mugabe launched land reforms in 2000. Mugabe, who passed away in 2019, defended the controversial move as a necessary step to address the injustices of colonialism, which had left most of Zimbabwes fertile land in the hands of a small white minority.

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But the new Black farmers werent allowed to sell or transfer ownership of the land, which was deemed to belong to the state. As a result, banks were reluctant to advance loans to the resettled farmers, who couldnt use their land as collateral.

On Friday, a handful of farmers, including Mnangagwa, received title deeds to the farms they are occupying.

Mnangagwa also announced a technical committee to spearhead the process for other resettled Black farmers.

Speaking at an event held at his farm near Kwekwe city in central Zimbabwe, Mnangagwa said the policy would help unlock the value of the land and make it bankable and transferable.

About 4,500 white farmers who owned the majority of prime farmland were removed from their farms, often forcibly by violent mobs led by veterans of the countrys 1970s independence war more than 20 years ago.

Some farmers and their workers died or were seriously injured in the violence, which included beatings and rape, according to Human Rights Watch.

The land seizures badly impacted commercial farming, forcing a country that was a key regional food producer and exporter to rely on assistance from donors. Zimbabwes agriculture sector has rebounded in recent years, but droughts are now the main challenge.

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Securing finance has been another problem that Mnangagwa hopes could be solved by the new policy of issuing title deeds to Black farmers.

Secure land tenure means our farmers can access credit facilities and it lifts many out of poverty into prosperity, Mnangagwa said.

In October, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said that Zimbabwe would compensate local and foreign white farmers who lost land and property in the farm seizures.

With inputs from agencies.
Google has released an experimental model, Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking, designed to showcase the models reasoning process while solving complex problems.

Available on Google AI Studio, this model focuses on multimodal understanding, reasoning, and coding. It is intended to tackle challenging problems in fields such as programming, math, and physics.

Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking

The Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking model is designed to improve reasoning over difficult challenges by generating the models thinking process during problem-solving.

This approach allows it to outperform the standard Gemini 2.0 Flash model. According to Logan Kilpatrick, head of product for AI Studio, this new model is the first step in Googles reasoning journey.

Jeff Dean, Google DeepMinds chief scientist, emphasized that the model uses thoughts to strengthen its reasoning, resulting in improved performance through increased inference time computationthe amount of computing used to process and analyze a question.

Enhanced Speed and Performance

As part of the Gemini 2.0 Flash series, the Thinking model leverages the speed and performance of Flash 2.0, offering faster computation. Googles team shared several demos, particularly in physics and probability, to showcase how the model approaches questions.

For instance, when solving a physics problem, the model demonstrates its reasoning by breaking down the question into manageable steps before providing a final answer.

How to Use Thinking Mode

Thinking Mode is available through two primary channels: the Gemini API and Google AI Studio.

Using the Gemini API:

To use the model via the Gemini API, developers can specify the model code gemini-2.0-flash-thinking-exp when making a request. Using Google AI Studio:

To access the model in Google AI Studio, simply select the Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental model from the drop-down menu in the Settings pane.

Understanding the Models Thinking Process

The thought process generated by the model appears in different ways depending on the platform used. When using the Gemini API, the models thoughts appear as the first element of the content generated.

In Google AI Studio, the thinking process is displayed in a separate Thoughts panel, which can be expanded to view the models reasoning steps.

Limitations of Thinking Mode

As an experimental model, Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking has the following limitations:

32k token input limit

Text and image input only

8k token output limit

Text-only output

No built-in tools, such as Search or code execution

Availability

The Thinking Mode model is now available in Google AI Studio and can be accessed through the Gemini API and Vertex AI. Developers can begin using it today by trying out the model with Googles Colab notebook or by integrating it into their projects.
Fred Hutch Cancer Centers Lonnie A. Nelson, PhD; Jason Mendoza, MD, MPH; and Myra Parker, JD, MPH, PhD, were awarded a U19 cooperative agreement from the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) that will provide more than $16.7 million over five years to improve cancer health equity for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) people and help prepare the next generation of researchers in Indigenous cancer health equity.

Fred Hutch is one of the first two institutions, along with University of Oklahoma, to be awarded a U19 cooperative agreement through the NIMHD Initiative for Improving American Indian and Alaska Native Cancer Outcomes.

We want to express how honored we are to be among the first, said Nelson, who leads the CANOE Partnership, the program supported by the agreement. He is a professor in Fred Hutchs Public Health Sciences Division and a faculty leader of the Indigenous Cancer Health Equity Initiative (ICHE-i).

The agreement will fund a suite of projects under the name CANOE Partnership: Cancer Awareness, Navigation, Outreach and Equitable Indigenous Health Outcomes. CANOE will include two clinical trials focused on addressing disparities in Native communities  one testing a chatbot that provides smoking-cessation counseling and another testing a patient navigation program to improve lung cancer screening rates.

Speaking the right smoking-cessation language

The chatbot trial is called the Navigation and Artificial Intelligence Technology for Indigenous Virtual Education on Smoking Cessation (NAITIVE) Project. Its being done in collaboration with Jonathon B. Bricker, PhD, who developed and studied a smoking-cessation smartphone app, iCanQuit. Bricker has since developed a chatbot powered by artificial intelligence (AI) to provide free, accessible smoking cessation counseling based on the iCanQuit materials. Nelson and Bricker are working to refine the AI chatbot specifically for an Indigenous population.

Were going to teach it to understand and respond in American Indian English, which is a specific dialect of vernacular English. In other words, were going to teach the AI to talk like a rez kid, said Nelson, who is a descendent of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

The chatbot guides users through the process of setting goals, planning their quit attempts and celebrating successes. Its been trained to answer thousands of questions about smoking cessation. The experience is crafted to help users focus on their values  values that shape their decision to quit smoking, their willingness to experience the discomfort of withdrawal and their commitment to stick with quitting  an approach based in acceptance and commitment therapy.

The trial thats part of CANOE will test how effective the chatbot is compared to an existing chatbot from the National Cancer Institute that was also tailored for AI/AN users. The goal is to improve rates of cessation of commercial tobacco smoking among a nationally recruited sample of AI/AN adults. Fred Hutch researchers will partner with the Black Hills Center for American Indian Health on the project.
California Man Sentenced for Acting as an Illegal Agent of the People's Republic of China Government and Bribery

Tuesday, November 19, 2024

For Immediate Release

Office of Public Affairs

John Chen Furthered the PRC Government's Transnational Repression Campaign Against the Falun Gong by Paying Cash Bribes to a Purported IRS Official

John Chen, 71, of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Los Angeles, was sentenced today to 20 months in prison for acting as unregistered agents of the PRC and bribing an IRS agent in connection with a plot to target U.S.-based practitioners of Falun Gong  a spiritual practice banned in the PRC.

According to court documents, from at least approximately January 2023 to May 2023, Chen and co-defendant Lin Feng, 44, a PRC citizen and resident of Los Angeles, California, worked inside the United States at the direction of the PRC government, including an identified PRC government official PRC Official-1, to further the PRC government's campaign to repress and harass Falun Gong practitioners. The PRC government has designated the Falun Gong as one of the "Five Poisons," or one of the top five threats to its rule. In China, Falun Gong adherents face a range of repressive and punitive measures from the PRC government, including imprisonment.

As part of the PRC's campaign against the Falun Gong, Chen and Feng engaged in a PRC government-directed scheme to manipulate the IRS' Whistleblower Program in an effort to strip the tax-exempt status of an entity run and maintained by Falun Gong practitioners, the Shen Yun Performing Arts Center. After Chen filed a defective whistleblower complaint with the IRS (the Chen Whistleblower Complaint), Chen and Feng paid $5,000 in cash bribes and promised to pay substantially more to a purported IRS agent (Agent-1) who was, in fact, an undercover officer, in exchange for Agent-1's assistance in advancing the complaint. Neither Chen nor Feng notified the Attorney General that they were acting as agents of the PRC in the United States.

In the course of the scheme, Chen, on a recorded call, explicitly noted that the purpose of paying these bribes, which were directed and funded by the PRC, was to carry out the PRC government's aim of "toppl[ing] . . . the Falun Gong." During a call intercepted pursuant to a judicially authorized wiretap, Chen and Feng discussed receiving "direction" on the bribery scheme from PRC Official-1, deleting instructions received from PRC Official-1 in order to evade detection, and "alert[ing]" and "sound[ing] the alarm" to PRC Official-1 if Chen and Feng's meetings to bribe Agent-1 did not go as planned. Chen and Feng also discussed that PRC Official-1 was the PRC government official "in charge" of the bribery scheme targeting the Falun Gong.

As part of this scheme, Chen and Feng met with Agent-1 in Newburgh, New York, on May 14, 2023. During the meeting, Chen gave Agent-1 a $1,000 cash bribe as an initial, partial bribe payment. Chen further offered to pay Agent-1 a total of $50,000 for opening an audit on the Shen Yun Performing Arts Center, as well as 60% of any whistleblower award from the IRS if the Chen Whistleblower Complaint were successful. On May 18, 2023, Feng paid Agent-1 a $4,000 cash bribe at John F. Kennedy International Airport as an additional partial bribe payment in furtherance of the scheme.

Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department's National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York, and Executive Assistant Director Robert R. Wells of the FBI's National Security Branch made the announcement.

In addition to the prison term, Chen was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to forfeit $50,000. Feng was sentenced on Sept. 26, to a time-served sentence of 16 months in prison.

The FBI and Office of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Qais Ghafary, Michael D. Lockard, and Kathryn Wheelock for the Southern District of New York and Trial Attorney Christina Clark of the National Security Division's Counterintelligence and Export Control Section prosecuted the case.

Topic: National Security

Components: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

National Security Division (NSD)

USAO - New York, Southern

Press Release Number: 24-1456

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California Political Operative Arrested on Complaint Alleging He Acted as Illegal Agent of People's Republic of China

Thursday, December 19, 2024

For Immediate Release

Office of Public Affairs

Note: View the criminal complaint here.

A criminal complaint filed Dec. 17 and unsealed this morning charges Yaoning "Mike" Sun, 64, for allegedly acting as an illegal agent of the People's Republic of China (PRC) while serving as the campaign manager for a political candidate who was elected in 2022 to the city council of a California city. Sun was arrested today is expected to make his initial appearance this afternoon in the Central District of California.

Sun is also charged with conspiring with another man, Chen Jun, who was sentenced to prison last month for bribery and acting as an illegal agent of the PRC government.

According to the complaint, Sun served as the campaign manager and close personal confidante for a Southern California politician (referred to in the complaint as Individual 1) who ran for local elected office in 2022. During the campaign, Sun communicated with Chen regarding his efforts to get Individual 1 elected. Chen allegedly discussed with Chinese government officials how the PRC could "influence" local politicians in the United States, particularly on the issue of Taiwan. In November 2022, shortly after Individual 1 was elected to office, Chen instructed Sun to prepare a report on the election that was sent to Chinese government officials, who responded positively and expressed thanks, according to the complaint.

About a month after Individual 1's election, Chen arranged a lunch at a Rowland Heights restaurant with Sun and others, a gathering that Chen described to a PRC official as a "core member lunch," the complaint alleges. Chen subsequently described the lunch as "successful" as participants agreed to establish a "US-China Friendship Promotional Association." While Individual 1 did not attend the meeting, Chen identified Individual 1 as being part of "the basic team dedicated for us," in a communication to a Chinese government official.

In early 2023, Chen instructed Sun to write another report for Chinese officials describing "[Sun] and [Chen] cultivating and assisting [Individual 1's] success," according to the complaint.

In February 2023, as the second report to PRC officials was being finalized, Sun forwarded to Chen a proposal to combat "anti-China forces" by participating in a U.S. Independence Day parade in Washington, D.C, according to the complaint. Sun proposed that the PRC government provide an $80,000 budget to support his and Chen's efforts in the United States.

After Chen and Sun discussed a planned trip to China to meet with "leadership," and after Chen directed Sun to schedule a meeting with the Chinese consul general in Los Angeles, Sun and Individual 1 traveled to China in August 2023.

If convicted, Sun faces a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government. Sun also faces a statutory maximum penalty of five years in prison for conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Ryan and Amanda Elbogen for the Central District of California and Trial Attorney Garrett Coyle of the National Security Division's Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Topic: National Security

Components: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

National Security Division (NSD)

USAO - California, Central

Press Release Number: 24-1609

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December 19, 2024

Contracts

Contracts For Dec. 19, 2024

MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY

Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL), Laurel, Maryland, is being awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a maximum amount of $3,000,000,000. Under this follow-on contract, JHU/APL will provide essential and critical engineering, research, and development capabilities and services in the continued research and development of the Missile Defense System. A task order valued at $7,000,000 is being issued. The work will be performed in Laurel, Maryland. The ordering period is Jan. 11, 2025, through Jan. 10, 2034. This contract permits other than full an open competition in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 3204(a)(31) and Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-3(a)(2)(ii). Fiscal 2025 research, developmental, test and evaluation funds are being obligated at the time of award. The Missile Defense Agency, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity (HQ0854-25-D-0001). (Awarded Dec. 18, 2024)

Aerojet Rocketdyne, Coleman Aerospace Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne Inc., Orlando, Florida, is being awarded a $10,106,689 modification (P00232) to exercise an option to a previously awarded contract (HQ1047-14-C-0001) to increase calendar year 2025 program management office support. The value of this contract is increased from $1,219,276,792 to $1,229,383,481. Under this modification, the contractor will provide calendar year 2025 program management office support as set forth in the performance work statement. The work will be performed in Orlando, Florida; and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. The performance period is from Jan. 1, 2025, through Dec. 31, 2025. Fiscal 2025-2026 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $3,000,000 are being obligated on this award. The Missile Defense Agency, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity.

ARMY

M1 Support Services LP, Denton, Texas, was awarded a $585,955,930 modification (P00182) to contract W9124G-17-C-0104 for aviation maintenance. Work will be performed at Fort Novosel, Alabama, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 15, 2026. Fiscal 2025 operation and maintenance funds were obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.



Degrove Surveyors Inc., Jacksonville, Florida (W912EP-25-D-0003); Seaside Engineering & Surveying LLC,* Baker, Florida (W912EP-25-D-0004); Survtech Solutions Inc.,* Tampa, Florida (W912EP-25-D-0005); Whidden Surveying & Mapping Inc.,* Royal Palm Beach, Florida (W912EP-25-D-0006); FGS-GRW MP LLC,* Fort Walton Beach, Florida (W912EP-25-D-0007); and Flowers Surveying And Mapping Inc.,* High Springs, Florida (W912EP-25-D-0008), will compete for each order of the $30,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for ground-based and hydrographic surveying and mapping. Bids were solicited via the internet with 17 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 18, 2029. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville, Florida, is the contracting activity. (Awarded Dec. 18, 2024)



General Dynamics Land Systems, Sterling Heights, Michigan, was awarded an $18,966,126 modification (P00090) to contract W56HZV-22-C-0012 for Abrams system technical support. Work will be performed in Sterling Heights, Michigan, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 27, 2025. Fiscal 2010 Foreign Military Sales (Kuwait, Poland, and Saudi Arabia) funds; 2010 operation and maintenance, Army funds; and 2010, 2023 and 2024 other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $18,966,126, were obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity.



Manson Construction Co., Seattle, Washington, was awarded a $13,183,900 modification (P00004) to contract W911KB-24-C-0005 for maintenance dredging. Work will be performed in Anchorage, Alaska, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 17, 2024. Fiscal 2025 civil operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $13,183,900 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Anchorage, Alaska, is the contracting activity.

NAVY

Bell Textron Inc., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $557,000,000 firm-fixed-price, performance-based logistics, requirements contract to provide logistics, repair and spare support for the H-1 rotors, and drives components. This contract includes a five-year ordering period with no options. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas; and Cherry Point, North Carolina, based on negotiated work split percentages between Fleet Readiness Center East and Bell Textron Inc. that cannot be determined at this time. Work will be completed by December 2029. Working capital (Navy) funds in the amount $139,250,000 will be issued for delivery order (N00383-25-F-0NA0) that will be awarded concurrently with the contract. Funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One company was solicited for this non-competitive requirement under authority 10 U.S. Code 2304 (a)(1), with one offer received. Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (N00383-25-D-NA01).

Raytheon Co., Tucson, Arizona, is awarded a not-to exceed $401,199,552 firm-fixed-price undefinitized contract for the procurement of 131 full rate production Block V Tactical Tomahawk All Up Rounds missiles to include 26 for the Army, 16 for the Marine Corps, 11 for the Commonwealth of Australia, and 78 for the government of Japan. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona (23.74%); Pontiac, Michigan (14.73%); East Camden, Arkansas (11.18%); Huntsville, Alabama (8.02%); Clearwater, Florida (3.98%); Anniston, Alabama (3.78%); Spanish Fork, Utah (3.76%); Berryville, Arkansas (3.27%); Glenrothes Fife, Great Britain (3.17%); El Segundo, California (2.75%); Dublin, Georgia (2.48%); Middletown, Connecticut (2.15%); Vergennes, Vermont (1.73%); Midland, Ontario, Canada (1.71%); Blaine, Minnesota (1.29%); Phoenix, Arizona (1.07%); Boulder, Colorado (1.03%); and various locations withing the Continental US (10.16%) and is expected to be completed in March 2028. Fiscal 2024 missile procurement (Army) funds in the amount of $6,340,000; fiscal 2024 procurement, Marine Corps funds in the amount of $3,804,000; and Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $21,556,000, will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competed. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N0001925C0071).

A&R Pacific-Garney Federal JV II,* Tamuning, Guam (N62473-25-D-5203); AMA Diversified Construction Group,* Petaluma, California (N62473-25-D-5204); Bethel Downstream Joint Venture,* Anchorage, Alaska (N62473-25-D-5205); Bonita-Filanc JV I,* Chula Vista, California (N62473-25-D-5206); Central Environmental Inc.,* Anchorage, Alaska (N62473-25-D-5207); CJW Construction Inc.,* Santa Ana, California (N62473-25-D-5208); Frawner Corp.,* Anchorage, Alaska (N62473-25-D-5209); Gustav Keoni, doing business as Precision Construction Services,* San Luis Obispo, California (N62473-25-D-5210); and Orion Construction Corp.,* Vista, California (N62473-25-D-5211), are awarded a combined $249,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for new construction, repair and renovation of wet utility projects at various government installations across the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Southwest area of responsibility. Each awardee will be awarded $5,000 (minimum contract guarantee per awardee) at contract award. These contracts include options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value to $249,000,000 over an eight-year period to the nine vendors combined. Work will be performed in California (87%), Arizona (5%), Nevada (3%), Utah (2%), Colorado (2%), and New Mexico (1%), and is expected to be completed by December 2032. Fiscal 2025 operation and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $45,000 will be obligated at the time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. All other funding will be made available at the delivery order level as contracting actions occur. This contract was competitively procured via the Sam.gov Contract Opportunities website, with 18 offers received. NAVFAC Southwest, San Diego, California is the contracting activity.

RTX Corp., Pratt and Whitney Military Engines, East Hartford, Connecticut, is awarded a $211,967,432 modification (P00017) to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N0001920D0013). This modification adds scope to procure additional initial spares for production of F135 propulsion systems, as well as to supply depots, common global spares pool, and country unique spares in support of the Joint Strike Fighter program for the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, F-35 cooperative program partners, and Foreign Military Sales customers. Work will be performed in East Hartford, Connecticut (91%) (labor surplus area); North Berwick, Maine (4%); South Windsor, Connecticut (2%); Rockford, Illinois (1%) (labor surplus area); Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico (1%) (labor surplus area); and Phoenix, Arizona (1%), and is expected to be completed in December 2027. No funds will be obligated at the time of award, funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. The contract that is being modified was not completed. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

The Boeing Co., Seattle, Washington, is awarded a $66,146,503 modification (P00026) to a cost-plus-fixed-fee-order (N0001920F0647) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N0001916G001). This modification exercises the option to procure seven Increment 3 Retrofit A-Kits for Navy P-8A aircraft and increases a previously exercised option to procure three Increment 3 Retrofit A-Kits for the Royal Australian Air Force P-8 aircraft. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, Florida (79.6%); Saint Louis, Missouri (10.9%); and Mesa, Arizona (9.5%), and is expected to be completed in August 2027. Fiscal 2025 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $53,842,329; and Royal Australian Air Force cooperative funds in the amount of $12,304,174, will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Huntington Ingalls Inc., Newport News, Virginia, was awarded a $54,000,000 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-15-C-2114) to establish requirements for facility upgrades for Nimitz class aircraft carrier defueling and inactivation and to support Ford class aircraft carriers. This modification includes option which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of the action to $65,408,000. Work will be performed in Newport News, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by September 2027. Fiscal 2025 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $54,000,000 were obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

Raytheon Co., Tucson, Arizona, is awarded a $42,968,793 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-21-C-5434) to exercise options for engineering and technical services in support of the Evolved Seasparrow Missile and NATO Seasparrow Missile Systems programs. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona (73%); Portsmouth, Rhode Island (26%); and various other locations each less than 1% (1%), and is expected to be completed by December 2025. This contract combines purchases for the Navy (98%); and the governments of Japan (1%) and South Korea (less than 1%), under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. Fiscal 2025 other customer funds in the amount of $30,822,927 (72%); fiscal 2024 other customer funds in the amount of $5,642,166 (13%); fiscal 2025 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $4,018,700 (9%); fiscal 2024 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $700,000 (2%); fiscal 2025 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $635,000 (1%); fiscal 2025 research, development, test, and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $500,000 (1%); FMS Japan funds in the amount of $450,000 (1%); FMS South Korea funds in the amount of $100,000 (less than 1%); and fiscal 2025 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $100,000 (less than 1%), will be obligated at the time of award, of which $800,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

T.E. Davis Construction Co.,* Jacksonville, North Carolina (N40085-25-D-2516); Joyce & Associates Construction Inc.,* Newport, North Carolina (N40085-25-D-2517); Olympic Enterprises Inc.,* Hubert, North Carolina (N40085-25-D-2518); and Quadrant Construction Inc.,* Jacksonville, North Carolina (N40085-25-D-2519), are awarded a combined $40,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple award construction contract for maintenance and repair projects at Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and the surrounding area. T.E. Davis Construction Co. is awarded $47,700 at contract award for repairs to Building AS2818. The remaining three awardees are awarded $5,000 (minimum contract guarantee per awardee) at contract award. These contracts include options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value to $40,000,000. Work will be performed at MCB Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; and the surrounding area, with an expected completion date of December 2029. Fiscal 2025 operation and maintenance (Marine Corps)(O&M, MC) funds in the amount of $62,700 will be obligated at the time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Future task orders will be primarily funded by O&M, MC. These four contractors may compete for task orders under the terms and conditions of the awarded contract. This contract was competitively procured via the sam.gov website with 28 proposals received. Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

Huntington Ingalls Inc., Pascagoula, Mississippi, is awarded a $39,672,807 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-21-C-2443) to exercise options for the accomplishment of life cycle engineering and support for the LPD-17 class amphibious transport dock ship program. Work will be performed in Pascagoula, Mississippi (95%); and Norfolk, Virginia (5%), and is expected to be completed by December 2025. Fiscal 2023 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $4,350,000 (54%); fiscal 2024 post-delivery shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,001,241 (25%); and fiscal 2021 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,568,144 (19%), will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Fiscal 2024 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $96,000 (1%); and fiscal 2025 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $41,404 (1%), will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

General Electric Co., Lynn, Massachusetts, is awarded a $20,592,646 cost-plus-fixed-fee order (N0042125F0020) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N0042123G0004). This order procures engineering and technical services for the 2025 Component Improvement Program in support of the T408 aircraft engine. The deliverables will include engineering change proposals, manufacturing drawings, operating instructions and limits, maintenance instructions, rework and repair procedures, life limits, reliability and maintainability predictions, technical reports, specification change notices, and test reports. Work will be performed in Lynn, Massachusetts, and is expected to be completed in December 2025. Fiscal 2025 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $3,364,000 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competed. Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Johnson Controls Navy Systems Inc., York, Pennsylvania, is awarded a $19,915,446 cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the procurement of engineering and technical services in support of several models of air conditioning systems, high efficiency, super capacity two-stage centrifugal air conditioning systems, several dual screw compressor air conditioning systems, and other modular refrigeration units. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia (25%); San Diego, California (25%); Mayport, Florida (20%); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (10%); York, Pennsylvania (10%); Arvonia, Virginia (5%); and Clinton, New Jersey (5%), and is expected to be completed by November 2028. Fiscal 2025 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $500 will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1) (only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements). Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (N64498-25-D-4011).

L3Harris Technologies Inc., Northampton, Massachusetts, is awarded a $14,458,290 cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-20-C-6249) to exercise options for the procurement of spare parts in support of Navy submarines. Work will be performed in Northampton, Massachusetts, and is expected to be completed by October 2028. Fiscal 2024 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $8,583,521 (59%); and fiscal 2025 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $5,874,769 (41%), will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

General Electric Co., Lynn, Massachusetts, is awarded a $10,110,425 cost-plus-fixed-fee order (N0042125F0023) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N0042123G0004). This order procures engineering and technical services for the 2025 Component Improvement Program in support of the Multi-Platform Product Support Team. The deliverables will include engineering change proposals, manufacturing drawings, operating instructions and limits, maintenance instructions, rework and repair procedures, life limits, reliability and maintainability predictions, technical reports, specification change notices, and test reports. Work will be performed in Lynn, Massachusetts, and is expected to be completed in December 2025. Fiscal 2025 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,250,000 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competed. Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

General Electric Co., Lynn, Massachusetts, is awarded an $8,845,085 cost-plus-fixed-fee-order (N0042125F0022) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N0042123G0004). This order procures engineering and technical services for the 2025 Component Improvement Program in support of the F414 aircraft engine. The deliverables will include engineering change proposals, manufacturing drawings, operating instructions and limits, maintenance instructions, rework and repair procedures, life limits, reliability and maintainability predictions, technical reports, specification change notices, and test reports. Work will be performed in Lynn, Massachusetts, and is expected to be completed in December 2025. Fiscal 2025 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,700,000 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competed. Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

AIR FORCE

Raytheon, Tucson, Arizona, was awarded a $282,343,991 fixed-price-incentive-fee contract for Small Diameter Bomb Increment II, GBU-53/B Production Lot 11. This contract provides for all up rounds and containers. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona, and is expected to be completed by March 19, 2029. This contract was a sole source acquisition. Fiscal 2025 (Air Force) missile procurement funds in the amount of $220,137,566; and fiscal 2025 (Navy) weapons procurement funds in the amount of $62,206,425, are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity (FA8672-25-C-B001).

Systems Planning and Analysis Inc., Alexandria, Virginia, was awarded a $211,168,478 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost delivery order for development, security and operations platform and space command and control software enablement. This delivery order provides for security-classification specific infrastructure, platform, networks, and support layers to enable development, integration, test, and fielding. Work will be performed at El Segundo, California, and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2029. This delivery order was a competitive acquisition, and five offers were received. Fiscal 2025, research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $2,000,000 are being obligated at time of award. Space Systems Command, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, is the contracting activity (FA8806-25-F-B002).

Escal Institute of Advanced Technologies, doing business as System Administration, Audit, Network and Security, North Bethesda, Maryland, was awarded a ceiling $49,000,000 firm-fixed-price blanket purchase agreement for commercial training. The contract provides for SANS cyber security training. Work will be performed at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas; Hurlburt Field, Florida; and Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, and is expected to be completed by Feb. 27, 2030. This contract was a sole source acquisition. No funds will be obligated at time of award. The Acquisition Management and Integration Center, Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, is the contracting activity (FA8773-25-A-0001).

Nisga'a Tek LLC, Chantilly, Virginia, was awarded a $34,994,080 firm-fixed-price contract for administrative services with a base plus four options years. This contract provides for aviation squadron functional support to include scheduling, operations training, standard evaluations, security manager assistant, weapons duty officer, and unit deployment manager. Work will be performed at Kadena Air Base, Japan; Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska; Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska; Misawa Air Base, Japan; Osan Air Base, Korea; Kunsan Air Base, Korea; Yokota Air Base, Japan; and Hickam AFB, Hawaii, and is expected to be completed by Nov. 15, 2029. This contract was a competitive acquisition, and three offers were received. Fiscal 2025 operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $7,264,716 are being obligated at the time of award. The 766th Enterprise Sourcing Squadron, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, is the contracting activity (FA5215-25-F-0009).

Gideon Contracting LLC, San Antonio, Texas, was awarded a $14,167,979 contract for repairs to Bunch Hall Dorm 221. This contract provides for the contractor to furnish all labor, tools, materials, equipment, supervision, personnel, and all else necessary to manage and accomplish a comprehensive dorm renovation. Work will be performed at Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota, and is expected to be completed by March 11, 2026. This contract was a competitive set aside for small businesses, and seven offers were received. Fiscal 2025 operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $14,167,979 are being obligated at time of award. The 319th Contracting Squadron, Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota, is the contracting activity (FA4659-25-C-0001).

General Dynamics Mission Systems Inc., Scottsdale, Arizona, has been awarded a $9,956,096 modification (P00044) to a previously awarded contract (HQ0850-22-C-0007) for the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture ground management and integration and operation and sustainment efforts. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $939,139,231 from $929,183,135. Work will be performed in Scottsdale, Arizona; Huntsville, Alabama; and Grand Forks, North Dakota, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2029. Fiscal 2025 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $7,328,956 are being obligated at time of award. The Space Development Agency, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

DEFENSE FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING SERVICE

Ernst & Young LLP, New York, New York, is being awarded a labor-hour contract option for audit services for the Department of the Air Force General Fund and Working Capital Fund financial statements and examination. The modification (P00021) is for a maximum face value of $42,506,319 and brings the total cumulative value of the contract (HQ0423-21-F-0087) to $153,481,530 from $112,266,757. Work will be performed in Washington, D.C.; and other locations within and outside the U.S., with an expected completion date is Dec. 31, 2025. This contract is the result of a competitive acquisition for which one quote was received. The contract has a 12-month base period plus four individual one-year option periods with a maximum value of $200,222,745. Fiscal 2025 Air Force operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $42,506,319 are being obligated at the time of this award. The Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Contract Services Directorate, Columbus, Ohio, is the contracting activity.

Ernst and Young LLP, New York, New York, is being awarded a labor-hour contract option for audit services for the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General audits of the Defense Logistics Agency financial statements. The modification (P00026) is for a maximum face value of $16,867,650, and brings the total cumulative value of the existing contract (HQ042321F0010) to $102,590,746 from $85,723,096. Work will be performed in various locations including DLA headquarters in Fort Belvoir, Virginia; as well as other federal locations in Alabama, Ohio, Texas, and Utah, with an expected completion date of Dec. 31, 2025. This contract was the result of a competitive acquisition for which two quotes were received. This action is being awarded subject to availability of funds. Fiscal 2025 defense-wide operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $16,867,650 will be obligated when available. The Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Contract Services Directorate, Columbus, Ohio, is the contracting activity.

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

General Electric Co., Lynn, Massachusetts, has been awarded a maximum $18,398,086 firm-fixed-price, one-time-buy delivery order (SPRTA1-25-F-0038) against a five-year basic ordering agreement (SPE4A1-22-G-0010) for J-85 engine compressor rotors. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 3204 (a)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1(a)(2). This is a four-year contract with no option periods. The delivery order end date is July 31, 2028. Using military service is Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2024 Air Force defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

*Small business

https://www.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract/Article/4013440/

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Poland and Canada will soon sign a cooperation agreement for 2025-2026

Poland - Ministry of National Defence

18.12.2024

- Our intention is to conclude a comprehensive plan of joint activities in the military and defence sphere for the forthcoming years. To delineate precisely the scope of collaboration between Canada and Poland in the domain of security. (...) I believe that the plan for 2025-2026, which we will adopt imminently, will represent a significant advancement in integration, our collective strength, and our shared responsibility for security - stated Deputy Prime Minister W. Kosiniak-Kamysz following a meeting with Canada's Minister of Defence.

On 18 December, Deputy Prime Minister Wadysaw Kosiniak-Kamysz met with Canada's Minister of Defence, Bill Blair, in Warsaw. The bilateral discussions focused on the enhancement of bilateral relations between Poland and Canada in the domains of defence, security and the exchange of experience in the sphere of military cooperation and within NATO. Additionally, security issues in the region were addressed.

In his remarks, Deputy Prime Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz expressed gratitude to Canada's Minister of Defence for bilateral military cooperation and for Canada's role within NATO.

- I would like to express my gratitude for Canada's commitment to the security of the NATO eastern flank. The presence of Canadian troops is of significant importance to us. The collaboration between the Polish and Canadian armies is highly commendable. [...] Our relations are becoming increasingly robust, with Polish-Canadian relations currently at an all-time high. Particularly noteworthy is the exchange in the area of security, the cooperation of our armed forces, the presence of the Canadian army on the territory of the Republic of Poland, and Canadian soldiers who support Ukraine, ensuring the security of the eastern flank of NATO, training and exercising with our soldiers, and also training and exercising Ukrainian soldiers

- Deputy Prime Minister W. Kosiniak-Kamysz highlighted.

Additionally, the head of the Polish Ministry of Defence highlighted Canada's role in bolstering security on NATO's eastern flank.

- It is of great significance to us that Canadian troops are stationed on the eastern flank, not only in Poland but also in Latvia, where a substantial contingent of Canadian soldiers is deployed alongside Polish troops. This represents one of the most robust exchanges of skills and operational capabilities within the NATO alliance, a development that is highly encouraging for us

- Deputy Prime Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz stated.

Following the conclusion of the discussions, Minister Bill Blair made the following remarks:

- One of the reasons for my visit to Warsaw today is to express my sincerest gratitude to the Minister and the Polish government for their exceptional support for our troops stationed here. I had the privilege of visiting with my soldiers, who are currently engaged in training Ukrainian medical service and engineering service personnel. Each of these soldiers expressed their gratitude for the support and hospitality extended to them

Poland and Canada are engaged in bilateral collaboration within the framework of NATO, encompassing initiatives such aa NATO Enhanced Forward Presence. Both countries have extended support to Ukraine since the outset of the Russian invasion.

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Reports on Turkish Military Base in Azerbaijan 'Political Speculations' - Aliyev

Sputnik News

20241218

BAKU (Sputnik) - Media reports about Turkiye's alleged plans to establish a military base in Azerbaijan are political speculations, as there is no need for its creation, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev told Sputnik on Wednesday.

"To be brief, it is not necessary. To make my answer a little broader, taking into account that such information appears from time to time in some media, then I must say that there is no necessity [to establish a Turkish base]," Aliyev said in an interview by Dmitry Kiselev, the director general of the Rossiya Segodnya international media group.

The president also dismissed reports about a possible Turkish military base in Azerbaijan as "info-dumping" and "political speculation," saying that nowadays "it is practically impossible to hide the creation of a military base anywhere in the world.".

The Shusha Declaration on allied relations between Turkiye and Azerbaijan provides for mutual military assistance in the event of a threat of armed aggression, Aliyev said.

"This is an obligation of both Turkiye and Azerbaijan to come to the aid of either party in the face of an external threat or external aggression. Therefore, this article of the declaration makes the creation of permanent military infrastructure on either territory absolutely unnecessary," he continued.

Aliyev also stressed that during more than 30 years of Turkish-Azerbaijani defense cooperation, Ankara and its military structures have played a significant role in modernizing the Azerbaijani army and bringing it up to high standards in terms of combat capability, operational planning, situation analysis, and military intelligence.

"We are very grateful to our Turkish friends for this assistance," the president added.

Baku Expects to Maintain Positive Dynamics in Relations With Moscow in 2025

Baku is pleased with the development of relations with Moscow and expects to maintain positive dynamics in 2025, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said.

"We are happy with how our relations are developing, we value them. And I am sure that this positive dynamic will be maintained next year," Aliyev said.

Baku Hopes Change in US Administration Results in Shift of Geopolitical Guidelines

Azerbaijan hopes that the change in the US administration will also bring a change in the country's foreign policy guidelines, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said.

"I hope that the change of the US administration will also be a change of foreign policy guidelines," Aliyev said.

The hope for such changes stems from "the political experience gained by [US President-elect Donald] Trump during his first term and the statements made by him and his team during the election campaign and afterwards," Aliyev added.

"I believe that Washington, Moscow, and other capitals will have enough wisdom to avoid such a nightmarish scenario [of a Russia-NATO conflict]," the president said.

Azerbaijan is ready to make its contribution to easing tensions between Russia and NATO if necessary, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said.

"We are ready to make our contribution to the easing of tensions [between Russia and NATO] if there is such a need," Aliyev said during the interview conducted by Dmitry Kiselev, Director General of the Rossiya Segodnya international media group.

Azerbaijan Plans to Buy Weapons From Russia, But Process Temporarily Suspended

Azerbaijan plans to continue purchasing Russian weapons, but this process has been temporarily suspended for objective reasons, lham Aliyev said.

"Yes, it [Azerbaijan] plans to. But I must say that for at least the last three years no new contracts for the purchase of Russian weapons have been signed," Aliyev said, adding that the purchasing process is "temporarily suspended for objective reasons."

The temporary absence of new contracts is explained by the fact that the Russian defense industry works for the domestic consumer, the president said.

"We closely monitor the latest developments in the Russian defense industry. We have already had new applications. We sent them relatively recently," Aliyev said.

France's Supply of Offensive Arms to Armenia Poses Practical Threat to Azerbaijan

France's supply of offensive weapons to Armenia poses a practical threat to Azerbaijan, Aliyev said.

"The weapons delivered by the government of [French President Emmanuel] Macron to Armenia are lethal offensive weapons that pose a practical threat to Azerbaijan," Aliyev said.

Baku has repeatedly warned Yerevan and Washington to halt these arms supplies, the president said.

"We have repeatedly informed Armenia and its patrons in the US State Department that this must stop. But, unfortunately, we have not been heard. The process of arming Armenia is proceeding at a great pace," Aliyev added.

Western arms deliveries to Armenia pressured Azerbaijan into adopting a record $5 billion defense budget, Aliyev said.

"We, obviously, have to respond adequately. Our defense budget for 2025 will be a record high  about $5 billion," Aliyev said during the interview.

France, India, and the US are behind arming Armenia, the president said, adding that Washington denies its part despite the fact that Baku has traced US military cargo planes in Armenian airports.

"I believe that this is a destructive way. First of all, Armenia will not be able to withstand an arms race with us. Despite the fact that they receive most of their arms from the West for free or in credit, which, of course, will then be written off. But even in this case they will not withstand an arms race with us," Aliyev added.

NATO Infrastructure Created on Azerbaijani-Armenian Border Posing as EU Mission

A NATO infrastructure has been created on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border under the guise of an EU observer mission, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said.

"Under the guise of so-called European observers, a NATO infrastructure has been set up on the Armenian side of our border," Aliyev said.

The issue of the observation mission was agreed upon with Baku in 2022, but its subsequent extension was not, the president said, adding that after the extension, the mission was expanded by more than 200 people.

"Moreover, this mission gradually turned into a NATO mission, as representatives of Canada joined it," Aliyev said.

The president noted that Baku and Yerevan had not agreed on two articles of the future peace treaty yet  on refraining from international lawsuits against each other and the presence of third countries on the border.

Azerbaijan is open to Russian investment and would welcome a greater role of Russian companies in the reconstruction of Nagorno-Karabakh, President Ilham Aliyev said.

"We would welcome it and we welcome it. Both in terms of providing assistance, like the Astrakhan Region, and in terms of simply participating in projects. There are investment projects," Aliyev said.

Russian firms are already engaged in infrastructure projects, construction of bridges, roads and tunnels. The number of Russian contractors involved in the restoration efforts may rise given the complexity of the task to rebuild the war-torn region, Aliyev added.

The Azeri president estimated the damage caused to Nagorno-Karabakh by decades of armed struggle for its control at over $150 billion.

"We have recently completed an analysis of the damage caused. A detailed analysis. We spent four years on this. And it is documented. This is about more than $150 billion - the damage that was caused during the years of occupation," the Azerbaijani leader said.

 Sputnik

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U.S. Army Civil Affairs soldiers join Lithuanian Armed Forces in Confidence 2024 Exercise

By Spc. Rachel Hall December 19, 2024

PALANGA, Lithuania -- U.S. Army Civil Affairs soldiers from Charlie Company, 443rd Civil Affairs Battalion, V Corps, in support of Task Force Pegasus, along with over 200 Lithuanian and NATO troops, participated in Confidence 2024, the largest civil-military non-kinetic exercise held by the Lithuanian Armed Forces in Western Lithuania from Dec. 6 to 13, 2024.

Confidence 2024 is the largest exercise in which the Lithuanian Armed Forces operated a Civil Military Operations Center (CMOC). U.S. Army Civil Affairs soldiers participated as observers and evaluators, working alongside Lithuanian and NATO Civil-Military Cooperation Teams and in the CMOC to strengthen civil-military interoperability and train CIMIC teams to operate in the civilian environments meeting with community leaders.

"A lot of the focus right now is interoperability, and this exercise has been awesome for us to sort of test our standard operating procedures and also see how other NATO countries conduct theirs," said U.S. Army Capt. Ryan Farrell, a civil affairs officer with Charlie Company, 443rd Civil Affairs Battalion.

CIMIC teams dispersed across the region meet with key leaders from municipality governments, hospitals, fire and rescue services, law enforcement, utility companies and nongovernmental organizations. During the meetings, they would learn about the organization, resources and value to the civilian population. This effort identifies and aligns civilian resources for military planners by the CMOC.

"For the civilian population, it helps to see that a military is present," said Lithuanian National Defense Voluntary Forces Pvt. Dominykas Makstutis, a CIMIC team member, "Listening to the civil population, how we could help them, and how the civil population could help us in a case of emergency."

CMOCs are critical for integrating and coordinating efforts between military forces, civilian organizations, and local populations during times of crisis. Operated by Lithuanian CIMIC personnel, U.S. Army Civil Affairs soldiers observed and evaluated the Lithuanian CMOC operations and compared them with U.S. procedures to look for opportunities for collaboration and to develop better solutions to streamline civil-military operations.

"I've been asked to be an observer for this exercise. Essentially, I'm going over with the Lithuanians, some of their products, comparing them to ours," said Farrel. "We would be able to create new standard operating procedures based off of this and also be able to communicate to better the maneuverability and mobility for some of the other units that we'll be working with in case of a real-life situation."

The experience highlights how continuous training and adaptability prepare participants for new challenges, aligning military and civilian efforts for future missions.

The exercise not only strengthens operational procedures but also builds lasting partnerships among NATO allies. With valuable lessons learned and new strategies developed, the collaborative efforts demonstrate a shared commitment to maintaining security and stability in the region.

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December 19, 2024

Transcript

Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder Holds Press Briefing

PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY MAJOR GENERAL PAT RYDER: All right. Good afternoon, everyone. I've got a fair amount to pass along today, so I just want to say thanks in advance for your patience. Lots to talk about.

So, first I want to bring up one item. As you know, we have been briefing you regularly that there are approximately 900 US troops deployed to Syria. In light of the situation in Syria and the significant interest, we recently learned that those numbers were higher, and so asked to look into it. I learned today that in fact there are approximately 2,000 US troops in Syria.

As I understand it and as it was explained to me, these additional forces are considered temporary rotational forces that deploy to meet shifting mission requirements, whereas the core 900 deployers are on longer term deployments. And as you know, for many of our deployments, numbers will fluctuate from time to time. But given that this number is significantly higher than what we've been briefing, I wanted to let you know as soon as I found out this information.

I will say that there are diplomatic and operational security considerations oftentimes with our deployments and some of those numbers, and it's certainly the case here. But again, given that there is significant interest in Syria, given what we have briefed previously, I wanted to make sure that you had the most up to date information.

I will also highlight that, again as it was explained to me, these forces, which augment the Defeat ISIS Mission, were there before the fall of the Assad regime. And I'll be happy to answer any questions on that when we get to the Q&A.

I also want to address upfront a potential government shutdown and the implications should a shutdown occur. As we are a planning organization, the department has conducted prudent planning and preparations for a potential shutdown, and our senior leaders have updated our contingency plans.

Secretary Austin and DOD leaders are monitoring the situation closely and remain committed to doing everything possible to mitigate the significant impacts that a lapse in funding and subsequent shutdown would have on the department. In the event of a lapse in funding and a shutdown of the government, the Department of Defense will continue to carry out our fundamental responsibility and mission to defend our nation and the American people.

Military personnel on active duty, including reserve component personnel on federal active duty, would continue to report for duty and carry out assigned missions worldwide to defend our nation and protect our national security interests. However, it's important to note that military personnel would not be paid until new funds are appropriated by Congress. Additionally, civilian personnel, including military technicians who are not necessary to carry out or support accepted activities, would be furloughed with a lapse in appropriations.

Objectively speaking, a lapse in funding will cause serious disruptions across the Defense Department and is still avoidable. Therefore, DOD urges Congress to reach a bipartisan, bicameral agreement on fiscal year 2025 appropriations and avoid a CR, or worse, a government shutdown.

Shifting gears, yesterday the department submitted to Congress and published its annual report on the military and security developments involving the People's Republic of China, commonly known as the China Military Power Report.

This Congressionally mandated report charts current  the current course of the PRC's national economic and military strategy. It also highlights insights into the People's Liberation Army strategy, current capabilities and activities, and its future modernization goals.

The CMPR illustrates why the 2022 National Defense Strategy identified the PRC and its increasingly capable military as the department's top pacing challenge. Please visit defense.gov for more information on the report.

Keeping in the Indo-Pacific region, tomorrow US INDOPACOM Commander Admiral Paparo will preside over the ceremony where General Paul LaCamera will turn over command of United Nations Command, ROK-US Combined Forces Command, and US Forces Korea to General Xavier Brunson and who was the Commanding General of First Corps. On behalf of Secretary Austin and the entire Department of Defense, we want to extend our thanks to General LaCamera for his leadership and lifetime of service to our nation. And we salute General Brunson as he takes command. As you've heard us say, our commitments to the US-ROK Alliance remains ironclad.

Separately, as is tradition today and tomorrow, Secretary Austin and Deputy Secretary Hicks will reach out to and speak with service members representing each branch of the US Armed Forces to wish them Happy Holidays and to thank them and their families for their service, sacrifice and commitment to our nation.

Earlier today, Secretary Austin spoke with Marines from Task Force 61/2, Second Marine Expeditionary Brigade deployed to Naval Support Activity, Naples, Italy supporting US sixth fleet and the US European Command Area of Responsibility. The Secretary also spoke with Guardians from the 53rd Space Operations: Squadron Detachment station in Landstuhl, Germany to maintain military satellite communications and the EUCOM AOR. I'd like to note that Secretary Austin's call with these guardians comes just one day before the US Space Force will celebrate its fifth anniversary.

As you know, the US Space Force was established on December 20, 2019 with the recognition that space is a national security imperative. It's an increasingly critical domain, not only for US military operations, but for the safety, security, and prosperity of all Americans and for people around the world.

US Space Force Guardians are an integral part of today's joint force serving across the globe, operating, and defending the critical space systems that our nation and the world rely upon. So on behalf of the Secretary and the entire DOD, happy birthday to the US Space Force and Semper Supra.

In continuing the holiday spirit, Deputy Secretary Hicks will conduct calls tomorrow with airmen from the 40th Expeditionary Fighter Generation Squadron at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. Soldiers from the second Security Force Assistance Brigade at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti and sailors aboard the USS Gettysburg deployed to the EUCOM AOR. A readout of all of these holiday calls will be made available on the DOD website.

And finally, in honor of our cameraman in the back of the room there, it's Christmas time and that means that the North American Aerospace Defense Command or NORAD, which is tasked with monitoring and defending the airspace of the US and Canada, takes on a special additional mission this time each year. On December 24, NORAD will track the journey of a very special Aviator Santa as he makes his way around the globe.

And if you see red and green lights in the sky, that's probably him. Please note that this is an authorized object in the sky and not an unmanned aerial vehicle. So please check twice. We kindly ask that those observing Santa's sleigh refrain from reporting him to the FAA or FBI starting at 0600 Eastern Standard Time.

Kids, families and Santa's fans worldwide can track his journey by calling one 877-HI-NORAD or (877) 446-6723 to speak with an official Santa tracker. You can also follow Santa's journey online throughout the day at NORAD.Santa.org. We wish everyone a Merry Christmas, joyous holidays and Happy New Year.

And with that, I'm happy to take your question, Lita. Thank you.

Q: Thank you, Pat. On Syria, can you explain a little more fully, First of all, why we hadn't heard this number before? But secondly, who are these forces? Is this special operations forces? Are any there in an effort or part of an effort to find Austin Tice? And I guess I'm just a little confused. You said this was before the fall? So this isn't in response to unrest and disruptions, correct? This is in response then to what?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Correct. So again, a couple of things. So as I highlighted for deployments and as you know, having followed these for a while, it's not uncommon as units come in and out, the replacement in place, transfer of authority, those kinds of things. There will oftentimes be a bump, right? So the total number of forces officially deployed to Syria is 900. So that in and of itself in terms of the additional numbers, as you know, over the years that can fluctuate.

Obviously given the current situation in Syria, just very recently I was made aware of the fact that, hey, maybe there's more forces than just a small number or you know what would normally be considered, you know, around the 900 range. So we asked to look into it, got those numbers today significantly higher than 900, which is again why we wanted to let you know.

Now those forces, what they've been doing is all focused on the defeat ISIS mission and again that core 900, approximately 900, those are going to be your longer term deployers, right, nine to 12 months as I understand it versus temporary forces which are going to rotate in on a 30 to 90-day basis.

Again, as it's been explained to me that are there to meet any type of emerging mission requirements associated with the defeat ISIS mission. Predominantly Army forces. And, you know, I'm not going to be able to provide a breakdown of conventional versus special operations forces. But all of those forces focused on the defeat ISIS mission.

Again, as I understand it, a certain element of this also goes into diplomatic and operational security concerns as it relates to the region. But again, given the difference in the number that we've been providing have made the decision, I made the decision, to go ahead and give you that number so.

Q: Just so I'm clear, are you suggesting this 1100 is RIP/TOA?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: No, I'm not. I'm just saying that traditionally, as we track deployments, right, When we say approximately 900, sometimes that's going to fluctuate up to 1,200, 1,300 as units go in and out. But obviously these numbers, the additional numbers, again as I understand it, are considered temporary forces that are there to support the D-ISIS [Defeat-ISIS] mission, to support the forces that are deployed there longer term to include, you know, I'm sure a certain element of that would be RIP/TOA, but a lot of those forces are going to have already been operating there, you know, coming in and out and doing those kinds of things.

Q: Can you say when? Like how long ago this happened?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I don't have a specific date provide, Lita, but my understanding is it's been for a while. So clearly before the fall of the Assad regime. So, yeah.

Q: What's a while?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I don't have a number to provide, but again.

Q: [Crosstalk] more than double the number of troops that we've been told for quite some time. So are we talking about this has been going on for months? For years? Is it something that just happened this summer? I mean, we need a timeframe I think is fair.

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah, I think it would probably be fair to say at a minimum months. I'll go back and look, but, yeah, it's been going on for a while.

Q: And what assurances can you give to the Kurdish SDF right now that the US isn't planning to pull out or leave?

SECRETARY MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Well, right now there are no plans to cease the Defeat ISIS mission. I mean, again ISIS continues to maintain or to pose a significant threat. So right now no plans that I'm aware of to stop that mission.

Q: About 500 SDF have left their posts in terms of guarding the ISIS camps. Are US forces going to take their places?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Well, our focus is again, I mean working with the SDF but Jennifer, I don't have anything for you in terms of relocation of US forces within Syria.

Q: Thank you. On Ukraine, how would a potential shutdown affect aid to Ukraine, specifically, deliveries of PPE packages? In the past, the administration has exempted, if I'm not mistaken, Ukraine operations from the potential shutdown. Are you prepared to do something similar now as well?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Let me take that question for you to get an accurate answer for it.

Q: I have several more on Ukraine, two on PDA related things. So a senior defense official told us earlier this week that DOD likely will not be able to use all of the $5.6 billion in aid for Ukraine by the end of this administration. However, NSC officials tell VOA that the Pentagon will be able to do this.

So can you give us more clarity on that? Are you still committed to using all of the $5.6 billion by January 20th?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: What I would say is, you know, we're committed to spending as much of that as we can to get security assistance to Ukraine as quickly as we can. And of course we'll keep you updated on that front. All right. Natasha?

Q: Thanks, Pat. Are you all reviewing other deployment numbers to make sure that they're up to date and accurate? For example, has the number of troops that are currently in Iraq changed?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I will take that question and come back to you on it, right? Okay. Yes, ma'am?

Q: Thank you. Yesterday, Turkish defense officials emphasized that until PKK/YPG disarms and its foreign fighters leave Syria, Turkey's preparations and measures will continue. Do you have any current assessment of the foreign fighters numbers with the YPG/SDF.

MAJOR GENERAL PAT RYDER: I don't have that to provide from here. Thank you.

All right, Wafaa, and then I'll go to the phone.

Q: Thank you, General. Two topics, first Yemen and then Lebanon. On Yemen, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned the Houthis today that they will pay a heavy price. Do you have an assessment on maybe is  the Houthis could be the next Israeli target after Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza?

MAJOR GENERAL PAT RYDER: What I would say, Wafaa is, first of all, I won't speak for Israel in terms of its operations. They certainly have a right to defend themselves. And as you know, the Houthis have launched missiles and drones toward Israel. And so, the Houthis should not be surprised if Israel exercises its inherent right of self-defense. But as for any potential future operations, I'd refer you to Israel.

Q: Would you support a large scale operation by Israel like in Lebanon?

MAJOR GENERAL PAT RYDER: Yeah, I'm just not going to get into hypotheticals or speculate.

Q: And then Israel is conducting almost daily controlled demolition of civilian infrastructure, houses and villages  Lebanese villages on the borders. The Lebanese government considers this as clear violation of the ceasefire agreement. How do you assess these actions by Israel? Do you have concerns that these actions might put the agreement at risk?

MAJOR GENERAL PAT RYDER: What I would say, Wafaa, is right now it's our assessment that the ceasefire does continue to hold. Obviously, it's, we believe, in everyone's interest to ensure that that ceasefire continues. And we'll continue to consult closely with partners in the region, to include Israel and Lebanon, toward that end.

Let me go to the phone here real quick. Jared, Al Monitor.

Q: A question on the de-ISIS numbers. One, why announce this now?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I mean, I explained that. I learned the number today. And again, as somebody who's been standing up here telling you 900, I wanted to get you what we had on that.

Q: Ok. And then can you give us an update on the ceasefire between the SDF and the Turkish backed forces west of the Euphrates? And does DOD have any role in enforcing or upholding that?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: To my knowledge we do not, Jared. As you know, the State Department has been consulting, of course, with our Turkish partners, allies. My understanding, again, and State Department can go into much more details, is that that ceasefire is continuing to hold. It was extended. It continues to hold.

You know, again, our forces in Syria are focused on the defeat ISIS mission. Obviously, we don't want to see fighting between SDF and Turkish backed forces in Syria. You know, security and stability are incredibly important, particularly at this fragile time right now in Syria. And so, again, we would encourage all parties to preserve that peace and stability in support of the people of Syria.

Ok, let me just go to the phone here again real quick, make sure these people are not in the room. Jeff Schogol?

Q: Thank you. Regarding Syria, can you say why CENTCOM felt it needed an extra 1,000 troops, albeit on a temporary basis?

And you also mentioned that, if Congress doesn't pass a spending bill, US troops and civilian  will not get paid over the holidays. And this is not a great time to go out  to go without a paycheck, although there's never a good time. Do  US troops and civilians, do they have any recourse to protest that, or can they bill Congress directly for all their expenses until Congress passes a spending bill?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah. Thanks, Jeff. On your first question, you know, again, I'd refer you to CENTCOM for specifics. But, you know, again, as  just broadly speaking as I understand it, as we have forces in Syria conducting the defeat ISIS mission, there may be capabilities augmentation that  that are required. And again, I don't have that in front of me. Just getting these  this information today. But, again, as I understand it, primarily  not primarily, all focused on the defeat ISIS mission.

As for your second question, will US troops get paid over the holidays if there's a government shutdown, what I would tell you is that much of that depends on the duration of a potential shutdown. As I said at the top, military personnel on active duty, including reserve component personnel on federal active duty, would continue to report for duty and carry out their assigned duties.

Without an appropriation or a continuing resolution, our troops will miss their end of month paycheck during the holiday season. Military reservists drilling after December 20 will not receive pay for those drills, and federal civilians that are required to work during a shutdown will not be paid. Civilian employees whose work is paid for from lapsed appropriations will be furloughed for the duration of the lapse, which appears to coincide with the Christmas and New Year's holidays.

Ok. Let me come back in the room. Mike?

Q: Back to Syria, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his forces are going to retain their positions along the Golan Heights that they took after the fall of the Assad government. The UN secretary general is criticizing it. Some of the governments in the  in Europe are criticizing. Does the US have a  have a position one way or the other on whether or not Israel should maintain these positions within the buffer zone?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: What I would tell you, Mike, is that our policy with respect to the Golan Heights hasn't changed. I don't have any comment on the announcement of people moving from inside Israel to the Golan Heights. What we've heard Israel say is that the deployment of its forces into that buffer zone is temporary, and we believe that the deployment ought to be temporary and that the 1974 disengagement agreement ought to be upheld. Thank you.

Q: Thank you, General. The US says that Syria shouldn't be fragmented, the new Syria, the new government, the new country, basically, after the fall of the Assad regime. And you have a militia group that  the SDF, that you say you're working with to combat ISIS. So, to have a unified Syria, do you have any plans at all to commit to disarming the SDF and disbanding them? The new HTS leader, Golani, also says that no armed groups will be allowed and all of them have to be dismantled. Do you have any plans at all? Because that would be a massive obstacle in the way of a unified Syria.

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: So, I think, you know, it's a great question. I would refer you to State Department to talk about the longer term, you know, US diplomatic relations with the new government in Syria, obviously a lot of effort and work going into what that could look like.

As it relates to the SDF and the Department of Defense, right now our focus continues to be on the defeat ISIS mission, so preventing a resurgence of ISIS, certainly with the understanding that all of this is in the context of the situation in which you lay out. And  but in terms of a particular mission focus or change, I don't have anything to announce right now. Thank you very much.

Tony?

Q: How much is a PDF  PDA authority is left to spend? Is it about $4.5 billion or so?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: What I'm tracking right now is total PDA is $5.6 billion remaining. USAI is $1.13 billion.

Q: Ok. So, on the 5.6, is it likely  highly unlikely that you're going to be able to issue $5.6 billion of PDAs by January 20th?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Again, as I highlighted earlier, we are going to continue to surge as much capability as we can. Not going to get ahead of that process. You know, I think you can anticipate that we will have some additional PDA announcements. I'm not going to get into the timing of that, but certainly recognizing the fact that there is an urgent need right now in Ukraine and we're going to remain committed to expending as much of that as we can.

Q: I need to ask you too, and you don't know this answer, but I'd like you to get a written answer in terms of what will happen to the remaining dollars that are not put on PDA. You know, this is going to  you're going to get a lot of criticism if you've got like $5 billion of authority that you didn't use by the end of the administration. And could you get a written answer in terms of what will happen to those dollars if in fact you don't obligate them?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I will take your question, but again, you know, recognizing the difference between authority and, you know, obligated funds. But yeah, I'll take your question for you.

Q: On the  on the drone question, I shudder to bring this up, but you mentioned on Tuesday that anti  counter drone systems will be deployed to New Jersey this  this week or next week. Have those systems been deployed? And what's the rule of engagement on those? And are those kinetic or fuzz buster type of equipment?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: So, the majority of that capability has deployed. The rest should be arriving very shortly, if not imminently and as I highlighted, earlier in the week, that will be a combination of active and passive detection capabilities as well as some capability counter-UAS capabilities which would include non-kinetic types of systems like drone busters, which essentially disrupt signals and affects the ability of these systems to fly.

Q: Thank you.

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Thanks very much. Kelly [Ph].

Q: Just to follow up more a bit on drones, I just wanted to ask about the federal ban on drone operations in parts of New Jersey. The government they say may use quote, deadly force against the drones if they pose an imminent security threat, who would shoot them down if it came to it, Would that be DOD assets?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: So a couple of things. So first of all, I would note that that is standard security language included in national security NOTAMs and temporary flight restrictions. So FAA certainly could talk to you more about that. And as you've heard us say, we're going to work closely with the FBI, DHS and FAA to make sure that we're harmonizing our on-base efforts with anything that they're doing off base.

And, you know, the bottom line is that our forces, our commanders if they observe UAS activity that they believe represents a threat, they have the authority to conduct mitigation operations based on the capability at their location. And as I highlighted, you know, one of those capabilities could be the non-kinetic, you know, interruption of signals, for example.

Q: Talking about a potential government shutdown, how could that impact the efforts to detect and track drones and the efforts that you are doing right now?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Well, I mean, if it's, you know, we're going to continue to do the operations as I highlighted. Military personnel are going to continue to do operations necessary to protect and defend the nation. So insomuch as we need to protect our facilities or mitigate potential threats, we will be on point doing that so.

Okay, Jennifer?

Q: Pat, it's clear that you were surprised by the number of US troops that were in Syria, but was Secretary Austin also surprised?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: You know, I'm confident that the secretary is tracking US forces deployed around the world. Again, as I highlighted, you know, there oftentimes are going to be diplomatic or operational security considerations as it relates to the deployment of forces well.

Q: Just on that, did the secretary direct people not to make that public?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: No.

Konstantin?

Q: I'm sorry. Just one other, just to clarify on this, is 2,000 now seen as the amount needed or is the department looking at any increases since things have been obviously changing over the last several weeks?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah. So I'm not tracking any adjustments. Again, the, you know, those additional forces there are again categorized as temporary transitional forces versus the 900, what I would call core official deployed forces. But as of right now, I'm not tracking any adjustment in that regard. Obviously, you know, we'll see how things play out in Syria. We'll see how the Defeat ISIS mission works out, but yeah.

Q: Just quick. Just to follow up, was the President aware that there were 2,000 US troops in Syria.

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I won't speak for the White House. Konstantin?

Q: Thanks Pat. On the shutdown is there, obviously, we don't know how long it's going to go. And as you say, there's a paycheck that that is due to troops in a week and a half. So, I guess my question to you is how long can the shutdown go for before those paychecks are impacted?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: So, really, again, I don't have an exact date for you Konstantin, but the bottom line is you know the end of the month. You know today was payday. So, you know, troops just got paid so that that next pay period at the end of the month that would be, you know, depending again depending on how long this goes that would be where individuals are not getting paid so.

Q: But I guess my question is how quickly can DFAS be told, okay, there's funds and turnaround the paychecks?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah, I'm going to shoot from the hip here. We're all monitoring this very closely. And as I highlighted, contingency plans in place. We're going to do everything we can to make sure our personnel are getting paid and taken care of as quickly as we can. So again, you know, in a optimistic world this shutdown could be avoided. But if it's not, you know, we'll again we'll work to make sure that our personnel have what they need to mitigate the effects so.

Q: Just one follow up on Syria. Was there any effort by any element of the Pentagon or the Defense Department to obfuscate the true number of troops there? I mean, including CENTCOM because you've stood up there, you've said 900, 900 has been the number for months and months, if not years. Surely someone could have come out and corrected that if it was known by someone in the Defense Department that that wasn't accurate. So what was the miscommunication?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah, Natasha, you know, look, again, learned the number today, provided the number today. As I mentioned in looking into this, you know part of the explanation is the sensitivity from a diplomatic and operation security standpoint. But again, given the difference in what we've been briefing and what the actual number is, just felt that it was important to get you that information.

Q: So there's a diplomatic sensitivity aspect of that?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I mean, just no, I'm not because I'm not going to get into diplomatic discussions, but, you know, there's just diplomatic considerations so. Janne?

Q: Thank you, General. I have a few questions on South Korea and Russia. The US Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act to station 28,500 US troops in South Korea. Do you think this will change under the incoming administration?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I appreciate the question. I'm just not going to speculate about what the incoming administration may or may not do.

Q: One more on South Korean. National Intelligence Service says at least 100 North Korean soldiers killed in fighting in Ukraine. Do you have anything on that? What is the US estimate?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yes, so, you know, we continue to observe and assess, I would say at this stage it's our assessment that several hundred DPRK forces have been or several hundred casualties, right, which would range from killed in action to wounded. I'm not going to have a breakdown for you in terms of KIA versus wounded, but several hundred have. And as they engage in combat with the Russians, you know, we certainly would anticipate that those numbers will go up.

Q: Russian Kremlin announced that Russia would lift missile restrictions against the United States and also Foreign Minister Lavrov also said arms control was a thing of the past and that a nuclear catastrophe was possible. What is the US view on this?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Well, again, this kind of irresponsible saber rattling and rhetoric from a nuclear armed country is obviously unwarranted. We have not seen any shift or change in the strategic force posture of Russian forces that would necessitate a change on our end. Certainly, we're going to continue to work with allies and partners around the world towards regional security and stability.

Yes, sir.

Q: Thank you, General. General, today Human Rights Watch in their report accuses Israel of genocide by restricting Gaza water. And this this report came after like two weeks of the letter that sent by the Secretary Austin with Secretary Blinken to Israel to do more for the civilians. First of all, do you agree with that with this report? And do you still believe that Israel has to do more for the civilians there?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Thanks. Well, as you know from a US government standpoint, we do not agree with the allegations or assertions regarding genocide. We do believe that way too many innocent people have been killed or injured in this war, both Israelis and Palestinians. That was ignited when Hamas launched its terrorist attack, brutally murdered more than 1,200 innocent civilians on October 7th, 2023.

So we want to see an enduring resolution to the conflict in Gaza, which is why we continue to actively work towards an agreement to stop the war, bring all the hostages home that are still being held by Hamas.

Yes, sir?

Q: Thank you very much. [Off-mic] Has Secretary of State Antony Blinken admitted that the US is in direct contact with its previously designated terrorist group and State Department. Also, in my question responded that in the past our Department of State engaged with such terrorist organizations even when they had active military operations against them. So the question is also at this time involved with the Department of State officials in Syria, the engagements they have for transition of command and other things.

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Are you asking me if DOD has been in contact? To my knowledge, we have not. And as you highlight, you know, State Department right now has been the lead from a diplomatic standpoint. So, I won't speak for the State Department other than to say, again, taking a step back, big picture here, trying to work with partners in the region and actors in Syria to address how we may enable this opportunity for the Syrian people to live in security and stability after 50 plus years under the Assad regime. But again, I'd refer you to State to talk about their specific efforts.

Q: So, one on sanctions recently announced by Department of State on Pakistan long range ballistic missile. So, one of the deputy national security advisor in White House, as TRT [PH] World reported, they showed severe concerns on Pakistan's long range ballistic missile program. And they said, like, we have concerns that they can hit long, even they can hit the United States.

So, you have a long partnership with Pakistan when Pakistan was your ally in war on terror. So, you have some assessments. You did provide some input to Department of State and with White House officials. You have some observations?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I don't. I mean, as you highlight, we value Pakistan as a partner in the region and have worked closely with Pakistan on counterterrorism efforts in the past and will continue to have those conversations. But as it  as it relates to that, I just don't have anything.

Luis?

Q: Thank you for today's briefing and for this update. Combatant commanders have the ability to rotate forces in and out at their discretion. Is this a scenario where that took place, where, as long as these troops are in theater, that that's why we saw this near doubling of forces inside Syria?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I don't understand.

Q: If you're going to send troops from the United States or from outside of the CENTCOM AOR, that's going to have to go through the Joint Staff. That's going to have to be a request for forces. It's all going to have to be approved. It's going to require secretary's orders. In this case, was this a rotation of forces from within the AOR, which is the CENTCOM commander's 

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: So, I don't  I don't have that level of granularity, so I'll just talk anecdotally. It entirely could be, right? I mean, you could have forces that have a specialized capability that are already based in the AOR. And I'll just make this up. You're at Al Udeid Air Base and you have a specialized capability, and you're needed to go to somewhere else in the theater to support an operation. That's entirely possible, or it could come from stateside. It just depends on what the requirement is and what the capability is in terms of on the ground.

Q: My next question, you said you learned about it today. Was this because a question had been posed internally and CENTCOM responded today, or was this because CENTCOM informed you today proactively?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: It's because I got word of it recently as our team was looking at this again, given the significant situation in Syria. And I asked for more information on this, recognizing that, if the numbers are not what we briefed, let's find out what the actual numbers are and from there. And I got the numbers today.

Q: Has  Secretary Austin, does he plan to or has he spoken to General Kurilla about this?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Look, you know, Secretary Austin and General Kurilla speak about the CENTCOM AOR all the time.

Q: [Off mic] just specifically about this.

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: No.

Q: They have not spoken about this?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: They have not spoken about this.

Let me get to some folks that haven't had a question yet. Yes, sir? Please ask a news question and don't wax eloquently, I  or I will stop.

Q: Ok, sir. Pakistan intelligence  a former intelligence chief just got court martialed for corruption. How do you see such generals and the extremism, the Taliban, the terrorism thing? Does it disappoint you when you see former colleagues face charges?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: That's really a question for the Pakistani, you know, authorities and government. I'm not going to wade into Pakistani domestic politics. Thank you.

Q: Thank you very much.

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Let me go to the phone here, just take a couple more. Howard Altman?

Q: Hey, thanks, Pat. Appreciate it. I wonder, can you tell me whether there's been any additional force protection, you know, ramp ups at any facilities in the US or OCONUS regarding drone incursions? Have any additional equipment, the drone/counter drone equipment, been sent to any facilities beyond the ones you've already mentioned? Thanks.

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah. Thanks, Howard. I don't have anything additional to pass along. I'd refer you to NORTHCOM to talk about any, you know, additional facilities that they're looking at or, you know, movement of equipment.

And, you know, obviously as you well know, base commanders have the authority to take appropriate steps in terms of force protection as it relates to anything. And so, that's something that's done on a day by day basis and not necessarily managed or tracked from here at OSD. But again, I'd refer you to NORTHCOM.

Yes, sir?

Q: Thank you very much, sir. Two questions quickly. One, if you are aware of a US-India space delegation here in Washington, and space  any relations between this building and space relations?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I'm not tracking that.

Q: And the second one is that, who is helping and if this building is aware of sanctions against Iran on their nuclear program and also, of course, sanctions against Pakistan about  on their missile  long range missile program?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah, I'd refer you to State Department as it relates to any type of diplomatic efforts on that front. I don't  I don't have anything to provide from here.

Last question. Yes, sir?

Q: Thanks. Thank you very much, General. Just a follow up on the section on entities supporting Pakistan missile program. In terms of security spectrum, how does the Pentagon see any advancement in technology acquired by Pakistan to upgrade its system as it is being faced by a nuclear India  being surrounded by a nuclear India, hostile Iran, which did a provocative [Off mic] attack on Pakistan this year and destabilized Afghanistan?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah. So, I won't have anything to provide in terms of Pakistani or Indian weapons programs other than to say, look, we value both India and Pakistan as important partners in the region. We believe that each country has an important role to play when it comes to regional security and stability. And I'll just leave it there.

All right.

Q: Can I make a nerdy request for a take a question?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Only because it's the holiday season. [Laughter]

Q: Can you  I know you can't do this right now, but can you provide to us whether or not these troop increases were specified in the orders book that the secretary has  routinely approves every week and how far back those go? Can you  can someone just get that for us when possible?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I'll take the question, Lita. I don't know to what level of detail we're able to provide specificity. I will say, you know, broadly speaking, again without getting into classified information, that those order books are often looking at individual units or personnel, right? They're not necessarily looking at broad numbers. All that to say, again, understand your intent and we'll provide what we can.

Thanks, everybody. Appreciate it.

https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/4013765/

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G7: European Union participates to Defense Policy Directors' Working Group on support to the Lebanese Armed Forces

European External Action Service (EEAS)

19.12.2024

On 18 December 2024, the G7 gathered in a virtual G7 Defense Policy Directors' Working Group on coordinating and increasing support to the Lebanese Armed Forces. The European Union took part to the meeting, which was convened at the initiative of United States Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Dr. Celeste Wallander together with Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom.

The Group is an outcome of the G7 Defense Ministerial meeting hosted by Italy in October, when the G7 Defense Ministers agreed to form a sub-Ministerial working group on support to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF).

During the meeting, participants affirmed the critical stabilizing role of the Lebanese Armed Forces, the importance of restoring security for the Lebanese people, and the central role of UNIFIL, particularly for the implementation of UNSC Resolution 1701.

The European Union is actively supporting Lebanon's stabilisation and recovery. In July, the EU put forward a package of 1 billion euro for the period 2024-2027, which included 90 million euros for multi-agency support to the security sector.

Through the European Peace Facility, the EU already committed 22 million euros so far to support the Lebanese Armed Forces. The latest assistance measure in 2024 enables the delivery of individual, engineering and medical equipment and rations. Through this support, the EU intends to contribute to foster the Lebanese Armed Forces' ability to deploy in the South, where they must become the only military force present.

The EU is engaged to increase the security and defence assistance to Lebanon in 2025, to accelerate support to its stabilization and strengthen sustainable peace prospects.



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Government Defence Report outlines development of Finland's defence as part of NATO

Finnish Ministry of Defence

19.12.2024 13:38

At its session on 19 December 2024, the Finnish Government approved the Government Defence Report based on Minister of Defence Antti Hakkanen's presentation. The report will now be submitted to Parliament. This is the third ever Government Defence Report and the first published since Finland joined NATO. The guidelines set out in the report extend into the 2030s.

"The years ahead will be strongly characterised by preparedness. We will continue to strengthen Finland's defence. This will be based on four pillars: homeland defence capability, NATO's deterrence and defence, defence cooperation, and total defence," Minister of Defence Antti Hakkanen said.

The Defence Report states that Russia has stepped towards a more open, unpredictable and protracted confrontation with the West. Russia will continue to pose a long-term security threat to Europe and Finland. Finland is on NATO's external border. As such, it is important that Finland takes care of its own defence capability as part of the Alliance and that the Alliance's deterrence and defence meets the demands of the threat environment.

"We will strengthen Finland's ability to counter broad-spectrum influencing, resist military pressure and fight potential large-scale wars that could drag on for years. We will reform national defence while also bringing the major ongoing projects in our Air Force and Navy to the finish line. We will create conditions for implementing the Alliance's collective defence in Finland. Military service, a large reserve, and a strong will to defend the nation will remain the foundation on which Finland's defence is built. Finland's principle of total defence means that our defence relies on strong support from society," Minister of Defence Hakkanen said.

According to the Defence Report, Finland's membership in NATO has raised deterrence. Finland is supported by the forces and capabilities of the entire Alliance, including its nuclear deterrence as a last resort.

"Finland will continue to sustain and develop its strong defence capability in all security situations. It is the core of everything we do, and we will not compromise on it. At the same time, Finland's defence is an integral part of NATO's collective defence. We will plan, exercise and prepare our defence together with our allies," Minister Hakkanen said.

The Ministry of Defence has led the preparation of the Government Defence Report since autumn 2023 in consultation with a cross-government working group. The process has also involved close cooperation with a parliamentary monitoring group for over a year.

"We are developing Finland's defence with wide political support that spans across government terms. I value the fact that we have a broad consensus on security issues in Finland. It sends a strong message to allies and partners as well as to potential adversaries. This report shows that Finland takes defence seriously," Minister of Defence Hakkanen said.

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Strong UN support for Norwegian-led resolution on humanitarian access in Palestine

Government of Norway

Press release | Date: 19/12/2024

'137 countries in the UN General Assembly have sent a powerful message. It is unacceptable for Israel to block the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Palestinians living under occupation,' said Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stre.

Today, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution requesting the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for an advisory opinion to clarify the following: What are Israel's obligations to ensure and facilitate the provision of life-saving assistance and basic services by the UN, international organisations and third states to Palestinians living under occupation? The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is the backbone of these humanitarian efforts. 137 countries voted in favour of the resolution, which was put forward by Norway on behalf of a core group of 13 countries.

'Millions of Palestinians are completely dependent on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) for access to food and basic services such as education and health care. If UNRWA is forced to discontinue activities in Palestine, some 330 000 children and young people will lose their opportunity to go to school. People who are already deeply affected by war and conflict may lose all hope for the future. This could make the Middle East an even more dangerous place,' said Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide.

The UN resolution is a response to the catastrophic situation in the Middle East and Israel's lack of willingness to ensure and facilitate the provision, by the international community, of life-saving humanitarian assistance and basic services to Palestinians living under occupation. This was made blatantly clear in October this year when the Knesset (Israeli parliament) passed legislation that in practice will make it impossible for UNRWA to carry out its work. The two laws are scheduled to come into effect in January 2025, and have been widely criticised internationally.

'We are very pleased that this important resolution has received the support of a clear majority in the UN General Assembly. A number of countries from all regions, gave their support to the resolution, to protect the UN, fundamental humanitarian principles and the rights of the Palestinians. We have greatest impact when we stand together,' said Mr Stre.

An advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice will clarify Israel's obligations under international law to ensure and facilitate the work of the UN, international organisations and third states in providing life-saving humanitarian assistance and basic services to the Palestinian civilian population.

'We believe that Israel's illegal occupation and actions to obstruct the delivery of humanitarian assistance are undermining peace and stability in the Middle East. No country is above international law. And Israel has no right to expel UN organisations from Palestinian territory that it is occupying illegally. While we await the Court's advisory opinion, Norway and other countries will work to promote universal respect for international law, under all circumstances' said Mr Eide.

Background on the resolution Resolution A/79/L.28/Rev.1 was adopted by the UN General Assembly on Thursday, December 19,with 137 votes in favor, 22 abstentions, and 12 votes against. The resolution requests the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague to clarify Israel's obligations under international law to ensure and facilitate life-saving humanitarian aid and other essential services, such as education and healthcare, to the civilian population in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The request for an advisory opinion will now be submitted to the Court in The Hague. The resolution urges the Court to give the case utmost priority due to the critical humanitarian situation in Palestine.

Background on UNRWA f and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) was established in 1949 to provide support and assistance to Palestinian refugees displaced following the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. UNRWA is primarily funded through voluntary contributions from UN member states. UNRWA's main goal is to provide protection, humanitarian aid, education, healthcare, and social services to six million Palestinian refugees. UNRWA operates in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank (including East Jerusalem), and Gaza. The organization is unique among UN agencies because it focuses exclusively on one specific group of refugees: Palestinian refugees.

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Norway's statement in the UN General Assembly on the draft resolution on humanitarian access in Palestine

Government of Norway

Speech/statement | Date: 19/12/2024

By State Secretary Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik

Statement held by State Secretary Andreas Kravik in the UN General Assembly on the Norwegian-led resolution on humanitarian access in Palestine, 19 December 2024.

President,

The civilian population in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is trapped in a living nightmare. Around 45 000 Palestinians are reported killed since fighting erupted. 70 per cent of them are women and children. Many more lie under the rubble. Most hospitals and schools in Gaza have been willfully destroyed. Houses are reduced to rubble. Hunger and disease are prevalent. Humanitarian workers have been targeted.

Norway has consistently condemned Hamas' brutal and indiscriminate terrorist attack on Israel on 7 October; we have called for a ceasefire and the immediate release of all hostages.

We recognize that States may take different positions as to what has caused this dystopian nightmare. What we cannot afford to disagree on, however, is the humanitarian imperative to provide aid and assistance to those in desperate need. And under no circumstances can we tolerate that any State imposes obstructions and impediments to organizations and States which provide humanitarian and development assistance to civilians.

Yet, this is exactly what is happening.

While civilians are dying, exposed to the most atrocious of circumstances, aid workers are being targeted, and aid delivery is systematically obstructed.

This is not only unconscionable: it is also a violation of international law.

We, the Member States of the United Nations, have an obligation to ensure the necessary conditions for safe and effective humanitarian operations. We can no longer tolerate impediments that hinder humanitarian access and disrupt planned operations to Palestinians under illegal occupation.

This is the reason for the draft resolution which is now before us. Enough is enough. For international law to remain credible, for the most basic humanitarian principles to be upheld, we must act.

This is why Norway  together with a group of dedicated States, to which we owe our greatest gratitude, comprising Chile, Egypt, Guyana, Indonesia, Ireland, Jordan, Malaysia, Namibia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, South Africa, and Spain  is presenting this resolution to the UN membership.

Its overarching purpose is to protect and preserve the humanitarian operations of the UN, of humanitarian organizations, and of third States in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

We are particularly concerned by the Israeli legislation that targets the UN, especially UNRWA. This legislation, already adopted, will if implemented effectively end UNRWA's operations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. This, in turn, will collapse the United Nations' humanitarian response.

Such an outcome would be intolerable. It would also have dire implications for the UN's humanitarian efforts  and its privileges and immunities  beyond the present situation.

President,

We recall the Secretary-General's letters to the membership, where he requested support from the General Assembly to enable UNRWA to carry out its mandate, as instructed by this Assembly.

In this draft resolution, we are seeking an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice. The request focuses on clarifying Israel's obligations to ensure and facilitate humanitarian and development assistance in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

President,

Norway, a founding member of the United Nations, believes that we cannot remain passive witnesses to what may come to be seen as a frontal attack on the Organization of the United Nations and on the multilateral system itself, with immense humanitarian consequences.

Let us act, therefore, with dispatch and determination to uphold the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and to prevent further suffering in the region.

I urge all member States to vote in favour of this draft resolution.

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Ireland says Israel closed embassy to divert public attention from Gaza

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Dec 19, 2024

London, IRNA -- Prime Minister of Ireland Simon Harris has described the Israeli regime's decision to close its embassy in Dublin as a step to divert public attention from its crimes in the Gaza Strip.

Ahead of the European Council meeting on Thursday, Harris said that the Irish government is not anti-Israel but supports human rights, international law, and peace, and will not back down from its positions under threat.

Reacting to claims made by Israeli officials accusing Ireland of adopting hostile policies and crossing red lines in bilateral relations, Harris emphasized that these allegations are meant to distract public opinion so that instead of asking questions about the tens of thousands of Palestinian children who have lost their lives, people focus on these issues.

He further noted that Ireland will always condemn violations of international law and emphasize the necessity of enforcing international court rulings.

The Irish prime minister also emphasized the need for an immediate ceasefire in the besieged area.

Last Sunday, the Israeli regime closed its embassy in Ireland due to what it called Dublin's hostile policies towards it.

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Iran condemns Israeli attacks on Yemen's civilian infrastructure

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Dec 19, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- The spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, Esmaeil Baghaei, has strongly condemned the Israeli regime's strikes on Yemen's infrastructure, describing them as a blatant violation of international law.

Baghaei denounced the attacks in a statement released on Thursday morning, hours after Israeli warplanes targeted civilian facilities, including the Haziz and Dhahban power stations near the capital Sana'a, as well as the Hudaydah port and Ras Isa oil facility.

"These aggressive attacks, which have caused the destruction of Yemen's civilian infrastructure, constitute a flagrant breach of international legal principles and the UN Charter," he stated.

He further argued that these acts are perpetrated under the unconditional support of the US, which he said is complicit in Israel's actions.

The Iranian spokesperson also lauded the Yemeni people's support for Palestine, labeling it honorable.

Baghaei called on the international community and the Islamic world to fulfill their legal and moral responsibility to halt Israeli aggression.

He further urged prosecution and punishment of the Israeli regime for crimes outlined in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, including acts of aggression and war crimes.

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Sirens activated in Tel Aviv as Yemen launches missiles: Report

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Dec 19, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- Israeli authorities activated sirens in Tel Aviv and its surrounding areas amid reports of new Yemeni missile strikes on the occupied territories

IRNA on Thursday morning reported citing Israeli media that alarm sirens were activated in Tel Aviv, HaSharon, Herzliya and Holon.

These media outlets stated that the reason for the activation of the alarm sirens was a surface-to-surface missile fired from Yemen.

Some media outlets also reported that loud explosions were heard in some areas of the occupied territories.

There were no immediate report of casualties or damage and the exact place where the missile hit.

On Monday, sirens went off in Tel Aviv and other areas in the occupied territories during a Yemeni missile attack, which also prompted the closure of Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.

The Israeli military later claimed to have intercepted one of the missiles launched from Yemen.

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Clashes reported between Yemeni army, US warships in Red Sea

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Dec 19, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- Some media outlets are reporting fierce clashes between the Yemeni armed forces and American warships in the Red Sea.

IRNA on Thursday morning citing Yemeni media sources said that fighting is currently underway between the Yemeni army and American warships.

Some of these media outlets also reported an attack on a US aircraft carrier.

Social media users also announced that the aircraft carrier had entered the region for anti-Yemen operation was preemptively attacked by the Yemeni forces.

This news has not yet been confirmed or denied by official sources and mainstream media outlets.

Last month, the US Department of Defense confirmed the Yemeni army's attacks on two American warships passing through the Bab al-Mandab strait with drones and missiles.

The Yemeni armed forces hold the American and British enemies responsible for turning the Red Sea region into a military tension zone and its consequences on maritime traffic.

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PM Netanyahu: "The Houthis are finding out, and will find out, the hard way that whoever harms Israel - will pay a very heavy price."

Israel - Prime Minister's Office

Events and Speeches

The 37th Government

19.12.2024

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, today:

"This morning, the Air Force attacked strategic targets of the Houthis in the port of Hodeidah and deep into Yemen.

We did this in response to repeated Houthi attacks against civilian targets in Israel. Last night they attacked a school in Ramat Gan.

They are not attacking just us - they are attacking the entire world. They are attacking the international shipping and commercial lanes. Thus, when Israel takes action against the Houthis, it is acting on behalf of the entire international community. The Americans understand this very well, as do many others.

After Hamas, Hezbollah and the Assad regime in Syria, the Houthis are almost the last arm of Iran's axis of evil. They are finding out, and will find out, the hard way that whoever harms Israel - will pay a very heavy price."

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NATO Secretary General hails Bulgaria's contributions to Euro-Atlantic security

NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

19 Dec. 2024

NATO's Secretary General, Mark Rutte, visited Bulgaria today (19 December 2024), where he met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ivan Kondov, and the Minister of Defence, Atanas Zapryanov, and with personnel from the NATO Multinational Battle Group at the Novo Selo Range Army Base.

The Secretary General praised Bulgaria, for its defence spending and long-standing contributions to Euro-Atlantic security, including support to Ukraine. "Bulgaria plays a key role in our security, in the Black Sea and beyond; and it spends at least 2% of GDP on defence; what Bulgaria is doing is making Bulgaria stronger, but it is also making the whole of the Alliance stronger and safer; I call all Allies to step up and to spend more and to make sure that we also produce more in terms of defence industrial production," the NATO Secretary General said. "Bulgaria is also helping Ukraine to defend against the Russian aggression, contributing to help Ukraine to be able, one day, to start talks on a peace deal from a position of strength, and that is what we need to achieve," he added.

Mr. Rutte also underscored the important work carried out by the NATO Multinational Battle Group. "This multinational battlegroup in Novo Selo is exercising the ability to scale up to brigade size, supporting NATO security on the eastern flank, and sending a clear message that we are there to defend our nations together," he pointed out.

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Civilians fleeing war in Sudan to Uganda give harrowing testimony to United Nations Fact-Finding Mission

19 December 2024

GENEVA -- Dozens of men, women and children who fled Sudan have offered vital testimony about the country's deadly conflict to human rights experts visiting a settlement camp in neighbouring Uganda.

Members of the United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan expressed concern about the escalating impact of the conflict on civilians after meeting about 200 people from almost all states of Sudan during a visit to Uganda from 1 to 18 December.

"Instead of contributing positively to the rebuilding of Sudan, millions of Sudanese refugees are trapped in dire conditions in camps and settlements in neighbouring countries as the conflict rages on," Mohamed Chande Othman, chair of the Fact-Finding Mission, said. "They have no means or employment while waiting desperately to be able to return to their home country."

Visiting a location for new arrivals in Kiryandongo, Uganda, which hosts more than 50,000 refugees mostly from Sudan and South Sudan, the experts met refugees from the capital Khartoum as well as Blue Nile, Darfur, Gezira, Kordofan and White Nile, and observed first-hand their dire circumstances, as the conflict enters a new phase moving eastward.

The visit also shed light on key incidents, including the siege of El Fasher city and its surroundings in North Darfur since April 2024. The Fact-Finding Mission collected harrowing testimonies of widespread destruction, killings, rape and other sexual violence. The siege has been accompanied by relentless shelling between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), impacting civilians and civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, and resulting in catastrophic humanitarian conditions.

The experts further heard from Sudanese women about the huge challenges they had faced and their suffering before reaching Uganda.

Several women highlighted an increase in miscarriages, while others had been disproportionately hit by airstrikes or shelling directed at markets, both as vendors, and as they were obtaining essential supplies for their families. Women also reported sexual harassment, including by individuals wearing RSF uniforms, and speaking foreign languages. Many women spoke about their desire to shape the future of Sudan and not to leave the future of the country in the hands of the warring men.

"The women and children of Sudan are not only the main victims of this senseless conflict, but they also hold the key to a peaceful and dignified life for all Sudanese," Mona Rishmawi, a member of the Fact-Finding Mission, said. "They must have a seat at any negotiations as equal stakeholders."

About half of Sudan's population - nearly 26 million people - are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, with nearly three million facing acute hunger. Over 11 million civilians have been displaced internally, and nearly three million refugees have fled the country. This includes 64,000 who have fled to Uganda since the beginning of the current conflict in April last year.

"The sheer figures about hunger and displacement reemphasize the imperative of inquiring into the root causes of the violence and promoting accountability for the atrocity crimes to ensure that the cycle of violence ends," Mr. Othman said.

The Fact-Finding Mission heard from the refugees that they faced gruelling journeys marked by numerous checkpoints where they were interrogated, detained and accused of collaborating with the opposite warring faction. Many were stripped of all possessions, including cash and mobile phones, with some forced to beg at mosques and appeal to charities to afford transportation out of the country.

The experts also heard of the challenges faced by persons with disabilities who endured displacements without access to necessary support or services. Individuals with mobility impairments recounted the extreme difficulties of fleeing conflict zones without adequate accommodations or assistance. Those with hearing impairment faced violence at checkpoints, being accused of spying for the other side.

The experts spoke to several Sudanese who fled the Gezira state, who described rape, forced labour, and other serious human rights and international humanitarian law violations, largely perpetrated by the RSF. Pillage and looting targeting civilian households and farms by the RSF have also exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Gezira state. The SAF also caused significant human casualties with aerial bombardments of civilian areas.

The experts commend the Ugandan authorities for opening their borders to Sudanese and other refugees and supporting them where possible, including with humanitarian assistance. Particularly welcome is the ability of these refugees to exercise freedom of expression, association and movement. As a result, Uganda has become a main hub for Sudanese civil society and human rights defenders.

Sudanese refugees can enter the job market and access health care and education in the same way as Ugandan nationals. Despite being highly skilled, however, their ability to benefit from this generosity is limited by economic and language barriers, and the inability to provide documentation to prove their qualifications due to their rapid displacement.

"Therefore," expert Joy Ngozi Ezeilo said, "the Fact-Finding Mission Sudan calls on the international community to support Uganda and other countries hosting large numbers of Sudanese refugees to ensure that the refugees have access to basic facilities, including nutrition, health care, hygienic needs and education, and that they can live in humane conditions and with dignity."

The Fact-Finding Mission Sudan also visited Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where it engaged in constructive dialogue with the African Union and UN agencies. This is in line with its mandate to work with other national, regional and international efforts to address the human rights and international humanitarian law violations, and related crimes, in Sudan and advance peace, justice and accountability.

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New PAF chief vows to implement 'integrated air defense system'

Philippine News Agency

By Priam Nepomuceno

December 19, 2024, 3:12 pm

MANILA -- Newly appointed Philippine Air Force (PAF) commander Lt. Gen. Arthur Cordura on Thursday pledged to successfully implement an "integrated air defense system" under his term.

"In this respect, under my term, I intend to pursue a command thrust that focuses on the mission essential task and clearly defines the imperatives for a successful implementation of an integrated air defense system," Cordura said as he assumed command of the PAF during rites held at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.

Cordura replaces Lt. Gen. Stephen Parreno, who retired from the service after 37 years.

An integrated air defense system is defined by military experts as having the "structure, equipment, personnel, procedures, and weapons used to counter the enemy's airborne penetration" of one's territory.

Cordura, a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1990 and an alumnus of the PAF Flying School, said his command thrust would center on the catchphrase "Focused Philippine Air Force," which is mission-oriented and values-based.

"This is a command thrust that is a call for retrospection, a call for action, and a call to become a learning organization. It shall be consistent with the 'Bagong Pilipinas' call for a genuine and inclusive development and transformation strategy and will support the Armed Forces of the Philippines' (AFP) Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept (CADC) in the development of the AFP's capabilities," he said.

Cordura added that a focused air service would allow the PAF to facilitate its eventual transition to full territorial defense operations, and address the CADC imperatives for force projection and air interdictions.

He also said that this would enable the PAF to "assimilate technologies" that would allow it to operate effectively across all domains, particularly cyber, and empower its human resources to prepare them for present and future tasks.

Cordura also promised to ensure that the PAF is focused on what is mission essential and what promotes interoperability, jointness, and excellence in combined operations.

"This underscores the need to rethink how the non-mission essentials should be regulated to allow uninterrupted and optimum human and material support in the development of the PAF warfighting capabilities, ensure compliance with the National Military Strategy, the Defense Planning Guidance of 2024, the General Security of Military Information Agreement and adherence to the Philippine Air Force Flight Plan 2040," he added.

He also assured that all actions done would enhance the air service's capability.

He noted that capability-driven organizations look at all dimensions that make it responsive, reliable, and effective.

"As a result, our capabilities should constitute the ability to synchronize air power and pursue the completion of a near-to-ideal integrated air defense system, capability to operate safely and effectively, and capability of our project management teams to identify, procure, and sustain platforms following the DSOM (defense system of management) framework with consideration of the new legal issuances," Cordura said. (PNA)

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PBBM to new PAF chief: No room for complacency, rise to the challenge

Philippine News Agency

By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos

December 19, 2024, 3:00 pm

MANILA -- President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday urged newly-installed Philippine Air Force (PAF) commanding general Lt. Gen. Arthur Cordura to guide the air force to make it "more agile, credible, and responsible to the demands of an ever-evolving security landscape."

Marcos made the call during the Change of Command and Retirement Ceremony, in honor of outgoing Lt. Gen. Stephen Parreno, as he stressed that there is "no room complacency" amid evolving challenges.

"The road ahead is not without its challenges, but I am confident that you will rise to meet those challenges," he said in a speech delivered at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.

"To the men and women of the Philippine Air Force, your service is a source of immense pride for our country. Under this new leadership, you may continue to reach even greater heights, embodying the principles of honor, duty, [and] excellence."

Marcos assured the PAF that the continued modernization of the armed forces remains a priority of his administration to empower them and boost their capabilities as they defend and protect the country.

This, as he acknowledged the PAF's crucial role as "a beacon of strength, a protector of the values that we hold dear, and the symbol of hope for our people."

"These times call for vigilance and for resolve. There is no room for complacency, for any pause in our efforts to risk compromising the safety and welfare of the Filipino people," Marcos said.

Prior to Cordora's latest appointment, he served as vice chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Cordura, a member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) "Bigkis-Lahi" Class of 1990, graduated cum laude and in the top 10 of his class.

He is a member of the PAF Flying School Class of 1992, graduating as top 3 among 65 student pilots.

Cordura joined the 15th Strike Wing and attained all levels of flight qualifications from Combat Crew Training Pilot, Element Lead Training Pilot, and Instructor Pilot of the MD-520 Military Gunship.

He also held various key positions in his military career, including vice commander and chief of air staff of PAF; commander of Air Force Reserve Command; wing commander of the 520th Air Base Wing; deputy commander of the Tactical Operations Command Mindanao; and deputy wing commander of the 520th Air Base Wing.

Cordura also became the chief of Air Force Strategic Management Office; assistant chief of Air Staff for Personnel, A-1; group commander of Tactical Operations Group 1; and commandant of PAF Officer School.

Parreno's watch

Meantime, Marcos honored Parreno, emphasizing the outgoing PAF chief's excellence that has inspired air force personnel to "embrace the ideals of competence, professionalism, and responsiveness."

"Today, we stand together to honor a leader who has served our nation with unparalleled distinction. Lieutenant General Stephen Parreno, as Commanding General of the Philippine Air Force, has led this institution to soar to new heights over the past two years," Marcos said. "The legacy of your leadership is etched in the achievements of the Philippine Air Force under your watch."

Marcos said Parreno's tenure has marked significant strides in capability enhancement for the air force.

He lauded Parreno for his significant contributions to the PAF, particularly the 2,500 flying hours dedicated to external defense and 450 maritime patrol missions in strengthening the country's territorial integrity and protecting the exclusive economic zone.

"These are not just records. They represent vigilance, determination, and an unwavering resolve to safeguard our airspace. In these efforts, our skilled pilots have remained resolute, intercepting threats [and] monitoring unidentified tracks that encroach upon our airspace," Marcos said.

Marcos also recognized Parreno's leadership in addressing multifaceted threats by carrying out 119 intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions.

He added that in times of crisis, Parreno led the PAF in rescuing 320 trafficked individuals from exploitation, and confiscated illegal goods worth millions of pesos.

He also noted that through over 324 humanitarian assistance and disaster response missions, the PAF transported 1.4 million pounds of essential supplies and conducted 200 aeromedical operations, saving many, many lives.

"The Air Force has also been a stalwart partner of this administration in times of crisis, embodying the highest ideals of the service," Marcos said.

Parreno, the 39th chief of the PAF, held several key positions within the Air Force, including vice commander, chief of air staff and chief of the PAF Inspector General, among others.

He is a member of the PMA 'Sambisig' Class of 1991 and graduated as class salutatorian. (PNA)

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Dec. 19: 'Axis of Resistance' operations against Israeli occupation

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 19 December 2024 10:03 PM

By Press TV Website Staff

Amid Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians so far, resistance groups in Palestine continue their operations against the Tel Aviv regime.

The major operations by the Palestinian resistance groups on Thursday, December 19, are as follows:

Al-Qassam Brigades' operations on Dec. 19:

Sniped an Israeli soldier in the Tawam area, north of Gaza City.

Stabbed and killed a high-ranking Israeli military officer along with three soldiers accompanying him in Jabalia camp, northern Gaza Strip. Their weapons were seized.

Targeted the Magen military site with a 'Zouari' suicide drone.

Al-Quds Brigades' operations on Dec. 19:

Detonated a pre-prepared explosive device on a D9 Israeli military bulldozer in the Balawneh axis, Tulkarem, occupied West Bank.

Targeted and destroyed the Israeli military's command and control headquarters in the "Netzarim" axis using mortar shells.

Seized control of an Israeli military reconnaissance drone, identified as 'EVO Max,' during an intelligence mission over Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip.

Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades' operations on Dec. 19:

Sniped an Israeli soldier after a group of soldiers stormed Balata camp in the occupied West Bank.

Martyr Omar al-Qasim Brigades' operations on Dec. 19:

Targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers and their military vehicles south of the "Netzarim" axis, central Gaza Strip.

Yemeni military's operations on Dec. 19:

Launched two hypersonic missiles (Palestine 2) at Israeli military targets in Tel Aviv.

Targeted an Israeli military site in Tel Aviv using a drone.

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Qassam Brigades: Four Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza stabbing operation

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 19 December 2024 3:00 PM

The Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas resistance movement, says four Israeli troops were killed in an operation in the northern sector of the Gaza Strip.

In a brief statement, Qassam Brigades said its fighters stabbed at close range an Israeli officer and three soldiers at the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday morning, resulting in their deaths.

They seized assault rifles and other weapons from the slain Israeli troops, it added.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the Qassam Brigade's statement.

Qassam Brigades targets Israeli military base with kamikaze drone

Separately, the Brigades noted that its fighters targeted an Israeli military base with a Zouari kamikaze drone, named after a 49-year-old pro-Palestine Tunisian engineer and drone expert who was assassinated in a drive-by shooting widely attributed to the Mossad in his hometown of Sfax on December 15, 2016, in the southern part of the occupied territories.

The retaliatory operations came following another attack on Wednesday, when Hamas fighters killed five Israeli soldiers in central Jabalia, also at close range.

At least 16 Palestinians killed across Gaza Strip: Reports

Meanwhile, Israeli military forces killed at least 16 more people across Gaza, according to various media sources.

Israeli artillery fire killed at least six Palestinians on al-Nuzha Street in Jabalia al-Balad, northern Gaza, while at least one Palestinian was killed in Israeli attacks on a group of civilians in the Zeitoun neighborhood, southeast of Gaza City.

At least three Palestinians were also killed in an Israeli air attack on Gaza City's Shati refugee camp, according to the Wafa news agency.

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 45,129 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 107,338 others, the Gaza Health Ministry said in a statement on Thursday. Thousands more are also missing and presumed dead under rubble.

The deaths of 32 people were recorded in the last 24 hours.

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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Yemen hails successful military operation against two 'strategic' Israeli military sites in Tel Aviv

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 19 December 2024 10:40 AM

Yemen says it has conducted a successful military operation against two "strategic" military sites in Tel Aviv using Palestine-2 hypersonic ballistic missiles.

Yemen's armed forces spokesperson, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, said in a statement on Thursday that the country's missile force carried out a targeted military operation, striking two Israeli sensitive military sites in Tel Aviv with two Palestine-2 hypersonic ballistic missiles.

"The operation was carried out simultaneously with the Israeli aggression on civilian facilities in the capital, Sana'a, and the Hudaydah Governorate, including power stations, and our response came within the natural and legitimate response," the statement noted.

The statement vowed that the forces will keep responding to Israel's "brutal aggression" by "continuing support and striking all hostile targets with appropriate weapons", until the aggression is ended and the siege on Gaza is lifted.

The projectile landed in the Gush Dan or Tel Aviv metropolitan area, the largest conurbation area in the occupied territories and the center of the Israeli regime's financial and high technology sector, on Thursday, Israeli media outlets reported.

The retaliation attack came as Israeli airstrikes targeted the Haziz and Dhahban power stations near the Yemeni capital of Sana'a, the strategic western province of Hudaydah and Ras Isa oil facility, killing and injuring several people.

Yemen vows to target Israeli energy, oil facilities

Yemen's Ministry of Information advisor, Tawfiq al-Humairi, has vowed that Israel's recent aggression will not go unanswered, asserting, "We are in a state of conflict with the Israeli regime and will target its electricity and oil infrastructure in retaliation for the early morning attacks."

Al-Humairi further noted that such acts of aggression will only strengthen Yemen's resolve to support their brothers in Gaza.

Moreover, Mohammad Ali al-Houthi, a member of Yemen's Supreme Political Council, during a press briefing on Thursday, condemned the Israeli-American attacks on Yemeni civilian positions, labeling them as "terrorist war crimes."

He stated that the ongoing Israeli-American aggression against Yemen is part of a broader pattern of violence across the region, emphasizing that such actions will not hinder Yemen's commitment to support Gaza.

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.

In October, the US military unleashed B-2 stealth bombers to bomb Yemen in support of Israel. Since then, attacks against Yemen from Israel, the US and the UK have continued in a bid to halt the retaliatory attacks by Sana'a.

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Iran slams Israeli attacks on Yemen's civilian infrastructure, calls US 'partner in crime'

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 19 December 2024 9:13 AM

Iran has strongly condemned Israel's deadly airstrikes that destroyed Yemen's civilian facilities, saying the Tel Aviv regime committed the crime while enjoying the United States' "unconditional" backing.

Speaking on Thursday, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the Israeli assaults on two power stations near the Yemeni capital of Sana'a, as well as the Hudaydah port and Ras Isa oil facility, constitute a blatant violation of the international law and the UN Charter.

"The Zionist regime is committing crimes under the US's unconditional support, and [Thus] Washington is complicit in violations and atrocities perpetrated by the criminal gang ruling Tel Aviv," he added.

Baghaei also praised Yemen's campaign of solidarity with the oppressed Palestinians amid a genocidal Israeli war, which has killed at least 45,097 people and injured 107,244 others in Gaza since October 7, 2023.

He further emphasized that the international community and the Muslim world have legal and moral responsibility to stop the Israeli acts of aggression and prosecute the regime's officials for invasions and war crimes.

Israel won't be able to demoralize regional nations: Hamas

Similarly, the Palestinian Hamas resistance group condemned the brutal Israeli air raids on Yemen as an extension of aggression against Gaza, Syria, and the entire region.

"We affirm that the criminal enemy will not break the morale of our people or the people of our region," it said in a statement.

"It will not undermine the will of Yemen nor deter them from their principled stance" in support of Palestinians and their cause.

Thursday's Israeli strikes killed nine civilians and injured three others in Yemen.

The regime's military confirmed in a statement that its fighter jets had bombed Yemen following repeated missile and drone attacks on the occupied territories.

Since the start of Israel's offensive against Gaza, the Yemeni forces have conducted operations in support of the Palestinian people.

They have hit targets throughout the occupied territories, in addition to firing at Israeli ships or vessels heading to or departing Israeli ports, in the southern Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the Gulf of Aden, and even in the Arabian Sea.

The Yemeni Armed Forces have stressed that they will continue their anti-Israel operations until the usurping regime ends its bloody Gaza onslaught.

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Iranian, Turkish FMs urge end to Israeli war on Gaza to ensure regional security

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 19 December 2024 9:06 AM

The top diplomats of Iran and Turkey call for an end to the Israeli regime's acts of aggression against the people of Palestine to ensure sustainable stability and security in the region.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan made the call as they held talks in the Egyptian capital of Cairo on Wednesday on the sidelines of the 21st Council of Foreign Ministers meeting of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation.

They discussed the latest developments in the region with the main focus on the ongoing situation in the Gaza Strip and the continuation of the Israeli regime's crimes against the Palestinian and Lebanese people.

They also exchanged views about Israel's recent acts of aggression against Syria's defensive and economic infrastructure.

Araghchi and Fidan stressed the importance of improving convergence among influential Muslim countries, especially the D-8 member states, to help stop the Tel Aviv regime's atrocities and safeguard sustainable stability and security in the region.

At least 45,097 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed with 107,244 others injured in the genocidal war that began after the retaliatory operation - the Al-Aqsa Flood - staged by Gaza's resistance movements on October 7, 2023, in response to the regime's decades of deadly occupation and aggression against Palestinians.

Meanwhile, the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Wednesday that Israel has conducted 498 attacks on Syrian weapons depots and military facilities since the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad's government on December 8.

Additionally, residents in the southwestern Dara'a province reported Israeli warplanes flying over the Yarmouk Basin in the western countryside.

This comes as Israeli forces have seized the so-called buffer zone, which separates the occupied Golan Heights from the rest of Syria, in violation of a 1974 disengagement agreement. The occupation forces have entered several towns in Quneitra, forcibly evacuating residents.

During their meeting, the Iranian and Turkish foreign ministers also discussed the issues on the agenda of the 11th D-8 Summit, which is scheduled to open in Cairo on Thursday with the presidents of eight countries, including Masoud Pezeshkian of Iran, in attendance.

The D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, also known as Developing-8, is an organization for developing cooperation among Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey.

President Pezeshkian arrived in Cairo on Wednesday to take part in the D-8 summit. It is the first visit by an Iranian president to Egypt in 11 years.

Earlier on Wednesday, Araghchi and his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdel Aaty called for the continuation of efforts to end Israel's genocide against the Palestinians and send immediate aid to the defenseless people in the Gaza Strip.

Egypt to host special session on Palestine, Lebanon at D-8 summit

The Egyptian foreign minister said the D-8 summit will feature a special session on Palestine and Lebanon, Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

"The timing of the summit is crucial, coinciding with regional and international pressures and unprecedented economic challenges," Abdel Aaty added.

He emphasized that the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza and its devastating consequences, including infrastructure destruction and a humanitarian catastrophe, have a direct impact on developing countries.

The minister said Israel's actions in Gaza, Syria and Lebanon, are violations of international law, adding that the regime's atrocities have prompted Egypt to propose a dedicated session on Palestine and Lebanon during the D-8 summit.

He also stressed the importance of enhancing cooperation within the group's sectors, exploring new opportunities for economic and trade collaboration, boosting private sector participation, attracting investment and fostering youth engagement.

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Lebanese PM: Israel breaching ceasefire agreement 'several times a day, every day'

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 19 December 2024 7:18 AM

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati has censured Israel for daily violations of the 60-day ceasefire agreement, asserting that the regime is not meeting its obligations.

Mikati said that Israel is failing to comply with its commitments under the 60-day ceasefire agreement with Lebanon, citing ongoing daily violations, during a press conference held alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday.

"It's been three weeks since the ceasefire agreement took effect on November 27 but we still see Israel violating it," Mikati noted.

He voiced concern over the daily breaches, stressing, "It happens several times a day, every day, which, needless to say, is alarming."

"Israel is failing to fulfill its commitment to withdraw its forces," he added, noting, "Our country has suffered, and continues to suffer greatly, from the Israeli aggression against it, which, for months now, has left human, economic, financial, social and environmental repercussions that are no longer hidden from anyone."

Mikati emphasized the importance of global pressure on Israel to cease its ongoing violations of the ceasefire agreement.

He also reiterated Lebanon's dedication to upholding Syria's sovereignty, freedom, and territorial integrity amid the current crisis facing the country following the ouster of ex-president Bashar al-Assad's government.

The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon came into effect on the morning of November 27.

The ceasefire stipulates that Israeli forces are to gradually withdraw from south of the Blue Line, a temporary line drawn after the withdrawal of Israel from the country's territory in 2000, while the Lebanese army is expected to deploy its troops in southern Lebanon within a maximum of 60 days.

Since the ceasefire was implemented, Lebanon has documented dozens of violations, conducting airstrikes, advancing troops, and executing mass demolitions of homes and buildings in the southern region even in areas previously inaccessible during ground operations against Hezbollah.

However, pictures and videos on social media showed Israeli tanks and bulldozers entering the center of Bani Hayyan town in Marjayoun on Wednesday for the first time. Also, Israeli forces destroyed homes in Tyre Harfa, al-Jbeen, and Sheheen within the Tyre district, with similar actions ongoing in border villages, according to Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA).

On Tuesday, an Israeli drone strike in the southern Lebanese town of Majdal Zoun resulted in injuries of three individuals.

Moreover, Israeli settlers have crossed the border into Lebanon without permission, establishing encampments in areas designated as closed military zones by Israel in southern Lebanon, all while ceasefire violations continue.

"We have turned the page on the war. There are some Israeli violations, but we will soon stop them," Mikati said earlier on Tuesday.

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Dec. 18: 'Axis of Resistance' operations against Israeli occupation

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 19 December 2024 7:11 AM

By Press TV Website Staff

Amid Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians so far, resistance groups in Palestine continue their operations against the Tel Aviv regime.

The major operations by the Palestinian resistance groups on Wednesday, December 18, are as follows:

Al-Qassam Brigades' operations on December 18:

Killed an Israeli soldier near a Merkava tank, seized his weapon, and threw two hand grenades into the tank west of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip.

Targeted an Israeli military command and control site in the "Netzarim" axis using "107" missiles.

Sniped an Israeli soldier in the "Al-Tawam" area of northern Gaza City.

Attacked a group of Israeli soldiers fortified inside a house near Abu Sharkh roundabout, west of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, with a "TBG" shell.

Eliminated five Israeli soldiers at point-blank range near Al-Khulafa Mosque in the center of Jabalia camp, northern Gaza Strip.

Destroyed an Israeli military personnel carrier using a "Shawaz" explosive device near the Martyr Imad Aql Mosque, east of Jabalia camp in the northern Gaza Strip.

Al-Quds Brigades' operations on December 18:

Engaged in intense clashes with Israeli forces across multiple axes in Tubas, occupied West Bank, firing heavily at enemy forces and their military vehicles.

Targeted the occupied city of Ashkelon and nearby Zionist settlements with Grad missiles launched from within the northern Gaza Strip.

Attacked a convoy of Israeli military vehicles with a pre-positioned explosive device in the city of Tulkarem, occupied West Bank.

Shelled Israeli soldiers and vehicles that had advanced into the center of Jabalia camp using 60 mm mortar rounds.

Captured an Israeli "Maouz" suicide drone in the skies over Khan Yunis city, southern Gaza Strip.

Mujahideen Brigades' operations on December 18:

Ambushed a special Israeli military unit in a carefully planned operation, detonating two explosive devices near Al-Quds Street in Al-Bureij camp in central Gaza Strip.

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Israeli warplanes conduct deadly strikes on 'civilian facilities' across Yemen

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 19 December 2024 6:36 AM

Israeli warplanes have conducted fresh aerial assaults on the Yemeni capital of Sana'a and the strategic western province of Hudaydah, killing and injuring several people.

Yemen's al-Masirah television channel reported on Thursday that the airstrikes targeted the Haziz and Dhahban power stations near the capital, as well as the Hudaydah port and Ras Isa oil facility.

It said that nine civilians were killed and three others were injured in the attacks.

Civil defense teams managed to extinguish fires at the Dhahban power station, while efforts continue at Haziz, the report added.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military confirmed in a statement that its fighter jets had bombed Yemen following repeated missile and drone attacks on the occupied territories.

It also claimed that the targets struck were used by Yemeni forces "for their military operations."

'US-Israeli bombing of civilian facilities exposes West's hypocrisy'

Reacting to the aggression, Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti, a member of the political bureau of the Ansarullah resistance movement, said the "US-Israeli bombing of civilian facilities" in Yemen reveals the truth about the West's hypocrisy and refutes all its humanitarian claims.

In a post on his X account on Thursday morning, Al-Bukhaiti reaffirmed that the Yemeni Armed Forces' military operations in support of Gaza will continue.

"We will meet escalation with escalation until the genocide crimes in Gaza stop and food, medicine and fuel are allowed to enter its residents," he added.

The Israeli attacks came just hours after the regime's army said it had intercepted a Yemeni missile before it entered the occupied territories.

The raid triggered rocket sirens across Tel Aviv and the central part of the occupied lands, sending more than one million settlers to shelters, Israeli media reported.

Following the interception, shrapnel fell in the Tel Aviv area and damaged a school and several vehicles.

Since the onset of Israel's genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, the Yemeni forces have conducted operations in support of the oppressed Palestinians.

They have hit targets throughout the occupied territories, in addition to firing at Israeli ships or vessels heading to or departing Israeli ports, in the southern Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the Gulf of Aden, and even in the Arabian Sea.

The Yemeni Armed Forces have stressed that they will continue their anti-Israel operations until the usurping regime ends its bloody Gaza onslaught.

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Iran, Egypt FMs call for regional cooperation, urgent support for Palestine

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 19 December 2024 5:58 AM

The top diplomats of Iran and Egypt have stressed the need to boost regional cooperation to prevent further escalation of tensions and to support the war-stricken people of Palestine.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdel Aaty held a meeting in Egypt's capital of Cairo on Wednesday on the sidelines of the 21st Council of Foreign Ministers meeting of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation.

Araghchi and Aaty discussed the latest developments in the region, particularly the expansion of Israel's aggression and crimes from Gaza and Lebanon to Syria, and urged convergence among key regional countries, including Iran and Egypt, to stop the regime's atrocities.

They called for the continuation of efforts to end Israel's genocide against the Palestinians and send immediate aid to the defenseless people in the Gaza Strip.

Addressing the 21st Session of the Council of Ministers of D-8, Araghchi deplored the international community's abject failure to stop the Israeli regime's violations amid untrammeled support provided to Tel Aviv by the United States, its biggest ally.

"The international community has embarrassingly failed to stop acts of aggression, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide by the Zionist regime," he said.

At least 45,097 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed with 107,244 others injured in the genocidal war that began after the retaliatory operation - the Al-Aqsa Flood - staged by Gaza's resistance movements on October 7, 2023 in response to the regime's decades of deadly occupation and aggression against Palestinians.

The US, Israel's number one ally and main supporter, has blocked efforts by the UN aimed at stopping the Gaza war.

In the past year alone, Washington has vetoed four Security Council resolutions calling for a Gaza ceasefire.

The top Iranian and Egyptian diplomats further pointed to the important and effective position of the two countries in the region and the Muslim world and stressed the importance of improving cooperation among the D-8 member states to activate the organization's capacities in the economic sector.

They also discussed issues of common interest.

Araghchi hailed Egypt's successful hosting of the D-8 foreign ministerial meeting and expressed hope that the organization's summit would also lead to results serving the interests of developing Muslim countries.

The Iranian foreign minister expressed hope that Egypt would play an influential role in activating the D-8 during its presidency over the body and said Tehran is ready to help Cairo toward that goal.

The D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, also known as Developing-8, is an organization for developing cooperation among Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in Cairo on Wednesday to take part in the D-8 summit on Thursday. It is the first visit by an Iranian president to Egypt in 11 years.

Egypt severed diplomatic relations with Iran in 1980, as shifts widened between the two following the Islamic Revolution in Iran and Egypt's recognition of Israel. The move came after Egypt welcomed the deposed US-backed Pahlavi ruler.

However, since Egypt's longtime strongman Hosni Mubarak was toppled in a popular uprising in 2011, there has been a warming of relations between Iran and Egypt.

In recent years, particularly amid the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza, diplomatic contacts between the two countries have intensified as Egypt has tried to play a mediating role.

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1 million-plus settlers flee after Yemeni missile strikes Tel Aviv metropolitan area: Media

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 19 December 2024 2:26 AM

More than one million illegal settlers have rushed into shelters after a missile fired from the direction of Yemen struck the largest metropolitan area in the occupied Palestinian territories, reports say.

The projectile landed in the Gush Dan or Tel Aviv metropolitan area, the largest conurbation area in the territories and the center of the Israeli regime's financial and high technology sector, on Thursday, Israeli media outlets reported.

The outlets reported severe damage to vehicles in the Ramat Aviv neighborhood in northwestern Tel Aviv following the development.

The regime's ambulance service, meanwhile, reported affliction of injuries among those rushing towards shelters in various areas.

The projectile reportedly resulted in violent explosions in the central part of the occupied territories.

According to The Jerusalem Post, several blasts also rang out throughout the holy occupied city of al-Quds.

The Israeli army said the development that featured launch of a "ballistic missile" from Yemen was preceded by activation of missile sirens across several areas in the central districts, including extensive areas throughout Tel Aviv.

Missile interception systems were also reportedly activated in the port city of Eilat.

The Yemeni Armed Forces' spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said he would deliver an "important statement" in the coming hours, apparently addressing the development and the circumstances surrounding it.

The forces have been conducting hundreds of 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 45,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.

The operations have seen the forces targeting strategic and sensitive targets across the occupied territories as well as 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 Eilat, which is located in the southernmost tip of the occupied territories.

Yemen's al-Masirah television network said the Thursday launch was followed by a series of aggressive airstrikes against the capital Sana'a, including against two power plants in the city, and as many as six attacks against the western Yemeni port city of al-Hudaydah and the Marib-Ras Isa oil pipeline, Yemen's main oil pipeline that is located in the country's southwest.

Citing an Israeli official, American website Axios said the Israeli regime had attacked the Yemeni capital.

The US, the Israeli regime's biggest ally, and the UK have also been conducting aerial assaults against the country as a means of trying to stop its anti-Israeli operations.

Earlier this week, it was reported that the US had sent a new aircraft carrier strike group into the Red Sea after pulling the US Navy's USS Abraham Lincoln out of the waters following its coming under sustained retaliatory missile and drone attacks by Yemeni naval units.

According to the US Central Command (CENTCOM), the strike group consists of the flagship Nimitz-class carrier USS Harry S. Truman, Carrier Air Wing 1, an aircraft carrier air wing with nine aviation squadrons, a destroyer squadron, guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64), and two Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers.

Previously, US aircraft carriers Eisenhower and Roosevelt have also been forced to retreat from the Red Sea amid Yemeni strikes.

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Vietnam showcases domestic weaponry at arms fair

Hanoi hopes to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers and seeks export opportunities.

By RFA Staff 2024.12.19 -- Vietnamese firms are showcasing about 100 types of domestically produced weapons at an arms-trade fair that opened on Thursday in the capital, Hanoi, in the hope of gaining a foothold in the global market.

The Vietnam Defense Expo 2024, which runs until Dec. 22, is also expected to offer a chance to diversify the communist country's supply sources and reduce its reliance on traditional partner, Russia.

Separately, Vietnamese Vice Minister of Defense Hoang Xuan Chien, speaking to his officials at the expo site on Tuesday, said Hanoi was placing an order for three C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft from the U.S. firm Lockheed Martin.

The C-130J is the newest version of the C-130 Hercules, seven of which the Vietnamese military inherited from the army of the then South Vietnam after the end of the Vietnam War but was unable to maintain due to a lack of spare parts.

Last month, the Vietnamese air force received the first five of 12 Beechcraft T-6C Texan II training aircraft ordered in 2021, also from the U.S.

The purchases - although limited - mean stepping away from Russia's domination of the supply of weaponry that Vietnam needs to safeguard its interest amid rising regional tensions, especially in the South China Sea, experts said.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Vietnam spends about US$1 billion a year on arms imports.

Some 250 exhibitors from 30 countries are at the arms fair this year, among them top defense companies from Europe, Russia, the U.S., Israel, Ukraine, and for the first time China and Iran.

Boeing, Textron Aviation Defense and Brazil's Embraer are marketing various military aircraft that may in future replace Vietnam's aging fleet of Sukhoi fighters and Mi-8 helicopters.

Russia has brought a modern Rubezh-ME coastal missile system and several varieties of armored vehicles for its display.

The Rubezh-ME could seriously challenge India's BrahMos coastal anti-ship missile system which Delhi has been actively promoting to Hanoi but has yet to receive any response.

Vietnam's rising star

Vietnam's defense expo this year also carries two other important purposes, according to Nguyen The Phuong, a Vietnamese defense analyst at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.

Firstly, the fair should reassure the domestic public that the military is growing more powerful and capable of defending the country's sovereignty.

"The second is about finding markets for Vietnam's nascent defense industry as Hanoi wants to make defense a key economic sector in the new era," said Phuong, referring to the new leadership under To Lam, a former minister of public security who has spoken openly about his aspiration of making Vietnam a modern, developed country via double-digit economic growth and bold system reforms.

Vietnamese companies under the defense ministry have put on an impressive display of an array of new and modified weapons including rockets and missiles, guns, ammunitions, vehicles, radars and a large selection of unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, including self-destructing attack drones.

A major defense company - the Vietnam Military Industry and Telecoms Group, known as Viettel - has brought 80 high-tech products including surveillance radars, missiles, drones, communication devices, turbojets, and, for the first time, a ship-based integrated combat system.

Hanoi hopes to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers and seeks export opportunities.

The Viettel naval combat system that combines sophisticated radars and on-board sensors to track and guide weapons will be installed on future Vietnamese-built warships, including a class of fast-attack missile boats, according to sources.

Strengthening naval capabilities is a priority as Vietnam faces new security challenges in the South China Sea.

"Viettel is the poster child here - a strong defense and high-tech company," said Nguyen The Phuong, adding that Viettel is expected to be a core company in Vietnam's so-called defense industrial complex.

"The model of 'defense industrial complex' is somehow similar to those of Russia or China, where you have one core company, into which the state will invest money, and that core company will later distribute the resources to other smaller companies," the analyst explained.

Besides Viettel, other domestic military firms showed off a new infantry fighting vehicle, or IFV, an indication that Vietnam has ambitions of developing its own tanks, IFVs and armored vehicles.

And there are signs of openness for the private sector to take part in the defense industry as a Vietnam-Italian joint venture, Flying Legend Vietnam, launched its first basic training and patrol aircraft for military use.

"Vietnam seeks to enhance defense cooperation to build trust, address common security challenges," said Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at the opening ceremony.

It is "dedicated to building a revolutionary, regular, elite, and modern military force and strengthening its defense capabilities to protect the nation proactively," Chinh added.

Edited by Taejun Kang.

Copyright 1998-2024, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content December not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use.

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Lawmaker Shot Dead In De Facto Parliament Of Georgia's Breakaway Abkhazia Region

By RFE/RL's Echo of the Caucasus December 19, 2024

One lawmaker was killed and another injured in a shooting at the de facto parliament in Georgia's Abkhazia, a breakaway region supported by Russia.

According to local media reports, Adgur Kharazia and Kan Kvarchia, lawmakers operating under the self-proclaimed government, were meeting on December 19 over a proposal to ban the mining of cryptocurrency when a disagreement boiled over.

Kharazia, a former mayor of the region's capital, Sukhumi, has a history of violent incidents and reportedly pulled out a firearm and began shooting.

Vakhtang Golandzia, a fellow lawmaker who was trying to intervene, was fatally shot while trying to intervene. Kvarchia was shot in the arm and taken to hospital.

The de facto Health Ministry of Abkhazia confirmed the incident while acting Interior Minister Robert Kiut said in a statement that "Kharazia managed to flee the scene and police are searching for him. A special investigative group has been sent to detain him."

The shooting comes weeks after Abkhazia's de facto parliament rejected a controversial investment deal with Russia on December 3.

The shooting also underlines the region's instability with presidential elections scheduled for February 2025.

The agreement, signed in Moscow on October 30, was widely criticized as 'exploitative' by opposition figures and civil society groups who felt it would grant undue economic advantages to Russian investors while undermining Abkhazia's sovereignty.

The political aftermath of the deal also provoked mass protests, forcing the de facto leader, Aslan Bzhania, to resign on November 19.

He was replaced by acting leader Badra Gunba, yet the region remains in a state of political instability. The December 19 shooting further indicated the deep division within Abkhazia's leadership and the uncertainty within its political climate.

Kvarchia, the injured legislator, has actively opposed the now-shelved Russian investment agreement.

In the parliamentary session on December 3, he said the deal was "enslaving for Abkhazia."

He accused the executive branch of trying to push the agreement through despite a public outcry.

His opposition to the current administration's move has made him one of the key figures in the opposition movement that successfully rallied public dissent against the current administration's policies.

Kharazia has a controversial history.

In 2020, he was detained for allegedly causing grievous bodily harm and illegally possessing firearms after reportedly injuring an administrative official.

His involvement in the December 19 shooting has once again raised questions about accountability within Abkhazia's separatist leadership and broader security mechanisms.

The incident has piled on the pressure on acting leader Badra Gunba, who held an emergency meeting following the shooting. Gunba has already been under pressure from opposition groups demanding accountability for the mishandling of the Russian investment deal.

The protests that led to Bzhania's resignation underlined deep-seated discontent with Abkhazia's governance and fragile dependence on Russia.

The political crisis in Abkhazia reflects a struggle in the region to balance its reliance on Moscow for economic and military support with growing public unease about over-dependence on Moscow.

While Russia recognized Abkhazia's independence after the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, most international community still views the region as part of Georgia.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/abkhazia-parliament-shooting-kharazia-- golandzia-kvarchia-russia-bzhania-gunba/33245811.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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Slovak Troops to Monitor Security on Oil, Gas Pipelines - Reports

Sputnik News

20241219

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Slovak troops will participate in maintaining the security of oil and gas pipelines in the country, Slovak newspaper reported.

The servicepeople will monitor the security of more than 80 objects, the newspaper said, adding that the operation, dubbed Iron Stream, will also involve dozens of units of armed vehicles, drones, and Black Hawk helicopters.

In early December, Slovak Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok said that members of a terrorist cell that may have been preparing a terrorist attack on the country's critical infrastructure had been identified. They were deported to Ukraine and Hungary. The minister also noted that there was "a real suspicion of a possible preparation of an attack consisting in the destruction or disabling of an important energy facility, namely a gas or oil pipeline. The prepared attacks reportedly targeted the Druzhba pipeline.

 Sputnik

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U.S. California man linked to Madison school shooter may have plotted own attack: report

Xinhua) 13:13, December 20, 2024

NEW YORK, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- A Southern California man who was in contact with the Madison, Wisconsin, school shooter allegedly was plotting to attack a government building, reported the Los Angeles Times on Thursday.

On Tuesday evening, a San Diego County Superior Court judge granted a gun violence emergency protective order that the Carlsbad Police Department filed against local resident Alexander Paffendorf. This is a civil action that allows law enforcement to seize weapons from individuals deemed to be a threat to themselves or others, according to the report.

"FBI agents detained the 20-year-old after learning he was allegedly plotting a mass shooting with 15-year-old Natalie 'Samantha' Rupnow," noted the report. During a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) interview, Paffendorf admitted to the FBI agents that he told Rupnow that he would arm himself with explosives and a gun and that he would target a government building," the restraining order stated.

Authorities said Rupnow shot and killed a teacher and a teenage student and injured six others at Abundant Life Christian School in Wisconsin on Monday, before dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
Secretary Antony J. Blinken at a UN Security Council Meeting on Sudan

US Department of State

Remarks

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

UN Headquarters

New York City, New York

December 19, 2024

SECRETARY BLINKEN: I thank Mr. Bahr El Din for his briefing. I shall now make a statement in my capacity as the Secretary of State of the United States, and let me again thank each of our briefers for their powerful testimony. It was very important for this council to hear it.

To our fellow council members, on December 19th, 2018 - six years ago today - the people of Sudan rose up to topple a dictator and reclaim their own futures.

Who can forget the iconic image of Alaa Salah - Lady Liberty of the Sudanese Revolution - standing on the roof of a car as she rallied her nation to a new path?

One student protester put it this way: "We grinned with freedom on our face."

Half a dozen years later, we see on too many Sudanese faces hunger, despair.

The military takeover in 2021, the brutal fighting that erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces in April 2023 have derailed Sudan's transition to democracy and unleashed what is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.

Each day, as you heard from our briefers, brings new atrocities: attacks on hospitals, on markets, displaced persons camps. Summary executions. Women and girls subjected to unspeakable sexual violence. We continue to see war crimes and crimes against humanity committed across vast parts of Sudan.

In Zamzam, people have resorted to eating grass and peanut shells. By some estimates, a child there dies every two hours for lack of food.

And the effects of this tragedy extend well beyond Sudan's borders.

Over 3 million Sudanese have fled to neighboring countries.

Outside actors are arming and supporting both parties, turning an internal power struggle into a conflict with global dimensions.

In short, failure to act in Sudan threatens the peace and security that this council is charged with preserving.

The world cannot - must not - look away from the humanitarian catastrophe that is happening in Sudan on our watch, before our eyes.

The United States has worked intensively with partners to provide relief to the Sudanese people, to end hostilities, to return Sudan to the path of democracy.

We've been the largest provider of humanitarian aid to the people of Sudan.

Today, we're announcing an additional roughly $200 million more for food, for shelter, for health care, bringing total U.S. support to more than $2.3 billion since fighting broke out last year.

In August, the United States launched a new initiative, Advancing Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan, co-hosted by Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, in partnership with Egypt, with the UAE, with the African Union, and with the United Nations.

ALPS, as it's called, built on earlier work in Jeddah and Paris. And it incorporates Sudanese civil society, including Sudanese women, who are both disproportionately harmed by the violence and essential to ending it.

Alongside our partners, the United States successfully pressed Sudanese authorities to reopen major transportation arteries across Sudan, including, as you've heard, the Adre border crossing into Darfur. These efforts have allowed aid to reach more than 3.5 million people across Sudan.

We enabled humanitarian air operations to resume for the first time since the conflict began, meaning that a trip that might have taken two days over flooded and bombed-out roads can now take just one hour.

With U.S. leadership, the UN and the Sudanese ministry of health vaccinated over 1.4 million people against cholera, achieving 98 percent coverage in hard-hit areas.

So this is important progress. It is saving lives. But it is nowhere near enough.

So let me suggest today four ways that we can intensify our efforts.

First, we have to get more aid, more relief where it's needed most - safely, rapidly, unhindered.

In November, aid groups distributed 19,000 metric tons of assistance in Sudan. That was a fourfold increase since August. Yet to even come close to meeting the immense demand, we need to double that: 40,000 metric tons every single month.

It means the international community has to give more to support those in Sudan as well as refugees in countries like Egypt and Chad that are so generously hosting them.

To deliver that assistance, we must finalize and sustain humanitarian corridors that allow aid to get into contested areas.

Thirty-one World Food Program trucks are now rolling toward a part of Khartoum that had been cut off from humanitarian support since April of 2023.

We have to build on this momentum and regularize this corridor, as well as the ones into El Fasher, into Gezira, into El Obeid.

Assistance must also be permitted not only to cross the border into Sudan, but to cross territory that is held by the two sides. Both parties have created obstacles, whether it's bombs or bullets or bureaucracy. Lives depend on this - depends on flowing aid freely across lines of control.

We have to ensure that aid can be dispensed more efficiently. The Sudanese authorities have allowed the UN to open three new humanitarian hubs and let international aid workers move freely about Sudan.

Standing up a fourth hub in Central Darfur's Zalingei is also vital. It's time for the United Nations and humanitarian community to activate these facilities and scale up aid delivery as soon, as quickly as possible.

Second, this council must press both warring parties to protect civilians, to stop atrocities, to end the fighting.

The ALPS Group has proposed a compliance mechanism - a committee with representation from the SAF, from the RSF, from the international community - to ensure that each side upholds international law and their commitments under the Jeddah Declaration.

As I said a year ago when determining that both the SAF and the RSF had committed war crimes - and that the RSF had committed crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing, specifically designating the atrocities against the Masalit described by the sultan as ethnic cleansing - the United States will use every tool, including further determinations and sanctions, to prevent abuses and hold perpetrators accountable.

We encourage other partners to implement similar sanctions - bilaterally, multilaterally - on individuals, on organizations whose actions worsen the conflict.

Third, the council must make clear to the outside actors fanning the flames in Sudan that this conduct cannot continue.

Last month, the United Kingdom and Sierra Leone put forward a resolution that called for a nationwide ceasefire, increased civilian protection, and the unhindered flow of aid.

Fourteen members - including the United States - voted in favor of this resolution.

One member - Russia - vetoed. They called the resolution, and I quote, "absurd and unacceptable."

Here's what's "absurd and unacceptable": any country professing to care about African nations while continuing to fuel Africa's largest war.

So to the foreign sponsors sending drones, missiles, mercenaries - enough.

To those profiting off the illicit oil and gold trade that fund this conflict - enough.

Use your resources to ease Sudanese suffering, not deepen it.

Use your influence to end the war, not perpetuate it.

Don't just claim to be concerned about Sudan's future, prove it.

Finally, we must all continue to support the Sudanese people as they work to revive this transition to inclusive, civilian-led democratic governance.

In September, the African Union reiterated its call for Sudan to return to a constitutional and civilian-led order. The United States endorses this call. This entire council should do so as well.

To further advance the restoration of civilian governance, to help realize the aspirations of the Sudanese people, I'm announcing today that the State Department will work with Congress to provide $30 million to empower civil society and elevate civilian voices in the dialogue about Sudan's future.

Even as the bombs continue to fall, the people of Sudan are not waiting to lead. Across the country, they're banding together to support one another and to rebuild their nation.

Volunteers - many of them young people - are preparing food at local soup kitchens in Darfur. They're offering coloring books to traumatized children. They're running health clinics; they're repairing collapsed electrical lines.

There's even a word for the selflessness that these citizens are demonstrating daily - a deep-rooted Sudanese tradition called nafeer.

Nafeer is a sense of solidarity, a commitment to mutual aid, a community springing into action in times of need. It translates, literally, as "a call to mobilize."

So as a council, we too should answer that call. We too should mobilize.

We have a responsibility - a responsibility to stop the suffering, to end this war, to support the Sudanese people so that - in the words of that protester - freedom is once again on their faces. I ask you - all of us - let's seize this moment. And I thank you.

I resume my function as president of the council, and I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Jose De La Gasca, Minister of Government of Ecuador.

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Sanctioning Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs Officials Involved in Serious Human Rights Abuses against Protesters

US Department of State

Press Statement

Matthew Miller, Department Spokesperson

December 19, 2024

The United States is imposing sanctions today on Georgian Minister of Internal Affairs Vakhtang Gomelauri and the Deputy Head of the Ministry's Special Task's Department Mirza Kezevadze under the Global Magnitsky sanctions program. The Ministry of Internal Affairs is responsible for brutal and violent crackdowns on members of the media, opposition, and protesters, including during demonstrations throughout 2024.

The Department of State is also taking further steps to impose visa restrictions on additional Georgian individuals and their family members, including law enforcement and security officials who were involved in the violence against protesters, and municipal government officials who abused their power to restrict fundamental freedoms, including the right to vote without coercion or intimidation.

Today's action builds on visa actions announced last week, expands U.S. sanctions imposed on Georgian officials in September, and complements actions taken by the UK today and actions taken in recent days by several other European countries.

The United States strongly condemns the Georgian authorities' ongoing, brutal, and unjustified violence against Georgian citizens, including peaceful protesters, media members, human rights activists, and opposition figures. We stand with the people of Georgia and remain committed to promoting accountability for those complicit in human rights abuses and undermining their democratic future.

The Department of the Treasury actions were taken pursuant to Executive Order 13818, which builds upon and implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act and targets perpetrators of serious human rights abuse around the world. For more information, see Treasury's press release. The Department of State's steps to impose visa restrictions were taken pursuant to Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, under the policy announced in May 2024.

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Secretary Antony J. Blinken at a UN Security Council Meeting on AI

US Department of State

Remarks

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

UN Headquarters

New York City, New York

December 19, 2024



SECRETARY BLINKEN: Ms. Li, thank you very much for sharing your insight, sharing your ideas with the council. It's deeply appreciated.

I shall now make a statement in my capacity as the Secretary of State as the United States. And let me, again by - let me begin, again, by thanking both of our briefers, Mr. LeCun, Ms. Li, for sharing their thoughts with us today.

As we've just heard, as I think so many of us know, artificial intelligence has the potential to do enormous good. Scientists are using AI to discover medications that could fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria. AI models are predicting natural disasters more accurately so that communities can better prepare. These tools are identifying new crystal structures that could help us build the next generation of electric vehicle batteries.

In these ways, and so many other ways, AI could accelerate our progress on nearly 80 percent of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

At the same time, as we've heard, if it's misused, AI can pose tremendous threats to the international peace and security that this council is charged with upholding. With AI, hackers can make cyber attacks more destructive, harder to trace. Repressive regimes are using AI-enabled surveillance to target journalists and political dissidents, destabilizing societies. If algorithms are built into weapon systems - and if they malfunction - they could accidentally spark a conflict.

By setting rules of the road for AI, we can minimize these risks. We can harness the exceptional promise of this technology. And we can realize the vision that the UN enshrined in the Global Digital Compact - a future where technology is inclusive, where it's open, where it's sustainable, where it's fair, where it's safe, where it's secure for people everywhere.

Over the last few years, the United States has been leading international efforts toward these common goals. As home of the world's leading tech companies, we have a responsibility to influence the evolution of artificial intelligence.

We're also committed to mobilizing a collective response. So, we've teamed up with partners in governments, the private sector, civil society - from countries all across the globe - to address both the perils and the opportunities of AI.

First, our government secured commitments from leading American companies to make AI systems safer. For example, they've agreed to establish - create tools, like watermarks, that help users recognize AI-generated content. They'll also strengthen their cyber security to protect AI models from hackers.

With Japan's leadership, the G7 expanded these pledges into a code of conduct for AI developers all across the world. It recommends that they run tests to identify safety risks, that they prioritize research into potential harms, that they publicly report on the limitations of AI, to increase accountability.

Then, earlier this year, the United States put forward the first, standalone UN General Assembly Resolution on AI, which every member adopted by consensus. We've committed to promoting safe, secure, trustworthy AI systems that respect human rights and further economic and social progress.

We also agreed to make the benefits of AI more accessible, in part by closing the digital divide that still exists around the world. That's something we underscored in a second resolution, drafted by China, that the UN adopted in June.

The U.S. and our partners have developed a global consensus for AI, and now we're building upon it.

Last month, the U.S. launched an international network of AI safety institutes, where researchers and experts are creating shared benchmarks for testing and evaluating AI systems. Their recommendations will offer practical guidance for developers and for tech companies.

We're also getting and setting ground rules for governments. This year, the European Union, the United States, nine other countries signed the first international treaty on AI. We pledged to protect human rights, democracy, the rule of law when we use AI. That means safeguarding data privacy. It means adopting transparency and accountability measures. It means implementing other strategies that would limit any harms.

The U.S. has rallied nearly 60 governments to commit to guidelines for militaries, too. For example, we want to make sure that senior officials oversee the development and deployment of AI  including in weapon systems  and that these tools are used in ways that follow international humanitarian law.

Separately, in a meeting in November, President Biden and President Xi affirmed that only humans should control the decision to use nuclear weapons.

While we work to uphold our shared principles for AI, the United States is improving access to this technology so that communities everywhere can benefit. We're teaming up with leading tech companies to host training, to build local data sets, to provide AI tools for developers and researchers. This summer, the U.S. and Morocco also established a group at the United Nations, open to all member states, where experts from every region are sharing best practices for adopting artificial intelligence.

Now, that's real progress. But for all the progress, I think we all know far more work remains to be done. Nations with leading tech sectors must do more to uphold security standards and prevent AI from being abused.

The international community needs to stand together against irresponsible misuses of AI systems. Today, state and non-state actors are increasingly using these tools to influence and distort public opinion, to manipulate geopolitical narratives, to make offensive cyber operations more effective. And this is only going to get worse as AI advances.

The United States opposes the malicious use of AI by any actor, and we call on others on this council to reject and to condemn these practices. We must adhere to our shared norms and build AI systems that are genuinely safe and secure.

In the months and years ahead, this council will have an important responsibility. Since its inception, this body has adapted to address the greatest threats to international peace and security: conflicts, terrorism, the spread of nuclear weapons. If the Security Council is going to continue upholding this responsibility - and the United States believes that it must - it is incumbent on its members to grapple with the evolving risks of artificial intelligence. This requires leveraging our collective power to help set, update, and eventually enforce international norms on AI - because simply put, this will be vital to lasting security.

Now, even with the brilliant minds that we've heard from today, who've done so much to work on the evolution and think about the evolution of AI, I don't think any of us can fully predict what the future holds for AI. To fully understand how this technology changes over time - to stay ahead of the risks that it can pose - we have to continue collaborating. We need to keep working with developers, with business leaders, with members of civil society.

If we do this, I'm convinced that we can shape AI for the better, so that it remains a force for progress and for the advancement of people all around the world.

With that, I resume my function as president of the council. And I'd now like to give the floor to her excellency, Ms. Gabriela Sommerfeld, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility of Ecuador.

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Treasury Sanctions Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs Officials for Brutality Against Protesters, Journalists, and Politicians

U.S. Department of the Treasury

December 19, 2024

WASHINGTON -- Today, the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is sanctioning two Georgian officials from Georgia's Ministry of Internal Affairs which has engaged in brutal crackdowns on media members, opposition figures, and protesters  including during demonstrations throughout 2024. These officials are being sanctioned under Executive Order (E.O.) 13818 (Global Magnitsky), following the September 16, 2024 sanctions of two other Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs officials. This action was coordinated with the United Kingdom, which today designated five individuals responsible for human rights violations in Georgia.

"In the wake of Georgia's election, key officials in the Ministry of Internal Affairs engaged in a severe and vicious crackdown against their own people, including the intentional targeting of journalists and use of violence," said Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley T. Smith. "The United States remains committed to holding accountable those who seek to limit the rights of their citizens and undermine fundamental freedoms  in Georgia and around the world."

georgian officials OVERSEEING PROTEST CRACKDOWNS

In late November 2024, mass protests erupted across the country in response to Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze's announcement that Georgia would suspend talks on accession to the European Union. Security forces from the Ministry of Internal Affairs' Special Task Department responded to protests with disproportionate violence to suppress dissent and discourage protesters. The Special Task Department utilized tactics including mass beatings, verbal abuse, and threats of sexual violence. Police violence by members of the Special Task Department occurred while individuals were in police custody, in detention, and at locations outside the protest area. The Special Task Department also deliberately targeted journalists as they reported on the violence and repeatedly abused detained protesters.

During protests prior to the May 2024 passage of the "foreign influence law," the Special Task Department also violently targeted political opposition leaders, journalists, and youth activists who were peacefully expressing their views. The Special Task Department perpetrated violence, including through brutal beatings of peaceful protesters. The violence perpetrated by the Special Task Department was overseen by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Vakhtang Gomelauri (Gomelauri), and a Deputy Head of the Special Task Department, Mirza Kezevadze (Kezevadze), in addition to those designated by OFAC on September 16, 2024.

Gomelauri and Kezevadze are being designated pursuant to E.O. 13818 for being foreign persons who are or have been, leaders or officials of an entity, including any government entity, that has engaged in, or whose members have engaged in, serious human rights abuse related to the leader's or official's tenure.

SANCTIONS IMPLICATIONS

As a result of today's action, all property and interests in property of the designated persons described above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC. In addition, any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, individually or in the aggregate, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked. Unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC, or exempt, OFAC's regulations generally prohibit all transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of designated or otherwise blocked persons. U.S. persons may face civil or criminal penalties for violations of E.O. 13818. Non-U.S. persons are also prohibited from causing or conspiring to cause U.S. persons to wittingly or unwittingly violate U.S. sanctions, as well as engaging in conduct that evades U.S. sanctions. OFAC's Economic Sanctions Enforcement Guidelines provide more information regarding OFAC's enforcement of U.S. sanctions, including the factors that OFAC generally considers when determining an appropriate response to an apparent violation.

In addition, financial institutions and other persons that engage in certain transactions or activities with the sanctioned individuals may expose themselves to sanctions or be subject to an enforcement action. The prohibitions include the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any designated person, or the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person.

The power and integrity of OFAC sanctions derive not only from OFAC's ability to designate and add persons to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) List, but also from its willingness to remove persons from the SDN List consistent with the law. The ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish, but to bring about a positive change in behavior.

For information concerning the process for seeking removal from an OFAC list, including the SDN List, please refer to OFAC's Frequently Asked Question 897 here. For detailed information on the process to submit a request for removal from an OFAC sanctions list, please click here

GLOBAL MAGNITSKY

Building upon the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, E.O. 13818 was issued on December 20, 2017, in recognition that the prevalence of human rights abuse and corruption that have their source, in whole or in substantial part, outside the United States, had reached such scope and gravity as to threaten the stability of international political and economic systems. Human rights abuse and corruption undermine the values that form an essential foundation of stable, secure, and functioning societies; have devastating impacts on individuals; weaken democratic institutions; degrade the rule of law; perpetuate violent conflicts; facilitate the activities of dangerous persons; and undermine economic markets. The United States seeks to impose tangible and significant consequences on those who commit serious human rights abuse or engage in corruption, as well as to protect the financial system of the United States from abuse by these same persons.

Click here for more information on the individuals designated today.

###

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Treasury Maintains Pressure on Houthi Procurement and Financing Schemes

U.S. Department of the Treasury

December 19, 2024

WASHINGTON -- Today, the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned a dozen individuals and entities based in multiple jurisdictions, including the head of the Houthi-aligned Central Bank of Yemen branch in Sana'a, for their roles in trafficking arms, laundering money, and shipping illicit Iranian petroleum for the benefit of the Houthis. Among the persons designated today are key smuggling operatives, arms traffickers, and shipping and financial facilitators who have enabled the Houthis to acquire and transport an array of dual-use and weapons components, as well as generate revenue to support their destabilizing regional activities. Additionally, OFAC identified five cryptocurrency wallets associated with Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF)-backed Houthi financial official Sa'id al-Jamal (al-Jamal), who operates under the aliases "Khrpi," "Ahmad Sa'idi," and "Hisham," among others.

"Today's action underscores our commitment to leveraging all our tools to disrupt the Houthis' efforts to acquire weapons, procure dual-use components, and secure additional revenue," said Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley T. Smith. "The United States will continue to expose these schemes and will hold accountable those who seek to enable the Houthis' destabilizing activities."

Today's action is being taken pursuant to the counterterrorism authority, Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, as amended. The U.S. Department of State's designation of Ansarallah (commonly known as the Houthis) as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT), pursuant to

E.O. 13224, as amended, became effective on February 16, 2024. OFAC designated al-Jamal pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, on June 10, 2021, for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, the IRGC-QF. OFAC designated the IRGC-QF pursuant to E.O. 13224 on October 25, 2007, for providing material support to multiple terrorist groups.

Senior houthi financial officials AND EXCHANGE HOUSES

Hashem Ismail Ali Ahmad al-Madani (al-Madani), governor of the Houthi-aligned central bank in Sana'a, Yemen, serves as a key figure in the Houthi movement. Al-Madani is the primary overseer of funds sent to the Houthis from the IRGC-QF and has cooperated with IRGC-QF-backed Houthi financial official al-Jamal to conduct business activities for the benefit of the Houthis.

Ahmed Muhammad Muhammad Hasan al-Hadi (al-Hadi) is a senior Houthi financial official who coordinates and facilitates the movement of Houthi funds on the group's behalf. Al-Hadi has ordered other Houthi financial officials, including al-Jamal, to move funds for the group and tasks them with disbursing funds to Houthi officials and other individuals in Yemen.

Al-Madani is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the Houthis. Al-Hadi is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, the Houthis.

The Houthis have used Sana'a-based money services businesses under their control to move large sums and circumvent sanctions. Mohammed Ali Al Thawr Exchange (Al Thawr Exchange), under the supervision of U.S.-designated Houthi finance official Abdullah al-Jamal, has brought millions of dollars on behalf of the al-Jamal network into Yemen to enable money laundering operations with the IRGC-QF. Similarly, Khaled Al Hazmi and Brother Company General Partnership (Al Hazmi Exchange) transferred funds to U.S.-designated, al-Jamal-controlled Davos Exchange and Remittances Company (Davos Exchange) in early 2024 to cover Davos Exchange's sanctioned assets and help the al-Jamal network circumvent sanctions.

Al Thawr Exchange and Al Hazmi Exchange are being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, al-Jamal.

In addition to using money services businesses to access funding abroad, al-Jamal's network has also used cryptocurrency to circumvent sanctions. Today, OFAC has added five wallet addresses used by al-Jamal and his network to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List) to disrupt these financial flows.

HOUTHI Weapons Smuggling Operatives and Shipping Facilitator

Houthi operatives located in Yemen and the People's Republic of China (PRC) play crucial roles in facilitating the movement of weapons and dual-use components into Yemen. Yemen-based Wail Muhammad Said Abd-al-Wadud (Al-Wadud) is a Houthi logistics official who has been involved in facilitating Houthi smuggling operations. Umar Ahmad Umar Ahmad Hajj (Umar) is a Houthi logistics official who, alongside Al-Wadud, has facilitated Houthi smuggling activities through Somalia.

Houthi procurement operatives leverage an array of shipping firms with offices in Yemen and the PRC to transport illicit procurements to Houthi fighters. One such firm, Safwan Al-Dubai Company of Shipping and Trade (Safwan Al-Dubai), is a Yemen-based shipping and logistics company that Houthi procurement officials have used to import dual-use items and other weapons components into Yemen. Safwan Al-Dubai maintains a presence in the PRC, which it likely uses to obfuscate weapons shipments to Houthi forces.

Al-Wadud and Umar are being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the Houthis. Safwan Al-Dubai is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, the Houthis.

HOUTHI ILLICIT SHIPPING FACILITATORS

Al-Jamal generates revenue for the Houthis through the illicit sale of Iranian petroleum to customers in East Asia. Al-Jamal's oil shipments are enabled by a network of shipping firms in Malaysia that provide critical services to ships transporting this cargo. Malaysia-based companies Blu Shipping (M) SDN BHD (Blu Shipping) and Tefcas Marine SDN BHD (Tefcas Marine) provided services to the U.S.-sanctioned vessel RENEEZ (IMO 9232450), which has transported tens of thousands of metric tons of Iranian commodities for al-Jamal's network.

Merkur Energy Port Services SDN BHD (Merkur Energy) served as the port agent for another U.S.-designated vessel, the YORGOS (IMO 9150365), which has also transported Iranian commodities for al-Jamal's network. Puvaneswaran Venayagamoorthy (Venayagamoorthy) is the sole owner and executive of Merkur Energy. Ezekial Kanniappan Jr (Kanniappan), who serves as Merkur Energy's head of operations, assisted in providing services to the YORGOS.

Merkur Energy, Blu Shipping, and Tefcas Marine are being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, al-Jamal. Venayagamoorthy is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for owning or controlling, directly or indirectly, Merkur Energy. Kanniappan is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Merkur Energy.

SANCTIONS IMPLICATIONS

As a result of today's action, all property and interests in property of these individuals and entities named above, and of any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, 50 percent or more by them, individually, or with other blocked persons, that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons must be blocked and reported to OFAC. OFAC's regulations generally prohibit all dealings by U.S. persons or within the United States (including transactions transiting the United States) that involve any property or interests in property of designated or blocked persons. U.S. persons must comply with OFAC regulations, including all U.S. citizens and permanent resident aliens regardless of where they are located, all persons within the United States, and all U.S.-incorporated entities and their foreign branches. Non-U.S. persons are also subject to certain OFAC prohibitions. For example, non-U.S. persons are prohibited from causing or conspiring to cause U.S. persons to wittingly or unwittingly violate U.S. sanctions, as well as engaging in conduct that evades U.S. sanctions. Violations of OFAC regulations may result in civil or criminal penalties. OFAC may impose civil penalties for sanctions violations based on strict liability, meaning that a person subject to U.S. jurisdiction may be held civilly liable even if such person did not know or have reason to know that it was engaging in a transaction that was prohibited under sanctions laws and regulations administered by OFAC. OFAC's Economic Sanctions Enforcement Guidelines provide more information regarding OFAC's enforcement of U.S. economic sanctions, including the factors that OFAC generally considers when determining an appropriate response to an apparent violation. For additional information on complying with U.S. sanctions and export control laws, please see Department of Commerce, Department of the Treasury, and Department of Justice Tri-Seal Compliance Note.

Furthermore, engaging in certain transactions with the individuals designated today entails risk of secondary sanctions pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended. Pursuant to this authority, OFAC can prohibit or impose strict conditions on the opening or maintaining in the United States of a correspondent account or a payable-through account of any foreign financial institution that knowingly conducted or facilitated any significant transaction on behalf of a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.

The power and integrity of OFAC sanctions derive not only from OFAC's ability to designate and add persons to the SDN List, but also from its willingness to remove persons from the SDN List consistent with the law. The ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish, but to bring about a positive change in behavior. For information concerning the process for seeking removal from an OFAC list, including the SDN List, please refer to OFAC's Frequently Asked Question 897 here. For detailed information on the process to submit a request for removal from an OFAC sanctions list, please click here

Click here for more information on the individual and entities identified today.

###

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"D-8 countries should work harder for the establishment of a just and permanent peace in our region"

Presidency Of The Republic Of Turkey

19.12.2024

Addressing the special session on Palestine and Lebanon held within the 11th D-8 Summit, President Erdogan said: "We should spearhead the development of new dynamics for the establishment of internal peace in Palestine, Lebanon and Syria. That regional countries display a strong solidarity among themselves without interfering in each other's domestic affairs is undoubtedly of great importance. In this sense, we, as the D-8 countries, should work harder for the establishment of a just and permanent peace in our region."

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a speech at the special session on Palestine and Lebanon held within the 11th Summit of the Organization of the Developing 8 Countries for Economic Cooperation in Cairo, Egypt.

Stating that the pressures and harassment the Palestine people has been subjected to for years have reached unbearable levels with the attacks Israel has been carrying against Gaza for 440 days, President Erdogan said: "Our 50 thousand brothers and sisters, many of them women and children, have died a martyr's death and over 100 thousand Palestinians have been injured in these attacks. Al-Quds, which hosts Al-Aqsa Mosque, our first kiblah, is being crushed through policies of Judaization. Lebanon, on the other hand, is faced with additional challenges due to the political and social repercussions as well as physical destruction of the Israeli attacks. As Islamic countries, we, through our initiatives we have launched on various platforms, have endeavored to stop the genocide in Gaza and to find a permanent solution to the Palestine issue. During this period, we have followed with appreciation the efforts exerted by our Egyptian brothers and sisters. However, the Israeli administration is exponentially maintaining its attacks by taking courage from U.S.'s explicit and many Western countries' indirect support."

"IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO EXCLUDE ISRAEL FROM INTERNATIONAL ARENA"

"Pointing out that following Lebanon, Syria has also become the target of Israel's expansionism, President Erdogan added: "We see Israel's steps, which ignore Syria's territorial integrity, including the expansion of the illegal settlements in Golan Heights. I believe that we, as D-8, should show a much stronger reaction against these unlawful acts that threaten the stability of Syria and our region."

Stressing that Islamic countries should spearhead the steps that could be taken against Israel, President Erdogan went on to say: "First of all, it is very important to impose a weapon embargo on Israel, to stop trade with it and to exclude it from the international arena. 52 countries, including the two permanent members of the Security Council, and two international organizations have supported our initiative to stop arms sales. We should encourage the involvement of the maximum number of countries in the case, which has been opened by South Africa at the International Court of Justice and which we as Turkiye have made an intervention application."

"WE SHOULD SPEARHEAD THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW DYNAMICS FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF INTERNAL PEACE IN PALESTINE, LEBANON AND SYRIA"

Further stating that reaching a permanent ceasefire in Gaza in short term is important more than ever, President Erdogan continued as follows: "In this regard, we should all assume responsibility. Our long-term goal, on the other hand, must be to launch a negotiation process to implement two-state solution. We should achieve a result as soon as possible by providing a strong support to the negotiations maintained by Qatar and Egypt on the establishment of a ceasefire. I hope that the establishment of ceasefire in Lebanon and the collapse of the Assad regime will be the beginning of more positive era. We must stand with our brothers and sisters during the trying times Lebanon has been going through. The total amount of the humanitarian aid shipment our country has sent Lebanon is about to reach 1.5 thousand tons. As is the case for Palestine, we should not allow the political disorder to continue in Lebanon as well. We should spearhead the development of new dynamics for the establishment of internal peace in Palestine, Lebanon and Syria. That regional countries display a strong solidarity among themselves without interfering in each other's domestic affairs is undoubtedly of great importance. In this sense, we, as the D-8 countries, should work harder for the establishment of a just and permanent peace in our region."

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The warring parties must end Sudan's suffering in 2025: UK statement at the UN Security Council

Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on Sudan.

19 December 2024

President, 2024 has been a year of unimaginable suffering for the people of Sudan.

Disease. Displacement. Violence.

In August, the Famine Review Committee confirmed famine in Sudan. Upcoming food security assessments are expected to be even worse.

2025 must be different.

On this, I will make three points.

First, amidst continued conflict, this Council has rightly focussed on improving humanitarian access. We now need to see delivery and aid actually reaching the millions of people in need across Sudan.

We welcome the agreement by the Sudanese Armed Forces to extend the permissions on the Adre crossing and for the establishment of humanitarian supply hubs.

But as Secretary Blinken said, this is not enough, not nearly enough to meet the scale of need. Humanitarian access must be expanded to all civilians in need, whether they live in SAF or RSF-held areas.

We therefore call on the Sudanese authorities to authorise further humanitarian hubs, particularly in Zalingei, Darfur.

We also call on all sides to ensure additional cross-line routes; safety guarantees for aid workers; and the lifting of all bureaucratic impediments that too often obstruct the provision of aid.

Second, this humanitarian crisis requires a concerted and robust international approach, including by the UN. We welcome the updates on the Emergency Relief Coordinator's visit to Sudan and urge for this bold leadership to continue.

We must collectively strive for a system-wide response that delivers better outcomes for the Sudanese people.

Donors must support these efforts by finding new ways to diversify our funding, supporting both the UN and local Sudanese responders at the front line of the response.

Third, President, we condemn the RSF attacks on ZamZam IDP Camp and drone strikes in El Fasher, which killed civilians and ground hospital operations to a halt.

Last month, the UK and Sierra Leone tabled a resolution to address both parties' disregard of their Jeddah Declaration commitments to protect civilians.

Despite Russia's veto, 14 votes in favour sent a clear signal of the international community's focus on the need for the warring parties to comply with Jeddah and with other international human rights and humanitarian commitments.

We urge the warring parties, yet again, to engage meaningfully with existing diplomatic initiatives towards a lasting national ceasefire and political solution, including the efforts of the Secretary-General's Personal Envoy, Mr Ramtane Lamamra.

President, 2024 will be remembered as the year the warring parties created the world's worst displacement crisis and a man-made famine they could have prevented.

It is within their power to end this suffering and ensure peace in 2025.

The world will be watching.

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AI presents significant opportunities to support international peace and security: UK statement at the UN Security Council

Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on artificial intelligence.



19 December 2024

Thank you Secretary Blinken. Let me start by thanking the US Presidency for convening this important meeting and for the international leadership you have shown in the field of AI governance. That includes the first ever General Assembly resolution on artificial intelligence.

I am also grateful to Professors LeCun and Professor Li for their insightful briefings.

And I would like to pay tribute to the Secretary General for his consistent campaign to bring to our attention the major opportunities and significant risks of this transformative technology, and to shape the international response.

It is eighteen months since the UK convened the first Security Council meeting on the security implications of artificial intelligence. As the Secretary-General said, things have moved swiftly since then.

Significant progress has been made in international collaboration, including the UN Global Digital Compact, and the UK-initiated AI Summit series.

In addition to the US GA resolution, we adopted the Chinese-led General Assembly resolution on AI capacity building, both by consensus.

And two Nobel Prizes were awarded for AI innovators, both to British scientists.

Today, I will focus on our priorities for peace and security, the opportunities AI presents in this field, and how we can share those benefits through capacity building.

First, the UK recognises that AI brings risks that could escalate conflicts and cause harm.

But it also presents significant opportunities to support international peace and security, including better decision-making, improved early warning systems and enhanced planning to support resilience and emergency preparedness.

The UK welcomes progress to increase international understanding in a military context through the Responsible AI in the Military Domain Summit, and the US-led Political Declaration on Responsible Military Use of AI.

The General Assembly resolution on "Artificial intelligence in the military domain" presents an important opportunity to advance efforts for AI's safe and responsible development.

AI also offers significant opportunities for peacekeeping. AI can improve Missions' data collection, analysis efforts, and their situational awareness and decision-making.

The UK is therefore, at the request of the UN's Department of Peace Operations, authoring a paper on the potential uses of AI in Peacekeeping.

Second, President, AI presents huge opportunities for broader areas that impact upon peace and security, such as the enjoyment of human rights; by facilitating greater access to information or improving interpretation of medical data to aid early health diagnoses.

As an inaugural signatory to the Council of Europe's AI Convention, the UK is committed to protecting from the risks posed by AI to human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.

Finally, the UK is also committed to sharing these opportunities through capacity building. It is important that in contributing to international peace and security, we aim to narrow digital divides.

Through the AI for Development collaboration, the UK has donated 58 million to funding multidisciplinary responsible AI research labs in six African countries, with more planned for 2025.

Ultimately, we must seize the opportunities and grasp the challenges of AI, including those for international peace and security, decisively and optimistically.

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UK sanctions Georgian officials responsible for brutal crackdown on media and protestors

The UK has designated five Georgian officials for serious human rights violations.

19 December 2024

Georgia's Minister for Interior and Director of the Tbilisi Police Department among five individuals sanctioned for violating human rights in Georgia.

Sanctions follow action taken by the UK government last week to suspend support to Georgian government programmes and restrict defence cooperation.

The UK has sanctioned five senior individuals responsible for violent attacks against journalists and peaceful protestors in Georgia, in coordinated action with the United States.

Georgia's authorities began a systematic crackdown on demonstrations, civil society, media and opposition figures following public opposition to Georgian Dream's decision to pause the country's move towards a European future.

The decision undermines a core component of Georgia's constitution and is widely viewed as the latest step by Georgian Dream which makes Georgia more vulnerable to the Kremlin.

Individuals designated today, which include the Georgian Minister and Deputy Minister for Internal Affairs and three high-ranking police chiefs, face UK travel bans and asset freezes, excluding them from the UK and its economy.

The announcement follows the UK's decision last week to immediately suspend all UK programme support to the Georgian government and restrict engagement with Georgian Dream.

These measures further protect UK national security, one of the strong foundations upon which the Government's missions are delivered, by working with international partners to prevent harm; deter and disrupt threats; and respond effectively to incidents.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said:

The shocking violence inflicted upon protestors, opposition leaders and journalists is an egregious attack on democracy, and the Georgian people's right to exercise their fundamental freedoms. Our action today shows that the UK stands with the people of Georgia and will consider all options to ensure those responsible are held to account.

Individuals sanctioned today are:

Vakhtang Gomelauri - Minister of Internal Affairs Aleksandre Darakhvelidze - Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Sulkhan Tamazashvili - Tbilisi Police Department Director Zviad Kharazishvili - Chief of the Special Tasks Department Mileri Lagazauri - Deputy Head of the Special Tasks Department

Following parliamentary elections in October, riot police have used water cannons, tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse peaceful protestors, with reports of individuals being targeted and beaten which have been verified by the Public Defender (Ombudsman) of Georgia.

UN experts have condemned the pattern of repression and human rights violations in Georgia. The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), in which Georgia is itself a participating State, has called this suppression a serious breach of the right of freedom of assembly.

In June, the UK paused its annual flagship strategic dialogue, the 'Wardrop Dialogue', with Georgia in response to an increase in anti-western rhetoric and the adoption of Kremlin-inspired laws which restrict media freedoms and limit equality for the Georgian people.

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Secretary-General Tells Security Council That 'AI' Must Never Equal 'Advancing Inequality', Urging Safe, Secure, Inclusive Future for Technology

Press Release

Secretary-General/ Statements and Messages

SG/SM/22500

19 December 2024

Following are UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' remarks to the Security Council meeting on artificial intelligence and the maintenance of international peace and security, in New York today:

I thank the United States for convening the meeting on artificial intelligence (AI) and the maintenance of international peace and security.

I briefed this Council about AI in July 2023. As I said then, those that feel like technology is moving very fast must understand a simple fact: technology will never move in the future as slowly as today.

In the short time since, artificial intelligence has moved at breakneck speed. Fuelled by record investments, today's AI models keep getting more powerful, more versatile and more accessible  combining not only language, image, sound and video, but also automating decisions.

Artificial intelligence is not just reshaping our world  it is revolutionizing it. Tasks that required years of human expertise are now completed in a heartbeat.

But the risks are equally huge. This rapid growth is outpacing our ability to govern it, raising fundamental questions about accountability, equality, safety and security. And about humanity's role in the decision-making process.

Artificial Intelligence without human oversight would leave the world blind  and perhaps nowhere more perilously and recklessly than in global peace and security.

AI tools are already making a positive difference in countries suffering from conflict and insecurity. Identifying food insecurity and predicting displacements caused by extreme events and climate change. Detecting and clearing landmines. And soon, AI could spot patterns of unrest before violence erupts.

But, AI has also entered the battlefield in more troubling ways. Recent conflicts have become testing grounds for AI military applications. AI's expansion into security systems raises fundamental concerns about human rights, dignity and the rule of law  from autonomous border surveillance to predictive policing and beyond.

I have long warned about unforeseen consequences of AI-enabled systems: each advance creates new and unimaginable vulnerabilities. The "AI arms race" creates fertile ground for misunderstanding, miscalculation and mistakes. AI-enabled cyberattacks could cripple a country's critical infrastructure and paralyse essential services.

Most critically, AI is eroding the fundamental principle of human control over the use of force. From intelligence-based assessments to target selection, algorithms have reportedly already been used in making life-and-death decisions.

The convergence of AI with other technologies amplifies these risks exponentially. The integration of AI with nuclear weapons is particularly alarming, with potentially disastrous consequences. We must avoid it at all costs.

And looking ahead, quantum-AI systems could breach the strongest defences and rewrite the rules of digital security overnight.

Let's be clear: the fate of humanity must never be left to the 'black box' of an algorithm. Humans must always retain control over decision-making functions  guided by international law, including international humanitarian and human-rights law and ethical principles. Humanity's hand created AI. Humanity's hand must guide it forward.

Beyond weapons systems, we must also address other risks to peace and security posed by artificial intelligence.

AI creates highly realistic content that can spread instantly across online platforms  manipulating public opinion, threatening information integrity and making truth indistinguishable from outright lies. Deep fakes could trigger diplomatic crises, incite unrest and undermine the very foundations of societies.

The environmental footprint of AI also poses distinct security risks. The massive energy and water consumption of AI data centres, combined with the rush for critical minerals, is creating dangerous competition for resources and geopolitical tensions.

Unprecedented global challenges call for unprecedented global cooperation. In July 2023, I welcomed calls from some Member States "for the creation of a new United Nations entity to support collective efforts to govern" AI and to "establish and administer internationally agreed frameworks and mechanisms of monitoring and governance".

Since then, a series of initiatives has prompted high-level discussions around international peace and security implications  including on responsible applications of AI in the military domain.

Declarations on AI have been issued from many Member States, regional groups and international organizations. The United Nations has pursued efforts to reduce fragmentation of AI governance and help bring these separate initiatives towards a common framework. The General Assembly has adopted two resolutions on AI  promoting enhanced global cooperation and capacity-building.

A third resolution  focusing on AI in the military domain  has been recommended by the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) and will be considered by the General Assembly in the coming days.

Drawing from extensive global consultations, my high-level advisory body on AI has developed  in record-time  a blueprint for addressing both the profound risks and opportunities that AI presents to humanity. Their work laid the foundation for a framework that connects existing initiatives, and ensures that every nation can help shape our digital future.

The United Nations Global Digital Compact transforms this shared vision into action. Adopted by leaders at the Summit of the Future, the Compact represents the first universally endorsed framework on AI governance. It commits to establishing an independent international scientific panel on AI and initiating a global dialogue on AI governance within the United Nations  giving every country a seat at the table.

And the Compact requests options for innovative financing to build AI capabilities where they are needed most, ensuring developing countries receive our full support. A world of AI haves and have-nots would be a world of perpetual instability. We must never allow AI to stand for "advancing inequality". Only by preventing the emergence of fragmented AI spheres can we build a world where technology serves all humanity.

Our next steps will be crucial, and the choices we make now will define our future. Every moment of delay in establishing international guardrails increases the risk for us all.

I urge Member States to move swiftly in establishing the international scientific panel on AI and launching the global dialogue on AI governance within the United Nations.

I also reiterate my call for banning lethal autonomous weapons. We must establish new prohibitions and restrictions on autonomous weapons systems by 2026. No country should design, develop, deploy or use military applications of AI in armed conflict that violate international law, humanitarian law and human rights. That includes relying on AI to select or engage targets autonomously.

Members of this Council must lead by example and ensure that competition over emerging technologies does not destabilize international peace and security. I urge you all to join forces to build a safe, secure and inclusive AI future.



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Secretary-General's remarks to the Security Council - on Artificial Intelligence [bilingual, as delivered]

United Nations Secretary-General

New York

19 December 2024

Mr. President, Excellencies,

I thank the United States for convening the meeting on Artificial Intelligence and the Maintenance of International Peace and Security.

I briefed this Council about AI in July 2023. As I said then, those that feel like technology is moving very fast must understand a simple fact:

Technology will never move in the future as slowly as today.

In the short time since, Artificial Intelligence has moved at breakneck speed.

Fuelled by record investments, today's AI models keep getting more powerful, more versatile, and more accessible - combining not only language, image, sound, video... but also automating decisions.

Artificial Intelligence is not just reshaping our world - it is revolutionizing it.

Tasks that required years of human expertise are now completed in a heartbeat.

But the risks are equally huge.

This rapid growth is outpacing our ability to govern it - raising fundamental questions about accountability, equality, safety and security.

And about humanity's role in the decision-making process.

Artificial Intelligence without human oversight would leave the world blind - and perhaps nowhere more perilously and recklessly than in global peace and security.

Mr President,

AI tools are already making a positive difference in countries suffering from conflict and insecurity.

Identifying food insecurity and predicting displacements caused by extreme events and climate change.

Detecting and clearing landmines.

And soon, AI could spot patterns of unrest before violence erupts.

But AI has also entered the battlefield in more troubling ways.

Recent conflicts have become testing grounds for AI military applications.

AI's expansion into security systems raises fundamental concerns about human rights, dignity, and the rule of law - from autonomous border surveillance to predictive policing and beyond.

I have long warned about unforeseen consequences of AI-enabled systems: each advance creates new and unimaginable vulnerabilities.

The "AI arms race" creates fertile ground for misunderstanding, miscalculation and mistakes.

AI-enabled cyberattacks could cripple a country's critical infrastructure and paralyze essential services.

Most critically, AI is eroding the fundamental principle of human control over the use of force.

From intelligence-based assessments to target selection, algorithms have reportedly already been used in making life-and-death decisions.

The convergence of AI with other technologies amplifies these risks exponentially.

The integration of AI with nuclear weapons is particularly alarming with potentially disastrous consequences.

We must avoid it at all costs.

And looking ahead, quantum-AI systems could breach the strongest defences and rewrite the rules of digital security overnight.

Let's be clear: the fate of humanity must never be left to the 'black box' of an algorithm.

Humans must always retain control over decision-making functions - guided by international law, including international humanitarian and human rights laws, and ethical principles.

Humanity's hand created AI.

Humanity's hand must guide it forward.

Mr. President,

Beyond weapons systems, we must also address other risks to peace and security posed by Artificial Intelligence.

AI creates highly realistic content that can spread instantly across online platforms - manipulating public opinion, threatening information integrity, and making truth indistinguishable from outright lies.

Deep fakes could trigger diplomatic crises, incite unrest, and undermine the very foundations of societies.

The environmental footprint of AI also poses distinct security risks.

The massive energy and water consumption of AI data centres, combined with the rush for critical minerals, is creating dangerous competition for resources and geopolitical tensions.

Mr. President,

Unprecedented global challenges call for unprecedented global cooperation.

In July 2023, I welcomed calls from some Member States "for the creation of a new United Nations entity to support collective efforts to govern" AI and to "establish and administer internationally-agreed frameworks and mechanisms of monitoring and governance".

Since then, a series of initiatives has prompted high-level discussions around international peace and security implications - including on responsible applications of AI in the military domain.

Declarations on AI have been issued from many Member States, regional groups, and international organizations.

The United Nations has pursued efforts to reduce fragmentation of AI governance and help bring these separate initiatives towards a common framework.

The General Assembly has adopted two resolutions on AI - promoting enhanced global cooperation and capacity-building.

A third resolution - focusing on AI in the military domain - has been recommended by the First Committee and will be considered by the General Assembly in the coming days.

Drawing from extensive global consultations, my High-level Advisory Body on AI has developed - in record-time - a blueprint for addressing both the profound risks and opportunities that AI presents to humanity.

Their work laid the foundation for a framework that connects existing initiatives - and ensures that every nation can help shape our digital future.

The United Nations Global Digital Compact transforms this shared vision into action.

Adopted by leaders at the Summit of the Future, the Compact represents the first universally endorsed framework on AI governance.

It commits to establishing an Independent International Scientific Panel on AI and initiating a Global Dialogue on AI governance within the United Nations - giving every country a seat at the table.



And the Compact requests options for innovative financing to build AI capabilities where they are needed most - ensuring developing countries receive our full support.

A world of AI haves and have-nots would be a world of perpetual instability.

We must never allow AI to stand for "Advancing Inequality."

Only by preventing the emergence of fragmented AI spheres can we build a world where technology serves all humanity.

[FRENCH]

Monsieur le President, Excellences,

Mr. President, Excellencies,

Les prochaines etapes seront cruciales - et nos choix presents faconneront notre avenir.

Our next steps will be crucial - and the choices we make now will define our future.

Tout retard dans la mise en place de garde-fous internationaux accroit le risque pour nous tous.

Every moment of delay in establishing international guardrails increases the risk for us all.

J'exhorte les Etats membres a agir rapidement afin d'etablir le Groupe scientifique international sur l'Intelligence Artificielle et d'engager le Dialogue mondial sur la gouvernance de l'Intelligence Artificielle - au sein de l'Organisation des Nations unies.

I urge Member States to move swiftly in establishing the International Scientific Panel on AI and launching the Global Dialogue on AI Governance within the United Nations.

Je reitere egalement mon appel a interdire les armes autonomes letales. Nous devons etablir de nouvelles interdictions et restrictions sur les systemes d'armes autonomes d'ici a 2026.

I also reiterate my call for banning lethal autonomous weapons. We must establish new prohibitions and restrictions on autonomous weapons systems by 2026.

Aucun pays ne doit concevoir, developper, deployer ou utiliser des applications militaires de l'Intelligence Artificielle dans les conflits armes qui violent le droit international, le droit humanitaire et les droits humains. Cela inclut le recours a l'Intelligence Artificielle pour selectionner ou engager des cibles de maniere autonome.

No country should design, develop, deploy or use military applications of AI in armed conflict that violate international law, humanitarian law and human rights. That includes relying on AI to select or engage targets autonomously.

Les membres de ce Conseil doivent montrer l'exemple et veiller a ce que la competition autour des technologies emergentes ne destabilise pas la paix et la securite internationales.

Members of this Council must lead by example and ensure that competition over emerging technologies does not destabilize international peace and security.

Je vous invite tous a unir vos forces pour batir l'avenir de l'Intelligence Artificielle - un avenir sur, securise et inclusif.

I urge you all to join forces to build a safe, secure and inclusive AI future.

Je vous remercie.

Thank you.

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CSAF, CMSAF continue Standing Watch tour in CENTCOM region

Published Dec. 19, 2024

Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs

ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) -- Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force David Flosi continued their Standing Watch trip, visiting numerous locations within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility to speak with Airmen and key partners Dec. 17-19.

At each location they visited, Allvin and Flosi highlighted the strategic importance of the region and how Airmen are contributing to national security during numerous all calls.

"Make no mistake, Great Power Competition is not limited to the Indo-Pacific region," Allvin said. "The Air Force Central Command area of responsibility is complex and volatile with both the People's Republic of China and Russia seeking influence and access through malign actions. You also have Iran undermining stability throughout the region by supporting terrorist groups and military proxies. Thankfully, as recent events demonstrate, our Airmen are ready to rapidly transition to major combat operations if deterrence fails."

The senior leaders also expressed their appreciation to the Airmen they met.

"Alongside our allies and partners in the region, you are doing very important work on behalf of our country," Flosi said, during a standing-room only session with several hundred Airmen. "What you are doing is vital and I am grateful for your efforts, as is my family and our entire nation...Never forget why you are here and trust me, our adversaries are taking notice."

Allvin also expressed his gratitude while recognizing how Total Force Airmen across the region are impacting not only current operations, but also the future of airpower.

"Air Force Central Command Airmen are on the cutting edge of operations, with some risking their own lives as they shape how we will fight in a modern, contested environment alongside coalition partners," he said. "Case in point, since Oct. 7, 2023, Airmen deployed to this area of responsibility have earned three Silver Stars, 52 Distinguished Flying Crosses, and one Bronze Star Medal with Valor device. Those numbers tell you all you need to know about the skill and fortitude of our American Airmen who are poised to unleash hell wherever, whenever."

Flosi agreed, telling Airmen, "People are going to be talking about what happened in this theater over the last few weeks for years to come."

In addition to engaging with Airmen, the senior leaders met with several key leaders throughout their time in the region. Specifically, Allvin spoke with Brig. Gen. Mohammad Hiyasat, commander of the Royal Jordanian Air Force.

"I am grateful for the steadfast and robust partnership we share with the Royal Jordanian Air Force," Allvin said. "Jordan is a pillar of regional stability, and our close cooperation has long been crucial to addressing shared security challenges."

He also spoke with Maj. Gen. Mohammad Al-Dosari, the Qatar Emiri Air Force commander.

"We deeply appreciate Qatar's continued support and partnership, which remains essential to regional security," the general stated. "As belligerents in the region continue to sow insecurity and terror, it is imperative we continue to build trust, pursue shared awareness and advance information sharing with all our partners in this region."

Allvin spoke firsthand with Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Nasser al-Alawi, the commander of the United Arab Emirates Air Force and Air Defense, as well.

"The UAE's recent designation as a Major Defense Partner reflects our deepening relationship and we look forward to enhanced cooperation in support of regional stability," Allvin said.

In addition, Flosi met with his Jordanian counterpart, Chief Warrant Officer Wajdi Alzubi, and his Emirati counterpart, Chief Master Sgt. Mohammad Ali Alzaabi.

During each key leader engagements, Allvin and Flosi reaffirmed ongoing security cooperation efforts and discussed the importance of stability in the Middle East.

The senior leaders departed the region late on Dec. 19, traveling to Eastern Europe for a final stop on their Standing Watch tour.

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SECNAV Carlos Del Toro visits NSA Bahrain

US Navy

19 December 2024

From Commander U.S. Naval Forces Central Command Public Affairs

Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro visits U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and U.S. 5th Fleet onboard Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain, Dec. 18-19.

Del Toro had a series of engagements including meetings with key leaders, service members and government civilians, visiting various facilities and ships, and holding an all-hands call in the base gym.

"Thank you to each and every one of you for what you have done to serve our Navy, our Marine Corps, our Department of Defense and our nation," said Del Toro. "You all had a choice to make when you were entering the work force and you chose to serve your country."

During the all-hands call, Del Toro reflected on his time in service and praised the team. Additionally, he highlighted the CNO's NAVPLAN, Navy retention and support, and encouraged Sailors and Marines to enjoy their time in service.

"I'm proud of our Sailors, Marines and Merchant Mariners who are serving aboard aircraft carriers, amphibious ships, cruisers, destroyers, combat logistics ships and watch floors in this critical region. You are American heroes!"

Before concluding the all-hands call, personnel were given the opportunity to ask questions about quality of life and quality of service opportunities.

Del Toro was sworn in as the 78th secretary of the Navy Aug. 9, 2021. In 1983, he joined the United States Navy as a surface warfare officer for 22 years before departing active duty to enter the private sector.

The U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations encompasses approximately 2.5 million square miles of water space and includes the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, parts of the Indian Ocean and three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, Suez Canal and Strait of Bab al-Mandeb.

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Israel continues striking Gaza as ceasefire talks continue

By VOA News December 19, 2024

Israel continued to strike Gaza on Thursday as U.S. and Arab mediators worked to broker a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, according to reports.

Medics in Gaza said Israeli strikes killed 44 Palestinians in Gaza on Thursday, including at least 13 who were killed overnight in separate airstrikes.

Medics said another airstrike killed nine people near the Beach refugee camp in Gaza City, while another strike killed four people at a housing project near Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza.

Later Thursday, airstrikes killed at least 15 Palestinians in two shelters for displaced families in eastern Gaza, according to medics, while a separate Israeli strike killed at least three people in a Gaza City suburb.

In some of the strikes, Israel said it was targeting Hamas command centers, without providing evidence.

Those strikes and deaths took place as mediators in Egypt and Qatar continued to work on a deal to pause the war. Mediators have succeeded in narrowing some gaps on previous sticking points, but other differences exist, Reuters reported.

In New York on Thursday, the United Nations General Assembly voted to ask the International Court of Justice for an opinion on Israel's obligations to facilitate aid to Palestinians that is delivered by states and international groups, including the U.N.

The resolution was drafted by Norway and was adopted with 137 countries voting yes, 10 countries  including Israel and the United States  voting no, and 22 countries abstaining.

Meanwhile, a new report Thursday from New York-based advocacy group Human Rights Watch, has accused Israel of committing genocide by intentionally depriving civilians in Gaza of an adequate water supply, likely resulting in the deaths of thousands.

The 179-page report published on the group's website outlines how since the war between Israel and Hamas began in October 2023, Israeli authorities and forces cut off and later restricted piped water to Gaza, and cut electricity and restricted fuel, rendering most of the enclave's sanitation infrastructure useless.

Additionally, the report said Israel deliberately destroyed and damaged water and sanitation infrastructure and water repair materials, and blocked the entry of critical water supplies.

In a statement, HRW Executive Director Tirana Hassan accused Israel of deliberately depriving Palestinians of an element essential for human life for more than a year.

"This isn't just negligence," Hassan said. "It is a calculated policy of deprivation that has led to the deaths of thousands from dehydration and disease that is nothing short of the crime against humanity of extermination, and an act of genocide."

Israel emphatically denied the charges. In a statement, Israel's Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories agency, COGAT, called HRW's charges a "libelous claim" and "an egregious lie."

The COGAT statement said millions of liters of water flow into Gaza through three pipelines, and Israel has "facilitated hundreds of water infrastructure repairs and fixed water lines leading to Gaza on the Israeli side that were damaged by Hamas.

"We operate in accordance with international law," the COGAT statement said. "Saying otherwise is just flagrant deceit," the statement said.

A report published Thursday by Doctors Without Borders said there were clear signs of ethnic cleansing in Israel's offensive as Palestinians were forcibly displaced and bombed.

Israel has previously denied accusations of ethnic cleansing.

Months of ceasefire talks have proven fruitless in halting the fighting triggered by the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people and led to the capture of 250 hostages.

Gaza health officials say Israel's counteroffensive has killed at least 45,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, while Israel says the death toll includes thousands of Hamas combatants.

Hamas has been designated as a terror group by the United States, Britain, the European Union and others.

VOA's United Nations correspondent Margaret Besheer contributed to this report, and some information was provided by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.

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Polish defense chief: Poland ready to face Russia's threats

By Myroslava Gongadze December 19, 2024

Polish Defense Minister Wadysaw Kosiniak-Kamysz laid out his country's plans to deal with feared Russian aggression, such as possible missile infiltrations and conflict on its borders, in an interview with VOA Eastern Europe Bureau Chief Myroslava Gongadze.

Plans include bolstering air defenses to building a $2.1 billion "East Shield," he said Tuesday.

"Polish F-16s are ready to act if a missile threatens our territory," he said, confirming the military's heightened readiness amid the war in Ukraine. Kosiniak-Kamysz emphasized the urgency of European countries pulling their weight in defense, warning that NATO's unity is key to keeping American forces in Europe.

With the war in Ukraine showing no signs of letting up, Poland is leading the charge in Europe, spending more on defense than any other NATO member and urging others to follow suit.

This interview, translated from Polish, has been edited for brevity and clarity.

VOA: You're buying a lot of equipment from the United States. How do you assess this cooperation, and what are you looking forward to?

Polish Defense Minister Wadysaw Kosiniak-Kamysz: Our cooperation is really at the best possible level. I have concluded several contracts worth dozens of billions of dollars, including the purchase of 26 Apache aircraft. Poland will be one of the best armies equipped with attack aircraft, Apaches. We're talking about a strategic partnership, and I think we are meeting President [-elect Donald] Trump's expectations. We're spending a lot on armaments, and we have good trade relations. We're buying a lot of equipment in the U.S. That's a guarantee of security, as well as it is investment in U.S. production.

VOA: How do you assess the Russian threat today, and who are Poland's main adversaries?

Kosiniak-Kamysz: Russia is the greatest threat since the end of World War II. Many people have said that since the end of the second World War, but today, it's not the Cold War. We have an active war just beyond our border. We have crises  a conflict in the Near East. We have a conflict situation in the Pacific and also, recently, the developments in Syria have totally changed the position of Russia, Iran and other countries. So, we are living in very difficult times. Poland is spending 4.7% of its GDP the greatest amount among NATO member states on defense  on armaments. Why are we spending that money? Because the situation is utmost difficult. The threat from Russia is realistic. The citizens of Ukraine are experiencing it every day.

VOA: How important it is to invest in defense, and how would you encourage others to put more into defense?

Kosiniak-Kamysz: Two percent is not enough. It is the absolute minimum. I believe that the 2% of GDP that NATO countries have committed to, and those that do not meet it, will not even be invited to the table with the new Trump administration. ... So, all countries must fulfill their obligations. ... Europe must do more for security, not to replace the Americans in Europe, but to keep them in Europe. If we do not spend more on security, if other countries do not follow Poland's example, we will not be able to keep Americans in Europe.

The EU has created the program for defense development, but it has assigned just 1.5 billion euros ($1.55 billion). It's just symbolic. Where are the capacities to manufacture the munitions that North Korea, Russia and Iran have? Europe, as well as the Western world, the U.S., Canada and our allies don't have those capacities. We have to make up for it. 100 billion euros ($103 billion)  that would be the money we should be talking about.

VOA: So, are you saying that Europe is not ready to fight the active war today?

Kosiniak-Kamysz: We are ready  we have to be ready each day. But Europe has to be more ready to a better extent each day. So, it's not enough to say that we are ready and do nothing. A lot has happened since the outbreak of war in Ukraine. But it's still not enough to say that it's at the best level. We have to be ready to fight each time of day and night, each state. We are prepared for that. But each day, we could be prepared better, hence the pressure that we are exerting on other countries. Hence the building of a resilient society. This is something that Western societies don't have today. ...

We have already been attacked with lies, fake news, with misinformation. And it does not matter if you live next to the border with the Kaliningrad region, near the Belarusian border here in Poland, or [if] you live in Portugal, in Quebec, or anyplace today. You are being attacked. Russia has already attacked you.

VOA: Poland has experienced Belarusian helicopters entering its airspace. A Russian missile violated Poland's airspace during an attack on Ukraine. Is Poland ready to do something about it?

Kosiniak-Kamysz: The situation of infringing the airspace of Poland also affects Latvia, often affecting Romania with UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), and we've prepared the air defense system. We also have enhanced air defense. We're talking about Rzeszow Airport, which is almost being passed onto the protection of NATO. Our allies America, Britain, Germany, Norway and other nations  are protecting us at the air base. And if that airspace is infringed, then the target missile or a drone can be shot [down]. ... But it's a different situation when it comes to shooting targets above the Ukrainian territory. There is no NATO decision on that position, or agreement to do so. We are protecting our territories.

VOA: Are you saying that if a rocket infiltrates Polish airspace, you're ready to shoot them down?

Kosiniak-Kamysz: Very often, we activate our F-16s to act accordingly, if there is a danger to Polish territory, to defend our territory.

VOA: But it hasn't happened yet?

Kosiniak-Kamysz: No, because there has been no such event where the missile would be aimed at a target in the Polish territory. But yes, last week, the Polish F-16s took off and were ready to protect near the border.

VOA: There are talks about the defense line you're building on the eastern border called the "East Shield." What are the plans for that for the next year or two?

Kosiniak-Kamysz: This is preparation for the event of a conflict on the Polish-Russian, Polish-Belarusian borders. We are building barriers that will complicate the movement of enemy troops. We are also building warehouses for artillery and other means of defense. We are building places for the defense of manpower. .... This should be combined with the Baltic line of defense, [and] strengthening the Russian-Finnish border. In addition, we are increasing protection against illegal migrants.

VOA: French President Emmanuel Macron visited Poland last week and hinted at the idea of Polish and French military personnel going to Ukraine as security guarantees if a peace agreement is signed. Poland declared it was not planning to do so. Why?

Kosiniak-Kamysz: We have not seen any peace plan from President Trump yet. There are many reports in the press about this or that outcome, following the example of Finland, or the example of Germany, but these are all speculations. We exclude the possibility of the Polish military being on the territory of Ukraine. We believe that such decisions should not be made by the group of countries, but NATO should have a key role in this decision. We will consider further steps when that stage comes. At this stage, as you said, we do not plan to send troops to Ukraine.

VOA: So, if NATO would make that decision, you're open to it?

Kosiniak-Kamysz: Well, we'll see. I won't be making any declarations here. I'm just saying that we are not planning to deploy any troops to Ukraine, as long as the peace process has not been finalized, and that is not possible without Ukraine at the table.

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Somalia 'open' to Ethiopian troop role

By Harun Maruf, Kennedy Abate December 19, 2024

The Somali government is "open" to a potential role for Ethiopian troops in an African Union mission scheduled to take over peacekeeping operations in the country next month.

A senior Somali government official on Thursday told VOA's Horn of Africa Service that the Somali government has "secured" and "allocated" all troops needed from the four other AU-troop-contributing countries  Burundi, Djibouti, Kenya and Uganda  to participate in the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia, or AUSSOM. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he had not been cleared to speak with reporters.

But Somali leaders, he added, are now "ready to reconsider" Ethiopian involvement in AUSSOM following a conciliatory dialogue between the countries hosted by Turkey last week.

In recent months, Mogadishu had repeatedly demanded that Addis Ababa withdraw its troops from Somali territory unless Ethiopia canceled a controversial Memorandum of Understanding with Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland. The memorandum grants Ethiopia access to a 20-kilometer stretch of Red Sea coastline in return for potential recognition of Somaliland's independence.

The anonymous official said although Somalia secured all troops from those four AU nations to compensate for the absence of Ethiopian troops, the recent diplomatic breakthrough has reopened the door for involving Ethiopia's military support.

During the talks in Ankara, Ethiopia and Somalia agreed to respect each other's sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.

The possible breakthrough came just weeks after a spokesperson for Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nebiat Getachew, told media outlets that Ethiopia's focus was on al-Shabab.

"Ethiopia's key role, in any situation  in bringing al-Shabab to a level where it cannot be a threat to the region, as well as its role in the establishment and stability of the Somali government  is known both by the Somalis and the international community," he said.

"It is an undeniable fact that the Ethiopian army has made sacrifices in blood and bones for this great result," Nebiat added. "The work of weakening the [Somalia-based] al-Shabab terrorist group will continue under any circumstances so that it does not pose a threat to our national security and the victories achieved through the sacrifices made so far are not reversed."

In a Thursday meeting, the AU's peace and security council expressed concern about the threat posed by al-Shabab and condemned the group's attacks on Somali and AU forces.

The AU appealed to the U.N. Security Council to explore financing options for AUSSOM.

"This is vital for#AUSSOM to fulfill its mandate & support the#Somalia Security Sector Development Plan (SSDP)," the AU said in a post on the X social media platform.

Starting in January, AUSSOM will have 11,900 personnel operating on the ground in Somalia, including soldiers, police and civilian support staff, according to Somali and AU officials.

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Mogadishu development project brings hope to Somalia

By Mohamed Olad Hassan December 19, 2024

In a landmark event for Somalia, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Thursday officially launched the "New Mogadishu" development initiative, a transformative project that aims to reshape the capital's economic landscape.

The initiative includes construction of a modern airport, a port and a key economic zone, all focused on fostering growth and attracting investment.

During the launch, Mohamud said the initiative showcases the resilience of the Somali business community.

"Somali businessmen have stepped up to provide essential services during challenging times, proving their commitment to the nation's progress," he said.

Mohamud also noted the initiative has the potential for massive job creation.

"The creation of this project is not just about infrastructure; it's about creating opportunities for our youth and uplifting our communities," he said.

"The launch of the New Mogadishu project marks a significant milestone for Somalia as it seeks to revitalize its capital and strengthen investor confidence, paving the way for a brighter economic future," Mohamud added.

Fardowsa Osman Egal, Somalia's minister of transport and aviation, emphasized the significance of the new airport in this project.

"It is a long dream that is materializing now. Due to the capacity and function of the current Mogadishu airport, which only has one runway, this new international airport will help us increase international flights," she said. "The planned state-of-the-art airport and modern port will serve as vital infrastructure, creating a financial zone that is expected to draw both international and local investors."

Valued at approximately $650 million, the New Mogadishu initiative is expected to significantly boost Somalia's economic development.

On behalf of Somali business community, Mohamud Abdikarim Gabeyre, the chairman of the Somali Chamber of Commerce and Industry, welcomed the initiative.

"New Mogadishu, on the northern outskirts of the capital, is a project we welcome because we heard that the Somali business community will get the priority of the investment, and we hope it will be successful," he said.

On Wednesday, the president also inaugurated a $400 million groundbreaking development project named Gateway Complex, poised to transform Somalia's capital by introducing Somalia's first five-star hotel, managed by the globally recognized Rotana hospitality group, and an international convention center capable of hosting up to 5,000 attendees.

Plans also feature premium hotel apartments, a 300-bed modern hospital, a leading school, a vibrant shopping complex, residential units and recreational facilities.

Mogadishu has long suffered from lawlessness and terrorist attacks. Although the capabilities of the al-Shabab terrorist group have been weakened, it continues to pose a threat by assassinating civilians, particularly those who install security cameras on their shops and business centers.

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Surveillance, aid, responders and evacuees covered by RNZAF Vanuatu flights

New Zealand Defence Force

Multiple Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) flights to Vanuatu this week have delivered emergency responders and tonnes of search and rescue equipment and aid, while 93 New Zealanders and approved foreign nationals have been evacuated.

20 December, 2024

Another evacuation flight is being planned for Saturday and the aircraft will also deliver more humanitarian assistance and disaster relief supplies as part of New Zealand's support to Vanuatu following Tuesday's 7.3-magnitude earthquake.

Commander Joint Forces New Zealand, Major General Rob Krushka, says the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has been working closely with Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFAT) officials and partners in Vanuatu to deliver the support requested by the Government of Vanuatu.

"As always, we are ready to provide all available resources to help our friends in the Pacific," Major General Krushka said.

Yesterday, RNZAF P-8A Poseidon, Boeing 757, C-130J and C-130H Hercules aircraft were all involved in the response.

After delivering more than seven tonnes of aid, the Boeing 757 arrived in Auckland last night carrying 93 passengers, most of whom were New Zealanders and their families. Twelve approved foreign nationals were also on board.

The NZDF had medical staff available for evacuees in Vanuatu, and the aircraft had food, child safety harnesses and personal products for families for the flight home.

Air Component Commander, Air Commodore Andy Scott, says RNZAF aircraft continue to be on stand-by.

However there were no requests for flights today with the focus being on delivering more humanitarian assistance supplies tomorrow ahead of further evacuations.

Urban Search and Rescue personnel, plus NZ Police, Ministry of Health, National Emergency and Management Agency staff and MFAT consular staff, plus more than 15 tonnes of search and rescue equipment and aid supplies, were taken to Vanuatu on RNZAF aircraft yesterday.

Poseidon crew also conducted a second surveillance flight to provide further assessments of damage, including flying over outlying areas to inform understanding of the impact of the earthquake outside of Port Vila.

"RNZAF personnel are pulling out all the stops to deliver support to Vanuatu," Air Commodore Scott said.

"Aircraft were flying as soon as aid supplies and equipment arrived at Whenuapai and could be packaged up. We have been using multiple aircraft types to provide support, and are extremely proud to be able to support our Pacific neighbours when they need our help."

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Russo-Ukraine War - 19 December 2024 - Day 1030

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 UK Ministry of Defence reported that Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) troops are currently engaged in offensive combat operations against Ukrainian forces in Kursk Oblast, Russia. DPRK troops have highly likely sustained significant combat casualties but so far only achieved tactical gains. Around 11,000 DPRK combat troops have deployed to the Kursk region.

Russian and DPRK forces are almost certainly experiencing interoperability difficulties. The two forces do not share a common language and DPRK troops almost certainly have difficulties integrating into Russia's command and control structure.

Russia and DPRK have deepened their bilateral partnership with the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty, which includes a mutual defence clause, taking effect from 4 December 2024. For Russia, DPRK's military support to their war in Ukraine has highly likely been the core driver for the partnership and has until recently, centred around North Korea's provision of arms. In return, DPRK has received high level international support from Russia and has secured a trading partner willing to break sanctions.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that the Defense Forces are directing efforts to disrupt the execution of Russian invaders' offensive plans and exhaust their combat potential.

Since the beginning of the day, there have been 189 combat clashes, Russian forces launched 51 air strikes, dropping 80 KABs, deployed 820 kamikaze drones, launched more than 4100 shells of settlements and positions of Ukrainian troops.

In the Kharkiv direction Russian terrorists launched air strikes in the areas of the settlements Tsupivka, Mali Passages, Vesele, Uda.

Ten times the Russian enemy, supported by aviation, attacked Ukrainian fortifications in the Kupans komu direction in the areas of Lozova, Zagrizovoye and Kolisnikivka.

Seventeen Russian attacks were repelled by Ukrainian warriors near Tverdohlibovy, Green Grove, Terniv and in Serebryansky forestry in the Lyman direction. The air strikes were suffered by Tverdohlibove, Nadia, Sergiyivka, Grekivka and Serebryanskiy Forest.

In the sivers komu direction, Russian forces carried out offensive actions in the areas of bilogorivka, grigorivka and verkhnyokamans kogo, a total of nine attacks were repelled. Air strikes were hit by the areas of settlements Serebryanka, Siversk, Riznikivka and Fedorivka.

In the Kramators komu direction, one attempt of the Russian zagarbnikiv to advance near the time gap ended in failure. Kabama's airstrikes were suffered by virolubivka and kramatorsk.

In the Toretsky direction, Russian forces today 12 times stormed the positions of Ukrainian defenders in the areas of Toretsk and Sherbinivka. Defense forces are steadily holding back the pressure. In the areas of Friendship and Katerinivka, the Russian enemy dropped Kabi.

Intensely attacks the Russian opponent of Ukrainian defenders in the Pokrovsky direction. Throughout the day, the enemy carried out 32 offensive actions. The largest activity of the Russian occupiers is kept in the settlements of Sukha Balka, Mirolyubivka, Romin, Lisivka, Dachensk, Solone, Novi Trud, Zelene and Novovasilivka. Ukrainian defenders courageously hold the borders, repelled all Russian attacks.

According to preliminary estimates, today Ukrainian warriors eliminated 199 and wounded 205 Russian invaders. 11 units of automotive equipment were destroyed, including a tank, SAU and mortar significantly damaged.

In the Kurakhiv direction at this time of the day counts 18 combat clashes. Russian forces tried to advance in the areas of Soncivka, Stari Terniv, Andriyivka, Kurakhovoy and Dachny. Another battle is brewing.

In the vremivs komu direction, Russian forces during the day made 20 attacks in the direction of Uspenivka, konstantinopil s kogo, blagodatnogo, neskucnogo and novodari Three fights are being sharpened so far. Russian forces caused KABAMA air strikes in the areas of populated areas of Novosilka, Novodarivka, Temirivka and Green Field.

In the Orihiv direction Russian zagarbniki once tried to storm the positions of Ukrainian defenders in the direction of Novodanilivka. At the same time, air strikes were made in the districts of Stepnogirsk, Temirivki and Lobkovogo.

In the Pridniprovsk direction, two Russian assaults have been setback.

In Kur ini Ukrainian defenders repelled 48 attacks of zagarbnikiv, at the moment another 12 boezitknen  is ongoing. According to the information, Russian forces carried out 6 airstrikes on their territory a day, dropping seven controlled airstrikes.

In other directions, there have been no significant changes in the environment.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that in Kharkov direction, units of the Sever Group of Forces inflicted losses on armed formations of one mechanised brigade of the AFU and one territorial defence brigade near Zolochev and Volchansk (Kharkov region). The AFU losses amounted to more than 100 troops, five armoured fighting vehicles, 13 motor vehicles, and two 122-mm D-30 howitzers.

Units of the Zapad Group of Forces improved the tactical situation and inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of one mechanised brigade, one jaeger brigade, one assault brigade of the AFU, and one territorial defence brigade near Monachinovka, Kutkovka, Dvurechnaya, Lozovaya (Kharkov region), Novoyegorovka (Lugansk People's Republic), and Terni (Donetsk People's Republic). Two counter-attacks launched by assault detachments of the enemy were repelled.

The AFU losses amounted to up to 460 troops, six pickup trucks, one 155-mm Bogdana self-propelled artillery system, one 122-mm Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system, and two 122-mm D-30 howitzers. One ammunition depot was destroyed.

Units of the Yug Group of Forces took more advantageous positions and inflicted losses on formations of two mechanised brigades, one airmobile brigade, one mountain assault brigade of the AFU, and two territorial defence brigades near Chasov Yar, Reznikovka, Zvanovka, Seversk, and Fyodorovka (Donetsk People's Republic).

The AFU losses amounted to up to 315 troops, two armoured personnel carriers, including one U.S.-made M113 armoured personnel carrier, one armoured fighting vehicle, two motor vehicles, one U.S.-made 155-mm M777 howitzer, one 122-mm Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system, and one 122-mm D-30 howitzer. Two field ammunition depots were destroyed.

Units of the Tsentr Group of Forces continued advancing to the depth of the enemy's defences and inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of three mechanised brigades of the AFU and two territorial defence brigades near Dzerzhinsk, Peschanoye, Zarya, Shcherbinovka, and Katerinovka (Donetsk People's Republic). Twelve counter-attacks launched by AFU armed formations were repelled.

The AFU losses amounted to up to 520 troops, one Kozak armoured fighting vehicle, seven motor vehicles, one 152-mm Msta-B howitzer, one 152-mm D-20 guns, and two 122-mm D-30 howitzers.

As a result of successful offensive operations, units of the Vostok Group of Forces liberated Zelenovka and Novy Komar (Donetsk People's Republic). Losses were inflicted on formations of one mountain assault brigade of the AFU, one territorial defence brigade, and one national guard brigade near Bogatyr, Velikaya Novoselka, Zelenoye Pole and Vremevka (Donetsk People's Republic). One counter-attack launched by the enemy's units was repelled.

The AFU losses amounted to up to 175 troops, one infantry fighting vehicle, three motor vehicles, one Polish-made 155-mm Krab self-propelled artillery system, two 152-mm Akatsiya self-propelled artillery systems, and one 122-mm D-30 howitzer. One electronic warfare station was eliminated.

Units of the Dnepr Group of Forces inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of one mechanised brigade, one mountain assault brigade of the AFU, and one territorial defence brigade near Kamenskoye, Nesteryanka (Zaporozhye region), Antonovka, and Sadovoye (Kherson region). One counter-attack of the enemy's assault detachment was repelled.

The AFU losses amounted to up to 60 troops, one motor vehicle, two 152-mm D-20 guns, and one U.S.-made HIMARS MLRS launcher. One electronic warfare station was eliminated.

Operational-Tactical Aviation, attack unmanned aerial vehicles, and Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces struck infrastructure of military airfields, as well as engaged clusters of the enemy's manpower and military hardware in 149 areas.

Air defence units shot down one U.S.-made HIMARS MLRS projectile, one Neptune long-range missile, and 154 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles.

In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 650 aircraft, 283 helicopters, 38,064 unmanned aerial vehicles, 590 anti-aircraft missile systems, 19,844 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,502 MLRS combat vehicles, 19,822 field artillery guns and mortars, and 29,326 units of support military vehicles have been neutralised.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation also reported that the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the operation to neutralise an enemy group, which broke into the territory of Kursk region.

In the course of offensive operations, units of the Sever Group of Forces inflicted losses on formations of one heavy mechanised brigade, six mechanised brigades, two air assault brigades, and one territorial defence brigades of the AFU near Basovka, Viktorovka, Daryino, Kositsa, Kruglenkoye, Lebedevka, Leonidovo, Malaya Loknya, Martynovka, Mirny, Melovoy, and Sverdlikovo. Two counter-attacks launched by the enemy's assault detachments were repelled.

Operational-Tactical and Army aviation and artillery inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of the enemy near Gornal, Guyevo, Kurilovka, Maryevka, Makhnovka, Novoivanovka, Orlovka, Pogrebki, Rubanshchina as well as Belovody, Veselovka, Vodolagi, Zhuravka, Miropolye, and Novenkoye in Sumy region.

Over the past 24 hours, the AFU losses amounted to more than 225 troops, one tank, three infantry fighting vehicles, five armoured fighting vehicles, two motor vehicles, one Polish-made 155-mm Krab self-propelled artillery system, one 122-mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system, three 122-mm D-30 howitzers, and one field ammunition depot.

Since the beginning of hostilities in Kursk region, the AFU losses amounted to more than 42,100 troops, 245 tanks, 187 infantry fighting vehicles, 127 armoured personnel carriers, 1,288 armoured fighting vehicles, 1,154 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, 75 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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Combating terrorism: Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland brings charges against two suspected IS members

Swiss Government

Bern, 19.12.2024 -- The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) has brought charges before the Federal Criminal Court against two Swiss nationals aged 22 and 28. The OAG alleges that the two residents of Canton Zurich, who have prior convictions, initially supported the banned terrorist group 'Islamic State' (IS) and then subsequently became members. They are accused of having intended to travel to Syria to join IS there. Furthermore, they are alleged to have carried out extensive propaganda activities for the benefit of IS as well as providing financial support to IS.

In this context, the OAG has been conducting criminal proceedings since December 2021 and has now indicted the two accused of supporting a terrorist organization (Art. 260ter para. 1 let. a no. 2 in conjunction with let. b of the Swiss Criminal Code, SCC), participation in a terrorist organization (Art. 260ter para. 1 let. a no. 2 SCC) and multiple possession of prohibited representations of acts of violence (Art. 135 para. 1bis a SCC). In June 2022, as part of these criminal proceedings, coordinated arrests and searches were carried out in Switzerland and Germany, resulting in the suspects' arrest (see the press release from the OAG from 14.06.2022).



Planned trip to IS in Syria, propaganda and fundraising

The 22-year-old defendant is accused of supporting IS between April 2020 and December 2021. According to the indictment, he engaged in further acts of support for IS from April 2020 onwards, including operating an IS propaganda channel on Telegram, receiving and forwarding donations for IS, and planning a trip to IS in Syria with another person. He was already an adult during the relevant period.



Integration into IS and attempted journey to Syria to join IS

The OAG also accuses the 22-year-old suspect of having been a member of IS from at least the beginning of December 2021. On December 7, 2021, he is alleged to have attempted to travel to Syria via Turkey to physically join IS as a fighter. At that time, he is said to have been prepared to die as a martyr for IS in Syria and, with this goal in mind, to renounce his life in Switzerland and sever all ties with his local environment. However, he was prevented from continuing his journey by the Turkish authorities and sent back to Switzerland. According to the indictment, before his trip the accused had obtained a so-called "tazkyia" from another IS member, a certificate of trustworthiness serving as a guarantee for new IS recruits.



Integration into IS propaganda structures and renewed travel planning

After his failed attempt to leave the country, the 22-year-old is alleged to have become intensively involved in the production, translation, coordination and distribution of IS propaganda from January 2022. He is said to have worked alongside the 28-year-old co-accused and two men living in Germany: a 62-year-old and a 28-year-old, who are also facing criminal proceedings in Germany.

According to the indictment, the two Swiss suspects operated numerous Telegram channels through which they distributed IS publications translated into German.

From March 2022, the two suspects and the two men in Germany are said to have integrated into IS's official propaganda structures. They became part of a chat group administered by senior IS officials, placing themselves under their authority and taking instructions from them. They also submitted any disputes they had among themselves to IS cadres for binding arbitration. The 28-year-old is said to have supported IS until his admission to the aforementioned chat group, after which he actively participated in it.

The 22-year-old and the 28-year-old are also alleged to have established their own IS media agency, together with the two men living in Germany, to produce German-language IS propaganda. This material was allegedly intended for distribution on a website that served as one of IS's main distribution outlets for propaganda translated into numerous languages.

Additionally, the two suspects are said to have been planning their trip to Syria to join IS from January 2022 until their arrest in June 2022.



IS financed by cryptocurrency

The 22-year-old and the 28-year-old are ultimately accused of financing IS through cryptocurrency transactions with a Bosnian-Herzegovinian national, who was a minor at the time of the offence, amounting to the then equivalent of CHF 12,940.00. The Winterthur Juvenile Court is conducting separate criminal proceedings against the minor.



Both defendants have relevant prior convictions

Both suspects already have prior convictions for supporting IS. The 22-year-old was subject to juvenile criminal proceedings until April 2021 and was convicted by summary penalty order for recruiting for IS and disseminating propaganda in 2019.

The 28-year-old was a defendant in criminal proceedings brought by the OAG until January 2022, he was then suspected of being involved in the attack in Vienna on November 2, 2020, which IS claimed responsibility for. He spent about six months in pre-trial detention, but the case related to the attack was dropped in January 2022. Nonetheless, the suspect was convicted by summary penalty order for distributing IS propaganda.



Course of the criminal proceedings

The two suspects were remanded in custody following their arrest in June 2022. The 22-year-old suspect was released in May 2024 under provisional measures, which continue to this day. The 28-year-old suspect was in custody from August 2023 until September 2024 and then placed in pre-trial detention until the indictment. Preventive detention was ordered for him from the time of the indictment.

In the present criminal proceedings, the OAG collaborated closely with various national and international authorities, including by means of a joint investigation team with the German authorities. The investigations in the Swiss criminal proceedings were conducted by fedpol, with support from the cantonal police forces of the cantons of Zurich and St. Gallen, under the direction of the OAG. The OAG expresses its gratitude to all the authorities involved for their cooperation in this matter.

From the time of the indictment, the Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona will be responsible for providing further information to the media. As is customary, the OAG will announce its penalty requests at the main hearing before the Federal Criminal Court. The presumption of innocence applies until a legally binding judgment is handed down.

Original text of the press release in German

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Chinese private rocket firm Galactic Energy completes 4th launch from sea

Global Times

By Global Times Published: Dec 19, 2024 08:48 PM

A sea-launched version of Ceres I (Remote 4) solid propellent rocket blasted off in East China's Shandong Province at 6:18 pm on Tuesday, sending four satellites into low-Earth orbit (LEO) at an altitude of 850 kilometers.

The launch was the company's fourth successful sea launch mission, as well as its fifth mission for constructing the "Apocalypse Constellation" commenced by Ceres I series rockets. This launch sent No 33 to 36 satellites of the constellation, according to a statement sent by Galactic Energy to the Global Times on Thursday.

Apocalypse Constellation is China's first LEO Internet of Things constellation with its first phase comprising 38 satellites; so far 33 satellites have been launched. The constellation features global coverage, low power consumption and low cost, which has been widely used in agriculture, forestry, emergency response, tourism among other sectors.

As of now, Galactic Energy has successfully conducted 15 commercial launch deliveries, accurately placing 58 commercial satellites with different functions into their designated orbits, said the company.

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MFA statement on summoning Belarusian charge d'affaires

Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Republic of Poland

19.12.2024

Due to the aggressive actions of the Belarusian KGB towards diplomats of the Republic of Poland accredited on the territory of the Republic of Belarus and of third countries, and further to the note of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus of 11 December 2024, the Polish MFA summoned Belarusian Charge d'Affaires Aleksei Ponkratenko on 18 December 2024.

During the meeting, the Belarusian diplomat was handed a note expressing a firm protest against the above actions and was informed that if such provocations continue, the Polish side will be responding symmetrically.

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December 19, 2024

Transcript

ASD Ratner and DASD Chase Discussion on the CMPR at CSIS

Ely Ratner, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, Michael Chase, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for China, Taiwan, and Mongolia, and Bonny Lin Director, China Power Project and Senior Adviser, CSIS

"A Discussion on the Defense Department's 2024 China Military Power Report"

Conducted Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024

Bonny Lin: Hey, folks, I think we're just two minutes late, so pretty on time. But really delighted that you're here with us this afternoon. And I'm very honored to be hosting two distinguished guests from the Department of Defense to roll out this year's China Military Power Report from the Department of Defense.

I want to save as much time for both Ely and Mike, so let me introduce the two of them. They actually need no introduction, but I'll just give very short bios. And then I'll turn the floor to both of them to discuss the main findings from the report. But also, we'll have about 15 minutes near the end for Q&A. We'll take the first round of questions from the room and then we'll look at if there are any questions online.

So with that, Dr. Ely Ratner serves as the assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs. Prior to that, he served as a director of the DOD China Task Force and as senior advisor to China to the secretary of Defense. Before arriving at DOD, he was the executive vice president and director of studies at the Center for New American Security, where he was a member of the executive team and responsible for managing the center's research agenda and staff.

Next to Ely is Dr. Mike Chase. He became the deputy assistant secretary of defense for China in February 2021, and assumed the responsibilities for Taiwan and Mongolia in October 2022. He was previously a senior political scientist at RAND, where his research focused on Chinese military modernization, China's approach to strategic deterrence, Taiwan's defense policy, and Indo-Pacific security issues. I was very honored to be able to work with Mike for many years. Prior to working at RAND, he was an associate professor at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, where he taught in the strategy and policy department and conducted research on Chinese maritime issues in the Center for Naval Warfare Studies.

OK, so with that out of the way, you may have seen already, for those who didn't have a copy there are a couple of hard copies downstairs still. A very, very impressive report. Probably one of the most important reports you read - you can read from the year in terms of authoritative U.S. government assessment on China's military power. So I guess the first question I have for Mike is, what's new in the report and what should we be paying attention to?

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Michael Chase: All right. Thank you, Bonny, very much for hosting us today. And thanks to everyone for joining us.

In this year's report, I think there are a number of topics that are new and noteworthy. And also we continue, of course, to cover trends that have developed over a long period of time across the reports in this series over many years. We note that despite what the PRC sees as an increasingly turbulent strategic environment and domestic challenges, they continue to forge ahead with the pursuit of Xi Jinping's national strategy and they continue to work toward his military modernization goals for the PLA including the capabilities development milestones he's set for the PLA for 2027, 2035, and 2049.

So in the report we take note of the advances the PLA has made in its conventional capabilities, the modernization and expansion of its nuclear force, as well as the investments they're making in space, cyberspace, and electronic warfare. But we also note a number of areas in which they continue to face challenges and in which they have some self-assessed long-standing deficiencies related to personnel quality, for example, and we have a new section in the report detailing the PLA challenges with corruption and the anti-corruption campaign that the PRC has waged very vigorously over the period that's covered in the report.

We talk about the anti-corruption campaign - the corruption challenges themselves - and how they could present real obstacles to accomplishing the goals that Xi has set for the PLA for 2027.

We also talk about a number of other new topics in the report this year including the challenges that the PRC would have in the event of a conflict in the Western Pacific in securing its energy supplies and we cover a number of other new topics in the report or cover some topics of long-running interest in greater depth including the role of political training in the PLA, their approach to cognitive domain warfare, what we would think of as information or influence operations, among others.

Assistant Secretary of Defense Ely Ratner: Great. Well, thank you, Bonny. Let me also just say thanks to CSIS for being here today and congratulations to Bonny for all the great work you're doing here at the center.

Mike mentioned a bunch of the specific topics, which I'm sure we'll have time to get into. Maybe just a couple framing comments at the beginning which is just to remind folks that in the 2022 NDS the department identified the People's Republic of China as the department's pacing challenge, and since taking office the administration has reiterated time and again that the reason for that is because the PRC remains the only country in the world with both the will and increasingly the capability to alter the international order in its favor, and that even in the midst of significant global challenges, obviously, what's happening with Russia and Ukraine, in the Middle East, that fundamental assessment of the PRC as the department's pacing challenge has not changed.

And I think it's really important in terms of continuity of strategy, and nothing we have seen from the PRC has changed that and I think this report tells you exactly why both in terms of articulating with some specificity both the strategy and the capability side of what we're seeing out of the PLA.

So this document in many ways reaffirms existing assessment and strategy, and as we are talking about new elements there is that level of continuity throughout the administration. So that would be point number one.

I think point number two we're going to spend most of today talking about the PLA but it is very important to remember if there was a foreign country writing a U.S. military power report what that report would say is that over the last several years the United States has substantially strengthened its strategic position in the Indo-Pacific, that we have taken that strategy that identified the PRC as the top pacing challenge, applied that to our budget - the most strategy-driven budgets in the department's history.

So we are making the investments in our capability. We are taking actions to ensure that American wealth and American innovation are not flowing toward PLA modernization through export controls and investment restrictions.

We are modernizing our force posture. We are strengthening the capabilities of our allies and partners and we are bringing our allies and partners together in ways we never have before.

So I just don't want us to lose sight of even as we are going to be talking about some of the advances that the PLA is making that on the U.S. side we are absolutely keeping pace, and we can get into that in more detail as well.

Dr. Lin: Great. Thank you, Ely. Thank you, Mike.

I want to follow up on a couple points that you touched on which is how China is investing across the board but also China's military deficiencies and, I think, Mike, you mentioned one of them in passing, which is personnel and then corruption.

But I found it quite striking in the report that when it came to China's investment in the military the assessment this year was that the actual Chinese defense budget is, what, 40 (percent) to 90 percent more than the public budget, and the figure from last year's report was it was, like, only 30 (percent) to 40 percent more.

So very interesting in terms of the difference between this year's report versus last year's report so I'd love your sense on, like, how much is China investing, what is - where do you see the most significant investment and what are the areas of significant deficiency.

DASD Chase: Sure. So, of course, we tried to refine the estimates every year across all the categories and all the topics that we cover in the report. If that means adjusting the methodology or based on new data, we try to make sure that we're coming to the most up-to-date, accurate conclusions we can, year to year. And this year we did find the report, as you suggested, that the true level of defense spending is probably about 40 to 90 percent higher. So just about one and a half to two times the published budget figures.

And that reflects investments in a range of capabilities that are focused on Taiwan contingencies, on the East or South China Seas. So, on operations relatively close to the PRC's borders. But it also reflects investments in power projection capabilities, the kinds of things that we note in the report about the PLA Navy trying to improve its ability to operate out beyond the first island chain. And it reflects the longer-term ambition to really become a global military, with capabilities that can, from the PRC's point of view, defend their interests worldwide.

So that's, I think, where we see them investing. They are, as we note in the report, also investing a lot in their - undoubtedly, in their nuclear expansion and modernization, I think, in their space and counterspace capabilities. And we chronicled all those kind of developments over the course of the several years of the report that we've published while I've been there. And, of course, going back to now more than two decades of China Military Power Reports have tracked those kinds of advances and where they're making their investments to try to achieve the goals that those priorities support.

But, as we highlight in the report, they do also face some long-standing shortcomings. And I mentioned personnel quality earlier. We noted in the report that PLA media includes a lot of references to what they call the five incapables. And that's a slogan that they use to talk about some of the shortcomings that they perceive with their commanders. So those are - that they're incapable, not necessarily all of them all the time, right, but I think that they're suggesting that they still face shortcomings in terms of the ability of commanders to judge situations, understand higher authorities and tensions, make operational decisions, deploy forces, and especially to manage unexpected situations.

And so I think from the PRC's perspective some of this derives from their lack of combat experience. We used to talk about the lack of recent combat experience. We're going back now to 1979. So from PRC point of view it means that the experience that they do have is coming from the overseas operations, from the exercises that they conduct at home, not from any sort of real world experience with combat operations. And so they sometimes talk in their own literature about peace disease or about the lack of combat experience potentially being another source of those types of shortcomings.

So we see that also, despite these major investments, there are particular warfare areas related to major regional contingency in which they also continue to not yet be where they need to be, despite trying to make some improvements. And those include things like urban warfare and long-distance logistics. So while we're tracking the investments that they're making and the areas in which they're improving, we're also making sure that we're paying close attention to the areas in which they still have some shortcomings or weaknesses that they're trying to address.

Asst. Sec. Ratner: And just to - that was a great laydown. I think just the only things to add on would be, you know, thinking about that question broadly about potential vulnerabilities or deficiencies. And that's important because that plays into the deterrence question as well. And, of course, there are some of the war fighting areas, urban warfare, some of these logistics, sustainment questions that are really important. I think a little more broadly, there's the question of China's energy vulnerabilities, which is something that's highlighted in the report and, as far as I can tell, the PRC has no answer to at this point. And that's significant.

And the other thing, just to get back to my earlier comment, there's a dynamism to this, right? Because even as the PRC is modernizing and increasing its own capabilities, in many respects there are areas in which the United States is taking actions that is making those deficiencies or those vulnerabilities even more pronounced, even as the PLA modernizes. So they may be racing forward with military modernization, but finding themselves just as distant, if not more distant, from solving some of the operational problems they're trying to solve. And that's really the essence of the pacing challenge and the essence of deterrence.

And one of the reasons why we have some confidence, as we say, that we believe that invasion is neither imminent nor inevitable, that we believe deterrence is real, deterrence is strong. It's going to take a lot of work to keep it that way, but as we look at these operational challenges that the PLA is seeking to resolve, to the extent that their particular goal is to be feeling ready and confident that they can execute a short, sharp invasion of Taiwan at acceptable costs, they're not there today. They're trying to get there. That's what we're seeing in much of this report. But it's not clear they're getting any closer than they were over the last couple of years.

Dr. Lin: And, Ely, to your point of China playing catchup or trying to expand its capabilities, I think nuclear is one area in which China is, as the report clearly shows, rapidly expanding but also still quite behind. I wanted to talk a little bit about that because, obviously, that's a major focus of China's development, but also compared to last year's report you now have China at 600 nuclear warheads compared to 500 last year. And also, the report has some impressive displays of China's silos and it showcased exactly how it's - the laid out of that. I just wanted to ask you, how do you assess China's nuclear development? And what does that mean in terms of how we can think about China's capabilities moving forward?

Asst. Sec. Ratner: And I should say DASD Chase, prior even to this role, is one of the world's leading experts on China's nuclear program, so well-positioned to answer this question.

DASD Chase: That probably just made it a little harder to answer, right? (Laughs.)

But so I think we've noticed, actually, a lot of the media coverage on the report so far has focused on the nuclear expansion, so the increase in the assessed number of warheads in China's inventory from 500 to 600 this year. And of course, we also talk about how we expect that to expand to more than a thousand by the end of this decade and to continue increasing afterwards. And that focus is certainly very understandable, but we also talk in the report about not just the expansion in numbers but also the increase in quality.

So we talk about the growing technological sophistication, the increasing diversity of China's nuclear arsenal. So, again, if you go back to thinking about these reports as kind of a body of work that's stretched across administrations now for more than two decades, if you go back to the earlier China Military Power Reports, what did they say about China's nuclear capabilities? They said that China had a very, very small, relatively outdated nuclear arsenal that, when we first started publishing these reports - when DOD first started publishing these reports - basically consisted of, like, a few dozen outdated ICBMs and a pretty modest regional nuclear deterrent capability that was operated solely by the PLA Rocket Force. And what we've seen over time is that they have expanded to a nuclear triad with the PLA Navy having ballistic missile submarines conducting deterrence patrols, as we cover in the report, and that the PLA Air Force has also regained a nuclear deterrence and strike mission with the addition of nuclear-capable bombers.

And what we're tracking in recent years here also is increasing diversity in capabilities like precision strike capable missiles with lower-yield nuclear warheads. In addition to the other services getting into the nuclear deterrence and strike mission area the PLA Rocket Force, of course, also is diversifying its capabilities with those more accurate regional missiles and lower-yield warheads. And so that gives the PRC a wider range of options in terms of the kind of nuclear deterrence operations they would conduct, as well as the kind of having more rungs on the escalation ladder in terms of how they could conduct nuclear operations. And when you put all of that together, I think it raises a lot of concerns about strategic stability, and particularly because we have urged them to be more transparent and more forthcoming and engage in more dialogue on these issues and they've been extremely reluctant to do that. So I think going forward for the PRC to be more transparent and to participate in some more discussions about strategic risk reduction could help address some of those challenges.

But just as Ely mentioned with respect to all of the conventional force modernization, the posture developments, and everything else that we're doing focused on the pacing challenge here, there - of course it's the case that the PRC's nuclear expansion and modernization is also making them a bigger consideration in terms of what we're doing in with our own investments in nuclear deterrence to make sure, as our Nuclear Posture Review commits us to do, that we'll be able to do what we need to do there to ensure that neither the United States nor its allies and partners can be coerced.

Asst. Sec. Ratner: And just to maybe lift up a couple of those points, which is on the - one of the first points Mike was making, which was that, you know, already the reporting on this year's report, there's been a lot of focus as there is every year on the nuclear weapons issue. And there tends to be a what's the new number, what's the new number. That's important. What I think the point that Mike is making here is the diversification of their delivery systems is also really important, and something that is underscored in this report and worthy of continued study and analysis. So that's point number one.

And then point number two, exactly as Mike mentioned, I mean, this is an area - the expansion of China's nuclear program raises the question of what are all these nuclear weapons for exactly, given that they have had this more limited sort of doctrine in the past. And they haven't answered that question. And I think Mike and his team, in terms of leading the bilateral engagement with the PRC on - in terms of defense diplomacy, the State Department, others at the secretary's level have been trying to better understand and engage in substantive discussions with the PRC and the PLA about their military modernization. And the answer so far has been, no, we are not going to talk about that. Explicit refusal to talk about that. And that's a continued problem. That's also true in some of the other emerging domains, space and cyber. We are not having the level of strategic conversations that we need to be having about risk reduction. And that is absolutely something, looking forward, that we'll need to mature in the military-to-military relationship.

Dr. Lin: And I guess I would point out there's a very carefully worded paragraph in terms, to your point, of the diversification, how that may change China's nuclear policy strategy. I think, if - I don't remember the exact wording, but I think is goes to your point. Like, it provides China with more options. And we need to - we need to really think through, is China really going to abide by its no first use? Or are there are more ways that nuclear weapons could be used?

But now I want to switch topics to some of the special topics covered. And you mentioned already the corruption in the PLA as a special topic. And I think that links to some of the recent media reporting on what's happening within China now, including what's happening to Admiral Miao Hua and others. How much is - from your assessment, how much does corruption in the PLA really impact China's capabilities? And linked to what you were talking about, Ely, earlier, about the possibility for China to use large-scale force abroad, does that decrease the incentives for that, or decrease the ability for China to execute any of these large contingencies?

Asst. Sec. Ratner: Well, maybe I'll take a first cut at that, and then Mike can dig a little deeper. I mean, I think the first answer to that question is the PRC leadership sure seems to think so, right? Or otherwise, maybe they wouldn't be decapitating large elements of the PLA, which is incredibly disruptive from a bureaucratic standpoint. So I think the extremis of the anticorruption hunt is reflective of a serious concern that this is having serious problems. And I don't think this is just, hey, some guys are taking some money and putting it in their pocket, or maybe at their banquets they're buying too expensive whiskey, as was the problem in the past. And we've seen some reporting on particular modernization programs that have faced challenges.

But beyond that, beyond questions of, you know, are their missiles going to fly or whatnot, I think there are questions about the overall effect on the PLA and the whole - the way in which corruption reverberates through the entire system, and what that means. So obviously, defer to the PRC to answer questions about exactly how the modernization has affected their - what they're seeing inside their own system. But I think the dramatic nature of the anticorruption hunt would only be the case if they thought it was really eroding their effect.

DASD Chase: Yeah, I agree with that completely. And I think if you just look at the language that China's senior leaders use to describe the intensity of the anticorruption campaign and why it's so vital, that gives you a good sense of how they see it. And as recently as, I think was about a week or two ago, Xi Jinping was giving a speech in which he addressed anticorruption. And he talked about turning the knife inward, I think was the quote. And so that, I think, says something about the threat that they perceive corruption presenting to the Chinese Communist Party, and to the PLA in particular.

And it's - as Ely said, in the past a lot of times we were looking at buying and selling promotions or bribes that came in the form of banquets or expensive bottles of liquor, and the like. And while that may very well still be a problem, what we're seeing that is really jumping out - and we cover in the China Military Power Report - is that it's corruption that's taking down the leaders of the PLA Rocket Force, which is - in a way, has always been looked at as the most trusted of the services, because of the sensitivity of the nuclear deterrence and strike mission for which it's shouldered, really sole responsibility for a long time, and still shoulders a lot of the responsibility.

And you look at the removal of a former defense minister who was previously the head of the equipment development department. Well, in that role he presumably would have signed off on basically all major PRC acquisition programs during the period when he was the head of the equipment development department. And we also see senior executives from the defense industry being rolled up in some of the anticorruption campaigns. So that suggests that the corruption now can relate to major military construction projects, to research development and acquisition programs, and therefore has maybe a different kind of impact on the PLA's ability to meet the capabilities development milestones that Xi Jinping has set out for them. It certainly has to shake the leadership's confidence in the political reliability of the PLA and, again, its sort of overall ability to deliver what they've been tasked to deliver.

Asst. Sec. Ratner: Yeah, and I think two additional points here. One, we know, and we have seen in the past in previous anticorruption campaigns, that often these types of campaigns do cause paralysis institutionally at lower levels, as there is high level of risk aversion of engaging in activities that may lead to some of these investigations. So that has a bottom-up effect of more negativity in the institution.

I think the other thing to remind folks of is that these corruption campaigns are often some of the most closely held from an information perspective. We often don't hear about them until they're done and concluded. And what that should lead us to believe is that what we are seeing now - which already has been substantial, right, 15 senior PLA officials already rounded up - is just the tip of the iceberg. And one should expect that this is going to - something that's going to continue and we're going to see more and more of in the years ahead.

DASD Chase: Yeah, just the last thing I was add is, to Ely's point, that they usually don't say a lot, or sometimes really anything about these investigations until they're concluded. When they are concluded, what we often see is that there's kind of a spiraling effect where, when they identify corruption in one institution or in one program then that leads to - you know, essentially that generates leads that result in further investigation. So oftentimes it becomes a - you know, a process of going from one project to, well, who oversaw and improved that project and what other projects that they oversee and improve? And it becomes sort of something that ultimately entangles more people and more programs and more construction projects, and the like. And so if that's going on here, we could have, I think, a prolonged period of time during which the anticorruption activities have that kind of effect.

Dr. Lin: And can I just follow up on this? So, given what you've seen so far in the most recent anticorruption efforts, has that impacted at all how the PLA engages with DOD, or what you're seeing in terms of PLA operations?

Asst. Sec. Ratner: Well, it certainly has impacted the way the PLA is engaged with DOD, insofar as there was no defense minister for a long - no, I mean, kidding aside, right, there was - there was a gap because of a corruption investigation that led to a period of time where our secretary of defense did not have a counterpart at major international summits to meet with. I think that is a substantial effect. And Mike has had some experience of this among our pol-mil dialogs as well.

DASD Chase: Yeah, I think that's right. I mean, it inevitably has an impact. And then, of course, you know, we had - that period of time was even more prolonged because the previous minister wasn't willing to meet with the secretary due to the U.S. sanctions. So that did kind of prolong that period. And I wouldn't say it's necessarily had an impact on the operations, as I'm sure we'll talk about later. The nature of the operations that we've seen around Taiwan and the South China Sea over the past year is - continues to - the pressure campaign on Taiwan has been, you know, quite notable over this whole period of time. But in terms of the external military relations, in terms of their internal confidence in the PLA, and certainly in terms of the construction projects, and the programs in the defense industry, and the ground-based nuclear and conventional missile force, right, where we've seen the removal of much of the leadership of the Rocket Force during the period of time we cover in the report, that's undoubtedly a major impact.

Dr. Lin: I think, Mike, you're reminding me to cover the portion of questions regarding Chinese behavior in the region. So you just referenced Chinese course of behavior against Taiwan, against our allies and partners in the South China Sea. As you look at what has happened in the year or so covered by the report but also if you want to reference any of the recent developments, which of course are not covered by the report, do you see any major changes or new tactics or new operations in terms of how China has been using more coercive military force either against Taiwan or against any of our allies in the South China Sea, or against Japan in the East China Sea?

DASD Chase: So we continue to see a lot of behavior that looks like it's intended to be intimidating or coercive, and that certainly includes a lot of the operational activity around Taiwan. We had the Joint Sword exercise in response to President Lai's inauguration speech. We've had a, you know, number of other PLA exercises carried out during the period of time covered in the report. And also, the erosion of longstanding norms around Taiwan - for example, the Taiwan Strait center line, where Taiwan Strait center line crossings used to be relatively rare and were reserved for political signaling purposes, as at least is our interpretation of why the PRC conducted them historically. Instead, they've become something that, if you just track the statistics that Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense releases, have now become routine where we - you know, we generally see hundreds of Strait center line crossings a year as opposed to just a very, you know, small number in response to a particular event. So I think that's one way in which we've seen the erosion of some of those longstanding norms and behavior around Taiwan that we, of course, are concerned about and that we note in the report.

Asst. Sec. Ratner: And folks who have been following this story over the last few years have known that one of the things that we expressed a lot of concern about in the 2021 and 2022 period, including me from this stage, was a pattern or risky and coercive intercepts by the PLA. What we have seen in the more recent history has been a substantial decline in those against U.S. aircraft and that is really important.

I think that's the result of the degree to which the department took extraordinary steps to expose that activity and that was combined with some very senior level diplomacy between the United States and the PRC to really communicate just how dangerous and unproductive that behavior was, and we have seen a substantial increase against U.S. aircraft.

Now, at the same time -

Dr. Lin: Decrease.

Asst. Sec. Ratner: Sorry, decrease. Decrease. Yes, thank you.

At the same time, we have continued to see really intensive coercion against U.S. allies and partners and that has spanned, really, the entirety of the East Asian littoral, certainly against the Philippines, new activities in the East China Sea. Mike mentioned some of those around Taiwan as well.

What I will say, connecting back to the earlier part of the conversation, is even as we have seen the PRC and the PLA engaging in more intensive, coercive operations and larger operations against U.S. allies and partners, those have also been learning experiences for the United States to really understand how does the PLA operate to really identify, again, getting back to the earlier part of the conversation, where are those ongoing, substantial vulnerabilities that the PLA faces. And so those are important events for us as well.

Dr. Lin: And what about Chinese PLA behavior beyond its immediate periphery?

I also noticed that in the section on overseas basing there were two additional locations added in terms of where there was Chinese interest compared to 2023 and it was Cuba and Gabon. So in terms of as you're looking at Chinese operations beyond its immediate periphery what are you seeing in terms of broad trends and what are you most worried about?

DASD Chase: So as we note in the report and as you highlighted a couple of additional locations that we've added to the list, the PLA continues to pursue a project of expanding its overseas presence, looking at not only bases but other kinds of overseas military facilities whether for intelligence collections, space situational awareness, military training facilities that would allow them to also deepen their partnerships with the host countries, potentially also giving them a foothold for other types of facilities or more PLA presence in the future.

So they're looking at a number of different types of facilities. Certainly, they faced, I think, some setbacks in their pursuit of those facilities and a number of the countries that are on the list. But they've also tended to then look to other countries that from their perspective, presumably, provide similar advantages or similar opportunities.

And so I think as long as the PRC judges that it has overseas economic and security interests that are vulnerable or opportunities to expand their interests in pursuit of their goals they'll continue to try to pursue those types of agreements with potential host countries for different types of overseas military facilities. I would also expect that they'll continue to face some challenges in doing that.

Asst. Sec. Ratner: Yeah. I mean, I think this is one of the really interesting stories of the last few years which is this discussion of PLA overseas basing has been one that has been actually quite prominent for PLA experts for many, many years.

The demand from the PRC for these things is vast. They will take almost anything they can get globally. Their list of targets is very, very long. Those are listed in these reports, and it's really just a supply question as to whether or not they're going to be able to achieve their goals, and the fact that they haven't this many years later is a really important story and there is a number of reasons why that's the case.

But the ambition for the PLA to establish overseas facilities has been quite strong and, as Mike mentioned, they've, largely, failed in those endeavors.

Now, they have turned, as we have seen, tore away from often pursuing major operating bases toward policing arrangements and other ways in which they can insert themselves into security sectors and countries and in some ways embed themselves even more deeply with the ruling, often nondemocratic regimes that they're trying to curry influence with.

So I think that is a trend absolutely to watch. But from a PLA basing perspective - I wonder if you were here eight years ago at a PLA conference and you asked folks, hey, in 2024 how many overseas facilities do you think the PLA is going to be operating. I think it would be a heck of a lot more than what we're seeing today.

Dr. Lin: Thank you. I want to shift to another aspect of your report which I thought was very excellent and really recommend folks to read, which is the portion talking about the China-Russia relationship but also talking about China's views of the Russia-North Korea relationship, and I think that's very important to highlight because I think there's sometimes a view in D.C. that the axis of upheaval there's equal relationship between all four sides and I think this report makes it very clear that's a difference in PRC perception and, perhaps, concern with the Russia-North Korea relationship.

But I do want to follow on the China-Russia side. Obviously, there's been a lot of activity in terms of China-Russia military exercises, and your report also documents some of that. What are you - what's your view of the deepening defense relationship between the two? And where do you see that headed?

DASD Chase: Yeah. I'll start out and then turn over to Ely.

So I think we continue to see them conduct the maritime exercises, to participate in other - the PRC to participate in other Russian exercises, and the joint bomber patrols to take place with some regularity. And they will add some new elements to these over time, and - but a lot of the time I think they are also trying to kind of maximize the political signaling value to showcase more and deeper military cooperation.

I think where I would expect it to go over time is, I think, to the extent that Russia has probably become more dependent on the PRC in recent years, the PRC, I think, is probably going to want to exert more leverage to kind of extract greater cooperation from Russia in areas where Russia historically has been more reluctant. In the Arctic, for example, would be one example where that might take place.

But I think it's also in certain respects kind of suggestive of a broader pattern of behavior that has applied in other parts of the world as well, where we see for instance the PRC not only kind of amplifying some of the Russian propaganda and disinformation about their war in Ukraine but also continuing to provide dual-use capabilities that support the Russian defense industry and the war effort. But of course, that's not the only example that we have.

Asst. Sec. Ratner: To the question of the PRC perspective of the Russia-DPRK relationship, it's a really interesting question. And, Bonny, I think your prompt is the right one, which is there is an assumption sometimes that all these folks are paddling in the same direction. In this case, I just don't think that's the case because the fact is that the Russia-DPRK relationship has come at the expense of the PRC-DPRK relationship, which has substantially eroded economically, politically, diplomatically. Whether that sustains is an open question, but there is no question that the relative - (laughs) - decline in the DPRK-PRC relationship has been exactly proportional to the increase in the DPRK-Russia relationship as the DPRK has realized it is much less reliant on the PRC for the kinds of things it can - it can get from Russia now. And how that develops in the future is absolutely something to watch.

I just think the other point I would make on this question of the China-Russia relationship and the degree to which the PRC has really been the lifeline for Russia for its war in Ukraine in terms of its defense industrial base, private companies providing capabilities that have been important into that conflict, this is just one of the ways in which the PRC's anti-Western, anti-American orientation has been destabilizing not only in Europe, but in other theaters throughout the world. We've seen it very prominently in the Russia case, where the sort of presentation of neutrality in the Ukraine war is just not aligned with the facts.

But we're also seeing in the Middle East where continued PRC support for Iran, for Hamas, for Hezbollah has continued, and very interestingly for the Houthis as well where we know that the Houthis have built a supply chain into the PRC for drones and missiles that they are using to attack international shipping. These are not just one-off transactions; this is really systemic in terms of how the Houthis are acquiring the capabilities they need. Beijing knows this is happening, and as far as we can tell they have not taken steps to stop it. And beyond that, there are also - reportedly, there are - a bargain that has been struck between the Houthis and Beijing that as long as the Houthis don't attack PRC shipping, then Beijing is going to provide diplomatic and political support to the Houthis. And that is just an extraordinarily destabilizing set of activities.

So I think the Russia piece is important, but we ought to not leave out the Middle East piece as well.

Dr. Lin: Right. And then I can point out there is also a(n) excellent portion on China's relations with Iranian proxies which talk about - which document, written, so that folks can reference many of what you talked about, Ely.

Asst. Sec. Ratner: And it makes you wonder, Bonny, I mean, just thinking about the arc of the China debate and those who have been working on this issue for decades now, if you rewound back to when people were - when it was fashionable to be talking about the rise of China, you know, when we were thinking about a decade ago when Xi Jinping was taking lead of the country. Again, if you had kind of asked at that time what kind of world - what kind of role does China see for itself in the world, I don't think our answer would have been, you know, providing Russia with the capability to continue a war in Europe and working with Iranian proxies and the Middle East to destabilize the region. So it's a little bit - it's interesting to see where they have found themselves, which I would imagine is different from where their aspirations were geopolitically.

Dr. Lin: And if I could follow up a little bit more on the China-Russia relationship. It sounds like, from what the two of you are saying, is the military exercise are, at most, coordinated exercises. We're not truly seeing any demonstration of ability to operate together in terms of how we operate with our allies and partners.

Asst. Sec. Ratner: Yeah. And that's in part because of the Russian limited operations throughout the Indo-Pacific, which largely have been about defense, diplomacy, and signaling and messaging, and not advanced operational activity. So, at least my perspective would be, I don't think that's a reason to dismiss the military relationship. Some of the technology and capabilities that are going back and forth and some of the potential integration of the defense industrial base is significant and important and accelerating. And that may be the place to watch. And operationally, certainly, they have rattled the cages of Indo-Pacific countries - conducting missions around Japan, taking actions that threaten South Korea. So not to dismiss them, but we are not seeing the kind of advanced operations that that maybe some folks are imagining.

Dr. Lin: OK. I'm cognizant I need to wrap this up in five minutes to leave enough time for Q&A. So the last question I have for the two of you are on the U.S.-China military-to-military relationship, the nature of the contacts that we still have with the PLA. And I raise this noting that I think the likely incoming Trump team is probably more wary of the value of mil-mil contacts, and what we're actually getting from the PLA side. So I wanted to get your sense on how do you assess the military-to-military relationship and what do you think we could get from the PLA, whether that's in terms of coronation or cooperation. What value do we get from the mil-mil relationship?

DASD Chase: Sure, I'll say, realistically, there are going to be very few areas of genuine cooperation. The one that comes to mind is the remains recovery work that our DPAA, our prisoner of war and missing in action accounting agency, does in the PRC, which does receive cooperation from the PLA Archives Bureau. But when you get beyond that, I think we really look at a relationship that is largely about reducing the risk that competition veers into conflict, that's about trying to reduce the risk of misperception or clarify misperceptions about trying to make sure that we've got channels of communication that are open so we can - so we can do that.

And since President Biden's meeting with Xi Jinping in late November of 2023, we have reopened a lot of those lines of communication. I would say, generally speaking, the ones that take place at kind of the working level to midlevel, we've been able to successfully execute those engagements. So things like the MMCA, those are our operational safety talks that happen between INDOPACOM and the PLA. And that's a venue for us to highlight for them instances in which their operational behavior has been unsafe, you know, has posed a risk to U.S. forces. The PRC, I don't think is going to find analogous cases, but it's their opportunity also to highlight cases where they have a problem that they want to express with U.S. operations in the region. And that is an important way of making sure that our forces can operate safely and professionally, and that we avoid incidents that can be avoided with the PLA.

We've also had some working-level discussions, actually building on one that took place for the first time toward the end of the first Trump administration, which was called the Crisis Communication and Prevention Working Group. We held a second round of that with the - with the PLA this year. And I think those are - those working-level exchanges, they tended to be less subject to the PRC canceling them because they - or refusing to schedule them for one reason or another. And I think those are an important way for us to make sure that we can send a clear message to them about our priorities, about areas where we have concerns about their behavior, what they're doing, whether it's operationally or otherwise.

We've also had some working-level discussions with them about translation and terminology to make sure that we understand what they're trying to convey, and, importantly, to make sure that when we have policy and strategy documents that reference the PRC, that they understand clearly the message that we're trying to send to them, that they don't misunderstand it. Where we've had a harder time getting things on the calendar and keeping them there, of course, is with the senior leader exchanges, where the PRC continues to decline those from - they have - we have had, certainly, some of them since last November.

Of course, the chairman had a call with his PLA counterpart. The secretary met with PRC minister of national defense at the Shangri-La Dialog, for instance. We've had a couple of exchanges between the INDOPACOM commander and the PLA southern theater commander. But we continue to be challenged in that the PRC perhaps doesn't see the value of having those engagements sometimes, or at least weighs it as less valuable than the political message that they want to send by canceling or refusing to schedule them.

And so an example of that would be that we did not have a meeting between the secretary and PRC minister of national defense at the most recent ADMM-Plus meeting. We extended that invitation. The PRC declined it. And they continue to tell us that they - they'll say the atmosphere needs to be conducive to those exchanges. And when they judge it to be less than conducive, then they won't schedule, or potentially will cancel some of the senior leader exchanges.

Asst. Sec. Ratner: Yeah. So you obviously have to have a willing partner who's willing to engage in substantive conversations. And look, Bonny, I think there's good reason to be skeptical that military-to-military contacts are somehow going to lead to a fundamental change in PRC perceptions or PRC strategy or PRC behavior. That being said, I would say that even for the most skeptical there is real evidence that, in instances where the United States needs to communicate something one way, right?

We need to directly communicate something, that either something we are going to do, this is the reason why we're doing it, and this is what we are expecting out of the PLA as a response, is really important to do; and, similarly, to be able to say very clearly, you really should not do action X because it will have particular implications, you want to have those channels, and you want to be able to communicate that. And in a total breakdown or an unwillingness to talk, it's not going to happen.

So the reason why Secretary Austin has been saying now for four years that we want to pursue open lines of communication with the PRC, and why he thinks that's important for senior defense leaders especially in times of tension, maybe especially when the atmosphere isn't right, is not because he thinks there is going to be a convincing or a change fundamentally in the character and nature of the PRC, or PRC behavior. But rather, there are times when it is fundamentally in the U.S. national interest to be able to communicate things to the PRC and the PLA. And we want to have a channel to do that.

DASD Chase: Yeah, I'll give, I mean, just a couple of examples. I mean, one, to be able to talk about the unsafe operational behavior very directly. We did also, of course, release a lot of information about that publicly. But being able to have a direct channel of communication to address specific incidents or a pattern of behavior. And then also things like, for example, cyberactivity. If you think that perhaps it's not being well understood on the other side, or being totally misunderstood how we might respond to a particular activity, to be able to communicate clearly that the response is not going to be what the PRC appears to expect it to be ahead of time obviously can have an effect in terms of deterring that kind of activity. But at the very least, make sure that they have a clear understanding of what we're seeing and how we're going to respond to it.

Asst. Sec. Ratner: So maybe just the simplest way to say that is that you can be very skeptical, you can be very clear-eyed, and you can also think this is a good idea.

Dr. Lin: Great. Thank you. With that, let me open the - open it to questions from the audience. Let's take - I'm seeing four. Let's just take these four from the audience first.

Q: Thanks so much for taking my question. This is Ryo Kiyomiya for the Asahi Shimbun Japanese newspaper.

My question is about China's goal in expanding nuclear capabilities. The report mentioned that China's force modernization suggests that it seeks the ability to inflict overwhelming damage to an adversary in a nuclear exchange. Do you estimate that China could achieve its goal by 2035? And what factors could impact their trajectory of nuclear expansion? Thank you.

Q: Do I go on? OK. OK, hi. This is Mark (sp.) from United Daily - from United Daily News based in Taiwan.

So combined with the conventional military exercise we have seen this year several cases of gray zone operation at the cross strait. So I think - which many believe are breaking the existing norm. So I think - do you think this is the approach - the Chinese new strategy? And how would you advise Taiwan or Philippines when facing such challenges? Thank you.

Q: OK. This is Sangmin, a reporter from Radio Free Asia.

I have a question about relationship between DPRK, PRC, and then Russia. You mentioned about China's concern that deepening relationship between North Korea and Russia. So do you have any indication that China try to involved in stopping such military cooperation between Russia and China, such as pressuring the North Koreans, something like that?

Dr. Lin: One last one.

Q: Yes. Hi. This is Tina Chung with Voice of America's Chinese division.

I'd like to follow up with Mark's (sp.) question about Taiwan. China's maritime operation last week, you know, very expansive and involved three theater commands: north, east, and south. Because China is keeping quiet on this operation, I just wonder how does DOD assess the nature, intention, and signaling of this operation? Thank you.

Asst. Sec. Ratner: Maybe I'll go first, take a couple of those. Those are all really excellent questions.

On the gray zone question, you know, maybe I'll take the question of what do we do about it, because we do see intensifying PLA/PRC gray zone activity toward Taiwan, toward the Philippines as you mentioned, toward other partners. I think the way that I would respond to that is the most important thing is not necessarily stopping the gray zone activity; it is ensuring that the strategic goal of that gray zone activity, to the extent that it is running counter to our shared ambition with the region for a free and open Indo-Pacific, does not succeed.

And so if you - if you take the case of the Philippines, right, there have been skirmishes around Second Thomas Shoal, skirmishes out at Scarborough Reef, and sometimes there is a - there is sort of a laser focus on those events saying look at what the PRC is doing; they're gaining advantage. And if you zoom back and look at the broader picture with the Philippines, what have we seen over the last few years? We have seen a historically strengthening and deepening U.S.-Philippines alliance. We have seen the United States adding new posture sites at strategic locations at the Philippines. We have seen the administration working with Congress to make a historic, unprecedented investment of $500 million in foreign military financing for the Philippines. We have seen the Philippines and the United States coming together as never before with allies and partners in the region to be operating - U.S., Philippines, Japan, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, others in the region - to express a shared commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.

So the broader strategic picture, to me, is not that China is gaining strategic advantage from its gray zone activities. So there is the tactical question, and then there's the broader strategic question. And we ought to be focused on the tactical question because it's important, but we ought not lose sight of the strategic question, where I don't think China's achieving its strategic aims through this behavior.

On the PRC-Russia-DPRK question, have we seen the PRC trying to stop the Russia-DPRK relationship? I think my answer to that would be, look, number one, they have limited influence to do so. And number two, while they may not like it because it is undermining their own influence with the DPRK, it is also the case that the DPRK-Russia relationship is advancing China's strategic aims of strengthening Russia and undermining NATO and dividing Europe. So I think there is a degree to which they are unable to change that behavior and a degree to which that behavior is actually in support of their aims. So we have not seen an extraordinary effort by the PRC to try to stop that behavior.

DASD Chase: And I'll try to address the other two questions.

On the goals of Chinese nuclear expansion and modernization out to 2035, I think they would have to tell us more about what they have in mind. What we have heard from them in our discussions is largely consistent with what they've said over the course of many years, that their policy and their strategy haven't changed and they'll tell us that they continue to maintain their nuclear force at a level that they see as what's necessary to meet their national security needs. I think our response to that, basically, is, well, if - let's say - let's take it at face value that they maintain their force at the level that's required for their national security needs. Clearly, they're thinking about what that is has changed a lot over the years because we see this expansion and diversification and increase in the sophistication of their capabilities. So they either think their national security needs have changed or they think what's required to meet them is a lot more than it used to be, and it would be essentially on the PRC to try to explain to us, I think, which one in what way and how and where that leads them for 2035, and they haven't been willing to do that. We've tried to engage them in that discussion and we've been more often than not basically met with - met with silence.

As for the PLA operations, when they have a certain level of activity that becomes sort of routine and routinely includes things that are eroding norms that have lasted for many years as around Taiwan it's - that's kind of one category of challenges.

And then we've also got just more exercises that take place involving larger numbers and different types of units at greater distances from China than was historically the case. And if they want people, whether it's us or you all, to have a clear understanding of the message and the intent underlying that activity they're going to have to describe that, whether publicly or in communications with us in DOD or otherwise.

We will be left to develop our own conclusions about that and all of you, whether you're in the academic or think tank world or in the media, will be left to draw your own conclusions as well.

So I would, certainly, argue it's in their interest to be more forthcoming and more open to engagement on those topics but that's up to them to decide if they want to do that.

Dr. Lin: Great. I think we have time for, like, another round of questions online, and this one's from Bloomberg News. The report for the second year in a row says China's six Jin-class ICBM subs are conducting deterrence patrols. Have these patrols sailed closer to Hawaii or U.S. West Coast for strategic messaging?

And then - give me one second - two other questions. One is about how can U.S. allies and partners respond to swarming and blockade tactics by the PRC, and there's, obviously, a lot of questions so we can't go through them.

I'm just picking out the questions that deviate the most from what's already been asked. This question is about how do you view China's ongoing - how does the U.S. view China's ongoing improved relations with India and what does that mean for China's military strategy or military capabilities.

Asst. Sec. Ratner: OK. Maybe I'll take a swing at a couple of those.

On the first one, look, it gets back to the gray zone question a little bit. But this question of swarming or blockade we have been working very closely with our allies and partners throughout the region to try to enable them to work in concert with us but also on their own to respond to this behavior and that has come in a lot of different flavors that we've seen.

One is focusing, working with them on acquiring the capabilities that are most pertinent to being able to manage that, whether that's for maritime domain awareness or other types of unmanned or asymmetric capabilities.

That's been a real focus for this administration, and we've made a lot of progress in terms of some of those low-cost asymmetric solutions that are off the shelf that are commercial that can be applied quite quickly have been successful. I think that we'll see more of that in the years ahead.

Allies and partners, I think, have also been successful in the ways in which they are bringing this behavior to light insofar as it allows for rallying more international concern and support for allies and partners and when appropriate portraying the PRC as the aggressor, and that is an important thing to do in terms of shaping and curbing this behavior.

And then, finally, just another example - there are other areas as well - working with allies and partners on questions of resilience as well so that they're able to sustain, whether it's economic coercion or other types of pressure, that they are resilient and can last through forms of PLA and PRC coercion.

So I think there's been a lot of learning in that regard over the last couple years and that's good because it's stabilizing and that kind of malign behavior, I think, is less effective than maybe it was in the past.

Mike, maybe I'll go over to you and then come back on another one.

DASD Chase: Sure. Yeah. I guess I would just say on the question about the ballistic missile submarine patrol areas we don't have anything to share on that beyond what's covered in the report about the Jin-class submarines.

On the blockade question I would just add that it's the kind of thing that certainly we've seen the PLA practice some of the operations that would be part of a blockade in doing that. As Ely said earlier, it also allows us to learn about how they would conduct those operations about some of the shortcomings that could be exposed and about some of the vulnerabilities that could be exploited and also potentially would open them up to some of the other vulnerabilities and pressure points that we note in the report such as of their energy supplies.

Dr. Lin: Mike, could you talk a little bit more broadly about deterrence patrols? I know you can't answer the specific question about Hawaii or West Coast, but my understanding the report says that the distance of these deterrence patrols have been increasing over time.

DASD Chase: Yeah, and I think they don't really need to necessarily - just like anyone else conducting a ballistic missile submarine deterrence patrol, conducting the patrol in and of itself is sort of the deterrence message. Although, they certainly do write in some of their literature about how they could amplify that message if so desired. For example, including reporters and having it covered on official television, or something along those lines. But apart from that, I don't really have much to add, I'm afraid, beyond what's in the report.

Asst. Sec. Ratner: And I would just say very quickly, on the India question, the U.S.-India defense relationship stands on its own. It is accelerating and advancing in terrific and exciting ways, both as it relates to defense industrial base cooperation as well as operational cooperation across the services, all domains, and I think is a - is a continue - is a continuing growth area, even as the India-China relationship waxes and wanes.

Dr. Lin: Great, I think we are perfectly at time.

Asst. Sec. Ratner: Could I have just one more word before we wrap up?

Dr. Lin: Yes, of course.

Asst. Sec. Ratner: Which is, I think just - did want to take this moment to just say - acknowledge the just incredible contribution from DASD Chase. I think he was one of the very first senior officials to come into the building, I think, in early February. And has lasted to this point where talking about the military power report today he has now personally, with his leadership in office, honchoed this. He has taken on some additional responsibilities throughout his tenure, taking on the Taiwan account - coming in as the China for - the DASD for China, leaving as the DASD for China, Taiwan, and Mongolia. And I don't think we're going to get the chance to be on the stage again together, and maybe our - Mike's last public event. But would just hope folks could join me in acknowledging and saying congratulations and thank you to Mike for just a really terrific run. (Applause.)

Dr. Lin: I think we should also thank Ely for being one of the longest-serving officials in Department of Defense, as well as across the Biden administration too. So let's give also Ely a round of applause. (Applause.)

So with that, both Ely and Mike have to go back to the to the Pentagon relatively quickly. So if folks can stay in their seat and we let them exit. Thank you, again, both for joining me and, again, the report is already online, and we also have some hard copies if you want them. So thank you both again.

https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/4012648/

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FM slams Pentagon report, says 'it lays little emphasis on truth'

Global Times

By Wang Qi and Guo Yuandan Published: Dec 19, 2024 10:58 PM

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian on Thursday slammed a report released by the US Department of Defense titled "Military and Security development involving the PRC," saying that "like the ones we've seen before, it lays little emphasis on truth."

The report is filled with bias and designed to amplify "China threat" narrative only to justify the US's desire to maintain military supremacy, Lin noted.

In a report released on Wednesday local time, the Pentagon outlined "the importance of meeting the pacing challenge" presented by China's increasingly capable military.

It also hyped China's buildup of nuclear weapons, saying the Pentagon estimates that China has surpassed 600 operational nuclear warheads as of mid-2024 and estimates it will have more than 1,000 by 2030.

It claimed that Beijing "may also be exploring development of conventionally-armed intercontinental range missile systems" and "if developed and fielded, such capabilities would enable the PRC to threaten conventional strikes against targets in the continental US, Hawaii, and Alaska."

Lin Jian said at a press briefing Thursday that China is fully committed to being a force for peace, stability and progress in the world. "We are equally determined to defend our sovereignty, security and territorial integrity."

We call on the US to abandon the Cold War mentality and hegemonic way of thinking, view China's strategic intention and defense development in an objective and rational way, stop issuing this kind of irresponsible report year after year, and make sure what it does is conducive to a stable relationship between the two countries and the two militaries, said Lin.

Chinese military expert Zhang Junshe told Global Times that the report, like reports of previous years, speculated on and smeared China's nuclear power and hyped up the "China threat" rhetoric.

But at the same time, it does not forget to take the trouble to disclose the PLA's "deficiencies" as well as the US military's capabilities of dealing with them, said Zhang, "For example, while the report indicates that the PLA's land, sea, air and other military forces have increased their ability to conduct joint fire strikes and long-range operations, it also claims that the PLA is deficient in long-range logistical support and other capabilities."

The report claimed that in 2023, the PLA Navy continued to grow its ability to perform missions beyond the "first island chain" by conducting the first extended area deployment of its new YUSHEN-class amphibious assault ship and three deployments with the CV-17 Shandong to the Philippine Sea, a record number for any PLA Navy carrier in a calendar year.

"It is very normal for an aircraft carrier to leave its home port for offshore training, which the US Department of Defense knows well, but it deliberately emphasizes the Philippine Sea to shape China's so-called high pressure against the Philippines, but in fact the so-called Philippine Sea in the report is actually the high sea east of the Bashi Channel."

The US military was judging others by its own standards, as it believes that China will use aircraft carriers in a hegemonic manner, as American aircraft carriers have always appeared in overseas wars and military interventions launched by the US, Zhang said.

The report also hyped China's increased military presence around Taiwan island, and China's "support" for Russia.

It warned that China is engaging in the largest peacetime buildup since World War II and seeks to have a world-class military by 2049, according to the Hill.

Lu Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that China has not acted provocatively against the US, and China's military buildup is defensive, not offensive and confrontational.

"The US recognizes that China's ability to defend its sovereignty and security interests is rapidly improving," said Lu, "However, their logic is that China is a 'threat' because it has the ability to retaliate when the US intervenes in China-related affairs in the surrounding region."

Confrontational mentality

Also on Wednesday local time, the US Senate passed the 2025 NDAA, which boosts overall military spending to $895 billion, covering purchases of ships, aircraft and weapons, and including provisions intended to boost competitiveness with China and Russia, according to Reuters. US President Joe Biden is expected to sign the bill into law.

Military spending approved in the bill represented a 1 percent increase from the previous year's top line price tag of $886 billion.

VOA said that a provision in the 2025 NDAA aims to create mechanisms for further oversight and prohibition of the use of Chinese drones while working to increase drone supply chain resilience within the US and partner countries.

It also includes a provision demanding the extension and modification of the Pacific Deterrence Initiative. The bill greenlights up to $300 million in myriad defense and security assistance for Taiwan island.

In terms of boosting US force posture, the NDAA requires a plan for ensuring radar coverage of Guam for defense against simultaneous ballistic missile threats from China and North Korea.

Republican Sen. Roger Wicker, who will chair the Senate Armed Services Committee next year, claimed that the US is currently experiencing "the most dangerous national security moments since World War II," AP reported.

It is ridiculous for the US, the world's most powerful military and technological power, to say that it is in a dangerous moment, said Xin Qiang, deputy director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University. He noted that politicians and representatives of the military-industrial complex try to increase military spending by creating imaginary enemies in order to better profit from it.

The Pentagon's report and the NDAA indicate a situation in the US in which Congress and the executive branch are working together to contain, deter and suppress China, Xin said.

The NDAA and the Pentagon report are a reference and reminder to China, but as a change of administration approaches in the US, China is also paying attention to what the next administration is prepared to do, said Lu.

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China remains a coveted place for foreign investors: FM

Global Times

By Global Times Published: Dec 19, 2024 05:29 PM

China welcomes more foreign friends to come to invest in the country, share China's growth opportunities and development dividends, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Thursday.

The spokesperson made the remarks at a regular press briefing on Thursday in response to recent surveys, done by the British Chamber of Commerce and the German Chamber of Commerce in China, which said that most UK and German companies expressed optimism about investing in China.

The reports revealed that 76 percent of UK companies intend to maintain or expand their investments in China, while 92 percent of German companies will continue operations in China, more than half of them planning to increase their investments in the next two years.

The spokesperson reaffirmed that many overseas companies intend to expand investments in China, demonstrating their confidence in the country through concrete actions.

Despite increasing economic uncertainties in the world, China is committed to pursuing high-quality development and a higher level of opening-up. As a result, the economy has shown stability and steady progress, continuing to act as a "stabilizing anchor" and engine of the global economy.

During the Central Economic Work Conference held earlier this month, China sent a strong signal to proceed with high-standard opening-up, the spokesperson said. The country will continue to pursue steadfast growth of its economy, accelerate its path of modernization, and promote global development and prosperity. China's confidence in sharing development opportunities with all countries will remain unchanged, the spokesperson noted.

In the first three quarters this year, China's economy grew by 4.8 percent, placing it among the top-performing major economies. In the first 11 months, total imports and exports rose by 4.9 percent year-on-year, while the number of newly established foreign-invested enterprises increased by 8.9 percent. China is on track to achieve its annual economic and social development goals, the spokesperson said.

China will continue to host the China International Import Expo (CIIE) and the China International Supply Chain Expo, providing 100 percent tariff-free access for products from all least-developed countries that have diplomatic relations with China, the spokesperson noted. Additionally, China has lifted all restrictions on foreign investment in the manufacturing sector, leading to an 11.89-percent increase in the country's openness index since 2008.

China is already a major trade partner for more than 150 countries and regions in the world, consistently holding its position as the world's second-largest recipient of foreign direct investment, the spokesperson noted.

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Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian's Regular Press Conference on December 19, 2024

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China

Updated: December 19, 2024 20:18

CCTV: The Central Economic Work Conference was successfully held last week. According to foreign media commentary, the CEWC shows that amid sluggish global recovery and unprecedented challenges facing globalization, China remains a top engine for global economic growth and will shore up its position in leading global growth. Also, according to the latest Sentiment Survey by the British Chamber of Commerce in China and the Business Confidence Survey by the German Chamber of Commerce in China, 76 percent of British companies are maintaining or increasing their investment in China, 92 percent of German companies plan to maintain their operations, and over half of German companies plan to increase investment within the next two years in China. What's your comment?

Lin Jian: Over the course of this year, despite rising uncertainties in the global economy, China has been steadfastly pursuing high-quality development and high-standard opening up. China's economy has been generally stable and continued to gain momentum, and remains a stabilizer and propeller for the global economy. In the first three quarters this year, China's economy grew by 4.8 percentone of the fastest among all major economies. In the first 11 months this year, China's total foreign trade in goods grew by 4.9 percent year on year, and new foreign-funded companies in China increased by 8.9 percent. China is expected to hit this year's economic and social development targets. China has held annually the China International Import Expo and the China International Supply Chain Expo for years running. China has granted all least developed countries having diplomatic relations with China zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent tariff lines, and abolished all market access restrictions on foreign investment in the manufacturing sector. China's openness index is up 11.89% since 2008. China is also a major trade partner of over 150 countries and regions and has long been the world's second largest recipient of foreign capital. As you mentioned, many foreign companies are planning to increase investment in Chinaa vote of confidence for the China market.

China's economy has a stable foundation, numerous strengths, remarkable resilience and vast potential. The dominating trend of a sound Chinese economy for the long term and the elements supporting it have not changed. This is the major reason why China is fully confident in sharing its opportunities and prospering with the world. The CEWC once again sent the strong message of a more open China, which means China will not stop achieving a continued upward trajectory of the Chinese economy, and its commitment to promoting global development and prosperity through Chinese modernization will not change, and China's resolve to share development opportunities with the world is as strong as ever. We welcome more foreign businesses to invest and thrive for the long term in China, and succeed and share a promising future together with China.

AFP: The United States Defense Department has released its annual report on China's military and security developments in which it highlighted a wave of corruption across the PLA that has damaged China's military modernization. What is the Foreign Ministry's comment on the report?

Lin Jian: This report, like the ones we've seen before, lays little emphasis on truth. It is filled with bias and designed to amplify the "China threat" narrative only to justify the US's desire to maintain military supremacy. China is fully committed to being a force for peace, stability and progress in the world. We are equally determined to defend our sovereignty, security and territorial integrity. We call on the US to abandon the Cold War mentality and hegemonic way of thinking, view China's strategic intention and defense development in an objective and rational way, stop issuing this kind of irresponsible report year after year, and make sure what it does is conducive to a stable relationship between the two countries and the two militaries.

Xinhua News Agency: Recently, the US-based Foreign Policy magazine published an article titled "What China Got Right in Latin America," noting that China's offer to build large investments and address long-ignored developmental deficits in Latin America stands in contrast to high-minded rhetoric from the US-led West about ideologies. Have you noted the article and do you have any comment on that?

Lin Jian: I noted the article as well. If anyone wants to know what China got right in Latin America, the answer is pretty simple. Chin has all along observed the principles of mutual respect, equality, mutual benefit, openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation in growing friendly ties with Latin America. Between China and Latin America, there is no zero-sum and the-winner-takes-all geopolitical calculations, only sincere mutual support and cooperation for shared progress.

I believe many of you know that yesterday, the first ship departing from Peru's Chancay Port and bound for Shanghai entered Shanghai's port, marking the completion of the first ever two-way voyage between Chancay and Shanghai. Besides, in Colombia's capital Bogota, residents' metro dream became true with the completion of Metro Line 1. The Helios wind power cluster in Argentina provides clean energy for 360,000 households. The first modern highway in Jamaica more than halved traffic time between the south and north coasts. Satellite cooperation between China and Bolivia ensured free access to TV programs for half a million households. These and many other projects have delivered tangibly to Latin American countries and made lives better for the local population.

"A port of all, a port for all" is a slogan on quay cranes at Chancay Port in Peru. Likewise, China-Latin America cooperation is a voluntary choice of both sides as it serves the interest of the two peoples. As Foreign Minister Wang Yi noted at the Symposium on the International Situation and China's Foreign Relations recently, China will always be committed to unity and invigoration of the Global South and help fellow developing countries move faster in rejuvenation. As the world enters a new period of turbulence and transformation, China stands ready to work with countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) to continue to support each other through solidarity and cooperation and boost the connection and mutual learning between the Chinese dream and the LAC dream. We hope to see more infrastructure projects like Chancay Port whose running will deliver more benefits to the people in Latin America and the Caribbean in the future.

TASS: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in an interview with The Foreign Affairs that the US is aligning policies with Europe and with key partners in Asia and that China's complaining is the greatest evidence of the success of the US's approach. Blinken also said that Taiwan is not just China's business but the world's business and it is because the world would be influenced if there were to be a crisis over Taiwan. What's China's comment?

Lin Jian: China views and advances its relations with the US in accordance with the three principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, and works to firmly defend its sovereignty, security and development interest. We believe that a new Cold War should not be fought and cannot be won. Containing China is unwise, unacceptable and bound to fail. When meeting with President Biden in Lima, President Xi Jinping listed seven experiences and inspirations drawn from the past four years of China-US interactions that point the way forward for bilateral relations. We hope it will register with the US side and the two sides will work together towards that end.

Taiwan is China's Taiwan. The Taiwan question is purely China's internal affair, which brooks no external interference. The greatest challenge to cross-Strait peace is "Taiwan independence" separatist activities and foreign interference and disruption. The US should abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, act on its commitment of not supporting "Taiwan independence," stop abetting "Taiwan independence" separatist forces, and stop interfering in China's internal affairs on the Taiwan question.

Global Times: It is reported that Rahul Gupta, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy of the US, said on December 18 that since the San Francisco Summit between leaders of China and the US, the two countries have made significant progress on the fentanyl issue. China has taken offline many websites and online platforms that sell the precursors of fentanyl, made arrests, and scheduled over 50 controlled substances, which have contributed to the drop in overdose deaths. And it's critical that the US should sustain this progress moving forward while working on other aspects in relationship with China. When asked about the threat of tariffs on the fentanyl issue by President-elect Donald Trump, Gupta said there's no harm in keeping the pressure, and stressed the need to make sure the pressure is kept with a sense of understanding of what is already happening and the progress that's already being made. What's your comment?

Lin Jian: China is one of the world's toughest countries on counternarcotics both in terms of policy and its implementation. China has given support to the US's response to the fentanyl issue to assist global drug control and in the spirit of humanity and goodwill. China announced back in 2019 the decision to officially schedule fentanyl-related substances as a class. We are the first country in the world to do so.

Working together on counternarcotics is an important common understanding reached by Chinese and US presidents in their meeting in San Francisco. With China's active effort, China-US counternarcotics cooperation has achieved positive progress. The two countries launched the Counternarcotics Working Group and carried out cooperation on the scheduling of drug-related substances, joint handling of drug-related cases, technology exchange, multilateral cooperation and removing of online ads.

China stands ready to continue the counternarcotics cooperation with the US on the basis of equality, mutual benefit and mutual respect. We hope the US will not take China's goodwill for granted, and will value China's contribution and effort, avoid undermining the foundation for the cooperation, and work with China to continue the positive dynamics in the counternarcotics cooperation.

Reuters: Thailand is hosting a meeting on the Myanmar issue, which is attended by Myanmar, China, Bangladesh and India. A topic to be discussed at the meeting is the Myanmar authorities' plan to hold elections. Can the Foreign Ministry confirm that China is attending this meeting? If so, who is representing China? What is the Foreign Ministry's expectation for this meeting? Does China support the Myanmar authorities in holding elections at a time when the conflicts in Myanmar are escalating?

Lin Jian: The Myanmar issue is by nature Myanmar's internal affair. China supports the parties in Myanmar in properly handling differences through dialogue and consultation within the framework of the constitution and laws. China also supports the positive efforts of regional countries to restore stability and cool down the situation in Myanmar. Regarding the meeting you mentioned, I do not have information to share at the moment. We will release timely information if there's any.

Dragon TV: It's reported that on December 18, Chinese and Japanese experts held a new round of dialogue on the discharge of the Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water into the sea. Could you share more details with us?

Lin Jian: It is learned that on December 18, Chinese and Japanese experts held in Beijing the third round of technical dialogue on the discharge of the nuclear-contaminated water from Fukushima. They had in-depth and constructive discussions on long-term international monitoring arrangement and independent sampling and monitoring arrangement by China and all other stakeholders.

Reuters: According to report by WSJ, the US administration is considering a ban based on national security, and the target is a Chinese router manufacturer TP-Link. What's your comment?

Lin Jian: China opposes the US's overstretching the concept of national security and its discriminatory practices targeting particular countries and companies. China will take resolute measures to firmly safeguard the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies.

AFP: Yesterday, in New York City, a man by the name of Chen Jinping pleaded guilty to harassing US-based Chinese dissidents on behalf of the Chinese government. He was accused last April of operating a secret police station for China's Ministry of Public Security. Does China operate secret police stations in other countries and does the Foreign Ministry have any comment on Chen Jinping case?

Lin Jian: I am not familiar with the specifics about the case you mentioned. China is a country that upholds the rule of law, strictly abides by international law, and respects the judicial sovereignty of all countries. The so-called secret police stations do not exist.

Bloomberg: We reported that the UK is drawing up plans to cooperate more with China on investment and trade. Does the ministry have any comment?

Lin Jian: China and the UK are both major economies and financial heavyweights. Cooperation is rooted in the two countries' shared interests and meets the expectation of the business community. It is mutually beneficial in nature. We hope the UK can work with China to deepen cooperation, deliver more by promoting China-UK economic ties, and better benefit the two peoples and the world at large.

Shenzhen TV: Yesterday, the 23rd meeting of Special Representatives for China-India Boundary Question was held in Beijing. Could you share with us what's been achieved in the meeting? What's your expectation for its future relations with India?

Lin Jian: On December 18, the 23rd meeting of Special Representatives for China-India Boundary Question was held in Beijing, the first in five years. China has released a readout on the talks. The two sides' readouts share very much similar gists and elements. Let me share some details.

Based on the common understandings of the Chinese and Indian leaders in Kazan, China's Special Representative on the China-India boundary question, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs Wang Yi and India's Special Representative and National Security Adviser Shri Ajit Doval held substantive talks and reached the following six points of consensus on the China-India boundary question in a positive and constructive attitude.

Both sides positively evaluated the resolution reached on border-related issues between the two countries and reaffirmed the need to continue implementing the agreement. They agreed that the boundary question should be handled appropriately in the context of the overall bilateral relationship to ensure they do not affect the development of bilateral ties. Both sides also agreed to continue taking measures to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas and to promote the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to continuing to seek a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable package settlement to the boundary question in accordance with the political parameters and guiding principles agreed upon by the two countries' special representatives in 2005, and to taking active measures to advance this process. The two sides assessed the border situation and agreed to further refine the management rules for the border areas, strengthen confidence-building measures, and achieve sustainable peace and tranquility along the border. Both sides agreed to continue enhancing cross-border communication and cooperation, further strengthen the Special Representatives meeting mechanism, and hold a new round of Special Representatives talks in India next year.

At the meeting, Wang Yi also had in-depth and constructive discussion with Doval on China-India bilateral relations. Wang Yi said that as two major developing countries, representatives of emerging economies, and important members of the Global South, a healthy and stable China-India relationship is in the fundamental interest of the over 2.8 billion people of the two countries. This is also compatible with the trend of a rising Global South. The two sides need to have candid communication, enhance mutual trust, build consensus, and promote cooperation. It is important to channel the two countries' respective valuable resources into development and revitalization, make sure that the boundary question is appropriately placed in bilateral relations, jointly maintain peace and tranquility in border areas, and strive to bring China-India relations back to a healthy and steady track at an early date.

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China's farm sector more tainted by forced labor than previously known, report says

Dozens of Western companies are identified as having direct or indirect supply-chain links to Xinjiang.

By Mettursun Beydulla for RFA Uyghur

2024.12.19

WASHINGTON -- Chinese exports of tomatoes, chili peppers, marigolds and other farm products grown in the far-western region of Xinjiang are tainted by forced labor as well as the coercive transfer of land from Uyghur peasants to Chinese businesses, new research shows.

The growing of these goods is also tainted by the forced assimilation and political indoctrination of Uyghur workers, according to 136-page report by Adrian Zenz and I-Lin Lin of the Washington-based Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.

Dozens of Western companies, including Kraft Heinz, Nestle, Del Monte, PepsiCo, McCormick, Unilever and L'Oreal, are importing these goods, although they often enter supply chains through intermediaries, blurring their origin, the report found.

The report identified 72 international companies and 18 Chinese firms with production in Xinjiang or supply chain links, or a risk of such links, to the region's agricultural products.

"It means that we have a much bigger system of forced labor and forced land transfer that is affecting many agricultural communities in Xinjiang and is directly serving the political goals of the regime to achieve political long-term transformation of these populations and taint the supply chains as a result," Zenz told Radio Free Asia in an interview.

Sources of information

The investigation used planning documents from various Chinese administrative levels, state reports, budgets, academic papers, propaganda narratives and witness reports.

It was also based on internal state documents, corporate documents, information from the Made-in-China website, data from e-commerce platforms, the global supply chain intelligence platform Sayari and the U.S. customs database ImportInfo.

Chinese companies implicated in Uyghur forced labor included COFCO Tunhe Tomato, Xinjiang Chalkis, which processes tomatoes and fruits, and Chenguang Biotech Group, a high-tech firm that specializes in the extraction and application of plant active ingredients.

The three companies operate subsidies in the United States or Europe and have been implicated in rights abuses in Xinjiang, the report says.

The report singles out U.S. ketchup-maker Kraft Heinz for ongoing collaboration with China's COFCO Tunhe Tomato, providing the Chinese company with tomato seeds and technical collaboration.

It also says cosmetics maker L'Oreal buys products from non-Chinese-based intermediaries in Asia whose supply chains are connected to Chinese-based companies or to suppliers of products whose domestic goods are sold in Western supermarkets.

Unilever Pakistan Foods, a Unilever subsidiary, buys tomato products from COFCO Tunhe Tomato and exports them to the U.S. Canada and the United Kingdom.

Abuses in Xinjiang

The Chinese government has come under attack in recent years for abuses in Xinjiang that include the mass detainment of the mostly Muslim Uyghurs who live in Xinjiang and the use of Uyghur forced labor there.

"Xinjiang operates the world's largest contemporary system of state-imposed forced labor, with up to 2.5 million Uyghurs and members of other ethnic groups at risk of coerced work," the report says.

The report also cites pressure on Uyghurs to give up the right to farm their land to commercial operators who coerce them into wage labor in processing bases operated by Chinese agribusinesses.

The report's findings show that land-use transfer shares in Xinjiang grew nearly 50-fold between 2001 and 2021, indicating a "staggering scale at which ethnic peasants were rendered landless and then pushed into state-mandated work."

"This is resulting in profound livelihood changes and [the] tearing apart of organic communities, ensuring that Uyghurs are more easily and thoroughly controlled, surveilled, and assimilated," it says.

The U.S. government and over 10 Western parliaments have declared that the abuses in Xinjiang amount to genocide and crimes against humanity. The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which took effect in the U.S. in June 2022, prevents companies from importing any goods produced in Xinjiang unless they can prove forced labor was not used.

'Vicious lie'

When asked to comment on the report, Liu Pengyu, spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington said China has "repeatedly emphasized that the so-called 'forced labor' issue is a vicious lie fabricated by anti-China forces."

"Xinjiang implements proactive labor and employment policies, effectively safeguarding the basic employment rights of people from all ethnic groups," he said via email.

Liu accused the U.S. of repeatedly spreading rumors and stirring up trouble regarding Xinjiang by using human rights to engage in political manipulation and economic bullying in an attempt to undermine the region's prosperity and stability and curb China's development.

Liu further said that Zenz, known as Zheng Guoen in China, is a member of a far-right organization established by the U.S. government, and a key member of an anti-China research institution set up and manipulated by U.S. intelligence agencies.

"He makes a living by fabricating anti-China rumors and slandering China," Liu said. "His so-called report has no credibility, academic value, or academic integrity."

Company responses

Zenz and Lin said they contacted the companies named in the report with detailed requests for comment, but several could not be reached, while others provided invalid email addresses.

Some did respond. U.S. ketchup-maker Kraft Heinz said it used COFCO-supplied tomato products only in China and Central Asia, despite information by the researchers that its subsidiaries in Indonesia and India also bought tomato paste from COFCO in 2023 and 2024.

French cosmetics manufacturer L'Oreal denied a direct supply chain relationship with suppliers linked to Xinjiang, but did not address the indirect supply chain ties outlined in the report.

U.S. spice-maker McCormick didn't comment on specific allegations, but said its policy prohibits the use of forced labor in its supply chain.

American fruits and vegetables distributor Del Monte said its multiple COFCO Tunhe suppliers certified that they did not use forced labor.

Concern over findings

Rushan Abbas, executive director of Campaign for Uyghurs, said the research findings present the most comprehensive evidence of the Chinese Communist Party's genocide against the Uyghurs extending deep into the agricultural sector, affecting global supply chains, and implicating major international brands.

"The forced transfer of land rights from Uyghur farmers to Chinese corporations, combined with coercive labor practices and political indoctrination, represents yet another facet of the regime's systematic assault on Uyghur rights and identity," she said in a statement.

"Of particular concern is the ongoing strategic relationship between Kraft Heinz and COFCO, a state-owned enterprise in East Turkistan that actively participates in the surveillance of Uyghur households and enforces policies linked to cultural assimilation and forced labor," Abbas said, using Uyghurs' preferred name for Xinjiang.

The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, a group of international lawmakers from democratic countries focused on relations with China also raised concern over the report's findings.

"Disturbingly, goods linked to forced labor are being sold worldwide under trusted, household brand names deceiving consumers and perpetuating the cycle of exploitation," 46 lawmakers from the group said in a statement.

Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.

Copyright 1998-2024, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content December not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use.

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Xi meets HKSAR chief executive

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 10:26, December 20, 2024

MACAO, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday urged Hong Kong and Macao to strive for greater accomplishments and achieve better development, as the practice of "one country, two systems" has entered a new stage.

The two special administrative regions (SARs) should learn from each other, strengthen exchanges and cooperation, and create a brighter future, Xi said when meeting with Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR John Lee, who is in Macao for the celebrations of the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland.

Noting that the country has high expectations for Hong Kong, Xi expressed the hope that Lee and the HKSAR government will govern firmly and prudently, vigorously promote the economy and seek development, and strive to achieve new success for Hong Kong.

Lee said that he will make efforts to lead Hong Kong in promoting the economy, seeking development and effectively improving people's livelihoods. He said Hong Kong will actively participate in the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and better integrate into the overall national development.

Senior officials including Cai Qi and Xia Baolong were present at the meeting.

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German Parliament Approves Purchase of 4 New Type 212CD Submarines

Sputnik News

20241219

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The budget committee of the German parliament has approved the purchase of four new Type 212CD submarines, the country's defense ministry said on Wednesday.

"The procurement projects approved today, worth about 21 billion euros [$21.7 billion], will be financed through a special fund (about 7 billion euros), through the defense budget and through general budget expenditures," the statement read.

The document also includes the list of equipment approved for purchase, such as four new Type 212CD submarines and Type F127 frigates, and development of medium-range IDAS missiles for submarines.

Furthermore, the budget committee approved the purchase of rocket artillery systems equipped with Israeli PULS multiple rocket launchers, reactive armor for the Puma infantry fighting vehicles, equipment for the digitization of ground operations as well as thermal cameras and imaging infrared systems for the country's ground forces.

The German air force will receive guided missiles for Patriot air defense systems and equipment to extend the useful life of IRIS-T systems, according to the statement.

In addition, new capacities for data centers and cloud infrastructure were approved for cyber security forces.

The German parliament backed Chancellor Olaf Scholz's proposal in 2022 to create a special fund for the Bundeswehr worth 100 billion euros so that the German armed forces could eventually grow to become the largest regular army in Europe. Scholz cited the onset of the Ukrainian conflict as the reason for the buildup.

 Sputnik

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DRDO, IIT Delhi & the industry sign 10 tripartite agreements during an event organised by DRDO-Industry-Academia Centre of Excellence

India - Press Information Bureau

Ministry of Defence

Transfer of Technology of Light Weight Bullet Resistant Jacket ABHED done with three industry partners

Memoranda of Agreement inked for development of Indigenous Ballistic Material and limited series production of Extreme Cold Weather & Extreme Heat Protective Clothing

Posted On: 19 DEC 2024 8:35PM by PIB Delhi

DRDO-Industry-Academia Centre of Excellence (DIA-CoE) organised an event titled 'DRDO-Industry-Academia - Global Approach to Readiness of Indigenous Military Applications' (DIA-GARIMA) at IIT Delhi on December 19, 2024. During the event, 10 tripartite agreements were signed among DRDO, IIT Delhi and industry partners, in the presence of Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr Samir V Kamat; Director, IIT Delhi Prof Rangan Banerjee and industry representatives. The details of the agreements are as follows:

Transfer of Technology of Light Weight Bullet Resistant Jacket (ABHED- Advanced Ballistic High Energy Defeat) to:

MIDHANI (Mishra Dhatu Nigam), Rohtak SMPP Pvt Ltd, Delhi AR Polymers (MKU)- Kanpur

Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) for development of Indigenous Ballistic Material with Reliance Industries Ltd.

MoA for limited series production of Extreme Cold Weather Clothing with:

Aeronav Industrial Safety Appliance, Delhi Arnaf Industries Ltd Arrow Garments, Tirupur

MoA for limited series production of Extreme Heat Protective Clothing with:

Arrow Garments, Tirupur Aeronav Industrial Safety Appliance, Delhi Katalyst TECHTEX Ltd, Delhi

To integrate academia and industry into defence R&D, DRDO promulgated the Long Term Directed Research Policy of Ministry of Defence. Under this policy, DIA-CoEs pursue focused directed research for developing futuristic defence technologies. Aligned with the 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' initiative, these centres leverage the expertise of faculty and researchers of the institute in collaboration with DRDO laboratories and Indian industries to meet national security needs. DIA-CoEs are being facilitated by the Directorate of Futuristic Technology Management (DFTM) under the Technology Management cluster of DRDO.

Joint Advanced Technology Centre of DRDO, established in 2017 at IIT Delhi, was converted to DIA-CoE, envisaging association of Indian industry for translation of knowledge to high technology readiness. Over the past seven years, around 50 research projects have been initiated under five technology verticals, with a total funding of Rs 375 crore from DRDO. The focus has been on soldier-centric innovations, including high-performance lightweight body armour, advanced aerostat materials, smart soldier jackets, terahertz technology for spectroscopy, firefighter heat protection gear, and extreme cold-weather jackets.

Each project is enabled to ensure high technology readiness levels for DRDO's advanced systems, with potential civil applications as well. The DIA-CoE, IIT Delhi has engaged nearly 100 faculty members and 200 research scholars in its research areas to achieve self-reliance in defence technology improving the capability and capacity of defence R&D in the country. Standard Operating Procedures for Engaging Industry through academia was brought out by DFTM, DRDO to engage the industry actively through DIA-CoEs. This SOP has paved the path for activating the 'I' part of DIA-CoE.

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh, during an exhibition on the sidelines of the inauguration of Indian National Academy of Engineering's annual convention showed keen interest in the products made by the joint collaborations under DIA-CoE. He Interacted with the scientists, professors, researchers and industry partners, congratulating them for their collective achievements.

*****

SR/Savvy

(Release ID: 2086250)

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Nuclear capability is not only not a threat, but also an opportunity for development and self-sufficiency: AEOI chief

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Dec 19, 2024

Tehran - IRNA -- Heead of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Mohammad Eslami said that nuclear capability is not only not a threat, but also a strategic opportunity for the country's development and self-sufficiency.

Referring to the goals of sanctions against Iran's peaceful nuclear program, Mohammad Eslami said in a television interview, "We should know that the science is power and authority; throughout history, Iranians were always producers and creators of science and technology. The power of Iranians was not based on conquering countries, but their influence in science and scientific discoveries. In the two centuries when we had arrogance in the country, the country lacked self-confidence and leadership power in science and was an importer and a follower."

"Since two decades ago, when the growth of technology has accelerated and technological developments have become more rapid and have left their effects on the economy and society, especially in advanced countries, aerospace, nuclear, nano, biotechnology and information technology have always been the domain of the arrogant system. The arrogant powers have tried that these sciences not to be in the possession of countries that they do not like," he added.

Eslami pointed out that today, nuclear power is connected with aerospace, nuclear propulsion is used in satellites, so nuclear power creates power and the dominance of science and technology creates power and superiority.

2050



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US adds more individuals, entities to anti-Iran sanctions list

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Dec 19, 2024

New York, IRNA -- The United States keeps pressing ahead with its so-called maximum pressure policy against Iran, as the State Department has announced sanctions on individuals and entities involved in Iran's drone and missile programs.

The United States is imposing sanctions on one individual and two entities based in Iran that support Iran's production of ballistic missiles and drones, which continue to destabilize the Middle East and enable Russia's war against Ukraine, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller announced on Wednesday local time.

The State Department claimed that these two entities are helping Iran produce Shahid-136 explosive drones that Tehran has supplied to Russia for use against Ukraine, a charge Tehran rejects and says 'small number' of drones were sent to Russia months before war began but denies supply continues

It also announced blacklisting Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Aerospace Force (IRGC ASF) Deputy Commander claiming, "Brigadier General Sayyed Hosein Majid Mousavi Eftekhari has been engaged in activities that have materially contributed to Iran's ballistic missile program".

The State Department's anti-Iran measures came hours after the US Treasury announced on Wednesday local time that it has imposed new sanctions on two individuals and two entities alleging them of facilitating for procuring sensitive navigational systems for Iran.

"Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is sanctioning two entities and two individuals for their role in developing and procuring components for sensitive navigational systems for the Iranian military", the US Treasury said in a statement.

"Treasury's action was taken in coordination with the Department of Commerce and the Department of Justice, the latter of which charged and helped coordinate the arrest of one of the individuals OFAC is sanctioning today", it added.

"Iran continues to try to acquire these critical components covertly to facilitate the production of its ballistic missile and UAV weapon systems," said Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley T. Smith.

The statement called for seizure and blockade of all property and interests of the designated persons and entities blacklisted.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller had previously stated that Washington has imposed more than 600 sanctions on Iranian individuals and entities since the beginning of the Biden administration.

The United States under President Donald Trump unilaterally withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in May 2018 and implemented the most severe sanctions against Iran. The current administration continued imposing sanctions on Iran under various pretexts and in line with Washington's so-called "maximum pressure" on Tehran.

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Cold Snap Exposes Extent Of Iran's Energy Crisis

By Kian Sharifi December 19, 2024

Despite sitting atop the world's second-largest natural gas reserves, energy shortages have become a feature of winters in Iran.

Iran grapples with air pollution all year, but air quality significantly worsens during winter when power plants are forced to burn low-quality heavy fuel oil -- mazut -- to compensate for the lack of gas.

A rare cold snap in recent weeks has exposed the extent of Iran's struggles to meet the rising demand for gas, with school classes forced to go online and government offices ordered shut to conserve energy.

Highlighting the severity of the crisis, President Masud Pezeshkian last week appealed to the public to turn their thermostats down by 2 degrees Celsius to help address the energy deficit.

Other government officials have followed suit with similar pleas, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi telling his staff to wear warmer clothes at work.

Temperatures have plunged as low as -20 degrees Celsius (-4 degrees Fahrenheit) in parts of Iran in recent days.

"The situation is bad due to very cold weather, especially in Tehran and the northern provinces, but it's exacerbated by the structural trend toward runaway consumption over the last two to three years without an accompanying increase in production," said Gregory Brew, an Iran and energy analyst at the U.S.-based Eurasia Group.

Old Infrastructure, Poor Management

Energy subsidies in Iran mean energy bills are generally low, which has promoted overconsumption.

But making matters worse is a devastating combination of mismanagement and outdated infrastructure that has significantly contributed to Iran's inability to meet the rising demand for gas.

Gas flaring -- the burning of gas that comes out of the ground when drilling for oil -- is a major problem. Iran does not have the technology to collect it, so it is wastefully burned.

World Bank data shows that Iran ranked second globally in 2023 in terms of the volume of gas flaring, burning around 21 billion cubic meters. That is more than double that of the United States, which ranked fourth, and enough to supply 40 percent of the gas demand in neighboring Turkey, which has a population similar to Iran's.

Iran's major gas reserves are in the south, southwest, and offshore, so an expansive and powerful grid is needed to transport gas to the north. To do that, Iran needs to invest heavily both in expanding its aging infrastructure and increasing production, said Brew.

"But that's difficult to do without investment constrained by both a weak economy and international sanctions," he added.

The United States has imposed sweeping sanctions against Tehran over its nuclear and missile programs.

The sanctions have crippled the Iranian economy and dented Tehran's ability to sell oil and gas, its key exports. They have also prevented Iran from accessing foreign investment and technology.

The South Pars Field in the Persian Gulf is the world's largest natural gas field, and Iran shares it with Qatar, where it is referred to as the North Dome.

While Qatar has signed lucrative deals with international energy companies to develop its section of the gas field, Iran has had to rely on lackluster domestic capabilities to exploit it.

Iran's seemingly never-ending struggle with gas shortages in winter has led many to question the rationale behind exporting gas to neighboring Iraq and Turkey.

"Given how constrained it is by sanctions, Iran has to find and exploit any means of increasing exports, which increases pressure on supply at home," Brew said.

The stand-off with the West over Iran's nuclear program means the odds of sanctions being lifted are slim, and with Donald Trump returning to the White House in January, the pressure will increase even further, experts said.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-gas-shortage-winter- closures/33244667.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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Sanctioning Iran's Oil Trade, Support for Proxies and Partners, and Violations of Human Rights

US Department of State

Press Statement

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

December 19, 2024

The Department of State is today imposing sanctions on four entities that have transported Iranian oil and identifying six vessels as their blocked property.

The United States is committed to curtailing Iran's sources of revenue for its malign activities. As long as Iran devotes its energy revenues to funding attacks on U.S. allies and partners, supporting terrorism around the world, and pursuing destabilizing actions, we will continue to use all the tools at our disposal to hold the regime accountable. The Department of the Treasury is also sanctioning four entities and identifying three vessels as blocked property due to operations in the Iranian petroleum or petrochemical sectors. We will continue to work closely with allies and partners to reinforce these measures to address and counter Iran's actions.

Concurrently, the Department of the Treasury is also sanctioning twelve individuals and entities for their role supporting smuggling and arms trafficking, money laundering, and shipment of illicit Iranian petroleum for the benefit of Ansarallah, a Specially Designated Global Terrorist commonly known as the Houthis.

Finally, I have determined that Ghezel Hesar Prison in Iran meets the criteria under section 106 of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act. This prison was the site of gross violations of human rights, namely cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and punishment of individuals in Iran who sought to exercise their right to freedom of expression. These heinous acts included multiple severe beatings of political prisoners engaged in a peaceful hunger strike to protest the increased wave of executions being carried out at the facility.

Today's State Department's action is being taken pursuant to E.O. 13846 , which authorizes the imposition of sanctions on persons operating in certain sectors of the Iranian economy. Today's Treasury's actions are being taken pursuant to E.O. 13902 , E.O. 13224 , as amended, which targets terrorist groups and their supporters, and section 106 of CAATSA. For more information see the Department of State's Fact Sheet and the Department of the Treasury's press release.

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Sanctioning Entities Engaged in Transporting Iranian Oil and Violations of Human Rights

US Department of State

Fact Sheet

Office of the Spokesperson

December 19, 2024

Today, the United States is taking action to stem the flow of revenue that the Iranian regime uses to support terrorism abroad, as well as to oppress its own people. The Department of State is imposing sanctions on four entities engaged in the Iranian petroleum trade and identifying six vessels as blocked property. Iran's oil exports are enabled by a network of illicit shipping facilitators in multiple jurisdictions who, through obfuscation and deception, load and transport Iranian oil for sale to buyers in Asia.

The targets below are being designated pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13846 , which authorizes and reimposes certain sanctions with respect to Iran.

BRECALIN HONG KONG CO LTD (Brecalin) is a People's Republic of China-based company involved in the transport of Iranian petroleum as the commercial manager of PROGRESS V. It also serves as the commercial manager of the vessels SCORPIUS, TASCA, and ELIZA II.

Barbados-flagged PROGRESS V is being identified as blocked property in which BRECALIN HONG KONG CO LTD has an interest.

is being identified as blocked property in which BRECALIN HONG KONG CO LTD has an interest. Barbados-flagged SCORPIUS is being identified as blocked property in which BRECALIN HONG KONG CO LTD has an interest.

is being identified as blocked property in which BRECALIN HONG KONG CO LTD has an interest. Panama-flagged TASCA is being identified as blocked property in which BRECALIN HONG KONG CO LTD has an interest.

is being identified as blocked property in which BRECALIN HONG KONG CO LTD has an interest. Panama-flagged ELIZA II is being identified as blocked property in which BRECALIN HONG KONG CO LTD has an interest.

SHINY SAILS SHIPPING LTD (Shiny Sails) is a Seychelles-based company involved in the transport of Iranian petroleum as the commercial manager of the vessel AVITAL.

Cameroon-flagged AVITAL is being identified as blocked property in which SHINY SAILS SHIPPING LTD has an interest.

GALAXY MANAGEMENT NV (Galaxy Management) is a Suriname-based company involved in the transport of Iranian petroleum as the registered owner and commercial manager of the vessel VIGOR.

Panama-flagged VIGOR is being identified as blocked property in which GALAXY MANAGEMENT NV has an interest.

ATLANTIC NAVIGATION OPC PVT (Atlantic Navigation) is an India-based company involved in the transport of Iranian petroleum as the ISM manager of the vessel VIGOR.

Additionally, the Secretary of State has determined that Ghezel Hesar Prison in Iran meets the criteria under section 106 of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).

GHEZEL HESAR PRISON has been determined by the Secretary of State pursuant to section 106 of CAATSA to be responsible for gross violations of internationally recognized human rights, namely cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment committed against individuals in Iran who seek to exercise their internationally recognized human right of freedom of expression. Accordingly, Ghezel Hesar Prison is being listed by the Department of State and designated by the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) pursuant to section 106 of CAATSA.

SANCTIONS IMPLICATIONS

As a result of today's actions, and in accordance with E.O. 13846 and section 106 of CAATSA, all property and interests in property of the designated persons described above that are in the United States or in possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Additionally, all entities and individuals that have ownership, either directly or indirectly, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked.

All transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of designated or otherwise blocked persons are prohibited unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC or exempt. These prohibitions include the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any blocked person and the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person.

The power and integrity of U.S. government sanctions derive not only from the U.S. government's ability to designate and add persons to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) List, but also from its willingness to remove persons from the SDN List consistent with the law. The goal of sanctions is not to punish, but to bring about a positive change in behavior.

Petitions for removal from the SDN List may be sent to: OFAC.Reconsideration@treasury.gov. Petitioners may also refer to the Department of State's Delisting Guidance page.

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Treasury Maintains Pressure on Iranian Shadow Fleet

U.S. Department of the Treasury

December 19, 2024

WASHINGTON -- Today, the United States Department of the Treasury is imposing sanctions on four entities and three vessels involved in the trade of Iranian petroleum and petrochemicals, which generate billions of dollars' worth of revenue for the Iranian regime. This revenue supports Iran's nuclear program, its development and proliferation of provocative ballistic missiles, and financing of terrorist proxy groups such as Hizballah, Hamas, and the Houthis. Vessels transporting Iranian petroleum and petrochemicals frequently use methods of obfuscation and deception to mask this trade, posing a significant danger to the maritime industry.

Concurrently, the U.S. Department of State is taking action against four entities in multiple jurisdictions involved in the movement of Iranian petroleum.

"Iran's continues to rely on its shadowy network of vessels, companies, and facilitators to finance the development of its nuclear program, the proliferation of its weapons systems, and support to its proxies," said Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley T. Smith. "The United States is committed to targeting Iran's key revenue streams that fund its destabilizing activities."

Today's action is being taken pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13902, which provides authority to the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, to identify and impose sanctions on key sectors of Iran's economy. On October 11, 2024, the Secretary of the Treasury identified the petroleum and petrochemical sectors of the Iranian economy as subject to sanctions pursuant to section 1(a)(i) of E.O. 13902. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has released sanctions guidance for the maritime industry to aid in identifying new or common fact patterns that may be indicative of sanctions evasion, addressing common counterparty due diligence issues, and implementing best practices to promote sanctions compliance.

TARGETING COMPANIES AIDING IRANIAN PETROLEUM SALES

The Iranian petroleum sector relies on various maritime industry partners to support its illicit oil trade, which generates financial resources used to support its malign activities, including missile development, financing of terrorist proxy networks, and its nuclear program. The dark fleet transporting Iranian oil tends to consist of older, poorly maintained vessels operating outside of standard maritime regulations which, when combined with other deceptive shipping practices, also creates a dangerous operating environment that can pose serious risk to other shipping activities.

Marshall Islands-registered Journey Investment Company is the registered owner of the Djibouti-flagged crude oil tanker MS ENOLA (IMO: 9251951), which has been involved in the illicit transfer of Iranian oil for several years. The MS ENOLA recently received millions of barrels of Iranian oil in a ship-to-ship transfer from sanctioned National Iranian Tanker Company tanker DINO I (IMO: 9569671), formerly known as the INFINITY. The MS ENOLA has continued to use deceptive practices to help obfuscate its illicit activity, including turning off its automated identification system (AIS).

Liberia- and Greece-registered Rose Shipping Limited is the manager and operator of the MS ENOLA, the San Marino-flagged MS ANGIA(IMO: 9246281), and the Panama-flagged MS MELENIA (IMO: 9302023). Like the MS ENOLA, the MS ANGIA has been involved in illicit Iranian oil shipments dating back several years. Marshall Islands-registered Passada Maritime Limitedis the registered owner of the MS ANGIA.

Journey Investment Company, Rose Shipping Limited, and Passada Maritime Limited are being designated pursuant to E.O. 13902 for operating in the petroleum sector of the Iranian economy. The MS ENOLA is being identified as property in which Journey Investment Company has an interest. The MS ANGIA and the MS MELENIA are being identified as property in which Rose Shipping Limited has an interest.

In early 2024, Hong Kong-based Master Joint Co., Limited was used by U.S.-sanctioned Iranian trader Triliance Petrochemical Company to coordinate the sale of Iranian petrochemicals. Master Joint Co., Limitedis being designated for operating in the petroleum and petrochemical sectors of the Iranian economy. Triliance Petrochemical Company was designated pursuant to E.O 13846 on January 23, 2020, for, on or after November 5, 2018, having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services in support of, the National Iranian Oil Company.

STATE DEPARTMENT DESIGNATIONS

The U.S. Department of State is also taking action against a number of entities in multiple jurisdictions involved in the illicit movement of Iranian petroleum.

Seychelles-based Shiny Sails Shipping Ltd, India-based Atlantic Navigation OPC Private Limited, Suriname-based Galaxy Management NV, and Hong Kong-based Brecalin Hong Kong Co Ltd are all being designated pursuant to E.O. 13846 for having knowingly engaged in a significant transaction for the purchase, acquisition, sale, transport, or marketing of petroleum or petroleum products from Iran.

The Cameroon-flagged vessel AVITAL (IMO: 9246279) is being identified as property in which Shiny Sails Shipping Ltd has an interest. The Panama-flagged vessel VIGOR (IMO: 9262156) is being identified as property in which Galaxy Management NV has an interest. The Barbados-flagged vessels PROGRESS V (IMO: 9316701) and SCORPIUS (IMO: 9264893), along with the Panama-flagged vessels TASCA (IMO: 9313149) and ELIZA II (IMO: 9418078) are being identified as property in which Brecalin Hong Kong Ltd has an interest.

SANCTIONS IMPLICATIONS

As a result of today's action, all property and interests in property of the designated persons described above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC. In addition, any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, individually or in the aggregate, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked. Unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC, or exempt, OFAC's regulations generally prohibit all transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of designated or otherwise blocked persons. U.S. persons may face civil or criminal penalties for violations of E.O. 13902.

In addition, persons that engage in certain transactions with the individuals and entities designated today may themselves be exposed to sanctions or subject to an enforcement action. Non-U.S. persons are also prohibited from causing or conspiring to cause U.S. persons to wittingly or unwittingly violate U.S. sanctions, as well as engaging in conduct that evades U.S. sanctions. OFAC's Economic Sanctions Enforcement Guidelines provide more information regarding OFAC's enforcement of U.S. sanctions, including the factors that OFAC generally considers when determining an appropriate response to an apparent violation.

The power and integrity of OFAC sanctions derive not only from OFAC's ability to designate and add persons to the SDN List, but also from its willingness to remove persons from the SDN List consistent with the law. The ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish, but to bring about a positive change in behavior. For information concerning the process for seeking removal from an OFAC list, including the SDN List, please refer to OFAC's Frequently Asked Question 897 here. For detailed information on the process to submit a request for removal from an OFAC sanctions list, please click here

Click here for identifying information on the entities sanctioned today.

###

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Myanmar's junta reinforcing troops in 3 Rakhine towns ahead of expected rebel attacks

The other 2 remaining townships it controls in the state are already under siege by the Arakan Army.

By RFA Burmese 2024.12.19 -- Myanmar's junta is desperately reinforcing its troops in three of the five remaining townships it still controls in the western state of Rakhine while rebel forces intensify an offensive to seize the other two, residents said Thursday.

Junta troops and the ethnic Arakan Army, or AA, have been engaged in fierce fighting in the state for much of the past year after the AA ended a ceasefire that had been in place since the military's Feb. 1, 2021, coup d'etat.

The AA has overrun the state, capturing 12 of the state's 17 townships and now has turned its attention to taking over Ann and Gwa townships.

The rebel army said in a statement on Thursday that "only a few areas remain under junta control" in Ann, which is the base of the military's Western Command, and that it is currently engaged in a fierce offensive against Gwa.

In the meantime, residents said, the junta is racing to prepare its townships of Sittwe, Kyaukphyu and Munaung to repel eventual attacks by the AA.

In the port of Kyaukphyu, home to several Chinese infrastructure projects, the junta has increased its troop presence due to the possibility of imminent fighting, according to a resident who, like others interviewed for this report, asked not to be named for security reasons.

"Although no battles have broken out in Kyaukphyu yet, fighting could occur at any moment," he said. "The military junta is well-prepared for defense, particularly at their outposts in Mindat Taung, Hnan Pe Taung, and the No. 32 Police Battalion, where they have bolstered troop numbers and weapon supplies."

The resident said the junta has constructed "strong bunkers" at the outposts and deployed "200-300 soldiers" to the military's nearby No. 532 Infantry Battalion camp.

Residents also reported that a large naval vessel arrived at a port in Kyaukphyu on Dec. 8 to deliver weapons and reinforcements to junta troops.

Sittwe and Munaung

Similarly, the military junta has rapidly prepared defenses in three main locations in the Rakhine state capital of Sittwe, according to a resident, who also spoke on condition of anonymity.

"The junta has set up defenses in rural areas, on the outskirts of the city, and in the center of the city," he told RFA. "The central defense in Sittwe is just a facade, and the main defense is stationed at Sittwe University."

Other residents told RFA that the junta is conducting "strict inspections of every neighborhood in Sittwe," arresting and questioning the city's inhabitants, and has increased the number of troop and weapons stationed there.

In Munaung township, which consists of the islands of Manaung, Ye Kyun and Taik Kyun off the coast of Rakhine state in the Andaman Sea, junta troops have been patrolling villages in recent days, residents said. Naval vessels have been stationed around the main island of Munaung, they said.

"During these patrols, the junta has restricted fishing activities, which are the main source of livelihood for locals," said one resident. "They have even fired on fishing boats at sea. The locals are very worried about this."

After the AA occupied Ramree and Thandwe townships to the north, the junta banned fishing activities and travel in Munaung, leaving residents facing a scarcity of goods, high prices, and a lack of jobs in the area, residents said.

Attempts by RFA to contact junta spokesperson Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Htun and AA spokesperson Khaing Thu Kha for comment on the situation in the five townships remaining under military control went unanswered Thursday.

Poking the dragon

Political commentator Than Soe Naing told RFA it will be difficult for the AA to capture all three remaining townships.

"Sittwe is at risk of falling to the AA, but capturing Kyaukphyu will be more challenging, due to significant Chinese investments in the area," he said. "Additionally, taking Munaung will be difficult for the AA as they lack sufficient naval power."

China, which threw its support behind the military in the aftermath of the coup, is one of the junta's few remaining international allies. Junta chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has vowed to protect Beijing's interests in Myanmar from rebel attacks.

Than Soe Naing suggested Sittwe could be the AA's "final target," despite the group's vow not to end its offensive until all of Rakhine state is under its control.

The AA has enjoyed the most success against the military of any of Myanmar's ethnic armies this year, and observers have suggested the group could take over all of Rakhine state before 2025.

However, some residents of the state say that if the AA continues to attack Kyaukphyu  the junta's remaining township with the most Chinese projects  Beijing could take steps to intervene in the conflict.

Translated by Aung Naing. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster.

Copyright 1998-2024, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content December not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use.

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Myanmar appoints new defense minister as army struggles

The new minister has a crisis in Rakhine state to contend with and will oversee security for an election next year.

By RFA Burmese 2024.12.19 -- Myanmar's junta appointed a new minister of defense, state-controlled media reported, in the wake of significant insurgent advances across the county that have put the military under unprecedented pressure.

Gen. Maung Maung Aye, who has been chief of general staff, was appointed minister in place of Gen. Tin Aung San, who retained his position as deputy prime minister, media reported.

State media did not give a reason for the change in its reports on Wednesday but the military has suffered major setbacks at the hands of insurgent forces over the past year.

RFA called junta spokesperson Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun for comment, but he did not respond by time of publication.

A defense official in a parallel government in exile, the National Unity Government, or NUG, said the junta would be determined to change the trajectory of the war.

"Across the whole country, the army is obviously losing very badly, so this could be to redeem themselves or change that," said NUG defense official Aung San Sha.

The new defense minister will have to deal immediately with a crisis in Rakhine state in the west, where ethnic minority Arakan Army insurgents are closing in on the military's Western Command headquarters in the town of Ann.

The loss of the base will be a major setback for the army against one of Myanmar's most powerful guerrilla forces.

Ethnic Kachin insurgents are battling to capture the northern town of Bhamo, while fighters in the northwest, central areas and the east have also made advances.

In Shan state in the northeast, insurgents captured the town of Lashio, on an important trade route to the nearby border with China, in August and have held on to it despite a relentless campaign of airstrikes by the military.

China has pressed two insurgent armies in Shan state to talk peace with the junta but it is not clear if the rebels will withdraw from the places they have captured, including Lashio.

The new minister will be responsible for providing security for an election expected next year, which the junta hopes will boost its legitimacy, both at home and abroad, even though the opposition has rejected the vote as meaningless when their leaders, including Aung San Suu Kyi, are in prison.

A former soldier who defected to the ranks of the junta's opponents said the outgoing minister was also paying the price for implementing a deeply unpopular campaign of conscripting young people, with nothing to show for it.

"All over the country the military is suffering - they're recruiting and aren't succeeding," said the defector, Naung Ro. "It's also because of this that Tin Aung San has been replaced,"

Maung Maung Aye will be the third defense minister appointed by the junta that seized power with the ouster of an elected government in February 2021.

Translated by Kiana Duncan. Edited by RFA Staff.

Copyright 1998-2024, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content December not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use.

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Over one-third of Myanmar's population to need aid by 2025: UNOCHA

Nearly 2 million made vulnerable this year, driven largely by conflict and disaster displacement.

By RFA Burmese 2024.12.19 -- More than one-third of Myanmar's population will be in need of humanitarian assistance by 2025, driven largely by displacement from conflict and natural disasters this year, according to a United Nations report.

The assessment by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or UNOCHA, came as another U.N. agency  the World Food Program  slammed the country's junta over reports that its relief supplies were discovered in military border posts in Rakhine state.

UNOCHA warned on Dec. 13 that it anticipates the number of people in need in Myanmar to swell by more than 10% from 18 million people in February to 19.9 million by the new year, accounting for more than one-third of the country's population of 55.8 million.

It's a staggering increase from prior to the military's Feb. 1, 2021, coup d'etat when, according to UNOCHA, just over 1 million people required aid in Myanmar.

The agency described the growth  driven in part by displacement this year  as an "unprecedented surge" in humanitarian need in Myanmar.

UNOCHA said the humanitarian crisis has worsened due to intensified fighting, natural disasters, and a steep economic downturn since the military coup.

Attacks, disasters and draft

Asked about the U.N.'s prediction, Win Myat Aye, minister of humanitarian affairs and disaster management for Myanmar's shadow National Unity Government, or NUG, told RFA Burmese the primary cause of the crisis is junta attacks on civilians as it battles rebel groups opposed to its rule.

"The second reason is the occurrence of natural disasters during the current period," he said, including late September's Typhoon Yagi  Southeast Asia's worst storm of the year.

Yagi triggered flooding and landslides that damaged schools and tens of thousands of homes in Kayah and Shan states and the Mandalay region. UNOCHA said last month that the flooding had affected more than 1 million people in 70 towns across Myanmar.

"Another crucial factor is the compulsory military service law," Win Myat Aye said, referring to the draft enacted by the junta in April to shore up its dwindling military ranks amid mounting battlefield losses.

The law requires men aged 18-35 and women aged 18-27 to serve a minimum of two years, and young people have been fleeing the country ever since.

Economic mismanagement

Banyar, secretary of the Interim Executive Council of Kayah state, also blamed the junta's "poor economic management" that has forced people to eat into their savings to make ends meet.

"What [the people] once saved, stored, and shared is now gone, and now they are facing an even greater crisis," he said. "When all resources are depleted, even those who aren't poor are left with no choice but to rely on international aid. This is why the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance is rising."

UNOCHA's assessment follows a Dec. 5 report by the United Nations Children's Fund, or UNICEF, which found that children and families in Myanmar are in urgent need of life-saving assistance and emergency services.

RFA reached out to junta spokesperson Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun for a response to the UNOCHA report, but received no response.

Aung Thu Nyein, a member of the Institute for Strategy and Policy - Myanmar, told RFA that the current situation in Myanmar requires consideration from all stakeholders, regardless of their political differences.

"If we estimate that around 20 million people currently need assistance, that amounts to nearly one-third of our population. Some reports also suggest that half of the country is living in poverty," he said. "These are problems that decision-makers  both the junta and the opposition  must seriously consider."

In June, the United Nations Development Program said that 42 million people, or 75% of Myanmar's population, are facing poverty.

Military pilfering food aid?

UNOCHA's findings came as the World Food Program, or WFP, expressed concern over allegations that food it handed over to the military regime for distribution to Myanmar's needy had been discovered in a building previously occupied by pro-junta Border Guard Forces in northern Rakhine state.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the WFP said that any misappropriation of humanitarian assistance intended for Myanmar's most vulnerable communities, who are in need of lifesaving aid, is "unacceptable."

The agency acknowledged that it was made aware of the allegations through media reports and has been unable to verify the information, primarily due to lack of access to the region, where the junta is engaged in pitched battles with the rebel Arakan Army, or AA.

The AA, which largely draws its support from Rakhine's Buddhist majority, has made steady advances over the past year, from the border with Bangladesh, through central areas to its far south, and now controls about 80% of the state.

The Rakhine-based new outlet Arakan Bay News-ABN reported on Dec. 13 that after the AA captured the station of No. 5 Border Guard Police Sub-unit in Maungdaw township on Dec. 8, "thousands of bags of WFP rice" were found inside the station.

The bags of rice were being used by junta forces as defense barriers for their foxholes, the report said.

Storage facility torched

A WFP food storage facility, located about 1.2 kilometers (.75 miles) east of the police station in Myo Thu Gyi neighborhood, was broken into and set on fire in June.

WFP had previously stated that the facility contained 1,175 tons of emergency food, which it said was enough to feed 64,000 people for one month.

The AA released an aerial video on June 25, showing that the warehouse was set on fire by junta troops, but the military regime denied involvement.

Attempts by RFA to contact junta spokesperson Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Htun for a response to the WFP statement went unanswered by the time of publishing.

The WFP has called on all parties to the conflict to uphold their obligations under international law to respect and protect humanitarian personnel and assets.

The WFP has also warned that the overall food security situation in Myanmar  already alarming  continues to deteriorate due to the ongoing conflict, recent climatic shocks and the country's economic downturn.

Translated by Kalyar Lwin and Aung Naing. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster.

Copyright 1998-2024, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content December not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use.

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Pakistan's Push For Digital Control Adds To 'Climate Of Fear'

By Abubakar Siddique December 19, 2024

Pakistan is cracking down on the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) that allow Internet users to circumvent government controls.

The authorities have claimed they are targeting "unregulated VPNs," which they said is being used by criminals and militants.

But activists say the new restrictions on VPNs are aimed at regulating the online space and further stifling dissent in the South Asian country of some 240 million.

"The VPN crackdown is the latest example of Pakistan's push for digital control," said Ramsha Jahangir of the Global Network Initiative, a Washington-based global digital rights watchdog.

The clamp down on VPNs comes after Pakistan imposed a China-style national Internet firewall earlier this year.

The firewall has been blamed for Internet outages and slowdowns that have disrupted businesses and triggered widespread complaints in the Muslim-majority country.

Efforts to restrict the use of VPNs has coincided with an ongoing political crisis that has been fueled by the jailing of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Supporters of Khan, the founder of the opposition Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaf (PTI) party, have staged months of protests to demand his release.

'Climate Of Fear'

VPNs are legal in most countries. But they are banned or restricted in authoritarian countries, including Russia, China, and Iran, where the authorities tightly control Internet access and carry out censorship.

In November, Pakistan's Interior Ministry said it was seeking a ban on VPNs because they were being used by militants to "facilitate violent activities." The ministry said it also wanted to deny access to "pornographic" and blasphemous content.

Later that month, Pakistan's top body of clerics declared the use of VPNs "un-Islamic," claiming they led to the "spread of evil."

The government has since said it would no longer pursue a ban on VPNs. But it has ordered individuals and companies to register their VPNs.

Digital rights campaigners say the move amounts to a ban on VPNs.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on December 7 said that over 31,000 companies and individuals had successfully registered their VPNs.

Pakistan's telecommunications regulator said it will allow banks, software companies, and embassies to use VPNs. Individuals, too, can use the digital tool for commercial purposes, it said.

But activists say the crackdown on VPNs is an attempt at censorship.

"Pakistan is not only limiting its citizens' ability to access information freely but also adding to the climate of fear and surveillance," said Jahangir of the Global Network Initiative.

The restrictions on VPNs is "indicative of a broader trend of increased Internet censorship," she added.

'Right To A Livelihood'

The clampdown on VPN use and the Internet slowdown have disrupted the daily work of businesses and entrepreneurs.

Financial experts have warned that the Internet disruptions could exacerbate the severe economic crisis in Pakistan. The government estimates that the country earns more than $2.5 billion annually from digital exports of products and services.

"In the current economic climate, patchy Internet signals will infringe on [people's] right to a livelihood," said Harris Khalique, head of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.

Sajjad Mustafa Syed, head of the Pakistan Software Houses Association, said a complete ban on VPNs would be a "death blow" for the IT industry.

A full ban would also have "alarming implications" for all Pakistanis, he said, "especially among political dissidents or vulnerable activists and journalists."

Farieha Aziz, co-founder of the nongovernmental digital rights group Bolo Bhi, said the government is trying to create "a new normal" whereby it can pull the plug on Internet connectivity whenever it wants.

"No one will know when there will be access, what quality, which platforms or services and their features," she said.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/pakistan-internet-censorship- vpns-human-rights/33241895.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 defends ballistic missile development amid new US sanctions

By Ayaz Gul December 19, 2024

Pakistan sharply criticized the United States Thursday for imposing new sanctions against the nuclear-armed country's long-range ballistic missile program, labeling the move as "double standards and discriminatory practices."

U.S. State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller announced the measures on Wednesday, 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 Pakistan's state-owned National Defense Complex and three entities collaborating with it in the development of long-range ballistic missiles, including the Shaheen series of missiles.

Pakistan's foreign ministry rejected the move as "unfortunate and biased." The ministry statement said Islamabad's defense capabilities are aimed at safeguarding Pakistan's sovereignty and preserving peace in South Asia.

"The latest installment of sanctions defies the objective of peace and security by aiming to accentuate military asymmetries," the ministry said, apparently referring to Pakistan's rivalry with nuclear-armed neighbor India.

"Such policies have dangerous implications for the strategic stability of our region and beyond," the ministry warned, without elaborating.

The designation of National Defense Complex and other firms freezes all U.S. property they own and bars U.S. citizens from engaging in business transactions with them.

"Pakistan's strategic program is a sacred trust bestowed by 240 million people upon its leadership. The sanctity of this trust, held in the highest esteem across the entire political spectrum, cannot be compromised," the foreign ministry stated Thursday in response to the U.S. announcement.

The accompanying U.S. State Department fact sheet said the Islamabad-based National Defense Complex has worked to acquire items "intended to be used as launch support equipment for ballistic missiles and missile testing equipment" to advance the country's missile development program.

The other companies hit with U.S. sanctions are Affiliates International, Akhtar and Sons Private Ltd., and Rockside Enterprise, all located in Karachi, according to the fact sheet.

"The United States will continue to act against proliferation and associated procurement activities of concern," Miller said.

Pakistan's Shaheen surface-to-surface rocket is capable of carrying 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.

New Delhi and Islamabad conducted their first nuclear weapons tests in May 1998, raising fears another war between the arch-rivals could escalate into a nuclear exchange in South Asia. Both nations have fought three wars, resulting in strained relations and persistent military tensions.

India and Pakistan oppose and refuse to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty, an international agreement aimed at curbing the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

"These country-specific U.S. sanctions against a close and longstanding strategic partner like Pakistan are unfortunate, divorced from historical realities, and indicate weaker U.S. commitment towards regional peace, security and strategic stability," Syed Muhammad Ali, a security expert based in Islamabad, told VOA.

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US Withdrew From Arms Treaties to Develop New Weapons - Russian General

Sputnik News

20241218

The US pulled out of the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM), Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) and Open Skies treaties so it could build more destructive weapons, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov has said.

"The situation is also aggravated by the crisis in the system of international arms control commitments and agreements," Gerasimov told a briefing for foreign military attaches.

"Since 2002, the United States has destroyed all the agreements in this area signed during the Cold War  the ABM Treaty, the INF Treaty and the Open Skies Treaty," he noted.

"The reason why the United States withdrew from these agreements was the desire to ensure the possibility of creating new types of weapons, which were considered the most destructive."

Gerasimov said the first and foremost issue was medium- and short-range missiles, as well as the US deployment of its missile defense systems in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.

The general said Russia's Armed Forces in 2024 had met all the tasks set by the government

"Summing up the performance of the Armed Forces this year, I would like to note that all the tasks set by the country's leadership have been fulfilled," Gerasimov said.

He noted that the renewal of weapons and military equipment was underway and the level of training of the command and units was increasing.

Much practical experience had been gained during the special operation in combat operations by various formations, use of aviation, air defense and other units.

More than 30 countries have provided Ukraine with $350 billion in financial aid, including about $170 billion for military needs, and more than 165,000 Ukrainian servicemen have been trained to NATO standards, Gerasimov said.

Bu the goals of the special military operation would definitely be achieved, he insisted.

The general added that the proportion of strategic nuclear forces units equipped with the newest weapons was now at 95 percent.

Gerasimov announced that the first regiment equipped with the S-500 surface-to-air missile system, which is capable of strategic missile defense, was on the verge of completion.

 Sputnik

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FSB Arrests Ukraine-Recruited Terrorist For Deadly Blast That Killed General Kirillov

Sputnik News

20241218

Russian chemical defense chief Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov and his assistant were killed on Tuesday morning by an explosion of a device planted on an electric scooter at the entrance of his apartment building in Moscow.

The perpetrator of the terrorist attack that killed Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, the head of the Troops of Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defense of the Russian armed forces, recruited by the Ukrainian special services, has been detained, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Wednesday.

"As a result of operational and investigative activities conducted jointly with the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Russian Investigative Committee, the Russian Federal Security Service has identified and detained a citizen of Uzbekistan, born in 1995, who detonated a homemade explosive device near a residential building on Ryazanskiy Prospekt in Moscow, which resulted in the death of ... Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, born in 1970, and his assistant, Major I.V. Polikarpov, born in 1983," the FSB said in a statement.

The perpetrator said he had been recruited by Ukrainian special services, adding that on their instructions he arrived in Moscow, received a powerful homemade explosive device and placed it on an electric scooter parked near the entrance to Kirillov's residential building.

To monitor the address where the general lived, he said that he rented a car and installed a Wi-Fi video camera in it, transmitting the image to the organizers in Ukraine.

"For the murder of the Russian serviceperson, the citizen of Uzbekistan was promised a reward of $100,000 US and a trip to live in one of the EU countries by the Ukrainian special services," the statement read.

The detained person faces punishment of up to life imprisonment, the FSB said, adding that Ukrainian special services officers involved in organizing the terrorist attack will be found and punished.

On December 17, the Russian Investigative Committee said it had opened a criminal case in connection with an incident on Ryazansky Prospekt in Moscow, which resulted in the deaths of two men. Later, it said that Kirillov and his assistant died as a result of the explosion of an electric scooter in which an explosive device had been placed.

Kirillov became widely known immediately after the start of the special military operation for his numerous briefings in which he brought evidence against the United States, its Western allies and the Kiev regime of preparing provocations with toxic substances and plans to create a "dirty bomb" to discredit Russia and the goals of the special operation.

 Sputnik

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Russia-China ties at 'unprecedented level,' says Putin, predicting trade volume set to reach between $220 billion to $240 billion

Global Times

By Fan Anqi and Shen Sheng Published: Dec 19, 2024 11:02 PM

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday at the annual press conference that relations between Russia and China have reached "an unprecedented level" as a result of the high level of mutual trust between both countries, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Putin spoke about China-Russia relations during the annual "Direct Line" Q&A session combined with his end-of-year press conference.

Everything that Russia and China do for each other is based on full trust, he said, while telling the press that their trade volume between has reached approximately between $220 billion to $240 billion and is continuing to grow, with cooperative projects demonstrating a secure future. "We have almost 600 joint investment projects," Putin was quoted by Sputnik News.

In global affairs, Putin said China-Russia ties serve as a stabilizing tool, "We frequently, almost always, coordinate our actions on the international stage, which is a very important element of international affairs," he said.

Russia and China are the two countries the most affected by the Second World War aftermath, The Russian President also said at the event. "Russia and China are the most affected countries, which achieved victory during the Second World War as a result of the heaviest losses...And what the Japanese militarists were doing on Chinese soil is terrible," Putin said, according to Sputnik News.

Cui Heng, a scholar from the Shanghai-based China National Institute for SCO International Exchange and Judicial Cooperation, believes that China-Russia trade earlier surpassing $200 billion, and now nearing $240 billion, comes as no surprise.

"Bulk trade alone is sufficient to support this growth due to the strong economic complementarity between the two countries. From the perspective of trade structure, there is still significant room for improvement," Cui told the Global Times on Thursday.

"China and Russia both oppose US unipolar hegemony and advocate for a just and reasonable transformation of the international order, a stance that aligns with the needs of most developing countries," Cui said.

With key changes happening around the world, Wang Xiaoquan, an expert with the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that "China and Russia are two permanent members of the UN Security Council, so their political mutual trust and strategic coordination at such a crucial period are significant for not only the two countries but also global security and world peace, as well as the development of international order."

The two countries have maintained close interactions at various levels and across different sectors. Only last week, Chairman of the United Russia party Dmitry Medvedev paid a visit to Beijing.

Sergei Shoigu, Secretary of the Russian Federation Security Council, attended Airshow China 2024 held in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong Province in November, where he visited the weaponry hall; Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov also paid a visit to Beijing in October.

China and Russia share a common stance on issues such as opposing external interference, safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and promoting fairness and justice in the international order, which adds strategic depth to the relationship between the two countries, said Sun Xiuwen, an associate professor at the Institute for Central Asian Studies at Lanzhou University.

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Telephone conversation with President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev

Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the initiative of the Uzbekistani side.

December 19, 2024

20:40

Shavkat Mirziyoyev expressed his sincere condolences over the assassination of the head of the Chemical, Radiation and Biological Defence Troops of Russia's Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov and his aide Ilya Polikarpov.

The Uzbekistani side emphatically condemns this vile terrorist act.

A willingness was expressed to maintain close cooperation between the two countries' security agencies in the domain of counterterrorism.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev congratulated Vladimir Putin on successfully holding his Direct Line and the large year review press conference.

Both leaders confirmed their desire to continue developing the mutually beneficial ties between Russia and Uzbekistan in all areas.

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Uzbek Man Charged With Terrorism In High-Profile Assassination Of Russian General

By RFE/RL December 19, 2024

A court in Moscow charged Uzbek citizen Ahmat Qurbanov on December 19 with terrorism and other charges in the high-profile killing of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, who headed Russia's Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defense Forces.

In addition to terrorism, Qurbanov has been charged with murder and the illegal possession of weapons and ammunition, according to the Russian state news agency TASS.

Qurbanov, born in 1995, has been accused of detonating a self-made explosive device concealed in a scooter parked near a residential building in Moscow on December 17.

The blast killed Kirillov and his assistant. Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) detained Qurbanov shortly after the attack in cooperation with the Interior Ministry and the Investigative Committee. Investigators claimed Qurbanov was recruited by Ukrainian intelligence services.

The Russian authorities released a video in which a man speaking poor Russian introduced himself as Ahmad Qurbanov from Uzbekistan and "confessed" to having committed the attack. The circumstances in which the video was recorded remain unknown.

During the court hearing on December 19, Qurbanov requested a translator due to his limited command of the Russian language.

The Uzbek Embassy in Moscow has been actively involved in the case. It commented on Qurbanov's arrest on Telegram, saying that it was in contact with Russian law enforcement agencies.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev discussed cooperation in the fight against terrorism in a phone call on December 19, the Kremlin said. Mirziyoev expressed his condolences for the death of Kirillov and his assistant, according to the Kremlin.

The FSB said in a statement on December 18 that the suspect had been recruited and trained by Ukraine's special services and promised money to carry out the attack.

While there has been no formal claim of responsibility for the killing, a source at Ukraine's SBU security service told RFE/RL that the blast was the result of a special operation by the Ukrainian agency.

Ukraine had accused Kirillov of being responsible for the use of chemical weapons against Ukrainian troops. Moscow has denied the accusation.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ahmad- qurbanov-charge-moscow-court-terrorism-general-igor-kirillov- killing-explosion-ukraine/33246069.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, In Annual Televised Show Of Control, Says Russia Nearing 'Primary Goal' In Ukraine War

By RFE/RL's Russian Service December 19, 2024

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow is nearing its primary goal in the war against Ukraine and challenged the United States to a missile "duel" involving Russia's new Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile.

Speaking at an annual news conference used in large part to show his control over almost every aspect of Russia's political and economic spheres, Putin boasted about the country's economy, glossing over the impact of severe sanctions imposed by the West for the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The tightly controlled question-and-answer session on December 19, a live broadcast on state TV that lasted almost 4 1/2 hours, focused on domestic issues at the start before turning to foreign policy, namely the war in Ukraine.

Putin, in power for almost a quarter of a century, said Russian forces were advancing along the front line of Ukraine and were moving toward achieving their primary goals.

He didn't specify what he meant, but previously he has said peace will be possible after the "denazification, demilitarization, and a neutral status" of Ukraine.

Russia has falsely claimed Ukraine is run by "radical nationalist" and neo-Nazi groups.

Later in the broadcast, Putin said he was ready for "negotiations and compromises" in possible peace talks with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and that he had no conditions for starting such talks.

Putin has previously ruled out making any major territorial concessions to end the war, while it has also insisted Kyiv abandon its ambitions to join the NATO military alliance.

"Soon, those Ukrainians who want to fight will run out, in my opinion. Soon there will be no one left who wants to fight," he said.

"We are ready, but the other side needs to be ready for both negotiations and compromises."

However, Putin also admitted he could not say when Russia would regain full control of the western region of Kursk, where Ukraine launched a shock offensive in August and still occupies territory.

"We will absolutely kick them out. Absolutely. It can't be any other way. But the question of a specific date, I'm sorry, I cannot say right now," Putin said.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said on December 19 that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had spoken by phone the day before with his Swiss counterpart, Ignazio Cassis, about the conflict in Ukraine. The ministry said Lavrov "explained in detail the Russian position on the settlement of the situation" and outlined Putin's conditions.

Well-known military analyst Michael Kofman at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace said on a podcast earlier this month that he was skeptical that Russia would agree to an early cease-fire and suspected that Moscow could try to tie up the United States in "envoy diplomacy" for months.

"I'm sure they'll be happy to schedule a summit in Geneva or perhaps some other place in Europe, all the while intending to make gains on the battlefield. And they've done this before," said Kofman.

Kofman added that if Ukraine can maintain its front lines and prevent a breakthrough over the next several months, Russia's negotiating hand will weaken as military resources and economic problems become more acute.

Russia has been trending toward authoritarianism since the beginning of Putin's tenure.

But since an election in 2018, that trend has been more firmly entrenched than ever. The already marginalized opposition has been crushed.

Earlier this year, Aleksei Navalny, Putin's most prominent critic, died while in a Siberian prison.

A raft of constitutional amendments imposed in 2020 enabled Putin to seek two additional six-year terms, the first of which he secured with a landslide victory in March in balloting the international community called a "sham" and not "free and fair."

The 72-year-old Putin, who is set to surpass Soviet dictator Josef Stalin's nearly 30-year reign by the end of his new term to become the longest-serving Russian leader in more than two centuries, could conceivably hold power until 2036.

Putin struck a defiant tone when the subject of weaponry came up during the broadcast. In an apparent trolling of Washington, he suggested a "21th-century high-tech duel."

"Let them determine some target for destruction, say in Kyiv: Concentrate all their air defense and missile defense forces there, and we will strike there with Oreshniks and see what happens," he said.

"We are ready for such an experiment, but is the other side ready?"

Russia launched the so-called Oreshnik ballistic missile against Ukraine on November 21 in a strike targeting the city of Dnipro.

Putin said at the time it was part of Moscow's response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian soil with U.S.-supplied ATACMS and British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles.

Analysts have voiced skepticism about the Oreshnik, saying the launching of the new intermediate-range missile was as much about political messaging as it was about military might.

Putin has been raising the specter of a nuclear strike since long before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and analysts said the Russian leader chose the Oreshnik to send a different signal to Washington.

"It's the kind of signaling you engage in when you can't, in fact, escalate in the way you've been threatening," Ruth Deyermond, senior lecturer in the Department of War Studies at King's College London, wrote on X of the November 21 missile strike.

With reporting by AFP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/putin-at- annual-show-of-control-says-russia-nearing-primary- goal-in-ukraine-war/33245667.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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Press release on Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's telephone conversation with Head of the Federal Department (Minister) of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss Confederation Ignazio Cassis

19 December 2024 19:11

2481-19-12-2024

On December 18, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had a telephone conversation with Head of the Federal Department (Minister) of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss Confederation Ignazio Cassis at the initiative of the Swiss side.

The foreign ministers discussed the situation in the OSCE and ways to prevent further deterioration of the Organisation. The Russian side noted that it was necessary to strictly adhere to the fundamental rule of consensus if the OSCE wanted to continue as a truly pan-European forum.

The parties discussed the conflict around Ukraine. The minister went into details to discuss Russia's position on settling the crisis emphasising the approaches President of Russia Vladimir Putin outline on June 14. The unacceptability of NATO expansion to the east was noted, which became one of the root causes of the current situation, leaving no alternative but to hold the special military operation uncontested. In this context, Russia's readiness was reaffirmed to take every action necessary to ensure its security.

Considering Bern's attempts to promote the idea of settlement based on Vladimir Zelensky's formula, the Russian side noted that it was absolutely senseless to count on presenting Moscow with any ultimatums to resolve the Ukrainian crisis, agreed upon behind the scenes by the West and Kiev.

Sergey Lavrov drew special attention to the 1970 Declaration on Principles of International Law, which stipulates that the principle of respect for territorial integrity applies to states that observe the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples. The Minister also pointed out the imperative of observing linguistic and religious human rights enshrined in the UN Charter, which were legally prohibited by the Kiev regime, which intended to exterminate the Russian language and the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

This was another root cause of the Ukrainian crisis, however, all the current peace initiatives carefully sidestep the topic.

Switzerland, being a country that is interested in mediating the settlement process, could state publicly that it was unacceptable to violate the UN Charter so crudely, and also present its unique experience when representatives of different cultures and languages coexist peacefully in one state as an example for Kiev.

The parties agreed to maintain contact.

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Turkiye Won't Intervene If Syria Able to Tackle Terrorism Effectively, Says Top Diplomat

Sputnik News

20241219

ANKARA, December 19 (Sputnik) - Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Ankara would have no reason to interfere in anti-terrorism efforts in Syria if the new administration handles the problem "properly."

Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the destruction of all terrorist organizations, including the PKK [Kurdistan Workers' Party banned in Turkey] and ISIS [Islamic State, a terrorist organization banned in Russia] is important to protect the territorial integrity of Syria.

The Lebanese TV channel Al-Mayadeen, citing its own correspondent, reported that armed units of the so-called "Syrian National Army" [SNA], with the support of Turkiye, are amassing significant reinforcements to the Manbij area in the northeast of the Syrian province of Aleppo to attack the positions of Kurdish forces.

"There's a new administration in Damascus now. I think this is primarily their concern now. So I think if they address this issue properly, so there would be no reason for us to intervene," Fidan told Al Jazeera when asked whether Turkiye's military interference was necessary to conduct an anti-terrorism operation in Syria.

On December 8, Syria's armed opposition captured Damascus. Russian officials reported that then Syrian President Bashar Assad stepped down after negotiations with key figures involved in the Syrian conflict. Following his resignation, he left Syria 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 announced later that the interim government had been formed and would remain in place until March 2025.

 Sputnik

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Syria's new 'flame of hope' must not be extinguished: Guterres

19 December 2024 - A flame of hope burns bright today in Syria - but if it's not carefully managed by both Syrians themselves and the international community, it risks being extinguished.

That's the warning from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaking to reporters in New York on Thursday morning. He said there is "a real risk that progress could unravel," without an "inclusive, credible and peaceful" political transition that is Syrian led, on behalf of all its citizens.

"The people of Syria stand at a moment of history - and a moment of opportunity. That opportunity cannot be missed," Mr. Guterres said, following five decades of brutal, dictatorial rule.

The UN stands with the Syrian people, recognising that this is their long-sought change to realise the peaceful movement for change that began with the impassioned protests of 2011.

No guarantees

"But nothing is guaranteed," he added, calling for all communities to be fully integrated into a new Syria.

"The rights of women and girls must be fully respected. And the process must be guided by the underlying principles of Security Council resolution 2254. We are focused on facilitating just such a process."

Meanwhile, the country is still mired in humanitarian crisis with the UN and partners mobilising to assess the needs and respond to "rapidly shifting" conditions, he said.

"Adequate funding for humanitarian and recovery response is critical. And that funding is not yet available. And I make a strong appeal to the international community to show the generosity the Syrian people deserve in this moment - and to massively support the humanitarian response."

The missing

The UN chief also pledge support to those who continue to live with the agony of uncertainty over missing loved ones, announcing the appointment of Karla Quintana of Mexico, to head up the General Assembly-mandated Independent Institution on Missing Persons in Syria.

He called for all the international mechanisms advancing the protection of human rights and accountability for the crimes of the Assad regime, to be provided the tools needed "to carry out their vital work."

Mr. Guterres noted that conflict is Syria is far from over, and civilian protection must be the highest priority. Fighting continues in the north with terror group ISIL/Dae'sh still a "major threat".

"At the same time, extensive Israeli airstrikes continue. They are violations of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity. They must stop," he continued.

In the occupied Syrian Golan, the UN peacekeeping mission - UNDOF - continues to observe the Israeli military "in multiple locations in the area of separation and in one location in the area of limitation. Let me be clear: There should be no military forces in the area of separation other than UN peacekeepers - period."

Moment of hope and history

He called for the full restoration of Syria's sovereignty, territorial unity, and an end to all fighting.

"This is a decisive moment - a moment of hope and history, but also one of great uncertainty," the UN chief concluded.

"Some will try to exploit the situation for their own narrow ends. But it is the obligation of the international community to stand with the people of Syria who have suffered so much."

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UN chief tells Israel to stop bombing Syria

By VOA News December 19, 2024

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called on Israel to halt its airstrikes on Syria, calling them violations of the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"Syria's sovereignty, territorial unity and integrity must be fully restored, and all acts of aggression must come to an immediate end," Guterres told reporters.

Since the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad abruptly fell earlier this month, Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes, including around the capital, Damascus, that it says are aimed at destroying strategic weapons and military infrastructure.

The family of Austin Tice, the American journalist detained in Syria for more than 12 years, has raised concerns that Israel may be striking a part of the country where the reporter is held.

Israeli troops have also moved into the demilitarized zone between Syria and the Israel-occupied Golan Heights  formed after the 1973 Arab-Israeli war  that U.N. peacekeepers patrol.

"Let me be clear: There should be no military forces in the area of separation other than U.N. peacekeepers  period. Israel and Syria must uphold the terms of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement, which remains fully in force," Guterres said.

Israeli officials have said the move is a limited and temporary measure intended to ensure the security of Israel's borders. However, Israeli officials have not indicated when Israel's troops will be withdrawn.

Guterres also said the U.N. is focusing on helping foster an "inclusive, credible and peaceful" political transition in Syria and getting aid moving to address one of the most severe humanitarian crises in the world.

"This is a decisive moment  a moment of hope and history, but also one of great uncertainty," he said. "But it is the obligation of the international community to stand with the people of Syria who have suffered so much. Syria's future must be shaped by its people, for its people, with the support of all of us."

Also on Thursday, the Pentagon confirmed to VOA that it has 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria, more than twice the 900 it previously said were there.

The Pentagon said the additional troops are considered temporary forces. They were sent to Syria to support the mission against Islamic State militants.

Pentagon spokesperson Major General Pat Ryder told reporters he did not know how long the number had been 2,000, but it predated the fall of Assad.

"For many of our deployments, numbers will fluctuate from time to time. But given that this number is significantly higher than what we've been briefing, I wanted to let you know as soon as I found out this information," Ryder told VOA. He added that he learned of the new figure Thursday.

Meanwhile, Iraq on Thursday sent nearly 2,000 Syrian soldiers back to Syria after they had sought refuge in Iraq during the push by rebel forces to oust Assad, according to an Iraqi military statement.

The Syrian soldiers were returned at their request and entered via an Iraq-Syria border crossing, according to the statement.

The Iraqi Defense Ministry kept the soldiers' weapons and will return them to a new Syrian government once it is formed, the statement said.

Russian response

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday rejected the notion that Assad's ouster represented a defeat for Russia.

Putin said during his annual news conference that Russia had "achieved our goals" in Syria, where it rushed to provide direct military support for Assad's government more than nine years ago to help push back rebel fighters.

Russian forces operated out of a network of bases in Syria to carry out airstrikes that helped Assad's military gain an advantage in the civil war.

After rebels made a surprise surge that toppled Assad's government earlier this month, Assad fled to Russia.

Putin said Thursday that he had not yet met with Assad but planned to do so. Among the topics Putin said he would discuss is the whereabouts of Tice. He also said he could ask those now in control in Syria about Tice.

Syrian transition

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that Syrians face an "incredibly fraught" opportunity as they work to shift away from decades of Assad family rule to a new future.

Speaking at an event at the Council on Foreign Relations, Blinken said the question is whether Syrians will "seize an opportunity for the first time in decades not to be governed by a dictator, not to be governed by an outside power, not to be governed by a terrorist organization, not to be governed by one sect or minority over another."

He also pointed to the rebels who seized power, and the opportunity they have to engage with the outside world and not take actions that will isolate the country.

Blinken highlighted the example of the Taliban in Afghanistan, saying the group pledged to be more moderate after it seized control but ultimately acted otherwise and ended up "terribly isolated around the world."

He said those in Syria need to move the country forward in an inclusive, nonsectarian way, to protect minorities and deal with security challenges such as chemical weapons and groups such as Islamic State.

Syria's new education minister, Nazir Mohammad al-Qadri, said Thursday that the new government would not restrict the rights of girls to learn.

"Education is a red line for the Syrian people, more important than food and water," he told Reuters in Damascus.

"The right to education is not limited to one specific gender," he said. "There may be more girls in our schools than boys."

Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.

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Putin says Assad ouster not a defeat for Russia

By VOA News December 19, 2024

Russian President Vladimir Putin Thursday rejected the notion that the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad represented a defeat for Russia.

Putin said during his annual news conference that Russia had "achieved our goals" in Syria, where it rushed to provide direct military support for Assad's government more than nine years ago to help push back rebel fighters.

Russian forces operated out of a network of bases in Syria to carry out airstrikes that helped Assad's military gain an advantage in the civil war.

After rebels made a surprise surge that toppled Assad's government earlier this month, Assad fled to Russia.

Putin said Thursday he had not yet met with Assad but planned to do so. Among the topics Putin said he would discuss is the whereabouts of American journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared while reporting in Syria in 2012.

Putin also said he could ask those now in control in Syria about Tice.

Syrian transition

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that Syrians face an "incredibly fraught" opportunity as they work to shift away from decades of Assad family rule to a new future.

Speaking at an event at the Council on Foreign Relations, Blinken said the question is whether Syrians will "seize an opportunity for the first time in decades not to be governed by a dictator, not to be governed by an outside power, not to be governed by a terrorist organization, not be governed by one sect or minority over another."

He also pointed to the rebels who seized power, and the opportunity they have to engage with the outside world and not take actions that will isolate the country.

Blinken highlighted the example of the Taliban in Afghanistan, saying the group pledged to be more moderate after it seized control but ultimately acted otherwise and ended up "terribly isolated around the world."

He said those in Syria need to move the country forward in an inclusive, nonsectarian way, to protect minorities, and deal with security challenges such as chemical weapons and groups such as the Islamic State.

Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.

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Navy censured over incident involving loss of 3 submariners at sea

ROC Central News Agency

12/19/2024 10:22 PM

Taipei, Dec. 19 (CNA) The Control Yuan on Thursday censured the Navy Command Headquarters for its handling of an incident that resulted in the loss of three submariners at sea last year.

When a safety buoy fell from the Hai Hu submarine during a training mission last year, the Navy did not have the proper operational guidelines to address the issue, the government watchdog said in a statement.

It also underestimated the risks involved in retrieving the buoy, as wave surges in Taiwan's southwestern waters are hard to predict, the Control Yuan said.

At the time, six sailors serving on board the Hai Hu, or Sea Tiger, were ordered to assist in carrying out the retrieval south of Liuqiu, Pingtung County, after the submarine surfaced.

All six submariners were swept overboard and the bodies of three -- a master chief petty officer surnamed Lin (), and two petty officers surnamed Yen () and Chang () -- were never found.

A search for the missing men was subsequently called off and a memorial ceremony held in their honor on June 30 presided over by President Lai Ching-te ().

Following an initial probe of the incident in late December 2023, the Navy said that sudden waves and the deforming of buckles tethering crew members to the Hai Hu's deck were likely to blame for the incident.

In February, the Navy issued a statement saying equipment and environmental reasons and not human error were to blame for the loss of three submariners at sea, and that it would not punish any of the Hai Hu's crew after an investigation determined that the boat's captain had made the correct decision to retrieve the safety buoy.

Control Yuan members Lai Ting-ming (), Wang Li-jen () and Hsiao Tzu-yu () said although the Navy has established a series of inspection protocols, including monthly checks, quarterly checks and routine maintenance, they were not always implemented, which clearly indicated negligence.

They also criticized the Navy for taking too long to dispatch a helicopter to conduct search and rescue operations, and noted that improvements must be made.

Meanwhile, the Control Yuan urged the Navy to review its equipment, as relevant procurement documents only include a certificate of compliance issued by the original manufacturer, without third-party verification by an accredited testing firm.

(By Kao Hua-chien, Joseph Yeh and Ko Lin)

Enditem/AW

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U.S. Senate passes defense bill authorizing increased Taiwan support

ROC Central News Agency

12/19/2024 08:38 PM

Washington, Dec. 18 (CNA) The U.S. Senate on Wednesday passed the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), including military articles and training worth up to US$300 million to support Taiwan.

The Senate voted 85 to 14 to approve the legislation, which the Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed on Dec. 11.

The US$895 billion 2025 NDAA will now head to President Joe Biden's desk for his signature.

The legislation proposes allowing the U.S. Department of Defense and State to augment Taiwan's anti-armor, uncrewed aerial vehicles, long-range precision weapons, cyberdefense, electronic warfare and counter-electronic warfare capabilities, as well as its integrated air and missile defense systems.

The bill also allows the State Department and Defense Department to provide Taiwan with defense articles and defense services from U.S. inventories to speed up delivery times.

In addition, Washington would be required to replenish stockpiles of foreign partners that provide defense articles to Taiwan.

While the NDAA outlines the U.S. Department of Defense's spending plans, funding for the proposals requires a separate appropriations bill.

(By Tsai Chia-min and Evelyn Kao)

Enditem/ASG

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Taiwan stages live-fire nighttime exercise in Penghu

ROC Central News Agency

12/19/2024 02:30 PM

Taipei, Dec. 19 (CNA) Taiwan Army troops stationed in the offshore Penghu County conducted a live-fire drill Wednesday night, as part of a monthly exercise, the military said Thursday.

In a press statement, the Penghu Defense Command said it deployed tanks and artillery systems from 10 p.m. to 12 a.m. in a simulation of a nighttime invasion by "enemy" forces.

The drill was aimed at testing the troops' ability to execute orders during wartime and ensure combat preparedness at any time, according to the statement.

All soldiers should stay vigilant, especially in the face of the enemy's growing threats, Lieutenant General Kuo Chun-te (), head of the Penghu Defense Command, said in the statement.

Since Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te () took office in May, China has been conducting large-scale exercises around Taiwan, including a drill named Joint Sword-2024A shortly after Lai's inauguration, and another named Joint Sword-2024B following his National Day address in October.

In late October, the Penghu Defense Command conducted its first live-fire nighttime drill, which consisted of aerial, naval and land simulations.

(By Chao Yen-hsiang and Joseph Yeh)

Enditem/pc

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China's pressure on Taiwan intensified in 2023: U.S. defense report

ROC Central News Agency

12/19/2024 02:18 PM

Taipei, Dec. 19 (CNA) China increased its military pressure on Taiwan in 2023 and took other steps in preparation for a potential invasion, according to an annual report published by the United States Department of Defense (DoD) on Wednesday (U.S. time).

"Throughout 2023, Beijing continued to erode longstanding norms in and around Taiwan by employing a range of pressure tactics against Taiwan," the DoD said in the report titled Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2024.

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China "is preparing for a contingency to unify Taiwan with the PRC by force, if perceived as necessary by Beijing, while simultaneously deterring, delaying, or denying any third-party intervention on Taiwan's behalf," the report said.

The DoD's analysts said Beijing has "a range of options to coerce Taipei" based on the PLA's "increasing capabilities in multiple domains."

These options, which the DoD said could be used individually or in combination, include an air and maritime blockade, limited military actions, precision missile and air strikes, the seizure of Taiwan's small outlying islands, and a large-scale amphibious invasion of Taiwan proper.

An amphibious invasion would be "one of the most complicated and difficult military operations for the PLA" that would "likely strain the PRC's armed forces and invite a strong international response," the U.S. defense department said.

Nonetheless, the PLA's amphibious brigades conducted "realistic, large-scale" amphibious assault training in 2023 that was "almost certainly aimed at supporting a Taiwan invasion scenario," the report stated.

Although there is "no indication" that China is expanding its fleet of tank landing ships and medium-sized landing craft "at this time," the DoD said, the PLA probably assesses that it already has sufficient amphibious capacity or believes China's "massive" shipbuilding capacity can "produce the necessary shore-to-shore connectors relatively quickly."

The report also noted that China's navy transferred many of its land-based aircraft, including 300 fighter jets, to its air force last year, so that the navy could "focus on improving carrier-based air operations."

In addition, the PLA's rocket force increased its presence along the Taiwan Strait with new missile battalions last year and "is prepared to conduct missile attacks" in an attempt to "degrade Taiwan's defenses, neutralize Taiwan's leadership, or break the public's will to fight," according to the DoD.

The report also detailed how Taiwan is "taking steps to address the military threat posed by the PLA" such as building war reserve stocks, growing its defense-industrial base, improving joint operations and crisis response capabilities, and strengthening its officer and noncommissioned officer corps.

In addition to the section on Taiwan, the DoD report on the PLA also covered other topics, including the security situation in the South China Sea and the impact of corruption on China's military capabilities.

On Thursday, Taiwan's Defense Minister Wellington Koo () told reporters that "Taiwan has the determination, ability and strength to enhance its self-defense capabilities and deter reckless moves by China."

(By James Thompson and Wu Shu-wei)

Enditem/pc

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Chinese FM rebukes Blinken's claim, emphasizing that the Taiwan question is purely China's internal affair.

Global Times

By Global Times Published: Dec 19, 2024 06:52 PM

In response to the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's claim that the Taiwan question is not just China's domestic affair, as a crisis in the Taiwan region would affect the world, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said that Taiwan is China's Taiwan, and Taiwan question is purely an internal affair of China, not subject to any external interference.

Lin pointed out that the greatest challenge to peace in the Taiwan region today comes from "Taiwan independence" separatist activities and the disruption caused by external forces. The US should abide by the One-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, honor its commitment to not supporting "Taiwan independence separatists," stop condoning separatist forces advocating "Taiwan independence," and cease interfering in China's internal affairs regarding the Taiwan question.

In an interview with Foreign Affairs magazine, Blinken also claimed that the US coordinates policies with its Eurasian partners, and "China's dissatisfaction is the greatest evidence of the success of our approach." In response, Lin Jian emphasized that China has always viewed and developed relations with the US based on the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation, while firmly safeguarding its sovereignty, security, and development interests.

We have always believed that a "new Cold War" cannot be fought, nor can it be won. Containing China is unwise, undesirable, and bound to fail.

When meeting with US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the 31st APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in the Peruvian capital of Lima, Chinese President Xi Jinping listed seven experiences and inspirations that should be drawn from the past four years of China-US relations. These insights offer strategic guidance for ensuring a stable, healthy and sustainable bilateral relationship in the future.

We hope the US will take these lessons seriously and work with China to move forward together, Lin said.

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Russian Forces Liberate Two Settlements in Donetsk People's Republic

Sputnik News

20241218

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian armed forces have control of two settlements  Trudovoye and Starye Terny  in the Donetsk People's Republic, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

Russia's Battlegroup Zapad has eliminated up to 540 Ukrainian military personnel over the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

"The Ukrainian armed forces lost up to 540 servicepeople, an infantry fighting vehicle, a US-made M113 armored personnel carrier, a Polish-made Rosomak armored personnel carrier, and two pickup trucks," the ministry said in a statement.

Russia's Battlegroup Tsentr has repelled 11 counterattacks, eliminating up to 440 Ukrainian soldiers, while Battlegroup Yug has eliminated up to 350 Ukrainian soldiers.

 Sputnik

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New donation package to strengthen Ukraine's air defence

Danish Ministry of Defence

Today the Danish Government informed the Foreign Policy Committee on the 23rd donation package to Ukraine which includes 2.1 billion DKK to strengthen Ukraine's air defence and the capacity for fighter aircrafts. Furthermore, funding will be spent on additional infantry fighting vehicles.

December 19, 2024 - 14:56

With the 23rd donation package Denmark will finance 2.1 billion DKK in order to strengthen the Ukrainian air defence which will be donated through Denmark's international partners. Furthermore, the package will include a financial contribution to the upkeep of the Ukrainian F-16 capacity. The Government informed the Foreign Policy Committee at a meeting today.

"One of Ukraine's most urgent needs is to be able to defend itself against Russian missiles and drones. Therefore, we have prioritized more support for air defence. The package also includes a financial contribution for the upkeep of the Ukrainian fighter aircraft capacity for which Denmark has contributed significantly- in terms of F-16 fighter aircrafts and training of personnel",says Minister of Defence Troels Lund Poulsen.

Furthermore, Denmark and Sweden are making a joint donation of a further number of CV90 infantry fighting vehicles. Denmark will also contribute with personnel to NATOs assistance to Ukraine as well as extend the funding for the Danish personnel in EUs military support mission for Ukraine.

"Russia spares no efforts in its illegal war. This is underlined by the Russian attacks on the Ukrainian energy systems which focuses on pressuring the Ukrainian citizens in the cold winter months. It is inhuman. It makes it even more important that Europe and Denmark continues with the support to Ukraine - especially the Ukrainian air defence. Ukraine needs to have the best prerequisites",says Minister of Foreign Affairs Lars Lkke Rasmussen.

The package has a total value of 2.1 billion DKK and is financed by reallocation of funds from the Ukraine Fund in 2024, as well as reimbursements from the European Peace Facility. Besides the reallocated funds there will also be non-utilized funds from the Finance Act from 2024 containing 275 million DKK, which will strengthen the financial contribution to Ukraine's fighter aircraft capacity.

The funding for the Ukraine Fund is fully utilized with the donations package XXIII.

Facts:

In total approximately 53 Billion DKK from 2022-2028 has been spent on military support for Ukraine. This includes both funding from the National Compromise and the Ukraine Fund.

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Continued international support Is crucial to protect Ukraine's energy system

Government of Norway

News story | Date: 19/12/2024

On Friday, December 13, Norway participated in the handover of 12 gas piston engines to local authorities in Kharkiv. These engines will benefit 800,000 residents and 47 hospitals this winter and are already in place in the city.

The handover took place in Kyiv alongside Sweden and the EU. On the same day, Russia launched a massive attack on Ukraine's energy system, the largest so far. The attack included 94 missiles and 193 drones in multiple waves. The drone assault lasted for 11 hours, followed by a 2.5-hour-long missile strike.

'The attacks on Ukraine's critical energy infrastructure demonstrate the Russian government's willingness to inflict suffering on the civilian population and its goal of undermining Ukraine's ability to defend itself. At the same time, Ukraine's impressive air defense response shows the country's resilience and determination to protect its citizens. However, continued international support remains crucial to ensure Ukraine can continue to withstand these attacks and safeguard its infrastructure', said Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide.

81 missiles and 80 drones were shot down, and 105 drones were likely to have been redirected through electronic warfare during the December 13 attack. Additionally, 11 Russian cruise missiles were shot down by F-16 fighter jets. The attacks were aimed at strategic targets, including transformer stations connecting Ukraine's nuclear power plants to the grid.

The strikes, which also targeted critical power stations in western Ukraine, appear to have been aimed at disrupting energy transfers from European countries to Ukraine. Damage was also reported to several water and heating systems, particularly in Odesa and Ternopil.

The attacks have caused significant, but not critical, damage to the country's energy system. However, they are a clear indication that Russia is likely to continue its large-scale air assaults on Ukraine in the coming days and weeks, with the availability of missiles being the only limiting factor.

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The President in Brussels: The EU needs to step up military assistance to Ukraine

President of the Republic of Lithuania

December 19, 2024

President Gitanas Nauseda is attending the European Council meeting in Brussels. On Thursday, the plenary session opened with a discussion with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who joined the EU leaders.

During the discussion, the President of Lithuania emphasized that the security of all of Europe is being determined in Ukraine, urging the European Union to intensify its support for Ukraine in the face of calls to "negotiate."

"Attempts to pressure Ukraine into negotiating on unfavorable terms, compromising its sovereignty and territorial integrity, have no connection to the pursuit of a just and sustainable peace. We must help Ukraine strengthen its position and ensure that such 'negotiations' do not jeopardize Ukraine's security or that of the European Union," the President stated.

The Head of State emphasized that the EU's efforts must focus on making a tangible impact on the battlefield. He called on European countries to provide Ukraine with more long-range fire systems, enabling it to choose its own targets, additional ammunition, and increased acquisitions from Ukraine's defense industry. He stressed the need to dispel the narrative of an 'invincible Russia' once and for all, noting that the country has faced repeated defeats on the battlefield and will suffer the same outcome in Ukraine.

In addition to military aid, the President highlighted the importance of supporting Ukraine through the winter. Lithuania is contributing to this effort by donating a thermal power plant to Ukraine. Gitanas Nauseda also urged the swift adoption of a 16th package of EU sanctions against Russia, targeting its most profitable and critical sectors, including energy and finance.

The Lithuanian leader highlighted that Russia is attempting to escalate the situation by seeking additional resources from other authoritarian states to continue the war. The biggest threat, according to the President, is the growing involvement of China, North Korea, Iran, and Belarus in Russia's war against Ukraine. He stressed that the cost of supporting Russia must be high enough to deter those considering further involvement in Russia's aggression.

The President also pointed out that Ukraine's accession to NATO is the only long-term guarantee of its security, and without Ukraine's security, there can be no long-term security for the EU. He emphasized the importance of accelerating Ukraine's EU accession negotiations. Additionally, President Gitanas Nauseda reiterated the need to hold Russia accountable for the war crimes committed in Ukraine.

At the European Council meeting in Brussels, the EU leaders will also discuss the EU's role in the world, enlargement, migration, the Middle East, and the situation in Georgia.





The President's Communication Group

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Russians see North Koreans as a 'burden' over ignorance of drones: South says

South Korea says North Koreans being 'consumed' in assaults, suffering 'serious' casualties.

By Taejun Kang for RFA

2024.12.19

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- North Korean soldiers are being "consumed" in attacks in Russia's Kursk region because they lack experience of drone warfare, South Korea's spy agency said, adding that Russian forces complained that the North Koreans were a "burden" because of their "ignorance."

The U.S. and Ukraine estimate there are between 10,000 and 12,000 North Korean troops in Russia, with their focus on Kursk, parts of which Ukrainian forces occupied in August, where they are actively engaged in fighting and are taking casualties.

"North Korean troops are being 'consumed' for front-line assaults in an unfamiliar battlefield environment of open fields, and they lack the ability to respond to drone attacks," said South Korea's the National Intelligence Service, or NIS, as cited by South Korean lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun who was briefed by the agency on Thursday.

Russian troops were complaining about the North Koreans' ignorance of drones, calling them a "burden," the agency added, without elaborating.

"Some 11,000 North Korean troops, believed to be deployed in the Kursk region, began to engage in actual combat from December. At least 100 people have been killed, and the number of injured is expected to reach 1,000," said the NIS.

South Korea's confirmation of North Korean casualties came after Ukraine released a video saying that it showed about 50 North Korean soldiers were killed in attacks by Ukrainian drones in Kursk this week.

Sgt. Mykhailo Makaruk, a member of the Ukrainian unit who confirmed to RFA Korean that he had fought against North Koreans in the battle shown on the video, said nearly 200 North Korean soldiers came to the Ukrainian position, and shortly after, the drones began to attack.

"They came and they came and the drones are bombing them," he said. "I don't understand how they can come to this war. They look like, you know, real zombies."

Separately, on Tuesday, Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, or DIU, said North Korean forces were taking additional measures to mitigate the threat of drone strikes.

"After serious losses, North Korean units began setting up additional observation posts to detect drones," the DIU wrote in a post to its official Telegram channel.

Andrii Kovalenko, the head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council, posted on his Telegram account that North Korean soldiers were no match for the drones, also called unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs.

"The dead DPRK soldiers did not have a visual understanding of the danger from UAVs before the drone strikes, which may indicate that the Russians poorly informed the Koreans about the use of drones at the front," Kovalenko said, using North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Kovalenko added that the Russian soldiers were seen trying to quickly recover the bodies of North Korean soldiers killed on the front lines, which was different from the way they treated Russian dead.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian forces were burning the faces of dead North Korean soldiers to conceal their identities and keep secret their deployment to help Russia, citing a video as evidence.

Earlier, he said that Russia had begun using North Koreans in significant numbers for the first time to assault Ukrainian positions and his forces released images and videos of what it said were the bodies of North Koreans soldiers, among some 200 killed and wounded in Kursk.

'Normal cooperation'

North Korea once again declined to deny or confirm that it had sent troops to Russia to help it with its war against Ukraine but its foreign ministry called its cooperation with Russia "normal."

Responding to a joint statement from the European Union, South Korea and the U.S. criticizing North Korea's deployment to Russia, the North's ministry of foreign affairs said it "distorted and slandered" the essence of a normal partnership between two nations.

"[The joint statement] is a grave threat to international peace and security that goes beyond political provocation that violently infringes on the sovereignty of sovereign states," said the ministry on Thursday, calling its partnership with Russia a "legitimate" way to counter external threats, including the U.S.

Neither Russian President Vladimir Putin nor North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has confirmed that North Korean soldiers are aiding Russia in its war against Ukraine, which began with Putin's invasion in February 2022. However, emerging reports suggest that such collaboration is developing rapidly, with mounting evidence pointing to North Korea's increasing involvement.

Ukraine's Security Service said on Tuesday it had intercepted a phone call between a nurse at a hospital near Moscow and her husband, a soldier on the front lines.

According to the nurse, more than 200 wounded North Korean servicemen were brought to the hospital near Moscow over two days.

In the recording, the nurse asked, "Are they elite, these Koreans?" and mentioned that certain wards were being cleared for them. Radio Free Asia has not been able to independently verify the recording.

The deployment of the North Koreans comes after more than two years of deepening ties with Russia. North Korea has sent large volumes of arms and ammunition to Russia, including missiles and artillery shells, to support its war.

This week, the U.S., European Union, and South Korea imposed sanctions on individuals and entities accused of facilitating North Korea's military assistance to Russia.

Edited by RFA Staff.

Copyright 1998-2024, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content December not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use.

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Zelenskiy Says Transatlantic Unity Fundamental To Halt Putin's Aggression

By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service December 19, 2024

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said that only transatlantic unity could eventually stop the war in Ukraine and lead to peace amid a change of administrations in the United States.

Zelenskiy met on December 19 with EU leaders in Brussels to seek fresh support amid concerns that President-elect Donald Trump could pull U.S. support for Kyiv after he returns to the White House next month.

Addressing the EU leaders, Zelenskiy welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron's proposal to deploy troops to Ukraine following an eventual cease-fire.

"We support France's initiative for a military contingent in Ukraine as part of these guarantees and call on other partners to join this effort, it will help bring the war to an end," he told the closed-door meeting, according to a text posted on his website.

It is "crucial for Europe to make a significant contribution to security guarantees," he said.

"We all understand that in January, President Trump will intensify efforts to end the war. It's up to us whether Europe supports him with a strong, united voice," he told the EU leaders, according to the text.

Zelenskiy said Ukraine would ultimately need more protection through membership in the NATO military alliance. NATO has said Ukraine will join its ranks one day but it has not set a date or formally invited Ukraine to join.

"It is impossible to discuss this only with European leaders, because for us, the real guarantees in any case - today or in the future - are NATO," he told reporters. "On the way to NATO, we want security guarantees while we are not in NATO. And we can discuss such guarantees separately with both the U.S. and Europe," he said.

The meeting came as Ukrainian cities and infrastructure continue to sustain regular Russian drone and missile strikes while outgunned and outmanned Ukrainian forces are facing increasing difficulties in staving off Russia's increasingly rapid advance in the east.

The EU leaders and Zelenskiy are to reaffirm their "unwavering commitment" to supporting Ukraine "for as long as it takes," according to draft conclusions seen by Reuters.

"Russia must not prevail," the EU draft conclusions say. The bloc's leaders also stress that no decision must be made on Ukraine's fate without Kyiv's involvement.

Zelenskiy on December 18 met in Brussels with NATO chief Mark Rutte and a group of European leaders who seek to develop their own plans if Trump, who has pledged to bring a swift end to the conflict, pulls support or forces Kyiv to make concessions to Russian President Vladimir Putin to reach a cease-fire.

Organized by Rutte, the meeting involves officials from Germany, Poland, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the European Union's main institutions.

The key topic of Zelenskiy's meeting with Rutte was security guarantees, Zelenskiy's office said.

"It is very important to use these two days in Brussels to meet with all our partners and have the same, and very importantly, not divided -- the same -- common European position on how to secure Ukraine, how to strengthen our people and, of course, make our army stronger," Zelenskiy said, according to a statement released by his office.

Strengthening Ukrainian air defense especially ahead of the winter was a key topic during Zelenskiy's meeting with Rutte, according to the statement from Zelenskiy's office.

Rutte said Kyiv's allies should focus on ramping up arms supplies to ensure that Ukraine is in a position of strength.

Meanwhile, Russia attacked Ukrainian regions with 85 drones early on December 19, the Ukrainian Air Force said, adding that 45 drones were shot down while the other 40 were derailed by Ukrainian electronic warfare systems that jammed their navigation systems.

The air force said the attack targeted 10 Ukrainian regions -- Poltava, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Khmelnytskiy, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk, and Mykolayiv.

Russia also launched two Iskander-M ballistic missiles and an Kh-59/69 guided missile during the attack, the air force said.

The missile strikes damaged private homes and apartment buildings in the Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk regions, with no casualties or injuries reported.

In the Kharkiv region, three people were killed in the village of Shevchenkove, said Kharkiv Governor Oleh Synyehubov. Two women, aged 67 and 65, and a 33-year-old man, were killed, Synyehubov said.

One woman was injured and hospitalized as a result of the Russian shelling of Dvorichnaya, he added.

The Ukrainian General Staff separately said that it struck an oil refinery in Russia's Rostov region.

"Damage was inflicted to the infrastructure and production facilities of Novoshakhtinsk Oil Products Plant located in the Rostov Region of the Russian Federation," the General Staff said in a statement, adding that the refinery supplied Russia's military.

Rostov's acting governor Yury Slyusar said that the region "suffered a massive attack" using 30 drones and three missiles. Russia's Rostov region has repeatedly been targeted by Ukraine.

Separately, Russian officials said Ukraine struck Russia with at least 13 missiles and 84 drones.

In recent months, Ukraine has increased the number of drone attacks on Russian oil refineries and fuel depots that work for Moscow's military.

With reporting by AFP, Reuters, and dpa

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/zelenskiy-nato-brussels-trump- rutte/33245410.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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Russian Defence Ministry reports on repelling AFU attempt to invade Russian territory in Kursk region (19 December 2024)

19.12.2024

The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the operation to neutralise an enemy group, which broke into the territory of Kursk region.

In the course of offensive operations, units of the Sever Group of Forces inflicted losses on formations of one heavy mechanised brigade, six mechanised brigades, two air assault brigades, and one territorial defence brigades of the AFU near Basovka, Viktorovka, Daryino, Kositsa, Kruglenkoye, Lebedevka, Leonidovo, Malaya Loknya, Martynovka, Mirny, Melovoy, and Sverdlikovo. Two counter-attacks launched by the enemy's assault detachments were repelled.

Operational-Tactical and Army aviation and artillery inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of the enemy near Gornal, Guyevo, Kurilovka, Maryevka, Makhnovka, Novoivanovka, Orlovka, Pogrebki, Rubanshchina as well as Belovody, Veselovka, Vodolagi, Zhuravka, Miropolye, and Novenkoye in Sumy region.

Over the past 24 hours, the AFU losses amounted to more than 225 troops, one tank, three infantry fighting vehicles, five armoured fighting vehicles, two motor vehicles, one Polish-made 155-mm Krab self-propelled artillery system, one 122-mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system, three 122-mm D-30 howitzers, and one field ammunition depot.

Since the beginning of hostilities in Kursk region, the AFU losses amounted to more than 42,100 troops, 245 tanks, 187 infantry fighting vehicles, 127 armoured personnel carriers, 1,288 armoured fighting vehicles, 1,154 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, 75 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.

Department for Media Affairs and Information

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German Military Supplies to Ukraine Amounted to $8.4Bln in 2024

Sputnik News

20241219

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Germany's arms exports to Ukraine reached 8.13 billion euros ($8.4 billion) between January 1 and December 17, which is almost twice as much as in 2023, the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action said.

In addition to Ukraine, the three largest importers of German weapons in 2024 included Singapore with more than 1.21 billion euros and Algeria with 558.7 million euros.

Last year, Germany approved arms exports to Ukraine worth more than 4.43 billion euros. At the same time, arms supplies to Israel decreased by half: from 326.5 million euros in 2023 to 161 million euros this year.

Russia has repeatedly said that arms supplies to Ukraine hinder the conflict settlement process and make NATO countries a party to the conflict. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned that any cargo containing weapons for Ukraine will be a legitimate target for Russia.

 Sputnik

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Air Defense Shot Down 84 Ukrainian Drones Over Russian Regions Last Night - MoD

Sputnik News

20241219

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian air defense systems destroyed 84 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions last night, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

"During the past night, attempts by the Kiev regime to carry out terrorist attacks using fixed-wing drones against targets on the territory of the Russian Federation were thwarted. Air defense systems destroyed 84 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles," the ministry said, adding that 36 drones were destroyed over the Rostov Region, 21 over the Bryansk Region, 14 over the Belgorod Region, six over the Voronezh Region, three over each of the Kursk and Tambov Regions, and one over the Krasnodar Territory.

Ukraine has been sending drones and missiles into Russia almost daily since it launched its counteroffensive in early June 2023. The United Nations said in August last year, following a botched drone strike on Moscow, that it did not want to see any targeting of civilian infrastructure.

 Sputnik

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'Matter for Discussion': Polish President on Possible Deployment of Troops to Ukraine

Sputnik News

20241219

MOSCOW, December 19 (Sputnik) - The possible deployment of Polish troops to Ukraine is a "matter for discussion," but no such talks are currently underway, Polish President Andrzej Duda said on Thursday.

He made these remarks before departing to Brussels to meet with NATO Secretary General Murk Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and leaders of European states.

"This is a matter for discussion," Duda told the RMF FM broadcaster when asked about the possible deployment of Polish troops in Ukraine under a peacekeeping mandate.

He also said that his government's priority is Poland's security and that if there were any talks on sending peacekeepers to Kiev, the country's safety, as well as the safety of NATO's eastern flank, would be the key issue in such talks.

"There have not been such discussions so far. No one has ever proposed something that specific regarding what should happen; what is the formula? "Duda added.

Western countries have ramped up their military and financial aid to Kiev since the start of Russia's military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. Moscow has repeatedly cautioned that arms supplies to Ukraine hinder any settlement to the conflict and directly involve NATO countries in the hostilities.

 Sputnik

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Latest ODIHR report documents more Russian crimes in Ukraine: UK statement to the OSCE

Acting Ambassador Deirdre Brown details some of the crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine, which are recorded in ODIHR's latest report, including torture and sexual violence.

19 December 2024

Thank you, Madam Chair, and good morning colleagues. As we reflect on 2024, the devastating impact of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine remains painfully clear.

Last week ODIHR published its latest report on Ukraine; a sobering assessment of the last six months. The report, like previous versions, underscores Russia's egregious and unlawful actions.

ODIHR found Russian forces have increased large-scale, coordinated attacks on Ukrainian cities and towns, targeting civilian infrastructure. And that they intensified hostilities in frontline areas, particularly in Donetsk, causing a surge in civilian causalities and exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.

In the temporarily occupied territories, Russian authorities impose Russian citizenship on Ukrainian civilians, enforce the Russian curriculum in schools, and subject children to military-patriotic education. ODIHR's report found residents are compelled to cooperate with occupation authorities and obtain a Russian passport.

Among the most harrowing actions is the forced deportation of Ukrainian civilians, particularly children, to Russian-occupied territory or Russia. This forcible transfer combined with attempts at cultural erasure and psychological abuseraises grave concerns about crimes against humanity.

Furthermore, ODIHR found that Russian authorities escalated their prosecution and conviction of Ukrainian civilians on fabricated charges following prolonged arbitrary detention. ODIHR interviewed 14 civilian survivors of such detentions, all of whom reported torture or ill-treatment. These abusesinflicted to extract information, force cooperation, or humiliatereflect a systematic pattern of cruelty.

ODIHR also recorded extensive torture of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs). In 2024, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine documented "widespread and systematic torture and ill-treatment" of Ukrainian POWs by Russian authorities. Additionally, the UN's Independent International Commission of Inquiry said Russian authorities have acted pursuant to "a coordinated state policy of torturing Ukrainian civilians and POWs" and therefore committed crimes against humanity. Alarming evidence, including increased online dissemination of material depicting the torture or execution of Ukrainian POWs, suggests these practices may be escalating. Such acts demand unequivocal condemnation, and the systematic nature of these violations amplifies the urgency of holding perpetrators accountable.

The Russian authorities' use of torture is not limited to Ukraine. The UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Russia has found that torture and other cruel treatment are "state sanctioned tools for systemic oppression" within the country, including against political prisoners.

ODIHR interviewed 32 survivors of conflict-related sexual violence: survivors of horrific crimes. Mounting evidence of conflict-related sexual violence, including rape, by Russian authorities indicates its use as a tactic of war.

Madam Chair, ODIHR's findings remind us of the appalling human cost of Russia's illegal full-scale invasion and urgent need to ensure compliance with international law. As this year draws to a close, the UK remains resolute in supporting Ukraine and pursuing justice. Alongside our international partners, we stand united with Ukraine in its fight for sovereignty, and the principles that uphold international security and peace.

Thank you.

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UK leadership on Ukraine continues as Defence Secretary announced 225m support package during Kyiv visit

The Defence Secretary outlined his five principles for supporting Ukraine next year during a visit to Kyiv on Wednesday

19 December 2024

The UK will step up international leadership on Ukraine into 2025, with a new 225m package of military support and further backing for next year to underpin a new plan for Ukraine's defence.

During a visit to Kyiv today, the Defence Secretary, John Healey, met with his counterpart, Rustem Umerov, to set out the five priority areas for UK defence support, underlining the UK's commitment to support Ukraine for as long as it takes.

The UK's continued leadership on the war in Ukraine throughout 2025 will see an increase to Ukraine's military capability; will build on the success of Operation Interflex by enhancing the training offered to Ukraine; will strengthen defence industrial cooperation; will increase cooperation with our allies to support Ukraine; and will increase pressure on Russia.

The UK's ironclad support for Ukraine continues with a new 225m package of military support announced today. The package announced by the Defence Secretary will increase Ukraine's military capability with new maritime drones and boats, air defence systems, and counter-drone systems.

The new support package includes:

A 186m package of key military equipment through the International Fund for Ukraine, including: 92m for equipment to bolster Ukraine's navy, including small boats, reconnaissance drones, uncrewed surface vessels, loitering munitions, and mine countermeasure drones, directly supporting the maritime coalition co-led by the UK and Norway 68m for air defence equipment including radars, decoy land equipment, and counter-drone electronic warfare systems 26m to provide support and spare parts for critical systems previously delivered to Ukraine

39m to provide more than 1,000 counter-drone electronic warfare systems and for joint-procurement of respirators and equipment to enhance the protective capabilities of Ukraine's Armed Forces

Explosive charges to equip more than 90,000 155mm artillery rounds, which can be used by the dozens of AS-90 self-propelled artillery guns the UK has previously provided

Defence Secretary, John Healey MP, said:

Nearly three years after Putin launched his illegal full-scale invasion, the depths of his miscalculation are clearer than ever, as the brave people of Ukraine continue to defy all expectations with their unbreakable spirit. But they cannot go it alone - which is why the UK will step up our international leadership on Ukraine throughout 2025. We will enhance our offer of training to Ukraine and provide battle-winning capabilities, such as the drones and munitions included in our new 225m package today. Our support for Ukraine is ironclad, and during my meetings in Kyiv today, I made clear the UK's support will continue for as long as it takes, regardless of the situation in Ukraine, and that we will always stand shoulder to shoulder to ensure Putin cannot win.

Operation Interflex - the British programme of basic military training for Ukrainian recruits on UK soil - is supported by 12 other nations and is one of the biggest training programmes of its kind - with more than 51,000 recruits trained since summer 2022.

The Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary, and Defence Secretary have all been clear that the UK's defence starts in Ukraine, and that providing military support is essential to promote both the UK's national security and stability in Europe. The Prime Minister has stressed that defending the country is the Government's first priority, and an integral part of its Plan for Change.

During his visit today, the Defence Secretary thanked UK military personnel supporting the British diplomatic presence in Ukraine, vowing to ensure military support is available to support the British embassy in Kyiv for as long as is necessary.

The visit to Kyiv is the Defence Secretary's second in the role, having travelled out to meet President Zelenskyy on his second day in post.

With Putin resorting to sending as many as 2,000 Russian soldiers to their deaths on the battlefield each day, it is critical that Ukraine is supported with a supply of properly trained and equipped soldiers.

Further enhancing the UK's offer of training will not only help Ukraine's fight on the frontline but will also help provide a reserve of trained soldiers to strengthen Ukraine's security in the future.

The UK continues to co-lead both the international drone and maritime coalitions to provide Ukraine with advanced new weapons and equipment.

The International Fund for Ukraine is a funding mechanism that uses financial contributions from international partners to rapidly procure priority military equipment for Ukraine.

The fund is administered by the UK Ministry of Defence on behalf of an executive panel comprising the UK, Norway, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, and Lithuania. These partners, along with Iceland, Australia, Portugal, and New Zealand, have pledged more than 1.3bn to date.

Since the start of the new Government this summer, hundreds of thousands of rounds of munitions, hundreds of ground attack and air defence missiles, as well as hundreds of drones and vehicles, have been provided by the UK as Ministers have stepped up and speeded up Ukraine support.

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In Brussels, the President of Ukraine Met with the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic

President of Ukraine

19 December 2024 - 18:22

In Brussels, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala to discuss continued support for Ukraine.

The President expressed gratitude for the comprehensive assistance provided to Ukrainians in their fight against Russian aggression. Ukraine is counting on making the next year as productive as possible for Ukrainian-Czech relations.

The President specifically highlighted the Czech Republic's contribution to strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities and the decision to continue the initiative of supplying artillery shells through 2025.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy also outlined Ukraine's current defense needs, with the top priority being the enhancement of air defense. An additional 19 air defense systems are needed to protect strategic energy infrastructure. Strengthening Ukraine and our warriors on the frontline will bring the war's end and a just peace for all of Europe closer.

The meeting also included discussions on Ukraine's path toward European integration, the country's recovery, and increasing sanctions pressure on Russia.

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Europe and America Can Push the War to an End, Fair and Reliable Peace - Speech by the President at the Meeting of the European Council

President of Ukraine

19 December 2024 - 15:36

Thank you very much!

Mr. President Costa!

Ursula, Madam President!

Dear leaders!

Thank you for inviting Ukraine to take part in the European Council's work, especially now after the renewal of EU institutions.

And I'm also grateful to you, Mr. President, as you said already, but I'm grateful to you and to European Commissioners Kaja Kallas and Marta Kos for visiting Ukraine on the very first day of the new EU leadership's term. And it was both symbolic and truly supportive.

Now is a good time to reflect on the year and what we've achieved together. Europe's military support for Ukraine has strengthened our ability to defend against Russia, saving countless lives. Sanctions against Russia are growing, and this year saw important progress in targeting its shadow tanker fleet - we must stop Putin from using it to fund the war, and we must remove these old ships from European and international waters to prevent oil spills. We also need to pressure other parts of Russia's economy and energy exports, including imposing sanctions on Rosatom - another tool of Russian aggression.

We're united by growing economic cooperation, especially in developing our defense industries. We need to keep increasing weapons production and expanding Europe's industrial capacity. And I'm grateful to all partners already investing in Ukraine's defense manufacturing, including drones and artillery, and to those maintaining strong defense budgets. This will remain crucial next year - supplying weapons, boosting production, and strengthening sanctions on Russia to push them toward diplomacy. Europe must stay strong.

Our priority is air defense - fulfilling agreements with partners, including the United States, to provide Ukraine with the systems we need. We require 19 more systems to protect energy infrastructure, especially nuclear plants, from Russian missiles. These systems already stored at partner bases can save lives. I urge you to keep supporting us and help engage the White House to strengthen their commitment to improving Ukraine's air defense. Thank you to everyone helping restore Ukraine's energy and resilience. This, along with air defense, is the best response to Russia's massive missile attacks.

I'm grateful to everyone working to protect geopolitical clarity and economic security for our continent. This is only possible through the inclusion of all European nations in EU and NATO, of course, structures. No democratic nation should be left out of a united Europe and the Alliance - this includes Ukraine, Moldova, and the Balkan countries. Unfortunately, Russian-controlled mafia in Georgia is working to pull the country under Putin's influence and off the European path. The current government in Tbilisi refuses to engage with the EU. I urge you to put pressure, especially on Ivanishvili and his buddies, to ensure they gain no benefits from stealing Georgia's European future and wasting decades of progress. We cannot afford to lose a single country in our Europe - if one falls, it brings us all closer to division and conflict. And it's crucial to support the European choice of Moldova, and it's not only about elections but about the prosperity of the people of Moldova - they have to feel the strength of Europe in the fight against poverty.

We in Ukraine are grateful for the opening of EU membership talks and hope to make as much progress as possible next year, under Poland and Denmark's presidency. Our goal is to open all clusters within the next year.

And we've made strong progress in ensuring Ukraine's financial stability. Thanks to your support, we feel more security for the next year. I'm grateful to everyone and every country with which we've established long-term support agreements - this is a great help. And we also need to be clear about frozen Russian assets - they must be used more actively to counter aggression.

And on diplomacy, of course, America and Europe must be at the table when the time comes. Like Ukraine, EU should enter talks from a strong position, and Europe's strength is unity.

We need coordinated efforts for lasting peace - not just a pause in fighting, which Putin wants to buy time. We must push Moscow towards real, lasting and guaranteed peace.

And we all understand that in January, President Trump will intensify efforts to end the war. It's up to us whether Europe supports him with a strong, united voice.

It is essential for us to work, and work together to ensure that China, India, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and other partners from the Global South not only respect Ukraine's territorial integrity but also use their influence on Russia when needed. We ask Europe to pay greater attention to the role of these countries, as they can push Russia to respect the principle of territorial integrity, aligning with their own interests and bringing peace closer.

It's also crucial for Europe to make a significant contribution to security guarantees. We support France's initiative for a military contingent in Ukraine as part of these guarantees and call-on other partners to join this effort, it will help bring the war to an end.

Europe and America can push the war to an end, fair and reliable peace. For the United States to apply full pressure, Europe needs a clear position. What will make Russia recognize the need for peace?

First: geopolitical clarity for Ukraine and Europe - inviting Ukraine to join NATO.

Second: clear progress on Ukraine's EU membership.

Third: boosting our defense with promised weapons and air defense systems, and urgent equipping brigades.

Fourth: more investments in weapons production in Ukraine and Europe to boost capacity.

Fifth: maintaining and increasing sanctions on Russia until full, lasting peace is achieved.

Sixth: using frozen Russian assets more actively to support peace efforts.

Seventh: social resilience - helping Ukraine rebuild schools, hospitals, energy infrastructure to ensure normal life. This proves Russia's war is failing.

Thank you so much, Mr. President, for the invitation! Thank you everybody for your support!

Glory to Ukraine!





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Priorities of the European Commission and Support for Ukraine's Path to EU Membership: Volodymyr Zelenskyy Met with Ursula von der Leyen

President of Ukraine

19 December 2024 - 14:10

In Brussels, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.

The President thanked Ursula von der Leyen for her personal efforts in consolidating EU unity around Ukraine. He emphasized that a common stance between Ukraine and all other European countries is crucial for achieving a just peace.

The key topics of the talks included the priorities of the new European Commission and Ukraine's accession to the EU. The President noted that Ukraine is counting on the opening of two clusters at the start of Poland's presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The meeting also addressed the use of frozen Russian assets for Ukraine's needs. Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed gratitude for the new EU macro-financial assistance in the amount of 18.1 billion under the G7 loan framework and noted that Ukraine expects to receive the first tranche in January 2025.





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Energy Sector Protection, Investment in Ukrainian Weapons Production, and Child Protection: Volodymyr Zelenskyy Met with Antonio Costa

President of Ukraine

19 December 2024 - 13:56

In Brussels, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President of the European Council Antonio Costa to discuss strengthening Ukraine.

The President emphasized that Ukraine's top priority is the protection of its energy infrastructure.

"I am referring, of course, to safety at nuclear power plants. This is very dangerous not only for Ukraine but for all of Europe if something goes wrong. Additionally, the preservation of gas storage facilities is important both for Ukraine and for other Europeans," said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Another key topic of discussion was the expansion of domestic defense production. According to the President, this has already proven effective, yielding concrete results on the battlefield.

The leaders also focused on the protection of Ukrainian children and the construction of shelters in schools and kindergartens.

Particular attention was paid to the role of Europe in the global context and how to consolidate international efforts to achieve a just peace.

"Especially at the very beginning of next year, we will urgently need unity between the United States, the EU, and European countries. This is extremely important; we need this unity to achieve peace. I believe that only together can the United States and Europe truly stop Putin and save Ukraine," Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.

Antonio Costa noted that Ukraine can count on the EU's unwavering support.

"Now we are in a state of war, but in the future, we will be in a state of peace. And we hope to welcome you one day here as a member of the European Union. We will work with you to achieve this and to secure a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace," stated the President of the European Council.





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Bolstering Air Defense, Equipping Brigades, and Military Support: The President Met with Leaders, Heads of Government, and Other Representatives of European Countries

President of Ukraine

19 December 2024 - 13:42

Ukraine will do everything necessary to become strong in the coming year and then be ready for diplomacy. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated this in Brussels following his meeting with leaders, heads of government, and other representatives of European countries.

The meeting was attended by Federal Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz, President of the Council of Ministers of Italy Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of the Netherlands Dick Schoof, President of Poland Andrzej Duda, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, President of the European Council Antonio Costa, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy, and Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France Jean-Noel Barrot.

The President expressed his gratitude to all those present for their unwavering and comprehensive support of Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.

The primary focus of the discussion was how to strengthen Ukraine and bolster its positions both on the battlefield and in diplomacy.

"We are doing everything to ensure that Ukraine is strong so that no one imposes anything on us, and I believe we are succeeding," said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The discussions included enhancing Ukraine's air defense to protect cities and critical infrastructure.

"There are many topics of conversation, and they are important. Some are sensitive: winter, energy sector - we must ensure its protection. Right now, we urgently need 19 air defense systems to shield distribution substations, which are targeted daily by the Russian Federation," the President noted.

Special attention was given to equipping Ukrainian brigades based on France's example and investing in Ukrainian weapons production following Denmark's model. The President urged other partners to join these initiatives.

"Ukraine's strong position means strengthening our army and our economy. Regarding the economy, I think our partners have made important steps in terms of 50 billion, and we have also received 20 billion from the United States. We are financially secured for the next year. I believe this also strengthens Ukraine," the Head of State added.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Italy and the United Kingdom for their upcoming support packages, which Giorgia Meloni and David Lammy announced during the meeting.

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Russian officials report oil refinery fire after Ukraine targets border regions with dozens of drones

By VOA News December 19, 2024

Officials in Russia's Rostov region reported a fire Thursday at an oil refinery after a wave of attacks from several dozen Ukrainian aerial drones.

Rostov acting Governor Yuri Slyusar said on Telegram that the fire happened at the Novoshakhtinsk refinery and was later extinguished. Slyusar reported one person was injured in the attack.

Russia's Defense Ministry said Thursday it destroyed 36 Ukrainian drones over Rostov, part of a total of 84 drones it shot down mostly over regions bordering Ukraine.

The ministry said the other intercepts took place over Bryansk, Belgorod, Voronezh, Kursk, Tambov and Krasnodar.

Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram that Ukrainian drone attacks damaged several residential buildings.

Ukraine's military said Thursday its air defenses shot down 45 of 85 Russian drones used in overnight attacks targeting the Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Kirovohrad, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Poltava and Sumy regions.

The military also said Russian missiles damaged residential buildings and municipal property in Dnipropetrovsk and Sumy.

Dnipropetrovsk Governor Serhiy Lysak said on Telegram that the areas damaged included a school and a hospital in Kryvyi Rih.

Some information for this story came from Agence France-Presse and Reuters.

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Oakland, CA, Dec. 19, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A California kindergarten teacher has filed a federal lawsuit against the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD), alleging a violation of her First Amendment rights related to the gender transition of her five year-old student. Mirella Ramirez alleges that she was fired from her job as a kindergarten teacher after the OUSD forced her to refer to her five year-old female student as a male, and refused to honor her request for a religious accommodation. Ramirez informed the district that as a devout Catholic, she does not believe in gender transition, and would not be using male pronouns when addressing the girl. The 30-page complaint, filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleges that the school violated Ramirezs First Amendment right to free speech by compelling her to engage in speech that violated her sincerely-held religious beliefs, conditioning any accommodation on her promise to violate her religious beliefs, and then firing her when she didnt comply. The lawsuit seeks monetary damages including back pay, front pay, punitive damages, and compensatory damages. Ramirez has also filed a complaint of religious discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The lawsuit was funded by We The Patriots USA (WTP USA), a nonprofit public interest law firm that Ramirez contacted for help when the OUSD first disciplined her for refusing to use the preferred pronouns. This lawsuit is extremely important in that teachers are our first line of defense in protecting our children from dangerous indoctrination in our public schools, said Attorney Brian Festa, Vice-President Co-Founder of WTP USA, regarding todays filing. Parents all over the country have been voicing their opposition to these policies to their school boards, and sadly in most cases the school boards have ignored them. But ultimately its up to the teachers to implement the policies, and most are too afraid to refuse. By bravely taking a stand for her faith, Mirella is fighting back not only for herself, but for all teachers and children whose religious beliefs oppose transgender ideology. In 2021, Ramirez was nominated for the Teacher of the Year award.

Harmeet Dhillons Dhillon Law Group is serving as local counsel in the litigation, alongside WTP USAs lead counsel Cameron Atkinson of Atkinson Law. Atkinson released the following statement shortly after the filing: Oakland required Mirella to promise to violate her Catholic faith before it would even consider accommodating her. When she refused, Oakland equated her to a child molester. The First Amendment does not permit any hostility to a persons religious beliefs, let alone hostility that prescribed social re-education and dished out lifelong character smears when Mirella refused to renounce her faith.

WTP USA has created a fundraiser for Ramirezs legal fees, which has a goal of $50,000. Tax-deductible donations for 2024 can be made to the fundraiser, or to WTP USAs year-end campaign, by December 31, 2024.

Attachment
THIS NEWS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 19, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Greenridge Exploration Inc. (Greenridge or the Company) (CSE: GXP | FRA: HW3), announces that further to its December 3, 2024 news release, the Company has closed its non-brokered private placement of flow-through units (each, a "FT Unit") for aggregate gross proceeds in this second tranche of $4,947,433.92 (the "Offering"). The Company has issued 5,622,084 FT Units at a price of $0.88 per FT Unit, with each FT Unit comprised of one (1) common share of the Company (each, a Common Share) issued on a flow-through basis under the Income Tax Act (Canada) (each, a FT Share) and one half of one Common Share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a Warrant). Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Common Share of the Company at a price of $1.15 for a period of 36 months from the date of issuance.

The gross proceeds from the sale of the FT Shares will be used by the Company to incur eligible Canadian exploration expenses that will qualify as flow-through mining expenditures as such terms are defined in the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the Qualifying Expenditures) related to the Companys projects in Canada. All Qualifying Expenditures will be renounced in favour of the subscribers of the FT Units effective December 31, 2024.

In connection with the closing of the Offering, an aggregate of $167,923.03 was paid in cash and a total of 210,586 finders warrants (the Finders Warrants) were issued as finders fees. Each Finders Warrant entitles the holder thereof to acquire one (1) Common Share (a Finders Warrant Share) at a price of $1.15 per Finders Warrant Share for a period of 36 months from the date of issuance.

The securities issued pursuant to the Offering have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons in the absence of U.S. registration or an applicable exemption from the U.S. 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 the United States or in any other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

Marketing Agreement

The Company also announces that it entered into an agreement (the Agreement) with RMK Marketing Inc. (RMK) on December 19, 2024, (address: 41 Lana Terrace, Mississauga, Ont., Canada, L5A 3B2; e-mail: Roberto@rmkmarketing.ca) to provide marketing services for a term of six months, commencing December 23, 2024 (the Term).

RMK is an independent company which will, as appropriate, co-ordinate marketing actions, maintain and optimize AdWords campaigns, adapt AdWords bidding strategies, optimize AdWords ads, provide project management and consulting for an online marketing campaign and create and optimize landing pages (the Services). The promotional activity will occur by Google.

Under the terms of the Agreement, the Company will compensate RMK $150,000 CDN, with an option to increase the advertising budget up to $400,000 CDN (the Budget) during the Term. The Term will expire at either the end of the relevant time period or when the Budget is fully spent. The Company will not issue any securities to RMK as compensation for the Services. As of the date hereof, to the Company's knowledge, RMK (including its directors and officers) does not own any securities of the Company and has an arm's-length relationship with the Company.

References

1 Source: 1978 Assessment Report (number 81075) by Pan Ocean Oil Ltd.

About Greenridge Exploration Inc.



Greenridge Exploration Inc. (CSE: GXP | FRA: HW3) is a mineral exploration company dedicated to creating shareholder value through the acquisition, exploration, and development of critical mineral projects in North America. The Carpenter Lake Uranium Project is located in the Athabasca Basin consisting of 7 mineral claims covering 13,387 hectares across the Cable Bay Shear Zone and the Company is advancing the Project to test multiple high priority targets. The Companys Nut Lake Uranium Project located in the Thelon Basin includes historical drilling which intersected up to 9ft of 0.69% U 3 O 8 including 4.90% U 3 O 8 over 1ft from 8ft depth1.

The Companys Weyman Copper Project in southeast British Columbia sits on the south portion of the famous Quesnel Terrance. The Company is led by an experienced management team and board of directors with significant expertise in capital raising and advancing mining projects. The Snook and Ranger Lake uranium projects, 4,899 hectares and 20,782 hectares respectively are located in western Ontario, with multiple previous uranium occurrences across both projects.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

Russell Starr

Chief Executive Officer, Director

Telephone: +1 (778) 897-3388

Email: info@greenridge-exploration.com

Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements that are not historical facts, including without limitation, statements regarding future estimates, plans, programs, forecasts, projections, objectives, assumptions, expectations or beliefs of future performance, including statements regarding the project acquisition bringing a low-risk opportunity, the Company, building a strong battery metals portfolio with low-risk opportunities that positively impact the Company and its shareholders and the Company providing an initial work plan are "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the Offering and the intended use of proceeds therefrom; the Companys objectives, goals, or future plans with respect to their projects; further exploration work on the Companys projects in the future; and the provision of the Services by RMK under the Agreement. These forward-looking statements reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company based on information currently available to it. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including those detailed from time to time in filings made by the Company with securities regulatory authorities, which may cause actual outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. These factors should be considered carefully, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws.

The Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
NEW YORK, Dec. 19, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of ROOMS non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and Digital Nomads NFTs issued by Midnight Hub between January 15, 2023 and March 31, 2024, both dates inclusive (the Class Period), of the important January 6, 2025 lead plaintiff deadline.

SO WHAT: If you purchased ROOMS NFTs and Digital Nomads NFTs during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.

WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the Midnight Hub class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=30701 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for more information. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than January 6, 2025. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.

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, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. 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.

DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, during the Class Period, defendants statements promoting the NFTs were untrue or misleading statements of material fact. In truth, at the time defendants sold the NFTs, defendants had no plan for developing Midnight Hubs infrastructure or any of the platforms decentralized projects such as the Digital Nomads TV. In fact, defendants had no plans for the future of Midnight Hub aside from profiting off the hype and excitement around the project. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.

To join the Midnight Hub class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=30701 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action.

No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investors ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.

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
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 19, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Island Passage Exploration Limited (IPX or the Company) announces the closure of a $2.5 million USD financing and the appointment of John Robins, P.Geo., to its Board of Directors.

On behalf of our Board of Directors I am delighted to announce that Island Passage has made significant progress since inception. Field work continues at the Isina exploration license (EL02), and we are building a world-class team to advance mineral exploration in one of the most prospective parts of the world. Until very recently, Bougainville was under an exploration moratorium since imposed in the early 1970s. The Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) and our customary landowner partners have been very welcoming of Island Passage. Most importantly, we are finding many stakeholders on the island who visualize a prosperous future for the people of Bougainville through responsible resource development, said Donald McInnes, Chairman and CEO of Island Passage.

Mr. McInnes continued, In late October, we completed our first ever board tour of Bougainville. We are proud to have been received at the mountain village of Isina with a warm reception, including a traditional dance and welcome to their lands by the people of Isina and their Paramount Chief David Dapound. Our team also visited several of our exciting new prospects, where we collected samples and noted the occurrence of visible gold and copper minerals from one of the sites. A video of the welcome and photos of the tour can be seen here.

Financing

The Company has issued 2.5 million common shares at a price of US $1.00 for gross proceeds of US $2.5 million. Members of the Boad of Directors and Advisory Board members subscribed for 520,000 shares. Subscribers to the financing also include legendary mine finder and financier Rob McEwen, who through Evanachan Ltd., subscribed for 1 million shares. In conjunction with the investment, the Company and Evanachan entered into an investor rights agreement, which provides for certain rights and protections for Evanachan.

Board Appointment

John Robins, P. Geo., is an award-winning prospector, geologist and financier with 35 years experience in professional geology. John is a steward of the junior mining industry and the co-founder and principal of Discovery Group. His entrepreneurship has created over $2.6 billion in M&A activity and generated over C$1 billion in direct and indirect mineral expenditures. He was involved in several monumental discoveries, including the Yukons 5Moz Coffee Gold Deposit, Ontarios Great Bear Project and the Aviat and Churchill diamond districts of Nunavut. John holds a number of leadership positions in the industry, including Executive Chairman of K2 Gold, Chair of Elemental Royaties, Director of Fireweed Metals, and Strategic Advisor to CopperEx, Defense Metals, Kodiak Copper, Prospector Metals, and ValOre Metals.

Technical Advisory Board Appointments

Tom Garagan is an economic geologist with more than 40 years experience. He is recently retired from the role of Senior Vice President, Exploration for B2Gold Corp., which he cofounded and served since 2007. Mr. Garagan was with Bema Gold from 1991 to 2007 and was appointed Vice President of Exploration in 1996. He has worked in North and South America, East and West Africa and Russia. Mr. Garagan has served as a director and/or officer of several other public companies operating in the resource sector. Mr. Garagan has a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree in geology from the University of Ottawa.

Dr. Quinton Hennigh is a globally renowned exploration geologist with 30+ years of precious metals exploration and mining experience. Dr. Hennigh began his career in gold exploration after obtaining his PhD in Geology/Geochemistry from the Colorado School of Mines. Early in his career he worked for major gold mining companies including Homestake Mining (now Barrick Gold Corp.), Newcrest Mining, and Newmont Corp. Later, Dr. Hennigh founded Novo Resources Corp, acting as its CEO and currently serving as co-Chairman. He has played a key role in major global discoveries such as First Mining Gold's Springpole gold deposit in Ontario, Kirkland Lake Gold's Fosterville gold mine in Australia, the Rattlesnake Hills gold deposit in Wyoming, and Lion One's Tuvatu gold project in Fiji, among many others. Dr. Hennigh is currently the Geologic and Technical Director at Crescat Capital and CEO of private silver miner, San Cristobal Mining.

Craig Parry. Through the course of his career, Craig has been a founder, director, CEO, senior executive and geologist working across a broad range of commodities with several companies. Craig is a Co-Founder and Partner of Inventa Capital Corp., a venture capital advisory firm dedicated to the acquisition and development of assets in the natural resource sector. He is currently lead director of Skeena Resources Ltd. He is a founder and Chairman of Vizsla Silver Corp., Vizsla Copper Corp. and Gold Bull Resources. He was a founder, CEO and/or director of IsoEnergy Ltd., NexGen Energy Ltd., EMR Capital, Tigers Realm Coal, Tigers Realm Minerals, and G-Resources Group. He worked for Rio Tinto from 2000 to 2008.

About Isina Resource Holdings Ltd. IRHL was founded in 2009 with the directors drawn from the chiefs of the nine major clans and their subclans in south Central Bougainville. As the custodians of their customary clan-owned land, the 43 directors represent the customary landowner families. In an exercise of sovereignty over their mineral rights, they applied for and were granted an exploration license (EL02) over their lands. The licence boundary is situated 9 km southeast of the historic Panguna open pit copper mine along the Crown Prince Range and extends a further 26 km to the southeast. The tenement contains wholly within it the area known as P.A.7B, which was one of the seven exploration tenements previously held by Bougainville Copper Limited (formerly controlled by Rio Tinto) surrounding Panguna.

About Island Passage Exploration Ltd . A private Canadian company purpose built in 2022 to facilitate the finance, technical, commercial, and business development expertise that will be necessary to drive exploration and development on Bougainville. The Company is founded on the principle of responsible resource development in partnership with indigenous and customary landowners, and its leadership has a long track record of success on multiple such ventures.

About Island Passage Development Ltd . The PNG company is 100% owned by IPX to bring exploration finance and technical capacity from Canada to Bougainville to carry out exploration on EL02.

For further information please go to islandpassage.ca

Or email Donald McInnes, CEO at donald@islandpassage.ca

Or follow IPX on Facebook at (3) Island Passage Development | Facebook









Figure 1 - Map of Central Bougainville Showing Historic Panguna Licenses and EL02





Paramount Chief David Dupound and clan members welcoming the IPX board of directors to Isina Village









Customary Chief and Pastor of the Isina People Welcoming IPX Directors









A video accompanying this announcement is available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ab6f5f58-9e97-4d7b-b18b-1a4bfe8901ec





Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/11db711a-e1ed-43d7-951e-a997d69a197d

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fc063aab-5157-4931-8a10-4ab7b3e8fd13

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1bf1d3f6-5587-4738-a0a5-ecc4e616cb52
OAKBROOK TERRACE, Illinois, Dec. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Joint Commission and Kaiser Permanente today announced Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (ZSFG) as the recipient of the 2024 Bernard J. Tyson National Award for Excellence in Pursuit of Healthcare Equity. This prestigious award, established in honor of late Kaiser Permanente Chairman and CEO Bernard J. Tyson, honors a healthcare organization for its efforts that achieved a measurable, sustained reduction in one or more healthcare disparities.

The award recognizes ZSFG, a safety net hospital and San Franciscos only Level 1 trauma center, for its achievements under the initiative Reducing Racial Disparities for African American Patients with Heart Failure. The improvement teams efforts significantly improved care for all patients with heart failure at ZSFG.

Clinicians at ZSFG identified heart failure as a leading cause of hospitalization for Black/African American patients. Additionally, many heart failure patients who were readmitted also had co-occurring substance use disorders.

ZSFG implemented two primary interventions:

To better manage care for patients with heart failure, ZSFG created an artificial intelligence-based decision support tool and integrated it into the electronic health record at the point of care to provide patient-specific recommendations about medical and social care needs. They also created artificial intelligence-enabled population health management tools to proactively identify and manage the highest-risk patients.

To address social and behavioral health needs, ZSFG created an addiction medicine/cardiology co-management clinic, allowing clinicians in primary care, cardiology, social medicine, addiction medicine, and palliative care to collaborate in caring for patients with heart failure who had complex needs at highest risk of poor outcomes.

These efforts achieved impressive results that reduced healthcare disparities and improved outcomes for ZSFGs patients with heart failure:

Closed the 5.4% gap in the readmission rate between Black/African American patients with heart failure and the general heart failure population between 2018 (baseline) and 2022.

Decreased the 30-day readmission rate for all patients with heart failure from 33% to 20%.

The Tyson Award selection panel commends ZSFGs work, affirming its approach to addressing broad, system-level structural changes, educating staff, and reducing silos among specialists.

"Congratulations to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center for its exceptional efforts to identify and address healthcare disparities," said Jonathan B. Perlin, MD, PhD, president and chief executive officer, The Joint Commission and Joint Commission International. "Healthcare disparities remain a critical patient safety issue, and patients need the healthcare industry to prioritize them to build a world in which all people always experience the safest, highest quality and most equitable healthcare across all settings.

The Bernard J. Tyson National Award for Excellence in Pursuit of Healthcare Equity honors the important work led by clinical teams at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, said Andrew Bindman, MD, executive vice president and chief medical officer for Kaiser Permanente. Lifting up and encouraging exemplary innovations that reduce inequities in systemic, measurable, and sustained ways is exactly what we set out to do by creating this award.

On behalf of the team at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, I am deeply honored to accept the 2024 Bernard J. Tyson National Award for Excellence in Pursuit of Healthcare Equity, Susan Ehrlich, MD, MPP, chief executive officer, ZSFG. This recognition highlights how innovative teamwork by our clinicians and staff can effectively address the systemic healthcare inequities that impact our patients. By focusing on the needs of our Black/African American patients with heart failure, we not only reduced disparities but improved outcomes for all patients. This award inspires us to continue striving for equity in every aspect of care we deliver.

To learn more about ZSFGs achievement, the Tyson Award program, and other healthcare organizations focusing on healthcare equity, visit The Joint Commission's website.

###

About The Joint Commission

Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve healthcare for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating healthcare organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value. The Joint Commission accredits and certifies more than 23,000 healthcare organizations and programs in the United States. Learn more at www.jointcommission.org.

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve nearly 12.5 million members in 8 states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists, and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery, and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education, and the support of community health. For more information, go to about.kp.org.

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SEOUL, KOREA, Dec. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Seoul Business Agency (SBA), led by CEO Hyun-woo Kim, recently announced that it is expanding the selection of Seoul Awards products to introduce Seouls lifestyle to global consumers. The Seoul Awards is a brand certificate operated by the Seoul Business Agency (SBA), a Seoul Metropolitan Government-funded institution established to drive economic growth in Seoul. It aims to strengthen the brand competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).





Among the products developed and introduced to the market by SMEs, those with outstanding market competitiveness are selected and granted the right to display the 'Seoul Awards' mark. The 'Seoul Awards' has established itself as a symbol of product quality and excellence in the global market.

Among the products recognized by the Seoul Awards are numerous winners of internationally prestigious honors such as the CES Innovation Awards, iF Design Award, and Red Dot Design Award. This credibility has led many outstanding products to seek Seoul Awards certification.

Amid a global environment where K-pop, K-content, and consequently K-lifestyle categories like K-beauty and K-food are receiving unprecedented international attention, products selected by the Seoul Awards are gaining recognition as verified goods that enable global consumers to experience and enjoy Seoul's lifestyle.

Every year, over 100 marketing experts, merchandisers from global commerce platforms such as eBay and Shopee, as well as economic and business journalists, participate in the strict evaluation process. Using criteria such as 'product competitiveness', 'price competitiveness', and 'aesthetics', the Seoul Awards selection has been carried out through online and offline two-stage evaluations, including hands-on product testing, before granting the Seoul Awards mark.

Going forward, the Seoul Business Agency plans to continue supporting SMEs so that their products can evolve into internationally recognized brands under the Seoul Awards brand. In particular, the agency will expand digital marketing campaigns and opportunities for overseas exhibitions to establish the 'Seoul Awards' logo as a symbol of trust among global consumers. An official from the Seoul Business Agency remarked, "As interest in the K-wave continues to rise, we carefully invest our efforts in the Seoul Awards selection process to ensure that global consumers can confidently enjoy Seoul's lifestyle products. We will continue to identify and introduce excellent Seoul-based products to overseas consumers."

For more information on the Seoul Awards, please visit the official website: https://smc.sba.kr.

Media Contact

Organization: SBA (Seoul Business Agency)

Contact: Global Commerce Team

Email: award@sba.seoul.kr

Website: https://smc.sba.kr
Zurich, Switzerland, Dec. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hitachi Energy has signed contracts totaling over 2 billion euros with German transmission system operator (TSO) Amprion to deliver four converter stations for two high-voltage direct current (HVDC) links that will support Germanys clean energy transition.

These orders follow the capacity reservation agreement signed in September 2023, under which Hitachi Energy was selected as the preferred supplier for four converter stations to be built at the grid connection points in Heide, Wilhelmshaven, Polsum, and Hamm. The contracts fulfill a capacity reservation agreement that forms part of Hitachi Energys strategy to allow it to reserve and expand manufacturing resources and its workforce to deliver projects on time.

The HVDC links, known as V48 and V49, form Korridor B  a high-power transmission highway that will bring clean energy from onshore and offshore wind farms in the North, helping to replace the conventional power generation currently used to power the industrial load centers in the West.

With Korridor B, we will make an important contribution to the security of supply in Germany and Europe in the future. The project will transport green electricity to millions of households and industry in North Rhine-Westphalia from as early as the beginning of the 2030s, says Amprion CTO Dr. Hendrik Neumann. We are delighted to have Hitachi Energy at our side as a reliable partner who will support us in the efficient implementation of the project.

Grids are crucial to Germanys clean energy transition. Without the grid capacity to move wind energy from the north to areas that are still highly reliant on fossil fuels in the south and west, the country cannot achieve decarbonization within the targeted timeframe, said Niklas Persson, Managing Director of Business Unit Grid Integration at Hitachi Energy. We are proud to help Amprion support Germanys clean energy efforts with this latest project.

Korridor B comprises two new underground cable connections, each with two converter stations, which transport electricity from the North Sea coast in Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony to the Ruhr region. Each underground cable system will transmit 2 gigawatts (GW), enough to provide power to 4 million people. If needed, the transmission capacity can be increased by another 4 GW via additionally laid empty lines. The contracts also include Hitachi Energy's EnCompass offering, a long-term service agreement that underlines the companys commitment to trusted long-term partnerships and builds on its proven track record of delivering innovative and reliable energy service solutions.

Under the contracts, Hitachi Energy will supply, install, and commission two HVDC Light converter systems capable of transmitting 2 GW of power. The converters will operate at 525 kilovolts (kV), the voltage level adopted as the standard for the latest generation of HVDC links. The converter stations are scheduled to start operation in early 2030.

The latest contracts with Amprion will create several hundred jobs in Germany for project implementation and execution and in Sweden for the manufacture of power electronics solutions to support the project.

- End -

About Hitachi Energy

Hitachi Energy is a global technology leader that is advancing a sustainable energy future for all. We are advancing the worlds energy system to be more sustainable, flexible and secure and we collaborate with customers and partners to enable a sustainable energy future  for todays generations and those to come. Hitachi Energy has a proven track record and unparalleled installed base in more than 140 countries, serving customers in utility, industry, transportation, data centers and infrastructure sectors. With innovative technologies and services including the integration of more than 150 gigawatts of HVDC links into the power system, we help make the energy value chain more efficient, making electricity more accessible to all. Together with stakeholders across sectors and geographies, we enable the digital transformation required to accelerate the energy transition towards a carbon-neutral future. Headquartered in Switzerland, we employ around 45,000 people in 60 countries and generate business volumes of around $13 billion USD.

https://www.hitachienergy.com

https://www.linkedin.com/company/hitachienergy

https://twitter.com/HitachiEnergy

About Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi drives Social Innovation Business, creating a sustainable society through the use of data and technology. We solve customers' and society's challenges with Lumada solutions leveraging IT, OT (Operational Technology) and products. Hitachi operates under the 3 business sectors of Digital Systems & Services  supporting our customers digital transformation; Green Energy & Mobility  contributing to a decarbonized society through energy and railway systems, and Connective Industries  connecting products through digital technology to provide solutions in various industries. Driven by Digital, Green, and Innovation, we aim for growth through co-creation with our customers. The companys revenues as 3 sectors for fiscal year 2023 (ended March 31, 2024) totaled 8,564.3 billion yen, with 573 consolidated subsidiaries and approximately 270,000 employees worldwide. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at https://www.hitachi.com.

Amprion connects

Amprion GmbH is one of four transmission system operators in Germany. Our 11,000 kilometre-long extra-high voltage grid transports electricity in an area from the North Sea to the Alps. One third of Germany's economic output is generated there. Our lines are the lifelines of society: they secure jobs and quality of life for 29 million people. We keep the grid stable and secure - and are paving the way for a climate-neutral energy system by expanding our grid. More than 2,700 employees in Dortmund and at more than 30 other locations help to keep the lights on. We also take on overarching tasks for the interconnected networks in Germany and Europe.

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NEW YORK, Dec. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On December 20th, New York time, USA, MetaEra (X:@MetaEraHK), a forefront media and market consulting service organization in the Web 3.0 sector, officially reviewing its rapid development in the past year.

2024 is undoubtedly a historic year for the cryptocurrency industry. Spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs have entered in major financial markets worldwide. As the completion of the US election, sovereign states and large institutions are building strategic reserves of Bitcoin, and accelerating their involvement in the digital currency industry. Consequently, Bitcoin has officially entered a new era of $100,000 per coin...

Similarly, in the past year, MetaEra, a Hong Kong-based media and market consulting service agency specializing in Web3.0, has emerged as a standout star in the industry. With an impressive tenfold business growth rate, skyrocketing traffic figures, and significant brand impact, MetaEra has captured the attention of the market. Leveraging its seamless global business operation capabilities covering the Asia-Pacific and North American regions, it has become the most dazzling supernova in the market.

Numbers in 2024: Tenfold business growth, traffic and brand influence remain at the forefront





After a year of remarkable growth, MetaEra has presented an outstanding set of achievements:

The company's annual business revenue surged by over 1020%, with a 960% increase in the number of clients served.

The official website experienced a 730% annual growth in visits; the Chinese social media account of X platform boasts 54,000 followers, while the English account has garnered 47,000 followers, reaching a total number of over 100,000 follower across both accounts.

Nearly 300 Chinese and English online events were successfully conducted throughout the year. In the latter half, each AMA (Ask Me Anything) session saw an average real-time participation of over 150,000 attendees.

In the past year, MetaEra organized as many as 30 global offline events, and MetaEra's media services covered more than 120 offline events. The footprints of [MetaEra Event] have spanned 4 continents, 15 countries, and 40+ cities around the world...

MetaEra's ascent and triumph are not merely evident in its staggering growth figures, but also interwoven within the narratives of every blockbuster article, perpetuated through the testimonials of new and existing clients, and imbued in the camaraderie of online discussions and in-person encounters. To delve into the code behind this radiant success, one must attribute it to the seamless integration of a constellation of critical elements: astute strategic and product positioning, a global arrangement and operational acumen, an extensive business network and exemplary customer service, and above all, it has a diligent, innovative, and tightly-knit team. This is a distinctive opportunity granted to MetaEra by the zeitgeist and the industry, and a rightful recompense for the team's exceptional cognitive and execution prowess.

Brand Upgrade: Focusing on Serving the Branding and Growth Needs of Web3.0 Enterprises

On September 13, 2024, MetaEra officially announced a brand upgrade, integrating and expanding its existing business lines, and released a new slogan "Building a Non-fungible Brand For You!"

This upgrade not only clearly explains the company's vision: leveraging innovative brand and growth tools,MetaEra efficiently support global customers' brand management and business growth needs in the Web3.0 field; it also clearly expands the platform's main business layout to integrated marketing services (MetaEra PR Agency) and conference services (MetaEra Event).It confirms that MetaEra will use its full range of advantageous resources to provide customers with a series of comprehensive services such as "media strategy and communication, content creation, KOL marketing, social media and community growth, research and market analysis, brand/growth strategy consulting and data analysis, activities and conference services, public affairs."

This is not only an important milestone in MetaEra's strategic transformation, but also provides clear guidance for the company's future development direction, laying a solid foundation for the further rapid growth of business and traffic.

Global Expansion Strategy: Targeting China and the United States as Core Markets, Amplifying Regional Business and Operational Competencies

On October 31, 2024, the second anniversary of the implementation of the Hong Kong Web 3.0 new policy, MetaEra officially announced the launch of the [Hong Kong Zone], which provides users with an accurate one-stop Hong Kong Web 3.0 information platform through vertical sections such as "Hong Kong News," "Influential People," "Policy Tracking," and "Conference Activities," fully supporting the development of the Hong Kong Web 3.0 industry.

Looking back, Hong Kong has always been a blessed land filled with warmth and opportunities for MetaEra, a place of fortune and a cradle of possibilities. It not only has unique geographical advantages and policy support, but also attracts the world's top financial and technological talents. From its inception, MetaEra has positioned itself as "a globally leading media headquartered in Hong Kong," committed to supporting and promoting the application of Web 3.0 technology and the development of the cryptocurrency market worldwide. With the development philosophy of "rooted in Hong Kong, with a global layout," MetaEra is always ready and eager to welcome friends from both home and abroad to its office in Cyberport, Hong Kong, for exchange and collaboration.

On December 16, 2024, MetaEra announced the official establishment of its North American Business and Operations Center in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, New York City.

With the completion of the 2024 election, the US cryptocurrency market has entered a new era of rapid development with the full support of the new President Trump, and has an extremely important driving force and influence on the global market. As the world's first financial center, New York brings together the world's top banks, exchanges, investment and quantitative institutions, and also has the most cutting-edge regulatory and policy consulting system. MetaEra's New York office will directly support real-time information reporting, business development, and conference activities in the North American region,undertake resource docking and local operational needs from the Asia-Pacific region, and build a one-stop service platform between the Chinese and American Web3.0 markets.The strategic initiative not only further perfects the platform's global landscape, but also directly reflects the long-term strategic plan for the US market. It is also another important milestone and new starting point in MetaEra's continuous high-speed growth in recent years.

Previously, MetaEra officially launched the [US Zone] on November 14. Through vertical sections such as "US News," "Policy Tracking," "Industry News," and "Selected Compilation," it allows Chinese-speaking users to obtain Web 3.0 industry news and policy trends from the North American continent more quickly.

2025: Outlook and Vision

Reviewing the past and looking forward to the future, we firmly believe that the Web 3.0 industry will usher in more transformations and opportunities on a global scale in 2025. The China and U.S. markets will jointly become the dual engines driving the industry's development, and information and news platforms will continue to play an indispensable key role in the industry.

MetaEra will continue to push forward, leveraging smarter AI tools and more diverse content presentation methods to offer innovative solutions, which provide users with more precise industry information and support the branding and growth needs of more clients. MetaEra Event will reach more countries and regions across Europe, America, and Asia-Pacific, covering more multi-dimensional communities and platforms in the virtual world, and gathering a more diverse group of global think-tanks with a broad range of perspectives to create a high-dimensional platform for industry builders to exchange ideas. Of course, more high-quality, long-term investors and ecosystem partners, as well as creative, diligent, and pragmatic team members, will join the MetaEra family...

From 2022 to 2024, spanning more than a thousand days of accelerated expansion; from Hong Kong to New York, traversing 13,000 kilometers on the global stage; from inception to industry leader, MetaEra will persist in its rapid ascent alongside the promising and monumental sector of Web3.0. We are committed to elevating the luster of emerging stars and enhancing the brilliance of the celestial expanse.

About MetaEra

MetaEra is a leading media platform and brand growth specialist in the Web 3.0 industry. Leveraging extensive and superior global resources, we provide innovative solutions and bespoke services designed to enhance your brand management and accelerate your business expansion.

Website: www.metaera.hk

Contact: meta@metaera.hk

X: @MetaEraHK

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/13b2c95c-e165-476b-88f9-a4eb05313136
SINGAPORE, Dec. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FBS, a leading global broker, unveils its latest analysis of cryptocurrency market trends for 2024 and predictions for 2025. FBS analysts explore how pivotal events have shaped the digital finance landscape and identify emerging opportunities for the coming year.

A Closer Look at 2024

According to FBS analysts, 2024 was shaped by transformative events that drove significant growth in the crypto market. Bitcoin led the charge, gaining over 146% following its halving event. Ethereum also thrived as institutional investments surged after ETF approvals, underscoring its expanding role in the global financial system.

U.S. cryptocurrency policies under Donald Trumps administration were another major factor in 2024's growth. Initiatives such as exploring Bitcoin for debt reduction bolstered market sentiment, pushing Bitcoin past the $100,000 milestone and driving broader adoption.

The year also saw the rapid rise of tokenized real-world assets (RWAs), a trend highlighted by FBS analysts as pivotal in revolutionizing traditional asset management. By making illiquid assets more accessible, tokenization is redefining investment landscapes across industries such as real estate and commodities.

2025: What Lies Ahead?

FBS analysts forecast that Bitcoins momentum will continue, with a potential price target of $250,000 by year-end. The total cryptocurrency market capitalization is expected to surpass $3.4 trillion, supported by the rapid rise of altcoins and tokenized real-world assets (RWAs).

Ethereums position is set to strengthen further, with FBS anticipating new ETF approvals for altcoins like Solana and XRP. The expansion of tokenization initiatives and advances in blockchain infrastructure will likely drive new waves of institutional and retail participation.

FBS remains committed to equipping traders with actionable insights, advanced tools, and seamless platforms to navigate the dynamic market confidently.

Users can find the full analysis and in-depth insights here.

To learn more about FBS and its exceptional conditions, users can visit FBS.com.

Disclaimer: This material does not constitute a call to trade, trading advice, or recommendation and is intended for informational purposes only.

About FBS

FBS is a global brand that unites several independent brokerage companies under the licenses of FSC (Belize), CySEC (Cyprus), and ASIC (Australia). With 15 years of experience and over 90 international awards, FBS is steadily developing as one of the markets most trusted brokers. Today, FBS serves over 27,000,000 traders and more than 700 000 partners around the globe.

Contact

The FBS Press Office

FBS

press@fbs.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b0cd6e79-7360-43a3-8ab3-ad0b22363a32
LAS VEGAS, Dec. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hyperscale Data, Inc. (NYSE American: GPUS), a diversified holding company (Hyperscale Data or the Company), today announced that its Board of Directors (the Board) has declared a monthly cash dividend of $0.2708333 per share of the Companys outstanding 13.00% Series D Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Stock (the Series D Preferred Stock). The record date for this dividend is December 31, 2024, and the payment date is Friday, January 10, 2025.

Link to NYSE quote for the Companys Series D Preferred Stock: https://www.nyse.com/quote/XASE:GPUSpD

The Company further announced today that the Board has elected not to declare a monthly cash dividend on its outstanding 10.00% Series E Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Stock (the Series E Preferred Stock) for the month ending December 31, 2024. The certificate of designations for the Series E Preferred Stock permits the Company to defer up to 12 consecutive monthly dividend payments on the Series E Preferred Stock without such deferrals being considered missed (a Permitted Deferral). The Company notes that the dividend is a cumulative dividend that accrues for payment in the future.

Hyperscale Executive Chairman Milton Todd Ault III stated, The Company remains committed to paying consistent dividends as evidenced by the Company never missing a dividend payment on the Series D Preferred Stock since its inception in June 2022. The just-declared dividend payment for the Series D Preferred Stock will be the 30th consecutive dividend payment. As the Series E Preferred Stock was just issued to stockholders as a dividend, the Company always anticipated electing to defer this months dividend, which is why Permitted Deferrals were included in the certificate of designations. We anticipate declaring and paying out the deferred dividend payment sometime in 2025.

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; Hyperscale Data, Inc.

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
The first payment, amounting to 62.5mn (0.83/sh), will be made on January 24, 2025, while the second payment of 62.5mn is expected to take place in March 2025

For the first dividend, the last trading day entitled to receive the payment is January 21, 2025

In total, over the next 15 months, the company plans to distribute 250mn to its shareholders  a 21% yield at current prices





Madrid, 20 December 2024. - Neinor Homes ("Neinor"; HOME SM), the leading listed residential property developer in Spain, announces that the first payment of the distributions approved at the Extraordinary General Shareholders' Meeting held on December 18 will be made on January 24, 2025.

The last trading day for shares with the right to receive the dividend for the first payment is January 21, 2025. The second payment is expected to take place in March 2025.

The total dividend, amounting to 125mn and representing a total return of 11%, will be distributed in two equal payments of 62.5mn. Each of the two payments represents a gross payment of 0.83/sh, which equates to 0.8217/sh net.

The two payments will be made through capital reductions with the return of contributions to shareholders, following the same structure implemented in previous years. Consequently, they will be subject to a 1% tax on the value of the returned contributions, which Neinor Homes will withhold, self-assess, and remit to the Bizkaia Tax Authority.

Over the next 15 months, Neinor expects to distribute 250mn, equivalent to 3.32/sh (21% yield)

After distributing the 125mn (1.66/sh) approved this week at the Extraordinary General Shareholders' Meeting, Neinor will have successfully completed the distribution of 200mn to its shareholders for the 2024 fiscal year, thus meeting the objectives of its 2023-2027 Strategic Plan for the second consecutive year. In addition, this will bring Neinor to 54% of its target to distribute a total of 600mn to shareholders by 2027, as outlined in its Strategic Plan.

Furthermore, for the 2025 fiscal year, Neinor expects to distribute a total of 125mn by the first quarter of 2026 (1.66/sh).

Borja Garcia-Egotxeaga, CEO of Neinor Homes, comments: "As part of our 2023-27 Strategic Plan and the shareholder remuneration objectives, the next 15 months will play a key role with total distributions of 250mn. Additionally, I would like to highlight the importance of our equity efficient growth strategy and earnings growth expected in the coming years as key elements to achieve our goal of improving shareholder returns to 14-15%."

Jordi Argemi, Deputy CEO and CFO of Neinor Homes, explains: "As of today, in addition to having a solid balance sheet and low leverage, we already have excellent operational and financial visibility for 2024-25, with the goal of distributing 250mn to our shareholders in the next 15 months. Moreover, as in the last two years, we continue to work to bring forward cash flows to our shareholders in order to generate value for them and accelerate the process of optimizing our balance sheet."





* For the full regulatory announcement please refer to Neinors webpage ( https://www.neinorhomes.com/en/accionistas-inversores/regulatory-announcements )

-ENDS-

About Neinor Homes

Neinor Homes is the leading residential property developer in Spain, with a land bank to develop c12,000 homes, and a GAV to June 2024 of 1.5bn. This land bank is located in some of the fastest growing regions with the best economic fundamentals in Spain: Madrid, Western and Eastern Andalusia, Levante, Basque Country and Catalonia.

Neinor is a fully integrated and well-established residential platform of scale in Spain, covering the entire development value chain from land buying, planning and urban management, product design, delegated development and construction, sales and marketing and rentals. We are committed to creating and delivering attractive risk adjusted returns for shareholders through our disciplined capital allocation strategy and our excellence in operations and risk management.

We are the only listed residential property developer with a multi-sector strategy to market in Spain, and our strategies include Build-to-rent (BTR); Build-to-sell (BTS); and the largely untapped senior living rental market in Spain, which we are progressing.

Neinors operational excellence, investment strategy and results achieved since 2019 have enabled us to deliver on our 5-year business plan, launched in March 2023, in a sustainable and capital-efficient manner. This plan combines a 600 million shareholder remuneration plan and an investment of 1 billion in new opportunistic land acquisitions, half of which are expected to be undertaken in joint ventures with strategic partners through co-investment agreements, with a +20% IRR target.

We offer shareholders attractive risk adjusted returns in a country where there are strong and sustainable supply and demand fundamentals and supported by a resilient macroeconomic environment and outlook. Spain remains one the most attractive and safest residential markets worldwide, with one of the lowest ratios of new supply per capita globally since 2007.







For more information:

NEINOR HOMES

Investor Relations Department

investor.relations@neinorhomes.com





LLYC

Elena Torres Quilis - etorresq@llyc.global

Irene Osuna Diez - iosuna@llyc.global

+34 91 563 77 22




Cary, North Carolina, Dec. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hummingbird Creative Group, a premier boutique branding agency based in Cary, NC, proudly celebrates an exceptional year of industry recognition, highlighted by multiple prestigious awards for its digital branding, marketing, and creative excellence. The agency earned highest honors in the Davey Awards, the Hermes Awards, and the Communicator Awards in 2024.

Im so proud of my team for the impactful, award-winning creative solutions we produce for clients, said Wendy Coulter, CEO of Hummingbird Creative Group. These accolades reflect our commitment to delivering exceptional strategy and creative solutions to the best-in-class brands we represent.

Hummingbird Creative Group received the esteemed 2024 Gold Davey Award in the Integrated Campaign - Healthcare & Pharma category for its impactful Stepping Up campaign, created in partnership with The American Board of Pediatrics. The Davey Awards celebrates exceptional creative achievements by small agencies, firms, and companies, making this recognition a testament to Hummingbird Creative Groups innovative and results-driven approach.

The agency also received a Silver Davey Award in the Website Design category for its work with Charlotte Aquatics, showcasing an innovative approach to user experience and visual storytelling. Additionally, the agency was honored with a Silver Davey Award in the Brand Identity category for its outstanding collaboration with NC Life Sciences Organization (NC LifeSci), delivering a distinctive and impactful new brand identity for the organization.

Hummingbird Creative Group has been recognized with a prestigious Gold Hermes Award for excellence in the Branding Refresh category, showcasing their impactful work with Clarus Partners. Additionally, they earned an Honorable Mention for their innovative Advertising Campaign for TrueCare Dentistry, highlighting their commitment to creative excellence and strategic marketing success. The Hermes Award honors the messengers and creators of the information revolution. Armed with their imaginations and computers, Hermes winners bring their ideas to life through traditional and digital platforms. Each year, competition judges evaluate the creative industrys best publications, branding collateral, websites, videos, and advertising, marketing, and communication programs.

Hummingbird Creative Group was also honored in 2024 with a Communicator Excellence Award in the Corporate Identity category for their work with Kramden Institute, showcasing outstanding design and strategy. And, the agency received a Communicator Distinction Award in the Brand Refresh category for their impactful collaboration with Clarus Partners. The 31st Annual Communicator Awards celebrate excellence, innovation, and the power of connection through communication. This year's theme, Communication is Connection, honors the diverse ways storytelling, branding, and tradition unite uswhether from emerging studios or legacy institutions.

About Hummingbird Creative Group:

Headquartered in Cary, NC, Hummingbird Creative Group is a boutique full-service branding agency serving admired brands nationwide to build business value through clear communication of brand differentiation. The agency works primarily with leaders of manufacturing/distribution, healthcare, B2B, non-profits, retail and service businesses to define brand strategy, develop sustainable branding campaigns and implement sales enablement programs. The Hummingbird teams passion is to strengthen each clients promise, presence and profitability over time to help their client brands TAKE FLIGHT AND SOAR! To learn more about Hummingbird Creative Group, visit https://hummingbird-creative.com/.

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Luton, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom, Dec. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Surgical Imaging Market Overview

The surgical imaging market includes a diverse range of advanced medical imaging technologies designed to support surgical procedures by providing real-time visualization, guidance, and monitoring for healthcare professionals. These imaging systems are critical for ensuring precise localization, navigation, and continuous monitoring during surgeries, thereby enhancing the precision and success of medical procedures. Key surgical imaging technologies include fluoroscopy, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound, and intraoperative imaging systems such as C-arms and O-arms.

Access PDF Sample Report (Including Graphs, Charts & Figures) @

https://www.exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/6387/surgical-imaging-market#request-a-sample

Technological Advancements in Surgical Imaging

Among the most significant advancements in surgical imaging is the evolution of C-arm systems. Originally utilizing conventional X-ray image intensifiers, C-arms have advanced to incorporate digital flat-panel detectors (FPDs). This technological shift offers numerous advantages, such as superior image quality, reduced radiation exposure, and more compact designs. These systems are becoming the standard due to their high-definition digital imaging, minimal distortion, and greater operational efficiency compared to older image intensifiers.

Unlike traditional image intensifiers, which suffer from image degradation over time, FPDs maintain consistent image quality throughout their lifecycle. They also feature a larger, more dynamic imaging range, ensuring higher accuracy during complex procedures. This is particularly beneficial when higher magnifications are needed, as FPDs eliminate the field-of-view reduction commonly encountered with older systems.

Advantages of FPD C-arms

The transition to FPD-based C-arms has been pivotal in surgical imaging, offering multiple advantages:

Reduced Radiation Exposure: FPDs provide enhanced imaging clarity at lower radiation doses, promoting a safer environment for both patients and medical staff. Superior Image Quality: The digital imaging capabilities of FPDs provide sharp, clear visuals without the distortion seen in older technology, ensuring better decision-making in real-time. Broader Imaging Range: FPDs offer a wider field of view, allowing surgeons to better visualize surgical areas without compromising the image quality, even at higher magnifications. Enhanced Patient Coverage: FPDs offer more comprehensive patient coverage, which is crucial for complex surgeries involving large or hard-to-reach areas.

The growing adoption of FPD C-arms across hospitals and surgical centers is accelerating the growth of the surgical imaging market. As healthcare providers prioritize precision, safety, and efficiency in surgical environments, the preference for FPD-based imaging systems continues to rise, further expanding market opportunities.

Market Dynamics

The increasing demand for minimally invasive surgeries and improved patient outcomes is expected to drive market growth in the coming years. Surgical imaging technologies are not only crucial in complex surgeries but also in routine diagnostic and treatment planning, making them essential tools for healthcare facilities worldwide. The need for high-quality, low-radiation imaging during surgery is a critical factor in the growth of this market. Additionally, advancements in imaging modalities, such as integration with robotic surgery systems and the development of AI-powered diagnostics, are expected to further drive innovation and expand the surgical imaging landscape.

Surgical Imaging Market Dynamics

Driver: Advantages of FPDs over Image Intensifiers

The transition of C-arms from traditional X-ray image intensifier technology to digital flat-panel detectors (FPDs) has marked a significant leap in surgical imaging, offering multiple benefits that are driving market growth. FPDs are preferred for their compact size, reduced radiation exposure, and consistent high-quality imaging, even after prolonged usage. In contrast to image intensifiers, which suffer from image degradation as they age, FPDs maintain superior image quality throughout their lifespan. This technology offers wider and more dynamic imaging ranges, which enhances the precision of surgical procedures.

FPDs also address the limitation of image intensifiers where magnification results in a reduced field of view. FPD C-arms provide a larger working area, giving surgeons more freedom to maneuver around patients and use their instruments more efficiently. Other key advantages include no image distortion, improved sensitivity, and better patient coverage, making them an attractive choice for hospitals. As more companies introduce FPD C-arms, the cost of these systems is decreasing, further promoting their adoption across healthcare facilities.

Restraint: High Price of Surgical Imaging Systems

Despite their advantages, the high cost of mobile C-arm systems remains a significant restraint in the market. These systems are equipped with advanced features, such as powerful generators capable of penetrating dense anatomies. For instance, GE Healthcare's OEC 9900 Elite and Ziehm Imaging's Vision RFD are among the most expensive mobile C-arms, with prices exceeding USD 200,000.

In addition to the upfront purchase costs, surgical imaging systems incur other expenses such as for printers and DICOM boxes, contributing to higher overall total cost of ownership. This high cost of capital equipment makes it difficult for smaller hospitals and medical centers to adopt such technology, especially in emerging regions. Moreover, budget cuts in healthcare systems, such as those observed in Florida and Europe, have further limited the purchase of high-cost capital equipment, leading to delayed investments in new systems. This financial constraint, exacerbated by the current pandemic, is expected to impact the market in the short term.

Opportunity: Emerging Markets and Growing Medical Tourism

Emerging economies, particularly in the BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa), represent significant growth opportunities for the surgical imaging market. These countries, characterized by large patient populations and rapidly improving healthcare infrastructure, are poised to drive demand for surgical imaging systems. In fact, by 2028, China is projected to become the largest economy globally, overtaking the United States, and India is expected to be the third-largest economy by 2030. The expanding healthcare infrastructure, combined with growing medical tourism in countries such as India, Thailand, and Mexico, is expected to fuel demand for surgical imaging systems.

Medical tourism is particularly appealing due to the lower cost of medical procedures compared to developed countries. For example, hip replacement surgeries in India cost approximately USD 7,000, while the same procedure in the U.S. can exceed USD 50,000. The growing volume of international patients seeking treatment in these countries increases the demand for modern surgical equipment to manage the higher caseloads, creating new market opportunities for surgical imaging providers.

As surgical centers and hospitals continue to proliferate in these emerging markets, the need for efficient imaging solutions to manage the increasing patient volume will rise, driving further market growth.

Browse full Report - https://www.exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/6387/surgical-imaging-market

Market Trends: Image Intensifiers and FPD C-arms

Despite the growing preference for FPD C-arms, the image intensifier C-arms segment still held the largest share of the surgical imaging market in 2019, accounting for over 75% of the total market. This is primarily due to their lower cost and wider installed base, making them a popular choice for cost-conscious healthcare providers. However, the FPD C-arms segment is expected to register the highest growth in the coming years, driven by their advanced features and declining prices.

Application Trends: Orthopedic & Trauma Surgeries

The demand for surgical imaging systems is especially pronounced in orthopedic and trauma surgeries, which is the largest and fastest-growing application segment. This growth is fueled by the increasing preference for minimally invasive procedures in orthopedic surgeries, as well as the enhanced precision offered by 3D navigation in trauma surgeries. C-arms, particularly those equipped with FPD technology, are ideal for providing real-time imaging during these procedures, helping surgeons achieve better outcomes with fewer complications.

End-User Trends: Hospitals and Surgical Centers

The hospital segment remains the dominant end user of surgical imaging systems, accounting for the largest share of the market. This is largely due to the increasing number of surgical procedures performed in hospitals, especially in developing countries. Hospitals also have more financial resources to invest in advanced imaging systems compared to smaller surgical centers. However, surgical centers are expected to exhibit the highest growth in the coming years, as the demand for specialized and outpatient surgeries rises.

Asia Pacific Region to Drive Significant Growth in the Global Surgical Imaging Market (2024-2029)

The Asia Pacific (APAC) region is set to experience remarkable growth in the global surgical imaging market from 2024 to 2029, driven by several key factors. The region is expected to register the highest compound annual growth rate (CAGR) during the forecast period, surpassing other regions in terms of market expansion. This robust growth can be attributed to the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, particularly in China, India, and Japan, where healthcare challenges such as aging populations and the rise of lifestyle-related diseases are becoming more prevalent. These factors are significantly increasing the demand for advanced surgical imaging systems to support accurate diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment.

Additionally, the improving healthcare infrastructure across APAC nations is playing a pivotal role in the growth of the surgical imaging market. Governments in countries like India, China, and South Korea are making significant investments to modernize healthcare facilities, driving the adoption of advanced imaging technologies. The increasing number of healthcare facilities, coupled with the growing medical tourism sector, particularly in countries like India, is further propelling demand for state-of-the-art surgical imaging systems.

As APAC continues to strengthen its healthcare system, countries in the region are also benefiting from lower healthcare costs compared to developed markets, making medical procedures more affordable and increasing accessibility to advanced surgical imaging systems. The region is also experiencing a rise in medical research and education, particularly in Japan and China, which is driving awareness and demand for advanced imaging technologies among healthcare professionals.

While North America remains the largest regional market for surgical imaging, followed by Europe, the rapid expansion of the healthcare infrastructure in APAC is expected to drive a significant shift in the market dynamics. By 2029, it is anticipated that APAC will account for a larger share of the global surgical imaging market, offering substantial growth opportunities for both local and international players.

Market Segmentations:

By Technology

Image Intensifier C-arms

Flat-Panel Detector C-arms (FPD C-arms)

By Application

Orthopedic & Trauma Surgeries

Cardiovascular Surgeries

Neurosurgeries

Gastrointestinal Surgeries

Other Applications

By End User

Hospitals

Surgery Centers & Clinics

By Region

North America

Europe

Asia-Pacific

Latin America

Middle East & Africa

Key Players:

Ziehm Imaging

Medtronic Plc

General Electric Company (GE Healthcare)

Siemens AG

Koninklijke Philips N.V.

Shimadzu Corporation

OrthoScan Inc.

Hologic Inc.

Eurocolumbus Srl

Allengers Medical Systems Ltd

Canon Medical Systems Corporation

Fujifilm Holdings Corporation

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

GE Healthcare

Carestream Health Inc.

Xoran Technologies, Inc.

MinXray, Inc.

Planmed Oy

KaVo Dental GmbH

Recent Developments of Surgical Imaging Industry:

In 2023, Canon Medical Systems launched the Aplio i-series ultrasound system, designed to enhance diagnostic precision with advanced imaging capabilities. This system integrates AI-based tools to support faster and more accurate diagnoses, particularly in complex procedures like cardiology and oncology.

launched the Aplio i-series ultrasound system, designed to enhance diagnostic precision with advanced imaging capabilities. This system integrates AI-based tools to support faster and more accurate diagnoses, particularly in complex procedures like cardiology and oncology. In 2023, GE Healthcare introduced the OEC 1 mobile C-arm, featuring AI-driven imaging capabilities to support surgeons with real-time, high-quality imaging. The device is designed for use in orthopedics, neurosurgery, and other complex procedures, providing enhanced patient coverage with reduced radiation exposure.

introduced the OEC 1 mobile C-arm, featuring AI-driven imaging capabilities to support surgeons with real-time, high-quality imaging. The device is designed for use in orthopedics, neurosurgery, and other complex procedures, providing enhanced patient coverage with reduced radiation exposure. In 2023, Philips unveiled the Zenition 70 mobile C-arm, designed to offer clear, sharp imaging for a wide range of surgical specialties, including orthopedic, trauma, and spine surgeries. The system incorporates AI-powered image enhancement for improved surgical precision and faster procedures.

unveiled the Zenition 70 mobile C-arm, designed to offer clear, sharp imaging for a wide range of surgical specialties, including orthopedic, trauma, and spine surgeries. The system incorporates AI-powered image enhancement for improved surgical precision and faster procedures. In 2022, Siemens Healthineers announced the launch of Cios Connect, a mobile C-arm that integrates advanced 3D imaging for more precise guidance during complex surgeries. The system is designed to improve both patient outcomes and the overall surgical workflow.

announced the launch of Cios Connect, a mobile C-arm that integrates advanced 3D imaging for more precise guidance during complex surgeries. The system is designed to improve both patient outcomes and the overall surgical workflow. In 2022, Hologic launched a new line of Breast Imaging C-arms, integrating 3D tomography and AI diagnostics to provide better imaging solutions for breast cancer detection and intervention. This system enhances precision during biopsies and other surgical procedures.

launched a new line of Breast Imaging C-arms, integrating 3D tomography and AI diagnostics to provide better imaging solutions for breast cancer detection and intervention. This system enhances precision during biopsies and other surgical procedures. In 2022, Ziehm Imaging introduced the Ziehm Vision RFD, a mobile C-arm equipped with flat-panel detector technology, offering superior imaging quality and reduced radiation exposure. This product is designed for use in orthopedic, trauma, and spinal surgeries, aiming to improve precision and patient safety.

This report is also available in the following languages: Japanese (), Korea (  ), china (), French (Marche de l'imagerie chirurgicale), German (Markt fur chirurgische Bildgebung), and Italy (Mercato dell'imaging chirurgico), etc.

Get a Sample PDF Brochure: https://www.exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/6387/surgical-imaging-market#request-a-sample

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DENVER, Dec. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- American Rare Earths Limited (ARR) (ASX: ARR | OTCQX: ARRNF, AMRRY) is pleased to announce that its wholly owned subsidiary, Wyoming Rare (USA) Inc., has secured a facility at the Western Research Institute in Laramie, Wyoming. This significant development marks a key step forward in the companys efforts to progress the Halleck Creek Rare Earths Project and enhance its operational capabilities in the region.

This follows the recent award of a USD $7.1 million grant from the State of Wyoming to support the advancement of the companys rare earth processing initiatives. The facility, situated in a strategic location, will serve as a hub for exploration, processing, and future development activities, enabling the company to align its efforts with state-backed initiatives to bolster critical mineral development.

Key Features of the Facility and Partnership:

Centralized Operations: The facility will house all drill core and assay samples collected to date, providing a central location for streamlined operations.

The facility will house all drill core and assay samples collected to date, providing a central location for streamlined operations. Future Pilot Plant Site: The space will accommodate the construction of a pilot plant, advancing the development and testing of processing capabilities for the project.

The space will accommodate the construction of a pilot plant, advancing the development and testing of processing capabilities for the project. Collaboration: This partnership lays the groundwork for further synergies, leveraging the Western Research Institutes expertise.



The Western Research Institute, located in Laramie, Wyoming, is a multi-million dollar, not-for-profit, research organization renowned for work in advanced energy systems, environmental technologies and materials research and technologies. Their headquarters and advanced technology center includes laboratories, pilot facilities and room for new development.

This is an exciting milestone for the company and our progression of the Cowboy State Mine at Halleck Creek, said Joe Evers, President of Wyoming Rare (USA) Inc. The support of the State of Wyoming and our collaboration with the Western Research Institute highlights Wyomings commitment to becoming a leader in critical minerals development. This facility helps to advance our mission of onshoring critical mineral supply chains for the USA while highlighting Wyomings position a leader in critical minerals and rare earth elements.





This announcement has been approved by the CEO of American Rare Earths Limited.

American Rare Earths (ASX: ARR | OTCQX: ARRNF | ADR: AMRRY) owns Wyoming Rare (USA) Inc. which is focused on the development of the Halleck Creek Project, WY. It also owns La Paz, AZ rare earth deposit. Both can potentially become the largest and most sustainable rare earth projects in North America. The Company is developing environmentally friendly and cost-effective extraction and processing methods to meet the rapidly increasing demand for resources essential to the clean energy transition and US national security. The Company continues to evaluate other exploration opportunities and is collaborating with US Government-supported R&D to develop efficient processing and separation techniques of (REEs) elements to help ensure a renewable future.

For additional information:

Susan Assadi

Media Relations US

sassadi@americanree.com

347 977 7125

Beverly Jedynak

Investor Relations US

Beverly.jedynak@viriathus.com

312 943 1123

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d20eda27-652e-4b80-ab6c-96083ea5d765
Not For Distribution to U.S. News Wire Services or Dissemination in The United States

Vancouver, BC, Dec. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Skyharbour Resources Ltd. (TSX-V: SYH ) (OTCQX: SYHBF ) (Frankfurt: SC1P ) (Skyharbour or the Company) is pleased to announce that is has closed the brokered private placement previously announced by the Company on December 2, 2024, as upsized on December 3, 2024 (the Brokered Offering), and has additionally closed a concurrent non-brokered private placement (the Non-Brokered Offering, and together with the Brokered Offering, the Offering), for aggregate gross proceeds to the Company of C$10,020,000.

Jordan Trimble, President and CEO of Skyharbour, stated: Skyharbour is very well-funded for its drilling and exploration plans in 2025, with the majority of the Offering placed with several strategic institutional and corporate investors. Over the next year, the Company anticipates the largest combined drilling and exploration campaign at its core projects of Russell Lake and Moore. This will follow up on successful drilling in 2024 at both projects, which included high-grade drill results and new uranium discoveries. The Company also expects continuous cash and share payments, as well as news flow, from its prospect generator business, consisting of partner companies advancing numerous other uranium projects throughout the Athabasca Basin.

The Brokered Offering was completed through a syndicate of agents co-led by Haywood Securities Inc. and Red Cloud Securities Inc. (collectively, the Agents). Pursuant to the Brokered Offering, the Company issued: (i) 5,000,000 hard dollar units of the Company (the Units) at a price of C$0.40 per Unit; (ii) 2,368,420 charity flow-through shares (the Charity FT Shares) at a price per Charity FT Share of C$0.59; and (iii) 13,310,070 traditional flow-through shares (the Traditional FT Shares) at a price per Traditional FT Share of C$0.46, for aggregate gross proceeds under the Brokered Offering of C$9,520,000.

Additionally, the Company has completed a concurrent Non-Brokered Offering through the issuance of 1,250,000 Units at C$0.40 per Unit, for additional gross proceeds under the Non-Brokered Offering of C$500,000 with one strategic investor.

Each Unit consists of one common share of the Company (a Share) plus one-half of one common share purchase warrant (each whole such warrant, a Warrant). Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Share (a Warrant Share) at an exercise price of C$0.55 until June 20, 2027.

The gross proceeds from the sale of the Charity FT Shares and the Traditional FT Shares will be used by the Company to incur eligible Canadian exploration expenses that qualify as flow-through critical mineral mining expenditures as both terms are defined in the Income Tax Act (Canada), and will also be used to incur eligible flow-through mining expenditures as defined in The Mineral Exploration Tax Credit Regulations, 2014 (Saskatchewan) (collectively, the Qualifying Expenditures) related to the Companys projects in Saskatchewan, on or before December 31, 2025, and to renounce all Qualifying Expenditures in favour of such subscribers effective December 31, 2024. The net proceeds from the sale of Units will be used for the 2025 exploration and drilling programs at the Companys uranium projects in Saskatchewan, as well as for general working capital purposes.

The Offering was conducted in accordance with available prospectus exemptions pursuant to applicable Canadian securities laws, with the securities issuable under the Offering subject to a statutory hold period expiring on April 21, 2025.

In consideration for the services provided by the Agents in connection with the Brokered Offering, on closing the Company paid to the Agents a cash commission of 6.5% of the gross proceeds raised under the Brokered Offering, and issued to the Agents compensation options equal to 6.5% of the total number of securities sold under the Brokered Offering (the Compensation Options), other than with respect to presidents list orders for which a 3.25% cash fee was paid and 3.25% Compensation Options were issued. Each Compensation Option is exercisable at C$0.50 until June 20, 2027. In connection with the Brokered Offering, the Company paid aggregate cash commission fees of $589,550 and issued 1,294,525 Compensation Options. No fees were paid in connection with the Non-Brokered Offering.

Directors and officers of the Company subscribed for an aggregate of C$49,900 in gross proceeds under the Offering. Participation by insiders of the Company constitutes a related party transaction under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions (MI 61-101). Pursuant to sections 5.5(b) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101, the Company is exempt from obtaining formal valuation and minority approval of the Companys shareholders respecting the purchase of securities under the Offering by related parties as the fair market value of securities to be purchased under the Offering is below 25% of the Company's market capitalization as determined in accordance with MI 61-101.

The securities offered have not been, nor will they be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act, as amended, or any state securities law, and may not be offered, sold or delivered, directly or indirectly, within the United States, or to or for the account or benefit of U.S. persons, absent registration or an exemption from such registration requirements. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of securities in any state in the United States in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About Skyharbour Resources Ltd.:

Skyharbour holds an extensive portfolio of uranium exploration projects in Canada's Athabasca Basin and is well positioned to benefit from improving uranium market fundamentals with interest in twenty-nine projects, ten of which are drill-ready, covering over 580,000 hectares (over 1.4 million acres) of land. Skyharbour has acquired from Denison Mines, a large strategic shareholder of the Company, a 100% interest in the Moore Uranium Project, which is located 15 kilometres east of Denison's Wheeler River project and 39 kilometres south of Cameco's McArthur River uranium mine. Moore is an advanced-stage uranium exploration property with high-grade uranium mineralization at the Maverick Zone that returned drill results of up to 6.0% U 3 O 8 over 5.9 metres, including 20.8% U 3 O 8 over 1.5 metres at a vertical depth of 265 metres. Adjacent to the Moore Project is the Russell Lake Uranium Project, in which Skyharbour is an operator with joint-venture partner Rio Tinto. The project hosts several high-grade uranium drill intercepts over a large property area with robust exploration upside potential. The Company is actively advancing these projects through exploration and drill programs.

Skyharbour also has joint ventures with industry leader Orano Canada Inc., Azincourt Energy, and Thunderbird Resources at the Preston, East Preston, and Hook Lake Projects respectively. The Company also has several active earn-in option partners, including CSE-listed Basin Uranium Corp. at the Mann Lake Uranium Project; CSE-listed Medaro Mining Corp. at the Yurchison Project; TSX-V listed North Shore Uranium at the Falcon Project; UraEx Resources at the South Dufferin and Bolt Projects; Hatchet Uranium at the Highway Project; Mustang Energy at the 914W Project; and TSX-V listed Terra Clean Energy at the South Falcon East Project which hosts the Fraser Lakes Zone B uranium and thorium deposit. In aggregate, Skyharbour has now signed earn-in option agreements with partners that total over $41 million in partner-funded exploration expenditures, over $30 million worth of shares being issued, and over $22 million in cash payments coming into Skyharbour, assuming that these partner companies complete their entire earn-ins at the respective projects.

Skyharbour's goal is to maximize shareholder value through new mineral discoveries, committed long-term partnerships, and the advancement of exploration projects in geopolitically favourable jurisdictions.

Skyharbours Uranium Project Map in the Athabasca Basin:

https://www.skyharbourltd.com/_resources/images/SKY_SaskProject_Locator_2024-02-14_V2.jpg

To find out more about Skyharbour Resources Ltd. (TSX-V: SYH) visit the Companys website at www.skyharbourltd.com .

SKYHARBOUR RESOURCES LTD.

Jordan Trimble

Jordan Trimble

President and CEO

For further information contact myself or:

Nicholas Coltura

Investor Relations Manager

Skyharbour Resources Ltd.

Telephone: 604-558-5847

Toll Free: 800-567-8181

Facsimile: 604-687-3119

Email: info@skyharbourltd.com

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT OF THIS NEWS RELEASE.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains forwardlooking information or statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws, which may include, without limitation, the intended use of proceeds from the Offering, the ability of the Company to renounce Qualifying Expenditures in favour of the subscribers, tax treatment of the Charity FT Shares and the Traditional FT Shares, future results of operations, performance and achievements of the Company, completing ongoing and planned work on its projects including drilling and the expected timing of such work programs, and other statements relating to the technical, financial and business prospects of the Company, its projects and other matters. All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future, including the price of uranium, the ability to achieve its goals, that general business and economic conditions will not change in a material adverse manner, that financing will be available if and when needed and on reasonable terms. Such forward-looking information reflects the Companys views with respect to future events and is subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including the risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of exploration results, risks related to the inherent uncertainty of exploration and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses, and those filed under the Companys profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include, but are not limited to, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions, adverse weather or climate conditions, failure to obtain or maintain all necessary government permits, approvals and authorizations, failure to obtain or maintain community acceptance (including First Nations), decrease in the price of uranium and other metals, increase in costs, litigation, and failure of counterparties to perform their contractual obligations. The Company does not undertake to update forwardlooking statements or forwardlooking information, except as required by law.
CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico, Dec. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cabo San Lucas is experiencing significant tourism growth, with impressive numbers reported by the Tourism Board. Mishan Andre, Managing Partner of Cabo Platinum, states that in 2023, an impressive 3.86 million visitors have chosen this stunning destination, representing an increase of 1 million travelers compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019. This surge highlights Cabo's irresistible charm and strengthens its reputation as a premier hotspot for discerning travelers.

Cabo San Lucas offers a unique blend of relaxation and excitement, featuring luxury villas with breathtaking sea views and unforgettable experiences around every corner. Guests can indulge in world-class dining, explore the vibrant nightlife, or relax on pristine beachesmaking the allure of Cabo undeniable.

Andre emphasizes that "the growth we are witnessing in Cabo San Lucas is a promising sign for our local economy and a testament to our extraordinary experiences to our guests who seek Cabo San Lucas luxury villas and exclusivity. Our commitment to delivering personalized services ensures that every traveler leaves with cherished memories." As visitor numbers continue to rise, he underscores the importance of ongoing innovation and maintaining the high standards for which Cabo Platinum is known.

Cabo Platinum holds a leading position in the luxury villa market of Cabo San Lucas, offering a curated selection of high-end villas and exclusive travel experiences tailored for discerning travelers seeking an unforgettable getaway. Located in the heart of Cabo San Lucasan opulent paradisethe area has firmly established itself as the ultimate destination for luxury seekers in Mexico. The diverse allure of Cabo San Lucas showcases breathtaking natural landscapes, a vibrant nightlife, and a culinary scene with some of the highest-rated restaurants and premier attractions, making it an irresistible destination for those looking to indulge in the best of life.

One telling indicator of Cabo San Lucas appeal is that approximately 20% of its visitors are returning guests. Many of these travelers rely on the expert concierge services provided by Cabo Platinum, which demonstrates a high level of trust in these travel professionals.

About Cabo Platinum

Cabo Platinum is your premier source for luxurious vacation experiences in Cabo San Lucas. Specializing in high-end villas and vacation rentals, we offer an exquisite selection of properties that cater to every travelers needs. Whether youre looking for a romantic getaway, a family vacation, or a group retreat, our handpicked exclusive villas provide the perfect setting for unforgettable memories.

Located at the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula, Cabo San Lucas is renowned for its stunning beaches, vibrant nightlife, and breathtaking landscapes. At Cabo Platinum, we are dedicated to showcasing the best of this beautiful destination. Our team of local experts is committed to providing personalized service, ensuring that every aspect of your stay is nothing short of exceptional.

For more information about Cabo San Lucas and to plan your next getaway in luxurious vacation rentals or villas, please visit www.caboplatinum.com.

Contact:

marketing@caboplatinum.com

Karina Herrera

+52-624-237-8879

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/94a58a86-b418-45a9-8d91-2d33a43e6776
VIENNA, Va., Dec. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WorldStrides, a global provider of educational student travel and experiential learning, is proud to announce it has been certified as a B Corporation (B Corp), furthering the Companys commitment to operating its business as a force for good and inspiring a passion for lifelong learning.

Achieving B Corp Certification by the non-profit B Lab distinguishes WorldStrides among businesses that are meeting high standards of verified performance, accountability and transparency on environmental, social and governance practices to benefit people and planet.

"For over 55 years, helping students achieve personal growth through education and experiential learning outside the classroom has been at the heart of our mission, said David Kirchhoff, CEO of WorldStrides. We are proud to join a growing network of businesses dedicated to creating a positive social and environmental impact, and to lead by example in the field of educational travel.

WorldStrides is committed to inspiring a passion for lifelong learning for students of all ages. The Company is focused on providing a wide range of programs for more than 550,000 students annually to over 100 countries. Fueled by the passion of its team members and partners to make experiential learning accessible, WorldStrides has helped more than 10 million learners to bridge cultures and break through boundaries.

Impact on Team Members & Customers

Obtaining B Corp certification affirms that WorldStrides operates with the highest standards of transparency and responsibility across all areas of its business and reflects its commitment to maintaining a workplace driven by transparency, ethics, and shared purpose. This certification also reinforces the Companys dedication to creating lasting positive impactfor employees, customers and communities.

WorldStrides is proud of its social impact, which is evident in the educational programs, accreditations and partnerships that connect students with global experiences, foster intercultural understanding, and inspire the next generation of leaders. Among the first in the educational travel industry to achieve this certification, WorldStrides remains dedicated to enriching the global learning experiences of students around the world.

We believe that being a purpose-driven company and investing in initiatives to promote learning, inclusion, and sustainability are the right things to do, but they also create rewarding, long-term value for our team members, participants, and stakeholders, said Adrienne Howard, Chief Transformation Officer.

Accountability and Governance at the Core

At the heart of the WorldStrides journey to achieving B Corp certification lies a deep commitment to governance and accountability. The certification process, which involves a thorough and rigorous assessment of a companys business practices, policies, and procedures, evaluates key areas such as legal structure, transparency, governance, and accountability to team members, customers and stakeholders. WorldStrides has met all benchmarks across these criteria, underscoring its dedication to being a trustworthy and responsible organization.

This certification is a reflection of our ongoing efforts to build trust with our customers, partners, and employees, and it validates that we are running a business that is not only profitable but also principled and responsible, said CEO David Kirchhoff.

WorldStrides believes in a shared duty to be socially, environmentally and ethically responsible. Visit the WorldStrides Corporate Social Responsibility page to read more about its commitment to educate and serve communities worldwide.

About WorldStrides

WorldStrides is the global leader in educational travel and experiential learning. The company was founded in 1967 to provide middle school travel programs to Washington, D.C. and has grown to provide a wide range of programs for more than 550,000 students annually to over 100 countries around the world. WorldStrides offers experiential learning programs in educational travel, performing arts, language immersion, career exploration, service-learning, study abroad, and sports. Each of these experiences helps students to see beyond the classroom and to see the world  and themselves  in new ways.

About B Lab

B Lab is transforming the global economy to benefit all people, communities and the planet. A leader in economic systems change, our global network creates standards, policies, tools, and programs for business, and we certify companies - known as B Corps - who are leading the way. To date, our community includes 380,000 workers in over 5,000 B Corps across 79 countries and 153 industries, and more than 150,000 companies manage their impact with the B Impact Assessment and the SDG Action Manager. To learn more and join the movement, visit www.bcorporation.net.

About Certified B Corporations

Certified B Corporations, or B Corps, are companies verified by B Lab to meet the high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability.

For questions, please contact:

Mary Callas, WorldStrides maryca@worldstrides.com

Edward Ruddy, Sloane PR ERuddy@sloanepr.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9a268aea-3bdf-480b-ba32-67163bf91c2f
MT Hjgaard Holding's business unit MT Hjgaard Danmark has been awarded a significant civil works order by the Danish Road Directorate with a contract value of DKK 568 million. The order comprises expansion of the E45 motorway near Hedensted where new lanes will be laid in both directions over a six-kilometer distance.

The order underlines MT Hjgaard Danmark's continued expansion of its activities within civil works and infrastructure. The business unit is, among other things, involved in two other large contracts on the E45 motorway near Aarhus and Hedensted.

The work will commence in March 2025 and be completed in the spring of 2027.

The new order does not affect MT Hjgaard Holding's 2024 outlook, which is unchanged with revenue expected around DKK 10.5 billion and operating profit (EBIT) of DKK 475-495 million.

Further information:

CEO Rasmus Untidt and CFO Dennis Nrgaard can be contacted on telephone +45 31 21 68 72.

Attachment
Washington, D.C., Dec. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The U.S. Department of Agricultures (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is soliciting nominations for membership to the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF). NACMCF is the advisory committee charged with providing impartial scientific advice and recommendations to the USDA and other government agencies on microbiological and public health issues relative to the safety of the U.S. food supply. USDA expects to appoint 30 committee members in 2025, whose work will include reviewing FSIS regulatory approach to Listeria monocytogenes.

For the past 36 years, experts serving on the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods have played a critical role in fortifying our food safety standards and ensuring they rely on the latest science, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. Our approach to food safety must continually evolve, and those selected to serve on this committee will help us strengthen our regulatory frameworks and programs, to best safeguard the health and well-being of American families.

USDA is seeking nominations from individuals with knowledge and expertise in microbiology, risk assessment, epidemiology, public health, food science and other relevant disciplines to obtain the scientific perspective, expertise, experience and point-of-view of all stakeholders. Nominees affiliated with consumer groups are not required to have a scientific background. Persons in academia, industry, state and local government officials, public health organizations, and industry and consumer organizations are invited to submit nominations. Self-nominations are welcomed.

The food safety programs of the USDAs FSIS and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are strengthened through NACMCF recommendations. The programs of other federal agencies concerned with food safety, including the Department of HHS Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Commerce, National Marine Fisheries Service, and the Department of Defense (DoD), Veterinary Services also benefit from NACMCF work.

The committee is currently addressing Cronobacter spp. in powdered infant formula for the Food and Drug Administration and the benefits of genomic characterization of pathogens for FSIS. In addition to focusing on Listeria monocytogenes, FSIS anticipates that the 2025-2027 term committee may also explore food safety strategies for aged raw milk cheeses. We especially encourage the nomination of candidates with expertise in these specific areas.

NACMCF nominations must be accompanied by a cover letter addressed to the Secretary of Agriculture. Submissions must include a resume or curriculum vitae and a completed USDA Advisory Committee Membership Background Information form AD-755.

All nomination packages must be received within 60 days of the announcement being published in the Federal Register. Nomination packages should be sent by email to NACMCF@usda.gov, or mailed to: The Honorable Thomas Vilsack, Secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Room 1128 South Building, Attn: Kristal Southern, Designated Federal Officer, FSIS\OPHS\National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods, Washington, DC 20250.

Individuals who have questions about their nomination package can contact Kristal Southern by email at NACMCF@usda.gov or by telephone at 202-937-4162.

For more information on how to apply, visit the Federal Register notice. More information about NACMCF is available on the FSIS webpage.

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming Americas food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy, and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.

#

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
Technology and Lifestyle Expert and Former Engineer, Stephanie Humphrey, partners with DS Simon Media, Adobe Express, Nextdoor, and Samsung.

NEW YORK, Dec. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- This holiday season, technology gifts are a perfect way to delight loved ones while helping them stay connected, entertained, and productive. Whether gifting innovation or nostalgic gadgets, technology presents bring both joy and practical solutions for the year ahead. Technology and Lifestyle Expert and Former Engineer, Stephanie Humphrey is helping families check off their lists with must-have picks.

GIFT THE POWER OF CREATION

With an estimated 200 million content creators worldwide, gifting solutions that help creative minds thrive is a thoughtful way to make the holidays special. Technology and Lifestyle Expert Stephanie Humphrey, a former engineer, highlights Adobe Express as the ideal tool for creators looking to streamline their work and produce professional-quality content with ease.

From social media enthusiasts to small business owners, content creators are everywhere, says Humphrey. Adobe Express is the ultimate all-in-one app for making professional-level designs. It empowers creators of every skill level to bring their ideas to life.

Adobe Express is designed to meet the diverse needs of todays creators, whether theyre crafting social media posts, designing photo collages, or personalizing holiday cards. With thousands of customizable templates and intuitive tools, Adobe Express ensures anyone can produce eye-catching content, digital or print, in minutes.

At the heart of Adobe Express is Firefly AI, which helps make content creation quick and easy. Features powered by Firefly are designed to be safe for business  so users can publish their content with confidence.

Key Features of Adobe Express Include:

Thousands of Ready-to-Use Templates: Perfect for holiday cards, social media graphics, presentations, and more

Easy Customization: Personalize templates with text, images, and colors to reflect individual styles

AI-Powered Design Tools: Firefly AI helps even beginners create professional results

Cross-Platform Integration: Seamlessly create, publish, and share content across platforms

With Adobe Express, gifting creativity and productivity has never been easier, adds Humphrey, Its the perfect tool for anyone looking to elevate their contentwhether theyre a hobbyist, entrepreneur, or aspiring influencer.

For more information or to explore Adobe Express, visit adobe.com/express.

Direct link: https://new.express.adobe.com/?_branch_match_id=1240288522170126357&_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAA8soKSkottLXT0zJT0otLkgsyi7ILy7RSywo0MvJzMvWd%2FcqcgpwCw13ckqyrytKTUstKsrMS49PKsovL04tsnXOKMrPTQUAyCfdWEUAAAA%3D

Social Media Handle: @AdobeExpress across all platforms

GIFT OF HIGH-PERFORMANCE

Over 190 million Americans play video games at least once a week. And for todays gamers, hyper-realistic graphics, immersive open worlds, and advanced gameplay features have become the norm. Storage demands for consoles and PCs have skyrocketed as a result, but Humphrey has the perfect solution for every gamer this holiday season.

"Todays video games are larger than ever, and constantly deleting and redownloading titles can be frustrating," says Humphrey, adding, "The best way to streamline the gaming experience is by upgrading your storage. She highlights the Samsung 990 PRO SSD as a standout gift for gamers. Designed for speed, durability, and ease of use, this solid-state drive offers:

Up to 4TB of capacity for storing all games in one place

A built-in Heatsink version thats optimized for PlayStation 5, keeping your console cool and ensuring smooth performance, even during long sessions

Rapid transfer speeds for faster downloads and reduced load times



"This SSD makes the perfect stocking stuffer for any gamer. Not only does it take just minutes to install and expand your capacity, but its fast transfer feeds enhance performance so players can dive into their games more quickly and always stay immersed," says Humphrey.

Whether its new games or a fresh console as part of your holiday haul, the Samsung 990 PRO SSD will be your trusted gaming companion all year long.

Direct link: https://www.samsung.com/us/computing/memory-storage/solid-state-drives/990-pro-w-heatsink-pcie-4-0-nvme-ssd-4tb-mz-v9p4t0cw/

Social Media Handle: @SamsungUS across all platforms

GIFT OF COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Staying connected with loved ones and your community has never been easier, especially during the holiday season. Humphrey highlights how the Nextdoor platform is helping neighbors celebrate, connect, and find last-minute holiday solutions.

"One of my favorite things during the holidays is seeing how technology brings us closer together, and Nextdoor is at the heart of it all," says Humphrey. "Whether its sharing milestones or helping each other out, its the perfect tool for staying connected with friends, family, and your neighborhood."

This year, Nextdoor unveiled its Nextdoor Rewind, a recap of amazing moments achieved by neighbors across the U.S. For example:

Nearly 10 million items were listed on Nextdoors For Sale & Free section in 2023, ranging from toys, games, and fitness trackers to eReaders, kitchen gadgets, gaming gear, and even nostalgic tech like Polaroid cameras

The platform continues to help neighbors find local professionals, like handypersons and vendors, for tasks such as TV mounting or professional equipment setupa perfect solution for tech gifts that need expert installation

"If youre still looking for last-minute gifts and staying on budget, your neighbor might have exactly what you needeven when the stores are closed," Humphrey adds.

Nextdoor not only strengthens relationships within communities, but also makes holiday gifting easier and more affordable. Whether its uncovering hidden treasures in the For Sale & Free section or finding a trusted local expert, Nextdoor helps neighbors support one another when it matters most.

Direct link: http://nextdoor.com/rewind

Social Media Handle:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Nextdoor/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/nextdoor

Twitter (X): https://x.com/Nextdoor

Hashtags: #Nextdoor #NextdoorRewind

About YourUpdateTV:

YourUpdateTV is a property of D S Simon Media. The video included and release was part of a media tour that was produced by D S Simon Media on behalf of LG Electronics USA and Affirm.

Media Contact:

Michael ODonnell

D S Simon Media

212-736-2727

modonnell@dssimon.com

A video accompanying this press release is available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a48e8fde-e7f5-47df-8d41-4bca468cccf7
Vancouver, Canada, Dec. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Paytora, an all-in-one digital banking platform that aims to revolutionize how users manage their funds, has introduced more flexible financial tools. The ambitious project partnered with leading financial providers to enable seamless conversion of crypto to fiat currencies (EUR or USD), giving users immediate access to funds with integrated card services.

Crypto-to-fiat transactions have a reduced adoption rate for generally the same reasons, regardless of service providers. They require users to have separate crypto wallets and often take precious time to process. Paytora seeks to solve these issues by allowing users to make instant conversions from USDT to EUR or USD without the need for another crypto wallet. It also lets them utilize the funds immediately for withdrawals and international transfers.

Each Paytora user receives a personal European IBAN account under their name. The account comes with full banking functionality similar to traditional bank accounts but with enhanced financial management options. Users can instantly access funds via virtual or physical MasterCard-branded cards and use them globally.

The Paytora app supports fast and easy international transfers with zero fees and real-time rates for any currency. Users can choose to link bank accounts, debit/credit cards, or digital accounts to send money to anyone, even if the receiving party doesn't have the app. Peer-to-peer money transfers between Paytora users are instant. Additional options for quick P2P transfers include splitting bills and sending gifts.

Users can also opt for a physical LifeUp card, which they can use anywhere and anytime for instant transactions with minimal fees. For example, transactions of up to 25 EUR incur zero fees, while exchange fees reach only 2%. Users can also connect these cards to Apple Pay, Google Pay, or MasterCard for seamless transactions and SEPA or SWIFT transfers. The cards feature high-security encryption and contactless technology that keep the users' assets safe regardless of where they use them.

Paytora delivers a unique outlook on financial management, hassle-free onboarding, and a user-friendly experience. Obtaining a Paytora account takes less than a minute, allowing users to gain swift access to the platform and deposit funds immediately. The app requires passing a one-time KYC process that ensures compliance and unmatched security. Additionally, Paytora uses advanced encryption and abides by strict regulatory standards, including AML (Anti-Money Laundering), to guarantee optimal protection for the user's funds and data.

The Paytora app has a user-centric design, displaying a friendly layout and quick navigation features. The platform caters to all individuals looking for seamless USDT and fiat transactions, regardless of technical expertise. To this end, deposits are readily available via bank transfers, PayPal, credit/debit cards, and cryptocurrency transfers. Lastly, Paytora provides excellent customer support, which is available 24/7. The platform also employs a consumer education policy, ensuring users understand the products, services, and associated risks. This approach aligns with the projects mission to promote financial literacy, transparency, and trust.

About Paytora

Paytora proposes a simpler, more accessible financial oversight. Users only require a personal European IBAN and a digital wallet. The platform provides a user-friendly, easy-to-navigate dashboard for quick deposits, withdrawals, and efficient financial management. Furthermore, Paytora integrates virtual and physical MasterCard-branded cards for instant global transactions and crypto-to-fiat conversions.

Paytora is available in the Apple Store and on Google Play.

You can visit Paytora at its official website or follow the platform on its dedicated social media channels: X (Twitter) |LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook



Disclaimer: 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.
Dallas, TX, Dec. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In an industry often characterized by rapid change and high turnover, David Boistures 22-year career with Dickeys Barbecue Pit stands as a testament to the enduring strength of the brand and the opportunities it provides to franchise owners.

As a franchisee and area director, Boisture operates a Dickeys location in Arlington at Ballpark and Lamar, one of several stores he has successfully managed during his tenure with the company. His longevity and sustained success highlight the stability and scalability of the Dickeys franchise model.

When I first joined Dickeys, I was drawn to its authenticity and community focus, Boisture said. Over the past two decades, Ive seen firsthand how those values resonate with customers and create a sustainable foundation for growth.

A Foundation for Long-Term Success

Boistures journey with Dickeys began in 2002, sparked by his father-in-laws recommendation after seeing an ad in The Wall Street Journal. A visit to Dickeys then-modest headquarters and a conversation with founder Travis Dickey left a lasting impression, inspiring Boisture to open his first store.

Since then, Boisture has not only grown his own business but has also played a critical role in mentoring new franchisees and ensuring operational excellence across multiple locations.

Roland Dickey Jr., CEO of Dickeys Capital Group, emphasized the importance of Boistures contributions. David represents the kind of leadership and commitment that defines the success of our franchise system, said Dickey Jr. His 22 years with Dickeys are a reflection of the strength of the brand and the value of consistency in delivering high-quality barbecue and exceptional service to our communities.

The Role of Community and Leadership

Throughout his career, Boisture has been a strong advocate for local engagement, seeing it as a critical component of Dickeys success.

Community involvement isnt just good business; its essential to building trust and loyalty, Boisture said. Supporting local events and organizations has helped us build lasting connections that benefit both the franchise and the neighborhoods we serve.

Now, as an area director, Boisture oversees multiple locations in the Dallas area, applying his years of experience to support other franchise owners in navigating challenges and building sustainable operations.

Davids depth of knowledge and leadership have been invaluable to our team, said Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickeys Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. His long tenure with the brand reflects a shared commitment to quality, innovation, and a focus on long-term success.

A Legacy of Stability

In an industry often subject to fleeting trends, Boisture attributes his enduring success to Dickeys consistent approach to growth and its emphasis on operational excellence.

Dickeys has always focused on building something sustainable, he said. The brands careful approach to expansion and its dedication to franchisee support create an environment where businesses can thrive for the long term.

For Boisture, the impact of his work extends beyond business metrics.

Being part of Dickeys has given me a career thats not only rewarding but also meaningful, he said. Its allowed me to provide for my family, support my community, and be part of a brand with real staying power.

About Dickeys Barbecue Restaurants, Inc.

Founded in 1941 by The Dickey Family, Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. is the worlds largest barbecue concept and continues as a third-generation family-run business. For over 80 years, Dickeys Barbecue Pit has served millions with its signature Legit. Texas. Barbecue. Slow-smoked over hickory wood-burning pits, Dickeys barbecued meats are paired with a variety of southern sides. Committed to authentic barbecue, Dickeys never takes shortcutsbecause real barbecue cant be rushed.

With over 866 restaurants across eight concepts in the U.S. and several countries, Dickeys Barbecue Franchise and Dickeys Restaurant Brands continues to grow under the leadership of Roland Dickey, Jr., CEO of Dickeys Capital Group, and Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickeys Barbecue Pit, Inc.

Dickeys has been recognized on Newsweeks 2022 "Americas Favorite Restaurant Chains" list, Nations Restaurant News 2024 top fast-casual brands for value, and USA Todays 2021 Readers Choice Awards. The brand has also ranked in the Top 20 of Fast Casuals Top 100 Movers and Shakers for four of the past five years. Additional accolades include Entrepreneur's Top 500 Franchise and Hospitality Technologys Industry Heroes list. The brand has been featured by Fox News, Forbes, Franchise Times, The Wall Street Journal, and People Magazine.

For more information, visit www.dickeys.com. For information about becoming a franchise partner, visit www.dickeysfranchise.com.

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NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

TORONTO, Dec. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fairfax India Holdings Corporation (Fairfax India or the Company) (TSX: FIH.U) announces that it has filed and is in the process of delivering its management proxy circular and form of proxy or voting instruction form (the Meeting Materials) in respect of its special meeting of Fairfax India shareholders (the Special Meeting) to approve a one-time deviation from the Companys investment concentration restriction set forth in its by-laws in order to complete the previously announced acquisition of an additional 10% equity interest in Bangalore International Airport Limited, as more particularly described in the management proxy circular.

The Special Meeting will be held in a virtual only meeting format via live audio webcast online at https://meetings.lumiconnect.com/400-837-910-091 on Tuesday, January 28, 2025 at 9:00 a.m. (Toronto time).

In light of the recent Canada Post labour disruption, shareholders may experience delays in receiving physical copies of the Meeting Materials. As such, shareholders are encouraged to access the management proxy circular electronically under Fairfax Indias profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

The management proxy circular contains, among other things, details of the special item of business to be considered at the Special Meeting. Shareholders are urged to read the management proxy circular in its entirety and, if they require assistance, should consult their financial, legal, tax or other professional advisors.

Details of how shareholders or their duly appointed proxyholders can access and participate in the Special Meeting are set out in the Meeting Materials. Shareholders are encouraged to vote electronically. As a result of the Canada Post labour disruption, it is recommended that any physical forms of proxy or voting instruction forms be delivered via hand or courier (other than Canada Post) to ensure that they are received in a timely manner.

About Fairfax India

Fairfax India is an investment holding company whose objective is to achieve long-term capital appreciation, while preserving capital, by investing in public and private equity securities and debt instruments in India and Indian businesses or other businesses with customers, suppliers or business primarily conducted in, or dependent on, India.
WASHINGTON, D.C., Dec. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) released its Ways in Which Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs) Can Meet Gaps in the U.S. Supply Chain report. This report presents several avenues for MBEs to meet gaps in the U.S. supply chain and discusses opportunities to conduct, commission, and collaborate on new studies with other federal, state, and private institutions on this topic.

This report offers a data-driven snapshot of the MBE supplier landscape, analyzing representation of MBE firms in both manufacturing industries and the service industries that support manufacturing. The data shows there is room to grow representation of MBEs, particularly in manufacturing.

MBE firms comprise about 22 percent of the service sector firms support manufacturing but represent only about 10 percent of manufacturing firms.

As a comparison, MBEs comprise about 20 percent of all employer firms.

The report identifies barriers present in supply chains for MBE participation; and the ways in which policy makers, technical assistance providers, and large corporations can utilize MBEs to advance the U.S. supply chain.

MBDA has embarked on a new chapter of our long and proud history to serve and support MBEs, said Deputy Under Secretary of Minority Business Development Eric Morrissette. The Minority Business Development Act of 2021 empowered our agency to work toward equity among U.S. firms and strengthen our national economy, and we are forever committed to that mission. Together with public and private sector partners, we will continue to address capital access disparities and highlight sources of alternative financing while closing gaps in the U.S. supply chain.

The report highlights many public and private initiatives directed toward promoting the success of MBEs in supply chain industries and breaking down barriers. Increasing MBE participation in advanced technologies and manufacturing relies on a range of initiatives to ensure MBEs can develop the capacities and skills needed to compete in rapidly changing markets.

The report recommends four potential opportunities through which MBEs can help close supply chain gaps through policy and business plan changes:

Leverage the Large Number of MBEs in High-Tech Manufacturing Support Services: Assist MBEs to Access Opportunities as Part of the Growth Spurred by Federal Investments, Including the CHIPS Act.

Assist MBEs to Access Opportunities as Part of the Growth Spurred by Federal Investments, Including the CHIPS Act. Fostering Inclusive Entrepreneurship In Manufacturing: Promote Talent Pools of Entrepreneurship; and Support Training Programs and Expand Innovation Incentives.

Promote Talent Pools of Entrepreneurship; and Support Training Programs and Expand Innovation Incentives. Expand Corporate Supply Chain Diversity: Expand and Strengthen Procurement Programs,; Build Corporate-MBE Supplier Relationships; and Ensure Stable Cashflow for MBEs.

Expand and Strengthen Procurement Programs,; Build Corporate-MBE Supplier Relationships; and Ensure Stable Cashflow for MBEs. Provide Support to MBEs in Manufacturing: Leverage Business Centers and Networks; Develop Initiatives Helping MBEs Grow in Scale and Size; Foster Networks and Partnerships; and Encourage Community Engagement.

Other suggestions made in the report include addressing unique challenges by MBE demographic groups and expanding qualitative data gathering to learn about the needs of MBEs in manufacturing.

This report was mandated under the Minority Business Development Act of 2021. The Act codified MBDA and many of its existing programs. The report, and details of its findings, can be reviewed at www.mbda.gov.

About the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA):

The U.S. Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development Agency is the only Federal agency dedicated to the growth and global competitiveness of U.S. minority business enterprises (MBEs). For more than 50 years, MBDAs programs and services have better equipped MBEs to create jobs, build scale and capacity, increase revenues, and expand regionally, nationally, and internationally.

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Man creates wall paintings to decorate village in SW China's Yunnan

People's Daily Online) 13:32, December 20, 2024

A man named Zhou Tao has added an artistic flair to a village in southwest China's Yunnan Province by adorning the walls of residential houses with beautiful paintings.

Photo shows a wall painting created by Zhou Tao. (Photo courtesy of the media convergence center of Jingdong Yi Autonomous County)

Photo shows a wall painting created by Zhou Tao. (Photo courtesy of the media convergence center of Jingdong Yi Autonomous County)

A graduate of Yunnan Arts University, Zhou, from Jingdong Yi Autonomous County in Pu'er city of Yunnan, has been creating diverse wall paintings in Beitun village, Jinping town of the county, since October. His artworks depict themes such as the autumn harvest.

Photo shows a wall painting created by Zhou Tao. (Photo courtesy of the media convergence center of Jingdong Yi Autonomous County)

"Look at this painting behind me. I was inspired by the scene I saw when passing by a farmhouse with free-range geese, so I created this painting to showcase the essence of rural life," said Zhou.

Photo shows a wall painting created by Zhou Tao. (Photo courtesy of the media convergence center of Jingdong Yi Autonomous County)

Zhou has received praise from the villagers. "The paintings are really beautiful, they have made the whole village more charming and attractive," said villager Zhang Zechang.

Zhou also filmed his paintings and shared them on social media. "I hope more people can see the beauty of my hometown through my videos," he said. Now, Zhou's paintings have become an attraction in the village, drawing many tourists to come and take photos.

Zhou Tao works on a wall painting. (Photo courtesy of the media convergence center of Jingdong Yi Autonomous County)

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Vancouver, 19 Dec. 2024 - VanadiumCorp Resource Inc. (TSX-V: VRB) (FSE: NWNA) (OTC: VRBFF) ("VanadiumCorp" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the Company has filed documents with the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") seeking approval of its non-brokered private placement financing (the "Financing").

On receipt of approval from the TSXV, the Company will issue up to 3,125,000 $0.16 flow-through units (the "FT Units") and 5,333,333 $0.15 non-flow-through units (the "NFT Units") for aggregate gross proceeds of up to $1,300,000.

Each FT Unit consists of one (1) flow-through common share of the Company and one (1) non-flow-through common share purchase warrant (the "FT Warrants"), with each FT Warrant exercisable to purchase one non-flow-through common share of the Company for $0.20 for three years from the date of issue.

Each NFT Unit consists of one (1) common share of the Company and one (1) common share purchase warrant (the "Warrants"), with each Warrant exercisable to purchase one common share of the Company for $0.20 for three years from the date of issue.

The Company will use an amount equal to the gross proceeds received by the Company from the sale of the FT Units, pursuant to the provisions in the Income Tax Act (Canada), to incur eligible "Canadian exploration expenses" that qualify as "flow-through mining expenditures" as both terms are defined in the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "Qualifying Expenditures") on or before December 31, 2025, and to renounce all the Qualifying Expenditures in favor of the subscribers of the FT Units effective December 31, 2024.

All securities issued pursuant to the Financing are subject to a four-month hold from the date of issue.

The Company may pay Finder's fees in accordance with TSXV policies.

Net proceeds from the Financing will be used for exploration and metallurgical testing on the Company's wholly-owned mineral properties and general corporate purposes.

The Company is also pleased to announce that Kristien Davenport has been appointed as President of the Company. Kristien has 24 years of experience in business development and corporate communications, with a strong focus on investor relations and capital funding from her time at B&D Capital Partners. Kristien has also worked with new technology at Bigspin Technology and battery solutions at Ballard Power Systems, as well as supporting clients in the natural resources sector.

About VanadiumCorp Resource Inc.

VanadiumCorp Resource Inc. is engaged in the production of high-quality vanadium electrolytes for the expanding international market for long-duration Vanadium Flow Batteries (VFB). The Company's pilot plant facility is based in Val-des-Sources, Quebec. The Company is also advancing technologies for the production of the strategic V-Ti and potentially high grade Fe located at its vanadiferous titanomagnetite projects, including at its flagship Lac Dore deposit near Chibougamau, Quebec. The successful deployment of these technologies would enable stable, long-term access to the Company's deposits of critical metals, including vanadium feedstock for the production of electrolytes by the Company.

Chief Operating Officer and Director Gilles Dupuis, P. Eng. is the qualified person (as defined in NI 43-101) who has reviewed this news release.

On behalf of the Board of VanadiumCorp Resource Inc.

Ian Mallory

Chairman and CEO

ianm@vanadiumcorp.com

Phone: +1.514.416.1749

Company contact information:

3 rue du Boise,

Marieville, Quebec J3M 1S7 Canada Email: info@vanadiumcorp.com Website: www.vanadiumcorp.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO U.S. PERSONS OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES. THIS PRESS RELEASE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL OR AN INVITATION TO PURCHASE ANY SECURITIES DESCRIBED IN IT.

Forward-Looking Statements

This document may contain forward-looking statements (including "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the US Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) regarding, among other things, VanadiumCorp's business. and the environment in which it operates. In general, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "anticipates", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "forecast", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "could" or "will be taken", "occur" or "will be achieved". VanadiumCorp relies on a number of assumptions and estimates to make these forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, the ability to acquire the necessary permits and authorizations to advance the Lac Dore property to the production stage, the ability to add to existing resources at Lac Dore through drilling, the costs associated with the development and operation of its properties. These assumptions and estimates are made in light of forecasts and conditions that are considered relevant and reasonable based on available information and current circumstances. A number of risk factors may cause actual results, level of activity, performance or results of such exploration and/or mine development to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, whether such discoveries will result in commercially viable quantities of such mineralized materials, the ability to modify project parameters as plans continue to be refined, the ability to execute planned future exploration and drilling programs, the need for additional financing to continue exploration and development efforts, changes in general economic, market and business conditions, and other risks outlined in VanadiumCorp's latest Annual Information Form under the heading "Risk Factors" and in its other public documents. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and such information is inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that are difficult to predict and that may be beyond VanadiumCorp's control. Although VanadiumCorp has attempted to identify important risks and factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements, there may be other factors and risks that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed on these forward-looking statements. In addition, all forward-looking statements in this press release are made as of the date of this press release. VanadiumCorp disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.

The forward-looking statements contained herein are expressly qualified by this disclaimer.


VANCOUVER, Dec. 19, 2024 - Greenridge Exploration Inc. ("Greenridge" or the "Company") (CSE: GXP | FRA: HW3), announces that further to its December 3, 2024 news release, the Company has closed its non-brokered private placement of flow-through units (each, a "FT Unit") for aggregate gross proceeds in this second tranche of $4,947,433.92 (the "Offering"). The Company has issued 5,622,084 FT Units at a price of $0.88 per FT Unit, with each FT Unit comprised of one (1) common share of the Company (each, a "Common Share") issued on a flow-through basis under the Income Tax Act (Canada) (each, a "FT Share") and one half of one Common Share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Common Share of the Company at a price of $1.15 for a period of 36 months from the date of issuance.

The gross proceeds from the sale of the FT Shares will be used by the Company to incur eligible "Canadian exploration expenses" that will qualify as "flow-through mining expenditures" as such terms are defined in the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "Qualifying Expenditures") related to the Company's projects in Canada. All Qualifying Expenditures will be renounced in favour of the subscribers of the FT Units effective December 31, 2024.

In connection with the closing of the Offering, an aggregate of $167,923.03 was paid in cash and a total of 210,586 finder's warrants (the "Finder's Warrants") were issued as finder's fees. Each Finder's Warrant entitles the holder thereof to acquire one (1) Common Share (a "Finder's Warrant Share") at a price of $1.15 per Finder's Warrant Share for a period of 36 months from the date of issuance.

The securities issued pursuant to the Offering have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons in the absence of U.S. registration or an applicable exemption from the U.S. 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 the United States or in any other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

Marketing Agreement

The Company also announces that it entered into an agreement (the "Agreement") with RMK Marketing Inc. ("RMK") on December 19, 2024, (address: 41 Lana Terrace, Mississauga, Ont., Canada, L5A 3B2; e-mail: Roberto@rmkmarketing.ca) to provide marketing services for a term of six months, commencing December 23, 2024 (the "Term").

RMK is an independent company which will, as appropriate, co-ordinate marketing actions, maintain and optimize AdWords campaigns, adapt AdWords bidding strategies, optimize AdWords ads, provide project management and consulting for an online marketing campaign and create and optimize landing pages (the "Services"). The promotional activity will occur by Google.

Under the terms of the Agreement, the Company will compensate RMK $150,000 CDN, with an option to increase the advertising budget up to $400,000 CDN (the "Budget") during the Term. The Term will expire at either the end of the relevant time period or when the Budget is fully spent. The Company will not issue any securities to RMK as compensation for the Services. As of the date hereof, to the Company's knowledge, RMK (including its directors and officers) does not own any securities of the Company and has an arm's-length relationship with the Company.

References

1 Source: 1978 Assessment Report (number 81075) by Pan Ocean Oil Ltd.

About Greenridge Exploration Inc.



Greenridge Exploration Inc. (CSE: GXP | FRA: HW3) is a mineral exploration company dedicated to creating shareholder value through the acquisition, exploration, and development of critical mineral projects in North America. The Carpenter Lake Uranium Project is located in the Athabasca Basin consisting of 7 mineral claims covering 13,387 hectares across the Cable Bay Shear Zone and the Company is advancing the Project to test multiple high priority targets. The Company's Nut Lake Uranium Project located in the Thelon Basin includes historical drilling which intersected up to 9ft of 0.69% U 3 O 8 including 4.90% U 3 O 8 over 1ft from 8ft depth1.

The Company's Weyman Copper Project in southeast British Columbia sits on the south portion of the famous Quesnel Terrance. The Company is led by an experienced management team and board of directors with significant expertise in capital raising and advancing mining projects. The Snook and Ranger Lake uranium projects, 4,899 hectares and 20,782 hectares respectively are located in western Ontario, with multiple previous uranium occurrences across both projects.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

Russell Starr

Chief Executive Officer, Director

Telephone: +1 (778) 897-3388

Email: info@greenridge-exploration.com

Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements that are not historical facts, including without limitation, statements regarding future estimates, plans, programs, forecasts, projections, objectives, assumptions, expectations or beliefs of future performance, including statements regarding the project acquisition bringing a low-risk opportunity, the Company, building a strong battery metals portfolio with low-risk opportunities that positively impact the Company and its shareholders and the Company providing an initial work plan are "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the Offering and the intended use of proceeds therefrom; the Company's objectives, goals, or future plans with respect to their projects; further exploration work on the Company's projects in the future; and the provision of the Services by RMK under the Agreement. These forward-looking statements reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company based on information currently available to it. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including those detailed from time to time in filings made by the Company with securities regulatory authorities, which may cause actual outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. These factors should be considered carefully, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws.

The Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
VANCOUVER, Dec. 19, 2024 - Gatos Silver Inc. (NYSE/TSX: GATO) ("Gatos Silver" or the "Company") today announced that it has entered into amended and restated agreements (the "Amended Agreements") with Dowa Metals & Mining Co., Ltd. ("Dowa") regarding the Los Gatos Joint Venture (the "LGJV"). The Amended Agreements, which are effective on January 1, 2025, expand Gatos Silver's management rights within the LGJV which will result in the Company being able to fully consolidate the financial statements of the LGJV rather than accounting for its investment in the LGJV under the equity method of accounting as is currently required. The ownership interests of the Company and Dowa in the LGJV are unchanged, at 70% and 30%, respectively.The Amended Agreements strengthen Dowa's zinc concentrate offtake rights, including amending pre-defined commercial terms, which continue to be based on world benchmarks, and commitments regarding concentrate production and product quality. The Amended Agreements also update the terms for management services provided by Gatos Silver in its oversight of the LGJV, reduce supermajority voting requirements and provide the Company with a new sole-funding right for significant mine or plant modifications or expansions, among other things."The Los Gatos Joint Venture has been very successful since its establishment 10 years ago, founded on the strength of its assets, our team, and our relationship with Dowa as a valued partner," said Dale Andres, CEO. "The amended joint venture agreements build upon this foundation, and importantly, allow full financial consolidation within Gatos Silver which will streamline financial reporting and provide investors with a focused picture of the Company's financial performance, including following the merger with First Majestic which we anticipate will close in January 2025."This news release is not intended to and does not constitute an offer to buy or sell or the solicitation of an offer to subscribe for or buy or an invitation to purchase or subscribe for any securities of First Majestic Silver Corp. ("First Majestic") or Gatos Silver or the solicitation of any vote or approval in any jurisdiction, nor shall there be any sale, issuance or transfer of securities of First Majestic or Gatos Silver in any jurisdiction in contravention of applicable law. This news release may be deemed to be soliciting material relating to First Majestic's proposed acquisition of all of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock of Gatos Silver (the "Transaction").In connection with the Transaction between First Majestic and Gatos Silver pursuant to the previously announced Agreement and Plan of Merger (the "Merger Agreement"), First Majestic filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") a registration statement on Form F-4 that includes a Proxy Statement of Gatos Silver that also constitutes a Prospectus of First Majestic (the "Proxy Statement/Prospectus") and other documents. Each of First Majestic and Gatos Silver may also file other relevant documents with the SEC regarding the Transaction. The registration statement on Form F-4 was declared effective by the SEC on December 2, 2024. Gatos Silver filed a Proxy Statement/Prospectus with the SEC on December 3, 2024 which it commenced mailing on December 6, 2024 to its stockholders in connection with the Transaction. First Majestic filed the Information Circular in connection with the proposed Transaction with applicable Canadian securities regulatory authorities on December 10, 2024 and commenced mailing the meeting materials to its shareholders on December 10, 2024. This news release is not a substitute for any registration statement, proxy statement, prospectus or other document First Majestic or Gatos Silver has filed or may file with the SEC or Canadian securities regulatory authorities in connection with the pending Transaction. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS OF GATOS SILVER AND FIRST MAJESTIC ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND MANAGEMENT PROXY CIRCULAR, RESPECTIVELY, AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED OR TO BE FILED WITH THE SEC OR CANADIAN SECURITIES REGULATORY AUTHORITIES AS WELL AS ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS THERETO CAREFULLY IN THEIR ENTIRETY IF AND WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BEFORE MAKING ANY VOTING OR INVESTMENT DECISION WITH RESPECT TO THE TRANSACTION BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN OR WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT FIRST MAJESTIC, GATOS SILVER, THE TRANSACTION AND RELATED MATTERS. Investors and security holders are able to obtain free copies of the Proxy Statement/Prospectus, the filings with the SEC that are and will be incorporated by reference into the Proxy Statement/Prospectus and other documents filed with the SEC by First Majestic and Gatos Silver containing important information about First Majestic or Gatos Silver and the Transaction through the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov. Investors are also able to obtain free copies of the management proxy circular and other documents filed with Canadian securities regulatory authorities by First Majestic, through the website maintained by the Canadian Securities Administrators at www.sedarplus.com. In addition, investors and security holders are able to obtain free copies of the documents filed by First Majestic with the SEC and Canadian securities regulatory authorities on First Majestic's website at www.firstmajestic.com or by contacting First Majestic's investor relations team. Copies of the documents filed with the SEC by Gatos Silver are available free of charge on Gatos Silver's website or by contacting Gatos Silver's investor relations team.First Majestic, Gatos Silver and certain of their respective directors, executive officers and employees may be considered participants in the solicitation of proxies in connection with the proposed Transaction. Information regarding the persons who may, under the rules of the SEC, be deemed participants in the solicitation of the shareholders of First Majestic and the stockholders of Gatos Silver in connection with the Transaction, including a description of their respective direct or indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, is included in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus described above and other relevant documents filed with the SEC and Canadian securities regulatory authorities in connection with the Transaction. Additional information regarding First Majestic's directors and executive officers is also included in First Majestic's Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders and 2024 Proxy Statement, which was filed with the SEC and Canadian securities regulatory authorities on April 15, 2024, and information regarding Gatos Silver's directors and executive officers is also included in Gatos Silver's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 filed with the SEC on February 20, 2024, as amended by Amendment No. 1 to such annual report filed with the SEC on May 6, 2024 and Gatos Silver's 2024 Proxy Statement for its 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which was filed with the SEC on April 25, 2024. These documents are available free of charge as described above.Gatos Silver is a silver dominant exploration, development and production company that discovered a new silver and zinc-rich mineral district in southern Chihuahua State, Mexico. As a 70% owner of the LGJV, the Company is primarily focused on operating the Cerro Los Gatos mine and on growth and development of the Los Gatos district. The LGJV includes approximately 103,000 hectares of mineral rights, representing a highly prospective and under-explored district with numerous silver-zinc-lead epithermal mineralized zones identified as priority targets.On September 5, 2024, Gatos Silver and First Majestic Silver Corp. ("First Majestic") announced that they entered into a definitive merger agreement pursuant to which First Majestic will acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Gatos Silver (the "Merger"). The proposed Merger would consolidate three world-class, producing silver mining districts in Mexico to create a leading intermediate primary silver producer. Information relating to the proposed Merger can be found at the Company's website at www.gatossilver.com.This news 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, which are intended to be covered by the safe harbor created by such sections and other applicable laws and "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian securities laws (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). These statements relate to future events of First Majestic and/or Gatos Silver that are based on assumptions of management of First Majestic and/or Gatos Silver made in good faith in light of management's experience and perception of future developments. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: the timing of the effectiveness of the Amended Agreements and their impact on Gatos Silver's financial statements, and the timing of closing of the Transaction. Assumptions may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Consequently, guidance cannot be guaranteed. As such, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon guidance and forward-looking statements as there can be no assurance that the plans, assumptions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur.Actual results may vary from forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to materially differ from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to those factors discussed in (a) the section entitled "Description of the Business - Risk Factors" in First Majestic's most recently filed Annual Information Form, available under its profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.com, and as an exhibit to its most recently filed Form 40-F available on EDGAR at www.sec.gov/edgar or on First Majestic's website and (b) the Gatos Silver's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, available on EDGAR at www.sec.gov/edgar or on Gatos Silver's website. First Majestic is not affirming or adopting any statements or reports attributed to Gatos Silver in this news release or made by Gatos Silver outside of this news release. Gatos Silver is not affirming or adopting any statements or reports attributed to First Majestic in this news release or made by First Majestic outside of this news release. Although First Majestic and Gatos Silver have attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended.First Majestic and Gatos Silver believe that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included herein should not be unduly relied upon. These statements speak only as of the date hereof. First Majestic and Gatos Silver do not intend, and do not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, except as required by applicable laws.Andre van Niekerk, Chief Financial Officerinvestors@gatossilver.com(604) 424 0984
Vancouver, Dec. 19, 2024 - First Majestic Silver Corp. (NYSE: AG) (TSX: AG) (FSE: FMV) (the "Company" or "First Majestic") announces that Gatos Silver Inc. ("Gatos") has advised the Company that it has amended and restated its agreements (the "Amended Agreements") with Dowa Metals & Mining Co., Ltd. ("Dowa") regarding the Los Gatos Joint Venture (the "LGJV"). The Amended Agreements, which become effective on January 1, 2025, expand Gatos' management rights within the LGJV and allow for the financial statements of the LGJV to be fully consolidated. For copies of the Amended Agreements, please see the Form 8-K filed by Gatos under its EDGAR profile at www.sec.gov/edgar. The Amended Agreements do not affect the respective ownership interests of Gatos and Dowa in the LGJV, which remain unchanged at 70% and 30%, respectively. Concurrent with this news release, the Company has filed a material change report dated December 19, 2024 (the "December Material Change Report") under its SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.com, with further details of the Amended Agreements.

As a result of the Amended Agreements, First Majestic has updated the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information (the "Pro Forma Financial Information") that was previously prepared by the Company and that was included in its management information circular (the "Circular") for the upcoming January 14, 2025 special meeting of First Majestic's shareholders (the "Special Meeting") to reflect full consolidation of the LGJV in the Pro Forma Financial Information (as opposed to accounting for Gatos' 70% interest in the LGJV using the equity method of accounting, which is reflected in the Pro Forma Financial Information set out in the Circular). The updated Pro Forma Financial Information based on fully consolidating the LGJV is attached to the December Material Change Report.

First Majestic's shareholders are encouraged to read the updated Pro Forma Financial Information in the December Material Change Report, together with the Circular and the other materials for the Special Meeting, when voting their shares in respect of the Special Meeting. Electronic versions of the materials for the Special Meeting are available at www.AGSpecialMeeting.com.

The Company would like to remind shareholders that the Special Meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 14, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. (Pacific Time) at the offices of Bennett Jones LLP, located at Suite 2500 - 666 Burrard Street, Vancouver, British Columbia V6C 2X8. Only First Majestic shareholders of record as of November 25, 2024 are entitled to vote at the Special Meeting. For further details regarding the Special Meeting, please see the Company's news release dated December 10, 2024.

First Majestic has retained Kingsdale Advisors ("Kingsdale") as a Strategic Advisor and to assist in the solicitation of proxies for the Special Meeting. Any shareholders who need assistance with voting their First Majestic Shares may contact Kingsdale by telephone at 1-866-851-3214 (toll-free in North America) or 1-647-577-3635 (text and call enabled outside North America), or by email at contactus@kingsdaleadvisors.com.

Gatos Stockholder Meeting

Holders of shares of Gatos common stock ("Gatos Shares") are also required to provide their approval of First Majestic's acquisition of all of the outstanding Gatos Shares (the "Transaction"), and accordingly, Gatos has announced that it will hold its stockholder meeting virtually on Tuesday, January 14, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. (Pacific Time), one hour prior to First Majestic's Special Meeting. Subject to the approval of First Majestic's shareholders and Gatos' stockholders and the satisfaction or waiver of other conditions precedent, it is anticipated that the Transaction will close in January 2025.

Important Information for Investors and Shareholders about the Transaction and Where to Find It

This news release is not intended to and does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to subscribe for or buy or an invitation to purchase or subscribe for any securities of First Majestic or Gatos or the solicitation of any vote or approval in any jurisdiction, nor shall there be any sale, issuance or transfer of securities of First Majestic or Gatos in any jurisdiction in contravention of applicable law. This news release may be deemed to be soliciting material relating to the Transaction.

In connection with the proposed transaction between First Majestic and Gatos pursuant to the Merger Agreement and subject to future developments, First Majestic has filed a registration statement on Form F-4 (the "Form F-4") with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), which includes a proxy statement of Gatos that also constitutes a prospectus of First Majestic (the "Proxy Statement/Prospectus"). The Form F-4 was declared effective by the SEC on December 2, 2024. Gatos filed a Proxy Statement/Prospectus with the SEC on December 3, 2024, which it commenced mailing to its stockholders on December 6, 2024. First Majestic filed the Information Circular in connection with the proposed Transaction with applicable Canadian securities regulatory authorities on December 10, 2024. This news release is not a substitute for any registration statement, proxy statement, prospectus or other document First Majestic or Gatos has filed or may file with the SEC or Canadian securities regulatory authorities in connection with the proposed Transaction. First Majestic commenced mailing the Meeting Materials to its shareholders on December 10, 2024. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS OF GATOS AND FIRST MAJESTIC ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND MANAGEMENT PROXY CIRCULAR, RESPECTIVELY, AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED OR TO BE FILED WITH THE SEC OR CANADIAN SECURITIES REGULATORY AUTHORITIES CAREFULLY IN THEIR ENTIRETY IF AND WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BEFORE MAKING ANY VOTING OR INVESTMENT DECISION WITH RESPECT TO THE TRANSACTION BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT FIRST MAJESTIC, GATOS, THE TRANSACTION AND RELATED MATTERS. Investors and security holders may obtain free copies of the Proxy Statement/Prospectus, the filings with the SEC that are incorporated by reference into the Proxy Statement/Prospectus and other documents filed with the SEC by First Majestic and Gatos containing important information about First Majestic or Gatos and the Transaction through the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov. Investors will also be able to obtain free copies of the management proxy circular and other documents filed with Canadian securities regulatory authorities by First Majestic, through the website maintained by the Canadian Securities Administrators at www.sedarplus.com. In addition, investors and security holders may obtain free copies of the documents filed by First Majestic with the SEC and Canadian securities regulatory authorities on First Majestic's website or by contacting First Majestic's investor relations team. Copies of the documents filed with the SEC by Gatos are available free of charge on Gatos' website at www.gatossilver.com or by contacting Gatos' investor relations team.

Participants in the Merger Solicitation

First Majestic, Gatos and certain of their respective directors, executive officers and employees may be considered participants in the solicitation of proxies in connection with the proposed Transaction. Information regarding the persons who may, under the rules of the SEC, be deemed participants in the solicitation of the shareholders of First Majestic and the stockholders of Gatos in connection with the Transaction, including a description of their respective direct or indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, is included in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus described above and other relevant documents when they are filed with the SEC and Canadian securities regulatory authorities in connection with the proposed Transaction. Additional information regarding First Majestic's directors and executive officers is also included in First Majestic's Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders and 2024 Proxy Statement, which was filed with the SEC and Canadian securities regulatory authorities on April 15, 2024, and information regarding Gatos' directors and executive officers is also included in Gatos' Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 filed with the SEC on February 20, 2024, as amended by Amendment No. 1 to such annual report filed with the SEC on May 6, 2024 and Gatos' 2024 Proxy Statement for its 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which was filed with the SEC on April 25, 2024. These documents are available free of charge as described above.

ABOUT FIRST MAJESTIC

First Majestic is a publicly traded mining company focused on silver and gold production in Mexico and the United States. The Company presently owns and operates the San Dimas Silver/Gold Mine, the Santa Elena Silver/Gold Mine, and the La Encantada Silver Mine as well as a portfolio of development and exploration assets, including the Jerritt Canyon Gold project located in northeastern Nevada, U.S.A.

First Majestic is proud to own and operate its own minting facility, First Mint, LLC, and to offer a portion of its silver production for sale to the public. Bars, ingots, coins and medallions are available for purchase online at www.firstmint.com, at some of the lowest premiums available.

FIRST MAJESTIC SILVER CORP.

"signed"

Keith Neumeyer, President & CEO

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains "forwardlooking 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, which are intended to be covered by the safe harbor created by such sections and other applicable laws and "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian securities laws (collectively, "forwardlooking statements"). These statements relate to future events or the future performance, business prospects or opportunities of First Majestic and/or Gatos that are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management of First Majestic and/or Gatos made in good faith in light of management's experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments. Forwardlooking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: closing of the Transaction and the terms and timing related thereto; the anticipated timing of shareholder meetings; and the timing for the Amending Agreements becoming effective. Assumptions may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Consequently, guidance cannot be guaranteed. As such, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon guidance and forwardlooking 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 forwardlooking 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 "forwardlooking statements".

Actual results may vary from forwardlooking statements. Forwardlooking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to materially differ from those expressed or implied by such forwardlooking statements, including but not limited to: satisfaction or waiver of all applicable closing conditions for the Transaction on a timely basis or at all including, without limitation, receipt of all necessary shareholder, stock exchange and regulatory approvals or consents and lack of material changes with respect to First Majestic and Gatos and their respective businesses, all as more particularly set forth in the Merger Agreement; the timing of the closing of the Transaction and the failure of the Transaction to close for any reason; the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against First Majestic or Gatos and others related to the Transaction; and unanticipated difficulties or expenditures relating to the Transaction. First Majestic is not affirming or adopting any statements or reports attributed to Gatos (including prior mineral reserve and resource declaration) in this news release or made by Gatos outside of this news release. In addition, the failure of a party to comply with the terms of the Merger Agreement may result in that party being required to pay a fee to the other party, the result of which could have a material adverse effect on the paying party's financial position and results of operations and its ability to fund growth prospects and current operations. Although First Majestic has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forwardlooking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended.

First Majestic believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included herein should not be unduly relied upon. These statements speak only as of the date hereof. First Majestic does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, except as required by applicable laws.


Vancouver, December 19, 2024 - Panther Minerals Inc. ("Panther Minerals" or the "Company") (CSE:PURR) (OTC:GLIOF) (FWB:2BC) a North American mineral acquisition and exploration company, is pleased to announce that, subject to the approval of the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "Exchange"), the Company has executed an option (the "Option Agreement") for the right to purchase an undivided 100% interest in the East Brouillan property (the "Property"), which comprises 14 claims in the deposit-rich northwest Abitibi mining camp (Fig. 1).

Property highlights:

The Property is situated in a region famous for its endowment in precious and base metals (Fig. 1) and contiguous with Abitibi Metal's Beschefer East project and Probe Gold's Sicotte property.

Notable nearby deposits include: ~12 km from the B26 deposit, which hosts an indicated resource of 11.32 Mt at 1.23 % Cu, 1.27% Zn, 0.46 g/t Au & 31.9 g/t Ag and inferred resource of 7.16 Mt at 1.56% Cu, 0.17% Zn, 0.87 g/t Au & 7.4 g/t Ag ~15 km from the historic Selbaie mine, which produced 53 Mt at 0.96% Cu, 1.9% Zn, 0.58 g/t Au, 40.7 g/t Ag ~19 km from the Fenelon Gold Project, which hosts as indicated resource of 2.4 Moz Au and inferred 1.7 Moz Au.

The Property is underexplored and situated on the eastern side of the Brouillan intrusive Complex within a zone of Au and local Zn occurrences associated with VMS-style mineralization in this region of the northwestern Abitibi sub-province.

Faure (2011) proposed that circular geophysical patterns underlying the eastern side of this complex represent synvolcanic calderas. Calderas are a volcanic feature often associated with high heat flow during volcanism, which should drive mineralizing fluid flow in the surrounding host rocks.





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Figure 1: Regional claim ownership around the East Brouillan Property.

The East Brouillan Property contains geology favourable for both polymetallic VMS and gold mineralization (Fig. 2). It is situated on the eastern side of the Brouillan Pluton and the bedrock is dominated by the volcanic rocks of the Brouillan-Fenelon Group, which also host the nearby Selbaie Mine and B-26 Deposit. Faure (2011) placed the rocks surrounding the Brouillan Intrusive Complex into the context of a volcanic environment and highlight the potential for a polymetallic VMS in the region (Fig. 1), by satisfying the three principal criteria for VMS formation in the Abitibi as outlined by Lamothe et al., (2005): 1) a hiatus or pause in volcanism, indicated by cherty and exhalite horizons in the Brouillan-Fenelon volcanic rocks; 2) a proximal heat source, presented by the Brouillan Pluton and perhaps the proposed calderas, and 3) hydrothermal activity, shown by the nearby gold and zinc occurrences, which are associated with variable amounts of chlorite and/or sericite alteration.

"We are very excited to announce the addition of the East Brouillan property to Panther's claim portfolio" stated CEO Rob Birmingham."

He continued: "The property is situated in the Abitibi province of Quebec, one of Canada's most metal endowed greenstone belts and a terrific place for making discoveries. With this acquisition we now have a foothold in an established district that has recently received a renewed interest in grass-roots mineral exploration, in part due to the success of Abitibi Metal's work at the B26 deposit, only 12 km from our claims. The Property has seen very little exploration work due thick glacial till cover, but we plan to remedy this by using surface penetrating exploration techniques, such as black spruce bark sampling and induced polarization geophysics, to define metal anomalies in the bedrock that we will test with the Property's maiden drill program."



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Figure 2: Bedrock geology of the East Brouillan Property

Exploration work on the East Brouillan claims has been minimal, in part due to relatively thick till cover, but recent work programs in the area have proven the success of surface geochemistry techniques being able to penetrate the overburden cover (Probe Gold, 2020, GM72618; Midland Exploration 2022, GM70286 and GM72666; and Usha resources, 2024, November 14, 2024 News Release). The Company intends to apply these surface techniques, in conjunction with ground-based geophysics, to define high priority exploration targets that will be tested with diamond drilling. Ony one drillhole is recorded on the ground covered by the East Brouillan claims (Hole D110-004, 1991; GM50126) and though multiple occurrences of sulphide minerals are recorded, no assays are reported.

Terms of the Agreement:

Pursuant to the Option Agreement, the Company may acquire a 100% interest in the Property by issuing an aggregate of 10,000,000 common shares in the capital of the Company and completing $2,000,000 of work expenditures as indicated in the table below:

Payment Shares Work Commitment Signing 5,000,0001 - 1st Anniversary 5,000,000 - 2nd Anniversary - 2,000,0002 Total 5,000,000 $2,000,000 Notes Payable within fifteen (15) days from receipt of approval to the Agreement from the Exchange (the Approval"). Shares of the Company are to be issued at a deemed value based on the Discounted Market Price at the time of issuance.

The Company has granted to the Optionor a 2% net-smelter returns royalty (the "NSR"). The Company may purchase two-thirds of the NSR at any time for consideration of $1,000,000.

Qualified person

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Mr. James Macdonald, P.Geo., a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. The information provided has not been verified and is being treated as historic non-compliant intercepts.

Huber Heights Option Agreement

Panther Minerals is also pleased to announce that it has entered into a definitive option agreement (the "Agreement") with arms-length vendors (the "Optionor") for the right to purchase an undivided 100% interest in the Huber Heights Property, located in Nevada, USA (the "Property").

Robert Birmingham, CEO of Panther Minerals, commented, "This Agreement marks a significant milestone in our ongoing commitment to advancing the potential of the Huber Heights Property. We believe the Purchaser is well-positioned to execute an effective exploration and development strategy, and we look forward to seeing the progress on this promising asset."

Terms of the Agreement

Pursuant to the Agreement, the Company may acquire a 100% interest in the Property by making cash payments to the Optionor of CAD$150,000 within 45 days of execution and reserving a 2% Net Smelter Returns Royalty in favour of the Optionor.

About Panther Minerals Inc.

Panther Minerals is a mineral exploration company actively involved in the exploration of its North American project portfolio.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Mr. Robert Birmingham, Chief Executive Officer

For more information please visit: www.pantherminerals.ca or email info@pantherminerals.ca.

The CSE and Information Service Provider have not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Often, but not always, forward-looking information and information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "estimates", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Actual future results may differ materially. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking information relating to the Company and the Property. The forward-looking information reflects management's current expectations based on information currently available and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking information. Such risk factors may include, among others, but are not limited to: general economic conditions in Canada and globally; industry conditions, including governmental regulation and environmental regulation; the availability of capital on acceptable terms; the need to obtain required approvals from regulatory authorities; stock market volatility; competition for, among other things, skilled personnel and supplies; incorrect assessments of the value of acquisitions; geological, technical, processing and transportation problems; changes in tax laws and incentive programs; failure to realize the anticipated benefits of acquisitions and dispositions; and the other factors. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include: (i) adverse market conditions; and (ii) other factors beyond the control of the Company. New risk factors emerge from time to time, and it is impossible for the Company's management to predict all risk factors, nor can the Company assess the impact of all factors on Company's business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ from those contained in any forward-looking information. The forward-looking information included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties that could affect financial results is contained in the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulators, which are available on the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca.

Copyright (c) 2024 TheNewswire - All rights reserved.
Vancouver, December 20, 2024 - Defiance Silver Corp. (TSXV: DEF) (FSE: D4E) (WKN: A1JQW5) ("Defiance" or the "Company") announces the extension of the San Acacio Silver Project option agreement

Defiance through its wholly owned subsidiary, Minera Santa Remy S.A., has, at the Vendor's request, agreed to extend the term of its option to acquire 100% of the San Acacio property in the Zacatecas district. As a result of this amendment, the scheduled payment due December 31, 2024, has now been changed to March 31, 2025 (See January 10th and October 21st, 2024 news for more details). The amendment was signed by both parties and is pending ratification in the presence of a notary public in Mexico City. There were no changes to the economic terms of the option agreement.

About Defiance Silver Corp.

Defiance Silver Corp. (TSXV: DEF) (OTCQX: DNCVF) (FSE: D4E) is an exploration company advancing the district-scale Zacatecas Project, located in the historic Zacatecas Silver District and the Tepal Gold/Copper Project in Michoacan state, Mexico. Defiance is managed by a team of proven mine developers with a track record of exploring, advancing, and developing several operating mines and advanced resource projects. Defiance's corporate mandate is to advance our projects through capital-efficient exploration focused on resource growth and new mineral discoveries.

On behalf of Defiance Silver Corp.

"Chris Wright"

CEO & Chairman of the Board

Disclaimer

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/234631
Vancouver, Dec. 20, 2024 - Cariboo Rose Resources Ltd. "Cariboo Rose" (TSX-V: CRB) recently held its 2024 Annual General Meeting in Vancouver. All motions passed including the appointment of Davidson and Company as auditors, approval of Eastfield's incentive stock option plan, and the election of James W. Morton, Glen Garratt, David Douglas, Gavin Titley and Reagan Glazier as Directors.

Stock Options



The Company has approved the granting of stock options to directors, officers, and consultants for the purchase of 1,675,000 common shares of the Company. These options have a five-year term and allow the holder to purchase one common share of the company for $0.05 cents a share until December 20, 2029. The options will vest immediately.

David M Douglas, CPA, CA

CFO, Director

Cariboo Rose Resources Ltd.

Please refer to our website for more detail: www.cariboorose.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.


Closes acquisition of the CentroGold Project in Brazil's prospective Gurupi Gold Belt from BHP

CentroGold contains 1.7 million ounces of indicated and 0.6 million ounces of inferred JORC-compliant gold resource that is open for expansion in all directions and at depth

District-scale land package comprises 47 tenements covering ~1,900 km2 and offers potential for multiple new discoveries

Accretive transaction adds to GMIN's project pipeline with no upfront cost

Appointment of Vincent Benoit, Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of La Mancha, to its Board of Directors

BROSSARD, Dec. 20, 2024 - G Mining Ventures Corp. ("GMIN" or the "Corporation") (TSX: GMIN) (OTCQX: GMINF) is pleased to announce that the acquisition of tenements in the Gurupi Gold Belt from wholly owned subsidiaries of BHP Group Limited ("BHP") (ASX: BHP, NYSE: BHP, LSE: BHP, JSE: BHG) has closed. The acquisition gives GMIN an 100% interest in the tenements, including the CentroGold Project ("CentroGold" or the "Project"). In consideration for the acquisition, GMIN will grant BHP a 1.0% NSR royalty on the first 1 million ounces of gold produced at the tenements and a 1.5% NSR royalty on gold production thereafter (the "Transaction"). Details of the Project and Transaction were previously announced in GMIN's news release dated September 9, 2024.

CentroGold is located in the state of Maranhao, located in northern Brazil, and comprises 47 tenements encompassing ~1,900 square kilometers. The Project hosts multiple identified gold targets along a +80 km mineralized trend, including the Blanket, Contact and Chega Tudo open pit deposits, which currently host 2.3 million ounces of JORC-compliant gold resources and remain open for expansion. In July 2019, Oz Minerals Limited, which was later acquired by BHP in 2023, released a pre-feasibility study on the Blanket and Contact deposits. The pre-feasibility study envisioned a 10-year mine life with an average annual gold production of 100,000 to 120,000 ounces per year, with 190,000 to 210,000 ounces of gold per year in the first two years of production.

GMIN plans to update the Project's JORC-compliant gold resource to meet National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") in Q1 2025.

Board Appointment

The Corporation is pleased to announce the appointment of Vincent Benoit, Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of La Mancha Capital Advisory LLP ("La Mancha"), to its Board of Directors, effective December 20, 2024. The GMIN Board of Directors is now comprised of 11 members.

Vincent Benoit has over 30 years of corporate finance, business development and M&A experience in the mining, telecom, and energy sectors. Vincent identified the opportunity to buy La Mancha and joined the company as Head of Strategy & Business Development in 2012. Between 2013 and 2015, he led La Mancha's portfolio restructuring and contributed to enhancing its mines' performance in Australia and Africa. Mr. Benoit identified and executed the combinations with Evolution Mining Ltd. (ASX:EVN) and Endeavour Mining Plc (TSX:EDV) ("Endeavour"), positioning La Mancha as a leading private investor in the gold mining sector. From 2016 to 2019, Mr. Benoit was chief financial officer and executive vice president of Corporate Development at Endeavour, where he reshaped the strategy, improved the mine portfolio quality, and enhanced the balance sheet to fund organic growth. Endeavour's market capitalization was quadrupled by the time he left at the end of 2019. In early 2020, he re-joined La Mancha to oversee investments and fundraising.

Previously, Vincent was at Orange (2006-2012), where he served as EVP M&A. He led the development of the group's footprint in Africa and Europe and formed strategic partnerships with key European telecom players. Prior to this, Vincent held various finance positions, including those with Orano (ex-Areva), Bull Information Systems, and PwC.

Vincent holds an MSc from Kedge Business School and is a Chartered Accountant.

About G Mining Ventures Corp.

G Mining Ventures Corp. (TSX: GMIN) (OTCQX: GMINF) is a mining company engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of precious metal projects to capitalize on the value uplift from successful mine development. GMIN is well-positioned to grow into the next mid-tier precious metals producer by leveraging strong access to capital and proven development expertise. GMIN is currently anchored by the Tocantinzinho Gold Mine in Brazil and Oko West Project in Guyana, both mining friendly and prospective jurisdictions.

Additional Information

For further information on GMIN, please visit the website at www.gmin.gold.

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information

All statements, other than statements of historical fact, contained in this press release constitute "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of certain securities laws and are based on expectations and projections as of the date of this press release. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release include, without limitation, those related to (i) ; an gold resource at CentroGold remaining open for expansion in all directions and at depth; (ii) the acquired land package offering potential for multiple new discoveries; (iii) the Transaction being accretive for GMIN's project pipeline; (iv) the Project's 10-year mine life and production profile, as anticipated in its pre-feasibility study; (v) GMIN's plan to update the Project's JORC-compliant gold resource to meet NI 43-101 requirements; and (vi) more generally, Mr. Benoit's future contribution as a GMIN director as well as the section entitled "About G Mining Ventures Corp.".

Forward-looking statements are based on expectations, estimates and projections as of the time of this press release. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Corporation as of the time of such statements, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. These estimates and assumptions may prove to be incorrect. Such assumptions include, without limitation, those relating to the price of gold and currency exchange rates, those outlined in the PEA and those underlying the items listed in the above section entitled "About G Mining Ventures Corp.".

Many of these uncertainties and contingencies can directly or indirectly affect, and could cause, actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that, notably but without limitation, (i) GMIN will achieve its stated objectives for the Project, or (ii) the Project will prove accretive to GMIN's project pipeline, or (iii) the 2.3 million ounces of JORC-compliant gold resources will meet the NI 43-101 requirements, or (iv) the Project's current resources will be expanded in all directions and at depth, (v) the Project will have a 10-year mine life or will be mined at all, or (vi) GMIN will use TZ and Oko West to grow into the next intermediate producer, as future events could differ materially from what is currently anticipated by the Corporation. In addition, there can be no assurance that Brazil and/or Guyana will remain mining friendly and prospective jurisdictions.

By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and risks exist that estimates, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will not be achieved or that assumptions do not reflect future experience. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of providing information about management's expectations and plans relating to the future. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements as a number of important risk factors and future events could cause the actual outcomes to differ materially from the beliefs, plans, objectives, expectations, anticipations, estimates, assumptions and intentions expressed in such forward-looking statements. All of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements and those made in the Corporation's other filings with the securities regulators of Canada including, but not limited to, the cautionary statements made in the relevant sections of the (i) Annual Information Form of G Mining TZ Corp. (then known as G Mining Ventures Corp.) dated March 27, 2024, for the financial year ended December 31, 2023, (ii) Annual Information Form of Reunion Gold dated April 25, 2024, for the financial year ended December 31, 2023, and (iii) the Corporation's (i) Annual Information Form dated March 27, 2024, for the financial year ended December 31, 2023, and (ii) Management Discussion & Analysis. The Corporation cautions that the foregoing list of factors that may affect future results is not exhaustive, and new, unforeseeable risks may arise from time to time. The Corporation disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and such forward-looking statements, except to the extent required by applicable law.



SOURCE G Mining Ventures Corp







Contact

Jessie Liu-Ernsting, Vice President, Investor Relations and Communications, 647.728.4176, ir@gmin.gold


VANCOUVER, Dec. 20, 2024 - Foran Mining Corp. (TSX: FOM) (OTCQX: FMCXF) ("Foran" or the "Company") is pleased to announce a conditionally approved funding commitment of up to C$20 million from Natural Resources Canada ("NRCan") through the Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund ("CMIF"), a key program under the Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy. The funding, pending final due diligence by NRCan and the execution of a definitive contribution agreement, will support eligible expenses related to the construction of the McIlvenna Bay project's hydroelectric transmission line, an on-site substation and electrical vehicle charging infrastructure at the Company's McIlvenna Bay project.

The Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy aims to drive the transition to a low-carbon economy by advancing critical mineral development through a collaborative and adaptive approach with partners across Canada and internationally. A key initiative under this strategy, CMIF provides up to $1.5 billion to address infrastructure gaps, support clean energy, and enable sustainable critical minerals production. The CMIF also prioritizes decarbonizing mining operations, strengthening supply chains, and fostering Indigenous participation in infrastructure and resource projects.

The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, commented "Developing Canada's abundant critical minerals drives economic opportunity and creates good jobs. In its drive to produce copper without polluting more, Foran's project will help reinforce Canada's position as a global supplier of choice for clean technology, clean energy and the resources the world needs to build a prosperous economy. Foran, and many other businesses in Saskatchewan and beyond know that moving forward, economic development and environmental sustainability musty go hand-in-hand."

Dan Myerson, Foran's Executive Chairman and CEO, commented: "We are proud to advance the McIlvenna Bay project with the support of the Government of Canada. The investment in developing a hydro transmission line and supporting infrastructure will deliver renewable hydropower to our operations and open up a new critical minerals and mining district in Canada for generations to come - a key step in our plan to achieve net-zero carbon copper production. This funding not only supports sustainable resource development but also drives economic growth, job creation, and responsible mining practices in Saskatchewan, helping Canada solidify its leadership in critical minerals and clean energy."

About Foran Mining

Foran Mining is a copper-zinc-gold-silver exploration and development company, committed to supporting a greener future and empowering communities while creating value for our stakeholders. The McIlvenna Bay Project is located entirely within the documented traditional territory of the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation, comprises the infrastructure and works related to development and advanced exploration activities of the Company, and hosts the McIlvenna Bay Deposit and Tesla Zone. The Company also owns the Bigstone Deposit, a resource-development stage deposit located 25 km southwest of the McIlvenna Bay Property.

The McIlvenna Bay Deposit is a copper-zinc-gold-silver rich VHMS deposit intended to be the centre of a new mining camp in a prolific district that has already been producing for 100 years. The McIlvenna Bay Property sits just 65 km West of Flin Flon, Manitoba, and is part of the world class Flin Flon Greenstone Belt that extends from Snow Lake, Manitoba, through Flin Flon to Foran's ground in eastern Saskatchewan, a distance of over 225 km.

The McIlvenna Bay Deposit is the largest undeveloped VHMS deposit in the region. The Company announced the results from its NI 43-101 compliant Technical Report on the 2022 Feasibility Study for the McIlvenna Bay Deposit ("2022 Feasibility Study") on February 28, 2022, outlining that current Mineral Reserves would potentially support an 18-year mine life producing an average of 65 million pounds of copper equivalent annually. The Company filed the 2022 Feasibility Study on April 14, 2022, with an effective date of February 28, 2022. The Company also filed a NI 43-101 Technical Report for the Bigstone Deposit resource estimate on January 21, 2021, as amended on February 1, 2022. Investors are encouraged to consult the full text of these technical reports which may be found on the Company's profile on www.sedarplus.ca.

The Company's head office is located at 409 Granville Street, Suite 904, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6C 1T2. Common Shares of the Company are listed for trading on the TSX under the symbol "FOM" and on the OTCQX under the symbol "FMCXF".

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements, as defined under applicable securities laws (collectively referred to herein as "forward-looking statements"). These statements relate to future events or to the future performance of Foran Mining Corporation and reflect management's expectations and assumptions as of the date hereof or as of the date of such forward looking statement. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited, statements regarding our objectives and our strategies to achieve such objectives; our beliefs, plans, estimates, projections and intentions, and similar statements concerning anticipated future events; as well as specific statements in respect of the expected closing of the $20M funding from CMIF and the use of such funds to support w the construction of the McIlvenna Bay project's hydroelectric transmission line, an on-site substation and electrical vehicle charging infrastructure; CMIF's goals and targets; the benefits from developing critical minerals and the McIlvenna Bay project, including in respect of clean technology, clean energy and achieving net-zero; our ability to develop the McIlvenna Bay project; our access to hydropower; the lifespan of our operations; our plans to achieve carbon-neutral copper production; our view that the CMIF funding supports sustainable resource development, drives economic growth, job creation and responsible mining, and its contribution to Canada's leadership in critical minerals and clean energy; our commitment to support a greener future and empower communities while creating value for our stakeholders; expectations regarding our development and advanced exploration activities; and expectations, assumptions and targets in respect of our 2022 Feasibility Study. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this news release speak only as of the date of this news release or as of the date specified in such statement.

Inherent in forward-looking statements are known and unknown risks, estimates, assumptions, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in this news release. These factors include management's belief or expectations relating to the following and, in certain cases, management's response with regard to the following: the Company's reliance on the McIlvenna Bay Property; the Company is exposed to risks related to mineral resources exploration and development; the Company has no history of mineral production; the Company's operations are subject to extensive environmental, health and safety regulations; mining operations involve hazards and risks; and the additional risks identified in our filings with Canadian securities regulators on SEDAR+ in Canada (available at www.sedarplus.ca). The forward-looking statements contained in this news release reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant operational, business, economic and regulatory uncertainties and contingencies. These assumptions include the availability of funds for the Company's projects; availability of equipment; sustained labour stability with no labour-related disruptions; all necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals are received in a timely manner; and the ability to comply with environmental, health and safety laws. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, described or intended.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and should note that the assumptions and risk factors discussed in this press release are not exhaustive. Actual results and developments are likely to differ, and may differ materially, from those expressed or implied by the forward looking statements contained in this press release. All forward-looking statements herein are qualified by this cautionary statement. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law. If the Company does update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that it will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements, unless required by law. Additional information about these assumptions, risks and uncertainties is contained in our filings with securities regulators on SEDAR+ in Canada (available at www.sedarplus.ca).

SOURCE Foran Mining Corporation
Vancouver, December 20, 2024 - Terry Filbert, CEO and Chairman of Baru Gold Corp. (TSX.V:BARU | OTCQB: BARUF) (the "Company" or "Baru") and President Director of its subsidiary PT. Tambang Mas Sangihe ("PT TMS"), is happy to provide an update to shareholders, a year-end review, and the outlook for 2025.

I would personally like to thank our investors for their support over the last 12 months. The past year has seen the Company achieve several of its long-standing goals and lay the foundation for a transformative next 12 months. I am obviously very pleased that the impact of our efforts is reflected in the recent share price appreciation. I believe that our continuing successes will only favorably impact the Company's market value. Now, I would like to review and update you on our progress and discuss my outlook for 2025.

The Production Operation Status Upgrade

Recently, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) has contacted the Company to update us on our application for Production Operation Approval. Prior to processing the application, the ESDM has asked the Company to pay taxes and update certain documents.

The document changes or updates are not substantial, and requests include updated satellite imagery of the Contract of Work area, the Company's latest Activity Report, and to fix a typographical error in some geographical coordinates. Once we have updated the documentation, the ESDM has asked the Company to resubmit the application directly to the Directorate General of Mineral and Coal.

I hope to have our Production Operation Status approved in early 2025. The upgrade to Production Operation Status is guaranteed by Indonesian law through our Contract of Work.

Once we obtain our Production Operation Status, the Company will move very quickly into actual production. Our first gold pour will happen soon after we become operational. As such, I have already started identifying and recruiting individuals to hire in key operational roles.

On January 1, 2025, our new Chief Operating Officer will begin his employment at the Company. He will oversee and be responsible for the mining operations on Sangihe. An extremely experienced Indonesian metallurgist, he has worked in or led several of the major gold mining projects in Indonesia. He has already made significant improvements to our mining plan.

In 2025, I anticipate significant hiring activity. With our production plans, the Company will easily become the largest employer on Sangihe Island. As part of our commitment to the local communities, Sangihe residents will be favoured for positions with the Company. Further, we will support all entrepreneurial activities from residents that support our workers and operations.

Raising Financing

The rising price of gold and improved investment environment in Indonesia has attracted considerable unsolicited investment interest in the Company. I am happy to say that the volume of interest was beyond the capacity of current management. As was announced on November 21, 2024, we have retained a specialist advisory firm to assist in the raising of capital.

The Company continues to receive inbound investment interest. In addition, the advisory firm is in the process of reaching out to their expansive list of its institutional connections to expand the potential investor pool. The greater the investment interest the greater the opportunity for shareholders. Although open to all competitive funding proposals, we are targeting, and prefer, a financing that is non-dilutive to shareholders.

To support and expedite the process, we have already prepared the materials investors will need for their due diligence. We have already held one site visit to Sangihe Island for investors, and we anticipate significantly more activity early in 2025.

A Strategic Partner: PT Arsari Tambang

The Company is working hard to complete and close the partnership with PT Arsari Tambang that was announced on November 19, 2024.

The Company is hopeful that the transaction is closed and approved during the first quarter of 2025. I understand and sympathise with investor impatience wishing to see this opportunity close quickly. However, the transaction requires approval from two different regulators based in different countries, and there are significant bureaucratic processes and administrative procedures to follow.

All of the involved parties are working on closing the opportunity and are in regular contact.

In 2025, a final step of this transaction will be a shareholder vote. When appropriate, the Company will call an Extraordinary General Meeting. At the meeting, shareholders can vote to express their opinion on the planned partnership. The vote is separate from the upcoming Annual General Meeting.

Improved Balance Sheet

I am very happy to announce that we have successfully negotiated with several of our vendors to reduce our outstanding financial obligations. We have reduced the total obligations significantly. In 2025, the Company plans to negotiate further to reduce other financial obligations.

I would like to advise shareholders that the start of our audit in 2024 was delayed. Although the audit is now underway, the Company will almost certainly miss the filing deadline for our audit required by the regulatory bodies, and therefore we will file for a Management Cease Trade Order (MCTO). Until the audit is complete and MCTO lifted, management and employees of the Company cannot trade shares in the Company. The MCTO will not prevent anyone else from trading shares in the Company.

Unlicensed and Illegal Mining on Sangihe Island

The hurdles faced by the Company in the past have principally originated from the illegal and unlicensed miners protesting the presence of a legal and licensed miner.

Since February 2024, all significant unlicensed mining on Sangihe Island has stopped. There have been isolated incidents of small operations re-starting and the Indonesian Police have quickly intervened and ended the activity. Illegal mining activity is at an extremely low level on Sangihe Island, and enforcement has never been so persistent and effective. Enforcement has been similarly throughout the wider region.

Under Indonesian law, those convicted of mining without a permit may be jailed for up to five years and fined up to 100 billion rupiah (CAD $9 million). The police have already imprisoned some illegal miners that were operating on Sangihe, and the Company is aware of several on-going investigations.

The illegal miners have caused extensive environmental damage, undertaken no remediation, diverted the taxes owed to the Indonesian government, and have not supported the broader Sangihe community. The illegal miners have taken much of their gold from shoreline locations and have used mercury in their operations, both adversely impacting the environment, and in direct violation of Indonesian mining and environmental laws.

Going forward into 2025, I believe the dismantling of the illegal mining network will dramatically improve the Company's opportunity growth while will also improving the quality of life in the communities on Sangihe Island. The Company pays taxes, ensures it operations respect the environment and follows Indonesian mining rules and regulations. The Company has developed and is proud to have a plan to actively support local residents and communities through our outreach, engagement and social programs.

With the end of 2024 fast approaching, I thank again and wish all our shareholders a happy and healthy break. I am looking forward to a busy and fruitful 2025.

ABOUT SANGIHE GOLD PROJECT

The Sangihe Gold Project ("Sangihe") is located on the Indonesian island of Sangihe, off the northern coast of Sulawesi. Sangihe has two existing National Instrument 43-101 reports with over 1 million oz of gold resource identified (inferred mineral resource of 1,022,987 and 114,700 indicated ounces of gold), as reported in the Company's "Independent Technical Report: Sangihe Property" (Caracle Creek International Consulting Inc, September 22nd, 2010) and "Independent Technical Report on the Mineral Resource Estimates of the Binebase and Bawone Deposits, Sangihe Project, North Sulawesi, Indonesia" (Mining Associates Pty Ltd, May 30, 2017).

Readers are cautioned that mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. The Company intends to proceed to production without the benefit of first establishing mineral reserves supported by a feasibility study. The Company cautions readers that the any production decision made by the Company will not be based on a NI 43-101 feasibility study of mineral reserves that demonstrates economic and technical viability and as such, there may be involved increased uncertainty and various technological and economic risks

The Company's 70-percent interest in the Sangihe-mineral-tenement Contract of Work ("CoW") is held through PT. Tambang Mas Sangihe ("TMS"). The remaining 30-percent interest in TMS is held by other Indonesian corporations. The term of the Sangihe CoW agreement is 30 years upon commencement of the production phase of the project.

Baru has met all the requirements of the Indonesian government and has been granted its environmental permit.

ABOUT BARU GOLD CORP.

Baru Gold Corporation is a dynamic junior gold developer with NI 43-101 gold resources in Indonesia, one of the top ten gold producing countries in the world. Based in Indonesia and North America, Baru's team boasts extensive experience in starting and operating small-scale gold assets.

Frank Rocca, BAppSc.(Geology), MAusIMM, MAIG, CPI-KCMI, Chief Geologist of Baru Gold Corp. is the Qualified Person as defined under NI 43-101 who has reviewed and approves the content of this release.

BARU GOLD CORP

Per: "Terry Filbert"

Terry Filbert, Director



President & CEO

info@barugold.com



For investor contacts more information, please contact:

Kevin Shum

Investor Relations

kevin@jeminicapital.com

647-725-3888 ext 702

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 statements in this News Release, which are not historical in nature, constitute "forward looking statements" within the meaning of that phrase under applicable Canadian securities law. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements or information concerning future work programs, results and timing of any work programs, the Company's performance or events as of the date hereof. These statements reflect management's current assumptions and expectations and by their nature are subject to certain underlying assumptions, known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or events to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. Those risks include the interpretation of drill results; the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with our expectations; commodity and currency price fluctuation; failure to obtain adequate financing; regulatory, recovery rates, refinery costs, and other relevant conversion factors, permitting and licensing risks; general market and mining exploration risks and production and economic risks related to design and engineering, manufacturing, technological processes and test procedures and the risk that the project's output will not be salable at a price that will cover the project's operating and maintenance costs. Forward-looking statements should not be construed as investment advice. Readers should perform a detailed, independent investigation and analysis of the Company and are encouraged to seek independent professional advice before making any investment decision. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or changes in circumstances that occur after the date hereof.

Copyright (c) 2024 TheNewswire - All rights reserved.
Vancouver, Dec. 20, 2024 - Auric Minerals Corp. (CSE: AUMC) (the "Company") announces that, further to the Company's news release dated December 11 , 2024, it has completed the filing of the Company's Form 51-102F4 - Business Acquisition Report ("BAR") in connection with its acquisition of Central Uranium Resources Corp. ("CURC"), a privately held arm's-length company established under the laws of the Province of British Columbia, and each of the shareholders of CURC, completed on December 11 , 2024 (the "Acquisition"). The BAR, a copy of which is available under the Company's profile on SEDAR+, includes CURC's audited financial statements and the management discussions and analysis for the period from incorporation on April 22, 2024 to September 30, 2024.

For additional details regarding the Acquisition, please refer to the news releases dated November 14, 2024 and December 11, 2024. The Company also wishes to clarify that the securities issued as consideration in the Acquisition are subject to a restricted period and cannot trade until the date that is 10 calendar days following the issuance of this Business Acquisition Report, as well as the filing of financial statements of the Company for the year ended October 31, 2024.

In addition, the Company wishes to announce that Dimitri Lakutin has resigned as Chief Executive Officer, President and Director of the Company, and that Christopher Huggins has been appointed acting CEO and Director of the Company. The Company wishes to thank Mr. Lakutin for his services. The Company is actively engaging in a process to retain a permanent CEO.

Mr. Huggins brings over 25 years of expertise in the mining, technology and capital equipment industries. Holding a BSc in Honours Geology, he began his career as a regional exploration geologist with Homestake, working on notable projects around Eskay Creek, Snip Mine, Stewart and Dease Lake camps. Over the past 15 years, he has delivered innovative capital equipment and financial solutions for surface and underground mining operations in the Northwest Territories and Yukon. Mr. Huggins has also managed global and national Caterpillar accounts at Finning; and been President, CEO and board member for a number of gold, uranium and battery metal exploration companies. Currently, he is CEO of Collective Metals Inc. (CSE: COMT) and Troubadour Resources Inc. (TSXV: TR).







For further information about



Auric Minerals, please contac

Chris Huggins

+1-604-968-4844

chris@greenwood.capital







The Canadian Securities Exchange (operated by CNSX Markets Inc.) has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press release.


Olivet University has officially initiated the appeal process following the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education's (BPPE) decision to revoke its license. The university says it is committed to safeguarding the interests of its students and faculty, who have been directly impacted by this decision.

A spokesperson for Olivet University informed The Gospel Herald that on December 19, 2024, the university's legal counsel formally requested that BPPE provide a complete record of the proceedings against the institution, in accordance with California Government Code Section 11523. This marks the official start of Olivet's appeal process.

In an official statement, Olivet University explained, "Following a recent hearing, Olivet University received a decision that resulted in the revocation of its license in California. The University is currently preparing to appeal the decision through the appropriate legal channels to address the matter thoroughly. In addition to pursuing the appeal, Olivet University has made the decision as of December 11 to operate under religious exemption in California, and submitted its application same day."

Transition to Religious Exemption

Under California law, religious exempt schools are granted exemption from certain regulations that typically apply to private universities. These institutions, which must maintain a religious character, are authorized to grant degrees in fields such as religious studies, theology, divinity, and ministry, at various levels ranging from associate to doctoral degrees. Unlike other private universities, religious exempt schools are not subject to BPPE's mandatory five-year reassessments, allowing them more autonomy in operation.

Olivet University's decision to transition to religious exemption status was driven by the advantages this status offers, as well as concerns over BPPE's conduct, according to the university's spokesperson. The university believes this change will provide more freedom for future growth, while ensuring it can continue fulfilling its Christian educational mission.

Commitment to Protecting Students and Faculty

Olivet's appeal to BPPE's revocation decision is part of a broader effort to uphold the university's right to be treated fairly as a Christian institution, and to protect the interests of its students and faculty. A school representative emphasized that many students are confused and disheartened by BPPE's actions, as the majority are satisfied with the education they receive.

During the BPPE proceedings, three students testified about their positive experiences at Olivet University. According to the court record, D.T., an undergraduate student double-majoring in theology and business, stated that throughout his entire time at Olivet, he has never experienced a shortage of available courses. E.Z., a student pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Child Development Studies, mentioned that she typically takes three to four courses per quarter and always receives a syllabus for each class. M.T., a Master of Divinity student at Olivet's Mill Valley campus, shared that she takes about four courses each quarter and has never encountered any issues with course availability.

These student testimonies directly contradicted BPPE's claim about insufficient course offerings at Olivet University. Despite this, BPPE continued to press this accusation against the institution.

Support from Students, Faculty, and Alumni

During a three-day hearing held in November over Zoom, nearly 100 students, faculty, and alumni joined the proceedings to show their support for Olivet University and to witness what they viewed as BPPE's unreasonable treatment of the institution. This outpouring of support underscores the strong backing the university has within its community.

BPPE's Mission and Alleged Bias

BPPE's official mission, as outlined on its website, states that it aims to protect students and consumers in California by overseeing the state's private postsecondary institutions. However, critics of BPPE's actions toward Olivet argue that the bureau has not listened to the concerns of the students and consumers at the university. Instead, BPPE's decision to revoke Olivet's license has jeopardized the educational futures of California students.

Documents have surfaced suggesting that BPPE's investigation into Olivet University was initiated by Newsweek journalist Naveed Jamali, rather than by students or the public. This has raised further questions about the fairness and impartiality of the BPPE's actions. The university and its supporters contend that the investigation, and ultimately the license revocation, were influenced by external media pressures, particularly from Newsweek, rather than being based on valid concerns from students or the university's community.

Newsweek's Alleged Biased Reporting on Olivet University

In a report by The University Herald, OU has raised concerns that Newsweek is pursuing a biased agenda aimed at shutting down the institution, accusing the publication of disregarding journalistic ethics to push a predetermined narrative.

A university representative revealed that Newsweek reached out for a comment at 9:08 a.m. on a Sunday, but by that time, its article about the university's alleged shutdown had already been published. The article stated that "Olivet did not respond to a request for comment on the decision before this article was published."

"The fact that Newsweek did not even bother to wait for a response from the university only further confirms the bias of its predetermined narrative," the spokesperson said.

Looking Ahead

As the appeal process moves forward, Olivet University remains optimistic about its future.

"As Olivet University moves ahead with its appeal and continues to operate under religious exemption, it remains committed to providing quality education to its students while upholding its Christian values. The university has vowed to fight the revocation, asserting its right to exist as a faith-based institution free from what it perceives as undue regulatory overreach. Through this legal challenge, Olivet hopes to protect its future and ensure that its students and faculty are not harmed by an unjust decision made by BPPE," the spokesperson said.
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Donald Trump wins $15million in defamation lawsuit

bbc.com International News Dec - 20 - 2024 , 07:08 3 minutes read

ABC News has agreed to pay $15m (12m) to US President-elect Donald Trump to settle a defamation lawsuit after its star anchor falsely said he had been found "liable for rape".

George Stephanopoulos made the statements repeatedly during an interview on 10 March this year while challenging a congresswoman about her support for Trump.

A jury in a civil case last year determined Trump was liable for "sexual abuse", which has a specific definition under New York law.

As part of Saturday's settlement, first reported by Fox News Digital, ABC also published an editor's note expressing its "regret" for the statements by Stephanopoulos.

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According to the settlement, ABC News will pay $15m as a charitable contribution to a "Presidential foundation and museum to be established by or for Plaintiff, as Presidents of the United States of America have established in the past".

The $15m will go towards Trump's future presidential library, US media reported.

The network also agreed to pay $1m towards Trump's legal fees.

Under the settlement, the network will post an editor's note to the bottom of its 10 March 2024 online news article about the story.

It will say: "ABC News and George Stephanopoulos regret statements regarding President Donald J Trump made during an interview by George Stephanopoulos with Rep. Nancy Mace on ABC's This Week on March 10, 2024."

An ABC News spokesperson said in a statement the company was "pleased that the parties have reached an agreement to dismiss the lawsuit on the terms in the court filing".

In 2023, a New York civil court found Trump sexually abused E Jean Carroll in a dressing room at a department store in 1996. He was also found guilty of defaming the magazine columnist.

Judge Lewis Kaplan said the jury's conclusion was that Ms Carroll had failed to prove that Trump raped her "within the narrow, technical meaning of a particular section of the New York Penal Law".

Judge Kaplan noted that the definition of rape was "far narrower" than how rape is defined in common modern parlance, in some dictionaries and in criminal statutes elsewhere.

In a separate case, also presided over by the same judge, a jury ordered Trump to pay $83.3m to Ms Carroll for additional defamatory statements.

Trump is appealing against both verdicts.

During the 10 March broadcast, Stephanopoulos asked South Carolina Republican congresswoman Nancy Mace how she could endorse Trump.

The anchor falsely said "judges and two separate juries have found him liable for rape".

Stephanopoulos repeated the claim 10 times throughout the broadcast.

Ahead of the ruling, a federal magistrate judge had ordered Trump and Stephanopoulos to give sworn evidence at depositions next week.

Trump has also sued CBS, the BBC's US broadcast partner, for "deceptive conduct" over an interview with Kamala Harris.

In 2023, a judge threw out his defamation lawsuit against CNN, in which he alleged the network had likened him to Adolf Hitler.

He has also had lawsuits filed against the New York Times and the Washington Post dismissed.
Next article: Ghana will not develop until we make efforts to end bribery and corruption  Aglow Internationals Gifty Afenyi-Dadzie

Featured

Canadian High Commissioner raises concerns over delayed payments to international companies

GraphicOnline Dec - 20 - 2024 , 05:55 2 minutes read

The Canadian High Commissioner to Ghana, Myriam Montrat, has expressed concerns over the delayed payments owed to international companies by the outgoing government.

Speaking during a meeting with President-Elect John Dramani Mahama in Accra on Friday, High Commissioner Montrat warned that the issue could tarnish Ghanas international reputation and discourage future investments.

I do think that one of the things that will be helpful is ensuring that companies are being paid on time because that is also another factor that has been a huge deterrent, having to fight to get the money that has been owed, she remarked.

She urged the incoming administration to address the challenge promptly to preserve Ghanas appeal as a destination for foreign businesses while fostering strong diplomatic and economic ties.

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Mahama acknowledges concern

Responding to the concerns, President-Elect John Dramani Mahama acknowledged that Canada was not alone in raising the issue of delayed payments to international firms. You are not the only country to raise the issue of payments. I met the American ambassador, and she also raised payments to international companies that have done work, he stated.

Mr. Mahama added, I thought that the government treated only domestic companies sociably. I didnt know that extended to international companies, but she gave us a list of American companies that have done work and not been paid. I dont know if there are Canadian companies, but if we get that list, we can keep a focus on it and see how [to go about it].
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Africa needs people-centred leaders  Former World Bank Vice-President

Justice Agbenorsi Dec - 20 - 2024 , 12:48 3 minutes read

Africa needs a new set of public leaders who are knowledgeable and capable of addressing the totality of issues facing its people, a former Vice-President of the World Bank for the Africa Region, Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili, has said.

She explained that the pervasive corruption within the political landscape and the nature of politics practiced on the continent did not sufficiently address the needs of the people, hence the urgent call for a transformation in political leadership on the continent.

The pathway into politics corrupts, leading to undifferentiated suppliers of the same poor governance, Dr Ezekwesili, who is also the founder of the School of Politics, Policy and Governance (SPPG), said when she paid a courtesy call on the Editor, Graphic, just before the December 7 polls.

SPPG is an educational institution with the mission of transforming politics in Nigeria and the rest of Africa by building a large pipeline of a new value-based and disruptive thinking political leaders with the requisite knowledge and skills to lead effectively.

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Dr Ezekwesili was in the company of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SPPG, Africa, Alero Ayida-Otobo; the Coordinating Chair of #FixPolitics Work Study Group 1, Bolatito Adeniyi-Aderoju; Executive Director of #FixPolitics Africa, and the Technology Lead at SPPG, Century Favour.

The News Editor, Samuel Doe Ablordeppey, and the Corporate Affairs Manager of the Graphic Communications Group Ltd, Emmanuel Agyei Arthur, were part of the team that received the delegation.

To combat the challenges, she said SPPG had adopted a revolutionary approach to political education aimed at cultivating a new generation of public leaders equipped to challenge existing governance models.

At the heart of this initiative, she said was customised public leadership curriculum designed specifically for Nigeria.

Dr Ezekwesili explained that the curriculum was informed by comprehensive analyses of the country's challenges, ranging from economic stagnation to human development issues.

The multidisciplinary approach adopted by the school, she said, encompassed 140 course topics, delivered by 94 distinguished faculty members, including academics and practitioners from renowned institutions such as Harvard and Yale.

Our goal is to massively build a new kind of politicians and public leaders who are knowledgeable and capable of addressing the totality of the issues facing our society, she asserted.

Education

By investing in the education of future leaders, Dr Ezekwesili and her team believed that positive change in governance was not only possible but imperative for the countrys progress.

She added that the school had since 2021 graduated 720 and was having discussions to establish one in Ghana.

Of the number, Dr Ezekwesili said 55 of them picked up forms to run in the 2023 elections in Nigeria with nine of them getting their party tickets.

She added that although none of them won, 80 per cent of them were mostly second and third.

But it showed us that what we are designing is on the right track, she said

Dr Ezekwesili further stressed the need to have an informed and engaged citizenry, saying without that in a democracy, the monopolists will continue to act in the monopolistic way they please.

Again, she said there was a need for evidence-based policy making for results.

That, Dr Ezekwesili stated, was one of the things the continent lacked capacity in and the school existed to bridge that gap as part of its curriculum.

Commendation

For his part, Mr Yartey commended the delegation for their efforts in refining the democratic process and calling for accountability.

He pledged the Daily Graphics support to the cause of SPPG through publications, adding that he would consider a call from the delegation to be a member of faculty of the school.
Featured

EC to recollate parliamentary results of 9 constituencies

Samuel Duodu Dec - 20 - 2024 , 12:54 5 minutes read

The Electoral Commission (EC) has decided to go ahead with the recollation of the parliamentary results of the nine outstanding constituencies which were challenged by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the New Democratic Congress (NDC) after the December 7 general election.

It, therefore, called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President-elect John Dramani Mahama and the National Election Security Task Force to ensure the necessary security and protection to enable it to carry out its functions.

"We call on the National Election Security Task Force to work together to put in place arrangements to ensure that our staff and our processes are protected and secured," the Chairperson of the EC, Jean Mensa, said at a news conference held at the Commission's headquarters in Accra yesterday to update the public on issues regarding the nine outstanding constituencies.

Affected constituencies

The affected constituencies are Nsawam-Adoagyiri, Ahafo Ano South West, Ahafo Ano North, Obuasi East, Dome-Kwabenya, Okaikwei Central, Ablekuman North, Tema Central and Techiman South.

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Explanation

The EC Chairperson explained that the collation of results in those nine constituencies were incomplete as a result of the disruption of the process by some political party supporters.

"In the view of the commission, upholding such unlawful collations and declaration will set a bad precedent for our country and set us back to the dark days," Mrs Mensa stated.

She emphasised that allowing individuals with force or might to take over the collation process and declare themselves winners would undermine the democratic process.

Disruption

Mrs Mensa said at the close of polls on Saturday, December 7, 2024, there was a directive by some political party leaders to their supporters to besiege the collation centres of the EC where the tabulation of results was taking place.

This directive, she said, was issued to their supporters to besiege the constituency collation centres while the process was ongoing as enshrined in Constitutional Instrument (C.I 127).

The presence of hundreds of supporters who besieged our coalition centres brought aproceedings to a standstill in a number of the centres. These supporters destroyed pink sheets required for the collation, as well as results collation forms in some areas.

In some instances, they vandalised and destroyed the desktop computers set up to collate the results electronically, she said.

Additionally and sadly, they beat up our staff and threatened them with death and ultimately brought proceedings at the constituency collation centres to a halt, she added.

That, Mrs Mensa said, was the reason why the collation in some constituencies could not be completed prior to the declaration of the presidential results and emphasised that the collation in all centres were proceeding in accordance with laid down guidelines as enshrined in C.I. 127 before the supporters entered the ECs constituency collation centres.

In the view of the Commission, the directive to the supporters to besiege the constituency collation centres was targeted at destroying documentary evidence and pink sheets, ballot papers, results collation forms, computers and to erase and wipe out all documents to be used for the collation.

Thankfully, the perpetrators of this act did not fully succeed in their endeavours in that a few of our staff were able to retain some of the pink sheets and the results collation forms necessary for collation. Since then, as you all know, the commission has tried to complete the collation in some of these constituencies, she said.

Death threats

Mrs Mensa indicated that staff of the commission were threatened with death and forced to declare outcomes without adhering to the processes governing collation.

She cited the collation processes at Ablekuma North and Okaikwei Central constituencies to buttress her point.

These, among others, she said made the commission, in consultation with the police, to relocate the collation centres for the nine constituencies from the regional collation centres to the Police Depot at Tesano in Accra.

She said in the case of Okaikwei Central, a winner was declared without collating results from 31 polling stations, while in the case of the Ablekuma North Constituency, a winner was declared without collating results from 62 polling stations.

This is unacceptable. It is important to note that the declarations made by our staff were made under threat and the Commission considers this as illegal. Those declarations, as well as others that have gone on in other constituencies, will not be upheld by the Commission, the EC Chairperson stated.

She said the collation at the Tesano Police Depot for the nine constituencies were also halted after the commission was informed by the police that their intelligence reports showed that party supporters were planning to besiege the venue.

Mrs Mensa said the Commission determined to complete the collation processes in the nine constituencies again and therefore met with the Ghana Police Service on Monday, December 16, 2024, to agree on a new date.

She said at a meeting with the police, the Commission proposed Wednesday, December 18, 2024, but the police indicated that they could no longer provide the Tesano Police Depot as a location for the collation process as thier intelligence reports had revealed planned unrests by party supporters for the two proposed venues for the recollation in Accra and Kumasi, making it difficult for them to guarantee the security of the collation process as earlier planned.

This, she said, had put the commissions efforts to complete the collation process at a standstill.
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Featured

Fisherman jailed 40 years for rape, robbery

Daily Graphic Dec - 20 - 2024 , 09:32 3 minutes read

A fisherman who raped and robbed a woman in the presence of her two children at Banana Inn, Accra, has been sentenced to 40 years imprisonment.

Charged with robbery, Emmanuel Tetteh popularly known as 666, Escoba, pleaded not guilty before an Accra Circuit Court.

The Court presided over by Isaac Addo at the end of the trial, found Tetteh guilty and sentenced him accordingly.

The convict is currently serving six years imprisonment for stealing money and a mobile phone.

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The phone, which had a tracking device, led to his arrest.

Pre-meditated

The trial judge in sentencing Tetteh considered the premeditated way the act was done.

It noted that at the point of robbing the victim, the accused had sexual intercourse with the victim in the presence of her two daughters, aged three and five years.

Again, the accused committed the offence while another case against him was pending at Circuit Court 10 in Accra.

It said with such a criminal mind, the accused did not deserve to live in society, and he must be kept away for a long time.

The prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Jonas Lawer, said looking at the antecedent of the accused, the severest sentence should be passed on him.

During the trial, the prosecution called two witnesses while the accused called his wife as a defence witness.

Facts

The facts before the court were that the complainant, whose name was withheld, resides at Abolo Bridge, a suburb of Banana Inn, while the accused convict was a resident of Chorkor.

On June 23, 2022, at about 6 a.m., the complainant came to the Police Station and reported that the same day, she slept off on her sofa in the hall and woke up around 3 a.m.

The prosecution said when the complainant woke up, she saw her sliding window together with the burglar-proof on the main door opened.

The court heard that the complainant thought it was her daughter who had left them open, so she called her to come and close them only for the accused to come from her bedroom with a knife to her throat.

The prosecution said the accused asked her to keep quiet and lie down and hand over her Samsung Galaxy A12 mobile phone valued at GH900, which was beside her.

According to the prosecution, the accused person knelt beside her and fondled her. He asked her to lead him to where she kept her money.

The prosecution said the accused gave his orders to the complainant in Ga Language.

The prosecutor said the complainants money was in her bedroom, so the accused followed her with the knife to the bedroom where he robbed her of cash in the sum of GH2,090 together with another unspecified amount of money.

After robbing her of the phone and money, the accused had sex with the complainant after giving her a hefty slap when she declined.

After raping her, he used the bed sheet beside her to clean his penis and bolted, the prosecution said.

The prosecution said it was observed at the crime scene that a similar modus operandi was used by the accused in other criminal adventures as captured in cases before the Adjabeng District Court Circuit Court 10 in Accra.

Prosecution said on July 15, 2024, the complainant pointed out the accused in an identification parade.
Featured

President can now assent to anti-gay bill - Supreme Court dismisses 2 suits

Emmanuel Ebo Hawkson Dec - 19 - 2024 , 12:57 4 minutes read

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo can now go ahead to either assent to or decline to assent to law the Human and Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, popularly known as the Anti-Gay Bill.

This is because the Supreme Court yesterday dismissed two suits challenging the constitutionality of the process used by Parliament in passing the bill.

President Akufo-Addo had indicated that he would only act on the bill after the Supreme Court had made a determination on the two suits.

Premature

In a unanimous decision yesterday, a seven-member panel of the Supreme Court held that the two suits failed to properly invoke the jurisdiction of the court to interpret and enforce the Constitution.

It was the view of the court that the bill was still in the process of being enacted into law and, therefore, it was premature for its constitutionality or otherwise to be determined.

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We come to the unanimous decision that the plaintiffs writ does not properly invoke the exclusive jurisdiction of this court.

We are of the view that the subject of the litigation, being a bill still undergoing the process of becoming law in accordance with the provisions set out by the constitution, it would be premature for this court to exercise its interpretative and enforcement jurisdiction to intervene.

Consequently, the action fails and it is accordingly dismissed, the court held.

The court said the full reasoning for its decision would be ready by Friday, December 20, 2024.

The seven-member panel was presided over by Justice Avril Lovelace-Johnson, with Justices Professor Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu, Barbara Ackah Yensu, Samuel Kwame Adibu-Asiedu, Ernest Yao Gaewu, Yaw Darko Asare and Richard Adjei-Frimpong as members.

Anti-Gay Bill

On February 28, this year, Parliament passed the Human and Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, which was a bi-partisan private members bill.

Her Ladyship Justice Avril Lovelace Johnson (middle), delivering the judgment on the case. Picture: ELVIS NII NOI DOWUONA

If assented to by the President, the bill, which enjoyed overwhelming support from members of the House, will impose three years minimum jail term and five years maximum incarceration on those who engage in and promote homosexual activities in the country.

It has, thus, criminalised and prohibited pro-gay advocacy, as well as those who fund the activities of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer/questioning, and asexual, among other such people.

The passage of the bill has since generated diverse reactions, with its opponents describing it as a drawback of the human rights status of the country, while its proponents insist it was necessary to guard against the normalisation of homosexual activities.

Suits

Article 108 of the 1992 Constitution stipulates that any bill before Parliament which would have an impact on the Consolidated Fund should be introduced by or on behalf of the President.

It further stipulates that in the event a bill is introduced by any entity other than the President or on behalf of the President, the person presiding in Parliament must give an opinion on whether the bill would have an impact on the Consolidated Fund before it is laid before Parliament.

Again, the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921) stipulates that before considering any bill, Parliament ought to ascertain the impact it will have on the nations purse by conducting a fiscal impact assessment on the bill.

It is the contention of the two plaintiffs who have filed different suits at the Supreme Court, Richard Sky and Dr Amanda Odoi, that the Anti-Gay Bill was a private members bill which failed to follow the dictates of Article 108 of the 1992 Constitution and Act 921.

The plaintiffs said the bill would put a charge on the Consolidated Fund because under the bill, persons convicted of homosexuality could be jailed, which could impose costs on the state.

In view of that, they averred that the Speaker of Parliament breached Article 108 of the 1992 Constitution by not giving an opinion on whether the bill, when implemented, could lead to financial consequences on the country through a charge on the Consolidated Fund.

Writers email: emma.hawkson@graphic.com.gh
Featured

Ghana will not develop until we make efforts to end bribery and corruption  Aglow Internationals Gifty Afenyi-Dadzie

Kweku Zurek Dec - 20 - 2024 , 05:46 2 minutes read

The National Prayer Director of Aglow International, Gifty Afenyi-Dadzie, has called on Ghanaians to eradicate corruption, bribery, and other societal vices to enable national development.

Speaking in a recent interview on GTV, she stated that true progress cannot be achieved unless Ghanaians consciously commit to upholding moral virtues and eliminating destructive practices.

Sin is sin. We try as much as possible to talk about it, she began, referencing 2 Chronicles 7:14. It says, If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves, seek my face and pray, and turn away from their wicked ways, then I, the Lord, will heal the land.

She stressed that certain vices, including corruption, bribery, embezzlement, and illegal mining (galamsey), hinder Ghanas development. If the land will progress, if the land will have development, then we have to do away with certain vices so that at least we can be able to push the roots of development and democracy forward, she stated.

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Call for change

Madam Afenyi-Dadzie urged Ghanaians to adopt a conscious effort to uphold moral and spiritual principles, emphasising that prayer alone cannot solve the nations challenges without a corresponding change in behaviour.

Until we make it conscious, that we as Ghanaians will uphold the virtues and the precepts of the word of God, this nation will not go forward. That is why we keep on stressing, she said. Now listen, all of us must have a change of attitude. And if we dont do that and we pray, how can God listen?

Past efforts and continued advocacy

She highlighted that Aglow International has consistently advocated for national transformation through various programmes and themes aimed at addressing societal ills.

The whole of last year, we did various programmes with various themes that highlighted some of the things that Im talking about, Afenyi-Dadzie noted.

Aglow International is a global Christian organisation with over 4,000 local groups in 171 countries. It seeks to foster spiritual growth and societal change through prayer, education, and advocacy.

Watch the entire video below;
Featured

Man in court for allegedly slashing girlfriend, daughter with knife

GNA Dec - 20 - 2024 , 15:43 4 minutes read

A 51-year-old car sprayer who allegedly slashed his girlfriend severally with a knife after a misunderstanding has appeared before an Accra Circuit Court.

Daniel Anum Komey, is alleged to have slashed the hand of his four-year-old daughter who tried to stop him from hurting her mother.

Charged with two counts of causing harm, Komey pleaded not guilty.

Charity is alleged to have informed Komey of quitting their relationship because she was no longer interested.

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The court presided over by Mrs. Christina Cann admitted Komey to bail in the sum of GHC50,000 with two sureties, one to be justified.

This was after the defence counsel prayed for bail and informed the court that they would prefer to go for Court Connected Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).

The court therefore referred the matter to January 27, 2025.

Prosecution led by Detective Chief Inspector Opoku Aniagyei said the complainant Janet Appiah aged 40 years is a caterer residing at Mantsemegome, a suburb of La.

The prosecution said the complainant is also a friend to the victim Charity Agbotsi, a caterer aged 34 years.

Chief Inspector Opoku said the victim also resides at La near Holy Reform Apostolic church with her 3 children including, victim Wren Naa Ayeley Komey aged 4 years.

Prosecution said Komey also resides at Teshie with his wife and other children.

The court heard that about 14 years ago, Komey met and fell in love with the victim Charity Agbotsi.

Prosecution said the two had a relationship and they had three children including victim Wren Naa Ayeley Komey, the second victim.

It said Komey paid visits to Charity intermittently throughout the relationship.

The Prosecution held that in January 2024, Komey moved in to live with victim Charity with the excuse that he had issues with his wife.

The court was told that the two cohabited for 7 months and Komey went back to his wife in August 2024 but visited the victim intermittently.

Prosecution said the victim made it known to Komey that she was no longer interested in the relationship, but Komey continued to visit.

On October 27, 2024, at about 2:00pm Komey visited the victim, and a misunderstanding ensued between them.

Prosecution said the victim left the house with two of their children including victim Wren Naa Ayeley Komey to the complainants house which is about 500 metres away from her house to live there for a while.

The court said on Monday November 28, 2024, at about 7:00pm whilst eating with her friend and the children, they heard a knock on the door.

Komey then entered the room where they were eating and he threatened that he would not leave until he killed the victim, Charity and killed himself.

Prosecution said Komey showed them a plastic bottle containing a substance he claimed was alcohol and also removed a small bottle from his pocket which he said was pesticide, saying that he was going to kill the victim and commit suicide thereafter.

Prosecution said Komey removed a small knife from his pocket, pounced on the victim Charity and stabbed her indiscriminately.

Victim Wren Na Ayeley Komey in an attempt to stop Komeys father, she was also stabbed with a knife on her right hand by the accused.

Both victims sustained degrees of injuries were rushed to the Police Hospital and Korle-Bu Teaching Hospitals respectively for treatment, whilst the accused who also sustained a cut on his left hand was arrested by Police and sent to Police Hospital for treatment under guard.

Prosecution said the victims were later discharged on November 1, 2024, but they were still undergoing treatment.

The court heard on October 31, 2024, Komey was discharged, and the matter was transferred to Cantonments DOVVSU for further action.

Prosecution said the medical forms of the two victims and the accused were duly endorsed by the medical officers who stated the major degrees of injuries on both victims.
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Nautical engineer jailed 60 days over GH86,000 German visa fraud

GNA Dec - 20 - 2024 , 12:56 3 minutes read

A 56-year-old nautical engineer has been sentenced to 60 days imprisonment by an Accra Circuit Court for fraud.

Richie Susu Awu was sentenced after he was found guilty on three counts of defrauding by false pretences at the end of the trial.

The court sentenced Awu to 60 days on each count. Sentences are to run concurrently.

Awu is said to have collected GH86,000 from three persons under the pretence of securing them German visas in 2021 but failed.

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The trial judge, Mr Isaac Addo, said he took into consideration the fact that the accused was a first-time offender, and had paid GH30,000 to the three complainants.

However, the court looked at the ascendency of visa fraud cases within its jurisdiction and the premeditated way the accused executed his plan, he said.

The prosecution called five witnesses to establish a case against Awu, who did not call any witness after testifying himself.

The prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Jonas Lawer, told the court that the complainants resided at Sefwi, while the accused resided at Pokuase in Accra.

The first complainant was Jackson Mensah, a Mobile Money agent, the second, Ernest Opoku, was a farmer, and the third, Kwarteng Kwasi Cyprin, unemployed.

In October 2021, Mensah discussed with his brother-in-law, Kenneth Biney, that he wanted to travel abroad.

Biney linked up with one Baffour who also introduced Awu to the complainants as someone who could assist them to secure travelling documents to travel to Germany.

The prosecution said through phone conversations, the complainants moved from Sefwi to Accra and met Awu at Achimota.

During their meetings, Awu showed them some visas he claimed to have secured for other people.

The complainants become convinced and Awu charged fees of GHC24,000, GHC24,000 and GHC30,400, respectively, with the assurance that he would secure them the German visas within three weeks.

Awu failed to honour his promise and kept assuring them that everything will be fine.

On February 25, 2022, Awu took the complainants to the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) and told them that they were to depart to Germany.

After moving around for some time, Awu informed them that they were late for the flight, so he had to book another flight for them on another day.

Chief Inspector Lawer said the complainants became suspicious and reported the case to the police. On March 4, 2022, Awu was arrested.

In his caution statement, he admitted having collected monies from the complainant but failed to secure them the visas.

Awu was granted police enquiry bail on the same day, but he failed co-operate with the police and he also jumped bail.

Prosecution said the Regional Criminal Investigations, Accra, received information that Awu had been arrested in a similar offence at the Tesano Police Station.
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Preacher jailed 5 years for vandalism at Parliament House

Justice Agbenorsi Dec - 20 - 2024 , 16:23 1 minute read

An Accra Circuit Court has sentenced a preacher, Christopher Kofi Okyere Sorkpa, to five years in prison for vandalising the windscreens of vehicles at Parliament House.

The 33-year-old pleaded guilty to six counts of conspiracy and causing unlawful damage and was handed the sentence by the presiding judge, Samuel Bright Asiedu.

His accomplice, 41-year-old Wisdom Ahli, who faces the same charges, has been remanded into police custody. The prosecution, led by Superintendent Augustine Yirenkyi, informed the court that Ahlis charges required amendments and requested an adjournment. The case has been adjourned to January 9, 2025.

Prosecutions facts

According to the prosecution, the complainants, Inspector Adu Yeboah and Aaron Awuah, are police officers stationed at Parliament House.

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On December 18, 2024, at about 11:00 a.m., Sorkpa and Ahli sneaked into the Parliament House car park. Sorkpa, carrying a handbag concealing an earth chisel, used the tool to damage the windscreens of two Toyota V8 vehicles, two Toyota Camry saloon cars, and one Rav 4 vehicle belonging to Members of Parliament and Parliamentary Service staff.

Ahli was reportedly praising Sorkpa as he caused the damage. Both men were arrested and admitted to the offence in their caution statements, given in the presence of an independent witness.

Superintendent Yirenkyi stated, After investigations, the accused persons were charged with the offences and arraigned before this honourable court.
Next article: Parliament adjourns to January 2 without approving Expenditure in Advance of Appropriation

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Afenyo-Markin blames NDC for disrupting government business, delaying transitional budget approval

Mohammed Ali Politics Dec - 20 - 2024 , 18:13 2 minutes read

The Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has accused the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) of deliberate obstruction of parliamentary business, blaming their actions for the delays in approving expenditure plans critical for Ghanas public service in early 2025.

During a press briefing following Parliaments adjournment to January 2, 2025, Mr. Afenyo-Markin assured the nation that the majority, led by the Finance Minister, remains ready to present the expenditure plan whenever Parliament is reconvened, even before December 31, 2024.

Should Mr Speaker reconvene Parliament anytime soon before December 31, 2024, we as a majority, led by the finance minister, will proceed to do this expenditure on account to enable Ghanaian public servants to benefit, he stated.

He dismissed claims that the Finance Minister was unprepared, pointing out that the expenditure proposal had been submitted to Parliament as early as October 23, 2024. Instead, he blamed what he described as the lawlessness of the NDC minority for obstructing parliamentary business, including earlier sittings to address the budget.

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It is as a result of the NDCs lawlessness that we are where we are. Enough of the chaos. We call on Mr Speaker to demonstrate firmness to stop the lawlessness of the NDC minority, Mr. Afenyo-Markin said.

The Majority Leader also highlighted previous instances where the opposition allegedly refused to cooperate, including their initial occupation of majority seats during parliamentary sittings. He expressed frustration over what he termed as inconsistent behaviour by the minority.

Why is it that when Mr Speaker gave notice of Parliament resuming on the 16th, they went to their own seats? What suddenly changed? he questioned.

Mr. Afenyo-Markin reaffirmed the majoritys commitment to ensuring the passage of critical legislation and financial plans, including the pre-SHS bill and the expenditure on account, in the interest of Ghanaians.

Anytime Mr Speaker convenes Parliament, we will act as a responsible government to do what is necessary, he said, reiterating the majoritys readiness to work despite opposition challenges.

The delays in addressing the transitional expenditure have sparked concerns, as Ghanaians await a resolution to ensure uninterrupted public service funding in the first quarter of 2025.
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Minority Leader criticises government over failure to present first-quarter 2025 budget expenditure

Mohammed Ali Politics Dec - 20 - 2024 , 16:51 2 minutes read

The Minority Leader, Cassiel Ato Forson has criticised the outgoing government for failing to present a proposal for expenditure in advance of appropriation to cover Ghanas financial obligations for the first quarter of 2025.

Addressing the press after Parliament adjourned until January 2, 2025, Mr. Ato Forson expressed disappointment in the outgoing governments handling of the transition process, cautioning that any unmet commitments between January 1 and January 7, 2025, would fall squarely on the shoulders of the Akufo-Addo administration.

While we are very disappointed about this development, we want to caution the outgoing Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government that they will be responsible for all unmet commitments and obligations of the state from January 1 to January 7, 2025, he stated.

Under Ghanas Constitution, the outgoing president is expected to propose expenditure under Article 180 to ensure the public service is adequately catered for during the transitional period.

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Mr. Forson noted that this critical step was overlooked, leaving the state without the legal framework to manage expenditures at the start of the year.

In the spirit of good transition, it was expected that the outgoing president, acting pursuant to Article 180 of the Constitution, would have brought before this Parliament a proposal for expenditure to cater for the first quarter of 2025. Sadly, President Akufo-Addo plans to leave the public service uncatered for, Ato Forson lamented.

Despite this, the Minority Leader assured Ghanaians that the incoming National Democratic Congress (NDC) government would act swiftly to address the situation after taking office on January 7, 2025.

He explained that the Vice President could present the expenditure in advance of appropriation to Parliament after the swearing-in, and the legislature would expedite its approval.

The NDC government that will take office on January 7, 2025, will act with dispatch to cater for expenditure for the first quarter of the year 2025, Mr. Forson assured.
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Parliament adjourns to January 2 without approving Expenditure in Advance of Appropriation

Nana Konadu Agyeman Politics Dec - 20 - 2024 , 17:47 3 minutes read

Parliament has adjourned its seventh meeting of the fourth session of the Eighth Parliament to January 2, 2025, without approving the GH68.13 million Expenditure in Advance of Appropriation meant to cover public sector salaries for January to March 2025.

Speaker of Parliament Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin announced the adjournment following an agreement reached by the House's leadership.

Following from yesterdays proceedings and pre-sitting conclave meetings I held with the leadership of the House and in the spirit of that agreement and in the national interest, I proceed to adjourn the sittings of this meeting to January 2, 2025, he stated.

The sitting, which began at 2 pm, lasted only 20 minutes without addressing the advertised government business, which included the Free Secondary Education Bill, 2024, the Expenditure in Advance of Appropriation, a $250 million World Bank facility for the Ghana Financial Stability Project, and the Presidents nomination of two justices for the Supreme Court.

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Minority's concerns

The Minority Leader, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, addressing the media after the adjournment, criticised the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government for failing to comply with Article 180 of the Constitution.

He said, In the spirit of good transition, it was expected that the outgoing President, acting pursuant to Article 180, would have acted in good faith and bring before Parliament a proposal for expenditure to cater for the first quarter of the year 2025.

Dr Forson accused President Akufo-Addo of neglecting to ensure the public service would be catered for in the first quarter of 2025, saying, Sadly, President Akufo-Addo planned to leave the public service uncatered for in the first quarter of the year 2025.

He assured Ghanaians that the incoming National Democratic Congress (NDC) government, led by President-Elect John Dramani Mahama, would act swiftly after taking office on January 7, 2025, to address the expenditure needs for the first quarter.

There is no cause for alarm. Even though there would be no Finance Minister on January 7, 2025, the Vice President could present to the House the Expenditure in Advance Appropriation any time after the swearing-in on January 7, he noted.

Dr Forson cautioned the outgoing Akufo-Addo-Bawumia administration that it would be held accountable for unmet commitments and obligations of state between January 1 and 7, 2025.

Majority responds

At a separate press conference, Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin accused the Minority of intentionally obstructing government business since Parliament resumed.

In Parliament, the procedure when a matter is introduced is to lay a paper, make a referral to a committee, and, when the committee completes its report, present, debate, and take a decision, he explained.

However, he alleged, The NDCs strategy has been that, despite all these procedures, they would not allow any paper to even be laid. Neither will they allow a report of a committee to be tabled, debated, or considered.

Mr. Afenyo-Markin lamented the Minoritys posture in blocking discussions on critical matters, including the Free SHS Bill, the Environmental Protection Bill, the $250 million World Bank financial sector support, and the nominations for the Supreme Court.

We have also had the 1D1F, where they themselves brought proposals to us and the government side accepted those proposals, which led to significant savings. Yet, the NDC lawless Minority will not allow the report to be taken, he said.

Assuring Ghanaians of the Majoritys readiness to advance the Expenditure on Account, he said, There is no way we will ambush our own fortunes as a nation.
Honor will launch the Magic7 Pro soon, as evident from multiple regulatory listings. The smartphone was certified with the GCF in the United Kingdom, NBTC in Thailand, EEC for Russia and some European markets, and it was also spotted on the TUV certification website with a class III protection.



Honor Magic7 Pro on stage at the Snapdragon Summit

The phone, which will have model number PTP-N49, will measure 162.2 x 77.1 x 8.8 mm and weigh 223 grams. According to a Geekbench listing, it will arrive with a Qualcomm SM8750 platform, which is the current flagship chipset, Snapdragon 8 Elite.

It will also have a 12 GB RAM option and will ship with Android 15, likely with MagicOS 9.0 on top.

The Geekbench results are 3,112 for a single core and 9,259 for multiple cores, which align with our in-house tests of Snapdragon 8 Elite-powered devices.

The Magic7 Pro will be Honor's true flagship for 2025, and we are waiting to see what new AI features based on the company's proprietary MagicLM will come with the phone.

Via
A man and a woman were arrested and charged after police executed a search warrant at a Tamuning apartment and found drugs, a magistrates complaint filed in Superior Court states.

Joseph John Sablan, 55, and Kathleen Christina Walerski, 32, were both charged with possession of a Schedule II controlled substance with intent to distribute as a first-degree felony and possession of a Schedule II controlled substance as a third-degree felony.

Around 6 a.m. Dec. 17, Guam police and federal task force officers executed a search warrant of three units at an apartment in Tamuning that were suspected of unlawfully distributing methamphetamine.

Police found Sablan and Walerski along with her two kids inside one of the units. Sablan and Walerski were identified in the search warrant and were known to reside there.

Officers discovered a metal ammunition can holding ten baggies containing suspected methamphetamine, the complaint states.

Also in the metal can was a wallet containing cash and identifying documents belonging to Sablan.

The total weight of the baggies was 12.17 gross grams and the baggies appeared to police officers to be packaged for distribution, documents state.

The weights of the baggies ranged from 0.48 grams to 1.27 grams. Most weighed between 1.24 and 1.27 grams.

The bags were later field tested, which yielded a presumptive positive result for the presence of methamphetamine, the complaint states.

A digital scale was also found inside the unit, as well as several baggies containing suspected methamphetamine residue.

A bag that Walerski identified as hers was located in the bedroom. The bag contained a clear plastic straw and a clear plastic baggie containing a brown crystallized substance suspected to be methamphetamine, the complaint states.

She admitted ownership of the straw and the baggie and identified the brown residue as methamphetamine, documents state.

She also claimed ownership of a box containing baggies with suspected methamphetamine residue and a plastic bag containing small clear resealable plastic baggies, the complaint states.

Sablan admitted ownership of the ammunition can and the suspected methamphetamine inside it.

He said that the methamphetamine was for personal use. He also admitted to giving some of it away to his friends and others who do favors for him but denied selling it, documents state.

Walerski told police that she knew about Sablan distributing methamphetamine. She initially denied participating in the distribution, however, when officers confronted her with evidence of her participation, she said she did what she had to do in order to keep herself and her children off the streets, the complaint states.

Police observed people coming in and out of the apartments for a duration of only minutes including the one the two stayed in.

The behavior indicated to them that the units were involved in drug trafficking, the complaint states.

On Dec. 3, police stopped a vehicle they observed visiting Sablan and Walerskis unit. The occupants were found with suspected methamphetamine.

One person told police she bought methamphetamine. She gave $30 to a woman she believed to be named Katherine but went by Kat.

After giving Kat the money, the woman waited in the living room with Kats two children and heard Kat speaking with someone she could not identify in the bedroom.

Kat then returned with a baggie of methamphetamine.

The woman said that Kat had a tattoo with her childrens names surrounded by a tribal design on her arm. Walerski has a tattoo matching that description, the complaint states.

The other person in the car said he knew that Sablan was a methamphetamine user.

Sablan was arrested at the precinct around 10:06 a.m. Dec.17 and Walerski around 8:53 a.m. on Dec. 17, documents state.




Haiti - FLASH : JetBlue maintains the suspension of its flights to/from Haiti





On Thursday, December 19, 2024, American low-cost airline JetBlue announced the extension of its suspension of flights to and from Haiti until April 30, 2025, after one of its planes was shot down last November



According to what the company had reported at the time, the suspension was to last until December 2nd, which was renewed until next year with the promise of an update if necessary.



"Our top priority is the safety and well-being of our customers and crew members. Due to the civil unrest in Haiti, we have made the decision to suspend all flights to and from the country until at least April 30. We will continue to monitor the situation and update our plans if necessary," said a statement from the company.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-43826-haiti-flash-faa-extends-restrictions-on-us-aircraft-flights-to-haiti-until-march-2025.html



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping...





Invitation : "Makaya Fair"

The Ministry of Youth is organizing this Friday, December 20, 2024 "The Makaya Fair" at the Ministry's headquarters in Freres from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Local craft and gastronomic exhibition, cultural activities, brain game competitions, among others, will be organized on the occasion of this fair.



Towards solutions for the diaspora

This Tuesday, December 10, 2024, a meeting was held between J.E Kathia Verdier, Minister of Haitians Living Abroad and Pierre Rene Francois, Director General of the Central Directorate of the Judicial Police (DCPJ). During this exchange, the discussion focused on possible solutions to the problems of applying for a police certificate (criminal record) for our compatriots living abroad, border registration for recently deported Haitians and, above all, mechanisms to ensure the protection of the property of fellow citizens in the diaspora against any form of vandalism or usurpation.



Rehabilitation of the Mais Gate road

The Ministry of Public Works has initiated an ambitious project to improve access to Toussaint Louverture International Airport (AITL). This project includes the rehabilitation of the Mais Gate road over approximately 1.9 km, thus providing access to Toussaint Louverture Boulevard via Clercine 2. One section has already been completed in hydraulic concrete, while the other section in bituminous concrete is currently underway. In addition, a 650-meter drainage channel is being completed in Clercine 2, in order to prevent flooding and optimize traffic.



Traditional New Year's Greetings Ceremony

This Thursday, December 19, 2024, the Presidential Transitional Council (CPT) organized the traditional New Year's greetings ceremony and wished Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2025 with the various authorities of the country. Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime and members of his government, several members of the diplomatic corps, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Haiti, the Director General of the National Police and representatives of the various sectors of the country participated in this special event.



Speech by Leslie Voltaire President pro tempore of the Transitional Council :







Bernard Mevs Hospital, WHO reaction

"The latest attack on the hospital Bernard Mevs of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, is appalling https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-43869-haiti-flash-gangs-set-fire-to-bernard-mevs-hospital-considerable-damage-video.html and leaves the country with only one major hospital still in service. Haitians are facing some of the worst violence imaginable and their health needs are only increasing," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO).



Canada : Closing of the Literary Year of the Embassy of Haiti

The Book Club of the Embassy of Haiti in Canada successfully closed its literary year, during a memorable evening at the Missions library. During this evening, participants shared precious memories of the festive period in Haiti. They also had the pleasure of tasting typical dishes of our region : cassava mamba, hot chocolate, ginger-lemongrass tea, griot, pates, syrup candy, all accompanied by songs from our rich repertoire of Haitian Christmas music. Each participant received a book as a gift from the Embassy, as a wish for a happy holiday season.



Qatar National Day

The Embassy of Haiti in Qatar is proud to join the State of Qatar in celebrating its National Day. [December 18]. "We wish the brotherly people of Qatar, good continuation in their unwavering faith, great pride, continued progress, as well as the strengthening of ties between our two Nations."



HL/ HaitiLibre


















The Finnish Tax Administration reminded earlier this month that the tax credit for household expenses will be lowered from a maximum of 2,250 euros to 1,600 euros for renovations and from a maximum of 3,500 to 1,600 euros for care, nursing, household work and physical therapy.

THE NEW YEAR will bring a number of changes to taxation in Finland.

The credit will amount to 35 per cent of the expenses, signalling a reduction of five percentage points for renovations and 25 percentage points for care, nursing, household work and physical therapy. The credit threshold, meanwhile, will rise from 100 to 150 euros.

The increased credit  60 per cent of the expenses up to 3,500 euros a year  will remain available only for households transitioning away from oil heating.

Next year is also set to bring price increases as products such as books, medications, exercise services and transport fares will be moved from the 10-per-cent to the 14-per-cent value-added tax scheme. On the other hand, the value-added tax on diapers, menstrual hygiene products and incontinence protection will be lowered from 25.5 to 14 per cent.

The tax on alcohol and tobacco products will be raised gradually in 20252027.

Small businesses will be affected by changes to value-added tax liability rules. Businesses will be required to register for value-added tax if their turnover for the calendar year exceeds 20,000 euros. Previously the requirement has applied to businesses with a turnover of at least 15,000 euros for the 11-month accounting period.

The value-added tax relief scheme, which has been available to companies with a turnover of less than 30,000 euros, will be scrapped.

One of the first visible changes for taxpayers is that the tax card will come into effect in January rather than in February. The Finnish Tax Administration said the change will make it easier to keep track of the tax rate and income ceiling, along with the long-requested change of calculating the ceiling for the full year instead of 11 months.

The filing deadlines for pre-completed tax returns will be moved forward by about three weeks to 15, 22 and 29 April. The deadline for confirming real estate tax returns will be moved forward to 15 April.

The filing deadlines will not change for corporations, self-employed individuals and agricultural and forestry operators.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT
A FARMER and his daughter brought a cow to Westminster to protest against the changes to inheritance tax.

David Passmore, who owns 500 acres of land in Ewelme, brought Vicky, a Limousin heifer, to a gathering in College Green on Tuesday.

His family, including daughter, Bella, 12, were joined by Freddie van Mierlo, the Liberal Democrat MP for Henley, Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the Conservatives, and other members of her shadow cabinet.

The protest was against the Governments policy that inherited agricultural assets worth more than 1million, which were previously exempt, will be liable to tax at 20 per cent from April 2026.

Labour chancellor Rachel Reeves has said that around 520 estates are expected to be affected by the reforms. But according to estimates from the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers, up to 75,000 individual farm company owners could be impacted in the upcoming generation.

The protest was organised ahead of delivering the Stop the family farm tax petition to the government in an attempt to overturn the ruling.

Mr Passmore, who travelled for more than two hours to support the petition and other small farming families, called the tax spiteful.

He said: It doesnt achieve any of its aims because its not going after people using agricultural property relief for farmers as a tax dodge, its catching out the genuine bona fide family farms, which is just an appalling policy.

Its just bad guidance from them to just come up with the same line that there is a 22 billion black hole  its like a broken record. The government should be about listening, acting and getting policies which achieve an aim but theyre not budging.

Mr Passmore worries that the farm, which he has owned since 1959, will not be feasible to pass on to his daughter, who wishes to continue herding cattle.

He said: If I was to invest in my farm now and then die, it would just increase the tax bills, so why would I invest in the business when youre going to leave your children with an even bigger tax bill? Its appalling.

Mr Passmore said he is concerned about the livelihoods of older farmers who may not be able to reap the benefits of a lifetimes work.

He said: Its an industry, sadly, with very high suicide rates for a whole number of reasons. Youve got farmers who are in their old age and dont want to be a burden on their family or their children. But if they died the day after April 6, 2026, they could leave their family with a multimillion-pound tax bill thats completely unaffordable. They have worked all their lives to build up their multi-generational farming business, which has been built up with livestock, their buildings and land. You have the government saying you can gift it away on a seven-year rule but if youre in your 90s or have a terminal illness, you havent got seven years.

Having a tax puts people in impossible situations where they think the unthinkable and it catches out the unlucky.

Mr van Mierlo said: Farmers across the constituency and the country have been squeezed for a very long time. They were impacted very badly by Brexit and the poorly managed transition to replacement of basic payments and very bad trade deals that were agreed with Australia and New Zealand under Conservatives and now under Labour.

In our manifesto, we put forward a billion pounds a year to invest in farming. I think farmers are fantastic stewards of the countryside and really care about their businesses and obviously form a vital role within our economy as well producing the food that we eat. We should be getting behind them.

Clearly there are issues around people who have been buying up land to escape tax but Labours reforms are very badly thought through. They dont target the right people and family farmers, ordinary farmers are going to be hit really badly by this. Thats what theyre telling me and thats why Im opposing it.

We need Labour to listen to the really valid concerns of the farming industry, farmers, tenant farmers and farming businesses as well, who supply machinery and have that kind of small business as well, to make sure that they are not doing something that cant be taken back.


Friday December 20, 2024

By JAVIRA SSEBWAMI





Ugandas Minister for Foreign Affairs, Gen. Jeje Odongo, addresses a ministerial meeting on the situation in Somalia and post-ATMIS security arrangements via video link, emphasizing the need for sustainable funding for the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM)

Ugandas Minister for Foreign Affairs, Gen. Jeje Odongo, addresses a ministerial meeting on the situation in Somalia and post-ATMIS security arrangements via video link, emphasizing the need for sustainable funding for the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM)

KAMPALA, Uganda  Gen. Jeje Odongo, Ugandas Minister for Foreign Affairs, emphasized the importance of sustainable funding for the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) during a ministerial meeting on the situation in Somalia and post-ATMIS security arrangements.

The minister urged the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) and Jubaland to engage in dialogue to resolve their differences. He also welcomed the conclusion of the Ankara Agreement between Somalia and Ethiopia, signed on December 11, 2024.

Odongo emphasized the need for the FGS to prioritize force generation and integration of accountable, affordable, self-sustaining, and able security forces. He warned that AUSSOM should not face the same challenges as AMISOM/ATMIS, including inadequate force multipliers and enablers, and insufficient funding.

The minister strongly supported the immediate and full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2719 to finance AUSSOM, starting from January 1, 2025. He also urged the African Union Commission, the UN, and international partners to mobilize funding to fill the ATMIS deficit of $120 million by December 31, 2024.

In his closing remarks, Odongo emphasized the need for careful harmonization of the ATMIS exit with AUSSOM to avoid a security gap. He thanked the chair and participants for their attention to the matter.
China's largest desert fully encircled with green belt

14:51, December 20, 2024 By Aerdake ( People's Daily

The Taklimakan Desert, the largest desert in China, has been completely encircled by a green belt stretching 3,046 km on Nov. 28, according to the Xinjiang regional forestry and grassland bureau.

Covering 337,600 square km with a circumference of 3,046 km, the Taklimakan Desert lies between the Tianshan and the Kunlun mountains. It is the world's second-largest drifting desert, stretching about 1,000 km east to west and 400 km north to south.

Photo taken on Nov. 27 shows sand control workers shaking hands to celebrate the completion of the green belt in the Pishan section of the Taklimakan Desert. (Photo/Hu Lizheng)

It has taken more than 40 years to fully enclose the desert with a green belt. By the end of 2023, a 2,761-km-long green belt had been built, leaving only 285 km unfinished, which is also the most challenging section. Followed by arduous efforts, the final stretch was fully bridged on Nov. 28, creating a complete ecological shield around the desert.

Xinjiang's Hotan prefecture, located on the southern edge of the Taklimakan Desert, is surrounded by sand on three sides. It was the region most affected by sandstorms in southern Xinjiang, and thereby faced the biggest challenge in sand control.

After taking a range of targeted measures such as making grass grids, the sandstorm-prone area has managed to contain the desert's expansion. The expansive grass grids now resemble vast nets that anchor the shifting dunes. Up close, desert shrubs such as saxaul and tamarisk sway gently in the wind, thriving within the grids.

According to Wang Zhenxi, an official with the Xinjiang regional forestry and grassland bureau, the shifting dunes in the Taklimakan Desert covers about 258,400 square km, with wind speeds often exceeding level 8. The desert receives less than 80 millimeters of rainfall annually.

Photo shows sand control barriers in Yutian county, Hotan prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. (People's Daily Online/Wang Zhiqing)

Thanks to more than four decades of efforts as part of China's Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program, the world's largest afforestation program to tackle desertification, Xinjiang has made great achievements in sand control.

Its forest coverage rate has increased to 5.06 percent from only 1.03 percent in 1978. The area of artificial oases has grown from 65,000 square km to 100,000 square km over the past 30 years, an increase of about 54 percent.

According to China's sixth national survey of desertification and land degradation conducted in 2022, the desertified and sandy land areas in Xinjiang decreased by 1,956 square km and 242.82 square km respectively.

However, the remaining sandy land poses even greater challenges due to severe desertification and poorer soil conditions. To tackle these arduous challenges, Xinjiang has introduced a comprehensive plan to fortify the edges of the Taklimakan Desert. The plan covers a total treatment area of 32.658 million mu (about 2.18 million hectares) with an estimated investment of 12.355 billion yuan ($1.7 billion) and is set to continue until 2030.

"We will take steps including afforestation, grass planting, and engineering measures to fix sand so that we can lock the desert's edges, and build protective forest and grass belts to contain the desert's expansion. We have also launched targeted projects in sandstorm source areas to mitigate the impact of wind and sand," Wang explained.

Growers harvest cistanche deserticola, commonly known as desert-broomrape, in Yutian county, Hotan prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. (Photo/Hu Lizheng)

"Within oases, we will bridge the gaps in shelterbelts and address blank spots in desertification control. The ultimate goal is to achieve 'wind prevention, sand blockage, and dust control,' so as to improve the overall ecological environment," Wang said.

By fostering the entire industrial chain and seeking diversified approaches to development, Xinjiang has achieved the integrated development of desert ecology and sand industry.

In Hotan prefecture, Yutian county has established a complete industrial chain for cistanche deserticola, commonly known as desert-broomrape, and an industrial park for desert rose, boosting income for farmers. In Cele county, red dates are cultivated according to local conditions, with lush orchards forming green barriers that shield villages from encroaching sand.

Statistics show that Xinjiang now boasts 1.845 million mu of specialized commercial crops in desert areas, with the sand sector's annual output value reaching 4.37 billion yuan.

With the successful completion of the green barrier, this region, once plagued by harsh sandstorms, is set to embrace renewed vitality and flourishing ecosystems.

(Web editor: Chang Sha, Liang Jun)
Cultural tourism thrives in C China's Henan

People's Daily Online) 10:40, December 20, 2024

Photo shows a live-action performance staged in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province. (People's Daily Online/Wang Pei)

Central China's Henan Province boasts rich historical and cultural resources associated with the Yellow River. By tapping into these treasures and embracing innovation, Henan has rolled out new ideas, scenarios, and experiences themed on the Yellow River culture.

Along the Yellow River in Henan, there are over 200 museums and heritage sites that serve as windows for people to understand the Yellow River culture. Data shows that from January to July this year, museums in Henan received over 42.6 million tourist visits.

During this year's National Day holiday in early October, the top five scenic areas that received the most tourist arrivals in Henan were all situated in cities along the Yellow River. The Yellow River cultural tourism belt has truly emerged as the most prominent and dynamic region within Henan's cultural and tourism sector.

Huang Dongsheng, director of the Culture and Tourism Department of Henan Province, said Henan is planning to construct a tourism road spanning approximately 4,810 kilometers. This road will connect 38 popular scenic areas and 46 lesser-known but equally captivating spots along the Yellow River.

Photo shows the Luoyi ancient city in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province. (Photo courtesy of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Laocheng District Committee)

Major cities in the province, like Luoyang and Zhengzhou, are also doing their part to improve the experience for tourists.

During the holidays, Li Xinmin goes all out with makeup. As a Hanfu makeup artist in Luoyang, she regularly receives dozens of tourists daily during peak season. In the past, the city saw its peak tourism season in just one month when its peony flowers bloomed. Nowadays, it receives tourists throughout the year. "I feel that Luoyang has a richer cultural atmosphere nowadays, with people wearing Hanfu commonly seen on the streets, and the presence of more interesting museums," said a local citizen.

By promoting tourism through its rich cultural heritage, Luoyang has enhanced the depth of travel experiences for visitors. The integration of culture into the tourism industry has drawn tourists to Luoyang even during off-peak seasons.

Photo shows a Shanzhou Luogushu performance. Shanzhou Luogushu is a story-telling performance. It is a national-level intangible cultural heritage in China. (People's Daily Online/Wang Pei)

After learning about the immersive theater complex "Unique Henan: Land of Drama" on a video platform, Chen Jie was captivated and immediately traveled to Zhengzhou, the provincial capital of Henan, to attend a play. The theater at Zhengzhou Railway Station left a lasting impression on her. Inspired by this experience, she made the decision to further explore the cultural treasures of Henan.

"Unique Henan: Land of Drama" consists of 21 theaters. Offering shows with a total length of nearly 700 minutes, it encapsulates the rich culture of the Yellow River and Central Plains. From January to November this year, the complex attracted more than 20 million tourist visits, with over 70 percent of them hailing from outside the province. Notably, 85 percent of the audience members were born after 1985.

Henan has established a database of Yellow River cultural heritage resources, identifying 947 provincial-level and above intangible cultural heritage projects, as well as 488 major cultural heritage sites. Seven national archaeological site parks have been built, creating a world-class heritage site protection corridor along the Yellow River. Additionally, nine national-level and 55 provincial-level nighttime cultural and tourism consumption zones have been established along the Yellow River.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed readiness on Thursday to negotiate a compromise over Ukraine in potential discussions with President-elect Donald Trump to resolve the ongoing conflict. Putin stated he had no preconditions for initiating talks with Ukrainian authorities.

Trump, known for portraying himself as a skilled dealmaker and author of the 1987 book "Trump: The Art of the Deal," has pledged to quickly bring an end to the war, though he has yet to outline a concrete strategy for achieving this goal.

During his annual question-and-answer session with Russian citizens on state TV, President Vladimir Putin responded to a U.S. news reporter's inquiry, stating that he was open to meeting with President-elect Donald Trump, whom he had not spoken to in years.

When asked what Russia might offer Trump, Putin rejected the notion that Russia was in a weakened position. He emphasized that Russia had grown significantly stronger since he ordered troops into Ukraine in 2022.

"We have always said that we are ready for negotiations and compromises," Putin said.

"Soon, those Ukrainians who want to fight will run out, in my opinion, soon there will be no one left who wants to fight. We are ready, but the other side needs to be ready for both negotiations and compromises."

Putin said Thursday that Russia had no preconditions for starting talks with Ukraine and was willing to negotiate with anyone, including President Volodymyr Zelensky. However, he insisted that any deal could only be signed with what the Kremlin considered Ukraine's legitimate authorities, which, for now, was the Ukrainian parliament.

Putin clarified that Zelensky, whose term was extended under martial law, would need to be re-elected for Moscow to regard him as a legitimate signatory to any agreement, ensuring its legal validity.

He dismissed the idea of agreeing to a temporary truce with Kyiv, emphasizing that only a lasting peace deal would be acceptable. Putin also mentioned that talks should begin with a preliminary agreement made in Istanbul in the early stages of the war, although this agreement was never implemented. Many Ukrainian politicians view the draft deal as a form of capitulation that would have undermined Ukraine's military and political ambitions.
A post from Elon Musk on his platform X claiming that only the far-right AfD party can "save Germany" sparked accusations Friday that he was seeking to interfere in the country's upcoming election.

The billionaire, set to play a key role in US President-elect Donald Trump's administration as "efficiency czar", posted the message over a video commentary about the leader of Germany's centre-right CDU party Friedrich Merz.

The video criticised Merz, on course to become the next chancellor after February elections according to polls, for his refusal to work with the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD), currently polling in second place.

The German government was at pains to avoid any strong comment, but lawmakers from across mainstream parties, which have all ruled out cooperating with the AfD, reacted with outrage to Musk's comment.

"It is threatening, irritating and unacceptable for a key figure in the future US government to interfere in the German election campaign," Dennis Radtke, an MEP for the centre-right CDU, told the Handelsblatt daily.

Germans are set to go to the polls on February 23 after the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition last month in a row over the budget.

Radtke called Musk a "threat to democracy in the Western world", accusing the world's richest man of turning X, previously called Twitter, into a "disinformation slingshot".

Alex Schaefer, a lawmaker from Scholz's centre-left Social Democrats, said Musk's post was "completely unacceptable".

"We are very close to the Americans, but now bravery is required towards our friend. We object to interference in our election campaign," Schaefer told the Tagesspiegel daily.

Former finance minister Christian Lindner, from the pro-business FDP party, said that some of Musk's ideas had "inspired" him but urged the Tesla boss not to "rush to conclusions from afar".

"While migration control is crucial for Germany, the AfD stands against freedom, business -- and it's a far-right extremist party," tweeted the politician, whose fallout with Scholz triggered the coalition's implosion.

Scholz himself was restrained when asked about Musk's comments, noting: "We have freedom of expression, which also applies to multi-billionaires".

He added that this "means that you can say things that are not right and do not contain good political advice".

For its part, the AfD warmly welcomed Musk's praise with co-leader Alice Weidel thanking him in a video message, and saying her party was "the one and only alternative for our country".

At a regular press conference in Berlin, a government spokesman avoided commenting directly on Musk's post, reiterating Scholz's point that Germany respects freedom of expression.

But she added the government was worried about "how X has developed in recent years, especially since Elon Musk took over".

Despite such concerns, the government had decided not to close its accounts on the platform as it remained an important channel for reaching out to people, she said.

It is not the first time Musk has weighed in on German politics.

Last month he tweeted in German that "Olaf is a fool" after the collapse of Scholz's government -- with the chancellor responding that the comments were "not very friendly".

And last year Musk said Berlin-funded migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean could be seen as an "invasion" of Italy.

Tesla has a factory outside Berlin, and Musk visited Germany ahead of the last national elections in 2021, meeting with Armin Laschet, who was then the candidate for the CDU/CSU bloc to become chancellor.

Laschet went on to lead the conservatives to their worst-ever results at the polls.

There have also been concerns in Britain that Musk is taking a close interest in the country's political scene, appearing to cosy up to hard-right firebrand lawmaker Nigel Farage.
Capping off an exceptionally busy twelve months, earlier this week the Veriu Group officially opened the doors of its latest property, Veriu Macquarie Park.

Located in Lane Cove Road in the heart of Sydney's thriving Macquarie Park business hub, and developed in partnership with HOLDMARK Property Group, the new hotel brings the total number of properties in the boutique apartment hotel operator's rapidly expanding portfolio to 25.

With 184 studio and one-bedroom apartments, this is the Group's largest hotel to date - and one of the biggest in the area. Guests staying at the new state-of-the-art apartment property will have access to a full suite of top-notch offerings and amenities, not to mention the style, quality and innovation for which the Veriu brand has become increasingly renowned.

As with other properties in the Veriu portfolio, the hotel features plenty of configured and contemporary spaces. Each fully self-contained apartment (including Studio, Accessible Studio, One, Two Bedroom- Adjoining and Adjoining Studio options) is perfectly 'suited and booted' for longer stay solo travellers - and all come equipped with kitchen facilities, desks and fast, high-quality internet.

Alongside this, 24-hour reception with self-check-in and check-out kiosks for seamless service, expansive conference and meeting facilities, an outdoor terrace, guest pantry, gym and in-room laundry facilities, plus plenty of car parking, and even bike racks and rental bikes for eco-conscious travellers, will cater to both the corporate and leisure market, with the new property expected to deliver the ease and accessibility of the office with all the comforts of home. And for guests in need of a little sustenance, on-site eatery, Smith's Collective Cafe, is also the place to head for premium continental breakfasts and freshly baked pastries.

One of Sydney's major business and technology precincts, Macquarie Park is home to numerous multinational corporations, research institutions, as well as Macquarie Hospital and Macquarie University. Its location midway between Newcastle and Sydney also makes it a crucial link in the state's economic corridor, enhancing the new hotel's appeal to the high volume of business travellers and professionals attending conferences, meetings, and training programs in the area.

2024 has been a busy one for the Victorian-based Group, with a raft of openings including Punthill Sunshine in Melbourne's busy western corridor; its first regional NSW Punthill property - Punthill Maitland; and its first ACT property - Punthill Tuggeranong. Construction is also well underway on Punthill Ryde in Sydney's north west, with the Group's first South Australian property - Veriu King William Adelaide, expected to launch early next year.

More announcements about the opening of new Veriu and Punthill apartment hotels at various sites are expected from the Veriu Group in the coming months.

Hotel website
As a Premium Partner of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, we embraced our shared values of excellence and responsibility, uniting the world in celebration. Our storied heritage propelled us to new heights, marked by significant anniversaries and milestones, including the 60th anniversary of Sofitel and the impressive 1000th Mercure hotel opening. With over 250 new openings and impactful collaborations  ranging from our alliance with Kylian Mbappe to empower younger generations, to our partnership with LVMH to take Orient Express to new horizons, and to Novotels Ocean Protection Partnership with WWF  we continue to redefine the art of hospitality. Together with our Heartists, we are dedicated to building bridges between communities, fostering a sustainable future, and crafting unforgettable experiences for all.

About Accor, a world-leading hospitality group

Accor is a world leading hospitality group offering experiences across more than 110 countries, with over 5,600 properties, 10,000 food & beverage venues, wellness facilities or flexible workspaces. The Group has one of the industry's most diverse hospitality ecosystems, encompassing more than 45 hotel brands from luxury to economy, as well as Lifestyle with Ennismore. Accor is focused on driving positive action through business ethics, responsible tourism, environmental sustainability, community engagement, diversity, and inclusivity. Founded in 1967, Accor SA is headquartered in France and publicly listed on Euronext Paris (ISIN code: FR0000120404) and on the OTC Market (Ticker: ACCYY) in the United States. For more information, please visit group.accor.com or follow us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok.
Kansas City, MO  Accentuated by upticks in brand loyalty and outbound tourism, Americans expressed their strong appetite for travel in the Winter Edition of MMGYs Portrait of American Travelers study released today. A quarterly examination of the evolving habits, preferences and behaviors of todays U.S. travel consumers, the survey found that nearly 8 in 10 U.S. adults plan to take a vacation in the next 12 months, a 7% increase since winter 2023.

Americans are eager to explore in 2025, with plans to spend significantly more and take more trips in the year ahead as the average vacation budget climbs to $5,051 and travel frequency rises to 4.1 trips per person.

Americans intent to travel is reaching its highest level in almost four years, eclipsing even the spikes we saw in the immediate post-pandemic surge. Our survey found that Americans are increasingly devoting larger portions of their disposable incomes to vacations, signaling a conscious choice to prioritize experiences and a robust commitment to travel in 2025. Simon Moriarty, MMGY Travel Intelligences Vice President of Research and Analytics

Additional highlights from the report follow.

Brand Loyalty: Signaling the rising importance of driving repeat business,the survey identified a significant increase in brand loyalty across all sectors  with airlines and hotels witnessing extensive growth in their loyalty program memberships. Hotel loyalty program members grew 6% since 2023, while airlines observed an even larger growth of 8%.

Signaling the rising importance of driving repeat business,the survey identified a significant increase in brand loyalty across all sectors  with airlines and hotels witnessing extensive growth in their loyalty program memberships. Hotel loyalty program members grew 6% since 2023, while airlines observed an even larger growth of 8%. Shifting Influences: Though their perceived authenticity may be waning over time, social media content creators and influencers were found to be more influential than celebrities when it comes to travel decisions. More than half (51%) of respondents said that they had been influenced somewhat or a great deal by influencers, compared to 41% by celebrities.

Though their perceived authenticity may be waning over time, social media content creators and influencers were found to be more influential than celebrities when it comes to travel decisions. More than half (51%) of respondents said that they had been influenced somewhat or a great deal by influencers, compared to 41% by celebrities. Traveling Abroad: Interest in international travel over the next six months is at its highest level since 2020, with far more travelers than in previous years planning trips between November and April. The low-cost and less-crowded nature of off-peak vacations continues to be alluring to American travelers.

Featuring these findings and more, the Winter Edition of Portrait of American Travelers is now available for purchase or as part of an all-access subscription to MMGYs Intel Library. To learn more, visit store.mmgyintel.com.

About the 2024Portrait of American Travelers

MMGYs Portrait of American Travelers study provides an in-depth examination of the impact of the current economic environment, prevailing social values and emerging travel habits, preferences and intentions of Americans. Now in its 34th year, it is widely regarded as a leading barometer of travel trends and an essential tool for developing and evolving brand and marketing strategies. The travel trend information presented in this Winter Edition report was obtained from interviews with 4,500 U.S. adults in OctoberNovember 2024 and features data from four generations: Gen Zers (1825), Millennials (2641), Gen Xers (4257) and Boomers (5876). The Silent/GI generation (77+) was also surveyed, but results are not broken out for this specific generation due to a small respondent sample size. This is the final of four quarterly reports to be released this year.

About MMGY Travel Intelligence

MMGY Travel Intelligence is MMGYs data and insights division, offering proprietary research including Portrait of American Travelers as well as DK Shifflets TRAVEL PERFORMANCE/MonitorSM, which utilizes the largest continuous consumer travel database in the industry. MMGY Travel Intelligences services are designed to power travel industry decision-makers through consumer insights, travel performance data, and audience modeling and segmentation. To learn more about the extensive collection of research, analytics capabilities and strategy services, visit mmgyintel.com or email [email protected].

About MMGY Global

MMGY Global is the world's leading integrated marketing firm specializing in the travel, hospitality and lifestyle industries. With operating brands across the world, the award-winning organization maintains a global communications practice in all marketing channels, serving many of the world's premier travel and tourism brands. As a company dedicated to the travel industry, MMGY Global strives to create a connected, inclusive and peaceful world by promoting travel as a cultural bridge of understanding. For more information, visit mmgyglobal.com.
As we wrap up 2024, Cendyn celebrates a year marked by significant milestones and collaborations in the hospitality industry. From a refreshed brand identity to prestigious award wins, Cendyn has dedicated efforts to help hoteliers worldwide connect with guests, drive bookings, and explore new revenue streams. This year, as the industry embraced technology to meet evolving traveler expectations, Cendyn led the way.

Enhancing the digital experience

In 2024, Cendyn transformed the digital landscape for hoteliers with tools that boost personalization and streamline operations. Our upgraded Digital Marketing Platform (DMP) now features an intuitive UI/UX, faster load times, and an optimized multichannel experience for improved campaign management. The revamped Content Management System (CMS) simplifies website management and enhances SEO, empowering hoteliers to attract and retain guests effortlessly.

Revolutionizing the booking process

Cendyn has redefined the booking experience with tools like a side-by-side calendar view, a shopping cart for multiple reservations, and integrated calendar bookings. Additionally, loyalty sign-ups embedded directly in the booking engine help hotels effortlessly nurture long-term relationships. These enhancements simplify checkout, driving conversions and creating a seamless user journey. Inclusivity and security are at the heart of the experience, with ADA compliance and Google reCAPTCHA building trust and accessibility.

Driving growth through personalization

Cendyns 2024 new tools enable hoteliers to deliver personalized experiences at every touchpoint, transforming each stay into a future booking. Enhanced contact profiles within Cendyn CRM provide revenue summaries, lifetime spending, and key stay details, while loyalty integration allows for enriched guest profiles and targeted, loyalty-driven campaigns.

Operational upgrades like PriorityQ and improved survey tools streamline processes, ensuring every interaction adds value and enhances guest satisfaction. Hoteliers can clone templates or segments across properties, send pre-configured offer letters to drive conversions, and integrate with spa and restaurant booking systems for a seamless guest experience. Combined with robust approval workflows and a customizable data dictionary, these tools set the stage for enhanced guest satisfaction and business growth.

Transforming revenue growth

Cendyns revitalized brand identity and consolidated product offering empower hoteliers to find new guests and boost revenue. The new Revenue Growth Package, leveraging AI, optimizes online presence and pricing strategies. With a global presence and over 32,000 hotel customers, Cendyn remains committed to driving commercial success for hoteliers worldwide.

Global connections and impact

Cendyns World Tour 2024 united hotel tech companies and professionals globally, visiting ten major cities, including New York City, Bangkok, Paris, London, and Dubai. In collaboration with Google, SiteMinder, and Oracle, the tour focused on empowering hoteliers with cutting-edge data and resources. These interactions provided valuable insights, refining our solutions to deliver adaptable tools for success.

Expanding data-driven solutions

In October, Cendyn acquired Knowland, enhancing our suite of offerings for the MICE segment. By integrating Knowlands market intelligence, Cendyn provides unparalleled insights for effective sales prospecting and group booking success, streamlining sales processes, and optimizing revenue strategies.

Celebrating achievements and recognition

2024 was a year of remarkable achievements for Cendyn. At the World Travel Tech Awards, we were named Worlds Best Data Driven Marketing Agency, Best Hotel CRM Solutions Provider, and Best Hotel Sales Proposal Solution. For the seventh year, our CRS was ranked #1 by the HotelTechAwards. Our digital marketing prowess was also recognized at the HSMAI Adrian Awards with no less than 5 accolades.

As we look forward to another year, Cendyn remains dedicated to supporting our customers through the Find, Book, Grow journey.

ABOUT CENDYN

Cendyn is a global hospitality cloud-based technology company that enables hotels to drive revenue, maximize profitability, and create deeper connections with guests through its integrated solutions. Serving hoteliers for nearly 30 years, Cendyn drives commercial success for hotels through its Find, Book, Grow promise: find the right guests; drive them to book direct, and grow loyalty and revenue across the spectrum of digital guest interactions.

Cendyn has over 35,000 customers worldwide in more than 150 countries. The company supports its growing customer base from locations across the globe, including the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Bangkok, and India. To find out more, visit cendyn.com

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Westin Sacramento Riverfront Hotel & Spa - Image Credit Marriott

The Westin Sacramento Riverfront Hotel & Spa has announced its new name and revealed a multi-million dollar renovation. The upgrade includes all 101 guestrooms and suites, the lobby, the check-in area, and meeting and event spaces. In early spring 2025, the hotel will also introduce a private marina for guests to host events. The property is owned by Monarch Alternative Capital and operated by HHM Hotels.

General Manager Ryan Opatz expressed excitement about the renovation, stating it would enhance the guest experience. The designs aim to capture the essence of the Sacramento River and the surrounding landscape. The lobby decor includes textured limestone, terrazzo, and white oak wood tones, accented by sage and blush-colored upholstery fabrics.

The hotel offers guests three refreshment options, including unlimited wine on tap from neighboring wineries in Clarksburg and Napa Valley, a cozy latte and pastry bar, and the Westin WELL, a marble structure that offers alkaline, still, or sparkling water for guests.

The remodeled guestrooms and suites feature marble counters, spacious claw-foot bathtubs, separate showers, and bath amenities from White Tea. Each room also includes a large flat-screen TV, a pull-out sofa in select rooms, a marbled work table, a mini refrigerator, a coffee machine, room service and a microwave upon request.

Scott's Seafood on the River, located within the hotel, is one of Sacramento's best seafood restaurants. It serves fresh, sustainably harvested seafood and is open daily for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and brunch on the weekend.

The hotel's event spaces accommodate up to 380 guests, making it suitable for weddings, banquets, and corporate meetings. Guests and locals can also visit the award-winning onsite spa, Spa La Le, and the replenished fitness center.

The Westin Sacramento Riverfront Hotel & Spa is conveniently located at 4800 Riverside Blvd., Sacramento, California.
Prima's London Paddington hotel redevelopment project - Image Credit Prima

Singapore's real estate firm, Prima Asset Management, has joined forces with Australia's Schwartz Family Company in a strategic move to speed up its real estate growth in Europe's prime hotel investment hub, London. This partnership will see Schwartz Family Company investing in Prima's London Paddington hotel redevelopment project, and likely future endeavors.

This alliance marks a critical stage in Prima's UK expansion plans, which are further strengthened by Schwartz Family Company's vast portfolio of 15 hotels and over 4,300 rooms throughout Australia.

Dr. Jerry Schwartz, Director of Schwartz Family Company, who has a long history of working with the Prima team, expressed his connection to the investment. He also noted his alignment with Prima's vision for the project and future opportunities, which match his passion for creating sustainable, modern hospitality spaces.

Prima's CEO and Co-Founder, Ben Hall, highlighted the company's strategic focus on value-added opportunities in Central London, which is already yielding positive results. Prima's partnership with Schwartz Family Company, alongside its in-house expertise, positions it to deliver sustainable long-term returns through its regulated VCC Fund, managed by First Degree Global Asset Management.

Michael Van den Brande, Senior Investment Manager at Prima, expects the company to continue capitalizing on opportunities in Europe's leading hotel market. With London recording 2.6 billion in hotel transactions in H1 2024, a 215% increase from H1 2023, Prima plans to close another hotel acquisition by Q1 2025.

As Prima expands in the UK, its investment strategy will focus on acquiring and transforming Central London hotels. Aurum Gravis is committed to supporting Prima's hotel expansion and its targeted opportunities in the Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) and Co-Living sectors across the UK, alongside Baksh Capital.
Pacific Hotel Cairns in Australia which sold in May 2024

Australia's commercial property sector sees a resurgence in 2024, with transactions amounting to $29.2 billion, a 21% increase from the previous year.

Despite the overall recovery, the hotel sector experienced a decrease in transactions, with assets traded falling from $2.5 billion in 2023 to $1.6 billion in 2024.

Data from CBRE reveals a strong recovery in the sector, with the total transaction value reaching $29.2 billion, marking a 21% increase from 2023. This recovery was reflected across various sectors: office, retail, industrial, and living sector assets.

CBREs Australian Head of Capital Markets Research Tom Broderick noted, Investors are acknowledging the value on offer in various sectors of Australia's real estate market. Pricing seems to have stabilised after a period of yield softening. Additionally, many existing assets are selling significantly below replacement cost, underscoring the value proposition.

However, the hotel sector did not follow this trend. Transactions in the hotel sector declined, with assets traded falling to $1.6 billion from $2.5 billion the previous year. Despite this, offshore investors demonstrated significant interest, accounting for $8.3 billion in acquisitions, a 37% increase from the previous year. The United States emerged as the leading source of overseas investment, contributing $3.6 billion to the total transaction value.
Blind Tiger, a Lark Hotels property in Burlington, Vermont (image by Matt Kisiday)

Lark Hotels has announced a joint venture with Life House, a contextual hotel brand and operator. The joint venture, operating under the name Lark Hospitality LLC or simply Lark, will include all existing Lark Hotels and Life House-branded hotels.

The collaboration will result in a combined portfolio of almost 100 independent properties, including locations across the continental United States, Hawaii, and Mexico. The portfolio will also encompass 33 restaurants and bars.

The venture will be spearheaded by industry leaders Rob Blood, the Founder of Lark Hotels, Peter Twachtman, the CEO of Lark Hotels, and Marc Ghobriel, CEO of Life House. Blood will serve as Chairman, Twachtman as CEO, and Ghobriel will lead the Life House transition team.

The joint venture will double Lark's footprint and expand the company's centralized team by incorporating key positions from Life House. This strategic move will facilitate enhanced hotel management, daily operations, hiring, technology, and marketing services designed to optimize owner cash flow.

Under the new entity, nearly $1 billion in assets will be managed, with accommodations represented in 27 states. The joint venture will also oversee over 3,000 total keys, employ nearly 1,500 workers during peak season, and manage annual revenue exceeding $150 million.

Rob Blood, founder of Lark Hotels, expressed excitement about the partnership, noting that Life House has inspired Lark Hotels to reevaluate its company identity and value proposition to stakeholders. He looks forward to combining the best practices of both companies to enhance services for guests, investors, hotel owners, and teams.

Marc Ghobriel, CEO of Life House, also highlighted the complementary strengths of Life House and Lark, both geographically and operationally. He expressed eagerness to enhance guest experiences further and to continue building a strong portfolio of brands across North America.

As one of the few remaining independent hospitality companies, Lark plans to focus on developing its brands, including Lark Hotels, Bluebird by Lark, Blind Tiger, AWOL, and Lark Independent, as well as the Life House brand. The company plans to continue leveraging its robust loyalty program to deliver exceptional guest experiences and valuable direct revenue for hotel owners.
Downtown Raleigh Welcomes Dual Branded Tempo by Hilton and Homewood Suites by Hilton Hotel

Downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, has become home to Tempo by Hilton Raleigh Downtown and Homewood Suites by Hilton Raleigh Downtown. The two hotels, the first of their brand in North Carolina, are owned by CN Hotels and managed by McKibbon Hospitality. The dual-brand hotel brings 261 new guestrooms to Raleigh's ever-expanding market.

The hotels are strategically located for guests to easily access Raleigh's downtown business offices and popular local attractions such as the Raleigh Convention Center, Red Hat Amphitheater, Capitol building, and the Martin Marietti Center for Performing Arts.

Karan Patel, vice president of CN Hotels, expressed excitement about the opening of the new hotels, noting that they were designed with Raleigh's visitors and residents in mind. Tempo by Hilton, one of Hilton's newest brands, aims to provide a unique lodging option. At the same time, Homewood Suites offers a home-like experience ideal for extended stay guests.

Tempo by Hilton Raleigh Downtown is designed to focus on comfort and convenience. It boasts a state-of-the-art fitness center and wellness guestroom options featuring Peloton bikes, yoga mats, resistance bands, and other wellness equipment. The hotel's 127 spacious rooms also feature art pieces from Raleigh's arts community and spa-inspired amenities.

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In a commitment to sustainable operations, Tempo's lobby features a Hydration Bar offering various types of filtered water. Additionally, in partnership with Planet Water Foundation and Klean Kanteen, the hotel sells reusable water bottles, with a portion of the proceeds supporting water-insecure communities worldwide.

Meanwhile, Homewood Suites by Hilton Raleigh Downtown offers 134 apartment-style suites with separate living and sleeping spaces and fully equipped kitchens. The pet-friendly hotel also provides a daily complimentary breakfast and a weekly evening reception. It shares a fitness center with Tempo, catering to guests' wellness needs.

The dual-brand hotel also houses Moonsong Bar + Cafe, offering a range of food options for guests and locals alike. The cafe is the creation of the Australian coffee concept Bluestone Lane, specializing in clean and natural food options. A rooftop bar, Urban Oak, is set to open early next year on the 13th floor of the building. Inspired by Raleigh's nickname, the City of Oaks, the bar will offer tapas, cocktails, live music, and impressive views of downtown Raleigh.
Puppeteer To Present 'Little Red Riding Hood' At Ventfort Hall

LENOX, Mass.  The puppeteer Carl Sprague will return to Ventfort Hall Gilded Age Mansion and Museum in Lenox with "Little Red Riding Hood" for two holiday vacation week marionette performances.

The dates and times are Friday, Dec. 27 and Saturday, Dec. 28, both at 3:30 pm. The audiences will have the opportunity to meet Sprague.

Accordind to a press release:

Little Red Riding Hood is a fairy tale about a young girl and a sly wolf. The young girl is bringing food to her grandmother and encounters the wolf on her walk through the woods. Its origins can be traced back to several pre-17th-century European folk tales. The two best known versions were written by Charles Perrault and the Brothers Grimm.

Sprague, who has appeared annually at Ventfort Hall, has been a puppeteer since childhood. He inherited a collection of 60 antique Czech marionettes, each about eight inches tall that were assembled by his great-grandfather, Julius Hybler. Hybler's legacy also includes two marionette theaters.

Also, Sprague has been a set designer for such motion pictures as "The Royal Tenenbaums" and Scorcese's "The Age of Innocence," as well as for theater productions including those of Shakespeare & Company.

Admission to the show is $20 per person; $10 for children 4-17 and free for age 3 and under. Children must be accompanied by adults. Ventfort Hall is decorated for the holidays. Reservations are required as seating is limited and can be made on line at https://gildedage.org/pages/calendar or by calling (413) 637-3206. Walk-ins will be accommodated as space allows.

All tickets are nonrefundable and non-exchangeable. Payment is required to make a reservation for an event. The historical mansion is located at 104 Walker Street in Lenox.
Tri-Town Health Department Relocation

LEE, Mass.  The Tri-Town Health Department offices will be closed to the public from Jan. 2, 2025, through Jan. 10, 2025, as the department and its offices will relocate to Stockbridge Town Offices (50 Main Street Stockbridge).

While staff will be working and available by phone and email, the online permitting system will be accessible. There will be no option for the public to conduct in person business at the Airoldi Building.

The new location for the Southern Berkshire Public Health Collaborative and its staff will be located on the ground floor at Stockbridge Town Hall and Tri-Town offices will be located on the 1st floor where the other municipal offices are located. Office phone numbers will remain the same (413-243-5540). The new mailing address will be:

Tri-Town Health Department

PO BOX 307

Stockbridge, MA 01262
Drury Recognized Among Nation's Best for College Readiness, Curriculum Excellence

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  Drury High School has earned national recognition for its academic programs, ranking in the top 20 percent of schools in the U.S. in the U.S. News & World Report's College Readiness Index and the top 15 percent of all U.S. high schools in the College Curriculum Breadth Index.

The College Readiness Index highlights schools that have demonstrated success in preparing students for the challenges of higher education.

In addition, Drury High School has earned a ranking in the College Curriculum Breadth Index, placing in the top 15 percent of all high schools nationwide.

"We are incredibly proud of our students, staff, and the entire Drury High School community," said Principal Kopala. "These national rankings reflect the hard work, dedication, and passion for excellence that drive our school. We are committed to providing our students with a comprehensive and challenging education that prepares them for success in both higher

education and their future careers."

Drury High School offers academic opportunities including Advanced Placement (AP) courses, honors classes, and college-level courses through its Early College partnership with the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA), all of which contribute to its strong college readiness and curriculum breadth.

"The U.S. News & World Report rankings are a testament to Drury High School's focus on academic excellence, and the school's dedication to ensuring every student has the tools and resources necessary for success," Assistant Superintendent Tim Callahan added.
The point where a newer section of concrete sidewalk meets an older asphalt section on North Street. The ruts likely are the product of the town's sidewalk plow, which is designed for the wider paths.

Williamstown Planning Board Hears Results of Sidewalk Analysis

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  Two-thirds of the town-owned sidewalks got good grades in a recent analysis ordered by the Planning Board.

But, overall, the results were more mixed, with many of the town's less affluent neighborhoods being home to some of its more deficient sidewalks or going without sidewalks at all.

On Dec. 10, the Planning Board heard a report from Williams College students Ava Simunovic and Oscar Newman, who conducted the study as part of an environmental planning course. The Planning Board, as it often does, served as the client for the research project.

The students drove every street in town, assessing the availability and condition of its sidewalks, and consulted with town officials, including the director of the Department of Public Works.

"In northern Williamstown  there are not a lot of sidewalks despite there being a relatively dense population, and when there are sidewalks, they tend to be in poor condition  less than 5 feet wide and made out of asphalt," Simunovic told the board. "As we were doing our research, we began to wonder if there was a correlation between lower income neighborhoods and a lack of adequate sidewalk infrastructure.

"So we did a bit of digging and found that streets with lower property values on average lack adequate sidewalk infrastructure  notably on North Hoosac, White Oaks and the northern Cole Avenue area. In comparison, streets like Moorland, Southworth and Linden have higher property values and better sidewalk infrastructure."

Newman explained that the study included a detailed map of the town's sidewalk network with scores for networks in a given area based on six criteria: surface condition, sidewalk width, accessibility, connectivity (to the rest of the network), safety (including factors like proximity to the road) and surface material.

"From those qualitative assessments, we gave each section a score of 'bad, average and good,' on the request of the DPW," Newman said. "They wanted those three buckets."

Of the town's approximately 16 miles of sidewalk, 75 percent are under the jurisdiction of the town. The rest are the responsibility of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.

For the town portion alone, two-thirds are in good condition and 80 percent are at least 5 feet wide  an important consideration not only for pedestrians but also for the DPW, whose sidewalk plows are made to clear 5-foot walkways.

"The narrow and non-concrete sidewalks are pretty much all in north Williamstown, with some exceptions, like Church Street," Newman said.

While sidewalks and their maintenance do not generally fall under the jurisdiction of the Planning Board, per se, the ways people get around town are a planning issue.

For years, the Planning Board has been looking at ways to allow more housing density in the General Residence District, a planning approach that is predicated on, among other things, the idea of "walkable neighborhoods." And, "creating a network of safe sidewalks and crossings throughout the downtown and adjacent neighborhoods," was seen as a priority by many of the residents who participated in the process that produced the recently adopted comprehensive plan.

The Williams students talked about the benefits that a good sidewalk network provides.

They cited data showing that 13 percent of car trips cover one mile or less, noted that pedestrian fatalities nationally rose 75 percent from 2010 to 2022 and mentioned that improved sidewalks in commercial areas are associated with higher sales.

Good sidewalks also improve the quality of life for residents, Simunovic said.

"Walkable environments have been linked to reduction of stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms  helping to counteract isolation," she said. "Sidewalk networks are also important for promoting physical activity, which helps prevent non-communicable diseases, like obesity, heart disease and [Type 2] diabetes."

The Police Department shared data that there were 64 non-motorist crashes in town from 2010 to 2024. Newman told the board that roads like Green River Road, Hoosac Road and Simonds Road, which have bad sidewalk infrastructure also have high rates of those non-motorist crashes.

In terms of funding, Simunovic said the commonwealth has funding available for communities with a "Complete Streets" plan, and a sidewalk analysis is one piece of creating that plan.

"We need a new updated prioritization plan," she said. "Without an updated plan, the town cannot apply for grants."

In addition to the sidewalk mapping and condition grading, the students also took a stab at prioritizing which streets need to be addressed first and why.

Simunovic said the pair used 10 criteria to score the sidewalks: safety, environmental justice (addressing underserved and low-income areas), potential demand, proximity to transit services, proximity to schools and children's centers, proximity to the Harper Center, condition, connectivity to surrounding areas, ease of repair or building and cost.

Newman said the pair weighted safety as a criteria by a factor of two, "because we thought it was a relatively important sidewalk consideration."

Based on their analysis, the students said streets like Water Street and Gale Road received high scores as priority projects. Others, including Water Street and Park Street graded high for needing repairs. Stratton Road, Syndicate Road and Henderson Road were among those that scored highly as recommendations for new sidewalks.

The pair noted that their study is just a first step in producing an actionable plan for the town.

"We had some next steps we thought the town could undertake," Newman said. "The first would be an intersection analysis. If there's one thing we wished we could have done, it would be taking a stronger look at the dangerous intersections.  Also, just, overall, improving the data. A lot of this is qualitative. In Pittsfield, for example, they have a much more robust data collection system that they apply to assess things like demand, for example.

"Also, the college is taking steps to improve their sidewalk infrastructure by doing a campus transportation plan.  Any improvements they make to their infrastructure also improves Williamstown's infrastructure, so partnering with them. Also, Mass DOT. I think over half of the really bad sidewalks in Williamstown occur under state jurisdiction, but they're also really important for connectivity. It would make sense to try to show Mass DOT these graphs that tell you this is an issue.

"Finally  I think a more formalized economic analysis  looking at what it would cost to do these projects but also what does the town get out of it, would be an effective next step."
The proposal involves rebuilding Conte Community School and Crosby Elementary on the West Street site with shared facilities, addressing outdated infrastructure, insufficient layouts, and significant repair needs.

MSBA Greenlights Pittsfield's Crosby/Conte Proposal

PITTSFIELD, Mass.The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) has accepted a statement of interest for the proposed Crosby/Conte build.



On Wednesday, Superintendent Joseph Curtis reported that the MSBA met on Friday and accepted the project into its queue. The proposal involves rebuilding Conte Community School and Crosby Elementary on the West Street site with shared facilities, addressing outdated infrastructure, insufficient layouts, and significant repair needs.



Curtis said earlier that day, the district participated in module one of the work for possibly a new building on West Street. Part of that work is a feasibility study.



The Crosby/Conte plan has the potential to house grades pre-kindergarten to first grade in one school and Grades 2 to 4 in another, with both maintaining their own identities and administrations.



"The feasibility study also studies the structure of our district, the enrollment, the viability of grade spans," he said.



"So what I want to do is, if, with your permission, is really dig into that, we just get a couple of documents just today, and then report back to the committee on the level of detail and what is studied in that feasibility study so then we can possibly make a decision, or the committee can, that might alter this timeline even further."



Curtis also corrected a media inaccuracies claiming that grade alignments were already set in stone. iBerkshires had not yet reported on this.



"I did want to just correct that there was an inaccuracy in that coverage that stated that I had determined grade span ranges already," he said.



"So that was not covered correctly."



He pointed out that the district has a "rather large" Middle School Restructuring Committee of parents, teachers, and community members. The panel is working in three groups research grade spans across the Commonwealth, educational programming and educational models, and solicit feedback.



The committee recently decided that it would put a recommendation forward in mid-February if it felt confident doing so. The recommendation would be followed by public hearings covering grade spans.



The School Committee could then decide if another public hearing is needed or delay the decision timeline.



"And so they would have one more research meeting, which would be on January 6. They would start to formulate some recommendations within their group on the 6th, a little more time for refinement on the 3rd and there'd be shareouts of the groups," Curtis explained.



"And then we would start at that meeting on the 3rd to, if we can, I want to be clear about that, come to some kind of consensus for a recommendation that the committee members yet to be nominated to come to the school committee on February 12."



The group developed for community members, staff, parents and guardians, and students in grades 4-9.


Third PHS Staff Member Put on Leave

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  A third Pittsfield High School staff member has been put on administrative leave  the second one to be investigated by the Department of Children and Families.



In a Thursday communication to the Pittsfield Public Schools community, Superintendent Joseph Curtis said allegations related to the staff member's time at a previous employer, not at PHS. Former Principal Henry Duval has been called in to support the administrative staff during this time.



"The School Committee and I realize how difficult the past week has been for our community," the superintendent wrote.



Last week, PHS Dean Lavante Wiggins was arrested and charged by the U.S. Attorney's Office for allegedly conspiring to traffic large quantities of cocaine. On Friday, a second staff member was put on administrative leave because of an investigation conducted by the state Department of Children and Families.



The second staff member put on leave was not named and their title was not revealed by the district, though they have been widely reported to be the assistant principal. The substance of the investigation also was not disclosed. Thursday's communication did not disclose either the third staff member's name or the nature of the investigation as well.

Additionally, in a civil lawsuit, a PHS student has accused retired English teacher Robert Barsanti of making inappropriate comments to her and to classmates and Pittsfield Public Schools for failing to act. Barsanti apparently retired at the end of the last school year based on a post on the Pittsfield Public Schools' Facebook page.



The lawsuit, first reported by The Berkshire Eagle, was filed in September in U.S. District Court in Springfield.



"In the cases that have emerged over the past week, the school district is cooperating fully with the law enforcement and legal agencies that are taking the lead on these matters. In the case of charges brought against one employee, the FBI and U.S. Attorney's office are handling the investigation," Curtis wrote.



"In the other cases, no charges have been filed, but the Department of Children and Families is working with the State Police to investigate allegations, as required by law. In the three cases, the school district cannot provide any additional information to the public while investigations are ongoing. The employees who are the subjects of these investigations have been placed on administrative leave."



During Wednesday's School Committee meeting, Chair William Cameron recommended that a third-party law firm be brought on board to investigate the administrative response to the alleged misconduct.



Curtis seconded this.



"I am recommending to the School Committee that they engage the services of an independent third party  one with which we have no prior affiliation  to conduct comprehensive investigations and audits of these allegations, and to conduct a thorough examination of our current hiring practices and procedures to ensure that they align with the highest standards of safety, integrity, and accountability," he wrote.



A special City Council meeting has been called on Monday at 6 p.m. to hear a petition from Councilor at Large Kathy Amuso, Councilor at Large Alisa Costa, Ward 2 Councilor Brittany Noto, Ward 6 Councilor Dina Lampiasi, and Ward 7 Councilor Rhonda Serre requesting the council joins the School Committee's call for an investigation.
North Adams Chops Notch Forest Plan

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  The mayor has killed a controversial plan to remove invasive plants and log parts of the Notch Reservoir watershed.

Mayor Jennifer Macksey on Thursday evening released a statement saying the city would not be implementing the forest management plan.

"The plan was laid out by our knowledgeable and dedicated partners to address key threats to this property and would have helped the city proactively manage our watershed's forest," said the mayor. "However, given the public outcry regarding the impact the project could have on the Bellows Pipe Trail, I have decided not to move forward with the plan."

Her email said she would make no further comments at this time.

The city was in line for a federal grant that would fund a stewardship plan through the Woodlands Partnership of Northwest Massachusetts, of which the city is a member. The goal was to preserve the watershed , root out invasive species, promote sustainable growth in a changing climate by removing blighted trees and planting natives, and bring in some revenue as a "demonstration forest."

The initiative is part of Mass Audubon's Forest Climate Resilience Program. Two demonstration forests in the partnership were eligible for three-year U.S. Forestry Service grants.

The planning had been underway prior to Macksey's administration but became more public when it was presented to the Conservation Commission in July . It only came to the commission because of the use of herbicides near the waterways.

But the commissioners also discussed the creation of trails to bring in logging equipment and the impact on streams, potential erosion and their removal at the end of the process.

Their concerns sparked a larger outcry from area residents and neighboring property owners who feared water contamination, runoff and erosion, and especially damage to the popular hiking trail.

public forum on the plan drew a crowd mostly opposed to the proposition of harvesting hardwoods in 70 of the 1,000-acre parcel north and west of the city's main reservoir on Pattison Road.

City officials stressed that the plan had been approved by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation as well as the Department of Environmental Protection. The proposal also included the replacement and installation of culverts to reduce flooding and erosion.

The mayor said she met with several professionals in relevant fields who did not have a hand in designing the project.

"While the folks I met with had differing perspectives on the topic of climate-smart forestry, they still saw the merits of this project and did not feel the project would be detrimental to the city's water supply," she said. "In fact, they said that best practices were used throughout the plan, while acknowledging that there were ecological and social tradeoffs."

Opponents also brought in professionals and experts who supported a "hands off" management of the forest by just letting it be. They held several walks and forums and wrote letters to the editor.

According to Mass Audubon, its partners recommended using proven best practices that would have preserved the long-term integrity of the community's drinking water, similar to forest management plans that protect watersheds for Boston and New York City.

"We're disappointed the project at Notch Reservoir isn't moving forward and we stand by the proven best practices used by reputable organizations doing this vital work," Mass Audubon's Chief Conservation Officer Jocelyn Forbush stated in the release. "But we're heartened to see so many members of the public passionate about the environment and the crucial role forests play in our lives, which dovetails with our 128-year history of protecting the nature of Massachusetts. We wish the city good luck going forward."

Dicken Crane, board chair of the Woodlands Partnership said stewardship relies on "robust public acceptance."

"We're grateful to have engaged North Adams in thinking about forest health over the long-term and look forward to what's to come," he said.

Macksey said the city is still committed to developing a climate-informed Open Space and Recreation Plan that will include public input.

"The city will still have to address ongoing safety issues at Notch Reservoir such as hazardous falling trees, wildfire risk, invasive species, and drainage," she said.

"People's attachment to this particular section of the forest made for some passionate advocacy. I hope they will stay involved and answer the call for their input when asked in the future."
Wednesday 18 December 2024, 18:45 - Last updated: 20 December, 11:19

Genoa has a new owner, and his name is Dan Sucu. The surprise announcement came from the Ligurian club itself in the afternoon, after the successful conclusion of the negotiations between the Romanian entrepreneur and 777 Partners.

Who is He?

Born in Bucharest on April 25, 1963, Dan Sucu is the founder of Mobexpert, the largest furniture brand in Romania with over 2,000 employees. In addition to this, Dan is also active in the real estate investment sector and, since 2022, has been involved in the media sector, playing a key role in the financial newspaper Ziarul Financiar.



Dan Sucu's First Move

Dan Sucu is now the new owner of Genoa. The Romanian entrepreneur fully subscribed to the capital increase of 45,356,262, of which 5,356,262 was free of charge and the remaining 40,000,000 was paid on December 14.





Genoa's Official Statement

"The Romanian entrepreneur, through an investment vehicle, fully subscribed to the capital increase, obtaining a stake of approximately 77% of Genoa CFC, leaving the previous shareholders in the minority," explained Genoa in a statement.



His Past at Rapid Bucharest

Dan Sucu is also the owner of Rapid Bucharest, holding 90% of the shares. The Romanian owner has focused heavily in recent years on the development of modern infrastructure and the youth academy, which currently has around 700 young athletes.





Beginnings and Net Worth

Dan Sucu is said to have started with a small investment of $1,000 in 1993, selling his parents' house to open a furniture store in Paris. Today, his net worth is estimated to be around 145 million. Mobexpert has eight factories, three logistics platforms, and stores in Romania, Belgrade, and Sofia, employing more than 2,000 people.
Thursday 19 December 2024, 19:26 - Last updated: 20 December, 14:22

A holiday greeting card, accompanied by virtual snowflakes gently falling and a family photo where everyone is embracing, is the way the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate, have chosen to greet their followers ahead of Christmas.

The reel, shared on their official Instagram profile, also marks the princesss recovery. It features an image from the emotional video posted last September, in which the wife of the heir to the throne announced the end of her chemotherapy treatment after being diagnosed with abdominal cancer. Kates message to her followers at the time was: From darkness, light can emerge. Alongside the royal couple on the card are their three smiling childrenGeorge, Charlotte, and Louisand the message: Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. This card comes after Middleton has gradually returned to public engagements in recent weeks, attending several significant events, including the traditional Christmas Carols concert at Westminster Abbey. During that event, she delivered a heartfelt message to attendees, highlighting how the Christmas season represents "an important time" and reflecting on its deeper meaning, in light of her challenging experience this year, as a reminder to allow love to prevail over fear, even in the darkest moments. For the first time since completing her chemotherapy, the Princess of Wales also participated in a state visit to London by Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Emir of Qatar.
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Jude Law has joked he feels guilty telling fans about one particular aspect of filming The Holiday.

The 2006 romcom, which follows Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz as two lovelorn women who do a house-swap at Christmas time, has become a festive classic, and is revisited by fans every year.

Law stars as Diazs romantic interest, and most of his scenes are set in a quaint, snow-covered country cottage in Surrey.

In a new interview in The Observer Magazine, the interviewer told Law they heard that the cottage never existed, to which he replied: I know, and the interiors were in a Los Angeles studio. Because of this devotion [from fans], I actually feel guilty telling people, dismantling the dream Listen, its real in the movie, thats all thats important.

He also admitted he had no idea the film would become so adored. It leaves me speechless but I find it rather moving, Law said.

I mean, it really was just another job. It was a very jolly one, we had fun making it, and I knew that I was in the hands of someone who knew how to pull something like that off. Then, yes, wave after wave of revisiting started to happen. You cant plan for it but how delightful, in truth.

The film was directed by Nancy Meyers, who wrote and directed The Parent Trap, What Women Want, Somethings Gotta Give and The Intern.

Law recently made headlines for appearing to tease a sequel, while in conversation with Meyers.

Diaz and Law in The Holiday ( Zade Rosenthal/Columbia Pictures )

And last month, he explained that the cottage in the film only exists because Meyers wasnt able to find a house that she liked. So the director, shes a bit of a perfectionist, he said.

She toured that whole area and didnt quite find the chocolate box cottage she was looking for. So, she just [rented] a field, and drew it and had someone build it.

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Only the exterior of the house had been constructed, meaning the scenes inside the house were filmed somewhere else.

So heres the funny thing, if you watch it... We were shooting in the winter here. And every time Id go in that door, wed cut, and we shot the interiors in [Los Angeles] about three months later.
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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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The beloved animated childrens show Bluey will soon become a part of the Disney theme parks and cruises family.

On Thursday (December 19), the Walt Disney Company announced in a press release that the childrens TV character will be seen at the Disneyland Resort in California and Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, in addition to voyages on the Disney Cruise Line.

There will be various Bluey-themed events for cruises that kick off in Australia and New Zealand, including meet-and-greets and an interactive game that ends with a dance party alongside Bluey and her sister, Bingo. These festivities will begin in January 2025.

Bluey has become a household name for families around the world and we are thrilled to bring her story to life in new ways, said Josh DAmaro, chairman of Disney experiences. We cant wait to watch our youngest guests and their families make memories with Bluey in our parks and on our cruises.

Blueys involvement in the Disney theme parks will be revealed in the future months.

Bluey will make appearances at Disneyland Resort in California and Walt Disney World Resort in Florida ( ABC Kids )

The news comes just a few days after it was announced that a Bluey movie was in the works.

On Tuesday (December 17), the Walt Disney Company and BBC Studios shared that the movie would be arriving in theaters in 2027. The film will be written and directed by series creator Joe Brumm, with a voice cast led by the series regulars, including Melanie Zanetti and David McCormack.

The CGI-animated film will continue the adventures of Bluey, a lovable, inexhaustible, blue heeler dog, who lives with her Mum, Dad and her little sister, Bingo.

Ive always thought Bluey deserved a theatrical movie, Brumm said in a statement. I want this to be an experiential event for the whole family to enjoy together.

The show debuted in 2018 with children as its target audience, as the program soon began to cover more mature themes such as grief. However, last week, one mother sparked a debate when she asked what age the cut-off should be for Bluey viewers.

When does your child outgrow Bluey? the mother wrote in a post on the Adult Bluey Fans Facebook group. While shopping today, a young girl, around nine or 10 years old, expressed excitement upon seeing Bluey-themed clothing. Her mother questioned her, Arent you becoming too mature for Bluey?

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The post continued: I glanced at the mother as I perused winter attire for my own child and shared that our family also enjoys Bluey, emphasizing that Bluey is inclusive of all ages!

I firmly believe that Bluey is a fantastic program for everyone, and parents should allow their children to determine when theyve moved beyond a show or any other interest. Its not just a childrens show; its a parenting show as well, and my stance on this wont waver.
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Emmy Award-nominated actor Danielle Vasinova has revealed she died for three minutes while battling Covid five years ago.

In an interview with People published on Thursday (December 19), the 42-year-old actor  who was just announced as the latest cast member to join the Yellowstone spin-off series, The Madison  recounted the moment her heart stopped beating.

On December 12, 2019, I died for three minutes, she told the outlet.

Initially, Vasinova thought she had contracted the flu. At the time, the U.S. hadnt enacted lockdowns and there was little information about the Covid-19 virus, let alone its severity.

I went to urgent care in downtown [Los Angeles], and they decided it was strep and sent me home with some antibiotics. But by the next day, I could barely walk. My legs wouldnt move. It was bizarre, Vasinona recalled.

The Madison star died for three minutes in the emergency room when she had Covid-19 ( Getty Images )

Around 2 a.m. that same night, the 1923 star was rushed by her uncle to the emergency room. I felt like I was going to die, she admitted.

From her uncles perspective, the chaos of the emergency room felt like it was straight out of a film.

He said people were running around me, and a tiny girl jumped on top of my chest and began pumping, pumping, pumping, Vasinova said. And then he saw my heartbeat on the monitor just go. Flatlined.

For three minutes, she had no pulse. The ER nurse, who she later found out was named Ruby, was thankfully able to restart Vasinovas heart before she was put in an induced coma and moved to the ICU.

I had complete organ failure. I went from young and healthy to this infection that completely took over my body all of a sudden. It just came on, and it just rocked my world, Vasinova explained.

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I didnt see the light or a tunnel but they say it can come back to you in flashbacks, she noted. I did, however, start to see a lot of angel numbers everywhere. I would see sequences like 5555, 7777. It was bizarre, but something was telling me, Theres something more for you. You werent meant to go just yet. Youre meant to do something else.

Its hard to even describe how I feel, but Im so much more connected. This felt like the turning point in my life. The death, and the rebirth, Vasinova said. I know to take nothing for granted. Life is so precious and it is such a gift. Were here to do some good in the world, to be of service, and to be forever grateful.

After the traumatic experience, Vasinova got in contact with Ruby to thank her for saving her life.

I didnt know if she was going to recognize me, but when she opened the door, I started crying, and she just lost it, the Hollywood star said. She told me she never knows who lives or dies after they get transferred. She just gave me the biggest hug. Because Id been gone for three full minutes. But I came back.

As a token of her gratitude, Vasinova gifted the medical professional a bracelet with a small encrusted ruby.

Now, Vasinova is prospering physically and professionally. In addition to being cast in Yellowstone co-creator Taylor Sheridans The Madison, she will also join newcomers Kevin Zegers, Rebecca Spence, and Allaina Pollack.
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North Korean hackers have stolen $1.34bn (1bn) in cryptocurrency in 2024, accounting for nearly 60 per cent of the total amount stolen across the world, according to a new study.

A total of $2.2bn (1.76bn) has been stolen from crypto platforms this year, marking a rise of 21 per cent, with crypto hacks by North Korean affiliates becoming more frequent, a study by blockchain analysis company Chainalysis said.

The amount stolen by North Korea-affiliated saw a 102 per cent increase in value from 2023, when an estimated $660.50m was stolen.

Isolated in the global market and reeling under international sanctions, the government in North Korea is accused of turning to crypto theft to fund state-sponsored operations and support its booming nuclear arsenal.

The report said that the US and international experts have assessed that Pyongyang uses the stolen crypto money to finance its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles programs.

Hackers linked to North Korea have become notorious for their sophisticated and relentless tradecraft, often employing advanced malware, social engineering, and cryptocurrency theft to fund state-sponsored operations and circumvent international sanctions, the report said.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (C) overseeing a simulated nuclear counterattack drill earlier this year ( EPA )

Some of these attacks appeared to be linked to North Korean IT workers who have been able to infiltrate crypto and other technology firms, the report added.

These workers often use sophisticated Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs), such as false identities, third-party hiring intermediaries, and manipulating remote work opportunities to gain access, it said.

The research comes at a time when the value of bitcoin, the worlds biggest and best-known cryptocurrency, has rallied to record levels ahead of US president-elect Donald Trumps second administration. This week Mr Trump reiterated that he plans to create a US strategic reserve of bitcoin similar to its strategic oil reserve, stoking the enthusiasm of crypto bulls.

The US Department of Justice (DoJ) has launched a crackdown on North Korean hackers engaged in crypto theft in recent years. It indicted 14 North Korean nationals who obtained employment as remote IT workers at US companies and were accused of generating more than $88m by stealing proprietary information and extorting their employers.

In one of the most significant incidents of crypto theft, a North Korea-affiliated hack targeted the Japanese cryptocurrency exchange DMM Bitcoin. The attack led to the theft of around 4,502.9 Bitcoin, worth $305m at the time.
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Sri Lankas navy says it has rescued 102 people who are believed to be Rohingya refugees from a fishing trawler which was adrift in the Indian Ocean for days.

Navy spokesman Gayan Wickramasuriya said fishermen spotted the boat off Sri Lankas northern coast on Thursday and raised alarm to authorities who then rescued the people on board.

Passengers included 25 children and 30 women, with those on board all escorted from the trawler to a naval base on Sri Lankas east coast where they were given medical care, food and water.

Videos shared on social media show a wooden fishing trawler packed with children, women and men being approached by a speedboat.

Those on board appeared frail after days spent at sea, lying on the deck of the vessel with some hiding under umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun.

The navy is yet to confirm the identities of refugees due to communication difficulties but believes they are Rohingya who might have been travelling from Myanmar.

Hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas, a Muslim minority group, have fled Myanmar in recent years to escape a brutal crackdown by Myanmars military. The United Nations has described the conditions in Myanmar as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing.

The boat ran out of food and water before it came near to the shore in Mullaitivu District, on the north-eastern coast of Sri Lankas northernmost province.

The police said they were investigating the circumstances of the arrival of the boat and assessing the condition of the people on the vessel.

Around one million Rohingya Muslims are living in overcrowded refugee camps in southern Bangladeshs Coxs Bazar. Most of them fled a brutal counterinsurgency campaign in 2017 by Myanmars security forces, who were accused of committing mass rapes and killings.

More have crossed the border on foot or through sea routes after the military junta overthrew Myanmars democratically elected government in 2021.

Neighbouring Indonesia, which says it has witnessed a spike in refugee arrivals since November, has called on the international community for help.

In October, a wooden boat with 140 Rohingya Muslims, mostly women and children, anchored about 1 mile (0.60km) off the coast of Indonesias northernmost province of Aceh. Three of the Rohingya on board died during the nearly two-week-long trip from Coxs Bazar in Bangladesh to the waters off Labuhan Haji in South Aceh district, local police said.
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One of Thailand's most prominent pro-democracy activists was handed another two years and eight months in prison for criticising the monarchy during a Harry Potter-themed protest.

Arnon Nampa, the 40-year-old lawyer and poet, was found guilty on Thursday of defaming King Maha Vajiralongkorn in a speech during a Bangkok protest rally in August 2020 under the controversial lese-majeste law.

He was among the first people to publically demand reform of the Thai monarchy as part of the pro-democracy movement in 2020, which saw thousands of young citizens pouring onto the streets in protest.

This was Arnon Nampa's sixth lese-majeste conviction, bringing his cumulative prison sentence to almost 18 years and 11 months. He faces a total of 14 cases under the lese-majeste law which protects the monarchy from criticism and carries a maximum prison sentence of 15 years.

Critics have accused the government of enforcing the controversial law to throttle dissent since the Thai military took power in a 2014 coup.

Prosecutors on Thursday argued that Arnon Nampa, as the head of the Ratsadon group, had posted a Facebook message calling on anti-government protesters to gather at Bangkoks Democracy Monument for a protest named: "Harry Potter VS You Know Who or He Who Must Not Be Named", The Nation reported.

Arnon Nampa, a human rights activist and a key protest leader is seen wearing wizard cloak, while giving speech during the Harry Potter-themed protest in Bangkok ( Getty Images )

Shortly after the protest, where Arnon Nampa was seen donning a cloak to look like Harry Potter, a government official filed a police complaint accusing him of slandering the monarchy.

Arnon Nampa thanked his lawyers and members of the public who had come to the court to show their support before he was escorted away by corrections department officials.

PEN America on Thursday called for Arnon Nampa's immediate release and an end to the lese-majeste law. "Nampas speeches, letters, and poems have inspired countless other Thai citizens to envision a more just and equitable society, making his imprisonment a broader assault on the right to free expression for all people in Thailand," the group said in a statement.

"International partners of Thailand must pressure the Thai government to uphold its obligations under international human rights law, including the protection of free expression."

Arnon Nampa was awarded the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights by a South Korean foundation for his pro-democracy work in 2021.

During his first sentencing in September last year, he said that the loss of personal freedom is a sacrifice Im willing to make that will be worth it in years to come.
Another batch of life peerages is released and the House of Lords remains an exceptional parliamentary chamber. Its one of only two such assemblies in the world where lawmakers are there by accident of birth (the other being Lesotho), though not for much longer; and its the largest such group, apart from the National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, which has even less power.

The new barons and baronesses will partly make up for the loss of the 88 remaining hereditary members there, now indirectly elected by their peers in both senses of the term. Its critics say the best case for getting rid of it is to go and look at the House of Lords at work; its defenders counter that the best case for retaining it is to go and look at the House of Lords at work. In any case, Change, as the Labour election slogan had it, is coming  but maybe not so much...

What is a life peer?

It is a peerage, or more precisely a barony, which lasts only for the lifetime of its recipient; so the title, with accompanying seat and vote, cannot be passed on to their descendants, or anyone else for that matter, as had always been the case for many centuries. A life peerage is supposed to be a mark of honour and respect, though such lofty aspirations are not always fulfilled. Any peerage can now be renounced by the recipient so that they can stand for election and become a member of the Commons  you cant be in both.

The then prime minister Harold Macmillan invented the life peerage in 1958 as a means of injecting some life and specialist expertise into the upper house, giving it purpose and a role, thus aiding its longer-term survival. Life peerages were also useful consolation prizes for sacked or time-expired fellow politicians. He called it a modest constitutional reform, adding that it seems clear that the country is now persuaded of the advantages of a second chamber, even though the House of Commons may continue to be jealous of its powers and authority.

What do they do?

Vote on legislation, sometimes improving it, sometimes not, occasionally delaying it, unable to reject it; debate and scrutinise laws and policies in the chamber and committees; and appear in the media. Its fair to say that some peers are more active than others, and Labour has said it will introduce a new participation requirement, which would help the public accept the routine attendance allowance of 361 plus expenses, which has sometimes been abused with peers paid just for clocking in.

Why so many?

The accretion of patronage over many decades. The temptation of the party leaders to exercise their power to raise common folk to the nobility has proved increasingly irresistible, and the informal qualifications to become a working peer have become more democratic. Thus, while 14 more or less distinguished individuals were elevated to the upper house in the first round in 1958 (10 men, four women), the figure this year for politicians and the like is 38 (18 men, 20 women).

Despite repeated attempts to slim the ranks, it remains a popular Elysian destination for people of achievement, or, as is unkindly alleged, those who have made sufficiently generous donations to various parties funding.

What lies ahead?

It is rather unclear. Labour pledged in its election manifesto to immediately remove the remaining small hereditary element, and that is underway now. A proposal to force retirement at 80 has been quietly dropped. Beyond that, there is only the vague idea of an alternative second chamber that is more representative of the regions and nations. So, in order to preserve the democratic monopoly of the Commons, the reformed upper house might be an eclectic mix of metro mayors, representatives nominated by the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, local councillors, religious leaders, and some expert individuals nominated for a period of say 15 or 20 years. Then again, nothing much may happen, as so often in the past.

After all, the first attempt at serious reform was in Edwardian times, when the Liberal government removed the Lords power to block Lloyd Georges reforming Budget. The Liberals declared in the preamble to the Parliament Act 1911 that it is intended to substitute for the House of Lords as it at present exists a Second Chamber constituted on a popular instead of hereditary basis, but such substitution cannot be immediately brought into operation. Still waiting.
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Kieran Culkin has revealed the one thing he doesnt like about being a father.

During a conversation with Colman Domingo for Varietys Actors on Actors conversation, Culkin opened up about his two children  Kinsey, five, and Wilder, three  who he shares with wife Jazz Charton.

After the A Real Pain star said his wife and two children were the only people in his close circle, Domingo asked him what he liked about being a father.

Absolutely everything except dinner time. I love everything else. It feels like nothing else matters. Im a dad now, and my only role in life is that, he responded. Thats real life. All this is lovely, but Im just trying to get home.

He also revealed that his colleagues have a place in his childrens lives, including his former Succession co-star, Sarah Snook.

Shes my sons godmother and one of my favorite people in the world, he told Domingo about Snook.

However, he confessed that its not easy to stay in contact with his friend. She lives in Australia, so its hard to keep up. Im not the best with the phone thing. I always relied on the fact that there was going to be another season, Culkin added.

Kieran Culkin and his wife share a five-year-old daughter and thre-year-old son ( Getty Images for BFI )

Culkin has previously spoken about his parenting tactics. Earlier this month, he explained why he hasnt let his children watch their uncle Macaulay Culkins iconic Nineties movie, Home Alone.

Theres still some scary parts, the Succession alum told E! News at The 34th Annual Gotham Awards on December 3. For the three-year-old, theres the tarantula [and] theres the guy at the end who said, Im gonna bite off all your fingers. Thats scary for a three-year-old.

However, he said that his children could watch the movie this holiday season. We think they might be ready for Home Alone this year, he added. If not, next year.

Culkin also previously hinted at expanding his family one day. When he won the award for Best Actor in a Drama Series during the 2024 Emmy Awards, he used his speech to send a message to his wife.

Thank you for sharing your life with me and giving me two amazing kids... I want more. You said maybe, if I win! I love you so much, he said.
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Mark Ronson and Grace Gummer are expanding their family.

The actor, 38, and Grammy-winning music producer, 49, are expecting their second child, nearly two years after welcoming their daughter. Gummer  the daughter of Oscar winner Meryl Streep  revealed her pregnancy on Wednesday (December 18) at Ronson and Justin Therouxs holiday party at Pebble Bar, where she showcased her baby bump.

The couple posed together at the event alongside Theroux, 53. Ronson, dressed in a blue pinstriped shirt and arm sling, beamed beside Gummer, who was wearing an elegant red dress.

In March 2023, Ronsons sister Annabelle Dexter-Jones confirmed the arrival of their first child, a baby girl.

[Gummer] just had the baby. Shes two and a half months now, Dexter-Jones told People at the time. Shes stunning.

Mark Ronson and Grace Gummer, who were married in August 2021, are already parents to a daughter ( Getty Images )

The couple was later spotted strolling through New York City, with Ronson carrying their newborn while Gummer walked their dog.

Parenthood has clearly influenced Ronson, who shared at the 66th annual Grammy Awards how his daughter has reshaped his priorities. Theres no song or idea more important than bath time and getting home. That I love, he said. We have a one-year-old daughter, me and my wife, so maybe well party a little tonight.

The couple first revealed they were expecting their first child during W Magazines 50th anniversary party in October 2022, where Gummer debuted her baby bump in a burnt orange sweater dress.

They tied the knot in an intimate backyard ceremony in August 2021. The following month, Ronson shared the wedding news with fans in a heartfelt black-and-white social media post celebrating his 45th birthday.

To my truest love, he captioned the image of the smiling newlyweds. Out of nowhere, you made 45 hands down the greatest year of my life. And Im sure it took me 45 years to become the man worthy of your love.

I hope I spend every one of these birthdays by your side til my last day. And beyond. Forever and ever yours, he added, cheekily confirming the nuptials with: (and yes, we got married).
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Tom Holland has joked about the reason why film studios love him and his girlfriend of three years, Zendaya, starring in the same films.

The Spider-Man star, 28, has been dating the Challengers actor, 28, since 2021. They were recently cast alongside each other in Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolans forthcoming project with Universal.

Holland and Zendaya first met on the set of 2016s Spider-Man: Homecoming and have gone on to star opposite each other in 2019s Spider-Man: Far From Home and 2021s Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Nolans new film, which will reportedly also star Anne Hathaway and Matt Damon, marks Zendaya and Hollands first joint on-screen appearance in a non-Spider-Man film.

Referencing the project, Holland told the Dish podcast: Studios love it: One hotel room, before adding: Separate drivers. Were not crazy.

Holland recently confirmed he agreed to star in Nolans next film without any knowledge of what it was about. The Crowded Room actor described receiving the offer from Nolan as the phone call of a lifetime, and said it felt akin to getting offered the role of Peter Parker a decade ago.

All I can say is that Im incredibly excited, he told Good Morning America in October. And obviously honored, but thats all I can say because, to be honest, thats all I know.

open image in gallery Tom Holland has joked about the reason why film studios love him and Zendaya starring in the same films ( Getty Images for SiriusXM )

While the unnamed project marks the first time Zendaya and Holland will appear in a Nolan film, its the third Nolan movie for Hathaway, who previously appeared in The Dark Knight Rises and Interstellar. Damon also appeared in Interstellar, as well as portrayed Lt General Leslie Groves in Oppenheimer.

Hollands latest comments come shortly after the actor revealed last month he has a habit of Googling Zendaya to check on her.

Im not on [social media], and I delete it when Im not using it, he explained.So, sometimes, like, its more of a bit of an anxiety thing.

But Ill check to see if everythings good and to make sure were all cool. So I just give her a little Google and look [through] the news, and Im like, Shes good. Were fine.

open image in gallery Zendaya and Holland attend a photocall for Spiderman: No Way Home ( Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images )

As well as Nolans forthcoming project, Holland and Zendaya will return for a fourth Spiderman film, which is currently in development.

Recently discussing the script on the Rich Roll podcast, Holland said: We have a creative and we have a pitch and a draft, which is excellent. It needs work, but the writers are doing a great job.

Holland continued: I read it three weeks ago and it really lit a fire in me. Zendaya and I sat down and read it together and we at times were bouncing around the living room, like, this is a real movie worthy of the fans respect.
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Sloths werent always slow-moving, furry tree-dwellers. Their prehistoric ancestors were huge  up to 4 tons  and when startled, they brandished immense claws.

For a long time, scientists believed the first humans to arrive in the Americas soon killed off these giant ground sloths through hunting, along with many other massive animals like mastodons, saber-toothed cats and dire wolves that once roamed North and South America.

But new research from several sites is starting to suggest that people came to the Americas earlier  perhaps far earlier  than once thought. These findings hint at a remarkably different life for these early Americans, one in which they may have spent millennia sharing prehistoric savannas and wetlands with enormous beasts.

There was this idea that humans arrived and killed everything off very quickly  whats called Pleistocene overkill, said Daniel Odess, an archaeologist at White Sands National Park in New Mexico. But new discoveries suggest that humans were existing alongside these animals for at least 10,000 years, without making them go extinct."

Some of the most tantalizing clues come from an archaeological site in central Brazil, called Santa Elina, where bones of giant ground sloths show signs of being manipulated by humans. Sloths like these once lived from Alaska to Argentina, and some species had bony structures on their backs, called osteoderms  a bit like the plates of modern armadillos  that may have been used to make decorations.

In a lab at the University of Sao Paulo, researcher Mirian Pacheco holds in her palm a round, penny-sized sloth fossil. She notes that its surface is surprisingly smooth, the edges appear to have been deliberately polished, and theres a tiny hole near one edge.

We believe it was intentionally altered and used by ancient people as jewelry or adornment, she said. Three similar pendant fossils are visibly different from unworked osteoderms on a table  those are rough-surfaced and without any holes.

These artifacts from Santa Elina are roughly 27,000 years old  more than 10,000 years before scientists once thought that humans arrived in the Americas.

Originally researchers wondered if the craftsmen were working on already old fossils. But Pachecos research strongly suggests that ancient people were carving fresh bones shortly after the animals died.

Her findings, together with other recent discoveries, could help rewrite the tale of when humans first arrived in the Americas  and the effect they had on the environment they found.

Theres still a big debate, said Pacheco.

Scientists know that the first humans emerged in Africa, then moved into Europe and Asia-Pacific, before finally making their way to the last continental frontier, the Americas. But questions remain about the final chapter of the human origins story.

Pacheco was taught in high school the theory that most archaeologists held throughout the 20th century. What I learned in school was that Clovis was first, she said.

Clovis is a site in New Mexico, where archaeologists in the 1920s and 1930s found distinctive projectile points and other artifacts dated to between 11,000 and 13,000 years ago.

This date happens to coincide with the end of the last Ice Age, a time when an ice-free corridor likely emerged in North America  giving rise to an idea about how early humans moved into the continent after crossing the Bering land bridge from Asia.

And because the fossil record shows the widespread decline of American megafauna starting around the same time  with North America losing 70% of its large mammals, and South America losing more than 80% -- many researchers surmised that humans arrival led to mass extinctions.

It was a nice story for a while, when all the timing lined up, said paleoanthropologist Briana Pobiner at the Smithsonian Institutions Human Origins Program. But it doesnt really work so well anymore.

In the past 30 years, new research methods  including ancient DNA analysis and new laboratory techniques  coupled with the examination of additional archaeological sites and inclusion of more diverse scholars across the Americas, have upended the old narrative and raised new questions, especially about timing.

Anything older than about 15,000 years still draws intense scrutiny, said Richard Farina, a paleontologist at the University of the Republic in Montevideo, Uruguay. But really compelling evidence from more and more older sites keeps coming to light.

In Sao Paulo and at the Federal University of Sao Carlos, Pacheco studies the chemical changes that occur when a bone becomes a fossil. This allows her team to analyze when the sloth osteoderms were likely modified.

We found that the osteoderms were carved before the fossilization process in fresh bones  meaning anywhere from a few days to a few years after the sloths died, but not thousands of years later.

Her team also tested and ruled out several natural processes, like erosion and animal gnawing. The research was published last year in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

One of her collaborators, paleontologist Thais Pansani, recently based at the Smithsonian Institution, is analyzing whether similar-aged sloth bones found at Santa Elina were charred by human-made fires  which burn at different temperatures than natural wildfires.

Her preliminary results suggest that the fresh sloth bones were present at human campsites  whether burned deliberately in cooking, or simply nearby, isnt clear. She is also testing and ruling out other possible causes for the black markings, such as natural chemical discoloration.

The first site widely accepted as older than Clovis was in Monte Verde, Chile.

Buried beneath a peat bog, researchers discovered 14,500-year-old stone tools, pieces of preserved animal hides, and various edible and medicinal plants.

Monte Verde was a shock. Youre here at the end of the world, with all this organic stuff preserved," said Vanderbilt archaeologist Tom Dillehay, a longtime researcher at Monte Verde.

Other archaeological sites suggest even earlier dates for human presence in the Americas.

Among the oldest sites is Arroyo del Vizcaino in Uruguay, where researchers are studying apparent human-made cut marks on animal bones dated to around 30,000 years ago.

At New Mexico's White Sands, researchers have uncovered human footprints dated to between 21,000 and 23,000 years ago  as well as similar-aged tracks of giant mammals. But some archaeologists say its hard to imagine that humans would repeatedly traverse a site and leave no stone tools.

Theyve made a strong case, but there are still some things about that site that puzzle me, said David Meltzer, an archaeologist at Southern Methodist University. Why would people leave footprints over a long period of time, but never any artifacts?

Odess at White Sands said that he expects and welcomes such challenges. We didnt set out to find the oldest anything  weve really just followed the evidence where it leads, he said.

While the exact timing of humans arrival in the Americas remains contested  and may never be known  it seems clear that if the first people arrived earlier than once thought, they didnt immediately decimate the giant beasts they encountered.

And the White Sands footprints preserve a few moments of their early interactions.

As Odess interprets them, one set of tracks shows a giant ground sloth going along on four feet when it encounters the footprints of a small human whos recently dashed by. The huge animal stops and rears up on hind legs, shuffles around, then heads off in a different direction."

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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A Missouri judge has rejected arguments that a bank mismanaged American painter Thomas Hart Benton's estate by selling his artwork for less than what it was worth and losing more than 100 pieces.

Judge Mark Styles ruled there were only five Benton pieces that UMB Bank could not account for during its administration of the Benton Trust. They were not paintings, but were likely sketches or studies, KCUR-FM reports.

The Jackson County Circuit Court judge awarded Benton's heirs $35,000 on Dec. 13, just a fraction of the $85 million that the family sought in a 2019 lawsuit. The bank said in a statement that it is thrilled, but the family's lawyers said they are considering an appeal.

Despite the decision from this trial, we still strongly believe in the merits of the case for the Benton family," said Kent Emison of the Langdon & Emison law firm, which brought the suit on the Bentons behalf.

Benton, who died in Kansas City, Missouri, on Jan. 19, 1975, is known for his portrayals of Midwestern life in the 20th century. His paintings and murals are in museums across the United States, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the National Gallery in Washington.

One deal that was questioned was the 1986 sale of Persephone, which depicts the Greek goddess resting nude as a farmer gawks, to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art for $2.5 million. At issue was the fact that a former chairman and board member for UMB served on the Kansas City museum's board at the time of the sale. But the judge found no evidence of anything inappropriate.

The notion that UMB undersold Bentons artwork while serving as trustee of the Benton Trust is ultimately unfounded, Styles wrote.
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Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi has replaced the armed forces chief and several other top military officers in a major reshuffle amid the ongoing fight against rebels in the country's eastern region, state media announced late Thursday.

The Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces, Gen. Christian Tshiwewe, who has been in office since October 2022 during the last major shake-up, was replaced by Lt. Gen. Jules Banza Mwilambwe.

Congos military has been fighting more than 100 armed groups for years in the mineral-rich eastern region where the rebels are vying for a foothold in a conflict that has created one of the worlds largest humanitarian crises. More than 7 million people have been displaced so far and hundreds were killed in the last year. Among the key actors is the M-23 rebel group, which Congo and United Nations peacekeepers have said is supported by neighboring Rwanda.

The state television report did not give reasons for the military reshuffle. Other key figures affected included Maj. Gen. Christian Ndaywel, who was the chief of military intelligence and among those involved in the peace talks with Rwanda.

The conflict in the region has worsened in the last year, with rebels claiming victories in new territories. Several territories in the region, particularly in the North Kivu province, are already under the control of the rebels.

Planned face-to-face peace talks between the leaders of Congo and Rwanda in Angola were canceled on Sunday with the Congolese presidency saying the Rwandan delegation refused to take part in the meeting while Rwandas government said it was postponed.
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A cosmetic and weight loss clinic that secretly filmed patients is not safe, the health watchdog has found.

A damning report from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found that Doncaster-based Elements Medical was inadequate in every area it inspected in October, concluding it was not safe, not effective and not well led.

The clinic, which also operates online as The Virtual Slimming Clinic, offers services including weight management, pre and postoperative care for cosmetic and bariatric surgery, treatments for skin conditions including acne, and vitamin injections, the CQC said on Friday.

Among the long list of concerns, the report said: We saw that people were covertly filmed at the premises including while receiving treatment, without their knowledge or consent.

In addition, the provider told us that the closed-circuit television monitoring (CCTV) was monitored and managed by a third-party provider which posed a safeguarding risk.

The inspectors said they found a large quantity of the muscular injection Dysport in a fridge which was turned off during clinic times because it was noisy.

The report said: Staff told us this medicine had been imported from Turkey, and we found labels on the medicine were not in English, however, the provider did not have a licence to import any medicines to England.

Turkey is also not an approved country for the purposes of supplying medicines for use in England by the Medicines Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

The report continued: We also found the provider was using this injection in place of Botox, however, people using the service had not been informed of this.

We saw evidence that vials which were meant for single use only were being shared between multiple patients, which posed a significant infection risk.

The inspectors also said that the firm bought the dilutant Bacteriostatic sodium chloride 0.9% from a website which said: All products listed on this website are for research purposes only, we do not advocate or advise human use, and any such use is entirely at your own risk.

They pointed to a series of other safety concerns, including obstructed fire exits, lit candles in clinic and waiting rooms which were unattended for significant periods of time, unsafely stored oxygen, and a defibrillator with no pads which left it not usable in the event of an emergency.

The report concluded that the provider showed a disregard for the safety of staff and people using the service and staff, confidentiality, and information security.

It said: The CQC assessment team did not feel that all staff, including the provider, acted with openness, honesty and transparency during the inspection visit.

There was a disregard for the duty of candour. Where people had been placed at significant risk of harm by the service, we saw no evidence that they had been informed of this.

The CQC said it did not inspect how caring or responsive the service was, as it focused on the areas of concern, and these areas both remain rated as good from the previous inspection.

Being placed in special measures means the service will be kept under close review by CQC, the watchdog said.

Alan Stephenson, CQC deputy director of operations in the north, said: When we inspected Elements Medical, we had serious concerns about the safety of the service and how it was being managed, to ensure people were getting the service and treatment they deserve.

We identified widespread shortfalls including peoples understanding of procedures and their consent to them, and how the service kept people safe from abuse.

Staff lacked basic knowledge of safeguarding procedures, including how to report concerns, and the service secretly filmed people during treatment without consent.

Mr Stephenson said: We have told Elements Medical where we expect to see rapid and widespread improvements and will continue to monitor them closely to keep people safe while this happens.

We will return to check on their progress and wont hesitate to take further action if people are not receiving the care they have a right to expect.

The report will be published on CQCs website in the next few days.
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Minneapolis has softened an ordinance that prohibited the obstruction of entrances and driveways to abortion clinics after anti-abortion activists sued to challenge it on free-speech grounds.

The City Council this month quietly amended the ordinance to exclude constitutionally protected activities and agreed to pay the plaintiffs' legal fees. Brian Gibson, chief executive officer of Pro-Life Action Ministries, said in an interview Friday that it amounted to an admission by the city that the law violated the freedom of speech.

They were accepting fault for having violated our constitutional rights, Gibson said.

Pro-Life Action Ministries sends sidewalk counselors to Planned Parenthood clinics in Minneapolis, St. Paul and elsewhere to try to dissuade people from having abortions. The ordinance, which the city enacted in 2022, was designed to protect patients of the Planned Parenthood clinic in the Uptown neighborhood from group members who would approach patients as they drove into the parking lot there. Gibson said they never blocked any entrances, but would try to get people to roll down their windows to take literature or talk.

Minneapolis was the only city the state with such a rule. Gibson said their most immediate concern when they filed the lawsuit in 2023 was to overturn the Minneapolis ordinance, but he acknowledged that they also wanted to prevent St. Paul, where there's a much busier Planned Parenthood abortion clinic, from adopting something similar, which it never did.

The final judgement in favor of Pro-Life Action Ministries and three of its sidewalk counselors was filed in federal court Thursday.

Nationwide, several people have been convicted in the last year alone under the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, known as the FACE Act, or similar laws for physically blockading abortion clinic entrances. That includes activists in Detroit, New York City, Washington, D.C., and Mount Juliet, Tennessee, with some getting prison sentences as high as three to five years.

Toward the end of a long meeting that dealt mostly with other topics on Dec. 5, the Minneapolis City Council went into closed session to approve the agreement on legal fees, then returned in a very brief open session to unanimously exempt any person or group engaging in conduct protected by the United States Constitution, the Minnesota Constitution or federal or Minnesota law.

The law still prohibits physically blocking clinic entrances, and the city council's vice president, Aisha Chughtai, said it's consistent with the FACE Act.

She said the council wants to make sure people have access to heath care, including abortions, and voiced support for Planned Parenthood.

We also want to be sure to provide very specific carveouts to ensure First Amendment rights are protected and ensure our local authority remains intact, she told her colleagues at the meeting.

Chughtai did not immediately return messages seeking comment Friday. In response to a request for comment from the city attorney's office, a city spokesperson supplied a statement that was nearly identical to what Chughtai said at the council meeting.

They amended their ordinance and repaired the damage that was done there. It was total victory for the free-speech folks, said Peter Breen, head of litigation for the conservative Thomas More Society, which represented the plaintiffs.

Planned Parenthood North Central States, which was not a party to the lawsuit, said in a statement that under the revision, Patients continue to be protected from people blocking or obstructing the driveway or sidewalk.

Breen said theyll file a bill for the attorneys fees soon, but that their last estimate was in the $600,000 range.

The Thomas More Society and allied groups are litigating similar restrictions nationwide, Breen said. Theyve asked a federal appeals court to block a similar ordinance in Clearwater, Florida. Theyre also fighting similar measures in Westchester County of New York, San Diego, and Detroit.

And theyve asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a challenge to an ordinance in Carbondale, Illinois. While the Supreme Court in 2000 affirmed a Colorado buffer zone requirement in a case called Hill v. Colorado, Breen noted that the high court more recently in its Dobbs decision, which struck down the constitutional right to abortion, criticized the Hill decision, saying its previous abortion rulings have distorted First Amendment doctrines.

Gibson said his members sometimes succeed in persuading people who come to the Minnesota clinics to cancel their abortions. He said they gather outside the St. Paul clinic nearly every day, and even go there Sundays when it's closed just to pray. And he said they had a victory on their first day back outside the Minneapolis clinic when they approached a woman who had parked on the street.

We had a baby saved, he said. A woman decided not to go through with her abortion appointment.
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Scientists have discovered a unique fossil that does not match any known species of flowering plants, an advance that sheds more light on the planets ancient diversity.

Researchers first spotted the fossilised leaves of the species Othniophyton elongatum, which translates to alien plant, in Rainbow in Utah in 1969. The former mining community is now a ghost town.

A new analysis published in the journal Annals of Botany reveals that the 47-million-year-old fossil leaves belong to a unique plant with unusual flowers and fruits.

Initially, researchers were forced to infer the species of this plant just by looking at the shape and vein patterns in the fossil leaves without flowers, fruits or branches.

They thought it might have had leaves with multiple smaller leaflets, and based on this reasoned that the extinct species may have belonged to the ginseng family.

Strange, extinct plant once thought to be related to modern ginseng is now considered the lone representative of an unknown family ( Florida Museum of Natural History/Jeff Gage )

But the latest study, assessing more fossils of the plant, finds that the leaves, fruits and flowers attached to the stem of the fossils were nothing like those of the other plants in the ginseng family.

They found that new fossils had leaves directly attached to stems, painting a much different picture of what the plant once looked like.

This fossil is rare in having the twig with attached fruits and leaves. Usually, those are found separately, study co-author Steven Manchester from the Florida Museum of Natural History said.

The two twigs we found show the same kind of leaf attached, but theyre not compound. Theyre simple, which eliminates the possibility of it being anything in that family, Dr Manchester said.

In the study, scientists analysed the physical features of the old and new fossils and searched among the over 400 diverse families of flowering plants alive today if they resemble any living plant family.

However, they couldnt match the fossils strange assortment of features with any of them.

When researchers searched among extinct families, they came up empty-handed once again.

China discovers landmark human evolution fossils

Through the study, scientists highlight a problem in studying ancient plant fossils, especially of plants that lived less than 65 million years ago.

When such plants are categorised within modern families, it can create a skewed estimate of biodiversity in ancient ecosystems, researchers warn.

There are many things for which we have good evidence to put in a modern family or genus, but you cant always shoehorn these things, Dr Manchester said.

Fossil berries of the extinct plant assessed in the new study helped rule out families like the grasses and magnolias.

While the flowers did seem to resemble some modern groups, other features ruled those out.

Then using a digital microscope and computer-enhanced illumination, researchers could find minute new details, including the fruits internal anatomy and small, developing seeds that theyd missed during prior observations.

One of these new features spotted in the latest observation is the stamen  the male reproductive organs of the flower.

Crocodile fossil: paleontologists unveil special find

In most plants, once the flower is fertilised, the stamens detach along with the petals and the rest of the flower parts.

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, Dr Manchester said.

This helped them rule out all modern families and a subsequent comparison found no match even in known extinct plant groups.

The study points to the lack of clarity on how diverse such ancient ecosystems were, researchers say.

Its important because it gives us a little bit of a clue about how these organisms were evolving and adapting in different places, Julian Correa-Narvaez, another author of the study, said.
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A vegetarian piranha from the Amazon and a flying dinosaur found on the Isle of Skye are among the species previously unknown that have been named this year.

Natural History Museum (NHM) scientists and their partners across the world named almost 200 species in the last 12 months.

New finds include a snake from the Indian Himalayas named after actor and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio and the piranha named after Lord Of The Rings villain Sauron due to its orange and black markings that resemble the eye.

This year also marked the naming of the most complete UK dinosaur discovered in a century as Comptonatus chasei  the bones of which were initially unearthed on the Isle of Wight in 2013 by local fossil hunter Nick Chase.

As they unveiled the list for 2024, NHM scientists highlighted the importance of naming and describing species to understand ecosystems and how they are affected by human-driven impacts.

open image in gallery Anguiculus dicaprioi - a new species and genus of snake from the Indian Himalayas named after actor and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio ( Virender K. Bhardwaj/PA Wire )

Leading botanist Sandra Knapp told the PA news agency: Every single specimen in our collection and every single named thing has a narrative and a story attached to it and having a name allows you to tell that story.

Ms Knapp said the work is a step in the chain to establishing how nature is adapting to climate change and how biodiversity is under threat to better inform policy, conservation and science.

open image in gallery Myloplus sauron, a vegetarian piranha from the Amazon ( Mark H. Sabaj/PA Wire )

Were not going to cure cancer by naming a new fish from the Amazon but it does contribute to the conversation about how we manage our environment and how we go forward as a species amongst other species, because were a species too, she said.

We can use the knowledge that we produce here by describing things and naming things and working on how they interact with each other to actually create those solutions from nature for us, but also solutions from us for nature.

open image in gallery Valettietta synchlys (top) and Valettietta trottarum (bottom) ( Steward et al/PA Wire )

As the nascent deep sea mining industry develops, marine biologist Eva Stewart named and described two species of scavenging amphipods from the floor of the central Pacific Ocean.

Were still finding out more about these animals because there has historically not been that much sampling in the deep sea, she said.

With each year theres more and more so were getting to learn more about these species.

The work is part of wider efforts to establish what is living on the sea bed, which can then inform where marine protected areas should be put in place and how legislation might work to stymie biodiversity loss caused by mining.

Ms Stewart said: The very fundamental units of biodiversity and ecology are just species and so if you want to understand the whole ecosystem and how the communities interact and how the biodiversity changes over the whole landscape you need to know what the species are in the first place.

The marine biologist said it was really exciting to name the species, adding that she called one after her grandmother.

Adrian Glover, who also works in the NHM deep sea lab, said that beyond applied science and solving modern society problems, theres still an element of wonder and discovery in what we do.

Its about finding new, amazing things and describing them and connecting people to the nature around them, he said.

People and children come into the museum to be inspired and be amazed  the natural curiosity of humans is amazing.

open image in gallery An illustration issued by the Natural History Museum (NHM) of Ceoptera evansae a pterosaur described from the Isle of Skye ( Mark Witton/PA Wire )

This also comes into the work of NHM palaeontologist Paul Barrett, who helped to name a flying pterosaur from the middle Jurassic age after its fossilised bones were found in a rock on an Isle of Skye beach in 2006.

We have relatively few middle Jurassic pterosaurs from anywhere in the world, he said.

So it helps fill in a little bit of a gap in our broader knowledge of where flying reptiles were at this time and the kinds of flying reptiles that were actually around.

open image in gallery One of two new species of pirate spider found high in the mountains of St Helena and named in honour of Liza Fowler ( Liza Fowler/PA Wire )

Mr Barrett said naming new dinosaur finds is similarly a small step in the chain of understanding the natural world and how ancient life responded to past climatic events.

What were really looking at is establishing a baseline for what ecosystems were once like and how those ecosystems have changed through time, and by understanding some of the factors that have impacted those ecosystems we can then use those examples to apply to what we know is going on today, he said.

Scientists also named two plant-eating dinosaurs this year  a sauropodomorph from Zimbabwe and a stegosaur from China, alongside new fossil spiders, a lizard-like reptile and a couple of mammals.
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Two men have been charged over a fight with police at Manchester Airport which happened before an officer was filmed stamping on a suspects head.

Brothers Mohammed Amaaz, 20, and Muhammed Amaad, 25, have been charged with two counts of assault, the Crown Prosecution Service said.

No police officers will be charged. The two defendants will appear at Liverpool Magistrates Court on Thursday, January 16.

Footage of the incident was shared online in July and led to protests after it appeared to show a Greater Manchester Police officer assaulting a man as he lay on the floor.

The altercation, in Terminal 2 of the airport, allegedly happened after an earlier confrontation between passengers on a Qatar Airways flight which arrived at 7.20pm on 23 July.

open image in gallery Footage emerged of the brawl after protests were held outside Manchester Airport  following different video which showed a police officer stamping on a passengers head ( Manchester Evening News )

The Crown Prosecution Service said experts had concluded there was no realistic prospect of conviction of any police officers.

Frank Ferguson, head of the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said: Based on a careful consideration of this evidence, we have concluded that two men should be charged with offences including assaults on police officers.

We have concluded no charges should be brought against any officers. We examined potential offences of actual bodily harm, and common assault, and reviewed expert evidence in the form of an independent report from an expert in the use of police force, to inform this decision.

We always ensure police training is also taken into account in the context of these decisions, and in this case the combination of evidence, and the expert opinion meant there was no realistic prospect of conviction.

open image in gallery Protestors block tram tracks during demonstrations after video from the airport incident emerged ( Getty )

Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Stephen Watson said the officer involved in the brawl had had his suspension lifted following the CPS decision.

I have lifted the suspension of the officer involved. The IOPCs misconduct investigation continues and we will continue to cooperate fully in this regard, he said.

A spokesman for the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said: We are aware of the Crown Prosecution Services decision to take no further action against police officers involved in a series of arrests at Manchester Airport on July 23.

Our independent investigation into the use of force by police on six people during the incident continues and is nearing completion.
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A woman recovered her mobile phone after running nearly 2km chasing thieves who allegedly snatched the device on a busy north London street.

Izzy Du, a designer from Tottenham, said she cant believe she was able to get her phone back after pursuing the two suspects.

Ms Du was walking along a main road in north London around mid-morning when the phone was said to be taken from her hand by two people on a bicycle.

She then gave chase and apprehended one of them, until the police arrived. The suspect was then arrested and Ms Du was taken home to give a statement.

My heart dropped and I was like no, no, no, no. Its just horrible, its the worst feeling when this actually happens to you, she told BBC London.

open image in gallery Izzy Du ran up to 2km chasing thieves who snatched her phone from her hand on a busy London street ( Izzy Du/Instagram )

Im running and running and shouting after them that I need my phone. Ive been training lately, so I can run, she explained.

After she got home, she opened her laptop and was able to track her device to where she found it hidden in a bush with six other phones.

She asked the police to help her hunt for the phone, but said they did nothing claiming they gave every excuse not to go and look for the phone.

Once Ms Du had provided her statement she went back to the scene without police assistance and was able to find it with the help of someone who witnessed it.

She said she was disappointed with the police response and said that if they decided to go to the location shown on the online tracker, they would have found the phone.

A Met Police spokesperson told The Independent: On 17 December at around 11:20hrs police were called after a woman had her mobile phone stolen in Broad Street, N15.

The woman followed the two suspects towards Seven Sisters station where one of them ran off. Officers were quickly on scene and the second suspect, a 16-year-old male - was arrested.

He was subsequently charged with theft and appeared at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court on 18 December.

He will next appear at the same court on 24 January for a further hearing.The woman subsequently contacted police to inform she had located her phone along with three other mobile phones.

Work continues to identify the other person involved. Anyone with information that could assist is asked to call 101 or X @MetCC and quote ref: 01/1213229/24.
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A major childrens charity has rejected a Christmas donation from the outgoing Archbishop of Canterbury saying that doing so would not be consistent with its work in supporting victims of child sexual abuse.

Earlier this week Justin Welby  who will officially quit in early January over failures in handling a Church of England abuse scandal  sent an annual e-card for the festive season, and said he was making a donation to The Childrens Society.

A message accompanying the card from Mr Welby and his wife Caroline noted that the charity works with children affected by criminal and sexual exploitation, abuse and other issues.

But the charity announced on Friday that it had respectfully decided not to accept the donation.

Mark Russell, the organisations chief executive, said: After careful consideration, we have respectfully decided not to accept the donation offered by the outgoing Archbishop of Canterbury.

open image in gallery Justin Welby stepped down after criticism of the Churchs handling of historic child abuse allegations ( PA )

The Childrens Society is deeply committed to supporting the survivors of abuse, our teams support victims of child sexual abuse, and this means that accepting this donation would not be consistent with the principles and values that underpin our work.

Mr Welby announced his resignation last month over the fallout from a damning report that implicated him in the Churchs failure to protect victims from serial abuser John Smyth.

The independent review concluded barrister John Smyth - thought to have been the most prolific serial abuser to be associated with the Church - might have been brought to justice had Mr Welby formally reported him to police in 2013.

Across five decades in three different countries and involving as many as 130 boys and young men in the UK and Africa, Smyth is said to have subjected his victims to traumatic physical, sexual, psychological and spiritual attacks, permanently marking their lives.

Smyth died aged 77 in Cape Town in 2018 while under investigation by Hampshire Police, and was never brought to justice for the abuse, the Makin report said.

Earlier this month Archbishop Welby ignited further fury among leading bishops who accused him of making light of safeguarding failures in his farewell speech to the House of Lords. He apologised the next day.

During the speech, he said: There comes a time if you are technically leading a particular institution or area of responsibility where the shame of what has gone wrong, whether one is personally responsible or not, must require a head to roll.

And there is only, in this case, one head that rolls well enough.

He added that his poor diary secretary deserved pity after seeing weeks and months of work disappear in a puff of a resignation announcement. His speech was criticised as being tone deaf by a victim of Smyth.

The Childrens Society chief executive Mr Russell explained their decision further, saying: We were profoundly shocked by the findings of the Makin report, and our thoughts are with all survivors of abuse. We believe that there is an urgent need for the Church of England to reset its approach to safeguarding and continue to create a safer Church and safer spaces for young people, protected by real accountability and a culture of care.

The Childrens Societys life-changing work supports children facing abuse, exploitation or struggling with their mental health. We remain deeply grateful for the generosity of those who share our vision and the support of those donations is crucial to changing childrens lives for the better. We will continue to focus on delivering a society built for all children.

A Lambeth Palace spokesperson said: Lambeth Palace respects the decision made by The Childrens Society.

The Archbishop of Canterbury shares the principles and values of The Childrens Society and is committed to supporting the survivors of abuse and victims of child sexual abuse.

He applauds The Childrens Society for their tireless work in this field.
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King Charless cancer treatment will continue into the New Year after almost a years battle with the disease, according to reports.

Buckingham Palace sources said his treatment has been moving in a positive direction and as a managed condition the treatment cycle will continue into next year.

The source told Sky News there is a sense of optimism, which can be seen in the Kings desire to keep up a busy schedule of public engagements, including during the festive period.

Charless cancer diagnosis was announced by the Palace in February, although it is not clear what type of cancer he has been diagnosed with.

It is also unclear what type of treatment he has specifically had, but he has regularly been in London for private appointments.

open image in gallery King Charles last week at a Christmas crafts fair amid his recovery from cancer ( Getty Images )

Charles, 76, spent three nights in hospital for a procedure on an enlarged prostate, during which time his cancer  not affecting his prostate  was discovered.

After the major health development was announced on February 6, the King postponed all public-facing engagement for a period.

He spent around three months out of the public eye and returned in April with a visit to a cancer centre in London.

In September, Camilla gave an insight into the Kings treatment when she opened a new cancer centre in Bath, revealing he was doing very well.

The monarch paused his treatment in October to embark on a high-profile tour to Australia followed by Samoa in the South Pacific.

open image in gallery King Charles, 76, during a visit to Samoa as part of a tour to the Pacific island and Australia in October ( Victoria Jones/PA Wire )

It was his most significant overseas tour since his cancer diagnosis and his first to Australia as the nations head of state.

He is said to have been greatly encouraged by the way his personal health has been able to broaden discussion and engagement around the issues of all forms of cancer, such as the rise in prostate screening after he had surgery at the start of the year.

He hopes to be able to show how people diagnosed with cancer can, if it is right for them, carry on with as much of their normal lives as possible.

The King and Queen will carry out their last big public engagement on Friday before they begin their Christmas break, meeting local community volunteers, young people, emergency services, and faith representatives in Waltham Forest.

Palace sources told Sky News the intention is for the monarch to return to a full programme of public duties next year, with planning for the first half of the year involving an exciting mix of national and international events.
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Selfies posted online tripped up an Iranian people-smuggling ring using Ryanair and Easyjet flights to sneak migrants into the UK.

The Home Office said the Swansea-based criminal group used false identities to book 35 flights on the low-cost carriers between August 2018 and January 2020.

They were sentenced on Thursday to a combined 18 years and 5 months after targeting airports in an operation undone when their clients posted selfies of their journeys and Home Office teams linked the photos to fraudulent flight bookings.

Group member, Kaveh Nazari, receiving two sentences of and five years seven months to be served side by side. His accomplice Seyed Hangeroudi was jailed for three years and seven months.

Two other men, Mohammed Ahmadi Khatir and Smerdis Hakhamanesh were both sentenced to 22 months, suspended for 12 months for their involvement, following a six-week trial.

open image in gallery Mohammad Ahmadi Khatir, Sayd Medhi Dehdehghan, Kaveh Nazari, and Smerdis Hakhamanesh have been sentenced for people smuggling ( Border Police/South Wales Police )

Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Dame Angela Eagle, said the sentenceing makes clear that anyone who exploits our border for profit can expect to face justice.

Were doing everything we can to boost our border security ... and stay ahead of the people smuggling gangs attempting to undermine the safety and security of the UK. Im grateful to the officers whose hard work put these criminals behind bars, she said.

Home Office said a four-year probe into the groups activities uncovered a wealth of evidence, including digital images of false documents and boastful selfies taken by Iranian migrants being smuggled into the UK.

Tony Hilton, Home Office Criminal and Financial Investigations Assistant Director, said: Our officers have worked tirelessly for four years to bring this crime group to justice, and its thanks to their hard work that more people smugglers are now in prison.

We will continue to crack down on all forms of people smuggling, including those who exploit others for profit and put the safety of the UK public at risk.

open image in gallery People smugglers used false identities to book flights to the UK, the Home Office has said ( PA )

A spokesperson for Easyjet said: Safety and security is our highest priority and we work closely with the border force and law enforcement agencies to do what we can as an airline to assist in preventing unlawful activity.

Minister for border security and asylum, Dame Angela Eagle, said: This sentencing makes clear that anyone who exploits our border for profit can expect to face justice.

They will now be considered for removal from the UK, government officials said.

Ryanair was contacted for comment.
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As the royal family prepares to gather at the Sandringham estate for their annual Christmas festivities, it seems unlikely that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be joining them.

The last time Harry and Meghan spent Christmas with the royal family was in 2018, making this the sixth consecutive year they have been absent from the Norfolk celebrations.

Instead, the couple is expected to mark the holiday at their Montecito home in California, joined by Meghans mother, Doria Ragland, and their children, Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3.

Reports suggest no invitation was extended to the Sussexes for the Sandringham festivities, where the King, Queen, and the Prince and Princess of Wales, along with their family, will reunite.

However, Harry has previously shared that some royal Christmas traditions live on in his own family. Among them is the custom of opening presents on Christmas Eve, a nod to the cherished ritual in Sandringhams White Room.

open image in gallery It is believed the couple will spend Christmas with their children and Meghans mother in California ( Courtesy of Archewell )

In his memoir Spare, Harry reflected on his familys first Christmas Eve in the United States in 2020.

He wrote: We took Archie to find a Christmas tree. A pop-up lot in Santa Barbara. We bought one of the biggest spruces they had. We brought it home, set it up in the living room. Magnificent. We stood back, admiring, counting our blessings. New home. Healthy boy.

It was Christmas Eve. We FaceTimed with several friends, including a few in Britain. We watched Archie running around the tree. And we opened presents. Keeping to the Windsor family tradition.

In a recent interview with Marie Claire, Meghan spoke of the joy they find in building new traditions as a family.

open image in gallery Meghan said her favourite Christmas ritual is trimming and decorating the tree with Archie and Lilibet,

I love the holidays, she shared. Archie and Lilibet are now three and five, so every year it gets better. She added: At first, I think as a mom with children, youre just enjoying having them there, but theyre not understanding everything thats happening yet. But now were at the age where I just cant wait to see it through their lens every year.

Meghan described their festivities as including a great meal followed by games and fun, like any other family.

Meanwhile, King Charles continues the tradition of hosting Christmas at Sandringham, following in the footsteps of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who presided over the estates festive gatherings since 1998.

open image in gallery They last joined the Sandringham festivities in 2018 ( Getty Images )

Harry and Meghans last royal Christmas appearance in 2018 included the memorable walkabout where they were photographed alongside the Prince and Princess of Walesa scene emblematic of a very different time.

Over the years, Harry and Meghans relationship with the royal family has grown increasingly strained. Since stepping back as senior royals in 2020, they have publicly detailed their negative experiences within the institution through interviews, a Netflix series, and Harrys memoir, Spare.

Signs of reconciliation appeared earlier this year when Harry flew to London to meet his father after King Charless cancer diagnosis. However, Meghan has not returned to the UK since Queen Elizabeth IIs state funeral in 2022, further underscoring the ongoing distance.
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Calls are growing in the UK for Aung San Suu Kyi to be released from prison where she has been held for the last four years by Myanmars military regime.

Former foreign ministers Andrew Mitchell and Sir Alan Duncan said her detention meant that the military junta could carry on its human rights abuses on its people.

Ms Suu Kyi  the former democratically elected leader of Myanmar who has become a deeply controversial figure after refusing to speak out against her countrys extreme violence against its Rohingya Muslim minority  is 79 and in poor health.

Mr Mitchell, ex-foreign minister and former deputy foreign secretary, said that many will condemn the stance she took over the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar and the violence they faced.

But he added: Locking up the elected leader in such harsh conditions by an illegitimate military cabal is a monstrous repetition of their illegal behaviour and underlines that Myanmar continues to be under the yoke of a pariah regime.

Watch: Cancelled: The rise and fall of Aung San Suu Kyi Documentary on Independent TV

open image in gallery Aung San Suu Kyi is 79 years old and said to be in poor health ( AP )

Ms Suu Kyis fall from grace is explored in a new Independent TV documentary, Cancelled: The rise and fall of Aung San Suu Kyi, which takes an unbiased look at her life and the plight of Myanmar.

Mr Mitchell described his time working alongside her: As British development secretary I worked closely with Aung San Suu Kyi  indeed joined her on a remarkable campaigning visit inside Myanmar prior to her democratic victory and undoubted mandate.

Her current imprisonment in harsh conditions is outrageous and yet further evidence that Myanmar is being ruled by an internationally condemned junta with neither legitimacy nor humanity.

Sir Alan told The Independent: She is the one great hope for Myanmar. The world should be campaigning for her to be free in the same way as they did for Nelson Mandela.

open image in gallery Andrew Mitchell says Myanmar is being ruled by an internationally condemned junta ( Getty )

Their intervention comes after three former UK foreign secretaries  William Hague, Sir Malcolm Rifkind and Labours Jack Straw  all called for her release.

In the documentary, Lord Hague described her as a political prisoner on trumped up charges imprisoned because she was a force for democracy.

It was possible to be critical of the countrys former leader, but also say we should be campaigning for her release, he added.

Many former supporters of Ms Suu Kyi saw an appearance she made at the International Criminal Court in 2019, defending the actions of the military by saying it wasnt committing acts of genocide, as a betrayal.

open image in gallery Alan Duncan described Suu Kyi as one great hope for her country ( PA )

Ms Suu Kyi, who studied at Oxford, married British lecturer Michael Aris and raised her young family in the UK before going back to Myanmar in 1988, has been held since the military seized power in a coup in February 2021, a move that plunged the country into conflict.

In the aftermath, she was convicted of offences which ranged from corruption and treason to violations of telecommunications law, which she denies.

Cancelled: The rise and fall of Aung San Suu Kyi Documentary

In total, she faces 27 years in prison, meaning she could not be released until she is more than 100 years old. Although details of her imprisonment have been conflicting it is thought she has been kept in solitary confinement in a prison in Naypyidaw, the capital of Myanmar, since her sentencing.

Sean Turnell, who was sentenced at the same time, has described how his cell was completely open to rats and spiders, centipedes and these awful black tarantulas.
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The debate over Britains relationship with the EU is picking up nearly five years after Brexit.

For the first time since Keir Starmer became Labour leader, the EUs 27 leaders discussed ties with the UK on Thursday, as Starmer aims to rebuild relations and move beyond Brexit divisions.

Recent polls show 68 per cent of Britons back bringing back freedom of movement for single market access, while only 17 per cent prioritise ties with the US. Geopolitical issues, like Donald Trumps possible return and Russian threats, complicate the debate.

When we asked for your views, advocates of EU alignment pointed to trade, economic growth, and security benefits, while US supporters emphasised defence partnerships and global influence. Others called for a balanced or independent approach.

Heres what you had to say about the way forward:

Rejoin the EU

Rejoin the EU or, at the very least, the Single Market and Customs Union with free movement. Brexit is costing 40 billion a year in income to the Treasury. Under EU free movement, there was a net positive gain from Europeans who came here, not to mention workforce shortages across all industries  including 100,000 doctors and nurses and as many social care workers.

AndrewS

Confederacy of Dunces.

You were idiots to vote yourselves out of the EU and align with us over here. We have a majority of idiots (evidenced by our recent election), so why align with us (~3,000 miles distant) rather than those 30 miles away? Youll be lucky if the EU lets you back in until you learn to drive on the correct side of the road and use real money. Aligning with the USA would indeed be a Confederacy of Dunces. Merry Xmas.

Glenn

Aim to be independent

Neither the EU nor the US is likely to offer good terms. The EU will want more than we should accept, and the US will offer what suits them. Aim to be independent, so we dont have to bend over to trade with either. The Commonwealth was better than both, but we let that slip away in favour of the EU.

Martyn

Trade war

On 15 December, Britain joined the Indo-Pacific trading bloc, becoming the 12th member of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). This deal might enhance UK services at the cost of industrial and agricultural produce.

An even bigger issue is the projected GDP increase of 0.08% in 15 years, compared to a 4% GDP loss from leaving the EU. CPTPPs lower standards (think lead-painted childrens toys) will add more scrutiny and red tape to UK produce. The EU wont allow itself to become a dumping ground for low-grade products.

As exports to the EU decline, is this worth the illusion of being a major Pacific player? Adding to the irony, China will join as the 13th member next year, aligning the UK with China in the US/Trump trade war.

Brad

Red lines

Starmers opportunity to make significant changes with the EU is severely restricted by his red lines. A UK-US trade deal could be mutually beneficial and is worth pursuing.

Richmond

We need strong relationships with both

We need strong relationships with both America and the EU, and theres no reason we cant achieve both. But with that clown David Lammy running the Foreign Office, its hard to see how thats going to happen.

AndrewAndrew

Closer EU alignment will drive growth with less pain

While good trading relationships with both are necessary, you cant be aligned to both simultaneously.

Closer alignment with the EU offers vastly more economically, socially, and defensively. Trumps previous trade stance  everything is on the table  would make the NHS a bargaining chip, which British voters wont accept. US food standards would decimate our farming industry and wouldnt appeal to UK consumers.

The EU remains our largest trading partner, and we share similar food standards. London, once Europes banking centre, suffered due to Brexit. Closer EU alignment will drive growth with less pain, especially with the USs America First approach.

Richard

Rejoining the EU is crucial

Despite Brexits failures, rejoining the EU is crucial for trade and security. They are our geographical neighbours, sharing values and citizen concerns. The US, headed by a potential felon, offers no special relationship beyond obedience. The Iraq War is a prime example of this dynamic. Aligning with the EU would protect the NHS from predatory US trade demands.

Galileo666

Trade relations wont change

The UK can rub itself up to the EU all it wants; trade relations wont change. Since last Friday, thousands of Etsy, eBay, and Amazon vendors have stopped trading with the EU and NI due to the GPSR rules, which they cant fulfil without going bust.

NellyNelly

Limited offers from both sides

The UK is free to choose, but both the US and EU will offer less than the UK expects and demand more than it is willing to pay.

Spanish guy

Want to lower standards? Align with the US

Its amazing that this question even arises for a European country! Want to lower standards? Align with the US. Want to maintain high standards? Re-align with the EU.

Leftyandproud

The EU is broken

The EU is a broken system  failing industries, declining global economic share, and regulatory issues. While the UK is not in great shape, aligning with the US makes more sense than continuing with the EUs unsustainable model.

9Diamonds

Self-inflicted wound

Leaving the EU was England and Waless biggest self-inflicted wound. It has made us poorer, driven up prices, and made trading with our largest partner unnecessarily hard. Aligning with the US, governed by a likely unhinged Republican president, would be a global disaster.

Colin

Isnt sovereignty nice?

If you follow the old Tory grandees belief, Britain is still an empire and calls the shots. But as a European country, the UK would be better off aligning with the EU. Meanwhile, right-wing populists idolise Trumps US.

None of these options commands a convincing majority. Delaying action will leave the UK behind, making recovery a decades-long challenge. Isnt sovereignty nice? Haha!

Rasputin007

Some of the comments have been edited for this article for brevity and clarity. You can read the full discussion in the comments section of the original article here.

The conversation isnt over. To join in, all you need to do is register your details, then you can take part in the discussion. You can also sign up by clicking log in on the top right-hand corner of the screen.
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Kemi Badenoch has been to Jeremy Clarksons pub to talk to furious farmers about Sir Keir Starmers so-called tractor tax.

The Tory leader has attached herself to the former Top Gear presenters campaign against Labours decision to scrap agricultural property relief.

The change means previously exempt farms will be hit with a 20 per cent levy on farming assets worth more than 1m, with critics saying it will force family farmers to sell up and rip the heart out of Britains countryside.

And on Thursday Ms Badenoch went to speak to local farmers at The Farmers Dog, Mr Clarksons pub in Asthall, near Burford in Oxfordshire.

Family farms across the country are now at risk because of Labours budget, Ms Badenoch warned.

And she repeated her promise to reverse the cruel family farms tax at the earliest possible opportunity.

The visit came as Sir Keir insisted there would be no U-turn on farmers inheritance tax changes, announced by Rachel Reeves in October.

The PM said he was not specifically targeting either family farms or wealthy landowners using agricultural land as a way of dodging tax, insisting it was not "aimed at a particular group of individuals".

open image in gallery The Conservative leader with the former Top Gear host ( Edward Massey/CCHQ )

But it is believed the tax changes were brought in to clamp down on those buying up agricultural land to minimise their inheritance tax bills.

Since the row over the tax erupted, Mr Clarkson has backpedalled on his previous claim that avoiding inheritance tax was the critical thing in his decision to buy a farm himself.

He wrote on the Top Gear website in 2010: I have bought a farm. There are many sensible reasons for this: Land is a better investment than any bank can offer. The government doesnt get any of my money when I die. And the price of the food that I grow can only go up.

But he has since claimed he bought it for his love of shooting, and that he thought tax avoidance would be a better PR story to explain why.

At the Budget chancellor Rachel Reeves ended inheritance tax exemptions for farms worth more than 1m, although in some cases that threshold could be as high as 3m.

open image in gallery Farmers have been protesting over changes to inheritance tax rules (Yui Mok/PA) ( PA Wire )

The move has led to protests from farmers who claim the death dues could force them to sell off land which could have been in a family for generations.

But appearing in front of the Liaison Committee of senior MPs, Sir Keir defended the way the policy had been drawn up, restating the governments view that the vast majority of farms will not be affected and the revenue raised was necessary to fund public services.

Asked by Mr Carmichael whether he was targeting the "super rich sheltering wealth" or family farmers, the prime minister said: "The purpose was to raise revenue in the Budget, so it wasnt aimed at a particular group of individuals."

He added: "What we tried to do with the regime we put in place was to protect the family farm, putting in a high threshold for inheritance tax for farms, which means that if you take the figures on the estates for farms, the vast majority of them are unaffected by the changes we put in place.

"But we werent aiming at a particular group."

NFU president Tom Bradshaw said Sir Keir had confirmed it was "simply an indiscriminate revenue-raising measure".

Shadow environment secretary Victoria Atkins said on Thursday that farmer suicides are the human cost of Labours tax changes.

She told MPs: Not everyone will be able to celebrate Christmas. In recent weeks, a farmer took himself off to a remote part of his farm and killed himself. The message he left his family, who wish to remain anonymous, is that he did this because he feared becoming a financial burden to his family because of changes to inheritance tax.

"This is the human cost of the figures that the Secretary of State provides so casually. What does the Secretary of State say to that grieving family?"

Environment secretary Steve Reed said: "I send my heartfelt sympathies to that family but I think it is irresponsible in the extreme to seek to weaponise a personal tragedy of that kind in this way. Where there is mental ill health then there needs to be support for that, and this Government is investing in it.

"She knows from the last year for which data is available that the vast majority of claimants will pay absolutely nothing following the changes to APR (agricultural property relief)."
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Peter Mandelsons nomination as Britains new ambassador to the United States has provoked fury within Donald Trumps team, with one insider describing it as a horrible, arrogant choice and his campaign coordinator publicly calling the Labour peer a moron.

The choice of the former EU commissioner and Blair-era minister, who previously attacked Mr Trump as little short of a white nationalist and racist, prompted a warning that Britain will be locked out of the most important discussions with the president-elects team because of a lack of trust.

Lord Mandelsons appointment to Washington means the three people charged with building relations with the incoming administration have all insulted Mr Trump: foreign secretary David Lammy once tweeted that Mr Trump is a tyrant and a woman-hating, neo-Nazi-sympathising sociopath, while foreign minister Stephen Doughty organised a 2017 petition to stop Mr Trump addressing a joint sitting of parliament.

Lord Mandelson described Mr Trump as a danger to the world and attacked his anti-China stance, claiming it put international free trade at risk.

open image in gallery Mandelson served in the cabinets of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown ( PA Archive )

Sources in Mr Trumps team expressed concern about Lord Mandelsons ties to Beijing and the EU, and noted his close links to the disgraced tycoon and paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Mr Trumps recent campaign coordinator, Chris LaCivita, posted on X late on Friday that Lord Mandelson is a moron.

He wrote: This UK government is special. Replace a professional universally respected ambassador with an absolute moron  he should stay home! SAD! Mandelson described Trump as a danger to the world and little short of a white nationalist.

A well-placed Trump source said of the appointment: Its not going over well. I think its a horrible arrogant pick  and one thats likely to get the UK locked out of most important discussions.

open image in gallery Trumps team are likely to lock Mandelson out of discussions, it has been claimed ( AP )

But the choice of the Labour veteran has been praised in other quarters, with predecessor Kim Darroch saying Lord Mandelsons experience as a commissioner in charge of trade will put him in a good position to deal with any tariffs Mr Trump may wish to impose.

He said: Ive been saying for a long time ever since the election outcome that I thought Peter Mandelson was the right man for the job and Im glad that its been announced.

But he warned that Lord Mandelson will have to deal with the 5am Twitter storm that is a hallmark of Mr Trumps communication style.

Lord Darroch was himself recalled after critical messages about Mr Trump were leaked.

But there are concerns that Lord Mandelson may not be the best choice to deal with Nigel Farage, who is setting himself up as Britains closest contact with the incoming White House administration.

Mr Farage will be hosting the biggest pre-inauguration party opposite the White House just before Mr Trump is sworn in again on 20 January.

Mr Trump could veto Sir Keirs choice of ambassador but this is seen as highly unlikely.

The row is based on comments made by Lord Mandelson in 2019 in Alain Elkanns podcast. In it, the new ambassador also warned that Mr Trump would never be viewed by people in Britain as a true embodiment of or spokesman for our values.

open image in gallery Former diplomat Kim Darroch said Mandelson was the right man for the job ( PA Archive )

Lord Mandelson said: I wake up today and discover that not only am I seeing my country, which I love, being forced out of its own European neighbourhood, but is crossing the Atlantic to make common cause with an American president who is little short of a white nationalist and racist.

So you can imagine I am not very happy. This disturbs me greatly because its completely different from all my upbringing, whether my family or in politics, what I believe, and the identity I see for my own country.

He added: What Donald Trump represents and believes is anathema to mainstream British opinion and the idea that as a result of Brexit, we have to kowtow to an American president who holds those views will outrage people in Britain.

Even those who have a sneaking admiration for Donald Trump  because of the strength of his personality  nonetheless regard him as reckless and a danger to the world.

Also the way in which he has conducted himself in relation to the British government, our prime minister, who he has insulted, and the way in which he treated Her Majestys ambassador in Washington has been shocking to British people.

In my view  re-elected or not  he will never be viewed by people in Britain as a true embodiment of, or spokesman for, our values and our interests.

He treats us already as if were a new state and if Boris Johnson conducts himself like some mini-Trump, he will lose a lot of support in Britain.

Writing in the Standard a year before, he also said: It is also necessary to recognise Mr Trumps behaviour for what it is: he is a bully and a mercantilist who thinks the US will gain in trade only when others are losing. His idea of a progressive trade policy is one that forces everyone else to give the US more favourable treatment rather than a trading system from which everyone gains.

But in the aftermath of the election with his name being trailed as a possible ambassador, Lord Mandelson mollified his tone and criticised the language used by the Democrats to attack Mr Trump during the campaign.

He toldThe News Agents podcast: Calling Trump an authoritarian fascist is all hyperbole.

Announcing the decision, Sir Keir said: The United States is one of our most important allies and as we move into a new chapter in our friendship, Peter will bring unrivalled experience to the role and take our partnership from strength to strength.

Lord Mandelson said: It is a great honour to serve the country in this way. We face challenges in Britain but also big opportunities and it will be a privilege to work with the government to land those opportunities, both for our economy and our nations security, and to advance our historic alliance with the United States.
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Penny Mordaunt was warned by Downing Street not to admit Rishi Sunak was wrong to snub D-Day in favour of a pre-election TV interview.

The former Commons leader has revealed she threatened to pull out of TV debates, which saw her trade blows with Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner, if she was not allowed to acknowledge the move was a mistake.

Speaking to Sky News Electoral Dysfunction podcast, Ms Mordaunt said she told Downing Street: If you dont want me to say that, go and call someone else into these debates.

open image in gallery Penny Mordaunt said she threatened to pull out of the debates ( PA Wire )

The former Tory MP, who lost her seat to Labours Amanda Martin at the election, won the argument with No10 over the D-Day gaffe.

At the second general election debate in June, Ms Mordaunt opened with an apology and an admission that Mr Sunak was wrong to leave D-Day commemorations early.

She told the audience: What happened was completely wrong, and the Prime Minister has rightly apologised for that, apologised to veterans but also to all of us, because he was representing all of us.

"Im from Portsmouth, I have also been defence secretary and my wish at the end of this week is that all of our veterans feel completely treasured."

open image in gallery Rishi Sunak was condemned for leaving the ceremony early ( AP )

Asked if she would have left Normandy early as Mr Sunak did on Thursday, Ms Mordaunt said: "I didnt go to D-Day, I think what happened was very wrong, I think the Prime Minister has apologised for that.

"But what I also think is important is we honour their legacy, they fought for our freedom, and unless we are spending the right amount on defence we cant honour that legacy."

A Normandy veteran and the former head of the Royal Navy were among those who condemned Mr Sunak for leaving D-Day commemorations early to take part in a TV interview in what was seen as one of the general elections most damaging gaffes.

The prime minister skipped out on the international ceremony attended by other world leaders, including US president Joe Biden and French president Emmanuel Macron, to mark the 80th anniversary of the Allied landings.

The former prime minister faced repeated gaffes on the campaign trail, from his rain-soaked launch in Downing Street to asking brewery workers in Wales if they were excited for the Euros, which the country has not qualified for.

Ms Mordaunt said she knew it would be the first question asked at the general election debate, arguing she would be distracted from attacks on Labours tax plans if she did not answer it head on.

She told the podcast: We wanted to focus on the tax issue and the increased taxes that Labour were going to bring in, and actually anything that I was going to be asked, I had to answer involving those messages. Thats the thing they really wanted to land.

"And so they said, Well, what are you going to say on D-Day? And I said, Well, Im going to say it was absolutely the wrong thing to do and were really sorry for it. And you know, what else can you say? And they said, Well, can you just, you know, maybe not say that?

"And I said, If you want me to have any chance of communicating with the public about our concerns about what Labour are going to do on tax, you want me to give them a run around on D-Day?

"I said, You cant do that. This is a black-and-white issue. And if you dont want me to say that, go and call someone else into these debates.
Li brocade well inherited, gains international fame

People's Daily Online) 14:40, December 20, 2024

Photo shows creative cultural products featuring elements of Li brocade. (Photo courtesy of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Wuzhishan Municipal Committee)

Recently, a performance featuring singing and demonstration of Li brocade, the traditional textile of the Li ethnic group, was held in Maona village, Shuiman town, Wuzhishan city, south China's Hainan Province, giving tourists a firsthand look at the complete process of creating Li brocade.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recently added the traditional Li textile techniques to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

As a child, Liu Xianglan, a resident of Fanna village in Wuzhishan, was captivated by the vibrant colors and intricate patterns of Li brocade. At 55 years old, she still maintains the enthusiasm of her youth when talking about the traditional craft.

Liu Xianglan demonstrates the craft of Li brocade. (People's Daily Overseas Edition/Zhou Yajun)

Li brocade is known as the "living fossil" of the textile industry. People of the Li ethnic group started to use natural fibers such as cotton and flax to make clothes as early as 3,000 years ago.

Liu, a skilled Li brocade artisan, explains that the Li ethnic group lacks a written language, making Li brocade a vital carrier of their culture, customs, and beliefs. Each piece of Li brocade conveys a unique story.

In 2006, the traditional Li textile techniques were recognized as an intangible cultural heritage in China. In 2009, the UNESCO recognized the traditional Li textile techniques of spinning, dyeing, weaving, and embroidering as urgently needing safeguarding, placing them on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Liu was recognized as a national-level intangible cultural heritage inheritor in the same year.

Photo shows a Li brocade hat designed by Chen Mengli. (Photo courtesy of Chen Mengli)

Over the centuries, the art of Li brocade has been passed down through generations by word of mouth and hand. The products were mainly used for personal use, as dowries, or as gifts for relatives and friends. With urbanization, people's lifestyles and clothing habits changed, and industrial ready-made clothes replaced hand-woven fabrics. The younger generation's interest in Li brocade decreased, leading to the decline of this traditional craft.

However, Liu never threw in the towel when it came to Li brocade. Back in the 1980s, she saw the special charm of the craft. Tourists frequently flocked to the Li village, and one day, as she sat weaving brocade with a few other women under a thatched roof, they drew the gaze of many spectators. Liu elucidated the meaning behind the intricate patterns of Li brocade to the tourists. Enthralled by the exquisite belt she was crafting, a tourist decided to purchase it.

In 2007, Liu founded a Li brocade weaving cooperative, rallying women in the village to join forces. With support from the government and social organizations, the cooperative's business thrived, expanding from eight to 16 embroiderers, and now boasting a team of 63. The product range also diversified, encompassing scarves, backpacks, clothing, mouse pads, sachets, and more.

Liu broke tradition by teaching her son the craft of weaving Li brocade. Her grandson, Wang Chengye, began learning at 3 years old and mastered multiple patterns when he was 8. In 2009, the Hainan Minzu Technical School initiated a Li brocade teaching program, inviting Liu to teach. In 2013, schools in Wuzhishan started to introduce Li brocade courses with Liu as the instructor.

Children compete during a contest on Li brocade and Miao embroidery in Wuzhishan city, south China's Hainan Province. (Photo courtesy of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Wuzhishan Municipal Committee)

Chen Mengli, a student of Liu, became a municipal-level intangible cultural heritage inheritor after 10 years of learning the craft. She studied fashion design in college and combined traditional Li brocade with modern design. In 2021, she showcased 35 sets of Li brocade clothing during the Hainan Island Fashion Week.

In recent years, Wuzhishan has enhanced Li brocade talent training, establishing a three-tier intangible cultural heritage list system. The city now has 66 representative Li brocade inheritors, with over 3,500 people mastering the craft. Intangible cultural heritage workshops are thriving, and the Li brocade industrial chain is maturing, contributing to rural revitalization.

A model wearing Li brocade clothing walks the runway during the Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, on Sept. 27, 2024. (Photo/Sun Zhenlai)

Today, village fashion shows have become a new platform to showcase Li brocade. Models in Li brocade attire walk the runway to the tune of Li ethnic songs, exuding youthful energy and style. They also promote local agricultural products like wine, honey, and tropical fruits.

Li brocade is gaining international recognition. Since 2023, Wuzhishan has sent intangible cultural heritage talents to Italy, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, and more to showcase Li brocade culture. In September 2024, Li brocade made its debut at the Paris Fashion Week, capturing the attention of the global fashion industry.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
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Peter Mandelson was born into Labour politics.

The prime ministers pick for US ambassador is the grandson of former Labour home and foreign secretary Herbert Morrison. And, aged just 12, he was invited to Downing Street by his neighbours, then prime minister Harold Wilson and his wife Mary.

The young Peter is said to have been dazzled at the time by the opportunity to sit in the prime ministers chair. But Lord Mandelsons work as a political fixer for the party has seen him go on to spend five decades at the heart of Labour politics.

As he prepares to work with re-elected President Donald Trump post-inauguration, The Independent looks at his rise from one of the UKs first spin doctors.

open image in gallery Lord Mandelson earned the nick named the Prince of darkness ( PA )

Lord Mandelsons first taste of Labour politics was his 1979 election to Lambeth Borough Council, famously where Sir Keir Starmers chief of staff Morgan McSweeny also cut his teeth working for now environment secretary Steve Reed.

However, the hard left council was led by a man dubbed Red Ted and so the young Mandelson stood down just three years later, disillusioned with Labour politics.

After a stint in TV, he was appointed by former Labour leader Neil Kinnock as the partys director of communications, where his status as a political heavyweight began to take shape.

Despite defeat in the 1987 general election, before Margaret Thatchers third term in Downing Street, Labour picked up tens of seats and its media operation won praise.

open image in gallery His return to government was surrounded by controversy ( PA )

He was selected as Labours candidate for the safe seat of Hartlepool in 1990, winning the seat at the 1992 general election, the last before the rise of Sir Tony Blair and New Labour.

The party was on course to take power from a tired Tory Party led by Sir John Major before the unexpected death of then Labour leader John Smith.

Lord Mandelson then found himself at the heart of a feud which would dominate British politics, Blair v Brown, after he backed Sir Tony for the leadership.

As a reward for his support, he was made director of Labours landslide 1997 general election campaign and was then handed a role in government.

He was later handed responsibility for trade and industry - experience on which he is expected to draw in his dealings as ambassador to the US. Lord Mandelson will be responsible for persuading Mr Trump not to batter Britain with a series of tariffs on UK exports.

open image in gallery Peter Mandelson, right, with John Prescott, centre, and Neil Kinnock at Londons Festival Hall after Labours election victory in 1997 ( PA Archive )

The former spin doctor attempted to weather his own media storm, after details emerged of a secret financial arrangement with his government colleague Geoffrey Robinson, in which he had been handed a 373,000 interest-free loan to purchase his Notting Hill home.

The scrutiny became too much and Sir Tony, assisted by another Labour grandee and spin doctor, decided he had to go.

After briefly returning to the cabinet, Lord Mandelson had his eyes on Europe and took a job in 2004 as Britains European commissioner for trade - a role which may cause friction with EU-hating Mr Trumps administration.

But it was four years later Lord Mandelsons status as a Labour grandee would finally be sealed. In a controversial move, Mr Brown sought to shore up his government by bringing the former spin doctor back to UK politics by handing him a peerage and a role as business secretary.

Lord Mandelson becomes the first political appointee to the US ambassador role for almost 50 years, raising questions about how his record will go down in Mr Trumps White House.

He will face scrutiny over his roles with lobbying firm Global Counsel, his links with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and his views on China, Europe and globalism in a time of the rise of America First.

A shock report by JPMorgan Chase last year revealed the particularly close relationship between Lord Mandelson and the late paedophile Epstein.

The dossier laid bare the senior political figures ties to the late paedophile  who was close enough to the former Labour cabinet minister to call him Petie.

The report also suggests that Lord Mandelson stayed at Epsteins New York home in June 2009  when he was still Mr Browns business secretary and the financier was serving 18 months in prison for soliciting prostitution from a minor.

Pictures of the pair together have repeatedly resurfaced, with photos being circulated on social media after it emerged he would be appointed US ambassador.

There is no suggestion Mr Mandelson, who was friends with Epsteins former lover Ghislaine Maxwell, had any knowledge of the paedophiles wrongdoing.

In 2011, Virginia Roberts  who claims she was a sex slave to Epstein  said that she was introduced to Mr Mandelson at a dinner party at the financiers house in New York.

She said: I never heard of Jeffrey knowing Tony Blair, but he did know Peter Mandelson. I remember him being at the house in New York and I was introduced to him at a dinner party.

He and Jeffrey talked business together. I assumed they were in business together. I was never asked to give him [Mandelson] a massage.

Lord Mandelsons spokesman has said he very much regrets the connection with Epstein while allies have said the pair met on no more than five or six occasions.
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A Russian ballistic missile attack on Ukraines capital Kyiv early Friday killed at least one person and injured nine others, officials said, while Moscow claimed it was in response to a Ukrainian strike on Russian soil using American-made weapons.

At least three loud blasts were heard in Kyiv shortly before sunrise. Falling missile debris caused damage and sparked fires in three districts, the city administration said.

The attack knocked out heating to 630 residential buildings, 16 medical facilities, and 30 schools and kindergartens, it said.

The Russian Ministry of Defense said the strike was in response to a Ukrainian missile attack on Russia's Rostov border region earlier Friday. That attack used six American-made Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS, missiles and four Storm Shadow air-launched missiles provided by the United Kingdom, it said.

The use of Western-supplied weapons to strike Russia has angered the Kremlin. Ukraine fired several American-supplied longer-range missiles into Russia for the first time on Nov. 19 after Washington eased restrictions on their use.

Answering Friday's Ukrainian attack, the defense ministry said it carried out a group strike with high-precision, long-range weapons on the command center of Ukraines military intelligence agency and another location where it said Ukraines Neptune missile systems are designed and produced.

The attack also targeted Ukrainian ground-based cruise missile systems and U.S.-made Patriot air defense systems.

The objectives of the strike have been achieved. All objects are hit, the defense ministry said in a Telegram post.

Its claims could not immediately be verified.

___

Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
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French president Emmanuel Macron has sworn during an exchange as he was heckled by angry residents of a Mayotte neighbourhood ravaged by cyclone Chido, telling them: If it wasnt for France, youd be 10,000 times deeper in s***.

Nearly a week after the storm hit, the lack of potable water was testing nerves in France's poorest overseas territory, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean. Officials have confirmed at least 35 people were killed by the cyclone but there are fears that many more have died.

The damage caused is profound. Some of the islands worst-affected neighbourhoods, hillside shanty towns comprised of flimsy huts that are home to undocumented migrants, have not yet been accessed by rescue workers.

"Seven days and you're not able to give water to the population!" one man shouted at Mr Macron.

"Don't set people against each other. If you set people against each other, we're screwed," Mr Macron told the crowd in the Tsingoni neighbourhood. "You are happy to be in France. If it wasn't for France, you would be in way deeper s***, 10,000 times more, there is no place in the Indian Ocean where people receive more help."

In the past, Mr Macron has often got in trouble with off-the-cuff remarks in public that he says are meant to "tell it like it is", but have often come across as insensitive or condescending to many French people and contributed to the sharp drop in his popularity over his seven years as president.

Back at home, opposition MPs pounced on the comments. "I don't think the president is exactly finding the right words of comfort for our Mayotte compatriots, who, with this kind of expression, always have the feeling of being treated differently," Sebastien Chenu, of the far-right National Rally, said.

Hard-left politician Eric Coquerel said Mr Macron's comment was "completely undignified".

The French president had already faced heckles the previous evening from a crowd who had chanted for his resignation and accused his government of neglecting Mayotte, which is located around 5,000 miles from mainland France.

The French interior minister Bruno Retailleau said 80 tons of food and 50 tons of water were distributed on Thursday in nine of Mayotte's 17 communes, and that the remaining eight would receive provisions on Friday.

"Everything has been put in place to allow the distribution of 600,000 litres of water per day, or two litres per Mayotte resident," he said on X.

Later on Friday, Mr Macron led a crisis meeting of officials before departing in the afternoon for Djibouti, where he will share a Christmas meal with French troops stationed there.

Supplies were also on their way from Germany, Belgium, Sweden and Italy, including tents and beds for the homeless, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said.

Ali Djimoi, who lives in the Kaweni shanty town on the outskirts of the capital Mamoudzou, said Mayotte had been completely abandoned by the French state.

The water running out the pipes  even if its working you cant drink it, it comes out dirty, he told Reuters.

Mr Djimoi said eight people in his immediate neighbourhood were killed in the storm, two of whom were quickly buried close to a mosque.

Authorities have warned it will be difficult to establish a precise death toll, in part because some victims were buried immediately, in accordance with Muslim tradition, before their deaths could be counted.

The large number of undocumented migrants from Comoros, Madagascar and other countries also complicates matters. Official statistics put Mayottes population at 321,000, but many say it is much higher.

Three out of four people live below the national poverty line in Mayotte, which remains heavily dependent on support from France.

The islands, which are close to the Comoros archipelago, came under Frances control in 1841. In 1974, Mayotte voted to stay French at the same time as the three main Comoros islands opted to form an independent state.

Chido also killed at least 73 people in Mozambique and 13 in Malawi after reaching continental Africa, according to officials in those countries.
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The Biden administration said Friday it has decided not to pursue a $10 million reward it had offered for the capture of a Syrian rebel leader whose forces led the ouster of President Bashar Assad earlier this month.

The announcement followed a meeting in Damascus between the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was once aligned with al-Qaida, and the top U.S. diplomat for the Middle East, Barbara Leaf, who led the first U.S. diplomatic delegation into Syria since Assad's ouster.

HTS remains designated a foreign terrorist organization, and Leaf would not say if sanctions stemming from that designation would be eased. But, she told reporters that al-Sharaa had committed to renouncing terrorism and as a result the U.S. would no longer offer the reward.

We discussed the critical need to ensure terrorist groups cannot pose a threat inside Syria or externally, including to the U.S. and our partners in the region, she said.

Based on our discussion, I told him that we would not be pursuing the Rewards for Justice reward offered, Leaf said in a telephone news conference from Jordan where she traveled after visiting Syria.

Leaf and other U.S. officials have said al-Sharaas public statements about protecting minority and womens rights are welcomed, but they remain skeptical that he will follow through on them in the long run.

He came across as pragmatic, she said. It was a good first meeting. We will judge by deeds not just by words.

The US. delegation's visit was aimed at pushing for an inclusive government and seeking information on the whereabouts of missing American journalist Austin Tice.

Along with Leaf, former special envoy for Syria Daniel Rubinstein and the Biden administrations chief envoy for hostage negotiations, Roger Carstens, joined the meetings with interim leaders and members of civil society.

Carstens said there was no new information confirming Tice's fate or whereabouts but vowed that efforts to find him would continue. He traveled previously to Lebanon to seek information. More U.S. officials are expected to visit Syria in the coming days to pick up the search, he said.

Were going to be like bulldogs on this, Carstens said, adding that the U.S. was focusing on about six prisons where it believed Tice may have been held in the past. He said the U.S. also had information about three more prisons where Tice might have been incarcerated, and up to 40 sites may end up being examined for evidence of Tices presence.

Tice, who has had his work published by The Washington Post, McClatchy newspapers and others, disappeared at a checkpoint in a contested area west of Damascus as the Syrian civil war intensified.

A video released weeks after Tice went missing showed him blindfolded and held by armed men and saying, Oh, Jesus. He has not been heard from since. Assad's government publicly denied that it was holding him.

Leafs team was the first group of American diplomats to formally visit Syria in more than a decade, since the U.S. shuttered its embassy in Damascus in 2012, although a small number of U.S. diplomats had been assigned to political advisory roles with military units inside Syria since then.

Shortly before the delegation arrived in Damascus, the U.S. military said it had conducted airstrikes in northeastern Syria on Thursday, killing a leader of the Islamic State group and one other militant. The strike was part of an ongoing effort to prevent IS insurgents from taking advantage of the upheaval in Syria, including any plan to release the more than 8,000 IS prisoners held in detention by Kurds who have partnered with the U.S., Central Command said in a statement.

The Pentagon revealed Thursday that the U.S. had doubled the number of its forces in Syria to fight IS before Assads fall. There are roughly 2,000 there now.

The diplomats' visit to Damascus will not result in the immediate reopening of the U.S. embassy, which is under the protection of the Czech government, according to U.S. officials, who said decisions on diplomatic recognition will be made when the new Syrian authorities make their intentions clear.

___

Lee reported from Washington.
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Richard Allen, the man convicted of killing two teen girls in Delphi, Indiana seven years ago, was sentenced to 130 years in prison.

Special Judge Fran Gull handed Allen, 52, the maximum 65-year sentence for each murder on Friday morning, calling the case the most heinous shes encountered in her career.

The sentencing hearing lasted just over an hour, according to reporters in the courtroom.

Last month, a jury found Allen guilty of four counts of murder and kidnapping in the deaths of Abigail Abby Williams, 13, and Liberty Libby German, 14. However, Allens attorneys previously filed a motion to throw out two of the charges, arguing he cant constitutionally be convicted twice for the same crime. Gull then vacated the two federal murder charges at the hearing, local outlet WISH-TV reported.

The jury deliberated over four days before reaching their decision. Allen did not react while his wife looked on and sobbed.

open image in gallery Richard Allen being escorted by police. A judge sentenced him to 130 years in prison for the murders of two teen girls in Delphi, Indiana, seven years ago ( Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved )

The girls loved ones took the stand ahead of Gulls decision. Allens sentence will never be enough, Germans grandmother Becky Patty told the court.

What happens when Libbys nieces and nephews, their grandchildren and great-grandchildren, want to learn about Libby and thats what they were met with? Patty said.

Williams and German disappeared on February 13, 2017, after going for a walk on Monon High Bridge Trail near Delphi. Their bodies were discovered near the trail the next day. Their throats had been slashed and they were covered with sticks and arranged into pagan symbols, court documents revealed.

Indianapolis police arrested Allen  a husband, father and CVS employee  in October 2022. He admitted to being on the trail that day but denied any involvement with the murder.

Allen pleaded not guilty. His defense argued against the prosecutions timeline throughout the trial, highlighting the states broken murder timeline, the bungled ballistics, false confessions and digital forensics. Before the trial began, Allens team tried to argue the girls were killed in a ritual sacrifice by members of the Odinists, a white nationalist group that follows a pagan Norse religion, on account of the symbols identified by investigators.

open image in gallery Best friends Abigail Williams (left) and Liberty German were found dead on a hiking trail near Delphi, Indiana, in 2017 ( Facebook )

The judge ruled against them, telling the defense they failed to produce admissible evidence of their argument.

Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland presented confessions from Allen as evidence, telling the jurors that Allen had repeatedly admitted to killing the girls in phone calls from his jail. He played the confessions for the jury, including one in which Allen told his wife, I did it, I killed Abby and Libby.

Allens attorneys in turn argued his confessions were unreliable because he suffered a severe mental health crisis while under the stress of being held in isolation. A psychiatrist testified to support the argument, arguing that months in solitary confinement could cause a person to become delirious.

McLeland also presented the jury with a grainy video of a man on a nearby bridge that German recorded just before her death. Footage shows the man in jeans and a hat saying the words, down the hill.

That footage was central in the investigation and captivated true crime fans as they tried to help solve the case.

He argued Allen was Bridge Guy while citing an investigator who listened to hundreds of Allens phone calls and identified the voice in the video as his.

Allens attorneys instead argued no one identified Allen as Bridge Guy and that there was no DNA or digital evidence linking him to the crime scene or to the two girls.
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The uncle of a seven-year-old boy who weighed just seven pounds when he died has been arrested in connection with the horrifying case of child cruelty.

Deonte Atwell starved to death and his bones were protruding through gaping holes in his skin when he was found on Christmas Day last year, prosecutors said.

His uncle Jeremy Graham, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida was arrested on Tuesday on charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child, neglect of a child and failure to report child abuse, police said.

The child, who was diagnosed with thoracic spina bifida and hydrocephalus, could have suffered months of neglect before his body was found, authorities said.

Doctors said the child appeared to have been dead for quite some time.

He required around-the-clock medical care at home for his condition and had a breathing and feeding tube, according to the Broward State Attorneys Office.

But family members and two home healthcare employees stopped providing him with care, authorities said, which resulted in aggravated abuse, and his death.

Investigators found 264 unopened bottles of the victims feeding formula in the home when they arrived at the scene last year.

Graham has become the sixth family member arrested in connection with the little boys death.

Five others, including his mother, Michelle Doe, his brother, Tyreck Irvin, and grandfather James Graham have also been arrested.

Miralande Moltimer Ameda, the owner of the home health provider company and Cassandre Lassegue, the nurse who was assigned to care for Atwell, have also been charged.

Grahams bond has been set at $121,000 and he was booked into Broward County Jail.
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A stepmom is facing charges for the death of a 5-year-old after he drowned in a waste disposal ditch in Florida.

Cheyenne Star Fite, 25, was taken into custody Tuesday and charged with one count of aggravated manslaughter by child abuse, according to a police affidavit and Law & Crime .

According to an arrest report, Fite had been looking after her stepson, 5-year-old Riley Scot Hogeback, on October 11, when he tumbled down a waste disposal ditch in Kissimmee and drowned after becoming intoxicated by fumes and animal excrement.

His body was gruesomely discovered by police unresponsive, naked and covered in mud," according to Osceola County deputies, and court documents revealed that his lungs were lined by brown and green mud.

Another child reportedly told police that Fite had actually been asleep at the time of the boys death. They also added that Fite had been punishing Riley by leaving him outside naked because he had wounded a chicken that day, reported Law & Crime.

Emergency responders rushed the child to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Fite reportedly told police during an interview that she had allowed Riley, and his two siblings, aged three and five, to play in the yard because of a lack of power in the house.

However, the children had been entertaining themselves in mud pools  ankle-deep puddle remnants of Hurricane Helene, she told authorities.

open image in gallery Cheyenne Star Fite, 25, was taken into custody Tuesday and charged with one count of aggravated manslaughter by child abuse say officials ( Osceola County Sheriffs Office )

As the children played, the 25-year-old claimed she turned for a brief moment to fold clothes but suddenly, she heard a scream.

[Riley] is under the water, the little girl screamed, said the report.

But an unphased Fite, who thought nothing of it continued with her chores, police said.

Fite told police her friend had visited the home that day to dig out a seven-foot deep hole next to the pigpen with what appeared to be run-off water from the pig pen.

Fite claimed she dove into the hole and pulled the young boy out  and informed police later on that Riley had been unable to swim and disclosed that her phone became submerged into the excrement pool as she tried to rescue him.

When police inspected the hole later on, they described smelling a pungent odor emanating from the water consistent with fecal matter and urine.

An obituary for Riley described him as a sweet but mischievous boy, always ready with a laugh that could light up a room.

Fite is reportedly being held in the Osceola County Jail without bond and is set to appear in court Thursday.
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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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A man on the run for the fatal stabbing of a Seattle bus driver was arrested and then released a year ago in connection to a different murder.

The Seattle Police Department says Richard Sitzlack, 53, fatally stabbed bus driver Shawn Yim on Wednesday morning. Now, hes on the run  but authorities say he was arrested a year ago on suspicion of killing his roommate, then released due to a lack of evidence, local outlet Fox13 reports.

The Seattle transit union is offering a $10,000 reward for information on Sitzlack.

Yim was driving a bus around 3 a.m. with just Sitzlack and one other passenger when he and the 53-year-old suspect began to fight, police said. After Yim was stabbed, the driver tried to walk away before collapsing.

open image in gallery Seattle police are searching for Richard Sitzlack, pictured, in connection to the fatal stabbing of bus driver Shawn Yim ( Seattle Police Department )

The passenger who says they witnessed the stabbing told Fox13 the pair got into a fight over an open window on the bus. The witness, whose name was withheld by Fox13, said Sitzlack then pepper-sprayed Yim and they both got off the bus.

"I didnt know what to do," the witness said. "It was one of those situations where my brain is just like, I want to go to work. Thats where my mind was, and when everything started, its just like, oh no, no, no this cant be life."

The witness got off the bus shortly afterward to search for Yim, later finding him in an alleyway and calling 911.

open image in gallery A witness says Sitzlack, pictured, got into a fight with Yim over an open window on the bus ( Seattle Police Department )

Stunned. Gone. There was nothing, the witness said. I went over to his body, and Im crying hysterically because I see hes gone. His mouth is open, I called for him twice with dispatch on the phone. There was nothing. I wanted to touch him to help. He was gone."

Sitzlack has been on the run ever since the alleged incident.

A witness claims they saw him in downtown Seattle on Wednesday night, about five miles from the scene of the stabbing, Fox13 reports, citing police sources.

Investigators released photos of Sitlzack on Thursday, over 24 hours after Yim was stabbed. The pictures show him carrying bags, including a bright yellow backpack.

open image in gallery Sitzlack was arrested in connection to his roommates death a year ago. But, he was never charged for his roommates death due to a lack of evidence, the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office said ( Seattle Police Department )

Sitzlack was arrested last year after he claimed his roommate tried to kill him with a machete and he fought back, stabbing him to death, Fox13 reports. He called the police after the incident. Prosecutors did not have enough evidence to press charges for his murder, however.

"Both police and prosecutors looked at the admissible evidence and thought we cant disprove the claim of self-defense," Casey McNerthney, communications director for the King County Prosecuting Attorneys Office, told Fox13.

"If King County prosecutors had the evidence to charge him with murder, we would have charged him with murder," McNerthney added.
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The murder of 26-year-old Tshey Bennett has been described as chilling by a Florida sheriff as the suspects Google search history has been revealed.

Willie Richard Ellington, 20  who was stationed at NAS Pensacola, on Floridas Gulf Coast  was charged with first-degree murder and possession of child pornography Wednesday in connection to her killing.

Officials made the arrest after the 26-year-old womans body was found ditched in a pond more than 50 miles away in an abandoned neighborhood in Mobile, Alabama, Escambia County Sheriffs Office officials said.

Police suspect a PlayStation power cord was used to kill her but are still awaiting an official determination from an autopsy.

In an interview with The Independent Friday, Sheriff Chip W. Simmons described finding chilling Google searches on Ellingtons phone that he viewed ahead of meeting with Bennett.

"Throughout the investigation, we completed ten total search warrants on cars, hotel rooms, and phones, and we discovered that the suspect had Googled, prior to his encounter with the victim, things such as 'What does a dead body look like after two days?', 'How many prostitute murders go unsolved?', and 'If you're strangled can you still scream?'"

open image in gallery Tshey Bennett, 26, had been staying in in the Sweet Dreams Inn, Florida when Willie Richard Ellington, 20, arranged to meet her, according to police. He was later charged in connection to her death ( Abn Tee/Facebook )

Investigators also found child pornography on his phone that led to his additional charges.

Deputies tracked Ellington down after they received concerned calls from family members on December 14 who were able to determine that her phone had been disconnected and was out of battery.

Deputies were sent to the Sweet Dreams Inn where she was believed to be.

There, they discovered the hotel room door open, Bennetts car parked outside, two cellphones in the room, a PlayStation cord and saw that the bedding had been completely stripped and removed.

Investigators got video surveillance that showed a rental car leaving the hotel  which they traced to Ellington, an active-duty Marine at the military base NAS Pensacola.

Authorities determined Ellington left Pensacola before he traveled to Alabama  his phone then disconnected and reconnected as he left Mobile.

open image in gallery Ellington, 20, was stationed at NAS Pensacola, on Floridas Gulf Coast when was charged with first-degree murder and possession of child pornography ( Lee County Sheriffs Office )

Investigators traveled to Mobile and found Bennett's dead body.

Law enforcement officials from Opelika, apprehended Ellington as he was heading out of Alabama on a bus, and he was found in possession Playstation console minus the cord, Simmons shared.

"The autopsy will be completed today so we don't yet know the exact cause of death. But if you look at the Google searches, the cord that was left at the hotel room  it is certainly possible that he used that cord during the commission of the crime."

Commenting on how the pair made contact, Simmons said: "Our best bet is that he Googled escort services and was able to arrange it through the internet, through social media."

Police believe the 26-year-old woman was staying in the Sweet Dreams Inn for a few days before meeting Ellington  who traveled to meet her at the location she supplied to him.

Ellington is set to be extradited to Florida.

Training Command is aware of the ongoing investigation and is committed to working closely with local authorities to support their efforts, military officials said.
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Two former Uvalde school police officers are set to return to court and face charges following their alleged failure to act during the deadly 2022 Robb Elementary School Texas shooting.

At a Uvalde court hearing on Thursday, Judge Sid Harle rejected 52-year-old former Uvalde schools police chief Pete Arredondos claim that he was improperly charged as his attorneys insist only the shooter was responsible for putting the victims in danger.

His co-defendant, former Uvalde schools police officer Adrian Gonzales, 51, has not requested his charges be dropped.

Judge Harle set an October 20 2025 trial in motion for the pair.

Both men previously pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of child endangerment and abandonment following accusations of a failed response during the harrowing attack on May 24 2022  perpetrated by gunman Salvador Ramos, an ex-student, 18, who shot 19 children and two teachers dead.

open image in gallery Pete Arredondo, 52, (left) and his co-defendant Adrian Gonzales, 51, are set to face trial in October 2025 ( Uvalde County Sheriffs Office )

The attack on Robb Elementary was one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history and the law enforcement response  of almost 400 federal, state, and local officers  has been widely condemned as a massive failure.

Agents waited for over 70 minutes before they chose to confront and kill the gunman in a fourth-grade classroom.

Its rare for law enforcement to face criminal trials over their actions during a school shooting but Arredondo and Gonzales are being prosecuted for their failure to mitigate the tragic deaths of the victims involved.

open image in gallery Salvador Ramos, 18, (pictured) murdered 19 children aged between nine and 11 years old and two heroic teachers before he was shot dead by a border patrol agent ( Texas Department of Public Safety )

Arredondo previously claimed that he was scapegoated for the delayed police response. According to the indictment, the 52-year-old allegedly did not follow active shooter training protocol and made critical decisions that actively slowed the police response while the gunman was hunting down his victims.

Instead of confronting the gunman immediately, the indictment alleges that Arredondo caused delays by ordering officers to evacuate a hallway and wait for a SWAT team to arrive.

He reportedly prioritized evacuating students from other areas of the building first and tried to negotiate with the school shooter while victims inside the classroom were wounded and dying.

A federal investigation into the 2022 shooting identified Arredondo as the incident commander in charge whereas Gonzales was one of the first officers to arrive at the scene  he was also accused of abandoning active shooter training protocol despite hearing gunshots as he stood in a hallway.

open image in gallery In the deadly May 2022 attack, officers allegedly failed to act while 18-year-old gunman Salvador Ramos shot and killed 21 people ( 2022 San Antonio Express-News )

Jesse Rizo, uncle to 9-year-old victim, Jacklyn Cazares was one of several family members of the victims to speak at the hearing.

To me, its hurtful and painful to hear Arredondos attorneys try to persuade the judge to get the charges dismissed, Rizo said.

Gonzaless attorney Nico LaHood said they want to move the upcoming trial out of the small town where the massacre occurred because Everybody knows everybody, in Uvalde.
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A kangaroo named Rowdy escaped his enclosure in Texas, sparking a search for the missing marsupial around the city of Sealy, Texas.

The kangaroo  which stands at just over 5 feet tall (1.5m) and weighs 70 pounds (32kg)  was last seen around 4:15 am near a truck stop on Interstate-10, according to his owner, Marsha Matus.

When I came outside and saw his empty enclosure, it was devastating. We just want him back, Matus told NBC 2 Houston.

Sealy is a short drive west of Houston.

She said that the kangaroo is "not aggressive and won't hurt anyone," but noted that he was probably scared and would not like approach any humans.

Rowdy the kangaroo. pictured here before he escaped his pen in Sealy, Texas, in December 2024. Residents around Sealy have been searching for the roo since his escape ( Courtesy of Marsha Matus )

Rowdy has been with Matus since he was a joey. She said her family had bottle fed him since he was young and that he has been a constant part of their family ever since.

Matus said Rowdy is typically very "routine-driven" and that escaping his enclosure was very out of character for him.

The weather was foggy and wet when Rowdy managed to push open his gate and leap over the backyard fence at Matus' home.

Folks around Sealy have been on the lookout for Rowdy since news of his escape went public. Matus said that he will mostly likely be active at night or the early morning, as kangaroos are nocturnal.

According to Sunny 99.1, a man from Bellville is lending his heat-sensor equipped drone to help search for Rowdy in the evening when he's most likely to be active.

She hopes someone spots him soon and contacts her, because she fears he might wander too far from familiar areas. Matus is confident if she can get near Rowdy she can call him back to her.

Rowdy knows my voice and will come to me, she said. We just need someone to see him and let us know where he is.

Matus has asked that anyone who sees the kangaroo contact her, the Austin County Sheriff's Office, or the Texas Department of Public Safety.
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A freight train traveling through Texass Reeves County derailed when it collided with a tractor-trailer, before slamming into a building, authorities said, leaving two people dead and three others injured.

Officials in Pecos City declared a major accident on Wednesday after the train crashed into the towns Chamber of Commerce building near the intersection of Oak Street and Dot Stafford Street.

Union Pacific, based in Omaha, Nebraska, said Thursday that two of its employees had been killed. Pecos Police Chief Lisa Tarango said the other injuries were minor.

We did have a tractor trailer struck by a train which did cause a derailment a little before 5.00 p.m. today, Pecos City manager Charles Lino confirmed to reporters on Wednesday evening after initial reports said the vehicle involved was an 18-wheeler truck.

It is not clear how the tractor-trailer became stuck on the tracks.

open image in gallery Carriages have been left strewn by the roadside after the train derailed ( Reeves County Texas/Facebook )

The Pecos Police Department is now leading the investigation with support from the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Video of the collision, which was obtained by NewsWest 9, shows the moment the train barrels into the vehicle. Thats not good, the witness behind the camera says as he watches the collision from his own vehicle.

open image in gallery Emergency services go to work after the derailment, containers are shown stacked on top of each other after the derailment ( Reeves County Texas/FB )

Harrowing footage shared to Facebook by Reeves County officials shows the aftermath of the crash, including train cars strewn beside the tracks. Police, firefighters, ambulances and other vehicles appearing to attempt to clear up the area are also seen in the video.

The public has been urged to avoid the area for safety reasons, authorities said in a public notice on Wednesday evening.

Three train cars that carried potentially hazardous materials were derailed, however, there were no known leaks of the dangerous cargo. The only spillage was diesel from an engine that has since been contained.

Eddie Morales Jr, a local state representative, said on Facebook that he has been contacted by the Texas Department of Emergency Management and local officials.

No other details have been released. An update is expected at 10.00 a.m. local time on Thursday morning.

The Independent has contacted the Pecos Police Department for more information.
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Scores of diners hoping to sample the best food in Southern California ended up vomiting and fighting through severe pain thanks to a norovirus outbreak.

Approximately 80 people who attended the Los Angeles Times' 101 Best Restaurants festival earlier in December were infected with the norovirus, which is commonly called the stomach flu.

Some oysters and Manila clams were recalled across the US due to possible norovirus contamination a few weeks after the festival.

Mark Kapczynski and his wife spoke to CBS News about their experience at the festival.

"It was pretty painful, probably the most painful experience I have ever had," he told the broadcaster.

He is still recovering from the malady, and was in disbelief that the illness had come from the restaurant showcase.

Kapczynski said that the "restaurants are too good, couldn't possibly be [the 101 event]."

"We visited Providence, which I mean they are a world-class restaurant serving fresh oysters and clams with different sauces and I ended up having two plates very quickly," Kapczynski said.

He said he began to feel bloated immediately after he ate the oysters, and that his symptoms worsened the next day. Since then, he said the abdomen pain and the chills he's been experiencing have made it hard to find comfort or rest.

The LA Department of Health is investigating the outbreak, and have thus far found 80 cases, including Kapczynski's.

open image in gallery The event was part of the Los Angeles Times 101 Best Restaurants festival ( AFP via Getty Images )

An emergency room doctor in LA, Dr Ali Jamehdor, told CBS News that oysters are hitting people especially hard, worse than a typical stomach bug.

He attributed the more severe symptoms to "a bug called vibrio."

"It's a very specific bacteria that's specific to oysters and causes an illness that hits people very, very hard," he told CBS News.

Vibrio and the norovirus have similar symptoms and can both affect oysters.

Providence told investigators that the oysters used at the festival were from farms near Vancouver, British Columbia, and that health inspectors had signed off on all of their serving and handling requirements for event.

The restaurant released a statement saying that if norovirus is the cause of the illnesses, Providence would not have been able to detect it before serving its oysters.

"The nature of norovirus is such that it would be undetectable to the vendor, the restaurant or the health inspectors who were onsite given that norovirus does not affect the appearance, odor or flavor of the shellfish," the restaurant said in a statement.

Ten days after the event, the California Department of Public Health issued a statewide alert warning that Canadian oysters could potentially make diners sick.

A recall on some oysters and manila clams due to norovirus presence was announced earlier this week. The shellfish were distributed to restaurants and retailers in Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York and Washington, according to the US Food and Drug Administration.

The affected seafood was harvested by Rudy's Shellfish between November 15 and December 11 from the Pickering Passage growing area of Washington state.

It is unclear if the recalled seafood has caused anyone to fall ill. The recalled oysters are not the same as the oysters that affected the Los Angeles event, as those came from Canada and not Pickering Passage.
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More than 6,100 delays have already been reported at airports across the U.S., as the nation marks the start of one the busiest travel weekends of the year.

By the late morning, over 100 flights within, into, or out of the country had been canceled, according to the online tracker FlightAware.

Travelers took to social media to voice their frustration with Southwest Airlines and American Airlines. Southwest has seen more than 600 delays thus far.

Never should have trusted American to get me to see my parents for Christmas. What a joke, said @AdamCollins350.

Of course there are delays. Thats what American does. Its incompetence to not be ready for today, @UfazedUCANE wrote on X.

More than an hour of delays because of cargo door nonsense at DCA with @AmericanAir. Normally wouldnt be that guy but staring down a missed connection, no other available flights after, and missing a rehearsal dinner because of incompetence thats becoming more and more common from airlines, said @GregButcher.

How are all other airlines flights into San Diego on time this morning yet all of yours are delayed? @JohnEary17 asked Southwest.

Other than isolated weather-related delays in Southern California for fog and in the Northeast for rain and snow, the vast majority of the network is running smoothly, Southwest Airlines Lynn Lunsford said in an email to The Independent. You can check real-time status at fly.FAA.gov.

American Airlines did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

open image in gallery Holiday travelers wait in line to check their bags on Friday at Bostons Logan International Airport. More than 6,100 delays have been reported at airports around the country ( (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) )

While storms brought snow across the Midwest, Northeast, and Appalachians on Friday, it was not immediately clear if any other circumstances could have contributed to the holiday chaos.

Chicagos OHare International Airport was the most affected, as lake-effect snow continued to fall across the region. There were more than 100 delays reported at the travel hub and it reportedly issued a ground stop.

On Friday, the Chicago Department of Aviation said it was ready to serve approximately 3.66 million passengers at the citys airports between Friday and the beginning of January.

The Monday before Christmas was expected to be OHares busiest travel day, with nearly 243,000 passengers.

With Chicagos airports serving as gateways for millions of travelers each holiday season, the CDA is dedicated to delivering a world-class experience for everyone passing through, CDA Commissioner Jamie Rhee said in a statement. Our teams at OHare and Midway are dedicated to ensuring holiday journeys are smooth and enjoyable, with safety and security remaining our top priority as we welcome travelers during this special time of year.

open image in gallery Travelers walk through Chicagos OHare International Airport on Friday. Delays at the hub were linked to snow ( (Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images) )

Arizonas Phoenix International Airport also has dozens of delays, although weather in the state has been dry and tranquil, according to forecasters.

Airports in California, Washington, Nevada, were dealing with delays.

A record number of people are taking to the skies this year, according to data from the Transportation Security Administration. Officials expect 2.9 million people to fly in or out of Floridas Orlando International Airport during this stretch, WFTV reported.

The agencys administrator, David Pekoske, warned Thursday that a potential government shutdown could mean longer wait times at airports.

Nearly 120 million people will travel over the year-end holidays, according to AAA, including a record number of air travelers.
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Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman of New York suggested Thursday night that Elon Musk would provide President-elect Donald Trump with a windfall if the incoming commander-in-chief does the bidding of the X owner.

The Tesla CEO was successful in his efforts to take down a continuing resolution that was set to allow the government to remain funded through Christmas, forcing Speaker Mike Johnson back to the drawing board.

Musk tweeted against the bill Wednesday before Trump did the same, pushing for it to be voted down. Speaker Mike Johnson then withdrew the bill before introducing a shorter version Thursday which was rejected even as it was backed by both Musk and Trump.

Goldman appeared on MSNBC shortly before the vote on the new spending package Thursday.

Congressman, it occurs to me the Founders, they made their mistakes, but they had one president, I think, for a reason, host Chris Hayes told Goldman. Youre sort of seeing the problem with the co-president model. If the two co-presidents dont agree, its hard to get anywhere. The two co-presidents-elect, I guess. But I cant actually understand whos where on what that you can get a path forward.

Lets clarify one thing  there does appear to be one president. Its Elon Musk, who has his own very self-interested view of everything, including the fact that he wanted to remove restrictions on  U.S. companies investing in China. I wonder why, Goldman told Hayes, in a possible reference to a large Tesla factory in Shanghai, Mediaite noted.

He has his own interests related solely to his own federal contracts, his own business interests, he added. He has no idea how government operates or how government runs. But he spent nearly $300 million to get Donald Trump elected. There are rumors that he is going to use X to buy or merge with Truth Social, which would give Donald Trump a tremendous windfall.

Democrats have mocked Trump for Musks increasing influence over Republican policy, calling him President Musk ( AP )

Goldman went on to say that Musk has Trump in a vise.

It is very clear that Elon Musk is now calling the shots. Theres no way Donald Trump was not aware of what these negotiations were for weeks and weeks and weeks, said Goldman. And the fact that he would just drop in the debt ceiling limit at the 11th hour after  Mike Johnson and the Republicans reached a bipartisan deal is preposterous. But thats because of Elon Musk.

Goldman said, We need to face the reality that right now, we have President Elon Musk.

And Trump? Maybe hes vice president, I guess. Vice presidents dont do much, so that makes sense. He might be the chief of staff. I dont know what you call him, but he is not calling the shots, said Goldman.

Musk wrote on X Friday morning: The political and legacy media puppets all got their new instructions yesterday and are now parroting the same message to drive a wedge between @realDonaldTrump and me. They will fail.

Tech journalist Kara Swisher said during an appearance on CNN last month that Truth Social and X could merge to become a larger propaganda organ.

Hell use it as a propaganda organ, which is precisely why he bought it, she said about Musk and his social media platform.

A Forbes analysis found earlier this year that three court decisions have put Trump back $574 million. The outlet estimated that the president-elect has $410 million in cash and about $9 billion in assets, including about $6 billion worth of shares in his social media company.
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An agreement was struck. Washington was ready to leave for the holidays having come together on a plan to fund the government and avert a shutdown  albeit with some grumbling on the Maga right.

Then Elon Musk jumped in. By Thursday morning, that deal had collapsed.

After days-long crusade by the Twitter and Tesla CEO, House Republicans began coming out in droves in opposition to the bill  in no small part due to a wave of phone calls from Republican voters furious over Musks tweets, which described the deal as criminal. Musk, in countless posts, raged against the legislation and overtly threatened to end the careers of any Republican who voted for it multiple times.

Trump came out against it too, after Musk declared that no government funding bill should be passed at all until his inauguration in January.

The deal, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said, had been detonated by House Republicans because the GOP caucus has been ordered to shut down the government.

This reckless Republican-driven shutdown can be avoided if House Republicans will simply do what is right for the American people and stick with the bipartisan agreement that they themselves negotiated, the Democratic leader told journalists at his partys press conference Thursday morning.

And he says he does not know whether Speaker Mike Johnson is still calling the shots in terms of supplying Republican votes for the legislation. Responding to a reporter who asked, who is in charge?, and questioned Musks role, Jeffries responded: Thats a great question. I dont have the answers right now.

open image in gallery Elon Musk made Mike Johnsons job very difficult this week, just as Congress was ready to leave town for the holidays. ( Getty Images )

His fellow Democrats spent the day dunking on their Republican colleagues for changing course on Musks whims. The Twitter CEO, Democrats argued, was the real president-elect.

We have an outside influence who believes, I think, that he is president. And that is President Musk, declared Rosa DeLauro, a senior Democrat and key ally of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Pramila Jayapal, outgoing head of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, wrote on Twitter: Its clear whos in charge, and its not President-elect Donald Trump.

Shadow President Elon Musk spent all day railing against Republicans CR, succeeded in killing the bill, and then Trump decided to follow his lead.

Dan Goldman, speaking on CNN, added: Its one thing when you have Donald Trump governing by tweetbut now you have Elon Musk, an unelected oligarch, governing by tweet.

One White House official who spoke to The Independent described the situation as evoking a sense of deja vu going back to late 2018, when then-President Trump reneged on a deal cut between then-House Speaker Paul Ryan, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to avert a holiday shutdown because it did not include funding for a wall along the US-Mexico border.

But the official, a Washington veteran who has served in senior roles working for multiple House Democrats, expressed incredulity that the current situation was being prompted by two people who currently have no official role in government.

"I dont think theres a precedent for two billionaires  one unelected and one who isnt yet in office  shutting down the government on Christmas  and after a deal was cut," they said before opining that the challenge for Democrats will be whether they can "message this and get a message out that makes this stick to the two of them [Trump and Musk]."

"Its a real question. Gravity isnt what it used to be," they added.

open image in gallery House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries says his caucus, which is in the minority by a single-digit margin in the lower chamber, would not support any funding bill that deviated from the agreement struck by congressional leadership on Tuesday. ( Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved )

The derision even provoked an angry response from a Trump spokeswoman, incoming White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt: "As soon as President Trump released his official stance on the CR, Republicans on Capitol Hill echoed his point of view. President Trump is the leader of the Republican Party. Full stop."

GOP leadership entered the day looking isolated, with backbencher Trump acolytes coming out one after another to announce their opposition.

Johnson is due for a reckoning from the House Republican caucus, which threw Kevin McCarthy out of the speakers chair just a little more than one year ago and could easily do something similar in January when the chamber meets for the 119th Congress.

Congressional leaders unveiled the 1,500-page legislation to fund the government on Tuesday. The bill would continue funding for agencies and programs at current levels until mid-March, while also including billions for disaster relief funding. The massive piece of legislation also provided money to fully fund the rebuilding of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, which collapsed after being struck by a disabled cargo ship earlier in March of 2024, as well as an extension of the annual Farm Bill.

Then, a newer, slimmer version emerged on Thursday. It contains the same extension of funding at current levels, the same disaster relief funding (including Key Bridge repairs) and Farm Bill extension. Gone was a provision expanding sales of E15, a type of fuel that uses more ethanol  a blow to farmers. Also gone were changes to the pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) system. But it would allow the GOP to avert fights over the debt ceiling until 2027, a major boon for the presidents legislative agenda.

Johnson is now desperately working to unify his caucus around this new deal. But Magaworld was fully calling for his head before Trump announced his support for the second round, and demanded that the GOP hold the line and shut down the government. Musks concerns about spending remaining at current levels remain unaddressed, even in the new version.

open image in gallery Johnson is facing a possible reelection fight as speaker next month, and much of his success will be determined by whether he manages to keep Donald Trump (and Trumps acolytes in Congress) on his side. ( Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved )

It isnt really clear whether the new legislation has the political support within the GOP caucus to pass the lower chamber, to say nothing of the Democrat-controlled Senate. Spending hawks like Rep Tim Burchett, who spoke to The Independent late Thursday afternoon, were still not fully on board. Johnson and his team are preparing for votes this evening, with lawmakers eager to get out of town.

Jeffries, at his press conference on Thursday morning, called the latter demand premature at best, signalling that Democrats would not entertain it. His caucus would vote for nothing, Jeffries said, except the bill released this week after the two parties came to an agreement.

He flatly denied that Democrats would vote to support Mike Johnson, the GOP House speaker, in the upcoming speakership elections  where it looks increasingly likely that Johnson will face a rebellion within his caucus.

That leaves several questions to be answered in the weeks ahead: will Mike Johnson go the way of Kevin McCarthy? Will the House GOP operate for the next four years as a wholly subservient body bound to the whims of Musk and Trump? Will Musk, the incoming DOGE chief, overstep his boundaries by overshadowing the president-elect?

Or will Johnson find a spine, and win over enough of the rabble-rousers in his party to stave off an organized challenge?

One reality is definitely clear after Thursday: Mike Johnson wholly lacks the ability to stand up to either Trump or Musk, and whip his caucus into line. But it also seems like he lacks the ability to unify the disparate portions of his caucus even when he does have the backing of the incoming president.
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Republicans are calling for Elon Musk to be the new speaker of the House amid contentious negotiations over a spending deal to avoid a government shutdown.

The Speaker of the House need not be a member of Congress . . . Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky wrote on X on Thursday. Think about it . . . nothings impossible (not to mention the joy at seeing the collective establishment, aka uniparty, lose their ever-lovin minds).

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia also piped in on X: DOGE can only truly be accomplished by reigning in Congress to enact real government efficiency. The establishment needs to be shattered just like it was yesterday. This could be the way.

If Musk is chosen to replace current Speaker Mike Johnson, it would represent a futher accumulation of power and influence over the direction of the Republican agenda after the tech billionaire donated $277 million to elect Donald Trump and allies, and was chosen to lead the president-elects Department of Government Efficiency iniative (DOGE).

Both Trump and Musk responded on Thursday to calls for the Tesla billionaire to become speaker.

Republicans argue elected Musk to be Speaker will advance DOGE agenda ( AP )

Were very happy with Mike. [Elon] is too busy sending rockets to the moon, Trump told ABC News, adding: I think Mike is doing a good job. If Mike proves to be as tough as he is, he has a great chance.

When Musk was asked if he wanted to be speaker, he told the broadcaster with a laugh: Should I be?

Democrats, meanwhile, have criticized Republicans for their eagerness to hand power over to Musk, arguing its undemocratic for an unelected billionaire who bought his way into the White House to have so influence, and creates confusion.

So who is our leader Hakeem Jeffries supposed to negotiate with? Is it Mike Johnson? Rep. Jamie Raskin asked reporters on Thursday. Is he the speaker of the House? Or is it Donald Trump? Or is it Elon Musk? Or is it somebody else?

Is Musk going to own the United States before its all over? Ohio congresswoman Marcy Kaptur wondered to the The Independent.

He has a lot of personal interests here, and hes not elected to anything, she added. Some people are calling him the president and President (elect) Trump the vice president. I have to do some homework on who this man really is.

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders accused Republicans of annointing a newly unelected President Elon Musk to steer the direction of the agenda.

Hakeem Jeffries slams 'laughable' spending bill from Trump and Musk

Some political observers believe Musk has a real shot at the position, or at least influencing whoever the final winner will be.

Of course, they have to have influence, Rep. Tim Burchett told The Independent of Musk and DOGE co-leader Vivek Ramaswamys sway over the Speaker fight. I mean, theyre prominent people, and they have very big checkbooks.

The online prediction market Polymarket showed a surge in people believing Musk will become speaker.

The House will vote on a speaker for the new Congress in January, and Johnsons position could be imperilled thanks to contentious negotations over funding the government.

After Johnson announced a bipartisan deal to fund the government through March and prevent a shutdown over the holidays, Musk rallied Republicans to oppose the effort and threatened those who supported it with funded primary challenges.

Today, Trump said Republicans had reached a new short-term funding bill, though Democrats blasted the proposal, which would strip funding for priorities ranging from funding sickle cell treatments to cancer screening.

Its not serious, its laughable. Extreme MAGA Republicans are steering us towards a government shutdown, Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters.

Eric Garcia contributed reporting to this story.
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A partial government shutdown is looming over the United States right before the holidays due to disagreements over a spending bill in Congress and lawmakers have until Friday night to figure it out.

This past week fears over a shutdown heightened after incoming Republican leadership  namely Elon Musk  began to push back on the bipartisan spending bill and urged House Republicans to oppose it. Once President-elect Donald Trump agreed with Musk, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson drafted a new bill which ultimately failed on Thursday.

If the spending bill passes, federal agencies would be funded until mid-March. But if it reaches midnight and there is still no deal, some federal services will be temporarily sidelined or federal workers will go unpaid.

Here is how a government shutdown could impact holiday plans.

Transportation Security Administration (TSA)

Nearly all TSA employees would remain working if the government shuts down but they would have to do so without pay because they are considered an essential service.

Approximately 59,000 of the TSAs 62,000 employees are considered essential, the agency told Axios.

open image in gallery Passengers pass through the TSA checkpoint at Floridas Miami International Airport on Tuesday. Nearly 120 million Americans are expected to travel for the holidays this month ( Getty Images )

However, airports could still face major staffing shortages as they did during a government shutdown in 2019 when hundreds of disgruntled TSA workers called out sick around the holidays due to working without pay.

National Parks Services

National parks and monuments as well as Smithsonian museums would close during a shutdown, forcing those who have plans to visit a park, museum or monument to pivot.

Often during a government shutdown, the national parks services are the first to be impacted during a lapse in government spending plans as the agency lays out in its contingency plan.

U.S Postal Service

The U.S. Postal Service would be unaffected by a government shutdown because it does not rely on Congress for funding.

open image in gallery United States Postal Service Processing center In Los Angeles prepares for the busy holiday season ( Getty Images )

Social Security and Medicare

Recipients of Social Security and Medicare will continue receiving benefits because those are funded separately from annual Congressional spending bills like the one in dispute.

However, the Social Security Administrations administrative budget is discretionary  meaning Congress funds it annually. So some activities like benefit verification and new applications can be impacted.

Military Services

Any service that is related to national security will remain functioning  that includes military personnel and emergency outpatient care in Pentagon medical treatment facilities, a defense official told NBC News.

However, members of the military and reservists would cease being paid during the holidays or at least until the shutdown ends.
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Congress is scrambling to avoid a government shutdown before funding runs dry Friday night at midnight.

Thirty-eight Republicans voted against a proposal backed by President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday night to keep the government funded and raise the debt ceiling. This came after Trump waded into the debate over the funding deal following repeated outbursts from his newfound confidant Elon Musk.

Speaker Mike Johnson must now find a deal that can keep Trump and the conservatives in his own party on board, that can win the support of a significant number of House Democrats that can find support in the Democratic Senate and White House, and that at the same time allows him to retain the speakership.

While its usually a good bet that lawmakers want to go home for the holidays and that shutdowns are seen as a losing proposition, both Trump and Johnson have been considering allowing a shutdown to happen, spending last night looking at the pros and cons, according to Politico.

But Johnsons team was also looking at the passage of a clean continuing resolution to keep the government open until January.

Senate Republicans grew irate Thursday after two proposals to keep the government open failed this week.

I get weary with the drama associated with this. This is so dysfunctional and so distracting from the things we should be doing, Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn said, according to The Hill. But he still said there was hope that well pull the rabbit out of the hat and find a government funding deal before the midnight deadline.

open image in gallery Speaker of the House Mike Johnson speaks to the media during a vote on a spending bill. Chaos has errupted in D.C. after its failure ( AFP via Getty Images )

Trump ally Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama said the failure of Johnsons latest proposal made a shutdown all but a certainty.

Shut it down. Its whats going to happen. Theyre going to shut it down. I guess theyll try to work it out but, you know, shutting it down isnt going to make a lot of difference right now, he said, according to The Hill.

You could shut it down to January 5 and come back. Everyones going to get paid anyway, Tuberville added in reference to federal workers.

The senator was asked if Trump still has confidence in Johnson.

Well see after this fiasco, he said.

Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul indicated that he wasnt planning to back the legislation that Johnson tried to get through the House as he doesnt want to raise the debt ceiling unless its accompanied by major cuts in spending.

The deal Johnson took to the floor of the House Thursday night would have raised new spending by $110 billion and the debt ceiling by more than $4 trillion.

Paul and other senators noted they dont know when the House may pass a deal that makes it to the Senate.

Its kind of a s***show over there, so who knows when thats going to happen, he said.

The failed vote Thursday night came after frenzied negotiations about how to avert a shutdown following Trumps shooting down of the more than 1,500-page continuing resolution revealed by congressional leaders Tuesday night.

open image in gallery Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) speaks to reporters following a vote to pass the American Relief Act on Capitol Hill. Senators have lamented the failure of the house to pass a spending bill ( REUTERS )

The president-elect piled the pressure on House Republicans to pass a bill to raise the debt limit in order for President Joe Biden to get the blame for adding to the national debt. Trump suggested extending the debt ceiling until the end of his second term.

Congress must get rid of, or extend out to, perhaps, 2029, the ridiculous Debt Ceiling. Without this, we should never make a deal. Remember, the pressure is on whoever is President, Trump wrote on Truth Social after 1 a.m. Friday.

If there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now, under the Biden Administration, not after January 20th, under TRUMP. This is a Biden problem to solve, but if Republicans can help solve it, they will! he added shortly before 8 a.m.

Johnsons replacement bill for the shot-down continuing resolution was a 116-page bill to keep the government funded until March 14 which included about $100 billion in disaster relief and $10 billion in farm aid.

But it was called laughable by House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Democratic lawmakers were heard chanting hell no as they met in the Capitol basement.

Sen. Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, told reporters that Congress was dangerously close to a shutdown.

I dont know what the plan is now, she added, noting that Trumps call for a debt limit extension seems to have aggravated the Democrats considerably.

We cant have a government shutdown, and were getting dangerously close to that, she said, according to The Hill. She said she would back a three-week extension to avoid a shutdown and get Congress past the holidays.

GOP senators from states struck hard by Hurricanes Helene and Milton said they wouldnt support any bill that doesnt have a substantial amount of disaster relief.

I dont think $10 billion or $20 billion and a promise well do something more in March is an acceptable solution, Sen. Thom Tillis told the media earlier on Thursday. We know what the need is today, it was negotiated in package and it needs to be in a package to get my support to get out of here.
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Democrats and Republicans in the Senate are both fed up after Elon Musk torpedoed a spending deal at the behest of President-elect Donald Trump and might trigger a government shutdown.

Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff criticized the fact that the legislation delayed crucial assistance to victims of Hurricane Helene and Milton in his home state of Georgia.

Disaster relief and economic assistance for Georgia farmers would already be on the way if Elon Musk could kept his mouth shut, he told The Independent.

The X/Twitter and Tesla executive whom Trump charged alongside businessman Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a Department of Government Efficiency advisory group forced House Republicans on Tuesday to scrap a continuing resolution to keep the government open until March.

In response, Republicans put in a much slimmer piece of legislation that all but two Democrats in the House and a handful of conservative Republicans opposed, killing the bill late Thursday.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska who has long criticized Trump, said Musks sinking the legislation showed the power of his influence.

You would think that there is, there's value in your election certificate, that we're back here to do the work, and we will do the work, she told The Independent. This is obviously a level of influence that we saw the impact yesterday.

open image in gallery Senators from both parties are upset over Elon Musks influence in the halls of Congress ( Getty Images )

Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, who had excoriated Trump for letting Musk criticize the original spending agreement before the president-elect commented, laughed at Musks influence.

It's a new world, Romney, a frequent critic of Trump who will retire at the end of the year, said, New political world with new players.

Musks new role means will also mean he will regularly have to clash with the members of both chambers who keep the government open. Susan Collins, who in January will take the reins of the Senate Appropriations Committee that writes the spending bills to keep the government open, blamed Trump for Musks influence.

If he'd done it alone without the president's backing, I dont think it would have torpedoed the agreement, Collins told The Independent.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, the independent democratic socialist from Vermont, said Musks influence confirmed his years of railing against the influence of the ultra-rich in politics.

When you have Elon Musk, an unelected official, telling Republicans what they have to do and threatening to primary them if they don't obey his wishes, youre really seeing the power of oligarchy and the power of big money, he told The Independent.

open image in gallery They blasted Musk as the House of Representatives continues to work on a bill to avoid a shutdown ( Getty Images )

Democrats pointed out how the stipped-down version of the bill that Musk wanted had languge that removed crucial provisions to reign in pharmacy benefit managers, which serve as intermediaries between drug makers and consumers.

So I think that Washington is consumed with all the fighting, but in coffee shops around America, people are going to say Donald Trump said that he was going to bust these middlemen who are ripping off seniors and taxpayers, and now he's letting them off the hooked, Sen. Ron Wyden, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said.

Republicans in the House of Representatives spent much of the morning attempting to find a new way forward. But it would still have to pass the Senate, which Democrats will control until Janury 3rd.

Sen. Jon Tester, a Democrat who lost his re-election in Montana, said Musks influence caused the deal to fall apart.

I mean, look, the house has taken orders from the unelected false president, Elon Musk, that's the kind of s*** you run into when you started listening to people who aren't elected, he told The Independent. They need pull their heads out of the back end of whoever they got it up and get the job done.
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American human rights attorney Steven Donziger, who spent decades battling Chevron as part of a multibillion-dollar oil pollution case in Ecuador, is seeking a pardon from the Biden administration.

Donziger spent 993 days in home detention in Manhattan, which ended two years ago, on a criminal contempt charge after he refused to turn over his computer, phone and legal files to Chevron.

The confinement, four times longer than the maximum allowed for typical contempt offenses, was the result of a New York racketeering case Chevron brought against the attorney, whom the company accused of bribing an Ecuadorian judge, which he denies.

Donziger won a landmark $9.5 billion judgement in 2011 against the oil giant on claims a corporate predecessor deliberately dumped oil waste in indigenous communities in the Amazon.

Donziger told The Guardian on Thursday that a pardon from Biden would send a clear signal to corporations that they can never again criminally prosecute and jail good people who hold them accountable for abuses.

He added: Even though detention ended, Im still not free.

Donziger was disbarred as part of his contempt conviction, and is unable to leave the US.

The Biden administration has already made liberal use of the presidential pardon power, with Biden pardoning his son Hunter, non-violent offenders, and thousands of people convicted of federal marijuana offenses.

Group of lawmakers urged Biden to pardon attorney earlier this month ( AFP via Getty Images )

On December 11, a group of 34 members of Congress urged Biden in a letter to also pardon Donziger, calling the charges against the attorney highly suspect and warning they could set a chilling precedent for future human rights and environmental cases. They pointed to a 2021 opinion from the United Nations Human Rights Council finding Donzigers punishment violated the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, among other criticisms.

Mr. Donziger is the only lawyer in U.S. history to be subject to any period of detention on a misdemeanor contempt of court charge, the lawmakers wrote. We believe that the legal case against Mr. Donziger, as well as the excessively harsh nature of the punishment against him, are directly tied to his prior work against Chevron.

The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.

Donziger made a similar argument himself earlier this year in an interview with The Independent.

This paradigm terrifies the industry, he said of his original judgement against Chevron, which the company has never paid.

Theyre used to normal legal cases, and they just smash them. They win almost all of their cases because they just crush people. This is a new kind of thing, and the liability theyre facing on a global scale is in the trillions of dollars, he added. The model represents an existential threat to the industry, and that is why they are trying to destroy me.

Chevron argues it has been released of liability in the Ecuador case after it paid $40 million for clean-up efforts in 1998, and that the remaining pollution can be blamed on the countrys state oil company.

The Ecuador lawsuit is a well-documented fraud and Steven Donziger is an adjudicated racketeer who was convicted of criminal contempt, the company previously told The Independent.

He was disbarred for egregious professional misconduct in the Ecuador case, including fraud, bribery, and coercion. His indigenous Ecuadorian clients fired him years ago for refusing to disclose how he spent tens of millions of dollars raised in their name, the company added. They noted additionally that multiple courts have declined to enforce what they call the illegitimate Ecuadorian judgement.
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A small group of senators are already holding secret talks about a bipartisan bill to increase security on the border, according to a report.

The border is the number one priority for President-elect Donald Trump, who has already urged Senate Republicans to move swiftly to push through a border package next year.

GOP senators promised to move quickly on the package, using the budget reconciliation to get it done.

But the bipartisan group of senators, including at least two Democrats from Trump-voting states, have also been involved in conversations about a border bill that could secure the 60 votes necessary to pass, according to Axios.

The conversations have been described as very serious and the details very secret, Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma told Axios.

Mullin told the outlet that Trump was okay with one reconciliation package provided we can do border separately - without reconciliation.

Trump, pictured at the Mexico border earlier this year, has urged senators to move swiftly ( REUTERS )

"If theres willingness to work in a bipartisan way to do some stuff, not only on border security, but on immigration reform, I think it would be great, Democratic senator Mark Kelly of Arizona told the outlet.

Michigan senator Gary Peters added that Democrats would be certainly engaged in efforts over bipartisan border talks, while Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said he hoped to be part of the conversations.

The talks come following the failure of a bipartisan border bill earlier in May this year. Republicans blocked a bill meant to clamp down on the number of migrants allowed to claim asylum at the US-Mexico border.

The legislation was killed for a second time in May after failing a procedural vote with 42 Democrats and one Republican voting in favor of considering the bill; and six Democrats, one independent and 42 Republicans voting against.

The bill, negotiated by a bipartisan group of senators, was already rejected by most Republicans in February when it was linked to a foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other US allies.

Had it passed, it would have provided the US president with the authority to shut down the asylum system if unauthorized border crossings reached a certain monthly threshold.

It would also have tightened standards for asylum-seekers and empowered federal officials to quickly remove those who did not qualify.
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Fox News host Lawrence Jones asserted on Friday that Donald Trump is not bothered by Democrats trolling him that first buddy Elon Musk is the real president and insisted that the president-elect authorized Musks recent tweets because theyre in lockstep.

With the federal government on the cusp of a shutdown after Trump and the worlds richest man  who is also the co-leader of a meme-based government efficiency advisory committee  tanked a bipartisan stopgap funding bill, the House of Representatives rejected a revised continuing resolution that Musk had thrown his support behind.

Even though the GOP holds the majority in the House and 38 Republicans voted against the new CR  which removed funding for cancer research, among other things  Trump and Musk blamed Democrats for the spending bills failure. A super fair & simple bill was put to a vote and only 2 Democrats in Congress were in favor. Therefore, responsibility for the shutdown rests squarely on the shoulders of Hakeem Jeffries, Musk groused on his social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

Democrats, meanwhile, have taken to taunting Trump over who is really in charge, especially considering that it was Musks misinformation-laden tweets on Wednesday about the original spending bill that quickly sparked a MAGA revolt against it.

Trump would eventually sound off as well, prompting Speaker of the House Mike Johnson to pull the original measure off the table and replace it with the hastily crafted Musk-approved bill.

Democrats and Republicans spent months negotiating a bipartisan agreement to fund our government. The richest man on Earth, President Elon Musk, doesnt like it, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) tweeted. The leader of the GOP is Elon Musk, Democratic Rep. Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania added. Hes now calling the shots.

Fox & Friends host Lawrence Jones says that Donald Trump is not bothered by taunts that Elon Musk is really in charge ( Fox News )

During Friday mornings broadcast of Trumps favorite morning show Fox & Friends, Jones revealed he had spoken with the incoming president the night before about the shutdown.

I asked him about Mike Johnson because he brought this to the floor, and no one expected this amount of Republicans to vote against it, Jones noted, reading from his phone. And he said, I have full confidence in Mike Johnson. He said this is not Mike Johnson. The Freedom Caucus blew it up.

Trumps backing of Johnson is notable because after the original spending plan crashed and burned, many far-right members of Congress supported Musk replacing Johnson as House speaker.

When ABC News asked Musk on Thursday if he wanted to be speaker, Musk laughed and said, Should I be?

Jones also said that Trump was open to coming to Washington this week to help negotiate a spending bill, adding that the incoming president is prepared for a shutdown. Trump has called for the debt ceiling limit to be extended through 2029 or abolished altogether because he doesnt want this issue on his plate throughout his term, a proposal many Republicans oppose.

The last thing Ill say on this is because a lot of people are coming out there and saying that Elon Musk is the president-elect, Jones grumbled. The Democrats have to pick a talking point. Either Donald Trump is going to be a dictator on day one and run everything and ruin the infrastructure of the country. Or he says hes ceded his power to Elon Musk. It cant be both.

Co-host Brian Kilmeade then wondered if this meant that the Musk thing didnt bother the president, prompting Jones to claim that not only is the famously thin-skinned Trump unperturbed by the taunts but that hes the one who told Musk to tweet about the spending bill in the first place.

No, it did not bother the president, Jones concluded. As I said yesterday, the Musk tweet was a warning shot from the president. They are in lockstep on this. This is why the president appointed him for this commission  him and Vivek [Ramaswamy]. They are doing what the president wants them to do.

Trumps transition team has also pushed back the notion that the DOGE chair and Tesla CEO is the one running the show. As soon as President Trump released his official stance on the CR (continuing resolution), Republicans on Capitol Hill echoed his point of view, incoming White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday. President Trump is the leader of the Republican Party. Full stop.
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President-elect Donald Trumps team has snapped back at claims that Elon Musk is running the show after the billionaire played a significant role in tanking a spending bill that would have averted a government shutdown.

Musk helped topple House Speaker Mike Johnsons proposed bipartisan congressional spending bill by slamming it early Wednesday, which was followed later by a joint statement from Trump and JD Vance warning Republicans not to support it.

Stop the steal of your tax dollars! Musk wrote on his social media platform X that he threatened funded primary challenges against anyone who voted for the budget deal, a threat Trump later echoed in a post of his own.

The move has left the federal government hurtling toward another shutdown after a Trump-backed plan B deal was voted down in the House on Thursday evening.

The optics have prompted Trumps incoming White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, to hit back about who is really in charge.

As soon as President Trump released his official stance on the CR (continuing resolution), Republicans on Capitol Hill echoed his point of view, Leavitt said in a statement to Business Insider. President Trump is the leader of the Republican Party. Full stop.

open image in gallery Trump-Vance transition spokesperson Karoline Leavitt snapped back at claims that Musk is running the show ( AP )

After Musk posted comments expressing his objections to Johnsons bill on his social media platform X, Trump and Vance weighed in with their own opposition to Johnsons measure on Wednesday, saying it failed to address the national debt ceiling and granted too many concessions to Democrats.

They called on Republicans to abandon it or face a future primary challenge and favor a new streamlined alternative instead.

Democrats have mocked the tech billionaires heavy-handed influence over the incoming administration.

Leading the Democratic jeering was Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who wrote on X: Democrats and Republicans spent months negotiating a bipartisan agreement to fund our government. The richest man on Earth, President Elon Musk, doesnt like it.

open image in gallery Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Co-Chair of the newly announced Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), arrives on Capitol Hill on December 05, 2024 in Washington, DC ( Getty Images )

The leader of the GOP is Elon Musk, Democratic Rep. Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania added. Hes now calling the shots.

Also enjoying the apparent power struggle within the incoming Trump administration and questioning who is really in charge was David Axelrod, former White House adviser to Barack Obama, who asked on X: So will President-elect Musk join the budget negotiations now?

Adding their voices to the row were Democratic representatives Pramila Jayapal and Maxwell Alejandro Frost.

Its clear whos in charge, and its not President-elect Donald Trump, the former wrote.

Shadow President Elon Musk spent all day railing against Republicans CR, succeeded in killing the bill, and then Trump decided to follow his lead.
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Tech podcaster Kara Swisher told Axios this week that she is attempting to round up a group of wealthy investors to put together a bid to purchase The Washington Post amid its ongoing turmoil under Jeff Bezos ownership.

Even though Bezos has not expressed any willingness or interest in selling the paper, Swisher believes that the ultra-rich Amazon founder will look to unload the Post due to the compounding headaches swirling around the outlet  many of which lie at the mega-billionaires feet.

Swisher, the host of popular podcasts Pivot and On with Kara Swisher, began her career working in the Posts mailroom. She eventually became one of the most influential tech journalists in the industry, moving on to The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. She ultimately launched the Recode website, which was acquired by Vox Media in 2015. Since then, she was named editor-at-large at New York magazine and joined CNN as an on-air contributor.

Due to her deep connections in Silicon Valley and her star status at Vox Media, Swisher believes that she can drum up enough capital to convince Bezos to dump the paper. In her opinion, hed eventually want to unload it not just because of the recent difficulties surrounding the Post but also because his financial interests conflict with owning the paper.

The Post can do better, she told Axios. Its so maddening to see whats happening. ... Why not me? Why not any of us?

Jeff Bezos, founder and executive chairman of Amazon and owner of the Washington Post, speaks during the New York Times annual DealBook summit. Kara Swisher is pitching a bid to purchase the Post from Bezos. ( Getty Images )

As first reported by Oliver Darcy in his Status newsletter, Swisher began floating this idea back in late October.

At the time, the Post had come under intense fire from readers and journalists alike over Bezos blocking the papers planned presidential endorsement of Kamala Harris. Darcy reported that the turmoil caused by Bezos meddling, which resulted in over 250,000 subscribers ditching the Post, prompted a number of potential suitors to position themselves to take the storied broadsheet off of the billionaires hands.

An intriguing possibility landed on my radar earlier this week, when I learned that the media personality and entrepreneur Kara Swisher has told people she is interested in assembling a consortium of wealthy investors to make a bid for the newspaper, should Bezos opt to sell, Darcy reported this fall. Of all the possibilities, of course, this is easily the most engrossing. Its also not difficult to see a world in which Swisher could very well recruit wealthy investors for such a play. Swishers idea, as I understand it, would be to merge Vox Media with The Post, given the former would fill in some of the gaps the latter could use, such as a more robust podcasting business.

Now Swisher is telling Axios that a banker she has worked with in the past is helping her strategize a plan on buying the Post going forward. If she could get a group together to convince Bezos to sell, the paper would be run by a board of civic-minded people willing to write a big check to be part of something important. She also said shed be willing to keep Bezos on board as a minority investor.

While she feels that the money is there to make a pitch, adding that there are plenty of giant private equity firms and other power-minded billionaires, there is one person she definitely doesnt want to be involved.

Hopefully not Elon [Musk], Swisher declared, though he seems pretty busy these days being President (Not) Elect.

While she has been a frequent critic of Musks over the past couple of years, Swisher used to be friendly with the mercurial billionaire and helped promote him as a genius in the tech industry. According to Swishers recent book, though, the relationship became strained since the pandemic and finally broke down after Musk called her an a***** in 2022 over a misinterpreted tweet.

Musk, who has become a close ally of President-elect Donald Trump, and Bezos are the two wealthiest men in the world and have long been positioned as business rivals. However, the ice may be breaking between the two  especially since the Amazon mogul has become increasingly MAGA-curious in recent months.

Besides tanking the Posts Harris endorsement, Bezos gushed after the election over Trumps extraordinary political comeback and has even donated $1 million to the incoming presidents inaugural fund. On top of that, Bezos had dinner with Trump and Musk at Mar-a-Lago this week.
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The U.S. has spent tens of millions of dollars over more than two years maintaining a $230 million mega-yacht it seized as part of efforts to crack down on oligarchs linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin during the war in Ukraine, newly unearthed documents reveal.

Ever since U.S. authorities captured the Amadea in May 2022 in Fiji, American taxpayer funds have gone to payments like $52,717.08 on food and groceries for crewmembers, $277,200 for fuel, $1,000 on iPhone 11s for the bridge captains, and $1,216.24 for special toilet brushes, among other expenses uncovered by The Washington Post, which sued the federal government to release information about the seizure.

Authorities believe the yacht, which has a pool, wine cellar, and outdoor cinema, belongs to Russian billionaire Suleyman Kerimov, who was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in 2018 and has been accused of money laundering.

Kerimov, a trained economist and representative of the republic of Dagestan in Russias Federation Council, made a fortune investing in Russian gold mining firm Polyus. He and his family are worth more than $10 billion, according to Forbes.

The federal government has accused Kerimov of using bank accounts to disguise his ownership of the yacht, a sanctions violation, prompting them to seize the luxury cruiser when it docked in Fiji in May 2022 as part of the Biden administrations larger attempts to crack down on Russian oligarchs in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

Another Russian billionaire, Eduard Khudainatov, claims he is actually the owner of the Amadea, which reportedly turned off its automated information system the day Russia invaded Ukraine.

The 348 foot superyacht was seized in May of 2022 in Fiji and sailed to San Diego ( FIJI SUN/AFP via Getty Images )

Under federal law, U.S. authorities cant liquidate seized assets valued over $500,000 without a courts permission.

In the meantime, crews have been working continuously to maintain the ship, which is docked in San Diego, in its present status, in the event it must be returned to its original owner.

Authorities celebrated the seizure of the Amadea at the time as a major victory.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement after the seizure that it "should make clear that there is no hiding place for the assets of individuals who violate U.S. laws. And there is no hiding place for the assets of criminals who enable the Russian regime.

Critics are now pushing for reform that would speed up the liquidation process.

The problem is weve been treating Russian oligarchs with massive assets better than weve been treating our own American citizens, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island told the Post. That simply makes no sense.
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Gisele Pelicot, whose ex-husband Dominique was jailed for 20 years for recruiting strangers to rape her while she was drugged, is ready to face another trial after two defendants lodged appeals.

Dominique Pelicot is also said to be considering appealing against his jail sentence.

The 72-year-old was found guilty by a French court on Thursday of repeatedly drugging and raping his wife for almost a decade, and inviting dozens of strangers to rape her unconscious body in a case that has horrified the world.

All of Pelicots 50 co-defendants were also found guilty of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault, while their victim, Gisele Pelicot, sat in the packed courtroom to hear the sentencing, having waived her right to anonymity.

The men were given 10 days from the sentencing to appeal.

open image in gallery Gisele Pelicot spoke at the end of the sentencing on Thursday ( EPA )

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.

Gisele, 72, become a symbol of female courage and resilience during the three-month trial and crowds of supporters outside the courthouse in the southern city of Avignon cheered as she appeared after the verdicts had been read out.

Stephane Babonneau, one of Giseles lawyers, told France Inter radio: In any case, she has no fear of it [another trial], that is what she told us.

She is very happy to be going home, she is very relieved, he added.

open image in gallery All 50 of Dominique Pelicot co-defendants were found guilty ( via REUTERS )

Mr Babonneau said his client did not want to be seen as an icon. What she doesnt want is for other victims to think this lady has extraordinary strength, I couldnt do that.

She doesnt want to be seen as someone extraordinary. And in reality, she is someone who remains very simple and who has decided to try to live her life in the most normal way.

It comes after French president Emmanuel Macron joined the many people around the world who had paid tribute to Gisele.

Thank you Gisele Pelicot, Mr Macron wrote on social media. Your dignity and your courage have moved and inspired France and the world.

Dominique Pelicot, who was married to Gisele for 50 years, had pleaded guilty to the charges and a panel of five judges sentenced him to the maximum 20 years in jail, as requested by prosecutors.

The court found 46 of the other defendants guilty of rape, two guilty of attempted rape and two guilty of sexual assault, handing down sentences of between three and 15 years in jail, less than the four-to-18 years demanded by the prosecution.
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Two people, including a toddler, have been killed after a car was driven into a crowd at a Christmas market in Germay, as local officials treating it as a deliberate attack said the suspect was a Saudi doctor.

At least 68 visitors were also injured after the vehicle sped 400m straight through a crammed Fairy Tale section of the Magdeburg market on Friday evening at about 7pm.

Magdeburg is a city of about 240,000 people west of Berlin. Saxony-Anhalts governor Reiner Haseloff said that one of those killed was a small child.

Bystander footage distributed by the German news agency dpa showed the suspect surrender. He stood in the middle of the road and put his hands up before lying down and waiting for armed officers to take him into custody.

A huge cordon was set up around a vehicle after a piece of baggage on the passenger seat sparked fears of a bomb, but this was later ruled out.

At the scene of the incident, emergency workers could be seen treating victims on the ground while tents were put up in the area.

Follow our live coverage of the tragedy here.

open image in gallery Emergency workers next to a damaged car that drove into a group of people at the market ( Reuters )

Mr Haseloff said: Its a terrible tragedy. This is a catastrophe for the city of Magdeburg and for the state, and for Germany generally as well.

It is really one of the worst things one can imagine, particularly in connection with what a Christmas market should bring.

The man arrested is a Saudi doctor who first came to Germany in 2006, said Saxony-Anhalts interior minister, Tamara Zieschang. The man was reportedly not known to German authorities as an Islamic extremist.

Ms Zieschang said: As things stand, he is a lone perpetrator, so that as far as we know there is no further danger to the city.

open image in gallery Police vans and ambulances attend the scene ( Getty )

The UK government is in contact with German authorities, the Foreign Office said, and is closely monitoring the situation.

Sir Keir Starmer said: I am horrified by the atrocious attack in Magdeburg. My thoughts are with the victims, their families and all those affected. We stand with the people of Germany.

Of the at least 68 people injured, some 15 were hurt very seriously, according to government officials and the city governments website. More than 30 people had injuries of medium severity and 16 were lightly injured.

open image in gallery ( Anadolu via Getty Images )

Firefighter Johannes, 22, told Bild of the horrific scenes as he rushed to help the victims. He said: It was like something out of a bad movie.

I ran through the devastated market, people were lying on the left and right. And the only thing that went through my mind was: who am I going to help now?

He added: The people in Magdeburg are in shock. But at the same time they have shown that they are there for each other. I was proud when I saw how many helpers came together in such a short space of time.

An eyewitness told the Mitteldeutsche Zeitung that the car drove into the Fairy Tale area of the Magdeburg Christmas market full of families at the time.

She and her child were able to jump out of the cars path as it sped through.

A stallholder said that the driver raced directly past his burger stand describing the aftermath as war-like.

open image in gallery Soldiers guard the scene of the market ( AP )

City spokesperson Michael Reif said he suspected the incident was a deliberate act.

The pictures are terrible, he said. My information is that a car drove into the Christmas market visitors, but I cant yet say from what direction and how far.

German chancellor Olaf Scholz, who will visit the scene on Saturday, posted on X, formerly Twitter: The reports from Magdeburg suggest something terrible is to come. My thoughts are with the victims and their families.

open image in gallery The crash happened at 7.04pm local time ( AP )

We stand by their side and by the side of the people of Magdeburg. My thanks go to the dedicated rescue workers in these anxious hours.

The suspected attack comes eight years after an attack on a Christmas market in Berlin.

On 19 December 2016, an Islamic extremist drove through a crowded market with a truck, killing 13 people and injuring dozens more.
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Elon Musk has sparked outrage after describing the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as the countrys saviour, with figures in Berlin urging the US billionaire to stay out of their politics.

In a post on X, Mr Musks social media platform, the mogul wrote that only the AfD can save Germany. His message topped a video, which he retweeted, of a German right-wing influencer, Naomi Seibt, known for her closeness to the AfD and for denying human-caused climate change.

German health minister Karl Lauterbach, called Mr Musks intervention - which came just weeks before a snap election - undignified and highly problematic.

Mr Lauterbach accused the tech billionaire of election interference and called for authorities to keep a close eye on the goings-on on X.

It is very disturbing, the way in which the platform X, which I use very intensively myself, is increasingly being used to spread the political positions and goals of Mr Musk, he said.

Europes leading power is expected to vote on 23 February after the centre-left coalition government led by chancellor Olaf Scholz collapsed.

Asked about Mr Musks comment at a news conference with his Estonian counterpart, Mr Scholz said: We have freedom of opinion  it also goes for multibillionaires, but freedom of opinion also means that you can say things that arent right and dont contain good political advice.

I say emphatically that the democratic parties in Germany all see it differently, he added.

Meanwhile, former German MEP Elmar Brok dismissed Musks comment as the world domination fantasies of the American tech kings.

The AfD is running second in opinion polls and may be able to thwart either a centre-right or centre-left majority, but Germanys mainstream, more centrist parties have vowed to shun support from the AfD at a national level.

The German government said it had taken note of Mr Musks post but declined to give any further comment at its regular press conference.

Matthias Miersch, secretary-general of Mr Scholzs Social Democrats, told the media outlet T-online that Germany did not need foreign influences or Trumpism, adding: Stay out, Elon.

Earlier on Friday, the German government was asked whether Mr Musks comment would have any consequences for its own presence on X.

Spokesperson Christiane Hoffmann noted that the German government has expressed concern about how X has developed since Mr Musk took over the social media site formerly known as Twitter, but has concluded time and again that it will stay because it is an important medium to reach and inform people and it brings significant disadvantages if the government, or the chancellor, is not represented on relevant social media.

In the video shared by the tech billionaire, Ms Seibt criticised Friedrich Merz, chancellor candidate for the conservatives, who are comfortably ahead in the polls.

Mr Musk, the worlds richest person and a major ally of Donald Trump, has already expressed support for other anti-immigration parties across Europe, including Nigel Farages Reform in the UK.

Mr Farage posted a photo of himself and Reforms treasurer meeting Musk at Mr Trumps Florida residence, and said he was in talks with Mr Musk about financial support. Reports suggest that Mr Musk is considering donating as much as $100 million (80m).

He would not be able to support the AfD in the same way, because non-EU foreigners are only allowed to donate up to a maximum of 1,000, according to German law.

open image in gallery Elon Musk has repeatedly shared misinformation about UK politics on his social media platform X ( Getty )

Reacting to Mr Musks endorsement, Alice Weidel, the AfDs chancellor candidate, posted on X: Yes! You are perfectly right!

Ms Weidel then plugged a recent interview she gave on, as she put it, how socialist [Angela] Merkel ruined our country and how the Soviet European Union was destroying Germany. Her video was later reposted on Tommy Robinsons X account alongside the message: Make Europe Great Again.

open image in gallery Musk calls himself Donald Trumps First Buddy ( Getty )

Mr Musk had already voiced support for the AfD last year, when he attacked the German governments handling of illegal migration.

Why is there such a negative reaction from some about AfD? the tech billionaire wrote on X in June. They keep saying far right, but the policies of AfD that Ive read about dont sound extremist. Maybe Im missing something.

Last month, Mr Musk called for the sacking of Italian judges who had questioned the legality of government measures to prevent irregular immigration.
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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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When Gisele Pelicot was called to talk to police in November 2020, she believed it was to discuss the upskirting allegations made against her husband of 50 years.

Referring to him as a super guy, she had no awareness that detectives were about to blow apart her seemingly idyllic life with Dominique Pelicot, who she had met at the age of 19.

When he was arrested at a shopping centre two months previously for covertly trying to take pictures up womens skirts, police had decided to seize his phones and computer.

They discovered a meticulously organised library of 20,000 images and videos of 71 men having sex with an unconscious woman. The woman was his wife, the mother of his children and his lifelong partner.

open image in gallery She would discover that Dominique Pelicot had been inviting strangers into their home to rape her while she lay unconscious ( EPA )

Police would go on to show her countless photographs of unknown men raping her, in the place where she should have been safest: her own bedroom in her own home.

I asked him to stop. It was unbearable. I was inert in my bed, and a man was raping me. My world fell apart, Gisele later told the jury.

Describing the images as a horror scene, she said her abusers had treated her like a garbage bag.

It emerged that her husband had drugged and raped her for almost a decade, as well as arranging for dozens of men to have sex with her while he filmed them for his own sexual gratification.

He might never have been caught, had it not been for the attentive eye and instinct of a security guard, Thibaut Rey, who confronted Pelicot over his actions in the LeClerc shopping centre.

Pelicot didnt resist. He froze with terror. I saw the fear in his eyes, he told the Daily Mail.

open image in gallery Dominique Pelicot has been jailed for 20 years ( Handout )

Not only was Gisele unaware that her husband had previously been caught upskirting in 2010, she was also left horrified when his DNA matched that of a man who had lured a young estate agent to a Paris apartment, in 1999, then knocked her out with chloroform and attempted to rape her.

As the extent of his abuse became apparent, which included taking covert naked images of his pregnant daughter-in-law, Gisele decided to waive her anonymity in a message that shame must change sides.

At the time the abuse was uncovered, she had been living with her husband in the village of Mazan, where they had retired after moving from Paris in 2013.

Part of his perfect husband act, was to always offer to cook dinner and to make Gisele his raspberry and mango sorbet before she went to bed.

open image in gallery Gisele Pelicot sitting next to her daughter and son ( AFP via Getty Images )

She would wake in the morning in her pyjamas, feeling tired but suspecting it was due to walking too much the previous day.

Meanwhile, her husband had been meeting men on a French swingers website, with the planning taking place on a chat room called Without her knowledge.

Men would park their cars down the street before entering their marital bedroom, with Pelicot insisting that they avoid smoking or wearing any fragrance to avoid detection.

Gisele told the jury: I feel betrayed and raped. Im betrayed by this man who I thought Id spend the rest of my days with.

He has now been jailed for 20 years  the maximum sentence  after admitting to his horrific crimes, while another 50 men have been jailed alongside him.
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Hungary has given political asylum to a Polish opposition politician who is wanted on suspicions of corruption, triggering a diplomatic spat that worsened on Friday.

Poland's government decried Hungary's decision as a hostile act, and Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that he was dismayed by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's decision to shelter a man being sought on suspicions of defrauding the state of millions of zlotys.

The Polish Foreign Ministry said Friday morning that it has summoned its ambassador to Hungary back home for indefinite consultations. It also summoned the Hungarian ambassador in Warsaw to give him a protest note.

The matter centers on the case of a former deputy justice minister, Marcin Romanowski, but also reveals a clash over rule of law and democracy.

Tusk took office last year vowing to restore democratic norms and fight corruption that has prevailed under the national conservative government of Law and Justice.

As part of that effort, his government has been seeking to bring to justice some former government officials who allegedly broke the law during the eight-year rule of Law and Justice.

I did not expect corrupt politicians escaping justice would be able to choose between (Belarusian President Alexander) Lukashenko and Orban, Tusk said on Friday.

Hungary on Thursday offered political asylum to Romanowski, who is wanted under a European arrest warrant.

Romanowski through his lawyer argues that he is the victim of political retribution by Tusk's government.

Gergely Gulyas, Orbans chief of staff. said that Budapest believed that Romanowski wouldnt receive a fair trial in Poland.

Both Poland and Hungary are members of the 27-member European Union, and Poland believes Budapest's move is "an action contrary to the fundamental principle of loyal cooperation as laid out in the EU treaties.

We consider the decision of Prime Minister Viktor Orbans government to grant political asylum to Marcin Romanowski, wanted under the European Arrest Warrant, to be an act hostile towards the Republic of Poland and contrary to the elementary principles binding on the member states of the European Union, the ministry said.

The Polish prosecutor's office has accused Romanowski of committing 11 crimes, including criminal group and rigging tenders, and the misappropriation of millions.
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Hungary has granted political asylum to former Polish deputy justice minister Marcin Romanowski, who is under investigation in Poland over accusations of misuse of public funds, drawing an angry reaction from Warsaw.

Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban's chief of staff Gergely Gulyas, announcing the move, accused the Polish government of hounding its political opponents.

Poland called it a "hostile act" contrary to European Union principles. It summoned the Hungarian ambassador to the foreign ministry in Warsaw and handed him a formal protest note.

The ministry said that if Hungary failed to fullfil its European obligations, Poland would request that the European Commission initiate proceedings against it. It also recalled its ambassador to Hungary.

"There will be no Polish ambassador in Budapest because he will be on indefinite consultations in Warsaw," a foreign ministry spokesman said.

Polish prime minister Donald Tusk's government says it has opened the way for prosecutors to investigate wrongdoing under Poland's previous nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) government, which left office in 2023, that would previously have been covered up.

Mr Romanowski, a former deputy justice minister who was detained in a probe into the misuse of public funds, was released in July after the president of a European rights assembly said he had immunity as a member of the body. He denies the accusations against him.

"No one doubts in this case that those who stole, those who are corrupt, seek refuge in countries and under the wings of politicians who are very similar to themselves," Mr Tusk said on Friday.

Hungary's self-styled "illiberal" Prime Minister Orban was an ally of the PiS government, with both countries having EU funds frozen over rule of law concerns.

The funds for Warsaw were released after Tusk's government came to power in December 2023 and started undoing PiS court reforms.

Since then, Mr Tusk has been very critical of Orban, particularly of his position on the war in Ukraine and policies Poland considers to be pro-Russian.

Mr Orban has told Hungarian media Mr Tusk's government considers Hungarians to be enemies. His chief of staff, Mr Gulyas, said Hungary's decision was in accordance with both Hungarian and EU laws.

"The actions of Tusk's government have created a situation where the Polish government disregards its constitutional court's rulings...and uses criminal law as a tool against political opponents," Mr Gulyas said to the mandiner.hu website.

Mr Romanowski's arrest raised serious concerns about fair treatment and political bias in Polish legal proceedings, he said.

Polish opposition MPs including Mr Romanowski have also accused Tusk's government of engaging in a politically motivated witchhunt.

Reuters
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The youngest victim of the attack on a Christmas market in Germany has been named by his family.

In a heartbreaking social media post, the mother of nine-year-old Andre Gleissner paid tribute to her little teddy bear following the incident on Friday night.

He was one of five people who were killed when a BMW rammed into a bustling Christmas market in the eastern German city of Magdeburg at around 7pm.

open image in gallery Andre Gleissner was the youngest victim of the Christmas market attack in Germany ( Facebook )

Desiree Gleissner wrote on Facebook: 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?

She added: You will always live on in our hearts  I promise you that.

The fire department in Schoppenstedt, around an hours drive from the city, said Andre was a member of the childrens fire brigade in Warle.

Saying he left us much too soon, the brigade added: Our thoughts are with Andres relatives, who we also want to support during this difficult time.

A fundraiser has been set up on behalf of his mother to support his family as they move through the journey of grief at their own pace.

open image in gallery Tributes to the victims are seen outside the Johanniskirche in the eastern German city of Magdeburg ( AFP via Getty )

It described Andre as having a joy for life and really looking forward to Christmas before his visit to the market ended in unbelievable tragedy.

Almost 50,000 (41,000) has been raised so far, with the friend who set up the GoFundMe page saying the family was overwhelmed by the support.

More than 200 others were injured in the attack, 41 severely, while another four women were killed.

open image in gallery The Christmas market where the attack took place now lies empty ( AP )

In the days since the attack, anger has grown over security concerns and warnings given to authorities about the suspect.

Local media reported he had shown support for the far-right Alternative for Germany party, with a Saudi source telling Reuters that he had posted extremist views on his personal X account and the kingdom had warned German authorities about him.

A German security source told Reuters 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 the man posed no specific danger.

German chancellor Olaf Scholz was heckled by angry members of the public when he arrived at the scene on Saturday.

Mr Scholz went on to pledge government support for those who needed it as he condemned the attack as barbaric.
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North Korea has demonstrated that it could produce ballistic missiles and supply them to Russia for use against Ukraine in a matter of months, an expert said on Wednesday.

Jonah Leff told the U.N. Security Council that researchers on the ground examined remnants of four missiles from North Korea recovered in Ukraine in July and August, including one that had marks indicating it was produced in 2024.

This is the first public evidence of missiles having been produced in North Korea and then used in Ukraine within a matter of months, not years, he said.

Leff also had briefed the Security Council in late June, telling members that the organisation he heads, Conflict Armament Research, had irrefutably established that ballistic missile remnants found in Ukraine early this year were from a missile manufactured in North Korea.

The U.K.-based organization, which was established in 2011 to document and trace weapons used in conflicts to assist governments in countering diversion and proliferation, has worked in Ukraine since 2018.

open image in gallery Linda Thomas-Greenfield, United States Ambassador to the United Nations, speaks during a Security Council meeting ( Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. )

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed his country would invariably support Russias war in Ukraine when he met Russias defense chief in late November, the Norths state media reported.

Russias U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia objected to the second appearance of Leff at the council meeting, chaired by Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield of the United States, which holds the councils rotating presidency this month.

He claimed Leff represents NATO and the European Union, and questioned whether his organization could provide impartial assessments. And he accused Thomas-Greenfield of violating Security Council practices and transforming its meetings into a politicized act of buffoonery.

The U.S. ambassador retorted that Russia had vetoed a resolution that ended the monitoring of sanctions against North Korea by U.N. experts, which she said makes organizations like Conflict Armament Research and its independent, well-regarded experts all the more critical.

She said its reports show why Russia was determined to block the renewal of the mandate for the U.N. experts. Russia and North Korea are engaging in unlawful arms transfers and training, in brazen violation of numerous council resolutions," Thomas-Greenfield said.

Leff stood by the organization's research and said its analysis highlights three observations about North Koreas missile activities.

It confirms the continued use of freshly manufactured North Korean ballistic missiles in Ukraine, he said, and the discovery of the 2024 manufacturing mark on one missile reveals the very short period between the production of these ballistic missiles, their transfer and eventual use in Ukraine.

Leff also said the presence of recently produced missile components not from North Korea, some bearing 2023 production marks, illustrates North Koreas robust acquisition network for its ballistic missile program, despite U.N. sanctions prohibiting the transfer of this material for military purpose.
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A Russian missile attack against the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv during rush hour has killed at least one person and injured at least a dozen more  as well as damaging six embassies.

The attack knocked out heating to 630 residential buildings, 16 medical facilities, and 30 schools and nurseries, the city administration said, and falling missile debris caused damage and sparked fires in three districts.

Ukraines foreign ministry said that the embassies of Albania, Argentina, Palestine, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Portugal, housed in the same building, were also damaged as a result of the strike. There were no casualties among diplomatic staff, it said.

This is another barbaric attack by Russia on civilian targets that shows no willingness for peace, the European Unions foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on X.

Some of the stained glass windows of St Nicholas Roman Catholic Church were also blown out. Ukraines cultural minister Mykola Tochytskyi described the church as a monument of national significance.

Ukraines air force said it had shot down five Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles used to attack the capital. They added that Russia had fired 40 drones at targets across Ukraine overnight, with an additional 20 downed before they reached their targets.

In the southeastern Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, a Russian missile also struck and badly damaged a two-storey residence, injuring five people, including two pulled alive from under the rubble, officials said.

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said one person had been killed in the attack on the capital. The Kyiv city administration said 12 people had been injured, including five who had been taken to hospital.

Photos from Kyiv showed the wrecked roof of an office block with blown out windows in central Kyiv and firefighters extinguishing a fire after a car was heavily damaged on the street below.

Russia's Defence Ministry claimed that it had struck a command centre used by Ukraines SBU security service in the attack. Kyiv did not suggest that was the case.

The strikes came as a Russian general killed in an assassination claimed by the SBU was buried with full military honours on Friday. Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, who was chief of Russia's Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops, was the most senior Russian officer to be killed inside Russia by Ukraine.

He was killed outside his Moscow apartment building on Tuesday along with his assistant when a bomb attached to an electric scooter went off in an attack for which Ukraine's SBU took responsibility.

State news agency RIA said Kirillov was buried in a ceremony outside Moscow attended by Defence Minister Andrei Belousov and Sergei Shoigu, the secretary of Russia's Security Council.

It said the ceremony had taken place at a Defence Ministry memorial complex called the Pantheon of the Defenders of the Fatherland.

open image in gallery People leave the site of a Russian missile strike in central Kyiv ( REUTERS )

Video footage of the funeral showed an honour guard carrying a coffin draped in the national flag and Kirillov's cap on top of it as solemn music played. The honour guard then fired shots into the air in a snow-covered cemetery as the national anthem played and mourners looked on. Among giant wreaths were two sent by President Vladimir Putin and former President Dmitry Medvedev, who is now deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council and has called for the masterminds of the killing in Urkaine to be destroyed.

Russia has been carrying out airstrikes on Kyiv and other targets, particularly energy infrastructure, as its forces advance in the industrial regions of eastern Ukraine before expected peace efforts next year.

It comes as the Ukrainian military announced it had withdrawn forces from areas in the eastern Donetsk region to avoid being encircled by advancing Russian troops. Ukraines Khortytsia group of forces said on Telegram they were pulling troops from the area around the villages of Uspenivka and Trudove.

With the war now in its 33rd month, Ukrainian forces are engaged in intense defensive battles in the eastern region and are stretched thin as the Russians press forward along the front line.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has decided to withdraw the units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces from the area in question to avoid encirclement, Ukraines Khortytsia group said.

Military units had avoided being surrounded and would continue operations in the Kurakhove-Konstantinopolske area, a statement said, a few miles further back from the frontline.

Ukraines General Staff reported 18 battles on the Kurakhove front in the past day with Russian forces attempting to advance to the north of the town.

The Russian Defence Ministry said on Friday its forces had taken control of two more settlements in Donetsk region, Uspenivka and Novopustynka. It claimed control of Trudove on Wednesday.
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A journalists' association said Friday two reporters working for Kurdish media outlets have been killed in clashes between Syrian Kurdish militia and Turkish-backed fighters in northern Syria. Fighting in parts of Syria continues despite the fall of President Bashar Assad.

Elsewhere in Syria, the transition following the governments fall has been smooth so far, although its been less than two weeks since Assad was ousted by a lightning rebel advance on the capital, Damascus.

The country is home to diverse sects, and there is ongoing fear and uncertainty among minority groups, including Christians, regarding their rights and safety under the main rebel group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, once an affiliate of al-Qaida.

___

Heres the latest:

Gaza officials say 77 people have died in the past 24 hours

The Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip said Friday that 77 people have died and 174 others arrived at hospitals during the past 24 hours as a result of the ongoing conflict in the territory.

The latest toll includes five children and 12 others who were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Shaaban Rais School sheltering displaced people on Thursday, as well as five people who were killed in Maghazi refugee camp in Deir al-Balah early Thursday.

Officials said some people remained under rubble and on roads where ambulance and civil defense crew could not reach them.

The ministry said the latest death toll brings the total of deaths in Gaza to 45,206 since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 and triggered a 14-month Israeli offensive. Local health officials do not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but have said more than half of the fatalities are women and children.

Turkey's president suggests Turkey could intervene in northern Syria

ANKARA, Turkey  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has suggested that Turkey could intervene in northern Syria to eliminate what he said are threats to its security posed by Syrian Kurdish groups.

His statement to a group of journalists late Thursday comes amid reports of fighting between Turkish-backed fighters and the U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led force in northern Syria, near the border town of Kobani and the Tishrin dam on the Euphrates river.

We will show that the time has come to neutralize the terrorist organizations present in Syria, Erdogan said, according to a transcript of his remarks that was made available on Friday. We will do this to prevent any further threats coming from the south of our borders.

Turkey considers the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, SDF, as a terrorist organization because its main component is a group aligned to the banned Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK. Earlier this week, the SDF said U.S.-led mediation efforts failed to reach a permanent truce in Syrias north.

The end of the road for the terrorist organizations is near, Erdogan said. There is no room for terrorists in the future of the region. The shelf life of the PKK terrorist organization and its extensions has run out.

Erdogan said by securing the border area in Syria, Turkey would also prevent the PKK from recruiting militants.

The Turkish leader meanwhile, welcomed the fact that many countries were establishing contact with Syrias new leaders, saying it was a sign of trust in the new administration. He said Turkey would assist the country to establish new state structures.

Erdogan added that Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan would travel to Syria soon.

U.S. delegation in Damascus

DAMASCUS  A delegation of U.S. officials headed by Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf left the Four Seasons Hotel in Damascus Friday afternoon without making any statement to waiting journalists. A statement was expected later in the afternoon.

Leaf, former special envoy for Syria Daniel Rubinstein and the Biden administrations chief envoy for hostage negotiations, Roger Carstens, made the trip for talks with Syrias interim leaders, the State Department said early Friday.

The first U.S. diplomats to visit Syria since President Bashar Assads ouster nearly two weeks ago  and the first to formally visit Syria in more than a decade since the U.S. shuttered its embassy in Damascus in 2012  also came to seek information on the whereabouts of missing American journalist Austin Tice.

The State Department said in a statement that the team would be engaging directly with the Syrian people, including members of civil society, activists, members of different communities, and other Syrian voices. Members of the civil defense group known as the White Helmets were seen leaving the hotel along with the delegation.

Kurdish journalists killed in northern Syria

ANKARA, Turkey  A journalists association says two journalists working for Kurdish media outlets were killed in northern Syria while covering fighting between Turkish-backed fighters and Syrian Kurdish militia.

Turkey-based Dicle-Firat Journalists Association said Friday Nazim Dastan and Cihan Bilgin were killed Thursday after their vehicle was reportedly targeted by a Turkish drone on a road near the Tishrin Dam.

Tishrin Dam, located some 90 kilometers east of Aleppo, has been the scene of clashes between the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, SDF, and the Turkey-backed opposition forces.

There was no immediate comment from Turkish officials.

Bianet, a news website dedicated to human rights issues, said Bilgin was a reporter for the Kurdish Hawar News Agency, while Dastan worked as a freelance journalist for the Firat News Agency, which is associated with the militant group, the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

Turkey considers the SDF a terrorist organization because its main component is a group aligned to the PKK. The group has been engaged in an armed struggle against the Turkish state since the 1980s in pursuit of its objective to secure autonomy for Kurds in the country.

IOM head: Large-scale return of Syrians would overwhelm Syria

GENEVA  The head of the U.N. migration agency says that large-scale returns of Syrians to their homeland at this stage would overwhelm the country.

Syrias civil war has displaced millions of people since 2011. The fall of Bashar Assads government earlier this month has fueled talk in some of the countries where they went of the refugees return.

Amy Pope, the director-general of the International Organization for Migration, told reporters Friday after returning from a visit to Syria that her agencys message to countries in Europe and elsewhere is that this is not the moment to talk about large-scale returns.

Pope said that communities are just not ready to absorb the people who are displaced and would come back. She argued that if overwhelming numbers of people return, "it will overwhelm the country and it could risk more disruptive impact on a very fragile peace process.

Pope said its right to support individuals on a case-by-case basis who want to go home or know that their place of origin is safe, but that efforts now need to focus on the humanitarian situation, recovery and rebuilding.

Swedish government ending core support for the UN relief agency for Palestinians

STOCKHOLM  The Swedish government says it is ending its core support for the United Nations relief agency for Palestinians.

The government said Friday that 800 million kronor ($72.4 million) being allocated for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the region next year will go through the channels of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency and the governments support for other agencies such as the World Food Program, the U.N. Childrens Fund, the U.N. Population Fund and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

In October, Israels parliament approved legislation banning UNRWAs activities in the Palestinian territories, a measure that was to take effect in 90 days.

Swedens minister for international development cooperation and foreign trade, Benjamin Dousa, posted on X that the Israeli decision will make much of UNRWAs work difficult or impossible.

He said that Swedish aid must arrive and not get stuck in a bank account en route, and that the Israeli parliaments decision forces it to pass on support to other organizations. Dousa added that UNRWA is undergoing a crisis of confidence.

Sweden provided 451 million kronor to UNRWA this year.
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Travellers are on high alert after Turkey issued a warning on bootleg alcohol following fatal poisonings from illicit booze in the country.

Around 70 people have died from alcohol poisoning in Istanbul since 14 January with another 33 deaths in the capital Ankara recorded since the start of the year, reports NTV citing Ankara governor Vasip Sahin.

Tax hikes on alcohol by Turkeys ruling AK Party have pushed some consumers and bars to rely on bootleg alcohol and homemade drinks in recent years.

In December, a couple were also found dead in their Vietnam hotel room due to methanol poisoning.

Officials have since concluded that the methanol in their system came from a contaminated bottle of homemade limoncello bought from a local restaurant on December 24.

A few weeks prior, seven tourists were hospitalized in Fiji from consuming alcoholic beverages at a five-star resort.

While officials found no illicit substances or methanol in the liquor samples or ingredients consumed by the affected vacationers, the incident raised concerns amongst future vacationers.

In November, two Australian teenagers died in hospital after consuming tainted alcohol in Laos.

In a warning shared on December 15, the Australian Travel Board urged visitors to be alert to the potential risks around drink spiking and methanol poisoning through consuming alcoholic drinks and to get urgent medical help if drink spiking is suspected.

What is drink spiking?

Drink spiking is when someone puts alcohol or drugs in another persons beverage without their permission or knowledge. Methanol poisoning can cause metabolic disturbances, permanent neurological damage, blindness and in severe cases, death, according to the National Library of Medicine (NLM).

The liquid, which is also referred to as wood alcohol, is colorless and flammable and can sometimes be formed from distillation processes. Most bottled alcohol produced by established manufacturers should have already been checked for methanol content, according to the New York Times.

Mount Sinais Icahn School of Medicine says ingesting any amount of methanol from two to eight ounces could be fatal. Symptoms of methanol poisoning  drowsiness, vertigo, headaches, abdominal pain, hyperventilation, and convulsions  usually dont occur until at least 12 to 72 hours after consumption, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Its best to seek medical assistance within 10 to 30 hours of ingesting to increase the chances of successful treatment.

Jetsetters who are heading off to warm weather destinations should be aware of reported cases in hot spots across the globe. Here is a list of tips to protect yourself from drink spiking and methanol poisoning.

Check liquor bottles and labels

Even if the alcohol used or purchased comes in a branded bottle, the contents could have been tampered with. Its best to check the container for signs its been resealed or counterfeited, and to look for labels with misspellings or misprints.

Research restaurants, bars, and venues

Safe establishments are usually well-known and highly recommended. While staying at an accommodation, ask the front desk for restaurant or bar suggestions. Then, cross-check places with online reviews and trip advisory websites.

Keep an eye on the bartender making your drink

Never be too trusting with a bartender. If you walk away or take your eyes off the individual preparing your drink, its best not to consume it.

Do not accept free or discounted alcoholic beverages

Be wary of cheap alcohol bottles and drinks, as most counterfeit and bootleg products are typically lower in price. Only purchase alcohol from licensed liquor stores, bars, and hotels, as recommended by the U.S. Embassy.

No homemade drinks

Just as you shouldnt accept discounted drinks or bottles, its best to avoid accepting homemade alcohol because theres a higher chance it wasnt properly checked for methanol in the distillation system.

Look out for embassy alerts in the country

Before traveling to your destination, sign up for embassy notifications and alerts so youre the first to know if a restaurant or venue has been flagged for a reported tainted drink case.

For more travel news and advice, listen to Simon Calders podcast
A Christmas-themed version of Donald Trumps video advert promoting his God Bless the USA Bibles has been spotted airing on conservative media ahead of the holiday season.

The president-elect began selling the religious texts  co-endorsed by the country music star Lee Greenwood, whose patriotic anthem God Save the USA was a staple at Trumps campaign rallies  back in March, retailing for $59.99.

We must defend God in the public square and not allow the media or the left-wing groups to silence, censor, or discriminate against us, Trump declares in the revived video, which was posted on X by social media personality Aaron Rupar after noticing it on Fox News.

The promo now comes with added baubles and a piano version of O Come Let Us Adore him playing in the background.

It was not immediately clear whether Trumps team created or officially endorsed the ad.
A house in London was destroyed by a fire caused by a charging second-hand e-bike that exploded just days before Christmas.

Footage released by the London Fire Brigade (LFB) shows a property in Renshaw Close, Catford, engulfed in flames with several bangs and explosions.

The blaze was yet another example of the catastrophic consequences that can occur if e-bikes and e-scooters are not charged or stored safely, LFB said.

Three people were inside the house when the e-bike battery burst into flames on the first floor. One person escaped unharmed through the front door, but two others in a converted loft were forced to climb through a skylight on to the roof.

One male fell from the roof and suffered serious injuries, while a woman slipped but was caught by a firefighter, and later treated for smoke inhalation.
Vladimir Putin praised Boris Johnsons hair as he referred to a quote there is no online record of the former prime minister ever having said.

During a four-hour phone-in on Thursday (19 December), the Russian president said: Prime minister Johnson with the great hair... He said they need to fight until the last Ukrainian, thats what theyre doing now. Theyre running out of Ukrainians who would like to fight, I dont think there are any left.

Mr Putin appeared to reference a Kremlin-peddled theory that Mr Johnson hindered peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow, something the former PM denied, telling The Times it was total nonsense and Russian propaganda.
Company uses AI to develop bioactive peptides

U2's Bono and The Edge are among the existing investors in Nuritas. Photo: PA

Nuritas, the Dublin-based biotech company that uses artificial intelligence to identify supplements and new drugs, has raised 40m from investors in a funding round that was led by M&G Investments.

It brings the total amount raised by the company to more than 100m. In 2021, it closed a 39m series B funding round.

McWin Capital Partners, a private equity and venture capital firm thats focused on high-growth companies in the food sector, has also joined as an investor.

Nuritas was founded by its CEO, Dr Nora Khaldi in 2014, and received backing from U2s Bono and The Edge in 2016.

M&G is investing on behalf of its Catalyst strategy, which aims to support businesses that address critical global climate or social challenges.

Nuritas is currently backed by a number of other investors, including Cleveland Avenue.

The 40m funding will enable Nuritas to scale its operations, expand its global customer base, and reach more consumers worldwide. Enterprise Ireland is also among the backers of the company.

The firm has developed a proprietary AI platform  called Magnifier - that is used to discover and develop a range of holistic products known as bioactive peptides, which can then be integrated into food, supplements, cosmetics, and other products as functional ingredients.

Nuritas already has three commercialised products: PeptiStrong, PeptiYouth and PeptiPump and aims to release new products every year with two already planned in 2025.

PeptiYouth is a peptide that reduces wrinkle depth by promoting collagen production. The ingredient is now featured in skin-care products in the US and Asia.

Nuritas peptides have attracted high-profile partnerships with leading global companies, including Givaudan, Nestle, Mars, and Sumitomo Corporation.

Our mission is to improve the lives of billions by creating ingredients that address pressing global health challenges, said Dr Khaldi. Through our science-first approach, we are fundamentally shifting the paradigm of ingredient discovery, enabling our customers to deliver healthier, differentiated products that meet the needs of todays consumers.

As part of the funding round, Alex Seddon, head of impact and private equity at M&G Investments, is joining the Nuritas board, as is Henry McGovern, a co-founder of McWin Capital Partners.

The most recently-filed set of publicly available accounts for Nuritas show that it had accumulated losses of 27.9m at the end of 2022 as it continues to invest in the development and expansion of the business.
Michael Fingleton, former CEO of the Irish Nationwide Building Society, pictured in 2015. Photo: Tom Burke

Former Irish Nationwide Building Society (INBS) boss Michael Fingleton has lost his Supreme Court bid to halt his civil trial alleging he negligently mismanaged the failed lender.

Five judges of the top court held that the 86-year-old, acting through his wife and son, Michael Fingleton jnr, under their powers of attorney, fell considerably short of the threshold that would convince the court it should dismiss his case before a hearing.

The High Court and Court of Appeal had already refused to halt the trial, which is scheduled to run next year.

Mr Fingletons lawyers had urged the Supreme Court to end the 2012 civil claim brought against him by the liquidators of the State-owned Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (IBRC), which took over INBS after it collapsed.

They argued he cannot receive a fair trial due to being incapacitated after suffering a stroke several years ago and because of the passage of time since the alleged events.

The liquidators senior counsel, John D Fitzgerald, submitted that halting the case would be a draconian step.

The claim against Mr Fingleton was originally pitched at 6 billion, the amount lost by the lender after the 2008 property crash. It has since significantly narrowed to about 290 million and centres around a series of five loans issued between 2006 and 2009.

He denies the claims against him.

Giving the Supreme Courts judgment on Thursday, Mr Justice Seamus Woulfe said ill-health does not, in itself, ground an entitlement to have a case dismissed.

Michael Fingleton, former CEO of the Irish Nationwide Building Society, pictured in 2015. Photo: Tom Burke

Today's News in 90 Seconds - December 19th

He concluded that the Court of Appeal had applied the legal principles correctly in finding that Mr Fingleton had not discharged the very high burden in attempting to secure a dismissal.

The lower court correctly concluded that Mr Fingletons inability to instruct his lawyers or to give evidence in court falls short, and considerably so, of the threshold to persuade the court to dismiss the case before a trial, said Mr Justice Woulfe.

The judge said the balance of justice and fairness will remain a live issue for the High Court trial judge to monitor. The judge hearing the case next year will have a duty to ensure fairness, he said

Mr Justice Woulfes decision was unanimously supported by his four colleagues: Ms Justice Elizabeth Dunne, Ms Justice Iseult OMalley, Mr Justice Gerard Hogan and Ms Justice Aileen Donnelly.

Mr Fingleton led Irish Nationwide between 1971 and 2009, holding the role of managing director for much of the period, though his title was changed to chief executive close to the end of his time in charge.

Mr Fingleton jnr has said his father, who was worth 75 million in 2006, had less than 25,000 in two personal bank accounts and outstanding judgment debts of more than 10.7 million as of late 2022.
Navantia has been in talks with Belfast-based shipyard since October

The UK government has confirmed a deal by Spanish shipbuilder Navantia to buy Harland & Wolffs four shipyards, securing 1,000 jobs in total and the future of shipbuilding in Belfast and Scotland.

Navantia, situated in Cadiz, has been in talks with Harland & Wolff since October following the Belfast-based shipyards holding company collapsing into administration.

The deal has secured around 500 jobs in Belfast.

In a statement on Thursday morning, the Department for Business and Trade said the deal will secure the future of Harland & Wolffs shipyards in Northern Ireland (Belfast), Scotland (Arnish and Methil) and Devon (Appledore), and protect workers existing terms and conditions.

It added: It will also ensure the delivery of the Ministry of Defences contract with Navantia to build three Royal Navy ships which would transport munitions, spares and supplies to UK aircraft carriers  the Fleet Solid Support (FSS) Programme.

UK Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: This deal is a major vote of confidence in the UK from Navantia, which will not only secure the future of UK shipbuilding but protect 1,000 jobs across the country and bring future investment into shipbuilding right across the UK.

National security is the foundation of our Plan for Change  without it we cant deliver on our milestones to raise living standards across the UK  with good skilled productive jobs.

That is why we are steadfast in supporting the future of UK shipbuilding. This deal will guarantee our sovereign shipbuilding capability to bolster our Navy and ensure the industry can continue to deliver economic growth and boost coastal communities right across the UK.

Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, said: This investment is great news for Belfast, for the Northern Ireland economy and, above all, for Harland and Wolffs hugely skilled shipbuilding workforce.

Harland and Wolff is an iconic, internationally-renowned company with a long and proud history.

I am delighted that, with this deal, it will now have a bright future ahead.

But trade union GMB was cautious in its response. National officer Matt Roberts said: Todays announcement is a hugely positive step for retaining UK sovereign manufacturing.

But despite all four yards remaining open, GMB remains cautious.

Without a steady drum beat of work these yards will continue to struggle.

GMB will continue the fight to ensure that does not happen.

Sharon Graham, general secretary at trade union Unite  the biggest union in the Harland & Wolff workforce - said: After countless meetings with government, the employer, and prospective buyers, we now have a good news story offering real hope for the future. Unite will always do whatever it takes to fight for workers interests.

The trade union had led a sit-out of members in 2019 when the company previously went into administration, ahead of its sale to InfraStrata. And it said it would focus on ensuring workers terms, pay and conditions were protected following the deal under Transfer of Undertakings, Protection of Earnings (TUPE) legislation.

George Brash, Unite regional officer in Belfast, said: Once again the workers and Unite have had to fight hard to secure a positive result. We are now focused on the delivery of guarantees both for the jobs and continuity of employment.

Unite will now engage with the detail of the deal to ensure that our members demands have been met and workers have the full protections afforded to them under TUPE regulations.

"We want to secure deal that offers a bridge into the future for our members and the centuries old Belfast shipbuilding industry.

Gavin Robinson, east Belfast MP and DUP leader, said: I am delighted that this agreement has been reached which will secure the future of jobs in Belfast and in its other sites.

"This has been a hugely unsettling time, particularly for all the staff at the yard, but the contract for the Ministry of Defences FSS was always crucial to a solution being found.

"Harland & Wolff forms part of a wider defence sector that has huge potential for further growth in Northern Ireland. I am looking forward to joining the Secretary of State at Harland & Wolff later today and to meet and discuss with staff.

The staff are the yards biggest asset, and this has been a worrying period. This announcement should provide some very welcome relief and reassurance to them as we look forward to Christmas.

Harland & Wolff, founded in 1861, is best known for its construction of the Titanic and has built some of historys most significant ships.

It was a global leader in its sector up until World War Two when the company began to face consecutive crises.

Navatia is fully owned by the Spanish government and receives significant funding from the European Commission.

It has an annual turnover over of around 1.3bn (1bn) and employs over 4,000 people.
Three Ireland is to refund 3.76m to about 14,000 customers after admitting to breaches of the roaming regulations

Comreg, the industry regulator, says it has come to an agreement with Three Ireland that the refunds be paid out following an investigation into suspected breaches of the EU regulations that cover roaming on public mobile communications networks.

The investigation looked at whether Three Ireland provided customers with the required information when they were roaming, such as keeping people informed of the charges that apply.

The settlement brings to 4.9m the amount of consumer refunds that have been paid out this year following inquiries by the regulator. In addition it has levied fines of 24,300 on companies on foot of those investigations.

In the case of Three Ireland, ComReg concluded that some of its customers had not been given the appropriate notification when they reached either the 50 or 100 default limit. Telecos have been required to give this information since July 2022.

In addition, some customers received a notification that did not include the costs associated with each additional unit being used. These breaches affected approximately 14,000 customers.

As well as agreeing to refund those customers, Comreg says that Three Ireland has undertaken to ensure the notification issued to customers when they reach both the 50 and the 100 default roaming limits in each monthly billing period offers information about add-ons that can reduce roaming charges.

The company has also promised to include the per-unit cost associated with each additional unit used when a customer is roaming.

The process of refunding 3.76m to customers is ongoing. ComReg says it will also continue to monitor Three Irelands compliance with its obligations, and to investigate consumer complaints as they arise.

In a statement to the Irish Independent the company said; Three Ireland acknowledges that, regretfully, some customers did not receive an appropriate notification when nearing their roaming limits, while others received a message that was not adequately clear regarding roaming rates.

Three Ireland has since changed its roaming messaging and related information to make it clearer for customers. We are in the process of contacting and refunding all impacted customers and we would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.
RTE News has announced its new Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Correspondent, commencing in January 2025, the national broadcaster has confirmed.

Currently a multimedia journalist with RTE, Aengus Cox has worked with RTE News across radio, television and online since 2012.

He takes up the Correspondent role from Joe Mag Raollaigh, who now serves as the Political Coverage Editor with RTE News.

Aengus has reported for, edited, and presented RTE's flagship radio news programme Morning Ireland.

As a reporter for Morning Ireland he regularly covered food production, the environment, biodiversity and regular investigative features on the reasons behind steep rises in the cost of motor and public liability insurance.

Previously, Aengus worked as a business reporter for RTE News where he covered a wide range of topics including personal finance, housing, the cost of living and an extensive series on Brexit which looked at the impact the UK leaving the EU was having on various sectors such as agriculture and IT.

He has also reported from London during the summer on the British general election and the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

Most recently he travelled to Sudan, where he was one of the few western journalists reporting from inside the country on the devastation caused by the ongoing civil war there in a special series for all RTE News platforms airing this week.

He has also presented the European Parliament Report on television and has been a stand in presenter on This Week and News at One on RTE Radio 1.

Prior to working with RTE, Aengus was a reporter and presenter with East Coast Radio in his home county of Wicklow. He hosted a weekend current affairs programme on the station discussing the issues facing people in both urban and rural parts of the county.

Aengus holds a BA Hons in German and Politics, as well as a first-class honours Masters Degree from UCD in European Regional & Minority Studies.

"Farming in Ireland has reached a pivotal point, with competing pressures from key environmental targets and the ever-increasing cost of doing business, Aengus said.

Farmers are looking to quickly adapt practices in reducing carbon emissions, while at the same time needing to stay competitive. I hope to visit as many farms, agri-businesses, and other stakeholders as I can to tell these stories as they deal with this transition.

I'm also delighted that consumer affairs is so prominent in this brief as it impacts all parts of our lives including pricing, travel cancellations and peoples consumer rights.
If theres a bar in heaven it would be like this: the Long Hall, the pub where Bruce Springsteen has whiskey behind the bar
Taoiseach Simon Harris has said the closure of Holyhead Port has caused "heartache" and "disruption" for people this Christmas.

Mr Harris spoke to the First Minister of Wales Eluned Morgan today about the serious impact of the ongoing closure on the movement of people and freight between Ireland and Great Britain.

Both leaders discussed the ongoing efforts being made on both sides to ensure that people can travel home for Christmas, as well as the importance of ensuring sufficient port capacity to maintain the supply chains vital to both economies.

Mr Harris and Mr Morgan agreed to speak again in early January to review the progress.

Following the call, the Taoiseach said: "The closure of Holyhead port has caused a lot of heartache and disruption for people and traders this Christmas.

"I took the opportunity this afternoon to take stock of the situation with the First Minister of Wales, Eluned Morgan," he said.

"We discussed the importance to both Wales and Ireland of ensuring sufficient port capacity to support vital supply chains between Ireland and the UK, and the need to find workable alternatives for as long as Holyhead remains out of commission.

"We expressed a shared wish to see Holyhead return to operation in January, and we agreed to speak again in early January to review matters at that point, he added.

It comes as Stena Line announced on Tuesday that the Port of Holyhead in Anglesey in North Wales will remain closed until at least January 15, following closure in early December due to damage caused by Storm Darragh.

Holyhead Port in Wales. Photo: PA

Meanwhile, the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) has been calling on the Government to treat the situation as a matter of urgency" as the organisation met with the Department of Transport yesterday to discuss further action.

The IRHA president Ger Hyland told the Irish Independent the costs of goods coming to Ireland from the UK are likely to rise as the Holyhead closure will definitely have an impact on the economy.

All goods going from Ireland to the UK and all goods coming from the UK to Ireland will certainly have to rise in cost because of the additional costs facing our members," he said.

Fear now is that the possible freight is going to escalate. You're looking at some members putting up to 30pc of a fee increase because we have extra distances travel, we have extra ferry costs. We have a problem with drivers.

"So all of this will certainly have an effect on the grocery basket, put the price of goods up on the shelves, and it certainly will have an impact on the economy as well. It will hit the consumers' pocket, he added.

He confirmed yesterday that the matter has been escalated to the Tanaiste Micheal Martin and Taoiseach Simon Harris for discussion with the Cabinet in the UK.

The hauliers association has also appealed for more ships to be redirected into Dublin Port as Rosslare is currently at full capacity.

In a response to the Irish Independent query, the Department of Transport spokesperson confirmed the Holyhead Port will remain closed until January 15. They added the Government is treating this matter "with absolute priority".

"We greatly appreciate the collaboration and efforts of all involved to help address the impacts of storm damage at Holyhead port, which will remain closed until at least January 15 next year," they said.

"Ministers [Eamon] Ryan and [James] Lawless and Department of Transport officials are working intensively with their counterparts in the Welsh and UK governments, and alongside port and transport operators and shipping companies, to facilitate new shipping services to replace the Dublin-Holyhead services to the greatest extent possible.

"Further meetings with UK Ministers have been requested," they added.

The spokesperson said the Department and ministers have been in "continuous contact" with all stakeholders, including the IRHA.

They also confirmed additional routes and services have been put in place, including Dublin to Liverpool, Dublin to Heysham, Dublin to Fishguard and from Belfast to Cairnryan.

"[It] has created additional capacity to compensate for the losses through Holyhead.

"While our short-term priority has been to bring home passengers in time for Christmas, we continue to work to secure viable additional routes and vessels with sufficient capacity to support the steady movement of both people and goods between Ireland and the UK.

"We are working hard with operators and governments to establish new routes that can fully accommodate passenger and freight demand.

"This is a complex process requiring synchronisation across supply chains in different jurisdictions, and involving a wide range of stakeholders.

"We understand that people are eager to hear details of the discussions, but hope they understand that arrangements will be made public as soon they are confirmed," they added.
Palestinians who are struggling with hunger wait in line to receive meals. Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu via Getty Images.

A group of eight Palestinian children have arrived in Ireland for medical care including cancer and kidney dialysis treatment.

Government approval was secured in September for Ireland to evacuate a number of sick children from Gaza for treatment and care, following an appeal from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The eight children, with a range of severe medical conditions, arrived in Dublin late on Thursday evening accompanied by eight carers and 11 siblings .Up to 30 children are expected to arrive here from Gaza for medical care.

They travelled on a plane provided by the Slovakian Government for the medical evacuation and were accompanied by three medical doctors from the HSE and a translator.

They are due in hospital today for a full medical assessment and are being settled into their accommodation over the weekend.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly thanked all involved including doctors, nurses, HSE, Irish Red Cross, WHO, the European Unions Civil Protection Mechanism and the officials across government departments.

Palestinians who are struggling with hunger wait in line to receive meals. Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu via Getty Images.

Today's News in 90 Seconds - December 20th

There is no justification for the deliberate attacks on civilians and healthcare services in Gaza and the loss of life has been devastating. Ireland has been clear that this conflict should stop. Im pleased that Ireland is playing a part in treating children whose lives have been devastated by this needless war and I wish these children well in their time ahead here in Ireland.

The patients travelling to Ireland were in Egypt which is now under strain to provide care to thousands of evacuees.

Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheal Martin, said: The long-term impact of the physical and mental scars being inflicted on children in Gaza is unconscionable. I am conscious that many other critically ill patients remain in Gaza, and their requests for medical evacuation are being delayed or denied by Israeli authorities. This denial of medical care is unacceptable and must stop."

Ireland will continue to opt in on a case-by-case basis for each child who requires treatment, subject to the necessary capacity being available at that time.

Niall OKeeffe, Head of International and Migration, Irish Red Cross, said:" We cannot begin to comprehend the deeply traumatic experiences that these children and their families have lived through. We hope they feel the warmth of an Irish welcome and that the globally recognised symbol of the Red Cross provides them with comfort and reassurance on their arrival into Ireland.
Lighthouse at the edge of Fishguard Harbour - photographed from Fishguard Fort, 353 meters away.

Irish Ferries has apologised for the delays seen during this evenings departures from Fishguard in Wales.

In a statement, the company said: Irish Ferries apologises for the delay in this evenings 17.30 departure from Fishguard, which is due to a technical issue which arose on the ships arrival into the port earlier this evening.

This issue is currently being resolved and the intention is for the ship to depart for Dublin as soon as possible. All passengers are being kept fully informed of progress.

The Irish Independent has sought clarity on what the exact circumstances of the delays.

This comes as Holyhead port, also located in Wales is expected to be shut down until after Christmas in the aftermath of the Storm Darragh.

Stena Line announced on Tuesday that the Port of Holyhead in Anglesey in North Wales will remain closed until at least January 15, following closure in early December.

The closure has led to travel chaos for people attempting travel between Ireland and the UK for Christmas. It has also caused a significant backlog in deliveries as thousands of parcels were re-routed across the UK.

The national postal service has said that it is securing air freight capacity to get parcels and mail that would traditionally have shipped via Holyhead moved out of Ireland to meet latest posting date promises.

Mr Harris spoke to the First Minister of Wales Eluned Morgan today about the serious impact of the ongoing closure on the movement of people and freight between Ireland and Great Britain.

Mr Harris and Mr Morgan agreed to speak again in early January to review the progress.

Following the call, the Taoiseach said: "The closure of Holyhead port has caused a lot of heartache and disruption for people and traders this Christmas.

"We discussed the importance to both Wales and Ireland of ensuring sufficient port capacity to support vital supply chains between Ireland and the UK, and the need to find workable alternatives for as long as Holyhead remains out of commission, he added.

Hauliers have warned that costs of goods will rise as Holyhead disruption continues.
Four influencers were found to be in breach of the Advertising Standards Authority Code in its latest report, including ads by Pippa OConnor and Rosanna Davison.

An advertisement on Pippa O'Connors Instagram story featuring products from their own beauty range, POCO, was found to be misleading because she did not include the primary identification label #Ad in the post.

One image included the label Own Brand and other images included the company tag. The complainant did not consider that the story images had been identified correctly as advertising material, said the complaint.

While a complaint was also upheld for a misleading advertisement on Rosanna Davisons Instagram account of her showcasing leisurewear from the brand Human Collective.

The complainant said the items had not included the label #Ad and they considered the advertising to be misleading as the influencer had not indicated their relationship with the brand, said the complaint.

Another complaint was upheld for an Instagram story by influencer Siobhan O'Hagan, who promoted her own fitness company, The Self Improvement Project, which was found to be misleading.

The advertisement was found to be misleading as neither of the stories featured a label disclosing that they were advertisements, and that the influencers own brand was being promoted.

Pippa OConnor

Today's News in 90 Seconds - December 20th

Another complaint was upheld for a misleading advertisement for Voduz Hair in which influencer Julie Haynes had created an Instagram story advertising hair oil for the brand. The advertisers Instagram handle was tagged in a small font which the complaint said did not make it immediately clear to everyone that the posts were being identified as advertisements.

Meanwhile, 20 cases were submitted to the Advertising Standards Authority this month, 16 of which were upheld in full. The authority chose not to uphold four complaints.

These breaches were on grounds related to several issues, including recognisability, misleading, promotional marketing, children, alcoholic drinks and decency and propriety.

The Superprof website has an advertisement offering private tuition for students that said: Your card is only fully debited if [Name of tutor] accepts your request. The first lesson is free.

The complainant said the advertising claims that a card would only be fully debited if the selected tutor accepted their request was misleading.

When the requested tutor was not available, unsolicited offers from five other tutors were received and the payment card was debited, the report said.

Meanwhile, the Ogel Beds advertisement included a listing on the advertiser's website for a Carter bunk bed pack, whose description said: Carter is a beautifully designed classic panel bunk bed with Seomra Mattresses.

The complainant considered it misleading as it implied that the price of the bunk beds included mattresses.

After purchasing the beds, the complainant was asked if they wished to add mattresses to their order, and upon querying the matter, they were told it was a typo, the report said.

Another upheld complaint was received in relation to Ashfield College's advertisement on social media.

A sponsored post on Facebook stated: Imagine having teachers this good every day  only at Ashfield College. The complainant considered this misleading as it implied that teachers in other educational institutions were inferior in some way.

An MJ Roofing and More advertisement on the homepage on its website also received a complaint which was upheld on the decency and propriety grounds.

The advertisement features an image of a woman dressed in a shirt tied at the front to replicate a crop top, mini shorts with a tool belt around her waist, a hard hat on her head and a spirit level on her shoulder.

The complaint considered that the advertisement featured an image of a woman dressed in attire that was overtly sexualised.

Meanwhile, one of four not upheld complaints included that of Phone Watch.

Its radio and YouTube advertisements featured a teacher or instructor character holding a burglar bootcamp". They were instructing a group on how to effectively burgle houses while the second voiceover stated: Get the alarm that burglars fear the most.

These advertisements received two complaints  the first considered that the accent of the burglar character was offensive as it equated a North Dublin or working class Dublin accent with criminality and perpetuated stereotypes against people with certain accents, the report said.

Meanwhile, the second complaint claimed its content was an example of accentism.
President Michael D Higgins has paid tribute to Irish troops overseas and criticised the ongoing war in Gaza in his final Christmas message in office.

As President of Ireland, may I offer to each and every one of you my warmest greetings and my best wishes for a peaceful and happy Christmas, the President said.

On this occasion, as I offer you all what will be the final Christmas message of my terms as Uachtaran na hEireann, I recall the values that I stressed in my first Christmas Message in 2011, he said, ahead of finishing up his term in November next year.

He continued that at Christmas, many families will be welcoming the homecomings of many of our Irish community abroad.

However, there are those who for different reasons are unable to travel home, but whose connection with family and friends remains so strong, he said.

In the same spirit, I think of all those who have moved to live with us and make a new home in Ireland, our new citizens and those who have sought asylum here  those seeking refuge, those searching for a life free from fear and persecution, or who, like so many of our Irish over the generations, simply wish for a better life.

May they, this Christmas season, all feel both welcome and kindness while separated from their own families around the world. Their new home does not require any forgetting of their home cultures or families, he said.

He also mentioned those who find Christmas as a difficult and emotional time of the year.

He referenced those who are homeless, those who have experienced recent losses, those who are ill or who have loved ones who are having difficulties, and the many others in our society who may be in need of real and practical support.

He also paid a special tribute to the Irish Defence Forces, particularly those in Lebanon, who will be overseas this Christmas, separated from their families.

Their work and their families sacrifices that make it possible are moral examples for the entire international community, including the most powerful, the president said.

This Christmas, we are all too aware that far too many of our global family are having inflicted upon them as part of the most horrific circumstances of war, circumstances that less and less respect civilian rights and that force endless displacement.

At the end of this year we think of all those who will be recalling all of these horrific events of recent times  the brutal attacks on civilians, including the taking of hostages, for whom so many families continue to anxiously await word of their safety, and as I speak, so many deaths of the most vulnerable remind us of what was released by way of a response, a response that has transcended all of the boundaries of humanitarian law.

The silence of many of those with influence in the face of gross violations of the human rights of civilians is conferring an impunity on those who are flagrantly inflicting collective punishment on civilians, including starvation which, as I speak, is affecting most of all women and children, he added.

President Higgins mentioned all of the people in Gaza, a place he described as a crucible of suffering for children and their families.

He referenced 45,000 dead, 17,000 of them children, with 11,000 perhaps under the rubble.

"For those in Ukraine, who have now endured over 1,000 days of war. Or Sudan, where some 25 million people  more than half of the countrys population  are facing acute hunger this year.

Given all of these circumstances, the painful lessons of history and our hopes for the future must surely persuade us to strive, with urgency, for a world where diplomacy triumphs over endless preparation for war, where the pursuit of peace is a shared objective with far greater resonance than is present at the moment in the discourse.

When we might speak of peace in a diverse world, where the safety and dignity of every human being is valued. This is now our best hope and preparation for responsible and sustainable lives together on what is our vulnerable shared planet, he continued.

He also mentioned food insecurity and made an urgent appeal for us all to support the United Nations so that we may all fulfil our commitments to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The failure to achieve peace, to eliminate acute global poverty, hunger, and the consequences of climate change and biodiversity loss have been accompanied by a return to an arms race, to a world that has rewarded investors in instruments of death rather than promoting sustainability.

What a shameful statistic it is that in 2023 global military expenditure increased by 6.8 percent to $2,443 billion, increasing in all regions, the highest ever recorded.

"All of this while so many human values cry out for recognition, he said.

He stressed that when wars and conflicts become accepted and presented as seemingly unending, such as at present, humanity is the loser.

As we celebrate this Christmas season, wherever we may be and in whatever circumstances, may it be a time for kindness, understanding, a time of care and appreciation for one another, he said.

He also paid a special tribute to all those who work in our hospitals and emergency services, to those attending to the needs of the homeless, the vulnerable and the marginalised, and to all those who so generously give up so much of their Christmas to serve the needs of other..

President Higgins also thanked those who sent messages of good wishes for his health and the health of his wife, Sabina, earlier this year.

In my first Christmas Message, in 2011, I said we are a country of which there is much to be proud; whose possibilities are still to be fully imagined and realised; and whose people I am honoured to serve.

As I enter this 14th and final year as President of Ireland, it remains the greatest honour and privilege to serve you, the people of Ireland. I look forward immensely to continuing to do so over the coming year.

During my terms in Office, both Sabina and I have experienced and valued the warmth and friendship of people both at home and abroad. We have witnessed the resilience, compassion, creativity, empathy and kindness of Irish people in so many different ways.

It is something we so deeply appreciate and we will always cherish.

Sabina joins me in wishing all the people of Ireland a joyful Christmas and a peaceful New Year, he added.
As we move into January, the much-celebrated stretch in the evenings will become more apparent

Saturday marks the shortest day of the year, also known as the Winter Solstice.

The solstice usually happens around December 21 and the event occurs because the earths path around the sun is unsteady according to Professor Emeritus at the UCD School of Mathematics and Statistics, Peter Lynch.

Prof Lynch explained clocks run by mean time, which moves in and out synchronisation with naturally occurring solar time.

The orbit has various irregularities. If we went by solar time, different days would be different lengths and youd have to be constantly resetting your clocks.

"We use mean time because it is very convenient and that is the average time.

The illumination of earth happens because of solar time and that varies by about a quarter of an hour throughout the year, plus or minus, he said.

The difference between clock time and solar time is embodied in a mathematical equation called the equation of time.

Up to a 15-minute difference can exist between solar time and mean solar time, while midday is always 24 hours apart.

The orbit of the earth is not a perfect circle, in fact, it is slightly egg shaped.

The earth is closest to the sun in January and farthest from it six months later.

This determines how rapidly the earth is going around its orbit because the nearer it is to the sun the faster its going and that effects the time, according to Prof Lynch.

The fact that the earth sits on a titled, 23-degree axis means the noon day sun is over different parts of the earth at different times of the year which leads to seasonal variations.

Interestingly, while some might think the shortest day of the year would occur because the sun rises later and sets early, Prof Lynch said this is not the case.

Sunsets usually get progressively later in the week leading up to the solstice with it going from 16:06 to 16:07 earlier this week.

Prof Lynch added as we move into January the much-celebrated stretch in the evenings will become more apparent. It is not really until mid to late January before we will really start to notice the famed grand stretch.

Many people will associate the winter solstice with Irelands ancient past and historical passage tombs; the most well-known being Newgrange in Co Meath.

Built by Stone Age farmers 5,200 years ago in the Boyne Valley, Newgrange has a 19-metre passage which leads into a chamber with three alcoves. At sunrise, for 17 minutes, direct sunlight can enter the Newgrange monument to illuminate the chamber, not through the doorway, but through the specially contrived small opening above the entrance known as the roof box.

It was originally re-discovered by Limerick man and UCC professor, Michael J O'Kelly in 1967.

Gabriel Cooney is Professor of Celtic Archaeology in UCD and a Newgrange expert.

He described Newgrange is an iconic monument and said the fact that it is aligned with the winter solstice adds to it attraction.

Newgrange is what we would call a passage tomb and there are 10 other passage tombs, give or take, around Ireland which are aligned with either the sunrise or sunset at winter solstice.

So, the people who built it were part of a cultural tradition in which this concept of marking key time points of the year was something that they incorporated into the building of these monuments, he said.

Prof Cooney said the importance of the turning point in the year is something which is evident from many other societies around the world who also sought to mark the beginning of the days getting longer once more.

He said the Stone Age builders who erected Newgrange knew exactly where the sun was going to set for several days leading up to solstice.

So accurate was their understanding, that if Newgrange did not exist, the sun would set perfectly on the southern slope of the ridge where it sits on solstice.

Prof Cooney said, Newgrange and similar passage tombs were places where ancient tribes buried their dead so they could feel closer to them as the passed on to the next life.

These were place where the remains of people were placed.

"So, if you think about that, these were monuments that contained the bones of the dead; something that would have been very important in an agricultural society.

So, to me what the alignment with the sunrise is doing is its a reminder of that; the connection between the other world and the earth and then this notion of speaking to those ancestors. So, there is a religious belief about that, he added.

This article was first published December 2021.
Center Parcs or Eurocamp? An Irish mum weighs up the pros and cons of France and Longford Forest for the holidays
Andreas Kluth: Donald Trump is playing chicken with the madman theory of conflict

US president-elect not the first leader to feign a streak of unpredictability

President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Andreas Kluth Washington Post Fri 20 Dec 2024 at 03:30

Here we go again: Donald Trump is preparing to move back into the Oval Office and is boasting about how unpredictable he is, convinced that posing as a madman makes him strong. That strength, he and his minions insist, will cow adversaries from Russia to China, Iran or North Korea; itll even discipline Americas friends if theyre misbehaving. Strength through madness and peace through strength.
Ellen Coyne: Gisele Pelicots perfect husband was always her predatory rapist, never her protector

The mass-rape case that shamed France reveals the dark side of respectable mens behaviour

I thought of my grandchildren, Gisele Pelicot says after French rape trial

Ellen Coyne Fri 20 Dec 2024 at 03:30

Gisele Pelicot walked out of the French court under the protection of men. Security guards, lawyers and police officers clutched each others shoulders, forming a human ring of armour around the mass-rape survivor.
Two women hold placards in support of Gisele Pelicot in front of the courthouse in Paris. Photo: Reuters

Gisele Pelicot endured the darkest experience any woman could conceive of. To come out the other side with a message of hope for all women is a measure of her remarkable strength.

Following a trial that has not only stunned France but shocked the world, her husband of half a century, Dominique Pelicot, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

He was guilty of repeatedly drugging and raping his wife for almost a decade. He also invited dozens of strangers to rape her while she was unconscious.

It is hard enough to imagine, let alone survive such an ordeal. Ms Pelicot has demonstrated super-human strength since her story first became known.

After the sentencing, she once again spoke calmly and reassuringly to women.

She accepted that the legal process had been a difficult ordeal, but added: I now have confidence in our ability to collectively seize a future in which each woman and man can live in harmony with respect and mutual understanding.

The court found 46 other defendants also guilty of rape. Ms Pelicot has become a beacon of grace and fortitude. Far from being crushed by the weight of her horrifying experience, she has sought to lighten the burden of other women who survived sexual exploitation.

The searching question men must now address is: how can such diabolical depravity be unleashed on any woman?

Ms Pelicot said she hoped the attention her case attracted will help others. She was characteristically dismissive of praise for her own bravery.

Its not courage. Its determination to change things, she told the court.

But the task of transformation must not be laid at the door of heroic survivors like her.

A fundamental responsibility for all men is to recognise, respect and protect the rights of women.

The measure of a successful man, it was said, was one who could build a foundation from all the bricks thrown at him by life.

Ms Pelicot has taken all the bricks thrown at her, exclusively by men, and built a pedestal for the world to see. Her example has taken personal dignity and stoicism to new heights.

This is not just my battle, but that of all rape victims, she insisted.

But it is surely not the job of rape survivors to fight. It is the social and moral obligation of all men to become champions of zero tolerance of violence against women.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox, the American author and poet, wrote: To sin by silence, when we should protest, makes cowards out of men.

It is a sentiment that rings just as true today, more than a century after Wheeler Wilcoxs death.

All sexual violence is repulsive and abhorrent. It is never excusable or tolerable. All men must always stand against it.
Gardai are satisfied there were no sinister elements connected to a house fire in county Cavan last night that claimed the life of a man in his 80s.

Gardai have ruled out foul play into the circumstances behind a house fire last night that claimed the life of an elderly pensioner in county Cavan.

The victim, aged in his 80s, was pronounced dead at the scene of the incident which broke out at a small cottage outside Virginia at around 10pm.

Gardai and emergency services raced to the scene, but were unable to save the man who was pronounced dead a short time later.

His body has since been removed to a mortuary at Cavan General Hospital for the purposes of a post mortem examination this afternoon.

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The scene itself was cordoned off for a number of hours to allow for a technical examination to get under way in a bid to determine how the fire broke out.

From those initial inquiries, foul play has all but been ruled out.

Gardai in Co Cavan are investigating all of the circumstances surrounding the death of a man following a fatal house fire in Virginia yesterday, Thursday, December 19, said a garda spokesperson.

At approximately 10pm, gardai were alerted to a house fire and the body of a male (aged in his 80s) was discovered.

Investigating gardai have preserved the scene as they work towards establishing the cause of the fire. The body was removed to Cavan Mortuary and a post mortem examination will be conducted in due course.

Results of the post mortem and a technical examination of the scene will determine the course of the Garda investigation.

Details surrounding last nights tragedy has left the town and its residents in a state of shock, according to local Cavan county councillor TP OReilly.

The Fine Gael politician said locals were still trying to come to terms with the news and the loss of one of its most likeable and amiable of personalities.

It is very sad and unfortunate, he said. He was a great character who lived in a wee cottage on his own about two miles outside of Virginia.

He was well known in and around the town and was what you would call a good soul. People are in shock of course, but hopefully he didnt suffer.
Deputy Moynihan has welcomed the recent announcement by Minister for Housing, Darragh OBrien regarding increased housing adaptation grants for older people and people with disabilities.

This initiative which is available now, significantly supports vulnerable community members.

Deputy Moynihan who recently retained his seat for the Cork North West constituency said: This is very welcome news, with grant limits increasing by over 30% and a 25% rise in income thresholds. The maximum grant for disabled people will reach 40,000, while the housing aid for older people grant will rise to 10,700, and the mobility aid grant to 8,000. These changes will alleviate financial burdens and promote independence.

Since 2007, over 160,000 grants nationally have been issued, helping older individuals and people with disabilities stay in their homes and avoid premature residential care.

Investment in these grants has increased by over 27%, from 73 million in 2020 to a projected 93 million in 2024.

This announcement follows the Report on the Review of the Housing Adaptation Grants, which advocates for these changes. Grant limits will increase by 10,000 in some cases, confirmed Deputy Moynihan. With the population over 65 projected to exceed 1.3 million by 2040, these grants are vital for maintaining independence. The revised means testing will simplify the application process and commenced on December 1 2024 with all applications submitted on or after that date being considered under the revised scheme.

New application forms under the revised criteria are now available. This announcement underscores the governments commitment to enhancing the quality of life for older individuals and those with disabilities, he added.
A 63-year-old motorist who was caught driving without valid insurance when he was already banned from driving has been sent to prison.

Denis ODriscoll of Lower Codrum, Macroom, Co. Cork appeared before Judge Monika Leech at a recent sitting of Macroom District Court.

Court presenter Sergeant Trish OSullivan said that Mr ODriscoll was stopped at a checkpoint driving a red Renault car at Gurranenagappul, Clondrohid at 10am on July 12, 2024. The car displayed expired tax and NCT discs and when Mr ODriscoll was asked to produce his license he told the garda he had left it at home.

The court heard that Mr ODriscoll produced his licence at Macroom Garda Station later that day where it was discovered that he was banned from driving and therefore was also uninsured.

The court heard that Mr ODriscoll had been convicted of driving without insurance in August 2022 and disqualified from driving for six years. The court was told that the father of six had a total of 34 previous convictions including 16 for road traffic matters.

Defence solicitor Patrick Goold said that Mr ODriscoll accepted he should not have been driving. He said that his client had serious health issues and had suffered a heart attack in 2021.

He said that there were no aggravating factors when he was stopped other that the fact he was disqualified and that he seemed to be continuing to drive in the locality.

Judge Leech said that Mr ODriscoll seemed to have disregarded entirely the fact that he was disqualified and had a litany of previous offences, and a blatant disregard for law and order. Denis ODriscoll was convicted, sentenced to three months in prison and disqualified from driving for 10 years.
Five outgoing councillors were elected to Dail Eireann following the recent general election with three of them having represented the Northern Division.

The successful councillors include John Paul OShea (Fine Gael) who was elected in the Cork North West constituency. Mallow native Eoghan Kenny (Labour Party) who was elected in the Cork North Central constituency and Noel McCarthy (Fine Gael) who was elected in the Cork East constituency.

The other former Cork County Councillors are Seamus McGrath (Fianna Fail) and Liam Quaide (Social Democrats).

Charleville based Aileen Browne, Mallow native Ronan Sheehan, Kay Dawson, Patrick Donovan and Eamonn Horgan were all co-opted at Fridays meeting.

Aileen Browne was co-opted to replace Deputy John Paul OShea.

Cllr Browne was proposed by Cllr Michael Hegarty and her nomination was seconded by Cllr Tony OShea.

Ms Browne began her maiden speech with a warm tribute to Deputy John Paul OShea. I have four and a half years hopefully to do a lot of talking in these chambers. I want to pay tribute to Deputy John Paul OShea. I have big shoes to fill. I am sure he will do tremendous work continuing to represent the people of the entire county and in particular Cork North West.

Cllr Browne also thanked her family and party members for their support. I want to pay tribute to my colleagues in the Fine Gael chairs for the warm welcome and support they have given me. I also want to thank all my supporters and the Fine Gael members in the Kanturk electoral area.

I want to thank my family, many of whom are present today and many friends. I look forward to working to represent the people in the Kanturk electoral area and in County Cork over the next four years, she added.

Kay Dawson who previously served as a councillor was co-opted to replace Deputy Noel McCarthy.

Cllr Dawson was nominated by Cllr Michael Hegarty and her nomination was seconded by Cllr Anthony Barry.

I am stuck for words, admitted Cllr Dawson. Those of you who know me well would find that strange. It is a very emotional day. I am thrilled to be back. I have missed you all so much. I have missed the job so much. I was privileged to have been a councillor for the last ten years."

Ms Dawson was surprisingly unsuccessful in her bid to retain her seat in this years local elections.

She admitted she wasn't ready to give up politics. It was like hitting a brick wall. I wasnt ready for retirement. I am so glad to have received this opportunity. I want to thank the Fine Gael members who voted me back in. I want to thank Deputy Noel McCarthy. We are close friends. I now have somebody in the Dail that I can work through which will make life easier.

Ronan Sheehan who previously served as a Labour Party councillor from 2009 to 2014 was co-opted to replace Deputy Eoghan Kenny.

Cllr Sheehan was proposed by Cllr Cathal Ramussen which was seconded by Cllr Bernard Moynihan (Fianna Fail).

Cllr Sheehan said: For a long time Cathal has flown the flag on his own for a period. It wasnt easy at times and I personally would like to thank him.

Cllr Sheehan continued: I want to acknowledge Eoghan Kenny. He got elected in a very hard constituency. Eoghan was effectively in a city constituency. He got a huge vote in Mallow. He is only 24-years-of-age. He is a fantastic young man who will do great things up there.

I was here before, said Cllr Sheehan. It was a different time as in financially. I know we are limited as a council. I wasnt too sure if this day would happen again. I am absolutely thrilled. I have a few priorities. I hope we as a council do everything to move the M20 and the Mallow Relief Road on. Another priority is Mallow Town Hall.

I promise to represent and work with everyone. I am really looking forward to it. I want to thank my family for supporting me the whole time, he added.

Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Joe Carroll welcomed the five new councillors. We all work together. That is the only way to do it here. It is important to work as a group to get things over the line. It is all about the good of the county.

The CEO of Cork County Council, Moira Murrell echoed the sentiments of Mayor Carroll. I want to welcome the five new councillors to the chamber. We are looking forward to working with the new councillors in the years ahead. I also want to wish the new deputies all the very best in the Dail.

Fine Gael party leader in Cork County Council Michael Hegarty paid tribute to the new Fine Gael councillors Aileen Browne and Kay Dawson. Aileen is a very active community activist in her town. She had the honour of being the first female chairperson of Charleville GAA Club. She will be an excellent public representative for her municipal district.

Turing his attention to Cllr Dawson, Mr Hegarty said it was great to see her back in the council chamber. You had a short little sabbatical. I know you are fired up and looking forward to it. Your commitment to your municipal district speaks highly of you. She is a community activist.

Labour Party leader in Cork County Council, Cllr Cathal Rasmussen said he was delighted to welcome Cllr Sheehan back to County Hall. Over the years Ronan has worked very hard for his community and constituents. He did it with dignity and integrity. He is a great addition to the chamber. He brings a wealth of experience to the role. I am really looking forward to working with him.

Cllr Rasmussen paid tribute to Deputy Eoghan Kenny. My one claim to fame is that Eoghan sat beside me for a year and I helped to get him elected. Eoghan is a very bright and intelligent young man. I knew from a very early stage that Eoghan had his goal set on going forward if the opportunity arose. Eoghan worked day and night to get elected. I am really looking forward to watching him grow into a very good TD.
LauraLynn Irelands Children's Hospice is inviting Cork people to brave the icy waters on Saturday, December 22 and make a splash for a great cause by signing up for "Dip In for LauraLynn".

From Youghal to Inchydoney Beach, LauraLynn is asking supporters to raise funds through sponsorship and take the plunge at a swimming spot of their choice.

The challenge is an important annual fundraiser for the Childrens Hospice supporting children with life-limiting conditions and their families.

To take part participants register on the LauraLynn website where they will receive a free blue Santa hat, as well as their own sponsorship page.

Funds raised from the "Dip In for LauraLynn" challenge will help LauraLynn provide essential care and support to children with life-limiting conditions and their families from across the country.

LauraLynn Fundraising Executive Cathy White said: "'Dip In for LauraLynn' is a wonderful opportunity for people to come together, have fun, and support a cause that truly makes a difference. Whether you are a seasoned sea swimmer or a first-time cold dipper, we would love to see you out in your blue LauraLynn Santa hat.

The funds raised will allow us to continue supporting children with palliative care needs and their families all over Ireland, she added.

LauraLynn is calling on supporters from all over Ireland to take part in this exhilarating event.

Participants are encouraged to dip into the chilly waters just before Christmas for this

very important fundraiser.

Participants can share their experiences and photos on social media using the hashtag #TeamLauraLynn and join the dedicated Facebook group to connect with others taking part in the challenge.

For more information and to register for the event visit LauraLynn.ie or contact Cathy at challenges@lauralynn.ie.
The Flying Duck in Dundrum Town Centre is closing down

A restaurant in Dundrum Town Centre is closing its doors with a heavy heart just before Christmas.

The Flying Duck, a music, food and theatre venue situated next to Harvey Nichols, is headed up by actor and restaurateur Gary Whelan.

The venue opened just over two years ago offering a varied mix of local inspired Irish produce, ranging from modern cuisine in our restaurant to creative small bites served in our stylish bar area.

However, The Flying Duck has announced it is shutting due to several challenging circumstances.

We are closed. It is with a heavy heart that we announce The Flying Duck is closing its doors, they said.

After much thought and reflection, weve made this difficult decision due to several challenging circumstances that have made it unsustainable for us to continue operations.

We want to express our deepest gratitude to everyone who has supported us over the years, whether you joined us for a meal, celebrated a special occasion, or simply stopped by for a coffee.

Your loyalty, kindness, and love have meant the world to us. While this chapter is ending, were excited for whats ahead!

Big things are coming with our sister companies, Smash It and The Good Food Store catering, as well as many more exciting opportunities.

Please keep following us to stay connected and continue to support our journey.
The raids were carried out on Dublin's Henry Street on December 17. Pic: File photo

Traders on Dublins Henry Street and Moore Street were raided by gardai and Revenue officials earlier this week, and a number of counterfeit goods were seized.

On Tuesday, December, 17, gardai attached to Operation Citizen at Store Street Garda Station assisted customs officers in searches on Moore Street and Henry Street in Dublin 1.

This operation was led by Customs who were targeting the sale of contraband and counterfeit excisable goods, primarily cigarettes and alcohol, a garda statement said.

A number of items of contraband were seized by Customs officers. There were no arrests in relation to these offences.

Gardai seized a number of counterfeit perfume items from a stall on Henry Street. Enquiries are ongoing in respect of this seizure.

A statement from Revenue added: Revenue took part in a multi-agency operation on Tuesday, as part of our ongoing work to combat and monitor shadow economy activity.

No further information is available in respect of this operation.

However, the raids have since attracted a backlash from celebrities and politicians defending the street traders.

Oscar-nominated band Kneecap said everyone on these streets is trying to make a living.

All Dublin heads, weve got loads of merch on our website which is dead handy for a white Christmas, they said.

But the heads on the stalls on Henry Street who got raided yesterday are tryna [sic] make a living too and have rip off kneecap T-shirts.

Can get the movie on the dodgy box too. Up the black market! Up the smugglers!

Meanwhile, Daniel Ennis, a Social Democrats councillor for Dublins north inner city, said he is sickened by the action against traders.

This would sicken you. Some of my friends are street traders - the best of people, he said.

Customs coming after them for small change while the tax avoidance experts cheat their way out of paying billions in taxes.

Will Customs raid the markets in Dun Laoghaire or in D4? I doubt it, he added.

Fellow Dublin city councillor Conor Reddy, of People Before Profit, added: These stalls are part of the fabric of our city and many of the families trading on them have traded for generations.

Christmas is pretty much all they have left and stalls over many years have become an important part of the Christmas experience in our city.

The traders I know are the best of us, looking after those around them, actually caring for this city. Its shocking they are being treated this way.

Solidarity with the stall holders and street traders, he added.

In separate operations at the start of this month, Revenue officers seized contraband with an estimated value of over 2.5m in various operations in Dublin, the Midlands, Rosslare and Shannon.

Among the seizures were 9,791 items of counterfeit goods, with an estimated value of 1,981,615.

The seized items included 9,156 pairs of counterfeit Nike-branded runners in 35 different designs.
A group of residents in Balgriffin, north Dublin, have said the lack of public lighting in parts of their estate has left them with no sense of security whatsoever.

One resident of Belcamp Manor in Dublin 17, who has been living in the estate since 2022 says there has been no lighting since the beginning of 2024.

The estate was originally well-lit until the developer, Beakonshaw, sold 46 out of the 54 properties to a Occu, a private rental sector company owned by SW3 Capital, which is now renting the properties for 3,175-a-month.

The resident, who wishes to remain anonymous, said the estate is now pitch black at night-time.

Behind our row of houses is so dark that when people are walking to and from the bus stop, they need to use the torch on their mobile phones, they said.

Its been going on for nearly a year at this point and its just ridiculous because we have no sense of security whatsoever.

Some people in this estate are paying more than 3,000 in rent, and theyre not even getting the basic service of lighting, they added.

The resident said there have been multiple attempted car break-ins on the estate, with the most recent incident occurring last weekend.

Weve had a few break-ins into cars, they said.

Its obvious that it will become a hotspot for that type of activity. With no lighting, its a safety issue, and its only going to get worse.

We are leaving the light on outside the house throughout the night in all of the houses because this is the only way we can protect our cars, they added.

A spokesperson for An Gardai Siochana confirmed the incident on December 15.

Gardai arrested and charged a man (aged in his 30s) following reports of theft in a residential area in Dublin 17 on December 15, they said.

As this matter is currently before the courts, An Garda Siochana is not in a position to comment further.

Residents within the estate have contacted Fingal County Council on multiple occasions to seek help.

Labour councillor and Mayor of Fingal, Brian McDonagh, said he brought forward an emergency motion to apply pressure on the developer last October.

Fingal went out, and the electricians said they could not get the lights working because theyre not built to standard, he said.

Ive asked the council to look at going after the bond, but its highly unusual and there has been no joy so far.

Normally, youd see some progress, but this one just doesnt seem to be moving at all. Its a solvable issue, and yet no one is stepping up to address it.

The developer or the company... should be exercising leverage over this. Their tenants are there, and yet theyre leaving them in a situation like this.

The council cant just go in and fix it on behalf of the developer because its not their legal property to do that, he added.

A spokesperson from Occu said: The landlord, management company, and all other stakeholders at Belcamp Manor are fully aware of an issue with regards to street lighting within the estate.

The safety of residents and visitors is treated with the highest priority and there has been ongoing dialogue between the council, developer, and owner to resolve the problem.

All parties have been working continuously to find a solution. In addition, the management company has been in constant dialogue with residents on the matter.

Lighting within the estate meets all regulations and MPRNs have now been assigned to the lighting units so that ESB Networks are in a position to connect supply.

We anticipate this will be completed in short order but is reliant on other parties and outside of our control, they added.

Fingal County Council and Beakonshaw has been contacted for comment.
At the launch of the book of The History of Saint Gobnait's Church Keel by Michael Griffin to mark the 150th anniversary of the opening of the church. Front L-R: Eileen Murphy,Catherine O'Connor, Michael Griffin (Author) Bishop Ray Browne(Bishop of Kerry) Fr Luke Roche,Emer Reagan Back L-R: Fr Conor Bradley, Fr Kevin O'Sullivan (PP Killorglin)Fr Danny Broderick (PP Milltown). Photo by Michael G Kenny

There was a very important celebration in Keel village last week as the local community assembled in St. Gobnaits Church to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the building of the church.

"2024 marks the 150th anniversary of the building of the church and it is fitting that the parish community marks this milestone by celebrating the building of the church but also commemorating all those associated with the life of the church in the parish of Keel over the generations," explained Michael Griffin who wrote a commemorative booklet outlining the history of the church.

For those not familiar with the church it is the lovely sandstone building to the west of the village of Boolteens, on your journey from Castlemaine to Inch.

A special mass took place followed by the launch of the beautiful commemorative booklet and the serving of refreshments nearby.

Mass was concelebrated by Bishop Ray Browne, Fr. Danny Broderick, Fr. Kevin Sullivan and Fr. Luke Roche.

St. Gobnaits Church was built in 1874 and replaced the little chapel in Boolteens which, in 1871, was in a wretched state according to local accounts at the time.

The rich history of the church was compiled by Michael Griffin to mark the 150th anniversary and a wonderful booklet is now available detailing the important history of the parish.

St. Gobnaits is actually situated in the townland of Castledrum, birthplace of Fr. Thaddeus Moriarty, a Dominican priest who was captured while celebrating Mass at Poll an Aifrinn, Kilclohane, on 15th August, 1653 and was hanged on the scaffold in Killarney two months later.

The appointment of Fr. Cornelius Sheehan as Parish Priest in 1866 combined with the zeal and vision of Very Rev, David Moriarty, Bishop of the diocese, brought renewed vigour to the parish of Keel which saw the opening of Castledrum NS in 1865 and Fybough NS in 1869. The two men set about planning for a new church building.

A site for the building was donated by Sir. John Godfrey of Kilcoleman Abbey, Milltown who had also donated the site for the National School in Castledrum a few years earlier.

Bishop David Moriarty blessed the first stone of the church on Sunday, October 26, 1873. The ODonoghue brothers from Farranfore completed the building of this magnificent church in less than three years.

Local labour was employed during the construction; the sandstone was sourced in local quarries and the limestone from outside the parish; the slate roof was probably sourced on Valentia island.

The new church of St. Gobnait, built at a cost of 1,400, at nominal cost to the parishioners was blessed by Bishop Moriarty on 5th July 1876, explains Mr Griffin.

A correspondent to the Cork Examiner on 24th June, 1877 reported that a mission had opened in the handsome new church at Keel for the people of the parishes of Keel and Castlemaine  during this time the church, capable of holding from 1,000 to 1,200 persons was crowded, packed rather.

Today, the church remains an important part of the parish and the lives of those who live there.
New safety leafllets are being issued by Kerry gardai in to ensure a safe and happy Christmas for all.

New safety leafllets are being issued by Kerry gardai in to ensure a safe and happy Christmas for all. left to right: Sgt Tony Crockett , Sean OMaoilmhichil Garda Staff Irish Language Officer, Trish Hannifin Garda Staff, Insp Derek Ryan,Community Garda Cathy Murphy, Sgt Mike Quirke Crime Prevention Officer and Sgt Aoife Doran.

Gardai in Kerry are urging the public to have a safe and happy Christmas this year and to help them do so they are distributed a new safety leaflet.

The new garda initiative is aimed at offering advice and support to young and old and includes fire safety tips and tips for planning a night out including do not drink and drive and arrange a lift home.

It also includes very important advice on shopping at Christmas and shopping online and urges the public to be careful at ATMs and when using banking cards online.

Gardai have also issued advice on ensuring that your home is secure during the holiday period and to make sure windows and doors are locked when you are not at home and to have details of your valuables recorded.

The most important message from Kerry Gardai is to report any incidents or suspicious activity to Gardai who are on hand to try and prevent crimes this Christmas and this can be done by working together.

Garda Patricia Fitzpatrick said the advice is simple but these steps can help.

"We want the community to know we are there to help them and together we can make Christmas safe for all.

The leaflet has been produced in both English and Irish and also contacts useful contact numbers. It has already been handed out at Manor West and at Killarney Outlet Centre and it is available at local stations.
Professor Joseph Walsh, Head of the School of STEM and Director of the IMaR Research Centre at Munster Technological University (MTU), Tralee and Co-Principal Investigator at Lero, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software, has been awarded the prestigious Lero Directors Prize for Innovation at the sixth annual Leros Directors Prizes.

Established in 2005, Lero aims to position Ireland as a global leader in high-quality software research and development. The award ceremony, hosted on December 11 at the University of Limerick recognises academic excellence across Ireland.

Professor Joseph Walsh was recognised for his contributions to intelligent mechatronics, robotics, and bio-instrumentation, which has secured more than 20 million in research funding over the past five years. Since receiving the funding, Professor Walsh has published more than 200 scientific papers which has resulted in numerous industry collaborations and intellectual property agreements with prominent companies like Dairymaster, McHales, and Tricel.

The Lero Awards were presented to nine top academics and researchers from leading Irish universities and institutes of technology. The Lero Directors Prizes are presented annually to exceptional Lero members from the Lero 12 partner universities and institutes of technology, recognizing their outstanding work and achievements throughout the year.

Commenting on the Lero Directors Prize for Innovation, Professor Joseph Walsh, said:

Im honoured to receive the Leros Directors Prize for Innovation. This award reflects the hard work and dedication poured in by my research team and collaborators at MTU over the last five years. Together, we strive to push the boundaries of intelligent systems and develop technologies that make a tangible difference in society. 

Congratulating the winner, Lero Director, Lionel Briand, emphasizing the importance of their contributions to the field of software research, stated:

"The Lero Director's Prizes highlight the dedication and excellence of our members in advancing software engineering, information systems, and human-computer interaction across various cutting-edge areas."

For more information on the Lero Directors Prizes and this years award recipients, visit www.lero.ie.
Planning permission for a new 1,448 plot Kildare cemetery that will charge an eyewatering 12,500 to be buried close to the final resting place of Wolfe Tone has been extended by Kildare County Council.

The Wolfe Tone private cemetery in Bodenstown near the town of Sallins in Co Kildare advertised a pre-open sale until July 31 of this year, whereby people could purchase a burial plot for a hefty price, just to be laid to rest near Theobald Wolfe Tone, who was buried in the adjacent existing Bodenstown graveyard in 1798.

The developers of the Wolfe Tone private cemetery, Amendoeira Developments Ltd, with an address at Weir House, Clane, Co Kildare, were first granted planning permission in 2018.

Since then, this is the second time they have applied to Kildare county council to extend their planning permission for another year, which has now been granted by the council.

According to Kildare county council, they granted the extension as they are satisfied the development will be completed within a reasonable time.

The council added that they are also satisfied that the developments to which the permission relates was commenced before the expiration of the appropriate period sought to be extended and substantial works were carried out pursuant to the permission during that period.

As a result, the developers now have until September 29, 2025 to complete the new cemetery.

Wolfe Tone is regarded by many as the father of Irish republicanism and sought to overthrow English rule in Ireland as one of the leaders of the 1798 rebellion.

The price for a burial plot in the new Wolfe Tone private cemetery ranges from 5,000 up to 12,500, with plots priced on the basis of proximity to Wolfe Tone's grave, which is a national monument. The closer the burial plot is to Wolfe Tone, the more expensive the plot will be.

Customers have a choice between four different priced plot sites, graded by how close they are located to Wolfe Tone.

The first is a standard plot, which is the cheapest option coming in at 5,000. This type of burial plot is the furthest away from Wolfe Tones grave.

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Next is a premium plot that starts at 7,500 and is the third closest option to the grave. The fourth option is the gold plot that starts at 10,000, while the most expensive plot is the platinum plot that starts at 12,500 and sits the nearest to Wolfe Tone's grave.

According to the Kildare County Council website, the cost of a burial plot in a cemetery run by the council can cost between 1,100 to 2,452 depending on whether it is a single or double plot, or if it is in one of the newer cemeteries in the county.

As the existing Bodenstown graveyard now has very limited space, locals who want to be buried in the same area as their family or the place they lived, may be forced to pay extortionate prices to have that wish fulfilled.

According to the planning file, when completed, the Wolfe Tone private cemetery will comprise of 1,448 burial plots, 30 car parking spaces, overflow parking area (with gates), new vehicular entrance with gate and wing walls, erection of information notice board, and all associated site works.
A teenager (17) charged in connection to the alleged assault of a young Longford father during the early hours of Saturday morning in Mullingar has been granted bail subject to a series of strict conditions.

A teenage trainee electrician has been granted bail subject to strict conditions after appearing in court charged with leaving a young father fighting for life in hospital following an alleged assault in Mullingar at the weekend.

The 17-year-old youth, who cannot be named owing to his age, was brought before a sitting of Mullingar District Court on Thursday to face a charge of assault causing harm to his alleged victim during an incident at Grove Street, Mullingar during the early hours of Saturday morning.

Detective Garda Brendan Hogan gave evidence of having arrested the accused shortly after 7:30pm on Wednesday evening before charging him with section 3 assault less than an hour later.

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A second youth, also aged 17, arrested in connection with the incident has since been released without charge.

He said when the charge was put to him, the teenager gave no reply after caution before handing both himself and his mother a true copy of the charge sheet.

Presiding Judge Bernadette Owens was told the State were objecting to bail under both Section 2 of the 1997 Bail Act and OCallaghan Rules.

In giving his evidence, Det Garda Hogan said it will be alleged the teenager had been charged with assault causing harm out of an incident shortly after 1am on Saturday morning which resulted in his alleged victim sustaining a severe bleed on the brain and a possible skull fracture.

He said the injuries sustained by the injured party were so grave, he had since undergone surgery to have a catheter inserted in his head to relieve pressure emanating from his brain.

Det Garda Hogan said those injuries had followed an altercation involving a group of youths and the injured man, much of which was captured on CCTV.

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He said the scuffle continued out of shot for approximately eight seconds, which was when the injuries sustained by the man were allegedly inflicted.

The injured man was rushed to Mullingars Midland Regional Hospital before being transferred to Beaumont Hospital in Dublin where he remains in a critical condition.

Det Garda Hogan said a large volume of mobile phones had since been seized from witnesses and the accused after the teenager presented himself at Mullingar Garda Station on Saturday afternoon.

He said a large element of the States objection to bail rested on both the nature and strength of the prosecutions case as well as fears over the possible interference of witnesses.

Mullingar courthouse

That rationale, he added, could be linked to the States case that the accused deleted two voice messages sent to witnesses in the wake of the alleged assault.

Both of those, were relayed in court with the first being sent just before 2am in which the accused allegedly told an associate: Im after clocking a fella and he didnt wake up for over half an hour, pure para (noid).

The second, Judge Owens, was told had been sent again via the teenagers Snapchat to a different recipient, stating: Im not sure if I killed the fella or not, but even if I didnt kill him, its bad bro.

Det Garda Hogan said the juvenile admitted sending the messages in interview, but couldnt account as to why he did so.

He said the States fears over possible witness interference had been heightened by a message gardai had discovered the teenager allegedly had sent moments after giving a voluntary caution statement in which he allegedly told a friend: Make sure whatever you do or say is: I have no idea of who knocked out who, too much drink.

Under direct questioning from Ms Callan, Det Garda Hogan said the accused had been interviewed on three separate occasions, but as of yet had given no account of what happened, stating he could not recall what unfolded on the night.

In defence, Ms Callan said the States contention said the States contention to refuse bail owing to fears the accused may commit further offences was vague, adding conditions imposed by the court would more than satisfy those concerns.

She said a similar scenario pertained to that of potential witness interference, adding that while her clients actions in dispatching a message moments after walking out of Mullingar Garda Station was ill-advised, they had been done in panic.

Ms Callan said in order to curtail any further occurrence of such episodes, the court could impose a condition on the teenager to stay off social media with his mother possibly acting as independent surety to ensure those terms were adhered to.

She also revealed her client had surrendered his passport and was willing to abide by daily signing on orders if compelled to do so.

In response to that submission, Sgt Orla Keenan said the incident surrounded a very serious assault which had left a young man clinging to life in hospital.

She said the fact the teenager had sent a message so soon after giving a statement to gardai advising possible witnesses to the case what to say and what not to say was a significant and relevant factor in the prosecutions objection to bail.

No condition will satisfy the State in what is a very serious investigation, she said.

Judge Owens, in delivering her ruling said despite the State reaching the required threshold under both OCallaghan Rules and Section 2 of the Bail Act, the court was still obliged to consider imposing conditions.

As such, she said because the accused was under the age of 18, detention had to be treated as a last resort, a consideration which she said had resulted in the court agreeing to grant bail subject to strict conditions.

Among them included orders for the accused to reside at his home address, twice weekly signing on conditions, to abide by a 7pm to 6am curfew, remain intoxicant free, to have no contact with any State witnesses, to stay off all social media platforms, to use a non smart phone and refrain from using any electronic devices other than when attending his FAS electricians course.

Those conditions led the youngster, who sported a white shirt and black slacks, to break down in the custody suite.

Legal aid was also granted with the teenager being remanded on bail to a sitting of Mullingar District Court on February 6, 2025.
The Sligo Disabled Persons Organisation says a proposed greenway on the Sligo to Galway rail line was fiscally and environmentally irresponsible,

Aisling Smith, Inez Leonard and Pippa Black of the Sligo Disabled Persons Organisation (DPO) attended an in-person consultation session as part of the Sligo Greenway Consultation. Their message for the consultants is that the group has withdrawn its support for the project.

Their support was always conditional on the Greenway being constructed at a safe distance from the train line. They say, failing to devise a route that takes into account the needs of the disabled community in terms of accessibility to public transport is ableist.

During their meeting, Secretary, Pippa Black went so far as to say that the planned route was financially and environmentally irresponsible. She explained, There is no way this bike track can be called green. If it is not supported by a railway, people will be obliged to transport their bikes by car to use it. The SDG Forum in Dublin last October talked about this proposal and concluded that an amenity like this greenway should never be prioritised over a facility such as the railway.

DPO co-treasurer, Aisling Smith, explained that currently to get to Galway using public transport she is obliged to transit through Dublin taking two trains and a LUAS to get from Connolly Station to Heuston Station, a journey that takes over six hours.

There is no way this can be considered equal access to public transport, which disabled people are promised under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Speaking of the convention, DPO co-treasurer, Inez Leonard commented, As a DPO we have a particular status under the CRPD as a representative group who must be consulted in policy areas that affect disabled people. We sat there through that meeting and not a single word of what we said was written down.

Pippa Black confirmed this saying, I wrote to the consultants to ask for a copy of any notes that were made before we followed up with our written submission and my email was never answered.

Sligo DPO has followed their meeting up with a written submission which concludes, The proposed greenway, is imprudent, fiscally and environmentally irresponsible and ableist. The Sligo DPO is fully opposed to its construction on the rail line according to the latest proposal.
The headquarters of Wexford County Council was buzzing with entrepreneurial spirt recently as business from all corners of the county gathered to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Local Enterprise Office.

The well-attended and vibrant event showcased some of the best local talent and enterprise in Co Wexford as it marked a decade of growth, innovation and unwavering support for the local business community.

The celebration featured a festive market and craft fair, bringing together products from client companies, many of whom are members of the Wexford Food Producers Network, local craft producers and students participating on the Student Enterprise Programme. The Wexford Presentation Choir opened the event with a beautiful performance of carols, setting the festive tone for the day. Attendees were treated to delicious food from Gather & Gaze, a stunning cake from Florys Bakery, and cupcakes from Sweetdreams.

David and Owen Mullins Zanna Cookhouse

The atmosphere was filled with excitement as the business community of Wexford came together. Past clients of LEO and new businesses were invited to join in the celebration contributing to the events success. The County Wexford Chamber also promoted their Shop Local Gift Cards, and the RNLI Wexford was the event's chosen charity. The RNLI plays a vital role in providing life-saving rescue services along Ireland's coast, with the Wexford crew instrumental in safeguarding the local community. Attendees were encouraged to support the RNLI through donations and awareness, highlighting the organisation's critical work. Local Enterprise Office Wexford was proud to partner with such an important local charity, further strengthening the ties between businesses and the community.

Sarah Cummins from Ramsgrange Community School

Cathaoirleach of Wexford County Council, Cllr. Pip Breen opened the event and reflecting on the significance of LEO Wexfords journey, said: In recent years, the increased focus on economic development within the Council has added a new dimension to the work of LEO. By aligning economic development strategies with planning and other Council services, we have streamlined processes and delivered positive change. This integrated approach has enabled us to identify opportunities, address challenges, and create a more conducive environment for businesses to flourish.

Over the past decade, LEO Wexford has played an instrumental role in fostering entrepreneurship and supporting local businesses. The office has helped create 2,895 new jobs across various sectors, boosting the local economy. Through its programmes, including Local Enterprise Week, National Enterprise Awards, National Womens Enterprise Day, and youth-focused initiatives like Irelands Best Young Entrepreneur and the Student Enterprise Programme, LEO Wexford has empowered entrepreneurs at every stage of their journey. More than 12,540 students from across County Wexford have participated in the Student Enterprise Programme, gaining practical experience in running their own businesses.

Jack and Kevin NGuinan Wexford Sea Sal

LEO Wexford has provided critical financial support to local businesses, administering over 6.58 million in grant aid to 234 manufacturing and internationally traded service companies. Additionally, 18 businesses have been transferred to Enterprise Ireland for further export support. LEO Wexfords Trading Online Voucher Scheme has helped 990 local businesses secure 2.11 million to develop new online revenue streams, a vital shift accelerated by the pandemic.

The office has also played a crucial role in ensuring access to finance for local businesses, assisting 119 companies in securing 2.13 million in loan finance from Microfinance Ireland. Over 13,500 entrepreneurs have benefited from LEO Wexfords comprehensive training programs, helping them build the skills necessary to succeed in todays competitive business environment.

Breege Cosgrave, Head of Enterprise at LEO Wexford, said: This celebration is a moment to reflect on the incredible achievements of our local businesses and the LEO team. We look forward to the next decade and remain committed to supporting innovation, fostering growth, and providing the tools and resources our businesses need to thrive.

Dawn Doran, Regina Angulin Holos Skincare

Businesses have had to navigated challenges such as Brexit, the Ukrainian war, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and have demonstrated extraordinary resilience and adaptability. With tailored mentoring and operational efficiency supports, LEO Wexford will continue to help businesses respond to these challenges and help them to emerge even stronger.

As the anniversary celebrations come to a close, the message is clear: LEO Wexford will continue to be a pillar of support for local entrepreneurs, driving innovation and economic growth in the years ahead.
A Wicklow soldier who returned from a peacekeeping tour in Lebanon recently appeared on the Late Late Show, where he explained how he has always wanted to join the army and that finding a way out of school  which never suited him  was part of the mission.

Last month, 20-year-old Arklow man Adam Higgins and his comrades from the 124th Infantry Battalion touched down on Irish soil after completing their six-month rotation as part of the United Nations Interim Force Lebanon (Unifil).

Stationed in southern Lebanon during one of the most volatile times in the history of the region, which has seen sustained fighting between Israeli and Hezbollah forces, former Glenart College student Adam served his deployment capably as a Private Rifleman.

There were cheers and tears as Adam filtered into the arrivals hall at Dublin Airport, with proud grandfather Frankie, mum Charlotte and family members giving him a raucous reception, before the overjoyed family returned to their Arklow homestead, where neighbours and newly elected TD Brian Brennan greeted Adam with admiration.

Not long after, RTE reached out to the Defence Forces for interviewees ahead of Fridays Late Late Show, with Adam asked to appear alongside Commandant Jane ONeill, who began the segment by telling presenter Patrick Kielty how the IDF incursion had made it a challenging mission in a dangerous operating environment.

Flanked by his mother and grandfather, Adam, who realised a lifelong dream by signing up for the army last year, was asked why, as the youngest serving Defence Forces member on the deployment, he chose a career in the army.

Army was always my first choice, ever since I was a young lad, Adam replied.

I was very hands-on, especially when it came to school. I always said it, from day one, school was never for me, and trying to find my way out of it was part of the mission!

I knew if I could find a job that would get me out working, running or doing any type of hands-on stuff, Id go for that, and Ive always had a big interest in the army.

After a photo of Adam at an early age in army fatigues flashed on the screen, he explained how his deployment as a Private Rifleman in Lebanon required him to carry out regular duties around the camp, go out in the AO (Area of Operations) on patrols, and whatever other jobs came into play, adding, Id always volunteer and do whatever had to be done.

When asked if he would recommend that anyone take up a peacekeeping role, given the dangers of conflicts across the globe, Adam said: Oh Jesus, I would. I think everyone should at least do the training for the six months, as it really puts into perspective what you want to do with your life.

Even if you choose not to stay in a career in the Defence Forces, there are a load of opportunities to go into other lines of work with what the training has to offer.

Beaming with pride, grandfather Frankie told audience members how he remembered Adam dressed up in an army uniform at eight years of age, before saying: Its hard to believe how proud I am. Its great to see him home.

Relieved at having her baby boy back, Charlotte recalled how Adam informed her he had signed up for his first tour of duty and that she didnt think it would come for a few years, then he got selected.

I was not happy at the start, but I had to trust that he was well-trained and had a lot of experienced comrades with him, she said.

Speaking after the show, Charlotte expanded on Adams childhood fascination with the army, which started with dressing up for Halloween and progressed to trips to airsoft with friends at the weekend, while also reflecting on his emotional return last month.

Its something that Adam always wanted to do, and as a child, he always wanted to be a soldier  right from the time he started dressing up for Halloween as a four-year-old, it was always a soldier, Charlotte said.

He had the plastic soldiers, and birthdays were always spent driving up to airsoft in Roundwood. Funnily enough, two of the friends he would go to airsoft with have also since joined the army. Im raging I dont have a picture of all three of them together!

We got invited to family day in the Curragh when he was nine, and he turned around and said it was what he wanted to do, and that he was going to work there when hes older, and here we are!

Adam went to Glenart College, who was so supportive throughout, but would try to get across that, if it didnt work out, he should have other options. He didnt want to do anything else, though.

This is what he wanted. Its his passion. So, he joined up and trained very hard, running around the Wicklow mountains late at night.

As Adam always says, the army provides great opportunities if you want to go back to college, and its great to have on your CV. Ironically, I think he would be great going into schools to let students know about other career choices.

He joined the army in May 2023, and once he had completed his training and was stationed in the Curragh, he put himself up for a peacekeeping tour and was selected, she continued.

It was tough having him away for six months, and he was only 19 when he left in May. I suppose you only realise how much you missed someone and how much you held the emotion in when they get back.

Everyone was crying when the soldiers filtered in at Dublin Airport, and our neighbours were there to welcome him home, and Brian Brennan dropped by, and they were saying how much they appreciate him and how great it was to have him home.

We are bursting with pride, especially as its something he has always wanted to do, and hes already talking about going back again, sooner rather than later!

Its fantastic to have him back and being together this Christmas is the best gift of all.

Praising the Arklow hero, Wicklow Wexford TD, Brian Brennan, said that it was wonderful to see Adam on the show and see how well he spoke, calling it a fabulous occasion for his very proud mother Charlotte and his grandfather Frankie.

I was present in Knockmore for Adams homecoming in November which was an emotional and uplifting occasion and I know just how much Adams service means to his family and his community, Brennan said.

A former student of Glenart College, graduating as part of the class of 2023, Adam held a leadership role in the school when he was chosen as a mentee in the 2022/23 SSE Renewables Business in the Community initiative with a selection of his classmates.

The people of Arklow are hugely proud of Adam. He is a wonderful example to all young people and his bravery and dedicated service too his country should be commended.

I wish Adam all the best in his future career in the Irish Army and I know that he will continue to do Arklow proud.

A spokesperson for Glenart College added: In our school, we pride ourselves in offering the broadest curriculum possible because we respect that every students individual path to achievement is unique and to be respected. Adams recent journey is living proof of this.

We wish Adam the very best in his future with the Irish Army.
Time to tog out for that icy Christmas dip!

The Daly, O'Carroll and Curham families at the 2023 Christmas Day swim in Greystones. Photo: Leigh Anderson

David, Mary, Eamon (Junior), Clive and Darragh Burke with Mary Wood-Burke at the 2023 St Stephen's Day swim in Arklow. Photo: Michael Kelly

Christmas dipping in the freezing Irish sea is an annual tradition for hundreds of Wicklow folk, so weve put together a quick guide to where and when to get your festive swim in.

Weve also shared some tips to on how to best enjoy the water as temperatures dip and spirits rise.

Get to Greystones on Christmas Day

The Cove and South Beach in Greystones will be awash with hordes of dipping enthusiasts from Christmas Day through to New Years Day.

But the best day to tog out is Christmas Day, with many swimmers and spectators popping along for 12 noon.

There is no formal swim or charity event, but there is always plenty of festive cheer, camaraderie and company as people dig into their post-swim picnics.

Bring along some change in case there are collection buckets for local causes, as well as your own flasks of hot drinks and maybe some mince pies or turkey sandwiches!

One of County Wicklows swimming gems, The Cove was chosen by Failte Ireland for its list of 10 Perfect Swimming Spots Across the Country for a festive swim last year.

A firm favourite among many Wicklow residents is, The Cove is not so much hidden anymore but still a gem and at many times still a peaceful spot to embrace the cold waters of the Irish sea and connect your mind, body, and spirit.

Following your dip, you can pay a visit to Fad Saoil Saunas, which boasts authentic wood-burning Finnish Sauna facilities. Fad Saoil will be open over Christmas on Monday, December 23 (7am to 8.30pm), Christmas Eve (7am to 5pm), Christmas Day (8 am to 2 pm) and St Stephen's Day (8 am to 2 pm)

Support St Vincent's or Wicklow RNLI on St Stephens Day

Pop on down to South Beach in Arklow or Wicklow Harbour on St Stephens Day and show your support for a truly worthy cause as both swims raise funds Wicklow RNLI and the St Vincents Foundation.

Large crowds of festive swimmers will make their way down to South Beach in Arklow at 12 pm on St Stephens Day to show their support for the St Vincents Foundation at the Eamon Burke Memorial Charity Swim.

Swimmers will brave the icy waters for what is the 14th annual charity swim, held this year in memory of devoted Arklow fundraiser and beloved local character Eamon Burke, who passed away in April 2023.

With the help of his loving wife Mary and family, Eamons hugely popular charity swim has helped raise tens of thousands for the St Vincents Foundation  a cause very close to their hearts.

The Arklow RNLI crew will be on hand to keep everyone safe on the day, organising everybody to go into the water in smaller groups, with volunteers from the lifeboat in the water making sure nobody goes too far from the shore.

Funds raised from the swim will be presented by Mary and family to the St Vincents Foundation in the New Year.

The traditional St Stephens Day swim in Wicklow town is now in its 39th year.

Swimmers will meet at 12 noon at Wicklow Harbour, with many dressed up for the occasion in special festive attire.

The swim is organised by Wicklow Swimming Club and first started in 1985 when it took place on Christmas Day. It was then changed the following year to St. Stephens day and has taken place every year since.

All the money raised this year will go to Wicklow RNLI.

This is our annual charity fundraising event and WSC invites all of the Wicklow community to get involved, its always a great event, a Wicklow Swimming Club spokesperson said.

We look forward to seeing all our members, family and friends!

Bray is the beach to be on New Years Day

Bray Lions Club annual charity sea swim, to be held on New Years Day 2025, will support local charities WH Five Loaves, Bray Women's Refuge, Newcourt School, Marino Special School and Bray Lions Club's Christmas Dinners.

The swim has been part of the New Year tradition in Bray since 1984 when it was established with the dual purposes of having some fun and raising funds for local charities.

Even if you are not swimming you can always pop along and marvel at the hardiness of those taking the plunge, and there will be buckets (not spades) to throw some cash into on the day.

Bray Lions request that all swimmers arrive at the Martello Hotel, where changing rooms are provided, no later than 11.30 am. They would like all swimmers to leave the dressing rooms and meet in front of the hotel at 11.55 am, with all swimmers going across to the sea together at 12 pm sharp.

There will be will be prizes presented after the swim for those in fancy dress, with swimmers invited back to the Martello Hotel for a light snack.

A team of Bray Lions will provide stewarding, communications and safety services and Lions will also take up a bucket collection on the seafront.

As the beach is covered in small stones and sometimes broken glass etc, it is advisable to wear light footwear into the water for your comfort and safety. Bathing caps are also advisable.

For your own safety, you should not eat a heavy meal or drink alcohol on the morning of the swim. Anybody suffering any illness should not participate. If the sea is rough and you are not happy about going in, don't. Your pledges can be transferred to another swimmer.

Dont forget to check weather and tides!

Heading for an icy dip at Christmas is a giggle-inducing festive favourite, but it is an extreme activity so its best to make a plan before you go to ensure you enjoy the water safely.

With sea temperatures ranging from 6C to 10C across County Wicklow, and air temperatures dipping below freezing, hypothermia and cold water shock are real risks for any festive dipper.

To make sure your Christmas swim is joyous, the RNLI has issued some handy tips to always keep in mind when you are planning your dip.

They have issued the following safety advice:

Be prepared. Check the weather and tides, choose your spot, go with a buddy, have the right equipment.

If in doubt, dont go out. No matter how much preparation you do, or how experienced you are, if a swim doesnt feel right there is no shame in getting out of the water straight away, or not entering.

Make sure you acclimatise to avoid cold water shock.

Be seen. Wear a bright coloured swim hat and take a tow float.

Stay within your depths, remember float to live.

Call 999 and ask for the coastguard in an emergency.

The first step is to check the weather and tides for the swim spot you want to dip at, paying particular attention to wind, wind chill and air temperature. Its good to remember that the tide in Wicklow is at its strongest three hours after high tide or low tide.

Always bring someone with you, even if they are only going to watch from shore, and if in any doubt, dont get in. When you do brave the sea, do so slowly to acclimatise, which helps avoid cold water shock.

Stay within your depths while you are swim and remember the mantra float to live if you feel something is wrong.

When you get out, prioritise drying and dressing over chats and snacks, and make sure you bring clothes that are easy to pull on, including one or two extra layers, a woolly hat and pair of gloves.

A top tip is to make sure you have something to keep your feet off the freezing ground, a towel will do, and some flip flops for the walks to and from the shore.

Once dressed, warm up with a hot drink of tea, coffee or hot chocolate and a well-earned tasty treat.

If you see anyone in difficulty in the water call 999 and ask for the coastguard.
A Wicklow solicitor and former developer has received a suspended sentence and a 20,000 fine for attempted deception, arising out of the non-payment of the financial contribution owed to the local authority on an apartment complex he developed.

Patrick O'Toole (63) of The Old Rectory, Wicklow town, had pleaded not guilty to a total of six counts at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Following a trial, a jury found him not guilty of a single count of corruption, but guilty of three counts of deception and two counts of attempted deception.

On the corruption count, it was alleged that on an unknown date in the summer of 2006, he procured or counselled the then Wicklow Town Clerk to furnish a letter incorrectly stating that he had paid the 64,840 in financial contributions the accused owed to Wicklow Town Council for the development of an apartment complex in the town.

The former clerk, Frank OToole, was previously given a suspended sentence and fined 10,000 for corruption after being convicted of furnishing the letter, which read: I wish to confirm that the financial contribution in respect of this development has been paid.

The sentencing judge in that case noted that there was no evidence that Frank OToole had benefitted from the offence.

The two men are not related, and Frank OToole, who is now in his 70s, was a State witness in the recent trial against Patrick OToole.

The three counts of deception against Patrick OToole alleged that he had used the false letter to dishonestly induce solicitors acting for purchasers of a number of the apartments to complete the purchases. These related to dates in 2006, 2007 and 2008.

Wicklow town solicitor Patrick O'Toole.

Today's News in 90 Seconds - December 20th

There were two counts of attempted deception, one in 2008 and one in 2012 in which it was alleged that he attempted to dissuade Wicklow Town Council from seeking the money by sending the same false letter.

He also suggested that the council contact Frank OToole himself about the matter. The council did, and that led to the garda investigation.

Frank OToole told the solicitors trial that he did not want to supply the letter for the defendant, but did so as he believed that the money would be paid after the sale of the apartments.

I knew he was a solicitor, a man of honour, a man I trusted. I couldnt entertain the idea that he wouldnt honour a commitment to pay, testified the now retired Frank OToole. We had a financial impasse here. If I could give him a letter, hell get his conveyancing done, the council would get their money and the people would get their houses.

Patrick OToole maintained his innocence when interviewed by gardai, and said that he had not understood it to be a false letter. A number of solicitors from the local area also gave evidence of his good character.

At sentencing on Thursday, Detective Sergeant Donal OSullivan gave evidence that Patrick OToole had since paid the full amount to the local authority. This was an overpayment, because the amount had been reduced by 10,000 when two of the apartments were sold to the local authority for social housing.

Michael OHiggins SC, defending, told the court that the evidence had been that his client had sought a letter of comfort.

That is a lawful demand, he said. This is most likely the reason why the acquittal occurred.

If Frank OToole had made this clear to the council in 2013 when asked, it would not be unreasonable to ask whether we would ever be here at all, he added.

He said that his client was aware that sales could be closed on an undertaking that the financial contributions would be paid, and that this had been done for 20 years.

However, he said that the two attempted deceptions of the council were more serious.

It could never have been more than a delaying tactic, he said, referring to the fact that his client had actually sent the council to Frank OToole.

Counsel noted that the investigation had started in 2013 and had taken over 10 years to come to hearing.

It has taken a huge toll on him, he said, describing the stress factor he had lived with as a heavy penalty.

He has had this hanging over him for a quarter of his working life, he added.

He noted that Frank OToole, who was convicted of a more serious offence, had received a suspended sentence.

My client has paid a huge price, he continued. His lifetimes work is marred. His standing is damaged. It seems very likely that his right to earn a livelihood will be taken away from him and an early retirement beckons.

He said that there was no financial loss to the council, just a delay in payment, which was offset by the overpayment of 10,000.

This is a case in which the court would be justified in imposing a non-custodial sentence and perhaps a fine, he suggested.

He explained that his client was now financially stable, having been in NAMA for many years.

Judge Martin Nolan stated that to say this was an odd case would be an understatement.

Noting that Patrick OToole had no previous convictions, he said that he considered it very unlikely he would reoffend.

He has led a good life up to now, has contributed to his community, and many people think very well of him, he said. I think it would be unfair to impose a custodial sentence.

He imposed a sentence of 18 months on the 2012 attempted deception, but suspended it on condition he be of good behaviour. He fined him 20,000 on the 2008 attempted deception, giving him six months to pay, and took the other three counts into consideration.
Matthew Lewis is known for playing Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter film series (Anthony Devlin/PA)

Harry Potter actor Matthew Lewis is to star in a TV adaptation of crime book Murder Before Evensong.

The British TV and film star, 35, will play Canon Daniel Clement, Rector of Champton, in the series based on the debut murder mystery novel by Rev Richard Coles, who was formerly in pop duo The Communards.

A post to Channel 5s social media pages on Thursday read: Matthew Lewis is set to star in the brand-new murder mystery drama series, Murder Before Evensong, based on the debut novel by Reverend Richard Coles (@revrichardcoles ).

Matthew (@mattdavelewis ) will play Canon Daniel Clement, who lives in Champton rectory with his opinionated mother, Audrey.

When Daniel announces a plan to install a lavatory in the church, the parish is suddenly (and unexpectedly) divided.

As lines are drawn and long-buried secrets threaten the villages apparent calm, events take a deadly turn.

Author Coles, 62, wrote on X: All hail Matthew Lewis!

He stir-fried the Dark Lords snake in the Deathly Hallows He was collared by Catherine in Happy Valley

AND HES PLAYING CANON DANIEL CLEMENT IN THE TELLY ADAPTATION OF MURDER BEFORE EVENSONG, coming soon to @channel5_tv thanks to @AcornTV.

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Lewis played Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter film series, based on the books by JK Rowling.

He has also starred in BBC series Avoidance, Channel 5s All Creatures Great And Small, sitcom Bluestone 42, and BBC drama The Syndicate.

The book, Murder Before Evensong, was written by broadcaster and writer Coles, who recently placed third in ITV reality competition series Im A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!.

After releasing his first crime caper in 2022, he wrote A Death In The Parish and Murder In The Monastery.

He wrote about the loss of his husband David, a former vicar who died from alcohol addiction, in his bestselling memoir, The Madness Of Grief (2021).
A 26-year-old man accused of murdering three members of a BBC commentators family has been further charged with raping his daughter.

Kyle Clifford is accused of stabbing Carol Hunt, 61, the wife of John Hunt, to death and fatally shooting Louise, 25, and Hannah Hunt, 28, with a crossbow at their family home in Bushey, Hertfordshire, on July 9.

Cambridge Crown Court heard the defendant is also accused of raping Louise on the same day after the charge was added to the indictment against him on Thursday.

Clifford, of Enfield, north London, is further accused of one charge of false imprisonment and two counts of possession of offensive weapons  namely a crossbow and a 10-inch butchers knife.

The defendant, who appeared via videolink from HMP Belmarsh, entered his not guilty pleas to all charges except the new count of rape, for which he is not yet required to enter a plea.

A previous court hearing heard Louise had been found tied up when officers attended the property.

Louise and Hannah Hunt had been shot with a crossbow and their mother Carol had been stabbed with a knife and suffered multiple injuries, the court was told.

The scene of the deaths in Ashlyn Close, Bushey, Hertfordshire (Jonathan Brady/PA)

The false imprisonment charge alleges Clifford assaulted and unlawfully and injuriously imprisoned Louise Hunt and detained her against her will.

Mr Hunt and his third daughter Amy previously issued a statement following the incident, which said: The devastation we are experiencing cannot be put into words.

Clifford is due to face trial at the same court on March 3.
The cancer treatment of Britains King Charles is expected to continue into 2025 almost a year after it was discovered while he was treated in hospital for an enlarged prostate.
I never regretted my decision to go public, says Gisele Pelicot as Monster of Avignon is jailed for 20 years

Husband Dominique Pelicot among 51 men found guilty of rape and sexual assault

A sketch of Dominique Pelicot in court in Avignon. Image: Reuters

Alex Croft UK Independent Fri 20 Dec 2024 at 03:30







Gisele Pelicot, the 72-year-old victim of mass rape whose ordeal has shocked the world, has thanked supporters after 51 men were sentenced for the rapes and sexual assaults.
Vladimir Putin says he is ready for compromise to end war in Ukraine

Russian president has no conditions ahead of possible talks with Donald Trump

Russian president Vladimir Putin at his annual end-of-year question-and-answer session in Moscow. Photo: Reuters

Vladimir Soldatkin and Andrew Osborn Fri 20 Dec 2024 at 03:30







Russian president Vladimir Putin said yesterday he was ready 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.
Police secure access to the elementary school where a seven-year-old girl died and a teacher and five other students were wounded in a knife attack in Zagreb, Croatia (Ronald Gorsic/AP)

A seven-year-old girl has died and a teacher and three other students were wounded in a knife attack at a school in Croatias capital, police said.

They said the attack happened at 9.50am at the Precko Elementary School in the neighbourhood of the same name in Zagreb on Friday.
On the one-year anniversary of October 7, the world stopped to mourn the Israelis who were murdered by Hamas. Now pause to remember the victims of the Gaza genocide

I have a modest proposal. Instead of having to wake up every single day to find that another hundred or so people in Gaza have been killed by targeted Israeli airstrikes, that yet more children have been buried alive under rubble, lets get this whole thing over with at once, shall we? Lets get a big plank and march every person in Gaza into the sea. Or we could do as the US Congressman Tim Walberg suggested last year, and drop a nuclear bomb on Gaza to get it over quick.
Even before Naga Chaitanya married Sobhita Dhulipala on December 4, their relationship had already attracted considerable criticism, with many fans rallying behind his ex-wife, actress Samantha, whom he had married in 2017. Sobhita, in particular, became the target of much online vitriol, with people either sympathising with Samantha or expressing anger towards Chay. Now, after the American daily New York Times featured Naga Chaitanya and Sobhita's story, and Sobhita shared it, the backlash intensified, giving people a new reason to direct their hate towards the couple.

Sobhita Dhulipala recently shared an article from The New York Times on her Instagram, which covered her and her husband Naga Chaitanya's love story.

The headline read, "For Two Indian Movie Stars, a Love Language Expressed in Telugu," accompanied by a photo from their wedding.

The piece highlighted how the couple bonded over their South Indian roots and shared language.

Sobhita captioned the post, "Sushi, techno, one ancient language and many thousand miles. Thank you @nytimes for covering our story so charmingly."

However, the comment section quickly turned harsh, with many clearly unhappy about the couple's happiness.

One commenter wrote, "OMG, a whole page it took to describe how he cheated."

For those not familiar, rumours about Naga Chaitanya and Sobhita's relationship began circulating after his separation from Samantha Ruth Prabhu in 2021.

Another said, "Nice covering!! Oct 2021 was separation news, they spoke after a year in April 2022 it seems! What a joke."

Yet another user remarked, "That's because of Samantha! Your marriage is famous just because your husband is the ex-husband of Samantha!"

A Reddit post even called the article a PR attempt by Sobhita and Naga Chaitanya, claiming it was an effort to "whitewash" their image and justify Chay's alleged actions.

The Naga Chaitanya-Sobhita Dhulipala wedding

Sobhita Dhulipala and Naga Chaitanya tied the knot in a traditional ceremony at Annapurna Studios in Hyderabad on December 4.

The Made in Heaven actress and the Telugu actor were both dressed in traditional wedding attire. Sobhita wore a beautiful Kanjivaram silk saree with intricate gold zari, while Naga Chaitanya donned a traditional Pancha, a dhoti style from Andhra Pradesh.

Watching Sobhita and Chay begin this beautiful chapter together has been a special and emotional moment for me.  Congratulations to my beloved Chay, and welcome to the family dear Sobhitayouve already brought so much happiness into our lives. 



This celebration holds pic.twitter.com/oBy83Q9qNm  Nagarjuna Akkineni (@iamnagarjuna) December 4, 2024

However, even their wedding poses had sparked a wave of criticism from the public.

Many pointed out the striking resemblance to the poses Naga Chaitanya had in his previous wedding with ex-wife Samantha Ruth Prabhu, including similar ceremonial gestures and emotional moments shared with his father, Nagarjuna.

For more news and updates from the world of OTT, and celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment.
Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor may have moved on from their past relationship, each now happily married with children, but the fascination surrounding the beloved Jab We Met duo still lingers among fans. The two, who were once very open about their romanceappearing on shows like 'Koffee with Karan'have since kept their distance publicly. However, much to the delight of their fans, fate brought them together once again. On Thursday evening, Shahid and Kareena were spotted at the Dhirubhai Ambani International School in Mumbai, attending their kids' annual function.

Check out the pictures of the two together here:

Shahid Kapoor was among the first celebs to arrive at the Dhirubhai Ambani International School, accompanied by his wife, Mira Rajput.

Shortly after, Kareena Kapoor arrived with Saif Ali Khan and her sister, Karisma Kapoor, greeting the paparazzi with a wave before heading inside.

Interestingly, Shahid and Kareena were spotted seated near each other during the event, with Shahid positioned just a row behind Kareena.

This unexpected seating arrangement sparked a frenzy online, with fans flooding social media with witty comments.

One user praised Nita Ambani, the Founder and Chairperson of Dhirubhai Ambani International School, saying, "Wah kya seating arrangement ki hai Nita ji ne."

The annual school function at Dhirubhai Ambani International School is a glamorous event that sees Bollywoods biggest stars attending to cheer for their kids.

This year's star attendees included Shah Rukh Khan with Gauri and Suhana Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan, Karan Johar, as well as Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh.

Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor's relationship: A timeline

Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor shared the screen in several Bollywood films, most notably Fida (2004), 36 China Town (2006), Chup Chup Ke (2006), and the highly acclaimed Jab We Met (2007), which became a classic romantic movie.

Their on-screen chemistry was loved by fans, especially in Jab We Met, which remains one of the most iconic films in Bollywood.

Off-screen, Shahid and Kareena were in a relationship for several years, reportedly starting in 2004, and they were quite open about their bond, often making public appearances and even featuring together on talk shows like Koffee with Karan.

However, they parted ways towards the end of, ironically, Jab We Met's film shoot.

shahid kapoor and kareena kapoor in jab we met (2007) pic.twitter.com/jpyy9akmcA   (@theIunchbox) March 29, 2021

In an interview with ET in May this year, the film's director Imtiaz Ali shared, "There were two days after their so-called break-up that we had to shoot. They were absolutely professional. No blemish, nothing at all, whatever is happening in their personal lives."

Both actors have since moved on, with Shahid marrying Mira Rajput in 2015 and Kareena tying the knot with Saif Ali Khan in 2012.

For more news and updates from the world of OTT, and celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment.
Title: Yo Yo Honey Singh: Famous

Director: Mozez Singh

Release Date: December 20, 2024

OTT Platform: Netflix

Runtime: 1 hour 20 minutes

Having grown up outside the Punjabi belt, my first encounter with the infectious beats of Bhangra came in 2011, thanks to none other than Yo Yo Honey Singh. International Villager swept through speakers worldwide, with tracks like Angreji Beat, Brown Rang, and Dope Shope making him a household name. Back then, it felt as though Honey Singh had always been a part of our livesa prodigy blending dhol beats with urban swagger.

So, when Netflix dropped Yo Yo Honey Singh: Famous, I was ready to relive the magic. The opening notes of Haaye Mera Dil struck, and I was instantly transported back to my starstruck teenage years. Yet, barely 20 minutes into the documentary, nostalgia began to give way to disappointment. What could have been a deep dive into the life and mind of an icon felt more like a scrapbook of memories wed already seen a hundred times.

What Works, What Fails

Strengths: A Visual Treat

Director Mozez Singh (Zubaan, Human, White Noise), aided by editor Deepa Bhatia, crafts a visually polished narrative. The seamless integration of concert footage, candid behind-the-scenes moments, and re-enactments lend the film a cinematic quality. The immersion feels deliberate, even when the storytelling falls short. One standout sequence takes viewers to Singhs humble beginnings in Karam Pura, West Delhi, where family and friends paint an intimate portrait of the young artist before the fame.

The visuals hit their peak during moments of raw emotion: Singhs bipolar disorder diagnosis, his struggle with weight gain and medications, and his eventual comeback. For fans, these glimpses into his personal life, though brief, hold an undeniable allure.

Weaknesses: A Recycled Narrative

Unfortunately, the documentary treads overly familiar ground. Most of the runtime is dedicated to rehashing stories already etched in the public consciousness. Yes, we know about the seven-year hiatus due to bipolar disorder. Yes, weve heard of his unapologetic love for crafting controversial lyrics and his defence of Mafia Mundeer.

But where is the investigative rigour? Where are the revelations? The documentary skirts around the edges of Singhs controversies without offering fresh perspectives or depth. The much-anticipated segments on his divorce and domestic violence allegations leave more questions than answers. It feels like the filmmakers were more interested in protecting his image than exploring the complexities of his life.

Instagram

Lost Opportunities

For a brief moment, Famous does find its stride. A music journalists commentary provides a thread of coherence, decoding Singhs rise and the phenomenon he created in Punjabi and Bollywood music. Singhs candid momentsdiscussing his infamous tracks Main Hoon Bal****ri and Volume 1, or addressing rumours like the alleged Shah Rukh Khan slap incidentwill keep your ears out.

The emotional climax, where Singh reflects on his family, his struggles with fame, and his aspirations for fatherhood, is deeply moving. But just as these sequences begin to connect with audiences, the curtains drop. The ending feels abrupt as if the documentary ran out of footage or ambition.

As someone who once considered Yo Yo Honey Singh a musical superhero, its disheartening to admit that Famous feels like a missed opportunity. The documentary had the potential to be a raw, unfiltered exploration of a man who revolutionised Punjabi music while battling his demons. Instead, it settles for nostalgia and surface-level storytelling.

Instagram

Underlying the narrative is a commentary on fames toll on mental health and the shifting dynamics of public perception in the digital age. But these themes are only brushed upon, leaving the audience yearning for more substance.

Should You Watch It?

For die-hard fans of Yo Yo Honey Singh and the early 2010s music revolution he led, Famous is still worth a watch. The archival footage, paired with Singhs occasional vulnerability, will tug at your heartstrings. Its a reminder of a man who didnt just make music but redefined it for an entire generation. But if youre looking for a documentary that dives deeper, youll leave disappointed.

The Honey Singh I idolised was a pioneer, a rebel who made us groove and gasp in equal measure. Yo Yo Honey Singh: Famous reminds us of his highs but fails to explore the lows with the depth they deserve. Its a glossy homage that, much like Singhs music, will get you movingbut leaves you craving more meaning behind the melody.

For more news and updates from the world of OTT, and celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment.
Upendras UI, one of the biggest Kannada films of the year, hit the screens on December 20 much to the delight of fans. The film is billed as a psychological thriller and features a layered storyline. It has garnered a fair deal of attention with its compelling trailer and striking posters. So did UI live up to the hype? Here are what netizens have to say about the ambitious film.

UI Twitter Review

Upendra, one of Kannada cinemas biggest names, is in the limelight because of his latest release UI. The dystopian film hit the screens today after facing several delays. The film has, not surprisingly, taken the internet by storm. Netizens took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to express their views about Upendras dream project.

#UI #UITheMovie Yenilla



A typical Uppi mark movie

Written & Directed by Upendra

Gud start but later on

New attempt,flat screenplay, clueless



Watched only for #Upendra brilliance



Technically

Finally, If you are a fool watch the entire movie#UIReview #UITheMovieReview pic.twitter.com/6klxSUMAPw  Sreenivas Kalyan (@Sreenivas0428) December 20, 2024

#UiTheMovie BL to Ab Avg (Content) UI the movie U didn't get focus, I got focus.... 2.4/5 This movie is very difficult to https://t.co/eOoty2DW0V This movie is amazing, if you understand it. pic.twitter.com/MbKKopO7r8  N.Ashok Gowda (@07Ashok_gowda) December 20, 2024

First Half 



Interval scene 



Remindes Vintage UPPI Movie



UI The Movie in Theatres Today #UiTheMovie  T R  (@raavan888) December 20, 2024

#UiTheMovie watched Ui movie its was un imaginable and i cant tell how exactly is the movie this has bo words to say  nxt lvl direction even i dont understand mind going movie  #upendra sir super as uasual climax i wont able to understand will watch again  RCB moyemoye (@RMoyemoye99332) December 20, 2024

 #UiTheMovieReview: Not A Regular Movie, Appreciate #Upendra First

- Some Subconscious War

- Music is Good, Interval is Good,

Climax is different

- Upendra Performance Highlight of the film

- But extreme level Screenplay Confuse Sometimes #Ui #UiTheMovie #ViduthalaiPart2 pic.twitter.com/fLDldSmAKT  MJ Cartels (@Mjcartels) December 20, 2024

UI is Upendras first release after Kabzaa, which hit the screens in 2023 and ended up being a massive flop.

About UI

UI is a psychological thriller that revolves around the clash between a king and an extraordinary man, who tricks people to become a dictator. It is written and directed by Upendra, who also plays the lead role in it. The cast includes Murali Sharma, Reshma Nanaiah of Ek Love Ya fame, Jisshu, and veteran comedy actor Sadhu Kokila. B. Ajaneesh Loknath, best known for his work on Kantara, is its music composer. The flick has reportedly been made on a budget of Rs 100 crore.

UI hit the screens on December 20 and is currently playing in theatres.

For more news and updates from the world of OTT, and celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment.
Language is a highly sensitive matter, especially in states that were formed on a linguistic basis. In recent years, Karnataka has ignited more language debates than any other Indian state.

Language debate in Karnataka

Karnataka, where the state's official language is Kannada, has been at the forefront of protests against what many claim is Hindi imposition by non-Kannadigas who come to work in cities like Bengaluru.

CREDIT: BCCL

For a very long time, pro-Kannada groups and politicians in Karnataka have alleged that outsiders coming to the state, especially from North India, do not make an effort to learn the local language, but want locals to speak to them in Hindi.

Cars24 CEO sparks controversy

Such incidents have resulted in several ugly confrontations between the two sides. As the debate over Kannada and Hindi continues, Vikram Chopra, the CEO of Delhi-based Cars24, has sparked controversy by asking people to come back to Delhi if they can't speak Kannada.

CREDIT: INSTAGRAM/ VIKRAM CHOPRA

In a social media post inviting applications for engineering roles in Cars24, Chopra said, "Still cant speak Kannada after years in Bengaluru? Its okay. Aa jao Dilli (come to Delhi)."

According to Chopra, his company is looking to hire kickass engineers who wish to stay close to home.

"We are not saying Delhi NCR is better. Only that it really is," Chopra claimed.

We are not saying Delhi NCR is better. Only that it really is.



If you wish to come back, write to me at vikram@cars24.com with the subject - Delhi meri jaan  pic.twitter.com/lgQpXMiaKt  Vikram Chopra (@vikramchopra) December 19, 2024

How social media reacted

The post soon went viral, and many disagreed with Chopra.

An X user asked: "'We are looking for people who wish to stay close to home.' This is probably not the message you'd wanna post in a hiring call. So basically you want North Indians/Delhiites in your team? Rest of the folks?"

"Prove 1 aspect in which Delhi NCR is better than Bengaluru and I will work for you for free for 1 year," said another user.

Many also pointed out the toxic air quality levels in Delhi, making it a less ideal place to live.

Some also argued that Chopra waded into the language debate to make his post go viral.

For more news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.
The tragic death of Atul Subhash, a Bengaluru techie who died of suicide last week, allegedly due to harassment for maintenance and compensation by his estranged wife, has struck a chord with many. The ordeal the 34-year-old narrated in his suicide note and video also resonated with several men who have, or are going through, similar circumstances.

CREDIT: PEXALS

Man opens up about his divorce struggles

Since then, many have taken to social media to narrate their stories, while highlighting how laws have been weaponised when it comes to maintenance and compensation after divorce.

Alok Mittal, a Bengaluru-based UX designer, is one of them. In a series of posts on LinkedIn, Mittal narrated how his life has turned on its head after he got married.

CREDIT: UNSPLASH

According to Mittal, he got married to Mansi Aggarwal, who works as an analyst at CollegeDunia, in May 2023. However, soon after his marriage, Mittal became jobless as the company he worked for shut down. To make matters worse, his wife became pregnant, and she 'forced' Mittal to find a job. Though Mittal secured a job in Bengaluru, his wife refused to relocate with him and started living with her parents.

Wife earns Rs 80,000 a month

According to Mittal, even after their son was born, his wife refused to join him and instead demanded that he should return to Delhi.

"When she realised her manipulations were failing, she filed a false domestic violence case against me," he alleged.

According to Mittal, his marriage had only lasted six months, and now his wife is demanding a monthly maintenance of 1.5 lakhs and a lifetime compensation of 1 crore, even though she is earning 80,000 per month.

Also read: Amid uproar over Bengaluru techie's suicide, SC issues guidelines on alimony, says it should not penalise husband

'Using laws to silence me'

Mittal further claimed that he is still deeply in debt due to the wedding expenses, which included his wife's demands for a honeymoon in Europe, a bigger banquet hall, and a designer lehenga.

"Under current laws, I cannot file any case against my wife, which leaves her free to weaponize the system against me. She expects me to stay quiet and endure the false cases she has filedfrom Bengaluru to Delhiwhere she stands to gain lifetime maintenance and a hefty alimony," he alleged.

For more news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.
Poor-quality cabs and rude drivers have sadly become all too common these days. In a recent incident, a Mumbai-based tech professional shared a shocking account of her experience with a Rapido cab driver, highlighting the unacceptable language and behaviour she endured.

The Mumbai-based techie recently recounted a harrowing experience with a Rapido driver, alleging abuse and threats after the driver tried to overcharge her and insisted she cancel the ride when she refused.

Ohshin Bhat shared screenshots of the driver's shocking messages on the social media platform X.

i booked rapido economy and got a premium car(the driver has put economy type from his end to get more rides)



he asked me to pay extra as his car is premium, i denied and told him to cancel so hit me with the classic: pic.twitter.com/RUE0KK09jR  ohshin (@ohshinbhat) December 19, 2024

According to Ohshin, she had booked a ride via Rapido's Economy category but was assigned a Premium vehicle instead.

Economy rides are typically more affordable, using hatchbacks, whereas Premium rides involve sedans.

The driver, who had listed his sedan in the Economy category - probably to get more rides - demanded additional payment.

When Ohshin declined to pay extra, the situation escalated.

The driver reportedly sent her abusive messages, saying, "Cancel kar do varna pel dunga khade khade." (Cancel the ride or I will beat you up).

He also hurled further insults, calling her a "Bhikhari ki aulad." (Child of a beggar).

To add to the disrespect, the driver taunted her, saying, "Saste me chahiye paidal ja." (If you want it cheap, walk).

Rapido was quick to respond with a generic message: "To help us address this matter swiftly and ensure appropriate action is taken, we kindly request you to share your registered mobile number or ride ID via DM."

We fully understand the seriousness of this matter, and we deeply apologize for the captain's unprofessional behavior. As requested earlier, kindly share the ride details via DM so that we can prioritize taking action against the captain and provide you with an update. (1/2)  Rapido Cares (@RapidoCares) December 19, 2024

The incident has sparked outrage online, raising concerns over passenger safety and service quality in ride-hailing platforms.

How did people respond?

In the comments, people expressed shock and dismay at the driver's abusive language, with many questioning why such incidents frequently involve Rapido drivers.

One user shared their experience writing, "Also, I've found Rapido to have the worst behaviour when it comes to their drivers, while BluSmart to be the best."

Another echoed the frustration, saying, "What in the world is going on? Why every time it's Rapido only."

A third user remarked on the driver's bluntness, commenting, "Damn bro didn't hold back w his words."

To stay updated on the stories that are going viral, follow Indiatimes Trending.
Five hundred caretta caretta (loggerhead sea turtles) hatchlings are estimated to have reached the sea after the excavation of nests at Pachia Ammos beach, at Stavros village on the Akrotiri peninsula of Crete, in 2024.

The data given by the Stavros

Environmental Association, which calls on the authorities responsible for the protection of biodiversity and wildlife to ensure the protection of the area.

Volunteers of the Archelon, the sea turtle protection society of Greece, carried out in September, excavating a total of 3 nests on the eastern side of the beach, locating a total of 248 eggs. Of these, 187 were hatched. On 17 and 18 October, another 8 nests were excavated by specialist of the Laboratory of Ecology and Environmental Management of the Natural History Museum of Crete/University of Crete, Michalis Drettakis.

The Natural History Museum analyzed the data, pointing out that the beach of Pachia Ammos during the breeding season of 2024 had a significant density of caretta caretta nesting. The presence of 13 nests was noted, 11 of which were excavated.

According to the 2024 data, at least five female caretta caretta individuals used the beach for breeding, a number considered by the Natural History Museum of Crete as remarkable.

   iefimerida.gr
In a landmark act of cultural cooperation, Greece has returned over 1,000 ancient coins to Turkey, marking the first repatriation of its kind between the two countries.

The coins, illegally excavated and smuggled out of Turkey, were seized by Greek customs officials at the Kipi border crossing in 2019.

The collection includes 61 silver staters from various ancient cities and 994 silver Athenian tetradrachms dating

back to the 5th century BC. The handover ceremony took place at the Numismatic Museum in Athens , attended by Culture Minister Lina Mendoni and her Turkish counterpart, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy.

This repatriation signifies a significant step in cultural exchange and cooperation between Greece and Turkey, demonstrating a shared commitment to protecting cultural heritage and combating illicit trafficking of antiquities.

The return of these ancient coins to their country of origin highlights the importance of international collaboration in preserving historical artifacts for future generations.

   iefimerida.gr
Kimberly Guilfoyle told Greek national broadcaster ERT she was very honored to be named by president-elect Donald Trump as US ambassador to Greece.

Guilfoyle told ERT she could not wait to secure the approval of the relevant US Senate

committee for the post, and expressed enthusiasm over working with the Greek government to ensure that the strong Greek -US relations will continue to deepen under the leadership of president-elect Trump.

As a valuable NATO ally, Greece plays a key role in the European Union, she added, while pointing out that her appointment in Athens underlined the regard Trump has for Greece and reflected the deep and dynamic relationship between the two countries.

Guilfoyle referred to Greece as one of the fastest-growing economies in Europe, with a society that showed resilience despite the important challenges the country faced. She said that her agenda would focus on a strong economic development, education, energy security, and collaboration in the defense sector.

The nominated ambassador expressed her appreciation to Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, to businessman and close friend of president-elect Trump John Catsimatidis, and to leaders of the Greek-American community for their support and good wishes. She also said she was in the process of preparing to leave for Greece and wished to express her deep appreciation to Ambassador George Tsunis for his support and decisive role in securing a smooth transition.

Guilfoyle told ERT she couldn't wait to start her mission as US ambassador to Greece, adding that she was enthusiastically looking forward to meeting the Greek people and visiting this beautiful country with a rich history. She also underlined that she would try to meet President-elect Donald Trump's expectations, serving both the American people and the people of Greece as well as possible.

   iefimerida.gr
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called for concerted efforts to ensure stability in Syria and emphasized Greeces pivotal role in protecting the Greek Orthodox community there.

Speaking at a press conference in Brussels following the European

Union Summit, Mr. Mitsotakis described the collapse of the Assad regime as a turning point and stressed the importance of safeguarding Syrias territorial integrity and the rights of its religious minorities.

Mr. Mitsotakis, alongside Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, cautioned European leaders about potential risks stemming from Turkey's actions in the region. He specifically warned against attempts by Turkey to establish an Exclusive Economic Zone with Syrias new regime, reiterating Greece's rejection of the Turkish-Libyan memorandum as illegal.

On migration, Mr. Mitsotakis advocated for voluntary returns to Syria, ensuring that returnees have their basic needs met upon arrival. He emphasized that resettlement must align with broader efforts to secure stability in the war-torn nation.

Turning to the Ukraine conflict, Mr. Mitsotakis reaffirmed the EUs commitment to supporting Kyiv, stressing the need to prevent Ukraine from being disadvantaged in future peace talks.

He also announced an upcoming Greek-led initiative to convene an informal EU summit in Belgium in February, focusing exclusively on European defense. Mr. Mitsotakis called for increased EU resources for defense and the creation of a European Defense Fund, framing these efforts as a signal of Europes readiness to shoulder greater geopolitical responsibilities alongside its transatlantic allies.

Addressing a contentious exchange with North Macedonian Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, Mr. Mitsotakis clarified that in formal EU meetings, Mr. Mickoski adhered to the official name, North Macedonia, in compliance with the Prespa Agreement.

He underscored Greeces commitment to ensuring that both countries respect the accord as a prerequisite for North Macedonias EU accession.

Mr. Mitsotakis remarks reflect Greece's strategic approach to regional stability, defense collaboration, and adherence to international agreements, solidifying its role as a key player in shaping EU policy on these critical issues.

   iefimerida.gr
Greece's ruling New Democracy (ND) party has expanded its lead in voter preference, securing 25% support in a nationwide Pulse survey conducted for Skai media.

This marks a slight gain from

24% in the previous poll conducted in November. Meanwhile, Pasok solidifies its position as the main opposition party at 14%, as Syriza , now relegated to fourth place, remains stagnant at 6.5%.

The Communist Party of Greece (KKE) showed slight growth, rising to 8% from 7.5%, taking third place in voter preference. Syriza, once a dominant force, continues to struggle to regain footing.

The poll, conducted from December 1517 among 1,121 respondents, underscores the shifting political dynamics ahead of Greeces next election cycle.

Undecided voters reflect a growing tilt toward ND and Pasok. NDs projected share of this group rose to 30% from 28.3% in November, while Pasok climbed significantly, reaching 17% from 12.8%. Syrizas appeal among undecided voters has sharply declined, dropping to 8% from 14.9%.

On the public reaction to Pasok reclaiming the role of main opposition, the survey found contrasting sentiments.

While 86% of Pasok supporters expressed satisfaction, 63% of ND voters reacted with indifference, indicating a tempered rivalry between the two.

Concerns over foreign policy remain a key issue for voters. About 41% of respondents expressed being extremely concerned over Greek-Turkish relations, with an additional 34% being very concerned. Similarly, developments in Syria and the broader Middle East are a source of unease, with 31% extremely concerned and 38% very concerned.

Looking ahead to 2025, a pervasive sense of pessimism prevails. Nearly half of those surveyed (49%) anticipate the upcoming year will be a little or a lot worse than 2024, while just 9% hold out hope for improvements.

The results point to a politically polarized electorate grappling with both domestic and international uncertainties as Greece navigates a critical juncture in its political and economic future.

   iefimerida.gr
A 35-year-old Turkish national has been arrested in Kalamata following the fatal stabbing of a 52-year-old colleague during renovation work at a beachfront hotel.

The incident occurred midday on the hotel's fourth-floor terrace.

According to reports, the suspect suddenly attacked the victim with a knife, inflicting multiple wounds to his neck, shoulder,

arm, and leg. Emergency services rushed the victim to the hospital, but he tragically succumbed to his injuries.

Police arrested the suspect at the scene and reportedly recovered a knife in his possession.

He confessed to the crime, citing personal disputes with the victim as the motive.

Authorities have ordered a forensic examination to confirm the details of the attack and are investigating the suspect's legal status in Greece.

The incident has shocked the local community and raised concerns about workplace safety.

   iefimerida.gr


The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, has declared the suspension of the 18 Local Government Areas (LGAs) chairmen in Edo State as illegal and unconstitutional.

Fagbemi stated that the suspension of the chairmen and their deputies for two months by the State House of Assembly over alleged gross misconduct and insubordination is not in line with the law.

One thing that I know and can say without fear is that under the present dispensation, no Governor has the right to remove any Local Government chairman, Fagbemi said while speaking to journalists on Thursday.

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READ ALSO: Edo Assembly Suspends All 18 LGA Chairmen, Deputies For Two Months

He emphasized that the removal of any Local Government chairman or official is the prerogative of the legislative house of the local government, citing the July 11 judgment of the Supreme Court that granted autonomy to the 774 LGAs in the country.

The Edo State House of Assembly had suspended the chairmen and vice chairmen of the LGAs, directing them to hand over to the legislative leaders of their respective local governments.

However, the LGA officials have rejected their suspension, vowing to remain in office till the expiration of their tenure in 2026.
A magistrates court sitting in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, has granted N30 million bail to controversial human rights activist Dele Farotimi.

Mr. Farotimi was told to refrain from media interview and to submit his international passport.

The court on Friday, also asked the legal practitioner to provide 3 sureties with a landed property within the jurisdiction.

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It was gathered that the activist, who has been remanded in a correctional centre in Ado Ekiti for over two weeks, arrived at the Magistrate Court premises around 9:45 am on Friday.

His bail comes after the magistrate, Abayomi Adeosun, had at the last sitting, reserved ruling till December 20 on the bail application and ordered that the activist be remanded in prison.

READ MORE: Alleged Defamation: Court Halts Further Sale Of Farotimis Book

During the court proceedings, Farotimi pleaded not guilty to the 14-count charge preferred against him by the police.

His counsel, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, had filed a preliminary objection asking the court to strike out the charge.

According to him, the charge before the court was unknown to law and the offence of defamation was not recognised under the Criminal Law of Ekiti State, 2021.

The case therefore, adjourned till 13th February 2025.

Farotimi is being prosecuted before a chief magistrates court in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State for allegedly defaming a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Afe Babalola.
Edo State High Court, sitting in Benin has ordered the reinstatement of 18 local government chairmen and their deputies who were recently suspended by the State House of Assembly.

Recall that the LG bosses were punished by the states Assembly over alleged misconduct.

INFORMATION NIGERIA reports that the development, gained attention of major opposition party, and other political stakeholders across the nation.

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Meanwhile, on Friday, the court presided over by Justice Efe Ikponmwonba, granted the order to halt the suspension of the LG bosses, in suit NO:B/307/OS/24 filed by the affected chairmen and their deputies.

The order also restrained the defendants, including Governor Monday Okpebholo, Edo Government among others from acting on the resolution of the state House of Assembly suspending the claimants.

The court ordered that the status quo ante bellum, as of December 12, be maintained pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed on December 12, 2024.

The judge adjourned to February 17, 2025, for hearing and ordered that a hearing notice is to be issued and served on the defendants.

Reacting to the judgment on Friday, Association of Local Government Chairmen, in a statement by its Chairman, Tajudeen Alade, said that the decision of the court was to strengthen Nigerias democracy.

READ MORE: AGF Declares Suspension Of Edo LGA Chairmen Illegal

Alade said: ALGON Edo state has issued a statement, the national body has also issued a statement but most importantly is the statement that emanated from the Attorney General of the Federation, it goes to show that we are prepared for the journey ahead to rescue Nigeria from the doldrums.

We are very much appreciative of this current development and no doubt that will spur us as local government chairmen in Edo State to continue to hit the ground running in order to deliver the dividends of democracy to our people irrespective of the economic crunch which we know will get out of if we work together.

And to the state governor, he remains our father and of course, we will continue to give him the due respect.

The idea of misconduct or insubordination does not arise at all because we are intelligent people and we understand that both the local government and the state need to partner to ensure that the state moves forward and by the special grace of God we will continue to toe that part to ensure that both the state and the local governments are not at loggerhead.


The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has invited the suspended chairpersons of the 18 Local Government Areas in Edo State for questioning.

According to a source in the EFCC, the Governor of Edo, Monday Okpebholo, submitted a petition to the commission, accusing the chairpersons of not paying workers salaries for two months.

The petition also alleged that the chairpersons diverted the funds meant for workers salaries for October and November for unknown purposes.

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The EFCC source stated that nine out of the 18 chairpersons were questioned on Thursday, while the remaining nine will be questioned on Friday.

READ ALSO: You Cant Suspend Us  Edo LG Chairmen Tells State Assembly

The new governor wrote a petition to us, alleging that all 18 local government chairmen failed to pay their workers salaries for October and November, and that the funds meant for these payments were allegedly diverted, the source said to Cable.

We have opened up an investigation into the allegations.

The spokesman of the EFCC, Dele Oyewale also confirmed to Daily Trust that the chairmen were with the commission but declined further comments.

Yes, they were invited, Oyewale simply said.

The Edo House of Assembly had suspended the chairpersons and their deputies for two months over alleged gross misconduct.

The Governor had written a petition to the assembly regarding the chairpersons refusal to submit the financial records of their councils to the State government.
The Nigerian Railway Corporation has promised to serve an estimated 340,000 passengers during the festive season.

INFORMATION NIGERIA reports that NRC commenced the free train ride nationwide on Friday, to ease high cost of transportation for Nigerians across the country.

Speaking at Kubwa Station after the first successful trips, Acting Managing Director of the commission, Ben Iluanosi, disclosed that the free ride will accommodate 20,000 passengers on a daily basis.

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He said: Today is the first free ride of the initiatives, the palliatives set by the federal government.

We will enforce the free train ride. Well make it happen and ensure it goes successfully. Glory be to God, it was successful today.

Everybody boarded, those with tickets first, and those without tickets were profiled, their ID cards checked, and they boarded.

READ MORE: Tinubu Declares Free Train Rides For Nigerians From December 20 To January 5

The important thing is that we were able to board every passenger free of charge.

We have an average of 20,000 passengers every day that will ride the train free of charge. So approximately, we are going to carry about 340,000 passengers over the period.

The passengers boarded, those with tickets and those without tickets. The ones without tickets were profiled. What I want to appeal to Nigerians and our passengers is the federal government has brought out this good initiative.

Let us please enjoy it in an orderly manner. As I speak today, as I speak now, the portals are open. Tickets for tomorrow are still available.

Weve beefed up our security. Some of you that were here at Kubwa with me, would admit that you noticed the presence of extra security. In terms of the solution itself, weve also improved on buying tickets.

Recall that President Bola Tinubu on Monday, approved free train rides for all Nigerians from December 20 to January 5, 2025.

Tinubu noted that the measure will cushion the effect of high transportation costs during the Christmas season.
President Bola Tinubu has mourned the victims of tragic incident at a childrens funfair in Ibadan, Oyo State, which claimed innocent lives and left many others injured.

INFORMATION NIGERIA reports that no fewer than 35 persons, said to be minors, lost their lives, during the horrible incident on Wednesday.

The charity program, said to have been hosted by popular radio station, Agidigbo Fm and former queen of Ooni Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Olori Naomi Silekunola Ogunwusi, ended up in tragic mood.

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Reacting to the horrible incident on Thursday, in a statement by his Spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, extended his condolences to the government and people of Oyo State and, most importantly, to the grieving families who have lost their children in the unfortunate event.

Tinubu also urged the states government to take every necessary measures to prevent such a tragedy from reoccurring.

He said: President Tinubu has urgently directed the relevant authorities to investigate the circumstances of this tragedy thoroughly.

The President extends his heartfelt condolences to the Government and people of Oyo State, as well as to the grieving families who have lost their beloved children.

In this moment of mourning, President Tinubu stands in solidarity with the affected families and offers prayers that the Almighty God will grant peace to the souls of those who have departed in this unfortunate event.

READ MORE: Ooni Of Ife Mourns Oyos Funfair Victims, Pledges Support For Ex-Queen

Among the essential actions are a comprehensive review of all public events safety measures, strict enforcement of safety regulations, and regular safety audits of event venues.

Furthermore, President Tinubu calls on event organisers to prioritise the safety of all attendees, especially children. He stresses the importance of integrating professional security, protocol, and logistics at events to ensure the utmost safety of all participants.
The Ogun State police disclosed on Thursday that one Kareem Hammed died after collapsing while at work.

Hammed, 42, was employed by Fortune Security Company in Onipanu, Lagos State.

It was gathered that the deceased had returned from the hospital a week earlier, where he had been treated for malaria fever.

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Omolola Odutola, the state public relations officer, confirmed the incident to DAILY POST, saying Adejumobi Adetunji, a coworker of the deceased, reported it to the commands Odeda division.

READ MORE: Fatal Truck Accident Claims Drivers Life In Lagos

The deceased was transported to the General Hospital in Odeda for immediate medical attention after collapsing on Wednesday at around 5:30 PM.

Odutola added that the Divisional Police Officer in Odeda learnt of his death at 6:20 a.m. on Thursday.

Odutola said, A 52-year-old man named Adejumobi Adetunji, who works for Fortune Security Company in Onipanu, Lagos State, reported at the station that a 42-year-old man named Kareem Hammed, who lived in Alagbado, Lagos State, collapsed while on duty. They both worked for the same security company.

This incident happened on December 18, 2024, around 5:30 PM, after Kareem had been treated for malaria fever and discharged from the hospital just a week prior.

He was rushed to the General Hospital in Odeda for urgent care, but unfortunately, the doctor on duty confirmed his death in the early hours of the following day.

Odutola stated that the body has been taken to the morgue at Odeda General Hospital for an autopsy, and the Odeda Division Police Officer has initiated a preliminary investigation to determine the circumstances of the death.
Nollywood actress Mo Bimpe has shared her excitement as Lisabi, the film she and her husband, Lateef Adedimeji, worked on, ranks among the top ten most searched movies in 2024.

The actress shared an image of the most searched movies by Nigerians in 2024 on her Instagram page on Thursday, with Funke Akindeles A Tribe Called Judah at the top, followed by Treasure in the Sky, Damsel, Breath of Life, and more.

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Lisabi was recognised as Nigerians ninth most googled movie.

In response, Mo Bimpe highlighted the credibility of data and shared her joy that Lisabi is being recognized in discussions about filmmaking in 2024.

READ MORE: Yul Edochie Endorses Seyi Tinubu For Lagos Governorship, Declares Himself For Anambra

She mentioned that the film was only released three months ago and expressed her excitement at the news.

She wrote, Data(s) dont lie and it gladens me that when people talk about filmmaking in 2024, Lisabi ranks in the top ten of most searched movies by Nigerians.

To even think that this movie was released in SEPTEMBER, barely 3 months ago, I am full of joy, now imagine what youll get from the sequel.

Exciting times ahead. Are You READY?.

SEE POST:
Chioma Chukwuka-Akpotha, a Nollywood actress, has disclosed her preparation process for her role in the Netflix series Seven Doors.

Akpotha played the role of an Igbo queen in Seven Doors, where she was cast alongside Femi Adebayo, who portrayed a Yoruba king.

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The films narrative centered on themes such as leadership, family ties, love, betrayal, and redemption.

Her ability to speak Yoruba fluently was necessary for the role.

READ MORE: Etinosa Idemudia Ties The Knot With Her Caucasian Partner

During a recent TVC interview posted on X Friday, the actress, joined by her co-star Femi Adebayo, shared that she had to learn Yoruba for her role in the series.

She said, I had to learn Yoruba for my role in Seven Doors. The Yoruba in the movie was not the regular one spoken in Lagos State, so I had to be very particular about the tone.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called on the Federal Government to urgently address the issue of cash scarcity across the country.



NLC President, Joe Ajaero, in a communique issued on Thursday in Owerri, Imo State, described the situation as an unfortunate and exploitative burden on Nigerians.

Ajaero stated, The NEC in session had expressed concern over the persistent cash scarcity in Nigeria, describing it as an unfortunate and exploitative burden on the already struggling populace.

The NLC demands immediate government intervention to rectify this systemic failure and protect citizens financial rights.

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READ ALSO: Ajaero Law-Abiding, Didnt Shun DSS Invite  NLC Replies Presidency

He noted that Nigerians are being forced to forfeit five percent of their funds each time they access cash, an unacceptable situation that exacerbates the economic woes faced by millions.

Ajaero demanded that the Central Bank Governor take steps to ensure that cash is made available to citizens to enable small business transactions and stimulate economic growth.

The NLC also demanded that the tax bill currently before the National Assembly be halted for broader consultation and meaningful engagement with Nigerian workers.

Ajaero expressed concerns over the politicization of the bill and alienation of key stakeholders, which he said robbed it of its capacity as an effective tool to revamp the economy.
The Oyo State Police Command has faulted organisers of charity event that claimed 35 lives on Wednesday, in Ibadan, the states capital.

Recall that INFORMATION NIGERIA had reported that many were killed while others seriously injured.

It was gathered that the event, organized by popular radio station in Ibadan, Agidigbo fm, and former Queen of Ooni of Ife, Naomi Silekunola Ogunwusi, ended in sad mood.

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Following the unfortunate incident, the organisers were said to have been arrested for further interrogations by the states police.

The event, which has generated reactions nationwide, captured the attention of President Bola Tinubu on Thursday.

Tinubu called for immediate investigation and mourned families of the deceased.

Reacting Mr. Presidents statement while speaking on Channels Televisions breakfast programme, on Friday, the Oyo police Spokesperson, Adewale Osefiso, said that the incident occurred due to poor crowd controlling.

He said: Investigations are in progress, but from the preliminary findings, it was discovered that at some point the fair, they were supposed to go in with a token, at some point the prices were slashed and later, some had the opportunity of going in free. So, at some point, something must have gone wrong as regards some sort of agitation.

In this case, when it comes to crowd control anything could have triggered it; it could be excitement, it could be fear, it could be panic and judging by the space, which at the end of the day we discovered that the crowd that got into that place which was not the originally planned number, could have also contributed to the stampede because those going in actually did most of the damage to those already in.

The projected capacity of crowd that they expected exceeded, and a stampede ensued. As a matter of fact, the programmed had not even started properly when the when the process started.

Sadly, we recorded as a Command 35 minors dying and of course 6 being critically injured and presently responding to various medical interventions.
The Yobe State Police Command has arrested a 29-year-old man, Joshua Agugu, for allegedly engaging in impersonation and using fraudulent Point of Sales (PoS) transactions to defraud unsuspecting individuals.

In a statement on Thursday, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Dungus Abdulkarim, confirmed that the State Intelligence Department (SID) had arrested Agugu, a resident of High Court Gizza Plaza in Keffi Local Government Area, Nasarawa State.

The statement revealed that Agugu was caught with a fake Nigerian Navy ID card, which he allegedly used to defraud unsuspecting victims, including PoS operators and store owners.

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He added that, His modus operandi involved generating fake receipts on his Kuda bank app, making it seem like transactions were successful, even when they were not.

READ MORE: Kaduna Police Capture Notorious Bandit, Three Suspected Car Thieves

DSP Abdulkarim added that in order to acquire the trust of his victims, Agugu would first complete a successful transaction using a token before using the app to modify the receipt, delaying the recipients alert.

This clever tactic allowed him to deceive his victims and get away with their money or goods.

CP Garba Ahmed, Commissioner of Police for Yobe State Command, has warned the public to be watchful and wary of such fraudsters.

Remember to verify transactions and receipts, and never trust someone who claims to be from a reputable organisation without proper identification, the CP cautioned.

Garba also urged the public to report any suspicious activities to the nearest police station.


The 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, has cautioned against politicizing data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), stating that it would be counterproductive.

Atiku emphasized the importance of accuracy in data and statistics for development purposes.

His statement comes after the NBS released its latest Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey, revealing that an estimated 51.89 million crime incidents occurred across Nigerian households during the reference period.

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Atiku expressed concerns over the timing of the alleged hack on the NBS website, which occurred shortly after the release of the survey report.

He stated on Thursday, The development, which is coming on the heels of the recent data published on the website of the NBS on Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey, underscores the credibility crisis of the current administration.

READ ALSO: Reps Pass Tinubus 2025 Budget For Second Reading

The former Vice President added, These are strange times in Nigeria, and it is hoped that the situation at hand is not an underhand attempt to pigeonhole the integrity of data majorly used for planning and development and research purposes.

Subjecting data and statistics such as those harvested, analysed, and released by the NBS to sexing up or political considerations is counterproductive.

That is why the claim that the website of the National Bureau of Statistics was hacked into, the very first time in its history, should be of concern to the fidelity of the stats it releases to the public.

Moreover, the coincidence of this so-called hack, coming only shortly after the release of damning stats on security, is suspicious.

We may be tempted to assume that every stats released by the Bureau is an outcome of a hack.
The Bauchi State Police Command has apprehended three individuals in connection with criminal conspiracy, theft, and receiving stolen property.

SP Ahmed Wakil, the Commands Public Relations Officer, said in a press release published on Thursday that the suspects were apprehended by operatives from the Toro Divisional Police Headquarters following a reported theft in Tenti Babba Village, Bokko Local Government Area, Plateau State.

Wakil stated that the complainant, Haruna Maguwa, reported on Monday that his Boxer motorcycle was stolen from his residence.

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Acting on credible intelligence and leveraging community policing strategies, the Bauchi State Police Command launched an investigation, which led to the arrest of three suspects, Wakil said.

READ MORE: Fire Engulfs Timber Market In Anambra

The suspects, Yakubu Aminu, Abdul Lawal, and Buhari Abdullahi, all residents of Magama Gumau Town, were caught with the stolen motorcycle. According to the police, the trio planned to sell it to an unsuspecting buyer.

Wakil went on to say that during interrogation, the suspects admitted to their involvement in the crime.

The recovered motorcycle has been returned to the owner, and the suspects will be charged in court upon the completion of investigations, the police spokesperson added.

The Command underlined its commitment to citizens safety and security, while requesting the public to offer timely information that can aid in crime prevention efforts.
The South West chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, has blamed President Bola Tinubus led government over the recent tragedy which happened in Ibadan, Oyo State.

Recall that the stampede occurred on Wednesday at an event offering free festivities for children, drawing a massive crowd that led to death.

Reacting to the development on Friday, PDP Southwest Publicity Secretary, Chief Sanya Atofarati, in a statement on Friday, sympathized with Oyo State government and the affected families.

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The major opposition party blamed Tinubu for creating economic policies, capable enough to destroy businesses.

The statement reads: We are using this incident to call on the Federal Government to improve the standard of living in Nigeria. What happened is as a result of poverty in the land.

READ MORE: Oyo Police Blame Organisers Over Death Of 35 Children At Ibadan Funfair Stampede

The Federal Government should intensify efforts in ensuring that there is provision of adequate jobs for parents to be able to take proper care of their children and also to improve standards of living in the country. The event is quite unfortunate.

The PDP in the Southwest sympathises with the people and government of Oyo State over the unfortunate incident and the accompanying stampede and loss of lives of children. We prayed that God consoles the families that lost their children in the incident.


A United States court has sentenced Oluwole Adegboruwa, a 54-year-old Nigerian, and his accomplice, Enrique Isong, 49, to a combined 40 years in prison for masterminding a multi-million dollar dark web drug trafficking operation.

As stated on the website of the United States Attorneys Office, Adegboruwa was sentenced to 30 years of imprisonment, supervised release for life, and ordered to forfeit over $20 million.

The sentence comes after a jury found Adegboruwa and Isong guilty in May 2024 of multiple federal crimes, including conspiracy to distribute oxycodone and money laundering.

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READ ALSO: Insecurity: Lagos Govt To Deploy Drones In Strategic Areas

According to court documents, Adegboruwa sold over 300,000 oxycodone pills on dark web marketplaces to customers throughout the United States, earning approximately $9,112,471 in drug proceeds.

U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah, said: Protecting the community from illicit drugs and dismantling drug trafficking operations is a priority for my office and our law enforcement partners.

We will continue to prosecute and seek justice for these crimes.

The case was investigated jointly by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation.
Shipyard workers gathered in September during a ceremony for the newly built ship Patriot State at the Philly Shipyard. On Dec. 20, the shipyard got a new owner. Read more

South Koreas Hanwha group says it plans to hire a significant number of workers to expand whats now called the Hanwha Philly Shipyard, after completing its $100 million purchase of the former U.S. Navy facilities from shareholders led by Norways Aker industrial group.

David Kim, the Hanwha Defense USA executive who planned the deal, has been named chief executive at Hanwha Philly, Hanwha said in a statement Friday.

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We plan to grow, he said, by pushing the boundaries of shipbuilding to build for both commercial and government buyers.

While under Aker, the yard built civilian ships. Hanwhas Systems and Ocean divisions have stressed their experience building naval ships, drones, and radar and sensor systems on its giant shipyards on Geoje Island in the strait between South Korea and Japan.

The company wants to expand into naval vessel production, Kim said in his statement. The company promised a smooth transition and sustainable and inclusive growth.

The deal was approved by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CIFUS) in September.

Bipartisan legislation has been proposed to encourage construction of hundreds of U.S. commercial ships at U.S. yards such as Philadelphia to better compete with Chinas larger merchant fleet. The SHIPS Acts sponsors include Rep. Michael Waltz (R., Fla.), whom President-elect Donald Trump has tapped as his national security adviser.

Hanwah is very positive about this opportunity to enter the U.S. market and offer Philadelphia a historic opportunity for revitalizing its once-extensive shipbuilding industry with modern technology, said David Oh, a former Philadelphia City Council member who met with Hanwha and South Korean officials in advance of the deal.

Oh said he expects Hanwhas focus to include developing Navy surface and underwater vessels at a time the service is developing unmanned craft of varying sizes.

Some in Washington have raised concerns about foreign investment in strategic U.S. industry. Though some in the local steelworkers union supported Japan-based Nippon Steels bid to buy U.S. Steel, President Joe Biden moved to block the deal, and Trump has also said hes opposed.

But Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro has urged companies in U.S. allies South Korea and Japan to invest in U.S. military plants at a time when U.S. investors have largely avoided heavy industry in favor of faster-profit biotech and digital ventures. In July, Korea-based LIG Nex1 said it had paid $240 million  more than double the shipyards price  for a 62-worker Philadelphia military robot maker, Ghost Robotics.

Del Toro visited the Philly Shipyard in September with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and other federal officials and met with Kim and others from Hanwha during the ceremony to dedicate the training, hospital, and multipurpose vessel Patriot State, funded by the U.S. Maritime Administration.

Despite years of government subsidies and contracts and the protection of the federal Jones Act, which requires commercial ships used between the U.S. and its overseas possessions to be built at U.S. yards, the Philly Shipyard had run out of orders and was down to a skeleton staff as recently as 2020.

Thanks to new contracts, the yard now employs around 1,700  nearly as many as when the Navy closed its shipyard on the site, the nations oldest, in 1996.

Under Aker, the yard in the last four years has built more ships than any of the handful of remaining U.S. shipyards, with contracts to build commercial vessels as well as government-funded training ships.

But in a report to investors last year, the shipyard warned that even with the new orders, it has been losing money. If it were to become profitable, it would need to expand to do ship maintenance and build more vessels.

Expansion will require training more workers. Since the decline of Delaware River shipbuilding in the 1980s and 90s, fewer locals have learned marine welding and other key trades. Around two-thirds of the current staff are contract employees, including veterans of shipyards along the Gulf of Mexico. The Boilermakers, Operating Engineers, and other unions at the yard have been recruiting apprentices.

While much of the former Naval Base surrounding the yard is now home to civilian offices such as Urban Outfitters and WuXi AppTec, the Navy itself is the largest tenant. Planners hope to reclaim space for shipbuilding, possibly including some of the piers now used to mothball old Navy ships for sale or scrapping.

Editors Note: This article has been updated to correct the name of the ship that was dedicated in September.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike is one of the clients of the Paramount Management Group, the troubled Lancaster automated teller machine company. Read more

Paramount Management Group, the troubled Lancaster automated teller machine company financed by more than 2,700 individual investors, including Plain business owners in its home county, has laid off all staff and shut down, according to former employees and investors.

Staff gathered at the companys offices Dec. 13 and learned from Paramount president Steve Gernes that they were out of a job. The company employed around 50, according to Jorge Fernandez, a former Paramount chief development officer.

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The shutdown appeared to doom hopes that the company could be reorganized and resume at least partial payments to investors whose principal and profit payments stopped in April.

Everyone at Paramount was laid off or quit, said Matt Haverstick, an attorney hired by the managers of 25 investment funds that financed Paramount ATM machines to represent the funds. Im not sure we can salvage anything.

Paramount customers, including the Pennsylvania Turnpike and the Reading-based Redners Markets grocery chain, were left without cash starting Nov. 27, after Paramounts founder, Lancaster investor Darryl Heller, failed to deliver $138 million in overdue payments to the investors. Key Paramount business partners stopped supplying its ATMs.

The company had been paying investors 8% annual interest  which marketing materials calculated worked out to an after-tax yield of more than 18%, if investors used an equipment-depreciation tax strategy.

Heller, who built a constellation of cash machine, crypto, cannabis, food, and hunting-related businesses, faces financial claims from lenders or investors in at least three states.

Investors in Paramount say they have been contacted by federal investigators attempting to track cash flows among the companies. Heller declined to testify at a hearing in Lancaster County Common Pleas Court earlier this month, citing his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Two lawyers who represent him declined to comment for this story.

The turnpike commission said in a statement that as of Dec. 13 a new supplier had refilled the 23 ATMs at 17 highway rest areas. Those ATMs charge $3.75 per use, of which the turnpike keeps $2, plus half of any advertising revenues. Two ATMs serve turnpike employees for free.

Revenues from the rest stop machines fell more than two-thirds since the turnpike stopped accepting cash tolls during the COVID pandemic, state records show.

Dave Zook and other Paramount managers, including veteran banker Bill Poole, Jerry Hostetter, and Buck Joffrey, have been paying lawyers including Haverstick to represent the funds. At least some of the managers have separately retained their own counsel.

In his email, Zook blamed Hellers gross mismanagement for the companys troubles, adding that Paramounts ATM network was in a state of disarray due to failure to pay merchants, cash suppliers, and other services for months. He noted the network faced court-imposed fines of $100,000 a day for failing to deliver information on the companys ATMs.

Zook did not respond to requests for comment regarding his own and his Paramount colleagues role in raising hundreds of millions of dollars from small investors for the company and others run by Heller. Haverstick, the funds lawyer, said Paramount had assured investors the company at its peak had a total of 38,000 ATMs.

But information collected after Heller was forced out of the company by a Lancaster Common Pleas Court judge last month suggest there may have been fewer than 1,000 ATMs left in service after Heller sold parts of the system last summer, and servicing companies began taking other Paramount ATMs offline, the lawyer added.

Investors and employees of Heller-backed companies said they have been interviewed by Securities and Exchange Commission and FBI agents asking what happened to company funds.
Skaters on the ice at the Rothman Orthopaedics Ice Rink at City Halls Dilworth Park in Philadelphia on Dec, 14. Read more

Hours after Philadelphia Police released the name of a third suspect they say was involved in the Dilworth Park shooting that left three injured last week, U.S. Marshals arrested the 16-year-old in Northeast Philadelphia, authorities said.

Raheem Hylton was taken into custody on the 1200 block of Foulkrod Street, in the Frankford area, at 8 p.m. Thursday, the U.S. Marshals said in a post on X. Acting on an anonymous tip, they found Hylton at an associates residence.

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Hylton was arrested on charges of aggravated assault, conspiracy, and related crimes in connection with the triple shooting near the Rothman Orthopaedics Ice Rink on Dec. 13, police said. Police do not believe Hylton is the shooter.

Authorities are still searching for the shooter, whom they have not identified, police said.

The shooting started at the Christmas Village at City Hall, next to the rink, shortly after 4:30 p.m. as the plaza was filled with busy shoppers and skaters enjoying the holiday season.

A disagreement between teens at Freire Charter School at 20th and Chestnut Streets earlier in the day made its way to Dilworth Park and turned violent when one of the teens pulled out a gun and fired four or five shots, police said.

The gunfire hit a 14-year-old boy in the face, and he remained in critical condition after undergoing multiple surgeries. Two other boys, 14 and 15, were shot in the legs and were in stable condition.

The fight started when one 14-year-old victim tried to stick up for his younger brother, who was getting picked on, police said.

The shooting at Christmas Village in front of City Hall during the busy holiday season left residents worried. City leaders have since sought to reassure residents that the area is safe for shopping and visiting.

Hylton was the third teen arrested in connection with the shooting.

Police on Wednesday arrested a 14-year-old they say was involved in the shooting. Officers served search and arrest warrants that morning at the teens home, and he was charged with aggravated assault and related crimes.

Another 14-year-old boy was arrested on the day of the shooting and also faces charges of aggravated assault and related offenses in connection with the incident.
A man and woman were fatally shot in a North Philadelphia home Thursday afternoon, police said.

Few details were available as police continued to process the scene inside the private residence in the 1800 block of Diamond Street.

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According to police, an adult male and a 35-year-old woman were each shot multiple times throughout their bodies around 3 p.m. They were pronounced dead at the scene by medics. Police did not release the victims names.

No arrests had been made and no weapons had been found, police said, adding that no motive had been established.

The shootings follow a weekend during which at least 24 people were shot in 11 incidents, including three teens outside the Christmas Village at Dilworth Park, one of whom remains in critical condition fighting for his life. Yet Mayor Cherelle L. Parker and police officials earlier this week emphasized progress made this year in curtailing gun violence across Philadelphia  citing a 36% drop in shootings and a 37% drop in homicides compared with 2023.

A $20,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the Diamond Street double shooting. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Homicide Unit at 215-686-3334 or the Police Department tip line at 215-686-TIPS (8477).
A 15-year-old girl was fatally shot Wednesday night in North Philadelphia, the latest in a series of shootings that left multiple young people injured in the last week, despite the citys overall drop in shootings this year.

Police responded shortly after 7 p.m. to the 2700 block of North Dover Street, where they found the victim with multiple gunshot wounds. She was taken to Temple University Hospital, where she died less than half an hour later. Her name was not released.

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Police were still investigating the motive Thursday but said they recovered 27 9mm shell casings at the scene and a weapon. No arrests had been made as of Thursday.

Police and Mayor Cherelle L. Parker have touted the progress made in curbing gun violence across the city  a 36% drop in shootings and a 37% drop in homicides compared with 2023. Still, the percentage of shootings involving juveniles has increased. Last year, 9% of shooting victims were under the age of 18. As of last Friday, juveniles accounted for 12.5% of shooting victims this year.

 READ MORE: Spate of shootings, including incident at Christmas Village, are not the norm, Mayor Parker and law enforcement officials say

The rise in young people affected by gun violence came under scrutiny over the weekend after three teen boys were injured in a high-profile shooting outside Christmas Village at City Halls Dilworth Park that left holiday revelers scrambling for cover Friday. Two 14-year-olds have been charged with aggravated assault and related crimes and a search continues for other suspects. That same evening, an 18-year-old and a 15-year-old were shot in Holmesburg.

At a news conference Monday addressing the weekends violence that left at least 24 shot, four fatally, Parker noted the progress left to make on the issue of gun violence and said under no circumstances does anyone get the right to wreak havoc in our city.

She described the importance of helping young people before theyre affected by gun violence, listing what her administration has done to support young people and renewing her call for investments in grassroots, antiviolence groups.
Police on Thursday night announced an arrest in the September fatal shooting of a 16-year-old boy on the grounds of Martin Luther King High School in the citys East Germantown section.

Shyd Carr-Hanks, 19, of the 1200 block of East Price Street, which is several blocks from the high school, was taken into custody on Wednesday as a person of interest in the death of William Honesty Jr. Police said they also recovered a gun.

On Thursday, Carr-Hanks was charged with murder and related offenses. Police did not state a suspected motive.

Just before 11:40 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 22, police were called to the 5900 block of Stenton Avenue and found the teen with three gunshot wounds to his chest. Honesty, who lived a few blocks away in West Oak Lane, was pronounced dead at the scene by medics.

Honesty was not a student at the high school, a School District of Philadelphia spokesperson said.
The year he turned 50, Ricky Austin nearly died of drug overdoses three times.

He had started using heroin as a teenager in East Baltimore. Four decades later, a move to Philadelphia introduced him to a new and deadly synthetic opioid, fentanyl, which had replaced heroin in the citys drug markets.

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Soon he had infections in his colon and in his blood. His sturdy frame shrank to 110 pounds. And though he craved the drugs effects, he had no way to gauge the dosages sold on the street.

Austins life may have been saved by chance. He was homeless and sleeping behind a Walgreens on a cardboard mattress in Kensington, the epicenter of the citys drug crisis. There, bystanders had ready access to a medication used to reverse opioid overdoses, naloxone. This helped, again and again, to bring him back from the brink of death.

The third overdose was Austins wake-up call. He sought help at a local hospital, then entered long-term addiction treatment. Now almost three years in recovery, the 52-year-old feels grateful for a chance that many of his friends never lived to see.

In Philadelphia, Black men like Austin from their 50s to their 70s have been dying of overdoses at staggering rates. The overdose crisis for Black men in American cities began decades ago, along with economic dislocation and a new abundance of heroin, yet the disproportionate suffering of this older generation was long unrecognized.

The toll continues to rise for this population, even as overdoses are ebbing for others who are younger, whiter, and more rural, a new national data analysis shows. In Philadelphia, 942 Black men born from 1951 through 1970 died of overdoses over a five-year span ending in 2022. That group represented 15% of Philadelphias overdose deaths in that period but makes up only 4% of its population.

 READ MORE: How drug overdose deaths have plagued one generation of Black men across the U.S. for decades

That disparity  more than 11 percentage points  is one of the largest in the country, the analysis by the Baltimore Banner, the New York Times and Stanford Universitys Big Local News found, using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention not available to the general public.

This group died of overdoses at a rate more than 40% higher than their similarly aged Hispanic and white peers.

All the guys I got high with  theyre all gone. Theyre all dead, said Austin, who was born in 1972, just shy of the worst-hit demographic.

Philadelphias age and racial disparities are different from those seen in other big cities. In Baltimore, Washington, San Francisco, and Chicago, deaths among this group of older Black men have been higher than for any other group for much of the last 30 years.

In Philadelphia, the new analysis shows it was not until more recently that this group of older Black men started dying at the highest rates of all.

Philadelphia health officials are still learning about the causes. Its likely that no one factor is behind these deaths, but rather a combination of issues.

To start, there are the drugs themselves: The rise of fentanyl has spurred skyrocketing overdose rates across the city.

Age is also a factor as more Black Philadelphians are dying with stimulants like cocaine and methamphetamine in their systems, either alone or in combination with opioids like fentanyl. In particular, people who have used stimulants for years risk heart damage that puts them at higher risk of an overdose.

Concerted outreach to Black communities with rising overdose rates has only recently gotten off the ground, and is complicated by the legacy of racist drug policing.

The men who are now dying at the highest rates in Philadelphia were children, or entering adulthood, when the federal War on Drugs began in the 1970s. Their experiences were shaped by the crack epidemic, racist rhetoric about crack babies and super-predators, intense police surveillance, and harshly punitive jail sentences.

Now, many are wary of drawing attention to their drug use.

City Councilmember Kendra Brooks saw this spring the extent of the problem surfacing in Nicetown, the majority-Black neighborhood where she was raised and still lives. It started with a social media post about a neighbor who had recently died of an overdose.

A few days later, there was another overdose. A few days after that, a neighbor confided in her about another death.

Within just a few weeks, she learned about nine people who had died of overdoses in about five square blocks. All were Black. Most were in their 50s or older.

Brooks thought about how many people may be using in basements and living rooms, without anyone around to intervene in an emergency. People like her father, who is now in his late 70s and was addicted to crack for most of her life. Until he entered recovery, he kept going to work, hiding his addiction.

In this generation, you dont get high in public. Its something very private and personal, Brooks said. Amongst folks that I know, its like a secret disease.

A devastating rise in overdoses

By 2022, the number of fatal overdoses in the Nicetown area was second only to the community encompassing Kensington, nationally known for one of the countrys largest open-air drug markets.

The soaring deaths among Black residents of all ages have offset the progress made in reducing overdose deaths overall in Philadelphia, city and state data show.

In 2023, fatal overdoses in the city declined slightly to 1,316 deaths, according to state data. It was still the second-highest death toll ever recorded in the city, through an improvement from a record-breaking 1,413 fatal overdoses the year before.

While fentanyl is involved in the overwhelming majority of overdose deaths in Philadelphia, that doesnt tell the whole story. Since 2017, about half of the overdose deaths in the city have involved both an opioid like fentanyl and a stimulant like cocaine or methamphetamine.

Such deaths have increased by 146% among Black residents from 2018 through 2022, and by 81% among Hispanic residents.

By contrast, deaths among white residents involving opioids and stimulants rose by only 7%.

Its unclear whether this rise is occurring because people are mixing drugs intentionally, or unintentionally using stimulants contaminated with fentanyl.

Disparities in lifesaving outreach

Efforts to warn people with addiction about dangerous drug combinations, and the rise of fentanyl, vary wildly between neighborhoods.

In places like Kensington, outreach workers have flooded the area with naloxone and test strips that detect the presence of fentanyl in illicit drugs.

But the city has only recently stepped up similar efforts in majority-Black neighborhoods in North Philadelphia and West Philadelphia, where drug use is less visible.

After the cluster of overdoses in Nicetown this year, Brooks and her City Council office helped to organize a health fair aimed at getting residents health assessments, addiction treatment, and overdose prevention tools like naloxone and testing strips.

City health workers say in the zip code that includes Nicetown, theyre inching closer to having given out enough naloxone to reach a saturation point, meaning that whenever someone overdoses, its likely that someone else nearby will have a dose.

For Germantown resident Albert Knight Jr., that kind of outreach is crucial. Knight had used cocaine since his 20s with a group of mostly older friends in his Northwest Philadelphia neighborhood.

A few years ago, when he first began blacking out occasionally after using cocaine, he had no access to test strips and no idea how to use them. He did not even suspect that fentanyl had contaminated his drugs.

I was clueless, said Knight, 47.

Knight reached out to Brooks office for help seeking treatment earlier this year after his girlfriend died of an overdose. His mother found her dead on the living room couch.

It was devastating, he said. And it could have been me.

This year, working his way through addiction treatment, Knight has lost eight friends to overdoses, including several in the cohort of older Black men dying at the highest rates.

The challenge of decades of mistrust

City outreach workers have knocked on more than 100,000 doors in predominantly Black and Hispanic neighborhoods seeing rising overdose rates in the last year.

About one in 11 residents answered the door, and most of those who did were both aware of the overdoses in their community and eager to accept naloxone and fentanyl testing strips: In some zip codes, up to 88% of neighbors took them.

But outreach workers found the acceptance of prevention tools was lowest in the neighborhood where overdoses were highest: Nicetown.

Rudolph Looney, a longtime West Philadelphia resident, regularly hands out naloxone and testing strips around the neighborhood as part of his role on a community advisory board run by Penn Medicine.

In each interaction with Black men of his generation, he sees the consequences of systemic racism and poverty, the long specter of the War on Drugs, the more recent stress of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the struggle of living in gentrifying West Philadelphia while trying to make ends meet.

People are trying to find ways to make themselves feel better  or not even to feel better, but to forget, Looney said.

The racial disparities extend to addiction treatment.

In 2023, state officials looked into cases of overdose deaths to see whether the deceased person had ever been treated for addiction. They found that 24% of white Philadelphians who died of overdoses that year had gotten some form of treatment at least once in their lives, and about 14% were in treatment at the time they died.

Just 14% of Black Philadelphians who died of overdoses, by contrast, had ever received addiction treatment before their deaths, and 7% were in treatment when they died.

Only through Gods grace

Ricky Austin feels lucky he was able to get into a treatment program that helped him start methadone, a medication used to curb the cravings of opioid addiction. But he has learned that recovery goes beyond medicine.

You have to teach people to look for resources  you feel defeated, as a grown man, not knowing how to balance a checkbook or fill out a job application, he said.

Now, Austin lives at a South Philadelphia recovery house and works in food services at the University of Pennsylvania. He thinks often of his childhood friends and the help that didnt reach them in time.

It was only through Gods grace, he said, that somebody was there for me.
Philadelphia City Councilmember Mark Squilla speaks during a January 2023 news conference regarding how the city will spend money from national opioid settlements. Read more

This article first appeared on KFF Health News. To view the data, see the original article on the site.

In the last few years, state and local governments across the United States have begun spending billions in opioid settlements paid by companies accused of fueling the overdose crisis. But where is that money going, who is getting it, and is it doing any good?

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KFF Health News, partnering with researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Shatterproof, a national nonprofit focused on addiction, undertook a yearlong investigation to find out.

Dozens of interviews, thousands of pages of documents, an array of public records requests, and outreach to all 50 states resulted in a first-of-its-kind database that catalogs more than 7,000 ways opioid settlement cash was used in 2022 and 2023. Its the most comprehensive resource to date tracking some of the largest public health settlements in American history.

Among the findings:

States and localities received more than $6 billion in opioid settlement funds in 2022 and 2023. According to public records, they spent or committed about a third of that amount and set aside about another third for future use. The final third was untrackable, as many jurisdictions did not produce public reports on the funds. Pennsylvania was among the largest beneficiaries, receiving $209.4 million in 2022 and 2023, of which $128.7 million has been spent, and the rest is either uncommitted or untrackable using public records. Reports of spending tracked the minuscule to the monumental, from $11.74 to buy postage in Yavapai County, Arizona, to more than $51 million to increase the addiction treatment workforce in California. States allotted, on average, about 18% of their funds for addiction and mental health treatment; 14% for recovery services such as housing, transportation, and legal aid; 11% for harm-reduction efforts such as overdose reversal medications; and 9% for prevention programs that aim to stop people from developing substance use disorders. States committed, on average, about 2% for syringe service programs, through which people can get sterile needles. (A variety of entities received this money, from law enforcement to nonprofit organizations to government agencies.) Governments reported spending more than $240 million on purposes that did not qualify as opioid remediation. (Most settlements allow states to spend up to 15% of their funds this way.) Most of this tranche went to legal fees, but several jurisdictions funneled money to their general fund. One county even sent funds to its road and bridge department. Several cities and counties reported expenditures that they said addressed the overdose crisis but that would leave an average person scratching their head  such as $33.07 to an antiabortion pregnancy center in Sandborn, Ind., and $30,362 to screen first responders for heart disease in Oregon City, Ore.

When people know that people arent watching and theres no accountability, then they can kind of do what they want, said Tonja Myles, a community activist in Baton Rouge, La., who is in recovery. Thats why we have to have some kind of database and accountability.

Despite the recent decline in overall overdose deaths in the U.S., more than 90,000 people still died in the 12 months ending in July 2024 and rates are rising in many Black and Native American communities.

We cant mess up or miss this moment, Myles said.

Opioid settlement payouts are expected to total about $50 billion over nearly two decades, paid by more than a dozen companies that made or distributed prescription painkillers, including Johnson & Johnson, Walgreens, and Walmart. Although its a large sum, its dwarfed by the size of the crisis, making each dollar thats spent critical.

KFF Health News and its partners reviewed hundreds of settlement spending reports, extracting expenditures line by line, and developed a methodology to sort the expenditures into categories like treatment or prevention. States were given an opportunity to review the data and comment on their spending.

To be sure, the database does not capture the full picture of opioid settlement spending nationwide. Some places do not publish spending reports, while others declined to engage with this project. The data presented here are a snapshot as of the end of 2023 and do not account for further spending in 2024. The differences in how states control, process, and report on the money make apples-to-apples comparisons nearly impossible. Still, the database helps fill a gap left by a lack of national reporting requirements and federal government inaction.

It is a tool for those who want to objectively measure whether everything that can be done is being done, said Matthew Myers, a former president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, which compiles similar annual reports on tobacco settlement money.

Treatment a clear winner

The top priority to emerge from early opioid settlement spending was treatment, with more than $416 million spent or committed to residential rehabs, outpatient counseling, medications for opioid use disorder, and more.

The state of New York  which spent the most on treatment  allocated about $22 million of that for programs that make the gold standard for care as easy as possible for patients: providing same-day prescriptions for buprenorphine, a medication that decreases cravings for opioids.

The result was a program that John Greene said changed his life.

Greene, 57, used to live in the woods down the street from Family & Childrens Counseling Services in Cortland, N.Y. He cycled through jails and hospitals, overdosing half a dozen times and trying rehab just as many.

But now he has four months of recovery under his belt  the longest stint since he started regularly using drugs at 14.

He said its because the counseling centers new program  funded by a mix of state and local opioid settlement dollars  has a different approach. Counselors arent didactic and judgmental. They dont force him to stop smoking marijuana. Several staff members have experienced addiction themselves. They drive Greene, who doesnt have a car, to doctor appointments and the pharmacy for his buprenorphine prescription.

Now Greene lives and works with his brother, looks forward to weekly counseling sessions, and is notching small victories  such as buying his nephew toy cars as a stocking stuffer.

It made me feel good to do something for somebody and not expect nothing back, Greene said.

Emily Georgia, one of Greenes counselors, said the center has worked with nearly 200 people like him in the last year. Without the settlements, the program probably wouldnt exist, she said.

Across the country, the money supports other innovative treatment approaches:

$21 million for a new program in Kentucky that diverts people with mental illness or addiction who face low-level charges away from incarceration and into treatment, education, and workforce training More than $3 million for, in part, three new mobile methadone programs in Massachusetts, to bring the medication to rural and underserved areas Tens of thousands of dollars each in Iowa and Pennsylvania to cover out-of-pocket treatment costs for people without insurance or those with high deductibles

Philip Rutherford, an expert on substance use disorder at the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, said these efforts are really positive and many have been historically difficult or impossible to achieve with federal or state funding.

But some funds are also flowing to treatment approaches that defy best practices, such as denying people medications for opioid use disorder.

Some in the recovery community consider methadone and buprenorphine a crutch. But study after study shows that the medications help people stay in treatment and reduce the risk of overdose and death. Research even suggests that treatment without these medications can be more harmful than no treatment at all.

Although not everyone will want medication, settlement funds shouldnt prop up a system that doesnt allow people to have that choice, said Regina LaBelle, a professor of addiction policy at Georgetown University.

Babies, forgotten victims of the epidemic

While treatment received a windfall in early opioid settlement spending, another aspect of the crisis was neglected: neonatal abstinence syndrome, a condition in which babies exposed to drugs in the womb experience withdrawal.

Nationwide, more than 59 newborns a day are diagnosed with it. Yet only about $8.4 million in settlement money was committed to the issue  less than 0.5% of all funds publicly reported as spent or committed in 2022 and 2023.

Experts in public health and addiction, as well as affected families, say its due to stigma.

A mom using drugs and being a parent is a very uncomfortable reality to face, said Ashley Grant, a 38-year-old mother of three in Mesa, Ariz. Its easier to just push it under the rug or let them fall through the cracks, as sad as that is.

It almost happened to her.

Grant learned she was pregnant with her third child last year. At the time, her partner was in jail and she was using drugs after an eight-year period of recovery, was estranged from her family, and didnt know how shed survive the next nine months.

During a visit to a methadone clinic, she saw a booth about Jacobs Hope, a specialty nursery that cares for substance-exposed newborns and their moms. Nursery staff connected her with a therapist, helped her enroll in parenting classes, and dropped off diapers and a playpen at her home.

After delivering at the hospital, Grant and her baby boy stayed at Jacobs Hope for about a week. Nurses showed her how skin-to-skin contact calmed his withdrawal symptoms and more frequent feedings and burpings decreased gastrointestinal discomfort, which is common among substance-exposed newborns.

Today, Grant has roughly five months of recovery. She got certified as a peer recovery specialist and hopes to join Jacobs Hope one day to help moms like her.

But the nurserys future is uncertain.

After opening in 2019, Jacobs Hope nearly shut down this summer due to low reimbursements and delayed payments from insurers, said Lyndsey Steele, its associate director. Community donations kept the nursery afloat, but its still hanging on by a thread, she said.

Shes hoping opioid settlement money can help.

In 2022, Jacobs Hope received about $250,000 from Arizonas opioid settlements. But this year, the legislature captured the states share of remaining funds and, in a controversial move, gave it to the Department of Corrections.

Jacobs Hope has now turned to local governments, which control their own settlement dollars. Its home city of Mesa said a first round of grant applications should open in the spring.

Steele prays it wont be too late for babies in need  the epidemics forgotten victims, she called them.

Heart disease screening, robot ambulances, and more

Some opioid settlement expenditures have sparked fierce disagreement. They generally fall into three buckets: money for law enforcement, funding for youth prevention programs, and purchases unrelated to the opioid crisis.

Settlement dollars nationwide have bought body scanners, K-9 units, bulletproof vests, patrol trucks, and laptops and printers for police and sheriffs.

Some spending strayed even further from the spirit of the settlement. In Oregon City, Ore., more than $30,000 was spent on screening first responders for heart disease. Police Chief Shaun Davis said his staffers respond to opioid-related emergencies and experience trauma that increases their risk of heart attack.

But some people question if settlement funds should be footing the bill.

This looks to me like youre trying to defray other costs from the police budget, said Stephen Loyd, chair of Tennessees Opioid Abatement Council. I dont think that theres any way that this opioid money was earmarked for stuff like that.

A second area of contention is youth prevention.

Although most people agree that stopping children from developing addictions is important, the execution is tricky.

Nearly half a million settlement dollars have gone to the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, commonly known as D.A.R.E. Decades of research suggest its original curriculum is ineffective.

Robeson County, N.C., spent about $10,000 in settlement money to buy Andy the Ambulance, a robot ambulance with big eyes and an audio system through which a human operator can discuss the dangers of drugs. EMS director Patrick Cummings said his team has taken the robot to churches and elementary schools.

We dont have any studies that show its working, he said, but educating kids seems like a good investment because if they never try it, they dont get addicted.

Then theres the chunk of money  up to 15% of each states funds  thats a free-for-all.

Flint, Mich., spent nearly $10,000 on a sign for a community service center. The city reported that the expense did not qualify as opioid remediation. In other words, its unrelated to addressing the crisis.

But Caitie ONeill, a city spokesperson, said that the building sign makes it possible for residents to find the center, which houses city services, including Narcan kits, fentanyl testing strips, and substance abuse referrals.

Jurisdictions across 29 states reported non-remediation spending in 2022 and 2023. Most opioid settlements require such reports but operate on an honor system. No one is checking if the other 21 states and Washington, D.C., were truthful.

Jackie Lewis, an Ohio mother whose 34-year-old son, Shaun, died of an overdose in October 2022, finds that hard to stomach.

This is blood money, she said. Some people have lost sight of that.

Lewis is raising her sons daughter, ensuring the 9-year-old receives counseling at school and can attend the hip-hop music classes she enjoys  all on Lewis Social Security payments. This year they moved to a smaller town with lower costs.

As settlement funds continue flowing, she wants officials in charge of the money to help families like hers.

We still exist and were still struggling, she said.

KFF Health News Henry Larweh and Megan Kalata, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Healths Sara Whaley and Vivian Flanagan, and Shatterproofs Kristen Pendergrass and Sahvanah Prescott contributed to this article.

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF  an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF.

This article first appeared on KFF Health News and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Workers at East Penn Manufacturing must change into work clothes before and take showers after their shifts, for safety reasons. They should be paid for all of the time that requires, the court said. Read more

An appeals court has agreed with a federal jury in Pennsylvania that a Berks County battery manufacturer owed employees more than $22 million in back pay for their time spent changing clothes before and showering after their shifts, which is a safety requirement.

When the decision came down last year, the U.S. Department of Labor said it was the largest verdict the department had ever won on workers behalf under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

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The employer, East Penn Manufacturing Co. Inc., appealed the decision, which affected 7,500 employees. On Thursday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit upheld the verdict.

Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, employers must pay hourly employees for the time that they actually work, not just a reasonable amount of time, U.S. Circuit Judge Stephanos Bibas wrote. If employers claim that time was trivial, they bear the burden of proving that.

Certain workers at East Penns manufacturing complex must wear protective gear and shower after their shifts to avoid lead exposure and other health risks. The Labor Department argued that the extra time spent doing so should have been paid as overtime.

According to the appeals court ruling, East Penn didnt pay workers at all for time spent showering and changing until 2003. Then, it started giving them a five-minute grace period at the beginning of each shift and five minutes after. In 2016, the company lengthened the after-work period to 10 minutes.

The company did not record the actual amount of time workers spent showering and changing, the court opinion said, but should have been doing so.

When the Labor Department sued the company, it hired an expert to estimate how long workers needed to change and shower pre- and post-shift. His finding: 15.6 minutes before and 11 minutes after work, the appeals court opinion said.

East Penn argued that employers should only pay for a reasonable amount of time spent doing these things, not the actual time. Focusing on actual time, [East Penn] worries, would reward employees for dragging their feet or tending to personal matters, Bibas wrote.

The appeals court rejected that argument. But it also rejected the Labor Departments argument that workers should be awarded even more than the back pay.

The department had argued that workers should get an additional $22 million in liquidated damages to compensate them for the time it took to recover their back pay.

In 2023, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania did not give that additional amount, finding that East Penn thought it had been paying workers appropriately under the law.

The appeals court agreed, noting that East Penns lawyers had said the companys practices were legal. Until taking on this case, Bibas wrote, the Third Circuit had not given guidance on whether employers had to pay for actual or reasonable time.

East Penn asked legal counsel how to follow the law, and counsel advised East Penn that it might be able to disregard pre-shift work, Bibas wrote. Even though that advice turned out to be mistaken, following it was reasonable.

A spokesperson for East Penn had emphasized the companys effort to pay workers legally in a statement about the verdict last year. East Penn had made every effort to comply with the laws as it understood them, spokesperson Donna Snyder said. As a company, it stands behind the time paid to employees to put on and take off uniforms and to shower.

East Penn was established in 1946 in a one-room creamery, according to the companys website, and grew into one of the worlds largest battery manufacturers with over 10,500 full-time employees. The battery manufacturing complex in Lyons Station, Berks County, is 520 acres. The company also has a facility in Iowa.

The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.

Samantha Thomas, a regional solicitor with the Labor Department in Philadelphia, said in a statement that the department is pleased with the Third Circuit decision. The courts decision will provide significant relief to East Penn employees who were not sufficiently paid for the time they worked, she said.
A red fox being temporarily housed at the home of volunteer Kathleen Cuneo in Audubon, N.J., on Dec. 16, 2024. Animal and wildlife lover Luke Ogden started a nonprofit fox rescue - An Itch in Time - to catch foxes suffering from mange and bring them to wildlife rehabs. He named this fox Baron, as it was captured in the Pine Barrens. Read more

Luke Ogden has been an animal and wildlife lover for years.

Growing up in Pennsauken, he preferred the great outdoors to video games. He had a pet snake and a menagerie of animals. For a while, he was the guy who gave talks from inside the tank of what is now the Adventure Aquarium in Camden. He had a dog-walking business, and he was president of his high schools ecology club.

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Two winters ago, Ogden, now 42, saw his first red fox, living in a den under a pile of old leaves and suffering from advanced mange, and it stopped him in his tracks.

There was no fur on it. Literally, it looked like a hairless cat, Ogden said. It was like leather.

He spent the next 10 days devising different methods  its true what they say; foxes are very clever and quick  to try to catch the fox and get it help for the tortuous condition caused by sarcoptic mites that had burrowed into its skin.

When he finally caught the red fox, it was too late. The animal died on the way to a wildlife rehabilitation center.

But just seeing that fox in that condition, and knowing it had suffered like that for four to six months to get to that point, that was a game changer for me, Ogden said. Thats what made me decide to do what Im doing. Because no animal deserves to go through that.

In October 2023, the South Jersey resident started An Itch in Time  Mangy Fox Rescue, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the difficult and time-consuming task of capturing red foxes suffering from mange and bringing them to licensed wildlife rehabilitators for treatment.

He and his several volunteers, including his wife, Carollyn, a massage therapist, dont get paid for the work they do. He keeps traps at 12 locations, outfitted with cameras that communicate to his smartphone all hours, day or night, when an animal has been caught. Sometimes its a raccoon or a skunk, and hell release it.

But if its a red fox, it will be brought to a wildlife rehab or, if it seems healthy or its mange is slight, his group will administer an antiparasitic medication.

Since An Itch in Time began, Ogden said theyve helped over 90 foxes, most of which had mange.



Hes great, said Suzanne Fenton, an Atlantic County-based rehabilitator whose Wildlife Aid Inc. is licensed by New Jersey. I find it amazing that he just did all this, all on his own without any training or anything.

According to N.J.s Department of Environment Protections Division of Fish and Wildlife, sarcoptic mite mange is the biggest killer of red foxes and coyotes in the state. Highly contagious, it can possibly spread to domestic dogs and people, according to the agency.

In Pennsylvania, biologist Thomas Keller of the Pennsylvania Game Commission said mange has been present in the states red fox population for decades, but he doesnt believe it is significant or growing. Overall these animals have had a very stable, healthy population for many years, especially in southeast Pennsylvania, he said.

Keller did not know of any nonprofit groups like An Itch in Time operating in his state, but he was aware of unlicensed private citizens attempting to treat foxes with mange, which is illegal in Pennsylvania. One such advocate in Northwest Philadelphia was written about recently in local environmental publication Grid Magazine.

For red foxes in the wild, the Jersey advocates find that sarcoptic mange is often a death sentence  and a horrible one.

Theyre constantly itching, and it never gets any better, Fenton said. Its miserable. Its one of the worst ways to die.

In the winter, its even worse.

Foxes dont mind cold weather, she said. When theyre healthy, their tails are huge and fluffy, and thats their blanket. Its kind of like a scarf. They wrap it around their body. They keep warm. But when they lose their fur on their tail, they dont have that protection.

Karen Cooper, whose Coopers Fox Den is a Manalapan rehabilitation operation, is also a fan of Ogdens efforts.

Hes just wonderful, said Cooper, who is also licensed by the state.

She believes loss of habitat by overdevelopment is shortening the life spans of red foxes in New Jersey and why some people say they are seeing foxes with mange.

The fields are where red foxes live. Theyre taking away their territory, Cooper said. So now you put the same amount of foxes in a smaller area with more stress, and sarcoptic mange can show itself. An animal thats stressed out has a lower immune system.

While red foxes arent aggressive animals, they are being driven to live closer to humans, which results in them losing more of their natural prey. Tension results when they seek out domestic animals like chickens, and Ogden said people lose out on foxes as effective controllers of rodent populations.

A red fox with sarcoptic mange is often too weak to hunt. And people like Ogden and the rehabilitators will tell you they are beautiful, interesting animals. Several generations of foxes will often use the same den site. Vixens will tend to their kits, while the fathers (the males are called dogs) will hunt.

And they are very smart. Ogden, who lives in Haddon Township and works in wasp and hornet nest removal from peoples homes in the warm months, has gone through all sorts of trial and error figuring out how to lure the red foxes.

That includes what food works best as bait. So far, hot dogs coated with barbecue sauce or apricot glaze is the winner.

The foxes love sweet things, he said.

Plus the moisture in the hot dogs helps keep them from drying out, and the sauce creates a barrier to help prevent flies from laying their eggs on the meat.

Last October, Ogdens team held the For Fox Sake Fall Tattoo Fundraiser to help An Itch in Time fund its work. Ogden got a big fox  about an 8-incher  tattooed on his right arm. He says hed love it if he could work on red fox rescue full-time. He would also like to work to lessen the use of certain rodent poisons that he suspects weaken the foxes immune systems. And he would like to get more people inspired by the cause.

The ultimate goal is to get them back home, feeling better, being healthier, he said. This way, theres hope that theyre able to breed more foxes. Its all a numbers game. The more foxes that go back out, the more likely well have more for future generations.
Mom and Dad, thank you for the gifts and the letter. I read it all. I am looking forward to being with you. Those are the words of Xiao Tang, the 10-year-old with whom we had been communicating for four years in anticipation of adoption.

The recorded video message was sent to us from the group home where Xiao, who has cerebral palsy, has lived most of his life.

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But in early September, without prior notice, Chinas foreign ministry issued a brief comment that it was banning all international adoptions, even those  like ours  with completed adoption paperwork and payments. According to reporting from the New York Times, Chinas civil affairs ministry told the United States that it had completed processing of cases with previously issued travel authorizations, but it would not continue to process cases other than exceptions for those with relatives in the U.S. Hundreds of U.S. families and the hopeful children are affected.

Were asking President Joe Biden, before he leaves office next month, to urge China to finalize the adoptions that were in process. Were asking that he work to ensure these kids dont spend another Christmas in an institution, bereft of the love and care they were promised.

Children belong in loving families, not in institutions.

Beijing accepted our dossier and, in January 2020, Chinese authorities preapproved our application to pursue the adoption. Only one last travel document remained outstanding as the COVID-19 pandemic brought travel to a halt. Chinese authorities requested we wait until the pandemic was over before traveling to China and bringing Xiao home. A Letter of Approval was placed in his file, adorned with a red seal  a promise that his future would change from lifelong orphan to a cherished son.

Nearly four years have passed since Xiao was informed by Chinese authorities that he had a family in the United States, waiting to bring him home. We are the only Mama and Baba he knows.

He could have been adopted domestically in the intervening years, but no one stepped forward to do so. Like many children with physical challenges or disabilities, Xiao needs special medical intervention. Specialists at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia have reviewed his chart with us, to help us prepare for his arrival. His cerebral palsy requires lifelong care, custom equipment, and a team of specialists.

We are confident we can meet his critical medical needs as well as his emotional needs. David, who was adopted from South Korea, understands the challenges adoptees face. With his experience as an adoptee, and Meghans work as an English language learner instructor to children in China, we are uniquely prepared to care for Xiao.

We are the only Mama and Baba he knows.

We are committed to ensuring he has access to his birth culture and language, connecting him with top-notch medical care, and  most importantly  giving him the permanent, loving home every child deserves. After all, children belong in loving families, not in institutions.

To that end, we joined other waiting families through Hope Leads Home, a grassroots nonprofit that has rallied to secure help in urging the president to take action.

As Sens. Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa) and Ben Cardin (D., Md.) wrote in the bipartisan letter signed by 103 members of Congress and sent to President Biden, authorities in China shouldnt break faith with the nearly 300 children matched with adoptive families in the United States. This week, 33 governors have joined Congress in a similar request.

Instead of compounding the losses of institutionalized children this Christmas, China must act in their best interests and unite them with the families they were promised.

Meghan Briggs teaches English as a second language and lives in a suburb of Philadelphia with her husband and biological son. David Briggs was adopted from South Korea as a child. He lives in a suburb of Philadelphia with his wife and biological son.
Elon Musk and Melania Trump (right) listen as Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in October. Read more

Elon Musk has never been elected to office. President-elect Donald Trump has not tapped him to serve in any role inside the government. Until the July assassination attempt, he never even publicly supported Trump.

But this week, critics of the worlds richest man say he attained a new title: shadow president of the United States.

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In a matter of hours on Wednesday, Musk wielded his powerful X account to pressure House Republicans to torpedo a spending bill that would have kept the federal government open for three months. Musks rapid-fire messages  which included numerous false claims about the contents of the spending bill  ricocheted through Washington, where some lawmakers reported their phone lines were ringing all day with calls from constituents who saw Musks posts. More than 12 hours after Musks first post calling lawmakers to not pass the bill, Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance also put out a statement opposing the legislation, and House Republicans scrapped the deal.

Musk kept up the tide of critical posts throughout the day on Thursday as House Republicans scrambled to come up with an alternative. Ultimately, House Republicans appended a two-year debt ceiling hike  a key demand of Trumps  to a slimmed-down version of the original bill that Musk had decried as one of the worst bills ever written, though the cost difference between the two was only marginal.

But the second Trump-backed measure went down to a broad and swift defeat in the House on Thursday evening, raising the chances of a shutdown beginning at 12:01 a.m. Saturday.

Musks outsize role in sending the federal government careening toward a potential shutdown before Christmas has alarmed Democrats, academics and watchdog groups, while some Republicans said his intervention was uninformed.

The tech billionaires swift accumulation of political power has sparked criticism that the incoming Trump administration will function like an oligarchy, with Musk pushing for policies that will further enrich him and his companies. Trump has named Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy as cochairmen of an outside group dubbed the Department of Government Efficiency, which will advocate for vast cuts to federal spending.

The outrage reverberated on X, which Musk owns and where President Musk became a trending topic. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-California) posted an AI-generated image that depicted Musk operating a Trump puppet. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut) posted that the move was a signal of what was to come with Trumps Billionaire First agenda. And Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla) wrote that an unelected billionaire was crowned copresident by the Republican Party.

The Republican Party has given him so much influence over every decision they make, Frost told The Washington Post on Thursday. Either theyre scared or either theyve bowed down and pledged allegiance to the richest man on Earth.

Musk did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.

Republicans insisted that Trump was driving the push, with Musk and Ramaswamy using their social media reach to amplify his opposition to the original spending bill. Some cautioned that the prospects for Johnsons deal were already dimming amid concerns that Johnson had acquiesced to too many demands from Democrats, veering from his promise to avoid the pursuit of a Christmas tree bill  a term referring to a bill that attracts a slew of last-ditch, unrelated legislation. Several people also said that Trump had communicated to Johnson earlier this fall that he wanted to get rid of the debt ceiling  a demand that has been absent from the government funding deliberations but which Trump revived this week.

I think President Trump is calling the shots, said Sen. John Neely Kennedy (R-Louisiana), when asked about Musks influence over the process. Kennedy said he was not minimizing Musks tweets, but said that it was Trump who ultimately killed the first bill. He added it was obvious the legislation was trouble on a stick once he realized it included a provision that would allow for pay raises for lawmakers.

The episode underscored the political ramifications of the unprecedented role that Musk has played in shaping Trumps administration. Hes weighed in on Cabinet picks, joined meetings with heads of state and now is acting as an enforcer of Trumps political agenda on Capitol Hill.

Musks wealth, online following and political power have exploded since Trumps November victory, after he emerged as the countrys largest political donor, throwing $277 million into backing Donald Trump and other Republicans. Many watchdog groups have raised concerns that Musk could abuse his access to Trump and role in shaping the Republican agenda at a time when he is the target of multiple government investigations and party to many lucrative government contracts.

Musk has conflicts of interest because of his businesses dependency on the government, said Martin Gilens, professor of public policy at UCLA who has studied economic inequality in political influence.

Its kind of a perfect storm, in the sense that hes unelected and in a seemingly very influential position so thats problematic to begin with, he said.

Trump and his transition team on Thursday pushed back against claims that Musk was solely responsible for tanking the spending plan. Trump told NBC News that he had discussed his position on the spending bill with Musk before the Tesla CEOs posts Wednesday.

I told him that if he agrees with me, that he could put out a statement, Trump told NBC. Hes looking at things from a cost standpoint. He described their views as in line and very much on track.

As soon as President Trump released his official stance on the CR, Republicans on Capitol Hill echoed his point of view, said Trump transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt. President Trump is the leader of the Republican Party. Full stop.

Musks online tirade against the legislation was reminiscent of Trumps style of governing in 140 characters or less during his first administration. Musk posted multiple inaccurate claims about the spending bill, writing that the legislation would give members of Congress a 40 percent raise. The maximum possible raise in 2025 under the legislation would have been 3.8 percent. Some of Musks inaccuracies even drew feedback from members of the Republican Party.

I love you Elon but you need to take 5 seconds to check your sources before highlighting bottom feeders looking for clicks, tweeted Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), after Musk responded to a video that claimed Crenshaw was spearheading the effort to raise lawmakers salaries.

Musk also amplified a false assertion that the bill included billions for a new D.C. stadium. The legislation would have permitted D.C. to redevelop RFK Stadium and possibly bring the Washington Commanders back to their former home, but no costs were attached to the provision. It was dropped from the compromise version released Thursday.

Musk also threatened members of Congress who supported the spending bill, writing they should be voted out in two years. Amid criticism that he had overstepped and bought political influence, Musk claimed he was enforcing the will of the American people.

The voice of the people was heard, he wrote after the bill was abandoned. This was a good day for America.

Some Republican senators on Thursday embraced Musks influence over the legislative body, portraying him as just an ordinary citizen exercising his right to be heard.

Hes a member of the public that has a voice, and I think whats happened is hes doing what Americans are doing, hes showing up and learning the process and getting involved, said Sen. Rick Scott (R-Florida). And I think its great what hes doing.

When asked whether Musk or Trump killed the spending deal, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) said: I think its a little of both.

Other Republicans appeared eager to give Musk even more power in Washington. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) noted on X that the speaker of the House does not need to be a member of Congress. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) responded that she would be open to supporting Musk to lead the House.

Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk  think about it  nothings impossible, he responded.

Paul appeared to back off that endorsement on Thursday, saying when asked by a reporter if he was serious that he would leave his comment open to interpretation.

Elon Musk is having an impact, and I think a good impact, in the sense that spending is out of control, Paul said.

During an exchange with an ABC News correspondent on Thursday, Trump asked Musk if he wanted to be House speaker. Should I be? replied the tech billionaire. No, were very happy with Mike, Trump said. [Elon] is too busy sending rockets to the moon.

Rep. Michael Lawler (R-New York) said that Musk would inevitably be focused on spending as part of his work on DOGE, and he didnt think there were any issues with more transparency as long as its accurate.

I dont think theres any problem with raising concerns about the strategy or the plan or the components of a bill, he said. But I think the key that everybody has to realize from the White House on down, is, given our margins, we have to work as a team.

Meanwhile, angry Democrats expressed concerns that the chaos on the Hill this week was just a preview of what is to come under the incoming Trump administration, when his party will also control both chambers of Congress.

Well you have a billionaire who is what, is he running the country? So now we have two people that we have to contend with, said Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii). Its just alarming if this is how decisions are going to be made.
Hours before what could be the start of a potential federal government shutdown, President-elect Donald Trump doubled down Friday on his insistence that a debt ceiling increase be included in any deal  and if not, that the closures start now.

On Thursday, the House resoundingly rejected Trumps new plan to fund operations and suspend the debt ceiling, as Democrats and dozens of Republicans refused to accommodate his sudden demands.

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In a hastily convened evening vote punctuated by angry outbursts over the self-made crisis, the lawmakers failed to reach the two-thirds threshold needed for passage.

The outcome proved a massive setback for Trump and his billionaire ally, Elon Musk, who rampaged against House Speaker Mike Johnsons bipartisan compromise, which Republicans and Democrats had reached earlier to prevent a Christmastime government shutdown.

Its a glimpse of the turbulence ahead when Trump returns to the White House with Republican control of the House and Senate. During his first term, Trump led Republicans into the longest government shutdown in history during the 2018 Christmas season, and interrupted the holidays in 2020 by tanking a bipartisan COVID-relief bill and forcing a do-over.

Heres what you need to know about a government shutdown.

What is a government shutdown?

Traditionally, 12 annual appropriation bills outline funding for the various U.S. government agencies. Those bills are lumped together into a single omnibus package where they are approved in one vote.

Part of the existing spending plans were set to expire Sept. 30, at the end of the governments fiscal year. The temporary agreement reached at the time extended funding through Dec. 20.

Who is affected by a government shutdown?

When a shutdown happens, the government isnt able to spend money  with some exceptions  meaning that federal employees across the country would be expected to work without pay until the shutdown ends or face furloughs. In turn, essential services would continue to operate, but resources would be significantly strained.

Hundreds of thousands of federal employees are impacted by government shutdowns. Those who are expected to work do not receive pay until after the shutdown has ended. The employees are guaranteed back pay. Many employees are also at risk of being furloughed and would not be allowed to work (but would also receive back pay thanks to legislation passed in 2019).

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Some of the main groups of employees who could be impacted include active military members, federal law enforcement, federal transportation workers (such as air traffic controllers and TSA agents, but not SEPTA employees, who are not federal workers), national park employees, scientific researchers, and some health-care providers.

What happens to Social Security, Medicare, and veterans benefits during a government shutdown?

Retirement and disability benefit programs, including veteran benefits, would continue on during a government shutdown because that funding is allocated separately from the budget being decided on. There could be some delays in service because of the shutdown.

When would the government shut down?

The current funding agreement expires Friday night, which is also when Congress is supposed to adjourn for a holiday break. If an agreement isnt reached by Friday at midnight, a shutdown would go into place Saturday at 12:01 a.m. and the government would need to furlough thousands of federal workers and reduce federal services amid the holiday season.

What was the longest government shutdown?

The longest, and most recent, government shutdown lasted 34 days, from Dec. 22, 2018, through Jan. 25, 2019. It was the second government shutdown to occur during Trumps presidency. That shutdown ended after East Coast airports faced major delays when unpaid air traffic controllers stopped coming to work.

Last year, lawmakers narrowly avoided a federal shutdown when the House and Senate agreed on a short-term funding deal that Biden signed into law minutes before deadline. And in September, Congressional leaders announced a short-term spending deal that funded federal agencies for about three months, circumventing a potential partial government shutdown.

What could a government shutdown mean for Philly?

In Philadelphia, the most recent government shutdown led to the closing of Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell Center.

Last year, the U.S. Department of Interior said that all National Park Service locations would close if a government shutdown went into effect, impacting Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, and Valley Forge. The agency had not released guidance for this year as of publication time.

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The citys Immigration Court was closed during the 2018-19 shutdown, accepting only emergency filings for people already in detention.

Most federal eastern Pennsylvania law enforcement officers continued to work without pay, but some employees deemed nonessential were temporarily furloughed. Essential Philadelphia International Airport employees continued to work without pay, but resources were strained, with some air traffic controllers furloughed.

Workers at shelters that serve vulnerable populations and rely on federal funding worried about when payments would come.

What happens next?

Congress continues to debate and attempt to negotiate a deal. With leaders at an impasse and dozens of Republicans disagreeing with Trump, Congress has no clear path forward and a partial shutdown could be imminent, disrupting the busy holiday travel season.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Pictures of building and land that is 7979 State Rd. Philadelphia, PA 19136. For story about City of Philadelphia building a Wellness Village at this site. Photograph taken on Wednesday morning June 5, 2024. Read more

Mayor Cherelle L. Parkers administration will open the first phase of a new city-funded treatment facility for people who use drugs early in the new year, marking a significant milestone in the mayors plan to address the open-air drug market in Kensington.

Parker said during a major year-end speech Friday that the city will soon open rehabilitated cottages at the Riverview Wellness Village, a former personal care home at 7979 State Rd. next to the citys jail complex in Northeast Philadelphia. The city also plans to construct a new building on the campus  which could take two years or more  where a majority of patients will be housed and treated.

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 READ MORE: More older Black men in Philadelphia are dying of overdoses than many other places in the U.S.: Its like a secret disease

Records show that the city can house up to 120 people in the first phase of opening, The Inquirer reported earlier this year.

The Parker administration has highlighted the site at Riverview, which will eventually house up to 640 people, as a major part of its strategy to house and treat people who use drugs, especially in Kensington, where hundreds of people in addiction live on the street. The administration has employed strategies to relocate people from the neighborhood this year, but residents say police-led interventions have often simply moved drug traffic from one block to another.

Parker earlier this year asked City Council to approve $100 million in borrowing to finance the facility, and in June, lawmakers voted to fund the plan.

 READ MORE: Philly is developing a fast-track court for people arrested for drug use in Kensington

The mayor said during her speech Friday that she will hold her first cabinet meeting of the year at the facility in January. Parker described the facility as a refuge for people who are living on the streets.

And it will provide a place to get them treatment when they need it in a state-of-the-art, dignified environment, she said.

There are seven existing buildings on the Riverview complex, which is about 19 acres and sits along a quiet patch of land overlooking the Delaware River. According to city records, several of those buildings need to be gutted. But two were in better physical shape and were expected to open first. Those buildings are to be made up of 30 communal living units averaging four beds each.

Initially, the Riverview complex will be considered a low-intensity residential treatment facility, meaning patients are admitted only if withdrawal symptoms or other medical conditions do not require hospital-level care.
High Point coffee occupies the ground floor of the SEPTA stop at Richard Allen Lane station in Mount Airy, which Ken Weinstein already leases. Other old SEPTA stations could get similar tenants. Read more

SEPTAs board approved a deal Thursday that would give developer Ken Weinsteins Philly Office Retail 99-year leases on five historic, but long neglected, rail stations in Northwest Philadelphia.

Weinstein was the only developer to bid on all five Victorian-era stations: Tulpehocken in Germantown; Carpenter, Mount Airy, and Upsal in Mount Airy; and Gravers Lane in Chestnut Hill.

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This is not something that developers are looking to do  spending a lot of time and energy on restoring these relatively small spaces  but sometimes you do a project thats good for the community and not necessarily good for your bottom line, Weinstein said.

The developer already leases three stations, including the Richard Allen Lane stop in Mount Airy, which rents the renovated station to High Point coffee shop on the ground floor and a rental apartment on the second.

Outside Northwest Philadelphia, Philly Office Retail leases the stations at Fort Washington and Ardsley, which also host coffee shops. Those leases are all for 20 to 30 years.

A similar retail setup is probable at Upsal Station because a coffee shop had previously been in that building. The Gravers Lane station is unlikely to host commercial uses. It could be used as a single-family rental home.

The Gravers Lane station, because of how it is laid out and more hidden in the community, was likely to be used just for residential use, Weinstein said. For the other three, maybe coffee shops, professional offices, or yoga studios. It doesnt depend on what we want it to be. It depends what somebody wants to lease it for.

Each rehabbed station building would contain at least one apartment, which Weinstein says will cut down on crime or vandalism around the stations.

Before we restored and renewed the Richard Allen station, there was a considerable amount of graffiti and crime around the station, he said. There was clear and immediate benefit to the immediate neighbors and the community.

The stations date to the late 19th century, when what are now the Chestnut Hill East and West Lines were owned by two competing private railroad companies. The buildings are intricately designed in the Victorian style, and two are designed by famed architect Frank Furness.

But they have been unoccupied for an average of 10 years, SEPTA says.

Philly Office Retails leases will be for a nominal $1 per year because SEPTA sees Weinstein taking control of the buildings as a huge cost savings. The developer is known for renovations of historic buildings and is often an ally of preservationists.

Currently maintenance costs SEPTA about $30,000 per station annually. SEPTA projects that if the agency were to do renovations itself, it would cost an additional $4 million in total. Weinstein estimates his renovation costs at $1.5 million.

This is a win-win situation for SEPTA and the Northwest Philadelphia community, said Kelly Greene, a SEPTA spokesperson. It is also another example of how we continue to do our part to control costs and be good stewards of taxpayer dollars.

The transaction comes amid larger uncertainty for SEPTAs Regional Rail service in the Northwest. Although Gov. Josh Shapiro intervened to stave off an immediate funding crisis in November, SEPTA needs a permanent funding fix amid structural post-pandemic issues of ridership in the era of hybrid work.

Organizers have been building support in the neighborhoods along the Chestnut Hill West line, which is especially endangered, to try to shore up support for the trains.

Both Weinstein and SEPTA say the deal will still be positive, even if one of the rail lines is closed.

Philly Office Retail sees these sites as a community benefit, not just an asset to the SEPTA rider, Greene said. These five historic buildings also have the potential to become community hubs  not just reliant on ridership.
We are pleased to complete this transaction, which simplifies DARAGs operations. It allows the group to focus on its core European business, and brings additional capital to execute a strong pipeline of European transactions, several of which are in advanced stages of negotiation, Booth said.
Californias insurance market is heating up  both literally and figuratively  thanks to an escalating wave of natural disasters that are reshaping the industry. The Franklin Fire, a roaring blaze devouring thousands of acres in Southern California, has thrust the states luxury properties into the spotlight. Among them is Beyonce and Jay-Zs $200 million Malibu mansion, perched in the high-risk Paradise Cove area. Despite its record-breaking value and opulent features  think a 30,000-square-foot expanse with oceanfront views and an infinity pool  the property now teeters on the brink of devastation.
These new hires are part of several strategic additions throughout the year, reflecting the company's ongoing commitment to solidifying its market position. Earlier this year, CRC Group welcomed professionals like David An, Nicholas Prince, Anna Brown, Sarah McKenna, Joseph Carothers, and Craig Brown to expand expertise and strengthen its geographical presence.
The acquisition merges two workers compensation insurers with strong financial performance and a shared focus on stakeholder commitments. LWCC noted that the deal would diversify its investment portfolio while creating opportunities for both companies to leverage each others strengths.
Starting in 2026, Safeco will cease underwriting new policies for specialty vehicles, motorcycles, and non-good driver (standard) auto products. At the same time, the company will begin non-renewing policies in these lines and others it had already stopped offering to new customers, including Liberty Mutual-branded condo and renters insurance, which were closed to new business in 2023.
Joining Hayward in the discussion will be Mark Cloutier, incoming chair of ABIR and executive chairman and group CEO of Aspen; Craig Simmons, economist and retired senior lecturer at Bermuda College, who will also lead the course; and Collin Anderson, ABIRs director of policy and regulation, who will moderate the session. The roundtable will take place virtually on Jan. 13.
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.

Settlement Terms

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.

Photo: A gate blocks entrance to the former Ciba-Geigy chemical plant Dec. 17, 2024, in Toms River, N.J., one of Americas worst toxic waste sites. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)

Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Pollution New Jersey
Group of Seven nations are exploring ways to toughen the price cap on Russian oil as they seek to better target Moscows ability to fund its war against Ukraine, according to people familiar with the matter.

Options under consideration range from essentially replacing the mechanism with a full ban on handling Russian crude to lowering the price threshold from the current $60 to about $40, the people said. The people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive talks, cautioned that discussions were ongoing and theres no consensus yet on a next step.

Under the current terms of the price cap, western operators can insure and transport oil only when its purchased below the price threshold. The US and European Union also introduced an embargo on most imports in the months after Russias full-scale invasion.

Thats seen Moscow turn to a covert fleet of tankers, often operating with unknown insurers or owners, to move its crude to new markets, particularly in Asia. This shadow fleet has helped Russia work around the restrictions, with prices for its crude selling above the price cap for most of the year.

In response, G-7 nations have sanctioned dozens of vessels and entities involved in these shadow trades. A number of Northern European countries also are ramping up insurance checks on passing Russian tankers.

The price cap was originally designed to limit the amount of money Russia makes from its oil sales while keeping global oil prices from skyrocketing. With prices for oil slipping amid forecasts of a global surplus in 2025, Ukraines allies are open to taking more aggressive action, Bloomberg previously reported.

As they weigh possible options, G-7 nations are looking to balance the potential economic impact of any measures with other issues such as maritime safety, with some arguing that trade could benefit from Moscow using more reliable operators, the people said.

Photograph: The shadow fleet tanker Turbo Voyager transits through the Great Belt of Denmark off the coast of Agerso, Denmark, on Thursday, Aug. 15. 2024. On the small Danish island of Agerso, fisherman and beach-goers see old tankers carry Russian oil through Denmarks narrow straits on a daily basis. Photo credit: Carsten Snejbjerg/Bloomberg

Related:

Copyright 2025 Bloomberg.

Topics Energy Oil Gas Russia
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP)  Grubhub Inc., an online food ordering and delivery platform, will pay $25 million to settle a dispute over alleged deceptive business practices with the Illinois attorney general and the Federal Trade Commission, officials said Tuesday.

Attorney General Kwame Raoul said he launched an investigation into the 20-year-old operation after receiving dozens of consumer complaints and engaged the FTC on the nationwide settlement.

Grubhub tricked its customers, deceived its drivers and unfairly damaged the reputation and revenues of restaurants that did not partner with Grubhub  all in order to drive scale and accelerate growth, FTC chairperson Lina M. Khan said.

Chicago-based Grubhub, which allows consumers to order delivery from nearby restaurants via drivers contracted with the company, will pay $24.8 million in restitution, while $200,000 will fund the attorney generals consumer education and enforcement operations.

Raoul and Khan said the investigation found that Grubhub engaged in illegal practices by misleading customers about the cost of delivery and the benefits of a Grubhub subscription, deceived drivers about the amount of money they could make, and listed restaurants on its app without their knowledge or consent  and in some cases over their objections.

In a statement, Grubhub denied wrongdoing. It said the company is committed to openness in its practices and said it cooperated with the FTC in its multiyear review.

While we categorically deny the allegations made by the FTC, many of which are wrong, misleading or no longer applicable to our business, we believe settling this matter is in the best interest of Grubhub and allows us to move forward, the statement said.

In addition to the settlement payment, Grubhub said it will make changes to its platform to make it easier for diners to understand fees and to better explain what delivery drivers could earn.

The settlement also requires Grubhub to immediately remove from its listing any unaffiliated restaurants, Raoul said.

The FTC said it doesnt yet know how many consumers may benefit from the payout. After court approval of the agreement, the agency will put together a remediation plan.

Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Illinois
The U.S. Department of Labor obtained a consent judgment and order in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on Dec. 2, 2024, that requires DNuez Corp. and owners Antonio Rendon and Albino Rendon  operators of three restaurants in Chicago and Berwyn  to pay 53 employees a total of $125,000 in overtime back wages and liquidated damages  owed by the employer.

The judgment resolves a Nov. 13, 2024 complaint filed by the department after its Wage and Hour Division investigators found the family-operated Chicago companyand its owners violated the Fair Labor Standards Act when they did the following:

Failed to pay servers and kitchen staff an overtime premium of time and one-half their hourly rate of pay for hours over 40 in a workweek. The restaurants paid overtime hours in cash at straight time.

Failed to display a Fair Labor Standards Act poster as required.

The courts action follows the divisions review of payroll records at two Mexican-fusion restaurants in Chicago on S. Archer Avenue and W. 18th Street from Feb. 28, 2021, to Sept. 26, 2023, that determined the employers owed $62,500 in back wages to the affected employees. In addition to paying back wages and damages, the employers are forbidden from future FLSA violations. The third restaurant, located at 7016 Cermak Road in Berwyn, was not involved in the lawsuit.

The company will repay the back wages in four equal payments within 90 days and must also provide employees information of the FLSA, maintain accurate payroll records, and provide each employee a paystub that details their earnings and withholdings for each pay period.

Source: DOL
A Senate Budget Committee report shows how dangerous climate change is to the nations financial system as well as how bad it could be for homeowners seeking affordable insurance.

A Senate Budget Committee Staff report out this month, Uncovering the Economic Costs of Climate Change, details findings from more than a dozen committee hearings with witnesses that included economists, bankers, insurance industry analysts, scientists and others.

The report asserts that economic damages from climate change are already occurring, and it features witness testimony that systemic risks threaten the U.S. economy, including more than $1 trillion in coastal real estate that could become uninsurable.

Climate change also poses great risks to agriculture and supply chains around the world, while extreme weather is wreaking havoc on infrastructure, according to the report.

From rising temperatures to extreme weather events, climate change is altering natural landscapes and threatening a range of industries that depend on healthy and stable natural systems, the report states. Witnesses testified that climate-related droughts, rising temperatures, and severe weather events are harming crop yields and food production; and that climate change is damaging outdoor recreation and ocean-based economies. The results of these disruptions are lost jobs, damaged local economies, and higher prices for consumers in grocery stores.

AI and Climate Change

Generative artificial intelligence and climate change are on a collision course, according to an article in Wired.

The pursuit of bigger, more powerful large language models comes with significant costs to the environment: from generating enormous amounts of energy to power data centers that run like ChatGPT to millions of gallons of freshwater required so all the gizmos in data centers dont overheat to the tons of rare earth metals to build all the hardware.

Data centers already use 2% of electricity globally. In Ireland, that figure amounts to one-fifth of the electricity generated, leading the Irish government to declare a moratorium on new data centers until 2028, according to the article.

Much of this energy is officially termed carbon-neutral, but some of the term is true only because the companies behind the center rely on renewable energy credits.

Places like Data Center Alley in Virginia are mostly powered by nonrenewable energy sources such as natural gas, and energy providers are delaying the retirement of coal power plants to keep up with the increased demands of technologies like AI, the article states. Data centers are slurping up huge amounts of freshwater from scarce aquifers, pitting local communities against data center providers in places ranging from Arizona to Spain.

European Weather Plan

Plans to beef up insurance coverage for natural catastrophes and extreme weather increasingly being fueled by climate change are being proposed by the European Central Bank and the regions insurance authority.

The two-part plan involves a voluntary public-private reinsurance mechanism to pool private risks across to help backstop weather-related losses, and a mandatory European Union fund to pay reconstruction costs when high-loss natural disasters occur, according to a Bloomberg article on Claims Journal.

Europe has been hit by rising extreme-weather losses over the past 15 years: between 1981 and 2023, natural catastrophes caused $954 billion of direct economic losses within the EU, with one-fifth of those losses occurring in the past three years, according to the article.

The article cites a paper published last year showing that roughly 75% of those losses werent insured.

Weather in Europe was much in the news this year, and regulators in European countries have been moving to deal with the prevalence of extreme weather.

Italian companies must soon comply with a requirement to take out natural disaster insurance. Many small to mi-sized firms have traditionally relied on government support to weather increasingly frequent climate-related disasters. Italy spends around 4-5 billion euros a year on compensation for natural disasters, figures from insurance watchdog IVASS show, around 0.25% of gross domestic product, Reuters reported.

Past columns:

Topics Climate Change Politics
The suspect in the killing of UnitedHealth Group UNH.N executive Brian Thompson is being charged with federal murder and stalking crimes, according to a court document filed on Thursday, alongside state murder and terrorism charges previously announced by New York prosecutors.

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan are charging Luigi Mangione, 26, with the federal crime of murder using a firearm, two charges of stalking and a charge of using an illegal gun silencer, according to a criminal complaint. The complaint accused Mangione of spending months planning an attack driven by his contempt for the health insurance industry and wealthy corporate executives.

Mangione was transferred into the custody of New York City police earlier on Thursday after he waived his right to extradition proceedings at a court hearing in Pennsylvania, the state where he was arrested following a five-day manhunt.

According to the federal complaint, a notebook Altoona police found in Mangiones possession contained several handwritten pages that express hostility towards the health insurance industry and wealthy executives in particular. A notebook entry dated Oct. 22 described an intent to wack the chief executive of an insurance company at its investor conference.

This investor conference is a true windfall, one entry found in the notebook said, according to the complaint. Most importantly  the message becomes self evident.

Police also found a letter in the suspects possession addressed To the Feds that stated: I wasnt working with anyone, according to the complaint.

This was fairly trivial: Some elementary social engineering, basic CAD, a lot of patience, the letter said, using an abbreviation for computer-aided design.

Earlier this week, a grand jury in New York indicted Mangione on 11 counts of breaking state law, including first-degree murder and murder as an act of terrorism. Mangione has been in custody since his arrest and has not yet entered a plea. His New York defense lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, has said Mangione has been overcharged and that he would fight the charges in court.

Mangione was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Dec. 9, five days after Thompson was fatally shot outside a Manhattan hotel before a company conference in what law-enforcement officials have called a premeditated assassination.

While the killing of Thompson has been broadly condemned, Mangione has been feted as a folk hero by some Americans who decry the steep costs of healthcare and the power that insurance companies have to deny paying for some medical treatments.

Federal charges potentially allow prosecutors to pursue the death penalty, which has been abolished in New York for decades.

Prosecutors say that Mangione traveled in interstate commerce by taking a bus from Atlanta to New York before Thompsons killing and also used his cellphone and the internet to plan and carry out his attack, and so have jurisdiction.

Mangione is due to make an initial court appearance on the federal charges before U.S. Magistrate Judge Katharine Parker in Manhattan on Thursday afternoon.

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, Mangiones lawyer Friedman Agnifilo said in a statement. We are ready to fight these charges in whatever court they are brought.

In Pennsylvania, police said Mangione had a self-assembled 9mm handgun in his backpack and a homemade silencer when he was arrested after being spotted at a McDonalds restaurant. The handgun resembled the weapon used to kill Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, the largest U.S. health insurer.

Mangione, a Maryland native who had lived in Hawaii, also had multiple fake identification documents, including a fake New Jersey ID that was used to check into a Manhattan hostel days before Thompsons shooting, police said.

In Pennsylvania, Mangione has been charged with forgery and illegally possessing an unlicensed gun.

At the Blair County courthouse on Thursday morning, Mangione, appearing in an orange jail jumpsuit, had a preliminary hearing for the Pennsylvania charges, immediately followed by a second on New Yorks extradition request. A small crowd of supporters stood outside the courthouse, some waving signs that condemned the health insurance industry.

The Pennsylvania prosecutors told the court they had agreed to pause the Pennsylvania proceedings until after the conclusion of the New York prosecutions.

Mangione spoke only briefly at the extradition hearing, saying he understood his rights and telling Judge David Consiglio he consented to surrender to New York police.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs office is accusing Mangione of an act of terrorism under New York law because Thompsons killing was intended to intimidate or coerce civilians or influence the policies of a unit of government.
American Airlines has agreed to settle a race discrimination lawsuit by three Black men who were temporarily removed from a flight at the insistence of white flight attendants, according to a court filing on Thursday.

The terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but lawyers for the men said the settlement includes a commitment by American to take action to prevent discrimination in the future.

The plaintiffs had claimed that they and five other Black men were removed from a New York-bound flight out of Phoenix, Arizona, in January for about an hour after white flight attendants complained about a passenger with offensive body odor, in a lawsuit filed in Brooklyn federal court in May.

Related: American Airlines Sued for Removing Black Passengers From Flight

None of the men ordered off the plane had an odor, the plaintiffs said in the lawsuit. They called the incident traumatic, upsetting, scary, humiliating, and degrading.

The men accused the airline of violating a Civil War-era law banning race discrimination in contracts.

American Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment. When the lawsuit was filed, the airline said it takes discrimination claims seriously and was investigating the matter.

Lawyers for the three men who sued said American had fired the flight attendants involved in the incident and expressed a commitment to delivering a positive experience to customers who choose to fly with the company.

In 2017, the NAACP urged Black travelers not to fly American, citing what it said were a series of racially-based incidents. The civil rights organization withdrew its advisory the following year after the airline agreed to update its policies and train employees on implicit bias.

Topics Lawsuits Aviation
The Cleveland Clinic, a health care system with hospitals and clinics around the world, said it plans to build a 150-bed hospital in the Palm Beach area and will quadruple the size of an outpatient clinic there.

Cleveland has operated an outpatient clinic at City Place in West Palm Beach for some 15 years, but the growing needs of the community call for a new hospital with ambulatory surgery center, the company said in a news release Thursday. Cleveland is now in the process of purchasing land for the hospital.

Nearby, the clinic will lease more space at 15 City Place for a larger outpatient center that will provide chemotherapy, endoscopy, outpatient surgery and other services. The Cleveland Clinic operates more than 40 health centers around Florida, including the 258-bed hospital in Weston, Florida, near Fort Lauderdale.

The expansion is likely to present new opportunities and issues for property-casualty insurers and brokers, including workers compensation coverage and rate reimbursement questions, as well as property insurance and medical malpractice coverage.

Photo: Cleveland Clinics Hospital in Weston, Florida. (Adobe Stock images)

Topics Florida
A physician who worked for an Inland Empire medical company has agreed to plead guilty to conspiring to defraud Californias workers compensation trust fund by continuing to work on workers comp matters after being suspended due to a prior healthcare fraud conviction, according to the Justice Department.

Kevin Tien Do, 59, of Pasadena, agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and one count of subscribing to a false tax return. He is expected to make his initial appearance this afternoon in United States District Court in Santa Ana.

In his plea agreement, Do admitted that he conspired to defraud the state of millions of dollars by defrauding Californias Subsequent Injuries Benefits Trust Fund (SIBTF) from October 2018 to February 2023. The California SIBTF is a special fund administered by Californias workers comp program to provide additional compensation to injured workers who already had a disability or impairment at the time of a subsequent injury.

Beginning in 2016, Do began to work for Liberty Medical Group Inc., a Rancho Cucamonga-based medical company, for which he would reportedly draft SIBTF-related medical reports that Liberty would then bill to the California SIBTF program. In October 2018, California suspended Do from participating in Californias workers comp program, which included the SIBTF, because he had previously been convicted of federal healthcare fraud in 2003. Despite his suspension, Do continued to work for Liberty on SIBTF-related workers comp matters.

Do reportedly continued to perform similar actions for Liberty that he had been doing before his October 2018 suspension, including compiling and editing reports related to the SIBTF program. To conceal that Do was unlawfully continuing to participate in the workers comp SIBTF program after his suspension, Libertys owner reportedly had Do continue to author the SIBTF-related reports, which Liberty would then continue to mail to the California SIBTF for payment.

Rather than listing Dos name on the billing forms and the attached medical reports mailed to the California SIBTF, Liberty instead fraudulently listed other doctors names on the billing forms and attached medical reports, according to the Department of Justice.

Do admitted that Liberty was paid more than $3 million by California SIBTF for such reports that Liberty mailed to the California SIBTF for payment after Dos October 2018 suspension.

Dos plea agreement also details that Libertys owner edited Dos medical reports, even though that co-conspirator was not a doctor or other licensed medical professional.

Under California law, shareholders/owners of a medical corporation must be licensed in the practice of medicine or other related medical fields.

In his plea agreement, Do admitted that real owner of Liberty and Dos co-conspirator was another person who was not a doctor or other medical professional, but was a California attorney then employed as a prosecutor for the Orange County District Attorneys Office, and who later became an Orange County Superior Court judge during the conspiracy.

Do also admitted that he failed to accurately report to the IRS all the money he had been paid by Liberty. Do admitted that on his 2021 tax return, he failed to report $66,227 of the income that Liberty paid him, according to the Justice Department.

Once Do enters his guilty plea, he will face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for the mail fraud count and up to three years in federal prison for the tax fraud count.

The FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the California Department of Insurance are investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles E. Pell of the Orange County Office and Ryan J. Waters of the Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Section are prosecuting the case.

Topics California Workers' Compensation
A California man was sentenced to 16 years in prison for filing false claims on dozens of auto collisions.

Jacob McNabb, 33, of Bakersfield, was sentenced following a jurys guilty verdict on four felony counts including insurance fraud after a California Department of Insurance investigation found he was involved in dozens of auto collisions where he would file false claims for insurance payouts.

McNabb was also sentenced to an additional 11 counts of filing false documents with the court, perjury and identity theft for a scheme involving fraud upon the Kern County Superior Court.

The CDI began an investigation into McNabb after the California Highway Patrol noticed an unusually high number of collisions involving him. The departments investigation reportedly found McNabb was involved in roughly 40 auto collisions over six years. During the investigation detectives focused on four specific traffic collisions in which McNabb submitted insurance claims, but in which he failed to disclose the vehicle had pre-existing damage.

McNabbs scheme would reportedly start with a collision, then he would file a claim, cash out his auto insurance benefits, and rather than having his vehicle repaired, he would pocket the money from the insurance payout.

He then was reportedly involved in a subsequent collision, in which the same area of his vehicle was impacted as the prior collision, and would file another claim, but he would fail to report the damage as preexisting to get a larger insurance payout. He reportedly repeated this scheme multiple times and targeted innocent drivers who he would later sue in small claims court as part of his second scheme.

McNabb was sentenced to 16 years and four months in prison. The Kern County District Attorneys Office prosecuted the case.

Topics California Auto Fraud
It appears another insurance carrier is turning sour on wildfire-prone California.

Safeco, a Liberty subsidiary, is preparing to stop writing new condo and rental policies in California at the beginning of next year. Liberty stopped writing new condo or rental customers under its parent brand in December 2023.

A spokesperson for the company described the changes as a new strategy to deal with a changing market in California and some underperforming lines.

We regularly assess our position in every market to ensure we are meeting our customer needs and achieving our business goals, reads a statement emailed by the spokesman. During this time of increasing risk and volatility, we are building a sustainable business path forward in California by simplifying our product offerings and investing in the areas where we can win in the long term. This includes focusing our California business on core Safeco auto, home, landlord and umbrella products, while reducing our overall product offerings.

According to the statement, the company is simplifying and focusing its product investments, as well as targeting core lines of business and reducing its menu of product offerings.

We are committed to the California insurance market and believe our actions will provide a more sustainable path forward and fulfill our commitment to our agency partnersand customers, according to the statement.

Under the new strategy the company has made the decision to discontinue several of its smaller lines of business and products in California over the next two years, many of which have underperformed over the past decade, according to the company.

The changes include:

Starting Jan. 1, 2025, the company will stop writing new Safeco business for condo, renters and watercraft. The company is also discontinuing some specific home products written through a few of its many underwriting companies; however, the company will continue to write home insurance in California.

Starting Jan. 1, 2026, the company will stop writing new Safeco business for specialty vehicles, motorcycle and non-good driver (standard) auto products.

Starting Jan. 1, 2026, the company will begin the non-renewal process for all the products listed above, as well as Liberty Mutual Condo and Renters policies.

Several carriers have pulled back from writing in California, citing a growing number of wildfires and more sever wildfires in the state and regulations that have made it hard to raise rates.

In a reversal of this trend, Farmers Insurance said earlier in December it will resume offering coverage for multiple lines of insurance in California to new customers.

The lines include condominium, renters, umbrella, landlord, vacant and manufactured home. Many of the reopened coverage offerings had been temporarily paused for more than a year.

The company cited among its reasons for the decision regulatory steps taken by the states insurance commissioner and other stakeholders.

The changes to insurance regulations ongoing in the state are part of the so-called Sustainable Insurance Strategy intended to stabilize the California homeowners insurance market and address the insurance crisis.

Carriers began pulling back from the states homeowners market, blaming blamed wildfire losses as well as regulations. They also began requesting steep rate increases.

State Farm applied for large rate increases in California, a year after the carrier got rate approvals of 7% and 20%. The insurer, the largest in California, insures nearly one-in-five homes in the state. It recently requested a 30% rate increase for its homeowners line, a 52% rate increase for renters and 36% rate increase for condo coverage.

Related: California Insurance Commissioner: Allow Cat Modeling in Rates for Wildfires

Allstate, which stopped issuing new California homeowners insurance policies in 2022, is seeking an increase in its California homeowners insurance premiums by an average of 34%. It would be the largest rate increase this year and would impact more than 350,000 policyholders.

Topics California
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.

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Topics Climate Change
December 20, 2024 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Investorideas.com, a go-to platform for big investing ideas releases market commentary from Joseph Dahrieh, Managing Principal at Tickmill.

Bitcoin prices retreated for a third consecutive day, following a record USD 670 million in outflows from U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs, ending a 15-day streak of positive inflows as institutional investors secured their profits. This decline could weigh strongly on the cryptocurrency and broader market sentiment, particularly as Bitcoin fell below the USD 100,000 mark, indicating potential short-term volatility and downside risks.

Meanwhile, the SEC's approval of two Bitcoin/Ether combo ETFs is a positive development for Bitcoin, offering greater diversification for institutional investors. This could drive increased demand for both Bitcoin and Ethereum, benefiting the broader crypto market. However, the SEC's reluctance to approve altcoin ETFs may limit expansion in the altcoin space, further solidifying Bitcoin and Ethereum's dominance.

At the same time, the market could benefit from growing institutional confidence in Bitcoin, as more companies adopt the cryptocurrency as part of their treasury strategy. In this regard, Metaplanet is issuing USD 33 million in bonds to increase its Bitcoin reserves, with the goal of becoming Asia's largest Bitcoin holder. El Salvador also added 11 BTC to its national reserves highlighting the country's continued support for cryptocurrencies, potentially encouraging broader adoption.

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Just a few days left but dont panic, plenty of time to drop into your local independent off-licence over the next few days.

Supermarkets will have plenty of offers if you are feeling the pinch, but they dont need your money like the independent sector which relies heavily on Christmas sales to make it through the year.

There is also time for an excursion to The Apple Farm in Cahir to pick up a bottle of Cons brand new apple brandy, not to mention apples, pears and juices.

Just 500 bottles have been released and so far it is just available at the farm shop.

The other apple wizards are of course Killahora Orchards and you will find their cider and their Rare Apple Ice Wine a proper treat over the break. The ice wine costs 28.50 and will match mince pies or pudding very nicely (widely available in Cork).

ODriscolls in Ballinlough have some great specials for Christmas including Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough) for 25 instead of 28, Bread & Butter wines reduced to 20 and Haut Medoc de Dauzac (2nd wine of Ch. Dauzac) for 25.

Mescan brewery in Westport recently launched a brilliant gift pack of six beers and a branded glass for 37 that would make an excellent gigt, available from No. 21 Midleton, Matsons and CarryOut in Waterford (or at mescanbrewery.com and craftbeersdelivered.com).

A final thought on what to drink with the Christmas bird  red is preferable, juicier reds such as Brunello, Southern Rhone or elegant Burgundy or Pinot Noir work better than Bordeaux  but if you want Bordeaux thats fine too; it is a day of celebration so you should drink what you want.

Three suggestions below that will see you right... Happy Christmas!

Emilio Moro Resalso, Ribera del Duero, Spain 20.99

Emilio Moro Resalso, Ribera del Duero, Spain 20.99

Matsons; No. 21; 1601 Kinsale; ODonovans, Martins, La Touche, wineonline.ie

Any ripe red wine will work with turkey but I have had good success with Ribera del Duero  Pesquera, Condado de Haza, Corimbo to name others.

This is Joven E. Moro but is solid quality for the price  100% Tempranillo, big juicy blackberry fruits, a textured ripe palate with depth and density.

Casa Belfi Prosecco Colfondo Frizzante, Veneto, Italy 24.95

Casa Belfi Prosecco Colfondo Frizzante, Veneto, Italy 24.95

LAtitude 51, Bradleys, Green Man Wines, Le Caveau, lecaveau.ie

This is Prosecco but not as you know it, a PetNat bottle fermentation that adds a yeasty, leesy creaminess It's a perfect way to welcome guests, or to serve as an aperitif on the day itself. Bruised pear and apple pie aromas, peaches, cream and bone-dry freshness with a pleasing lemony tang.

Kylie Minogue Pinot Noir 2020, Yarra Valley 32-33

Kylie Minogue Pinot Noir 2020, Yarra Valley 32-33

Independents; Mitchells; winesoftheworld.ie

Made for Kylie by De Bortoli, this is not just another celeb wine. From the cool climate Yarra Valley, arguably the best Pinot region in Oz (and near Kylies home town of Melbourn, not to mention Summer Bay!). Earthy red fruits with cherry and damson notes, lithe, fruity and textured, supple and layered. Perfect with turkey or goose.

Spirit of the Week

The 80 Irish Apple Brandy, 46% ABV, 50cl, 49.99

The 80 Irish Apple Brandy, 46% ABV, 50cl, 49.99

The Apple Farm Shop Cahir; TipperaryDistillery.ie

A brand new collab from two excellent producers: Con Traas (The Apple Farm) and his neighbour Jennifer Nickerson of Tipperary Distillery.

Double distilled from Cons cider, each bottle contains 80 hand-picked apples.

Ripe candied apple aromas, soft cooked apple on the palate with a hit of pepper and spice, and a caramel finish. Delicious.
One little boy with a very big heart will be caroling this Christmas in order to raise funds for children in Palestine.

Six-year-old Tom Flynn from Terenure in Dublin is "really worried that Santa won't come" to these children, and wants to show his support.

Tom's Mum, Rebecca, said her son asked if they could go caroling this year and "ask people for money to help the kids in Palestine".

So this Friday, December 20, Tom will be joined by his cousins, and some of his friends, as they set up shop in Terenure.

Tom has hand-picked five songs that the children will be singing, and they include Jingle Bells, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Let It Snow, We Wish You A Merry Christmas, and Deck the Halls.

At time of writing, Tom's GoFundMe campaign has raised 1,495 from 68 donations, despite only having a 100 goal.

In an update on the page, Ms Flynn said they were "blown away by the response to this so far".

"Thank you so much everyone for your generosity.

"I know times are tight, and its an expensive time of year, but even just 1 would make such a difference.

"Please give whatever you can.

All proceeds made from Tom's Carols for Palestine will be donated to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund.

"Thank you and Merry Christmas," the update concluded.

Tom has hand-picked five songs that the children will be singing, and they include Jingle Bells, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Let It Snow, We Wish You A Merry Christmas, and Deck the Halls. Picture: GoFundMe

Earlier this week, it was announced that Ireland remains the world's most generous country on GoFundMe, for the sixth year in a row.

According to the crowdfunding platform, almost 50m was raised for causes across the country in 2024.

This year, more than 15,000 fundraisers were launched nationwide, with more than 850,000 donations.

Among the stories that captured hearts were efforts to rebuild a family home lost to a devastating fire, provide urgent aid to families in Gaza, and fund overseas medical treatments for Irish children facing life-threatening illnesses.

Galway emerged as the countrys most generous county, followed by Limerick, Cork, Waterford and Dublin making up the top five.

Commenting on the findings, GoFundMe CEO, Tim Cadogan said: "The Irish peoples incredible kindness and willingness to help others, even during challenging times, continues to inspire.

"Whether donating 5 or 500, every act of generosity creates a ripple effect of hope and change.

"This years inspiring fundraisers are a testament to the Irish spirit  resilient, compassionate, and unwavering in its support of those in need."
Eight Palestinian children have arrived in Ireland for treatment as part of a multi-agency effort.

Ireland is to take in 30 children following an appeal from the World Health Organisation (WHO) to address the urgent health needs of people in Gaza.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly confirmed the first group of Palestinian children arrived in Dublin on Thursday evening, along with eight carers and 11 siblings.

The long-term impact of the physical and mental scars being inflicted on children in Gaza is unconscionable

The group travelled on a plane provided by the Slovakian government for the medical evacuation and were accompanied by three medical doctors from Irelands health service as well as a translator.

Several politicians welcomed them to Ireland including the Palestinian ambassador to Ireland, Dr Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid, and Slovakian ambassador Andrej Droba.

The group will travel to hospital for a full medical assessment on Friday before settling into their accommodation over the weekend.

The Government approved the initiative in September.

Ireland is estimated to be receiving up to 30 paediatric patients in total from Gaza (Niall Carson/PA)

The Department of Health said Ireland will opt-in on a case-by-case basis for each child requiring treatment based on its capacity.

The WHO has coordinated the evacuation of 2,300 patients through Egypt since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, which has put pressure on the countrys health system.

The patients travelling to Ireland are part of the group that was in Egypt.

Ireland is estimated to be receiving up to 30 paediatric patients in total from Gaza.

Their health needs are categorised under cancer, haemodialysis and other severe medical conditions, with the exception of orthopaedics.

Michael Martin said: Children in Gaza cannot go into the New Year facing more serious injury and trauma (Brian Lawless/PA)

Micheal Martin, Tanaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister, said: The long-term impact of the physical and mental scars being inflicted on children in Gaza is unconscionable.

Ireland has continued to work with our international partners, most notably UNRWA (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees), to provide urgent assistance to people in Gaza.

The medical evacuation of children to Ireland is part of our consistent support for the people of Palestine.

I am conscious that many other critically ill patients remain in Gaza, and their requests for medical evacuation are being delayed or denied by Israeli authorities.

This denial of medical care is unacceptable and must stop.

Since the beginning of this conflict, Ireland has consistently called for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages and a massive surge of humanitarian aid, including urgent medical care for critically ill children trapped in Gaza.

This must happen. Children in Gaza cannot go into the New Year facing more serious injury and trauma.
Irish People Party candidate Ross Lahive has been handed down a three-month jail sentence at Tralee District Court on Friday afternoon for his part in disrupting a Drag story event for children at Tralee library in July 2023.

Refusing to consider a suspended sentence, Judge David Waters said Mr Lahive was the prime mover and had shown zero remorse for his part in the violent attack during which children had to be shielded and words like 'prostitutes' and 'grooming' were used. The only threat to the children were the three who arrived from Cork with the intention of disrupting the event, the judge said.

Fines have been handed down in the case of two co-accused. The three had denied all the charges. Hearings of the case took place in Tralee and Listowel, during which video footage was shown of noisy disruption of the event organised by Kingdom Pride.

Last Monday, all three were convicted by Judge David Waters. Sentencing was deferred to allow victim impact statements to be handed in by State solicitor Diane Reidy.

45-year-old Ross Lahive, who was an Irish People Party candidate in the Ireland South constituency in the European elections, of Church Street, Shandon Street, Cork, had denied assaulting four people, including a library security guard, a woman, a male photographer for the event and another man. He was convicted on all four assault charges contrary to Section 2 of Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1997.

There is clear evidence in relation to all four assaults, the judge had said. They included barging aside of a young man on door duty, throwing a man on the ground, twisting the arm of the female and assaulting a photographer, the judge detailed.

Eugene Manley, barrister for Lahive, in a plea for mitigation at the sentencing on Friday said his client had co-operated fully with gardai, was not under the influence of drugs or drink and was entitled to his views.

Mr Lahive, who is unemployed, had previously worked in construction and had studied computer programming. He had worked in Canada, the US and Australia. He was currently engaged to do a safe pass manual handling course and wished to get his life back on track, the barrister said.

He had not realized the definition of assault and at other similar events in libraries in Cork City there had been no garda involvement, Mr Manlely said, asking the judge to consider the use of umbrellas in Tralee by the Drag event organisers.

'Prime mover'

Ross Lahive accepted there were high emotions on the day; and he had a martial arts background.

The court was told he had a previous conviction for a public order offence dating to a month prior to the July 13 Tralee library incident. He was given the probation act on December 4 for that incident.

Judge Waters said Mr Lahive was the prime mover; he had carried out video recordings which were of great help to the court  and had uploaded them on social media and they included videoing six-year-old children.

That cant be tolerated, the judge said. "People were entitled to protest and had there been a peaceful protest, we would not be here today." There was no expression of remorse and only a slight glimmer of insight he had carried out assaults, the judge said.

After a brief consultation with Ross Lahive Mr Manley told the judge: He stands by his moral views, he instructs me. Judge Waters said Mr Manleys client was in court because of the assaults.

The judge said:

Hes not in court because of his moral views  hes here because he assaulted people and caused upset to six- and seven-year-old children.

He had shown zero remorse, the judge said, and he could not avoid a custodial sentence.

He sentenced Lahive to three months in the case of one assault and two months each in the case of the three other persons all to run concurrently. The public order conviction is being taken into consideration.

Amid pleas by Lahives barrister, to suspend the sentence the judge said: This man has steadfastly maintained he did nothing wrong. There is no room for a suspended sentence. He could lodge an appeal if he wished, the judge said, fixing recognizances.

The only threat to the six- and seven-year-olds in the library that day were "these three, the judge repeated a number of times.

Margo Mills

Margo Mills, a part-time clerical officer, aged 37 of Carnloch Drive, The Glen, Cork, had denied using threatening and abusive words or behaviour, contrary to Section 6 of The Public Order Act. Ms Mills had also denied assaulting another woman, contrary to Section 2 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act.

Judge Waters said he had no doubt about the threatening and abusive behaviour by Ms Mills and he was also convicting her of assault, though the assault was more technical in nature and shes seen pushing people out of her way.

She was a very willing participant in this attempt to disrupt this event, the judge said, imposing fines totalling 900.

Ms Mills's solicitor Padraig OConnell had said she had fully contested the case and she did not accept the verdict of the court. She was a married woman with a young family and had never previously come to the notice of gardai or since.

She had adopted a principled view and she was lodging an appeal. Her principled view put her in this position, Mr OConnell said.

Stephen McGeough

Stephen McGeough, aged 57, of Devonshire Street, Cork, who works part-time in a charity shop had also denied the use of threatening or insulting words provoking breach of the peace under the Public Order Act. He too was convicted and fined 400.

Mr Manley, his barrister, said his client was suffering ill health and had no previous convictions.

However, Judge Waters said he had pleaded not guilty and he imposed the fine.

Victim impact statements were handed into the court and read by the judge.

Mr Lahive was immediately taken into custody and preparations were being made to lodge an appeal.

Listowel Family Resource Centre

After the court case the Listowel Family Resource Centre, which organised the Kingdom Pride event in Tralee Library, welcomed the ruling.

The aim of the 121 Family Resource Centres nationwide was to build strong cohesive and diverse communities improving the lives of everyone, it said.

Jackie Landers, CEO, of Listowel FRC said it was heartening to see libraries and public places being protected.

Community members and families should be able to attend organised events safely and without threat to them and their children, Ms Landers said.

"The courts decision is very important as it sets a precedent that the staff of FRCs, libraries, and other community organisations serving the public must be kept safe in doing their work and that threatening, abusive, and harmful behaviour will not be tolerated," she said.
'Relaxed performances are all about creating a safe and comfortable space so that everybody can feel welcome.'

So begins Cork Opera Houses explanatory online video, inviting children to their slightly altered pantomime experience.

Its a great idea, not only to run relaxed performances, but to share an introductory video online.

Neurodivergent people, and those with disabilities, may suffer more anxiety than others.

Providing a sneak peek of the theatres layout and the detail of the show is therefore appropriate.

The video explains that for some people, feeling comfortable means being able to make noise and move around.

For this reason, the shows are sold at half capacity. Viewers are welcome to come in and out as they please, and lights and sound are managed for their ease and comfort.

Young people will have no fears for Cinderella (Megan Pottinger) with Cork Opera Houses explanatory online video. Picture: Shane Horan

Understanding the deep empathy autistic children can feel, the villains of the show chat during the video, explaining that it is all make-believe, showing themselves with and without their costumes, and assuring young people that nobody need worry about Cinderella.

Hand dryers in bathrooms are turned off for the duration of the show.

I know these are often an issue for people with heightened sensory processing  one of my own children struggles with them, as do I. I generally come out of public toilets feeling rattled.

The Opera House has received numerous emails from parents thanking them, expressing their joy at being able to attend a pantomime with their entire family this Christmas.

It is a wonderful development, a truly just and thoughtful initiative, and one to be applauded from the aisles and beyond.

And yet, watching the thoughtfully composed video, narrated by Therese OSullivan who plays Fairy T, I feel tearful.

This performance, I know, will be perfect for many viewers who spend the rest of their days struggling to navigate rigidly neurotypical spaces, and rigidly neurotypical schools.

There are many wonderful schools, teachers, and SNAs out there, doing all the things mentioned in Cork Opera Houses relaxed performance video.

Inclusion is not a place, it is a feeling

We have come so far, and yet we have some distance to travel. As academic Craig Goodhall says, inclusion is not a place, it is a feeling.

I have heard it said, even in the best of our schools: Yes, but we are still a mainstream school.

The message being this  we will do what we can to help your child, but rules are rules. Homework is homework. Detention is detention. Certain lines cant be crossed.

Punishment is at the core of the problem facing many neurodivergent young people in our schools today. Punishment is, I would argue, at the core of rising absenteeism too.

The Department of Educations report, released this week, highlights rising absenteeism in schools and explicitly references issues around assessment methods and inclusion.

What is striking about relaxed performances is the lack of punishment and rigidity.

The video is laden with reassurances. No, nobody will get cross if you shout or leave and come back. Nobody will shush you in adult fury.

What if this story of a theatre also became the story of our schools?

It is quite possible that mainstream schools can work very well, even with flexible boundaries to accommodate difference.

All mainstream schools, we seem to forget, are also neurodiverse schools.

The Opera Houses appreciation of the need for half capacity is key.

Irish classrooms are too full, given the sharp rise in children with documented and undocumented needs.

It is not enough to have scheduled sensory breaks with an SNA. All children need fewer bodies in the room.

But returning to discipline, compulsory homework and afterschool detention also need to go.

That will sound outrageous to many educators and parents, but it is also extremely obvious to anyone willing to look at education through a truly inclusive lens.

I am not saying that, at senior cycle especially, students dont need to work at home, but homework must be encouraged and advised, never compulsory, and never punishable by detention.

Consultation  not punishment

In senior cycle, if a child is not completing homework in a subject that demands it, there should be close consultation between schools and families.

This requires considerable work by school staff, which brings us back to the capacity issue. The same individualised work would need to be done in relation to lateness.

The childs right to an education comes first. It is not reasonable for a school to punish a child for their exhaustion, their sensory over-load, their individual needs, or their family circumstances.

This is on my mind this week, looking at the Opera Houses video, because Im also upset by the Department of Educations recent guidelines on seclusion and restraint.

I trust groups like Inclusion Ireland when they say they dont go far enough, because I have sat down with numerous parents, and I have listened to their stories.

I also trust Inclusion Ireland because one in three of their board members has an intellectual disability. They understand that a different experience is not a less important one. People are rights holders  all people, equally.

The practices I see in nearly all schools, evidenced in the text of their behavioural policies, signifies a deep rot  an absolute inability to genuinely appreciate difference.

Inclusion Ireland CEO Deval McDonagh identifies the issue with the Department of Educations recent guidelines on seclusion and restraint. File picture: Karl Hussey Photography

This is at its most severe when it comes to the use of discipline against our most vulnerable children, and at the furthest end of discipline is the practice of seclusion and restraint.

Inclusion Ireland conducted a survey with AsIAm earlier this year with almost 500 responses; 27% of the children and their families who completed the survey reported that their child had experienced restraint in school, and 35% had experienced seclusion.

CEO Derval McDonagh identifies the issue with the new guidelines clearly.

Where a school has used restraint, they are asked to report this to the National Council for Special Education (NCSE). The NCSE has no powers of investigation.

The report that the school is expected to complete does not name the child or identify them in any way.

It is therefore not difficult to imagine that a child could experience multiple restraints in each period and have multiple reports written about them, without a robust way of investigating what has happened to that child or indeed putting a stop to it.

The guidelines in general are incredibly positive, but the failure to include robust safeguarding for these children is a travesty.

The Department of Education suggests that child protection issues should go straight to Tusla and yet, sadly, against comprehension, I have interviewed numerous parents who have reported school-based abuse to both the gardai and Tusla and who have been told to go back to the schools board of management.

Disability activist and journalist Julie OLeary, who participated in the earlier drafts of the new guidelines, is also frustrated.

There are pockets of good work but there is far too much emphasis on the system rather than the human rights of the children involved.

Behaviour is communication. Many young people are trying to tell us the system is not appropriate for them but as a society we are not hearing it.

The consequences also lead to teachers and SNAs not being safe and comfortable in their jobs, and the guidelines dont go far enough to make them so.

All schools need to change how they treat and discipline children.

I admire Cork Opera House for their wonderful efforts, and I would like to see more relaxed performances across theatres. Its a great option for families looking for a seasonal treat.

But it also brings to my mind the schools children attend every single day of the week.

My hope is that all schools follow Cork Opera Houses lead, becoming more relaxed, more empathetic, and more deeply committed to equality and inclusion.
How did you get started in FDC as an Area Manager?

I applied for the position of Trainee Tax Consultant with FDC in 2001 having seen the ad posted in the Examiner. A neighbour of mine was working with FDC at the time and spoke highly of the company.

Why did you choose to work with FDC?

I was working with the Revenue Commissioners at the time. I was unsure of what career path to take, but I liked the idea of working with a smaller team and was impressed with the opportunity and support that FDC offered.

What are you working on at present?

In 2018 I moved from our Tax Department to our Tipperary town office. This was a new office for FDC involving the acquisition of several acquired practices. I deal with both the Income/Corporation Tax compliance and tax consultancy side of the business. With the Income Tax deadline just completed, I am now meeting and advising clients in relation to the upcoming Capital Gains Tax payment deadline.

The recent deferred changes in Budget 2025 to Capital Acquisitions Tax has caused a huge amount of concern for family farm transfers. Even though these amendments have been paused, it resulted in families relooking at their succession plans and expediting them in certain cases and this is currently generating significant consultancy work.

I also meet a lot of potential new clients after the tax filing deadline as people are reviewing their requirements. This may be a review of their business structure where not offered by existing advisor or a move to FDC who can offer all business services required as a one stop shop.

What is the best part of your job?

Meeting people  I really enjoy meeting my clients and potential new clients. FDC is very much a customer facing company and you are encouraged from day one to meet with clients face to face. This is crucial to building long-term relationships and trust with our client base.

What is a defining career moment or high point?

Qualifying as a Chartered Tax Adviser with the Irish Taxation Institute was a high point and a validation of the long hours of study over three years.

Where do you see FDC five years from now?

FDC has grown substantially since I joined and particularly in the last 10 years. In the next five years I expect this growth to be both organic and through continued acquisition. This will ensure we achieve a greater nationwide presence in areas not currently served.

What is the best piece of professional advice you have received?

If you make a mistake, admit it. We all make mistakes but if you admit it then the issue can be resolved, and you learn from those mistakes.

If you could go back in time and give yourself a piece of advice at the start of your career, what would that be?

Slow down and dont be in such a rush  enjoy your training. These years are formative for your career, and you can take the time to decide what particular area of tax interests you.

What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about interviewing for this position?

Go for it! FDC is a great company to work for, which is evidenced by the number of people who remain with the company for years. Training as a tax consultant or accountant opens huge opportunities to anyone. It provides a great understanding of how business works, and the practical difficulties encountered, this gives you the skills to deal with these issues and deliver practical advice and solutions. Once qualified, the world is your oyster.

What would you say are the key skills and capabilities necessary to be good at what you do?

A strong technical knowledge of tax is important, but communication skills are vital to success in this role. We are trusted advisors for our clients who rely on us to give them our technical but also practical opinions on everything from their tax position, tax structure, expansion options to succession planning for the next generation. This requires being able to communicate effectively and translate these advises into practical solutions.

What is the best career lesson you have learned so far?

Continuous professional development is crucial. Tax is a fast-changing environment and its so important to stay up to date with legislative changes that impact the tax advice I give.

Which industry professionals should people be following on Twitter/ LinkedIn?

I have never used Twitter. For LinkedIn, I think its a great way of keeping in contact with your own professional network. I would advise anyone starting their career to build their connections as they are made throughout their career. This creates a valuable network that can be accessed when needed.

Is there a particular book or resource you would recommend to someone early in their career?

The Art of Possibility by Benjamin Zander & Rosamund Stine Zander. It encourages you to look at life in a new way, reframe any obstacles in your path and focus on the possibilities presented in any situation.

If interested in current vacancies in FDC, please see here.
People working in tourism speak with great passion and energy about their jobs, about the guests they serve and about the people they work with.

There is an energy and a buzz that is quite unique to the people working in this sector. That positivity starts with their daily interactions with people and it continues through to their awareness that they have chosen a career with huge potential for personal growth, with a great range of paths to choose from.

For some tourism professionals, that growth potential takes them on an upward path from service through to roles of greater responsibility and into management. They can achieve an exciting, varied and rewarding career without ever-changing employer.

For others, tourism takes them on a journey through different hospitality roles, with several different employers, taking them to different places and even to different countries. With a career in tourism, the world really is your oyster.

A passion for food service

Anna Hevers loves her role as the chef de partie at Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant Goldie in Cork. She loves the hustle and bustle of the kitchen, she loves engaging with people. No two days are ever the same.

Anna has always had a passion for food and for working in restaurants.

Anna Hevers really enjoys the buzz preparing food in the kitchen at Goldie restaurant in Cork.

It felt right. I loved its hustle and bustle and how, despite the surrounding noise, you can switch off and plate up, Anna says.

She studied hotel management at Shannon College of Hotel Management at the University of Galway, and worked front of house in her placement year at The Grove, a five-star country retreat in Hertfordshire, in the UK.

After college, she won a scholarship to attend Le Cordon Bleu London, where she studied cuisine and patisserie.

At Goldie we work a four-day week. The result is that Im full of energy, ready to go, full of passion and not burned out, says Anna.

Its a smart move by the Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant, which showcases local produce and has a sustainability ethos, something people are becoming more aware of, she says.

Anna started at Goldie by doing work experience. Its owner Aishling Moore cut her teeth at MTU Cork where she graduated with a Bachelor of Business degree in culinary arts.

With Aishling I knew Id be in good hands, says Hevers. You have to be a sponge. Its an exciting place to work and learn interpersonal skills that will really fulfil you. Creativity is part of the role. You dont get that in every other job.

On her down time, Hevers channels her creativity and love of food on Instagram, where she goes under the handle @annadarlinghevers.

A job that covers every aspect of life

John Burchill is operations manager at Hayfield Manor Hotel, a luxury five-star establishment in Cork that he describes as being a 365-day-a-year, 24/7 human business.

You get to build great relationships with customers, he says. Some last generations. You become part of the life of that family. Being part of someones wedding day is wonderful, says Burchill, but the job covers the full circle of life.

In my early years a colleague overhead a wedding being cancelled. It was as a result of sad circumstances; the groom was terminally ill, he recalls. We brought afternoon tea to the family in the hospital. You become part of the life of that family  we have since celebrated all their childrens Christenings at the hotel.

Operations manager at Hayfield Manor Hotel John Burchill says that in tourism you get to build great relationships with customers, some that last generations. Pic Daragh McSweeney/Provision.

There are 21 nationalities working at Hayfield Manor Hotel. That exposes the Irish staff to different ways of doing things and different ways of living life, Burchill explains.

Having worked weekends and school summer holidays in hospitality, he decided early on to study for a culinary arts degree at what is now MTU Cork. He approached Hayfield Manor for a work placement and when he finished those studies, went on to do a degree in hospitality management at the same college.

He says there are many perks to working at Hayfield Family Collection, a key one being how the group offers six hours of counselling to all employees annually. The service is anonymous, Burchill explains.

Its another way of recognising that people may be going through a tough time and that everyone knows that its okay to not be okay, says John.

Young chefs rapid rise

A passion for food has seen talented young chef and lecturer Alex Quilter enjoy a rapid rise in his career. At just 22, he currently works as a culinary instructor with the National Learning Network (NLN) in Tralee, Co Kerry.

Working with the NLN is something Im hugely proud of, says Alex. A big motivation for my taking this role was being able to help other people through the course, in the way I was once helped by the organisation. If I hadnt come across this, I wouldnt have been able to really work with my passion for cooking.

Alex began his culinary career aged 16, having left school without completing his Leaving Cert. At school, he had been pushing himself to get the most points in his exams, but he was so focused on achieving, he ended up developing social anxiety within the final years of secondary school.

Alex attended counselling, gradually rebuilt his confidence. Having looked at a number of career options, he soon found his path in food and has quickly soared in his career.

He worked for a time with Kate Brownes Pub and Restaurant in Ardfert, Co Kerry, but then decided that he needed to get some qualifications to boost his career prospects.

A career in hospitality offers great potential for promotion into new and exciting roles, as well as being a career that often offers the opportunity to work anywhere in the world.

He decided to join the NLN, an organisation that helps people with disadvantages and encourages them to excel in life. From there, he moved onto culinary skills studies at Munster Technological University (MTU), Tralee. Going through Springboard, Alex went on to the Higher Certificate in Culinary Arts.

Alex recalls: It was at this point, with many skills and confidence gained, that I felt I really would love to work in a fine dining kitchen  a tough role for any chef. A lecturer of mine at MTU, Mark Murphy, referred me to the Park Hotel in Kenmare. That kind of support from teachers, lecturers and tutors is so important.

I was open to the move and knew the Park Hotel was a very high-end business, with a great reputation. I went for the interview with the executive head chef, James Coffey, a Michelin-trained chef running the award-winning restaurant at The Park Hotel.

He must have been impressed as he offered me the job and I spent the next three years working there.

I learned everything about starters, main courses and desserts and developed the skills to run a section by myself and prepare the best local produce to the highest standards, he adds.

I also found the team in the hotel caring and enjoyable to work with and the Brennan brothers always looked after their staff very well. I couldnt give enough praise to John Brennan, James Coffey and David Espagnat (sous-chef) for their support and mentorship.

Alex has never looked back since. He now plans to return to studies in January to complete a degree through the Chef de Partie Apprenticeship programme at MTU in Tralee.

I hope one day to open my own restaurant. From learning so much in the last few years, I believe anything is possible, Alex concludes.

www.failteireland.ie/tourismcareers
The first US diplomats to visit Syria since President Bashar Assads ousting earlier this month held talks with transitional officials in Damascus on Friday to press for an inclusive government and seek information on the whereabouts of missing American journalist Austin Tice.

The top American diplomat for the Middle East, Barbara Leaf, former special envoy for Syria Daniel Rubinstein and the Biden administrations chief envoy for hostage negotiations, Roger Carstens, met with interim leaders and members of civil society, officials said.

Details of the meetings were not immediately available and a news conference the officials had planned was cancelled because of unspecified security concerns.

Ms Leaf and the others had left the Four Seasons hotel in Damascus earlier on Friday without making any comments to waiting journalists.

The State Department said the delegations agenda would concentrate on seeking information about Mr Tice as well as pushing the principles of minority rights and a rejection of terrorism. The administration says those will be critical for US support for a new government.

A Syrian fighter stands guard as activists gather at the Umayyad Square in Damascus (Omar Sanadiki/AP)

Shortly before the delegation arrived in Damascus, the US military said it had conducted airstrikes in northeastern Syria on Thursday, killing a leader of the so-called Islamic State group and one other militant.

Ms Leafs team is also the first group of American diplomats to visit Syria formally for more than a decade, since the US shut its embassy in Damascus in 2012, although a small number of US diplomats had been assigned to political advisory roles with military units inside Syria since then.

They will be engaging directly with the Syrian people, including members of civil society, activists, members of different communities, and other Syrian voices about their vision for the future of their country and how the United States can help support them, the State Department said.

The US has redoubled efforts to find Mr Tice and return him home, saying officials have communicated with the rebels who ousted Mr Assads government about the American journalist. Mr Carstens travelled previously to Lebanon to seek information.

Mr Tice, who has had his work published by The Washington Post, McClatchy newspapers and others, disappeared at a checkpoint in a contested area west of Damascus as the Syrian civil war intensified.

A video released weeks after Mr Tice went missing showed him blindfolded and held by armed men and saying, Oh, Jesus. He has not been heard from since. Mr Assads government publicly denied that it was holding him.

The rebel group that spearheaded the assault on Damascus that forced Mr Assad to flee  Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS  is designated a foreign terrorist organisation by the US and others. While that designation comes with a raft of sanctions, it does not prohibit US officials from speaking to its members or leaders.

The State Department said Mr Rubinstein, Ms Leaf and Mr Carstens would meet HTS officials but did not say if the groups leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was once aligned with al Qaida, would be among them.

US officials say Mr al-Sharaas public statements about protecting minority and womens rights are welcomed, but they remain sceptical that he will follow through on them in the long run.

Although the US has not had a formal diplomatic presence in Syria since 2012, there are US troops in small parts of Syria engaged in the fight against the Islamic State militant group.

The Pentagon revealed Thursday that the US had doubled the number of its forces in Syria to fight IS before Mr Assads fall.

The US also has significantly stepped up airstrikes against IS targets over concern that a power vacuum would allow the militant group to reconstitute itself.

The diplomats visit to Damascus will not result in the immediate reopening of the US embassy, which is under the protection of the Czech government, according to US officials, who said decisions on diplomatic recognition will be made when the new Syrian authorities make their intentions clear.
Malaysias government has agreed in principle to accept a second no find, no fee proposal from a US company to renew the hunt for flight MH370.

The aircraft is believed to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean more than 10 years ago.

Malaysias transport minister Anthony Loke said cabinet ministers gave the nod at their meeting last week for Texas-based marine robotics firm Ocean Infinity to continue the seabed search operation at a new 15,000-square-kilometre (5,800-square-mile) site in the ocean.

The proposed new search area, identified by Ocean Infinity, is based on the latest information and data analyses conducted by experts and researchers, he said in a statement.

The companys proposal is credible.

The Boeing 777 plane vanished from radar shortly after taking off on March 8, 2014, carrying 239 people, mostly Chinese nationals, on a flight from Malaysias capital, Kuala Lumpur, to Beijing.

Satellite data showed the plane deviated from its flight path to head over the southern Indian Ocean, where it is believed to have crashed.

The proposed new search area, identified by Ocean Infinity, is based on the latest information and data analyses conducted by experts and researchers. The companys proposal is credible

An expensive multinational search failed to turn up any clues, although debris washed ashore on the east African coast and Indian Ocean islands.

A private search in 2018 by Ocean Infinity also found nothing.

Under the new deal, Ocean Infinity will get 70 million dollars only if significant wreckage is discovered, Mr Loke said.

He said his ministry will finalise negotiations with Ocean Infinity in early 2025.

The firm has indicated that January-April is the best period for the search, he said.

This decision reflects the governments commitment to continuing the search operation and providing closure for the families of MH370 passengers, he added.

Ocean Infinity chief executive Oliver Punkett earlier this year reportedly said the the company had improved its technology since 2018.

He has said the firm is working with many experts to analyse data and narrow the search area to the most likely site.
A speedboat carrying migrants has capsized off the eastern Greek island of Rhodes, leaving eight dead, Greek authorities said.

The coast guard said the incident occurred while the speedboat was carrying out dangerous manoeuvres to try and evade a patrol vessel on Friday, causing migrants to fall into the sea.

Eighteen of the migrants were rescued.

Rescue workers on three coast guard vessels and a helicopter were working near the resort area of Afantou Beach in the northeast of the island.

It was unclear whether other passengers were missing, authorities said.

Eight of the survivors have been hospitalised, local officials said, with one of them in critical condition, according to state-run television.

Rhodes, one of several large Greek islands located near the coast of Turkey, is on a busy illegal smuggling route in the eastern Mediterranean.

At the main port of the island, police and ambulance workers held up sheets of grey tarp as the recovered bodies were carried into an ambulance.

It was the second deadly incident involving migrants in the past week, as authorities in Athens brace for a spike in arrivals as a result of wars in the Middle East.

Seven migrants were killed and dozens are believed to be missing after a boat partially sank south of the island of Crete over the weekend  one of four rescue operations during which more than 200 migrants were rescued.

The search south of Crete around the tiny island of Gavdos was called off on Wednesday.

The number of migrants traveling illegally to Greece is expected to top 60,000 this year, with Syrians making up the largest number, followed by Afghans, Egyptians, Eritreans and Palestinians, according to government data.
A seven-year-old girl has died and a teacher and five other students were wounded in a knife attack at a school in Croatias capital, police said.

They said the attack happened at 9.50am at the Precko Elementary School in the neighbourhood of the same name in Zagreb on Friday.
An Iranian officer blamed for the 2022 killing of an American in Iraq has been charged in New York with federal murder and terrorism crimes, authorities said.

Federal authorities in New York City said Mohammad Reza Nouri, a captain in Irans paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, has been charged in Manhattan federal court with multiple terrorism and murder-related charges that carry a potential penalty of life in prison.

At least one charge carries the potential for a death sentence.

Nouri, 36, is in custody in Iraq, where he already has been convicted by an Iraqi court for his role in Stephen Troells killing, authorities said.

Nouri is alleged to have gathered intelligence on Troells daily routine and whereabouts, procured weapons and vehicles, and provided safe harbour to the operatives who carried out the sinister plot to brutally attack Troell in front of his wife

Mr Troell, from Tennessee, was killed in his car by unknown assailants as he stopped at the street where he lived with his family in Baghdads central Karrada district.

Acting US Attorney Edward Y Kim said in a release that Nouri orchestrated the killing of Mr Troell in Baghdad, Iraq, in November 2022.

Nouri is alleged to have gathered intelligence on Troells daily routine and whereabouts, procured weapons and vehicles, and provided safe harbour to the operatives who carried out the sinister plot to brutally attack Troell in front of his wife, Mr Kim said.

The prosecutor said the Iranian regime is actively targeting US citizens, such as Troell, living in countries around the world for kidnapping and execution both to repress and silence dissidents critical of the regime and to take vengeance for the death of Qassem Soleimani, an Iranian military leader killed by an American drone aircraft strike in January 2020.

In court papers, the US government asserted that Nouri celebrated the killing with a co-conspirator on the day of the attack and left Iraq for Iran the night of the killing.

It said shortly before leaving Baghdad, Nouri visited a religious site associated with mourning for Mr Soleimanis death.

Attorney General Merrick B Garland said in the release that the US Justice Department will not tolerate terrorists and authoritarian regimes targeting and murdering Americans anywhere in the world.

Last month, the Justice Department disclosed an Iranian murder-for-hire plot to kill President-elect Donald Trump, saying a man had been tasked by an Iranian government official before the election with planning the assassination of Republican Mr Trump.

Esmail Baghaei, an Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson in Tehran, rejected the report, calling it a plot by Israel-linked circles to make Iran-US relations more complicated, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Similar accusations in the past were rejected by Iran as their erroneousness was proved, he said.
A court in Sicily has found Italys Vice Premier Matteo Salvini not guilty of illegally detaining 100 migrants aboard a humanitarian rescue ship when he was interior minister.

The court dropped all the charges against Mr Salvini in relation to an incident in 2019, when he refused to allow the migrants to leave the Open Arms rescue ship at Italys southernmost island of Lampedusa.
The death toll has risen to five following an attack on a Christmas market in Germany, with 205 people injured.

A car ploughed into a Christmas market in Magdeburg, around 155km from Berlin, crashing through shoppers for up to 400 meters before coming to a halt. There are at least 41 people in critical condition.

The Bild reported that 86 were receiving hospital treatment for serious injuries and another 78 sustained minor injuries in the attack.

The car was driven through the busy outdoor Christmas market on Friday, in what authorities say was a suspected attack.

One of the dead was confirmed to be a young child.

The driver was arrested at the scene shortly after the car barrelled into the market at around 7pm on Friday when it was teeming with holiday shoppers looking forward to the weekend.

A video posted on social media from a position above the market shows a car driving at speed through a crowd walking between two rows of market stalls. People can be seen knocked to the ground and running away. Reuters was able to verify the location, with the trees, outline and design of the buildings matching file and satellite imagery of the area.

Verified bystander footage distributed by the German news agency dpa showed the suspect surrender. He stood in the middle of the road and put his hands up before lying down and waiting for armed officers to take him into custody.

The two people confirmed dead were an adult and a toddler, but officials said additional deaths could not be ruled out because 15 people had been seriously injured.

The violence shocked the city, bringing its mayor to the verge of tears and marring a festive event that is part of a centuries-old German tradition. Several other German towns cancelled their weekend Christmas markets as a precaution.

German media have cited that emergency services in the area said between 60 and 80 people might have been injured.

The driver of the car was arrested, dpa reported, citing unidentified government officials in the state of Saxony-Anhalt.

The suspect was not known to German authorities as an Islamic extremist, dpa reported, citing the security officials.

State governor Reiner Haseloff told reporters that the suspect is a 50-year-old Saudi doctor who first came to Germany in 2006.

He has been practising medicine in Bernburg, about 23 miles (36km) south of Magdeburg.

German chancellor Olaf Scholz said the perpetrator acted alone and that at least 60 people had been injured. The death count has increased to two, Scholz said, Reuters reports.

As things stand, he is a lone perpetrator, so that as far as we know there is no further danger to the city, Saxony-Anhalts governor, Reiner Haseloff, said at a news conference.

Mr Haseloff said the two people who were confirmed to have died were an adult and a small child, but that he could not rule out further deaths because so many people were seriously injured.

But that is speculation now. Every human life that has fallen victim to this attack is a terrible tragedy and one human life too many, he said.

At least 68 people were injured, including 15 who were hurt very seriously, according to government officials and the city governments website.

It said 37 people had injuries of medium severity and 16 were lightly injured.

Regional government spokesperson Matthias Schuppe and city spokesperson Michael Reif said they suspected it was a deliberate attack.

"The initial assessment is that there was an attack on the Christmas market," spokesperson Michael Reif told MDR. "There are numerous casualties. The fire brigade and police are on the scene and are treating the injured."

Magdeburgs University Hospital said it was taking care of 10 to 20 patients but was preparing for more, dpa reported.

Taoiseach Simon Harris said the incident was "shocking and despicable."

"Thinking of and praying for the victims and their families and all those involved in responding to the situation," Mr Harris said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"Families and friends spending time today this Christmas season at markets when this brutal act took place," he added

Tanaiste Micheal Martin paid tribute to the victims of the incident on Friday night.

He said he was "shocked and appalled" by the reports.

"My thoughts and prayers go to the victims, their families, the emergency services and the German people," he said.

"Irish citizens in the area should follow the advice of local authorities."

Emergency services attend an incident at the Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. Picture: Dorthe Hein/dpa via AP

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said reports indicated something bad had happened.

"My thoughts are with the victims and their families," he wrote in a post on social media platform X.

EU president Ursula von der Leyen said her thoughts are with the victims of the brutal and cowardly act.

This act of violence must be investigated and severely punished, she added on X.

Magdeburg resident Dorin Steffen told German news agency dpa that she was at a concert in a nearby church when she heard the sirens. The noise was so loud you had to assume that something terrible had happened.

She called the attack a dark day for the city.

We are shaking, Ms Steffen said. Full of sympathy for the relatives, also in the hope that nothing has happened to our relatives, friends and acquaintances.

Mr Haseloff called it a catastrophe for the city, state and country, adding that flags would be lowered to half-staff in Saxony-Anhalt and that the federal government planned to do the same.

Eight years ago, a truck driven by Anis Amri, a failed Tunisian asylum seeker with Islamist links, crashed into a crowded Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people and injuring dozens of others.

- Additional reporting from the Associated Press and the Guardian
Today

Clouds and some sun this morning with more clouds for this afternoon. High 64F. Winds WSW at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible.

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Low 52F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph.

Tomorrow

A mainly sunny sky. High near 75F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.
Today

A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. High 64F. Winds WSW at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible.

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Low 52F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph.

Tomorrow

Sunny skies. High near 75F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.
Ceasefire Between Israel and Hezbollah Takes Effect as Civilians Return to Southern Lebanon

A ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-supported group Hezbollah has come into effect following an agreement facilitated by the US and France, marking a rare diplomatic achievement in a region that has endured conflict for over a year.

Lebanons army, responsible for ensuring that the ceasefire is upheld, announced it is preparing to deploy to the southern part of the country.

The military also urged residents of border villages to postpone their return until the Israeli military, which has previously engaged in conflicts with Hezbollah and pushed approximately 6km into Lebanese territory, has withdrawn.

This morning, Israeli forces targeted multiple vehicles carrying suspected individuals to prevent access to a restricted area in Lebanese territory, causing them to disperse, according to a statement from the Israeli military.

President Biden indicated that his administration is also advocating for a challenging ceasefire in Gaza, suggesting the potential for normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

The Department of Defence has expressed support for the newly established ceasefire and emphasized that UNIFIL  the UN mission in Lebanon, to which Ireland contributes troops  will continue to play a crucial peacekeeping role in the region.

In their statement, the Department confirmed that the Defence Forces will maintain their mission in southern Lebanon.

Gunfire was heard across Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, after the ceasefire was instituted at 2am Irish time.

It was unclear whether the gunfire was celebratory, as it was also employed to alert residents who might have missed evacuation notifications from the Israeli military.

Displaced individuals have begun their return to homes in southern Lebanon.

Reuters witnesses reported streams of cars filled with people returning to southern Lebanon after being displaced by Israeli strikes in recent months. Other families were seen returning to the bombed-out suburbs of southern Beirut, proudly bearing Hezbollah flags.

President Biden addressed the nation from the White House yesterday shortly after Israels security cabinet ratified the agreement with a 10-1 vote.

He mentioned that he had spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanons caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, stating that the fighting would cease at 4am local time (2am Irish time).

This is intended to be a permanent cessation of hostilities, Mr. Biden stated. Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations will not be permitted to again pose a threat to Israels security.

According to Mr. Biden, Israel will gradually withdraw its forces over 60 days while ensuring that Lebanons army takes control of the territory near its border with Israel to prevent Hezbollah from reestablishing its infrastructure in the area.

Civilians on both sides will soon be able to safely return to their communities, he added.

Men gesture and wave flags as they drive between Sidon and Tyre.

Hezbollah has not officially commented on the ceasefire; however, senior official Hassan Fadlallah mentioned in an interview with Lebanons Al Jadeed TV that the group supports the increase of the Lebanese states authority but believes it will emerge from the conflict stronger.

Thousands will join the resistance Disarming the resistance was an Israeli proposal that failed, said Mr. Fadlallah, who also serves as a member of Lebanons parliament.

Iran, which supports both Hezbollah and the Palestinian group Hamas, as well as the Houthi rebels attacking Israel from Yemen, voiced its approval of the ceasefire.

French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted that the agreement is the culmination of efforts undertaken for many months with the Israeli and Lebanese authorities, in close collaboration with the United States.

Lebanons Prime Minister Mikati issued a statement expressing support for the agreement.

People displaced by the conflict rest in Martyrs Square, Beirut, as the ceasefire takes effect.

Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib announced that the Lebanese army is set to deploy at least 5,000 troops in southern Lebanon during the Israeli withdrawal.

Mr. Netanyahu indicated his willingness to implement a ceasefire but emphasized a robust response to any violation by Hezbollah.

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He outlined that the ceasefire would enable Israel to concentrate on the threat from Iran, provide an opportunity for the army to restock supplies, and isolate Hamas, the group whose attack on Israel from Gaza last year triggered the regional conflict.

In full cooperation with the United States, we retain complete military latitude. If Hezbollah breaches the agreement or attempts to rearm, we will respond decisively, Mr. Netanyahu asserted.

Hezbollah, which aligns itself with Hamas, has been significantly weakened compared to its position at the start of the conflict, as he further claimed, We have pushed it back for decades, eliminated its top leaders, destroyed most of its rockets and missiles, neutralized thousands of fighters, and dismantled years of terror infrastructure along our border.

A senior US official, speaking anonymously to reporters, noted that the US and France would collaborate with the UNIFIL peacekeeping force to establish a mechanism aimed at deterring potential violations of the ceasefire. It was clarified that US combat forces would not be deployed.

People wave the flag of Hezbollah as they drive through Beirut following the ceasefire announcement.

In the hours leading up to the ceasefire, hostilities intensified as Israel escalated its airstrike campaign in Beirut and other regions of Lebanon, with health authorities reporting at least 18 fatalities.

The Israeli military claimed to have targeted components of Hezbollahs financial management and systems, including a money-exchange office. In response, Hezbollah maintained its rocket fire into Israel until the final moments.

The Israeli air force intercepted three rockets launched from Lebanese territory, the military reported, during a significant missile barrage last night that set off warning sirens in around 115 settlements.

A poll conducted by Israels Channel 12 TV found that 37% of Israelis supported the ceasefire, while 32% were against it.

Opposition against the deal in Israel includes leaders from the opposition and heads of towns near the border with Lebanon, advocating for a depopulated buffer zone on the Lebanese side.

Both the Lebanese government and Hezbollah have insisted that the return of displaced civilians to southern Lebanon is a crucial aspect of the agreement.

Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a right-wing member of Netanyahus government, expressed concerns on X that the agreement does not guarantee the return of Israelis to their homes in the northern part of the country and doubted the Lebanese armys capability to counter Hezbollah.

To exit Lebanon safely, we must establish our own security buffer, Mr. Ben-Gvir stated.
After reading the statement on the Ankora Agreement, I was able to identify the following key points bygathering additional information from stakeholders directly involved in the matter:.

1. Ethiopias Shift in Position:

While the joint statement did not explicitly mention it, Ethiopia appears to have backed away from a previous agreement with Somaliland. On the other hand, Somalia has altered its stance by withdrawing its demand for Ethiopian forces to leave its territory.

2. The Nature of the Agreement with Somaliland:

The previous agreement between Ethiopia and Somaliland was perceived as a move by Ethiopia to recognize Somaliland as an independent state. In return, Ethiopia sought access to a seaport and maritime presence. The Ankora Agreement, however, shifts this arrangement. Ethiopia now recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Somalia, while Somalia, in turn, agrees to grant Ethiopia access to its ports.

3. Significance of the Ankora Agreement:

The Ankora Agreement establishes Ethiopias right to use ports, but it does not grant Ethiopia ownership of any port. Previously, Ethiopias agreement with Somaliland was seen as a potential path for Ethiopia to gain control over a port. Under the new arrangement, Ethiopias right to use ports in Somalia would be based on lease agreements or contracts, similar to international norms and the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). This approach aligns with the way many countries, such as Djibouti, lease ports to Ethiopia or other nations.

4. Diplomatic and Strategic Implications:

The Ankora Agreement signals a shift in Ethiopias diplomatic posture. Ethiopia moves away from its strategy of securing port ownership, returning to a more traditional approach of leasing or contracting port services. This change might be linked to Ethiopias realization that its previous approach was diplomatically and practically unsustainable.

5. Impact on Ethiopias Strategic Interests:

Unlike the previous agreement with Somaliland, where Ethiopia appeared to be pushing for port ownership, the Ankora Agreement limits Ethiopia to access through leases, concessions, or contracts. This approach is in line with the principles of the UNCLOS, under which coastal states retain sovereignty over ports but can grant access to other countries. Ethiopia has previously pursued similar arrangements with Djibouti for access to the Port of Tadjoura.

6. Diplomatic Costs and Credibility:

The shift from seeking ownership of a port in Somaliland to leasing access in Somalia reflects a reversal in Ethiopias diplomatic strategy. This has raised questions about Ethiopias consistency and credibility in its foreign policy. The political costs of this reversal are significant, as it highlights a pattern of reactive decision-making rather than a strategic, knowledge-based approach. This inconsistency could harm Ethiopias credibility on the regional and international stage.

7. Lessons for the Future:

To prevent a repeat of these missteps, it is essential for Ethiopia to adopt a knowledge-based approach to diplomacy and strategy, rather than one driven by impulsive ambitions. Learning from the mistakes made during this process will be crucial to avoid future diplomatic and economic losses. The case of the Ankora Agreement serves as a reminder that national credibility is a vital asset that should not be compromised by poorly calculated decisions.
Iraq to Start Repatriation of Syrian Soldiers Who Escaped Offensive

Iraq has announced its plan to start the repatriation of Syrian soldiers who deserted during a rapid offensive that led to the removal of president Bashar al-Assad from power.

Starting today, the Iraqi authorities will begin the process of returning Syrian soldiers home after coordinating with the relevant Syrian officials, stated Miqdad Miri, spokesman for the interior ministry.

President Assad fled Syria as a swift assault led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) advanced towards Damascus, occurring over 13 years following his violent crackdown on pro-democracy protests that ignited one of the most devastating wars in modern history.

The Islamist-led fighters captured city after city in just a few days, encountering minimal resistance before reaching Damascus on December 8.

According to Mr. Miri, the soldiers will be returned via the same entry point.

A senior Iraqi official, who requested anonymity, mentioned that the repatriation will be conducted under the oversight of international organizations.

The new leaders in Syria have called on military personnel and police to surrender their weapons and register with the governing bodies.

Lieutenant General Qais al-Mohammadawi, Deputy Commander of Joint Operations, informed Iraqi media on Wednesday that the soldiers names, equipment, and weapons have been meticulously documented.

Members of the United Nations Security Council listened as Geir Pedersen spoke via video link during a meeting discussing the Middle Eastern situation.

Previously, the UN envoy for Syria urged for free and fair elections following the ousting of president Bashar al-Assad, expressing optimism for a political solution in areas held by Kurdish forces.

President Assad fled following a lightning-fast offensive led by HTS, occurring more than 13 years after his violent response to pro-democracy demonstrations escalated into one of the centurys most lethal conflicts.

The prolonged civil war has rendered Syria reliant on aid, highly fragmented, and in dire need of justice and peace.

During a briefing in Damascus, UN special envoy Geir Pedersen expressed optimism, stating there is much hope for the dawn of a new Syria.

A new Syria that will adopt a new constitution and we can expect free and fair elections after a transitional period, he remarked.

While calling for immediate humanitarian aid, he also expressed hope for the lifting of international sanctions imposed on Syria due to Mr. Assads actions.

UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher urged donor nations to significantly increase aid provision in response to this moment of hope for the Syrian populace.

The needs across the country are enormous. Currently, seven out of ten people are in need of support, Mr. Fletcher stated in a telephone interview with AFP during his visit to Syria.

Addressing challenges in Kurdish-held regions

Mr. Pedersen pointed out the significant issues arising in Kurdish-held areas in northeastern Syria, amid concerns of a potential escalation between the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and groups supported by Turkey.

Turkey accuses the main faction of the SDF, the Peoples Protection Units (YPG), of having ties to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants in Turkey, which both the US and Turkey classify as a terrorist organization.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan cautioned Syrias new leadership regarding the situation with Kurdish forces in the nation.

In a response to an inquiry from Al Jazeera regarding speculation that Turkey might launch a military operation in the Kurdish-held border town of Kobane (Ain al-Arab), he stated, There is a new administration in Damascus now. I believe this is primarily their concern.

If they handle this matter appropriately, there should be no reason for our intervention, he added.

Celebrations erupted in Homs as people gathered to mark the ousting of Syrias president Bashar al-Assad.

Fidan dismissed US President-elect Donald Trumps assertion that Assads removal equated to an unfriendly takeover of Syria by Turkey.

Transitional governance

HTS, which is rooted in Syrias Al-Qaeda faction and designated a terrorist organization by numerous Western nations, has worked to soften its discourse by promising protection for the nations numerous religious and ethnic minorities.

The group has put in place a transitional leadership that will govern until March 1.

In his interview, Mr. Fidan asserted that the international community should remove HTS from its terrorism watchlists.

HTS has pledged to pursue justice for the atrocities committed during Mr. Assads regime, which included the disappearance of countless individuals into a complex network of detention centers that silenced dissent for decades.

We want to know the fate of our children and our brothers, stated Ziad Alaywi, 55, as he stood near a ditch in the town of Najha, southeast of Damascus.

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This location is believed by many Syrians to be a burial site for prisoners who were tortured to deathan act that international organizations argue may amount to crimes against humanity.

Were they killed? Are their remains buried here? he questioned.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports that over 100,000 individuals have died or been killed in custody since 2011.
US and Arab negotiators are tirelessly working to finalize a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, according to sources familiar with the discussions. Meanwhile, medical personnel in Gaza report that Israeli airstrikes have resulted in the deaths of 41 individuals.

The mediators, engaged in talks in Egypt and Qatar, aim to establish a temporary halt to Israels ongoing 14-month conflict in Gaza, which would involve the release of hostages taken from Israel along with the Palestinians detained by Israel.

Though mediators have made progress in addressing some previous contentious issues, significant differences still exist, the sources indicated.

In Gaza, medical sources reported that at least 13 individuals lost their lives overnight due to separate Israeli airstrikes, including attacks on two homes in Gaza City and a central refugee camp.

Hungry children in Gaza rush to receive a ration of bread in Khan Younis.

Israeli airstrikes also resulted in at least 15 fatalities in two shelters accommodating displaced families in the suburb of Tuffah in eastern Gaza City, according to medics, bringing todays death count to 41.

The Israeli military stated it targeted Hamas militants operating within command and control facilities that had previously been used as the Al-Karama and Shaban Schools in Tuffah.

It asserted that Hamas was utilizing these facilities to plan and execute attacks against Israeli forces.

Residents of Jabalia in northern Gaza, where the military has been active since October, reported that forces detonated clusters of homes overnight.

The longer these talks continue, the more destruction and loss of life we witness in Gaza. Jabalia, Beit Hanoun, and Beit Lahiya are being devastated, along with Rafah, expressed Adel, 60, a displaced resident of Jabalia now living in Gaza City.

A report by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) indicated clear indications of ethnic cleansing in the Israeli offensive, with Palestinians facing forced displacement and bombardment.

The evidence of ethnic cleansing and ongoing devastationincluding mass casualties, severe physical and mental health impacts, forced displacement, and intolerable living conditions for Palestinians under siegeis irrefutable, stated MSF head Christopher Lockyear in the report.

Palestinians are dying in their homes and in hospital beds. People are struggling to find even the most essential items like food, clean water, medicines, and soap amid a brutal siege and blockade, MSF noted.

There was no immediate response from Israel regarding the MSF report.

Israel accuses Hamas of using civilian infrastructure and the population as human shields, a claim that Hamas vigorously denies.

Phased or comprehensive?

Sources close to the mediation efforts mentioned that Hamas has advocated for a comprehensive deal, while Israel has preferred a phased approach.

The discussions currently center around an initial phase that includes the release of hostages, whether dead or alive, alongside a number of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

On Tuesday, both sides deliberated on the specifics of the numbers and categories of those to be released, but an agreement has yet to be reached, said a source who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the negotiations.

This source highlighted that one sticking point is Israels insistence on retaining the right to counter any potential military threats from Gaza, as well as the deployment of Israeli forces during phases of the agreement.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz asserted on Tuesday that Israel will maintain security oversight over Gaza with full operational freedom after defeating Hamas.

The air campaign and invasion of Gaza began after Hamas-led fighters attacked Israeli communities in October 2023, resulting in 1,200 fatalities and over 250 hostages taken back to Gaza, according to Israeli estimates.

Israel claims approximately 100 hostages are still in captivity, yet the exact number of those alive remains uncertain.

Israeli operations have resulted in over 45,000 Palestinian deaths, displacing the majority of the 2.3 million inhabitants and leaving large parts of the coastal region in ruins.

Human Rights Watch has stated that Israels actions, including the denial of clean water to thousands of Palestinians in Gaza, amount to acts of genocide and extermination.

In response, Israels foreign ministry accused the rights organization of fabricating claims, stating that Israel has continuously facilitated the flow of water and humanitarian aid into Gaza since the conflict commenced, despite ongoing attacks by Hamas.
Suspect Charged with Murder in New York for Death of UnitedHealth CEO

The individual charged with the fatal shooting of a US insurance executive in Manhattana crime that has sparked significant outrage towards the American healthcare systemappeared in a New York court yesterday to face federal charges that include murder.

Luigi Mangiones arraignment occurred just hours after US television networks aired the dramatic footage of the 26-year-olds extradition via plane and helicopter from Pennsylvania, where he was apprehended at a McDonalds restaurant last week.

Shackled at the ankles, Mr. Mangione faced federal judge Katharine Parker, who presented the charges stemming from the 4 December shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, including murder, stalking, and firearms-related offenses, as reported by a court spokesperson.

Mr. Thompsons murder has highlighted deep-seated public frustration with the dysfunctions and issues within the profitable US commercial healthcare system, with numerous social media users praising Mr. Mangione.

However, James Dennehy from the FBI New York Field Office emphasized that Mangiones alleged actions represented a carefully premeditated and targeted execution.

This alleged plot displays a reckless attitude towards human lifeconsidering murder a suitable means to address personal grievances, he remarked.

If convicted, Mr. Mangione faces the possibility of the death penalty or life imprisonment, according to the US Department of Justice.

State charges

The new federal charges broaden the scope of the case against Ivy League graduate Mr. Mangione, arriving just two days after New York prosecutors initiated separate state charges against him, including one count of second-degree murder categorized as an act of terrorism.

Mr. Mangiones attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, informed reporters that she seeks clarification on how the simultaneous federal and state charges will operate, describing the situation as highly unusual, according to CNN.

Furthermore, Mr. Mangiones legal team indicated that they are not requesting the court to grant him bail, at least for the moment, as per CNNs report.

Outside the Manhattan courthouse, supporters held signs proclaiming Health over wealth, Luigi freed us, and Healthcare reform now.

The case has drawn significant media attention, with various television networks providing live updates of his transport from Pennsylvania to New York.

Clad in an orange prison jumpsuit, Mr. Mangione departed the Pennsylvania courthouse in a black SUV, flanked by police vehicles.

After arriving at an airport near New York City, he transferred to a helicopter destined for Manhattan, where an extensive police presence awaited his arrival.

New York Mayor Eric Adams was among those accompanying Mr. Mangione.

This act of terrorism and the violence that accompanies it will not be tolerated in this city, Mr. Adams stated to reporters.

Health debate

Mr. Mangione was taken into custody in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on 9 December after receiving a tip-off from staff at a McDonalds restaurant, following a prolonged manhunt.

Reportedly, Mr. Mangione traveled by bus from Atlanta to New York about ten days prior to the crime, as stated by the Department of Justice. After checking into a Manhattan hostel using false identification, he is believed to have conducted surveillance near the victims hotel and the conference site where the shooting occurred.

On the early morning of 4 December, Mr. Mangione followed Mr. Thompson, approached him from behind, and discharged multiple rounds from a pistol equipped with a silencer, as per the DOJs account. He then fled the scene on a bicycle.

According to Acting US Attorney Edward Kim for the Southern District of New York, Mr. Thompsons murder was a grossly misguided attempt to broadcast Mr. Mangiones views nationally.

However, this was not a debate; it was murder, he added.

Authorities suggest that a life-changing, life-altering back injury may have spurred Mr. Mangione, though there is no indication that he had ever been a client of UnitedHealthcare.

Upon his arrest, Mr. Mangione was found in possession of a three-page handwritten document criticizing the US healthcare system, officials reported.

Reports indicating that the casings of the bullets aimed at Mr. Thompson bore the emboldened inscription depose, deny, delay incited horror stories on social media regarding health insurers allegedly employing similar strategies to evade payment for necessary medical care.

Such disputes with ailing patients represent just one of numerous complaints against a healthcare system criticized for unclear billing practices, enigmatic intermediaries, confusing terminology, and the high cost of medications.

According to the federal charges released yesterday, a notebook belonging to Mr. Mangione contained an entry from August stating, the target is insurance because it checks every box.
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment)  Obeida Arnaout, the spokesman for the Sunni fundamentalist Levant Liberation Council (Hayat Tahrir al-Sham or HTS) gave an interview on Wednesday with the Lebanese Al-Jadid channel that provoked a firestorm of protest among Syrian women and, well, non-fundamentalists.

He pledged, There will be no imposition of the hijab on the Christian community or any other group because these matters are not a point of contention, and people are free. It is not sure what he meant by any other group. If he meant any other non-Sunni minority group, then mandatory veiling could still be imposed on women of Sunni Muslim heritage.

When the fundamentalist, Salafi HTS was ruling the northern Syria province of Idlib earlier this year before they took over the whole country, it promulgated a law on public behavior that required all girls older than twelve to wear a veil in public, forbade public performance of music, demanded gender segregation, and established a morals police of the sort that used to patrol Saudi Arabia and still does police behavior in Afghanistan. It seems a little unlikely that its leaders have changed their minds about the desirability of any of these measures, though they also are not as strong in big cities like Aleppo and Damascus as they had been in small, rural Idlib.

Asked about whether women would be allowed to continue to serve as judges, as they did in secular, Baathist Syria, he replied that they would be allowed to go to law school, but maybe not to preside over courts: Women certainly have the right to learn and receive education in any field of life, whether in teaching, law, judiciary, or others. However, for women to assume judicial authority, this could be a subject for research and study by specialists, and it is too early to discuss this aspect.

Women were 13% of judges in Baathist Syria, and had double that representation in the capital of Damascus.

Women comprised 46% of university students in the old regime, though they tended to major in fields such as education and literature and were underrepresented in medicine, economics, and engineering, according to Freedom House.

Arnaut hinted broadly that universities would be gender-segregated under the new government: Syrian universities already exhibit many positive ways of proceeding, but these need to be reinforced to enhance the educational process and produce better outcomes than before. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen these ways of proceeding in a way that allows male and female students to focus their minds more fully on the educational process.



Juan Cole, Obeida Arnaout, 2024.

Studies have shown that gender segregation in higher education harms women students and faculty. If they have to go to a separate all-women medicine or law school, and there are few women students in those fields, then they will suffer lack of resources. They will also be viewed as second-class citizens by the male portion of the university.

Then came the big issue, of women in politics. The one-party Baathist state was sectarian and dictatorial, not to mention genocidal, and so womens participation does not tell us much (except that they were tainted by the atrocities committed by the government). But for what it is worth, 11 percent of the members of the phony parliament were women, and in recent years 3 of 31 cabinet members were women.

Arnaut was asked about whether women would be able to continue in these roles: As for womens representation in ministerial and parliamentary roles, we believe that this matter is premature and should be left to legal and constitutional experts who will work on rethinking the structure of the new Syrian state. Women are an important and honored component, so tasks must align with roles that women can perform. There will be no concerns regarding womens issues.

In other words, no, HTS does not envisage women being allowed to serve in parliament or on the cabinet or as prime minister.

That was bad enough. He went on to make a fool of himself by saying women are biologically unsuited to leadership roles: There is no doubt that women have their biological and psychological nature, as well as their specific characteristics and composition, which must align with particular tasks. For example, it is not appropriate to suggest that women use weapons or be placed in roles that do not suit their abilities, composition, or nature.

I read that the anchor interviewing him pointed out that hundreds of thousands of Syrians fled the Old Regime to safety in Germany, and that the leader who allowed them into the country and gave them safety was Angela Merkel, a female chancellor.

Al-Quds al-`Arabi quoted a reaction from Professor Milena Zain Al-Din from Damascus University: We, the young women and women of Syria, are activists, politicians, human rights advocates, journalists, economists, academics, workers, and homemakers. We are revolutionaries, detainees, and fighters, and above all, we are Syrian citizens. Obeida Arnaouts rhetoric is unacceptable. The Syrian woman, who has struggled and endured alongside millions of Syrian women, is not waiting for you to choose a place or role for her that aligns with your mindset for building our nation.

The paper also quoted women who pointed to the countless modern Syrian women who have fulfilled roles as politicians, judges, fighters, doctors, activists, and working mothers, advising Arnaout to catch up on his reading about them.

Some women on social media demanded that Arnaout retract his remarks and resign.
( Tomdispatch.com )  Post-election America finds itself in a panic. Voices from across a wide political spectrum warn that the country stands on the precipice of a potentially unprecedented and chaotic disregard for the laws, norms, and policies upon which its stability and security have traditionally relied. Some fear that the new president, Donald Trump, is likely to declare a national emergency and invoke the Insurrection Act, unleashing the U.S. military for mass deportations of undocumented immigrants and for retribution against the enemy from within as well as radical left lunatics. As the New Republics editor Michael Tomasky notes, writing about the nomination of Kash Patel for the post of director of the FBI, Were entering a world where the rule of law is turned inside out.

The blame game for such doomsday fears ranges far and wide. Many pinpoint the Supreme Courts 2023 decision to grant immunity to presidents for their core official acts, essentially removing any restraints on Trumps agenda of retribution and revenge. Some, like Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Richard Blumenthal, see loopholes in the law as the basis for their concern about the future and are urging Congress to pass legislation that will place additional constraints on the deployment of the military on American soil. Others argue that the Constitution itself is the problem. In his new book, No Democracy Lasts Forever: How the Constitution Threatens the United States, Berkeley Law School Dean Erwin Chemerinsky even suggests that it may be time for a new constitution.

But those involved in the fear and blame game might do well to take a step back and reflect for a moment on how we got here. Todays crisis has been evolving for so many years now. In fact, much (though admittedly, not all) of what were witnessing today might simply be considered an escalation of the dire turn that this country took after the attacks of September 11, 2001, nearly a quarter of a century ago.

Quaint and Obsolete

It was January 2002 when White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales used the two words quaint and obsolete, whose echoes remain eerily with us to this very day (and seemingly beyond). The occasion was a debate taking place at the highest levels of the administration of President George W. Bush in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. By then, this country had invaded Afghanistan and authorized the opening of a new detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, ominously offshore of American justice, for captives of what already was being called the Global War on Terror. Two weeks after the first prisoners arrived at that prison camp on January 11th, administration officials were already wondering which, if any, laws should apply when it came to the treatment of such prisoners.

Gonzales, who was to become the attorney general in Bushs second term, laid out the options for the president. At issue was whether the Geneva Conventions  a set of treaties established in the wake of the atrocities of the Second World War  applied to the United States in its treatment of any prisoners from its war on terror.

In a memo to President Bush, Gonzales noted that Department of Justice lawyers had already concluded, when it came to al-Qaeda and Taliban (Afghan insurgents in 2001, now in charge of the country) captives, the answer was no. Gonzales agreed, stating that the war against terrorism is a new kind of war. The laws of war, he told the president, were obsolete in the current context and the laws and norms requiring humane treatment for enemy prisoners had been render[ed] quaint, given this new kind of war. Accordingly, the Bush administration took the position that the Geneva Conventions did not apply to the prisoners they had already captured. As a result, in the years to come, the indefinite and arbitrary detention of about 780 men would be institutionalized and disregard for the law would become a regular, if secret, part of the war on terror  an approach that would lead to the practice of torture at what came to be known as CIA black sites globally.

Nor would that be the only situation in which old laws were deemed outdated on national security grounds.

The Wider Framework

At the heart of such a rejection of the law was the determination that the president had primary, if not ultimate, authority when it came to national security. As Princeton historian Julian Zelizer has put it, top Bush administration officials claimed that executive power was essential to fighting the war. Members of Congress generally agreed and facilitated the shift to ever more solitary executive power in the name of war, setting a template for yielding some of its constitutional and statutory powers in matters of war to the president. One week after 9/11, Congress passed an Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) that granted the president the power to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons.

Subsequently, other laws were bent, bypassed, or even broken in the name of keeping the nation safe. Congress also further enhanced the powers of the executive by passing the USA Patriot Act which, among other things, weakened the Fourth Amendments protections against the surveillance of American citizens. Prior to 9/11, such protections had remained strong. After 9/11, as Browns Costs of War Project reports, These mass surveillance programs allow[ed] the U.S. government to warrantlessly and incidentally vacuum up Americans communications, metadata and content, and store their information in data centers and repositories, sacrificing standing protections in the name of greater security.

Nor would that be the end of the matter. In the name of national security, the countrys law enforcement entities would also turn their backs on prohibitions against discrimination based on race, religion, or national origin as laid out, for example, in the Civil Rights Act of 1964. As a Costs of War Project report summed it up, the Special Registration requirement announced in 2002 required all males from a list of Arab and Muslim countries [to] report to the government to register and be fingerprinted. According to the ACLU, that program (known as NSEERS) would end up affecting foreign nationals from 25 countries.

Worse yet, such deviations from constitutional protections and the law did not come to an end with the Bush administration. Although President Barack Obama would issue an executive order restoring adherence to the laws banning torture and end the NSEERS program (which, the ACLU noted, did not achieve a single terrorism-related conviction despite tens of thousands of people having been forced to register), there were other key areas in which his administration did not reverse past policy  anything but, in fact. Early in [President Obamas] administration, as historian Kathryn Olmstead notes, the new president signaled his intention to continue Bushs surveillance policies. Though surprised by the extent of the spying in the domestic intelligence program, Obamas team nonetheless quickly agreed to continue Bushs mass surveillance program.

In addition, by escalating a global drone program of targeted killings, the Obama administration would forge its own path toward weakening legal protections in the name of national security. During the Obama years, on what came to be known as Terror Tuesdays, national security officials presented the president with a list of names, all potential targets to be captured or killed. (It would come to be known in the media as the kill list.) As NPR summed it up, Obama, wishing to be seen as a restraining influence, would weigh in on the final list of names. According to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, A total of 563 strikes, largely by drones, targeted Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen during Obamas two terms, compared to 57 strikes under Bush.

Leaving those programs on the table for the next president would be  and remains  a prescription for disaster.

Trump and the Tactics of the War on Terror

Trumps first presidency combined the strategies of Bush and Obama when it came to the war on terror. Though it was little noted then, he launched an unprecedented number of drone strikes, tripling Obamas numbers by 2022, including the targeted assassination of a high-ranking Iranian official, Revolutionary Guard leader Qassim Soleimani. Political scientist Micah Zenko noted that, despite his claims of being non-interventionist, Trump proved to be more interventionist than Obama: in authorizing drone strikes and special operations raids in non-battlefield settings (namely, in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia).

The 45th presidents disregard for legal restraints took other war-on-terror policies to a new level. Within a week of his inauguration, President Trump had issued an executive order that came to be known as the Muslim Ban, forbidding citizens from seven predominantly Muslim countries entry to the United States. And like his predecessor, he showed little interest in sunsetting the expansive surveillance authority he had inherited.

In fact, Trump brought the tools and tactics designed for the war on terror to the home front, notably in his approach to dissent. He attacked Black Lives Matter protesters as enemies, labeling them terrorists. He made discrimination against foreigners a national policy at the onset of his first presidency, announcing his plans to detain and deport millions of undocumented immigrants and promising to institute policies that intentionally separated migrant children from their families. He even threatened to widen the uses of Guantanamo: [W]e are keeping [Guantanamo] open  and were gonna load it up with some bad dudes, believe me, were gonna load it up. Wondering who those bad dudes would be, NPR noted that captives in the war on terror were mostly a thing of the past and reminded listeners of an interview in which Trump had said such suspects should be tried by military commissions, the fraught trial system already in place there.

When Joe Biden became president, he curtailed a number of the excesses of the war on terror from the Trump years, even issuing a proclamation revoking the Muslim ban. When it came to drone strikes, he lessened them substantially, leaving them far from their peaks under the Obama and Trump administrations. In addition, he put new limits on their use going forward. In a striking gesture, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines pledged to promote transparency in place of the excessive secrecy that had underpinned the torture program, surveillance abuses, and the targeted-killing program. Still, all too much remained ongoing or fully capable of being revived in the new Trump years.

Bringing It All Back Home

Which brings us to expectations  or fears  of what will happen in a second Trump presidency. When it comes to the use of force, detention, discrimination, and the erasure of constitutional protections, Trump has already promised to bring the broad counterterrorism authority of earlier in this century to bear on the home front.

Lets begin with his promises to institute discriminatory policies based on race and national origin. As of today, the incoming administration has pledged to round up, put in camps, and oversee the mass detention and deportation of undocumented immigrants from Latin America in particular, potentially combining a detention nightmare (lacking due process and underpinned by massive discrimination) with suspicion often based on national origin rather than specific evidence of criminal behavior  an echo of the war on terrors early years.

In place of national security, Trump has promised to substitute, in the words of the 2024 Republican platform, the threat to our very way of life, a term that expands the vagueness encapsulated in terror and terrorism to a new level. Notably, in the run-up to the 2024 election he had already made it crystal clear that the path from the war on terror abroad to his internal policy plans would be important to his administration. When candidate Trump promised to use the military to counter the enemy from within, a spokesperson clarified the meaning for the press. As the Washington Post reported at the time, Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung acknowledged the way the candidate was linking his political enemies to terrorists. Trump, he explained, was equat[ing] the prospect of unspecified efforts by the left during the elections with the recent arrest of an Afghan man in Oklahoma, who is accused of plotting an Election Day attack in the United States in the name of the Islamic State group. Cheung then furthered the analogy by adding, President Trump is 100% correct  those who seek to undermine democracy by sowing chaos in our elections are a direct threat, just like the terrorist from Afghanistan that was arrested for plotting multiple attacks on Election Day within the United States.

Where Are We Today?

While the war on terror has receded into the background of our lives, its premises and tactics remain all too readily available. Its expansion of presidential powers, coupled with the Supreme Courts recent immunity decision when it comes to more or less anything a president does in office, leaves the country in a state of imminent peril. Surveillance powers remain remarkably broad. Drone-strike authorities remain in place, even if, in the wake of the Biden years, curtailed for now. And the prospect of indefinite detention as a codified element of American policy remains possible not only at Guantanamo but for migrants across the United States. And to top it all off, Congress continues to be unwilling to restrict a presidents war powers in any significant way, having repeatedly refused to repeal or replace that original 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force in which neither time, nor geographical limits, nor even precise limits on the definition of the enemy exist.

If only, as a nation, we could look beyond the tumultuous context of the current moment and imagine how to make our way to a safer, more sustainable future. Sadly, despite the dangers that may lie ahead, its not just partisan politics, or economic disarray, or the fragile state of the world that has brought us to this point. Its our own negligence in accepting the dismantling of the laws and norms that had guided us prior to 9/11 and refusing ever since to restore our once-upon-a-time respect for the rule of law and for one another.

Copyright 2024 Karen J. Greenberg

Via Tomdispatch.com
( San Diego Union Tribune )  Syrian refugees in El Cajon danced in the streets upon hearing about the Dec. 7 collapse of the Assad dynasty, which hailed from the Shia Alawite minority and ruled the majority Arab Sunni population of Syria for more than 50 years. Nevertheless, there are also Syrians who stayed home that night, fixated on the news, worried about their families back home, particularly the minority Christian or Shia sects.

On Dec. 10, I hastily convened the first public forum in the area on the events in Syria, The Fall of the House of Assad, hosted by the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, and the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the University of San Diego, to discuss the dramatic demise in Damascus of Bashar Assads presidency. As a Catholic university, on that very stage in 2013, I asked, as a Muslim, for the audience to grant a moment of silence for Father Paolo DallOglio, an Italian priest who ran the Deir Mar Musa Monastery, an interfaith Syrian site for both Muslims and Christian. DallOglio mysteriously disappeared in 2013. After more than a decade his fate may finally be known.

The Kroc School had invited me in 2013 to speak about Americas plan to bomb Syrian military sites after Assads chemical weapons attack outside of Damascus. I argued then that the U.S. would be dragged into another forever war in the Middle East. In 2024, on that same stage, I told students that American aircrafts were bombing Islamic State of Iraq and Syria sites, indicating that there was no end in sight to this war.

Besides geopolitics, I talked about the last decade of war, of Syrians who came to and from Southern California. They included Syrian Armenian power gangs from the streets of Glendale, who travelled as foreign fighters to the frontlines of Aleppo, filming themselves on social media in front of a destroyed home, fighting for the Assad regime to retake the rebel-held city.

In the other direction, after Yusra Mardinis family home in Syria was destroyed, they fled as refugees, saving a drowning dinghy and all its passengers in the waters of the Aegean. It turned out she came from a family of Olympic swimmers. She enrolled at USC to study visual arts, the same subject I teach at UC San Diego, where, alas, she could have studied with me about herself in my Art and the Middle East course, as I show the harrowing and inspiring Netflix movie about her life, The Swimmers.

Nonetheless, I did have a student, Mohammad, who had also witnessed his house being destroyed back in Syria. He was 7 years-old. In February 2017, as a professor, I sat on a kindergarten floor at a grade school in City Heights next to him, part of an increasing number of adults volunteering to help refugees adapt to school in the U.S., resisting Trumps Muslim ban that year.



Joy in Damascus, Digital, Dream / Dreamland v3 / Clip2Comic, 2024

The staff told me not to speak to him in Arabic, so that he could learn English, but I ignored them. Together, we built a house from toy bricks, whereupon he said, Lets destroy it like my house in Syria. I replied, Nothing will happen to your new house. During the cleanup, I asked the volunteer staff if we could leave his house standing until we left the classroom. I took the boy to his father, waiting at the entrance, who informed me that Mohammad would be meeting his new brother, born just an hour ago, a life made possible because the U.S. had let in a refugee family.

In 2013, the Syrians in the audience seemed despondent. This month, I recounted Mohammeds story to a USD audience and two female students approached me, optimistic about the countrys future, as Mohammed must be, who should be 13 or 14 now.

Syria is at a critical juncture, as it forms a transitional government, either bringing stability or following the fate of Libya and Yemen, overthrowing a dictator only to witness the victorious rebels fight amongst themselves, not only preventing refugees from returning, but creating more of them. Mohammeds story is also intended for America promising mass deportations.

As one tragedy hopefully comes to an end, President-elect Donald Trump should not follow the legacy of President Bashar Assad of further causing the dispersion of the desperate.

Reprinted with the authors permission from the San Diego Union Tribune
Dieppe, New Brunswick--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2024) - Colibri Resource Corporation (TSXV: CBI) ("Colibri" or the "Company") and option partner Silver Spruce Resources Inc. (TSXV: SSE) ("Silver Spruce") report drilling and assay results completed at the Diamante property, Sonora Mexico. A highlight of the drilling is the discovery of mineralization following up a resistivity survey which includes an intercept of 94.80 g/t Ag, 0.08 g/t Au, 2.89% Pb, and 1.12 % Zn over an intersection length of 2.50 metres.

Colibri and Silver Spruce completed 7 diamond drill holes for a total of 800 m during the 2024 drill program. Two holes were drilled at each of El Pillado and La Prieta zones to follow up on previous positive drill results. Two holes were drilled to test the results of an electrical (resistivity) survey covering part of an extensive color anomaly, approximately 600m x 350 m, located immediately south of El Pillado zone. One hole was drilled to explore El Mezquite-Raisudo target area located approximately 2.3 km south-southwest of the El Pillado. Significant assay results are contained in table 1.

Figure 1: Diamante Claims Map

Ian McGavney, President & CEO of Colibri commented: "We encountered considerable difficulties with core quality and recovery in this year's drill program at Diamante. However, we are very pleased with the result from our El Pillado South drilling which targeted a large colour anomaly extending south of the Pillado zone. Both holes drilled at El Pillado South intersected longer intercepts of highly anomalous mineralization and a higher grade intercept of 94.80 ppm Ag, 2.89% Pb, and 1.12% Zn over a core length of 2.50 m. These results expand the scope of our exploration model and targeting which we believe significantly enhances the discovery potential at Diamante."

Table 1: Significant Assay Results AgEq is calculated using the following metal prices: US$2654 per ounce Au, US$30.61 per ounce Ag, US$0.92 per pound Pb, and US$1.40 per pound Zn. No metallurgical recoveries have been applied.

Figure 2: El Pillado and El Pillado South drilling target areas showing drill collars, AgEq values for core intervals, resistivity survey lines and preliminary ENE-trending structure interpretation



Figure 3: El Pillado and El Pillado South drilling target areas showing colour anomaly

Figure 4: El Pillado South drilling target area showing drill collars, AgEq values for core intervals, resistivity section and preliminary ENE-trending structure interpretation



El Pillado

El Pillado has been the object of past small scale underground mining. Test pits and a decline date back to the 1800's and more recent test mining was completed at El Pillado during the 1990's. El Pillado zone is located at the northwestern end of large SE-NW trending colour anomaly measuring approximately 600 m x 350 m. Colibri and partner Silver Spruce have completed geological mapping and sampling at El Pillado and in 2022 completed 940.5 m in 9 reverse circulation ("RC") drill holes (Figure 1). Highlights of the 2022 drilling include:

0.18 g/t Au, 145 g/t Ag, 1.35% Zn and 1.01 % Pb over an intersection length of 12.0 m

0.21 g/t Au, 42 g/t Ag, 2,14 % Zn, and 0.68% Pb over an intersection length of 16.5 m

0.04 g/t Au, 6.27 g/t Ag, 0.78 % Zn, and 0.12 % Pb over an intersection length of 10.5 m

The 2024 drilling at El Pillado was planned to intersect a northeasterly trend of mineralization evident in the 2022 drilling. Both holes drilled in the 2024 program intersected multiple mineralized intervals indicated by the occurrence of fault rocks hosting vein quartz with or without galena, sphalerite, or pyrite and sericite alteration. Significant intercepts from El Pillado drilling are contained in table 1.

El Pillado South

During 2024, Colibri and Silver Spruce completed 2 lines of electrical exploration (resistivity) located approximately 125 m southeast of the historical Pillado mine workings (Figure 2). Two holes were planned to test a domain characterized by sharp, moderately north dipping (apparent), resistivity gradients (Figure 3). Both holes intersected significant lengths of anomalous mineralization, 22.5 m in hole DIA24-03 and 8.2 m in hole DIA24-04. Hole DIA24-03 included an intercept of 0.08 g/t Au, 94.80 g/t Ag, 2,89 % Pb, and 1.12 % Zn.

La Prieta

La Prieta target consists of a southwest striking, steeply northwest dipping vein and vein splay structure. Highlights of previous drilling include:

2.48 g/t Au and 56.7 g/t Ag over an intersection length of 9.0 metres ("m")

1.76% Zn, 38.5 g/t Ag and 0.56 g/t Au over an intersection length of 13.5 m

1.61% Zn, 38.5 g/t Ag and 0.63 g/t Au over an intersection length of 10.5 m

During the 2024 program, 2 holes were drilled to test down dip and along trend to the northeast of previously intersected mineralization (Figure 4). Mineralized intervals consisting of vein quartz in altered and highly fractured andesite was intersected. However, core quality and recovery in the mineralized zones was poor and grades were anomalous.

Figure 5: La Prieta drilling target areas showing drill collars and AgEq values for core intervals



QP STATEMENTS

Difficult drilling conditions were encountered on the 2024 program at Diamante. In general, core quality, as measured by RQD, was poor. This was especially evident in mineralized or potentially mineralized intervals characterized by alteration, veining and micro veining, and oxidized and partially oxidized fractures. Similarly, core recovery in the mineralized intervals was less than 100% and locally was less than 40%. The core provides for the recognition of rock types and the recognition of alteration, vein quartz, and sulphide minerals comprising mineralization. However, the core quality precludes detailed evaluation, including quantitative structural analysis, and limits interpretation integrating previous drilling and geological mapping and sampling. The sampling and assaying provide a clear indication of the presence of mineralization consistent with the visual recognition. However, given the poor recovery, particularly in the anticipated mineralized intercepts in La Prieta, the assays are not considered representative of in-situ grades.

Jamie Lavigne, P. Geo and a Director for Colibri is a Qualified Person as defined in NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical information in this press release.

ABOUT THE DIAMANTE PROPERTY

The Diamante property is located within a belt of Epithermal Au-Au mineralization hosted by the Sierra Madre Occidental Volcanic Complex. Major gold mining operations in the area of the Diamante property include Alamos Golds' Los Mulatos Mine and Agnico Eagles' El India and Pinos Altos Mines. The Diamante project is located approximately 12km km northeast of Minera Alamos' Santana Au development project which is anticipated to commence commercial production within the next quarter. The Property is located approximately 170 km southeast of Sonora state capital Hermosillo and approximately 10 km northwest of the town of Tepoca. The property is accessed directly from Sonora State Highway 16.

ABOUT COLIBRI RESOURCE CORPORATION:

Colibri is a Canadian-based mineral exploration company listed on the TSX-V (CBI) and is focused on acquiring, exploring, and developing prospective gold & silver properties in Mexico. The Company holds four high potential precious metal projects: 1) 100% of the 4,766 hectare EP Gold Project in the significant Caborca Gold Belt which has delivered highly encouraging exploration results and is surround by Mexico's second largest major producer of gold on four sides, 2) 49% Ownership of the Pilar Gold & Silver Project which is believed to hold the potential to be a near term producing mine, and 3) two highly prospective interests in the Sierra Madre (Diamante Gold & Silver Project and Jackie Gold & Silver Project).

For more information about all Company projects please visit: www.colibriresource.com.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

This news release contains "forward-looking statements". Statements in this press release which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that they will prove to be accurate.
Vancouver, British Columbia, - TheNewswire - December 20, 2024: Headwater Gold Inc. (CSE: HWG) (OTCQB: HWAUF) (the "Company" or "Headwater") is pleased to announce the successful completion of the Companys maiden drill program on its 100% owned TJ project, located in northeast Nevada.

Highlights:

Headwaters initial drill program at TJ consisted of five reverse-circulation (RC) drill holes totaling 1,030 metres;

Drilling tested multiple targets for high-grade epithermal veins beneath outcropping silica sinter and generally down-dip of shallow historic drill holes that encountered anomalous gold mineralization;

All drill holes encountered strong alteration indicative of the upper levels of an epithermal system, characterized by broad and laterally extensive intervals of silicification, veining, hydrothermal brecciation and elevated sulfide concentrations. Three holes targeting the East Sinter Fault intersected significant quartz veining with epithermal vein textures diagnostic of the upper portions of an epithermal system;

Favourable alteration and epithermal veining encountered in the first-pass drill program confirms the presence of a large, fully preserved epithermal system and will provide critical vectors to guide future drilling to test for high-grade gold at depth and along strike; and

Final assay results are pending and expected in Q1 2025.

Caleb Stroup, President and CEO of the Company, states: We are very pleased to announce the successful completion of our maiden drill program at TJ, which confirms the presence of a robust and fully preserved epithermal system at depth below the silica sinter at surface. The abundance of epithermal quartz veining and the high sulfide content of the vein zones are particularly encouraging. Initial visual observations suggest the vein intersections are relatively high in the epithermal system, leaving significant potential for further exploration at depth.

Assays are pending and expected early in the new year, but the geological and alteration data from this program already provides critical insights into the scale and preservation of the system. This information will guide future drilling, particularly deeper into the system where further potential remains. TJ continues to stand out as a high-quality project that looks more promising than ever, with excellent potential to create value for shareholders through a meaningful discovery.

Figure 1: Map of the TJ project area showing generalized project geology, alteration and locations of drill holes. Cross-section AA corresponds to the interpreted CSAMT section shown in Figure 2.

About the 2024 TJ Drill Program:

Headwaters maiden drill program at TJ consisted of five reverse-circulation (RC) drill holes totaling 1,030 metres, completed prior to the winter shut-down. Three holes (TJ24-02, 03 and 05) targeted and successfully intercepted epithermal veining and alteration along the East Sinter Fault (Figures 1 and 2). Hole TJ24-01 did not reach target depth due to challenging drilling conditions and one hole, (TJ24-04) was set as a pre-collar for future diamond core drilling.

The primary objective of the drill program was to test for high-grade veins at depth along multiple sub-parallel structures in the core of the alteration cell. Shallow historic drilling completed by Kennecott and Challenger Gold between 1988 and 1992 targeted near-surface oxide mineralization and encountered broad zones of silicification, epithermal alteration and anomalous gold but did not penetrate to sufficient depths in the epithermal system to test for potential high-grade feeder structures. The majority of historic holes were vertical and none of the holes drilled to depths beyond 150 metres. Several of the deeper historic holes encountered anomalous gold values (>0.1 g/t Au) with some ending in mineralization. All RC samples have been submitted for analysis with results expected in Q1 of 2025.

Figure 2: Interpreted cross section through AA with CSAMT geophysics apparent resistivity profile overlain by generalized silica alteration, Headwater drill holes and conceptual vein targets.

Headwater drilling validated the presence of a thick and laterally extensive zone of strong silicification, disseminated sulfides and multi-phase brecciation and veining that extends to depths of at least 150 metres vertically beneath the silica sinter exposed at surface. Drill hole TJ24-02 encountered a significant fault zone (East Sinter Fault) with epithermal veining in the immediate hanging-wall of the fault characterized by chalcedonic quartz with some lattice-bladed quartz-after-calcite textures, indicative of epithermal boiling conditions and altered granite within the footwall of the structure. Drill hole TJ24-03 targeted a down-dip intersection along the East Sinter Fault (Figure 2), and encountered a broad zone of chalcedonic veining, hydrothermal brecciation and intense silica flooding in the hanging-wall of the structure before also passing to granite in the footwall. Drill hole TJ24-05 was located approximately 250 metres to the south and also encountered a broad zone of epithermal alteration and veining concentrated in the immediate hanging-wall of the East Sinter fault (Figure 3), extending the minimum strike extent of the altered structure.

Strong alteration, significant veining and the lithologic break associated with the East Sinter Fault, which also bounds the thick accumulation of silica sinter found at surface, together indicate good potential for the fault zone to act as a controlling structure for potential precious metal mineralization. Alteration assemblages and epithermal vein textures are indicative of high levels of a robust epithermal system that remains open and untested at elevations exceeding 150 metres depth.

Figure 3: Select vein chips from TJ24-05 (140.2144.8 m) showing chalcedonic quartz veining with weak banding, quartz-pyrite veinlets and lattice-bladed quartz-after-calcite textures indicative of boiling conditions within the upper levels of an epithermal system. Assays are pending.

About the TJ Project:

The TJ project is located on BLM land in a relatively underexplored area of northeastern Nevada, approximately 25 km southeast of the town of Jackpot. The project area contains indications of a fully preserved epithermal system, including a thick and laterally extensive accumulation of silica sinter and water table silica in the core of the property. Epithermal alteration is localized along a series of steeply inclined faults that bound a sedimentary graben filled with Miocene-age sedimentary rocks. Limited historic exploration at the property included shallow RC drilling that confirmed the presence of a broad zone of high-level epithermal alteration. The Company believes that the project has potential for high-grade vein-style mineralization at depth and completed an initial drill program in fall of 2024.

The TJ project consists of 90 unpatented mining claims staked by Headwater and 13 unpatented mining claims under option from a private arms length party (the Vendor Claims). By making an initial cash payment of US$15,000, escalating annual payments and a US$250,000 work commitment over a two-year term, Headwater retains a 30-year right to purchase an undivided 100% interest in the Vendor Claims for a one-time payment of US$1,500,000 inclusive of any annual minimum payments, subject to NSR royalties of 2.5% on the Vendor Claims and 1.5% applicable on claims within a defined area of interest. The Company may purchase 40% of the NSR for US$2,000,000 at any time and an additional 40% of the NSR may be purchased for fair value within 90 days after completion of a NI 43-101 compliant pre-feasibility report.

About Headwater Gold:

Headwater Gold Inc. (CSE: HWG, OTCQB: HWAUF) is a technically driven mineral exploration company focused on the exploration and discovery of high-grade precious metal deposits in the Western USA. Headwater is aggressively exploring one of the most well-endowed and mining-friendly jurisdictions in the world with a goal of making world-class precious metal discoveries. Headwater has a large portfolio of epithermal vein exploration projects and a technical team of experienced geologists with diverse capital markets, junior and major mining company backgrounds. The Company is systematically drill testing several projects in Nevada and in August 2022 and May 2023 announced significant transactions with Newmont where it acquired a 9.9% strategic equity interest in the Company and entered into earn-in agreements on several of Headwaters projects, including Spring Peak and Lodestar. In September of 2024, Centerra Gold Inc. acquired a strategic 9.9% interest in the Company through a non-brokered private placement at a premium to market.

Headwater is part of the NewQuest Capital Group which is a discovery-driven investment enterprise that builds value through the incubation and financing of mineral projects and companies. Further information about NewQuest can be found on the company website at www.nqcapitalgroup.com.

For more information, please visit the Company's website at www.headwatergold.com.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

Caleb Stroup

President and CEO

+1 (775) 409-3197

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For further information, please contact:

Brennan Zerb

Investor Relations Manager

+1 (778) 867-5016

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Qualified Person:

The technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Scott Close, P.Geo (158157), a Qualified Person (QP) as defined in National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

Forward-Looking Statements:

This news release includes certain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, forward-looking statements) within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding future capital expenditures, exploration activities and the specifications, targets, results, analyses, interpretations, benefits, costs and timing of them, Newmonts anticipated funding of the earn-in projects and the timing thereof, and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Often, but not always, forward looking information can be identified by words such as pro forma, plans, expects, may, should, budget, scheduled, estimates, forecasts, intends, anticipates, believes, potential or variations of such words including negative variations thereof, and phrases that refer to certain actions, events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors include, among others, risks related to the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, including the Companys exploration plans and the proposed expenditures for exploration work thereon, the ability of the Company to obtain sufficient financing to fund its business activities and plans, the risk that Newmont will not elect to obtain any additional interest in the earn-in projects in excess of the minimum commitment, the ability of the Company to obtain the required permits, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, the Companys limited operating history, currency fluctuations, title disputes or claims, environmental issues and liabilities, as well as those factors discussed under the heading Risk Factors in the Companys prospectus dated May 26, 2021 and other filings of the Company with the Canadian Securities Authorities, copies of which can be found under the Companys profile on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements, except as otherwise required by law.
MONTREAL, Dec. 20, 2024 /CNW/ - Falco Resources Ltd. (TSXV: FPC) ("Falco" or the "Corporation") is pleased to announce the closing of its previously announced "best efforts" brokered private placement (the "Offering") with Cantor Fitzgerald Canada Corporation, acting as sole agent and sole bookrunner (the "Agent"). Pursuant to the Offering, Falco has issued an aggregate of 24,000,000 units of the Corporation (the "Units") at a price of C$0.25 per Unit, for aggregate gross proceeds of C$6,000,000.

Each Unit consists of one common share (each, a "Common Share") of the Corporation and one common share purchase warrant (each, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant is exercisable to acquire one Common Share at a price of C$0.35 at any time on or before that date which is 60 months after the closing date of the Offering.

The Corporation intends to use the net proceeds from the sale of Units for the advancement of the Horne 5 Project and for working capital and general corporate purposes.

In connection with the closing of the Offering, the Corporation paid the Agent a cash commission totaling C$324,000 and has issued the Agent 1,152,000 non-transferrable compensation warrants (each, a "Broker Warrant"). Each Broker Warrant entitles the Agent to purchase one Common Share of the Corporation at an exercise price of C$0.25 per Broker Warrant at any time for a term of 24 months following the date of issuance.

All Common Shares and Warrants issued pursuant to the Offering are subject to a hold period of four months plus one day from the date of issuance of such securities under applicable securities laws in Canada.

A related party of the Corporation subscribed for 1,790,000 Units under the Offering. A transaction with a related party of the Corporation constitutes a "related party transaction" within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 61-101  Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Corporation is relying on exemptions from the formal valuation requirements of MI 61-101 pursuant to section 5.5(a) and the minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 pursuant to section 5.7(1)(a) in respect of such related party participation as the fair market value of the transaction, insofar as it involves interested parties, does not exceed 25% of the Corporation's market capitalization. The Corporation did not file a material change report 21 days prior to closing of the Offering, as the related party's participation had not been confirmed at that time and the Company wished to close the transaction as soon as practicable for sound business reasons.

This press 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 in any other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The securities 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 thereunder.

About Falco

Falco Resources Ltd. is one of the largest mineral claim holders in the Province of Quebec, with extensive land holdings in the Abitibi Greenstone Belt. Falco owns approximately 67,000 hectares of land in the Noranda Mining Camp, which represents 67% of the entire camp and includes 13 former gold and base metal mine sites. Falco's principal asset is the Horne 5 Project located under the former Horne mine that was operated by Noranda from 1927 to 1976 and produced 11.6 million ounces of gold and 2.5 billion pounds of copper. Osisko Development Corp. is Falco's largest shareholder owning a 16% interest in the Corporation.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (together, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, which may include, but is not limited to, statements with respect to anticipated business plans or strategies. Statements, other than statements of historical facts, may be forward-looking statements. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as "plans", "expects", "seeks", "may", "should", "could", "will", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", or variations including negative variations thereof of such words and phrases that refer to certain actions, events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing statements, the proposed use of the proceeds of the Offering is a forward-looking statement. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual plans, results, performance or achievements of Falco to differ materially from any future plans, results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risk and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risk factors set out in Falco's annual and/or quarterly management discussion and analysis and in other of its public disclosure documents filed on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca, as well as all assumptions regarding the foregoing. Although Falco believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on these statements, which only apply as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. Except where required by applicable law, Falco disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Highlights:

Strategic Acquisition : the Property ties on to the eastern boundary of the current Monique Deposit and hosts an extra 750 metres of potential strike extension. The Monique resource currently has 3.56Mozs M&I and 0.68Mozs inferred delineated over 2,500 metres of strike length.

: the Property ties on to the eastern boundary of the current Monique Deposit and hosts an extra 750 metres of potential strike extension. The Monique resource currently has 3.56Mozs M&I and 0.68Mozs inferred delineated over 2,500 metres of strike length. Additional High-Grade Gold Zones: The property hosts the high-grade Bermont and Adelemont gold zones, which have seen limited drilling and remain open for expansion laterally and at depth. The gold mineralization and the geological setting are the same as the Monique deposit.

The property hosts the high-grade Bermont and Adelemont gold zones, which have seen limited drilling and remain open for expansion laterally and at depth. The gold mineralization and the geological setting are the same as the Monique deposit. Discovery Potential : No modern exploration has been done on the Property and few holes have been drilled under 200 metres. The Property has strong potential to host additional high-grade gold mineralization and has significant upside for new discoveries.

: No modern exploration has been done on the Property and few holes have been drilled under 200 metres. The Property has strong potential to host additional high-grade gold mineralization and has significant upside for new discoveries. Expanded surface area : The property adds additional room for surface mine infrastructure in the area of the Monique Pit, facilitating improvements in mine design and reduced costs.

: The property adds additional room for surface mine infrastructure in the area of the Monique Pit, facilitating improvements in mine design and reduced costs. 2025 Planned Exploration Work: the company is planning resource expansion and exploration drill programs on the property for 2025.

TORONTO, Dec. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PROBE GOLD INC. (TSX: PRB) (OTCQB: PROBF) (Probe or the Company) Probe Gold Inc. is pleased to announce that it has entered into a definitive purchase agreement (the Agreement) with Gestion Jadmine Inc. (Jadmine) to acquire a 100% interest in the Bermont Claims (the Property). The Property ties on to the eastern boundary of the current Monique Gold Deposit and provides 750 metres of potential extension of the gold trend to the east. The property spans 10 contiguous claims (the Bermont Claims) will be part of the Companys Novador Development Project. High-grade zones within large envelope of gold have been intersected in historical drilling between 1945 to 2011 over the Bermont and the Adelemont zones located in an area in the southern part of the Property. The area has strong potential to host new gold resources adjacent to the Monique Deposit and has significant upside for new discoveries (Figure 1). The Company plans to begin exploration and resource expansion drilling program on the Property as part of its 2025 program.

David Palmer, President and CEO of Probe, states: We are thrilled to announce the opportunity to acquire land directly along the trend of our multi-million-ounce resource at Monique. This acquisition not only enhances our exploration potential at Monique by 30%, it also unlocks the potential for higher-grade mineralization and new discoveries, while expanding the available surface area for critical operational infrastructure. This strategic addition brings immense value to both the Monique deposit and the Novador Development Project. Were eager to advance exploration programs on this new land as soon as we begin our winter initiatives. This acquisition is the perfect way to cap off a year filled with remarkable achievements, and were excited to build on this momentum for an even more successful 2025.

The transaction is expected to close in the coming weeks, subject to the receipt of all necessary regulatory and Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) approvals, along with the satisfaction or waiver of other customary closing conditions.

Figure 1  Probe Gold Val-dOr Monique Deposit with the adjacent new Property

Transaction details

Pursuant to the Agreement, the Company will acquire a 100% interest in the Property for aggregate consideration of $3.0 million, to be paid to Jadmine as follows: (i) the issuance of common shares of the Company (the Shares) for a total value of $1,500,000, based on the 10-day volume-weighted average price (VWAP) of Probes common shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange on the day immediately preceding the closing date and (ii) a cash payment of $1,500,000. In addition, Probe will pay to Jadmine a milestone payment of $1,500,000, payable in cash or at the option of Probe, in common shares of the Company (the Milestone Shares) which will be paid upon confirmation of mineral resource calculation report prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects on the Property demonstrating totaling an inferred resource (or higher) of at least 1,000,000 ounces of gold (the Resource Estimate). Jadmine will retain a 3.5% net smelter return royalty (NSR) on the Property, of which 2.5% can be purchased by Probe, at any time, for $2,500,000. The Shares will be subject to a hold period of four months and one day from the date of issuance under applicable Canadian securities laws.

About the Bermont Claims Property

The Bermont Claims are adjacent to the Monique deposit, which hosts resources of 3,559,600 ounces M&I and 677,300 ounces inferred (see press release dated September 5, 2024). The Bermont and the Adelemont mineralized zones were formed contemporaneous to the Monique gold deposit and show similar characteristics. Gold mineralization is associated with deformation zones and porphyry dykes within mafic to ultramafic volcanics assemblage crossing the Property with an orientation of 280 and dipping - 80 to the north. Gold mineralization is defined by a network of quartz-tourmaline-carbonate veins and veinlets with disseminated sulphides in altered wall rocks.

The history of the Property dates to 1945, with the discovery of the Adelemont gold zone. The Property was subjected of exploration activities from 1945 to 2011, which consisted mainly in drilling the Adelemont and magnetic surveys covering the area. The Bermont zone was discovered in 2008 and very few holes were drilled into this zone. The most recent exploration drill program was in 2011 and returned intercepts grading up to 30.9 g/t Au over 1.6 metres, 5.7 g/t Au over 3.2 metres and 2.9 g/t Au over 4.0 metres.

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical content of this press release has been prepared, reviewed, and approved by Mr. Marc Ducharme, P.Geo, Vice President Exploration, who is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI 43-101).

About Probes Novador Project

Since 2016, Probe Gold has been consolidating its land position in the highly prospective Val-dOr East area in the province of Quebec with a district-scale land package of 835 square kilometres that represents one of the largest land holdings in the Val-dOr mining camp. The Novador project represents one property block of 205 square kilometres that hosts four past producing mines (Beliveau Mine, Bussiere Mine, Monique Mine and Beaufor Mine) and contains 80% of the Companys gold resources in Val-dOr East. Novador is situated in a politically stable and low-cost mining environment that hosts numerous active producers and mills.

About Probe Gold:

Probe Gold Inc. is a leading Canadian company focused on the acquisition, exploration, and development of highly prospective gold properties. The Company is well-funded and dedicated to exploring and developing high-quality gold projects. Notably, it owns 100% of its flagship asset, the multimillion-ounce Novador Gold Project in Quebec, as well as an early-stage Detour Gold Quebec project. Probe controls a large land package of approximately 1835-square-kilometres of exploration ground within some of the most prolific gold belts in Quebec. The Companys recent Novador updated Preliminary Economic Assessment outlines a robust mining plan with an average annual gold production of 255,000 ounces over a 12.6-year mine life.

Val-dOr properties include gold resources totaling 6,728,600 ounces in the Measured and Indicated category and 3,277,100 ounces in the Inferred category along all trends and deposits.

On behalf of Probe Gold Inc.,

Dr. David Palmer,

President & Chief Executive Officer

For further information:

Please visit our website at www.probegold.com or contact:

Seema Sindwani

Vice-President of Investor Relations

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

+1.416.777.9467

Forward Looking Statements

Neither TSX Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This News Release includes certain "forward-looking statements" which are not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Companys 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 managements expectations. Risks, uncertainties, and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, the terms and conditions of the acquisition of the Property and the closing of such acquisition, that the Property has strong potential to host additional high-grade gold mineralization and has significant upside for new discoveries, the Companys planned exploration activities, that the Property area has strong potential to host new gold resources adjacent to the Monique Deposit and has significant upside for new discoveries, the Companys objectives, goals or future plans, statements, exploration results, potential mineralization, the estimation of mineral resources, exploration and mine development plans, timing of the commencement of operations and estimates of market conditions. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to the timely receipt of all regulatory and third party approvals for the acquisition of the Property, failure to identify mineral resources, failure to convert estimated mineral resources to reserves, the inability to complete a feasibility study which recommends a production decision, the preliminary nature of metallurgical test results, delays in obtaining or failures to obtain required governmental, environmental or other project approvals, political risks, inability to fulfill the duty to accommodate First Nations and other indigenous peoples, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, changes in equity markets, inflation, changes in exchange rates, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in the development of projects, capital and operating costs varying significantly from estimates and the other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, an inability to predict and counteract the effects of COVID-19 on the business of the Company, including but not limited to the effects of COVID-19 on the price of commodities, capital market conditions, restriction on labour and international travel and supply chains, and those risks set out in the Companys public documents filed on SEDAR. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law.
Suffering a personal injury can be a traumatic and overwhelming experience. Whether its the result of a car accident, a workplace mishap, or a slip-and-fall incident, the aftermath often involves medical treatments, legal considerations, and financial worries. To protect your health, legal rights, and financial stability, it is crucial to avoid common mistakes that many individuals make during this challenging time.

Failing to Seek Immediate Medical Attention

The Importance of Prompt Medical Care

One of the biggest mistakes people make after an injury is delaying medical treatment. Even if you feel fine or think your injuries are minor, some conditionssuch as internal injuries or concussionsmay not present symptoms immediately. A delay in treatment can exacerbate your injuries and potentially harm your legal claim by providing the opposing party an opportunity to argue that your injuries are unrelated to the incident.

Documenting Medical Records

Obtaining a detailed medical report is essential for both your recovery and any potential legal case. Ensure that your injuries, treatments, and prognosis are well-documented. This information can be invaluable in supporting your claims for compensation.

Not Reporting the Incident Promptly

Informing the Relevant Parties

Another common mistake is failing to report the incident promptly to the appropriate parties. If you were injured at work, notify your employer immediately and file a workers compensation claim. For car accidents, contact the police to ensure an official report is filed. Documentation is key when pursuing any personal injury claim.

Avoiding Inconsistencies

When reporting the incident, ensure that your account is consistent and accurate. Any discrepancies between your report and future statements can undermine your credibility and weaken your case.

Neglecting Legal Counsel

The Role of a Personal Injury Attorney

Attempting to handle a personal injury claim without professional legal assistance can be a costly mistake. Personal injury law can be complex, and insurance companies often aim to minimize payouts. An experienced attorney can guide you through the process, negotiate with insurance companies, and ensure that you receive fair compensation.

Choosing the Right Attorney

Not all attorneys specialize in personal injury law, so its essential to choose one with a proven track record in handling similar cases. Research their experience, client reviews, and success rates to make an informed decision.

Accepting a Quick Settlement

Why Insurance Companies Offer Quick Settlements

Insurance companies may attempt to settle your claim quickly for a lower amount than you deserve. While a fast payout might seem appealing, it often doesnt account for future medical expenses, lost wages, or long-term effects of your injury.

Evaluating Settlement Offers

Before accepting any settlement, consult with your attorney to evaluate whether the offer adequately compensates you for both current and future damages. Settling too quickly can leave you financially vulnerable in the long run.

Overlooking Documentation

Keeping Detailed Records

Comprehensive documentation can make or break your personal injury case. Keep a detailed record of all medical bills, receipts for out-of-pocket expenses, and communications with insurance companies. Additionally, maintain a journal to track how your injury affects your daily life, including pain levels and emotional distress.

Preserving Evidence

Preserve any evidence related to the incident, such as photographs of the scene, damaged property, or your injuries. Evidence can significantly strengthen your claim and provide clarity about the circumstances of your accident.

Ignoring Medical Advice

Following Your Treatment Plan

Failing to adhere to your doctors recommendations can jeopardize both your recovery and your legal case. If you skip appointments, ignore prescribed treatments, or fail to take medications, it may appear that your injuries are not as severe as claimed.

Impact on Legal Claims

Insurance adjusters and opposing legal counsel often scrutinize medical records. Non-compliance with medical advice can be used against you to reduce or deny compensation.

Posting on Social Media

Risks of Sharing Online

In todays digital age, social media can inadvertently harm your personal injury case. Posts, photos, or comments can be misinterpreted or used as evidence to undermine your claims. For example, a photo of you enjoying an outing could be misconstrued as evidence that your injuries are not serious.

Maintaining Privacy

During the claims process, its best to avoid posting about your injury, the incident, or your recovery. Adjust your privacy settings and be cautious about accepting friend requests from unknown individuals who might be connected to the opposing party.

Underestimating Long-Term Effects

Evaluating Future Damages

Many personal injury victims fail to consider the long-term consequences of their injuries, including chronic pain, emotional trauma, or diminished earning capacity. Settling a claim without accounting for these factors can leave you financially burdened in the future.

Consulting Specialists

In some cases, consulting with medical specialists or vocational experts can help assess the full scope of your injuries and their impact on your life. This information is crucial for negotiating a fair settlement.

Failing to Act Within Legal Deadlines

Understanding Statutes of Limitations

Every personal injury claim is subject to a statute of limitations, which is the legal deadline for filing a lawsuit. Missing this deadline typically results in losing your right to pursue compensation. Deadlines vary by jurisdiction and type of claim, so consult an attorney promptly.

Taking Swift Action

Delaying legal action can also make it harder to gather evidence or locate witnesses. Acting quickly ensures that your case is built on accurate and reliable information.

Misrepresenting or Exaggerating Claims

The Importance of Honesty

Exaggerating the extent of your injuries or providing false information can severely damage your credibility. Insurance companies and opposing counsel often investigate claims thoroughly, and any dishonesty can result in a denial of compensation.

Sticking to Facts

Be truthful about the circumstances of the incident, your injuries, and their impact on your life. Honest and consistent statements strengthen your case and help secure fair compensation.

Conclusion

Recovering from a personal injury involves navigating medical, legal, and financial challenges. Avoiding common mistakes such as delaying medical care, neglecting legal counsel, and accepting inadequate settlements can significantly impact your recovery and compensation. By staying informed, seeking professional guidance from Gemma Law Associates, and taking proactive steps, you can protect your rights and achieve the best possible outcome for your situation.




December 19, 2024 - A routine transaction turned into a nightmare for an NCBA Bank customer who, while abroad in Europe between July and September, transferred over Ksh 400,000 into their account.

However, upon returning in October, he was dismayed to discover that the funds were missing.

Worse yet, the account had reportedly been used to secure a loan of over Ksh 4,000 without the customers knowledge or consent.



When the customer contacted the bank, they were told an investigation would take place, but to date, no clear answers have been provided.



"Good afternoon Mr. Cyprian... Kindly post this for me.

"I deposited my cash of over 400k into my NCBA account while I was in Europe between the months of July and September this year.

"When I came back in October, there was nothing in my account  and on top of that, my account has been used to take a loan of over 4k.

"When I asked the bank, they started investigating, but up to now, they haven't given any clear information."

The Kenyan DAILY POST.




December 19, 2024 - A 35-year-old is in police custody after she was arrested at Chennai Airport in India in possession of coca!ne worth Ksh215 million.

The drugs, weighing 1.8 kilograms, were packed in capsules that she had ingested.

The suspected drug trafficker had arrived in Chennai on a flight from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.



Customs officials became suspicious of her behavior during questioning and noted irregularities in her stomach.

A body scan confirmed the presence of foreign objects.



With medical assistance, the woman egested 90 cylindrical capsules over two days.

The contents tested positive for coca!ne, classified as a psychotropic substance under Indias Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.



She later admitted to working as a drug smuggler for an international trafficking syndicate.

Investigations revealed she had previously traveled to Indian cities like Mumbai and Delhi multiple times on a tourist visa, raising further suspicions about her activities.



Indian law enforcement is continuing its investigation into the case, aiming to dismantle the drug smuggling network she was associated with.

The Kenyan DAILY POST.




Friday, December 20, 2024 - Recent reports of deforestation efforts at Kenyas Karura Forest in Nairobi have divided the public, government, and key conservationists on who exactly is behind the cutting down of trees in the natural habitat.

Friends of Karura Forest (FKF), a conservation outfit dedicated to preserving the forest, explained that the cutting down of trees was part of the forests restoration efforts.

They noted that the restoration was being conducted in conjunction with the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) and involved the selective cutting of trees.

FKF added that the restoration was taking place after a logging ban in 2018 caused a six-year delay. However, the government continues to face mounting pressure from environmental activists over its decision to slice pieces of the forest land.

The government also recently came out to deny reports that it was slicing about 51 hectares of land.

In August this year, Kenya Forest Service (KFS) permitted the Kenya National Highways Authority to use 51 hectares of forest land as a wayleave for the dualling of Kiambu Road.

This led to an uproar among stakeholders and Kenyans on what was exactly transpiring inside the forest.

Conservationists, led by Isaac Kalua, in a statement gave the government key conservation strategies that can be used to avoid the environmental degradation that the deforestation to give wayleave has caused.

Kalua urged the government to optimise existing infrastructure by expanding lanes only in non-sensitive areas to minimise habitat disturbance.

The government has also been urged to introduce High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lanes to improve traffic efficiency without large-scale expansions that would destroy the forest cover.

Consequently, the government has been urged to enhance public transport by expanding bus, metro, and rail networks to provide sustainable alternatives to road travel.

According to Kalua, had the government employed these strategies, the uproar over slicing the forest for road construction would not have been witnessed.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Friday, December 20, 2024 - Central of Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary General, Francis Atwoli has welcomed President William Ruto's tax relief to salaried Kenyans.

In a statement on Friday, Atwoli said the move demonstrates President Ruto's commitment to lessen Kenyans' tax burden.

Atwoli stated that by granting employed Kenyans tax relief, the President had heeded the concerns raised by COTU and acted in the interest of the people.

"This timely intervention, as announced yesterday (Thursday) by the Kenya Revenue Authority, will significantly ease the financial burden on salaried workers who have in the past borne the weight of double taxation,'' Atwoli said.

Atwoli noted that COTU, through constructive engagement, had informed the President that Kenyan workers were unhappy with the taxation regime.

"Following constructive engagement with the President, anchored on the principles of Social Dialogue, COTU (K) brought to the attention of H.E President William Ruto that Kenyan workers were being subjected to double taxation considering the deductions for the Housing Levy and Social Health Insurance Fund were subjected to Pay As You Earn (PAYE),'' Atwoli said.

Atwoli stated that the double taxation regime was reducing workers' disposable income and take-home pay, leaving them with less to meet daily needs.

"This move is a welcome relief for Kenyan workers, as it translates to better-looking payslips and frees up additional income, thereby boosting their ability to provide for their families and contribute to the economy,'' Atwoli said.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Friday, December 20, 2024  The aviation sector is set to grind to a halt following a strike notice issued by the Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU).

In a statement, KAWU cited discrimination as one of the reasons for the strike.

The union also stated that the management has been subjecting them to low payments leaving them with no alternative but to proceed with industrial action against their employer.

The latest industrial dispute comes just four months after the union signed a return-to-work formula after striking key agreements following an earlier protest.

In their last strike that crippled services at Kenyas airports management system, the workers union agreed to return to work following an agreement between the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) and the Transports Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir.

KAWU Secretary General Moses Ndiema announced they would communicate the beginning of their industrial action, warning the government to prepare for a major strike.

''On December 21, we will hold a meeting with our members and if, by bad luck, we have not agreed, we will communicate when the strike will officially begin. This will be the mother of all strikes, Ndiema announced.

In the last strike, thousands of travellers were impacted and left stranded at Kenya's, major airports including the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).

This was after the workers had given the government and JKIA an ultimatum to make public a deal it entered with Adani Group Holdings to manage the international airport.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Friday, December 20, 2024 - Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi, formerly known for being in opposition, has pledged allegiance to President William Ruto, months after joining the broad-based government.

Speaking in Ndhiwa Constituency in Homa Bay County, Mbadi praised Ruto for appointing him the Treasury CS.

He affirmed that, because of this trust, it would be very difficult for him to betray Ruto.

"A president can give you any ministry but not the Ministry of Finance. Given the kind of confidence and risk that he took, it will be very, very difficult for me to betray him," Mbadi said.

He further said that he was not urging people to re-elect Ruto in the 2027 General Election, but simply wants to continue working for him.

"Mine is not to force people and chest thump that Ruto must get another term. No! We are not in that debate anymore. What I want is to work for him," he affirmed.

The Treasury CS stated that he aims to make things that are not working function properly.

He asserted that once he has delivered, he can go to Kenyans and ask them to give him and the Kenya Kwanza regime another opportunity to continue working.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Friday, December 20, 2024 - Former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka has extended an invitation to former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua to join the opposition ranks, fueling speculation of a potential coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Speaking on Thursday during a burial ceremony in Embu, Kalonzo, accompanied by Azimio principals Eugene Wamalwa (DAP Kenya) and former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu, expressed optimism about the coalitions progress.

Kalonzo assured supporters that Azimio would continue to fulfill its opposition duties despite recent appointments in government.

Whether in government or in opposition, as we approach January, we want to tell those who joined the government to go alone, but the coalition will continue to operate.

"We must have a new coalition, Kalonzo stated.

Wamalwa echoed Kalonzos remarks, endorsing the idea of working with Gachagua and rallying Kenyans to back the coalition.

We heard that the former DP said he was ready to join hands with Kalonzo and Wamalwa.

"Do you agree that Gachagua should join us? Wamalwa posed to the crowd.

This comes after Gachagua hinted at a possible coalition with Kalonzo during remarks on Wednesday, acknowledging Kalonzos historical support for Mount Kenya during challenging times.

Gachagua emphasized that the mountain owes Kalonzo a political debt for backing the late President Mwai Kibaki and suggested that the 2027 elections present an opportunity to return that favour.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Friday, December 20, 2024 - Former Vice President Kalonzo Musyokas political star has started shining a day after former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua endorsed his 2027 presidential bid.

This is after Kalonzo, who toured the Mt Kenya region on Thursday, received a heroic welcome in Karurumo, Embu county.

During their visit, locals warmly welcomed Kalonzo, allowing him to address them and present his agenda for his 2027 presidential bid.

Kalonzo also addressed the delay in reconstituting the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), stating that if it isn't formed by 2025, he will lead the country in protests.

In addition, he emphasised the need for the Raila Odinga-led Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) to clarify whether it is aligning with the Kenya Kwanza government or remaining in the opposition.

"We also want ODM to tell us before the New Year 2025: Are you in the opposition or in government?

" You have to have a clear stand," Kalonzo said.

Kalonzo's visit comes a day after Gachagua hinted at a possible coalition with him to oust President William Ruto in 2027.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Friday, December 20, 2024 - Prominent tycoon Suresh Kantaria is in a legal tussle to protect his vast estate from being auctioned off due to an ongoing divorce battle that has cost him dearly.

Kantaria, who made headlines in 2010 for a court order mandating him to pay Ksh 100 million to his ex-wife for maintenance, saw this amount reduced by the Court of Appeal in 2015 to a monthly payment of Ksh 350,000.



However, his failure to meet these obligations has now led to his properties being lined up for auction.



On November 4, 2024, High Court deputy registrar Saitabau Lesootia issued an order for the sale of Kantaria's properties, including two houses and a plot in South C, valued at Ksh 28 million, and a piece of land in Gigiri, with an estimated value between Ksh 300 million and Ksh 500 million.



Joseph Gikonyo of Garam Auctioneers is appointed to oversee this public auction.



The court's decision, however, comes with conditions.



A Ksh 15 million loan secured by the South C property at Prime Bank must be cleared first, including interest at 13% per annum.



Once settled, any remaining funds are to be held by Harit Sheth Advocates in an escrow account to service the ex-wife's monthly maintenance.



Kantaria, fearing the loss of his life's work, has appealed to High Court judge Hillary Chemitei to halt the auction. His urgent appeal, filed on November 19, was scheduled for December 9 but was postponed, pushing the hearing to March next year.



Frustrated by the delay, Kantaria has asked for Chemitei's recusal, arguing that the judge has not addressed critical errors in the deputy registrar's ruling which contradicts Court of Appeal directives.



As the auction date looms on January 21, 2025, Kantaria contends that if his appeal isn't heard promptly, his entire empire could be dismantled.



He insists that under civil procedure rules, the execution of such orders should be judicially reviewed, especially when contested.



Meanwhile, Mradula Kantaria, his ex-wife, claims her maintenance has escalated to Ksh 40 million since 2015, and she is yet to receive her 25% share of the properties as per the Court of Appeal's ruling.



She has urged the court to dismiss these delaying tactics and finalize the matter.

The saga continues, with both parties entrenched in their positions, and the legal battle stretching into its 27th year, casting a long shadow over what was once a formidable business empire.

The Kenyan DAILY POST.




Friday, December 20, 2024  President William Ruto has reportedly given up on the Galana-Kulalu irrigation scheme even after pumping billions into the project.

He now wants to lease the Galana-Kulalu land to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and talks are in top gear.

According to reports, the government is in accelerated talks with an agricultural firm based in Abu Dhabi to lease 200,000 acres at a price of about Ksh103.39 billion.

Principal Secretary for Irrigation Ephantus Kimotho revealed that the deal will be signed early next year.

We are still negotiating, but we might soon sign a memorandum of understanding, Kimotho stated during an interview.

Kimotho did not provide more details on the matter, which comes hot on the heels of the government's push to attract more private investors in the country.

The scheme that encompasses approximately 1.75 million acres of land has failed to completely take off despite having an ambitious plan to have all the land cultivated.

At the moment, only 10,000 acres of the land are under cultivation.

This year, the government allocated Ksh100 million towards the completion of the project, which has been allocated millions almost every financial year since 2014.

At a total cost of Ksh7.9 billion, the project is one of the countrys white elephants.

The timing of the deal is likely to raise eyebrows with Rutos government already locked in talks with the UAE for a Ksh193 billion loan.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Friday, December 20, 2024 - Wiper Party Leader Kalonzo Musyoka has welcomed former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua into his fold ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Gachagua had hinted at joining Kalonzo and his team to give President William Ruto a run for his money in the next elections.

Speaking after attending a burial ceremony in Embu, the Azimio principals led by Kalonzo, DAP Kenyas Eugene Wamalwa, and former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu, stated that the former DP was welcome to join the opposition leaders.

Kalonzo exuded confidence in the coalitions progress, noting that Azimio would continue with its Opposition functions uninterrupted despite the new government appointments.

Either in government or in opposition, as we almost begin January, we want to tell those who joined the government to go alone, but the coalition would continue to operate. We must have a new coalition," said Kalonzo.

Wamalwa echoed Kalonzo's sentiments and expressed his approval of a colation with Gachagua, urging Kenyans to support the movement.

We heard that the former DP said that he was ready to join hands with Kalonzo and Wamalwa, do you agree that Gachagua should join us? Wamalwa queried the audience.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Friday, December 20, 2024  Kenyans have lost faith in the Kenya Police Service, as reflected in its low ranking among nations where citizens trust the police force's competency.

According to a recent Afrobarometer Report, Kenya is third from bottom in the list of African countries whose police are the most professional. The country has a scorecard of a mere 18%.

Only two nations, Nigeria and Congo-Brazzaville, rank lower than Kenya in terms of poor police professionalism, with scorecards of 17% and 13% respectively.

Regarding police professionalism, Tanzania leads in East Africa, ranking among the top 10 countries with the most professional police force.

Burkina Faso, Morocco, and Benin lead the line in terms of police professionalism, with scores of 68%, 64%, and 61%, respectively.

Kenya's East African neighbour Tanzania, ranked ninth, with a score of 53%- a stark contrast to many of the African nations.

Despite the police force being a critical sector in the country in maintaining law and order, the police force, especially in Kenya, has been thoroughly scrutinized in recent months.

In the wake of the viral anti-Finance Bill protests in June 2024, the Kenyan police were heavily criticised for how they handled mass action, which majorly stemmed from the Kenyan youth.

Cases of brutality and abductions were rampant, with some of these incidents being caught on video.

Among the key issues that emerged from the report which serve as a key hinderance in the police's ability to effectively conduct their mandate included systemic corruption, police brutality, and an overall lack of professionalism.

As far as corruption was concerned, Nigeria, Kenya, and the other countries that ranked lowest in police professionalism were in the top 10 countries whose police were most likely to ask for bribes to serve citizens.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Friday, December 20, 2024  The surprise meeting between President William Ruto and his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta has yielded some fruits.

This is after Ruto nominated Uhurus allies Mutahi Kagwe and Lee Kinyanjui to his Cabinet.

Ruto nominated Kagwe for the position of Cabinet Secretary for the Agriculture Ministry and Livestock Development.

Ruto also nominated former Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui as the Cabinet Secretary for Investment, Trade, and Industry.

Kagwe and Kinyanjui are allies of Uhuru; sparking speculations of whether the former President had made up with Ruto after their meeting in Ichaweri.

In an official statement yesterday, Ruto also appointed former Kiambu Governor William Kabogo to the position of Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Communication and the Digital Economy.

According to the President, the action to make the changes is aimed at realigning Ministries to optimize performance and enhance service delivery as set out in the Kenya Kwanza's Administration's revitalized plan under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).

If approved, Mutahi Kagwe will be taking over from Dr Andrew Karanja who is the current Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary.

Kabogo will be taking over from Margaret Nyambura Ndung'u, who is the current Ministry of Information, Communications, and the Digital Economy.

Lee Kinyanjui is taking over from Salim Mvurya who the President has reassigned to the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports.

With the nomination of Lee Kinyanjui and Mutahi Kagwe, Uhuru's allies into the Kenya Kwanza government, the president has fueled the allegations of the political alliance between him and his predecessor.

The Kenyan DAILY POST
Fiona Magennis

A violent criminal who assassinated a grandfather by emptying the contents of a pistol into him when he answered the front door at his mothers home and later perjured himself at trial, has been sentenced to life in prison.

Cailean Crawford (28) had pleaded not guilty to the murder of Thomas McCarthy (55) on July 27th, 2020, at Croftwood Park, Ballyfermot, Dublin 10 but was unanimously convicted by a Central Criminal Court jury earlier this month.

Crawford had shouted F**k you and your fair trial and stormed out of the dock after the jury returned their verdict.

Detective Sergeant Roan McDermott told Friday's hearing that Crawford has one previous conviction for conspiring to murder gangland criminal Wayne Whelan, for which he received a five-year sentence in September 2021. Mr Whelan survived that murder attempt in September 2019 but was subsequently shot dead following another attack two months later.

That sentence expired in June, Det Sgt McDermott said, but Crawford remained in custody, having been arrested in relation to this offence in October 2020.

Mr McCarthy, a father of five, was gunned down when he answered the door at his mothers home in what the prosecution described as an execution.

In a victim impact statement delivered to the court on Friday, Mr McCarthys partner Nia OReilly said never in her wildest dreams did she think she would have to say her childrens father was murdered.

I still think to this day they had the wrong person, the wrong house, she said. Thomas was a gentleman.

The jury of six men and six women deliberated for eight hours and 20 minutes before returning their unanimous verdict, agreeing with the States case that Crawford was the assassin who fired several times, fatally injuring Mr McCarthy, having come to the scene in a blue Ford Fiesta car which was seen driving in and out of the area on CCTV.

Passing sentence on Crawford on Friday, Mr Justice Tony Hunt said the idea that someone would walk up to house and without further ado empty the contents of a pistol into the body of the person at the door simply beggars belief.

The judge said there were two travesties in this case; the first was the assassination of Mr McCarthy, who he said, appearred to be by all accounts a decent man. The second, the judge noted, was the perjury committed by the accused man in an attempt to, as prosecuting counsel had put it, weasel out of his responsibility in this matter.

Mr Justice Hunt expressed his thanks to the jury for their hard work in the case and said that following lengthy and detailed analysis, they had come to the only sane conclusion anyone could come to on that body of evidence.

He said he was glad the panel had rejected certain matters that were put to them by Mr Crawford during the trial, in particular the suggestion that because he was seen back at work delivering parcels in a normal manner a couple of hours after the killing that they should draw the inference that he was a normal person who was unlikely to have been involved in a grotesque outrage like this.

The truth of this matter is he appeared perfectly normal afterwards because he, as a person in cahoots with [Charles] McClean, is prepared to engage in activities to snuff out the lives of others on an organised basis. That is the truth of the matter, said the judge.

The 12 jurors had rejected the defence case that Crawford, last of Clifden Terrace, Ballyfermot, was involved in drug dealing and had loaned a phone and a GoVan he had hired on the morning of the killing to associate Charles McClean.

McClean (35), last of St Marks Drive, Clondalkin, was described earlier this year by a Central Criminal Court judge as a "remorseless" criminal, after he sentenced him for calling Mark 'Guinea Pig' Desmond to a drugs meeting in a Dublin park, where the gangland figure was gunned down.

McClean, who was already serving consecutive sentences of 16.5-years for facilitating the murder of Thomas McCarthy and conspiring to murder Wayne Whelan, was jailed for an additional three-and-a-half years for impeding the apprehension of the person who murdered Mr Desmond.

Mr McCarthy, who had five children and two grandchildren, was living in the UK at the time but had returned home to visit his family and his mother, who lived at the address in Ballyfermot.

It was the prosecution case that a group of people were involved in planning and carrying out the murder of Mr McCarthy, with a number of cars used which were purchased using false names. Prosecuting counsel Bernard Condon SC said that movements of the accuseds van and other vehicles involved, including a black Mercedes, a Skoda, a Ford Fiesta, and a Toyota Avensis, showed dry runs being carried out in the days before the murder.

Following Mr McCarthys murder, some of the cars were subsequently found burnt out, with a 9mm semi-automatic weapon retrieved from the Fiesta.

Crawford took the stand during his trial and told the jury that he was being blamed as the centre point of a murder he didnt commit after he loaned the van to McClean. He said he had handed the van over to a man with bones sticking out of his face who was a mate of McCleans.

Crawford said he assumed McClean needed the van to collect drugs. He said McClean had previously given him a Lyca SIM card to use after Crawford agreed to collect and transport drugs on two or three occasions in the Ballyfermot area.

Before sentencing Crawford, Mr Justice Hunt said he was glad the jury had come to the proper conclusion in regard to the defendants association with McClean. He said what had been sold to them was that Crawford was the innocent dupe of McClean who was planning a dreadful murder behind his back and he was simply the innocent abroad but they had rejected this as the nonsense that it is.

The judge imposed the mandatory life sentence on Crawford, backdating this to June 1 this year when his previous sentence ended.

He extended his sympathy to Mr McCarthys family, saying that to lose a relative prematurely in such violent circumstances leaves wounds that can never adequately heal.

Victim impact statements on behalf of Mr McCarthys family were read to the court today by prosecuting counsel Fiona McGowan BL.

Mr McCarthys partner of 31 years, Nia OReilly said she used to be an optimistic person but now she just has sleepless nights and panic attacks when she is up walking the floorboards wondering why someone would do this.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would have to say my childrens father was murdered, she said.

She said Mr McCarthy is constantly in her thoughts and the pain, anger, loneliness, worry and heartache have been overwhelming.

I still think to this day they had the wrong person, the wrong house, she said in her statement. Thomas was a gentleman. He had good morals and would do anything for anyone.

She added: To think that someone would walk up to his mothers door and do this. Why, why, why.

The victims mother, Pauline McCarthy, said it was difficult to put into words the complete devastation and heartache that the loss of Thomas has caused to her family.

She said what happened to her son haunts her daily, adding, he is the last thing I think of when I go to sleep and the first thing I think of when I wake up.

Thomas had been killed cruelly and so senselessly in the place he called home, a place he should have been able to feel safe, she added.

Pauline said the family have been left with so many questions and no answers.

Danielle McCarthy, the deceaseds niece, said her uncle always lived life to the full and loved travelling and seeing other parts of the world whenever he got the chance.

She said Mr McCarthy never had an easy life and had worked extra hard for everything he had. Family was a big part of his life, she said, and he loved coming home to Dublin to see family and friends. Danielle said she and her siblings looked up to Thomas as a father figure.

She said she couldnt understand why anyone would want to ruthlessly murder someone who was so kind and caring.

"We will never fully know why this was done to Thomas or how people can sleep at night knowing the heartache they have caused, she said.

Speaking outside court following Crawfords sentencing, the deceaseds mother Pauline said Mr McCarthy was: A good son, a good father, a good uncle. All his friends and everything are broken heartedI got a message from England how they were missing him.

Ms McCarthy said her son had done nothing wrong and questioned why Crawford took a lovely chap like that away from us.

Hes still in the hall. Hes still there, she said. I see him all the time and I talk to him all the timeI dont know how I wasnt killed because the bullets went through where I was standing. I just hope no other mother has to go through that because Id never like them to feel the pain Im feeling, and this will be with me until the day I die. Till the day I die. My Thomas.

Describing the moment her son was killed, she said: I was there, I went to the door with Thomas, and I thought it was bangers thrown into my hall. The noise, the smell. I turned around and I said, whats all that Thomas and he fell down on top of me.

Nia OReilly said: Justice was done today.

She said her partner was a good man and an innocent man who would do anything for anybody.

Ms OReilly said the family dont know why Mr McCarthy was killed and said they would probably never find out.

Referring to Crawford, she said: Hes just a lying, murdering rat.

She added: Theyve ripped the biggest part of our family away from us. He was our backbone, he was everything to us and they just took him away with no thought. And they dont even know why. He did nothing wronghe was just a giver. Its just horrible I go home and hes not there. Well never ever, ever be a mended family again. Hes changed our lives completely.
The TFI local link will have enhanced bus services from Kilkenny to Athy.

Route 897 will be enhanced to include a new evening service on from Thursday to Saturday between Kilkenny City and Moneenroe and it commenced last week.

The enhanced route will now operate four daily return services Monday to Wednesday, five daily return services Thursday to Saturday and three daily return services on Sunday.

This enhancement 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.

The route will continue to provide peak-time services, improving connectivity to regional bus and rail services. It will also provide greater connectivity to villages and areas of Dunmore, Henebrys Cross, Jenkinstown, Ballyragget, Brynesgrove, Castlecomer, Moneenroe, Crettyard, Newtown Cross, Killeshin, Carlow, Ballickmoyler, Arles, Pedigree Corner and Ballylinan.

Speaking ahead of the launch TFI Local Link Carlow Kilkenny Wicklow General Manager Jackie Meally said, This additional schedule for the TFI on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights will give increased travel options for people.
The 'longest ever imported' wind turbine blades have successfully docked at Port of Waterford in Belview, County Kilkenny.

The port describes their importation as a 'record-breaking' cargo project for Ireland, with each blade measuring eighty metres in length.

The update comes as two roundabouts in South Kilkenny are currently being adapted to facilitate the transport of these mammoth blades.

Local councillors in the area were recently informed that the port is 'becoming a hub' for the transportation of wind turbine blades and that the works will help facilitate the movement of these blades to infrastructure projects across the country.

The roundabouts (Slieverue Roundabout and nearby Luffany Roundabout) are located on a vital spur of the national road network as they connect the Belview Port Road (N29) to the N25 Waterford bypass and the wider motorway network.

Local area engineer Stan Cullen has stated that the transportation of wind turbine blades in the area 'will be subject to a blue light garda escort'.

He also confirmed that such movements would be done outside of peak traffic hours, so as to limit the impact on traffic flow.
Clara Parish Priest, Fr Willie Purcell, made an appearance on the small screen in earlier this year, contributing to RTE documentary, 'The Last Priests in Ireland'.

The programme, presented by comic and Father Ted star, Ardal O'Hanlon, offered an insightful assessment into the role of Catholicism and the priesthood in Ireland, analysing the impact the evolution of Christianity has had on the priesthood and on Irish society at large and what changes may need to be made to make the role of the priest attractive again.

In 2023, the number of priests attending Seminaries across the country continued to dwindle, with just 20 seminarians reported to be studying to become Catholic priests for Ireland's 26 dioceses.

Meanwhile, statistics from 2022 paint an equally concerning picture.

According to findings from the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP), 15% of priests over 75 are still working, over 25% of priests are aged between 6075, and just 2.5% of serving Catholic priests in Ireland are under 40.

"Anybody who's presenting themselves for priesthood nowadays, it's really counter-cultural and really is a radical decision," Kilkenny priest, Fr Willie Purcell claimed.

He also acknowledged how a move into the priesthood may be considered a 'risk' for a young person.

"There really is an awful lot of humility involved, a lot of self-sacrifice involved in it but most importantly of all a vocation, it's a selfless decision to give yourself to Christ, to give yourself to others," he said.

The local man finished by noting, 'you dont need to be a saint' when considering joining the priesthood and 'knowing your baggage' is key.
A plan to regenerate an 11-acre island on the River Nore at Thomastown is amongst the many projects set to benefit from new biodiversity grants.

A partnership between philanthropy and Government is supporting 78 schemes which aim to protect endangered species and habitats.

The grants are the latest in a joint biodiversity fund, an initiative of the Community Foundation Ireland and the National Parks and Wildlife Service which has seen 213 such action plans developed across the country through a joint investment of 1.76 million euro since 2019.

The latest grant round of 376,000 euro will see communities supported in every part of the country in both rural and urban areas.

Plans for the regeneration of the island on the River Nore will include the engagement of an ecologist to work with and guide the local Community River Trust.

It aims to restore the natural environment on the island over the next five to 10 years protecting all wildlife for generations to come.

There is also a new biodiversity action plan for all three Aran Islands to protect the corncrake, currently a red listed bird.

Locally-based co-operative Comharchumann Fuinnimh Oileain Teoranta will work with farmers and landowners to create habitats for the endangered species.

Meanwhile, the development of a specially-designed sand martin nest wall in the Peoples Park, Portlaoise, aims to increase the number of birds on the River Triogue.

The sand martin is currently an amber-listed bird of conservation concern. The project will include local awareness-raising with signage and talks.
Shenandoah, IA (51601)

Today

Windy with thunderstorms. Some locally heavy downpours are possible. A few storms may be severe. High 73F. Winds S at 25 to 35 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Rain showers this evening with increasing winds and cloudy skies overnight. Low 37F. Winds SW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
By Jung Min-ho

Korea will allow up to 130,000 foreign nationals to work in the country in 2025 under a permit system that enables Korean employers to hire workers from abroad in specific industries facing labor shortages.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced on Friday that a cap on the number of foreign workers who can be hired under the Employment Permit System next year was set at 130,000, a decrease from this years 165,000.

The program, in collaboration with 17 partner nations, was created for Korean employers who were struggling to find workers in 2004. Tajikistan is also set to join the list next year.

Under the system, E-9 visa holders can work in manufacturing, construction and other industry sectors, where worker shortages are prevalent.

The figure was determined based on the results of its demand estimates, said the ministry, adding that factors such as a potential economic recession were also considered.

By industry, up to 72,000 workers will be allowed to work in Koreas manufacturing sectors and a maximum of 10,000 can be employed in agricultural and dairy industries, followed by fishing (8,500), service (3,000), shipbuilding (2,500) and construction (2,000). The remaining 32,000 visas can be issued if there is a request from any of these industries, the ministry said.

The ministry also plans to issue E-8 visas to 75,000 foreigners next year. Under the scheme, migrant workers are given a permit to work during busy periods for up to eight months. The figure increased from 68,000 this year.
By Lee Gyu-lee

Disney+s new original series Light Shop might initially appear as a horror mystery. However, beneath the chilling suspense of its ghostly storyline lies a deeper message about the various relationships of loved ones standing at deaths door.

I don't think this series is a type of work that is driven by the actors' emotions. The message comes first and then the actors, the drama's protagonist Ju Ji-hoon told The Korea Times during an interview at a cafe in Jung District, Seoul, Friday.

The eight-part series, based on the webtoon of the same name by Moving creator Kang Full, follows a group of strangers on the brink of the afterlife, who are mysteriously drawn to a light shop situated in a dubious alley. A cautious shopkeeper, Jung Won-young (Ju), guards the shop, which holds the key to the strangers past, present, and future.

Ju took on his role in the series without hesitation, drawn by his admiration for Kang's storytelling, particularly since the series was adapted by the writer.

I'm a fan of writer Kang. I grew up reading all his webtoons from when I was young and I really, really love the plots that Kang creates  In this work, there are no supporting characters. Each character has their own narrative and these narratives all interconnect and push the plot forward. Ultimately, they all intertwine, he said, expressing his appreciation for the depth and intricacy of the series.

Without alienating anyone, as a writer, he diligently creates stories by putting himself into each character one by one. And I love that warm perspective that Kang has.

Ju plays the enigmatic shopkeeper, who harbors his own traumatic past. To save his daughter, he sacrifices himself to become the sole owner of the shop, positioned between the afterlife and the world of the living. While tending to the shop, he encounters a variety of strangers, helping them choose their fate before death.

The actor interprets his character not merely as a figure, but as an observer, focusing on finding the balance needed to assist each visitor with their emotions.

Rather than thinking of my character as a specific individual, I thought he reflects the director's and the viewer's perspective  Instead of focusing on how I would act, the point was about what needed to be conveyed in scenes and through the interaction with each character in front of me, he explained.

This light shop itself drives the plot. As the host, the guests keep changing, and each one has a different rhythm and character... So, there was nothing I could prepare alone. I had to discuss each counterpart with the director, and we monitored and adjusted accordingly.

Ju shared that he experienced an emotion hed never felt before in acting during a poignant scene where he cries upon realizing he survived a building collapse alone, without his daughter. This devastating moment ultimately leads him to become the shopkeeper. The shops original owner passed it on to him against his will, and the weight of surviving without his daughter overwhelmed him, bringing him to tears.

It was a strange feeling. If I remember correctly, it was an emotion I was experiencing for the first time. Until then, sad acting was about my own emotions, the grief I felt. But this wasnt about me being sad. It was the emotion of 'what do I do, my daughter is so helpless'  a feeling of empathy, he said.

It wasn't that I was sad, but rather that I felt such deep concern (leading to sobbing). It felt strange both while I was doing it and even afterward. I think I've felt a similar emotion somewhere before.
By Park Han-sol

In the mid-1960s, Hugh Hefner, the founder of Playboy magazine  then a meteoric force in American pop culture with its ethos of unapologetic sexuality  invited a group of artists to create fine art pieces that captured the essence of the Playmate, the iconic female model gracing the magazines centerfold.

Among the creatives approached for this somewhat kitschy project were pop art icons like Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and James Rosenquist.

Rosenquist reportedly rejected the idea of crafting a glamorized portrayal in line with the magazines aesthetic. Instead, he sought to inject a subversive dose of reality.

What came to be born was the monumental Playmate (1966), a composition of four separate, slightly misaligned canvases of varying sizes. The painting features the nude torso of a pregnant woman standing between a pickle and strawberries with cream.

Rather than explicitly pandering to the imagined male gaze, which reduces the female form to an oversimplified ideal, the work shifts the focus. It reimagines the erotic scene into a dreamlike reflection of the pregnant womans potential food cravings, foregrounding an often-overlooked aspect of the raw female experience.

I really loved it because he disrupted the whole project in a certain way by doing something very real, recalled Mimi Thompson, writer and wife of the late artist, during a press preview of Rosenquist's solo show in Seoul.

She added that the effects of pregnancy on a womans body were likely fresh in Rosenquists mind, as he had become a father for the first time with his first wife just two years before completing the painting.

He used to say that if you want to know anything about his life, you should just look at his paintings. Its all there.

Playmate, exhibited for the first time in 15 years, is a centerpiece of the artists ongoing exhibit at Thaddaeus Ropac Seoul.

Titled Dream World: Paintings, Drawings and Collages, 19611968, it zooms in on the transformative decade for the American painter, who cemented his position at the forefront of the 1960s pop art movement alongside icons like Warhol and Lichtenstein.

Through his canvas works, as well as rarely seen preparatory sketches on display, the exhibition delves into how Rosenquist drew on his background as a commercial billboard painter to forge his signature visual language.

His subject matter drew heavily from the media-saturated popular culture of his time, featuring recognizable images from printed advertisements and consumer products. Oftentimes, he combined these fragmented visuals of celebrities, industrial machinery and food products into deliberately disjointed, uncanny collages.

This approach was influenced by his experience as a billboard artist, where he worked perched on scaffolding high above the metropolis, creating massive images one small section at a time.

He said it was like painting a hundred abstract paintings at once, and only when you backed away, the (entire) image was there, Thompson noted.

Ken Johnson, in his 2017 New York Times obituary for the artist, wrote, The paintings could be viewed both as critiques of modern consumerism and as glimpses into the collective American consciousness.

In addition to his collages, several pieces in the Seoul show highlight Rosenquists experimentation with physically subverting how his images are presented.

Bedspring (1962) is dubbed by the gallery as his most radical pictorial intervention at the time of its creation.

Here, a square canvas depicting a fragment of a blue-eyed womans face is stretched across a silver-painted wood frame, held tight by 11 pieces of twine. This setup creates a palpable tension between the image and its material form.

When he was asleep, he would dream of these women, Thompson said. I think it was more about him experimenting with materials and a section of the painting that he normally didnt use.

Rosenquist also pushed boundaries with Daley Portrait (1968), employing thinly sliced polyester films to craft an image of Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley. Daleys name became notorious for his violent response to the 1968 Chicago riots following Dr. Martin Luther Kings assassination.

This portrait, created as a form of protest, flails and rearranges itself with every breeze, symbolizing Daley as an impulsive leader wielding power that is both erratic and fleeting.

Dream World runs through Jan. 25, 2025, at Thaddaeus Ropac Seoul.
Company remains undecided in picking next chairman amid political turmoil

By Yi Whan-woo

NongHyup Financial Group nominated Kang Tae-young, vice president of NH Capital, as the final candidate to lead its flagship affiliate NongHyup Bank, the group said Friday.

It also said that Park Byeong-hee, incumbent vice president of NongHyup Life Insurance, and Song Chun-soo, former vice president of NH Property and Casualty Insurance, were the sole CEO candidates of each respective company.

Fully owned by the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, the group also nominated the federations managing director Jang Jong-hwan to lead NH Capital.

Meanwhile, Kim Jang-seob, former vice president of NongHyup Life Insurance, was tapped to lead NH Savings Bank.

NH Venture Investment CEO Kim Hyun-jin was recommended to serve another term.

The six candidates will undergo a thorough screening by the groups executive recommendation committee or boards of directors this month to see if they are capable and qualified for the job. If approved, they will begin their term on Jan. 2.

Their nominations came as the current CEOs terms for all six companies were set to expire on Dec. 31. But the groups executive recommendation committee had been delaying its decision in finalizing the candidates.

The committee remains undecided over who will take the helm of the group, while NongHyup Financial Group Chairman Lee Suk-joons two-year term will end this year.

According to industry sources, the countrys fifth-largest financial holding company appears to be keeping a low profile due to its link to the current government, in the aftermath of the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Sources pointed out that although the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation is a supposedly independent group, it in fact relies on the governments financial support in fulfilling its goal of representing the interests of individuals and enterprises in the agricultural industry.

NongHyup Financial Group typically nominates a pro-government candidate, usually recommended by the government or the ruling party, when the current chairmans term is about to end.

Lee was formerly Yoon's campaign chair in the March 2022 presidential election.

He later served as Yoons special economic adviser before being appointed to lead NongHyup Financial Group in December 2022.

Considering such a link between the government and National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, it makes sense why NongHyup Financial Group is especially keeping a low profile in selecting new leadership, a source said.

Shin Yul, a political science professor at Myongji University, said NongHyup Financial Groups move is no surprise at a time when the incumbent government will only last for months, before the Constitutional Court finalizes its decision concerning Yoons impeachment.

A source familiar with the executive recommendation committee said the new chairman candidate may be nominated soon.

The chairman of NongHyup Financial Group would usually be given an extended term. But Lee repeatedly expressed his intention to step down after his first term, holding himself responsible for a string of irregularities that plagued NongHyup Bank this year.




By Lee Yeon-woo

The total net assets in Korea's exchange-traded fund (ETF) market surpassed 170 trillion won ($117.1 billion) for the first time in December.

However, despite this remarkable growth, concerns persist over inadequate investor protections. Limited product differentiation and fragmented information make it difficult for investors to make informed decisions.

According to the Korea Financial Investment Association, as of Wednesday, the net assets of domestic ETFs stood at 173.1 trillion won. This marks an impressive increase of 52 trillion won compared to the end of December last year. The number of ETFs also grew by 121 to reach 934 during the same period.

Despite headwinds in the domestic stock market, the ETF market has expanded significantly by focusing on overseas equity assets. Over the past three months, net assets have increased by more than 10 trillion won. Currently, individual holdings in overseas equity ETFs are nearly three times larger than those in domestic equity ETFs.

The market, however, is also experiencing growing pains. Intense competition among asset management firms has led to a surge in product launches, many of which lack clear differentiation and merely follow trends. As a result, capital is increasingly concentrated in a few large-scale ETFs, while small-scale ETFs are being voluntarily delisted.

"ETFs should be products designed for long-term investment," Choi Su-jung, a business professor at Soongsil University, said during a policy symposium hosted by the Korea Capital Market Institute, Thursday. "To achieve this, it's essential to build trust that ensures ETFs will still be meaningfully traded five or 10 years down the line."

While the growing variety of ETF products appears to offer investors more options, the lack of distinct features has made decision-making more challenging, according to Choi.

Financial Services Commission Chairman Kim Byoung-hwan echoed this concern at a September meeting with asset management companies, criticizing the concentration within the ETF market.

"The concentration of specific assets or products is becoming increasingly prominent in the asset management industry," Kim said. "Excessive asset clustering and heightened market synchronization can undermine financial stability and significantly affect investor protection, as well as the financial soundness of institutions during external shocks."

The current state of the platform  where ETF information is not only difficult to compare but also scattered  further complicates the ability of investors to make optimal investment decisions.

Nevertheless, the investment industry believes the domestic ETF market will continue to grow, with the potential to reach 200 trillion won by next year.

This optimism is fueled by growing public interest in overseas investments. ETFs offer greater convenience and risk diversification compared to directly purchasing individual stocks, particularly given the limited information available on foreign equities.

Additionally, the rising popularity of hybrid investment strategies that blend direct and indirect approaches, coupled with the rapid growth of investments in pension accounts, is further driving the appeal of ETFs.
Pyongyang's cyberattacks grow faster, more skilled

By Lee Yeon-woo

Hackers affiliated with North Korea stole a record $1.34 billion from cryptocurrency platforms across 47 incidents this year, according to blockchain data analysis firm Chainalysis, Friday. This amount accounts for 61 percent of the total stolen funds so far this year.

Chainalysis noted that North Korea's crypto attacks are becoming more frequent, suggesting that the country is enhancing its speed and sophistication in executing large-scale breaches.

Attacks ranging from $50 million to $100 million, as well as those exceeding $100 million, occurred much more frequently in 2024 compared to 2023.

This trend can be partly attributed to North Korean IT workers, who are increasingly infiltrating crypto and Web3 companies. They often use false identities, third-party hiring intermediaries, and remote work opportunities to gain access.

For example, the U.S. Department of Justice recently indicted 14 North Korean nationals who had worked as remote IT contractors for American companies, generating more than $88 million by stealing proprietary information and extorting their employers.

However, the amount stolen in such financial heists dropped by half following a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in late June. Their growing alliance has seen North Korea deploy troops to Ukraine and supply ballistic missiles to Russia, while Moscow released millions of dollars in previously frozen assets owned by the North.

The amounts stolen by North Korea fell by approximately 53.73 percent after the summit, while the amounts stolen by non-North Koreans increased by 5 percent, according to the report.

"It is therefore possible that ... the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea), which has dramatically increased its cooperation with Russia in recent years, may have altered its cybercriminal activity as well," the report stated.
North Korea's economy expanded by more than 3 percent last year, rebounding from three consecutive years of contraction, data showed Friday, on the back of increased trade with China following the easing of border restrictions in the post-COVID-19 period.

The reclusive regime posted 3.1 percent on-year economic growth in 2023, following a 0.2 percent contraction in 2022, a 0.1 percent dip in 2021 and a 4.5 percent decrease in 2020, according to the data from Statistics Korea.

"Economic growth rebounded as border controls imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic were relaxed," said Kim Soo-young, a Statistics Korea official.

China remained North Korea's largest trading partner, accounting for 98.3 percent of its total international trade, the agency reported.

North Korea's total trade volume surged by 74.6 percent on-year to $2.77 billion in 2023, the data showed. Nonetheless, it shows a sharp contrast to Seoul's $1.26 trillion.

North Korea's exports soared 104.4 percent on-year to $330 million, while imports rose 71.3 percent to $2.44 billion.

Despite the growth in trade, North Korea's nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of 40.2 trillion won remained only at 1.7 percent of South Korea's, which came to 2,401.2 trillion won in 2023.

Similarly, its nominal gross national income (GNI) reached 40.9 trillion won, with a per capita GNI of 1.59 million won, roughly one-thirtieth of that of South Korea.

North Korea has long struggled with chronic food shortages, which have been further exacerbated by heightened international economic sanctions over its nuclear and missile programs.

North Korea's grain production increased 6.9 percent in 2023 to 4.82 million tons, surpassing South Korea's 4.3 million tons by more than 500,000 tons.

"Unlike South Korea, which relies heavily on imports for its grain supply, North Korea's self-sufficiency in grain production is noteworthy given its ongoing food crisis," Kim said.

The population of North Korea was estimated at 25.8 million in 2023, compared with South Korea's 51.71 million.

The life expectancy for North Korean men was 72.1 years and 78.6 years for women, the agency said. In comparison, South Korean men and women were expected to live 8.5 years and 7.8 years longer, respectively.

Since 1995, South Korea's statistics office has been publishing comprehensive data on North Korea to provide insights into its economic and social conditions. (Yonhap)
Korea and Japan will hold high-level economic talks this week to boost cooperation and prepare for the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday.

The 16th Korea-Japan economic dialogue will take place in Tokyo on Friday, led by Kim Hee-sang, deputy foreign minister for economic affairs and Takeshi Akahori, a senior deputy minister at Japan's foreign ministry, the Seoul ministry said.

"The talks will review the current economic cooperation between Korea and Japan," a Seoul foreign ministry official said.

"We hope that the two countries will continue to develop their relationship in a future-oriented manner," he said.

They plan to discuss international economic issues, ongoing bilateral cooperation and ways to expand the partnership on the occasion of next year's 60th anniversary of the normalization of the diplomatic ties.

The upcoming dialogue also demonstrates Korea's ongoing efforts to maintain its international credibility and strengthen economic cooperation with major countries despite recent domestic challenges, the official added. (Yonhap)
By Kim Hyun-bin

Philippine Ambassador Theresa Dizon-de Vega welcomed guests to the opening of "Threads of Culture: An Exhibit of Philippine Weaves" at the Ohmi Gallery in Seoul on Tuesday. The event celebrates the rich heritage of Philippine textile art, commemorating 75 years of diplomatic relations between Korea and the Philippines.

Ambassador Dizon-de Vega expressed her gratitude for the presence of distinguished guests, including members of the diplomatic corps, and noted the exhibition's significance in the heart of Seouls cultural hub.

We are honored by your presence and welcome you warmly to the opening of 'Threads of Culture: An Exhibit of Philippine Weaves (Habi),' she said. "It is a privilege to gather here in the vibrant heart of Insa-dong, a cultural hub that mirrors the rich heritage we are celebrating today." "Habi" is the Filipino word for weaving.

The exhibition, which features a variety of Philippine weaves, is not just a display of textiles but a testament to the deep cultural ties between the two nations.

"This exhibit is a tribute to the enduring friendship between the Philippines and Korea as we commemorate 75 years of diplomatic relations," Dizon-de Vega added. "A relationship built on mutual respect, shared values and a commitment to fostering cultural understanding."

The ambassador emphasized that each piece of fabric on display tells a story of the indigenous communities from which they originate.

The Philippine weaves you will see today are not just fabrics; they are living traditions. Each thread carries the stories of our indigenous communities, their artistry and their dedication to preserving our cultural identity, she said. "These intricate designs, crafted with care and passed down through generations, embody the resilience, creativity and beauty of the Filipino spirit."

She also highlighted the shared heritage of both nations in the art of weaving. It is fitting that we present this exhibit here in Korea, a nation with its own proud traditions of weaving and textile art, Dizon-de Vega noted, mentioning the "jogakbo," a traditional Korean patchwork, as a similar art form to the Pidayit, which originates from her home province of Pampanga in the Philippines.

The exhibition showcases various Philippine weaving traditions, such as the Abel Iloco, Tnalak, Pina and Yakan weaves. Through these displays, the embassy aims to build a cultural bridge between Korea and the Philippines.

"By showcasing these weaves, we hope to create a bridge between our cultures  a vibrant dialogue of art and heritage that deepens our understanding of one another," she said.

The ambassador also thanked those who helped organize the exhibition, including artisans, social entrepreneurs, weave advocates and the Embassy team.

"I wish to extend my gratitude to the artisans whose works we celebrate today, the social entrepreneurs who are tirelessly building sustainable bridges between heritage and commerce, the weave advocates and tradition bearers and all those who made this exhibit possible, she said.

Ambassador Dizon-de Vega expressed hope that the exhibition would inspire visitors to appreciate the importance of cultural heritage. "May this exhibit inspire us all to cherish our heritage and embrace the vibrant diversity that makes our world so rich," she concluded.

The exhibition will run until the end of December, allowing visitors to explore the colorful and intricate world of Philippine weaves, a powerful reminder of the country's history, artistry and cultural pride.
The United States plans on having high-level in-person engagement with the administration of South Korea's Acting President Han Duck-soo, a top U.S. diplomat said Thursday, stressing that the Biden administration fully supports Han's interim role.

Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell made the remarks amid concerns that the ongoing political turmoil in the aftermath of President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched martial law attempt and his subsequent impeachment would negatively affect bilateral cooperation between Seoul and Washington.

"I will not get into detail here, but we do plan on high-level engagement ... in-person engagement with the ROK appropriately in due course during the last weeks of the Biden administration," Campbell said during a roundtable with reporters at the Foreign Press Center. ROK is short for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.

He added, "We are keeping every possible line of communication open not just with the interim government but (with) other actors in the crisis," he added.

Prime Minister Han took over as acting president immediately after the National Assembly voted to impeach Yoon on Saturday, suspending Yoon from his presidential duties until the Constitutional Court decides whether to reinstate or unseat him from office.

Campbell voiced the U.S.' support for Han, saying the acting president is "well known to us" while noting that Han served as South Korea's ambassador to the United States from 2009-2012.

"We fully support his interim role, and we will do what's best to continue to send the signal of deep engagement," he said.

The deputy secretary pointed out that even during a period of political uncertainty in Seoul, the U.S. has underscored the importance of a "steady" and "unshakable" commitment to the Seoul-Washington alliance.

"We have supported the constitutional steps that Korea has taken and we've expressed confidence in Korea to manage through this challenging period," he said.

Commenting on the possibility of North Korean provocations, Campbell underscored the U.S.' vigilance against it.

"We've sent the clearest possible message that no provocation from the DPRK on the Korean Peninsula during this period and that we are fully behind the ROK and vigilant (against) any provocations or (aggressive) steps," he said. "I think (there) should be no question about this."

DPRK stands for the official name of North Korea, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Asked if he anticipates progress in diplomacy with Pyongyang under the second Trump administration, he struck a cautious note.

"I think (Trump) continues to be very focused on North Korea and (its leader) Kim Jong-un," he said, noting that "circumstances" have changed with the growing partnership between Moscow and Pyongyang.

"These are things that await the next administration. I cannot say whether he will be effective in this kind of diplomacy that he sought in both Singapore and Vietnam."

He was referring to the in-person summit between Trump and Kim in Singapore in 2018 and Hanoi in 2019. Serious nuclear talks between the U.S. and the North have been stalled since the no-deal summit in Hanoi.

With Trump set to return to office next month, expectations have persisted that he would seek to rekindle his personal diplomacy with Kim.

But questions linger over whether Pyongyang would accede to any diplomatic feelers from Washington given that the North now relies on Russia for food, fuel, security guarantees and other forms of support. (Yonhap)
By Kim Hyun-bin

The impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol is fueling debate over the appointment of an ambassador to China, a position typically filled by the president's key aides.

Kim Dae-ki, the former chief presidential secretary, was appointed ambassador to China in October and has already received Beijing's approval.

However, the appointment process has been halted since Yoon's impeachment following his controversial martial law declaration.

For Kim to officially assume the role, his appointment must be approved by the Cabinet, and a letter of credence must be issued by the president. While Yoon's duties have been suspended, there would technically be no issue for acting President Han Duck-soo to carry out the process in Yoon's place.

However, this could raise concerns about the appropriateness of appointing to such a critical diplomatic role someone who has been a close ally of the impeached president.

The situation is further complicated by worsening ties between Korea and China, particularly after Yoon's recent remarks referring to Chinese nationals caught in Korea as "spies," which have significantly strained relations with Beijing.

In a Dec. 12 address, where Yoon attempted to justify his martial law declaration, he referenced two incidents in which Chinese nationals were caught filming high-security installations in Korea, claiming these actions posed a threat to national security. The president also said Chinese-made solar power facilities would destroy forests in the country.

His remarks drew immediate protest from the Chinese government, with its foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning saying, "We are surprised by those comments and find them deeply upsetting. We absolutely oppose the ROK side associating its domestic affairs with Chinese elements, amplifying unfounded 'Chinese spy' accusations and throwing mud at normal economic and trade cooperation." ROK stands for the Republic of Korea, Korea's official name.

The timing of Kims appointment is also contentious. If the Constitutional Court upholds the National Assembly's impeachment motion against Yoon, the nation will hold a presidential election. As it is customary for a new president to appoint new ambassadors to major countries, even if Kim takes the post, his term might be short-lived if the election is held.

Some critics say Kim might voluntarily step down. However, an extended vacancy of the ambassadorial post could impact Korea's diplomatic relations with China, including efforts to arrange a visit by its President Xi Jinping during the APEC summit in Korea next year.

The current Korean ambassador, Chung Jae-ho, was planning to finish his term and return to Seoul by Dec. 30. However, amid the situation, his return could be delayed.

Regarding the controversy over Kim's appointment, the Chinese Embassy here said Beijing has already issued its approval

"This is a matter that needs to be resolved internally within Korea," an official at the embassy in Seoul told The Korea Times.

"We are currently preparing for the arrival of the new ambassador and making all the necessary preparations, but we don't know when he will be able to come," the official said.
Korea has decided to accept 207,000 nonprofessional foreign workers into the country next year under a program aimed to cope with labor shortages in sectors such as agriculture and fisheries, according to officials Friday.

Under the decision reached by a government committee, the number of workers under the E-9 employment permit visa for next year was set at 130,000, down 35,000 compared with this year, according to the Office for Government Policy Coordination.

The number of workers under the E-8 seasonal work visa was increased by 7,000 to 75,000, taking into account population declines in rural and fishing communities.

For the E-10 seafarer employment visa, there is no fixed total limit, as it operates under a total quota system. Officials expect the number to be around 2,100 next year.

The government plans to finalize the visa-specific quotas and establish an operational plan for next year after consulting with relevant agencies. (Yonhap)
Gen. Xavier Brunson will assume office as the new commander of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) this week, the Pentagon press secretary said Thursday, reiterating the United States' "ironclad" commitment to the bilateral alliance.

Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder made the remarks, saying U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Commander Adm. Samuel Paparo will preside over the ceremony on Friday, where Gen. Paul LaCamera will turn over command of the 28,500-strong USFK to Brunson, former commander of First Corps.

The USFK commander also serves as commander of South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command and United Nations Command.

"On behalf of Secretary Austin and the entire Department of Defense, we want to extend our thanks to Gen. LaCamera for his leadership and lifetime of service to our nation, and we salute Gen. Brunson as he takes command," Ryder told a press briefing.

"As you've heard us say our commitments to the U.S-ROK alliance remains ironclad," he added. ROK is short for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.

In September, President Joe Biden nominated Brunson to lead USFK.

During his Senate confirmation hearing in September, Brunson described North Korea's "rapid" advancement of its nuclear and missile capabilities as the "single greatest" challenge facing USFK, vowing to maintain a "constant" state of readiness.

His inauguration comes as Seoul and Washington have been stepping up cooperation to sharpen deterrence against evolving North Korean nuclear and missile threats, with Pyongyang shunning dialogue and deepening its military cooperation with Moscow.

Brunson has served in various key defense positions with both conventional and special operations forces, according to the Army. His operational assignments included deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.

He was commissioned as an infantry officer upon graduation from Hampton University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science. He also earned a Master of Arts degree in human resource development from Webster University and a Master of Science degree in national security and strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College. (Yonhap)
Acting Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho and U.S. Indo-Pacific Commander Adm. Samuel Paparo concurred Friday on the importance of trilateral security cooperation with Japan to deter North Korea's threats and vowed efforts to further strengthen such cooperation, the defense ministry said.

Kim and Paparo discussed the issue as they met at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on the sidelines of a change-of-command ceremony marking the inauguration of new U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson.

In their meeting, both sides agreed that the South Korea-U.S. alliance remains "ironclad," and vowed to bolster cooperation and communications to uphold it with an overwhelming combined defense posture, the ministry said.

For such a goal, they concurred on the need to smoothly push ahead with pre-planned combined drills.

Kim was quoted as saying that South Korea's external policy remains unchanged and emphasized that the military remains committed to maintaining a firm combined defense posture under the acting president.

Friday's meeting was attended by Brunson as well as U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Philip Goldberg and Gen. Kang Shin-chul, deputy commander of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command. (Yonhap)
A Seoul court on Friday sentenced a medical school student to 26 years in prison on charges of murdering his girlfriend for allegedly breaking up with him.

The 25-year-old, surnamed Choi, who attended a medical school in Seoul, was indicted with physical detention for stabbing his girlfriend to death on the rooftop of a building in southern Seoul on May 6.

The Seoul Central District Court handed down the sentence for Choi, saying he had "brutally murdered" the victim, who was blindsided by the defendant's criminal plan.

"It seems certain (the defendant) had an intention to kill, given he prepared a knife in advance and even bought duct tape before stabbing the victim numerous times," the court said, noting the method of the crime is "cruel" and "highly reprehensible."

Investigations found Choi had reportedly registered for marriage with his then girlfriend without telling their parents, but upon finding the news, the victim's parents later filed a nullity suit for the marriage.

Choi's side claimed he committed the crime in a state of mental disability, but psychiatric evaluation results proved otherwise. (Yonhap)
A join investigation team probing the martial law case requested an arrest warrant Friday for the chief of the Defense Intelligence Command on suspicion of taking part in martial law operations.

Maj. Gen. Moon Sang-ho, detained by investigators earlier this week, is suspected of sending troops in his command to the National Election Commission's office in Gwacheon, just south of Seoul, on Dec. 3 after President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law.

He is also suspected of discussing martial law operations with Noh Sang-won, a former defense intelligence commander, alongside two other subordinates at a burger franchise in Gyeonggi Province two days ahead of Yoon's martial law imposition. (Yonhap)
The chiefs of the national police and the Seoul police arrested on charges of being involved in President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law imposition were transferred to the prosecution Friday for a possible indictment, police said.

Cho Ji-ho, commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency, and Kim Bong-sik, chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, were put under formal arrest on insurrection charges last Friday. They have been detained at the Seoul Namdaemun Police Station for questioning by police investigators.

Kim will be sent to a detention center under the direction of the prosecution. But Cho, who is battling blood cancer, will reportedly remain in the National Police Hospital for the time being.

Cho and Kim met with Yoon at a presidential safe house some three hours before the president declared martial law on Dec. 3. They are also accused of ordering police officers to block lawmakers from entering the National Assembly to vote down Yoon's martial law decree. (Yonhap)
A female elementary school teacher in the central city of Daejeon has been indicted on charges of sexually assaulting a male student, according to police and education officials Friday.

The teacher, whose identity has been withheld, was arrested and charged with the alleged rape of a minor, according to the Daejeon Metropolitan City Office of Education and local police.

The education office offered an apology, promising to enforce a zero-tolerance policy for similar cases in the future.

In June, a high school physical education teacher in Daejeon was investigated for allegedly sexually harassing a student in a separate case. Another teacher at the same school was suspended after it was revealed she had been involved in an inappropriate relationship with a student. (Yonhap)
By Lee Hyo-jin

For South Koreans, 2024 proved to be more dramatic than previous ones.

On Dec. 14, President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached by the National Assembly, less than two weeks after his botched martial law imposition. The political turmoil from the martial law fallout continues as the nation now awaits the Constitutional Court's ruling on Yoons impeachment.

Partisan conflicts were intense this year, with the majority-holding opposition parties clashing with the governing party at almost every turn. Hospitals were burdened by doctors' prolonged walkout, while schools were shocked by deepfake digital sex crimes targeting teenage girls. Meanwhile, South Koreans endured bizarre provocations from their nuclear-armed northern neighbor  in the form of trash-laden balloons.

Below are 10 defining moments from the nations political and social scenes that turned the year into a gripping K-drama.

Yoon's fall from grace after short-lived martial law

Yoon was impeached by the National Assembly, Dec. 14, for his short-lived imposition of martial law on Dec. 3. The military emergency rule  which lasted for only six hours due to parliamentary pushback  dealt a final blow to the already-unpopular presidents political career.

Suspended from his duties, the embattled president is facing a lengthy legal battle that will determine his fate in the coming months.

The Constitutional Court is set to begin impeachment trials on Dec. 27, with a ruling required within six months. Law enforcement authorities are expediting investigations into the president on charges of treason and abuse of power.

The fallout from the martial law controversy has caused Yoon's Cabinet and the ruling People Power Party (PPP) to crumble.

Former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who is suspected of masterminding the martial law fiasco, has been arrested. Interior Minister Lee Sang-min resigned, while Justice Minister Park Sung-jae was impeached by the Assembly. PPP leader Han Dong-hoon stepped down amid criticism from party members that he failed to prevent the impeachment.

Endless disputes at opposition-dominated Assembly

The opposition bloc secured a landslide victory in the April 10 parliamentary elections, altogether winning 192 out of a total 300 seats. The liberal main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) clinched 175 seats, significantly outperforming its rival, the conservative PPP, which won 108 seats.

The resounding victory paved the way for DPK leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung to emerge as the partys leading presidential candidate. Then-interim PPP leader Han resigned in the aftermath of the elections, only to return in July as the partys official leader.

Holding the majority, the broader opposition bloc wielded its power by railroading contentious bills, such as special probe bills targeting Yoon and first lady Kim Keon Hee. It also slashed the government's budget proposals. The governing party fought back with filibusters and boycotting of key votes at plenary sessions.

As bipartisan cooperation was virtually nonexistent, progress on critical bills concerning people's livelihoods has been stalled.

Doctors' walkout

In late February, thousands of junior doctors across the nation staged a walkout in the form of mass resignations, in protest of the governments plan to increase the medical school quota by 2,000 slots in 2025.

Despite the governments efforts to negotiate, persuade  or threaten them with criminal punishment  the doctors have yet to return.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare said its plans to expand the medical school quota is necessary to address the nations chronic shortage of doctors, a stance that initially resonated with much of the public. However, the governments somewhat rigid stance on the 2,000-slot increase  without providing detailed justification  has caused public support to wane.

Public frustration over the medical standoff has intensified as scheduling appointments at general hospitals has become increasingly difficult. Concerns about the health care void have been aggravated following multiple incidents where patients in need of urgent medical attention were turned away from understaffed emergency rooms.

Trash balloons heat up inter-Korean tensions

North Korea began engaging in a bizarre provocation tactic in late May by launching balloons carrying garbage across the border. As of December, it has sent more than 7,000 such balloons on 32 different occasions, with the latest one occurring on Nov. 28.

North Korea claimed these actions were a tit-for-tat response to anti-Pyongyang leaflets sent by activists based in the South. As Pyongyang continued its balloon launches, the South Korean military responded by blasting propaganda broadcasts, such as K-pop and news critical of the Kim Jong-un regime, through loudspeakers along the border.

Inter-Korean tensions escalated further in October when North Korea accused South Korea of sending military drones into its capital to scatter anti-Pyongyang leaflets. The South Korean military neither confirmed nor denied these allegations.

These developments came after the Kim regime declared a "two-state system" at the beginning of the year, framing the two Koreas as hostile nations.

Women under threat by deepfake sex crimes

An increasing number of young women and teenage girls have fallen victim to deepfake sex crimes this year, which came to light in August following the revelation of such crimes at Seoul National University.

Deepfakes involve the manipulation of photos and videos to create explicit content that can be circulated on social messengers, such as Telegram. Victims often find their faces superimposed onto obscene images, leading to significant emotional and psychological distress.

According to the National Police Agency, 964 cases of deepfake-related sex crimes were reported nationwide from January to October, while education authorities also reported that more than 880 students have fallen victim to these crimes.

These offenses were especially shocking given South Koreas dark history of digital sex crimes. In 2019, the so-called "Nth Room" case roiled the nation, in which perpetrators blackmailed women, including underage girls, into filming sexually explicit acts.

Scandal-ridden first lady

First lady Kim Keon Hee has made headlines throughout this year, more for bad reasons than good ones.

Kim came under mounting public scrutiny following accusations that she violated anti-graft laws by accepting a Dior handbag from a pastor, after the allegations were first raised in November 2023. She was also mired in a stock manipulation scheme involving Deutsch Motors, a BMW dealer, with key suspects convicted in September.

In October, prosecutors cleared Kim of all charges related to the stock manipulation and Dior handbag scandals. This sparked public backlash, with many viewing the prosecutors as being too lenient toward the prosecutor-turned-president and his wife.

Adding to the controversy, Kim was embroiled in new issues involving self-proclaimed political broker Myung Tae-kyun. Myung, who claimed to have close ties with the presidential couple, is alleged to have interfered in the 2022 by-elections using these connections.

During a press conference in November, Yoon apologized for causing public concern over his wifes controversies but rejected the opposition bloc-led bills to launch a special counsel probe into the allegations.

Fatal car accident in the heart of Seoul

A deadly car accident near Seoul City Hall on the night of July 1 killed nine people and injured five others, mostly office workers. The sedan, driven by a 68-year-old man surnamed Cha, sped in the wrong direction for about 200 meters on a one-way street before crashing through a sidewalk guardrail.

The vehicle reached a maximum speed of 107 kilometers per hour when it hit the fence, according to authorities.

Cha claimed the accident was caused by sudden unintended acceleration, stating that the brakes were "stiff" and failed to work at the time of the accident. However, after a monthlong investigation, the police concluded that the accident resulted from driver error.

In late August, Cha was indicted on charges of negligence resulting in death under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents. He reportedly denied the charges during his first hearing held on Oct. 11.

Kim-Putin bromance blooms

The dangerous bromance between the North Korean leader and Russian President Vladimir Putin reached its peak this year. When Putin visited Pyongyang on June 19, the two leaders signed a comprehensive strategic partnership, which included a clause on military assistance in the event the other is attacked.

The signing of the deal was followed by speculation that North Korean troops were dispatched to the war in Ukraine at the end of October. Intelligence agencies in South Korea, the United States and Ukraine have confirmed the deployment, while neither North Korea nor Russia has officially admitted it.

The international community speculates that the move is part of a quid-pro-quo arrangement between the two leaders, with Pyongyang potentially receiving financial or military assistance from Moscow  or a combination of both.

Dog meat taken off the menu

The year 2024 saw a significant victory for animal rights in South Korea with the implementation of a ban on dog meat consumption in August. The law aimed to end the decades-long yet fading practice of eating dogs, typically in the form of soup.

The government issued a three-year grace period before the ban is fully implemented, after which slaughtering dogs for consumption will be punishable by up to three years in prison.

However, questions remain about how the government will handle the stalled negotiations with dog traders and farmers, who lamented that the ban threatens their livelihoods.

In September, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs proposed compensating these individuals with up to 600,000 won ($420) per canine, offering the maximum amount to those who shut down their businesses as soon as possible. However, the dog meat traders rejected the plan, demanding compensation of 2 million won per dog.

Extreme weather strikes

Korea faced extreme weather this year. It endured a sweltering summer marked by its longest streak of tropical nights. The pangovernment emergency disaster response team for heat-related crises was active for 29 consecutive days, the longest period since it was launched.

The heat continued into autumn, with Septembers average temperature reaching 24.7 degrees Celsius, well above the typical 20.5 degrees Celsius for that month.

The unseasonably warm weather took an abrupt turn when the nation saw one of its heaviest first snowfalls in November. On Nov. 27, nearly 20 centimeters of snow blanketed the capital, marking the heaviest November snowfall since modern weather observations began in 1907. This amount is also rare for the winter season. The heavy snow caused accidents, road closures and traffic disruptions across the country.
Presidents instructions include how to bring out lawmakers in National Assembly on the night of Dec. 3

By KTimes

Former Capital Defense Commander Lee Jin-woo testified to prosecutors that President Yoon Suk Yeol provided specific methods and instructions for arresting lawmakers during the attempt to impose martial law on Dec. 3.

According to Lee, Yoon instructed, "Four soldiers should enter and bring one person out each," implying that the goal was to halt parliamentary functions.

According to sources familiar with the matter, prosecutors from the Special Investigation Headquarters on Martial Law, led by prosecutor Park Se-hyun, questioned Lee and found out that Yoon's directives were issued after he declared martial law at 10:27 p.m. on Dec. 3.

Lee mobilized over 200 personnel, including the 35th Special Mission Battalion and military police, to the National Assembly.

Lee testified to prosecutors that he received multiple calls from Yoon while stationed at the National Assembly, including two where the president instructed him to "go in and drag them out." Yoon directed, "Four people should enter and bring one person out each," and, as the vote to lift martial law approached, called again to reprimand him, saying, "Cant you even manage to bring them out?"

Lee said he responded "Yes" to Yoon's repeated instructions out of confusion but felt upset as his original mission was to defend key facilities.

Afterward, he asked his subordinates if the order could be executed but was told, "Its hard enough to even enter, we cant do it." As a result, he did not issue the same command again.

Among the 200 Capital Defense Command troops deployed, about 40 entered the National Assembly grounds, but none managed to enter the main building, leaving Yoons order unfulfilled.

Lee explained that after the National Assembly voted to lift martial law, he voluntarily withdrew the troops before Yoon officially announced the termination.

In conversations with lawmakers Kim Byung-joo and Park Sun-won of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, Lee shared that former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun had also expressed concerns about troop movements.

He claimed he instructed soldiers to proceed unarmed, prioritizing civilian safety, a decision he reported to martial law commander Park An-su, who approved it.

Claims of Yoons "parliamentary incapacitation" orders are central to determining whether treason charges apply. Yoons legal team strongly denies the claims, arguing that the president, as a legal expert, would not have used such language.

Lawyer Seok Dong-hyun, involved in Yoons defense, told reporters Thursday, "President Yoon never used terms like arrest them or drag them out."

However, Kwak Jong-keun, former Special Warfare Commander, testified in a National Assembly hearing on Dec. 10 that Yoon instructed, "Break down the doors and pull out the people inside," citing concerns that the quorum for repealing martial law had not yet been met.

Under Korean law, treason involves actions that disrupt constitutional institutions by force. In a 1997 ruling involving former President Chun Doo-hwan, the Supreme Court clarified that such actions include not only permanently dismantling institutions but also rendering them nonfunctional for an extended period.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is a translated by generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.
By KTimes

Former Defense Intelligence Commander Noh Sang-won, who is accused of conspiring to plan martial law at what has now become known as the infamous "Lotteria meeting," has also been found to be operating a fortune-telling business from his home and working as a spiritual consultant, according to a report by JTBC on Dec. 19.

Reporters who visited Nohs residence discovered three fortune tellers managing various services, including "saju" readings (a traditional Korean form of fortune-telling). The residence is located near the now much-mocked Lotteria restaurant in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, where the alleged plot was discussed.

The fortune tellers identified the property as a fortune-telling house and described themselves as business partners with Noh, specializing in Eastern philosophy and spiritual guidance.

Noh began his work in fortune-telling after his dishonorable discharge from the military in 2018 following a conviction for sexual assault.

In 2018, while serving as the principal of the Army Intelligence School, Noh was convicted of forcibly placing a female cadet on his lap and making inappropriate physical contact during an Armed Forces Day dinner.

The court sentenced him to 18 months in prison and barred him from working in child- or youth-related institutions for three years.

Fortune-telling career

Noh is said to have personally consulted clients in his new role. A fortune teller at the residence said, "We met while praying at a temple, and we studied the field together since we share the same interests."

The fortune teller added, "He is well-known in rural areas for his spiritual energy and philosophical expertise. He practices name changes, saju and astrology."

Neighbors have referred to Noh as a "male shaman."

On Dec. 3, the day martial law was declared, Noh was at his fortune-telling house. Two days earlier, on Dec. 1, he allegedly attended the so-called Lotteria meeting with then-Intelligence Commander Moon Sang-ho to discuss the planning for the martial law declaration. Noh was arrested by police on Dec. 18 on charges of conspiring to orchestrate the martial law declaration.

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.








By KTimes

Ahead of President Yoon Suk Yeols declaration of emergency martial law on Dec. 3, former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun said, "It seems information is leaking," to those around him.

This revelation suggests the declaration may have been expedited, raising questions about the timing of the operation, which appears to have been hastily executed despite being meticulously planned.

In an exclusive report by the Hankook Ilbo, sources said that Kim made the comment on the afternoon of Dec. 3. He subsequently summoned Army Chief of Staff Gen. Park An-su to the Ministry of National Defense and contacted three key commanders involved in the martial law incident: the heads of counterintelligence, special warfare and the Capital Defense Command.

While those who heard Kims remark were unclear on what exactly had leaked, some interpreted it as referring to the opposition party.

Rush to declare

The situation quickly escalated. That evening, Yoon convened a meeting at a secure location in Samcheong-dong, summoning National Police Agency Chief Cho Ji-ho, Seoul Metropolitan Police Chief Kim Bong-sik, former Defense Minister Kim and Army Chief of Staff Park.

A retired officer with experience working with former minister Kim said, "Since last year, there have been internal complaints that military secrets are no longer secure."

He added that on the day that martial law was declared, former defense minister Kim may have interpreted a public declaration from 14 retired generals, including opposition Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) Rep. Kim Byung-joo, who is also a former general, and former Capital Defense Commander Kim Do-kyun, "as a signal."

On Dec. 3, lawmaker Kim and the retired generals held a press conference at the National Assembly, issuing a statement calling for Yoons resignation. They accused Yoon of reckless governance and violence toward the public, declaring his actions intolerable.

The DPK claimed that during a luncheon, former defense minister Kim made remarks suggesting, "Crush them with tanks."

The party's fact-finding committee on Yoons alleged treason said, "At 11:40 a.m., on Dec. 3, during a luncheon at the National Defense Convention Center, (former defense minister) Kim said something to the effect of, The National Assembly is toying with the defense budget; lets just crush them with tanks."

Other evidence suggests that martial law was implemented hastily. Noh Sang-won, a former intelligence commander and close associate of former defense minister Kim, tried to form a task force for the operation, drafting an emergency decree to seize the National Election Commission servers.

However, due to time constraints, the task force was never established. According to multiple military sources, Noh had planned to assemble a team of generals who met three criteria: they had to be graduates of the Korea Military Academy, hold the rank of major general, and be from the Yeongnam region.

The sudden declaration on Dec. 3 disrupted these plans. Furthermore, the military units mobilized for the attempt to establish martial law, saw their regular training schedules abruptly canceled or scaled back in the week leading up to the declaration.

On Dec. 3, the Ministry of National Defense canceled all exercises planned through mid-December, instructing units to remain on high alert instead. "There was a palpable sense that something unusual was happening," a military official recalled.

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.
By Lee Hae-rin

Seoul's first car-free street, Yonsei-ro in the Sinchon area, will once again allow private vehicles starting next year to revive the local economy.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on Thursday that it will remove the "public transportation zone" designation from Yonsei-ro starting Jan. 1 next year, following a two-year experiment.

Yonsei-ro is a 550-meter-long road that connects Yonsei University in Seodaemun District with Sinchon rotary. The city government designated the area as a "public transportation zone" in 2014 under former Mayor Park Won-soon.

The city allowed only a few buses to pass through the area on weekdays in order to create a pedestrian-friendly space, aiming to revitalize commercial districts and ease traffic congestion.

However, local shopkeepers and residents argued that the car-free policy harmed the local economy. The commercial district of Sinchon, in particular, has struggled to recover since the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to calls for the policy's abolition.

The debate began after Seodaemun District Mayor Lee Sung-heon was elected in 2022 with a pledge to abolish the car-free street policy. More than 2,000 merchants and residents of Yonsei-ro submitted a petition to the district office calling for the abolition of the car-free street concept.

In response, the city government temporarily lifted the restrictions and conducted experiments for nine months from January to September last year.

Data from over 700 stores in Yonsei-ro showed a 6.3 percent increase in Shinhan Card usage between February and April of last year, when the traffic restrictions were lifted, compared to the same period in 2024.

A district survey found that average daily sales per store were 23 percent higher during the period when the traffic restrictions were lifted.

Meanwhile, the city government determined that vehicle speeds have not changed significantly. When the restrictions were lifted, the average speed of traffic heading toward the Sinchon rotary decreased from 18.8 kilometers per hour (kph) to 15.8 kph, while the speed in the direction of Yonsei University increased from 9 kph to 10.9 kph.

Lee Jin-gu, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Transportation Policy Division, said, "It seems that traffic patterns have not changed easily over the past decade."

Due to the increase in traffic toward Yonsei University during rush hour, the city government also plans to increase the time for a left-turn signal in front of the university during rush hour.

As Yonsei-ro reopened to private vehicles, the number of cars driving through the side streets in Sinchon decreased. Specifically, the side streets in front of Changseo Elementary School saw a 10 percent reduction in daily traffic, dropping from 2,088 to 1,877 vehicles.

Even if the restrictions are lifted next month, the width of the sidewalk will be maintained.

The city government has installed a urethane road fence between the lanes and pedestrian guardrails along sidewalks to enhance safety.

The district office said that it plans to implement a car-free policy every Sunday and hold concerts on the streets.

Yonsei-ro was one of three car-free streets in South Korea, alongside Jungang-ro in Daegu and Dongcheon-ro in Busan.

Daegu Jungang-ro lifted the regulation on a 450-meter section of the street last November, and Busan Dongcheon-ro has suspended the regulation from 2022.
Acting President Han Duck-soo said Friday that Korea is ensuring no gaps in its security amid the ongoing impeachment turmoil by maintaining a watertight readiness posture with its ally the United States.

Han made the remark during a meeting of senior government and ruling party officials, which was held for the first time since President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached by the National Assembly over his short-lived imposition of martial law.

"Our government is making every effort to ensure not a single gap in our security by maintaining a watertight readiness posture through the ironclad Korea-U.S. alliance," he said during the meeting at his official residence.

"Our government will establish trust with the U.S., trilaterally with the U.S. and Japan, and with many friendly nations. In addition, we will do our best to prepare for the launch of the new administration in the U.S.," he added.

Han recalled that during his phone call with U.S. President Joe Biden earlier this week the two leaders agreed to firmly maintain the bilateral alliance, while in his phone call with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba he said the two sides reaffirmed the importance of trilateral cooperation with the U.S.

"The Republic of Korea is currently faced with external and internal difficulties it has never experienced before," Han said, citing heightened uncertainties in security, trade and industry ahead of the inauguration of the new U.S. administration and the economic struggles of small business owners and the self-employed.

"Our government will put all of our effort into reviving people's livelihoods to help the vulnerable groups who are suffering in recent difficult circumstances while simultaneously responding preemptively and thoroughly to changes in global external conditions," Han said.

In particular, the government's economic team will work closely together to maintain a 24-hour monitoring system and strengthen its emergency economic response system while frontloading next year's budget spending in the first half to support vulnerable groups, he said.

"Our government is making every effort to quickly resolve the current situation and maintain the nation's security and the people's everyday lives without any wavering," he said. "In order to do that, I believe above all that it is pressing for the government and the ruling party to closely communicate and gather our wisdom and strength." (Yonhap)
The U.S. Commerce Department on Thursday finalized an award to SK hynix of up to $458 million in government grants to help fund an advanced chip packaging plant and research and development facility for artificial intelligence products in Indiana.

In April, the Nvidia supplier said it would invest $3.87 billion to build the West Lafayette facility which will include an assembly line to mass produce next-generation high bandwidth memory chips. The chips are used in graphic processing units that train artificial intelligence systems.

The department also plans to make available $500 million in government loans for the SK hynix project. The grant funds would be distributed when SK hynix meets project milestones.

The project will create 1,000 jobs and fill a key gap in the U.S. semiconductor supply chain, the department said.

Kwak Noh-Jung, CEO of the world's second-largest memory chip maker, said in a statement the company looks forward to working "to build a robust and resilient AI semiconductor supply chain in the U.S."

Congress in August 2022 approved a $39 billion subsidy program for U.S. semiconductor manufacturing and related components along with $75 billion in government lending authority.

The Commerce Department is awarding major grants to all five leading semiconductor manufacturers  TSMC, Intel, Samsung Electronics, Micron and SK hynix. The department has now finalized all of those but the $6.4 billion Samsung award.

This month it finalized a $75 million award to Absolics for constructing a facility in Georgia to supply advanced materials to the country's semiconductor industry. Absolics is an affiliate of SKC, which in turn is part of Korea's second-largest conglomerate SK Group, as is SK hynix. (Reuters)
By Ko Dong-hwan

Hyundai Motor Group donated 35 billion won for social outreach purposes this year, bringing its cumulative donations for the past 22 years to 429 billion won ($296 million), the global automobile company said Friday.

Hyundai Motor donated the money to the Community Chest of Korea (CCK) on Thursday. The group's President Chang Jae-hoon and other executives visited the CCKs office in Seoul and met CCK Chairman Kim Byong-joon to deliver the money.

The CCK has been running a campaign from December to January each year to collect donations for underprivileged groups in celebration of the end of the year. The companys latest donation has contributed to the campaigns donation pool.

We have made the donation this year as well, Chang said. Helping out our local neighbors is another critical corporate role. This is part of our ongoing efforts to make the companys future more sustainable.

Other subsidiaries of Hyundai Group joined the automobile giant's outreach efforts by donating to the CCK. Hyundai Engineering donated 230 million won, Hyundai E&C donated 220 million won and Hyundai Mobis gave 100 million won. Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor Ulsan Manufacturing Plant on Dec. 6 offered free meals and gifts to children from low-income families in Ulsan.

Kia is currently carrying out social outreach activities in local communities near its business sites in Seoul, Gwangmyeong City in Gyeonggi Province and Gwangju. Hyundai Wia, which produces automobile parts for Hyundai Motor Group, plans to donate 10 new vehicles, including one refurbished one to serve as a mobile food caterer, to a welfare facility in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, where the company is based.
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High Court reporters

A provisional liquidator has been appointed to the company behind the well-known Green Hen restaurant in Dublin city, which the High Court was told is insolvent and which Revenue will move to wind up.

At an ex parte hearing - where only one side is represented - at the High Court today, Dermot Cahill SC, for the Revenue Commissioners successfully secured an order from Mr Justice Brian Cregan to appoint Myles Kirby as the provisional liquidator to Chequer Catering Limited.

Mr Cahill said that a winding up application for Chequer Catering will be made in January, adding that the insolvent company has an overall deficit of 1.8 million.

On foot of the Revenue Commissioner's request, Mr Justice Cregan made the order over Chequer, which is owned by restaurateur and publican Frank Gleeson.

Mr Cahill said that an interim examiner had been put in place by the Circuit Court last Friday, December 13th, but that the company had withdrawn its application for the court's protection and that a provisional liquidator was sought by Revenue.

Counsel said that the Green Hen is located at Exchequer Street, Dublin 2, and that the company's two directors are Frank Gleeson of Churchtown, Dublin 14, and Ciara Fox, of Celbridge, Co Kildare.

Mr Cahill said Chequer owed 751,266.01 to Revenue made up of taxes in respect of PAYE, PRSI, USC, LPT, corporation tax and VAT over periods that stretch back to December 2019.

Counsel said that a week ago the company presented a notice of motion to Dublin Circuit Court seeking the appointment of an interim examiner pursuant to Section 509 of the Companies Act 2014.

Mr Cahill said that in the motion, the company stated it was unable to pay its debts which was confirmed by an affidavit from Mr Gleeson himself the day before.

Counsel said that application was also made on an ex parte basis and that Judge John O'Connor had said Revenue should be notified. Revenue responded the same day that they would oppose the substantive application.

In an affidavit, executive officer Philip Byrne said Revenue was "very anxious that a provisional liquidator be appointed" and, because of the inability to pay its debts, it was "just and equitable" that the company be wound up.

Earlier this morning, Ross Gorman BL, for Chequer told Dublin Circuit Court that the company was withdrawing its application to be placed in examinership.

An affidavit filed by Revenue said the company was without a liquor licence since September 2022 but that its creditors include several wine suppliers.

The affidavit also states that the company is without a fire safety certificate.

Mr Justice Cregan appointed Mr Kirby as provisional liquidator to the company and adjourned the matter to January 27th to allow time for a petition to wind up Chequer to be entered before the court.
VMPL

New Delhi [India], December 20: As the world grapples with the devastating effects of climate change, the urgency for sustainable development has never been more evident. Countries worldwide are recognising the need to transition to greener economies, lower carbon emissions, and embrace sustainable practices to protect the planet for future generations.

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In this regard, India and Sweden have emerged as key partners to leverage their respective strengths to address pressing environmental challenges. Sweden, known for its advanced technologies and sustainability expertise, has been a pivotal partner in India's journey towards a greener economy. The collaboration extends beyond governmental dialogues to include the active participation of around 280 Swedish companies operating in India.

"We are fortunate to have an excellent dialogue between our governments on sustainability issues. The presence of numerous Swedish companies in India greatly enhances this political dialogue, fostering a conducive environment for sharing knowledge and solutions,'' says Christian Kamill, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Sweden.

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Sweden's early adoption of progressive policies has been instrumental in driving its green transition according to Sofia Hogman, Trade Commissioner of Sweden to India who highlighted some of these policies.

"Sweden introduced a carbon tax as early as 1991, which has significantly driven innovations in sustainability. Additionally, our Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulation, established in the 1990s, has set a benchmark for managing packaging waste and promoting circular economy practices,'' said Hogman,

These policies have not only moved Sweden towards its goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2045 but also serve as valuable lessons for India. The collaboration between the two nations showcases how innovative approaches can be adapted and scaled up to address distinctive environmental challenges.

The development of electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure is also a key area of collaboration between the two nations. According to Sofia Hogman and Pawan Tahlani from Business Sweden, companies like Volvo and Hitachi Energy are at the forefront of developing charging infrastructure and electric buses in India. These initiatives are supported by strong collaborations with Indian universities, such as IIT Bombay's partnership with the University of Gothenburg on e-mobility.

This collaboration extends beyond infrastructure to include policy and regulatory expertise, ensuring a comprehensive approach to advancing electric mobility in India.

A significant aspect of the India-Sweden partnership is the focus on technology transfer, particularly in high-emission sectors like steel and cement.

"Our prime ministers have launched a joint exercise focusing on the steel and cement sectors, which are crucial for industrial transition. This initiative, supported by joint working groups and high-level meetings, aims to present tangible results at the next COP in Brazil,'' said Kamill.

Swedish companies are also making strides in advancing clean energy access in rural India like Spoudy's solar pumps for rural farmers in Gujarat and FOE Biogas's microgrid plants in Bihar.

"These projects are crucial for improving productivity and providing reliable electricity in rural areas, demonstrating the influence of Swedish innovations in diverse settings,'' said Tahlani.

The efforts of Swedish companies in promoting circular economy practices and waste management are also noteworthy as according to Mr. Sven Ostberg, Consul General of Sweden in Mumbai, many Swedish companies are leaders in solid waste and wastewater management. They not only implement circular production lines but also help their partners and customers adopt efficient practices, reducing waste and energy use.

As the world faces pressing environmental challenges, the India-Sweden collaboration stands as a beacon of hope and continues to set global benchmarks in sustainable innovation. Driven by a shared vision of a sustainable and resilient future, this partnership reflects the potential of international cooperation in addressing environmental challenges.

(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)

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New Delhi [India], December 20 (ANI): Union Minister Piyush Goyal held discussions with European Commissioner on India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) via video conferencing

The ministry in an official statement stated that "Piyush Goyal held a video conference with Maros Sefcovic, European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security; Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency at 2030 hrs today".

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The ministry also added that this conference was convened to discuss India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, High Level Dialogue, India-EU Trade and Technology Council, other high level engagements & trade and investment issues.

After the meeting Sefcovic posted on X, The overall EU-India trade and investment relationship is yet to reach its full potential. Glad to have exchanged with Minister Piyush Goyal on the best way to advance our trade negotiations. An opportunity to deepen our strategic ties."

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The meeting was held on Thursday and was attended by senior officials from both the sides.

This was the first introductory meeting between the two leaders after the assumption of the charge of the new European Commission of the European Union(EU).

The Commerce and Industry Minister welcomed that President Ursula von der Leyen was elected for a second mandate by the European Parliament in July 2024.

He noted that Prime Minister Modi was given a historic and unprecedented third mandate by the people of India. With continuity and stability, both sides would strive to deepen the relationship amidst growing uncertainty and turbulence.

Goyal also congratulated the EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefovic on his new role in the European Commission and expressed confidence in working together to develop a new Strategic India-EU Agenda.

Recognizing shared values of democracy and rule of law, the two leaders agreed to explore ways to ensure greater wealth and prosperity for about 2 billion people of India and the EU.

Following nine rounds of intensive negotiations, FTA discussions require strategic political guidance to conclude a commercially significant and mutually beneficial agreement, with due consideration given to each side's sensitivities.

Minister Goyal underlined that non-tariff barriers were impeding trade and emphasized the need to address long pending issues as a confidence building measure. Both sides agreed to explore a balanced, equitable, ambitious and mutually beneficial FTA.

The two leaders committed to schedule a bilateral visit to understand each other's sensitivities and concerns at a date convenient to both sides, through diplomatic channels. (ANI)

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New Delhi [India], December 20 (ANI): The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday arrested an absconding member of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) in BJP leader Praveen Nettaru's murder case in Kerala.

Kodaje Mohammed Sherif was picked up on arrival from Bahrain at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here.

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A lookout circular was issued against Kodaje after his role was established in the murder of BJP Yuva Morcha member Praveen Nettaru. Nettaru was murdered by PFI cadres and members on July 26, 2022, in Bellare village of Sullia Taluk in Dakshina Kannada district in Karnataka.

NIA, which took over the investigation on August 4, 2022, has so far arrested 20 persons and chargesheeted 23 accused, including three absconders, in the case. As per NIA investigations, Kodaje Mohammed Sherif was the PFI State Executive Committee member and head of the outfit's service team.

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Kodaje, along with the co-accused, was involved in imparting arms training to the service team members in the Freedom Community Hall, Mittur. Kodaje was also responsible for conveying the instructions for targeted killing after a discussion at the state executive committee of PFI, said the agency. "It was on these instructions that accused Mustafa Paichar and his team had brutally hacked Praveen Nettaru to death." "The conspiracy was aimed at spreading terror and communal hatred and unrest in the society, NIA investigations further revealed. Investigations to unfold the complete conspiracy and arrest the absconders are continuing," added the NIA. (ANI)

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Mandya (Karnataka) [India], December 20 (ANI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of supporting the use of derogatory language towards girls.

Speaking to the media, Siddaramaiah said, "They (BJP) are supporting the use of derogatory language towards women. If it is false that C.T. Ravi used vulgar language, why was he arrested? Normally, Women cannot file false complaints about such allegations. I don't know why CT used vulgar language. This is a crime. He was taken to Khanapura for his safety only, people might have started a protest against him, and that's why he was taken away from there (from the city)."

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His comment came after Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members earlier today staged a protest at the Freedom Park in Bengaluru over the arrest of BJP MLC CT Ravi.

The CT Ravi was arrested after an FIR was filed against him on the basis of the complaint by Karnataka Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar for using derogatory remarks against her.

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Karnataka Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar addressed the alleged derogatory remarks made by CT Ravi during the Karnataka Legislative Assembly session. Speaking to reporters at her residence in Belagavi, she expressed distress over the incident.

"After completing the protest (against the remarks of Amit Shah), I was sitting quietly in my seat. At that time, CT Ravi called Rahul Gandhi a drug addict. In response, I asked, 'Even you have been in accidents--does that make you a murderer?" Hebbalkar said.

Ravi has also filed a counter-complaint at the Khanapura police station in Belagavi, accusing Congress leaders Lakshmi Hebbalkar, Chamaraja Hattiholi, DK Shivakumar, Saddam, and others of attempting to kill him.

He alleged that the police brought him to the Khanapura police station without providing a reason.

"Police brought me to Khanapura police station around 8 pm. They didn't tell me in which case they brought me. They're not registering my complaint; they're not even filing a zero FIR. If something happens to me, the Congress government must take responsibility," CT Ravi said.

CT Ravi has been suspended from the Legislative Council, but Hebbalkar declined to comment on his suspension. (ANI)

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Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 20 (ANI): The Bombay High Court on Friday dismissed a plea challenging the tender awarded to the Adani Group for the Dharavi Redevelopment Project.

The petition was filed by a private firm that had contested the award, which followed the cancellation of a previous tender in 2019. The petitioner had called for a fresh tender, but the court dismissed the plea, granting significant relief to the Adani Group.

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The Dharavi Redevelopment Project, one of the largest 'urban renewal' projects in India, has been surrounded by controversy. Adani Group's involvement in the project has raised questions, but the group maintains that it aims to restore the dignity of over a million residents of Dharavi.

Earlier this year, Adani Group Founder and Chairman Gautam Adani stated that the Dharavi redevelopment is not just about "urban renewal," but about "restoring dignity to over one million residents of our country." He underlined that the project is about creating an unmatched ecosystem of sustainable living and transforming the world's largest slum over the next decade. The Adani Group is working in partnership with the Maharashtra government on the project.

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According to the agreement, the redevelopment will provide eligible residential tenants in Dharavi with flats that include independent kitchens and toilets. The minimum size of the new homes will be 350 square feet, which is reportedly 17 per cent larger than the average size in Mumbai's other slum redevelopment projects. The project, valued at Rs 23,000 crore, has faced opposition, with some alleging that it would disproportionately benefit the Adani Group.

However, DRPPL sources clarified that the railway land was acquired at a premium of 170 per cent above the prevailing market rates. Regarding concerns raised by Dharavi residents, they assured that the project follows government resolutions to ensure no displacement. Residents with tenements existing on or before January 1, 2000, are eligible for in-situ rehabilitation within Dharavi, while others will receive homes under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana outside Dharavi.

The project also reportedly follows strict Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) standards, aiming to plant thousands of trees to enhance green cover. Additionally, the project's focus on sustainability is evident, with over four million trees already planted across India, and the group is reportedly committed to planting one trillion trees.

In response to concerns about land allocation, sources close to the project clarified to ANI that the land will not be transferred to Adani directly but to the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRPPL). They assured that the prescribed procedures under the Maharashtra Land Revenue (Disposal of Government Lands) Rules, 1971, were followed.

Furthermore, it was suggested that the survey for the redevelopment should be conducted by the government instead of Adani. DRPPL also sources clarified that, as with other Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) projects in Maharashtra, the DRP, along with SRA, is surveying with third-party experts.

DRPPL's role is limited to facilitation, ensuring that the survey process is impartial and aligns with government standards. (ANI)

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New Delhi, Dec 20 (PTI) The issue of religious conversion is primarily the "concern" of the state governments, therefore no data related to it is maintained centrally, the Lok Sabha was informed on Friday.

Responding to a question on the "foreigners" involved in religious conversions, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said 'public order' and 'police' are state subjects as per the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution.

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"The issue of religious conversion is linked to public order and hence is primarily the concern of the state governments and Union Territory administrations," Meghwal said in a written reply.

"No data related to religious conversion is maintained centrally," he added.

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The minister noted that many states have enacted special laws for prohibition of conversion from one religious faith to other by the use of force or inducement or by fraudulent means.

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Patna, Dec 20 (PTI) Bihar Chief Secretary Amrit Lal Meena on Friday assured investors that the state government will provide "every possible" support to them in setting up industries.

He gave the assurance during a CEO roundtable conference held at the 'Bihar Business Connect 2024' Summit here. The two-day summit concluded on Friday.

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The Bihar government is promising fiscal incentives as well as single window clearance to companies investing in the state.

During the roundtable with CEOs of India's leading companies, Meena said, "We assure all investors that the Bihar government is fully committed to providing every possible support to facilitate their ventures. We are ready to address specific demands to ensure a smooth and productive investment experience.

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"Additionally, we have introduced provisions for double shifts for women to promote greater participation in the workforce and foster an inclusive economic environment. Most importantly, we are working to create a grievance redressal system to quickly address the issues of investors."

Highlighting the infrastructure development in the state, Development Commissioner Pratyaya Amrit said, "Rapid infrastructure development in Bihar, coupled with improved electricity availability, has created a robust foundation for growth. We are committed to fostering a collaborative environment by engaging with investors regularly to address their needs and ensure the success of their ventures in the state."

Prominent companies pledged big ticket investments and outlined major plans in the state at the Bihar Business Connect 2024.

Adani Group, Sun Petrochemicals and a host of other companies - big and small - committed to investing a record Rs 1.81 lakh crore in Bihar, across sectors ranging from renewable energy to cement, food processing and manufacturing

Among the pacts signed were Bharat Petroleum (Rs 7,046 crore), Umedh City (Rs 1,500 crore), Avam Beverages (Rs 1,296 crore), Surya International (Rs 1,000 crore), Birla Corporation (Rs 759 crore), JK Cement (Rs 512 crore), and HPCL (Rs 500 crore), among others.

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New Delhi, December 20: A prominent Delhi school has received a bomb-threat e-mail, prompting security personnel to carry out a search operation on its premises, an official said on Friday.

"We received a call regarding the bomb threat at 5:02 am from DPS, Dwarka in Sector 23," the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) official said. Delhi School Bomb Threat: 30 Schools Receive Bomb Threats; Probe Confirms Hoax Emails From Overseas, Says DCP Ravi Kumar Singh.

Police, fire department, bomb detection teams and the dog squad are participating in the search operation, another official said. This is the sixth time in the last 11 days that schools in the national capital have received such threats.

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Guwahati (Assam) [India], December 20 (ANI): Indian Youth Congress (IYC) President Uday Bhanu Chib and several national and state office bearers were detained by Assam Police. The leaders, who had gathered at a city-based hotel in the region, were reportedly not allowed to leave the premises, and security personnel were deployed in large numbers around the hotel.

"This morning, I and other Youth Congress colleagues were detained from a hotel in Guwahati as if we were terrorists. Our mobile phones have been confiscated. We came here to seek justice for martyr Mridul Islam but the murderous Assam Police will not accept this," said a post from the IYC President's office.

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The IYC has accused the Assam Police of taking their leaders into preventive custody as they planned to protest against the death of Congress worker Mridul Islam.

"What is Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma hiding who got Congress worker Mridul Islam murdered? Under which law were they arrested like terrorists after barging into the hotel at 5 in the morning?," a post from the IYC quoting Uday Bhanu Chib said.

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Islam died during a Raj Bhawan Cholo protest organized by the Assam Congress on December 18. The Youth Congress also intended to stage a protest against the remarks made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.

The incident has sparked widespread condemnation, and the Assam Pradesh Congress organized a demonstration in Guwahati to protest against the actions of the police.

Meanwhile, Assam police has registered a Suo-moto case in connection with the law and order situation that arose during the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee's Raj Bhawan Cholo protest on December 18, a senior police official said.

"Guwahati City Police registered a suo-moto case in connection with the law and order situation that arose during the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee's Raj Bhawan Cholo on December 18," Diganta Barah, Commissioner of Police, Guwahati said.

The East Police District of Guwahati has also issued a prohibitory order under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, in the Dispur area, enforcing strict restrictions on public gatherings.

In an official order, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, East Police District, has prohibited the assembly of more than five persons, along with any agitation, demonstration, procession, or slogan-shouting within a 1 km radius of the Capital Complex in Dispur.

The prohibitory order, which came into effect on December 19, mandates that any such activities in the area will require prior permission from the competent authorities. Security personnel have been deployed in large numbers to ensure the enforcement of these regulations. (ANI)

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New Delhi, Dec 20 (PTI) The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday arrested from Delhi airport a man wanted in the brutal murder of BJP leader Praveen Nettaru in Karnataka in 2022.

Kodaje Mohammed Sherif, who had a lookout circular issued against him, was picked up on arrival from Bahrain at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here, NIA in a statement said.

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Sherif, it said, is the state executive member of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) outfit.

BJP Yuva Morcha member Nettaru was hacked to death by PFI cadres and members on July 26, 2022, in Bellare village of Sullia Taluk in Dakshina Kannada district.

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NIA, which took over the investigation on August 4, 2022, has so far arrested 20 people and chargesheeted 23, including three absconders, the statement said.

According to the NIA investigation, Sherif headed the PFI's service team and was responsible for conveying the instructions for targeted killings after discussion at the Front's state executive committee.

It was on these instructions that another accused, Mustafa Paichar, and his team brutally hacked Nettaru to death, the agency said.

The murder was aimed at spreading terror, communal hatred and unrest in the society, the NIA investigation revealed.

Investigations to unfold the complete conspiracy and arrest the absconders are continuing, the statement said.

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Patna, Dec 20 (PTI) The ruling NDA in Bihar on Friday dismissed speculations that the coalition could do a rethink on projecting Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as its leader in the assembly polls due next year.

Speaking to the media after a meeting held here to bring about better coordination at the grassroots level, state presidents of parties like the BJP, Kumar's JD(U) and Union minister Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) also rubbished suggestions triggered by Union Home Minister Amit Shah's recent statement.

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Dilip Jaiswal, state minister and Bihar BJP chief said, "We should understand that Amit Shah was trying to underscore that he was a karyakarta' (worker) of a party in which big decisions are taken by the parliamentary board".

"But, the leadership role of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had been a given for long. There is no question of going back on that, asserted Jaiswal.

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He was responding to Shah's recent interview to a news channel in which he was asked whether the NDA could go to polls in Bihar without declaring a chief ministerial candidate, like it recently did with great success in Maharashtra.

Shah, a former BJP president who is still regarded as the party's principal strategist, had replied after a pause, We will sit together and decide. We will let you know after we have taken a decision.

The cryptic response had led to furious speculations that the BJP could insist on not projecting Kumar, who had been leading Bihar's NDA charge for close to a couple of decades, in the 2025 assembly polls.

Jaiswal's sentiments were echoed by Raju Tiwari, state president of the LJP (RV), who said, "There is no doubt that the NDA will contest the upcoming assembly polls under Nitish Kumar's leadership. If there have been any misgivings, the BJP president has addressed these with his categorical statement.

JD(U) state president Umesh Singh Kushwaha was visibly pleased with the endorsement for his leader. He said with delight Do hazaar pachis phir se Nitish' (Nitish again in 2025). This is the sentiment of all our alliance partners.

The JD(U) was never worried about leadership, which is a settled question in Bihar. We are concentrating on better coordination, at not just state, but district and booth levels, too, he added.

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Belagavi (Karnataka) [India], December 20 (ANI): Karnataka State Assembly Leader of Opposition and BJP Leader R Ashoka hit out at Belagavi City Police Commissioner and alleged that he tortured Legislative Council member and BJP senior leader CT Ravi who was taken into custody by Khanapur police after FIR was filed against him for his statement against state women and Child welfare minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar.

Speaking to ANI, R Ashoka said, "The Police Station has become a Congress party office. As elected members, we have been sitting here for the last 4-5 hours. The Police Commissioner is not giving the acknowledgement. The Police Commissioner tortured CT Ravi, he was bleeding from the head. Entire Karnataka has 'goondaraj'... The BJP will protest tomorrow. I want to tell the police officers, this is not a permanent government. Think of the law and order."

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CT Ravi's Advocate Chetan said, "As soon as we received information, we immediately rushed to Khanapur Police Station. We were prohibited from entering the Police Station at the gate itself for about an hour. Every accused has the right to meet his counsel during his police custody or whenever he is interrogated. Despite that, we were not allowed to go in for 1.5 hrs. When we met CT Ravi, he said he wanted to lodge an FIR since there were threats to his life. One complaint was drafted but the FIR was still not registered by the police. This is nothing but high-handedness. BJP MLAs and MLCs will take up the matter in the assembly tomorrow."

He further said that the police are expected to be impartial despite any government ruling in any state.

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"CT Ravi was injured while police were forcefully taking him. This is like the emergency situation. We will file complaint before the National Human Rights Commission as well as the Karnataka Human Rights Commission," he added.

He further said that a complaint was drafted but the FIR was not registered by the police.

"We told the Commissioner of Police that they can register a zero FIR if the offence is committed outside the jurisdiction of the Police station. Commissioner of Police was not ready to register the same," he further said.

Belagavi City Police Commissioner Lada Martin said, "From the perspective of law and order, we will not disclose the next location where CT Ravi is being taken."

Earlier Lakshmi Hebbalkar alleged that BJP MLC CT Ravi called her with "obscene word" after the words were exchanged between CT Ravi and Lakshmi Hebbalkar when the BJP MLC allegedly called Rahul Gandhi a drug addict.

The Legislative Council members of Congress filed a complaint with Chairman Basavaraj Horatti after the comment.

Meanwhile, on the basis of Hebbalkar's complaint, CT Ravi was taken away from Suvarna Soudha by the police and taken into custody.

After an FIR was filed over his alleged "derogatory remarks" against Karnataka Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar, BJP MLC CT Ravi on Thursday refuted the claims, calling them baseless.

"It is the habit of the Congress to make false allegations. They did it against Home Minister Amit Shah, and now they are doing the same to me," CT Ravi said while speaking to ANI.

The FIR was filed at the Hirebagewadi Police Station in Belagavi after a complaint was lodged by Hebbalkar. (ANI)

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Pune, December 20: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has 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." RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat Advocates for Fertility Rate Above 2.1, Warns Society May Perish Otherwise.

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. India Already a Hindu Nation, It Has To Be Made More Advanced, Capable and Strong, Says RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat.

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. The festival showcases various social service works from temples, religious organizations, and monasteries across Maharashtra, alongside information about Hindu culture and rituals.

Bhagwat underlined that Sewa should be performed humbly, without any desire for publicity. He stressed the need to adapt service to the needs of the land and time, advocating a balanced approach. While acknowledging the importance of earning a living, he reminded people to always give back to society through acts of service.

According to Bhagwat, the essence of human dharma is to serve the world, and initiatives like the Hindu Sewa Mahotsav inspire the younger generation to adopt the path of selfless service. During the ceremony, Swami Govind Dev Giri Maharaj spoke about the deep-rooted connection between service, land, society, and tradition. He cited historical examples like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Rajmata Jijau, who exemplified selfless service. He defined charity as sharing one's blessings with others without seeking gratitude.

ISKCON leader Gaurang Prabhu underlined the three pillars of Hindu Sanatan Dharma--charity, ethics, and realization--and highlighted the shared spiritual foundation of Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, and Sikhs. Labhesh Muni Ji Maharaj echoed these sentiments, describing the Hindu Sewa Mahotsav as a platform to strengthen cultural identity for future generations.

The event concluded with a Pasaydan (prayer) and a performance by students of Mook Badheer Vidyalaya, showcasing the art and culture of the hearing-impaired community. The Hindu Sewa Mahotsav not only celebrates Hindu culture but also underscores the importance of Sewa as an essential part of the social fabric.

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Jaipur, December 20: On Friday morning, a truck loaded with chemicals collided with a tanker carrying LPG and other vehicles on the Jaipur-Ajmer route, resulting in a massive fire in Jaipur.

The superintendent of SMS Hospital, Dr. Sushil Kumar Bhati, confirmed that seven people have died, ten to twelve have been injured, and over 60% of the victims have suffered burns. Currently, 28 patients are admitted, with six on ventilators. Jaipur Fire: 5 Dead, 37 Injured in Massive Blaze After Truck Carrying Chemical Collides With Other Vehicles on Ajmer Highway; Rajasthan CM Bhajan Lal Sharma Visits SMS Hospital To Inquire About Victims (Watch Videos).

Speaking to ANI, Harsh Chauhary, a local resident, recounted, "I stayed about five hundred meters from the site when this horrific collision occurred. Suddenly, there was such a powerful explosion that we couldn't even comprehend what had happened."

He added, "Initially, we thought it was an earthquake, but later we saw the fireballs. The flames were so intense that we couldn't approach for at least five hundred meters. One after another, the vehicles caught fire, with at least thirty-three vehicles engulfed in flames." Jaipur Fire: 4 Dead, 30 Critically Injured, Vehicles Incinerated As Truck Carrying Chemical Explodes Near Petrol Pump on Ajmer Highway (Watch Videos).

Chaudhary further explained, "After the administration was alerted, fire engines arrived to control the fire. Once the flames were somewhat contained, we got a closer look and saw the bodies of ten to fifteen people. Even now, we can still see the dead being pulled out. I believe at least thirty-five people have died, and at least one hundred have been injured. Once we locals managed to control the fire to some extent, we went to help evacuate everyone."

In response to the incident, Rajasthan Chief Minister BhajanLal Sharma visited the site of the Bhankrota fire on Friday and announced the establishment of a helpline, along with necessary arrangements to provide treatment to those injured.

Meanwhile, Amit Kumar, Superintendent of Police (SP), told ANI, "A horrific accident and fire occurred in the Bhankrota area of Jaipur. The accident happened early today on the main Ajmer Road. Nearly two dozen vehicles caught fire, and many trucks and trolleys were burnt to ashes. The accident took place near a petrol pump in the Bhankrota area." He further stated, "The fire started due to a collision involving several vehicles one after the other. Efforts are being made to extinguish the fire."

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Pune (Maharashtra) [India], December 20 (ANI): RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has said that Hinduness is an eternal dharma, and the Acharyas of this eternal and Sanatan dharma follow the sewa dharma. The sewa dharma is dharma of humanity.

In his address at the inauguration of the Hindu Sewa Mahotsav in Pune, Mohan Bhagwat spoke about the essence of "Sewa" as an eternal dharma, rooted in Hinduness and humanity.

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Bhagwat described Sewa as the core of Sanatan Dharma, emphasizing that it transcends religious and social boundaries. He called on people to embrace service not for recognition, but for the pure desire to give back to society.

The Hindu Sewa Mahotsav, which is organized by the Hindu Aadhyatmik Sewa Sanstha, is being held at the Shikshan Prasarak Mandali's college ground and will continue until December 22.

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The festival showcases various social service works from temples, religious organizations, and monasteries across Maharashtra, as well as information about Hindu culture and rituals.

Bhagwat urged that Sewa should be carried out humbly and without any desire for publicity. He stressed that the middle path should be followed while serving, adapting the approach to the needs of the land and time.

He further added that while it is essential to earn a living, one must always give back to society through acts of service.

According to Mohan Bhagwat, the essence of human dharma is to serve the world, and such initiatives like the Hindu Sewa Mahotsav serve to inspire the younger generation and guide them in adopting the path of selfless service.

During the ceremony, Swami Govind Dev Giri Maharaj spoke about the deep-rooted connection between service, land, society, and tradition, citing historical examples like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Rajmata Jijau, who exemplified selfless service. He defined charity as sharing one's blessings with others, not seeking gratitude in return.

ISKCON leader Gaurang Prabhu emphasized the three pillars of Hindu Sanatan Dharma--charity, ethics, and realization--and pointed out that Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, and Sikhs all share a common spiritual foundation. Labhesh Muni Ji Maharaj echoed the sentiment, describing the Hindu Sewa Mahotsav as a platform to strengthen cultural identity for future generations.

Gunwant Kothari, National Convener of the Hindu Adhyatmik Sewa Sanstha, outlined the festival's national scope and the significance of such initiatives in fostering service-oriented values across India.

The event concluded with a Pasaydan (prayer) and a performance by students of Mook Badheer Vidyalaya, showcasing the art and culture of the hearing-impaired community.

The Hindu Sewa Mahotsav not only celebrates Hindu culture but also underscores the importance of Sewa as an essential part of the social fabric. (ANI)

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New Delhi, Dec 20 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Maharashtra government to inform if there was any proposal to fell more trees in Mumbai's Aarey forest.

A bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih directed the parties to complete the pleadings by February second week to enable the Maharashtra government counsel to make a statement on the issue.

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When solicitor general Tushar Mehta said everyone involved had public interest in mind, the bench said, "Not just public interest, but the interest of the environment. Thousands of trees must have already been cut."

The top court posted the matter for directions on January 10, 2025.

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The court in 2023 permitted some forest-dwelling tribals to move the Bombay High Court with their grievances related to the felling of trees in Mumbai's Aarey forest for the metro rail project.

On April 17, 2023, the apex court came down heavily on Mumbai Metro for trying to "overreach" its earlier order permitting the felling of only 84 trees in the forest for a car shed project and directed it to pay Rs 10 lakh as penalty.

The court said it was improper on the part of the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) to move the tree authority for felling of any trees in excess of 84. The top court, however, permitted the company to remove 177 trees from Aarey forest, saying a stay on tree felling would bring the public project to a standstill which was not desirable.

The apex court in 2019 took suo motu cognisance of a letter petition addressed to the chief justice of India by law student Rishav Ranjan seeking a stay on the felling of trees in the colony.

On November 29, 2022, the apex court permitted Mumbai Metro to raise with the relevant authority its plea for felling 84 trees at Mumbai's Aarey Colony.

The top court had directed MMRCL to strictly abide by its undertaking that no trees will be cut there and warned that any violation would result in strict action.

The apex court had restrained the authorities from felling any more trees after the solicitor general submitted on behalf of the State of Maharashtra that no further trees will be cut.

The felling of trees in the colony has been opposed by green activists and residents.

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Coimbatore, December 20: The BJP on Friday held a "Black day procession" here condemning the "glorification of a terrorist," and police detained party state unit president K Annamalai and leaders of Hindu outfits. Carrying banners that accused the state government of supporting "Coimbatore bomb blast terrortists," BJP workers and cadres affiliated to RSS outfits, including the Hindu Munnani took part in the procession.

The state government permitting the "funeral procession" of banned Al-Umma founder SA Basha days ago here with police protection came in for flak from Hindu outfits. Basha who was among the convicts in the 1998 bomb blast case died due to age-related illness while on parole and he was buried here. Police said permission was not given to the BJP to take out the rally and hence they were detained. Pongal 2024: Tamil Nadu BJP Chief K Annamalai Slams DMK Government Over Delay in Yarn Procurement for Pongal Gift Hamper.

Tamil Nadu Police Detain K Annamalai

VIDEO | Police detain Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai in Coimbatore. Annamalai was leading a party protest against the DMK-led state government, alleging "glorification of a terrorist who was the reason for the loss of 58 lives in the peace-loving city of Coimbatore in pic.twitter.com/soturcFgdd  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 20, 2024

In a tweet, Annamalai said,"We condemn the cowardly act of the DMK Government for arresting the leaders & cadres of @BJP4 TamilNadu for carrying out a rally condemning the glorification of a terrorist who was the reason for the loss of 58 lives in the peace-loving city of Coimbatore in 1998. The DMK Govt should understand that the cadres of @BJP4TamilNadu will never bow down to such autocracy & we will always be the voice of the people of TN."

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Tirunelveli (Tamil Nadu), Dec 20 (PTI) A 25-year-old man allegedly involved in a murder case was hacked to death by a four-member gang near the gate of the Tirunelveli district court campus here, police said on Friday.

Police said S Mayandi alias Palla Mayandi was brought to be produced before the Principal Sessions Judge when the gang attacked him. In a frantic bid to escape, Mayandi ran towards the court entrance but was surrounded by the four men who hacked him to death.

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The police posted at the court and a few advocates managed to overpower one of the men. Later, three others were secured, the police said.

The incident led to tense moments at the court. A group of advocates staged a protest demanding enhanced police security on the court premises.

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Police suspect that Mayandi's murder was a retaliatory measure by the gang over the murder of a scheduled caste panchayat ward member in 2023. Mayandi who was one of the accused in the murder case was arrested by the police and later let on bail.

Meanwhile, State Law Minister S Regupathy said in a post on social media platform 'X' that the police acted promptly in the case and arrested all four within two hours after the murder accused was done to death.

Responding to AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami's criticism that the law and order in the state deteriorated, Regupathy said Palaniswami and other opposition party leaders were unable to digest the swift police action in the incident and were hence attempting to tarnish the state government's image.

Taking suo motu cognizance, the Madras High Court has directed the state police to beef up security at all district courts.

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New Delhi [India], December 20 (ANI): Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday met BJP MP Pratap Sarangi at the RML Hospital in the national capital. Sarangi was among the two BJP MPs who were injured during a scuffle in the parliament premises on December 19.

Speaking to mediapersons after meeting with the injured BJP MP, the Union Minister said that insulting democracy is in Congress's DNA.

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"...It is in Congress's DNA to insult democracy... In 1975, Indira ji strangled democracy; today Rahul Gandhi is taking forward that legacy. These people who are full of arrogance don't consider anyone anything...The people of India will never tolerate this insult to democracy and Parliament... Rahul Gandhi is not capable of holding the post of the Leader of the Opposition," Chouhan said.

Notably, both the NDA and INDIA bloc MPs had staged a protest in Parliament premises when a scuffle broke out between the two sides, injuring two BJP MPs.

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BJP MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi alleged that he was injured after Congress leader 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. He was rushed for treatment in an ambulance.

Both the MPs were admitted to Delhi's Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. The authorities confirmed on Friday that the two BJP MPs are stable and normal.

On the current health condition of injured BJP MPs Pratap Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput, RML MS Dr. Ajay Shukla said, "Both are in better condition. Their BP is in control...They are in the ICU at present. The team will monitor them. Senior doctors will decide after that...Both the reports of the CT scan and MRI are normal..."

Meanwhile, both the NDA and INDIA bloc MPs had staged a protest in Parliament premises on Friday.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP CP Joshi condemned the protests by the Congress and its allies in Parliament over Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks about Ambedkar, calling it an insult to democracy and a very unfortunate incident.

Speaking to ANI, BJP MP Joshi said, "This is an insult to democracy. The Congress party and its leaders have always attempted to shred the Constitution and democracy of this country. Yesterday's incident was very unfortunate. This makes it clear that when Home Minister Amit Shah exposed their true face before the country, it angered them, and they hatched this conspiracy. People of the country can never tolerate such hooliganism."

BJP MP K Sudhakar echoed similar sentiments, referring to the MPs' clash in Parliament as a "black day" and condemned Rahul Gandhi's behaviour as "unwarranted."(ANI)

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Lucknow, Dec 20 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and political leaders from various parties extended their condolences on the demise of former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala on Friday and paid tributes.

Chautala, who had served as Haryana's chief minister five times, passed away on Friday at the age of 89.

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He suffered a heart attack at his home in Gurugram. He was immediately taken to the hospital, but despite efforts, he could not be saved.

In a post on X, Adityanath said, "The passing away of Haryana's former Chief Minister, Shri Om Prakash Chautala Ji, is extremely sorrowful. I offer my humble tributes to him!"

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"I pray to Lord Shri Ram to grant the departed soul a place at his feet and give strength to the grieving family and supporters to bear this immense sorrow. Om Shanti!" he added.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, in posted on X, said, "I am saddened by the news of the demise of Haryana's former Chief Minister, Om Prakash Chautala Ji. May God grant the departed soul a place at his feet. My heartfelt tributes."

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati also expressed her condolences.

"The news of the demise of Haryana's former CM and Indian National Lok Dal patron Shri Om Prakash Chautala is very saddening. My deepest condolences to his family members and all supporters. May nature give them strength to bear this sorrow," she said in a post on X.

Ajay Rai, the President of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee and former minister, said, "It is deeply saddening to hear about the death of Om Prakash Chautala Ji. In this sorrowful time, we extend our deepest sympathies to his family and supporters and pray for the peace of the departed soul. Om Shanti."

Chaudhary Bhupender Singh, BJP state president expressed his condolences on X, saying, "The news of the demise of Haryana's former Chief Minister Shri Om Prakash Chautala Ji is deeply sorrowful. My condolences are with the grieving family. May God grant the departed soul a place at His feet and provide strength to the family and supporters in this difficult time. Om Shanti!"

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Meerut (Uttar Pradesh) [India], December 20 (ANI): UP Police on Friday confirmed that the reports of a stampede during the Shiv Puran Katha program in Meerut were fake and have assured the public that the event has been proceeding without any disturbances.

"The stampede at Shiv Puran Katha program in Meerut is fake and incorrect. There has been no such incident. The program is being carried forward in a smooth manner. Police officials are depolyed in the area," said the Superintendent of Police City and Superintendent of Police Crime from the scene.

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In their statements, the SP City and SP Crime assured the public that the situation was under control and that the event, part of the ongoing Shiv Puran Katha, was proceeding peacefully.

This clarification from the police comes as a relief to those concerned about the safety of the participants and the general public in Meerut. The authorities are working to ensure that the program continues peacefully and without further misinformation spreading.

Also Read | Om Prakash Chautala Dies: 5-Time Haryana CM Who Cleared Class 10, 12 Exams at Age of 87 Passes Away in Gurgaon, PM Narendra Modi Expresses Grief.

Earlier on July 2 this year, over 100 people died in a stampede at a religious gathering in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh. The incident took place at a religious 'Satsang' event of self-styled godman Suraj Pal, alias 'Bhole Baba,' in Fulari village, Uttar Pradesh's Hathras, on July 2. (ANI)

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New Delhi, Dec 20 (PTI) India on Friday said it "follows all developments" that have a bearing on its security "very closely" and New Delhi "takes action, as appropriate".

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said this when asked about India's stance on Pakistan's ballistic-missile programme.

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Two days ago, the US slapped sanctions on four Pakistani entities, including state-owned flagship aerospace and defence agency -- National Development Complex (NDC) -- on charges of contributing to Pakistan's ballistic-missile programme.

At his weekly media briefing, Jaiswal was asked what New Delhi's stance was on the neighbouring country's ballistic-missile programme.

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"As you know that we follow all developments that have a bearing on our security and our interest very closely, and we take these things very seriously, and take action as appropriate," he told reporters.

Asserting that Pakistan developing sophisticated missile technology would give it the capability to strike targets well beyond south Asia, including in the US, a top White House official said on Thursday that the Asian country's actions were an emerging threat to America.

The US assesses that the NDC is responsible for Pakistan's development of ballistic missiles, including the SHAHEEN-series ballistic missiles, the US State Department had said.

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New Delhi, Dec 20 (PTI) Three cyber fraudsters who duped a family of Rs 5 lakh by posing as Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers have been arrested, police said on Friday.

The accused, identified as Satish Kumar Yadav (28), Sunil Kumar (34), and Shivam (27), were apprehended from Gurgaon on Thursday, they said.

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"A resident of south Delhi's CR Park filed a complaint stating that her husband received a message from an individual claiming to be a CBI inspector. The fraudster alleged that their son was involved in a rape case and demanded Rs 5 lakh for his release," Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Ankit Chauhan said.

The officer further said that in panic, the family transferred the amount, only to later discover that their son was safe and innocent.

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The police said that a case was registered in the matter and a probe launched.

"Analysis of financial transactions revealed that the stolen money was transferred to multiple bank accounts in Bikaner and Jaipur to evade detection but the team traced the suspects and apprehended them in Gurgaon," said the DCP.

During interrogation, the accused men confessed to their crimes, the police said, adding that Yadav orchestrated the scam by arranging mule accounts, while Kumar and Shivam used the funds for personal expenses and credit card payments.

Police recovered five mobile phones, two debit cards, and froze Rs 2.11 lakh in bank accounts of the accused, they said.

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Washington, Dec 20 (PTI) US President Joe Biden would be travelling to Rome to meet His Holiness Pope Francis, Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni from January 9 to January 12, the White House announced on Thursday.

This would possibly be Biden's last foreign trip before he hands over the power to Donald Trump, who would be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States on January 12.

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"President Joseph R Biden, Jr will travel to Rome, Italy from January 9 to January 12 to meet separately with His Holiness Pope Francis, President of Italy Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister of Italy Giorgia Meloni," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

"On January 10, President Biden will have an audience with the Pope and discuss efforts to advance peace around the world," she said.

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"He will also meet with Italy's leaders to highlight the strength of the US-Italy relationship, thank Prime Minister Meloni for her strong leadership of the G7 over the past year and discuss important challenges facing the world," Jean-Pierre said.

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Albany (US), Dec 20 (AP) They warned about him. Now they'll have to work with him.

A handful of prominent Democratic governors are quickly adjusting their approach to President-elect Donald Trump before he takes office, hoping to avoid antagonising him to ensure they'll have a working relationship with his new administration.

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They're in a precarious position: adopting caution while also weighing their party's desires to stake out early, and often combative, positions against Trump's agenda.

It's a combination of fighting like hell if your values are attacked or if your innocent communities or innocent people are attacked. And then on the other hand, you're trying like heck also to find common ground on things that we could agree on, New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy said in an interview with The Associated Press.

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Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is walking a similar tightrope, vowing to push back against Trump on potential policies against reproductive rights, while also appearing hopeful that she and the Republican can work together.

Hochul, who slammed Trump during a speech at the Democratic National Convention and was a prominent campaign surrogate for Democrats this year, has said she and Trump spoke at length after his election victory and were able to find common ground.

There are areas where we can work together, like infrastructure where we rely on federal money, and he seems to share my priorities, but also I'm going to stand up for protecting rights, reproductive rights and other rights, she said at a news conference.

Asked this week whether as governor she would consider pardoning Trump in his New York hush money criminal conviction, Hochul notably didn't shut down the question. There is a pardoning process in the state of New York. It is lengthy. It requires a couple of elements. One is remorse," she said, letting out a quick laugh.

A New York jury convicted Trump earlier this year on all 34 charges in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to a porn actor who said the two had sex.

Other Democrats have taken decidedly more combative stances.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a fierce Trump critic, summoned lawmakers back to work this month to allocate more money to the state attorney general's office so it can launch anticipated legal battles against the Trump administration. Newsom's goal, as he put it, is to Trump-proof California's progressive state laws.

Shortly after Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Colorado Gov. Jared Polisformed a group called Governors Safeguarding Democracy to fortify democratic institutions in the states and ensure the rule of law serves all people, according to the group's website.

Still, Polis has put on a balancing act in his relationship with Trump. He's expressed excitement for Trump's pick of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, saying he was hopeful Kennedy would take on big pharma and corporate ag.

In Massachusetts, Democratic Gov. Maura Healey has taken a somewhat less confrontational attitude toward Trump than she did four years ago when she was the state's attorney general. Back then, Healey initiated or joined dozens of lawsuits targeting Trump on everything from immigration policy to health care and environmental issues.

Now as governor of a state that Harris easily won but where Trump got more than 35% of the vote, Healey has sounded more muted in her criticism.

I think I've spoken quite a bit about Donald Trump and my feelings about him, Healey told reporters after Trump's win. We have to see whether he makes good on what he promised and ran on in terms of Project 2025 or other things," she said, referring a hard-right policy plan.

Healey has indicated that state police won't help enforce violations of federal immigration law  a key Trump priority  but has been less clear about whether she would bar the state National Guard from helping detain those in the country illegally.

As co-chair of Harris' presidential campaign, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer frequently warned about the dangers of a second Trump presidency, describing him as deranged and declaring that his reelection would signify that we failed as a country.

But after Trump's victory, the second-term governor has largely stayed out of the spotlight and said little about how she will address some of his policy proposals, such as mass deportations.

I know that some of my colleagues have staked out some pretty aggressive strategies, Whitmer told reporters days after the election. As I'm thinking about what a Trump administration will mean for our work, I'm trying to focus on where we can find some shared priorities.

Those close to Whitmer describe her approach as a wait-and-see strategy, with hopes of working with the president-elect on areas of shared interest, such as economic development.

We have worked with the Trump administration before and we will figure out how to work with a Trump administration going into this last two years of my term, said Whitmer. (AP)

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Bangkok, Dec 20 (AP) A powerful ethnic armed group in western Myanmar claimed Friday to have scored a major victory in the war against the ruling military, even as neighbouring nations at a meeting in Thailand were discussing efforts to end the conflict peacefully.

The capture by the Arakan Army of a strategically important regional army headquarters in Rakhine state would put it a step closer to seising control of the entire state, a goal not achieved by any of the several other rebel groups in other parts of Myanmar.

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Rakhine has become a focal point for Myanmar's nationwide civil war, in which pro-democracy guerrillas and ethnic minority armed forces seeking autonomy battle the country's military rulers, who took power in 2021 after ousting the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

The apparent fall of the military's western command headquarters is the latest in a series of significant setbacks for the military government that began more than a year ago when a rebel alliance including the Arakan Army captured military bases, command centres, and strategic towns and cities along the Chinese border in Shan state in northeastern Myanmar.

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In August this year, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, another force in the rebel alliance, was the first group to seize a regional command headquarters, in the city of Lashio in the northeast. Myanmar's military has 14 important regional commands across the country.

Khaing Thukha, a spokesperson for the Arakan Army, told The Associated Press by audio message from an undisclosed location that his group had completely captured and controlled the entire western regional military headquarters based in Ann township on Friday at noon.

Most of the township was captured two weeks ago, leaving the headquarters encircled. The headquarters' deputy commander, Brig Gen Thaung Tun, and its chief operating officer, Brig Gen Kyaw Kyaw Than, were among those taken prisoner, Khaing Thukha said.

The headquarters had overseen operations in Rakhine and the southern part of neighbouring Chin state, as well as Myanmar's territorial waters in the Bay of Bengal.

The military government issued no news about the latest development, which could not be independently confirmed, because access to the internet and mobile phone services in the area is mostly cut off. The Arakan Army in its past official announcements has generally been conservative in its victory claims.

The Arakan Army is the well-trained and well-armed military wing of the Rakhine ethnic minority, and seeks autonomy from Myanmar's central government.

In September it launched its effort to capture Ann, about 395 kilometres northwest of Yangon. It began its offensive in Rakhine in November last year, and has now gained control of 13 of 17 townships, along with one in neighbouring Chin state.

Rakhine, formerly known as Arakan, was the site of a brutal army counterinsurgency operation in 2017 that drove about 7,40,000 minority Rohingya Muslims to seek safety across the border in Bangladesh.

The Arakan Army has made extensive use of social media to document its operations and in recent days has used it to encourage the army's holdouts at the headquarters to surrender.

Separately in Thailand's capital Bangkok, members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations met Friday to renew their efforts to help bring peace to Myanmar. The meeting was described as an extended informal consultation.

ASEAN in early 2021 agreed on a Five-Point Consensus for peace, but the military leadership in Myanmar did virtually nothing to implement it, frustrating the group's fellow members to the extent they have excluded members of Myanmar's ruling military from attending their meetings.

There were no representatives of Myanmar at Friday's meeting.

The peace plan calls for the immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar, a dialogue among all concerned parties, mediation by an ASEAN special envoy, provision of humanitarian aid through ASEAN channels, and a visit to Myanmar by the special envoy to meet all parties concerned.

The foreign ministers and senior officials attending the Bangkok meeting reaffirmed their backing for the Five-Point Consensus.

Critics have expressed dissatisfaction at ASEAN's conciliatory approach to Myanmar's ruling generals. The military government is condemned by many countries and rights organisations for its brutal war and suppression of democracy.

The principle laid down by ASEAN includes the words to find a Myanmar-owned and -led solution," said Nay Phone Latt, a spokesperson for Myanmar's opposition National Unity Government, or NUG. Therefore, it will never get a Myanmar-owned and -led solution by working side by side with the terrorist military group that is not representing the people and killing them every day, instead of dealing with the revolutionary forces, including the NUG, which represents the people of Myanmar."

The NUG operates as a shadow government and stakes a claim to greater legitimacy than the ruling military.

Bryony Lau, deputy director for Asia at Human Rights Watch, told The Associated Press that ASEAN needs to shake up its approach to Myanmar's crisis."

"But the meetings being held in Bangkok risk legitimising the junta, which continues to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity with impunity against Myanmar's people, Lau said. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Islamabad [Pakistan], December 20 (ANI): Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan warned Pakistan's federal government of launching a civil disobedience movement if his "legitimate demands" including the release of under-trial political prisoners and a judicial probe into May 9 events and November 26 crackdown on PTI protesters are not met by Sunday.

The former Pakistani Prime Minister threatened that if the demands are unmet, the civil disobedience movement, "boycott of remittances", will be launched, Imran Khan said in a statement.

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https://x.com/ImranKhanPTI/status/1869768418561315096

He also termed November 26 as the "darkest day" in Pakistan's history, as several PTI workers were allegedly shot at with snipers.

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"November 26th is the darkest day in Pakistan's history. On this day, unarmed people were shot at by snipers; young people were injured and martyred, and several individuals have been missing for three weeks. It is the government's responsibility to find the missing people. The government must answer: where are these people? Our people have made sacrifices for democracy. I direct Barrister Gohar and my parliamentary party to raise their voices in the assembly for these individuals. It is unacceptable that while blood is being shed in the country, the Parliament continues to function as usual," he said.

Imran Khan defended his party by saying that the federal government was wrongly accusing him of targeting the country.

"Let them be reminded that it is not the country but the illegitimate Parliament: the (National) Assembly, and the Senate that emerged from electoral fraud, which are being targeted. This government did not come to power through people's votes but through a conspiracy," Imran Khan alleged.

Earlier, Imran Khan on Wednesday threatened to call for halting remittances if his demands remain unmet, ARY News reported citing a statement by his sister, Aleema Khan.

Imran Khan's sister spoke to the media outside Adiala Jail, stating that the founder reiterated his stance that a judicial commission comprising three Supreme Court judges must be formed, and innocent prisoners should be released. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], December 20 (ANI): After US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti announced the operation of the US Consulate in Bengaluru, Senior Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge welcomed the news that the Consulate would open in January 2025.

"This is great and exciting news. The U.S. Consulate is set to open in Bengaluru in January 2025. This will be a huge boost for the Karnataka and it will further enhance the economic prowess of the State. It will help strengthen ties between India and the US, fostering closer diplomatic, technological and economic collaborations," he posted on X citing a news report.

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Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya welcomed the setting up of the Consulate in Bengaluru in the second week of January 2025 and said that it would be a historic milestone for the city. According to an official release, BJP MP has continuously pushed for the opening of the Consulate in Bengaluru, contributing 40% of India's IT revenue and home to lakhs of tech professionals. Surya had highlighted that the absence of a dedicated US Consulate in the city compelled thousands of residents to travel to Chennai or Hyderabad for US visa-related services.

Citing a mews report, Surya Expressed his gratitude to PM Modi, EAM Jiashankar, and US Ambassadors Kenneth Juster and Eric Garcetti.

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"This milestone wouldn't have been possible without the leadership of PM Sri Narendra Modi Ji and the relentless support of EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar. Their commitment to promoting Bengaluru's interests has ensured the fulfilment of this long-pending demand. I also thank US Ambassadors Kenneth Juster and Eric Garcetti for their unwavering support," Surya wrote on X.

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the United States in 2023, he had announced the establishment of a US Consulate in Bengaluru on a reciprocal basis. Since then, plans had been underway to finalise the location for the Consulate in Bengaluru.

US Ambassador Eric Garcetti confirmed the consulate's January 2024 inauguration in a US-India Business Council meeting on Thursday.

Earlier on Friday, US Envoy Garceti met with MD of US India Business Council Rahul Sharma and said, " Had a great discussion with USIBC MD on how U.S. and Indian businesses can integrate progress, principles, and persistence to fulfill shared commitments. Together, we are driving US India forward for Prosperity--creating opportunities not just for our people, but for the Indo Pacific and the world. Thank you USIBC for the opportunity to highlight how our two nations are advancing economic ties and building a brighter, more prosperous future for all."

The establishment of the Consulate is expected to simplify visa application processes for thousands of students, professionals, and entrepreneurs, enhance bilateral trade and collaboration, particularly in the tech and innovation sectors and strengthen Bengaluru's position as a global hub for commerce and technology, the official release stated. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Washington, Dec 20 (PTI) It has been long-standing American policy to deny support to Pakistan's long-range ballistic missile programme, a US official said on Thursday, a day after the Joe Biden administration slapped sanctions on Pakistan's state-owned flagship aerospace and defence agency, National Development Complex (NDC).

"These designations are based on our concerns regarding Pakistan's long-range ballistic missile programme, but they do not affect other areas of US-Pakistan cooperation, which we have a great deal of," Vedant Patel, Principal Deputy Spokesperson of the State Department, told reporters at his daily news conference.

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The US slapped sanctions on Wednesday on four Pakistani entities, including the NDC, on charges of them contributing to Pakistan's ballistic missile programme. The three other entities being Akhtar and Sons Private Limited, Affiliates International and Rockside Enterprise. All three are based in Karachi, while the NDC is in Islamabad.

"The US is committed to maintaining the global nonproliferation regime and Pakistan is an important partner in that. However, we have been clear and consistent about our concerns with Pakistan's long-range ballistic missile programme. It is longstanding US policy to deny support to Pakistan's long-range ballistic missile programme," Patel said in response to a question.

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"The Department of State will continue to use sanctions and other tools to protect our national security and ensure that US exporters and US financial systems cannot be abused by proliferators. And it is our hope to continue to engage constructively with the Pakistani government on these issues," he said in response to a question.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New York [US], December 20 (ANI): A resident of Manhattan has admitted guilt in US federal court for his involvement in operating a secret Chinese police station in New York, as reported by Radio Free Asia.

The resident has been identified as Chen Jinping, a US citizen, who helped with administrative duties at the secretive station in Manhattan's Chinatown in 2022, according to Radio Free Asia report.

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US prosecutors stated that the station was established by officials from China's Fuzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau, a division of its Ministry of Public Security, and was used to threaten and silence opponents of the Chinese government in New York.

Chen's plea in Brooklyn on Wednesday marks the first instance of someone involved in these overseas police outposts being held accountable in court. Over 100 Chinese police stations are believed to have been set up in cities globally.

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According to the RFA report, Chen pleaded guilty to conspiring to serve as an agent of a foreign government, a crime that could lead to a prison sentence of up to five years.

The existence of the police station in Chinatown, along with others worldwide, was initially revealed in a 2022 report by the Spain-based human rights organization, Safeguard Defenders.

Laura Harth, the campaign director of Safeguard Defenders stated, "I hope the outcome of cases like this will encourage victims of the PRC's transnational repression to come forward in greater numbers."

She further highlighted, "I also hope that the 53 countries where 'overseas police stations' have been uncovered take note and take action. This case serves as a warning to anyone considering assisting the CCP in its covert operations: there is no advantage in doing so."

Matthew G Olsen, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department emphasised, "Today's guilty plea holds the defendant accountable for his brazen efforts to operate an undeclared overseas police station on behalf of the PRC's national police force -- a clear affront to American sovereignty and danger to our community that will not be tolerated." (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Colombo, Dec 20 (PTI) Sri Lanka Navy has rescued over 100 Rohingyas, including 25 children, from Myanmar distressed in the seas off the island's northeastern coast.

They were spotted by local fishermen on Thursday in the Mullaithivu district's Vellamullivaikkal area.

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We are still unable to verify the cause for their distress in the sea or where they were heading," the Navy spokesman said on speculation that they could be heading to either Australia or Indonesia.

They were on a fishing trawler - there are 102 in total 25 children and 40 women which includes a pregnant mother, the Navy spokesman said.

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They have been brought to the eastern port of Trincomalee where further action will be taken, the Navy said.

The Navy similarly rescued over 100 Rohingyas in the Sri Lankan waters in December 2022.

They were repatriated with assistance from the UN refugee agency.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Washington, Dec 20 (PTI) India-based Atlantic Navigation OPC Private Limited was slapped with American sanctions on Thursday on charges of trade of Iranian petroleum and petrochemicals.

The United States imposed sanctions on Thursday on four entities and three vessels involved in the trade of Iranian petroleum and petrochemicals, which generate billions of dollars' worth of revenue for the Iranian regime, the Department of Treasury said.

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"Iran continues to rely on its shadowy network of vessels, companies and facilitators to finance the development of its nuclear programme, the proliferation of its weapons systems and support to its proxies," said Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley T Smith.

Simultaneously, the Department of State also imposed sanctions on four entities engaged in the Iranian petroleum trade and identified six vessels as blocked property. Iran's oil exports are enabled by a network of illicit shipping facilitators in multiple jurisdictions who, through obfuscation and deception, load and transport Iranian oil for sale to buyers in Asia, it said.

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Atlantic Navigation OPC Private Limited is an India-based company involved in the transport of Iranian petroleum as the ISM manager of the vessel VIGOR, the State Department said.

Additionally, the Secretary of State determined that Ghezel Hesar Prison in Iran meets the criteria under section 106 of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).

Ghezel Hesar Prison has been determined by the Secretary of State pursuant to be responsible for gross violations of internationally-recognised human rights, namely cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment committed against individuals in Iran who seek to exercise their internationally-recognised human right of freedom of expression.

The other companies slapped with US sanctions are Seychelles-based Shiny Sails Shipping Limited, Suriname-based Galaxy Management NV and Hong Kong-based Brecalin Hong Kong Company Limited. The US alleged that they were all involved in transactions for the purchase, acquisition, sale, transport or marketing of petroleum or petroleum products from Iran.

The Cameroon-flagged vessel, AVITAL, is being identified as property in which Shiny Sails Shipping Limited has an interest. The Panama-flagged vessel, VIGOR, is being identified as property in which Galaxy Management NV has an interest.

The Barbados-flagged vessels, PROGRESS V and SCORPIUS, along with the Panama-flagged vessels TASCA and ELIZA II, are being identified as property in which Brecalin Hong Kong Limited has an interest, the Department of Treasury said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Jerusalem, Dec 20 (AP) A journalists' association said Friday two reporters working for Kurdish media outlets have been killed in clashes between Syrian Kurdish militia and Turkish-backed fighters in northern Syria. Fighting in parts of Syria continues despite the fall of President Bashar Assad.

Elsewhere in Syria, the transition following the government's fall has been smooth so far, although it's been less than two weeks since Assad was ousted by a lightning rebel advance on the capital, Damascus.

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The country is home to diverse sects, and there is ongoing fear and uncertainty among minority groups, including Christians, regarding their rights and safety under the main rebel group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, once an affiliate of al-Qaida.

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Here's the latest:

Gaza officials say 77 people have died in the past 24 hours

The Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip said Friday that 77 people have died and 174 others arrived at hospitals during the past 24 hours as a result of the ongoing conflict in the territory.

The latest toll includes five children and 12 others who were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Shaaban Rais School sheltering displaced people on Thursday, as well as five people who were killed in Maghazi refugee camp in Deir al-Balah early Thursday.

Officials said some people remained under rubble and on roads where ambulance and civil defence crew could not reach them.

The ministry said the latest death toll brings the total of deaths in Gaza to 45,206 since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023 and triggered a 14-month Israeli offensive. Local health officials do not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but have said more than half of the fatalities are women and children.

Turkiye's president suggests Turkiye could intervene in northern Syria

ANKARA, Turkiye  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has suggested that Turkiye could intervene in northern Syria to eliminate what he said are threats to its security posed by Syrian Kurdish groups.

His statement to a group of journalists late Thursday comes amid reports of fighting between Turkish-backed fighters and the US-backed, Kurdish-led force in northern Syria, near the border town of Kobani and the Tishrin dam on the Euphrates river.

We will show that the time has come to neutralise the terrorist organisations present in Syria, Erdogan said, according to a transcript of his remarks that was made available on Friday. We will do this to prevent any further threats coming from the south of our borders.

Turkiye considers the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, SDF, as a terrorist organisation because its main component is a group aligned to the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. Earlier this week, the SDF said US-led mediation efforts failed to reach a permanent truce in Syria's north.

The end of the road for the terrorist organisations is near, Erdogan said. There is no room for terrorists in the future of the region. The shelf life of the PKK terrorist organisation and its extensions has run out.

Erdogan said by securing the border area in Syria, Turkiye would also prevent the PKK from recruiting militants.

The Turkish leader meanwhile, welcomed the fact that many countries were establishing contact with Syria's new leaders, saying it was a sign of trust in the new administration. He said Turkiye would assist the country to establish new state structures.

Erdogan added that Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan would travel to Syria soon.

US delegation in Damascus

DAMASCUS  A delegation of US officials headed by Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf left the Four Seasons Hotel in Damascus Friday afternoon without making any statement to waiting journalists. A statement was expected later in the afternoon.

Leaf, former special envoy for Syria Daniel Rubinstein and the Biden administration's chief envoy for hostage negotiations, Roger Carstens, made the trip for talks with Syria's interim leaders, the State Department said early Friday.

The first US diplomats to visit Syria since President Bashar Assad's ouster nearly two weeks ago  and the first to formally visit Syria in more than a decade since the US shuttered its embassy in Damascus in 2012  also came to seek information on the whereabouts of missing American journalist Austin Tice.

The State Department said in a statement that the team would be engaging directly with the Syrian people, including members of civil society, activists, members of different communities, and other Syrian voices. Members of the civil defense group known as the White Helmets were seen leaving the hotel along with the delegation.

IOM head: Large-scale return of Syrians would 'overwhelm' Syria

GENEVA  The head of the UN migration agency says that large-scale returns of Syrians to their homeland at this stage would overwhelm the country.

Syria's civil war has displaced millions of people since 2011. The fall of Bashar Assad's government earlier this month has fuelled talk in some of the countries where they went of the refugees' return.

Amy Pope, the director-general of the International Organisation for Migration, told reporters Friday after returning from a visit to Syria that her agency's message to countries in Europe and elsewhere is that this is not the moment to talk about large-scale returns.

Pope said that communities are just not ready to absorb the people who are displaced and would come back. She argued that if overwhelming numbers of people return, "it will overwhelm the country and it could risk more disruptive impact on a very fragile peace process.

Pope said it's right to support individuals on a case-by-case basis who want to go home or know that their place of origin is safe, but that efforts now need to focus on the humanitarian situation, recovery and rebuilding.

Swedish government ending 'core support' for the UN relief agency for Palestinians

STOCKHOLM  The Swedish government says it is ending its core support for the United Nations relief agency for Palestinians.

The government said Friday that 800 million kronor (USD 72.4 million) being allocated for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the region next year will go through the channels of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency and the government's support for other agencies such as the World Food Program, the UN Children's Fund, the UN Population Fund and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

In October, Israel's parliament approved legislation banning UNRWA's activities in the Palestinian territories, a measure that was to take effect in 90 days.

Sweden's minister for international development cooperation and foreign trade, Benjamin Dousa, posted on X that the Israeli decision will make much of UNRWA's work difficult or impossible.

He said that Swedish aid must arrive and not get stuck in a bank account en route, and that the Israeli parliament's decision forces it to pass on support to other organisations. Dousa added that UNRWA is undergoing a crisis of confidence.

Sweden provided 451 million kronor to UNRWA this year. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Marco Movie Review: Theres this movie called A Serbian Film, often touted as one of the most disturbing films ever made. If you go in expecting all sorts of depravity, the movie delivers exactly that. Does that make it a good film, though? Not really. This was precisely the feeling I had with Marco, the ultra-violent action-thriller directed by Haneef Adeni and starring Unni Mukundan in the lead. There are action elements I genuinely liked and others where the film felt like it went too far. While Marco will undoubtedly satisfy gorehounds in the audience - disturbingly so - it lacks substance amidst the carnage. A dogs head is torn apart, a heart is ripped out, and hands are severed using chainsawsand those are the tamer moments. If youre searching for meaning beneath the brutality, Marco is more about excess than depth. Unni Mukundan Goes Shirtless! Marco Actor Flaunts Chiselled Body in Sexy Pool Pics.

Marco is supposedly a spinoff of Haneef Adenis Mikhael, where Nivin Pauly played the lead, while Unni Mukundan and Siddique portrayed the antagonists. But Marco isnt really connected to Mikhael, aside from Mukundan and Siddique reprising their sibling dynamic. In fact, this feels like Adeni and Mukundans brutal redemption for Mikhael, particularly for Mukundans character, who was mercilessly trolled for his infamous "teetham" punchlines.

Watch the Teaser of 'Marco':

Not here, though. In Marco, Mukundans titular character is an unkillable machine on a vendetta spree after his blind brother (Ishaan Shoukath) is murdered. Marco, the adopted brother of George (Siddique), a powerful businessman with ties to gold smuggling, is devastated when their sibling is killed by another crime family led by Tony (Jagadish). Once Marco uncovers the culprits, all hell breaks loose, and blood flows on both sides.

'Marco' Movie Review - Malayalam Cinema at Its Goriest

While watching Marco, I couldnt help but think of two Jayaram films. The killing of the blind brother brought back memories of Dhruvam, where Jayarams character met his end simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Similarly, a pre-climax sequence reminded me of Customs Diary, in which Jayarams characters family - including a child - was brutally massacred by the villains. That scene traumatised me as a child, even though much of the violence was implied. Now, as an adult who has seen my share of violent films, Haneef Adeni still managed to leave me shaken with what is easily the most disturbing act of violence Ive seen in a Malayalam film.

A Still From Marco

To be fair, the films promotions made it clear this was going to be Malayalam cinemas most violent movie, and on that front, Marco delivers. But while I was prepared for brutality, I wasnt ready for the sheer depravity, which occasionally took me out of the film. In its quest to push the envelope, Marco seems to revel in its violence - a troubling aspect, particularly when the atrocities include deeply disturbing acts against women and children. The desensitising effect of this relentless savagery made it hard to feel the rush I was supposed to during the climactic fight, even when Marco unleashed the now-cliched M134.

That said, the action scenes are where Marco truly shines. There are plenty of influences and homages: the eye-ball squashing scene in Marco's intro feels like a nod to Kill Bill Vol 2. A brilliantly choreographed building fight sequence, where Marco single-handedly takes on hordes of enemies, draws from The Raid: Redemption, Oldboy, and Daredevil. The pre-interval massacre echoes a similar (and milder) action scene in Pushpa: The Rise, though tonally, it felt closer to the climax fight in Pushpa 2 - though that might be coincidental. Full credit to action director Kalai Kingson, cinematographer Chandru Selvaraj, and editor Shameer Muhammed for making the action so visceral, as well as to the makeup and special effects teams. While Ravi Basrurs score feels overused at times, it provides the thumping energy the film needs.

A Still From Marco

Then, of course, how can I not mention Unni Mukundan, whose solid screen presence and flexibility is a major boon for the movie? Marco also returns the favour likewise by presenting his swag in the most gallery-appeasing manner (including even giving him a 'Salman Khan' moment in the climax). However, his limitations as an actor, particularly in conveying emotions, remain glaring. Theres a sequence where a villain asks Marco why his face shows no fear. I wanted to tap the villain on the shoulder and say, "Its not his faultbros face is just like that."

'Marco' Movie Review - Gore Over Substance

Haneef Adeni, known for The Great Father, Mikhael, and Boss and Co, delivers his most technically polished work with Marco. Its a significant improvement over Mikhael. Yet, the film is let down by a weak screenplay. While the revenge angle is central, the character development feels inconsistent. Adeni crafts characters with a sense of style and panache but undercuts them with bafflingly foolish decisions or unfulfilled boasts. Even Marco himself makes grand declarations only to have them fall flat two scenes later, creating an unintentionally comedic effect. Without rhythm or coherence, the violence becomes gratuitous, a gore show for the sake of it. Not to mention the annoying conveniences in which the hero escapes unscathed despite being at the sharper edge of the villain's sword, twice at that, literally. Kill Movie Review: Lakshya and Raghav Juyals Brutal Thriller Redefines Action Films for Bollywood!

A Still From Marco

The romantic subplot feels flimsy, including a conversation where Marco and his girlfriend discuss how 'toxic' he is. This could be a nod to the criticism faced by heroes in KGF, Animal, and Pushpa. But while Marco isnt as toxic as those characters, the romance does little to deepen his character. Female characters, meanwhile, are reduced to collateral damage in the bloodbath.

A Still From Marco

Among the supporting cast, Jagadish and Siddique stand out. Jagadish delivers his most morally reprehensible role to dateyes, even viler than his character in Leela. Initially amusing in his introduction (which involves a bizarre and inappropriate gag with a gun), Jagadishs performance becomes chillingly sinister. Its hard to reconcile this dark character with the same Appukuttan who once made us laugh over a bird dropping. Siddique, as always, is impressive, though his character is written to act foolishly in the third act. Kabir Duhan Singh and Abhimanyu Shammy Thilakan add menace, but their roles are largely one-dimensional.

'Marco' Movie Review - Final Thoughts

Marco is a double-edged sword. Its an unapologetically violent spectacle that delivers on its promise of pushing the boundaries of brutality in Malayalam cinema, maybe even Indian cinema. The films technical brilliance and visceral action sequences make it a standout in that regard. However, Marco's overindulgence in gore, lack of emotional depth, and flimsy, illogical screenplay dilute its impact. While fans of the genre and Unni Mukundans admirers may find plenty to cheer for, others might walk away questioning if the excessive bloodshed was truly worth it.

Rating: 2.0

(The opinions expressed in the above article are of the author and do not reflect the stand or position of LatestLY.)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 20, 2024 09:57 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Renowned 91-year-old Jnanpith awardee and one of Keralas most celebrated literary figures, M.T. Vasudevan Nair, is critically ill and undergoing treatment at a private hospital here, according to his close friend, M.N. Karissery. Pushpa 2 The Rule Premiere Stampede: 8-Year-Old Boy on Ventilator, Netizens Condemn Allu Arjun for Celebrating After Hyderabad Jail Release.

A medical board has been constituted, and a team of specialists is closely monitoring the veteran writer and filmmakers condition.

I visited him this morning. He is in intensive care, and his condition is serious. He has been in and out of the hospital recently. His wife and daughter are by his side, said Karissery.

Popularly known as MT, Nair has been battling health issues in recent weeks, including breathing difficulties and cardiac complications.

Nair, a Padma Bhushan awardee, has left an indelible mark on Malayalam literature and cinema. He has won four National Film Awards for screenplay and directed seven films while scripting about 54 films. His screenplays, now available in book form, are regarded as essential reading for aspiring filmmakers.

Over the years, Nair has been honoured with numerous accolades, including the Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award, Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award, Vayalar Award, Vallathol Award, Ezhuthachan Award, Mathrubhumi Literary Award, and O.N.V. Literary Award.

In 2013, he was conferred the J.C. Daniel Award for lifetime achievement in Malayalam cinema. In 2022, he received the inaugural Kerala Jyothi Award, the highest civilian honour bestowed by the Kerala Government.

Nair was awarded the Jnanpith, Indias highest literary honor, in 1995 for his outstanding contributions to literature. He also served as the editor of Mathrubhumi Illustrated Weekly for several years. Allu Arjuns Father Allu Aravind Meets Injured Boy After Tragic Pushpa 2 Incident in Hyderabad (Watch Video).

In October this year, Nair made headlines after gold ornaments were stolen from his residence while he and his wife were away. The police later recovered the items, implicating a domestic helper.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 20, 2024 02:16 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Kochi, December 20: A woman from Uttar Pradesh was taken arrested on Friday for allegedly killing her six-year-old stepdaughter in Nellikuzhi, Kothamangalam. According to the police, Muskan, the daughter of Ajaz Khan, a native of Uttar Pradesh, was found dead in her bed on Thursday morning.

Following the incident, the police took Ajaz Khan and his second wife, Aneesha, into custody. The arrest of Aneesha was recorded on Friday after she confessed to the crime during interrogation. Kochi Shocker: Man Tries To Bury Mothers Body Without Informing Anyone in Kerala, Taken Into Police Custody.

According to police, Aneesha smothered the child after Ajaz left their home at around 8.30 pm on Wednesday. Ajaz worked as a carpenter in Nellikuzhi. Meanwhile, the police have also taken Noushad, a native of Kothamangalam, into custody on suspicion of influencing Aneesha and Ajaz with his advice. Kerala Shocker: Unable To Take Work Pressure After Not Given Leave To Be Beside His Pregnant Wife, Police Commando Ends Life by Shooting Himself to Death.

Preliminary investigations suggest that family disputes may have led to the incident. The police are also investigating possible links to 'black magic' and 'sorcery', a police officer said.
Kolkata, December 20: The Calcutta High Court on Friday allowed an organisation of doctors to hold a demonstration from December 20 to 26 to press their demand for speedy justice for RG Kar Medical College and Hospital's medic who was allegedly raped and murdered in August. The court, however, directed the Joint Forum of Doctors to hold the protest programme at a place, 50 feet away from Dorina crossing at Esplanade in central Kolkata as that would cause traffic snarls in the busy area.

The doctors' body had proposed to hold the round-the-clock sit-in at Dorina Crossing, a busy intersection in the heart of the city. Passing the order, Justice Tirthankar Ghosh said that since the organisers are doctors, they would take into account if there is any hardship created to the common people commuting in the area while holding the demonstration. The lawyer representing the West Bengal government objected to the proposed site at Dorina crossing for holding the demonstration, claiming that it would cause traffic congestion in the area. RG Kar Doctor Rape-Murder Case: Sandip Ghoshs 10 Confidant Doctors Expelled.

The court directed that the stage for holding the demonstration should not exceed 40 feet in length and 23 feet in width and the number of participants in the sit-in should not exceed 250 at a time. Justice Ghosh directed the administration to make adequate arrangements so that there is no untoward incident. The organisers were directed not to make any inciting speech during the demonstration causing any law and order situation. The court directed that a compliance report be submitted to the court by the police authorities on January 13. Kolkata Junior Doctor Rape-Murder: RG Kar Former Principal Sandip Ghosh, SHO Abhijit Mondal Granted Bail.

The on-duty postgraduate trainee's dead body was found in the seminar room of R G Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a charge sheet against the prime accused, Sanjay Roy, in the rape and murder case of the on-duty doctor. In its charge sheet filed before a special CBI court here, the central agency said Roy, who was working as a civic volunteer with the local police, allegedly committed the crime on August 9 when the victim had gone to sleep in the hospital's seminar room during a break. Doctors' bodies in the state have been holding demonstrations and protests, demanding speedy justice for the deceased medic.
Mumbai, December 20: Five persons were killed and 27 injured after a speeding private bus carrying a wedding party overturned at a ghat in Maharashtra's Raigad district on Friday morning, police said. The accident occurred in Tamhini Ghat in the jurisdiction of Mangaon around 9.15 am, an official said.

He said the bus was heading to Birwadi in Mahad from Lohegaon in Pune district with a wedding party. The official said the bus driver lost control of the wheel at a sharp bend, causing the vehicle to overturn. Raigad: Couple Suffer Serious Injuries After Car Allegedly Driven by Minor Girl Hits Their Bike in Maharashtra, Terrifying Video Surfaces.

Five persons, including two men and three women, were killed, and 27 persons sustained injuries and were rushed to Mangaon Rural Hospital, he said. Maharashtra Road Accident: 10 Injured in Multi-Vehicle Crash on Mumbai-Goa Highway, Traffic Disrupted Near Parshuram Ghat in Ratnagiri (Watch Video).

The official said the four of the deceased have been identified as Sangita Jadhav, Gaurav Darade, Shilpa Pawar and Vandana Jadhav, and one of the men is yet to be identified.
At least five persons were killed and another 27 injured when a private luxury bus carrying a marriage party lost control and overturned in the Tamhini Ghat section of Raigad district on Friday, officials said. The bus, owned by Purple Travels, was headed from Lohegaon in Pune district to Birwadi village in Mahad (Raigad).
The Himachal Pradesh Assembly on Friday passed the Himachal Pradesh Police (Amendment) Bill 2024, making it mandatory to get permission from the government before the arrest of any public servant. No police officer shall arrest a public servant for any act done while discharging his duties as a public servant except with the prior sanction of the government.
Shikha Mishra suspected her husband of having an affair with Anika, he said. The official said the accused allegedly contacted Anika on Wednesday and met her at the residence of one Sonam Rajak in Professor Colony.
Seoul, December 20: General Xavier Brunson took office as the new commander of US Forces Korea (USFK) on Friday, vowing a continued commitment to upholding the South Korea-US alliance amid persistent threats by North Korea. Brunson replaced General Paul LaCamera to lead the 28,500-strong American troops in South Korea in a change-of-command ceremony held at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometres south of Seoul, attended by top officials from both nations, including acting Defence Minister Kim Seon-ho and US Indo-Pacific Command Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo.

As USFK commander, Brunson also serves as Commander of the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command (CFC) and the UN Command. Brunson emphasised the importance of the alliance as well as cooperation with the wider international community in maintaining "collective security" and a "rules-based international order" in responding to potential threats. US Reaffirms 'ironclad' Commitment to South Korea Amid Political Turmoil Following Yoon's Impeachment.

In his address, the new commander cited a Bible verse that goes: "One may be overpowered. Two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." "This first reflects the strength of our alliance, the solidarity of our trilateral partnerships and the resilience of our multinational coalition. United, we are stronger and more capable of meeting any challenge," he said, Yonhap news agency reported.

LaCamera, who is retiring after nearly 44 years of service, noted how South Korea, a nation that stands as a "beacon of freedom and prosperity" holds a "special place" in his heart. Thanking the CFC over its efforts for readiness during his more than three years of service in South Korea, LaCamera urged the command to maintain such commitment under Brunson's leadership. "Readiness is perishable ... Continue training daily. Remain vigilant and make sure that 'fight tonight' are not just hollow words," he said, referring to the command's slogan touting combined readiness posture. US-South Korea Military Exercise: US and South Korean Army Begin Joint Military Drills As North Korea Accuses Them of Invasion Rehearsal.

Paparo echoed the call, noting that Brunson is the "right leader" to take the command to the "next level" at a sensitive time in terms of security. "Given this dangerous security environment with North Korea's increasingly aggressive behavior and our adversaries, transactional symbiosis with the PRC, with Russia, North Korea, the troops have got to be ready to fight tonight," he said referring to China by its formal name. "You're the right leader for this challenging assignment," he said, stressing that the South Korea-US alliance is "steadfast."

Kim, Seoul's acting defense chief, thanked LaCamera for his efforts to enhance the allies' combined defense posture and implementing the Washington Declaration through military measures. He expressed hope that the alliance, which has survived challenges over the past seven decades, will continue to strengthen during Brunson's leadership. "The ROK-US alliance founded on unwavering trust will not sway in the face of any obstacles," Kim said. "I'm confident that the spirit of 'We go together' will continue to thrive not only between our nations but also through General Brunson."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 20, 2024 03:59 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
On 19 December Mexicos Presidentsigned a decree to increase tariffs on a range of products in a bid to protect the countrys textile industry.

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On 19 December Chiles Presidentcalled for, Argentinas right-wing president, to show more humility.

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A 37-year-old Allentown woman is accused of helping her ex-boyfriend plan the killing of another man earlier this month in a parking lot along the busy MacArthur Road shopping corridor in Whitehall Township, authorities said Friday.

Liz Pacheco is charged with criminal homicide and related offenses in connection with the shooting death of Hector Garcia Gomez, 46, of Palmerton in Carbon County, according to the Lehigh County District Attorneys Office.

About 6 p.m. Dec. 7 in the parking lot of Loco Hot Deals at 1155 MacArthur Road, police found Garcia Gomez with multiple gunshot wounds to his abdomen. He was rushed to a hospital and later died.

Four days later, police arrested and charged Christian Martinez-Ramos, 35, also of Allentown, with the killing.

Video surveillance showed the victim getting into his vehicle to leave the store and a man later identified as Martinez-Ramos firing multiple shots at the vehicle, the district attorneys office said.

The men knew each other and had past disputes, including two fights, police previously said.

Pacheco was aware of her ex-boyfriends intentions and assisted in both the planning and attempted coverup, according to a news release from the DAs office announcing the new charges.

The investigation revealed that Pacheco was in communication with her former partner as they discussed plans of where to find Garcia Gomez and kill him, the release said. After the shooting, Pacheco assisted with the sale of the vehicle used by Martinez-Ramos during the killing.

Pacheco was sent to Lehigh County Jail without bail following her arrest on Friday morning. It was not immediately clear if she had an attorney.

Martinez-Ramos also is in the county lockup without bail, awaiting a preliminary hearing on his charges.
Armchair Lehigh Valley content is published on lehighvalleylive.com as part of a partnership with the website, which aims to give voters nonpartisan factual information. Armchair Lehigh Valley is run by publisher Katherine Reinhard and editor Robert H. Orenstein. For more information, or to subscribe: armchairlehighvalley.substack.com.

The 2025 mayoral race is off and running in Allentown with incumbent Matt Tuerk seeking reelection and council member Ed Zucal declaring plans to run against him in the Democratic primary.

The Democratic primary lineup could be far from settled. Lehigh Valley media have reported that council President Cynthia Mota could run as well. She did not respond to several attempts for comment.

In a Facebook post, Republican Tim Ramos, who faced Tuerk in 2021, said he is weighing another run for Allentowns top post.

In the Democratic stronghold of Allentown, primaries are often where mayoral races are fought and won.

In his first run for public office, Tuerk faced three challengers in the 2021 Democratic primary  council members Ce-Ce Gerlach and Julio Guridy and incumbent Mayor Ray OConnell, a former council member who was appointed to the post in 2018 when Mayor Ed Pawlowksi was convicted on federal corruption charges.

Just 122 votes separated Tuerk from OConnell, the second highest vote getter, in the primary that saw just under 8,000 Democratic voters cast ballots. Tuerk went on to defeat Ramos by nearly 2-1 margin in November 2021.

Whether more Democrats declare their candidacy, the mayoral matchup will be happening beneath a veil of allegations of racial discrimination and mistreatment of city employees that has led to two lawsuits, including one between Tuerk and council.

Following is a look at the race so far.

Matt Tuerk

Tuerk, 49, is seeking his second four-year term in the city of about 125,000, where more than half are of Latino descent. His maternal grandmother was a Cuban immigrant.

His career has included working for the Lehigh Valley Economic Corp. and the Allentown Economic Development Corp.

Tuerk said he remains committed to his promise of an Allentown for All with safety, economic opportunity and community partnerships remaining his top priorities.

In listing his accomplishments, Tuerk noted FBI statistics that show violent crime fell in Allentown in 2023.

Behind these numbers are families feeling more secure in their neighborhoods. This progress came through consistent leadership - having the same police chief [Charles Roca] for three straight years for the first time in over a decade, Tuerks November announcement said.

In addition, Tuerk said he launched a plan to improve traffic signals, pedestrian walkways and roadways near schools with an aim of eliminating traffic fatalities by 2030.

He cited the new Da Vinci Science Center as an example of a community partnership that has created economic opportunity by bringing thousands of visitors to downtown Allentown. He noted the planned spring opening of The Archer Music Hall and the new Moxy Hotel will bring new life to Allentown arts district.

Other accomplishments listed by Tuerk include the $20 million federal grant the city received to help residents access better jobs and Moodys first A2 bond rating of Allentown. In City Hall, a new digital permitting system has been implemented.

Ed Zucal

Zucal is a deputy coroner and retired Allentown police sergeant who is serving his second term on council, having first been elected in 2017. He made an unsuccessful bid for Lehigh County sheriff in 2014. He is making his first run for mayor.

I want to make a difference in the city, he told Armchair Lehigh Valley. I want to be more available to the public. Im not going to shut them out.

Zucal has been highly critical of Tuerks tenure at the citys helm. Quality-of-life issues are being completely ignored, he said.

Zucal said the FBI statistics dont paint a true picture of crime in Allentown. There is a shooting or stabbing every other day. He said morale is low in the police department and he would make changes at the top if elected mayor.

I believe I have inside knowledge on what needs to be done based on my 25 years with the Allentown police department, he said.

Zucal said he would be more fiscally responsible than Tuerk, noting his seven years of being involved in city budgets. He said he also prepared annual budgets as the police departments DUI program coordinator.

He has spoken at council meetings about an exodus of longtime employees, blaming Tuerk for their departures.

He also said the citys park system is being neglected because employees have left.

There were good people who were running that program, he said.

Allegations of racial discrimination in City Hall

Zucal and other members of council have been locking horns with Tuerk over allegations raised by the Allentown branch NAACP and Tuerks unrelated decision to terminate three employees in the Human Resources department.

According to city council minutes and legal documents:

On July 15, 2023, the local NAACP sent Tuerk a letter that contained a list of allegations of discrimination against city employees that included racial slurs, mocking of sexual preferences and identities, verbal attacks and denials of promotions.

In response, Zucal and other council members felt an outside investigation was needed.

At a September 2023 council meeting, Tuerk said that his administration has worked to investigate all claims from day one and will do everything to stomp out discrimination in City Hall. He also said that an internal review would be a better approach, adding that an outside investigation could send shock waves among employees and disrupt city services.

Later that fall, council learned that Tuerk had terminated three employees in the human resources department.

In light of the NAACP letter and HR terminations, Zucal and Gerlach sponsored a vote of no confidence in Tuerk that passed 4-3 on Dec. 6, 2023.

At the meeting, Genesis Ortega, the citys communications manager, read a statement saying Tuerk enlisted outside counsel in April 2022 to investigate complaints in the HR department. The outside counsels report recommended the terminations. She said the interviews, findings and conclusions were confidential and would remain so. (Zucal told Armchair Lehigh Valley that council was unaware of the investigation until the terminations came to light. He said Tuerk is permitted to use his solicitor funding to hire outside counsel for such an investigation.)

In April 2024, council formally voted to allocate $300,000 to fund an outside investigation of the NAACP letter, HR terminations and other allegations. Council formally hired former FBI agent Scott Curtis on June 5.

On June 26, council voted 6-1 in favor of allocating $20,000 to sue Tuerk, with Mota saying council had an obligation to investigate the allegations but that Tuerk was holding up the process.

In September, council officially sued Tuerk and city finance director Bina Patel in Lehigh County Court, alleging they would not approve payments for Curtis work. Both sides accused the other of not following the citys Home Rule Charter in hiring Curtis, who had a role in the FBIs investigation of the pay-play scheme involving Pawlowski.

On Dec. 4, the day before a hearing on the matter was to take place, council voted 4-3 to temporarily suspend the lawsuit.

In making the motion, council member Santo Napoli, who had been the lone dissent on the June vote to sue Tuerk, said council first agreed to investigate claims in September 2023 and nothing has been done to this point. He said council should work with Tuerk on a solution. Zucal, who was among the no votes, said, Its not us who is delaying this, its the administration.

Councils vote came a week after Tawanna Whitehead, a deputy clerk, filed a federal lawsuit against council, alleging a racially hostile work environment was created by an unnamed city official and by council person Candida Affa.

Whiteheads job entails assisting city council in preparing the agendas, minutes, resolutions and ordinances. Her lawsuit, alleging violations of her civil rights, was filed in the U.S. District Courts Eastern District in Pennsylvania.

Affa could not be reached for comment.
A Slate Belt contractor is facing various felony charges after taking payment from at least two Bethlehem Township residents for in-ground pools and never delivering on the projects, authorities said.

Edward Joseph Mara Sr., 67, of the 5600 block of Kesslersville Road in Plainfield Township, is charged in at least two separate cases in the township. Charges include felony receiving advanced payment on services and failing to perform in one of the cases and felony home improvement fraud in the other. Mara is charged with one count each felony deception of fraudulent business practices and and felony theft in both cases.

The Northampton County District Attorneys Office Friday morning announced the charges against Mara and warned the public to be vigilant in the alleged schemes.

Northampton County District Attorney Stephen G. Baratta said Mara in the past has operated under various company names, including Splash; Splash Contracting; Splash Concrete; Splash Swimming Pool, LLC; SPL; North East Pool Depot, LLC; T&C Contracting; SPL Contracting; and Blue Water Fiberglass Pools. The defendant, according to the district attorney, also goes by Edward Mara Sr.; Edward Mara Jr; Ed; Edd; Eddie; Chris Mara; and Cris Mara.

Mara often advertises to perform pool installation and repairs; fence installation, landscaping, brickwork and concrete services, according to the district attorney. His business address also is listed as being along Kesslersville Road, he said.

Easton-based attorney Philip D. Lauer, representing Mara, couldnt immediately be reached for comment Friday afternoon.

Bethlehem Township police in March began investigating Mara.

A female victim initially reported paying Mara a total of $35,775 for a pool to be installed through his company, Northeast Pool. The victim stated he cashed the three checks, but never performed the work, court records said.

Checks were cashed in January 2022; March 2022; and October 2022, respectively, after the victim and Mara in February 2022 signed a proposal document agreeing to the price tag of $38,500 for the project, court records state.

The victim reported staying in contact with Mara until January 2024. The pool was anticipated to be completed by summer 2022 and no work was done since May 2023, according to court records.

Township police said the woman was left with a hole in the ground with a tall mound filled with dirt and weeds in her back yard and a small retaining wall that appeared to be falling over.

The other female victim in April 2023 reported a similar agreement with Mara to allegedly build a pool for $37,000. She paid him a total of $26,000 in two checks cashed by Mara in May 2023 and April 2024. The pool was scheduled to be completed in summer 2023, but the woman was left with just excavation work in her back yard, court records state.

The woman claimed she was able to later receive $11,000 allegedly refunded by Mara, but still suffered a $15,000 loss. The victim lost contact with Mara in May 2024, court records state.

Mara in July was arraigned on the charges and sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $75,000 bail.

The Northampton County District Attorneys Office believes there could be more victims. Those with information about Mara are asked to call 610-829-6646.

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Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com.
Syrian Church Leaders Will Meet Interim Government

Church leaders will continue to meet members of the new interim Syrian government, the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East has said. Its intention is to secure "societal peace for all components of the Syrian people in all regions" and cooperate "with those in charge of the administration of the country for the good of the country and its people". Islamists dominate the new government.

A statement from the Patriarchate urged Christians still in the country -- about 300,000, it is believed -- to continue to fast and pray. It urged the new leadership to affirm religious freedoms, and called on the international community to monitor them.

"The Church will not spare any effort in supporting its children and advocating for their rights. She will not accept any form of mistreatment or abuse of their rights. The Church calls upon civil and international bodies to follow up these procedures and steps that lay the foundation for a new Syria. At the same time, the Church stands ready to engage with all Syrians and to cooperate with all those who seek the good of the country, and extends a helping hand to all to contribute towards the reconstruction of the country."

The statement also condemned Israel's "violation of the sovereignty of Syria" with its occupation of a border buffer zone on the Golan Heights.

In a post accompanying the statement on X, Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II quoted a verse from Philippians: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

Israel has bombed what it said were weapon depots in Syria, and has approved a plan to encourage the expansion of settlements in the Golan Heights, which are considered illegally occupied under international law.

Many Syrian Christians are still uncertain about their future under the new government.

In Idlib province, which the Islamist group who led the insurgency, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), has run since 2019, Christian services are allowed, but the ringing of church bells is forbidden.

In Aleppo, however, the first city to be taken by the rebels in their march on Damascus, bells have continued to ring, and the leader of the HTS has continued to promise that the Christian and Alawite minority faith groups will be protected.

A spokesman for the new transitional government said that Syria was open to, and would look to build good relationships with, the wider world.

Aid was still getting into Syria, the Vatican mission to Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt confirmed. It reported that partners on the ground regarded the situation as stable.

The mission's regional, Michel Constantin, said that church officials were "assured . . . that the new authority on the ground will be committed to providing all protection to all citizens, and especially the Christians".

After years of civil war, 90 per cent of Syrians are in poverty, and 16.7 million are in need of humanitarian aid, the aid agency CAFOD says.

President Bashar al-Assad posted his first statement since he fled Syria on his Telegram channel on Monday, saying that his departure to Russia, where he has been granted asylum, was not pre-planned. The evacuation was carried out by the Russian military after its base came under attack, he said.

The Awareness Foundation, a humanitarian and educational charity that operates in the Middle East, said that the Christian community was fearful, but no acts of violence had been reported against them in Aleppo, the first city to fall to the rebels. Its Ambassadors for Peace programme works with young adults to build bridges across diverse communities, and it had been overwhelmed, it said, with their response, as they formed networks to support one another. Syria is one of the most religious and ethnically diverse countries in the Middle East.

The executive director of the Awareness Foundation, the Revd Dr Nadim Nassar, said: "After the dark times of the Assad regime, we continue to hope for a new chapter of peace and prosperity for the Syrian people, who have suffered so much. Everyone wants to see the withdrawal of foreign-led armies, allowing them self-determination to find a political system that respects all Syrians, whatever their ethnic or religious backgrounds.

"Healing is needed now more than ever. And we will work harder than ever to support them with our programmes that seek to build lasting peace through education, overcoming difference, and uniting all for a better future."

The Acting Primate of Canada, the Most Revd Anne Germond, wrote to the Archbishop in Jerusalem, Dr Hosam Naoum, on Thursday of last week, saying: "On behalf of your friends in the Anglican Church of Canada, I write to assure you of our continued prayers following the recent events in Syria, including the departure of President Bashar al-Assad. We recognize the profound uncertainty and potential challenges this moment brings, and we stand in solidarity with you and the communities you serve during this tenuous time. . .

"We pray for the peace of Christ to dwell richly among you. May his presence bring hope to those feeling the weight of fear and anxiety, and may the Spirit guide you and your clergy as you offer pastoral care and leadership to your people."
Gary Gosciak doesnt remember much of what happened one night last year after he took a few puffs of a synthetic marijuana cigarette in the bathroom at the New Jersey detention facility where hes been held for decades.

A fellow detainee warned him the homemade joint, a mix of tobacco and K2 smuggled into the unit, was powerful stuff.

I remember feeling very dizzy, very light-headed, Gosciak said.

Other detainees found him curled up in a ball on the floor, shaking uncontrollably and screaming at the top of his lungs, he said.

From what Im told, I passed out in the bathroom and fell on the floor, he said, speaking by phone from inside the facility.

Gosciak said it was his third time overdosing on K2  a synthetic drug that mimics the main psychoactive ingredient of marijuana  while held at the Special Treatment Unit for civilly committed sex offenders in Woodbridge.

He wants to be released from the facility in order to get what he says he cant get inside  intensive substance abuse treatment to finally deal with his addiction issues.

Getting out of the Special Treatment Unit is no easy task. The unit holds more than 400 men who served prison time for sex crimes but were deemed too dangerous to release once their sentences ended. They are held in the little-known facility indefinitely under the states Sexually Violent Predator Act, a law passed in the late 1990s.

Detainees are no longer considered prisoners and enjoy limited freedoms in the Special Treatment Unit. But, theyre prohibited from leaving until a judge orders their discharge.

One attorney who represents civilly committed sex offenders believes 90% of the detainees in the facility have a substance abuse issue. But he said the facility doesnt provide the kind of help they need to conquer their addictions.

That sentiment is shared by multiple people NJ Advance Media interviewed as part of its ongoing investigation into the states civil commitment program for sex offenders.

NJ Advance Medias investigative report, Shadow prison, published in May, detailed numerous allegations of problems within New Jerseys Special Treatment Unit.

Advocates of civil commitment say the system is keeping the state safe from sex offenders who may commit more crimes if they are released. But, many detainees say they spend years, or even decades, in a convoluted system with an ineffective therapy program and no clearly-defined rules for getting out.

Other critics say the flaws with the civil commitment system also extend to New Jerseys complex system of judges and prosecutors who help decide whether sex offenders are held in the Special Treatment Unit and when they can be released.

MORE: Peanut butter dispute led to N.J. corrections officers killing detainee, family alleges

For detainees with addiction problems, being held indefinitely in the Special Treatment Unit is even more fraught.

Critics say detainees who could qualify for discharge after their sex offense treatment is completed should not be held longer in the unit because they have a substance abuse issue, especially when there are better treatment options for addiction elsewhere.

The state health and corrections departments jointly run the Special Treatment Unit, and have declined NJ Advance Medias requests to tour the unit or to speak to officials regarding treatment services.

But, the state Department of Health, which oversees treatment at the facility, says detainees get the help they need.

Those who are civilly committed are assessed for substance use when they come to the treatment unit and provided with individualized treatment based on their need, a state Department of Health spokesperson said. If detainees are diagnosed with an addiction problem, they are assigned treatment programs.

If a resident is struggling, we offer more support in the form of more groups or check-ins with staff, the spokesperson said in a statement.

Self-help groups are also available to residents, along with education about other addiction topics, including gambling, food, sex, love and gaming, the spokesperson said.

$47K up in smoke

Gosciak, the detainee who overdosed in the Special Treatment Unit on a synthetic marijuana cigarette last year, said his history of addiction and sexual offenses trace back to his childhood  like many in the treatment unit.

He grew up in Gloucester City and moved at age 10 with his mother to Hawaii, where he struggled to make friends, was bullied and became a loner, he said.

By 13, he was drinking, he said. By 14, he admits he committed his first sex offense, then raped a child the following year.

Gosciak spent a few years in a youth correctional facility, followed by time in psychiatric hospitals.

He lost his mother to cancer and moved back to New Jersey at 18 to live with family. He became addicted and blew much of the $47,000 in inheritance money his mother left him on drugs, he said.

In 1992, at age 22, Gosciak raped a relatives daughter and was sentenced to prison, he said.

After completing his sentence, he was the 27th sex offender civilly committed under New Jerseys new Sexually Violent Predator Act after a judge ruled he was too dangerous to be released.

Though he was locked up, he said he was still able to get drugs inside the Special Treatment Unit.

His first overdose on K2 came during the pandemic in 2021. He was taken to the facilitys medical unit and held for 48 hours as doctors and nurses monitored his vitals, Gosciak said.

They locked me in a room for observation butt-naked, no blanket, no clothes, except for a tear-resistant, anti-suicide smock given to patients, he said. Basically, they just let you sleep it off.

Detainees caught with drugs face loss of privileges as punishment, according to Gosciak. In his case, he lost his job at the facility  he was working in the kitchen at the time  for 30 days, he said.

Gosciak is in a substance abuse treatment group at the facility. He and other detainees meet once a week for 90 minutes with a therapist to talk about their drug histories and issues related to drug abuse and mental health.

In reality, the sessions tend to be conversations about how each detainee is doing and any struggles theyre experiencing, Gosciak said.

Detainees also get training on substance abuse education and are encouraged to participate in Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous groups with fellow residents.

None of it is actual treatment, Gosciak alleges.

If given the chance for release, he said hed ideally like to enter an inpatient treatment program for substance abuse, but he feels an intensive outpatient program could also help. That would be in addition to continuing sex offender counseling sessions, he said.

Now 55, qualifying for release remains a challenge for Gosciak. Hes been told he still needs to work on his attitude and patience, in addition to his substance abuse.

Ive learned a lot about the harm that I caused, he said of his sex crimes. One of the problems with sex offenders is that we kind of manipulate or convince ourselves that were not harming our victims, and, in reality, we are. Were doing a lot of harm.

Counselors have told him theyre now more concerned about his potential crimes surrounding drugs if he gets out, Gosciak said.

Ive actually had therapists tell me here that theyre not worried about me committing another sexual offense, he said. Theyre more worried about the drug-related crimes, like sticking somebody up for money to buy drugs.

A small number of detainees in the unit with opioid or alcohol addition receive medication assisted treatment, according to the Department of Health spokesperson. State officials declined to release the exact number for data privacy reasons.

A view of one of the housing units in the main building at the Special Treatment Unit. The site was previously a prison building used to house inmates in solitary confinement before it was reallocated for detaining civilly committed sex offenders.(Provided Photo)

Getting real

Gosciak said a friend who was released from the Special Treatment Unit on a conditional discharge is a role model for what he hopes to achieve.

Mike, who asked that his last name not be used, was hooked on alcohol and drugs since age 12 and was later sent to prison as a sex offender, he said. Now in his 60s, hes working to rebuild his life.

He was sent back to the Special Treatment Unit twice after his initial release after urine screenings revealed he consumed alcohol. He was forbidden to drink alcohol as a condition of his release.

But, Mike said he felt it was a waste of time to go back into the unit when he could have been sent by the court to a treatment program in his community.

He said he didnt feel he could truly open up to counselors at the Special Treatment Unit, because that would just mean a longer stay.

There was an old saying that used to run around there that the more you say, the longer you stay. And to some extent, thats true, Mike said. Now, of course, that was dealing with the sexual aspect of things, but that applies across the board.

He was sentenced to 30 years in prison on the mid-1980s for crimes including aggravated criminal sexual contact, kidnapping, robbery and burglary. He was civilly committed in the early 2000s after he finished his criminal sentence.

He took sex offender treatment seriously, he said, but remained dubious about the substance abuse help he received.

I was very hesitant about actually being honest with them as far as addiction or how deep it was, Mike said. They have total control over you getting out. They offer what they think is treatment, but treatment relies on being open, honest and willing. If you cant be open and honest, then youre not going to have any meaningful effect from treatment that you are offered.

Those providing substance abuse support at the treatment unit while he was there had no lived experience and couldnt relate to the struggles of an addict, he said.

You can go to school for cooking and read books for cooking, but unless youve actually cooked, it means nothing to you. Thats largely what happens with their substance abuse program, he said.

For Mike, the turning point came during the pandemic, when he was sent back to the treatment unit for his second alcohol violation and was allowed to run a self-help group for fellow alcoholics.

The only way I got real with my treatment today was during COVID. It was myself and a couple other guys that were real. It had nothing to do with the groups they were offering and anything else, he said.

The material he was reading from the Alcoholics Anonymous 12-step program hit home.

The first step is admitting youre powerless over your addiction. The second step is believing that a power greater than yourself, which I call God, can restore you to sanity, Mike said. Thats what got me to the point that I am today.

With that boost, he earned his release for a third time. After he was released last year, he found an outpatient treatment program  Greater Essex Counseling Services based in Newark and Union City  and has remained violation free.

Mike praised the help he received from counselors at Greater Essex, many of whom were recovering addicts who understood his struggles.

Those who have been incarcerated account for the largest percentage of the patient population at Greater Essex, said Katy Linton, who co-owns the counseling service with Chris Vadas.

Greater Essexs substance abuse treatment includes individual and group counseling sessions, medication assisted therapy and various support services, including dental and podiatry care. Family counseling also helps offenders reconnect with their loved ones.

We treat the client all the way around, Vadas said. If that clients suffering with an opioid or alcohol addiction, there are also other ancillary services that we help the client with to prevent relapse. Its the peer recovery side of the business  helping them with IDs, helping them with insurance, helping them with job placement.

While some treatment programs dont take sex offenders, Greater Essex doesnt turn anyone away, Linton said.

We dont discriminate against any type of person that wants to come here for treatment, she said. Whatever you need, whatever youve done, wherever youve been, come on in and well work with you.

Thats the kind of help Ronald J. Barber, a detainee in the Special Treatment Unit, believes he should have received.

Barber grew up in Trenton and was originally incarcerated at 11 for aggravated sexual assault. He spent years in various juvenile detention facilities before he was committed to the Special Treatment Unit around 2001 when he turned 20, he said.

He was discharged in 2020, but was returned to the unit after testing positive for smoking marijuana, he said. He was discharged again, then placed back in the treatment unit in 2022 after testing positive for fentanyl, which Barber denied using.

He remains in the Special Treatment Unit and alleged its substance abuse services arent a treatment program.

He should have been sent to intensive outpatient treatment instead of being sent back into the sex offenders unit, he said.

They could have done that and I would have abided by that, Barber said. You didnt have to shut me down and bring me back here to start me all over.

Neither drugs nor alcohol had any role in Barbers sex offense history and he wasnt recommitted for a new sex crime, according to his attorney, public defender Colin Most.

What Ive consistently argued to the court is that his drug issues have nothing to do with his being committed, Most said. And Ive adamantly argued against his recommitment.

While substance abuse treatment services are offered, its far from the Special Treatment Units primary focus, Most said.

You destroy their hope

Retired Superior Court Judge Bradford Bury presided over sex offender civil commitment hearings for two years. He handled cases in which the state tried to recommit discharged detainees who violated the terms of their release by committing infractions, such as drinking alcohol or testing positive for drugs.

Even though the violation didnt involve a new sex crime, they were pulled back into the Special Treatment Unit, Bury said. Most lost their jobs and housing on the outside and any progress they had made in rejoining society.

Its so incredibly catastrophic. And now all of that good gain is lost, the former judge said.

Getting out again can be very difficult, said Bury.

Theyre like the proverbial hamster on the wheel, he said. Its so hard to get off. You beat those people down. You destroy their hope. You destroy their motivation to continue to do the right thing.

New Jerseys case law does not say every single violation of a condition of discharge should send a detainee back to the Special Treatment Unit, Bury says. But, thats what frequently happens.

Its ignoring what the person often needs, which is drug or alcohol treatment, Bury said. And the kind of intensive help they need for their addictions isnt provided at the STU.

The former judge argues detainees should continue their addiction treatment while on discharge, especially because they still receive mandated outpatient sex offender counseling while under parole supervision.

Bury has criticized the state Attorney Generals office and Special Treatment Unit administration for allegedly blocking release of some detainees who he believes could be successfully discharged to the community with continued monitoring and supervision.

Gosciaks attorney, Public Defender Patrick Madden, said some other detainees have made the same argument Gosciak is making. They say they need intensive substance abuse treatment on the outside, complete with regular urine screenings, addiction support meetings multiple times a week, intensive supervision and a guarantee that they are heading back to the Special Treatment Unit if they screw up.

Some have had success with that argument and others have remained detained, he said.

The problem many face is when their substance abuse is a roadblock to release, because a judge might decide they arent comfortable with releasing a detainee until theyve dealt with their addiction, according to Madden.

At the same time, detainees dont have access to the tools to conquer that addiction.

Ive got a substance abuse problem, but I can never convince you that Ive got it resolved because I dont have enough access to therapy to figure it out, Madden said.

For those who are discharged, most inpatient substance abuse programs wont take sex offenders from the Special Treatment Unit, Madden said. Some of the programs have concerns about the safety of other patients and program operators may be uncomfortable with having parole officers coming by to check up on discharged detainees.

A view from inside one of the living areas for detainees held in the main building at the Special Treatment Unit for civilly committed sex offenders in Woodbridge. This building was previously used to house prison inmates in solitary confinement.(Provided Photo)

A captive audience

Many think its hard to get hooked on drugs while locked up. Some detainees say thats not true.

Access to illicit substances in the Special Treatment Unit is shocking, Madden said.

The drugs get in and they have a captive audience, he said. I would probably say 90% of the residents at the STU have a substance abuse problem.

Madden had clients with family members who tried to smuggle in drugs, in one case hiding cocaine in a box of sugar.

He recalled a client whose family took a box of Rice-a-Roni and replaced some of the contents with heroin. Officers detected the ruse.

Madden also described documented incidents of officers smuggling items, including cartons of cigarettes, into the facility.

K2, the drug Gosciak used, is any easy substance to smuggle because, as a liquid, it can be sprayed on a plain sheet of paper. The substance dries and can be undetectable to the eyes of staff checking mail coming into a facility, according to law enforcement officials.

Gosciak bought the K2 he smoked from another detainee, he said. The cost depends on how much of a sheet of the treated paper you want.

One strip will be like $25. If you want a whole sheet, its like $300, he said.

Just how powerful the K2 is depends on any added ingredients.

Sometimes it comes in and its mixed with fentanyl, Gosciak said. So, if its mixed with that stuff, its like 10 times as strong or a hundred times as strong, and we dont know it until we smoke it.

Experts warn K2 and similar products can cause elevated heart rate, tremors, seizures and hallucinations. Synthetic cannabinoids laced with other substances have been tied to overdoses and deaths, according to federal officials.

State PBA Local 105 President Bill Sullivan, whose officers are responsible for security at the treatment unit, partially attributes the drug issues to detainees access to disposable income.

Inmates in state prisons make $1 to $7 a day while incarcerated. Civilly committed sex offenders in the treatment unit, though, are paid minimum wage of $15.13 an hour for time worked at jobs in the facility and for hours they participate in sex offender treatment, according to a Department of Corrections spokesman.

Theyre getting paid minimum wage every day to just be incarcerated, Sullivan said. So they have a lot more money to spend.

Detainees can also make big bucks selling contraband or renting out a smuggled-in cell phone.

You make a thousand dollars a day per cell phone, selling it to other people to use throughout the day, Sullivan said.

Because civilly committed detainees in the Special Treatment Unit have more rights than prisoners, they are able to have more items in their possession. That includes getting packages mailed to them.

That creates smuggling opportunities, Sullivan said.

The large number of civilian employees working at the Special Treatment Unit, many in low-wage jobs, also creates the possibility of contraband finding its way inside the unit, he added.

K2 smuggling is a big problem in state prisons, according to Sullivan.

They just found a whole lot at New Jersey State Prison that came in a food package, he said. Theyre just getting really crafty with the way theyre bringing it in.

In many cases, the K2 is sprayed on phony legal documents made to look like they came from a legitimate lawyer, Sullivan said. Because officers are prohibited from studying legal documents without probable cause, its a clever tactic. But, officers are now cross-checking lawyer names to try and head off the fakes.

The state recently purchased technology to scan documents coming into detention facilities in an effort to crack down on the drug-infused paper, according to Sullivan.

Prioritizing care

Madden, the public defender handling civil commitment cases, argues the Special Treatment Unit should appoint a program coordinator dedicated to substance abuse treatment.

The coordinator could hire staff specializing in substance abuse counseling to monitor the care provided to detainees and alert the administration to new drugs making the rounds in the facility, he suggested.

Bury, the retired judge who presided over sex offender civil commitment cases, said detainees could be helped by a transitional step in the form of a state-operated halfway house of sorts that helps detainees acclimate to the outside world. They could start jobs and begin their post-commitment lives while still in a secure setting, he said.

The facility would be staffed around the clock with therapeutic and medical staff, as well as security, Bury said. It could provide both ongoing sex offender treatment, as well as drug and alcohol addiction treatment, he suggested, adding that he first heard about the idea for such a facility from another judge who presided over civil commitment cases for many years.

Finding support, including drug and alcohol addiction treatment, can be difficult for someone labeled a sex offender, Bury said. He recalled many cases of detainees who remained stuck in the treatment unit because they couldnt find long-term, in-patient drug treatment on the outside that would take sex offenders.

For those who do find help, there is a possibility for a better life, said Mike, the former Special Treatment Unit detainee who was released. He remains under parole monitoring and still attends regular AA meetings several times a week, along with weekly sex offender counseling sessions, he said.

He lives in North Jersey, has a full-time job and a partner who has stuck by his side for a decade.

He doesnt want to screw up, he said.

My life today is rewarding, and Im proud of it, he said. I have a lady thats a part of my life. Shes sitting here right next to me, and weve been together for 10 years and Im not willing to jeopardize that for anything.

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Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com.
The fourth suspect in a violent home invasion in Bethlehem Township last year was sentenced up to 50 years in prison for his role in the incident.

Michael Angelo Matas, 30, of Easton was sentenced to 22 to 50 years behind bars at a hearing Wednesday in the Northampton County Court of Common Pleas before Judge John M. Morganelli. In November, Matas was found guilty of three counts of felony robbery, felony conspiracy to commit robbery, felony burglary, and felony conspiracy to commit burglary.

Other charges initially filed, including misdemeanor possession of an instrument of crime with intent, were later withdrawn. Matas was found not guilty of misdemeanor simple assault after the four-day jury trial. Molly Magin Heidorn, the public defender assigned to Matas, didnt immediately return a request for comment Friday morning.

The charges are in connection for Matas role in the incident, which occurred around 4 a.m. on April 20, 2023 at a home in the 2000 block of Willow Park Road.

Matas was one of four suspects who entered the house with three occupants home at the time. One of the residents opened fire at Matas, in which he then suffered seven gunshot wounds to the back and was taken to an area hospital and later, a state hospital, for treatment, authorities had said.

The other intruders included: then 45-year-old Millito Delgado, then 23-year-old Francis Ferrando; and then 29-year-old Anthony Felix Santiago.

Delgado previously pleaded guilty to felony conspiracy to commit burglary and was sentenced to 16 to 36 months in state prison. Ferrando pleaded guilty to felony burglary and felony robbery. He was sentenced to four to eight years in state prison on the burglary charge and five to 12 years on the robbery charge. Both sentences are running concurrently.

Santiago in October was convicted of felony three counts of robbery, felony burglary, felony conspiracy and assault-related crimes. He was sentenced a month later to 20 to 40 years in state prison.

During Wednesdays sentencing hearing, Morganelli called Matas a career criminal who posed a danger to the public. A motive for the home invasion remains unclear; court records were sealed during the case.

The case was investigated and charged by Bethlehem Township Police Investigator Edward Fox and prosecuted by Northampton County Senior Deputy District Attorney Jeffrey Dimmig.

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Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com.
The man accused of gunning down United Healthcares CEO outside a Manhattan hotel is now in a federal jail in New York, after he was returned to the city in dramatic fashion to face charges that could bring the death penalty.

Shackled and wearing an orange prison jumpsuit, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione was escorted Thursday by a contingent of heavily armed police officers as he was whisked by plane and then helicopter from Pennsylvania to downtown Manhattan.

The Ivy League graduate, who prosecutors say inveighed against the health insurance industry and wealthy executives in his writings, then appeared in a packed federal courtroom on murder, stalking and firearms charges in the Dec. 4 killing of Brian Thompson. He was not required to enter a plea.

Heres whats next in the case:

Jailed in Brooklyn

Mangione is being held without bail at Metropolitan Detention Center, the same federal jail where hip-hop mogul Sean Diddy Combs and cryptocurrency fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried are currently detained.

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.

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.

State charges pending

Luigi Mangione, center, stands flanked by his attorneys Karen Agnifilo, left and Marc Agnifilo, right, during his initial court appearance in Manhattan federal court, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, in New York.Elizabeth Williams via AP

Besides the federal charges filed Thursday, Mangione must still answer to a state murder indictment.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs office charged Mangione with murder as an act of terrorism, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole. He is also charged with state weapons offenses and possession of a fake ID.

Prosecutors have said the two cases will proceed on parallel tracks, with the state charges expected to go to trial first.

Mangiones lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, argued in court Thursday that the terrorism allegations in the state case and stalking charges in the federal complaint appear to be at odds.

Those are two completely different theories, she said. These seem like different cases.

The U.S. Supreme Court in 2019 upheld a longstanding constitutional rule allowing state and federal governments to prosecute someone for the same crime.

Next appearance uncertain

Its still not clear when Mangione will be arraigned on the state indictment.

Spokespersons for the state courts and Braggs office didnt have any updates Friday.

The University of Pennsylvania alum, who hailed from a prominent Maryland family and had also lived in Hawaii, had been expected to be arraigned Thursday on the state charge before the federal charges preempted that appearance.

In the federal case, Mangione could next return to court for a bail hearing or for a preliminary hearing if prosecutors dont obtain a grand jury indictment by mid-January.

Death penalty looms

Luigi Mangione, a suspect in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is escorted off of a helicopter by police, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, in New York.AP Photo/Pamela Smith

New York effectively effectively abolished its death penalty by 2007 and the last execution in the state was in 1963. But the federal death penalty remains in effect.

The federal complaint filed against Mangione includes a count of murder by firearm, which carries the possibility of the death penalty if he is convicted.

Federal prosecutors have not said if they will seek the death penalty. That decision will be made in coming months by Justice Department officials in Washington, likely after President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in on Jan. 20.

President Joe Bidens administration put a moratorium on federal executions soon after he took office in 2021, but that hasnt stopped federal prosecutors from seeking the death penalty.

In contrast, Trumps administration carried out 13 executions in the last six months of his first term.

Pennsylvania charges on standby

Mangione also faces forgery and firearms charges in Pennsylvania stemming from his arrest last week, but those will likely not be addressed until the New York charges are resolved.

He initially fought attempts to be returned to New York, but ultimately waived extradition and a preliminary hearing on the Pennsylvania charges on Thursday.

He is now in their custody, Blair County District Attorney Peter Weeks said after Mangione was extradited to New York. We intend to keep our case active and we intend to essentially revisit the case when the defendant is available for prosecution in Blair County.

By PHILIP MARCELO and MICHAEL R. SISAK

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A new type of mesh yard covering is being tested at Portlaoise Prison in an attempt to keep drugs and other contraband out of the jail.

The Irish Prison Service(IPS) confirmed the mesh covering was being piloted in one yard at the prison. If successful, the new yard covering could be rolled out across all of the prisons in Ireland.

The trial, which began in early 2024, comes as drones are becoming an increasing problem at prisons across Ireland. Earlier this week a teenager and man in his late 20s were arrested after a drone was spotted flying beside Portlaoise Prison.

Drones are an increasing concern for prison authorities who have noticed changing tactics for their use in bringing contraband into prisons.

One of the methods being used to bring illicit substances into prisons involves filling a ball with drugs or other contraband, suspending it from a drone and setting it alight. The flaming ball is then dropped onto the mesh yard cover and it burns through before dropping into the yard. Its thought the new mesh being trialed in Portlaoise will combat this method of contraband delivery.

The IPS said it is committed to preventing the access of contraband into prisons and continues to be a high priority for the Irish Prison Service. The Irish Prison Service continues to have high level engagement and the sharing of intelligence with An Garda Siochana on a regular basis which is resulting in the seizure of contraband, arrests and significant disruption to organised crime involved in smuggling contraband into Irish Prisons.

They are concerned not only about the negative impact of contraband on prisoners but also the possible hazard illegal drone use presents to members of the public near prisons.

An Garda Siochana continues to support the Irish Prison Service operationally with ongoing operations in each relevant Garda Division, including Operation Throwover which is supporting the Irish Prison Service at Mountjoy Prison. Operations such as Operation Throwover are intended to disrupt, interdict and prosecute attempts to introduce contraband into prisons.

The Irish Prison Service has committed to continuing to invest in new technologies and measures to support our efforts to keep contraband out of prisons. Prison staff have increased the use of random and intelligence led cell searches on a daily basis. Our Canine Unit carry out searches around the prisons, including a greater focus on searching deliveries into prisons. The Operational Support Group work closely with their colleagues in An Garda Siochana on a regular basis and the sharing of intelligence has led to target searches resulting in the seizure of contraband, the IPS stated.

There is a free confidential telephone line (1800 855 717) and text line (086 180 2449) which is operational. Prisoners, visitors, staff or members of the public with information on the trafficking of prohibited items into our prisons can pass on that information in the strictest confidence.
Laois TD Brian Stanley took to the protest line in Dublin in support of the campaign to outlaw trade with parts of Palestine that are illegally occupied by Israel.

The independent TD joined protestors in a campaign to have the commonly known as the Occupied Territories Bill enacted by the Government.

"While it is good that the Government is joining the case against Israel in the International Court of Justice, they also need to push ahead with actions around trade sanctions.

"One of the things Ireland can do on its own is to implement the Occupied Territories Bill which would impose sanctions on any goods coming from any territory that is occupied by Israel in Palestine. As a TD I am calling for that," he said.

The former Sinn Fein TD said Government support is needed for it to be passed by TDs in the new Dail.

"Given the horrendous situation in Palestine, other governments would take a lead if such sanctions were implemented by the Irish government," he said.

He said the move would add to the welcome decision to support South Africa's case against Israel.

"This is one very practical step they can take to pile pressure on Israel," said Dep Stanley. MORE BELOW PICTURE.



Signing of register for 34th Dail with Dail Clerk Peter Finnegan.

The Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018 would ban and criminalise "trade with and economic support for illegal settlements in territories deemed occupied under international law", most notably Israeli settlements in Israeli-occupied territories. Violators would face fines of up to 250,000 and up to five years in prison.

The bill was tabled in the Oireachtas by independent senator Frances Black in January 2018, who stated that "trade in settlement goods sustains injustice".

Trocaire estimates that, as of 2019, Irish imports from Israeli settlements amount to between 500,000 and 1,500,000 each year, out of 50 million total Irish imports.
Gardai say they are continuing to investigate all the circumstances surrounding the death of a woman in her 30s at a house in Gorey, Co Wexford this week.

The woman, named locally at 32-year-old Paula Lawlor, who was found unresponsive at a residence in Baile Eoghain, Gorey, Co Wexford on Thursday morning, December 19.

In an update on Friday morning, gardai said: "The post mortem was completed on the body of the deceased by State Pathologist Dr. SallyAnne Collis yesterday evening. The results of the post mortem are not being released for operational reasons.

"The male (aged in his 30s) who was arrested and detained in relation to this incident has been released from the provisions of Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984," they added.

READ NEXT: Gardai warn to watch out for 'convincing' dodgy texts over Christmas

Investigations are ongoing.

Gardai continue to appeal to witnesses to come forward. Additionally, they are seeking dash cam footage from motorists who were in the vicinity of Baile Eoghain at the time of the incident.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Gorey Garda Station on 094 30690 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.
Gardai have arrested three people as part of an intelligence-led operation targeting an organised criminal group.

The group in question are suspected of committing burglaries at commercial properties in Kildare , Galway, Mayo, Cork, and Wexford.



Two locations in the Dublin Metropolitan Region were searched on Thursday, December 19, by Gardai from the North Western and Southern Regions.

An estimated 200,000 worth of cigarettes and vapes were stolen in these burglaries, and d uring the course of these searches, quantities of cigarettes were recovered.



Two men (aged in their 50s and 40s) and a woman (aged in her 40s) were arrested and are all currently detained at a Garda Station in the Garda North Western Region pursuant to Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act, 2006.

READ MORE: Gardai urge Kildare drivers to slow down this Christmas period

Investigations are ongoing.

The operation forms part of Operation Thor, An Garda Siochana's national strategy targeting organised crime groups involved in burglaries and associated criminal activity.

Operation Thor, launched in November 2015, is designed to tackle the anticipated increase in the number of burglaries and associated criminal activity that usually occur in winter months by undertaking targeted enforcement and preventative activity.

This initiative has successfully reduced the rate of winter burglaries, leading to a significant decline in property related crime since its introduction in 2015.

The winter phase of Operation Thor commenced on October 1, 2024, and will run until the end of March 2025.
An anonymous letter opposing the development of an Islamic Cultural Centre in Hartley Business Park was sent to businesses in Carrick-on-Shannon this week.

Councillor Des Guckian said, ''any religious organisation is entitled to open a religious centre. Live, and let live,'' he said.

Local resident Leslie OHora, who said the letter was reported to the Gardai, condemned it as "racist" and said it does not reflect the values of the community.

This letter is disgraceful and not representative of Carrick-on-Shannon. It was clearly sent by post so people wouldnt know who they are, he said.

Mr OHora called on the community to stand together against such prejudice, stressing that Carrick-on-Shannon is a welcoming and inclusive town.

The Islamic Cultural Centre is proposed to be located in Hartley Business Park, and supporters of the project highlight its potential to foster greater cultural understanding and enrich the towns diverse social fabric.

The unsigned letter raises objections to the cultural centre, claiming that it would bring disrepute to the tourism industry and discourage both tourists and potential investors from engaging with the town.

It specifically states: This is to raise awareness among the local businesses concerning the planning application for the Mosque under the guise of an Islamic cultural centre in Leitrim. As we already have a cultural centre, The Dock, funded by the general public and local government, we believe that there is no need for an exclusive one. Local people have already been very tolerant and obliging to receive other religions and cultural practices.

The gardai said An Garda Siochana does not comment on third party remarks, and the matter is not currently the subject of a criminal investigation.
Paratus Announces Listing of Senior Secured Bonds on Nordic ABM





HAMILTON, Bermuda, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Reference is made to the announcement on 5 June 2024 made by Paratus Energy Services Ltd. (the "Company" or "Paratus") published on the Company's website regarding the successful placement of USD 500 million new senior secured bonds (the "Bonds").

On 19 December 2024, Nordic ABM approved an admission document prepared by the Company in connection with its application for registration of the Bonds on Nordic ABM.

The Bonds will commence trading on Nordic ABM today, 20 December 2024.

The admission document is available on https://live.euronext.com/nb.

For further information, please contact:

Baton Haxhimehmedi, CFO

[email protected]

+47 406 39 083

About Paratus

Paratus Energy Services Ltd. (Oslo: PLSV) is an investment holding company of a group of leading energy services companies. The Paratus Group is primarily comprised of its ownership of Fontis Energy and a 50/50 JV interest in Seagems (formerly Seabras). Fontis Energy is an offshore drilling company with a fleet of five high-specification jack-up rigs working under contracts in Mexico. Seagems is a leading subsea services company, with a fleet of six multi-purpose pipe-laying support vessels under contracts in Brazil. In addition, Paratus is the largest shareholder in Archer Ltd, a global oil services company, listed on the Euronext Oslo Brs.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/paratus-energy-services-ltd/r/paratus-announces-listing-of-senior-secured-bonds-on-nordic-abm,c4085342

SOURCE Paratus Energy Services Ltd

20 december 2024 at 01:45

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CCC, Rolls-Royce Canada win $110 million contract with U.S. Navy





OTTAWA, Dec. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CCC is pleased to announce it was awarded a contract from the United States Department of Defense (U.S. DoD) for an advanced winch system developed by Rolls-Royce Canada's Naval Handling business to deploy, tow, and recover sonar equipment.

Through CCC's contract, valued up to $110 million, Rolls-Royce Canada will supply the OK-410 Handling and Stowage Group system to the U.S. Navy's Naval Undersea Warfare Centre (NUWC), along with spare parts and engineering services. The NUWC operates multiple facilities across the United States and plays a vital role in ensuring the U.S. Navy's technological edge in submarine and undersea operations.

Rolls-Royce Canada's winch system is designed to launch, tow and retrieve the Multi-Function Towed Array (MFTA) for the AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 ASW Combat System. The winch system can handle heavy tow loads and incorporates advanced control systems that enable precise maneuvering and positioning of the MFTA in the water, which is essential for effective sonar operations.

Located in Peterborough, Ontario, Rolls-Royce Canada develops advanced Naval handling systems for Allied navies across the globe, including the Mission Bay Handling System (MBHS) for the Royal Navy's Type 26 Global Combat Ship. Rolls-Royce handling system experts have been providing solutions to the naval industry for more than 35 years with a variety of products that are at the forefront of technology, and offer the capability to design, build, deliver and support naval systems tailored to meet specific customer requirements.

CCC is the designated contracting authority for purchases by the U.S. DoD from Canada over $250,000 USD. Through its free U.S. DoD Prime Contractor service, CCC partners with Canadian businesses to supply the U.S. DoD with made-in-Canada solutions and facilitate U.S. DoD buying commands to procure from Canada.

To learn more,?contact the CCC team.

Quotes

"CCC is proud to work with Rolls-Royce Canada, a global leader in advanced marine technology, to support the U.S. Navy's crucial role in global maritime security." Diane Montambault, VP of Contract Management and Operations, CCC.

"Rolls-Royce Naval Handling systems are designed to endure the harsh marine environment and provide exceptional performance, ensuring the Navy can execute its missions efficiently and safely." Peter Dyck, VP of Sales, Rolls Royce Canada

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Contact

For media enquiries, please contact [email protected]

About CCC

CCC is Canada's government to government contracting agency. We help build successful commercial relationships between Canadian businesses and governments around the world through our government to government contracting approach. We are also the U.S. Department of Defense designated contracting authority for procurements from Canada. To learn more about how we have facilitated billions in trade between Canadian businesses and governments around the world, visit ccc.ca.

20 december 2024 at 05:00

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Manulife Investment Management Announces Estimated Cash Distributions for Manulife Exchange Traded Funds and ETF Series of Manulife Funds





C$ unless otherwise stated TSX/NYSE/PSE: MFC SEHK: 945

TORONTO, Dec. 20, 2024 /CNW/ - Manulife Investment Management today announced the December 2024 cash distribution estimates for Manulife Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) and ETF series of Manulife Mutual Funds, including of Manulife Alternative Mutual Funds (Manulife Funds). This is an update to the estimated December 2024 cash distributions announced on November 29, 2024. Please note that these are estimated amounts only as of December 15, 2024, and reflect forward-looking information which may cause these estimates to change.

Unitholders of record at the close of business on December 30, 2024, will receive cash distributions payable on January 14, 2025.

Details of the estimated distribution per unit amounts are as follows:

Manulife ETF/ Fund Name Ticker Distribution

Amount (per unit) ($) Distribution

Frequency Manulife Smart Short-Term Bond ETF TERM 0.025821 Monthly Manulife Smart Core Bond ETF BSKT 0.021968 Monthly Manulife Smart Corporate Bond ETF CBND 0.029361 Monthly Manulife Smart Global Bond ETF GBND 0.037385 Monthly Manulife Smart Enhanced Yield ETF CYLD 0.150000 Monthly Manulife Smart U.S. Enhanced Yield ETF - Unhedged UYLD.B 0.150000 Monthly Manulife Smart U.S. Enhanced Yield ETF - US Dollar UYLD.U 0.150000* Monthly Manulife Smart U.S. Enhanced Yield ETF - Hedged UYLD 0.150000 Monthly Manulife Smart Dividend ETF CDIV 0.129358 Quarterly Manulife Smart U.S. Dividend ETF ? Unhedged Units UDIV.B 0.094506 Quarterly Manulife Smart U.S. Dividend ETF ? Hedged Units UDIV 0.084624 Quarterly Manulife Smart U.S. Dividend ETF ? USD Units UDIV.U 0.067593* Quarterly Manulife Smart International Dividend ETF ? Unhedged Units IDIV.B 0.129236 Quarterly Manulife Smart Global Dividend ETF Portfolio GDIV 0.111135 Quarterly Manulife Multifactor Canadian Large Cap Index ETF MCLC 0.487762 Semi-Annually Manulife Multifactor U.S. Large Cap Index ETF ? Unhedged Units MULC.B 0.228154 Semi-Annually Manulife Multifactor U.S. Large Cap Index ETF ? Hedged Units MULC 0.175548 Semi-Annually Manulife Multifactor U.S. Mid Cap Index ETF ? Unhedged Units MUMC.B 0.223817 Semi-Annually Manulife Multifactor U.S. Mid Cap Index ETF ? Hedged Units MUMC 0.164767 Semi-Annually Manulife Multifactor Developed International Index ETF ? Unhedged Units MINT.B 0.332379 Semi-Annually Manulife Multifactor Developed International Index ETF ? Hedged Units MINT 0.205428 Semi-Annually Manulife Multifactor Canadian SMID Cap Index ETF MCSM 0.411295 Semi-Annually Manulife Multifactor U.S. Small Cap Index ETF ? Unhedged Units MUSC.B 0.276598 Semi-Annually Manulife Multifactor U.S. Small Cap Index ETF ? Hedged Units MUSC 0.219431 Semi-Annually Manulife Multifactor Emerging Markets Index ETF ? Unhedged Units MEME.B 0.397121 Semi-Annually Manulife Smart Defensive Equity ETF CDEF 0.151977 Semi-Annually Manulife Smart U.S. Defensive Equity ETF ? Unhedged Units UDEF.B 0.072353 Semi-Annually Manulife Smart U.S. Defensive Equity ETF ? Hedged Units UDEF 0.058711 Semi-Annually Manulife Smart U.S. Defensive Equity ETF ? USD Units UDEF.U 0.075010 * Semi-Annually Manulife Smart International Defensive Equity ETF ? Unhedged Units IDEF.B 0.144051 Semi-Annually Manulife Strategic Income Fund - ETF Series STRT 0.038442 Monthly Manulife Alternative Opportunities Fund - ETF Series OPPS 0.027728 Monthly Manulife Strategic Income Plus Fund - ETF Series PLUS 0.034505 Monthly

*Distribution amount ($) in USD for UYLD.U, UDIV.U and UDEF.U.

Commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with exchange traded funds (ETFs) and ETF series. Please read the ETF Facts and prospectus before investing. ETFs and ETF series are not guaranteed, their values change frequently, and past performance may not be repeated. Manulife ETFs and ETF series of Manulife Funds are managed by Manulife Investment Management. Manulife Investment Management is a trade name of Manulife Investment Management Limited.

Manulife Alternative Mutual Funds have the ability to invest in asset classes or use investment strategies that are not permitted for conventional mutual funds. The specific strategies that differentiate these alternative mutual funds from conventional mutual funds may include the increased use of derivatives for hedging and non-hedging purposes, the increased ability to sell securities short and the ability to borrow cash to use for investment purposes. If undertaken, these strategies will be used in accordance with the funds' objectives and strategies, and during certain market conditions, may accelerate the pace at which the funds decrease in value.

About Manulife Wealth & Asset Management

As part of Manulife Financial Corporation, Manulife Wealth & Asset Management provides global investment, financial advice, and retirement plan services to 19 million individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members worldwide. Our mission is to make decisions easier and lives better by empowering people today to invest for a better tomorrow. As a committed partner to our clients and as a responsible steward of investor capital, we offer a heritage of risk management, deep expertise across public and private markets, and comprehensive retirement plan services. We seek to provide better investment and impact outcomes and to help people confidently save and invest for a more secure financial future. Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit manulifeim.com.

About Manulife

Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services provider, helping people make their decisions easier and lives better. With our global headquarters in Toronto, Canada, we provide financial advice and insurance, operating as Manulife across Canada, Asia, and Europe, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States. Through Manulife Wealth & Asset Management, we offer global investment, financial advice, and retirement plan services to individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members worldwide. At the end of 2023, we had more than 38,000 employees, over 98,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving over 35 million customers. We trade as 'MFC' on the Toronto, New York, and the Philippine stock exchanges, and under '945' in Hong Kong. Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit manulife.com.

SOURCE Manulife Investment Management

20 december 2024 at 07:30

News published onand distributed by:
TD Asset Management Inc. Announces TD ETF Distributions





TORONTO, Dec. 20, 2024 /CNW/ - TD Asset Management Inc. ("TDAM") today announced the December cash distributions for the TD Exchange-Traded Funds (each, a "TD ETF" and collectively, the "TD ETFs") listed below. Unitholders of record as of December 31, 2024 will receive a cash distribution per unit of the applicable TD ETF that will be payable on January 7, 2025, as indicated below:

Fund Name Fund Ticker Cash

Distribution

Per Unit TD Balanced ETF Portfolio TBAL $0.04000 TD Target 2025 Investment Grade Bond ETF TBCE $0.07300 TD Target 2026 Investment Grade Bond ETF TBCF $0.07700 TD Target 2027 Investment Grade Bond ETF TBCG $0.08300 TD Canadian Bank Dividend Index ETF TBNK $0.10000 TD Target 2025 U.S. Investment Grade Bond ETF TBUE.U $0.07500 TD Target 2026 U.S. Investment Grade Bond ETF TBUF.U $0.08500 TD Target 2027 U.S. Investment Grade Bond ETF TBUG.U $0.15423 TD Conservative ETF Portfolio TCON $0.04500 TD Select Short Term Corporate Bond Ladder ETF TCSB $0.06000 TD Cash Management ETF TCSH $0.15000 TD Canadian Aggregate Bond Index ETF TDB $0.04500 TD Active Global Enhanced Dividend ETF TGED $0.06800 TD Active Global Enhanced Dividend ETF ? US$ TGED.U $0.05300 TD Active Global Income ETF TGFI $0.10000 TD Active Global Real Estate Equity ETF TGRE $0.05700 TD Growth ETF Portfolio TGRO $0.07972 TD Active Preferred Share ETF TPRF $0.06766 TD Q Canadian Dividend ETF TQCD $0.05500 TD Q Global Dividend ETF TQGD $0.05500 TD Active U.S. Enhanced Dividend ETF TUED $0.05400 TD Active U.S. Enhanced Dividend ETF ? US$ TUED.U $0.04100 TD Active U.S. Enhanced Dividend CAD Hedged ETF TUEX $0.05300 TD Active U.S. High Yield Bond ETF TUHY $0.11500 TD Select U.S. Short Term Corporate Bond Ladder ETF TUSB $0.06000 TD Select U.S. Short Term Corporate Bond Ladder ETF ? US$ TUSB.U $0.04500 TD Canadian Long Term Federal Bond ETF TCLB $0.88000 TD Q Canadian Low Volatility ETF TCLV $0.14500 TD Global Healthcare Leaders Index ETF ? US$ TDOC.U $0.03500 TD Global Technology Leaders Index ETF TEC $0.02412 TD Global Technology Leaders Index ETF ? US$ TEC.U $0.01000 TD Global Technology Innovators Index ETF TECI $0.01000 TD Global Technology Leaders CAD Hedged Index ETF TECX $0.02260 TD Active Global Equity Growth ETF TGGR $0.07221 TD International Equity CAD Hedged Index ETF THE $0.26818 TD U.S. Equity CAD Hedged Index ETF THU $0.20373 TD Q International Low Volatility ETF TILV $0.22105 TD Active Global Infrastructure Equity ETF TINF $0.15000 TD International Equity Index ETF TPE $0.15502 TD U.S. Equity Index ETF TPU $0.11418 TD U.S. Equity Index ETF ? US$ TPU.U $0.08000 TD Q Global Multifactor ETF TQGM $0.10500 TD Q U.S. Small-Mid Cap-Equity ETF TQSM $0.07206 TD Canadian Equity Index ETF TTP $0.18000 TD U.S. Long Term Treasury Bond ETF TULB $1.13000 TD Q U.S. Low Volatility ETF TULV $0.08561 TD Global Carbon Credit Index ETF TCBN -

For more information regarding the TD ETFs, visit TDAssetManagement.com.

Commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with investments in exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Please read the prospectus and ETF Facts before investing. ETFs are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. ETF units are bought and sold at market price on a stock exchange and brokerage commissions will reduce returns.

The TD Canadian Bank Dividend Index ETF, TD Canadian Aggregate Bond Index ETF, TD Canadian Equity Index ETF, TD U.S. Equity Index ETF, TD U.S. Equity CAD Hedged Index ETF, TD International Equity Index ETF, TD International Equity CAD Hedged Index ETF, TD Global Healthcare Leaders Index ETF, TD Global Technology Leaders Index ETF, TD Global Technology Leaders CAD Hedged Index ETF, TD Global Technology Innovators Index ETF (the "TD ETFs") are not sponsored, promoted, sold or supported in any other manner by Solactive AG nor does Solactive AG offer any express or implicit guarantee or assurance either with regard to the results of using the Index (as defined below) and/or any trade mark(s) associated with the Index or the price of the Index at any time or in any other respect. The Solactive Canadian Bank Dividend Index (CA NTR), Solactive Canadian Select Universe Bond Index, Solactive Canada Broad Market Index (CA NTR), Solactive US Large Cap CAD Index (CA NTR), Solactive US Large Cap Hedged to CAD Index (CA NTR), Solactive GBS Developed Markets ex North America Large & Mid Cap CAD Index (CA NTR), Solactive GBS Developed Markets ex North America Large & Mid Cap Hedged to CAD Index (CA NTR), Solactive Global Healthcare Leaders Index (CA NTR), Solactive Global Technology Leaders Index (CA NTR), Solactive Global Technology Leaders Hedged to CAD Index (CA NTR), Solactive Global Technology Innovators Index (CA NTR)) (each, the "Index") are calculated and published by Solactive AG. Solactive AG uses its best efforts to ensure that the Index is calculated correctly. Irrespective of its obligations towards the Issuer, Solactive AG has no obligation to point out errors in the Index to third parties including but not limited to investors and/or financial intermediaries of the TD ETFs. Neither publication of the Index by Solactive AG nor the licensing of the Index or any trade mark(s) associated with the Index for the purpose of use in connection with the TD ETFs constitutes a recommendation by Solactive AG to invest capital in said TD ETFs nor does it in any way represent an assurance or opinion of Solactive AG with regard to any investment in the TD ETFs.

TD ETFs are managed by TD Asset Management Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank.

The TD logo and other TD trademarks are the property of The Toronto-Dominion Bank or its subsidiaries.

About TD Asset Management Inc.

TD Asset Management Inc. ("TDAM"), a member of TD Bank Group, is a North American investment management firm. TDAM offers investment solutions to corporations, pension funds, endowments, foundations and individual investors. Additionally, TDAM manages assets on behalf of almost 2 million retail investors and offers a broadly diversified suite of investment solutions including mutual funds, professionally managed portfolios and corporate class funds. Asset management businesses at TD manage $479 billion in assets. Aggregate statistics are as of September 30, 2024 for TDAM and Epoch Investment Partners, Inc. TDAM operates in Canada and Epoch Investment Partners, Inc. operates in the United States. Both entities are affiliates and are wholly-owned subsidiaries of The Toronto-Dominion Bank.

SOURCE TD Asset Management Inc.

20 december 2024 at 14:02

News published onand distributed by:
National Bank receives final approval to proceed with the acquisition of Canadian Western Bank





/NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES/

Minister of Finance approves National Bank's acquisition of Canadian Western Bank.

Approval concludes the regulatory process, following reviews by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) and the Competition Bureau.

Closing expected to occur on February 3, 2025 .

MONTREAL and EDMONTON, AB, Dec. 20, 2024 /CNW/ - National Bank of Canada ("National Bank") (TSX: NA) welcomes the decision by the federal Minister of Finance to approve the previously announced acquisition of Canadian Western Bank ("CWB") (TSX: CWB).

"We are pleased that the transaction has received final approval from the Minister of Finance. This is great news for Canadians and will allow our two complementary banks to unite and enhance services for our clients. This approval marks the conclusion of a thorough regulatory process, having already received clearance from the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) and the Competition Bureau. I want to thank those involved for their diligent review of this important transaction. A new and exciting chapter is beginning for National Bank and CWB as we come together. We are strengthening National Bank's position across the country and allowing for more growth in Western Canada, building on the excellent reputation and solid foundation set by CWB," said Laurent Ferreira, President and CEO of National Bank.

"This is a fantastic outcome for our clients, our teams and the communities in which we operate. We're excited to join forces with National Bank to offer our clients access to a more comprehensive product and service platform on a national scale. We look forward to continuing to support our clients with the same highly personalized service and regional expertise we've always been known for," said Chris Fowler, President and CEO of CWB.

Following this last remaining approval, National Bank and CWB will work together to ensure a smooth transition to National Bank for CWB clients and employees, who will receive additional information shortly, as both banks work towards completing the transaction.

National Bank intends to provide relevant financial information related to the transaction upon the release of its first quarter results, scheduled for February 26, 2025. As we expect this transaction to be completed on February 3, 2025, National Bank will include CWB in its consolidated financial results starting in the second quarter of 2025.

About National Bank

With $462 billion in assets as at October 31, 2024, National Bank of Canada is one of Canada's six systemically important banks. The Bank has approximately 30,000 employees in knowledge-intensive positions and operates through three business segments in Canada: Personal and Commercial Banking, Wealth Management and Financial Markets. A fourth segment, U.S. Specialty Finance and International, complements the growth of its domestic operations. Its securities are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: NA). Follow the Bank's activities at nbc.ca or via social media.

About CWB

CWB is the only full-service bank in Canada with a strategic focus to meet the unique financial needs of businesses and their owners. CWB provides its nationwide clients with full-service business and personal banking, specialized financing, comprehensive wealth management offerings, and trust services. Clients choose CWB for a differentiated level of service through specialized expertise, customized solutions, and faster response times relative to the competition. CWB people take the time to understand its clients and their business, and work as a united team to provide holistic solutions and advice.

As a public company on the TSX, CWB trades under the symbols "CWB" (common shares), "CWB.PR.B" (Series 5 preferred shares) and "CWB.PR.D" (Series 9 preferred shares). CWB is firmly committed to the responsible creation of value for all its stakeholders and its approach to sustainability will support its continued success. Learn more at www.cwb.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

From time to time, National Bank and CWB make written and verbal forward-looking statements. Statements of this type are included in this press release and may be included in filings with Canadian and U.S. securities regulators or in other communications such as media releases and corporate presentations. Forward-looking statements in this press release may include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the expected benefits of the transaction, National Bank's integration of CWB and the expected closing date of the transaction. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by the words "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "may increase", "may impact", "goal", "focus", "potential", "proposed" and other similar expressions, or future or conditional verbs such as "will", "should", "would" and "could".



By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions and are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties, which give rise to the possibility that National Bank's and/or CWB's predictions, forecasts, projections, expectations, and conclusions will not prove to be accurate, that National Bank's and/or CWB's assumptions may not be correct, and that National Bank's and/or CWB's strategic goals will not be achieved. Assumptions underlying forward-looking statements included in this press release also include the satisfaction of the remaining conditions to closing of the transaction and timing of completion of the transaction.



Forward-looking statements in this press release are based on a number of assumptions and are subject to risk factors, many of which are beyond National Bank's and CWB's control and the impacts of which are difficult to predict. These risk factors include, but are not limited to, National Bank's inability to successfully integrate CWB upon completion of the transaction; the possible delay or failure to close the transaction; the potential delay or failure to realize the anticipated benefits from the transaction; National Bank's reliance upon publicly available information of CWB; potential undisclosed costs or liability associated with the transaction; National Bank or CWB being adversely impacted during the pendency of the transaction; and assumptions about future events, including economic conditions and proposed courses of action, based on National Bank and CWB management's assessment of the relevant information available as of the date hereof; and National Bank's and CWB's ability to anticipate and manage the risks associated with these factors. It is important to note that the preceding list is not exhaustive of possible factors.



Additional information about certain factors and additional risk factors can be found in the "Risk Management" section of CWB's 2024 Annual MD&A, in the "Risk Management" section of National Bank's 2024 Annual Report, as well as in other reports and documents filed by National Bank and CWB with securities regulators or securities commissions from time to time and other documents that National Bank and CWB makes public. These and other factors should be considered carefully, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements as a number of important factors could cause CWB's and/or National Bank's actual results to differ materially from the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release represent CWB's and National Bank's views as of the date hereof. Unless required by law, neither CWB or National Bank undertake to update any forward-looking statement, whether written or verbal, that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of CWB or National Bank. CWB and National Bank caution investors that these forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual events or results may differ significantly from these statements due to a number of factors.

SOURCE National Bank of Canada

20 december 2024 at 14:55

News published onand distributed by:
Orla Mining Announces Filing of Special Meeting Materials and 43-101 Technical Report for Musselwhite Acquisition





VANCOUVER, BC, Dec. 20, 2024 /CNW/ - Orla Mining Ltd. (TSX: OLA) (NYSE: ORLA) ("Orla" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has filed a management information circular and related materials (the "Meeting Materials") for its special meeting of shareholders of the Company ("Shareholders") to be held on January 21, 2025 (the "Meeting") in connection with the proposed acquisition of the Musselwhite Mine from Newmont Corporation ("Newmont") announced on November 18, 2024 (the "Transaction").

Along with the Meeting Materials, the Company has also filed an independent technical report on the Musselwhite Mine (the "Technical Report"), prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 ? Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

Access to Materials

The Meeting Materials and Technical Report are available on SEDAR+ and EDGAR under the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca and www.sec.gov, respectively, as well as the Company's website at www.orlamining.com/investors/musselwhite-special-meeting.

The Meeting

The Meeting will be held at 8:00 a.m. (Vancouver time) on January 21, 2025, at Suite 3500 ? 1133 Melville Street, Vancouver, British Columbia V6E 4E5.

Registered Shareholders and duly appointed proxyholders will have an opportunity to attend, vote and ask questions during the Meeting by following the instructions set out in the Meeting Materials. Beneficial Shareholders may vote or appoint a proxy using the voting instruction form provided to such holders. Shareholders should closely review the Meeting Materials to ensure that they are able to cast their vote at the Meeting.

Meeting Resolutions

At the Meeting, Shareholders will be asked approve ordinary resolutions approving:

(i) the Transaction; and

(ii) a concurrent private placement of convertible notes and common share purchase warrants to Pierre Lassonde and Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited ("Fairfax"), both of whom are "insiders" of the Company, the net proceeds of which will fund a portion of the purchase price of the Transaction (the "Concurrent Private Placement").

In accordance with Multinational Instrument 61-101 ? Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101") and sections 501(c) and 604(a)(ii) of the TSX Company Manual, the votes attached to the common shares of the Company (the "Shares") held by Newmont, Mr. Lassonde and Fairfax will be excluded from voting on the Transaction and Concurrent Private Placement.

Shareholder approval of both the Transaction and the Concurrent Private Placement is a condition precedent to the completion of the Transaction. Full details of the Transaction are included in the Meeting Materials. Closing of the Transaction is expected to occur in the first quarter of 2025, subject to satisfaction of the conditions to closing.

Support Agreements

The Directors and Officers of the Company, along with certain key shareholders, (collectively, the "Supporting Shareholders"), have entered into voting support agreements with Orla and Newmont and have agreed to vote in favour of the Transaction and the Concurrent Private Placement.

While Mr. Lassonde, Fairfax and Newmont are in support of the Transaction and the Concurrent Private Placement, the votes attached to the Shares held by such Shareholders will be excluded from voting under MI 61-101 and the TSX Company Manual. As such, the Supporting Shareholders represent approximately 19% of the Shares eligible to vote on the Transaction and the Concurrent Private Placement.

Shareholder Questions and Voting Assistance

For any questions or assistance with voting, shareholders can contact the Company's proxy solicitation agent, Laurel Hill Advisory Group at 1-877-452-7184 (toll-free in North America), 1-416-304-0211 (calls outside North America) or by email at [email protected].

About Orla Mining Ltd.

Orla's corporate strategy is to acquire, develop, and operate mineral properties where the Company's expertise can substantially increase stakeholder value. The Company has two material gold projects: (1) Camino Rojo, located in Zacatecas State, Mexico and (2) South Railroad, located in Nevada, United States. Orla is operating the Camino Rojo Oxide Gold Mine, a gold and silver open-pit and heap leach mine. The property is 100% owned by Orla and covers over 139,000 hectares which contains a large oxide and sulphide mineral resource. Orla is also developing the South Railroad Project, a feasibility-stage, open pit, heap leach gold project located on the Carlin trend in Nevada. Orla has also entered into a definitive agreement with a subsidiary of Newmont Corporation to acquire the Musselwhite Mine, located in Ontario, Canada. This transaction is subject to certain conditions and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2025. The technical reports for the Company's material projects are available on Orla's website at www.orlamining.com, and on SEDAR+ and EDGAR under the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca and www.sec.gov , respectively.

Forward-looking Statements

This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation and within the meaning of Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the United States Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, or in releases made by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, all as may be amended from time to time, including, without limitation, statements regarding: the closing of the Transaction, including receipt of all necessary shareholder and regulatory approvals, and the timing thereof. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts which address events, results, outcomes or developments that the Company expects to occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made and they involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Certain material assumptions regarding such forward-looking statements were made, including without limitation, assumptions regarding: completion of the Transaction, including receipt of required shareholder approvals, the future price of gold and silver; anticipated costs and the Company's ability to fund its programs; the Company's ability to carry on exploration, development, and mining activities; tonnage of ore to be mined and processed; ore grades and recoveries; decommissioning and reclamation estimates; currency exchange rates remaining as estimated; prices for energy inputs, labour, materials, supplies and services remaining as estimated; the Company's ability to secure and to meet obligations under property agreements, including the layback agreement with Fresnillo plc; that all conditions of the Company's credit facility will be met; the timing and results of drilling programs; mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates and the assumptions on which they are based; the discovery of mineral resources and mineral reserves on the Company's mineral properties; the obtaining of a subsequent agreement with Fresnillo to access the sulphide mineral resource at the Camino Rojo Project and develop the entire Camino Rojo Project mineral resources estimate; that political and legal developments will be consistent with current expectations; the timely receipt of required approvals and permits, including those approvals and permits required for successful project permitting, construction, and operation of projects; the timing of cash flows; the costs of operating and exploration expenditures; the Company's ability to operate in a safe, efficient, and effective manner; the Company's ability to obtain financing as and when required and on reasonable terms; that the Company's activities will be in accordance with the Company's public statements and stated goals; and that there will be no material adverse change or disruptions affecting the Company, its properties or Musselwhite. Consequently, there can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements involve significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These risks include, but are not limited to: the failure to obtain shareholder approvals in connection with the Transaction; uncertainty and variations in the estimation of mineral resources and mineral reserves; the Company's dependence on the Camino Rojo oxide mine; risks related to the Company's indebtedness; risks related to exploration, development, and operation activities; foreign country and political risks, including risks relating to foreign operations; risks related to the Cerro Quema Project; delays in obtaining or failure to obtain governmental permits, or non-compliance with permits; environmental and other regulatory requirements; delays in or failures to enter into a subsequent agreement with Fresnillo with respect to accessing certain additional portions of the mineral resource at the Camino Rojo Project and to obtain the necessary regulatory approvals related thereto; the mineral resource estimations for the Camino Rojo Project being only estimates and relying on certain assumptions; loss of, delays in, or failure to get access from surface rights owners; uncertainties related to title to mineral properties; water rights; risks related to natural disasters, terrorist acts, health crises, and other disruptions and dislocations; financing risks and access to additional capital; risks related to guidance estimates and uncertainties inherent in the preparation of feasibility studies; uncertainty in estimates of production, capital, and operating costs and potential production and cost overruns; the fluctuating price of gold and silver; unknown labilities in connection with acquisitions; global financial conditions; uninsured risks; climate change risks; competition from other companies and individuals; conflicts of interest; risks related to compliance with anti-corruption laws; volatility in the market price of the Company's securities; assessments by taxation authorities in multiple jurisdictions; foreign currency fluctuations; the Company's limited operating history; litigation risks; the Company's ability to identify, complete, and successfully integrate acquisitions; intervention by non-governmental organizations; outside contractor risks; risks related to historical data; the Company not having paid a dividend; risks related to the Company's foreign subsidiaries; risks related to the Company's accounting policies and internal controls; the Company's ability to satisfy the requirements of Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002; enforcement of civil liabilities; the Company's status as a passive foreign investment company for U.S. federal income tax purposes; information and cyber security; the Company's significant shareholders; gold industry concentration; shareholder activism; other risks associated with executing the Company's objectives and strategies; as well as those risk factors discussed in the Company's most recently filed management's discussion and analysis, as well as its annual information form dated March 19, 2024, which are available on www.sedarplus.ca and www.sec.gov. Except as required by the securities disclosure laws and regulations applicable to the Company, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.

SOURCE Orla Mining Ltd.

20 december 2024 at 16:15

News published onand distributed by:
LIMERICK Twenty Thirty (LTT) and the Technological University of The Shannon (TUS) have agreed a memorandum of understanding on the development of the 10-acre Cleeves Riverside Quarter.

The new plan would see up to 1,700 students, student accommodation and college lecture spaces added to the development.

In total, some 500 accommodation units will be in the overall development, with almost half of them student accommodation.

LTT, a property development company established as a special purpose vehicle of Limerick City and County Council to plan and develop key strategic sites in Limerick City and County, has committed with TUS, which operates seven campuses throughout Irelands Mid-West and Midlands region, to explore the potential development of a higher education campus and related ancillary support service buildings, including student accommodation, at the site.

Designs are already complete for the residential elements and public realm, and with the new addition of the university campus, this will complement the scheme, delivering a new neighbourhood for Limerick where people can live, learn, work and grow up in.

The TUS element, which will be subject to funding from the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and other sources, is centred on the Cleeves Riverside Quarter Flaxmill Site in Limerick, one of the most historic industrial sites in the city. The plan is to transform the LTT owned site into a dynamic project that will become a new heartbeat for Limerick.

LTT will in 2025 submit the first of its two phased planning application for the site, located on OCallaghan Strand/North Circular Road. Phase 1 will include public realm, housing and heritage works, with Phase 2 to include the LTT-TUS partnership.

Following the successful delivery of the masterplan, the design teams have already been working together on the project, which would see up to 1,700 students located on the site. In total, some 500 accommodation units will be in the overall development, with almost half of them student accommodation.

Conn Murray, chairman of LTT said, Our mandate is to be an enabler of economic growth in Limerick by developing ourselves or partnering with other developers to deliver key strategic sites that can act as catalysts for economic growth. This partnership with TUS, will be a brilliant proof point of what we are seeking to do. It will bring over 1,700 students into the city centre, which will help with the transformation of the city into one of the most vibrant urban centres in Ireland. TUS is a perfect partner for us on this and we look forward to working with them on this transformational project for Limerick.

TUS president Professor Vincent Cunnane, The mission of TUS is to be a catalyst for sustainable change through education and research that transforms lives, our region, and the world beyond. Our participation in the Cleeves Riverside Quarter project is very much in line with this mission and our continued expansion. LTT is a fitting partner for us as we have shared goals, and while there is much to do to realise this Cleeves Riverside Quarter project, we are committed to and passionate about its potential to deliver for Limerick, the Midwest region and beyond.

Among the key elements of the masterplan for the site are the 500 residential units, workspaces, a waterfront office tower a vibrant, connected Public Realm that will connect seamlessly across campus well as linking the Cleeves Riverside Quarter to the city.

The 10 acre Cleeves Riverside Quarter is one of Limericks most recognisable sites, synonymous for its 142ft red-bricked chimney stack, which remains the emblem for what was one of Irelands largest industrial sites of the 19th century, designed and built for up to 6,000 workers. It was home to the famous Cleeves Toffee and the Condensed Milk Company, which had 3,000 employees on its payroll and sourced its raw material from 3,000 farmers across Ireland.
NEW DISCOUNTED homes will be on offer for first-time buyers in Limerick, as the Council launches its fourth initiative in the New Build Incremental Purchase Scheme.

The new houses will become available for sale at Baker Place, Bridge Street in Knocklong, Co. Limerick, with Limerick City and County Council now accepting applications.

Under the New Build Incremental Purchase Scheme, this initiative offers working households on HAP and RAS the chance to purchase a discounted market home in rural Limerick.

Eligible applicants can buy these newly constructed starter homes at a 40% to 60% discount, based on certain income bands.

There are three three-bedroom and one four-bedroom homes priced between 112,000 and 210,000, depending on income on offer.

READ MORE: Limerick financial firm recruits chief investment officer as it targets ambitious growth

The houses are energy-efficient with modern features and spacious designs and are currently under construction and set to be completed soon.

Eligible candidates are able to apply now until January 10, 2025, at 5pm, when the deadline closes. Eligible candidates must submit a complete application, including Mortgage Approval in Principle, to be considered.

Mayor of Limerick, John Moran, emphasised the importance of such schemes in addressing rural housing pressure and said it is nice to see this project right in the heart of Knocklong.

Tackling housing challenges right across Limerick is a critical part of our strategy, he said.

The scheme, although modest, offers more people an affordable way to settle down. It is part of an objective to foster strong, sustainable communities with a diverse mix of tenures, incomes, and housing types.

Homeownership helps create strong community binds and additionally, it reduces reliance on the State exchequer by lessening the need for HAP and RAS revenue spend.

With rural areas facing increased housing pressures, this scheme aims to support working families and individuals in transitioning from private rental accommodation, including those availing of HAP, RAS, or social leasing, into homeownership.

Caroline Curley, director of housing in the Council, highlighted the success of previous initiatives: This is the fourth Incremental Purchase Scheme we've introduced, and we are committed to providing working HAP and RAS households with real opportunities to own high-quality, discounted market homes.

We are excited to see this project come to life in Knocklong, which will serve as a template for other towns and villages across the county.

Visit Limerick.ie/Starter-New-Home-Purchase for eligibility criteria and details on how to apply.
Fino Payments Bank plans to use its network of merchants as the first set of customers to lend to, while also using them as loan collection points, if the regulator approves its proposal to convert into a small finance bank.

It applied for a small finance bank licence in December 2023 and has about 1.8 million merchants who provide financial services as agents of the bank. Rishi Gupta, managing director and chief executive of Fino Payments Bank, said in an interview that a significant portion of these merchants can be used to collect loan repayments.

Gupta added that the merchants would be used as loan collection points while the bank would also cater to the credit demand of these merchants. They run the banks touchpoints and provide services like opening of bank accounts, cash withdrawal, and more. The other target base is its current base of 13 million customers, he said.

Fino Bank has a majority (34%) of its merchants in the eastern part of the country, 32% in the north, 21% in the west, and 13% in the south.

Conceptualised by a committee headed by former RBI board member Nachiket Mor, payments banks are supposed to reach out to the under-banked and unbanked masses, accepting deposits of up to 2 lakh per customer. The primary difference between them and small finance banks is that payments banks cannot lend. There are six such banks and include Airtel Payments Bank, Fino Payments Bank, Jio Payments Bank, India Post Payments Bank, NSDL Payments Bank and Paytm Payments Bank.

Some questions have started to come from RBI and we are answering them as they come. If and when RBI gives us an approval, it will be in the form of an in-principle nod and we will get 18 months to actually convert into an operating bank," said Gupta. We want to convert within one year of that nod."

According to Gupta, the conversion would entail changes to three things: team, technology and capital. We do not need capital right now as we have higher capital than what is required. On the technology side, we are already migrating our old systems to a completely new Finnacle system, while on teams, some people have shown interest in joining us at a later date."

Gupta also said the bank will build teams required for lending.

For collections, we also have a cash management services vertical within Fino where we do collections from agents and some customers also come and deposit money at our points," said Gupta, adding that the bank will have to build teams for credit appraisal, credit sales and even collection. These teams, he said, will be built over 12-18 months following RBIs in-principle approval to convert to a small finance bank.

Analysts at Nirmal Bang Institutional Equities said that while waiting for the regulators go-ahead for SFB license, the bank is in the process of building the technology, liability, doing some pilots around credit like merchant loans, gold loans as well as partnership-based lending portfolio.

The management indicated that post getting converted into SFB, the bank would still continue to derive the majority of its business from payment based services (around 75%) and remaining would be from the lending business," they said in a note to clients on 22 November.

Others said that a conversion to a small finance bank would allow Fino to start lending operations and undertake cross selling of other financial products. We have modelled lending revenues to start kicking in from FY27 and estimate the assets under management at 1,500 crore," analysts at Ventura Securities Ltd said in a note on 4 October.

Ventura Securities said that Finos entry into the lending business is set to be both cost-effective and smooth, leveraging its established merchant network and existing technological infrastructure. However, companies like Fino primarily operate through their merchant networks, which can be poached by competitors, it said, adding that Fino has established strong relationships with its merchants, making such occurrences unlikely.

Key Takeaways
NEW DELHI : The Supreme Court on Friday upheld the claims, amounting to more than 10,952 crore, of four indirect creditors of Reliance Infratel Ltd.

Reliance Infratels total debt exceeds 41,055 crore.

In 2022, the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) rejected the creditors' claims, following a plea by financial creditor Doha Bank, which had objected to the recognition of these indirect creditorsExim Bank of China, Assets Care and Reconstruction Enterprise (ACRE), Shubh Holdings, and China Development Bank.

A bench comprising justice Abhay S. Oka and justice Augustine George Masih set aside the NCLAT order and restored the National Company Law Tribunals (NCLT) 2020 order, which had allowed these claims.

The resolution and acquisition by RIL

In 2022, Reliance Jios subsidiary, Reliance Projects and Property Management Services Ltd (RPPMSL), completed the acquisition of a 100% stake in Reliance Infratel for approximately 3,720 crore.

In 2020, the NCLT approved Reliance Industries Ltd's resolution plan that included an offer of 4,235 crore to Reliance Infratels lenders, including 3,720 crore as an upfront payment.

According to that plan, State Bank of India was to be paid 728 crore, Mahima Mercantile 514 crore, SC Lowy and VTB Capital 511 crore each, Doha Bank 409 crore, Emirates NBD 322 crore, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) 278 crore, and Standard Chartered Bank 242 crore.

Also Read: Barclays to anchor  4,300 crore Hinduja bond for Reliance Capital acquisition

The plan also included Reliance Infratels substantial assets, including 1.78 lakh route kilometres of fibre network and 43,540 mobile towers across India.

The NCLAT, however, overturned this in 2022, directing the NCLT to derecognize the four entities as financial creditors. It ruled that their claims were indirect, as Reliance Infratels assets were hypothecated to secure loans taken by RCom rather than loans directly given to Reliance Infratel.

Doha Bank, a financial creditor, argued before the NCLAT that recognizing these claims reduced its share of proceeds and marginalized its voting rights. Other creditors, including VTB Capital, ICBC, and Emirates NBD, supported Doha Banks position.

The dispute traces back to RCom, which entered insolvency proceedings in 2019 with over 46,000 crore debts. Swedish firm Ericsson had initiated insolvency proceedings against RCom, claiming around 1,155 crore for unpaid services provided under a 2013 agreement.

The NCLT admitted RCom and its subsidiaries into insolvency, leading to the resolution process for Reliance Infratel.
The Walton familyone of the richest clans in Americais passing some of its control in Walmart to the next generation, giving all the grandchildren of Walmarts founder voting rights over their inheritance.

Eight grandchildren of founder Sam Walton will gain voting rights over the familys holdings, bringing the total number of voting members to 11, Walmart disclosed on Thursday. The new group, the youngest of which is 37, will continue to vote as a block in any shareholder matters.

The Waltons have long been Walmarts largest shareholder and currently own around 46% of a global giant that started in 1962 as a single store in Arkansas. With the stock hovering near-all time highs, their collective stake is worth roughly $345 billion.

The Waltons said there will be no changes to the leadership roles or board seats held by family members. The Walton family continues to believe in the importance of maintaining the appropriate balance of family and non-family ownership," the family said in a statement.

The familys shares are mostly held through two entities, Walton Enterprises and the Walton Family Holdings Trust. For decades those shares have been controlled by the founders three living children: Alice, Jim and Rob.

Waltons childrennow in their 70s and 80shave long been deeply involved in the business but have been stepping back. Waltons children no longer have seats on the board, though other family members occupy two of the 12 board seats.

The Waltons have spent their wealth in various ways. Rob Walton and some of his family spent $4.65 billion to buy the Denver Broncos in 2022. Alice Walton is an art collector who built the Crystal Bridges museum in the familys hometown of Bentonville, Ark.

The family continues to play a significant role in how Walmart operates, including weighing in on company policies behind the scenes. They also invest in trendy coffee shops and restaurants in Bentonville that help draw top talent to the region. The Waltons funded a new Walmart health and fitness center that is a perk for employees as part of the companys ongoing effort to build a new headquarters.

The addition of eight grandchildren is a big leap to the next generation, but the transition has been happening for nearly a decade. In 2015 the company said Rob Walton would step down as chairman, to be succeeded by his son-in-law Greg Penner, the current chairman.

The following year Steuart Walton, then 34 years old, was the first of the founders grandchildren elected to the board. When Rob Walton left the board in April, Walmart didnt replace him with another grandchild.

Write to Sarah Nassauer at Sarah.Nassauer@wsj.com
The International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), held annually in Thiruvananthapuram, concluded this week. Though the full programme only arrived days before the festivals start, it was a stellar lineup of films from the state, the rest of India and around the world. These were a few of our favourites from the 29th edition:

Kneecap

The wildest film at the festival was Rich Peppiatts Kneecap, about the eponymous Irish hip-hop trio who burst on to the scene in 2017. Two young drug-dealers with a gift for rough poetry cross paths with a musically inclined schoolteacher with a small sound studio in the garage. They record a single and quickly gain a cult following for their sex-and-drug-fuelled lyrics and their insistence on rapping in Irish. Kneecap members Liam Og O Hannaidh, Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh play themselves in this outrageously funny film, and Michael Fassbender lends star presence as O Caireallains dissident father, now in hiding.

Anora

When the son of a Russian magnate turns up one night at a New York strip club, the fortunes of resident dancer Anora (Mikey Madison) take a dramatic turn. Vanya (Mark Eydelshteyn) falls head over heels for her, and their relationship goes from paid sex to marriage plans in the space of a few days. Vanyas parents are, unsurprisingly, horrified by the idea, and despatch a handler to pay Anora off and whisk Vanya back to Russia. Sean Bakers film, which won the Palme dOr at Cannes this year, has the same headlong pace as his breakout feature, Tangerine (2015), but also a bittersweet quality as Anora fights to preserve her dream. Madison is a revelation as the combative Anora, and Yura Borisov is quietly compelling as a sensitive Russian henchman.

By the Stream

One of the advantages of being a Hong Sang-soo fan is how prolific he is. Every year, at any of the bigger Indian film festivals, theres at least one, often two, of his films. IFFK had four by the Korean director this timetwo new (By the Stream, A Travelers Needs) and two old (Hahaha, Tale of Cinema). By the Stream was my favourite, a typically lo-fi drama featuring Hong regulars Kim Min-hee and Kwon Hae-hyo. An actor helps out his niece by directing a stage production at the college where she teaches, and hits it off with the principal (Cho Yun-hee), whos a fan of his. What might seem like a series of rambling conversations is actually a stealthy investigation of trauma, self-worth, artistic process and the possibility of second chances.

Universal Language

My favourite Iranian film at IFFK was a Canadian one. In Matthew Rankins dry comedy, Winnipeg is populated with Irani families and Farsi is the official language. Theres no explanation for this; Rankin just seems to like Iran (he directed a 2008 short called Sharhe-Hale Shakhsi: M. Rankin), enough to want to make a Farsi film set in his hometown. The film has a number of interconnected stories, including two children on a mission to retrieve a currency note frozen in a block of ice, and a man (played by Rankin) returning home to visit his dying mother. Its a gentle and moving comedy, played with a sincerity that transcends its sketch-like construction.

The Room Next Door

A war journalist in New York, Martha (Tilda Swinton), wants to go out on her own terms after being diagnosed with cancer. She enlists an old friend, best-selling writer Ingrid (Julianne Moore), in this endeavournot to assist her, but just to be in the room next door". I found Pedro Almodovars film, his first full-length one in English, rather stilted to begin with, with perfectly worded line after line delivered by expert performers. But it finds its rhythm once the two women decamp to a chic house in the hills, where Martha plans to end her life. Despite Swinton and Moores efforts, it still feels a bit too polite and measured, and it falls to John Turturro, playing a former lover of both women, to inject some energy.

Grand Tour

I saw two films at IFFK shot in grainy, dreamy black and white. The first was the surreal Egyptian drama East of Noon; the other was Grand Tour, for which Miguel Gomes won Best Director at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. It tracks the adventures of Edward (Goncalo Waddington), a British civil servant, as he wanders across Asia in the period between the World Wars, leaving behind his fiance, Molly (Crista Alfaiate), in Rangoon. We later follow Mollywhose cheery resolve is reminiscent of Barbara Stanwyck in The Lady Eve (1941) or Katherine Hepburn in Bringing up Baby (1938)as she sets out on Edwards trail. Their stories are interspersed with documentary footage of the cities they pass through.

Suspended Time

Olivier Assayas directs a sunnier companion piece to his 2008 country retreat film, Summer House. This time its about brothers Paul (Vincent Macaigne) and Etienne (Micha Lescot) isolating during covid with their respective partners at their serene, sun-dappled family home. Paul is an engaging but neurotic germophobe, who drives his rock journalist brother up the wall. Macaigne, who played a version of Assayas in the TV remake of Irma Vep (2022), is again the directors alter-ego; the intermittent voiceover is specifically autobiographical. Nothing much happens, but the lively bickering and art and pop culture digressions have a naturalism that make this a film an easy-going pleasure.

Chicken for Linda

A hidden gem of this edition of IFFK, Chicken For Linda is a French animated film written and directed by Chiara Malta and Sebastien Laudenbach. Paulette feels guilty that she accused her daughter, Linda, of something she didnt do; to make up, she offers to make the little girl any dish she likes. Linda asks for chicken with peppers, which presents a problem theres no chicken at home, and a general strike is on in Paris. Malta and Laudenbach eschew photorealistic animation in favour of gentle swishes and swirls of movement and colour. Its a film for children, but as artistically evolved as anything at the festival. Theres a bonus for fans of the 2005 film Regular Lovers: Paulette is voiced by that films radiant star, Clotilde Hesme.
Unlike their lowland cousins, yaks are a difficult lot. They can be unpredictable, their massive horns a great deterrent to anyone who wants to come close, and even the biggest cattle is dwarfed by them in size. In the high Himalaya, where there is barely any grass, they can survive on thorny caragana shrubs when winter sets in and the ground is covered in snow.

We are on the outskirts of Chumjung village in Mustang, often termed as the last village in Nepal because of its proximity to the China border. Yet there is a serene calmness with which Pasang Tsering, 40, ties the legs of a female yakdri or nag in Tibetanwith a rope made from yak wool and gets its calf to suckle and induce the milk. A few sips later, he corrals the calf, sits on a makeshift stool, and begins to milk the mother. The animal ruminates nonchalantly; the calf bellows in desperation to return to its mother.

The milk is collected in a bucket, and will be churned into butter or made into chhurpi, hard cheese that can last for months. As soon as Tsering is done, he unties the legs of the dri and lets the calf loose from the corral. The little one runs to its mother, first nuzzling her face in a gesture of affirmation, then begins to feed. Tsering moves to another driand repeats the process.

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To the east, where the plain slopes down to a vast valley that leads down to Chumjung village, the sun rises behind three male yaks, their horns sparkling with mist. Autumn has just arrived in Mustang, north of the Annapurna range in Nepal, and its already cold enough for our toes to curl up inside our shoes. To the west, behind the mountains high enough to halt the last clouds in their paths, lies Tibet, beyond the modern Nepal-China border. In the silence of these towering mountains where clouds come to die, Tserings 60 yaks grunt in symphony, the steam from their nostrils leaving behind a vapour trail in the cold air.

View Full Image A yak herder in Mustang Valley. (Amish Raj Mulmi)

Yak herds like these are among the last existing ones in the Nepal Himalaya. Tsering has been herding yaks since he was a child, following his fatherand grandfather, and others beforeinto the vocation. Tserings children will not do so. His son is studying in India. His younger daughter, a girl not more than 10, wants to become a teacher when she grows up. Tserings brother, Serab, who is translating for us, drives an Alto in these mountains, ferrying travellers like us.

It is a difficult life, this life of solitude in the mountains. The itinerary is the same every day: milk the cows, collect the yak dung for fuel, leave the animals to graze on the slopes, then bring them in once its evening.

When winter comes, Tsering will move away to a lower pasture. His family will move down to Pokhara, and Serab will go to the plains of Nepal with others from his village, selling jackets and woollen clothes. Tsering will be alone for two months, with only his yaks and other herders for company.

It is a difficult life, this life of solitude in the mountains. The itinerary is the same every day: milk the cows, collect the yak dung and dry it for fuel, leave the animals to graze on the slopes, then bring them in once its evening. Tsering only knows this. He has never seen the inside of a school, and has barely ever left Mustang. When Serab took him to Kathmandu a few years ago to be treated for an illness, Tsering was unnerved. There was far too much noise, far too many people. He was desperate to return," Serab told me.

Also Read What the search for alien life can tell us about exhausting Earths resources

But the weather in Mustang is growing more unpredictable. He cannot sell yaks in Tibet any longer, ever since China restricted yak imports since the pandemic. Mustang is his only market, and that is barely enough to sustain the family. Every year, more and more young people move to cities like Kathmandu and Pokhara, and if lucky, to the US and Europe. Only the old and the youngest are left behind in the village. Earlier, within this ring of mountains where we are, there would be five herds. Now, there are three. Every year, the number of yaks grows fewer. There arent more than 15 yak herding families in Mustang today, Serab thinks. The kings of Lo once kept their yaks on a slope beyond Tserings. That broken structure, that was the kings yak shed. They sold off their yaks. Our aunt, she too sold off all her yaks. She now lives in Kathmandu. Her children are abroad," Serab continues.

Tsering is at the vanguard of a dying way of life. Not too long ago, the notion of a border would have been alien to Himalayan herders like him, for whom transhumance was the way of life. As seasons came and went, herd animals would tread all over mountain trails, and for herders like Tserings father and grandfatherall of whom raised yaksborders were inconsequential. During our fathers time, they would go into Tibet for a whole month with their herds, conduct their pilgrimages, and bring back chyangra goats to sell here," Serab says.

What mattered were the grazing grounds, and whether there was enough grass to feed the animals. Now, its not so easy. A 22-km-long barbed wire fence marks the border between Nepal and China. There are watchtowers every few kilometres, and Chinese guards arent too forgiving of trespassers.

View Full Image Looking out over the Mustang Valley. (Istockphoto)

Hidden behind the wall of Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges, Mustang is a cold desert. The Kali Gandaki river pierces this land, splitting the Himalaya into two almost equal halves. For centuries, sheep and yak caravans travelled up and down this river, bringing down salt and wool from Tibet and taking back foodgrains from the lower hills and hotter plains. The animals were often sold for meat, as they are today. The riches from this eternal cycle of trade and transhumance allowed the kingdom of Lo, situated in the Mustang Valley and founded in the 14th century, to establish great monasteries and patronise the Ngor sub school of the Sakya sect of Tibetan Buddhism.

The Lo kingdom married into the aristocracies of Ladakh and Shigatse and paid tribute to Lhasa, but its influence waned once it was incorporated within Nepal in 1789. But its real decline began in the middle of the 20th century, when Tibet was annexed by the Peoples Republic of China, which could also not come to an agreement over its borders with India.

After the Dalai Lama escaped, Mustang became a hub for Tibetan guerrillas funded by the CIA, as well as an escape route for Tibetans. Nepal declared it to be a restricted area, forbidding foreigners to travel here until 1992.

After the Dalai Lama escaped, Mustang became a hub for Tibetan guerrillas funded by the CIA, as well as an escape route for Tibetans. Nepal declared it to be a restricted area, forbidding foreigners to travel here until 1992.

For herders like Tserings father, these developments meant little. They would travel far and wide in this great expanse, but increasingly they found they could not go very far into Tibet, certainly not as far as the age-old Taklakot market in the west, near Mount Kailash and Mansarovar lake, as they once did. Then in December 1999, the 17th Karmapa escaped Tibet via Korala or Kora La, the alpine flatland where the Nepal-China border is located. Within six months, the Chinese had put up the barbed wire fence. Herders could no longer even cross the border.

For Tsering, this too was not the death knell of herding. Every year until the pandemic, a tsongra, market fair, would be permitted, alternating between Korala and Likse, a town further up in Tibet, usually in the spring and autumn. Tsering could sell his yaks then. They would bring back chyangra goats to sell in Nepal, during the festive season. Others from Mustang bought motorcycles, television sets, and blankets. Then covid-19 hit, and the border would be shut for four long years.

Also Read How Ladakh is facing the double threat of climate change and overtourism

In November 2023, China and Nepal agreed to open up Korala for Nepali citizens living in upper Mustang, roughly equivalent to the old Lo kingdoms boundaries. Tsering needed a border pass to cross over and buy a tent and a heater. Instead of the old ramshackle gate that once marked the entry into China, there was a sparkling new building. Like others, he had to get his biometrics registered once he crossed. But new restrictions on Nepali exports meant Tsering could no longer sell his yaks in Tibet. His herds could no longer cross the border, but Tsering could.

View Full Image A yak caravan in Nepal. (Istockphoto)

Just before one reaches Korala is a chorten (Buddhist stupa) in ruins. Beyond it, situated on a flat plain that stretches into Tibet as far as the eye can see, is the concrete behemoth that is the Chinese border complex. It is the size of a small town, at a height of 4,600 metres. Here, traders from both sides set up their stalls in one of the air-conditioned halls. On the Nepali side is border pillar No.24, a small one-floored prefabricated structure and a few containers that are used by authorities, tourists waving their national flags and clicking selfies next to the border pillar, and a whole lot of tents.

Inside these tents sit the entrepreneurs of the future: locals like the 20-year-old whose tent we are sitting in, who sells everything from Chinese noodles to beer, shoes, chocolates and candy, and even Chinese brandy. They sell to people like us, curious lowlanders who come to gawk at what China has built at these heights. Outside, a few stalls sell felt shoes, which look far more comfortable in the cold than the boots we wear. I can see at least 15 tents, all of them serving the hundreds of Nepali tourists who come to the border every day on their bikes, Boleros and buses. There is a festive atmosphere at the border, coupled with the inevitable lament at the nothingness on the Nepali side.

The gap in infrastructure is prominent, the contrast between the wealth of the two nations explicit. Why cant Nepal build something like this?" is an often-heard question at the border. Chinese construction outpaces the speed at which Nepal is building border infrastructure here, although China has recently agreed to assist Nepal in building an integrated checkpost here.

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Modernity has arrived in the Nepal Himalaya. Roads have replaced foot trails, the internet is on every phone, and the old ways are dying. Kathmandu and Beijing see Korala as site of future of trade: it marks the start of the Kali Gandaki road corridor, that promises a future filled with container trucks shipping goods to and fro, where the Himalaya is to be traversed using modern rules of trade and transit. For Pasang and his yaks, the border marks the limit of their wanderings. For his children, it is the beginning of a new age.

Tsering knows this. This is why he wants his children to study, to have ambitions beyond the mountains he lives in. Across Mustangand Nepalyoung people are moving away from their homes, rebuilding communities in distant lands, taking their cultures and their gods with them, and leaving behind a country of old people. The mountains will stay the same. Those who live here, will not. This is what inevitability feels like.

Amish Raj Mulmi is the author ofAll Roads Lead North: Nepals Turn to China.

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Every Friday, Plain Facts publishes a compilation of data-based insights, with easy-to-read charts, to help you delve deeper into the stories reported by Mint in the week gone by. India's trade deficit widened to a record high in November, while loss-making general insurers are set to get a capital boost in the upcoming Union budget.

Gold rush

India's trade deficit widened to a record high of $37.84 billion in November, primarily driven by a 331% year-on-year surge in gold imports, showed data from the commerce ministry. Gold imports rose on the back of festive and marriage-related demand and rising prices. As a result, merchandise imports grew 27% on-year to $69.95 billion last month. On the other hand, exports contracted 4.9% to $32.11 billion. The widening deficit is a concern amid slowing economic growth and a weakening currency.

Insuring insurers

The government is considering a capital infusion of 4,000-5,000 crore into its loss-making general insurers in 2025-26, Mint reported. The upcoming budget in February may allocate additional funds based on the insurers' progress in financial performance in April-December. Three of the four state-owned general insurersNational Insurance, United Insurance, and Oriental Insurancehave negative solvency ratio currently, which means their total debt is greater than their equity. The capital infusion, however, would be contingent upon companies showing signs of consistent improvement in financial parameters and growth.

Mega buyout

9,861 crore: Thats the amount The Hinduja Group is expected to spend on acquiring Reliance Capital. According to chairman Ashok Hinduja, the acquisition is expected to be completed by January. The deal will come nearly a year after the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) approved the rescue plan for the bankrupt lender. Hinduja plans to go with the existing management of Reliance Capital to run businesses but may also divest 34 out of the company's 39 subsidiaries.

Smartphone slump

India's smartphone market is staring at a prolonged downturn. The past three years have witnessed a decline in annual smartphone shipments, with the 2024 volume projected to be 5% lower than the high seen in 2021, Mint reported. However, the average selling price has grown from $227 ( 17,500) in 2021 to $258 ( 22,000) this year, mainly due to demand for premium models. The lacklustre momentum has raised question marks over India's aim of becoming a $500-billion electronics economy by 2030, from over $40 billion currently.

Retail rules

Indian retail investors invested nearly 1 trillion in the first eight months of the current fiscal year (April-November), surpassing their total investments in the previous two years, Mint reported. Around a third of this investment ( 29,594 crore out of 95,876 crore) occurred during the October market dip, indicating a growing comfort with volatility. While this strategy has yielded positive results with recent market recovery, analysts caution that volatility may persist.

PLI progress

1.46 trillion: This is the amount of investment realised from incremental production and sales until August across 14 sectors getting benefits under various production-linked incentive (PLI) schemes, the government said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. The PLI schemes for the 14 key sectors, including electronics manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and automobiles, were announced with an outlay of 1.97 trillion, with incremental production and sales of over 12.5 trillion and employment generation of over 950,000.

Modest needs

The Indian government's first supplementary demands for grants, which seeks additional funds over and above the amounts authorised in the budget, was the lowest in the current financial year since 2021-22, a Mint analysis showed. This indicated improved fiscal management and fewer economic shocks, economists said. However, fertiliser subsidies remain an expenditure overhang. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS) has not yet found a place in the demand for grants, possibly due to fewer requirements this year on the back of a robust agricultural season.

Chart of the week: Taxpayer trends

The number of individuals reporting zero taxable income in their income tax returns increased to 490,408 in 2022-23, recording a 6% rise from the previous year but less than the 549,288 individuals in 2020-21, the government told Rajya Sabha. In 2023-24, only 6.68% of the population filed income tax returns.

Follow our data stories on the In Charts" and Plain Facts" pages on the Mint website.
The Malaysia Airlines passenger jet disappeared from radar screens en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur on March 8, 2014, with 239 people on board from more than a dozen countries, including 152 Chinese nationals.

Search teams led by Australias government scoured vast stretches of the ocean for signs of the wreckage, but came up blank after a multiyear effort that, at around $150 million, was the most expensive in aviation history. At least three pieces of debris from the plane were found, including a tail part found on a sandbank in Mozambique and a wing part on a stony beach in Reunion Island, in the Indian Ocean. Researchers used these snatches of evidence and complicated modeling to try to locate the bulk of the wreckage, without success. The government-led search ended in 2017.

On Friday, Anthony Loke, Malaysias transportation minister, said his government had agreed in principle to authorize an 18-month search by Ocean Infinity, a marine-robotics company with offices in the U.S. and U.K. in a new area measuring around 5,800 square miles in the southern Indian Ocean. Negotiations are being finalized, but the government is offering $70 million to Ocean Infinity on a no find, no fee" model, where payment will only be made if the wreckage is found.

Ocean Infinity attempted a three-month search for the wreckage in early 2018, deploying autonomous underwater vehicles capable of operating as deep as 20,000 feet and equipped with sonar, echosounders and HD cameras. The company said it covered 43,000 square miles of ocean during its search, but came up empty-handed.

Loke said that Ocean Infinity had presented the Malaysian government with data suggesting that the new area in question was worth scouring, after taking into consideration findings from previous research on the planes likely location. We think that this is another attempt to find MH370, and it is our responsibility, and our obligation, and our commitment to the families," said Loke.

Without examining the aircraft, there has been no way to determine a conclusive cause of the crash, but Malaysian officials have said in the past they believe there was a deliberate action to take the plane off course.

Simon Maskell, a professor of autonomous systems at the University of Liverpool, traveled to Malaysia in May, serving as a technical adviser to Ocean Infinity as it sought government approval for a renewed search.

Maskell, who is not currently working for Ocean Infinity, said that as far as he was aware there was no smoking gun suggesting the new search area is where the wreckage is located. But he said it is a logical place to look, expanding beyond the area of previous searches. Ocean Infinity is extremely well positioned to show off what they are capable of," he said.

Write to Jon Emont at jonathan.emont@wsj.com
Switzerland might have averted the collapse of Credit Suisse, its second largest bank, if the countrys financial regulator took a harder line overseeing it and enforcing capital rules, a parliamentary report found Friday.

One of the key recommendations: possibly more capital at the countrys remaining big bank, UBS.

The conclusions came in a sweeping report meant to be Switzerlands ultimate lessons-learned look at an event that threatened the core of the countrys identity as a well-run, financial safe haven.

The regulator, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority, commonly known as Finma, investigated Credit Suisse over and over again before its ultimate meltdown in March 2023, but never took adequate action, according to the findings of a Swiss parliamentary commission. Credit Suisses weak governance and management were also to blame, the report found. Credit Suisse was bought by UBS in a government-forced rescue.

The findings of Fridays report will feed into an update of Switzerlands too big to fail" banking laws, which are aimed at avoiding government bailouts. The outcome is expected to be an increase in capital requirements for UBS. The parliamentary commission said UBSs large size in relation to Switzerlands economy has to be taken into account.

UBS said Friday it didnt receive regulatory concessions like Credit Suisse did, and now holds additional capital since the merger. UBS, which has openly criticized some of Switzerlands efforts to change banking regulation in the wake of Credit Suisse, said it supports most of the recommendations" made by the countrys governing Federal Council but said changes should be targeted.

Switzerlands reputation as a fortress for wealth was shaken first by a series of scandals at Credit Suisse around money laundering, banker theft and corporate spying, and then by the its sudden demise. The bank had been limping for years but was felled by a combination of a misfired turnaround strategy and panic over runs at U.S. banks in March 2023.

The parliamentary report traced Credit Suisses problems back to the years after the 2008 financial crisis when Switzerland introduced and added to rules to make its banks sounder. It found that the countrys Federal Council repeatedly granted time extensions on rules at Credit Suisse and UBS, while Finma granted more concessions that flattered the appearance of Credit Suisses capital adequacy, an issue identified in a 2023 Wall Street Journal article.

Credit Suisse grew from being one of Switzerlands most-revered banks, founded by a national hero in 1856, into a global behemoth, crafting complex deals and investments for companies and the worlds wealthy.

But in its last decade, it increasingly featured as a problem child of the financial system and became known for being on the racier side for deals and customers. It tried, but never successfully turned over a new leaf. In its final years, it rotated through management and board members, who couldnt restore confidence.

The parliamentary commission studied the years before Credit Suisse got caught in a liquidity crisis. It also probed the weekend of the banks rescue by UBS, after government officials told the banks they must merge. The takeover was billed by Switzerland as a commercial solution.

But in addition to the squeeze on the banks to agree to a deal, emergency legislation was passed to strip shareholders of any say, and sweetened the deal for UBS by canceling $17 billion in Credit Suisse debt. The cancellation sparked lawsuits in Switzerland and New York, which are ongoing.

The report said authorities balanced both banks interests with those of the state, even if a takeover by a foreign bank might have been preferable for competition reasons.

Write to Margot Patrick at margot.patrick@wsj.com
In a Peak Bengaluru moment this month, a walking tour group organized a 15-day BLR Walkfest, getting people to find out if the city is walkable.

True to the citys brand-it-and-well-do-it culture, about a hundred people signed up for every walk, which included talks on historic landmarks and lots of filter-coffee drinking, to see if they could do what millions of Indians do dailyuse pavements to get around the city on foot.

Many Indians ride in cushy carriages all their lives without ever stepping on a footpath, but a vast majority, most of them poor, either walk to work or work on paved sidewalks. We are so short of pedestrian infrastructure that if jaywalking were illegal in India, as it is in some countries, it would legally be impossible to get from point A to point B on foot.

This is not to say Indians dont walk: 2011 Census data shows that more than 45 million Indians get to work at distant locations on foot, compared to 5 million in cars and 24 million on two-wheelers. The typical commute for these 45 million is in a range of 2-5km, which means thats the likely distance they must walk.

But we clearly dont have the infrastructure to support them. About 19% of our 150,000 road-accident deaths in 2021 were of pedestrians, going by road transport ministry data. If the numbers are sifted further to look at just street-mishap deaths in cities, pedestrians make up one-fourth of the fatalities, and more than half of those were people aged under 45.

We are losing young working adults who support families and contribute to the economy because our urban spaces are not designed for everyone. And given the obstacle course urban pedestrians face, theyre forced to waste time and energy that could be put to better use.

If good roads lead to prosperity, the same applies to walkways, especially in an economy that needs the bulk of its people on an upward-mobility path for overall demand to grow. Yet, our walkers suffer neglect, left to play a dangerous game of dodge with vehicles of every shape and size. Footpaths vanish without warning, turning a walk into an adventure sport.

Many pavements act as storage spaces for everything from construction debris to gas cylinders. Bikes and cars encroach freely. And stepping on a slab that gives way beneath ones feet is a common horror. Skywalks are mostly an afterthought and their endless steps could prepare one for an Everest Base Camp trek. For the elderly and disabled, the dangers multiply.

Despite motor cars being around for more than a century, most Indian cities lack what it takes for pedestrians and vehicles to co-exist in peace. Creating pedestrian infrastructure is not as simple as laying down a few footpaths; it is about considering every citizens needs.

For walkers to lead more productive and less risky lives, we need safe streets, interconnected footpaths and well-designed road intersections, apart from street lighting that actually works, active policing to prevent crime and law-abiding drivers. Walking has many benefitsfor physical and mental health, the economy and the environment.

Public-policy plans and guidelines abound on inclusive infrastructure, but evidence of their implementation is scarce. Its almost as if infra-driven growth is expected to be a motorized affair.

We need a footpath challenge of the kind Bengaluru hosted in many more cities where influential folks rarely walk along the paths that millions do. We must all know what its like walking 2-5km to earn a living.
In the late 1990s Israel started work on a memorial to honour the South Lebanon Army (SLA), its proxy force during its occupation of Lebanon. It was inaugurated in May 2000, two days before Israeli troops withdrew from the country. The SLA collapsed almost immediately; its fighters fled to Israel or surrendered. The monument was blown up by Hizbullah.

History has a way of repeating in the Middle East. A quarter-century later, Israeli troops are once again fighting in the same part of Lebanon. Hizbullah has spent the past year firing rockets at northern Israel, and it has built up a formidable network of tunnels and bunkers along the border. The war is meant to push it back, as the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers have been unable to do for decades.

Yet, as they discuss how to keep the militia out of south Lebanon, policymakers in Israel and the West have revived some old (and often failed) ideas about how outsiders might try to change the region.

Yair Lapid, the Israeli opposition leader, thinks the way to secure the border between Israel and Lebanon is by reviving the SLA. In a By Invitation essay written for The Economist, Mr Lapid called on America, France and the United Arab Emirates to train and fund a new force that would serve as a buffer" between Israel and Hizbullah.

With foreign funding, Mr Lapid suggested, the new SLA could pay fighters $500 a month, five times more than the regular Lebanese army can pay. That, plus a patriotic call" to seize the opportunity for a better future", would ensure a flood of new recruits.

History suggests otherwise. The SLA, which broke away from the Lebanese army during the civil war in the 1970s, paid high wages yet often struggled to find fighters. It forcibly conscripted thousands of young men, and sometimes used child soldiers. It was a brutal militia, notorious for torturing thousands of people at a detention centre in Khiam, but not a terribly effective one: it could not fend off Hizbullah without constant Israeli support.

A revived SLA would fare little better. Few Lebanese would be willing to join a force that would be seen as an Israeli proxy. The regular army, for all its faults, is seen as one of the few bodies that transcends Lebanons endemic sectarianism. A new SLA would be mired in it, alarming Hizbullahs Shia constituency, which would probably see the force as a threat. That would be true even if, as Mr Lapid suggests, the new militia was placed under the authority of the Lebanese government.

All this is in any case impossible right now: Lebanon has no president to oversee it. The post has been vacant since Michel Aoun ended his term in October 2022. The consensus choice for his successor is General Joseph Aoun, the army chief (the two are unrelated). But Hizbullah is keen to hand the job to Suleiman Frangieh, the head of a small political party, whose main qualification is his fondness for the Assad regime in Syria. Parliament, which selects the president, is deadlocked. After a dozen failed votes, it gave up trying; the last ballot was in June 2023.

Amos Hochstein, Americas special envoy to Lebanon, says his top priority is filling the vacancy. Some lawmakers in Washington are now pushing for sanctions on Nabih Berri, the speaker of parliament, if he fails to call for another ballot and break the impasse. We hope that Hizbullah is degraded enough that they are less of a force in Lebanese politics," says Matthew Miller, a State Department spokesman.

For Lebanese, this is another echo of the 1980s. Back then Bachir Gemayel, the head of Lebanons largest Christian militia, cemented his power through an alliance with America and Israel. He was elected president of Lebanon in August 1982 with the help of Philip Habib, who was Ronald Reagans envoy to the region. Less than a month later Gemayel was dead, assassinated by a member of a party aligned with Syria.

In Lebanon, it does not serve anyones interests to be seen as the American-Israeli candidate. The more the two allies push for General Aoun, the less likely he is to become an effective president.

Joe Biden is old enough to remember all this. In 1982 he was already a second-term senator. He might also remember that Mr Reagan, despite his sympathy for Israel, withheld delivery of F-16 fighter jets in protest over how Israel waged war in Lebanon. A decade later George Bush senior temporarily blocked $10bn in loan guarantees over the construction of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Aside from holding up one shipment of 2,000-pound bombs, Mr Biden has so far avoided such confrontations with Israel. On October 14th, though, his administration told Israel to increase the flow of aid to northern Gaza within 30 days or risk losing American military aid. That would be an effective idea to resurrect from the 1980s: America has leverage over Israel, if it chooses to use it.

Critics doubt the president will follow through, however: he has spent a year making demands of Israel only to see them ignored. After warning Israel for months against a big escalation in Lebanon, his advisers now support it; they seem to agree with Israeli officials that the invasion offers a chance to transform the region.

Indeed, talk to Middle East hands in Washington over the past month, and they often sound euphoric. Jared Kushner, Donald Trumps son-in-law and former adviser, captured the excitement with a tortured metaphor. The Middle East is too often a solid where little changes," he mused on X last month. Today, it is a liquid and the ability to reshape is unlimited."

It is not just Lebanon they hope to reshape. Perhaps regime change is back on the menu: there are discussions about whether Israel should try to topple the Assad regime, or if air strikes in Iran could collapse the Islamic republic. Its like 2003 all over again," grumbles one American diplomat in the region, referring to the heady mood around the invasion of Iraq (which ended badly for its architects).

This is a moment of change for the Middle East. But there are no easy solutions for problems that have evolved over decades. Even if General Aoun becomes president, he cannot push Hizbullah out of political life: Lebanons sectarian system ensures it will have a role.

As for the Lebanese army, it is weak because everyone wanted it to be. Its Western partners would not give it sophisticated weapons, while Hizbullah and its allies refused to let it exercise sovereignty. A new, parallel force will not change this. It will simply give Hizbullah a new targetand, perhaps, give Israeli architects reason to build a new memorial.

 2024, The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved. From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on www.economist.com
Amazon officials were expected to show up to the table for contract bargaining four days ago. But because that didn't happen, members of Teamsters started to protest outside of Amazon Fulfillment Centers across the country.
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An uninsured South African driver who struck another car and kept driving in county Longford has been disqualified for two years.

Asylum seeker Jeandree Scheepers of the International Protection Office , Mount Street, Dublin 2 pleaded guilty to driving without insurance, careless driving and failing to remain at the scene on May 18, 2023.

Sergeant Mark Mahon, court presenter, said Garda Tormey was off duty at 7.45pm when she was told by a passerby that a car had been hit by a small dark car at Terelicken, Ballymahon.

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The court heard the car had been travelling in the opposite direction and it failed to stop and there was minor damage.

Gardai investigated and established Mr Scheeper's car was involved. "There was no insurance and he left the scene, Sgt Mahon said.

The defendant had no previous convictions.

Solicitor Brid Mimnagh said her client has been living in Ireland for one year and he is employed earning 380 per week.

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Ms Mimnagh said Mr Scheeper's had been cooperative and he was likely to lose his job if disqualified.

However, Judge Owens said with the charges she was unable to use her discretion.

She imposed the driving ban and fines totalling 750 with nine months to pay.

Judge Owens also agreed to a request to postpone the ban until May 1, 2025 so he could get his affairs in order.
Longford County Council's goals for the coming term were outlined to members at the December meeting of the authority.

Local authority members were given an overview of the Chief Executive Report on the Implementation of the Longford County Council Corporate Plan (2019-2024).

Longford County Council's Corporate Plan is a strategic framework for action and sets out the vision for County Longford. Under the Local Government Acts, each local authority is required to prepare a Corporate Plan.

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The local authority says the plan is a commitment to serve, represent and lead the communities of the county.

Addressing the members Chief Executive, Paddy Mahon, said the core of the plan is to ensure Longford is a thriving county, a safer county, a greener county, a county for everyone.

Mr Mahon pointed out that the new council was established following a very professional and well run local election. The local authority has recently established a budget for the coming year and it will feature an increase of seven million euro from 2024.

Among the many events and initiatives coordinated by Longford County Council to reinforce the local authority's commitment to environmental progression within local communities was the recent green space event in Edgeworthstown, the Post Primary tech awards and the draft area plans.

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The Corporate Plan also highlights some of the many successes in the area of the arts, including the development of a number of local festivals. Longford Lights, the redevelopment of Connolly Barracks, the Longford transport plan were all flagged as initiatives the local authority will put resources into in the coming year.

Mr Mahon told members that the expansion of online options for planning applications now sees 80% of planning is completed online. Roads, tourism and business support were identified as priorities for the council.

Under the banner of 'Safer County' Longford won a National Standards Authority of Ireland award, while the Community Safety Partnership saw improvement in the roll out of community CCTV projects.

Improving crime prevention, support for fire services, and road safety are all goals of the Corporate Plan.

We are continuing to deliver energy efficient homes in our stock, Mr Mahon told the meeting.

One of the areas highlighted to show a commitment to the ethos of A County for Everyone was in the integration of Ukrainian refugees to the local community. The launch of Longford Skatepark, the Longford Tourism Strategy, Climate Action Plan, hosting the National Famine Commemoration ceremony, and the Dead of Night Festival were mentioned as snapshots of initiatives Longford County Council delivered during the year.

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Cllr Mick Cahill said Mr Mahon's report highlighted the broad spread of tasks the council is involved in, but said there have been a number of roadblocks to specific Ballymahon projects.

Cllr Paul Ross said, This comprehensive report shows the amount of work we do. Things do look good at the moment, adding that the delivery of the new civic offices will be a large focus for the local authority in the coming term.

It's good to reflect on the past success, Cllr Ross said, but we are looking forward to the future.

Cllr Seamus Butler said he would like to emphasise how important it is to progress on the plans for the N4. It's now one of the most dangerous stretches of road in the country. It's urgent that it progresses.
A 24-year-old uninsured motorist, who left the scene after crashing the vehicle she was driving and was subsequently tracked down by Gardai, has been fined.

Sinead Nic Eoin of 164 Avondale Drive, Trim, county Meath was not present at Longford District Court and her solicitor James Murphy informed Judge Bernadette Owens she had moved to Australia.

Mr Murphy stated that his client, who had a learner permit, had instructed him to plead guilty to driving without insurance.

Sergeant Mark Mahon said gardai were alerted that a single vehicle collision had occurred at Barnacor, Lanesboro at 3.30am on October 23, 2023.

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Officers went to the scene but there was nobody there.

Gardai carried out a registration check and went to the home of the registered owner where they made a lawful demand to be told who was behind the wheel.

The registered owner stated her daughter Sinead Nic Eoin was the driver.

A demand was made by officers to the defendant to produce her insurance within 10 days at a garda station of her choice, however, she failed to do so.

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Ms Nic Eoin had one previous conviction.

Mr Murphy, defending, said the defendant had a difficult background and she had been negatively influenced by another person who is currently in prison from the age of 16.

She has now moved to Australia with her brother where a better future awaits her, she said. But she did go through a period of offending despite interventions by her parents, she rebelled against all types of authority and unfortunately she finds herself in the system.

Judge Owens noted there were difficult circumstances and she imposed a 400 fine with four months to pay.
A father who left his nine-month-old child in a car for over eight hours has been handed a two year suspended sentence.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that a 35-year-old man, who cannot be named in order to protect the identity of his child, pleaded guilty to one count of child neglect at a location in the Dublin 15 area on October 21, 2023.

He has two previous convictions, one of which was for a minor road traffic matter.

Garda Sergeant Cian Logan told Maddie Grant, BL, prosecuting, that on the date in question, the defendant presented to the Clondalkin Garda Station in a distressed state and told gardai that he could not find his daughter or his car.

He told gardai that he had searched for both for several hours. He said he had been drinking and could not remember where he left the car and that his daughter was inside.

Passing sentence on Thursday, Judge Sarah Berkeley said that she had considered the contents of the probation report and that the baby, in this case, has been of paramount concern to the court throughout.

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Judge Berkeley outlined that the aggravating factors in this case is that the accused left his house with the baby in the car to buy alcohol and drugs and that he did not report the baby missing straight away. She said this was a gross breach of trust by a father.

The judge described the mitigating factors in this case as overwhelming. She said the defendant accepted full responsibility from the outset and entered an early guilty plea. She also considered his expressions of remorse, his admissions and the testimonies handed into court on his behalf.

Judge Berkeley imposed a two-year sentence, which she suspended in full for three years. She also directed that he continue to attend addiction treatment services.

At an earlier hearing, the court heard that the child's mother was away on a pre-planned trip. The defendant told gardai that he had also gone to meet someone to buy drugs. As a result of this information, the gardai launched a search that involved all available gardai from Dublin and Meath, and the gardai helicopter was deployed.

The defendant had contacted his neighbours at 9.15 pm, and they drove him around for a number of hours to try to locate both the child and the car. The gardai sought an emergency ping for the defendant's phone as he believed it may be in the car.

The mobile phone ping was located in the Dublin 15 area, and gardai began to search this location. At 4.55 am, a car was located, and an infant was seen unsecured and in a distressed state in the car.

The court heard that a window of the car was broken, and a member of the gardai climbed in and unlocked the car. The baby was shivering and observed to have blue feet and was dressed in a babygro.

The baby was wrapped in additional blankets and brought to Temple Steet Children's Hospital. The baby was changed into warmer clothes, and milk and yoghurt were given. The doctor who examined the child noted that its temperature had returned to normal but confirmed that the baby had been exposed to low temperatures.

Gda Sgt Logan said that Section 12 of the Childcare Act was evoked, and Tusla were alerted. The baby was placed in the care of other family members until the baby's mother could return back to the country, which she did immediately. The court was told that the baby made a full recovery.

A large amount of CCTV footage was harvested by gardai, which traced the defendant in different locations throughout Dublin. The court heard that the baby had been alone in the car for eight and a half hours.

The defendant was arrested, interviewed and charged. His car was seized, and traces of cocaine were found near the gear stick and in a bag at the driver's door.

Gda Sgt Logan agreed with Micheal Bowman, SC, defending, that his client admitted to gardai he had been drink-driving and did not know where his child was.

The garda agreed with counsel that the defendant presented to the garda station in a very upset and distressed state and described his child as his whole world. He further agreed that the man entered a guilty plea at the earliest possible stage.

The partner of the defendant and the mother of the child agreed with Mr Bowman that she was not aware that the defendant was a full-blown alcoholic and that he had been masking these issues.

She also agreed that she was not happy to have the defendant in the family home after the incident.

The woman told the court that her partner is a good person who has done a bad thing which should not define him and described him as a kind, caring and committed father.

Mr Bowman said that a probation report placed his client at low risk of re-offending and that no other interventions were deemed necessary by them.

Counsel said that Tusla carried out an investigation and found that the defendant was not a risk to his daughter.

He said the defendant completed a five-week residential rehabilitation programme and has now been involved with aftercare services for the past year.

The court heard that he is drug-free and tested regularly.

Mr Bowman said, The court is dealing with a very serious incident and due to efforts and intervention of the gardai stopped this from being an even more serious incident.

He handed in a number of testimonials to the court from family members on behalf of his client, who described him as someone who has grown into a loving and caring father.
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Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday announced $230 million in new assistance for conflict-torn Sudan during his likely final trip to the United Nations while in office.
Eight Palestinian children have arrived in Ireland for treatment as part of a multi-agency effort.

Ireland is to take in 30 children following an appeal from the World Health Organisation (WHO) to address the urgent health needs of people in Gaza.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly confirmed the first group of Palestinian children arrived in Dublin on Thursday evening, along with eight carers and 11 siblings.

The group travelled on a plane provided by the Slovakian government for the medical evacuation and were accompanied by three medical doctors from Irelands health service as well as a translator.

Several politicians welcomed them to Ireland including the Palestinian ambassador to Ireland, Dr Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid, and Slovakian ambassador Andrej Droba.

The group will travel to hospital for a full medical assessment on Friday before settling into their accommodation over the weekend.

The Irish Government approved the initiative in September.

The Department of Health said Ireland will opt-in on a case-by-case basis for each child requiring treatment based on its capacity.

The WHO has coordinated the evacuation of 2,300 patients through Egypt since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, which has put pressure on the countrys health system.

The patients travelling to Ireland are part of the group that was in Egypt.

Ireland is estimated to be receiving up to 30 paediatric patients in total from Gaza.

Their health needs are categorised under cancer, haemodialysis and other severe medical conditions, with the exception of orthopaedics.

Micheal Martin, Irelands deputy premier and Foreign Affairs Minister, said: The long-term impact of the physical and mental scars being inflicted on children in Gaza is unconscionable.

Ireland has continued to work with our international partners, most notably UNRWA (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees), to provide urgent assistance to people in Gaza.

The medical evacuation of children to Ireland is part of our consistent support for the people of Palestine.

I am conscious that many other critically ill patients remain in Gaza, and their requests for medical evacuation are being delayed or denied by Israeli authorities.

This denial of medical care is unacceptable and must stop.

Since the beginning of this conflict, Ireland has consistently called for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages and a massive surge of humanitarian aid, including urgent medical care for critically ill children trapped in Gaza.

This must happen. Children in Gaza cannot go into the New Year facing more serious injury and trauma.
Crime

By Chris Boyle Published: December 20 2024

Tania Gonzalez stole more than $40,000 from victims by misrepresenting herself as an immigration attorney between December 2015 and March 2020.

Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced that a Ronkonkoma woman was sentenced today to two to four years in prison for stealing more than $40,000 from undocumented immigrants seeking assistance with legal matters over the course of four years by misrepresenting herself as an immigration attorney.

Tania Gonzalez, 48, of Ronkonkoma, pleaded guilty before Judge Terrence Murphy on January 26, 2024, to one count of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree (a D felony) and one count of Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree (an E felony).

The defendant was sentenced today to two to four years in prison and payment of restitution totaling $43,525.02. NCDA recommended a sentence of two-and-a-half to five years in prison.

Tania Gonzalez exploited and deceived dozens of immigrants by claiming to be an immigration attorney and filing asylum paperwork with the federal government without their knowledge, said DA Donnelly. This defendants shameless actions cost vulnerable victims thousands of dollars over the course of four years. Todays prison sentence holds her accountable for crippling so many lives including some who may never financially recover.

DA Donnelly said that between December 2015 and March 2020, Gonzalez misrepresented herself as an immigration attorney to numerous undocumented immigrants seeking assistance, providing them with advice and giving them the impression that she had the expertise to assist them with their immigration problems. She also went by the name Tania Ayala in the past.

Gonzalez also told some victims that if they had been in the country for 10 years, they qualified for a 10-year visa, even if they had entered the country illegally. No such visa exists under Immigration Law.

The defendant requested substantial down payments from her victims and, as part of her scheme, oftentimes filed a fraudulent Application for Asylum with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) without the victims knowledge.

Gonzalez knew that USCIS would provide work authorization documents to individuals with asylum claims that are pending over six months, so that those individuals may support themselves and their families while awaiting processing of their applications. When USCIS provided employment authorization documents to Gonzalezs clients, she used the issuance of these documents to demonstrate to her victims that she was working on their cases to obtain work permits and a green card. When these asylum applications began to be processed, USCIS became aware that applications were filed without the victims knowledge and began investigating the matter.

Gonzalez received funds in excess of $40,000 from the victims as a result of this conduct. She was arrested on June 7, 2021, in Ronkonkoma by Nassau County District Attorney investigators.

The NCDA thanks the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, USCIS New York Asylum Office  Fraud Detection and National Security Unit for its dedicated assistance throughout this investigation.
Local News

By Chris Boyle Published: December 20 2024

Will Be Honored Monday for Tireless Commitment to the Community.

Sid Jacobson JCC proudly announces that Susan Berman, Associate Executive Director, Community Engagement, will be bestowed a New York State Proclamation from Assemblywoman Gina Sillitti this Monday, December 23, 12pm, at our Annex, located at 200 Forest Drive, Suite 11, in East Hills.

This prestigious honor recognizes Susans decade-long commitment to building impactful programs that address the communitys most pressing needs. Through her leadership, she has expanded volunteer initiatives at SJJCC, brought awareness to social justice issues, and fostered partnerships that deliver meaningful solutions to individuals and families across Long Island.

Our Center [for Community Engagement] is a vibrant place of constant activity, where even the smallest acts of kindness serve as reminders of our resilience and compassion, Berman said. In todays world, it really is a privilege to do this work every day.

Since arriving at SJJCC in 2013, Susan has shaped our Center for Community Engagement (CCE) into a cornerstone for community action. At the heart of her work lies CCEs three pillars: the Linda and Gerald Marsden Social Responsibility Pillar, Volunteerism, and our Nikki Schwartz Memorial Community Needs Bank (CNB), a vital resource addressing food insecurity and providing essential supplies to residents across Long Island and Queens.

Operating as both a collection site and re-distribution organization for Island Harvest, the Bankthrough the tireless work of community volunteers and neurodivergent participants in our Life Skills Training Centerdelivers thousands of pounds of food, household goods, and personal care items to underserved populations each year.

Building on the impact of our Community Needs Bank, initiatives such as Curb Your Mitzvah, a monthly effort to re-stock CNBs shelves while promoting community-driven themes, and the Lunch Box, in which volunteers prepare nutritious meals curated by a licensed nutritionist for safe distribution, have become crucial components of the Centers efforts.

These programs, along with organizing seasonal drives and numerous other volunteer projects, showcase Susans innovative approach to inspiring meaningful change.

Assemblywoman Gina Sillitti praised Susans extraordinary dedication: Susan has been a consistent presence throughout my entire time in office. Weve worked together on food drives, toy collections, and most notably, the Empathy Walk program that united Jewish and Asian high school students. Susan is the epitome of a selfless community organizer who makes a true impact on peoples lives every day. It is an honor to know her.

Sid Jacobson JCCs Executive Director David Black added: Very few people rise to the level of community service and purpose as Susan Berman. Her humanity uplifts humanity every day!

The ceremony, to be held at our Nikki Schwartz Memorial Community Needs Bank, will celebrate Susans extraordinary contributions and her lasting legacy of service, advocacy, and compassion.

About Sid Jacobson JCC

Sid Jacobson JCC (sjjcc.org) in East Hills provides a full range of cutting-edge recreational, health, fitness, educational, cultural arts, and social service programs. SJJCC promotes Jewish identity and provides a comprehensive program based on Jewish values, traditions, heritage, and culture, and is committed to enriching the lives of all individuals and families in its community. See community differently, Like the JCC on Facebook (facebook.com/sidjacobsonjcc).

Sid Jacobson JCC is a beneficiary agency of the UJA Federation of New York.
Local News

By Chris Boyle Published: December 20 2024

Continues To Fulfill Commitment To Grant Clemency on a Rolling Basis.

Governor Kathy Hochul today granted clemency to 22 individuals, including 21 pardons and one commutation. This action recognizes individuals demonstrating remorse, exemplifying rehabilitation and displaying a commitment to improving themselves and their communities. After implementing procedural reforms to strengthen the clemency process, Governor Hochul has made a total of 94 grants of clemency during her time in office.

Upon taking office, I implemented a series of reforms to bring additional transparency and accountability to the clemency process, Governor Hochul said. I will continue working with law enforcement, victims rights groups, prosecutors, reform advocates and all stakeholders to ensure this process is operationalized responsibly.

The Governor's Office has taken a number of steps to improve transparency and communication in the clemency process. The Executive Clemency Bureau has implemented a new policy of sending regular letters to individuals with clemency applications, informing them of their case status, and providing information about how to submit supplemental information in support of their applications. The Governor's Office also launched an updated online web hub to assist clemency applicants with the application process; this hub includes template clemency application forms for both pardons and commutations to provide prospective applicants with improved guidance about what information to include when they apply.

The Governor also convened a Clemency Advisory Panel comprised of impartial experts to assist in advising the Governor on clemency applications. Following recommendations from the Clemency Advisory Panel, Governor Hochul is granting pardons to 21 individuals and commuting the sentences of one individual.

Pardons

The individuals granted pardons today have all lived crime-free lives for over a decade  and in many cases several decades  and have demonstrated positive contributions to their communities. Several of today's pardon recipients were convicted of an offense while living in New York State, but have since relocated to other states. The individuals receiving pardons have continued to have their lives impacted by their criminal convictions. The Governors pardons will help alleviate these challenges.

Tina Belton-Pittman, 57, has lived a crime-free life for 28 years. Ms. Belton-Pittman was convicted of Attempted Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree in 1996.

Sabino De Los Santos, 59, has lived a crime-free life for 25 years. Mr. De Los Santos was convicted of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Seventh Degree in 1999.

Leroy Byfield, 70, has lived a crime-free life for 29 years. Mr. Byfield was convicted of Attempted Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Seventh Degree in 1993.

Bienvenido Padilla Pichardo, 46, has lived a crime-free life for 17 years. Mr. Padilla Pichardo was convicted of Criminal Facilitation in the Fourth Degree in 2007.

Efigenia Canelo, 61, has lived a crime-free life for 23 years. Ms. Canelo was convicted of Attempted Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree in 2001.

Jose Zorrilla Filpo, 42, has lived a crime-free life for 19 years. Mr. Zorrilla Filpo was convicted of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Fourth Degree in 2005.

Julio Cuello Guzman, 62, has lived a crime-free life for 25 years. Mr. Cuello Guzman was convicted of Attempted Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree in 1999.

Marlon Baksh, 64, has lived a crime-free life for 20 years. Mr. Baksh was convicted of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fifth Degree in 2004.

Gene Lovick, 68, has lived a crime-free life for 44 years. Mr. Lovick was convicted of Attempted Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree in 1980.

Ayisha Ingram-Mincey, 45, has lived a crime-free life for 26 years. Ms. Ingram-Mincey was convicted of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree in 1998.

Timothy OBrien, 74, has lived a crime-free life for 46 years. Mr. OBrien was convicted of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree in 1978 and Possession of a Dangerous Drug in the Sixth Degree in 1971.

Jaime Restrepo, 49, has lived a crime-free life for 22 years. Mr. Restrepo was convicted of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree in 2002.

Luis Sanchez, 62, has lived a crime-free life for 38 years. He was convicted of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree and Attempted Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the First Degree in 1986.

Pablo Pulido, 59, has lived a crime-free life for 19 years. He was convicted of Assault in the Third Degree in 2005 and Attempted Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree in 1987.

Jose Gonzalez, 65, has lived a crime-free life for 33 years. Mr. Gonzalez was convicted of Attempted Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree in 1991.

Roderick Johnson, 61, has lived a crime-free life for 35 years. Mr. Johnson was convicted of Attempted Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree in 1989.

Shivlall Parbhoo, 41, has lived a crime-free life for 23 years. Mr. Parbhoo was convicted of Attempted Robbery in the First Degree and Attempted Robbery in the Second Degree in 2001.

Herbert Martin, 62, has lived a crime-free life for 43 years. Mr. Martin was convicted of Burglary in the Third Degree in 1981.

Alyssa Depew, 35, has lived a crime-free life for 13 years. Ms. Depew was convicted of Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree in 2011.

Troy Stevenson, 59, has lived a crime-free life for 35 years. Mr. Stevenson was convicted of Insurance Fraud in the Third Degree in 1989.

Gary Williams, 55, has lived a crime-free life for 35 years. Mr. Williams was convicted of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree in 1989.

Commutation

The individual granted a commutation today has demonstrated remorse and a commitment to rehabilitation. He has served a significant length of his original sentence, and during that time has become a mentor to others and engaged in activities to improve his life and the lives of others around him.

Trevers Jackson, 57, was convicted of Enterprise Corruption, Burglary in the Second Degree, and associated charges in 2004 and was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. He has served nearly 22 years of that sentence. Mr. Jacksons sentence is being commuted to allow him an earlier opportunity to appear before the Parole Board so that the board can make a determination about whether he is suitable for parole.
Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov speaking at the ministrys end-of-year board meeting on December 16, 2024. (Russian MOD)

On Monday, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov unveiled plans to form a new military branch focused on unmanned systems. His announcement, which follows a similar Ukrainian move earlier this year, reflects both the critical role drones now play on the battlefield and a desire to institutionalize and systemize Russian evolutions related to these systems.

In accordance with the instructions of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, it is proposed to form a new branch called the Unmanned Systems Forces (USF), Belousov said during the Ministry of Defenses (MOD) annual end-of-year board session. He added that the USF would be stood up in the third quarter of 2025, pending approval from President Vladimir Putin. The USFs name suggests it will deal with other types of unmanned systems beyond unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), but Belousov did not provide details.

Belousov also didnt specify where the USF will fit within the Russian military. The Russian Armed Forces include three services (vidy): the Ground Forces, Navy, and Aerospace Forces. They comprise various branches of arms (roda voysk), such as the motor rifle troops under the Ground Forces. There are also two independent branches of arms (roda voysk)the Airborne Forces and the Strategic Rocket Forcesand, separately, the Special Operations Forces and the Material-Technical Support system. Belousov referred to the USF as a branch of arms (rod voysk) but did not say whether it would be independent. Some Russian experts have suggested it will be independent, like the Ukrainian model.

Exactly when Moscow began mulling the USFs creation is unclear. The idea has received growing public support among Russian experts in recent months, including in a September 2024 open letter to Belousov allegedly written on behalf of Russian drone specialists and developers. In late November, Putin revealed that the Russian Defense Ministry and General Staff were considering the matter. Putin added that Belousov dealt with drones in his previous position as first deputy prime minister and was pondering the question of creating a new branch in collaboration with professional military officers, suggesting the minister may have championed the USFs creation.

Earlier, the MOD announced that Belousov had personally ordered the establishment of the new Rubicon Center of Advanced Unmanned Technologies in August, formed on the basis of an existing drone unit operating in Ukraine. In addition to its combat detachments, the center trains operators and instructors from other units and works on research and development in cooperation with Russian developers, the MOD said. During a visit to Rubicon in October, Belousov ordered it to form five more combat detachments in addition to the two already created.

During the visit, Belousov appeared to hint at the open question of whether to form an unmanned systems branch. He also said Russia needs to update its military education and training programs and military occupational specialties to reflect evolutions related to unmanned systems during the full-scale wara message he repeated during his speech earlier this week. Belousov said Rubicon would serve as a prototype to help find an answer to these questions. Rubicon may now serve as the foundation for standing up the USF.

The creation of Rubicon and the USF likely reflects Moscows efforts to systematize training, force structure, capability development, procurement, and provisioning related to unmanned systems. Volunteer organizations and start-ups, along with ad hoc improvisation by individual units, have played a leading role in these areas (and others) since the full-scale war began. These initiatives have been critical for Russias war effort but have also yielded fragmentation and unevenness across units. Official structures have gradually assumed more of a role over time, but significant gaps remain.

Belousov alluded to some of them. His comments correspond with issues recently raised by Russian war correspondents and experts, who argue the USFs creation will help solve these problems. Reportedly, the Russian militarys official list of specialties still does not reflect many of the drone-related positions that have emerged during the full-scale war. Also, many UAV units and positions created since the war began are not included within their parent units official table of organization and equipmentdespite playing a critical role in combat operations. In addition, some commanders reportedly lack a proper understanding of drones and how to employ UAV units, which themselves sometimes are not properly trained and equipped.

One of the consequences, Russian observers say, is that some commanders have been able to reassign personnel from drone units to assault roles with impunity since the drone units dont officially exist and UAV personnel are technically listed under other specialties. This issue gained widespread attention in September when a pair of well-known drone specialists were killed after an infantry regiment commander allegedly disbanded their drone platoon and sent them on an assault as a form of punishment.

The scandal forced the MOD to announce a formal investigation, which Belousov promised to oversee personally. According to one pro-Kremlin correspondent, the investigation led Belousov to order the General Staff to develop proposals on codifying drone units within maneuver units. A few days later, the widow of one of the drone specialists said she had learned his regiment would indeed get a drone platoon within its official structure.

Moscow is looking to institutionalize and build on the lessons learned and adaptations in Ukraine. If done well, this could help the Russian military. At the same time, a heavy-handed approach could stifle bottom-up innovation and disrupt volunteer units that are working well.

A key question is whom Moscow will tap to lead the new branch. Kyiv did well in selecting a young, innovative commander with a good understanding of unmanned systems. Time will tell whether Russia does the same.

John Hardie is the deputy director of FDDs Russia Program and a contributor to FDD's Long War Journal.
Garbage truck drivers in Queensland have taken industrial action with more planned next week. And thousands of residents are being left with overflowing bins.

A workers strike has meant thousands of residents have been left with unemptied bins in Queensland. Source: 7News

Thousands of residents may be forced to deal with overflowing bins during the Christmas break, as a dispute between garbage truck drivers and a major Queensland council continues to boil over.

In recent days, streets throughout the western suburbs of the city of Ipswich have been littered with rubbish as bins have been left uncollected. Workers, with help from the union, are fighting for better pay conditions and are taking industrial action to achieve it.

Workers will strike again on Friday for the third time in seven days as they insist on better pay. According to reports, two more days of industrial action are planned next week meaning bins will continue to overflow during Christmas week.

It's understood residents in 11 suburbs across the Ipswich area have been impacted by the strikes. That's roughly 18,000 homes, according to council. However reports suggest as many as 60,000 bins have so far been left uncollected.

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According to The Courier Mail, strike action on Monday and Tuesday will result in a total of about 120,000 missed bin collections.

Thousands of bins have been left unemptied with more action slated for next week. Source: 7News

'Stinking' bins infuriating residents

Residents in the area are growing frustrated by the mess with one telling 7News "our bins reek and we have nappies."

Another said the streets are "definitely stinking" with the summer heat making matters worse.

Some are resorting to taking their bins to the tip to be emptied, with no other option.

Other locals described it as an "absolute joke", urging council to solve the issue. "I might leave our bin on Councils doorsteps, see if they like it," one person was quoted as saying in the Local Ipswich News.

Josh Millroy from the Transport Workers Union Qld said workers were asking for a 15 per cent pay rise increase over three years, or $1.76 extra per hour, and are continuing to negotiate with council to get it.

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According to council, three unions rejected an Ipswich City Council bargaining offer and instead announced further industrial action which was carried out this week.

"Its disappointing that these three unions are continuing interruptions to residents bin collection services," Councils Acting Chief Executive Officer Matt Smith said.

Workers in Adelaide are also threatening industry action which would potentially leave some 80,000 homes with overflowing bins. Source: 7News

Another Aussie city at risk of bin strike

Meanwhile, further south in Adelaide, workers in the northern suburbs are threatening the same action. They too want better pay conditions.

They're reportedly threatening to walk off the job in early January if pay requests aren't met. Doing so would leave up to 80,000 homes in the state without rubbish collection.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Whether it is because of the anti-mass tourism protests, the new accommodation registration scheme or the overall rise in hotel rates, Mallorca appears to be struggling in the UK holiday market. According to the latest research by trtl, Cyprus is currently the most searched for destination followed by Ibiza, Nice and then Mallorca.

While when it comes to travel in 2025, ABTA says more people are looking to expand their horizons with trips to more far flung and less familiar destinations. Thats according to ABTAs new report, Travel Trends for 20251, which shows that more than a third (34.2%) of people are planning to visit long-haul locations outside of Europe and North America (up from 28.2% last year).

Using a seedlist of popular holiday destinations, trtl analysed the number of monthly Google search results for each location to reveal the top 10 spots for a getaway in 2025.

And they are: 1st: Cyprus  9,000 searches

Ibiza  6,700 searches

Nice  5,000 searches

Mallorca  4,000 searches

Barcelona  3,500 searches

Split  3,000 searches

Malta  2,300 searches

Mykonos  2,300 searches

Algarve  1,600 searches

Amalfi Coast  1,100 searches

Santorini  1,000 searches

And, according to ABTA, Asia is the continent set to welcome the biggest year-on-year rise in visitors, with one in 10 (11%) people planning to travel there in the year ahead (up from 8.9% the year before). Japan, Thailand, India and China are among the top locations that people plan to visit.

Africa and Oceania2 are also set for a significant rise in visitors, welcoming 7% (up from 5.1%) and 6% (up from 4.3%) respectively, with the latter being driven largely by plans to travel to Australia.

ABTAs research also suggests that many trips in 2025 may be baecations, as people are increasingly choosing to travel with their partners  or baes3  over anyone else. 44% of travellers said they went on holiday with their significant other in the past 12 months, up from 40% the year before.

Its not just couples without children who are travelling in twos, 29% of parents4 treated themselves to a baecation in the past 12 months, up from 21% last year.

ABTA predicts that five-star stays will also be big next year, particularly for Gen Z. More than one in five (22%) of Gen Z say theyre planning to spend more on their holidays next year so they can upgrade their accommodation, compared with 14% of Millennials, 11% of Baby Boomers and 8% of Gen X.

It follows on from an increase in Gen Zs taking five star trips this year - 47% of this group said they stayed in five-star accommodation when holidaying abroad this past year (up from 37% the year before). That compares with the overall average of 35% of people who went on a holiday abroad stayed in five-star accommodation, which had also increased, up from 30% the year before.

Graeme Buck, Director of Communications at ABTA  The Travel Association, said: More people are looking to travel abroad in 2025, and our report shows that many are looking for new experiences.

Our advice for anyone thinking of going away is to speak to an ABTA travel agent or tour operator. They are experts at turning peoples plans into their ideal break and can offer any support or guidance needed along the way.
Severe weather events across Australia continue impacting the tourism industry, with one campground owner telling Yahoo 'business has dropped 75 per cent'.

Campers in Queensland have also detailed their washed out experience with teh state copping immense rainfall this this week. Source: TikTok/emily_hawkins99 and harmony.l.l.berry

Aussies who enjoy caravan or camping adventures are on high alert as unpredictable weather events have devastating impacts, even cancelling Christmas plans.

While a little rain or warmer conditions might be expected in parts of the country over the festive season, some fear severe weather events experienced recently are turning Aussies off travelling for good.

Videos on social media this week show Aussies being washed out by severe rainfall and storms sweeping across Queensland and Western Australia. But it's also having a huge impact on tourism operators across the country.

Campground owner suffers 'devastating' loss

Thomas Ebersoll has owned and run a campground in Newnes, a remote area in New South Wales, for 26 years. He has four cabins and a large campground situated at the base of the Wolgan Valley which was once popular among tourists.

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But a "succession of landslides and rockfalls" in 2022 wiped out the only access road to his property, and everything else in the valley, he told Yahoo News.

While a temporary access road was put in in 2023, Ebersoll says "business has dropped 75 per cent" since the "devastating" 2022 weather event  and nothing he does can boost business again.

Thomas Ebersoll with his wife Helen and their daughter Marianna at the NSW campground. Source: Supplied

"We used to get bus loads of people. It was a very popular destination," he told Yahoo. "But now people just find it too complicated. They're often put off"

The 70-year-old, who is hoping to soon retire, said not only has it had a "huge impact" on people visiting, but he can't get workers at his property. He's since resorted to cleaning the cabins himself, when he manages to hire them out.

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It's had a "huge effect on the entire community that lives in the valley". "People are stuck, they can't sell their properties because you can't sell a property without road access," he said.

The only access road descending into the valley no longer exists. Source: Supplied

Recent weather wreaks havoc on travel plans

This week, Western Australia's Pilbara region has been hit with severe thunderstorms alongside extreme heat. The drastic weather forced several roads and the Karijini National Park closed with flood warnings in place.

One woman who'd travelled more than 10 hours on a tour bus said she arrived at her Karijini accommodation to find it had been "crushed by a tree". Nearby gorges  which the area is known for  were also closed.

Despite this, she still had a good time, she said.

A woman visiting Western Australia's Karijini National Park detailed her nightmare experience after severe thunderstorms and flooding swept over the area. Source: TikTok/emily_hawkins99

Heavy rainfall and flash flooding washing out Aussie campsites

Across the country, Queensland has also been inundated with heavy rainfall and flash flooding, amid predictions parts of the state will experience the wettest December in over a decade.

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One woman visiting Queensland's K'gari, or Fraser Island, for the first time showed how the unexpected weather completely wiped out her campsite. Her tent and belongings were seen partially submerged in a pool of water.

"We went with family who usually [go] in Dec and have had no problems," she said. "We checked [the] weather so many times before arriving and it said only a little rain [was expected] and that the rest will clear up".

Another man camping in a swag was washed out while attempting to enjoy an outdoor adventure at an undisclosed Queensland location. He was filmed scooping water out of the sack designed for sleeping using a plastic plate while standing ankle-deep in muddy rainwater.

He said it's an "annual reminder" to properly waterproof camping gear ahead of a trip. But the wild summer weather has led some to believe "it impossible to camp anymore".

'Worsening extreme weather' threatening holiday plans

An Essential Research survey for the Climate Council recently found 61 per cent of Australians are concerned about unnatural disasters disrupting their summer holidays. As a result, many are choosing to travel in cooler months, or ditching inland locations in favour of coastal adventures.

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Climate Councillor Professor Lesley Hughes said, worsening extreme weather events are threatening our treasured holiday plans and endangering our way of life."

"More intense and frequent unnatural disasters are turning Australian summers from a season of joy to a season of dread," he said.

"Aussie families know that even as they head away for an end of year break, the chances of plans being disrupted by floods, storms, heatwaves or bushfires are increasing each year."

While a chance of intense tropical cyclones is already threatening northern hotspots throughout Queensland this summer, it's feared "hotter than average days and hot nights" can put parts of southern Australia at risk of fires.

Already this season, bushfires have ravaged the Grampians National Park, a popular camping spot in Victoria. The fire grew from 500 hectares to 5,000 hectares in just 24 hours on Thursday, the ABC reported.

It's resulted in many tourists cancelling their Christmas holiday plans, with mass cancellations putting strain on tourism operators including local caravan parks.

Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment?  Get our new newsletter showcasing the weeks best stories.
A Boston man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for sex trafficking and drug charges, years after he preyed on women out of a tent, United States Attorney Joshua Levys office announced Thursday.

Jonathan Vaughan, aka Ason, 38, was also sentenced to five years of supervised release after his prison sentence, Levys office said in a statement.

In September 2024, he pleaded guilty to three counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, two counts of transportation of an individual for purposes of prostitution and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine.

From around June 2019 to October 2021, Vaughan operated out of a tent in the Boston area and Cape Cod, taking women from Massachusetts to other states, Levys office said. He trafficked three women for commercial sex acts and took two of them out of state, and forced at least two women to solicit themselves outdoors.

The defendant referred to himself as Ason the Pimp, has a tattoo across his chest that states Pimp or Die, and wrote music in which he glorified his work as a pimp and the objectification of women, the statement read.

He allowed the woman to bring dates back to his tent so he could receive the proceeds of the commercial sex acts, Levys office said. Women were recruited from in and around Mass and Cass, Downtown Crossing and on the internet, including Facebook. He brought the women to hotels in Boston, Chelsea, Saugus, Cape Cod, Queens and Manhattan.

Vaughan used physical and sexual violence against women to manipulate them and assert power and control over them, the statement read.

During his arrest on Oct. 13, 2021, Vaughan was found with 15 bags of cocaine meant for distribution, Levys office said.

Jonathan Vaughan will now pay a very heavy price for exploiting his victims vulnerabilities and using forcing them to sell their bodies for his financial gain, said Levy in the statement. This office and our federal, state and local partners are putting substantial resources into combatting the dehumanizing sex trafficking industry and this lengthy sentence is a message to everyone involved in preying on women that there are very serious consequences to this conduct.
An East Boston man was charged with a dozen counts of animal cruelty at his appearance in a Boston courthouse on Thursday, Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Haydens office announced.

Armani Doshi, 27, was charged with six counts of animal cruelty and six counts of animal cruelty by custodian. Judge Debra Delvecchio ordered he be held on $100 bail, revoking his bail for 60 days on a pending Chelsea District Court case where he threatened a judge, Haydens office said in a statement.

Between September and December, the Animal Rescue League of Boston, the Massachusetts State Police and Boston Animal Control received several reports about Doshi abusing and cruelly treating a 10- to 12-month-old female German Shepherd.

Witnesses reported several incidents of abuse outside Doshis apartment complex, hearing the dog crying throughout the day and seeing him walk the dog by holding it in a headlock as it walked on the dogs hind legs, Haydens office said. Other witnesses saw him lie on her neck while barking in public spaces.

Maintenance workers in his building saw bite marks on a door frame, a wall and the inside of the door while the workers fixed a closet, the statement read. The dog was usually locked in the closet with no light, food or water.

With the information they received, investigators sought a warrant for Doshis arrest, Haydens office said. The dog was taken on Thursday by the Animal Rescue Legion of Boston.

During the holiday season, many pets receive even more attention and affection from the families who love and care for them, Hayden said in his statement. But there are always the heartbreaking exceptions, and we will hold people accountable for cruel and abusive behavior whenever we can.
A Saugus man is in federal custody and charged in connection with embezzling $180,000 in bank funds while working as a teller at TD Bank, United States Attorney Joshua Levys office announced on Thursday.

Derek Aut, 28, was charged by criminal complaint with embezzlement by a bank employee, Levys office said in a statement.

Aut was arrested on Wednesday and was released on conditions following his initial appearance in federal court in Boston.

He stole from the bank accounts of two TD Bank customers, the statement read. When one of the customers saw that money was missing from her account, Aut tried to cover up his theft by taking money from another persons account, depositing into the womans account, Levys office said.

The charge of embezzlement by a bank employee provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a $1 million fine.
The Letters to Santa mailbox outside Stephanie and Mark Sabourins Bridgewater home is probably not the first decoration most people notice when they visit her dazzling outdoor Christmas display.

Fans of the Christmas classic National Lampoons Christmas Vacation probably spot the dummy Clark Griswold hanging off the side of her house, which is complete with a fallen ladder and string of Christmas lights.

But while the Sabourins other decorations may be flashier, the North Pole Post Express mailbox stands out for a different reason  its making a difference in the Bridgewater community.

The Sabourins have a massive outdoor Christmas decoration display at their home in Bridgewater.Courtesy of Stephanie Sabourin

It all started last year when Stephanie Sabourin stumbled upon the mailbox at Lowes and decided it would be a nice addition to her decoration display.

It started out as Oh, its just like a cute little Christmas decoration. Well pop it on the lawn with the rest, she said. But we found that people started using it.

Children from all around the Bridgewater area started using the mailbox to send their letters to the North Pole. The Sabourins delighted in reading the letters, which soon sparked an idea  what if they took on the role of Santa for local families in need?

The couple discussed how they might pull this off, and eventually decided that, instead of buying presents for their six adult children that year, they would use the mailbox to take requests for a few local children whose parents were struggling to afford Christmas gifts, Stephanie Sabourin said.

Weve had good times and bad times over the years. Sometimes the hardest hit are the people that fall somewhere in the middle. They may not qualify for services elsewhere, she said.

Bridgewater residents Stephanie and Mark Sabourin use their "Letters to Santa" decoration mailbox to provide gifts to local families in need.Courtesy of Stephanie Sabourin

So Stephanie Sabourin posted on social media about the mailbox, explaining that families who need help affording Christmas gifts can request it by leaving a letter in the mailbox. They neednt explain or identify themselves or their situation, they would just include their address, their childs first name and a list of desired gifts, she said.

If we can help to ease the burden of just a couple of presents, sometimes what isnt that big of a lift for us can make a big difference  we hope  for some of these other people, she said.

The Sabourins received a tremendous response to their offer and ended up providing gifts to 37 families  many of which had more than one child, Stephanie Sabourin said. The couple bought three presents per child, so all in all, they gifted over 110 presents.

As the letters rolled in, we were like Man, theres clearly a need, she said.

Gifting all these presents was extremely time consuming, Stephanie Sabourin said. They had to run out to several different stores, make sure Amazon delivered the gifts on time, wrap each one and then deliver them to 37 homes. The Sabourins also didnt want to ruin the illusion of Santa for the children, so Stephanie Sabourins sister ended up writing a story to explain why the gifts werent being delivered the traditional way.

The Sabourins use their "Letters to Santa" mailbox decoration to take requests for gifts for children in need in the Bridgewater community.Courtesy of Stephanie Sabourin

The story detailed how the Grinch stole the gifts from the North Pole, but had been caught by Santas elf rangers, who caused him to have a change of heart, Stephanie Sabourin said. As a result, the Grinch decided to make things right by delivering the gifts himself.

The story was left at each home as a note from the Grinch along with the presents, Stephanie Sabourin said.

To sell the story, Mark Sabourin dressed up as the Grinch to deliver the gifts, Stephanie Sabourin said. Most families did not answer the door over the course of the two delivery days, but Mark Sabourin met with the families that were home and performed his role for many doorbell cameras.

It became how we spent our entire month of December last year, and we loved every minute of it, his wife said.

The Sabourins use their "Letters to Santa" mailbox decoration to take requests for gifts for children in need in the Bridgewater community. Mark Sabourin delivers the presents as the Grinch.Courtesy of Stephanie Sabourin

After having such a great a great experience last year, the Sabourins are playing Santa again this year. Theyre not sure exactly how much help theyll be able to provide, but Stephanie Sabourin said theyll provide as gifts for as many families as possible.

Families in the Bridgewater area who need help buying Christmas gifts for their children can visit the Letters to Santa mailbox outside 752 Plymouth St. in Bridgewater to request help. Letters should include your childs first name, the address at which the gifts should be delivered and a list of requested gifts. The Sabourins do not provide cash gifts or gifts for adults.
A 23-year-old man from Lawrence was sentenced up to 26 years in prison on Thursday for his role in a fatal drive-by shooting at a backyard gathering in 2020.

Miguel Angel Vega Rodriguez pled guilty to a slew of charges in Essex County Superior Court on Dec. 19, including voluntary manslaughter, according to the district attorneys office.

Vega Rodriguez was ordered to serve a total of 22 to 26 years in state prison followed by three years of probation, during which he cannot contact victims or witnesses, own a gun or ammunition and must find stable employment.

The charges stem from a shooting on May 3, 2020, that killed Delvis Paulino-Fernandez, 26, of Lawrence, the district attorneys office said.

There had been a group of people gathered outside a home at 141 Newton St. in Lawrence when bullets came flying from a car driving by, a spokesperson for the district attorney said at the time. Two other people were hurt in the incident.

Another man, Hector Baez, 27, of Haverhill and Lawrence, pled guilty in connection with the shooting and received an identical sentence from the same judge last year.

Vegas full list of charges includes voluntary manslaughter, two counts of armed assault to murder, two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury and carrying a firearm without a license.

Following this guilty plea, Miguel Vega Rodriguez will now face the consequences for his terrible actions, said District Attorney Paul F. Tucker.

I greatly appreciate all those who have worked diligently on this case. I would especially like to thank the family of Delvis Paulino-Fernandez, who will not be forgotten, Tucker said.

The case was investigated by local and state police, and the prosecution was led by Alexander Grimes on behalf of the Commonwealth with prosecutors A.J. Camelio and Emily Mello.
Party City is shutting down all of its stores after being in business for more than 40 years, according to CNN.

The CEO of the company, Barry Litwin, told corporate employees that Friday, Dec. 20 would be their last day at the company, CNN reported. The staff wont get any severance pay and their benefits will end that day as the company shutters.

There are 20 Party City stores across Massachusetts, including in Chicopee, Leominster, Natick and Brighton, according to the stores website.

Party City Holdings, Inc. filed for bankruptcy in January 2023. The company then emerged out of Chapter 11 in September with $800 million in debt, according to Bloomberg News.

The party retailer faced significant issues when people stopped having parties during the COVID-19 pandemic, Patch.com reported. The company also said helium shortages and competition from big-box retailers and pop-up stores hurt them financially.
For thousands of Massachusetts residents, midnight on Jan. 1 will mean more than the onset of a new year  itll also signal the loss of health insurance coverage at several hospitals and their affiliated providers.

Tufts Health Direct, one of the most affordable health insurance plans offered through the states marketplace, is ending in-network coverage for UMass Memorial Health and Boston Childrens Hospital, resulting in thousands of individuals and families scrambling to find new providers or insurance plans entirely.

Approximately 17,000 patients at UMass Memorial Health will be impacted. The number at Boston Childrens is around 5,000.

Point32Health, the states second-largest insurer that owns Tufts Health and Harvard Pilgrim Health, informed Tufts Health Direct members in late October of the upcoming changes. The insurer hasnt been able to reach an agreement on a new contract with UMass Memorial Health or Boston Childrens Hospital despite our best efforts, it said in a statement to MassLive.

The providers determined that for this product, Tufts Health Direct, they cannot accept the rate necessary to offer affordable coverage to these individuals who receive premium support due to low income, a spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, the health care systems have cited Point32Health wanting to pay lower, unsustainable reimbursement rates.

A third hospital system could be affected, as well. Yet to be seen is the outcome of negotiations between Point32Health and Tenet Healthcare Corp., which owns Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester and MetroWest Medical Center in Framingham and Natick. Those talks remain ongoing, while the parties trade barbs via public statements and in the media.

FILE  A woman walks past a sign outside the Boston Children's Hospital, Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)AP

New providers or new insurance

The stalemate in negotiations came in time for open enrollment season, when residents can make coverage choices for 2025 via the Massachusetts Health Connector, the states marketplace for health and dental insurance, through Jan. 23.

It also comes at a juncture where the state is already plagued by a primary care shortage and sees some of the highest per-capita personal health care spending in the nation.

Last year, Dr. Barbara Spivak, then-president of the Massachusetts Medical Society, said the dearth of primary care physicians in the state was no longer a looming threat, but rather a major public health crisis.

While its likely that many patients of UMass Memorial Health and Boston Childrens will make different 2025 coverage choices given the news from Point32Health, complicating matters is affordability. Tufts Health Direct plans have some the most affordable monthly premiums on the marketplace.

A review by MassLive of 2025 coverage offerings found Tufts Health Direct plans for a single person (dependent on zip code and income) range from $346-$668 per month, while plans through competitor Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, for example, range from $570-$1,067.

What the health systems say

UMass Memorial Health is the largest health care system in Central Massachusetts. In addition to its flagship UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, it also operates the HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital and Marlborough Hospital.

A spokesperson for UMass Memorial Health said it was mutually agreed between parties that the contract with Tufts Health Public Plans for its Qualified Health Plan (QHP) product offered through the Massachusetts Health Connector would not be extended.

Enrolled patients were sent letters ahead of the annual open enrollment period, advising them of other health options available to them through the Connector which will provide continued access to UMass Memorial Health providers.

UMass Memorial Health continues to negotiate a new commercial contract for private insurance with Point32Health ahead of expiration on Dec. 31.

The spokesperson also clarified that UMass Memorial Health also maintains a separate contract with Point32Health for their Medicare Advantage products (Tufts Medicare Preferred and Harvard Pilgrim Stride), which remains in effect.

Eric Dickson, chief executive of UMass Memorial, told the Boston Globe last month that Point32Health wanted to pay a lower reimbursement rate for Tufts Health Direct members than UMass Memorial could afford. The health system would have lost money on every patient we saw and every patient we hospitalized and every patient we operated on, he said to the Globe.

A spokesperson for Boston Childrens Hospital, which is the main pediatric training and research hospital of Harvard Medical School, said they were unable to reach an agreement on renewal terms.

Tufts Health Direct will, however, offer a 30-day continuity of care period for primary care until Jan. 30, 2025.

We want to reassure our patients that we are here to support them during this transition, and assist them in their efforts to access the care they need, the Boston Childrens spokesperson said. We have reached out to patients to provide guidance on their options and ways to continue to receive care from their Boston Childrens affiliated providers.

Patients who keep Tufts Health Direct may still be able receive treatment at Childrens out of network with prior authorization if alternate care is unavailable from the plans other providers.

If you are a patient who is impacted, please contact reporter Hadley Barndollar at hbarndollar@masslive.com to share your experience.
Tiki, a 20-year-old blind black-and-white cat, likes to roam about outdoors. But this time, he caused a scare after he was seen on ice floating in a Massachusetts pond and then fell in.

Tiki has an alert passerby and a couple of nearby construction workers to thank for his rescue.

The crackling happened, and I was like, hysterical, passerby Dawn Felicani recalled Thursday. And all of a sudden, it fell in! Its little head was sticking out! Im in tears, and Im freaking out.

She called first responders and a local animal control officer in Westford on Monday.

One of two construction workers at a neighboring house hopped into a rowboat and the other pushed him out and helped him navigate Nabnasset Pond. The worker in the boat used a shovel as he moved to break through the ice and fetched the cat from the water.

Tiki was taken inside, toweled off and wrapped in blankets.

Animal control officer Kirsten Hirschler said in a news release that Tiki was shivering, lethargic and in shock. He was taken to a veterinarian. Hirschler said Tikis temperature was so low it didnt even register on the thermometer.

In this image provided by Dawn Felicani, Tiki, a 20-year-old blind cat, walks on the thin ice of Nabnasset Pond, before being rescued, Monday Dec. 16, 2024, in Westford, Mass.(Dawn Felicani via AP)

She said she believed that Tiki might have been chased onto the ice by a predator and found himself stuck there. He usually doesnt venture that far, his owner, John Arden, said Thursday.

Tiki is doing well and is acting like nothing ever happened, Arden said.

He and his wife have owned Tiki since he was a kitten. Hes been blind for about a year, but still gets about fine.

Hes pretty annoyed that he cant go back outside, Arden said.
A woman who was struck and killed at a Boston intersection early Wednesday morning has been identified, Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Haydens office announced Friday.

At around 5:48 a.m., Diva Helena Pina de Carvalho was struck by a car at the intersection of Malcolm X Boulevard and Tremont Street, Haydens office said in a statement.

When first responders arrived and found her, Pina de Carvalho was pronounced dead, Haydens office said.

Homicide detectives investigated the crash along with officers from the Fatal Collision Team, Sgt. Detective John Boyle, the Boston Police Departments chief spokesman, previously told MassLive.

The driver involved in the crash remained at the crash site and cooperated with investigators, Haydens office said. No charges have been issued.

The crash continues to be under investigation.
Pacific climate leaders have reacted angrily to Australia's decision to expand four coal mines, saying it makes a 'mockery' of its claim the region is a family.

The Albanese government has approved the expansion of four coal mines in NSW and Queensland. Source: AAP

A controversial coal project that could result in more than 1,000 hectares of endangered koala habitat being destroyed or harmed has been approved ahead of the Christmas holidays. Vitrinites Vulcan South project is one of four coal mine expansions green-lit by the Albanese Government overnight.

The Greens reacted angrily to the announcement, arguing that approving coal mining on koala habitat should be illegal. The Labor Government has given coal for Christmas  gifting coal companies a huge win and delivering more pollution and more pain for Australias koalas, Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

Australia is the worlds largest exporter of metallurgical coal, a material used to create steel. And thats what will be extracted at the newly approved mine expansions at Boggabri in NSW, and Caval Ridge, Lake Vermont Meadowbrook and Vulcan South in Queensland. According to the government, the mine expansions will support 3,000 jobs.

A spokesperson for Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said the product was an essential construction material, used to create homes, bridges, trains, windfarms, and solar panels. There are currently no feasible renewable alternatives for making steel, they added.

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Australia's iconic koalas face extinction in NSW and Queensland where the four new coal mines have been approved. Source: AAP

Pacific island uproar over coal project expansions

The latest quarterly emissions data found emissions remain higher under the current government than they were in 2022 when Scott Morrison was Prime Minister, and conservationists have calculated the mine expansions will result in 850 million tonnes of carbon dioxide being released over their lifetime. But Pliberseks office argued her decision will not interfere with Australia reaching a target of net zero emissions by 2050.

The expansion approvals came after Tuvalus Prime Minister Feleti Teo warned it would be a death sentence for small Pacific nations like his if large countries continue to open new fossil fuel projects. The continued expansion of fossil fuels only fans the flames of the climate crisis, he said.

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Overnight, climate change campaigners in the Pacific whose homes are threatened by rising sea levels and extreme weather caused by fossil fuel emissions reacted with outrage.

Joseph Sikulu, Pacific Managing Director of non-profit 350.org said the four mines would emit 7.5 times more carbon than all Pacific islands produce in a year. Australias commitment to climate destruction makes a mockery of the 'family' they claim to call the Pacific. Approving four massive coal mines shifts Australia further away from genuine climate action, and again, it is up to us in the Pacific to spotlight this hypocrisy, he said.

Rufino Varea, the regional director of Pacific Islands Climate Action Network accused Australia of threatening the survival of his region by siding with "coal billionaires". "No new coal means no excusesif Australia refuses to lead, it does not deserve to co-host COP31," he said.

Rising sea levels caused by climate change threaten the existence of Pacific nations like Tuvalu. Source: Getty

Australia's nature protection laws described as 'utter failure'

Pliberseks office said 240 strict conditions had been placed on the mines to ensure the environment is protected.

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The Albanese Government makes decisions on a case-by-case basis in accordance with the facts and the law. Thats what happens in every case, and thats what has happened here, the spokesperson said.

Back in 2022, when Plibersek took the reigns of the environment department, she argued the countrys approach to protecting endangered species had not been working and she promised to overhaul nature protection laws. Key to this was a new Environmental Protection Authority which would be charged with assessing new projects.

Tanya Plibersek (left) had attempted to negotiate an agreement with the Greens to legislate new environment protection laws. Source: AAP

The Government was unable to pass the new regulations in the Senate and needed the help of either the Greens or the Coalition. The Greens said they would only approve the laws if the impact of major projects on the climate was considered  a mechanism called a climate trigger  but Prime Minister Anthony Albanese ruled that out.

After the Greens dropped the climate trigger condition, Hanson-Young and Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek began talks on alternate environmental reforms that would have seen an end to native habitat destruction. Those talks were once again blocked by the Prime Minister, infuriating Hanson-Young who said her moratorium on habitat clearing would have stopped the mining projects.

Our environmental laws are an utter failure, she said.

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It took the state House and Senate less than an hour on Thursday to approve a bill that features a slate of new policies to help address the opioid crisis and put it on course to Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healeys desk.

Lawmakers in both chambers approved the compromise legislation filed Tuesday on voice votes, along with the final enactment votes that sent it to the Democratic governor.

The compromise bill includes strategies to boost access to overdose reversal drugs, and requires insurers to cover emergency opioid antagonists used to reverse overdoses, such as naloxone or name-brand Narcan, without cost-sharing or prior authorization.

It also prohibits life insurance companies from limiting or refusing coverage to a person just because they obtained an opioid antagonist for themself or others.

The legislation makes "powerful strides," toward mitigating the public health crisis, Senate President Karen E. Spilka, D-Middlesex/Norfolk, said in a statement.

Too many families have known the pain of substance use disorder and, tragically, the loss of a loved one because of it, the Ashland lawmaker continued.

House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano, D-3rd Norfolk, offered a similar sentiment, saying the bill will help those coping with substance use disorder reduce harm, find treatment, and achieve recovery that lasts a lifetime.

The bill was the product of strenuous negotiations between the state House and Senate. In separate statements, the bills lead negotiators, Sen. Brendan Crighton, D-3rd Essex, and Rep. Adrian C. Madaro, D-1st Suffolk, alluded to that cross-chamber diplomacy.

"Thanks to the hard work and collaboration of a wide range of stakeholders, we have created a multi-pronged approach to bolstering care, encouraging recovery, and preventing overdose fatalities," Crighton, of Lynn, said.

Madaro, of East Boston, said he was "grateful to all the advocates, health care professionals, people with lived experience and their loved ones who worked tirelessly to advance these initiatives and to my colleagues for their contributions."

The bill does not include a Senate-approved measure authorizing overdose prevention centers, where people could use illegal drugs under the supervision of health care workers.

Opioid-related overdose deaths dropped 10 percent in 2023 compared to 2022, the largest year-over-year decline in two decades. But the crisis still killed more than 2,000 Bay Staters for the eighth straight year.

The bill marks another major piece of unfinished business from the summertime that is being wrapped up by the Legislature after the traditional even-year July 31 deadline to complete major legislation.

Advocates swiftly praised the vote.

We are thrilled that the Massachusetts Legislature has passed legislation to end requirements for healthcare providers to automatically report birthing parents to DCF for the use of prescribed medication for substance use disorder, Maria Mossaides, the director of the Office Child Advocate, said in an email.

Mossaides said the office has worked hard for years on this issue  beginning four years ago with our work chairing the Mandated Reporter Commission, which examined this problem -- and we are grateful for the bills passage.?

The legislation provides much-needed protections for frontline providers, especially harm reductionists, while also seeking to reduce stigma and improve care and coverage by ensuring that people who use drugs have access to high-quality treatment free from discrimination, RIZE Massachusetts Foundation CEO Julie Burns said in a statement.
Massachusetts may run on Dunkin  but its colleges, universities, hospitals, and labs rely on federal cash to help pay for critical biomedical research efforts.

With Congress headed into its final furlong for the year, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said she plans to reintroduce legislation that would create a $10 billion funding stream to underwrite select initiatives at the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The money would underwrite basic research and so-called disruptive innovation, among other efforts. It also would support early-career scientists and improve diversity among researchers, according to a summary shared exclusively with MassLive.

The United States leads the world in biomedical innovation, and so much of that innovation happens in Massachusetts, Warren said in a statement. Big federal investments make this progress possible.

The bicameral legislation comes as congressional Republicans have pushed a plan to streamline the NIH, Science magazine reported.

The lawmakers leading the effort, U.S. Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., and Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., have accused the agency of thwarting transparency efforts, according to published reports.

If its finally approved and signed into law, the bill would save lives by making sure our researchers have the resources to keep delivering lifesaving breakthroughs and treatments  regardless of whos in charge in Washington," Warren said.

The incoming Trump administration also is scrutinizing the agency, NPR reported last month.

I do think you probably will see changes in NIH, as well as other public health agencies like [the Centers for Disease Control] and maybe even [the] FDA, Dr. Joel Zinberg, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute and director of the Public Health and American Wellbeing Initiative at the Paragon Health Institute, both conservative think tanks, told NPR.

And thats primarily I think, because, there was a real erosion in trust in those agencies during the pandemic, Zinberg told NPR.

The federal money is a lifeline for Massachusetts hospitals, which received 53% of all NIH funding for independent hospitals in 2023, according to a report by the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council.

Massachusetts General Hospital led the nation that year, receiving 1,079 grant awards, totaling $675 million, the analysis showed.

Brigham and Womens Hospital finished third nationwide, with 676 awards totaling $403 million, while Boston Childrens Hospital finished fourth with 439 awards totaling $239 million, according to the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association, an industry trade group.

An analysis of the bill obtained by MassLive indicates that the new Biomedical Innovation Fund authorized by the legislation is intended to supplement, but not supplant, funding for the NIH and the FDA.

Funds would only be available during years when Congress increases discretionary appropriations for NIH and FDA, thus ensuring that funding for medical research never falls below Fiscal Year 2024 levels, the analysis indicated.

The money also would support research conducted jointly by the two agencies, according to the analysis.

U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., along with Democratic U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin, of Wisconsin, Richard Blumenthal, of Connecticut, Cory Booker, of New Jersey, Tammy Duckworth, of Illinois, Tim Kaine, of Virginia, Alex Padilla, of California, as well as U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., are cosponsoring the bill in the Senate.

U.S. Rep. Yvette Clark, D-N.Y., is sponsoring a companion version of the bill in the House.
SPRINGFIELD  Audrin Desardouin came to America from his native Haiti more than 40 years ago, alone when he was 17.

Hes returned often to the Caribbean nation, but family still there are now warning him to stay away.
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Les habitants des villes sont fixes, il y aura bien des elections municipales en 2025 apres les fetes nationales, les ministres ont aussi pris note de premiers soucis qui existent a Agalega apres le passage de Chido sur les deux iles, que le systeme davertissement cyclonique sera revue, de laugmentation de la pension par Rs 1000.00 a partir du mois de janvier 2025, des grandes lignes du programme Literacy, Numeracy & Skill par le ministere de lEducation entre autres.

1. Cabinet has agreed to the Municipal City Council election and the Municipal Town Council elections being organised after the National Day Celebrations 2025.

2. Cabinet has taken note that a Coordination Committee had been set up at the level of the Prime Ministers Office to ensure the implementation of reconstruction works on the North and South Islands of Agalega. A first meeting of the Coordination Committee was held on 19 December 2024 where the following salient issues were discussed:

(a) Extent of the damage in the North and South Islands;

(b) Reconstruction works;

(c) Relief efforts;

(d) Funds would be provided from the Prime Ministers Relief Fund for the repairs and reconstruction works;

(e) No oil spill had been reported on the AFCONS tug which was grounded near Grande Caze. A Salvage Team would leave for Agalega by Dornier on 20 December 2024. All efforts were being sustained to avoid oil spilling; and

(f) Two officers from EMTEL would be on board MV Mauritius Trochetia and would bring along solar panels and communication-related equipment to restore communication in the South Island.

The Prime Ministers Office would set up an Agalega Relief Fund for the raising of funds in favour of Agalega.

3. Cabinet has taken note that the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Centre would henceforth operate under the Prime Ministers Office. The cyclone warning system of the Mauritius Meteorological Services would be reviewed.

4. Cabinet has agreed to the promulgation of the National Pensions (Amendment of Schedule) (No. 2) Regulations 2024 with a view to giving effect to the increase in the rates of the Basic Retirement Pension, Widows Basic Pension, Invalid Basic Pension and Orphans Pension by Rs1,000 as from January 2025. The payment of the increase in pensions for some 311,000 beneficiaries would be effected on 03 January 2025 through banks and from 03 to 16 January 2025 through post offices.

5. Cabinet has agreed to the promulgation of the Private Secondary Education (Amendment) Regulations 2024 to provide for the criteria for promotion to Grade 12, from five credits to three credits as from January 2025.

6. Cabinet has agreed to the review of the current Comprehensive Grant Formula and the introduction of a new formula for the financing of Grant-Aided Private Secondary Schools for period 2025-2027.

Following representations received from the Federation of Unions of Managers, a Technical Working Group comprising representatives of the Ministry of Education and Human Resource, the Ministry of Finance, the Office of the Public Sector Governance and the Private Secondary Education Authority (PSEA) had been set up to work on the review of the Comprehensive Grant Formula with the following Terms of Reference:

(a) to hold consultations with stakeholders for a review of the Comprehensive Grant Formula and examine their proposals;

(b) to examine the shortcomings of the present system of the validation exercise and disbursement of grants by the PSEA and make recommendations for the improvement thereof; and

(c) to submit its Report for the financing of Grant-Aided Private Secondary Schools for period 2025-2027.

7. Cabinet has agreed to the Ministry of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change submitting the first Biennial Transparency Report (BTR1) for the Republic of Mauritius, to the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

The main components of the BTR1 include a National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report for the period 2017 to 2022 and a National Report on progress made in implementing and achieving the Nationally Determined Contributions, information related to climate change impacts and adaptation, levels of financial support, technology development and transfer as well as capacity building needs and support and areas of improvement.

8. Cabinet has taken note that following representations received from Heads of School/Rectors and Union of Rectors regarding the inability of schools to proceed with urgent and necessary repairs of amenities and the shortage of certain essential requisites, the Ministry of Education and Human Resource would provide an amount of Rs27.1 M to public primary and secondary schools for, inter alia, the maintenance of schools and procurement of urgent requisites and other ancillary purchases/works.

9. Cabinet has taken note that a Foundational Programme in Literacy, Numeracy and Skills would be introduced in Lower Secondary Schools and would be run over three years as from 2025. The programme would be conducted in secondary schools (public and private), in collaboration with the Mauritius Institute of Training and Development, the Mauritius Institute of Education, the Mauritius Examinations Syndicate and the National Social Inclusion Foundation.

The Curriculum framework for the new programme would constitute of three major parts as follows:

(a) Functional literacy which would include Numeracy, English Literacy, French Literacy, Scientific Literacy, Digital Literacy and Kreol Morisien/Kreol Rodrigues/Asian Languages/Arabic;

(b) Life skills and values comprising Social and Emotional Well-being, the Arts, Physical Education and Health; and

(c) Trade and livelihood skills where the students would be taught culinary skills, Smart Agriculture, Woodwork, Garment Making, Electric Installation and Plumbing.

10. Cabinet has taken note that following representations received, the hours of work of teachers of Municipal/District Council Pre-Schools and Aided Private Pre-Primary Schools had been reviewed to 08 30 hours to 14 30 hours instead of 08 30 hours to 15 00 hours on normal school days as from school resumption in January 2025.

11. Cabinet has agreed to the Mauritius Institute of Education co-hosting the 5th World Curriculum Studies Conference together with the International Association for the Advancement of Curriculum Studies from 24 to 27 June 2025, in Mauritius.

The theme of the conference would be Curriculum Studies in the post Anthropocene Era and would cover issues ranging from language in the curriculum, scientific education, artificial intelligence, early childhood and inclusive education curriculum. The conference would play a key role towards the achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goals since the quality of the curriculum and its delivery affects the quality of education across all levels.

12. Cabinet has taken note that the price of sugar for Crop 2024, had been fixed as follows:

Growing Side  Rs24,060/T of sugar at 98.5% Polarisation

Milling Side  Rs23,000/T of sugar at 98.5% Polarisation

13. Cabinet has taken note that an Electronic Travel Authorisation scheme was being introduced by the United Kingdom (UK) worldwide for 82 countries, including Mauritius, whose citizens currently do not need a visa for short stays of up to six months or who do not have a UK immigration status. As from 08 January 2025, Mauritian nationals travelling to the UK must have a valid Electronic Travel Authorisation to enter or transit through the UK.

14. Cabinet has taken note of the reconstitution of the Mauritius Oceanography Institute Board, with Dr Mitrasen Bhikajee as part-time Chairperson.

15. Cabinet has taken note of the reconstitution of the Road Development Authority Board, with Mr Seewoonarain Koonjul as part-time Chairperson.

16. Cabinet has taken note of the reconstitution of the Construction Industry Board, with Mr Avinash Shree Mojee as part-time Chairperson.

17. Cabinet has taken note of the reconstitution of the Board of the Tourism Authority, with Mr Jose Arunasalom as part-time Chairperson.
Info/News: Renouvellement du permis doperation pour les pharmacies priveesLes prochaines rencontres de football de la MFAMeteo du 6 janvier 2025Modoki La Nina dans le PacifiqueZone pluvio-orageuse au Nord-Nord Ouest de MauriceTrois Jumbo Express ferment leurs portesDeces de Lady Nancy Ah-ChuenSpace42s Thuraya 4 Satellite successfully launched into orbit[Video news] Baby John au Sirsa[Video News] Les numeros gagnants du tirage du Loto et Loto Plus du 4 janvier 2025Sanjiv Ranjan is the new Secretary-General of the IORA SecretariatLettre ouverte au Premier ministre du PakistanLettre ouverte a lAmbassadeur des Etats Unis a MauriceIPLOOK Networks 2024 RecapThe Best-Performing CEOs in Africa in 2024iHerb Debuts Digital Wellness HubHinen to showcase advanced energy storage technologyContribution decisive des Nouveaux Democrates dans la victoire du 10 Novembre 2024DTOS Group lance une initiative innovante pour renforcer les relations intergenerationnelles en entreprise[Video News] La combinaison gagnante du Loto Vert du 3 janvier 2025La piscine de Mare dAlbert dans un etat piteuxLa residence dHarvesh Seegoolam perquisitionneCommunique de HM Technologies : Precisions sur la cessation de contrats de 11 collaborateurs[Document] Les chansons de lannee de 2024 de Radio One[Video news] Petards a Poste de FlacqUne fille, premiere nee de la Generation Beta[Video News] Les numeros gagnants du tirage du Loto et Loto Plus du 1er janvier 2025[Video News] Message du nouvel an de Navin RamgoolamProcession religieuse a Petite RiviereMessage du 1er Janvier 2025 de Pravind Jugnauth[Video News] La combinaison gagnante du Loto Vert du decembre 2024[Video news] Cotton Bay a lheure de 2025[Video News] Pointe aux Sables passe en 2025Bonne et heureuse annee 2025Message de fin dannee de Patrick BelcourtDemission du CEO du Mauritus Telecom GroupLa Mauritius Meteorological Services a lance une brochures, clip video et timbre poste.Tournee Patient Day pour Anil BaichooLa revendication mauricienne est basee sur trois criteresMessage de Steven Obeegadoo pour 2025[Video News] Studying in ChinaGalettes des rois by hotels Ninety-Six !ITL Foundation a apporte la magie de Noel aux enfants de SAFIRE !Five years ago Covid-19800 millions de livres sterlings par anneeEnd of year statement by WHO Director-GeneralAucun avertissement de fortes pluies nest en vigueur a MauricePluie: 140 mm a Riche en Eau en 24 heures[Video News] Les consignes de Pravind Rughoo pour les Late Night ShoppersApercu du temps pour Rodrigues du 31 decembre 2024 jusquau 03 janvier 2025Apercu du temps pour Maurice de mardi 31 decembre 2024 jusquau vendredi 03 janvier 2025Communique du Ministere du Bien-etre de La Famille: Fermeture des crechesCommunique du National Emergency Operations CommandAvertissement de fortes pluies pour Maurice ( 30-12-2024)Communique National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management CentreVeille de fortes pluies en vigueur a Maurice (30-12-2024)Que quelques heures pour voter pour votre chanson de lannee sur R1Homelie de Mgr Durhone a loccasion de la messe de Noel a la prison de Melrose147.8 mm a Riche en eau en 24 heuresTrois zones perturbees dans le nord de la region[Document] Export and Import Price Indices for 3rd Quarter 2024Deces de Jimmy CarterFin de la Veille de fortes pluies pour MauriceDeux zones perturbees et une perturbation tropicaleOrages dans lOuestSoft Robotics to debut at CES 2025Bulletin meteo special pour AgalegaPremiere cohorte de femmes certifiee en gestion de pepiniere au sein de lAgri-Hub de la Vallee de FerneyLegend Hill ouvre son paradis panoramique aux Mauriciens en mars 2025Communique du National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Centre ( 29/12/2024)30.2 mm de pluie en trois heures a Riche en Eau[Document] 50 mm de pluie pour les premiers 15 jours de decembre 2024[Video News] Les numeros gagnants du tirage du Loto et Loto Plus du 28 decembre 2024[Video News] Dawood Rawat a rencontre les investisseurs dans la BAIBulletin de Veille de fortes pluies pour MauriceUne voiture detruite par les flammesThe 100 Most Influential Africans of 2024Recrutement de personnel de cabine dEmirates Airlines a Mauriceblink by Emtel annonce les 10 premiers gagnants de la 2 edition de sa campagne blink & WinMerck Foundation Chairman and First Ladies share their partnership journey in Transforming Patient Care Landscape[Video news] Message de fin dannee de Paul Berenger[Video News] La combinaison gagnante du Loto Vert du 27 decembre 2024Avis de fortes pluies en vigueur a AgalegaSarat Lallah retrouve la MT Towerle Premier ministre a rendu hommage au Dr Manmohan Singh,Revocation de lInformation and Communication Technologies (Registration of SIM) Regulations 2023Amaresh Singh Ramlugan, nomme president du Conseil dAdministration de la MBCDecisions du Conseil des Ministres du 27 decembre 2024Apercu du temps pour Rodrigues du 28 au 31 decembre 2024Apercu du temps pour Maurice du 28 au 31 decembre 2024Global Movement to drive clean energy solutions and sustainable livingDepression tropicale a lEst-Nord-est[Document] Debats parlementaires du 20 decembre 2024[Document] The Special Allowance Act 2024[Document] The Employment Relations (Amendment) Act 2024Maurice et lAfrique du Sud veulent renforcer leurs liens culturels en 2025[Video News] Message de Noel de Mgr Jean-Michael Durhone[Video News] Message de Noel de Mgr Stelio Andre[Video News] Message de Noel de Dharambeer Gokhool[Video News] La combinaison gagnante du Loto et Loto Plus du 25 decembre 2024
MAYO will travel to Croke Park to take on Dublin the opening round of the Natonal League on Saturday, January 25. The meeting between the two old rivals is bound to bring a bumper crowd to the national stadium, but Mayo will be without at least two of their top players.

Team manager Kevin McStay, confirmed that his side will run out without Aidan O'Shea and Tommy Conroy for the meeting with the home side. Speaking at a press conference in Castlebar today, McStay said both men have undergone 'procedures' recently and will not be available for the opening round. Indeed, a few rounds may have been played before either are seen in action he explained.

"A few lads needed to get a few little things cleared up and they took the opportunity to do so," he added.

The Green and Red will also be without team captain Paddy Durcan who is still recovering from a knee injury suffered last season against Cavan in Castlebar.

The manager told the assembled media that Durcan is making great progress but there was no specific return-to-play date at the moment.
Western Front Studios is delighted to announce the completion of principal photography for 'Our Father', a captivating short film written and directed by the multi-talented Sheila Moylette. This exciting project was commissioned under Screen Irelands 'Actor as Creator' scheme, a highly acclaimed scheme in partnership leading Irish Film School, Bow Street Academy.

Set in the 1960s, Our Father is a poignant and gripping tale that delves into themes of faith, family, and the secrets we keep. Against the backdrop of a small Irish village, the story follows the arrival of a young priest called to an eerie household on a fateful night, uncovering layered mysteries that challenge his convictions.

Ireland is known for its rich culture in storytelling, so Im thrilled to tell this story at home in Mayo with a brilliant local production company and beautiful rural location, shares Sheila Moylette, who is a native of Islandeady.

Sheila, known for her role in RTEs hit TV series 'Cant Cope, Wont Cope' and the hugely popular sequence of Mace adverts starring rugby legend Johnny Sexton, has not only written and directed the film but also stars as Catherine Mason, delivering a moving performance at the heart of this evocative story.

The films exceptional cast includes: Fionn O Loingsigh (Cardboard Gangsters, Bad Sisters) as Fr Daniel Maloney Geraldine McAlinden (The Secret Scripture, Verdigris) as Kitty OGrady. Catherine Canny and baby Daire Sweeney, who make their memorable on-screen debuts as Agatha Clarke and Baby Toby, respectively.

Filmed on location at the historic Adare House in Newport, the production was made possible through the incredible hospitality of Fania Ellison and her family. The beautifully preserved period setting played a key role in bringing the storys 1960s atmosphere to life.

The film was brought to screen by Westport-based cinematographer Brian Durcan, whose stunning visuals have graced an impressive eight short films this year, including two shot in Westport. Brian shared his excitement, stating: Im delighted Our Father was the one to close such an incredible year of creative achievement.

Key contributors

Key contributors to the production include Producer Dorothy Whittaker, a Film and Photography student at Mayo College of Further Education, marking her debut producing credit with this short film; Director Lorna Fitzsimons, who provided vital support to Sheila throughout the shoot; and Croia McDermott, a powerhouse in preproduction and an invaluable support to Sheila across all aspects of the project.

Sheila Moylettes creativity and vision made this project truly special, shared Emer Durcan of Western Front Studios. The camaraderie on set was phenomenal, and Sheilas ability to balance acting and directing with such finesse is a testament to her extraordinary talent. We couldnt be prouder of this film and the team behind it.

As Our Father heads into post-production at Element Post Production in Dublin, excitement builds for its submission to the Galway Film Fleadh, where it is hoped to premiere in July 2025.

Local audiences can also look forward to a special screening in Westport following its festival debut. Stay tuned to Western Front Studios and Virgo Novena social media channels for updates and announcements.
Ireland West Airport are pleased, to announce the airport has achieved Level 3 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.

Achieving Level 3 Accreditation is in recognition of the airport's exemplary work in reducing its carbon emissions and engaging other stakeholders to do the same, as part of the Global airport industry's response to the challenge of climate change.

Airport Carbon Accreditation is the global standard for carbon management and emission reductions at airports. This certification programme, specifically designed for airports, has received widespread support and endorsements from both the EU and the UN agencies responsible for civil aviation (ICAO) and climate change (UNFCCC). Launched in June 2009, the programme has Six levels of accreditation: Mapping, Reduction, Optimisation, Neutrality, Transformation and Transition.

Participation in the Airport Carbon Accreditation Programme plays a significant role in the advancement of the airports overall Sustainability Strategy. 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 Upgraded its Airfield Ground Lighting (AGL) to the latest in LED technology, which will provide for the next generation of airfield ground lighting 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. Upgraded 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 Completed 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.

Ireland West Airport has recently lodged a planning application to develop and install a new solar farm on a site at the airport, which will provide more than 40% of the airports annual electricity demands. The airport is also committed to developing electric car charging infrastructure to meet public demand for vehicle charging into the future and also 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. To find out more, you can go to www.airportcarbonaccreditation.org

Commenting on the level 3 award Gary Ginty, Property, Infrastructure and Sustainability Programme Manager, Ireland West Airport said: The airport is delighted to have achieved the level 3 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.

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.

Olivier Jankovec, ACI EUROPE Director General said: Congratulations to Ireland West Airport for taking this 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.

Pictured above, from left: Pearse Concannon, Chief Fire and Security Officer, Ireland West Airport; Gary Ginty, Property, Infrastructure and Sustainability Programme Manager, Ireland West Airport and Kieran Boyle, Head of Ground Services, Ireland West Airport.
The remaining members of the Bali Nine are returning to their home states for the first time following their transfer from an Indonesian prison.

After landing in Darwin on Sunday - touching down on Australian soil for the first time in 20 years - all five remaining members then flew to their home states of Queensland, NSW, and Victoria on Friday morning.

The eight men and one woman were arrested in 2005 for attempting to smuggle 8.7kg heroin into Australia.

The ringleaders of the drug smuggling plot were Andrew Chan, then 21, and Myruan Sukumara, aged 23 at the time of the arrest.

Accomplices included Matthew Norman, 18, Scott Rush, 18, Michael Czugaj, 19, Si Yi Chen, 20, Tan Duc Than Nguyen, 22, Renae Lawrence, 27, and Martin Stephens, 28.

.Matthew Norman and Si Yi Chen arrive in Melbourne after spending over 20 years at the infamous Kerobokan Prison in Bali . Photo: NewsWire/Luis Enrique Ascui

After spending nearly 20 years behind bars in an Indonesian prison, the remaining five members returned to Australia on Sunday, following a top-secret deal between Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.

The men landed in Darwin on Sunday and spent several days in the Howard Springs quarantine facility, where they stayed until Thursday, ready for their flights back home.

Two of the five members landed in Brisbane in the early hours of Friday morning, another two touched down in Melbourne and the final member landed in Sydney.

Mr Czugaj was reunited with loved ones on Friday morning. Picture: Liam Mendes / The Australian

Two other remaining members, Mr Chen and Mr Norman boarded a flight from Darwin to Melbourne at midnight, arriving shortly after 6.30am Friday.

Mr Czugaj was spotted boarding a flight from Darwin to Brisbane on Friday morning.

Wearing a mask, blue shirt and khaki trousers, flanked by AFP officers and refusing to speak to media, Mr Czugaj stood at the back of the plane, quietly sipping a beer

Mr Rush was also on the flight home to Brisbane. When he was arrested in 2005, Queensland Police issued a warrant for his arrest for allegedly stealing money from Commonwealth Bank.

It is not known whether he will be taken into custody when he arrives on Queensland soil.

The final member, Mr Stephens, arrived this morning at Sydney Airport and surrounded by AFP officers as he walked off the tarmac and to his car.

- NCA NewsWire
CASTLEBAR native Henry Lally set himself a task on his first visit to Argentina. Henry, who resides in Braintree, just a few miles south of Boston, spent the last month covering a vast area of Argentina.

Midwest Radio provides a daily link to home for Henry and Mary and a large circle of their friends in Massachusetts. He often heard this writer include email messages from Fr Bertie Flanagan listening in Suipacha, Argentina, and saying hello to his friends around Kilconly and Foxhall and the border region of Galway and Mayo.

Fr Bertie has served as a priest in Argentina for many years and is a fluent Spanish speaker at this stage. He continues to make regular trips back home and was over here earlier this year.

In a post on his Facebook page last week, Henry set the scene for his meeting with Bertie: I'm a regular listener to Michael Commins on Midwest Radio, and I often heard requests coming into his show from a Bertie Flanagan in Suipacha, Argentina. I often wondered what he was doing out here so I decided to track him down with little or no information while I was here.

I didn't have much to work on except the pronunciation of Suipacha. However, when I arrived in Buenos Aires a month ago, by chance I spotted a street sign that said Suipacha St. I thought, that's the place! I googled the church in Suipacha, and it was on Facebook. I left a message and the next day, they responded with Berties phone number.

I had a magnificent day with this lovely gentleman and his friends. Bertie is a wonderful gentleman, a priest here in this lovely little town of 12,000 people. He treated me like royalty. They honoured me with a big barbecue with his friends and had a most enjoyable day.

We had his daily 7pm Mass where I met the congregation before I got the bus back to Buenos Aires. Fr Bertie is much loved in Suipacha. Bertie and I raised a glass of wine together today! Thank you, Bertie, for a wonderful finish to my trip to Argentina.

I just knew I had to do it, something drew me into it, and I had a good feeling. Your late night radio show gathers people together in all parts of the world whether it is in the dark of the night in Ireland or the dawn in another country. People like the feeling of not being alone and all the messages that are sent into your show relieves the isolation that some people feel, even if they are not involved in the messages themselves. It's like having likewise friends on the airwaves when they have little friends themselves. At the end of the day, people do care.

Thanks to Henry for those gracious sentiments and for the lovely story about meeting up with Fr Bertie and the warm and generous welcome from the congregation in Suipacha. Hello also to all the Lally family circle of Station Road in Castlebar.
MORE than 20 Tesco workers have protested outside the companys Castlebar store over the companys refusal to agree on an adequate pay increase for 2025 and denying workers their right to be represented by their union.

The workers demonstrated this afternoon as part of an ongoing national campaign to get Tesco to respect the workers.

Mandate has negotiated on behalf of Tesco workers with the company since it entered the Irish market in 1997. However, in recent years, Tesco management has refused to collectively bargain and instead imposed pay awards on workers.

Tesco is a highly profitable company and thats largely because of the efforts of their staff. That needs to be recognised, said Eoin Coates, Divisional Organiser for Mandate.

Tesco sales are up 9.4 per cent in Ireland, their after-tax profits rose by 10 per cent and they paid a dividend of 100 million to the parent company, but wages only went up by 4 per cent in 2024. The company announced a 3 per cent increase for 2025, which is only half the pay claim of 6 per cent that we lodged a number of months ago, he added.

The union has also condemned Tescos refusal to engage in meaningful collective bargaining and its disregard for the pay and benefits claims submitted by Mandate members.

Tesco Ireland has engaged in agreed independently-mediated discussions with staff representatives and their trade unions. These discussions tried to agree on a new model of engagement to provide timely and definitive outcomes where any proposed change would benefit from negotiations.

The retailer has said it continues to remain open to re-engaging with the trade unions in the future should they have constructive proposals on how such a model can be achieved.
The shock discovery was made after a 50 km stretch of Russia's coastline was drenched in oil.

Oil coats sand at Anapa following two oil leaks on the Black Sea. Source: Telegram

Devastating vision has been shared with Yahoo News after two tankers spilled oil across a 50-kilometre stretch of Russia's coastline. The incident was sparked by wild weather on Sunday, contaminating tourist beaches in the Black Sea and maiming wildlife.

Perhaps most devastating of all is a video discovered by marine mammal advocates on a Russian language Telegram channel. Completely coated with thick oil, its not immediately apparent what animal we are looking at. But as volunteers in the northern Black Sea town of Anapa clean away the thick black sludge it becomes clear it's a dead porpoise.

They describe the animal as looking "very fresh", leading investigators to conclude it was killed directly by the oil. It is impossible to clean it off. Its completely covered in fuel, even the blowhole, a volunteer from Dolphin Rescue Center Delfa says in Russian.

A marine mammal was discovered coated in oil following the disasters. Source: Telegram

Dolphin expert 'fears the worst' as oil slicks choke Black Sea

The Black Sea is home to three cetacean species: bottlenose dolphins, common dolphins, and harbour porpoises. An expert in Russian dolphins, who requested she not be named, identified the animal as a female harbour porpoise that was approximately one metre long.

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Responding to the incident, she said We fear the worst but continue to hope for the best possible outcome following this environmental disaster.

Separate vission shared to Telegram shows sand and water in front of an Anapa beachfront home being inundated with oil.

Putin labels incidents an 'ecological disaster'

On Thursday, Russias President Vladimir Putin described the oil spill as an environmental disaster. He confirmed authorities are assessing whether the ships captains violated rules by not seeking shelter during the storm.

Why am I saying that this is a major disaster, a catastrophe? Because almost 40 per cent of the fuel has leaked. This is quite clear, it's already obvious, he said.

Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment?  Get our new newsletter showcasing the weeks best stories.
by Danielle Oster , December 19, 2024

Despite all the headlines this year suggesting a broad DEI backlash, and the actions of brands capitulating to demands from far-right fringe figures, a recently released report suggests a large and growing majority of consumers approve of inclusive marketing and internal DEI practices.

The report -- released this month by the Cultural Inclusion Accelerator and the ANAs Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing (AIMM) -- found that more than eight in ten consumers (83%) are comfortable or neutral about inclusive marketing practices. Entitled Consumer Sentiment on Inclusive Marketing & DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging), the report also found that 56% of consumers reported they would be supportive or strongly supportive of a brand that represents all groups in its advertising, compared to just 10% who would not support brands who engage in such inclusive advertising.

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Inclusive marketing and DEIB values aren't just social initiatives -- they are critical business imperatives backed by overwhelming market support, clear financial benefits, strong customer loyalty drivers, positive organizational impact, and crisis-resistant consumer backing, AIMM co-founder Gilbert Davila said in a statement. The real business risk isn't in maintaining these values; it's in retreating from them.

The report engaged 12,412 consumers in a a fully representative and projectable random digital panel survey between Oct. 24 and Nov. 4, 2024, with results weighted to align with the U.S. Census breakout of demographics such as region and generation, reflective of a nationally representative sample.

AIMM co-founder Carlos Santiago told Marketing Daily that the report provided proof that equality drives loyalty, something he said was really important in an environment where theres higher awareness of companies that have been targeted with pushback from anti-DEI advocates on social media. The point companies should take away from such findings, he said, is to recalibrate their reactions and stay the course, because consumers are saying they are doing the right thing by engaging in inclusive marketing and DEIB practices.

The report found that for every consumer who would oppose a brand for its DEIB advertising practices, there are 5.2 consumers who would be supportive --an increase from 4.6 in last years report. An even greater margin of consumers supported equality in the workplace. For every one consumer who said they would oppose brands who treat employees and customers equally -- regardless of gender, race/ethnicity, abilities, sexual orientation, and age-  there were 7.8 consumers who said they would support such brands, an increase from 5.9 in last years study. The report also found that 80% of consumers said workplace DEIB practices to ensure diverse representation in recruitment and promotion enhanced the workplace.

In response to a brand pulling back on its DEI initiatives, 70% of respondents said they would either immediately stop purchasing/using the brand's product, or continue to do so while seeking an alternative more aligned with social causes they care about, according to the report. While that total does seem to reflect a decrease in comparison to the 77% of respondents answering that way in last years report, it still represents a sizable majority of those surveyed.

Santiago called prioritizing diversity and inclusion in brand communications as crucial to the survival of companies' and brands growth.

On the flip side, deprioritizing [representation across] diverse segments leaves significant growth on the table, so it does a disservice to shareholders of those companies, he said, adding that at companies considering moving away from DEI commitments, it was coming not from the marketing side, [but] from other C-level decision makers afraid of [potential short-term] financial impact on their stock.
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, December 20, 2024

Two senators are urging President Joe Biden to extend by 90 days the deadline for when TikTok must separate from parent company China-based ByteDance.

Absent a judicial injunction, decision overturning the law, or action by you, TikTok will soon be banned in the United States, causing its creators and users serious hardship, Senators Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts) and Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) said in a letter sent to Biden on Thursday.

The Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (H.R. 7521), passed earlier this year, will prohibit app stores and websites from distributing TikTok unless it's sold by ByteDance by January 19. The statute provides that the U.S. president can extend that deadline by three months, if a sales deal is in the works.

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Biden, who will still be in office on that date, hasn't yet indicated whether he is inclined to extend the deadline.

President-elect Donald Trump attempted to ban the app in 2020, but recently indicated he no longer supports a ban.

TikTok says the law violates the First Amendment's prohibition on censorship, and will ask the Supreme Court to invalidate the statute. The Supreme Court plans to hear the case on January 10 -- just nine days before the ban is slated to go into effect.

The senators say in their letter to Biden that even if the Supreme Court upholds the law, ByteDance won't have enough time to find a buyer before January 19.

The law was driven by concerns that without a divestiture, the Chinese government may be able to access data about TikTok's users, and use the app to influence public opinion.

Earlier this year, TikTok and a group of content creators sued to block the law, arguing that it violates the free speech rights of TikTok as well as its users.

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected those arguments, ruling on December 6 that the law's curbs on speech are justified by national security concerns.
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.
Forklift defects that pose an imminent risk of failure and serious injury must be reported

Accrediting body CFTS has reminded inspectors about the responsibility to report serious defects in forklifts found during examinations.

Under the law, defects that pose an imminent risk of failure and serious injury must be reported to the relevant enforcing authority as part of a responsible safety practice.

Rob Fisher, CEO of the UK Material Handling Association  CFTS parent organisation, underscores the importance of this regulation.

Reporting serious defects isnt just a compliance task  its a commitment to safety for everyone in the workplace," he says.

"When a defect with a high risk of failure is found, acting transparently and reporting it can prevent life-threatening accidents.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) recently reiterated the importance of Regulation 10(1)(c) under LOLER, which mandates the reporting of serious defects to the enforcing authority.

This guidance applies to any defect where an equipment failure could lead to serious personal injury if used again in its current condition.

Examples include structural damage to critical components such as masts or carriages, or excessive wear on forks  defects that can quickly lead to catastrophic incidents if left unaddressed.

Mr Fisher added, CFTS members are in a unique position of responsibility. Every Thorough Examination is an opportunity to safeguard those who work around and with lifting equipment.

"By reporting serious defects, our members contribute to a culture of safety that goes beyond the individual workplace, impacting the entire industry.

CFTS also reminds inspectors that the Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) to LOLER strongly advises separating the roles of examiner and repairer to maintain impartiality.

"This ensures that those conducting Thorough Examinations focus solely on identifying risks, without the potential conflict of handling repairs on the same equipment.

In situations where separation isnt possible, a risk assessment is essential, providing transparency around the decision.

For further guidance, CFTS encourages its members to review HSEs resources, including the LOLER ACOP (L113) and guidance leaflet INDG422, available on the HSE website.

This reminder comes as CFTS prepares to exhibit at LAMMA 2025, the UKs leading agricultural machinery show at the NEC Birmingham on January 1516th.

The organisation will highlight the importance of high standards in equipment safety. Visitors to the CFTS stand can learn more about Thorough Examination and discuss the latest updates in industry safety practices with the team.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to discover how CFTS-accredited examinations benefit agricultural lifting equipment such as tractors, telehandlers, and forklifts.

CFTS is here to support its members in meeting the highest standards of safety, Mr Fisher concluded.

Together, by embracing transparent reporting practices and engaging with industry professionals at events like LAMMA, we can make workplaces safer and prevent avoidable incidents.
In a surprise announcement, the Pentagon revealed that it has not been offering an accurate count of how many U.S. troops it has had in Syria, with the actual figure more than double the official count.

"I learned today that, in fact, there are approximately 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria," Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters, before adding that "these additional forces are considered temporary rotational forces that deploy to meet shifting mission deployments."

The newly revealed troop numbers come after the U.S. military has waged dozens of airstrikes in Syria in recent days as part of a major uptick in the yearslong operations against the Islamic State terrorist group following the collapse of President Bashar Assad's regime. A round of strikes on Monday killed 12 militants and an earlier round of 75 strikes on Dec. 8 was conducted by B-52 Stratofortress bombers, F-15E Strike Eagle and A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft.

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Pentagon officials have told reporters for months -- including as recently as the last two weeks -- that there were only around 900 troops in Syria. Ryder said that figure actually applied to service members "on longer-term deployments."

The discrepancy between what Defense Department officials have told reporters and what at least some officials have known to be the reality on the ground has been going on for "months," according to the Pentagon's top spokesman.

"I don't have a specific date to provide ... but my understanding is it's been for a while, so clearly, before the fall of the Assad regime," Ryder said.

Troops in Syria -- largely made up of regular and Special Forces Army soldiers -- are in the country to fight the Islamic State and have been the subject of varying levels of scrutiny and interest over the years. However, since the fall of Assad's regime two weeks ago, there has been a rise in questions about how much danger U.S. forces face in the increasingly unstable country.

Since the collapse of the Assad regime, both Turkey and Israel have also undertaken military operations and strikes inside Syria, and the Pentagon confirmed that at least one of its MQ-9 Reaper drones had been downed in the country.

Ryder hinted at the possibility that diplomatic considerations in the region were partly to blame for why the Pentagon did not provide accurate totals for months but, when pressed for more details, he said that he wasn't "going to go into any diplomatic discussions."

Ryder did say that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was aware of the accurate totals, but it appears that information was not shared with the spokesman or the team of military and civilian officials who regularly engage with the press.

"I got word of it recently as our team was looking at this ... given the significant situation in Syria," Ryder explained, referring to the higher troop counts.

"I asked for more information on this, recognizing that if the numbers are not what we brief, let's find out what the actual numbers are and go from there," he said, before adding that he "got the numbers today."

This is not the first time that U.S. officials have offered inaccurate or misleading totals of troops in Syria.

During his first administration, President Donald Trump -- whose political rhetoric featured a strong desire to bring home most service members deployed abroad -- issued a surprise order in 2019 to have American troops in Syria step aside and allow Turkey to conduct military operations against U.S.-backed Kurdish forces in the region.

Days later, he declared that "we have no soldiers in Syria" -- a claim that CNN reported was incorrect and the U.S. actually had around 1,000 troops in the country.

Since the fall of the Assad regime, U.S. forces in the Middle East have conducted several airstrikes against the Islamic State, including one that hit more than 75 targets, as a way to ensure that the Islamic terror group doesn't seize on the instability in Syria to return to power.

Officials said that the strikes were enabled by the fact that the Russian forces that have been controlling airspace over portions of Syria have withdrawn.

Related: 'We Saw the Opportunity': Pentagon Says Syria Strikes Were Possible After Assad and Russia Left
In what a local official called a "chilling" case, an active-duty Marine stationed in Florida was arrested and charged with first-degree murder on Wednesday in connection to the death of a woman whose body was found in a pond in the neighboring state of Alabama.

Law enforcement arrested 20-year-old Pfc. Willie Ellington in Opelika, Alabama, on Dec. 18 just days after Florida's Escambia County Sheriff's Office was notified that Tshey Bennett, whom authorities described as an "escort," was reported missing. Ellington was also charged with possession of child pornography, according to officials.

After receiving the notification, investigators went to the Sweet Dreams Inn, a hotel just north of where Ellington was stationed aboard Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, and where Bennett was last known to be.

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Investigators discovered that the door to Bennett's room had been left open, her car and cell phone were still on the premises, and the bedding from the hotel was missing, "which launched us into a potential homicide investigation pretty quickly," Morgan Lewis, a spokesperson for the sheriff's office, told Military.com on Thursday.

Investigators reviewed security footage from the area, identified a vehicle rented to Ellington at the inn, Lewis said, and traced his movements to Alabama. Law enforcement discovered Bennett's remains in "a pond located in an abandoned neighborhood in Mobile, Alabama," the sheriff's office announced Wednesday on Facebook.

The same day, authorities -- assisted by local Alabama law enforcement -- arrested Ellington as he was "trying to leave town," Lewis said, on a bus in Opelika, which is located northeast of Montgomery near the Georgia state border.

Authorities believe that the alleged murder was premeditated. When they searched Ellington's phone, Lewis said investigators found child pornography and Google searches "pertaining to 'can someone scream when they're strangled? What is the statistic of prostitutes homicides being solved ...' and 'How does a dead body look in two days?'"

Lewis said that the exact cause of Bennett's death will remain unclear until an autopsy can be performed and, while there appeared to be "foul play" at the hotel, authorities did not yet know whether that is where she was killed.

"We believe that this was a person taking advantage of the situation," Lewis said, noting that investigators believe Bennett was working as an escort at the time of her death. "We believe that he intentionally sought out someone in that position in order to take advantage of it, to do what he planned to do."

It is unclear whether Bennett and Ellington knew each other prior to her death, according to Lewis, who added that it may have been "a random act." She added that Bennett's next of kin had been notified of her death, though a partner agency released information prematurely in the investigation.

"The investigation was complicated by information released/reported prematurely before we could notify the family and before investigators were able to locate the suspect," the Escambia County Sheriff's Office said in its news release on social media Wednesday.

A Marine Corps spokesperson for Training and Education Command, Capt. Jacoby Getty, told Military.com that Ellington is a private first class assigned to Marine Aviation Support Group 23 aboard Naval Air Station Pensacola. Ellington joined the service this year as an aircrew trainee.

"Training Command is aware of the ongoing investigation and is committed to working closely with local authorities to support their efforts," Getty said. When asked about the case, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service referred Military.com to local authorities. Getty said that the Escambia County Sheriff's Office is leading the investigation, but NCIS is working with the office.

Lewis described the case as "chilling" and, now that authorities have located a suspect in connection to Bennett's death, said "we're hoping for justice for her and her family."

Editor's note: This article was updated with additional information from the Marine Corps.

Related: Hawaii Marine Detained After Dependent Death Still Not Charged More than a Month Later
U.S. service members could miss their paychecks at the end of the month if the federal government shuts down this weekend, as the world's richest man Elon Musk, a close ally of President-elect Donald Trump, is advocating.

The potential loss of pay in the midst of the holiday season was looming Thursday after plans negotiated by Republicans and Democrats in Congress to fund the government and avert a shutdown on Saturday were derailed, largely by Musk. The billionaire spent all day Wednesday raging against the legislation on the social media platform he owns, X, followed by Trump himself coming out against the spending bill.

The twin attacks from Musk and Trump caused House Republicans to scrap the previous deal. By Thursday afternoon, House GOP leaders announced an alternative plan, but Senate Democratic leaders were not involved in the discussion and some House Republicans were complaining about elements of the new plan.

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In a government shutdown, troops have to continue working but don't get paid until the shutdown ends unless Congress passes legislation to allow paychecks to continue. The next payday for service members is scheduled for Dec. 31, and the Pentagon is warning that paychecks could be delayed by an extended shutdown.

"Objectively speaking, a lapse in funding will cause serious disruptions across the Defense Department and is still avoidable," Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said at a news conference Thursday. "Therefore, DoD urges Congress to reach a bipartisan, bicameral agreement on fiscal year 2025 appropriations and avoid a [stopgap spending bill] or worse, a government shutdown."

In addition to troop pay, a government shutdown could affect everything from on-base child care to temporary duty travel to elective medical procedures, according to guidance issued by the Pentagon during previous shutdown threats. The Pentagon had not publicly released new guidance by publication, though the guidance they've issued for shutdown threats over the years has largely stayed the same.

Potential effects at the Department of Veterans Affairs would be more muted because of the way the department is funded, but some headquarters staff would be furloughed, which could have ripple effects on veterans services.

It was unclear exactly how many days the government would need to be shut down for the Pentagon to miss its payroll processing deadline and therefore not be able to send troops their Dec. 31 paychecks as scheduled.

Ryder repeatedly stressed the possibility of troops not getting paid during the holiday season, but he also suggested that the Pentagon would work as fast as possible to get checks out once Congress passes a new funding bill.

"We're going to do everything we can to make sure our personnel are getting paid and taken care of as quickly as we can," Ryder said. "In an optimistic world, this shutdown could be avoided, but if it's not  again, we'll work to make sure that our personnel have what they need to mitigate the effects."

During the last extended government shutdown in December 2018 and January 2019, most members of the military continued to be paid because Congress had passed a full-year spending bill for the Pentagon. But the Coast Guard, which is funded through the Department of Homeland Security, was affected by the shutdown.

That year, 42,000 members, including active-duty and Coast Guard civilian employees, went five weeks without pay. Many civilians were furloughed, but active-duty members continued to work.

The service curtailed operations such as safety checks, issuing and renewing merchant mariner documentation and licensing, fisheries enforcement and routine maintenance of buoys and other aids to navigation, and deferred maintenance on aircraft and vessels.

Food banks sprouted up around large Coast Guard installations, and nonprofits, including Coast Guard Mutual Assistance and the American Legion, provided loans and grants to service members and their families.

"These are our brothers and sisters," then-Legion National Commander Brett Reistad said at the time. "They were out there risking their lives, saving lives" during the shutdown.

In another instance, when the government shut down in 2013, members of the military were paid because Congress passed legislation specifically to protect troop paychecks during that time. Similar legislation to protect troop pay during a shutdown was introduced earlier this year when Congress last careened toward a government funding deadline.

But Musk's call for a shutdown also included a demand that Congress pass "zero" bills before Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20, a demand that would seem to encompass any troop pay protection bill.

"'Shutting down' the government (which doesn't actually shut down critical functions btw) is infinitely better than passing a horrible bill," Musk contended in one of more than 100 posts he made on X about the now-dead bipartisan spending agreement since it was released.

Current government funding expires at midnight Eastern time Friday, meaning a shutdown would begin at 12:01 a.m. Saturday if Congress doesn't approve an extension.

During a brief lapse in appropriations, there would be little to no effect on government and military operations. For example, earlier this year, government funding technically expired for several hours, but the White House issued guidance saying agencies did not have to shut down because congressional approval of funding was imminent.

When the government does shut down, all services considered "nonessential" stop.

In the military, that means all temporary duty travel and conference participation would be canceled unless it is in "direct support" of counterterrorism missions, according to shutdown guidance issued last year.

Permanent change of station moves would also be limited unless the move is for an essential activity.

Military medical and dental care would continue, but any elective procedures would have to be postponed or canceled. Lawmakers have previously warned that "elective" could include procedures as important as kidney stone removal or a mastectomy for breast cancer.

Department of Defense Education Activity schools for military children would stay open, but extracurricular activities would be curtailed unless they have a funding source that doesn't require congressional approval.

Day care centers on military bases would also be available only if they are "required for readiness," according to the 2023 guidance.

Commissaries could stay open as long as cash reserves in a funding source known as the Defense Working Capital Fund were available. After that, only commissaries overseas or in remote areas of the U.S. where "no other sources of food are reasonably available" would be able to operate, the 2023 guidance said.

Whether on-base recreational activities remain available depends on their funding source. For example, in 2013, many base libraries closed, but bowling alleys stayed open. Exchange shops are not funded through congressional appropriations, so they would stay open.

At the VA, medical centers stay open because Congress approves funding for them a year in advance specifically to avoid any disruptions caused by shutdowns or stopgap spending bills.

Disability and education benefits for veterans would also continue, as would interments at VA cemeteries. Suicide prevention programs, homelessness programs, the Veterans Crisis Line and caregiver support can also operate during a shutdown, according to the VA's most recent shutdown guidance.

But some administrative staff at the Veterans Benefits Administration would be furloughed, and the GI Bill hotline that veterans can call with questions about their education benefits would be suspended, according to the guidance. At veterans cemeteries, permanent headstone or grave markers couldn't be installed, and ground maintenance would be halted.

A shutdown could also potentially affect about 640,000 veterans who work for the government at various agencies and departments, including 90,000 at the Department of Veterans Affairs, said Will Attig, an Army veteran of Iraq and executive director of the Union Veterans Council at the AFL-CIO.

"These veterans signed up to serve their country in uniform and now in civil society, and now their country is letting them down," Attig said in a statement.

Related: Here's What the Coast Guard Is Cutting Back On During the Shutdown
MOSCOW  An Uzbek citizen accused of acting on behalf of Ukraine has been charged by Russian authorities with this week's assassination of a senior Russian general and his assistant in an electric scooter bombing claimed by Ukraine's security services, Russian state media said Thursday.

Akhmadzhon Kurbonov was ordered detained by a Moscow court until at least Feb. 17 in Tuesday's bombing that killed Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, the chief of Russias Radiation, Biological and Chemical Protection Forces, the Tass state news agency reported.

Kurbonov was charged with the killings, carrying out a terrorist act and illegally manufacturing explosives, the news agency said.

Kirillov was killed by a bomb hidden on an electric scooter outside his apartment building in Moscow, a day after Ukraines security service leveled criminal charges against him. His assistant, Ilya Polikarpov, also was killed.

Kurbonov, previously referred to by news agencies as Akhmad Kurbanov, was detained by Russian security services Wednesday. Shortly after he was detained, Russias Federal Security Service, or FSB, which did not identify him, said he was born in 1995 and was recruited by Ukraines security service. The Associated Press could not confirm the conditions under which the suspect spoke to the FSB.

The suspect said he had been promised $100,000 and resettlement in a European Union country in exchange for killing Kirillov, according to the FSB.

The agency said that acting on instructions from Ukraine, the suspect picked up a homemade bomb in Moscow, placed it on an e-scooter and parked it at the entrance to Kirillovs apartment building.

He rented a car to monitor the location and set up a camera that livestreamed the scene to his handlers in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, the FSB said, detonating the bomb when Kirillov left the building.

Kirillov, 54, was the head of Russias Radiation, Biological and Chemical Protection Forces. The special troops are tasked with protecting the military from use of nuclear, chemical or biological weapons and ensuring operations in a contaminated environment.

He was under sanctions from several countries, including the U.K. and Canada, for his actions in Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine. On Monday, Ukraines Security Service, or SBU, opened a criminal investigation against him, accusing him of directing the use of banned chemical weapons.

Russia denied using any chemical weapons in Ukraine and has accused Kyiv of using toxic agents in combat.

An SBU official told AP on Tuesday that the agency was behind the attack. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information, described Kirillov as a war criminal and an entirely legitimate target.
The number of veterans who died by suicide in 2022 -- nearly 18 per day -- remained steady from the previous year but was down from a peak in 2018, with "encouraging" signs of progress among women and younger veterans, Veterans Affairs officials said Thursday.

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs' two-part 2024 annual suicide prevention report released Thursday, 6,407 veterans died by suicide in 2022, compared with 6,404 in 2021, a rate of roughly 34.7 per 100,000.

In 2018 -- the year with the highest number of veteran suicides in the past two decades -- 6,722 veterans took their own lives. At the time, given the size of the veteran population, those deaths translated into a rate that was roughly 32 per 100,000.

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Although veteran suicides saw a slight uptick from 2021 to 2022, the increase -- .7 per 100,000 -- was smaller than the adjusted rate in the U.S. population, which saw a 1.8% rise among males and a 5.2% jump among females, according to Matthew Miller, executive director for the VA's Suicide Prevention Office.

"[There are] notable changes within the data in terms of increase or decreases in veteran suicide prevention that provide aspects of hope regarding progress," Miller said in a roundtable with reporters prior to the report's release.

The 2024 Annual National Veteran Suicide Prevention Report focused on 2022, the most recent year for which data was available from various sources, including VA records, the Department of Defense, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and states.

Overall, the suicide rate among U.S. veterans in 2022 of 34.7 per 100,000 was more than twice as high as the U.S. non-veteran population of 17.1 per 100,000.

The deaths included 6,136 male veterans -- a 1.4% increase from the previous year -- and 271 female veterans, a drop of 24% from 2021.

Younger veterans ages 18 to 34 saw a decline, by nearly 4%, in suicides in 2022, and homeless veterans also experienced a 19% reduction in suicides in 2022.

The number of veterans who died within a year of leaving active duty declined from a rate of 51 per 100,000 in 2021 to 46.2 per 100,000 in 2022. By service breakdown, however, the Marine Corps continued to have a significantly higher death rate than veterans from other branches, 67.9 per 100,000 "person years" -- a data point that incorporates the number of members and their time in service for the year. However, the figure was down from 2020 when the Marine Corps rate was nearly 81 per 100,000.

The rates for the other branches for members who recently left the service were 47 per 100,000 for the Navy, 38.8 per 100,000 for the Army, and 38.1 for the Air Force, which includes Space Force data.

"This information raises concern about the unique challenges faced by Marine Corps veterans and highlights the necessity for specialized support systems tailored to their specific needs," Miller said.

According to the report, the deaths translate into 17.6 a day, down from 19 in 2018. The still-repeated mantra of "22 veteran suicides per day" from a decade ago was based on an extrapolation of data from 21 states, taken between 1999 and 2010. The current figures are considered more accurate because they are based on information from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories, as well as government data.

The VA has invested billions in mental health care and suicide prevention and treatment, from more than $13 billion in fiscal 2022 to a request of nearly $17.1 billion in fiscal 2025, according to the Congressional Research Service.

Despite those efforts, including a VA public service initiative focusing on safe storage of firearms and distributing more than 3.2 million cable gun locks, self-inflicted gunshot wounds accounted for 73.5% of all veteran suicides, up more than 7% from the previous year.

Miller said the VA will continue to prioritize firearms storage. "The report underlines a critical need for targeted suicide prevention strategies among veterans, particularly concerning secure firearms storage," he said.

According to the report, the department also plans to continue building partnerships with community organizations, improve access to mental health services, and implement prevention strategies across medical services and VA settings outside the health system.

The VA also will continue to invest in its Veterans Crisis Line, a service that saw suicide rates drop nearly 23% among those who called it in 2022, Miller said.

VA Secretary Denis McDonough said that every suicide is a tragedy, and there is "nothing more important to VA than ending veteran suicide."

"We will learn from this report to better serve veterans and save lives," McDonough said in a statement Thursday.

The previous report stated that 6,392 veterans died by suicide in 2021, an increase of 1.8% from 2020. But the latest report cited the updated 2021 figure as 6,404 during the first full year of the pandemic.

Miller said the changes occur each year as a result of late or modified reports from the states to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Service members and veterans facing a mental health crisis can call the VA Crisis Line at 988, press 1. Help also is available by texting 838255 or chatting online.

Related: Canceled Appointments, Unexplained Mixups -- Veterans Facing Challenges Getting VA Mental Health Care
A little over a decade after the Air Force spent some $1.2 million to renovate a former officer's home on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the home was demolished last month, according to information obtained by the Dayton Daily News.

The Air Force spent $1.24 million, plus $77,000 in furnishings, to renovate the Charles Taylor House, a 3,500-square-foot, three-bedroom, three-bathroom Tudor-style brick home, this newspaper reported in 2012.

The final expenditure was about $400,000 more than the project's initial estimated cost.

Base officials say the house was demolished this year after being designated "excess infrastructure."

Charles Edward Taylor built the engine that made the historic flight of the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk possible, according to historians. He has been recognized as a pioneer of aviation mechanics. The namesake house was found on the base's Area A.

The historic building was vacant before the renovation, essentially serving as a hotel for what the Air Force considered "distinguished visitors" or "VIPs" -- officers ranking at colonel or above -- and civilian executives.

Last month, the home was demolished, according to photos obtained by the Dayton Daily News and interviews with base officials.

'Excess Infrastructure'

A reader reached out to the Dayton Daily News about the demolition, saying it felt like a "tragedy."

Brick houses built on Wright-Patterson in the mid-1930s "show craftsmanship specific to an era of history," this reader wrote. "Personally, it would be lovely to see the existing homes restored/renovated and maintained with habitation."

The house was last renovated for $1.24 million in 2011, a spokeswoman for the 88th Air Base Wing said in response to questions from the Dayton Daily News.

The home was converted from family housing to a distinguished visitor's quarters on the base, used by the 88th Force Support Squadron.

The 88th Air Base Wing is responsible for security, infrastructure and an array of support services to operate the large Air Force base.

In 2021, the building was returned to the 88th Civil Engineer Group for management, this news outlet was told.

After a review by the group, "it was determined the cost to convert it back to a family housing unit, as well as making additional code and compliance updates, was not financially tenable," said a base spokeswoman, Lisa Riley.

"As excess infrastructure, the decision was made to divest through demolition, in accordance with Air Force goals," she said.

The building was demolished last month.

Tom Schatz is president of Citizens Against Government Waste, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization that critiques government over-spending, waste, fraud and abuse.

"Something that was renovated in the last 15 years should be livable and usable," Schatz said. "It does seem to be both excessive and premature -- and it's perhaps a failure to determine what other purposes it (the home) might serve."

"Certainly the federal government should look to make what's being done more effective, more efficient," he said.

'A 5-Star Experience'

The building won an interior design award in 2010 from Air Force Materiel Command and featured a professional-grade kitchen. Guest feedback over the years had been positive, said a base spokesman in 2012, John Klemack.

"It's a five-star experience," Klemack told this newspaper more than a decade ago.

The house was located about a mile from the privately run Hope Hotel, next to busy base gate 12A. A decade or so ago, Air Force policy stipulated that VIPs could stay at that hotel only if no on-base facilities were available, a base spokesman told this newspaper in 2012.

Remodeling and maintaining these vintage homes was never inexpensive.

Historic residential housing of the kind found at Wright-Patterson is rare in the Air Force, Brig. Gen. Mark Slominski, mobilization assistant to the commander of Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC), told this newspaper last year.

"They are high. They are higher than what you would expect to spend in a recap (remodeling) of a home off the installation," Slominski said then.

A Wright-Patterson home renovation project turned heads after a routine U.S. Army Corps of Engineer contract award in December 2022. The corps awarded a contract to Messer Construction for the renovation of 29 homes on Wright-Patterson -- at a cost of about $2.4 million per home.

Given the historic nature of the homes, tiles, windows, brick exteriors and metal roof materials need to be chosen carefully.

"It's a pretty substantial investment in materials that are very specialized," Slominski told this newspaper.

(c) 2024 the Journal-News (Hamilton, Ohio)

Visit the Journal-News (Hamilton, Ohio) at www.journal-news.com

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The historic ocean liner the SS United States appears to be staying at a Philadelphia dock for now after the U.S. Coast Guard halted plans to move the SS United States from its port along the Delaware River, citing safety concerns.

The vessel was sold by its longtime stewards, the SS United States Conservancy, to Okaloosa County, Florida, where local officials plan to scuttle it and transform it into an artificial reef to promote diving tourism off the Florida coast.

Okaloosa County officials had announced a plan to tow the ocean liner down the Delaware and into the Atlantic. Coast Guard officials, however, have ordered it held at its dock over concerns about its ability to survive the journey.

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An order to keep the vessel docked noted concerns about its overall condition, oily residue and a potentially compromised tank in its port wing.

"This [Captain of the Port] order allows for testing to be conducted to make sure the vessel can withstand a trip and to test its seaworthiness," Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Olinda Romero wrote in an email to NJ Advance Media. "We are still awaiting results from the testing that is occurring, so we do not currently have an update on that end."

Okaloosa County officials remain optimistic about the vessel's seaworthiness. An engineer hired by Okaloosa ensured its stability during a recent assessment, county spokesperson Nick Tomecek said.

The order calls for the county to provide paperwork about the vessel's structure integrity and secure loose barrels of fuel.

"Okaloosa County is confident in the ship's ability to complete a safe move and future deployment as the world's largest artificial reef that will be located in the Gulf of Mexico near Destin- Fort Walton Beach, Florida," spokesperson Nick Tomecek wrote in an email Tuesday. "As we work with local, state and federal agencies, we are all in agreement that we should take the appropriate steps to make sure she is moved safely and we are actively taking those steps right now."

Thank you for relying on us to provide the local news you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.

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DAKAR, Senegal  It's been a tumultuous month for France and its relationship with former colonies in Africa, as its influence on the continent faces the biggest challenge in decades.

As Paris was devising a new military strategy that would sharply reduce its permanent troop presence in Africa, two of its closest allies struck a double blow.

The government of Chad, considered France's most stable and loyal partner in Africa, announced on its Independence Day it was ending defense cooperation to redefine its sovereignty.

And in an interview published hours later by Le Monde, Senegal's new president said it was obvious that soon French soldiers wouldn't be on Senegalese soil.

Just because the French have been here since the slavery period doesnt mean its impossible to do otherwise, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye said.

The announcements came as France was making efforts to revive waning influence on the continent. Foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot was completing a visit to Chad and Ethiopia, and President Emmanuel Macron for the first time had recognized the killing of as many as 400 West African soldiers by the French Army in 1944.

French authorities stayed silent for almost 24 hours after Chads announcement, finally saying they were in close dialogue on the future of the partnership.

Chads decision marks the final nail in the coffin of Frances post-colonial military dominance in the entire Sahel region, said Mucahid Durmaz, a senior analyst at global risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft, referring to the arid region south of the Sahara.

The decisions by Senegal and Chad are part of the wider structural transformation in the regions engagement with France, in which Paris political and military influence continues to diminish, Durmaz added.

They follow the ousting of French forces in recent years by military-led governments in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, where local sentiments turned sour following years of French forces fighting alongside local ones in the face of stubborn Islamic extremist insurgencies.

What Is Frances New Strategy in Africa?

Jean-Marie Bockel, Macrons personal envoy for Africa, last month presented to Macron his report on the evolution of the French military presence in Africa.

It was part of the "renewal of our partnership with African countries that Macron announced in a 2017 speech in Burkina Faso in the early days of his presidency.

The details of Bockel's report have not been made public. But three French top officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive talks with the concerned countries, said France aimed for a sharp reduction of its military in all its bases in Africa except the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti  where Macron is expected to travel in the coming days.

The officials said it doesnt mean France would necessarily reduce military cooperation but instead would respond to needs expressed by countries. It could mean providing more specific training in airspace surveillance or drones and other aircraft. France also could deploy troops on a temporary basis.

The officials declined to confirm numbers of troop reductions but called it significant.

The French army earlier this year also set up a command for Africa, similar to the U.S. AFRICOM. Newly appointed commander Pascal Ianni specializes in influence and information warfare  a need highlighted by Russia's growing presence in Africa.

You can carry on your military cooperation like many countries do. But the idea of having permanent military bases, which then can be used as political ammunition against you and spun up in kind of a disinformation war, is maybe not the best way of going about things," said Will Brown, a senior policy fellow at the European Center for Foreign Relations.

Meanwhile, France is trying to boost its economic presence in Africas anglophone countries like Nigeria, analysts said. Already, its two biggest trading partners on the continent are Nigeria and South Africa.

At the time of Chads announcement, Macron was hosting talks with Nigerian President Bola Tinubu.

Where Does France Have Troops in West Africa, and Why?

Since the independence of French colonies in Africa, France has maintained a policy of economic, political and military sway dubbed Francafrique, which included having thousands of permanent troops in the region.

France still has 600 troops in Ivory Coast, 350 in Senegal and 350 in Gabon, as well as around 1,500 in Djibouti. It has had 1,000 troops in Chad.

France's defense ministry said the role of French troops in Africa is to train local soldiers and reinforce their capacities to fight extremism, mainly in peacekeeping, intelligence and logistics. But critics say keeping boots on the ground also has allowed Paris to retain influence and protect political regimes favorable to France.

The countries of Francophone Africa want a change in the nature of this relationship," said Gilles Yabi, head of the West Africa Citizen Think Tank.

Why Are West African Countries Expelling French Troops?

Growing anti-French sentiment has led to street protests in several West and North African countries, while governments that gained power on pledges of redefining relationships with the West say ties with France have not benefited the population. They want to explore options with Russia, China, Turkey and other powers.

Chads President Mahamat Deby would not have made this decision if he did not have security guarantees from another actor, Brown said. We know hes received serious support from the United Arab Emirates, who are very interested in whats going on in neighboring Sudan and Darfur. We know that Turkey also made some outreach.

Chad borders four countries with Russian military presence. In January, Deby traveled to Moscow to reinforce relations with the partner country.

Military leaders of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso who expelled the French military have moved closer to Russia, which has mercenaries deployed across the Sahel who have been accused of abuses against civilians.

But the security situation has worsened in those countries, with increasing numbers of extremist attacks and civilian deaths from both armed groups and government forces. Over the first six months of this year, 3,064 civilians were killed, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, a 25% increase over the previous six months.

It is impossible to say whether the departure of French forces led to the increased violence. But it created a huge security vacuum, said analyst Shaantanu Shankar with the Economist Intelligence Unit, adding that it cannot be filled by Russia. Troops from the Russian private military company Wagner are being financed by the junta governments with fewer financial resources, he said.
The Marine Corps -- unsurprisingly -- wants to keep quality Marines in the fleet. What is significant, however, is how the service is attempting to do it. And by the accounts of several Marine officials Military.com spoke to on Thursday, the budding effort is working.

On Dec. 19, the service released an update to its three-year effort to fundamentally change the way that it retains qualified and quality Marines. Dubbed "Talent Management 2030," the plan officially launched in 2021 and sought to do away with outdated retention practices "no longer suited to today's needs."

In a 25-page update to the plan Thursday, the service said that it expanded the window for Marines to reenlist up to 21 months outside of their end-of-contract date, giving them and their families more time to plan; reduced the chance that dual-military couples will be separated during moves; streamlined its lateral movement process; and established a Pacific-oriented cell to better support Marines stationed in the strategically critical region, among other changes.

Read Next: Ospreys Cleared to Fly Again, But Problematic Gearbox Gets More Scrutiny

At the same time, the document and officials Military.com spoke to said the service is also exploring several pilot programs: one that would allow "spot" promotions for qualified officers; another that would offer a flexible housing allowance plan for dependents; and several that digitize the reenlistment process, including a prototype that would allow Marines to submit their packets via personal phone, for example.

"As the character of warfare continues to change, our personnel models cannot remain stagnant," Lt. Gen. Michael Borgschulte, the deputy commandant for the service's Manpower and Reserve Affairs, said in the document. "We will continue to listen to feedback from those we serve, adapt to an ever-evolving environment, and analyze the progress we've made so far."

Some decisions in the update -- which officials characterized as "pragmatic and bold" -- mark progress in a consequential move the service made three years ago aimed at keeping more Marines past their first terms.

For decades, the Marine Corps incurred a "remarkably high turnover rate" among its first-term Marines as it prioritized, and was arguably dependent on, a "recruit and replace" model, according to Talent Management 2030.

Since the mid-1980s, new Marines would come in, and then 75% of them would leave at the end of their first term -- only for a new crop of recruits to don the Eagle, Globe and Anchor and fill the still-warm boots of their predecessors. But as the world and American society changed, the service realized it could no longer afford the years, even decades, it takes to train and educate new, unseasoned teenagers at the same rate it had been, citing the "extraordinary" pace of technological change and the need for qualified experts.

Add that to a recruiting crisis that saw all the services competing for a dwindling percentage of qualified young Americans, and the clear option for the Marine Corps was to "rebalance" its efforts for a "invest and retain" model -- one that intends to keep trained, qualified and quality Marines in the fleet beyond their first-term enlistment.

Three years after that major paradigm shift, the Marine Corps is claiming significant success. In September, it announced that it had achieved 114% of its goal to reenlist first- term Marines, a "historic" achievement the service said it had not seen in more than a decade.

As of Friday, the Marine Corps said that it has already reached nearly 90% of its first-term reenlistment goal of 7,674 Marines for this fiscal year, which started less than three months ago. For what the service calls its "subsequent-term" Marines, meaning troops reenlisting for at least the second time, the Corps is just 57 Devil Dogs short of reaching its total goal for the fiscal year, which ends nine months from now.

Since 2020, the yearly goals of retaining first-term Marines have increased by 13%, according to data provided by the service. The Marine Corps missed those goals in fiscal 2020 and 2021. But since then (and the rollout of Talent Management 2030), it has consistently met them. In last year's case, it exceeded the goal by more than 1,000 reenlisted first-term Marines.

At the same time, the service said that it is retaining higher-quality Marines -- or those identified as "Tier 1." By measuring leadership evaluations, physical fitness scores, education and other metrics, Marines identified as top performers have been prioritized as key cohorts in the retention plan. Since 2021, the number of Tier 1 Marines retained by the service has increased by more than 10%, while those retained as Tier 3 dropped by nearly half.

The Marine Corps has also identified sergeants and staff sergeants as critical ranks to build what one official called a "more mature" force. Certain jobs, like cyber and signals intelligence, as Military.com previously reported, are being incentivized with bonuses, duty station preferences and career progression to achieve that, too.

"We need a more mature force, more experienced -- not just by grade, but years of experience using these new systems that are rolling out," Maj. Mark McGee, a retention planner, said during a Thursday reporter roundtable, "to ensure we have that level of leadership out there leading our junior Marines."

The Programs

The update released Thursday included more than 30 programs, plans or potential pilots at various stages of execution or consideration aimed at keeping Marines -- and civilian employees who support the service -- in the force.

For a service known for its rigidity, the initiatives appear flexible. Brig. Gen. David Everly, the director of the Manpower Plans and Policy Division, said that the service "will not fall in love with any one of these initiatives," meaning that some are meant to address "acute" problems and might fade away, while others are "evolutionary."

To date, no pilot programs introduced since the rollout of Talent Management 2030 have been canceled. But many "may seem in stark contrast to the 'business as usual' of the past," Everly said.

Some initiatives listed in the update explore incentive programs for Marine lawyers, pilots and foreign area officers. Others are continuations of efforts realized months or years ago, including a "streamlined" lateral move program, which saw more than 1,000 enlisted Marines signing up again for a job change in 2024 -- a roughly 20% increase compared to the previous year.

Two efforts stand out as novel, directly related to quality of life, or both.

In January 2024, the Marine Corps established a program called the Indo-Pacific Cell. For context, the Talent Management 2030 program is nested in the Corps' ambitious efforts to address Chinese influence in the Pacific under its Force Design plan -- and those at the physical center of those plans should be supported, according to the document.

The 75-person cell is directed at Marines and their families stationed in Hawaii, Japan, Guam and southern California and aims to "improve personnel policies and processes that best support, recruit and incentivize assignments that enhance the quality of life" for Marines and their families in such a strategically critical region, according to the update.

The Marine Corps said it identified 22 initiatives that the cell would research and develop, including considerations for expanded travel allowances to ship or store two vehicles and assignment incentive pay.

Over the last year, the cell "visited commands in Southern California, Guam, Hawaii, Okinawa, and talked to command teams to determine what are the things that they think are important that would make their Marines and families more effective," Maj. Daniel Viverette, of the Manpower and Policy Division, who described the plan as an "ongoing discussion," said Thursday.

One program that McGee described as "the key ingredient to our success" is the multi-cohort retention model. The program allows Marines to reenlist nine to 21 months prior to the end of their contract. Before, Marines were confined to reenlisting during the fiscal year, meaning that windows for Marines to consider staying in the service or figuring out other plans were briefer.

Given that short timeline, Marines were staring down the transition to civilian life before they could consider -- or the Marine Corps could pitch them -- a chance to stay in the service. Now, they have more time, and Marines who are up for reenlistment in 2027, for example, can submit their packets nearly two years earlier.

McGee said that, historically, the service retained one out of every four Marines up for initial reenlistment. That number is getting closer to one out of every three, he said, in large part because of the extra time the service is giving Marines and their families to consider reenlistment under the program.

"This affords Marines and their families more predictability regarding their future within the service," according to the update. "If Marines want to 'stay Marine' and continue our legacy, they should not be constrained to a specific fiscal year."

Digital and Human Touch

In the past, the process of reenlisting included various hurdles for Marines. The monitors who oversaw where a Marine went, when and why often seemed out of reach or at a distance. Before, young Marines might have had to consult several levels of leadership just to talk to them.

"When a Marine intends to reenlist, they are met with an administrative-heavy, time-consuming and paper-driven reenlistment process," the update said. "If Marines can apply for a mortgage by utilizing the internet and a mobile device, Marines should be able to reenlist using a modernized, digital system."

The Marine Corps, according to officials, is trying to get away from that cumbersome process by using technology as a direct bridge between potentially reenlisting Marines and those in control of their fates if they decide to do so.

"What we're striving for is to have a more intuitive interface user experience, because that's what technology allows us to do nowadays," said Lt. Col. Todd Peterson, the manpower information technology branch head, alluding to three digital platforms the service is working on.

"The whole purpose of these prototypes is to explore how can we make any of these systems more easily navigable, more intuitive -- have a better user experience, so that it doesn't feel onerous to go in and do it," he said. "Even if it is digital and not paperwork anymore, if it's an onerous digital system, it's not going to be well received."

And along with bonuses, assignment preference and other incentives, officials said that leaders are trying to listen to Marines more and that ground-level commanders need to as well if the service wants to be successful in managing talent. The service has dubbed it "agency" -- meaning it wants Marines to have more say on what happens if they choose to stay in.

Part of incorporating that agency includes technology, which is meant to allow Marines to send direct messages to their monitors, get live announcements, schedule appointments with career planners themselves, change assignment preferences "any time," and view their certifications.

But the other part of that chemistry is cultural, in that ground-level leaders need to be invested in this process in a way they may not have been before. The Marine Corps historically viewed retention as a responsibility of higher echelons to manage, Maj. Melissa Spencer, a spokesperson for the service, said at the roundtable.

"But now, with tasking commanders with retention goals and missions and things like that," she said, "it is really an all hands on deck effort, where I think it's on people's mind[s] a lot more, and we're also understanding that the environment -- both from a workplace perspective and global perspective -- is changing."

Related: Marine Corps Unveils Retention Bonuses, Suspends 'Broken Service' Bonus Program for Upcoming Year
The search for Austin Tice that stumped the U.S. government for 12 years has entered a new, hopeful stage -- but 12 days on since Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad fled the country, U.S. officials remain without answers on America's longest-held hostage.

It is the latest, perhaps most torturous chapter in the quest for Tice, a former U.S. Marine and freelance journalist for McClatchy and other publications who went missing in 2012 while covering the outbreak of war.

Images that flooded out from Syria of Assad's prisoners being freed and reunited with their families -- some after decades in captivity -- filled U.S. officials and the Tice family with optimism in the immediate aftermath of his departure.

For all those years, Assad and his innermost circle had been Tice's gatekeepers, refusing to discuss his case or even mention his name despite U.S. knowledge that the Syrian government had held him in its custody.

Now, Washington finally has a cooperative partner in Damascus -- the rebel group that forced Assad's ouster -- offering to help track Tice down. But they don't know where he is, either.

And each day that passes without a breakthrough is increasing concern within the Biden administration over Tice's welfare.

With many of Assad's military intelligence and political prisons known to the West now swept and searched, U.S. officials are growing anxious they are running out of their most promising leads. They do not believe that time is on their side. One U.S. official said that fragmented tips continue to stream in and are being analyzed and feverishly pursued by the administration on the ground.

The Biden administration's approach to the search has created yet another point of tension with the Tice family, which has questioned why the U.S. government has not sent diplomats or search and rescue teams into the country to help with the manhunt themselves. Tice's parents, Debra and Marc Tice, have frequently criticized the Biden administration for not prioritizing Tice's case over the years.

State Department officials say that Roger Carstens, the U.S. envoy for hostage affairs, has been in Lebanon working on Tice's case, and that Secretary of State Antony Blinken has made finding Tice a top priority. But the State Department also says it cannot send diplomats into the country yet for a host of reasons, including their obligation to ensure the security of their personnel.

Two U.S. officials said that Defense Department assets are on the ground, noting the U.S. military has a permanent presence in the north and deployed to bring Travis Timmerman, another American found in Syria in recent days who was initially confused for Tice, back home. FBI agents that have spent years investigating Assad's war crimes remain there and are working their sources. And intelligence officials are running down leads, as well, one of the officials said.

The National Security Council and the CIA declined to comment. The FBI referred to a Dec. 9 statement renewing its call for information on Tice, adding, "we have no comment regarding FBI personnel and this matter."

The manhunt for Tice has focused on the capital of Damascus and its immediate suburbs. Leaders from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, the rebel group in control, have been in direct touch with U.S. officials and are assisting in the search for Tice, including for Assad government and intelligence documents that could help point them in the right direction.

Debra Tice wrote to the Israeli government in recent days asking them to refrain from bombing Syrian military and intelligence facilities where Tice may be held, after the Israelis struck a security complex last week in the Kafr Sousa district of Damascus where another inmate claimed to have seen him. An Israeli official told McClatchy that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the Israeli Defense Forces to work with Washington to avoid bombing facilities that are targets of interest in the Tice search.

Debra Tice also wrote this week to Russian President Vladimir Putin asking him to press Assad -- who is now in Moscow -- for information on Tice's whereabouts, and offering to fly out to the Russian capital herself. At an event on Thursday, Putin said he intended to ask Assad about Tice when he gets around to seeing him.

Other U.S. nongovernmental groups and American journalists on the ground are also helping in the search, communicating with U.S. officials outside the country with tips on potential locations.

The FBI is offering a $1 million reward to anyone who provides information that leads to Tice's safe return, and has released an "age-progressed" digital image of what Tice would likely look like in his 40s.

White House officials have said they are operating on the assumption that Tice is alive, without any evidence to the contrary and based on intelligence from earlier on in his captivity that he had been processed through the Syrian court system.

Just days before Assad fled Syria, the Tice family traveled to Washington for meetings stating they had obtained a new, credible source that had confirmation Tice was "alive and well." U.S. officials were unable to verify the family's claims.

But shortly after Damascus fell, an NBC reporter followed a tip from a former inmate in the Syrian prison system who said he had seen Tice while in captivity in 2022. The report captured images inside of a prison cell that showed clear markings on the walls of an American.

Tice's case is already on the minds of those in the incoming Trump administration.

"Austin Tice has been missing for far too long," Trump-Vance Transition spokesman Brian Hughes told McClatchy. "President Trump is committed to determining his whereabouts so Austin can reunite with his family immediately."

Hostage Aid Worldwide, a nonprofit organization working closely with the Tice family to locate him, says the Biden administration is still not doing enough to aid in the search, and has called on the White House to send a formal delegation to Damascus.

"Now, when there's an opportunity for the [U.S. government] to be on the ground, using all available tools, intel, & personnel to #BringAustinHome, the opportunity is being wasted," the organization wrote on social media.

"@HostageAid is on the ground," the group added. "Why isn't the #USG?"

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
A nonprofit organization wanted to privately fund a facility that would house over 100 veterans struggling with housing. North Las Vegas officials said the lot -- which has sat empty for years -- needed to be reserved for commercial space.

Tunnels to Towers, a nonprofit that began in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks and has since offered a wide range of support to veterans, bought around 5 acres of land at 3470 E. Centennial Parkway, which sits just across from the VA Medical Center.

In addition to offering 112 units to house veterans at reduced costs, the project would have offered on-site services, including job training, assistance with accessing benefits, and mental and physical health services. Veterans pay whichever is less: 30 percent of their income or the affordable housing cost equivalent in the area.

"I will advocate for this program until the day I die," John Crankshaw, a resident at Tunnel to Towers' Houston Veteran Village, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal in September.

After success in several other cities, the foundation saw Southern Nevada, which it said ranks second in the nation in homeless veterans, with more than 2,400 veterans experiencing homelessness, as the logical next step. The land in North Las Vegas, right across from the VA hospital, seemed like the perfect spot.

"We are coming to this area to address a specific problem, and we will prioritize North Las Vegas and Las Vegas residents first," Tunnel to Towers Vice President Gavin Naples told commissioners during an Oct. 9 Planning Commission meeting.

The organization was seeking no money from the city and planned to fully fund the $20 million project.

'Just Need to Find a Better Location'

But after what had seemed to Naples to be positive communication with the city in months prior, the commission voted to recommend the city reject the proposal in that October meeting.

Commissioners cited the city's master plan, which had designated the land Tunnel to Towers had purchased as commercial, and declined to amend it.

"I love the idea, but we just need to find a better location," Commissioner Esmeralda Villeda said in the meeting.

Several commissioners echoed this sentiment.

Stephanie Allen, the land use and zoning attorney who represented the foundation, told the commissioners that although the land is technically designated as commercial, there had been a "notable lack" of commercial interest. She also added that 14 amendments had been added to North Las Vegas' master plan, including recent changes from commercial to residential lots.

"It's a $20 million investment in this corridor that is not there right now, and is not coming tomorrow. The reality is, nothing has presented itself in the 22 years it's been zoned commercial," Allen said at the meeting.

Allen also argued that to have people to support the commercial space that North Las Vegas desired, people would also need housing to live in.

'Zoning Issue Not a Lack of Support'

"It doesn't work as a commercial spot. No one in the commercial space wanted to buy it," Naples told the Review-Journal.

North Las Vegas spokesman Greg Bortolin told the Review-Journal that master-planned communities "don't just happen by accident" and take time to develop. Changing the land from commercial to residential, he said, could create food deserts.

"It's a zoning issue, not a lack of support," Bortolin said.

Tunnel to Towers maintained a strong level of support from the community -- the Oct. 9 meeting drew 17 speakers in support of the project, and the foundation said that in its community meetings, it had received no opposition.

"I think they were just trying to grasp at straws," Naples said of the commissioners.

He said he thought it may have something to do with the project's proximity to the 135 acres that North Las Vegas repurchased in March. The land had been planned for a major medical campus. The North Las Vegas City Council repurchased the land for $52.95 million.

The city and the foundation maintain that there is a future for Tunnel to Towers' project.

"We are going to build a veterans' project somewhere in the area. It's just a matter of where," Naples said.

 2024 Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Visit reviewjournal.com.. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The Navy office that oversees the military's use of the V-22 Osprey is allowing the services to resume flying the aircraft while ordering yet another key component -- one that has led to at least one deadly crash -- to undergo further scrutiny.

The office's statement, released Friday, says that every Osprey's proprotor gearbox -- a key piece of machinery that transfers power from the engines to the aircraft's rotor blades -- needs to have the number of flight hours it has worked verified and then be subject to unnamed "flight controls."

The development comes after an incident during a Nov. 20 training mission with a CV-22 Osprey at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico when, "out of an abundance of caution," the Navy's office "recommended an operational pause for all V-22 Osprey variants" on Dec. 6. It also comes more than a year after a gear failure in an Air Force Osprey caused a crash off the coast of Japan that killed eight airmen.

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The office, Naval Air Systems Command, or NAVAIR, said in its statement that Ospreys whose gearboxes meet or exceed a "predetermined flight-hour threshold" can resume flying in accordance with restrictions that were put out in a March 2024 interim flight clearance document.

Meanwhile, Ospreys whose gearboxes are under this new flight-hour limit will be subject to a new interim flight clearance requirement that will also contain "additional risk mitigation controls."

In its statement, NAVAIR noted that it will not make public the new flight-hour threshold for the gearboxes, what the additional flight controls are, or how many Ospreys are impacted -- a move that continues a tradition of hiding key details and metrics about the aircraft and just how safe it is to fly amid mounting mishaps and deaths.

The statement cited "operational security concerns" as the reason for the secrecy, while also claiming that officials remain "committed to transparency and safety regarding all V-22 operations."

NAVAIR did not immediately respond to follow-up questions from Military.com asking for specifics about the limitations.

The latest restrictions also eerily mirror NAVAIR's response to the issue of hard clutch engagements -- another mechanical issue that plagued the Osprey for years before it finally turned deadly, killing 5 Marine aviators in 2022.

In February 2023, NAVAIR declared that, while it didn't have a clear understanding of what causes the problem, replacing a part of the drivetrain called an input quill assembly would reduce further issues by more than 99%.

When NAVAIR announced that fix, it also refused to say how many flight hours it would take before that replacement is needed, how many Ospreys had been grounded, or how long those flight restrictions would last.

Since then, NAVAIR has said it stands by the claim that the quill replacement effort eliminated 99% of hard clutch engagements, but officials haven't publicly cited the figure since 2023.

In a congressional hearing this summer on the Osprey's safety, none of the military representatives cited the statistic, and a NAVAIR spokesman told Military.com that there was "ongoing testing and clutch wear analytical investigations ... that may or may not inform an update to the existing analysis."

The myriad issues with the Osprey's gearboxes have come to light in the wake of the deadly crash of a CV-22, call sign Gundam 22, off the coast of Japan in November 2023 that claimed the lives of eight airmen.

Military.com first and exclusively revealed details from an internal safety board investigation that showed the shattering of a single, poorly made high-speed planetary pinion gear inside a proprotor gearbox was to blame in the Gundam 22 crash, and it was an issue that NAVAIR was aware of for nearly a decade.

The internal report showed that the gear failure was similar to seven other incidents and that a subcontractor, Universal Stainless, was the company that made the gear that failed in Gundam 22.

Military.com also reported on allegations that the company had crafted substandard steel for aircraft parts stretching back to a 2001 lawsuit and that neither the aircraft manufacturers nor NAVAIR would say whether Universal Stainless was still making parts for the aircraft.

The aircraft manufacturers are now facing two separate wrongful death lawsuits brought by the family of an airman killed in the 2023 Air Force crash and families of the Marines who were killed in the earlier 2022 Marine Corps crash.

Related: Military Ospreys Can't Fly More Than 30 Minutes from Landing Airfield Months After Grounding Lifted
The national defense policy bill signed into law by then-President Donald Trump on Dec. 20, 2019, created the Space Force.

At first, the nation's newest and smallest service branch was a punch line for a Netflix show starring Steve Carell. But on Friday, it celebrates its fifth birthday and has outlived much of the early criticism and lampooning. Experts tell Military.com that the next few years may mark some of the biggest changes in the Space Force's short history.

In a month, the president who created the Space Force will be back in the White House, and one of the service's biggest supporters, Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., will retain his role as chairman of the powerful House Armed Services Committee. They both have plans to physically and financially grow the military's tiniest branch.

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"That period of time around its creation was certainly unique, complete with a Netflix series to poke fun at it and a lot of jokes being made by folks not plugged into our world," Rogers said during a speech in Washington, D.C., this week.

"Well, that TV series isn't around anymore, and neither are the jokes," Rogers continued. "People have come to realize the very real threats that exist in space and the compelling need for a Space Force."

Trump and Rogers have laid out immediate and specific paths for the Space Force as military threats in space from China and Russia continue to grow.

Trump has committed publicly to supporting efforts to create the first-ever Space National Guard. And Rogers has said that he expects the president-elect to move U.S. Space Command, the combatant command tasked with military operations in space, from Colorado to Alabama during his first week in office -- a move Trump set out in his first presidential term that was reversed under President Joe Biden.

Project 2025, a policy plan created by the conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation for the Trump administration, urges several moves related to the Space Force, including calls to "reestablish offensive capabilities," "rapidly expand space control capability," and "declassify appropriate information about terrestrial and on-orbit space capabilities that threaten the U.S."

It also wants to "increase the number of general officer positions" within the Space Force, as well as "explore creation of a Space Force Academy" separate from the Air Force Academy in Colorado.

The Trump transition team did not respond to an email from Military.com asking about specific policy plans for the Space Force.

The service has slowly been expanding its ranks since Trump signed it into law, growing from roughly 4,000 Guardians to an estimated 9,800 in 2025, according to budget documents -- with about 4,680 officers and 5,120 enlisted members.

Rogers wants to grow that number even more.

"I know some of my friends in Congress are violently opposed to any growth as just increasing overhead, but if we want to have a Space Force capable of doing what the nation expects, it has to have enough people, and the right people, to carry out its mission," Rogers said during his speech this week.

But even as the Space Force continued to increase its ranks, it faced a proposed budget cut this year. The service's fiscal 2025 budget request was $29.4 billion, about $600 million -- or 2% -- less than the $30 billion it proposed the previous year. It was the first time since the service's budget was separated from the Air Force in 2021 that it saw a decrease.

Todd Harrison, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute who focuses on space policy, told Military.com in an interview that, while those cuts were tough for the service, he expects funding it to be a priority under the next administration.

"Despite that setback, I think things are actually looking up for the Space Force," Harrison said, adding that if the overall Pentagon budget increases under the Trump administration, the smallest branch will capture more resources. "I think it'll grow faster than the other services."

In addition to getting Trump's support in the White House and Rogers' backing in Congress, the Space Force will also have Elon Musk -- the richest man in the world and one of the service's biggest military contractors -- looped into the administration.

Musk's SpaceX has received hefty government contracts from the Space Force, but concerns have also been raised about his conversations with foreign officials, according to reporting from The Wall Street Journal.

Last month, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and outgoing Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Jack Reed, D-R.I., wrote a letter to Pentagon and Justice Department officials calling for "an immediate review to ascertain whether Mr. Musk's relationships with multiple high-level Russian officials warrant an investigation and a determination by the Department of Defense's senior debarment official whether SpaceX should exclude Mr. Musk's involvement in current or future U.S. government contracts."

Meanwhile, Trump has tasked Musk to lead a "Department of Government Efficiency" that would examine spending and regulations related to the federal government.

Harrison said that the concerns about Musk do put the service in a tough position.

"I think it makes it more complicated, more sensitive," he said. "One of their main vendors has a direct channel to the president. That complicates issues, but also that same person has some serious security concerns around him right now. ... They know they can't get on Elon's bad side, but they also can't trust him."

Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman appeared alongside Trump and Musk during a SpaceX launch in Texas last month -- notable face time for the general as all the service chiefs stare down an uncertain future under the new administration.

"I can't overstate how proud I am of what we've accomplished over the past five years," Saltzman said Friday in a post on X, the social media platform owned by Musk. "The Space Force has a lot of work ahead, but Guardians have proven they're up to the task. I rest easy at night knowing the future of space is in their hands."

Related: Trump Vows to Create Space National Guard as Issue Becomes a Political Lightning Rod Among States
Tickets to Ice Nine Kills 2025 tour, The Silver Scream-A-Thon, coming to GLC Live at 20 Monroe on May 20 and 21, are now available.

Reserve and compare prices on SeatGeek, Vivid Seats, StubHub, and Ticketmaster.

Ice Nine Kills performs before Falling In Reverse at the Giant Center in Hershey, Pa., Jun. 29, 2023. Mark Pynes | pennlive.comMark Pynes | mpynes@pennlive.com

Hear Ice Nine Kills albums The Silver Scream and The Silver Scream 2: Welcome To Horrorwood in full throughout the horror metal bands 2025 tour, The Silver Scream-A-Thon. Over two nights at each of the 12 already announced venues, the route promises to showcase the groups 2018 and 2021 records, while also including new releases  like A Work of Art with Shavo of System of a Down, which was featured in the 2024 horror favorite, Terrifier 3  as well as a selection of deep cuts and fan favorites, writes Live Nation.

The tour comes amid Ice Nine Kills 2025 dates with Metallica, Pantera, Limp Bizkit, and Suicidal Tendencies (find tickets here), and begins Wednesday, April 30 at The Ritz Raleigh in North Carolina  running until Thursday, June 12, when the band will wrap up at the House of Blues Myrtle Beach in South Carolina before heading to When We Were Young Festival in October. Get tickets to The Silver Scream-A-Thon at GLC Live at 20 Monroe in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Tuesday, May 20 and Wednesday, May 21, 2025. See below for a full starting price breakdown.

Michigan tickets:

Tue, May 20  SeatGeek from $63 | Vivid Seats from $72 | StubHub from $62 | Ticketmaster from $70.50

Wed, May 21  SeatGeek from $62 | Vivid Seats from $70 | StubHub from $61 | Ticketmaster from $70.50

2-day pass  SeatGeek from $127 | Vivid Seats from $77 | StubHub from $108 | Ticketmaster from $118

Tour schedule:

Wed, Apr 30  The Ritz Raleigh; Raleigh, NC

Thu, May 1  The Ritz Raleigh; Raleigh, NC

Tue, May 6  Uptown Theater Kansas City; Kansas City, MO

Wed, May 7  Uptown Theater Kansas City; Kansas City, MO

Fri, May 9  The Rave-Eagles Club; Milwaukee, WI

Sat, May 10  The Rave-Eagles Club; Milwaukee, WI

Sun, May 11  Sonic Temple Festival - Historic Crew Stadium; Columbus, OH

Tue, May 13  Fillmore Minneapolis; Minneapolis, MN

Wed, May 14  Fillmore Minneapolis; Minneapolis, MN

Sun, May 18  Riviera Theatre; Chicago, IL

Mon, May 19  Riviera Theatre; Chicago, IL

Tue, May 20  GLC Live at 20 Monroe; Grand Rapids, MI

Wed, May 21  GLC Live at 20 Monroe; Grand Rapids, MI

Sat, May 24  Wellmont Theater; Montclair, NJ

Sun, May 25  Wellmont Theater; Montclair, NJ

Thu, May 29  Aztec Theatre; San Antonio, TX

Fri, May 30  Aztec Theatre; San Antonio, TX

Sun, Jun 1  House of Blues Houston; Houston, TX

Mon, Jun 2  House of Blues Houston; Houston, TX

Wed, Jun 4  The Tabernacle; Atlanta, GA

Thu, Jun 5  The Tabernacle; Atlanta, GA

Sun, Jun 8  Fillmore New Orleans; New Orleans, LA

Mon, Jun 9  Fillmore New Orleans; New Orleans, LA

Wed, Jun 11  House of Blues Myrtle Beach; North Myrtle Beach, SC

Thu, Jun 12  House of Blues Myrtle Beach; North Myrtle Beach, SC

Sat, Oct 18  When We Were Young Festival - Las Vegas Festival Grounds; Las Vegas, NV

Tickets: SeatGeek | Vivid Seats | StubHub | Ticketmaster
DETROIT -- When Brian Christopher started his YouTube channel years ago, he says it was basically a place to showcase his demos while he looked to make it as an actor. So when he decided to have a little fun and share a video of himself playing slots, he didnt think anything of it.

I thought Maybe Ill record myself gambling. Itll be funny. Ill post it online for fun, Christopher said of the first video. I never had a plan for it, never had any expectations at all. I just posted them and after a week I had 1,000 subscribers.

Read more: Casino influencer wins largest jackpot of his life while filming at MGM Grand Detroit

Christopher soon realized that his subscriber count had jumped from about 14 to well over 1,000 in that week. His new found followers wondered when hed have more content to share and a month later, Christopher delivered more videos.

That was eight years ago.

Today, Christophers YouTube channel has more than 707,000 subscribers. Across all platforms the Toronto native amasses more than eight million unique viewers monthly and his content has been viewed more than one billion times.

The success has led Christopher on a journey that now includes him working as a brand ambassador for BetMGM. On Thursday, Christopher visited the MGM Grand Detroit to host a special meet-and-greet with fans, many of whom have followed his content and rise for many years.

I feel like Ive been watching him from the beginning, said Amelia Bialkowski, of Grosse Ile, who added how much she likes how personable Christopher is in his videos. Its a familiarity. I know what Im getting with Brian. Its the same setup, but its not mundane. Its something new every time.

Bialkowski attended Thursdays event with her friend Joyce Murray of Lincoln Park who has also been watching Christophers videos for a few years. She too says its Christophers personality that really makes his content enjoyable to watch, while also teaching other slot players about different games.

He seems like a fun guy. Someone I could hang out with and just be myself, Murray said.

Christopher says getting the chance to go out and meet his fans across the country has been a blessing and not something he takes for granted.

During Thursdays event, attendees had a chance to various gifts branded gifts from Brian Christopher Slots and BetMGM, along with gift cards, cash and other prizes. Fans also had a chance to take pictures with him and ask a few questions.

Its a dream come true. When I was a kid I always wanted to be an actor, although Im not acting anymore, I am entertaining people so I still get that same high out of it, Christopher said. The fact that people want to take time out of their day to come say hello and hang out and are that invested is really special.

Sisters Sonya Dotson and Patricia Lovett, both of Detroit say they like watching Brian because of the variety of games he plays and the higher bets he places, because some of the bets are larger than anything theyd ever risk themselves. Lovett says she got hooked on Christophers videos immediately after her sister passed one along.

She (Dotson) sent me a video one night and the next thing I know, its 2 in the morning and Im still scrolling! Lovett said.

Detroit in general appears to be home to a large number of Christophers followers as he says hes visited a couple times now as an ambassador and the response keeps getting better.

The demand here is ridiculous. We have so many fans in Detroit. I dont know what it is about Detroit, but they love BC Slots, Christopher said. The people here are awesome.

For the people at BetMGM, Christophers knowledge of the industry and devoted fanbase have made him an ideal person to partner with.

We were looking for someone to speak with authority on gaming, who gambles themselves, said Oliver Bartlett, VP of Product and Gaming for BetMGM. I wanted someone to speak to players as a player themselves and I think Brian is a fantastic example of that.

Hes a great advocate for our industry, particularly the online side. He speaks about games a gambler does. I learn things when I watch his streams (and) Ive been in the industry for 20 years.

Teaching viewers about the various games and the volatility behind each game is one of the reasons why Victor Serratos of Detroit became a fan of Christophers. As a slots player himself, Serratos used to believe there were secret tips or tricks that professionals use to win. However, after watching Christophers channel and learning more about each game, Serratos says he better understands what hes doing and what to expect when he plays.

I watched him and he explained things in such detail, and now I know its about timing and basically luck, Serratos said.

Christopher himself admits there is no secret to his success on the machines other than hitting the button at the right time. And while he cant tell people how to win, he does have one piece of advice for any player.

There are no secrets and there is zero skill to playing a slot machine. The only skill that I can come up with is knowing when to cash out, Christopher said. People will say Oh my gosh, I never win and Im like thats a lie. Sometimes youre up $100 and you keep playing...

You have to teach yourself to be OK with winning $5, $10, $20, cashing out and leaving a winner.

Fans and officials with BetMGM said another endearing part of Christophers channel is that hes risking his own money during the videos and isnt being staked by someone else.

Most crucially, this is all his money on the line. Theres a lot of streamers out there where thats not necessarily the case. Hes got his cash on the line and hes playing as our players do, Bartlett said.

While a return visit to Detroit hasnt been announced yet, Christopher is expected to continue with the meet-and-greet events at MGM Grand Detroit in 2025 as his ambassador role continues to expand. In the meantime, hes scheduled to take part in several cruises in the coming weeks where he will host other casino events, adding to the growing list of experiences Christopher couldnt have dreamed of when he made his video all those years ago.

Everything caught me by surprise. I didnt expect anyone to watch those videos, really. I didnt expect there to be a demand for it and I didnt expect to be able to quit my job after three months and take over doing this full time.

Everything has just been a blessing and a complete shock. This sort of job never existed before. We kinda just created it.
(c) 2024 , The Washington Post  Cat Zakrzewski, Jacqueline Alemany, Marianne LeVine, Liz Goodwin, Colby Itkowitz

Elon Musk has never been elected to office. President-elect Donald Trump has not tapped him to serve in any role inside the government. Until the July assassination attempt, he never even publicly supported Trump.

But this week, critics of the worlds richest man say he attained a new title: shadow president of the United States.

In a matter of hours on Wednesday, Musk wielded his powerful X account to pressure House Republicans to torpedo a spending bill that would have kept the federal government open for three months. Musks rapid-fire messages - which included numerous false claims about the contents of the spending bill - ricocheted through Washington, where some lawmakers reported their phone lines were ringing all day with calls from constituents who saw Musks posts. More than 12 hours after Musks first post calling lawmakers to not pass the bill, Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance also put out a statement opposing the legislation, and House Republicans scrapped the deal.

Musk kept up the tide of critical posts throughout the day on Thursday as House Republicans scrambled to come up with an alternative. Ultimately, House Republicans appended a two-year debt ceiling hike - a key demand of Trumps - to a slimmed-down version of the original bill that Musk had decried as one of the worst bills ever written, though the cost difference between the two was only marginal.

But the second Trump-backed measure went down to a broad and swift defeat in the House on Thursday evening, raising the chances of a shutdown beginning at 12:01 a.m. Saturday.

Musks outsize role in sending the federal government careening toward a potential shutdown before Christmas has alarmed Democrats, academics and watchdog groups, while some Republicans said his intervention was uninformed.

The tech billionaires swift accumulation of political power has sparked criticism that the incoming Trump administration will function like an oligarchy, with Musk pushing for policies that will further enrich him and his companies. Trump has named Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy as co-chairs of an outside group dubbed the Department of Government Efficiency, which will advocate for vast cuts to federal spending.

The outrage reverberated on X, which Musk owns and where President Musk became a trending topic. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-California) posted an AI-generated image that depicted Musk operating a Trump puppet. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut) posted that the move was a signal of what was to come with Trumps Billionaire First agenda. And Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla) wrote that an unelected billionaire was crowned co-president by the Republican Party.

The Republican Party has given him so much influence over every decision they make, Frost told The Washington Post on Thursday. Either theyre scared or either theyve bowed down and pledged allegiance to the richest man on Earth.

Musk did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.

Republicans insisted that Trump was driving the push, with Musk and Ramaswamy using their social media reach to amplify his opposition to the original spending bill. Some cautioned that the prospects for Johnsons deal were already dimming amid concerns that Johnson had acquiesced to too many demands from Democrats, veering from his promise to avoid the pursuit of a Christmas tree bill - a term referring to a bill that attracts a slew of last-ditch, unrelated legislation. Several people also said that Trump had communicated to Johnson earlier this fall that he wanted to get rid of the debt ceiling - a demand that has been absent from the government funding deliberations but which Trump revived this week.

I think President Trump is calling the shots, said Sen. John Neely Kennedy (R-Louisiana), when asked about Musks influence over the process. Kennedy said he was not minimizing Musks tweets, but said that it was Trump who ultimately killed the first bill. He added it was obvious the legislation was trouble on a stick once he realized it included a provision that would allow for pay raises for lawmakers.

The episode underscored the political ramifications of the unprecedented role that Musk has played in shaping Trumps administration. Hes weighed in on Cabinet picks, joined meetings with heads of state and now is acting as an enforcer of Trumps political agenda on Capitol Hill.

Musks wealth, online following and political power have exploded since Trumps November victory, after he emerged as the countrys largest political donor, throwing $277 million into backing Donald Trump and other Republicans. Many watchdog groups have raised concerns that Musk could abuse his access to Trump and role in shaping the Republican agenda at a time when he is the target of multiple government investigations and party to many lucrative government contracts.

Musk has conflicts of interest because of his businesses dependency on the government, said Martin Gilens, professor of public policy at UCLA who has studied economic inequality in political influence.

Its kind of a perfect storm, in the sense that hes unelected and in a seemingly very influential position so thats problematic to begin with, he said.

Trump and his transition team on Thursday pushed back against claims that Musk was solely responsible for tanking the spending plan. Trump told NBC News that he had discussed his position on the spending bill with Musk before the Tesla CEOs posts Wednesday.

I told him that if he agrees with me, that he could put out a statement, Trump told NBC. Hes looking at things from a cost standpoint. He described their views as in line and very much on track.

As soon as President Trump released his official stance on the CR, Republicans on Capitol Hill echoed his point of view, said Trump transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt. President Trump is the leader of the Republican Party. Full stop.

Musks online tirade against the legislation was reminiscent of Trumps style of governing in 140 characters or less during his first administration. Musk posted multiple inaccurate claims about the spending bill, writing that the legislation would give members of Congress a 40 percent raise. The maximum possible raise in 2025 under the legislation would have been 3.8 percent. Some of Musks inaccuracies even drew feedback from members of the Republican Party.

I love you Elon but you need to take 5 seconds to check your sources before highlighting bottom feeders looking for clicks, tweeted Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), after Musk responded to a video that claimed Crenshaw was spearheading the effort to raise lawmakers salaries.

Musk also amplified a false assertion that the bill included billions for a new D.C. stadium. The legislation would have permitted D.C. to redevelop RFK Stadium and possibly bring the Washington Commanders back to their former home, but no costs were attached to the provision. It was dropped from the compromise version released Thursday.

Musk also threatened members of Congress who supported the spending bill, writing they should be voted out in two years. Amid criticism that he had overstepped and bought political influence, Musk claimed he was enforcing the will of the American people.

The voice of the people was heard, he wrote after the bill was abandoned. This was a good day for America.

Some Republican senators on Thursday embraced Musks influence over the legislative body, portraying him as just an ordinary citizen exercising his right to be heard.

Hes a member of the public that has a voice, and I think whats happened is hes doing what Americans are doing, hes showing up and learning the process and getting involved, said Sen. Rick Scott (R-Florida). And I think its great what hes doing.

When asked whether Musk or Trump killed the spending deal, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) said: I think its a little of both.

Other Republicans appeared eager to give Musk even more power in Washington. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) noted on X that the speaker of the House does not need to be a member of Congress. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) responded that she would be open to supporting Musk to lead the House.

Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk  think about it  nothings impossible, he responded.

Paul appeared to back off that endorsement on Thursday, saying when asked by a reporter if he was serious that he would leave his comment open to interpretation.

Elon Musk is having an impact, and I think a good impact, in the sense that spending is out of control, Paul said.

During an exchange with an ABC News correspondent on Thursday, Trump asked Musk if he wanted to be House speaker. Should I be? replied the tech billionaire. No, were very happy with Mike, Trump said. [Elon] is too busy sending rockets to the moon.

Rep. Michael Lawler (R-New York) said that Musk would inevitably be focused on spending as part of his work on DOGE, and he didnt think there were any issues with more transparency as long as its accurate.

I dont think theres any problem with raising concerns about the strategy or the plan or the components of a bill, he said. But I think the key that everybody has to realize from the White House on down, is, given our margins, we have to work as a team.

Meanwhile, angry Democrats expressed concerns that the chaos on the Hill this week was just a preview of what is to come under the incoming Trump administration, when his party will also control both chambers of Congress.

Well you have a billionaire who is what, is he running the country? So now we have two people that we have to contend with, said Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii). Its just alarming if this is how decisions are going to be made.
The U.S. State Department has reissued a Level 4 warning - its strongest  for a European country, urging Americans to leave the country immediately.

The do not travel status covers Belarus, an Eastern European country bordered by Russia, Ukraine Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. The warning, according to the State Department, is due to the Belarusian authorities arbitrary enforcement of local laws, the risk of detention, the continued facilitation of Russias war against Ukraine, the potential of civil unrest, and the Embassys limited ability to assist U.S. citizens residing in or traveling to Belarus.

In early 2022, the State Department ordered the departure of U.S. government employees and suspended operations at its Embassy in Minsk. And, because Belarus does not recognize dual nationality, authorities often refuse to acknowledge dual U.S.-Belarusian nationals American citizenship, denying or delaying consular assistance to detained people.

Tens of thousands of individuals, including some U.S. citizens, are being detained in the country for alleged affiliation with opposition parties and participation in political demonstrations, according to the State Department. About 1,300 of those prisoners are currently in jail for political acts that wouldnt be considered criminal in the U.S. and prisoners are routinely denied access to their embassy and lawyers and any outside communication.

Anyone who is in the country is advised to avoid public demonstrations and reconsider bringing electronic devices, most of which are being monitored by Belarusian security services, into the country.

Belarus is among 20 countries classified under Level 4: Do not travel warnings. The others are:
ANN ARBOR, MI -- Colorful murals of Quetzal birds and a large cacao tree now fill the walls of Mindo Chocolate Makers storefront in Ann Arbors Kerrytown.

Mindo Chocolate Makers, a bean-to-bar chocolatier, has recently remodeled the store at 206 N. 4th Ave. The space has not only received cosmetic changes, but it now has seating for customers. The business also plans to make some products on-site and teach classes.

The store hasnt transitioned to an extended menu yet, but some future products may include brownies, cookies, cakes, truffles and ice cream. The business has the equipment for truffle making, but it still needs to secure ovens for the other baked goods, said Alicia Meza, events and demonstrations coordinator.

We had kind of grown to the best of the abilities that we could here in this space, and this (expansion) was kind of always the idea, she said.

The chocolate company is known for small batches of bean-to-bar chocolate made with sustainable cacao beans from Ecuador. The business has a production facility in Dexter and another location in Mindo, Ecuador.

This upgrade will help the business make items more frequently, especially since the Dexter facilitys space is limited, Meza said. Customers can still expect Mindos coffee and drinking chocolate moving forward, but theyll actually be able to sit and sip on it instead of having to take it to-go.

Mindo Chocolate Makers at 206 N. 4th Ave. in Ann Arbor's Kerrytown on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024.Makayla Coffee

Education has always been the center of Mindos operations, Meza said.

Its important for people to know why our chocolate bars are a lot more expensive than other chocolate bars, Meza said. It gives us the opportunity to explain to them that the reason why is because we pay the workers well and we do the entire process properly with a lot of attention.

Classes havent been finalized yet, but she said a truffle-making class is one possibility for Ann Arbor. Meza said she wants customers to come to Mindo Chocolate Makers eager to learn and leave feeling they know more about the chocolate industry.

Creative Associate Kelsey Mann played a large role in refreshing the storefront and painted the murals that now welcome customers. She said the goal was to make the space feel more warm and inviting, compared to the shops old white walls.

Mindo Chocolate Makers at 206 N. 4th Ave. in Ann Arbor's Kerrytown on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024.Makayla Coffee

Beyond the storefront, Mindos packaging for its chocolate bars and other products is also getting revamped.

Were trying to make it look more like a luxury item, Mann said. I feel like now more people are understanding that (chocolate is) more in the realm of coffee, wine or teas. Its like a higher-end product, and so were trying to reflect that more with the packaging.

Right now, the business is also continuing to share what it does through various demonstrations at local markets and collaborating with local businesses.

Meza encourages customers to keep checking back since things will continue to change. She even mentioned possibly adding presentations and after-hour activities to the shop. Learn more online or on social media.

Want more Ann Arbor-area news? Bookmark the local Ann Arbo news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Ann Arbor daily newsletter.
FLINT, MI  Mott Community College received a letter from the Higher Learning Commission regarding an inquiry that could jeopardize the colleges accreditation, trustees revealed in a special board meeting Thursday, Dec. 19.

The college is currently preparing a response to the letter, which was not made public despite the request of trustees, MCC General Counsel John Gadola told the board. An official response from the college was requested by Jan. 11, 2025, Gadola said.

Mott Community College Education Association President Kim Owens warned something like this could happen after a controversial series of events played out in recent months.

Just as we have been warning all along, the HLC has launched an investigation into the actions of the Board of Trustees, Owens said.

Related: Fears of losing accreditation loom over Mott Community College interim president selection

Owens said the HLC letter is probably a good thing, because now the college can right what has been wrong for many months on the board of trustees.

It does not mean we lose our accreditation right away. HLC will make recommendations and give us a timeline to meet those recommendations, Owens said. Im hoping that one of those recommendations is that the board gets its act together and conduct a proper, fair, transparent and ethical search for a permanent president.

Trustees argued the letter should be read during the communications portion of the special meetings agenda. Chair Andy Everman ruled otherwise.

In a special meeting, under policy 1530, we can only discuss what is on the agenda, Everman said.

Trustee John Daly asked how the release of the document would affect the colleges response. He was one of the trustees asking for it to be read.

It is going to be public information. What I am asking is to protect the college, give us an opportunity to be prepared to address each element of what was indicated within the letter; therefore we can respond within the timeline that was given by the Higher Learning Commission, Gadola said.

Daly responded by saying the letter should be released to the public.

Why did you attempt to ruin our accreditation, Trustee Michael Freeman asked Everman. Everman responded by telling Freeman he was sadly mistaken.

The Higher Learning Commission does not comment on complaints and has a policy to keep institutional records and other information that are not otherwise publicly available confidential.

Accreditation is a relationship between the HLC and its member institutions. If the institutions accreditation status changes, it would show at this link.

MLive has filed a Freedom of Information Act request to access the Higher Learning Commission letter. Mott Community College communications officials have not responded to a request about the letters legitimacy.

The letter was received after former Board Attorney William Brickley revealed a conflict of interest that should, in his opinion, have voided the original vote to offer Interim President Shaunda Richardson-Snell the position as full-time president.

Trustee Janet Couchs daughter served as Richardson-Snells Realtor when she purchased a home in Genesee County, Brickley said.

Related: Mott College interim presidents hiring of trustees relative to buy a home raises conflict of interest concerns

The purchase took place in October, according to the release. Richardson-Snell was first offered the position in November.

Couch, Everman and Swanson each knew of the potential conflict of interest but did not bring it up during the vote, as instructed by Brickley. Brickley announced his resignation after revealing the conflict of interest.

An overwhelming 94% of voting MCCEA membership voted no confidence in the four members of the board who reaffirmed their decision to offer Richardson-Snell the job.

Of the eight items on the agenda for the Dec. 19 special meeting, trustees approved the acquisition of the Mott Community College Culinary Arts Building and removed the other seven from the agenda.

After public comment was restricted to agenda items that were not removed, Everman asked MCC Public Safety Chief Jamie Zecman if she was awake after requesting her to escort Owens out of the meeting. Owens left voluntarily.

Video of the meeting can be viewed at this link.

Newly elected trustees Kenyetta Dotson and Candice Miller will join the board in January, replacing Everman and Freeman.

Want more Flint-area news? Bookmark the local Flint news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Flint daily newsletter.

Read more:

Mott College interim presidents hiring of trustees relative to buy a home raises conflict of interest concerns

Mott College trustees offer interim president 3-year contract; union calls decision a travesty

Mott College trustees clash after attempt to offer interim president permanent role

Heres what the Mott Community College Board of Trustees looks like after the election

Mott Community College will conduct national search for next president after reversal

Mott College board will look only in Michigan, without a search firm, for next president

Power outage forces Mott Community College to delay board meeting

New Mott College interim president can fire, hire executive staff without board approval

Fourth Mott Community College trustee to face recall amid hiring controversy

Fears of losing accreditation loom over Mott Community College interim president selection

Selected interim Mott Community College president has no background in higher education

Want more Flint-area news? Bookmark the local Flint news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Flint daily newsletter.
FLINT, MI  Michael Tolbert, the first person to be charged under a new safe storage gun law in Michigan earlier this year, will head to trial in 2025.

Tolbert, 45, faces nine criminal charges in connection with a shooting at his home in the 6000 block of Cloverlawn Drive in Flint. Authorities said Tolberts then 2-year-old daughter, Skye McBride, got ahold of his unsecured firearm and shot herself in the face on Feb. 14 - one day after the safe gun storage law took effect in Michigan.

McBride, now 3, survived the shooting after being taken to Hurley Medical Center where she was listed in critical condition. Medical staff told investigators the girl would lose her right eye as a result of her injuries.

Genesee County Circuit Court Judge Khary L. Hanible set a trial date for May 7, according to court documents. Attorneys are to meet on April 1 for a final pretrial hearing.

Tolbert faces the following charges: first-degree child abuse, failure to ensure pistol is unloaded/locked, lying to a peace officer, possessing a weapon and ammunition as a felon and four felony firearm charges.

He faces life in prison if convicted. He remains at the Genesee County Jail on bond.

The gun used in the shooting belonged to Tolbert, Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said. And evidence inside the home suggested the girl had access to more than one unsecured firearm, police previously said.

The safe storage law requires prosecutors to prove the defendant stored or left a firearm belonging to them unattended and without a locking device when they knew or reasonably should have known a minor was present.

It then requires prosecutors to show that because of negligence, the minor obtained the gun and inflicted a serious impairment.

Michigan gun owners are required to safely store firearms when minors are present. A person could be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by not more than 93 days in jail, a fine of no more than $500, or both, if a minor obtains the firearm due to improper storage.

The safe storage law was originally sponsored by Michigan Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet, who was recently elected to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee in Michigans 8th Congressional District.

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KENT COUNTY, MI  The first emergency call came in a 10:44 p.m. on Nov. 8.

Ambulance paramedics said a man was waving a handgun outside of Trinity Health Hospital. Three minutes later, another caller reported a man with a gun.

Grand Rapids police rushed to Jefferson Avenue SE and Maple Street. The first officer on scene saw a man holding something to his own head. The man approached, then pointed as if he had a gun and was aiming it.

Grand Rapids police believed this lighter was a gun when Henry Wymer, who pointed it at police, was fatally shot. (Provided by Kent County Prosecutor's Office)Kent County Prosecutor's Office

The officer yelled, Drop the gun.

Shoot me, the man allegedly said.

The officer repeated his commands for 35 seconds, as other officers reached the scene. Then, 37 seconds later, Henry Wyner, who was actually holding a lighter that looked like a pistol, was shot by police and killed.

These shots came immediately after an officer can be heard on the video, Hes pointing a gun at me and there is a slight turn by Mr. Wymer, Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker wrote in a report.

He determined that the officers who opened fire were justified in the killing.

There is no basis to file criminal charges against any of the officers involved in this incident, Becker wrote.

In reviewing the in-car video of (the first officer on scene), it would appear to any reasonable person that Mr. Wymer had a gun.  The lighter he held closely resembled a gun; it would be virtually impossible for any person to think it was a lighter when viewing it at night, from a distance, and in the way Mr. Wymer was using it. Every police officer, EMS workers, and civilian who saw Mr. Wymer that night clearly believed he had a gun.

Related: Police justified in fatal shooting of man who appeared to point gun at officers, prosecutor says

He said police believed that Wymer could start shooting at any moment.

Officers Brandon Plasterer and Jacob Zuby acted in defense of an officer who said Wymer was pointing a gun at him, Becker said.

The fact that two separate officers felt this action was necessary bolsters the reasonableness of what they did, he said.

Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker explains why Grand Rapids police officers were justified in a fatal shooting. (John Agar|MLive)John Agar

Officer Christopher Carlson fired a single shot after Wymer fell. He said in his report that Wymer was rolling toward the gun, reached for it and I believed he was again trying to get the handgun to shoot at officers.

Wymer was hit seven times. He died of a gunshot to his torso.

Becker said that state police, who investigated, told Wymers family that no charges would be filed prior to Beckers release of his findings. He was told that they understood.

Wymer had long struggled with mental-health issues. He was released from Trinity the day he died, Becker said.

Related: Man dies after officers shot him near Grand Rapids hospital

After the shooting, police found his handwritten notes.

He wrote his Last Will and Testament - likely a few hours before his death. On the back, he wrote: I ate at McDonalds and asked to use this pen. I could not find witnesses But I am medicated and this is what I want to happen.

Police determined he was at the McDonalds on West Fulton Street just before 9 p.m.

In another document, he wrote in crayon: Its Fine Sorry GRPD Thank you for caring and watching out.

He wrote that he had tried to kill himself four times in November and said he could not help himself because he was not on proper medication.

I really cant be violent Im Hank, he wrote.

On the day he died, his mother was told by Network 180 that he would be getting out the hospital. She talked to him on the phone and drove in to see him. It was the day after his birthday.

They spent time together before she dropped him off at the Alano Club around 4:45 p.m. He seemed in good spirits, the report said.

His mother had no idea what happened between then and his death. A Trinity social worker told police Wymer had talked about suicide by cop while in the hospital.

Becker said that events unfolded so quickly that it would have been difficult to de-escalate. Grand Rapids police work with social workers to help those having a mental-health crisis but social workers arent trained to go in harms way like a police officer does, he said.
OTTAWA COUNTY, MI -- Ottawa County has approved granting a pro-life group $454,000 to help pregnant women connect with financial, housing and support resources.

Commissioners voted 10-2 Thursday, Dec. 19, to grant the money, over two years, to Protect Life Michigan through the commissions board initiatives fund.

Protect Life Michigan bills itself as a group that is leading the fight to end abortion.

The group plans to use the funds to hire part-time staff to educate people about pregnancy options and connect them with resources; research attitudes about unplanned pregnancies and knowledge of pregnancy resources; pay for digital messaging to direct people to material, financial and mental help regarding pregnancy; and provide outreach on pregnancy options.

Related: Anti-abortion resolution approved by Ottawa County commissioners in split vote

While most commissioners favored the grant, county Public Health Officer Adeline Hambley cautioned that it could jeopardize the countys status as a designated Title X Family Planning Program provider.

In a letter to commissioners, Hambley wrote that Protect Life Michigan appears to use coercive tactics with women that would be in violation of state rules.

The information on Protect Life Michigans website demonstrates that the primary goal of the organization is to actively recruit and train activists to coerce individuals not to employ particular methods of pregnancy management using non-neutral self-proclaimed rhetorical tactics, Hambley wrote.

In her letter, Hambley said the county now provides family planning and pregnancy management information to the public under the Title X program.

Rebecca Punches, a leader with Protect Life Michigan, said her group has a presence on college campuses across the state, including Grand Valley State University and Hope College.

She said part of the groups mission is to help create stable households for women with unplanned pregnancies.

It would be our goal to ensure that no one, who feels like they want to parent, but has to say no to that option because she does not have access to the support and resources she needs, Punches said.

Punches said resources already are available through agencies such as Community Action Agency, the county health department and Community Mental Health and local charities.

But in many cases, she said, young women who become pregnant dont know where to look. She said Protect Life Michigan looks to bridge that gap.

Punches said that Protect Life is a non-discriminatory organization and has provided resources to women who chose abortion.

Commissioner Chris Kleinjans wanted to delay a vote on the project to look at whether Protect Life Michigan would be duplicating services already provided by local agencies.

But Board Chair Joe Moss said he sees the services offered by Project Life Michigan as complementary to the work of other agencies, not competing.

Punches also said her group has a great working relationship with other non-profit groups and charities. Project Life, with its presence on campuses and having direct access to women with unplanned pregnancies, can then funnel them to services provided by those other agencies.

The grant will pay for the following in the first year: $77,000 for staffing, $55,000 for research and content development, $10,000 for education outreach, $35,000 for a digital awareness campaign and $50,000 for housing assistance.

Commissioner Jacob Bonnema said he supported the project, but noted that some research already had been done by Right to Life of Michigan.

Bonnema said data shows that, in Ottawa County, there were 286 abortions in 2021, 271 in 2022 and 317 in 2023. About 11 percent were by married couples.

Bonnema said that, ideally, he would want some money to go directly to women with unplanned pregnancies instead of research.

Related: $563,000 cleanup plan approved for Ottawa County lake despite concerns

The $454,000 grant initially did not include funds for housing assistance, but Commissioner Sylvia Rhodea proposed adding it during Tuesdays meeting.

The goal, she said, would be to help new or pregnant mothers find housing and money to pay for it.

I think there are some very real gaps right now, Rhodea said.

In Thursdays vote, commissioners Kleinjans and Doug Zylstra voted no.

As part of the funding, Protect Life will collect data on the people they help and give quarterly updates to the county board.

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UPDATE: Hes pointing a gun at me: Grand Rapids police cleared in fatal shooting

KENT COUNTY, MI  Prosecutor Chris Becker on Friday, Dec. 20, cleared three Grand Rapids police officers in the fatal shooting of a man who pointed a gun-shaped lighter at police.

Henry Wymer died Nov. 8 near Trinity Health Hospital after he was shot seven times.

Witnesses, including ambulance paramedics, called 911 around 10:45 p.m. to report a man waving a gun outside of the hospital.

Becker said police repeatedly told Wymer to drop the gun before police shot him.

These shots came immediately after an officer can be heard on the video, Hes pointing a gun at me, Becker said in a report.

Related: Man dies after officers shot him near Grand Rapids hospital

The incident unfolded quickly. The officers who shot Wymer thought their fellow officers were in danger, Becker said, in a press conference.

Becker said that Wymer had been released from Trinity Health Hospital earlier in the day and had lunch with his mother.

Wymer had struggled with mental-health issues.

Police found handwritten notes, including what Wymer said was his will.

I really cant be violent Im Hank, one note said. Another said: Im sorry GRPD. Thank you for caring.

Becker did not determine that Wymer intended suicide-by-cop, but he acknowledged it was possible.
OTTAWA COUNTY, MI -- An Ottawa County commissioner chastised the countys outgoing interim administrator for accepting a $175,000 severance agreement and said he should be ashamed of yourself.

Commissioner Jacob Bonnema made the comment Thursday, Dec. 19, as commissioners voted to approve severance deals for Interim Administrator Ben Wetmore and Executive Aide Jordan Epperson.

I hope you are ashamed of yourself, because this is gross, said Bonnema, who said he would support a much lower severance.

Acrimony permeated discussions surrounding the deals for Wetmore and Epperson.

Commissioners on Dec. 10 previously approved severances for the two men, but a lawsuit filed Dec. 16 was filed in an attempt to block the payouts.

The lawsuit claimed violations of the Open Meetings Act because commissioners allegedly did not state a proper reason for going into closed session Dec. 10 to discuss the severances. It also alleged they failed to properly state details of the severances in votes after the closed session.

Related: Separation deals for Ottawa County government executives to cost more than $280,000

Board Chair Joe Moss described the re-votes Thursday as re-enactments of the Dec. 10 vote because of the lawsuits allegations. He said the re-votes were precautionary.

Bonnema believed the severance payouts were too much money for such short service records.

Wetmore was hired in November 2023 as deputy county administrator under the direction of then-Administrator John Gibbs. He became interim county administrator Oct. 16.

Epperson was hired in summer 2023 as an executive aide to Gibbs. His hiring prompted an age discrimination lawsuit because a better qualified candidate failed to get the job over Epperson, who was 23 at the time.

Both Wetmore and Epperson were hired during the first year that a majority faction of commissioners -- all tied to the highly conservative political platform Ottawa Impact -- controlled the county board.

Ottawa Impacts control is expected to disappear in January when five new commissioners, elected in November, take office.

Bonnema on Tuesday said he favored some type of severance for Wetmore, but said this is a gross overstep.

This is not conservative. This is not what Republicans do. To take 12 months of severance for only working barely over a year for the county, I hope youre ashamed of yourself because this is gross, Bonnema said.

Bonnema joined commissioners Doug Zylstra, Roger Bergman, Rebekah Curran and Chris Kleinjans in voting no.

Bonnema also voted against a severance package for Epperson which included about $33,000 for five months salary, a $75,000 lump sum and five months of benefits.

He alleged commissioners were given misleading information during the Dec. 10 closed session about the reasons that Epperson might deserve a lump sum payment.

This is $75,000 being expended of the peoples money to a clerical employee based upon claims that need to be validated. And I dont believe that process has taken place, Bonnema said.

Bonnema wanted to hear Thursday from the countys human resources department attorney on whether there was an investigation involving Epperson. His request was denied.

Moss downplayed Bonnemas concerns.

He is simply continuing to create chaos and grandstanding, Moss said.

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KALAMAZOO, MI  Family members of a Kalamazoo man killed last year shared their anguish with the gunman convicted of killing him, as a judge delivered a sentence in court today.

Brendan James Smith, 32, was sentenced to 19 to 62 years in prison for two counts including second-degree murder on Friday, Dec. 20, Chief Assistant Prosecutor Jeff Williams said.

The charges stem from the fatal shooting of 35-year-old Tyrone Potts outside the former Circle K gas station, at Lovell Street and Oakland Drive, on Sept. 28, 2023. Another man was shot and survived.

He took a brother, a father, a son over petty stuff, Makella Potts, 38, the victims older sister said before walking out of the courtroom.

Smith stood in an orange jumpsuit in handcuffs, facing her and other family members of Potts before Judge Kenneth N. Barnard handed down the sentence in Kalamazoo County Circuit Court Friday morning.

The sentence includes 17 years to 60 years for second-degree murder and another two years for felony firearm. The two-year sentence for felony firearm must be served before the murder sentence. Smith received credit for 394 days served, Williams said.

Tyrone Potts was one of two people shot at the Circle K gas station at 934 W. Lovell St., in Kalamazoo on Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023. Potts was pronounced dead.

Smith pleaded guilty on Friday, Oct. 18, to a charge of second-degree murder and one count of weapons felony firearm in front of Kalamazoo County Circuit Judge Kenneth Barnard.

As a result of the plea, a charge of assault with intent to murder and a second count of weapons felony firearm were dismissed, according to court records.

RELATED: He shot me 7 times: Witness testifies against man who allegedly killed his friend

Smith had been charged with open murder for killing Potts and was facing the assault with intent to murder charge for shooting and injuring Clifford Williams.

District Court Judge Becket Jones ruled Monday, Feb. 12, 2024, there is enough evidence to proceed to trial in the charge of open murder and other counts against Brendan Smith in the Sept. 28, 2023, fatal shooting of Tyrone Jerome Potts.Devin Anderson-Torrez | MLive.com

The two men were inside a Jeep pulling a small trailer when a white Dodge Journey pulled up and the driver began firing shots at them.

Potts was hit two or three times and he was pronounced dead shortly after at an area hospital. It appeared the driver fired shots at them, according to testimony.

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MUSKEGON, MI - A woman who had 78 dogs seized in an animal cruelty case last year will now have to pay back some of the shelters who stepped up to assist.

Lisa Cober, who formerly ran Cobers Canines, was ordered to pay $21,958 to Muskegons Big Lake Humane Society and $15,474 to West Olives Harbor Humane Society, a total of $37,432.

Police removed 78 dogs from Cobers business that she ran out of her Norton Shores home in January 2023. Dogs were locked in cages and in some cases, living in urine and feces.

The dogs were divided up and sent to different state-regulated animal shelters. Some of the dogs died of illnesses  like distemper  in the weeks after the rescue.

Big Lake Humane Society took in 18 dogs, of which three died from distemper, a highly contagious and dangerous disease affecting dogs. Harbor Humane took in 20 dogs, of which six later died.

Both shelters were impacted by the intake of the Cober dogs, especially Big Lake, which was shut down for 35 days to prevent the spread of distemper among dogs and by volunteers.

Cobers attorney argued that donations received by the two shelters during that time should be considered and subtracted from the amount Cober should pay in restitution.

RELATED: Shelter donations should count toward dog hoarders fines, attorney argues

Judge Matthew Kacel wrote in a Dec. 19 opinion that, after diligent search, he could not find any case laws around anonymous donations made on social media sites, nor could he find any evidence that donations were made specifically to compensate the shelter for losses due to the Cober dogs.

All surviving dogs that Big Lake and Harbor Humane took in last year have been adopted out.

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LANSING, MI  Amid infighting and Republican boycotting, Democrats final days of control over the state House will end in disarray, with dozens of bills now set to die on the floor.

The Michigan House will convene one last time this year, at 1:30 p.m. Dec. 31, only to adjourn the session. No bills will be taken up, Michigan House Democratic Caucus spokesperson Jess Travers said Thursday, Dec. 19.

Thursdays House session, which was supposed to be the last one of the year, ended without any votes being taken due to a lack of necessary attendance, or quorum.

Related: Michigan House Democrats order police to retrieve boycotting Republican members

Some bills that were supposed to be taken up this week in the House included opening lawmakers and the governor to Freedom of Information Act requests, creating a program to help low-income households and seniors who struggle to pay their water bills, and more.

Now those bills, and hundreds of others that havent yet been approved by the House, will have to be reintroduced next year in a divided government, with Republicans controlling the House.

The state Senate remains in session Thursday evening and is scheduled to return for session Friday and Monday. The Senate can still send bills to the governor that have already been approved by the House, such as an expansion of the states hate crime law.

The Senate will push on amid what Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, said was the House abandoning major legislation that would have helped Michigan residents.

I am deeply disappointed that the House of Representatives called it quits while so many great pieces of legislation were ready for the green light, Brinks said. Legislators are tasked with the responsibility of using every tool available to advocate for their constituents and communities, and frustrated is too light of a word to describe my dismay that the House failed to meet its obligations in this historic moment.

The Michigan Senate is still in session, and we have the opportunity to do good  a lot of good. In the coming hours, residents can count on us to act on key items that will protect the states children, improve on-the-job rights for workers, and more.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmers office did not return a request for comment.

The House was brought to a halt this week by attendance issues that stopped lawmakers from acting on any bills due to a lack of quorum.

The lack of quorum caused an early adjournment without voting first on Wednesday and then again on Thursday.

House Republicans had boycotted every session since Friday, demanding Democrats take up legislation to stop an impending minimum wage hike to $15 and a removal of the sub-minimum wage for tipped workers. The measures werent put on either Wednesdays or Thursdays agendas.

That left Democrats needing all 56 members to attend session for a quorum. But Rep. Karen Whitsett, D-Detroit, refused to attend unless certain priorities, like money for Detroit Public Schools, the water affordability program and retaining tipped wages, were taken up.

Related: Party infighting, GOP protest halt Michigan House session as Democrats' control nears end

In a rare move, House Speaker Joe Tate, D-Detroit, on Thursday issued a call of the House, compelling all representatives, specifically the absent Republicans and Whitsett, to attend session or be brought in by police.

Being a leader means showing up for work & showing up for the people you serve, Tate wrote on social media around 1:20 p.m. Thursday.

That effort didnt work, and an hour later Democratic leadership announced the session would adjourn due to a lack of quorum. Thats when the final Dec. 31 session day was scheduled.

Travers confirmed the call of the House has been canceled.

After the House adjourned Thursday, Whitsett appeared in the Capitol Building alongside the Republican leader in the House, House Speaker-elect Matt Hall, for an interview with reporters.

One of Whitsetts conditions for attending session was that the bill package creating the water affordability program would be taken up by the House. After she skipped Wednesdays session, the item was added to the agenda Thursday.

However, Hall said Democrats put the bill package on the agenda to bait Whitsett into attending session Thursday and never intended to approve it.

Once she was in the Capitol Building, Tate issued the call of the House with the intention of compelling Whitsett to attend session and not being able to leave, he claimed.

When she told me that she made the decision to come up here to Lansing because she wanted to fight for the people of Detroit and her district and get some specific issues done for Detroit, I told her she was welcome in my office and I would help her get those done, even the ones that I dont agree with and Im not going to vote for, Hall said. We wanted an honest conversation, a negotiated deal, so all those bills for Detroit would get done.

Hall said that rather than negotiate a deal, Tate sought to compel Whitsetts attendance.

Whitsett said one of her largest priorities was getting the House to take up legislation that wouldve provided millions of dollars for Detroit Public Schools. But that was never put on the agenda.

These are all promises never kept. This is the poorest leadership I have ever seen in my six years, Whitsett said of Tate. Its a doggone shame in order to get help on issues I had to go to the Republican leader. What does that say about (Tate)?

Hall will lead the Republicans in their House majority next session. The Senate will remain under Democratic control.
Michigan States latest addition from the portal comes at the heart of the defense.

Grady Kelly, a redshirt junior defensive tackle from Florida State, announced his transfer commitment to the Spartans via social media on Thursday night. He has one season of eligibility remaining.

Kelly, 6-foot-2 and 295 pounds, spent three seasons at Colorado State before joining the Seminoles this year. He has 98 career tackles, including 13 for a loss, and 3.5 sacks in 38 career games.

A former three-star prospect from Florida, Kelly signed with Colorado States 2021 recruiting class and made 22 starts in 26 games with the Rams before transferring to Florida State. He had 19 stops, including 2.5 for a loss and one sack, in 12 games this year.

The Spartans lose veteran defensive tackles Maverick Hansen and DQuan Douse, who are out of eligibility, while starter Alex VanSumeren returns.

Michigan State has lost 13 players from its season-ending roster to the portal while Kelly is the seventh portal addition this week. The others are wide receivers Omari Kelly (Middle Tennessee) and Chrishon McCray (Kent State), offensive linemen Luka Vincic (Oregon State) and Caleb Carter (Western Carolina), cornerback Joshua Eaton (Texas State) and running back Elijah Tau-Tolliver (Sacramento State).
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.

BYD Qin family's 2 millionth vehicle rolls off production line

On December 20, Lu Tian, General Manager of BYD's Dynasty Network Sales Division, announced on his social media that the 2 millionth vehicle under BYD's Qin family rolled off the production line.

Photo credit: BYD

Haiqi Group, Camy Auto Research ink equity cooperation agreement

On December 18, Hainan Haiqi Transportation Group Co., Ltd. (Haiqi Group) signed an equity cooperation agreement with Chengdu Camy Automotive Research and Technology Innovation Services Co., Ltd. (Camy Auto Research). The two parties aim to collaborate in new energy vehicle (NEV) repair, technical training, and other aftermarket services, creating a one-stop service platform for NEVs, according to a post on Haiqi Group's WeChat account.

REPT BATTERO, Far East Holding sign agreement for cooperation on new energy technologies

On December 18, REPT BATTERO Energy Co., Ltd. (REPT BATTERO) and Far East Holding Group Co., Ltd. (Far East Holding) held a signing ceremony in Jiaxing, Zhejiang, forming a comprehensive cooperation on key sectors such as new energy battery cells and cables, according to a post on REPT BATTERO's WeChat account.

Geely's Galaxy Starship 7 EM-i's cumulative deliveries hit 10,000 units within 13 days upon market launch

On December 19, the Starship 7 EM-i, the latest plug-in hybrid electric SUV model under Geely's new energy vehicle (NEV) range Galaxy, surpassed 10,000 units in cumulative deliveries only 13 days after it hit the market on December 6. The model offers 5 trim levels, priced between 103,800 yuan and 136,800 yuan.

JETTA VA7 rolls off the production line in Chengdu

On December 16, FAW-Volkswagen's JETTA VA7 came off the production line at the company's Chengdu factory, according to a press release from Chengdu Daily. Based on Volkswagen's modular transverse toolkit (MQB) platform, the new model has been available for pre-sales, starting at 118,777 yuan.

Talent New Energy, Narada ink cooperation agreement for solid-state battery commercialization

On December 19, Chinese solid-state battery company Talent New Energy signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Chinese energy storage technology developer Narada on solid-state battery project, according to a post on Talent New Energy's WeChat account.

LiangDao Intelligence launches second-generation Mini pure solid-state LiDAR

Chinese LiDAR sensor provider LiangDao Intelligence recently introduced its Flash pure solid-state LiDAR, the Gen2 Mini, to the global market, according to a post on the company's WeChat account.

BYD opens first flagship store in Kuwait

On December 15, 2024, BYD, in partnership with local dealer Alghanim Industries, celebrated the grand opening of its first flagship store in Kuwait, according to a press release from BYD.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On December 16, FAW-Volkswagen's JETTA VA7 came off the production line at the company's Chengdu factory, according to a press release from Chengdu Daily. Based on Volkswagen's modular transverse toolkit (MQB) platform, the new model has been available for pre-sales, starting at 118,777 yuan.

Photo credit: JETTA

The exterior of the JETTA VA7 adopts the brand's latest family design language, featuring a polygonal front grille filled with intricate dot matrix elements, creating a refined look. Additionally, the front bumper is equipped with a full-width chrome-plated trim, which adds a sporty touch to the front end.

The side profile follows the typical sedan silhouette, with a sharp character line running from the front fender to the rear taillights, creating a dynamic effect.

As for size, the vehicle measures 4,773mm in length, 1,789mm in width, and 1,469mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2,731mm.

At the rear, the JETTA VA7 shares a striking resemblance with Volkswagen Sagitar, featuring a small upward-tilted "ducktail" spoiler. The taillights maintain the design from the previous Sagitar model. The rear bumper features a chrome-plated trim like the front fascia.

Inside, the JETTA VA7 adopts a T-shaped layout, equipped with a fully digital instrument cluster and a large floating central touchscreen. The touchscreen is tilted toward the drivers side for easy viewing and operation. The vehicle also features leather seats with white stitching.

Under the hood, the JETTA VA7 is powered by a 1.4T engine that produces a maximum output of 110kW and 250Nm of torque. It is paired with a 7-speed dry dual-clutch transmission, allowing the vehicle to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 9.2 seconds.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On December 19, Chinese solid-state battery company Talent New Energy signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Chinese energy storage technology developer Narada on solid-state battery project, according to a post on Talent New Energy's WeChat account.

Photo credit: Talent New Energy

Under the agreement, both parties will collaborate on key projects via leveraging their respective R&D platforms. By integrating their technological research capabilities, the duo plans to conduct R&D and drive the commercial application of solid-state batteries, fostering innovation, application, and product iteration in this field.

Through strategic planning, industry-driven initiatives, and resource exchanges, they are committed to enhancing the collaborative effect across the supply chain and promoting the large-scale application of solid-state batteries in energy storage and civil application sectors.

Talent New Energy specializes in the R&D, manufacturing, and sales of solid-state batteries and related key materials. Its proprietary technology has addressed common challenges in the solid-state battery industry, such as difficulties in mass production, low yield rates, and high costs for large-scale battery installation.

In April this year, Talent New Energy released an all-solid-state lithium-metal battery that boasts an energy density of 720 Wh/kg and a capacity of 120Ah, three times the capacity of liquid lithium batteries. In November, the company introduced the "material-reduction manufacturing" concept, aiming to enhance battery safety and production efficiency. Based on this concept, it put forth a "4-3-2-1" technology roadmap to reduce the use of separator, electrolyte, and anode materials, optimizing the structure of solid-state batteries and advancing the realization of all-solid-state batteries.
MACAO, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday commended the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) for its achievements over the past five "extraordinary" years. Xi made the remarks while addressing a welcome dinner held by the SAR government on the eve of the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland. Against the background of accelerating global transformation not seen in a century and the once-in-a-century pandemic, the fifth-term SAR government has rallied and led the people of all sectors in Macao to rise to the challenges, made results-oriented efforts, ensured a steady economic recovery and achieved progress in all undertakings, Xi noted. Over the past five years, Macao has made new progress in appropriate economic diversification, and reached a new level in improving people's well-being, Xi said. Macao's political and social foundation, rooted in love for the Chinese nation and love for Macao, is more solid and stronger, and its international influence and visibility have risen significantly, he added. The remarkable achievements are attributable to the full and faithful implementation of the "one country, two systems" policy, to the vigorous support of the central government and the mainland, and to the active involvement of the international community, Xi noted. They are also the result of the hard work and all-out efforts of people from all sectors in Macao united under the leadership of the Macao SAR government, he added. Macao enjoys the unique advantages of "one country, two systems" and has laid a solid foundation for development, Xi noted. Macao should proactively align itself with national development strategies such as building the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and seek to play a bigger role on the international stage, Xi said. The SAR should uphold the underlying values of love for the Chinese nation and love for Macao while embracing greater openness, inclusiveness and solidarity, and work to attract the best minds to jointly build a better Macao, he said. Macao needs to demonstrate stronger resolve and greater courage in reform and innovation, said Xi, adding that the region could leverage the institutional strengths of "one country, two systems" to break new ground in its development. Ho Iat Seng, outgoing chief executive of the SAR, said in his speech that Macao should make greater contributions to building China into a stronger country and achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Ho expressed his firm belief that the sixth-term Chief Executive of the Macao SAR Sam Hou Fai will lead the new government and all sectors of Macao to write a new chapter in the practice of "one country, two systems" with Macao characteristics. Cai Qi and other senior officials attended the event.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On December 15, 2024, BYD, in partnership with local dealer Alghanim Industries, celebrated the grand opening of its first flagship store in Kuwait, according to a press release from BYD.

The automaker said this opening further accelerates Kuwait's transition to green mobility and marks BYD's full expansion into the Gulf Cooperation Council ("GCC") market, underscoring the company's commitment to promoting sustainable transportation in the Gulf and the broader Middle East region.

Photo credit: BYD

AD Huang, General Manager of BYD Middle East and Africa, stated at the ceremomy, "2024 is a milestone year for BYD. Not only are we celebrating our 30th anniversary, but we also achieved the historic milestone of producing our 10 millionth new energy vehicle, becoming the first automaker in the world to reach this achievement. Kuwait's vision for net-zero emissions aligns perfectly with BYD's brand mission, and we look forward to partnering with Alghanim Industries to write a new chapter in Kuwait's sustainable development."

Mahmoud Samara, CEO of Alghanim Industries, commented, "For many years, Alghanim Industries has been committed to advancing mobility in Kuwait. We were pioneers in introducing electric vehicles and investing in charging infrastructure, setting new industry benchmarks. Today, we are proud to collaborate with BYD, a company that shares our vision, to create a new future focused on sustainability and technological innovation, setting new standards for Kuwait's mobility sector."

The BYD flagship store in Kuwait spans 2,680 square meters and showcases five new energy vehicles models, including the BYD Han, Yuan PLUS, Seal, Song PLUS DM-i, and Qin PLUS DM-i. To date, BYD has successfully entered six GCC countries, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait.

BYD noted that it will continue to introduce more new energy vehicles and, together with Alghanim Industries, empower Kuwait's electric vehicle ecosystem, supporting the country's transition to green mobility.
Assam Police SI Admit Card 2024 to be Released on Dec 23, Check Notice Here

Archisha Yadav

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Inside the mind of a topper: How Shourya Sinha achieved AIR 39 in CLAT 2025

Rajni Pandey

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Did Eijaz Khan try to convert ex-girlfriend Pavitra Punia? Spokesperson clairifies, 'Religion was never a factor in their relationship'

Palak Vij

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Kantara actor Rishab Shetty opens up about working with director Sandeep Reddy Vanga, says "Id love to be involved in..."

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Ram Gopal Varma urges actors to protest against Allu Arjun's arrest, compares with Sridevi incident says, "will the Telangana Police now go to heaven to arrest Sridevi?"

Palak Vij

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"Our members have lost faith in Justin Trudeau's government to do the right thing for the right reasons," tweeted the Toronto Police Association (TPA) on Tuesday.

The organization represents approximately 8,000 sworn and civilian members of the Toronto Police Service.

"Time to resign and leave these critically important public safety issues to someone else."

Toronto is suffering with persistent crime, including shootings, carjackings, home invasions, robberies and assaults.

The city has also seen Jew-hating mobs march unabated through streets  some carrying terrorist flags. Toronto has also experienced an influx of asylum seekers.

Many argue the crime problem is due to unserious politicians, like Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, who was recently seen partying and shooting alcohol on a stage. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently attended a Taylor Swift concert despite myriad crises in Ottawa.

"This is laughable," wrote the TPA in response to crime mitigation proposals from Liberal MP Anita Anand (Oakville).

Anand on social media said Ottawa will amend the Criminal Code to ensure repeat, violent offenders are held accountable.

She said Ottawa will introduce stricter bail conditions for violent crimes like auto theft and breaking and entering, and grant CBSA officers further authority to inspect goods ready for export.

The TPA wasn't impressed.

"After nine years of doing nothing, you pick the moment when your government is descending into chaos to placate us with proposals?"

Tweeted the Toronto Police Association (TPA) on Dec 17, 2024

Another police union joins calls for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to resign

Clayton DeMaine, True North Wire Dec 19, 2024 By Durham Regional Police Association Executives - Jan 2024 - Source: X
When Karan Johar admitted to 'South Bombay' bias in his early days, said, "Sab Hindi baat karte hain, I din't like it..."

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Novo Nordisk falls most on record after new weight drug disappoints

Rohit Singh

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Council likely to approve rules for functioning of GST appellate tribunals

Meghna Mittal Deputy News Editor at Moneycontrol. Meghna has experience across television, print, online and wire media. She has been covering the Indian economy, monetary and fiscal policies, Finance and Trade ministries. She tweets at @Meghnamittal23 Contact: meghna.mittal@nw18.com

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GCCs in India driving decision-making for global firms, no longer just back offices: Snowflake CEO Sridhar Ramaswamy

Reshab Shaw

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Imports from China used to push up exports from India, says MoS Commerce Jitin Prasada

Adrija Chatterjee is an Assistant Editor at Moneycontrol. She has been tracking and reporting on finance and trade ministries for over eight years.

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International Gemmological Institute IPO shares listing today on NSE, BSE; should you buy, sell or hold?

Paras Bisht

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BASF India shares rise over 5% after board nod for demerger of agri solutions business

Rohit Singh

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J Jagannath

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Rakesh Patil

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NTBCL shares fall 5% as SC holds that firm cannot collect toll from Delhi-Noida DND flyway commuters

J Jagannath

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Steel imports may get costlier soon as DGTR begins investigation, industry seeks safeguard duty citing dumping

Rohit Singh

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Sunil Matkar

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Ashish Mishra

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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

Aryaman Gupta

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FIR against govt employee, wife for attacking Marathi family; process to suspend him on: Devendra Fadnavis

101Reporters

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In a first, Karnataka to set up incubation centres for construction workers, partner with industries

Christin Mathew Philip is an Assistant editor at moneycontrol.com. Based in Bengaluru, he writes on mobility, infrastructure and start-ups. He is a Ramnath Goenka excellence in journalism awardee. You can find him on Twitter here: twitter.com/ChristinMP_

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Is Annamalai reconsidering alliance with AIADMK? Tamil Nadu BJP chief changes tack after trip to UK

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MP Tejasvi Surya calls setting up of US Consulate in Bengaluru 'historic' milestone for city

101Reporters

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Join us to see highlights of the 2024 Beijing Forum on Swift Response to Public Complaints, or SRPC, held at China National Convention Center. Since 2019, Beijing has implemented the Swift Response to Public Complaints with the 12345 hotline as the main channel.
Pakistan's missile program is 'emerging threat', top US official says

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Parliament scuffle: Police may call Rahul Gandhi for questioning, likely to record statement of injured BJP MPs

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Prison reforms bill passed by Maharashtra assembly; high-security jail to come up in Mumbai

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US consulate in Bengaluru: Credit war erupts between Congress and BJP

Christin Mathew Philip

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Who is George Soros and why has he become BJP's ammo against Congress and Rahul Gandhi?

Parimal Peeyush

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'Why no Dalit as AAP CM?' JD(U) shreds Arvind Kejriwal's letter to Nitish Kumar on Ambedkar row

Parimal Peeyush

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Sudipta Bhattacharjee Partner (Indirect Taxes & Customs), Khaitan & Co. Views are personal, and do not represent the stand of this publication.

Namrata Agarwal

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Nehru had sidelined Ambedkar forcing his resignation and failed to protect Harijans

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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Shubhi Mishra

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Cars24 CEO shares hiring post, calls people who 'still haven't learnt' Kannada in Bengaluru to Delhi. Viral

Shubhi Mishra

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'India is a dump, won't be going back': British-Indian tourist's review after 3 years in country

Shubhi Mishra

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Indians eating, chatting in aisle during Thailand flight irks passenger: 'Put them on a train'

Stella Dey

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This in-demand job can pay over Rs 85 lakh annually without a college degree, says Google executive

Stella Dey

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Vladimir Putin names 3 late world leaders he'd like to have tea with, including an ex-German Chancellor

Stella Dey

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Key ally to Canada PM Trudeau says he will vote to bring him down

101Reporters

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Russian President Vladimir Putin calls for alternatives to adult content: 'Banning porn not enough'

Parimal Peeyush

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Trump threatens tariffs If EU doesnt buy more US oil and gas

Rohit Singh

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New study reveals Moon's actual age, saying it is 100 million years older than previously thought

Sheetal Kumari

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India is our fastest growing market, doubling every year, says Pure Storage CEO Charles Giancarlo

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

Debangana Ghosh

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Upcoming smartphone launches of 2025: From iPhone 17, Samsung Galaxy S25 series to OnePlus 13 and more

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Shaurya Shubham

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The Zimbabwean government has again failed to pay its employees on time, marking the second consecutive month of delayed salary payments. This latest failure leaves civil servants, including teachers, facing further hardship as the Christmas holiday approaches, New Zimbabwe has reported.

The Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) has strongly condemned the governments actions, highlighting the already precarious financial situation of its members.

Most civil servants expected their salaries to be credited to their accounts this week, but the funds have yet to materialise. This follows a similar situation in November, where some teachers and other government workers experienced delays in receiving their Zimbabwean dollar (ZiG) payments, while the US dollar component of their salaries and bonuses remained unpaid.

ARTUZ, in a social media post this Wednesday, painted a stark picture of the situation, stating, For the second month in a row, the Zimbabwean government has failed to pay civil servants salaries on time. Civil servants are already earning paltry salaries and are battling to make ends meet. Festive season was struck off the calendar of government workers way back. Unfortunately, the late payment of salaries adds a new layer of pain to the exploited government employees. Failing to meet the basics for survival when others are swimming in plenty is torturous.

The union alleges a stark contrast between the financial struggles of ordinary civil servants and the apparent prosperity of senior government officials. ARTUZ claims that top bureaucrats have already received their substantial US dollar bonuses and are now enjoying holidays with their families.

The unions statement adds a critical edge, suggesting that this apparent prosperity is a direct result of the suppression of dissent among poorly paid public servants.

Senior government officials have since received their big perks in United States dollars. The majority of these elites are now on holiday with their families claiming to be resting from a busy year. Indeed it was a busy year for them. Looting from the impoverished is not an easy job. Working round the clock to silence the oppressed and disenfranchised majority is not an easy task. But as they rest they should be assured that the underpaid civil servants will not be silenced forever, the statement reads.

The delayed payments are particularly concerning given the approaching festive season, adding another layer of difficulty to the already challenging circumstances faced by many civil servants. The meagre salaries, often insufficient to cover basic living expenses, are further strained by the unpredictable payment schedules.

ARTUZ represents teachers who are demanding a significant salary increase, from an average of US$300 per month to US$1 260. The union has warned that the governments continued failure to address the concerns of its employees will lead to further action. The unions statement leaves no room for doubt regarding their resolve.

We are not in the habit of making empty threats. The anger from the civil servants is reaching the boiling point. 2025 will be a difficult year for those who steal from the poor. We will organize and demand fair wages paid on time, ARTUZ declared.

The unions frustration is palpable, reflecting the widespread discontent among civil servants who feel neglected and undervalued by their employer. The delayed salaries are not just a financial issue; they represent a broader failure to address the needs and concerns of a vital segment of the Zimbabwean workforce.

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The South African government has confiscated R40,000 (about US$2,175) from Gift Mafukidze, a Zimbabwean national arrested for violating South Africas immigration laws.

The forfeiture, a significant victory for law enforcement, underscores the ongoing efforts to combat illegal activities and strengthen border control within South Africa.

The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), also known as the Hawks, secured the forfeiture order against Mafukidze following his arrest and subsequent detention. Lieutenant-Colonel Lloyd Ramovha, Gauteng spokesperson for the Hawks, confirmed the details of the case. He stated that Mafukidze, an illegal immigrant from Zimbabwe, was arrested and charged under Section 34 of South Africas Immigration Act.

This decisive action underscores the DPCIs unwavering commitment to combatting illegal activities and enforcing the law in South Africa, Ramovha emphasised.

Mafukidzes arrest and subsequent detention at the Lindela holding facility in July 2023 marked a turning point in the case. He had been transferred from Vredendal in the Western Cape. During his detention, authorities discovered R40,000 in his possession which is equivalent to about US$2,175. This discovery led to the investigation that culminated in the forfeiture order.

Ramovha explained the legal process that led to the seizure of the funds: The money has now been forfeited to the State under a court order granted by the Pretoria High Court on December 10 2024. The investigator from PCSI (Priority Crime Specialised Investigation) has diligently pursued this case, ensuring that the ill-gotten gains from illegal mining activities are seized and repurposed in the interest of justice.

The Hawks investigation focused on the origin of the R40,000. While Mafukidze, who has since been deported to Zimbabwe, maintained that the money was earned through illegal mining activities, the court ruled in favour of the states forfeiture claim. This highlights the complexities of prosecuting individuals involved in illegal activities, especially those who are undocumented immigrants.

The successful forfeiture has been welcomed by Major General Ebrahim Kadwa, Gauteng head of the Hawks. He highlighted the significance of the courts decision in the broader context of combating crime and protecting South Africas economic stability: This success further highlights the critical role of asset forfeiture in dismantling criminal enterprises and preventing the reinvestment of illicit funds into the economy.

Kadwas statement underscores the Hawks commitment to tackling illegal activities and their determination to pursue all available legal avenues to disrupt criminal networks.

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Invasive murder hornets are wiped out in the US, officials say AP

California squirrels are now apparently hunting and eating other rodents LA Times

Climate

Water

Syndemics

Bird flu Closed Form. Worth reading in full. Heres the TL;DR: H5N1 is not spreading human-to-human at this time. To summarize: dont drink raw milk, dont touch wild birds live or dead, and dont let your animals (dogs, cats) touch wild birds either. At this time is doing a lot of work, but yes. Scientists detect rare H5N1 avian flu strain in Australian child after travel to India News Medical Life Sciences * * * What COVID-19 Revealed About China and Its Role in the World The Diplomat. Lambert here: Unmentioned in the article: That Zero Covid worked is more than suggested by nearly two million excess deaths after it was lifted. On the bright side, Western journos in Shanghai can now enjoy their Starbucks lattes unmasked. The great mystery to me is this: Chinas leadership knew from the beginning that #CovidIsAirborne. And yet the one world power with the political economy and the industrial might to rapidly implement life-saving ventilation did not do so, resulting in millions of deaths, disproportionately working class (odd for a putatively socialist country). Ive asked China hands why this happened, but it seems there is no answer.

China?

Pentagon report: China to build 1,000 nukes by 2030 Politico Under Pressure: Attitudes Towards China Among American Foreign Policy Professionals (PDF) Michael B. Cerny and Rory Truex. From the Abstract: Contrary to concerns of a rigid consensus, we identify a noticeable diversity of policy perspectives among these professionals. However, many participants perceived a degree of what they referred to as hawkflation or groupthink. Roughly one fourth of survey respondents noted instances of professional pressure to voice a more hawkish point of view towards China, and many feared being perceived as nave or compromised by their views on, ties to, and experiences in China. These pressures were particularly noteworthy for foreign policy professionals that are traditionally marginalized from power those who are younger, non-white, or female. Face corruption head-on to stop interest groups preying on party: Chinas Xi Jinping South China Morning Post

The Koreas

Myanmar

India

Syraqistan

The New Great Game

European Disunion

Why Giorgia Meloni Loves Antonio Gramsci Foreign Policy

Dear Old Blighty

New Not-So-Cold War

Trump Transition

Spook Country

Niels Troost has a staggering story to tell about how he got sanctioned FT

The Bezzle

Digital Watch

The Final Frontier

Class Warfare

Are you what you eat? How food shapes self-image Nature

Antidote du jour (Steve Snodgrass):

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
Union leaders ended the push for a graduate student union at Vanderbilt last week amid shifting political terrain at the National Labor Relations Board. Attorneys with the United Auto Workers of America, the national union aiding student organizing efforts at Vanderbilt, withdrew the petition for a campus vote on Dec. 12, effectively abandoning more than a year of progress toward union recognition.

In February, student organizers began collecting union authorization cards, the first official step toward signaling support for a union vote. (The university approved stipend raises for graduate students two weeks later, which Vanderbilt says was unrelated to a pending union.) Intended to publicly demonstrate support, that decision to drop cards followed months of rallies and campus events meant to share grievances among colleagues and lay the groundwork for a union. Graduate students, with help from UAW attorneys, initiated union elections with an NLRB filing in October. An estimated 2,200 graduate students  those who perform duties for the university like research and teaching  would have been covered by union bargaining.

Vanderbilt retained outside counsel and immediately contested the proceedings, which required them to share certain information about graduate students with the NLRB. In November, Vanderbilt separately sued the NLRB in federal court, claiming the election process violated students expectations of privacy. The National Right to Work Foundation, a nonprofit organization that uses strategic litigation to oppose organized labor, provided free legal counsel for three Vanderbilt students who joined the suit.

Judge Waverly Crenshaw ruled for Vanderbilt on Dec. 12, agreeing that NLRB regulations to disclose student information could imperil Vanderbilts obligations under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). The court determined that Vanderbilt, as an academic institution receiving federal funding, cannot comply with both FERPA and the Regulations as currently written during this election proceeding. The precedent could present legal ground for many universities to challenge student unions during the election process.

The ruling also disrupted the NLRB election process, creating a legally uncertain path for Vanderbilt students to continue their effort. The same day, the UAW filed to withdraw its election petition. The NLRB granted that withdrawal on Dec. 13.

"Our main obstacle to having a union is Vanderbilt," reads a statement shared with the Scene by graduate students. "Taking on our main obstacle is better served by working outside the NLRB process at this time. Weve done this before, and made a lot of progress. Vanderbilt has the ability to recognize us at any time, as many other universities have done. They should respect our legal and democratic rights so that we can move forward."

Vanderbilt directed the Scene to a recent letter from provost C. Cybele Raver and vice provost C. Andre Christie Mizell, who served as liaisons between the administration and student body throughout the campus unionization campaign.

Vanderbilt Sues NLRB Amid Union Push University opens multi-front legal battle over personal information

The unions decision to withdraw its petition and demand provides a path for us to move forward together, the letter reads, in part. Vanderbilts leadership remains deeply committed to listening to your feedback and enhancing your experience as a vital part of our academic community. Your voices are integral to ensuring that all graduate students thrive at Vanderbilt. We look forward to continuing to collaborate with the Graduate Student Council, which serves as an effective advocate for your interests. We value our relationship with the GSC and encourage you to get involved.

Donald Trumps election victory and a GOP-controlled Congress also pave the way for NLRB appointees hostile to organized labor. With the Senate scrambling to complete lame-duck Biden appointments across federal courts and agencies, the NLRBs two existing vacancies could fall to Trump in January, establishing a controlling majority for the president-elect. (Current board member Marvin Kaplan was appointed by Trump in 2017.)

The NLRB oversees various details and aspects of the unionization process. A failed push could quash union hopes at Vanderbilt in the short term, organizers say, and potentially create precedent that threatens existing campus unions across the country.
A record of truth: Israeli historian documents war crimes in Gaza

Israeli historian Lee Mordechais report, "Bearing Witness to the Israel-Gaza War," documents Israels actions in Gaza as a series of war crimes since the conflict began in October 2023.

The report details numerous atrocities, including a Palestinian woman and her child holding a white flag being shot by an Israeli sniper and starving girls crushed to death while queuing for bread.

Mordechai highlights how media and propaganda have shaped public perception in Israel and the West, enabling the war.

Mordechai asserts that Israels actions in Gaza constitute genocide, emphasizing that genocide does not require death camps but relies on intent to destroy a group through killing, wounding, abducting children or preventing births.

The report underscores the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with over 44,500 Palestinians killed, including 13,300 children, and widespread destruction of infrastructure. The international community is urged to ask their governments to stop arms transfers to Israel, investigate war crimes and genocide, and hold Israel accountable for its actions in Gaza.

In a world where truth often struggles to surface amid the noise of propaganda and denial, Israeli historian Lee Mordechai has emerged as a rare voice of accountability. His meticulously compiled report, "Bearing Witness to the Israel-Gaza War," stands as a damning indictment of Israels actions in Gaza, documenting a litany of war crimes that have unfolded since the conflict erupted in October 2023.

At a time when the international community grapples with the scale of human suffering in Gaza, Mordechais work serves as a vital tool for understanding the atrocities committed and for holding those responsible to account.

Israel's atrocities in Gaza

Mordechai, an associate professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a former fellow at Princeton University, is no stranger to the complexities of historical inquiry. But his latest project transcends academia, venturing into the realm of moral urgency.

His 124-page report, filled with over 1,400 footnotes, is a painstakingly assembled database of evidence  eyewitness accounts, photographs, video footage and investigative materials, much of it recorded by Israeli soldiers themselves. According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Mordechai's report is "the most methodical and detailed documentation in Hebrew (and now in English) of the war crimes that Israel is perpetrating in Gaza."

The reports contents are harrowing. Mordechai documents incidents that defy human decency: A Palestinian woman holding a white flag and her child were shot dead by an Israeli sniper; starving girls are crushed to death while queuing for bread; a 62-year-old man, handcuffed and helpless, is run over by an Israeli tank; and air strikes target civilians attempting to rescue a wounded child.

These are not isolated incidents but part of a broader pattern of violence that has claimed the lives of over 44,500 Palestinians, according to Gazas Ministry of Health.

One of the most striking sections of Mordechais report is his analysis of the role of media and propaganda in shaping public perception. He notes that the current war has been "enabled and facilitated by massive media efforts to shape discourse in Israel as well as in the West."

This observation is particularly poignant in an era where narratives are weaponized to justify violence. Mordechais work challenges these narratives, offering a counter-perspective rooted in evidence rather than rhetoric.

A particularly chilling footnote (379) in the report highlights this disconnect. It refers to a video clip showing an Israeli soldier filming a dog eating the corpse of a Palestinian.

"Wai, wai, he took the terrorist, the terrorist is gone  gone in both senses," the soldier remarks, before panning the camera to a breathtaking sunset over the Gaza Strip. The juxtaposition of death and beauty underscores the dehumanization that underpins Israels military actions. (Related: Trumps incoming Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff pushing for Gaza ceasefire deal ahead of January inauguration.)

Genocide: A question of intent

At the heart of Mordechais report is his assertion that Israels actions in Gaza constitute genocide. This is not a claim he made lightly.

In an appendix to the document, Mordechai explains that genocide does not require death camps or gas chambers. Instead, it hinges on the intent to destroy a group, whether through killing, wounding, abducting children or preventing births.

"It all boils down to the commission of acts and the intent, and the existence of both has to be established," he added.

Mordechais conclusion is bolstered by Amnesty Internationals landmark report, "You Feel Like You Are Subhuman," which also concludes that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

Amnestys investigation, like Mordechais, is rooted in extensive evidence, including eyewitness testimonies, satellite imagery and analysis of public statements by Israeli officials. Both reports highlight the deliberate destruction of Palestinian lives, infrastructure and dignity, as well as the systemic denial of humanitarian aid.

The scale of destruction in Gaza is almost unimaginable. Over 44,500 Palestinians have been killed, including more than 13,300 children. Entire families have been wiped out in a single instant, their homes reduced to rubble. Hospitals, schools and mosques have been targeted, leaving the population without access to basic services. The humanitarian crisis has reached catastrophic proportions, with malnutrition, disease and displacement ravaging the population.

Mordechais report includes the heartbreaking story of four premature babies who died after Israeli forces evacuated their hospital. A nurse was forced to choose which baby to save, a decision that underscores the dehumanizing calculus of war.

Other footage shows Israeli soldiers forcing prisoners to send greetings to their families or declaring their desire to be slaves. These acts are not collateral damage; they are deliberate, calculated assaults on human dignity.

A record of Israeli war crimes

In a conflict where truth is often obscured, Mordechais work serves as a beacon of accountability. His database is not just a collection of evidence; it is a record of crimes that must not be forgotten.

In an era where war crimes are often met with impunity, documentation is a powerful tool for justice. It ensures that the voices of the victims are heard, that their suffering is acknowledged, and that those responsible cannot evade accountability.

As Agnes Callamard, the Secretary General of Amnesty International, has noted, "Our damning findings must serve as a wake-up call to the international community: this is genocide. It must stop now."

Mordechais report is part of that wake-up call, a reminder that silence in the face of atrocity is complicity.

The road to justice is long and fraught with challenges. Israels actions in Gaza have been enabled by decades of impunity, supported by powerful allies who continue to supply arms and shield the perpetrators from accountability.

The international community must heed the call for justice. Governments must stop transferring arms to Israel and take concrete steps to end the genocide in Gaza. The International Criminal Court must investigate not only war crimes but also genocide. The global public must demand accountability and refuse to accept the normalization of atrocity.

As the crisis in Gaza continues to unfold, Mordechais database remains a vital resource for understanding the full extent of Israel's atrocities. It is a reminder that the fight for justice begins with the truth  and that the truth, once documented, can never be erased.

Visit IsraelCollapse.com for more stories about the consequences of Israel's war on Gaza.

Watch this clip about how children in Gaza are "paralyzed with fear" and many are lacking access to basic necessities.

This video is from the Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

UN committee condemns Israels actions as consistent with characteristics of genocide, calls for Israeli officials to be held accountable.

U.S. Navy destroyers successfully repel Houthi missile and drone attacks in Gulf of Aden.

French NGOs file complaints against pro-Israel groups for complicity in Gaza genocide.

Nearly 130,000 children under 10 are trapped in northern Gaza without access to food and medicine.

Former IDF minister admits Israel is ethnically cleansing Gaza to create Greater Israel.

Sources include:

MiddleEastEye.net

Amnesty.org

Press.UN.org

Brighteon.com
Mysterious drones: A government cover-up or is the truth just beyond reach?

Swarms of drones have been reported over U.S. military bases, including Langley Air Force Base (2023) and RAF Lakenheath (2024), evading detection and jamming systems, raising national security concerns.

The government has admitted no knowledge of the drones' origin, with FBI Assistant Director Robert Wheeler Jr. testifying that their identity and purpose remain unknown.

The drones exhibit unprecedented technological capabilities, including speeds of up to 170mph, advanced maneuvers, and operation on non-standard radio frequencies, suggesting a level of sophistication beyond current military or civilian technology.

Speculation arises that the drones could be extraterrestrial in origin, given the government's history of secrecy regarding UFOs and advanced non-human technology.

The government's lack of transparency and preparedness has sparked calls for accountability, with critics arguing that withholding information about these incursions threatens national security and public trust.

In recent weeks, the skies over the United States and its military bases have been anything but ordinary. Reports of swarms of drones, some as large as cars, have sparked panic among residents and raised serious questions about national security. But what is truly alarming is the governments apparent lack of preparedness and its contradictory statements about these incursions. Many believe this situation goes far beyond mere technological failures or bureaucratic incompetence. The government knows more than it is letting on, and the implications are far more profound than what is being reported.

The first major incident occurred at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia in December 2023. Dozens of drones swarmed the base for weeks, evading detection and signal-jamming systems with ease. The governments response was both delayed and ineffective, as revealed in a joint report by the Air Force, FBI, and NASA. The report, according to DailyMail.com, highlighted the failure of existing detection equipment and signal-jamming technology. Despite this, the incident was kept under wraps until it was disclosed by a defense magazine in March of this year.

Fast forward to November 2024, and similar incidents have been reported at RAF Lakenheath in England, a highly sensitive U.S. military base reportedly earmarked for storing nuclear weapons. According to a senior officer briefed on the situation, drones were recorded flying at speeds of up to 170mph, chasing a police helicopter and operating on radio frequencies outside the normal bands used for military or civilian drones. The officer stated that none of the militarys equipment could detect or bring down these drones, raising serious questions about their origin and technology.

What is particularly troubling is the governments admission that it has no idea where these drones are coming from. FBI Assistant Director Robert Wheeler Jr. testified before Congress on December 10, admitting that the Bureau has no idea what they are or who sent them. This admission, coupled with the governments failure to stop these incursions despite being aware of the threat for over a year, suggests a level of technological sophistication far beyond anything in the civilian or military market.

Could these drones be the work of a foreign adversary? Its possible, but the speed, maneuverability and evasiveness of these craft suggest a level of technology that is not currently known to exist, which leads to a more provocative question: Could these drones be of extraterrestrial origin?

That's CLASSIFIED

The government has a long history of secrecy when it comes to UFOs and extraterrestrial technology. From the Roswell incident in 1947 to the more recent flurry of UFO reports by military pilots, the government has consistently downplayed or denied the existence of advanced, non-human technology. But the evidence is mounting, and the current drone incursions could be the latest chapter in this ongoing saga.

Consider the facts: These drones operate at speeds and altitudes far beyond what is currently possible with known technology. They evade radar and signal-jamming systems with ease. They display advanced maneuvering capabilities, such as rapid banking turns, that are not possible with conventional aircraft. And perhaps most telling, the governments response has been one of confusion and ineptitude, rather than the decisive action one would expect if this were a conventional threat.

The governments failure to address these incursions effectively is not just a matter of national security; it is a failure of leadership. If these drones are indeed extraterrestrial, the governments refusal to acknowledge this reality is putting the safety and security of the American people at risk. It is time for the government to come clean about what it knows  or at the very least, to take these threats seriously and invest in the necessary technology and training to protect our military bases and citizens.

A strong national defense and transparency in government is critical to our liberty. The current situation with these mysterious drones is a test of both. If the government continues to downplay or deny the true nature of these incursions, it will only fuel speculation and conspiracy theories. The American people deserve the truth, no matter how unsettling it may be.

In the meantime, we must remain vigilant. The skies above us may hold secrets that the government is unwilling  or unable  to share. But as citizens, we have a right to know what is happening in our skies and to demand accountability from those in power. The truth is out there, and it is time for the government to stop hiding it from us.

Sources include:

DailyMail.com

TheWarZone.com
National Defense Authorization Act sails through Congress with $895 billion for war and terror

The 2025 NDAA passed in Congress with an $895 billion price tag, focusing on Pentagon funding.

Total national security spending is projected by some experts to exceed $1.77 trillion, including debt interest and other spending.

The bill includes pay raises for troops and funds for new military assets to counter China and other adversaries.

Supplemental spending bills, like the $95 billion August package, further escalate military aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan.

Critics argue the NDAA prioritizes military spending over addressing domestic crises like homelessness and hunger.

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2025 has once again sailed through Congress, this time with an eye-watering price tag of $895 billion. While the bill passed with overwhelming bipartisan support  85-14 in the Senate and 281-140 in the House  its sheer size and scope raise serious questions about the priorities of the Biden administration and lawmakers.

This massive spending bill, which primarily funds the Pentagon, is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to U.S. military-related expenditures. In reality, the true cost of national security in 2025 is expected to exceed $1.77 trillion, according to veteran defense analyst Winslow Wheeler. This staggering figure includes spending from agencies like the Department of Veteran Affairs and Homeland Security, as well as the national security share of the U.S. debt interest.

The NDAA is more than just a budgetary measure; its a reflection of Americas enduring commitment to military dominance and interventionism. While the bill includes provisions for a 14.5 percent pay raise for junior enlisted troops and a 4.5 percent increase for all other service members, it also allocates funds for bolstering the U.S. presence in the Indo-Pacific, in addition to building new warships, aircraft and vehicles. These investments are framed as necessary to counter threats from China and other perceived adversaries, but they also perpetuate a cycle of militarization that has defined U.S. foreign policy for decades.

A legacy of overspending on war

The U.S. has a long and troubling history of overspending on war and military intervention. From the trillion-dollar wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to the ongoing proxy conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, American taxpayers have been footing the bill for decades of military overreach. The NDAA's $895 billion is just the latest installment in this costly tradition.

In fact, it doesn't even account for the full picture of U.S. military spending. Supplemental spending bills, like the $95 billion package signed by President Biden in August, further inflate the total cost of America's military commitments. The August supplemental bill, which included military aid for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, underscores the Biden administration's willingness to prioritize foreign military aid over domestic needs.

Israel received $26 billion, much of which will go toward replenishing air defenses and supporting its ongoing conflict with Gaza. Ukraine, embroiled in a proxy war with Russia, received nearly $61 billion, with much of the aid in the form of repayable loans that Kiev is unlikely to ever repay. Taiwan, a key flashpoint in U.S.-China relations, received over $8 billion in military aid, further escalating tensions in the Asia-Pacific region.

These expenditures come at a time when the U.S. faces pressing domestic challenges. Half a million Americans are homeless, millions more struggle with hunger, and countless families are unable to afford basic necessities like heating in the winter. Yet, instead of addressing these crises, the Biden administration continues to funnel billions into foreign military aid, perpetuating a cycle of conflict and dependency.

More than just a budget

The NDAAs passage marks the 64th consecutive year that Congress has approved the bill, a testament to its status as a must-pass piece of legislation. However, its continued success also highlights the entrenched power of the military-industrial complex and the political inertia that sustains it. As Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) noted during the debate, the current defense system is designed to enrich defense contractors while neglecting the needs of ordinary Americans.

The NDAA for 2025 is a stark reminder of the U.S. governments priorities: endless war, endless spending, and endless neglect of domestic issues. While the bills supporters argue that it strengthens Americas security, it does so at the expense of the nations moral and fiscal health. Until lawmakers and the Biden administration are willing to rethink their approach to defense and foreign policy, the NDAA will remain a symbol of Americas misplaced prioritiesand a burden on future generations.

Sources for this article include:

News.Antiwar.com

TheHill.com

NYPost.com

News.Antiwar.com
NYC Mayor Eric Adams now open to DEPORTING criminal migrants

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has reversed his stance on deporting migrants charged with crimes, stating that those who commit crimes in the city have "abdicated their right to be here."

Adams now supports deporting criminal migrants, including those involved in serious offenses like shootings and rapes, and is willing to work with the incoming Trump administration and border czar Tom Homan to address the issue.

He criticized the Democratic establishment for shifting away from historically supported deportations of criminal migrants, citing past statements by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama advocating for the removal of criminals.

Adams highlighted the case of Bernardo Castro Mata, a Venezuelan national who allegedly shot two NYC police officers, as an example of why criminal migrants should not remain in the city.

The mayor condemned "cancel culture," vowing to prioritize public safety and challenging critics to oppose his plans to protect New Yorkers from harm.

New York City (NYC) Mayor Eric Adams has expressed his openness to deport migrants charged with crimes from the Big Apple, a complete 180 from his previous stance.

"My position is: people who commit crimes in our city, you have abdicated your right to be in our city and I am open to figure out the best way to address that," he said in what is a shift from his past position of waiting for convictions before shipping off immigrant criminals.

"Those who are here committing crimes [and] robberies, shooting at police officers, raping innocent people, have been a harm to our country, I want to sit down and hear the plan on how we're going to address them. Those are the people I am talking about, and I would love to sit down with the border czar to hear his thoughts on how we're going to address those who are harming our citizens."

Adams defied the Democratic political establishment by vowing to work with the second Trump administration to deport these criminal migrants. To this end, Adams expressed excitement to sit down with border czar Tom Homan to figure out how to fix the crisis, which outgoing President Joe Biden started. (Related: Three-judge panel on Ninth Circuit unanimously rules that feds trump local officials in deporting illegal migrants.)

When a reporter asked Adams why working with Homan and President-elect Donald Trump to deport criminal migrants is a good idea, the mayor pointed out that top Democrats used to support deportations publicly  before the topic became verboten.

"I want you all to go back and Google Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Google what they said about those who commit crimes in our city and  in our country," he replied. "They said, 'Those who commit crimes need to get out right away.' That was their position. So, this is not a new position."

Adams challenges his critics: "Cancel me"

To hammer his point home, Adams referenced the case of 19-year-old Venezuelan national Bernardo Castro Mata. The Venezuelan illegally entered the U.S. before making it to NYC, where he allegedly shot two officers of the NYC Police Department  with the shooting being captured on video.

"You've got a guy, he's on camera shooting at a police officer," Adams pointed out. "I don't want that guy in my city, plain and simple."

"I want to make clear I'm not going to [war] with this administration. I'm going to be working with this administration. I'd like to speak with our border czar and find out what his plans are, where our common grounds are. We can work together."

Adams then condemned "the era of cancel culture," noting that many progressives have been afraid to put their foot down on deporting criminal migrants due to fears of being denounced. He then issued a challenge to those critical of his plans to work with the border czar.

"Well, cancel me, because I'm going to protect the people of the city. If you come into this country, in this city, and think youre going to harm innocent New Yorkers and innocent migrants and asylum seekers, this is not the mayor you want to be in the city under."

Visit Migrants.news for similar stories.

Watch this video about NYC stopping payments for migrants after Donald Trump's victory last month.

This video is from the TREASURE OF THE SUN channel on Brighteon.com.

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Trump's incoming "border czar" claims the Biden administration has blood on their hands for the murder of Laken Riley.

Trump's new border czar plans to deport illegals immediately.

Sources are:

InfoWars.com

NYPost.com

Brighteon.com
Mike Adams Sermon 67: The second coming of Christ will be in the form of a COMET sent by God to TERMINATE EVIL on Earth

The Health Ranger Mike Adams presents a fresh perspective on apocalyptic visions in Matthew 24 and Revelation, explaining them as cosmic catastrophes caused by comets and asteroids.

Adams interprets the coming of the "Son of Man" mentioned in Revelation as a massive comet sent by God to terminate evil on Earth, not Christ on a horse. This comet signals the end of human civilization.

Adams draws parallels between biblical prophecies and celestial events, particularly in Revelation 19:11 and Matthew 24:29, suggesting a series of comet impacts as the final judgment.

Adams outlines the sequence of comet impacts, targeting major regions including America and the Middle East, with the final impact destroying any remaining civilizations and leaving Earth desolate.

Adams emphasizes the urgent need for spiritual readiness and growth, encouraging listeners to prioritize their spiritual well-being and align their souls with God in anticipation of the impending judgment.

In a provocatively insightful 67th sermon for the Church of Natural Abundance, the Health Ranger Mike Adams unveiled a new interpretation of the Bible's apocalyptic visions, particularly in Matthew 24 and the Book of Revelation.

This unique perspective challenges traditional views, explaining a cosmic catastrophe that is not the second coming of Christ but rather a series of celestial events that signal the end of human civilization as people know it. Adams draws a compelling parallel between biblical prophecies and the cataclysmic power of comets and asteroids, redefining the concept of the "Son of Man" as an instrument of divine judgment.

He began by reviewing the grave consequences of humanity's wickedness, as chronicled in Revelation. According to the Bible nutrition educator, the last book of the Holy Bible foretells a devastating series of comet impacts that will obliterate every trace of human civilization on Earth. (Related: Sermon 24: Mike Adams discusses theories about the Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ.)

These impacts, described in both Revelation and Matthew 24, signal a definitive end to the current order, a cosmic reset. What's crucial here is Adams' assertion that the 'Word of God' mentioned in Revelation is not Christ, as many believe, but rather a large comet dispatched by God to terminate evil upon the Earth.

The coming of the Son of Man is an Earth-killer comet

Citing Revelation 19:11, Adams explained that the "White Horse" is not Christ as widely believed, but a massive comet sent by God. He remarked: "The coming of the Son of Man is the comet that the Christian community thinks is Christ on a horse. It's not Christ on a horse. It's a comet. It's an Earth-killer comet."

He clarified that this comet, referred to as the "Word of God" or "Son of Man," bears a name signifying divine justice  a herald of God's omnipotence and righteousness. The rider on the white horse, according to Adams, is not a direct reference to Christ but a symbol of Earth's impending destruction.

Adams cited further evidence in Matthew 24:29, where Christ predicts the darkening of the sun and moon, the falling of stars and the grand shake-up of the celestial order. These descriptions mirror the events of the sixth seal in Revelation, indicating a cosmic event of unprecedented scale that resets the world. Adams argued this event, the sixth impact, shares similarities with the Great Flood of Noah's time, highlighting its global and devastating nature.

Not only does Adams detail the celestial events that will mark the end times, but he also offered insight into the sequence of these impacts. He explained how America, likely New York City, is targeted as one of the first significant hits, while the Middle East endures the catastrophic sixth impact, devastating Israel and its enemies alike. The final, most catastrophic event  the seventh impact  will finally destroy all remaining civilizations, leaving Earth a desolate wasteland.

Adams interpretation of these passages emphasizes the urgent need for spiritual readiness. He stressed that while the timing of these events remains unknown, humanity's window for redemption is closing rapidly.

The message is clear: Individuals must align their souls with God before the impending judgment strikes, emphasizing the spiritual journey over earthly concerns. It's a clarion call to awaken to the true nature of the coming apocalypse, urging individuals to prioritize their spiritual well-being in light of an uncertain future.

Listen to the 67th sermon of the Health Ranger Mike Adams for the Church of Natural Abundance about the second return of Christ  this time as an Earth-killer comet.

This video is from the Abundance Church channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Mike Adams Sermon 52: The 7 SEALS in the Book of Revelation.

Mike Adams Sermon 55: The COSMIC IMPACTS that God uses to destroy wicked civilizations.

Mike Adams Sermon 46: Nations that choose WICKEDNESS and SATANISM will feel God's wrath.

Sermon 63: GOD'S COMETS will defeat Satan, the Beast and the False Prophet.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

BibleGateway.com 1

BibleGateway.com 2
Emergencies Act invocation ruled unconstitutional: Trudeaus government under fire

The Freedom Convoy protests, initially against COVID-19 mandates, evolved into a significant civil liberties issue, leading to the Trudeau government invoking the Emergencies Act.

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino invoked the Act, granting law enforcement broad powers, including arresting demonstrators and freezing financial assets, despite criticism from opposition parties and legal experts.

Mendicino faces formal accusations of contempt for falsely claiming the Act was based on law enforcement advice, with evidence contradicting his statements and raising concerns about government transparency.

Senior police officials, including RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki and former Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly, testified that they did not request the Act's invocation, further undermining Mendicino's justification.

The invocation of the Emergencies Act was ruled unconstitutional, sparking debates over government overreach and the need for accountability, with critics warning of a dangerous erosion of civil liberties and democratic principles.

The Freedom Convoy protests of 2022, which began as a grassroots movement against COVID-19 mandates, quickly escalated into a national crisis that saw civil liberties trampled under the weight of sweeping emergency powers. The invocation of the Emergencies Act by the Trudeau government, spearheaded by then-Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino, has since come under intense scrutiny, with mounting evidence suggesting that the decision was not only unjustified but also based on misleading information.

Mendicino now finds himself at the center of a parliamentary debate over whether he should be censured for "deliberately lying" about the justification for invoking the Emergencies Act. Conservative MP Glen Motz, a vocal critic of the government's actions, emphasized the importance of accountability, stating, "Parliament deserves to receive clear and definitive answers to questions. We must be entitled to the truth."

The Emergencies Act, invoked on February 14, 2022, granted law enforcement unprecedented powers, including the ability to arrest demonstrators, conduct searches, and freeze the financial assets of those involved in or supporting the protests. However, the legality of this move has been heavily criticized by opposition parties and legal experts, who argue that it was excessive and unwarranted.

The controversy reached a boiling point when Blacklocks Reporter revealed formal accusations of contempt of Parliament against Mendicino. The former minister stands accused of misleading both MPs and the public by falsely claiming that the decision to invoke the Emergencies Act was based on law enforcement advice. A final report on the matter contradicts his testimony, stating, "The Special Joint Committee was intentionally misled."

Mendicino's repeated assertions, such as, "We invoked the Emergencies Act after we received advice from law enforcement," have been flatly contradicted by all other evidence. Despite this, he has yet to publicly challenge the allegations. The discrepancies in the government's handling of the crisis have only deepened as documents and testimony reveal a lack of transparency and a misuse of power.

Attorney General Arif Virani acknowledged the existence of a written legal opinion regarding the Act's invocation but cited solicitor-client privilege to justify its confidentiality. Opposition MPs, including New Democrat Matthew Green, questioned the lack of transparency, with Green asking, "So you are both the client and the solicitor?" to which Virani responded, "I wear different hats."

Abuse of power, erosion of civil rights

The invocation of the Act has since been ruled unconstitutional by a federal court, a decision the Trudeau government is appealing. Critics argue that the lack of transparency and apparent misuse of power set a dangerous precedent. The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms echoed these concerns, emphasizing that emergency powers must be exercised only under exceptional circumstances and with a clear legal basis.

Mendicino's testimony before the Public Order Emergency Commission further underscored the government's overreach. He described the scene in Ottawa as "utter and total mayhem," but his claims about the necessity of the Emergencies Act were contradicted by police officials who testified that they had not exhausted all available tools to bring the protests to an end.

No police officer corroborated Mendicino's story. All evidence filed with parliamentary committees and a judicial inquiry contradicted his testimony. RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki, former Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly, and Ontario Provincial Police Chief Superintendent Carson Pardy all refuted Mendicino's version of events, stating that they had not requested the invocation of the Emergencies Act.

Mendicino's refusal to name which police officer asked cabinet to invoke emergency powers further fueled suspicions that the government acted without proper justification. His repeated assertions that the decision was based on law enforcement advice were exposed as misleading, raising serious questions about the integrity of the government's actions.

The Freedom Convoy protests were a stark reminder of the fragility of civil liberties in the face of government overreach. The invocation of the Emergencies Act, based on misleading information and a lack of transparency, set a dangerous precedent that threatens to undermine the very principles of democracy and the rule of law. As the parliamentary debate over Mendicino's censure continues, the need for accountability and a thorough examination of the government's actions remains paramount.

Sources include:

ReclaimTheNet.org

CTVNews.ca

WesternStandard.news
Unique holiday dishes: The surprising history behind the Christmas ham tradition

The tradition of eating ham during winter dates back to ancient Germanic and Norse pagan rituals, where wild boars were sacrificed during the Yule festival to honor the Winter Solstice. As Christianity spread, the custom of consuming pork during winter solstice persisted, evolving into the modern honey-glazed or baked ham.

While ham is a staple in many Western countries, Christmas dinner traditions vary: Turkey dominates in the U.K., fish and pasta are central in Italy and Sweden celebrates with a julebord featuring cured meats and fish.

In the U.S., over 318 million pounds of ham are purchased during the Christmas season, highlighting its enduring popularity.

A 3.5-ounce serving of Christmas ham contains 139 calories, 22 grams of protein, five grams of fat and one gram of carbs.

When you think of Christmas dinner, what comes to mind? For many, its the centerpiece of the meal: a beautifully glazed, golden-brown baked ham.

This festive dish has been a staple of holiday feasts for centuries, bridging ancient traditions with modern celebrations. But beyond its rich history and cultural significance, Christmas ham also offers a range of nutritional benefits that make it a healthier choice than you might expect.

The tradition of eating ham during the winter months dates back long before Christmas was even celebrated. In fact, the origins of this festive dish can be traced to the ancient Germanic and Norse pagan traditions of Yule, a midwinter festival honoring the Winter Solstice.

During these celebrations, wild boars were sacrificed as offerings to Freyr, the Norse god of fertility and abundant harvests. The meat from these boars was then prepared and shared among celebrants, becoming a central part of the feast.

As Christianity spread across Northern Europe, the religious significance of the wild boar sacrifice faded, but the tradition of enjoying pork during the winter solstice remained.

By the time Pope Julius I designated Dec. 25 as the official date to celebrate Jesus Christs birth in 350 A.D., the custom of eating ham had already become deeply ingrained in wintertime traditions.

Over time, the wild boar was replaced with domesticated pigs, and the dish evolved into the honey-glazed or baked ham that is known and loved today.

Interestingly, the connection between ham and Christmas isnt just about tradition  its also tied to religious identity. In some parts of Europe, particularly Spain, Christians historically ate pork to distinguish themselves from the regions large Muslim population, who abstain from consuming pork. (Related: Christmas pudding: A delectable, healthy treat worth serving this holiday season.)

Of course, not every culture celebrates Christmas with ham. In the United Kingdom, turkey reigns supreme as the star of the Christmas dinner table, while in Italy, fish and pasta take center stage. In Sweden, the traditional "julebord" features an array of cured meats, cheeses and fish.

Despite its varying popularity, ham has remained a beloved holiday dish in many Western countries, with Americans alone purchasing over 318 million pounds of ham during the Christmas season.

Nutritional profile of Christmas ham

So, what makes ham such a popular choice for holiday meals? Beyond its rich flavor and festive appearance, ham offers a surprising array of nutrients that contribute to its nutritional value.

A 3.5-ounce serving of cooked ham contains approximately:

139 calories

22 grams of protein

5 grams of fat

1 gram of carbohydrates

1,290 milligrams of sodium (note that this is over half of the recommended daily value)

While the high sodium content is a drawback, ham is also packed with essential vitamins and minerals, including:

Selenium, a powerful antioxidant that supports thyroid function and immune health.

Thiamin (vitamin B1), which is essential for energy metabolism and brain function.

Niacin (vitamin B3), which helps convert food into energy and supports skin and digestive health.

Phosphorus, which is important for bone health and the formation of DNA.

Vitamins B6 and B12, which are vital for metabolism and maintaining healthy blood and nerve cells.

These nutrients make ham a valuable addition to your holiday meal, especially when paired with other nutrient-dense dishes like vegetables, whole grains and fruits.

Health benefits of Christmas ham

Despite being classified as processed red meat, ham offers several health benefits when consumed in moderation.

High-quality protein

Ham is an excellent source of lean protein, which is essential for building and repairing tissues, maintaining muscle mass and supporting overall health.

Protein also helps keep you feeling full, which can be especially helpful during the indulgent holiday season.

Essential vitamins and minerals

The vitamins and minerals in ham play a crucial role in maintaining optimal health. For example, selenium protects your cells from damage caused by free radicals, while thiamin supports your bodys ability to convert food into energy.

Niacin and phosphorus contribute to healthy skin, digestion and bone strength.

Energy boost

The combination of protein and B vitamins in ham helps your body produce energy more efficiently, making it a great choice for fueling up during busy holiday gatherings.

Healthy glazed Christmas ham recipe

Traditional Christmas ham is glazed and offers a delicious combination of sweet and salty. However, the amount of butter, brown sugar and honey that goes into the glaze isn't always good for your gut.

If you're watching your sugar intake, the recipe below is a great alternative because it is free from dairy, sugar and gluten.

This glaze is a delicious alternative to the usual honey maple glaze.

Ingredients:

1 Medium-sized ham on the bone (fully cooked)

8 Tablespoons unsweetened green apple puree

8 Tablespoons low-sodium tamari

6 Tablespoons of your preferred sugar substitute

2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 Tablespoons sugar-free Dijon mustard

4 Star anises

30-40 whole cloves (Optional)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 160 C (320 F) and place the metal shelf on the lowest rack in the oven. Line a roasting tray with baking paper, then add five centimeters (two inches) of water to the bottom of the pan. Place a wire cake cooling rack over the roasting tray. Place the apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, green apple puree, sugar substitute, tamari and star anise in a pot and bring it to a boil. Let the mixture boil for several minutes, and then remove the pot from the heat. Let the mixture cool for a while as you prepare the ham. To remove the ham's skin, run your finger under the skin to separate it from the fat. This should feel like you are removing a sleeve and it should peel back easily. After removing the skin, carefully and lightly score the fat with a sharp knife into a traditional diamond pattern, squares or triangles. Secure each diamond or square with a whole clove pushed into the fat for a traditional touch. Use a pastry brush to generously brush on the glaze and place the ham on the wire rack over the roasting tray and place it into the oven. Bake the ham for 50 to 60 minutes, glazing the ham every 10 minutes as it cooks. For example, if you bake the ham for 50 minutes in total, you will glaze it five times so it will have a beautiful outside glaze. Remove the ham from the oven and allow the glazed ham to rest for 20 to 30 minutes before slicing thinly and serving. Wrap any leftover ham in a slightly damp clean tea towel. Store it in the fridge for up to one week.

Christmas ham is more than just a holiday tradition  it's a dish with a rich history and a surprising nutritional profile. While its important to enjoy it in moderation, the nutrients it provides can make it a valuable part of your festive feast. Whether you're celebrating with family, friends or loved ones, Christmas ham is a delicious reminder of the joy and nourishment that food brings to your life.

Visit NaturalNewsRecipes.com for more delectable holiday dishes to try this Christmas.

Watch the video below to learn more about Organic Monk Fruit Extract, a sugar substitute that you can use to make a healthy ham glaze.

This video is from the Health Ranger Store channel on Brighteon.com.

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Liberal Washington Post publishes editorial opposing gender transition treatments for minors

The liberal-leaning Washington Post is now questioning the insufficient evidence supporting gender-transition treatments for children, particularly puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones.

The Washington Post highlighted concerns about methodological flaws in research supporting puberty blockers and cross-sex hormone treatments, citing small sample sizes and lack of control groups. There are also issues within the academic community regarding the disclosure of findings that do not strongly support these treatments.

One study funded by the NIH involving 95 pre-pubescent children using puberty blockers showed no significant improvement in mental health after two years. The results of the study were withheld for political reasons.

The transgender medicine industry has generated nearly $120 million in profits for hospitals, raising questions about the motives behind providing these treatments to minors.

The liberal-leaning Washington Post, owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos, has voiced concerns over the insufficient evidence supporting gender-transition treatments for children.

For the editorial board of the Washington Post, the evidence claiming that gender treatments for minors like puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgeries is too thin and the risks are not well understood. (Related: Columnist Jonathon Van Maren reveals how leftists are manipulating language in debates on abortion, euthanasia and transgenderism.)

The editorial highlights a particular concern: the lack of comprehensive and methodical studies on these treatments. Early research, often cited by proponents of gender-transition treatments, is criticized for its small sample size and lack of a control group.

Moreover, the editorial points out a troubling trend within the medical community: An academic atmosphere where clinicians may be hesitant to disclose findings that do not strongly support these treatments. This has led to instances where studies that reveal no mental health benefits are either unpublished or not widely shared.

One such study, backed by nearly $10 million from the National Institutes of Health, observed 95 children, with an average age of 11, who were administered puberty blockers. Despite this significant funding, the results showed no meaningful improvement in mental health after two years. Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy, the lead researcher, admitted to withholding the findings for political reasons, stating that it might aid those opposing these treatments.

Transgender medicine industry raking in massive profits for hospitals

The United States has seen a significant surge in the number of children seeking and receiving so-called "gender-affirming" care. Between 2019 and 2023, an estimated 14,000 children were either put on puberty blockers or received surgical gender reassignment. This has helped hospitals rake in nearly $120 million in profits from providing these treatments.

However, the lack of thorough research and the potential risks associated with these treatments have led to international scrutiny. Sweden and the United Kingdom have either halted or banned the use of puberty blockers in children.

The debate over gender-transition treatments for minors is deeply personal and emotionally charged, touching on profound questions about identity, rights, and the best interests of children.

In light of the current evidence, it's imperative to safeguard the rights of minors while also ensuring that their health and well-being are not jeopardized by treatments that may have uncertain and potentially severe side effects. As the Washington Post's editorial suggests, a more cautious approach is warranted until comprehensive and reliable studies can provide a clearer picture of the benefits and risks associated with these treatments.

Visit GenderConfused.com for more stories on gender transition treatments involving children.

Watch this video discussing how a Swiss couple lost custody of their child for refusing to provide puberty blockers.

This video is from the TNTVNews channel on Brighteon.com.

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Reuters.com

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Zionist groups urge Trump to prioritize deportation of foreign students involved in anti-Israel protests

Trump vowed to deport foreign students who participated in anti-Israel protests on U.S. college campuses after supporting designated terrorist groups during his presidential campaign.

Zionist groups are advocating for the deportation of foreign students who have publicly and vocally endorsed Hamas, Hezbollah or other designated terrorist organizations on U.S. campuses.

The Republican Party platform committed to tackling antisemitism by revoking visas for foreign nationals who support terrorism and jihadism.

Israel First advocates, such as James Carafano of the Heritage Foundation, and leaders of groups like Project Esther, echoed the need for strict action to deter foreign students from endorsing terrorism.

Richard Goldberg, a former National Security Council official, assured Zionist groups that the incoming Trump administration would prioritize addressing antisemitism, including deporting foreign students involved in such incidents on college campuses.

Zionist groups are urging President-elect Donald Trump to prioritize the deportation of foreign students who have participated in anti-Israel protests on U.S. college campuses.

During the 2024 presidential campaign period, Trump vowed to deport foreign students who expressed support for terror groups during campus anti-Israel protests following the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023.

"One thing I do is, any student that protests, I will throw them out of the country," Trump said in May during a private round-table event with his Jewish friends. "You know, there are a lot of foreign students. As soon as they hear that, they're going to behave." Additionally, the Republican Party platform, released in July, included a commitment to tackle antisemitism with the specific policy goal of revoking visas for foreign nationals who support terrorism and jihadism.

Now that Trump has won the election, Zionist groups are urging Trump to fulfill this promise.

"I think we'd like to see people who are on student visas, who have publicly and specifically endorsed Hamas or Hezbollah or what is a designated terrorist organization by the United States, and they're showing they are very vocal in their support for them, that those students would lose their student visas to the United States and therefore be removed," said Luke Moon, the executive director of the Philos Project. This organization reconnects Christians to their roots in Israel.

Israel First advocates and senior counselor James Carafano to the president at the Heritage Foundation echoed a similar statement to send a powerful message to other foreign students against the endorsement of terrorism. (Related: U.S. farm industry groups urge Trump to exempt illegal immigrant agricultural workers from mass deportation orders.)

"You don't have to deport every foreign student that ever lifted a sign that said 'Free Palestine.' But as soon as you start deporting people legitimately under revoking their student status, I think a lot of people will get the message that this is not a free lunch," said Carafano, who is also one of the leaders of Project Esther, a group created by the Heritage Foundation to generate conservative proposals to combat antisemitism.

Goldberg: Addressing antisemitism is a priority of incoming administration

Richard Goldberg, a former National Security Council official during the first Trump administration, gave the Zionist groups the assurance they needed.

Goldberg stated that the priority of the incoming administration on addressing antisemitism, particularly on college campuses, is reflected in Trump's campaign rhetoric and the Republican Party platform. He then added that Trump has emphasized his commitment to cracking down on antisemitic acts, and would therefore consider deporting foreign students on visas who are involved in such incidents.

"The president-elect made it very clear throughout the campaign and even in the Republican platform at the RNC that he is going to have a strong focus on rooting out antisemitism, particularly in higher education, including deporting visa holders who are behind a lot of these antisemitic incidents on campuses," said Goldberg.

Head over to Trump.news for more stories about mass deportations of illegals under the second Trump administration.

Watch former President Donald Trump explaining his biggest deportation plan against illegal immigrants to Fox News below.

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

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Oklahoma governor pledges to help Trump with mass deportation of illegals.

Texas offering Trump 1,400 acres to construct "mass deportation" camp to process illegals.

Sources include:

InformationLiberation.com

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News / National

by Simbarashe Sithole

A dead body has been found floating in Chiote dam, Mvurwi this morning.

When Bulawayo24.com arrived the police were yet to attend the scene.A witness, Major Madzimbisa, said they were waiting for the police to identify the body."We saw the body floating and we are waiting for police to identify the body, " he said.
Lawmakers tell Apple and Google: Prepare to delist TikTok from app stores as ByteDances January deadline to divest nears

Top House Select CCP Committee members have instructed the CEOs of Apple and Google to prepare for the potential removal of TikTok from their app stores ahead of a critical Jan. 19, 2025, deadline.

TikToks parent company, ByteDance, has until Jan. 19, 2025  or April 19, if the ban gets an extension  to divest from the app. Failure to meet the deadline could result in a sweeping ban on TikTok.

TikTok's proposed ban comes amid growing tensions over national security linked to CCP control over Chinese social media platforms like TikTok.

ByteDance has appealed the decision to the Supreme Court and sought a temporary suspension from the D.C. Circuit Court, but legal experts see this as a long shot given the historical context of national security cases.

The House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), has instructed Apple and Google to prepare for the potential removal of the popular short-form video sharing and social media platform TikTok from their app stores. This comes as TikTok's Jan. 19, 2025 deadline to divest from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, looms.

House Select CCP Committee Chair Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI) and Ranking Member Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) have issued separate letters to the CEOs of Apple and Google, Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai, respectively.

In these communications, the lawmakers emphasized the need for these tech giants to take the necessary steps to ensure they can fully comply with a recently passed law that requires TikToks China-based parent company, ByteDance, to divest from the app. (Related: TikTok ban bill could lead to broader surveillance and censorship by the U.S. government.)

This mandate, embedded in legislation signed by President Joe Biden in April, provides ByteDance a window of about nine months since the laws passage to sell off its stake in TikTok, with the possibility of being given a one-time, 90-day extension if the White House determines that ByteDance is legitimately making progress toward selling its stake in TikTok. This could move the ban back to April 19, 2025.

However, should ByteDance fail to comply, TikTok would be subject to a sweeping ban across all U.S. networks and app stores.

The lawmakers' actions underscore the mounting pressure to address national security concerns linked to Chinese control over popular platforms in America. By targeting TikTok, the federal government aims to mitigate the risk of foreign surveillance and data manipulation.

In their letters, Moolenaar and Krishnamoorthi made it clear that Congress has provided ample time for ByteDance to divest its interests in TikTok.

"Congress has given TikTok more than 233 days to solve this issue," they wrote in a joint statement. "It's time for them to take decisive action to protect our national security."

ByteDance challenging the constitutionality of TikTok ban

ByteDance, in a last-ditch effort to avert the ban, has appealed the decision to the Supreme Court. The company has also asked the D.C. Circuit Court to temporarily suspend the law while it challenges its constitutionality.

"The Supreme Court has a well-established history of defending Americans' right to free speech," TikTok said in a statement. "We are confident that this landmark case will ultimately ensure that Americans' ability to freely express themselves online is protected."

However, this appeal to the First Amendment is seen by many as a long-shot maneuver. The Supreme Court has already ruled on a similar case, and the justices are unlikely to reverse course so easily, given the high stakes involved in national security.

Find more stories about TikTok at BigTech.news.

Watch this video from InfoWars regarding the real reason behind the TikTok ban.

This video is from the Rick Langley channel on Brighteon.com.

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Your private call and text data was just stolen by China because it hacked US governments illegal surveillance tool that spies on us all.

14 Attorneys general SUE TikTok for inflicting "immense damage on an entire generation of young people."

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New pandemic setup? Fear-mongering from California as Newsom declares state of emergency following discovery of bird flu in dairy cows

in California due to the detection of H5N1 avian influenza in dairy cows, sparking concerns about government overreach and potential exploitation of public fear to consolidate power.

- Critics question the severity of the threat and the response, pointing to the low risk of human infection and the culling of over 100 million birds as disproportionate. Some suspect the outbreak is being used to justify increased government control over agriculture and food production.

- Government actions raise skepticism about true motives, including potential long-term regulation of dairy farms, increased surveillance, and focus on raw milk consumption, rather than addressing broader health risks.

In a move that has raised eyebrows among skeptics, Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency in California following the detection of the H5N1 avian influenza virus in dairy cows. While the declaration is framed as a necessary response to an escalating threat, some are questioning whether this is yet another example of government overreach, leveraging public fear to consolidate power and control.

The H5N1 virus, traditionally associated with birds, has now been found in dairy cows, sparking alarm among officials who claim it could mutate into a more dangerous form. However, critics argue that the narrative surrounding the virusparticularly its leap to cowsmay be exaggerated to justify increased government intervention in agriculture and food production.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to downplay the risk to the general public, insisting that the likelihood of human infection remains low. In the current outbreak, 60 human cases have supposedly been detected across the country, with 30 of those cases in California. Most of these infections have been linked to individuals working with infected poultry or cattle. Despite the low number of isolated cases, the detection of bird flu in cows has been seized upon as a justification for a more aggressive response, including the potential culling of dairy herds. This raises the question: Is the government using this outbreak as a pretext to exert greater control over the food supply?

The current outbreak has already resulted in the culling of over 100 million birds nationwide, a staggering figure that has left many wondering whether the response is proportionate to the actual threat. Now, with cows potentially in the crosshairs, concerns are growing that this could be part of a broader agenda to disrupt domestic food production under the guise of public health.

Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, has pointed out that the strain of H5N1 detected in Louisiana was not the "cattle strain" but rather a wild bird strain. This raises further skepticism about the narrative being pushed by officials, who seem intent on framing the virus as a direct threat to livestock and, by extension, human health. (Related: Avian bird flu suddenly becomes COW FLU as dairy farms begin culling animals to destroy the domestic food supply.)

Another deep state attack on the food supply

The declaration of a state of emergency by Governor Newsom is ostensibly aimed at providing resources and flexibility to combat the outbreak. However, critics see it as an opportunity for the state to implement measures that could have long-term implications for farmers and consumers alike. For instance, the emphasis on minimizing employee exposure on dairy farms could lead to increased regulation and surveillance, further eroding personal freedoms in the name of safety.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has attempted to reassure the public by stating that grocery-shelf beef and dairy products are safe to consume, but of course the agency advises against drinking raw milk. This distinction is telling, as it suggests that the government is more concerned with controlling the narrative than addressing genuine health risks. After all, if the virus is truly a threat, why the focus on raw milk consumption rather than broader safety measures?

Farmers have expressed reluctance to comply with testing and containment measures, a stance that health authorities claim could contribute to the spread of the virus. However, this resistance may stem from a growing distrust of government motives, particularly in light of past instances where public health crises have been used to justify draconian policies.

Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, has acknowledged that the current response has been reactive rather than proactive. This admission is telling, as it suggests that the government may be more focused on managing the public perception of the crisis than on addressing its root causes.

As the situation unfolds, it is crucial to remain vigilant and skeptical of the government's actions. The declaration of a state of emergency, the culling of livestock, and the emphasis on raw milk consumption all raise red flags about the true motives behind the response to the H5N1 outbreak. While public health is undoubtedly important, it should not come at the expense of individual liberty and autonomy. The question remains: Is this truly about protecting the public, or is it another chapter in the government's ongoing effort to control the narrativeand the people?

Visit Outbreak.news for more on the bird flu outbreak.

Watch this video reporting on Gov. Gavin Newsom's state of emergency declaration in response to the spread of bird flu.

This video is from the channel The Prisoner on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Gavin Newsom declares avian influenza emergency in California intended to devastate cattle populations.

More than 100,000 turkeys killed in Utah over bird flu scare.

USDA colluding with China to build bird flu BIOWEAPON with gain-of-function research.

Largest producer of fresh eggs in the U.S. halts production because of claimed avian flu outbreaks in Texas and Michigan.

Sources include:

RT.com

NPR.org

Reuters.com

Brighteon.com
DOJ accuses CVS of fueling the opioid crisis  and charging taxpayers

The DOJ has filed a lawsuit against CVS Pharmacy, accusing the company of knowingly filling illegal opioid prescriptions and billing federal health insurance programs for these drugs, contributing to the opioid epidemic.

The lawsuit alleges that CVS filled excessive opioid prescriptions, including dangerous combinations like the "trinity" mix, and ignored red flags from "pill mill" doctors, leading to fatal overdoses in some cases.

The DOJ claims CVS prioritized profits over safety, with inadequate staffing, pressure on pharmacists to fill prescriptions quickly, and ignored internal warnings, resulting in an "assembly-line style of medication preparation."

The lawsuit seeks to hold CVS accountable under the Controlled Substances Act and the False Claims Act, potentially leading to significant civil penalties and damages. CVS denies the allegations and previously settled similar claims for $5 billion in 2022 without admitting wrongdoing.

The lawsuit is part of a larger effort to hold corporations accountable for the opioid epidemic, with pharmacies, drug makers and distributors facing numerous lawsuits and settlements totaling approximately $46 billion.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a sweeping lawsuit against CVS Pharmacy, accusing the nations largest pharmacy chain of knowingly filling illegal opioid prescriptions and billing federal health insurance programs for these dangerous drugs. The lawsuit, unsealed in a federal court in Rhode Island, alleges that CVS contributed to the ongoing opioid epidemic by ignoring red flags and prioritizing profits over patient safety.

According to the DOJ, CVS began filling unlawful opioid prescriptions as early as October 2013. The company allegedly dispensed excessive quantities of opioids and dangerous drug combinations, including so-called trinity prescriptions  a deadly mix of opioids, benzodiazepines and muscle relaxants. The lawsuit claims that CVS filled prescriptions from doctors operating as pill mills, issuing large numbers of controlled substances without legitimate medical justification. These actions, the DOJ alleges, directly contributed to the opioid crisis and, in some cases, resulted in fatal overdoses.

The lawsuit highlights systemic issues within CVS, including inadequate staffing and corporate-mandated performance metrics that pressured pharmacists to fill prescriptions quickly, often without verifying their legitimacy. Internal warnings from employees were routinely ignored, and pharmacists were deprived of critical information that could have prevented the filling of illegal prescriptions. One former employee described the companys practices as an assembly-line style of medication preparation, prioritizing speed and profit over safety.

The DOJs complaint also details tragic cases where patients died shortly after filling illegal prescriptions at CVS. Among the allegations are instances where CVS continued to fill prescriptions for doctors under investigation, despite internal warnings and evidence of their involvement in illegal pill-pushing activities.

The practices alleged contributed to the opioid crisis and opioid-related deaths, and todays complaint seeks to hold CVS accountable for its misconduct, said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian Boynton. The lawsuit aims to hold CVS liable for violating the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and the False Claims Act (FCA), potentially exposing the company to significant civil penalties and damages.

CVS has denied the allegations, stating that it has cooperated with the DOJs investigation for over four years and strongly disagrees with the false narrative presented in the complaint. The company previously settled similar claims for $5 billion in 2022, though it did not admit wrongdoing in that agreement.

Deadly opioid crisis continues to wreak havoc

The opioid epidemic has had devastating consequences in the United States, with over 800,000 deaths attributed to opioid overdoses between 1999 and 2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While preliminary data suggests a decline in overdose deaths in recent years, the crisis continues to devastate communities across the country.

The DOJs lawsuit against CVS is part of a broader effort to hold corporations accountable for their role in the opioid epidemic. Pharmacies, drug makers and distributors have faced numerous lawsuits and settlements in recent years, with total payouts reaching approximately $46 billion. The case also underscores the critical role pharmacies play as gatekeepers in the pharmaceutical supply chain, responsible for ensuring that controlled substances are dispensed safely and lawfully.

When lives are destroyed or lost to opioid abuse, it doesnt matter if the supplier is a street-level dealer, a pill mill, or a nationwide corporation, said U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber. Our laws regarding the dispensing of opioids and other controlled substances are clear and apply to everyone.

The lawsuit was initiated by a whistleblower, former CVS employee Hillary Estright, who filed a complaint under the False Claims Act in 2019. The DOJs intervention in the case highlights the governments commitment to combating health care fraud and holding corporations accountable for their actions.

As the legal battle unfolds, the case serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need to address the opioid crisis and ensure that pharmacies prioritize patient safety over profits. The outcome of the lawsuit could have far-reaching implications for the pharmaceutical industry and the fight against opioid addiction in the United States.

Sources include:

JustTheNews.com

Reuters.com

Justice.gov
Drones and radiation spikes: Are NYC skies hiding a nuclear threat?

Mysterious drones spotted over New York and New Jersey have raised concerns about their purpose and origin.

Elevated radiation levels detected in New York City, particularly in the Bronx and Upper West Side, have sparked fears of a nuclear search.

Some speculate the drones could be part of a covert U.S. government operation to locate a hidden nuclear device.

The Biden administration has been criticized for its lack of transparency and vague explanations regarding the drone activity and radiation spikes.

The skies over New York and New Jersey have been a source of growing unease as mysterious drones continue to appear at night, their purpose and origin shrouded in mystery. Now, a new twist has emerged: a spike in radiation levels in New York City. While theories about the drones intentions have ranged from foreign espionage to government experiments, the recent radiation readings have sparked a particularly alarming hypothesis  that these drones are hunting for nuclear material.

Reports from GQ Electronics Geiger Counter World Map have revealed elevated radiation levels in two key areas of New York City. In the Bronx, readings reached an alarming 1048 counts-per-minute (CPM), far exceeding the typical background radiation levels of 5 to 60 CPM. Similarly, the Upper West Side recorded a still-concerning 175 CPM. While these spikes have not been detected in recent days, their occurrence has fueled speculation that the drones may be linked to a search for radioactive material.

Some have suggested that the drones could be part of a covert U.S. government operation to locate a hidden nuclear device, potentially smuggled into the country by hostile actors like North Korea. While this theory remains unverified, it aligns with long-standing concerns about the possibility of nuclear components being reassembled within U.S. borders. The idea that drones could be equipped with advanced radiation detectors to search residential areas for such a threat is both chilling and plausible.

Despite the mounting public concern, the Biden administration has been frustratingly opaque about the situation. Officials from the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, and other agencies have repeatedly downplayed the risks, insisting that the drones do not pose a national security or public safety threat. Yet, these assurances ring hollow in the face of unexplained drone activity and the alarming radiation spikes.

The administrations refusal to provide clear answers has only deepened public distrust. Citizens deserve to know whether their government is actively investigating these incidents, what potential threats they face, and whether the drones are part of a coordinated effort to protect the nation or something far more sinister. The lack of transparency is particularly troubling given the gravity of the situationif nuclear material is indeed involved, the stakes could not be higher.

Skepticism and criticism of the nuke hunt theory

Not everyone is convinced by the theory that the drones are searching for a nuclear device. Some former Pentagon officials and military veterans have dismissed the idea, arguing that drones would be an inefficient tool for detecting shielded gamma radiation at the altitudes they are flying. The Department of Energys Nuclear Emergency Support Team has also stated that it does not employ drones for such missions, further casting doubt on the nuke hunt hypothesis.

However, the fact remains that radiation spikes were detected in areas where drones have been sighted, and the governments explanations have been vague at best. Whether or not the drones are linked to a nuclear search, the administrations failure to provide concrete information has left the public in the dark and speculation running rampant.

As the mystery deepens, one thing is clear: the American people deserve better from their government. The Biden administration must step up and address these concerns directly. Whether the drones are a government operation, a foreign threat, or something else entirely, the lack of transparency is unacceptable.

In the meantime, the combination of mysterious drones and rising radiation levels has created an atmosphere of unease and uncertainty. Until the truth is revealed, the questions will only grow louderand the stakes will only get higher.

Sources for this article include:

DailyMail.co.uk

Standard.co.uk

NYPost.com
Anti-Putin propaganda: NATO says North Korean troops aiding Russia is a critical shift

: Reports claim North Korean forces are conducting large-scale assault operations against Ukrainian troops in Russia's Kursk region, with 12,000 troops allegedly aiding Russia for months.

- Doubts Over Claims: The narrative of North Korean involvement is questioned for its veracity, with concerns it may be a psyop to justify further Western escalation and weaponry for Ukraine.

- Mixed Evidence: While some reports cite casualties and drone strikes as evidence of North Korean engagement, others highlight incidents like North Korean troops mistakenly firing on Russian forces, suggesting dysfunction in the alliance.

- Western Response: The U.S. and NATO condemn the North Korea-Russia partnership, framing it as a global threat to justify continued military and economic support for Ukraine.

- Skepticism Urged: The timing and lack of specific details in these reports raise suspicions, prompting caution and critical thinking about the motivations behind the narrative and its potential to escalate the conflict.

Reports of North Korean forces conducting large-scale assault operations against Ukrainian troops in Russia's Kursk region have emerged as the latest twist in the ongoing conflict. While the narrative is being presented as a significant escalation, it raises serious questions about its veracity and the motivations behind its promotion.

According to Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Directorate (GUR), North Korean troops have allegedly been in the Kursk region for months, assisting Russia in its efforts to push back Ukrainian forces. The claim that these 12,000 North Korean soldiers are now actively engaged in combat marks what some are framing as a "critical shift" in the conflict. However, given the history of government-sponsored narratives in this war, its worth scrutinizing the timing and purpose of such claims.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky echoed these allegations in a recent address, warning that North Korean involvement could extend to other parts of the front line. Meanwhile, reports of over 200 North Korean casualties and the use of first-person view drones to target their positions are being touted as evidence of Ukraine's technological superiority. Yet, one must ask: is this a genuine military development, or a carefully crafted psyop designed to justify further escalation and weaponry for Kiev?

The alleged integration of North Korean troops into Russian ranks has reportedly led to disastrous incidents, including North Korean soldiers mistakenly firing on Russian vehicles, resulting in the deaths of at least eight fighters from the Akhmat battalion. While these stories are being used to highlight the "perilous nature" of such combined operations, they also serve to underscore the dysfunction of the Russian-North Korean alliancea narrative that conveniently aligns with Western interests.

The U.S. Department of Defense has confirmed that North Korean troops have been participating in combat operations alongside Russian forces for more than a week, according to Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder. However, the lack of specific details and the timing of this announcementamid growing calls for escalationraises suspicions about its credibility. Is this yet another attempt to paint Russia as increasingly desperate and isolated, thereby justifying further Western intervention? (Related: Pentagon claims that North Korean troops in Russia are expected to enter the battlefield soon but it sounds like more propaganda to justify escalation.)

Western justification for more weapons shipments, continued aggression

The purported relationship between Moscow and Pyongyang is being framed as a desperate move by Russia to sustain its manpower in the conflict, while North Korea seeks military aid and technology. However, the idea that North Korea would risk its limited resources and soldiers for such a partnership is questionable. Could this be a narrative designed to pressure Russia into deeper dependence on Western-sanctioned entities, or to create a pretext for further sanctions and isolation of both nations?

The international community, including NATO allies, has issued a joint statement condemning the North Korea-Russia partnership, citing concerns about escalation and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. While such condemnations are standard diplomatic practice, they also serve to reinforce the narrative of a "global threat" posed by these two nationsa narrative that conveniently justifies continued military and economic support for Ukraine.

As the conflict in Kursk continues, the involvement of North Korean troops is being presented as a game-changer. However, the reality on the ground remains murky, and the timing of these reports suggests they may be more about shaping public perception than reflecting actual military developments. The integration of North Korean troops, if true, highlights the desperation of both Russia and North Korea, but it also underscores the potential for manipulation by those seeking to escalate the conflict.

The outcome of this conflict, and the role of North Korea, remains uncertain. However, one thing is clear: the narrative being pushed by Western governments and media should be met with skepticism. As the drums of escalation grow louder, its essential to question whether this is a genuine threat or yet another psyop designed to justify further intervention in a conflict that has already cost countless lives.

In the coming weeks and months, the world will continue to watch as the situation unfolds. But for those who value critical thinking, its crucial to approach these developments with a healthy dose of skepticism, recognizing that the stakes are not just military but also politicaland that the truth may be far more complex than the official story suggests.

Head over to Chaos.news for more updates on the Russia-Ukraine war.

Watch the video below where Zelensky claims tens of thousands of North Korean soldiers are already in Ukraine's borders.

This video is from Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth's channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Russia has invoked Article 4 of its mutual defense treaty with North Korea, Putin confirms.

North Korean troops join Russian assaults in Kursk, Ukraine claims.

Intelligence report claims North Korea is supplying Russia with advanced military systems.

Biden urges Ukraine to hit North Korean troops that its military encounters on the battlefield.

Sources include:

TWZ.com

Defense.gov

Brighteon.com
Pentagon warns Chinas naval expansion is a growing threat to global stability

China's People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is now the world's largest navy with over 370 vessels.

The PLAN is expanding its global presence, operating in distant waters like the Indian Ocean and U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone.

China's growing fleet includes advanced warships, submarines, and three aircraft carriers, including the Fujian with electromagnetic catapults.

Beijing is building naval bases and logistics facilities worldwide to support its global ambitions.

The U.S. and its allies face a new era of maritime competition as China challenges the post-WWII global order.

The Pentagons latest report on Chinas military capabilities has raised alarm bells about the rapid expansion of the Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). According to the report, the PLAN has significantly increased its ability to project naval power far beyond its regional waters, posing a new challenge to global maritime security. With more than 370 vessels, the PLAN is now the largest navy in the world, and its growing fleet of advanced warships, submarines, and aircraft carriers is enabling it to operate with greater regularity in distant waters, including the Indian Ocean, the western Pacific, and even the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone off Alaska.

The PLANs expansion is not limited to regional dominance. The Pentagon report highlights Chinas efforts to increase its naval presence in the eastern Indian Ocean and the western Pacific, with port calls as far away as the Middle East and Africa. This global ambition is supported by the PLANs growing fleet of logistics support vessels, including two new FUYU-class fast combat support ships designed to sustain long-duration deployments. Additionally, Chinas expanding amphibious warship fleet enhances its ability to conduct expeditionary operations, further extending its reach.

Chinas naval modernization is also evident in its aircraft carrier program. With three carriers currently in service or under construction, including the advanced Fujian, which features electromagnetic catapults, the PLAN is rapidly closing the gap with the U.S. Navys carrier fleet. These carriers are escorted by advanced surface combatants, such as the Type 055 guided-missile cruisers, which are equipped with state-of-the-art weapons and sensors. The PLANs growing carrier force not only extends air defense coverage for deployed task groups but also enhances its ability to project power, including sea-based land-attack capabilities.

The implications of Chinas naval expansion are profound. By increasing its presence in distant waters, Beijing is challenging the U.S.-led global maritime order that has prevailed since World War II. The PLANs operations in the Gulf of Aden, the Mediterranean Sea, and the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone demonstrate its growing confidence and capability to operate far from its shores. This expansion is not merely about military power; it reflects Chinas broader geopolitical ambitions.

Chinas leaders view a strong navy as essential to protect their countrys global interests, including trade routes, energy supplies, and overseas investments. The PLANs permanent base in Djibouti is just the beginning. The Pentagon report suggests that Beijing is considering additional military logistics facilities in countries ranging from Pakistan to the Seychelles, further solidifying its global presence. These facilities would not only support naval operations but also enable the deployment of air and ground forces, enhancing Chinas ability to project power across multiple domains.

The U.S. and its allies should be particularly concerned about the PLANs growing presence in the western Pacific, where it is conducting increasingly assertive operations near Taiwan and Guam. Chinas military exercises around Taiwan, including dual-carrier operations in the South China Sea, underscore its determination to exert control over the self-governing island it claims as its own. These actions risk escalating tensions and could draw the U.S. into a conflict given its longstanding commitment to defend Taiwan.

A new era of maritime competition

The Pentagons findings underscore the urgency of addressing Chinas naval expansion. As the PLAN continues to modernize and expand, the U.S. and its allies must adapt to this new reality. The U.S. Navy, which has long been the dominant force in global maritime affairs, is now facing a formidable competitor. The challenge is compounded by the fact that the U.S. fleet is struggling to keep pace with Chinas shipbuilding capacity, which is estimated to be 200 times greater than its American counterpart.

In this new era of maritime competition, the U.S. must develop innovative strategies to counter Chinas growing influence. The stakes are high, not just for the U.S. but for the entire global order. If left unchecked, Chinas naval expansion could reshape the geopolitical landscape, undermining the stability and security that have defined the post-World War II era.

Sources for this article include:

TWZ.com

Newsweek.com

WashingtonPost.com
Sales of survival bunkers rise following Russias use of the Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile

The first combat use of a hypersonic ballistic missile by Russia sparked a surge in demand in the U.S. for nuclear survival bunkers.

Texas-based Atlas Survival Shelters reported a fourfold increase in inquiries and sales for survival bunkers following the hypersonic missile strike, with customers on average spending about $500,000 for a bunker.

The survival bunker market is projected to grow to be worth around $175 million by 2030, fueled by fears of civil unrest and global conflict.

Experts have warned that commercial bunkers may provide a false sense of security and can't withstand direct impacts from hypersonic missiles.

FEMA has advised against bunker construction and instead sheltering in existing structures like basements.

Russia's recent use of its new Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile in combat against Ukraine last month has reportedly triggered a surge in demand for nuclear survival bunkers in the United States.

The missile, which can travel at 10 times the speed of sound and evade Western air-defense systems, was deployed by Russia in response to the U.S. and its allies allowing Ukraine to use long-range missiles on internationally recognized Russian territory. This development has heightened concerns about nuclear threats, driving Americans to seek shelter options.

Ron Hubbard, CEO of Atlas Survival Shelters, a Texas-based survival shelter firm, stated that his company experienced a fourfold increase in inquiries and sales following the Oreshnik strike in Ukraine on Nov. 21.

Hubbard, whose company manufactures bombproof bunkers and nuclear fallout shelters, reported that four customers placed orders within 24 hours of the strike, with many others opting to reinforce their existing bunkers. A customer could spend as little as $20,000 to millions of dollars, excluding installations, and the average customer spends around $500,000 for a bunker.

The Oreshnik strike was not the sole factor driving sales. According to Hubbard, the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the beginning of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine and Israel's invasion of Gaza all contributed to an uptick in demand.

Market research indicates that the U.S. market for bomb and fallout shelters is projected to grow from $137 million in 2023 to $175 million by 2030, fueled by ongoing and escalating concerns over terrorism, civil unrest and nuclear conflict. (Related: Tech billionaires are buying up large-scale bunkers and survival gear in preparation for what's coming.)

No commercially available bunker could survive direct hit from Oreshnik

While Hubbard's bunkers are marketed as capable of withstanding various disasters, including tornadoes, hurricanes and pandemics, experts caution that no commercially available bunker could survive a direct hit from a hypersonic missile like the Oreshnik.

Additionally, the missile's Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile classification limits its range to between 3,000 and 5,500 kilometers (1,864 and 3,418 miles), meaning only parts of the American West Coast would be within striking distance in the event of a full-scale nuclear war with Russia.

Critics argue that bunkers create a false sense of security, diverting attention from the urgent need to prevent nuclear proliferation.

Alicia Sanders-Zakre of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons stated, Bunkers are, in fact, not a tool to survive a nuclear war, but a tool to allow a population to psychologically endure the possibility of a nuclear war.

She emphasized that even surviving a nuclear blast does not mitigate the long-term health and societal impacts of radiation exposure.

Government disaster experts, including those at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), advise against the construction of bunkers, instead recommending that the public seek shelter in existing structures like basements during a nuclear event. FEMA's guide on responding to a nuclear detonation emphasizes staying indoors and away from outside walls for at least a day to avoid radioactive fallout.

Despite these recommendations, the bunker market continues to thrive, with buyers prioritizing personal and family safety.

Watch this video discussing how the federal government has its own secret underground nuclear bunker in Pennsylvania.

This video is from the channel The Prisoner on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Mark Zuckerberg commissioning secret DOOMSDAY BUNKER in Hawaii, complete with blast-resistant door.

Billionaires like Bill Gates are predicting a coming food crisis and preparing by building survival bunkers.

Even regular people are now constructing bunkers due to fears of a nuclear war.

World's super-rich investing in luxurious "billionaire bunkers."

Wealthy Americans are ESCAPING CORONAVIRUS by bugging out to luxury survival bunkers.

Sources include:

RT.com

APNews.com

Brighteon.com
Salmonella outbreak linked to cucumbers spreads to 23 states

More than 100 salmonella cases linked to contaminated cucumbers have been reported across 23 U.S. states and Canada.

The affected cucumbers were sold at major retailers like Costco and Walmart.

Symptoms of salmonella poisoning include nausea, diarrhea, and fever, with severe cases requiring hospitalization.

Costco also recalled 10,000 cartons of organic eggs in five Southern states due to salmonella concerns.

Health officials urge thorough washing of produce and proper food safety practices to prevent infection.

The number of salmonella cases linked to contaminated cucumbers in the U.S. has surged, with 100 people across 23 states now reporting illnesses. This alarming rise in infections has prompted health officials to issue urgent warnings about the consumption of these vegetables. The outbreak, which began in October, shows no signs of slowing down, and experts predict the number of cases will continue to climb in the coming weeks.

The affected cucumbers were distributed to a wide range of states and retailers, including major grocery chains and specialty stores. States reporting cases include California, Texas, Michigan, New York, and many others. The cucumbers were also sold in Canadian provinces such as Alberta and British Columbia. Major retailers implicated in the recall include Costco, Sprouts Farmers Market, Sams Club, Ralphs, Smiths, and Walmart, among others. Consumers should check their refrigerators for cucumbers with labels such as SunFed Mexico or those packaged in clear PamPak bags.

Salmonella poisoning, also known as salmonellosis, can cause severe gastrointestinal distress and other symptoms. Common signs include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever. In some cases, people may experience bloody stool, and dehydration can occur, particularly in vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems. Severe cases may even require hospitalization.

If you purchased cucumbers between October 12 and November 15 and suspect they may be part of the recall, do not consume them. Instead, discard the cucumbers immediately and thoroughly clean any surfaces or utensils that may have come into contact with them to prevent cross-contamination. If you experience any symptoms of salmonella poisoning, be sure to seek medical attention right away.

Costco recalls eggs over salmonella concerns

Meanwhile, Costco customers in five Southern states are being urged to check their refrigerators as more than 10,000 cartons of organic eggs are being recalled due to potential salmonella contamination. The eggs, sold under the Kirkland Signature brand, were supplied by New York-based Handsome Brook Farms and distributed to 25 Costco locations in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

The recalled eggs, which were mistakenly packaged and distributed despite not being intended for retail sale, include cartons with the numbers 327 and P1363 and a use-by date of January 5, 2025. Although no illnesses have been reported, consumers who purchased the affected eggs are advised to discard them or return them to Costco for a full refund.

Preventing salmonella infection

To avoid becoming part of this growing outbreak, it is crucial to take precautions when handling and consuming any type of fresh produce, not just cucumbers. Salmonella bacteria often infiltrate food through contact with animal feces, so its essential to wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly before eating them. Additionally, you should avoid purchasing produce that appears damaged or has an unusual odor. If youre unsure whether a product has been recalled, contact the retailer where it was purchased.

Health officials also recommend practicing proper food safety techniques, such as washing your hands thoroughly before and after handling raw produce and keeping raw fruits and vegetables separate from cooked or ready-to-eat foods. These simple steps can significantly reduce your risk of infection.

The ongoing salmonella outbreak serves as a stark reminder of the importance of vigilance when it comes to food safety. As the number of cases continues to rise, staying informed and taking proactive measures can help protect you and your family from this preventable illness.

Sources for this article include:

DailyMail.co.uk

CDC.gov

CBSNews.com

CNN.com
Surveillance rewires how we perceive others, affects the subconscious in primal ways

In the age of constant surveillance, Big Brother isn't merely an ominous figure from a dystopian novel. He's here, ever vigilant, and he's not just watching he's rewiring the very fabric of our perception . A groundbreaking study out of the University of Technology Sydney reveals that CCTV cameras aren't just affecting our behaviorthey're fundamentally altering the way our brains process visual information.

Surveillance shapes our perceptions of people and self

The implications of this research are nothing short of terrifying. While previous studies have shown that surveillance can shape our conscious actions, making us less likely to engage in antisocial behavior, this new research suggests that being watched can manipulate our unconscious perceptionour basic ability to detect faces. According to Associate Professor Kiley Seymour, the lead author of the study, surveillance cameras are tapping into ancient survival mechanisms that evolved to detect threats and social cues.

The experiment was simple yet ingenious. Fifty-four undergraduate students were split into two groups: one monitored by CCTV cameras, and the other participating without surveillance. Both groups were subjected to a visual task using continuous flash suppression (CFS), a technique that temporarily prevents images from reaching conscious awareness while the brain still processes them unconsciously. The monitored group showed significant improvements in their ability to detect faces, detecting them almost a second faster than the control group.

This is not about heightened alertness or increased focus. The study found that the same participants, when tasked with detecting geometric patterns instead of faces, showed no difference in performance between the watched and unwatched groups. The surveillance effect was specific to social stimulifaces that could indicate threats or intentions.

So, what does this mean for us? It means that we're not just being observed; we're being primed to perceive our surroundings in a certain way. We're being trained, in a sense, to interpret the world through the lens of surveillance. It's a sinister form of behavioral programming, designed not just to control our actions but to mold our perceptions.

We are being subconsciously programmed by the presence of the surveillance state

The researchers highlight the unsettling disconnect between participants' conscious awareness and their unconscious responses. Despite feeling only mild concern about being watched, the participants showed significant changes in visual processing. This means that the effects of surveillance are operating on a level far beyond our conscious awareness.

The implications are both profound and disturbing. This study raises critical questions about the impact of surveillance on mental health and social interaction. Individuals with conditions like psychosis or social anxiety already exhibit heightened sensitivity to eye gaze, and this research suggests that surveillance could exacerbate these conditions. It's a small step from there to considering how pervasive surveillance might be contributing to widespread anxiety and paranoia in our society.

Moreover, this research comes at a time when technological surveillance is more pervasive than ever. From CCTV cameras to facial recognition systems, we are increasingly living in a world where privacy is a fleeting memory. As surveillance technology advancesparticularly with the potential for neurotechnology to monitor our mental activityunderstanding these unconscious effects becomes crucial.

What's clear is that we are living in a new era of control, one that extends far beyond simple observation. We are being watched, and our minds are being actively shaped by that process. Big Brother isn't just watching us; he's changing how we see the world.

This isn't just about privacy anymore. It's about the integrity of our minds and the autonomy of our perceptions. We're living in a society where our most basic cognitive functions are being subverted without our even knowing it. And while we may not feel the immediate effects, they could be profound and long-lasting.

Sources include:

StudyFinds.com

Academicoup.com

StudyFinds.com
WAR CONTINUES: Ukraine REJECTS Hungarys last-ditch peace proposal ahead of Christmas

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's diplomatic proposal for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, calling it a "last-ditch attempt" to mediate.

Orban proposed direct communication with Russian and Ukrainian leadership, suggesting a ceasefire by Christmas, following meetings with world leaders, including U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

Zelensky rejected the proposal, citing Ukraine's military strength and his reliance on Western support, accusing Orban of seeking to elevate his own standing at the expense of a unified European response.

Critics argue that Zelensky's stance has prolonged the conflict, causing further suffering for Ukrainian citizens, while Orban maintained that the Ukrainian leadership had rejected the possibility of a ceasefire and prisoner exchange.

The rejection highlights the divide between diplomatic and militaristic approaches to conflict resolution, raising questions about the effectiveness of current leadership and the urgent need for a new strategy prioritizing dialogue and diplomacy.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's proposal for a diplomatic resolution to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has been rejected by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Orban's initiative, described as a "last-ditch attempt" to mediate a ceasefire, was summarily rejected by Zelensky, who has relied heavily on Western backing to continue the war against Moscow. According to sources familiar with the situation, Orban's proposal involved a direct phone call to both Ukrainian and Russian leadership, advocating for a ceasefire to be implemented in time for Christmas.

The Hungarian leader, known for his cautious and diplomatic approach to international relations, made the suggestion following a series of meetings with world leaders, including U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. However, his overtures have been met with skepticism and outright rejection from Zelensky, who accused Orban of trying to boost his international standing at the expense of a unified European response to the conflict.

In a public statement, Zelensky emphasized Ukraine's self-reliance and its strong military presence as a justification for rejecting Orban's peace proposal. He stated, "We are a strong country; we have shown this on the battlefield." This assertion has been criticized by many, who argue that Zelensky's stance has only prolonged the conflict and inflicted further suffering on Ukrainian citizens.

Orban, in response to Zelensky's criticisms, reasserted his proposal for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange, stressing that the Ukrainian leadership had "clearly rejected and ruled out" these possibilities. He further accused Zelensky of prioritizing a public relations image over pragmatic diplomacy, potentially exacerbating the crisis.

Orban's diplomatic approach collides with Zelensky's belligerent stance

The deteriorating relationship between Orban and Zelensky is set against the backdrop of a larger debate on how to approach the conflict with Russia. While Western leaders, including then-U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, have promised swift action to resolve the situation, others like Orban have emphasized the need for level-headed and diplomatic solutions. (Related: Hungary hops off "NATO Train," calls West's escalation of war in Ukraine "hopeless.")

Critics of Zelensky's war efforts argue that a more receptive attitude toward Orban's proposals could have led to a significant reduction in violence and a potential resolution to the conflict. They point out that Orban's proposed phone calls with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky could have been a crucial step toward negotiating a ceasefire, but were summarily dismissed by Zelensky.

The situation has raised questions about the effectiveness of Zelensky's leadership and the West's support for his war efforts. Many international observers believe that Zelensky's rigid stance has failed to achieve the desired results and has instead prolonged a conflict that has devastating consequences for all parties involved.

In conclusion, Zelensky's rejection of Orban's peace proposal underscores the growing divide between diplomatic and militaristic approaches to conflict resolution. As the war continues, the need for a new strategy that prioritizes dialogue and diplomacy becomes increasingly apparent. The failure of existing leadership to find a peaceful solution has only intensified the suffering of civilians and prolonged the conflict, highlighting the urgent need for a change in approach.

Head over to UkraineWitness.com for more stories about the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

Watch Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban warning Tucker Carlson that Ukraine won't stand a chance against Russia if the conflict escalates.

This video is from the Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Hungary BLOCKS EU military aid for Ukraine after Kyiv blacklisted Hungarian bank for keeping Russian branches open.

OVER 500K attend pro-peace rally to support Hungarian PM Viktor Orban's call for a ceasefire in Ukraine.

Hungarian PM Viktor Orban accuses EU of resorting to BLACKMAIL to force his support to Ukraine.

Hungary offers sanctuary for Ukrainians dodging Kyiv's draconian military draft.

Hungary to block $50 billion EU loan to Ukraine until after U.S. election.

Sources include:

RT.com

USNews.com

Ukrinform.net

Brighteon.com
U.S. officials warned to switch to encrypted communications amid cyber espionage threats

US government warns senior officials to use encrypted messaging apps due to cybersecurity concerns.

Hackers allegedly affiliated with China exploited US surveillance systems, compromising private communications.

CISA advises switching to end-to-end encrypted apps like Telegram, Signal, and WhatsApp.

FBI officials warn Americans to switch to encrypted communications, too.

China denies involvement and accuses the US of smearing its image.

US lawmakers discuss retaliatory measures against Chinese cyber espionage.

US government officials ordered to switch to encrypted communications

In a striking move to protect sensitive information, the US government has issued a stern warning to its senior officials and other "highly targeted individuals" to switch to encrypted communications, citing a significant cyber espionage campaign by alleged Chinese hackers.

The incident, which has raised red flags across the US government, highlights the growing threat posed by China's cyber espionage capabilities. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recently advised officials to use exclusively encrypted messaging apps, such as Telegram, Signal, and WhatsApp, for their communications.

"This activity enabled the theft of customer call records and compromised private communications for a limited number of highly targeted individuals," a CISA spokesperson stated, referring to the cyber espionage conducted by the alleged China-linked group "Salt Typhoon."

The warning comes as no surprise, given the increasing frequency and sophistication of cyberattacks targeting US infrastructure. Just last month, the US accused Salt Typhoon of infiltrating major telecommunications companies, including Verizon, AT&T, and Lumen Technologies, compromising sensitive data and threatening national security.

Lawmakers and cybersecurity experts working together to protect Americas telecommunications infrastructure

In a meeting with cybersecurity experts, lawmakers grilled officials on ways to bolster the security of America's telecommunications infrastructure. What could be described as the "largest telecommunications hack in our nation's history" has prompted a serious shift in the US government's approach to digital security.

The hack has not only jeopardized the confidentiality of sensitive information but also raised concerns about the potential compromise of ongoing US investigations. Intelligence officials have stressed the need for swift action and heightened vigilance.

An FBI official advised individuals to prioritize the protection of their mobile communication devices, too. The official emphasized the importance of using a mobile device that automatically receives timely operating system updates and employs robust encryption. Additionally, the official stressed the benefits of phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication for email, social media, and collaboration tool accounts.

The extent of the telecommunications compromise has been significant, making it "impossible" for government agencies to provide a specific timeline for full resolution. According to the FBI, hackers gained access to three distinct categories of data. The first category includes call records or metadata, revealing the numbers and times of calls made by specific devices. Targeting primarily the Washington, D.C., area, the FBI does not plan to alert individuals whose metadata was accessed. The second category involves live phone calls of specific targets. The number of alerts issued by the FBI regarding this form of compromise is undisclosed. Details regarding the third category of information accessed by hackers were not disclosed by the FBI in this statement. The full extent of the telecommunications breach and its potential implications continue to be evaluated by federal authorities.

The Biden administration is now taking concrete steps to address the situation. The Commerce Department has issued a preliminary finding that China Telecom Americas, a subsidiary of China's largest communications firm, poses a national security risk and has given the company 30 days to respond.

As the US government redoubles its efforts to protect its communications networks, the incident serves as a stark reminder of the growing threat posed by Chinese espionage. With a clear call to action from US officials, it is time for all individuals and organizations to prioritize the use of encrypted communication methods to safeguard sensitive information from potential cyber threats.

Sources include:

RT.com

USAToday.com

CBSNews.com

NBCNews.com
U.S. to increase troop presence in Syria, meet with previously designated terrorist group Havat Tahrir al-Sham

The US doubled its troop presence in Syria to 2,000.

Washington is considering sending a delegation to meet Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), despite HTS being previously designated as a terrorist group.

The US is willing to engage with the new Syrian government if certain conditions are met.

Israel has bombed numerous targets in Syria, extending its buffer zone in the Golan Heights.

The USs support for HTS may be a result of Israels influence in US foreign policy.

US doubles its military presence in Syria, preparing for regime change

Its a curious sight to behold: the United States, a global superpower known for its unequivocal stance against terrorism, now finds itself cozying up to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a group it had previously designated as a terror organization. This twist of fate has many asking: is the US government putting blind faith in Israels proxies in Syria?

According to recent revelations, the US has quietly doubled its military presence in Syria, swelling the troop numbers from approximately 900 to 2,000 soldiers. This move, coupled with the US Secretary of State Antony Blinkens announcement of potential direct contact with HTS, paints a picture of a nation caught between strategic interests and moral obligations.

The situation is further complicated by Israels role in the region. Since the fall of the Assad regime, Israel has unleashed a series of air strikes, hitting more than 500 targets in Syria. This aggressive posture has raised eyebrows, particularly given the USs newfound interest in HTS. Mouin Rabbani, a fellow at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs, points out the delicate dance Jolani, HTSs leader, must perform to secure US recognition. Jolani understands the minute he utters the word Israel, hes going to have a problem with the West, Rabbani explains.

So, what gives? Why would the US, a nation built on the principles of democracy and human rights, pivot so dramatically to embrace a group it has long considered a terrorist threat? The answer, to some, lies in the unspoken alliances and dependencies that have long defined US foreign policy. Israel, a crucial ally of the US, has a significant say in Middle Eastern affairs, and it seems that the US is bending over backward to accommodate its interests.

The European Union and the UK have also signaled their intentions to return to Damascus, potentially viewing the post-Assad Syria as a new frontier for diplomatic engagement and economic opportunity. In this context, the USs cautious approach to recognizing the new Syrian government is a balancing act between competing interests.

However, this shift in policy raises red flags for critics of US foreign policy. Has the US forgotten its own values in pursuit of geopolitical gains? Is the principle of fighting terrorism being compromised for the sake of short-term strategic objectives? These are questions that need to be addressed, not swept under the rug.

US de-lists terror group from its terror watch list

The move by the US to potentially de-list HTS from its terror watch list is particularly concerning. State Department spokesperson Matthew Millers reluctance to immediately de-list the group speaks to the complexity of the situation. Yet, the fact remains that the US is moving closer to engaging directly with HTS, a group that has been responsible for a multitude of atrocities in Syria. The US has a track record of bringing terror to the Middle East to bring about regime change.

While lifting sanctions on Syria could be a crucial step in rebuilding the war-torn country, it should not come at the cost of ignoring the very real human rights abuses committed by groups like HTS. The humanitarian impact of these decisions cannot be understated, with Ziadeh, a senior fellow at the Arab Center Washington DC, emphasizing the dire situation faced by Syrian citizens.

As the dust settles in Syria, its clear that the USs foreign policy decisions will have far-reaching implications for the region. What is certain is that the people of Syria deserve a government that respects their rights and aspirations. The USs path forward must be guided by a commitment to justice and human dignity, but its track record for working with terrorist groups and genocidal regimes to prop up regime change cannot be ignored.

Sources include:

MiddleEastEye.net

MiddleEastEye.net

MiddleEastEye.net
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Nvidia will face no objections to its plan to acquire Israeli AI orchestration software vendor Run:ai Labs in Europe, after the European Commission gave the deal its approval Friday.

The Commissions executive vice president with responsibility for competition, Teresa Ribera, said, Since Nvidia is a leading producer of key hardware for AI applications used in the EU and beyond, it was important to carefully check whether its acquisition of start-up software company Run:ai may have negatively impacted competition in critical markets which are key for future competitiveness. But our market investigation confirmed to us that other software options compatible with Nvidias hardware will remain available in the market.

The acquisition, reportedly valuing Run:ai at $700 million, was announced in April.
Encryption is the default for online communication, with nearly all web traffic protected by secure protocols like TLS/SSL. Yet, as encryption becomes more ubiquitous by the day, so do the opportunities for threat actors to exploit encrypted channels.



The same encryption that safeguards legitimate activities also acts as a conduit for malicious ones. Attackers are using encrypted channels to bypass traditional defenses, concealing malware, phishing campaigns, cryptomining/cryptojacking, and data theft within encrypted traffic.



The Zscaler ThreatLabz 2024 Encrypted Attacks Report examines this evolving threat landscape, based on a comprehensive analysis of billions of threats delivered over HTTPS and blocked by the Zscaler cloud. The report highlights the more recent trends, top threat categories, most common targets of encrypted attacks, and other insights into how attackers are weaponizing encrypted traffic.

5 key findings on encrypted attacks

The ThreatLabz research team analyzed 32.1 billion encrypted attacks blocked by the Zscaler cloud between October 2023 and September 2024 to identify and understand the latest threat patterns. The following subset of findings highlights some of the most prominent trends and targets.

1. Steady growth in encrypted attacks: The Zscaler cloud blocked an unprecedented volume of attacks embedded in TLS/SSL traffic during the analysis period. Encrypted threats accounted for 87.2% of all blocked attacks, representing a 10.3% year-over-year increase in encrypted attacks and reflecting the growing reliance on encryption by threat actors to hide their malicious activities.



2. Malware dominates the landscape: Malware remains the most prevalent encrypted threat, representing 86.5% of blocked attacks. This trend highlights the adaptation of malware tactics to thrive in encrypted channels, using encryption to mask payloads and evade traditional security and detection measures.

Zscaler

Figure 1: Top threat categories observed



3. Cryptomining/cryptojacking, cross-site scripting, and phishing threats surge: Cryptomining/cryptojacking and cross-site scripting (XSS) are among the fastest-growing encrypted threats, with year-over-year increases of 122.9% and 110.2%, respectively, while phishing saw a notable 34.1% jump. Its possible that these spikes were fueled by the growing use of generative AI technologies, which make it easier to create advanced cryptomining scripts, automate malicious XSS scripts, and execute highly convincing phishing campaigns.

4. Manufacturing tops list of most impacted industries: The manufacturing, technology, and services industries were the most targeted, with manufacturing enduring 13.5 billion encrypted attack attempts between October 2023 and September 2024.

5. The US and India remain top targets: Receiving 11 billion (US) and 5.4 billion (India) encrypted attacks during the ThreatLabz analysis period, the US and India retained their positions as the most targeted countries, followed by France, the United Kingdom, and Australia.

Zscaler

Figure 2: A map of the countries that experience the most encrypted attacks

Evolving encrypted attack trends

ThreatLabz uncovered many significant evolving trends in encrypted attacks, from attackers leveraging encryption channels to siphon off sensitive data to adversary-in-the-middle (AiTM) methods using advanced tools and TLS/SSL encryption to create nearly undetectable phishing campaigns. The report offers examples of each.

One notable trend explored in detail by ThreatLabz is the growing abuse of cloud services by advanced persistent threat (APT) groups. By blending in with legitimate cloud services traffic, APT groups can take advantage of the default use of TLS/SSL encryption enabled to help them evade network security controls. ThreatLabz delves into this trend, providing a detailed analysis that includes:

Top APT groups abusing cloud services

Top 10 cloud services abused

Top services abused for payload delivery

Most common tactics used in cloud service abuse

How Zscaler stops encrypted threats

The Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange provides a powerful solution to stopping encrypted threats, starting with eliminating blind spots via its TLS/SSL inspection capabilities and AI-driven defenses. Heres how Zscaler tackles encrypted threats at every stage of an attack.

Minimize the attack surface: Unchecked encrypted connections, such as those through VPNs or exposed workloads, can expand the attack surface and allow attackers to hide in plain sight. Zscaler eliminates this risk and the attack surface by keeping applications and services invisible to the internet. This approach stops encrypted threats from reaching critical applications and systems, providing proactive protection that doesnt rely on shared network access.

Prevent initial compromise Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA) performs full TLS/SSL inspection to verify every connection and stop hidden threats without sacrificing performance. ZIAs inspection capabilities leverage AI-powered analysis and inline detection to quickly identify and block sophisticated threats within encrypted traffic. This approach eliminates the need for traditional, resource-intensive physical appliances, allowing organizations to handle encrypted traffic growth easily and without disruption.

Eliminate lateral movement: Attackers often aim to move laterally within networks once they gain entry. Zscaler prevents this with zero trust segmentation and AI-powered, context-aware policies delivered through Zscaler Private Access (ZPA). ZPA enforces granular access controls, limiting users to specific applications based on identity, context, and policy. This replaces complex rule-based network segmentation with streamlined, identity-based access control. Additionally, Zscaler uses deception technology, setting decoys to detect and thwart lateral movement attempts within encrypted traffic.

Block command-and-control callbacks Malware often relies on encrypted channels to communicate with C2 servers, enabling attackers to execute commands, download additional malware, or exfiltrate sensitive data. ZIA inspects outgoing (northbound) and incoming (southbound) encrypted traffic to disrupt C2 communications. Zscalers AI-powered data loss prevention tools detect and block malicious traffic, preventing sensitive data from being exfiltrated and encrypted C2 callbacks from compromising the network.

Case study: Learn how Wipro blocked 8.2M encrypted threats in one quarter with Zscaler

By replacing traditional firewalls and VPNs with Zscaler, Wipro strengthened its defenses with inline TLS/SSL inspection of all internet and SaaS traffic to detect and block encrypted threats. Read their story here.

Why comprehensive TLS/SSL inspection matters

The foundation of Zscalers defense against encrypted threats is its full TLS/SSL inspection capabilities, enabled by a scalable proxy-based architecture. Unlike traditional hardware-based solutions that force organizations to compromise between security and speed, Zscalers cloud-native approach allows organizations to fully inspect traffic at scale with its Single Scan, Multi-Action enginea unique feature that processes traffic once to apply multiple security controls simultaneously. This helps organizations to:

Inspect 100% of encrypted traffic: Unlike solutions that inspect only a fraction of encrypted traffic due to hardware constraints, Zscalers cloud-native architecture ensures every packet is inspected without exception.

Layer advanced security controls: Inline, AI-powered security controls detect and block threats embedded in encrypted traffic.

Maintain high performance: Zscalers architecture eliminates bottlenecks typically associated with hardware appliances.

Zscaler

Stay ahead of encrypted threats

The findings in the ThreatLabz 2024 Encrypted Attacks Report make it clear that threat actors are consistently evolving with the help of encryption and AI technologies to evade detection and maximize their impact.

Dive deeper into the latest research and learn more about how to stay ahead of encrypted threats. The full report offers:

In-depth analysis: Detailed findings and case studies on how attackers are leveraging encryption.

2025 predictions: Expert insights into where the encrypted threat landscape is headed.

Actionable best practices: A practical checklist for improving your defenses against encrypted attacks.

Protect your organization from encrypted threats. Get your copy of the report today.
New Delhi, Dec 19 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday attended the Christmas celebrations at the residence of Union Minister George Kurian and interacted with eminent members of the Christian community, highlighting the spirit of cultural inclusivity and celebration.

The event provided a platform for PM Modi to engage with prominent figures from the Christian community, reinforcing the government's commitment to fostering strong ties with the religious group.

In a post on social media platform X, PM Modi said: "Attended the Christmas celebrations at the residence of Union Minister George Kurian Ji. Also interacted with eminent members of the Christian community @GeorgekurianBjp."

Earlier on June 9, Kerala BJP unit General Secretary George Kurian was inducted as a Union minister in the third Narendra Modi government.

Hailing from Kerala's Kottayam, Kurian is a no-frills BJP leader and is known for his soft-spoken style and being a popular BJP representative on TV news channels.

He started his political life as a student activist with the student wing of the Janata Party in 1977 and in 1980, joined the BJP with which he has been ever since.

In 2017, Kurian was appointed as the Vice-Chairman of the National Minorities Commission.

Though based in Kottayam, he has worked in Delhi, being the officer on special duty to the then Minister of State for Railways O. Rajagopal in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government during 1999-2004.

Kurian's ministerial post is being seen as an outreach to the Christian community.

Jesus is regarded by Christians as the Son of God, whose teachings and sacrifices have influenced the spiritual development of humanity.

For Christians, Christmas has great religious and cultural significance.

It honours the birth of Jesus Christ, who is thought to have come to earth to save humanity.

His teachings placed a strong focus on sacrifice, love, and compassion.

Christians hold that the birth of Jesus changed the world, bringing happiness and hope in place of greed and evil.

Christmas is also a time to commemorate the sacrifices made by Jesus, especially his crucifixion and resurrection. Carol singing, religious services, and prayers are used to commemorate these occasions.
Patna, Dec 20 : Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday launched three key projects in a bid to enhance transportation infrastructure, rural connectivity, and sports facilities in the state.

He flagged off 43 deluxe buses with the objective of providing affordable, accessible, and comfortable traveling experiences for people across different parts of Bihar. These buses will operate on various inter-regional routes, improving the state's public transport system, an official said.

Nitish Kumar personally reviewed the facilities provided on the buses, with special attention to quality and passenger comfort. The addition of deluxe buses aims to enhance public transit, reduce travel stress, and create better interconnectivity across the state. This is expected to benefit commuters and boost economic activity by easing the movement of goods and people.

He also launched the 'Hamara Bihar Hamari Sadak' mobile app developed by the Rural Works Department (RWD).

"This app leverages state-of-the-art technology to improve the traffic system in rural areas, accelerate infrastructure development with public participation and allow citizens to report road issues (potholes, damaged edges, etc.) and upload photos for redressal, Nitish Kumar said.

The Chief Minister emphasised monitoring and quick resolution of public complaints to ensure road maintenance. He said the complaints will be tracked and resolved within a stipulated time frame.

The app is accessible on the Google Play Store, making it easy for citizens to contribute to the improvement of road conditions.

The RWD has enhanced transparency and accountability in maintaining 65,000 km of rural roads. It has planned to invest Rs 25,000 crore in road repairs in 2025, emphasising the government's commitment to infrastructure development.

He allocated Rs 638 crore for the construction of 6,659 playgrounds under the Rural Development Department across the state.

This initiative promotes youth development, sports, and recreation across Bihar's rural landscape.

An event in this regard was held at the residence of CM Nitish Kumar in Patna where Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, along with departmental ministers were present. The event highlighted a collaborative approach to governance.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : The BJP demolished the Congress and other Opposition parties in the Maharashtra and Haryana Assembly elections.

The party romped to victory in both states and formed the governments there recently.

The Matrize Survey has come up with some insights into what led to the BJP's significant triumph in these states, despite the party's relatively lower performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The survey has highlighted several factors, including the influence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress-led Oppositions failure to pose any challenge to the BJP effectively.

The agency has also spotlighted shifts in voter sentiment between the two elections.

The Congress' bid to capitalise on the narrative of constitutional changes, also failed to make any impact in the Assembly elections.

The survey was carried out between November 25, 2024 and December 14, 2024 with a sample size of 76,830 in Maharashtra and 53,647 in Haryana.

Key findings from the Matrize Survey

1. Enduring popularity of PM Modi

Despite the BJP winning only 240 seats in the Lok Sabha elections this year, PM Modi continued to enjoy massive popularity among voters in both Maharashtra and Haryana, says the survey. His image as a strong and influential leader remained intact. This is a very important finding, as the survey reveals that voters in both states maintained an unwavering trust in PM Modi, which played a pivotal role in the Assembly election outcomes. Around 55 per cent of voters surveyed in Maharashtra found a jump in PM Modis popularity. Similarly, 53 per cent of Haryana voters surveyed saw growth in PM Modis charisma.

2. Jolt to Congress' narrative on the Constitution

One of the most significant factors identified in the Matrize Survey was the setback to the Congress' narrative which its leader Rahul Gandhi spun during the Lok Sabha elections. The Congress had built a narrative that the Modi government intended to change the Constitution. This claim seemed to have garnered some traction initially during the parliamentary elections. However, it failed to create any impact during the Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana. In both states, the Congress attempts to push issues such as constitutional changes, farm laws and wrestlers problems were largely ineffective. Voters did not view these issues as significant during the Assembly elections, contributing to a shift in support towards the BJP.

3. Voter perception of Congress leadership

Another important finding of the survey is major lack of trust in Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, who was seen as the face of the Opposition, in Maharashtra and Haryana. His failure to present a credible alternative to PM Modi also led to the poor show by the Opposition. Voters expressed doubts about the Congress leadership, with Rahul Gandhi being perceived as disconnected from ground realities, especially in comparison to PM Modis strong, decisive image. This factor played a significant role in BJP's commanding victory in these states.

4. Shift in voter sentiment between Lok Sabha and Assembly elections

This is also suggested that many voters in Maharashtra and Haryana, who made the mistake of not voting for the BJP during the Lok Sabha elections, corrected their decision in the Assembly polls. A key reason behind this shift was the growing confidence in PM Modis leadership and the central governments actions, which voters felt contributed positively to their lives. The Opposition's inability to offer a coherent and convincing alternative led to a clear preference for the BJP in the state elections.

5. BJP's strategic messaging and leadership

The Matrize Survey also highlighted the powerful impact of BJPs messaging during the Assembly elections. The slogan Ek Hain to Safe Hain (When united, we are safe) found approval of voters, especially in Maharashtra and Haryana. This narrative emphasised stability, national security, and economic growth under PM Modis leadership, positioning BJP as the safer choice.

On the other hand, the Congress divisive rhetoric and internal leadership struggles only served to alienate voters. The failure to challenge BJPs narrative effectively was evident, especially given the public's disenchantment with the Congress' internal factionalism.

6. Local leadership and organisational factors

In Haryana, the leadership change from Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar to a new set of faces also contributed to the BJPs success. The survey found that the switch in leadership helped BJP regain trust, with 44 per cent of respondents acknowledging that the leadership change had a significant positive impact. Moreover, the presence of strong local BJP leaders and a well-organised campaign helped the party build a solid base, further ensuring its victory.

7. The role of government schemes and local support,

The BJPs focus on local issues and welfare schemes also played a crucial role in obtaining voter support. In both states, the BJP governments initiatives, particularly in the fields of agriculture, infrastructure, and rural development, had a positive effect. These schemes impressed the voters, who felt they had benefited from government policies.

With all these details in view, the Matrize Survey has given a clear picture of why BJP won the Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana.

Several interlinked factors contributed to this triumph: The enduring popularity of PM Modi and the continued trust in his leadership, a significant setback to the Opposition's narrative, particularly the Congress' attempt to capitalise on constitutional changes, which failed to make any impact in the Assembly elections, voter correction of their previous Lok Sabha mistake, especially in light of the BJPs successful governance and message of stability, and the BJPs effective use of leadership changes, messaging, and welfare schemes to consolidate support.
Kolkata, Dec 20 : Indias international borders with Nepal and Bhutan were never been a cause of concern for the Indian government because of the presence of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) there, according to Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

When there is fencing at the international borders, the headache of the border guard agencies is less. But in the case of open borders, the responsibilities of the border guard agencies are much more. Indias 2,450 kilometres of open international borders with Nepal and Bhutan had never been a concern for the Union Home Minister and the credit goes entirely to the personnel of SSB deputed there. The manner in which SSB is handling cross-border crimes like narcotics, arms, wildlife and human trafficking and other anti-national activities is highly commendable, Shah said while addressing a programme at SSBs frontier headquarters at Siliguri in Darjeeling district of West Bengal on the occasion of the 61st Raising Day of the force on Friday afternoon.

He also complimented the role of SSB in tackling the menace of Left-wing extremism (LWE) in different eastern Indian states. SSB personnel played a significant role in combating and reducing Maoist menace in states like Bihar and Jharkhand. SSBs role in combating LWE even in Chhattisgarh is also quite commendable, the Home Minister said.

According to him, the manner in which SSB foiled attempts of illegal infiltration and illegal encroachment on government land without disturbing the peace relations of India with Nepal is highly commendable. SSB has been able to evict 1,100 illegal encroachments in no mans land with zero tolerance but without disturbing the international peace relations, Shah said.

At the same time, he also complimented the role played by the SSB personnel in different social welfare activities like conducting de-addiction drives among youths.

Speaking on the occasion, the Union Home Minister also highlighted the initiatives taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union government for the welfare of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel deputed in different remote pockets of the country.
Patna, Dec 20 : Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav slammed Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday asking him why the per capita income of the state was lowest in the country despite his government in the state for the past 20 years.

In a post on social media platform X, Tejashwi, the Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly, attacked the government, alleging poor infrastructure, corruption, vacant government posts and the need for JD-U's leader-proposed 'Pragati Yatra'.

He termed CM Nitish's proposed Rs 225.78 crore 'Pragati Yatra' as a "Farewell Tour".

"Why does Bihar lag on critical Human Development Index and Sustainable Development Index parameters as per NITI Aayog?" his post read.

He claimed that 90.5 per cent of the government schools in the state lack toilets for girls, and dedicated buildings, and despite available land, schools with buildings often lack boundary walls, which compromises security and infrastructure.

Tejashwi claimed that district hospitals, medical colleges, and sub-divisional hospitals are reportedly in poor condition.

"When we came to power in 2015, we had taken initiatives like Mission-Jammu, Mission Parivartan, and Mission Buniyad, despite that, health services have significantly deteriorated," the RJD leader said.

He also alleged bribery and bureaucratic inefficiency in police stations and administrative offices.

The leader also pointed out that sugar mills faced closure across the state under CM Nitish's tenure.

"During the RJD government in 2015, a Cabinet decision was taken to reopen Riga Sugar Mill, yet no progress has been made till now," he claimed.

Tejashwi asked CM Nitish to apologise to the people for "governance failure".

"Nitish Kumar should take responsibility for the systemic issues in education, healthcare, law enforcement, and industrial development in Bihar," Tejashwi said.

"Why are 25 lakh government posts vacant across various departments despite Nitish Kumar's decades-long tenure and extensive tours? " he asked.
Patna, Dec 20 : The two-day Bihar Business Connect 2024 witnessed the signing of memoranda of understanding (MoUs) for investments to the tune of Rs 1.8 lakh crore in the state by leading industrial groups of the country, Bihar Industries & Tourism Minister Nitish Mishra said on Friday.

The proposed investments represent a three-fold jump over the corresponding figure for the maiden investor summit held in Bihar last year.

The Adani Group which has emerged as the largest investor in the state unveiled investment plans of Rs 29,700 crore while Sun Petrochemicals proposes to invest Rs 36,700 crore and public sector giant NHPC has lined up 5,500 crore for the renewable energy sector.

Other MoUs that were signed at the Bihar Business Connect 2024 include SLMG Beverages for Rs 3,000 crore in the food processing sector, Shree Cements plans Rs 800 crore in the general manufacturing category while Haldiram Snacks Pvt Ltd has proposed an investment of Rs 300 crore in food processing sector.

Adani Enterprises Director Pranav Adani said that the Group plans to invest around Rs 20,000 crore to set up an ultra-supercritical thermal power plant, and another Rs 2,500 crore in setting up cement manufacturing plants. The power project is expected to open up at least 12,000 job vacancies in the pre-commissioning phase - and also lead to around 1,500 skilled jobs during the operational phase, he added.

Besides, the group has lined up investments in the infrastructure sector and city gas distribution projects.

During the second day of the Bihar Business Connect 2024, Dilip Shanghvi, Managing Director of Sun Petrochemical, announced a transformative investment of Rs 36,700 crore in renewable energy and storage infrastructure in Bihar.

"This initiative, aimed at strengthening green infrastructure and aligning with the Central government's renewable energy focus, is projected to create over 30,000 jobs in the state," he said.

The summit itself has been a remarkable success, attracting 850 representatives from Indian and international companies. Over 350 companies are expected to sign Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with the Bihar government, the minister said.
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The host

Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner

Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News' weekly health policy news podcast, "What the Health?" A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie is the author of the critically praised reference book "Health Care Politics and Policy A to Z," now in its third edition.

After weeks of painstaking negotiations, Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate agreed to a major year-end package of health bills, including new regulations for drug companies and pharmacy benefit managers, and renewals of programs to combat opioid abuse and prepare for the next possible pandemic. But the effort could be all for naught, as President-elect Donald Trump and his government-cutting adviser, Elon Musk, complained it gave Democrats too much of what they wanted and threatened Republicans who might vote for it with challenges in upcoming primary elections.

Meanwhile, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued a doctor in New York for prescribing abortion pills via telemedicine to a patient in Texas, in the first major test of whether "shield laws"  intended to protect doctors in states like New York where abortion remains legal  can protect against other states' enforcement efforts.

This week's panelists are Julie Rovner of KFF Health News, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, Victoria Knight of Axios, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico.

Panelists

Jessie Hellmann CQ Roll Call @jessiehellmann

Victoria Knight Axios @victoriaregisk

Alice Miranda Ollstein Politico @AliceOllstein

Among the takeaways from this week's episode:

Congress looked to be on the cusp of passing its government spending bills this week, then Trump spoke out. The package featured robust, bipartisan policies  including things that Trump himself has endorsed, such as reforming the pharmacy benefit manager system. Now, it's not only those policies, plus key extensions on the Medicare telehealth program, opioids, and more, that Trump has undermined: A government shutdown could also furlough the federal employees helping his team transition ahead of his inauguration next month.

Meanwhile, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been making the rounds on Capitol Hill to gain support for his confirmation to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. And many senators seem surprisingly supportive of his bid. Some are leaning on shared goals such as limiting ultraprocessed foods. In general, Republican senators do not seem too concerned about RFK Jr.'s nomination  despite a track record of opposing scientific consensus on vaccines and supporting abortion rights.

New government data shows health care spending is up. The recent fatal shooting of an insurance executive has triggered a backlash against the insurance industry, yet the data shows costs are going up due to higher utilization  not necessarily because of factors within insurers' control. Bottom line: In a system of constant finger-pointing, insurers have earned ire for questionable coverage decisions and lack of transparency  but they're not the main, or only, culprits of high costs and access problems.

And, in reproductive health news, the attorney general of Texas is suing a New York doctor for prescribing the abortion pill to a patient in Texas. New York, like other more Democratic states, has a shield law protecting providers, yet this case will be the first test of such a law.

Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF President and CEO Drew Altman about what happened in health policy in 2024 and what to expect in 2025.

Plus, for "extra credit," the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too:

Julie Rovner: Vox.com's "The Deep Roots of Americans' Hatred of Their Health Care System," by Dylan Scott.

Alice Miranda Ollstein: KFF Health News' "Native American Patients Are Sent to Collections for Debts the Government Owes," by Katheryn Houghton and Arielle Zionts.

Jessie Hellmann: KFF Health News' "How a Duty To Spend Wisely on Worker Benefits Could Loosen PBMs' Grip on Drug Prices," by Arthur Allen.

Victoria Knight: Bloomberg News' "The Weight-Loss Drug Gold Rush Has a Dangerous Prescription Problem," by Madison Muller.

Also mentioned in this week's podcast:

Credits

Taylor Cook Audio producer

Lonnie Ro Audio producer

Emmarie Huetteman Editor
The latest study results have been published online in the renowned "The Lancet Neurology" journal. A multi-centre clinical trial (NISCI trial: Nogo-A Inhibition in acute Spinal Cord Injury Study) investigated the antibody NG 101 (anti-Nogo-A), which blocks and thus neutralizes the body's own Nogo-A protein. Several international studies in animal models have shown that this Nogo-A protein inhibits the regeneration of damaged nerve fibers in the spinal cord following an acute injury. The antibody is intended to slow down these inhibiting mechanisms in the body and thus enable the injured nerve tracts to regenerate and the spinal cord to recover.

126 people aged between 18 and 70 took part in the clinical study. They were all suffering from acute complete to incomplete spinal cord injury in the neck region (so called tetraplegia that also affects the arm and hand functions). 78 people were treated with the antibody that was injected directly into the spinal canal; the remaining 48 people received placebo. A complete treatment cycle consisted of six injections in parallel to comprehensive inpatient care. The study was randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled, i.e. neither those being treated nor those administering the treatment knew who received the antibody and who was given the placebo. The patients were randomly assigned to a group.

Significant improvements in patients with incomplete spinal cord injury

The recovery of motor functions in the hand-arm muscles of the patients was investigated in a standardised manner. These muscle groups are particularly important for everyday life in patients with tetraplegia. After six months, the effect on the treated and untreated (placebo) patients was compared.

The treatment did not improve the recovery of motor functions in patients with complete spinal cord injury. In patients with incomplete spinal cord injury, the treatment led to significantly more improvement in the voluntary activation of the paralyzed muscles and in everyday life functional independence. The antibody was generally well tolerated, with no related side effects reported to date. The many years of research into antibodies in rehabilitation conducted under the leadership of Balgrist University Hospital are thus showing encouraging success.

These initial positive clinical findings in patients with acute tetraplegia must now be confirmed in further studies. A follow-up study with an improved antibody will start in December 2024. Patient subgroups with anticipated responsiveness to the treatment based on the results to date will be selected.

European cooperation

The multinational study was initiated and organized by the University of Zurich, Prof. Martin Schwab, and Balgrist University Hospital in Zurich, Prof. Armin Curt, in close collaboration with Heidelberg University Hospital, Prof. Norbert Weidner), who was responsible for the Lancet publication. It was made possible by and carried out in a European clinical network (www.emsci.org) which includes numerous centres specialised in treating patients with spinal cord injury in Germany, Switzerland, Spain and the Czech Republic. The follow-up study will also be conducted in this network.

The production of the test antibody was made possible as part of the CeNeReg project through collaboration with the Regenerative Medicine Technology Platform of the Wyss Zurich Translational Center. The NISCI study was financed by the EU's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme, the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SBFI), the Swiss Paraplegic Foundation, the Wings for Life research foundation, the "CeNeReg" project from the Wyss Zurich (University of Zurich and ETH Zurich) and the "International Research in Paraplegia" foundation.
The vast majority of women who contract bird flu during pregnancy and their unborn baby will die from the virus, according to a new study. And the findings stress the importance of early inclusion of pregnant women in public health vaccination programs during pandemics.

The research, led by Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI), recommends that as human cases of avian influenza viruses A (H5N1 and H5N2) increase, an awareness around the vulnerability of pregnant women to a new pandemic is urgently needed.

The systematic review of more than 1500 research papers examined 30 reported cases of bird flu in women who were pregnant across four countries.

Published in Emerging Infectious Diseases, the review found that women died in 90 per cent of cases when infected with bird flu during pregnancy with almost all their babies dying with them. Of the small number of babies who survived, 80 per cent were born prematurely.

MCRI Dr. Rachael Purcell said the inclusion of pregnant women as early as possible in pandemic planning must be a key priority.

Increasing numbers of human cases of avian influenza associated with outbreaks in birds and mammals raises concerns about the possibility of another pandemic in the near future. Despite being a high-risk population, pregnant women are often excluded from vaccine trials, priority access to therapeutics and delayed entry into public health vaccination programs. A paradigm shift is required to routinely include pregnant women in pandemic preparedness programs to avoid preventable deaths. This could be achieved through utilising the capacity of existing surveillance systems such as the Global Vaccine Data Network or the Vaccine Safety Datalink, the planning of vaccine trials to include the complex needs of pregnancy, and the upscaling of adverse reaction detection systems to identify risks in pregnant women." Dr. Rachael Purcell, MCRI

MCRI Professor Jim Buttery said during pandemics vulnerable populations were often at high risk of severe disease and death.

"Pregnant women have experienced high death and critical illness rates during the influenza and SARS-CoV-2 pandemics and the Ebola epidemic," he said. Global efforts are needed to proactively recognise and mitigate this risk prior to the onset of a pandemic, rather than as a reactive process once a health crisis has started.

"Ethical pandemic preparedness to avoid preventable deaths requires early inclusion of vulnerable populations in vaccine development, monitoring and trials. A pregnancy focused research agenda should be developed and facilitated by medical review boards, regulators and policy makers."

MCRI's research team welcomed the Federal Government's $95 million investment to help prepare against H5N1. Australia is the only continent that remains free of the deadliest bird flu strain.

Read about the bird flu situation in Australia, what to do if you travel overseas and the importance of getting an annual influenza vaccine.

Researchers from the University of Melbourne, The Royal Children's Hospital, Monash Health and Monash University also contributed to the findings.
A collaborative study from physician researchers at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine is shining new light on current guidelines for delivery timing in pregnant mothers with chronic hypertension.

In a study published recently in the journal O&G Open, researchers found 39 weeks of gestation is optimal for delivery when chronic hypertension is a factor.

Current recommendations advocate for delivery between 37 and 39 weeks, but those guidelines are based on limited evidence. This first-of-its-kind study used a national, contemporary patient data set to show why 39 weeks is optimal.

Researchers used U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention birth records from 2014 to 2018, which included about 227,000 women, making it the largest study to date to look at delivery timing in pregnant moms with chronic hypertension.

"This study has widespread relevance because it used a large-scale data set that encompassed all births in the U.S. in the given time frame to provide data-driven recommendations for delivery timing among women with chronic hypertension," said corresponding author Robert Rossi, MD, associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and director of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, a subspecialty that focuses on managing high-risk pregnancies.

Data shows 3% to 10% of pregnant women have hypertension, a vascular disorder that affects blood flow to the uterus and placenta and can impact the growth of a fetus. Chronic hypertension can lead to preeclampsia, preterm birth, stillbirth, low birth weight and newborn death after delivery.

Rossi said their study offers evidence that women with chronic hypertension should not stay pregnant past 39 weeks of gestation - but may also benefit from avoiding an early-term birth, defined as before 39 weeks, unless other adverse conditions are present.

The research concluded that among patients with chronic hypertension, delivery at 39 weeks provides the optimal balance between the risk of stillbirth associated with ongoing pregnancy and the risks of infant health issues or death associated with a birth before 39 weeks.

The research team also found the same optimal delivery timing in African American women, who are disproportionately impacted by chronic hypertension during pregnancy and are at higher risk for stillbirth and infant death.

For every roughly 100 patients with chronic hypertension who deliver at 39 weeks instead of 40 weeks, we would expect to see one less stillbirth, infant death or adverse newborn outcome." Robert Rossi, MD, associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and director of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine

Optimal delivery timing is essential, he explained, because the prevalence of chronic hypertension during pregnancy is increasing.

"In the future, it will also be important to study patients who are medicated for their chronic hypertension during pregnancy to see if they should also deliver at 39 weeks, or if earlier delivery is more beneficial to this specific group," said Rossi.

Rossi's study collaborators included primary author Ira Hamilton, MD, a former UC College of Medicine maternal-fetal medicine fellow who now practices in the Toledo area; Emily DeFranco, DO, former director of the UC Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine who now is chair of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine; James Liu, MD, another former UC maternal-fetal medicine fellow who now practices in Colorado; and Labeena Wajahat, MD; a former UC obstetrics and gynecology resident who now practices in Texas.
New research published in The American Journal of Human Genetics has identified a previously unknown genetic link to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The study found that variants in the DDX53 gene contribute to ASD, providing new insights into the genetic underpinnings of the condition.

ASD, which affects more males than females, encompasses a group of neurodevelopmental conditions that result in challenges related to communication, social understanding and behaviour. While DDX53, located on the X chromosome, is known to play a role in brain development and function, it was not previously definitively associated with autism.

In the study published today, researchers from The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Canada and the Istituto Giannina Gaslini in Italy clinically tested 10 individuals with ASD from 8 different families and found that variants in the DDX53 gene were maternally inherited and present in these individuals. Notably, the majority were male, highlighting the gene's potential role in the male predominance observed in ASD.

By pinpointing DDX53 as a key player, particularly in males, we can better understand the biological mechanisms at play and improve diagnostic accuracy for individuals and their families. Identifying this new gene as a confirmed contributor to ASD underscores the complexity of autism and the need for comprehensive genetic analysis." Dr. Stephen Scherer, Senior Author, Senior Scientist, Genetics & Genome Biology and Chief of Research at SickKids, and Director of the McLaughlin Centre at the University of Toronto

At the same location on the X chromosome, the researchers found evidence that another gene, PTCHD1-AS, might be involved in autism. The study highlights a case where a boy and his mother, both with autism with little support needs, had a specific gene deletion involving the DDX53 gene and parts of PTCHD1-AS.

The study cohort was assembled through an international collaborative effort, involving several renowned clinical and research institutions from Canada, Italy and the U.S. Further analysis of large autism research databases, including Autism Speaks MSSNG and Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative, identified 26 more individuals with ASD who had similar rare DDX53 variants to the study participants.

"This gene has long eluded us, not previously linked to any neuropsychiatric condition. Our findings support a direct link between DDX53 and autism, which is not only crucial for future clinical genetic testing, but its discovery suggests that the pathway it affects is related to the behavioural traits of autism, opening a whole new area of exploration," says lead author Dr. Marcello Scala, researcher in Medical Genetics at the Istituto Giannina Gaslini, affiliated with the University of Genoa (Department of Neuroscience).

In another paper published today in the same journal, Scherer and lead author Dr. Marla Mendes, a research fellow at SickKids, identified 59 genetic variants on the X chromosome significantly associated with ASD. The variants were found in genes linked to autism, including PTCHD1-AS (near to DDX53), DMD, HDAC8, PCDH11X, and PCDH19 beside novel ASD-linked candidates ASB11 and ASB9. Additionally, the FGF13 gene was highlighted as being related to ASD, with sex-specific differences, adding more evidence to the role of sex chromosomes in the condition.

"These findings provide new insights into the biology of the X chromosome in ASD, providing additional evidence for the involvement of certain genes like DDX53 and FGF13, and suggesting they should be investigated further," says Scherer.

The team notes that the absence of a similar gene like DDX53 in commonly used mouse models may require future researchers to reconsider how they study ASD. Since it lacks a functional equivalent in these models, findings in DDX53 cannot be easily replicated.

"Insights from this study could significantly influence the design and interpretation of autism research, particularly in developing new models. Identifying these variants is an important step towards developing more precise diagnostics and therapeutics for patients and families with ASD," says Scherer.

Scherer also added "both studies provide even more evidence that complex neurobehavioral conditions like autism can sometimes have simple biologic (genetic) underpinnings."

The study was funded by the University of Toronto McLaughlin Centre, Autism Speaks, Autism Speaks Canada, Ontario Brain Institute, the Italian Ministry for Education, University and Research and SickKids Foundation. Additional funding was provided by National Institutes of Health and the California Center for Rare Diseases at UCLA.
Patience - like its corollary impatience - has always been a sort of "I know it when I see it" concept. And that didn't sit well with UC Riverside psychology researcher Kate Sweeny.

Philosophers and religious scholars call patience a virtue, yet most people claim to be impatient. That made me wonder if maybe patience is less about being a good person and more about how we deal with day-to-day frustrations." Kate Sweeny, psychology researcher, UC Riverside

For purposes of her research, Sweeny sought to better define what constitutes patience, and impatience, and the factors that determine them.

Impatience, she concluded across three studies of 1,200 people, is the emotion people feel when they face a delay that seems unfair, unreasonable, or inappropriate - like a traffic jam outside of rush hour, or a meeting that should have ended 15 minutes ago. Patience, then, is how we cope with those feelings of impatience.

The studies' findings were published recently in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin in the article "When Time is the Enemy: An Initial Test of the Process Model of Patience."

Psychologists use the term "emotion regulation" to capture the many strategies people use to reduce (or sometimes increase) the intensity of their emotions. Patience, Sweeny asserts in a companion theoretical paper, is the subset of these strategies that particularly target feelings of impatience.

The first studies to test that idea were recently published in the article "When Time is the Enemy: An Initial Test of the Process Model of Patience," in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

The studies asked participants to consider their responses to various frustrating situations one might encounter in everyday life. One depicted a traffic jam, another described a long, boring meeting, and others prompted them to imagine being stuck in a waiting room.

Participants indicated how impatient they would feel in response to each, then whether they would counter their impatience through strategies like distraction, deep breathing, or seeing the upsides of the situation.

The study results identified three scenarios that create a "perfect storm" for impatience: when the stakes are relatively high (traffic on the way to a favorite band's concert), when the state of waiting is unpleasant (no seats and no distractions at the DMV), and when someone is clearly to blame for the delay (the lab forgot to process your medical test). People also felt more impatient when a delay was longer than they anticipated - but surprisingly, not when they delay was relatively long or short.

Although nearly everyone in the studies said they would feel at least a bit impatient when facing those frustrating situations, some people were more patient than others. Participants who were more comfortable with open-ended situations and more emotionally stable (i.e., low in need for closure and neuroticism) said they wouldn't feel too impatient in those scenarios; those who were more emotionally skilled and better at self-regulation said they would respond more patiently, even if they initially felt impatient. Being agreeable and high in empathy also predicted patience.

"Our initial findings support many of our ideas about patience and impatience," Sweeny concludes. "We have a lot still to learn, but our approach is quite promising in terms of helping people to manage feelings of impatience and ultimately become more patient in their daily lives."

Co-authors for "When Time is the Enemy" included graduate researchers Jason Hawes and Olivia T. Karaman. The companion theoretical paper, "On (Im)Patience: A New Approach to an Old Virtue," was published in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Review.
Evaluating how individuals perceive their walking pace compared to peers may emerge as a key public health tool

A study published in Scientific Reports describes the association between walking speed and the risk of metabolic diseases in individuals with obesity.

Background

Walking speed, together with heart rate and blood pressure, is considered to be a vital contributing factor for cardiometabolic diseases. Studies have found associations between slow walking speed and increased risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality among older individuals.

In Japan, the prevalence of obesity and metabolic syndrome among individuals aged over 20 years are 27% and 18%, respectively. In the country, visceral fat accumulation is an important diagnostic criterion for metabolic syndrome.

Given the strong association between obesity and metabolic disease risk, scientists in this study have investigated the association between self-reported walking speed and the risk of metabolic diseases among obese individuals.

Study design

The study included more than 24,000 adults who underwent a comprehensive health checkup at a hospital in Japan between April 2011 and June 2022.

Of these participants, 8578 with a body mass index (BMI) of more than 25.0 kilogram/m2 and 9626 individuals with a waist circumference of more than 85 centimeters for men and 90 centimeters for women were designed as obese, according to the diagnosis criteria by the Japan Society for the Study of Obesity.

A total of 6742 individuals who met both the criteria of BMI and waist circumference were suspected to have a higher risk of metabolic diseases (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia).

All participants self-reported their walking speed using a standardized health examination questionnaire. Information on exercise habits, current smoking status, and alcohol drinking frequencies was also collected.

Appropriate statistical analyses adjusted for potential covariates (age, sex, exercise habit, and smoking and drinking habits) were conducted to determine the association between self-reported walking speed and risk of metabolic diseases.

Important observations

About 45% of participants with obesity based on BMI reported faster walking speed. Among participants with obesity based on waist circumference, 48% reported faster walking speed. Among participants with obesity based on both BMI and waist circumference, 45% reported faster walking speed.

In these three groups of participants with obesity, dyslipidemia had the highest prevalence, followed by hypertension and diabetes.

The age- and sex-adjusted analysis of participants with obesity based on BMI revealed that fast walking speed can reduce the risks of diabetes and dyslipidemia by 30% and 3%, respectively, as compared to those with slow walking speed.

The analysis adjusted for all covariates revealed that fast walking speed can significantly reduce the risk of diabetes.

Considering participants with obesity based on waist circumference, the age- and sex-adjusted analysis revealed that fast walking speed can reduce the risks of diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia by 30%, 6%, and 4%, respectively.

The analysis adjusted for all covariates revealed that fast walking speed can significantly reduce the risks of these metabolic diseases in participants with obesity based on waist circumference.

Among participants with obesity based on both BMI and waist circumference revealed that fast walking speed can reduce the risks of diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia by 29%, 5%, and 3%, respectively.

Study significance

The study finds that fast walking speed can significantly reduce the risks of diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia among obese individuals who are known to have higher risks of developing metabolic diseases.

Walking speed is known to have positive associations with aerobic capacity and cardiorespiratory fitness. Good cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with a reduced risk of metabolic diseases, justifying the benefits of fast walking speed observed in this study.

Fast walking speed can also reduce metabolic disease risk by decreasing inflammation and oxidative stress mediators. Evidence has suggested that fast walking can improve cardiometabolic outcomes by increasing insulin sensitivity, reducing blood pressure, and improving blood lipid profiles.

Because of its cross-sectional design, the study could not determine the causal relationship between self-reported walking speed and the risk of metabolic diseases. Given this limitation, scientists suggest that future studies should include follow-up data from participants and use a longitudinal design.

The study analyzed health checkup data obtained from a single hospital in Kyoto, which restricts the generalizability of the study findings.

Overall, the study findings highlight the importance of fast walking speed in the timely prevention of metabolic diseases, which is particularly beneficial for obese people.
GST Council 55th Meeting On Saturday: What's Expected?

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 13:45 IST

55th GST Council Meeting: It might cut tax rates on life and health insurance premiums, apart from raising it on high-end wrist watches, shoes and apparels, among other decisions.

The GST Council's 55th meeting is set to convene on Saturday in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.

55th GST Council Meeting: The GST Councils 55th meeting, chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and comprising state finance ministers, is set to convene on Saturday in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. The apex body on indirect taxes is expected to discuss significant rate changes across various categories, including life and health insurance, luxury goods, and aviation turbine fuel (ATF).

Key Proposals:

related stories

Life and Health Insurance

The Council is expected to consider proposals to cut GST rates on life and health insurance premiums. Recommendations include:

Exemption of GST on premiums for term life insurance policies.

of GST on premiums for term life insurance policies. Exemption of GST on health insurance premiums paid by senior citizens.

of GST on health insurance premiums paid by senior citizens. Exemption of GST on health insurance premiums for policies covering up to 5 lakh for individuals other than senior citizens.

of GST on health insurance premiums for policies covering up to 5 lakh for individuals other than senior citizens. Continuation of 18% GST on premiums for policies with coverage exceeding 5 lakh.

Luxury Goods and Sin Goods

The Group of Ministers (GoM) on GST rate rationalisation has recommended tax hikes on luxury and sin goods, including:

Wristwatches priced above 25,000: GST increase from 18% to 28% .

priced above 25,000: GST increase . Shoes priced above 15,000 per pair: GST increase from 18% to 28% .

priced above 15,000 per pair: GST increase . Ready-made garments:

Costing up to 1,500: GST at 5% .

. Costing between 1,500 and 10,000: GST at 18% .

. Costing above 10,000: GST at 28% .

. Sin goods such as aerated beverages, cigarettes, and tobacco: Introduction of a 35% tax slab from the current 28%.

Tax Reductions

Packaged drinking water (20 liters and above): GST reduction from 18% to 5% .

(20 liters and above): GST reduction . Bicycles costing below 10,000: GST reduction from 12% to 5% .

costing below 10,000: GST reduction . Exercise notebooks: GST reduction from 12% to 5%.

Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF)

The Council is expected to deliberate on including ATF under GST. If approved, this move would bring uniformity in taxation and allow airlines to claim input tax credit (ITC) on ATF, a long-standing demand of the aviation industry.

Currently, ATF is taxed through a combination of central excise duty and state-level VAT. Including it in GST is expected to reduce operational costs for airlines and streamline the tax structure.

Other Expectations

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The Council is expected to discuss 148 items for potential rate changes, including items like used electric vehicles (EVs) and smaller petrol and diesel vehicles, which could see a rate hike from 12% to 18% . Officials earlier said, The net revenue impact of rate rejigs will be positive."

for potential rate changes, including items like used electric vehicles (EVs) and smaller petrol and diesel vehicles, which could see a rate hike . Officials earlier said, The net revenue impact of rate rejigs will be positive." Recommendations to extend the GST compensation cess regime until June 2025 .

. Proposals to cut GST rates on food delivery platforms such as Swiggy and Zomato from the current 18% (with ITC) to 5% (without ITC).

When GST was introduced on July 1, 2017, five commoditiescrude oil, natural gas, petrol, diesel, and ATFwere kept outside the GST framework, with the central and state governments continuing to levy excise and VAT. Revisiting their inclusion under GST has been a key demand from several industries, especially aviation.

First Published: December 20, 2024, 12:39 IST
IBSAT 2024 Registration Deadline Extended Till Dec 23, Apply At general.ibsindia.org

Published By :

Trending Desk

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 11:02 IST

IBSAT 2024: The online exam is scheduled to be held on December 28 and December 29.

IBSAT 2024: Registration process is underway at the official website - admissions.ibsindia.org.

IBSAT 2024 Registration: The ICFAI Business School (IBS) has deferred the registration deadline for the ICFAI Business Studies Aptitude Test (IBSAT 2024). Interested candidates who meet the eligibility criteria can now apply for the MBA/PGDM application process by visiting the official website of ICFAI Business School, which is general.ibsindia.org. As per the latest update, applicants can now apply for IBSAT 2024 till December 23. Earlier, the last date to apply for IBSAT 2024 was December 18.

IBS India also took to its official X (formally Twitter) handle to announce the extension in the registration deadline. It wrote, Happy to announce! The IBSAT 2024 application deadline has been extended to December 23, 2024.

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 Happy to announce!The IBSAT 2024 Application Deadline has been extended to Dec 23rd!One Application, 9 CampusesMBA/PGPM 2025-27 Remote Proctored Test, can be taken from homeCAT-like Syllabus No Negative Marks Scholarships worth 2 Lakh for top 500 rankers! pic.twitter.com/QjMQvhlloV  IBS India (@IBSIndia1) December 19, 2024

Talking about the IBSAT exam pattern 2024, the test will be administered by IBS India in remote-proctored test mode on December 28 and December 29.

ISBAT 2024: Heres How To Register

Step 1: Candidates need to go to the official website of IBS, i.e., general.ibsindia.org to register for the IBSAT test.

Step 2: Upon reaching, click on the Apply Now link available on the homepage.

Step 3: Following this, candidates will be redirected to a new page where they will have to register themselves with the required information.

Step 4: Log in using the generated credentials and proceed with the application form.

Step 5: Fill in the application form with the personal and academic details.

Step 6: Pay the required registration fee and hit the submit button.

Step 7: Save a copy of the confirmation page and take a printout of your application for future reference.

Meanwhile, the ICFAI business school awards as many as 10 crore scholarships to 500 selected individuals, each worth Rs 2 lakh. Scholarships will be provided on the basis of the IBSAT 2024 test scores. It is expected that the results of the ICFAI Business Studies Aptitude Test will be rolled out provisionally in the first week of January 2025.

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IBSAT 2024: Selection Process

The selection briefings, which are likely to commence after the exam results are announced, will be conducted at over 70 venues across India from January 10 to January 19. It is worth noting that the selection process for the IBSAT 2024 MBA and PGDM programmes will begin on February 15 and culminate on February 24 at IBS Hyderabad.

First Published: December 20, 2024, 11:02 IST
Delhi Assembly Elections: BJP List To Be Out Soon, No CM Face Before Polls, Say Sources

Reported By :

News18.com

Edited By: Pragati Ratti



Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 15:19 IST

Sources in the BJP have said that they will be putting up a strong candidate against Arvind Kejriwal, unlike the perception in the media that it might be a friendly fight.

Sources have indicated that the BJP will be holding its Central Election Committee meeting and may declare the list soon. (Image: PTI)

As 2025 begins, national capital Delhi is set to witness Assembly Elections and in the fray are three political parties  Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Ahead of the big battle in the capital, the saffron party is yet to announce its list of candidates. On the other hand, the competing parties, AAP and Congress have made declarations about their major seats and candidates with former chief minister, Sheila Dikshits son Sandeep Dikshit all set to take on former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in the New Delhi constituency. Sources in the BJP have said that they will be putting up a strong candidate against Kejriwal, unlike the perception that is being viewed in the media that it might be a friendly fight for the high profile seat or if the BJP may play the vote-cutter.

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Sources have also indicated that the BJP will be holding its Central Election Committee meeting and may declare the list soon. There will be just one central election committee meeting to put out the list of candidates. The BJP will also be talking to its allies, like JDU and LJP about the sharing of some seats," sources added. It is also learnt that both these alliance partners who are part of the Modi government in the Centre have reached out to the BJP to get some seats to contest in Delhi.

As far as the issues are concerned, sources said that the BJP will focus on failed promises, and the corruption by the AAP, the ruling party in Delhi, where nearly the entire cabinet has been into jail on the grounds of corruption

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The saffron party is also likely to give tickets to some of its former MPs who did not get a ticket in 2024 Lok Sabha elections like Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma and Ramesh Bidhuri amongst the others. Speculation is rife that Parvesh may contest against Kejriwal while, Bidhuri, who may contest from Kalkaji, will take on Chief Minister Atishi. Rumours have also been abuzz that the BJP may field former union minister Smriti Irani as its CM face in the Delhi elections. There is no indication of any face declaration as of now," top sources, however, indicated.

The AAP government has been in power in the national capital for the last decade and is currently seeking its third term in office. Meanwhile, the BJP, which has not been able to win Delhi since its last win in the 1980s, is hoping that the corruption image, coupled with the performance of the ruling government will pave way for them.

First Published: December 20, 2024, 15:19 IST
Who Is Dominique Pelicot, A French Man Convicted Of Mass Rape Of His Wife? Case Explained

Curated By :

News18.com

Edited By: Shilpy Bisht



Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 16:52 IST

Dominique is facing another investigation for rape and murder of an estate agent in Paris in 1991, and an attempted rape in 1999. There are now serious questions whether he had been a serial offender for decades

The court on Thursday found Dominique Pelicot of crushing sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medication into his wife, Gisele's, food from 2011 to 2020, and inviting dozens of men to rape her while she was unconscious. (AP Photo)

A 72-year-old man in France, Dominique Pelicot, could face another trial after he was sentenced to 20 years in jail on Thursday for drugging his wife, Gisele Pelicot, and inviting men to rape her.

Dominique is facing another investigation for rape and murder of an estate agent in Paris in 1991, and an attempted rape in 1999. There are now serious questions whether he had been a serial offender for decades.

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The two cold cases have been reopened by investigators in Nanterre outside Paris, and Pelicot has been placed under formal investigation.

The court on Thursday found Dominique of crushing sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medication into Giseles food for over a period of nine years from 2011 to 2020, and inviting dozens of men to rape her while she was unconscious, in the village of Mazan in Provence, where the couple had retired.

A total of 50 men were also found guilty alongside him, but about another 20 shown in videos were not able to be identified and are potentially still at large, as per a report by The Guardian.

Who Is Dominique Pelicot?

Dominique led a double life, outwardly appearing as a devoted husband while secretly committing such horrific crimes. During the day, he would accompany his wife to the doctor for the symptoms that only he had created.

Besides sedating his wife and allowing men to rape her, Dominique would also hide cameras to capture images of his daughters-in-law in private spaces within his house, including the one was pregnant with twins, as per reports. He would then share these images online.

The New York Times reported he felt remorseful after drugging Gisele, saying, The next day was terrible, because I saw what a bad state she was in," while adding, but I wont complain today, because that would be indecent. She is the one suffering, not me."

What Are The Cases Against Dominique Pelicot?

Police investigated Dominiques computer after he was arrested for secretly filming womens skirts in a supermarket in the southern French town of Carpentras in 2020. However, he first came under the police radar in 2010, when he was caught filming womens dresses with a small camera hidden in a pen in another supermarket in the Seine-et-Marne area east of Paris.

At that time, he was arrested and was released after he paid a fine of 100 to avoid going to court. Interestingly, Gisele was not informed about the whole ordeal at that time. His other cases came to light after police collected Dominiques DNA and entered it into a national database.

The DNA eventually matched with a trace of blood found on a shoe at the scene of an attempted rape of a young estate agent outside Paris in 1999. At that time, Dominique was 46 years old and was working as an estate agent himself. The case was not added to Dominiques file in 2010, but the reason for this is still not clear.

When he was arrested in 2020, the authorities opened a cold case. Dominique denied involvement in the case in 2022 when the authorities interrogated him. However, things changed when the police presented him with the DNA evidence of his blood on the shoe. He eventually admitted attempted rape to the police but denied using a knife as a weapon.

He later told interrogators that he had an urge" the moment he saw the woman, but that when he took her trousers off he had realised she was the same age as his daughter and had felt blocked".

The authorities also found that there were similarities between the 1999 attempted rape and the 1991 rape and murder of another estate agent. The real estate agent was strangled to death and stabbed. Dominique denied any involvement, but the police have placed him under formal investigation into both cases.

Antoine Camus, a lawyer for Gisele Pelicot and other members of her family, had told the Avignon trial that questions remained over the full extent of Pelicots offending. Today, my clients struggle to believe that between 1999  to just take one date  and 2011, Dominique Pelicot was off playing board games. My clients, unfortunately, rule nothing out and are eaten up by anxiety over discovering even more, and over years," as mentioned in a report by The Guardian.

What Is Dominiques Psychology?

Dr Laurent Layet, a psychiatrist who interviewed Dominique Pelicot in 2021, told BBC he had never come across anyone quite like this grey-haired former electrician.

Dr Layet noted how breezily he dismissed his crime, like a genteel grandfather caught pocketing a few cigarettes".

Dr Layet stressed that Pelicot showed no signs of severe mental illness. He could not be dismissed as a monster". Nor was he psychotic  unable to tell reality from fiction. There was a fissure", a split, in Pelicots personality, he said.

The BBC report also mentioned that Pelicots defence lawyer, Beatrice Zavarro, agreed with the split" personality theory in her closing arguments at the trial. But suggested that the charming young man Gisele Pelicot had fallen in love with and quickly married back in 1973 was not the man that had harmed her".

Dr Layet also added that Pelicot has an antisocial personality disorder  a term that psychiatrists use to also describe a psychopath or sociopath. Several experts have concluded it is a reasonable diagnosis to use in the context of Pelicots warped mind.

What Are Traits Of A Rapist?

Dr Samuel D. Smithyman, a US clinical psychologist, learned when he anonymously interviewed 50 men back in the 1970s who had confessed to having raped someone that these men lacked empathy, are narcissistic and have feelings of hostility towards women.

Sherry Hamby, a research professor of psychology at the University of the South in the US State of Tennessee, told Deutsche Welle how toxic masculinity promotes rape culture. A lot of offenders of rape and other sexual assaults are young men," she said. The only way to have social status among male peers in many cases is to be highly sexually experienced, and not being sexually active is often stigmatised."

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She believes that these kinds of peer pressure set men up to become sex offenders because many are just in absolute panic theyre going to be discovered as not sexually experienced by their peers".

Rapists often deny having raped their victims and often try to justify their actions. Men who admit rape often try to find excuses for what they have done. Sexual assault is an inexcusable act of violence and a criminal offence.

First Published: December 20, 2024, 14:36 IST
Why Lays Classic Potato Chips Have Been Recalled In US? How Undeclared Food Allergens Can Trouble You

Curated By :

News18.com

Edited By: Shilpy Bisht



Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 17:19 IST

Frito-Lay on December 16 issued a recall for 13 oz Lay's Classic Potato Chips sold in Oregon and Washington due to undeclared milk allergens. Those with an allergy to milk run the risk of a serious allergic reaction if they consume the recalled product, warned... Read More

Milk, found in Lay's chips, is the third most common food allergen, after peanuts and tree nuts, to cause anaphylaxis. (Photo: Lays.com)

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has asked Frito-Lay to recall its Classic Potato Chips, citing presence of undeclared allergens that could cause a life-threatening allergic reaction".

Frito-Lay announced the recall after undeclared milk allergens were discovered in certain batches of chips distributed in Oregon and Washington. The FDA said it had been alerted by a consumer that the product might contain undeclared milk allergens.

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Those with an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk run the risk of a serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume the recalled product," the FDA said on Thursday.

What Are The Details Of The Recall?

On December 16, Frito-Lay issued a voluntary recall for 13 oz Lays Classic Potato Chips sold in Oregon and Washington due to undeclared milk. The issue arose when certain batches were found to contain milk that wasnt disclosed on the packaginga critical oversight for consumers with milk allergies or lactose intolerance.

The chips come in a flexible bag with a production code of 6462307xx or 6463307xx and a guaranteed fresh date of February 11, 2025. The code 28400 31041 is the UPC.

The guaranteed fresh date and one of the manufacturer codes must be present on the recalled chips.

What Are The Types Of Recalls?

Recalls are categorised into three levels depending on the risk of the product. The most serious recall is a Class I recall, which occurs when consuming the affected item may result in fatalities or major health issues.

Class II is given when a product might pose a minor risk or create a short-term health problem.

The least serious tier, Class III, is where a product is unlikely to cause health problems but still breaches FDA labelling or manufacturing requirements.

Following an assessment of the health risks by its scientists, the FDA is expected to classify the Lays recall.

Why Do Allergens Mistakes Happen?

In a complex modern food production, global supply chains are intricate and even small errors like cross-contamination or incomplete ingredient update can lead to undeclared allergens entering the products.

The US government takes food allergens very seriously, and is one of the top reasons for most of the recalls in the country. According to the FDA, food allergens account for a significant portion of recalls each year. While this reflects improved detection systems, it also underscores the challenges manufacturers face in maintaining consistent safety standards across large-scale production.

Is Milk Allergy Life Threatening?

Mayo Clinic say cows milk is the usual cause of milk allergy, but milk from sheep, goats, buffalo and other mammals can also cause a reaction. It is one of the most common food allergies found among children.

Signs and symptoms of milk allergy range from mild to severe and can include wheezing, vomiting, hives and digestive problems. Milk allergy can also cause anaphylaxis  a severe, life-threatening reaction in which airways get blocked.

Milk is the third most common food allergen, after peanuts and tree nuts, to cause anaphylaxis, as per Mayo Clinic.

How To Be Aware Of Allergens

Food allergies affect over 32 million Americans, including close to 6 million children, according to Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE).

Thus, labelling of food items has become more stricter than ever. US laws like Faster Act has added sesame to the list of major allergens in 2023.

One can protect themselves by regularly checking the FDA Recalls and Safety Alerts page for updates. Get familiar with the Big 9 allergens: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, wheat, fish, shellfish, and sesame. Look out for less obvious terms like casein" or whey" that can indicate milk in ingredient lists.

Dont hesitate to contact brands if you have questions about product safety or labelling.

What Are Some Recent Recalls In The US?

In October, Costco recalled nearly 80,000 pounds of store-brand butter because the key ingredient, milk, was missing from the products label.

Carolina Prime Pet, Inc., based in North Carolina, recalled 400 bags of the targeted dog food Hollywood Feed Carolina Made Chicken Chips dog treats on November 22 due to potential salmonella contamination.

In September, Lactaid Milk was recalled in 27 states due to concerns about possible allergen contamination.

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HP Hood LLC, the lactose-free brands owner, issued a voluntary recall with the FDA that recalled five 96-ounce containers because the product may contain trace amounts of almond." Almond is not listed on the ingredients label of the dairy-free milk.

In September, a popular macaroni and cheese brand, Resers Fine Foods, recalled two products sold across five states over concerns of potential bacteria contamination. At the time, the company initiated the recall of its Resers American Classics Macaroni and Cheese" and Resers American Classics Macaroni and Cheese White Cheddar," as part of a larger recall of its deli salads and refrigerated products. The recall was issued over concerns that products had become spoiled due to temperature abuse."

First Published: December 20, 2024, 17:16 IST
2,200 Cases of Violence Against Hindus, Other Minorities in Bangladesh, 112 In Pakistan: Centre

Published By :

PTI

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 21:08 IST

Relations between India and Bangladesh strained after Sheikh Hasina's ouster was accompanied by a significant rise in violence against Hindu minorities there.

Violence against Hindus in Bangladesh increased sharply after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina. (Reuters/File)

A total of 2,200 cases of violence against Hindus and other minorities have been reported in Bangladesh this year till December 8, and Indias expectation is Dhaka will take necessary measures to ensure their safety, the government said on Friday.

Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh gave the information in a written response to a query in Lok Sabha, citing data from minority and human rights organisations.

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In Pakistan, the number of cases of violence against Hindus and other minorities in Pakistan this year stood at 112 till October 2024," the MoS said.

The corresponding figures for 2022 were 47 in Bangladesh and 241 in Pakistan, while in 2023 the figures were 302 in Bangladesh and 103 in Pakistan, according to the data he shared.

The minister said the Indian government has urged Pakistan to take steps to prevent religious intolerance, sectarian violence, systemic persecution and attacks on minority communities and ensure their safety, security, and well-being." He added, India continues to highlight the plight of minorities in Pakistan at appropriate international fora." Cases of violence against Hindus and other minorities in other neighbouring countries (except Pakistan and Bangladesh) is nil," the minister said.

Singh was asked about the total number of cases of violence against Hindus and other minorities reported in neighbouring countries during the last three years, country-wise and year-wise; and the steps taken or proposed to be taken by the ministry to protect minorities, including diplomatic interventions and relief measures.

The Union minister in his response also said the government has taken serious note of these incidents and shared its concerns with the government of Bangladesh." Indias expectation is that Bangladesh will take all necessary measures to ensure safety and welfare of Hindus and other minorities. The same was also reiterated during the visit of the Foreign Secretary to Bangladesh on December 9, 2024," he added.

The High Commission of India in Dhaka continues to monitor the situation" related to the minorities in Bangladesh closely," the Minister of State for External Affairs said.

The primary responsibility for the protection of life and liberty of all citizens, including minorities, rests with the government of the country concerned," he said.

Ties between India and Bangladesh came under severe strain after deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to leave the country in the face of a massive anti-government protest in August.

Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus came to power days after Hasina took shelter in India. He heads Bangladeshs interim government as its Chief Advisor.

Relations between the two nations deteriorated further in recent weeks over attacks on the Hindus and the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das.

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Several incidents of desecration and damage to Hindu temples and deities in Bangladesh have been reported in the past few months," Singh said.

The government of India has expressed its concerns about such incidents, including the demolition of Jagannath Temple in Bangladesh, attack on a Puja mandap in Tantibazar, Dhaka and the theft at the Jeshoreshwari Kali temple at Satkhira during Durga Puja 2024," he added.

First Published: December 20, 2024, 21:08 IST
India Renews 'No Proof' Charge Against Canada Over Nijjar's Murder, Forms Panel On US Inputs

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 17:17 IST

MoS for external affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said that formation of committee was part of ongoing security cooperation with the US.

The US recently waded into the row between Canada and India, urging the latter to take the former's allegations of Hardeep Singh Nijjar's murder 'seriously'.

Minister of state for external affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh on Friday informed that a high-level enquiry committee has been constituted to examine the inputs shared by the US pertaining to the nexus between organised criminals, gun runners, terrorists and others that impinge on Indias national security".

Singh added that the move was taken as part of the ongoing security cooperation with the United States.

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The United States recently waded into the diplomatic spat between Canada and India, urging the latter to take the formers allegations of assassination plot of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Khalistani terrorist and a Canadian citizen.

US Department spokesman Matthew Miller had said, We wanted to see the government of India cooperate with Canada in its investigationWe have made clear that the allegations need to be taken seriously."

Responding to Canadas allegations, Singh said in a statement, Government is aware of the allegations about the involvement of Indian nationals in purported acts or intent in the US and Canada. In so far as Canada is concerned, it has presented no evidence whatsoever in support of the serious allegations it has chosen to level."

India-Canada Soaring Ties

Ties between India and Canada have been strained since September last year when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged Indian government agents involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil. New Delhi rejected those charges as motivated and absurd".

The ties further strained when Trudeau recently named Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma as a person of interest in an investigation, without naming the case. A person of interest means a suspect who is not arrested.

The MEA said that the Canadian government did not share a shred of evidence of Indias involvement in Nijjars killing despite repeated requests and accused Trudeau of doing votebank politics and not doing enough to tackle separatist elements on Canadian soil.

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On October 11, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Trudeau had a brief encounter on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Laos. According to Trudeau, he spoke to PM Modi about the work that we need to do".

However, Trudeau later admitted that he had not provided India with concrete proof regarding the killing of Nijjar while testifying before the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions in Ottawa, bolstering Indias claims.

First Published: December 20, 2024, 16:21 IST
Assam Police Uncover Major Terror Module in Nationwide Operation

Reported By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 11:53 IST

The network, which included sleeper cells across the country, was allegedly engaged in recruitment, indoctrination, and plans to incite violence and disrupt communal harmony in India.

Assam Special DGP Harmeet Singh. (Image: ANI)

In a significant operation spanning multiple states, law enforcement agencies from Assam, Kerala, and West Bengal dismantled a suspected terror module linked to a global extremist group. The operation, named Operation Praghat, was led by the Assam Police Special Task Force (STF) and resulted in the arrest of eight individuals. The network, which included sleeper cells across the country, was allegedly engaged in recruitment, indoctrination, and plans to incite violence and disrupt communal harmony in India.

The arrests were carried out during simultaneous raids conducted between December 17 and 18. Among those apprehended was Md Sad Radi, a foreign national detained in Kerala without valid travel documents. Two individuals, Minarul Sheikh and Md Abbas Ali, were arrested in West Bengal, while the remaining suspects, including Nur Islam Mandal, Abdul Karim Mandal, Mojibar Rahman, Hamidul Islam, and Enamul Hoque, were taken into custody in Assam. During the raids, law enforcement seized several incriminating materials, including mobile phones, pen drives, altered religious texts, and official documents linked to a foreign country. Investigators also uncovered evidence of communication between the suspects and handlers based in neighbouring countries.

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Special DGP Harmeet Singh, addressing the media, stated, The operation resulted in simultaneous raids across Assam, Kerala, and West Bengal during the night of December 17-18. The arrested individuals include eight operatives, one of whom is a Bangladeshi national apprehended in Kerala. Incriminating materials, including distorted religious texts, mobile devices, and a Bangladeshi national card, were seized. Technical evidence has revealed their communication with handlers in Bangladesh and Pakistan over recent months."

Preliminary investigations revealed that the arrested individuals were working to establish sleeper cells in Assam and West Bengal to propagate extremist ideologies and recruit individuals. These cells were intended to operate covertly and serve as hubs for planning disruptive activities. Authorities have identified Nur Islam Mandal as a key figure in the network, with a prior record of terror-related activities dating back to 2015. He is alleged to have facilitated meetings discussing potential attacks targeting religious leaders and members of certain organizations to provoke communal unrest.

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The operation has raised serious concerns regarding national security. Evidence suggests that the group was actively exploring ways to procure arms and ammunition, indicating a larger conspiracy aimed at destabilizing the country. The Assam Police STF has registered a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, and other relevant laws. Investigations are ongoing to uncover further links and prevent future threats.

Operation Praghat underscores the growing importance of intelligence-driven operations and inter-state cooperation in combating extremist threats. Law enforcement agencies have reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring the safety and security of the nation. This operation serves as a stark reminder of the need for constant vigilance against forces seeking to disrupt peace and harmony.

Location : Assam, India

First Published: December 20, 2024, 11:53 IST
Atul Subhash's Mother Moves Supreme Court Over His Child's Whereabouts, SC Issues Notice

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 15:30 IST

Atul Subhash's estranged wife Nikita Singhania was arrested this month, however, the whereabouts of their son remain unknown.

Atul Subhash's mother moves Supreme Court

Atul Subhashs mother has moved the Supreme Court where she filed a Habeas Corpus petition about the whereabouts of the deceased techies child.

Notably, no information about Atuls child has come to the fore since the man died by suicide earlier this month at his residence in Bengaluru. The kids whereabouts remain unknown even after the arrest of Nikita Singhania, Atuls estranged wife, her mother Nisha, and brother Anurag, all of who were booked in the abetment of suicide case.

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Atuls Mother Moves Supreme Court

According to the lawyer, Atuls mother has filed a plea since her grandson has not been handed over to them yet and nobody is aware of his location.

Their concern is about his whereabouts since Atuls wife is in custody, and her two family members are also now in custody," the lawyer said.

The lawyer said that the authorities of three places  Uttar Pradesh (Jaunpur where Atuls wife belongs), Bengaluru (where Atul died by suicide), and Haryana (where Nikita was arrested in Gurugram)  are involved and none of them are aware of where the child is.

Supreme Court Issues Notice

Taking cognizance of the plea, the top court has issued notice to all three states and directed them to ascertain the whereabouts of the child.

The next hearing into the matter will be held in January.

Atul had died by suicide this month and left a 24-page note and over-an-hour-long video, detailing alleged harassment by his wife and her family. The Bengaluru Police filed a case after his video and suicide note went viral on social media, triggering a storm online.

The police arrested Nikita from Gurugram and her mother and brother from Prayagraj. They were sent to judicial custody.

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Earlier, his family had raised suspicion whether their grandson was alive and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene in the matter and help bring the kid back home to them.

We dont know where she has kept our grandson. Has he been killed or is he alive? We dont know anything about him. I want my grandson to be with us," Atuls father Pawar Kumar had said.

First Published: December 20, 2024, 15:20 IST
Australia-Based NRI Among Two Dead As Car Collides With Tractor-Trolley In Punjab

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 12:59 IST

The incident occurred on Wednesday night, resulting in the death of NRI Dilpreet Singh (28) and the taxi driver, Yugraj Masih (38), police said.

The tractor-trolley was impounded and the driver will be arrested soon, police said (Representational)

Two people, including an Australia-based NRI, died and one sustained serious injuries when the taxi they were travelling in collided with a sugarcane-loaded tractor-trolley at the Sugar Mill flyover on National Highway 44 here, police said on Friday. The incident occurred on Wednesday night, resulting in the death of NRI Dilpreet Singh (28) and the taxi driver, Yugraj Masih (38), they said.

Singhs mother, Gurinder Kaur, sustained serious injuries, Investigating Officer (IO) and Assistant Sub-Inspector of City Police Station Phagwara, Jatinder Pal, said.

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Kaur had travelled to Australia in November to meet her son who was settled in Melbourne, he added.

Singh had recently obtained permanent residency in Australia and was returning with his mother to their home in Model Town Extension, Dugri Road, Ludhiana, when the accident occurred, the officer said.

Singhs father, Harpreet Singh, told police that his wife had called him around 9:15 pm on Wednesday to inform him that they had just left the airport in Amritsar and were in the taxi.

He received another call from his wife at 11:33 pm that night, informing him about the accident, the ASI said.

She had a broken jaw and several other serious injuries from the accident, said the ASI, who met her at the hospital in Ludhiana on Thursday.

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On Harpreet Singhs complaint, a case was registered under relevant provisions of the law against the absconding tractor driver, the ASI said.

The tractor-trolley was impounded and the driver will be arrested soon, he added.

Location : Punjab, India

First Published: December 20, 2024, 12:57 IST
Ayodhya, Kashi, Mathura Our Only Focus: VHP After RSS Chief Calls Frequent Disputes 'Unacceptable'

Reported By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 13:50 IST

Talking to News 18, Surendra Jain, joint general secretary of VHP said that the issues were instances of historical reckoning.

Surendra Jain, joint general secretary of VHP. (Image: PTI)

With around 10 legal suits over temple-mosque disputes pending across states, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday expressed his disapproval of frequent revival of such contentious issues. Terming it unacceptable to stir such divisive debates daily, he emphasised on the need to focus on unity and harmony. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), which led the strongest Ram Janmabhoomi temple movement among all such temple movements in the country, however, now echoed Bhagwat. Talking to News 18, Surendra Jain, joint general secretary of VHP said that the issues were instances of historical reckoning.

Citing the destruction of lakhs of temples" during invasions, emphasising the spontaneous, society-driven reclamation of Ayodhyas Ram Janmabhoomi, Jain said, We have declared it in 1984 that we want to reclaim only three temples which include Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya, the temples in Kashi and Mathura. We fought a long legal and social fight for Ram Janmabhoomi. But since then, we, as an organisation, never spearheaded any temple movement."

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He pointed to the 1978 closure of Sambhals temples, which was discovered by the administration and not by any social organisation. Referring to the enduring struggles in Mathura and Kashi, and arguing that even Muslim leaders should now acknowledge the role of invaders in such acts. Jain asserted, Weve fought and reclaimed Ayodhya. But, since we have not participated in any such movement. The members of society have now started coming out and raising such issues. These are spontaneous appeals by the people."

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, while speaking at the Vishwaguru Bharat lecture series in Pune, called for unity, cautioning against the politics of divisiveness and majoritarian supremacy. Addressing the construction of the Ram Temple, he said, Building the Ram Temple was a matter of faith for Hindus. And, it does not make one a Hindu leader. The Ram Temple is a matter of faith for all Indians."

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He also urged to move beyond the burden of historical grievances, and avoid fostering hatred or enmity, while refraining from raking up new contentious issues over temples and mosques.

He stressed that Bharats long history of co-existence among diverse religions, castes, and ideologies, always attributed to the nations inclusive culture. We must abandon the language of divisiveness, minority-majority discrimination, and all sorts of supremacy struggles. Instead, we should unite under the shared traditional ethos of our culture," he added.

First Published: December 20, 2024, 13:47 IST
Be Mindful...: India Lodges Protest Over Comments By Muhammad Yunus' Aide

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Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 19:35 IST

In a now-deleted Facebook post, Alam said India should recognise the uprising that forced the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal (Photo: @MEAIndia/X)

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.

We would like to remind all concerned to be mindful of their public comments," he added.

While India has repeatedly signalled interest in fostering relations with the people and the interim government of Bangladesh, such comments underline the need for responsibility in public articulation," Jaiswal said addressing media.

Notably, Hasina was forced to resign after she faced violent protests across the country against reservations in government jobs. Following this, she fled Dhaka in August and arrived in New Delhi.

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The ties between India and Bangladesh strained since the formation of the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.

Since then, time and again New Delhi has expressed concerns over the incidents of violence targeting Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh and said the interim government in Dhaka has the primary responsibility of protecting their life and liberty.

First Published: December 20, 2024, 18:27 IST
BJP's PP Chaudhary To Chair Parliamentary Panel On 'One Nation, One Election' Bills

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Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 22:02 IST

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla constituted the 39-member committee and appointed Chaudhary, a former Union minister of state for law and justice, as its chairman.

'One Nation, One Poll' bill in Lok Sabha.

BJP Lok Sabha MP PP Chaudhary has been appointed as the chairman of the mega Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) being set up to examine bills proposing simultaneous elections across the country, the Lok Sabha Secretariat said.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla constituted the 39-member committee and appointed Chaudhary, a former union minister of state for law and justice, as its chairman. The JPC has 27 members from the Lok Sabha and 12 from the Rajya Sabha, instead of the earlier 21 members from the lower house and 10 from the upper house, as was initially declared.

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The two one nation, one election bills, including one requiring an amendment in the Constitution, laying down the mechanism to hold simultaneous elections, were introduced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday after a fiery debate.

Earlier this week, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal had moved resolutions in the Parliament to refer the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill to a joint committee.

The union government has decided to increase the committees strength from 31 to 39 as more political parties and leaders, including, former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena UBT leader Uddhav Thackeray, expressed desire to be part of the exercise to examine the two draft legislations.

The government agreed that the matter is very important and it relates to the reformation of the election process of our country, so we agreed to include most of the prominent political parties," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has said as reported by PTI.

He said there was no limit on the size of the joint committee of Parliament and pointed out that one parliamentary panel examining centre-state relations had 51 members.

Who are the members?

Former union ministers Anurag Thakur, Parshottam Rupala, Manish Tewari and several first-term lawmakers, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Bansuri Swaraj and Sambit Patra, are members of the committee.

Other members of the committee are CM Ramesh, Vishnu Dayal Ram, Bhartruhari Mahtab, Anil Baluni, Vishnu Datt Sharma, Baijayant Panda, Sanjay Jaiswal, Ghanshyam Tiwari, Bhubaneswar Kalita, K Laxman and Kavita Patidar (all BJP), Sukhdeo Bhagat, Randeep Surjewala and Mukul Wasnik (all Congress), Dharmendra Yadav and Chhotelal (both SP), Kalyan Banerjee and Saket Gokhale (both TMC) and TM Selvaganapathi and P Wilson (both DMK).

TDP member GM Harish Balayogi, Anil Desai (Shiv Sena-UBT), Supriya Sule (NCP-SP), Shrikant Shinde (Shiv Sena), Shambhavi (LJSP-RV), K Radhakrishnan (CPI-M), Chandan Chauhan (RLD), Balashowry Vallabhaneni (JSP), Sanjay Kumar Jha (JD-U), Sanjay Singh (AAP), Manas Ranjan Mangaraj (BJD) and V Vijayasai Reddy (YSRCP) are other members of the committee.

Among the 39 members of the committee, 16 are from the BJP, five from the Congress, two each from the SP, TMC and the DMK, and one each from the Shiv Sena, TDP, JD-U, RLD, LJSP(RV), JSP, Shiv Sena-UBT, NCP-SP, CPI-M, AAP, BJD and YSRCP.

The NDA has 22 members and 15 are from the opposition INDIA bloc.

The BJD and the YSRCP are not members of the ruling or the opposition coalition. The BJD is yet to spell out its stand on simultaneous polls while the YSRCP has backed the move.

First report of JPC on ONOE

As per the resolution, the committee has been asked to submit its report to the Lok Sabha by the first day of the last week of the next session.

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However, considering the importance of the measure, the committee could get extension in tenure as required.

(With inputs from agencies)

First Published: December 20, 2024, 21:53 IST
One School In Delhi, Two In NCR Receive Hoax Bomb Threats

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Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 11:42 IST

There have been a spate of bomb threats to schools in the recent past, most of them turning out to be hoax after the investigation.

Delhi school receives bomb threat (ANI Image)

A private school in the Dwarka area of the national capital received a bomb threat on Friday morning, Delhi Police said, adding that the threat turned out to be a hoax upon investigation.

Besides DPS Dwarka, two other schools in NCR  DPS Faridabad and Lotus Valley School, Noida  also received similar hoax bomb threats.

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Earlier this morning, the emergency response teams were rushed to DPS Dwarka, and the classes were shifted to online mode for the day.

#WATCH | A private school in Delhis Dwarka area recieved bomb threats this morning. Emergency response teams have been sent to the spot. Classes have been shifted to Online mode: Delhi PoliceMore details awaited (Visuals from outside the school) pic.twitter.com/MP67VfLQ5y  ANI (@ANI) December 20, 2024

Arvind Kejriwal Reacts

Former Delhi Chief Minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal took a potshot at the Delhi Police over the threat and said that criminals have a morale high to issue threats as they have not been caught yet.

Today another school has received a threat. The morale of the criminals and the people who threaten is high because till date no one who threatens has been caught," Kejriwal posted on X.

Previous Bomb Threats To Schools

Earlier last week on Saturday, several schools in the city, including RK Purams Delhi Public School, received bomb threat via email for the second consecutive day.

The fire department, dog squads and bomb detection teams were rushed to the spot, however, after a thorough investigation, nothing suspicious was found.

On Friday last week, around 30 schools received bomb threats over email in the early hours.

However, nothing suspicious was recovered after a detailed investigation.

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The recent threats follow closely behind threat emails sent to at least 44 schools on December 9, which police later dismissed as hoaxes.

In May, over 250 schools, hospitals, and other establishments were targeted with similar email threats, which remain unresolved.

First Published: December 20, 2024, 08:33 IST
Fadnavis Announces Judicial Probe Into Parbhani Violence, Beed Sarpanch Murder

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 18:55 IST

The government announced financial aid to the deceased Massajog sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh in Beed and Somnath Suryavanshi, who died in a violent clash in Parbhani.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has vowed tough action in the murder of sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh. (Photo: Facebook)

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday announced judicial probes into the Parbhani violence and the murder of village head Santosh Deshmukh in Beed district.

The state will also provide financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh each to the kin of Deshmukh and Somnath Suryawanshi, who died after his arrest in connection with the violence in Parbhani over the alleged desecration of a replica of the Constitution, he said.

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Announcing the transfer of Beed Superintendent of Police, the CM said the police were found to be lax. Fadnavis said the abduction and murder of Deshmukh, sarpanch of Massajog village, is already being probed by a special investigation team (SIT) under an IG-rank officer. In addition to that, a judicial probe will be done within three to six months, he said.

The CM assured the House that those responsible for unleashing" anarchy in Beed district would be punished irrespective of their political links.

What Happened In Beed?

Sharing the details tied to the sarpanch murder, Fadnavis said on December 6, Ashok Ghule, Sudarshan Ghule and Pratik Ghule went to the site of an energy project site in Beed district and beat up the watchman Amardeep Sonawane and project manager Shivaji Thopte.

Deshmukh was informed about the incident as the Ghules are from the neighbouring village, he said.

Fadnavis said that on December 9, Deshmukhs vehicle was intercepted by a black Scorpio and another car at a toll naka. He was pulled out and bundled into the Scorpio, the CM told the House.

Deshmukh was mercilessly thrashed inside the car, taken out and again beaten up. The accused fled after realising that Deshmukh had died," he said.

Fadnavis said Deshmukhs brother was in touch with one Vishnu Chate pleading with him to let go of the sarpanch. Chate was the former tehsil chief of NCP in Beed district.

Before Deshmukhs murder, manager Thopte of the energy company had filed a police complaint on November 29 alleging an extortion bid, he said.

The complaint said that one Walmik Karad talked over the phone to Sunil Shinde and Chate when they were present at the companys office in Massajog village. Karad demanded that the company stop the work. That day, Sudarshan Ghule also came to the office and asked the company official to stop work.

Project manager Thopte was subsequently called to Parli, where Karad threatened and asked him to either stop the work or pay Rs 2 crore, Fadnavis said.

The link between the extortion and murder is being probed. I assure the House that the mastermind in the case will be brought to book. If Walmik Karads involvement in the murder is established, action would be taken. His involvement in the extortion case has been proved," said the CM.

While Deshmukh was a Maratha, some of the accused including Chate belonged to the Other Backward Classes. This had given a caste angle to the incident, especially against the backdrop of the Maratha quota agitation and opposition by OBCs to it.

All those directly and indirectly involved in these criminal activities in Beed district will be booked under MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act), he said.

Opposition leaders have claimed that Karad is a close associate of NCP minister Dhananjay Munde who hails from Beed district.

Violence In Parbhani Over Descration Of Constitution Replica

The CM also shared details related to the Parbhani case. On the afternoon of December 10, Fadnavis said one Sopan Pawar desecrated a (glass-enclosed) replica of the Constitution near Babasaheb Ambedkars statue outside Parbhani railway station. Police reached the site where a crowd had gathered and vandalised vehicles, he said.

The collector was asked to reach the spot and defuse tension, the CM said.

The next day, a bandh was called in the city and Parbhani district during which peaceful protests were held. However, 200-300 people resorted to violence and damaged property," the CM said. Police had to use tear gas and lathi charge to control the situation, he said. Some women even entered the collectors office and vandalised it, Fadnavis said.

Police booked 51 persons for arson and arrested 43 of them, while women and children were let off after being given notice, he said.

Sopan Pawar is mentally unstable and has been under treatment since 2012, the CM said. Four doctors checked him and mentioned his mental illness, mood disorder and behavioural issues in their report, Fadnavis said.

There is no conspiracy theory. There was a Sakal Hindu Samaj morcha in the morning that day to highlight atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh and the desecration took place after five hours. Pawar wasnt part of the morcha," he said.

Leaders from all political parties were present. This was not a Hindu versus Dalit case, the CM asserted.

The judicial inquiry into the Parbhani violence will be done to clear all doubts. Ambedkar is not limited to any caste. He belongs to all," said Fadnavis.

About the death of Somnath Suryawanshi after his arrest in connection with the violence, Fadnavis said he told a magistrate that the police did not torture him.

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Medical examination showed there were old injuries on his body and he was suffering from breathlessness. CCTV footage and evidence prove that no force was used on Suryawanshi during his custody, the CM said.

We should introspect if lawlessness should be tolerated. There was a total loss of Rs 1.89 crore due to the damages to vehicles and shops. There were no combing operations (by police). Only those involved in rioting were picked up," he said.

First Published: December 20, 2024, 18:55 IST
Former Haryana CM Om Prakash Chautala Dies At 89; President Murmu, PM Modi Pay Tribute

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Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 16:39 IST

Om Prakash Chautala Passes Away: Former Haryana CM Om Prakash Chautala passed away at the age of 89 on Friday, December 20.

Former Haryana CM and INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala | File Image

Om Prakash Chautala Passes Away: Former Haryana Chief Minister and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) supremo Om Prakash Chautala passed away at the age of 89 at his residence in Gurugram on Friday, December 20.

Chautala, son of Chaudhary Devi Lal, who served as the 6th Deputy Prime Minister of India, served as the Chief Minister of Haryana for a record four terms, starting in December 1989, with his final term between 1999 and 2005.

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Born in January 1935, Chautala remained one of the stalwarts of Indian politics, though his career was also marked by controversies, including a recruitment scam that led to his imprisonment.

He was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment in 2013 for a scam related to the appointment of junior basic teachers in Haryana during 19992000. Chautala holds the record for being the oldest prisoner of the Tihar Jail of Delhi (aged 87), before his release in 2021.

President Murmu, PM Modi Pay Tribute

President Droupadi Murmu on Friday expressed her heartfelt condolences over Chautalas demise and said he had played a crucial role in Haryana politics.

The news of the demise of Haryanas former Chief Minister, Shri Om Prakash Chautala, is saddening. He played an important role in the politics of Haryana in its decades-long public life. I express my heartfelt condolences to his family members and supporters," she said on X.

                                         President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) December 20, 2024

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also paid tribute over the passing of former Haryana CM, praising Chautalas active politics in the state for decades.

I am deeply saddened by the demise of former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala ji. He was active in state politics for many years and constantly tried to carry forward the work of Chaudhary Devi Lal ji. My deepest condolences to his family and supporters in this hour of grief. Om Shanti," PM Modi said in an X post.

                                                     pic.twitter.com/QXh74przOI Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 20, 2024

Tributes Pour In From Leaders

Expressing grief over the demise of INLD supremo, former Haryana CM and senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda called him an elder brother and noted that Chautala was still active in the field of politics.

When Om Prakash ji was the CM, I was the LoPWe had good relations. He served people. He was still active. It didnt feel that he would leave us so soon. He was a good person and like an older brother to me," Hooda said.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also expressed his condolences and noted that Chautala made a significant contribution to the service of Haryana and the country."

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge tweets, 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. In this hour of grief, we express our pic.twitter.com/tWdtf6kC68 ANI (@ANI) December 20, 2024

JD(U) leader KC Tyagi said that Chautalas demise comes as an irreparable loss for lakhs and crores of his supporters. Today, farmers of Haryana have become helpless," he added.

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Location : Haryana, India

First Published: December 20, 2024, 12:24 IST
Human Error Behind 2021 Chopper Crash That Killed CDS Bipin Rawat, His Wife, 11 Others: Report

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Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 07:41 IST

General Bipin Rawat and 12 others died on December 8, 2021, after a military helicopter they were travelling in crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu.

General Bipin Rawat | File Photo/PTI

Three years after the Mi-17V5 helicopter crash that claimed the lives of Indias first Chief of Defence Staff and 12 others, a parliamentary panel report attributed the accident to human error."

General Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat and 11 other armed forces personnel died on December 8, 2021, after a military helicopter they were travelling in crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu.

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In the report tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, the Standing Committee on Defence shared data on the number of Indian Air Force aircraft crashes that occurred during the 13th Defence Plan period.

The total number of crashes stood at 34, including nine IAF aircraft accidents in 2021-22 and 11 in 2018-19. The data in the report also contained a column titled reason" that specified the cause of the accidents in this period, against the aircraft type and date and accident.

The data for the 33rd accident listed in the report mentioned the aircraft as a Mi-17," the date as 08.12.2021," and the reason cited as HE(A)" or human error (aircrew)." The defence ministry informed the Committee that 34 inquiries have been conducted into these accidents during the period.

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The ministry also informed that the recommendations by these Inquiry committees review the process, procedure, training, equipment, culture, operations, maintenance and administration holistically with intent to prevent recurrence of an accident," the report said.

The ministry further informed that all remedial measures stipulated by Chief of the Air Staff remarks are binding and actioned". Most have been actioned while a few are under implementation," it added.

First Published: December 20, 2024, 07:41 IST
'Navy Boat's Driver Zig-Zagged Through Waters, Stunts Led To Tragedy': Mumbai Ferry Survivor

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Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 12:24 IST

As many as 14 people were killed as the navy boat conducting engine trial crashed into a ferry packed with tourists. The survivor has recounted the horror leading up to mishap.

Mumbai ferry accident (PTI Image)

Mumbai Ferry Accident: The driver of the Indian Navy speedboat that crashed into a ferry loaded with tourists off the Mumbai coast on Wednesday was in a playful mood and was showing off" and displaying a stunt", said a survivor who lost his aunt in the mishap.

The survivors recounted their horrific moments leading up to the crash that killed 14 people, including Navy personnel, and left several others injured. The ferry Neel Kamal was en route from the Gateway of India to Elephanta Island, a popular tourist destination near Mumbai, when the accident took place, resulting in the sinking of the boat.

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What Did Survivor Say?

Gautam Gupta, a vegetable vendor from Palghar districts Nalasopara, was on the ferry with his aunt and relatives who had visited Mumbai to attend his wedding last week.

He said that he had taken his aunt for a ferry ride in the sea, but had no idea it would be the last time he would see her.

He also dismissed the Navys claim that the engine failure of the boat that was conducting trial, and said that the driver was seemingly in a playful mood" and zig-zagged" through the water.

He said that several passengers, including himself were recording the videos of the speedboat, which felt like a display".

Stunt Ended In Tragedy: Survivor

Gupta said that the speedboat approached with 5 to 6 people onboard.

The driver was in a playful mood, zig-zagging through the waters. Suddenly, he turned the speedboat and headed directly towards us. He must have thought he could pass by our ferry narrowly, but his stunt ended in tragedy," Gupta said.

He said that he did not understand the gravity of the situation as the boat hit the ferry, however, the ferry began to sink soon.

One occupant from the speedboat was thrown onto our ferry. We assumed our ferry was safe and that no damage had occurred. But soon, the ferry began to sink," he said.

The survivor said that had there been a problem with the navy boats engine, the speedboat would not have moved freely".

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Before the collision, the speedboat driver was moving freely, and the passengers on board appeared calm. If there had been a problem with the boat, they would not have been so relaxed," he said.

(With PTI inputs)

First Published: December 20, 2024, 12:16 IST
'Saw People Burn Inside': Eyewitness Recalls Jaipur Fire Horror, Shares How He Jumped Out Of Window

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Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 15:57 IST

A gas tanker collision on the Jaipur-Ajmer highway triggered a massive fire, killing eight and injuring over 35 people. Eyewitnesses recounted harrowing scenes of flames.

Firefighters douse the fire at the site of the accident after a truck loaded with a chemical collided with some other vehicles and caught fire on the Jaipur-Ajmer Highway (Photo: PTI)

Hours after a deadly collision involving a gas tanker and multiple vehicles killed 11 people on the Jaipur-Ajmer highway, eyewitnesses on Friday reported spotting the flames from nearly a kilometre away as ambulances and fire brigade vehicles rushed towards the crash zone.

According to news agency PTI, a school van driver on his way to pick up students recounted with horror the sight of a man engulfed in flames.

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Speaking to reporters, one of the eyewitnesses said, When we woke up at 5.30 in the morning, we heard a blast. Those who were able to, jumped out of the bus and those who couldnt, were burned there. A whole lane of 100-200 metres was burned."

#WATCH | Bhankrota Fire Accident | Jaipur, Rajasthan | An eyewitness says, When we woke up at 5.30 in the morning, we heard a blast. Those who were able to, they jumped out of the bus and those who couldnt, were burned there. A whole lane of 100-200 metres was burned." pic.twitter.com/yNlU15htzk ANI (@ANI) December 20, 2024

Another one of the survivors said, I and my friend were travelling from Rajsamand to Jaipur when our bus suddenly stopped around 5.30 in the morning and we heard a massive blast."

There was fire everywhere around the bus. The door of the bus was locked so we broke the window and jumped out of the bus. Along with us, around eight more people jumped from the window," he said.

There were continuous blasts one after the other. There was a petrol pump nearby," he added.

#WATCH | Bhankrota Fire Accident | Jaipur, Rajasthan | An eyewitness says, I and my friend were travelling from Rajsamand to JaipurOur bus suddenly stopped around 5.30 in the morning and we heard a massive blast. There was fire everywhere around the busThe door of the bus pic.twitter.com/j31P02mBHP ANI (@ANI) December 20, 2024

The incident turned the entire stretch into an inferno, injuring more than 35 people, and engulfing over 30 vehicles in flames as thick black smoke filled the sky.

An official said a sleeper bus headed for Jaipur from Rajsamand was behind the gas tanker when the accident occurred. Efforts were underway to find the details about the passengers on board.

VIDEO | Rajasthan: A gas tanker caught fire on Ajmer Road in #Jaipur earlier today. Several vehicles were also gutted in fire. More details are awaited.#JaipurNews(Full video available on PTI videos  https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/kIJcm3AQRJ  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 20, 2024

Quoting the police, PTI stated that there were chances that some people could not get out of their vehicles and got burnt inside. The situation will become clear once all the vehicles are thoroughly checked, they said.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma and Health Minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar rushed to the SMS Hospital, where the injured were admitted.

Sharma spoke to administration officials and doctors and issued directions to ensure proper treatment was facilitated. He also visited the accident site and spoke to police officials.

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Meanwhile, the burnt vehicles were being removed from the highway so that traffic movement could be resumed.

The Jaipur Police also issued helpline numbers 9166347551, 8764688431 and 7300363636 for people to get in touch for inquiries or relevant information.

First Published: December 20, 2024, 14:10 IST
'You Neglected Dalits': JD(U) Hits Back At Kejriwal's Letter To Nitish Kumar On Ambedkar Row

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Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 17:41 IST

Following a massive controversy over Amit Shah's remarks on Ambedkar, Kejriwal wrote a letter to BJP allies Nitish Kumar and N Chandrababu Naidu, asking them to "reflect deeply" on the comments.

JDU chief Sanjay Kumar Jha responded to Kejriwal's letter to Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, accusing the latter of neglecting Dalits. (X/PTI)

After AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal wrote a letter to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar asking him to deeply reflect" on Union Home Minister Amit Shahs remarks on Dr BR Ambedkar in the Parliament, the Janata Dal (United) responded fiercely in defence of Shah, accusing Congress of insulting the architect of the Constitution.

Responding to Kejriwals letter, JD(U) chief Sanjay Kumar Jha said, I can understand your actual pain. Your pain is that the leader of your opposition alliance Rahul Gandhi, his party and his familys actions were being exposed What Congress did with Babasaheb Ambedkar was being exposed to the public."

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In a strongly-worded response to Kejriwals letter, Jha said Rahul Gandhi and the Congress dont want the truth to be exposed and highlighted how Nitish Kumars government had worked for Dalits and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) by following the footsteps of Ambedkar. He also slammed Kejriwal for neglecting Dalits and backtracking on promises.

The Congress was in power in Bihar till 1990 and enjoyed its fruits later till 2005 in alliance with the RJD but it was Nitish Kumar who gave reservation to Dalits and extremely backward classes in local bodies, he said. For your alliance and their leaders, OBCs are only a pathway to gain political power. When it comes to their inclusion, the actual mal-intentions of you, your alliance partners and Rahul Gandhi becomes apparent."

Jha also said that Punjab has a large OBC population, yet Kejriwal chose a loyalist for the Chief Ministers post and backtracked from his promise of appointing a Dalit deputy CM. He also questioned why Kejriwal did not name a Dalit or OBC CM for Delhi when he was released from Tihar jail in the excise policy-linked money laundering scam.

I urge you to shun your prejudices and think positively about the progress of the country. The constitution of this country is very strong," he added.

Kejriwals Letter To Bihar and Andhra CMs

A massive controversy followed Union Home Minister Amit Shahs remarks in the Parliament on Tuesday, which led to a standoff between the BJP-led NDA and the Congress-led opposition in the House Complex yesterday, resulting in two BJP MPs getting injured.

The Congress has demanded Shahs resignation and apology for insulting" Dr BR Ambedkar and staged protests with posters and portraits of Indias first law minister in the parliament premises. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and top BJP leaders say Congress has historically insulted Ambedkar and is creating a fake narrative around Shahs speech.

Arvind Kejriwal wrote to Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and Andhra CM N Chandrababu Naidu, both allies of the ruling BJP-led government, asking them to ponder deeply over Shahs remarks on Ambedkar. He said the remarks were not only disrespectful" but also revealed the BJPs perspective towards him and the Constitution.

                                      pic.twitter.com/YLd7lXrqmn  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) December 19, 2024

The statement made by Shah in Parliament regarding Babasaheb has left the entire nation stunned. His remark that chanting Ambedkar-Ambedkar has become a fashion these days is not only disrespectful but also reveals the BJPs perspective towards Babasaheb and our Constitution," Kejriwal wrote.

Kejriwal Has No Right: JDUs Lalan Singh

JD(U) leaders strongly defended Shah, saying he only exposed the Congress insult of Ambedkar. Union Minister Lalan Singh said Kejriwal had no right to question Nitish Kumar and took a dig at his incarceration in jail in a corruption case after entering politics through an anti-corruption movement.

A corrupt person has no right to offer advice to Nitish Kumar who was a Union minister and is now chief minister for so many years and still can not be accused of any misconduct," Singh said, highlighting how Kejriwal rode on the Anna Hazare wave then later dumped him.

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Meanwhile, the Delhi Police on Thursday registered an FIR against Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi accusing him of physically assaulting two BJP MPs during a clash in the Parliament premises. The complaint was filed on the basis of the complaint filed by BJP MPs Hemang Joshi, Anurag Thakur and Bansuri Swaraj.

(with agency inputs)

First Published: December 20, 2024, 17:37 IST
Kerala Lottery Results 20.12.2024: Nirmal NR-411 Winners Announced; Full List Here!

Published By :

Trending Desk

Last Updated: December 24, 2024, 09:08 IST

Kerala Lottery Results: Here's FULL LIST of winning numbers for Nirmal NR-411 lucky draw for Friday, December 20.

Kerala Lottery Nirmal NR-411 Results: The first prize winner of Nirmal NR-411 will get Rs 70 lakh. (Image: Shutterstock)

KERALA LOTTERY NIRMAL NR-411 RESULT ON FRIDAY, 20.12.2024, LIVE UPDATES: The Kerala State Lottery Department has announced the winners of the Nirmal NR-411 lucky draw for Friday, December 20. The winner of the first prize will get Rs 70 lakh, while the second and third prize winners will receive Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1 lakh respectively. Check the Full List of Winning Numbers below.

ALSO READ: Kerala Lottery Results Today: Sthree Sakthi SS-447 WINNERS for December 24, 2024; First Prize Rs 75 Lakh!

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NIRMAL NR-411 LOTTERY: WINNING NUMBERS

WINNING NUMBER FOR 1ST PRIZE OF RS 70 LAKH IS NT 654969

WINNING NUMBER FOR 2ND PRIZE OF RS 10 LAKH NX 168030

WINNING NUMBER FOR 3RD PRIZE OF RS 1 LAKH ARE

NN 840953

NO 790442

NP 383634

NR 964527

NS 384212

NT 955711

NU 995713

NV 827941

NW 766768

NX 138947

NY 928542

NZ 451179

WINNING NUMBERS FOR CONSOLATION PRIZE OF RS 8,000 ARE

NN 654969

NO 654969

NP 654969

NR 654969

NS 654969

NU 654969

NV 654969

NW 654969

NX 654969

NY 654969

NZ 654969

WINNING NUMBERS FOR 4TH PRIZE OF RS 5,000 ARE

0248 0484 0537 1946 2078 3841 3979 4225 4352 4918 6000 6324 6801 7091 8046 8919 9054 9671

WINNING NUMBERS FOR 5TH PRIZE OF RS 1,000 ARE

0585 0787 1126 1293 1464 1734 2275 2757 2969 3097 3152 3535 3847 4036 4060 4736 4755 5017 5178 5301 5383 5584 5624 5713 6028 6134 7094 7701 7910 8291 8340 8575 8799 9286 9709 9743

WINNING NUMBERS FOR 6TH PRIZE OF RS 500 ARE

0327 0368 0557 0625 1002 1255 1344 1427 1445 1622 1842 1969 2441 2459 2477 2483 2507 2524 2526 2587 2604 2621 2886 3333 3370 3475 3537 3870 4009 4127 4150 4539 4623 4666 4699 4822 4997 5044 5057 5241 5294 5475 5502 5628 5653 5720 5755 6310 6314 6318 6339 6462 6481 6664 6775 6913 7027 7282 7317 7410 7614 7764 7957 8045 8094 8097 8403 8422 8810 8880 8979 9021 9046 9138 9195 9534 9670 9763 9792

WINNING NUMBERS FOR 7TH PRIZE OF RS 100 ARE

0019 0105 0130 0288 0332 0436 0571 0771 0903 0930 1019 1100 1187 1247 1415 1513 1530 1531 1542 1546 1551 1603 1626 1642 1797 1815 1825 1926 2091 2118 2190 2300 2352 2482 2510 2612 2626 2804 2873 2948 2989 3003 3103 3192 3277 3357 3493 3576 3594 3700 3746 3901 3944 3950 3989 4254 4262 4324 4351 4447 4558 4625 4671 4830 5056 5172 5203 5292 5309 5437 5611 5650 5664 5766 5997 6051 6063 6164 6327 6542 6565 6571 6573 6779 6853 6873 6966 6995 7096 7107 7108 7360 7361 7546 7672 7760 7907 7909 7973 8175 8215 8290 8297 8463 8469 8473 8712 8744 8795 8992 9027 9044 9118 9181 9344 9359 9584 9776 9810 9817 9835 9879

NIRMAL NR-411 LOTTERY: PRIZE STRUCTURE

1st Prize: Rs 70 Lakh

2nd Prize: Rs 10 Lakh

3rd Prize: Rs 1 Lakh

4th Prize: Rs 5,000

5th Prize: Rs 1,000

6th Prize: Rs 500

7th Prize: Rs 100

Consolation Prize: Rs 8,000

HOW TO CHECK KERALA NIRMAL NR-411 LOTTERY RESULTS?

Check the official Kerala Lottery Department website at www.keralalottery.info to view the results for the Nirmal NR-411 lottery. Alternatively, you can verify ticket numbers at the Kerala Government Gazette office.

HOW TO CLAIM THE PRIZE MONEY?

To find out if youve won the Nirmal Lottery NR-411, follow these procedures:

Refer to the results released in the Kerala Government Gazette and check your ticket number. If your ticket number corresponds with the published results, you may be eligible for a prize. Winners have a period of 30 days from the announcement to claim their prizes at the Kerala Lottery Office located in Thiruvananthapuram. In order to collect their winnings, winners must present their winning tickets along with any necessary identification for verification.

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED TO CLAIM PRIZE MONEY?

A copy of the winning ticket is required, displaying both sides along with a self-certification. A Gazette officials signature is needed on passport-sized photographs. Provide a photocopy of the participants signed PAN card. Complete the online award money receipt form and affix a revenue stamp before submission. Identification documents, such as voter ID, ration cards, Aadhaar cards, and PAN cards, must be submitted.

HOW TO DOWNLOAD A PDF WITH A FULL LIST OF WINNING NUMBERS?

Visit the official site of the Kerala Lottery Department at www.keralalotteries.info or keralalotteryresult.net.

Click on the link for the Nirmal Lottery NR-411 Result.

The winning numbers will be shown in the results.

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Find the download link available on the website.

Hit the link to view the lottery results in PDF format.

Location : Thiruvananthapuram [Trivandrum], India

First Published: December 20, 2024, 09:00 IST
Maharashtra: 5 Killed, Many Injured As Passenger Bus Overturns Near Mountain Pass In Raigad District

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 13:27 IST

As many as five persons were killed and many others suffered severe injuries after a passenger bus overturned near a mountain pass in the Raigad district

5 individuals were and many others suffered severe injuries as passenger bus overturned in Maharashtra's Raigad | Image/CNN-News18

As many as five persons were killed and many others suffered severe injuries after a passenger bus overturned near a mountain pass in the Raigad district of Maharashtra on Friday, said officials.

Acting on the complaint, the district police rushed to the scene to rescue the passengers and rushed them to a nearby hospital. Officials said that the incident occurred near Tamhini Ghat, a mountain passage located between Mulshi and Tamhini in Maharashtra

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The district police said that the incident occurred at 9:30 am when the driver lost control of the bus, travelling from Punes Lohegaon to Birwadi in Mahad.

Two men and three women succumbed. Twenty-seven others who sustained injuries were rushed to Mangaon Rural Hospital where they are undergoing treatment," Somnath Gharge, Superintendent of Police, Raigad, said.

The police said they will file a case against the bus driver who has been accused of negligence while driving a passenger bus which killed five persons. An investigation into the matter has been launched.

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Location : Maharashtra, India

First Published: December 20, 2024, 13:06 IST
Mumbai Cops Ask Navy Who Allowed Boat Trial On Busy Maritime Route As 14 Die In Accident

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 10:58 IST

As many as 14 people were killed after a navy boat conducting trial crashed with a ferry in the Arabian Sea.

The Neelkamal ferry was on way to Elephanta Islands, a popular tourist destination near Mumbai, when the speed boat crashed into it around 4 pm. (Image: PTI)

Mumbai Ferry Tragedy: The Colaba Police in Mumbai have written to the Indian Navy, questioning why the boat trial was being conducted on a busy maritime route where it struck a ferry, causing 14 deaths. The police also asked who gave them permission for a trial run in the area.

The Colaba Police have also written to the Maharashtra Maritime Board, seeking detailed information about the Arabian Sea accident that took place this week, killing 14 and leaving several others injured.

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The Indian Navy boat was conducting a trial when it lost control and rammed into a ferry boat en route to Elephanta Island, a popular tourist destination near Mumbai.

According to reports, the ferry boat was overloaded, and the police are also investigating this claim, besides also probing the claims that the naval boat had a throttle problem, causing it to lose control.

Navy Orders Inquiry Into Accident

On Thursday, the Indian Navy set up a Board of Inquiry to investigate the accident.

The authorities have also mandated life jackets for all passengers on the boats at the Gateway of India.

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The death toll from the accident climbed to 14 on Thursday after the body of one of the two missing passengers was recovered. Efforts are ongoing to locate a seven-year-old boy who remains unaccounted for.

Out of the 113 people aboard the two vessels, 98 were rescued, including two who sustained injuries. Among the six individuals on the Navy craft, only two survived.

First Published: December 20, 2024, 09:25 IST
'Open New Chapter In Bilateral Ties': MEA On PM Modi's Visit To Kuwait

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 17:10 IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day visit to Kuwait beginning Saturday will help in opening a new chapter in bilateral ties, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi (Image: PTI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modis two-day visit to Kuwait beginning Saturday will help in opening a new chapter in bilateral ties, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday.

The visit would help develop a more dynamic partnership between the two countries, it said.

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The MEA said India was looking at boosting ties in a range of areas including defence and trade.

Modi is paying the visit at the invitation of Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, it said.

During the visit, Modi will hold discussions with the leadership of Kuwait and also interact with the Indian community.

The last Indian prime minister to visit Kuwait was Indira Gandhi in 1981.

India is among the top trading partners of Kuwait. The Indian community is the largest expatriate community in Kuwait.

Kuwait is among Indias top trading partners, with bilateral trade valued at USD 10.47 billion in the financial year 2023-24.

Kuwait is Indias sixth largest crude supplier, meeting 3 per cent of the countrys energy needs.

Indian exports to Kuwait reached USD 2 billion for the first time, while investments by the Kuwait Investment Authority in India exceed USD 10 billion.

India and Kuwait have enjoyed traditionally friendly relations, with links dating back to pre-oil Kuwait when maritime trade with India was the backbone of its economy.

Kuwaits economy revolved around its fine harbour and maritime activities which included ship building, pearl diving, fishing and voyages to India on wooden dhows carrying dates, Arabian horses and pearls that were traded for wood, cereals, clothes and spices, according to people tracking the ties between the two nations.

The Indian Rupee remained legal tender in Kuwait until 1961, a symbol of the enduring economic and cultural ties.

Diplomatic relations between the two countries were formally established in 1961, with India initially represented by a trade commissioner.

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Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Jabar Al Sabah came on a private visit to India in July 2017.

The last high-level visit from either side was that of the prime minister of Kuwait to India in 2013.

First Published: December 20, 2024, 17:10 IST
Parliament Scuffle: Delhi Police Transfer BJP's FIR Against Rahul Gandhi To Crime Branch

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 20:52 IST

BJP and Congress-led MPs engaged in a bitter standoff in the Parliament on Thursday amid a row over Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks on Dr BR Ambedkar.

Two BJP MPs were hurt during the bitter standoff as the party blamed Rahul Gandhi for pushing its leaders. (PTI)

BJP-Congress standoff in Parliament: Delhi Police have transferred the FIR filed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to the Crime Branch. The Crime Branch will now investigate this case," an officer said.

A large number of MPs from the BJP-led NDA and Congress-led opposition engaged in a bitter showdown at the Makar Dwar of the Parliament on Thursday over Union Home Minister Amit Shahs remarks on Dr BR Ambedkar, with both sides holding protests and counter-protests while trading accusations of insulting the architect of the Constitution.

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Two BJP MPs  Pratap Chandra Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput  were hospitalised after they reportedly suffered head injuries after a scuffle erupted between the BJP and Congress leaders. The BJP accused Rahul Gandhi of physical assault and incitement" by pushing one of their MPs. A case was filed based on the complaint filed by BJP MPs Hemang Joshi, Anurag Thakur and Bansuri Swaraj.

The Congress, in turn, also alleged that the BJP MPs tried to stop their MPs, which also included women MPs, from protesting against Shahs remarks on Dr BR Ambedkar in Rajya Sabha. Rahul Gandhi later claimed that the BJP MPs tried to stop him from entering the Parliament and pushed him and threatened him.

No FIR Registered On Congress Complaint

The Congress filed a counter-complaint at Parliament Street Police Station alleging BJP leaders misbehaved with its chief Mallikarjun Kharge, according to an officer. A delegation of Congress MPs, including Digvijaya Singh, Mukul Wasnik, Rajiv Shukla and Pramod Tiwari, filed the complaint after visiting the station in person.

However, no FIR has been registered based on the complaint filed by Congress, while the FIR based on BJPs complaint has been officially transferred to the Crime Branch. The Congress claimed BJP MPs pushed its chief Mallikarjun Kharge and physically manhandled" the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

The Congress had staged a massive protest demanding Amit Shahs resignation and unconditional apology for allegedly insulting" Ambedkar in his fiery speech during the Constitution debate in Rajya Sabha.

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We were peacefully going to Parliament House from Ambedkars statue. BJP MPs did not let us go inside. The reality is that they have insulted Dr BR Ambedkar. The main issue they want to erase is that there is a case against Narendra Modis friend Adani in the United States," said Rahul Gandhi in a press conference.

Kharge has also written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to order an inquiry into the BJP MPs pushing" him, saying it was an assault not just on him but on the Rajya Sabha LoP and the Congress president.

First Published: December 20, 2024, 20:30 IST
Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 15:33 IST

Parliament Winter Session Updates: The ongoing winter session of the Parliament concluded today with both the ruling and the opposition parties clashing over Union Home Minister Amit Shahs remark on Dr BR Ambedkar.

The opposition marched from the Vijay Chowk to the Parliament, while the BJP staged a protest at the Gandhi statue today, which comes after dramatic scenes unfolded on Thursday.

Two BJP MPs were hospitalised after they reportedly suffered head injuries during a clash with opposition party leaders. A case has been filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of physical assault and incitement during a scuffle in the Parliament premises.

The Ambedkar row erupted after Shahs remark in the Rajya Sabha on the last day of the Constitution debate. It has become a fashion to say Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar. If they took Gods name so many times, they would have got a place in heaven, Shah said.

The remarks quickly escalated a protest by the opposition front, who described it as an insult to the maker of the Constitution. The BJP countered, saying that the opposition tweaked Shahs remark to disrupt the Parliament proceedings.
Parliament Adjourned Sine Die, 'One Nation, One Election' Bills Referred to Joint Committee

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 14:22 IST

Parliament was adjourned sine die after the Opposition protested over Amit Shah's remarks on Ambedkar. The 'One Nation, One Election' bills were also referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee.

View of the Lok Sabha during the Winter session of Parliament (Photo;PTI)

Both Houses of the Parliament were adjourned sine die on Friday following a ruckus on the premises after protests by MPs of the Opposition bloc over various issues, including Union Home Minister Amit Shahs remarks on BR Ambedkar.

Before being adjourned, the Lok Sabha on Friday also referred the two bills on One Nation, One Election to a joint committee of Parliament.

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MEMBERS FOR JPC ON ONE NATION ONE ELECTION

The 12 Rajya Sabha MPs, as members for the Joint Parliamentary Committee would include Ghanshyam Tiwari, Bhubaneswar Kalita, K Laxman, Kavita Patidar, Sanjay Kumar Jha, Randeep Singh Surjewala, Mukul Balkrishna Wasnik, Saket Gokhale, P Wilson, Sanjay Singh, Manas Ranjan Mangaraj and V Vijayasai Reddy.

The 27 members from Lok Sabha were nominated to the JPC earlier this week.

The Committee will submit its report to Lok Sabha by the first day of the last week of the next session.

RUCKUS IN LOK SABHA

As the House met, Opposition members raised slogans hailing Ambedkar and slammed Amit Shah.

Instead of taking up the Question Hour, Speaker Om Birla asked Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal to move the resolution to refer the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024 referred to Joint Committee of Parliament comprising 27 members from the Lok Sabha and 12 from the Rajya Sabha.

The resolution was adopted by a voice vote amid noisy scenes.

Slogans of Jai Bhim reverberated in the House as the Speaker read out directions barring demonstrations and protests at the gates of Parliament.

As the protests continued, the Speaker adjourned the House sine die.

Even before the House proceedings began, Congress members raised slogans Jai Bheem, Jai Jai Bheem.

Amid the slogans by the Opposition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi entered the Lok Sabha chamber.

As Meghwal moved the resolution, Congress members led by Manickam Tagore stormed the Well raising slogans.

Protesting Opposition members remained in the Well as Vande Mataram was played as per convention at the end of the Parliament session.

Except for the Trinamool Congress, most of the Opposition party members, including DMK and NCP, joined the protest from their seats.

Congress member Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was also present in the House.

The Lok Sabha was then adjourned sine die (indefinitely), bringing to an end the Winter session which began on November 25.

LOK SABHA SPEAKER WARNS OF ACTION OVER PROTESTS

On Friday, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla warned members of action if any of them resorted to demonstrations and protests within the premises of Parliament.

Do not resort to demonstration or protest at any gate or anywhere in Parliament premises. Else, the House will have to take serious action," Birla said in the House on Friday.

It is not proper to hold any kind of protests or demonstration at any of the gates of Parliament. You will have to follow the rules in this regard. I urge you once again to take this warning seriously," Birla said in the House.

RUCKUS IN RAJYA SABHA

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned sine die on Friday after the House adopted a motion to nominate 12 members to the joint committee of Parliament on simultaneous polls.

When the House met this morning, it witnessed protests by Opposition members and was adjourned amid the din.

The Chairman also held a meeting with Leader of the House JP Nadda and Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge besides leaders of various opposition parties in a bid to end the impasse in the House.

When the House again met at 12 noon, the Chairman asked Arjun Ram Meghwal to move a motion for nominating members of the upper house to the joint committee of Parliament to examine the bills related to one nation, one election.

The motion was adopted with a voice vote to nominate 12 members of the Rajya Sabha to the joint committee on simultaneous polls.

The Chairman then made his concluding remarks, saying this sessions productivity stood at a mere 40.03 per cent with just 43 hours and 27 minutes of effective functioning.

As Parliamentarians, we are drawing severe criticism from the people of India and rightfully so. These persistent disruptions are steadily eroding public trust in our democratic institutions," he noted.

It is time to choose between meaningful debate and destructive disruptions," he said before adjourning the House sine die.

ONE NATION, ONE ELECTION BILLS

The two One Nation, One Election (ONOE) bills, including one requiring an amendment in the Constitution, lay down the mechanism to hold simultaneous elections and were introduced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday after a fiery debate.

BJP MP Bhartruhari Mahtab is being considered to head the joint committee of Parliament that will scrutinise the two bills proposing simultaneous elections, sources said on Thursday.

With the BJP set to get the position of the chair for the crucial panel, official sources said Mahtabs parliamentary experience may weigh in his favour.

The strength of the committee was increased from 31 MPs to 39, giving representation to more parties.

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While the panel already includes BJPs PP Chaudhury and Anurag Thakur, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra of the Congress is another prominent member on the committee.

Among the Lok Sabha members, 17 are from the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, including 12 from the BJP.

First Published: December 20, 2024, 12:44 IST
PM's Kuwait Visit: 'Hala Modi' Mega Diaspora Event To Have 5,000 Attendees, Bilateral Ties To Get Big Boost

Reported By :

CNN-News18

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 19:10 IST

PM Modi will review with the leadership of Kuwait the entire spectrum of bilateral relations, including areas such as politics, trade, investment, energy, culture, and people-to-people ties, and the steps that both sides need to take to further enhance them during the two-day visit from... Read More

The Hala Modi event will be held at Sheikh Saad Al Abdullah Stadium in Kuwait. Image/News18

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a two-day visit to Kuwait from Saturday in what will be the first trip to the Gulf nation by an Indian prime minister in 43 years. The ministry of external affairs (MEA) said the visit will provide an opportunity to further strengthen the multifaceted" ties between India and Kuwait. The stage is also set for the Hala Modi mega diaspora event, with around 5,000 people expected to participate.

PM Modi is paying the visit at the invitation of Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the ministry said.

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Arun Kumar Chatterjee, secretary of the ministry of external affairs, stressed the strong bilateral ties, hailing excellent political relations" between the two countries. PM Modi would receive a ceremonial guard of honour at the Bayan Palace, followed by meetings with Kuwaits leadership, he said.

During discussions, PM Modi will review with the leadership of Kuwait the entire spectrum of bilateral relations, including areas such as politics, trade, investment, energy, culture, and people-to-people ties, and the steps that both sides need to take to further enhance them, said Chatterjee. The Crown Prince will be hosting a banquet in honour of the Prime Minister, he added.

The visit, he said, will not only consolidate the partnership in existing spheres but also unveil new avenues for future cooperation, reinforce shared values and build a stronger and more dynamic partnership for the future. It is also expected to boost the ties between India and the Gulf Cooperation Council, he added.

Highlighting PM Modis visit to a labour camp in Kuwait, Chatterjee stated, The government of India attaches considerable importance to the welfare of all workers which are abroad. We have a community of around one million in KuwaitThe idea of the visit to the labour camp is to express the amount of importance the government of India attaches to our workers who are working in a foreign country."

As far as the Kafala system is concerned, there is a mechanism called consular dialogue, he said. We have a mechanism for labour and manpower dialogue. Under this, all concerns are flagged. The Kuwaiti side does try to address all difficulties," Chatterjee added.

The Kafala system is a set of laws and policies that delegate responsibility for migrant workers to employers, including control over their ability to enter, reside, work, and, in some cases, exit the host country.

Binoy Sebastian, part of the organising committee for the Hala Modi event, also spoke to CNN-News18 from the venue, Sheikh Saad Al Abdullah Stadium in Kuwait.

We are very excited because the last visit happened when Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister. This visit is important as Kuwait is a chair of the GCC," he said. We had to take leaves from offices for the preparationsWe are excited to meet Modi ji. This event will witness a lot of cultural events also. PM Modi holds a special place in our hearts."

India and Kuwait share a historic and dynamic relationship that spans decades, rooted in shared history, robust trade, vibrant cultural connections, and mutual support during challenging times. This year marks a historic milestone, as the first state visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Kuwait in 43 years underscores the growing significance of this partnership.

Historical ties

India and Kuwait have enjoyed traditionally friendly relations, with links dating back to pre-oil Kuwait when maritime trade with India was the backbone of its economy.

Kuwaits economy revolved around its fine harbour and maritime activities, which included shipbuilding, pearl diving, fishing, and voyages to India on wooden dhows carrying dates, Arabian horses, and pearls that were traded for wood, cereals, clothes, and spices.

The Indian rupee remained legal tender in Kuwait until 1961, a symbol of the enduring economic and cultural ties.

Political relations

Diplomatic relations were formally established in 1961, with India initially represented by a trade commissioner. Over the years, there have been several high-level visits between the two nations, including those of Indian leaders such as Vice President Dr Zakir Husain (1965), Prime Minister Indira Gandhi (1981) and Vice President Hamid Ansari (2009). The VVIP visits from Kuwait to India were of Crown Prince and Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah (1964), Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (1980) and again in 1983 (for the NAM Summit), Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (2006), and Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah (2013). Amir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Jabar Al Sabah came to India on a private visit in July 2017. The last high-level visit from either side was that of the Prime Minister of Kuwait to India in 2013.

Recent high-level meetings include PM Modi and Kuwaits Crown Prince on the sidelines of UNGA in September 2024. In 2024, the foreign ministerial visits from India to Kuwait include that of Dr S Jaishankar on August 18, 2024. Similarly, the foreign ministerial visits from Kuwait to India include those of Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya, minister of foreign affairs, on December 3-4, 2024. He also called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi during this visit and extended the Kuwaiti leaderships invitation to visit there. Both FMs also met on the sidelines of the 1st India-GCC Strategic Dialogue Committee meeting in Riyadh on September 9, 2024.

Bilateral mechanisms

India and Kuwait have institutionalised their cooperation through mechanisms such as the Joint Commission for Cooperation (JCC), which was established during the visit of the Kuwaiti foreign minister to India in December 2024, which is headed at the foreign minister level. Seven new Joint Working Groups (JWGs) have been established in the areas of trade, investment, education, technology, agriculture, security, and culture. These complement the three existing JWGs in hydrocarbons, health, and consular matters, bringing the total number of JWGs to 10 following the signing of the JCC.

Six rounds of Foreign Office Consultations (FOCs) have been held, with the latest taking place in July 2024. Additionally, 26 agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) have been signed under this framework.

Economic relations

Kuwait is among Indias top trading partners, with bilateral trade valued at USD 10.47 billion in FY 2023-24.

Kuwait is Indias 6th largest crude supplier, meeting 3% of the countrys energy needs.

Indian exports to Kuwait reached USD 2 billion for the first time, while investments by the Kuwait Investment Authority in India exceed USD 10 billion.

Cultural and educational ties

Cultural connections thrive, with Indian music, films, and cuisine being widely popular in Kuwait. Events such as the Festival of India in Kuwait held in March 2023 and the launch of a weekly Hindi radio programme on Kuwaits national radio in April 2024 highlight the cultural synergy.

Education is another vital area, with 26 CBSE-affiliated schools serving over 60,000 students, predominantly Indians, and the establishment of a Hindi Chair at the Gulf University for Science and Technology in September 2024 signifies the strengthening of the cultural connect between India and Kuwait.

Community and manpower cooperation

Indians form the largest expatriate community in Kuwait, around 1 million, which is present across various sectors, contributing immensely and serving as a living bridge" between the two countries.

The mobility in the manpower sector is facilitated by bilateral agreements like the MoU on the recruitment of domestic workers (2021).

Over 200 Indian associations actively organise socio-cultural and humanitarian initiatives, further strengthening the bonds between the two nations.

Cooperation during crises

During the Covid-19 pandemic, India and Kuwait stood by each other.

India sent medical teams to Kuwait, while Kuwait supplied over 425 metric tons of liquid medical oxygen and 12,500 oxygen cylinders to India during its second wave.

Energy and science cooperation

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Kuwait remains a reliable energy partner, ranking as Indias sixth-largest supplier of crude oil and fourth-largest of LPG. Regular meetings of the Joint Working Group on Hydrocarbons ensure a stable and forward-looking energy partnership. Scientific collaboration includes agreements with the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) and Indian agricultural research institutions, Department of Science and Technology, etc.

This visit marks a new chapter in the India-Kuwait partnership and promises to unlock new opportunities for both nations.

First Published: December 20, 2024, 19:06 IST
Rs 1.91 Crore Penalty Slapped On Sambhal MP Zia Ur Rehman Barq Over Power Theft

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 09:26 IST

The Sambhal police had earlier booked Barq for allegedly instigating protesters during the violent clashes in Sambhal on November 24.

Samajwadi Party's Sambhal MP Ziaur Rahman Barq | File Photo/PTI

Samajwadi Partys Sambhal MP Zia Ur Rehman Barq, who was booked for power theft, has been issued a penalty of Rs 1.91 crore by the electricity department for allegedly tampering with two electricity meters, said sources on Friday.

The Sambhal police had earlier booked Barq for allegedly instigating protesters during the violent clashes in Sambhal on November 24 that broke out during a court-ordered survey of Shahi Jama Masjid.

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The Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) on Thursday morning booked the Samajwadi Party lawmaker after conducting searches at his Sambhal residence. They found an illegal power supply at his residence in the Deepa Sarai locality and also snapped the electricity supply to his house.

The district authorities said that the MP has been booked under Section 135 of the Indian Electricity Act, 1948, for power theft. They alleged that they found only two 2-kilowatt capacity electricity meters, whereas his three-storey house would require at least 8 to 10 kilowatts to run its appliances.

We have removed both meters and served a notice to the MP," Santosh Tripathi, Sub Divisional Officer (SDO), Sambhal, said.

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The state electricity department officials also found heavy electrical appliances, including 50 LED bulbs, a deep freezer, three split ACs, 2 fridges, a coffee maker, a geyser, and a microwave oven, at the MPs residence, which were estimated to have a load of 16,480 kW. It was also found that the electricity bill at the MPs residence has been zero for the last six months.

According to reports, the MPs father, Mamluk Ur Rehman, threatened the State Electricity Department officials when they arrived for investigation. A case was also registered against Barqs father for obstructing government work.

Location : Sambhal, India

First Published: December 20, 2024, 09:24 IST
Sanatan Dharma Is 'National Religion' Of India: Yogi Adityanath

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 22:51 IST

Reflecting on the historical attacks on sacred temples, he said that the clans of those who desecrated these holy sites have met their downfall.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath (Photo: ANI)

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday asserted the "Sanatan Dharma is the national religion of India", and said that it is the collective responsibility of every citizen to protect it.

Adityanath participated in the Ashtottarshat 108 Shrimad Bhagwat Paath and Panch Narayan Mahayagya held at Asharfi Bhawan Ashram in Ayodhya. As part of the Mahayagya, the UP CM offered oblations amidst Vedic chants, praying for the happiness, peace, and prosperity of the people of Uttar Pradesh, the UP government said in a statement.

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Addressing the gathering, the UP Chief Minister said, "The Sanatan Dharma is the national religion of India, and it is the collective responsibility of every citizen to protect it." He highlighted how religion and culture foster positivity and peace in the society.

Reflecting on the historical attacks on sacred temples, he said that the clans of those who desecrated these holy sites have met their downfall.

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Citing an example, he said, "Today, the descendants of (Mughal ruler) Aurangzeb are driving rickshaws. Their plight is the result of their destructive actions. Had they upheld righteousness and refrained from demolishing temples, would they be in such a state?" The UP chief minister emphasised the need to learn from the mistakes of the past that led India into the shackles of slavery and resulted in the desecration of its sacred sites.

He urged all Indians to unite in protecting and preserving Sanatan Dharma, asserting that respecting this eternal religion is essential for safeguarding humanity.

Location : Ayodhya, India

First Published: December 20, 2024, 22:51 IST
'Punjab Govt Would Be Responsible': Supreme Court's Direction On Farmer Leader Jagjit Dallewal's Health

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 16:31 IST

Farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, 70, reportedly lost consciousness days after his indefinite hunger strike to pressure the Centre to accept the demands of agitating farmers.

Jagjit Singh Dallewal had been protesting for farmers' rights for weeks now and his health has deteriorated sharply after his hunger strike. (PTI/File)

The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Punjab government to take proper measures to ensure that no harm is caused to fasting farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, whose health has rapidly deteriorated to a critical condition in the last 24 hours.

An SC bench led by Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan directed Dallewal to be shifted to a makeshift hospital where his health could be monitored round-the-clock. The bench asked Punjabs Advocate General Gurminder Singh to file an undertaking in regard to the shifting of the 70-year-old farmer leader to the hospital.

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This came after doctors said that Dallewal, whose hunger strike-till-death entered the 24th day on Thursday, lost consciousness and fainted for 8-10 minutes, describing his condition as critical. The medical professionals also said he was at risk of cardiac arrest and multiple organ failure.

The Supreme Court had rapped the Punjab government on Thursday for not doing enough on Dallewals health and said he should be given urgent medical aid. Dallewal, a cancer patient, has been on an indefinite hunger strike at the Khanauri border since November 26 between Punjab and Haryana to press the Centre to accept the demands of the agitating farmers.

Punjab Govt Responsible For Dallewals Health: SC

The court said the Punjab government would be responsible for Dallewals health and asked the governments of both Punjab and Haryana to take a call on further steps to improve his health. The bench also referred to Dallewals medical reports along with blood sample and ECG tests, which said his health was deteriorating day by day.

As per doctors, he requires hospitalisation. Its the responsibility of State of Punjab to ensure the stable health condition of Dallewal, for which if he requires hospitalisation, the authorities will take a call if he can be shifted to the make-shift hospital said to have been set-up at some distance from the protest site or otherwise," the apex court said in its order. The matter will be taken up again on January 2.

As the court told the Punjab government to convince the farmer leader to seek medical aid, Gurminder Singh told the bench on Thursday that the farmer leader had cooperated and undergone several tests. He said Dallewals health condition appeared to be stable as of now.

Doctors on Thursday said Dallewal has not eaten anything for the last 24 days. Because of that, he is critical and he is at the risk of cardiac arrest and multi-organ failure. We are monitoring him every day," said doctor Abhiraj, who is part of a team of doctors from 5 Rivers Heart Association, an NGO.

His blood pressure dropped today. We raised his legs and gave a massage. But his situation is very sensitive. His life is hanging by a thread right now," said the doctor, adding that anything can happen at any time." Another doctor said Dallewal felt dizzy, fell down, vomited and fainted while going to the washroom to take a bath.

Political Leaders Check On Dallewal

Meanwhile, political leaders including Haryana Congress MPs Deepender Hooda, Jaiprakash, Satpal Brahmachari, Varun Chaudhary, MLAs Ashok Arora, Ramkaran Kala, Naresh Selwal Induraj Narwala and Jassi Petwar, inquired about the health of Dallewal.

The government should immediately accept the farmers demand for MSP guarantee and end Dallewal jis hunger strike. The government should give up its rigid stand, and immediately implement the agreement reached between the government and farmer organisations on 9 December 2021 after the farmers movement," said Deepender Hooda.

Farmers under the banner of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha have been camping at Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13 after their march to Delhi was stopped by the security forces.

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The farmers march towards Delhi from the Shambhu border was disrupted as the security forces used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the Jathha of farmers. Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher claimed that 17 farmers were injured in the incident while also claiming that several farmers were in serious condition.

(with PTI inputs)

First Published: December 20, 2024, 16:01 IST
Sitting Judge Should Be Careful: Ex-CJI Chandrachud On Allahabad HC Judge's Remark On UCC

Curated By :

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Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 20:23 IST

Chandrachud further revealed that in 2018, as a consultee judge, had strongly opposed the proposal to elevate Yadav as a Judge.

Justice Yadav was appointed an additional judge of the Allahabad High Court on December 12, 2019. (File)

Former Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud reacted to the controversy over Allahabad High Court Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadavs controversial speech at a Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) event and said that a sitting judge should be mindful about his words.

A sitting judge should always be careful of what he speaks in and outside the courtroom," ex-CJI said in an interview with Live Law.

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Chandrachud further revealed that in 2018, as a consultee judge, had strongly opposed the proposal to elevate Yadav as a Judge.

According to a report by Leaflet, as a judge of the Supreme Court of India, the names were sent to Justice Chandrachud for his inputs and comments.

However, the Supreme Court Collegium comprising the then CJI Ranjan Gogoi and Justice A K Sikri and S A Bobde, which met on February 12, 2019, decided to ignore the red flag and recommend Yadavs name along with nine other deferred names for appointment.

What Did Justice Yadav Say?

Justice Shekhar Yadav made the controversial remarks while delivering a lecture on the Constitutional Necessity of Uniform Civil Code in an event organised by the legal cell of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) in Prayagraj.

I have no hesitation in saying that this is Hindustan, this country would function as per the wishes of the bahusankhyak (majority) living in Hindustan (India). This is the Law. You cant say that you are saying this being a High Court Judge. The law, in fact, works according to the majority. Look at it in the context of family or societyOnly what benefits the welfare and happiness of the majority will be accepted" Justice Yadav was quoted as saying by LiveLaw.

Supreme Court Collegium Reprimands Justice Yadav

Earlier this week, a five-judge Supreme Court collegium led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna reprimanded Justice Yadav for his statements. The collegium counselled him and asked him to maintain the dignity of the constitutional post he held and remain cautious while delivering public speeches.

Justice Yadav appeared before the collegium and was asked to put forth his version of the statements.

On December 10, the Supreme Court took note of media reports regarding the statements made by Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav and requested a report from the Allahabad High Court on the matter. An official statement clarified, The Supreme Court has noted newspaper reports about a speech delivered by Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav, a sitting judge of the Allahabad High Court. The details have been requested from the high court, and the matter is under review."

Remarks Spark Political Uproar

The remark by Justice Yadav had sparked a political uproar in the country. INDIA bloc MPs, including Trinamool Congresss Mahua Moitra and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeens Asaduddin Owaisi, criticised the judge over his remark, calling it partial and fully biased." The Samajwadi Party and the Uttar Pradesh unit of the Congress have also urged CJI Khanna to take cognisance of the statements.

Who Is Justice Shekhar Yadav?

According to the Allahabad High Court website, Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav graduated in law from Allahabad University in 1988 and enrolled as an advocate on September 8, 1990. Till he was elevated as an HC judge, Justice Yadav worked as a standing counsel of VBS Purvanchal University in Jaunpur. He took oath as an additional judge in December 2019 and then as a permanent judge in March 2021.

Other Controversies

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A report published by Bar and Bench website said in October 2021, Justice Yadav urged the central government to introduce a law to honour Hindu deities Ram and Krishna, as well as the Ramayana and Mahabharata, Bhagavad Gita among others. He said the Supreme Courts decision in the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute was in favour of those who believe in Ram".

He was in the news earlier over the observations he made in a case of cow slaughter in September 2021. Cow should be declared the national animal and cow protection should be kept in the fundamental rights of Hindus because when the culture and faith of the country is hurt, the country becomes weak."

First Published: December 20, 2024, 20:21 IST
'This Cannot Continue': RSS Chief Expresses Concerns Over New Temple-Mosque Disputes

Published By :

PTI

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 10:50 IST

Mohan Bhagwat expressed concerns over the recent temple-mosque disputes emerging to the fore and said that this cannot be continued.

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat (PTI Image)

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has expressed concern over the resurgence of several temple-mosque disputes and said certain individuals, after the construction of Ayodhya Ram temple, seem to believe they can become leaders of Hindus" by raking up such issues.

Delivering a lecture on India  The Vishwaguru, at Sahjeevan Vyakhyanmala (lecture series) in Pune on Thursday, Bhagwat advocated for an inclusive society and said the world needs to be shown that the country can live together in harmony.

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Mohan Bhagwat Highlights Societys Plurality

Highlighting the plurality of Indian society, the chief of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) said Christmas is celebrated in Ramakrishna Mission, adding only we can do this because we are Hindus".

We have been living in harmony for a long time. If we want to provide this harmony to the world, we need to create a model of it. After the construction of the Ram Mandir, some people think they can become leaders of Hindus by raking up similar issues in new places. This is not acceptable," he said.

The Ram temple was constructed since it was a matter of faith for all Hindus, Bhagwat said.

Every day a new matter (dispute) is being raked up. How can this be allowed? This cannot continue. India needs to show that we can live together," he said without mentioning any particular site.

Recent Temple-Mosque Disputes

Several demands for surveys of mosques to unearth temples have found their way to courts in the recent past, though Bhagwat did not mention any by name in his lecture.

Some groups that came from outside brought with them staunchness and they want their old rule to return, he said.

But now the country runs as per the Constitution. In this setup, people choose their representatives, who run the government. The days of hegemony are gone," he asserted.

He said the rule of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb was characterised by such staunchness, though his descendant Bahadur Shah Zafar in 1857 banned cow slaughter.

It was decided that Ram Mandir in Ayodhya should be given to Hindus but the British sensed it and created a rift between the two communities. Since then, this sense of algavwad (separatism) came into being. As a result, Pakistan came into existence," he said.

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Bhagwat asked why the language of dominance" was being used if everybody identifies themselves as Indians.

Who is a minority and who is a majority? Everyone is equal here. The tradition of this nation is all can follow their own forms of worship. The only requirement is to live in harmony and abide by rules and laws," the RSS chief asserted.

First Published: December 20, 2024, 10:50 IST
'World Is Watching': Dhankhar On Chaotic Parliament Winter Session, Says People Deserve Better

Curated By :

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Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 14:58 IST

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar told the MPs that the citizens of the democratic country deserve better than what they witnessed in this Parliament Winter Session.

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar | File Photo/PTI

Parliament Winter Session: Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar delivered a stern message to the lawmakers on Friday as the Parliament Winter Sessions final week witnessed widespread chaos over Union Home Minister Amit Shahs remark on Dr BR Ambedkar.

Parliament witnessed disruptions amid a showdown between the BJP-led NDA and the Congress-led INDIA bloc, with both sides holding protests and counter-protests while trading accusations of insulting the Constitutions maker.

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Addressing the Rajya Sabha as part of his concluding remark for the winter session, Dhankhar said, The world watches our democracy. Yet we fail our citizens through our conduct. These Parliamentary disruptions mock public trust and expectations. Our fundamental duty to serve with diligence lies neglected."

Chaos Over Dialogue

Dhankhar further urged the parliamentarians to examine their conscience and noted that the citizens of the democratic country deserve better than what they witnessed in the winter session.

Where reasoned dialogue should prevail, we witness only chaos. I urge every Parliamentarian, regardless of party, to examine their conscience," said Dhankhar, adding The citizens of our democracy  one-sixth of humanity deserve better than this spectacle."

Significantly, the opposition parties filed a no-trust motion against Dhankhar in the recently concluded winter session. It was later rejected on procedural grounds, according to officials.

Opposition Raises Charge

The Congress and other alliance parties staged a massive protest against the BJP, demanding resignation and apology from Union Home Minister Amit Shah for allegedly insulting" Ambedkar in his speech during the Constitution debate in the Rajya Sabha.

They (BJP) know that their true sentiments for Ambedkar ji have come out. So, they are now scared of the Opposition because we are raising this issue. National interest is related to this matter. Our Constitution has been given by Ambedkar ji, the people of this country and our freedom struggle. Such insult to him will not be tolerated by India," Vadra said.

#WATCH | Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra says, This Government is scared. This Government is scared to have a discussion on Adani matter. It is scared of having any discussion. They know that their true sentiments for Ambedkar ji have come out. So, they are now scared of the pic.twitter.com/SU9LR6xUss ANI (@ANI) December 20, 2024

It comes a day after dramatic scenes unfolded near the main entry gate of the parliament. Two BJP MPs were hospitalised after they reportedly suffered head injuries after a scuffle erupted between the BJP and Congress leaders.

A case has been filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, with the BJP accusing him of physical assault and incitement" during a scuffle in the Parliament premises.

BJP Hits Back

In a sharp response to the opposition front, the BJP accused the Congress of the alleged assault" of two of its MPs, Pratap Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput. MP Nishikant Dubey claimed that he had seen Rahul Gandhi climbing up" the Makar Dwar and pushing the BJP MPs, during which they suffered injuries.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju batted away the Congress demands for Shah to quit and said, It is the Congress that should apologise it is not left with anything to say so they have resorted to manhandling. Our MPs say there should be police action against Rahul Gandhi."

The injury to the BJPs Sarangi, visuals of which showed him with a bandage on his head and being taken in an ambulance  and the hospitalisation of Rajput, gave ammo to the BJP to counterattack Congress on their Ambedkar charge.

Ambedkar Row: What Did Amit Shah Say?

The Ambedkar row erupted after Amit Shah gave his reply in the Rajya Sabha on the last day of the four-day debate on the Constitution.

It has become a fashion to say Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar. If they took Gods name so many times, they would have got a place in heaven," Shah said.

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The remarks quickly escalated a protest by the opposition front, who described it as an insult to the maker of the Constitution. The BJP countered, saying that the opposition tweaked Shahs remark to disrupt the Parliament proceedings.

First Published: December 20, 2024, 14:40 IST
Ambani School Annual Day: Nita Ambani, Kareena Kapoor, And Aishwarya Rai Make Dazzling Statements

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Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 10:55 IST

The Dhirubhai Ambani International School hosted its annual day last night. The event was a star-studded affair as celebrities arrived to support their children.

Nita Ambani and Kareena Kapoor attended the anunual day event at Ambani School.

It was a star-studded night at Dhirubhai Ambani International School in Mumbai yesterday. Celebrities had arrived at the school to support their kids on the annual day. Among the celebrities who attended the school event were Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Gauri Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Shahid Kapoor, and others.

Lets take a closer look at what they wore for the annual day.

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Nita Ambani

View this post on Instagram A post shared by yogen shah (@yogenshah_s)

As the chairperson of the Dhirubhai Ambani International School, Nita Ambani made a dazzling statement. She opted for a cream georgette saree which came with intricate broad gold gota borders and red patti embroidery. She paired the saree with a matching blouse which also came with gold gota patti work. The elegant blouse featured a U-neckline and half-length sleeves. For the accessories, she went with statement jhumkis, a diamond bracelet, rings, a triple-string necklace, and high heels. She wore her signature makeup and tied her hair in a bun for the event.

Isha Ambani

View this post on Instagram A post shared by yogen shah (@yogenshah_s)

Isha arrived in a rich emerald kurta set which she paired with matching pants. The relaxed-fit kurta was made from Chanderi and viscose organza. It was adorned with custom floral prints in yellow, white, and red hues. The bodice also featured delicate embellishments which was also seen on the sleeves, the kurta hem, and the pants borders.

Aishwarya Rai

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Manav Manglani (@manav.manglani)

Sticking to her style, Aishwarya opted for a black silk anarkali kurta. She paired the kurta with churidar pants and an organza dupatta. The set featured colourful floral thread embroidery and sequin which added to the charm of the black outfit. She completed her look with stilettos, a shoulder bag, loose waves, and her signature red lip.

Kareena Kapoor

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Viral Bhayani (@viralbhayani)

Kareena arrived with Saif to cheer for Taimur at the annual day. She ditched ethnic wear and went with a printed wrap dress from Proenza Schouler. With a collared neckline, slit full-length sleeves, cut-outs on the back, and a waist tie, the midi dress came with a front slit. She paired the dress with black Givenchy boots. For the accessories and makeup, she kept it simple but glam.

Gauri Khan and Suhana Khan

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View this post on Instagram A post shared by yogen shah (@yogenshah_s)

Gauri wore an ivory embroidered kurta set for the annual day. The kurta set was embellished with gold sequins and delicate applique work adorned the set. She paired it with an embroidered sheer dupatta. Suhana, on the other hand, made a classic statement in a black dress. She paired the dress with a tan Hermes bag, block heels, a watch, and hoop earrings.

Location : Delhi, India

First Published: December 20, 2024, 10:55 IST
Anne Hathaway Relishes Indian Cuisine At Chef Vikas Khannas New York Restaurant Bungalow

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Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 16:07 IST

Anne Hathaway recently dined at chef Vikas Khanna's famous NYC restaurant Bungalow. The chef spoke about how it was an honour for him to serve the actor.

Chef Vikas Khanna penned a note where he spoke about the joy of having Anne Hathaway in Bungalow.

Chef Vikas Khanna opened his restaurant, Bungalow, in the heart of New York City nine months ago. Since then, the restaurant has become one of the most sought-after places when it comes to Indian cuisine. Lately, the restaurant has been grabbing the attention of some of the leading celebrities in Hollywood. The latest Hollywood celebrity to dine in Bungalow was Anne Hathaway.

Taking to his Instagram, chef Vikas Khanna penned his emotions after he hosted Anne Hathaway in Bungalow. He talked about how he saved The Devil Wears Prada to watch with his sister during her battle with lupus. He shared how his sister loved the actor in the movie and how the movie, now, holds a special place in his heart. Khanna also talked about how it was an honour for him to serve Hathaway in his restaurant.

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Take a look at the post here.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Vikas Khanna (@vikaskhannagroup)

Khanna wrote, When my beloved @anjula_acharia and @furhan_ahmad brought Anne to Bungalow, it all came flooding back. Every line, every laugh. And somehow, I was so happy to feed her. Cooking and serving are the only ways I know how to express love and gratitude. Thank you, Anne, for giving her those moments of happinesswhen wed laugh and say, Everybody wants to be us. I photoshopped my Radha into the photo, right next to her hero. I know she was there with us tonight."

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Monica Saigal (Bhide) (@monicasaigalbhide)

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Hathaway feasted on some delectable Indian fare at Khannas restaurant. Keeping in line with the Indian spirit of generous hospitality, he also gifted her a book, along with a Mysore Sandalwood soap, and a handcrafted marble box from Agra.

Previously, Carrie Bradshaw had also dined at Bungalow and she talked about her wholesome experience at the restaurant in an Instagram post.

Location : Delhi, India

First Published: December 20, 2024, 16:07 IST
Whos Most At Risk? Understanding Cancer Warning Signs

Published By :

Trending Desk

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 16:44 IST

Changes in bowel habits may indicate stomach or colon cancer and should be examined.

Early discovery of cancer can have a profound impact.

Millions of people are impacted by cancer each year, making it one of the major causes of mortality globally. The secret to increasing survival rates and results is frequently early identification. In the early stages, some malignancies show no symptoms, but others do have modest symptoms that are often missed. It can save lives to be alert for these early warning indicators. If you are worried about having cancer then here are some cancer warning signs that you should never disregard.

Who Are At More Risk?

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Cancer can affect anyone at any age. However, cancer is increasingly prevalent as we age, with most occurrences occurring in those 50 and older. Its crucial to avoid attributing any odd changes, aches, or pains related to being old or assuming that a symptom is the result of a medical issue you are already aware of. Regardless of your age, its vital to pay attention to your body and consult your physician if something doesnt feel right.

When To Consult A Doctor?

If you have any persistent symptoms or indicators that worry you, schedule a visit with your physician. Talk to your doctor if you are concerned about your chance of developing cancer even though you dont have any symptoms. Find out which cancer screening treatments and tests are suitable for you.

Signs Of Cancer That You Should Look For

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Persistent Pain In Body- If you experience persistent pain in any part of your body that doesnt seem to be related to an injury or sickness and doesnt go away with standard care could be a sign. For example, abdominal pain or scrotal soreness, swelling, or a heavy sensation could be signs of penile, testicular, prostate, or bladder cancer. Unusual breast pain or sensitivity should be examined by a professional as it may indicate breast cancer in both men and women.

If you experience persistent pain in any part of your body that doesnt seem to be related to an injury or sickness and doesnt go away with standard care could be a sign. For example, abdominal pain or scrotal soreness, swelling, or a heavy sensation could be signs of penile, testicular, prostate, or bladder cancer. Unusual breast pain or sensitivity should be examined by a professional as it may indicate breast cancer in both men and women. Changes In Bowel and Urinary Habits- Experiencing diarrhoea or constipation for several weeks or having frequent or painful bowel or urine motions can be a serious issue. Changes in bowel habits may indicate stomach or colon cancer but they can also be a marker of inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohns disease. A urinary tract infection, an enlarged prostate, or bladder or prostate cancer may be indicated by changes in urination, such as pain or frequency.

Experiencing diarrhoea or constipation for several weeks or having frequent or painful bowel or urine motions can be a serious issue. Changes in bowel habits may indicate stomach or colon cancer but they can also be a marker of inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohns disease. A urinary tract infection, an enlarged prostate, or bladder or prostate cancer may be indicated by changes in urination, such as pain or frequency. Persistent Fatigue- There are several reasons why you could feel more exhausted than normal, especially if youre experiencing stress or have problems falling asleep. However, if you feel exhausted all the time or for no apparent cause, it may indicate a problem, so consult your physician.

There are several reasons why you could feel more exhausted than normal, especially if youre experiencing stress or have problems falling asleep. However, if you feel exhausted all the time or for no apparent cause, it may indicate a problem, so consult your physician. Cough or Hoarseness That Stays- A doctor should be consulted if you have a dry, hacking cough that lasts more than two weeks, especially if you are coughing up blood or a bloody discharge, as this could be an indication of lung cancer. Additionally, consult a physician if you have a persistent hoarse voice or a breathy, raspy, or strained voice when speaking, especially if you are also experiencing neck or throat pain or difficulties swallowing. These can be signs of malignancies of the throat or thyroid cancer.

A doctor should be consulted if you have a dry, hacking cough that lasts more than two weeks, especially if you are coughing up blood or a bloody discharge, as this could be an indication of lung cancer. Additionally, consult a physician if you have a persistent hoarse voice or a breathy, raspy, or strained voice when speaking, especially if you are also experiencing neck or throat pain or difficulties swallowing. These can be signs of malignancies of the throat or thyroid cancer. Sudden Bruising In Body- It may indicate some blood malignancies if you get numerous bruises in odd locations on your body that arent from accidents or bumping into objects. To have them examined, see a physician.

It may indicate some blood malignancies if you get numerous bruises in odd locations on your body that arent from accidents or bumping into objects. To have them examined, see a physician. Sudden Weight Loss- Most people experience fluctuations in their weight. Gaining weight without trying or decreasing appetite for no apparent reason may be signs of many malignancies, particularly those that have spread.

Most people experience fluctuations in their weight. Gaining weight without trying or decreasing appetite for no apparent reason may be signs of many malignancies, particularly those that have spread. Unusual Lumps In Body- Any new tumour or lump that persists should be assessed. Cold frequently causes swelling of the lymph nodes, which are tiny glands in the neck, groin, and armpits that create white blood cells to aid in the fight against infection. You should speak with your physician if the swelling continues after you recover.

Any new tumour or lump that persists should be assessed. Cold frequently causes swelling of the lymph nodes, which are tiny glands in the neck, groin, and armpits that create white blood cells to aid in the fight against infection. You should speak with your physician if the swelling continues after you recover. Frequent Fever or Sweats- A high temperature (fever) or nocturnal sweating may be brought on by illnesses or adverse drug reactions. Women also frequently experience it throughout the menopause. If you get intense, sweaty night sweats or an inexplicable fever, consult your physician.

Early detection is still one of the most effective ways to prevent cancer. You can take proactive steps to protect your health by being mindful of these warning signs and obtaining prompt medical tests. The battle against cancer requires awareness, a healthy lifestyle, and routine screenings. Keep in mind that while treating symptoms early can save lives, ignoring them wont make them go away.

Location : Delhi, India

First Published: December 20, 2024, 16:44 IST
Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan Arrive Together For Aaradhyas School Annual Day Amid Divorce Rumours

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 19:11 IST

On the first day, Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai were seen dancing together at Aaradhyas school annual day

Aishwarya and Abhishek spotted

Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan were spotted together on the second day of daughter Aaradhyas school annual day. The couple, who have been grabbing headlines for their divorce rumours, looked stylish as they made an appearance. For today, Aishwaryas mother has also joined them. The video is going viral on social media.

In the video, shared by Filmygyan, we can see Aishwarya opted for a black colour outfit with a sling bag. While Abhishek looked handsome in a green colour casual look. Both shared smiles as they headed towards the gate. Aishwarya was seen holding her mothers hand. Fans dropped heart emojis in the comment section. On the first day, Amitabh Bachchan also joined to watch granddaughters performance.

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Watch the video here:

View this post on Instagram A post shared by F I L M Y G Y A N (@filmygyan)

Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai were seen dancing together at Aaradhyas school annual day, amid divorce rumours. Stars gathered at the Dhirubhai Ambani International School in Mumbai on Thursday evening for the much-awaited annual day function. Fans were happy to see Aishwarya and Abhisheks happy moments together.

The annual day festivities brought together Bollywoods finest, who were all there to cheer for their little ones. Videos from the event quickly surfaced online, showing doting parents like Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan cheering for their kids. In one such video, Abhishek and Aishwarya could be seen dancing to the Deewangi Deewangi song in a crowd.

Meanwhile, the divorce rumours surrounding Aishwarya and Abhishek have been making rounds for months, sparking concern among fans of the power couple. However, a blog post by Amitabh Bachchan last month indirectly addressed these speculations. In his cryptic yet profound writing, Big B spoke about the importance of privacy and dismissed unverified claims. He wrote, Speculations are speculations they are speculated untruths, without verifications Verifications are sought by the seekers to authenticate their business and commercials of the profession they be in." Aishwarya and Abhishek, who tied the knot in April 2007, remain one of Bollywoods most celebrated couples.

First Published: December 20, 2024, 19:11 IST
Ram Charan In A Leather Jacket Can Give Gen Z A Run For Their Money

Published By :

Trending Desk

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 20:02 IST

Ram Charan was recently spotted at the Hyderabad airport.

Game Changer will release on January 10, 2025. (Photo Credits: Instagram)

Ram Charans upcoming film Game Changer is generating significant buzz among fans and moviegoers ahead of its release. The makers are also leaving no stone unturned to create hype around the film. Slated for release on January 10, 2025, the teams have now planned a grand pre-release event in Dallas, United States. This pre-release event is making it the first-ever Telugu film to host a pre-release celebration in a foreign country. In the same vein, Ram Charan was recently spotted at the Hyderabad airport as the global superstar headed to the US for the event. Several videos capturing the actor quickly went viral on the internet.

In the viral clips, the actor looked dapper in an all-black outfit, which he paired with a classic leather jacket. Ram Charan completed his stylish airport appearance with dark sunglasses and a black cap featuring a patch logo. His statement watch on his wrist, his well-groomed beard and his long hair further added an extra charm to his appearance. The actor was captured while talking on the phone.

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View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ram Charan Adorers (@ramcharanadorers)

The actor even dropped a video message on his social media, expressing his excitement about the grand event of his film. Dallas, looking forward to seeing you on December 21st! #Gamechanger," he added in the caption on Instagram. He can be seen wearing a white shirt and matching jacket and pairing it with pants. The actor also opted for sunglasses to elevate his look.

Take a look at the post:

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ram Charan (@alwaysramcharan)

Directed by S Shankar, Game Changer is a political action drama that features Ram Charan in the lead role, alongside Kiara Advani. The film marks the second collaboration between Ram Charan and Kiara Advani, following the 2019 film Vinaya Vidheya Rama. The story for the upcoming film is written by Karthik Subbaraj. It is expected to feature Charan as an IAS officer on a mission to clean up a corrupt political system. With its teaser hinting at multiple looks for the actor and speculation about dual roles, fans are eagerly awaiting the films release. The film will also star SJ Suryah in an important role.

First Published: December 20, 2024, 19:39 IST
Rishab Shetty Wants To Work With Animal Director Sandeep Reddy Vanga: 'Nobody Can Think Like Him'

Published By :

IANS

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 13:46 IST

Rishab Shetty says he would love to work with Sandeep Reddy Vanga in any project the filmmaker is currently working on.

Rishab Shetty gets candid with actor and host Rana Daggubati on The Rana Daggubati Show.

Kantara" star Rishab Shetty says he would love to work with Sandeep Reddy Vanga in any project the filmmaker is currently working on. Highlighting how, despite falling into mass controversies, directors like Vanga have a huge fan following, Rishab said: Its crazy, nobody can think like him, and I think even he cant think the same way again. Id love to be involved in any projects hes currently working on."

Rishab got candid with actor and host Rana Daggubati on The Rana Daggubati Show". The two actors were joined by actress Neha Shetty for an unfiltered conversation. Rana visited Rishabs hometown, Keradi, where he talked about his filmmaking journey and his dream to transform his village into a cinematic hub.

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Rishabh talked about the origins of Kantara", revealing how the film is intertwined with his home and community. Since childhood, I have dreamt of shooting a film in my village and its forests, Keradi. I scouted this location for multiple movies, but it never worked out. Then came Kantara  which was finally shot here. It was a collective effort, over 700 people from the village contributed. Its because of this overwhelming involvement that I call my home KFC  Keradi Film City."

The actor added how the film shifted his villages perception of cinema. This region isnt huge on films, but Kantara made them see their own on screen. It became relatable, and the love and blessings poured in abundantly."

In a heartfelt moment during the episode, Rishabhs wife, Pragathi Shetty, recounts the touching story of how they first met. She said: Im a Rakshit Shetty fan, so I went to a Ricky screening with my friends. One of them wanted a picture with the director, Rishabh, so we spoke. And I told him how proud I was of his journeyfrom a small village to achieving so much in cinema. Thats when he fell for me! He sent me a friend request on social media, and thats where it all started."

The unscripted Telugu Original eight-episode series boasts an exciting line-up of guests, including Dulquer Salmaan, Naga Chaitanya Akkineni, Siddhu Jonnalagadda, Sreeleela, Nani, S.S. Rajamouli, Ram Gopal Varma, and many more.

The Rana Daggubati Show" is airing exclusively on Prime Video.

First Published: December 20, 2024, 13:46 IST
Vanvaas Review: Even Nana Patekar Could Not Save Anil Sharmas Film Filled With Melodrama And Dull Dialogues

Written By :

News18.com

Edited By: Chirag Sehgal



Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 11:14 IST

Vanvaas Review: Nana Patekar tries his best to save this sinking ship, but fails due to the overdramatised script and plots.

Vanvaas is now in theatres. Is the film worth watching? Read our review here.

Vanvaas U/A 1.5/5 20 December 2024|Hindi 2 hrs 40 mins | Drama, Action Starring: Nana Patekar, Utkarsh Sharma, Simratt Kaur, Ashwini Kalsekar, Khushbu Sundar, Rajpal Yadav Director: Anil Sharma Watch Trailer

After the massive success of Gadar 2, director Anil Sharma is back with a family drama titled Vanvaas. The film stars Nana Patekar, Utkarsh Sharma and Simratt Kaur in the lead roles. As much as we enjoyed watching the action and dialogues in Sunny Deol-starrer Gadar 2, Vanvaas is a film that deals with a genre thats outdated and explored countless number of times in the Hindi cinema  family feud between parents and children for monetary reasons. The plot offers nothing new, but the same old recited stories of parents being abandoned by children for either their health issues or for property. However, through the overdramatic scenes and dialogues in the film, the only breakaway is the poetic diversions that make the film bearable for 160-odd minutes.

Whats more disappointing is the fact that Sharma has an actor like Nana Patekar and the veteran is not left with any room for experimentation or to bring about the powerful screen presence that he always offers. Patekar, with all his capabilities, has tried his best to hold a sinking ship. However, he fails to do so because the fault is in the plot and script.

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The story follows Patekar, who plays the role of Deepak Tyagi, a retired NDRF officer suffering from Dementia. His children and his daughter-in-law abandon him in Varanasi. The film then shows how he makes his journey back home.

While running around in panic in Varanasi, Patekar meets Utkarsh Sharma, who plays the role of Veeru Bhaiyya  a petty thief and con. He is in love with Meena Kumari, a dancer played by Simratt Kaur. To impress her aunt, Ashwini Kalsekar, Utkarsh helps Patekar, who he refers to as Baba, to reach his home in Palampur, Himachal Pradesh. Utkarsh has that charm to himself but needs a filmmaker who can get the best out of him. Vanvaas also has Khushbu Sundar, who plays an important role as Vimla Tyagi, wife of Deepak Tyagi played by Patekar. The chemistry between the two senior actors are good in the limited scenes we get to see throughout the film.

The three children of Deepak and Vimla  Somu played by Hemant Kher, Bablu played by Kettan Singh and Chutka played by Paritosh Tripathi  fail to impress in their respective characters owning to the dull dialogues and overdramatic scenes and at times the overacting. The only character that makes an impression and would make you laugh a little here and there is that of Rajpal Yadav, who is a confidant of Veeru Bhaiyya. Overall, it is quite disappointing to go for a Nana Patekar film and return without having a single element that makes you want to remember his films. Anil Sharma, who played the safe cards with Vanvaas, has landed up presenting a quite below-par film that cannot be saved even by Nana Patekar.

First Published: December 20, 2024, 11:00 IST
Yuvika Chaudhary Missing As Prince Narula Celebrates Daughter's 2nd Month Birthday | Photo

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 11:42 IST

It should be noted that the post comes at a time when the rumours of trouble in Prince Narula and Yuvika Chaudhary's married life have been making headlines.

Last month, Yuvika Chaudhary also skipped Prince Narula's birthday bash. (Photos: Instagram)

Prince Narula is celebrating his daughters second month birthday. On Friday, the reality show star took to his Instagram handle and shared a heartwarming picture in which he was seen holding his little princess in his arms. Prince was seen hiding his daughters face from his hand as he adorable looked at her. In the caption of his post, the actor wrote, Happy 2 month to my baby love ikleen papa loves u the most ."

However, soon after the post was shared online, netizens noticed that Yuvika Chaudhary was missing from the picture. Social media users expressed concern for her and wondered if everything if well between the couple. Thoda sa care yuvika ko bhi dekna ye phase bohot tough hota hai," one of the users wrote. Where is Yuvika?" asked another.

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It should be noted that the post comes at a time when the rumours of trouble in Prince Narula and Yuvika Chaudharys married life have been making headlines. It all started after netizens noticed that Yuvika was missing from Princes birthday celebration last month.

On November 24, Prince Narula celebrated his 34th birthday when he took to his Instagram handle and shared a series of pictures from the bash. While Prince was seen posing with his daughter, Yuvika was missing from the photos. In the caption, Prince also penned down an emotional note and revealed that he has named his daughter Ekleen.

Later, one of Princes comments also went viral on social media, leaving everyone concerned. In an interview, Prince claimed that he was busy with a shoot in Pune when he received a call about Yuvikas delivery. The actor recalled rushing to the hospital and revealed that his parents were angry too since they were informed at the last moment. Ek toh mujhe pata bhi nahi tha ke baby ho raha hai, mujhe kisi aur se pata laga, pata nahi mere liye kaisa surprise tha," he said as quoted by Free Press Journal.

Yuvika and Prince fell in love with each other in Bigg Boss 9 and have been together ever since. The couple announced their pregnancy in June this year and welcomed their baby girl in October.

First Published: December 20, 2024, 11:42 IST
Zakir Hussain Laid To Rest, Tabla Maestro's Funeral Held In San Francisco

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Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 09:12 IST

Zakir Hussain passed away on December 16. He breathed his last in a San Francisco hospital.

Music lovers will remember Ustad Zakir Hussain for the body of work he has left behind and for transporting them to a zone of pure joy when they heard him play on the stage. (Photo Credit: X)

Days after Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain passed away, he was laid to rest in San Francisco. As reported by the news agency PTI, Hussains funeral was held in the US city on Thursday. Among others, drummer Anandan Sivamani attended the last rites and paid his tributes to Zakir Hussain.

When Did Zakir Hussain Pass Away?

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On December 15 night, news broke out that Zakir Hussain had passed away. Several political leaders and eminent personalities offered their tributes, seemingly confirming that Zakir was no more.

However, the confusion started after an X user claiming to be his nephew claimed that the tabla maestro was still alive. Soon after, Zakirs sister Khurshid Aulia also told Mid-Day that Zakir was still fighting for his life. The news of his passing away is false. He is very much alive, but he is in very, very critical condition."

Zakir Hussain then passed away in the wee hours of Monday. His family issued a statement sharing details about Zakir Hussains death. They revealed he died of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic disease affecting the lungs. His prolific work as a teacher, mentor and educator has left an indelible mark on countless musicians. He hoped to inspire the next generation to go further. He leaves behind an unparalleled legacy as a cultural ambassador and one of the greatest musicians of all time," a part of their statement read.

Zakir Hussain was a globally acclaimed tabla virtuoso, revered for his unmatched instrument mastery and groundbreaking contributions to Indian classical and world music. His virtuosity and innovation have elevated the tabla to unprecedented global recognition.

As a solo artist, Zakir Hussain has redefined the art of tabla playing, blending technical precision with emotive expression. His collaborations span diverse genres and artists, including Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, George Harrison, John McLaughlin, and Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead. In 1970, he co-founded the fusion group Shakti alongside guitarist John McLaughlin, which combined Indian classical and jazz influences. His projects such as Remember Shakti and Planet Drum continue to be celebrated for their ingenuity.

Zakir Hussain has scored music for films such as Heat and Dust and In Custody, as well as international ballet and orchestral productions. His dedication to spreading the richness of Indian music globally has earned him numerous accolades, including the Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri, and the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album.

First Published: December 20, 2024, 09:12 IST
Opinion | Congress, Soros, And The Question Of Bharats Sovereignty

Written By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 14:35 IST

While the Congress has the right to oppose the government, it must do so on its own merits. Bharats future must be determined by its people, its traditions, and its valuesnot by billionaires with questionable intentions

Union Minister Giriraj Singh stage a protest over Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's alleged links with an organisation funded by the George Soros Foundation. (PTI Photo)

The notion of foreign interference in domestic politics has long been a subject of concern, particularly in a nation as geopolitically significant and culturally complex as Bharat. Among the many allegations that have emerged in recent times, the relationship between George Soros and certain political factions in Bharat, most notably the Congress party, has sparked intense debates.

The accusations range from funding non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and activists to subtly undermining Bharats sovereignty, economy, and cultural unity. The central argument posits that Soros, through his vast philanthropic empire, has created an intricate web of influence that aligns with the political and ideological goals of Bharats Opposition. Whether this amounts to a deliberate conspiracy, or merely coincidental convergence of interests, requires careful scrutiny.

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However, the implications of such a relationship, whether real or perceived, hold significant weight in shaping the trajectory of Bharats political stability, economic independence, and social cohesion.

George Soros is no stranger to controversy. A billionaire financier and self-described crusader for open societies, his Open Society Foundations (OSF) has operated in over 100 countries with the stated aim of promoting democracy, human rights, and free markets. However, his interventions have often sparked accusations of meddling in the internal affairs of sovereign nations.

Soros has been accused of destabilising governments, orchestrating colour revolutions," and supporting narratives that erode the traditional cultural frameworks of various nations. His involvement in Eastern Europe, for instance, is well-documented, where his foundations were accused of funding opposition movements that led to the overthrow of governments. The modus operandi of Soros-backed institutions typically involves empowering civil society actors, media networks, and academia to amplify dissenting voices. While proponents argue that this support strengthens democracy and accountability, critics contend that it disrupts local harmony, weakens national institutions, and imposes Western liberal ideologies on nations with distinct cultural and moral values.

When one examines Bharat in this context, Soros influence cannot be dismissed outright. Soros himself has been openly critical of the current leadership in Bharat, notably Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In his remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Soros accused Modis government of promoting nationalist" policies that suppress dissent and threaten democracy. Such overt statements are unusual for global financiers and raise legitimate questions about his motivations and understanding of Bharats socio-political realities. Bharat, as one of the worlds largest and most diverse democracies, has its own trajectory of governance, cultural identity, and progress that may not always align with Western liberal standards. Any attempt to evaluate Bharats policies through the lens of foreign entities, particularly those with ideological biases, risks undermining the countrys sovereignty.

The Congress partys alleged connection to Soros adds another layer of complexity to this debate. As the primary Opposition party, the Congress has been vocal in its criticism of the current government, often aligning itself with narratives that are promoted by international media and civil society groups funded by organisations like the OSF. This alignment raises questions about whether there is an organic convergence of ideologies or a deliberate partnership aimed at destabilising the nations current political framework.

It is no secret that Soros has historically funded NGOs and activist groups in Bharat, many of which have been critical of the Modi governments policies on issues like religious freedoms, minority rights, and environmental regulation. While some of these concerns may be valid, the selective amplification of such narratives often creates an exaggerated perception of instability and division, which benefits certain political forces.

It is important to note that the Congress party, like any Opposition, has the right to challenge the ruling government and present alternative visions for governance. However, when external actors like Soros become intertwined in this process, it raises concerns about the authenticity of such opposition. The issue here is not the legitimacy of criticism but the possibility of it being influenced, directed, or amplified by foreign interests.

In a democracy as vibrant as Bharats, any perception of external manipulation undermines the trust of citizens and weakens the Oppositions moral authority. The Congress party, therefore, must clarify its stance on foreign funding and any ties it may have, directly or indirectly, with organisations linked to Soros. Failure to do so only fuels suspicion and reinforces the narrative that their political agenda is being shaped by forces outside Bharats borders.

At the heart of this issue lies the larger question of sovereignty and self-determination. Bharats cultural and civilisational identity is rooted in centuries of wisdom, tradition, and resilience. The nation has survived colonial exploitation, foreign invasions, and internal strife to emerge as a global power with its own unique voice. For a country with such a legacy, any attempt to impose foreign ideologieswhether through philanthropy, activism, or political alignmentis seen as a direct affront to its sovereignty.

Soros interventions, whether deliberate or incidental, play into a broader pattern of Western elites attempting to influence nations that resist conforming to their ideological frameworks. Bharats policies, whether economic, social, or cultural, must be decided by its own people through democratic processes, not dictated by billionaires with vested interests.

Critics may argue that concerns over Soros influence are exaggerated or even conspiratorial. They may point to the fact that the OSF operates openly and supports causes that align with global human rights standards. However, this argument fails to account for the asymmetry of power and influence that such organisations wield. A billionaire with the capacity to fund media, academia, and civil society across the globe inevitably shapes public discourse, often in ways that align with his worldview.

In the case of Bharat, Soros statements and funding patterns indicate a clear ideological opposition to the current government, which raises questions about his neutrality and intentions. For a sovereign nation, the principle of non-interference must be upheld, regardless of whether such interference is cloaked in the language of philanthropy or democracy promotion.

The timing of Soros increasing visibility in Bharats political discourse is also worth noting. Over the past decade, Bharat has witnessed unprecedented economic growth, global influence, and a resurgence of its cultural identity. Under the Modi government, policies like Make in India, Digital India, and Atmanirbhar Bharat have aimed to make Bharat a self-reliant and economically strong nation. At the same time, the governments emphasis on Bharats cultural heritage and its rejection of colonial narratives has led to a renewed sense of pride among citizens. However, this shift has also sparked resistance from global elites and domestic actors who are uncomfortable with a Bharat that asserts its sovereignty and identity.

Soros interventions, therefore, appear to be part of a broader ideological clash between Bharats resurgence and the global liberal order that seeks to maintain its hegemony.

The allegations of a Soros-Congress conspiracy" to destabilise Bharat must be examined in this broader geopolitical and ideological context. While direct evidence of a coordinated conspiracy may be elusive, the patterns of funding, statements, and narratives cannot be ignored. Soros open hostility toward the current government, coupled with the Congress partys alignment with narratives that often undermine Bharats progress, creates a perception of collusion. This perception is not merely a matter of political rhetoric; it has real implications for Bharats internal stability and external image. Citizens are right to question whether the Oppositions agenda is genuinely rooted in the national interest or influenced by external actors with their own ideological goals.

Ultimately, the onus lies on the Congress and other Opposition forces to distance themselves from any perception of foreign influence. Bharats political discourse must remain free from external manipulation, whether it comes from billionaires like Soros or any other foreign entity. The sovereignty of Bharats democracy is sacred and must be protected at all costs. For the ruling government, it is equally important to address these concerns transparently and ensure that Bharats civil society and media are not vulnerable to external funding that undermines national interests. A balance must be struck between preserving democratic freedoms and safeguarding Bharats sovereignty.

In conclusion, the debate surrounding Soros alleged ties with the Congress party is not just a matter of political intrigue; it is a question of Bharats sovereignty, identity, and future. The influence of foreign actors like Soros, whether through funding or ideology, poses a significant challenge to Bharats democratic processes and cultural harmony. While the Congress has the right to oppose the government, it must do so on its own merits and without aligning with forces that do not have Bharats best interests at heart.

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At a time when Bharat is poised to emerge as a global power, the nation cannot afford to be destabilised by external influences masquerading as champions of democracy. Bharats future must be determined by its people, its traditions, and its valuesnot by billionaires with questionable intentions.

The writer is a technocrat, political analyst, and author. He covers national, geopolitical, and social issues. His social media handle is @prosenjitnth. The views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.

First Published: December 20, 2024, 14:35 IST
Opinion | Stretching Forth A Saving Hand: PM Modis Defence Of The Constitution

Written By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 11:12 IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modis reply to the debate on the Constitution will go down in the annals of Indias parliamentary history as a historic and unprecedented address

Like the Panch Pran pledge that he had articulated earlier, PM Modis eleven pledges were thought-provoking and inspiring. (PTI Image)

Prime Minister Narendra Modis reply to the debate on the Constitution will go down in the annals of Indias parliamentary history as a historic and unprecedented address. It articulated the challenges that the Constitution faced for over five decades, and it spoke of those towering framers of the Constitution who instilled in it a spirit of resilience and renewal. It also delineated a future for India driven and shaped by the Constitution. Like the Panch Pran pledge that he had articulated earlier, Prime Minister Modis eleven pledges, emphasising our collective duties to be realised through the Constitution, were thought-provoking and inspiring.

Prime Minister Modis reference to Dr Ambedkar, and the manner in which the Congress establishment sought to erase his giant imprints which contributed to national regeneration, his reference to how late Atal Bihari Vajpayee had doggedly adhered to Constitutional principles, and how the celebration of the Constitution was an initiation launched not by the Congress but the BJP, brought in home truths that ought to be always kept afloat. Especially his references from history, to the Congresss first familys propensities to maul the Constitution and to repeatedly taste its blood and to treat it as its pocketbook, are points that need constant dissemination. Such unceasing propagation would be a true service to the spirit of the Constitution.

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When PM Modi questioned the need for the first amendment to the Constitution just fifteen months after it was passed and adopted, I was reminded of the titanic battle between Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee and Pandit Nehru, who was then hellbent on amending the Constitution so that the Nehruvian hegemony could be firmly established. Why was there a need to rush it, Prime Minister Modi asked, when an elected Parliament had not yet come into effect, when it was only a provisional Parliament, and when the House of Elders had not yet been constituted.

In fact, by early 1951, writes historian Tripurdaman Singh in his, Sixteen Stormy Days, a study of the First Amendment debate, Nehru had grown increasingly exasperatedimpatient and stubborn at the best of times, he chafed at the temerity of those who came in his way." He found the situation intolerable" and wrote to his chief ministers that a remedy would have to be found even though this might involve a change in the Constitution." The Constitution that the Congress had promoted less than a year ago, writes Singh, now became its bugbear." He was also unnerved by Dr Mookerjees, the Organiser Weeklys trenchant criticism of Pakistan. Nehru would tolerate no criticism, and especially the demand that Pakistan must cede land if it could not take care of its minorities irked him immensely.

Opposition to the first amendment came from a cross-section of leaders of various hues and predilections. Besides Dr Mookerjee, notable figures included M.R. Jayakar, Acharya Kripalani, Jayaprakash Narayan, H.V. Kamath, and Syamnandan Sahay, as well as jurists such as Pran Nath Mehta and M.C. Chagla, alongside a host of editors, lawyers, businessmen, and press associations. Nehru and the Congress, Singh argues, were bent on pruning fundamental rights," while Dr Mookerjee and the RSS championed individual freedom and civil liberties." In an impassioned plea, Dr Mookerjee accused Nehru of treating this Constitution as a scrap of paper."

In his spirited and unassailable riposte, Dr Mookerjee pointed out how we spent nearly four years to frame this Constitution. It was not hurriedly done. Take this Chapter on Fundamental Rights. A special committee was appointed of which the Prime Minister himself was the Chairman. How many months, how many years did we not take to weigh every single paragraph, every single sentence and every single word of that chapterWe were criticized by the people outside the Constituent Assembly that we were taking too long a time. But many of us justified this delay because we were anxious that nothing should be done hastily or on the spur of the moment. We were doing something that was unique in the annals of this country, something indeed, to which there are not many parallels in the entire civilized worldIf that is so, why this indecent haste to change such a Constitution?"

The Prime Minister, Dr Mookerjee told Parliament, knows it in his heart of hearts, that what he is going to do is nothing short of cutting at the very root of the fundamental principles of the Constitution." It was a challenge he had deliberately thrown up at the people of India."

Dr Mookerjee exhorted the House, which heard him in astounded silence, to stand up against this encroachment on the liberty of the people of Free India", cautioning Members that the saddest epitaph which can be carved in memory of a vanished liberty is that it was lost because its possessors failed to stretch forth a saving hand while yet there was time." Dr Mookerjees words invited protracted applause from all quarters" which included several senior Congress members."

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It was indeed a recurring saving grace that each time Nehru and his political heirs mauled the Constitution, Dr Mookerjees political progenies stretched forth a saving hand." While we celebrate the Constitution, it is a truth which cannot be ignored.

The author is Chairman, Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation and a member, the National Executive Committee, BJP. The views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.

First Published: December 20, 2024, 11:12 IST
Opinion | Ustad Zakir Hussain: The Creator, Sustainer, And Preserver Of Truly Indian Work

Written By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 12:04 IST

He was a creator through his riyaz, a sustainer through global collaborations in jazz and fusion music, and a preserver through truly Indic workparticularly sangat and solo performances on the tabla

Ustad Zakir Hussains creative cosmos and existence were wholly dedicated to sound and the musical contemplation of sound. (Photo Credit: X)

Ustad Zakir Hussain once expressed a desire to travel on a truck with his musical instruments  like Sivamani," the renowned percussionist. He also had another aspiration: to win a Grammy for a truly Indian work." When Hussain passed away last week at the age of 73 in San Francisco, these thoughts surfaced in remembrance almost immediately. The nagging feeling accompanying the news of his death centred on these two unfulfilled wishes he had shared with me during an interview in Chennaiunrealised fundamentally, if not entirely.

Unfulfilled aspirations are the symbolic theatre of life. Restless in rhythm and driven by the effervescent arousal of ever-new destinations in art and devotion to it, they render the pursuit of the absolute feeble in the face of times uncertainty and unpredictability. This is particularly poignant when such aspirations transcend perfection and genius, even after nearly seven decades of practice.

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Writing a tribute after his passing feels like attempting to capture the shadow-image of the sun during an eclipse by pricking a pinhole in paper. The brilliance of the omnipresent sun is so imposing, even as the eclipse diminishes its effect, that it can only be viewed through the minuteness of a pinhole for precision. Similarly, Hussains art, like the sun momentarily obstructed, can only be glimpsed in the miniaturisation of its radiance. The throbbing cadence of the sounds of his heritageta, ti, na, ti-ta, ti-na"echoes in the rhythmic cycles he touched, every one of them, in their entirety, as they continue to exist.

Hussains analysis of his own performances was synthesis-bound, imbued with the sublime release of passion in and for rhythm. He was a creator through his riyaz (practice), a sustainer through global collaborations in jazz and fusion music, and a preserver through truly Indic work"particularly sangat (accompaniment) and solo performances on the tabla. Listing the awards and honours Hussain received over more than six decades of music (he began playing the tabla at three and gave his first performance at twelve) would amount to an exercise in sheer laziness, best left to newspapers that never fully understood his contributions to Shakti and Remember Shaktithe iconic jazz fusion bands.

I will not write an ode to Hussains bouncing curly locks, as immortalised in slow motion during Baje Sargam Har Taraf Sea social integration composition featuring Indias maestros, set to Raag Desh (misidentified by some sections of the media as Mile Sur Mera Tumhara) in the 1980s.

Instead, I treasure the Baje Sargam moment as a rare watermark in Indian music history. It was here that Hussain, alongside his guru-father Ustad Alla Rakha Sahib, introduced the tabla tarangan ensemble of tabla tuned to a ragato the public through national television, marking its propagation on an unprecedented scale.

Ustad Zakir Hussains creative cosmos and existence were wholly dedicated to sound and the musical contemplation of sound. His prayers as a devout Muslim, since childhood, were distinctly separate from the tabla invocations offered to Shiva, Ganesha, and Saraswatideities revered as creators of naad (sound), rhythm, music, knowledge, and creativity. The sacred essence of divinity and nature in music found deep nourishment in his practice sessions.

In Ustad Alla Rakha Sahibs teachings, laya (tempo) was endowed with a phenomenal ability to translate musical intuition into the portrayal of nature, humanity, humour, and even the cyclical rhythms of life. It was an unremitting process of conceiving, imagining, and inventing within the realms of laya and taal. This approach was central to Indias cultural continuity, rooted in the guru-shishya parampara and expressed through the dialogue of bols: Ti-tta-kata, ka-ti-tta-ta, taka-ta-ki-tta-ta.".The guru-shishya, father and son, meet  once again.

In his generation, Hussain stood at the pinnacle, commanding dominance over kayada, rela, peshkaar, and the intricate Pancham Savari taal. Reflecting on his career, it becomes clear that he did not need to polish the brilliance of his mastery over kayada, rela, or peshkaarall integral components of the tablas rich repertoire. Yet, he often employed the metaphorical sandpaper" of words, humbly refining his already luminous stature while celebrating the foundational 12 and 16 matra (beat) rhythm cycles on stage. This peculiarity affirmed his pursuit in awakening the high emotion in art a style immaculate in technique, mathematically dense as it were, in reference to the established order of Punjab gharana, leaning towards a universally pervasive soundscape, simplified" in parts for a global audience to grasp and absorb.

Among the many examples of the immensity of his musical brilliance expressed through these two rhythm cycles are his duets in sangat (accompaniment). As someone who upheld sangat as the pinnacle of artistic priority for a percussionist, I will highlight four defining collaborations: his duets with Ustad Amjad Ali Khan (sarod), Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma (santoor), Pandit Birju Maharaj (kathak), and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan (sarod).

Hussains tabla embodied a thought" that transcended laya (tempo) and taal (rhythm), reflecting the deeper nuances of music through ragas, bandish (raga-bound compositions played on instruments like the flute, sitar, and sarod), and swaras (notes). His artistry built a vivid portrait of scales and even abhinaya (expressive gestures in kathak)all while ensuring he never overshadowed his co-artistes or the musical instruments they played.

There is barely an embellishment played or performed by the four artists in compositions set to raag Tilak Kamod, Durga, Kirwani, Hamsadhwani and other ragas, including abhinaya (expressive gestures in kathak), that Hussain did not reflect or respond to on the tabla. His responses were often sentimental reflexes that seemed to emerge instinctively. As if this intricate, miniature-detail portraiture were not enough, he consistently endeavoured to portray the raga and composition-specific moods on the tabla.

Hussain brought his own interpretation to the meend and gamak (embellishments) and the badhat (the gradual expansion of the raga through the composition), imbuing these duets with unparalleled depth. In his collaborations with Pandit Birju Maharaj, even the subtle movements of the eyes or the resting of a foot in Krishna leela depictions found an interacting confidant in Hussains tabla.

Hussain ignited deeply personal conversations with the raga itself, redefining the concept of duets while remaining a true soloist. In his duets with Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, there are moments where the tabla seems to speak directly to the permutations of the strings, mirroring and amplifying their expressions as they unfold in real-time.

The essence of Hussains heritage lies in his representation of sound as a medium for discovering devotion and the sacred. This heritage extends beyond his lifetime, tracing back to the 1930s when his father and guru, Ustad Alla Rakha, was perfecting technique and spontaneity. He elevated the theka (the foundational playing of the rhythm cycle), enriching it with embellishments unique to the Punjab gharanas distinguished tradition in percussion music, and established the tabla as a solo musical instrument, akin to the luminaries of the Benaras gharana.

By the time Ustad Zakir Hussain made his glamorous debut as a brand ambassador for a tea company in the 1980s, the father-son duo had achieved several significant milestones. These included:

Outlining a methodical approach to exploring and scrutinising sound within the existing format and riyaz (practice) of rhythm cycles. Defining, shaping, and presenting these sound patterns for audiences. Disentangling sound as both a form and an image from the mind and delivering it as an expressive portrayal. Perfecting a culture of imagination and conception as a hallmark of musicianship. Creating a musical space for the incarnation of thoughts and ideas, nurtured by memory and rigorous riyaz.

Hussain played classical" music even when many believed he did not. In his explorations outside the classical," particularly in jazz and fusion, he immersed himself in and meticulously examined the universality of every aspect of taal, laya, sound, ragas, and melody. His collaborations in Remember Shakti with guitarist John McLaughlin, Vidwan Vikku Vinayakram, the late Mandolin U Srinivas, and Shankar Mahadevan showcased this versatility. Similarly, his partnerships with Mickey Hart, Nigerian percussionist Sikiru Adepoju, and Puerto Rican jazz percussionist Giovanni Hidalgo were remarkable for their zeal and passion. With these drummers, Hussain elevated rhythm to embody the infinite within music.

In 2019, Hussain invited violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan (of the renowned Ganesh-Kumaresh duo) to reclaim the sound and vocalism of the violin in Shakti. This instrument had, in Shaktis earlier incarnation, been enriched by the craft and intellect of violinist L Shankar.

Hussains body of work was further distinguished by his visualisation of musical instruments associated with Hindu iconography. He would delineate the sound visage of Shivas damru and Vishnus shankha through the bols (the vocalisation of beats and rhythms on the tabla). With a motive to elevate, he transcribed rhythm to encapsulate any musical element  be it unique, mundane, comprehensible, incomprehensible, accidental, embellished, flattering, fearsome, argumentative, or more.

In 2017, I asked Saraswati Veena maestro Vidushi Jayanthi Kumaresh for her thoughts on performing with Ustad Zakir Hussain. She said it was not like a collaboration or a jugalbandi." Her description of Hussain, his art, and his physical presence in the history of Indic music deserves to be inscribed in gold. Here is what she told me:

He must have been a musician of the highest order in several births preceding this one. The soundscape presents itself to him like a Brahmanda  a vast universe  with an aerial view of the sun and the planets, and he does his orbits in his space  in his style. It is a blessing to share the stage with him and learn the art of performing, communicating, and decorating ether with musical notes and rhythmic punctuation."

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Taka-taka-tta-ki-ta, tiri-ta-ki-tta-ta, ti-tta-ka-ta-ga-di-gana-dhhaghddha Hussain has indeed loaded a vehicle with his musical instruments and embarked on a tour of the cosmos, after creating, sustaining, and preserving truly Indian work." The tabla tarang will deeply miss the thhap  the warm tap of his hand and palm  in a preservation-bound journey that should have lasted longer.

The views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.

First Published: December 20, 2024, 12:00 IST
A Setback, Comeback & Slogan: The Year That Was For Uttar Pradesh Politics

Reported By :

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Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 12:26 IST

2024 year-ender: From the BJPs steep decline in the Lok Sabha elections to its resilient comeback in the bypolls, Uttar Pradesh witnessed a rollercoaster

The year has set the stage for the crucial 2027 UP assembly polls. (File)

As the year heads to a close, it will be remembered for its dramatic twists and turns, especially within the states political circles. Be it the Samajwadi Partys (SP) remarkable comeback in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls or UP chief minister (CM) Yogi Adityanath reclaiming the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) lost glory in the bypolls by winning seven seats after the LS debacle, the political temperature was high throughout.

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It also set the stage for the crucial 2027 UP state assembly polls.

Other than ups and downs, the year would also be remembered for the UP CMs infamous catchphrase batenge to katenge slogan, which later became a political flashpoint across the country.

I express my gratitude to the respected voters of UP who voted for the good governance and development of Uttar Pradesh and hearty congratulations to all the winning candidates. Batenge to katenge. Ek hain to safe hain," said Adityanath, soon after the BJPs dominant performance in the 2024 bypolls in which the BJP bagged seven seats, leaving Samajwadi Party (SP) with just two of the nine seats on which bypolls were held.

THE UPS FOR BJP

UP bypolls were the latest political affair. Political experts, who termed the bypolls as the battle of prestige for the BJP, bracketed UP bypolls among the ups for the BJP. In the byelections, held for nine assembly constituencies, the BJP registered a thumping win.

Of the nine constituencies in the contest, the BJP won six, another seat was won by its ally RLD, while the opposition SP ended up with two. Political analysts described the outcome as a triumph of the BJPs batenge to katenge (if divided, we will be slaughtered) narrative over the SPs judenge to jeetenge (if united, we will be victorious) slogan.

Of the nine assembly seats, eight had fallen vacant after their MLAs, including SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, were elected to the Lok Sabha in the April-June general elections, while the SP MLA from Sisamau (Kanpur), Irfan Solanki, was convicted in a criminal case and sentenced to seven years imprisonment.

Among these, the BJP won Ghaziabad, Majhawan, Khair, Phulpur, Kundarki, and Katehari, while its ally RLD won Meerapur. The SP won Sisamau and Karhal.

THE DOWNS FOR BJP

Other than the bypolls, UP also witnessed a fierce political battle  the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the mega political event held earlier this year. It saw a direct fight between the BJP and Samajwadi Party (SP), an INDIA bloc partner. Once the unrivalled frontrunner in UP, the BJP saw its seat tally tumble from an impressive 62 seats in 2019 to just 33 in 2024. Its allies, Apna Dal (Soneylal) and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), managed to secure only one and two seats, respectively.

In stark contrast, the opposition bloc, Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), led by the SP and Congress, emerged as the new force to reckon with. The SPs spectacular resurgence brought it 37 seats  a staggering rise of 32 seats compared to 2019 where it won just five seats. The Congress also improved its standing, winning six seats, up from just one in the previous election.

UP BYPOLL VALIDATION FOR YOGI

The 2024 byelection results in UP marked a turning point for Adityanath, delivering a much-needed validation for his leadership, following the Lok Sabha setback.

The loss of 29 MPs in the state had cast doubts on Yogis political strategies and raised questions about his capacity to lead the party in turbulent times. Yogi adopted a proactive approach, focusing on strengthening grassroots connections and ensuring bureaucratic accountability to deliver tangible results. His recalibrated strategy, emphasising discipline and collective effort, resonated with voters who sought stability and direction.

This renewed focus paid off in the bypolls, where the BJP staged a comeback, regaining ground in UP. The byelection success not only restored confidence in Yogis leadership, but also set the stage for the partys strategy heading into the 2027 UP Assembly elections.

BATENGE TO KATENGE

The slogan first surfaced in August 2024 amid reports of attacks on Hindus following Sheikh Hasinas ouster in Bangladesh, signalling a call for unity. Addressing a public gathering in Agra, the CM declared, Nothing can be above the nation. And the nation will be empowered only when we are united Batenge to katenge, ek rahenge to nek rahenge."

The slogan made the headlines on October 26, when Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale backed the statement, underscoring Hindu unity as the Sanghs lifetime pledge". Reinforcing the RSSs longstanding emphasis on solidarity, Hosabale had remarked, If the Hindu society does not remain united, then batenge to katenge could become a reality."

However, the phrase attracted strong criticism from the opposition. Yadav took a sharp dig, calling it a negative slogan" that reflects the BJPs disappointment and failure". Yadav further claimed that the remark will go down in history as the worst slogan", predicting it would mark the BJPs political decline.

In response, deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya defended the CM and dismissed the oppositions interpretation. He argued that the slogan was not representative of the BJPs official stance, reiterating PM Narendra Modis slogan, sabka saath, sabka vikas, as the partys guiding principle. Maurya also ridiculed Yadavs PDA slogan, labelling it Parivaar Development Agency.

Meanwhile, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati criticised both the BJP and SP for engaging in what she termed misleading slogans". She accused them of using divisive rhetoric to distract people from their governance failures, urging voters to see through the political posturing.

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The year will undoubtedly be etched in UPs political history as one of its most pivotal moments. From the BJPs steep decline in the Lok Sabha elections to its resilient comeback in the bypolls, the state witnessed a rollercoaster of events.

As 2027s state assembly elections loom, 2024 has set the stage for high-stakes battles, with parties recalibrating their strategies in a bid to claim the heartlands political throne.

First Published: December 20, 2024, 12:04 IST
'Aurangzeb's Descendants Now Rickshaw Pullers': Yogi Adityanath Invokes 'Divine Justice' In Fiery Speech

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 16:58 IST

Yogi Adityanath expressed his concern over the plight of Hindu minorities in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, condemning the atrocities faced by the community.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. (PTI file photo)

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday stirred a row with his remarks on Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and his lineage saying that the progeny of the 17th century ruler now live near Kolkata, earning their livelihood as rickshaw pullers.

While addressing an event in Uttar Pradeshs Ayodhya, he invoked the divine justice of history" and said, I was told that Aurangzebs descendants are living near Kolkata, working as rickshaw pullers. Had Aurangzeb not defied divinity and destroyed temples and religious sites, perhaps his lineage would not have faced such a fate."

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The chief minister further expressed his concern over the plight of Hindu minorities in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, condemning the atrocities faced by the community. Calling for the preservation of Sanatan values, the BJP leader said, Our sages gave the world the concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family) thousands of years ago. Sanatan Dharma has always been a refuge for all faiths during times of crisis. But have Hindus been treated the same way? The violence in Bangladesh, and previously in Pakistan and Afghanistan, reflects the challenges faced by the Hindu community."

Yogi Adityanath further highlighted the historical destruction of Hindu temples, saying that that temples of Hindus were destroyed again and again in various parts of the country.

Temples of Hindus have been destroyed time and again, in Kashi Vishwanath Temple, in Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya, Krishna Janambhoomi in Mathura, in Sambhal at Kalki Avatars Harihar Bhoomi, and in BhojpurTemples were broken here and made impure," the UP chief minister said, naming the sites of the Gyanvapi and Sambhal mosques by their Hindu temple names.

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His remakes came hours after Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat raked up the ongoing Mandir-Masjid issue saying that it is unacceptable" to rake up new mandir-masjid (temple-mosque) disputes in the country.

Aurangzeb, who ruled India in the 17th century, has been a polarising figure in Indian history. While some view him as a capable administrator, others criticise his religious policies and the destruction of temples during his regime. Yogis Adityanaths remarks have reignited debates around Aurangzebs legacy and the historical grievances associated with his rule.

Location : Ayodhya, India

First Published: December 20, 2024, 16:43 IST
'Treated Me Like A Terrorist': BJP Leader CT Ravi After Receiving Bail In 'Derogatory' Comments Case

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 23:11 IST

Karnataka BJP MLC C T Ravi is accused of using a derogatory word against Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar in the Legislative Council on Thursday

BJP leader CT Ravi (PTI Image)

In a big relief for BJP leader CT Ravi, the Karnataka High Court on Friday has ordered an immediate release for the BJP MLC who was arrested for making alleged derogatory remarks against state minister Laxmi Hebbalkar at the Legislative Council in Belagavi.

The bench of Justice M G Uma, however, said that Ravi should co-operate with the investigation and be available for questioning.

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He was released in Davanagere by the Karnataka Police on Friday night following the High Court order.

A large number of party workers extended a grand welcome and shouted slogans against the Congress government. State BJP President B.Y. Vijayendra, and the Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka greeted and welcomed him after they were taken to Bengaluru in the police vehicle.

Victory Of Truth, Says Ravi

After being granted bail, the former Karnataka minister said that this is victory of truth. He also accused the Congress-led government of treating him like a terrorist".

Our custodian is the Chairman, when our custodian clearly said and gave the decision, despite that a false case was filed against me and they treated me like a terrorist, they should introspect what they have done, I am not well because I did not eat properly last night and in the morning. This is the victory of truth, this order of the High Court has a clear message that we all should follow the law" news agency ANI quoted Ravi as saying.

Ravi while addressing a joint press conference with Vijayendra and Ashoka in Davanagere, stated that truth has prevailed. Satyameva Jayate," he stated.

The police took me around more than 50 villages overnight to torture me mentally and physically. The Congress government used the police force to bog me down. My party leaders stood by me and gave me courage. The party workers across the state extended their solidarity with me," he stated.

I dont want to talk much about todays judgment. I had maintained in Belagavi that the truth will win and now the truth has won. I dont get exalted by this order. The Congress government is wrong they think they could contain me. I have experienced all these situations 35 years ago and I have become strong," he stated.

I have grown stronger by the torture given by the Congress government now. It has made me stronger to serve party workers," Ravi stated.

Allegations Against CT Ravi

Ravi was arrested for allegedly making objectionable remarks against Hebbalkar following which, an FIR was lodged against him.

Based on the complaint filed by the Minister, a case was registered against the BJP leader under sections 75 (sexual harassment) and 79 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

According to Congress leaders, Ravi allegedly used the derogatory word several times against Hebbalkar during an altercation between them, after the House was adjourned for some time by Chairman Basavaraj Horatti, following an uproar over Union Home Minister Amit Shahs remarks on B R Ambedkar.

The BJP leader was arrested and brought to the district court by Belagavi police on Thursday. Before being taken to court, he underwent a medical checkup at the Mutag Health Center in Belagavi.

Ravi Denies Allegations

The BJP leader on Friday took a hit at the ruling party in the state and accused the Congress-led Siddaramaiah government of acting like dictators following his arrest.

They (state government) have acted like dictators, there is a full stop to everything, dictatorship will not last long," said CT Ravi after he was arrested.

Ravi also filed a counter-complaint at the Khanapura police station in Belagavi, accusing Congress leaders Lakshmi Hebbalkar, Chamaraja Hattiholi, DK Shivakumar, Saddam, and others of attempting to kill him.

He alleged that the police brought him to the Khanapura police station without providing a reason.

Police brought me to Khanapura police station around 8 pm. They didnt tell me in which case they brought me. Theyre not registering my complaint; theyre not even filing a zero FIR. If something happens to me, the Congress government must take responsibility," CT Ravi claimed.

Ravi recounted his ordeal, claiming the police had taken him on an unnecessary journey across Dharwad, Belagavi, and Bagalkot districts before conducting a medical checkup in the morning.

Speaking to reporters before entering the court, Ravi maintained his innocence, calling the charges baseless. This is a politically motivated case. The police tortured me by keeping me in transit all night without food. I will bring these details to the judges attention," he said.

No Record Of CT Ravi Using Abusive Language

Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti clarified on Friday that there is no record of the abusive word used in the council".

Speaking to the media in Hubballi, Horatti stated that the alleged word claimed to be used by Ravi has not been recorded in the council.

BJP Workers Stage Protest

BJP workers staged protests in Chikkamagaluru and Belagavi, condemning the arrest. In Chikkamagaluru, BJP workers gathered to demand Ravis release, accusing the state government of targeting opposition leaders. The saffron camp had also called for a bandh in Chikkamagaluru.

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The bandh was organised by the Chikkamagaluru district BJP, prompting a heavy police deployment in the city. In Belagavi, BJP leaders and workers staged a protest at Chennamma Circle, led by Opposition Leader R Ashoka and State BJP President BY Vijayendra.

(With inputs from agencies)

First Published: December 20, 2024, 17:28 IST
BJP MP Carries '1984' Bag To Parliament, Gifts It To Priyanka Gandhi

Curated By :

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Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 12:27 IST

BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi said that Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was initially hesitant but then she accepted the bag with '1984' (a reminder of anti-Sikh riots) painted on it.

BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi (C) with 1984 (anti-Sikh riots) bag for Priyanka Gandhi who was earlier seen carrying bags of Palestine and Bangladesh.

BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi on Friday carried a bag with 1984 written on it, and gifted it to Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Written in red, the numerical were shown bleeding. Sarangi, pointing to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, said that the present generation should know what Congress did in the last 50 years.

Elaborating on her decision to gift a bag to Vadra, the Bharatiya Janata Party MP said, The honorable MP is very fond of bags so I gifted her one. She was initially hesitant but then she accepted it."

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BJP MP, Aparajita Sarangi: "Since Priyanka ji is so fond of bags I gave her this one of 1984 anti-Sikh massacre. At first she was hesistant to take it but then she took it and tucked it away."Just like 1984 anti-Sikh massacre perpetrated in the aftermath of Indira Gandhi pic.twitter.com/lLFJrRk0PC  Rahul Shivshankar (@RShivshankar) December 20, 2024

This comes days after Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi carried a bag to Parliament that had Palestine" emblazoned on it. The next day she was seen carrying a tote bag on Bangladesh with messages against atrocities on minorities.

What Happened in 1984?

A mob had attacked north Delhis Pul Bangash Gurudwara to take revenge of the then PM Indira Gandhis assasination by her Sikh bodyguards. Congress veteran Jagdish Tytler has been accused of inciting people.

The Delhi Rouse Avenue Court had earlier noted that the mob, armed with weapons, gathered at the Gurudwara on November 1, 1984, with the intent to kill Sikhs and destroy their property.

The mob looted shops, set fire to the Gurudwara, and killed three individuals  Badal Singh, Thakur Singh, and Gurcharan Singh.

According to a statement in the supplementary charge sheet filed against the former Union minister, Tytler alighted from the car, rebuked his supporters assembled near the gurudwara and said, I had completely assured you that nothing would affect (harm) you. You just kill the Sikhs."

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Some of the witnesses claimed though they did not hear what exactly Tytler told the mob, people gathered there became violent after that (i.e. after the visit of accused) and began to attack the Gurudwara Pul Bangash and set it on fire."

Another statement claimed that on November 3, 1984, Tytler went to a hospital in the national capital and rebuked a group of people gathered there, saying his instructions had not been followed faithfully".

First Published: December 20, 2024, 12:13 IST
Congress Changes Track: What Pushed It To Go All Out On Ambedkar Row?

Reported By :

CNN-News18

Edited By: Pathikrit Sen Gupta



Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 21:02 IST

When the Congress decided to raise the Ambedkar issue, it was easier for the allies to join in as it resonated with their vote banks as well

Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. (File photo: PTI)

In the end, political compulsions ruled. The Congress has changed its focus in the last few days, from Adani to Ambedkar.

There are a few reasons for this, even as Rahul Gandhi wont give up on his plank. The Ambedkar issue has given the Congress a chance to re-weave the narrative that, according to the Congress, worked in the Lok Sabha polls. Samvidhan khatre mein hai (The Constitution is in danger)" was the slogan that clicked briefly as it coincided with the comments of some Bharatiya Janata Party leaders who suggested changes in the Constitution.

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But by the time the Maharashtra polls came, the BJP had grown smarter and countered it. Rahul Gandhis obsession with his pet issue posed two problems. Firstly, it found little traction among the people. Many within the Congress felt it would not bring poll dividends and should be put on the back burner. Secondly, this issue divided the INDIA bloc. After the first few days, slowly many of the allies backed out. The Samajwadi Party was upset about the Sambhal unrest not being the main issue, while the Trinamool Congress maintained distance.

But when the Congress decided to raise the Ambedkar issue, it was easier for the allies to join in as it resonated with their vote banks as well.

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For the SP, the Dalit vote matters. The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also have their eyes on upcoming polls.

Around 16% of votes in Delhi come from Dalits. AAP, Congress, and BJP are targeting this. In the April-June Lok Sabha elections, the INDIA bloc got around 64% of these votes, while the BJP got about 26%. None of them want to lose that, and thats why the Congress doesnt mind giving up Adani for Ambedkar, for now.

First Published: December 20, 2024, 21:02 IST
Glorifying Terror: BJP Protests Over 1998 Coimbatore Blast Convicts Funeral, Police Detain Annamalai

Curated By :

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Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 22:42 IST

The state government permitting the "funeral procession of banned Al-Umma founder SA Basha days ago with police protection came in for flak from Hindu outfits.

The police detained BJP state unit president K Annamalai and leaders of Hindu outfits. (Image: X/ @annamalai_k)

The Tamil Nadu Police on Friday detained BJP state unit chief K Annamalai and other leaders of Hindu outfits after they held a Black day procession" in Coimbatore to protest against what it called the glorification of a terrorist."

The protest involved BJP workers and RSS-affiliated outfits, including the Hindu Munnani, carrying banners accusing the MK Stalin-led state government of supporting Coimbatore bomb blast terrorists."

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Why BJP is protesting?

The criticism came after the state government permitted the funeral procession of banned terror outfit Al-Ummas founder SA Basha, who was sentenced to life for the 1998 Coimbatore bomb blasts, earlier this week. Basha died due to age-related illness while on parole.

Bashas body was taken in procession from Siddique Alis residence in Ukkadam to Hyder Ali Tippu Sultan Sunnath Jamaath Masjid in Flower Market for the final rites. As per the reports, 2000 to 5000 Tamil Nadu police and Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel were deployed during the funeral.

The state government permitting the funeral procession came in for flak from Hindu outfits.

Annamalai in a post on X said, We condemn the cowardly act of the DMK Government for arresting the leaders & cadres of @BJP4 TamilNadu for carrying out a rally condemning the glorification of a terrorist who was the reason for the loss of 58 lives in the peace-loving city of Coimbatore in 1998. The DMK Govt should understand that the cadres of @BJP4TamilNadu will never bow down to such autocracy & we will always be the voice of the people of TN."

We condemn the cowardly act of the DMK Government for arresting the leaders & cadres of @BJP4TamilNadu for carrying out a rally condemning the glorification of a terrorist who was the reason for the loss of 58 lives in the peace-loving city of Coimbatore in 1998.The DMK Govt pic.twitter.com/Jil34mW44e  K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) December 20, 2024

BJP accused DMK of glorifying terror

The BJP accused the DMK-led state government of honouring individuals allegedly linked to the terror attack, a move that has sparked outrage among party members.

Addressing the protesters before his detention, Annamalai said, This is a peace-loving city that suffered a devastating attack in 1998. To glorify a terrorist is an insult to the victims and their families. We demand accountability from the state government."

Coimbatore 1998 terror attack

The 1998 Coimbatore bombings were a series of coordinated attacks that claimed 58 lives and injured over 200 people. The blasts were orchestrated to disrupt an event attended by veteran BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani.

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Basha was found guilty by the court and was sentenced to life imprisonment along with 12 others in 2007. He was convicted for conspiring to acquire gelatine and other explosives.

(With inputs from agencies)

Location : Coimbatore, India

First Published: December 20, 2024, 22:40 IST
Kejriwal Accuses Nadda Of Calling Purvanchalis As Rohingyas, BJP Hits Back

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 22:56 IST

AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Friday accused BJP president J P Nadda of calling the people of the Purvanchali community "Rohingyas and Bangladeshis", and "admitting" that their names were being deleted from voters' list in Delhi ahead of assembly polls.

Arvind Kejriwal also took a dig at the BJP for not announcing its chief ministerial face for the Delhi Assembly polls due in February. (File)

AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Friday accused BJP president J P Nadda of calling the people of the Purvanchali community "Rohingyas and Bangladeshis", and "admitting" that their names were being deleted from voters list in Delhi ahead of assembly polls.

Kejriwal also took a dig at the BJP for not announcing its chief ministerial face for the Delhi Assembly polls due in February, and called it a "wedding party without a groom".

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"They should tell the name. Its a right of the people to know it," he told a press conference here.

Delhi BJP president hit back at Kejriwal, alleging the AAP government was taking decisions against the Purvanchali community and he himself was insulting them.

"Purvanchalis have not forgotten Arvind Kejriwals statement of September 30, 2019, that people from Biharis come to Delhi with a Rs 500-rupee ticket, get free treatment worth Rs 5 lakh and then leave," Sachdeva said.

Kejriwal accused the BJP of hatching a conspiracy to get the names of Purvanchalis in Delhi deleted from the voters list because they supported the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the elections.

"BJP president JP Nadda openly admitted in Parliament the deletion of names of Purvanchalis, Rohingyas and Bangladeshis. The Purvanchalis are being called Rohingyas. How can those who came from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to Delhi and were settled here for 30-40 years be called Rohingyas or Bangladeshis?" he asked.

Kejriwal said AAP workers will go door-to-door across Delhi to tell the Purvnachali people about the BJPs "conspiracy" by showing them videos of Naddas remarks in Parliament.

AAPs Rajya Sabha MP from Delhi and a Purvanchali face of the party, Sanjay Singh, will undertake foot marches and Ratri Pravas" (night stays) in Purvanchali-dominated areas of the city to expose the BJPs "sinister conspiracy", he said.

Sachdeva said Kejriwal is an expert at changing stand and statements according to the situation. He said Kejriwal was raising the issue of Purvanchalis as the BJP cornered him for supporting illegal Rohingyas and Bangladeshis staying in Delhi.

He also accused the Kejriwal-led AAP of banning hospitals for people from other states including Uttar Pradesh, during the COVID pandemic in June 2020. Everyone, including Purvanchalis know who has banned Chhath festival celebration along Yamuna that has not been cleaned due to corruption of AAP government, he charged further.

The issue of deletion of votes in Delhi was raised in Parliament by Singh earlier this week.

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Nadda claimed the names of Bangladeshis and Rohingyas are being removed from the voters list following the process laid down in the Constitution and asked the AAP if it was wining with their votes.

Singh claimed BJP workers had submitted applications to delete the names of Hindu voters by falsely labelling them as "Rohingyas" and "Bangladeshi infiltrators".

First Published: December 20, 2024, 22:56 IST
Parliament Winter Session: From Ambedkar Row To One Election Bill, Issues That Raised Temperature In The House | A Recap

Reported By :

News18.com

Edited By: Oindrila Mukherjee



Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 11:35 IST

Parliament Winter Session: Following three days of acrimonious debate over preserving the dignity of BR Ambedkar, the winter session will most likely end on a bitter note with Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi in focus

Parliament Winter Session: One Nation, One Election Bill in Lok Sabha

Parliament Winter Session Updates: It all started with a promise of peace from both the ruling and opposition sides, but with a day left for the winter session to end, unprecedented scenes of unruliness were witnessed with rival MPs screaming at and shoving each other on Thursday.

There was much action during the winter session this time  from One Nation One Election Bill and a now-dismissed impeachment motion against Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar to a fiery first speech by Wayanads new MP Priyanka Gandhi to Union Home Minister Amit Shahs controversial speech on the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution.

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Following three days of acrimonious debate inside the House over preserving the dignity of BR Ambedkar, the winter session will most likely culminate on a bitter note with Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi as the focal point.

Heres a recap:

PARLIAMENT SCUFFLE, FIR AGAINST RAHUL GANDHI

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi now faces an FIR in connection with the scuffle in Parliament, after two BJP MPs were hospitalised on Thursday (December 19). A woman MP also accused him of misbehaviour". Balasore MP Pratap Sarangi, 69, had to get stitches in the temple while his colleague Mukesh Rajput was also injured in the head.

Tempers and voices rose as BJP and opposition MPs marched towards each other over Amit Shahs comments on BR Ambedkar. Trouble broke out minutes before both Houses were to convene at 11 am as both sides were protesting at the steps of Parliaments Makar Dwar, an entrance and exit reserved for lawmakers.

The BJP MPs claimed that Rahul Gandhi tried to push his way through the middle of the stairs where they were standing, ignoring a side passage, and caused injuries in the ensuing jostling. However, some opposition MPs claimed that the BJP members refused to give way to Gandhi who was headed to the Lok Sabha to attend the House proceedings.

Both Houses witnessed massive uproar amid Jai Bhim chants from both sides and were adjourned without witnessing any transaction. Congress MPs met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and submitted a complaint against the BJP MPs.

Both the BJP and Congress held pressers, squarely putting the blame on each other for the fracas. Rahul Gandhi does not deserve to hold the post of the Leader of Opposition," said Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, while Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said he was pushed so violently that he lost his balance and sat down.

THE AMBEDKAR CONTROVERSY

A massive political row erupted on December 18 as the Congress and other opposition parties launched an all-out attack on Amit Shah for his remarks on BR Ambedkar and demanded his sacking, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other top BJP leaders rallied to his defence and said he has exposed the anti-Ambedkar" stand of the Congress.

Baba Saheb is the architect of the Constitution, a great man who gave direction to the country. The country will not tolerate his insult or the insult to the Constitution framed by him. Home Minister should apologize!" Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said. They are against the Constitution. They had said earlier that we will change the Constitution. They are against Ambedkar and his ideology. Their whole work is to finish off Ambedkars contribution and the Constitution. The whole country knows."

As opposition parties unitedly protested against him and stalled both houses of Parliament, alleging that his remarks had insulted Ambedkar and demanding his apology, Shah said the Congress had distorted his comments under a malicious campaign after the discussion on the Constitution established" that the opposition party was against Ambedkar and reservation.

Abhi ek fashion ho gaya hai  Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar. Itna naam agar bhagwan ka lete to saat janmon tak swarg mil jata (It has become a fashion to say Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar. If they had taken Gods name so many times, they would have got a place in heaven)," he said in the Rajya Sabha during the debate on the Constitution.

Modi, too, hit out at the Congress saying its rotten ecosystem" and malicious lies" cannot hide its misdeeds and said the home minister had exposed the opposition partys dark history of insulting" Ambedkar.

They are clearly stung and stunned by the facts he presented, which is why they are now indulging in theatrics. Sadly, for them, people know the truth," he said in a series of posts on X.

Parties like the Congress, Trinamool Congress, AAP, RJD, SP, Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Left protested against Shah inside Parliament and outside. Rajya Sabha MP Derek OBrien submitted a notice to move a privilege motion against him, followed by Congress president and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge.

I hereby give a notice of question of privilege against Shri Amit Shah, Minister of Home Affairs under Rule 188 of Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States (Rajya Sabha)," Kharge said in his notice.

The uproar in Parliament also spilled onto the streets of the national capital and other states like Maharashtra, Bihar and Tamil Nadu where various parties held protests. In Delhi, AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal led a protest with hundreds of supporters outside the BJP chanting slogans of Amit Shah maafi maango, Amit Shah sharm karo.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Tamil Nadu counterpart MK Stalin, all condemned Shahs remarks. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and former Bihar deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav also slammed the home minister for his words.

ONE NATION, ONE ELECTION

The two one nation, one election (ONOE) bills, including one requiring an amendment in the Constitution, lay down the mechanism to hold simultaneous polls and were introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 17 after a fiery debate.

Opposition parties dubbed the draft laws  a Constitution amendment bill and an ordinary bill  as an attack on the federal structure, a charge rejected by the central government. Speaking to reporters on Parliament premises, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi had termed the bills anti-constitutional". It is against the federalism of our nation. We are opposing the bill," she had said.

The BJP and its allies such as the TDP, JD(U) and Shiv Sena have stoutly defended the bills, saying frequent elections are an obstruction to development programmes and simultaneous polling will boost them by cutting down on election expenditure.

Priyanka, along with former Union ministers Anurag Thakur and PP Chaudhary from the BJP, are set to be among the 21 Lok Sabha MPs, who will be part of the joint parliamentary committee (JPC) that will scrutinise two bills on simultaneous polls.

A total of 21 MPs will be part of the committee. The Rajya Sabha will name its 10 members in a separate communication. Among members proposed to be on the committee, 14 are from the BJP-led NDA, including 10 from the BJP.

According to official sources, BJP MP Bhartruhari Mahtab is being considered to head the JPC. With the BJP set to get the position of the chair for the crucial panel, they said Mahtabs parliamentary experience may weigh in his favour. He is a seven-time Lok Sabha member from Odisha and is currently heading the standing committee for the finance ministry.

DEBATE ON CONSTITUTION

Amid the new Rahul Gandhi controversy and Amit Shahs alleged insult of BR Ambedkar, the Parliament debate on the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution seems to have taken on a life of its own. But, it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who set the tone in a searing attack on the Nehru-Gandhi family.

On December 14, Modi alleged generations of the family had assaulted the Constitution leaving its spirit in a bloodied state". Responding to the two-day debate on the Glorious Journey of 75 Years of the Constitution of India, he said first PM Jawaharlal Nehru had tasted blood" by amending the Constitution and his successive generations kept assaulting the guiding document time and again, leaving it in tatters.

They tasted blood by changing the Constitution and they kept assaulting it. They had tasted blood. They left the spirit of the Constitution in a bloodied state. The seed that was sown by the first prime minister was nurtured by another prime minister Indira Gandhi," he said. When Rajiv Gandhi became the prime minister, he continued to attack the Constitution."

He further took potshots at Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, while claiming that the Constitution was altered 75 times in 60 years of Congress tenure. He said Indira Gandhi imposed Emergency by misusing the Constitution and even clipped the wings of courts through constitutional amendments to capture the judiciary.

The Constitution was torn apart when it was completing 25 years. The Emergency was imposed in 1975, all constitutional rights were snatched, and the country was turned into a jail. All the rights of the citizens were taken away and there was a clampdown on the media," he said. The Congress cannot wipe off this sin. Whenever democracy will be discussed across the world, this sin of the Congress will be remembered."

Before his remarks on Ambedkar, Shah more or less made similar observations while concluding the debate. On December 17, during his speech, he said the Congress treated the Constitution as the private fiefdom" of one family and played fraud" with Parliament.

In the last 75 years, the Congress played fraud in the name of the Constitution They (Nehru-Gandhi family) considered not just the party as their personal property, but also treated the Constitution as their private fiefdom," he alleged, adding that it amended the document several times to remain in power.

PRIYANKA GANDHI VADRA: NEW MP ON THE BLOCK

It looks like Wayanads MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had an interesting Parliament run  be it her fiery first speech, which set tongues wagging about how she could be a big threat" to brother Rahuls political career, or her statement-making bags in support of Palestine and Bangladesh. She even called Prime Minister Narendra Modis speech for the debate on Constitution in Lok Sabha boring and like sitting through a double period of mathematics" in school.

During her 32-minute speech in Hindi, Priyanka said Modi has not understood that the Constitution is Bharat ka Samvidhan" not Sangh ka Vidhan". Launching a blistering attack against the BJP, she said had it not been for the Lok Sabha poll results, the ruling party would have started changing the Constitution.

She was combative yet restrained, never raising her voice, as she raised the oppositions key planks. These included the BJPs alleged attempts to change the Constitution, atrocities on women, incidents of violence in Sambhal and Manipur, and the demand for a nationwide caste census.

Slamming the BJP over its alleged divisive politics, the Congress MP said seeds of suspicion and hatred are being sown where the Constitution gave a protective shield of unity. The suraksha kavach of unity is being broken. The prime minister touches his forehead to the Constitution but when there are cries for justice from Sambhal, Hathras and Manipur, there is not a wrinkle on his forehead," she said.

When it came to her making bold statements, she did so twice by carrying bags in support of Palestine and Bangladesh to Parliament. When she was criticised for her Palestine bag", she called it typical patriarchy" and asserted that no one will decide what she wears.

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Not only has she previously made her views on the Gaza war public by severely criticising the Benjamin Netanyahu-led Israel, in Parliament, she raised the issue of reported attacks on minorities in Bangladesh.

(With PTI inputs)

First Published: December 20, 2024, 07:00 IST
FIR Mentions Rahul Gandhi Ignored Security Instructions, Congress Throws CCTV Challenge

Curated By :

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Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 11:05 IST

Parliament Scuffle: After BJP filed complaint that Rahul Gandhi pushed two of its protesting MPs at the Parliament gate, Delhi Police registered an FIR against the Congress leader.

Parliament scuffle: FIR filed against Rahul Gandhi (PTI Image)

Parliament Scuffle: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was booked by the Delhi Police based on Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) complaint in regard to the Parliament scuffle on Thursday. The FIR alleged that he violated the security personnels instructions to use the designated route for entry into the building and incited other INDIA bloc MPs to disrupt the BJPs protest with force and aggression, endangering their safety."

The complaint against the Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition was filed by BJP MP Hemang Joshi after two party MPs  Pratap Sarangi and Mukhesh Rajput  were allegedly injured in the alleged scuffle. The BJP alleged that Rahul Gandhi pushed them, leading to their head injuries, which necessitated immediate medical attention for which they were rushed to RML Hospital.

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In turn, Congress also alleged that the BJP MPs resorted to pushing its MPs during the protest march, in which party president and Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge was injured. Rahul Gandhi also claimed that he was pushed instead and stopped from entering the Parliament by the BJP lawmakers.

Whats There In FIR Against Rahul Gandhi?

According to the FIR, the BJP MPs, including Sarangi and Rajput, were protesting at the Makar Dwar of the Parliament gate at around 10 am against misinformation" spread by the Opposition.

Rahul Gandhi arrived at the scene between 10.40 and 10.45 am and was requested by Parliament security to follow the designated entry route".

However, the Congress leader ignored" the instructions with malicious intent to disrupt the protest and physically harm NDA MPs", the FIR said.

Not only did Shri Rahul Gandhi and others violate security personnels instructions to take the designated route, but they also incited other members of the opposition alliance to advance towards the protesting MPs with force and aggression, endangering their safety," the FIR read.

It further said that Rahul Gandhis reckless and intentional actions" in which he was fully aware of serious or life-threatening injuries from falling, he allegedly pushed the MPs.

Mukesh Rajput sustained a severe injury to the back of his head. Pratap Rao Sarangi sustained an injury to his forehead," the FIR said.

The BJP MP claimed that he personally witnessed the incident as he was a participant of the protest.

He said that Rahul Gandhis actions were deliberate, intentional, and malicious, fully aware of the potential consequences" and his behaviour constitutes a criminal assault, incitement to violence against peaceful protesters.

Congress Demands CCTV Footage To Be Made Public

Rahul Gandhi took on the government over the matter and dared the BJP to release the CCTV footage of the Parliament in which he pushed the BJP MPs.

Absolutely, we want them to release the CCTV footage immediately. The truth will come out, and everyone will know the truth. You all saw everything there yourselves," Rahul Gandhi said.

Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate also demanded the BJP to release the CCTV footage.

There is a CCTV network all across the Parliament. A bird cannot flutter without being captured on CCTV. Despite this, the BJP is building a castle of lies. Its a challenge, show us the CCTV footage of Rahul Gandhi pushing someone  everything will be clear," Shrinate posted on X.

The Congress MPs will protest at Vijay Chowk at 10 am today against Union Home Minister Amit Shahs remarks on Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. The party has also demanded an unconditional apology from him, along with his resignation.

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No More Protests On Parliament Gates: Speaker

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla issued a strict instruction following the scuffle, that no MPs or political parties will hold demonstrations at any of the Parliament building gates.

First Published: December 20, 2024, 07:44 IST
Google Is Using AI To Block Major Holiday Scams On Gmail: Why You Should Worry

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 07:30 IST

Google's AI tech is on overdrive these days but some of that is being used to protect millions of users on the internet.

Gmail is putting AI to good use and block major scams this holiday season

Gmail is using the power of AI to tackle the scam menace this holiday season and making sure you dont ruin the mood by falling into the trap. Google realises the value of adopting its AI models across products and Gmail is a strong focus with its efforts.

The new details come this week, which compares the figures with the 2023 holiday season. The company continues to evolve and improve its AI detection tools for online scams to make sure you dont even see those emails in your inbox. Gmail scams come in all shapes and sizes but Google has found a definite pattern in these attacks and how they use them to infiltrate your device to steal data and money.

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Gmail Scams That People Are Warned About

Invoice scams

Have you ever gotten random and unknown invoices for your supposed purchases asking you to pay the bill? Yes, scammers use this mode quite actively during this period, and Google is warning people about its possible misdeeds if you dont stay aware of such attacks. They could even tempt you into offering a heavy discount on a recent purchase, which gets people excited and makes them click on links they should never.

Extortion scam

Most of our details are available on the internet, and if these scammers get hold of the data, they can use it to scare or even extort you into paying them. They could even blackmail you with visuals that may incriminate you, which might get you to take these emails seriously. This is similar to the FedEx scam that is prevalent in India these days but in the email avatar.

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Celebrity scam

Celebrities often become an easy topic to scam people with during the holidays. Imagine if a famous actor emails you and asks for a vote or even buys a product they endorse, what are the chances you will take the bait? Thats what the hackers hope when they send these emails and Google is warning about opening mails that could be too good to be true.

Location : Delhi, India

First Published: December 20, 2024, 07:30 IST
Another Atul Subhash? Gurugram Man Alleges False Cases By Wife: 'Rs 1 Crore Compensation, House'

Curated By :

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Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 15:24 IST

A man from Gurugram has alleged that his estranged wife filed false dowry and domestic violence cases against him, adding that if anything happens to him, she and her family will be responsible.

Gurugram: Alok Mittal has alleged that his wife demanded Rs 1 crore from him as compensation. She also demanded a house and Rs 1.5 lakh per month as maintenance. (Image: LinkedIn/@alokmittal101)

A Gurgram-based UX designer has alleged that his estranged wife has filed false cases against him after just five months of marriage. Alok Mittal added that his wife, who earns a decent salary, has demanded Rs 1.5 lakh per month in maintenance, Rs 1 crore compensation, and house. Mittal, who shared his ordeal in a post on LinkedIn, further claimed that his wife has requested him to delete his posts against her, threatening to file another case if he doesnt comply.

Now, if anything happens to me, I want to make it clear who will be responsible," Mittal wrote on LinkedIn, naming his wife, who works as an analyst at Collegedunia, and his in-laws.

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What has happened?

Mittal, who married his wife in May 2023 in Delhi, revealed that he lost his job shortly after their wedding. Soon after, the couple learned that they were expecting their first child. As a result, his wife pressured him to find a new job.

After five months of job hunting, he finally landed one in November 2023 in Bengaluru. However, when he asked his wife to relocate with him to the city, she allegedly refused, citing her medical condition and chose to stay back with her parents.

She promised to join me later but refused when I came to Delhi in December 2023 to bring her back. Despite my assurances that I would fulfil her demands, she used her pregnancy and childbirth as a reason to remain at her parents home," Mittal explained.

Mittal further stated that his wife, who had initially urged him to take up a job anywhere in the world", later pressured him to quit his job in Bengaluru and return to live with her family.

Eventually, under immense pressure, I agreed to return to Delhi. But my wife wanted it fast. So, knowing my son was my weakness, began using him against me," he said, adding that during this period, his in-laws became increasingly aggressive.

Mittal added that whenever he attempted to video call his son, his wife would make excuses. Whenever I tried to video call to see my son, she declined, saying the child was asleep. If I miss to call her or visit her in Delhi her family accused me of abandoning her and my child," he explained.

Mittal stated that when he asked his wife to temporarily relocate to Bengaluru, she refused. He alleged that, shortly after, she filed a false domestic violence case against him.

Mittal revealed that his 73-year-old mother, a widow, had also been dragged into these false accusations. Beyond exhausting all my earnings, I took loans from friends and family to fund a wedding which lasted for less than 6 months. And now from where am I supposed to find 1 crore to undo this massive mistake?" he questioned.

The last time I held my son in my arms, he was 9 days old. It has been 10 months now, and apart from those 23 days of memories, I have nothing. Not being able to see or hold him, compounded with the burden of court hearings and monthly maintenance, has left me shattered," Mittal reflected on the emotional toll the situation had taken on him.

I can prove my innocence in 5 minutes: Alok Mittal

In a separate post, Alok Mittal asserted that he could prove his innocence in the false dowry and domestic violence cases in just five minutes, adding, If living with me is so impossible, why hasnt she filed for divorce?"

Mittal, who has been living separately with his wife for 13 months now, noted that she has yet to file for divorce, possibly because it might not work in her favour.

He added that if she does decide to file, he would grant it and move on with his life. Ill remarry, have kids, and build a happy future. She will get less money. Loss ho jayega fir to."

Justice delayed is a life destroyed

UX designer, who alleged harassment by his wife, expressed that justice delayed is justice destroyed. He also shared a call recording between him and his wife before marriage where she expressed going to Europe for their honeymoon.

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My wife demanded a honeymoon in Europe, a bigger banquet hall, and a designer Lehengajust one week after our Roka ceremony," Mittal further wrote, asking,  How can such demands not be considered part of dowry?"

He further questioned, Why are men not educated about these biased laws? Why are there no documentaries or films highlighting these issues?" before expressing, We men are often seen as nothing more than wallets to pay for maintenance, alimony, or settlements. But we are more than thatwe have hearts and souls, and its devastating to see them torn apart so easily."

First Published: December 20, 2024, 12:14 IST
Bengaluru Woman Says Shifting To London Has Made Her Happy: Its An Overarching Feeling

Curated By :

Trending Desk

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 11:07 IST

Her post gained significant traction and sparked discussions about the transition from India to the UK.

Sayani B is a software engineer. (Photo Credits: X)

Relocating to a new country often comes with its share of uncertainties, but for Sayani B, a software engineer from Bengaluru, moving to London turned out to be a joyful experience. She recently took to X (formerly Twitter) to share how life in London, despite its high cost of living, has brought her a newfound sense of happiness. While Sayani didnt reveal what made the difference, she described it as an overarching feeling."

Its been a couple of months living in London, and I am in general, happier. I cant point at what exactly has been a game changer, but its an overarching feeling," Sayani wrote.

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Its been couple of months living in London, and I am in general, happier.I cant point at what exactly has been game changer, but its an overarching feeling  Sayani B (@SayaniBh) December 18, 2024

Her post gained significant traction and sparked discussions about the transition from India to the UK. Many users were curious about her experience and left their thoughts in the comments.

One user wondered if the move from Bengaluru came with a major culture shock." Sayani clarified that there wasnt much of a shock, writing, Not at all, just understanding all the British accent, which I normally would only watch on TV."

How was the transition from BLR? Mustve been quite the culture shock Shivam (@Scmmishra) December 18, 2024

Not at all, just understanding all the British accent, which I normally would only watch on TV. Sayani B?? (@SayaniBh) December 18, 2024

Another user praised Londons walkable neighbourhoods and compared them to the chaos of metro cities in India, saying, London is by far the most aesthetically pleasing city I have been to. For us, walkable neighbourhoods in India are unimaginable in metro cities. I am glad you are having a good time."

London is by far the most aesthetically pleasing city I have been to. Walkable neighborhoods for us in India is unimaginable in metro cities. Glad you are having a good time. Ganesh Sonawane (@ganeshunwired) December 19, 2024

Sayani agreed, writing, Yes, plus I dont have to worry that a car or bus will run over me every time I cross roads. Everyone follows traffic rules."

Yes, plus I don't have to worry that a car or bus will run over me everytime I cross roads. Everyone follows traffic rules. Sayani B?? (@SayaniBh) December 19, 2024

When someone brought up Londons gloomy weather, calling it wretched," Sayani dismissed it casually.

Surprised the wreched English weather hasn't got to you yet. London would be a lot more happier place if the weather this time of the year was a little bit kinder Vinci Rufus (@Areai51) December 18, 2024

Its not as bad, especially for someone who has lived through the clogged roads of Bangalore every time it rained," she wrote.

It's not as bad, especially for someone who has lived through the clogged roads of Bangalore everytime it rained Sayani B?? (@SayaniBh) December 19, 2024

While many appreciated Sayanis perspective, some pointed out the challenges that come with living in the city.

One user remarked, Everything is good with London except its crazy expensive & public mugging in the centre has increased a lot  especially Oxford Street & nearby."

Everything is good with London except its crazy expensive & public mugging in centre has increase a lot ??  especially Oxford street & nearby Alan Shore (@abhishe26342097) December 18, 2024

Another added, Its the initial excitement of moving to a new country. Wait a few months and reality will catch onto you."

Its the initial excitement of moving to a new country. Wait a few months and reality will catch onto you. PJ (@the_right_monk) December 18, 2024

While I do agree with cleaner roads and good lifestyles when it comes to Indians, I also believe that moving to Western countries brings more soft social powers and good salaries. Eventually, you may start feeling like going back once you live enough in London," an individual pointed out.

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While I do agree with cleaner roads and good lifestyles when it comes to Indians, I also believe that moving to Western countries brings more soft social powers and good salaries. Eventually, you may start feeling like going back once you live enough in London Harry (@Harryp2021Harry) December 18, 2024

Sayanis post has received more than 1.5 lakh views so far.

Location : Delhi, India

First Published: December 20, 2024, 11:02 IST
Binance CEO Slams Indian Company For Misusing Selfie: Didnt Even Have A Chat

Curated By :

Trending Desk

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 12:53 IST

Indian blockchain company 5ireChain faced criticism for using a selfie of Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao with their own CEO, Pratik Gauri, to imply a possible collaboration.

The post was deleted after the Binance CEO flagged it. (Photo Credits: X)

A controversy erupted recently when Changpeng Zhao, the CEO of Binance, publicly criticised Indian blockchain company 5ireChain. According to Zhao, the company had misused a photo of him taken with 5ireChains CEO Pratik Gauri at an event. It all began when 5ireChain posted the photo of Zhao and Gauri taken at an event on X (formerly Twitter) and captioned it, Whats cooking?" alongside a handshake emoji. The post suggested a potential collaboration between the two.

In response, Zhao wrote, This is exactly how NOT to use a selfie with me. Nothing is cooking. Didnt even have a chat. Just a selfie at an event."

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This is exactly how NOT to use a selfie with me.Nothing is cooking. Didnt even have a chat. Just a selfie at an event.   CZ  BNB (@cz_binance) December 18, 2024

5ireChain deleted the post soon after Zhao flagged it and clarified that there had been no discussions or agreements between the two parties.

In response to the post, one user wrote, Selfie with CZ should not be used as promotion. Instead focus on building!"

Selfie with CZ should not be used as promotion.Instead focus on building!@cz_binance https://t.co/gwE09tQy9H  Srijal AKA Spidey (@spidey_cyp155) December 18, 2024

Zhao agreed, retweeting the comment and adding, You should be alarmed if a person/project uses a selfie with someone else as promotional material. Posting selfies when I meet someone I like/admire is normal. But I would never use that to promote my project, unless with explicit permission."

You should be alarmed if a person/project uses a selfie with someone else as promotional material. ?Posting selfies when I meet someone I like/admire is normal. But I would never use that to promote my project, unless with explicit permission. https://t.co/Ox12YQKROA  CZ ? BNB (@cz_binance) December 18, 2024

Later, 5ireChain posted the same selfie again but this time with a clarification that read: Note: This post is not intended to imply any collaboration or partnership between our Founder & CEO, Pratik Gauri, and CZ BNB. It is purely an appreciation post from our founder to recognize CZs unparalleled contributions to the blockchain and crypto industry. Truly a legend."

? Note: This post is not intended to imply any collaboration or partnership between our Founder & CEO, @pratikgauri, and @cz_binance.It is purely an appreciation post from our founder to recognize CZ's unparalleled contributions to the blockchain and crypto industry. Truly a pic.twitter.com/5yOJz601sJ  5ireChain (Mainnet is live) (@5ireChain) December 18, 2024

Even after the companys clarification following Zhaos criticism, social media users took a dig at 5ireChain, posting various reactions in the comment section.

One user commented, You literally implied something is happening in the backgrounds when you say Whats cooking?" No other way to interpret that."

You literally implied something is happening in the backgrounds when you say "What's cooking? ?". No other way to interpret that.. YuzuXBT (@YuzuXBT) December 19, 2024

Another said, If you are going to make posts like this, then you are already going to be a bad player in my opinion. Dont abuse opportunities and show respect."

? If you are going to make posts like this, then you are already going to be a bad player in my opinion Don't abuse opportunities and show respect. pic.twitter.com/hLoLm3MwBD  CryptoJones (@CryptoJones2011) December 19, 2024

Cooked, served and eaten as well," someone quipped while another wrote, absolutely baked lol."

Cooked, served and eaten ?? as well ??? Rohitkr (@defiarena) December 19, 2024

absolutely baked lol steady teddys ? (@steadyteddys) December 19, 2024

More criticism poured in with one user pointing out, You should not have deleted the post. Makes it look worse than it really was honestly."

You should not have deleted the post. Makes it look worst than it really was honestly Crypto Bajan?? (@ralph7612) December 18, 2024

Another added, Thanks to CZ for putting things straight. They would have used it to drive their project. If you try to get cheap popularity there may be no substance in your project."

Thanks to CZ for putting things straight. They would have used it to drive their project. If you try to get cheap popularity there may be no substance in your project Mr D ? (@darius4_d) December 19, 2024

Meanwhile, Zhao shared a picture from a recent meeting with the King of Bhutan and spiritual leader Sadhguru where they had an inspiring conversation. In his post on X, Zhao expressed his feelings about the encounter with the simple caption, Inspiring conversations."

Reacting to the post, one X user asked if Zhao had visited the Isha Foundation, the non-profit organisation founded by Sadhguru.

No, haven't had the chance yet. But after today's event, my sister told me I donated to the Isha Foundation on her behalf in 2023. I completely forgot about it. I donated because she said the methods taught by Sadhguru helped her tremendously. ? CZ ? BNB (@cz_binance) December 18, 2024

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Zhao responded that he hadnt had the chance yet but revealed something personal. He mentioned that in 2023, he had donated to the Isha Foundation on behalf of his sister who had been deeply influenced by Sadhgurus teachings.

I completely forgot about it. I donated because she said the methods taught by Sadhguru helped her tremendously," he wrote.

Location : Delhi, India

First Published: December 20, 2024, 12:50 IST
Chinese Woman Hires Actor To Play Herself On Blind Date, Dupes Man Of Rs 55 Lakh

Curated By :

Trending Desk

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 13:28 IST

In China, an unemployed married woman hired actors to impersonate her parents and herself to defraud her blind date for over two years.

The scammer was an unemployed married woman with a child. (Representative Image)

A shocking case has surfaced from China where a married woman went to extreme lengths to defraud her blind date. According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), she planned an elaborate scam by hiring actors to impersonate her family members. What is more surprising is that she also employed someone to impersonate herself.

The incident began in August 2022 when a man named Xin, from Hubei province in central China, was contacted by a woman who identified herself as Xiaoyu. She claimed to have found his details in a wedding planning advertisement. Just a month into their online interactions, Xiaoyu professed her love for Xin and convinced him to start planning their marriage. She demanded a bride price of 188,000 yuan (approximately Rs 22.1 lakh) from her family, as per local customs.

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In January last year, Xin travelled to meet her family and bought gifts worth 10,000 yuan (over Rs 1.15 lakh) for them. However, Xiaoyu claimed to be ill and avoided attending the meeting. Over the following months, she continued to request money for various reasons like her mothers surgery and gifts for her sister.

Despite her repeated refusal to meet in person, Xiaoyu managed to keep Xin convinced by sending photos and speaking to him over the phone. By the end of the year, Xin had transferred more than 220,000 yuan (nearly Rs 25.7 lakh) to her.

Finally, Xiaoyu agreed to meet Xin in April this year, with her family in his city. Things took an even stranger turn when Xin noticed that Xiaoyu looked different from her photos. When he asked about it, she responded that the images had been beautified."

Despite his growing doubts, Xin continued to spend on her family, even buying clothes worth 40,000 yuan (over Rs 4.5 lakh).

Xin grew more doubtful when he found suspicious messages on Xiaoyus phone where she complained about him constantly asking to meet" and promised to act according to the script."

When confronted, Xiaoyu claimed her account had been hacked. Soon after, her sister," Xiaomiao, met Xin and asked him to break up with Xiaoyu, saying she was depressed.

Xin was determined to get to the bottom of the situation, so he visited Xiaoyus city where he found Xiaomiao answering a call meant for Xiaoyu. This shocking moment unveiled the truth: Xiaomiao was the woman he had believed to be Xiaoyu for two years.

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Chinese media outlet Jimu News reported that the scammer, surnamed Zhou, was an unemployed married woman with a child. She had used the money to support her child, hiring actors to portray her family and sending Xin photos of models sourced online.

Zhou tricked Xin out of 480,000 yuan (approximately Rs 55.3 lakh) before being arrested in November.

Location : Delhi, India

First Published: December 20, 2024, 13:28 IST
Delhi CEO's Hiring Post Wades Into Kannada Language Debate, Sparks Mixed Reactions

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 11:07 IST

The Delhi CEO's post was less about hiring and more about Bengaluru vs Delhi and Kannada vs Hindi or English.

Delhi CEO appeared to pit Bengaluru against Delhi in his hiring post for engineers. (Image: X/@vikramchopra)

A Delhi CEO has stirred up controversy on social media with a hiring post aimed at engineers looking to stay close to home"  in this case, Delhi. But, it is just a hiring post. What could have possibly gone wrong? Well, Vikram Chopra, the CEO of Cars24, seemingly turned it into a Bengaluru vs Delhi and Kannada vs Hindi or English debate.

We are not saying Delhi NCR is better. Only that it really is," Chopra declared in his hiring post on X (formerly known as Twitter).

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He invited those interested in coming back" to Delhi to email him with the subject line Delhi meri jaan"  a popular phrase often used to express affection for the national capital.

Read| Noida Authority CEO Punishes Staff To Stand And Work For 20 Minutes After Elderly Man Made To Wait

He also shared a poster that playfully highlighted Bengalurus language challenges, stating: Still cant speak Kannada after years in Bengaluru? Its okay. Aa jao Dilli [come to Delhi]."

The image also featured a map of India with an aeroplane heading toward Delhi. Bengaluru was marked with a blue dot, while Delhi was highlighted with a red heart on the map.

Take a look at the hiring post here:

We are not saying Delhi NCR is better. Only that it really is.If you wish to come back, write to me at vikram@cars24.com with the subject  Delhi meri jaan  pic.twitter.com/lgQpXMiaKt  Vikram Chopra (@vikramchopra) December 19, 2024

The post, since being shared on December 19, has raked up more than 3.8 lakh views and still counting. Many took to the comments section of the post to share their thoughts. Dont popularise this language racism more, please. We need to stand united," shared an individual.

Another added, Delhi is a great place, a cosmopolitan City and everyone speaks multiple languages and sign boards are also in Urdu/Hindi. Really a welcome (Or goodbye) step."

Also Read| Dont Build Careers, Rent People: Tata Play CEOs LinkedIn Post On Workplace Culture Viral

Come to Delhi if you dont want to survive," said a third.

A fourth commented, This is rude in so many ways."

There is a small problem though. I like breathing. It is like my favourite thing. It really is," posted a fifth.

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A sixth joined, And ultimately end up with lung disease."

Engineers need to know programming languages for better products, no need to indulge in regional language chauvinism," expressed a seventh.

First Published: December 20, 2024, 11:00 IST
Delhi Metro Antics That Made News In 2024

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 08:11 IST

Let's take you through the quirkiest, funniest, most unbelievable 5 moments that made the headlines in 2024.

Viral Delhi Metro moments of 2024 that had everyone talking all year. (Screengrab/Instagram)

The Delhi metro has never been just a public conveyance (at least for some people). It reflects the culture and daily dramas of the city, often turning into a moving circus. In 2024, the Delhi metro saw bizarre, hilarious, and jaw-dropping moments that kept commuters talking long after their rides.

From impromptu dance-offs in crowded compartments to stowaways of the furred and feathered variety to questionable fashion choices that turned it into a runway, the Delhi Metro had it all this year. Lets take you through the quirkiest, funniest, most unbelievable 5 moments that made the headlines in 2024. Delhi metro mai aapka swagat hai (Welcome to Delhi Metro).

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Womans Theatrical Metro Chase

A desperate dash through a Delhi Metro station by a woman left onlookers (and the Internet) stunned. In a video that went viral, she ran through the station, navigating doors and storming down the aisles with a look of feral determination. Her mission? To confront her cheating boyfriend. The drama reached its peak when she caught him with another woman. Bursting into tears, she sprawled theatrically on the stations stairwell as her rival led the boyfriend away.

Passengers Gravity-defying Feat

A viral video of the Delhi Metro left onlookers at the station and online community baffled. The video shows a man sitting, holding a pole for support and lifting himself off the ground with ease. While many were impressed by the magic or whatever that was, not all were thrilled. Sharp-eyed viewers spotted a passenger walking backwards in the background. This consequently gave birth to theories that the video probably was playing in reverse.

Influencer Dances Her Heart Out

Social media influencer Swati Sharma caused a stir in Delhi Metro with a video where she danced unabashedly to the peppy song Billo Rani from the film Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal. Showing off her vibrant saree, Swati danced bluntly without paying much credence to the stunned fellow commuters.

Womens Bold Holi Act

A viral video captured the moment when two women turned a Delhi Metro compartment into their own Holi playground. One wore a white dress, the other a saree. Sitting on the metro floor amidst scattered colours, they dramatically smeared more colour on each others faces to the tune of Ang Laga De. Their playful gestures escalated into suggestive actions, including feigned cuddling and an attempt to kiss, shocking commuters.

Delhi Metro  Oyo       ,        pic.twitter.com/clH3nj949v HasnaZarooriHai (@HasnaZaruriHai) March 23, 2024

Metro Fight Turns Into Comedy Gold

Complete mayhem unfolded near a Delhi Metro ticket counter when two young men engaged in a slapping, shoving and punching duel that made it difficult to distinguish their intended target. Amid all this chaos, there happened to be a peacenik bystander stepping in to try to quell the fighters only for things to get hilariously dragged with an unexpected slap to the back of his head from one of them.

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Kalesh b/w two uncles inside Delhi metro over buying coins pic.twitter.com/0Zcy8dvrDs Ghar Ke Kalesh (@gharkekalesh) July 10, 2024

Well, thanks for travelling with Delhi Metro.

First Published: December 20, 2024, 08:09 IST
In China, This Female Gang Offers Protection Against Abusive Partners And Bullies

Curated By :

Trending Desk

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 14:38 IST

The White Mafia, also known as the Professional Bodyguard Team, has become popular on Chinese social media, particularly on Douyin.

The members claim they are not criminals but female guardians. (Representative Image)

In China, young women are taking help from a group called the White Mafia for personal protection to solve problems related to abusive partners, school bullies and dishonest landlords. The group, also known as the Professional Bodyguard Team, has become popular on Chinese social media, particularly Douyin. Despite being called mafia, the group members claim that they are not a criminal gang but female guardians, who use legal methods to help them when needed. The members come from various backgrounds, including former military officers, business professionals and female boxers.

As per the South China Morning Post, Lei, part of the mafia group, told local media, By 2022, more individuals approached us for help with personal issues. Due to gaps in the law, some problems could not be resolved through traditional means, so we began helping vulnerable groups in our own ways. Due to the gaps in the law, some problems cannot be solved through traditional means, so we started to help vulnerable groups in our own way."

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According to him, the majority of their clients are between 25 and 35, who reach out to them through Douyin. To hire them, Lei claims that they charge on the type and length of the services, which can sometimes exceed 10,000 yuan (approximately Rs 1 lakh). Some services are quick, while others can go on for a year.

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Lei shared a story about a woman who took the help of White Mafia for her divorce from her abusive husband, who was against the separation. After she left the court, the husband threw acid at her in revenge. Luckily, one of the team members protected her by using an umbrella. In another case, a young woman wanted to break up with her cruel boyfriend, who threatened to leak her private photos online. She reached out to Leis team and spent around 20,000 yuan (approximately Rs 2 Lakh) to end the relationship.

The team also helps protect children from bullies at school. On the other hand, they also support renters to recover unsettled payments from landlords. Lei highlighted that all of their services are fully legal, as the team ensures that clients also involve the police whenever necessary.

Location : Delhi, India

First Published: December 20, 2024, 14:38 IST
In New York's Queens, Vlogger Orders Food In 'Fluent' Bengali. We Are Impressed

Published By :

Trending Desk

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 22:57 IST

The YouTuber spoke about the beauty of Saint Martins Island in Bangladesh and revealed his admiration for ilish fish as well.

The vlogger tried Kolkata-famous fuchka from a roadside shop in Jackson Heights. (Photo Credits: YouTube)

A US YouTuber stepped out on the streets of New York to explore Bengali cuisine. To make the content more interesting, Xiaomanyc whose real name is Arieh Smith, decided to communicate with the shopkeepers in their mother tongue. His fluent Bengali impressed all. The vlogger recognises himself as a polyglot who loves to learn new languages and discover different cultures. He visited Jackson Heights which according to him, could be called little Bangladesh".

This place in Queens is home to many Bengali restaurants. Xiaoma purchased a hat from a roadside shop and the man on the receiving end was stunned by his Bengali pronunciation. The content creator then decided to try mishti paan (sweet betel leaf) which is used as a post-meal mouth freshener among the Bengali community.

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When Smithwas ordering in Bengali, the shopkeeper asked him, Wait, how do you speak Bengali?" In response, the vlogged smilingly said, Im just learning it." He then went on to interact with some fellow customers who were also impressed by his delivery of Bengali words.

The next frame cuts to a tea shop where Smith met some Bangladeshi women. They asked him if he had ever visited Bangladesh, to which he replied, No, I have never been there but would love to." Smith then spoke about Saint Martins Island in Bangladesh and revealed his admiration for ilish fish. He later visited another shop to try fire paan which is quite popular in India as well.

At the end of the video, the vlogger was seen trying Kolkata-famous fuchka". He had his dinner at a restaurant selling Indian-Chinese and Bangladeshi food.

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The YouTube video went widely viral. It has collected more than 2,30,000 views since being shared on the platform. Many users hailed Smith for respecting other languages and cultures. One of them commented, The simplicity of Bengali people being all jolly and cheery when they see a New Yorker speaking Bangla is just very cute and wholesome to see."

Echoing the same sentiment, another user said, The smiles on these peoples faces are priceless. Everybody wants people to care about their culture and language." A person praised the vlogger, saying, Its incredible how nicely you speak Bengali just after learning it. Bengali is a beautiful language but challenging and hard to master."

Location : Delhi, India

First Published: December 20, 2024, 22:57 IST
Man Spends Rs 55 Lakh On His To-Be Bride, Turns Out She Was Already Married

Curated By :

Translation Desk

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 17:43 IST

The to-be bride, claiming it was a customary practice, asked the man for Rs 22 lakh as a "bride price," a traditional custom in China.

The man had spent a staggering Rs 55 lakh on his to-be wife. (Representative Image)

In a shocking turn of events, a Chinese man, who had been eagerly preparing for his wedding, found himself at the centre of a devastating scam when he discovered the truth about the woman he was about to marry. The man, who had already spent a staggering Rs 55 lakh on his to-be wife, was left reeling after he uncovered her deception.

According to a report from the South China Morning Post, the incident began Shin, from Hubei province, came across an advertisement for wedding planning services. There, he met a woman named Shaoyu. The two quickly struck up a connection and started communicating regularly, eventually developing a romantic relationship online.

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However, the relationship soon took a financially draining turn. Shaoyu, claiming it was a customary practice, asked Shin for Rs 22 lakh as a bride price," which was a traditional custom in some parts of China. She also requested additional money for gifts for her sister and medical expenses for her mother.

As Shin grew suspicious, the woman managed to reassure him by sending pictures and engaging in phone conversations. Over the course of a year, Shin transferred more than Rs 55 lakh to Shaoyu.

After months of online interaction and mounting financial transactions, Shin and Shaoyus families agreed to meet in person. When they finally met, Shin was taken aback by the woman who claimed to be Shaoyu. She appeared different from the photos he had seen, and when asked about it, she explained that the images were altered with a filter.

Despite this unsettling revelation, Shin decided to move forward with the wedding plans, continuing to send money. However, his suspicions were further aroused when he noticed some unusual messages on the girls phone. When he tried to confront her, she claimed that her phone had been hacked, offering no further explanation.

The entire situation took a dramatic turn when a woman, pretending to be Shaoyus sister, contacted Shin to discuss ending the relationship. It was then that Shin decided to conduct an investigation. His efforts soon uncovered the shocking truth: the woman who had been posing as Shaoyus sister was, in fact, the same woman who had been deceiving him all along.

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The revelation was even more stunning when Shin discovered that Shaoyu and her entire family were involved in the scam. The woman, along with a network of hired actors, had orchestrated the entire fraud to extort money from Shin. Further investigation revealed that Shaoyu, the woman behind the deceit, was already married and had a child. She had been using the pretence of a wedding scam to support her family financially.

After realising he had been the victim of a large-scale con, a distraught Shin immediately reported the matter to the local police who later confirmed that the woman and her accomplices were part of a well-organised criminal ring targetting unsuspecting individuals seeking love and marriage online.

Location : China

First Published: December 20, 2024, 17:43 IST
Mumbai Techie Claims She Was Abused By Rapido Driver, Company Reacts

Curated By :

Trending Desk

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 18:59 IST

The woman claimed that she had booked an economy cab but the driver who accepted the ride had a premium vehicle.

The driver was later forced to cancel the ride.(Photo Credits: X)

Rapido has courted controversies due to the unprofessional behaviour of a rider. A Mumbai-based techie alleged that a Rapido driver recently asked her to pay extra for an economy ride. When she refused to do so, the person abused the woman and threatened her on the in-app messenger. The customer, Ohshin, shared a screenshot of the chat on X (formerly Twitter) and the post soon went viral. The woman claimed that she had booked an economy cab but the driver who accepted the ride had a premium vehicle.

He asked me to pay extra as his car is premium, I denied it and told him to cancel," Ohshin wrote on X. In response, the cab driver allegedly asked the customer to cancel the ride from her end, perhaps to avoid any penalty. Ohshin instantly refused and thats when the man tried to threaten her.

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Cancel kar do varna pel dunga khade khade (Cancel the ride or I will beat you up)," said the driver. He then abused the Mumbai techie, calling her a Bhikhari ki aulad (Child of a beggar)". The woman did nothing but reply with some laughing emojis. According to Hindustan Times, she later booked an Uber and the driver was forced to cancel the ride himself.

i booked rapido economy and got a premium car(the driver has put economy type from his end to get more rides) he asked me to pay extra as his car is premium, i denied and told him to cancel so hit me with the classic: pic.twitter.com/RUE0KK09jR  ohshin (@ohshinbhat) December 19, 2024

Many users were left shocked after seeing the conversation and suggested that the woman should share her complaints with Rapido customer support. The Bengaluru-based transport company later responded to the post and sought an apology.

We fully understand the seriousness of this matter, and we deeply apologize for the captains unprofessional behaviour. As requested earlier, kindly share the ride details via DM so that we can prioritize taking action against the captain and provide you with an update," read the comment by Rapido.

A user criticised the drivers act and asked the woman to lodge a complaint" against him.

deeply unprofessional. please lodge a complain. AkraBazzi 2.0  (@BeautyMaxxer) December 19, 2024

Another person feels Rapido has the worst drivers and customer support". I always try to avoid it if I can," he added.

rapido has the worst drivers and customer support. I always try to avoid it if I can Dhruv (@dhrxvtwts) December 19, 2024

An individual slammed Rapido for their pathetic service" and claimed that their drivers always demand something extra or else cancel the ride".

@rapidobikeapp pathetic service. Their so called driver always demands something extra or else cancles the ride. They have to learn definitely from @Olacabs and @Uber_India. @Olacabs &@Uber_India please guide the newcomer @rapidobikeapp essentially the business ethics. Ashutosh Prakash (@i_am_ashutoshp4) December 20, 2024

A woman suggested that Rapido should do a background check of their drivers before taking them on board. Their behaviour is the worst sometimes," she said.

Rapido should check and onboard them. Their behaviour is worst sometimes Himashree Sarma (@himashreesarma3) December 20, 2024

Meanwhile, Rapido has issued a statement in this regard.

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We fully understand the seriousness of this matter, and we deeply apologize for the captain's unprofessional behavior. As requested earlier, kindly share the ride details via DM so that we can prioritize taking action against the captain and provide you with an update. (1/2) Rapido Cares (@RapidoCares) December 19, 2024

We fully understand the seriousness of this matter, and we deeply apologize for the captains unprofessional behaviour. As requested earlier, kindly share the ride details via DM so that we can prioritize taking action against the captain and provide you with an update."

Location : Delhi, India

First Published: December 20, 2024, 18:51 IST
Power of Education: Inspiring Pic Of Ambedkars List Of Degrees Goes Viral

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 09:51 IST

The viral picture showing Dr BR Ambedkars extraordinary academic achievements has left countless people inspired and in awe.

Ambedkar's degrees list went viral following Amit Shah's controversial speech and the opposition's criticism of him. (Screengrab)

Union Home Minister Amit Shah delivered a controversial speech on the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution and it didnt sit down well with Congress and other opposition parties. The opposition demanded both an apology and Shahs dismissal over his controversial remarks. They united in protest, stalling proceedings in both houses of Parliament. Shah countered by accusing Congress of distorting his comments as part of a malicious campaign. He asserted that discussions on the Constitution had revealed the oppositions stance against Ambedkar and reservation.

Amid this massive political row, a powerful image listing Ambedkars extraordinary academic achievements has taken the Internet by storm. It has struck a chord with many, leaving countless individuals inspired and in awe.

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YouTuber Dhruv Rathi shared the now-viral picture on X (formerly known as Twitter). He completed his post with the caption, Power of Education," a blue-coloured heart emoticon and the hashtag BabaSaheb".

As per the image, Dr Ambedkar completed his primary education in Satara, and his secondary education at Elphinstone High School in Mumbai.

He graduated from Bombay University with a BA in Economics and Political Science, later earning a scholarship to study at Columbia University in New York, where he completed both his MA and PhD.

From there, he moved to London, United Kingdom, to study economics at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), and enrolled at Greys Inn to study law. However, due to financial constraints, he was forced to return to India in 1917.

In India, he began teaching Political Economy at Sydenham College in Mumbai, only to return to London to complete his studies. With financial aid from Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj of Kolhapur, a personal loan from a friend, and his savings, he flew to London. He was called to the bar and became a barrister-at-law. Additionally, he completed both his MSc and DSc from the LSE.

After Indias first General Election in 1952, Ambedkar was appointed as a member of the Rajya Sabha. The same year, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Columbia University. A year later, he received another honorary doctorate from Osmania University in Hyderabad.

Take a look at the viral picture here:

After going through the viral picture, an individual wrote, These degrees reflect Dr. Ambedkars extensive academic achievements and contributions to various fields, including law, economics, and social sciences."

Education is the only key that opens every door of opportunity," said another.

A third commented, Not even 10% of these are achieved by 95% of present politicians."

Dr BR Ambedkars degrees speak louder than words! From Satara to Columbia, he mastered knowledge in economics, law, and more. His brilliance shaped modern India. A true inspiration for every learner," shared a fourth.

A fifth posted, Proud such learned man drafted our constitution. Indebted forever!"

What did Amit Shah say about Ambedkar?

Amit Shah sparked controversy in the Rajya Sabha during a debate on the Constitution when he remarked, Abhi ek fashion ho gaya hai  Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar. Itna naam agar bhagwan ka lete to saat janmon tak swarg mil jata [It has become a fashion to say Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar. If they had taken Gods name so many times, they would have earned a place in heaven]."

In response, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi condemned Shahs remarks, stating, Baba Saheb is the architect of the Constitution, a great man who gave direction to the country. The country will not tolerate his insult or the insult to the Constitution framed by him. The Home Minister should apologise!"

They are against the Constitution. They had said earlier that we would change the Constitution. They are against Ambedkar and his ideology. Their whole work is to finish off Ambedkars contribution and the Constitution. The whole country knows," he continued.

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As the opposition launched a full-scale attack on Amit Shah, PM Modi and BJP top brass defended his statement, claiming that he exposed the anti-Ambedkar" stance of the Congress.

They are clearly stung and stunned by the facts he presented, which is why they are now indulging in theatrics. Sadly, for them, people know the truth," PM Modi said in a series of posts on X. He also asserted that Shah had revealed the oppositions dark history of insulting" Ambedkar.

First Published: December 20, 2024, 09:41 IST
'Shouldn't Be Compared To Silicon Valley': iCliniq CEO On Why He Left Bengaluru

Curated By :

Trending Desk

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 15:34 IST

Dhruv Suyamprakasam realised that Bengalurus fast-paced culture didnt mesh well with the slower, trust-dependent nature of a healthcare business.

Dhruv Suyamprakasam's company iCliniq is headquartered in the US. (Photo Credits: Instagram)

Bengaluru, the city, known as the startup hub of India, isnt as welcoming to everyone as one would expect. Dhruv Suyamprakasam, the co-founder and CEO of the telemedicine platform iCliniq, has had one such unpleasant experience in Karnatakas capital. Dhruvs journey through Bengalurus startup ecosystem reportedly revealed numerous challenges, from unrealistic investor expectations to personal biases.

Originally from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, Dhruv came from a family with an entrepreneurial spirit. His fathers successful business sparked his interest in building something of his own. In 2010, he moved to Bengaluru, drawn by its reputation as a thriving startup ecosystem. I had read about the city being the mainstream startup ecosystem. Moving to Bengaluru felt like the best decision for me as a founder," Dhruv shared in an interview with Business Insider.

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Soon, he realised that Bengalurus fast-paced culture didnt mesh well with the slower, trust-dependent nature of a healthcare business. Bengaluru is a place that encourages companies to grow fast and fail fast. That kind of pressure didnt align with the needs of a healthcare business, which has no room for error and demands significant trust from people," he explained.

Investor expectations only made things more complicated. We met investors who expected metrics like 100 paid consultations in a day," Dhruv revealed. The reality of a healthcare startup, where building trust takes time, didnt align with the instant results many investors were seeking.

On top of the business challenges, Dhruv faced personal hurdles in the city. As a non-IIT graduate and someone unfamiliar with Hindi, he felt isolated in an ecosystem that often favoured those from prestigious institutions or who spoke the countrys most widely used language. I felt excluded because I didnt speak Hindi, Indias most widely spoken language, and I wasnt an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology, the countrys most prestigious engineering college. Being from a small town that many hadnt heard of added to the judgment," he admitted.

After just 16 months, Dhruv made the tough decision to leave Bengaluru and return to Coimbatore, hoping to grow his business at a more sustainable pace. However, his move wasnt without its challenges. We faced issues like unreliable internet, which was never a problem in Bengaluru, and the lack of an established startup community," he noted.

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In 2016, Dhruv gave Bengaluru another shot, hoping for a more inclusive environment and better opportunities. But after 18 months, he realised that the citys healthcare ecosystem hadnt evolved as hed hoped. The pressures of rapid growth often prioritised over trust-building, made him realise that Coimbatore was the better place for his business after all.

I dont think Bengaluru should be compared to Silicon Valley at all. Bengaluru has an amazing tech crowd, but Silicon Valley is Silicon Valley for a reason  people are far more open-minded and inclusive about giving opportunities to those from different backgrounds. Since 2018, I have also spent time in the Bay Area growing our business. Now, our company is headquartered in the US and I spend four to five months of the year in the US, he added.

Location : Delhi, India

First Published: December 20, 2024, 15:34 IST
How Canadas Trudeau Govt Gave Asylum To Thousands Of Khalistani Militants | Exclusive

Reported By :

CNN-News18

Last Updated: December 21, 2024, 00:22 IST

CNN-News18 has evidence of how Khalistani elements have been given asylum in Canada since 2013 and the trend increased manifold after 2019, the year Trudeau saved his government by getting NDP's Jagmeet Singh onboard

Jagmeet Singh's NDP parted ways with a supply-and-confidence deal with Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party in September. (File image/Reuters)

Canadas soft spot for Khalistani sympathisers is an open secret. And its not just limited to giving them a platform or turning a blind eye to their provocations. The Canadian government under Justin Trudeau has systematically been giving Khalistani elements shelter in the country.

CNN-News18 has evidence of how Khalistani elements have been given asylum in Canada since 2013 and the trend increased manifold after 2019, the year Trudeau saved his government by getting NDPs Jagmeet Singh onboard.

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CNN-News18 wrote to the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada and sought details of that disturbing trend this month. Their response only confirmed the suspicions.

Over the last 10 years, Canada has finalised 3,851 militant-linked asylum claims. As per the Canadian government, a Sikh militant is a claimant who says they are in danger because they are members of or associated with a Sikh militant organisation or group in their alleged country of persecution. In this case, these asylum seekers listed India as their country of persecution.

From less than 100 cases before 2020 to 143 in 2021 and over 811 cases in 2022, the number of claims finalised by the Refugee Protection Division went up by over 700% in recent years.

CNN-News18 found an even darker truth: individuals tied to the 1985 Air India bombingone of the worst terror attacks in historydonated money to Canadian political campaigns.

So why did so many Sikh militants get refuge in Canada? Was Trudeau and his ally benefiting financially?

While there is no definitive link, documents accessed by CNN-News18 reveal that many Khalistani sympathisers have often donated to both the Liberal Party and the NDP.

Financial records from Elections Canada reveal donations made to Canadian politician Jagmeet Singh by individuals tied to the 1985 Air India bombing: Ripudaman Singh Malik and Inderjit Singh Reyat.

Inderjit Singh Reyat was the only terrorist convicted in the Air India Flight 182 bombing that killed 329 people in 1985. He has donated close to 3,000 dollars to Jagmeet Singhs party.

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While Ripudaman Singh was killed in Canada in 2022, Inderjit Singh Reyat is now a free man in Canada. Hes returned to normal life after spending two decades in prison. Despite his role in the deaths of over 300 innocents, Reyat was freed in 2017, and since then he has been consistently donating to the NDP.

As Canada grapples with its diplomatic fallout with India, this revelation adds fuel to the fire. Over 3,800 asylum claims, growing extremist networks, and now financial ties to politicians. Canadas Prime Minister Justin Trudeau may call these allegations", but the numbers tell a different story.

First Published: December 21, 2024, 00:19 IST
ISIS Leader Abu Yusif Killed In Precision US Strike In Syria

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 21:02 IST

The strike was conducted in an area formerly controlled by the Syrian regime and Russian forces.

ISIS in Syria (AP Image)

ISIS leader Abu Yusif alias Mahmud was killed in a precision strike by the United States (US) Central Command Force in Syria on Thursday, CENTCOM announced Friday.

The security forces claimed that another unnamed ISIS operative was also eliminated in the strike.

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The CENTCOM announced the killing in a statement in which it revealed it was able to carry out the strike after outgoing president Bashar al-Assads departure nearly two weeks ago.

On Dec. 19, US Central Command Forces conducted a precision airstrike targeting ISIS leader Abu Yusif aka Mahmud in the Dayr az Zawr Province, Syria resulting in two ISIS operatives killed, including Abu Yusif. This airstrike is part of CENTCOMs 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," US Central Command Force said in a post on X.

CENTCOM Forces Kill ISIS Leader During Precision Strike in SyriaOn Dec. 19, U.S. Central Command Forces conducted a precision airstrike targeting ISIS leader Abu Yusif aka Mahmud in the Dayr az Zawr Province, Syria resulting in two ISIS operatives killed, including Abu pic.twitter.com/g3nO68Ye1T  U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) December 20, 2024

According to CENTCOM, the area where the strike happened was previously controlled by the Assad regime and Russia.

CENTCOM commander, General Michael Erik Kurilla, said, As stated before, the United States  working with allies and partners in the region  will not allow ISIS to take advantage of the current situation in Syria and reconstitute. ISIS has the intent to break out of detention the over 8,000 ISIS operatives currently being held in facilities in Syria. We will aggressively target these leaders and operatives, including those trying to conduct operations external to Syria."

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As per the reports, after Assads ouster, US eliminated at least 12 other ISIS terrorists in Syria via precision strikes.

The Syrian government collapsed on December 8 as the rebels seized control of the capital Damascus after capturing several other prominent cities and towns. Assad fled the country as rebels gained momentum with the lightning offensive, ending not only his 24-year rule but also leading to the downfall of his clans five-decade reign in the country.

Location : Damascus, Syria

First Published: December 20, 2024, 20:41 IST
US Govt Opposes Mumbai Terror Attacks Convict's Petition Against Extradition to India

Published By :

PTI

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 10:34 IST

The US government has urged the Supreme Court to reject Tahawwur Rana's plea against extradition to India, where he faces charges related to the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

2008 Mumbai terror attacks (Photo: PTI)

The United States government has urged the Supreme Court to dismiss a petition filed by Mumbai attack convict Tahawwur Rana, a Canadian national of Pakistani origin, to avoid his extradition to India.

India is seeking the extradition of Rana as he is wanted in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack case.

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Having lost the legal battle against his extraditions in lower courts and several federal courts, including the US Court of Appeals for the North Circuit in San Francisco, Rana on November 13 filed a petition for a writ of certiorari" before the US Supreme Court.

In a long battle, this is Ranas last legal chance to avoid extradition to India.

Rana, currently lodged in a jail in Los Angeles, faces charges for his role in the Mumbai attacks and is known to be associated with Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, one of the main conspirators of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.

The petition for a writ of certiorari should be denied," US Solicitor General Elizabeth B Prelogar said in its filing before the Supreme Court on December 16.

Rana is not entitled to relief from extradition to India in this case, she argued in a 20-page submission.

In his petition for a writ of certiorari to review the judgment of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit", Rana has argued that he was tried and acquitted in the federal court in the Northern District of Illinois (Chicago) on charges relating to the 2008 terrorist attack on Mumbai. India now seeks to extradite him for trial on charges based on the identical conduct at issue in the Chicago case," the plea has said.

Prelogar disagreed.

The government does not concede that all of the conduct on which India seeks extradition was covered by the governments prosecution in this case. For example, Indias forgery charges are based in part on conduct that was not charged in the United States: petitioners use of false information in an application to formally open a branch office of the Immigration Law Centre submitted to the Reserve Bank of India," the US solicitor general said.

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It is not clear that the jurys verdict in this case  which involves conspiracy charges and was somewhat difficult to parse  means that he has been convicted or acquitted on all of the specific conduct that India has charged," Prelogar said.

A total of 166 people, including six Americans, were killed in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks in which 10 Pakistani terrorists laid a more than 60-hour siege, attacking and killing people at iconic and vital locations of Mumbai.

Location : Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)

First Published: December 20, 2024, 10:34 IST
'President Musk' Makes His Presence Felt In Washington

Published By :

AFP

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 13:40 IST

Democrats have painted the tech billionaire as unstable and a megalomaniac, and hope calling him "President Musk" will needle Trump.

Donald Trump and Elon Musk (AP Image)

Elon Musks role in wrecking a bipartisan Congress deal to avert a US government shutdown has underlined his extraordinary influence over the Republican Party and the incoming administration of Donald Trump.

In addition to his usual title of the worlds richest man, Democrats are now describing him as President Musk."

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Musk has been tapped by Trump to run the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) agency, but the billionaire is throwing his weight around even before the president-elect takes office on January 20.

On Wednesday, shortly after 4:00 am, the hyperactive owner of Tesla and SpaceX used his social platform X to attack the budget bill hammered out by Republicans and Democrats in Congress to keep the federal government operating.

This bill should not pass," the 53-year-old Musk wrote in the first of what became a barrage of posts.

Kill the bill," he exhorted Republican members of the House of Representatives. This bill is criminal."

A number of Republican lawmakers quickly fell in line, with some even engaging in a bit of flattery.

In five years in Congress, Ive been awaiting a fundamental change in the dynamic," Representative Dan Bishop commented on an X post by Musk. It has arrived."

Other right-wing members of Congress even went so far as to suggest that the South African-born Musk should take over as House speaker.

Trump himself joined the budget battle later in the day.

The 78-year-old president-elect denounced the spending bill as ridiculous and extraordinarily expensive."

The dramatic developments left the country facing a government shutdown just days before Christmas.

Musk rejoiced after the bill was torpedoed. The voice of the people was heard," he said. This was a good day for America."

He followed up by reposting a picture of himself in front of an American flag with the words VOX POPULI" and VOX DEI," a Latin phrase which translates to the voice of the people is the voice of God."

After the intervention, Republicans in Congress on Thursday came up with a new funding package that satisfied Trump  and Musk.

Whos in charge?

Democrats have painted the tech billionaire as unstable and a megalomaniac, and hope calling him President Musk" will needle Trump.

Democrats and Republicans spent months negotiating a bipartisan agreement to fund our government," Senator Bernie Sanders said. The richest man on Earth, President Elon Musk, doesnt like it.

Will Republicans kiss the ring?" Sanders asked. Billionaires must not be allowed to run our government."

Democratic Representative Jim McGovern said at least we know whos in charge."

Hes president and Trump is now vice president," McGovern said.

Speaking on CNN, David Axelrod, who served as chief strategist for Barack Obamas White House campaigns, said Musk and Trump need to get together and decide who the president is."

Musks rapid political ascension is unprecedented. While wealthy patrons have exerted influence before, no unelected businessman has ever wielded such political power.

Musk played a large role in the closing stages of Trumps presidential campaign, appearing with him at a rally in Pennsylvania on the site where a gunman wounded the Republican candidate, and personally funding a reelection committee.

He has been omnipresent since Trumps election victory, virtually taking up residence at Trumps home in Mar-a-Lago Florida where the incoming president is mapping out the transition.

Musk and Amazon owner Jeff Bezos, a space race rival, dined with Trump on Wednesday evening at Mar-a-Lago.

Musk has not been formally named to Trumps cabinet but his expansive brief of cutting federal government spending has sparked conflict of interest concerns.

SpaceX, for example, depends for a large part on US government contracts.

Musks $270 million in political donations during the November election cycle made him the largest political donor in US history.

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But he shelled out far more for Twitter (since re-branded as X) in 2022, paying $44 billion.

Its weird to think that Elon Musk will end up having paid far less for the United States Government than he did for Twitter," joked George Conway, a conservative critic.

Location : Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)

First Published: December 20, 2024, 13:40 IST
Putin Lauds India's Growing Economy Days After Praising 'Make In India' Initiative

Published By :

IANS

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 08:03 IST

Russian President Vladimir Putin had lauded Prime Minister Modi's 'India-first' policy and the 'Make in India' initiative while expressing Russia's willingness to establish manufacturing operations in India.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Prime Minister Narendra Modis Make In India has led to stable growth. (IMAGE: REUTERS FILE)

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday once again acknowledged Indias growing economic prowess while highlighting his governments continued efforts to keep the overall economic situation in the country normal and stable despite the long and ongoing conflict with Ukraine.

International financial and economic institutions have placed Russia first in Europe in terms of economic volume, purchasing power parity, and fourth in the world. Ahead are China, the United States, and India. We overtook Germany last year and have overtaken Japan this year. But this is not an indicator that we should fall asleep and calm down on. Of course not," said President Putin while answering questions during his annual press conference in Moscow on Thursday.

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He mentioned that the Russian economy continues to develop despite external threats and attempts to influence it.

Everything is developing, everything is actively moving forward. If the Eurozone has fallen asleep, then there are other centres of world development, they are also moving forward. And in the Eurozone and in the States, the situation is also changing. We must maintain the momentum, change the quality of our economy," Putin asserted.

Earlier this month, the Russian President had lauded Prime Minister Modis India-first policy and the Make in India initiative while expressing Russias willingness to establish manufacturing operations in India.

Putin Praises Make In India Initiative

Addressing the 15th VTB Russia Calling Investment Forum in Moscow, Putin had drawn parallels between Russias import substitution programme and Indias Make in India initiative.

Prime Minister Modi has a similar programme called Make in India. We are also ready to set up our manufacturing operations in India. The Indian government, under the Prime Ministers leadership, has been creating stable conditions, driven by a policy of putting India first. We believe that investing in India is profitable," the Russian President said.

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In September, during his one-on-one meeting with National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval in Saint Petersburg, Putin had hailed Indias rising global stature and the strength of its growing economy under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi.

Our special privileged strategic partnership is gaining momentum, gaining strength, which we are only happy about. We are also happy about Indias success in building, strengthening its statehood, and developing the economy, which is happening under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi," the Russian President had said during his meeting with NSA Doval.

Location : Moscow, Russia

First Published: December 20, 2024, 08:03 IST
UnitedHealthcare CEO's Killing Suspect Luigi Mangione Faces New Federal Murder Charge

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 08:15 IST

Luigi Mangione agreed to return to New York to face a state murder charge Thursday at a morning court appearance in Pennsylvania.

Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the murder of UnitedHealth Group executive Brian Thompson | Image/AP

The suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcares CEO faces new federal charges of murder, stalking and weapons charges, according to a complaint unsealed Thursday.

Luigi Mangione agreed to return to New York to face a state murder charge Thursday at a morning court appearance in Pennsylvania where he was arrested last week after five days on the run. It was unclear when he would be in court on the federal charges.

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After his Pennsylvania court appearance, he was immediately turned over to at least a dozen New York Police Department officers who were in the courtroom and quickly led him to a waiting SUV.

He then boarded a small plane used by the NYPD and was bound for the New York area.

The federal complaint charges him with two counts of stalking and one count each of murder through use of a firearm and a firearms offense.

A courtroom had been set aside in a Manhattan federal courthouse for Mangiones appearance and an overflow courtroom was designated as a location for people to watch the proceeding on video in the event there are more people than can fit in the courtroom.

Blair County District Attorney Pete Weeks had said he wanted to turn Mangione over to New York authorities as soon as possible. Weeks said he was willing to put the Pennsylvania charges on hold.

He is now in their custody. He will go forth with New York to await trial or prosecution for his homicide and related charges in New York," Weeks said.

The 26-year-old Ivy League graduate is accused of ambushing and shooting Brian Thompson on December 4 outside a Manhattan hotel where the head of the United States largest medical insurance company was walking to an investor conference.

Authorities have said Mangione was carrying the gun used to kill Thompson, a passport, fake IDs and about USD 10,000 when he was arrested while eating breakfast on December 9 at a McDonalds in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

Mangione, who initially fought attempts to extradite him, made two brief court appearances Thursday, first waiving a preliminary hearing on forgery and firearms charges before agreeing to be sent back to New York.

The state charges there against him include murder as an act of terrorism. He could face life in prison without parole if hes convicted.

Investigators believe Mangione was motivated by anger toward the US health care system and corporate greed. But he was never a UnitedHealthcare client, according to the insurer.

The killing ignited an outpouring of stories about resentment toward US health insurance companies while also shaking corporate America after some social media users called the shooting payback.

Video of the attack showed a masked gunman shooting Thompson, 50, from behind and then firing several more shots. The suspect eluded police despite authorities widely circulating photos of his unmasked face until Mangione was captured in Altoona, about 277 miles (446 kilometres) west of New York.

Mangione, a computer science graduate from a prominent Maryland family, 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 last week.

One of his lawyers has cautioned the public against prejudging the case.

Mangione repeatedly posted on social media about how spinal surgery last year had eased his chronic back pain, encouraging people with similar conditions to speak up for themselves if told they just had to live with it.

In a Reddit post in late April, he advised someone with a back problem to seek additional opinions from surgeons and, if necessary, say the pain made it impossible to work.

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We live in a capitalist society," Mangione wrote. Ive found that the medical industry responds to these key words far more urgently than you describing unbearable pain and how its impacting your quality of life." He apparently cut himself off from his family and close friends in recent months. His family reported him missing in San Francisco in November. His relatives have said in a statement that they were shocked and devastated" by his arrest.

Thompson, who grew up on a farm in Iowa, was trained as an accountant. A married father of two high-schoolers, he had worked at the giant UnitedHealth Group for 20 years and became CEO of its insurance arm in 2021.

Location : United States of America (USA)

First Published: December 20, 2024, 08:15 IST
US Court Removes Prosecutor Fani Willis From Georgia Election Case Against Trump

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 07:51 IST

The case against Trump and others had already been largely stalled for months while the Georgia Court of Appeals considered the pretrial appeal.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis removed from the Georgia election interference case against Donald Trump | AP Image/File

A state appeals court on Thursday removed Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from the Georgia election interference case against Donald Trump and others but did not dismiss the indictment, leaving the future of the prosecution uncertain.

The case against Trump and more than a dozen others had already been largely stalled for months while the Georgia Court of Appeals considered the pretrial appeal.

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The new ruling means it will be up to the Prosecuting Attorneys Council of Georgia to find another prosecutor to take over the case and to decide whether to continue to pursue it, though that could be delayed if Willis decides to appeal to the state Supreme Court.

Its the latest legal victory for Trump as he prepares for a return to power in a second term, further underscoring how criminal cases that just one year ago threatened to impede Trumps political career and put him in personal jeopardy have now tilted in his favour.

The development comes weeks after Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith abandoned two federal prosecutions against the incoming president, and as sentencing in a separate hush money case in New York is indefinitely on hold as a result of Trumps victory in November over Democratic President Joe Biden.

Even so, the practical consequences for Trump may be minimal given the virtual impossibility of trying to proceed with a criminal case against a sitting president, no matter the supervisor of the prosecution. But there are 14 other defendants who still face charges.

Representatives for Willis and Trumps lead attorney in Georgia did not immediately respond Thursday to text messages seeking comment on the ruling.

A grand jury in Atlanta indicted Trump and 18 others in August 2023, accusing them of participating in a wide-ranging scheme to illegally try to overturn Trumps narrow 2020 presidential election loss in Georgia. Four of them have since pleaded guilty after reaching deals with prosecutors. Trump and the others have pleaded not guilty.

Trump and some of the remaining defendants tried to get Willis and her office removed from the case and to have the case dismissed. They argued that her romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade created a conflict of interest and that she made improper public statements about the case.

Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee ruled in March that no conflict of interest existed that should force Willis off the case. Trump and the others appealed that ruling.

McAfee wrote that the prosecution was encumbered by an appearance of impropriety." He said Willis could remain on the case only if Wade left; the special prosecutor submitted his resignation hours later.

The allegations that Willis had improperly benefited from her romance with Wade resulted in a tumultuous couple of months in the case as intimate details of Willis and Wades personal lives were aired in court in mid-February. Trump and others also argued that public comments Willis made in the wake of the revelation of the relationship improperly disparaged the defendants and their lawyers.

The allegations against Willis first surfaced in a motion filed in early January by Ashleigh Merchant, a lawyer for former Trump campaign staffer and onetime White House aide Michael Roman. The motion alleged that Willis and Wade were involved in an inappropriate romantic relationship and that Willis paid Wade large sums for his work and then benefited when he paid for lavish vacations.

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Willis and Wade acknowledged the relationship but said they didnt begin dating until the spring of 2022. Wade was hired in November 2021, and their romance ended last summer. They also testified that they split travel costs roughly evenly, with Willis often paying expenses or reimbursing Wade in cash.

Speaking at a historically Black church in Atlanta soon after the relationship was revealed, Willis defended Wades qualifications and her own leadership of her office. Defence lawyers said that speech included a series of improper and prejudicial comments against the defendants and their legal team, poisoning any potential jurors against them.

Location : United States of America (USA)

First Published: December 20, 2024, 07:51 IST
Beda Koorey has racked up hundreds of alleged traffic violations in the US and Canada since 2020, despite not having driven anywhere in more than four years. The New York resident wasn't just accused of speeding. Authorities also claimed her vehicle was used in robberies, including one international case, reports the Washington Post . For Koorey, a 75-year-old retiree, it's been a never-ending nightmare. "I just want to cry," she told News 12 last month. It turns out Koorey was once registered to the license plate NCC 1701, representing the call letters of the USS Enterprise in Star Treka popular code for companies hawking fake personalized plates .

Koorey's Trekkie husband had received the license plate in 1978 and transferred it to the couple's shared vehicle in 1998. In April 2020, the non-Trekkie Koorey surrendered it to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. Two months later, she stopped driving altogether. But then the tickets started trickling, and eventually flooding, in. "I'm blaming the Department of Motor Vehicles because when these people are inputting those plates, it's coming back to me," Koorey told News 12. While records show Koorey's license plate was destroyed, a rep for the New York DMV told the Post there's no "de-linking" a person from a license plate. But it appears that might not be exactly true.

After Koorey went public with her story, she met with attorney Kenneth Mollins, who got in touch with NY DMV Deputy Commissioner and General Counsel Joshua Vinciguerra, threatening a lawsuit. "By the next morning, Koorey's information no longer showed up when 'NCC 1701' was searched, Mollins said," per the Post. The lawyer believes this should fix the problem for Koorey, but "it just shows this big, bad entity was just stepping on this lady for no reason," he says. "They have all tortured me for four years," Koorey tells the Post. The DMV rep, meanwhile, says he believes Koorey's frustration "should be directed to the tolling and billing entities who have victimized her," as the DMV has "gone above and beyond to assist Ms. Koorey for the past 4 years." (More license plates stories.)
Immigration in 2024 drove US population growth to its fastest rate in 23 years as the nation surpassed 340 million residents, the US Census Bureau said Thursday. The 1% growth rate this year was the highest it has been since 2001, and it was a marked contrast to the record low of 0.2% set in 2021 at the height of pandemic restrictions on travel to the United States, according to the annual population estimates.

Immigration this year increased by almost 2.8 million people, partly because of a new method of counting that adds people who were admitted for humanitarian reasons, the AP reports. Net international migration accounted for 84% of the nation's 3.3 million-person increase between 2023 and 2024.
More than 80 attendees of a recent Los Angeles Times event ended up violently ill, and officials suspect a norovirus outbreak. Less than 24 hours after the event, an annual gathering celebrating the newspaper's list of the city's 101 best restaurants , the diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain, and vomiting began, according to attendees who talked about their experiences to LA Taco . The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health launched an investigation, and officials believe the cause of the symptoms was norovirus, a common and unpleasant gastrointestinal ailment, likely linked to raw oysters served at the event, the Times reports.

The oysters, harvested from British Columbia, sourced by Santa Monica Seafood, and supplied to the event by Fanny Bay Oysters, have since been recalled. They were also sold under different brand names; complete information about the recall can be read here and here. The affected oysters were also supplied to LA-area restaurants, and illnesses were also linked to those eateries, USA Today reports. Norovirus is easily spread when an infected person prepares food and someone then eats it, ingesting tiny particles of feces or vomit in the process. (Oysters can also be contaminated with Vibrio vulnificus bacteria, which can lead to illness or death.)
Oceana, a conservation group based in Washington, has launched lawsuits against the federal government demanding the release of images depicting marine mammals harmed by commercial fishing off the West Coast. The legal action follows the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) refusal to provide comprehensive records despite multiple Freedom of Information Act requests. Photos and videos captured by federal observers were heavily redacted, making it difficult to identify species like orca whales and sea lions ensnared by fishing activities.

Oceana's legal challenge, represented by Earthjustice in Alaska and California, underscores NOAA's dual mandate to both encourage maximum sustainable fishing and protect marine life. Tara Brock, Pacific legal director at Oceana, emphasized transparency by stating, "People have the right to know how commercial fisheries impact marine wildlife." The organization has long criticized trawl fishing, a controversial method known for its high levels of bycatch, and is pushing for stricter regulations given the alarming rates of animal entanglements, including a recent incident involving ten orca whales in the Bering Sea.

NOAA argues that full disclosure could breach privacy protections under the Magnuson Stevens Act, which governs fisheries. Oceana contends this secrecy stifles public involvement in fisheries management, a principle the Act was designed to uphold. While NOAA has chosen not to comment on ongoing litigation, the conservation campaign stresses the importance of public visibility over fishing practices to address ecological concerns effectively. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)
A mysterious disease outbreak in Panzi, a remote area of western Congo, has led to 37 confirmed deaths, with authorities suspecting both malaria and a viral infection. While malaria has been identified in over 80% of cases, the recent death of a man showing symptoms of hemorrhagic fever suggests another virus may also be present. Ngashi Ngongo of the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention mentioned a growing theory that the outbreak could be either "severe malaria on a background of malnutrition" or "a viral infection that is happening on the background of malaria."

The area, experiencing high malaria transmission as well as malnutrition, has reported a total of 592 cases, an increase of 65 cases from last week. Notably, most victims are children under 14. Efforts to diagnose the outbreak are hampered by challenges such as limited local testing facilities, requiring samples to be sent over 310 miles to Kikwit. International and local health teams, including specialists from the World Health Organization, are on the ground investigating and conducting tests, with results expected soon.

Further complicating the situation, Panzi is also grappling with a resurgence of seasonal flu and has a history of a typhoid epidemic two years ago. The region's low vaccination rates amplify the susceptibility of children to numerous diseases, including malaria. WHO's head, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, emphasized ongoing efforts to determine if multiple diseases are causing the current outbreak, highlighting the critical need for additional testing and resources. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)
A Utah mother who police believe was shot and killed by her husband along with three of their children was a refugee who fled violence in Myanmar and dreamed of thriving with her family in the US, relatives said Thursday. Police believe the husband killed his family before shooting himself, and a teenage son was badly wounded. The bodies of Bu Meh, 38, along with her daughters Kristina Ree, 8, and Nyay Meh, 2, and son Boe Reh, 11, were found in their home in West Valley City, a Salt Lake City suburb, on Tuesday. A handgun was found under the father Dae Reh, 42, leading police to believe this was a murder-suicide, but no evidence of a motive has been released, the AP reports. One child, 17-year-old Sha Reh, survived being shot in the head and is hospitalized with a severe brain injury, police said.

Bu Meh, a member of Myanmar's Karenni ethnic minority, fled what her relatives described as ethnic cleansing in the Southeast Asian nation about 10 years ago. She and her small family lived for a time in a refugee camp in Thailand, then came to the United States "with little more than the clothing on their backs," the family said in a statement. She taught herself English, learned new skills and worked hard to support her growing family, achieving a way of life "far beyond the nightmare of her former country or the refugee camp," the family said. "For reasons that we cannot comprehend, her husband robbed her and their children of that security and their very lives," her family said. A crowdfunding campaign has been set up for Sha Reh.

(More Utah stories.)
At least 35 children have died and six others were injured during a stampede on Wednesday at a holiday fair in southwestern Nigeria, authorities said, per the Guardian . The incident happened at the Islamic High School in Ibadan, in Oyo state, near the economic hub of Lagos. Security forces attended the scene and arrested the event organizers, who had offered the first 5,000 attendees about $3.20 each, per the Africa Report underscoring the state of extreme poverty in the area. "Sadly, a stampede at the venue has led to multiple loss of lives and injuries. This is a very sad day," state Gov. Seyi Makinde said in a statement, per the AP . "We sympathize with the parents whose joy has suddenly been turned to mourning due to these deaths."

Nigeria's national emergency services said it has deployed a team to help provide assistance to the victims. Children injured at the venue were taken to local hospitals, where parents were asked to check for missing persons. Video footage that appeared to be from the scene showed a large crowd of mostly children looking on as some children were being carried away from an open field. Local media identified the event organizers as the Women in Need of Guidance and Support Foundation, which held a similar event for children last year.

The group was preparing to host up to 5,000 young people at this year's event, the Oyo-based Agidigbo FM radio station reported on Tuesday, citing the organizers who'd been featured on its program. An investigation has been opened into the causes of the stampede, Makinde said, adding that "anyone directly or remotely involved in this disaster will be held accountable." A homicide investigation is ongoing. On Thursday, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu offered his condolences, expressing "profound sadness over the tragic incident," per Deutsche Welle. (More Nigeria stories.)
President-elect Trump is threatening more tariffs, this time directed at Europe. "I told the European Union that they must make up their tremendous [trade] deficit with the United States by the large scale purchase of our oil and gas. Otherwise, it is TARIFFS all the way," Trump wrote early Friday on Truth Social. The statement came shortly after Trump spoke with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, according to CNBC 's sources. The US' goods and services trade deficit with the EU was $131.3 billion in 2022.

In a statement, European Commission rep Olof Gill said there was "overall balanced trade and investment" but added the EU is "committed to phasing out energy imports from Russia and diversifying our sources of supply." At least one EU official views Trump's threat as "odd," per the Financial Times, given that just last month, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU would look to negotiate with the incoming Trump administration on replacing Russian liquefied natural gas imports with cheaper US imports.

The US, which receives nearly a fifth of EU exports, is the biggest supplier of LNG and oil to the EU. It supplied 15% of EU oil imports in the third quarter, per FT, and about 48% of the EU's LNG imports in the first half of 2024, compared to 16% from Russia in the second spot. But as Bloomberg reports, the US "doesn't have much more capacity to increase [LNG] shipments" in the short-term. "And since LNG is sold through long-term contracts, adding shipments to Europe would require original buyers of the gas to agree to divert its shipments to Europebut that wouldn't boost the amount being exported by the US."

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The euro was trading up 0.3% Friday in what Bloomberg views as "a sign investors believe the bloc will be able to meet [Trump's] demands and avoid punitive measures." But if it does come to tariffs, EU officials are ready to respond. While "capitals are keen to avoid a spiraling economic conflict with the White House given other areas of reliance on the US, such as defense," per FT, they've also reportedly prepared a list of American goods that could be targeted with tariffs. (More Donald Trump stories.)
Earlier this month, Cyclone Chido tore through the archipelago of Mayotte , a French territory in the Indian Ocean, killing dozens, devastating many of the poverty-stricken neighborhoods, and leaving segments still without water or phone service a week later. On Thursday evening, French President Emmanuel Macron visited the main island of Petite-Terre, and he gave it back to the locals as good as they gave it. "I have nothing to do with the cyclone ... it wasn't me!" Macron pushed back at angry residents in Pamandzi who were expressing their upset at the slow aid efforts, per the AP .

"You've been through something terrible, everyone's struggling, regardless of skin color," he added, trying to soothe frazzled nerves. Then, as things continued to heat up, Macron became even more frustrated, telling the crowd they should be thrilled that Mayotte is under French control. "Because if it wasn't France, I tell you, you would be 10,000 times deeper in s---," Macron said, per the Guardian. "There is no other place in the Indian Ocean that has received this much help. That's a fact." Macron stayed in Mayotte into Friday before visiting Tsingoni on the island of Grand-Terre, where things weren't quite as confrontational but still tense.

"Seven days and you're not able to give water to the population," one man shouted at Macron, who replied, with a softer tone this time around, "I understand your impatience. You can count on me." The president added that he'd stuck around in Mayotte for a second day "as a mark of respect, of consideration." Reuters notes that Macron is known for occasionally making "off-the-cuff" remarks in public that irk the masses, and opposition lawmakers didn't miss their chance to attack him for the latest.

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"Completely undignified," Eric Coquerel of the far-left La France Insoumise party said. Sebastien Chenu of Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally party also joined in, noting, "I don't think the president is exactly finding the right words of comfort for our Mayotte compatriots, who ... always have the feeling of being treated differently." French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said Thursday that 80 tons of food and 50 tons of water had been distributed in about half of Mayotte's communes, with more relief set to arrive on Friday. (More Emmanuel Macron stories.)
Tiki, a 20-year-old blind black-and-white cat, likes to roam about outdoors. But this time he caused a scare after he was seen on ice floating in a Massachusetts pond and then fell in. He has an alert passerby and a couple of nearby construction workers to thank for his rescue this week. "The crackling happened, and I was like, hysterical," passerby Dawn Felicani tells the AP. "And all of a sudden, it fell in! Its little head was sticking out! I'm in tears, and I'm freaking out."

She called first responders and a local animal control officer in Westford. One of two construction workers at a neighboring house hopped into a rowboat and the other pushed him out and helped him navigate Nabnasset Pond. The worker in the boat used a shovel as he moved to break through the ice and fetch Tiki from the water.
MONTREAL, Dec. 19, 2024 /CNW/ - Reitmans (Canada) Limited ("RCL" or the "Company") (TSXV: RET) (TSXV: RET-A), one of Canada's leading specialty apparel retailers, today reported its financial results for its fiscal 2025 third quarter. Unless otherwise indicated, all comparisons of results for the 13 weeks ended November 2, 2024 ("third quarter of 2025") are against results for the 13 weeks ended October 28, 2023 ("third quarter of 2024") and all comparisons of results for the 39 weeks ended November 2, 2024 ("year to date fiscal 2025") are against results for the 39 weeks ended October 28, 2023 ("year to date fiscal 2024"). All dollar amounts are in Canadian currency.

Third Quarter Highlights

Net revenues decreased 2.9% to $187.7 million primarily due to 11 fewer stores and unfavourably warm autumn weather, and comparable sales decreased 1.9%

primarily due to 11 fewer stores and unfavourably warm autumn weather, and comparable sales decreased 1.9% Gross margin increased 166 basis points to 57.3% while gross profit remained flat at $107.6 million

Adjusted EBITDA 1 decreased to $3.8 million , mainly due to higher occupancy costs and foreign exchange loss

decreased to , mainly due to higher occupancy costs and foreign exchange loss Net earnings decreased to $2.1 million

"The quarter was impacted by warmer weather delaying sales of fall apparel. However, we achieved a higher gross margin rate due to strong inventory control and a continued focus on being less promotional." said Andrea Limbardi, President and CEO of RCL. "Aligned with our strategic objectives, menswear continued to perform exceptionally well at RW&CO and our customers responded positively to our fall collection in all three brands once the weather cooled."

"Our store count lowered in comparison to last year as we continue to optimize store locations to align with evolving customer needs. However, we opened three new stores in strategic markets during the quarter and are primed to further expand our footprint and capitalize on RCL's strong customer loyalty. Additionally, the third quarter saw the successful ongoing modernization of our distribution center handling system."

Select Financial Information

(in millions of dollars, except

for gross profit % and earnings

per share) (unaudited) Third quarter Year to date fiscal 2025 2024 Change 2025 2024 Change Net revenues $187.7 $193.4 (2.9 %) $568.9 $573.7 (0.8 %) Gross profit $107.6 $107.6 0.0 % $328.8 $316.1 4.0 % Gross profit % 57.3 % 55.6 % 166 bps 57.8 % 55.1 % 270 bps Selling, general and

administrative expenses2 $103.7 $100.5 3.2 % $304.6 $293.7 3.7 % Net earnings $2.1 $5.3 (60.4 %) $16.3 $14.8 10.1 % Adjusted EBITDA1 $3.8 $9.5 (60.0 %) $28.0 $27.5 1.8 % Earnings per share:











Basic $0.04 $0.11 (63.6 %) $0.33 $0.30 10.0 % Diluted $0.04 $0.11 (63.6 %) $0.33 $0.30 10.0 %



1 This is a Non-GAAP Financial Measure. See "Non-GAAP Financial Measures & Supplementary Financial Measures" for reconciliations of these measures

2 In order to align to presentation in the industry, previously captioned selling, distribution and administrative expenses for the third quarter of 2024 are now captioned as selling, general and administrative expenses.



Balance Sheet Data As at (in millions of dollars) (unaudited) November 2,

2024 October 28, 2023 February 3, 2024







Cash $123.1 $101.3 $116.7 Inventories 141.3 147.9 122.0 Total current assets 295.6 272.6 259.9 Property and equipment and intangible assets 79.7 65.4 71.2 Right-of-use assets 138.2 108.2 131.5 Total assets 533.9 473.9 490.8 Total current liabilities 122.7 102.5 105.5 Total non-current liabilities 114.7 90.2 106.3 Shareholders' equity 296.6 281.3 279.0

Third Quarter Overview

Net revenues decreased by $5.7 million, or 2.9%, to $187.7 million as the Company had 11 less stores than a year ago and unseasonably warm weather delayed sales of fall apparel. Comparable sales1, which include e-commerce net revenues, decreased 1.9% despite increased sales dollars per transaction.

Gross profit was $107.6 million, on par with the third quarter of 2024, while gross profit as a percentage of net revenues increased 166 basis points to 57.3%. The increase in gross profit as a percentage of net revenues is primarily attributable to lower markdowns and promotional activity compared to the third quarter of last year.

Adjusted EBITDA1 decreased 60.0% to $3.8 million. The decrease of $5.7 million was largely due to higher occupancy costs as many previously preferential rent arrangements have been renewed at closer to market lease rates, higher performance incentive plan expense, and an increase in foreign exchange loss.

Net earnings were $2.1 million ($0.04 basic and diluted earnings per share) compared to $5.3 million ($0.11 basic and diluted earnings per share) a year earlier.

Conference Call

The Company will host a conference call on December 20, 2024, at 8:30 am Eastern Time to discuss its third quarter financial results. Interested parties may join the conference call by dialing 1-844-763-8274 or 647-484-8814 approximately 15 minutes prior to the call to secure a line.

A live audio webcast of the call will be available at https://www.reitmanscanadalimited.com/events-presentations.aspx?lang=en and will be available for replay at this website for 12 months.

Granting of Options to Management

On December 19, 2024, the Company granted an aggregate of 17,000 options to purchase Class A non-voting shares of the Company (the "Options") to a member of management pursuant to its second amended and restated share option plan dated April 19, 2021, as amended. The Options have an exercise price of $2.57 and are subject to time-based vesting terms and have an expiry date of January 19, 2028. The grant of the Options is made pursuant to the Company's Long-Term Incentive Plan which is designed to incentivize members of management in the achievement of long-term financial targets.

About Reitmans (Canada) Limited

Reitmans (Canada) Limited ("RCL") is one of Canada's leading specialty apparel retailers for women and men, with retail outlets throughout the country. The Company operates 390 stores under three distinct banners consisting of 223 Reitmans, 86 PENN. Penningtons, and 81 RW&CO.

For more information, visit www.reitmanscanadalimited.com.

For further information, please contact:

Alexandra Cohen VP, Corporate Communications Reitmans (Canada) Limited Telephone: (514) 384-1140 ext 23737 Email: [email protected] Caroline Goulian Chief Financial Officer Reitmans (Canada) Limited Telephone: (514) 384-1140 Email: [email protected]

1 NON-GAAP Financial Measures & Supplementary Financial Measures

This press release makes reference to certain non-GAAP measures. These measures are not recognized measures under IFRS and do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS. They are therefore unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. Rather, these measures are provided as additional information to complement IFRS measures by providing further understanding of the Company's results of operations from management's perspective. Accordingly, these measures should not be considered in isolation nor as a substitute for the Company's analysis of its financial information reported under IFRS.

NON-GAAP Financial Measures

This press release discusses the following non-GAAP financial measures: adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("Adjusted EBITDA"). This press release also indicates Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of net revenues and is considered a non-GAAP financial ratio. Net revenues represent the sale of merchandise less discounts and returns ("net sales") and include shipping fees charged to customers on e-commerce orders. The intent of presenting Adjusted EBITDA is to provide additional useful information to investors and analysts. Adjusted EBITDA is currently defined as net earnings before income tax expense/recovery, interest income, interest expense, pension curtailment gain, pension annuity settlement gain, loss on foreign currency translation differences reclassified to net earnings, depreciation, amortization, net impairment of non-financial assets, adjusted for the impact of certain items, including a deduction of interest expense and depreciation relating to leases accounted for under IFRS 16, Leases. Management believes that Adjusted EBITDA is an important indicator of the Company's ability to generate liquidity through operating cash flow to fund working capital needs and fund capital expenditures and uses this metric for this purpose. Management believes that Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of net revenues indicates how much liquidity is generated for each dollar of net revenues. The exclusion of interest income and expenses, other than interest expense related to lease liabilities as explained hereafter, eliminates the impact on earnings derived from non-operational activities. The exclusion of depreciation, amortization and net impairment charges, other than depreciation related to right-of-use assets as explained hereafter, eliminates the non-cash impact, and the exclusion of the loss on foreign currency translation differences reclassified to net earnings/loss presents the results of the on-going business. Under IFRS 16, Leases, the characteristics of some leases result in lease payments being recognized in net earnings in the period in which the performance or use occurs while other leases are recorded as right-of-use assets with a corresponding lease liability recognized, which results in depreciation of those assets and interest expense from those liabilities. Management is presenting its Adjusted EBITDA to reflect the payments of its store and equipment lease obligations on a consistent basis. As such, the initial add-back of depreciation of right-of-use assets and interest on lease obligations are removed from the calculation of Adjusted EBITDA, as this better reflects the operational cash flow impact of its leases.

Reconciliation of NON-IFRS Measures

The tables below provide a reconciliation of net earnings to Adjusted EBITDA:

(in millions of dollars)

For the third quarter of

Year to date fiscal (unaudited)

2025

2024

2025

2024 Net earnings $ 2.1 $ 5.3 $ 16.3 $ 14.8 Depreciation, amortization and net impairment losses on property and equipment, and intangible assets

3.3

3.3

10.9

10.3 Depreciation on right-of-use assets

10.1

8.5

29.2

24.4 Interest expense on lease liabilities

2.5

1.9

7.5

5.2 Interest income

(1.5)

(1.1)

(4.2)

(3.3) Loss on foreign currency translation differences reclassified to net earnings

-

-

-

1.0 Income tax expense

0.7

2.0

5.8

5.6 Rent impact from IFRS 16, Leases1

(12.6)

(10.4)

(36.7)

(29.6) Pension annuity settlement gain

(0.8)

-

(0.8)

- Pension curtailment gain

-

-

-

(0.9) Adjusted EBITDA $ 3.8 $ 9.5 $ 28.0 $ 27.5 Adjusted EBITDA as % of net revenues

2.0 %

4.9 %

4.9 %

4.8 %

1 Rent Impact from IFRS 16, Leases is comprised as follows;







For the third quarter of

Year to date fiscal



2025

2024

2025

2024 Depreciation on right-of-use assets $ 10.1 $ 8.5 $ 29.2 $ 24.4 Interest expense on lease liabilities

2.5

1.9

7.5

5.2 Rent impact from IFRS 16, Leases $ 12.6 $ 10.4 $ 36.7 $ 29.6

Supplementary Financial Measures

The Company uses a key performance indicator ("KPI"), comparable sales, to assess store performance and sales growth. The Company engages in an omnichannel approach in connecting with its customers by appealing to their shopping habits through either online or store channels. This approach allows customers to shop online for home delivery or to pick up in store, purchase in any of our store locations or ship to home from another store when the products are unavailable in a particular store. Due to customer cross-channel behavior, the Company reports a single comparable sales metric, inclusive of store and e-commerce channels. Comparable sales are defined as net sales generated by stores that have been continuously open during both of the periods being compared and include e-commerce net sales. The comparable sales metric compares the same calendar days for each period. Although this KPI is expressed as a ratio, it is a supplementary financial measure that does not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS and may not be comparable to similar measures used by other companies. Management uses comparable sales in evaluating the performance of stores and online net sales and considers it useful in helping to determine what portion of new net sales has come from sales growth and what portion can be attributed to the opening of new stores. Comparable sales is a measure widely used amongst retailers and is considered useful information for both investors and analysts. Comparable sales should not be considered in isolation or used in substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS.

Forward-Looking Statements

All of the statements contained herein, other than statements of fact that are independently verifiable at the date hereof, are forward-looking statements. Such statements, based as they are on the current expectations of management, inherently involve numerous risks and uncertainties, known and unknown, many of which are beyond the Company's control, including statements on the Company's financial position and operations, and are based on several assumptions which give rise to the possibility that actual results could differ materially from the Company's expectations expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements and that the objectives, plans, strategic priorities and business outlook may not be achieved. Consequently, the Company cannot guarantee that any forward-looking statement will materialize, or if any of them do, what benefits the Company will derive from them. Forward-looking statements are provided in this press release for the purpose of giving information about management's current expectations and plans as of the date of this press release and allowing investors and others to get a better understanding of the Company's operating environment. However, readers are cautioned that it may not be appropriate to use such forward-looking statements for any other purpose. Forward-looking statements are based upon the Company's current estimates, beliefs and assumptions, which are based on management's perception of historical trends, current conditions and currently expected future developments, as well as other factors it believes, are appropriate in the circumstances.

This press release contains forward-looking statements about the Company's objectives, plans, goals, expectations, aspirations, strategies, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, performance, and prospects. Specific forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the Company's belief in its strategies and its brands and their capacity to generate long-term profitable growth, future liquidity, planned capital expenditures, amount of pension plan contributions, status and impact of systems implementation, the ability of the Company to successfully implement its strategic initiatives and cost reduction and productivity improvement initiatives as well as the impact of such initiatives. These specific forward-looking statements are contained throughout the Company's Management Discussion & Analysis ("MD&A") including those listed in the "Operating and Financial Risk Management" section of the MD&A. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as "expect", "anticipate", "believe", "foresee", "could", "estimate", "goal", "intend", "plan", "seek", "strive", "will", "may" and "should" and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company and its management.

Numerous risks and uncertainties could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those expressed, implied or projected in the forward-looking statements. Please refer to the "Forward-Looking Statements" section of the Company's MD&A for the third quarter of 2025.

This is not an exhaustive list of the factors that may affect the Company's forward-looking statements. Other risks and uncertainties not presently known to the Company or that the Company presently believes are not material could also cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed in its forward-looking statements. Additional risks and uncertainties are discussed in the Company's materials filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities from time to time. The reader should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements included herein. These statements speak only as of the date made and the Company is under no obligation and disavows any intention to update or revise such statements as a result of any event, circumstances or otherwise, except to the extent required under applicable securities law.

The Company's complete financial statements including notes and Management's Discussion and Analysis for the third quarter of fiscal 2025 are available online at www.sedarplus.ca.

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.

SOURCE Reitmans (Canada) Ltd

For further information, please contact: Alexandra Cohen, VP, Corporate Communications, Reitmans (Canada) Limited, Telephone: (514) 384-1140 ext 23737, Email: [email protected]; Caroline Goulian, Chief Financial Officer, Reitmans (Canada) Limited, Telephone: (514) 384-1140, Email: [email protected]
Satellite operator SES has added two more satellites to its next-gen O3b mPOWER constellation that are also the first two satellites with new designs to address power issues in the first six satellites.

SES had put four mPOWER satellites in orbit before discovering in August 2023 that a design glitch was causing power modules to switch off, which shortens their operational life. Two more satellites with the same glitch were launched in April this year so that the mPOWER constellation could commence commercial service, which was already behind schedule.

SES says it has put mitigations in place to compensate for the power glitch in the first six satellites, to include adding two more satellites to the mPOWER constellation, which will now comprise 13 satellites instead of 11.

The two new O3b mPOWER satellites  which were launched on Tuesday by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida  feature redesigned payload power modules. The remaining five satellites based on that design are currently being manufactured and are scheduled for launch over the next 18 months, SES said.

SES CEO Adel Al-Saleh said the commercial launch of mPOWER service is already paying off for its customers, particularly in developing markets banking on LEO and MEO high-throughput satellites to connect underserved and unserved areas, as well as supply mobile backhaul capacity.

Ever since the start of service of O3b mPOWER earlier this year, we have seen how it has become an integral part of the connectivity experience of our customers, he said. We have also learned a lot and have put all of those insights to work as we progress in our innovation journey to scale up our services and meet even the most sophisticated requirements of our customers.

SES has signed mPOWER deals with operators in Ecuador, Brazil, United Arab Emirates, the Cook Islands, Senegal and other countries in Africa, among others. Indias Reliance Jio Infocomm plans to use O3b mPOWER satellites for its satellite broadband service JioSpaceFiber.
Atlantic City officials announced Thursday that the Atlantic City Airshow will not run in 2025 as the event searches for a new way forward considering community engagement, costs and logistics.

After careful consideration, the Atlantic City Airshow will take a strategic pause for 2025, officials from the Greater Atlantic City Chamber said in a press release Thursday. We will use this time to reevaluate the overall operations of the show  reevaluating community engagement, assessing costs, reviewing logistics and creatively considering what future Atlantic City Airshows could look like."

On Thursday officials with the air show said they were searching for a way to create an economically sustainable event. The airshow, which ran for about 20 years, is New Jerseys largest free event, officials said, and has attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors to the Jersey Shore over the years.

We recognize the Airshows significant role in our community and to the tourism economy, and we are steadfast in our dedication to preserving its legacy, while adapting to current economic realities, officials said.

The first air show in Atlantic City was in 1910 and was held along the beach between Tennessee Avenue and Arkansas Avenue drawing about 100,000 people, according to the Atlantic City Free Public Library.

The air show was canceled in 2024 after a major act pulled out of the event and just months after Gov. Phil Murphys office helped find $300,000 in funding from the South Jersey Transportation Authoritys budget to help the show go on.

The event has drawn hundreds of thousands of people over the years and created tens of millions of dollars in tourism. Atlantic City officials said about 500,000 people attended the air show in 2023 creating a $50 million impact on the local economy.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Matthew Enuco may be reached at Menuco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow Matt on X.
A Maryland man convicted earlier this year of sexually assaulting a six-year-old girl in Burlington County was recently sentenced to 41 years in state prison, authorities announced Friday.

Kevin Williams, 34, of Clinton, Maryland, was found guilty in July of two counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault and four counts of second-degree sexual assault, according to a statement from the Burlington County Prosecutors Office.

The assaults occurred several years ago on multiple occasions. No other details were released by the office in an effort to protect the identity of the victim, authorities said.

Williams was arrested in December 2020 by the Maryland State Police, the office said.

The victim in this case endured abuse that continues to traumatize her to this day, Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw said in a statement. We admire the strength and determination she displayed during the prosecution, and hope the justice that was brought on her behalf is meaningful as she pursues a happy, fulfilling life.

The victim in this case endured abuse that continues to traumatize her to this day, Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw said in a statement. We admire the strength and determination she displayed during the prosecution, and hope the justice that was brought on her behalf is meaningful as she pursues a happy, fulfilling life.
A man standing next to a disabled vehicle was struck and killed on a road in Cumberland County on Thursday evening, police said.

Marvin Saunders, 75, of Buena, was standing next to a disabled SUV in the eastbound lane of Big Oak Road in Deerfield Township when a pickup truck traveling eastbound struck both the SUV and Saunders, according to New Jersey State Police.

Troopers responded to the scene shortly after 6:30 p.m.

Saunders died of his injuries, police said. No other injuries were reported.

Authorities have not confirmed if Saunders had been driving the disabled SUV. He was described by police as a pedestrian.

Officials have not identified the pickup truck driver or provided additional details about the case.

No charges have been announced, but the crash remains under investigation, police said.

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Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com.
For seven years, Jay and Silent Bobs Secret Stash, director Kevin Smiths Red Bank comic book shop, was on TV.

Smith and his friends from the store and his podcast network starred in the reality TV seres Comic Book Men on AMC.

Now, the same store is fueling another of Smiths ventures.

Variety reports that the New Jersey director is developing a TV series for NBC inspired by Jay and Silent Bobs Secret Stash.

The show, titled Local Heroes, follows comic book store regulars who solve crimes. Smith is serving as writer and executive producer. Joining him are Josh Siegal and Dylan Morgan (30 Rock).

Kevin Smith is a hero of mine and has his finger on the pulse of the genre world, Jim Donnelly, executive vice president of comedy development at Universal TV, told Variety. This murder mystery show in a comic book store really fits into NBCs single-camera workplace, large-ensemble shows.

READ MORE: Kevin Smith on The 4:30 Movie, his N.J. theater and his childhood worshipping the screen

Life (is) full of mysteries - and so is your friendly neighborhood comic book store! Smith, who grew up in Highlands, said in a recent Instagram post sharing the news.

I dont wanna jinx it but Im really excited about this show were working on and I hope we get to take it all the way! he said. My eternal thanks to @imtoddmilliner for taking me on this joyous journey, Josh Siegal and Dylan Morgan for their brilliant pitch and for teaching me how the pros do it, and to @universaltv and @nbc for even entertaining the notion that my old-ass mug might be ready for prime time!

Comic Book Men, which was filmed at the Red Bank comic book shop, aired for seven seasons on AMC, from 2012 to 2018.

Smiths most recent film was the 1980s-set teen comedy The 4:30 Movie, which he shot at SModcastle Cinemas, the Atlantic Highlands movie theater he co-owns with friends. The movie was another creation inspired by his life, namely his Jersey childhood at the movies.

READ MORE: Fallen angels unite: Kevin Smith is working on Dogma 2

Smith, 54, premiered the film at the same theater in August with cast members including lead Austin Zajur and movie villain Ken Jeong. He stays at an apartment above the theater when hes in Jersey.

This year, the director was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame and tearfully accepted the honor.

Getting into this place, Im done  I can hang it up, man, he said at a pre-recorded ceremony that aired on TV in November. My whole career has been a chase for relevance  somebody needed to know I came from this place. Now they do.

Thank you for reading. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.

Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com and followed at @AmyKup on Twitter/X, @amykup.bsky.social on Bluesky and @kupamy on Instagram and Threads.
Since 1986, Party City has been a go-to for party supplies, balloons and costumes.

But now the partys over.

The New Jersey-based chain, which is the largest party supply store in the country, is shuttering all of its stores and going out of business.

CNN reports that Party City CEO Barry Litwin told corporate employees in a video conference meeting Friday that it would be their last day on the job.

Its really important for you to know that weve done everything possible that we could to try to avoid this outcome, Litwin said at the meeting. Unfortunately, its necessary to commence a winddown process immediately.

Party City founder Steve Mandell at a store in Woodland Park (then West Paterson) in 1997.Kerrie Hagy | Star-Ledger file photo

According to the report, staff were informed that they would not receive severance pay.

Party City declared bankruptcy in 2023, and exited bankruptcy months later, closing some stores and maintaining others.

The companys nearly four-decade journey started in Morris County.

Party City, which is headquartered in Woodcliff Lake, was founded in 1986 by Steve Mandell, who opened the first store in East Hanover. The business became a franchise in 1989, and was sold to AAH Holdings Corp. in 2005.

In 2023, Party City closed 22 stores  among them, a location on Route 46 in Woodland Park.

The party supply chain had more than 800 stores, including 25 in New Jersey.

Thank you for reading. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.

Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com and followed at @AmyKup on Twitter/X, @amykup.bsky.social on Bluesky and @kupamy on Instagram and Threads.
Exit the train station in Allenhurst  a blink-and-miss-it Jersey Shore burg just north of Asbury Park  and look to your right. Youll notice The Gray Street Coffeehouse, nestled cozily in a corner across the tracks. Perhaps youll want to stop in because you just experienced a prolonged delay on NJTransit and need a pick me up. Youll be pleasantly surprised.

The Gray Street coffeehouse has repurposed a 200-year-old building into a sleek and welcoming new business, which takes the word community seriously. Its at the heart of the mission for owner Isaac Ashkenazi, executive chef Pat Trama, manager Sam Shabot, and creative coordinator Sonia Betesh, who came together to open this location in late June.

What do they mean by community, exactly? The Gray Street Coffeehouse offers a seasonal menu of healthy food options, with ingredients sourced from local farmers in Allenhurst and the surrounding areas.

With our seasonal menu, we have local bakers come in and show us a plethora of goods they make in-house. We like to choose two/three bakers each season, Ashkenazi told NJ Advance Media. We try to maintain a certain nutritional element with organic ingredients and vegetables we get from a variety of different local farms.

Chef Pat Trama has operated out of his restaurant, Tramas Trattoria in Long Branch, with a menu that specializes in Tuscan style Italian menu. The Gray Street Coffeehouse presented him with a welcome challenge.

What really made me excited about this project is a menu thats kosher, said Trama. A lot of my clientele come from the community here, and many eat kosher. We saw an opportunity, and we took it, and weve had some tremendous success with it.

The menu is curated to highlight food choices meant to be both nourishing and healthy. I like a good meal thats good for you, so I sat down at one of the kitchen counters made from locally sourced wood and ordered organic chopped egg on toasted rye. The free-range eggs are served with red onion, mustard, and capers with a dill pickle on the side. Each ingredient is balanced, and the taste of the mustard doesnt overpower the capers and onion.

I also had their Spanish latte, a mix of expresso, cinnamon, and sweetened milk (I substituted it for oat milk). The kick of the expresso is still there, but its the combination of how the milk is condensed with the flavor that stood out to me.

The pillar of community carries on in how The Gray Street partners with local artists and guest speakers. When I visited, the coffeehouse displayed three paintings on the wall by Asbury Park artist Keely Angel, also available for purchase. The coffeehouse also partners with local apparel and jewelry makers along with florists.

To build on their successes, Ashkenazi says the coffeehouse is gearing up to make a few upgrades, including a juice bar and extensions of its kitchen and outdoor seating/event space. Even when looking toward the future, Ashkenazi is thankful for the present moment.

I cant express my gratitude to the locals around here, says Ashkenazi. Even Asbury Park and Long Branch towns saw what we were doing, and it landed. It resonated. That motivates us to continue to grow and get better.

Related coverage:

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State Attorney General Matthew Platkin didnt mince words last year when a New Jersey police officer was indicted for opening fire and killing a man who had called 911 for help.

Mantua Township Police Officer Salvatore Oldrati was charged with manslaughter in the 2021 shooting death of Charles Sharp III, who had called 911 because he thought armed intruders were on his property.

Oldrati said Sharp pointed a gun at him.

But, his body camera footage didnt back up that claim, prosecutors said.

Oldrati opened fire less than five seconds after exiting his police SUV and never gave Sharp any verbal commands, Platkin said.

Mr. Sharp was shot multiple times outside his own home by one of the very officers he had called upon for help, Platkin said in a statement. When residents call 9-1-1 for service, they are concerned, they need assistance, they seek protection  and they trust the officers responding to their calls will respond accordingly and help them. Tragically, that did not happen here.

The Attorney Generals Office announcement said another officer at the scene alerted Oldrati that Sharp was carrying a gun and that a replica .45-caliber firearm was recovered near Sharp after he was shot.

Oldratis lawyer, however, said that account leaves out critical details that present a much different picture of what happened shortly after 1:30 a.m. on Elm Avenue on Sept. 14, 2021.

I think that they were obviously trying to put a spin on it. I think it was disingenuous and I think that they withheld a significant amount of information, according to Oldratis attorney, Christopher St. John.

Police reports, 911 tapes and eyewitness statements cobble together a complex set of events leading up to the fatal encounter between the 49-year-old Gloucester County resident and the police officer.

As Oldrati prepares to go on trial, his family, attorneys and others involved in the case spoke to NJ Advance Media about key details in the case.

Oldrati was not the first officer on the scene. The first officer to arrive, Cpl. Robert Layton, told investigators that Sharp pointed a gun at him, according to the Attorney Generals account in court filings.

And 911 audio captures that officer ordering Sharp to drop the weapon 14 seconds before Oldrati opened fire, St. John said.

While Sharp told 911 dispatchers he had a gun, that information was not passed along to the arriving officers, St. John said.

As a result, Oldrati arrived at the house not knowing if the gun-toting man he found on the sidewalk was the homeowner or the alleged armed intruder, St. John said.

Officials in the state Attorney Generals Office declined to discuss the case in detail. But, they said in a statement, a judge denied Oldratis attorneys motion to throw out the indictment.

After indictment, Defendant Oldrati filed a motion to dismiss the indictment with the court, in which he made claims about his version of the facts and purported deficiencies in the grand jury presentation, the spokesman said. The court denied that motion in December 2023, finding that the grand jury presentation was proper.

The spokesman declined to discuss specific points raised by the defense.

The state will present the evidence at trial and the defense will have an opportunity to contest that evidence, he said. We do not comment further on pending litigation.

Oldratis parents say their son has been unfairly maligned by the Attorney Generals office and the media and they want his story told.

This picture was painted very badly of my son, Barbara Oldrati told NJ Advance Media. This is not a situation of police brutality. This is the situation of an officer doing his job. Salvatore had a right to defend himself that day, she added.

But, Sharps family says he never should have been shot.

His ex-wife is suing the township and Oldrati on behalf of their teenage son, claiming cops used excessive force.

Sharps brother, Christopher Sharp Sr., said the video footage and 911 audio show Oldrati overreacted when he opened fire.

He wasnt a threat to anybody, Sharp said of his brother. He wasnt violent. He was on the phone with 911 talking about a break-in. If you listen to the call, there was no threat on his part. He was very clear and calm to 911.

A view of the investigation scene on Elm Avenue in Mantua Township hours after Officer Salvatore Oldrati shot resident Charles Sharp III in 2021.(File Photo)

5 minutes on Elm Avenue

Sharps five-minute 911 call was released by the Attorney Generals office in 2021, along with Oldratis body camera video.

The 1:35 a.m. call began as Sharp told 911 operators about intruders he believed were on his property.

Two intruders in the back of my yard  one of them had a gun for sure, Sharp said, according to the 911 recording.

He said he threw firecrackers to scare off the intruders, but they kept coming back.

I looked out my window. The one guy was in my shed, getting my shed door open. I came around to go outside to confront em and there was a guy f------ in my truck trying to get it open.

Sharp then told the dispatcher he had a gun, but made no mention of it being a replica that couldnt fire.

I have something my grandfather passed down to me, he said. My grandfather willed me a .45.

Sharp moved outside as he spoke to 911. And Layton, the first police officer to arrive, pulled up four minutes and 20 seconds into the 911 call.

Sharp pointed his gun at Layton as he sat in his police vehicle, according to Laytons account to investigators.

Layton said he ducked in his vehicle and rapidly accelerated to the end of the street to get away from Sharp, according to a court document filed by the Attorney Generals office.

A voice can be heard on the 911 call saying, Put the gun down. Those words are followed by the sounds of an engine revving.

The order to put down the weapon was made by Layton, Oldratis attorney said.

Are you talking with my officers? the dispatcher asked Sharp, but got no reply.

Fourteen seconds after Layton said put the gun down, the first of 13 shots are fired by Oldrati, according to the 911 recording. Ten rounds hit Sharp.

Laytons body camera wasnt turned on during that initial encounter or when shots were fired and Mantuas police vehicles were not outfitted with dashboard cameras.

Before the shooting, Oldratis body camera picked up his first words as he exited his vehicle in front of Sharps house.

Where at? he said.

Hes got a handgun on him. Right there, Layton responded.

Where? Oldrati asked

Right there? Layton shouted. Put the gun 

His words were interrupted by the first seven shots fired by Oldrati. Six more shots followed.

County, shots fired, Oldrati radioed to the dispatcher.

Put your arms out  Dont reach. Dont reach, Oldrati ordered as he approached Sharp, who was on the ground and groaning in pain.

Oldrati radioed the dispatcher to notify Cooper University Hospital in Camden that a man was shot who pointed handgun.

He is also heard warning arriving officers that Sharp had a gun on him and police body cam video showed the gun on the sidewalk.

Soon after shots are fired, a police supervisor arrived, according to additional body camera footage provided to NJ Advance Media in response to an Open Public Records Act request.

Is this the homeowner? he asked as he pointed to Sharp.

I dont know. The guy came out and pointed a gun, Oldrati responded as he grabbed medical equipment from his vehicle.

He pointed the gun, I thought he was gonna f------ shoot me, dude, Oldrati said moments later as he donned rubber gloves to begin live-saving measures on Sharp.

OK, relax, relax, the supervisor responded as he walked toward the house to check for anyone inside.

In an interview with investigators, Layton credited Oldrati with saving his life, Oldratis attorney said.

Layton did not respond to NJ Advance Medias request to comment.

The 911 tapes and bodycam video show officers at the scene after the shooting did not appear to realize the man shot in front of the house was the same man who called 911. Officers also continued to search the property for the intruders Sharp said he saw during his 911 call.

With guns drawn, officers searched Sharps house and yard. They found only a large dog inside the home, according to the video and court documents.

The shed that Sharp said intruders were breaking into on the 911 call was found locked. Police found no one else on the property and declared the site clear, the video shows.

Based on police reports hes reviewed, St. John said officers found no evidence anyone broke into the shed or Sharps vehicle.

In an image from a police body cam released by the state Attorney General's office, Charles Sharp III can be seen just before a Mantua Township officer opened fire on the homeowner who had called 911 to report an armed intruder on his property.NJ Attorney General's office

St. John said in a letter to the Attorney Generals office that Sharps ex-wife told Mantua police he had shown erratic behavior in the recent days leading up to the incident.

When contacted by NJ Advance Media, the attorney representing Sharps ex-wife in the lawsuit said they could not comment on the ongoing litigation.

Sharps toxicology report, obtained by NJ Advance Media in response to an Open Public Records Act request, revealed methamphetamine, amphetamine and the metabolite for cocaine in his system.

A relative of Sharp alleged he had battled with sobriety, according to St. Johns letter to the Attorney General.

Christopher Sharp Sr. said the 911 recording showed his brother was calm when he called for help. He believes his sibling had been doing well before the incident.

My brother was a very happy, outgoing, very talented person in many ways. He was doing pretty well from what I understand, he said.

Sharp served with the U.S. Air Force for more than 20 years and was a skilled carpenter, his brother said.

When feasible

Oldratis attorney argues mistakes were made by 911 dispatchers who answered Sharps call. Dispatchers never told police Sharp said he had a gun, St. John said. Also, dispatchers are supposed to warn callers to secure any weapon they possess and remain indoors until police arrive, he said.

None of those things were done, St. John said. The dispatcher never relayed that the caller might be armed with a gun. And the dispatcher never told Sharp, Get back inside. Ive got cops coming there to make you safe.

Oldratis attorney also denies the states claim that Sharp didnt point the gun at the officer.

I think its clear that the gun, at a minimum, was at his hip, which is a position that you can easily fire a weapon from. It wasnt down at his side, St. John said, adding that one of Oldratis shots actually struck the gun.

In the May 2023 announcement of the indictment against Oldrati, Thomas J. Eicher, now-former head of the Attorney Generals Office of Public Integrity and Accountability, said Oldrati shot without giving Sharp a warning.

Officer Oldrati gave no verbal commands or warnings before shooting Mr. Sharp. The grand jury determined that his conduct was not justified and warranted the return of an indictment for manslaughter, Eicher said.

Under state use of force guidelines for police, an officer may use deadly force only when the officer reasonably believes that such action is immediately necessary to protect the officer or another person from imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury.

Officers should, however, try to deescalate situations and issue verbal warnings when feasible, the guidelines state.

The term when feasible is key, St. John argues.

The duty to warn issue is only if reasonable, he said, adding that Laytons command to drop the gun 14 seconds earlier counts as a warning.

Steven Nolan, a use of force expert and former veteran Philadelphia cop hired by the defense, found Oldratis actions were proportionate, necessary and reasonable, according to his report.

St. John argued the Attorney General must not have seen anything wrong with Oldratis actions when they reviewed the shooting in 2021, because they could have taken him off the street.

Instead, he was cleared to go back to work at the Mantua Police Department in October 2021, a month after the shooting, and was promoted to corporal in September 2022 before being indicted last year.

Under a 2019 state law, every death that occurs during an interaction with law enforcement must now be presented to a grand jury.

St. John called the 20-month span between the shooting and the indictment unsurprising, given that the pandemic slowed the progress of such cases.

But, guidelines allow the state to arrest or suspend an officer while the grand jury process plays out, St. John said.

Our argument is the fact that Sal went back to work and got promoted is sufficient evidence that the Attorney Generals office didnt think it was a bad shoot, St. John said.

Oldratis father, Drew, a veteran police officer of 36 years, argued his son wouldnt have been allowed to return if he was considered dangerous.

Theyre not gonna clear you in the police shooting and send you back to work and work almost two years, and then indict you, the elder Oldrati said. If the police shootings bad, its bad. Youre getting locked up.

In a September letter to the Attorney Generals office, St. John requested that Drew Skinner, appointed as executive director of the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability in April of this year, take another look at the case, exercise prosecutorial discretion and dismiss the matter.

The office declined the request.

We want a trial date

Barbara Oldrati said the shooting was a tragedy for Sharps family, and traumatic for her family.

Its devastating. People lost a family member. People lost a father, she said. Ive lost my son. I lost my son because this is all this kid ever wanted to do. And he was great at it. He was police officer of the year. Twice. He saved his partners life.

Prior to joining the Mantua force, Oldrati served a short time with Camdens police department, where he was credited with saving his partner by applying a tourniquet after he was shot in the leg in the line of duty.

Oldrati, now 27, is suspended without pay pending the outcome of the criminal case.

When he was indicted, Mantua officials, including the police chief, spoke out in Oldratis defense. They said he acted in accordance with his training and criticized the Attorney General for his assessment of the case.

Oldrati was getting married in a few months when he was suspended and his benefits were cut off, his mother said. The couple now have a child.

Were all chipping in to pay for benefits, Barbara Oldrati said, adding that her son suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the shooting and is unable to work.

Hell never be able to be a police officer again from the PTSD that he suffered from the shooting, let alone from this frivolous indictment, she said.

The second-degree manslaughter charge Oldrati is facing carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence if he is convicted.

Oldrati rejected a plea offer that would have had him facing a possible prison term. The next hearing in his case is scheduled for January.

His parents said they arent giving up and fully back their son.

We want a trial date, Barbara Oldrati said. My sons not taking a plea deal. He didnt do anything wrong.

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Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com.
A motorist died of his injuries following a head-on collision in Gloucester County on Thursday morning, police said.

A 33-year-old Woodbury resident was driving a pickup truck northbound on Route 45/Bridgeton Pike in Mantua Township around 10:45 a.m. when they crossed into the southbound lane to avoid a stopped vehicle ahead that was waiting to make a turn onto Heritage Road from northbound Route 45, according to township police.

The pickup collided head-on with a southbound minivan, police said.

The minivan driver, David F. Butler, 75, of Pilesgrove Township, was removed from his vehicle, taken to a nearby hospital, then airlifted to Cooper University Hospital in Camden, where he died of his injuries, police said.

The pickup truck driver remained at the crash scene, authorities noted.

The crash remains under investigation. Anyone with information related to the collision is asked to contact Mantua Township Police Department at 856-589-0911.

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Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com.
Its that time of year again, when Dr. Andy Anderson starts seeing more patients with a cough, congestion, and shortness of breath  telltale signs of the highly contagious respiratory illness RSV.

Emergency departments in New Jersey and around the United States are seeing a wide variety of respiratory illnesses, ranging from the common cold to COVID-19, flu, and RSV, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. RSV activity in particular is moderate nationally and continues to increase, particularly in young children.

We tend to see this every year. Last year, RSV was the first virus we saw increasing in frequency, said Anderson, executive vice president and chief medical and quality officer for RWJ Barnabas Health.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus, or RSV, is a common respiratory virus that causes mild, cold-like symptoms in most people, according to the CDC. However, it can cause severe illness in some people, especially babies, older adults and the immunocompromised. The virus is the leading cause of childhood illness and hospitalization in infants.

Data from the New Jersey Department of Health shows New Jersey is currently experiencing high RSV activity, with increases in percent positivity, emergency department visits with a RSV diagnosis, and hospital admissions.

The highly contagious virus currently accounts for .6% of all emergency department visits in the country and nearly 1% of all visits in New Jersey, according to CDCs Respiratory Illness Data Channel.

The percentage of emergency department visits for RSV is very high in the following counties: Bergen, Cumberland, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, and Union.

Emergency visits for RSV are high in Atlantic and Cape May counties. Levels are moderate in Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer, Salem, and Warren counties.

Hospital admissions associated with RSV have also been climbing since early October, particularly among children 0-4 years of age, according to the states latest respiratory illness surveillance report.

The state is seeing a growing number of emergency visits with RSV that required hospital admission, especially in among ages 0-4.New Jersey Department of Health

For any childrens hospital, winter is typically a busy respiratory season. Thats when hospitals have an influx of children that have COVID, RSV, flu or other illnesses, said Dr. Harpreet Pall, chair of pediatrics at K. Hovnanian Childrens Hospital at Jersey Shore University Medical Center.

With young children, the risk is that they develop a condition called bronchiolitis, and that is inflammation in the lung. This is a very significant driver of hospitalizations in young children, said Pall, who is also a professor at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine.

Two to three out of every 100 infants under 6 months are hospitalized with RSV every year, according to the CDC. While the vast majority of children sick with RSV incur mild symptoms, those born premature or with certain medical conditions could be more susceptible to serious illness.

Some children need to be put on a ventilator due to worsening condition and unfortunately sometimes they dont recover. It is still well known that that could be one outcome, said Pall.

Anywhere between 100-300 children die from RSV each year, according to the CDC.

Despite the risks posed by viruses like RSV, vaccination rates for respiratory illnesses remain alarmingly low across all age groups. In New Jersey, only 45% of adults have received the updated flu shot, 21% have received the updated COVID vaccine and 25.2% of adults 75+ have received the RSV vaccine.

There has been so much misinformation and politicization of vaccines. So, I take all that off the table and simply talk to patients about their risks and the benefits of vaccines, said Dr. Suraj Kumar Saggar, chief of the department of infectious disease at Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck.

People often assume vaccines are for personal protection, but Saggar emphasized that vaccines are a community health measure.

It goes back to the idea of herd immunity. If its not you at risk, people you interact with may be at risk. So by you being protected, you protect the population at large, said Saggar.

Just this week, RWJ Barnabas Health reinstated its pandemic-era mask policy amid the spike in respiratory infections.

On Monday, the health system announced that when visiting any of its 14 hospitals and facilities, visitors are expected to wear an appropriate mask. People are also asked to stay away if theyre sick or experiencing symptoms of the flu, COVID-19 or another respiratory illness, such as RSV.

Its to protect our patients and their families and to protect our own employees as well, said Anderson. We know COVID-19, RSV and such are spread through respiratory droplets, so its really a means of infection control to prevent spread. Its not perfect, but it does help.

People can get their COVID-19 shot, flu shot, and RSV vaccine at the same time. However, the RSV vaccine is only recommended for a small group of people:

Pregnant people during weeks 32 to 36 of pregnancy starting on Sept. 1

Babies entering their first RSV season or born during the RSV season

People ages 60 to 74 with chronic heart or lung disease, certain other chronic medical conditions, and those who are residents of nursing homes or other long-term care facilities

Everyone ages 75 and older

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Jackie Roman may be reached at jroman@njadvancemedia.com.
An alleged member of the Rutgers Avenue street gang in Jersey City is facing federal charges in a shooting of rival gang members more than a year ago that left six people injured.

Micah Reid, aka Nips, 33, of Jersey City, has been charged with one count of violent crime in aid of racketeering activity and one count of discharging of a firearm during a crime of violence in connection with the Oct 1, 2023 shooting on Culver Avenue, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

Reid made his initial appearance Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge James B. Clark, III in Newark federal court and was detained.

Reid, described by authorities as a high-ranking member of the Rutgers Avenue gang, was initially arrested Oct. 20, 2023, after a search warrant was executed at his Danforth Avenue home, according to the criminal complaint.

During the search of his home, police seized a handgun that they say was used in the Oct. 1, 2023 shooting and at least four other gang-related shootings in Jersey City, the complaint said.

Authorities say the Rutgers Avenue gang has historically engaged in retaliatory acts of violence against rival neighborhood street gangs operating in the area of the Salem Lafayette Apartments and the area of Wilkinson Avenue, Ocean Avenue, Martin Luther King Drive, and Wegman Parkway.

On Oct. 1, 2023, Reid, driving a stolen vehicle, shot at members and associates of rival street gangs who were exiting a nightclub on Culver Avenue in Jersey City just after 2:30 a.m.

In total, six individual suffered gunshot wounds, authorities said. Initially, Jersey City officials reported that five people were shot and a sixth was injured when a vehicle crashed.

Reid faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison on the violent crime in aid of racketeering charge, and a statutory mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison on the firearm offense, which must run consecutively to any other sentence imposed.

Both offenses carry a maximum fine of $250,000.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited investigators of the Hudson County Prosecutors Office, special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Jersey City Police Department with the investigation leading to the charges.

This investigation was conducted as part of the Jersey City Violent Crime Initiative (VCI).

The VCI was formed in 2018 by the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of New Jersey, the Hudson County Prosecutors Office, and the Jersey City Police Department, for the sole purpose of combatting violent crime in and around Jersey City.

As part of this partnership, federal, state, county, and city agencies collaborate to strategize and prioritize the prosecution of violent offenders who endanger the safety of the community.
Editors note: This story was updated with information from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

A master key, which can be used to open thousands of mailboxes across Hoboken, was stolen during a robbery of a U.S. postal employee Monday night, a source with knowledge of the incident said.

A Hoboken police spokeswoman confirmed the robbery on Constitution Court, but did not say what was taken in the incident. The source spoke on the condition of anonymity, since they are not authorized to speak to the media.

A spokesman for the United State Postal Inspection Service confirmed Friday that the master key, known as an arrow key, was stolen in the robbery.

Robberies against postal employees have risen by 35% between 2021 and 2023, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office. Among the trending crimes is the theft of the arrow key.

The key can open every USPS mailbox inside every high-rise and apartment building, as well as the relay boxes  boxes on the street where mail is stored for a carrier during the course of his or her route, a source at the USPS who is not authorized to speak on the record told The Jersey Journal.

Its difficult and expensive to change the locks, so there is not much that the postal service can do except catch the assailant when they attempt access peoples mail, the source also said.

Hoboken spokeswoman Marci Rubin said the robbery occurred at approximately 8 p.m. Monday and that no one suffered serious injuries in the incident. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service said the assailant(s) demanded and then grabbed the arrow key and fled.

The robbery is under investigation by the Hoboken Police Departments Detective Bureau and the U.S. Inspection Service-Newark Field Office. Anyone with information is asked to contact Det. Samuel Flores at Floress@hobokenpdnj.gov.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service provided the following tips:

Use the letter slots inside your Post Office for your mail, or hand it to a letter carrier;

Pick up your mail promptly after delivery. Dont leave it in your mailbox overnight. If youre expecting checks, credit cards, or other negotiable items, ask a trusted friend or neighbor to pick up your mail;

If you dont receive a check or other valuable mail youre expecting, contact the issuing agency immediately;

Dont send cash in the mail;

Tell your Post Office when youll be out of town, so they can hold your mail until you return;

Report all suspected mail theft to a Postal Inspector;

Consider starting a neighborhood watch program. By exchanging work and vacation schedule with trusted friends and neighbors, you can watch each others mailboxes (as well as homes);

Consult with your local Postmaster for the most up-to-date regulations on mailboxes, including the availability of locked centralized or curbside mailboxes;

Sign-up for Informed Delivery at USPS.com. This service provides daily email notifications of incoming mail and packages.

In a statement, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service said thousands of blue collection boxes have been replaced with a new high-security blue collection box and that tens of thousands of antiquated locks have been replaced with electronic mechanisms, essentially making keys ineffective.

Updated mechanisms have an electronic component that thieves will be unable to duplicate, removing the very thing criminals are seeking in robberies of letter carriers, their postal keys.
Startups are driving innovation across Australia and New Zealand, and the latest funding announcements showcase the diverse and ambitious tech ecosystem powering the region.

Here are the top funding highlights of the week:

Databricks Secures $10B Series J at $62B Valuation

Data and AI leader Databricks has announced a $10 billion Series J funding round, with $8.6 billion already secured. The investment, led by Thrive Capital, values the company at $62 billion. Co-leads include Andreessen Horowitz, DST Global, GIC, Insight Partners, and WCM Investment Management. Other key backers include Ontario Teachers Pension Plan, ICONIQ Growth, MGX, Sands Capital, and Wellington Management.

8seats Gains $2M to Revolutionize Business Messaging

Australian messaging platform 8seats has raised A$2 million in seed funding, backed by Black Nova, former Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci, and tech entrepreneurs Mike Priddis and Greg Miller. The funding will help scale the platform and accelerate its go-to-market strategy, targeting a public launch in 2025 after a successful early-access rollout.

Additional investors include TBWAs Paul Bradbury, Prezzees Tony Karp, and Innovation Bays Ian Gardiner.

Jet Charge raises $72M for EV Charging Innovation

Melbourne-based EV charging company Jet Charge has secured $72 million in funding, led by Mirova through its Energy Transition Fund 6 (MET6). Returning investors include the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), RACV, and Kilara Capital.

The funds will support the development of proprietary charging technologies and expand its Charging as a Service subscription offering.

Fleet Space Achieves $800M Valuation with $150M Series D

South Australias Fleet Space Technologies has raised $150 million in a Series D funding round, pushing its valuation beyond $800 million. The round was led by Canadas Teachers Venture Growth and included support from Blackbird Ventures, Hostplus, Horizons Ventures, Artesian Venture Partners, and Alumni Ventures.

The funding will bolster Fleet Spaces satellite mapping platform ExoSphere, used for critical mineral exploration in clean energy. Fleet previously raised $50 million in May 2023 and counts Grok Ventures, TelstraSuper, and Bondi Partners among its supporters.

Keep up to date with our stories on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Four students were injured Thursday afternoon after a school bus crashed into a tree in Monroe Township, authorities said.

The bus was transporting students from Monroe Township Middle School and was traveling east on North State Home Road around 3 p.m. when it left the road and hit a tree on the drivers side of the vehicle, according to a release from the Monroe Township Police Department.

One student suffered a broken leg and three others sustained minor injuries and all we taken to local hospitals for treatment, police said.

Other students reported minor complaints, were evaluated on scene by medical personnel and were released to their parents, the department said.

The crash is under investigation by police. Anyone who witnessed it is asked to contact the departments traffic safety bureau at 732-521-0222 Ext. 126.

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Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.
Two of the three victims of a New Jersey nurse charged with criminal sexual contact were set to receive an EKG and a bladder scan, according to a criminal complaint.

The three charges against Andre M. Angus, 39, of Ewing are part of an affidavit of probable cause against the Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center nurse, who worked at the hospital off Route 1 in Plainsboro in Middlesex County.

The first alleged incident took place during an electrocardiogram, or EKG, test performed on Sept. 29, 2023. The victim  a man  told other staff members about the inappropriate touching before police were notified, the Middlesex County Prosecutors Office said.

Then on March 16, a patient admitted for dizziness was told by Angus to take his clothes off, the complaint said. That incident wasnt reported to police until December.

The third instance of alleged sexual contact occurred on June 12, when Angus told a patient he needed to undergo a bladder scan. Angus touched the patient after the man was told to remove his clothes and was lying down with his shorts on, the court document said.

An attorney for Angus wasnt listed in court records on Friday morning, a spokeswoman for the prosecutors office said. Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center couldnt immediately be reached Friday morning.

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Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com.
A former Middletown Township police sergeant was indicted on 22 counts of allegedly abusing his authority and possession of three different types of narcotics, officials with the Monmouth County Prosecutors Office announced Thursday.

David Ringkamp, 43, previously of Union Beach was charged with second-degree engaging in a pattern of official misconduct, six counts of second-degree official misconduct, five counts of third-degree computer criminal activity, five third-degree narcotics offenses, and fourth-degree counts of hindering apprehension, tampering with physical evidence and obstruction of justice.

The conduct alleged in this criminal indictment is egregious and disgraceful, and is an unconscionable betrayal of the former officers sacred oath of office and sworn duty to uphold the law, Middletown Township Police Chief R. Craig Weber said Thursday.

Through his attorney, Ringkamp denied the allegations.

Authorities began investigating Ringkamp in December 2021 after New York State Police learned a 33-year-old Nicholas DAmbrosio from Millstone had purchased several kits to manufacture untraceable ghost guns, officials said in a press release.

New York State Police notified New Jersey State Police after DAmbrosio transported the kits to a vape shop in Millstone that he owned and witnessed Ringkamp and his then wife help him hide firearm parts in their vehicle, according to officials.

When stopped by police, Ringkamp identified himself as a sergeant with the Middletown Police Department, authorities said.

During an investigation, authorities learned that Ringkamp agreed to remove the illegal firearm parts from the vape shop after DAmbrosio realized he was being surveilled by police, authorities said.

Ghost gun kits, cocaine and dozens of methamphetamine pills were discovered in Ringkamps vehicle along with over 25 pounds of marijuana, marijuana edibles, a fully assembled ghost gun and other evidence inside the vape shop, according to authorities.

Ringkamps home was also searched during the investigation where authorities found more illegal narcotics including cocaine and anabolic steroids, officials said.

Police also found Ringkamp deleted text messages between himself and DAmbrosio to hinder the investigation, according to officials.

He is also accused of using a police database to search DAmbrosio and dozens of others over a three-year time period with no legitimate law enforcement purpose, officials said.

It is critical that we work together to increase the publics trust in government. Once again, I commend the work of New Jerseys law enforcement community, which worked together with our Office of Public Integrity and Accountability to investigate this case, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said Thursday.

Ringkamp was immediately suspended without pay from the Middletown Township Police Department and his termination became final on April 22, 2022, Weber said.

A court date for Ringkamp has not been scheduled yet.

DAmbrosio was arrested in February and charged with manufacturing ghost gun parts on a 3D printer and additional drug offenses, officials said.

He pleaded guilty to second- and third-degree drug charges, third-degree charges of possessing ghost gun parts and manufacturing ghost guns and fourth-degree hindering apprehension.

DAmbrosio was sentenced in August to eight years in state prison, authorities said in the press release.

Ringkamp and his former wife were arrested, charged and released pending court proceedings in the case, officials said.

Mr. Ringkamp remains very confident in the legal process and maintains his innocence, his attorney Peter OMara said in a statement Friday. There is a great deal of information which we are going to seek to receive in this matter, and we will be diligently reviewing the evidence that was presented to the Grand Jury, as well as conducting further investigation.

OMara said that Ringkamp is a U.S. Army veteran and began his career as a police officer with the Ocean City Police Department in 2012 before joining the Middletown Township Police Department in 2013.

Ringkamp was promoted to sergeant in 2020 and was a member of the Monmouth County Regional SWAT team, OMara said.

Editors Note: This article has been updated to include comments and background information from Ringkamps attorney.

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Matthew Enuco may be reached at Menuco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow Matt on X.
An 18-year-old from Asbury Park was convicted on all charges in the 2022 shooting death of a local man, while his co-defendant pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder, prosecutors said Friday.

Joseph N. Argilagos was found guilty in the shooting of 19-year-old Dariel Vernet, who died after he was shot multiple times in the 100 block of Prospect Avenue, near Atlantic Avenue.

Argilagos was convicted of first-degree murder, and two second-degree weapons offenses. The verdict was returned Thursday after a two-week trial before Superior Court Judge Jill Grace OMalley.

The jury, however, could not reach a verdict on the charges against co-defendant Lydell Brown, 20. Brown later pleaded guilty to first-degree conspiracy to commit murder, admitting in court that he and Argilagos followed the victim to the Frederick Douglas Apartment Complex on July 8, 2022, intending to kill him.

Brown was originally charged with murder and weapons offenses after he was arrested in Toms River in May 2023 after being on the run for 10 months.

Authorities say Argilagos, then 16, fatally shot 19-year-old Dariel Vernet around 5:45 p.m. on Prospect Avenue near Atlantic Avenue. Vernet was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, where he died about an hour later.

Argilagos, initially charged as a juvenile, was transferred to adult court in September 2023 before a Monmouth County grand jury indicted both suspects. No motive was disclosed for Vernets killing.

The investigation, led by the Monmouth County Prosecutors Offices Major Crimes Bureau and Asbury Park Police, identified Argilagos and Brown as suspects. Argilagos was arrested days after the shooting, while Brown was apprehended in Toms River in May 2023.

Sentencing for Argilagos is set for March 12, 2025, with prosecutors seeking a minimum of 30 years in prison under New Jerseys No Early Release Act, requiring 85% of the term to be served before parole eligibility.

Prosecutors will recommend a five-year sentence for Brown, also subject to the same parole stipulations.

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Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Oysters linked to a norovirus outbreak that were shipped to retailers and distributors in New Jersey and other states have been recalled, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

An event celebrating the top restaurants in Los Angeles that left at least 80 people sickened with norovirus was linked to the oysters, ABC6 reported.

Fanny Bay, Buckley Bay, and Royal Miyagi oysters that were harvested between Dec. 1 and Dec. 9 from certain growing areas in British Columbia, Canada were the ones being recalled and establishments that had them were advised to not serve or sell them and dispose of them, the FDA stated.

The oysters were also shipped to Arizona, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Nevada, New York, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, authorities said.

Oysters contaminated with norovirus can cause illness if eaten, and potentially severe illness in people with compromised immune systems, officials said. Its most common symptoms are diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and stomach pain. Other symptoms include fever, headache, and body aches.

Anyone who ate oysters and experienced these symptoms was asked to contact their healthcare provider and report their symptoms to their local Health Department.

A person infected with norovirus usually develops symptoms 12 to 48 hours after being exposed to it and most people feel better within one to three days.

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Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh stood with police brass and renewed the call to free its troubled police department from state control, even as Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin applied for a stay of Wednesdays surprise appellate court decision that said the 2023 takeover violated state law.

Sayegh stood on the steps of the Frank X. Graves Public Safety Complex to denounce the AGs takeover as unlawful, unconstitutional and undemocratic, and accused Platkin of advancing his own political agenda.

Why persecute the third-largest city to advance a political agenda? Sayegh asked. The AGs Office did not respond to a request for comment.

In its lawsuit, Paterson argued that the takeover violated the Home Rule Act and various municipal statutes governing oversight of police departments. The court agreed, finding that the states Criminal Justice Act of 1970 and related laws did not give the Attorney General the authority to unilaterally supersede municipal police operations.

At least for now, the Paterson Police Department will remain under state control. The N.J. Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to review the Appellate ruling and issued a stay of the Appellate ruling.

The NJ Supreme Court has swiftly stayed this incorrect decision, Platkin said in a post on X. As our appeal proceeds, the PPD will continue to run as it has since March 2023: ensuring public safety while strengthening community trust. Any attempt to obstruct PPD operations is unlawful.

Sayegh repeated his call that the state abide by the appellate ruling and reinstate his hand-picked police chief, Engelbert Ribeiro. After the takeover, Ribeiro was assigned to the Police Training Commission in Trenton.

They created this chaos in the chain of command, Sayegh said. We had a police chief who was banished to work at the Police Training Commission in Trenton. While the taxpayers in Paterson were still paying his $225,000 salary, with no benefit to the taxpayers of Paterson.

Joining Sayegh was the leadership of the department, Public Safety Director Jerry Speziale and his assistant, Mirza M. Bulur, who was the plaintiff in the lawsuit that challenged the AGs authority. Ribeiro stood in plain clothes but did not speak.

Angel Jimenez, the head of the Paterson PBA, said the takeover has done nothing to increase manpower. Weve been understaffed for 15 years, Jimenez said.

Sayegh appointed Ribeiro chief just three weeks before the March 27, 2023 takeover, when Platkin stood on those very same steps to address what he called a crisis in confidence in law enforcement in Paterson.

For years, the department had been wracked by scandal, numerous arrests for corruption, and allegations of police brutality that cost millions in legal settlements. The litany of problems cited by Platkin at the time of the takeover included criminal charges against a dozen officers, millions in legal settlements and fierce criticism of police use of force.

The takeover came just weeks after the fatal shooting of Najee Seabrooks, an activist with the Paterson Healing Collective who was killed by Paterson police after a five-hour standoff. The Paterson Healing Collective advocates for alternatives to deadly force when police encounter an emotionally-disturbed person.

The shooting prompted days of protests at Paterson City Hall. The AGs Office investigated, but no charges have been brought against any of the officers involved.

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A New Jersey grand jury declined to file criminal charges against Paterson police officers over the death of a 57-year-old woman in custody two years ago, the state attorney general said Friday.

Rosita Diaz, a Paterson resident, was pronounced dead at Paterson Police Headquarters on Feb. 18, 2022, just a few minutes after an officer discovered her unresponsive on a bench in a holding cell, authorities said at the time.

Diazs death was investigated by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability, a division within the attorney generals office. The investigation included witness interviews, review of body-worn camera and surveillance footage, medical records, as well as autopsy and toxicology results from the state medical examiner, according to a news release.

Diaz was taken into custody the day before she died on a charge of possession of crack cocaine, investigators found. In the time between her arrest and death, she was shuttled to a hospital several times for unspecified medical issues or clearance for incarceration on medical or psychological grounds, the release said.

She was discovered by the officer while awaiting transport to the jail after her last discharge from the hospital.

Posthumous toxicological tests showed that Diaz had fentanyl, para-flouro-fentanyl, and cocaine in her system at the time of her death, according to the release. The medical examiner ruled her death an accident.

Investigators presented their evidence to the grand jury, which on Monday issued a vote of no bill, meaning they decided there was insufficient evidence to support a prosecution.

It was not immediately clear how many officers had been investigated, interviewed, or were facing potential criminal charges.

Diazs death occurred just over a year before state Attorney General Matt Platkin seized control of the Paterson Police Department, announcing in March 2023 that his office would be taking over its day-to-day operations.

The takeover took place three weeks after the deadly police shooting of Najee Seabrooks, a 31-year-old anti-violence advocate experiencing a mental health crisis. There were at least three other fatal police-involved shootings in Paterson between 2019 and 2024. The troubled 400-member police department has also had its officers accused and charged with crimes ranging from official misconduct to conspiracy to violate civil rights.

Earlier this week, a state appeals court ruled that Platkin had overstepped his authority and ordered him to return control of the police department to the city. Platkin said he planned to immediately appeal the decision, noting in a statement that murders, shootings, sexual assaults, robberies and other violent crime in Paterson all plummeted under his offices oversight.

The N.J. Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to review the Appellate ruling and issued a stay of the Appellate ruling.

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A satellite TV installer found guilty of sexually assaulting a child during a house call in Paterson in 2013 has lost his latest bid to have his conviction overturned.

Arcadio J. Nova, who is serving an extended life sentence in New Jersey State Prison, argued in his petition for post-conviction relief that his lawyer at the 2015 trial in Passaic County didnt call any witnesses or cross-examine the child victim who picked Nova out of a police photo lineup and identified him as her assailant.

But the judge who presided over the trial, Marilyn C. Clark, ruled this week that defense attorney Leigh Saltiels decision not to cross-examine the child was a reasonable trial strategy  and let the conviction stand.

Clark reasoned that exposing a child victim of sexual assault to the harshness of cross-examination might alienate members of the jury and hurt the defense.

There is no doubt that trial counsel faced the prospect of a possible adverse reaction from the jury if there was a cross-examination and the child became upset, Clark said. The judge said shes seen the strategy deployed in other cases involving child victims.

Nova, who wont be eligible for parole until he is 108 years old, now says hes lined up expert witnesses who could help him win an acquittal if given a new trial. In his petition, Nova says he has a psychologist to challenge the childs ability to recall the traumatic attack, and a digital forensics expert to challenge the origin of two pornographic images found on his phone.

But in her ruling, the judge said the evidence against Nova is overwhelming.

The evidence presented by the state firmly established the defendants guilt based on this heinous crime, Clark wrote. There was no ineffective assistance of trial counsel, and no ineffective assistance of appellate counsel. Saltiel could not be reached for comment.

The child was eight years old at the time of assault and 10 when she took the witness stand. She lived in a third-floor apartment with her mother and a roommate with an infant, according to trial testimony.

Nova, who was 38 at the time, owned a Christian bookstore in Paterson and worked as an installer for DirecTV. Nova did not testify, and now claims he was one of two DirecTV installers who visited the apartment on July 3, 2013, the day of the assault.

Interviewed by phone from prison, Nova said he arrived at the apartment at 2 p.m. to give an estimate and pick up a deposit. He claims another installer  a man he knew only by his first name, Oscar  returned to the apartment at 7 p.m. to do the job.

Nova claims he was in East Orange or Newark doing an estimate at the time of the assault, and the man named Oscar could not be located.

The girl testified that on the second visit, the installer asked her to hold first-floor door open for him while he went to fetch some tools from his truck. In the hallway, he blindfolded her with a plastic bag, sexually assaulted her, and made a video with his phone, according to trial testimony.

The girl still had the plastic bag wrapped around her when she came upstairs. The mother and daughter went to Paterson police that night, and days later, the child picked Nova out of a photo lineup, saying she was 100% certain it was him.

The mother and the roommate were shown the same photo array, and while both said Nova looked familiar, neither could be sure that he was the installer who came to the apartment at 7 p.m. at night, according to trial testimony.

Police arrested Nova 10 days after the incident and opened his phone. On the phone investigators found a key piece of evidence: two photos in a cache file of a child with a blindfold in a sex act almost identical to the crime with which Nova was charged.

Although both sides agreed that the photos were not of Nova or the child victim, the prosecution wanted to use them as evidence at the trial, held in April 2015. The prosecution didnt offer the photos as evidence of the crime, but to impress the jury that Nova was a pedophile with a copycat motive.

According to Clarks ruling, Saltiel objected to admitting the photos, arguing they were prejudicial. Clark allowed them, but instructed the jury they could only consider them for the purpose of identification, not as evidence of the crime.

One of the states key witnesses at the trial was Henry Hernandez, a computer specialist with the Passaic County Prosecutors Office who examined Novas phone and discovered the photos. The prosecution succeeded in qualifying Hernandez as an expert witness, a move that Saltiel opposed, according to Clarks ruling.

The defense presented no witnesses at the trial, which lasted two weeks. According to published reports, it took the jury just two hours to convict Nova of kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault, luring, and endangering the welfare of a child.

Because Nova had previously served prison terms for robbery and sexual abuse, Clark sentenced him to an extended term of life in prison. In New Jersey, life in prison converts to 75 years. He has to serve 63 years before hes eligible for parole.

Craig S. Leeds, the attorney who handled Novas petition, could not be reached for comment.

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A patrolman in Warren County was arrested Thursday after an investigation accused him of tampering with police records, authorities sad.

Tyler Roller, of the Greenwich Township Police Department, was charged with fourth-degree falsifying or tampering with records and tampering with public records or information, which is a disorderly persons offense, according to a release from the Warren County Prosecutors Office.

Detectives said Roller allegedly entered two names in the Greenwich Township Police Department Records Management System for incidents in which they were not involved, the office said.

No other details were released Thursday.

Rollers current status with the department was not not immediately clear. Local police officials could not immediately be reached.

His attorney, Eric Kleiner, said his clients alleged crimes involved minor record keeping technicalities that are fully innocent in nature.

Officer Roller is innocent in this matter and he looks forward to exonerating himself and getting back on duty, Kleiner said. Hes being retaliated against for several reasons-one of those reasons is that the officer was a top performer in this region in making stops for (motor vehicle) violations leading to important arrests that protect his towns citizens-however his superiors needed to work harder processing his numerous cases and doing the paperwork.

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Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL), a major Vietnamese agriculture firm, has doubled its durian farming area to 2,000 hectares in two years, driven by surging demand from China.

"I never dreamed of this day," chairman Doan Nguyen Duc said during a tour of HAGL farms in Laos for 50 shareholders. The company also cultivates durians in Vietnam.

HAGL's durian farm in Laos. Photo by VnExpress/Dao Nguyen

Duc acknowledged the challenges the firm has faced in reaching this milestone. HAGL initially focused on short-term crops for quick revenues before gradually expanding to long-term investments like durian.

The first durians are set to be harvested next year from 600 hectares. Their production is consulted by experts from Thailand, a major durian exporter.

"China needs seven to 10 years to meet its own durian demand if it grows on overseas land. This is why the next five years will be a golden opportunity for the company," Duc said.

In addition to durian, HAGL has expanded its banana farming area by 40% to 7,000 hectares in two years.

Around 60% of its bananas are exported to China, while the remaining 40% are shipped to Japan and South Korea.

HAGL bananas are exported to Japan. Photo by VnExpress/Thi Ha

HAGL is also scaling up its pig farming operations, aiming to raise 500,000 pigs by next year.

The company posted VND4 trillion in revenue in the first nine months, while its profit went up 20% year-on-year to VND831 billion.
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The Asia Direct Cable, a fiber-optic submarine cable with a capacity of 20 Tbps allocated to Vietnam, double that of the countrys largest existing cable, became operational on Thursday.

Running nearly 10,000 km, it connects three major data hubs: Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan. Designed to carry more than 160 Tbps of traffic, it has an eight-fiber pair configuration and employs dense wavelength division multiplexing technology. In Vietnam it lands in Quy Nhon City in the central Binh Dinh Province.

Viettel, the sole Vietnamese investor in the project, owns the entire submarine branch, the landing station in Vietnam, and one fiber pair on the main route with a minimum capacity of 20 Tbps. "With its activation, the ADC becomes Vietnams largest submarine cable system, offering double the capacity of the current largest cable, AAE-1," a Viettel spokesperson said.

Map of Asia Direct Cable. Photo courtesy of Viettel Solutions

This marks the installation of Vietnams first new submarine cable in eight years after AAE-1. The countrys international internet connectivity relies on five primary cables: SMW-3, IA, AAG, APG, and AAE-1. SMW-3 is set to be decommissioned this year, while the remaining frequently suffer disruptions. Early in 2023 all five experienced partial or total failure, severely affecting internet access.

Pham Trung Kien, deputy general director of Viettel Solutions, said the ADC would reduce the load on the other cables, improving network reliability, national cybersecurity and telecom quality. With its high-capacity, high-speed connectivity, it would support emerging technologies such as 5G, AI, IoT, and AR/VR, he said.

"The ADC expands connectivity between Vietnam and other countries, fostering new opportunities for information exchange, international transactions and technological development."

The cable was also funded by Softbank, China Telecom Global, China Telecom Corporation, China Unicom, Singapores Singtel, Indias TATA Communications, Thailands National Telecom, and Philippines PLDT, and was installed by Japans NEC Corporation.

Under the National Digital Infrastructure Strategy approved in October, Vietnam plans to operationalize at least two new international submarine cables by 2025: the ADC and the upcoming SJC-2. By 2030 it aims to have six with a total capacity of at least 350 Tbps.
Dong and a delegation from the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) are in Vietnam for the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Vietnam People's Army and the 35th anniversary of the All People's Defense Festival on Sunday.

Hailing Dong and the Chinese delegation's visit, General Secretary Lam described it as a strong commitment of the Party, Government, and PLA to the traditional friendship between the two Parties, States, and armies.

The visit helps materialize high-level common perceptions on strengthening bilateral defense and security cooperation as a key pillar in Vietnam-China relations, he said.

The Vietnamese leader extended his regards to General Secretary of the Communist Party of China and Chinese President Xi Jinping. He congratulated China on its remarkable achievements during over 40 years of reform and opening up and in 2024, meeting its first centenary goal and advancing toward second centenary goal, contributing positively to regional and global peace and stability.

For his part, Dong conveyed the regards from Xi to Lam, and congratulated Vietnam on the achievements that the Vietnam People's Army (VPA) has made over the past 80 years. He expressed his confidence that under the steadfast leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam led by General Secretary Lam, Vietnam will achieve new great successes in its renewal and socialist construction, realizing its goals on the 100th founding anniversary of the country and Party.

General Secretary Lam affirmed that the Party, State, army, and people of Vietnam always treasure the significant support from China throughout various historical periods, and highly value the substantial and breakthrough progress in relations between the two Parties, countries, and armies.

He noted that bilateral defense cooperation has been strengthened to become increasingly practical and effective, contributing to enhancing political trust, solidarity, and friendship between the two Parties, States, and armies, bringing tangible benefits to both peoples and making positive contributions to peace, stability, and development in the region and the world.

The leader asked the two Ministries of National Defense and armies to increase all-level exchanges and meetings, effectively implementing existing cooperation mechanisms, and exploring new areas of potential collaboration. He emphasized the need for expanding cooperation in political and ideological education, personnel training, and border defense, and better controlling and settling disputes at sea based on high-level common perceptions and international law.

Dong affirmed that China always attaches great importance to the traditional friendship between the two Parties, States, and armies. He emphasized the PLA's readiness to implement high-level common perceptions and to work with the VPA to promote substantive and comprehensive cooperation, contributing to building a Vietnam-China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance.
Devon County Council has confirmed it will lose 10 million from its budget for the 2025/26 financial year following recent changes to Government funding.

Earlier this month, the Government announced the abolition of the Rural Services Delivery Grant, which has previously provided vital support for rural communities across the UK.

The grant is being replaced by a new Recovery Grant, which will target areas with the highest deprivation.

Devon County Council had received 10.1 million from the Rural Services Delivery Grant in the current year, with additional funding allocated to district councils and the fire service. However, the new funding settlement for the 2025/26 financial year revealed that Devon will not receive any support from the Recovery Grant.

Despite an overall increase of 2.05 per cent in the Government's grant funding for Devon, the loss of this significant 10.1 million has left the council facing tough financial decisions.

Devon County Council Leader, Mr James McInnes, expressed his disappointment at the change: Its a real disappointment that we wont be getting any mitigation for the loss of this 10.1 million grant.

He explained the immediate challenges the council now faces: So we are facing an immediate need to make further savings in our spending to offset the loss of this grant.

Mr McInnes added that while the council wont set its final budget until February, the loss of this funding means additional savings will be required across various sectors: We wont finally set our budget for 2025/26 until next February but up to now wed been on track to produce a balanced budget. But we are now having to examine every area of spending to make even more savings.

The impact of the funding loss is particularly acute in rural areas like Devon, where services are more expensive to provide.

Mr McInnes highlighted several challenges, including the high cost of transporting children to school and providing social care: We all know services cost much more to provide in rural communities because of their sparse nature.

Our bill for getting children to school is one of the highest in the country  particularly in the secondary sector where students can live miles away from their nearest school or college.

He also noted that maintaining Devon's vast road network adds additional pressure on the budget: And we have one of the biggest road networks in the country to maintain and repair.

With the need to cut back on spending, Mr McInnes stressed that last-minute changes were inefficient and disruptive: Responding to last minute savings like this is never an efficient, effective or economic way of spending the money we raise from council taxpayers instead of our usual prudent planning.

As the council now prepares for the financial challenges of the year ahead, Mr McInnes and his team will continue to assess every area of spending to ensure they can deliver essential services to the people of Devon.
Santa made an unforgettable entrance into North Devon this morning, arriving at Little Bridge House in a Westland HAR3 XZ588 Sea King helicopter, previously used for RAF search and rescue missions.

Little Bridge House is one of the hospices operated by Children's Hospice South West.

Austin Wallas, who took pictures of the event, told the Gazette: "Families with their children, along with the care team, volunteers, and hospice staff, were excited to see Santa and his elf deliver some festive joy to Little Bridge House this morning."

ABOVE: Santa makes an appearance at the hospice. Credit: AW Photographic

This visit marked a special occasion, as it was the first time the Sea King XZ588 helicopter had landed at Little Bridge House.

Previously painted in the iconic green and white livery of Marine One, the helicopter made a memorable appearance in the TV series The Diplomat.

The helicopter, with the callsign G-SEAK, is owned by Historic Helicopters of Chard and was flown in by Jane Gregory.

She is believed to be the only female civilian pilot in the world with a Sea King type rating. Joining Santa on the flight was Dave Wells, an ex-RAF Chivenor flight engineer and mechanic who lives locally.

ABOVE: Dave Wells and Santa give a smile. Credit: AW Photographic

The sight of the festive helicopter and Santas arrival brought joy to all, spreading Christmas magic to Little Bridge House and its residents.
On December 8, Syrian dictator Bashar al Assad and his family fled Damascus just as it fell to rebel fighters, ending the 54-year rule of the Assad family. His fall and subsequent exile in Russia spell new hope for the people of Syria.

This is a historic opportunity for the long-suffering people of Syria to build a better life, said U.S. Permanent Representative to the U.N., Linda Thomas-Greenfield. After more than a decade of conflict and corruption, their needs are extensive. And the United States is committed to mobilizing global support.

Last week, Secretary Blinken, together with our partners in the Aqaba Joint Contact Group, announced a set of principles that will help guide international efforts to support the Syrian people as they write their next chapter. And let me be clear: it is theirs to write.

Together with our partners, we will engage with Syrian groups to support an independent and sovereign Syria that respects human rights, said Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield.

The regime may have fallen, but the dire humanitarian needs of millions of Syrians remain. [Thus], we call for additional financial support for UN agencies and aid organizations.

Some 6 million Syrians are currently displaced in host countries, according to Relief Web. They also require protection and basic services. Indeed, said Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield, some Syrian refugees and asylum seekers may be even more vulnerable. And so, all states must uphold their obligations to refugees.

Furthermore, Syrias leaders will no longer pose a threat to their own people. Similarly, Syria should have peaceful relations with its neighbors.

The United States will continue to support Syrias neighbors, including Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Turkiye, and Israel, should any new threats arise from Syria during this period of transition, she said.

Finally, Syria must not become a base for terrorists.

That requires securing detention facilities and displaced persons camps in northeast Syria, which hold nearly 9,000 ISIS fighters, and that means continuing to repatriate detained and displaced foreign nationals, said Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield.

For so long, it might have seemed that Assads violent, repressive tactics would pay off, that his grip on power was unshakable.  Especially since Russia did everything in its power to prop up Assads brutal regime. But Russias and Assads campaign of cruelty ultimately failed. The regime has fallen. And Syria has a chance for a new beginning.
For the past 15 years, the United Nations 1718 Committee Panel of Experts has been providing fact-based, independent analysis and recommendations on the implementation of U.N. Sanctions on the DPRK, or North Korea. Year after year, the UN Security Council extended the Committees mandate. Until March 28, that is, when Russia vetoed the mandates renewal.

This is a galling but not surprising turn of events: this was a favor for an ally. Since late 2022, the DPRK has been supplying Russia with armaments for its brutal war against Ukraine. By vetoing the mandate renewal, said U.S. Permanent Representative at the U.N., Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Russia sought to  shield the world from the truth about the DPRKs dangerous actions and Russias complicity in them.

Indeed, North Korea has now sent Russia more than 20,000 shipping containers of munitions to date, containing at least 6 million heavy artillery rounds along with well over 100 ballistic missiles, said Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield.

These missiles have subsequently been launched into Ukraine, impacting near civilian infrastructure and populated areas such as Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia.

More recently, Russia has turned to the DPRK for manpower as well as munitions, in order to carry out its war of aggression against Ukraine, said Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield. Russia has deployed more than 11,000 North Korean elite special forces soldiers in Ukraine.

This is not a one-way street. The more Russia relies on the DPRKs support, the more the DPRK extracts in return, exacerbating threats to peace and security not only in Europe, but across the globe.

In recent months, Russia has provided training to DPRK troops in artillery, UAV, [unmanned aerial vehicle] and basic infantry operations, including trench-clearing, an indication DPRK soldiers are participating in frontline operations, and directly engaging in hostilities against Ukraine.

Alarmingly, we assess that Russia may be close to accepting North Koreas nuclear weapons program, reversing Moscows decades-long commitment to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.

We believe that Moscow will become more reluctant not only to criticize Pyongyangs development of nuclear weapons, but also further obstruct passage of sanctions or resolutions condemning North Koreas destabilizing behavior  as we have already seen.

Once again, said Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield, the United States calls on Russia to cease military cooperation with the DPRK. To end this senseless war of aggression against Ukraine, and immediately withdraw its forces from Ukrainian territory within its internationally recognized borders.
Before the answers to lifes questions fit in our pocket, you used to have to turn a dial. If you were lucky, Phil Donahue would be on, ready to guide you toward enlightenment. In a stroke of deluxe good fortune, Dr. Ruth Westheimer might have stopped by to be the enlightenment. He was the search engine. She was a trusted result.

Donahue hailed from Cleveland. The windshield glasses, increasingly snowy thatch of hair, marble eyes, occasional pair of suspenders and obvious geniality said card catalog, manager of the 79 Reds, Stage Manager in a Chevy Motors production of Our Town. Dr. Ruth was Donahues antonym, a step stool to his straight ladder. She kept her hair in a butterscotch helmet, fancied a uniform of jacket-blouse-skirt and came to our aid, via Germany, with a voice of crinkled tissue paper. Not even eight years separated them, yet so boyish was he and so seasoned was she that he read as her grandson. (She maybe reached his armpit.) Together and apart, they were public servants, American utilities.

Donahue was a journalist. His forum was the talk show, but some new strain in which the main attraction bypassed celebrities. People  every kind of them  lined up to witness other people being human, to experience Donahues radical conduit of edification, identification, curiosity, shock, wonder, outrage, surprise and dispute, all visible in the shows televisual jackpot: cutaways to us, reacting, taking it all in, nodding, gasping. When a celebrity made it to the Donahue stage  Bill Clinton, say, La Toya Jackson, the Judds  they were expected to be human, too, to be accountable for their own humanity. From 1967 to 1996, for more than 6,000 episodes, he permitted us to be accountable to ourselves. Read More

Donahue amid his audience, whom he let ask most of the questions. Bettmann/Getty Images

What Donahue knew was that we  women especially  were eager, desperate, to be understood, to learn and learn and learn. We call his job host when, really, the way he did it, running that microphone throughout the audience, racing up, down, around, sticking it here then here then over here, was closer to switchboard operator. It was hot dog vendor at Madison Square Garden. The man got his steps in. He let us do more of the questioning than he did  he would just edit, interpret, clarify. Egalitarianism ruled. Articulation, too. And anybody who needed the mic usually got it.

The show was about both what was on our mind and what had never once crossed it. Atheism. Naziism. Colorism. Childbirth. Prison. Rapists. AIDS. Chippendales, Chernobyl, Cher. Name a fetish, Phil Donahue tried to get to its bottom, sometimes by trying it himself. (Let us never forget the episode when he made his entrance in a long skirt, blouse and pussy bow for one of the shows many cross-dressing studies.) Nows the time to add that Donahue was a morning talk show. In Philadelphia, he arrived every weekday at 9 a.m., which meant that, in the summers, I could learn about compulsive shopping or shifting gender roles from the same kitchen TV set as my grandmother.

Sex and sexuality were the shows prime subjects. There was so much that needed confessing, correction, corroboration, an ear lent. For that, Donahue needed an expert. Many times, the expert was Dr. Ruth, a godsend who didnt land in this country until she was in her late 20s and didnt land on television until she was in her 50s. Ruth Westheimer arrived to us from Germany, where she started as Karola Ruth Siegel and strapped in as her life corkscrewed, as it mocked fiction. Her family most likely perished in the Auschwitz death camps after she was whisked to the safety of a Swiss childrens home, where she was expected to clean. The twists include sniper training for one of the military outfits that would become the Israel Defense Forces, maiming by cannonball on her 20th birthday, doing research at a Planned Parenthood in Harlem, single motherhood and three husbands. She earned her doctorate from Columbia University, in education, and spent her postdoc researching human sexuality. And because her timing was perfect, she emerged at the dawn of the 1980s, an affable vector of an eras craze for gnomic sages (Zelda Rubinstein, Linda Hunt, Yoda), masterpiece branding and the nasty.

Hers was the age of Mapplethorpe and Madonna, of Prince, Skinemax and 2 Live Crew. On her radio and television shows, in a raft of books and a Playgirl column and through her promiscuous approach to talk-show appearances, she aimed to purge sex of shame, to promote sexual literacy. Her feline accent and jolly innuendo pitched, among other stuff, the Honda Prelude, Pepsi, Sling TV and Herbal Essences. (Hey! she offers to a young elevator passenger. This is where we get off.) The instructions for Dr. Ruths Game of Good Sex says it can be played by up to four couples; the board is vulval and includes stops at Yeast Infection, Chauvinism and Goose Him.

Westheimer in 1986. She was determined to talk about sex to mass audiences using the proper terminology, avoiding euphemisms and encouraging Americans to seek pleasure. Thomas Hoepker/Magnum Photos

On Donahue, she is direct, explicit, dispelling, humorous, clear, common-sensical, serious, vivid. A professional therapist. It was Donahue who handled the comedy. On one visit in 1987, a caller needs advice about a husband who cheats because he wants to have sex more often than she does. Dr. Ruth tells Donahue that if the caller wants to keep the marriage, and her husband wants to do it all the time, then what she should do is to masturbate him. And its all right for him to masturbate himself also a few times. The audience is hear-a-pin-drop rapt or maybe just squirmy. So Donahue reaches into his parochial-school-student war chest and pulls out the joke about the teacher who tells third-grade boys, Dont play with yourself, or youll go blind. And Donahue raises his hand like a kid at the back of the classroom and asks, Can I do it till I need glasses? Westheimer giggles, maybe noticing the large pair on Donahues face. This was that days cold open.

They were children of salesmen, these two; his father was in the furniture business, hers sold what people in the garment industry call notions. They inherited a salesmans facility for people and packaging. When a Donahue audience member asks Westheimer whether her own husband believes she practices what she preaches, she says this is why she never brings him anywhere. He would tell you and Phil: Do not listen to her. Its all talk, which cracks the audience up.

But consider what she talked about  and consider how she said it. My favorite Dr. Ruth word was pleasure. From a German mouth, the word conveys what it lacks with an American tongue: sensual unfurling. She vowed to speak about sex to mass audiences using the proper terminology. Damn the euphemisms. People waited as long as a year and a half for tickets to Donahue so they could damn them, too. But of everything Westheimer pitched, of all the terms she precisely used, pleasure was her most cogent product, a gift she believed we could give to others, a gift she swore we owed ourselves.

I miss the talk show that Donahue reinvented. I miss the way Dr. Ruth talked about sex. Its fitting somehow that this antidogmatic-yet-priestly Irish Catholic man would, on occasion, join forces with a carnal, lucky-to-be-alive Jew to urge the exploration of our bodies while demonstrating respect, civility, reciprocation. They believed in us, that we were all interesting, that we could be trustworthy panelists in the discourse of being alive. Trauma, triviality, tubal ligation: Lets talk about it! Fear doesnt seem to have occurred to them. Or if it did, it was never a deterrent. Boldly they went.  And with her encouragement, boldly we came.

Wesley Morris is a critic at large for The New York Times and a staff writer for the magazine.
Indian media recently reported the strange case of a man who allegedly filed a complaint against Google Maps for causing him serious marital problems.

R Chandrasekhar, a 49-year-old married man from Indias Mayiladuthurai district, claims he wont stop short of taking tech giant Alphabet to court for ruining his relationship with his wife. The man basically blames Google Maps, particularly the apps Your Timeline feature for making his wife question him about all the places he allegedly visits every time he goes out. Chandrasekhar claims that Googles app routinely displays places he has never visited, and he has trouble explaining it to his wife.

Photo: The News Minute

For the last few months, my wife has been constantly scanning the Your timeline feature on Google Maps and refuses to let me sleep, as she questions where I was, R Chandrasekhar told The News Minute. She is constantly thinking about this, is getting affected and affecting the rest of the family too.

On Thursday, the desperate man visited a local police precinct to file a complaint against Googles parent company for driving a wedge between him and his wife, thus causing serious marital problems. As you would when taking a profitable corporation to court, Chandrasekhar is also asking for compensation for the hardships he has had to endure.

I am unable to answer her questions. And my wife is not listening despite what family, relatives, our circle of friends and counselors are saying. Despite several talks, she is refusing to listen. She believes Google over anything else, the Indian man reportedly wrote in his complaint. Google is causing strife in my family life. So I ask you to take action against Google and ensure justice for me. I also ask that Google give me compensation for causing so much strife.

Photo: Google Maps

Police have yet to act on Chandrasekhar written complaint, but one officer told The News Minute that the likeliest solution would be to call the married couple in for counseling.

We are considering calling the husband and wife and counselling them, the officer said. If that doesnt work we will see what steps to take next.

As for Google, Im sure theyre not exactly trembling in their boots Although I havent gone through the Legal Disclaimer section of Google Maps, Im pretty sure it acknowledges that the app doesnt always indicate the exact location that a user might have visited. Now if only someone could convince Chandrasekhars wife of that
Spanish police have credited a recent Google Maps update for providing them with evidence crucial to solving a murder case that they had been investigating for over a year.

The tragic case of a 33-year-old Cuban man identified only by his initials, JLPO, whose remains were found on the outskirts of Tajueco, a town in the Spanish province of Castille and Leon may soon reach its conclusion thanks to a Google Maps update. JLPO had traveled from Cuba to Spain to visit his wife who was working in the European country, but soon after arriving in Spain, his relatives began receiving weird texts from him. He told his family that he had met a woman in Spain and planned to throw away his phone, so after they stopped hearing from him completely, JLPOs relatives declared him missing. Parts of JLPOs nobody were discovered near a Tajueco cemetery late last year, and investigators have been trying to solve his murder ever since.

Although Spanish police had been suspecting JLPOs wife of being involved in his brutal murder, they lacked the evidence to prove it. Investigators had information that the victims spouse had become involved with a local man known as the world of Tajueco and they suspect that they had planned to take JLPO out of the picture. By tracking the Cuban mans phone, police knew that it had been in close proximity to his wifes handheld, even after the mans disappearance, and the male suspects reluctance to testify in this case also raised a lot of questions.

Spanish investigators had been struggling to gather evidence in this complicated case for months when they got an unexpected break from tech giant Google. An update to their Maps platform revealed a man believed to be the main suspect in this case loading a large package wrapped in white linen in the trunk of an old, red Rover. Although the persons back is turned to the camera as the Google car passes by, police are certain that it is the wolf of Tajueco.

The chances of a Google Maps car capturing a vital clue in a murder mystery are extremely slim, but the chances of capturing two such details are almost non-existent. And yet, the same car apparently captured the suspect on the main street of Tajueco pushing a wheelbarrow loaded with what looks like the same large package as the one he later puts in the trunk of the Rover. The only thing that doesnt fit in the investigators puzzle is that the wheelbarrow doesnt show up anywhere near the red car.

We always work with open sources, such as Google Maps, Inspector Oscar Garcia, head of the operative group of the Specialized Crime and Violence Unit, told Diario de Castilla y Leon. We know that the update was uploaded about two months ago, but we do not know when that image was taken.



There is still plenty of mystery surrounding this case, such as the location of JLPOs dismembered remains, the tool used for his murder, and the time when the horrific crime occurred, but investigators are confident that they can get a conviction based on current evidence, including the images from Google Maps.
Elon Musk

For a guy who claims that he won a mandate to lead the nation, Donald Trump is looking pretty weak these days. He needs a PR makeover.

The Trump Transition is Elon Musks show. He is the guy who fired off 100 posts on his X platform on Dec. 18 to torpedo the bipartisan spending bill. JD Vance then seconded the motion, and Trump weighed in with the out-of-the-blue demand to eliminate the debt ceiling. Weaselly Speaker of the House Mike Johnson caved.

Musk crashed Trumps much-feted Mar-a-Lago dinner to mend ties with Amazon founder, Washington Post owner, and Blue Origin CEO Jeff Bezos.

His Space X rocket company, which has received more than $20B in federal launch contracts, is a competitor to Blue Origin. Elon and Jeff had things to talk about.

What next for Trump? Does he play a couple rounds of cribbage with self-exiled president Uncle Joe Biden, and let Elon to continue calling the shots?

More importantly, whats in it for Elon, the pride of South Africa? Does he plan to use Trump as a vehicle to overhaul the Constitutional requirement that a US president must be born here?

Trump could use his own victimization phrase, and maintain that the Constitution is being very unfair to the worlds richest man. That will get him a front row seat at Musks Inauguration.

Fifty-four journalists were killed in 2024 doing their jobs or in connection with their work, according to Reporters Without Borders.

Palestine is the worlds No. 1 killing field, as 16 journalists perished in Gaza and the West Bank at the hands of the Israel Defense Forces. RWB crowns the IDF the main predators in press freedom in 2024.

Pakistan (seven murdered journos), Bangladesh (five), Mexico (five) and Sudan (four) round out the Top 5 most dangerous assignments for journalists.

RWB counts 550 jailed journalists this year. China ranks as the top gulag with 124 reporters behind bars. Eleven of them are jailed in Hong Kong, which was had a free and open press before the Chinese government applied the screws.

Myanmar (61), Israel (41), Belarus (40) and Mexico (5) trail China.

Thibault Bruttin, RWB director general, says its vital not to use passive tenses when describing the toll that journalists pay for doing their jobs.

Journalists do not die, they are killed; they are not in prison, regimes lock them up; they do not disappear, they are kidnapped, said Bruttin.

Recalibrating ESG in 2025. More than nine in ten (91 percent) of CEOs plan to recalibrate their ESG initiatives in the coming year, according to Teneos CEO and Investor Outlook Survey. Thats up from 72 percent in 2024.

About a quarter (23 percent) are ramping down their ESG efforts, compared to eight percent in the year-ago poll.

Forty percent have become more cautious about what ESG efforts to engage in vs. 28 percent last year.

And the kicker for PR firms: more than a third (35 percent) of CEOs say they will continue to do whats right but are discussing it less outside their businesses.

A glimmer of PR hope: forty-five percent of CEOs in the last survey said they were going to keep mum about ESG programming.

Happy New Year!
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A driver who was travelling at high speed, overtaking a line of vehicles, when he met a patrol car head on will be assessed by Probation Services to see if he is a suitable candidate for community service.

Neil O'Boyle (28) of Rathroeen, Balline, Mayo was before the Longford District Court on five charges. Three related to an incident in Longford, while two were from Roscommon.

Mr O'Boyle entered a guilty plea to charges of giving a false name when Garda Edward Flanagan made a lawful demand, driving without insurance and engaging in dangerous driving at Moneylagan, Longford.

Charges of dangerous driving at Bridge St, Strokestown, Roscommon and failing to keep a court appointment on October 23, 2024 will return for hearing before Roscommon District Court on January 22, 2025.

Outlining details of the incident that brought Mr O'Boyle before the court Sergeant Enda Daly said on October 8, 2024 at 11:55am Longford Garda Station received a call regarding a speeding motorist on the Strokestown to Longford road.

A patrol car was dispatched to the N4 at Aughadeignan, Longford, where they encountered the blue Audi being driven by Mr O'Boyle. Officers estimated the defendant was driving in the region of 180kph in a 100 zone.

The defendant was stopped and arrested for dangerous driving, and it transpired he had no insurance. Mr O'Boyle had only recently been allowed to drive as he received a two year road ban at Castlebar Circuit Court in 2022 when he was disqualified for drink driving.

Solicitor Brid Mimnagh told Judge Bernadette Owens that her client is a heavy machinery operator who works odd days in Dublin on groundworks for construction projects.

Ms Mimnagh said her client accepted his driving was dangerous at the time, but pointed out that the approximate speed was a visual estimation by Gardai rather than a measurement made by a calibrated instrument.

Sgt Daly told the court the defendant was driving on the wrong side of the road, overtaking a line of cars when he met the oncoming squad car, forcing the driver of the Garda vehicle to take evasive actions.

Addressing the court Ms Mimnagh explained that Mr O'Boyle's father passed away when he was 18 years old, and he took this loss extremely hard.

He is asking that you not take away his liberty, the solicitor appealed, he was planning to go to Australia, but his opportunities are limited upon conviction.

Ms Mimnagh said her client accepted he was the author of his own misfortune adding that at the time he was going for a job interview.

He knows he will have a significant disqualification and he will have to take it on the chin, Ms Mimnagh said.

Having noted the facts of the case and the early plea by the defendant, Judge Owens said she would direct a probation report.

The probation assessment will include the condition that Mr O'Boyle undertake a pro-social driving course and a request for a community service order assessment.

If suitable for community service the defendant will undertake 150 hours in lieu of five months in prison.

Judge Owens directed that Mr O'Boyle enter a new 200 bond with the condition that he not drive in a public place.

The defendant was then remanded on continuing bail to return before Longford District Court on March 18, 2025.
The learning environment at Maple Bear South Asia is thoughtfully crafted to foster learning and language acquisition naturally & intuitively

Maple Bear South Asias Early Childhood programs place a strong emphasis on the importance of play and play based learning as foundational aspects of its educational approach. The school recognizes that play is not merely a recreational activity but a powerful and dynamic tool for learning and development. Whether children are acquiring language skills, enhancing their literacy, delving into the principles of numeracy or uncovering the wonders of the natural world, these experiences are intentionally designed to be rooted in play. By integrating learning with hands-on, engaging and interactive activities, the institute ensures that children not only absorb knowledge but also develop critical thinking, creativity and a genuine love for discovery.Maple Bear South Asia proudly maintains an extensive network of over 110 branches, strategically located across India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Maple Bear South Asia exemplifies the essence of being a glocal brand, seamlessly blending local cultural values with a global perspective. It instills a deep understanding of each countrys heritage in its students while fostering a global mindset, equipping them to confidently navigate the complexities of the future.The curriculum of Maple Bear South Asia is regularly revised and updated to stay relevant in an ever-changing educational landscape, fostering a learning environment that is both dynamic and adaptive. Moreover, the teachers at the school are highly skilled and committed to customizing activities and teaching methods, catering to the diverse learning styles and abilities of every student. This personalized approach not only nurtures individual growth but also empowers each child to reach their full potential in a way that resonates with their unique strengths and preferences.The branches of Maple Bear South Asia are thoughtfully designed to support diverse learning experiences, with each classroom featuring specialized learning centers such as Mathematics, Language, Library, Science, Art, Sand & Water and Drawing & Writing. Prioritizing student comfort and engagement, the school adheres to a strict student-to-space ratio, allocating 20 square feet of movement space per child. To ensure ample room for activities and unhindered exploration, the number of students per class is carefully restricted.Maple Bear South Asia is supported by a highly capable and well-organized team that excels in both training and operational support. The team plays a crucial role in ensuring that all staff members receive comprehensive training, while also managing the day-to-day operations efficiently. Their expertise and dedication help maintain a smooth and effective learning environment, fostering both academic excellence and operational success.In the future, Maple Bear South Asia aims to enhance its programs by incorporating more detailed formative and diagnostic assessments, allowing parents to track their childs progress through advanced digital tools. The curriculum will be progressively upgraded from kindergarten through grade 12, aligned with global best practices. The institutes ultimate goal is to provide students with a strong foundation in early childhood education, while ensuring continued excellence throughout their elementary, middle and high school years.
BUSINESSMAN Tony Kilduff's plan for an 'off-grid' artists' commune in Offaly has been turned down by County Council planners.

Kilduff applied for permission to build studios on a 40-acre site he bought in his home area, Clonfinlough, near Clonmacnoise.

According to his proposal to the council, the idea was to foster creativity in a quiet and eco-friendly environment that would be economically viable.

It was intended to keep a small group of buildings heated and cooled by solar power gathered via photovoltaic panels laid out at ground level and served by a small shed with a battery storage facility.

It is proposed that the development will be used as a non-profit, workshop type model and as such will only facilitate artists or people connected with the arts and education in that discipline, the council was told.

Kilduff has been an honorary council member of the Royal Hibernian Academy, which supports artists.

He has an active interest in contemporary Irish art and has supported and collected modern artworks for many years, which has led to his ownership of one of the most substantial and unique collections in the country. The project has been endorsed and will be supported by the RHA and the academy will be instrumental in appointing artists for residency on site going forward, the council was told.

The development at Lakelands, Clonfinlough proposed the refurbishment of an old farm cottage and the construction of four single storey dwellings, three of which were to function as artist studio units. The fourth was to be a two-bed house.
An aerial drone photo shows a view of Wuxia Gorge, one of the Three Gorges on the Yangtze River, in Wushan County, southwest China's Chongqing, Dec. 18, 2024.

Red leaves have recently dyed mountains along the Wuxia Gorge, creating a picturesque scenery that attracts numerous tourists. In the meantime, authorities of Wushan County are committed to developing cultural tourism by hosting the Wushan Red Leaf Festival and other related programs. (Xinhua/Wang Quanchao)

Tourists take photos of red leaves at a scenic spot overlooking Wuxia Gorge, one of the Three Gorges on the Yangtze River, in Wushan County, southwest China's Chongqing, Dec. 18, 2024.

Red leaves have recently dyed mountains along the Wuxia Gorge, creating a picturesque scenery that attracts numerous tourists. In the meantime, authorities of Wushan County are committed to developing cultural tourism by hosting the Wushan Red Leaf Festival and other related programs. (Xinhua/Wang Quanchao)

This photo shows a view of Wuxia Gorge, one of the Three Gorges on the Yangtze River, in Wushan County, southwest China's Chongqing, Dec. 18, 2024.

Red leaves have recently dyed mountains along the Wuxia Gorge, creating a picturesque scenery that attracts numerous tourists. In the meantime, authorities of Wushan County are committed to developing cultural tourism by hosting the Wushan Red Leaf Festival and other related programs. (Xinhua/Wang Quanchao)

This photo shows a scenic spot near Wuxia Gorge, one of the Three Gorges on the Yangtze River, in Wushan County, southwest China's Chongqing, Dec. 18, 2024.

Red leaves have recently dyed mountains along the Wuxia Gorge, creating a picturesque scenery that attracts numerous tourists. In the meantime, authorities of Wushan County are committed to developing cultural tourism by hosting the Wushan Red Leaf Festival and other related programs. (Xinhua/Wang Quanchao)

An aerial drone photo shows a view of a scenic spot overlooking Wuxia Gorge, one of the Three Gorges on the Yangtze River, in Wushan County, southwest China's Chongqing, Dec. 18, 2024.

Red leaves have recently dyed mountains along the Wuxia Gorge, creating a picturesque scenery that attracts numerous tourists. In the meantime, authorities of Wushan County are committed to developing cultural tourism by hosting the Wushan Red Leaf Festival and other related programs. (Xinhua/Wang Quanchao)

An aerial drone photo shows a ship sailing in Wuxia Gorge, one of the Three Gorges on the Yangtze River, in Wushan County, southwest China's Chongqing, Dec. 18, 2024.

Red leaves have recently dyed mountains along the Wuxia Gorge, creating a picturesque scenery that attracts numerous tourists. In the meantime, authorities of Wushan County are committed to developing cultural tourism by hosting the Wushan Red Leaf Festival and other related programs. (Xinhua/Wang Quanchao)

An aerial drone photo shows tourists enjoying themselves at a scenic spot near Wuxia Gorge, one of the Three Gorges on the Yangtze River, in Wushan County, southwest China's Chongqing, Dec. 18, 2024.

Red leaves have recently dyed mountains along the Wuxia Gorge, creating a picturesque scenery that attracts numerous tourists. In the meantime, authorities of Wushan County are committed to developing cultural tourism by hosting the Wushan Red Leaf Festival and other related programs. (Xinhua/Wang Quanchao)

This photo shows a view of Wuxia Gorge, one of the Three Gorges on the Yangtze River, in Wushan County, southwest China's Chongqing, Dec. 18, 2024.

Red leaves have recently dyed mountains along the Wuxia Gorge, creating a picturesque scenery that attracts numerous tourists. In the meantime, authorities of Wushan County are committed to developing cultural tourism by hosting the Wushan Red Leaf Festival and other related programs. (Xinhua/Wang Quanchao)

An aerial drone photo shows a cruise sailing in Wuxia Gorge, one of the Three Gorges on the Yangtze River, in Wushan County, southwest China's Chongqing, Dec. 18, 2024.

Red leaves have recently dyed mountains along the Wuxia Gorge, creating a picturesque scenery that attracts numerous tourists. In the meantime, authorities of Wushan County are committed to developing cultural tourism by hosting the Wushan Red Leaf Festival and other related programs. (Xinhua/Wang Quanchao)

An aerial drone photo shows tourists enjoying themselves at a scenic spot near Wuxia Gorge, one of the Three Gorges on the Yangtze River, in Wushan County, southwest China's Chongqing, Dec. 18, 2024.

Red leaves have recently dyed mountains along the Wuxia Gorge, creating a picturesque scenery that attracts numerous tourists. In the meantime, authorities of Wushan County are committed to developing cultural tourism by hosting the Wushan Red Leaf Festival and other related programs. (Xinhua/Wang Quanchao)

An aerial drone photo shows tourists enjoying themselves at a scenic spot near Wuxia Gorge, one of the Three Gorges on the Yangtze River, in Wushan County, southwest China's Chongqing, Dec. 18, 2024.

Red leaves have recently dyed mountains along the Wuxia Gorge, creating a picturesque scenery that attracts numerous tourists. In the meantime, authorities of Wushan County are committed to developing cultural tourism by hosting the Wushan Red Leaf Festival and other related programs. (Xinhua/Wang Quanchao)

An aerial drone photo shows ships sailing in Wuxia Gorge, one of the Three Gorges on the Yangtze River, in Wushan County, southwest China's Chongqing, Dec. 18, 2024.

Red leaves have recently dyed mountains along the Wuxia Gorge, creating a picturesque scenery that attracts numerous tourists. In the meantime, authorities of Wushan County are committed to developing cultural tourism by hosting the Wushan Red Leaf Festival and other related programs. (Xinhua/Wang Quanchao)

This photo shows a view of Wuxia Gorge, one of the Three Gorges on the Yangtze River, in Wushan County, southwest China's Chongqing, Dec. 18, 2024.

Red leaves have recently dyed mountains along the Wuxia Gorge, creating a picturesque scenery that attracts numerous tourists. In the meantime, authorities of Wushan County are committed to developing cultural tourism by hosting the Wushan Red Leaf Festival and other related programs. (Xinhua/Wang Quanchao)

An aerial drone photo shows tourists enjoying themselves at a scenic spot near Wuxia Gorge, one of the Three Gorges on the Yangtze River, in Wushan County, southwest China's Chongqing, Dec. 18, 2024.

Red leaves have recently dyed mountains along the Wuxia Gorge, creating a picturesque scenery that attracts numerous tourists. In the meantime, authorities of Wushan County are committed to developing cultural tourism by hosting the Wushan Red Leaf Festival and other related programs. (Xinhua/Wang Quanchao)

Tourists take selfies at a scenic spot near Wuxia Gorge, one of the Three Gorges on the Yangtze River, in Wushan County, southwest China's Chongqing, Dec. 18, 2024.

Red leaves have recently dyed mountains along the Wuxia Gorge, creating a picturesque scenery that attracts numerous tourists. In the meantime, authorities of Wushan County are committed to developing cultural tourism by hosting the Wushan Red Leaf Festival and other related programs. (Xinhua/Wang Quanchao)

Tourists enjoy the scenery at a scenic spot near Wuxia Gorge, one of the Three Gorges on the Yangtze River, in Wushan County, southwest China's Chongqing, Dec. 18, 2024.

Red leaves have recently dyed mountains along the Wuxia Gorge, creating a picturesque scenery that attracts numerous tourists. In the meantime, authorities of Wushan County are committed to developing cultural tourism by hosting the Wushan Red Leaf Festival and other related programs. (Xinhua/Wang Quanchao)

An aerial drone photo shows tourists enjoying themselves at a scenic spot near Wuxia Gorge, one of the Three Gorges on the Yangtze River, in Wushan County, southwest China's Chongqing, Dec. 18, 2024.

Red leaves have recently dyed mountains along the Wuxia Gorge, creating a picturesque scenery that attracts numerous tourists. In the meantime, authorities of Wushan County are committed to developing cultural tourism by hosting the Wushan Red Leaf Festival and other related programs. (Xinhua/Wang Quanchao)

Editor: GSY
People visit the Grand Tang Mall in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, May 20, 2024. (Xinhua/Shao Rui)

XI'AN, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Two millennia ago, China's ancient capital of Xi'an witnessed the fusion of Eastern and Western cultures as the starting point of the Silk Road. Today, this historic city remains a cultural nexus, bridging China with the rest of the world through its rich legacy and ongoing international engagements.

From late October to early November, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra toured four Chinese cities, among which Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, was the only stop in western China.

"I watch the New Year's Concert in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna on television every year. I couldn't believe I was hearing the same movements in my hometown," said Zhang Shuhua, a 29-year-old classical music enthusiast in Xi'an.

The concert marked the opening of an international music festival in the city, during which over 20 performances from both domestic and international artists are staged from November this year to January next year, including a recital by the world-known Polish pianist Krystian Zimerman.

The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra performs at Xi'an Concert Hall in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Nov. 3, 2024. (Xinhua)

Home to the famous Terracotta Warriors and numerous other historic sites like the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda and the Bell Tower, Xi'an was founded over 3,100 years ago and served as the capital of 13 dynasties in China. During its heyday in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), when the city was known as Chang'an, it attracted an influx of foreign merchants, envoys and students from different countries.

Now, the Grand Tang Mall at the foot of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda is lined with buildings that exude the style reminiscent of the Tang Dynasty. At night, light signs hung from trees, inscribed with Tang poetries, conjure up a nostalgic reflection of the city's glorious past.

Dressed in traditional Chinese Hanfu clothing, cast members of the original musical "The Phantom of the Opera" strolled around historic scenic spots and savored local delicacies in Xi'an during their China tour in August.

"What makes Xi'an so interesting is the marriage of the old and the new. So you'll pass the Bell Tower, and then you're going to the thriving street of food and modern stuff," said Grace Roberts, who played the heroine Christine.

The musical was staged eight times this year in Xi'an, drawing more than 13,500 viewers and generating 10 million yuan (about 1.39 million U.S. dollars) in revenue, a record high in the city, according to Yang Dan, a staff member with the Shaanxi Opera House, where the show was staged.

A series of international events further demonstrate the city's growing global influence as a cultural hub. For example, the 14th China-U.S. Tourism Leadership Summit in May brought together nearly 400 representatives of the governments, institutions and tourism-related businesses of the world's top two economies, aiming to further revive and develop tourism cooperation between the two countries.

The opening ceremony of the 14th China-U.S. Tourism Leadership Summit is held in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, May 22, 2024. (Xinhua/Shao Rui)

The city also hosted the first China-Central Asia Summit in 2023, with a park featuring Central Asian elements open to the public near the summit site this year. Covering more than 50 hectares, the park, consisting of landscape, shopping and restaurant sections, has attracted an average of 10,000 visitors daily during workdays.

In June, more than 100 overseas students from 19 countries attended a performance of the Xi'an wind and percussion ensemble. This ancient musical form, which involves over 20 instruments, is dubbed the "symphony of ancient China" and was inscribed on UNESCO's list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009.

"The performance was both magnificent and beautiful," said Thanapong Ngarnrungruang, a Thai graduate from Xi'an Jiaotong University. After the show, he and other foreign students also learned to identify different traditional Chinese instruments.

"Although we come from different countries, cultural communication here provides ways that inspire and connect people across borders," he added.

Editor: GSY
Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, talks with students in the library of Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) in south China's Macao, Dec. 19, 2024. Xi, accompanied by Ho Iat Seng, chief executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), visited the university Thursday morning. He talked with teachers, students and scientific researchers there. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

MACAO, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) Thursday morning.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, talked with teachers, students and scientific researchers there.

Xi was accompanied by Ho Iat Seng, chief executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR).

Established after Macao's return to the motherland in 1999, MUST has become a comprehensive university with the largest enrollment in Macao.

Xi was briefed on the development of two state-level key laboratories in the university -- one on the quality of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and the other on lunar and planetary science.

Hailing TCM as the gem of the Chinese civilization, Xi urged efforts to well inherit, develop and utilize it, and promote it to the rest of the world.

Talking about China's achievements in lunar exploration, he said Macao has proven to be capable of conducting cutting-edge world-class scientific research.

In May 2023, Xi wrote back to MUST teachers and students who took part in the development of "Macao Science 1," satellites jointly developed by the mainland and Macao.

Visiting the data center for science and application of the satellites on Thursday, Xi observed the real-time operation of the satellites on monitor screens.

Xi told the audience that "Macao Science 1" is a successful example of deepened high-tech cooperation between Macao and the mainland, showcasing the outstanding innovative and creative capabilities of Macao's sci-tech sector.

In the university library, Xi talked with students. "I am very happy to see that Macao's education is thriving and you are full of vitality and confidence," he said.

Cai Qi and other senior officials attended the activities.

Xi arrived in Macao Wednesday for the celebrations of the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland, the inauguration of the sixth-term government of the Macao SAR, and an inspection tour of the SAR.

Xi's wife Peng Liyuan visited the Macao Museum Thursday morning, accompanied by Cheng Soo Ching, wife of Ho Iat Seng.

In the museum, Peng talked with children there, and joined an activity of making almond cookies, a local delicacy. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, talks with students in the library of Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) in south China's Macao, Dec. 19, 2024. Xi, accompanied by Ho Iat Seng, chief executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), visited the university Thursday morning. He talked with teachers, students and scientific researchers there. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, learns about the research on the quality of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and the latest scientific and research achievements during his visit at the Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) in south China's Macao, Dec. 19, 2024. Xi, accompanied by Ho Iat Seng, chief executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), visited the university Thursday morning. He talked with teachers, students and scientific researchers there. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, talks with teachers, students and scientific researchers in the library of Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) in south China's Macao, Dec. 19, 2024. Xi, accompanied by Ho Iat Seng, chief executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), visited the university Thursday morning. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, learns about the development of the Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) and the higher education of Macao during his visit at the university in south China's Macao, Dec. 19, 2024. Xi, accompanied by Ho Iat Seng, chief executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), visited the university Thursday morning. He talked with teachers, students and scientific researchers there. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, talks with students in the library of Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) in south China's Macao, Dec. 19, 2024. Xi, accompanied by Ho Iat Seng, chief executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), visited the university Thursday morning. He talked with teachers, students and scientific researchers there. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, talks with representatives of scientific researchers and students while visiting the data center for science and application of the satellites at the Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) in south China's Macao, Dec. 19, 2024. Xi, accompanied by Ho Iat Seng, chief executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), visited the university Thursday morning. He talked with teachers, students and scientific researchers there. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

Editor: Zhang Zhou
Jaipur: Nine people were burnt alive, and over 35 others were injured in a massive fire on the Jaipur-Ajmer National Highway on Friday morning. The blaze erupted after a truck carrying chemicals collided with several other vehicles, police reported. Approximately 30 trucks and other vehicles were destroyed in the fire, they added.



Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma visited the SMS hospital, where the injured were admitted, and spoke to doctors. He issued directions to officials and doctors to ensure proper treatment and other arrangements. SHO of Bhankrota Manish Gupta said, "It was very difficult to control the fire. Fire brigade teams were not able to reach the burning vehicles. There were three petrol pumps in the affected area but fortunately, they are safe."

Sharma spoke to administration officials and doctors and issued directions to ensure proper treatment was facilitated. He also visited the accident site and spoke to police officials.

In a post in Hindi on X, the chief minister said, "Deeply saddened to hear the news of casualties in the gas tanker fire incident on the Jaipur-Ajmer National Highway. As soon as the information about the incident came, I went to the SMS Hospital and directed the doctors there to provide immediate necessary medical facilities and take proper care of the injured."

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More than 25 ambulances reached the spot and shifted the victims to the hospital. A nearly 300-metre stretch of the highway was affected by the accident. Traffic movement was stopped, leading to a long queue of vehicles.

Health Minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar told reporters that nearly half of the injured brought to the hospital were in very critical condition. The health minister said a 'green corridor' has been set up from the accident site to the SMS hospital.

"All doctors, resident doctors and nursing staff were called in to manage the situation. Another ward has been opened so that patients can be accommodated. Some people got primary treatment in nearby hospitals," he said.

An official said a sleeper bus headed for Jaipur from Rajsamand was behind the gas tanker when the accident occurred. Efforts were underway to find the details about the passengers on board. The burnt vehicles are being removed from the highway so that traffic movement can be resumed. The station house officer of Bhankrota Manish Gupta said it was difficult to bring the fire under control initially.

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"Fire brigade teams initially were unable to reach the vehicles that were burning. There are three petrol pumps in the area but fortunately, they are safe," he added.

Police officials said the fire engulfed some establishments along the highway but details of the actual losses are not yet clear. The school van driver told PTI that the flames were visible from a kilometre away and there was panic and chaos on the highway.

"As I got closer to the spot, I saw people running in haste and shouting for help. I saw a man engulfed in flames. It was a frightening scene. Fire brigades and ambulances were there but it was difficult for them to reach the spot initially," he said.

A team from the district administration is present at the hospital to help the family members of the victims. The Jaipur Police has issued the helpline numbers 9166347551, 8764688431 and 7300363636 for people to get in touch for inquiries or relevant information.
New Delhi: As the opposition's protest over Amit Shah's remark on BR Ambedkar ended up in a scuffle, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday banned demonstrations by MPs and political parties at any of the gates of Parliament, sources said.

"Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has issued strict instructions that no political party, Member of Parliament or groups of members will hold any dharna and demonstration at building gates of Parliament House," parliament sources said.

On Thursday, the Parliament premises saw rival protests by the BJP-led NDA and the Congress-led INDIA bloc parties on the alleged insults to B R Ambedkar. These protests escalated to jostling and scuffles leaving two MPs injured and a woman MP claiming intimidation by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.

Delhi Police on Thursday registered an FIR against Rahul Gandhi after the BJP filed a complaint, accusing him of physical assault and incitement" during a scuffle in Parliament premises.

A police officer said that the FIR has been registered under sections 115 (voluntary causing hurt), 117 (voluntary causing grievous hurt), 125 (act of endangering life or personal safety of others), 131 (use of criminal force), 351 (criminal intimidation) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The officer said police are likely to call Gandhi for questioning in connection with the case.
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"Either this nation shall kill racism, or racism shall kill this nation." (S. Jonas, August, 2018)



Trump reborn? Hey, you never know.

(Image by FolsomNatural) Details DMCA



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I published the first version of this column back on October 2, 2015, At the time, I regarded it as an interesting speculation. After all, not too many folk (including myself) knew that much about Trump. But he had already announced for the Republican nomination for the Presidency in 2016. He was already saying some scary stuff about (recent, non-white) immigrants to the United States, and Muslims. He already had a well-known history of public racism (see "The Central Park Five"). So, I thought then, I might as well enter the game, of what he was/is really like, and what the differences/similarities with Herr Hitler might be.

And so, as Trump takes over the Executive Branch again, plus as much of the other two as he can manage, I thought that it might be interest and use to re-publish that column, unchanged. And so, here 'tis.

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In America anything goes, given the appalling level of political illiteracy in the political class and media, not to mention the masses, so you can believe that, yes, there is now an increasing amount of speculation --the new "buzz-- "that Donald Trump has one or more characteristics in common with the German Nazi Chancellor/President/Dictator (yes, he was all of those things) Adolf Hitler:

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First, the similarities. There's the racism, the xenophobia, and in Trump's case substituting for Hitler's extreme prejudice against one religious grouping, the Jews, it's another, the Muslims. There's the speaking style and with it the ability to whip up the right audiences into a frenzy. (One difference: Hitler's was apparently well-practiced, while Trump's apparently isn't.) There's the frequent name-calling in re opponents.

There's the "our nation must be great again." Germany had lost the last big war it fought. Now while the U.S. cannot be said to have "won" the last big one it engaged in, the War on Iraq, while millions of people on the region have clearly lost much, starting with their lives, militarily at least the U.S. did not lose. (However, the U.S. may actually be on the verge of losing militarily in Afghanistan, joining a long line of foreign forces, from Alexander the Great to the Soviet Union that failed there, militarily.) But that doesn't stop Trump from trumpeting on the "great again" theme, just like Hitler did.

For Hitler, after the Jews, the Great Enemy was "Soviet Bolshevism." For Trump it seems to be Russia (although I do think that bunches of U.S. persons are confused on the point of whether the U.S. enemy is Russia or the Soviet Union, especially with the constant demonization of Russian President Putin who is the new "Stalin", of course). (And yes folks, on a newscast on MSNBC on the morning of October 1, 2015 I actually heard a reporter refer to Russia as "the Soviet Union," not once but twice, before she caught herself. Well, you know there's that new Steven Spielberg movie about Gary Powers and the swap coming out.)

Then there are the vague promises of a great future, without telling much about exactly how they planned/plan to get there. There's the ample use of the Big Lie Technique (but that is common to all of the current crop of Republican leaders, and most of the rest of the political class in America). There are other similarities too, but among the most important, a characteristic that kept/keeps both men going is that they didn't/don't embarrass. They never had/have to apologize, explain, defend. They were/are the prefect avatars of Lee Atwater's consummate principle of politics: "Always attack; never defend." (Would that the Democrats would learn this principle, but that's another story.) Finally, it is clear that Trump just loves personal power, just like Hitler did.

Now for the differences. First, as most readers of this site are well aware, Trump does not have nearly the mass following that Hitler had. While before the functional coup d'etat of January 30-31, 1933, Hitler's Nazi Party did never command more than about 37% of the vote (in a country where most people voted), Trump has only gotten into the 30's, of Republican voters, which amounts to about 15% of the total. Of course, we do have to remember that in a Presidential election, only about 50% of the eligibles vote and in 2016, Republican voter suppression will begin to exact a major impact on the number of Democratic votes recorded.

Second, Trump does not have a mass, very well-organized political party behind him, personally. For Hitler the National Socialist German Workers Party (yes, hard to believe, but that was indeed the literal translation of what "Nazi" in German stood for, a calculated move to steal some wind from the Socialist Party of Germany's [SPD] sails and other genuine workers' formations including the Communist Party of Germany [KPD]) provided huge electoral clout in the localities in which it was powerful. If Trump does get the Repub. nomination, we really don't know what the National Republican Party will do for him. But whatever that would be, it could not compare to the personally loyal Nazi Partei.

Third, Hitler had a huge (up to three million part-timers strong) private army, the "Sturmabteilung," the SA, the Storm Troopers, the much feared and despised-- and in other quarters admired-- Brownshirts." They were his enforcers, frequently engaging in violence against his primary opponents, the Communists and the Socialists. As documented by numerous historians and journalists, the NSDAP was cradled from inception by the Reichswehr (the German Army under the post-World War I Weimar Republic) and paid for from the beginning by major members of the German ruling class led by the steel magnate Friedrich "Fritz" Thyssen. (An early [1923] foreign supporter of the Nazis was a U.S. person named George Herbert Walker. [Sound familiar?].) Trump has nothing like this. But since there is no organized resistance at present to the kind of long-term authoritarian threat that Trump might become --or suggest to better skilled politicos-- in the future, that is immaterial.

Fourth, one huge (huuuuge [!]) difference in practice is that while Hitler was arguably the world's greatest Keynesian political economist, in terms of his vision of the government's role in making the economy hum, Trump would likely get as far away from that as he possibly could. The one exception might be the U.S. massively crumbling infra-structure, which might be as big a focus for Trump as it was for Hitler (except that Trump would likely attempt to privatize any major expansion).

Fifth, as far as we can tell so far, Trump has no Thyssen equivalents. He is wealthy (although it is not known for sure just how wealthy he is). And he seems-- as part of his calculated appeal of being "unbribable" --not to be seeking outside ruling class money. So we don't know how much he could attract.

Finally, and this is certainly another major difference, obvious to many here but important to note for the record: Trump seems to have no firm belief system. Presently, he is of course riding racism of two types: a) no one who supports him has forgotten his racism-based, dog-whistled "birtherism," you can count on that, and b) of course the anti-Latino (especially Mexican for some unknown reason -- maybe because they are the closest ones) variety. His tax plan clearly benefits the wealthy (including himself) even more than they are already benefitted. His xenophobia is right out front -- see his attack on the Syrian refugees. As noted he has grandiose ideas for "making America great again" (as if it were not, militarily at least, right now). But, characteristically, he has given no clear ideas on how will do that, on either the financial or the military side. And so on and so forth.

But Trump has moved around on the ideological side of things. He has in the past been rather a liberal, endorsing a single-payer health care payment system and freedom of choice in the outcome of pregnancy, being some sort of friend of the Clintons, and was certainly not until 2012 not an outspoken Republican. Hitler, in contrast, had his malignant political philosophy --- a very firm belief system --- based on the relatively new political anti-Semitism that was first formed in his native Austria in the 1880s, as well as his xenophobia, probably based in part on the fact that he was not German himself. For Hitler, this was all firmly wrapped around his messianic ego (in that sense like Trump, who appears to be a raging megalomaniac). Just read Mein Kampf .

But Hitler in the first instance was not an anti-Semite for electoral purposes (although he used it in that way). He really believed that "The Jews" were not only the cause of every single problem facing Germany, but the rest of Europe as well. He really believed that if "The Jews" were all killed, the world would be a much better place. He really believed that the "Aryan" German people (you know, blond like Hitler, slim like Goering, and tall like Goebbels, as the old joke goes) amounted to a "race," were superior to everyone else, and deserved to rule the Earth. He really believed that "The Slavs" were an inferior people too (a belief that may well have remained with him even when the Red Army was closing in on the entrance to his Berlin bunker). Trump doesn't seem to have that level of racialism or even that degree of intellectualism. In that area, Trump is a midget.

And so, do I think that "Trump" equals "Hitler?" Well, not yet. But hey, you never know in a land as benighted as America. And remember: international events always play a big role in how the capitalist ruling class plays its cards at home.

(Article changed on Dec 20, 2024 at 2:16 PM EST)
Cartagena, Colombia, December 19, 2024 - Executive Travel Group is proud to announce the successful completion of their first annual backpack drive for the underprivileged children of Cartagena, Colombia. This heartwarming initiative, carried out in partnership with Cartagena- Group, another company within the organization's portfolio, has brought joy and essential resources to children in need. The drive distributed backpacks filled with necessary school supplies to children in several "barrios" on the outskirts of Cartagena, areas often 
The World Bank will provide Ukraine with more than $2 billion: $1 billion in the form of a non-repayable grant, another $1.05 billion in the form of a loan guaranteed by the governments of Japan and the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.

"Ukraine is starting to receive the first U.S. funds at the expense of frozen Russian assets. The World Bank will provide $2 billion through the DPL mechanism," he wrote on Telegram on Friday.

According to him, the World Bank board approved the allocation of funds the day before.

"And today the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine has signed the relevant agreements with the World Bank," he specified.

In particular, $1 billion will be provided in the form of a non-repayable grant from the World Bank FIF fund at the expense of the U.S. contribution within the framework of the G7 initiative. Ukraine will receive another $1.05 billion in the form of a loan guaranteed by the governments of Japan and Great Britain.

"Ukraine has fulfilled all the necessary measures to receive the funds. We are grateful to our partners for their support on the path to economic development and recovery," Shmyhal noted.

DPL is a systemic project aimed at supporting reforms in Ukraine, and funds are credited to the general fund of the state budget in a single tranche based on the results of tasks completed before its signing.
Federal safety regulators have dropped nine of 10 citations accusing Amazon of putting warehouse workers at a high risk of injury, part of a settlement agreement that requires the company to continue finding ways to reduce injuries.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration began a series of investigations at 10 Amazon facilities around the country in 2022, resulting in allegations that the company had created an unsafe working environment and exposed workers to a high risk of injury.

In one New York facility, OSHA also accused Amazons in-house medical team of failing to properly refer injured workers to outside medical care.

In a settlement reached Wednesday, OSHA dismissed nine of the 10 citations related to ergonomics  accusations related to workplace injuries from things like repetitive motions.

OSHA also dropped the citation related to medical treatment at the New York warehouse, Amazon said.

Amazon accepted one of the citations related to how workers handle televisions in an Illinois warehouse and said it will make changes to further reduce the risk of injury in that facility. It will pay a $145,000 penalty for that citation, an increase from the original citations $15,625 fine.

The agreement did not include an admission of wrongdoing on Amazons part. The company committed to continuing some of its existing safety protocols, including safety committee meetings with employees, ongoing assessments of its work processes and mandatory employee training.

Both OSHA and Amazon are characterizing the settlement agreement as a victory.

Douglas Parker, assistant secretary for OSHA, said the agreement will improve conditions for several hundred thousand Amazon workers because it requires Amazon to assess injury risk companywide.

The ball is in the companys court, Parker said in a statement. OSHA stands ready to work with their ergonomics team to evaluate their progress and verify the commitments they made to OSHA.

Amazon said Thursday the agreement acknowledges our progress  We appreciate OSHAs willingness to consider all the facts and reach todays agreement with us, and we look forward to continuing to work with them going forward.

Amazon and OSHA agreed to meet twice a year to discuss injury trends and steps the company has taken to reduce risk, including the status of pilot projects in its warehouses.

The settlement comes ahead of a new presidential administration that will likely shake up the federal regulatory agencies. President-elect Donald Trump is considering Heather MacDougall, Amazons former vice president of health and safety, to lead OSHA.

The agreement also comes days after Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., released a scathing report about Amazons warehouses. Sanders and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions accused Amazon of ignoring suggestions about how to reduce the injury rate at its warehouses from the companys internal studies.

Amazon denied the allegations in the Senate committees report and said those studies had flawed methodology and proposed changes that later proved to be ineffective.

Earlier this year, Amazon scored another victory in its warehouse safety story when a Washington judge overturned four citations accusing the company of creating an unsafe working environment at warehouses in the state.

Washingtons Department of Labor and Industries appealed that ruling, but the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals upheld the decision. L&I can now appeal to Superior Court.

Amazon also faces an ongoing investigation from the U.S. Attorneys Office in the Southern District of New York to determine if Amazon executives knew about safety hazards in its warehouses and misled others about the companys safety record. OSHA said Thursday that the settlement agreement does not affect the ongoing investigation.

Amazon spokesperson Maureen Lynch Vogel said the company believes the U.S. attorneys legal theory lacks merit, and that Amazon is cooperating fully in the investigation.

-- Lauren Rosenblatt, The Seattle Times

2024 The Seattle Times. Visit seattletimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Workers at Starbucks stores plan to go on a five-day strike starting Friday to protest lack of progress in contract negotiations with the company.

The strikes by baristas and other workers were scheduled to take place in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle and could spread to hundreds of stores across the country by Christmas Eve. The planned walkouts would come a day after the Teamsters union announced strikes at seven Amazon delivery hubs.

Starbucks said early Friday that there was no significant impact to its store operations. Workers at 535 company-owned U.S. stores have voted to unionize, but Starbucks has nearly 10,000 company-owned U.S. stores

We are aware of disruption at a small handful of stores, but the overwhelming majority of our U.S. stores remain open and serving customers as normal, the Seattle-based coffee giant said in a statement.

Starbucks Workers United, the union that has organized workers since 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.

Starbucks said it proposed an annual pay increase of at least 1.5% that could be higher in some years. If the company said if it offered a lower increase to non-union stores 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.

Said Fatemeh Alhadjaboodi, a Starbucks barista from Texas and bargaining delegate:

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.

-- The Associated Press
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland on Friday morning lauded the partnerships of federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies in Oregon and their efforts to make the state a safer place.

Garland has been making the rounds, visiting all the U.S. attorneys offices in the nation. His visit to Portland came as hes about to wrap up his tenure as head of the U.S. Department of Justice. He was sworn in as the nations attorney general in March 2021.
A woman who fired two shots into the ceiling of Portland International Airport last year in a bizarre bid for intervention received a five-year sentence Thursday as the judge held a firm line.

Multnomah County Circuit Judge Benjamin Souede opted not to depart from the gun crime standard while sentencing Laura Patterson, 48, in the Nov. 14, 2023, shooting.

I think that Ms. Patterson really didnt want to hurt anybody, but she did put them at risk, said Souede. That risk is exactly what the Legislature selected that minimum sentence to account for.

The judge could have sentenced Patterson below the minimum, given Pattersons lack of prior convictions. Souede earlier issued a favorable ruling to the defense during the trial by throwing out several attempted murder charges.

Patterson had traveled to the airport from her Kennewick, Washington, apartment, where she had largely withdrawn from society during the pandemic while becoming convinced she needed to kill her relatives in Texas and Colorado, according to a recorded interview with detectives that was played during the trial.

Once at the airport, she said she waited for a lull in foot traffic and squeezed off two rounds about 11 p.m., striking a glass ceiling pane and beam above a Transportation Security Administration checkpoint.

Videotapes played during the trial showed detectives questioning Patterson and puzzling over her mild demeanor.

Patterson pointed out during the sentencing hearing that she had become a trusty, or trusted inmate given special assignments at the county jail during her 13 months spent behind bars so far.

We were one of the better run modules, we get compliments from everyone who works there, she said. I dont think prison would help me.

Patterson added that she no longer wanted to kill her family.

Prosecutor Anthony Dundon noted during the trial that Patterson had planned a one-way trip essentially abandoning her apartment and packing up multiple license plates, identification documents and a noose before she embarked.

This is not a cry for help, he said during the sentencing hearing. This was a very intentional act that endangered numerous people.

Zane Sparling covers breaking news and courts for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach him at 503-319-7083, zsparling@oregonian.com or @pdxzane.

Our journalism needs your support. Please become a subscriber today at OregonLive.com/subscribe.
The St. Helens School District has spent about $64,000 so far to bring in an acting high school principal, acting superintendent and other substitute teachers in the wake of multiple investigations into allegations of sexual abuse of students and other misconduct by staff, including a failure to report complaints.

The district also has paid another $127,000 in salary and benefits for 10 employees who remain on paid leave, including Superintendent Scott Stockwell and St. Helens High School Principal Kathryn Katy Wagner.
A thief stole 17 sensors from cars parked on Ron Tonkin Hondas Southeast Portland lot on Dec. 12, the dealerships general manager said Friday. The theft took all of 10 minutes.

The sensors are a core component of a now-common system for cruise control that automatically brakes the car if another vehicle comes too close and keeps a certain distance from the car up ahead of it. Removing the sensor can be relatively easy, and installing a new one can cost thousands of dollars.

Portland police warned Honda owners last week that thieves are singling out their cars, and that they had received 18 reports of parts stolen from the front of Honda cars since around mid-November. Police said most of the thefts occurred in Southeast Portland, between Southeast Stark Street and Woodstock Boulevard, and between Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard and Southeast 82nd Avenue.

Ron Tonkin Honda General Manager Dan Kiekenapp said hes had 40 to 50 customers recently ask to have their sensor replaced after it got stolen, on top of the 17 cars that had the part stolen from the dealership lot at Southeast 122nd Avenue and Ash Street.

The part is easy to remove, and the thieves are likely trying to sell them online, Kiekenapp said. He added that he believes the rash of thefts is a fad that will soon fizzle out because the sensor isnt easy to resell.

It can cost as much as $4,000 to replace the sensor, depending on the model and how much damage the thieves did while taking the sensor out, Kiekenapp said.

It will cost well over $50,000 to replace the ones stolen from the lot, but the company is currently prioritizing replacing those needed for customers cars, Kiekenapp said. He has now increased the dealerships monthly security budget to about $27,000 a month, up from $16,000 a month, to better protect the dealership lot, he said.

Police urged Honda owners to park in a garage when they can or to park in a way that makes accessing the front of the car difficult.

 Fedor Zarkhin is a breaking news and enterprise reporter. Do you have a story? Reach him by phone or text at 971-373-2905 or by email at fzarkhin@oregonian.com.

Our journalism needs your support. Subscribe today to OregonLive.com
The visit comes as Garland, who was sworn in as attorney general in March 2021, is ending his time at the helm of the U.S Department of Justice. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough, File)
SAO PAULO  Sloths werent always slow-moving, furry tree-dwellers. Their prehistoric ancestors were huge  up to 4 tons  and when startled, they brandished immense claws.

For a long time, scientists believed the first humans to arrive in the Americas soon killed off these giant ground sloths through hunting, along with many other massive animals like mastodons, saber-toothed cats and dire wolves that once roamed North and South America.

But new research from several sites is starting to suggest that people came to the Americas earlier  perhaps far earlier  than once thought. These findings hint at a remarkably different life for these early Americans, one in which they may have spent millennia sharing prehistoric savannas and wetlands with enormous beasts.

There was this idea that humans arrived and killed everything off very quickly  whats called Pleistocene overkill, said Daniel Odess, an archaeologist at White Sands National Park in New Mexico. But new discoveries suggest that humans were existing alongside these animals for at least 10,000 years, without making them go extinct.

Some of the most tantalizing clues come from an archaeological site in central Brazil, called Santa Elina, where bones of giant ground sloths show signs of being manipulated by humans. Sloths like these once lived from Alaska to Argentina, and some species had bony structures on their backs, called osteoderms  a bit like the plates of modern armadillos  that may have been used to make decorations.

Researcher Mirian Pacheco holds a round, penny-sized sloth fossil dated to around 27,000 years ago, at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Sept 2, 2024, saying that unlike most other specimens, its surface is surprisingly smooth, the edges appear to have been deliberately polished, and theres a tiny hole near one edge. (AP Photo/Christina Larson)AP

In a lab at the University of Sao Paulo, researcher Mirian Pacheco holds in her palm a round, penny-sized sloth fossil. She notes that its surface is surprisingly smooth, the edges appear to have been deliberately polished, and theres a tiny hole near one edge.

We believe it was intentionally altered and used by ancient people as jewelry or adornment, she said. Three similar pendant fossils are visibly different from unworked osteoderms on a table  those are rough-surfaced and without any holes.

These artifacts from Santa Elina are roughly 27,000 years old  more than 10,000 years before scientists once thought that humans arrived in the Americas.

Originally researchers wondered if the craftsmen were working on already old fossils. But Pachecos research strongly suggests that ancient people were carving fresh bones shortly after the animals died.

Her findings, together with other recent discoveries, could help rewrite the tale of when humans first arrived in the Americas  and the effect they had on the environment they found.

Theres still a big debate, Pacheco said.

This photo provided by researchers shows prehistoric drawings at the Santa Elina excavation site in the Mato Grosso state of Brazil. (Agueda Vilhena Vialou, Denis Vialou via AP)AP

Scientists know that the first humans emerged in Africa, then moved into Europe and Asia-Pacific, before finally making their way to the last continental frontier, the Americas. But questions remain about the final chapter of the human origins story.

Pacheco was taught in high school the theory that most archaeologists held throughout the 20th century. What I learned in school was that Clovis was first, she said.

Clovis is a site in New Mexico, where archaeologists in the 1920s and 1930s found distinctive projectile points and other artifacts dated to between 11,000 and 13,000 years ago.

This date happens to coincide with the end of the last Ice Age, a time when an ice-free corridor likely emerged in North America  giving rise to an idea about how early humans moved into the continent after crossing the Bering land bridge from Asia.

And because the fossil record shows the widespread decline of American megafauna starting around the same time  with North America losing 70% of its large mammals, and South America losing more than 80%  many researchers surmised that humans' arrival led to mass extinctions.

It was a nice story for a while, when all the timing lined up, said paleoanthropologist Briana Pobiner at the Smithsonian Institutions Human Origins Program. But it doesnt really work so well anymore.

Thais Pansani holds a giant sloth rib bone from central Brazil dated to about 13,000 to 15,000 years ago, which is thought to be burned by human-made fire, in the Smithsonian's National Taphonomy Reference Collection in Washington, on July 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Mary Conlon)AP

In the past 30 years, new research methods  including ancient DNA analysis and new laboratory techniques  coupled with the examination of additional archaeological sites and inclusion of more diverse scholars across the Americas, have upended the old narrative and raised new questions, especially about timing.

Anything older than about 15,000 years still draws intense scrutiny, said Richard Farina, a paleontologist at the University of the Republic in Montevideo, Uruguay. But really compelling evidence from more and more older sites keeps coming to light.

In Sao Paulo and at the Federal University of Sao Carlos, Pacheco studies the chemical changes that occur when a bone becomes a fossil. This allows her team to analyze when the sloth osteoderms were likely modified.

We found that the osteoderms were carved before the fossilization process in fresh bones  meaning anywhere from a few days to a few years after the sloths died, but not thousands of years later.

Her team also tested and ruled out several natural processes, like erosion and animal gnawing. The research was published last year in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

One of her collaborators, paleontologist Thais Pansani, recently based at the Smithsonian Institution, is analyzing whether similar-aged sloth bones found at Santa Elina were charred by human-made fires, which burn at different temperatures than natural wildfires.

Her preliminary results suggest that the fresh sloth bones were present at human campsites  whether burned deliberately in cooking, or simply nearby, isnt clear. She is also testing and ruling out other possible causes for the black markings, such as natural chemical discoloration.

The first site widely accepted as older than Clovis was in Monte Verde, Chile.

Buried beneath a peat bog, researchers discovered 14,500-year-old stone tools, pieces of preserved animal hides, and various edible and medicinal plants.

Monte Verde was a shock. Youre here at the end of the world, with all this organic stuff preserved, said Vanderbilt University archaeologist Tom Dillehay, a longtime researcher at Monte Verde.

Other archaeological sites suggest even earlier dates for human presence in the Americas.

Among the oldest sites is Arroyo del Vizcaino in Uruguay, where researchers are studying apparent human-made cut marks on animal bones dated to around 30,000 years ago.

At New Mexicos White Sands, researchers have uncovered human footprints dated to between 21,000 and 23,000 years ago, as well as similar-aged tracks of giant mammals. But some archaeologists say its hard to imagine that humans would repeatedly traverse a site and leave no stone tools.

Theyve made a strong case, but there are still some things about that site that puzzle me, said David Meltzer, an archaeologist at Southern Methodist University. Why would people leave footprints over a long period of time, but never any artifacts?

Odess at White Sands said that he expects and welcomes such challenges. We didnt set out to find the oldest anything  weve really just followed the evidence where it leads, he said.

While the exact timing of humans' arrival in the Americas remains contested  and may never be known  it seems clear that if the first people arrived earlier than once thought, they didnt immediately decimate the giant beasts they encountered.

And the White Sands footprints preserve a few moments of their early interactions.

As Odess interprets them, one set of tracks shows a giant ground sloth going along on four feet when it encounters the footprints of a small human whos recently dashed by. The huge animal stops and rears up on hind legs, shuffles around, then heads off in a different direction.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Editors note: This column has been updated to reflect new information that senior U.S. diplomats have arrived in Syria.

Tony Hunter

Hunter is chairman and CEO of the McClatchy Media Company.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.
Multnomah County Commissioner Lori Stegmann has no professional background in social services, although her new position leading the countys Youth and Family Services Division is a social services job, (Multnomah County commissioner beat out more experienced candidates to land division director job, Dec. 10). She has never managed a large number of employees, although this division has over 100 employees. And she has never been fully responsible for a budget anywhere near 8 figures.

Help me understand how Stegmann got the job? Because she declared support for a cease fire in Gaza, as she noted in her accomplishments? It is no wonder people have such a low opinion of our government leaders ability to get things done.

Lee Anderson, Portland

To read more letters to the editor, go to oregonlive.com/opinion.
Leading business associations demand the removal of tax benefits for parcels from abroad. This issue, which was excluded from the law on increasing the military tax when it was passed at the Rada, should be returned to, believes head of the parliamentary committee on finance, taxation and customs policy Danylo Hetmantsev.

"Now we are actually giving preferential treatment to the Chinese manufacturer, the foreign manufacturer, putting ours in unequal conditions. An absolutely harmful, senseless decision. Business is simply crying 'crocodile tears.' Therefore, we must return to this issue, for me it is obvious," he said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

Hetmantsev reported that last week there was a meeting with leading associations: the American Chamber of Commerce, the European Business Association, the Ukrainian Business Council, and the Federation of Employers of Ukraine.

"These four associations unanimously demand - not ask, but demand that we remove tax benefits for parcels. This is not a fiscal issue, because the Ministry of Finance estimated the fiscal effect at about UAH 8 billion, and this is not much, this is a question of saving Ukrainian business: both the manufacturer and the retailer," the head of the committee emphasized.

He added that it would be interesting to know the position on this matter of head of the board of Ukrposhta Igor Smilyansky, whom the government recently appointed authorized for customs reform.

As reported, in July of this year the government introduced to the Verkhovna Rada bill No. 11416 on amendments to the Tax Code and other laws of Ukraine on the peculiarities of taxation during the period of martial law, in which it proposed to lower the threshold for VAT and import duties on international postal items or express carrier shipments from EUR 150 to EUR 45, which caused a major debate about the advisability of such a step, after which this provision was excluded from the bill.
After 161 years serving the downtown Portland area, St. Stephens Episcopal Parish is heading into its final Christmas season.

The historic church, which first opened its doors for services in 1863, announced earlier this month that the upcoming holiday season would be its last. Diocesan leadership notified church vestry Nov. 21 that services must end by Feb. 1, a Facebook post told parishioners.

We received this news with deep sadness and disappointment, the post read.

The church has a long legacy of social justice, housing several organizations throughout its history that serve downtown Portland, especially its unhoused community.

Holy Communion followed the ordination of four men to the Episcopal priesthood at St Stephen's Cathedral in 1962. Some 28 priests of the diocese joined Bishop James WF Carman for the service. St. Stephen's served as the Bishop's Cathedral from 1892 to 1973.Oregonian

The future of St. Stephens Episcopal Parish, located at 1432 S.W. 13th Ave., has been an ongoing discussion for some time now, said the Rev. Brendan Barnicle, part of Bishop Diana Akiyamas relocation team and the rector at St. Francis of Assisi Episcopal Church in Wilsonville.

Barnicle was ordained at St. Stephens and served as its rector from 2017 to 2019. Even in the past few years, he said, the congregation has changed and dwindled in size. Average Sunday attendance fell from 60 in 2018 to about 15 in 2022 and 2023, while in the early 2000s, membership was closer to 100, he said.

St. Stephens has also faced significant property challenges, Barnicle said.

The Southwest 13th Avenue building has housed the parish for more than a century, but it was originally intended to be a temporary structure, built after a series of arsons that targeted churches in the 1920s. Today, he said, the building requires repairs to the basement, as well as to the gutters and drainage system.

Rather than a closure, Barnicle said, he sees the transition as more of a resurrection for the church.

The congregation has always been very committed to social justice and very committed to outreach, he said. It will be able to do that even more fully in this new configuration.

The Episcopal Church in Western Oregon is in the process of negotiating the sale of the building to Operation Nightwatch, according to a Dec. 11 statement from Bishop Akiyama. The group currently offers nighttime hospitality within the St. Stephens sanctuary three nights a week and has since partnered with nonprofit Blanchet House to turn the space into a womens shelter that would open in spring 2025.

The parish will continue to host standard Sunday morning services at 10:30 each week through Feb. 1  but even once the building is sold, parishioners would be able to worship at St. Stephens chapel, a small room that can fit up to 30 people, Barnicle said.

In this case, the congregation would transition from a parish, a congregation that can financially support itself, to a mission, a smaller group that receives support from the diocese. Bishop Akiyama will work with the congregation if they decide to follow this path, Barnicle said.

Part of our task as a church is to steward the resources that weve been blessed with, he said. Given the needs that exist in downtown Portland, being able to utilize that space in a way that serves more of Gods people was very consistent with the mission of the Episcopal Church.

St. Stephen's Episcopal Parish is located on the corner of Southwest 13th Avenue and Clay Street.Samantha Swindler

Even as it moves into this newly bittersweet era, St. Stephens is preparing to welcome community members through its bright red doors for one final Christmas season  a period that officially begins Dec. 24 at sundown.

Christians prepare for Christmas during Advent, a monthlong season that starts four Sundays before Dec. 25. Its a quieter period of observation, associated with reflection and preparation for the celebration of Jesus birth. Christmas Eve then kicks off the Christmas season, which goes on for 12 nights and ends on Jan. 5  a day known as Epiphany, marking when the Magi, or Three Wise Men, visited baby Jesus with gifts.

At St. Stephens, the churchs physical Christmastime transformation happens only once Advent is over. This years greening of the church will take place around noon Sunday  the fourth and final night of Advent, said senior warden Christy McMurtry, whos been with the church for more than 60 years.

We put out greens, and we fill the candles, she said. We put out lots of poinsettias.

St. Stephen's Episcopal Parish is located on the corner of Southwest 13th Avenue and Clay Street.Samantha Swindler

The church will be fully decorated just in time for its slate of Christmas season events, beginning with a Christmas Eve service Dec. 24. Music will start at 7:30 p.m., followed by Eucharist at 8.

On Jan. 5, the church will host an all-day Epiphany celebration starting with a 10:30 a.m. service followed by an open house through 9 p.m. filled with food, festivities and recollection. Church leaders hope it will be a time for parishioners to share memories of the church and take photos before sacramental items like altars and pews are eventually removed.

Thats the day that we were hoping we could really make sure people know that they can come, McMurtry said. Therell be food and time to reminisce and tell stories.

Jared Brayton Bollenbacher leads the Seattle gay-straight alliance choir Diverse Harmony at St. Stephen's Episcopal Parish in Portland in June 2013.Doug Beghtel

St. Stephens Day falls on Dec. 26, McMurtry said, so the parish is taking the opportunity to offer extra hospitality in the sanctuary that evening through Operation Nightwatch.

The organization is one of several local programs once housed within the Southwest 13th Avenue church. Clay Street Table, a meals program and food pantry, began at St. Stephens Episcopal Parish in 2010 before moving to First Christian Church. Others, like Journey Koinonia, an inclusive catholic community, have only recently made plans to relocate.

The group, which currently has about 40 active members, has met at St. Stephens every Sunday for more than three decades. Its a beautiful space, said Sam Gioia, part of Journey Koinoias pastoral leadership team  and one that has hosted countless baptisms, weddings and funerals over the years.

St. Stephens opened their doors to us in 1989 and provided not only a physical space for us, but friendship and community that weve enjoyed for the past 35 years, he said.

After learning of St. Stephens closure, the group erected a site committee to begin scouting new spaces and has since accepted the invitation to move into First United Methodist Church on Southwest Jefferson Street, Gioia said.

Journey Koinonias final service at St. Stephens will be its early Christmas service at 6 p.m. Sunday. Services will then be solely virtual on Zoom through the beginning of February, when in-person Sunday meetings will resume at First United Methodist Church.

St. Stephens Episcopal Parish boasts a long, progressive history  much of which has revolved around supporting marginalized communities.

St. Stephen's Episcopal Parish is located on the corner of Southwest 13th Avenue and Clay Street.Samantha Swindler

The parish was one of the first Episcopal churches to accept Black members in the 1920s, welcomed Japanese Americans who were incarcerated during World War II and was a haven for LBGTQ+ individuals in the 1980s, according to the church website. In the 1960s, it was the first church in Portland to marry an interracial couple.

We stand on many peoples work before us. Im amazed at whats happened from such simple beginnings, McMurtry said. The building will be different, but the work will still be getting done  somewhere, somehow, God will keep providing.

 Veronica Nocera covers life and culture. You can reach her at vnocera@oregonian.com, 503-221-8111 or @vernocera
The Federal Railroad Administration, a branch of the U.S. Department of Transportation, has awarded $49.7 million to support the proposed high-speed train between Portland and Vancouver, British Columbia, a group of Washington legislators announced Wednesday..

The long-discussed rail project would provide train service between Portland, Oregon; Seattle; and Vancouver, British Columbia, at speeds reaching 250 miles per hour. In the press release, state legislators said passengers would be able to travel between Seattle and Portland in under an hour.

The Cascadia corridor is home to 10 million people and growing  bringing high speed rail speed to the region will be transformative, allowing Washingtonians to travel much faster and more easily between Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, and communities in between, Washington Sen. Patty Murray stated in the press release.

Will the Cascadia High-Speed Rail be ready soon?

While the award is a boon for the project, it will only cover the planning phase.

This federal award is an important step forward for the Cascadia High-Speed Rail project and will support critical planning, community engagement, and initial design activities, Murray stated.

Still, a Washington State Department of Transportation spokesperson said the funding will go a long way towards making the project a reality.

I think it gives it a strong likelihood, as long as the programs continue to be supported, and theres a lot of support, WSDOT Cascadia High-Speed Rail and Interstate 5 Program Administrator Ron Pate told McClatchy in a phone call.

What is next?

According to the press release, the money from the award will be used to determine the best route for the railroad, identify long-term construction projects that it would require and fund community outreach efforts. Officials will now begin working with residents of the region, including tribes, to come up with a plan for the high-speed rail.

This funding will enable the state to work with locals to develop the best possible high-speed passenger rail route and someday give Washingtonians the option to skip the highway and reach their destination faster, Sen. Maria Cantwell stated in the press release.

According to DOTs Pate, the funding will allow the project to move to its second phase.

First, we were awarded in the [Corridor Identification and Development] program, $500,000 to work through step one. And in step one, you develop the scope, schedule and budget to do the service development plan, to really look at how this system would function in two countries and two states, Pate said.

With the new funding, Pate said the team working on the project can start developing the plan itself.

The service development plan work can start now, weve obligated those funds, Pate said. So our team is getting ready to go right after the first of the year to start doing a project management plan for that, and then work through the tasks that FRA (Federal Railroad Administration) has required for a service development plan.

While Pate said there isnt a set timeline for the project as a whole, he estimates that this next step will take four to five years.

Where would high-speed rail stop?

While the goal of the project is to connect the Portland, Seattle and Vancouver metropolitan areas, it would also include points between and beyond, according to WSDOT. Cascadia Rail, a nonprofit that advocates for the project, mentions potential stops in Kelso, Centralia, Olympia, Tacoma, Seattle, Everett, Mount Vernon and Bellingham in its preliminary map of the project.

In the meantime, there are other train options currently in the region, though they dont run as quickly or go as far.

Amtrak Cascades features six stops between Portland and Seattle  Vancouver, Kelso-Longview, Centralia, Olympia-Lacey, Tacoma and Tukwila. It also stops in Edmonds, Everett, Stanwood, Mount Vernon and Bellingham on the way to British Columbia. The high-speed rail would presumably have fewer stops in order to ensure faster travel speeds, although some of those areas will likely see stops as well.

Commuter train Sound Transit features 12 Sounder light rail stops between Everett and Lakewood, including Seattle, Puyallup and Tacoma.

What are potential impacts of a new train?

In addition to making travel more convenient, proponents of the project argue that it would increase economic activity and travel across different parts of the Pacific Northwest, while reducing carbon emissions and traffic along I-5.

Connecting the Cascadia region with modern, efficient transportation will create jobs, boost economic growth, and reduce emissions, all while making travel faster and more convenient, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene stated in the press release.

A 2019 WSDOT analysis estimated that the rail line would serve between 1.7 and 3.1 million riders a year once it opens, while creating $355 in economic growth for the region in the long run and reducing carbon emissions by six million metric in its first four decades.

According to reporting in the Urbanist, polling indicates that the project has relatively widespread support although it does have some opponents who are worried about its cost.

___

(c)2024 The Bellingham Herald (Bellingham, Wash.)

Visit The Bellingham Herald (Bellingham, Wash.) at www.bellinghamherald.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Cloudy weather continues Friday as the Portland/Vancouver areas have a chance of seeing a few light showers during the day, likely around the lunch hour. The high temperature will reach about 56 degrees.

The National Weather Service is expecting an uptick in the winds in the western Columbia River Gorge and across the eastern parts of the metro area. East winds will gust from 30-40 mph at times. More exposed locations could see gusts as high as 50 mph by Friday evening.

The first in a parade of wet fronts pushes into northwest Oregon on Saturday. Portland will see steady rain through about 4 p.m. and windy conditions with gusts blowing about 20 mph. The high temperature will reach about 52 degrees.

Rainfall totals through Saturday night should reach 0.25-0.50 inches in the valleys, and 0.50-1.0 across the Coast Range and Willapa Hills.

Snow levels are staying above about 6,500 feet during the weekend. Above that level new snow amounts may reach 4-8 inches. The pass roads in the Cascades will see rain and perhaps snow showers, but accumulations will be only about an inch.

The next front arrives Sunday, bringing rain mainly after 10 a.m. This will be another wet day with most valley areas seeing up to a half inch of rain. Portlands high will reach about 52 degrees.

Extended forecasts show a damp week next week with on-again, off-again rain and showers nearly every day. Daytime high temperatures will stay above average with highs in the low-to-mid 50s expected.
The federal government sued PacifiCorp Thursday, claiming that negligence by Oregons second-largest energy company was responsible for the 2020 Archie Creek fire, court records show.

PacifiCorp has already settled multiple lawsuits brought by victims of the Archie Creek fire and other wildfires in 2020, including a suit that the company settled for $29.2 million in March and another it settled in June for $178 million.

Thursdays lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Portland, demands that the company pay the federal governments costs stemming from the Archie Creek fire, which the lawsuit claims amounted to hundreds of millions of dollars.

The fire burned through about 131,000 acres in Douglas County, including about 67,000 acres of federal land, according to the suit.

The fire happened as a direct result of PacifiCorps failure to manage vegetation around power lines, negligent operation, inspection and/or maintenance of power lines and failure to prepare for high fire-risk conditions, the lawsuit claims.

PacifiCorp said in a statement that it has been working with the government to resolve the governments claims stemming from the fire.

It is unfortunate the U.S. government decided to file a lawsuit in federal district court, the company said. PacifiCorp will continue to work with the U.S. government to find reasonable resolution of this matter.

According to the lawsuit, the federal government asked PacifiCorp to pay for the costs associated with the fire March 15, 2023, but the company had not paid that money as of Thursday.

The lawsuit was filed the same day Oregons Public Utility Commission approved a 8.5% rate increase, starting Jan. 1. The company had originally sought a 17.5% increase, according to the commissions official order approving the smaller rate increase.

 Fedor Zarkhin is a breaking news and enterprise reporter. Do you have a story? Reach him by phone or text at 971-373-2905 or by email at fzarkhin@oregonian.com.

Our journalism needs your support. Subscribe today to OregonLive.com
One person was killed in Holosiyivsky district of Kyiv as a result of the morning Russian attack, according to Kyiv City Military Administration.

"According to preliminary information, one person was killed in Holosiyivsky district," the message says.

As reported, there is a victim in Holosiyivsky district of Kyiv as a result of the morning rocket attack, said mayor of the capital Vitali Klitschko. Klitschko also reported on debris that fell on the roof of a house in Dniprovsky district and on a fire in Solomyansky district. Brigades are heading there. Also, as a result of the attack, a fire broke out in Shevchenkivsky district of the capital.
For me, one of the most important principles in writing about the religious beliefs of others is this one: Those about whose religious beliefs one is writing should be able to recognize their religious beliefs in what has been written.

They may say that the author has expressed one or more elements of their belief in a somewhat unaccustomed way. That happens sometimes. But they should be able to recognize it as their own. One of the best compliments that Ive occasionally received from Muslims about my writings on Islam is that Ive gotten it right.

I would be quite unhappy if they were to have said the opposite. If the person whose religious faith has been explained is protesting No! no! no! Thats not right! Its not accurate! We dont believe that! then the wannabe explainer hasnt done it right.

I cant count the number of conversations about my own religious beliefs that Ive had with others, especially with often quite exercised evangelical Protestants, in which theyve said to me You believe x! and Ive responded not only that, no, I dont believe x but that, in fact, Im unaware of anybody in my church who believes x. To which the challenger then responds But thats what your church teaches! To which Ive replied that, in all of my (now) many decades as a member and a missionary and a teacher and a writer and a sometime leader for my church, and as a long-time resident of Utah and a long-time professor at my churchs flagship university, Ive never taught or been taught x as Church doctrine. Well, thats still what your church believes! answers the challenger. And, sometimes, if the challenger is especially well-equipped, he or (very occasionally) she will present me with a decontextualized supporting quotation from Journal of Discourses 14:234 or from an obscure 1950s book by a long forgotten member of the First Council of Seventy or a onetime Institute teacher that seems to endorse x. Seldom if ever, by the way, a passage that the challenger discovered on his or her own via serious research. Instead, its typically one that he or she came across while skimming through an anti-Mormon website.

Such conversations are tiresome and, in my opinion, quite without value. And Im not much more enthusiastic about such conversations when they concern Islam, rather than my own faith.

Right now, one such conversation is going on elsewhere on the internet about whether Muslims worship Muhammad. To which the answer is, simply, that they dont. Period. And I strongly suspect that, if the person asserting that they do were to line up, say, a thousand practicing Muslims of reasonable intelligence and to ask them Do you worship Muhammad? he would receive one thousand resolute negatives. Some of them perhaps a bit on the passionate side.

Do Muslims venerate Muhammad? Yes. Absolutely. Do they call down blessings upon him and upon his family and upon his companions? Yes, they commonly do. But there is a strong, bright line between that and actually worshiping him. To associate or join anything else with God in worship is considered shirk ()  pronounced sheerk: literally, association, but, more broadly, polytheism  and shirk is the worst sin, indeed the unforgivable sin, in the lexicon of Islam.

I have some good news and some bad news. And they are the same news: A friend reports that the Orem outlet of Deseret Book is sold out of DVD and Blu-ray copies of Six Days in August. Which suggests that people who want to secure one or more copies of the film as Christmas gifts (or, as has been suggested over at the Peterson Obsession Board, as gag gifts for seasonal white elephant parties) may want to consider procrastinating the day of their repentance no longer. (I dont know the state of the inventory at other Deseret Book stores.) The film is also available, of course, from Deseret Book online. But I suspect that, here too, delay would not be very prudent. Not, at least, if youre hoping to have the film in hand by or before Christmas Day.

Alan and Karen Ashton bestowed an inestimable gift upon Utah Valley when they created Thanksgiving Point. And their annual Luminaria display of Christmas lights takes Thanksgiving Point to a whole new level. After we visited Luminaria last night, a five-year-old granddaughter announced that This is the best place ever!

Newly posted on the website of the ever-dying website of the always-about-to-expire Interpreter Foundation: The Temple: Past, Present and Future: Wiraqocha and the Rites of the Raqchi Temple in Peru, written by Van C. Evans

Part of our book chapter reprint series, this article originally appeared in The Temple: Past, Present and Future, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and Jeffrey M. Bradshaw. For more information, go to https://interpreterfoundation.org/books/the-temple-past-present-and-future/. For video and audio recording of this conference talk, go to https://interpreterfoundation.org/conferences/2020-temple-on-mount-zion-conference/videos/evans/. When the Spaniards arrived on Peruvian shores in 1532, they were mistaken for Wiraqocha, a bearded white god who had sojourned among them in ancient times. This god had travelled through the Andes on a perfect 45 degree angle of the north-south axis of the planet. They called it the Holy Path, and the ancient Andeans built temples to worship him in each of the settlements he visited along the path. In these temples they performed sacrifices, initiation, and endowment ordinances. Some of these are still performed today in their sacred vestments, including their signs and tokens.

Please note that this article is part of our book chapter reprint series, which always appears on Thursdays. It is not an article in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship. Journal articles, which are distinct from book chapter reprints, appear on Fridays. And Friday is a different day than Thursday. (Some followers of this blog have found the distinction difficult.)

Over the past several years, Ive written a number of Christmas-related columns for, first, the Deseret News and, now, Meridian Magazine. Here are links to a few of those that I did for the Deseret News. Ill try to share some of the other links over the next few days. One or two out there might perhaps find one or two of them worth a brief glance:

Deseret News (17 December 2020): How the Church of the Nativity, the traditional birthplace of Jesus, has survived conquerers and time

Deseret News (3 December 2020): How the Annunciation and the birth of Jesus are referred to in the Quran: I offer my own translations of Christmas-related passages from a book that will be far less familiar to many

Deseret News (19 December 2019): What is the appeal of Christmas beyond Christian believers? The birth of a baby  any baby  is a moment of hope and the inauguration of virtually boundless possibilities, and Christmas powerfully reminds us of these things once more each year

Deseret News (22 December 2017, with William Hamblin): Christmas after the Protestant Reformation

Deseret News (21 December 2017): Christmas and Christs mortal tabernacle'

Deseret News (23 December 2016, with William J. Hamblin): For first time in nearly 40 years, Hanukkah and Christmas Eve are on the same day

Deseret News (22 December 2016): Christmas and the ultimate restoration of all things

Deseret News (15 December 2016): The Book of Mormon at Christmas

Heres an interesting article from Hanna Seariac in the Deseret News: The complicated story about religious attendance rates: Life events and other factors can impact whether or not a person returns to religion
Since Thursday evening, five ballistic missiles and 40 enemy UAVs have been destroyed, another 20 drones have not reached their targets (locally lost), according to the AFU Air Force.

As noted in the Telegram message, on the night of December 20, 2024 (from 19:00 on December 19), the enemy launched an attack with an Iskander-M ballistic missile from Rostov region, an X-59/69 guided air missile from the airspace of Kursk region, and 65 Shahed-type attack UAVs and other types of drones from Bryansk, Millerovo, Orel, Primorsko-Akhtarsk - RF districts.

The air attack was repelled by aviation, anti-aircraft missile forces, electronic warfare units, mobile fire groups of the Air Force and the Defense Forces of Ukraine.

As of 09:30, the downing of 40 Shahed-type attack UAVs and other types of drones in Kursk, Poltava, Sumy, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhia regions was confirmed.

Due to the active counteraction of the Defense Forces, 20 enemy simulator drones were locally lost (without negative consequences).

As a result of the night-time missile and drone strike, private, apartment buildings, medical institutions, warehouses and farms in Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, Kyiv and Kharkiv regions were hit.

"At about 7:00 on December 20, 2024, the enemy struck the capital of Ukraine with five Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles. The launches were carried out from Voronezh and Bryansk regions of the Russian Federation. As a result of combat work by air defense, all five Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles, that Russian criminals sent to Kyiv, were shot down," the Air Force notes.

"Unfortunately, after an insidious enemy attack, there are consequences on the ground. Fragments of downed missiles caused damage and destruction in five districts of the capital, unfortunately, there are dead and injured," the message also says.
By Todd Richmond, Scott Bauer and Ryan J. Foley, The Associated Press

MADISON, Wis.  The shooter who killed a student and teacher at a religious school in Wisconsin brought two guns to the school and was in contact with a man in California who authorities say was planning to attack a government building, according to authorities and court documents that became public Wednesday.

Police were still investigating why the 15-year-old student at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison shot and killed a fellow student and teacher on Monday before shooting herself, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said. Two other students who were shot remained in critical condition on Wednesday.

We may never know what she was thinking that day, but well do our best to try to add or give as much information to our public as possible, Barnes said.

A California judge, meanwhile, issued a restraining order Tuesday under Californias gun red flag law against a 20-year-old Carlsbad man. The order requires the man to turn his guns and ammunition into police within 48 hours unless an officer asks for them sooner because he poses an immediate danger to himself and others.

According to the order, the man told FBI agents that he had been messaging Natalie Rupnow, the Wisconsin shooter, about attacking a government building with a gun and explosives. The order doesnt say what building he had targeted or when he planned to launch his attack. It also doesnt detail his interactions with Rupnow except to state that the man was plotting a mass shooting with her.

The student who was killed in Mondays school shooting was identified in an obituary released Wednesday as Rubi Patricia Vergara, 14, of Madison. She was a freshman at the school and an avid reader, loved art, singing and playing keyboard in the family worship band, according to the obituary. The Associated Press' attempts to reach the girls family by phone and email on Wednesday evening were unsuccessful.

The Dane County medical examiner Wednesday evening identified the teacher who was killed as 42-year-old Erin Michelle West, after initially identifying her as Michelle E. West. A man who answered the phone at a number listed for West in public records hung up when reached by a reporter Wednesday evening.

The schools communication director, Barbara Wiers, said in a statement Wednesday evening that Vergara had attended the school since kindergarten.

West worked as a substitute teacher for three years before accepting a position as the schools substitute coordinator and an in-building substitute teacher, Wiers said.

Our hearts are heavy with these losses, Wiers wrote in an email to The Associated Press.

Police, with the assistance of the FBI, were scouring online records and other resources and speaking with the shooters parents and classmates in an attempt to determine a motive for the shooting, Barnes said.

Police dont know if anyone was targeted in the attack or if the attack had been planned in advance, the chief said.

I do not know if if she planned it that day or if she planned it a week prior, Barnes said. To me, bringing a gun to school to hurt people is planning. And so we dont know what the premeditation is.

While Rupnow had two handguns, Barnes said he does not know how she obtained them and he declined to say who purchased them, citing the ongoing investigation.

No decisions have been made about whether Rupnows parents might be charged in relation to the shooting, but they have been cooperating, Barnes said.

Online court records show no criminal cases against her father, Jeffrey Rupnow, or her mother, Mellissa Rupnow. They are divorced and shared custody of their daughter, but she primarily lived with her father, according to court documents. Divorce records indicate that Natalie was in therapy in 2022, but dont say why.

The school shooting was the latest among dozens across the U.S. in recent years, including especially deadly ones in Newtown, Connecticut, Parkland, Florida, and Uvalde, Texas.

People put flowers outside the Abundant Life Christian School Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024 in Madison, Wis., following a shooting on Monday. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)AP

But the Wisconsin shooting stands out because school shootings by teenage females have been extremely rare in the U.S., with males in their teens and 20s carrying out the majority of them, said David Riedman, founder of the K-12 School Shooting Database.

Abundant Life is a nondenominational Christian school that offers prekindergarten classes through high school. About 420 students attend the institution.

This story has been updated to correct the name of the teacher killed to Erin Michelle West, according to the medical examiners office, which initially identified her as Michelle E. West. It has also been updated to correct the day the restraining order was issued against the California man.

Foley reported from Iowa City, Iowa.
Atlantic City officials announced Thursday that the Atlantic City Airshow will not run in 2025 as the event searches for a new way forward considering community engagement, costs and logistics.

After careful consideration, the Atlantic City Airshow will take a strategic pause for 2025, officials from the Greater Atlantic City Chamber said in a news release Thursday. We will use this time to reevaluate the overall operations of the show  reevaluating community engagement, assessing costs, reviewing logistics and creatively considering what future Atlantic City Airshows could look like.

On Thursday, officials with the air show said they were searching for a way to create an economically sustainable event. The airshow, which ran for about 20 years, is New Jerseys largest free event, officials said, and has attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors to the Jersey Shore over the years.

We recognize the Airshows significant role in our community and to the tourism economy, and we are steadfast in our dedication to preserving its legacy, while adapting to current economic realities, officials said.

The first airshow in Atlantic City was in 1910. It was held along the beach between Tennessee Avenue and Arkansas Avenue, drawing about 100,000 people, according to the Atlantic City Free Public Library.

The airshow was canceled in 2024 after a major act pulled out of the event, months after Gov. Phil Murphys office helped find $300,000 in funding from the South Jersey Transportation Authoritys budget to help the show go on.

The event has drawn hundreds of thousands of people over the years and created tens of millions of dollars in tourism. Atlantic City officials said about 500,000 people attended the airshow in 2023, with a $50 million impact on the local economy.

Matthew Enuco may be reached at Menuco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow Matt on X.
COLUMBUS, Ohio  A funeral home in Columbus soon could offer to lift spirits by serving them during services.

The owners of Evergreen Funeral Cremation and Reception tell WSYX Channel 6 that the facility has applied for a liquor license that will allow it to sell beer, wine and hard liquor, and hope to have it in place when it opens next year.

Hunter Triplett, one of the funeral homes owners who describes his job as being a party planner for the dead, said the goal is to change the dark reputation of the business. Instead, he wants mourners to have the opportunity to toast a deceased loved one, WSYX reports

A lot of people dont really find the value in funeral service anymore, where you go for 1-2 hours and then depart, Triplett tells 614now.com. With the rise of cremations and celebrations of life, people are moving on from traditional services. A lot of people Ive dealt with are going to event centers, going to eateries and food establishments to celebrate. The concept was to capture that and keep it in-house.

Triplett says services should be more of a celebration of life than more of the multiday traditional services.

We will only be serving alcohol when people are on this premises and remain on the premises until the continuation of the services just for the safety of the people in the community around, Triplett said.

According to WSYX, Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts and North Dakota do not allow alcohol sales at funeral homes. But the New York Post reports there has been an increase nationwide of funeral homes offering services similar to Evergreens.

More:

How to make boilo, the classic Pa. coal country Christmas drink

Daily marijuana use outpaces daily drinking in US, study says
A bone dragged to a Birmingham, Alabama, home by the same dog that previously found a human skull has been determined to be a leg bone.

Jefferson County Chief Deputy Coroner Bill Yates on Friday said the bone found on Dec. 12 is a human left tibia, which is the lower leg bone.

The skull found in August by the dog was determined to have been from a homicide victim.

In the latest find, Birmingham police and the Jefferson County coroners office responded that Thursday morning to Fifth Place N.W. after the homeowner, who is also the dog owner, called to report another bone had been retrieved.

The investigation began Aug. 20 when a resident found the skull on the shoulder of the roadway next to his home.

It is believed the skull was moved to where it was found by the homeowners dog, but the original location of the skull is unknown.

Yates said a search of the area around the residence found no other human remains.

Police later said the medical examination of the skull showed the victim had been shot and the case was deemed a homicide.

The body has not been identified.

Since then, Yates told AL.com Thursday, the skull was analyzed, and a full DNA profile has been compiled.

However, Yates said, the DNA profile did not match anyone listed CODIS, or the Combined DNA Index System, which is a national DNA database that allows law enforcement to compare DNA profiles from crime scenes, convicted offenders, arrestees, detainees, and missing persons. The FBI maintains the national index.

Yates said the skull belongs to a male. There are features that lead authorities to believe the skull belonged to a Black male, but Yates said the race is not 100% confirmed.

Just over a week ago, the same dog showed up in its front yard with the long bone.

Yates said investigators checked nearby properties and woods behind the home but have not yet found where the dog is finding the bones, if indeed they do belong to the same person.

Investigators also checked with area residents and asked them to look at their Ring cameras to see if they could determine where the dog was going to or coming from.

One neighbor, Yates said, did report seeing the dog walking up the street. Another reported seeing the dog gnawing on a bone.

Yates said he even stopped a mailman to question him.

Yates on Friday said DNA analysis will be performed to determine if the leg bone is associated with the skull recovered in August.

We are working with law enforcement to identify missing persons cases possibly associated with the remains and to obtain DNA reference samples from the families of the missing persons for comparison to the recovered remains, he said.

We are working with the owner of the dogs and residents in the neighborhood to better understand the roaming patterns of the dogs in an effort to locate the origin of the remains, Yates said.
By Elaine S. Povich, Stateline.org

(TNS)

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.

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.

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.

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. (Rep. Brian Ashe/TNS)TNS

The law 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.

The National Humane Education Society said the Massachusetts law sets a new standard in kennel regulation and safety for pets.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Linda Wood, operator of Pawsitively Pets, a pet care facility in Bolton, Massachusetts, and Emmet, a mini-labradoodle she cares for. (Courtesy of Linda Wood/TNS)TNS

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.

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.

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.

Argo, Wallaby and Paluka check out the snow from the windows at Pawsitively Pets in Bolton, Massachusetts. (Courtesy of Linda Wood/TNS)TNS

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 national nonprofit news organization focused on state policy.

2024 States Newsroom. Visit at stateline.org. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
By Susan Snyder (The Philadelphia Inquirer, TNS)

Julie DeVercelly estimates she and her husband, Gary, have been to Washington, D.C., as many as 30 times over the last decade to lobby for the nations first federal anti-hazing law.

Its been a long journey for the DeVercellys, who lost their son Gary Jr. to alcohol poisoning in 2007 after a fraternity event at Rider University in New Jersey.

On Wednesday night, they and other families with the same mission learned that the Stop Campus Hazing Act is almost a reality. The Senate approved the bill, which had been previously passed by the House and now awaits President Joe Bidens signature.

Weve been pushing hard for this for a very long time, said Julie DeVercelly, a high school math teacher in Long Beach, California.

The legislation will require colleges to publicly report hazing incidents, establish a hazing prevention policy, and offer ongoing research-based prevention and awareness training. It also will establish a federal definition of hazing and require colleges to publish on their websites findings on student organizations that violate hazing policy.

Pennsylvania and New Jersey previously enacted laws that require colleges to publicly report hazing incidents and toughened penalties.

This is a huge milestone for campus safety and a victory for the students and families that have been impacted by hazing, said Jessica Mertz, executive director of Clery Center, a national group aimed at improving the reporting of campus crime, based in Fort Washington.

The legislation, Mertz said, will amend the Clery Act, a campus crime law that was passed following the 1986 murder and rape of Jeanne Clery in her dorm room at Lehigh University. The 1990 legislation requires colleges and universities to disclose crimes reported on or near their campuses and warn students about potential threats.

The new law, Mertz said, will help expose how widespread hazing is on college campuses and bring a uniform definition and reporting mechanism that will be used across the country.

We are confident that (Biden) will sign this bill into law and that we will be able to start supporting institutions with implementation next year, said Mertz, whose center has been advocating for the law for a decade.

Jim and Evelyn Piazza, the parents of Tim Piazza, who died following a booze-fueled hazing party at Pennsylvania State University in 2017, said they were thrilled and appreciative that the bill passed the Senate.

We, along with other families in the anti-hazing coalition, which we helped form, have been working on this bill and its predecessor, the End All Hazing Act, for the past seven years, said Jim Piazza, of Spring Lake, New Jersey. Many thanks to the congressional leaders who supported us and to everyone responsible for making this happen.

That February night, Tim Piazza, a sophomore mechanical engineering major, passed through a drinking gauntlet with other pledges to the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. Piazza fell down stairs and languished on a couch for nearly 12 hours before anyone called for help. He later died, suffering a collapsed lung, a ruptured spleen, and a non-recoverable traumatic brain injury.

The case drew national attention in part because video surveillance from the house that night was played in court, showing Piazza and others moving through the gauntlet and chugging alcohol. More than two dozen fraternity members entered pleas to charges including hazing, conspiracy to commit hazing, and furnishing alcohol to minors. The last two members, Brendan Young and Daniel Casey, the fraternitys former president and vice president, were sentenced in October to two to four months in prison and three years probation.

A civil suit the Piazzas filed against fraternity members is ongoing.

Despite the universitys myriad efforts following Piazzas death to crack down on Greek life, hazing continues to pose challenges at the state-related university. Earlier this fall, Penn State said in a letter to parents it was experiencing double the number of alleged hazing incidents this year compared with the same time last year, T he Centre Daily Times reported in October. Multiple reports of hazing and high-risk drinking occurred at fraternities not recognized by Penn State as part of its Greek system, the newspaper said.

The DeVercellys son died under circumstances similar to Piazzas. During Big Little night at a fraternity, he and his sponsoring big brother had to split a bottle of vodka, his father previously told The Philadelphia Inquirer. The sponsor had a test the next day, so he took only a couple of shots. Gary DeVercelly Jr. drank the rest.

When he passed out, fraternity members put him on a couch; some wanted to call for help but were told not to, his father has said. He died of alcohol poisoning the next day.

The DeVercellys joined the Clery board and have been pushing for more education and legislation. They quickly became concerned about the inconsistencies in state hazing laws across the country and the inability to get a true picture of the extent of the problem, Julie DeVercelly said.

Were going to get a sense of just how deep hazing is on college campuses nationally, she said.

She wished the legislation could have happened sooner, noting students, including Piazza, who died in the years following her sons death.

But now were here and we can start the process of transforming the hazing culture on campuses, she said.

DeVercelly called Connie Clery, mother of Jeanne Clery, on Wednesday night. It was decades ago that Clery and her husband mounted their own successful campaign for a campus safety law. Clery, DeVercelly said, had become a mentor.

You have made my night, DeVercelly said Clery told her. You are going to save lives.
By Nathan Willison, LNP, Lancaster, Pa. (TNS)

Pennsylvania State Police announced the creation of a police academy at Elizabethtown College.

Elizabethtown College officials say the police academy will allow students in the recently created Municipal Police Officer Training minor to complete Act 120, a 26-week course required to become a municipal police officer in Pennsylvania.

Kadee Crandall, director of the criminal justice program at Elizabethtown College, said rather than outsourcing the training and education involved in the minor to an existing police academy, the college proposed the creation of one on campus.

Students will be able to complete a bachelors degree and the police academy program in four years.

The police academy aligns seamlessly with the Elizabethtown Colleges mission of service to the community, successful delivery of pre-professional programs, and strategic adaptation to meet market demands, Crandall said in a statement to LNP-Lancaster Online on Wednesday.

When it opens, the Elizabethtown College academy will be the only Municipal Police Officers Education and Training Commission police academy in Lancaster County and will provide training facilities for municipal police departments in Lancaster and York counties.

State police have not announced when the academy will be accepting prospective officers.

A Pennsylvania Department of Corrections Training Academy is already in Elizabethtown.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry has been named to a new law enforcement role as the states inspector general.

Gov. Josh Shapiro tapped Henry to lead the agency that investigates fraud, misconduct and abuse in executive agencies under the governors control.

Michelle is an experienced prosecutor who has spent decades in public service protecting consumers rights, standing up for public safety and the rule of law, and fighting for people all across Pennsylvania, said Shapiro. I have complete confidence in her ability to hold bad actors accountable for fraud and misconduct and root out waste and abuse.

Henry must be confirmed by a two-thirds vote of the state Senate.

Henry has spent almost three decades as a prosecutor and served as the first deputy under Shapiro during his tenure as attorney general, overseeing all legal matters including criminal cases and civil suits. Shapiro named her his successor when he won the governors race in 2022.

Henry said she would serve out Shapiros term and not seek election. York District Attorney Dave Sunday, a Republican, won the race in November and takes office as the attorney general on January 21.

Among other responsibilities, OSIGs bureaus focus on investigating fraud and waste in taxpayer-funded grant programs and contracts, as well as public benefit fraud and collecting misused taxpayer funds.

Henry said in a statement she was looking forward to continuing her law enforcement work in a new setting.

As Attorney General, I worked to root out fraud and protect Pennsylvanian taxpayers from deceptive practices  and as Inspector General, I will continue to hold bad actors accountable and to protect the Commonwealth from waste, fraud, and abuse," she said.

Inspector General Lucas M. Miller, who worked in the agency for 24 years, submitted his resignation effective January 2.

First Deputy State Inspector General Clarke Madden will serve as interim State Inspector General until Henry takes office on January 21.
WILLIAMSPORT  Two New York men are accused of scamming at least nine Tioga County residents out of $288,000 this past June.

The indictment detailing the charges against Sun Ton Lin, 37, and Xueliang Chen, 36, both of Staten Island, was filed Thursday in U.S. Middle District Court.

They are accused with others of devising a scheme to defraud that entailed false pretenses, representations and promises.

Lin and Chen, posing as employees of major corporations and government agencies, convinced individuals their accounts, identities and money were at imminent risk because of computer hackers or other means, the indictment said.

Victims, many of whom were elderly, received emails and phone calls from individuals representing themselves as security or customer service personnel for companies including PayPal and Amazon, the charges state.

The following is taken from the indictment:

Victims were led to believe there was a threat to the security of their account, purchases were being made without their authorization or there was a pending transfer.

They were provided a telephone number to call and when they did, the person who answered was a co-conspirator who gained their trust by pretending to help them.

At some point the co-conspirator would advise the caller to safeguard their money they needed to withdraw large amounts and turn it over to a courier who would secure it for them until the danger passed.

Once the cash was available, Lin would send Chen text messages containing information about the victim including the last four digits of a Social Security number.

At times Lin would provide a passcode Chen would convey so the victim would trust him.

After picking up the money Chen would send Lin videos and photographs of the money and him counting it.

One victim at the direction of purported PayPal employee Shawn Anderson wire-transferred from Wellsboro $26,000 to what she was told was a PayPal account but in fact was a PNC Bank account with a beneficiary address in Alabama.

The same victim at the direction of Anderson withdrew an additional $50,000 in cash.

When Chen showed up on June 27 at an address provided by Lin to pick up the money, the victim asked for identification and he left. Lin and Chen communicated by text as he drove back to New York.

The two are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud. The government as part of the indictment is seeking forfeiture of about $288,000.

It could not be determined if this case is related to a similar Pennsylvania case where a California resident and two former Penn State students were indicted earlier this year and are awaiting trial.

Chenhao Chen is accused of recruiting and supervising couriers paid to collect money in a computer fraud scheme in Pennsylvania that government says bilked victims out of at least $316,300.

Yankun Jiang and Hanlin Yang, both of State College, are accused of being among the couriers who posed as agents or marshals to pick up money from victims.
By Gillian McGoldrick, The Philadelphia Inquirer (TNS)

PHILADELPHIA  The former state director for the President-elect Donald Trumps 2016 campaign has dropped out of the race to lead the Pennsylvania Republican Party, clearing the way for a state senator and former Cumberland County GOP chair to take the reins next year  and showing Senator-elect Dave McCormicks weight in the state party.

Backed by a Bucks County venture capitalist, longtime Trump ally Ted Christian announced earlier this month he would challenge GOP Chair Lawrence Tabas to lead the state party. Tabas eventually announced he would not run for reelection, and top Republicans  led by McCormick  made a full-court press in support of state Sen. Greg Rothman, R-Cumberland, for the post.

However, Christians public run for party chairman was short-lived. He announced Thursday in a statement he would not continue his bid for state party chair, and will back Rothman for the job.

As a donor, grassroots activist, senior strategist and candidate for state chairman, I have always put our Party first, Christian said in a statement. With that in mind, I have decided I will not continue running to be Chairman of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania.

I will be supporting my friend, Greg Rothman, and look forward to supporting the Party in new ways moving forward, Christian added. He could not be reached Thursday for further comment.

State Sen. Greg Rothman, R-Cumberland County, speaks in support of Dave McCormick in September in Steelton. (Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com, file)Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com

Just after Tabas announced he would not run for reelection as party chairman at the GOPs reorganization meeting in February, support for Rothman poured in. Most notably, Rothman secured the support of McCormick, who successfully unseated U.S. Sen. Bob Casey in Novembers red wave election.

Meanwhile, Christian had captured the support of several early Trump supporters, including two delegates to the Republican National Committee and electors who cast their votes for Trump earlier this week: Val Biancaniello and Curt Coccodrilli. Christian previously led New Jerseys Republican state committee, worked as state director for the Trump campaign in 2016, and also served on Trumps first transition team and worked on his 2020 campaign as a senior adviser.

In supporting Rothman over Christian, state GOP leaders opted for the person more connected with state-level politics, instead of the venture capitalist-backed longtime Trump loyalist, as Trump is term-limited after his inauguration next month. Rothman endorsed Ron DeSantis over Trump in the 2024 presidential election primary and held a fundraiser for him in Pennsylvania. More recently, however, he aligned with Trump, running advertisements on X which included photos of Rothman and his family with the president-elect.

Paul Martino, a Bucks County venture capitalist who funded a slate of mostly conservative suburban school board members in 2021 and who contributed $100,000 to Christians bid for party chairman, said in a statement he was disappointed by the news and continues to believe Christian is the right guy for the job.

It is clear who runs the GOP in PA now  and thats Dave McCormick, Martino added.

He made his pick, and the party fell in line, Martino added. I hope this marks the start of a new chapter of strong leadership for our party in PA as change was certainly needed.
Military attache with staff should be present in every foreign diplomatic institution of Ukraine  Sybiha

Photo: MFA of Ukraine

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs supports the expansion of the institute of military attaches "in all geographies" where Ukrainian embassies are present, said Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andriy Sybiha.

"Personally, as a minister, I support the approach that a military attache with the appropriate staff should be in every foreign diplomatic institution of Ukraine. I am in contact with Kyrylo Budanov, we are working in this direction," Sybiha said during the Hour of Questions to the government in the Verkhovna Rada, which was broadcast via YouTube by MP Oleksiy Honcharenko.

According to the minister, the institute of military attaches is extremely important in the activities of every foreign institution in Ukraine, especially for a belligerent country.

"Therefore, as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we speak in favour of both filling vacancies in those embassies where military attaches are already present or appointed today, but there are still unfilled vacancies, and for expanding the institute of military attaches in all geographies where our embassies are present," Sybiha said.

According to him, the issue of military attaches was also raised during the meeting of ambassadors this summer.
Germany has delivered another IRIS-T SLM anti-aircraft missile firing system to Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said at a national briefing after a meeting of the European Council in Brussels.

This would be in line with earlier announcements that the sixth IRIS-T SLM fire unit as well as two additional IRIS-T SLS launchers pledged by Germany would be delivered to Ukraine by the end of the year, the post says.
Photo: https://www.facebook.com/st.nicholas.kyiv/

On Friday morning, as a result of a Russian missile strike on Kyiv, the Church of St. Nicholas was damaged, the Roman Catholic parish of the church has said.

"The glass in the towers around the church was blown out, some stained glass windows fell down ... The glass in the towers that are so waiting for the crosses to be returned was blown out. Unfortunately, the buildings near the church were damaged even more. One person has already been killed, and about a dozen were wounded," the parish said in a Facebook post.

"As we can see, nothing stops the enemy! He mercilessly strikes civilian buildings, peaceful people, churches ... But we will rebuild the walls, the church will return to its rightful owner, its parish. We believe in justice! We believe that the Lord will win! Ukraine needs Victory! We need Peace!" the post says.

"Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris was restored and opened with pomp and ceremony by the powers that be, but will the world community remember the Church of St. Nicholas in Kyiv? I am sad to see how our church is being mercilessly destroyed. Today it is suffering from Russian missiles. The enemy is destroying what is sacred to us, Ukrainians. But I do not lose hope that the parish will be returned and the church restored in Kyiv. We continue our fight with the believers," said Father Pavlo Vyshkovsky, rector of the Church of St. Nicholas.
HILTON HEAD ISLAND  Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park is hosting a legend in the New Year.

On Dec. 19, the park on Hilton Head Island unveiled "The Journey to Freedom," a 9-foot bronze statue of Harriet Tubman.

The traveling sculpture by renowned North Carolina-based artist Wesley Wofford has traversed the country since 2020 in honor of the abolitionist and social activist.

Mitchelville Freedom Park is a especially meaningful place to play host to the statue. Tubman's connection to the site runs deep, said Lola Campbell, chair of Mitchelville Freedom Parks executive committee.

"She traversed these waters and forests serving as a spy, scout, nurse and cook for the Union Army," Campbell said. "In 1863, her leadership in the Combahee River Raid liberated over 750 individuals. Many of those freed souls found sanctuary and opportunity right here in Mitchelville."

For thousands of people, freedom began on the north end of Hilton Head.

Mitchelville was the first self-governed town of formerly enslaved people and at one time, was the economic and cultural hub of the island. Established in 1862, the community's success served as proof of concept for the Port Royal Experiment, which sought to create schools and hospitals for the formerly enslaved as well as to enable them to buy land seized from slaveholders.

Today, Mitchelville exists as a public park where renewed efforts to preserve the town's history have brought archeological efforts and architectural tributes depicting Mitchelville's past.

"This park represents resilience, self determination and the unwavering spirit of those who claimed their place in history," Campbell said. "It is fitting that we gather here to unveil a stature honoring General Harriet Tubman."
NATOs senior rep to Ukraine: Ukraine to be discussed at Alliance summit in Hague, but Im not going to forecast discussion contents

At the NATO summit in The Hague in 2025, in addition to the need for the strongest support for Ukraine, issues of defense spending and defense production capabilities of the countries will be raised, said Patrick Turner, NATOs Senior Representative to Ukraine.

Im not going to second guess what leaders will discuss. I can tell you two things I know that they will be discussing, and these are linked to this question. Evidently, there will be a discussion on Ukraine at the Summit, but Im not going to forecast exactly the contents of that discussion. The Secretary General has been pursuing two big themes publicly, apart from the need for the strongest possible support for Ukraine now, Turner said in an exclusive interview with the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

According to him, one of the topics will concern the increase in European defense spending.

It really means much more. Secondly, Allies need to boost their defence production capacities by very large margins. At the moment, as you know, the production capacity in NATO countries is seriously inadequate, the senior representative said.

He added that those two things are needed to maintain effective defence and deterrence in NATO, but theyre also needed to ensure that we can continue to support Ukraine into the future.

Our absolute intent is to continue to support Ukraine into the future. We want to help Ukraine to end the Russian war. But we certainly dont want to see what Russia has done in Ukraine happening on NATO territory. And if we dont bring an end to the war in a way that provides lasting, really assured security for Ukraine, then this is a problem that will recur somewhere else, Turner stressed.
Ed Lab reporter

Anna B. Mitchell is a Greenville-based investigative reporter for the Post and Courier's Education Lab team. A licensed English and social studies teacher, Anna covers education in the Upstate and collaborates with other reporters for coverage on statewide education trends. She studied history at the University of North Carolina, journalism at the University of Missouri, and holds an MBA from the University of Applied Sciences in Wurzburg. For fun, Anna plays bassoon, visits her family in Germany as often as she can, and takes her doggy, Ashe, for long walks with her daughter and husband.
Reporter

Spencer Donovan covers Greenville for The Post and Courier. He's an Atlanta native and graduate of the University of Georgia. You can find him on walks around town, eating at local restaurants and hiking in the mountains.
More about the series

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Priced Out is an occasional series about the widespread

impacts of soaring rents and the search for solutions.

With rents jumping 30 percent or more since the start of 2021,

in some of S.C.s largest cities, tenants are feeling the strain and business groups say its getting harder to attract workers.

Want to share your experience and contribute to the

conversation? Email David Slade, at dslade@postandcourier.com
Lithuania has announced its readiness to invest in the production of the Palianytsia drone missile, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.

"We discussed key issues related to our further joint work. Strengthening the defense capability of Ukraine and Europe. We highly appreciate Lithuania's comprehensive assistance. Grateful to Lithuania and all partners for your readiness to invest in the Ukrainian defense industry. In particular, Lithuania has announced its readiness to invest in production of the Palianytsia drone missile, which is part of our long-range program," Shmyhal wrote on his Telegram channel following a joint meeting of the governments of Ukraine and Lithuania on Friday in Kyiv.

Earlier, Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas stated that Lithuania was ready to expand cooperation with Ukraine in the area of training and education of Ukrainian military personnel.
Ukraine and Lithuania call on international partners to speed up and increase their military aid to Ukraine, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Palukas have said in a joint statement following the Ukrainian-Lithuanian intergovernmental consultations on Friday.

"We call on our international partners to continue supporting Ukraine no matter what the victory over the Russian aggressor costs, noting the need to accelerate and increase the provision of military assistance to Ukraine by the entire international community, in accordance with Ukraine's needs, to lift any restrictions beyond those secured under international law and to ensure Ukraine's ability to effectively use the right to self-defense during 2025," they said in the statement.

The sides also emphasized the need for comprehensive support for joint defense cooperation projects between Ukraine and Lithuania, including joint production, financing of the Ukrainian defense industry, particularly within the framework of the Zbroyari initiative, localization of production or joint defense projects, joint efforts in demining and rehabilitation, exchange of experience in defense and civil protection of institutions and population.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has introduced temporary measures to address heightened seasonal demand for foreign exchange during the festive period.

Bureau De Change (BDC) operators will now be granted access to the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM) for the purchase of up to $25,000 weekly from authorised dealers, under strict conditions, the apex bank said.

In a circular issued on Thursday by T.G. Allu, for the banks Acting Director of the Trade and Exchange Department, it outlined that this window will be open from 19 December to 30 January 2025.

In order to meet expected seasonal demand for foreign exchange, the CBN is allowing a temporary access for all existing BDCs to the NFEM for the purchase of FX from Authorised Dealers, subject to a weekly cap of USD 25,000.00 (Twenty-five thousand dollars only). This window will be open between December 19, 2024 to January 30, 2025, it said.

BDC operators will be required to purchase FX from only one authorised dealer of their choice and must fully fund their accounts before accessing the market at prevailing NFEM rates.

The arrangement aims to provide liquidity while ensuring adherence to market-determined exchange rates.

BDCs will also be allowed a maximum spread of 1 per cent on pricing offered to retail end-users, with all transactions reported to the Trade and Exchange Department for monitoring purposes.

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

The CBN reiterated its commitment to a fully functional foreign exchange market and stressed that legitimate and eligible transactions, including Personal Travel Allowance (PTA) and Business Travel Allowance (BTA), will continue to be accessible through banks.

It also said it remains committed to a fully functional foreign exchange market and will continue to provide liquidity when necessary to manage price volatility.

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The Nigerian government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, and the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, to foster collaboration, information exchange, and technology transfer in Nigerias oil and gas sector.

Nneamaka Okafor, the special adviser on media and communication to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, made this known in a statement on Thursday.

Ms Okafor said the agreement was signed by Mr Lokpobiri, on behalf of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), and the universities principals, Steve Olivier of Robert Gordon University (RGU) and Jim McDonald of the University of Strathclyde.

The move marks a significant milestone in advancing local capacity in line with global best practices.

The agreement outlines a framework for academic exchange and technology transfer to further strengthen the academic and professional programs at the College of Petroleum & Energy Studies in Kaduna, the statement said.

Speaking at the assigning event, Mr Lokpobiri emphasised the significance of the partnership, noting that this collaboration underscores our commitment to bridging the gap between global best practices and local capacity. By bringing these knowledge transfer programs home, we are laying the foundation for a self- sustaining oil and gas sector driven by highly skilled Nigerians.

The Executive Secretary of PTDF, Ahmed Aminu, also signed a partnership agreement with the two Scottish institutions to formalise their roles in the collaboration.

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Highlighting the importance of the partnership, Mr Aminu noted that Robert Gordon University and the University of Strathclyde have been dependable partners over the years, hosting our foreign-sponsored scholars.

With these agreements, we are strategically bringing those experiences and expertise home to not only develop in-country capacity, but also increase opportunities for more Nigerians to benefit from the PTDF scholarship scheme, he added.

Mr Olivier, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of RGU, expressed enthusiasm for the partnership, stating, We are proud to continue our long-standing relationship with PTDF, now extending our expertise directly to Nigeria. This partnership will ensure that the College of Petroleum & Energy Studies becomes a hub for innovation and excellence.

Also, Mr McDonald remarked that, this collaboration is a testament to the power of global partnerships in transforming education and industry. Together, we are building a brighter future for Nigerias energy sector.

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Netflix is bringing a diverse mix of exciting titles across multiple genres, such as new seasons of Young, Famous & African: Season 3, XO, Kitty: Season 2, The Upshaws: Part 6, and more in January 2025.

For January, Netflix shared its content lineup, announcing the premieres of exciting reality shows and other homegrown content.

Start the year with a dose of romance as Love Is Blind: Germany premieres on 3 January. This time, the experiment comes to Germany as local singles seek true love and a lifetime commitment, all before meeting each other face-to-face.

On the 5th, take an immersive and kaleidoscopic journey through David Bowies incredible life and musical career in this acclaimed  and authorised  documentary with Moonage Daydream.

On the 9th, watch The Upshaws. This heartwarming comedy follows the Upshaws family as they navigate lifes ups and downs, always having each others backs  even when theyre at each others throats.

The 12th is all about Ticket to Paradise and Gone in the Night. In Ticket to Paradise, a long-divorced couple agrees to a truce, determined to sabotage their daughters upcoming wedding in Bali  and begins to see eye-to-eye again.

Get ready to revisit the glitz, gossip, and cutting shade of Africas elite as Young, Famous & African returns with Season 3 on the 17th. Here, luxury meets legacy  and drama rules the day, evoking a sense of nostalgia for the previous seasons.

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In Gone in the Night, a woman awakens to find her boyfriend missing under eerie circumstances after spending the night in a remote cabin with an enigmatic young couple.

Reality show goodness

If you love good reality TV chaos, catch Singles Inferno: Season 4 on the 14th. In this show, a new batch of singles enter Inferno for a chance at love. With romance, competition and heartbreak on the line, who will succeed in finding the one?

Dont miss XO, Kitty: Season 2 on the 16th. This season, Kitty returns to Seoul ready for a fresh start, but her plan for a drama-free semester fizzles fast amid new faces, messy crushes and family secrets.

Its time for some action with Back in Action that day, featuring Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz. Years after giving up life as CIA spies to start a family, Matt and Emily find themselves dragged back into espionage when their cover is blown.

On the 18th, after escaping a Georgia plantation, Alice makes a stunning discovery about the world and plots to exact revenge on the brutal man who enslaved her in Alice.

The next day, catch Minions: The Rise of Gru, where 12-year-old Gru sets out to prove his despicable nature with the help of his bumbling team of Minions after being ejected by his supervillain idols.

On the 26th, watch Mrs Harris Goes to Paris. Here, an irrepressible London housecleaner brightens the lives of those around her on a life-changing Parisian vacation.

Fans of The Recruit can also catch up on season 2 on the 30th. This season, a new graymail case sends Owen to Seoul, where a spy threatens to leak U.S. secrets unless the CIA assists him on a dangerous personal mission.

Also, watch Halloween Ends on the 30th. Here, attempting to build a new life with her granddaughter, Laurie Strode suspects a new round of mysterious deaths is linked to masked killer Michael Myers.

More Nigerian titles

Dont hesitate to watch local titles currently streaming, including Sisi London, Hijack 93, Lisabi: The Uprising, and Tokunbo.

In Sisi London, an outspoken vendor struggles to keep her word when her husband brings home a second wife, having promised her dying mother to control her temper.

Hijack 93 tells the story of four men who hijack an aeroplane to dismantle their military-backed government, leveraging passengers onboard in the name of social change.

In Lisabi: The Uprising, An 18th-century Egba farmer ignites a rebellion against the oppressive Oyo Empire, leveraging the collective power of his fellow farmers and enigmatic abilities. His defiance, culminating in the defeat of over 6,000 Oyo soldiers, secures Egbas independence after centuries of subjugation, marking a pivotal moment in Yoruba history.

While in Tokunbo, an ex-car smuggler is given three hours to deliver a government officials daughter to her captor  or else his family will suffer the consequences.

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Rafatu Idris Salami, so long!

My very dear sister, friend, comrade and professional colleague, passed away overnight, bringing to closure our 36-year old relationship which started at the Institute of Basic Studies, Kwara State College of Technology. My subject combination was English-History-Economics. I remember we had basically the same combo but the English Department was our main hub, where we both played a key role in the English Students Association. You were a year ahead, so when you were elected Secretary, I was elected your deputy.

Upon your graduation, I was elected substantive Secretary. I took over your role in ESA and we thought we had parted ways until we met again at the University of Abuja as pioneer students. We continued the activism with new friends and comrades. Within two years, the authorities expelled us for activism and we started another journey. In that landmark case of Niyi Ibietan & 44 Ors Vs University of Abuja & 2 Ors, you were one of the 44 others. We triumphed over one Nigerias most authoritarian university administrations, winning our cases up to the Court of Appeal. Shame would not allow the authorities to proceed to Supreme Court where their defeat was pending.

While the cases lasted, you and I and others enrolled at the Nigerian campus of the Moscow-based International Institute of Journalism, graduating with distinction. We became a family bond together, not by our mutual Kogi ancestry but by ideas, principles and commitment to the ideals of freedom for man and country.

When you showed up on wheelchair 72 hours ago at the Retreat of Voice of Nigeria where you worked, I didnt know you came to say goodbye to many of us. I had been taking your hugs for more than 30 years, the hug you gave me on the 17th of December was unusual. It was profound and long. I was too restless to interpret it until my phone rang this morning and I received with shock the tragic news of your transition.

READ ALSO: IPI Nigeria mourns treasurer Rafatu Salami

Rafatu, Ive got fond memories of your rare, rekindling love, abhorrence of unfreedoms and the search for peace. Now you have peace. Its been a long journey of battles but you won at last. So many of us have been concerning about Ahmed, your beloved son, whose life opened a new vista of learning and challenge to you. Ahmed will be fine by the special grace of God.

The Almighty God, to Whom you were a faithful, will take care of Ahmed, and we beseech Him, in His benevolence and mercy, to pardon your limitations and grant you a good place in Aljana Firdaus. AMEN

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Odigba, my dear friend, Rafatu!

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Nigeria is set to receive 11,200 doses of Mpox vaccine, donated by the United States of America and facilitated by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

Gavi, on its website, reported that the vaccine has been shipped to Abuja, Nigeria, with delivery expected today, Friday.

This follows agreements signed in November by Gavi to facilitate the donation of 305,000 doses of Mpox vaccine to support the global and continental response to the ongoing outbreak.

The group noted that the doses, manufactured by Bavarian Nordic, have been allocated to affected countries through the Access and Allocation Mechanism for Mpox, led by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Gavi, UNICEF, and the World Health Organisation.

Global response

The donation is part of a larger effort to combat the Mpox outbreak, which continues to constitute a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

Gavi has also provided emergency funding to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, and Rwanda, as well as 500,000 directly procured vaccines alongside funding for delivery and other related costs.

Also, in August, Nigeria received 10,000 doses of Mpox vaccine donation from the US government, making it the first country to receive the vaccine.

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Gavis efforts have been bolstered by the US governments commitment to providing over a million Mpox vaccines to international communities dealing with the current outbreak.

The organisation stated that it has also established a first response fund to cover delivery costs of the doses it procures or facilitates.

The Mpox vaccine donation is expected to strengthen the global response to the outbreak, with nearly 6 million vaccine doses from multiple nations and organisations expected to be available by the end of 2024.

This includes 500,000 doses of the MVA-BN vaccine that Gavi procured utilising the first response fund in September, a month after the Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) was declared.

Gavi CEO speaks

The CEO of Gavi, Sania Nishtar, appreciated the donation from the US government.

We thank the US for these donations, which substantially strengthen the global Mpox response. In addition to the 500,000 doses that Gavi procured directly in September through our first response fund, working with our donors, we now have legal frameworks in place to facilitate a substantial volume of additional pledged doses, which we will work with our partners to ensure are rolled out as quickly as possible, she said.

The Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, Dawn OConnell said The donation through Gavi builds on the U.S. governments commitment to providing over a million Mpox vaccines to international communities dealing with the current Mpox outbreak. Viruses dont respect borders, and both international and domestic Mpox coordination remains a top priority for ASPR.

Country-specific allocations

The organisation noted that as per the Access and Allocation Mechanism (AAM), the allocation of the US doses includes the now-shipped and soon-to-be-delivered 11,200 doses to Nigeria.

Next year, 273,000 doses are planned for the Democratic Republic of Congo, and 19,600 doses for Rwanda.

Gavi said it is in discussion with the US regarding the remaining 695,020 doses, which are expected to be allocated by the AAM when countries are ready to receive them.

In addition to facilitating donations from the US and Bavarian Nordic, Gavi said it has provided emergency cash support of US$2.7 million to the Democratic Republic of Congo and US$1.5 million to Rwanda for the vaccine roll-out. In November, the AAM for Mpox allocated an initial 899,000 vaccine doses to nine countries, including Nigeria, across the African region, which have been hard-hit by the current Mpox surge.

Mpox

Mpox, also formerly known as monkeypox, is a rare and infectious disease caused by the Mpox virus. The virus is a member of the orthopoxvirus genus, which includes the viruses that cause smallpox, cowpox, and camelpox.

READ ALSO: NAFDAC shuts 150 shops in Abia market

Mpox was first identified in 1958 in a colony of cynomolgus monkeys kept for research in Denmark. The first human case of Mpox was reported in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly known as Zaire).

Mpox is primarily spread through direct contact with an infected person, including touching or shaking hands, or coming into contact with their respiratory secretions, such as saliva or mucus. Indirect contact with contaminated objects, such as bedding, towels, or clothing, can also transmit the virus.

Additionally, animal-to-human transmission can occur through contact with infected animals, such as rodents or primates.

The symptoms of Mpox can range from mild to severe and may include fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, and rash or blisters on the skin, often starting on the face, palms, and soles.

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On 7 December, over 12 million Ghanaians voted in the presidential and parliamentary elections.

Less than 48 hours after the close of polls, the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana announced the results of the presidential election.

The commission declared John Mahama, an opposition candidate and former president, the winner of the presidential election, which also included candidates from 16 other parties and three independent candidates.

Mr Mahama won with about 6.3 million votes, while the incumbent Vice President, Mahamudu Bawumia, of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), garnered about 4.5 million.

For the parliamentary elections, the NDP won over two-thirds of the 276 parliamentary seats.

But more remarkable is that Mr Bawumai conceded defeat before the EC began announcing the results. Ultimately, the ruling party suffered a massive defeat in both the presidential and parliamentary elections.

Across the world, the election was hailed as transparent, credible, and peaceful. Election observation missions, including those from the European Union, African Union, Yiaga Africa, and others, praised the outcome and urged other African countries to take cues from Ghanas electoral process.

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For most Nigerians who observed the election across the 16 regions of Ghana, it represented a significant departure from what is typical in Nigeria.

Ghanas system shares similarities with Nigerias. Although Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman of Nigerias electoral body, noted that Ghana had adopted some of Nigerias practices, it was clear that Ghana executed its electoral process better.

The second thing for me is the lesson that Ghana also learned from Nigeria in the area of managing constituency election results. Until the last election in Ghana, all results came to the Electoral Commissions headquarters in Accra, both parliamentary and presidential.

Although Ghana is not a federal system, they learned from Nigeria, where you have returning officers who announce results for parliamentary elections in various constituencies around the country. Only the presidential election results come to Accra, he said.

This reporter was part of the 12-member Yiaga Africa Study Mission that observed the election and noted a few things Nigeria can inculcate into its electoral process to improve it.

Here are some observations PREMIUM TIMES made from observing the election and some lessons Nigeria can adopt or improve upon to enhance its electoral process:

1. Early voting/special election

Over 280,000 Ghanaians, including security personnel, election officers, and journalists, had the opportunity to vote in special elections before the main election date  7 December. These groups cast their votes on 2 and 5 December. The early voting system ensures that those participating in essential election duties are not disenfranchised.

Civil society groups in Ghana are also advocating for the inclusion of members of civil society organisations, who typically monitor elections, in the early voting arrangement.

If this system is adopted in Nigeria, over one million people estimated to be involved in election duties could vote before the main election.

The early voting system is expected to be included in Nigerias reviewed Electoral Act. Adebayo Balogun, chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters and a member of the Yiaga Mission to Ghana, told PREMIUM TIMES that his committee intends to include early voting in the electoral bill expected to be passed before June 2025.

His counterpart in the Senate, Sharaffadeen Alli, who was also part of the mission, gave the same assurance.

2. Voting by proxy

About 1,200 Ghanaians registered to vote by proxy. This system allows a voter to nominate another voter to cast a vote on their behalf.

A voter who anticipates being unavailable on election day can register with the EC district officer. The application must include the voters and the proxys details and ensure both are registered in the same polling unit.

Applications must be submitted not later than 42 days before the election. To prevent commercialisation, a voter can only act as a proxy for one person.

A separate proxy register is provided at polling units. Electoral officers verify proxy voters details using a QR code and the Biometric Verification Device (BVD). Party agents are also informed about the number of proxy voters in their polling units.

Messrs Balogun and Alli said Nigeria will consider adopting proxy voting as an alternative to diaspora voting.

Although proxy voting is not the same as diaspora voting, it could serve as a fallback option if the diaspora voting proposal fails to pass.

3. Free movement/exclusion of soldiers from election duties

For anyone familiar with Nigerian elections, the scene in Ghana was refreshing and different. There was free movement on election day, and business opened, unlike in Nigerias restrictive practices.

There were no gun-wielding soldiers on the streets, masked secret police with guns, or multiple checkpoints, which are typical of Nigerian elections.

This reporter travelled from Accra to the Volta Region on election day and encountered only three checkpoints, none of which restricted movement. Shop owners went to their polling stations to vote and returned to their businesses. Motor parks were busy with passengers travelling, even as voting continued nearby.

Despite the free movement, over 63 per cent of Ghanas 18.7 million registered voters participated in the election. In contrast, Nigeria often militarises its electoral process, shutting down entry points and restricting vehicular movement, yet achieves less than 24 per cent voter turnout.

The militarisation of the process in Nigeria often discourages voter participation. Perhaps it is time for the country to consider Ghanas approach and see whether allowing free movement on election day could improve voter turnout.

4. Use of tactile jackets and voting in open space

The successful use of tactile jackets to aid blind voters was a significant achievement in Ghana. Every polling unit has detailed information about the number of persons with disabilities (PWDs), and the simplicity of the technology ensures its availability.

A tactile voting device enables a visually impaired person to mark a ballot paper in secret. This plastic device is attached to the ballot paper and consists of several flaps, each covering one of the boxes on the paper.

Each flap has a raised number embossed in black, corresponding to the box it covers. The number stands out against the white background of the ballot paper and can be identified by touch.

One factor contributing to the success of tactile jackets is the allocation of ballot numbers to candidates representing their positions on the ballot. For instance, the NPP was assigned number 1 during the last election, while the NDP was assigned number 8.

Candidates incorporate their numbers into campaign posters and adverts, increasing awareness. This helps blind voters use the tactile jackets without assistance.

Additionally, polling stations in Ghana are located in accessible open spaces, unlike in Nigeria, where school corridors and stairs often pose challenges for PWDs.

5. Fax machines for results transmission

Surprisingly, Ghana uses fax machines to transmit results from regional collation centres to the National Collation Centre (NCC).

The EC has resisted fully electronic transmission due to fears of data interception. While results are manually transmitted from polling units to constituency and regional centres, the final stage uses fax machines.

At the NCC, 16 fax machines (one per region) were used to certify and declare results. This method saves time and costs and allows for a gradual transition to full electronic transmission.

In contrast, Nigerias results are physically transmitted from the 36 states and the FCT, which significantly delays the national collation process, often stretching to five days.

6. Efficient logistics

By 7 a.m., over 85 per cent of polling units in Ghana had opened for voting  a testament to the ECs logistical efficiency.

While Nigerias larger size and challenging topography pose difficulties, logistical lapses often mar Nigerian elections. In some cases, elections have been postponed due to the electoral bodys unpreparedness.

Ghanas BVD machines also performed well, and malfunctioning devices were quickly replaced.

7. Independent candidacy

Independent candidacy is a well-established part of Ghanas electoral process. In the last election, four independent candidates contested the presidential election while others ran for parliamentary seats.

Over the years, there have been attempts to amend Nigerias 1999 Constitution to accommodate independent candidacy, but these efforts have failed.

8. Majority threshold for presidential election

In Ghana, a presidential candidate must win more than 50 per cent of the total votes cast to be declared president. This ensures that no one becomes president without securing the majority of votes.

In Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu became president despite winning less than 40 per cent of the total votes cast. Although Nigeria requires a candidate to secure a quarter of the votes in two-thirds of the states, the Ghanaian model promotes broader legitimacy.

9. Issue-based campaigns

While Ghana, like many African countries, has ethnic divisions, its recent election focused on issues such as the economy and illegal mining.

Although there were subtle ethnic undercurrents, the emphasis on economic issues overshadowed religious and ethnic sentiments.

Nigeria, despite being more complex, could learn from Ghanas approach. Citizens and stakeholders can consciously prioritise issue-based campaigns over divisive rhetoric.

10. Zeal to vote by citizens

Despite their frustration with the political elites in Ghana, most citizens of voting age put in considerable effort to vote on election day.

While turnout dropped considerably from 79 per cent in 2020, there is still general enthusiasm for voting even without inducement.

Many voters stayed in long queues to exercise their franchise to vote for their leaders. In some polling units, communities provided tents and chairs to ensure that voters are comfortable in exercising the right to vote.

If these measures are adopted, Nigeria could significantly improve its electoral process and outcomes.

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Nigerias Supreme Court and 14 other government bodies have failed ethics and integrity tests for 2024, the latest in the annual series of assessments by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

The ICPC report is consistent with general perception of pervasive corruption and irregularities in the judiciary, which both serving and retiring justices of the Supreme Court have confirmed at various times.

The ICPC unveiled the 2024 Ethics and Integrity Compliance Scorecard (EICS) at its headquarters in Abuja on Thursday.

The anti-corruption agency said none of the 330 Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) assessed in 2024 achieved full compliance.

The assessment covered key indicators, including Management Culture and Structure (MCS); Governance and Executive Management; Financial Management Systems (FMS); Finance, Revenue, and Audit Processes; and Administrative Systems (AS), which encompass policies, ethics education, and whistle-blowing mechanisms.

It was revealed that the 15 non-compliant MDAs failed due to systemic issues such as the absence of whistleblower policies, inadequate strategic plans, and ineffective stock verification systems.

More so, many of the institutions examined also failed to produce financial reports or conduct audits, further contributing to the erosion of public trust.

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The Supreme Court and others at the bottom of the list scored zero per cent overall, compared with an agency like the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), which scored 89.75 per cent.

The 15 institutions with 0.00 score include: Supreme Court of Nigeria, Nigeria Press Council (NPC), Legal Aid Council (LAC), National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), Council of Nigerian Mining Engineers and Geoscientists (COMEG), and Institute of Chartered Chemists of Nigeria (ICCON).

The rest are Federal Teaching Hospital (FTH), Gombe; National Obstetrics Fistula Centre, Ningi, Bauchi State; Institute of Archaeology and Museum Studies, Jos; Federal University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State; Federal College of Forestry Mechanization (FCFM), Mando, Kaduna State; Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State; and Federal Polytechnic, Ede, Osun State, and University of Ibadan, Oyo State.

Strengthening the perception of extensive judicial corruption and lack of transparency in the institution, a retiring Justice of the Supreme Court, Dattiji Mummad, in his valedictory remarks in October last year, made scathing comments about alleged corrupt handling of the judiciarys funds and the judiciarys affairs.

He said this questionable conduct permeated the Nigerian judiciary from the Supreme Court down the countrys court hierarchies.

Earlier in May in 2023, a retiring Justice of the Supreme Court, Ejembi Eko, similarly lamented the corruption in the Nigerian judiciary, especially in the handling of its finances. He, therefore, called on anti-graft agencies to probe the financial records of the judiciary.

The ICPC report comes amid ripples generated by activist and lawyer Dele Farotimis book, alleging widespread corrupt practices in the Supreme Court and other courts.

The book, a raw and unfiltered account of the authors views about the Nigerian justice system, is titled, Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System.

Mr Farotimi is facing criminal and civil defamation cases as a result of the book.

High performing agencies and other findings

A review of the report by PREMIUM TIMES showed some high performers, including JAMB with 89.75 per cent.

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), scored 88.73 per cent, while the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET) scored 88.73 per cent

ICPC Chairman Musa Aliyu, represented by spokesperson Demola Bakare at the unveiling of the report on Thursday, noted the commissions role in fostering compliance through the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Units (ACTUs) in MDAs.

He said the units are expected to monitor the effectiveness of accountability systems within institutions, contributing to improved service delivery and public welfare.

Mr Bakare said out of the MDAs evaluated, 29.55 per cent obtained substantial compliance, 51.62 per cent had partial compliance, and 15.91 per cent showed poor compliance.

While only 2.92 per cent were deemed completely non-compliant.

Risk assessment plan

Common gaps included a lack of whistle-blower policies, strategic plans, and effective stock verification units.

Many MDAs failed to conduct any forms of system studies or render financial and audit reports, he noted.

He said while ICPC continues to enforce penalties for non-compliance, the commissions primary focus is on helping agencies align with ethical standards.

Our approach is to support MDAs in improving their internal systems, but if they fail to comply after due processes, we will pursue legal action, said Mr Bakare.

The Supreme Court of Nigeria, for example, has been flagged for non-responsiveness to several requests and will be closely monitored in the coming year.

Mr Bakare said the commission is set to launch sectorial rankings of government agencies, including corruption risk assessments, aimed at identifying high-risk institutions and guiding them toward better compliance.

Were taking a proactive approach by assessing corruption risks in sectors and enforcing accountability, Mr Bakare added. While we understand the challenges in many MDAs, we are committed to using these rankings to prioritise reforms.

Whistleblower, recovery

On the issue of whistleblower protection, Mr Bakare reassured the public that it is dedicated to safeguarding individuals who report corruption.

He said that there have been no recent reports of retaliation because ICPC has intervened in the past to protect whistleblowers.

Mr Bakare explained that between December 2023 and December 2024, the ICPC tracked 1,500 projects across 22 states valued at N610 billion.

He said during this period, the commission recovered N346 million in cash and assets worth N400 million and helped the government save N30 billion.

Many of these projects were either abandoned or poorly executed due to lack of oversight, Mr Bakare noted. Our focus is on ensuring that the funds meant for these projects are used properly and that public services meet their intended objectives.

Call for systemic reform

He urged the federal government to implement deeper reforms to address the persistent gaps in governance spotlighted by this years EICS.

The commission called for stronger whistleblower protections, better management systems within MDAs, and more rigorous oversight mechanisms to prevent the misuse of public funds.

We cannot fight corruption alone, Mr Bakare added. The support of Nigerians and the media is essential in ensuring the success of our efforts to bring transparency and integrity to the public sector.

Constituency projects monitoring

Meanwhile, the Head of the Constituency and Executive Projects Tracking Initiative (CEPTI), Jimoh Sulaiman, explained the positive impact of project tracking on governance.

He emphasised that the initiative had significantly improved project completion rates while fostering greater public awareness and engagement with constituency projects.

Nigerians now realize that funding for these projects comes from the Federal Government, not the personal finances of politicians. This understanding has driven them to demand greater accountability, Mr Sulaiman remarked.

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The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has given owners of the 762 plots of land in Maitama II District, Cadastral Zone, A10, Abuja, a fresh two-week ultimatum to pay for their Certificates of Occupancy (C-of-O) or risk final revocation of their allocation.

According to a statement on Friday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, the minister reiterated that the primary interest was not for people to lose their lands but to get them to make necessary payments to the government.

The statement read, It should be recalled that on October 5, 2024, a list of 3,273 allottees/title holders that were yet to pay for their C-of-O was published. They were offered two weeks to pay their bills or lose their Right of Occupancy (R-of-O) titles. Out of the 3,273, a total of 2,511 complied, leaving 762.

Yesterday, a notice of withdrawal of the R-of-O titles of the 762 defaulters was published.

Since then, many of the affected allottees have offered to pay, and since the primary aim of the government is to ensure payment, a two-week grace has been given.

Consequently, the 762 allottees and the 614 others with outstanding payment on C-of-O will have till January 3, 2025, to pay or have their R-of-O titles withdrawn, pursuant to the provisions of Section 28 of the Land Use Act of 1978.

After January 3, 2025, there will be no further extension and withdrawal of the R-of-O titles of defaulters will be final.

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PREMIUM TIMES reported on Wednesday that Mr Wike ordered the revocation of 762 plots of land belonging to prominent politicians and corporate organisations because the owners did not pay for Certificates of Occupancy (C-of-O).

Also, 614 others were asked to pay the balance for their Right of Occupancy (R-of-O) or risk losing them.

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Ukraine provides USA with evidence of Western technologies used in Russian weapons

The Main Inspectorate and the Technical Inspectorate of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine handed over to the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Defense a detailed analysis of foreign components in Russian weapons, the press service of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry has said on Friday.

In particular, Western-made guidance systems, navigation modules, control units and computing devices were found in the Russian Orlan-10 UAV, it said on the Telegram channel.

"The Ukrainian side provided full information about the components, including photographic materials, serial numbers and data on manufacturers. This cooperation is aimed at strengthening sanctions and blocking electronics supply channels used by Russia for its war crimes," the ministry said.
The Federal Capital Territory Internal Revenue Service (FCT-IRS) says it will be responsible for the collection of all revenues on behalf of the six area councils of the FCT in 2025.

The Acting Executive Chairman of the agency, Michael Ango, announced this at the 2024 end-of-year media briefing in Abuja on Thursday.

Mr Ango said that the goal was to ease compliance by taxpayers in the FCT and improve transparency and accountability for all revenue collection.

He said that a similar arrangement was being worked out with the various Secretariats, Departments and Agencies in the FCT Administration.

He explained that the decision was in compliance with the directive of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.

The revenue collected will, however, remain theirs. All we are doing is to assist them to collect and aggregate it.

Thereafter, the monies will be disbursed to them in their various accounts, he said.

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The FCT-IRS boss further said that the service would also focus on the harmonisation of revenue administration in the FCT from 2025.

He added that a meeting had already been held with the chairpersons of the area councils who have agreed to collaborate on the full harmonisation of revenue collection in the territory.

We have different agencies in the FCT that collect revenue on behalf of the FCT Administration and these agencies collect all these revenue items individually.

Globally, this is not the best practice. Therefore, Wike has directed that all the agencies in the FCT must have one central point for revenue collection.

We must have a harmonised revenue administration system whereby taxpayers in the FCT, individuals and residents who want to pay any tax levies or fees to the FCT Administration will do that at one point.

We will also have one central revenue reporting point to ensure better transparency and accountability for revenues collected, he said.

(NAN)

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The Jigawa State High Court has sentenced two convicts described as notorious kidnappers to death by hanging.

The judge, Mohammed Kaugama, convicted Sani Mohammed and Babannan Saleh (alias Ustaz) on seven counts of abduction, criminal conspiracy, robbery, culpable homicide, and house trespass.

The suspects had, in June 2021, with others now at large, abducted one Hamidan Abdu of Shangel village in Ringim Local Government Area and others for ransom.

The court sentenced them to death by hanging for the offence of abduction, punishable under Section 27 of the Violence Against Person (Prohibitions) law No. 2 of Jigawa State, 2021.

The court also sentenced them to life imprisonment for robbery, which is punishable under Section 298 of the Penal Code, Cap 3 law of Jigawa State, 2012.

They also received three years in prison for criminal conspiracy, which is punishable under Section 97 of the Violence Against Person (prohibitions) law No. 2 of Jigawa State, 2021.

The states judiciary spokesperson, Abbas Wangara, said in a statement that the suspects robbed Mr Abdu of an unspecified amount of money and abducted him to Kotoro Fulani settlement in Fagen-gawo town of Garki Local Government Area.

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He said they received a ransom of N20 million before releasing the suspect along the GujunguHadejia road in the state.

Also, the convicts, together with others now at large, attacked one Eze Emmanuel in his shop at Kore village in Danbatta Local Government Area of Kano State and robbed him of an unspecified amount of money. They also abducted Mr Emmanuel and received a ransom of N14,650,000 before releasing him.

The court also convicted the second defendant, Mr Saleh, a.k.a. Ustaz, of another charge of culpable homicide, abduction, criminal conspiracy, and trespass.

According to the prosecution, Mr Saleh, 40, a resident of Dumfidawa Fulani camp in Mallam-madori LGA, together with others now at large, in 2021 abducted one Abdullahi Jarma of Maigatari town and demanded N100 million from his family as ransom.

After a series of negotiations, the family of the abducted person sourced N2.5 million and gave the money to one Ahmed Nadabo to deliver to them for the release of Mr Jarma, but they shot and killed Mr Nadabo with a gun at the point of delivering the ransom, Mr Wangara said.

Also, the syndicate went ahead to Taura town, Taura LGA, and abducted one Kabiru Taura for whom they demanded N20 million as ransom.

Providing further clarification to our reporter on the cases, the states Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Bello Fanini, said the convicts were members of a syndicate that terrorised the state until they were arrested.

He said the syndicate masterminded almost all kidnappings for ransom in the state until their arrest in 2021.

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Leaders of Ebonyi State and the South-east region on Thursday cancelled the birthday lecture and book launch in honour of Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State over the tragedy which claimed the lives of 35 children on Wednesday in Ibadan.

The event organisers announced the cancellation to guests who had gathered for the event at the venue in Abakaliki, the capital of Ebonyi state.

Mr Makinde and his Ebonyi counterpart, Francis Nwifuru, were scheduled to attend the event. Ben Obi, a former senator, was billed to be the guest lecturer.

Ebonyi, South-east mourn with Makinde, Oyo

A former governor of Ebonyi, Sam Egwu, who was to chair the birthday lecture and book launch, and the chief organiser, Ali Odefa, spoke to the guests.

Afterwards, a minute silence was observed in honour of the victims.

Mr Odefa, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, noted that Governor Makinde and Oyo State cannot mourn, and the event will go on in Ebonyi.

He said, My friend had prepared to come here and be with us today. He sent an advance team two days ago. The advance team and the chief of staff have been here two days ago.

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But when this incident happened, there is no how a state will be mourning, some families, because of this incident, do not know the meaning of Christmas anymore.

They cannot be crying while we are dancing and rejoicing. So, it is painful, it is sad, but thats the reality.

He said the leaders at the event met and decided to postpone it.

If you look at this place, you will see that this is a gathering of Igbo leaders, non-partisan. We are not talking about party A or party B. These are a collection of Igbo leaders here sitting. So, we have decided to cancel the event for today and shift it to another time.

We will tell you the date when that one has been fixed. And we will make efforts to bring all of you together again.

Mr Egwu commiserated with the families, the governor and the people of Oyo State over the tragedy.

It would not be right to have a function when the chief celebrant is mourning.

It is also not right that parents who lost their children are mourning and crying, and we are here celebrating.

The parents of these children are mourning. Nigerians are mourning. And our brother, for whom we are here, is also mourning. We want to mourn with him.

We want to mourn with the people, the government of Oyo State. Because the Bible says when your brother is mourning, you should mourn with him, Mr Egwu said.

Police confirm casualties, arrest

A stampede at a childrens carnival in Ibadan on Wednesday, 18 December, caused the death of many children.

The police on Thursday confirmed that 35 minors died in the stampede while six others were critically injured and undergoing various medical interventions.

The police also confirmed the arrest of eight people, including Naomi Silekunola, the former wife of the Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, over the tragedy.

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President Bola Tinubu on Thursday flagged off the construction of the N59.4 billion Dutse greater water supply project abandoned for 24 years.

The Dutse Greater Water Project is located in Siltilmawa, a community in the Ringim Local Government Area with the highest underground water collection in the state.

The project was conceived by former Jigawa governor Saminu Turaki in 2000 to supply 10 million litres daily to the about 1.5 million population of Dutse, the state capital.

However, Mr Turaki did not complete it and was ignored by successive administrations.

President Tinubu was represented at Thursdays ceremony by the Minister for Water Resources and Sanitation, Joseph Utsev.

The president specifically promised to the people of Jigawa State that the Greater Dutse Water Project would be a reality, and the president, being a man of his word, has today flagged off the project, Mr Utsev said.

He has approved the funding for its implementation. The water project is a critical initiative that will provide clean and safe drinking water for the residents of Dutse.

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The project is a clear testament to our commitment to improving the lives of our citizens and providing them with the basic necessities of life.

The president has approved over N59.4 billion for the construction of the water project with a completion period of 24 months, Mr Utsev said.

Presidents promise fulfilled  Governor

Governor Umar Namadi, in his remarks, said completing the project will accelerate the progress of Jigawa and the country towards the attainment of Goal 6 of the Sustainable Development Goals, which aims to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by the Year 2030.

Mr Namadi commended the president for fulfilling a campaign promise to complete the water project and ultimately solve the challenge of sustainable access to safe drinking water in the state capital that has existed since the creation of the state in 1991.

I am sure some of us here would recall that during the 2023 Electioneering Campaign, His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as the Presidential Candidate of our great party, the All Progressives Candidate (APC), made a solemn promise to the late Emir of Dutse, Alhaji Nuhu Muhammad Sunusi of blessed memory, for the direct intervention of the federal government in addressing the age-long water supply problem bedevilling Dutse, the state capital.

Todays flag-off ceremony is the commencement of the fulfilment of that promise. We most sincerely thank and appreciate the president for this.

Primarily, what we are witnessing today is the result of a promise fulfilment made by the President directly to the late Emir and all the residents of the state capital. What we are witnessing, In shaa Allah, is a dream come true for the Government and People of Jigawa State, Mr Namadi said

Also, the Emir of Dutse, Hamim Nuhu-Sanusi, said he was emotional about the project because he wished his late father had witnessed the completion of the project because it was a lifetime dream of the late emir.

He commended the president for the fulfilled promise and the governors political will for the projects actualisation.

He noted that the project comes with a long supply chain, adding that the residents, who are predominantly farmers, will also benefit from it.

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The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called on the federal government to immediately intervene in the issue of cash scarcity across the country.

The NLC President, Joe Ajaero, said this in a communique he jointly signed with Emmanuel Ugboaja, General Secretary of NLC on Thursday in Abuja.

The communique was issued at the end of the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held in Owerri.

Mr Ajaero said that the NEC in-session had expressed concern over the persistent cash scarcity in Nigeria, describing it as an unfortunate and exploitative burden on the already struggling populace.

According to him, NEC noted that Nigerians are being forced to forfeit five per cent of their funds each time they access cash, an unacceptable situation that exacerbates the economic woes faced by millions.

The impact of this on small businesses and other informal economy operatives is huge as the situation poses a serious disproportionate challenge to the poor and struggling workers and masses.

The NLC demands immediate government intervention to rectify this systemic failure and protect citizens financial rights.

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We expect the Central Bank Governor to take steps to ensure that cash is made available to the citizenry to enable small business transactions and stimulate economic growth, he said.

Mr Ajaero also demanded that the tax bill currently before the National Assembly be halted for broader consultation and meaningful engagement with Nigerian workers.

He said that the politicisation of the bill and alienation of key stakeholders was worrisome and robbed it of its capacity as an effective tool to revamp the economy.

Only through inclusive dialogue can we ensure a just and equitable tax system that benefits all citizens, he said.

On insecurity, Mr Ajaero said that the NEC also raised alarm over the worsening insecurity in the country.

He cited media reports that Nigerians paid N2.23 trillion in ransom this year alone across 51.8 million recorded crime incidents.

This appalling state of insecurity underscores the urgent need for the government to take decisive action to safeguard lives and property, restore public confidence, and ensure the rule of law prevails.

Majority of the citizens who either lost their lives or were maimed as a result are workers, he said.

ALSO READ: CBN Intervenes as cash scarcity stifles economic activities

Also, on the invasion and ransacking of the NLC Edo State Council Secretariat, NEC strongly condemned the actions of the police and the state governor in orchestrating an invasion.

This brazen act of impunity included the ransacking of properties and the unlawful removal of items, all in a bid to impose an illegitimate leadership on the workers.

The NEC, therefore, resolved to give the Edo State government and the police a deadline of 14 working days, up to January 8, 2025, to vacate the secretariat.

They should return all confiscated properties to the congress, and commit to refraining from further interference in trade union activities, he said.

He said that failure to comply would compel Congress to initiate unprecedented measures in defence of workers and trade union rights.

The NEC, therefore, reaffirms its unwavering commitment to defending the rights and welfare of workers and the broader Nigerian populace, Mr Ajaero said.

He urged citizens to find moments of hope, resilience, and togetherness during the festive season.

(NAN)

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The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Friday awarded N15 million in general damages against MTN Nigeria Communications Limited for violating a customers privacy through unsolicited messages and callertunes.

The three-member panel ruled unanimously that MTNs actions infringed on the right to privacy and disrupted the quiet enjoyment of airtime purchased by Ezugwu Anene, a public interest lawyer.

In the lead judgement delivered by Okon Abang, thr court described the unsolicited services as a breach of Mr Anenes rights because telecommunications providers must respect their customers choices and refrain from imposing unwanted services.

Mr Abang said that the sending of unwarranted text messages by the company amounted to a breach of subscribers right to privacy under section 37 of the Nigerian constitution as well as a violation of Regulation 28 of the Consumer Code of Practice Regulations.

The judgement followed an appeal marked CA/ABJ/CV/137/2022, which was brought before the court to set aside the N300,000 general damages imposed by the FCT High Court in Abuja.

Mr Abang agreed with the High Court that the claimant had complained to MTN and made a personal complaint to its customer care team.

The court held that the claimant had activated the Do Not Disturb (DND) option, but despite these efforts, MTN persisted in sending the unsolicited messages.

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In all, I award N15 million in damages in favour of the appellant and against MTN. The appeal succeeds and is allowed, the judge added.

Regarding MTNs cross-appeal, the Appeal Court dismissed it, stating it lacked merit.

The case

The matter arose from the judgement of the FCT High Court in Abuja delivered on 22 September 2021.

In the judgement, the trial judge, Peter Kekemeke, upheld the case of Mr Anene, who sought a declaration that 88 unsolicited calls made by MTN to him at odd hours caused embarrassment, inconvenience, distraction, and anxiety, thereby breaching his right to privacy.

Therefore, Mr Anene through his legal team, also sought over N200 million in general damages for the disturbing unsolicited messages sent to the claimant weekly, as well as for the imposition of callertunes on the claimants mobile number.

He argued before the Court that although he subscribed to MTNs network services, he never signed up for the weekly clarion child guidance, counselling, or caller tune services provided by MTN.

He said instead, the MTN inundated him with a large volume of messages and deducted money from his airtime for unsolicited services from July 2016 to 21 March 2018, at inappropriate hours.

He added that his refusal to answer calls from certain numbers denied him the opportunity to receive important business calls, while the strange calls were continuously recurring and embarrassing.

On its part, MTN, represented by its staff member Emmanuel Iteade, informed the High Court that when a prospective subscriber purchases a SIM starter kit, the prepaid terms and conditions are clearly placed in the kit to allow careful review.

The official stated that MTN did not breach the claimants right to privacy or the quiet enjoyment of his airtime and did not make any fraudulent or illegal deductions from his airtime.

All services complained about by the claimant were subscribed to by him, and the defendant merely debited him for the services, the respondent said.

In passing judgment, the High Court held that Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, guarantees and protects citizens privacy, including their homes, correspondence, telephone conversations, and telegraphic communications.

The judge also noted that MTNs witness, when cross-examined, admitted that the reference in the companys terms and conditions was so tiny, he cannot read it, which the judge considered to be a potent evidence.

The High Court then declared that the numerous unsolicited text messages and callertunes sent to the claimants phone, without his subscription to them, as well as the subsequent deductions from his airtime, constituted a breach of his right to privacy and quiet enjoyment of his airtime and phone.

The court perpetually restrained MTN from sending unsolicited text messages or imposing callertunes and deductions on the claimants airtime.

The court awarded N300,000 as general damages but noted that the claimant could not sufficiently prove the assertions about the 88 calls.

Mr Anene, who was dissatisfied with the N300,000 awarded to him by the lower court, proceeded to the Appeal Court for further redress, arguing that the amount was too low.

MTNs legal team also cross-appealed, stating that the total deductions from the claimant amounted to about N14,000 that the N300,000 awarded by the trial court was generous.

Judgement

The Appeal Court agreed that the unsolicited text messages caused the appellant anxiety, adding that MTN was likely profiting substantially from this practice, and Nigerians may not know this.

The court opined that the trial court should have awarded exemplary damages against MTN, a foreign company, as a deterrent, noting that the money generated from such charges was not legitimate income for MTN.

If MTN had sent unsolicited messages to 10 million phones at the time, owned by innocent Nigerians, it would have unlawfully enriched itself, the judge said.

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The International Press Institute, Nigeria, is sad to announce the sudden death of its treasurer and erudite journalist, Hajiya Rafatu Salami.

In a statement released Friday in Abuja, signed by Secretary, Mallam Ahmed I. Shekarau, the organisation described the late Rafatu Salami as a journalist that made her mark in the profession and rose to the position of Assistant Director, Digital Media, at the Voice of Nigeria (VON).

According to the statement: Rafatu was a compassionate woman who was always ready to give a helping hand to her colleagues with her wealth of experience gained over the years.

She was an active unionist and team player which manifested in her as election as Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), FCT Council (2015-2018), with her total commitment to the unions duties and other activities relating to championing the cause of press freedom and responsible journalism in Nigeria, it said.

The IPI secretary noted that her demise has created a vacuum in the journalism profession in Nigeria, stating that: Rafatu died when her services were most needed by IPI Nigeria and the nation, having stamped her foot in the sands of time. She would be greatly missed by her colleagues, family and admirers.

Rafatu was married with children and would be buried at the Gudu Cemetery, Apo District, after a funeral prayer at the Abuja National Mosque, Abuja.

In their tributes to their departed colleague, members of the IPI Nigeria board and congress have these to say:

Hajia Rafatu Salamis remarkable legacy, marked by her dedication to journalism, unwavering integrity, selflessness and compassion for humanity will be greatly missed, Musikilu Mojeed, President, IPI Nigeria, said.

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Very sad! May Allah have mercy on her and give her family the fortitude to deal with the loss, Amin summa Amin, Kadaria Ahmed, founder, Radio Now and member of the Board of Trustees of IPI Nigeria, lamented.

Oh, no! This is so sad, said Victoria Ibanga, publisher of The Next Edition.

May Allah accept her returns and watch over all that she left behind. My condolences to all of us, mourned Borokimi Abeke.

Sad! May God rest her soul and forgive her shortcomings, Geoffrey Ekenna said.

This is saddening! She was full of life at the Conference, AGM and dinner. May Allah grant her Aljanah Fridaus,  Tunde Oladunjoye.

What a sad news! I am devastated. She was a pleasant, amiable personality. May her soul find eternal rest  Folu Olamiti, publisher of Newspot, and member of the BoT of IPI Nigeria.

Sad, but we cant question Allah. May Allah grant her Aljanat Firdaus, Amen  Danlami Nmodu, publisher of Newsdiary Online.

May Allah have mercy on her and bless her family in her absence. Condolences to the IPI family  Dr. Hameed Bello, chief operating officer of Peoples Daily.

Hajiya Rafat was selfless. She loved to help others in need. The first time I met her in person was when she was energetically leading a fundraising campaign for the overseas treatment of a colleague. Her NUJ committee successfully raised the money and the fellow underwent a successful treatment. Upon his return to the country, he lived on for a few more years before he, eventually, died. Now, she too, has left us. Allah knows best.

May He grant her family the strength to bear the loss, said Malam Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to former President, Muhammadu Buhari.

Ahmed I. Shekarau,

Secretary.PRESS RELEASE

IPI Nigeria mourns treasurer Rafatu Salami

The International Press Institute, Nigeria, is sad to announce the sudden death of its treasurer and erudite journalist, Hajiya Rafatu Salami.

In a statement released Friday in Abuja, signed by Secretary, Mallam Ahmed I. Shekarau, the organisation described the late Rafatu Salami as a journalist that made her mark in the profession and rose to the position of Assistant Director, Digital Media, at the Voice of Nigeria (VON).

According to the statement: Rafatu was a compassionate woman who was always ready to give a helping hand to her colleagues with her wealth of experience gained over the years.

She was an active unionist and team player which manifested in her as election as Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), FCT Council (2015-2018), with her total commitment to the unions duties and other activities relating to championing the cause of press freedom and responsible journalism in Nigeria, it said.

The IPI secretary noted that her demise has created a vacuum in the journalism profession in Nigeria, stating that: Rafatu died when her services were most needed by IPI Nigeria and the nation, having stamped her foot in the sands of time. She would be greatly missed by her colleagues, family and admirers.

Rafatu was married with children and would be buried at the Gudu Cemetery, Apo District, after a funeral prayer at the Abuja National Mosque, Abuja.

In their tributes to their departed colleague, members of the IPI Nigeria board and congress have these to say:

Hajia Rafatu Salamis remarkable legacy, marked by her dedication to journalism, unwavering integrity, selflessness and compassion for humanity will be greatly missed, Musikilu Mojeed, President, IPI Nigeria, said.

Very sad! May Allah have mercy on her and give her family the fortitude to deal with the loss, Amin summa Amin, Kadaria Ahmed, founder, Radio Now and member of the Board of Trustees of IPI Nigeria, lamented.

Oh, no! This is so sad, said Victoria Ibanga, publisher of The Next Edition.

May Allah accept her returns and watch over all that she left behind. My condolences to all of us, mourned Borokimi Abeke.

Sad! May God rest her soul and forgive her shortcomings, Geoffrey Ekenna said.

This is saddening! She was full of life at the Conference, AGM and dinner. May Allah grant her Aljanah Fridaus,  Tunde Oladunjoye.

What a sad news! I am devastated. She was a pleasant, amiable personality. May her soul find eternal rest  Folu Olamiti, publisher of Newspot, and member of the BoT of IPI Nigeria.

Sad, but we cant question Allah. May Allah grant her Aljanat Firdaus, Amen  Danlami Nmodu, publisher of Newsdiary Online.

May Allah have mercy on her and bless her family in her absence. Condolences to the IPI family  Dr. Hameed Bello, chief operating officer of Peoples Daily.

Hajiya Rafat was selfless. She loved to help others in need. The first time I met her in person was when she was energetically leading a fundraising campaign for the overseas treatment of a colleague. Her NUJ committee successfully raised the money and the fellow underwent a successful treatment. Upon his return to the country, he lived on for a few more years before he, eventually, died. Now, she too, has left us. Allah knows best.

May He grant her family the strength to bear the loss, said Malam Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to former President, Muhammadu Buhari.

Ahmed I. Shekarau,

Secretary.

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The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Friday, refused to grant bail to Olamide Thomas, the nurse and activist, who was detained over her social media remarks against President Bola Tinubu, his son, Seyi Tinubu, and others.

Ms Thomas lawyers orally applied for her bail on Friday following her arraignment by the police on three counts of cyberbullying. She pleaded not guilty to all three charges.

However, the judge, Emeka Nwike, rejected the oral bail application, directing the defence team to file a formal request.

The defence lawyers had pleaded with the judge to grant bail to Ms Thomas, who was already held for one week, on the grounds of her long detention and poor health.

Rejecting the request, the judge said he would only entertain a formal, written bail application, which the prosecution would have the opportunity to reply to.

He then ordered the remand of the defendant in Suleja Correctional Centre in the neighbouring Niger State.

The police arrested Ms Thomas in Somolu, Lagos State, on Friday, 13 December, over allegations of cursing and wishing death upon Seyi Tinubu, the son of President Tinubu, as well as the children of the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and Police Force spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi.

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She live-streamed the video on her Facebook page on 20 October, shortly after she was reportedly brutalised by police officers during the #EndSARS memorial procession at the Lekki Tollgate.

On the day after her arrest, the police flew her to Abuja for further interrogation by the National Cyber-Crime Centre (NCCC) of the Nigerian police and subsequent prosecution.

Charges

One of the three charges read to her in court on Friday alleged that Ms Thomas, during her video transmission, made remarks in Yoruba that included placing curses on Seyi Tinubu, wishing him death, and predicting calamity for the Tinubu family within the year. The charge stated that these comments were made with intent to bully, threaten, and harass the person of Mr Seyi Tinubu, adding that such communication places the said Mr Seyi Tinubu in fear of death, violence, or bodily harm.

The second count similarly accused her of bullying, threatening, and harassing Mr Egbetokun in the same video transmission, causing him to fear death, violence, or bodily harm.

In the third count, the police alleged that she made curses directed at Mr Adejobi, the police spokesperson, claiming his children would die before his eyes and that he would bury all his children in a single day. The charge stated that these comments were also made with intent to bully, threaten, and harass the person of M Muyiwa Adejobi, adding that such communication places him in fear of the death of his loved ones.

The prosecution said each of the three counts was contrary to and punishable under section 24 (2) (a) Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc, Amendment) Act, 2024.

Ms Thomas pleaded not guilty to all three counts on Friday.

The defendant was brought to court from the Muhammadu Buhari Police Hospital, Garki, Abuja where she was receiving medical treatment after she slumped in police custody on Thursday.

The defence lawyers agreed to file the formal bail application before the court would assign a date for hearing it.

The trial judge adjourned the matter till 30 December for commencement of trial.

#EndSARS memorial

On 20 October, police reportedly arrested about 23 activists who had gathered at the Lekki Toll Gate to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the #EndSARS protest. Officers initially dispersed the crowd using teargas before detaining the activists and transporting them in a Black Maria to Panti Police Station in Yaba, where they were held.

The date marks the tragic events of 20 October 2020, when Nigerian security forces, particularly the Army, opened fire on peaceful protesters at the tollgate, which had become the epicentre of the dayslong #EndSARS movement against police brutality. Many were injured or killed during the incident.

Since then, 20 October has been observed by Nigerians to honour the victims and reflect on the struggle against police highhandedness and systemic governance issues. However, the police have consistently blocked #EndSARS memorial gatherings at the site each year.

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A Nigerian lawyer, Inihehe Effiong, has criticised Muyiwa Adejobi, the spokesperson for the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), over his remarks on what constitutes cyberbullying in law.

Earlier, Mr Adejobi posted Friday on his X wall, saying that raining cuss words on someone on the internet amounts to cyberbullying, which is a criminal offence under the countrys law.

He made the comment against the background of the arrest and trial of Olamide Thomas, the nurse and activist, who was detained over her social media remarks against President Bola Tinubu, his son, Seyi Tinubu, and others.

The police arrested Ms Thomas in Somolu, Lagos State, on Friday, 13 December, over allegations of cursing and wishing death upon Seyi Tinubu, the son of President Tinubu, as well as the children of the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and Police Force spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi.

She live-streamed the video on her Facebook page on 20 October, shortly after she was reportedly brutalised by police officers during the #EndSARS memorial procession at the Lekki Tollgate.

On the day after her arrest, the police flew her to Abuja for further interrogation by the National Cyber-Crime Centre (NCCC) of the Nigerian police and subsequent prosecution.

Mr Adejobi said Friday that anyone who does such cannot hide under the protection of freedom of expression as stipulated in the Nigerian constitution.

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Raining direct curses on someone online is cyberbullying, not expression of freedom or criticism. And cyberbullying, which is even different from defamation, is a criminal offence and punishable. Be guided, parts of his tweet stated.

Misleading statements

Meanwhile, Mr Effiong, a lawyer and human rights activist, described Mr Adejobis remarks about cyberbullying as ridiculous and shameful.

Reacting to the police spokesperson, the lawyer said that raining curses on someone online is not criminalised under any Nigerian law.

By virtue of Section 36 (12) of the Nigerian Constitution, for an act or omission to be termed a crime, it must be expressly and specifically defined as such under a written law.

This Force PRO has a history of inventing imagery offences from his head. Also, curses do not constitute a threat to the life of the person that is cursed, Mr Effiong said.

He said that curses do not have effect or value in the eyes of the law for the simple reason that they are premised on superstition, or at best the supernatural forces.

For example, telling someone it shall not be well with you is a prayer; prayer can be positive or negative. Wishing someone evil is also not a matter for legal redress. The law does not concern itself with trifling things or spiritual matters, he noted.

Reliance on a repealed law

Mr Effiong said what was more appalling was the police spokespersons reliance on the repealed provisions of the notorious section 24 of the Cybercrimes Act.

The police had relied on the provision to clamp down on human rights activists, journalists and other well-meaning Nigerians.

The police arraigned Ms Thomas on Friday on three counts of cyberbullying at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The judge denied her bail, directing her lawyers to file a written, formal application.

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This progress sends a clear message to the global community: Nigeria is open for business. President Bola Ahmed Tinubus decisive actions, including the Executive Order that dismantled barriers to healthcare manufacturing, reflect a commitment to creating an enabling environment for investment and innovation. This is the time to invest in Nigeria, President Tinubu has said, signalling a renewed confidence in the nations capacity to deliver transformative results.

Nigerias healthcare system has been shaped by decades of dependency on imported pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and even basic diagnostic tools. For a nation of 234.8 million people  the most populous in Africa and the sixth-largest globally  the figures paint a stark picture: 70 per cent of pharmaceuticals and nearly all vaccines are imported, while an estimated $2 billion is spent annually by Nigerians seeking medical care abroad. This dependency has drained critical resources, exposed the country to global supply chain fragilities, and left ordinary Nigerians facing high costs and severely constrained access to care.

The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare the depth of these vulnerabilities. As the world scrambled for essential medical supplies, Nigerians witnessed, firsthand, the fragility of a system that relied almost entirely on external support. Face masks, diagnostic kits, and even basic personal protective equipment were suddenly scarce. Those who could afford it looked to foreign suppliers, while countless others faced devastating delays in accessing care. For many families, it was a reminder that the promise of healthcare remained a distant aspiration.

Today, however, Nigeria is laying the foundation for a new narrative  one that replaces dependence with resilience and innovation. The Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC), launched under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, represents a bold commitment to transforming Nigerias healthcare system. The initiative seeks to localise production, foster innovation, and unlock the countrys $4-6 billion annual healthcare market. It is a vision grounded in measurable outcomes: by 2030, Nigeria aims to increase local production of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies to 70 per cent, halve outbound medical tourism, and create 30,000 skilled jobs across the healthcare value chain.

This transformation is not an abstract promise; it is already taking shape through tangible progress and strategic partnerships. Consider the partnership with Abbott, which is poised to localise the production of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for HIV, malaria, etc. Once dependent on imports that were often expensive and unreliable, Nigeria will soon see these tests produced locally, offering affordable and timely diagnostics for millions of people. Production is expected to commence in 2025, marking a significant step toward ensuring that rural clinics and underserved communities no longer face life-threatening delays in diagnosing malaria and other diseases.

Another significant milestone is the collaboration with Vestergaard to establish West Africas first Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs) manufacturing facility. For a country that bears 30 per cent of the global malaria burden, this partnership could not come soon enough. The facility, now in development, will produce advanced dual active-ingredient nets designed to combat insecticide resistance. Beyond the public health benefits, the project will create hundreds of jobs and position Nigeria as a regional leader in malaria prevention. By 2025, the facility is expected to begin production, providing a lifeline to families that have long battled preventable disease.

Other diagnostic equipment, critical but often overlooked aspect of healthcare, are also receiving a significant boost through PVACs partnership with Siemens Healthineers. Localising the assembly of advanced ultrasound systems will equip hospitals across Nigeria with tools to detect and treat conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, and neurological disorders. These systems, set to be deployed in 2025, will strengthen diagnostic capabilities in underserved regions, ensuring that no patients prognosis is worsened simply because they live far from a well-equipped facility.

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PVACs focus on building an ecosystem of clinical trials is equally transformative. Africa currently captures less than 2 per cent of the $50 billion global clinical trials market. By 2028, PVAC aims to increase Nigerias share, generating $3.8 billion in revenue, developing 437 trial centres, and creating 500,000 jobs. This ambitious goal is not just about economic gain; it will also enable the country to lead in global healthcare innovation, contributing solutions to some of the most pressing health challenges.

In the broader pipeline, PVAC has prioritised products like nutrition supplements and medical oxygen, alongside pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. These efforts address critical gaps in care for Nigerias most vulnerable populations, ensuring that healthcare solutions reach those who need them most. The pipeline of 74 projects under PVAC, valued at over $5 billion, reflects the scale and ambition of this transformation.

Global partnerships further underscore the initiatives scope. Univercells has committed to advancing research and development in mRNA technology, a move that positions Nigeria as a potential hub for vaccine innovation in Africa. Ziplines deployment of drone technology for medical deliveries will revolutionise access to essential supplies, particularly in hard-to-reach areas.

PVACs focus on building an ecosystem of clinical trials is equally transformative. Africa currently captures less than 2 per cent of the $50 billion global clinical trials market. By 2028, PVAC aims to increase Nigerias share, generating $3.8 billion in revenue, developing 437 trial centres, and creating 500,000 jobs. This ambitious goal is not just about economic gain; it will also enable the country to lead in global healthcare innovation, contributing solutions to some of the most pressing health challenges.

The next phase of PVAC, beginning in 2025, will mark the Year of Execution. Efforts will focus on implementing some of the projects in the pipeline, expanding partnerships with global and local manufacturers and executing the market-sharing provisions outlined in the Executive Order. These efforts are aimed at ensuring that the progress made thus far translates into tangible improvements in healthcare delivery for Nigerians.

What makes these achievements possible is a combination of visionary leadership and decisive policy action. Earlier this year, President Tinubu signed an Executive Order eliminating VAT and duties on healthcare manufacturing inputs and machinery, removing barriers that had stifled local production for years. This bold step has not only created a level playing field for investors and manufacturers but has also signaled that Nigeria is open for business and committed to transforming its healthcare sector.

The strides made under PVAC over the past year demonstrate that a self-reliant healthcare system is not only achievable but is already taking shape. For the first time in decades, Nigerians can envision a healthcare system that delivers not just treatment but dignity and security  where healthcare becomes both a right for all and a foundation for shared prosperity.

The success of PVAC is also a testament to collaboration. The Coordinating Minister for Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, has been instrumental in galvanising stakeholders across the public and private sectors. Under his stewardship, PVAC has established an unprecedented level of alignment, bringing together government agencies, international development partners, top-tier financial institutions, and private sector players. His leadership has restored investor confidence, ensuring that progress is measurable and sustainable.

The Ministry of Finance, led by Mr Wale Edun, has played a critical role in shaping the policies and fiscal framework that underpin PVACs achievements. By aligning fiscal priorities with healthcare objectives, the ministry has created an environment conducive to investment and growth. Agencies like the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), under Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, and the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), under Dr Obi Adigwe, have ensured that locally produced products meet stringent safety and quality standards. The Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) has driven critical infrastructure investments, while the Ministries of Industry, Trade and Investment, Nigeria Customs, and Bank of Industry, have streamlined processes to enable the smoother implementation of PVACs objectives.

These efforts are already yielding results. A state-of-the-art facility for producing Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) is nearing completion in Lagos, reducing Nigerias reliance on imported drugs, while creating meaningful employment opportunities for pharmacists, engineers, and technicians. Investments across the country are reversing the brain drain that has long plagued Nigeria, offering young graduates secure and impactful careers in a revitalised healthcare value chain. A beta-lactam facility was commissioned in Lagos last week, and a WHO-certified diagnostic manufacturing facility will be commissioned in Ogun State in March of 2025. At least five other manufacturing facilities will be commissioned in the second half of next year. Ultimately, PVAC is about more than just healthcare. It is about restoring trust in a system that has too often failed its people. It is about creating jobs, reducing inequalities, and fostering resilience in the face of future crises.

This progress sends a clear message to the global community: Nigeria is open for business. President Bola Ahmed Tinubus decisive actions, including the Executive Order that dismantled barriers to healthcare manufacturing, reflect a commitment to creating an enabling environment for investment and innovation. This is the time to invest in Nigeria, President Tinubu has said, signalling a renewed confidence in the nations capacity to deliver transformative results.

Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, the coordinating minister for Health and Social Welfare, has echoed this sentiment, stating, Betting against Nigeria and its people will always be a strategic mistake. The strides made under PVAC over the past year demonstrate that a self-reliant healthcare system is not only achievable but is already taking shape. For the first time in decades, Nigerians can envision a healthcare system that delivers not just treatment but dignity and security  where healthcare becomes both a right for all and a foundation for shared prosperity.

Abdu Mukhtar is the national coordinator of the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain.

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Photo: https://www.facebook.com/RedCrossUkraine

Five volunteers of the Ukrainian Red Cross helped the people affected by the fall of Russian missile debris in the center of Kyiv after Russia's attack this morning.

"An aid station has been set up where the injured and residents of the surrounding houses can get first aid, charge gadgets, drink tea or coffee. Five volunteers are engaged in the response actions," the organization said on Facebook Friday.

Volunteers of the emergency response unit of the National Committee of the Ukrainian Red Cross helped the victims and rescuers on the spot.

As reported, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, the morning missile attack of the Russian Armed Forces on Kyiv resulted in the fall of debris in several districts of the city. One person was killed and 13 people were injured.

The Grand and Toronto business centers, HolidayInn hotel, bank offices, embassies and consulates, St. Nicholas Church, residential buildings were damaged in the center of the capital.
The digital economy is rapidly growing, and these platforms need to align with local laws to foster long-term sustainability and ensure their continued success across diverse markets. By meeting their tax obligations, they can set a positive example for the industry, proving that global operations can coexist with fair and transparent business practices.

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has raised concerns over the failure of social media giants X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok to meet Nigerias tax filing requirements. According to a recent report obtained by PRNigeria titled Analysis of Compliance with Laws and Misinformation Management by Social Media Platforms in Nigeria, both platforms have failed to fulfill obligations outlined in the Code of Practice for Interactive Computer Service Platforms and Internet Intermediaries (CoP for ICSP/II). Specifically, Parts III, Sections 31, and Part II, Section 10 of the framework mandate that platforms operating within Nigerias digital ecosystem file taxes on time  a requirement that TikTok and X have not adhered to.

This oversight contrasts with the compliance demonstrated by other global tech giants, such as Google, LinkedIn, and Meta, which have met their regulatory obligations in Nigeria. These companies not only filed their tax returns but also complied with other local laws, reinforcing the expectation that all digital platforms, regardless of their countries of origin, respect the fiscal and legal frameworks of the countries they operate in.

The report highlights gaps in the engagement process of X and TikTok, particularly regarding the reporting of taxable income derived from Nigerian users. With TikTok having 23.8 million users in Nigeria and X having 5.75 million active users, the revenue generated from these platforms advertising and user activity in the country is substantial. Yet, their failure to remit taxes deprives the government of crucial funds needed for technology development in the country.

The reluctance of platforms like X and TikTok to meet Nigerias tax obligations could be attributed to several factors tied to their global operational strategies and perceived regulatory weaknesses. A significant factor is the decentralised nature of these platforms, which often allocate revenue across multiple jurisdictions with lower tax burdens, thus minimising liabilities. Consequently, they may view compliance with individual markets like Nigeria as less urgent compared to their global operations.

Additionally, the enforcement limitations within Nigerias regulatory framework could be a contributing factor. Multinational platforms may perceive Nigerias tax enforcement mechanisms as weaker or lacking the cross-border reach necessary to ensure compliance. This perception could embolden their non-compliance, especially when they are more likely to prioritise compliance in countries where penalties are higher or enforcement is more rigorous.

This situation has sparked calls for stricter enforcement measures and increased scrutiny of digital platforms operating in Nigeria. The failure to comply could pose significant problems for these companies, both in terms of their operations and their long-term sustainability in global markets. One of the key issues is the risk of legal and regulatory penalties. As more countries focus on digital taxation, failure to comply with local tax laws can lead to hefty fines, sanctions, or even the revocation of operating licenses. This would not only impact their operations but could also result in reputational damage, leading to a loss of consumer trust and affecting their brand image.

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Moreover, non-compliance can strain relationships with governments and regulatory bodies. Failure to adhere to tax obligations can damage ties with countries where these platforms have previously enjoyed positive relations. As tax issues proliferate, it may become increasingly difficult for these platforms to negotiate favourable terms or secure exemptions in the future.

To address these challenges, its advisable to levy stricter fines for tax non-compliance on these platforms to avoid creating unfair competition for local tech companies. Furthermore, failing to hold these platforms accountable for tax compliance could undermine Nigerias regulatory credibility. When multinational corporations bypass local tax obligations, it creates a perception of double standards, where large foreign companies enjoy exemptions, while local businesses bear the full burden of compliance.

Another serious consequence is the potential loss of critical revenue for the Nigerian government. As digital platforms continue to dominate global markets, advertising revenues and other income generated by Nigerian users are valuable economic resources. Allowing these revenues to go untaxed undermines Nigerias ability to leverage its growing digital ecosystem for national development. Over time, this could lead to missed opportunities to fund essential public services and infrastructure, undermining the countrys long-term economic growth.

It is imperative for X and TikTok to recognise the importance of adhering to local tax regulations in the countries they operate. As these platforms continue to profit from Nigerian users, it is crucial that they contribute fairly to the economy by fulfilling their tax obligations. By doing so, they will avoid legal repercussions and demonstrate their commitment to operating responsibly and ethically in global markets.

The digital economy is rapidly growing, and these platforms need to align with local laws to foster long-term sustainability and ensure their continued success across diverse markets. By meeting their tax obligations, they can set a positive example for the industry, proving that global operations can coexist with fair and transparent business practices.

Shuaib S. Agaka writes from Kano.

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Her point is this: I come from a thoroughly broken, dysfunctional society to this great country that has worked for me, and for this, I am grateful. We must not let outsiders mess up this place with ways of life that are contrary to the culture here. I stand as the representation of the British dream, a first-generation immigrant that has risen from the base of the ladder to the top in less than two decades, and I am ready to lay down my life for this country to keep what we have going.

There are different ways to dissect the Kemi Badenoch controversy. My observation on the debate though, and I might be wrong about that, is that many of those who have argued that there is nothing wrong with Kemi Badenochs posture and truths about Nigeria, might be confusing speaking up for/to the country, which should be encouraged, and talking down on Nigeria, which is what Kemi does. I am not sure anyone has said its wrong to criticise Nigeria or the leadership. The argument has been about the quality of judgement behind standing on an elevated platform abroad to denigrate Nigeria, especially when the context and occasion have nothing to do with the country.

In addition to that is the misrepresentation that has become rife that Kemis cold shoulder towards Nigeria is a recent development, and a response to solicitation from Nigeria/Nigerian leadership/Nigerians to hold onto her coattails, and tap her for PR purposes. But that is not the case, Kemis repeated jibes at Nigeria are rather unprovoked and clearly of her own making. Her history of making denigrating remarks about Nigeria goes way back, contrary to what some of those who have endorsed her position think.

It is predictable though that some will seek to ride on her back to project their misgivings about Nigeria, even if not in sync with the matter at hand. But that can still be done without tweaking the facts and context to suit preferred narratives. No one has made any demand on Kemi Badenoch to do anything for Nigeria. No one has asked her to speak up for Nigeria or be Nigerias PR agent. If anything, I see her, at the moment, as more of a PR liability than an asset.

Those who have pushed back against throwing Nigeria under the bus for the sake of a political career have not placed any demand on Kemi. Rather, they have simply expressed their desire for her to comport herself, speak to the issues before her, stay in her lane, and stop making detours to force Nigeria onto the threshing floor. Many find her penchant for latching on to Nigeria as a prop to further her agenda weird.

Her recollection of life in Nigeria is not in tune with what many of us remember of that period. She remembers having to carry chairs to school, but that would be strange if that was at the same International School, Lagos on the University of Lagos campus. I was a student at Unilag at that time, and I dont remember seeing students at ISL carrying chairs from home to school. She must be better informed though, as her recollection of school life in her 2018 interview, is quite vivid. Mostly it meant getting up at 5 am and cutting grass endlessly. Everyone had their own machete. Because thats how you cut grass in Africa. There were no lawnmowers. We had to tend our own patches. I still feel as if I have got the blisters.

This account might be disputed by her schoolmates, who have expressed shock and embarrassment at her story, but it is her recollection, and we just have to let that be, even if it includes that of fetching water in heavy, rusty buckets from a borehole a mile away. It might be difficult to understand how she could have experienced poverty, even as a middle-class girl, with a medical doctor father and a mother who was a Professor at Unilag, while at the same time embarking on frequent travels abroad for holidays, as she said; but it is her story. It might not jell, but it is her story. It can also be that having already given this account way back, she has elected to stand by it, even adding further chapters to make it more colourful. Who knows though?

Putting the different stories about her life in Nigeria side-by-side with her views on issues confronting the black community in Britain, one is better able to appreciate this British patriot, whose heroes are Winston Churchill, Airey Neave (the war hero turned-politician who was murdered in a car-bomb attack by the Irish National Liberation Army in 1979), and Margaret Thatcher. It helps one to understand her pro-Brexit stance and her argument that the vote for Brexit is the greatest-ever vote of confidence in the project of the United Kingdom. Her credentials are indeed eloquent: She is anti-woke, supports stop and search, wants NHS reform, defends Britains record on race relations, praises the police, opposes children being taught that white privilege is a fact, and has said there were good things that happened under the British Empire, as well as bad ones.

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Hers is a carefully curated identity for proper positioning in the minds of her target audience. She is not just about making outlandish claims, courting controversies, and saying some of these strange things that make some journalists refer to her as gaffe-prone; it is in furtherance of an agenda. Hers is a deliberate and systematic stoking of fire, and playing on the very edge of the pitch to a dance that the world is becoming too familiar with. Nigeria just happens to be a cannon fodder.

She has taken time to build her profile. A UK-based website for the people of the African diaspora in a 2021 report details a list of statements by Kemi Badenoch, in which her positions were deemed controversial by the black community. Here are some:

July 2020, Badenoch controversially blamed Ms. Agyepongs family of a 12-year-old boy arrested over a toy gun for inflaming tensions about police behaviour.

In an interview with the Radio 4 Today programme, she wrongly claimed that the officers had been unarmed during the incident: I dont think we should be using this sort of language where people feel unarmed police officers try to kill people on the streets. Were hearing a lot of this rhetoric that is simply not true. We should not be trying to inflame tensions in this way by talking about police killing people when this is certainly not true.

October 2020, in response to Labour MP Dawn Butler, who had told the Commons that black children are made to feel inferior by what they are taught in school, arguing that, History needs to be decolonised. You can go through (the) whole of the GCSE and not have reference to any Black authors at all. You could go through history and not understand the richness of Africa and the Caribbean, you can go through history and not understand all the leaders in the Black community.

But Badenoch rejected the claims, insisting that history in schools is not colonised, making controversial claims on critical race theory, Black Lives Matter, black history, decolonising the curriculum, and the issue of white privilege.

She later got into another controversy with Reni Eddo-Lodge, the bestselling author of Why Im No Longer Talking to White People About Race. Then with Nadine White of the Huffington Post (UK). Badenoch was faced with criticism after publicly accusing a journalist of making up claims and creating disinformation for asking questions about a video campaign promoting the coronavirus vaccine programme. In a Twitter thread, she accused the journalist of creepy and bizarre behaviour, and published screenshots of questions sent to her MPs office and to a ministerial press office, naming the reporter, which prompted Labour MP Dawn Butler, in a tweet to Badenoch, to allege that the ministers actions had subjected the journalist to vile abuse.

Alternative facts have since become mainstream weapons for political engagement. Politicians will rather double down than backtrack, except when they have their backs to the wall. This playbook has worked elsewhere, and will likely work for her too. The alternative facts might be unprovoked and even outrageous, but they are so on purpose. The essence is to shock, provoke, and alienate, which is what buys loyalty from those who matter.

Badenoch also criticised the BBCs community affairs correspondent, Rianna Croxford, after she reported that a black doctor had been sidelined from leading the PHE review into coronavirus risk factors. The BBC however stood by this story. She had also controversially claimed that a reluctance to be vaccinated amongst ethnic minorities was in part due to attitudes that they had brought from their home countries.

On the issue of historic medical racism, Badenoch disputed this as an issue in the UK. To her,  people often talk about things in the US, theres one specific example about Pfizer in Nigeria  which we dont find here. She goes further, Im also very conscious about propagating a line that the NHS is racist, which is fundamentally what this is about. The medical racism that they are talking about is often to do with people interpreting the way that theyre being treated as not being culturally sensitive

Indeed, there is enough out there to suggest where Kemi Badenoch stands on the issues on the minds of many in the black community. It becomes easier to understand what she is doing, and where she is going with what she is doing, once her outlook is placed in the proper context. Her eyes are trained on much more than what ails Nigeria. Nigeria only happens to be a doormat on her journey, one to bring in when faced with inconvenient truths. That is the only way to explain her bringing in the story of carrying a machete to school every day while in Nigeria into a conversation about the knife and gang culture in Britain. It was about fabricating context for one to enable her to deflect and misplace the context of the other. People are indeed more worried about how this reflects on her than they are about what it does for Nigeria, which is only collateral damage. This is more about her than anything else.

Hers is a carefully curated identity for proper positioning in the minds of her target audience. She is not just about making outlandish claims, courting controversies, and saying some of these strange things that make some journalists refer to her as gaffe-prone; it is in furtherance of an agenda. Hers is a deliberate and systematic stoking of fire, and playing on the very edge of the pitch to a dance that the world is becoming too familiar with. Nigeria just happens to be a cannon fodder. Alternative facts have since become mainstream weapons for political engagement. Politicians will rather double down than backtrack, except when they have their backs to the wall. This playbook has worked elsewhere, and will likely work for her too. The alternative facts might be unprovoked and even outrageous, but they are so on purpose. The essence is to shock, provoke, and alienate, which is what buys loyalty from those who matter.

Her point is this: I come from a thoroughly broken, dysfunctional society to this great country that has worked for me, and for this, I am grateful. We must not let outsiders mess up this place with ways of life that are contrary to the culture here. I stand as the representation of the British dream, a first-generation immigrant that has risen from the base of the ladder to the top in less than two decades, and I am ready to lay down my life for this country to keep what we have going.

Kemi Badenoch is not Anthony Joshua. She is not Ashleigh Plumptre. She is not Ademola Lookman. She is no longer Kemi Adegoke. She is Kemi Badenoch now. She wants to be the next Prime Minister of Britain. She is on a mission. She is on her way to achieving her dream. Nothing else matters. We just have to wish her well and let her go. Who knows if, and when, she might yet return?

Simbo Olorunfemi works for Hoofbeatdotcom, a Nigerian communications consultancy and publisher of Africa Enterprise. Email: Editor@enterpriseafrica.ng

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Many political bigwigs, including governors, ministers, lawmakers and other top functionaries on Friday attended the wedding ceremony of the daughter of the Governor of Jigawa State, Umar Namadi.

Salma Namadi, a medical doctor and daughter of the governor, married her lover, Abba, son of Suleiman Musa, a former deputy speaker of the Jigawa State House of Assembly, who represented the Guri constituency of the state.

After the jamaat prayers, the wedding was held at the Dutse Central Mosque Jumaat Mosque. The ceremony was presided over by Abubakar Sani, the Chief Imam of Dutse Emirate.

Former Minister of Finance, Mansur Muktar stood as the grooms trustee, while the Imam of Kafin-Hausa local government area, Abdulwahab Hassan, stood as the brides trustee.

Mr Muktar announced the sum of N300,000 as the bride price on behalf of the grooms family.

Dignitaries who graced the event included six incumbent governors, namely Abba Yusuf of Kano State; Yusuf Idris (Kebbi); Mai Mala Buni (Yobe); Dauda Lawal (Zamfara); Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe); and Dikko Radda (Katsina).

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Other top functionaries at the event were the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari and the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bugudu as well as former governors of Jigawa and Katsina states  Ali Saad, Sule Lamido, Saminu Turaki and Aminu Masari. Also in attendance were the representatives of Muhammad Badaru, the Minister of Defence.

The Speaker of the states Assembly, Haruna Aliyu, and members of the assembly were also in attendance.

Three first class emirs in the state from Hadejia, Kazaure, and Dutse attended the event, while the emirs of Ringim and Gumel sent their representatives.

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A Chief Magistrates Court in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, granted bail to activist and lawyer Dele Farotimi on Friday  16 days after detaining him over charges of criminal defamation of Afe Babalola.

The trial chief magistrate, Abayomi Adeosun, granted Mr Farotimi bail in the sum of N30 million.

He also ordered the defendant to submit his passport to the court registrar and barred him from granting media interviews pending the conclusion of the matter.

There was heightened security presence within and around the premises of the court on Friday morning as the Nigerian police deployed heavily armed Rapid Response Squad (RSS) operatives ahead of the anticipated ruling.

Many human rights activists and advocacy groups staged a protest at the court in solidarity with Mr Farotimi, demanding his unconditional release.

The police arraigned Mr Farotimi at the court on 4 December on 16 charges of defaming Mr Babalola in his book, Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System.

The book, which a court has now ordered to be removed from circulation, accused Mr Babalola, a senior Nigerian lawyer and founder of Afe Babalola University Ado Ekiti (ABUAD), of corrupting the Nigerian Supreme Court in serving his clients.

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Mr Babalola cited 31 alleged defamatory excerpts from the104-page book in his petition to the police, which, he said, was written to ruin his hard-earned reputation.

Mr Farotimi denied all the charges during his arraignment.

Bail hearing

After Mr Farotimi entered his not guilty plea, the chief magistrate ordered his detention in the correctional centre in Ado Ekiti and postponed the hearing of his bail application till 10 December.

On 10 December, the magistrate heard the bail application, which the police opposed, and adjourned until 20 December (today) for ruling.

Earlier during the hearing, Mr Adeosun disallowed Mr Farotimis first-choice lawyer, Yinka Olumide-Fusika, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), from addressing the court on the grounds that lawyers of his status were not permitted to appear before a magistrates court.

A lawyer, Taiwo Adedeji, continued the case on behalf of the defendant.

The court adjourned till 20 December to rule on the bail application of the defendant and ordered the remand of Mr Farotimi in prison custody.

After his ruling granting bail to Mr Farotimi, the court adjourned further proceedings till 13 February 2025.

Farotimis legal challenges

The case is just one in the series of legal challenges Mr Farotimi has faced since Mr Babalolas petition calling on the police to take action against him for defaming him in his book. The book quickly clinched a bestseller spot on Amazon days after the police arrested him over the publication.

Days after charging him before at chief magistrates court, the police also arraigned him before the Federal High Court in Ado Ekiti on cybercrime charges stemming from Mr Babalolas allegations regarding the book. The judge, Babs Kuewunmi, granted him N50 million bail and remanded him in prison till he met the bail conditions.

The federal court granted him bail but remained in detention to await Fridays ruling by the chief magistrates court.

In addition to the criminal cases, two lawyers from Mr Babalolas law firm, Afe Babalola & Co. have also filed separate libel suits against Mr Farotimi at the Rivers State High Court and the FCT High Court in Abuja.

The FCT High Court has ordered the seizure of physical copies of the book wherever it might be found.

Mr Babalolas law firm also petitioned the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) to disbar Mr Farotimi, over his controversial book, allegedly denigrating the Supreme Court and accomplished lawyers.

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Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State on Friday described President Bola Tinubus arrival in Lagos for the holidays as significant and very historic.

He spoke shortly after the president observed the Jumat prayer at the Central Mosque in Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos.

The president arrived in Lagos on Wednesday to celebrate the Christmas and New Year festivities.

The president usually comes to Lagos, his home state, to spend the holidays at least twice a year.

Mr Sanwo-Olu said: Its significant. Its very historic. Its not just a small homecoming, its a big, proper homecoming for him.

Im sure, if my memory serves me right, since he left as a governor in 2007, I probably can count how many times hes been to, not only this mosque, but this area of Lagos.

The governor said he is delighted that Mr Tinubu joined the worship and prayers as his presence brings back fond memories.

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Significance of his homecoming

Mr Sanwo-Olu said the presidents presence at the worship centre would usher Lagos residents into the Yuletide season as he is the president for both Christian followers and our Muslim faithful.

The governor said this festive season is a time for reflection, gratitude, and setting new goals for the coming year.

Audacious 2025 budget

Speaking to journalists, the governor described the proposed 2025 budget as ambitious yet achievable.

Its an audacious project, but its also a budget of reality, he said.

This will be the largest budget that well see in the history of the federal government. Its not even just the largest, the leap frog of that size of budget.

He assured that with the right mechanism in place, the budget will be achieved.

In November, Mr Sanwo-Olu presented a N3 trillion sustainability budget, being the proposed appropriation bill for 2025 to the states House of Assembly.

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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.

Embassy Showcase gathered 68 embassies and 8,000 guests to celebrate international culture and trade in Washington, DC. Post this 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.

SOURCE RONALD REAGAN BUILDING AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE CENTER
MIAMI, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The 1901 Collection, a trailblazing eco-friendly swimwear brand, is transforming the fashion industry with sustainable designs that balance elegance and environmental consciousness. Recently, the brand's founder and designer, Linda Jasmine, made a stylish appearance at Art Basel Miami, attending an exclusive charity gala and other high-profile events, highlighting the brand's dedication to art and sustainability.

Swimwear with a Purpose

The 1901 Collection is redefining swimwear by incorporating innovative, eco-conscious materials like regenerated nylon and fabrics made from recycled ocean plastics. This approach reduces waste while offering chic, high-performance designs that inspire sustainable living.

"Our mission is to celebrate individuality while protecting the planet," said Linda "We believe fashion can be beautiful, functional, and environmentally responsible."

Making a Statement at Art Basel Miami

The designer's presence at Art Basel reflected the 1901 Collection's deep commitment to creativity and sustainability. At a charity gala supporting ocean conservation, the designer connected with philanthropists and art enthusiasts, emphasizing the brand's alignment with environmental causes.

"The intersection of art and sustainability is powerful," the designer noted. "Art Basel was an inspiring space to collaborate with those who share our vision for a better future."

The designer also attended exclusive gallery openings and discussions exploring fashion's role in shaping cultural and environmental narratives. These events further established the 1901 Collection as a leader in eco-conscious fashion.

Timeless Style, Lasting Impact

The 1901 Collection's swimwear features elegant designs and vibrant, nature-inspired prints, blending sustainability with style. Each piece is crafted to ensure durability and minimize the impact of fast fashion.

"Swimwear is a celebration of nature," said the influencer" By choosing eco-friendly materials, we're honoring the beauty we seek to preserve."

A Vision for the Future

As demand for sustainable fashion grows, the 1901 Collection is setting new standards for eco-friendly swimwear. With plans to expand its offerings and global presence, the brand is capturing the attention of fashion-forward, eco-conscious consumers.

For more information, visit 1901collection.com or follow @official1901Collection on social media.

Media Contact:

Linda Jasmine LLC

786-849-1885

[email protected]

1901collection.com

SOURCE 1901 Collection
Lithuania is ready to expand cooperation with Ukraine in the field of training and education of the Ukrainian military, Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas has said Friday.

"Lithuania and Ukraine have a wide field of cooperation. One of such areas is defense. Here we are talking about preparing and training the military to participate in combat operations. If we answer your question, Lithuania is ready to expand our cooperation in this area as well," he told a joint press briefing with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in Kyiv following a meeting of the governments of Ukraine and Lithuania, answering a question from the Interfax-Ukraine agency whether Lithuania is ready to send instructors to Ukraine to train Ukrainian military if necessary.

As reported, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said on December 13 that Ukrainian instructors for basic general military training will be trained in Lithuania in 2025 under the NATO Defense Education Enhancement Program (DEEP).
DELRAY BEACH, Fla., Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The global AC Motors Market is anticipated to grow from estimated USD 4.60 billion in 2024 to USD 6.60 billion by 2029, at a CAGR of 7.5% during the forecast period. Industrial growth, rapid urbanization, and increased usage in HVAC systems, water treatment, and manufacturing activities are driving the demand for AC motors. The industries located in China, India, and Japan require AC motors for efficient operation, power pumps, fans, and compressors.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Nuclear Power Market"

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4 poles segment by poles

The 4-pole AC motor is the largest part of the AC motor market because it is versatile, energy-efficient, and has a lot of applications in various types of industries such as HVAC, pumps, and compressors. The motors work at constant speeds (1500 RPM at 50 Hz or 1800 RPM at 60 Hz) and have constant operations. Their balance of torque and speed also caters for heavy-duty and precision work, making them widely used in industries.

500-900 kW by power rating

This segment is largely the largest consumer of 500900 kW-rated power due to its immense applications in heavy industries, like power generation, mining, and oil and gas. Such motors perfectly fit the high-power requirement of heavy operations while remaining highly efficient for demanding operations. Further, the trend in increasing application of automation and energy efficiency in processes of industry creates the need for these motors in the mentioned power range. They are a popular option in many industries due to their adaptability and dependability in managing demanding applications, which greatly contributes to their market domination.

Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest region in the AC motors market during the forecast period.

The reason for the fast growth of the AC motor market is the fast industrialization and urbanization within the Asia Pacific region, especially within the developing countries of China and India. The rising manufacturing sector, changing infrastructure, and the ever-increasing trend of employing energy-efficient technology are a few reasons why the need for AC motors is arising. Increasing usage of electric automobiles and HVAC systems is yet another reason contributing to its growth. The trend of AC motors in the region is further boosted by favorable government policies toward renewable energy projects and industrial automation.

Key Players

Some of the major players in the AC Motors Market are ABB (Switzerland), Siemens (Germany), GE Vernova (US), WEG (Brazil) and NIDEC (Japan).

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ABB

ABB is a leading power and automation technology company offering a wide range of products, services, and systems, namely, transformers, distribution automation products, high-voltage products, power transmission systems, grid integration systems, and others. The company has over 130 years of experience with motors and generators, and more than 40 years of expertise with drives in manufacturing, servicing and optimizing across a wide range of industries. The company has operations spread across more than 100 countries across 3 regions: Europe, the Americas and Asia, Middle East and Africa. ABB has 476 offices in 85 countries around the world. ABB provides with general purpose to highly customized designs, synchronous motors and high voltage induction motors provide high efficiency, reliability and availability across all major industries, such as power generation, marine, oil and gas, mining, and data centers; and applications.

General Electric

General Electric Company is a high-tech industrial company that operates worldwide through three segments: Aerospace, Renewable Energy, and Power. In April 2024, General Electric Company completed its transition of splitting into three separate companies with GE Vernova, GE Aerospace, and GE Healthcare all trading under separate stock tickers.

GE operates through four business segments: aerospace, renewable energy, power, and corporate. The power segment provides with AC motors. Along with motors, it provides with generators, automation and control equipment and drives for energy intensive industries such as marine, oil and gas, mining, rail, metals and test systems. General Electric Company operates in over 160 countries. Manufacturing and service operations are carried out at 59 manufacturing plants located in 24 states in the United States and Puerto Rico and at 102 manufacturing plants located in 25 other countries. Manufacturing facilities in Alabama, South Carolina and Tennessee, as well as R&D, sales, distribution and support operations in 46 states.

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Related Reports:

Electric Motors Market

Energy Efficient Motor Market

Permanent Magnet Motor Market

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Business Process Xperts - BPX assists African enterprises in protecting their digital transformation initiatives investments by offering efficient business process redesign and optimization services.

DUBAI, UAE, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- With the rapid pace of digital transformation in Africa, CTOs face challenges in managing system updates and transitions, especially from legacy systems to SAP S/4HANA or similar solutions for greenfield and brownfield projects.

Studies show 68% of digital transformation projects fail due to poor process alignment.

Global CIOs leverage process mining to embrace business process transformation and reduce risks towards digital success

African enterprises are turning to boutique BPR consultants to leverage tools like SAP Signavio, IBM Blueworks, UiPath, and LeanIX. The SAP Signavio BPM suite enables BPR consultants to streamline processes, align strategies with SAP standards, and reduce over-customization.

Prominent firms like 'Business Process Xperts- BPX' are leading the block in Africa, with their assistance in strategizing the implementation of powerful modern tools for process optimization.

Speaking on the matter, Nikhil Agarwal, the Founder of 'Business Process Xperts - BPX', says, "Many digitization projects fail when ERP or CRM implementation partners handle BPM activities, as studies show 68% of such projects struggle due to misaligned processes. As software-agnostic process experts, we bring a business-first approach to adopt best-fit processes and hand over a detailed blueprint to implementation partners, ensuring a 99% success rate for digital transformation projects."

To the enterprises operating in Africa, delays and inefficiencies in the digital transformation projects may negatively impact their businesses and could be a competitive disadvantage. BPX team comes with more than a decade of experience, with advanced process optimization capabilities to help manage challenging business processes and adopt best practices. Their expertise in various advanced process automation tools facilitates reducing duplication and accelerates implementation cycles so that enterprises can achieve more value from their investments.

Rupal Agarwal, Co-Founder of BPX, says, "We create video SOPs and user manuals, ensuring high user adoption for new digital transformation projects, as 70% of digital transformation projects fail due to poor user engagement."

The key services BPX offers for Africa:

Strategic BPR consulting for greenfield and brownfield digital transformations

The active usage of advanced process management platforms like SAP Signavio , UiPath and IBM Blueworks to facilitate process optimization and automation

UiPath and IBM Blueworks to facilitate process optimization and automation Increase user adoption with L5 process maps, SOPs and work instructions

Organisational Change Management Initiatives

About Business Process Xperts - BPX

As a business process management and consulting company, Business Process Xperts has over 12 years of experience working with 21+ industries globally. From analyzing business processes to automating them, BPX acts as the centre of excellence for achieving long-term and efficient results.

Contact

Dr. Rupal Agarwal

+919860426700

[email protected]

Learn more at businessprocessxperts.com

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vi5tbPc38ps

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2585002/BPX_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Business Process Xperts - BPX
Performance Brokerage Services, the leader in dealership buy-sell activity, announces the sale of Cox's Harley-Davidson in Rock Hill, South Carolina from Jan Cox to Carson Baker.

IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Performance Brokerage Services, North America's highest volume dealership brokerage firm, is pleased to announce the sale of Cox's Harley-Davidson in Rock Hill, South Carolina from Jan Cox to Carson Baker.

Performance Brokerage Services - Cox's Harley-Davidson - Carson Baker

Cox's Harley-Davidson is a family-owned and operated dealership, founded in 2006 by the Cox family. Reflecting on her years of ownership, Jan Cox expressed her appreciation for the loyal customers and community members who supported the business throughout the years. "We had a strong run catering to riders from York County, Charlotte, Greenville, Myrtle Beach and beyond. It is our hope that the new owner will be welcomed as they continue this service. It is with humble gratitude that we wish the best to our customers, the community and our staff members. The loyalty and dedication you gave us was abundant and appreciated. We look forward to what the future holds for our Asheboro location," Jan shared.

The Cox family's legacy in the motorcycle industry dates back to 1961, with the founding of Cox's Harley-Davidson of Asheboro by Jan's father-in-law, Recil Cox. This dealership remains operational today and holds the distinction of being the longest-running family-owned Harley-Davidson dealership in North Carolina.

Over the last 5 years, Performance Brokerage Services has advised on the sale of over 300 dealerships, making it the highest volume dealership brokerage firm in North America. George C. Chaconas, Senior Partner and Courtney A. Bernhard, Partner of the Harley-Davidson & Powersports Division for Performance Brokerage Services were the exclusive sell-side advisors for this transaction.

George Chaconas shared, "In 2015, I had the privilege of representing the Cox family in the sale of Cox's Northern Tier Harley-Davidson to Pete Eisenhauer. Over the years, I kept in touch with Jan Cox to see when she might be ready to sell Cox's Harley-Davidson in Rock Hill. After nearly 20 years of ownership, she was ready to retire. It was an honor to represent the Cox family again and sell to Carson Baker, the owner of Baker VTwin2. This marks the second Harley-Davidson dealership I've sold to Carson. I also want to thank my partner, Courtney Bernhard, for her invaluable assistance in facilitating the sale. I wish Jan all the best in her retirement and look forward to helping Carson continue to grow in the near future."

Courtney Bernhard added, "I'm grateful for the opportunity to work with Carson Baker and his team on another acquisition. There are many moving parts in a buy-sell transaction, and his team played a crucial role in getting this one across the finish line. I look forward to continuing to work with Carson and his team as they expand."

Carson Baker has had a passion for motorcycles since early childhood. He received his first motorcycle as a Christmas gift at age three, and his love for motorized vehicles grew from there. "I have always been infatuated by anything with a motor," said Carson, who spent his formative years riding on his family's 100-acre farm.

After earning his degree from Coastal Carolina University, Carson worked at his father's Chevrolet dealership before deciding to pursue his passion for powersports. In 2014, he opened Baker American Cycles in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and over the years, expanded his business through a series of acquisitions, including Baker Motorsports in Fayetteville, Battleship Cycles and Marine in Wilmington, and Bulldog Harley-Davidson in Smithfield, North Carolina.

Carson shared, "This is the second Harley-Davidson dealership that I acquired through George Chaconas and his partner, Courtney Bernhard, of Performance Brokerage Services. They were very instrumental in helping me identify my second Harley-Davidson dealership, and were very engaged from start to finish in acquiring Cox's Harley-Davidson in Rock Hill, South Carolina, from the longtime owner, the Cox family. George and Courtney's professionalism, industry knowledge, and expertise contributed significantly to closing this transaction. I look forward to continuing to grow my powersports dealership platform with the help of George and Courtney and their team. When you are considering buying or selling a powersports dealership, look no further than George and Courtney to help you through this complex process!"

Carson Baker was represented by Logan Parker at Bass Sox Mercer in Tallahassee, Florida.

Cox's Harley-Davidson will be renamed Dog House Harley-Davidson and will remain at its current location at 1178 Galleria Boulevard in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

About Performance Brokerage Services

Performance Brokerage Services, Inc. is North America's highest volume dealership brokerage firm, specializing in buy-sell activity for automotive, RV, commercial truck, powersports, and equipment dealerships.

With over 30 years of experience, 900 dealerships sold, and a 90% closing rate, the company's reputation is unmatched and governed by the utmost ethical conduct and integrity.

The company offers a unique approach by providing complimentary estimates of value with no upfront fees or retainer, no reimbursement of costs, and paid a success fee only after the transaction closes.

Headquartered in Irvine, California, and supported by 9 regional offices in Utah, Texas, Illinois, Florida, Virginia, Ohio, New Jersey, Alberta and Ontario, clients benefit from national exposure with local representation.

As trusted and respected experts in the field, the company utilizes an extensive network of industry related attorneys, accountants, hundreds of registered buyers, and longstanding relationships with various vehicle manufacturers.

For more information about the services offered by Performance Brokerage Services, visit https://performancebrokerageservices.com.

Media Contact:

Jesse Stopnitzky, Co-Owner

(949) 309-2851

[email protected]

SOURCE Performance Brokerage Services, Inc.
Workers Extend Pickets to Largest Union Facility

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y., Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- At midnight tonight, Amazon Teamsters at the JFK8 warehouse in Staten Island will join the historic strike against the corporate giant. They join thousands of Teamsters striking at DBK4 in New York City; DGT8 in Atlanta; DFX4, DAX5, and DAX8 in Southern California; DCK6 in San Francisco; and DIL7 in Skokie, Ill.; as well as picketing at hundreds of other Amazon facilities.

This large-scale labor action is a result of Amazon's illegal refusal to bargain with its workers who have chosen to unionize with the Teamsters. Amazon has defied repeated demands to come to the table and negotiate an agreement.

"Amazon executives are cowards hiding behind lies, threats, and intimidation to dodge their responsibilities to workers and the public," said Teamsters General President Sean M. O'Brien. "It takes real courage to stand up to a corporate bully and Amazon Teamsters are doing just that."

In June, over 5,500 Amazon workers at JFK8 affiliated with the Teamsters and chartered Amazon Labor Union (ALU)-IBT Local 1. They overwhelmingly authorized a strike in response to the $2 trillion corporation's illegal and continued failure to recognize their union.

"Amazon is jeopardizing the holidays for consumers so they can try to make an extra buck," said Connor Spence, President of ALU-IBT Local 1. "Amazon workers are standing up to demand this corporation finally treat them with respect."

Despite raking in hundreds of billions of dollars this year, Amazon fails to pay its drivers and warehouse workers fair wages for their hard work. Amazon workers are often put in dangerous conditions and suffer high rates of workplace injuries compared to employees at other companies.

"I am thrilled to be part of this fight," said Valerie Strapoli, a worker at JFK8. "Amazon has shoved us around for so long, but we have the momentum now."

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.3 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit Teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and "like" us on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters.

Contact:

[email protected]

[email protected]

SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters
SUGAR GROVE, Ill., Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- American Hindus Against Defamation (AHAD), the first Hindu organization against Hindu defamation formed in 1997, announces a cutting-edge AI-driven initiative to identify and counter Hinduphobia and Hindu hatred. Leveraging advanced algorithms developed by Tattwa.ai, AHAD has unveiled a suite of transformative applications designed to empower stakeholders in academia, journalism, and advocacy to address anti-Hindu bias effectively.

Pioneering Applications in Hinduphobia Detection

Tattwa logo

The following AI-driven tools were announced today:

HinduHate Detector: This innovative tool evaluates published work using a multidimensional bias analysis. Its proprietary algorithm combines deep learning with over 2,000 rules. Academician, Journalist, and Commentator Profiles: An evolving database profiling individuals and their contributions to Hindu dharma, Hindutva, and related issues. This database will provide Hindus a perspective on the profiled individuals to put their work in perspective. 360-Degree Political View: A comprehensive graphical representation of American political candidates from a Hindu perspective, providing insights into their positions, funding, and public statements.

An X (formerly Twitter) Feed Analyzer: An advanced tool to analyze social media content for Hinduphobia patterns and misinformation will soon be available.

Analysis of "We Are Savera" Reports Published

As part of its initiative, AHAD has already utilized the HinduHate Detector to publish a detailed analysis of reports by the "We Are Savera" about Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America (VHPA) and the Hindu American Foundation (HAF). This analysis shows that the authors and sponsors of the "We are Savera" report are highly biased. The use of linguistic nuances, the sources they have referred to, and the overall sentiment of their hatred towards Hindus and mainstream Hindu advocacy organizations have been quantified. The analysis shows that any serious scholar or other stakeholder should not consider these reports credible.

Empowering the Fight Against Hindu Defamation, Hindu Hatred, and Hinduphobia

"Since its inception in 1997, AHAD has been at the forefront of combating anti-Hindu defamation in all its forms. With these new AI tools, we are entering a new era of data-driven advocacy, equipping stakeholders with the insights needed to challenge biases and build a more informed dialogue," said Ajay Shah, Convenor of AHAD and the President of the World Hindu Council of America (VHPA).

AHAD invites academicians, journalists, and nonprofit organizations with a proven track record of countering Hindu hatred to collaborate with us and utilize these tools.

About American Hindus Against Defamation (AHAD):

AHAD is the world's first and most prominent Hindu organization against defamation. An initiative of the World Hindu Council of America (VHPA), AHAD actively monitors mass media, commercial products, and public places to ensure the respectful and accurate representation of Hindu dharma, culture, images, and icons. Since 1997, hundreds of thousands of Hindus have participated in various advocacy activities led by AHAD. AHAD is now part of VHPA's HinduPACT. Please visit www.ahadinfo.org.

About Tattwa.ai

Tattwa.ai is an independent technology company specializing in applications of Artificial Intelligence for the betterment of humanity. Visit https://tattwa.ai

Media Contact:

Ajay Shah

[email protected]

858-866-9661

SOURCE American Hindus Against Defamation (AHAD)
ADELAIDE, Australia, Dec. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A leading Australian energy management software and services company has today announced a growth capital investment from Angeleno Group, a long-standing clean energy and climate solutions venture capital and growth equity investment firm headquartered in Los Angeles, with a track record of investing in Australian-based sustainability businesses.

James DiLiberto, CEO, AZZO Daniel Weiss, Co-founder and Managing Partner, Angeleno Group

This investment aims to accelerate AZZO's geographical expansion and the development and impact of its EnergyX IoT platform helping organisations comprehensively manage their energy including renewables and electrification initiatives for efficiency, sustainability and resilience through microgrids.

AZZO's EnergyX IoT platform has made a significant impact in Australia by optimising renewable energy management, addressing grid instability and supporting the transition to a more sustainable, resilient energy ecosystem, helping businesses reduce energy costs, improve efficiency and meet sustainability goals.

Founded in Adelaide by John Azzollini in 2005, AZZO has grown from its innovation roots in Australia to become a trusted global leader in the energy transition, with operations nationwide and a well-established presence in North America.

"I am incredibly proud of the AZZO team for their dedication and achievements. This partnership with Angeleno Group marks a significant milestone in our journey, and I'm excited about what we can achieve together," says John Azzollini, Founder, AZZO.

"Our commitment to sustainability and energy management remains our guiding purpose, and Angeleno Group's backing allows us to make a broader impact in the energy transition alongside its other innovative portfolio companies advancing decarbonisation and sustainability outcomes," says James DiLiberto, CEO, AZZO.

The organisation delivers cutting-edge energy solutions for energy efficiency, reduces costs, orchestrates Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) and helps in achieving sustainability goals.

"AZZO has developed a compelling energy management solution that aligns well with our mission to invest in and help scale innovative clean energy and climate solutions businesses," says Daniel Weiss, Co-founder and Managing Partner, Angeleno Group. "We are excited to contribute to AZZO's growth journey and support their expansion into new markets" says Anil Tammineedi, Partner, Angeleno Group.

This partnership with Angeleno will enable AZZO to further extend its presence in existing markets and enter new territories. With Angeleno Group's experience in scaling transformative energy businesses, AZZO is well-positioned and capitalised to expedite the development and deployment of its innovative solutions through partnerships, investments, and acquisitions.

As part of this investment, Dominic Drenen will join AZZO as Chairman of the Board in Melbourne, bringing over 25 years of experience in the energy sector. Dominic's leadership and industry expertise will be invaluable as AZZO continues to drive growth and innovation. Dominic is an Operating Partner of Angeleno Group and the former CEO of the Angeleno Group portfolio company, Click Energy, which was acquired by AGL in 2020.

The collaboration between AZZO and Angeleno Group represents a major milestone in AZZO's journey to help organisations unlock the full potential of their energy ecosystem. Through targeted investments and partnerships, both companies aim to contribute meaningfully to the transition towards cleaner energy and greater sustainability.

About AZZO

With a 19-year history of customer-focused innovation and offices in Oceania and North America, AZZO is a leader in renewable energy & electrification management solutions. The company offers technology and services that help businesses achieve sustainability goals and reduce energy costs while increasing resilience and energy-related revenues. The EnergyX IoT platform is central to AZZO's offerings, providing monitoring, analytics, applications, and control and management capabilities for traditional and renewable energy systems. For more information, visit https://www.azzo.com.

About Angeleno Group

Founded in 2001, Angeleno Group is a pioneer in providing growth capital for clean energy and climate solutions companies. Angeleno Group has become one of the United States' longest standing dedicated clean energy and sustainability focused investment firms, making growth investments on a global basis. The firm's core strategy is to invest in high-growth, well managed, innovative businesses with proven technologies and established customer traction. Angeleno Group invests in a range of deal types, with a strategy that is sector-focused and research-driven. Angeleno Group is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. For more information, visit www.angelenogroup.com.

SOURCE AZZO
BEIJING, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- "Those with a sound grasp of governance will leave no problems unresolved and no defects unrepaired." On December 20, 2019, Chinese President Xi Jinping quoted this ancient proverb during his speech commemorating the 20th anniversary of Macao's return to China and the inauguration of the fifth-term government of Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR). He expressed his hope that Macao would continue to adapt to the times and strive for improved governance.

Beijing Review: Flourishing Macao SAR at 25

Macao is located on the western coast of the Pearl River Delta in south China, bordering Zhuhai in Guangdong Province on the mainland and facing Hong Kong SAR and Shenzhen, another city in Guangdong, across the Pearl River. Like Hong Kong, Macao has a history of colonial rule. At midnight on December 20, 1999, China resumed the exercise of sovereignty over Macao.

Over the past 25 years, the Macao SAR Government has steadfastly and comprehensively upheld the principle of "one country, two systems," under which Macao people govern Macao, exercising a high degree of autonomy.

Said policy was put forward by late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping in the early 1980s to realize the peaceful reunification of China, and it was first applied to solve the questions of Hong Kong and Macao. It means there is only one China and under this premise the mainland adheres to the socialist system while Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan may retain their capitalist systems over a long time to come.

The Central Government has guided and supported numerous initiatives related to Macao's economic and social development, injecting momentum into its prosperity and stability.

The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) has unlocked new opportunities for Macao's remarkable development. Emerging sectors, including integrated circuits, biomedicine, finance, and convention and exhibition, have diversified Macao's industrial structure, driving economic transformation and upgrading.

The Macao SAR Government has continuously improved the systems and mechanisms supporting the implementation of the Constitution and the Basic Law of Macao SAR. It has advanced public administration reforms, developed innovative governance models and promptly amended local laws.

In 2023, Macao ranked second globally and first in Asia in per-capita GDP. Upholding the principle of "patriots governing Macao," the region has consistently prioritized fairness, justice and the improvement of quality of life. This, in turn, has created a governance environment conducive to sustainable development and led to the successful application of "one country, two systems" with Macao characteristics.

https://youtu.be/qgw5Mm1ltDo

SOURCE Beijing Review
PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Kaskela Law LLC announces that it has commenced a shareholder investigation into the recently announced proposed buyout of Innovid Corp. (NYSE: CTV) ("Innovid") shareholders.

Additional information: https://kaskelalaw.com/case/innovid-corp/

On November 21, 2024, Innovid announced that it would be acquired by Mediaocean at a price of $3.15 per share. Following the closing of the proposed transaction, Innovid shareholders will be cashed out of their investment position and the company's shares will no longer be publicly traded.

The investigation seeks to determine whether the $3.15 per share buyout price provides fair and sufficient value to Innovid shareholders for their CVT shares, and whether Innovid's directors breached their fiduciary duties or violated the securities laws in agreeing to sell the company to Mediaocean at $3.15 per share.

Innovid shareholders are encouraged to contact Kaskela Law LLC (D. Seamus Kaskela, Esq. or Adrienne Bell, Esq.) at (484) 229  0750 to receive additional information about this investigation and their legal rights and options. Alternatively, investors may submit their information to the firm by clicking on the following link (or by copying and pasting the link into your browser):

https://kaskelalaw.com/case/innovid-corp/

Kaskela Law LLC exclusively represents investors in securities fraud, corporate governance, and merger & acquisition litigation on a contingent basis. For additional information about Kaskela Law LLC please visit www.kaskelalaw.com.

CONTACT:

KASKELA LAW LLC

D. Seamus Kaskela, Esq.

([email protected])

Adrienne Bell, Esq.

([email protected])

18 Campus Blvd., Suite 100

Newtown Square, PA 19073

(888) 715  1740

(484) 229  0750

www.kaskelalaw.com

This notice may constitute attorney advertising in certain jurisdictions.

SOURCE Kaskela Law LLC
BEIJING, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- With cheerful vibes in the air, China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) on Friday held a gathering to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland and the inaugural ceremony of the sixth-term government of the Macao SAR.

Addressing attendees, Chinese President Xi Jinping said the great achievements of Macao since its return have proven to the world that "One Country, Two Systems" has prominent institutional strengths and tremendous vitality.

The values of peace, inclusiveness, openness and sharing embodied in the policy are common to China and the rest of the world, and deserve to be jointly safeguarded, Xi added.

'Tremendous success'

Xi hailed the enormous transformation that has taken place in Macao since its return to the motherland in 1999, saying the practice of "One Country, Two Systems" with Macao characteristics has been a tremendous success.

In 2023, Macao's GDP amounted to approximately 379.5 billion MOP (around $47.4 billion), an increase of seven times compared to 1999, while per capita GDP had more than quadrupled to around $70,000. On Forbes magazine's 2024 list of the world's richest places, Macao ranked first in Asia and second globally.

The city boasted an average life expectancy of 83.1 years in 2023, up from 77.9 years old in 1999, among the highest globally. Its unemployment rate has averaged below 2 percent since 2012, signaling nearly full employment.

Tourism has also expanded dramatically, from 6.6 million visitors in 1999 to 39.4 million in 2019. By December 7, the city had welcomed over 32 million tourists this year  a 26 percent increase compared to the same period last year. The number is expected to hit 33 million by year's end.

'New stage'

Stressing that the practice of "One Country, Two Systems" has entered a new stage, Xi on Friday called on the new SAR government to promote the appropriate diversification of the local economy, improve governance efficiency, build a platform for higher-level opening up, and safeguard social harmony and stability.

Under the "One Country, Two Systems" framework, Macao SAR enjoys distinct advantages, including its status as a free trade port, a separate customs territory, and a simple and low-tax environment. The World Trade Organization recognizes Macao as one of the most open economies in the world for trade and investment.

China's central government has taken into full consideration the SAR's unique position, encouraging it to integrate into the national development strategy and ensure it plays a better role in the nation's opening up. Cooperative mechanisms and infrastructure  such as the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin - have provided Macao with development headroom and rich opportunities.

With support from the central government, Macao has signed nearly 60 agreements with foreign countries and established robust economic, trade and cultural ties with over 120 countries and regions. The number of international organizations and institutions Macao participates in has increased to more than 190, and it has secured visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 147 countries and regions. It also has 13 sister cities.

Meanwhile, Macao's contribution to the Belt and Road Initiative has injected new vitality into the global economy. In 2023, the value of goods delivered by Macao to Belt and Road partner countries reached MOP 770 million, up 47.8 percent year on year, and the value of imports from the Belt and Road partners was MOP 30.92 billion, up 18.0 percent year on year.

Last year, Macao and Hengqin formed a joint delegation to go abroad to attract investment. Nearly 350 business matchmaking meetings were held in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Portugal, Spain and other countries, and 17 cooperation agreements were signed.

In his speech, Xi voiced confidence that Macao SAR will open up new horizons for development and keep creating new glories, as long as "One Country, Two Systems" is comprehensively, accurately and unwaveringly implemented.

For more information, please click:

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2024-12-20/Xi-Jinping-delivers-speech-at-gathering-marking-Macao-s-return-anniversary-1ztOa4Tr3eU/p.html

SOURCE CGTN
Spencer Raymond will join Chirisa Technology Parks to support financing, financial management and operations related to CTP's rapid delivery of high-performance, leading-edge facilities for hyperscale, HPC, and AI customers

RICHMOND, Va. and DUBLIN, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Chirisa Technology Parks ("CTP") today announces that Spencer Raymond will join our senior leadership team as Chief Financial Officer in February 2025.

In his role as Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Raymond will be responsible for leading the day-to-day financial operations and affairs of the CTP including financial strategy, debt and equity capital formation, planning, compliance, reporting and analysis, financial and management reporting systems and financial risk management.

With over 20 years of experience, Raymond has delivered extensive shareholder value at high growth firms in the real estate and asset management industry. In his most recent role as CFO of Rockpoint, he oversaw financial and operational areas driving AUM growth from $4 billion to $16 billion at peak. In that role, he was responsible for a series of capital transactions, raising new debt and equity to facilitate the growth of the business. Raymond was instrumental to the launch of a vertically integrated property-level services function, which now provides services on a national basis. He also oversaw the build-out of infrastructure related to many aspects of the firm's operations.

Lee Hayes, President and CEO of CTP commented, "I am delighted to welcome Spencer as Chief Financial Officer of Chirisa Technology Parks. His appointment is a bold statement of our intention to further accelerate the rapid growth of our business. Our hyperscale customers are substantially expanding their AI/HPC footprints to meet the growing global demand for high performance computing. In 2025, we will focus on the expansion of our leading-edge critical facility financing, development and management capability to meet this customer need."

Prior to Rockpoint, Raymond was a pre-launch partner and co-founder of Pleasant Lake Partners, responsible for all business development, fundraising and investor relations, finance, operations and SEC compliance of the global opportunistic concentrated equity long-short fund. Prior to Pleasant Lake, Raymond was a pre-launch employee and ultimately Chief Financial Officer of Garrison Investment Group, a $4 billion AUM real estate and corporate middle market credit opportunity fund sponsor.

Raymond began his career at Ernst & Young as a senior audit team member. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Syracuse University Whitman School of Management and was captain of Men's NCAA Division I Swim Team. He has a broad and international perspective having lived in the USA, London, Singapore and Frankfurt.

Raymond will be based at our offices in Virginia, USA.

SOURCE Chirisa Technology Parks
Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico said that stopping gas transit through Ukraine to Slovakia could result in a serious conflict.

"If Zelenskyy does not let our gas through, a serious conflict could arise. Why should it only go from us there? Why can't there be some kind of solidarity towards us?" Fico said on Facebook.

As reported, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on December 19 that Ukraine would not be involved in continuing the transit of Russian gas. At the same time, he noted that in a conversation with the Prime Minister of Slovakia, he said that if it was not Russian gas, but gas from another country, and there was no payment to the Russian Federation until the end of the war, Ukraine was ready to consider this option.

In September 2024, the Hungarian MOL Group announced an agreement with Russian oil suppliers 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, which includes Ukraine, expires at the end of this year. The talks will involve the European Commission, Ukraine and EU member states, according to Slovakia's Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Denisa Sakova.

Fico said Slovakia would like to see cheaper supplies from the east continue.
MCHENRY, Ill., Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Chroma Color Corporation ("Chroma Color" or "Chroma") continues to grow its manufacturing footprint along with its portfolio of colorant and additive technologies with its recent acquisition of Spectra Color, Inc. ("Spectra Color" or "Spectra") a custom manufacturer of colorants and pre-colored resin compounds. Spectra also manufactures a proprietary resin primarily made from linear low-density polyethylene, predominantly used in the rotational molding industry.

Located in Corona, California, Spectra is a leading provider of masterbatch and color-matching services with custom blending capabilities. Founded in 1976, they have supplied the plastic industry with high quality thermoplastic compounds, colorants, additives, and value-added resins for over 45 years. Spectra serves diverse end-markets, including medical, healthcare, agriculture, consumer products, among others.

Spectra CEO, Bob Shedd, said, "We are thrilled to join forces with Chroma Color. Chroma's strong market reputation and shared vision for the business make this partnership a perfect fit. By combining our technological expertise, we can deliver a powerful competitive advantage, enhance performance, and create even greater value for our customers."

"Chroma Color is dedicated to driving growth through both organic initiatives and inorganic growth opportunities. The acquisition of Spectra Color underscores our commitment to expanding our geographic reach and enhancing our product offerings to better serve our customers," stated Joe Herres, Chroma Color Corporation, CEO. "The entire team is fully prepared to support Spectra's customers during this transition, and we are confident they will experience significant value from Chroma's extensive capabilities and resources."

Chroma Color:

Chroma Color Corporation is a leading specialty color and additive concentrate supplier serving diverse markets, including wire and cable, packaging, healthcare, pharmaceutical, consumer products, among others. Chroma Color's growth strategy includes a deep focus on organic growth as well as inorganic growth through several strategic acquisitions over recent years. Chroma's extensive technical leadership and manufacturing expertise, coupled with its market-leading colorant, has delivered high value to customers for more than 50 years. chromacolors.com

SOURCE Chroma Color Corporation
NEW YORK, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Counsel Press Inc. ("Counsel Press" or the "Company"), an outsourced legal services platform of Align Capital Partners ("ACP"), adds trial court services with its acquisition of Case Anywhere LLC ("Case Anywhere").

Case Anywhere is a cloud-based case management, eService, and collaboration platform designed to improve efficiency, communication, and documentation for litigators, courts, judges, and neutrals, while streamlining both traditional trial and alternative dispute resolution processes.

This acquisition marks Counsel Press' entry into the trial court and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) markets, unlocking significant cross-selling opportunities with its existing client base. The addition of Case Anywhere strengthens Counsel Press' geographic presence on the West Coast, introduces new technology, and enhances its scale, further establishing the Company as a comprehensive, national provider of outsourced legal services.

"I'm excited to partner with Counsel Press, a market leader that shares Case Anywhere's commitment to delivering high-quality services to clients," said Wayne Nitti, Founder and CEO of Case Anywhere. "Together, we can seize new growth opportunities while offering a broader suite of valuable services to litigators, courts, and neutrals. Critically, Counsel Press shares our dedication to top-tier customer support and client satisfaction."

Scott Thompson, CEO of Counsel Press, added: "We are thrilled to welcome Case Anywhere to the Counsel Press family. This highly strategic acquisition reflects our commitment to building a complete suite of solutions for litigators. By combining our expertise and resources, we're well-positioned to expand our offerings and better serve clients at both the appellate and trial court levels."

About Counsel Press

Counsel Press, the largest nationwide provider of appellate services in the United States, has been raising the standard in appellate preparations since 1938, earning it the title, The Appellate Experts. The Company provides expert assistance in preparing, filing and serving appeals, litigation workflow and end-to-end case management services, eService, legal research and writing. For more information, visit counselpress.com.

About Align Capital Partners

Align Capital Partners is a growth-oriented private equity firm that partners with business owners and management teams to create shared success. ACP manages $1.7 billion in committed capital with investment teams in Cleveland and Dallas. ACP brings experience and resources to help lower-middle market companies accelerate their growth, to the benefit of management, employees and the firm's investors. ACP makes control investments in differentiated companies within the business services, technology, specialty manufacturing and distribution sectors. For more information, visit aligncp.com.

SOURCE Counsel Press Inc.
MCLEAN, Va., Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- CoVar, a leading developer of AI and machine learning solutions for the Department of Defense, has been awarded a multi-year contract with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to support the Autonomy Standards and Ideals with Military Operational Values (ASIMOV) program. The goal of the program is to establish a framework that quantitatively measures the ethical readiness of autonomous systems, a crucial step as these systems gain widespread adoption across military and civilian sectors.

DARPA's ASIMOV program

DARPA recognizes that as autonomy and AI become increasingly integrated into complex decision-making roles, it is essential to measure and validate the ethical capabilities of these technologies, not just their technical performance. ASIMOV will address this challenge by establishing a shared language for ethical autonomy, enabling the Developmental Testing/Operational Testing community to meaningfully and quantitatively assess the ethical complexity of specific military scenarios and evaluate the capability of autonomous systems to perform ethically within those scenarios. Additionally, the program will incorporate an Ethical, Legal, and Societal Implications (ELSI) group to advise participants and provide ongoing guidance throughout the project.

CoVar will be responsible for developing an ethical testing infrastructure for autonomous systems called GEARS or Gauging Ethical Autonomous Reliable Systems. GEARS will define a new mathematics of ethics by representing ethical scenarios and commander's intent with knowledge graphs that are suitable for both human and machine understanding and from which quantifiable ethical challenge ratings of specific scenarios can be derived.

CoVar has formed a multidisciplinary team to address the challenges posed in the ASIMOV program. The team consists of Professors of Ethics, widely published authors in the fields of ethics and Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) trust, engineers and ethicists with combatant command experience, and Duality AI, whose digital twin platform, Falcon, empowers autonomous system simulation and comprehensive observable extraction.

"If this work is successful, it will represent the first quantitative ELSI-based evaluation framework suitable for testing ethics of autonomous systems," said Dr. Pete Torrione, CTO of CoVar. "This will empower the US Department of Defense to deploy AI/ML capable autonomous systems with a clear understanding of not only the technical capabilities of the systems, but also the ethics of their behaviors."

By participating in ASIMOV, CoVar will continue to be a leader in developing responsible AI/ML solutions for the Department of Defense and help to shape the future of testing and evaluation for ethical autonomous systems.

For more information on CoVar's work, please visit www.covar.com. For ASIMOV specific inquiries, please contact DARPA Public Affairs, [email protected].

About CoVar

CoVar has over ten years of experience innovating and implementing advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) solutions for defense, industrial, commercial, and medical sectors. CoVar's research team of principal investigators are recognized subject matter experts in the field and lead teams capable of combining big-company reliability and traceability with small company agility and flexibility. The company has developed and delivered state-of-the-art implementations of advanced algorithms in easy-to-use software packages across multiple platforms and stacks. CoVar has repeatedly demonstrated the ability to provide end-to-end solutions that bring game-changing AI/ML technology to implemented software that reliably and effectively improve customer capability.

SOURCE CoVar
CHICAGO, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The following is a statement by CUB Executive Director Sarah Moskowitz on the Thursday, Dec. 19 Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) ruling granting Ameren Illinois a $309 million rate hike.

While we are concerned how any rate hike will impact consumers, it's a step in the right direction that the ICC has cut Ameren's wasteful spending by hundreds of millions of dollars, denied the company's unfair request for a higher profit rate for shareholders and reduced its proposed rate hike. In the face of foot-dragging by Ameren, this ICC has shown concern for affordability and reducing reckless utility spending. Of course, an increase of any kind will be difficult to bear for far too many customers who have been hit with multiple rate hikes from Ameren over the last decade. We still have a lot of work to do to secure a clean, affordable energy future for Ameren customers. Under the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), Ameren is required to make investments that are beneficial and affordable for customers. CUB is committed to working with electric customers, regulators, legislators and other consumer advocates to hold Ameren accountable to that standard in the years to come.

Background:

On Dec. 19, 2024 , the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) approved a grid-maintenance and improvement plan for Ameren Illinois and a multi-year $309 million rate hikeabout 7 percent lower than what the company wanted.. The rate hike, which will be spread out over multiple years through 2027, is meant to cover the costs to maintain and improve the grid, plus a profit for Ameren.



, the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) approved a grid-maintenance and improvement plan for Ameren Illinois and a multi-year rate hikeabout 7 percent lower than what the company wanted.. The rate hike, which will be spread out over multiple years through 2027, is meant to cover the costs to maintain and improve the grid, plus a profit for Ameren. The ICC's final ruling on Thursday reduced Ameren's proposed $333 million in spending by about 75 percent, according to the ICC. It approved an 8.715 percent return on equity, or profit rate for shareholders, for Ameren. The company had proposed an ROE of 9.27 percent.



in spending by about 75 percent, according to the ICC. It approved an 8.715 percent return on equity, or profit rate for shareholders, for Ameren. The company had proposed an ROE of 9.27 percent. Thursday's ruling came about a year after the ICC had rejected the utility's first proposed grid plan and most of its proposed multi-year rate hike. At the time, the ICC ruled that, among other things, Ameren had failed to prove that the plan was affordable for consumers.



In March of 2024, Ameren refiled its grid plan as well as a multi-year plan for raising rates (Docket 24-0238). After some adjustments over the course of the case, Ameren proposed to raise rates by $334 million through 2027.



through 2027. In August, CUB identified hundreds of millions of dollars in wasteful or improper spending proposed by Ameren, with a portion to be recovered through the current rate-hike request, and the rest recovered over decades to come.



Ameren Illinois' increase impacts delivery rates, which take up about a third to a half of electric bills. It's what a utility charges customers to cover the costs of delivering electricity to homes plus a profit.



The rate hike will take effect within the next few weeks. CUB does not yet have details on how this will impact individual bills.



Ameren Illinois serves about 1.2 million electric customers in Central and Southern Illinois . Ameren Illinois' parent company has made $975 million in profits over the first 9 months of 2024.

The Citizens Utility Board (CUB) is celebrating its 40th anniversary as Illinois' leading nonprofit utility watchdog group. Created by the Illinois Legislature, CUB opened its doors in 1984 to represent the interests of residential and small-business utility customers. Since then, CUB has saved consumers more than $20 billion by helping to block rate hikes and secure refunds. For more information, call CUB's Consumer Hotline at 1-800-669-5556 or visit CitizensUtilityBoard.org.

SOURCE Citizens Utility Board
CHICAGO, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The following is a statement by CUB Executive Director Sarah Moskowitz on the Thursday, Dec. 19 Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) ruling approving a Commonwealth Edison grid plan, and a $606 million multi-year rate hike.

We are concerned how any rate hike will impact consumers, but it's a step in the right direction that the ICC has cut ComEd's wasteful spending by hundreds of millions of dollars, reduced the company's proposed rate hike and held its profit rate for shareholders at 8.905 percentless than the ridiculous 10.5-10.65 percent ComEd had proposed in its first grid plan last year. In the face of foot-dragging by Illinois' biggest electric utility, this ICC has shown concern for affordability and reducing reckless utility spending. Of course, an increase of any kind will be difficult to bear for far too many customers who have been hit with multiple rate hikes from a scandal-plagued utility over the last decade. We still have a lot of work to do to secure a clean, affordable energy future for ComEd customers. Under the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), ComEd is required to make investments that are beneficial and affordable for customers. CUB is committed to working with electric customers, regulators, legislators and other consumer advocates to hold ComEd accountable to that standard in the years to come.

Background:

On Thursday, Dec. 19 , the ICC approved a grid-maintenance and improvement plan for ComEd and a multi-year, $606 million rate hikeabout 11 percent lower than what the company wanted. The rate hike, which will be spread out over multiple years through 2027, is meant to cover the costs to maintain and improve the grid, plus a profit for ComEd.





, the ICC approved a grid-maintenance and improvement plan for ComEd and a multi-year, rate hikeabout 11 percent lower than what the company wanted. The rate hike, which will be spread out over multiple years through 2027, is meant to cover the costs to maintain and improve the grid, plus a profit for ComEd. The ICC's final ruling on Thursday reduced ComEd's proposed $2 billion in spending by about 25 percent, according to the ICC. It kept ComEd's return on equity, or profit rate for shareholders, at 8.905 percent. (The company had proposed an ROE of 10.5-10.65 percent in its first proposed grid plan, which the ICC rejected in December 2023 .)





in spending by about 25 percent, according to the ICC. It kept ComEd's return on equity, or profit rate for shareholders, at 8.905 percent. (The company had proposed an ROE of 10.5-10.65 percent in its first proposed grid plan, which the ICC rejected in .) Thursday's ruling came about a year after the ICC had rejected ComEd's original grid plan and most of its proposed rate hike. At the time, the ICC ruled that, among other things, ComEd had failed to prove that the plan was affordable for consumers.





In March, ComEd filed a new grid plan and proposed a series of rate hikes through 2027 (Docket 24-0181). After some adjustments over the course of the case, ComEd's proposed increase stood at a total of about $678 million , according to a ComEd filing.





, according to a ComEd filing. In expert testimony filed this past summer, CUB recommended the ICC reject hundreds of millions of dollars in wasteful or improper spending ComEd planned to recover from customers in decades to come.





ComEd's rate hike will impact the delivery portion of consumers' bills. All consumers pay delivery rates to cover the utility's costs of sending electricity over wires to our homes, plus a profit.





The rate hike will take effect within the next few weeks. CUB does not yet have details on how the increase will impact individual bills.





ComEd's parent company, Exelon, has made $1.8 billion in profits over the first 9 months of 2024.





in profits over the first 9 months of 2024. ComEd is Illinois' largest electric utility, serving about 3.8 million customers across Illinois .

The Citizens Utility Board (CUB) is celebrating its 40th anniversary as Illinois' leading nonprofit utility watchdog group. Created by the Illinois Legislature, CUB opened its doors in 1984 to represent the interests of residential and small-business utility customers. Since then, CUB has saved consumers more than $20 billion by helping to block rate hikes and secure refunds. For more information, call CUB's Consumer Hotline at 1-800-669-5556 or visit CUB's award-winning website, www.CitizensUtilityBoard.org .

SOURCE Citizens Utility Board
NEW YORK, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Light shows blend art and illumination to create stunning visual experiences, and now, the literary works of renowned author Xue Mo are adding a new dimension to this sensory celebration. A selected collection of his writing will be showcased at major cultural events across Europe and the United States through light exhibitions organized by Tianyu Arts & Culture, Inc.

A Marvelous Fusion of Literature and Light

Xue Mo works at the Light Show Light show

From November 29, 2024, to January 19, 2025, Xue Mo's works will be featured at Tianyu Lights Festival NYC - Koda's Adventure to the Magical Forest at Citi Field Lot E & F in Flushing, Queens, New York. This unique fusion of light and literature offers visitors a one-of-a-kind cultural experience. The exhibition, part of Tianyu's annual global light festivals, seeks to integrate the beauty of Xue Mo's writing with the captivating visuals of the light displays.

Following this event, Xue Mo's works will be presented at other Tianyu exhibitions in cities across the U.S. and Europe. According to staff feedback, Xue Mo's philosophical prose, especially his seminal book The World Is a Reflection of the Mind, has struck a chord with local readers. One visitor shared, "This is not just a book; it's a lamp guiding one to restore inner peace."

Literature's Light Crossing Language and Borders

Founded in 2014, Tianyu Arts & Culture is known for organizing spectacular light shows that merge cultural narratives with breathtaking visuals. With an expanding presence in Europe and North America, Tianyu has attracted millions of visitors with their spiritually resonant exhibitions. "We aim to bridge Literature through light, and Xue Mo's works embody the very spirit we want to share," said Zhu Bin, a big fan of Xue Mo's writing.

Xue Mo's Literature Tours the World

Since his international debut in 2019 at global book fairs, Xue Mo has won widespread acclaim for his unique ability to blend storytelling with profound spiritual insight. At the 2022 Frankfurt International Book Fair, Xue Mo's works garnered exceptional media attention, even surpassing the guest of honor, Spain. His books, which explore timeless themes of inner growth, love and redemption, life and death, and many universal human experience, have touched hearts all over the world.

A literary translator said, "Xue Mo's novels transcend linguistic and cultural boundaries. They resonate with readers from diverse backgrounds, striking a chord with anyone in search of inner light and hope." A deputy mayor from Bulgaria added, "Xue Mo's works carry the spirit of great sages, offering wisdom and solace to those who encounter them."

Illuminating the Soul with Lights and Words

While the exhibitions will eventually come to an end, the wisdom and warmth embedded in Xue Mo's books will continue to inspire readers long after the lights fade. This fusion of literature and light invites viewers to reflect, connect, and be transformed, proving that art and culture can cross borders and illuminate the human spirit in creative ways.

Contact:

Wen Yao

17735620064

[email protected]

SOURCE Xue Mo
VANCOUVER, BC, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - Defense Metals Corp. ("Defense Metals" or the "Company"; (TSXV: DEFN) (OTCQB: DFMTF) (FSE: 35D) announces the grant of 9,950,000 incentive stock options ("Options") to directors, officers and consultants of the Company, subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval. 8,850,000 options are exercisable, each to purchase one common share of the Company for five years at a price of C$0.125 per common share, 400,000 options are exercisable, each to purchase one common share of the Company for five years at a price of C$0.205 per common share and 700,000 options are exercisable, each to purchase one common share of the Company for five years at a price of C$0.26, in accordance with the terms of the Company's stock option plan and subject to certain vesting provisions.

Guy de Selliers, Executive Chairman of the Company, stated:

"With our new CEO and management team on board, it is essential that we grant these options in order to attract and retain the high calibre talent Defense Metals needs to build our flagship Wicheeda Project, for which our new team is working diligently to complete the Prefeasibility Study in Q1, 2025."

About Defense Metals Corp. and its Wicheeda Rare Earth Element Project

Defense Metals Corp. is focused on the development of its 100% owned, 11,800-hectare (~29,158-acre) Wicheeda REE Project that is located on the traditional territory of the McLeod Lake Indian Band in British Columbia, Canada.

The Wicheeda REE Project, approximately 80 kilometres (~50 miles) northeast of the city of Prince George, is readily accessible by a paved highway and all-weather gravel roads and is close to infrastructure, including hydro power transmission lines and gas pipelines. The nearby Canadian National Railway and major highways allow easy access to the port facilities at Prince Rupert, the closest major North American port to Asia.

For further information, please visit www.defensemetals.com or contact:

Alex Heath

Senior Vice President, Corporate Development & Interim CFO

Tel: +1 604-354-2491

Email: [email protected]

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 Defense Metals Corp.
CLEVELAND, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Elliott Investment Management L.P. ("Elliott"), Clayton, Dubilier & Rice ("CD&R"), and American Greetings Corporation ("AG") announced today an agreement under which Elliott will purchase a majority ownership stake in American Greetings, a global leader in the large and enduring Celebrations marketplace. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Recognizing the tremendous opportunity ahead, CD&R and the Weiss family, descendants of Jacob Sapirstein, who founded the company in 1906, will maintain a significant minority ownership interest in American Greetings.

American Greetings is a creator, manufacturer, and distributor of physical and digital Celebration products worldwide with iconic brands, including American Greetings, Papyrus, and Carlton Cards. Its digital business is a leading provider of digital greetings and premium Celebrations content through proprietary technology platforms and apps, with popular digital brands, including American Greetings, Blue Mountain, Jacquie Lawson, SmashUps, and Creatacard. American Greetings partners with a wide range of leading global customers, including grocery, mass, drug, dollar, and specialty retailers, to serve and delight consumers with innovative Celebration products, including greeting cards, gift packaging, party goods, and balloons. American Greetings, with its unique consumer-centric and holistic category approach supported by best-in-class consumer analytics, delivers frictionless Celebration shopping experiences for consumers wherever and however people wish to shop  online, in-store, or curbside pickup.

"We are pleased to be partnering with the American Greetings management team, CD&R, and the Weiss family. As a leader in the Celebrations market in the United States, Canada, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, American Greetings is ideally placed to drive the category, helping people to connect and celebrate life's moments. Elliott has significant experience investing in the consumer sector, including our stewardship of Barnes & Noble and Waterstones, and we are pleased to bring this experience to bear in supporting American Greetings through its next chapter of growth," said Paul Best, Senior Managing Director and Head of European Private Equity at Elliott.

"We look forward to partnering with Elliott as we continue to expand our Celebrations portfolio across more product categories, customers, and geographies. This is an exciting opportunity to better serve our associates, consumers, and retail partners," said John Compton, CD&R Partner and current Chairman of American Greetings. Paul Best from Elliott will assume the role of Chairman of American Greetings post-closing.

Upon the close of the transaction, Joe Arcuri, the current President, Chief Executive Officer and Board member of American Greetings, will continue in his role. "Over the past few years, our consumer-led, industry-leading Celebrations approach and innovative products are thriving and resonating with consumers. This transaction is a testament to our associates' ongoing dedication to serve and delight our consumers and customers," said American Greetings CEO Joe Arcuri. "Our next phase of growth is underway, and we are confident that Elliott's deep expertise, outstanding track record of success, and resources make them the ideal strategic partner to accelerate our growth within the Celebrations global marketplace."

Transaction Approvals

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including the receipt of regulatory approval, and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2025.

Advisors

Elliott has obtained committed financing from Barclays, UBS Investment Bank and BofA Securities. Davis, Polk & Wardwell served as legal advisor, and UBS Investment Bank served as financial advisor to Elliott in the transaction. Debevoise & Plimpton LLP served as legal advisor, and Centerview Partners and BofA Securities served as financial advisors to American Greetings.

About American Greetings

American Greetings is a global leader in the large and enduring Celebrations marketplace. The company helps people celebrate holidays, each other, and all of life's special moments, in-person and online, guided by a mission to "make the world a more thoughtful and caring place every single day." American Greetings offers products wherever and however people wish to purchase them  online, in-store, or curbside pickup. Celebrations happen throughout the year, driven by traditional holidays, key milestone moments such as weddings, baby showers and graduations, as well as recurring everyday events such as birthdays and anniversaries. The company's brands include American Greetings, Papyrus, Carlton Cards, and Recycled Paper Greetings. Its digital business unit, AG Interactive, is a leading provider of digital greetings and premium Celebrations content through proprietary technology platforms and apps. Its popular digital brands include American Greetings, Blue Mountain, Jacquie Lawson, SmashUps, and Creatacard. For more information, visit corporate.americangreetings.com and follow us @AmericanGreetings on Facebook and @amgreetings on Instagram.

About Elliott

Elliott Investment Management L.P. (together with its affiliates, "Elliott") manages approximately $69.7 billion of assets as of June 30, 2024. Founded in 1977, it is one of the oldest funds under continuous management. The Elliott Funds' investors include pension plans, sovereign wealth funds, endowments, foundations, funds-of-funds, high net worth individuals and families, and employees of the firm.

About Clayton, Dubilier & Rice

Founded in 1978, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) is a leading private investment firm with a strategy of generating strong investment returns by building more robust and sustainable businesses through the combination of skilled investment experience and deep operating capabilities. In partnership with the management teams of its portfolio companies, CD&R takes a long-term view of value creation and emphasizes positive stewardship and impact. The firm invests in businesses that span a broad range of industries, including industrial, healthcare, consumer, technology and financial services end markets. CD&R is privately owned by its partners and has offices in New York and London. For more information, please visit www.cdr.com and follow the firm's activities through LinkedIn and @CDRBuilds on X/Twitter.

SOURCE American Greetings Corporation
Its Facility in Malaysia, Will Connect the World to Shape the Future of Sustainable Development

KULIM KEDAH, Malaysia, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On December 14th, EVE Energy (SZSE: 300014), a globally leading lithium battery company, marked a significant milestone in its global growth strategy to drive sustainable development with the arrival of advanced production equipment at its new facility in Malaysia. Located in Kulim, the factory, the company's 53rd, is poised to become a cornerstone of its international manufacturing and delivery capacity. Specializing in the production of cylindrical lithium batteries for power tools, cleaning tools, electric two-wheelers and etc, the factory is designed to be a hub of technology and productivity, contributing to the energy transition and low-carbon development critical to the future of industry.

"The establishment of EVE Energy's plant in Malaysia will further strengthen cooperation and exchanges between China and Malaysia in the renewable energy sector," commented Liu Jianhua, EVE Energy co-founder and CEO. "The Malaysian factory boasts advanced technology and significant production capacity. Once operational, it will bolster EVE Energy's capabilities in international manufacturing, delivery, and cooperation, enabling us to better meet the delivery and service needs of our customers worldwide."

With over two decades of expertise in the research, development, and manufacturing of lithium batteries, EVE Energy has delivered more than 3 billion units worldwide. The company's remarkable growth is underpinned by its comprehensive offerings across multiple scenarios, systems, and sizes. The Malaysian factory features cutting-edge automation equipment coupled with an industry-leading level of automation, and is on track to produce 680 million cylindrical batteries annually. Additionally, the facility has implemented a digital intelligent control system covering the entire product life-cycle and industrial chain, ensuring both production efficiency and product quality. The innovation enables the plant to provide customers with premium battery products.

During the ceremony, EVE Energy inked strategic cooperation agreements with several companies, including Greenworks, Chervon, and JTI, aiming to deepen partnerships and collaboratively forge a new chapter. On behalf of the Malaysian government, YB. Prof Dr. Haim Hilman Bin Abdullah presented EVE Energy with a plaque of honor, honoring the company's local facility with the designation as a "Kedah Strategic Partner Industrial Park."

"The Malaysian factory accomplished a critical goal with the arrival of the equipment just 16 months after breaking ground in August 2023," introduced Vincent Wong, Senior Vice President of EVE Energy. "The facility is slated to begin production in the first quarter of next year, becoming EVE Energy's first plant outside of the home market to achieve mass production and delivery. The growing footprint into the ASEAN, European, and North American markets is anticipated to effectively meet customer demands."

Looking ahead, EVE Energy plans to leverage its advantageous resources to enhance its technology, manufacturing, and operational capabilities. The company is committed to steadily expanding its international operations, reinforcing its leadership in the comprehensive solutions of cylindrical battery markets, and creating additional value for its customers and society at large.

SOURCE EVE Energy
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Feinberg & Waller, APC, a leader in family law, demonstrated its dedication to legal excellence and innovative practice at the recent 2024 American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) annual meeting in Chicago. The firm, represented by renowned Certified Family Law Specialist and AAML fellow Marshall Waller, engaged with top-tier family law practitioners to discuss evolving trends, challenges, and advancements in the field. For more detailed insights from the AAML annual meeting and how these developments impact family law, visit https://www.feinbergwaller.com/documents/AAML-Annual-Meeting-Insights.pdf

Highlighting the firm's commitment to staying at the forefront of family law, Marshall Waller https://www.feinbergwaller.com/meet-our-team/marshall-w-waller/ brought back valuable insights from sessions focused on complex family dynamics, cutting-edge legal strategies, and the crucial role of diversity in family law practice. These insights will enhance the firm's approaches and ensure it remains effective in advocating for its clients.

The meeting covered various pertinent topics, including the intricacies of international child custody, innovative dispute resolution methods, and impactful discussions on domestic violence, offering a deeper understanding of the subtle dynamics involved in family law. "Our participation in the AAML meeting underscores our mission to integrate the latest legal strategies into our practice, ensuring we offer the most informed and empathetic representation possible," said Waller.

Sessions such as "The Art of Perception" by Amy Herman, attorney, art historian, and expert in visual intelligence, and "Representation Matters" by Leonard M. Baynes, the Dean, Distinguished Chair, and Professor of Law at the University of Houston Law Center particularly stood out, encouraging legal professionals to adopt a more nuanced perspective in their cases. These sessions emphasized the importance of understanding and integrating diverse viewpoints to serve the community better and foster a comprehensive legal practice.

As Feinberg & Waller continues to engage with advanced educational opportunities and elite professional gatherings like the AAML Annual Meeting, the firm reaffirms its dedication to providing superior legal representation. "We are committed to not only keeping pace with but leading the evolution in family law," added Waller. The firm's participation in the AAML Annual Meeting is a testament to its ongoing commitment to excellence and innovation in family law. https://www.feinbergwaller.com/

SOURCE Feinberg & Waller
Photo: https://www.nato.int/

NATO is assessing whether there is a serious nuclear threat in the world around-the-clock, and it has not seen a serious actual change in Russia's nuclear posture, NATO's Senior Representative to Ukraine Patrick Turner said.

"We are always assessing whether there is a serious nuclear threat, 24/7, every day of the year. We take it very seriously. Likewise, we have not seen a serious actual change in Russia's nuclear posture. It's been said on at least two occasions recently that Russia revised its nuclear doctrine, but we don't see a rise in the actual threat," he said in an exclusive interview with the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency.

The Senior Representative emphasized that NATO around-the-clock pays attention to having effective deterrence and defense capabilities, recalling that three NATO allies have their own nuclear deterrents.

"We do not think that at the moment there is a real increase in the threat of nuclear use by Russia. And we don't think it's useful to spend our time talking about Russian nuclear threats because of the sabre-rattling by Putin," he said.

Speaking about Russia's Oreshnik missile, Turner stressed that using a system like that is escalation, but it is also designed "either to deter NATO Allies from assisting Ukraine or to demoralize the Ukrainian population."

"I see no sign actually of it being successful in either respect, either deterring NATO Allies who are supporting Ukraine nor the Ukrainian population," he said.
MIAMI, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Common Threads, a national nonprofit dedicated to nutrition education and healthy cooking, has received a $400,000 multi-year grant from the Florida Blue Foundation as part of its Food Security Grant program. This transformative funding, spanning from October 2024 to September 2028, will advance Common Threads' mission to address health disparities and improve well-being in underserved communities. The grant will enable Common Threads to expand its evidence-based programs in Miami's Allapattah neighborhood, empowering families with essential cooking skills, kitchen safety knowledge, nutrition education, and access to affordable, healthy foods.

Ribbon cutting ceremony at the Village of Allapattah YMCA, La Bodega Community Food Pantry Partners of the Growing Resilient Community Program with Florida Blue Foundation

"This generous grant from the Florida Blue Foundation will help us bring life-changing resources to families who need them most," said Linda Novick O'Keefe, CEO and Co-Founder of Common Threads. "Together, we are not just teaching people how to cook but equipping them with the knowledge and tools to build healthier, happier lives. It's about addressing root causes and creating lasting impact."

This funding aligns with the objectives of the Florida Blue Foundation's Growing Resilient Communities initiative, which targets systemic poverty and health disparities in Florida neighborhoods. Allapattah was recently selected as a focus area, with the Allapattah Collaborative CDC serving as the lead agency for its deep community ties and proven record of impactful partnerships.

"Common Threads' approach to nutrition education and its focus on building long-term wellness aligns perfectly with our mission to create healthier communities," said Susan Towler, Executive Director at Florida Blue CSR/Florida Blue Foundation. "Their work in Allapattah will drive meaningful change and empower residents to take control of their health."

Through this partnership, Common Threads will collaborate with the Village of Allapattah YMCA to deliver evidence-based cooking and nutrition education to over 2,600 youth and adults. The program will emphasize practical cooking skills, affordable healthy food access, and sourcing local ingredients to support the area's economy.

As part of a broader commitment to food security, Common Threads and The Village of Allapattah YMCA Family Center have joined forces to provide impactful cooking and nutrition education programs for La Bodega Food Pantry patrons and the entire Allapattah community. The collaborative effort aims to address the obesity epidemic and its downstream health consequences by fostering preventative efforts at the individual, community, and public health levels.

"We are proud to partner with Common Threads to provide Allapattah families with access to health and nutrition education through the La Bodega food pantry, supported by Florida Blue," said Gabe Ochoa, Senior Vice President of Community Health & Advancement at the YMCA of South Florida. "This collaboration will have a meaningful impact on the Allapattah community, and we are deeply grateful for this partnership."

About Common Threads

Common Threads is a national leader in enhancing community health through nutrition and food education. For over two decades, the nonprofit has tackled the often-neglected link between nutrition and overall well-being by providing nutrition education, cooking skills training, and access to healthy food. With partnerships spanning over 2,200 schools, Common Threads has served more than five million meals and impacted the long-term nutritional health of over one million individuals.

As part of its commitment to the White House Challenge to End Hunger and Build Healthy Communities, Common Threads has pledged to deliver two million nutritious meals and two million hours of nutrition education to over 400,000 participants by 2030. Learn more at commonthreads.org.

SOURCE Common Threads
FCL signed its second distribution agreement, focused on FCL-X in bulk form with world renowned US Fire Pump, a USA based industrial fire solutions company

US Fire Pump deployed and validated FCL-X unique effectiveness in fighting dangerous, toxic and hard to control lithium-ion battery fires

TORONTO, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - Full Circle Lithium Corp. ("FCL" or the "Company") (TSXV: FCLI) (OTCQB: FCLIF), a USA-based lithium products manufacturer, announces the signing of a global distribution agreement with US Fire Pump Company, LLC ("USFP"), marking another important milestone in the Company's efforts to commercialize its proprietary and innovative lithium-ion battery fire fighting agent FCL-X in all of its forms. This distribution arrangement will see USFP market FCL-X Bulk across industrial and commercial settings and in any emergency response setting globally.

"Protecting the lives of the public and fire industry personnel while limiting property damage is the primary mission of US Fire Pump," said Chris Ferrara, Founder & President of USFP. " I have been involved in the firefighting industry for more than 40 years as a Fireman and now leading USFP. With first-hand experience in deploying FCL-X, I can say that the FCL-X fire suppression agent represents a unique and significant opportunity to serve the firefighting community in order to protect lives and property from this new and growing lithium battery hazard."

Carlos Vicens, CEO and Founder of FCL stated "USFP's reputation, commitment to excellence and global reach align perfectly with our mission to help in the protection against lithium-ion battery hazards worldwide. The FCL-X fire suppression agent is designed to mitigate the risks associated with lithium-ion battery fires, offering advanced technology tailored for efficient response. With this partnership, FCL aims to establish a robust global distribution network for FCL-X Bulk that enhances accessibility to this critical safety solution, ultimately safeguarding lives and property."

The distribution agreement with USFP focuses on the FCL-X Bulk product line, granting certain exclusive global distribution rights for a defined period. The Company retains the right to market any new products globally and may pursue additional distribution agreements worldwide and, in the USA, provided these do not conflict with any current distribution agreement already in place.

About US Fire Pump

Founded by firefighting veteran Chris Ferrara, US Fire Pump combines over 200 years of experience in design, manufacturing, marketing, and purchasing to deliver cutting-edge firefighting solutions. Driven by a mission to protect lives and minimize property damage, US Fire Pump was born from the need for innovative technology, leading to the development of the High Velocity Pump. The company also offers a comprehensive line of submersible pumps and essential supplemental fire equipment tailored for municipal and industrial fire professionals. With US Fire Pump's world class product offering, Chris was able to use the company's platform to return to his first passion, firefighting. US Fire Pump has the largest Emergency Response team and equipment fleet globally. Understanding that no two incidents are alike, and that they can happen simultaneously, US Fire Pump has made a conscience investment in emergency response assets. To date US Fire Pump has been contracted and responded successfully to over 300 emergency responses, including landfill fires, ship fires, rescue events, vapor suppression events, refinery and terminal fires as well as a wide array of other major emergency events. US Fire Pump's products, services and employees have all been "PROVEN IN THE HEAT OF BATTLE".

About Full Circle Lithium Corp.

FCL has developed an innovative lithium-ion battery fire-extinguishing agent - FCL-X, to address the increasing number of difficult to extinguish and hazardous lithium-ion battery-based fires. A PCT patent application has been filed by the Company to protect its FCL-X invention. Additional information regarding FCL is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com under the Company's profile and on its website www.fullcirclelithium.com.

For further information:

Full Circle Lithium Corp.

Carlos Vicens - CEO & Director

[email protected]

+1.416.977.3832

Cautionary Statement

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of securities legislation in the Canada and which are based on the expectations, estimates and projections of management of the parties as of the date of this news release unless otherwise stated. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by use of the words "expect", "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "objective", "ongoing", "may", "will", "project", "should", "could", "believe", "plans", "intends" or the negative of these words or other variations on these words or comparable terminology. More particularly, and without limitation, this news release contains forward-looking statements and information concerning expectations on the effectiveness of the marketing and sales of FCL-X through distribution agreements, the viability, effectiveness, safety and additional commercialization related to FCL-X which is at an early stage of commercialization (which is very difficult for a start-up venture like FCL as there are much larger and better capitalized established companies that can potentially quickly enter the lithium-ion battery fire-fighting market and create strong competition against FCL), on receiving patent protection for FCL-X and related inventions and processes, the ability of FCL, a start-up venture, to successfully commercialize its FCL-X including ramping-up production of the agent to meet potential demand, continue raising capital, upgrading and refurbishing its plant, and sourcing feedstock for this and its other lines of business. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, the uncertainties and risk factors related to the technical elements in a processing and refining business, loss of key technical and other staff, lithium price fluctuations, the battery fire-extinguishing agent functioning as expected to meet safety requirements and fire-fighting related government regulations and potential client product specifications, and applicable environmental requirements and issues  see additional risks described in FCL's public filings. Actual results, developments and timetables could vary significantly from the estimates presented. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. FCL disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required by law. Additionally, FCL undertakes no obligation to comment on analyses, expectations or statements made by third parties in respect of FCL, its financial or operating results or its securities.

SOURCE Full Circle Lithium Corp.
Performance Brokerage Services, the leader in dealership buy-sell activity, announces the sale of Infiniti of Melbourne in Florida from Kelly Auto Group to Jaime Vergara.

IRVINE, Calif. , Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Performance Brokerage Services, North America's highest volume dealership brokerage firm, is pleased to announce the sale of Infiniti of Melbourne in Florida from Greg Kelly, Chris Saraceno, and Tim Kelly of Kelly Auto Group to Jaime Vergara.

From left to right: Greg Kelly, Chris Saraceno, Jaime Vergara, and Tim Kelly.

Kelly Auto Group acquired Infiniti of Melbourne in January 2019 and relocated the dealership to a high-traffic area in September 2020. This new location, positioned next to a high-volume Toyota dealership, enhanced the dealership's visibility and accessibility. The company invested several millions of dollars in upgrading the site, which included significant improvements such as paving, underground water retention systems, and other enhancements.

Kelly Auto Group operates seven dealerships in Pennsylvania and one in Florida, representing Toyota, Hyundai, Nissan, Ford, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, GMC, Buick, and Mitsubishi.

Greg Kelly, President of Kelly Auto Group shared, "Between 2021 and 2024, our portfolio grew with the purchase of a Toyota store and two Hyundai stores in Pennsylvania, which entailed significant building projects to update these sites. In early 2024, George Chaconas approached us with proposals from interested parties in acquiring our Infiniti store in Melbourne, Florida. Following negotiations, we reached a mutually beneficial agreement, with George and his team providing exceptional support throughout the transaction!"

Over the last 5 years, Performance Brokerage Services has advised on the sale of over 300 dealerships, making it the highest volume dealership brokerage firm in North America. George C. Chaconas, Senior Partner for Performance Brokerage Services was the exclusive sell-side advisor for this transaction.

George Chaconas commented, "Knowing that Kelly Auto Group was looking to sell Infiniti of Melbourne in order to focus on their Ford store in Florida and other car stores in Pennsylvania, I introduced them to buyer Jaime Vergara, who I met at a National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers (NAMAD) conference several years ago. Jaime was looking to purchase a small car store in Orlando, Florida market area where he resides, making this a perfect match. I want to thank the Kelly Auto Group for the opportunity to be of service in facilitating the sale of Infiniti of Melbourne. It was a pleasure helping Jaime buy his first store in Florida, and I'm looking forward to helping him expand in the coming years. I wish Kelly Auto Group continued success, and Jaime all the best in this exciting new adventure."

Jaime Vergara shared, "I first met George Chaconas of Performance Brokerage Services at a NAMAD conference in Miami years ago. We stayed in touch, and he actually visited me at my Ford dealership in Tennessee. He stayed in contact, and once I sold my store, I started looking again and reached out to George. He identified multiple opportunities, and we landed on Infiniti of Melbourne, Florida. I would like to thank him very much for his professionalism, industry knowledge and expertise, and his constant contact and involvement from the beginning to the closing, which he attended. I sincerely appreciate him very much for helping me buy my first of many car stores in Florida, and I look forward to working with George and his team again. When considering selling or buying a car dealership, you must reach out to George Chaconas!"

Kelly Auto Group was represented by Thomas Reilly, Jr. at Gross McGinley LLP in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Jaime Vergara was represented by J. Gregory Humphries and J. Cameron Katz at Shutts & Bowen LLP in Orlando, Florida.

Infiniti of Melbourne will remain at its current location at 100 North Harbor City Boulevard in Melbourne, Florida.

About Performance Brokerage Services

Performance Brokerage Services, Inc. is North America's highest volume dealership brokerage firm, specializing in buy-sell activity for automotive, RV, commercial truck, powersports, and equipment dealerships.

With over 30 years of experience, 900 dealerships sold, and a 90% closing rate, the company's reputation is unmatched and governed by the utmost ethical conduct and integrity.

The company offers a unique approach by providing complimentary estimates of value with no upfront fees or retainer, no reimbursement of costs, and paid a success fee only after the transaction closes.

Headquartered in Irvine, California, and supported by 9 regional offices in Utah, Texas, Illinois, Florida, Virginia, Ohio, New Jersey, Alberta and Ontario, clients benefit from national exposure with local representation.

As trusted and respected experts in the field, the company utilizes an extensive network of industry related attorneys, accountants, hundreds of registered buyers, and longstanding relationships with various vehicle manufacturers.

For more information about the services offered by Performance Brokerage Services, visit https://performancebrokerageservices.com.

Media Contact:

Jesse Stopnitzky, Co-Owner

(949) 309-2851

[email protected]

SOURCE Performance Brokerage Services
BEIJING, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from China Daily:

In celebration of the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland, English-language newspaper China Daily has published a special data page on Friday.

In celebration of the 25th anniversary of Macaos return to the motherland, English-language newspaper China Daily has published a special data page on Friday. Featuring an artistic design, the graphics showcase the achievements that Macao has made over the past 25 years in the fields ranging from economy and livelihood to society and culture.

Featuring an artistic design, the graphics showcase the achievements that Macao has made over the past 25 years in the fields ranging from economy and livelihood to society and culture.

In the design, a large number "25" is embedded with the golden lotus flower logo, symbolic of the ever-prosperous Macao, as well as silhouettes of the SAR's iconic buildings such as the Ruins of St. Paul's, Macau Tower, Macau Science Center and the Macau Bridge, highlighting the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland.

The"25" design also incorporates data in four areas at six stages: Macao's GDP, overall unemployment rate, fiscal reserves, and median monthly employment earnings of Macao residents.

Data show that Macao's GDP jumped from 52.33 billion Macao patacas ($6.54 billion) in the year of its return in 1999 to 444.54 billion Macao patacas in 2019, and it reached 369.33 billion Macao patacas in 2023.

Macao saw a drop in unemployment after its return. The rate stood at 6.3 percent in 1999, fell to 1.7 percent in 2014, and remained at 1.7 percent in the first three quarters of this year.

In contrast, the median monthly employment earnings of the local residents reached 10,000 Macao patacas in 2009. In the first three quarters of this year, the figure reached 20,500 Macao patacas.

Its fiscal reserves reached 246.34 billion Macao patacas in 2014. In the first three quarters of this year, the figure jumped to 616.95 billion Macao patacas, demonstrating a rapid increase in fiscal strength and bullish development momentum of the Macao Special Administrative Region government.

In addition, the total assets of Macao's banking industry have rapidly grown from 139 billion Macao patacas at the end of 1999 to 2.41 trillion Macao patacas by the first three quarters of this year.

Since returning to the motherland, the Macao SAR government has improved the quality of life for residents in such sectors as employment, housing, education, healthcare, social security, assistance, and public services.

The past 25 years has been a period of the fastest development, highest quality, and strongest sense of happiness for residents in the history of Macao.

Data charts of different shapes and colors from dark to light show the changes in different fields such as healthcare, housing, and public services over the years.

The data show that 196,000 Macao residents benefited from social security in 1999. In the first 10 months of this year, the beneficiary number reached 517,000. In terms of healthcare, the doctor-to-1,000 population ratio and nurse-to-1,000 population ratio were 2.0 and 2.1 in 1999, respectively, reaching 2.9 and 4.4 in 2023. When it comes to public housing, 9,084 apartments were offered in 1999. The figure increased to 57,117 in the first three quarters of this year.

To improve public services, the SAR government launched the Macao "One Account" public service platform in 2019, benefiting 49,595 users that year. By the end of the third quarter of this year, the total number of users had reached 620,465. The "One Account" platform has also expanded its service items from 60 in 2020 to 435 currently.

Macao has a rich cultural heritage, well-developed tourism facilities, and festivals and events throughout the year, making it an appealing tourist attraction.

The in-depth integration of culture and technology has added momentum to the development of Macao's tourism industry. In 2023 and 2024, the SAR was awarded the "Best Convention City in Asia" and the "Best BT-MICE City" respectively, due to its outstanding performance in the convention and exhibition industry, and its achievements as a destination for business trips, as well as meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions.

It also earned the title of "Culture City of East Asia 2025" in an initiative jointly launched by China, Japan and South Korea. Via the Culture City of East Asia program, the three nations name one or two cities in each country each year to promote cultural exchanges and cooperation.

Data show that Macao received 6.61 million inbound tourists in 1999. From January to October this year, the number of inbound tourists exceeded 29.06 million.

The per capita tourist spending was 1,373 Macao patacas in 1999 and 2,168 Macao patacas in the first three quarters of this year.

SOURCE China Daily
HONG KONG, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On December 20, 2024, Xiaocaiyuan, a portfolio company of Harvest Capital, officially went public on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (stock code: 00999.HK). As of the first three quarters of 2024, Xiaocaiyuan has a total of 663 restaurants, with operating revenue reaching 3.544 billion yuan and profit reaching 401 million yuan.

This milestone signifies a pivotal step forward in the modernization of the Chinese casual dining industry, with Xiaocaiyuan leading the way. The IPO aims to facilitate the expansion of its store network, enhance brand influence, strengthen its supply chain, and upgrade its intelligent equipment and digital systems, ultimately delivering greater value to consumers.

A Landmark Moment for Xiaocaiyuan

At the listing ceremony, Wang Shugao, Chairman of Xiaocaiyuan, expressed his gratitude and ambition, stating: "Xiaocaiyuan's IPO is not just a significant milestone in our corporate journey but also a solemn commitment to providing high-quality dining services to our customers. We will hold ourselves to even higher standards."

Alan Song (Song Xiangqian), Founding Partner and Chairman of Harvest Capital, shared his vision: "Xiaocaiyuan is a leader in essential and affordable dining. We deeply respect Chairman Wang and his team and are honored to have invested in Xiaocaiyuan.

Together, we are driving the modernization of Chinese dining management. Xiaocaiyuan will steadfastly pursue the path of modernization, keeping consumers at the center of its efforts, continuously delivering affordable yet delicious products, exceptional services, and consistently creating value for a broad base of customers."

Harvest Capital's Strategic Partnership with Xiaocaiyuan

Since 2023, Harvest Capital has supported Xiaocaiyuan with two consecutive investments totaling 500 million yuan, becoming its sole external institutional shareholder before the IPO. Recognizing the structural opportunities in Chinese casual dining, Xiaocaiyuan has captured market share by offering high-quality, affordable meals to meet the everyday needs of its customers. By focusing on standardization and digitization, the company has built a robust supply chain, ensuring sustainable competitive advantages. This investment reflects Harvest Capital's commitment to "essential, high-frequency, and People's livelihood" consumer sectors, encapsulating its philosophy of "Providing better solutions for daily life enrichment."

High-Quality, Affordable Meals at Scale

Founded in 2013, Xiaocaiyuan has grown to operate 663 directly-owned stores across 146 cities in 14 provinces in China, including 658 under the Xiaocaiyuan brand and five under other sub-brands. As of the first three quarters of 2024, Xiaocaiyuan's operating revenue reached 3.544 billion yuan, and its profit reached 401 million yuan.

Positioned as an essential and convenient dining option, Xiaocaiyuan offers homestyle dishes crafted from fresh, high-quality ingredients, providing exceptional value to its customers.

The menu, inspired by Huizhou cuisine, has been modernized to cater to both northern and southern palates. Xiaocaiyuan has redefined this tradition by adopting healthier cooking methods with less oil, salt, and seasonings, creating a "New Huizhou Cuisine" that appeals to a broader audience and fits various dining scenarios.

To ensure consistency and quality, Xiaocaiyuan streamlined its menu from nearly 100 items to 45-50 core dishes, periodically introducing new items to meet consumer demand for variety. Unlike many competitors, Xiaocaiyuan avoids pre-made dishes, relying instead on fresh ingredients prepared on-site. Centralized kitchens process and deliver semi-prepped ingredients to stores, enabling efficient workflows and ensuring that meals are served within 25 minutes of ordering.

With an average per-person spend of RMB 50-70, Xiaocaiyuan offers a compelling value proposition, standing out in a market where dining often costs significantly more. According to Frost & Sullivan, Xiaocaiyuan ranked first in 2023 among Chinese casual dining brands with an average customer spend of RMB 50-100.

Supply Chain Excellence and Efficiency

Xiaocaiyuan's ability to deliver affordable, high-quality meals stems from its robust supply chain. The company adheres to strict procurement standards, carefully selecting suppliers and maintaining long-term partnerships with reputable companies such as Nongfu Spring, Yihai Kerry, and Dahu Aquaculture. Centralized procurement and strategic sourcing enable cost control and economies of scale.

The company operates a central kitchen in Anhui and manages 14 warehouses nationwide, supported by a logistics network of 200 transport vehicles. This self-sufficient logistics system ensures timely and accurate deliveries while maintaining strict quality control and reducing logistics costs.

Concentrating its store footprint in regions like Jiangsu, Shanghai, Anhui, and Zhejiang, Xiaocaiyuan leverages regional logistics hubs to further enhance supply chain efficiency. It has also digitized its supply chain management, with plans to implement an end-to-end traceability system to guarantee food safety and operational excellence.

A Modernized and Digitized Management System

Apart from the standardization of dishes, Xiaocaiyuan has achieved standardized management in all aspects of its operations, such as front-of-house service, online and offline training, food safety and quality control, and store expansion. This is also one of the core reasons for the company's contrarian growth during the past three years of the pandemic.

In addition to standardization, Xiaocaiyuan has invested heavily in digital transformation. It has introduced systems for customer membership, business intelligence (BI), and enterprise resource planning (ERP). These tools enable the company to gather and analyze data, optimize operations, and enhance customer engagement.

The membership program, which grew from 1.5 million members in early 2021 to over 8.3 million today, provides valuable consumer insights that drive loyalty and repeat purchases. The BI system enhances decision-making by analyzing operational and customer data, while AI-powered kitchen surveillance ensures compliance and reduces inefficiencies. Some locations have even adopted robotic cooking systems to improve kitchen efficiency and consistency.

Expanding with a Dual-Brand Strategy

Xiaocaiyuan is also pioneering a dual-brand strategy with the launch of "Caishou Canteen," a community dining model targeting urban neighborhoods and office hubs. Priced between RMB 20-40 per meal, Caishou Canteen offers a more affordable option while maintaining Xiaocaiyuan's commitment to quality. Leveraging smart kitchen equipment and streamlined labor, this new brand aims to redefine community dining as an essential service.

Empowering Employees and Redefining Collaboration

Xiaocaiyuan's success is built on a strong culture of empowerment. Over 90% of its shareholders are former frontline employees, and all store managers and chefs are promoted internally. This approach has created a motivated workforce aligned with the company's mission. Comprehensive training programs, performance incentives, and equity-sharing plans ensure that employees benefit from the company's growth.

A Vision for the Future

As Xiaocaiyuan embarks on its next chapter, it aspires to become a globally recognized leader in Chinese casual dining. With its modern management system and commitment to innovation, Xiaocaiyuan aims to bring its vision to life: "A Xiaocaiyuan wherever there are Chinese people."

Harvest Capital congratulates Xiaocaiyuan on this achievement, proud to stand alongside the company as it continues to transform the Chinese dining landscape and deliver unparalleled value to its customers.

SOURCE Harvest Capital
BEIJING, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On December 12th, 2024, Hithium launched HeroES, its first installation-free home microgrid system at the second Hithium Eco-Day in Beijing, China. Consisting of the smart storage module (Storage series) and the smart control module (SynergyBox), HeroES is the smart energy solution tailored for home energy storage scenarios, signifying a new phase in the home energy storage market with open-shelf good, intelligentization, and modularization features. The global delivery of HeroES is set to begin in Q3 2025.

Hithium Eco-day Product Launch

HeroES features an open-shelf good design, offering a new installation experience while significantly reducing total installation costs. The initial installation requires only 30 minutes, 10 times faster than traditional systems. Furthermore, HeroES eliminates the extra time required for system expansion and debugging, reducing initial installation costs to 1/3.

HeroES is not only plug-and-play, but it also possesses self-evolution capabilities. Its smart control module, SynergyBox, integrates metering, communication, networking, and management functions. With Hithium's original intelligent algorithm, HeroES can achieve self-evolution in home energy management and improve home energy efficiency by at least 10%. Moreover, Hithium's cloud-based intelligent decision-making algorithm provides real-time optimization strategies, eliminating the need for users to perform complex configurations.

Additionally, Hithium offers a cross-platform smart home solution that is compatible with the Matter protocol supported by Google Home and Amazon Alexa. This integration further integrates energy storage with smart home devices.

HeroES features flexible scalability. Its storage series provides finer granularity and more customizable solutions tailored to the actual home energy demands, enabling power distribution by kWh. Users can start with a low initial investment and expand on demand. In addition, fewer types of smart storage modules enable large-scale cost reduction.

The module-isolation design enhances the fault tolerance capabilities of HeroES. Standardized small modules are independently controllable and mutually compatible across different versions, maintaining uninterrupted system operation. Even if a module fails, isolation can minimize downtime. With a standardized design, HeroES is highly compatible with different environments and can be easily moved and reconfigured effectively to optimize space utilization and overcome installation space constraints.

The installation-free home microgrid system, HeroES, will open up a new world of all-scenario home energy storage, bringing smart and linked home microgrids to billions of families.

SOURCE HiTHIUM Energy Storage
ROME, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Crisis Response Initiative (CRI) set up by the UN's International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to protect livelihoods and mitigate the impacts of emergency situations on rural communities has successfully reduced hunger and food insecurity for over 175,000 poor rural families in Afghanistan. The CRI, implemented in Afghanistan by the Dutch Committee for Afghanistan (DCA), has provided critical support to vulnerable rural families facing compounding crises, including the impacts of conflict, natural disasters, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the war in Ukraine.

With 73 per cent of Afghanistan's population living in rural areas and depending on livestock and subsistence farming, investments in animal health, production, and welfare are crucial. Since 2021, when other IFAD programmes were suspended in the country following the takeover by the de facto government, IFAD and DCA have provided vital training, equipment, and technical assistance to help rural communities navigate short-term shocks and build more sustainable livelihoods.

"The CRI not only provided immediate relief to Afghan families facing multiple crises, but it has also equipped them with the tools and skills they need to build stronger, more resilient livelihoods for the future," said Jing Pacturan, IFAD Country Director, Afghanistan.

In Afghanistan, the CRI has helped develop a nationwide network of veterinary field units, improving animal health services, reducing livestock losses, and enhancing household resilience. The project has focused on creating market linkages for herders, establishing and strengthening over 100 sales points and providing training and support to ensure fair prices and access to essential inputs. Climate-friendly livestock breeding techniques have been another focus, training para-vets in artificial insemination and exploring methods to reduce methane output from livestock.

A recently released 2024 rapid assessment confirmed the positive impact of the CRI project, with 96 per cent of households reporting higher incomes following their involvement with it.

The CRI in Afghanistan benefitted from a community-driven approach, engaging with community development councils, local elders, and customary leaders to ensure project ownership, inclusion, and adaptation to local contexts. This approach has built trust and facilitated effective communication and implementation.

Media contact: Yamini Lohia | [email protected] | +91 98111 09907

SOURCE International Fund for Agricultural Development
RIYADH, Saudia Arabia, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Impossible Creative debuted innovative immersive storytelling technology at COP16, hosted by Saudi Arabia under the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, in collaboration with production partner TruXperience.

"Our Land, Our Future" The WonderRoom Experience  combining world-class 360 animation, advanced audio engineering, and custom LED architecture  delighted COP16 delegates who were convening in Riyadh to explore new technologies and strengthen commitments to restoring degraded lands.

Putting Story At The Center of Immersive

"Our Land, Our Future" tells the story of a farming family facing the devastating effects of land degradation. Years of unsustainable practices and a catastrophic sandstorm leave their future uncertain. Thanks to the ingenuity of two children who nurture a seedling, the family adopts sustainable farming methods showing us how to live in harmony with the land. With every seed we plant, we grow the future.

"Stories vividly experienced together and in-person have a way of deeply impacting us. This is the great promise of Immersive," said Matt Kassirer, Creative Director at Impossible Creative. "For COP16, we wanted to humanize the dangers of inaction and inspire action."

Link to Video - WonderRoomExperienceCOP16

WonderRoom Technology

Powered by Impossible's WonderRoom platform, "Our Land, Our Future" takes place in a custom-built LED room with four seamless LED walls and LED ceiling, enveloping viewers with vivid depictions of oasis, desert, and family life. Inside, a custom bridge with a concealed speaker system delivers a spatial audio experience and an original score recorded by 20 live musicians.

Christopher Kirwan, Visiting Professor at Prince Sultan University Riyadh, remarked, "The WonderRoom's integration of spatial, sensory, and narrative elements highlights both causes and solutions to environmental challenges, engaging audiences on a visceral level."

International Creative Team

"Our Land, Our Future" brought together storytellers, animators, and musicians from Canada, Egypt, Poland, South Africa, and USA. Additionally, partners Shaikh-tech (hardware installation and integration), Edge Visual (animation), and TrendVFX (360 video rendering) were instrumental in this successful production.

Impossible Creative is an immersive solutions company transforming how artists, educators and brands bring their visions to life. Impossible has pioneered the WonderRoom platform, giving creators and exhibitors a powerful shared toolkit for designing, filming and mastering 360 experiences.

"We at Impossible are obsessed with how tech can push the art of storytelling and drive big conversations. Immersive is ready to become the cinematic medium we all envision" said Kassirer.

Contact: Hiyiri Merino, +52 56 3235 0399, [email protected]

SOURCE Impossible Creative
VANCOUVER, BC, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - The International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy (ISCT) celebrates the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) landmark decision to approve Mesoblast Limited's allogenic, bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) product, RYONCIL (remestemcel-L) for pediatric, steroid-refractory, acute Graft-versus-Host-Disease (GvHD). This decision is a watershed moment for the MSC field, marking the first approval of an MSC therapy in the US.



Around 50% of pediatric patients receiving an allogeneic bone marrow transplant develop acute GvHD, where transplanted cells recognize the host body as foreign and attack the patient's tissues and organs. Half of these patients do not respond to first-line steroid treatment. RYONCIL will now provide a clinically effective option to meet the significant mortality and life-changing impacts of steroid-refractory acute GvHD.

Sowmya Viswanathan, PhD, ISCT MSC Committee Chair, spoke to the patient perspective, "The approval of RYONCIL addresses an urgent and unmet need for pediatric patients. Acute GvHD is a painful condition, and as organ failure spreads, quality of life deteriorates rapidly. This approval is a victory for patients and families who can now look towards a viable treatment option against a debilitating condition."

Mesoblast Limited secured the approval on their third Biologics License Application (BLA) resubmission, working closely with the US FDA to address concerns after initial submissions were rejected in 2020 and 2023 respectively. Clinical efficacy was based on a single-arm, 54 patient, Phase III trial (NCT02336230) using a day 28 overall response, which was 70.4% compared to preset control group of 45%.

"While MSC products first arrived to market over twelve years ago in other jurisdictions, this first approval in the United States is of historical importance," noted Jacques Galipeau, MD, ISCT Immediate Past President, "it rewards the work of researchers, clinicians, and innovators around the globe who have dedicated their careers to this field."

Speaking on this important approval, Miguel Forte, MD, PhD, ISCT President, stated "ISCT commends the resilient efforts that the team at Mesoblast has put into acquiring regulatory approval through hard-won proof of clinical efficacy. This is a victory for the field, as enthusiasm and investment towards research and development of MSC therapies will be reignited. We may look back on this approval as a pivotal moment in the history of medicine, shaping the future of therapeutics."

About the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy

Established in 1992, the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy (ISCT) is a global society of clinicians, regulators, researchers, technologists, and industry partners with a shared vision to translate cell and gene therapy into safe and effective treatments to improve lives worldwide.

ISCT is the global leader focused on pre-clinical and translational aspects of developing cell and gene-based therapeutics, thereby advancing scientific research into innovative treatments for patients. ISCT offers a unique collaborative environment that addresses three critical areas of translation: Academia, Regulatory, and Commercialization. Through solid relationships with global regulatory agencies, academic institutions, and industry partners, ISCT drives the advancement of research into a standard of care.

Comprising over 4,000 cell and gene therapy experts across five geographic regions and with representation from over 60 countries, ISCT members are part of a global community of peers, thought leaders, and organizations invested in cell and gene therapy translation. For more information about the society, key initiatives, and upcoming meetings, please visit https://isctglobal.org, @ISCTglobal .

SOURCE International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy
HSINCHU, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- ITRI and Public Television Service (PTS) have announced a joint project on developing an AI sign language weather broadcaster. Through this collaboration, the AI sign language weather broadcaster is projected to go live as early as the second half of 2025. This partnership aims to increase the accessibility of weather information and enable deaf individuals to receive the latest warnings for natural disasters and other emergency incidents.

ITRIs AI sign language weather broadcaster accurately captures complex hand movements to create smooth and realistic 2D animations.

"Technology arises from human needs, and AI can play a key role in helping those in need," said ITRI Chairman Tsung-Tsong Wu. "The collaboration between ITRI and PTS is a demonstration of inclusive technology that offers everyone equal opportunity to enjoy the benefits of AI. The AI sign language weather broadcaster is expected to compensate for the shortage of sign language interpreters and provide the deaf equitable access to information via mass media."

Taiwan Broadcasting System and Taiwan Public Television Service (PTS) Foundation Chairperson Yuan-Hui Hu remarked that the PTS has been dedicated to producing sign language TV programs for the Deaf community and is actively leveraging technology to make the media environment more accessible to them. "Information equality is a fundamental value in modern society," stated Hu. He hopes to help deaf individuals stay up to date during typhoons, earthquakes, and other emergencies through advanced communication technology.

ITRI Vice President and General Director of Information and Communications Research Laboratories Pang-An Ting remarked that ITRI began developing the AI sign language interpreter and building Taiwan's sign language corpus in 2023. "Sign language is a visual language that conveys meaning through a combination of facial expressions and hand gestures. An AI sign language broadcaster requires high-precision skeleton estimation technology and deep learning gesture generation models to accurately present hand movements. This is much more complicated than current AI audio and video broadcasting, which deals with speech generation and lip-syncing technologies," he explained.

Dr. Ting further pointed out that sign language evolves with variations in local dialects, emphasizing the need to build a sign language corpus in Taiwan. "We need both professional sign language interpreters and members from the Deaf community to work together to build the corpus. We hope that this collaborative project will promote information equality and also preserve Taiwan's sign language as an important cultural asset," he said.

Media Contact

Annie Wu

Office of Marketing Communications, ITRI

+886-3-591-8406

[email protected]

About ITRI

Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) is one of the world's leading technology R&D institutions aiming to innovate a better future for society. Founded in 1973, ITRI has played a vital role in transforming Taiwan's industries from labor-intensive into innovation-driven. To address market needs and global trends, it has launched its 2035 Technology Strategy and Roadmap that focuses on innovation development in Smart Living, Quality Health, Sustainable Environment, and Resilient Society.

Over the years, ITRI has been dedicated to incubating startups and spinoffs, including well-known names such as UMC and TSMC. In addition to its headquarters in Taiwan, ITRI has branch offices in the U.S., Germany, Japan, and Thailand in an effort to extend its R&D scope and promote international cooperation across the globe. For more information, please visit https://www.itri.org/eng.

SOURCE Industrial Technology Research Institute
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Unity of Ukraine Oleksiy Chernyshov has discussed with the Lithuanian ministers of internal affairs, social protection and labor, and defense the opportunities for Ukrainians to successfully integrate into Lithuanian society.

"Today, we worked together with the new government of the Republic of Lithuania in Kyiv. Relations between our countries were and remain strong, we are united by common values and the desire for peace in Europe," he said on Facebook Friday.

According to the minister, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion Lithuania has received about 50,000 Ukrainian citizens.

"We discussed issues of support for Ukrainians, their rights and opportunities for successful integration into Lithuanian society. Agreed on active cooperation to provide Ukrainian citizens with an appropriate level of social support, as well as to preserve their cultural and national identity," he said.
NEW YORK, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Jackson Rose, a venture capital firm, is proud to announce its participation in Tenstorrent's Series D funding round alongside Bezos Expeditions, LG Electronics, and Hyundai Motor Group. The round was led by Samsung Securities and AFW Partners. Other investors in the round include Fidelity Management, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan, and Baillie Gifford. Tenstorrent raised over $693M in its Series D round at a pre-money valuation of $2B.

"We are excited to be working with Jackson Rose to scale our business for the future," said Keith Witek, Chief Operating Officer of Tenstorrent. "Jackson Rose is part of the syndicate of investors that gives Tenstorrent a balance of financial investors, industry luminaries, and strategic investors that are all unified in their conviction of our plans for AI. They respect our team, our technology, and our vision. They see the ~$150M in deals closed as a strong signal of commercial traction and opportunity in the market."

Tenstorrent will use the Series D funding to build out open-source AI software stacks, hire developers, expand its global development and design centers, and build systems and clouds for AI developers.

"Our investors are great," said Jim Keller, CEO of Tenstorrent. "During the fundraising process I was impressed by how interested our investors were in our open-source approach to software. They realize that the way to win is to get developers on board by giving them all the tools they need to own their own technology."

About Tenstorrent

Tenstorrent is a next-generation computing company that builds computers for AI. Tenstorrent is headquartered in North America and has locations in Toronto, Austin, and Silicon Valley, and global offices in Belgrade, Tokyo, Bangalore, Singapore, and Seoul. Tenstorrent brings together experts in the fields of AI software, computer architecture, silicon design, and advanced systems. Tenstorrent is backed by Eclipse Ventures and Real Ventures, among others. Learn more @ tenstorrent.com.

About Jackson Rose

Jackson Rose is a venture capital firm headquartered in New Jersey. For more information, please email [email protected].

SOURCE Jackson Rose
NEW ORLEANS, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- 365 Connect, the leader in providing the most advanced automated marketing, leasing, and resident engagement platform for multifamily communities across the globe, reflects on the impactful presence of its CEO, Kerry W. Kirby, at the recently concluded Multifamily Innovation & AI Summit. The event, which ran from December 45, 2024, brought together multifamily professionals from across the industry to discuss cutting-edge innovations and strategies.

Kerry W. Kirby - Live on Stage at The Multifamily Innovation & AI Summit in Phoenix

Kirby delivered a series of compelling presentations that captivated the audience, cementing his reputation as a thought leader in PropTech. On December 4th, he and 365 Connect's Chief Product Officer, Jimmy Lancaster, led interactive sessions at the nectarflow Innovation & AI Lab. The duo shared transformative insights into the opportunities and challenges of leveraging APIs to optimize multifamily operations, sparking lively discussions among attendees.

On December 5th, Kirby took center stage as a panelist in the featured session, "Beyond the Numbers: Harnessing Technology and People to Future-Proof Real Estate Investments." His thought-provoking commentary on digital transformation and the integration of advanced technologies into real estate workflows resonated deeply with the audience, offering actionable takeaways for building resilient, forward-thinking business models.

"We were honored to have Kerry deliver such an impactful message at this year's summit," said Patrick Antrim, CEO of Multifamily Leadership. "Kerry's ability to challenge conventional wisdom while presenting innovative solutions has a transformative effect on our industry. His presentations not only educated but inspired everyone in attendance."

Reflecting on the event, Kirby stated: "The Multifamily Innovation & AI Summit provided an incredible platform to explore the critical intersections of technology and real estate. It was an honor to share the stage with such esteemed colleagues and contribute to conversations shaping the future of our industry. I am encouraged by the industry's eagerness to embrace innovation and adapt to the challenges of our dynamic economic environment."

With a legacy of pushing the boundaries of technology in the multifamily housing sector, Kirby's appearance reaffirmed his role as a visionary leader and champion of industry transformation. The discussions he spearheaded at the summit continue to reverberate throughout the multifamily space, igniting a collective drive for progress and innovation.

The Multifamily Innovation & AI Summit, launched by Patrick and Carrie Antrim of Multifamily Leadership, has solidified its place as the premier event for industry professionals, offering tools, strategies, and insights to foster growth and innovation. This year's event once again underscored its mission to create a collaborative environment where attendees could thrive.

ABOUT 365 CONNECT: 365 Connect powers the world's most advanced automated marketing, leasing, and resident engagement platform for multifamily communities across the globe. Designed to modernize transactions that empower people, our AI-driven platform transforms operations to reduce costs, maximize efficiency, and accelerate revenue. Founded in 2003 with unrivaled industry knowledge, 365 Connect is purpose-built for renters, management teams, and today's changing world. Discover how we're driving the future of multifamily innovation at 365connect.com

Media Contacts

365 CONNECT

Media Relations

[email protected]

504-299-3444

SOURCE 365 CONNECT
One of Hawaii's Go-To Fast-Food Destination Now Serving a Much-Loved Sauce on its Menu

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Lee Kum Kee, a global producer of authentic Asian sauces and condiments, announced an exciting new brand partnership with Uncle Sharkii Poke Bar, a popular quick-service restaurant chain offering fresh and flavorful Hawaiian-inspired poke bowls.

Lee Kum Kee announces a new brand partnership with Uncle Sharkii Poke Bar.

This partnership will see Lee Kum Kee's Teriyaki Glaze, known for its sweet and savory flavor profile, used to create a new and irresistible menu option: The Chicken Teriyaki Poke Bowl. The ready-to-use glaze will also be featured as a permanent menu item at all Uncle Sharkii locations nationwide, giving customers the option to incorporate it in other poke bowls across the menu.

"We are thrilled to partner with Uncle Sharkii to bring our Teriyaki Glaze to their menu," said Grace Chow, VP of Mainstream Foodservice and Industrial Sales for Lee Kum Kee (USA). "Our glaze is a perfect complement to the fresh seafood and vegetables in poke bowls, and we know customers will love the added depth of flavor it provides."

Japanese immigrants brought teriyaki west with them to Hawaii when they came to work on sugar plantations on the islands in the 19th century. Since then, it has been a popular form of cooking, especially along the west coast. "Teri" refers to the shine that happens because of the sugars, and "yaki" translates to grill. Lee Kum Kee's Teriyaki Glaze is made with a blend of soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and other seasonings, creating a rich and flavorful glaze that is perfect for marinating, grilling, or dipping.

Lee Kum Kee's Teriyaki Glaze aligns with Uncle Sharkii's mission to become America's poke shop. "Teriyaki glaze brings a familiar and beloved flavor to our menu, enhancing our offerings and delighting our customers. It's a flavor that has been requested by multiple patrons," stated Quynh Vu, Director of Marketing for Uncle Sharkii.

About Lee Kum Kee

Established in 1888, Lee Kum Kee has brought Asian flavor worldwide by making it easy for people to enjoy authentic, restaurant-quality Asian tastes and flavors at-home. Lee Kum Kee sauces are also widely used by professional chefs, including Michelin starred restaurants to deliver consistent quality and taste that won't disappoint. Lee Kum Kee's offerings include more than 300 authentic options, such as Premium Soy Sauce, Hoisin Sauce, Oyster Flavored Sauce, Sriracha Chili Sauce, Sriracha Mayo and the convenient Panda Brand Ready Sauces. The company's rich 136-year heritage, coupled with its dedication to Asian food culture, has positioned it as an evolving global market leader and pioneer with a presence in more than 100 countries and regions. Lee Kum Kee products can be found at international retailers, restaurants and specialty stores, or online at www.LKK.com. Connect with Lee Kum Kee on LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok and Pinterest.

About Uncle Sharkii Poke Bar

Uncle Sharkii Poke Bar (www.unclesharkii.com) is a healthy Hawaiian fast-food franchise featuring its Signature Hawaiian Poke Bowls, Boba Milk Teas, & Dole Soft Serve. The brand was founded in 2018 during an overseas family gathering when the founders' daughter, Melody, was gifted a plush shark by an uncle she never met before. The bond was instantaneous and sealed by celebration over boba milk tea, fried snacks and ice cream. The founders coined the name Uncle Sharkii and adhere to an authentic focus on Ohana "family" culture with the mission of offering a streamlined healthy menu for the family on the go  Poke Bowls Made Simple.

Uncle Sharkii stands firm as one of the only national poke brands to be curated by a local born and raised founder who grew up eating, breathing, and living all the paradisiacal essence that Hawaii represents. Poke originated from Hawaii as a snack for fishermen.

Currently Uncle Sharkii has open locations in the heart of Hawaii, California, Utah, and Texas with signed locations in Arizona & Nevada. The brand touts itself as one of the fastest growing quick service restaurants serving Hawaiian poke today. With low startup costs, quicker return on investment, comprehensive training, a simple menu, and a sense of community, Uncle Sharkii aims to revolutionize the Hawaiian poke industry from inspiration to reality.

The company is actively expanding throughout the U.S. (United States) and internationally and welcomes interested individuals to visit their franchise page for more information at www.unclesharkiipokebarfranchise.com. Or follow Uncle Sharkii Poke Bar on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and TikTok.

SOURCE Lee Kum Kee
Leon Y Sol Tequila invites emerging artists to join a bold new platform celebrating innovation, collaboration, and culture.

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Leon Y Sol Tequila, renowned for its fearless creativity and vibrant lifestyle, proudly announces the launch of the LYS Artist Collective. More than a store, this initiative is a dynamic, community-driven platform designed to spotlight emerging artists and their extraordinary talents.

By partnering with Leon Y Sol, artists have the unique opportunity to create exclusive merchandise that reflects the bold spirit of innovation, cultural richness, and artistic brilliancevalues that define Leon Y Sol.

Leon Y Sol Artist Collective

Submissions Open January 2, 2025

Calling all trailblazing creatives! Leon Y Sol invites emerging artists to submit original, daring designs that embody the brand's fearless ethos.

The Rewards: The top three designs will be selected by a panel of esteemed judges and the Leon Y Sol community. Winners will receive cash prizes of up to $3,000 and a premier spot in the LYS Artist Collective. Seven additional designs will also be featured in the Collective, giving even more artists a chance to showcase their talent to a broader audience.



A Stage for Creativity and Growth

The LYS Artist Collective goes beyond being a competition. It's a launchpad for visibility, empowering artists to grow their personal brands, connect with wider audiences, and align with Leon Y Sol's bold, lifestyle-driven mission.

"Leon Y Sol isn't just about exceptional tequila; it's about living boldly and celebrating creativity," said Bobby Marhamat, CEO of Leon Y Sol. "With the LYS Artist Collective, we're building a platform where artistry thrives and creators can shine while embodying our shared vision of bold, authentic living."

Why It Matters

The LYS Artist Collective is a testament to Leon Y Sol's dedication to fostering creativity, collaboration, and individuality. It's not just about designs or productsit's about telling stories.

Through this initiative, Leon Y Sol is creating meaningful connections between the brand and today's vibrant cultural landscape. Every design tells a story, and by giving artists a stage to share their unique perspectives, Leon Y Sol invites them to be part of a shared journey.

This isn't just a collectionit's a celebration of art, self-expression, and the daring pursuit of authenticity.

Submissions open soon. Start dreaming. Start designing. And dare to be bold.

ABOUT LEON Y SOL

Leon Y Sol Tequila: A Taste of Tradition and Innovation

Founded on a foundation of tradition and innovation, Leon Y Sol Tequila brings the vibrant spirit of Mexico to the world. Each bottle is a tribute to the rich history and craftsmanship of tequila-making, blending time-honored techniques with modern artistry.

Distilled from the finest blue agave grown in the sun-soaked fields of Jalisco, Leon Y Sol's tequilas offer a smooth, complex flavor that's both distinctive and refined.

At Leon Y Sol, quality and authenticity aren't just valuesthey're our essence. From selecting premium agave to employing artisanal distillation methods, every step reflects our passion for excellence. Whether sipped neat, on the rocks, or in a classic cocktail, Leon Y Sol Tequila is the perfect companion for every occasion.

Contact:

Kendall Perry

480-206-5993

[email protected]

SOURCE Leon Y Sol, Inc.
FRANKLIN, Tenn., Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is proud to celebrate its five-year anniversary in Tennessee this month, marking a significant milestone in the company's growth and success in the U.S. since operations began in 1982. For 37 years, MMNA called Cypress, Calif. its home, before relocating all headquarters operations to the Volunteer State in 2019. Since arriving here, MMNA has made a lasting impact on the local community, creating approximately 180 jobs and contributing strongly to the region's economic development. Along with its approximately 330 dealer partners, Mitsubishi Motors directly or indirectly employs more than 8,000 people across the United States.

Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-in Hybrid Front 3/4 Tuckers House Delivery of Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-in Hybrid

Shortly after moving its North American corporate headquarters to Franklin, MMNA took occupancy of the top two floors of a newly designed building in the rapidly growing Cool Springs neighborhood. Over the past five years, the company has experienced remarkable business achievements, including key vehicle launches, record-breaking sales figures, and increased community involvement.

The Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-in Hybrid has been a cornerstone of the company's success, earning numerous awards and accolades. Most recently, the Outlander Plug-in Hybrid achieved an unprecedented third consecutive win as Green Car Journal's Family Green Car of the Year1. In addition, the vehicle has been honored with the 2024 MotorWeek Drivers' Choice Award for Best Small Utility2, Puros Autos' Latin Flavor SUV of the Year, and a Top Safety Pick designation from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). These recognitions underscore Mitsubishi's commitment to innovation, advanced safety features, and eco-friendly solutions.

"We are incredibly proud of what we've accomplished here in Tennessee over the past five years," said Mark Chaffin, President & CEO, MMNA. "Our commitment to growing our business while creating jobs and supporting the local community has been a cornerstone of our operations. We look forward to continuing this strong partnership and calling Tennessee 'home' for years to come."

In May, MMNA announced the next chapter of its business plan, dubbed "Momentum 2030". This plan will see the company debut new vehicles, expand its national dealer-partner count, add new ways for customers to shop for vehicles, and add cutting-edge technology to the car-buying process. This plan will see expanded growth for the company in the creation of new jobs, broader engagement with the local community, and further economic development across the area.

MMNA's contributions to the Tennessee community extend beyond its business success. In 2023, MMNA partnered with Middle Tennessee-based nonprofit Tucker's House, providing the organization with a 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-in Hybrid SUV as part of its Community Utility Vehicle (CUV) program. Tucker's House, which helps families of children and young adults with disabilities by making their homes safer and more accessible, has used the vehicle to enhance their operations and provide critical services, such as installing ramps, widening doorways, and retrofitting bathrooms for wheelchair accessibility.

This partnership exemplifies MMNA's dedication to its corporate social responsibility initiative, "Driving Confidence, Driving Community," which focuses on making a tangible difference through localized efforts and utilizing the company's vehicles to give back to the community. MMNA's CUV program has also benefitted other nonprofits, including the Nashville-based Community Resource Center following a devastating tornado and Charis Health Center, which utilized the Outlander PHEV's 120-volt outlet to power its portable medical freezer, critical for transporting COVID vaccines and other medications.

MMNA's success in Tennessee reflects its focus on innovation, sustainability, and customer satisfaction. By delivering exceptional vehicles like the Outlander and Eclipse Cross while fostering strong ties with the local community, MMNA has established itself as a key contributor to the state's economic and social fabric.

ABOUT MITSUBISHI MOTORS NORTH AMERICA, INC.

Through a network of approximately 330 dealer partners across the United States, Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is responsible for the sales, marketing, and customer service of Mitsubishi Motors vehicles in the U.S. MMNA's recently announced five-year business plan  "Momentum 2030"  outlines the brand's mid-term intentions for product and business transformation. MMNA will expand and refresh its vehicle lineup in the U.S. with one new or completely refreshed model to debut each year between now and 2030. Powered by a selection of advanced-technology internal combustion engines, hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and battery electrics, the product line will nearly double from today's four vehicles. Momentum 2030 also includes a vision for a modernized retail sales model and plans for network expansion and sales growth.

MMNA has its headquarters in Franklin, Tennessee, as well as corporate operations in California, Georgia, Michigan, and New Jersey.

For more information on Mitsubishi vehicles, please visit MitsubishiCars.com .

Contact

Jeremy Barnes, Senior Director, Communications and Events, [email protected] , Mobile: 615-970-8395

1 For more information see GreenCarJournal.com.

2 From MotorWeek 2024 Maryland Public Television. All rights reserved. Used under license.

SOURCE Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc.
CORONA, Calif., Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Monster Energy Up & Up Festival, the largest and longest-running college music tour, has announced Sidepiece as the Spring 2025 headliner. As always, this tour has no pre-determined dates or route  the fans decide and they almost always sell out. More than 85 college student ambassador teams from across the U.S. will rally their schools through guerilla marketing and influencer campaigns to try becoming one of the stops on the Spring tour and earn the chance to co-produce the ultimate college music experience.

Monster Energy Up & Up Festival Announces Sidepiece as Spring 2025 Headliner for Crowdfunded College Tour

"We've been on tour after tour since we started SIDEPIECE, and unfortunately never had enough time in our schedules to hit the colleges," the duo said. "We're changing that in 2025! We've partnered Monster Energy Up & Up Festival to headline some insane events around the country."

Up & Up has been dubbed the Final Four of College Music Festivals. Each campus team, using their own Instagram handles, engages in a 48-hour campaign to sell the most pre-sale tickets for the festival. The top 5 schools with the most pre-sales in 48 hours will win a stop on tour. The winning colleges then collaborate with Up & Up producers to bring the festival to a nearby venue with their own DJ openers, content team, and parties revolving around the most hype event of the semester.

Credit cards are only charged to the winning campus teams. This savvy ticketing model has led to many sold-out hard-ticket college tours in premium venues.

"Joining the Up & Up Festival as an ambassador was one of the best choices I made throughout my college career," says Ellie Lima, senior at San Diego State University. "It is a community at its core - surrounded by people who are innovative, creative and driven. The Up & Up Festival showed me that as long as you're determined to make a change, it can happen. I went from a new, 20-year-old transfer student, to spreading the word of a super cool EDM program across our massive campus to win fourth place in the Spring 2024 Disco Lines presale competition, just with a team of three."

The benefits of the Monster Energy Up & Up model are threefold: first, it ensures artists play only gigs where they are most desired; second, it provides invaluable industry experience to those hoping to pursue careers in music business and event management; and third, it guarantees an epic show for students without gouging them on ticket prices.

Since its inception in the Fall of 2016, the Monster Energy Up & Up Festival has redefined the college concert experience by breaking free from conventional programming boards and middle buyers. Through this approach, Up & Up empowers college students to curate events with top artists, imparting valuable lessons in sales and the rewards of earning an unforgettable experience.

Most recently, Cal Poly, CU Boulder, Miami- Ohio, San Jose State, University of Georgia, San Diego State, and the University of Oregon earned themselves the opportunity to host Up & Up's Spring 2024 headliner, Disco Lines. Other previous winning campuses include University of Alabama, ASU (2x), Bryant, University of Dayton (3x), Lehigh, JMU, Florida State, Indiana University, LSU, Penn State (3x), Oklahoma State, Oregon St University, UC Davis (2x), University of Virginia (2x), UT Austin, Washington State University (5x), UNCW (3x), Virginia Tech (2x) and Wake Forest.

The Up & Up will offer more ways to win live events this summer and an exciting extension of collegiate programming: Club 100. This virtual event via Zoom attracts attendees from over 200 universities and features surprise performances by renowned music artists, thought-provoking industry guest speakers, valuable educational opportunities, and exciting giveaways.

The Up & Up Spring 2025 national competition kicks off on Monday Feb 24 at 4 p.m. EST, and the winning festivals will be held in April and June.

College students seeking music industry experience & internship credit can apply at www.upandupfestival.com/

ABOUT MONSTER ENERGY:

Based in Corona, California, Monster Energy is the leading marketer of energy drinks and alternative beverages. Refusing to acknowledge the traditional, Monster Energy supports the scene and sport. Whether motocross, off-road, NASCAR, MMA, BMX, surf, snowboard, ski, skateboard, or the hip hop lifestyle, Monster Energy is a brand that believes in authenticity and the core of what its sports, athletes and artists represent. More than a drink, it's the way of life lived by athletes, artists, believers and fans. See more about Monster Energy including all of its drinks at www.monsterenergy.com.

ABOUT THE MONSTER ENERGY UP & UP FESTIVAL:

Monster Energy Up & Up is the largest national college festival promoter in the US, powered by a community of campus ambassador teams across the country. Up & Up's innovative guerrilla ticketing system is simple: students crowdsource demand on their campuses leading up to a 48-hour competition period; colleges with the most pre-sales earn the chance to work with our team to craft a music experience of-a-lifetime, while also gaining valuable industry experience. Past live headliners include Cash Cash (2016), Alan Walker (2017), GRYFFIN (2018), Two Friends (2018), Slushii (2019), Lost Kings (2019) Elephante (2019), Troyboi (2020), Loud Luxury (2021), San Holo (2022) Dom Dolla (2022) , Chris Lorenzo (Spring 2023) Dr. Fresch (Fall 2023) and Disco Lines (Spring 2024) Matroda (Fall 2024)

FOLLOW MONSTER ENERGY UP & UP:

https://upandupfestival.com/

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | TikTok

FOLLOW MONSTER ENERGY:

www.monsterenergy.com

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

FOLLOW MONSTER ENERGY MUSIC:

www.monsterenergy.com/music

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ABOUT SIDEPIECE

While Dylan Ragland and Ricky Mears meant to start a side project, they weren't totally expecting to create SIDEPIECE, the GRAMMY-nominated house duo that's clocked more than 537 million global streams since its inception. The two producers  Ragland makes music as fan favorite Party Favor and Mears produces as dancefloor igniter NITTI  first linked via DM in 2019 to share track ideas. Sensing their musical chemistry, they jumped on Facetime. By the end of the call, they'd registered the @youasidepiece social handles and their own figurative side piece had been born. "It started out as a fun passion project because we both love and care about house music," says Ragland, "but it's grown so much bigger than we originally planned." Indeed, success came fast for the pair. SIDEPIECE's second single, the 2020 Diplo collaboration "On My Mind," aggregated more than 222 million Spotify streams and earned the trio a 2021 GRAMMY nomination for Best Dance Recording. A flurry of hit singles have followed, with SIDEPIECE carving out a signature sound rooted in catchy vocals  "the most important element," says Ragland  and the ever-intoxicating bump and grind house groove. Spanning tech house, bass house and beyond, tracks including "Acrobatic," "Temptation," "Sextacy" and their latest -- the dancefloor banger "A Milli (SIDEPIECE Remix)," their remix of the iconic Lil Wayne track -- are quintessentially SIDEPIECE: party-starting club records with a pop-lean and serious sex appeal. "Huge streaming numbers are cool," says Mears, "but seeing people in the crowd singing along to the song, that makes it all feel real."

[email protected]

SOURCE Monster Energy
WASHINGTON, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Liechtenstein signed the Artemis Accords Friday during a ceremony hosted by NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy at the agency's headquarters in Washington, becoming the 52nd nation to commit to the responsible exploration of space for all humanity.

From left to right, Ambassador of the Principality of Liechtenstein to the United States of America Georg Sparber, Director of the Office for Communications of the Principality of Liechtenstein Dr. Rainer Schnepfleitner, NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Swiss Confederation and to the Principality of Liechtenstein Scott Miller, pose for a group photo during an Artemis Accords signing ceremony, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. The Principality of Liechtenstein is the 52nd country to sign the Artemis Accords, which establish a practical set of principles to guide space exploration cooperation among nations participating in NASA's Artemis program. Photo Credit: NASA/Keegan Barber.

"Today, as Liechtenstein signs the Artemis Accords, we take another step forward together, united by the promise of international cooperation and discovery," said Melroy. "Liechtenstein's commitment strengthens our vision, where space is explored with peace, transparency, and sustainability as guiding principles. With each new signatory, the Artemis Accords community adds fresh energy and capabilities to ensure the benefits of space reach the entire world."

Director of Liechtenstein's Office for Communications Rainer Schnepfleitner signed the Artemis Accords on behalf of Liechtenstein. The Ambassador of the Principality of Liechtenstein to the United States Georg Sparber and U.S. Ambassador to the Swiss Confederation and the Principality of Liechtenstein Scott Miller also participated in the event.

"With its participation in the Artemis Accords, Liechtenstein looks forward to advancing space exploration among a strong group of like-minded countries committed to the peaceful use of space for the benefit of all humanity," Sparber said.

The United States, led by NASA and the U.S. Department of State, and seven other initial signatory nations established the Artemis Accords in 2020, identifying a set of principles promoting the beneficial use of space for humanity. Since then, signatories have expanded to represent a quarter of the world's countries, with 19 countries signing in 2024.

In addition to an increase in numbers, the Artemis Accords signatories, representing every region of the world, continued to build consensus this year and make significant progress in implementing the accords principles.

NASA co-chaired the Artemis Accords Principals' Meeting in October, which brought together 42 nations and furthered discussions on the safe and responsible use of space. They agreed on recommendations for non-interference, interoperability, release of scientific data, long-term sustainability guidelines, and registration of space objects to advance implementation.

The Artemis Accords are grounded in the Outer Space Treaty and other agreements including the Registration Convention, the Rescue and Return Agreement, as well as best practices for responsible behavior that NASA and its partners have supported, including the public release of scientific data.

Learn more about the Artemis Accords at:

https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-accords/

SOURCE NASA
WILLIAMSBURG, Va., Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- More Americans are expressing trust and confidence in state courts, according to the National Center for State Courts' annual State of the State Courts survey.

The newly released 2024 survey shows that nearly two-thirds (63%) of Americans express trust and confidence in America's state courts. It's the second consecutive year that the trust barometer has moved up.

"Public trust and confidence is the stock and trade of the courts," said Chief Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby of the D.C. Court of Appeals. "It's heartening to see this survey reflect that most Americans feel we are earning that trust. As national court leaders, we are committed to earning that confidence every day."

Additional gains for state courts

Growing numbers of Americans are giving state courts a positive "job approval" rating. This year's 54% rating is up from 44% in 2021 and marks the fourth year of this positive trend.

The 2024 survey also reveals that 63% of Americans agree that state courts are "committed to protecting individual and civil rights" and that 59% believe that state courts "treat people with dignity and respect."

"More than 95 percent of all cases are filed in state courts," said Marcia M. Meis, director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts. "It's vital that our state courts continue their hard work of improving access to justice and demonstrating the ways in which they are ethical, accountable and transparent in order to maintain the public's trust."

Opportunities for improvement

There are also areas of concern that state court leaders must work to address.

Only one in four respondents agree that courts are doing enough to help individuals navigate the court system without an attorney. Meanwhile, 64% support a proposal that would allow states to "license non-lawyers  to provide limited legal services."

Respondents were evenly split on whether they believe state courts provide (47%) or do not provide (47%) "equal justice to all."

Developed by GBAO Strategies, the national online survey gathered responses from 1,000 registered voters between Dec. 9 and 12.

The National Center for State Courts, headquartered in Williamsburg, Va., is a nonprofit court organization dedicated to driving innovation and progress in courts and justice systems. Founded in 1971 by the Conference of Chief Justices and Chief Justice of the United States Warren E. Burger, NCSC provides education, training, technology, management, and research services to the nation's state courts.

Contact:

Jesse Rutledge

Vice President for Public Affairs

[email protected]

(757) 903-5490

SOURCE National Center for State Courts
Business wins, strategic collaborations, and renewed commitment to client partnership highlight a year of transformation

PITTSBURGH, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Net Health , a trusted source for specialized software solutions that empower restorative care providers across the continuum of care, is entering 2025 with impressive momentum driven by a year of transformative leadership. Through rebranding initiatives, partnerships and collaborations, and award recognitions, the company has redefined its organizational vision, advanced its mission to deliver impactful healthcare solutions, and solidified its position as a leader in the healthcare technology space.

"As we reflect on a year of growth, it's clear that Net Health is uniquely positioned to redefine how technology supports providers and patients," said Ron Books, CEO of Net Health. "From initiating industry-shaping partnerships to delivering effective solutions to clients, our achievements in 2024 are a testament to our team's dedication. We're entering 2025 on a high note and remain focused on advancing the future of healthcare through collaboration and a relentless commitment to delivering better outcomes for providers."

Improving Clarity of Purpose:

In 2024, Net Health renamed its products to make it easier for clients and prospects to understand the solutions it offers. The change reintroduced familiar and trusted names; it reflects Net Health's commitment to supporting providers with offerings tailored to their unique needs. Changes include:

A return to trusted health tech names: Net Health Optima replaced Therapy for Senior Living and Therapy for Skilled Nursing. Net Health ReDoc replaced Therapy for Hospitals. Net Health TherapySource replaced Therapy for Clinics. Net Health WoundExpert replaced Wound Care. Tissue Analytics was unchanged.

Improved clarity: FOTO Analytics replaced FOTO Patient Outcomes. Value-Based Care Solutions replaced PointRight, offering specialized software, analytics, and support to drive success in value-based care for skilled nursing facilities, states, and payers.



The company also unveiled an updated brand and website to more clearly define Net Health.

Building Partnerships:

Net Health continued to forge impactful partnerships and achieve significant milestones. Through collaborations with innovative companies and longstanding clients, Net Health found ways to drive progress in healthcare technology and service delivery.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) integration with Tali.ai: Net Health announced a collaboration with Tali.ai, enabling the company to offer ambient documentation directly inside its products. This collaboration will integrate Tali's advanced capabilities into select Net Health platforms, including Optima, ReDoc, TherapySource, and WoundExpert. While the partnership is in its early stages, it paves the way for introducing cutting-edge ambient documentation solutions, reinforcing the company's dedication to improving workflows and patient outcomes.





enabling the company to offer ambient documentation directly inside its products. This collaboration will integrate Tali's advanced capabilities into select Net Health platforms, including Optima, ReDoc, TherapySource, and WoundExpert. While the partnership is in its early stages, it paves the way for introducing cutting-edge ambient documentation solutions, reinforcing the company's dedication to improving workflows and patient outcomes. Data and AI Governance Plan Launched: Net Health introduced a comprehensive Data and AI Governance Plan to ensure the ethical, transparent, and secure use of data and AI technologies. This framework integrates data and AI governance, emphasizing data integrity, compliance with standards like GDPR and HIPAA, and alignment with ONC's DSI certification requirements. By fostering trust, mitigating risks, and driving operational excellence, this plan enhances the accuracy of AI-driven tools and supports better outcomes for Net Health's clients.

Accelerating Business Growth:

Net Health renewed and built vital client partnerships with many of the most important providers of restorative care by understanding how technology helps meet their ever-growing needs. Net Health products are built for reimbursement consistency, efficiency gains, and insights that lead to growth. Key wins in 2024 include:

Rock Valley Physical Therapy: Net Health TherapySource is now live across over 60 Rock Valley Physical Therapy locations, supporting over 400 users. This implementation highlights the collaboration and ability of Net Health's Product Management, Engineering, Client Success, and Implementation teams, delivering a seamless rollout and strong early results. The partnership with Rock Valley has already expanded, with 21st Century joining under the Rock Valley MSA to use TherapySource as its core practice management platform. As part of the Midwest Therapy Network, this addition marks a new phase of growth, with Rock Valley's influence paving the way for broader TherapySource adoption among independent practices in the network.





is now live across over 60 Rock Valley Physical Therapy locations, supporting over 400 users. This implementation highlights the collaboration and ability of Net Health's Product Management, Engineering, Client Success, and Implementation teams, delivering a seamless rollout and strong early results. The partnership with Rock Valley has already expanded, with 21st Century joining under the Rock Valley MSA to use TherapySource as its core practice management platform. As part of the Midwest Therapy Network, this addition marks a new phase of growth, with Rock Valley's influence paving the way for broader TherapySource adoption among independent practices in the network. Expanded Partnerships and Record-Breaking Bookings: In 2024, the Net Health WoundExpert team achieved a record-breaking month in incremental sales bookings, including wins at notable local and regional hospitals. In addition, the Net Health Tissue Analytics team renewed and expanded its partnership with Intermountain Healthcare, securing a multi-year contract including eight additional hospitals and solidifying its position within a major healthcare network. The team also expanded its presence in post-acute care with new revenue through WoundExpert deployments.





In 2024, the team achieved a record-breaking month in incremental sales bookings, including wins at notable local and regional hospitals. In addition, the team renewed and expanded its partnership with Intermountain Healthcare, securing a multi-year contract including eight additional hospitals and solidifying its position within a major healthcare network. The team also expanded its presence in post-acute care with new revenue through WoundExpert deployments. State Medicaid VBP Programs: The Value-Based Care Solutions team achieved a record-breaking October in new bookings for State Medicaid VBP programs in the Hospital and Primary Care settings. In 2024, Net Health Value-Based Care Solutions secured record-breaking new annual recurring revenue through contracts with managed care organizations.





The Value-Based Care Solutions team achieved a record-breaking October in new bookings for State Medicaid VBP programs in the Hospital and Primary Care settings. In 2024, secured record-breaking new annual recurring revenue through contracts with managed care organizations. Occupational Health Business Growth: In 2024, Occupational Health surpassed annual sales targets in year-to-date sales bookings, highlighting its success in delivering the technology customers need to be successful and underscoring its commitment to growth. This included numerous client expansions in both Employee Health and Occupational Medicine, strengthening our partnership with clients. The team also focused on migrations of clients to our hosting platform, providing the advantage of security and stability while lowering their total cost of ownership. Occupational Health is growing at a responsible pace that aligns with providing maximum value to clients.

Recognition of Excellence:

Net Health received several accolades that highlight its work in advancing wound assessment technology.

Merit Awards: Tissue Analytics was recognized with the Gold Award for Mobile Digital Health Resources in the 2024 Merit Awards , honoring excellence across industries.





Tissue Analytics was recognized with the Gold Award for Mobile Digital Health Resources in the , honoring excellence across industries. SaaS Awards: Tissue Analytics was named a finalist for Best SaaS Healthcare Product in the 2024 SaaS Awards .

Strengthening Our Commitment to Clients:

Net Health's commitment to partnership gained momentum in 2024, helping to expand communications with clients and provide opportunities to influence the direction of product innovation. These initiatives include:

Net Health NEXT: The inaugural Net Health NEXT Client Conference highlighted technology that can better connect patients, payers, and providers; offered hands-on product training forums; and provided insight into what's to come for electronic health records (EHRs).



The inaugural highlighted technology that can better connect patients, payers, and providers; offered hands-on product training forums; and provided insight into what's to come for electronic health records (EHRs). Client and Product Advisory Boards: Net Health sales and product leaders launched Client Advisory Boards and Product Advisory Boards to ensure active collaboration with clients. The boards are an opportunity to help shape product roadmaps and sales/implementation processes.





Net Health sales and product leaders launched Client Advisory Boards and Product Advisory Boards to ensure active collaboration with clients. The boards are an opportunity to help shape product roadmaps and sales/implementation processes. Coming Soon: In 2025, Net Health will host the second annual Net Health NEXT 2025 Client Conference in Austin, Texas , at The Line Hotel. The two-day event will feature industry insights, hands-on training, and discussions designed to empower practices and enhance patient care.

About Net Health

Net Health is a trusted source for more than 25,000 healthcare organizations across the continuum of care. Our specialized software solutions enable restorative care providers and their organizations to improve both patient outcomes and financial performance. Over 30 years of expertise in wound care and rehab therapy inform our electronic health record (EHR) software, patient engagement tools, and predictive analytics. Our technology platforms help administrators manage workflow, specialists engage with patients, and executives drive business growth. Net Health is a portfolio company of The Carlyle Group, Level Equity, and Silversmith Capital Partners. Learn more at www.nethealth.com .

SOURCE Net Health Systems, Inc.
NINGBO, China, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Since December 14, prominent cultural figures such as Xu Zhiyuan and Liu Qing have sparked a wave of online conversation about the city's distinctive character and its global connections.

The night view of Zhoushan Port in Ningbo

Xu Zhiyuan, a renowned writer and host of a cultural interview program, initiated the dialogue with his impressions of Ningbo. Having traveled extensively, he compared Ningbo's Sanjiangkou (Three Rivers Estuary) to other port cities like Montreal and Macao, emphasizing the inherent inclusiveness of port cities. He further illuminated Ningbo's global footprint, showcasing the impressive reach of its diaspora: from the skilled "hongbang" tailors who shaped fashion in Yokohama's Chinatown to the Ningbo-born founder of Tokyo's time-honored Ishingou restaurant chain. He also highlighted figures like shipping magnate Pao Yue-kong ("the king of the sea") who played a role in Hong Kong's return to China and Wu Jintang, who established extensive charity initiatives in Kobe. Xu concluded that Ningbo's spirit of adventure and its global narrative are deeply rooted in its history as Mingzhou, a vital port connecting to the world over a millennium ago.

The podcast "Fan Yiru," hosted by a Shanghai resident with ancestral roots in Yuyao, Ningbo, explored the region's cultural tapestry. The host shared his family's history of migration from Ningbo to Shanghai, while also discussing the nuances of the Ningbo dialect and its interaction with those of surrounding regions. He also brought to life the phenomenon of the "baoyou qu," or "free shipping zone," encompassing Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Shanghai, weaving in fascinating stories from the area.

This exploration of Ningbo's identity has resonated with online communities, igniting passionate discussions. Netizen "Mang Mang" described Ningbo as possessing a "calm and composed air, without any need for self-affirmation." "Yue Long Sha" believes that "when you visit Ningbo, you will understand why the city is in the sea and the sea is in the city." "Wei Lei 001," called Ningbo a "young city full of vitality," while "Super Peanut Butter" expressed that the city creates a sense of home. Even from beyond China's borders, Vietnamese netizen "factdrop" shared a desire to "explore the culture and history of Ningbo through these podcasts."

The rising online buzz is being amplified by media outlets like CNR News and Tide News, as well as social media platforms like Weibo and Xiaohongshu, with related topics trending widely. The conversation is set to continue with contributions from scholars including Dr. Brent Haas from the Department of History at Peking University, Professor Liu Qing from East China Normal University, and Professor Shi Zhan from the Institute for Global History of Civilizations at Shanghai International Studies University.

This ongoing dialogue, transcending geographical and temporal boundaries, allows people around the world to experience and appreciate the unique charm of Ningbo.

Contact: Sui Zhaorui

Tel.: 0086-13958288273

E-mail: sunsunzzrr@163.com

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2586152/Ningbo_Harbor.jpg

SOURCE Ningbo International Communication Center
During a meeting between Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets and his Russian counterpart Tatiana Moskalkova in Belarus, the bodies of the fallen soldiers were repatriated.

As Lubinets said on Facebook, the meeting was organized with the assistance of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

"We handed over the lists of prisoners of war, discussed the issues of their verification, as well as lists of illegally imprisoned civilians," the Ukrainian ombudsman said.

In addition, the sides exchanged parcels and letters for prisoners of war.

"We passed 1,500 packages with warm clothes and other necessary things," Lubinets said.

He also noted that they discussed ways of further interaction for the return of prisoners of war, civilians and solving humanitarian issues.
HAMILTON, Bermuda, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Reference is made to the announcement on 5 June 2024 made by Paratus Energy Services Ltd. (the "Company" or "Paratus") published on the Company's website regarding the successful placement of USD 500 million new senior secured bonds (the "Bonds").

On 19 December 2024, Nordic ABM approved an admission document prepared by the Company in connection with its application for registration of the Bonds on Nordic ABM.

The Bonds will commence trading on Nordic ABM today, 20 December 2024.

The admission document is available on https://live.euronext.com/nb.

For further information, please contact:

Baton Haxhimehmedi, CFO

[email protected]

+47 406 39 083

About Paratus

Paratus Energy Services Ltd. (Oslo: PLSV) is an investment holding company of a group of leading energy services companies. The Paratus Group is primarily comprised of its ownership of Fontis Energy and a 50/50 JV interest in Seagems (formerly Seabras). Fontis Energy is an offshore drilling company with a fleet of five high-specification jack-up rigs working under contracts in Mexico. Seagems is a leading subsea services company, with a fleet of six multi-purpose pipe-laying support vessels under contracts in Brazil. In addition, Paratus is the largest shareholder in Archer Ltd, a global oil services company, listed on the Euronext Oslo Brs.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/paratus-energy-services-ltd/r/paratus-announces-listing-of-senior-secured-bonds-on-nordic-abm,c4085342
MINEOLA, N.Y., Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone HospitalLong Island has named Anne S. Renteria, MD, to lead its Transplantation and Cellular Therapy CenterLong Island as site director. Dr. Renteria comes to NYU Langone from MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.

Anne S. Renteria, MD

At NYU Langone, Dr. Renteria's first priority will be to build out and expand the already world-class blood cancer programs at Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone HospitalLong Island. As the site director for the Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Center, she will work with a team of physicians who are part of Perlmutter Cancer Center's Blood and Marrow Transplant Program and will coordinate with social workers, transplant coordinators, nutritionists, and other experts to provide comprehensive care. She will also work closely with leadership at the Bone and Marrow Transplant Center at the Perlmutter Cancer Center in Manhattan, coordinating research and clinical efforts.

"NYU Langone's continued mission to expand access to care for patients is what drew me to this position," says Dr. Renteria. "Long Island has a large patient population, and we are positioned to provide them the state-of-the-art treatments for leukemias, lymphomas, myelomas and transplant in their own neighborhoods."

In addition to her leadership role, Dr. Renteria also holds a clinical associate professor position in the Department of Medicine at NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine. As a clinical research physician throughout her career, Dr. Renteria has conducted studies in more than 40 clinical trials, with a focus on Hematologic Malignancies and Hematopoietic Cell Therapies (HCT), including allogeneic HCT, CAR-T cell therapies, and autologous HCT. Dr. Renteria has also held prominent leadership positions at other institutions.

"Dr. Renteria brings years of leadership experience with her to join our exceptional team in Long Island," says Alec Kimmelman, MD, PhD, the Anita Steckler and Joseph Steckler Chair of Radiation Oncology and director of the Perlmutter Cancer Center. "That experience will be invaluable to our mission to provide patients at each of our locations with one standard of care."

About Dr. Renteria

An alumna of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Dr. Renteria completed her internship and residency in internal medicine at Coney Island Hospital in Brooklyn, and a hematologyoncology fellowship at Maimonides Medical Center. She also completed a blood and marrow transplantation fellowship at Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine.

Her professional experience includes senior leadership positions. She served as the medical director of acute leukemia and stem cell transplant and cellular therapy at the Lipson Cancer Institute and most recently as the medical director of MedStar Georgetown University Hospital's stem cell transplantation and cellular immunotherapy program.

She held leadership roles at Forma Therapeutics, a Novo Nordisk company, where she led the early clinical development of small molecules in hematologyoncology. At ICON plc, she led the development of a dedicated cell and gene therapy team and delivered global and regional medical monitoring on clinical trials in the United States as well as for different study projects at ICON Clinical Research as a global therapeutic expert in hematologic malignancies, cellular and gene therapies, allogeneic HCT, and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD).

At Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, she was the leader of the Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) Research Clinical Program. In the Mount Sinai Bone Marrow Transplant Program, she developed GVHD management guidelines, and as a member of the BMT-Infectious Diseases committee she helped develop related standard operating procedures. At the Lipson Cancer Institute in Rochester, New York, she was instrumental in landing the Acute Leukemia & Stem Cell Transplant and Cellular Therapy program, where she served as medical director.

Dr. Renteria's research has been published in high-impact journals, including Atlas of Diagnostic Hematology and the Journal of Clinical Oncology, and she has presented at national conferences and meetings that include the American Society of Hematology (ASH). She is also an active member of several professional societies, including the European Hematology Association, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and the American Society of Hematology.

Media Contact

Ryan Dziuba

Media Relations Manager

[email protected]

212-404-4131

SOURCE NYU Langone Health System
President Mnangagwa, who is SADC Chairperson, reaffirmed his own country's and SADC's enthusiastic support for Zambian candidate Sam Maimbo

LUSAKA, Zambia, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Special Envoy Kavindele released the following statement following the meeting:

"I am elated to witness the growing success and momentum of Sam Maimbo's candidacy to become the next President of the African Development Bank. I am filled with gratitude to our friends across both SADC and COMESA for their continued support and good wishes.

Sam has garnered such wide consensus due to his being uniquely qualified to deliver the transformative change and empowerment our continent needs. Sam's 30 years in development work is defined by driving outcomes, improving processes, and investing in people. The AfDB needs a hands-on leader who is laser focused on delivering results and who is unafraid of making tough decisions in order to best serve our continent. Sam is that leader. Sam has the track record and experience to drastically enhance the pace, scale, and impact of the Bank's work in service of the people and governments of Africa.

Our region has a proud history of supporting fellow Southern Africans. For example, we all recall Lusaka's role in hosting the African National Congress' headquarters during the dark days of Apartheid oppression.

It therefore gives me no pleasure to observe my South African brothers, who have themselves leant on Zambia's steadfast friendship over many decades, fail to rally behind both SADC and COMESA's chosen candidate for the AfDB. Africa's urgent economic development challenges demand transformational leadership at the AfDB, it is all of our responsibility to put forward the best candidate for the job. This is not the time or place for a government to act with narrow self-interest, we all must act in the continent's and AfDB's best interest.

I thank Sam Maimbo for his lifelong service to our entire continent, and I am eager to witness his enormous impact as President of the AfDB."

SOURCE Special Envoy Enoch Kavindele
The Park Assist Solution from TKH Security Transforms Retail Safety with Innovative Parking Solutions and Crime Prevention Technology

CHESHIRE, Conn., Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- You've been there: a crowded retail center, shopping bags galore, families loading cars, and a constant stream of vehicles circling for an open space. Shoppers expect a smooth, carefree experience, from quickly finding the perfect parking spot to safely returning to their vehicle and exiting the property. For retailers, ensuring this seamless experience requires implementing effective security measures to address a growing challenge: keeping stores, merchandise, and shoppers safe from theft.

Retail Theft on the Rise

Screenshot from the video feed of camera-based M5 smart sensor, showing crisp HD streaming video of in and between parking spaces. Faces and license plates have been blurred for privacy. The Park Assist Solution, an Automated Parking Guidance System (APGS), installed in a parking garage, boosting safety and security.

According to the National Retail Federation, retail theft costs businesses billions annually, eroding trust, disrupting operations, and placing employees and customers at risk. Operators face difficult decisions: closing stores, reducing hours, or product availability.

The Loss Prevention Research Council has defined five "zones of retail influence" - key areas where retailers can take proactive measure to prevent theft and enhance security. Zone 4 includes parking garages, surface lots, entrances, landscaping, and surrounding streets. Each zone requires a uniquely tailored strategy, making Zone 4 a critical focus for early intervention.

Combating Retail Theft

Zone 4's parking facilities present an essential opportunity for early intervention. When potential criminals encounter a camera monitored parking facility, they're more likely to reconsider committing a crime. That's where the Park Assist solution comes in.

A global leader in innovative parking technology, the Park Assist Solution from TKH Security is a HD camera-based Automated Parking Guidance System (APGS). The system's optional Park Surveillance records real-time streaming HD video 24/7, continuously or when motion is detected. The footage is stored for up to 90 days, allowing for easy review and download. Benefits include:

Parking Space Video Coverage: An APGS with Park Surveillance monitors between and in parking spaces, significantly reducing blind spots and providing visual evidence for enforcement, accidents, vandalism, or theft. The valuable footage can be shared with authorities and insurance companies, boosting the likelihood of recovery and prosecution. High-Resolution Video: The HD video and license plate recognition (LPR) can assist with person and vehicle identification, even in low-light conditions. Real-Time Alerts: Operators receive immediate alerts when a known, unwanted visitor parks in a space, when employees park in unauthorized areas, when a vehicle overstays its time limit, and more.

"Our partners are protecting their assets and creating a better customer experience. The APGS's ability to track activity and provide crisp footage has been a game-changer for their security strategies," said Jeff Sparrow, Director of Sales, North America.

Enhancing Liability Protection

An APGS also plays a crucial role in protecting the property owner from negligent claims. Footage from HD camera-based smart sensors, like the M5, can be critical in proving that the property owner took reasonable steps to secure the area, potentially protecting them in a lawsuit.

For prevention and protection, a visible HD camera-based APGS alerts potential criminals: the area is under constant observation, reducing the likelihood of criminal activity and enhances safety, mitigates potential legal risks, and fosters a safer, more efficient environment.

Media Contact:

S Clevinger

[email protected]

SOURCE TKH Security | Park Assist
BOERNE, Texas, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Prytime Medical, The REBOA Company, is proud to announce significant strides made in 2024 to improve maternal care. These accomplishments underscore the company's unwavering commitment to ensuring that no mother should bleed to death. Key highlights include:

Empowering Women with High-Risk Pregnancies

Jess Barnhart, Obstetric Hemorrhage survivor and pREBOA-PRO patient, with her son Quin.

After years of hoping for a fourth child, Jessica Barnhart's pregnancy took a dangerous turn with a c-section scar ectopic pregnancy and placenta accreta spectrum (PAS). Facing life-threatening risks, Jess found hope with Dr. Robert Cohen of Medical City Dallas, who provided a clear care plan that included the pREBOA-PRO catheter. Despite the challenges, including the potential for life-threatening hemorrhage, Jess chose Dr. Cohen's team. Following a complex delivery supported by extended aortic occlusion times and central aortic pressure monitoring technology, Jess had dramatically reduced hemorrhage, and she and her baby Quin survived. Today, Quin is a healthy toddler, and Jess credits Dr. Cohen's care and innovative treatment with saving her life and keeping her family whole.

In an effort to raise awareness and improve patient outcomes, Prytime Medical continues to partner with survivors like Jess Barnhart to share and amplify their stories. These personal experiences help inform and inspire others facing high-risk pregnancies, particularly those with PAS conditions.

To read more survivor stories, visit www.prytimemedical.com/obstetric-hemorrhage.

Replacing Opinion with Data: 54 Obstetric Hemorrhage Cases in 2024

In 2024, 54 mothers with Placenta Accreta Spectrum (PAS)-related conditions have benefited from Prytime Medical's pREBOA-PRO catheter, marking a significant increase in the use of the pREBOA-PRO catheter for obstetric hemorrhage management since 20231. These cases, including procedures at Medical City Dallas and several additional planned cases, demonstrate the expanding role of REBOA in addressing complex obstetric emergencies.

Dr. Robert Cohen (Medical City Dallas): "As the need for pREBOA-PRO in PAS cases continues to grow, the ability to pause bleeding & stabilize my patients is proving to be a critical tool in saving lives and improving maternal outcomes."

Expansion of Clinical Collaboration: New Partnerships with Leading Hospitals

Prytime Medical has expanded its reach in 2024 by partnering with two new leading hospitals to integrate prolonged safe hemorrhage control into the management of obstetric hemorrhage and PAS. These collaborations are pivotal in advancing the role of REBOA in maternal care, allowing more healthcare providers to implement advanced hemorrhage control techniques.

Dr. Mehmet Genc (UF Shands): "Prolonged REBOA has transformed the way we approach high-risk pregnancies. It's become an essential part of our strategy for managing life-threatening obstetric hemorrhage, and we see tremendous potential for its future use."

Research Contributions: New Publications on Prolonged REBOA & Obstetric Hemorrhage

Dr. Robert Cohen and his team at Medical City Dallas have contributed three significant publications in 2024, further validating the clinical benefits of prolonged REBOA in obstetric hemorrhage. These papers, focusing on the application of prolonged REBOA in obstetrics, add to the growing body of evidence supporting its ability to improve maternal outcomes in severe hemorrhage scenarios.

Peer-to-Peer Collaboration: Multicenter Calls on Obstetric Hemorrhage

This year, Prytime Medical facilitated four peer-to-peer multicenter calls where clinicians from around the world shared their experiences with prolonged REBOA in obstetric hemorrhage cases. These collaborative events serve as a valuable platform for best practices, new techniques, and the evolving role of prolonged REBOA in managing obstetric emergencies.

For more information about the quarterly Obstetric Hemorrhage Multicenter Call, visit www.prytimemedical.com/obstetric-hemorrhage.

National Conference Engagement: Sponsorship & Attendance at Major OB Conferences

Prytime Medical sponsored and attended two leading national obstetric conferences in 2024. These conferences facilitated discussions on the latest technologies and treatment approaches in obstetrics, including the use of prolonged REBOA in hemorrhage management. These events highlight Prytime Medical's dedication to advancing medical education and providing clinicians with up-to-date resources.

Commitment to Clinical Excellence: Prolonged REBOA Training for Obstetric Applications

Prytime Medical has conducted hands-on prolonged REBOA training sessions at prestigious academic centers like NYU Langone, UF Shands, and OhioHealth Riverside. These sessions aim to equip obstetric teams with the skills necessary to manage severe hemorrhage cases, ultimately improving preparedness and clinical outcomes.

"We are deeply committed to advancing care for obstetric hemorrhage patients," said Heather Salinas, Women's Health Program Manager at Prytime Medical. "Through education, collaboration, and rigorous research, we envision prolonged REBOA becoming the standard of care in obstetric hemorrhage management."

For more information about Prytime Medical's prolonged REBOA initiatives, including in Obstetric Hemorrhage, visit www.prytimemedical.com.

About Prytime Medical

Prytime Medical is dedicated to enhancing clinical outcomes for hemorrhagic patients by helping hospitals establish successful prolonged REBOA programs. The pREBOA-PRO catheter is a device used in trauma & obstetric hemorrhage to control bleeding, stabilize patients, and provide time for further treatment.

Contact:

Nicole Calvert

Marketing Manager

210-340-0116

[email protected]

www.prytimemedical.com

SOURCE Prytime Medical
ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- This week, the Royal Air Force (RAF) took a significant leap forward in redefining pilot training with the completion of successful demonstration flights of a revolutionary airborne augmented reality (AR) technology, ATARS (Advanced Tactical Augmented Reality System), on its Hawk advanced training jet. RAF test pilots were able to identify, engage, and defeat virtual adversaries and co-operate with synthetic wingmen while airborne in real time.

"We're thrilled to see the Royal Air Force embrace the transformative potential of ATARS (Advanced Tactical Augmented Reality System). This successful demonstration marks a massive milestone in, showcasing how Red 6's technology will revolutionize pilot training. By projecting synthetically generated entities through Red 6's patented augmented reality technology into the field of view of the pilots, ATARS negates the need to provide live aircraft and instructors for students to fly with, or against. This revolutionary technology promises to transform the capacity and quality of UK Military Flying Training by increasing the throughput of students at enormous cost savings to the MoD. It's an honour to collaborate with the RAF as we redefine the future of aviation training," said Daniel Robinson, Founder and CEO of Red 6.

This summer, the RAF awarded a contract to BAE Systems to conduct the in-flight demonstration of ATARS, developed by AR specialists Red 6, on a Hawk TMk2 aircraft. The contract was delivered by the UK Military Flying Training System (MFTS) Hawk Delivery Team at Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), the procurement arm of the UK MOD.

Air Commodore Rob Caine, the RAF's Head of Flying Training, said: "Exploitation of novel technologies like this is an essential part of ensuring the RAF is able to sustain our combat edge and to be ready to fly, fight, and win when called upon by our Country. This latest development is a very exciting proposition and a huge opportunity to improve training quality, increase throughput and lower essential overheads like aircraft, airspace, and instructors. We are all looking forward to seeing how we can take this kind of technology into our plans for the future."

This demonstration is full circle for Red 6 Founder and CEO, Daniel Robinson. Robinson was a Qualified Weapons Instructor on the Tornado F3 with the Royal Air Force, before being selected as the first non-American to fly the F-22 Raptor for the USAF. In 2018, he formed Red 6 with a vision to transform military flying training for all allied nations world-wide.

The ATARS assessment has provided the UK essential insights into the value of capabilities such as augmented reality which can be considered for inclusion in the UK's Military Flying Training System. Red 6 looks forward to continuing to work with the RAF to deliver a paradigm shift in capacity and capability, while delivering enormous cost savings to the MoD.

ABOUT RED 6

Red 6, founded in 2018, is the creator of Advanced Tactical Augmented Reality System (ATARS) and Augmented Reality Command and Analytic Data Environment (ARCADE). Red 6 systems are the first wide field-of-view, full colour demonstrably proven outdoor augmented reality solution that operates in dynamic outdoor environments. Together, they bring virtual and constructive assets into the real-world by allowing pilots and ground operators to see synthetic threats in real-time, outdoors, and critically, in high-speed environments.

Red6ar.com

SOURCE Red 6
AUBURN, Ala., Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Land-grant institutions in Alabama are working to provide information and support to families dealing with "heirs property" through programming at Alabama Cooperative Extension System offices throughout the state.

Ryan Thomson, an assistant professor in agricultural economics and rural sociology at Auburn University, and Adam Rabinowitz, an Extension agricultural economist and associate professor in agricultural economics and rural sociology at Auburn, are part of the Alabama Heirs Property Alliance (AHPA), a group of professionals from land-grant institutions who are available to assist families with this complex issue.

Imagine owning a piece of land that's been in your family for generations, but no one really knows who is in charge or how to get a clear understanding of who owns the land or who is allowed to use it. Some might call it "family land," "Granny's place" or even "kinfolk property." While these terms sound friendly, they hide a bigger problem. This type of land, known as "heirs property," can cause serious trouble for families if they don't take steps to clear up ownership.

In this article, Thomson and Rabinowitz explain heirs property and how the AHPA can help.

Heirs property is real property (land and a house) that gets passed down from someone who died without a will, a will that is not properly processed in court or a will that simply leaves the property to "all my children." Instead of one person owning the property, all of the family members (heirs) share it together.

This is known legally as "tenancy in common" or "undivided interest property." It means each family member owns a stake in the whole property, but no one owns any specific piece. In some places, this is called a "clouded" or "tangled" title. It may sound fair, but it often leads to a lot of headaches and heartache down the road.

The first challenge is that banks will not loan or approve a mortgage on the property. This forces all property expenses, like roof repairs, renovations and upkeep costs, to come directly out of pocket. As a result, many heirs properties fall into disrepair and rapidly lose the value of the buildings. Since the property lacks a clear title, the family's intergenerational wealth is effectively trapped in legal limbo.

When ownership is unclear, decisions about the property also become difficult. For example, one person wants to build a house on the land, but if any other co-heir disagrees, then the house cannot be built. Maybe someone else needs money and wants to sell the property, but not everyone agrees, so the sale cannot go forward.

This type of shared ownership leaves families stuck and unable to use, sell or develop the land. As time goes on, the number of co-heirs generally increases, making consensus even more difficult.

This is where the real problems arise. Sometimes, just one family member can force the entire property to be sold, even if the others don't want that. This is called a partition sale, and historically, the land gets sold for far less than it's worth. Predatory heir hunters often target distant family members, buy their shares and force the sale of the property right out from under the family. Then the property is lost forever.

Another common source of loss occurs when the family forgets to pay the taxes, and the property goes up for a tax sale. In the end, this land meant for the family can be sold, and descendants may lose the intergenerational wealth that was meant for them.

Unresolved heirs property can also prevent access to helpful government programs. Whether it's farming assistance, disaster relief or home improvement grants, families need a clear title or specific proof of ownership to qualify for these benefits. Thankfully, FEMA updated its proof of occupancy policies in 2022 to decrease displacement following a disaster. Without proper documentation, families struggle to improve the land, sell crops or recover from damage after natural disasters.

Families bear the brunt of the issues that arise from unresolved heirs property. Disputes and disagreements can sever relationships, creating long-lasting bitterness that makes moving forward more difficult. What should be a source of pride and family legacy becomes a legal mess that causes stress and division.

How can families protect their land and avoid these problems? In theory, it's simple.

Take steps to resolve heirs property before it's too late. Families should map the family tree and work together to find a solution that is appropriate for them. This may be clearing the title, which means legally deciding who owns what part of the property and in what form. Or it might be developing a tenant-in-common agreement legally outlining a set of rights and responsibilities that each family member will follow. This often involves a historical title search by a lawyer, which then informs the creation of a family estate plan. These methods can help protect the land from being lost, ensure future generations benefit from it and make it easier to sustain.

In practice, this process isn't easy, but the Alabama Heirs Property Alliance (AHPA) is available to help. This is a group of professionals from land-grant institutions that provides information and support to families dealing with heirs property through programming at county Extension offices throughout Alabama.

The AHPA was founded as a collaboration between Alabama A&M, Auburn and Tuskegee Universities and is supported by the Alabama Cooperative Extension System with funding from the United States Department of Agriculture. They help families understand their legal rights, build their family tree, navigate the paperwork and connect with lawyers specializing in heirs property across Alabama. AHPA's mission is to help families protect their land and avoid the risks that come with unresolved heirs property.

If your family has land that's been passed down without a will, don't wait until it's too late. Take action to resolve ownership and secure your family's legacy for future generations. With the right help, you can turn what some call "stuck land" into a protected family resource.

SOURCE Auburn University
NEW YORK, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ --

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 [email protected] 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 firm's 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

[email protected]

www.rosenlegal.com

SOURCE THE ROSEN LAW FIRM, P. A.
ABU DHABI, UAE, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- From January 30th to February 2nd 2025, Fahid Island in Abu Dhabi will host Kayan Wellness Festival, the region's largest wellness event headlined by renowned visionary leader, Sadghuru. The festival offers a transformative journey of yoga, meditation and mindfulness with world-class experts  the perfect opportunity to awaken your mind, body and soul in an inspiring and serene setting. Presented in partnership with Experience Abu Dhabi, the destination brand of the Department of Culture and Tourism  Abu Dhabi, the event invites guests from around the world to experience an immersive journey that blends ancient wisdom with modern innovation.

Kayan Wellness Festival

At the heart of the festival is a line-up of world-renowned wellness pioneers featuring a special session from Sadhguru, a world-renowned visionary leader who will guide participants through an experience that promises to leave a lasting impression. Attendees will hear from Gary Brecka, a leading biohacker and human biologist, as he shares his groundbreaking insights into longevity. Dr.Zach Bush, a holistic pioneer who will empower attendees to reimagine wellness through a deeper, more sustainable lens while Marisa Peer, acclaimed therapist, will offer strategies to unlock personal potential.

Attendees can participate in enriching mindfulness workshops, fitness classes, and beachside yoga, all accompanied by the soothing soulful live music. The festival creates a space for wellbeing and growth, with different zones throughout the island. The Biohacking Pavilion provides a glimpse into the future of wellness, with cutting-edge exhibits, and opportunities to connect with global thought leaders. Families are welcomed with the Kids' Hideout offering creative and mindful activities for young minds, while the Feel Good Market delivers curated offerings of wholesome flavours and unique finds.

For international guests, the International Visitor Package elevates the experience with added exclusivity, allowing early access to the festival along with special hotel packages. Beyond the festival, guests can explore Abu Dhabi's serene nature, and leisurly cultural explorations. From breathtaking desert landscapes, beaches, and mangrove forests, Abu Dhabi is a haven to connect with nature. You can also delve into a rich tapestry of culture and tradition. Whether you want to soak up ancient sights at Qasr Al Hosn or immerse yourself in culture at Louvre Abu Dhabi, you can explore a varitey of cultural experiences in Abu Dhabi.

Tickets: Available at CleverTrip or Platinumlist

To stay updated, follow @kayanfestival

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2586149/KWF_International_PRL.jpg

SOURCE Kayan Wellness Festival
ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In a heartfelt initiative to spread warmth and hope during the holiday season, the leading shapewear brand Shapellx donated $30,000 value of products to HELP NOW, an organization that is committed to supporting woman in creating violence-free living. The donation items are thoughtfully wrapped in festive Christmas packaging with handwritten Christmas cards to celebrate the holiday season.

Domestic violence remains a pervasive issue in the United States, affecting a significant number of women. According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, nearly 3 in 10 women in the US have experienced rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by a partner, leaving lasting emotional and physical scars. HELP NOW offers a sanctuary for these women, providing them with the opportunity to regain their confidence, rebuild their sense of self-worth, and take steps toward a brighter future. Understanding the vital role HELP NOW plays, Shapellx has chosen to support the organization by donating its most beloved products, offering women a measure of comfort and dignity as they navigate through difficult times.

As a shapewear brand created by women for women, Shapellx is dedicated to empowering women to embrace their unique journeys and inner strength through innovative products and community support. Shane Shi, Vice President of Shapellx expressed a deep understanding of the challenges faced by women who have experienced domestic violence. "Shapellx is committed to making a positive impact in the lives of women who are overcoming adversity. Through this initiative, we aim to help these women break free from the constraints they face and move forward with renewed confidence and strength."

Tammy Douglass, Executive Director of Help Now of Osceola expressed gratitude for the generous donation from Shapellx, emphasizing the profound impact that any form of support can have on women in need, especially during the festive Christmas season. Through this meaningful initiative, Shapellx and HELP NOW are working together to create a brighter future for women affected by domestic violence, offering them hope, encouragement, and the opportunity to move forward with dignity and strength. This joint effort is a testament to the power of community and compassion in making a difference in the lives of those who need it most.

This charitable effort by Shapellx marks just the beginning of a long-term commitment to supporting vulnerable women. The brand plans to make a meaningful difference, demonstrating a strong sense of corporate social responsibility and a deep commitment to giving back to the community.

About Shapellx

Shapellx is a full-category shapewear brand dedicated to providing women with exceptional comfort and support. Shapellx offers thoughtfully designed solutions that blend style with functionality, empowering women to feel confident and at ease every day. Visit https://www.shapellx.com/ for more information.

About HELP NOW

Help Now provides safety, empowerment, and healing for survivors of domestic violence, aiming to eradicate violence and abuse in the community. It offers a temporary safe shelter, outreach advocacy, and a 24-hour crisis line. Visit https://www.helpnowshelter.org/ for more information.

Contact: Olivia, [email protected]

SOURCE Shapellx
The world should not take Russian madness as something habitual, everyday terror deserves more and more pressure on the terrorist, big sanctions against Russia are needed, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said in response to the morning missile attack of Kyiv.

"Obviously, such Russian madness should not be perceived by the world as something habitual  everyday terror deserves more and more pressure on the terrorist. Russia must respond, and even if they are led by a completely inadequate person, the Russian state, thanks to the pressure on them, must feel what reality is and how reality can punish international criminals. Big sanctions against Russia are needed," he said in an evening video address.

The head of state thanked all partners who are responding "to this and other Russian shelling with readiness to provide more air defense systems, more weapons that can defend against terrorists."

Zelenskyy also said that the Ukrainian side have returned from Brussels with new air defense agreements.

"Also, Germany has already handed over an additional IRIS-T system. Thank you!" he said.
PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Kaskela Law LLC announces that it has commenced an investigation into Douglas Elliman Inc. (NYSE: DOUG) on behalf of the company's shareholders.

Click here for additional information: https://kaskelalaw.com/case/douglas-elliman/

Since January 2022, shares of Douglas Elliman's stock have declined in value from a trading price of over $10.00 per share to a current trading price of less than $2.00 per share, a decline of over 80% in value.

The investigation seeks to determine whether Douglas Elliman and/or the company's officers and directors violated the securities laws or breached their fiduciary duties to the company's shareholders in connection with recent corporate actions.

Douglas Elliman shareholders are encouraged to contact Kaskela Law LLC (D. Seamus Kaskela, Esq. or Adrienne Bell, Esq.) at (484) 229  0750 for additional information about this investigation and their legal rights and options. Alternatively, investors may submit their information to the firm by clicking on the following link (or if necessary, by copying and pasting the link into your browser):

https://kaskelalaw.com/case/douglas-elliman/

CONTACT:

KASKELA LAW LLC

D. Seamus Kaskela, Esq.

([email protected])

Adrienne Bell, Esq.

([email protected])

18 Campus Blvd., Suite 100

Newtown Square, PA 19073

(484) 229  0750

(888) 715  1740

www.kaskelalaw.com

This notice may constitute attorney advertising in certain jurisdictions.

SOURCE Kaskela Law LLC
HAMILTON, Ohio, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- STARFIRE Premium Lubricants is excited to announce they have broken ground on a new 104,000-square-foot facility in Hamilton, Ohio. This milestone marks a significant step in STARFIRE's ongoing growth and commitment to providing exceptional service to its expanding customer base. The groundbreaking ceremony took take place November 26, 2024, with the new facility expected to open in mid-2025.

Breaking Ground on New Hamilton Ohio Facility December 2024

The new building will support STARFIRE's continued growth while enhancing the efficiency of its current operations. Designed to meet the demands of the company's evolving business needs, the facility will house a sales department, expanded warehousing and logistics, and become the corporate home for STARFIRE. This investment will enable STARFIRE to better serve its customers while creating opportunities to expand into new markets.

"This groundbreaking represents more than just a new building; it's a reflection of STARFIRE's dedication to continued growth, innovation, and our unwavering focus on customer satisfaction," said Tim Wullenweber, Vice President of Marketing and Technical Sales. "The new Hamilton, OH facility will allow us to meet increasing demand while positioning us for sustainable growth in the years to come."

The Hamilton site was chosen for its strategic location and alignment with STARFIRE's goals of optimizing supply chain logistics and enhancing operational capabilities. The facility's design will incorporate advanced technology and infrastructure improvements that emphasize both productivity and sustainability.

"The addition of this new facility is a pivotal moment for STARFIRE," said Darrin Ward, Chief Executive Officer. "It will not only allow us to streamline our processes but also empower us to innovate and grow alongside our customers. We're proud to be building this next chapter of STARFIRE's success in Hamilton, where we've seen continued success and community support for the last 12 years."

As a trusted name in the lubricant industry, STARFIRE remains committed to producing high-quality solutions for automotive, heavy-duty, agriculture and construction and industrial applications. This new facility underscores the company's dedication to excellence and its mission to deliver value to its partners worldwide.

About STARFIRE Premium Lubricants

Since 2001, STARFIRE has offered a comprehensive range of premium lubricants, chemicals, and antifreeze products for automotive, heavy-duty, and industrial use. Their growth is driven by superior products and services worldwide, making them one of America's fastest-growing lubricant brands. For more information, visit STARFIRE.com or call 888.258.8723 to get in touch with their team.

SOURCE STARFIRE Premium Lubricants
The 2025 Subaru Solterra is available in Premium, Limited, Touring, and new Touring Onyx Edition trim levels. The 2025 Solterra will qualify for applicable federal tax credits of up to $7,500 for some consumers.

New for 2025, the Subaru Solterra adds a Touring Onyx Edition trim level that adds 20-inch aluminum-alloy gloss black wheels, black exterior and interior accents, including black badging. The Subaru Solterra Touring Onyx Edition will cost $45,495 MSRP.

All Solterras are equipped with Subaru's Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system and Subaru StarDrive Technology, which delivers smooth, linear output from dual electric motors placed on the front and rear axles that deliver 249 pound-feet of torque. All models feature Dual-Function X-MODE with Snow/Dirt and Deep Snow/Mud modes with Grip Control and Downhill Assist Control for confidence in low-grip or off-road capability. Every Solterra includes 8.3 inches of ground clearance for genuine off-road capability  a Subaru hallmark and best in class among small electric SUVs  and standard Active Cornering Assist and Vehicle Stability Control for better on-road handling.

The Solterra's high-capacity lithium-ion battery pack includes ample usable daily range and can charge from 10% to 80% in as little as 35 minutes. New for 2024, an uprated battery conditioning system improved cold-weather charging performance in colder temperatures. With thousands of available public charging stations and DC-fast charging, replenishing the Solterra's battery away from home can be quick and easy. At home, the Solterra offers affordable Level 1 or Level 2 charging compatibility.

All Subaru Solterras are equipped with a suite of standard EyeSight driver-assist technologies including Emergency Steering Assist, Intersection Collision Avoidance Support, Pre-Collision Brake Assist, Lane Departure Prevention, Dynamic Radar Cruise Control with Lane Tracing Assist, Hands-Free Low Speed Driving, DriverFocus Distraction Mitigation System, Emergency Driving Stop System, and more. In 2024, the Subaru Solterra was named a TOP SAFETY PICK+ by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, its highest honor, and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration gave the Solterra a 5-Star Overall Vehicle Score.

For added convenience, the Solterra is available with a 12.3-inch high-resolution touchscreen for infotainment with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. The 2025 Solterra includes five USB charge points: one USB-A and two USB-C connectors for front-seat occupants and two USB-C charge points for rear-seat riders. A wireless phone charger is included on Solterra Limited and higher trim levels.

2025 Subaru Solterra Premium

Starting at $38,495 MSRP, which is $6,500 less than the 2024 model, the 2025 Subaru Solterra Premium is well equipped with an impressive list of standard features for convenience and comfort. The Subaru Solterra Premium is equipped with standard roof rails with a 700-pound static load capacity (176 pounds dynamic load capacity), 18-inch aluminum-alloy wheels with black and silver aerodynamic wheel covers, an 8.0-inch touchscreen for infotainment with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, SiriusXM satellite radio (4-month free trial included), Bluetooth connectivity, and SUBARU SOLTERRA CONNECT vehicle services for safety, remote access, service, available cloud-based navigation, and Wi-Fi (30-day free trial or 3GB). The connected-vehicle services also include Remote Climate Control, Remote Lock/Unlock via smartphone, and more.

Inside, the Subaru Solterra Premium features heated front seats with auto setting, Dual-Zone Automatic Climate Control, rear seat reminder, S-Pedal Drive, electronic parking brake, a 7.0-inch LCD combination meter, windshield wiper de-icer, heated sideview mirrors, and LED headlights (multi-beam low and single-beam high).

2025 Subaru Solterra Limited

The 2025 Subaru Solterra Limited adds more comfort and convenience features to the Premium trim level's roster of standard equipment and starts at $41,995 MSRP, which is $6,500 less than the outgoing version. Those include standard 20-inch alloy wheels with gray machine finish, 10-way power-adjustable driver's seat, 8-way power-adjustable passenger's seat, heated rear seats, power rear gate, rain-sensing wipers, wireless smartphone charger, LED fog lights, heated steering wheel, and StarTex trimmed interior upholstery.

A 12.3-inch high-resolution touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility is standard and paired to a Harman Kardon 576 watt-equivalent premium audio system with 11 speakers. A 360-degree Panoramic View Monitor provides an overhead view for better maneuverability, and Advanced Park helps further with perpendicular or parallel parking assistance using the EV's sensors and cameras.

2025 Subaru Solterra Touring

Building on the Solterra Limited's impressive standard features, the 2025 Subaru Solterra Touring adds more comfort and convenience features for $44,995 MSRP, $7,000 lower than the 2024 model.

The Solterra Touring adds a panoramic glass moonroof with power sunshade, front and rear LED footwell lighting, standard heated and ventilated front seats, a digital rearview mirror with view position adjustment with Homelink and camera washer, and smart key access on all five doors.

2025 Subaru Solterra Touring Onyx Edition

New for 2025, the Subaru Solterra Touring Onyx Edition adds dynamic stylish features inside and out and starts at $45,495 MSRP.

On the exterior, the Subaru Solterra Touring Onyx Edition adds a high gloss black front underguard; 20-inch aluminum-alloy wheels finished in black; black roof pillars, shoulder line trim, door frame, rear quarter window and roof spoiler; and black badging. Two-tone exterior color options are exclusive to Touring Onyx Edition as well.

Inside, the Touring Onyx Edition features black trim accents on the front and rear doors, and black StarTex trimmed upholstery.

With the purchase or lease of a new 2025 Subaru Solterra, customers will also receive up to 10 days of Subaru Just Drive Rental at no charge from their participating Subaru retailer. The program allows owners to rent various Subaru vehicles through those retailers.

2025 Subaru Solterra Model/Trim MSRP MSRP plus Destination

and Delivery ($1,420)i Solterra Premium $38,495 $39,915 Solterra Limited $41,995 $43,415 Solterra Touring $44,995 $46,415 Solterra Touring Onyx Edition $45,495 $46,915

i Destination & Delivery is $1,420 for Solterra and may vary in the following states: CT, HI, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, RI and VT. D&D is

$1,570 for retailers in Alaska.

About Subaru of America, Inc.

Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Subaru Corporation of Japan. Headquartered in Camden, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru vehicles, parts, and accessories through a network of about 640 retailers across the United States. All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill plants, including Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc., the only U.S. automobile manufacturing plant designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. SOA is guided by the Subaru Love Promise, which is the company's vision to show love and respect to everyone and to support its communities and customers nationwide. Over the past 20 years, SOA and the SOA Foundation have donated more than $320 million to causes the Subaru family cares about, and its employees have logged over 100,000 volunteer hours. Subaru is dedicated to being More Than a Car Company and to making the world a better place. For additional information, visit media.subaru.com. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube.

Dominick Infante

Director, Corporate Communications

856.488.8615

[email protected]

Aaron Cole

Product Communications Manager

720.231.0809

[email protected]

SOURCE Subaru of America, Inc.

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EAGAN, Minn., Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Tareen Development Partners is pleased to announce the acquisition of a medical office building, Town Centre Plaza, located at 1185 Town Centre Drive, Eagan, MN 55123. The property will be rebranded as Eagan Medical Center, marking a strategic step in enhancing healthcare services in the region and establishing the center as a premier destination for medical care in Minnesota.

Front of the Town Centre Plaza building, soon to be rebranded as Eagan Medical Center. Ariel view of building and surrounding Eagan community.

Basir Tareen, owner of Tareen Development Partners, shared his vision for the acquisition: "We plan to rebrand the building as Eagan Medical Center and are working closely with a leading medical group to fully occupy the building. With Minnesota's largest independently-owned gastrointestinal and dermatology groups already on board, we aim to attract another large medical group to further expand services for patients and the community." The new ownership group is also dedicated to enhancing the building and upgrading amenities for tenants.

In addition to Tareen Dermatology, the building hosts several distinguished tenants, including MNGI, Integrative Therapy Group, and Sparz Vein Clinic. This collaboration will foster a comprehensive healthcare ecosystem under the Eagan Medical Center brand, offering a wide range of medical specialties and services.

Dr. Mohiba Tareen of Tareen Dermatology expressed her enthusiasm for the project: "This office holds a special place for me as it was the home of my late dear friend Dr. Crutchfield and his wonderful practice -- Crutchfield Dermatology. We are honored to continue growing and addressing the healthcare needs of Eagan and the surrounding community.

For more information about Eagan Medical Center and Tareen Development Partners, please contact:

Natalie Borer

[email protected]

612.559.4791

SOURCE Tareen Development Partners
HOUSTON, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Texas Southern University (TSU) is proud to announce the launch of the Tiger Promise, an award program designed to make higher education more accessible and affordable for Texas residents. The Tiger Promise will cover tuition and mandatory fees not covered by other federal or state aid and scholarships for eligible students.

Texas Southern University announces Tiger Promise program.

TSU President James W. Crawford III said: "The Tiger Promise underscores our commitment to the transformative power of education. By investing in our students through this promise, we foster opportunity for them, as we cultivate a skilled workforce poised to contribute to our state's economic vitality."

Applicants must be first-time freshmen or new transfer students whose families have an adjusted gross income of $125,000 or below. First-time freshmen are eligible for gift aid awards under the Tiger Promise for four years or eight consecutive semesters, including summer and winter semesters. Likewise, transfer students are eligible for two years, or four consecutive semesters. Awards will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, and based on the availability of funds. Students must maintain a 2.5 GPA and complete at least 30 credit hours annually to remain eligible.

"At TSU, we believe every student deserves the opportunity to pursue their dreams without the burden of growing financial stress," said Dr. Latisha Addison, Executive Director of Student Financial Success. "We understand finances are a determinant of where a student may attend college if they attend at all. We are pleased to be able to offer this promise. With the promise comes student responsibility to stay on track to graduate in four years. We look forward to all the future Tigers this program will assist."

Additionally, undergraduate students who are currently enrolled and working on their first bachelor's degree are eligible for the TSU Tiger Promise program. Students currently enrolled at TSU must meet the Continuing Student eligibility criteria, which includes maintaining a 2.5 grade point average and enrollment in 30 credit hours.

Readmit students are also eligible. These are undergraduate degree-seeking students who previously attended TSU but have not enrolled for one year or three consecutive semesters (fall, summer, spring). Those seeking re-admission would need to submit the application for (re)admission by the admissions deadline to be considered for the Tiger Promise.

Eligibility Requirements

To qualify for the Tiger Promise, students must:

Be a resident of Texas .

. Be first-time freshmen or new transfer students .

or . Meet family income requirements of $125,000 or less , as determined by Pell Grant eligibility.

, as determined by Pell Grant eligibility. Submit a FAFSA or TASFA application by April 1, 2025 for the fall semester.

for the fall semester. Complete their admissions application by March 1, 2025 for fall enrollment or October 1, 2025 for spring enrollment.

For more information about the Tiger Promise and application assistance, visit tsu.edu/tigerpromise or contact TSU's Financial Aid Office by email at [email protected] or by phone at (713) 313-7802.

Eligible students are encouraged to apply early at tsu.edu/tigerpromise .

About Texas Southern University Texas Southern University (TSU) honors our designation as a special-purpose institution for urban programming and research. As such, TSU is a comprehensive university providing higher education access to the nation's underserved communities with academic and research programs that address critical urban issues and prepares its diverse student population to become a force for positive change in a global society. A distinguished educational pioneer since 1927, the University has become one of the most diverse and respected institutions in Texas.

Kerrigan Williams

713-313-7421

832-253-8482 [cell]

[email protected]

Vannessa Wade

832-786-1482 [cell]

[email protected]

SOURCE Texas Southern University
PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Halpern Law Firm is proud to announce that two of its newest team members, Brenna Lawler and Sophie Lamb, have successfully passed the Pennsylvania Bar Exam. Both attorneys are now licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania and are dedicated to representing victims of asbestos-related diseases.

Brenna Lawler Sophie Lamb

Brenna celebrates her success and is eager to begin her legal journey at the Halpern Law Firm as well. She says, "I'm happy to announce I passed the Pennsylvania Bar Exam! I'm thrilled to be starting my career as a young attorney, and even more excited to be working with the most welcoming law firm. Thank you to everyone who has been supporting me along this journey!" Brenna majored in political science at Allegheny College.

Sophie expresses her excitement for her career at The Halpern Law Firm, saying, "I'm proud to share that I passed the Pennsylvania Bar Exam with a score allowing me to practice in any UBE jurisdiction. I am excited to start my legal career as a part of the Halpern Law Firm team!" Sophie studied law at Villanova University's Charles Widger School of Law.

Managing attorney David Halpern says, "We are thrilled to welcome Sophie and Brenna to the team. Their hard work and determination are truly commendable, and we are confident that they will make valuable contributions to our clients and our firm."

The Halpern Law Firm represents clients who suffer from asbestos-related diseases. With over 35 years of experience, David Halpern and his dedicated team bring compensation to those affected by asbestos exposure. Read more about Brenna and Sophie on the Halpern Law Firm's website. For more information, call (800) 505-6000 or visit halpernlawyer.com.

SOURCE The Halpern Law Firm, LLC
The multi-energy company and the fuel company sign a national strategic alliance in Panama

PANAMA CITY, Dec. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- TotalEnergies Marketing USA, Inc. Central America division and Terpel Panama have sealed a strategic partnership for the commercialization of TotalEnergies' innovative lubricants product portfolio. This collaboration will bring TotalEnergies' products to a wider audience and available at Terpel's network of 192 service stations across the country. This includes the entire wide range of motor oils for light vehicles produced by TotalEnergies.

Terpel Panama, a subsidiary of Petrolera Nacional, S. A. and Compania de Petroleos de Chile (COPEC S.A.), counts with 192 service stations, 130 fleet stations, 75 full-service stations and more than 60 convenience stores throughout the country where TotalEnergies lubricants will be available.

"Through this alliance, we expand the availability of our products in the service station network in the country. This type of agreement is key to continue offering the end consumer the wide range of TotalEnergies lubricants for all types of vehicles, strengthening our omnichannel presence," said Franck Bagouet, CEO and President of TotalEnergies Marketing USA, Inc.

"As Terpel Panama, we have an extensive network of service stations throughout the country. We know our customers and we know that they place significant importance on the quality of our fuels, so this agreement with TotalEnergies will allow us to also offer them the best quality lubricants on the market. We are certain with this important partnership we will be able to grow strongly in the coming years," said Gustavo Rodriguez, CEO, Terpel Panama.

Francisco Ovalle, Head of Central America and Belize at TotalEnergies Marketing USA, Inc. added, "With more than 10 years in Panama and across Central America, number one marine lubricant, power generation and LNG supplier in the country, this partnership will expand the availability of our products in the retail market. This type of agreement is key for us to continue offering the final consumer the range of TotalEnergies lubricants for all types of light and heavy-duty vehicles. Our partnership is a testament of our dedication to expanding our global footprint. Panama's markets hold immense potential, and with Terpel Panama's local expertise, we are poised to provide exceptional lubrication solutions to a wider customer base."

About TotalEnergies:

TotalEnergies is a global multi-energy company that produces and markets energy: oil and biofuels, natural gas and green gases, renewables, and electricity. Our more than 100,000 employees are committed to energy that is ever more affordable, cleaner, more reliable, and accessible to as many people as possible. Active in 130 countries, TotalEnergies puts sustainable development in all dimensions at the heart of its projects and operations to contribute to the well-being of people. TotalEnergies - integrated multi-energy company | TotalEnergies.com

About the Marketing & Services division of TotalEnergies:

TotalEnergies' Marketing & Services business segment offers its professional and private customers a wide range of broad energy products and servicespetroleum products, biofuels, charging and related services for electric vehicles, gas for road and maritime transportationto support them in their mobility and help them reduce their carbon footprint. Every day, over 8 million customers visit our 16,000 service-stations all over the world. As the world's number four in lubricants, we design and sell high-performance products for the automotive, industrial, and maritime sectors. And to provide the best response to the needs of our B2B customers, we deploy our sales forces, our international logistics network, and our diverse range of products. We operate in 107 countries, where our 31,000 employees are close to all customers. TotalEnergies Lubricants

About TotalEnergies Marketing USA, Inc.:

TotalEnergies Marketing USA, Inc. Headquartered in Linden, NJ, and part of the Americas Division for the Marketing & Services Branch of the TotalEnergies Company. We are proud of the global heritage of our parent company, TotalEnergies, the fourth largest oil and gas company in the world. TotalEnergies Marketing USA, Inc. operates through several business lines representative of the TotalEnergies Company. The business lines include products such as: Hi-Perf Motorcycle Engine Oil, Quartz Engine Oil, Rubia Heavy Duty Engine Oil, Kleenmold Glass Lubricants, and TotalEnergies Industrial Lubricants. TotalEnergies | Oils & Lubricants, Special Fluids, Solvents, Motorsports, Additives, Specialty Fuels

About Terpel Panama

A public-private initiative to bring fuel to remote regions of Colombia led to the creation of the company in 1968. This vision has allowed us to achieve more than 50 years in the Latin American liquid fuel market in countries such as Panama, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and Peru.

At Terpel, we are committed to an integral and sustainable value proposition, not only for our customers but also for the communities and countries where we are present, because we know we are more than just supply, distribution, and commercialization of fuel. Terpel Panama offers a variety of products and services; all designed to meet the needs of our individual and corporate customers. We consider not only the well-being of your vehicle but also yours, which is why our network of service stations is at the service of the community throughout the country.

About COPEC S.A.

COPEC S.A (Compania de Petroleos de Chile) is a Chilean fuel distribution company, founded on October 31, 1934. The COPEC brand is part of the Empresas Copec holding.

Cautionary Note

The terms "TotalEnergies", "TotalEnergies company" or "Company" in this document are used to designate TotalEnergies SE and the consolidated entities that are directly or indirectly controlled by TotalEnergies SE. Likewise, the words "we", "us" and "our" may also be used to refer to these entities or to their employees. The entities in which TotalEnergies SE directly or indirectly owns a shareholding are separate legal entities. TotalEnergies SE has no liability for the acts or omissions of these entities. This document may contain forward-looking information and statements that are based on a number of economic data and assumptions made in a given economic, competitive, and regulatory environment. They may prove to be inaccurate in the future and are subject to a number of risk factors. Neither TotalEnergies SE nor any of its subsidiaries assumes any obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information or statement, objectives or trends contained in this document whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Information concerning risk factors, that may affect TotalEnergies' financial results or activities is provided in the most recent Registration Document, the French-language version of which is filed by TotalEnergies SE with the French securities regulator Autorite des Marches Financiers (AMF), and in the Form 20-F filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

SOURCE TotalEnergies Marketing USA
APTOS, Calif., Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ohalo Genetics, Inc. has entered into a groundbreaking Development & Commercialization Agreement with the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Florida Foundation Seed Producers, Inc., and the Florida Strawberry Growers Association (FSGA) to address the significant threat of neopestalotiopsis to the strawberry industry.

This fungal disease, which can wipe out entire strawberry fields, has become one of the most damaging issues faced by Florida strawberry growers, affecting crop yields, increasing production costs and threatening the livelihood of farmers in a state known as the "Winter Strawberry Capital of the United States".

Neopestalotiopsis was first detected in Florida in 2017, with notable outbreaks in subsequent years. By 2019 and 2020, the disease had become widespread and severely damaged the crop across the state. Growers have relied on fungicides and rigorous field management practices to mitigate the disease's effects, but these methods come with increased costs and limited effectiveness.

In response to this challenge, Ohalo leveraged its advanced breeding technology platform with genetic resources from UF/IFAS to develop a novel trait that makes a strawberry plant resistant to neopestalotiopsis and integrated that trait into existing University of Florida strawberry varieties. These new, resistant varieties will enter non-commercial, experimental trials in 2025.

"This collaboration showcases the power of public-private partnerships in solving critical agricultural challenges," said Jud Ward, CTO of Ohalo. "The Florida strawberry industry approached us with the urgent need to tackle neopestalotiopsis, a disease that devastates crops. We were proud to step up to the challenge, and by working with the Florida partners, we're leveraging our proprietary advanced breeding system alongside their deep agricultural expertise to create a sustainable, long-term solution."

This partnership is set to deliver significant advantages for Florida's strawberry growers:

Mitigating Crop Losses : Neopestalotiopsis has been responsible for substantial yield reductions, with affected fields experiencing severe damage. By introducing resistant varieties, growers can markedly decrease these losses, leading to more stable and increased yields.

: Neopestalotiopsis has been responsible for substantial yield reductions, with affected fields experiencing severe damage. By introducing resistant varieties, growers can markedly decrease these losses, leading to more stable and increased yields. Reducing Production Costs : Currently, managing neopestalotiopsis relies on the use of fungicides and rigorous field management practices, which can be costly, have limited efficacy, and are labor-intensive. The adoption of resistant varieties will lessen dependence on these measures, resulting in cost savings on chemical inputs and labor.

: Currently, managing neopestalotiopsis relies on the use of fungicides and rigorous field management practices, which can be costly, have limited efficacy, and are labor-intensive. The adoption of resistant varieties will lessen dependence on these measures, resulting in cost savings on chemical inputs and labor. Enhancing Fruit Quality : Healthier plants are better positioned to produce high-quality fruit. By mitigating the stress and damage caused by neopestalotiopsis, the new resistant varieties can lead to improvements in fruit size, shelf life, and overall marketability, benefiting both growers and consumers.

: Healthier plants are better positioned to produce high-quality fruit. By mitigating the stress and damage caused by neopestalotiopsis, the new resistant varieties can lead to improvements in fruit size, shelf life, and overall marketability, benefiting both growers and consumers. Promoting Sustainable Farming Practices: The development and adoption of disease-resistant varieties align with sustainable agriculture goals, offering a long-term, environmentally friendly approach to disease management.

A shared commitment to Florida strawberries

The funding for this groundbreaking initiative comes from across the Florida strawberry industry, reflecting the unified commitment to safeguarding this vital crop. By integrating Ohalo's advanced breeding technologies with the expertise of the Florida partners, this partnership is poised to secure the future of strawberry farming in the state.

"This is a vital partnership to achieve a timely solution for the benefit of our industry that would not have otherwise been possible," said Vance Whitaker, professor of horticultural sciences at UF/IFAS, who is working on this project in collaboration with Seonghee Lee, associate professor of horticultural sciences at UF/IFAS.

"This partnership is about more than just research; it's about delivering real solutions to the fields in Florida through public-private partnership," said John Beuttenmuller, executive director of Florida Foundation Seed Producers, Inc., a non-profit corporation responsible for the technology transfer of plant genetics developed at UF/IFAS. "Our collaboration with Ohalo means that growers will have access to resilient varieties, ensuring that Florida strawberries remain a staple for years to come."

Kenneth Parker, executive director of the Florida Strawberry Growers Association, said, "The Florida strawberry industry has always been innovative, and this initiative will create effective solutions to ensure the continued success of the Florida strawberry industry, a significant contributor to Florida's economy, with a total economic impact of about $1 billion."

As neopestalotiopsis continues to pose a threat to strawberry production, this collaboration represents a significant step forward in ensuring the resilience and prosperity of Florida's strawberry industry.

For more information about Ohalo, visit www.ohalo.com .

About Ohalo

Ohalo aims to accelerate evolution to unlock nature's potential. Founded in 2019, Ohalo develops novel breeding systems and improved plant varieties that help farmers grow more food with fewer natural resources, increasing the yield, resiliency, and genetic diversity of crops to sustainably feed our population. Ohalo's breakthrough technology, Boosted Breeding, will usher in a new era of improved productivity to radically transform global agriculture. For more information, visit www.ohalo.com .

About The Florida Partners

UF/IFAS

UF/IFAS carries on a comprehensive strawberry research, extension, and teaching program throughout the State of Florida, including strawberry breeding and genetics research at the UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center near Plant City, FL. UF/IFAS-developed strawberry varieties account for nearly 90% of the strawberries grown in Florida.

FFSP

Florida Foundation Seed Producers, Inc. is a non-profit corporation and direct support organization of the University of Florida. FFSP is responsible for all technology transfer aspects for new plant genetics developed by UF/IFAS plant breeders. Over the past twenty years, FFSP has received more than 540 new invention disclosures and issued more than 2,800 patent license agreements to bring new plant innovation to market while also supporting the preeminent plant breeding programs at UF/IFAS.

FSGA

The Florida Strawberry Growers Association is a non-profit organization that was founded by a group of Florida strawberry growers in 1982 to represent the interests of the Florida strawberry industry. Through its sister organization, the Florida Strawberry Research and Education Foundation, it works to support strawberry research at UF/IFAS. Its other sister organization, the Florida Strawberry Patent Service, works to obtain licenses from FFSP and then sublicense nurseries for the production of patented varieties developed at UF/IFAS.

SOURCE Ohalo Genetics, Inc
ATLANTA, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Independent Black-owned digital platform UrbanGeekz has been ranked among the Top 10 Best Tech Blogs on Ranker's list of the most impactful technology news sites on the Internet.

The multimedia brand, which previously ranked 14th in 2018 , has ascended to 6th in the latest rankings. TechCrunch takes the No. 1 spot. Wired comes in second, followed by The Verge. Other reputable media outlets in the top 20 include Mashable, Gizmodo, and Engadget.

Kunbi Tinuoye, the founder and CEO of UrbanGeekz

Ranker's crowd-ranked list "is based on traffic as well as influence over the subject online and has been voted on by the Ranker community and tech nerds alike," states the Ranker website. "Tech bloggers have been discussing technology news in detail online for years, and these blogs and websites are where much of the online conversation is centered."

The news outlet is also the No. 1 ranked website for the search term 'black tech news' on Google. "UrbanGeekz has always been more than a business venture; it's a labor of love," says Kunbi Tinuoye, founder and CEO of UrbanGeekz. "However, I'm always humbled and honored whenever our work is publicly recognized, especially if this is backed up by data."

Launched in 2015, UrbanGeekz is a groundbreaking video-centric African American, Latinx, and multicultural digital news platform focused on technology, business, science, and startups.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, in the U.S., UrbanGeekz is well-placed to cover the city's thriving tech ecosystem. Its dedicated reporters, freelancers, and experts also report on stories and events across the U.S. and international markets, concentrating on leading tech hubs.

The fast-growing startup has become a well-respected global brand with audiences in the U.S., Africa, Europe, and South America. The brand has achieved significant traction, media coverage, successful strategic partnerships, awards and accolades, and banner advertising campaigns with Fortune 500 firms, all without venture funding.

In 2023, UrbanGeekz launched UrbanGeekz 50 , a popular listicle featuring trailblazing Black Disruptors making waves in the innovation economy. The aim is to recognize outstanding leaders who have demonstrated impact and influence in venture, technology, and entrepreneurship.

Earlier this year, UrbanGeekz also inked a groundbreaking content syndication deal with Black-owned ridesharing app Moovn. The wide-reaching syndication deal gives riders across the globe direct access to UrbanGeekz content right in the comfort of Moovn ridesharing cars.

Ranker, launched in 2009, was founded by Clark Benson as an alternative to user reviews on e-commerce sites. The site has over 49 million monthly unique visitors. Ranker claims to be one of the largest databases of opinions, with more than 250 million votes gathered for lists

SOURCE UrbanGeekz
Watercrest Santa Rosa Beach hosted the Festival of Wreaths event where guests enjoyed cheerful caroling, delicious hors d'oeuvres, and an auction of beautifully decorated wreaths decking the halls of the luxury senior living community. The themed wreaths were generously donated from Risa's Interiors, Vitas Hospice, Amedysis, Action Therapy, Gentiva Hospice, The Manor of Blue Water Bay, Watercrest associates, and Shear Gray Salon, with all proceeds benefitting Wreaths Across America.

Wreaths Across America is a non-profit organization dedicated to adorning the graves of our nation's fallen heroes with wreaths each year. No matter where they served or how, Wreaths Across America strives to ensure that no one is forgotten. This year more than two million volunteers and supporters will gather to Remember, Honor and Teach the mission of paying tribute to the millions of military heroes who rest in honored glory.

"Honoring our fallen servicemen and women is a privilege for our Watercrest family as we have many residents and associates who have proudly served our country," says Kim Haddon, Executive Director of Watercrest Santa Rosa Beach . "We are thrilled to be able to celebrate the holiday season in our community while serving those who deserve our support and recognition."

Watercrest associates share a purpose and passion for serving others. As neighbors, family members, and friends, they share the emotional connection that inspires a sense of community at each Watercrest location. As part of the company-wide effort coined "Common Unity" initiatives, Watercrest associates are committed to positively influencing the fulfillment of needs in their hometown, while supporting residents in staying connected in meaningful ways.

Watercrest Santa Rosa Beach is a multi-award winning senior living community, including the prestigious recognition by U.S. News & World Report as a 2023-24 Best Assisted Living Community and a 2023-24 Best Memory Care Community in the Best Senior Living Communities Report. The community also celebrated the benchmark of hitting 100% resident occupancy amongst its many distinctions.

Watercrest Santa Rosa Beach is conveniently located at 205 West Hewett Road along the Emerald Coast in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. The community's unique architecture and design boast a stunning promenade, fireplace, signature water wall, multiple dining options, pool, salon and spa, children's play space, grand balconies, and Florida-style outdoor living spaces. Additionally, Watercrest's Market Street Residence showcases an innovatively designed 'outdoor' streetscape with numerous LifeBUILT programming touches; a highlight and crucial element of their multi-sensory memory care programming. For information, contact the community at 850-290-0462.

About Watercrest Senior Living Group

Watercrest Senior Living Group was founded to honor our mothers and fathers, aspiring to become a beacon for quality in senior living by surpassing standards of care, service and associate training. Watercrest senior living communities are recognized for their luxury aesthetic, exceptional amenities, world-class care, and innovative memory care programming offering unparalleled service to seniors living with Alzheimer's and dementia. A seven-time certified Great Place to Work, Watercrest specializes in the development and operations of assisted living and memory care communities and the growth of servant leaders. For information, visit www.watercrestseniorliving.com.

SOURCE Watercrest Senior Living Group
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas in Kyiv to discuss military cooperation, in particular, the need to strengthen Ukraine's air defense and protect its energy infrastructure.

"I am deeply grateful to Lithuania for its unwavering support and comprehensive assistance to Ukraine. Your assistance is a vital contribution to our struggle for a just and lasting peace. We highly appreciate Lithuania's annual allocation of 0.25% of its GDP to support the defense and security needs of our state," he said on the Telegram channel Friday evening.

The head of state emphasized that the first visit to Ukraine by the new Lithuanian government immediately after its appointment showed Lithuania's clear priority regarding the union between it and Ukraine.
Acquisition increases firm revenue in life sciences by 30% and enhances support for private equity amid rising investment

CHICAGO, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- West Monroe, a global business and technology consulting firm, today announced it has acquired Inspired Health, a Boston-based market insights and commercial strategy consultancy serving life sciences clients. The acquisition expands West Monroe's life sciences capabilities, grows its team, and adds a Boston officebringing the firm's global footprint to 11 locations.

Founded in 2017, Inspired Health helps pharmaceutical and medical device companies bring new products to market. The team supports key stages of the product lifecycleincluding pre-launch, launch, and post-launch optimizationby providing insights into the needs of physicians, patients, administrators, and payers.

The acquisition significantly bolsters West Monroe's life sciences practice and increases the firm's revenue in the sector by 30%. It also brings on experienced industry leaders Kieron Mathews and Andrew Wilson as managing directors in the firm. A two-time CEO, Mathews has a career that spans two decades in market research and has been recognized by the Market Research Society as one of the industry's Top 50 professionals. Wilson is a co-founder of Inspired Health and has also spent more than 20 years in the research industry.

Inspired Health adds deep expertise in the front-office segment of the life sciences value chain, complementing West Monroe's strengths in back-office operations, technology, and patient services programs. Together, the combined teams will deliver comprehensive, end-to-end solutions for pharmaceutical and medical device companies. It also expands West Monroe's capacity to support private equity clients amid rising deal volume in the pharma services and life sciences sector. The firm's award-winning M&A team advises on 500-plus transactions each year, with healthcare as one of the top subsectors for investors.

"We are thrilled to welcome the talented team from Inspired Health," said Kevin McCarty, Chairman & CEO of West Monroe. "Their data-based approach to client delivery and deep industry expertise is a strong match for our firm. This will create immediate value to our collective client base and will accelerate growth for our combined teams. I am also excited to formalize a West Monroe office in Boston, where we have significant and longstanding relationships with clients. We look forward to growing our presence in the Boston community."

As part of the integration, West Monroe will retain Inspired Health's Boston office at 2 Liberty Square, establishing West Monroe's formal presence in the city. For over a decade, the firm has collaborated with Fortune 500 companies and top private equity clients in the Greater Boston area. This new physical presence enhances accessibility and broadens West Monroe's ability to serve healthcare, private equity, and other industries in the region.

The transaction marks another step in West Monroe's strategic expansion. The integration is expected to be complete in the first half of 2025.

About West Monroe

West Monroe is a global business and technology consulting firm passionate about creating value for our clients. We co-create solutions that accelerate results now and prepare industries to tackle what's next. We're excited by the possibilities that technology creates. We work with our clients to deliver on the possible, building on their goals, generating fresh insights and creating inspiring outcomes.

We excel at the intersection of industry, strategy, people and technologyalways driving rapid impact. Our all-in approach comes from our unique employee ownership structure. Our clients' success is our success. From the beginning, our growth has come from putting people at the center. Fortune and USA Today consistently celebrate West Monroe as a top workplace, and we're recognized as a leading consultancy by Forbes and Forrester. Let's find more value for your business.

Share our passion at westmonroe.com.

Media Inquiries

Christina Galoozis

Director, Communications & Public Relations

[email protected]

847-302-1762

Shira Cohen

Manager, Public Relations

[email protected]

443-841-6879

SOURCE West Monroe Partners
BEIJING, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- POWERCHINA, consistently ranked first among the top 150 global engineering design companies by ENR for five consecutive years, is contributing to the infrastructure development in areas with construction needs. Li Dezhi and Nara Laborinho are among the more than 135,000 overseas employees of POWERCHINA, who are implementing over 3,700 construction projects in more than 130 countries worldwide, working together with local communities and making contribution for a better future.

Working Together: Embracing a Better Tomorrow

Faced with the dual pressures of surging population and a shortage of educational resources, the Iraqi government has planned an 8,000-school project across the country. Li Dezhi, Deputy General Manager of POWERCHINA's Middle East and North Africa Regional Headquarters, leads a team in Iraq to participate in the first phase of this school construction project. "This is more than a construction project; it is about shaping the future of a nation," Li Dezhi emphasized.

The simultaneous construction of hundreds of schools poses a significant test to corporate management, involving extensive planning and resource allocation. Given the importance and scale of the project, progress cannot be delayed. Seizing the opportunity of the school opening season in Iraq, POWERCHINA is working diligently to hand over a batch of completed schools to the education authorities, aiming to create a positive social impact. Li Dezhi believes that the advancement of the school renovation project will have profound effects on society.

In the aftermath of war, Angola faced severe water supply challenges due to damaged distribution stations and polluted sources. POWERCHINA has been working actively to revitalize the nation's water infrastructure. Nara, an Angolan employee of POWERCHINA, uses her unique insights into both Angolan and Chinese cultures to bridge gaps and find compromise solutions, playing a pivotal role in communicating with project leaders.

Nara joined POWERCHINA in 2013, working on the water supply contract that would serve 700,000 households, especially in areas like Benfica where water was scarce. She mentioned the completion of pipeline construction, which brought drinkable water to Angolan homes. Emphasizing the project's profound societal impact, Nara states, "Water is life. Without water, there is no life."

POWERCHINA' s construction projects, from building new classrooms in Iraq to installing water taps in Angola, give faith that even in the midst of the most daunting challenges, a brighter future remains attainable.

https://youtu.be/GM5Sr7qJUTw?si=baMBirizAs9K8KnM

SOURCE POWERCHINA
Central Michigan community is the latest WOW! Greenfield market to launch its state-of-the-art network for residents and businesses in the area

ENGLEWOOD, Colo., Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- WOW! Internet, TV & Phone (NYSE: WOW), a leading broadband services provider, today announced its all-fiber services are now available in Brighton, a town in Livingston County, Michigan. This is the first of several communities in Central Michigan to have access to WOW!, with plans to add 80,000 homes to its footprint in Michigan in the near future as part of its ongoing Greenfield expansion initiative.

With full access to WOW!'s reliable, all-fiber network, residents and businesses in Brighton can sign up for the company's top of the line broadband services, with straightforward, all-in pricing, the necessary WiFi equipment to get started, as well as no annual contracts and no data caps at one easy-to-understand price.

"WOW! has had a strong presence in central and southeast Michigan for many years now and we are thrilled to bring our fiber technology services to even more customers in the Great Lake State with our latest launch," said Teresa Elder, CEO of WOW!. "We pride ourselves on exceptional product offerings and outstanding customer service and can't wait for our new community members in Brighton to fully benefit from a wide-range of services and budget-friendly options."

WOW!'s broad suite of offerings also includes WOW! mobile powered by Reach , comprehensive business solutions, and residential bundling options with YouTube TV , one of the most popular and robust live TV video services.

Construction is currently underway in additional Livingston, Genesee and Oakland County communities, including Milford, Commerce Township, Wixom and Hartland.

For more information on WOW! and to find out if its services are available in your area, please visit www.wowway.com .

About WOW! Internet, TV & Phone

WOW! is one of the nation's leading broadband providers, with an efficient and high-performing network that passes nearly 2 million residential, business and wholesale consumers. WOW! provides services in 19 markets, primarily in the Midwest and Southeast, including Michigan, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, including the new all-fiber networks in Central Florida, Hernando County, Florida, and Greenville County, South Carolina. With an expansive portfolio of advanced services, including high-speed Internet services, cable TV, home phone, mobile phone, business data, voice, and cloud services, the company is dedicated to providing outstanding service at affordable prices. WOW! also serves as a leader in exceptional human resources practices, having been recognized 11 times by the National Association for Business Resources as a Best & Brightest Company to Work For in the Nation, winning the award for the last seven consecutive years and making the 2022 Top 101 National Winners list. Visit wowway.com for more information.

SOURCE WideOpenWest, Inc.
Photo: https://www.nato.int/

Exclusive interview of the NATO's Senior Representative to Ukraine, Patrick Turner, to Interfax-Ukraine News Agency

Text: Valerie Proshchenko

Tell us about your responsibilities as the new head of the NATO Representation in Ukraine. I understand that you have only been there for 3 months, but what do you expect to accomplish in the coming months and what are the main tasks?

Yes, I've been here for three months. I was appointed in the summer by the former NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg. Before that, I had a long background in NATO. I worked for three Secretaries-General in the 1990s, then as the Deputy British Ambassador to NATO. Also, I was later part of NATOs International Staff as Assistant Secretary General heading first the Operations Division and then the Defence Policy and Planning Division. I was doing that latter job at the time of the full-scale invasion in 2022, and I did that job for some months afterward. So firstly, I can say that I know something about NATO, and secondly, I am passionate about Ukraine. I want Ukraine to prevail and be truly secure.

This is the first time that the NATO office in Ukraine has had a head at the level of an Assistant Secretary General. That's a sign of how seriously NATO takes the relationship with Ukraine and how important NATO thinks Ukraine is now and into the future. This is also clear from the decision made by the new Secretary General, Mark Rutte, in early October, to make his first official trip to Ukraine.

You know that NATO has had some form of presence here for 26 years. It's taken different forms of a Liaison Office and an Information and Documentation Centre, but now we're a NATO Representation. During this year, the NATO presence here has trebled in size, and we're planning to increase it further next year.

That goes along with some of the major decisions of NATOs Washington Summit this summer, but it also reflects the decisions taken before the Summit. The presence is designed to represent NATO headquarters in its totality, and to be the link between NATO Headquarters and Ukraine. The goal is to represent the whole of the very substantial agenda between NATO and Ukraine agenda, so we need a sizeable presence.

You mentioned that next year your team will become bigger. How many people, if it's not secret, are going to be working here?

Now we have about 50 people, and we'll be adding around 20 next year. There is a lot of work to do, so we need to keep on building our presence. It is a mixture of Ukrainian and international colleagues.

I have to admit that not all people in our country understand the role of the changes in NATO Representation and the importance of your appointment, given that Ukraine is probably not joining NATO anytime soon. What is the necessity?

Members of NATO don't have NATO offices. There's a NATO office before a country becomes a member, but when you become a member then there isn't a NATO office, because you're fully integrated into NATO.

The agenda that we had even before the Washington Summit was significant. The NATO representation is not delivering on all of that agenda. There are many different parts of NATO and the Ukrainian system that are delivering on the agenda, but we're meant to be the overall eyes and ears for the NATO Headquarters here and to help deliver the agenda, and also help our Ukrainian colleagues.

I would like to stress that NATO Allies have said they're going to deliver at least 40 billion euros of military assistance during this year, and it looks likely that that will be achieved. That on its own is quite a large agenda.

The new command in Wiesbaden, the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine is probably the most important topic. It is expected to become fully operational by the end of this year. How is the process going and are there any changes to the plan?

NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU), headquartered in Wiesbaden (Germany) is now up and running, and beginning to assume responsibilities from the mechanisms established to provide support to Ukraine soon after Russias full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022.

This is the outcome of an impressive, collective undertaking, namely NATOs rapid stand-up of infrastructure, capabilities and communication systems at multiple locations across Europe, along with the sourcing of hundreds of personnel from across Allied and partner countries.

NSATU is now taking on responsibilities from the International Donor Coordination Centre (IDCC) and the U.S.-led Security Assistance Group  Ukraine (SAG-U). It

will coordinate the provision, transfer and repair of military equipment critical to Ukraines operations, as well as training of Ukraine Armed Forces personnel in Allied countries to bolster their effectiveness. These activities will be synchronized with efforts to further develop Ukraines future military force, so that they can operate seamlessly together with Allied forces and use NATO standards.

Please explain the main purpose of the creation NATO-Ukraine Joint Analysis, Training and Education Centre (JATEC) and when and how its going to operate.

JATEC is a joint NATO-Ukraine institution and is the first of its kind.

It's also joint civil-military and it's all about working together on lessons that are being learned from the war on your soil.

So, it's learning lessons together and really making the maximum use of those lessons to make both Ukraine and NATO more effective in building what we call defence and deterrence both in NATO and in Ukraine. And to build interoperability between NATO and Ukraine. There will be a strong Ukrainian presence.

I was there, in Bydgoszcz, last month and I think there is good progress towards establishing JATEC. There are excellent Ukrainian colleagues, and more Ukrainians will be coming in the next few weeks to join the team. It's a strong team and it's already doing work now and there will be an ambitious programme of work for next year.

So it's not fully operated yet?

We expect the Centre to begin working on the tasks assigned in the next few weeks, but I recommend that you speak with our military colleagues, for further details.

What are the results of the Allied Foreign Affairs Ministers at NATO Headquarters in Brussels on 3-4 December 2024?. There were a lot of speculations and discussions in the media before this specific meeting.

Firstly, it was a good meeting. Secondly, this is a super important time for Ukraine given the tough position on the battlefield and another tough winter ahead. The first message of Secretary General Mark Rutte was that NATO must provide maximum support to Ukraine. There have been a lot of individual announcements by Allies, not only the US but many European allies have been making announcements of specific contributions of support. So the key message was the need for maximum support to Ukraine to sustain its position on the battlefield.

Going forward, we want Ukraine to be in the best possible position when the time comes to talk about a settlement and peace. But we need a just peace when that moment comes. And we want Ukraine to be in the strongest possible position. This attitude will be sustained, we're not going to move away from that.

Message number two from the meeting is that it is important that NATO and Ukraine work together as closely as possible. Ukraine is fighting hard, so we need to equip, train, and provide everything necessary to Ukrainian soldiers, and Ukraine needs to continue providing enough soldiers on the front line. It's a partnership between the two parties.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha during his last visit to NATO Headquarters called on allies to urgently deliver at least 20 additional air defence systems type HAWK, NASAMS, and IRIS-T to strengthen Ukraine's energy resilience in the winter. Will NATO allies be able to meet our needs?

A key message of the Secretary General during the Ministerial was that we should take that request very seriously. Minister Sybiha made a rather specific request, and the Secretary General asked ministers to assist in delivering that request. I think there will be work by individual Allies to help deliver that request.

It was already agreed at the time of the Washington Summit that there would be additional air defence systems provided. That assistance has been delivered. And now this is additional assistance specifically to protect parts of the energy infrastructure. We know protecting the energy infrastructure, and keeping power flowing in Ukraine, is critical during the winter but also beyond. A lot of Allies want to help with that.

In general, Allies are very supportive of Ukraine going forward, wanting to provide maximum support to Ukraine. We know that we need to keep on supporting Ukraine, and that's our job.

And do you think it's possible to deliver some additional air defence until the end of this year, as Ukraine requested because it's already December?

I can't say the details of what systems will be provided and when. But we know that it's an urgent requirement and an urgent request. I can assure you that a good amount of time at the meeting in Brussels was taken talking about that request, and that urgent work on it is underway. And this was also a focus of a meeting the Secretary General just hosted in Brussels  with President Zelenskyy and a number of Allied leaders  on Wednesday (18 December).

Our minister Rustem Umerov has recently suggested that the next meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council at the level of defence ministers should be held in Kyiv. Can this really happen in Ukraine?

This is actually a longstanding request by Ukrainian colleagues that there be some kind of meeting of the NATO-Ukrainian Council, either at the level of ministers or maybe at the level of ambassadors, in Ukraine.

I'm not going to talk about what might happen next year. I cannot forecast on behalf of ministers. It's up to the Secretary General and ministers to decide amongst themselves if they will have a meeting in Kyiv. The Secretary General and ministers will think about that. But the location of meetings is not the most important thing. The substance of meetings is the most important thing, and we will continue to concentrate on that.

The most discussed topic right now, however, is Syria. Don't you think that NATO's attention will shift there instead of Ukraine?

I will give a very short answer: no. It is always the case that there is more than one thing happening in the world at once. Leaders always have to be thinking about more than one thing at once. This is not any different.

We have no intention of shifting focus, attention, or effort away from Ukraine.

Ukrainians were very upset by NATO's reaction to Russia's involvement of North Korean troops in the war against Ukraine. Will there be any further actions by the Alliance or is some additional evidence needed?

The Secretary General has made very clear that the deployment of North Korean troops to the Kursk region is deeply worrying and represents a significant escalation in North Koreas ongoing involvement in Russia's illegal war. It is also a sign of President Putins growing desperation. Furthermore, it represents another breach of UN Security Council resolutions and a dangerous expansion of Russia's war.

The deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea is a threat to both Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic security. We are working closely with our Indo-Pacific Partners to do everything we can, not only to keep the Euro-Atlantic safe, but also the Indo-Pacific.

Overall, this new development is part of a picture of Russia working with China, North Korea, and Iran in its assault on Ukraine. All of those countries are enabling the attack on Ukraine. The relationships have got closer. Russia is having to pay some heavy prices to those countries. Putin is having to pay in terms of providing missile technology to North Korea. That's a big concern. And he is paying a heavy price to China, which is an absolutely key enabler of Russias war.

None of this is acceptable, but all of this makes this clear that the war being prosecuted against Ukraine by Russia, which has absolutely no justification, is not just a war in Ukraine or a war in Europe, but it's a war with global implications. It illustrates that security is global. Security in Europe, and North America is fundamentally connected to the Indo-Pacific. I don't think people are thinking lightly about North Korean troops being used against Ukraine.

Is NATO afraid of the risk that their weapons or technology will end up in the DPRK?

The Allies who have been providing massive assistance to Ukraine certainly think about those risks when they provide the support. And those risks have not prevented assistance from happening. War always involves risks, and the risks always have to be assessed carefully.

Let me add that Allies are deeply concerned by the weapons and technology that Russia is transferring to the DPRK.

Let's talk about the Armed Forces of Ukraine and reforms even during the full-scale war. How close is our army to NATO, and what are you doing now to help our soldiers to be closer to your standards?

I would say on the overall reform picture, not just about the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces, Ukraine has made lots of progress over the last 10 years. There is a very good record of progress. Ukraine has adapted in a huge number of ways.

If you zoom into the Armed Forces, I think all NATO Allies recognize that a lot of progress has been made. The report that was just agreed upon by Foreign Ministers on progress on the adapted Annual National Programme for Ukraine, recognizes that continued progress has been made on the reform agenda.

On the Armed Forces, the most obvious thing to say is we're hugely impressed, and every country would say absolutely that we salute the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and the Ukrainian people for what you have been doing for over 10 years. I want to stress the whole 10 years, but also especially since 2022. Our admiration is part of what's led to huge military support, equipment, and training support to Ukraine. You have a million soldiers, 100 plus brigades. This is a massive capability, and we're very impressed with the capability and what you've been able to do with it. And we certainly want to make sure that assistance is delivered in the most helpful way that it can be.

If you compare what is in the Ukrainian Army with what is in other NATO countries, in many ways, it compares very well. But the scale is unparalleled, as well the skills and experiences you have had on the battlefield are unparalleled; these are experiences that NATO armed forces have not had in recent years. You have battlefield experience, you're doing battlefield innovation. And that is part of the reason that you've been able to hold the line, as well as part of the reason that 700,000 plus Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded in the last 1,000 days. That's a huge number.

I would also say that everybody knows that in the middle of a war, it is not necessarily possible to conduct every technical reform that you might want to conduct in terms of, for example, the management of the Ministry of Defence, or some of the systems in the Ministry of Defence. But we do not look at Ukraine as somehow undeveloped or unworthy, absolutely not.

Many Ukrainian warriors are so experienced, that they usually say that they can teach NATO more than NATO can teach them.

Yes. I think there's a lot of truth in that. And for example, JATEC is meant to be learning lessons together. NATO is super interested in the lessons that you have learned.

That said, there are things that NATO can offer as well. But yes, you have enormous amounts to teach NATO countries, and NATO countries know there is a great deal to learn.

We remember the NATO representation to Ukraine statement that two Ukrainian defense procurement agencies should continue to operate separately at least during wartime. How do you assess our reform in procurement and what else needs to be done?

Overall, I would say NATO and Ukraine did a thorough fundamental review of the procurement system now, and going into the future made some recommendations for wartime, for peacetime. I think that review is public knowledge.

Our message is: 1) we want to keep working with Ukrainian colleagues on maximizing the effectiveness of the procurement system; 2) we want to make sure that what we agreed together and the recommendations of that review that were agreed at the Washington Summit are implemented.

We will not suddenly go down a different track. We will continue to be attached to the outcome of the review being implemented. We'll continue to work closely with Ukrainian colleagues on that.

Is it necessary to merge the Defence Procurement Agency and the State Logistics Operator into a single entity after the war? Its been said that NATOs standards request it.

The review said that after the war, the two agencies could be combined, but it didn't assume they had to be combined. I wouldn't say that it's a requirement of the review. But the review certainly foresaw the potential that they could be combined.

How do you assess the Agencies supervisory board appointment? There are probably the most important one is in the Defense Procurement Agency.

We're pleased that the supervisory boards were appointed. We pressed hard. That was one of the outcomes of the review, and we wanted to see that outcome implemented. The appointments were made to the supervisory boards, and now we want to make sure that they operate as effectively as possible. We want to see the boards operating, being effective, performing their functions. Implementation is not just some names that have been found, but the boards operating and performing their functions. So we all need to see that that is happening.

Ukraine wants neighboring states to help shoot down Russian missiles and drones over Ukrainian territory. Is this question on the table?

The defence of the territory of NATO Allies, whether it's Poland or Romania or any other country is a matter for that country and a matter for NATO. NATO countries collectively have the capabilities to defend their airspace.

The request which was made several months ago, I haven't heard it repeated lately. But if we are talking about the request to NATO Allies or NATO to start essentially defending the airspace above Ukraine, our assessment and our legal advice is that that would mean that NATO would become a party to the war.

NATO said from the beginning: we do not want to be a party to the war. I'm sure that is frustrating, but that's NATO's position. At the same time, I want to reassure our Ukrainian counterparts, that NATO Allies continue to do all they can to boost your countrys air defence capabilities.

Ukraine is in talks with NATO allies about protecting Polish airspace, which would allow Warsaw to transfer its fleet of MiG-29 aircraft to Kyiv.

I would say that the less issues like that are discussed publicly, the better the chances of having a good outcome. In my opinion, megaphone diplomacy is rarely useful. I know that the most senior NATO colleagues, both political and military, have been working very hard to make sure that we get to a position where Poland feels able to make the MIGs available, but I don't particularly want to get into more detail. As I just said, the less we discuss these issues in public, the better the chances of their being resolved in private. But the latest that I heard on that was encouraging.

After Joe Bidens permission for Ukraine to use ATACMS missiles on the territory of Russia, the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized that now we need to get more long-range capabilities. Is NATO working on this question?

At the last Foreign Minister's meeting, the Secretary General said that it's very important to make sure we provide as much air defence capability as possible for Ukraine. Both what we promised in Washington, but also in response to the Ukrainian request for additional systems to protect the energy infrastructure. But this also applies to offensive capabilities to put Ukraine in the best position on the battlefield in 2025 and beyond. So, that includes maximum military assistance in terms of offensive capabilities.

As you know, we've certainly encouraged Allies not to place restrictions on their support to Ukraine  including in this context. We would like Ukraine to have further systems, and Ukraine has been making good use of systems provided by several allies. So the more that Allies can provide those systems  without limitatations  the better, because the aim is to get Ukraine into a position where continuing the war makes no sense for the aggressor.

Do you consider Putin's nuclear threats serious? Especially in the context of the Russian dictator's renewed remarks about the so-called Oreshnik.

We are always assessing whether there is a serious nuclear threat, 24/7, every day of the year. We take it very seriously. Likewise, we have not seen a serious actual change in Russia's nuclear posture. It's been said on at least two occasions recently that Russia revised its nuclear doctrine, but we don't see a rise in the actual threat.

But NATO, round the clock, pays attention to having effective deterrence and defence capabilities and that includes nuclear deterrence capabilities, so we continue to maintain an effective nuclear deterrent. Three NATO allies have their own nuclear deterrents. We do exercise the NATO capability. But we do not think that at the moment there is a real increase in the threat of nuclear use by Russia. And we don't think it's useful to spend our time talking about Russian nuclear threats because of the saber-rattling by Putin.

On the Oreshnik, firstly, using a system like that is escalation. But it's also designed either to deter NATO Allies from assisting Ukraine or to demoralize the Ukrainian population. I see no sign actually of it being successful in either respect, either deterring NATO Allies who are supporting Ukraine nor the Ukrainian population.

As with Russia's other attacks, which have no justification, it's completely unacceptable. We had a NATO-Ukraine Council meeting and made clear: 1) we condemn the attack; 2) we have no intention of being distracted, diverted or deterred by the use of a system like that. And we know that Putin has threatened a further use of the system. In my view, that would be no more useful to Putin than the first attack.

What about Ukraine's request to get the invitation to NATO now? Do you think it is possible in the near future? And there is the most common question: when will Ukraine join to join NATO?

As NATO leaders said at the Washington Summit, Ukraine is on an irreversible path to NATO membership. That's a very clear statement. All Allies supported that statement. And this point has been reaffirmed at the Meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers earlier this month. They set out a large range of decisions which are designed to help Ukraine get across what was described as the bridge to NATO membership. Amongst those were 40 billion annually in military aid for Ukraine that will be reviewed each year.

Secondly, we said that we'd set up the NATO mission to deliver equipment and training, which we have done.

Thirdly, we decided to launch JATEC. Fourthly, there are bilateral security agreements, which most Allies have now signed with Ukraine. And then all the work that we're doing in different fields such as the Annual National Programme, the Interoperability Roadmap and the Comprehensive Assistance Package. So, all of that is still the approach of NATO.

But right now, as the Secretary General said, Ukraine's in a tough fight. Now, we need to help Ukraine to the maximum extent on the battlefield. We need to help the country with air defences, with offensive capabilities. That is the intent now and that will remain the intent going into 2025.

It is very apparent that there is a linkage between the situation on the battlefield, and the ending of the war, and what will happen on NATO membership. NATO does not take in countries that are at war, so we want to see a durable, just and fair peace for Ukraine and lasting security for Ukraine, for Europe, for America, for the whole world. But now is not the moment to speculate on how, when, where, with whom this or that discussion will take place on peace, and therefore this or that discussion will take place on NATO membership.

But also, the Secretary General stated in Kyiv that Russia has no vote and no veto on Ukraines membership in NATO. NATO membership is something to be discussed between the members of the Alliance and a country aspiring to join NATO. Mark Rutte signaled very clearly at the Foreign Ministerial earlier this month - and our position on that is not going to change in the coming weeks - that now is not a useful time to start sketching out theoretical scenarios, plans, timetables, procedures, and steps for Ukraine, but that its time for us to maximise our support.

So at the next NATO summit in The Hague, we should probably expect promises of support, but not an invitation to join the Alliance?

I'm not going to second guess what leaders will discuss. I can tell you two things I know that they will be discussing, and these are linked to this question. Evidently, there will be a discussion on Ukraine at the Summit, but I'm not going to forecast exactly the contents of that discussion. The Secretary General has been pursuing two big themes publicly, apart from the need for the strongest possible support for Ukraine now.

One is that Europe will have to spend much much more on defence. It really means much more. Secondly, Allies need to boost their defence production capacities by very large margins. At the moment, as you know, the production capacity in NATO countries is seriously inadequate. Those two things are needed to maintain effective defence and deterrence in NATO, but they're also needed to ensure that we can continue to support Ukraine into the future.

Our absolute intent is to continue to support Ukraine into the future. We want to help Ukraine to end the Russian war. But we certainly don't want to see what Russia has done in Ukraine happening on NATO territory. And if we don't bring an end to the war in a way that provides lasting, really assured security for Ukraine, then this is a problem that will recur somewhere else.
Ukrainian MP Artem Dmytruk, who was put on the wanted list (Restoration of Ukraine deputy group) and independent MP Oleksandr Dubinsky, who is in jail, became the most quoted by Russian propaganda in December this year, according to the results of the first wave of the study Top 40 Ukrainian public figures quoted by Russian propaganda conducted by a Research and analytical group InfoLight.UA.

Presenting the results of the study, the head of the InfoLight.UA Research and Analytical group Yuriy Honcharenko pointed out that after the publication of the first study, analysts noted that some Ukrainian public figures had significantly reduced the number of statements used by Russian propaganda.

Also, a distinctive feature of the Russian information and propaganda space is the deliberate disregard of the Ukrainian military or politicians, whose activities seem dangerous to the enemy. Thus, Kyrylo Budanov is virtually absent from the Russian media. Oleksandr Syrsky appears very rarely, in general less than, for example, his public opponent Mariana Bezuhla," he said at a press conference entitled "Information War: key narratives created and disseminated by Russian propaganda" at the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Thursday.

Also, for Russians, there are no events related to the success of the GUR, Honcharenko stressed according to the results of the study.

The study also indicates that Oleh Starikov has a high level of manipulation among the military in December.

Mykhailo Podoliak and Volodymyr Husar, who are among neutral and positive examples, have negative scores (-1), which indicates positive or neutral press coverage.

Political expert Volodymyr Manko pointed out that during the war, and especially in light of possible elections next year, it is important to know and understand Russian propaganda narratives.

They are created by the aggressor and spread in Ukraine in order to weaken society and its resistance. Politicians, political experts, and journalists in their rhetoric should not fall into propaganda traps set by the enemy. Everything that the aggressor spreads in Ukraine needs to be identified and debunked," he stressed.

According to the study, the most common method for Russians is to take quotes out of context, especially in the statements of Oleh Soskin, Oleh Starikov, Oleksandr Dubinsky and Artem Dmytruk. The Russian media are replicating their statements, creating a non-existent reality. Politicians-critics, such as Oleksiy Honcharenko and Serhiy Kryvonos come into focus because of their harsh rhetoric, which is manipulated.

Russian propaganda actively uses the statements of Ukrainian public figures to create a negative image of Ukraine. Analysts note that quotes are often distorted or presented out of context, which creates a distorted view of the situation in Ukraine in the audience of the Russian media.

The study was conducted by monitoring five of the most visited Russian websites and 100 other sources using the Osavul platform. More than 500,000 news stories were analyzed, from which those were selected where the statements of Ukrainian public figures became informational occasions. Evaluation of manipulation included taking quotes out of context, twisting, neutral presentation, or even rare positive coverage.
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Jaipur, Dec 20 : Rajya Sabha MP and Rajasthan unit BJP president Madan Rathore has said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government provided special assistance to the desert state without any discrimination under the special assistance scheme from 2020-2023 even as the Congress was then in power.

"The BJP-led Central government provided assistance of Rs 1,002 crore to Rajasthan in 2020-21, Rs 692 crore in 2021-22, Rs 5,595 crore in 2022-23, and Rs 8,513 crore in the year 2023-24. The initiative taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to increase capital investment in the states is showing a positive trend.

"PM Modi's far-sighted vision will lead to the development of the states and provide new employment opportunities. The Central government launched the 'Special Assistance Scheme' for the states to increase capital investment," he said.

Under this scheme, 50-year interest-free loan has been provided to the states. In the financial year 2024-25, approval of Rs 85,718 crore was issued till November 30 and out of this, Rs 60,120 crore was released to the states.

Under the Special Assistance Scheme, financial assistance of Rs 11,830 crore was provided to the states in 2020-21, Rs 14,185 in 2021-22, Rs 81,195 in 2022-23 and Rs 1,09,554 crore in the year 2023-24.

Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary provided this information in response to the question of Rajya Sabha MP Madan Rathore.

Meanwhile, Rathore said that Congress has presented the statement of Home Minister Amit Shah on B.R. Ambedkar in a distorted manner.

"They should be ashamed. The BJP did the work of building memorials on the five pilgrimages of Baba Saheb and giving him Bharat Ratna, inspiring people to follow his footsteps. The Congress members only work to make political gains... Congress leaders and Kharge should be ashamed. India will not tolerate the insult of Baba Saheb by Congress. The party should apologise publicly," he added.
Gwalior, Dec 20 : Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Thursday met a student Medhansh Trivedi, who captured national attention, here for developing a human-carrying drone after being inspired by the drone technology of neighbouring country China.

Medhansh, who studies in class 12 at the Scindia School in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior, has developed a single-seater drone, which can carry a person weighing up to 80 kg and sustain flight for nearly six minutes.

Union Minister Scindia met Medhansh at his residence in Safdarjung in New Delhi on Thursday and congratulated him for his innovation.

The Minister encouraged Medhansh, advising him to consider this innovation his launchpad and set a goal for the future.

Union Minister Scindia also advised Medhansh to prepare himself for studying in the world's top institutions and assured all possible help.

"I met Medhansh Trivedi and congratulated him for his innovation. I have assured him of all possible help to ensure his bright future," he said.

Medhansh claimed to have developed a heavy-duty drone able to carry a human being up to 80 kg weight after being inspired by the drone technology of neighbouring country China.

He has developed the drone named MLDT 01 at a cost of Rs 3.5 lakh.

It took Medhansh three months to develop the drone.

"I got the inspiration to make this drone after seeing the drones in China. My teacher Manoj Mishra has helped me a lot technically along with motivation to develop the drone," Medhansh said in a statement issued from his school.

He said that the drone is 1.8 metres long with equal width and is currently being flown only up to a height of 10 metres for safety concerns.

During the Foundation Day celebrations of Scindia School, Union Minister Scindia and ISRO Chief, S. Somanath also praised Medhansh for developing the human-carrying drone.

--IANS

pd/khz
Bhopal, Dec 20 : Two senior legislators from Madhya Pradesh's capital city Bhopal indulged in a bitter war of words over the national anthem in government-funded madrasas operating in the state.

Initially, it began after 54-year-old Rameshwar Sharma, a BJP MLA from Huzur Assembly constituency, made a statement in the Assembly, demanding that the national anthem must be made compulsory in madrasas.

"If the government provides lands and financial assistance for madrasas, then why can't the national anthem be made mandatory there? What is wrong with it? The rule should be equal to all government-funded educational institutions," Sharma said.

Responding to Sharma's demand, Arif Masood, a 52-year-old Congress MLA from the Bhopal Madhya Assembly constituency, criticised him, saying that the BJP MLA should visit madrasas before making any irrelevant statement in the Assembly.

Masood said, "Had the BJP MLA (Rameshwar Sharma) ever visited madrasas, he must have learned that every child enrolled in madrasas recites the national anthem without any break."

He also claimed that the BJP MLA can't even recite the national anthem.

"I have seen one of his (Rameshwar) videos. He can't even recite the national anthem," Congress MLA added while talking to the media persons.

This statement by Masood apparently wasn't received well by Sharma, and the latter hit back at the Congress MLA.

Sharma, a three-time BJP MLA, who is making efforts to establish himself as a Hindutva leader in Madhya Pradesh, challenged Masood for reciting the national anthem at a public place.

"Mai use challenge karta hun ki agar aata hai rashtragan to gaye. Agar tu rashtragan ga ke dikhaye mere samne to main uske liye tali bajaunga (I would challenge him to recite the national anthem. If he could do it, I would clap for him," Sharma said on Thursday.

Amid the ongoing war of words between Sharma and Masood, another senior BJP MLA, Usha Thakur on Thursday said making the national anthem in all educational institutions, including madrasas, would be a welcoming step.

Former Minister Usha Thakur, who is an MLA from Indore's Mhow, said, "Patriotism should be mandatory in all schools and colleges without any questions. It would be a welcoming step because our children should learn about patriotism."
Jaipur, Dec 20 : Senior BJP leader and former Rajasthan Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rajendra Rathore, has said that job opportunities have been created under current Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma's government while corruption took place during the previous Congress government in the state.

Apart from LoP Rathore, Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Prem Chand Bairwa, and State Food and Civil Supplies Minister Sumit Godara shared highlights of Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma's first year in office while addressing a press conference held at the BJP state office on Thursday.

The session, titled "One Year of Excellence," underscored the BJP government's achievements and addressed criticism from Congress.

BJP leader Rathore said that Bhajan Lal Sharma's government has delivered schemes catering to every section of society, which has left Congress leaders unsettled.

He highlighted that more than 3.5 lakh people participated in the government's anniversary celebrations in Jaipur, praising its efforts, while Congress tried to divert attention with small-scale protests and fake narratives.

The BJP leader emphasised that the people rejected Congress's attempts to mislead during the recent general and by-elections.

Taking a jibe at the State Congress President Govind Singh Dotasra, Rathore recalled the previous government's failures, including a 34-day confinement of MLAs in a hotel.

He said that during Dotasra's tenure as the state Education Minister, teachers protested against corruption.

In contrast, the BJP government has taken stringent action against the paper leak mafia, ensuring merit-based job allocations, he added.

Rathore also challenged Dotasra to an open debate, asserting that the BJP government has laid the foundation for projects worth more than Rs 1 lakh crore and is driving the state's economy toward a $350 billion target.

Deputy Chief Minister Bairwa highlighted that Chief Minister Sharma's leadership aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision.

Within four months of forming the government in the state, the Rising Rajasthan Summit was organised, resulting in MoUs worth more than Rs 35 lakh crore involving representatives from 32 countries, Bairwa said.

He announced that these investments would generate employment opportunities and strengthen the state's economy.

The government has simplified processes for investors through a single-window system and declared December 10 as Pravasi Diwas to felicitate migrant workers.

Food and Civil Supplies Minister Godara lauded the BJP government's welfare initiatives, including budget allocations for roads in each legislator's constituency.

He criticised the previous Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government for its inaction and highlighted key BJP projects like the construction of new 33 KV GSS stations and the establishment of animal care centres.

Godara credited the Chief Minister's micro-monitoring system for ensuring the effective implementation of schemes, benefitting 12 lakh new food security beneficiaries, including two lakh differently-abled citizens.

He also detailed campaigns underway to ensure e-KYC compliance and include more deprived individuals in welfare programs.

From January 1, the BJP-led state government will launch efforts to add new beneficiaries to the food security scheme, he said.

Additionally, increased support prices for wheat and the issuance of more than 96,000 agricultural connections and 4.64 lakh domestic connections were emphasised as examples of the government's focus on farmers and rural development, Godara added.

The first year of Chief Minister Sharma's government was hailed as transformative for Rajasthan, he said.

The press conference concluded with BJP office in-charge Mukesh Pareek, state party spokesperson Pankaj Meena, and state media co-convenor Mehraj Chaudhary expressing confidence in the government's continued success.
Nagpur, Dec 20 : The State Congress President Nana Patole on Thursday claimed that the desecration of the Constitution in Parbhani and the killing of a sarpanch in Beed district have tarnished the name of progressive Maharashtra and the legacy of its saints.

These events appear to be an attempt to erase the ideologies of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, Jyotirao Phule, and B.R. Ambedkar, Patole said in the Assembly.

The death of Somnath Suryawanshi due to police brutality in Parbhani is nothing short of murder, he added.

Patole during a debate under Rule 101 on the incidents in Parbhani and Beed districts targeted the Mahayuti government, saying that there is a need to put an end to the politically-backed criminal dominance in Maharashtra.

"During the two-and-a-half-year tenure of the BJP-led alliance, there has been an effort to shield criminal activities. For instance, in Beed, Valmik Karad, who has serious charges such as Section 302 (murder) against him, was given police protection. Who recommended this protection, and for what reason?" he asked.

"A shootout occurred in Parli between Andhale and Geete, resulting in Geete's death. Valmik Karad is allegedly involved in this incident. At the time, Police Inspector Mahajan and Police Sub-Inspector Patil were deployed in the area. Similarly, in Kej, Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh was murdered, and the same officers were posted there. Are transfers within the police department happening under Valmik Karad's orders? The Beed incident is extremely grave and seems to have political backing, with rumours suggesting a Minister's involvement. Such a minister must be removed from the Cabinet," he said.

"The Parbhani incident is reminiscent of Bhima Koregaon violence. The day after the incident, hundreds gathered on the streets, and shops were shut down. Had the police taken appropriate action immediately, subsequent events could have been avoided. Instead, the police conducted a combing operation and brutally beat innocent individuals, worse than animals. Who ordered this cane charge? Was the Parbhani incident government-sponsored? These are pressing questions. Innocent people have been falsely charged. Somnath Suryawanshi, who was filming the police cane charge, was arrested, brutally assaulted in custody, and killed by the police. However, the government has not taken action against a single officer," claimed Patole.

The Congress leader alleged that in Beed district, under Karad's influence, 200 false cases were filed within two days.

"Who truly runs the administrationa"the government or criminals? Despite having a capable Chief Minister, how does such chaos prevail in the state? A gangster holds sway over Beed; who is their 'master'? This criminal dominance must end, and Maharashtra must uphold the values of Shivaji, Shahu, Phule, and Ambedkar," Patole said.
Photo: https://t.me/kyivoda/22430

The Coca-Cola System, in close cooperation with the Ukrainian Red Cross, continues to donate Ukrainian-made mobile boiler houses to communities for the second year in a row.

Two of them, with a capacity of 1,000 kW and 500 kW, are intended for hospitals in Cherkasy region. By the last heating season, the region had already received eleven boiler houses to heat social infrastructure facilities. Thus, it has 13 new boilers houses in total, which significantly supports the energy security of Cherkasy region.

One of the 500 kW boiler houses was transferred to a medical institution in the region. The equipment fully meets the needs of the health facility.

"The Cherkasy territorial community and Cherkasyteplokomunenergo are sincerely grateful to the Ukrainian Red Cross and Coca-Cola for this support, which will help the city's health facilities to survive the winter safely. Thanks to the mobile boiler houses, our maternity patients in the maternity hospital, patients of emergency room and other units will have guaranteed warm conditions to stay in. In the event of further damage to critical infrastructure, we will be able to connect the units to the buildings where the need arises. Today, this is much-needed help!" Pavlo Karas, the head of Cherkasyteplokomunenergo, a municipal heating network company of Cherkasy City Council, said.

The boiler houses burn natural gas but can switch to diesel fuel. An important factor is their mobility, which allows to quickly move and install this heating equipment in new locations if necessary.

Over the past two years, the Coca-Cola System has invested $ 8.5 million in the purchase of 105 boiler houses across Ukraine, which will allow heating up to 600,000 square meters of social facilities and housing, in particular in areas where the risks of infrastructure destruction remain high.
Mumbai, Dec 20 : Bollywood star Varun Dhawan, who is currently awaiting the release of her upcoming movie 'Baby John', is enjoying the flavours of Gujarat.

On Thursday, the actor took to his Instagram, and shared pictures and videos from the promotional event of 'Baby John'.

In the pictures, Varun can be seen gorging on a Gujarati thaali along with his co-actor Wamiqa Gabbi, who essays the female lead in 'Baby John'. Another picture shows the lead pair of the film posing on a bridge.

A video shows Varun riding up a classic bike with a girl sitting in front of him as he rides the bike on a ramp.

He wrote in the caption, "Gujarati thali to atal bridge majja aavi gayi !! 6 days left see u on Christmas #babyjohn."

Earlier, Varun was in a playful mood as he pulled the leg of his co-star Keerthy Suresh. During a recent promotional event for the film, Varun was seen teasing Keerthy on 'The Great Indian Kapil Sharma'.

He said, "Our new bride has come to Mumbai. I don't want to be the only married actor. Now we both are. Congratulations."

Prior to this, Varun came out in support of Telugu superstar Allu Arjun after the latter was arrested by cops in Hyderabad. A video showing Varun talking about the unfortunate stampede at Sandhya Theatre surfaced on the Internet.

Varun defended Allu Arjun as he inferred that the Telugu superstar wasn't solely responsible for the mishap. Allu Arjun was allegedly arrested from his house in Hyderabad on Friday, as he was taken in for questioning by the cops.

The 'Pushpa 2: The Rule' actor also expressed his discontent at the cops who entered his bedroom, and reportedly told them that it was wrong on their part to enter his private space.
Sambhal, Dec 20 : The Uttar Pradesh Power Department on Friday fined Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Zia Ur Rehman Barq Rs 1.91 crore over allegations of electricity theft.

This comes a day after the Uttar Pradesh Police booked the SP MP for alleged theft of electricity at his residence in the Deepa Sarai neighbourhood in Sambhal.

On Thursday, the Power Department, accompanied by heavy security, conducted a raid at Barq's residence following suspicions of electricity meter tampering. The inspection revealed irregularities in two electricity meters, raising serious concerns.

During the raid, irregularities were discovered in two electricity meters at the MP's residence, and it was revealed that the electricity bill for the past year had recorded zero consumption despite the presence of air conditioners, ceiling fans, and other electrical appliances.

Santosh Kumar Tripathi, Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) of the department, confirmed the findings but refrained from making further comments until a full investigation was completed.

Meanwhile, Barq's legal representative, Advocate Kasim Jamal, explained that the household was equipped with air conditioners, ceiling fans, lights, and a refrigerator and they pay the minimum charges based on the department's assessment and that the house is also equipped with solar panels.

Officials discovered that the electricity consumption for the past year was recorded as zero, which further heightened suspicions. Based on these findings, the police lodged a case against the MP.

Additionally, the electricity department had replaced old meters at Barq's residence, sealing them and sending them for laboratory examination.

The residence, spanning 200 square yards, was initially equipped with a 4-kilowatt meter, which was later deemed insufficient for its consumption requirements.

Following this, an FIR has also been filed against Mamluk Ur Rehman Barq, father of the SP MP, at the Nakhasa police station. He has been accused of threatening officials of the Power Department during the inspection.

The complaint was lodged by Santosh Tripathi under Sections 352, 351(2), and 132 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
New York, Dec 20 : Federal prosecutors have slapped murder charges against the accused killer of a health insurance firm CEO making him liable for the death penalty.

Luigi Mangione was produced in a federal court here on Thursday to face the charge after he was flown in from Pennsylvania where he was arrested.

Earlier he was charged by the local prosecutor with terrorism and murder under New York laws, which do not have the death penalty.

An Ivy League educated software engineer and game developer, he is accused of killing United HealthCare (UHC) CEO Brian Thompson in front of a hotel on the Avenue of Americas in Manhattan on December 4 using a 9 mm gun and silencer at least partially made with a 3D printer.

He fled the scene on an electric bicycle, took a taxi to an interstate bus station, rode the subway to a rail station, and took a train to Pennsylvania muddling his trail.

During the nationwide manhunt, a customer and staff at a McDonald's restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, recognised him and called the police.

Luigi Mangione appeared in a Pennsylvania local court on Thursday morning where he agreed to be extradited to New York and was handed over to city police.

When he arrived by helicopter in Manhattan, Federal Bureau of Investigation agents took charge of him from local police and produced him in the federal court.

Under the US federal system, each state has its own laws, with some states having the death penalty, which others like New York have abolished.

There is a separate set of federal laws, which provide for the death penalty for some crimes, and federal prosecutors invoked jurisdiction saying he had traveled across states to stalk and kill Thompson.

Another feature of the federal system is that a state would have to go through an extradition process to bring a person arrested in another state.

Luigi Mangione voluntarily agreed to be taken to New York, and if he hadn't there would have been a lengthy process for a Pennsylvania court to order his extradition. The federal case against him would run parallel to the local New York case.

Luigi Mangione's lawyer said that the filing of federal charges was "highly unusual" and that she had been told he would be produced in a state court, but was suddenly informed about the federal court appearance.

In writings found on him, he had spoken out against healthcare companies naming UHC, and capitalism in general.

"Frankly, these parasites simply had it coming", he wrote.

"The US has the #1 most expensive healthcare system in the world, yet we rank roughly #42 in life expectancy", corporations "have simply gotten too powerful, and they continue to abuse our country for immense profit because the American public has allowed them to get away with it", he wrote.

That appears to have hit a wellspring of animosity toward health insurance companies among a lot of Americans, touching off an outpouring of sympathy for him.

When he was produced in the Pennsylvania court, several protesters turned up with slogans supporting Luigi Mangione. He appeals to young voters between 18 and 29, 41 per cent of whom said it was acceptable or somewhat acceptable, according to a national poll by Emerson College.

Overall 17 per cent of all voters agreed with that.

Reacting to the support for him, acting federal prosecutor Edward Kim said that he carried out the attack "all in a grossly misguided attempt to broadcast Mangione's views across the country. But this wasn't a debate, it was murder".

The local case is likely to be tried first and the filing of the federal case appears to be a backstop if the local case jury acquits him, and also to keep the threat of death penalty hanging over him.

Luigi Mangione, who came from an affluent family and had a brilliant career, apparently was derailed by a debilitating back injury.
Hyderabad, Dec 20 : Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president and former minister K.T. Rama Rao has approached the Telangana High Court, seeking orders to quash the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) case booked against him for alleged corruption in organising the Formula E race.

Rama Rao filed a lunch motion petition before the Justice Shravan Kumar Bench.

The petitioner requested that the petition be taken up for hearing after lunch.

The ACB on Thursday registered a case against Rama Rao for alleged misuse of government funds in conducting Formula E race in Hyderabad last year when BRS was in power.

The First Information Report (FIR) was registered under Sections 13(1)(A) and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, along with Sections 409 and 120(B) of the Indian Penal Code.

It is alleged that on the direction of then industry minister Rama Rao, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority paid Rs.55 crore to a foreign company in violation of RBI guidelines.

The payments were reportedly made without obtaining approvals from the Cabinet or the Finance Department.

The ACB named Rama Rao as accused number one in the FIR and IAS officer and then HMDA Commissioner Arvind Kumar and former HMDA Chief Engineer BLN Reddy have been named as accused number two and three respectively.

The ACB registered the FIR a few days after Governor Jishnu Dev Varma gave permission to try Rama Rao on a request made by the state government.

Addressing a press conference on Thursday night, Rama Rao denied the allegations and revealed details of the transaction.

Rama Rao said it was a fact that HMDA paid Rs.55 crore to organisers while the organisers also confirmed that they received Rs.55 crore.

He asked the state government to explain where was the corruption in this transaction. Accusing the government of political vendetta, the BRS leader claimed that the Formula E Race held last year was an attempt to enhance the brand image of Hyderabad and Telangana.

Recalling that the Formula-E Race was contracted for four seasons on October 25, 2022, the former minister said the intention was to make Telangana a hub for Electric Vehicles (EV).

Rama Rao clarified that the HMDA had adhered to legal provisions, and funds were transparently transferred through government bank channels.

He emphasised that Hyderabad had gained global recognition through the Formula E event, attracting significant investments in the EV sector.

However, the state governmentas inept handling of the situation caused reputational damage to Hyderabad and Telangana on the international stage.

Accusing the government of filing baseless and politically motivated cases to divert public attention from its administrative failures, he said that he was not afraid of anybody and that he would face the case legally.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : The INDIA bloc staged a protest march from Vijay Chowk to Parliament on Friday, demanding an apology from and resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his remarks on Dr B.R. Ambedkar, which they labelled as "derogatory" and "unacceptable."

The Opposition alliance's protest also condemned the FIR filed against Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, stating it was a "diversionary tactic" by the BJP to shift focus from HM Shah's comments.

Speaking to IANS, Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal stated, "The main issue is Amit Shah's apology for his unacceptable remarks on Dr Ambedkar. The BJP is trying to divert attention by filing an FIR against Rahul Gandhi."

Congress MP Pramod Tiwari accused the BJP of misuse of power.

"We also filed an FIR, but it wasn't registered. This is a sheer misuse of power. Even if they resort to lathi charges, we will not stop protesting. Insults to Dr Ambedkar will not be tolerated," he told IANS.

Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav defended Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, and told IANS, "He is the Leader of Opposition and would never engage in such actions."

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi slammed HM Shah's refusal to apologise, calling it evidence of the BJP's "true stance" on Dr Ambedkar.

"It shows the fragile ego of Amit Shah that he is not apologising. The country has now seen his stance on Ambedkar. A 12-second video encapsulates Shah's 90-minute speech, showing their (BJP's) disdain for Dr Ambedkar despite their claims of respect," she said.

Speaking to IANS, Congress MP Vivek Tankha termed the Union Home Minister's remarks "shocking" and called for an apology.

Commenting on the FIR against Rahul Gandhi, he said, "The claim that Rahul Gandhi hurt someone is laughable. When this matter reaches court, it will be evident how baseless it is."

Congress MP Imran Masood alleged the FIR against Gandhi was a distraction.

"This is their (BJP) diversionary tactic to shift focus from the disrespect shown to Baba Saheb. Rahul Gandhi is not someone who can be intimidated," he told IANS.

JMM MP Mahua Maji called for public release of Parliament CCTV footage to clarify the situation. "Rahul Gandhi is a senior and mature leader. This is a conspiracy aimed at diverting attention," she said.

Congress MP Ranjeet Ranjan stressed the peaceful nature of their protest.

"Today, we will march and return to the House peacefully. The Home Minister's remarks against Dr Ambedkar are condemnable. If HM Shah respected Dr Ambedkar, he would have apologised to prevent this situation from escalating," she stated.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi on Friday announced a collaboration with Blockchain For Impact (BFI) to enhance biomedical research and innovation in the public health sector.

As per the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the two organisations, BFI will support a project exploring genetic and epigenetic factors to identify potential marks for recurrent urinary tract infections.

Recurrent urinary tract infections (rUTI) represent a major healthcare and economic burden with a significant impact on patient's morbidity and quality of life.

The project, led by Dr. Sarita Mohapatra, Additional Professor, Department of Microbiology at AIIMS Delhi is funded under the BFI-BIOME Medical INI Grant Programme, which supports Medical Institutes of National Importance (INIs) through the Blockchain For Impact Biomedical Virtual Network (BFI-BIOME).

This network, created by BFI, aims to foster multisectoral collaboration, support upstream and deep science research, and drive innovation to strengthen biomedical research in India.

AIIMS Delhi is home to 25 clinical departments and four super-specialty centers. Its research initiatives have made significant contributions to combating infectious diseases such as leprosy, malaria, and tuberculosis, as well as non-communicable diseases like diabetes, and more.

The partnership with AIIMS Delhi aligns perfectly with BFI's mission to accelerate transformative healthcare solutions through cutting-edge biomedical innovation.

"At AIIMS New Delhi, we are committed to advancing healthcare innovation through cutting-edge research and technology. The support from the BFI-BIOME Medical INI Grant Programme enables us to explore new frontiers in medical science, empowering our faculty and researchers to make transformative contributions to global healthcare," said Dr. M Srinivas, Director of AIIMS Delhi.

"The BFI-BIOME initiative represents a paradigm shift by fostering collaboration between leading biomedical researchers, clinicians, and innovators to pioneer the next generation of health interventions. Partnering with AIIMS Delhi is a step in the right direction for us. It reinforces our commitment to strengthening the healthcare ecosystem in India," added Sandeep Nailwal, the visionary founder of BFI.

This partnership between AIIMS Delhi with BFI marks a pivotal milestone in the BFI-BIOME Network Programme's ongoing efforts to advance biomedical research and innovation in India.

By fostering innovation and equitable access, BFI aims to create a transformative healthcare ecosystem that addresses the nation's most pressing medical challenges.
Mumbai, Dec 20 : "Kantara" star Rishab Shetty says he would love to work with Sandeep Reddy Vanga in any project the filmmaker is currently working on.

Mumbai, Dec 20 (IANS) "Kantara" star Rishab Shetty says he would love to work with Sandeep Reddy Vanga in any project the filmmaker is currently working on.

Highlighting how, despite falling into mass controversies, directors like Vanga have a huge fan following, Rishab said: "It's crazy, nobody can think like him, and I think even he can't think the same way again. I'd love to be involved in any projects he's currently working on."

Rishab got candid with actor and host Rana Daggubati on "The Rana Daggubati Show". The two actors were joined by actress Neha Shetty for an unfiltered conversation. Rana visited Rishab's hometown, Keradi, where he talked about his filmmaking journey and his dream to transform his village into a cinematic hub.

Rishabh talked about the origins of "Kantara", revealing how the film is intertwined with his home and community.

"Since childhood, I have dreamt of shooting a film in my village and its forests, Keradi. I scouted this location for multiple movies, but it never worked out. Then came Kantara  which was finally shot here. It was a collective effort, over 700 people from the village contributed. It's because of this overwhelming involvement that I call my home KFC  Keradi Film City."

The actor added how the film shifted his village's perception of cinema.

"This region isn't huge on films, but Kantara made them see their own on screen. It became relatable, and the love and blessings poured in abundantly."

In a heartfelt moment during the episode, Rishabh's wife, Pragathi Shetty, recounts the touching story of how they first met.

She said: "I'm a Rakshit Shetty fan, so I went to a Ricky screening with my friends. One of them wanted a picture with the director, Rishabh, so we spoke. And I told him how proud I was of his journeyfrom a small village to achieving so much in cinema. That's when he fell for me! He sent me a friend request on social media, and that's where it all started."

The unscripted Telugu Original eight-episode series boasts an exciting line-up of guests, including Dulquer Salmaan, Naga Chaitanya Akkineni, Siddhu Jonnalagadda, Sreeleela, Nani, S.S. Rajamouli, Ram Gopal Varma, and many more.

"The Rana Daggubati Show" is airing exclusively on Prime Video.
Kozhikode, Dec 20 : Renowned 91-year-old Jnanpith awardee and one of Kerala's most celebrated literary figures, M.T. Vasudevan Nair, is critically ill and undergoing treatment at a private hospital here, according to his close friend, M.N. Karissery.

A medical board has been constituted, and a team of specialists is closely monitoring the veteran writer and filmmaker's condition.

"I visited him this morning. He is in intensive care, and his condition is serious. He has been in and out of the hospital recently. His wife and daughter are by his side," said Karissery.

Popularly known as MT, Nair has been battling health issues in recent weeks, including breathing difficulties and cardiac complications.

Nair, a Padma Bhushan awardee, has left an indelible mark on Malayalam literature and cinema. He has won four National Film Awards for screenplay and directed seven films while scripting about 54 films. His screenplays, now available in book form, are regarded as essential reading for aspiring filmmakers.

Over the years, Nair has been honoured with numerous accolades, including the Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award, Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award, Vayalar Award, Vallathol Award, Ezhuthachan Award, Mathrubhumi Literary Award, and O.N.V. Literary Award.

In 2013, he was conferred the J.C. Daniel Award for lifetime achievement in Malayalam cinema. In 2022, he received the inaugural Kerala Jyothi Award, the highest civilian honour bestowed by the Kerala Government.

Nair was awarded the Jnanpith, India's highest literary honor, in 1995 for his outstanding contributions to literature. He also served as the editor of Mathrubhumi Illustrated Weekly for several years.

In October this year, Nair made headlines after gold ornaments were stolen from his residence while he and his wife were away. The police later recovered the items, implicating a domestic helper.
Sanaa, Dec 20 : Yemen's Houthi group said it launched a drone attack against a military target in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv and "successfully achieved its goal."

"We are ready for a long war with the Israeli enemy," Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a televised statement aired by the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV on Thursday, adding, "Our operations will not stop until Israeli aggression on Gaza stops."

Israel has not yet commented on the Houthi claim, reports Xinhua news agency.

Earlier in the day, Israel launched a series of airstrikes against Houthi targets in northern Yemen, destroying two major power stations in the capital city, Sanaa, and bombing imported fuel storage in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah.

The Houthi group said nine people were killed by the Israeli airstrikes at dawn on Hodeidah's ports of Ras Isa and As-Salif, and three others were injured.

The strikes at dawn dealt a major blow to the Houthi group, which controls much of northern Yemen, as it uses the ports of Ras Isa and As-Salif to import fuel and cooking gas and sell them to the residents in the areas under their control.

Israeli Defense Forces Spokesperson Daniel Hagari said on the social media platform X that the Israeli army had conducted "precise strikes on Houthi military targets in Yemen," which came after the Houthis launched a long-range rocket at Tel Aviv on Wednesday night.

The Houthi group has been controlling much of northern Yemen since late 2014, forcing the internationally recognised Yemeni government out of Sanaa.

Since November 2023, the Houthi group has been carrying out rocket and drone attacks against Israeli cities and disrupted "Israeli-linked" shipping in the Red Sea, allegedly to show solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza amid their ongoing conflict with Israelis.
Belagavi, Dec 20 : The Karnataka BJP on Saturday lambasted state administration as well as police for the ill-treatment and arrest of MLC C.T. Ravi over 'derogatory' remarks against Minister for Women and Child Welfare Laxmi Hebbalkar.

R Ashoka, the leader of Opposition, addressing the media, stated that Ravi was treated like a terrorist by the police.

Lashing out at the state govt, he said, "If a representative of people is treated in this manner, imagine the plight of BJP party workers and Hindu activists under the Congress government. A miniPakistan is created out of Karnataka state."

He further alleged that the police department has turned into a puppet at the hands of the state government.

"Throughout the night, the police have taken C.T. Ravi to 10 taluks and tortured him. He was beaten by the police. The government has done an unpardonable crime," he further charged.

"The decision on C.T. Ravi using foul language has already been given by the Chairman of the council. He has clearly stated that there is no record of it," Ashoka stated.

Issuing a warning of sorts, he said that there will be a change of power soon and the same scenes are going to be repeated in the state.

On the other hand, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar lashed out at CT Ravi for derogatory term and dubbed him a 'serial abuser'.

Speaking to reporters in Belagavi, he said, "This is not the first time that C. T. Ravi is foul mouthing someone. We all know the abusive words he used against CM Siddaramaiah in the past."

Asked about C T Ravi's arrest, he said, "In the past he had addressed CM Siddaramaiah as Sidramulla Khan. He has been foul mouthing our leaders. Is this the culture of Chikkamagaluru? Is it India's culture? Or is it BJP's culture? I haven't seen such a culture in Chikkamagaluru district. He must be the only person from the district with such unscrupulous culture."

"There was a discussion in the House on Union Home Minister insulting Dr B R Ambedkar. C. T. Ravi interfered and called Rahul Gandhi a 'drug addict'. When Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar jumped in to defend her party leader, he called her 'pro******e' several times. Is it wrong on our part to defend our leaders like the BJP leaders do for their leaders? Can he use such a derogatory word," he questioned.

"He used the word 12 times. The media must take this up seriously. If you don't have the evidence, I will share it with you. This incident happened when I came to the Legislative Assembly after finishing proceedings in the Legislative Council," he explained.

Asked if the Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti could have taken action if there was evidence, he said, "He is a senior leader and I have respect for him, but his move in this case is disappointing. He must protect everyone in the House irrespective of the party line. He should have investigated it. If Lakshmi Hebbalkar was wrong, he should have called her out. But it is not correct that he called both of them and took a statement."

-- IANS

mka/mr
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) of Pakistan has announced tariff exemptions on imports of various goods under the Preferential Trade Agreement with Azerbaijan, which came into force on December 16, 2024, Trend reports via the FBR.

According to an official notification by the FBR, the tariff exemptions cover items such as shelled hazelnuts or filberts, apricots, vegetable saps and extracts, non-stemmed tobacco, polyethylene, propylene copolymers, casing, tubing and drill pipes used in oil and gas drilling, and refined copper wire with a maximum cross-sectional dimension exceeding 6 mm.

All imported goods must adhere to the provisions of the trade agreement signed between the two nations.

The FBR emphasized that these exemptions aim to strengthen bilateral trade ties and align with the strategic goals of the Preferential Trade Agreement.

Follow the author on X: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Jaipur, Dec 20 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday condoled the loss of lives in the horrific accident on the Jaipur-Ajmer highway in Rajasthan and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund and Rs 50,000 each to the injured.

In his message, he said, "Deeply saddened by the loss of lives in the accident on the Jaipur-Ajmer Highway in Rajasthan. Condolences to those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon. The local administration is assisting those affected. An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000 each."

It needs to be mentioned here that a tragic accident on Friday morning at the Ajmer Highway in Jaipur claimed the lives of eight people and left over 30 injured, when an LPG gas tanker collided with a truck.

The collision triggered a massive explosion and fire, engulfing the area in flames, leaving over 35 people injured.

A sleeper bus carrying 34 passengers caught fire and out of the 34 passengers, 20 suffered severe burns, while 14 others, including the driver and conductor, remain missing.

The fire caused by the explosion produced towering flames that burned numerous birds in the vicinity.

Several vehicles on the highway, including the bus and a truck, were engulfed in the blaze. The intense heat caused a bike rider's helmet to melt and stick to his face, severely burning his eyes.

The accident occurred on Friday morning near Delhi Public School, following a devastating collision between an LPG (BPCL) tanker and a truck.

Eight people were burned alive, and 35 others sustained burns.

Even hours after the incident, people in the area reported experiencing suffocation and irritation in their eyes due to the lingering effects of the fire.
Seoul, Dec 20 : The Constitutional Court is weighing its options as a set of documents initiating the impeachment trial of President Yoon Suk Yeol remains undelivered to him after five days, a court spokesperson said Friday.

The court has used various means, including the postal service, in-person delivery and an electronic system, to try to get an impeachment trial notice and other documents delivered to Yoon but failed each time due largely to a lack of cooperation from the presidential office.

Two justices handling preparations for the trial reported the current status to a plenary meeting of justices Thursday, according to court spokesperson Lee Jin.

"The full bench shared their views of the situation," she told a press briefing. "The details of their discussions cannot be disclosed for confidentiality reasons," Yonhap news agency reported.

Options under consideration include recognising the mail as being delivered on the day it was sent, leaving the papers at the presidential office or residence, and posting the documents on a bulletin board and considering them effective after two weeks.

The court aims to review the options and state its plans as early as next Monday.

On Thursday, a lawyer representing impeached South Korean President had again denied the insurrection charges against him, saying anyone who intended to incite an insurrection would not have done what Yoon did and declare martial law before the world.

Seok Dong-hyeon, who is involved in forming Yoon's legal defence team, made the argument as the President is under investigation on insurrection charges over his short-lived martial law decree on December 3 and has been suspended from duty pending a Constitutional Court trial on his impeachment by the National Assembly.

"From President Yoon's perspective, he hasn't even thought about insurrection," Seok told reporters at his law firm in Seoul. "What kind of insurrection involves someone saying through a press conference before the people and the entire world, 'I am going to stage an insurrection?' and what kind of insurrection is dropped after two or three hours because the National Assembly ordered it?"

Seok was referring to the televised address Yoon gave on the night of December 3 to declare martial law and his lifting of the decree hours later after the National Assembly voted to reject it.

"The President told the deployed military and the police that they should not clash with citizens," the lawyer said. "The President is a jurist, so why would he talk about arrest? If they did arrest, where would they take them? I hope the people and the press consider such common sense."

Seok's remarks contradict testimony by multiple senior military officials that Yoon ordered troops to drag out lawmakers from inside the National Assembly building to stop them from voting down the decree and also ordered the arrest of prominent politicians while martial law was in force.

The lawyer said he does not think Yoon declared martial law out of personal grievances caused by struggles in running state affairs and personal humiliation, but based on a judgment that the nation was truly in a state of emergency.

Seok has known Yoon for more than 40 years since both were students at Seoul National University School of Law.
Seoul, Dec 20 : Seoul shares fell more than 1 per cent Friday amid concerns over a slower monetary easing cycle in the United States, along with the aftermath of President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived martial law declaration this month.

The Korean won also continued to hover around 1,450 won per US dollar for two straight sessions, the lowest level in 15 years.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) plunged 31.78 points, or 1.3 per cent, to close at 2,404.15. It fell below the 2,400 threshold at one point during the session.

The trade volume was moderate at 606.4 million shares worth 9.12 trillion won (US$6.28 billion), with losers outnumbering winners 703 to 204, Yonhap news agency reported.

Foreigners and institutions dumped local shares worth 817 billion won and 89.1 billion won, respectively, while retail investors bought a net 790 billion won.

Earlier this week, US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell suggested two additional rate cuts next year, two fewer than what the Fed had projected three months ago.

"The stock market is experiencing growing volatility amid uncertainties in the US monetary policy," said Kim Ji-won, an analyst at KB Securities. "The market sentiment over risky assets will remain subdued for the time being.

In Seoul, top tech giant Samsung Electronics slid 0.19 per cent to 53,100 won, and No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix lost 3.71 per cent to 168,500 won.

Financial shares also tumbled, with KB Financial falling 1.27 per cent to 85,800 won and Shinhan Financial moving down 1.23 per cent to 48,250 won.

Leading pharmaceutical giant Samsung Biologics also declined 1.98 per cent to 939,000 won, while Celltrion edged up 0.05 per cent to 192,500 won.

The local currency was quoted at 1,451.4 won against the US dollar at 3:30 pm, up 0.5 won from the previous session.

The greenback remained high as the US posted stronger-than-expected economic growth of 3.1 per cent for the third quarter, compared with the previous estimate of 2.8 per cent.

Bond prices, which move inversely to yields, closed lower. The yield on three-year Treasurys rose 2.6 basis points to 2.629 per cent and the return on the benchmark five-year government bonds gained 3.9 basis points to close at 2.775 per cent.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : The US and India are set to strengthen space cooperation, including for human spaceflight, and joint space exploration, and are expected to facilitate commercial partnerships between space companies of both countries to advance shared interests in the growing space economy.

After US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June 2023 committed to work together to "reach new frontiers across all sectors of space cooperation" and India's signing of the Artemis Accords, the two nations reached an inflection point on collaboration across civil, security, and commercial space sectors, the White House said in a press statement.

To mark this significant progress in cooperation, the US Principal Deputy National Security Advisor (PDNSA) Jon Finer, Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, and Indian Ambassador to the US Vinay Kwatra recently travelled to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

As part of their visit to Houston, PDNSA Finer and Deputy Secretary Campbell met with representatives from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), and space industry leaders to identify new opportunities to further strengthen our burgeoning space partnership, the statement said.

"Wonderful to visit the Johnson Space Center of @NASA with @DeputySecState Kurt Campbell and Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer. Had the opportunity to discuss space cooperation including the human space flight programme and enhancing partnership between the two private sectors in the fields of innovation and technology," Kwatra shared in a post on social media platform X.

"Was also glad to meet the Indian astronauts training at Houston," he added, referring to the two ISRO astronauts training at the Johnson Space Centre.

"The launch of the Axiom-4 mission as soon as spring 2025 will mark a significant milestone in the US-India space partnership and space exploration," the White House said.

At the meeting, the executives reflected on the accomplishments made in the space sector in the past few months and also charted next steps to take the partnership to the next level.

The experts celebrated the completion of a strategic framework for human spaceflight cooperation "to deepen interoperability in space and work toward the conclusion of a new arrangement on advanced astronaut training".

Together, India and US are set to launch the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) in early 2025 from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh

The experts also agreed to explore the creation of a new space innovation bridge to promote partnerships between US and Indian startups. This will be "focused on advancing space situational awareness, satellite technology, and space launch and exploration".

The two sides also called for promoting defense space cooperation, and also advance reviews of Missile Technology exports to generate new opportunities for bilateral industry partnerships on space launch technology, including for commercial satellite launches.
Mandya : , Dec 20 (IANS) Commenting on the arrest of BJP MLC, C.T. Ravi over alleged derogatory remarks against Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar on the floor of the Legislative Council, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Friday, "Generally, no woman will file a false complaint with such allegations." Mandya (Karnataka), Dec 20 (IANS) Commenting on the arrest of BJP MLC, C.T. Ravi over alleged derogatory remarks against Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar on the floor of the Legislative Council, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Friday, "Generally, no woman will file a false complaint with such allegations."

Responding to media queries in Mandya on Friday regarding the BJP's protest in support of C.T. Ravi, CM Siddaramaiah questioned that if the accusation of using derogatory language was false, why was C.T. Ravi arrested?

"The BJP is supporting those who speak in a derogatory and insulting manner towards women. People present on the spot heard C.T. Ravi using foul language. There is audio and video evidence of the objectionable language he used," he stated.

"However, I have not personally seen it. If Ravi's words were false, why was he arrested? Women usually do not file false complaints in such cases. I do not know why C.T. Ravi used such derogatory language. This is a criminal offense," the CM added.

Responding to media reports that Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti mentioned C.T. Ravi used the word "frustration," and not "prostitute" as is being claimed, the CM said, "C.T. Ravi now claims he used the word 'frustration.' This is an afterthought. He is saying this now, but the truth is that derogatory language was used, which is why the minister filed a complaint."

"Other members also stated that they heard Ravi's foul language. After the Chairman left the floor, the incident occurred, and many have confirmed that there is audio and video evidence of the derogatory word's usage," Siddaramaiah said.

Responding to C.T. Ravi's statement that he received death threats and the government is responsible, the CM stated, "Once an FIR is filed, the police have to investigate, and legal action must be taken. Due to public outrage against C.T. Ravi in Belagavi, he was moved to Khanapur for his safety."

Commenting over the issue, former Chief Minister and MP Basavaraj Bommai said the truth behind the alleged inappropriate statement made by MLC C.T. Ravi in the Legislative Council must be investigated.

Speaking to reporters in New Delhi on Friday, he stressed the need for a thorough enquiry into the matter.

"We cannot justify the behaviour of the police. In the past, this government did not punish those who chanted 'Pakistan Zindabad' in the Vidhana Soudha. The BJP MLC has very clearly denied making such a statement. We are speaking in a fair manner, and we have not opposed an investigation. However, making a final decision without a proper investigation or verification of facts is incorrect," Bommai said.
Brasilia, Dec 19 : Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has returned to Brasilia after a cranial tomography confirmed his stable condition, said his medical team.

Roberto Kalil Filho, Lula's personal physician, said the examination result was even better than previous ones. The president has been cleared to return to Brasilia, where he will undergo medical evaluations every 10 days.

Although Lula has been advised to avoid "physical exercise," he is permitted to resume his daily activities.

The president has undergone a series of emergency surgeries for an intracranial hematoma caused by a fall in the bathroom on October 19 and received five stitches to close a wound on the back of his head.

Lula is scheduled to meet with his ministers and have lunch with them on Friday at Granja do Torto, the president's residence in Brasilia.

Earlier this week, Lula had vowed to "severely punish" those involved in the 2022 coup attempt.

"I believe that General Braga has every right to the presumption of innocence," Lula said during a press conference, referring to the detained retired General Walter Braga Netto, who served as minister of defence under former President Jair Bolsonaro.

The presser, held at Sirio Libanes Hospital shortly after Lula's discharge, marked his first public appearance since undergoing emergency skull surgery last week. His medical team and first lady, Rosangela da Silva, were also present by his side.

Braga Netto, accused of attempting to interfere in investigations, was arrested last Saturday following an order from the Supreme Federal Court. According to the Federal Police, Bolsonaro was allegedly planning a coup in 2022 to prevent Lula from assuming the presidency.

Lula said it is unacceptable to have high-ranking military officials in the plot to assassinate the president, Xinhua news agency reported.

The 79-year-old Brazillian President will seek reelection in 2026, the presidency's Secretary of Social Communication Paulo Pimenta has confirmed.

In an interview with CNN Brasil, Pimenta assured that the president was in good health following medical interventions to treat a brain bleed, adding he was "the most qualified and prepared person" to continue leading the country.

"I have no doubt that President Lula is the most qualified and capable person. And he will certainly be our candidate in 2026 to be able to maintain our project," Pimenta was quoted as saying by the Xinhua news agency.
Belagavi, Dec 20 : C.T. Ravi, the arrested BJP MLC over 'derogatory remarks' against Karnataka women and child welfare minister Laxmi Hebbalkar, claimed on Saturday that he was assaulted and tortured by the policemen during custody.

Ravi made the accusations in a local Belagavi court, where he was produced by the Karnataka police.

Ravi made the statement in the court after Judge Sparsha M D'souza asked him about his arrest. C.T. Ravi claimed that the police took him to three districts for 10 hours, throughout the night.

"The cops took me to isolated places and sugarcane fields," he added.

Ravi further stated in the court that he was assaulted in the Khanapur police station on head and he was bleeding.

When asked whether he would be able to identify those police personnel, Ravi expressed his 'inability' in doing the same.

"I have been tortured, physically and mentally. The police used to get calls every 10 minutes and they acted as per their instructions," he charged.

"The police have not explained to me, the reason behind my arrest. I have been attacked three times in the premises of the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha," Ravi stated.

"They snatched away my mobile and watch. I had lodged a complaint regarding assault on me and requested the police to file zero FIR. Not registering a case against the minister is a crime. No leaders were allowed to meet me for two-and-half hours," Ravi stated.

Lawyer M.B. Jirali, who appeared for C.T. Ravi, submitted that his client was boarded into the police vehicle like 'animal' and was in clear violation of the protocol.

"It is a violation of Article 21. This is a false case and the police have not allowed the Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka to meet Ravi," he underlined.

"My client's mental and physical health should not be affected. The Speaker is the Constitutional head and he knows everything about the incident. No decision in this regard has been taken by him. My client needs medical treatment first and bail needs to be granted to him," Counsel Jirali stated.

The BJP State President B.Y. Vijayendra, Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka and other MLAs were present in the court hall.

Ravi was also seen getting emotional in the court corridors, with senior BJP leaders like R. Ashoka and others comforting him.

The prosecution is yet to submit its arguments opposing Ravi's bail petition.

-- IANS

mka/mr
Seoul, Dec 20 : The acting leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) agreed Friday to join a consultative body between the rival parties and the government to stabilise state affairs after President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment.

PPP Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, interim leader of the ruling party, told reporters that his party has decided to participate in the body to discuss issues on security and improving people's livelihoods, first proposed by National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik earlier this week.

During his talks with acting President Han Duck-soo, Woo called on Han to swiftly form the joint consultative body to restore political stability, Yonhap news agency reported.

The PPP has also decided to join a bipartisan parliamentary delegation of lawmakers to visit overseas being pursued by Woo, according to Kweon.

On Thursday, South Korea's Acting President Han Duck-soo had vetoed six contentious bills, marking his first use of the Presidential power since assuming interim leadership after President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached and suspended from office over a failed martial law bid.

Han endorsed a motion demanding reconsideration of the four agricultural bills and two parliament-related acts passed by the main opposition Democratic Party last month, which was approved during an extraordinary Cabinet meeting led by him earlier in the day.

"My heart feels heavy as I request the National Assembly to reconsider the six bills at this critical time when cooperation between the government and political parties is more essential than ever," Han said.

"However, the government cannot avoid making a responsible decision that prioritises the spirit of the Constitution and the nation's future," he added.

One of the key bills is the Grain Management Act, which mandates the government purchase of surplus rice to stabilise prices during market fluctuations. A similar bill was vetoed by Yoon in March 2023 and subsequently scrapped in a revote.

Other bills include the National Assembly Act, aimed at preventing the automatic submission of the government budget to the plenary session after the legal deadline, and the National Assembly Testimony Appraisal Act, which would require companies to submit requested data to lawmakers.

Han explained the agricultural bills would distort the market system and lead to a supply glut in rice and cause 'massive financial burdens' on the government, Yonhap news agency reported.

He also said the proposed amendment to the National Assembly Act removes 'a minimum standard' that parliament must follow for the timely execution of the national budget, which could ultimately disadvantage the public.

On the amendment to the testimony and appraisal act, Han said mandatory data submission to lawmakers under any circumstances raises concerns about infringements upon privacy rights and potential risks to core technologies and trade secrets.

The government and the ruling People Power Party have opposed the bills, citing concerns about the financial burden of the mandatory rice purchase and potential risks of trade data leaks during parliamentary testimonies.

In contrast, the main opposition Democratic Party urged the interim leader to exercise restraint and maintain the status quo.

Han assumed the role of acting President after Yoon was impeached Saturday over his short-lived martial law declaration on December 3.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : With an increasing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in legal work, 36,324 Supreme Court judgments have been translated into Hindi and 42,765 verdicts have been translated into 17 regional languages, as on date, and made available on the e-SCR portal, the Parliament was informed on Friday.

Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Law and Justice, Arjun Ram Meghwal said, in a written reply in Lok Sabha, that AI Translation Committees of the High Courts are monitoring the entire work relating to translation of the Supreme Court and High Court judgments into vernacular languages.

Highlighting AI initiative in legal research and translation, MoS Meghwal said Al is being used in areas such as translation, prediction and forecast, improving administrative efficiency, Natural Language Processing (NLP), automated filing, intelligent scheduling, enhancing the case information system and communicating with the litigants through chatbots.

The MoS said under e-Courts Project Phase III, an attempt is being made to integrate modern technologies for smoother user experience and to build a "smart" system in which registries will have minimal data entry and scrutiny of files.

To create a smart system, the latest technologies like Al and its subsets Machine Learning (ML), Optical Character Recognition (OCR), Natural Language Processing (NLP) are being used in the e-Courts software applications, the MoS said.

As on date, 17 High Courts have already started placing, e-High Court Reports (e-HCR) or e-Indian Law Reports (e-ILR) on their websites, the MoS said, adding that e-HCR/e-ILR are digital legal platforms that provide online access to judgments in the vernacular languages.

Replying to a question on how the government plans to address concerns regarding data privacy in relation to AI usage, MoS Meghwal said a sub-committee consisting of six judges of the various High Courts, assisted by technical working group members consisting of domain experts, has been constituted by the Chairperson of the eCommittee of the Supreme Court to recommend secure connectivity and authentication mechanisms for data protection, to preserve the right to privacy.

He said the sub-committee is mandated to critically assess and examine the digital infrastructure, network and service delivery solutions created under the eCourts project for giving solutions for strengthening data security and for protecting the privacy of citizens.

Citing use of technology in legal work, he said that the daily proceeding of each case is entered in the Case Information System (CIS) and the litigant is made aware of the same from the eCourts service platforms like website and Mobile Applications.

Apart from this, there are model rules in place for live-streaming and recording of court proceedings.
Nagpur, Dec 20 : Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said on Friday that the attack on the Marathi family from Kalyan will be looked into and assured action against the accused irrespective of his position.

Shiv Sena-UBT legislator Sunil Prabhu has raised the issue in the Assembly demanding action against the accused.

Intervening Prabhu, Ajit Pawar said: "No matter how senior the officer (accused) is, action will be taken. The honour of the Marathi people will be maintained in the state. The administration will take prompt action against the accused."

Prabhu claimed that a Marathi man was severely beaten up by a person named Akhilesh Shukla in a society in the Yogidham area of Kalyan.

"Who is behind the serious assault on a Marathi family in Kalyan? Will Maharashtra now have to see this every day?" asked Prabhu.

Shukla also claimed that he has contacts with who's who and was not bothered about police action, Prabhu said.

Prabhu said that Shukla projected himself as a government officer, claiming he was not worried about any action against him.

Prabhu was supported by other opposition members demanding stern action, saying that the efforts to divide Marathi and non-Marathi should be foiled and Kalyan-like clashes be avoided.

The Kalyan attack issue was raised by Opposition outside the state legislature.

NCP-SP legislator Rohit Pawar condemned the incident and asked whether the state would have to see such attacks every day now.

Shiv Sena-UBT legislator Aaditya Thackeray demanded that the offence be registered under the Sedition Law against those attacking the Marathi people.

"Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis should make an announcement today in this regard. Besides, the occupation certificate of housing societies where such attacks take place against the Marathi people should be scrapped," he said.

"If the Chief Minister is a lover of Maharashtra, if he is from this soil, he will respect our demand and announce action under the sedition law against those attacking the Marathi people. Builders are also changing the names of various areas and naming them Upper Cuffe Parade, Upper Worli," he added.

Shiv Sena-UBT MP Sanjay Raut Such incidents have happened not only in Kalyan but also in Mumbai. "I have been saying this repeatedly, in Kalyan, migrants attacked Marathi people, saying that they are dirty. They abused them. In Mumbai too, Marathi people are being deprived of jobs by saying that they should not speak Marathi," said Raut.

"In Maharashtra, Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray fought for the rights of the Marathi people. BJP weakened the Marathi people by breaking the organisation of the Marathi people. This was done to give the Marathi people secondary treatment. After the election results, attacks on Marathi people have started increasing. Efforts are underway to oust Marathi people from Mumbai," alleged Raut.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. The European Investment Bank (EIB) has allocated a loan in Azerbaijan for the first time to support the development of digital infrastructure in the public sector.

A 43 million loan will fund the construction of two new Data Centers managed by "AzInTelecom" LLC, which operates under the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport. The project's goal is to expand and enhance the accessibility of cloud services provided by the state-owned company.

On December 20, a formal signing ceremony took place at the administrative office of AzInTelecom LLC in connection with the approval of the credit agreement.

The Vice-President of the European Investment Bank (EIB), Teresa Czerwinska, expressed satisfaction with formalizing the EIBs first loan support to Azerbaijans public sector, stating:

We are pleased to formalise our first loan with Azerbaijans public sector. Improving access to information and fostering resilient digital transformation are among the key priorities of the European Investment Bank. This particular investment focusing on the innovation and transparency, will not only modernize public administration but will also contribute to sustainable economic growth and social progress."

On behalf of Azerbaijan, the contract was signed by Elkhan Azizov, Acting Chairman of the Board of AzInTelecom LLC, who noted that this project will provide a significant contribution to the ongoing digital transformation in the country:

With the implementation of this project, cloud services will become more accessible for both small and large organizations. This will have a direct positive impact on the development of the digital ecosystem in Azerbaijan. Id also like to emphasize that both Data Centers planned for construction in the Absheron and Hajigabul regions will be built based on green technologies.

It should be mentioned that this initiative aligns with the Economic and Investment Plan (EIP) for the Eastern Partnership of the European Union, as well as the Global Gateway strategy. It also emphasizes the EUs commitment to promoting sustainable development and digital transformation in the region.

AzInTelecom LLC is the largest cloud service provider in Azerbaijan and the first organization in the South Caucasus to receive the internationally renowned TIER 3 certification for Data Centers. The company currently provides cloud services to over 200 public and private sector organizations through its Data Centers located in Baku and Yevlakh.
Seoul, Dec 20 : Police have questioned the chief of the Presidential Security Service (PSS) as part of their investigation into President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched imposition of martial law earlier this month, according to police officials Friday.

Park Jong-joon, head of the PSS, was questioned as a witness by the National Office of Investigation's special investigation team, officials said.

It marked the first time that an official at the presidential office had been questioned in connection with the martial law probe, Yonhap news agency reported.

By questioning the PSS chief, police were trying to figure out where Yoon was on the night of December 3, when the impeached president declared martial law that was rejected by the National Assembly hours later.

Police are also looking into a potential link between Park and the former chief of the Defense Intelligence Command, Major General Noh Sang-won, who is accused of playing a key role in the short-lived martial law imposition.

On Wednesday, the South Korea's Chief of the Defence Intelligence Command suspected of taking part in martial law operations was formally arrested by the country's anti-corruption investigation body probing the martial law decree.

Major General Moon Sang-ho, who was placed under arrest, is suspected of sending troops in his command to the National Election Commission's office in Gwacheon, just south of Seoul, on December 3 after President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, Yonhap reported.

He is also suspected of discussing martial law operations with Noh Sang-won, a former Defence Intelligence commander, alongside two other subordinates at a burger franchise in Gyeonggi Province two days ahead of Yoon's martial law imposition.

Earlier on Friday, a court spokesperson said that the country's Constitutional Court is weighing its options as a set of documents initiating the impeachment trial of President Yoon Suk Yeol remains undelivered to him after five days.

The court has used various means, including the postal service, in-person delivery and an electronic system, to try to get an impeachment trial notice and other documents delivered to Yoon but failed each time due largely to a lack of cooperation from the presidential office.
Kolkata, Dec 20 : India's international borders with Nepal and Bhutan were never been a cause of concern for the Indian government because of the presence of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) there, according to Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

"When there is fencing at the international borders, the headache of the border guard agencies is less. But in the case of open borders, the responsibilities of the border guard agencies are much more. India's 2,450 kilometres of open international borders with Nepal and Bhutan had never been a concern for the Union Home Minister and the credit goes entirely to the personnel of SSB deputed there. The manner in which SSB is handling cross-border crimes like narcotics, arms, wildlife and human trafficking and other anti-national activities is highly commendable," Shah said while addressing a programme at SSB's frontier headquarters at Siliguri in Darjeeling district of West Bengal on the occasion of the 61st Raising Day of the force on Friday afternoon.

He also complimented the role of SSB in tackling the menace of Left-wing extremism (LWE) in different eastern Indian states. "SSB personnel played a significant role in combating and reducing Maoist menace in states like Bihar and Jharkhand. SSB's role in combating LWE even in Chhattisgarh is also quite commendable," the Home Minister said.

According to him, the manner in which SSB foiled attempts of illegal infiltration and illegal encroachment on government land without disturbing the peace relations of India with Nepal is highly commendable. "SSB has been able to evict 1,100 illegal encroachments in 'no man's land' with zero tolerance but without disturbing the international peace relations," Shah said.

At the same time, he also complimented the role played by the SSB personnel in different social welfare activities like conducting de-addiction drives among youths.

Speaking on the occasion, the Union Home Minister also highlighted the initiatives taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union government for the welfare of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel deputed in different remote pockets of the country.
Nagpur, Dec 20 : Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday announced a judicial enquiry by a retired judge into the prevailing ecosystem in Beed district amid the deteriorating law and order due to rising crimes, extortion and land mafia raj.

Besides, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by a police officer of the rank of Inspector General will conduct a probe into the murder of a young sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh from Massajog village of Beed district.

Both these probes will be completed in the next three to six months and the government will direct the police administration to conduct regular drives to curb crimes and thereby maintain law and order in Beed district.

Fadnavis also announced the transfer of Beed Superintendent of Police citing lapses in handling the situation that arose after the killing of Santosh Deshmukh.

Fadnavis announced the aid of Rs 10 lakh to the family of deceased Santosh Deshmukh.

He was replying to a debate under Rule 101 over the killing of Santosh Deshmukh and also on the desecration of the Constitution and the subsequent violence in Parbhani.

As far as the killing of the sarpanch is concerned, CM Fadnavis said that the incident was not limited to one murder.

"It has deep roots. We will have to end the lawlessness in Beed. Avada Green company has invested big time in Beed and some people are demanding various works or extortion money.

"The accused went to the company at Massajog village. First they beat the watchman and then the manager. They went to Santosh Deshmukh. As the accused were from a neighbouring village, people along with Deshmukh beat them. The video went viral," he said.

"Later, on December 9, Deshmukh and his cousin were travelling. After the toll booth, a black Scorpio intercepted their car. First they broke the glass on the driver's side and then the passenger side. He was beaten up inside the car first and then outside. Deshmukh's cousin was in contact with Vishnu Mahadev Chate and Chate was telling him that Deshmukh will be released. But they did not. To clear the record, Deshmukh's eyes were not burned but he was punched in the eyes," said Fadnavis.

"No matter if Walmik Karad is a mastermind in this case, he will face action," said Fadnavis.

The ruling and Opposition members had accused Walmik Karad of running a parallel government by a rule of terror.

The Opposition also claimed that despite several offences registered against him, Walmik Karad was not arrested.

The police have yet to initiate action against Walmik Karad despite an offence for extortion being lodged against him in connection with Deshmukh's killing.

"The manner in which anarchy is being created in Beed district, it will go extremely wrong. The Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) will be slapped against them all. Any person even remotely linked to the killing of Deshmukh will face similar action. A special campaign will be run to eliminate all goons, cartels," announced CM Fadnavis.

In the Parbhani incident, CM Fadnavis announced a judicial enquiry into the death of Dalit youth Somnath Suryavanshi who died in judicial custody.

Suryavanshi participated in the agitation that took place in the wake of the desecration of the Constitution.

He clarified that Suryavanshi in his submission had denied being beaten by the police though he was suffering from breathlessness.

"Somnath Suryavanshi, a law student died. He had told the magistrate that he was not beaten up by the police. Video footage of him while in custody is available where it is clearly seen that he was never beaten. However, his post mortem reports clearly say that he had breathlessness and other bone injuries. The entire case will be probed by a retired judge," he added.

CM Fadnavis said that Dattarao Pawar, who is mentally ill and under treatment from 2012, was involved in the desecration of the Constitution.

A committee of four doctors gave a report that Pawar was suffering from mental disorder and psychotic disorder and he needs to take regular treatment from a psychiatrist.

The chief minister said that before the desecration of the Constitution, the Sajal Hindu Samaj morcha was held in the morning over the attack on minorities in Bangladesh.

"The Parbhani incident is not about Hindus vs Dalits. Majority were peacefully agitating but only 200-odd used violent methods. No combing operation was held as I held calls with the local police force. Ashok Ghorband, Police Inspector has been suspended for using extra force," he announced.

He announced aid of Rs 5 lakh to the family of deceased Vijay Wakode, a Dalit community activist, who was engaged to maintain peace after the violence that took place following the desecration of the Constitution.
Seoul, Dec 20 : General Xavier Brunson took office as the new commander of US Forces Korea (USFK) on Friday, vowing a continued commitment to upholding the South Korea-US alliance amid persistent threats by North Korea.

Brunson replaced General Paul LaCamera to lead the 28,500-strong American troops in South Korea in a change-of-command ceremony held at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometres south of Seoul, attended by top officials from both nations, including acting Defence Minister Kim Seon-ho and US Indo-Pacific Command Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo.

As USFK commander, Brunson also serves as Commander of the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command (CFC) and the UN Command.

Brunson emphasised the importance of the alliance as well as cooperation with the wider international community in maintaining "collective security" and a "rules-based international order" in responding to potential threats.

In his address, the new commander cited a Bible verse that goes: "One may be overpowered. Two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."

"This first reflects the strength of our alliance, the solidarity of our trilateral partnerships and the resilience of our multinational coalition. United, we are stronger and more capable of meeting any challenge," he said, Yonhap news agency reported.

LaCamera, who is retiring after nearly 44 years of service, noted how South Korea, a nation that stands as a "beacon of freedom and prosperity" holds a "special place" in his heart.

Thanking the CFC over its efforts for readiness during his more than three years of service in South Korea, LaCamera urged the command to maintain such commitment under Brunson's leadership.

"Readiness is perishable ... Continue training daily. Remain vigilant and make sure that 'fight tonight' are not just hollow words," he said, referring to the command's slogan touting combined readiness posture.

Paparo echoed the call, noting that Brunson is the "right leader" to take the command to the "next level" at a sensitive time in terms of security.

"Given this dangerous security environment with North Korea's increasingly aggressive behavior and our adversaries, transactional symbiosis with the PRC, with Russia, North Korea, the troops have got to be ready to fight tonight," he said referring to China by its formal name.

"You're the right leader for this challenging assignment," he said, stressing that the South Korea-US alliance is "steadfast."

Kim, Seoul's acting defense chief, thanked LaCamera for his efforts to enhance the allies' combined defense posture and implementing the Washington Declaration through military measures.

He expressed hope that the alliance, which has survived challenges over the past seven decades, will continue to strengthen during Brunson's leadership.

"The ROK-US alliance founded on unwavering trust will not sway in the face of any obstacles," Kim said. "I'm confident that the spirit of 'We go together' will continue to thrive not only between our nations but also through General Brunson."
New Delhi, Dec 20 : Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a significant health burden in India, according to a study, published in The Lancet Psychiatry journal, on Friday.

Autism spectrum disorder is a neurological and developmental disorder. The condition majorly affects how people interact, communicate, and behave with others.

The study, based on the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021, ranks autism among the top 10 causes of non-fatal health burden in youth under 20 years old.

The study showed that India had 7081 case of ASD per 100, 000 persons in 2021. Of these, 4837 were females, while 9214 were males. About 140 per 100,000 persons suffered poor health and disability due to ASD in India in 2021.

Globally, an estimated 61.8 million people, or one in every 127 persons were autistic in 2021. The study also showed stark disparities based on gender.

At 1,065 cases per 100,000 males, the global prevalence of ASD was found to be significantly higher among males. It was almost double the global prevalence among females (508 per 100,000 females), the study showed.

While the high-income Asia Pacific, including Japan, recorded the highest prevalence globally (1,560 per 100,000 people), Tropical Latin America and Bangladesh reported the lowest number of ASD cases.

"The findings underscore the urgent need for early detection and sustained support for autistic individuals and their caregivers worldwide," said the researchers, while urging the need to prioritise resources for early detection of the disease.

The researchers also called for developing improved diagnostic tools, particularly for adults and those in low and middle-income countries with limited access to care, caregiver support, and services tailored to the evolving needs of autistic individuals across their lifespan.

Further, the team also highlighted the need to improve geographic data coverage and targeted interventions for comorbidities and mortality risks, such as suicide among people with ASD.
Ulan Bator, Dec 20 : The Mongolian government declared a heightened state of preparedness on Friday in response to severe air pollution, traffic congestion, and other pressing issues in the nation's capital, Ulan Bator.

"We must collectively recognize that Ulan Bator is facing unprecedented challenges, including severe air pollution, traffic congestion, and energy shortages. These issues have reached a critical point," said Prime Minister Luvsannamsrai Oyun-Erdene at a press conference. "For this reason, we are placing the capital under an elevated state of alert starting today."

Oyun-Erdene emphasised the necessity of creating a special legal framework to address the critical challenges facing the capital.

He noted that it would be appropriate to present this issue to the State Great Khural (Mongolia's parliament) as an urgent matter.

The prime minister also called on all citizens and organizations to actively support and cooperate with the government in implementing solutions to these pressing problems.

Ulan Bator was originally built to have 500,000 residents. However, the city is now the home to around half of the country's population of 3.5 million.

More than half of Ulan Bator's residents live in its ger districts, with no running water, central heating or sewerage systems.

Deteriorating air quality mostly driven by processed fuel-based heating has sparked growing public concerns in the capital city as residents embrace usually harsh winter conditions, Xinhua news agency reported.

PM 2.5 levels in both the ger districts and central areas of the city far exceed the World Health Organization's recommended safety limits during winter.

In addition to air pollution, traffic congestion remains one of Ulan Bator's biggest challenges as the city currently has 720,000 registered vehicles.

Meanwhile, Mongolia faces such severe power shortages during winters that the capital is forced to implement power rationing measures to prevent the risk of a complete blackout. In recent days, Ulan Bator has implemented measures to limit power by districts and time of day.
Mumbai, Dec 20 : Sonakshi Sinha and her husband, Zaheer Khan, are currently holidaying in Australia. Among their many adventures, the actress shared a glimpse of their "epic dive day" at the Great Barrier Reef.

Mumbai, Dec 20 (IANS) Sonakshi Sinha and her husband, Zaheer Khan, are currently holidaying in Australia. Among their many adventures, the actress shared a glimpse of their "epic dive day" at the Great Barrier Reef.

Sonakshi took to Instagram, where she shared a motley of pictures and videos featuring her and Zaheer, whom she first met at a party hosted by Bollywood star Salman Khan. In the images, the couple is seen sporting diving gear and posing for the camera ahead of the big jump.

In the second image, the two are seen listening to the instructions from their guide, whom the actress said helped them find "Nemo." Other images and clips included their adventure under the water. In one video, the couple is seen dancing in the waters.

The last picture had the newly married couple posing for a selfie as they made it back into the yacht post their dive.

For the caption, she wrote: "EPIC Dive day at the Great Barrier Reef! Thank you to our amazing dive guide Chris @quicksilverdive who showed us the best spots, helped us find Nemo and made sure we had the best time!"

Talking about the Great Barrier Reef, it is the world's largest coral reef system, composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,300 kilometers.

It was on December 18, when Sonakshi and Zaheer, who got married in a civil ceremony under the Special Marriage Act on June 23, shared that they were travelling to 'the next continent' to celebrate the holiday season.

Zaheer, who made his debut in Hindi cinema with the 2019 movie "Notebook," had shared a series of boomerang clips along with his wife Sonakshi. The two were seen looking at the camera while Sonakshi winked and Zaheer smiled.

"Off to the next Continent," he wrote as the caption.

He had also shared another boomerang video, which he tagged as "Bye Mumbai" while making their way to the designated gate on the escalator.

The couple has been jetsetting to picturesque locales of Europe, including Milan and Rome.

They shared a series of their mushy clicks from the trip on Instagram and wrote, "Rome in a jiffy at the @anantarapalazzonaiadi! Cozy dinners with a view, a fun buggy ride through the city, and some mandatory sightseeing! Two days well spent!!"

Before getting married, the couple reportedly dated for almost seven years, starting in 2017, and lived together for a year. They were first seen together onscreen in the 2022 film "Double XL," revolving around two plus-size women, one from the heartland of Uttar Pradesh and one from urban New Delhi, who discover themselves as they navigate life, celebrate female friendship, and embrace body positivity, breaking the myth that beauty corresponds to size.

The comedy film, directed by Satramm Ramani, also stars Huma Qureshi and Mahat Raghavendra.

After getting married, they celebrated their one-month wedding anniversary in the Philippines and shared glimpses from the celebration on social media.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : The US Department of Justice's (DoJ) indictment of Adani Group officials in an alleged bribery case is "extremely flimsy", senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani said on Friday, as Breon Peace, the US Attorney behind the case, announced his resignation.

According to reports, Brooklyn US Attorney Peace, who presented charges against Adani Group officials, has announced to step down on January 10 a" just days away from Donald Trumpas inauguration as the next US President on January 20.

Peace, who was appointed by outgoing US President Joe Biden in 2021, will be replaced by First Assistant US Attorney Carolyn Pokorny.

"The Adani case in US court was already a very diluted case. There was no evidence or basis to the indictment. The uproar by the Opposition over the issue in the Indian Parliament is baseless," Jethmalani was quoted as saying in media reports.

Peace's resignation was on expected lines as he was likely to be asked by the next US administration under Trump to step down.

Last week, Adani stocks gained following the news of FBI Director Chris Wray resigning from office early next year after the US President-elect replaced him with Kash Patel.

Despite the earlier hedge funds allegations, the Adani Group made a roaring comeback on the stock market and the US Justice Department indictment will fizzle away soon, according to industry experts.

In November, the DoJ indicted Adani Group officials on allegations ranging from securities fraud to wire fraud. The Adani Group vehemently rejected the allegations as "malicious, mischievous and manipulative selections of publicly available information" to arrive at "predetermined conclusions for personal profiteering with wanton disregard for facts and the law".

The indictment by the US DoJ is nothing but a "wasted expense and once Trump assumes office, such wasteful exercises involving the government offices with overseas businesses will probably fade away," ace global investor Mark Mobius recently told IANS.
Agartala, Dec 20 : Tripura Police have detained six Bangladeshi nationals including two children and two women, after they came into the state from Delhi, as they were trying to return to their country clandestinely, officials said.

A police official said that the six Bangladeshi nationals were arrested from a private guest house in Khowai district.

"The Bangladeshi nationals came to the bordering Khowai district from Delhi and briefly stayed in the private lodge before returning to their country with the help of Indian touts. They are residents of Feni district of Bangladesh," the official told the media.

He said that the Bangladeshi nationals during preliminary interrogations confessed that a few months back they went to Delhi in search of jobs and illegally made Aadhaar, PAN, and EPIC cards. Police seized these fake cards.

The detained adult Bangladeshi nationals were identified as Mohammad Kabir (37), Mohammad Mumin (23), Ayasha Khatun (70), Tania Begum (35). Two children accompanied them.

Over the last five months, over 570 Bangladeshi nationals and over 63 Rohingyas were arrested by the Railway Police, Border Security Force (BSF), and Tripura Police from the Agartala railway station and various other places in Tripura after they illegally entered India.

So far, in 2024, 55 Rohingyas among 700 illegal immigrants from Bangladesh were apprehended in Tripura and various contraband worth around Rs 50 crore seized by BSF alone.

A BSF spokesman said that the border guarding force has intensified its domination and operations along the 856 km India-Bangladesh border in Tripura to prevent infiltration, exfiltration, and trans-border crimes including smuggling of contrabands.

After the Bangladesh unrest began in June-July, BSF enhanced surveillance along the 4,096-km India-Bangladesh border with the neighbouring country to prevent trans-border crime and infiltration, the spokesman said.

The BSF, on a number of occasions, foiled several infiltration attempts by hundreds of Bangladeshi nationals comprising Hindus and Muslims.

Five Indian states share a border with Bangladesh: West Bengal (2216 km), Tripura (856 km), Meghalaya (443 km), Mizoram (318 km) and Assam ( 263 km)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. President Ilham Aliyev's interview with Dmitry Kiselev, Director General of the Rossiya Segodnya International News Agency, author, and host of the Vesti Nedeli program on the Rossiya-1 television channel, was full of important messages and signals. In the interview, where a number of topics were touched upon, the head of state voiced specific, consistent, and important answers.

Referring to the situation in the region and relations between Azerbaijan and Russia, President Ilham Aliyev noted that the situation in the region and the world as a whole has undergone significant changes. However, it has not affected the nature and form of cooperation between Russia and Azerbaijan.

Thanks to the far-sighted policy of the head of our state, today Russia and Azerbaijan are two reliable partners. Our countries cooperate effectively not only in the political plane but also in all spheres. This includes both political and economic spheres, as well as culture. It should be noted that the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Russia in the period from January through October of this year amounted to more than $3.9 billion, which is 14.5 percent more than the same period last year.

Talking about a possible conflict between Russia and NATO, the head of state expressed hope that things will not reach the point of a clear confrontation between NATO and Russia. As we know, if there is a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO countries, it could mean another world war. Such a scenario would not be positive for either Russia or NATO countries. In addition, third countries would undoubtedly suffer as well. Apart from causing damage, this war could be a source of some kind of danger for each country.

The possibility of establishing a Turkish military base on the territory of Azerbaijan was also touched upon in the interview. President Ilham Aliyev emphasized that there are no grounds for this. The Declaration on Allied Relations between Turkiye and Azerbaijan contains a clause that provides for mutual military assistance. This makes the establishment of permanent military infrastructures on this or that territory absolutely unnecessary.

In the interview, the head of state also touched upon the points hindering the conclusion of a peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The two countries have made great progress in the peace agreement. Of the 17 articles of this document, 15 have been agreed upon. So, President Ilham Aliyev made public what these two articles that have not been agreed upon are about. One of these articles is about refraining from filing international lawsuits against each other. The other one concerns the non-deployment of representatives of other countries on our border. Both articles cover important points. For example, Azerbaijan has recently completed the analysis of the damage caused. It is, as the head of state noted, the damage caused during the years of occupation exceeds $150 billion. Refraining from mutual lawsuits would be mutually acceptable. As for the second article, the issue is clear enough. Earlier it was agreed to deploy European Union observers on the border with us on the territory of Armenia with a limited contingent for two months. However, later, without our consent, the number of the contingent increased and the duration of the stay was extended. The EU observers were also joined by representatives of Canada, which was already done by NATO observers, not by the EU.

In other words, these two articles are important for Azerbaijan, and their harmonization is a condition for concluding a peace agreement.

The Head of State also touched upon the processes in Georgia, noting that the situation is stabilizing. Stressing that Georgia is a very important partner for Azerbaijan, the Head of State noted that destabilization, or the threat of destabilization, in Georgia, as harmful as it is for Georgia, is also harmful for Azerbaijan. Negative scenarios that may occur in Georgia may naturally have a negative impact on Azerbaijan as well. This is one of the reasons why our country is closely following the processes there. As the head of state emphasized, Georgia is an important factor in the battle for the Caucasus.

Referring to France's interference in the region, its unsuccessful policy, and the Macron regime's use of all possible ways to retain power, President Ilham Aliyev noted the factors hindering peace in the region and emphasized that France supplies arms to Armenia. The weapons that Macron's government is supplying to Armenia are offensive weapons, lethal weapons that pose a practical threat to Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani side has repeatedly conveyed its concerns in this regard not only to the French government but also to the US administration.

The unilateral support of the US to Armenia, which has abandoned a balanced approach in our region, does not serve security and stability in the region at all but, on the contrary, undermines the possibility of peace. As the head of state noted, our border with Armenia is more than a thousand kilometers long, many settlements are located in close proximity to the border, and former migrants are returning to most of these settlements. This means that Azerbaijan cannot be content with observing this process only from the outside.

In response, the Azerbaijani side is also increasing its military budget, and next year this budget will reach a record level of about $5 billion.

Azerbaijan has always been a supporter of peace in the region, but such rapid arming of Armenia forces us to increase our military budget and arm ourselves at a rapid pace. As President Ilham Aliyev pointed out, Armenia cannot sustain an arms race with us, despite receiving most of its weapons from the West either for free or on credit, which will, of course, eventually be forgiven.

Naturally, France supports Armenia and arms it for its own personal purposes. The Macron regime seeks to have influence in the South Caucasus and does so not by maintaining peace in the region but by trying to create a new conflict. That is, Paris' attempts to increase its influence in the region are often aimed not at resolving existing conflicts but at fomenting them. This approach does not and will not serve regional stability and long-term peace.

Azer Garayev, political analyst
Belagavi : , Dec 20 (IANS) A Karnataka district court on Friday directed the police to produce BJP MLC, C.T. Ravi, before the Special Court for MLAs/MPs in Bengaluru.

The Belagavi court judge Sparsha M D'souza passed the order on Friday in this regard transferring the case to the Special Court.

C.T. Ravi was arrested on charges of allegedly using derogatory words against Minister for Women and Child Welfare, Laxmi Hebbalkar, in the Legislative Council on Thursday.

C.T. Ravi was produced before the court on Friday morning.

Following the order, C.T. Ravi is being brought to Bengaluru from Belagavi on a transit warrant.

BJP leaders, including state President B.Y. Vijayendra, Leader of Opposition R. Ashoka and BJP MLAs are following the police convoy in their vehicles.

The prosecution had made a submission to the court requesting for producing the accused before the Special Court for MLAs/MPs.

The court, consenting to the request asked the police on how much time it's going to take to reach Bengaluru.

The police submitted that if by road the travel time was 12 hours and by air it was two hours.

The court further directed that barring the time of journey, C.T. Ravi should be produced before the Special Court judge without any delay after reaching Bengaluru.

The court also directed the police to ensure smooth transit without any trouble.

While coming out from the court, C.T. Ravi stated, "Our day will also come. They had kept me in custody throughout the night as if we were living under dictatorship. I was taken into custody without issuing a notice to me. This dictatorship won't last long. It has to end. A full stop will be placed on everything. The police were used to torture me and we will also get a chance."

Meanwhile, the counsel for C.T. Ravi has submitted a bail petition before the Special Court and also in the sessions court.

Counsel Srinivas Rao has submitted the bail plea.

Earlier, C.T. Ravi stated to the court that he was assaulted and tortured by the policemen in custody. C.T. Ravi claimed that the police took him to three districts for 10 hours, throughout the night.

"The cops took me to isolated places and sugarcane fields," he added.

Ravi further stated in the court that he was assaulted in the Khanapur police station on the head and he was bleeding.

When asked whether he would be able to identify those police personnel, Ravi expressed his 'inability' in doing the same.
Bhopal, Dec 20 : The Winter Session of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly was adjourned sine die on Friday after a high-voltage drama from the members of both ruling and opposition parties over the scuffle outside Parliament.

On the fifth day, soon after the House proceedings began, senior BJP MLA Sitasharan Sharma raised Thursday's incident on Parliament premises and accused Congress MP and LoP in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi of indulging in violence.

Congress MLA and the LoP in the state Assembly, Umang Singhar, objected, saying the House can't discuss this issue as the person (Rahul Gandhi) is not a member of this House.

Instead, the Congress MLAs, who were present in the House sporting blue scarves and Constitution copies, stood up from their benches, shouted slogans and reiterated their demand to seek an apology from the BJP over an alleged insulting remark on B. R. Ambedkar in Parliament.

For a short moment, the members from both sides came face-to-face, accusing each other of insulting Ambedkar, which prompted Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar to adjourn the House sine die.

Later, Cooperation Minister Vishwas Sargang accused the Opposition members of disrespecting the national anthem.

He said, "When the national anthem was played in the House, Congress members started protesting there. It is an insult to the Constitution and national anthem."

Notably, on Thursday, a protest over an alleged insulting remark on Dr Ambedkar turned out to be ugly as two Lok Sabha MPs were injured during a scuffle that broke out between ruling and opposition members at Parliament premises.

Later, both sides filed complaints against each other.

Later, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that the BJP MPs were protesting outside the Parliament gate where Rahul Gandhi with a few of his MPs physically assaulted them.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : Foetus suffering from major congenital heart defects (MCHDs) may triple the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preeclampsia and preterm birth, finds a study.

MCHDs occur in approximately 1 in 100 live births, and can negatively impact both the health of the mother and the long-term outcomes for the child.

Researchers from the Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen showed that about 23 per cent of pregnancies affected by foetal MCHD also result in adverse obstetric outcomes including preeclampsia, preterm birth, fetal growth restriction, and placental abruption.

The findings were based on data from 534,170 pregnancies, including 745 cases complicated by foetal MCHDs in Denmark. Pregnancies resulting in live births after 24 gestational weeks and without chromosomal aberrations were included in the study.

The study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, also assessed 11 MCHD subtypes, including univentricular heart, transposition of the great arteries (TGA), and atrioventricular septal defect.

Data on the obstetric risk profile for specific MCHD subtypes are limited and thus slow down the development of preventive interventions.

Pregnancies complicated by MCHDs suffered an adverse obstetric outcome rate of 22.8 per cent.

While foetal growth restriction occurred in 6.7 per cent of MCHD pregnancies, a higher prevalence of preeclampsia was found in 6.2 per cent of MCHD pregnancies.

They also found a 15.7 per cent increased risk of preterm births in MCHD pregnancies. While Placental abruption was rare it showed a significant trend toward higher incidence 0.9 per cent.

All MCHD subtypes, except TGA, were associated with significantly higher odds of the composite adverse outcome. The highest risk was observed in pregnancies with truncus arteriosus, pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum, and Ebstein anomaly.

The team also confirmed the findings with a meta-analysis of 5,993 cases of MCHDs. Notably, pregnancies with fetal TGA did not exhibit elevated risks of preeclampsia, preterm birth, or fetal growth restriction, the findings showed.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : NDA leaders on Friday condemned Samajwadi Party (SP) Rajya Sabha MP, Jaya Bachchan for her remarks accusing injured BJP MPs and Nagaland BJP MP Phangnon Konyak of "acting" and suggesting they "deserved Oscars" for their performances.

Bachchan's comments came after a heated confrontation in Parliament on Thursday during an INDIA bloc protest against alleged disrespect towards Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.

The BJP accused the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, of deliberately pushing BJP MPs Pratap Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput, who reportedly sustained injuries.

However, LoP Rahul Gandhi has denied the allegations and was quoted by media reports as saying that he was also pushed during the face-off with the BJP MPs.

Nagaland BJP MP Phangnon Konyak also alleged that the LoP "shouted" at her and came close, leaving her feeling "uncomfortable."

Addressing reporters during the INDIA bloc protest, Bachchan said, "We were proceeding towards the House, but these (NDA) leaders blocked our way at the stairs. If someone gets a slight push in such a situation, it's natural for them to fall."

"Sarangi ji, Rajput ji, and the MP from Nagaland have delivered better performances than I ever did in my acting career. They deserve Oscars and all the awards for their acting. This was as scripted as any film," she added.

Labelling the incident as "man-made," Bachchan accused the BJP of relying on "baseless allegations" to divert from the insult to Dr Ambedkar and the protests over it.

NDA leaders swiftly rebuked the SP MP's remarks, accusing her of insensitivity and undermining women parliamentarians.

Speaking to IANS, BJP MP Kamaljeet Sehrawat said, "She comes from a world where everything seems cinematic to her. She enjoys creating drama, even when the Speaker addresses her by name."

Sehrawat explained that INDIA bloc protests had been ongoing near Parliament gates, with NDA members using side passages.

"Yesterday, for the first time, the NDA demonstrated against the INDIA bloc's cheap politics. Instead of using the safe passage, Rahul Gandhi pushed through the crowd, even though a safe passage was created, causing injuries to our MPs, who had to be hospitalised," she said.

Taking a jab at Bachchan's "deserve Oscars" remark, Sehrawat added, "The people of this country are already awarding the BJP. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's third term is our award."

LJP (RV) MP, Shambhavi Choudhary condemned Bachchan for questioning Konyak's account, saying, "This reflects her mindset. Parliament is a safe space for women MPs, and if any woman MP raises her voice about feeling uncomfortable, it must be respected. Calling it a drama is highly inappropriate."

"Everything happened on camera. Pratap Sarangi received five stitches, is that a 'drama' too? Such remarks undermine the dignity of women representatives," she told IANS.

Speaking to IANS, Union Minister of State, B.L. Verma, accused LoP Rahul Gandhi of recklessly pushing through the crowd.

"Hundreds of MPs and the media witnessed it. Pratap Sarangi was pushed, and I personally helped Mukesh Rajput, who got hurt," he said.

Verma questioned how Bachchan would react if someone dismissed her injuries as "drama."

"Would she tolerate it if a similar comment was made about her?" he asked.

NDA leaders stressed that the incident, recorded on cameras, speaks for itself and urged the Opposition to uphold parliamentary decorum instead of dismissing serious issues with derogatory remarks.
Nagpur/Mumbai, Dec 20 : The Maha Vikas Aghadi allies continued protests against Union Home Minister Amit Shah for his remarks on B. R. Ambedkar, while the Mumbai Police booked several Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) leaders for vandalism at Mumbai Congress party office on Friday.

MVA allies Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (SP)-Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders and legislators staged vociferous protests outside the Maharashtra Legislature in Nagpur, carrying photos of Dr Ambedkar, raising full-throated slogans slamming Shah and demanding an apology.

The placards carried slogans like 'Then We Fought the White Rulers, Now We Fight the BJP Goons', 'Bhakt Goonda Party', 'First They Broke Parties, Now They Destroy Party Offices'.

SS (UBT)'s Leader of Opposition in Council Ambadas Danve, Aditya Thackeray, Congress' Nana Patole, Vijay Wadettiwar, Dr Nitin Raut, Jyoti E. Gaikwad, NCP (SP)'s, and other legislators joined the standing protests outside the legislature.

Patole also targeted BJP for starting a fake narrative by accusing Congress' Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi of pushing around some BJP MPs outside the Parliament on Thursday.

"They claimed to have evidence of this but so far, there is no such video. Shah has committed the sin of insulting Dr Ambedkar and the Constitution which has generated huge anger among the masses all over the country. The BJP is diverting from the issues by attacking Rahul Gandhi" said Patole.

NCP (SP)'s leader Dr Jitendra Awhad and SS (UBT)'s Aditya Thackeray criticised the Centre for filing FIRs against Rahul Gandhi and accused BJP of adopting diversionary tactics while reiterating the MVA's demand for Shah's resignation or sacking from the Cabinet.

Wadettiwar claimed that BJP has "blurted out what was always in its heart" and the extent of their hatred for Dr Ambedkar is evident from Shah's comments.

Patole added that the BJP doesn't want any discussions on such issues in Parliament but is targeting two leaders (former PMs Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi), who sacrificed themselves for the unity and integrity of the country.

On Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' statements that Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra and Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra had links with Maoist groups, Patole retorted that if it were so, "then why did he fail to take action" when the two processions passed through Maharashtra.

"If Fadnavis indeed had such information, he should have acted if he was an efficient Home Minister The truth is that he and BJP cannot tolerate the immense popularity of Rahul Gandhi and the epochal BJY-BJNY so it is indulging in this kind of false propaganda," said an irked Patole.

They also condemned the 'hooliganism' of the BJYM  the youth wing of Bharatiya Janata Party  activists who indulged in vandalism at Congress headquarters at Mumbai's Azad Maidan.

The Congress Mumbai held a separate demonstration on Friday to condemn the BJYM action of December 19, and many were detained and packed off in police vehicles.

Meanwhile, following a complaint lodged by Congress city working president Mandar Pawar, the Azad Maidan Police Station has registered cases against the BJYM city chief Tejindar Tiwana and another three dozen activists for Thursday's mayhem.
Hyderabad, Dec 20 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) appears set to begin an investigation into the Formula-E race case against Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Working President and former Telangana minister K. T. Rama Rao.

The ED on Friday wrote to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), seeking a copy of the First Information Report (FIR) and other documents related to the case.

The central agency is likely to register the case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against K.T. Rama Rao and others, after receiving FIR and other details.

Sources said the ED will register an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) under the PMLA.

The ACB Thursday registered a case against KTR and two others alleged financial irregularities linked to the Formula-E race held in Hyderabad in February 2023.

The case relates to the alleged unauthorised transfer of Rs 55 crore from the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) to Formula E Operations (FEO) without proper approvals.

The FIR was registered under Sections 13(1)(A) and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, along with Sections 409 and 120(B) of the Indian Penal Code.

It is alleged that on the direction of then Industry Minister Rama Rao, the HMDA paid Rs 55 crore to a foreign company in violation of RBI guidelines. The payments were reportedly made without obtaining approvals from the Cabinet or the Finance Department.

The ACB named KTR, as Rao is popularly known, as accused number one in the FIR. IAS officer and then HMDA Commissioner Arvind Kumar and former HMDA Chief Engineer B.L.N. Reddy have been named as accused number two and three respectively.

The ACB registered the FIR a few days after Governor Jishnu Dev Varma gave permission to try KTR on a request made by the state government.

The BRS leader has denied the allegations of corruption. He asked the Congress government to explain where the corruption was when the organisers confirmed that they received Rs 55 crore from the HMDA.

KTR has filed a petition in the Telangana High Court, seeking orders to quash the FIR registered by the ACB.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : Accusing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of insulting B.R. Ambedkar, BJP National Spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari on Friday said that the party replaced Babasaheb Ambedkar's picture with that of Arvind Kejriwal in a popular visual depicting the Constitution and its creator.

"This is an insult to Baba Saheb Ambedkar. AAP replaces Baba Saheb Ambedkar's picture with Arvind Kejriwal's picture. AAP is anti-Constitution. AAP is Anti SC. AAP hates Baba Saheb Ambedkar," said Bhandari in a message on social media handle X.

The poster or collage objected to by Bhandari shows Kejriwal in the foreground, virtually, superimposing the former Delhi chief minister's photo on the Constitution. The visual has been circulated on the official X handles of the AAP.

While calling out Kejriwal for disrespecting B.R. Ambedkar, the BJP spokesman sought to expose the former Delhi Chief Minister's double standards on the Dalit icon and his contribution to creating the Constitution.

Bhandari's fresh attack on Kejriwal, purportedly to expose the AAP as an opportunist party looking to politically encash B.R. Ambedkaras legacy, comes a day after Delhi's ruling party held a protest.

In response, the Delhi BJP's SC and ST Morcha workers on Thursday staged protests at four locations seeking an apology from the Congress and others for disrespecting B.R. Ambedkar.

The BJP has also aggressively countered protests by the AAP and other Opposition parties over Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks which were termed "disrespectful".

Earlier on Wednesday, HM Shah accused the Congress of twisting his remarks. He said that last week, both Houses of Parliament, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, held a special discussion to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Constitution.

He said that this discussion highlighted the nation's 75-year journey of pride, development, and achievements. While it is natural for leaders and speakers from the ruling and Opposition parties to have differing perspectives during such discussions in Parliament, the countryas highest forum should always be based on facts and truth, he said.

"However, the Congress has been distorting facts and attempting to misrepresent the truth, which is highly deplorable," said HM Shah, strongly condemning this act.

HM Shah said that the Congress has distorted the statement he made in the Rajya Sabha.

"Twisting statements, creating uproar, and spreading confusion in society have always been Congress' old habits," he said.

"Previously, the Congress also edited and misrepresented the statements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During the recent Lok Sabha elections, my statement was edited by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and maliciously misused for propaganda across the country a" a vile act carried out by the Congress," he said, addressing mediapersons.
Kolkata, Dec 20 : The Calcutta High Court on Friday rejected the state government's objections on the venue for the sit-in protest by the West Bengal Joint Platform of Doctors, an association of senior doctors, against the default bail granted to two accused of tampering with the evidence in the case of the ghastly rape and murder of a woman junior doctor of R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital within the hospital premises in August.

Kolkata, Dec 20 (IANS) The Calcutta High Court on Friday rejected the state governmentas objections on the venue for the sit-in protest by the West Bengal Joint Platform of Doctors, an association of senior doctors, against the default bail granted to two accused of tampering with the evidence in the case of the ghastly rape and murder of a woman junior doctor of R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital within the hospital premises in August.

The single-judge bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh on Thursday already gave permission to the doctorsa body to hold the sit-in-demonstration at Doreena Crossing in central Kolkata.

At the same time, the bench gave the opportunity to the administration to furnish its views by Friday on the possible restrictions on the programme.

However, on Friday, the counsel for the state government objected to the venue of the demonstration on grounds of traffic congestion on occasions of Christmas and New Yearas Eve and suggested an alternative location in the area for the event.

However, Justice Ghosh refused to accept the argument and said that when he had already given permission on Thursday for the demonstration to be conducted at Doreena Crossing, there was no reason for the administration to raise objections on the venue.

He advised the state administration to raise a seven-foot tall guardrail around the protest venue and ensure the protesters stayed within the enclosure during the protest period. He also said that under no circumstance, the protest programme can be extended beyond December 26.

He also ruled that the protesters should not make any objectionable comment from the protest venue or do anything that might hamper the festive mood of the city in this part of the year.

Justice Ghosh also ruled that under no circumstance the number of protesters assembling at the venue should exceed 250.

Last week, a special court in Kolkata granted default bail to the former and controversial principal of R.G. Kar Sandip Ghosh and the former SHO of Tala Police Station Abhijit Mondal as the CBI failed to file the supplementary charge sheet against the two within 90 days from the day of their arrests. Both were accused of misleading the investigation and tampering with evidence while the initial investigation was being carried out by Kolkata Police. Following the development, the representatives of the medical fraternity in the state as well as the victimas parents accused the CBI of gross incompetence
Bengaluru, Dec 20 : The Karnataka unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday staged a statewide protest condemning the arrest of MLC C.T. Ravi over alleged 'derogatory remark' against Minister for Women and Child Welfare Laxmi Hebbalkar.

A massive protest was organised by the BJP at the Freedom Park in Bengaluru. The protest was led by Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy.

The protesters condemned the arrest of former minister and Legislative Council member C.T. Ravi.

Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy; former Deputy Chief Minister C.N. Ashwath Narayan; former minister Byrathi Basavaraj; MLA Ravi Subramanya; Legislative Council member Gopinath Reddy; BJP Yuva Morcha State General Secretary and MLA Harish Poonja, Bengaluru South District President and MLA C.K. Ramamurthy, BJP Yuva Morcha State President and MLA Dheeraj Muniraj and others were detained and taken away by the police.

Meanwhile, taking part in the agitation in Belagavi city, state unit BJP president and party legislator B.Y. Vijayendra alleged that "the Congress-led government in the state enabled party goons to enter Suvarna Soudha and assault C.T. Ravi".

Chaos and drama unfolded on 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 called the woman Minister a p@#%^&*@^e.

Meanwhile, addressing the Congress-led Karnataka government, Vijayendra said: "You beat farmers, you lathi-charge members of the Panchamasali community. Ignoring the Speaker's ruling, you attacked C.T. Ravi and then had him arrested by the police.

"They made him travel about 500 kilometers throughout the night, forcibly taking him to places like Gadag, Ramdurg, and Dharwad. The people are questioning this government's policy of abusing elected representatives. The Congress party is committing a murder of democracy."

Vijayendra claimed that C.T. Ravi was not provided 'a glass of water'.

He accused the police of acting under pressure from the Congress.

"Siddaramaiah, power is not permanent. You are displaying the arrogance of power, and in your intoxication with authority, you are attacking us. Remember, power is not forever," he said, adding that "C.T. Ravi was treated like a terrorist with the support of the state government".

"The police did not even register C.T. Ravi's complaint. Our party workers protested all night in front of the police station. Ravi sustained a head injury, and they didn't even take him to the hospital," he said.

Deputy Leader Aravind Bellad, State General Secretary Sunil Kumar, and other local leaders participated in the protest.
Srinagar, Dec 20 : Senior religious leader and separatist Hurriyat Conference Chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was placed under house arrest in J&K's Srinagar on Friday to prevent him from delivering the weekly sermon at the Jamia Mosque in the old city, sources close to the cleric claimed.

Although there has been no official word on it, sources in the Anjuman-e-Nusratul Islam, the socio-religious organisation headed by Mirwaiz Umar, said he had been placed under house arrest in his Nigeen residence on the outskirts of the city.

The sources said a posse of police posted outside his house refused to let the Mirwaiz move outside his house.

Mirwaiz Umar has been in house arrest most of the time since 2019 and his weekly sermons at the Jamia Mosque take place only when he is allowed to move out of his home.

The administration has not issued any statement on whether the Mirwaiz is under house arrest or not.

The separate conglomerate, All Parties Hurriyat Conference was formed in 1993 and Mirwaiz Umar was chosen as its first Chairman. Senior hardline separatist leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani formed his own Hurriyat group in September 2003.

Mirwaiz Umar, however, continued to lead his own group of the conglomerate. He also heads Anjuman-e-Nusratul Islam which manages the affairs of the Jamia Masjid in the old city's Nowhatta area in addition to running the historic Islamia School in Rajouri Kadal area of Srinagar.

In 1899, the then Mirwaiz, Molvi Rasool Shah formed this organisation. The organisation, started in a cottage, later became a prominent educational organisation that imparted both secular and religious education to Kashmiris. In addition to his religious duties, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has been closely associated with social and educational work. He himself had schooling in the Christian missionary Burnhall School in Srinagar.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. The Western Azerbaijan Community has urged the Armenian government to honor the right of Azerbaijanis to return, promptly halt its militarized program, and eliminate territorial claims from the nation's principal documents, the community said in a recent statement, Trend reports.

The statement highlights that in an interview with the Armenian ARMENPRESS News Agency on December 19, 2024, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan made multiple erroneous assertions concerning the bilateral relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as the matter of Western Azerbaijan.

The community emphasized that the Prime Minister's endeavor to characterize the repatriation of Western Azerbaijanis to their homeland as territorial assertions, together with his rejection of the designation "Western Azerbaijan," is entirely baseless.

The statement indicates that the Western Azerbaijan Community is striving to attain a peaceful return in accordance with international legal norms and principles, encompassing the territorial integrity and sovereignty of states.

"The community officially appealed to the Armenian government with a proposal for dialogue. The fact that the Western Azerbaijanis, who suffered ethnic cleansing, discrimination, violations of property rights, and other abuses by the Armenian government, took the first step and initiated dialogue shows that they are supporters of reconciliation and peace. Regrettably, the Armenian government has not responded to the community's proposal for dialogue.

We would like to remind Nikol Pashinyan, who tries to justify his militarization policy as a sovereign choice, that Armenia, deeply rooted in a revisionist and radical ideology, is incapable of handling military force responsibly. Given this and Armenia's aggressive past, its unrestricted armament must be avoided.

The refusal of Nikol Pashinyan to exclude territorial claims from Armenia's Constitution, as well as his statements about alleged 'territorial claims' of Azerbaijan towards Armenia in the Constitution, show that he is not interested in signing a peace agreement," the statement reads.

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Chandigarh, Dec 20 : Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatraya on Friday expressed grief over the demise of former Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala.

In his condolence message, Governor Dattatraya described Chautala as a seasoned politician and visionary leader who dedicated his life to the service of the people of Haryana.

"Om Prakash Chautala's contributions to the development of Haryana and his commitment to the welfare of its people particularly 'kisaans' (farmers) will always be remembered. His demise is a great loss to the state and its people," said Dattatraya.

Recalling his personal experience with Chautala, the Governor said: "When I was Union Urban Development Minister, Chautala was the CM of Haryana. He met me regarding the development of the National Capital Region.

"During the meeting of the NCR Development Board, Chautala, who was also a member, used to share his valuable insights and vision about the region's all-round development," the Governor said.

"Despite age, Chautala was active in public life. Only recently, I met his son Abhay Chautala at Raj Bhavan. I inquired about Om Prakash Chautala's health and conveyed my best wishes to him," he said.

Dattatraya spoke to Abhay and extended his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family members and prayed for strength to help them endure this irreparable loss.

"May the departed soul rest in eternal peace," added Dattatraya.

Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) president and five-time Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, whose family ruled the state's dusty and defection-ridden politics for decades largely in rural areas with predominant Jat voters, died in Gurugram after a cardiac arrest.

The 89-year-old leader suffered a cardiac arrest at his home and was rushed to Medanta Hospital but he passed away.

Family said the elderly Chautala would be cremated at Teja Khera in Sirsa district on Saturday afternoon. His body would be kept there from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. for people to pay respects.
Patna, Dec 20 : The two-day Bihar Business Connect 2024 witnessed the signing of memoranda of understanding (MoUs) for investments to the tune of Rs 1.8 lakh crore in the state by leading industrial groups of the country, Bihar Industries & Tourism Minister Nitish Mishra said on Friday.

The proposed investments represent a three-fold jump over the corresponding figure for the maiden investor summit held in Bihar last year.

The Adani Group which has emerged as the largest investor in the state unveiled investment plans of Rs 29,700 crore while Sun Petrochemicals proposes to invest Rs 36,700 crore and public sector giant NHPC has lined up 5,500 crore for the renewable energy sector.

Other MoUs that were signed at the Bihar Business Connect 2024 include SLMG Beverages for Rs 3,000 crore in the food processing sector, Shree Cements plans Rs 800 crore in the general manufacturing category while Haldiram Snacks Pvt Ltd has proposed an investment of Rs 300 crore in food processing sector.

Adani Enterprises Director Pranav Adani said that the Group plans to invest around Rs 20,000 crore to set up an ultra-supercritical thermal power plant, and another Rs 2,500 crore in setting up cement manufacturing plants. The power project is expected to open up at least 12,000 job vacancies in the pre-commissioning phase  and also lead to around 1,500 skilled jobs during the operational phase, he added.

Besides, the group has lined up investments in the infrastructure sector and city gas distribution projects.

During the second day of the Bihar Business Connect 2024, Dilip Shanghvi, Managing Director of Sun Petrochemical, announced a transformative investment of Rs 36,700 crore in renewable energy and storage infrastructure in Bihar.

"This initiative, aimed at strengthening green infrastructure and aligning with the Central government's renewable energy focus, is projected to create over 30,000 jobs in the state," he said.

The summit itself has been a remarkable success, attracting 850 representatives from Indian and international companies. Over 350 companies are expected to sign Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with the Bihar government, the minister said.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday revealed that New Delhi has taken "seriously" the latest threat issued by the US-based Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun against India's Ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra and raised it accordingly with the authorities in Washington.

In a recent video, Pannun threatened that Kwatra is on the radar of pro-Khalistani Sikhs in America for allegedly coordinating with Russian authorities, who in turn were providing inputs to Indian intelligence agencies on the Khalistani network in the United States.

"As and when such threats are issued, we take them very seriously and raise them with the US government. In this particular case also, we have raised it with the US government and it is our expectation that the United States government will take our security concerns seriously and act on it," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during a weekly media briefing in New Delhi on Friday.

A former Foreign Secretary, Kwatra took charge as India's Ambassador to the United States in August this year, succeeding Taranjit Singh Sandhu.

His appointment came at a time when Khalistani separatists continue to target Hindu community in the country and also the Indian missions.

Khalistanis have been found to be involved in incidents of defacement of temples, including in California and New York, and also in acts of arson and vandalism at the Indian embassy in San Francisco.

Several lawmakers, including Shri Thanedar - a Democrat elected to the House of Representatives from Michigan state - have raised alarm over the "substantial increase" in attacks on Hindus and their places of worship in the United States.

The lawmaker had recently expressed frustration with the investigating agency for their failure to find the culprits behind the incidents at the temples and the consulate.

"It appears to be a very coordinated effort to attack these places of worship which has created a lot of fear in the community. And often what we have seen is that the law enforcement, the local law enforcement enters into these investigations and rarely any suspects have been identified, and that investigation goes nowhere.

aWhat that does is that it leaves the community feeling like nobody cares about them. Nobody reports back to them on what's going on. And that means that the community continues to live in fear, the computing community continues to live in an adverse situation with essentially no help from law enforcement," he said.

The lawmaker went on to state that he and his colleagues are asking the US Department of Justice for "coordinated efforts between the local law enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Department of Justice, and higher priority needs to be assigned to such hate crimes against this peaceful community".
Bengaluru, Dec 20 : The TCI-IIMB Supply Chain Sustainability Lab at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB), has become the first organisation in India to achieve ISO 14083 certification for its groundbreaking digital platform the Transportation Emissions Measurement Tool (TEMT).

The TCI-IIMB Supply Chain Sustainability Lab was founded in collaboration with the Transport Corporation of India (TCI).

The certification underscores the platformas ability to accurately quantify and report greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from freight transportation activities, helping organisations to measure, manage, and ultimately reduce their transportation-related emissions in line with regulatory requirements and sustainability goals.

Organisations need robust tools to measure their emissions before they can take meaningful action to reduce them. The TEMT, with its certified emissions factors across multiple transport modes, empowers organisations to quantify and report emissions accurately, setting the stage for effective emission-reduction strategies.

In India, the transportation sector is responsible for around 14 per cent of the country's total GHG emissions, with freight transportation accounting for nearly 40 per cent of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions within this sector.

Without intervention or cleaner technologies, transportation emissions are projected to increase by 4-fold between 2016 and 2050, potentially reaching 1.17 billion tonnes of CO2 by 2050 and would increase the share of transport in total emissions to 19 per cent. Accurate measurement is the critical first step toward mitigating these emissions.

ISO 14083, developed by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), provides a global standard for quantifying GHG emissions from transport operations.

Applicable to road, rail, air, maritime, and inland waterway transport, it covers fuel combustion and electricity consumption. The standard outlines calculation methods, data requirements, and reporting guidelines, offering a standardised framework for tracking emissions and enabling organisations to make informed decisions on emission-reduction strategies.

NICDC Logistics Data Services Limited (NLDSL), a subsidiary of the National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC) under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has integrated ISO 14083 emission factors API into its flagship programme, the Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP).

This integration enables users to seamlessly calculate emissions from freight activities, promoting transparency and sustainability in logistics operations.

Girish Kumar Surpur, CEO and Director, NICDC Logistics Data Services, mentioned that as NLDSL continues to innovate for a sustainable future, ULIPas Carbon Emissions API, developed in collaboration with - TCI-IIMB Supply Chain Sustainability Lab at IIM Bangalore empowers trade and logistics players to measure the environmental impact of their transportation activities.

By calculating the emissions and utilising other data sources available with ULIP -- companies now can develop tools necessary for informed, actionable decisions on sustainability including modal shifts. Together, we can drive meaningful change towards a lower-carbon logistics ecosystem.

The TEMT is a comprehensive online platform designed to measure emissions across all modes of transportation. It integrates India-specific emission factors, validated through ISO 14083 certification, ensuring data accuracy and relevance.

The tool allows users to calculate emissions for both past and future shipments and compare emissions between different transport modes for a given origin-destination pair. It also offers users the flexibility to build customized transportation chains, with all past entries securely stored in the cloud for easy monthly tracking and year-over-year comparison.

The platform is commodity-agnostic, meaning it applies to all types of shipments.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : Several political leaders, particularly from the Opposition, have welcomed Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat's statement condemning certain Hindu leaders for raising issues about new Hindu sites driven by hate and enmity.

However, they expressed skepticism about the actions of the Sangh Parivar and its affiliates.

Congress leader Husain Dalwai, speaking to IANS, lauded Bhagwat's remarks but questioned the RSS' role in ongoing societal tensions. "Mohan Bhagwat's statement is correct, but what about the violence against Muslims -- mob lynchings, demolitions of their homes, and other oppressive acts? These actions are carried out by those who follow RSS ideology. Why is nothing done to stop them?" he told IANS.

Dalwai urged Bhagwat to take a stronger stand against divisive forces within his organisation.

"I respect Mohan Bhagwat. The RSS wields immense influence and could expel such elements, but it doesn't. Bhagwat ji must clarify what Hindutva truly represents -- is it about coexistence, or is it against Muslims? Which Hindutva does he believe in?"

He criticised the RSS, claiming its ideology fosters division.

"They teach four things -- lying, oppressing society, inciting violence, and using nationalism in the name of Hindutva. These are harmful to the country's unity," Dalwai said.

Maharashtra Congress leader Naseem Khan also welcomed Bhagwat's statement but expressed doubts about its implementation.

"It's good to hear such remarks, but what is their impact? India today faces widespread conflict -- Muslims are being targeted, mob lynchings continue, and even the Constitution is under attack," he told IANS.

Khan highlighted the disconnect between Bhagwat's statements and actions on the ground. "The RSS speaks of unity but practices division. The people causing these disturbances are closely tied to the Sangh Parivar," he remarked.

NCP (SP) leader and former MP Majeed Memon echoed these concerns. While appreciating Bhagwat's statement, he expressed frustration over the lack of action. "Bhagwat often makes good statements, but they are rarely implemented. He should address these issues within the RSS and ensure real change rather than publicity," Memon told IANS.

Memon criticised the government for its treatment of Muslims. "The Prime Minister's slogan of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' feels like a conspiracy. Muslim homes are bulldozed, mosques demolished, and they are vilified as terrorists. Bhagwat's words need to translate into action," he said.

Samajwadi Party MP Iqra Choudhary also welcomed Bhagwat's remarks, calling upon other BJP leaders to follow suit. "It's surprising to hear such a statement from Mohan Bhagwat. I hope this signals a shift. The country needs to focus on real public issues rather than exploiting religion for political gain," Choudhary told IANS.

While leaders have broadly welcomed Bhagwat's comments, they remain cautious, emphasizing the need for tangible steps on the ground to address societal divisions and uphold secular values.

Earlier on Thursday at an event in Pune, Bhagwat expressed concern over the resurgence of temple-mosque disputes across the nation, slamming individuals who exploit such issues to project themselves as "leaders of Hindus".

"The Ram Temple was about faith, and Hindus wanted it built. But raising disputes about new sites out of hate is unacceptable," he said, adding, "Some people think they can become leaders of Hindus by creating new controversies. How is this allowed?"

He further condemned acts of extremism and religious intolerance, asserting that such behaviour is against India's cultural ethos. "Forcefulness and disrespect toward other religions are not part of our culture," Bhagwat stated.
Raipur, Dec 20 : Amid ongoing tensions surrounding the scuffle within the Parliament premises and the subsequent FIR lodged against Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, senior Congress leader and former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has demanded that CCTV footage of the incident be made public.

Speaking to IANS, Baghel questioned the absence of CCTV evidence despite the high-security coverage of the Parliament complex. He stated, "Even 24 hours after the incident, there is no CCTV footage. Every corner of the Parliament complex is under surveillance. This is clearly a fabricated allegation aimed at defaming Rahul Gandhi and distracting the public from real issues. They will go to any lengths to achieve this."

Baghel also targeted Union Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing him of making 'inflammatory' remarks.

"Whatever is in their hearts has come out through the mouth of Amit Shah. The BJP neither respects the Constitution nor its architect, Dr BR Ambedkar. That is why such derogatory remarks were made against Ambedkar. Our party president and Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, have demanded Amit Shah's resignation and a public apology," Baghel told IANS.

The altercation occurred during separate protests held by Members of Parliament from both the BJP and the Congress, each accusing the other of disrespecting Dalit icon B.R. Ambedkar. According to BJP, two MPs were injured during the incident, alleging that Rahul Gandhi physically assaulted and incited others. An FIR was subsequently lodged against him based on a BJP complaint.

The Congress has categorically denied the accusations. Rahul Gandhi responded, stating that BJP members were the aggressors, claiming they pushed and threatened him while he was attempting to enter Parliament House. The Congress also lodged a complaint in connection with the matter.

Talking about the law and order situation in Chhattisgarh, Baghel criticised the state government's track record under the BJP, highlighting concerns over the safety of marginalised communities.

"The law and order situation in Chhattisgarh is appalling. There have been numerous incidents that reflect this. Under this government, neither tribals nor Dalits are safe," he remarked.
Raigad : , Dec 20 (IANS) At least five persons were killed and another 27 injured when a private luxury bus carrying a marriage party lost control and overturned in the Tamhini Ghat section of Raigad district on Friday, officials said.

The bus, owned by Purple Travels, was headed from Lohegaon in Pune district to Birwadi village in Mahad (Raigad) carrying people going to attend a marriage ceremony when the disaster struck.

The victims include three women and two men, while the injured have been rushed to the Mangaon Rural Hospital and other medicare facilities in Raigad.

The fatalities include Sangita Dhananjay Jadhav, Vandana Jadhav, Shilpa Pradeep Pawar, Gaurav Ashok Darade and another unidentified male member who was part of the wedding team of the Jadhav clan.

According to preliminary information, the bus was speeding from Lohegaon to Birwadi in the ghat sections, but while negotiating a sharp curve on the highway, the driver allegedly lost control of the vehicle.

Moments later, around 9.30 a.m. the bus toppled to the sides on the sloping route, overturned, and crashed beside the road as many of the injured occupants screamed for help.

Some local villagers and others rushed to render assistance and informed the Mangaon Police which also reached the spot with rescue teams and medical aid, plus cleared the traffic.

Many of the injured victims were trapped inside the bus and were taken out by the rescuers and shifted to hospital, while five of them had succumbed instantly in the accident, said an official of Mangaon Police Station.

During the rescue operation, the survivors attired in their wedding finery were seen sitting beside the highway, wailing at the shocking tragedy and loss of lives of their near and dear ones, all bound for an auspicious marriage function, which turned into a tearful affair.
Mumbai, Dec 20 : Citing weak grounds for a challenge, the Bombay High Court on Friday dismissed a petition against the Maharashtra government's decision on the Dharavi slum redevelopment project in Mumbai and upheld the tender awarded to Adani Properties Private Limited.

Mumbai, Dec 20 (IANS) Citing weak grounds for a challenge, the Bombay High Court on Friday dismissed a petition against the Maharashtra governmentas decision on the Dharavi slum redevelopment project in Mumbai and upheld the tender awarded to Adani Properties Private Limited.

A division bench of Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar dismissed a petition filed by UAE-based Seclink Technologies Corporation, saying: "The grounds raised in the petition lack force and effort. The challenge to the government's action of cancelling the earlier tender and issuing a fresh tender award fails."

The Adani Group had emerged as the highest bidder for the 259-hectare Dharavi Redevelopment Project and bagged it with its Rs 5,069-crore offer in the 2022 tender process.

In the first tender issued in 2018, the petitioner company had emerged as the highest bidder with its Rs 7,200-crore offer.

The Eknath Shinde government had cancelled the 2018 tender and issued a fresh one in 2022 with additional conditions. The state government decided to include 45 acres of railway land in the project for slum rehabilitation, an element not included in the original proposal.

Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni had recommended that the state government issue a new tender to reflect the changes and incorporate factors like the costs of acquiring this land.

The state government had opposed the petitioneras claim and maintained that the revised tender conditions were not arbitrary but were important for ensuring that the development was financially viable.

Referring to the changed economic landscape between 2019 and 2022, the state government justified its decision to cancel the 2018 tender and issue a fresh one in 2022.

Seclink Technologies Corporation first challenged the cancellation of the 2018 tender and subsequently the 2022 tender award to the Adani Group.

The state government had submitted before the High Court that the tender process was transparent.

Dharavi, one of the world's largest slums, is spread over 2.8 sq km of prime land near the Bandra-Kurla. Established in 1884 during the British colonial era, it initially housed expelled factories and residents from Mumbai's city centre. Its informal leather and pottery industries are estimated to employ over 100,000 people.

The Dharavi redevelopment plan seeks to replace the existing informal settlements with modern housing, infrastructure, and commercial spaces.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : Committed to fostering longstanding, historic and close relations with all Gulf countries, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will undertake a two-day visit to Kuwait starting Saturday - the first by an Indian PM to the key West Asian country in 43 years.

"India and Kuwait share traditionally close and friendly relations which are rooted in history and have been underpinned by economic and strong people to people linkages. India is among the top trading partners of Kuwait. The Indian community is the largest expatriate community in Kuwait. The visit will provide an opportunity to further strengthen the multifaceted ties between India and Kuwait," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said ahead of PM Modi's historic visit.

During the visit, the Prime Minister will hold discussions with the leadership of Kuwait - including Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Emir of the State of Kuwait - and is also scheduled to interact with the large Indian community in the country.

PM Modi will be accorded a Ceremonial Guard of Honour at the Bayan Palace, following which he will hold separate one-on-one meetings with the Emir and the Crown Prince of Kuwait. It will be followed by delegation-level talks with the Prime Minister of Kuwait during which both sides will review the entire spectrum of bilateral relations, including areas such as politics, trade, investment, energy, culture, people-to-people ties, and the steps needed to further enhance them

"India and Kuwait share an age-old bond characterized by historical ties, robust economic exchanges, and vibrant cultural connections," MEA Secretary (CPV & OIA) Arun Kumar Chatterjee told reporters on Friday.

Ahead of the landmark visit, the MEA spotlighted that there has been a major transformation in India's ties with the Gulf region and the PM has given "special emphasis" to strengthen and deepen relations with the Gulf countries.

Kuwait currently holds the current presidency of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) - also comprising the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar - and the only GCC member country that PM Modi has not visited so far since assuming office in 2014. A proposed visit in 2022 was postponed due to the Covid pandemic.

Gulf countries are major trade and investment partners for India, and New Delhi also has a strong energy partnership with these countries.

During the visit, PM Modi will also interact with the Indian diaspora at a community event and will also visit a labour camp. He will also attend the opening ceremony of the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup as a special guest of the Emir of Kuwait.

"The government of India attaches considerable importance to the welfare of all workers abroad. We have a community of around one million Indians in the country. The purpose of the Prime Minister's visit to the labour camps is to emphasise the importance the government of India places on the welfare of our workers in foreign countries," stated Chatterjee.

Earlier this month, as he called on PM Modi at his Lok Kalyan Marg residence during his visit to New Delhi, Kuwait's Foreign Minister Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya had extended an invitation to the Prime Minister from the Kuwait leadership to visit the country "at the earliest opportunity which the PM had graciously accepted.

A few hours later, as he held the delegation-level talks with External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar at the Hyderabad House, Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya called India as a "very important partner" and Prime Minister Modi as "one of the wisest persons" in the world.

"I would like to thank you for the invitation and also for the opportunity of meeting Prime Minister Modi, who we believe is one of the wisest persons worldwide. I am sure that the Prime Minister puts India on a better level, and I am sure that he will continue that... India is a very important partner and we count on our relationship," the visiting Foreign Minister said in the meeting held on December 4.

In September, PM Modi had met with Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, Crown Prince of the State of Kuwait, on the sidelines of the 79th session of the UNGA in New York in what was the first meeting between the two leaders.

Recalling the strong historical ties and people-to-people linkages between the two countries during the meeting, Prime Minister Modi had conveyed that India attaches "utmost importance" to its bilateral relations with Kuwait.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) later said that the meeting between the leadership of the two countries is expected to impart a "fresh momentum" to bilateral ties between India and Kuwait.

"They noted with satisfaction that the two countries were supporting each other with energy and food security requirements. They expressed their firm commitment to deepen and diversify bilateral ties for the mutual benefit of both countries. Prime Minister thanked the Crown Prince for ensuring the well-being of the Indian community in Kuwait, which is the largest diaspora group in the country," read a statement issued by the MEA on September 22, 2024.

During his discussions with the visiting Kuwait Foreign Minister earlier this month, PM Modi had once again expressed confidence that the close cooperation between India and the Gulf Cooperation Council would be further strengthened under Kuwaitas ongoing Presidency of the GCC.

As they exchanged views on the situation in West Asia and expressed support for early return of peace, security and stability in the region, PM Modi thanked the leadership of Kuwait for taking care of the one million strong Indian community living in Kuwait.

Later, EAM Jaishankar and Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya had reaffirmed their joint commitment to enhancing stability and security in the region and the world.

"Following the meeting, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on the establishment of a joint committee for bilateral cooperation between the State of Kuwait and the Republic of India, which reflects the determination of the two friendly countries to push the level of bilateral relations to higher, broader and more comprehensive levels," stated Kuwait's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Jaipur, Dec 20 : Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma on Friday announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased in the LPG tanker blast in the state that claimed nine lives.

In the incident, over 35 injured people sustained burns and were undergoing treatment at Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital.

Several leaders, including President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, condoled the loss of lives in the incident.

Both PM Modi and CM Sharma have announced financial assistance for the victims.

The Prime Minister has announced Rs 2 lakh for the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for each injured person from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund.

CM Sharma announced Rs 5 lakh for the families of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh for the injured and directed the officials to ensure proper medical care for those affected.

PM Modi spoke to Rajasthan CM to offer support after the unfortunate fire incident in Jaipur, officials said.

Dr Sushil Bhati, Superintendent of SMS Hospital, stated that initially, only a few patients arrived, but soon the numbers surged.

"Out of the 42 patients brought to us, nine have succumbed to their injuries so far. Among the admitted, 10 to 12 patients have sustained burns over 60 per cent of their bodies, and six remain on ventilators," he said.

Dr Deepak Maheshwari, Principal of SMS Medical College, confirmed that 43 people were brought to the hospital.

"Nine fatalities have been recorded so far, one of them at Jaipuria Hospital. Fifteen patients have suffered burns exceeding 50 per cent, and 28 are still receiving treatment," he added.

However, the unconfirmed reports said that the death toll has mounted to 10.

The accident occurred around 5.30 a.m. near Bhankrota on the Jaipur-Ajmer Highway, in front of Delhi Public School.

According to reports, an LPG tanker collided with a truck while taking a U-turn, leading to a massive explosion.

The fire engulfed the tanker and the truck and spread to over 40 nearby vehicles.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping 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,

On the occasion of your birthday, I have the honor to extend to you my sincere congratulations and best wishes.

In recent years, under our joint leadership, China-Azerbaijan relations, characterized by the intensity of high-level contacts, the strength of political mutual trust, and the effectiveness of cooperation on the international stage, have continued to develop successfully and steadily. The sides have achieved significant results in the framework of the high-quality joint realization of the "Belt and Road" initiative. In July of this year, we announced the elevation of our bilateral relations to the level of strategic partnership, thus opening a new chapter in the history of China-Azerbaijan relations.

I place great importance on the development of relations between China and Azerbaijan and am ready, together with you, to make efforts to further develop our high-level bilateral relations from this new starting point, for the benefit of the peoples of both countries.

I wish you good health and well-being," the letter reads.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : The Supreme Court has deprecated absenteeism by doctors in Uttar Pradesh after they made applications for voluntary retirement.

In May 2010, the Uttar Pradesh government passed an order terminating the employment of more than 400 doctors in the exercise of powers under clause (b) of the second proviso to Article 311(2) of the Constitution.

Several writ petitions were filed before the Allahabad High Court challenging the termination order. In its impugned decision, the Allahabad HC allowed petitions filed by doctors and passed an order of reinstatement with all the consequential benefits.

It had held that in the facts of the case, clause (b) of the second proviso to Article 311(2) of the Constitution was not applicable and the state government had failed to prove that it was not reasonably practicable to hold a disciplinary enquiry.

In its appeal filed before the apex court, the Uttar Pradesh government contended that the respondent doctors remained absent from duties for more than 2 to 3 years.

It further argued that it was impracticable to conduct a disciplinary enquiry against the defaulting doctors, considering the fact that a few thousand doctors took recourse to absenteeism.

On the other hand, the doctors submitted that VRS applications remained pending with the state government for an unreasonably long time and the decision taken thereon was never conveyed to them.

Without deciding the applications seeking VRS, the state government initiated proceedings for termination from service, doctors added.

In its decision, the apex court bench of Justices Abhay S. Oka and A.G. Masih recorded that "no reasons" were forthcoming in the pleadings filed by the state government before the Allahabad High Court for keeping the applications pending for such a long time.

"It is true that the conduct of the appellants (state government) in not deciding the applications for VRS cannot be supported at all. However, there was no reason for the respondents (doctors) to take recourse to absenteeism. When the respondents found that their applications were not decided within a reasonable time, they could have adopted remedies in accordance with the law. But, in any event, the appellants ought to have decided the VRS applications within a reasonable time. But that was not done," it said.

Questioning the judgment of the Allahabad HC, the apex court said there was "no justification to pass an order of reinstatement with all consequential benefits".

The most appropriate order would have been to direct the state government to decide the applications for the grant of VRS, it added.

"Now, it is too late in the day to do that, as a period of more than 16 years has elapsed from the dates on which applications for VRS were made. At the same time, the order of reinstatement would be inappropriate considering the conduct of the respondents of remaining absent from duties for a few years," it further said.

In the interests of justice, the Supreme Court set aside the termination order and ordered the state government to accept the VRS application with effect from the date of the order of termination.

It further ordered that the doctors would be entitled to refixation of their pension on the basis of VRS with effect from May 3 2010, if the pension is otherwise payable.

Allowing the VRS application, the apex court substituted the termination order with an order of voluntary retirement.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Raipur will soon offer an international dual master's degree programme wherein students who will enrol in this programme will spend one year at the IIM and one year at the respective foreign institution in Europe or in America, a top official informed.

In another initiative first time ever, two common people from every district, recommended by the district collector will get free of cost training at the IIM campus from 2025, said Prof. Ram Kumar Kakani, Director of IIM Raipur, speaking with IANS about these latest initiatives in an exclusive interview.

IANS: What new academic programmes are being planned by the IIM?

Prof. Ram Kumar Kakani: We are engaging with eight universities, including European American universities. We have discussed with the University of Wolverhampton, the University of Edinburgh, Napier University and the University of Essex, to ensure a seamless execution of a Master's Level International Dual Degree Programme. Under this programme, students will spend one year at IIM Raipur and one year at the respective foreign institution. This dual degree will be customised to meet the requirements of the international institutes, our own standards, and the needs of the market. Additionally, the programme will align with the norms outlined in the National Education Policy (NEP).

IANS: Are you working on leadership programmes for professionals?

Prof. Ram Kumar Kakani: We are offering at least three entrepreneurship programmes. One such initiative is IIM Raipur's entrepreneurship programme in collaboration with SIDBI, targeting individuals aged 20 to 63 years who are already managing firms or running startups. Regarding the Executive MBA programme, we are in discussions with a major organisation to launch a 15-month Global MBA Programme specialising in leadership. Participants will need to have at least 10 years of professional experience. Furthermore, we are introducing an MBA programme specifically designed for a batch of 45 working professionals from a Maharatna company. In the healthcare sector, we are building on our existing initiatives, such as the Postgraduate Certificate in Digital Health, and designing customised programmes for mid- and small-sized hospital founders and leaders. To strengthen our focus on healthcare, we are in talks with the state government to develop a tailored MBA programme specialising in public administration and governance.

IANS: Have you taken any initiative to support the vision of a aViksit Bharat 2047a?

Prof. Ram Kumar Kakani: At IIM Raipur, we are committed to aBuilding Business Ownersa by fostering innovation and entrepreneurship through strategic collaborations and distinguished faculty. For instance, we have engaged prominent individuals such as Professor M. Srinivas Rao, former CEO of T-Hub, as adjunct faculty to strengthen our focus on innovation and entrepreneurship. Similarly, we are collaborating with Dr Pushkumar Joshi, former CMD of HPCL, on a specialised programme. By involving such thought leaders, we aim to nurture a thriving innovation and startup ecosystem within our institution. Another significant initiative is our emphasis on experiential learning. A notable example is the launch of a three-month Certificate Programme in Entrepreneurship on December 16. To ensure inclusivity and empowerment, we are reaching out to the district collectors across the country, requesting two nominations -- one SC and one ST candidate --from each district. This programme is being offered entirely free of cost, reflecting our commitment to providing accessible entrepreneurship education and supporting underrepresented communities.

IANS: You organised the international finance conference 'IFC 2024'. How it is beneficial for IIM?

Prof. Ram Kumar Kakani: The 12th India Finance Conference (IFC) 2024 has been a milestone event for IIM Raipur, reinforcing its position as a hub for international thought leadership in finance. It witnessed record-breaking participation from international delegates. It is a major boost for the researchers that a decision has been taken to double the prize money for the best research work. This gesture acknowledged the exceptional quality of the research presented and left a lasting impression on participants and stakeholders. The presence of globally acclaimed experts, including Professor Yakov Amihud, whose pioneering research positions him as a potential future Nobel laureate, underscored the intellectual rigour and prestige of the event.

IANS: What step is IIM Raipur taking to provide students opportunities to tackle real-world challenges?

Prof. Ram Kumar Kakani: At IIM Raipur, we believe that each graduate contributes significantly to the nationas economy, exemplified by the taxes they pay and the entrepreneurial ventures they establish. This directly aligns with the spirit of Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India). Beyond individual achievements, these contributions foster broader economic growth by creating an environment conducive to increased manufacturing and industrial activity, thereby supporting the Make in India initiative. IIM Raipur also holds the distinction of being the only institute in India where the entire state cabinet, including the Chief Minister, participates in a two-day residential leadership and governance-focused workshops. This holistic programme emphasises the integration of physical, mental, and professional development, underscoring our commitment to fostering capable leaders who can drive India's self-reliance and industrial growth.

IANS: How is leadership and innovation integrated into IIMas pedagogy to shape future-ready leaders?

Prof. Ram Kumar Kakani: At IIM-R, leadership and innovation are deeply embedded in our pedagogy as we focus on aBuilding Business Ownersa who are equipped to navigate the challenges of a rapidly evolving world. We have launched several entrepreneurship programmes in collaboration with prestigious organisations like SIDBI to foster a culture of innovative thinking and drive the transition from an employment-seeking to an employment-giving economy. Our Entrepreneurship Cell emphasises practical learning through various games, offering innovators real-world experiences.

IANS: What are your expectations from the upcoming financial budget for the education sector?

Prof. Ram Kumar Kakani: We believe that recognising IIMs at par with IITs in terms of government support could further strengthen the valuable contributions of management institutes like ours. While IITs benefit from substantial financial backing and greater autonomy to pursue their initiatives, IIMs currently operate independently without direct government funding. For example, last year, we generated a surplus of Rs 15 crore, reflecting our commitment to managing our operations and funding our growth. We are proud of our independence, but additional government support, similar to what IITs receive, could greatly enhance our capacity to excel in education, and research, and contribute to the nationas progress.
Jabalpur, Dec 20 : The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), since its launch about a decade ago, has turned the dreams of millions into reality, bringing big transformation in their lives i.e. moving from kuccha to pucca houses.

Many PMAY beneficiaries in Madhya Pradesh's Harda and Jabalpur districts spoke to IANS on Friday and shared their story on how their living standards witnessed a turnaround with monetary assistance from the Modi government.

Many beneficiaries of the scheme expressed gratitude to PM Modi, saying that it was because of this government's initiative that they are living in pucca (permanent) houses today.

Beneficiary Kshama Malviya, who lives in ward number 34 of Harda district, said, "Earlier, our house was kuccha, we faced a lot of difficulties in the house. I was always worried about my family. Today, I have a pucca house, where I am living with my family happily. My dream of moving to a pucca house has come true.

He further went on to add, "I got Rs 2.50 lakh under the PMAY, I built a permanent house with this money. I want to thank Prime Minister Modi because his vision made it possible. We could never think of having a permanent house because our financial condition is not strong."

Deepak, a beneficiary from the Harda district, said that he received the money in three instalments.

"My dream of building a permanent house has been fulfilled because of PM Modi. The poor are getting permanent houses under the PM Awas Yojana. I want to thank the Prime Minister for this scheme," he said.

Gopal, a beneficiary of Jabalpur said that he got information about the PMAY from the local MLA.

"I am living happily in this concrete house with my whole family. We want to thank Prime Minister Modi. He brought this very good scheme for the poor. With this scheme, the poor are moving from kutcha houses to concrete houses," he added.

Notably, the PMAY scheme was started in 2015, with the aim of providing permanent houses to the poor.
Kyiv, Dec 20 : Ukraine is working to create a joint gas hub with Poland to compensate for the loss of the Russian gas transit, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported, citing Deputy Energy Minister Mykola Kolisnyk.

"The end of transit marks the beginning of competition among new routes and resources, including liquefied natural gas (LNG), which is actively increasing its share in the EU's overall energy mix," Kolisnyk said.

The proposed Eastern European gas hub would leverage Ukraine's storage facilities and Poland's LNG terminals to store and supply gas for consumers in Europe, he added.

Ukraine used to be a key transit route for Russian gas supplies to Europe, Xinhua news agency reported.

On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had reaffirmed that Kyiv will not extend its five-year gas transportation deal with Russia, which expires on December 31.

In August, Andrzej Duda, President of Poland, had travelled to Kyiv to take part in celebrations of the 33rd anniversary of Ukraine's Independence, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's landmark visit to Ukraine.

"Your Independence Day is, in a sense, also a celebration of the independence of all of Central Europe. Because without an independent Ukraine, it is difficult to think about an independent and safe Poland, Lithuania or other countries in our region," said the Polish leader during the main celebrations held in Sofia Square along with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Duda had emphasised that in 1991 Poland was the first country in the world to officially recognise the independence of Ukraine.

"From the very beginning we supported your pro-Western aspirations. Poles supported you during the Orange Revolution and also during Euromaidan," he stated during his address at the Sofia Square.

The Polish President's office mentioned that the leader also pointed out that for over two years the Ukrainian nation has been heroically fighting for its country, and "paying the highest price" for it.

"In this most difficult trial, you are not alone. Poland has supported, supports and will continue to support your righteous fight until the victorious end," said Duda.

Duda had previously a" in 2016 and 2021 a" taken part in the celebrations of the adoption of the Act of Independence of Ukraine.
Kolkata, Dec 20 : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday approached the Calcutta High Court seeking permission to replace the current head of its special investigation team (SIT) probing the multi-crore cash-for-school job case but was asked to move the apex court.

Since the CBI probe in the school job case is court-directed and court-monitored, the change of any member of the probe team concerned requires court approval.

However, the single-judge bench of Justice Amrita Sinha has refused to entertain the plea and instead advised the central agency counsel to approach the Supreme Court, since the matter is pending there.

Currently, the SIT of CBI probing the school- job case is headed by Kalyan Bhattacharya, an officer in the rank of superintendent. Bhattacharya earlier replaced Dharamveer Singh in May this year and even then, the replacement was done with the permission of the court.

On Friday, CBI informed the court that with just one year left before his retirement, Bhattacharya expressed his wish to be transferred to Delhi where his family is staying.

The CBI has proposed the name of Angshuman Saha, another prominent member of the same probe team as the new head of the SIT.

However, with Justice Sinha refusing to hear the matter, the CBI is left with no other option but to move the apex court for permission.

The investigation by the CBI in the matter is currently at an extremely crucial stage with the agency having shown several accused in the case as arrested recently, especially those who have been granted bail in the cases registered against them by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is conducting a parallel probe in the matter.

Hence, sources said, the agency wants someone who had been a member of the investigating team for a long time like Saha, as the replacement for Bhattacharya.
Hyderabad, Dec 20 : In a relief to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president and former minister K. T. Rama Rao, the Telangana High Court on Friday barred the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) from arresting him till December 30 in Formula-E race case.

The court passed the interim order on a quash petition filed by K. T. Rama Rao (KTR).

While granting relief to KTR, the court allowed the investigation to continue and directed the state government to file its counter by December 23. The court adjourned the hearing to December 27.

The ACB on Thursday registered a case against KTR for alleged misuse of government funds in conducting the Formula E race in Hyderabad last year when BRS was in power.

During the arguments on KTRas lunch motion petition, Advocate General Sudershan Reddy requested the court not to pass an interim order as the investigation into the case has just started.

Senior lawyers Sundaram, Prabhakar Rao and Gandra Mohan Rao argued the case on behalf of KTR. They contended that the sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act invoked by the ACB do not apply to the case and sought orders to quash the FIR.

KTRas lawyers argued that the case was registered against him due to political vendetta. They submitted to the court that ACB did not follow the Supreme Courtas direction for a preliminary probe before registering cases against public representation.

The case relates to the alleged unauthorised transfer of Rs 55 crore from the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) to Formula E Operations (FEO) without proper approvals.

The FIR was registered under Sections 13(1)(A) and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, along with Sections 409 and 120(B) of the Indian Penal Code.

It is alleged that on the direction of then industry minister KTR, the HMDA paid Rs 55 crore to a foreign company in violation of RBI guidelines. The payments were reportedly made without obtaining approvals from the Cabinet or the Finance Department.

KTRas lawyers argued that the ACB had failed to specify where and how the corruption took place but invoked sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The Advocate General contended that registering the FIR was only the first step. He said sections will be invoked based on the facts which come to light during investigations.

The court was told that the decision to register a case was taken two months ago and the case was registered after receiving the nod from the state Governor.

The Advocate General said that rules were violated in payment of over Rs 56 crore. He told the court that as the payment was made in foreign currency, this had put an additional burden on HMDA.

When the court asked what was the role of KTR in making the payment, the Advocate General replied that the role would be known during the investigation.
Bhopal, Dec 20 : The Income Tax Department has recovered 52 kg of gold and Rs 10 crore cash from an abandoned car in Bhopal following hour-long searches in connection with a disproportionate assets case linked to former RTO Constable Saurabh Sharma, an official said on Friday.

The searches were conducted on the premises associated with Sharma, who ventured into the real estate business after taking voluntary retirement from the Transport Department of the state government.

Sources said the car was found abandoned in the jungle of Mendori village, which is located near

a dense forest area and Kaliasot Dam, around 15-20 km from Sharma's residence in Arera Colony, where the raid was conducted on Thursday.

The raid was conducted jointly by Madhya Pradesh Lokayukta's Special Police Establishment (SPE) and Income Tax Department at the residence of Sharma and his associate, Chandan Gaur.

The gold found in the car late night on Thursday, is said to be worth Rs 42 crore.

The seizure has brought further attention to Sharma and Gaur already under investigation in a disproportionate assets case.

During the search, I-T team also recovered documents related to investments in multiple properties, a hotel, and a school. Properties linked to Sharma are spread in several districts in the state.

Sharma, a resident of Gwalior had joined the MP government's transport department on a compassionate appointment after his father's death.

Sharma has been described as a 'simple man' during his joining. However, his lifestyle gradually changed completely and his assets saw a drastic growth during 12 years of his service, which initially raised suspicion, the police said.

After clashes with bureaucrats and complaints regarding a school allegedly built on government land, Sharma retired early to focus on real estate ventures.

Both Sharma and Gaur have been booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act, with ADG Lokayukta Jaideep Prasad confirming that investigations are ongoing.

Officials believe the gold and cash found in the abandoned vehicle may be part of the illicit wealth amassed by Sharma and Gaur.

Further revelations are expected as the probe deepens.
Bengaluru, Dec 20 : The Karnataka High Court on Friday directed the immediate release of BJP MLC C.T. Ravi, who was arrested for allegedly making a derogatory remark against Minister for Women and Child Welfare, Lakshmi Hebbalkar. Jubilant BJP workers celebrated the decision across the state.

The interim order was passed by a bench headed by Justice M.G. Uma, instructing the police to release Ravi from custody without delay. The court, however, directed Ravi to cooperate with the ongoing investigation.

Justice Uma expressed displeasure over the conduct of both Ravi and Hebbalkar, emphasizing the need for restraint in public discourse.

Advocate Sandeep Chowta, representing C.T. Ravi in the court, argued that both the accused and complainant are legislators, and the allegations in the case carry a maximum punishment of less than seven years of imprisonment. As per legal procedure, the police should have served a notice and explained the grounds for Ravi's arrest.

The defence further alleged that Ravi was assaulted in custody and claimed irregularities in his medical treatment report. Chowta also pointed out that the Legislative Council Chairperson found no record of the derogatory remark in question, and there was no pressing need to arrest Ravi, who had no intention of fleeing.

Earlier in the day, the Special Court for MLAs/MPs adjourned Ravi's bail plea to Saturday, December 21.

Meanwhile, BJP workers celebrated the High Court's order at Ravi's residence in Chikkamagaluru, dancing and distributing sweets.

The Karnataka BJP staged statewide protests on Friday, condemning Ravi's arrest over his alleged derogatory comment against Hebbalkar.

The controversy erupted during a heated debate in the Legislative Council on Thursday when Ravi allegedly referred to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi as a "drug addict." Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar retaliated, calling Ravi a "murderer." In response, Ravi allegedly used an obscene term against Hebbalkar, escalating tensions.

On Friday, a district court in Belagavi ordered the police to produce Ravi before the Special Court for MLAs/MPs in Bengaluru. The directive was issued by Judge Sparsha M. D'Souza, transferring the case to the special court for further proceedings.

C.T. Ravi's arrest and the ensuing controversy sparked a political storm in Karnataka, underlining the growing tensions between the BJP and Congress in the state.
Kuala Lumpur, Dec. 20 : The Malaysian government has agreed in principle to resume the search for Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook said on Friday.

Loke told a press briefing that the cabinet has agreed in principle to accept the proposal from exploration firm Ocean Infinity to proceed with seabed search operations to locate MH370 in a new area estimated at 15,000 square kilometres in the southern Indian Ocean.

"This endeavour will be based on the 'no find, no fee' principle. Under this principle, the Malaysian government will not be required to pay Ocean Infinity unless the wreckage of the aircraft is discovered," he said.

Loke also said the proposed new search area, identified by the firm, is credible based on the latest information and data analysis conducted by experts and researchers, Xinhua news agency reported.

The disappearance of MH370 was a tragic incident that occurred on March 8, 2014, when the Boeing 777, en route from Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia to Beijing Capital International Airport in China, vanished from radar screens with all 239 on board.

The families of those on board the ill-fated flight have been urging the government in Kuala Lumpur to begin a new search for the aircraft.

The Malaysian government had earlier also engaged US seabed exploration firm Ocean Infinity to search for the aircraft in the southern Indian Ocean, offering to pay up to $70 million if it found the plane. But, its operation came up short.

At a memorial event a few years ago, Malaysian Transport Minister had vowed not to "close the book" on MH370, adding that due consideration would be given to future searches if there was "new and credible information" on the aircraft's potential location.

Debris confirmed or believed to be from the MH370 aircraft has washed up along the African coast and on islands in the Indian Ocean.

Malaysian investigators previously drew no conclusion about what happened aboard the flight, but did not rule out the possibility that the aircraft had been deliberately taken off course.

The crew of the Boeing 777-200ER registered as 9M-MRO, last communicated with Air Traffic Control (ATC) around 38 minutes after takeoff when the flight was over the South China Sea.

The aircraft was lost from ATC radar screens minutes later, but was tracked by military radar for another hour, deviating westward from its planned flight path, crossing the Malay Peninsula and the Andaman Sea.

The disappearance of flight 370 was the deadliest incident involving a Boeing 777 and the deadliest in Malaysia Airlines' history until it was surpassed in both regards by Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, which was shot down while flying over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : As many as 25,202 public charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs) have been installed in the country to date, the government said on Friday.

Karnataka leads with 5,765 EV public charging stations, followed by Maharashtra at 3,728 and Uttar Pradesh at 1,989, Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Steel, Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma, told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply.

As per the information received from the Ministry of Power, 271 EV public charging stations are installed in Chhattisgarh.

The Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) has been promoting the adoption of EVs in India. On September 29, 2024, the ministry notified the PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM E-DRIVE) scheme to accelerate EV adoption, establish charging infrastructure and foster the development of the EV manufacturing ecosystem in the country.

The scheme has a budget of Rs 10,900 crore for a two-year period. Of the total allocated budget, Rs 2,000 crore has been kept for the installation of EV public charging stations (EVPCS).

The Ministry of Power also issued "Guidelines for Installation and Operation of Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure-2024" on September 17, outlining standards and protocols to create connected & interoperable EV charging infrastructure networks in the country.

Charging infrastructure requirements depend upon the composition of electric vehicles, running patterns, terrain & geography, urbanisation patterns, the technology of EVs and the technology of charging equipment.

"Since all these factors are still evolving, there is no global consensus on the number of charging points required for a certain number of EVs," the minister said.

As per the Vahan portal of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the total registered electric two-wheelers in the country now stands at 28,55,015, with electric four-wheelers at 2,57,169 (as on December 4).

Meanwhile, the EV charging market in the country is projected to reach $3.7 billion by 2030, led by increasing adoption. Battery swapping, particularly for two- and three-wheelers, is emerging as a popular solution in India, with major auto companies investing in battery-swapping technologies to make EVs more affordable and accessible.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. President of the Republic of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko 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, dear friend,

I sincerely congratulate you on your birthday.

It is a pleasure to note that the fraternal Republic of Azerbaijan, under your wise leadership, is playing an increasingly significant role in the Turkic world, strengthening its leadership in the region, and serving as a reliable strategic partner for the Republic of Belarus.

I fondly recall our recent meeting in Baku. I highly value our friendship and trustful personal relations, mutual support, and open, constructive dialogue on various platforms.

I am confident that the successful hosting of the COP29 global climate forum and the world leaders summit has further strengthened your countrys international authority.

On this special day, I wish you, dear Ilham Heydarovich, good health, prosperity, good luck, and continued victories at the helm of the Azerbaijani state," the letter reads.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday expressed pain over disruptions in Parliament that dragged the current session's productivity down to 40 per cent and urged members to shun "theatrics" while picking meaningful debate over the destructive din.

New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday expressed pain over disruptions in Parliament that dragged the current session's productivity down to 40 per cent and urged members to shun "theatrics" while picking meaningful debate over the destructive din.

Calling for setting high standards, he said, "The world watches our democracy, yet we fail our citizens through our conduct. These parliamentary disruptions mock public trust and expectations. Our fundamental duty to serve with diligence lies neglected."

In his valedictory remarks, the VP said as we conclude this session, coinciding with the 75th anniversary of our Constitution, we face a moment of serious reflection. "While our celebration of Samvidhan Divas in the historic Samvidhan Sadan was meant to reaffirm democratic values, our actions in this House tell a different story," he said.

The stark reality is troubling, this session's productivity stands at a mere 40.03 per cent, with just 43 hours and 27 minutes of effective functioning. As parliamentarians, we are drawing severe criticism from the people of India and rightfully so, he said.

"These persistent disruptions are steadily eroding public trust in our democratic institutions while we did pass the Oilfields Amendment Bill and Boilers' Bill of 2024, and heard the statement by the Minister of External Affairs on India-China relations. These achievements are overshadowed by our failures," he said.

The growing trend of publicising notices through media before parliamentary consideration and recourse to Rule 267 further undermines our institutional dignity. We stand at a critical crossroads, the 1.4 billion citizens of Bharat expect better from us, he said.

He also reminded the MPs of the need to serve people with all sincerity. "It is time to choose between meaningful debate and destructive disruption. Our democratic legacy demands we rise above political differences and restore the sanctity of parliamentary discourse," he said.

Sharing his view on the uproar and disruptions, he said where reasoned dialogue should prevail, we witness only chaos. I urge every parliamentarian, regardless of party, to examine their conscience.

"The citizens of our democracy -- one-sixth of humanity -- deserve better than this spectacle. We squander precious opportunities that could serve the greater good of our people. I hope Members will introspect deeply, and citizens exercise their accountability. These hallowed chambers deserve conduct that honors our oath, not theatrics that betray it," he said.
Jakarta, Dec 20 : Indonesian police will launch an operation to protect worship places from possible terrorist threats during Christmas and New Year holidays, an official said Friday.

The Candle Operation was ordered by Indonesian National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, Jakarta Metropolitan Police Chief Inspector General Karyoto said during a ceremony for the preparation of the operation at the National Monument Park compound.

The Candle Operation was aimed at preventing terrorist actions during the performance of worship service by followers of the Christian religion, he added.

The operation will start on December 22 and end on January 2, according to Karyoto.

One of the steps was to check every religious follower coming to the worship place with an X-ray to prevent dangerous items from entering the room for worship, Xinhua news agency reported.

In recent years, Indonesia experienced several terrorist attacks during year-end, including suicide bombings in churches, leaving dozens of casualties.

The country has been preparing to face an influx of travellers during the Christmas and New Year holidays as millions of people are expected to jam the roads and cities across the Southeast Asian archipelago.

According to a recent survey by the country's transportation ministry, around 110 million people, or about 43 per cent of the country's population, plan to travel during the Christmas and New Year holidays. The figure is higher than the number of travellers during the same period last year.

Some 45 per cent of the figure, according to the ministry's estimation, travel for tourism, while around 32 per cent travel to celebrate Christmas and New Year with families in their hometowns. The ministry also mentioned that the outbound Christmas traffic is expected to peak on December 21, while outbound traffic for the New Year is projected to peak on December 28.

Authorities have ensured that transportation facilities and infrastructure are ready to serve the mobility of holidaymakers during the holiday period, Xinhua news agency reported.

"We hope that all the facilities and infrastructure which have been well-prepared can help and serve the people on their trips. We also call on all travellers to be cautious of weather conditions," Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said recently.

The ministry has prepared measures to prevent traffic congestion, particularly in regions expected to see increasing travellers, such as imposing contraflow traffic schemes with the police on several toll roads. A travel ban for cargo trucks on national and toll roads in some days of the holiday period will also be enforced. However, it would not apply to trucks carrying food, fuel and other essential items.

Furthermore, security preparations for the year-end holiday season are now in full swing, with the police and military personnel already set up in various locations such as airports, seaports, and shopping malls, the country's National Police Chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo told reporters recently.

During Christmas, the police will safeguard churches across the country.
Mumbai, Dec 20 : The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) city (Mumbai) unit has announced a protest march on Saturday by like-minded organisations, intellectuals and social activists here on Saturday to condemn Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks on B.R. Ambedkar and other issues, party leaders said here on Friday.

The procession will be start from Rajgriha, the memorial-cum-museum of B.R. Ambedkar in Dadar east to the Chaityabhoomi in Dadar west where the Chief Architect of the Indian Constitution was cremated on December 6, 1956.

CPI-M leaders like Prakash Reddy, Shyam Gaikwad, Shailendra Kamble, Raju Korde, Ajit Patil, Subodh More and others have appealed to the masses to participate in large numbers to protect the Constitution and Democracy through the march.

They said that the statements of HM Shah in Parliament earlier in the week are aan insult to Dr Ambedkar", and the issue has even created a nationwide uproar with the Opposition INDIA bloc and other parties demanding his resignation or sack from the cabinet.

The CPI-M also condemned the repressions in Parbhani with the death of an activist, Somnath Suryawanshi protesting against the desecration of B.R. Ambedkar's statue there on December 10, sparking massive protests, shutdown and violence a day later, which Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders termed as an attempt to incite another aKoregaon-Bhimaa (January 1, 2018) type of situation.

The CPI-M has said that HM Shah's utterances have shocked all people, egalitarians, progressive and social organisations who love and work to save the Constitution and democracy.

"By insulting Dr. Ambedkar, Shah is secretly promoting unscientific and irrelevant ideas that are against the values enshrined in the Constitution. His behaviour is inconsistent with the very Constitution on which he took the oath as a Union Minister," said the organisers.

Strongly condemning his insults to Dr. Ambedkar, the Leftists and progressives demanded that HM Shah must apologise to the whole nation in the Rajya Sabha itself, or he should quit as the Home Minister.

The CPI-M, Progressive Republican Alliance, Communist Party of India, Peasants & Workers Party, Dalit Panther Golden Jubilee Coordination Committee, Red Flag (Leninist), All India Forward Bloc, Constitution Conservation Committee, Friends of the People, Ambedkarite Women's Organisation, National Secular Movement, Superstition Eradication Committee and various Ambedkarites, progressives, egalitarians, youth, students, women and Ambedkarite, egalitarian writers, artists, cultural workers shall participate in the procession on Saturday.

They will march carrying small statuettes of B.R. Ambedkar, posters, banners and placards with slogans on Democracy and Constitution, and related current topics that have shot to headlines in recent times.

Earlier, Ambedkar's grandson and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) President Prakash Ambedkar had strongly criticised HM Shah's remarks a" which the latter termed as blown out of context a" organised protests and demanded strong action in the matter.
Nairobi, Dec 20 : Kenya has reported a fall in overall terrorism and crime cases across the country in the recent past, thanks to collaboration between local and international security agencies.

Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, also acting Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Interior and National Administration, said 27 terrorist attacks have been thwarted between January 2022 and November 2024 across Kenya.

"During this period several terrorists have been neutralized. The government has also pushed for 11 successful convictions. Our success came through collaboration with international agencies," Mudavadi told journalists in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.

"Noteworthy, our success also came through collaborations with other international agencies to thwart crime through training and equipment support," he added.

Mudavadi said there has been a decrease in general crime, including robbery, break-ins, stock theft, vehicle thefts, dangerous drugs, traffic offences, and corruption cases, Xinhua news agency reported.

However, he said, incidences of vandalism targeting electric power transmission infrastructure have been on the rise, resulting in power disruptions that affect service delivery and cause economic loss.

Mudavadi said cattle rustling cases have dropped 62 per cent in northern and eastern Kenya.

"In the last six years, a total of 383 officers have died in the line of duty, while this year, 830 officers have been injured in the line of duty," he said.

According to Mudavadi, Kenya recorded 7,107 sexual and gender-based violence cases from September 2023 to date.

In September, Kenyan police had said that they have beefed up security across the country amid fresh threats from terrorists.

Resila Onyango, National Police Service (NPS) spokesperson, reassured the public of their safety following credible warnings that al-Shabab militants are planning fresh attacks in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi and other cities across the East African country.

Onyango said in a statement that police officers deployed nationwide remain alert to protect the country, which has faced increased terror threats from al-Shabab.

The statement had come after the United States had cautioned its citizens in Kenya to remain vigilant amid terror threats.
Prayagraj, Dec 20 : Mahakumbh 2025, the largest gathering of Sanatan faith, is set to witness an estimated gathering of 40-45 crore devotees from across the country and the world, all coming to take holy dip at the confluence of Triveni Sangam.

Apart from ritual bathing, the act of charity, particularly food donation holds immense spiritual significance during the religious gathering. Reflecting this tradition, hundreds of organisations will organize abhandarasa (community kitchens) during the month-long religious festivities, offering free meals to devotees.

Starting from January 13, the fairground will host many bhandaras, ensuring that no visitor goes hungry. Some organisations have already commenced their services, while others are preparing to establish food distribution points.

Notable groups like Akshaya Patra, ISKCON, and Om Namah Shivay are set to serve large numbers of devotees through their langars and community kitchens.

According to Prayagraj Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, between 8,000 to 10,000 organisations are anticipated to participate in the Mahakumbh this year.

"Representatives from nearly every religious sect in the country will be welcomed by the fair administration, with comprehensive arrangements in place for their participation. To further support devotees, the administration has established Fair Price Shops, providing essential food items at affordable rates, ensuring a seamless and fulfilling experience for all attending this spiritual spectacle," he added.

According to Vivek Chaturvedi, ADM Mahakumbh, bathing and donating in Prayagraj hold special significance during events like Kumbh.

"During these festivals, hundreds of organisations come forward to organize free langars and bhandaras, serving meals to millions of devotees. The community feasts are set up at major intersections, corners, and streets across the city. Estimating their exact number is challenging, as both organisations and residents participate in these charitable acts in large numbers," he said.

One such bhandara began on December 1 near Digambar Akhara, organized by All India Panchterah Tyagi, Khakchowk (Ram Santosh Das Ji Maharaj). According to Mahant Gopal Das, free meals will be provided to all visitors before and throughout the Mahakumbh. The Bhandara operates from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., with tea being served to devotees from 4 a.m.

Similarly, the food distribution at Juna Akhara in Sector 20 will start on December 25. According to Mrityunjay Puri of Shri Hinglaj Math Alag Darbar, their food service will run from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and again from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., ensuring no devotee goes hungry.

Mahant Satyagiri, National Secretary of Awahan Akhara, said that the food distribution has already begun and will continue throughout the Mahakumbh, with free meals provided to all devotees.

Raghuvansh Seva Sankalp Trust from Ayodhya is also organising a food distribution initiative. Its food distribution camp will operate 24 hours a day, offering food prasad to all devotees, coming for holy dip in Sangam.

Similarly, the Maa Reva Foundation from Khargone, Madhya Pradesh, will run a 24-hour food distribution service during the Mahakumbh, named Ananya Anna Kshetra, ensuring that devotees receive prasad throughout the 45-day festival.
Ankara, Dec 20 : Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that his country would support Syria's transition process, and contribute to the country's recovery and stability.

"We are supporting the Syrian people in managing the transition process smoothly, without any setbacks along the way," the state-run TRT broadcaster quoted Erdogan as saying.

"Drafting a constitution is one critical step in rebuilding the state," Erdogan told journalists on his return flight from Cairo, where he attended the 11th Summit of the Developing Eight Organisation for Economic Cooperation.

"For this, we have initiated communication with key figures in Syria's new administration."

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is set to visit Syria soon to discuss creating a "collaborative framework" for Syria's future, he said, adding, "If Syria establishes a truly stable structure with this new formation, in my view, it will hold a very strong position in the Islamic world."

He noted that Turkey and Syria would collaborate on multiple sectors, including defence, education, and energy, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Currently, Syria is facing serious challenges in energy, but we aim to resolve these issues swiftly," Erdogan said.

With years of conflict devastating Syria's infrastructure and cities, Erdogan underscored the importance of reconstruction. "To mend the wounds, it is essential to rebuild cities and create sustainable livelihoods," he said, pointing to plans for new housing, energy facilities, and initiatives in agriculture and livestock as priorities.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) had accused Turkish troops and allied factions of escalating attacks near Syria's border city of Kobani.

The SDF said in a statement that Turkish forces and their "mercenaries" launched a full-scale assault Wednesday on the southern outskirts of Kobani, specifically near the Tishreen Dam area.

The group added its fighters repelled the attackers by nightfall, but Turkish drones and artillery continued to strike various parts of Kobani. In addition, Turkish military reinforcements, including tanks and armoured vehicles, were said to be massing along Syria's northern border.

The SDF emphasised its support for recent US-led de-escalation efforts and the positive stance adopted at the Aqaba meeting, which was held on December 14 with a focus on efforts to halt combat operations in Syria.

The militia, however, called on the global community to take a "clearer and firmer" position against Turkish escalation, urging Arab states and concerned nations to denounce what it termed "an ongoing campaign to seize Syrian territory."

"We do not seek further conflict, but we will not hesitate to defend our people and our land," the militia warned, Xinhua news agency reported.

The SDF also encouraged residents in Kobani to arm themselves and form a united front against any invasion attempts.

"Every village and corner of Kobani can become a fortress of resistance," it said, warning there would be no "picnic" for any invading force.

Ankara has long viewed the SDF group with suspicion due to its links to Kurdish militants inside Turkey.
Nagpur, Dec 20 : Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Friday clarified that Shiv Sena is like a family and no one in the party is unhappy or upset over not getting the ministerial berths in the recently held cabinet expansion.

"It is natural to feel bad as a human being if you do not get a post, some have expressed their feelings openly, but this does not mean that anyone is unhappy in the party. All three MLAs who expressed their displeasure are with me and none of them is unhappy. Everyone will continue to work together in Shiv Sena for its growth," the Shiv Sena chief said.

Shinde was speaking to reporters after he met with party legislators Narendra Bhondekar, Vijay Shivtare and Prakash Surve who had openly expressed their displeasure over their exclusion from the cabinet expansion which took place on December 15.

Bhondekar had announced resignation from all his posts while Surve broke into tears and remained away from his participation in the proceedings of the state Assembly. On the other hand, Shivtare said he would not accept the ministerial berth even if he is given, adding that the leadership should have heard him and later taken its decision.

"While working in a government, sometimes positions come and go. However, the intimate relationship between us is more important than the ministerial positions. Just as I consider the position of beloved brother to be a great position, Vijay Shivtare told me that his position as Eknath Shinde's trusted colleague is important," said Shinde.

He further made it clear that "We are all part of the family called Shiv Sena and no one will be separated from this family. All the three MLAs who expressed their displeasure are present here today and they will continue to work together for the growth of the party."

Shinde, who is yet to acclimatise to his new role as the deputy chief minister in the Devendra Fadnavis-led government, chose to pacify the disgruntled Bhondekar, Shivtare and Surve with a view to convey to the party members that they will have to be ready for a sacrifice and adjust in the alliance politics.

Shinde has already denied ministerial berths to former ministers Tanaji Sawant, Deepak Kesarkar and Abdul Sattar. Sawant expressed displeasure and left for Pune after not getting a place in the cabinet expansion but Kesarkar and Sattar accepted Shinde's decision.

Further, Shinde's statement came at a time when Fadnavis has yet to allocate portfolios to himself, two Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar and 39 ministers. Fadnavis after the cabinet expansion held on December 15 had said that the portfolio allocation would be done in two days. MahaYuti government sources indicated that the chief minister is likely to allocate portfolios after the conclusion of the ongoing winter session of the state legislature on December 21.

Meanwhile, Shinde after the Kalyan incident involving the attack on a Marathi family firmly said that Shiv Sena is committed to fighting for the rights of the Marathi people and if someone abuses and attacks the Marathi family, Shiv Sena will never tolerate it.

He claimed that the murder of Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh of Massajog village in Beed was extremely inhuman and a disgrace to humanity. "A judicial inquiry will be conducted into this incident and an SIT has been formed for the investigation. It has been decided to transfer the Beed Superintendent of Police," Shinde added.

"The government stands firmly behind the victim's family in this incident. No matter how big the accused in this case is and how close he is to anyone, he will not be supported," he said.
Kolkata, Dec 20 : : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday announced that her Trinamool Congress will organise block-level and ward-level protest rallies on December 23 condemning the recent remarks by the Union Home Minister Amit Shah about Dr B.R. Ambedkar.

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 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."

"To condemn this, we will organise protest rallies across all blocks of Bengal and every ward of Kolkata on 23rd December, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. I urge you to join us in this fight to defend Babasaheb's legacy and our Constitutional spirit. Letas unite to hold the BJP accountable for their unforgivable actions."

Banerjee, also the Trinamool chief, also accused the BJP of systematically demolishing the countryas constitutional ethos and "tearing apart the democratic values and the principles that bind the Indians as a nation".

According to her, the comments about Ambedkar are reflections of the BJPas culture of hate and intolerance.

Incidentally, the Union Home Minister was in West Bengal on Friday to address a programme at Siliguri in the Darjeeling district on the occasion of the 61st Raising Day of the Sashastra Seema Bal.

In fact, the Chief Minister had been quite vocal on Shahas recent comments about Ambedkar. On Thursday, on two separate occasions for the forthcoming Christmas festival, she said that she was really shocked over comments made about Ambedkar.

Earlier on Wednesday, she had issued a statement where she claimed that as the Indian Parliament reflected on 75 years of the Constitution, the Union Home Minister chose to tarnish this occasion with derogatory remarks against Ambedkar and that "too in the temple of democracy".
New Delhi, Dec 20 : About 36 crore beneficiaries have been verified under the flagship scheme Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri-Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav told the Parliament on Friday.

In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Minister Jadhav said that under the AB PM-JAY scheme "8.39 crore hospital admissions worth over Rs 1.16 lakh crore have been authorised".

The AB PM-JAY provides health cover of Rs. 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation to approximately 55 crore beneficiaries. This corresponds to 12.37 crore families constituting economically vulnerable bottom 40 per cent of India's population.

The scheme has also led to "significant saving towards Out-of-Pocket-Expenditure (OOPE) for beneficiaries related to hospitalisation costs", Minister Jadhav said.

The MoS saiid that many states/UTs have implemented the scheme by converging their respective State Health Insurance Schemes with AB PM-JAY.

"This has led to the inclusion of more than 18 crore families," he said.

Further, in March 2024, 37 lakh families of ASHA, Anganwadi Workers, and Anganwadi Helpers were also included in the scheme.

In October, the scheme was expanded to provide free treatment benefits of up to an additional Rs 5 lakh per year to all senior citizens aged 70 years and above, irrespective of their socio-economic status.

The estimated number of beneficiary families aged 70 years and above across the country is 4.5 crore corresponding to the 6 crore individuals under the scheme.

Meanwhile, Minister Jadhav also listed out initiatives undertaken by the government to tackle the rising cases of diabetes, hypertension, oral cancer, breast cancer and cervical cancer.

He stated that under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NP-NCD) part of the National Health Mission (NHM), "770 district NCD clinics, 372 district day care centres, 233 cardiac care units and 6,410 community health centre NCD clinics have been set up".

The Centre has also rolled out a population-based initiative for screening, management and prevention of common NCDs including diabetes, hypertension, oral cancer, breast cancer and cervical cancer, as part of comprehensive Primary Health Care under NHM.

"Screening of these common NCDs is an integral part of service delivery," the MoS said, adding the government also promotes a healthy lifestyle by observing health days related to NCDs and use of social media for continued community awareness.

Jadhav also lauded the role of the community, ASHAs in spreading awareness about NCDs.
Agartala, Dec 20 : The 72nd Plenary session of the North Eastern Council (NEC) will be held here on Saturday to review the ongoing infrastructure projects and to discuss the roadmap of the development of the eight northeastern states, including Sikkim.

Officials said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah will preside over the plenary session of the NEC while Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, his deputy Sukanta Majumdar, Governors, Chief Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers of all eight northeastern states will attend the daylong meeting.

The Home Minister, who besides presiding over the NEC meeting, would also attend a series of other events in Tripura during the three-day visit to the state, arrived here on Friday evening.

Shah will visit the Reang tribal settlement camps in the Dhalai district on Sunday and will also attend the National Cooperative Conference on the same day at Rabindra Satabarshiki Bhavan in Agartala.

Ahead of Saturdayas plenary session, a pre-plenary technical session of the NEC was held on Friday and MoS Majumdar presided over the meeting, where Chief Secretaries of all eight northeastern states, senior officials of DoNER Ministry and the NEC, and officials from all the states of the region took part.

Tripura's capital city Agartala is hosting the NEC plenary meet for only the second time since 2008.

An official of the NEC said that the choice of Agartala for this important meeting underscores its evolving role in regional development.

Historically, plenary sessions have predominantly been held in Shillong and Guwahati. However, Agartala's selection highlights the dynamic nature of the NEC's engagements and its commitment to fostering growth across all corners of the region, he said.

NEC Secretary Angshuman Dey reflected on the significance of this plenary and the NEC's role in regional development.

He underscores the Prime Ministeras vision, where the NER is celebrated as 'Ashta Lakshmi', a symbol of immense potential and cultural richness.

The NEC's role has evolved significantly since its inception, transforming from an advisory body to a key regional planning agency, an official release quoted Dey.

"Yet, its core mission remains unchanged to accelerate socio-economic development and ensure parity with the rest of the country through enhanced connectivity, capacity building, and investment in various sectors," the release said.

The NEC was established in 1971 and subsequently inaugurated in Shillong in 1972 by then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

This milestone marked a pivotal moment in the region's planned and coordinated development.

The official release said that the council's transformation, including the incorporation of Sikkim in 2002 and its designation as a Regional Planning Body, reflects its expanding mandate and growing importance.

The NECas remarkable achievements over the decades are from constructing over 11,500 km of roads to boosting power generation and improving airport infrastructure.

The council's legacy includes foundational institutions such as the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) and the North Eastern Electrical Power Corporation (NEEPCO), among many others, the release added.

The ongoing initiatives and the introduction of the PM-devINE scheme further underscore the NECas pivotal role in realising Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision for the northeastern region.

At the 72nd plenary session to be held on Saturday, the spotlight is firmly on the NEC's continued efforts to harness the region's vast potential and propel it toward unprecedented growth and development.

"With the stage set and expectations high, the plenary session of the NEC promises to be a defining moment in the region's journey toward a prosperous future," the release added.

Besides the NEC meeting, a review meeting of the works and planning of the North Eastern Space Application Centre (NESAC) will be held on December 22.

According to officials, the Union Home Minister and ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) Chairman S. Somanath would attend the NESAC meeting.

The Union Home Minister, in the previous NEC meeting in Shillong, had said that in the 50 years of its establishment, the NEC has increased the pace of development of the region by providing a policy-related platform to all the states and simplifying the solutions to their problems.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has sent a congratulatory letter to President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of his birthday, Trend reports.

"Dear Ilham Heydarovich,

On behalf of the Government of the Russian Federation and personally, I extend my heartfelt congratulations on your birthday.

I would like to highlight your significant contribution to the development of Russian-Azerbaijani relations, founded on the principles of friendship, partnership, and alliance. To implement decisions made at the highest level, great productive work is underway to expand trade-economic, scientific-technical, and cultural-humanitarian cooperation, as well as to advance major joint projects in various fields.

I am confident that further deepening of practical cooperation and the implementation of new mutually beneficial initiatives fully align with the interests of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Azerbaijan.

I warmly recall our meeting on November 13, 2024, in Baku and look forward to continuing our sincere and constructive dialogue.

Dear Ilham Heydarovich, I sincerely wish you good health, happiness, and new successes in your responsible state activities," the letter reads.
Moscow, Dec 20 : Russia launched a group strike with long-range precision weapons on Friday in retaliation for Ukrainian attacks on its chemical plant with Western-made missiles.

The strike targetted the Ukrainian Security Service command post, the state-run Kyiv design bureau "Luch," and positions of the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system, the Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement.

It said the raid was in response to Ukraine's Wednesday attack on a Russian chemical plant in the Rostov region with six US-made ATACMS tactical missiles and four Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missiles.

Ukraine's General Staff of the Armed Forces said on Telegram that five Russian missiles targeted Kyiv but were shot down by Ukrainian air defence at around 7 am (0500 GMT).

The fragments of downed missiles resulted in deaths and injuries as well as damage in five districts of Kyiv, it said, Xinhua news agency reported.

In a major shift of policy on the Ukraine crisis, the United States in November authorized Ukraine to use US long-range missiles to strike targets in Russia, triggering an escalation of tension around the conflict.

Earlier this week, citing a senior diplomat, the Ukrainian government-run Ukrinform news agency reported that Russia has carried out 12 attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure so far this year, launching about 1,100 missiles.

Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ukraine's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, said that the attacks involved both cruise and ballistic missiles.

Russia last week conducted one of the largest assaults this year on Ukraine's energy facilities with 94 missiles and 193 drones, Kyslytsya said.

Earlier, the state-run energy company Ukrenergo estimated that Ukraine had lost about nine gigawatts of generating capacity due to the strikes.

Later, the Russian authorities also detained an Uzbek citizen in connection with the deaths of a senior military official and his assistant.

The 29-year-old suspect has been accused of carrying out a terrorist attack that resulted in the deaths of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, head of the Russian armed forces' radiological, chemical and biological defence troops, and his assistant.

According to the Russian Investigative Committee, the suspect was recruited by Ukrainian intelligence services and given a homemade explosive device after he arrived in Moscow. He allegedly placed the device on an electric scooter parked near the entrance of the building where Kirillov resided.

--IANS

int/as
New Delhi, Dec 20 : The Delhi High Court on Friday adjourned hearing on a plea filed by former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal challenging the trial court's decision to take cognisance of the Enforcement Directorate (ED)'s prosecution complaint in the alleged liquor policy scam.

New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) The Delhi High Court on Friday adjourned hearing on a plea filed by former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal challenging the trial courtas decision to take cognisance of the Enforcement Directorate (ED)as prosecution complaint in the alleged liquor policy scam.

A bench of Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri decided to defer the proceedings after an adjournment was sought on the ED's behalf due to the non-availability of Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju.

This met opposition from Kejriwalas lawyer, who said that the federal anti-money laundering agency should not seek adjournment. The AAP supremoas counsel added that an early date for the next listing should be given in view of the forthcoming Delhi Assembly elections.

Ultimately, Justice Ohri-led Bench decided to take up the matter for hearing on January 30, 2025, along with a similar petition filed by former Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia.

Both Kejriwal and Sisodia, have filed distinct petitions before the Delhi HC seeking a stay on trial proceedings on the ground that the trial court had taken cognisance of the alleged offences under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) without any prior sanction having been obtained by the ED for prosecution.

The plea said that the trial court should have not taken cognisance of the EDas prosecution complaint without sanction since Kejriwal held a public office at the time of the commission of the alleged money laundering offence.

The Supreme Court, on September 13, had granted bail to the former Delhi CM in connection with the corruption case lodged by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) linked to the liquor policy case.

Earlier in July, the top court had ordered Kejriwal to be released on interim bail in connection with the money laundering case lodged by the ED.

Recently, the Supreme Court allowed a plea filed by senior AAP leader Sisodia seeking relaxation of the bail condition requiring him to report to the Investigating Officer semi-weekly.

Saying that the condition was not necessary, it exempted Sisodia from reporting to the Investigating Officer every Monday and Thursday between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.
Mumbai, Dec 20 : The Mazagon Docks Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) created history by delivering two indigenously built, modern Capital Warships 'Nilgiri' and 'Surat' to the Indian Navy, officials said here on Friday.

Mumbai, Dec 20 (IANS) The Mazagon Docks Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) created history by delivering two indigenously built, modern Capital Warships aNilgiria and aSurata to the Indian Navy, officials said here on Friday.

The acceptance documents for the first Stealth Frigate of P17A Class, aNilgiria and the fourth Guided Missile Destroy of P15B Class, aSurata were signed by MDL Chairman-Managing Director Sanjeev Singhal and CSO (Tech) R. Adhisrinivasan, and handed over to senior officials of Indian Navy.

Both the warships have been designed by the INas Warship Design Bureau, constructed by MDL and overseen by Warship Overseeing Team, Mumbai.

aNilgiria is the First of Class (FoC) ship of Project 17A featuring cutting edge advanced technology that is comparable to the finest ships of similar class anywhere in the world.

It incorporates the design concepts for improved survivability, sea keeping, stealth and ship manoeuvrability with state of the art having stealth features through shaping of hull and use of radar transparent deck fittings, which make ships difficult to detect.

It is packed with an array of sophisticated weapons and sensors and has all-round capability against enemy submarines, surface warships, anti-ship missiles, fighter aircraft, mounted with guns for close-in-defence capability and effective naval gunfire.

With significant indigenous content, aNilgiria is enabled to operate independently without supporting vessels, and also to function as the flagship of the Naval task force.

aSurata is the fourth ship of Project 15B and is a potent platform capable of undertaking a variety of tasks and missions, spanning the full spectrum of maritime warfare.

It is armed with supersonic Surface-to-Surface aBrahmosa missiles and aBarak-8a Medium Range Surface to Air Missiles.

Towards undersea warfare capability, the destroyer 'Surat' is fitted with indigenously developed anti-submarine weapons and sensors, prominently the Hull mounted Sonar Humsa NG, Heavy weight Torpedo Tube Launchers and ASW Rocket Launchers.

Considerably more versatile than the previous classes of Destroyers and Frigates in Naval inventory, aSurata all-round capability against enemy submarines, surface warships, anti-ship missiles and fighter aircraft will enable it to operate independently without supporting vessels and also to function as the flagship of a Naval task force.

The indigenous content in P15B Class Destroyers is 72 per cent which is a notch above their predecessors P15A 59 per cent and P15 42 per cent Class Destroyers, in tune with the aAtmanirbhar Bharata policy of the Centre.
Guwahati, December 20 : Senior Congress leaders including the Assam unit chief Bhupen Borah were taken into custody on Friday after they took part in a protest rally in Guwahati demanding justice for the death of deceased Congress worker Mridul Islam.

Apart from Bhupen Borah, other leaders like Ripun Borah, Uday Bhanu Chib, and senior spokesperson Ratul Kalita were also detained by the police, disrupting the Congress party's protest.

As per the latest information, the leaders were detained at the 10th APBN in Kahilipara, Guwahati.

Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma ordered a probe into Congress party worker's death.

The 45-year-old Mridul Islam died on Wednesday after participating in a Congress protest march to Raj Bhawan in Guwahati. The Congress party has alleged that the police used excessive tear gas to disrupt the protest and this was the reason behind Islam's untimely death.

The state unit of the Congress party has lodged a complaint against the local police, claiming that the police used excessive tear gas shells which led to the passing away of Mridul Islam.

Islam was a member of the State Congress Legal Cell and a lawyer by profession, according to the party.

The deployment of tear gas by the state police, according to Assam Congress General Secretary Bipul Gogoi, was not only excessive but also indiscriminate, affecting everyone in the vicinity, including the elderly, children, and individuals with respiratory conditions and they did so without any provocation.

According to the state Congress, Mridul Islam was among the numerous demonstrators who sustained injuries due to police actions, and who were already having difficulties as a result of the tear gas.

"It is clear that the actions of the Assam Police directly led to his tragic death. This FIR is being filed to request that immediate and strict action be taken against the responsible police personnel for their excessive and unlawful use of force, which directly caused the death of an innocent citizen," Gogoi said in his complaint.

Diganta Barah, the Commissioner of Police in Guwahati, refuted the claims by the Congress party, stating that the cause of Islam's death was yet unknown.
Maputo, Dec 20 : Mozambique started Friday a two-day national mourning in honour of the victims of Cyclone Chido, which hit the country's northern provinces last weekend, leaving at least 73 people killed, more than 540 injured, and a trail of destruction.

In a televised address Thursday night, President Filipe Nyusi sent his condolences to families of the victims and to those affected by the calamity.

"To all those who directly or indirectly suffered from this calamity, my thoughts and the hearts of Mozambicans go out to the grieving families," the president said in his Communication to the Nation speech, delivered on the occasion of Family Day, Christmas, and the End of the Year.

"We will immediately prioritize support for the replacement of shelters, housing, food, energy, water, and the distribution of seeds, in addition to the other support that is taking place," he said, Xinhua news agency reported.

The cyclone, which struck the provinces of Cabo Delgado, Nampula, and Niassa, caused widespread devastation, displacing thousands and damaging critical infrastructure.

According to the latest update from INGD, the national disaster relief agency, the cyclone destroyed or damaged 36,207 homes, 49 healthcare facilities, 13 places of worship, 186 electricity poles, nine water systems, and 171 fishing boats. Additionally, 167 schools were impacted, affecting 15,429 students and 224 teachers.

Two emergency accommodation centers have been opened to house over 1,300 people in need of immediate assistance.

Humanitarian organisations have begun providing emergency aid while urgently seeking additional resources to help the more than 182,000 people affected.

The French Interior Ministry had detailed on Thursday that the official death toll from Cyclone Chido in France's Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte has risen to 31, with approximately 1,400 people injured.

A state of exceptional natural disaster was declared in the overseas department late Wednesday night. French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Mayotte on Thursday amid fears that the death toll could climb further in the coming days.

In a statement released late Wednesday, the caretaker Minister for Overseas Francois-Noel Buffet announced the activation of the state of the exceptional natural disaster in Mayotte to facilitate faster and more effective crisis management and implement emergency measures.

On Tuesday, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) expressed alarm over more than 200 of its volunteers feared missing after the cyclone ravaged the islands.

Mayotte, located in the Mozambique Channel of the Indian Ocean, is an overseas department and region of France. Situated off the southeastern coast of Africa, it lies between northwestern Madagascar and northeastern Mozambique.

Chido originated as a tropical depression in the southeastern Indian Ocean basin between December 7 and 8.

Cyclone Chidowas a tropical depression, characterised by a region of low atmospheric pressure over an ocean, accompanied by a circular wind pattern generated by thunderstorms. These systems exhibit maximum sustained wind speeds of 61 km/h or lower.

Should a tropical depression strengthen, it can evolve into a tropical storm, which is defined by wind speeds ranging from 62 km/h to 119 km/h. Winds exceeding this threshold classify the system as a tropical cyclone.

The terminology surrounding these systems can be somewhat confusing. In the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, and northeastern Pacific Ocean, tropical cyclones are referred to as hurricanes. Conversely, in the western Pacific Ocean, they are known as typhoons, while in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean, the term cyclone is used.
Kigali, Dec 20 : Rwanda on Friday announced the end of the Marburg virus disease outbreak, initially declared on September 27.

The announcement, by Minister of Health Sabin Nsanzimana at a press conference in the capital, Kigali, follows 42 consecutive days with no new cases after the discharge of the last confirmed patient, meeting World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.

Rwanda recorded its last confirmed case on October 30 and its last Marburg-related death on October 14.

"This is an important milestone for Rwanda's public health system. While we mourn the lives lost, we are encouraged by the progress made," Nsanzimana said.

"We have reached this point because of the dedication of our healthcare workers, the government, and our partners, whose seamless collaboration and swift, coordinated action made it possible to contain the outbreak effectively," he said.

"We have successfully identified the virus's zoonotic origin, and we continue to strengthen our surveillance systems," Nsanzimana added.

According to a statement by the Ministry of Health, the outbreak, which began in mid-September 2024, resulted in 66 confirmed cases, including 15 deaths and 51 recoveries. Among the recoveries were two patients extubated after intensive care, marking a significant achievement in clinical management.

Nsanzimana emphasised that while the epidemic is over, preventive measures will remain in place. Rwanda plans to use GPS technology to track bats, the virus's primary carriers, to monitor their movements and habitats, Xinhua news agency reported.

"This is work we will continue to undertake to identify the locations of these bats," he said. "This will allow us to monitor where they go and where they hide."

"This epidemic is unprecedented in our country and marks a significant challenge we have overcome," the minister said.

Brian Chirombo, the WHO representative to Rwanda, commended the country's efforts in managing the epidemic.

"In particular, I appreciate the strong leadership of the government and the collective effort of Rwandans in suppressing this epidemic that posed a serious threat to quality of life. Together, we fought it, and this victory was achieved," he said.

"However, this is not the end. The fight must continue," Chirombo said.

From the onset of the outbreak, Rwanda activated its pandemic response swiftly. A 24/7 command post was established to oversee all aspects of containment, including surveillance, testing, case management, vaccination, risk communication, and community engagement, according to the health ministry statement.

The government, healthcare workers, and partners collaborated in a coordinated, evidence-based approach to control the outbreak efficiently and promptly, the statement added.

The successful conclusion of the Marburg outbreak underscores Rwanda's commitment to strengthening its health systems and ensuring preparedness for future health emergencies, the ministry said.

The Marburg virus, a highly infectious pathogen with a fatality rate of up to 88 per cent, causes hemorrhagic fever. Symptoms, including high fever and severe headache, typically appear within a week of exposure.

It belongs to the same virus family as Ebola, according to the WHO.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal on Friday called for a 100 per cent integration of industry stakeholders onto the government digital platforms to improve the logistics sector.

During his address at the ULIP Logixtics Hackathon 2.0 Awards Ceremony here, the minister urged the participants to think about sustainability and integrate green practices into Indiaas logistics ecosystem.

"We have to adopt technology like electric mobility, biofuels, multimodal transport options to bring down overall carbon impact and make sustainability the core of our thinking," the minister pointed out.

Speaking on skill development in the logistics sector, he called for collaboration with institutions to train and build a future ready workforce.

The minister said there was a need to leverage the government, the private sector and academia to enhance skill development in the logistics sector.

Noting that innovation in building infrastructure is needed, he said that better road building techniques and faster processes for bidding out contracts are required.

Using Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics, we can make sure there is no time and cost overrun, he said.

The Minister also said that more hackathons with newer problem statements could be organised every three months.

Piyush Goyal pointed out that Hackathon is the new style of governance model to solve problems in the country.

It is inclusive, involves young minds, startups and innovators. This is Prime Minister Narendra Modias aSabka Prayasa, he added.

He further noted that Ease of Living and Ease of Doing Business are the two objectives the government has set before itself and these two outcomes are necessary for the country to be competitive.

ULIP Logistics Hackathon 2.0 was officially launched on September 24, 2024, in association with NITI Aayog and Start-up India, to provide a nationwide platform for start-ups, enterprises, and logistics service providers to address critical challenges in the logistics sector.

For the 2024 edition, the hackathon was scaled up significantly, receiving an overwhelming response of over 4,751 registrations. Following a rigorous evaluation process, 72 participants were shortlisted to develop prototypes.

Of these, 25 finalists were presented their innovative solutions during the Finale Event on December 20.

ULIP Logistics Hackathon 2.0 received an impressive array of innovative solutions targeting critical challenges in the logistics sector.

Among these were proposals for accident hotspot mapping, leveraging geospatial data and real-time analytics to identify and mitigate accident-prone areas, thereby improving road safety and informing better infrastructure planning.

Several solutions focused on sustainable supply chain management, emphasizing reduced carbon footprints through efficient load consolidation, optimal routing, and real-time tracking to support greener logistics operations.

Participants also explored cargo insurance and risk management, presenting ideas that integrated advanced risk assessment tools with seamless and cost-effective insurance mechanisms tailored to logistics needs.

Enhancing operational efficiency was another major focus, with solutions aimed at improving route optimisation, cargo space utilisation, and transit time reductions using predictive analytics and data-driven decision-making.

The hackathon offered a substantial cash prize pool of Rs 20 lakh to recognise and reward innovation and creativity in logistics solutions. The prize distribution is designed to inspire excellence and encourage participants to develop impactful and transformative ideas.
Dharamsala, Dec 20 : The Himachal Pradesh Assembly on Friday passed the Himachal Pradesh Police (Amendment) Bill 2024, making it mandatory to get permission from the government before the arrest of any public servant.

With the amendment to Section 65 of the Act, no police officer shall arrest a public servant for any act done while discharging his duties as a public servant except with the prior sanction of the government.

Earlier, the amendment Bill was introduced in the House by Chief Minister Sukhwinder Sukhu on Wednesday.

During the discussion, the Chief Minister, who also holds the Home portfolio, said the government has no intention of encroaching upon the Indian Justice Code, or Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), by making the amendment.

He said the vigilance bureau and the police would continue to take action in cases like bribery as before. He said the Opposition "is unnecessarily expressing apprehensions about the Bill". He clarified that this amendment would address gaps in the existing system.

Earlier, BJP members Randhir Sharma and Trilok Jamwal expressed apprehension that after this amendment, the government will misuse public servants. They said that this is an attempt to save those who take bribes.

Jamwal called it an encroachment on Section 35 of the BNS and demanded the government to withdraw the amendment.

After the passage of the Bill, junior police officers and lawyers can also be included in the District Police Complaints Authorities in the state. Due to the unavailability of senior police officers and lawyers, the District Police Complaints Authorities have not been formed in many districts. As a result, there are difficulties in resolving complaints.

After the amendment, it will also be mandatory to get permission from the government before arresting public servants.

Apart from this, the Himachal Pradesh Recruitment and Conditions of Services Bill 2024, was also passed. With this, a police recruitment board will be formed for the recruitment of Grade-II policemen.
Mumbai, Dec 20 : Actor Shah Rukh Khan once shared that he never visited Kashmir because his late father had asked him not to go there without him.

An old video of SRK making this heartfelt confession has resurfaced online. In an earlier appearance on Amitabh Bachchan's game show Kaun Banega Crorepati, Khan revealed the reason he had never visited Kashmir. In the video, the actor could be heard saying, "My father's mother was Kashmiri. My father told me that in life, make sure you visit Istanbul, Rome, and Kashmir at least once, whether I'm here or not. However, you can visit the other two without me, but don't go to Kashmir without me."

Shah Rukh added, "So he died very early. I have been all over the world lekin main Kashmir kabhi nahi gaya. Bohot saare mauke bhi mile, doston ne bohot bulaya, ghar wale chutti pe bhi gaye, par main Kashmir kabhi nahi gaya. Kyunki mere father ne kaha tha ki Kashmir mere bina mat dekhna, Kashmir main dikhaaunga," (I had many opportunities to visit Kashmirmy friends invited me, and even my family went on a holiday there. However, I never went because my father told me not to go without him, as he wanted to take me himself.")

SRK's father, Mir Taj Mohammed Khan, passed away from cancer when he was just a teenager, and his mother, Lateef Fatima Khan, died a decade later, when he was only 24.

Shah Rukh Khan made his first-ever visit to Kashmir in 2012, during the shoot of his film "Jab Tak Hai Jaan." Before landing in Kashmir, Khan had tweeted, "Dark clouds...wet roads...too early for even life to feel alive...but I am on way to make movies. A cigarette and coffee as co travellers."

Reports suggest that Shah Rukh Khan also filmed scenes for his movie "Dunki" in Kashmir.
Seoul, Dec 20 : Acting Defence Minister Kim Seon-ho and US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo concurred Friday on the importance of trilateral security cooperation with Japan to deter North Korea's threats and vowed efforts to further strengthen such cooperation, the South Korean defence ministry said.

Kim and Paparo discussed the issue as they met at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on the sidelines of a change-of-command ceremony marking the inauguration of new US Forces Korea Commander General Xavier Brunson.

In their meeting, both sides agreed that the South Korea-US alliance remains "ironclad," and vowed to bolster cooperation and communications to uphold it with an overwhelming combined defence posture, the ministry said.

For such a goal, they concurred on the need to smoothly push ahead with pre-planned combined drills, Yonhap news agency reported.

Kim was quoted as saying that South Korea's external policy remains unchanged and emphasised that the military remains committed to maintaining a firm combined defence posture under the acting president.

Friday's meeting was attended by Brunson as well as US Ambassador to South Korea Philip Goldberg and General Kang Shin-chul, Deputy Commander of the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command.

Earlier in the day, General Xavier Brunson took office as the new commander of US Forces Korea (USFK), vowing a continued commitment to upholding the South Korea-US alliance amid persistent threats by North Korea.

Brunson replaced General Paul LaCamera to lead the 28,500-strong American troops in South Korea in a change-of-command ceremony held at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometres south of Seoul, attended by top officials from both nations, including acting Defence Minister Kim Seon-ho and US Indo-Pacific Command Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo.

As USFK commander, Brunson also serves as Commander of the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command (CFC) and the UN Command.

Brunson emphasised the importance of the alliance as well as cooperation with the wider international community in maintaining "collective security" and a "rules-based international order" in responding to potential threats.

In his address, the new commander cited a Bible verse that goes: "One may be overpowered. Two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."

"This first reflects the strength of our alliance, the solidarity of our trilateral partnerships and the resilience of our multinational coalition. United, we are stronger and more capable of meeting any challenge," he said, Yonhap news agency reported.

LaCamera, who is retiring after nearly 44 years of service, noted how South Korea, a nation that stands as a "beacon of freedom and prosperity" holds a "special place" in his heart.
Xi commends Macao's achievements in past 5 "extraordinary" years

Xinhua) 08:04, December 20, 2024

Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses a welcome dinner held by the Macao Special Administrative Region government on the eve of the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland, in south China's Macao, Dec. 19, 2024. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

MACAO, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday commended the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) for its achievements over the past five "extraordinary" years.

Xi made the remarks while addressing a welcome dinner held by the SAR government on the eve of the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland.

Against the background of accelerating global transformation not seen in a century and the once-in-a-century pandemic, the fifth-term SAR government has rallied and led the people of all sectors in Macao to rise to the challenges, made results-oriented efforts, ensured a steady economic recovery and achieved progress in all undertakings, Xi noted.

Over the past five years, Macao has made new progress in appropriate economic diversification, and reached a new level in improving people's well-being, Xi said.

Macao's political and social foundation, rooted in love for the Chinese nation and love for Macao, is more solid and stronger, and its international influence and visibility have risen significantly, he added.

The remarkable achievements are attributable to the full and faithful implementation of the "one country, two systems" policy, to the vigorous support of the central government and the mainland, and to the active involvement of the international community, Xi noted.

They are also the result of the hard work and all-out efforts of people from all sectors in Macao united under the leadership of the Macao SAR government, he added.

Macao enjoys the unique advantages of "one country, two systems" and has laid a solid foundation for development, Xi noted.

Macao should proactively align itself with national development strategies such as building the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and seek to play a bigger role on the international stage, Xi said.

The SAR should uphold the underlying values of love for the Chinese nation and love for Macao while embracing greater openness, inclusiveness and solidarity, and work to attract the best minds to jointly build a better Macao, he said.

Macao needs to demonstrate stronger resolve and greater courage in reform and innovation, said Xi, adding that the region could leverage the institutional strengths of "one country, two systems" to break new ground in its development.

Ho Iat Seng, outgoing chief executive of the SAR, said in his speech that Macao should make greater contributions to building China into a stronger country and achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Ho expressed his firm belief that the sixth-term Chief Executive of the Macao SAR Sam Hou Fai will lead the new government and all sectors of Macao to write a new chapter in the practice of "one country, two systems" with Macao characteristics.

Cai Qi and other senior officials attended the event.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov 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 heartfelt congratulations and best wishes on the occasion of your birthday!

Under your leadership, Azerbaijan is confidently advancing along the path of strengthening statehood and socio-economic development.

I am confident that the traditionally friendly Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan relations, based on the principles of equality, mutual respect, and trust, will continue to develop and strengthen for the benefit of our peoples.

Taking this pleasant opportunity, I sincerely wish you, dear Ilham Heydar oglu, good health and happiness, and the fraternal people of Azerbaijan peace, well-being, and prosperity," the letter reads.
Damascus, Dec 20 : A high-level US delegation met with Ahmad al-Shara, the commander of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), on Friday.

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 will discuss sanctions relief on Syria and the possible removal of the HTS from international terrorism lists, Xinhua news agency reported.

The rare US diplomatic engagement with al-Shara in the Syrian capital reflected a rapidly changing political environment following the fall of Syria's Bashar al-Assad's government nearly two weeks ago.

The US team's arrival in Syria follows a flurry of visits by UN officials and European delegations from Britain, France, and Germany, signaling a concerted effort by international players to influence the shape of Syria's post-conflict governance.

The al-Assad government collapsed as a militant coalition led by the HTS captured the capital Damascus earlier this month. The HTS is still classified as a terrorist group by the United Nations, the United States, and Turkey, among others.

Earlier this week, the commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi, had said that his forces are willing to propose a "demilitarised zone" in the border city of Kobani in the northern countryside of Aleppo.

He made the remarks on Tuesday on the social media platform X, expressing SDF's readiness to establish a buffer area in Kobani, with the redeployment of security forces under US supervision and presence.

This move, he said, aims to "address Turkish security concerns and ensure lasting stability in the region".

In a separate statement, the SDF accused Turkey of preparing an offensive against Kobani, claiming that Turkish forces and allied fighters have massed heavy weapons near the city.

The US-backed Kurdish forces have withdrawn from Manbij, a strategic city in northern Aleppo province that they had controlled since capturing it from Islamic State in 2016.

Earlier on Tuesday, the US said it had brokered an extension of a ceasefire between pro-Turkish fighters and Syrian Kurds at the flashpoint town of Manbij and was seeking a broader understanding with Ankara.

The announcement comes amid fears of an assault by Turkey on the Kurdish-held border town of Kobani, also known as Ain Al-Arab, after Turkish-supported Islamist rebels toppled Syrian President Bashar Assad.

The Manbij truce, which had recently expired, "is extended through the end of the week, and we will, obviously, look to see that ceasefire extended as far as possible into the future," US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.
Khartoum, Dec 20 : The World Food Programme (WFP) on Friday announced that three of its staff members were killed in an aerial bombardment in Sudan, while the Sudanese government pledged to investigate the incident.

"The WFP is outraged by the killing of three of its staff members in an aerial bombardment in Sudan on Thursday, December 19, 2024," the UN agency said in a statement on social media platform X.

"A WFP office was hit during the attack. We are gathering more information and will provide update as we learn more," it added.

For its part, the Sudanese Foreign Ministry vowed to investigate the incident to determine who was responsible, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The United Nations Resident Humanitarian Coordinator's office in Sudan has reported that the WFP office in Yabus area in Blue Nile State ... was bombed last night, killing three of the office's staff members," the ministry said in a statement.

"The Government of Sudan renews its rejection and condemnation of any targeting of UN agencies and all humanitarian workers," it noted.

Sudan has been gripped by a devastating conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since mid-April 2023.

Earlier this week, the WFP had said that the escalating fighting in Sudan was preventing humanitarian aid from reaching famine-risk areas.

"Fighting in Um Rawwaba, North Kordofan, has prevented a convoy from reaching famine risk areas in North and South Kordofan, including Kadugli and Dilling," stated a WFP statement.

The trucks were forced to return to a safer location and are waiting to be rerouted to other accessible areas in South Kordofan and Blue Nile state as the situation permits, it added.

The WFP noted that even the available corridors have become more dangerous in recent weeks as fighting and intense shelling has escalated.

The UN organisation noted that in October, it provided food, cash, and nutritional assistance to 2.8 million people nationwide. It is now working to deliver essential food and nutrition support to 14 hunger hotspots, many of which are located in conflict-affected areas across Darfur, Kordofan, Khartoum, and Gezira, where the conflict continues to escalate.

WFP is supporting community kitchens in areas of Khartoum through local partners, with a goal of distributing up to 100,000 hot meals every month. WFP is also expanding its cash-based assistance, including the roll-out of a self-registration pilot for cash-based assistance for residents of Khartoum.

The Sudanese government recently announced that 28.9 million people in the country require humanitarian assistance due to the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which erupted in mid-April 2023.
Nagpur, Dec 20 : Amid instances of non-vegetarians being denied flats in certain housing societies, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday clarified that no one has the right to refuse homes on the grounds of vegetarian or non-vegetarian food habits.

The Chief Minister said that if such complaints are received, appropriate action will be taken against those indulging in discrimination between vegetarians and non-vegetarians.

CM Fadnavis said this while speaking in the state Council after Shiv Sena-UBT legislator Anil Parab raised the issue of non-vegetarians being not given homes in some residential societies.

He urged the chief minister to make the governmentas stand clear in this regard.

Parab sought Fadnavis' intervention following an incident in Kalyan where a Marathi family was allegedly beaten up by a non-Marathi speaking family.

"The Constitution has given everyone the right and freedom to choose what to eat. If a society considers vegetarianism important, that society can definitely prepare a plan. No one has the right to refuse housing in this way. There is no reason to hate someone just because they are advocating vegetarianism. However, we cannot accept discrimination on that basis. If such complaints are received, appropriate action will be taken against them.

"There are many traditions in our country. In a state like West Bengal, all communities eat fish. In some states, 100 per cent vegetarianism is seen. Therefore, our tradition has given the term divinity to both the immaterial and the material. It is also our responsibility to preserve the diversity of our country," said Fadnavis.

The Maharashtra Chief Minister further said that "just as we have a national identity, we also have a regional identity".

"That regional identity means that we are all Marathi. We are proud of being Marathi. If anyone is attacking that, we are upset, so strict action will definitely be taken against them," he said.

Earlier, Anil Parab claimed that non-vegetarians are not being given homes in some societies.

"Jain builders have stopped giving houses to Marathi people because they eat non-veg. Who will decide what we eat in Mumbai, Maharashtra and the country? The chief minister needs to clarify the governmentas stand," he said.
Haveri : , Dec 20 (IANS) BJP MLC C.T. Ravi said on Friday that he has never indulged in making personal attacks against opponents, underlining his criticisms were "ideological and political".

Haveri (Karnataka), Dec 20 (IANS) BJP MLC C.T. Ravi said on Friday that he has never indulged in making personal attacks against opponents, underlining his criticisms were "ideological and political".

Speaking to the media in the Haveri district after the High Court ordered his immediate release, Ravi challenged that people can get to know about him once they speak to people in his native Chikkamagaluru. "Let people inquire about Dy CM D.K. Shivakumar in Ramanagar," he maintained.

Ravi further stated the Chairman of the Legislative Council has stated that there is no audio or video record about the use of the derogatory word in the council. The issue will be taken care of by the Chairman. The government has lodged a false case and treated him like a terrorist.

"Once I get the court document, I will talk about the matter in detail. I have not slept since Thursday and I have a headache now. Even though I gave a complaint with evidence, the police did not file an FIR over attacks on me," he maintained.

Ravi is presently in the Ranebennur town of Haveri district. The police are awaiting the court orders to release C.T. Ravi. Sources stated that he would be released once they receive orders from senior officers.

Meanwhile, the celebrations started near the BJP headquarters in Bengaluru. The party workers including women started dancing and bursting crackers.

However, the Congress has called for a protest on Saturday opposing the release of C.T. Ravi in Belagavi. The supporters of Laxmi Hebbalkar have demanded the sacking of Ravi from the MLC post.

Earlier, in a major setback to the Congress government in Karnataka, the High Court on Friday ordered the police department to immediately release BJP MLC C.T. Ravi arrested on charges of allegedly making a 'derogatory remark' against Minister for Women and Child Welfare Laxmi Hebbalkar.

The bench headed by Justice M.G. Uma delivered the interim order asking the police to release C.T. Ravi immediately from wherever he is. The court has also asked C.T. Ravi to cooperate with the investigation.

The bench has expressed displeasure over the moves of C.T. Ravi and Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar.

The counsel for C.T. Ravi, Sandeep Chowta submitted that the accused and the complainant are both legislators. The allegations in the case attract less than seven years of imprisonment. The police department should have given notice and explained the reasons for the arrest.

The counsel further claimed that C.T. Ravi stated that the police assaulted him. The doctor has not mentioned the details of the treatment appropriately. The report says that the scanning was done. The Chairperson of the Legislative Council had stated that there is no record of the derogatory word. There was no necessity of C.T. Ravi's arrest. Ravi is the leader in the Legislative Council and he would not have escaped.

The chaos and drama unfolded on 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 an obscene term against the woman Minister.

C.T. Ravi was arrested on charges of allegedly using derogatory words against Minister for Women and Child Welfare, Laxmi Hebbalkar, in the Legislative Council on Thursday.
Raipur, Dec 20 : Subodh Kumar Singh, an IAS officer of the 1997 batch, has been appointed as the Principal Secretary (PS) to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai. The appointment comes after Singh returned from his central deputation.

Singh has served as the District Collector in several districts of the state, including Raipur.

Recently, he was serving as an Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor in the Ministry of Steel in the central government. Upon the state governmentas request, he has now returned to Chhattisgarh, his parent cadre, and will take up the significant responsibility of Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister.

An official order in this regard has been issued by the General Administration Department, the Government of Chhattisgarh, assigning Subodh Kumar Singh the important role of PS to the Chief Minister. His leadership is expected to bring further improvements in the functioning of the state administration.

Singhas vast experience and expertise are expected to significantly strengthen the Chief Ministeras office, and his appointment has been welcomed positively across various sectors of the state.

During Dr Raman Singh's tenure in Chhattisgarh, Subodh Kumar Singh served in the Chief Secretariat in Raipur and held several key departments. He played a key role in the administrative ecosystem of the state government.

He is an Electrical Engineering graduate from IIT Roorkee and also holds a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering from the same institute, along with a Master's degree in Business Administration from IGNOU.

According to information, Singh had earlier met the Chief Secretary and submitted his joining. Since then, there has been speculation that he might be appointed as the Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister. It is believed that CM Sai personally requested the central government to bring Singh back to Chhattisgarh.
Hyderabad, Dec 20 : Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Friday said his government saved more than Rs 500 crore by refusing to transfer further money for Formula-E car racing after the previous BRS government had transferred Rs 55 crore to a foreign company in alleged violation of rules.

The Chief Minister stated this in the State Assembly a day after the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) booked a case against Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and former minister K.T. Rama Rao (KTR) for alleged misuse of government funds in conducting Formula-E race in Hyderabad last year when BRS was in power.

On KTR releasing to media photographs of Revanth Reddy's meeting with Formula E Operations (FEO) cofounder Albert Longo, the Chief Minister said 3-4 days after he assumed office in December last year, FEO representatives met him.

"They told me that they had an agreement with KTR for Rs.600 crore and wanted the government to conduct the race again and release the remaining money. I refused to do so. Why should the government spend Rs 600 crore to conduct car race?" he asked and alleged that KTR had planned to loot the money in the name of Formula-E race.

The Chief Minister said he would talk much on the issue since the ACB was investigating the case and the High Court was hearing the matter.

He, however, said he would soon make public all the details relating to the matter in chronological order.

Revanth Reddy lashed out at BRS for stalling the proceedings of Assembly to demand a debate on Formula-E race. He asked why the party never made this demand in the earlier sessions.

The Chief Minister alleged that BRS created ruckus in the House and disrupted the proceedings to stop debate on new revenue legislation as its leaders were afraid that the debate would expose their scam in the name of Dharani portal.

He also made it clear that he was ready for a debate on the Formula-E race issue anywhere and any time.

Revanth Reddy said the BRS transferred money for Formula-E race from Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) and sold out Outer Ring Road but was creating a nuisance when the government initiated action.

Taking strong exception to the behaviour of BRS members in Assembly, the Chief Minister said this would not be tolerated.

He alleged that the BRS members insulted Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar. He urged the Speaker to crack the whip on those behaving rudely in the House.

The ACB on Thursday registered a case against KTR for alleged misuse of government funds in conducting Formula-E race.

The case relates to the alleged unauthorised transfer of Rs 55 crore from HMDA to FEO without proper approvals.

The FIR was registered under Sections 13(1)(A) and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, along with Sections 409 and 120(B) of the Indian Penal Code.

On a quash petition filed by KTR, the Telangana High Court on Friday directed ACB not to arrest him till December 30.

However, the court allowed the ACB to continue its investigation in the case.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : IPS officer Gautam Cheema, then IGP of Punjab Police, and five others were on Friday sentenced to eight months' imprisonment by a Special CBI court in a case of wrongful detention of a person picked up from the lawful custody of a police station in Mohali, said a statement from the federal probe agency.

The CBI had investigated the matter of the illegal detention of Sumedh Gulati from the lawful custody of Police Station Phase-I, Mohali, by Cheema, Ajay Chaudhary and four others in 2014.

The Special CBI Judge in Mohali sentenced the six accused to imprisonment and slapped a fine of Rs 39,000 on them.

The other convicts are Varun Utreja (then Advocate); Rashmi Negi, Vicky Verma and Aryan Singh, the CBI said.

The CBI had registered the case in compliance with the order of Punjab and Haryana High Court dated March 4, 2020, transferring the investigation of FIR, earlier registered at Police Station-Phase-I, Mohali.

It was alleged that on August 26, 2014, at approximately 11 p.m., Gautam Cheema, the then IGP, in an inebriated state, along with Ajay Choudhary and others, arrived at Police Station Phase-I, Mohali and forcibly took away Sumedh Gulati (who had been arrested earlier that day in connection with another case) in a private car to Max Hospital, Phase-6, Mohali, where a complainant was admitted.

It is further alleged that Cheema forcibly detained Gulati in the same room and threatened the said complainant, demanding that she withdraw complaints filed against him.

After the completion of the investigation, the CBI filed a charge sheet on December 31, 2020, against the six accused.

After the trial, the court found the accused guilty and sentenced them accordingly.

Cheema is a 1995 batch IPS officer of the Punjab cadre. He is a native of Punjab and holds an M. Phil degree.

Last year, the Special CBI Court framed charges against Cheema under penal provisions for wrongful confinement, assault, criminal conspiracy read with trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint), kidnapping and obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions.
Washington, Dec 20 : Significant parts of the US federal government will shut down and hundreds of thousands will be sent home or made to work without pay if a funding plan is not legislated by Congress and signed by the president by Friday midnight.

Mike Johnson, speaker of the Republican-led House of Representatives, told reporters that he has a plan that he expects to put to a floor vote in the morning.

After the end of the fiscal year on September 30, US Congress passed a temporary funding plan to keep the government running. This plan runs out Friday midnight.

Johnson was forced to abandon bipartisan legislation negotiated by Republicans and Democrats to fund the government until mid-March due to opposition from President-elect Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk.

They objected to expenditures put in plan by Democrats and Trump added a demand of his own, to raise the debt ceiling, which is a limit put on the federal governmentas ability to borrow to pay for expenses already committed; it does not authorize new expenditures.

The Republicans came up with a slimmed down plan backed by the president-elect. It was put to a vote in the House of Representatives on Thursday but failed overwhelmingly, with 174 in favour and 235 against.

Thirty-eight fiscally conservative Republicans voted against the plan in a stark revolt against the president-elect.

Even if the Republican-led House passed a funding plan, it would still require it to be passed by the Democratic-controlled Senate (Republicans will take control of the upper chamber in January) and then it would require President Joe Biden's signature to go into effect.

According to a news report, the White House has said he would not have signed the legislation that was put to vote on Thursday, and failed.

President-elect Trump is holding firm.

"If there is going to be a government shutdown, let it begin now, under the Biden Administration, not after January 20th, under 'TRUMP'. This is a Biden problem to solve, but if Republicans can help solve it, they will!"

A shutdown will impact most of the federal government, but not all.

Exceptions are made for "essential" services such as law enforcement and air traffic controllers and those that are fee-funded such as visa services of the state department and certain operations of the citizenship and immigration department.

Essential services workers will not be paid, however, till a spending bill is approved by Congress. All other employees will be forced to stay home without pay.
Amaravati, Dec 20 : Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Friday warned that land grabbers will be sent behind bars.

Addressing a revenue seminar at Edupugallu of Penamaluru Assembly segment in Krishna district, he said the government would deal firmly with those resorting to land grabbing.

"Beware of grabbing even a single cent of land. If anyone resorts to land grabbing, cheating and blackmailing such persons will certainly be sent to jail," the Chief Minister said.

Chandrababu Naidu promised to take necessary measures to resolve the land issues in an amicable manner and said that the state government will certainly abide by the rules till the problems are resolved.

Stating that the errors in re-survey too will be corrected soon, the Chief Minister said the government's motive is to do justice to all.

"You have elected the TDP-led NDA Government with 57 per cent of vote reposing immense faith in us. We have been striving hard for the past six months to fulfill your expectations," the Chief Minister said.

Alleging that the previous government completely destroyed all the systems in the state, Chandrababu felt that with the Land Titling Act that government had created a worse situation in the state. He said that over three lakh people attended the revenue sadassulu through which 95,263 petitions have been received.

The Chief Minister promised to provide QRCode on passbooks and geotagging facility through which the land records can be examined anytime. He said that Rs 12 crore had to be spent to simply delete the photos of former chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy from land boundary marker stones that were fixed during land surveys during YSRCP rule.

Revenue 'sadassulu' are being conducted at almost all the villages in the state from December 6 till January 8. Chandrababu Naidu promised to take personal responsibility to hand the land to the real owners.

The provisions of the Land Grabbing Act are so severe that stringent action will be taken against those who resort to illegal land grabbers.
Nagpur, Dec 20 : The Maharashtra Assembly on Friday unanimously passed the Maharashtra Prisons and Correctional Services Bill, 2024 proposing to consolidate laws relating to regulation of prisons and correctional services and prisoners.

The Bill was tabled by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. He told the house that the government will construct a high security prison for terrorists and other convicts in Mumbai.

Similarly, a detention centre will also be developed in Mumbai to keep the foreign nationals involved in various crimes including drug trafficking and illegal stay. The Bill was drafted on the lines of the Centre's Model Prisons Act, 2023 forwarded to all states.

Ruling and opposition members made a slew of suggestions for the improvement in correctional services of prisoners.

BJP legislator Atul Bhatkhalkar demanded the construction of a detention center in Mumbai for foreign nationals and the efforts should be stepped up to reduce the number of under trials from prisons.

NCP legislator Sana Malik demanded that the number of doctors per prison should be increased. He assured that the number of doctors will be increased in the wake of the number of prisoners in excess of prison capacities.

Shiv Sena-UBT legislator Aaditya Thackeray suggested the use of AI in the release of a list of the prisoners who were freed.

In his reply, Fadnavis said the government is not providing five star facilities in prisons but upgrading them in context with the human rights of the prisoners. He said the bill proposes to provide categories of prisons such as special prison, open prison for women, temporary prison, open colony and Borstal Institution.

Further, the prison segregation of various categories of prisoners will be done such as women, transgender, undertrials, convicted prisoners, high risk prisoners, habitual offenders, recidivist prisoners, young offenders and civil prisoners.

Fadnavis said that there are about 1,600 prisoners, who are still locked in various prisons despite getting bails, for want of bond money. He told the house that the district collector headed committee will examine such cases and free such prisoners after payment of bond money.

The Bill proposes to provide special provisions relating to women prisoners and transgender prisoners including separate wards in prison hospitals. Further, after care rehabilitation services to all needy prisoners released from a prison will be provided to ensure their rehabilitation and reintegration into society.

Further, the Bill proposes the use of technology for effective management and superintendency of prisons and for the safety and security of prisoners and prisoners which may include biometrics, closed circuit television, scanning and detection devices, radio frequency identification and video conference facilities.

The undertrial review committee will be constituted for every district for conducting periodical review of all undertrial prisoners in all the prisons and measures will be taken for speedy disposal of cases and make appropriate recommendations to the trial courts.

Moreover, the prison and correctional services will be constituted and the welfare funds for all officers and staff of the prisons and for prisoners will be established.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. National Leader of the Turkmen People, Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty of Turkmenistan (Parliament of Turkmenistan) Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has sent a congratulatory letter to President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of his birthday, Trend reports.

"Dear Ilham Heydar oglu,

Please accept my warm congratulations and best wishes on the occasion of your birthday!

The great successes achieved in all areas of Azerbaijans public and political life, the significant accomplishments in the country's economic development, and the strengthening of its authority on the global stage are inextricably linked to your name.

Taking this pleasant opportunity, dear Ilham Heydar oglu, I sincerely wish you good health, happiness, and success in all your endeavors," the letter reads.
Davanagere : , Dec 20 (IANS) BJP MLA C.T. Ravi, arrested for allegedly using a 'derogatory remark' against Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar, was released in Davanagere by the Karnataka Police on Friday night following the High Court order.

A large number of party workers extended a grand welcome and shouted slogans against the Congress government. State BJP President B.Y. Vijayendra, and the Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka greeted and welcomed him after they were taken to Bengaluru in the police vehicle.

Earlier in the day, the High Court had issued orders to the police department to release C.T. Ravi immediately.

Following release, C.T. Ravi while addressing a joint press conference with Vijayendra and Ashoka in Davanagere, stated that truth has prevailed. "Satyameva Jayate," he stated.

"The police took me around more than 50 villages overnight to torture me mentally and physically. The Congress government used the police force to bog me down. My party leaders stood by me and gave me courage. The party workers across the state extended their solidarity with me," he stated.

"I don't want to talk much about today's judgment. I had maintained in Belagavi that the truth will win and now the truth has won. I don't get exalted by this order. The Congress government is wrong they think they could contain me. I have experienced all these situations 35 years ago and I have become strong," he stated.

"I have grown stronger by the torture given by the Congress government now. It has made me stronger to serve party workers," Ravi stated.

Following the High Court order, BJP MLC C.T. Ravi said that he has never indulged in making personal attacks against opponents, underlining his criticisms were "ideological and political".

Speaking to the media in Haveri district after the High Court ordered his immediate release, Ravi challenged that people can get to know about him once they speak to people in his native Chikkamagaluru. "Let people inquire about Dy CM D.K. Shivakumar in Ramanagar," he maintained.

Ravi further stated the Chairman of the Legislative Council has stated that there is no audio or video record of the use of the derogatory word in the council. The issue will be taken care of by the Chairman. The government has lodged a false case and treated him like a terrorist.

"Once I get the court document, I will talk about the matter in detail. I have not slept since Thursday and I have a headache now. Even though I gave a complaint with evidence, the police did not file FIR over attacks on me," he maintained.

The controversy erupted during a heated debate in the Legislative Council on Thursday when Ravi allegedly referred to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi as a "drug addict." Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar retaliated, calling Ravi a "murderer." In response, Ravi allegedly used an obscene term against Hebbalkar, escalating tensions. On Thursday evening Ravi was arrested.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : The mother of Bengaluru-based Atul Subhash, who committed suicide allegedly over the demand of Rs 3 crore for a divorce settlement, has filed a habeas corpus before the Supreme Court seeking custody of her four-year-old grandson.

The petition said that the whereabouts of the minor child is unknown and in all possibilities the child is detained in the illegal custody of a person who is not authorised in law to have his custody after Atul Subhash's wife Nikita Singhania was apprehended by Bengaluru Police.

The habeas corpus plea sought direction to the police authorities to produce the minor child before the apex court and to hand over his custody to her grandmother.

The matter was listed and heard on Friday by a bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and N Kotiswar Singh.

AI engineer Atul Subhash, 34, ended his life at his apartment in the early hours of December 9, leaving behind a 90-minute video and a 40-page death note, explaining how harassment by his wife Nikita Singhania and her family compelled him to take the extreme step.

On a complaint filed by the brother of the deceased, the Bengaluru Police registered an FIR against the estranged wife and others for abetment to suicide.

Nikita Singhania was arrested from Haryana's Gurugram and her mother Nisha Singhania and brother Anurag Singhania were nabbed in Prayagaraj, Uttar Pradesh.

Following the sensational Atul Subhash suicide case, a public interest litigation (PIL) has also been filed before the top court seeking to protect the "drastic condition and fate" of married men after implication in "false" dowry and domestic violence cases.

There have been many incidents and "cases of false implication of men in dowry cases which have led to a very tragic end" and also raised questions on our justice and criminal investigation system, the plea said.

It added that because of these false implications of married men under these laws, the real and true incidents against the women are looked at with suspicion.

"This is not only about one Atul Subhash but there have been lakhs of men who have committed suicide because of multiple cases showered upon them by their wives. The gross misuse of the dowry laws have defeated the purpose of these laws for which they were enacted," said the petition filed by advocate Vishal Tiwari.

The PIL sought directions to constitute an expert committee of retired judges, lawyers and eminent legal jurists headed by a former Supreme Court judge to review and reform the existing dowry and domestic violence laws and give suggestions to prevent their misuse.
Agartala, Dec 20 : Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday said that the 72nd Plenary of the North Eastern Council (NEC), to be held on Saturday, will lay a new foundation for the speedy growth of the region.

The DoNER Minister, who arrived here on Friday evening to attend Saturdayas meeting, said that Home Minister Amit Shah would chair the 72nd Plenary session of the NEC meeting on Saturday.

"In the near future, the northeastern region would see a rise and fast-paced development which has been conceptualised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he told the media at the MBB airport.

He said that an elaborate discussion would be held on Saturday on the NEC's work in the past one year and to fulfill the aspirations of the states of the region.

Scindia said that the Union Home Minister would also chair an important banking meeting which has been organised to reinvigorate the economy's backbone in the northeast region.

In the banking meeting, top officials of nationalised, regional and private banks would participate, he said.

The DoNER Minister said that a thorough analysis would also be done in the meeting on the record number of bank branches and deposits encashed in the banking system in the northeast.

Ahead of Saturday's plenary session, a pre-plenary technical session of the NEC was held on Friday and MoS DoNER Sukanta Majumdar presided over the meeting, where Chief Secretaries of all eight northeastern states, senior officials of DoNER Ministry and the NEC, and officials from all the states of the region took part.

Besides the three Ministers a" HM Shah, Scindia and Majumdar, in Saturdayas NEC meeting, Governors, Chief Ministers, Deputy Chief Ministers and senior officials of the DoNER Ministry, NEC and all eight northeastern states will attend the day-long meeting.
Imphal, Dec 20 : The Manipur High Court has directed the enquiry committee formed in connection with the missing or abducted 56-year-old Meitei community man to submit the report on the case once every two weeks.

The division bench of the High Court comprising Chief Justice D Krishnakumar and Justice Golmei Gaiphulshillu Kabui, hearing the case said the investigation on missing Laisram Kamalbabu Singh is underway and the footage of the CCTV camera has been received and these were sent to the Forensic Science test.

The High Court after hearing the petition filed by the brother of the missing person earlier this month constituted a four-member committee headed by the District Magistrate of Kangpokpi to conduct an enquiry in connection with the missing man.

The other members of the committee include the Superintendent of Police of Kangpokpi and Imphal West Districts and the Commanding Officer of the 57 Mountain Division, Signal Regiment.

Kamalbabu Singh, a resident of Gossaipur under Cachar district in southern Assam, who was staying at Loitang Khunou village in Imphal West district, left his residence on November 25 for the Leimakhong military station, where he was working as a supervisor for a contractor working with the Military Engineering Services (MES), but went missing.

According to defence sources, at least 2,000 soldiers of the Army and Assam Rifles continued their hectic search operation to locate the 56-year-old man from the Meitei community.

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) and the Meira Paibis (women vigilantes in Manipur) have sought the intervention of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to rescue the man who has remained untraced for 26 days.

The influential Meira Paibis and the JAC are continuing their agitations separately in protest against the abduction of Kamalbabu Singh.

The JAC leaders earlier met Chief Minister N. Biren Singh and discussed the abduction of Kamalbabu Singh and requested him to intensify the search operation to locate the missing person.
Patna, Dec 20 : The state unit presidents of all constituent parties of the NDA on Friday took part in a meeting at the residence of JD-U's Bihar unit president Umesh Kushwaha on Friday.

According to sources, the meeting discussed strategies towards the preparation for the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections.

A source said that the gathering underscores the alliance's commitment to coordinated efforts and collective planning under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

During the meeting, leaders discussed the district-level workers conference scheduled to commence on January 15. This conference aims to engage grassroots workers across all 38 districts of Bihar.

It would continue until February 25, marking the start of the NDA's ground-level mobilisation for the elections.

Participation from all state presidents of the constituent NDA parties has been confirmed to boost morale and cohesion among workers.

The NDA has set a target of 225 seats for the Bihar assembly in the 2025 election. To achieve this, strengthening the alliance up to the booth level was identified as a critical focus area.

Observers said that the meeting highlighted the NDA's proactive approach in mobilising its cadre, formulating strategies, and reinforcing unity ahead of the electoral battle, with Nitish Kumar playing a pivotal role in steering the alliance.

During the meeting, Dilip Jaiswal, BJP's state president, Anil Kumar, HAM's state president, Raju Tiwari, LJP-RV's state president, and Subhash Chandravanshi, RLSP representative attended the meeting along with senior leaders of the JD-U including Lalan Kumar Saraf, a legislative councilor and treasurer, Sanjay Kumar Singh, legislative councilor, Chandan Kumar Singh, state general secretary and headquarters in-charge.

The alliance discussed ways to strengthen grassroots-level coordination. With leaders from all constituent parties present, the meeting laid the groundwork for a cohesive campaign strategy under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Political observers believe that such a meeting assumes importance as Nitish Kumar is going for the Pragati Yatra from December 23. His Yatra is also considered as a preparation for the 2025 Assembly elections.
Bengaluru, Dec 20 : Welcoming the High Court relief to BJP MLC C.T. Ravi, Karnataka BJP on Friday demanded apologies from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Home Minister G. Parameshwara, saying democracy has prevailed in the state.

Ravi was arrested on Thursday over his alleged derogatory remark against Minister for Women and Child Welfare Laxmi Hebbalkar.

Karnataka BJP President B.Y. Vijayendra stated, "The High Court of the State has shown a mirror to the Congress government's police oppression. Democracy has prevailed in the state." The Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Home Minister G. Parameshwara will have to tender apologies now, he demanded.

The High Court has stepped in at the right time and taught a lesson to this government, which fosters goons and uses police power to intimidate and arrest anyone at its will. The court has upheld the Constitution and the honour of the law in this land. "On behalf of the people of Karnataka, I wholeheartedly welcome this court decision and congratulate MLC C.T. Ravi," Vijayendra stated.

Vijayendra further slammed, "Disregarding the dignity of public representatives and violating rules and regulations, the Congress government has behaved in a manner reminiscent of authoritarian rule by using police force."

"By unlawfully arresting and keeping MLC C.T. Ravi in police custody from Thursday until today, the Congress government has reminded the current generation of the dark days of the Emergency," he charged.

The BJP will continue its fight against this Congress government, which suppresses democracy, engages in oppressive and cruel actions, and is mired in corruption scams until a logical conclusion is reached, he charged.

"I also extend heartfelt appreciation to the media for effectively playing its role as the fourth pillar of democracy and bringing this incident of grave injustice in the temple of democracy to the nation's attention," he stated.

The arrest of Ravi is an unpardonable crime. The conduct of police officers is questionable. They assaulted him and did not give food throughout the night and without reason took him around for 400 to 500 kilometres in the wee hours and treated him like a terrorist, he attacked.

This is being done at the behest of the government and the police have violated all rules, the BJP leader claimed.

C.T. Ravi was arrested on charges of allegedly using derogatory words against Minister for Women and Child Welfare, Laxmi Hebbalkar, in the Legislative Council on Thursday.

Chaos and drama unfolded on 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 an obscene term against the woman minister.

Earlier in the day, the High Court granted interim relief to C.T. Ravi by ordering his immediate release.
Bhubaneswar, Dec 20 : Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday sought the support of the Central government on various crucial projects to achieve Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision to turn the eastern state into the growth engine of the country.

During his speech in the Pre-Budget Consultation meeting of the Union Finance Minister at Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, CM Majhi on Friday said that PM Modi has stated that Odisha will be the growth engine of the country in coming years. He said that the state needs the support of the Union government for some very crucial projects to implement the Prime Minister's vision.

CM Majhi sought the Centre's support to speed up large-scale infrastructure projects such as Industrial Parks and Corridors, Electricity Grids, Railway Infrastructure, Ports and Airports, Central Projects like Sagarmala Project, East Coast Economic Corridor and National Waterway-5, introduction of a dedicated central scheme under the visionary 'Purvodaya' initiative to support critical infrastructure development in eastern states.

He also demanded for the establishment of a Rare Earths Complex in Odisha financial support for the industrialization in aspirational districts.

CM Majhi raised the issue of allocation of funds under the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SACI), 2024-25. He said that the allocation under SACI in the Union Budget 2024-25, has been enhanced to Rs 1.50 lakh crore, which has benefited all States including Odisha.

"However, the untied allocation under Part-I of SACI, 2024-25 constitute only 37 percent of total allocation and the balance 63 percent is linked to sectoral reforms. Hence, in order to have predictability of fund flow and enhanced utilization for CAPEX, it is requested to allocate at least 60 per cent of the total allocation under SACI, 2025-26 under untied Part-I while allocating remaining funds for sectoral reforms," said CM Majhi.

The Chief Minister also requested Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to consider launching a new scheme for supporting urbanisation of states like Odisha.

He also demanded that new industrial townships may be sanctioned for Gopalpur (Salt Pan Land) and Jharsuguda to accelerate economic growth in southern and western Odisha respectively.

"I am grateful to the Union Finance Minister for making a special mention about Odisha tourism's potential in last year's budget speech. We need about Rs 10,000 crore of investment to create world-class tourism infrastructure across the state. I request the Government of India to announce a special package for development of tourism in Odisha in the budget of FY 2025-26," added CM Majhi.

He also requested the Finance Minister to include 11 uncovered blocks of Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar districts under Aspirational Blocks programme in addition to the 29 blocks approved earlier.
Agartala, Dec 20 : Union Minister of State for DoNER Sukanta Majumdar on Friday underscored the strategic importance of the northeastern region and said that the region is not just a geographically significant part of the country but it is also an epitome of the nation's diversity, culture, and strategic importance.

Addressing the pre-plenary technical session of the North Eastern Council (NEC), the Minister said that the northeastern region's unique geographical location at the confluence of India, China, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal makes it a critical bridge for regional connectivity, trade, and diplomacy.

He said that DoNER has been at the forefront of driving the vision of balanced, sustainable, and inclusive growth for the region.

The creation of the DoNER Ministry was a landmark moment in the government of India's commitment to the northeastern states as it understood the need for a dedicated approach to addressing the unique challenges of this region, the Minister added.

The pre-plenary technical session of the NEC was held on Friday before the Saturday 72nd Plenary Meeting, which would be chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and DoNER Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Governors, Chief Ministers, Deputy Chief Ministers and senior officials of Ministry, NEC and all eight northeastern states would attend the day-long meeting.

Majumdar said that the northeastern states have witnessed a significant upsurge in focus and investment over the last few years.

The Minister said that during the last decade, emphasis has been laid to develop the airways, railways and waterways in the region.

"The North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme provides 100 per cent central funding to the state governments of the northeastern region for the projects of physical infrastructure relating to water supply, power and connectivity enhancing tourism and social infrastructure.

"The Government of India has taken the specific initiative for improvement of connectivity within the region by programs such as SARDP-NE, Bharatmala-I, etc., and with the rest of India through the East-West Corridor program," he said.

The MoS DoNER said that under the guidance of the Prime Minister, it was planned that each northeastern state would have a visit of a Union Minister every 15 days in order to accelerate the pace of development in the region and to maximise the efficacy of the projects being implemented by the government in the region.

He further emphasised on the commitment of the central government towards the region while he said, "I would like to share that 74 Union Ministers have visited the region for more than 157 times from January, 2023 to March, 2024.

"These visits are helping in mapping the aspirations and sentiments of the local population and effective implementation of the schemes of government in the region."

Majumdar while acknowledging challenges faced by the region said that there are still some challenges that need to be addressed for the region to realize its full potential such as development of border trade routes, smart cities, and digital infrastructure, promoting agriculture-based industries, improving market access, and implementing sustainable farming practices.

NEC Secretary Angshuman Dey in his address to the meeting said that the DoNER Ministry would organise the North East Investor Summit in Delhi around April next year whereas a bipartite MoU between Ministry of DoNER and Invest India for strengthening Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) in the 8 states of northeast has been signed.

Dey said that the role of the region is pivotal in achieving Atmanirbharta in edible oil, as the scope for Oil Palm production spans across six northeastern states -- Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura, encompassing a vast potential area of 8.4 lakh hectares, which is 38 per cent of the national potential.

As of now, more than 30 nurseries have been established in the region with the capacity of 30 lakh planting material, he added.
Bengaluru, Dec 20 : The setting up of a US Consulate in Bengaluru in the second week of January 2025 would be a historic milestone for the city, Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya said as US Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, finally announced the operations of the Consulate in the city.

Surya thanked the cooperation and efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in bringing the US Consulate to Bengaluru.

The opening of the Consulate marks the culmination of years of persistent efforts to address a long-standing demand from the citizens of Bengaluru, Surya said on Friday.

Expressing his gratitude, Surya said in a tweet, "This milestone wouldn't have been possible without the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji and the relentless support of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. Their commitment to promoting Bengaluru's interests has ensured the fulfilment of this long-pending demand. I also thank US Ambassadors Kenneth Juster and Eric Garcetti for their unwavering support."

The establishment of the Consulate is expected to simplify visa application processes for thousands of students, professionals, and entrepreneurs, enhance bilateral trade and collaboration, particularly in the tech and innovation sectors and strengthen Bengaluru's position as a global hub for commerce and technology, Surya stated.

Since taking office in 2019, Surya had pushed for the opening of the Consulate in Bengaluru, contributing 40 per cent of India's IT revenue and home to lakhs of tech professionals.

He had highlighted that the absence of a dedicated US Consulate in the city compelled thousands of residents to travel to Chennai or Hyderabad for US visa-related services.

In November 2019, he wrote to External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar emphasising Bengaluru's critical role in Indo-US ties. Surya highlighted that Bengaluru's 750 multinational companies, including 370 US-based firms, and the large number of students and entrepreneurs travelling to the US, made a compelling case for a consulate.

Dr Jaishankar's response during his Bengaluru visit in March 2023 reinforced the importance of the initiative. Calling it "a no-brainer and a compelling ask," he assured that the matter would be pursued during his next meeting with the then Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken.

Surya also raised the issue with then-US Ambassador to India, Dr. Kenneth Juster, in 2020, reiterating Bengaluru's pivotal role in strengthening US-India relations.

The breakthrough came during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the United States in 2023, where he announced the establishment of a US Consulate in Bengaluru on a reciprocal basis. Since then, plans have been underway to finalise the location for the Consulate in Bengaluru. US Ambassador Eric Garcetti finally confirmed the consulate's January 2024 inauguration in a US-India Business Council meeting on Thursday.
Patna, Dec 21 : The year 2024 has indeed highlighted significant challenges regarding question paper leaks in Bihar. It has reflected a serious issue in the state's recruitment and examination processes.

Patna, Dec 21 (IANS) The year 2024 has indeed highlighted significant challenges regarding question paper leaks in Bihar. It has reflected a serious issue in the stateas recruitment and examination processes.

A total of three question paper leak incidents occurred in Bihar including BPSC Teachers Recruitment Examination (TRE) Phase 3. The Economic Offences Unit (EOU) which is a nodal agency to investigate the paper leak has arrested 295 accused individuals, making it the largest crackdown of the year.

Besides, the NEET UG Paper Leak also happened in May this year and a total of 15 accused were arrested in this connection.

The Community Health Officer (CHO) Recruitment Examination paper was also leaked and EOU has arrested 36 individuals for their involvement in this case.

The EOU has led thorough investigations into all incidents.

Apart from the cases of 2024, the EOU continued efforts to address previous cases as well. At least 14 arrests related to the constable recruitment question paper leak this year as well.

The constable recruitment paper leak occurred in 2023. EOU also arrested 18 accused in connection with the 67th BPSC question paper leak. That leak happened in 2022 and 18 accused were arrested this year.

After the introduction of new criminal laws effective from July 1, 2024, Bihar became the first state in India to deliver a life imprisonment verdict in just 50 days under the new laws, highlighting swift judicial processes.

The landmark case pertained to a murder in the Rasulpur police station area, Saran district.

After the implementation of three new criminal laws, Bihar Police launched a massive training exercise in the state and 1,040 officers were trained. The state police also sent 76 officers for training programmes outside Bihar.

Over 25,000 police officers ranging from Police Training College-pass level to Deputy Inspector General of Police trained on the new laws.

Forensic Science Laboratory Staff were also trained at National Forensic Science University, Delhi, and Central Detective Training Institute, Ghaziabad.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. The Head of the Republic of Dagestan of the Russian Federation Sergey Melikov has sent a congratulatory letter to President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of his birthday, Trend reports.

"Dear Ilham Heydarovich,

Accept my sincere congratulations on the occasion of your birthday.

For more than 20 years, you have steadfastly defended the interests of the Republic of Azerbaijan, which, under your leadership, has achieved impressive success in productive activities as well as economic, social, and cultural development. Your high political authority and the nationwide support for your policies serve as a guarantee for the country's strengthening leadership across many dimensions.

I am confident that the bonds of friendship and cooperation between the Republic of Dagestan of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Azerbaijan, rooted in centuries-old ties of neighbourliness and mutual respect, will continue to steadily expand and deepen in the interests of our peoples.

Dear Ilham Heydarovich, please accept my wishes for robust health, well-being, and further success in your responsible endeavours in the coming year of 2025," the letter reads.
Patna, Dec 21 : The Bihar Police which comes under the Home Department on Friday claimed a decline in crime rates across the state for 2024.

Principal Secretary of the Home Department, Arvind Kumar Chaudhary shared key statistics, revealing significant reductions in major crimes: dacoity decreased by 15.36 per cent, theft by 5.93 per cent, and riots by 15.82 per cent.

Chaudhary claimed Bihar Police seized 92 regular weapons, 4861 illegal weapons, 165 crude bombs, 22622 live cartridges and 604 detonators. Bihar Police also busted 83 mini gun factories till November 30 this year.

Chaudhary also highlighted that Bihar Police had arrested a total of 300,526 accused in connection with various offences. He credited the police and the Special Task Force (STF) for their efforts in curbing criminal activities, particularly in addressing the issue of Naxalism.

"Naxal activities in Bihar, which previously impacted 10 districts, have now been contained to eight districts like Gaya, Aurangabad, Nawada, Rohtas, Kaimur, Jamui, Munger, and Lakhisarai. These activities are now largely confined to forested areas in Bihar and neighbouring Jharkhand," Chaudhary said.

From January to November 30 this year, Bihar Police arrested 120 Naxal operatives and seized 24 weapons, 246 live cartridges, 134 kg explosives, 554 detonators, and 146 mines/cane bombs.

The STF had carried out five encounters with criminals and four of them had bounties on their heads. STF has also arrested 53 Naxal operatives as well. It has also arrested 787 notorious criminals in 2024.

In 2024, the Bihar Police made significant strides in enhancing cybercrime prevention and enforcement.

A total of 44 cyber police stations are operational in Bihar and all supervised by officers of DSP rank, to address the rising challenges of cybercrime.

According to Principal Secretary Arvind Kumar Chaudhary, the cyber cell registered 5,187 cases across various police stations until October 31, resulting in the arrest of 571 accused.

The Economic Offence Unit (EOU) manages a call centre for the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (1930), which has received the highest number of calls compared to other states. The EOU ranked 5th nationwide in freezing funds associated with reported cyber fraud cases.

It has blocked 13,403 mobile numbers and 3,804 IMEI numbers after reports of stolen phones.

The EOU registered 419 cases for provocative, objectionable, and misleading posts on social media, successfully resolving 319 cases.

The EOU registered 26 FIRs under the Disproportionate Assets Act and it recommended the attachment of assets worth Rs 339.3952 crore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to the Enforcement Directorate.

Bihar Police have also seized a total of 13024 kg ganja, 303.045 kg charas, 19.528 kg heroin/smack/brown sugar, 10.257 kg opium, 500.67 kg Doda, 63071 injections, 108398 bottles of codeine-based syrup and 50321 pieces tablets.

A total of 1534 persons were booked under the NDPS act and 932 cases were registered against them. 1333 accused have been arrested in this connection so far.
Jaipur, Dec 21 : Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma on Friday visited Majra Kath, the native village of Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Surendra Singh Ola in Neemrana, who was killed in an accident, to pay his respects.

Sharma offered floral tributes to a photograph of the late ASI and honoured his memory.

The Chief Minister met with Surendra Singh's grieving family members and expressed his condolences. He assured the family of all possible support during their time of need.

Accompanying the Chief Minister were Minister of State for Forest and Environment (Independent Charge) Sanjay Sharma, MLA Jaswant Singh Yadav, Baba Balaknath, Devi Singh Shekhawat, Kuldeep Dhankar, and other public representatives.

ASI Surendra Singh Ola succumbed to injuries sustained in a vehicle accident at Akshaya Patra Chauraha, Jagatpura, Jaipur, on December 11. He passed away during treatment at the hospital. His sacrifice and service are remembered with deep respect.

On December 11, an assistant sub-inspector was killed and six others sustained injuries when an escort vehicle in Chief Minister Sharma's carcade collided with another vehicle in the Jagatpura area.

The incident occurred when Sharma was en route to a Laghu Udyog Bharti event where Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar was to be the chief guest. The accident near Akshaya Patra Chauraha on Jagatpura road involved five police personnel and two civilians who were hurt in the collision between the escort vehicle and a taxi.

Taking to X, the CM expressed condolences saying, "The incident of death of Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Shri Surendra ji and injuries to other citizens in an unfortunate vehicle accident in Jaipur today is extremely sad."

"In this moment of immense grief, our sensitive government stands with the family of the deceased and the injured. After this accident, the concerned officials have been directed to ensure proper medical treatment of the injured," he added.
Bhopal, Dec 21 : Complying with the Madhya Pradesh High Court's order, the state administration has removed the chairman of the MP Nursing Registration Council (MPNRC), Jiten Shukla and secretary Anita Chand from their posts.

Manoj Kumar Sariyam, who was serving as Additional Director in the Health Services Department, has replaced Shukla as the new chairman of MPNCR. Similarly, ECO of National Health Mission, Krishna Kumar Rawat has replaced Anita Chand as the new secretary.

In a notification issued on Thursday, Manoj Kumar Siyaram and Krishna Kumar Rawat have been directed to take charge of their new posts with immediate effect.

The development came after a division bench of MP High on December 13 ordered the removal of the chairman of MPNRC Jiten Shukla and secretary, Anita Chand stating that they were themselves involved in the nursing college scam.

The bench of Justice Sanjay Dwivedi and Justice A K Paliwal had passed this order observing that Shukla and Chand were involved in one way or the other and their appointment on the key positions in MPNRC was unacceptable.

HC's direction came on a petition filed by the president of the Law Students' Association, Vishal Baghel. He had moved two separate applications seeking the removal of Chand and Shukla levelling specific charges against them for their involvement in the scam relating to the recognition to fake nursing colleges in the state.

Baghel had urged the Court to order their removal from the key positions in MPNRC as they could influence the evidence regarding the scam.

Anita Chand was a member of the inspection committee which had submitted a false report on March 4, 2022, on the basis of which RKS Nursing College in Bhopal was given recognition though it was later cancelled, petitioner has submitted.

Similarly, the application for removal of Jiten Chandra Shukla said that he was the director of MPNRC when several irregularities were committed in granting recognition to the nursing colleges.

After hearing these applications, the court directed the respondents to submit their reply explaining as to why such persons have been placed in important posts of registrar and chairman, MPNRC and orally instructed for their removal.

"We cannot allow such officers who were involved in the earlier process of granting recognition to hold such important posts in as much as there is every likelihood that such officers would, not only try to save their skin but also of other functionaries, try to tamper with the material," the Court had said.
Jaipur, Dec 21 : Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma on Friday announced the launch of a special campaign to address black spots on roads in an effort to reduce accidents across the state.

He emphasised the urgent identification and repair of accident-prone areas to minimise the loss of life and property due to vehicle collisions.

The Chief Minister instructed the Public Works Department (PWD) to prioritise quality in all repair works during the campaign and ensure their timely completion. He highlighted that the state is investing approximately Rs 2,350 crore to improve black spots and enhance road safety.

Strict action will be taken against those failing to adhere to prescribed standards in road construction and repair, the Chief Minister warned.

As per updates, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has identified 40 black spots in the state, with improvements underway at a cost of Rs 812.64 crore. Out of these, 13 spots have already been repaired, and work on the remaining spots is in progress.

NHAI is set to commence repairs on an additional 37 black spots, with an estimated cost of Rs 821.51 crore.

Collaborating with the PWD, work is ongoing to address 176 black spots across national highways at a cost of approximately Rs 650 crore.

The PWD plans to complete repairs on 117 identified black spots by March 31, 2025. The Rajasthan State Highway Authority is improving 30 black spots at a cost of Rs 21.72 crore, with completion targeted for January 2025. Additionally, safety improvements are being carried out on four key roads at a cost of Rs 20.34 crore.

This campaign underscores the state government's commitment to enhancing road safety and reducing accidents through comprehensive and coordinated efforts, said officials.
1. Trump Returns

Theres no ignoring this elephant in the room. Though Donald Trump never specifically talked about libraries on the campaign trail, his reelection in November portends a whole new level of uncertainty for the library community in 2025.

First and foremost, funding battles now loom large. In his first term, Trump proposed the elimination of all federal library funding in every budget proposal, as well as the elimination of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Those proposals will surely be on the table again given the administrations promise to slash trillions from the federal budget. Trump also oversaw the dismantling of net neutrality during his first term. Meanwhile, in July, political action group EveryLibrary highlighted the numerous threats to libraries contained within the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025which many believe is a blueprint for Trumps second term.

In 2017, Trumps first term in office was greeted by marches and protests. But things feel different this time around. Perhaps people are exhausted by the past decade of divisive political battles, but theres a sense of acquiescence ahead of Trumps second inaugurationsomething Trump himself acknowledged during a December 16 press conference. The first term, everybody was fighting me, Trump said. In this term, everybody wants to be my friend.

Its also worth noting that Carla Haydens 10-year term expires in 2026, meaning Trump will get to appoint the next Librarian of Congress.



2. Government Speech?

In 2024, freedom-to-read advocates notched several legal victories over book banners, but as 2025 gets underway, a key legal question still looms large: whether library book decisions are government speech, and thus immune from First Amendment challenges, as several would-be book banners have argued.

In August, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, in its review of a publisher-led lawsuit seeking to block Iowas book banning law, SF 496, soundly rejected the idea that the government speaks through the books school librarians and educators choose to make available. But just weeks later, lawyers for rural Llano County, Tex., cited the same government speech argument in urging the Fifth Circuit to reverse its own holding in Campbell v. St. Tammany Parish School Board, a 1995 decision that has long served as an anti-censorship bulwark for librarians. And several judges on the Fifth Circuit, most visibly the conservative judge Stuart Kyle Duncan, appeared eager to oblige.

In their counterargument, attorneys for the plaintiffsa coalition of library users who successfully sued Llano County in 2022 over book banswarned that finding book decisions to be government speech would turn libraries from institutions of knowledge and education into political institutions." In his initial decision finding for the plaintiffs, federal judge Robert Pitman acknowledged that county officials have wide latitude when it comes to selecting materials for their libraries, but, citing the Fifth Circuit's holding in Campbell, found that "removal decisions are subject to the First Amendment" and "are evaluated based on whether the governments 'substantial motivation in arriving at the removal decision' was discriminatory."

Several recent book banning cases courts have thus far easily dismissed the government speech argument made by book banners, including a major victory in Arkansas delivered on December 23. In a thorough opinion, judge Timothy L. Brooks permanently struck down key parts of Arkansas's "harmful to minors" law finding the provisions, which would have exposed librarians to jail time for making allegedly inappropriate books available to minors, to be overbroad and void for vagueness. More to the point, Brooks concluded that the state's "government speech" argument was unavailing. "Burdening access to books within a public library collection or removing books from that collection due to content or viewpointwhich [Act 372] permits, if not encourages here implicates the First Amendment and does not qualify as protected government speech," Brooks ruled.

The final decision in Arkansas comes after Brooks has preliminarily blocked parts of the law in a decision that eviscerated the state's government speech argument. The public library "is not to be mistaken for simply an arm of the state, Brooks wrote in that opinion, concluding that "by virtue of its mission to provide the citizenry with access to a wide array of information, viewpoints, and content, the public library is decidedly not the states creature; it is the peoples.

Meanwhile, in Escambia County, Florida, judge T. Kent Wetherell expressed skepticism about the argument being made in an ongoing publisher-led suit over the banning of certain books from the county's school libraries. "The Court simply fails to see how any reasonable person would view the contents of the school library (or any library for that matter) as the governments endorsement of the views expressed in the books on the librarys shelves," the Trump appointee wrote in a January decision allowing the case to proceed.

Still, a decision in the Fifth Circuit's review of the Llano County case is expected to come at any moment, and freedom to read advocates warn that the stakes are sky high. If the Fifth Circuit somehow abandons its own 30 year-old precedent, a precedent that has never proved controversial, it could have major implications on other freedom to read litigation going forward.

3. Freedom-to-Read Laws Pass in Several States

On Dec. 9, more than three years after she became a target of abuse from book banners, high school librarian Martha Hickson (now retired) found herself in a much better place: standing alongside New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy as he signed the states Freedom to Read Act into law.

With the bill signing, New Jersey joined several states that have now passed laws to protect the freedom to read including Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, and Vermont. The bills all feature fairly similar protections: the N.J. law, for example, requires education boards and governing boards of public libraries in the state to establish and follow clear policies for challenging library materials. And perhaps most importantly, the law protects librarians, library staffers, and educators from civil and criminal liability for their lawful work.

At the signing ceremony, Hickson told attendees of the attacks she endured. I received hate mail, antagonism from administrators, and calls for my firing and arrest, she said. I have even been confronted on the street, and my car was vandalized in January of this year.

Rather than shrink from the fight, however, Hickson, who was profiled in PW's Freedom to Read issue this fall, stood up. And after speaking on a panel, Hickson said a man approached and introduced himself: New Jersey state senator Andrew Zwicker. The senator asked if there was anything he could do to help. Hickson suggested Zwicker look at Illinoiss pioneering anti-book banning legislation that was, at the time, about to be adopted. That conversation led to New Jerseys bill, which passed easily this year with 23 bipartisan cosponsors across both houses.

Martha faced a backlash that no individual should ever experience," Murphy said at the bill signing. "Absolutely none of that is acceptable, and it has no place in our libraries or classrooms.



4. Individual Librarians Fight Book Banners in Court

In addition to a slew of federal lawsuits over the freedom to read, several individual librarians fought back in 2024 with individual lawsuits.

Among them, in March, Llano County librarian Suzette Bakerwho was fired in 2022 for refusing to ban books as ordered by county officialsfiled a wrongful termination suit. And in August, a federal judge allowed Bakers suit to go forward, finding that Baker had plausibly asserted that she was terminated in part because she advocated for minority groups.

Baker is represented by Denver-based lawyer Iris Halpernwho in 2023 successfully negotiated a $250,000 settlement for librarian Brooky Parks, and who also represents Terri Lesley, the longtime director of the Campbell (Wyo.) County Public Library, who was also fired for refusing to ban books.

Meanwhile, in November, Louisiana librarian and freedom-to-read advocate Amanda Jones filed a defamation lawsuit in federal court against a New Jersey man accused of falsely attacking her as a groomer for her efforts to defend the right to read. There is perhaps no statement more injurious to an elementary educator than that they sexualize children, the complaint reads.

In an August interview with PW, Halpern conceded that financial awards for librarians who have been unfairly treated would send a message to book banners. But that's not the main takeaway, she said. We certainly hope library boards across the country will think twice about getting bogged down in litigation because they decided to censor based on some discriminatory, hateful agenda, Halpern says. But I think the message here is that people dont want this.



5. Mixed Data on Book Challenges

Is this a sign of progress? During Banned Books Week 2024, the American Library Association released preliminary data finding that the number of tracked challenges fell significantly for the first eight months of 2024.

Between Jan. 1 and Aug. 31, 2024, the ALA tracked 414 challenges to censor library materials and services and 1,128 unique titles challenged. Thats down from 695 cases and 1,915 unique titles challenged during the same period last year. ALA reps said the data likely reflects the success of advocacy effortsincluding key wins in several lawsuits, and broad anti-censorship programs such as ALAs Unite Against Book Bans. But on background, several observers also questioned whether political pressure to cut ties with ALA in several red states might also be dissuading some from reporting challenges.

And while there were fewer challenges in 2024 from the previous year, there are still too many. ALA reps point out that book bans still remain far above levels tracked prior to 2020, when an organized political movement first took aim at libraries.

Meanwhile, the ALAs statistics stand in contrast to data released by PEN America, which found that censorship in school libraries topped 10,000 for the 20232024 school year, nearly three times more than the pervious school year, with roughly 80% of the bans recorded by PEN in Florida and Iowa, in reaction to new state laws that broadly target sexual content.



6. Publishers Sue Over Florida Book Bans

In what may be turn out to be one of most consequential lawsuits yet filed in defense of the freedom to read, six major publishers along with the Authors Guild and several bestselling authors teamed up with students and parents in Florida to file a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of two provisions of the state's recently enacted HB 1069. The complaint, filed at the end of August, argues that the vague and overbroad statute has led to the improper removal of hundreds of books from school and classroom libraries in the state.

In the suits opening paragraph, the plaintiffs note that classic books including Maya Angelous I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings; Ralph Ellisons Invisible Man; Ernest Hemingways For Whom the Bell Tolls; Zora Neale Hurstons Their Eyes Were Watching God; Aldous Huxleys Brave New World; Toni Morrisons The Bluest Eye; Leo Tolstoys Anna Karenina; Richard Wrights Native Son; Kurt Vonneguts Slaughter-House Five; and Alice Walkers The Color Purple "are some of the many books removed from school libraries under the law.

These books are timeless classics, renowned for their literary value, the suit states. They have been on the shelves of school libraries for years, and they are not remotely obscene. But Florida has required these books and others to be removed from school libraries under its broad, across-the-board, content-based mandates that forbid consideration of the books merit or value.

The lawsuit seeks two declaratory judgments from the court. The first is that HB 1069s prohibition on K12 access to content that describes sexual conduct is overbroad and thus unconstitutional. The second is a declaration that the new laws undefined term pornographic is either synonymous with the harmful to minors standard already defined by Florida law, which is appropriately grounded in the Supreme Courts standard for obscenity, or, if the court finds thats not the case, a declaration that the term pornographic is overly vague and thus unconstitutional.

The rise in book bans across the country continues to demand our collective action, the publishers said in a joint statement announcing the suit. We are unwavering in our support for educators, librarians, students, authors, readers.



7. PRH Creates New Post to Help Fight Book Bans

No major publisher has been more active in defending the freedom to read than Penguin Random House, and in September, the publisher made an extraordinary move: it created a new senior-level public policy manager role to help fight for the freedom to read, the first in the industry. Rosalie Stewart, most recently manager of grassroots communications for the ALA's Public Policy and Advocacy office, took the job and began work during Banned Books Week.

PRH reps praised Stewart as a skilled grassroots organizer with a passion for youth and LGBTQ+ advocacy and extensive experience working at the federal, state, and local levels on issues including appropriations, intellectual freedom, and voting access. PRH reps said Stewart will focus on broadening the publishers participation in state and federal legislative efforts, building coalitions, and grassroots organizing, signaling the publishers intent to stake out a more proactive position upstream in the political process to fight book banning and anti-library legislation.

Based on my own personal experience, I know how important access to books in school and public libraries is, PRH CEO Nihar Malaviya told PW when asked about the new role. We want to do whatever we can to support our authors and illustrators, but also the teachers and librarians who have been at the forefront of the battle over the freedom to read.



8. Internet Archive Copyright Case Ends

After more than four years of litigation, the closely watched copyright case over the Internet Archives scanning and lending of library books finally ended in 2024, after Internet Archive reps decided against exercising their last option, an appeal to the Supreme Court.

While we are deeply disappointed with the Second Circuits opinion in Hachette v. Internet Archive, the Internet Archive has decided not to pursue Supreme Court review, reads a December 4 statement posted on the Internet Archives blog. The post added that the IA would continue work with supporters "to advocate for a future where libraries can purchase, own, lend, and preserve digital books.

With a consent judgment already entered to settle claims in the case, the official end of the litigation triggered an undisclosed monetary payment to the plaintiff publishers, which, according to the Association of American Publishers, will substantially cover the publishers attorney fees and litigation costs.

The end of the case comes after a three-judge panel of the Second Circuit Court in September delivered a swift and unequivocal decision that unanimously affirmed judge John G. Koeltls March 24, 2023, summary judgment ruling, which found the Internet Archive's program to scan and lend print library books to be copyright infringement.

In a statement, AAP reps celebrated what they characterized as a complete legal victory. After five years of litigation, we are thrilled to see this important case rest with the decisive opinion of the Second Circuit, which leaves no room for arguments that controlled digital lending is anything more than infringement, whether performed by commercial or noncommercial actors, or aimed at authorship that is creative or factual in nature, said AAP president and CEO Maria Pallante, in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Internet Archives legal battles are not over. The IA is facing a similar, follow-on suit filed by a group of major record labels over its Great 78 program, which collects vintage 20th-century 78-RPM recordings, digitizes them, and makes them freely available to the public.



9. ALA Reopens Search for Executive Director

At the ALA Annual Conference in June, interim ALA executive director Leslie Burger told attendees that the association was on track to have a permanent executive director in place by fall. But after reportedly narrowing the search down to two finalists, the ALA executive board in November announced that it had reopened the search for a new executive director.

This leadership position is critical as we navigate the years ahead, said ALA president Cindy Hohl in a November 14 release announcing the second search. ALA reps did not put a timeline on the search, saying only that the association will hire as soon as the right candidate emerges.

News of the reopened search came on the one-year anniversary of Leslie Burger taking the helm as interim executive director on Nov. 15, 2023, and more than a year after executive director Tracie D. Hall abruptly resigned from her position on Oct. 6, 2023.



10. ALA Kills LibLearnX

After just three years, which included one virtual event and two modestly attended in-person shows, the American Library Association announced in March that it will cease its LibLearnX conference. The January 2427, 2025, conference set for Phoenix will be the last show.

The decision came just weeks after ALA reported that the second in-person LibLearnX conference, held in Baltimore in January 2023, drew just 2,006 attendees (including 391 exhibitor attendees and 109 virtual attendees), a sharp decline from the 2,659 who attended the first in-person even in New Orleans in 2023.

Conceived to replace the ALA's Midwinter Meeting, the launch of LibLearnX was clearly impacted by the Covid-19 crisis. The inaugural LibLearn X, which had been set for San Antonio, Tex. in January 2022 was forced to go virtual, hardly an ideal start.

Despite modest attendance, however, many librarians told PW the first in-person LibLearnX events in many ways delivered exactly what ALA membership had asked for when the association began reimagining the future of the ALA Midwinter Meeting years agofewer meetings, more educational offerings, an engaging program for attendees, and more time to connect with peers.

In a statement, ALA remained noncommittal about any future winter conferences, saying only that the ALA board was actively thinking about the experiences and value ALA provides to its members.

This story has been updated
With only a month until Donald Trumps inauguration as president, the Middle East is more chaotic than it has been in years. In early December, Bashar al-Assad fled to Moscow, as his regime in Syria collapsed. The western media has become focused on what this will mean for Turkey, the Kurds, and Russia. Meanwhile, Israel has launched barrages of airstrikes on military targets across Syria.

While Syria is currently getting the lions share of attention, guiding American policy regarding Iran could be Trumps most important strategic challenge in 2025. Within the President-elects incoming foreign policy team there is a growing push to consider preemptive airstrikes against Irans nuclear program. Proponents of this approach cite a recent intelligence assessment, which makes the case that Iran is more likely to rely on nuclear deterrence now that it has suffered the strategic defeat of its allies in Lebanon, Gaza, and Syria. It is not only American analysts who are more seriously considering a strike on Irans nuclear facilities. Reporting from The Times of Israel suggests that key figures in the IDF feel that the time is right for a direct Israeli strike on Irans nuclear facilities.

How should we think about Iran today?

Using this moment to push Iran from its heels to its back provides a tempting vision of both strategic success and moral high ground. We would be wise to remember that times of opportunity call for sobriety. The downsides of an American military intervention are likely and would be costly. Any attack risks the possibility of drawing the United States into a larger, prolonged conflict. Even if mission creep does not occur, the allocation of political capital and military focus will distract from the Pacific, which is the more strategically important theater. The reality is that the United States military is not currently equipped or stocked for a multi-theater conflict. The most recent expert assessments of the American militarys structure show that we will need new, large-scale investments, when only considering a potential conflict with China. In fact, it is arguable whether the United States could currently supply itself adequately in the event of a war with a smaller foe.

Put another way, the risks of the United States overplaying its hand in Iran are larger than the risks of being cautious. Americas current path is to diplomatically and economically isolate Iran, but to refrain from military action against Khamenis regime. This strategy is working. Khamenis grand strategy relied on the famed Axis of Resistance. Since October 7, the most prominent pillars of this alliance have been decimated. This series of losses and embarrassments has forced Iran to rethink its fundamental orientation to the region. Furthermore, the regimes struggles at home are combining with its foreign policy crises in a way that could destabilize the regime entirely.

When we act cautiously we cast a powerful shadow over those who wish to harm us and our interests. When our actions and ambitions outpace our own capacity and the nature of what is actually plausible to accomplish we have stumbled into disasters: Iraq, Afghanistan, and Vietnam before that. We ought not to forget, so soon, how costly our swashbuckling foreign policy was from 9/11 onward. Supporters of the multi-decade Iraq and Afghanistan wars can point to some wins-the killing of bin Laden, for instance. But our losses were more numerous and more important. Iraq became an Iranian proxy state, the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, and Americas moral credibility took a large hit in most of the world. We are, simply put, worse off now than we were in 2003 and we have paid dearly for it. We now face a high risk of blundering much more profoundly should we go to war with Iran.

Strategic Coherence through Prudence

Regardless of who he chooses to advise him in key roles and regardless of how much pressure the hawks within the foreign policy community mount, Trump should work to stave off a war with Iran. Doing so will allow the United States to focus its military strategy on Asia, will save billions of dollars, and will ultimately limit the number of deaths in these wars. Judiciously using American resources as a way to maintain American strength is not weakness. Rather, it is the type of prioritization and strategic planning that America must have to maintain a credible stance as it faces the world in the twenty-first century.

John Kitch is a Lecturer in the Political Science Department at Texas State University.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. Governor of the Astrakhan oblast of the Russian Federation Igor Babushkin 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!

Please accept my deepest respect and congratulations on the occasion of your birthday.

Under your leadership, the Republic of Azerbaijan is confidently advancing on the path of socio-economic development, playing an important role in international affairs, and rightfully enjoying great prestige on the global stage.

I am grateful to you for your comprehensive support in strengthening and enhancing the multifaceted ties between the Astrakhan oblast and the Republic of Azerbaijan. I am confident that the established constructive dialogue will continue to fully contribute to deepening bilateral cooperation.

On this significant day for you, I wish you, dear Ilham Heydarovich, robust health, well-being, and the successful realization of all your plans and initiatives for the benefit of the people of the Republic of Azerbaijan," the letter reads.
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When the Marine Corps began changing out their old M16A2 rifles for the newer M16A4s after the beginning of the Iraqi War, there was an internal contingent pushing for the compact M4.

The M4 carbine not only has a shorter 14.7-inch barrel than those 20-inch Marine Corps muskets, but importantly, it features a collapsible stock. In fact, the major complaint about the M16A4 from those actually fighting on the ground wasnt the barrel length but that lack of an adjustable stock.

The longer fixed A2 stock combined with body armor and paired with an optic with an extremely short eye relief made everything harder. Not impossible, but needlessly difficult in the way the Marine Corps perpetually likes.

When the rest of the world moved on first with the M4 and then with the improved M4A1, the Marine Corps continued to go full-bore with the A4. The official line is that the Marine Corps wanted to keep the better terminal performance provided by the longer barrels.

Its true that longer barrels make antiquated ammunition designs like SS109/M855 perform better ballistically, but modern ammunition closes that gap. Its also true that the old traditionalists at the top clutched pearls and decried that the pomp and polish of coordinated rifle drill couldnt be readily performed with the shorter rifle.

Something to keep in mind is that the Marine Corps isnt always a rational actor; a place where parade and mythology hold as much weight as actual efficacy can come off as clinically obdurate.

The idiom of generals always fighting the last war isnt only historically true, it also applies to wars inside the organization itself. While fights can come from anywhere, theyre especially prevalent surrounding the development and procurement of new vehicles and weapons. The M16A5 was one such little war.

M16A4

The M16A5 concept was a way to add that adjustable stock but keep the generals who think were fighting in trenches happy with a 20-inch barrel. It wouldve been a natural progression, but the real swan song for the M16A4 came in the form of the much more versatile M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle (IAR).

EARLY ATTEMPTS

While all sorts of buttstock/barrel/gas system combinations have been plastered together by individuals, Canada was the first to pair an adjustable stock with a musket-length barrel at an organizational level with the C7A2. (This wouldnt be the first time the Marine Corps copied some Canadian homework; their MARPAT camouflage is based on CADPAT, after all.)

In the early/mid aughts, some armorers in Marine Corps Force Recon units were marrying adjustable stocks from M4 rifles to the longer-barreled A4 systems.

Though these days there are a lot of known quantities, for most of its existence the AR has been a modify-as-needed system  with engineering challenges to overcome along the way. The entire AR/M16 platform is like an algebra equation: everything is A-OK so long as each end balances out. The gas system, barrel length, and action have to work well together. You cant always just swap out parts and have it rock n roll.

Ultimately, this takes more nuance than simply stock and spring swapping, at least if you want it to work. Many of those guns became ammunition-sensitive or suffered from problems like bolt bounce during automatic fire. So, a call went out 

THE A5 SYSTEM

Answering the call was VLTOR Weapon Systems, an Arizona developer known for their fresh approaches and conscientious engineering. It was an adjustable stock system that was more than a mere M4 stock. It was named the A5, because presumably that would be the designation of the coveted M16A4s that were converted.

Everything about the VLTOR A5 is intermediate, bridging the gap between the world of an M4 and an A4. The receiver extension tube is longer and has seven positions instead of six; when fully collapsed the A5 has a length of pull of 11.5 inches, which is about an inch longer than the M4 at the same.

Fully extended its 16.25 inches  significantly longer than the old fixed A2/A4.

The buffer is similar story, longer than the carbine, shorter than the rifle, but maintaining rifle weight.

The recoil spring is exactly the same as the A2/A4 rifle, but stuffed inside that smaller seven-position tube. This doesnt mean that the spring is more compressed when used, quite the contrary: the correspondingly shorter buffer accommodates the recoil stroke perfectly.

Though any Mil-spec buttstock will fit on the VLTOR receiver extension, the standard is the EMOD, Enhanced Modular stock. The EMOD is as adjustable as youd expect with a lot of on-board storage for batteries and other small parts.

You end up with a smooth, reliable system with increased parts longevity compared to the M4 and even the old A2  Marine Corps testing proved that out over thousands of rounds (the results of this 2010 publishing were online for under an hour prior to being pulled).

SO, WHY NOT?

This whole A5 experiment happened during a pivotal transitional time for the Marine Corps. The Iraq War was winding down, eyes moving east once again toward Afghanistan.

Improved barrier-blind ammunition was adopted, negating the barrel length ballistic arguments. VLTOR and the M16A5 ultimately didnt make the cut not due to design or reliability issues, but because of the M4 and M27 advocates correctly deducing that the VLTOR A5 system would lengthen the lifespan of a rifle they wanted away with anyway.

The idea of a collapsible stock on a musket lived on in the Army. The M16 Hybrid Buttstock conversion was born, and it consists of a standard carbine stock system but with a bespoke recoil buffer named the H6. Curiously, the Army comics about this conversion first featured a Magpul UBR stock instead of an M4 stock, but only the M4 stocks shipped out.

A+B=C

Overall, the standard M4 carbine tubes, stocks, and springs beat out the VLTOR A5 system. It wasnt because M4 stocks were more effective (both systems worked within parameters) but more administrative. One of the reasons the United States has the best military logistics in the world is because the U.S. Military pays attention to logistics. All thats needed for the M16 Hybrid Buttstock conversion is the new H6 buffer, the rest being the same already-in-system inventory. Whereas with the VLTOR A5, the only already-official item was the action spring.

The M16A5 wouldve absolutely been an improvement on the M16A4 in terms of individual handling, but also wouldve been just another Band-Aid before simply getting M4s or IARs like the people on the ground wanted in the first place. Let the ol generals keep their muskets, and then slip the M27 IAR through the hole of a precision rifle and automatic rifle roles before simply implementing everywhere.

DOING IT YOURSELF

All you really need to do for a clone is take a Marine Corps M16A4 and add a VLTOR A5 stock/combo kit. So, we did that and it looks right, but it was boring and this isnt a clone, not really  this is a gun that never existed. The concept of a plan. While you can colloquially call any rifle-length gas upper paired with a collapsible stock carbine lower an A5, here we tried to remain within the confines of the illogical logic of the Marine Corps. It must be plausible in form if not in actual reality; items can be contemporary and from anywhere.

The base requirements for our M16A5 build:

Genuine A5 stock system

20-inch 5.56mm barrel with A-frame sight

Quad rail handguard

Bayonet compatible

Of peak importance is a genuine A5 stock system, not something pieced together. Step number one is obtaining a VLTOR AEBK-A5 combination kit. Because if it werent for VLTOR and the subsequent testing, wed be calling these C7s and not A5s.

Like gun nerd LEGO.

The Aero Precision M16A4 Clone Complete Lower paired with one of their 20-inch A-framed 5.56mm uppers would be the base. We went with an Armaspec Victory charging handle because its truly ambidextrous and vents suppressor gas well. We successfully resisted the urge to swap the A2 pistol grip, but the rubbin nubbin was sanded off. A TriggerTech Duty Trigger was installed in lieu of the Mil-spec OEM for the sake of our trigger finger.

Though the A4 would normally feature a Knights Armament or P&S rail, here a rifle-length Midwest Industries Combat Rail T-series serves as the handguard. Originally, the idea was to use a longer model and cut out a hole for the A-frame, but that wouldve required taking off the bayonet lug.

The Marine Corps famously wants the ability to put a bayonet on everything, so that option was a no-go. A further kowtow to the bayo was that the A2 flash hider remained, though the crush washer was replaced with a peel washer to increase silencer compatibility.

In actuality, the rear sight youd most likely see on an A5 is a Knights Armament folding micro, but in the spirit of ridiculous, theres an option for a full carry handle mounted to the rail like the earliest M16A4s. In that same flavor, theres a B+T Unigrip (aka chow hall kickstand) installed. The weapon-mounted light is still a SureFire, but an updated Scout Light Pro.

The Primary Arms prismatic is more like the ACOG, but the EOTech is more functional on this one

For an optic, an ACOG is the most obvious answer, or alternatively the VCOG that the Marine Corps is also now issuing. The Primary Arms SLx with ACSS reticle wouldnt exist without the ACOG and is spiritually similar without being the same.

Because there was a rail on top, we attached a micro dot sight; the Crimson Trace Rad Micro was the first we plucked from the pile. Its also kind of fun to have the vertical grip or the flashlight cost more than the optic itself. Also pictured is the excellent EOTech VUDU 1-8x optic  the first optic is kinda trolling, but the EOTech is for rolling.

Build List:

IN USE

No bones about it, the M16A5 isnt exactly a handy rifle but the adjustable stock makes it a bit more bearable  especially if youre sharing a rifle at the range. It still shoots and balances like a full-size rifle but its more easily accommodating to a bevy of different bodies. Though ballistically a 20-inch barrel isnt that much better than a 16.5 (score another point for the M27 IAR), it does have an edge over the M4 carbines 14.7 incher.

The VLTOR stock makes adding and removing a sling much easier than the parade stock attachments of the M16A4. The EMOD  with its on-board storage, ambidextrous QD sling sockets, and durable construction  is an improvement over both the fixed A2 and M4 stock with one large exception: the beard-grabbing design along the comb.

This isnt really an issue with conventional forces in garrison but was quite a literal pain for special units. Solutions ranged from something as simple as a piece of 100 MPH tape across the top to filling it all in with adhesive. Had it not been for the beard buster, the EMOD might well be wearing the same buttstock mantle as the SOPMOD.

The rest is all bog-standard M16 stuff. It wouldve been nice to have it 20 years ago, but the time for the serious use of this system has now passed.

LOOSE ROUNDS

These days its hard to imagine urban fighting with a gun as long and cumbersome indoors like the M16A4, yet weve done exactly that in the past. You can make the same argument about the M14, M1 Garand, and the M1903. Just because something isnt perfect doesnt mean its unusable, but lets not pretend just because something is usable its ideal.

Even though the M16A5 was never officially adopted, the A5 stock lives on not only in the civilian market but in the form of AR-10 carbine stock tubes. Which is appropriate, because ultimately the A5 isnt dissimilar to putting an adjustable stock on a 7.62/AR-10. There are a lot of combinations that can be reliable, if youre willing to put in the work.

Or just hit the easy button and do what we did here: Get the A5 Stock Combo Kit directly from VLTOR.

READY FOR MORE?
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has signed a decree on the implementation of Law No. 79-VIIQD of Azerbaijan, dated November 29, 2024, "On amendments to the law of Azerbaijan on social protection of children who have lost their parents and are without parental care" and the regulation of related issues, Trend reports.

According to the decree, children who have lost their parents and are without parental care, as well as individuals from this group, will be entitled to a one-time allowance of 6,000 manat ($3,530) upon their first employment.

The Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan has been instructed to address issues arising from the mentioned Law and this Decree.

This decree is effective as of September 15, 2024.
Finance ministers of states demanded an increase in allocation under 50-year interest-free loan scheme, while fiscally stressed states like Punjab and Kerala pitched for a special package and borrowing flexibility, sources said on Friday.

In a pre-budget meeting with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, states have also urged for higher borrowing limits to support fiscal activities, besides additional funds for Jal Jeevan Mission.

Sitharaman in her remarks said that because of healthy macroeconomic environment, buoyancy and efficiency in the tax collections, the funds devolved to the states in the last 45 months (April 2021 to December 2024) under the 15th Finance Commission is more than what was devolved in 60 months under the 14th Finance Commission (2015-20).

"The Union Finance Minister also referred to the Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI), which was first announced in the Union Budget 2020-21, and acknowledged that it has received a very good response from the states," an official statement said.

The Budget for 2025-26 is slated to be presented in Parliament on February 1, 2025. Finance ministers of all states attended Friday's meeting with Sitharaman in New Delhi.

Several states demanded an increase in allocation under the 50-year interest-free loan scheme, the sources said, adding they also requested for more flexibility in the SASCI scheme under this category.

West Bengal Finance Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said the Union finance minister has said that funds would be allotted to all states towards disaster mitigation.

Bhattacharya requested 50 per cent of the 50-year interest-free loans be tied to disaster management in order to mitigate states that face natural disasters frequently.

West Bengal also demanded a special package and a debt package to help it get over the financial stress.

In the Budget for 2024-25, Sitharaman had increased allocations for interest-free loans to states for capital expenditure, enabling states to spend more on infrastructure and specified reforms.

The allocation was increased to Rs 1.5 lakh crore from Rs 1.10 lakh crore disbursed in 2023-24.

Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that he demanded an incentive package be given to states which share borders with neighbouring countries.

Maharashtra wanted funds for the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana and demanded that a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) be launched with the Centre and state sharing 50 per cent of the cost each.

With regard to road and rail infrastructure, the sources said, states highlighted the need for state-specific road development projects and railway projects.

Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said the Centre should give flexibility to states to use CSS funds and not insist on branding.

He also demanded that the Andhra Pradesh Bifurcation Act be implemented fully so that Telangana gets all its rights under the legislation.

On GST rate rejig, "Taxation system should be more flexible and not be a burden in people. We will present our views tomorrow", Vikramarka said.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said the state has sought more funds towards disaster management and rail connectivity.

The state also demanded an additional Vande Bharat Express train.

States also sought an increase in the honorarium being paid to Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers.

Some states asked the central government to bear a larger share of land acquisition costs for projects, the sources added.

Fiscally stressed states like Punjab and Kerala sought special financial packages.

Their demands included more loans, grants, and borrowing flexibility.

Sources further said states emphasised the need for additional funding for disaster relief and pressed for more allocation for the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).

Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal in his speech said that the state sought Rs 24,000 crore special package to tide over its liquidity stress as well as Rs 2,000 crore for relief works at Wayand, which was devastated by landslides earlier this year.

Asserting that fiscal consolidation targets should not compromise sustainable growth, Balagopal also said state governments are facing significant challenges in financing growth and development as their fiscal powers continue to erode.

"The immature implementation of GST, cessation of GST compensation and RD grants, conditions attached to the centrally sponsored schemes, newer restrictions in borrowing, reduction in the inter se share from the divisible pool etc. are major concerns to the fiscal space of the state governments, especially Kerala," Balagopal said.
A total of 2,200 cases of violence against Hindus and other minorities have been reported in Bangladesh this year till December 8, and India's expectation is Dhaka will take necessary measures to ensure their safety, the government said on Friday.

IMAGE: BJP leader Locket Chatterjee along with monks take out a protest rally under the banner of 'Bengali Hindu Suraksha Samiti' to protest against the attacks on minorities in Bangladesh, in Kolkata, December 16, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo

Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh gave the information in a written response to a query in Lok Sabha, citing data from minority and human rights organisations.

In Pakistan, the number of cases of violence against Hindus and other minorities in Pakistan this year stood at "112 till October 2024," the MoS said.

The corresponding figures for 2022 were 47 in Bangladesh and 241 in Pakistan, while in 2023 the figures were 302 in Bangladesh and 103 in Pakistan, according to the data he shared.

The minister said the Indian government has urged "Pakistan to take steps to prevent religious intolerance, sectarian violence, systemic persecution and attacks on minority communities and ensure their safety, security, and well-being."

He added, "India continues to highlight the plight of minorities in Pakistan at appropriate international fora."

Cases of violence against Hindus and other minorities in other neighbouring countries (except Pakistan and Bangladesh) is "nil," the minister said.

Singh was asked about the total number of cases of violence against Hindus and other minorities reported in neighbouring countries during the last three years, country-wise and year-wise; and the steps taken or proposed to be taken by the ministry to protect minorities, including diplomatic interventions and relief measures.

The Union minister in his response also said the "government has taken serious note of these incidents and shared its concerns with the government of Bangladesh."

"India's expectation is that Bangladesh will take all necessary measures to ensure safety and welfare of Hindus and other minorities. The same was also reiterated during the visit of the Foreign Secretary to Bangladesh on December 9, 2024," he added.

The high commission of India in Dhaka "continues to monitor the situation" related to the minorities in Bangladesh "closely," the minister of state for external affairs said.

"The primary responsibility for the protection of life and liberty of all citizens, including minorities, rests with the government of the country concerned," he said.

Ties between India and Bangladesh came under severe strain after deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to leave the country in the face of a massive anti-government protest in August.

Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus came to power days after Hasina took shelter in India.

He heads Bangladesh's interim government as its Chief Advisor.

Relations between the two nations deteriorated further in recent weeks over attacks on the Hindus and the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das.

"Several incidents of desecration and damage to Hindu temples and deities in Bangladesh have been reported in the past few months," Singh said.

"The government of India has expressed its concerns about such incidents, including the demolition of Jagannath Temple in Bangladesh, attack on a Puja mandap in Tantibazar, Dhaka and the theft at the Jeshoreshwari Kali temple at Satkhira during Durga Puja 2024," he added.
Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party MLC C T Ravi was arrested after a first information report (FIR) was registered against him, for allegedly using a derogatory word against minister Laxmi Hebbalkar in the Legislative Council on Thursday, police said.

IMAGE: Karnataka BJP MLC C T Ravi. Photograph: ANI Photo

He was taken into the police van from the premises of Suvarna Vidhana Soudha.

Based on the complaint filed by the Minister, a case was registered against the former BJP national general secretary under sections 75 (sexual harassment) and 79 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, a senior police officer said.

Ravi will be brought to Bengaluru and produced before the People's representatives' court on Friday morning, official and BJP sources said.

While Ravi has denied the allegation calling it 'false' and staged a protest, Congress leaders said Hebbalkar has made a complaint to the Legislative Council Chairman.

There was a high drama on the last day of the winter session of Karnataka legislature Belagavi on Thursday, with Woman and Child Development Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar accusing C T Ravi of using a derogatory word against her in the Legislative Council.

When reporters asked her about the incident outside the House, Hebbalkar merely said, "I'm pained...."

Earlier, claiming to be supporters of Hebbalkar a group of people from Belagavi angrily approached towards Ravi within the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha premises, but were stopped by the security staff.

Some even staged a protest against Ravi outside, and were whisked away by police.

According to Congress leaders, Ravi allegedly used the derogatory word several times against Hebbalkar during an altercation between them, after the House was adjourned shortly earlier in the day, by Chairman Horatti, following an uproar over Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks on Dr B R Ambedkar.

Purported derogatory comments against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi by some members are said to have triggered a heated exchange between the two.

However, it is not clear whether it was Ravi who commented on Gandhi.

Speaking to reporters, Congress MLC Yathindra Siddaramaiah said the incident happened after the Chairman adjourned the House, and that he was standing two rows behind Hebbalkar then.

There was a war of words between Hebbalkar and Ravi, and as she made certain comments against him, he used derogatory word against her, he said. "I initially couldn't believe that an MLC could use such a word and waited for confirmation. He could be heard using that word and walking out. Later Hebbalkar herself came and told a few of us about it, with pain."

"We have complained to the Chairman and sought his expulsion. The Chairman has assured action after verifying audio and video," Yathindra, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's son, said.

The issue triggered a noise in the Legislative Assembly too, of which Hebbalkar is a member, Speaker U T Khader referred the matter to the Privileges Committee, as BJP members boycotted.

Meanwhile, responding to a question on the allegation Ravi said, "Her allegations are false, let the audio and videos get verified, I will speak after that. I won't say anything now. This is not the right time to answer this question."

"I'm not someone who will abuse someone personally. I have not abused her, I don't know why she felt that way. I haven't said anything to her. I haven't made any personal comments against her, as she is claiming," he added.

Later, Ravi staged a protest with his BJP colleagues alleging that there was an attempt to attack him in the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, based on a false allegation, and termed it as 'goonda raj'.

"If I have used such derogatory words, show it. There should be a police investigation. Laxmi Hebbalkar is making false allegations and on her instigation people came shouting slogans in favour of her and against me," he said.

Speaking to reporters, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said, "He (Ravi) used a filthier word to Laxmi Hebbalkar, a Minister in my cabinet, and it amounts to a criminal offence."

The CM also said, "Everyone is saying that he used the word ten times, I don't know, I was not there. Council members told me Ravi used a filthy word. Laxmi is pained, it is in a way sexual harassment against her."

As Hebbalkar approached with a complaint, Horatti asked Council secretariat staff to check the video and audio.

However, according to official sources, the recording team informed him that they had stopped recording when the incident happened, as the House was adjourned.

The Chairman later said he heard Hebbalkar and Congress MLCs Umashree, Balkis Banu, Yathindra Siddaramaiah, and Nagaraj Yadav, who gave their statements accusing Ravi of using a derogatory word.

He said, later, Ravi also met him and said that he had not used any derogatory word as being alleged, but claimed he only told her that she was "frustrated".

Before adjourning the House 'sine die' Chairman said, "In my long political career, I never come across such an incident where derogatory terms were used inside the house by members. I believe no woman will falsely complain publicly alleging derogatory words were used against her. However, I request the complainant and the accused to introspect. Being elected representatives we need to be the role models."
The Delhi police's Crime Branch will investigate the case against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in connection with a scuffle on the Parliament premises, which left two Bharatiya Janata Party MPs injured a day earlier.

Photograph: / Rediff.com IMAGE: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra with INDIA bloc MPs' protest over Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remark on Dr BR Ambedkar in Rajya Sabha during the constitution debate, on Parliament premises in New Delhi, December 20, 2024.

On Thursday, an FIR was registered against Gandhi at Parliament Street Police following a BJP's complaint, accusing him of physical assault and incitement after MPs Pratap Chandra Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput were injured.

The FIR has been registered under sections 115 (voluntary causing hurt), 117 (voluntary causing grievous hurt), 125 (act of endangering life or personal safety of others), 131 (use of criminal force), 351 (criminal intimidation) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

"We have transferred the case from local police to the Crime Branch," a senior officer said, adding that police are likely to record the statements of Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput and may also call Gandhi for questioning.

Meanwhile, the police sought legal advice on registering a separate FIR in response to a complaint filed by the Congress, accusing BJP MPs of misbehaving with party chief Mallikarjun Kharge on the Parliament premises.

"We are taking legal opinion if the Congress leaders' complaint can be converted into the FIR," another police officer said, adding that a decision on this will be taken soon.

Talking about the investigation in the case against Gandhi, the officer said police would seek access to CCTV footage of the area where the incident occurred and also reach out to media houses to inquire about any video evidence they may have.

The police will also recreate the scene of crime if required during the investigation, the source said.

On Thursday, BJP MP Hemang Joshi, accompanied by party colleagues Anurag Thakur and Bansuri Swaraj, visited the Parliament Street police station and filed the complaint.

The Congress strongly rejected the claim, alleging that BJP MPs pushed Kharge and "physically manhandled" Gandhi.

The Congress also lodged a complaint in connection with the matter on Thursday.

A delegation of Congress MPs, including Digvijaya Singh, Mukul Wasnik, Rajiv Shukla and Pramod Tiwari, filed the complaint visiting the station in person.

After political protests turned ugly, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday banned demonstrations by MPs and political parties at any of the gates of Parliament, sources said.

"Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has issued strict instructions that no political party, Member of Parliament or groups of members will hold any dharna and demonstration at building gates of Parliament House," parliament sources said.
The Bombay high court on Friday cleared the decks for redevelopment of Dharavi slums as it upheld the tender awarded to the Adani Group for the project by the Maharashtra government, ruling there was no "arbitrariness, unreasonableness or perversity" in the decision.

Image used only for representation. Photograph: ANI Photo

A division bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar dismissed a petition filed by UAE-based Seclink Technologies Corp challenging the state government's decision to award the

mega redevelopment project in Mumbai to Adani Properties Pvt Ltd, which had made a Rs 5,069-crore offer.

The bench rejected the contention made by the petitioner that the tender was "tailor-made" to suit a particular firm of the private conglomerate, noting three bidders had participated in the process.

Seclink Technologies had emerged as the highest bidder for the project in 2018, but the tender issued in that year was later scrapped by the government.

The bench noted Seclink Technologies' petition lacks force and hence stands dismissed.

"The grounds urged in support of the petition lack force and accordingly, the challenge to the impugned action on the part of the authorities, whereby the earlier tender process was cancelled and fresh tender process has been resorted to, fails," the HC observed.

The Adani Group had emerged as the highest bidder for the 259-hectare Dharavi Redevelopment Project in the heart of Mumbai and bagged it with its Rs 5,069-crore offer in the 2022 tender process.

In the first tender issued in 2018, the petitioner company had emerged as the highest bidder with its Rs 7,200-crore offer.

The government had, however, cancelled the 2018 tender and issued a fresh one in 2022 with additional conditions.

Seclink Technologies first challenged the cancellation of the 2018 tender and subsequently the 2022 tender award to the Adani Group. It had alleged the fresh tender was "tailor made" for the ports-to-energy conglomerate.

The court, in its judgment, noted that except for noticing that the petitioner company was the highest qualified bidder in the 2018 tender process, no final decision was taken by the government.

"Though the petitioner's bid was declared to be the highest, however, no decision was taken on selection of the successful bidder, neither any letter of award was issued nor any agreement was signed," the HC maintained.

The court further held it is a well settled principle that a bidder participating in a tender process cannot insist that its tender should be accepted only because of it being the highest or the lowest.

The bench noted the reasons given by the state government for cancelling the 2018 tender process, in its opinion, cannot be said to be "non-existent or unjustified or based on any perversity".

The decision taken by the government does not suffer from the "vice of arbitrariness, unreasonableness or perversity", it emphasised.

The court also refused to accept the petitioner's contention that the 2022 tender conditions were tailor made to suit a particular company and noted at that time, three bidders had participated of which two were found to be technically qualified.

The state government had submitted to the HC that the tender was awarded in a transparent manner and no undue favour was shown to the highest bidder, Adani Group.

The government had said the 2018 tender was cancelled and a fresh one was issued four years later because of several factors like the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war which affected the financial and economic state of affairs.

The first tender for the mega redevelopment project was issued in November 2018. In March 2019, the bids were opened and it was found the petitioner company (Seclink Technologies) was the highest bidder.

The same month, an additional 45 acres of land was made available to the government by the Indian Railways for the redevelopment project, as per the state government.

The government claimed there was "no formation of contract" between the state and the petitioner company and hence it has no legal right in the matter.

In November 2020, a government resolution was issued cancelling the first tender claiming there was a material change in the tender condition after "Bid Due Date".

The government further claimed in the new tender, the bids were to be submitted afresh and the petitioner could have submitted a fresh bid complying with its terms and conditions.

Dharavi is a sprawling slum colony having a mix of residential and small industrial units.

Opposition parties in Maharashtra, including the Shiv Sena-UBT and the Congress, had vehemently opposed the award of the tender to the Adani Group alleging irregularities in the entire process, a charge rejected by the Mahayuti government.

The redevelopment of Dharavi, one of the world's densest urban sprawls, had figured prominently in the campaign for the November 20 assembly polls.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray had said the Dharavi slum redevelopment tender awarded to the Adani Group will be scrapped if his party came to power in Maharashtra.

"We will scrap Dharavi slum redevelopment project tender after coming to power. We will not allow Mumbai to be turned into Adani city," the former chief minister said.

Additional concessions that are not specified in the contract have been given to the Adani Group, Thackeray alleged.

Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad had termed the project as the 'world's biggest land scam', and said the Maha Vikas Aghadi will scrap it if it returns to power.

The Shiv Sena-UBT and Congress are part of the MVA opposition bloc.
Indian National Lok Dal president and five-time Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala died in Gurugram on Friday at the age of 89.

IMAGE: Former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala after casting his vote for the Haryana assembly elections, at a polling station in Chautala village in Sirsa on October 5, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo

Chautala, who was former deputy prime minister Devi Lal's son, suffered a cardiac arrest at his house here and was immediately rushed to a hospital but could not be saved, a party spokesperson told PTI.

He breathed his last at around 12 noon in Medanta hospital, a senior police officer said.

Chautala, who came from a prominent political family in Haryana and was face of a prominent regional outfit, had been facing age-related health issues in the recent past.

He is survived by two sons and three daughters. His wife Sneh Lata had passed away over five years ago.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini were among a host of leaders who condoled the demise of Chautala.

Expressing grief, Modi said on X, 'He (Chautala) was active in the state politics for many years and strove constantly to advance the work of Devi Lal.'

Saini said the demise of the INLD supremo is extremely sad.

'My humble tribute to him. He served the state and society throughout his life. This is an irreparable loss for the politics of the country and Haryana state,' Saini said on X.

Former chief minister and senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda recalled that when Chautala was the chief minister, he was the Leader of Opposition in the Haryana assembly.

Chautala served the people of the state. There are many good memories with him, he said, adding that he was like his elder brother.

Congress leader Randeep Singh Hooda and Kumari Seja also condoled the death of Chautala.

Born on January 1, 1935, Om Prakash Chautala was the eldest of the five children of former deputy prime minister Chaudhary Devi Lal.

Chautala left studies after primary education. In 2013, when Chautala was lodged in Tihar Jail in connection with the teacher recruitment scam, he passed the class 10 and then class 12 examination at the age of 82.

He was jailed in 2013 in connection with the teacher recruitment scam case and released in 2021.

Chautala, his son Ajay Chautala, and 53 others, including IAS officer Sanjiv Kumar, were convicted and sentenced in the case of illegal recruitment of 3,206 junior basic teachers in 2000.

The former Haryana chief minister's younger son Abhay Singh Chautala is a senior leader of the INLD while elder one Ajay Singh Chautala, a former MP, heads the Jannayak Janta Party, which was born after a vertical split in the party in December 2018 after a family feud.

Abhay's son Arjun is a Haryana MLA while Ajay Chautala's sons Dushyant and Digvijay are JJP leaders. Dushyant Chautala also served as Haryana's Deputy Chief Minister.

Chautala's party INLD had also remained an ally of BJP in the past. The INDL has been out of power since 2005 in Haryana.
The Allahabad high court on Friday stayed till January 6 the arrest of Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair in relation to an FIR accusing him of promoting enmity among religious groups.

IMAGE: Alt News co-founder Mohammad Zubair being produced to a Sitapur court in connection with a case related to an alleged objectionable tweet, in Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, July 7, 2022. Photograph: ANI Photo

The court also directed him not to travel abroad.

The FIR was lodged last month following a complaint by an associate of controversial priest Yati Narsinghanand.

In her complaint, general secretary of Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati Trust Udita Tyagi claimed Zubair posted a video clip of an old programme of Narsinghanand on October 3 with the intent to provoke violence by Muslims against him.

It was further alleged that Zubair posted edited clips of the priest on X, containing Narsinghanand's alleged incendiary remarks on Prophet Muhammad to incite radical sentiments against the controversial priest.

Hearing the matter, a bench of justices Siddhartha Varma and Nalin Kumar Srivastava observed, "We are tentatively of the view that even though from the reading of the FIR one could make out that the offence under section 196 BNS up to a large extent was being made out.

"However, from the allegations made in the FIR, any offence under section 152 BNS was being made out wherein the acts of the petitioner would excite people to commit offences of secession, armed rebellion, subversive activities or get encouraged to get feelings of separatist activities is to be seen. Matter thus requires consideration."

The bench added: "However, since the affidavits between the parties have yet not been exchanged, and the learned Additional Advocate General has yet to make submissions with regard to what would be 'separatist activity', we consider it appropriate to grant the state three weeks' time to file a detailed counter affidavit."

The FIR was lodged by Ghaziabad police last month under sections 196 (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion), 228 (fabricating false evidence), 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings), 356(3) (defamation) and 351(2) (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

The court further said, "However, looking into the criminal antecedents of the petitioner and after looking into the order passed by the Supreme Court in Writ Petition (Criminal) No.279 of 2022 (Mohammed Zubair vs. State of NCT of Delhi & Others) on July 20, 2022 by which the petitioner therein had been granted bail in many of the criminal cases against him, we consider that the petitioner till the next date of listing be not arrested."

"However, he will cooperate in the investigation and since the learned counsel for the petitioner has given his undertaking that he would not go out of the country, we also provide that the petitioner shall not go out of the country. He may surrender his passport with the Commissioner of Police at Ghaziabad," the court added.

Zubair had moved the high court, requesting quashing the FIR and protection from coercive action. In his plea, he stated that his post did not call for violence against Narsinghanand.

Rather, he had merely alerted the police authorities about Narsinghanand's actions and sought action according to law, and this could not amount to promoting disharmony or ill-will between two classes of people.

In addition to it, he also challenged the invocation of the defamation provision under the BNS on the grounds that seeking action against Narsinghanand by sharing his own videos which are already in public domain, cannot amount to defamation.
A parliamentary panel report has attributed the December 8, 2021, helicopter crash that killed India's first Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat, and his wife, to 'human error'.

IMAGE: Students pay floral tribute to the Late General Bipin Singh Rawat on his first death anniversary, in Dehradun. Photograph: ANI Photo

The report, tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, also revealed that 34 Indian Air Force aircraft accidents occurred during the 13th Defence Plan period, including nine in 2021-22 and 11 in 2018-19.

The accident was widely reported in the media.

In the report tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, the Standing Committee on Defence shared the data on the number of Indian Air Force aircraft crashes that took place during the 13th Defence Plan period.

The total number of crashes stood at 34, including nine IAF aircraft accidents that took place in 2021-22 and 11 in 2018-19.

The tabulated data in the report also contained a column titled 'reason' that specified the cause of the accidents in this period, against the aircraft type and date and accident.

The data for the 33rd accident listed in the report mentioned the aircraft as 'Mi-17', date '08.12.2021' and the reason cited was 'HE(A)' or 'human error (aircrew)'.

The defence ministry informed the Committee that 34 inquiries have been conducted into these accidents during the period.

'The ministry also informed that the recommendations by these Inquiry committees review the process, procedure, training, equipment, culture, operations, maintenance and administration holistically with intent to prevent recurrence of an accident,' the report said.

The ministry further informed that 'all remedial measures stipulated by Chief of the Air Staff remarks are binding and actioned'.

'Most have been actioned while a few are under implementation,' it added.
India has lodged a strong protest with Dhaka over a now-deleted social media post by a key aide of Bangladesh's interim government that claimed certain areas of Indian territory should be part of that country.

IMAGE: Indian and Bangladesh armies exchange greetings on the occasion of 53rd Vijay Diwas, at the Agartala Integrated Check Post, Tripura, December 16, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo

Mahfuz Alam, known for his provocative comments, had also posted on Facebook four days ago a map purportedly showing parts of West Bengal, Tripura and Assam as parts of Bangladesh. He deleted the post after it triggered backlash.

Alam is a de facto minister in the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government of Bangladesh.

In strongly reacting to the post, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Friday reminded all concerned to be "mindful" of their public comments.

"We have taken this up with the Bangladeshi government. We have strongly registered a protest on this issue. We understand that the post being referred to has reportedly been taken down.

"We would like to remind all concerned to be mindful of their public comments. While India has repeatedly signalled interest in fostering relations with the people and the interim government of Bangladesh, such comments underline the need for responsibility in public articulation," he said.

The relations between India and Bangladesh are reeling under severe strain after the interim government headed by Yunus came to power in August.

Yunus assumed the charge as the head of the interim dispensation days after the then prime minister Sheikh Hasina resigned from the post and fled to India in the face of a massive anti-government protest.

Asked about Yunus not providing a specific timeline for holding parliamentary elections in Bangladesh as he said it could be held between late 2025 and early 2026, Jaiswal did not give a clear answer.

"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," he said.

"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 interest," Jaiswal said.

"We have also emphasised that the people of Bangladesh are the main stakeholders in the India-Bangladesh relations and noted that India's development cooperation and multi-faceted engagements with Bangladesh including in areas of connectivity, trade, power, energy and capacity building which are all geared towards benefiting the people of Bangladesh," he added.

In an address to the nation on December 16, Yunus said the elections could be held between late 2025 and early 2026, depending on implementation of various reforms.

Asked about Yunus's comments offering to host the stalled SAARC summit in Bangladesh following his meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Cairo, Jaiswal said India has been pushing for regional cooperation through various platforms.

"Our efforts have been to boost regional cooperation. We want to move forward with platforms like BIMSTEC," he said, adding, "SAARC is another platform...You know why cooperation under SAARC is not moving forward."

The SAARC ((South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) is a regional bloc comprising India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

The grouping has not been very effective since 2016 as its biennial summits have not taken place since the last one in Kathmandu in 2014.

The 2016 SAARC Summit was to be held in Islamabad. But after the terrorist attack on an Indian Army camp in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir on September 18 that year, India expressed its inability to participate in the summit due to "prevailing circumstances".

The summit was called off after Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan also declined to participate in the Islamabad meet.

In the last few years, India has been making concerted efforts to make BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) a vibrant forum for regional cooperation as initiatives under SAARC were not moving forward.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. Jews always need friends like Azerbaijan, says an article in the authoritative world publication The Jerusalem Post by a well-known Israeli expert on the Arab world and Iran, a retired lieutenant colonel of the Israel Defense Forces Intelligence Corps, professor of Oriental studies at the prestigious Israeli Bar-Ilan University, and director of the Center for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at this university, a researcher at the Center Begin-Sadat Strategic Studies by Dr. Mordechai Kedar, Trend reports.

The article devoted to the life of Jews in Azerbaijan says that Jews live in peace and harmony in this country without facing anti-Semitism. This is a vivid example of peaceful coexistence and friendship between Jews and Muslims celebrating each other's holidays. In a world where anti-Semitism and intolerance rage, multicultural Azerbaijan is an example to follow.

Touching upon Azerbaijan's relations with Israel, the professor noted that more than 40 percent of Israel's oil demand is provided by Azerbaijan, more than 120 Israeli companies operate here, and others intend to establish their businesses here.

The author notes that Jews always need friends like Azerbaijan to support them in the most difficult times.

The full text of the article can be found at the link:

https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-833559
The alleged attack on a Marathi-speaking family by a government servant in Maharashtras Thane district figured in the state legislature in Nagpur where the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Mahayuti depensation asserted insult of Marathi people will not be tolerated.

IMAGE: Maharashtra legislative assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar, State Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar and other MLAs pose for a group picture during the ongoing Winter Session of State Legislature at Vidhan Bhavan, in Nagpur, December 20, 2024 Photograph: ANI Photo

The Opposition vociferously raised the issue of the December 18 assault on two members of a Marathi family by the state government employee and his wife, who are neighbours of the victims, following a dispute in Kalyan town, while the Thane police said the male accused, Akhilesh Shukla, has surrendered.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis informed the legislative council that a case was registered against Shukla (48), an employee with the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation, and his wife over the attack, and the process to suspend him had been initiated.

Besides the Shuklas, the FIR has also named some other persons involved in the assault on the victims, a husband-wife duo.

Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray legislator Anil Parab raised the issue in the Upper House of the legislature which is having its winter session in Nagpur, the states second capital.

Shukla told the victims he works in Mantralaya (state secretariat) and several Marathi staffers clean his office, Parab said, claiming incidents of Marathi people facing discrimination from those coming from other states were increasing.

Marathi people face attacks during train travel or are denied homes in housing societies due to their food choices, he said.

Such incidents were on the rise in Mumbai, Pune, Kalyan and other parts of the state after the BJP came to power, the Opposition MLC alleged.

Congress legislator Bhai Jagtap alleged the accused made derogatory remarks about Marathi people, while Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar MLC Shashikant Shinde claimed an unwritten rule of not allowing non-vegetarian people prevails in housing societies in Mumbai.

Responding to the controversy, Fadnavis said a First Information Report has already been registered at the Khadakpada police station in Thane district, and Shukla will be suspended from his job.

No injustice will be done to Marathi people, he assured the house.

The chief minister also said the Constitution gives everyone the right to choose ones food, and no one has the right to deny home to anyone based on eating habits.

This discrimination will not be tolerated, Fadnavis asserted.

When the Sena-UBT MLA Sunil Prabhu raised in the assembly, deputy CM Ajit Pawar said, Injustice against Marathi people will not be tolerated.

Another deputy Chief Minister, Eknath Shinde, reiterated the governments assertion that insult of Marathi people will not be tolerated.

Action has been taken against the accused and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has made an elaborate statement in the legislative council over the issue, he told reporters in Nagpur.

Marathi asmita (pride) will be protected and insult of Marathi people will not be tolerated, said the Shiv Sena president, adding late Bal Thackeray had founded the party to protect the rights of Marathi people.

Strongly reacting to the attack, Maharashtra Navnriman Sena president Raj Thackeray said a breed of Maharashtra haters have cropped in the state and they need to be nipped in the bud.

In a post on X, Thackeray said when such an incident takes place, people knock on the doors of the MNS because other parties will not come running for them.

But for voting, they will turn their back on the MNS, he lamented.

The MNS did not win a single seat in the last months polls to the 288-member state assembly.

Marathi manoos (Marathi-speaking people) are paramount for the MNS and it will always stand by them, Thackeray assured.

The local MLA, MP did not come out against the incident and did not do any follow-up to register an FIR against the accused. All MLAs have taken Marathi people for granted, Thackeray said.

Shrikant Shinde, son of deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, is the Lok Sabha MP from Kalyan.

According to the Thane police, the attack took place around 8.45 pm on December 18, and the accused as well as the victims, also a couple, live on the same floor of a building in Kalyan.

As per the FIR, the victims saw Shukla quarrelling with one of their neighbours over burning of incense and asked him to maintain peace. Shukla and his wife Geeta (45) allegedly got angry and beat up the man and his wife with the help of eight to ten others, using iron rods, pipes and wooden sticks.

Later on Friday, Shukla surrendered before the Khadakpada police, senior inspector Aamarnath Waghmode said.

We will trace the other accused, said the police officer.

Before surrendering, Shukla posted a video on social media claiming that his wife was beaten up by the family members of the victims.

The police have registered the FIR against Shukla and his wife under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 74 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 115 (voluntarily causing hurt), 351(3) (criminal intimidation), 189 (2) (3) and (5) (unlawful assembly) and others.
Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die on Friday amid protests by opposition and treasury benches over the alleged insult to Dr B R Ambedkar and directions by Speaker Om Birla to members against holding demonstrations at any gate of Parliament.

IMAGE: Opposition MPs protest in Lok Sabha. Photograph: SansadTV/ANI Photo

As soon as the Lok Sabha convened for the day, the Speaker called Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal to present a resolution for setting up a joint committee of Parliament to examine the bills related to 'one nation, one election'.

Slogans of 'Jai Bhim' reverberated in the House as the Speaker read out directions barring demonstrations and protests at the gates of Parliament.

As the protests continued, the Speaker adjourned the House sine die, minutes after the House adopted the resolution recommending the two bills on simultaneous polls to the joint committee of the two Houses.

Passed by a voice vote amid a din, the resolution recommended to the Rajya Sabha to communicate to the Lok Sabha names of the members to be appointed by the upper houses to the joint committee.

While 27 members on the panel will be from the Lok Sabha, 12 others will be from the Rajya Sabha.

Even before the House proceedings began, Congress members started raising slogans 'Jai Bheem, Jai Jai Bheem'.

Amid the slogans by the opposition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi entered the Lok Sabha chamber.

As Meghwal moved the resolution, Congress members led by Manickam Tagore stormed the Well raising slogans.

Protesting opposition members remained in the Well as 'Vande Mataram' was played as per convention at the end of the Parliament Session.

Except the Trinamool Congress, most of the opposition party members, including the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar, joined the protest from their seats.

Congress member Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was present in the House.

Birla warned members of action if any of them resorted to demonstrations and protests within the premises of Parliament.

"Do not resort to demonstration or protest at any gate or anywhere in Parliament premises. Else, the House will have to take serious action," Birla said in the House on Friday.

On Thursday, two MPs were injured in a scuffle and a woman lawmaker alleged intimidation by Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi during the rival protests on the Ambedkar issue.

"It is not proper to hold any kind of protests or demonstration at any of the gates of Parliament. You will have to follow the rules in this regard. I urge you once again to take this warning seriously," Birla said in the House.

On Friday, BJP members carried out demonstrations against the Congress in Parliament premises.
The government has moved to increase the strength of the joint committee of Parliament that will scrutinise the two bills proposing simultaneous elections from 31 MPs to 39, giving representation to more parties.

IMAGE: Opposition MPs protest in Lok Sabha on Thursday. Photograph: SansadTV/ANI Photo

The list of Lok Sabha MPs proposed by the government now includes one member each from the Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray, the Communist Party of India-Marxist and the Lok Janshakti Party-Ram Vilas, besides two more members of the Bharatiya Janata Party and one more of the Samajwadi party.

The list of business for the House for Friday includes a motion from Union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal to refer the two bills to a joint committee, including 27 members from the Lok Sabha and 12 from the Rajya Sabha.

The new Lok Sabha MPs proposed to be part of the committee are Baijayant Panda and Sanjay Jaiswal from the BJP, the SP's Chhotelal, the Shiv Sena-UBT's Anil Desai, the LJP's Shambhavi and the CP-M's K Radhakrishnan.

The committee will scrutinise the two 'one nation one election' (ONOE) bills, including one for amending the Constitution.

Former Union ministers Anurag Thakur and P P Chaudhary, besides Bhartruhari Mahtab from the BJP, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra of the Congress are among the Lok Sabha members proposed for the panel.

Among the Lok Sabha members, 17 are from the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, including 12 from the BJP.
Russian President Vladimir Putin while speaking at his annual end-of-the-year news conference said that he was ready to discuss the possibility of reaching a compromise in talks with United States President-elect Donald Trump on the issue of Ukraine, Al Jazeera reported.

IMAGE: Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his annual televised year-end press conference and phone-in held in Moscow, on December 19, 2024. Photograph: Sputnik/Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool via Reuters

He expressed his readiness to meet Trump at 'any time'.

"I don't know when I'm going to see him. He isn't saying anything about it. I haven't talked to him in more than four years. I am ready for it, of course. Any time," Al Jazeera quoted Putin as saying.

Putin also hailed the 'invincibility' of the 'Oreshnik' hypersonic missile which Russia has already test-fired at a Ukrainian military factory, saying he was ready to organise another launch at Ukraine and see if Western air defence systems could shoot it down.

"Let them determine some target for destruction, say in Kyiv, concentrate all their air defence and missile defence forces there, and we will strike there with Oreshnik and see what happens," Al Jazeera quoted Putin.

"We are ready for such an experiment, but is the other side ready?" he said.

Earlier, Putin congratulated Donald Trump on winning the US presidential poll and said that Moscow is ready to have dialogue with the Republican president-elect.

"I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate him on his victory in the US presidential election.

"I have already said that we will work with any head of state who is trusted by the American people," Putin said while addressing the plenary session of the Valdai International Discussion Club in Sochi on November 7.

As per Al Jazeera, these were the first public remarks from Putin since Trump's victory.

He had also praised Trump for displaying courage during the assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 14.

"He behaved, in my opinion, in a very correct way -- courageously, like a real man," Putin said in his address at the Valdai discussion club, Al Jazeera reported.
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday expressed concern over resurgence of several temple-mosque disputes and asserted that certain individuals, after the construction of Ayodhya's Ram Temple, seem to believe they can become "leaders of Hindus" by raking up such issues.

IMAGE: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat addresses the Sanjivan Samadhi ceremony of Shri Moraya Gosavi Maharaj, at Pimpri-Chinchwad in Pune, December 17, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo

Delivering a lecture on 'India- The Vishwaguru', at Sahjeevan Vyakhyanmala (lecture series), Bhagwat advocated for an inclusive society and said the world needs to be shown that the country can live together in harmony.

Highlighting the plurality of Indian society, Bhagwat said Christmas is celebrated in Ramakrishna Mission, adding "only we can do this because we are Hindus".

"We have been living in harmony for a long time. If we want to provide this harmony to the world, we need to create a model of it. After the construction of Ram Mandir, some people think they can become leaders of Hindus by raking up the similar issues in new places. This is not acceptable," he said.

The Ram Temple was constructed since it was matter for faith for all Hindus, Bhagwat said.

"Every day a new matter (dispute) is being raked up. How can this be allowed? This cannot continue. India needs to show that we can live together," he said without mentioning any particular site.

Several demands for surveys of mosques to unearth temples have found their way to courts in the recent past, though Bhagwat did not mention any by name in his lecture.

Some groups that came from outside brought with them staunchness and they want their old rule to return, he said.

"But now the country runs as per the Constitution. In this setup people choose their representatives, who run the government. The days of hegemony are gone," he asserted.

He said the rule of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb was characterised by such staunchness, though his descendant Bahadur Shah Zafar in 1857 banned cow slaughter.

"It was decided that Ram Mandir in Ayodhya should be given to Hindus but the British sensed it and created rift between the two communities. Since then, this sense of 'algavwad' (separatism) came into being. As a result, Pakistan came into existence," he said.

Bhagwat said why was the "language of dominance" being used if all identify themselves as Indians.

"Who is a minority and who is a majority? Everyone is equal here. The tradition of this nation is all can follow their own forms of worship. The only requirement is to live in harmony and abide by rules and laws," the RSS chief asserted.
The Supreme Court on Friday said it was "terribly wrong" to appoint Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader V Senthil Balaji as a minister in the Tamil Nadu government days after he was granted bail in a money laundering case over the cash-for-job "scam".

IMAGE: Former minister Senthil Balaji meets Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, at the airport in Chennai, September 27, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo

A bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih said a large number of witnesses were public officials and sought response of the state government on the pending cases against Balaji.

"It can't be axiomatic that the moment a person is released he becomes a minister, there is something terribly wrong. Because there maybe cases and cases where somebody is being framed. In the facts of the case we will have to consider," it remarked.

The bench further sought the "record on the number of witnesses which are required to be examined in the cases".

"They will also state how many victims of the offences are witnesses and how many of the public servants who are witnesses", said the bench.

The apex court had perused the details of the pending trials and found that common people from whom money was taken were all witnesses apart from public officials.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for ED, submitted that Balaji wielded "considerable influence".

"Even while he was in jail, he was minister without portfolio. He wields that power in the state," Mehta said.

Responding to his submission, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Balaji, said, "There are a lot of people who have a lot of power in any state and here who are without portfolio."

"It is not a political platform. Let it remain a court," responded Mehta.

Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for the petitioner, submitted most prosecution witnesses were public servants in the state government.

The matter was posted on January 15, 2025.

The ED alleged Balaji has deliberately attempted to delay trial court proceedings in the money laundering case related to the case in which the top court granted him bail.

In an affidavit filed on a petition by one of the victims, the ED sought cancellation of bail of Balaji, who was sworn in as a minister by Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi again on September 29 and was assigned the same key portfolios -- electricity, non-conventional energy development, prohibition and excise -- he held previously in the MK Stalin-led cabinet.

The ED said since release of Balaji from jail, the ongoing examination of prosecution witnesses in the case was derailed on account of him moving applications seeking copies of digital records and seeking change of counsel in the midst of trial.

On October 25, the top court in another matter related to Balaji was informed that a petition seeking review of an order of bail to the DMK leader in the case had been filed.

The top court on September 30, directed the Madras High Court chief justice to appoint another judge for the trial against Balaji.

The ED arrested Balaji, representing Karur assembly constituency, on June 14, 2023 in the case when he was the transport minister during the previous AIADMK regime between 2011 and 2015.

On February 13, the TN governor accepted Balaji's resignation from the council of ministers. The top court's reprieve on September 26 ended Balaji's 471-day incarceration.

The ED had filed a case of money laundering in July 2021 to probe the allegations after three FIRs were registered by the Tamil Nadu police in 2018 and on the basis of complaints by those aggrieved in the alleged scam.

The agency's charge sheet claimed the entire recruitment process in the Tamil Nadu transport department during the tenure of Balaji as minister was turned into a "corrupt chiefdom", and the scam was executed under his authority.

Being a public servant, Balaji "misused" his official capacity as the then transport minister and obtained pecuniary benefits by corrupt and illegal means and directly acquired the proceeds of crime, generated out of a criminal activity related to a scheduled offence, the agency alleged.
Asserting that Pakistan developing sophisticated missile technology will give it the capability to strike targets well beyond South Asia, including in the United States, a top White House official said on Thursday that the Asian country's actions are an emerging threat to the United States.

IMAGE: Pakistani military personnel stand beside a Shaheen III missile during Pakistan Day military parade in Islamabad. Image used only for representation. Photograph: Faisal Mahmood/Reuters

Such a remark by the top White House official comes a day after the US slapped sanctions on four Pakistani entities, including the state-owned flagship aerospace and defence agency -- National Development Complex (NDC) -- on charges of them contributing to Pakistan's ballistic-missile programme.

The other three entities are Akhtar and Sons Private Limited, Affiliates International and Rockside Enterprise. All three are based in Karachi. Based in Islamabad, the NDC is responsible for the ballistic-missile programme. It has worked to acquire items to advance Pakistan's long-range ballistic missile programme.

"As a result, the (Joe) Biden administration has implemented a series of steps to contend with further development of long-range missile systems. Over the last year, we have issued three rounds of sanctions against non-Pakistani entities that have provided support to Pakistan's ballistic-missile programme," Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer told a think-tank here.

"And yesterday, we issued sanctions directly against Pakistan's state-owned National Development Complex, which the United States assesses is involved in the development and production of Pakistan's long-range ballistic missiles, the first time we have sanctioned a Pakistani state-owned enterprise tied to missile development," he said.

"Simply put, we are going to keep the pressure on Pakistan regarding its long-range missile programme, even as we also continue to seek diplomatic resolutions to address our concerns," Finer said in his remarks at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a top American think-tank.

In his remarks, Finer said recently, 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.

"If these trend lines continue, Pakistan will have the capability to strike targets well beyond South Asia, including in the United States, raising real questions about Pakistan's intentions," he said.

The list of countries that possess both nuclear weapons and the missile capability to directly reach the US homeland is very small, and they tend to be adversarial towards the United States -- Russia, North Korea and China -- Finer observed.

"So candidly, it is hard for us to see Pakistan's actions as anything other than an emerging threat to the United States. Now, leaders across our administration, myself included, have raised these concerns repeatedly with senior Pakistani officials," he said.

"We have been a longtime partner with Pakistan on development, on counter-terrorism and other security issues, including quite sensitive issues. We have provided support to Islamabad during difficult times and we continue to desire a cooperative relationship in these areas of shared interest," Finer added.

"That makes us question even more why Pakistan will be motivated to develop a capability that could be used against us. Unfortunately, it is our sense that Pakistan has failed to take these concerns and, frankly, the concerns of others in the international community seriously and continues to advance these capabilities," he said.

"Just looking at a map and looking at ranges, we believe that this is fundamentally focused on us," Finer said in response to a question.

"I think that is an inescapable conclusion based on the information that we have got and that is why this is of such great concern because the United States cannot, will not simply sit back and watch the development of this capability that we believe could pose a threat ultimately down the road," Finer said.
Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.

Nicholas Boke is a freelance writer and international education consultant who lives in Chester. The opinions expressed by columnists and op-ed writers do not necessarily reflect the views of Vermont News & Media.
Letter to the Editor: An opportunity to provide the best gift ever
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. An Azerbaijani serviceman has been blown up by a mine, Trend reports via the Defense Ministry.

"Around 12:00 (GMT +4), Ziyad Salmanov, while performing official combat tasks on the conditional Azerbaijan-Armenia border in the direction of the Sadarak district of Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, stepped on an anti-personnel mine and was injured.

After receiving first aid, the wounded serviceman was immediately evacuated to a military medical facility.

His life is out of danger.

An investigation is underway regarding the incident," the ministry added.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan

BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. Azerbaijan has assumed the chairmanship of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan told Trend.

According to the Ministry, the 49th meeting of the BSEC Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs was held in an online format on December 19, 2024.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, Yalchin Rafiyev, represented Azerbaijan at the meeting and delivered a speech.

In his address, Rafiyev emphasized that Azerbaijan, as a founding member of BSEC, contributes to strengthening cooperation within the organization based on mutual interests. He highlighted Azerbaijans efforts to enhance the region's transit potential through the Middle Corridor, develop secure transport routes, and increase exports to Europe in the field of green energy, as well as achievements related to the Black Sea underwater cable energy transmission project.

The meeting also noted Azerbaijans significant successes in advancing the international climate agenda during the 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), held in Baku in November. These include achievements in increasing climate finance and carbon market agreements.

Rafiyev stated that one of Azerbaijan's key priorities for 2025 will be strengthening the activities of BSEC working groups and expanding sectoral cooperation among member states. He invited member states to engage in joint efforts in this direction.

Azerbaijan received the chairmanship of BSEC for the first half of 2025 at the meeting's conclusion.
New Zealand-based solutions provider Adaptiv is looking to double down on its growth in Australia as part of what it considers to be its natural expansion.

Speaking to sister publication ARN at Boomis Partner Summit conference, Adaptiv principal architect and cofounder Nikolai Blackie said it wants to be closer to its own partners, all of which are headquartered out of Australia.

Its better for us to be closer to our partners and working with them, he said.

Blackie views the companys Australian expansion as its natural progression, focusing on further developing its Brisbane and Melbourne offices.

He also said Adaptiv is investing in its offshore teams in Vietnam as well, while its New Zealand operations, which include its headquarters in Auckland and an office in Christchurch, have captured what Blackie claimed is a decent portion of the market.

We obviously havent conquered all of the market, but theres certainly more opportunities for us in Australia, he said.
Yasaman crossed more than half a dozen countries on foot, bus, and boat and paid thousands of dollars to smugglers to reach Mexico.

Yasaman, an Afghan woman whose name has been changed to protect her identity, believed she was within touching distance of realizing her dream: entering the United States.

But her hopes came crashing down on January 20, when new U.S. President Donald Trump declared an emergency on the southern border with Mexico as part of a crackdown on illegal immigration.

As part of the executive order, U.S. authorities shut down the CBP One mobile app -- the only legal way for migrants to make an appointment with U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers, request asylum, and enter the country legally.

"I don't know what to do now," said Yasaman, who arrived in Mexico in November 2024. "I'm waiting [for] what Trump will decide next about migrants."

Yasaman, speaking by telephone from Mexico, said she received a notification on January 20 that read: "Existing appointments scheduled through CBP One are no longer valid."

The shutdown of the app will affect thousands of migrants, including Afghans, hoping to enter the United States legally.

Around 1 million appointments had been scheduled through CBP One since it was introduced in January 2023.

Not Happy In Brazil

Mexico has been a relatively new route for thousands of Afghan migrants seeking a new, better life in the United States.

RFE/RL contacted the United Nations refugee agency and the Mexican migration authorities to find out how many U.S.-bound Afghan migrants are currently in Mexico. We have not received a response.

An Afghan migrant who spoke to RFE/RL from the southern Mexican city of Tapachula estimated there were up to 1,500 people from Afghanistan in that city alone.

Karimullah, whose name has been changed over privacy concerns, said Afghan migrants live in rented apartments, relying on the "limited amount of money" they have brought from Afghanistan or borrow from their relatives abroad.

"Families go hungry for days while waiting for money from relatives," he said.

A former civil rights activist, Karimullah fled Afghanistan after the hard-line Taliban returned to power in August 2021.

After running out of money to pay for food and rent and as she was still waiting to get an appointment through CBP One, Yasaman got a job as a kitchen helper at a restaurant in the capital, Mexico City.

Like many other Afghan migrants in Mexico, both Karimullah and Yasaman had already been offered asylum in other safe countries -- in their case Brazil, which has issued thousands of humanitarian visas for Afghan nationals since 2021.

Asked by RFE/RL why they didn't want to stay in Brazil, where they had been given free accommodation and food, both Karimullah and Yasaman said they did not see a "good future" there due to a lack of jobs and other opportunities.

Instead, many Afghans pay money to people-smugglers to take them through Bolivia, Peru, Equador, Colombia, Panama, and other countries to reach the U.S.-Mexico border.

'Life For Immigrants Not What It Used To Be'

Some cross the border illegally. Ehsan Khan, a 26-year-old former driver from Kabul, entered the United States illegally in November 2024, hoping to get settled in the country before Trump closes the U.S. borders.

After spending two months at an immigration detention facility, Khan was released on January 11 with an electronic ankle bracelet for authorities to monitor his movements.

Speaking from San Diego by phone, Khan told RFE/RL that Afghan migrants should think twice before coming to the United States, because "the life in America for immigrants is not what it used to be."

Khan did not give details of his new life in the United States but said it isn't worth the traumatic journey he had through Honduras and Guatemala, where he said he "was beaten by thieves who demanded money" and witnessed his best friend drown in the sea.

"I saw my friend screaming for help as he drowned and I looked helplessly. I wanted to jump into the water, but I knew I couldn't swim. His parents often call me from Kabul and ask about him, and we cry," Khan said.

Back in Mexico City, Yasaman is determined to enter the United States "by any means, legally or illegally."

"I don't have a life or home in Afghanistan to go back to," Yasaman said. "I see my future only in America."
Welcome to The Azadi Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan. To subscribe, click here.

I'm Abubakar Siddique, senior correspondent at RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. Here's what I've been tracking and what I'm watching in the days ahead.



The Key Issue

The Taliban's deputy foreign minister, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, has called on his government to end its clampdown on the press in Afghanistan.

"Too many restrictions and hurdles for media organizations dampen their morale," he told a gathering in Kabul on December 18.

He said harassment prevents Afghan media from "courageously" reporting on critical issues or criticizing authorities.

"Trust them because they are our media," he said while arguing that allowing the Afghan media freedom is in the interest of the Taliban government.

Stanikzai is the first senior Taliban figure to publicly criticize his government's draconian crackdown on Afghanistan's once-vibrant press. He has also repeatedly called on Taliban leaders to repeal the ban on women's education because "no country can progress without education."

Why It's Important: Stanikazi's comments are another instance of dissent within the Islamist group over its hard-line policies.

It is another attempt to warn against the consequences of the Taliban's extremist policies, which have turned its government into an international pariah that no country has formally recognized.

Yet the Taliban government has systematically moved to completely dismantle the free press, which mushroomed under the pro-Western Afghan republic.

Earlier this year, the Taliban attempted to kill visual media by banning the depiction of all living things, including humans and animals.

The Taliban crackdown on journalists consists of harassment, beatings, and detentions, as well as the jailing of scores of journalists. Fear of Taliban harassment has prompted hundreds of Afghan correspondents to go into exile.

Independent Afghan media in the country now operate under severe Taliban restrictions and broad censorship.

After the Taliban banned a discussion of "sensitive topics and criticisms" of its government and leaders, several independent analysts have been jailed for expressing their views on air.

The Taliban government has banned some international broadcasters and denied visas to most international correspondents.

Global and Afghan media watchdogs have accused the group of attempting to turn the Afghan press into a "propaganda tool."

What's Next: Despite Stanikzai's criticism, the Taliban's overall approach and policies toward the Afghan media are unlikely to change soon.

Its government will continue to stifle independent Afghan media to gradually push it toward becoming its propaganda arm.

What To Keep An Eye On

Residents of the Afghan capital, Kabul, are paying for the increasing air pollution in the city.

Doctors in the city say respiratory diseases have swiftly risen as the air quality has deteriorated with the onset of winter in the mountainous city.

"Out of every 20 patients I see, 15 suffer from respiratory diseases," Abdul Hadi Sherzad, a doctor at a private hospital in Kabul, told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi.

This month, fuel prices have skyrocketed. Below-freezing nighttime temperatures prompt many of the city's impoverished residents to burn whatever they can find.

"People often burn car tires along with coal and wood," said Fariba, whose young son has contracted a lung infection because of air pollution, while her family cannot afford treatment.

Kabul is joining other major cities across South Asia, where air pollution is the worst globally, particularly during winter.

Why It's Important: Air pollution has become the No. 1 public-health hazard in Afghanistan's teeming capital.

Yet the cash-strapped Taliban government appears to be able to do little to mitigate the crisis, which is likely to cause many deaths this winter.

That's all from me for now. Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have. You can always reach us at azadi.english@rferl.org



Until next time,



Abubakar Siddique



If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Friday. You can always reach us at azadi.english@rferl.org

The Azadi Briefing will next appear on January 10.
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
The scale of the environmental disaster along Russia's Krasnodar coast is becoming clear as volunteers say no major state efforts are being made to help in the cleanup. On December 15, two oil tankers foundered in the Kerch Strait, the body of water between Russia and the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula. Some 4,000 tons of fuel oil poured into the sea and has subsequently washed ashore. Volunteers are now cleaning up the landscape, and wildlife caught up in the spill -- work they say is being done without state support. Ksenia Vysotskaya is one of those working to clean up the Russian coast. After 2 1/2 hours, even if you're wearing a respirator mask, goggles, gloves, and are fully protected, the fumes start to take a toll. You feel a headache, nausea, and start vomiting, she says. I had to lie down for several hours afterwards.

"We took the children here so they could breathe fresh air," Vysotskaya says. "Imagine how many parents of asthmatic children have moved here for that reason. Now the children are forced to breathe this in, they complain about the smell, they feel nausea and have difficulty breathing. But there is nowhere to take them, there's no money for this, and no transport provided from the state either, the local woman adds.

Both vessels involved in the disaster were more than 50 years old and were registered to small companies. There are fears the ships' owners could evade serious consequences by declaring bankruptcy and dissolving their companies. One of the companies has no assets beyond the one wrecked ship, the other has only another aged tanker on its books.

Marina, a resident of Anapa, on Russia's coast near the Kerch Strait, says her young son began vomiting amid the stench of fuel oil. She sent him to stay with his grandmother in Voronezh, but not everyone has such an option. "Hundreds of families with children live here," she says. "I cant understand why there is no evacuation, since a state of emergency has been declared. Without any state support she says, we have to take care of the children ourselves. As for animals, only volunteers are out rescuing them.

Local volunteers say around 4,000 people have gathered to clean the affected shore and search for animals. But rotations are virtually constant since people can only work for for 2 1/2 hours at a time before their own health is impacted. However many volunteers we have, we still need more," Vysotskaya says. People in chat groups organize themselves, someone buys hotel rooms for volunteers, others collect humanitarian aid.

Volunteers set up a bird-rescue headquarters on the first day of the disaster. Each bird has to be cleaned by hand, first with starch, then with a product like Fairy Liquid. So far, nothing better than household cleaning products has been invented, Vysotskaya says. Finding stricken animals in the layer of fuel, that in some places has soaked tens of centimeters into the sand, can be difficult. Its quite a task to find a bird that is only visible for its beak sticking out of the oil," Vysotskaya explains. Once cleaned, the birds are sent to a rehabilitation center near Anapa.

Vladimir Latka, the scientific director of the Whale Protection Fund, told a Russian media outlet that the oil spill threatens the population of at least one species of dolphin. Taman Bay is the birthplace of the Black Sea bottlenose dolphins, and 38 fish species from the Sea of Azov and the western Black Sea migrate through the Kerch Strait twice a year. Among them are seven species of endangered fish, the marine biologist told independent media outlet Xolod.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. Asat Asavbayev, the Secretary General of the Permanent Secretariat of the Intergovernmental Commission of the Trans-European Transport Corridor (TRACECA), has sent a congratulatory letter to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of his birthday, Trend reports.

Will be updated
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RFE/RL captured dramatic footage as Russia launched massive air strikes on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. As firefighters doused the flames, a man was furious that his business had been destroyed. "They're subhumans," he said.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has sent a letter to Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Mohammad Shehbaz Sharif, expressing profound gratitude to the brotherly nation of Pakistan and to the Prime Minister personally, following Azerbaijan's unanimous election as a member of the 11th Summit of the Developing Eight Organization for Economic Cooperation (D-8) held in Cairo, Egypt, on December 19, 2024, Trend reports.

"Dear Mr. Prime Minister,

My dear Brother,

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the brotherly Islamic Republic of Pakistan and to you personally for the unanimous election of the Republic of Azerbaijan as a member of the D-8 organization during the 11th Summit of the Developing Eight Organization for Economic Cooperation (D-8) in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, on 19 December 2024.

It is quite remarkable that the D-8 organization, which has been operating for nearly 30 years, has adopted a decision on expansion for the first time. This historic decision, which is an indicator of international trust in Azerbaijan, is a source of special pride for us.

The unequivocal support expressed for Azerbaijans candidacy is a manifestation of our strong relationship of friendship and cooperation, unity, and solidarity with every member country of the organization.

I am confident that Azerbaijan, together with all member states, will contribute to the mobilization of efforts for the protection of the fundamental principles of D-8, deepening of cooperation within the organization, promotion of our common interests, strengthening of Islamic solidarity, and its transformation into a great power.

It is gratifying that the Azerbaijani-Pakistani relations are based on mutual trust, respect, and support, and are enriched with new content day by day. We attach special importance to continuously expanding our multifaceted cooperation and strategic partnership with brotherly Pakistan in political, economic, trade, transport, military-technical, humanitarian, and other areas. My state visit to your country in July this year opened a new page in the history of our relations, and I have the warmest memories of that visit.

I appreciate your visit to Azerbaijan to participate in COP29, our meeting, and exchange of views in an atmosphere of friendliness, sincerity, and mutual trust. I look forward to your state visit to Azerbaijan in 2025 and am sure that it will give a strong impetus to the strengthening of our fraternal relations and the further deepening of our fruitful joint activities.

Once again, I express my gratitude to you, wishing you good health, happiness, and success in your endeavors, and everlasting peace and prosperity to the brotherly people of Pakistan," the letter reads.
Eva Osborne

Donal Ryan has been announced as the overall An Post Irish Book of the Year 2024 award winner for his book 'Heart, Be at Peace'.

The book was among six titles competing for the accolade, all of which were category winners at the recent 2024 An Post Irish Book Awards.

The six books were shortlisted for the An Post Irish Book of the Year on the principle that they secured the highest number of votes during the shortlist voting process across all categories.

Ryans book was unveiled as the An Post Irish Book of the Year during a one-hour special television show aired on RTE one on Thursday evening hosted by broadcaster Oliver Callan.

The title won the Eason Novel of the Year Award at the recent An Post Irish Book Awards and was chosen as the overall An Post Irish Book of the Year 2024 winner by a distinguished panel of judges.

The six nominated titles competing for the An Post Irish Book of the Year award were:

Heart, Be at Peace  Donal Ryan (Doubleday, Penguin Random House);

Fia and the Last Snow Deer  Eilish Fisher, illustrated by Dermot Flynn (Puffin, Penguin Random House Childrens);

Frankie  Graham Norton (Coronet);

A Stranger in the Family  Jane Casey (Hemlock Press);

Obsessed: The Autobiography  Johnny Sexton with Peter OReilly (Penguin Sandycove);

Nature Boy: A Journey of Birdsong and Belonging  Sean Ronayne (Hachette Books Ireland).

Described by The Irish Times as an absorbing, emphatic story of a community in trouble, Donal Ryans Heart, Be at Peace received a chorus of positive reviews upon publication.

Ryan is an award-winning author from Nenagh, Co Tipperary, whose work has been published in over 20 languages to major critical acclaim.
Eva Osborne

Tasoieach Simon Harris has said the closure of Holyhead port has caused "a lot of heartache and disruption for people nad traders this Christmas".

Harris spoke with the First Minister of Wales, Eluned Morgan, about the serious impact of the ongoing closure of Holyhead port on the movement of people and freight between Ireland and Great Britain.

It was recently announced that the port will remain closed until at least January 15th, 2025, due to damages caused by Storm Darragh.

Both Harris and Morgan acknowledged the ongoing efforts being made on both sides to ensure that people travelling home for Christmas are able to do so.

They also discussed the importance of ensuring sufficient port capacity to maintain the supply chains vital to both economies.

The Taoiseach and the First Minister agreed to speak again in the New Year to review progress.

We discussed the importance to both Wales and Ireland of ensuring sufficient port capacity to support vital supply chains between Ireland and the UK, and the need to find workable alternatives for as long as Holyhead remains out of commission," Harris said.

"We expressed a shared wish to see Holyhead return to operation in January, and we agreed to speak again in early January to review matters at that point.
(Updated 12-20-24): Williams County Fatal Crash Dec. 13

A single vehicle crash occurred on Highway 1804 near MM 310. on Dec. 13, at approximately 6:42 a.m. CT.

A 2011 Ford F-150 being driven by a Clyde Petty, Williston ND, was traveling westbound on Highway 1804. The F-150 left the roadway and entered the north ditch. The F-150 then vaulted over a field approach and came to rest upright. Clyde Petty sustained injuries from the crash and was transported to CHI St. Alexis Hospital, Williston, and was later transferred to Sanford Hospital, Bismarck.

Clyde Petty passed away due to the injuries sustained in the crash on Monday Dec. 16, 2024.

The agencies who responded to the crash were North Dakota Highway Patrol, Williams County Sheriffs Office, Williston Ambulance and Williston Fire Department.

At the time of the crash the roads were dry and good and the weather was clear and dark.

The crash remains under investigation by the NDHP.

(Original Story): On December 13, at approximately 06:42 a.m. CT, a single vehicle crash occurred on Highway 1804 near MM 310. A 2011 Ford F-150 being driven by a 66-year-old male, Williston ND, was traveling westbound on Highway 1804. The F-150 left the roadway and entered the north ditch. The F-150 then vaulted over a field approach and came to rest upright. The 66-year-old male sustained injuries from the crash and was transported to CHI St. Alexis Hospital in Williston and was later transferred to Sanford Hospital in Bismarck.

On Monday December 16, 2024, the 66-year-old man passed away due to the injuries sustained in the crash.

The agencies who responded to the crash were North Dakota Highway Patrol, Williams County Sheriffs Office, Williston Ambulance and Williston Fire Department.

At the time of the crash the roads were dry and good and the weather was clear and dark.

The crash remains under investigation by the NDHP. The name will be released upon notification of next of kin.
"They Must Pass Over Our Corpse to Take Jagjit Singh Dallewal," Say Protesting Farmers

Their powerful statement came in response to SC's directive for Punjab govt to move Dallewal to an off-site makeshift hospital

Jagjit Singh Dallewal, Farmers Protest, Supreme Court Hearing Latest News Today: In a defiant press conference held at the Khanauri border, farmers standing in solidarity with Jagjit Singh Dallewal declared their unwavering support for the farmer leader.

Their powerful statement came in response to the Supreme Court's directive for the Punjab government to move Dallewal to an off-site makeshift hospital for medical care amid his ongoing hunger strike.

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"Our leader will not leave the stage," the farmers asserted. "Jagjit Singh Dallewal has resolutely refused to seek medical facilities and is determined to continue his hunger strike."

Jagjit Singh Dallewals Determination

Despite growing concerns for his health, Dallewal has remained steadfast in his decision to continue the strike. His resolve reflects the depth of his commitment to the farmers cause, which has garnered widespread attention and support across the region.

"Jagjit Singh Dallewal is not just a leader; he is a symbol of our fight," said one farmer present at the press conference. "If they want to take him, they must pass over our corpse first."

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Protesters Rally Behind Dallewal

The farmers' movement has gathered momentum, with thousands joining the protest at the Khanauri border. Supporters have vowed to protect Dallewal and his right to protest, criticizing the government's attempts to move him against his will.

"We respect the Supreme Court, but this is a fight for our rights and dignity. Jagjit Singh Dallewal's hunger strike is a peaceful protest, and we will not allow any force to disrupt it," a farmer spokesperson said.

Medical Concerns

The Supreme Court's directive comes amid reports of Dallewal's deteriorating health. However, the leader has refused to accept medical treatment, stating that his hunger strike is a crucial step in pressuring authorities to address the farmers grievances.

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Doctors and health professionals have expressed concerns over the potential consequences of his prolonged fasting, urging the government and protesters to prioritize his well-being.

Growing Support for Farmers Demands

As tensions rise, the farmers' demands remain front and center. Protesters at the Khanauri border are calling for immediate action from the government to address their issues, including fair crop prices, resolution of pending grievances, and better support for agricultural workers.

"We are here to ensure our voices are heard," said another farmer. "This is not just about Dallewal; it is about every farmer who has struggled and sacrificed for the nation."

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A Call for Resolution

The impasse highlights the need for dialogue between the government and protesting farmers. While the situation at the Khanauri border remains tense, the determination of Jagjit Singh Dallewal and his supporters underscores the urgency of addressing their demands to prevent further escalation.

As the nation watches, the farmers' struggle continues, with Dallewal at the forefront of a movement that resonates deeply with millions across Punjab and beyond.

(For more news apart from Jagjit Singh Dallewal, Farmers Protest, Supreme Court Hearing Latest News Today, stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman)
Supreme Court Declines Stay on Punjab Municipal Elections 2025

The allegations are part of SLP challenging the Punjab and Haryana HC's December 13 order that disposed of their earlier grievances.

New Delhi, December 20: The Supreme Court today refused to stay the Punjab Municipal Corporation elections 2024 scheduled for December 21, while issuing notice to the Punjab State Election Commission (SEC) over allegations raised by opposition candidates. The plea, filed by candidates from the BJP, Shiromani Akali Dal, and Indian National Congress, claims they were systematically prevented from filing nominations for the Patiala elections by the ruling Aam Aadmi Party.

The allegations are part of a Special Leave Petition (SLP) challenging the Punjab and Haryana High Court's December 13 order that disposed of their earlier grievances.

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Supreme Court's Observations

A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and PS Varale refused to interfere at this stage but assured a thorough examination of the matter after the elections.

Justice Nath remarked, "If we are satisfied that candidates were deliberately prevented from filing nominations, we will set aside everything. However, at this juncture, there is no justification for granting a stay."

Allegations of Election Interference

Senior Advocate Vivek Tankha, representing Congress candidates, alleged that 27 out of 60 Congress nominees were obstructed from filing their papers. He claimed their nomination papers were torn, and they were denied entry to the election office. Tankha added that the SEC had refused to intervene, citing the initiation of the election process.

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Advocate Velan, representing a BJP candidate, argued that his client was illegally detained by the police on December 12 to prevent him from submitting his nomination.

The petitioners alleged widespread misuse of state machinery, including police involvement, to obstruct opposition candidates. They claim that of the 60 wards in the Patiala Municipal Corporation, only 31 candidates managed to file nominations, while others faced physical intimidation, police collusion, and harassment.

States Defense

Senior Advocate Siddhartha Dave, appearing for the Punjab government, opposed the plea, arguing that Article 243ZG of the Constitution prohibits judicial interference in election processes once they are underway.

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Justice Nath, however, noted that the SEC should have addressed the complaints on their merits rather than dismissing them under procedural grounds. The Court directed the parties to file counter-affidavits and scheduled the matter for further hearing on February 19, 2025.

High Court Directions

The Punjab and Haryana High Court had earlier directed the SEC to ensure free and fair elections by deploying adequate police personnel at polling booths. However, the petitioners argue that the High Courts decision did not address the alleged misuse of state power during the nomination process.

Whats Next?

The Supreme Courts decision to review the matter post-elections could have significant implications if it finds merit in the allegations. For now, the elections will proceed as scheduled, with the SEC under scrutiny for its handling of opposition complaints.
Romania on the Wine Map

Many legends have been written about the emergence of wine

Romania on the Wine Map

Corina Cristea, 20.12.2024, 13:29

Many legends have been written about the emergence of wine, with the oldest evidence being recorded in the Caucasus, Mesopotamia and Egypt. Georgia is said to be the birthplace of wine, around 6000 BC, according to a study by experts from seven countries, for which scientists used carbon dating of ceramic fragments that were in contact with wine. Evidence has also been discovered in Iran, Greece and Sicily, but also some related to a wine made from fermented grapes mixed with other fruits in China, dating back more than 7000 years. Specialists say that at first the vine was wild, being domesticated later. And the oldest winery was discovered by archaeologists in a cave complex in Armenia. The site found here dates back to 4100 BC and contained a wine press, fermentation vessels, cups, and Vitis vinifera seeds. In addition to delighting us in the most unexpected ways, depending on its appearance, color, aroma or consistency, the wine in the glass tells the story of entire generations, of the formation of peoples and countries, as explained to Radio Romania by Catalin Paduraru, PhD of the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Bucharest, president of the most important international wine competition in Central and South-Eastern Europe, Vinarium.

Its about a characteristic that the vine has, and which fundamentally changed the migration of great peoples. Grain plants are taken and stored, during migration the populations moved on, replanted them, waited for the first harvest, harvested them, consumed them, kept the seeds, and moved on. When these migrating populations from east to west passed through the Caucasus Basin and came across Vitis vinifera, and very soon arrived on the territory of todays Romania and the Republic of Moldova and planted vines, they did not leave, because they could not do something without any meaning. They had to wait 4-5 years to enjoy the fruits of the vine. That is why I say that peoples and countries were formed around the vine. It completely changed the speed of the movement of peoples.

In Romania, the cultivation of vines has a long tradition, historically attested, which certainly contributed to placing the country, nowadays, in the top of those with surface area cultivated with vines. Also, in terms of the quantities of wine produced  13th place in the world and 6th place in Europe  wine is increasingly appreciated, both in the country and abroad. A look at the wine map reveals the existence of 8 regions in Romania  the Moldavian Hills, the Transylvanian Plateau, the Muntenia and Oltenia Hills, the Banat Hills, the Crisana and Maramures Hills, the Danube Terraces, the Dobrogea Hills, respectively the sands and other less favorable areas in the south of the country. Each of these areas has its own particularities, specialists say  whether it is altitude, exposure, or sloping, for example, elements that leave their mark on the different ripening of the grapes. These differences are an asset for Romania as a wine-producing country, because these eco-climatic differences mean different varieties cultivated in certain areas and different periods of grape ripening. In other words, diversity. Again, Catalin Paduraru, with another interpretation of the famous Latin adage in vino veritas, in wine lies the hidden truth:

We did a unique experiment in the world, we managed to create the voice of wine, the sound fingerprint, and at some point we began to see that these voices are increasingly different. And we also came to a logical conclusion, I repeat it in the form in which I have said it every time, maybe at some point it will remain as such: if we trust that a piece of silicon, an electronic device, can record memory, why not have the belief that an organic type of matter can record information? Somehow, a wine that is a few years old, has witnessed some events, certainly has the information included, our only problem is that we still dont know how to decipher it. This is what it means, in my vision, that the truth is in wine.

Currently, in Romania, about 80 wineries practice wine tourism  most of them located in the southern part of the country, in Muntenia  and about a quarter of them also offer tourist accommodation. But Romania could make more of this important side of tourism, says Catalin Paduraru.

We designed, at the Wine Institute, where there is also Vinarium, a new type of tourism that is linked to a major project of the country, the A7 Motorway, which reaches Moldova and, from Iasi, even the Republic of Moldova, which could be called the Vineyard Motorway. Because it passes through the most important vineyards in the country, through Dealul Mare, through Vrancea, and then through Moldavia. This does not mean that I minimize the importance of vineyards in the rest of the country. A new type of tourism can be developed, caravan tourism. You cannot build dozens of hotels in wineries overnight. Setting up spaces for camping and caravans can be done, and overnight all you need is water and electricity. And we can have, on this highway, a lot of foreigners who consume this type of tourism.

Suddenly, the wineries could fill up, says Catalin Paduraru.
December 20, 2024

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsflash

Newsroom, 20.12.2024, 13:55

Parliament. The two chambers of the Romanian Parliament resulting from the elections on 1st December are meeting today in separate sessions for the first time, being summoned by president Klaus Iohannis. The speakers of the two chambers and the other members of the permanent bureaus are also elected. The parliamentary groups are being presented and the parliamentary committees are established, in keeping with the political make-up of each chamber. The new Parliament numbers 465 MPs, including 331 deputies and 134 senators. Seven parties have representatives in the two chambers, namely the Social Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party, the Save Romania Union, the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, as well as three sovereignist parties, the Alliance for the Union of Romanians, SOS Romania and the Party of Young People. Of the 465 MPs, 364 are men and 101 women, and most of them are between 45 and 64 years old.

Talks. The representatives of the Social Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania may today resume talks to form a new government, political sources have said. Negotiations came to a standstill on Thursday, following the unexpected announcement of the Social Democratic leader Marcel Ciolacu that his party would no longer take part in the talks, but will support a possible minority right-leaning government. Ciolacu later met the Liberals interim leader Ilie Bolojan. The president of the Save Romania Union Elena Lasconi said her party is again willing to take part in talks to form a ruling coalition, but under the same conditions as before, namely the transparency of the budget situation. President Klaus Iohannis called on pro-European political parties to resume talks on the formation of a government and said he would call for consultations with parliamentary parties.

Visit. Hungarys prime minister Viktor Orban is in Bucharest for talks with prime minister Marcel Ciolacu. On 22nd November, the Romanian prime minister met his Hungarian counterpart in Budapest, for talks, among others, on Romanias full entry into Schengen. Hungary is holding the rotating EU presidency until the 31st of December. Prime minister Orban was in Brussels to attend the EU-Western Balkans summit on Wednesday and the European Council on Thursday. On Friday, Orban will also travel to Bulgaria.

EU summit. The war in Ukraine, the EUs trade relations with the United States, the situation in the Middle East and Russias interference in the elections were some of the subjects discussed at the EU winter summit in Brussels. Attending the summit was also Ukraines president Volodymyr Zelensky, who called for unity between the European Union and the United States to obtain peace and save Ukraine. The EU heads of state and government also discussed the supply of military equipment and ways to consolidate Ukraines energy sector and other civilian infrastructure that has come under deliberate and increasingly intense attacks by Russia. Talks also looked at the effects of Donald Trumps return to office on transatlantic trade relations. The EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the EU and the United States should do everything to avoid a trade war because both economies would be affected and China would be only one standing to gain. Also, European leaders recognised Russias meddling in the election process in Romania, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia and called for more efficient coordination across the Union to combat Moscows hybrid attacks.
December 20, 2024 UPDATE

A roundup of local and world news

Newsflash

Newsroom, 20.12.2024, 20:00

PARLIAMENT The two chambers of the Romanian Parliament resulting from the elections on December 1 Friday convened in separate sessions for the first time. The new legislature comprises as many as 465 MPs, 331 Deputies and 134 Senators. Seven political parties have members in the 2 Chambers, of which 4 are pro-European (the Social Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party, Save Romania Union, and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania) and 3 are sovereigntist parties (the Alliance for the Unity of RomaniansAUR, SOS Romania and the Party of Young PeoplePOT). The 19 national minorities are also represented in Parliament. Until a new Senate speaker is elected, the most senior Deputy, the Social Democrat Ioan Stan, an MP since 2000, serves as acting speaker. He said Parliaments top priorities are citizen safety, economic development and strengthening social balance. In turn, the most senior Deputy, Seres Denes of the UDMR, who has been an MP since 1992, serves as acting speaker of the Chamber of Deputies. It is time we worked together to protect the fundamental values of democracy, overcoming any political differences, Seres Denes said.

VISIT Hungarys prime minister Viktor Orban was received in Bucharest on Friday by his Romanian counterpart, PM Marcel Ciolacu. On this occasion, the Romanian Prime Minister highlighted the decisive role that Hungary played in Romanias full Schengen accession. It is an excellent result that would not have been possible without the decisive involvement during the Hungarian presidency of the EU, Marcel Ciolacu emphasised. He added that Hungary is one of Romanias most important trade partners. In turn, Viktor Orban said he believes that a new era of cooperation between Romania and Hungary is beginning. Hungary wants to continue and deepen its collaboration with Romania, the Hungarian PM stated. On November 22, the Romanian PM met his Hungarian counterpart in Budapest, for talks, among others, on Romanias full Schengen accession. The visit to Budapest took place in the context in which Hungary is holding the rotating EU presidency until the end of December.

DEFENCE Portugals Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, accompanied by senior defence officials, made a working visit to Romania on Friday, in the Caracal Garrison, where Portuguese troops are currently deployed. According to a news release issued by the Romanian defence ministry, the defence chief of staff, General Gheorghita Vlad, met with the Portuguese officials to discuss the security situation, bilateral cooperation in the field of defence and joint training opportunities. General Vlad highlighted the strengthening of the relations between Romania and Portugal this year, emphasising the valuable contribution of the Portuguese troops to consolidating NATOs response capacity in Romania.

FORESTRY The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, Friday signed into law the Forestry Code, endorsed on December 17 by the Chamber of Deputies, the decision-making body in this case. The Code defines the legal framework for the digitised fight against illegal logging. Video surveillance of forest roads with monitoring/recording systems is introduced, which will help detect theft and illegal logging. New forestry offences are also defined, such as falsifying digital forestry data or declarations, which will be punished by imprisonment for up to 5 years. The new Forestry Code provides, among other things, for the establishment of a National Forestry Registry, which will include all forest owners in Romania.

EU SUMMIT The war in Ukraine, the EUs trade relations with the United States, the situation in the Middle East and Russias interference in the elections were some of the topics discussed at the EU winter summit in Brussels. Attending the summit was also Ukraines president Volodymyr Zelensky, who called for unity between the European Union and the United States to obtain peace and save Ukraine. The EU heads of state and government also discussed the supply of military equipment and ways to consolidate Ukraines energy sector and other civilian infrastructure that has come under deliberate and increasingly intense attacks by Russia. Talks also looked at the effects of Donald Trumps return to office on transatlantic trade relations. The EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the EU and the United States should do everything to avoid a trade war, because both economies would be affected and China would be only one standing to gain. Also, European leaders recognised Russias meddling in the election process in Romania, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia and called for more efficient coordination across the Union to counter Moscows hybrid attacks. (AMP)
Conclusions of the Winter European Summit

The war in Ukraine, the EU-US commercial relations, the situation in the Middle East and Russia's interference in elections in Romania, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia were among the topics discussed at the European winter summit in Brussels

foto: presidency.ro

Sorin Iordan, 20.12.2024, 13:50

The EU heads of state and government gathered in Brussels to discuss the war in Ukraine, migration, the situation in the Middle East, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia, the EUs response to crises and Russias interference in the Romanian elections. Invited to the winter European Summit, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that what his country needed the most was for both the European Union and the United States of America to keep supporting Kyiv. Zelenskiy added that he wanted Donald Trump, back to the White House as of January 20, 2025, to be on Ukraines side in the war against Russian invasion and stressed that Ukraine would need security guarantees from the EU and the US in order for long-term peace to be ensured.

Trumps return as head of the United States is a matter of concern for the European states, which expect his sovereignist policy to affect commercial relations again, as happened in his previous mandate. There is fear that the new American administration could increase import tariffs for European products by up to 20%. In this context, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaya Callas, has stated that the two blocs should avoid a trade war at all costs because both economies would be affected. There is no winner in a trade war, she said, and if we were to face such a scenario, China would be the one that would have the most fun.

Another widely debated topic was that of Russias interference in elections. Present at the summit, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis stated that Moscows behaviour is not only a threat to Romania, but to all democracies. He called on all the EU states to work together, including at the level of information exchanges, so that such interferences can be quickly detected and countered. Regarding this topic, the Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, said that all European leaders, including the skeptics, were now aware of the aggressiveness used by Russia to destabilize the democratic systems of the EU states and gave as an example Russias interference in Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Romania.

Last but not least, the European leaders discussed the developments in Syria, after the ousting of Bashar al-Assad. The European states stressed that they had established diplomatic contacts with the new leadership, but that they were waiting for facts from the new government in Damascus in order to continue their financial and humanitarian support. The EU is interested in the situation stabilizing in order to be able to repatriate some of the Syrian refugee migrants to Europe, given that their presence has exacerbated social tensions and led to the growth of the extreme right in political terms. (MI)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. A seminar dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions was held in Baku, Trend reports.

The event, organized jointly by the Ombudsman of Azerbaijan and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), discussed best practices and challenges in the application of international law.

Representatives of the relevant government agencies of Azerbaijan and the head of the ICRC Baku office took part in the event.

An employee of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan, Captain Salim Ahmadov said that Armenia violated international humanitarian law by opening fire on civilians during the Second Karabakh War.

He noted that the civilian population of the cities of Ganja and Barda was subjected to shelling by Armenia.

"As a result, many Azerbaijani citizens were killed, and significant damage was inflicted on civilian infrastructure.

The missile attack on Ganja left 175 people, including 61 men, 66 women, and 47 children, injured. The attack on Barda killed 29 people (19 men, eight women, and two children). In total, 112 people were injured in this attack, with 71 men, 26 women, and 15 children seriously injured," he added.

The head of the detention issues group at the ICRC representation in Azerbaijan Mareh Shervashidze noted that last year, the staff of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) conducted 2,564 visits to detainees in detention and incarceration facilities globally.

Shervashidze added that among the visited detention facilities, there were 885 institutions, with a total of 837,029 detainees.

"The number of detainees we registered and followed up on was 14,020, including 1,524 prisoners of war and 1,382 civilians. The total number of contexts in which visits were conducted reached 84," he added.

Ilaha Huseynova, head of the Public Relations Department of the ICRC office in Azerbaijan said that the staff of the International Committee of the Red Cross compiles an observation report after each visit to places of detention.

She noted that these reports are confidential and are not sent by mail.

The data is transmitted directly from hand to hand. Such reports are provided only to authorized bodies. Only foreign nationals participate in visits to detention centers. No local citizen participates in visits to persons held in places of detention of their country, Huseynova added.

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Retail sales and public sector finance from the UK and and consumer confidence from Italy are due on Friday.

At 2.00 am ET, the Office for National Statistics is slated to issue UK retail sales and public sector finance data. Sales are forecast to grow 0.5 percent on month in November, in contrast to the 0.7 percent fall in October. The budget deficit is seen narrowing to GBP 15.5 billion from GBP 17.35 billion in the previous month.

In the meantime, producer prices data from Germany is due. Economists forecast producer prices to fall 0.3 percent on year in November, following a 1.1 percent decrease in October.

At 2.45 am ET, France's statistical office INSEE releases producer prices for November.

At 4.00 am ET, business and consumer sentiment survey results are due from Italy. Economists forecast the business sentiment index to fall to 86.0 in December from 86.5 in the prior month. The consumer confidence index is seen at 97.0, up from 96.6 in November.

At 5.30 am ET, Russia's central bank announces its monetary policy decision. The bank is expected to hike its benchmark rate by 200 basis points to 23.0 percent.

At 6.00 am ET, the Confederation of British Industry publishes Distributive Trade survey data. The retail sales balance is forecast to rise to -10 percent in December from -18 percent in November.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
The United States has announced that bilateral market access negotiations on goods and services with Uzbekistan has been completed.

The talks were part of Uzbekistan's efforts to accede to the World Trade Organization.

Uzbekistan applied for WTO accession in 1994 and began actively working toward WTO accession in 2020.

"Uzbekistan's strong commitment to advance negotiations has resulted in significant progress during the past two years, including the successful conclusion of our bilateral agreement," United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai said in a statement.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Political News
President Joe Biden will have an audience with Pope Francis in Vatican on January 10 to discuss efforts to advance peace around the world.

Biden accepted the Pope's invitation to visit the Vatican in a phone call Thursday.

The two leaders discussed efforts to advance peace around the world during the holiday season. The President thanked the Pope for his continued advocacy to alleviate global suffering, including his work to advance human rights and protect religious freedoms.

Biden will travel to Italian capital Rome from January 9 to 12. During the visist, Biden wil also meet Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

"He will meet with Italy's leaders to highlight the strength of the U.S.-Italy relationship, thank Prime Minister Meloni for her strong leadership of the G7 over the past year, and discuss important challenges facing the world," the White House said.

Most probably, it will mark President Biden's last official foreign tour before he steps down later next month.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control has imposed sanctions on Georgia's Internal Affairs Minister and a top official from Ministry of Internal Affairs for their role in the brutal crackdowns on media members, opposition figures, and protesters  including during demonstrations throughout 2024.

Georgia's Minister of Internal Affairs Vakhtang Gomelauri and Deputy Head of the Special Task Department Mirza Kezevadze have overseen the violence perpetrated by the Special Task Department during protests before the passage of the "foreign influence law" in May.

During protests, the Special Task Department violently targeted political opposition leaders, journalists, and youth activists who were peacefully expressing their views, the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control said.

"In the wake of Georgia's election, key officials in the Ministry of Internal Affairs engaged in a severe and vicious crackdown against their own people, including the intentional targeting of journalists and use of violence," said Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley T. Smith. "The United States remains committed to holding accountable those who seek to limit the rights of their citizens and undermine fundamental freedoms  in Georgia and around the world."

In late November, mass protests erupted across the country in response to Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze's announcement that Georgia would suspend talks on accession to the European Union. Security forces from the Ministry of Internal Affairs' Special Task Department responded to protests with disproportionate violence to suppress dissent and discourage protesters. The Special Task Department utilized tactics including mass beatings, verbal abuse, and threats of sexual violence. Police violence by members of the Special Task Department occurred while individuals were in police custody, in detention, and at locations outside the protest area. The Special Task Department also deliberately targeted journalists as they reported on the violence and repeatedly abused detained protesters.

The Department of State is also taking further steps to impose visa restrictions on additional Georgian individuals and their family members, including law enforcement and security officials who were involved in the violence against protesters, and municipal government officials who abused their power to restrict fundamental freedoms, including the right to vote without coercion or intimidation.

Separately, on Thursday, the United Kingdom designated five individuals responsible for human rights violations in Georgia.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
The U.S. Department of Commerce has awarded SK hynix, the leading producer of high-bandwidth memory, $458 million in direct funding under the CHIPS Incentives Program's Funding Opportunity for Commercial Fabrication Facilities.

This funding will support SK hynix's $3.87 billion investment in West Lafayette, Indiana, to build a memory packaging plant for artificial intelligence products and an advanced packaging fabrication and R&D facility. This is expected to fill a critical gap in the U.S. semiconductor supply chain. The Commerce Department said it will disburse the funds based on the company's completion of project milestones.

In addition to the direct funding, the CHIPS Program Office will provide up to $500 million in loans to SK hynix under the award.

"With this investment in SK hynix and their partnership with Purdue University, we are solidifying America's AI hardware supply chain in a way no other country on Earth can match, creating hundreds of jobs in Indiana, and ensuring the Hoosier State plays an important role in advancing U.S. economic and national security," said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.

The CHIPS investment in SK hynix represents a significant step in advancing the security of the U.S. supply chain as HBM manufacturing will be available in the United States. AI is driving the growth and demand for HBM capacity, which is one of the core supply chain constraints for the AI industry.

Additionally, this investment is expected to create approximately 1,000 new facility jobs and hundreds of construction jobs and establish a research hub in Indiana through SK hynix's partnership with Purdue University. The next generation HBM that will be researched, developed, mass-produced, and packaged in this ecosystem with Purdue University will play an important role in the U.S. semiconductor ecosystem, according to the Department of Commerce.

"SK hynix looks forward to collaborating with the U.S. government, the State of Indiana, Purdue University, and our U.S. partners to build a robust and resilient AI semiconductor supply chain in the U.S.," said SK hynix CEO Kwak Noh-Jung.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Novo Nordisk A/S (NVO) announced Friday that its experimental obesity drug CagriSema demonstrated superior weight loss in adults with obesity or overweight in the REDEFINE 1 phase 3 trial. Meanwhile, the Danish drugmaker's shares were plunging around 19 percent in the pre-market activity on the NYSE after reports indicated that the achieved weight loss was lower than expected by the company.

In a statement, Novo Nordisk said CagriSema helped overweight patients cut their weight by 22.7 percent in the late-stage trial, which is below the 25 percent it reportedly had expected.

Martin Holst Lange, executive vice president for Development at Novo Nordisk, said, "We are encouraged by the weight loss profile of CagriSema demonstrating superiority over both semaglutide and cagrilintide in monotherapy in the REDEFINE 1 trial. This was achieved even though only 57 percent of patients reached the highest CagriSema dose. With the insights obtained from the REDEFINE 1 trial, we plan to further explore the additional weight loss potential of CagriSema."

REDEFINE 1 is a 68-week efficacy and safety trial investigating subcutaneous CagriSema (a fixed dose combination of cagrilintide 2.4 mg and semaglutide 2.4 mg) compared to the individual components cagrilintide 2.4 mg, semaglutide 2.4 mg and placebo, all administered once-weekly.

The trial included 3,417 randomised people with obesity or overweight with one or more comorbidities and a mean baseline body weight of 106.9 kg.

Novo Nordisk said the trial achieved its primary endpoint by demonstrating a statistically significant and superior weight loss at week 68 with CagriSema versus placebo.

After 68 weeks, 57.3 percent of patients treated with CagriSema were on the highest dose, compared to 82.5 percent with cagrilintide 2.4 mg and 70.2 percent with semaglutide 2.4 mg.

People treated with CagriSema achieved a superior weight loss of 22.7 percent after 68 weeks, compared to a reduction of 11.8 percent with cagrilintide 2.4 mg, 16.1 percent with semaglutide 2.4 mg and 2.3 percent with placebo alone.

In addition, 40.4 percent of patients who received CagriSema reached a weight loss of 25 percent or more after 68 weeks. This is compared to 6.0 percent with cagrilintide 2.4 mg, 16.2 percent with semaglutide 2.4 mg, and 0.9 percent with placebo.

In the trial, CagriSema, cagrilintide 2.4 mg and semaglutide 2.4 mg showed a safe and well-tolerated profile. The most common adverse events with CagriSema were gastrointestinal, and the vast majority were mild to moderate and diminished over time.

The results from the second pivotal phase 3 trial, REDEFINE 2, in adults with type 2 diabetes and either obesity or overweight are expected during the first half of 2025.

In pre-market activity on the NYSE, Novo Nordisk shares were trading at $83.88, down 18.9 percent.

For More Such Health News, visit rttnews.com

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A new mRNA-based vaccine has been reportedly developed by scientists in Russia, which will be provided to patients for free by 2025.

The news was first shared by Andrey Kaprin, General Director of the Russian Ministry of Health's Radiology Medical Research Center, in an interview with Radio Rossiya.

As per Russia's TASS news agency, the vaccine was developed in collaboration with several research centers.

Earlier, Alexander Gintsburg, Director of the Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, said that the pre-clinical trials of the mRNA vaccine have shown positive data, demonstrating its ability to prevent tumor growth.

mRNA , used in COVID-19 vaccines, works by sending instructions to the body to replicate a small part of the virus so that the immune system could develop tools to fight the virus in the future.

Earlier this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised comment, "We have come very close to the creation of so-called cancer vaccines and immunomodulatory drugs of a new generation."

Other than the latest announcement, Russia has been secretive about the various aspects of the vaccine development, including trial results, efficacy and dosage of vaccine, and the official name of the vaccine.

Due to the undisclosed facts, numerous scientists around the world remain skeptical about the actual possibility of the cancer vaccine.

"Until we see data from a clinical trial, there has to be skepticism about this," Professor Kingston Mills, a prominent immunologist at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, told Newsweek.

"There's nothing in scientific journals that I can see about it. That's where you usually would start reading, as a scientist, about a breakthrough," Mills continued. "I don't see any paper about this, so I have nothing to go on in terms of what the science is."

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. The Embassy of Israel in Azerbaijan has donated innovative OrCam MyEye devices to four Azerbaijani citizens who are blind or visually impaired, Trend reports.

The donation ceremony has taken place at the historic Ateshgah Temple, also known as the Fire Temple of Baku, which is a site of unique cultural and spiritual significance.

The above devices were awarded to Elnur Eyvazov, professor of law and business at ADA University; Nihat Alizade, a student at Baku State University; Gunay Mammadova, an actress; and Nurana Jabbarli, a musicologist, who have lost their sight.

This initiative reflects a commitment to fostering inclusivity and supporting those in need, especially during the holiday season, a time of giving, light, and hope. This innovative tool offers significant assistance to individuals with visual impairments and other disabilities in reading text, recognizing faces, and navigating environments.

Speaking at the event, the Israeli Ambassador George Deek emphasized that the device presented today will become a symbol of the relations between the two countries and make their future even brighter.

"Today, I am very happy to share with you this moment of the festival of light, on the eve of the New Year and Hanukkah. The friendship between Azerbaijan and Israel has a long history. However, the essence lies in the fact that the foundation of everything is the good relations between people.

Diplomatic ties are very important, but the connection between people and nations gives more meaning and life to these diplomatic relations. Today, we hope that through this small but important device, we can deepen the connection between our people.

The device we are presenting here, OrCam, is not only a unique piece of equipment, but it also gives people confidence. Why is this important? Because innovations become more powerful when they serve people," he said.

The ambassador mentioned that Israel always turns difficulties into new achievements., and that is the story of the country.

"The philosophy of OrCam is based on this principle: no difficulties or challenging situations should become an obstacle for a person, because each of us has the strength to overcome any challenges. It all depends on the will. If there is a desire, the result will be achieved.

This event is dedicated to the holidaysthe New Year and Hanukkah. We thought about how we could bring more light to the members of our society. Today, we are presenting a device that can be seen as a modern symbol of light. I am confident that these devices, given to four individuals, will radically change their lives.

Each of you, using this device, will be able to apply it in your unique life, and it will become a source of inspiration. These devices will make us think about the achievements we can reach by working together and the strength of our joint efforts.

The device presented today is not just an innovation; it is a symbol of the relationship between the two peoples, which will make the future of these peoples even brighter and more successful.

Taking this opportunity, I would like to wish you a Happy New Year, a Happy Day of Solidarity of World Azerbaijanis, and a joyous Hanukkah!" the diplomat added.

OrCam was created by the leaders of visual artificial intelligence (AI). Previously, they developed MobileEye, which was bought by Intel in 2017 for $15.3 billion. They created OrCam to provide solutions that empower accessibility with cutting-edge AI technologies. It is a leading innovator in assistive technology, dedicated to supporting individuals with visual impairments and other disabilities.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. Armenia violated international humanitarian law by opening fire on civilians during the Second Karabakh War, employee of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan, Captain Salim Ahmadov said at a seminar dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions today, Trend reports.

He noted that the civilian population of the cities of Ganja and Barda was subjected to shelling by Armenia.

"As a result, many Azerbaijani citizens were killed, and significant damage was inflicted on civilian infrastructure.

The missile attack on Ganja left 175 people, including 61 men, 66 women, and 47 children, injured. The attack on Barda killed 29 people (19 men, eight women, and two children). In total, 112 people were injured in this attack, with 71 men, 26 women, and 15 children seriously injured," he added.

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Some people cant imagine a dog barking or a police siren; songs cant get stuck in their heads; they have no inner voices. Anauralia was proposed in 2021 University of Auckland scientists to describe the little-known condition of a silent mind. Now, the University of Auckland will host a global conference on sounds imagined in the mind, an event intended not just for scientists but also philosophers, musicians, poets and writers.

Scientists are fascinated by how the brain makes  or doesnt make  imaginary sounds such as the inner voice, said University of Aucklands Professor Tony Lambert.

But for writers, musicians and poets, it can be a key part of the creative process, so they have insights to share, too.

Charles Dickens said he heard his characters voices; Alice Walker, too. Some readers conjure up characters voices in their minds.

For University of Auckland student Sang Hyun Kim, who has a silent mind, the idea that other people are hearing imaginary voices can seem freaky, and hell be fascinated to see what research turns up about auditory imagery.

The Minds Ear and Inner Voice conference will run from 14-16 April, 2025 in Auckland, New Zealand.

It hopes to include personal accounts from individuals who experience anauralia and hyperauralia, the experience of extremely vivid auditory imagery.

Some people say they can recreate a symphony in great detail in their minds. Others report weaker auditory imagery, and a small number report none, the researchers said.

In New Zealand, its estimated close to 1% of people experience anauralia, which is often accompanied by aphantasia, a lack of visual imagination.

It seems theres no downside to a silent mind; on the contrary, recent work suggests there may be an upside, involving improved attention.

The notion of a musician experiencing anauralia seems perplexing  how could you perform that role without being able to summon up sounds in your head?

I dont understand this either, Professor Lambert said.

The minds of such musicians may contain representations of music without the sensory qualities, akin to the difference between hearing music and music represented as a score.

Overall, auditory imagery has attracted far less research attention than visual imagery.

Our conference is unique in focusing on these issues from a strongly inter-disciplinary perspective.

Are there people who dont imagine voices, music or other sounds? If so, how common is this? What are the psychological implications of experiencing a silent inner world?

We now have good answers to the first two questions. The last question is a much larger one, but I believe we have made strong progress.

The research underway in the University of Aucklands Anauralia Lab includes a neuroimaging study combining high-density EEG, functional magnetic resonance imaging and electromyography of activity in muscles used for speech.

The line-up of keynote speakers at the conference from around the world includes experts on hearing voices  auditory verbal hallucinations  and in a field called cognitive literary studies.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. The staff of the International Committee of the Red Cross compiles an observation report after each visit to places of detention, Ilaha Huseynova, head of the Public Relations Department of the ICRC office in Azerbaijan, said at a seminar in Baku dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, Trend.

She noted that these reports are confidential and are not sent by mail.

The data is transmitted directly from hand to hand. Such reports are provided only to authorized bodies. Only foreign nationals participate in visits to detention centers. No local citizen participates in visits to persons held in places of detention of their country, Huseynova added.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. The remains of 602 individuals have been discovered in the territories of Azerbaijan liberated from occupation to date, said Kamil Zeynalov, investigator from the General Prosecutor's Office of Azerbaijan, Trend reports.

Speaking at a seminar to mark the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Convention held in Baku, Zeynalov emphasized that the identities of 120 individuals have already been established.

To note, Baku is hosting a seminar titled "Activities on the Implementation of International Humanitarian Law: Positive Experiences and Challenges" dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. A "Victory Park" will be established in the city of Khankendi in Azerbaijan, Trend reports via the public procurement single web portal.

The public legal entity "Restoration, Construction, and Management Service in Khankendi, Aghdara, and Khojaly districts" has completed the preparatory work for the project.

As part of this, the organization has started demolition work to lay the foundation for the "Victory Park" in the city.

The public legal entity has entrusted the task to the company Shinkar Holding LLC, signing a contract worth 2.9 million manat ($1.7 million) with the company.

Notably, Shinkar Holding LLC was registered in 2009. The legal representative of the company, with a charter capital of 3 million manat ($1.7 million), is Mehdiyev Alasgar.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. Baku has signed a memorandum of understanding between the national anti-doping agencies of Azerbaijan and Germany, Trend reports via the National Anti-Doping Agency of Azerbaijan (AMADA).

It was noted that the memorandum was signed by Executive Director of the National Anti-Doping Agency of Azerbaijan Tahmina Taghizadeh and Chairman of the Executive Board of the National Anti-Doping Agency of Germany Lars Mortsiefer.

"By signing the memorandum, the two organizations hope to work together on things like sharing their research, medicine, testing, education, and other areas of experience in order to make AMADA's work better in line with the World Anti-Doping Code and other international standards. They also hope to hold joint consultations and form working groups with employees from both agencies, among other things. Bilateral agreements covering various fields are also planned to be signed in the future on the basis of this memorandum of understanding," the statement notes.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. The European Investment Bank (EIB) has signed a 45 million euro, 25-year loan agreement with the Rhone department to modernize and expand local secondary education facilities, Trend reports.

The financing aims to enhance the quality of educational infrastructure while supporting climate adaptation and energy efficiency.

The funds will enable the construction, reconstruction, or refurbishment of seven colleges, benefitting approximately 4,020 students20% of the department's lower secondary school population. These upgrades are part of the 2025 New Colleges Plan under the Rhone Batisseur programme, aligning with the department's low-carbon strategy.

The project includes improvements to digital equipment, schoolyards, and energy-efficient building designs. Measures such as sunshades, rainwater retention systems, and permeable soil solutions will help reduce energy consumption, operating costs, and climate risks.

This project marks an important step in supporting education while promoting sustainability, said EIB Vice-President Ambroise Fayolle. We are proud to partner with the Rhone department for the first time to help advance these goals.

Christophe Guilloteau, president of the Rhone department, emphasized the importance of the investment: This agreement with the EIB allows us to pursue ambitious educational infrastructure projects that benefit students and align with our environmental commitments.

The project is expected to deliver 30,000 m of upgraded educational facilities, contributing to a greener, more resilient education system in the Rhone region.
The UK government has cleared the 3.6bn sale of Royal Mail parent company International Distribution Services to Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky's EP Group.

In a statement issued on Friday, EP Group said it had met requirements under Britains National Security and Investment Act to provide services that are in support of UK national security.

Under the terms of the deal, the government will keep a golden share in IDS that will require it to approve any major changes to Royal Mail's ownership, HQ location and tax residency.

EP Group will also have to maintain the Universal Service Obligation (USO), which currently means it has to deliver letters six days per week on a one-price-goes-anywhere basis, Monday to Saturday, and parcels Monday to Friday.

The USO is currently under review. Royal Mail has told industry regulator Ofcom that cutting second class deliveries to every other weekday would save up to 300m a year and give the business "a fighting chance".

Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com
UK car manufacturing fell 30.1% last month to the worst November performance since 1980, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

British factories produced 64,216 cars last month, a 30% year-on-year drop and a ninth consecutive monthly decline.

Output for both domestic and markets fell 56.7% and 21.3% respectively, while output year-to-date was down 12.9% to 734,562 units. 19,165 battery electric, plug-in hybrid and hybrid electric cars were made in the month, representing 29.8% of total output.

November's drop comes hot on the heels of the government's review of its electric car mandate - a system of financial penalties levied against car makers if zero-emission vehicles make up less than 22% of all sales. The mandate will eventually rise to 80% of sales by 2030 and 100% by 2035.

SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: "These figures offer little Christmas cheer for the sector. While a decline was to be expected given the extensive changes underway at many plants, manufacturing is under pressure at home and abroad, with billions of pounds committed to new technologies, new models and new production tooling. Government can help by supporting consumers in the transition, fast-tracking its Industrial Strategy for advanced manufacturing and, most urgently, reviewing the market regulation which is putting enormous strain on the sector."

Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com
Floorcoverings distributor Headlam Group announced progress in its ongoing transformation plan on Friday, with property sales generating 53.9m in cash proceeds.

The London-listed firm said the sales, which included properties in Ipswich, Gildersome, Leeds and Uddingston, represented a 64% premium to book value and a 14% premium to the most recent market valuation of 47.1m.

It said the transactions had moved the company to a net cash position, and would contribute a substantial non-underlying profit.

The Ipswich property, deemed surplus following operational improvements, would be vacated by early 2025 after the group completed its relocation to a new distribution centre in Rayleigh.

Headlam said the Gildersome and Leeds properties were sold with a leaseback arrangement to support ongoing operations.

Additionally, the Uddingston property was sold for 3.1m, exceeding its valuation of 2.3m.

Despite the sales, Headlam said it retained a substantial property portfolio valued at 95m.

These property transactions, on highly attractive terms, have been enabled by the progress we are making in optimising our operations, whilst also unlocking cash from our business, and further strengthening our balance sheet to re-invest in the Headlam proposition as the UK's leading floorcoverings distributor, said chief executive officer Chris Payne.

In a separate announcement, Headlam confirmed an upcoming leadership transition, with chair Keith Edelman, who had served on the board for six years, to step down in May following the annual general meeting.

He would be succeeded by Stephen Bird, who the board said would bring experience in driving customer-focussed growth strategies.

Bird previously served as group chief executive of Videndum, and had held senior roles at a number of major companies, including Weir Oil & Gas and Black & Decker.

On behalf of the board I would like to thank Keith for the extensive contribution he has made to the company over the past six years, chairing the board whilst we have made significant progress against our strategy and overseen our transformation plans, Chris Payne said.

I'm pleased Stephen has agreed to be our next chair and look forward to continuing to work with Stephen and the board as we implement our transformation plan over the next two years.

At 0944 GMT, shares in Headlam Group were up 6.84% at 140.5p.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.
UK retail sales missed expectations in November, but borrowing figures came in better than expected, according to data released on Friday by the Office for National Statistics.

Retail sales ticked up 0.2%. This was an improvement on the 0.7% decline seen in October, but was below analysts expectations of a 0.5% jump.

The ONS said growth in supermarkets and other non-food stores was partly offset by a fall in clothing retailers.

Hannah Finselbach, senior statistician at the ONS, said: "Retail sales increased slightly in November following last months fall.

"For the first time in three months there was a boost for food store sales, particularly supermarkets. It was also a good month for household goods retailers, most notably furniture shops.

"Clothing store sales dipped sharply once again, as retailers reported tough trading conditions.

"With Novembers retail sales survey covering the four weeks to the 23 November, Black Friday itself will fall within Decembers figures. However, our figures account for this shift in timing to give us the best picture of what is happening in the shops."

Alex Kerr, UK economist at Capital Economics, said: "Overall, against a backdrop of recent weak activity data, todays release could have been worse. However, Novembers rise fails to fully reverse Octobers fall and sales volumes would need to rise by 1.1% m/m in December to prevent a contraction in Q4 overall.

"The risk of a contraction in overall GDP in Q4 remains (our forecast is 0.0% q/q). That said, as real incomes continue to grow and consumer confidence improves next year, we think the retail sector will contribute to an acceleration in consumer spending growth from around 0.7% in 2024 to 1.6% in 2025."

Separate figures released by the ONS showed that UK borrowing was 11.2bn in November, comfortably below the consensus forecast of 13bn, and 3.4bn lower than in November 2023. It was also the lowest November borrowing figure in three years.

Jessica Barnaby, deputy director for public sector finance at the ONS, said: "Borrowing this month was over 3bn less than this time last year and the lowest November borrowing for three years.

"Central government tax receipts grew compared with last year, while increased spending on public services and on benefits were offset by lower debt interest payable."
In Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar (Pilgrim Bell), destinies collide in a most spectacular fashion when an Iranian-American poet from Indiana meets a dying artist. Akbar's first work of fiction, shortlisted for the National Book Award, is an electrifying drama swirling with themes of sobriety, sexuality, and the meaning of art as the story travels from Tehran to Indiana and New York.

Martyr!, alive with crafty, energetic prose, follows Cyrus Shams, a former raging alcoholic who, approaching 30 and feeling directionless, decides it's high time he created something big and meaningful through his writing. Cyrus is determined to write a book about real-life martyrs, and travels to New York to interview the mysterious painter Orkideh. Orkideh has terminal cancer and is living her final days at the Brooklyn Museum in an exhibit called "Death-Speak," inviting museumgoers to spend time with her. Talking about death with the artist transforms and unsettles Cyrus, setting the stage for a radical moral reckoning for both parties.

Like the delicate shards that make up Iranian mirror art, Martyr! pieces together multiple narratives to deliver a stunning work of enduring literary beauty. --Shahina Piyarali
A bright young nurse enlists in the United States armed forces during the Vietnam War with the hope of making a difference, and faces the horrors of war and the turmoil of returning home in The Women, an epic, yet intimate, and heart-wrenching historical fiction saga by Kristin Hannah (The Four Winds). Through meticulous research and intricate character development, Hannah resurrects the voices of war's overlooked heroes: the women.

The social unrest in the United States in 1966 seems far from 20-year-old Frances "Frankie" McGrath's sheltered life in California, as does armed conflict in Vietnam. Her brother enlists, and when Frankie realizes nurses can serve in the military, she races to join up, too. Through Frankie's point of view, Hannah sensitively reckons with the tangle of horrors and heroism attached to one of the United States' most controversial military conflicts, and works in an enormous amount of atmospheric detail, pop-culture references, and historical fact. Book clubs, fans of epic stories with deep character work, and anyone curious about the vital, often ignored contributions of women in war will fall in love with The Women. --Jaclyn Fulwood
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Food delivery apps in India are rapidly evolving, promising to bring everything from biryani to hot beverages to customers' doorsteps in under 10 minutes, as competition among digital platforms heats up to cater to increasingly impatient consumers. In recent weeks, at least five companies, including Zomato Ltd. and its recently listed competitor Swiggy Ltd., have launched or announced plans for quick food delivery services. The approaches these companies take vary significantly; Zomato's Blinkit and Zepto Cafe are using in-house kitchens to quickly cook and assemble meals, while Swiggy collaborates with well-known restaurant chains, including Starbucks Corp. and McDonalds Corp.

While doorstep delivery has been a feature of Indian commerce for decades, primarily through local mom-and-pop stores employing delivery runners, the last few years have seen a transformative shift. The rise of technology has birthed startups that specialize in ultra-fast deliveries, appealing to an affluent, smartphone-savvy urban population eager for instant gratification. Apps like Zepto and Blinkit have emerged, capable of delivering a diverse range of products including eggs and electronics at remarkable speeds, far outpacing similar services in other parts of the world.

Karan Taurani, senior vice president at Elara Securities India Pvt., noted that this quick commerce trend has transformed consumer behavior, turning them into more impulsive buyers. These platforms have rolled out rapid food delivery options to meet these demands and enhance user experience. The explosive success of Swiggy and Zomato has not only disrupted the Indian retail sector but also positioned them as favorites on the stock market. Since its listing last month, Swiggy's shares have surged by 50%, while Zomato's stock has jumped by 133% this year.

As the trend of 10-minute food deliveries gains traction, financial analysts see new growth opportunities, although some consumers express concerns about the quality of food prepared in such a short time. According to a report by JM Financial released on December 18, India's online food delivery market is projected to more than double to $15 billion by March 2029. Currently, online platforms account for only about 11% of the country's total food consumption, compared to 40% in China and 58% in the United States.

Analysts believe Zomato's Bistro, which promises delivery within 10 minutes, could significantly enhance its market share in breakfast and evening snack sectors in major Indian cities. Zepto Cafe, which pioneered 10-minute food deliveries in 2022, is reportedly adding 100 cafes each month and processing around 30,000 orders daily, according to its founder Aadit Palicha's recent updates on social media.

The competitive landscape is intensifying, with Zomato's Bistro, Swiggy's Bolt, Dash by Ola Consumer, and Magicpins MagicNOW all vying for market share. Additionally, BigBasket, owned by the Tata Group, has announced plans to finalize its own quick delivery service.

This race for speedy meal delivery unfolds against a backdrop of health concerns and rising obesity rates in India, where the nation is among the largest consumers of junk food, driven by the increasing availability of packaged food and lax food safety regulations. Shantanu Deshpande, founder of Bombay Shaving Company, expressed alarm at the implications of such rapid food preparation in a LinkedIn post, highlighting the potential risks associated with prioritizing speed over nutritional quality.

Despite these concerns, companies are assuring consumers that food quality will not be compromised. Zomato emphasized that at Bistro, they do not send out microwaved processed foods. Instead, meals are freshly prepared using ingredients sourced from a central kitchen. Zepto Cafe also reassured customers that food is made in controlled environments to ensure quality while adhering to rapid delivery times, with strict hygiene standards enforced throughout the process.
Union Minister of Coal and Mines Shri G. Kishan Reddy chaired a meeting of Parliamentary Consultative Committee of Ministry of Coal on 19.12.2024 in Parliament Annexe, New Delhi on Sustainability and Green Initiatives undertaken by the coal sector. Minister of State for Coal and Mines Shri Satish Chandra Dubey also attended the meeting.

Among the members of Parliamentary Consultative Committee, Shri Surendra Prasad Yadav, Thiru Arun Nehru, Shri Bidyut Baran Mahato, Dr. Rajesh Mishra, Shri Brijmohan Agrawal, Shri Bunty Vivek Sahu, Smt. Kamlesh Jangde, Shri Bharat Singh Kushwah, Shri Ganesh Singh, Shri Babu Singh Kushwaha, Shri Chhotelal, Shri Sanjay Uttamrao Deshmukh, Shri Tangella Uday Srinivas, Shri Jagannath Sarkar, Shri Manish Jaiswal, Shri Rudra Narayan Pany, Dr. M K Vishnu Prasad, Dr Kalyan Vaijinathrao Kale, Smt. Himadri Singh, Shri Sukanta Kumar Panigrahi, Shri Meda Raghunadha Reddy, Shri Ravi Chandra Vaddiraju, Shri Samirul Islam and Shri Khiru Mahto participated in the meeting. Senior officers of Ministry of Coal, CMD (CIL), CMD (NLCIL) and CMDs of CIL subsidiaries were also present.

In his opening remarks, Minister Shri G. Kishan Reddy underscored the coal sector's pivotal role in India's journey toward energy security and economic growth. While acknowledging the global emphasis on renewable energy, he highlighted coal's indispensable role in supporting Indias development goals and sustainability initiatives. He also informed the Committee members about the sustainable development activities adopted by Coal/Lignite PSUs where coal production goes hand in hand with environmental conservation, societal well-being, and biodiversity protection. He further apprised the Committee members that environmental protection during mining activities remains a core focus area for coal and lignite Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs). He assured that these PSUs not only ensure compliance with the statutory provisions outlined in environmental laws but also actively exceed these requirements to uphold and enhance environmental standards in and around mining areas. Minister reiterated the governments commitment towards sustainable development and achieving the target of Net Zero emissions by 2070, as announced by Prime Minister.

Minister of State for Coal & Mines Shri Satish Chandra Dubey emphasized that environmentally sustainable initiatives are a testament to the Ministrys commitment to environmental stewardship and societal well-being.

Coal Secretary Shri Vikram Dev Dutt briefed that the Coal/ Lignite PSUs are undertaking several Sustainable and Environment Friendly Initiatives in a planned and systematic manner. These initiatives also directly or indirectly align with Mission LiFE. He affirmed the Ministry's dedication to balancing India's energy demands with its climate goals.

During the meeting, a presentation was made by Joint Secretary, Ministry of Coal highlighting various Sustainability & Green Initiatives being undertaken by Coal/Lignite PSUs such as afforestation/ bio-reclamation, accredited compensatory afforestation, participation in green credit program, utilisation of mine water for community purposes, development of eco-parks/mine tourism sites, renewable energy, energy efficiency measures, dust suppression measures, First Mile Connectivity Projects, etc.

All present Committee Members participated enthusiastically in the discussion and appreciated the efforts being undertaken by the Ministry and Coal/Lignite PSUs towards environment care and benefits of the society. The members acknowledged the good works done on environmentally sustainable activities in the Coal/Lignite PSUs. The committee members provided valuable insights and suggestions, contributing to the formulation of policies that promote sustainable development in the coal sector. It was also suggested by committee members that best practices of sustainability may be adopted by the coal companies to benefit the local communities.

Union Minister Shri G. Kishan Reddy expressed gratitude to the Committee Members for their active participation and assured that their valuable suggestions would be implemented by the Ministry and Coal/Lignite PSUs. He emphasized that these efforts would ensure the coal sector remains a key driver of economic growth while aligning with Indias vision of a sustainable and green future.
DRDO-Industry-Academia Centre of Excellence (DIA-CoE) organised an event titled DRDO-Industry-Academia - Global Approach to Readiness of Indigenous Military Applications (DIA-GARIMA) at IIT Delhi on December 19, 2024. During the event, 10 tripartite agreements were signed among DRDO, IIT Delhi and industry partners, in the presence of Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr Samir V Kamat; Director, IIT Delhi Prof Rangan Banerjee and industry representatives.

The details of the agreements are as follows, Transfer of technology for developing Light Weight Bullet Resistant Jackets (ABHED - Advanced Ballistic High Energy Defeat) has been satisfactorily transferred to three key beneficiaries: MIDHANI in Rohtak, SMPP Pvt Ltd in Delhi, and AR Polymers (MKU) in Kanpur. The move is likely to give a boost to indigenous manufacturing capability in the defense and safety sector, particularly in advanced ballistic protection gear.

In addition, a Memorandum of Agreement has been signed with Reliance Industries Ltd. for the development of indigenous ballistic materials. This partnership is expected to significantly enhance India's self-reliance in producing high-performance materials used in defense and security applications.

Another major development is that an MoA has been signed for the limited series production of Extreme Cold Weather Clothing. The three companies involved in this MoA are Aeronav Industrial Safety Appliance, Delhi; Arnaf Industries Ltd.; and Arrow Garments, Tirupur. This collaboration is expected to strengthen India's capability to produce specialized clothing designed for extreme cold conditions so that personnel operating in high-altitude and harsh weather environments are adequately equipped.

In addition, an MoA has been signed for the small series production of Extreme Heat Protective Clothing. The MoA includes partnerships with Arrow Garments in Tirupur, Aeronav Industrial Safety Appliance in Delhi, and Katalyst TECHTEX Ltd. in Delhi. This will respond to the increasing demand for protective clothing designed to endure extreme heat, thereby giving safety gear to personnel working at high temperatures.

To integrate academia and industry into defence R&D, DRDO promulgated the Long Term Directed Research Policy of Ministry of Defence. Under this policy, DIA-CoEs pursue focused directed research for developing futuristic defence technologies. Aligned with the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, these centres leverage the expertise of faculty and researchers of the institute in collaboration with DRDO laboratories and Indian industries to meet national security needs. DIA-CoEs are being facilitated by the Directorate of Futuristic Technology Management (DFTM) under the Technology Management cluster of DRDO.

Joint Advanced Technology Centre of DRDO, established in 2017 at IIT Delhi, was converted to DIA-CoE, envisaging association of Indian industry for translation of knowledge to high technology readiness. Over the past seven years, around 50 research projects have been initiated under five technology verticals, with a total funding of Rs 375 crore from DRDO. The focus has been on soldier-centric innovations, including high-performance lightweight body armour, advanced aerostat materials, smart soldier jackets, terahertz technology for spectroscopy, firefighter heat protection gear, and extreme cold-weather jackets.

Each project is enabled to ensure high technology readiness levels for DRDO's advanced systems, with potential civil applications as well. The DIA-CoE, IIT Delhi has engaged nearly 100 faculty members and 200 research scholars in its research areas to achieve self-reliance in defence technology improving the capability and capacity of defence R&D in the country. Standard Operating Procedures for Engaging Industry through academia was brought out by DFTM, DRDO to engage the industry actively through DIA-CoEs. This SOP has paved the path for activating the I part of DIA-CoE.

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh, during an exhibition on the sidelines of the inauguration of Indian National Academy of Engineerings annual convention showed keen interest in the products made by the joint collaborations under DIA-CoE. He Interacted with the scientists, professors, researchers and industry partners, congratulating them for their collective achievements.
The Ministry of Culture has announced a landmark partnership with France Museums Developpement (FMD) to develop the Yuga Yugeen Bharat National Museum as a world-class cultural institution. This ambitious project is an integral part of the Central Vista Redevelopment Project and is set to span approximately 1,55,000 square meters across the iconic North and South Blocks in New Delhi.

The museum, envisioned as a celebration of Indias unbroken civilizational history, was first announced by the Prime Minister at the International Museum Expo in May 2023 and further highlighted during the inauguration of Bharat Mandapam in the following July. As part of this agreement, India and France will collaborate on a comprehensive feasibility study, encompassing museum case studies, interpretive planning, and building programming.

This strategic partnership builds on years of cultural cooperation between the two nations. Frances renowned expertise in museum development, exemplified by the Grand Louvre, will play a pivotal role in shaping this project. The adaptive reuse of the historic North and South Blocks will ensure the preservation of their architectural heritage while creating a vibrant and efficient cultural space.

The Yuga Yugeen Bharat National Museum will be developed through Adaptive Reuse, in collaboration with France, renowned for its expertise in such projects, exemplified by the Louvre, Grand Palais, and Hotel de la Marine. This approach mirrors France's 'Grands Projets' initiative, which saw the transformation of government buildings into iconic cultural spaces, most notably the Louvre. This historical precedent, where a government ministry vacated a landmark building to create a world-class museum, provides a valuable framework for the development of the Yuga Yugeen Bharat National Museum.

This collaboration is a testament to the shared commitment of both countries to cultural exchange and heritage preservation. It builds upon the Letter of Intent signed in 2020, which emphasized museum and heritage cooperation. The recent visit of the Prime Minister to Paris in 2023 further solidified this partnership, resulting in another Letter of Intent outlining specific areas of technical collaboration for the Yuga Yugeen Bharat National Museum.

Union Minister for Culture & Tourism, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, expressed the vision behind the project:

This landmark partnership with France will transform the Yuga Yugeen Bharat National Museum into a global beacon of India's rich cultural heritage. Serving as a shining beacon of India's rich and vibrant heritage, the YYBNM is poised to illuminate the journey toward a progressive and inclusive future. Far beyond the traditional idea of a museum, it will redefine the cultural experience by celebrating diversity, fostering inclusivity, and amplifying the voices of our communities. This iconic institution will not only honour India's timeless legacy as the cradle of democracy but also inspire generations to come by bridging the past, present, and future in a powerful narrative of Modern India.

The museum will serve as a global cultural landmark by combining Indias deep-rooted cultural legacy with Frances expertise in museum management and design. Its development will breathe new life into the historic North and South Blocks, preserving their unique architectural features while reimagining their purpose.

This initiative also reaffirms Indias commitment to sustainable and adaptive reuse, ensuring the efficient use of space while honouring Indias built heritage and historical traditions.

The Yuga Yugeen Bharat National Museum will redefine the museum experience, offering a platform that celebrates Indias heritage while embracing contemporary narratives. Through this collaboration, India and France continue to strengthen their cultural bonds, setting a benchmark for international partnerships in heritage preservation.
Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL) is set to unveil its first electric vehicle (EV), the e VITARA, at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025. This production-ready eBorn SUV is a global model manufactured in India and was recently introduced by Suzuki Motor Corporation in Milan, Italy.

Partho Banerjee, Senior Executive Officer of Marketing & Sales at Maruti Suzuki India, emphasized the significance of the e VITARA, stating, It is a testament to our unwavering commitment to sustainable mobility and technological innovation. He highlighted the integration of advanced electric technology with a customer-first approach, aiming to deliver a transformative driving experience.

Banerjee also addressed a major barrier to EV adoption: the lack of accessible charging infrastructure. He stated, To tackle this issue, we are committed to introducing a reliable and comprehensive EV ecosystem alongside the e VITARA. This initiative will feature home charging solutions and a nationwide network of fast chargers at Maruti Suzuki dealerships and service points.
Sunita Williams, aboard the ISS, extended Diwali greetings and reflected on cultural heritage and gratitude towards U.S. leaders during a significant festival celebration from space.

NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, who has been stationed at the International Space Station (ISS) for nearly five months, extended Diwali greetings to those celebrating the festival in the United States and across the globe. The Indian-origin astronaut used the opportunity to share her perspective on the festivals significance and cultural heritage from a unique vantage point.

In her message from the ISS, Williams shared how her fathers efforts to uphold Indian traditions shaped her understanding of Diwali and other Indian festivals. Reflecting on these family traditions, she conveyed the festivals message of hope and renewal and their significance as a time when joy and goodness prevail.

Williams also expressed gratitude towards President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for their involvement in Diwali celebrations and their recognition of the Indian-American communitys contributions to the country. Her message was particularly relevant as it coincided with a special Diwali celebration at the White House.

Since her arrival at the ISS in June, Williams has been conducting various scientific and maintenance tasks alongside her colleague, astronaut Butch Wilmore. The duo reached the space station aboard Boeings Starliner spacecraft on June 6, marking its inaugural crewed mission.

Originally, the Starliner was intended to return them to Earth in early September after a short stay. However, following NASAs assessment that it was too risky to bring them back on the spacecraft at that time, the decision was made to return the Starliner to Earth without a crew. The spacecraft successfully completed an uncrewed landing on September 6, extending Williams and Wilmores planned one-week mission into what is now expected to be an eight-month stay on the ISS.

Williams work on the ISS is set to continue until her scheduled return in February next year. Throughout this period, she and her team have performed critical experiments and ensured the space stations functionality remained in optimal condition.

By celebrating Diwali from space, Williams showcased the power of cultural traditions and their role in sustaining morale and connectivity, even in the most distant of places. Her Diwali message conveys the message of strength and reach of Indian heritage in ways in which cultural observances bring people together across continentsand, in this case, across orbit.
US President Joe Biden appointed Manish Bapna, CEO of NRDC, to the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations, alongside other experts to guide trade policy development.

US President Joe Biden recently appointed a prominent Indian-American, Manish Bapna, the CEO of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and other experts to the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations. The new appointments were included in a press release issued by the White House, which also mentioned other members of the committee, such as Timothy Michael Broas, Thomas M Conway, Erica RH Fuchs, Marlon E Kimpson, Ryan, Shonda Yvette Scott, Elizabeth Shuler, Nina Szlosberg-Landis and Wendell P Weeks.

The Advisory Committee, established to provide policy advice to the US Trade Representative, can have up to 45 members. These members are recommended by the US Trade Representative and appointed by the President.

The Committee members possess a broad range of expertise in areas such as trade, investment and development, with representation from non-federal governments, labor, industry, agriculture, small businesses, service industries, retailers and various nongovernmental organizations focused on environmental and conservation issues, as well as consumer interests.

The Committee advises the US Trade Representative on crucial matters related to the development, implementation and administration of the country's trade policy. This includes offering insights on negotiating objectives and bargaining positions before entering into trade agreements, evaluating the impact of implementing trade agreements and overseeing the operation of these agreements once they are in effect. The Committee's role is integral to the overall framework of US trade policy, guiding the nations approach to international trade relations.

Bapna has had a distinguished career, contributing significantly to environmental issues. The NRDC, under his leadership, has been involved in many important environmental milestones, including the creation of major environmental laws, legal victories and influential research in the past decades. His leadership focuses on addressing the root causes of poverty and climate change through strategies that are both equitable and sustainable.

Before leading NRDC, Bapna had a long career at the World Resources Institute (WRI), where he served as executive vice president and managing director for more than 14 years. WRI is a research organization focused on exploring the intersection of environmental and human development. Bapna began his career in economics and development, having worked with McKinsey & Company and the World Bank. He also served as an advocate at the Bank Information Center, advocating for policy changes.

Bapna holds a masters degree in Business and Political and Economic Development from Harvard University and a bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering from MIT. His broad experience and commitment to environmental and development issues are expected to add value to the Advisory Committee.

As the US navigates global trade challenges, Bapna's insights into sustainable practices and equitable strategies are expected to be crucial in shaping future trade policies and negotiations.
Raj Subramaniam's visionary approach at FedEx influences global trade and sets new benchmarks for corporate leadership.

Indian-American Raj Subramaniam, CEO of FedEx Corporation (FDX: NYSE), was recognized for his leadership skills and visionary approach. He was honored with the 2024 CED Distinguished Leadership Award for Business Stewardship and Corporate Citizenship. Additionally, Subramaniam received the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award, which made him India's highest civilian honor for its diaspora, for his role in strengthening international relations.

Born in Trivandrum, India, Subramaniam's academic credentials laid a strong foundation for his career. He holds a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), a master's degree in chemical engineering from Syracuse University and an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin. His diverse educational background has equipped him with the technical expertise and business acumen to drive FedEx's success on a global scale.

With over three decades at FedEx, Subramaniam's career has been in progressive leadership roles, including President and Chief Operating Officer. His appointment as CEO in June 2022 marked a critical transition for the company, succeeding founder Fred Smith. Subramaniam has spearheaded significant operational transformations during his tenure, positioning FedEx to better serve the growing e-commerce market. His strategic use of global supply chain data has enhanced the company's operational efficiency, ensuring it remains a vital player in a complex and interconnected global economy.

Beyond his leadership at FedEx, Subramaniam has committed himself to advancing global trade and economic policy. He serves on the U.S. President's Export Council, advising on policies to enhance U.S. trade competitiveness. His leadership extends to prominent organizations like the Business Roundtable, U.S.-China Business Council, and U.S.-India CEO Forum, where he plays a pivotal role in fostering international collaboration and strengthening trade relations.

Subramaniam is also deeply invested in technology and education, as evidenced by his board memberships at Procter & Gamble and FIRST, a leading STEM education organization. His advocacy for innovation and sustainability ensures that the next generation can tackle global challenges. As a forward-thinking leader, Subramaniam focuses on data-driven decision-making, sustainability, and building robust international partnerships to support long-term growth and societal impact.

Under his leadership, FedEx has consistently embraced new technologies, transforming logistics operations and enhancing customer experiences. His focus on innovation, global collaboration, and sustainability has solidified FedEx's role as a leader in the transportation and logistics industry. Subramaniam's leadership sets a new standard for corporate responsibility, global trade, and the future of logistics, further establishing his legacy as a visionary leader in global commerce.
Rakesh Gangwal's leadership begins a new chapter at Southwest Airlines, focusing on improving financial performance and operational efficiency for future growth and success.

Rakesh Gangwal, an entrepreneur and co-founder of InterGlobe Aviation Limited (NSE: INDIGO), has become the independent Chair of the Board of Directors at Southwest Airlines, a well-known low-cost airline in the United States. Gangwal joined the board in July 2023 and recently invested about $108 million in Southwest shares.

As Chair, Gangwal will work closely with Southwest's CEO, Bob Jordan, to boost the airline's financial performance and operational efficiency. This leadership transition marks a new chapter for Southwest, as the company aims to navigate current industry challenges while building upon its long-standing legacy as a leading carrier in the low-cost market.

Rakesh Gangwal's Leadership

Born and raised in India, Gangwal earned a Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur in 1975. Later, he pursued an MBA at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, which equipped him with the business acumen needed to excel in the aviation sector.

Gangwal started his journey at United Airlines in 1984, leading to senior leadership roles across various airlines and aviation-related companies. He has held several prominent positions throughout his career, including President, CEO and Chief Operating Officer of US Airways Group. He also served as Chairman, President and CEO of Worldspan Technologies.

Gangwal co-founded IndiGo in 2006, significantly enhancing the Indian aviation industry through low fares, operational reliability and a strong commitment to efficiency. Under his leadership, the company quickly became the largest airline in India, known for its high customer satisfaction. The airline's success stemmed from a robust operational framework prioritizing punctuality and streamlined service. Gangwal's strategic vision transformed IndiGo into a model of operational excellence in the low-cost airline sector, earning recognition in India and globally.

Beyond his corporate achievements, Gangwal is deeply committed to philanthropy. In April 2022, he donated Rs 100 crore (about $12 million) to IIT Kanpur to establish a School of Medical Sciences and Technology.

As Chair of Southwest Airlines, Gangwal brings a wealth of experience and strategic insight. His aviation expertise, business leadership and financial commitment position him as a valuable asset in guiding Southwest Airlines toward a successful future while maintaining its tradition of operational excellence and customer satisfaction.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. Masdar has finalized the acquisition of Saeta Yield, a renewables platform based in the Iberian Peninsula, from Brookfield Renewable and its institutional partners, Trend reports.

The deal values Saeta at 1.2 billion euros, with an equity value of 696 million euros.

Through this acquisition, Masdar strengthens its presence in the Iberian renewable energy market. Saetas portfolio includes 745 MW of operational capacity, comprising 538 MW of wind assets in Spain, 144 MW of wind assets in Portugal, and 63 MW of solar PV assets in Spain.

Additionally, Saeta brings a 1.6-GW development pipeline, offering further growth opportunities.

Masdars acquisition aligns with its strategy to expand renewable energy capacity globally, targeting 100 GW by 2030. The deal highlights the companys commitment to supporting the energy transition in Europe and advancing clean energy solutions in key markets.
Three women of Indian origin have been recognized in Forbes' list of America's richest self-made women for their impactful entrepreneurial achievements in technology, IT consulting and data streaming.

Three Indian-origin women have secured places in the prestigious list of Americas richest self-made women compiled by Forbes. These accomplished individuals have made a remarkable impact in their respective industries, creating groundbreaking businesses and amassing considerable fortunes. Jayshree Ullal, Neerja Sethi and Neha Narkhede are among the 80 women named for their entrepreneurial achievements.

Jayshree Ullal, President and CEO of Arista Networks, holds the 18th spot on the Forbes list. With a net worth of $1.4 billion, she is recognized as one of the wealthiest female executives in the United States. Ullal, who was born in London and raised in India, has been a key figure in the growth of Arista Networks, a company specializing in computer networking. Her stake in the company, which amounts to about 5 percent, has greatly contributed to her success. Ullals career trajectory is often seen as a testament to her leadership and expertise in the tech industry. Forbes notes her rise to prominence as one of the leading women in the U.S. tech sector.

Neerja Sethi, cofounder of IT consulting and outsourcing firm Syntel, is ranked 23rd on the list, with a net worth of $1 billion. Sethi co-founded Syntel with her husband, Bharat Desai, in 1980, starting the business in their apartment in Troy, Michigan, with a modest initial investment of $2,000. Over the years, Syntel grew into a major player in the IT consulting industry and in 2018, it was acquired by the French IT firm Atos for $3.4 billion. As part of the deal, Sethi received an estimated $510 million for her stake in the company. Her entrepreneurial journey is often cited as an inspiration, demonstrating how she helped build a global company from the ground up.

Neha Narkhede, CTO and co-founder of streaming data technology company Confluent, is ranked 60th, with a net worth of $360 million. Narkhede, born in India and moved to the U.S. to study computer science, initially worked as a software engineer at LinkedIn. There, she helped develop Apache Kafka, a system to manage large amounts of data for the social networking site. In 2014, Narkhede co-founded Confluent with two of her colleagues from LinkedIn. The company, valued at $2.5 billion, focuses on building tools to help businesses utilize Apache Kafka. With prominent clients such as Goldman Sachs, Netflix and Uber, Confluent has established itself as a leader in the data streaming space. Narkhedes achievements reflect the growing influence of women in the technology sector and highlight her role in shaping the future of data-driven business solutions.

These three women represent diverse industries, from technology and IT consulting to data streaming, yet they share a common thread of resilience, vision and business acumen. Their stories reflect the increasing number of women creating businesses, driving innovation and achieving financial success. The Forbes list, which expanded to include 80 women in 2019, reflects this growing trend, acknowledging these individuals' impact on their industries. Each of these women has forged her path to success, contributing to a broader cultural shift that continues to see more women taking leadership roles and achieving financial independence.

As they continue to shape industries and inspire future generations of women entrepreneurs, their success underscores the growing recognition of womens leadership in business. The inclusion of these accomplished individuals in Forbes' prestigious list further focuses on the expanding role of women in driving economic growth and fostering a more inclusive business environment.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  As 2024 comes to a close, New York City public schools still have plenty of time off and other important dates to keep in mind through the rest of the academic year

For those counting down the days to summer already, the last day of classes is Thursday, June 26, 2025.

The city Department of Education academic calendar includes some two dozen days off between the first day and the last day of classes.

The calendar gives time off for religious holidays like Good Friday, Yom Kippur and Eid al-Fitr, and week-long breaks for winter recess, mid-winter recess and spring recess, which include Christmas and Passover. Diwali has also been added as a public school holiday.

The school calendar also allows time off for Italian Heritage Day/Indigenous Peoples Day (Columbus Day), Election Day, Thanksgiving, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Memorial Day and Juneteenth.

Dates for parent-teacher conference days for elementary, middle schools and high schools are also posted in the calendar.

Winter recess is just days away, as the breaks starts earlier than expected this year for public school students after New York City announced that Monday, Dec. 23, would be included as an additional day off.

Here are key dates you need to know for the remainder of the academic year.

JANUARY 2025

Jan. 2 - Classes resume after winter recess

Jan. 20 - Schools closed for Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Jan. 21-24 - Regents exams are administered

Jan. 27 - Professional Development Day; no classes for students attending high schools and 6-12 schools, all other students attend school

Jan. 29 - Schools closed for Lunar New Year

FEBRUARY 2025

Feb. 1721 - Schools closed for mid-winter recess

MARCH 2025

March 6 - Afternoon and Evening Parent-Teacher Conferences for elementary schools and Pre-K Centers; students in these schools dismissed three hours early

March 13 - Afternoon and Evening Parent-Teacher Conferences for middle schools and D75 schools; students in these schools dismissed three hours early

March 20 - Evening Parent-Teacher Conferences for high schools, K12, and 612 schools

March 21 - Afternoon Parent-Teacher Conferences for high schools, K12, and 612 schools; students in these schools dismissed three hours early

March 31 - Schools closed for Eid al-Fitr

APRIL 2025

April 14-18 - Schools closed for spring recess

MAY 2025

May 1 - Evening Parent-Teacher Conferences for elementary schools and Pre-K Centers

May 8 - Evening Parent-Teacher Conferences for middle schools and D75 schools

May 15 - Evening Parent-Teacher Conferences for high schools, K12, and 612 schools

May 26 - Schools closed for Memorial Day

JUNE 2025
A Syracuse diner known for its creative cuisine has been accused of injuring a child while preparing a tableside dish called Flaming French Toast.

A waitress at Rise N Shine diner on Westcott Street ignited the dish at the table and hot liquid splashed in the childs face, causing serious injuries, according to the lawsuit filed by the girls mother, Kristiaan Jackson.

The restaurant denies the claim.

The suit filed this week in State Supreme Court seeks damages from the owners of the diner at 500 Westcott St. for injuries to the child and financial and other harm to Jackson.

The lawsuit identifies the injured girl only by the initials, Z.J. It says she is now 4 years old. The suit calls her an infant at the time of the incident, which it says happened on Feb. 24, 2023. The suit says the Jackson family lives in Jefferson County, not far from Watertown and Fort Drum.

The lawsuit names Divine Diamond LLC, doing business as Rise N Shine, as the defendant. The diner is operated by noted local restaurateur Danielle Mercuri.

In a text to syracuse.com today, Mercuri said, We firmly believe this incident did not take place at our establishment. We are ready to take any actions to fight against these accusations with our attorneys and see the truth come out in court.

Rise N Shine originated on Thompson Road in DeWitt and opened on Westcott Street in 2019. It is known for the concept of brinner, combining breakfast and dinner, and colorful, over-the-top preparations.

In its list of claims, the lawsuit accuses the diner and its employees of being negligent, reckless, and careless in its actions, including, but not limited to failing to maintain a safe environment for patrons, failing to properly train staff in the safe handling of food and beverages, failing to warn of ... dangers related to hot items and failing to properly supervise and ensure the safety of patrons.

It also says the diner should have warned patrons of the dangerous conditions of the Flaming French Toast which Defendants knew, or should have known, existed.

The suit does not specify the monetary damages it is seeking.
WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI  A tunnel was unearthed during the demolition of a fire station in downtown Dexter, Mich., where a new station will be built in its place.

People on social media ran with the mystery, throwing out all sorts of theories in posts. While some locals already knew the tunnels origin story, many had no idea it was hiding under the station at 8140 Main St.

No, it wasnt part of the Underground Railroad. Mobster Jimmy Hoffa isnt buried there, and its not a secret passage for bootleggers.

The real story behind the large hole is still a fascinating part of the towns history.

The tunnels builder is one of the most famous industrialists of all time  Henry Ford, the mogul behind Ford Motor Co.

Ford had bought an old gristmill in 1929 to power a factory he planned to establish.

Dexters founder Judge Samuel Dexter had built the gristmill in 1844. Dexter had already built a dam and established a water-powered sawmill on the west side of the mill creek.

An old photograph, likely taken in the 1860s, shows Dexter's mill creek and a gristmill, on the right.Provided by Dexter Area Historical Society

Ownership of the mill changed hands over the years. It was also rebuilt after fires. It was used for decades by farmers across the region to process flour and other grains.

The foundation and dam were redone after Ford bought it.

The tunnel was for the water from the mill pond that would run the water wheel for the mill, Nancy Van Blaricum, a historian with the Dexter Area Historical Society, said.

It was part of a hydropower system; a mill race that sped up water faster than the flow of the river to power a turbine.

Ford took out the old dam and the bridge across at the time, and he rebuilt the dam and a new road, Van Blaricum said.

Ford dug the basement, moved the old gristmill and put it on stilts nearby its original location. It was around until the fire department built the station in 1956.

Local historians are not certain exactly what Ford had intended to manufacture in Dexter, but it might have been auto parts. The factory never came, as the Great Depression hit.

He was going to power something, Caryl Burke, the historical societys president said.

Dexter voters narrowly shot down a city ballot proposal to dedicate land for public recreation, opting to save the land for the new station.

Dexters fire chief Doug Armstrong has known about the tunnel all along and enjoyed witnessing how its uncovering sparked local discussion about the towns history.

It was normal for us, and we didnt think about it. When they demolished it, it started some interesting discussions about history and rumored history, Armstrong said.

The tunnel starts near the entrance of the Mill Pond Park and runs under Main Street until it hits a bulkhead that bricks it up to prevent water from coming through, he said.

Other remnants of history, including a turbine and valves were also there.

Some of it was removed a while back, because it didnt look complete, but there were still some components, Armstrong said.

The basement was used by the citys department of public works and also for storage for the fire department.

The tunnels likely fate is it mostly will be filled in with a slurry mixture, Armstrong said. Part of it will likely be removed because a new condo development, The Pelham, is coming next to the fire station site and it will need a water main.
The U.S. State Department has reissued a Level 4 warning  its strongest  for a European country, urging Americans to leave the country immediately.

The do not travel status covers Belarus, an Eastern European country bordered by Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. The warning, according to the State Department, is due to the Belarusian authorities arbitrary enforcement of local laws, the risk of detention, the continued facilitation of Russias war against Ukraine, the potential of civil unrest, and the Embassys limited ability to assist U.S. citizens residing in or traveling to Belarus.

In early 2022, the State Department ordered the departure of U.S. government employees and suspended operations at its Embassy in Minsk. And, because Belarus does not recognize dual nationality, authorities often refuse to acknowledge dual U.S.-Belarusian nationals American citizenship, denying or delaying consular assistance to detained people.

Tens of thousands of individuals, including some U.S. citizens, are being detained in the country for alleged affiliation with opposition parties and participation in political demonstrations, according to the State Department. About 1,300 of those prisoners are currently in jail for political acts that wouldnt be considered criminal in the U.S. and prisoners are routinely denied access to their embassy and lawyers and any outside communication.

Anyone who is in the country is advised to avoid public demonstrations and reconsider bringing electronic devices, most of which are being monitored by Belarusian security services, into the country.

Belarus is among 20 countries classified under Level 4: Do not travel warnings. The others are:
Amid public concern over continuing reports of mystery drones, the Federal Aviation Administration on Friday issued a ban on drone flights over a number of communities in New York, including Staten Island and the other four boroughs.

The restriction, for Special Security Reasons, will last until Jan. 18, 2025, the FAA said.

The FAA said the airspace over areas of the West Shore of Staten Island and other areas of New York City, Long Island and upstate covered by the new bans, is defined as national defense airspace.

The agency in a statement said that the United States government may use deadly force against airborne aircraft if it is determined that the aircraft poses an imminent security threat.

Forbes reported Gov. Kathy Hochul saying that the temporary flight restrictions, affecting a total of 29 cities across the Empire State, were purely precautionary and were designed to protect critical infrastructure sites.

The governor said that the ban would operate in tandem with a federal drone detection system delivered to the state this week.

The FAA said that drone pilots who do not adhere to the flight ban may be intercepted, detained and interviewed by law enforcement/security personnel.

The FAA said it could also impose civil penalties on rogue drone pilots, including suspension or revocation of airmen certificates, or criminal charges of violating national defense airspace.

Those found guilty of violating national defense airspace are subject to a fine, a year in prison or both.

Bans on drone flights over areas of New Jersey and elsewhere in the country have already been in effect. See the full list of flight restrictions here.

The mystery drones began appearing over New Jersey on Nov. 19 and reports of drones over New York, including Staten Island, soon followed.

Drones have been spotted over military bases in the United States and in Europe.

President Joe Biden said that there is nothing nefarious about the drones, but did not give a definitive explanation for the drone phenomenon.

Government officials have said that some observers have mistaken planes, helicopters and even the planet Venus for drones.

President-elect Donald Trump said that Biden and military leaders are hiding the truth about the drones from the American public.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Want to help New York City free itself from the snow and make some cash at the same time?

The New York City Department of Sanitation announced earlier this month that they are hiring Emergency Snow Shovelers for the last month of 2024 and into the wintry depths of 2025.

Emergency snow shovelers are per-diem workers who remove snow and ice from bus stops, crosswalks, fire hydrants and step streets after heavy snowfalls. Snow Shovelers earn $18.54 per hour to start, and $27.81 per hour after 40 hours are worked in a week, a written statement detailed.

With some snow heading our way, this could be your opportunity to pocket some extra money while doing a good deed in your neighborhood.

There are a few conditions to apply for this job, which the statement details here:

At least 18-years-old

Eligible to work in America

Can accomplish heavy physical labor

If you meet all three requirements, then you can move onto registering to be an emergency snow shoveler. The statement lists all of the necessary items and identification needed to apply, including:

Two small photos (1  square)

Original and copy of two forms of identification

Social Security card

Keep in mind registration appointments happen within Sanitation garages, so youll need to bring the aforementioned items.

To apply, click here.

But if youre hoping for these emergency snow shovelers to save you the hassle of suiting up to shovel sidewalks and walkways, the department issued a word of caution.

While emergency snow shovelers remove snow and ice from public, pedestrian areas, the Department reminds all residents, businesses and property owners that they are responsible for keeping their sidewalks clear and accessible, the statement warned.

The five boroughs have yet to see any considerable snow this season, though Staten Island did see some flurries and light hail in the beginning of December.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  A trio of homeless shelters recently opened on Staten Island after half a decade of community concern, but their integration into the community has gone largely unnoticed.

For Eileen Harrington, president of the St. George Civic Association, the opening of a family shelter at 1 Van Duzer St. has been largely without incident.

We havent heard anything negative about it, she said. They seem to be living in there quietly. We havent seen or heard of anything negative about it at all.

WIN, a non-profit organization formerly known as Women in Need, announced the opening of the shelter in February as the Audre Lorde Family Residence, named for the poet who spent much of her life on Staten Island.

A spokesperson for the organization, headed by former City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, said the site opened in October of last year and is currently serving 165 families.

City officials, who first confirmed plans for the shelter in early 2019, have said that shelter has capacity for 200 families, about 500 people.

Harrington said WIN has worked to build a relationship with the civic organization.

Representatives from WIN regularly attend the civic organizations meetings and recently shared news of a family it was able to help find permanent housing.

Though the five-story shelter has had minimal issues since its opening, the civic leader said some concerns do remain.

Vacant retail space

The ground floor of the property had been slated for commercial space in a deal the sites owner reached with the city, but it remains vacant.

That promise of a new commercial enterprise in the neighborhood had been used as a way to gain favor for the shelter in the community, but Harrington thinks it will never come to fruition. Likewise, she said she hasnt seen much improvement around the property at all.

You walk by and you see this huge building. It has no signage...They never did any landscaping in front of it. They put no trees or [anything], so its a bare, kind of really stark, very ugly building, she said. No business is going to open there, so thats really the downside.

The community also remains concerned for residents of the shelter moving into an area, she said.

Despite the continued concerns, the residents of the new shelter have largely become a quiet part of the community.

Community Board 1 Chair Nicholas Siclari said that the board also hasnt received any complaints about the Van Duzer street shelter or a 100-men shelter at 119 Tompkins Ave., Stapleton.

A New York City homeless shelter at 119 Tompkins Ave. is shown Friday, July 18, 2024. (Staten Island Advance/Paul Liotta)Paul Liotta

The latter had arguably been the most controversial of the three shelters with its close proximity to two school buildings PS 78 and I.S. 49., which also houses the Eagle Academy for the Young Men of Staten Island.

The location is in the former local headquarters of the New York Foundling, and opened late last year.

A third shelter at 1055 Hylan Blvd., Grasmere, opened July 2, and has about 50 women over the age of 50 living there, a spokesperson for the shelter said Wednesday.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- It was an exciting year for thousands of Staten Islanders living in two of the boroughs New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) complexes, with the city breaking ground on massive, long overdue renovation projects that will completely transform residents day-to-day lives.

Construction is now underway at the NYCHA Todt Hill Houses and West Brighton I and II complexes to completely overhaul the decades-old units that residents call home.

NYCHA officials say the days of mold-riddled walls, broken tiles and chipping lead-based paint are long gone for residents of the two complexes, who will soon find themselves in brand new, fully refurbished apartments filled with modern, energy-efficient appliances.

Heres a look at the two Staten Island NYCHA renovation projects that began construction in 2024.

TODT HILL HOUSES

The Todt Hill Houses complex is one of two NYCHA developments selected to undergo a full renovation as part of NYCHAs Comprehensive Modernization program, which will include new kitchens, bathrooms, elevators, and plumbing and electrical upgrades.

In addition, the renovation will include: the removal of all lead-based paint and mold; full flooring and window replacements; facade repairs; pest and waste management upgrades; and in-unit radiator repairs and heating optimization.

The Todt Hill Houses was built in the 1950s, and its in need of a desperate upgrade, really focused on improving the lives of the residents who live here and the living conditions inside the apartment and the infrastructure and the development, said NYCHA Vice President of Comprehensive Modernization Michele Basic-Moore.

Construction on the project -- which began in late 2024 and is expected to take three or four years to complete -- will include the overhaul of all 502 apartments across seven buildings in the complex.

In October, NYCHA officials invited the Staten Island Advance/SILive.com to tour a mock apartment unit showing what the new apartments will look like upon completion alongside several residents, many of whom played a crucial role in helping design the new apartments through various interactive workshops.

This mock unit at the New York City Housing Authority's Todt Hill Houses gives residents a glimpse of what their new apartments will look like once the city completes a massive renovation of all units located at the complex. (Staten Island Advance/Erik Bascome)Staten Island Advance/Erik Bascome

The workshops, which were attended by dozens of longtime Todt Hill residents, gave them the opportunity to provide feedback and express their preferences on various aspects of their future apartments, including paint colors, bathroom tiling, cabinet type, sink design and more.

The design and construction, which will be completed by Community Modernization Group -- a group of Texas-based designers and contractors with a local New York arm called Sweet Construction -- have been made possible through NYCHAs Comprehensive Modernization program that uses available capital funding to revitalize NYCHA properties.

Comprehensive Modernization entails undertaking major renovations through a single, integrated project, allowing developments to be renovated more quickly, at a better quality, and with better value for money spent, according to NYCHA.

Were using design-build, which is where we hire one firm to do both design, construction and the temporary resident relocation, which is a new strategy and approach for the housing authority. So weve had many meetings with residents so they can understand the whole process, and so theyre fully on board with where were at this point, said Basic-Moore.

The removal of lead-based materials and mold, as well as the extensive nature of the work, will require residents to be temporarily relocated to other Staten Island NYCHA buildings for six to nine months.

As part of NYCHAs Comprehensive Modernization, the authority will oversee construction, and all residents will remain in the Section 9 public housing program. NYCHA will pay for all reasonable moving expenses, and not all residents will be relocated at the same time, with the project to be completed in four phases, according to the agency.

The team here is staffed with resident relocation specialists who are going to meet with each family one-on-one to continue the engagement NYCHA has started and make individual family move plans with each apartment, Basic-Moore said. Every resident has the right to return back to their apartment, which was something that residents felt very strongly about that we committed to after that they gave us that feedback.

In addition to the Todt Hill Houses, Saint Nicholas Houses in Harlem will also undergo a complete renovation as part of NYCHAs Comprehensive Modernization program.

The Comprehensive Modernization approach forgoes component-based repairs and instead considers the needs of an entire campus  consistent with other large-scale renovation programs in the NYCHA portfolio, the agency said.

Capital funding allocation

The approval of the City Capital Action Plan in 2021 unlocked $2.2 billion in funding support for addressing key pillar areas of the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) agreement, primarily around lead-based paint and mold abatement, but also around renovation of other building systems.

With this infusion of capital support from the city and additional funding from the federal government, NYCHA was able to mobilize a total of $740 million for Comprehensive Modernization at the two developments.

This photo shows Todt Hill Houses residents Stephanie Figueroa, Connie Herrera, Jackie Resch-Copp and Donna Walker, joined by NYCHA Vice President of Comprehensive Modernization Michele Basic-Moore, inside a mock unit that will serve as a model for a massive renovation of all apartments within the complex. (Staten Island Advance/Erik Bascome)Staten Island Advance/Erik Bascome

West Brighton I and II

In July, NYCHA and BFC Partners broke ground on a $332.3 million renovation of the NYCHA West Brighton I and II complex that includes a complete overhaul of its apartments, building infrastructure and common areas.

All apartments will receive free Wi-Fi, new kitchens, bathrooms, flooring, windows, paint, doors and more, while infrastructure upgrades include enhancements to building security, heating and cooling, water and plumbing and ventilation. The project will also improve public spaces, community safety, landscaping and building entryways, according to NYCHA.

With construction now underway, housing authority officials say the project will take roughly two years, putting it in line for completion in summer 2026.

The project will be completed through NYCHAs Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) program, which is the agencys version of the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD), a U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) program created for housing authorities to access federal capital to improve developments and ensure their affordability.

The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and BFC Partners broke ground on a $332.3 million renovation of the NYCHA West Brighton I and II complex. (Staten Island Advance/Erik Bascome)Staten Island Advance/Erik Bascome

The project team has been working closely with residents on the design process, including months of in-person and virtual meetings, in-home assessments, community events, surveying, model unit tours and other resident input activities.

During construction, some residents will be temporarily relocated to other units on-site to accommodate elevator modernization work and the remediation of environmental hazards within their units.

All residents will be returned to their original units once the work is complete.

Under PACT, NYCHA establishes public-private partnerships with private developers, property management companies and social service providers, to carry out much-needed overhaul renovations of their developments. They also convert the properties from Section 9 (public housing) to project-based Section 8, the Housing Choice Voucher program.

NYCHA remains the owner of the buildings, but the PACT program allows day-to-day management of the complexes to be handed over to private companies. Pinnacle City Living will serve as West Brighton I and IIs property manager after they are converted, according to NYCHA.

BFC Partners Development LLC, CB Emmanuel Realty LLC and non-profit organization Catholic Homes New York will work together to repair 574 apartments across the NYCHA developments 16 buildings, which are home to more than 1,400 residents.

NYCHA and residents of West Brighton I and II, with the support of a technical adviser, Censere Consulting, underwent an extensive community engagement process that began in fall 2021. The committee then reviewed proposals from several potential partners and conducted interviews before selecting BFC Partners, CB Emmanuel Realty and Catholic Homes New York.

NYCHA is seven years into its efforts to upgrade its developments, many of which have not been renovated in decades. According to the agencys website, more than 20,000 apartment units have received repairs or are in progress under the PACT program. There are currently 72 active PACT projects.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Christmas came a little early Friday on Staten Island as the community heard news that a controversial Clove Lakes Park fence would be coming down.

Led by Borough President Vito Fossella, a group of Staten Island elected officials announced that two eyesore fences along the Martling Avenue Bridge would be coming down thanks to Mayor Eric Adams.

The decision from the mayor overruling his Department of Transportation (DOT) came Thursday evening as the group of Staten Island elected officials prepared to take legal action.

People of this community rightfully stood up and protested, and I applaud them, Fossella said. We made our voices heard loud and clear. We indicated that we werent going to stop.

The Parks Department is putting up a chainlink fence over the bridge portion of Martling Lake on both side of the street. This is one of the classic most scenic places on Staten Island. Now the view will be obstructed. November 1, 2024 (Staten Island Advance/ Jan Somma-Hammel)Staten Island Advance

The group of elected officials did not say when they expect the fence, installed in early November, to come down.

The mayors office referenced a request for comment to the DOT, which did not respond by the time of publication.

Puns and jokes abounded at the morning press conference on Martling Avenue with District Attorney Michael McMahon even saying Fossella was having a moment similar to one in Berlin nearly 40 years ago.

This is Borough President Vito Fossellas Ronald Reagan moment, McMahon said. When he and his colleagues said, Mr. Mayor, tear down this fence...the fence came down and its a great day.

Joining McMahon and Fossella were Assemblyman Charles Fall (D-North Shore/Brooklyn/Manhattan), Assemblyman Sam Pirozzolo (R-Mid-Island), Councilman Joseph Borelli (R-South Shore), Councilwoman Kamillah Hanks (D-North Shore), and Councilman David Carr (R-Mid-Island/South Brooklyn).

We peeled back the onion on the rationale and bureaucracy for the installation of this fence and found there was no real justification for it be there, and it needed to be torn down, said Carr. The mayor deserves all the credit for listening to us and the community, and overruling DOT. I also want to thank Borough President Fossella and Councilwoman Hanks for their excellent leadership and partnership on this issue.

The group of elected officials had fought against the fence, with significant help from the local community, since it was erected.

Westerleigh resident Erin Jansky went as far as starting a change.org petition, which as of Friday had amassed nearly 2,000 signatures with many signatories recalling bucolic memories at the bridge, which is part of the Martling Dam, built between 1928 and 1929.

This was one of my favorite spots to fish! My daughter caught her very first fish there and now we cant utilize that spot due to that awful looking fence, one commenter who identified themselves as Leroy, wrote. There is nothing to gain by having the fence there and everything to gain by having it removed!
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. The European Investment Bank (EIB) has announced its support for Swedish cleantech company Chromafora with a 22.5 million loan to bolster efforts in eliminating harmful pollutants known as "forever chemicals" from water, Trend reports via the EIB.

The financing will enable Chromafora to develop and deploy water-treatment units across Europe between 2024 and 2028. The focus is on removing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), long-lasting pollutants linked to severe environmental and health concerns.

Provided as venture debt, the loan offers Chromafora a non-dilutive funding solution, supporting the companys growth and paving the way for full commercialisation of its innovative technology. Founded in 2010, the company aims to bridge a critical funding gap, broaden its market reach, and attract additional investment.

This initiative aligns with the European Unions water quality and pollution control directives, advancing goals outlined in the European Green Deal and the transition to a circular economy. The financing is supported by InvestEU, highlighting the EUs commitment to fostering sustainable innovation and tackling pressing environmental challenges.

Follow the author on X: @Lyaman_Zeyn
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Rupert Murdochs attempt to change his family trust to consolidate his son Lachlans leadership of his global media empire  and lock in its conservative editorial direction after his death  now depends on a long-shot move in the highly specialised Nevada probate court system.

The first step for Murdoch is to try to convince a District Court judge in Reno to reject a local commissioners harsh ruling this month that he had acted in bad faith when he moved secretly to change the trust that left control of his empire divided equally among his four oldest children. Murdochs brief challenging that opinion is now due on Monday.

The Murdoch-inspired TV drama Succession inspired the latest family battle over who will control the future of Fox Corp and News after Rupert Murdoch dies. Back: Rupert and Prudence. Front: Lachlan, Elisabeth and James. Credit: SMH

If Murdoch fails, and the commissioners recommendation is ratified by the judge, his lawyers have said that Murdoch will appeal against the Probate Courts decision. Under the Nevada system, that appeal would be filed directly to the state Supreme Court.

To prevail, Murdoch, 93, will have to clear a high legal bar  proving that the Nevada probate commissioners finding of bad faith was clearly erroneous, according to the rules of the Reno-based court circuit.
For Treasurer Jim Chalmers, a man who wrote his PhD thesis on how Paul Keating held power having risen from treasurer to prime minister, the recent dismal news on the economy and the enormous blowout in budget deficits revealed in the federal governments mid-year update surely represent a Rubicon of sorts.

The figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showing that growth in the September quarter was an anaemic 0.3 per cent, that annual growth is the worst  with one exception  since Keatings recession we had to have in 1990-91 and that GDP per person has now fallen by 2.2 per cent, or $1660, over the past year, were an unmistakable call to action.

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The exception on annual growth is an important one: the recession that hit Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic. That once-in-a-century event led to two decisions, one fiscal, one monetary, that haunt our politicians now.

The first was the decision to throw government money at people to combat the feared impact of lockdowns. As our economics editor Ross Gittins wrote, the medicos had no idea how bad [the pandemic] would be or how long it would take to develop a vaccine, and like all governments everywhere, our government and its econocrats decided it would be safer to do too much than too little.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. The Central Asian Fintech Association intends to sign several agreements in Azerbaijan, said Otabek Nasirov, Chairman of the Central Asian Fintech Association, in an interview with Trend on the sidelines of the VIII International Banking Forum.

"Given our long-standing friendship with the Azerbaijan Banks Association, we plan to sign a partnership and cooperation agreement between us in the near future. We also hope to sign a similar agreement with the Azerbaijan Fintech Association. These agreements will foster more discussion between fintech startups and traditional banks in Central Asia and Azerbaijan and offer great opportunities for knowledge sharing. As is generally known, the Central Asian market has been displaying rapid growth since the pandemic, particularly in fintech and e-commerce. My colleagues from the Azerbaijan Banks Association and I are convinced that many successful projects from Central Asia can also be implemented in Azerbaijan," he said.

Otabek Nasirov pointed out that working hand in hand will speed up the integration processes between Central Asian countries and Azerbaijan in the high-tech economic arena, opening doors to fresh opportunities, solutions, products, and services for the end consumers.

"Central Asia's fintech industry is supported by government organizations and a favourable regulatory framework, which helps local enterprises expand into foreign markets and enhances their positions in the global financial ecosystem. A good example is the entry of the fintech company Alif into the Pakistani market with BNPL products, short-term loans, B2B financing, and money transfer services," he added.

Otabek Nasirov shone a light on the increasing influence of regulators in the fintech landscape across the Caucasus and Central Asia, as well as in other nations where innovative economic sectors are typically thriving.

"I see fintech and financial services sector growth in Azerbaijan, including traditional banks. I was pleased to read a few days ago that a representative of the Central Bank of Azerbaijan stated that the regulator continues to encourage new participants into the payment services market and that protecting their rights, ensuring equal conditions, and creating a healthy competitive environment will be its top priorities. The Central Bank of Azerbaijan's strategic approach uses a special regulatory regime to oversee fintech companies and other payment service providers and ensure the provision of new products and services in line with market demands. The regulator encourages new organizations to join the system and expand their product line under this regime," he commented.

As articulated by Otabek Nasirov, the Azerbaijani regulatory body is systematically establishing an environment conducive to a robustly competitive landscape within the financial services sector.

"I am confident that next year will be an exciting one for Azerbaijan's fintech market, where we will all witness the arrival of new players and foreign investments. For our part, the Central Asian Fintech Association is ready to assist fintech companies from Azerbaijan in exploring and finding partners in the markets of Central Asian nations," concluded Otabek Nasirov.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Much of Michael Leunigs prolific output was created, he once said, while sitting alone, feeling lost, alienated from the world. It was a state that he believed was essential to his creative process. I think humans come together and communicate on the basis of their aloneness, he told filmmaker Kasimir Burgess in one of the many interviews the pair conducted over many years for the excellent 2019 documentary The Leunig Fragments. A friend holds our aloneness, and we hold theirs. Theres some exchange of solitudes. For 55 years, Leunigs cartoons and written musings in The Age, and later The Sydney Morning Herald, were offered as an exchange of sorts to vast swaths of loyal readers. To those who approached them in a state similar to that in which they were created, many did land as a form of solace, confirmation that we are not as alone in our solitude as we might imagine. Leunigs stock-in-trade was what friend and fellow media legend Phillip Adams called weaponised whimsy. His avatars, drawn in a thin quavering line, almost always with downcast head and oversized nose, passed through the world in a state that alternated between bewilderment and wonder, with side trips to despair and occasional forays into anger. Vale Leunig Credit: Matt Golding He had two very different arms to his cartooning: his political cartoons on the one hand, and his social observations on the other, said Patrick Elligett, the last of a long line of editors for whom he worked at The Age. In some ways, he brought together those two polar opposite styles through his work. The degree to which Leunig connected with his audience was evident from the frequency with which fellow travellers might stumble upon a cartoon torn from the Saturday edition of the paper and affixed to the door of a friends refrigerator with Blu Tack, sticky tape or a magnet.

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Though created for the most disposable of media, they sometimes stayed there for years, perhaps even decades, curling at the corner, yellowing with age, overlooked for long periods among the clutter of kinder drawings, plumbers magnetic cards and shopping lists. But when one day they again caught the eye, they would strike it as if for the first time. Yes, the beholder would think. I know that feeling, exactly. Leunig liked to describe himself as a cartoonist, writer, painter, philosopher and poet, whose work often explored the idea of an innocent and sacred personal world. His musings  some of which he styled as prayers  were votive offerings to a largely secular readership. He invoked the idea of God, but not in an institutional or corporeal sense. I just think its a poem, its a feeling, he said on Andrew Dentons interview program Enough Rope  for which occasion he turned up wearing sandals  I just love the word  it sings, its sweet. A cartoon featuring one of Leunigs more beloved characters, Mr Curly. Credit: Michael Leunig Leunigs trademarks were gently drawn figures: Mr Curly, with his bouffant quiff; teapots, perched in the most unlikely places, but always offering the hope of ritual and respite from the madness of the world; the perennially searching Vasco Pyjama; his direction-finding Duck (so many ducks). But the gentle whimsy could be deceptive. On the surface, the cartoons, the drawings, the musings are often remarkably gentle, observed Adams. But by god, theyre also incredibly tough. And he can cut through the bullshit. Though known for his whimsy, Leunig was also brave in the way of a warrior, said Peter Ellingsen, a former colleague at The Age. He saw, or sensed, hypocrisy and pricked its self-importance, which incensed those convinced of their rightness. His mind and heart worked together to uncover the rough edges we like to overlook. He knew that questions are always more interesting than answers. Or as the violinist and composer Richard Tognetti, who was a friend, said: He draws you in with whimsy and then throws a punch.

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That duality in his work perhaps owed something to being a sensitive child raised in hard-scrabble circumstances. The eldest of five children, Leunig was born to a slaughterman father. He was educated at public schools in Footscray and Maribyrnong and, he claimed on his own website, at various factory gates, street corners, kitchen tables, paddocks, rubbish tips, quarries, loopholes, puddles and abattoirs in Melbournes industrial western suburbs. He narrowly avoided being conscripted to the Vietnam War by dint of being deaf in one ear. Instead, he went to a different killing field, finding work in an abattoir. Loading To the filmmaker Burgess, he wondered if this hadnt been a key, if unlikely, influence on his artistic practice. That was my art school in a way, Leunig said. Theres this life and death going on. If working in this way brutalises some people, it sensitises others. It certainly sensitised me. Maybe theres death and theres creation, he added. You create life in a way, something thats life-giving. Maybe its a reparation for the fact of so much death. Hed had intimations of an artistic career long before the slaughterhouse. At primary school he was lucky enough to have a teacher, an Englishwoman named Joan, whose influence was both positive and profound.

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She did what teachers must do, he told Burgess. They want you to find who you are, and they lead you to that. She wasnt trying to make me into something; she was allowing me to become myself. That self was both public and intensely private. Though he was part of a stable of cartoonists at The Age that included fellow luminaries such as Ron Tandberg, Les Tanner, Peter Nicholson and John Spooner, Leunig became far more of a brand name than any of his contemporaries. A one-man factory, his works were collected in books (at least 24, from the first collection, published by Penguin, in 1974), printed on mugs and T-shirts and tea towels, seconded for calendars and Christmas wrapping paper distributed via The Age in its broadsheet days. Leunig contributed to this masthead until August, when his contract was terminated as part of a redundancy round in which many journalists also departed. But even during his years as a permanent staffer, he had retained an agent to negotiate a substantial additional cut of revenues from the marketing department, which funded all those spin-off products. And he valiantly resisted all efforts to renegotiate his salary in line with his declining journalistic output (in the end, he was producing just one cartoon a week for this masthead). He was a tough negotiator, recalls a former executive who handled those discussions with him. I used to love the negotiations  we shared a lot of the same values and thoughts about where society was heading  but he wouldnt budge on his salary at all. Hed just say, This is what I get. But it was always very entertaining.

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The steeliness beneath the apparently laid-back exterior perhaps offers a clue to the true Leunig. He saw himself as an outsider, and demanded to be heard. He bristled when an editor overruled a cartoon or column on grounds of taste or sensitivity, even though being spiked is simply part and parcel of a journalists working life. Where is the valuable outsider perspective, the free thinker, the dissenting intelligent voice? he once asked an editor in frustration. He was estranged from various members of his family, and attended neither of his parents funerals, claiming he did not even know where they were buried. He was twice married  to his childhood sweetheart Pamela for about 20 years, and to photographer Helga Salwe, whom he met when he was 43, but from whom he separated some years ago. Leunig had two children from each of his marriages, but for The Leunig Fragments only Sunny, from his first marriage, agreed to be interviewed. Revealing that he and his father lived on the same street, but that he would never knock on his fathers door, Sunny said: He has definitely sacrificed his family and personal life for his art. Leunigs first cartoon for The Age, produced as cover for Ron Tandberg, who was on leave, in 1969. Credit: Leunig He strove in his work to give shape to what he called the felt life  the raw truth of human feeling, whether it be about the subject of war or love or nature. More often than not, he succeeded. But not always, and not with everyone. On occasion, Leunig deployed his curvilinear style to tackle the most sharp-edged of subjects, and sometimes found himself in the crosshairs of public opprobrium. Appalled by Israels actions towards Palestinians long before this latest round of bloodshed, he drew a parallel between the Nazi labour camps and the West Bank with a two-panelled cartoon referencing the Arbeit macht Frei slogan that hung above the gates of Dachau, among other places. For that, he was labelled an antisemite by some critics. In 1995, he drew a multi-panel cartoon under the heading Thoughts of a Baby Lying in a Child Care Centre. Call her a cruel, ignorant, selfish bitch if you like, but I will defend her, the swaddled infant said. She is my mother and I think the world of her.

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He also has a particular affinity for those down on their luck, especially the kind who wont give up. Anora (Mikey Madison)  or Anie as she prefers to be called  is just such a character. Shes a 23-year-old lap dancer working at a gentlemens club in midtown Manhattan. Although its a job with no discernible future, shes tireless, putting up a plausible show of enthusiasm for every client, no matter how unappealing.

American writer-director Sean Baker is an expert in creating semi-programmed mayhem  a talent that has made him a great hit on the festival circuit. His latest film, Anora, is typical of his style. The winner of this years Palme dOr at Cannes, it shines with inspired bits of improvisation delivered by a cast so spirited that anything seems possible.

Then, one night, her luck changes  or so it seems. Into the club comes Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn), the hyperactive 21-year-old son of a Russian oligarch. He and his pals love to party, and in Anie he finds a like-minded accomplice. Impressed by the fact shes as reckless as he is, he promises to pay her $10,000 to spend the following week with him in his absent parents cavernous apartment in Brooklyn. And so the fun begins.

As far as energy levels go, these two are a great match. Eydelshteyns Ivan is irrepressible in every way, joyously performing spontaneous somersaults when the mood takes him, which is usually after sex, and refusing to sit still except when playing video games. Anie is delighted by him, although she cant quite find the words to say so, possibly because her vocabulary doesnt extend far beyond the f word in all its inflections and conjugations.

When Ivan suggests they fly to Las Vegas and get married, she readily consents  once the diamond engagement ring is on her finger. But when they get back to Brooklyn, theres trouble. The news of the wedding has reached Ivans minders, who arrive at his doorstep, determined to escort the bride and groom to court for an annulment.

Mayhem ensues and Anie flies into a feral fury, during which the heavies turn out to be lightweights. While the most serious injuries are sustained by the furniture, she does succeed in reducing Garnick (Vache Tovmasyan), the senior minder, to a quivering mess by breaking his nose, while Igor (Yura Borisov), the teams so-called enforcer, turns out to be a softie. He keeps trying to interrupt her flow of obscenities long enough to apologise for having to tie her hands together with the telephone cord.
Well, thanks, Keira and Hugh. Youve really killed the Christmas spirit in my house  with a little help from Paddington Bear.

Its been 21 years since the two of you combined in your only film together  along with Liam Neeson, Alan Rickman, Laura Linney, Bill Nighy and Emma Thompson  to conjure the most loved Christmas movie of the 21st century.

Hugh Grant in the movie Heretic and Keira Knightley in Black Doves.

Who can forget Hugh Grant dancing at Number 10 to the Pointer Sisters singing Jump (For My Love)? Or delivering what has been called the best speech ever delivered by a British prime minister to a bullying US president about the special relationship? (Pity it was fictional.)

As for Keira Knightley, she claims never to have rewatched the nauseating scene in which the best man at her wedding, played by Andrew Lincoln, declares his love for her in a series of cue cards (To me, you are perfect) but she knows millions of people watch the Richard Curtis movie each December.
Loading The reason is that sleep tracking data are based on algorithms using a motion-detecting accelerometer. If Im moving round from side-to-side and still asleep, it may detect it as wake or not wake depending on the algorithm, Gordon explains. Movement isnt necessarily saying what your brain is doing. He adds that this can affect sleep stage analysis, which many devices claim to track. While we spend about half our time asleep in stage 2 non-REM sleep, which is associated with movement, the gold standard for tracking light and deep sleep are sensors to measure brain activity. Consumer tracking devices, unlike those used in a clinical sleep study, do not require medical grade regulation.

Its very hard for a device on your wrist or under your bed to determine what stage youre in, Gordon says. Its a bit like a faulty speedometer in a car so its not telling you the right thing and there are consequences for that. Professor Maximilian de Courten, a public health expert at Victoria University, agrees: That is, for me, sort of experimental. I dont look at those data. The counterargument is that accelerometers can detect respiratory rates along with movement, and as Dr Brandon Westover, a professor of neurology at Bostons BIDMC hospital says: We and others have shown that respiration patterns can be used to classify sleep stages. Using this granular information, Apple found their watch to be 97.9 per cent effective at correctly classifying sleep, while 2.1 per cent would be falsely labelled as awake, on average. Heart rate measurements and respiratory rate measurements during sleep on a wristband by US company Whoop have an average precision error of one beat per minute and one breath per minute respectively.

While a 2024 study found that the Oura Ring did not significantly differ from PSG [polysomnograph  the gold standard for measuring sleep]. But, there are many devices on the market and where there is a mismatch between the data and a persons real sleep it can create a dissociation and fuel anxiety. It can be problematic if people become fixated on their [sleep data] numbers and are not really listening to their bodies that can be dangerous, says Gordon. He adds, that for those with insomnia (nearly 15 per cent of Australian adults have symptoms), tracking sleep data, particularly if its inaccurate, can be particularly problematic because anxiety is connected with trouble sleeping. Treating insomnia involves changing sleep timings and looking at dysfunctional beliefs around sleep - a device is not going to help you with that, he says. And for those with a high degree of fixation, a watch may make that worse.

Besides, adds de Courten: Just by tracking your sleep, thats not necessarily going to make you a better sleeper. Inaccurate sleep data can be particularly problematic because anxiety is connected with trouble sleeping. Credit: iStock Provided we understand the limitations of sleep tracking, and use the data as a guide not the gospel, then they can serve a purpose. The algorithms are getting better, Gordon acknowledges. And, compared with questionnaires, which was how the public tracked their sleep before (if they did at all), the trackers are much better, de Courten says. This means they can be good from a public health perspective to improve sleep health literacy and help people consider the lifestyle and environmental factors influencing their sleep.

And, as the algorithms continue to improve, there is potential for devices to become part of diagnostic and potentially clinical care, Gordon says: Loading They could be used in the monitoring phase  recovery and rehab  from episodes of illness or to look at whats happening in a persons sleep during illness. Currently, he adds that under mattress devices are not bad at detecting sleep apnoea. The question is, would sleep experts recommend using a sleep tracker?

If it helps someone generate awareness around their sleep and habits, helping them to tune into themselves, then yes, says de Courten. You dont need to wear it forever, but for two, three weeks it can give good insights, he says. Despite his scepticism and not using one himself, Gordon says he is not a total cynic. Id use it as part of my understanding of sleep, he says. But he still wonders about them. Why do people want to know? Do they want a metric to say my sleep is good or bad? Youre the best estimator of your own sleep.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Joanna Turner watched her husband fall apart. Ian, the intelligent, kind person she met in high school, had changed into a troubled, violent man after a series of deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan as a sniper in an elite commando unit. Turner had been repeatedly sent back to war zones by the Australian Defence Force, even after he was hospitalised with post-traumatic stress disorder, reported for excessive drinking and charged with domestic violence offences. Joanna Turner with a picture of her late husband Ian. Credit: Rhett Wyman He took his own life in a Waterloo apartment in 2017. After a four-year inquest, NSW Deputy State Coroner Harriet Grahame this week called for a major overhaul of the Australian Defence Forces approach to PTSD, issuing 27 recommendations. Grahame found the army had failed to adequately treat Turner and still harboured harmful attitudes toward mental illness. This included evidence by a major who said Turner failed the organisation by taking his own life. The coroner also lashed the ADFs conduct throughout the inquest, saying she had no confidence it had handed over all relevant information and that it had suggested Turners role in recovering a soldiers body was a figment of his imagination.

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But some of the strongest findings concerned the treatment of Joanna Turner, who had repeatedly sought to warn the army about her husbands dangerous behaviour. Corporal Ian Turner served in Timor-Leste, Afghanistan and Iraq. In my view, she was treated appallingly, Grahame said. Again and again the violence that Corporal Turner was inflicting was described as marital difficulties. Euphemisms were used to excuse and disguise what was really going on as Corporal Turners mental health deteriorated. Joanna Turner was ignored and at times vilified. The couple, who separated in 2016, had known each other since high school. Early on in his life, he was very driven, focused, motivated, knew what he wanted, Joanna told the Herald. He was highly intelligent, kind.

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But army service changed him. In the late 2000s, after a tour of Afghanistan, he started to become violent toward Joanna, who serves in the army as a psychologist. Turner took his own life in 2017. As he deteriorated over time, he just became more and more chaotic, Joanna said. Turner enlisted in the army as an 18-year-old in 2000, joining the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment and deployed twice to Timor-Leste in the following two years, before seeking new challenges in the 4th Battalion, Australias only full-time commando unit. After his first deployment to Afghanistan with the commandos in 2007, he told a doctor he started experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder like  frequent flashbacks, intrusive memories of nightmares and panic attacks. He was troubled by the death in combat of a close friend, Luke Worsley, and started drinking heavily. The symptoms intensified as Turner was sent back into combat repeatedly in the next few years. He was present when a colleague, Damien Thomlinson, was severely injured by an improvised explosive device. Thomlinson, now an author and sportsman who competed in the Australian Survivor TV series, had both legs torn off and Turner said he had been struck by one of his mates severed feet.

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During a psychological screening test in 2012, Turner reported re-experiencing symptoms relating to providing first aid to Thomlinson, stating that the visual intensity of this scene still intrudes today with vivid images and monthly disturbing weird dreams, as well as drinking 4-6 stubbies of beer most nights. The assessing staff thought he would not cooperate with further support, so no follow-up was planned. A padre with Turners unit in Iraq told the coroner he had seen Turner with a trophy allegedly taken from the corpse of the 100th person he had killed. The padre said the pair had a big argument over the banned practice of taking trophies from the dead. The padre told the inquiry Turner had a moral injury from killing too many people  he was a sniper, so I think he killed a lot of people. Joanna Turner provided evidence that her husband had confided to her that he had committed atrocities, including stabbing a man to death, executing someone who he had to kneel to see what it was like and that he had shot a child. In a separate incident, a baby had been killed by mistake, she said. While being treated in hospital in 2017, he told a doctor: I have killed so many people and I cannot live with myself. I have killed innocents. Turners mental health had deteriorated significantly by 2014. Colleagues reported concerns that he was drinking excessively on a training course. He was charged by NSW Police with domestic violence offences including stalking, intimidation and threatening to kill, and was placed on a 12-month court order. From April to May, he was hospitalised with acute post-traumatic stress disorder. But in 2015, he was redeployed to Iraq. The court heard that Turner was adept at minimising his symptoms when he was assessed and that a psychiatrist had found he was well and stable after remarkable improvements.

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In 2016, Turner was deployed for another six months after a medical decision finding him unfit to serve was overturned. The court heard an officer identified only as Major AF had lobbied for the reversal. What the f---? [Corporal Turner]  must deploy with us. No one can replace him, another officer recalled Major AF saying. The coroner found Major AF had given partial and misleading evidence about Turners role in the recovery of a soldiers decomposed body, which was found to have been a trigger for his PTSD relapse. Major AF also told the court Turners decision to kill himself was unacceptable. He had every opportunity to turn it around. He had every opportunity thrown at him, given to him. Theres a point where, I think, the organisation didnt fail him but, for lack of a better term, and this is harsh, he failed the organisation. The coroner called the majors remarks a shocking pronouncement and evidence of harmful attitudes within the ADF toward mental illness.

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It has been building towards this for months: an ultimate showdown between powerful rail unions and a state Labor government as Sydneys rail network edges closer to a shutdown.

After a court threw out an interim injunction blocking industrial action on Thursday, the government has now pulled the trigger on one of the last legal weapons in its armory.

Taking a leaf out of the former Coalition governments playbook, the Minns government will make its case to the industrial umpire on Christmas Eve that industrial action should be terminated or suspended due to the economic harm or risks to public safety it poses.

Sydney train commuters are caught in the middle of the brinkmanship between rail unions and the government. Credit: Edwina Pickles

After schools break and people leave for holidays, patronage drops substantially during the Christmas week, taking pressure off the rail network. Thats no consolation for those who rely on it to get to work or to catch up with family and friends for Christmas festivities.
Drivers have been caught up in an apparent internal stoush within the company that runs CellOPark, an app that allows people to pay for parking with their smartphones.

On Wednesday evening, an email to app users said their accounts would be transitioned to a new and improved platform, OPark, which includes many new features and benefits.

The initial email sent to CellOPark account holders advised them about a transition of their service. Credit: Brisbane Times

Universities around Australia, including UNSW and Monash, have CellOPark meters on campus.

In Queensland, the Brisbane City Council also has a contract with CellOPark.
Horrific details of how a Perth dad drugged and raped 12 women have been laid bare in court as four of his victims addressed their abuser to reveal the impact his crimes had on them.

The women all told similar stories of feeling shame and worthlessness after they were raped by 46-year-old Adam Lusk. Some had no idea they had been assaulted until police contacted them after finding footage of the assaults on an iPad owned by Lusk.

Lusk, 46, filmed himself raping multiple girls. Credit: Nine News.

In September, a jury found Lusk guilty of 97 charges of rape and stupefying the women from April 2020 to January 2022.

He will be sentenced in the New Year, but on Friday his victims were given the opportunity to have their stories heard.
Peter Dutton has challenged Anthony Albanese to a debate on nuclear power before the next election, as the war of words escalates over the oppositions energy policy.

Im happy to challenge the prime minister to a debate on nuclear power whenever he wants. But he wont take up that because when you see images of the prime minister, you know that hes, I think, scared at the moment, Dutton told Nines Today show.

The prime minister returned fire within hours on Friday morning, accusing the opposition leader of attempting to hide his policy costings from scrutiny by announcing them at a press conference in Brisbane, just before Christmas, and then hoping public debate over the figures would disappear.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has challenged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to a debate over energy. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Duttons challenge echoes the clashes between former prime minister Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott in the months before Julia Gillard seized the Labor leadership in 2010.
The surge in immigration swelling Australias population is being offset by falling numbers of babies and more people dying from COVID, with new forecasts showing the country is on track to be home to 31.3 million people by the middle of next decade.

In a further challenge to government infrastructure and housing plans, the federal Centre for Population on Friday forecasted the country will add an extra 4.1 million residents over the next 10 years  most of those will live in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.

The nation is expected to add 4.1 million residents over the next decade, according to new forecasts. Credit: Janie Barrett

By the middle of 2034, Sydney and Melbourne are expected to have about 6.5 million residents each. Sydney, the nations most populous city since the turn of the 20th century, will add about 900,000 residents over the next decade while Melbourne is tipped to add more than 1 million.

The new forecasts hinge on the governments ability to bring down net overseas migration. In this weeks mid-year budget update, expected net migration was increased by 30 per cent to 340,000 with that tipped to fall to 255,000 in 2025-26.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) could transport biomethane within its existing infrastructure with minor technical adjustments, Luca Schieppati, TAP managing director, said in an exclusive interview with Trend.

"We are working closely with our shareholders, key vendors, and the industry, as the investment in facility upgrades and the percentage of hydrogen to be transported will likely be developed incrementally over time to align with hydrogen market demands and comply with relevant regulations," he said.

Schieppati recalled that during the past summer, the European Commissions "Gas Package", a set of legislative reforms aimed at decarbonising the EU gas market by promoting renewable and low-carbon gases like hydrogen and biomethane, came into force. EU Member States have up to 22 months to transpose the directive into national law.

"However, the implementation of commercial, regulatory, and technical elements remains to be seen, as these will ultimately impact demand development and market efficiency. TAP could transport biomethane within its existing infrastructure with minor technical adjustments. We continue to monitor the development of the biomethane legislative framework in the countries where we operate," added TAPs managing director.

The Trans Adriatic Pipeline operates a natural gas transportation infrastructure from the Greek border with Turkiye to Southern Italy, enabling interested parties to market gas to several European countries.

TAP provides a direct and cost-effective transportation route as part of the Southern Gas Corridor, a 3,500 kilometre gas value chain stretching from the Caspian Sea to Europe.

Follow the author on X: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Residents of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, where the army has operated since October, said forces blew up clusters of houses overnight. The longer those talks last, the more destruction and death takes place in Gaza. Jabalia, Beit Hanoun, and Beit Lahiya are being wiped out, Rafah too, said Adel, 60, a resident of Jabalia, who is now displaced in Gaza City. People look at smoke from airstrikes in the Gaza Strip as seen from a position on the Israeli side of the border in Nir Am. Credit: Getty Images On Thursday, Human Rights Watch published a report saying Israel had killed thousands of Palestinians in Gaza by denying them clean water, which it says legally amounts to acts of genocide and extermination. The rights group was the latest among a growing number of critics to accuse Israel of genocidal acts in its war in Gaza, which Israel vehemently denies.

HRW alleged that countless infants, children and adults have died from malnutrition, dehydration and illness as a result of actions by Israeli authorities over more than a year of war to deliberately cut the flow of water and electricity to Gaza, destroy infrastructure and prevent the distribution of critical supplies. That had drastically reduced the water supply in Gaza, from about 83 litres per person each day before the war began to between two and nine litres in the months since it said. The World Health Organisation says people require 50 to 100 litres per day to meet basic needs and keep sickness in check. HRW said Israeli forces had deliberately razed the solar panels powering four of Gazas six wastewater treatment plants and destroyed a key reservoir. The group alleges Israel also cut off electricity required to run desalination plants and other infrastructure, and restricted fuel for backup generators. A displaced child carries filled water bottles at a makeshift tent camp in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip. Credit: AP

Israels Foreign Ministry accused the rights group of lying, saying Israel had facilitated the continuous flow of water and humanitarian aid into Gaza since the start of the war despite constant attacks by Hamas.Human Rights Watch is once more spreading its blood libels in order to promote its anti-Israel propaganda, Israels Foreign Ministry said. A report published by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) also on Thursday said there were clear signs of ethnic cleansing in Israels offensive as Palestinians were forcibly displaced and bombed. Loading The signs of ethnic cleansing and the ongoing devastation  including mass killings, severe physical and mental health injuries, forced displacement, and impossible conditions of life for Palestinians under siege and bombardment  are undeniable, the aid groups head, Christopher Lockyear, said in the report. Palestinians have been killed in their homes and in hospital beds ... People cannot find even the most basic necessities like food, clean water, medicines, and soap amid a punishing siege and blockade, MSF said.

There was no immediate Israeli comment on the MSF report, but Israel has previously denied carrying out ethnic cleansing and says its campaign aims to wipe out Hamas and prevent it from regrouping. Israel accuses the militant group of exploiting civilian infrastructure and the population as a human shield. Hamas denies this. Loading Phased or comprehensive? Sources close to the mediation efforts said Hamas had pushed for one overall package deal, but Israel wanted a phased one. Talks are focused on a first-phase release of hostages, dead or alive, as well as a number of Palestinians jailed by Israel.

On Tuesday, the sides discussed the numbers and categories of those to be released, but things have yet to be finalised, said a source who spoke anonymously because of the sensitivity of the talks. The source said one issue was Israels demand to retain the right to act against any possible military threat from Gaza and the stationing of Israeli forces during phases of the deal. Loading Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israel would have security control over Gaza with full freedom of action after defeating Hamas. Israel started its air and ground assault on Gaza after Hamas-led fighters attacked Israeli communities in October 2023, killing 1200 people and taking over 250 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.
ABC News in America has just settled a defamation suit Donald Trump brought against the network. ABC, which is owned by Disney, agreed to pay $US15 million ($24 million) to Trumps presidential library foundation and pay Trumps legal costs, supposedly another $US1 million.

In Australia, occasionally, we see settlements like this. But never for anything like $24 million. In the US, its very, very unusual. It certainly looks like a crushing victory for Trump in his attempts to cow the media.

Protesters outside the Federal Court in New York in January this year, during E. Jean Carrolls defamation suit against him. Credit: Bloomberg

It goes back to a woman who says that, in 1996, Trump accosted her in the changing rooms of an upscale department store in Manhattan. The writer E. Jean Carroll testified  and forgive my bluntness here, but it will have relevance later  that Trump pushed her up against a wall, pawed her and digitally penetrated her.

Several civil cases ensued. Ill skip over the complications; Carroll won all of them. However, the jury in one found that Trump had sexually assaulted, rather than raped, her. Thats because New York state law at the time defined rape as involving forced penile penetration of the vagina. (Until the state changed the law this year, in the wake of this case, even anal rape was not considered rape in the state.) Indeed, Judge Lewis A. Kaplan said bluntly that what Trump did was rape in the common meaning of the term. The jury found that Mr Trump, in fact, did exactly that, Kaplan said.
PHILIPSBURG:--- Orco Bank recently hosted the students of Oranje School to collect Christmas shoeboxes generously donated by the bank. This heartwarming initiative aimed to spread joy and cheer during the holiday season.

The students were excited to receive their filled shoeboxes, which contained a variety of gifts and treats. Orco Bank's staff members took great pleasure in organizing and distributing these gifts, fostering a sense of community and goodwill.

We are delighted to have brought smiles to the faces of the students at Oranje School, said Judy King  Richardson, Country Manager at Orco Bank Sint Maarten. Our Christmas shoebox initiative is a testament to our commitment to giving back to the community and making a positive impact on the lives of young people.

Orco Bank remains dedicated to supporting local initiatives and contributing to the well-being of the community.

For more information about Orco Bank, please visit https://www.orcobank.com. Stay connected and follow us for daily updates on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/OrcoBank and LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/orco-bank.
ST. PETERS:--- SMFC would like to wish the general public a Happy Holiday Season.

This Saturday Dec 21, 2024 The St Maarten Farmer Cooperative will be hosting an additional pop up market for community members that would like to get their fresh produce and additional locally produced items right before Christmas..

This weekend, the community will be able to purchase a gift basket filled with items from each of SMFC's members, such as Natural Soap, Cold Press Juice, and Ginger Shot, Banana Bread, Local Egg Nog, Local Puncha Cuba, Coco Sticks, Natural Honey, Bush Teas, Bananas or Avocado, Season Peppers and Tamarind Syrup. The cost of the Basket is $40.

Guava, Prune, Pineapple and Coconut Tarts will also be available..

SMFC extends its utmost gratitude to community members who have supported us for the past 6 months at the Farmers Market. We are truly grateful to be a part of the positive and sustainable change agriculture can bring to our communities.

SMFC Looks forward to enhancing the Farmers Market Place experience for community members in 2025 while being more consistent with local and regional crop \ product development with our cooperative members.

See you on Saturday Dec 21, 2024, across from St Maarten Academy Bus Stop LB Scott RD, St Peters..

WISHING YOU AND YOUR FAMILY A HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON !!!!
Brown dwarfs are curious celestial bodies that appear to straddle the mass divide between stars and planets. Often referred to as "failed stars," brown dwarfs form in isolation from a collapsing cloud of gas and dust like a star.

However, while fully-fledged stars continue to gather material from the gas and dust cloud that births them, brown dwarfs are less successful at this mass harvesting. As a result, they don't reach the masses of the smallest stars and can't trigger the process that defines main sequence stars , like our sun.

Don't be fooled by the unfortunate and slightly unfair nickname; brown dwarfs are anything but failures. And it is over the past few decades that these curious celestial bodies have risen to prominence.

Brown dwarfs, stars, planets: What's the difference?

Both stars and brown dwarfs form when overdense patches in massive clouds of gas and dust collapse under their own gravity. This leaves a body called a protostar wrapped in a prenatal cocoon of gas and dust. Many protostars continue to gather matter from these prenatal envelopes of material until they have enough mass to generate the pressure and temperature needed in their core to kick-start the nuclear fusion of hydrogen to helium. This fusion-starting mass is thought to be somewhere between 12 to 14 times the mass of Jupiter or around 0.012 and 0.014 times the sun's mass.

A NASA-produced diagram shows a size comparison between the sun, a low-mass star, a brown dwarf, a gas giant, and a terrestrial planet. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCB)

Brown dwarfs' "failure" lies in their inability to accumulate this mass. Astronomers currently believe that the lightest brown dwarfs have around 0.013 times the mass of the sun , while the heaviest "failed stars" have a mass of around 0.08 times the mass of the sun. For context, that is between 13 and 80 times the mass of Jupiter .

This seems to correlate with the fact that among the tens of millions of stars, we have discovered 2MASS J0523-1403, with a mass of between 54 to 80 times that of Jupiter.

Of course, planets form differently, emerging from so-called " protoplanetary disks " around young stars. That means brown dwarfs can be defined as planetary-mass objects that form like stars. However, this is a difficult delineation to make because it is hard to determine the origins of a celestial body.

Brown dwarfs are not complete failures

Brown dwarfs can be defined and distinguished from planets in another way. This is because, though these stellar bodies "fail" to fuse normal hydrogen to helium in their cores, they can fuse some atomic nuclei to forge heavier elements, for example, a "heavy" isotope of hydrogen called deuterium.



The major difference between brown dwarfs and planets is their mass and the occurrence of deuterium, or 'heavy hydrogen' burning. At larger masses, an object will have a high enough internal pressure and temperature to burn a majority of the deuterium that was initially present in the object. The dividing line was defined in the 1990s so that brown dwarfs were objects that burned 50% or more of their initial deuterium, while planets do not burn a majority of their deuterium.



There are several factors that can influence the burning of deuterium, and when these are considered, the dividing line between brown dwarfs and planets becomes slightly more blurry than the line between stars and brown dwarfs. The mass of an object that will burn a majority of its deuterium has a lower limit of approximately 12 to 14 times the mass of Jupiter.



Again, this sets the lower mass of brown dwarfs at around 13 Jupiter masses, often cited in the literature to separate planets from brown dwarfs literature to separate planets and brown dwarfs. Interestingly, this all means there can be an overlap between the masses of the most massive planets and the least massive brown dwarfs. Additionally, gas giants can be larger in size than more massive brown dwarfs because they can vary in density. This is because, at lower masses, planets can experience lower pressures, leading to a lower l density, 'puffier' planets that are larger in size compared to some brown dwarfs.

When was the first brown dwarf discovered?

In 1995, Gliese 229Ba became the first brown dwarf discovered by astronomers, marking the recognition of this new class of stellar bodies. However, a curious mystery soon developed around this brown dwarf, 19 light-years from Earth. Gliese 229Ba was thought to have a mass of around 70 times that of Jupiter, or around 0.07 times the mass of the sun. However, astronomers expected that such a massive brown dwarf would be hotter and brighter than Gliese 229Ba actually is.

Infrared image of the center of the Orion Nebula taken with the NIRCam instrument on NASA's James Webb Space Telescope with inserts marking protoplanetary disks around failed star brown dwarfs (Image credit: NASA/ESA/CSA, Mark McCaughrean/ESA, Massimo Robberto/STScI/JHU, Kevin Luhman/Penn State, Catarina Alves de Oliveira/ESA.)

In 2024, astronomers discovered the answer to this mystery. Gliese 229Ba is not, in fact, a single brown dwarf but two brown dwarfs locked in a tight binary system. Now designated Gliese 229Ba and Gliese 229Bb, the two brown dwarfs orbit each other at a distance equivalent to just 16 times the distance between Earth and the moon. Gliese 229Ba and Gliese 229Bb are so close together they orbit each other in just 12 Earth days.

Do brown dwarfs prefer life in binaries?

Cleary binary brown dwarfs do exist, but everything that scientists know about binaries suggests that the likelihood of finding a stellar body with a binary partner diminishes as the mass of these bodies gets smaller.

According to the book " Transiting Exoplanets " (Cambridge University Press, 2010), around 75% of high-mass stars are found in multiple-star systems, roughly half of all known stars with sunlike masses are found with a companion, and just 25% of small red dwarf stars are found in multi-star systems. That means that brown dwarf binaries should be rare indeed.

An illustration of the twin failed stars of Gliese 229B swirling around each other. (Image credit: K. Miller, R. Hurt (Caltech/IPAC))

Brown dwarf binaries are thought to form like binary stars from the collapse of a massive cloud of gas to form two stellar bodies. In March 2024 , using the Hubble Space Telescope , astronomers discovered that older brown dwarfs are less likely to exist in binary pairings.

This implies that the gravity binding brown dwarfs together is so weak that over just a few hundred million years, the gravitational pull of passing stars can destroy these binary arrangements, meaning these failed stars fail at relationships, too.

An illustration shows a runaway brown dwarf escaping a spiral galaxy (Image credit: Robert Lea (created with Canva)/NASA)

In July 2024, citizen scientists found evidence of what happens to ejected brown dwarfs using data from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) , they discovered a suspected brown dwarf racing through the cosmos at a staggering 1.2 million mph (1.9 million kph) alone.

The rogue brown dwarf designated CWISE J1249+3621 has a mass around 80 times that of Jupiter, or around 0.08 solar masses, and it is racing toward the heart of the Milky Way . It is the lowest mass high-velocity "runaway" stellar body observed to date.

Brown dwarf expert Q&A

Nolan Grieves Researcher, Department of Astronomy, University of Geneva Nolan Grieves is a researcher in the University of Geneva's Department of Astronomy specializing in the characterization of the fundamental properties of stars and the investigation of brown dwarfs.

What is so fascinating about brown dwarfs? I first started researching brown dwarfs while searching for exoplanets. One of the spectrographs I was working with during my PhD did not have the precision to definitively detect the smaller mass of planets, but the instrument was suitable for detecting the slightly more massive (larger Doppler shift) brown dwarfs. It was here that I surprisingly learned that when looking at other star systems, brown dwarfs are uncommon compared to planets, as well as other stars, which are quite common as many of the stars you see in the night sky are binaries. This is evidence that the physical conditions of star system formation make objects with the specific masses in between planets and stars harder to form around protostars. Thus, brown dwarfs around our neighboring stars are a rarity compared to planets and not fully understood, making them fascinating objects to study.

What do these bodies tell us about the difference between planets and stars? Planets are created in protoplanetary disks surrounding newly formed stars. After the initial collapse of a molecular cloud (stellar nursery), conservation of angular momentum causes rotation to increase as the cloud gets smaller, causing the cloud to flatten and form a disk. In addition to planets, if there is enough mass, other stars can form in the disk (binaries also form in general from fragmentation of molecular clouds). Planets, from their definition, must be orbiting a star, and other stars can orbit stars. However, some objects, just larger than planets, can form deuterium burning in their cores, making them brown dwarfs. While objects just more massive than brown dwarfs can have stable hydrogen fusion in their cores, making them stars. So the border between planets and stars is clear with brown dwarfs serving as the buffer.

Are we sure where the dividing lines between a star and a brown dwarf and a brown dwarf and a planet are? The dividing lines remain a bit ambiguous. The conditions for a stable proton-proton chain reaction (the thermonuclear fusion process that occurs in low-mass stars) depends on many factors that allow an object to reach thermal equilibrium with thermonuclear burning at its core. The lower limit of stable fusion depends on temperature, mass, pressure, chemical composition, and opacity (how effectively material can absorb or scatter radiation). Thus, when we only have certain measurements like luminosity, temperature, or mass, it can be hard to tell if this process is actually occurring (note that some high mass brown dwarfs may have proton-proton chain fusion for a time but will not be stable). On the other side, a planet is no longer considered a planet when it is able to fuse deuterium in its core. Similar to the proton-proton chain reaction, deuterium burning depends on specific conditions for the lowest mass brown dwarfs near the boundary of where deuterium burning is possible.

Is the nickname "failed stars" fair for brown dwarfs? If we are talking about the most massive brown dwarfs, then it is fair. As conditions were just not right for them to obtain stable thermonuclear fusion. However, if they are on the smaller side, they're more similar to a massive Jupiter.

How does you research touch upon brown dwarfs? While working at the University of Florida and the University of Geneva, I specialized in the analysis of radial velocity data from echelle spectrographs. The first exoplanet, 51 Pegasi b, was discovered with the ELODIE echelle spectrograph by researchers at Geneva. These instruments, which detect doppler shifts of stars moving from the gravitational pull of orbiting objects, are ideal for measuring the masses of stellar companions. In the search for planets, every so often we would come across brown dwarfs orbiting the star we were examining. Brown dwarfs are easier to detect than planets, but with high precision instruments we observed that they are uncommon compared to planets. This created an entire niche of research to unearth the physical properties that cause a difference in frequency between these objects. While discovering these brown dwarfs, I was able to add to the limited sample of brown dwarfs orbiting other stars and further understand why they do not form as often.

Additional resources

Want to know more about the main sequence star-defining nuclear fusion process that brown dwarfs fail to attain? Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has a really accessible guide.

In this helpful video , Space.com contributor, Paul M. Sutter, explains why brown dwarfs are considered so strange.

If you think brown dwarfs are weird and blur the lines between stars and planets, you should check out JuMBOs (Jupiter-Mass Binary Objects ). In 2023, astronomers discovered 40 pairs of these planetary mass objects located in the Orion stellar nursery located around 1,350 light-years from Earth. After two years, scientists are still scratching their heads about how these rogue bodies could have formed!

Bibliography

Star Gliese 229 Ba

https://www.stellarcatalog.com/stars/gliese-229-b

Discovery of a starless binary system of brown dwarfs

https://www.ph.ed.ac.uk/news/2020/discovery-of-a-starless-binary-system-of-brown-dwarfs-20-12-16

C. A. Haswell., Transiting Exoplanets: Measuring the properties of planetary systems, Cambridge University Press, [2010], ISBN 978 0 521 13938 0



An HST survey of 33 T8 to Y1 brown dwarfs: NIR photometry and

multiplicity of the coldest isolated objects

https://stsci-opo.org/STScI-01HRABPNJMAE3XS5P2RAV1A3RP.pdf

How Many Brown Dwarfs in the Milky Way?

https://www.centauri-dreams.org/2017/07/07/how-many-brown-dwarfs-in-the-milky-way/

The low-mass content of the massive young star cluster RCW 38, https://arxiv.org/abs/1707.00277

Discovery of a Hypervelocity L Subdwarf at the Star/Brown Dwarf Mass Limit https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.08578

THE DEUTERIUM-BURNING MASS LIMIT FOR BROWN DWARFS AND GIANT PLANETS
US confirms billions in chips funds to Samsung, Texas Instruments



Washington, Dec 20 (AFP) Dec 20, 2024



President Joe Biden's administration said Friday that it has cemented deals for billions in funding to South Korean semiconductor giant Samsung Electronics and Texas Instruments to boost their chipmaking facilities in the United States.

US officials have been working to solidify Biden's legacy to bolster domestic semiconductor manufacturing ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's White House return -- and these agreements are among the latest efforts to do so.

The United States has been trying to reduce its dependence on other countries for semiconductors, while also seeking to maintain its scientific and technological edge as competition with China intensifies.

Samsung's award of up to $4.7 billion in direct funding goes towards its effort to grow its Texas presence into a full-fledged operation for developing and producing leading-edge chips, said the US Commerce Department.

The funding will supplement the company's investment of more than $37 billion in the coming years, the department added.

Samsung's expansion will help "ensure we have a steady, domestic supply of the most advanced semiconductors that are essential to AI and national security, while also creating tens of thousands of good-paying jobs," Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in a statement.

National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard added that Samsung is "the only semiconductor company that is a leader in both advanced memory and advanced logic chips."

In a separate notice, the Commerce Department said it also had finalized an award of up to $1.6 billion for Texas Instruments, supporting its efforts to build new facilities.

Raimondo noted that shortages of current-generation semiconductors were a problem during the supply chain disruptions sparked by the Covid-19 pandemic, adding that TI now plans to grow its US capacity in making these devices.

The Biden administration has unveiled billions in grants through the CHIPS and Science Act, a major law passed during the veteran Democrat's term aimed at strengthening the US semiconductor industry.

Officials have managed to get many deals across the finish line before Trump returns to the Oval Office, awarding the vast majority of more than $36 billion in proposed incentives that have been allocated.

The finalized deals mean funds can be disbursed as companies hit project milestones.

bys/sst

Samsung
Italy fines OpenAI 15 million euros after ChatGPT probe



Rome, Dec 20 (AFP) Dec 20, 2024



Italy's data protection authority on Friday said it had fined OpenAI 15 million euros over the use of personal data by ChatGPT, but the US tech firm said it would appeal.

The Italian Data Protection Authority (GPDP) watchdog began an investigation in March 2023 when it temporarily blocked ChatGPT in Italy over privacy concerns, becoming the first Western country to take action against the popular AI chatbot.

Announcing the conclusion of its probe on Friday, the GPDP said it had "imposed a fine of 15 million euros ($15.6 million) on OpenAI, which was also calculated taking into account the company's cooperative attitude".

It said OpenAI "did not notify the authority of the data breach it underwent in March 2023, it has processed users' personal data to train ChatGPT without first identifying an appropriate legal basis and has violated the principle of transparency and the related information obligations toward users".

In addition, OpenAI "has not provided for mechanisms for age verification, which could lead to the risk of exposing children under 13 to inappropriate responses", it added.

As well as the fine, the authority said it had ordered OpenAI to carry out a six-month broadcast, print and Internet campaign to promote public understanding of ChatGPT.

In its own statement, OpenAI said the decision was "disproportionate" and said it would appeal.

It noted how it had worked with the Italian authority after ChatGPT was suspended to secure its reinstatement after a month.

"They've since recognised our industry-leading approach to protecting privacy in AI, yet this fine is nearly twenty times the revenue we made in Italy during the relevant period," it said.

"We believe the Garante's (GDPD) approach undermines Italy's AI ambitions, but we remain committed to working with privacy authorities worldwide to offer beneficial AI that respects privacy rights."
Palestinians say Israeli forces kill six in West Bank



Ramallah, Palestinian Territories, Dec 19 (AFP) Dec 19, 2024



Palestinian officials said Israeli forces killed six people in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, while the Israeli military confirmed it killed four militants in an air strike.

The health ministry in Ramallah said four Palestinians were killed and three were wounded "as a result of the (Israeli) bombing of a vehicle in Tulkarem camp", in the northern West Bank.

The military said Tarek Doush, a militant from the "Tulkarem terrorist network", was among those killed.

"Over the past year, Tarek recruited numerous terrorists, armed and funded by Iran and by Lebanese terror operatives ... to plan and execute terrorist attacks against Israelis," the military said.

"The terrorist network led by Tarek carried out multiple shooting attacks against IDF soldiers, as well as shooting attacks against checkpoints and communities near the Judea and Samaria security fence in the area of Tulkarem," it said, referring to the biblical names for the West Bank.

The strike killed Doush and three other militants, the military added.

Earlier on Thursday, the Palestinian health ministry said two Palestinians were killed in a raid in the Balata refugee camp near Nablus.

One of the dead was 80-year-old Halima Abu Leil, who had been shot in the chest and leg, it said.

The Palestinian Red Crescent confirmed her death after transporting her to the hospital.

The ministry also announced the death of a 25-year-old man in the same raid. His passing was confirmed by the Red Crescent.

The Red Crescent accused Israeli forces of firing at its ambulances, "obstructing the delivery of humanitarian and medical services inside the camp".

Violence in the West Bank has intensified since the war in Gaza began on October 7 last year, following Hamas's attack on Israel.

Since the start of the Gaza war, at least 803 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli forces or settlers, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

In the same period, Palestinian attacks have claimed the lives of at least 24 Israelis in the West Bank, based on Israeli official data.

Israel has maintained an occupation of the West Bank since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
UAE promises not to arm Sudan paramilitaries, US lawmakers say



Washington, Dec 19 (AFP) Dec 19, 2024



The United Arab Emirates, under fire in Washington, has promised the United States not to arm paramilitaries in Sudan's brutal civil war, US lawmakers said Thursday.

The assurance came as the United States announced $200 million in new aid for Sudan, one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters where tens of thousands have died in fighting since April 2023.

Two US lawmakers said the United Arab Emirates promised to address their concerns and that, as a result, they would drop their attempt to block $1.2 billion in sales of advanced rockets and long-range missiles to the Gulf power.

Senator Chris Van Hollen, a member of President Joe Biden's Democratic Party, released a letter addressed to him from the White House that described UAE assurances on its relationship with Sudan's Rapid Support Forces.

"Despite reports we have received suggesting the contrary has occurred to date, the UAE has informed the administration that it is not now transferring any weapons to the RSF and will not do so going forward," said the letter signed by Brett McGurk, the White House coordinator on Middle East policy.

The UAE has long denied arming the RSF, with which it had a relationship fighting Yemen's Huthi rebels. The UAE embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In the letter, McGurk promised to offer an assessment on the "credibility and reliability of these assurances" by January 17 -- three days before President Joe Biden hands the White House back to Donald Trump.

Van Hollen applauded the White House intervention and said he would again attempt to block arms sales if the UAE does not comply.

"The United States should use all of our leverage to help bring peace and stability to the people of Sudan," he said on the Senate floor.

Fellow Democrat Sara Jacobs, who led a parallel effort in the House of Representatives, also vowed to "carefully monitor" adherence by the UAE.

"Without the UAE's support, the RSF will not have the same capabilities to wage this war -- making negotiation and a ceasefire a much likelier alternative," she said in a statement.

United Nations experts tasked with monitoring an arms embargo on the Darfur region said last year that accusations the UAE had funneled weapons to the RSF through Chad were "credible."

Trump has shown a greater willingness on selling weapons and in his last term promised advanced F-35 jets and armed drones as part of a deal in which the UAE recognized Israel.

The F-35 purchase languished after Biden defeated Trump in the 2020 election and promised greater oversight of the weapons.



- Eating grass and peanut shells -



The World Food Program warned Thursday that Sudan risks becoming the largest hunger crisis in recent history, with 1.7 million people across the country either facing famine or at risk of famine.

"The world cannot -- must not -- look away from the humanitarian catastrophe that is happening in Sudan on our watch, before our eyes," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a UN Security Council meeting on Sudan.

He announced another $200 million in relief, saying that in some parts of Sudan, people are eating grass and peanut shells to survive.

Edem Wosornu, operations director of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said $4.2 billion is needed to support Sudan next year.

"The volume of humanitarian aid reaching people in need remains a fraction of what is required," Wosornu told the Council.

Nearly all of the vast Darfur region of western Sudan is now controlled by the RSF, which has also taken over swaths of the neighboring Kordofan region as well as much of the center of the country.

The regular army retains control of the north and east, while the capital Khartoum and its surrounding cities are a battleground between the warring parties.
UAE says will not arm Sudan paramilitary RSF: White House



Washington, Dec 20 (AFP) Dec 20, 2024



The United Arab Emirates has informed the United States that it will not arm paramilitaries in Sudan's brutal civil war, US lawmakers long critical of the Gulf power's role quoted the White House as saying on Thursday.

The assurance came as the United States announced $200 million in new aid for Sudan, one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters where tens of thousands have died in fighting since April 2023.

Two US lawmakers said the UAE pledged to address their concerns and that, as a result, they would drop their attempt to block $1.2 billion in sales of advanced rockets and long-range missiles to the Gulf country.

Senator Chris Van Hollen, a member of US President Joe Biden's Democratic Party, released a letter addressed to him from the White House that described UAE assurances on its relationship with Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which is at war with the army.

"Despite reports we have received suggesting the contrary has occurred to date, the UAE has informed the administration that it is not now transferring any weapons to the RSF and will not do so going forward," said the letter signed by Brett McGurk, the White House coordinator on Middle East policy.

The UAE has long denied arming the RSF, with which it has fought Yemen's Huthi rebels.

The Gulf country's embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In the letter, McGurk promised to offer an assessment on the "credibility and reliability of these assurances" by January 17 -- three days before Biden hands the White House back to President-elect Donald Trump.

Van Hollen applauded the White House intervention and said he would again attempt to block arms sales if the UAE did not comply.

"The United States should use all of our leverage to help bring peace and stability to the people of Sudan," he said on the Senate floor.



- 'Credible' claims -



Fellow Democrat Sara Jacobs, who led a parallel effort in the House of Representatives, also vowed to "carefully monitor" adherence by the UAE.

"Without the UAE's support, the RSF will not have the same capabilities to wage this war -- making negotiation and a ceasefire a much likelier alternative," she said in a statement.

United Nations experts tasked with monitoring an arms embargo on the Darfur region said last year that accusations the UAE had funneled weapons to the RSF through Chad were "credible."

Trump has shown a greater willingness to sell weapons to the UAE, and in his last term promised advanced F-35 jets and armed drones as part of a deal in which the Gulf country recognized Israel.

The F-35 purchase languished after Biden defeated Trump in the 2020 election and promised greater oversight of the weapons.



- 'Must not look away' -



The World Food Program warned Thursday that Sudan risks becoming the largest hunger crisis in recent history, with 1.7 million people across the country either facing famine or at risk of famine.

"The world cannot -- must not -- look away from the humanitarian catastrophe that is happening in Sudan on our watch, before our eyes," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a UN Security Council meeting on Sudan.

Without naming other countries, Blinken said that the Security Council "must make clear to the outside actors fanning the flames in Sudan that this conduct cannot continue."

He announced another $200 million in relief, saying that in some parts of Sudan, people are eating grass and peanut shells to survive.

Edem Wosornu, operations director of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said $4.2 billion is needed to support Sudan next year.

"The volume of humanitarian aid reaching people in need remains a fraction of what is required," Wosornu told the council.

Nearly all of the vast Darfur region of western Sudan is now controlled by the RSF, which has also taken over swaths of the neighboring Kordofan region as well as much of the center of the country.

The regular army retains control of the north and east, while the capital Khartoum and its surrounding cities are a battleground between the warring parties.
Japan inspects US air base over chemical spill



Tokyo, Dec 20 (AFP) Dec 20, 2024



Japanese authorities on Friday staged an inspection of a US military base in Tokyo, a government spokesman said, after being informed by the American side of a chemical leak.

Japan's probe at the Yokota Air Base followed a US notice two months ago that water containing PFOS -- classified by the World Health Organisation as "possibly carcinogenic to humans" -- had spilled from the site.

PFOS is part of a large group of man-made chemicals known as PFAS, sometimes called "forever chemicals" because they do not degrade easily, experts say.

The US military informed Tokyo in October that the PFOS-laced water had leaked from an area of the base where a fire-fighting drill was being carried out, Fumitoshi Sato, deputy chief cabinet secretary, told reporters.

"This inspection was realised in response to the fears and concerns harboured by local residents, and we will continue to work together with the US side," Sato said.

Officials including from the defence ministry and Tokyo's metropolitan government visited the site on Friday, he said. Yokota Air Base was not immediately available for comment.

America's military presence in Japan has frequently stoked local discontent in the past, with everything from noise to pollution to helicopter accidents.

This frustration is perhaps most evident on the southern island of Okinawa, which despite comprising just 0.6 percent of Japan's landmass, hosts the vast majority of the country's US military bases.

Okinawa is located east of Taiwan, a flashpoint for tensions between the United States and China.

Earlier this month, the United States began relocating thousands of Marines from Okinawa, with an initial "detachment of approximately 100 logistics support Marines" transferred to the US island territory of Guam.
Loud blasts in Ukraine capital after ballistic missile warning: AFP



Kyiv, Ukraine, Dec 20 (AFP) Dec 20, 2024



A series of loud blasts were heard in the Ukraine capital Kyiv Friday morning and smoke could be seen rising over part of the city, AFP staff reported, after authorities warned of a ballistic missile attack.

"Ballistic missile from the north!" the Ukraine air force warned in a Telegram message, nearly three years after Russia invaded in a war that has cost tens of thousands of lives.

Authorities also reported missile attacks in the southern port city of Kherson, where one person was killed and six injured, as well as several other Ukrainian cities and towns.

Moscow's forces are advancing in the Kharkiv region that borders Russia and are aiming to recapture the town of Kupiansk, which was occupied in the first year of the war.

Ukraine recaptured it in September 2022 as part of a lightning offensive that saw its forces regain large swathes of the Kharkiv region.
One killed as Rusisan missile strikes hit Ukraine capital



Kyiv, Ukraine, Dec 20 (AFP) Dec 20, 2024



One person was reported killed on Friday in a Russian missile strike on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, where AFP staff saw smoke rise over parts of the city after a series of explosions.

"According to preliminary reports, one person was killed," the head of the city's military administration, Sergiy Popko, said on Telegram.

Popko said Russian forces had used Kinzhal and Iskander missiles in the strike at around 7:00 am (0500 GMT).

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that, "as a result of the enemy attack", two people were hospitalised and debris fell in four areas, setting cars and buildings alight.

"Emergency services are working everywhere," he said on Telegram.

The blasts came after the Ukrainian air force warned of an impending ballistic missile attack.

"Ballistic missile from the north!" the air force said on Telegram.

Russian President Vladimir Putin at a press conference on Thursday suggested a "hi-tech duel" over Kyiv to test his claims that Russia's new hypersonic ballistic missile, dubbed Oreshnik, is impervious to air defences.

Ukrainian authorities also reported missile attacks in the southern port city of Kherson, where one person was killed and six injured, as well as several other Ukrainian cities and towns.
DR Congo president makes changes at top of armed forces



Kinshasa, Dec 20 (AFP) Dec 20, 2024



President Felix Tshisekedi has replaced the army chief as part of a reshuffle within the armed forces who are battling a rebel advance in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Lieutenant general Jules Banza Mwilambue takes over at the head of the general staff of the armed forces, according to a decree signed Monday but read out on state television on Friday.

He replaces General Christian Tshiwewe, who becomes military adviser to the president.

Among other moves, the head of the military intelligence service, Demiap, Major General Christian Ndaywel has been appointed chief of staff of the land forces.

The changes come as the Congolese army battles to recover territory from M23 rebels in eastern North Kivu province.

Since 2021, the Rwanda-backed rebel militia has seized swathes of territory, displacing thousands and triggering a humanitarian crisis.

In recent days, the rebels have again advanced and are now only around 50 kilometres (31 miles) from the main town of Lubero and around 100 km from the town of Butembo, a key commercial hub in the region.

It followed the cancellation of a planned peace summit between the presidents of the DRC and Rwanda last Sunday over disagreements on the terms of a proposed peace deal.
Spain orders 25 more Eurofighter jets from Airbus



Madrid, Dec 20 (AFP) Dec 20, 2024



Spain has ordered another 25 advanced Eurofighter jets from European aerospace giant Airbus in the NATO member's drive to modernise its air force, the defence ministry said on Friday.

The order will deliver four twin-seat and 21 single-seat planes from 2030 to replace part of the older F-18 fleet and follows a contract for 20 Eurofighter jets signed in 2022.

The planes will be assembled, tested and delivered at Airbus's Getafe site outside Madrid and will swell Spain's overall Eurofighter fleet to 115 aircraft.

Airbus said the programme generates 16,000 direct and indirect jobs in the country. The order "secures the supply chain in Spain and across Europe", said Mike Schoellhorn, chief executive of Airbus Defence and Space.

The reinforcement comes "in difficult times where modernisation is essential" and Spain will "not spare efforts so that our armies have the best capacities", Defence Minister Margarita Robles said in a statement.

Eurofighter jets boast enhanced weaponry systems capable of operating the fearsome Brimstone III and Full Meteor missiles as well as cutting-edge radar and sensors.
France withdraws first contingent of soldiers from Chad: N'Djamena



N'Djamena, Dec 20 (AFP) Dec 20, 2024



France began withdrawing soldiers from Chad on Friday, Chad's ministry of the armed forces said, after N'Djamena last month abruptly ended military cooperation with the former colonial power.

A contingent of 120 soldiers departed for France from a military airport in the capital, the ministry said in a statement on Facebook, 10 days after French fighter aircraft left the Sahelian country for good.

Chad had been a key link in France's military presence in Africa and its last foothold in the wider Sahel region after the forced withdrawal of its troops from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger in the wake of a series of military coups.

But it announced on November 28 its decision to end a defence accord with Paris mainly dating from independence in 1960.

"At midday, 120 French soldiers took off from the military airport of N'Djamena onboard an Airbus A330 Phoenix MRTT, headed for France," the ministry said in a statement on Facebook.

The French army, which had some 1,000 personnel in the country, did not immediately comment on the announcement.

The departure on Friday of French soldiers took place in the presence of Chadian military authorities, a move which "testifies to the intensity of cooperation between the two countries in the field of security", the statement said.

Chad's decision to break military ties with France came only hours after a visit by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, whose delegation appeared unaware the move was looming.

The central African country was the last Sahel nation to host French troops.

Its decision also came shortly after Senegal's President Bassirou Diomaye Faye told AFP in an interview that France should close its military bases in the West African country.

The military authorities in Mali, Burkina and Niger have pivoted towards Russia in recent years.

Chad's leader General Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno has also sought closer ties with Moscow in recent months but talks to strengthen economic cooperation have yet to bear concrete results.

The Chadian president has previously said that the ending of the defence agreement did not mean "a rejection of international cooperation or a questioning of our diplomatic relations with France, whatsoever".
Gaza rescuers say Israeli air strike kills 7 children from one family



Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territories, Dec 20 (AFP) Dec 20, 2024



Gaza's civil defence rescue agency reported that an Israeli air strike killed 10 members of a family on Friday in the northern part of the territory, including seven children.

Violence in the Gaza Strip continues to rock the coastal territory more than 14 months into the Israel-Hamas war, even as international mediators work to negotiate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas Palestinian militants.

"There are 10 martyrs ... all targeted by an air strike on their home in Jabalia al-Nazla, southwest of Jabalia. All of the martyrs are from the same family, including seven children, the oldest aged six," civil defence agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP.

Bassal said the strike injured 15 other people.

The Israeli military when contacted by AFP did not offer an immediate response.

Israel in early October began a major military operation in Gaza's north, which it said aimed to prevent Hamas from regrouping there.

Amid the ongoing violence, the United States, Egypt, and Qatar are engaged in renewed negotiations to halt the war and secure the release of dozens of hostages still held by militants in Gaza.

On Tuesday, the United States expressed "cautious optimism" about the prospects of reaching a ceasefire in Gaza.

The war was sparked by an unprecedented Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,208 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Hamas 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 45,206 people, a majority of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, December 20. Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have begun preparing the documents for the project line of the Kyrgyz-Tajik state border in order to proceed with its legal formalization, Trend reports.

According to the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan, a meeting of topographic working groups and legal teams from the governments of both countries was held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. The meeting focused on the delimitation and demarcation of the Kyrgyz-Tajik state border.

The parties will continue this work at the next meeting, which will be held in Kyrgyzstan. As a result of the discussion, a corresponding protocol was signed.

On December 4, it was announced that Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have finalized the description of their state border sections. The total length of the state border between the two countries is approximately 980 kilometers. Negotiations to define and map the state border have been ongoing since December 2002.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, December 20. Uzbekneftegaz (Uzbekistans oil and gas company) outlined priority tasks for 2025, Trend reports.

According to the Uzbek presidents office, key directions include implementing joint projects with foreign companies, drilling new operational wells, and repairing existing ones using modern technologies.

To stabilize gas production volumes and enhance industry efficiency, the company plans to intensify geological exploration. Detailed surveys will begin at 15 promising sites, and seismic exploration will cover an expanded area of 6,500 square kilometers.

In 2025, a program for geological development and the exploration of new fields, developed with international experts, will also be launched. Uzbekneftegaz will continue its transformation to reduce production costs, improve its international credit rating, and attract foreign investments to finance new projects.

Meanwhile, Uzbekistan's natural gas production fell to 37 bcm on an annualized basis from January through October of this year. This figure is 5.1 percent less compared to the same period of 2023 (38.9 bcm in January-October 2023).


"The Electric Company  FBI: Most Wanted, Pictured (L-R): Roxy Sternberg as Special Agent Sheryll Barnes and Edwin Hodge as Special Agent Ray Cannon. Photo: Mark Schafer/CBS 2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved





The episode's central plot is about the systemic violence that plagued the Archer County, Maryland, community for decades. Manny Birdsong (Apollo Levine) gets tased and stomped in front of his family. The FTF gets involved when Manny, a resident of Archer County, Maryland, is discovered dead across state lines in the same Virginia marsh where two other victims were discovered, with injuries consistent with being lethally tased. Ray mentions that Archer County is known as a "sundown town," implying that non-white residents were required to depart the citys limits by sundown. Despite suspicions that local law enforcement is still executing this racial policy, Ray and Sheryll volunteer to look for leads there.





The team tracks down Mannys partner, Joellen Shaeffer (Casey Wortmann) who confirms that two white men in masks had tased and dragged Manny into the yard. The Taser serves as a lynchpin piece of evidence in the case. The team traces the Taser cartridges to a bulk purchase delivered to a disabled deputy sheriff, Elias Nelson (Christopher Thornton). Elias has a son, Eli (Andy Favreau) who he explains, followed in his footsteps at the sheriffs department. Remy Scott (Dylan McDermott), quickly, identifies Eli as the main suspect, leading him to Sheriff Blake (John Bedford Lloyd).





"The Electric Company  FBI: Most Wanted, Pictured (L-R): Christopher Thornton as Elias and Dylan McDermott as Supervisory Special Agent Remy Scott. Photo: Mark Schafer/CBS 2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved





The dialogue between Blake and Remy crackles, revealing how entrenched biases and corrupt practices shape the actions of local law enforcement. For example, Blake laughs off Remys inquiry into his deputy, Eli Nelson, saying, I dont recall ever seeing Taser cartridge hoarders on the Most Wanted List. No, responded Remy. Its evidence that whoever killed Manny Birdsong zapped him with one of Elis cartridges. Blake continues to joke about his anti-crime unit, The Electric Company, referencing his deputies catching a murderer who was executed in the electric chair. However, Remy knows the sheriff is lying and tells Nina, 'No one has ever gotten the chair in Maryland.' The name likely signifies that the sheriffs gang acts as judge, jury, and executioner."





Certain hes dealing with lawless, renegade cops, Remy alerts the Countys District Attorney, Barbara Evers (Samantah Steinmetz). She promptly declines to follow up. Meanwhile, two members of the Electric Company profile and frame a citizen, Ronnie McCaffrey (R. A. Guirand) for Manny Birdsongs murder, by planting a taser in his car. The two then blackmail a couple of teens into reporting an anonymous, fraudulent tip against him.





"The Electric Company  FBI: Most Wanted, Pictured (L-R): Dylan McDermott as Supervisory Special Agent Remy Scott, Shantel VanSanten as Special Agent Nina Chase, Roxy Sternberg as Special Agent Sheryll Barnes, and Edwin Hodge as Special Agent Ray Cannon. Photo: Mark Schafer/CBS 2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved





Following a divide-and-conquer strategy, Remy sends his team to surveille members of The Electric Company. The sheriff and a deputy pull Ray and Sheryll over for speeding. Things escalate. Ray and Sheryll experience first-hand how police in Archer County treat non-white citizens. The deputy shocks Ray with a taser. He and Sheryll find themselves in custody, awaiting arraignment. Judge Winters (Mark Zimmerman) tells Remy, "Sit down and keep your mouth shut," when he tries to help them in court. The team understands that the whole county's legal apparatus is working against them. However, the DA drops the charges to show the FBI they had no power. As they were leaving court, they found out that Ronnie McCaffrey was charged with Manny Birdsongs murder.





Remy and Nina talk to McCaffreys son, James (Denzel Rodriquez), gaining confirmation that his dad, Ronnie, is innocent. The FTF accelerates their investigation to get the menacing Electric Company members off the streets. However, the US Attorney needs corroboration from James. Ray and Sheryll go to his workplace. James is scared and refuses to talk. When he starts his car, it explodes. Ray is deeply affected and shouts, "He (James) was innocent, and they lynched him!" When Sheriff Blake shows up, Remy threatens to arrest him for obstruction, calls him a racist pig, and expels him from the crime scene.





Remy, Nina (Shantel VanSanten), and Hana (Keisha Castle-Hughes) track the deputy who had tased Ray earlier. The man chooses to kill himself instead of being arrested. Ray and Sheryll follow deputies Eli Nelson and Logan Dobbs (Shane Patrick) on a dangerous chase that ended in an armed standoff between them and federal officers. Although racism is central to the story, the plot turns on the father-son conflict. Eli's moral dilemma and near-redemption are rooted in deeply disappointing his father. Eli reveals that his actions were driven by a desire for revenge against the individual responsible for his fathers paralysis. Elias didnt buy into his sons excuse and tried to leave. Eli drew his gun to stop him. There was a struggle between the two deputies, and Elias was knocked from his wheelchair to the floor. Elias asked, My god, didnt I teach you anything? Im ashamed of you, Eli. In the end, the deputies surrendered without a shot being fired, and Ray took immense pleasure in arresting Sherriff Blake for conspiracy for James McCaffreys murder.





The Electric Company  FBI: Most Wanted, Pictured (L-R): Shantel VanSanten as Special Agent Nina Chase and Andy Favreau as Deputy Eli Nelson. Photo: Mark Schafer/CBS 2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved





A quick mea culpa about last week's review concerning Remys personal life, where I mistakenly assumed Remy didnt go drinking with his friend, Blake. He did, and in this episode, he seemed to be a bit on the defensive with Abby about it. Remy offers his place to Abby while shes in town for an extended stay. She declines, and I think hes confused about why. I think it's because Abby isnt sure about Remys motives. Is he breadcrumbing her, giving her minimal concessions to keep her interested? Is he feeling pressured to show her that hes nothing like that dude (Blake)? Is Abby just not that into him? What do you think?





How do you feel about the shows decision to divide the team by race during this investigation? What are your thoughts on how Remy and Abbys relationship might evolve?





Overall Rating

9/10

Lynette Jones

"The Electric Company" of FBI: Most Wanted is a standout episode that pits the Fugitive Task Force (FTG) against a small-town gang of corrupt law enforcement officers. In recent weeks, Ive been critical of this show for how it succumbs to predictable cliches concerning the escalation of mindless violence. Instead, this episode tackles uncomfortable realities of racism and systemic brutality when police turn against its non-white citizens. The writers' exploration of the detrimental impact this case had on the FTG's Black agents, Sheryll Barnes (Roxy Sternberg) and Ray Cannon (Edwin Hodge), was commendable, even though it only scratched the surface. Lets get into it.
As is plenty of Paddy action, from the very start. There he is, Jack OConnell as Mayne (who, like most of the characters in the show, was real and just as wild) sat in a Cairo hotel as hes refused some compassionate leave for the death of his father. Hes quiet for a minute. Very un-Paddy. Then he smashes up the table and chairs. Very Paddy.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, December 20. Uzbekistan and the US signed the protocol on the completion of the bilateral market access negotiations within Uzbekistans WTO accession, Special Representative of the President of Uzbekistan on WTO Issues Azizbek Urunov wrote on his LinkedIn page, Trend reports.

The document was signed by Uzbekistans Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev and the US Trade Representative Katherine Tai.

The year was historic in our WTO accession process with very promising deliverables at the year end. The team is even more focused on the implementation of the mission under President Mirziyoyevs leadership. 2026 is not far; the commitment is here. I would extend my gratitude to the US negotiation team once again for the constructive and substantive engagement. All the credits also go to the Uzbekistan negotiation team members! Azizbek Urunov wrote.

The working group for Uzbekistan's entrance to the WTO was formed in 1994. The procedure was officially reinstated after the fourth meeting of the working group in July 2020. Four additional meetings of the working group occurred between 2022 and 2024.

Uzbekistan is gearing up to throw its hat in the ring for WTO membership before the 14th ministerial conference rolls around in Cameroon in 2026, according to Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev, who is at the helm of the country's delegation at the eighth meeting of the working group on Uzbekistan's bid to join the WTO.
Mr Corbyn told the Standard: We had not met before we just got to know each other. We are a group in Parliament and our job is to speak up and we work very well together on issues such as the two-child benefit cap, the winter fuel allowance, and of course the pursuit of Gaza and the treatment of the Palestinian people.
He then joked that the children in the choir, made up of eight to 12 year-olds from schools in the borough, should make the most of it for the poor teachers.
 July 23: According to Greater Manchester Police (GMP), an altercation takes place between passengers from a Qatar Airways flight which arrives at Manchester Airport at 7.20pm. A second incident, which police describe as a violent altercation involving members of the public, happens in the Starbucks of Terminal Two just after 8.20pm. A third incident happens in the car park pay point area shortly before 8.30pm. Brothers Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, and Muhammed Amaad, 25 and their mother Shameem Akhtar, 56, from Rochdale, are allegedly assaulted. Police say three of their officers receive head injuries, including a broken nose. Four men are arrested at the scene for affray and assault on emergency service workers.
I'm sorry, but ADHD has become a scam that is wildly overdiagnosed and an excuse for poor behaviour

I'm sorry, but ADHD has become a scam that is wildly overdiagnosed
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, December 20. Uzbekistan will allocate $300 million for export financing next year, Trend reports.

The news follows a video conference call and dialog with entrepreneurs under the chairmanship of the president of Uzbekistan.

Uzbekistan established a separate company to boost trade, with $350 million allocated for export financing. As a result, entrepreneurs have exported goods worth $6 for every dollar invested.

Moreover, entrepreneurs have acquired 3,000 state-owned properties and 4,000 hectares of land, totaling 11.5 trillion soums ($889.7 million) this year, and have started their businesses. In the coming year, another 4,500 properties and 6,000 hectares of land will be made available for entrepreneurs.

Meanwhile, Uzbekistan's foreign trade turnover amounted to $59.37 billion from January through November 2024. This figure has increased by 3.6 percent compared to the same period last year ($57.31 billion in January-November 2023).
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, December 20. Uzbekistans Chamber of Commerce and Industry plans to launch a center with the help of international consulting companies to assist entrepreneurs in entering external financial markets, Trend reports.

The news follows a video conference call and dialogue with entrepreneurs under the chairmanship of the president of Uzbekistan.

Through this center, at least 100 local companies will be trained to work on international financial markets by next year, helping them expand their presence globally and access new financial opportunities.

Meanwhile, Uzbekistans large state-owned companies are undergoing transformation and expanding into international financial markets. Entrepreneurs are now encouraged not to rely solely on bank loans but to adapt to international standards and attract independent resources from abroad.

Importantly, international financial organizations are ready for close cooperation in this direction.
The Christmas Fair at the Savarsin Royal Castle is now open visitors, who until Sunday have the opportunity to meet local craftsmen and producers and also visit some of the most important objectives of the royal domain, the Royal Family made the announcement on Friday.

The fair opened on Thursday evening with Her Majesty the Custodian of the Romanian Crown Margareta and His Royal Highness Prince Radu in attendance, accompanied by Her Royal Highness Princess Sofia and Her Royal Highness Princess Maria. Also present were the mayor of the Savarsin rural town, Ioan Vodicean, along with representatives of the town hall and the Royal Collection Foundation, which organized the fair.

Visitors are expected on the royal domain until Sunday. In addition to the fair, they will also be able to see the Royal Automobile Museum, the Tea House, King Michael's Car Repair Shop and the Souvenir Shop, the Royal Park being closed during the winter.

Her Majesty the Custodian of the Romanian Crown Margareta and His Royal Highness Prince Radu are in Savarsin for Christmas and New Year's Eve, together with Their Royal Highnesses Princess Sofia and Princess Maria.

According to tradition, the royal family will distribute Christmas gifts to needy families in the rural town, as well as to employees of the castle and the Savarsin Forest District.

On Christmas Eve, the Dubasi [traditional drummers who would sing Christmans Catols - editor's note] from Savarsin will be awaited in the square with the fountain within the Royal Village, and on the morning of December 25 the royal family will attend the Christmas service at the Orthodox Church in Savarsin.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban will pay a visit to Bucharest on Friday and have a meeting with Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu.

According to the agenda announced by the Government's Press Office, the two will have talks at the Victoria Palace at 17,00hrs, with joint press statements scheduled afterwards.

On November 22, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu met his Hungarian counterpart in Budapest to discuss Romania's full accession to Schengen.

The visit to Budapest took place in the context of Hungary's holding the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union until December 31, 2024.

PM Orban was in Brussels on Wednesday, where he participated in the EU - Western Balkans Summit, and on Thursday he attended the European Council meeting.

He will also go to Bulgaria on Friday.
NATO Military Committee Chairman, Admiral Rob Bauer, will be awarded the "Mihnea Constantinescu - Leadership Based on Values" trophy on Friday, at the 14th edition of the Aspen Leadership Awards Gala. Handing the trophy will be Aspen Institute Romania President Mircea Geoana, according to a press release from the Aspen Institute Romania.

The event marks the 18th anniversary of the Institute's activity and acknowledges individuals and organisations that have made a significant impact on the sustainable development of Romanian and global society this year.

"Through this award, the Aspen Institute Romania expresses its appreciation for Admiral Rob Bauer's model of leadership excellence, strategic vision, and resilience in an era defined by profound challenges and global uncertainty, demonstrating high professionalism, unwavering integrity, and a deep commitment to the ideals of collective defence and international cooperation," Mircea Geoana is quoted in the press release as saying.

In previous editions of the Aspen Gala, the award has been given to personalities such as Maia Sandu, President of the Republic of Moldova, Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, and Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General from 2014 to 2024, the release also reads.

"Other awards will also be presented during the event for performance in essential areas such as public service, technology, research and innovation, arts, and heritage, namely: the 'Public Service with Dignity' trophy; the 'Innovation and Technology' trophy; the 'Art and Society' trophy; the 'Cultural Heritage and Society' trophy; the Aspen 'Social Initiative' award; and the grant from the Aspen Institute Romania alumni community for a project initiated by participants in this year's Aspen Young Leaders Program edition," according to the release.

The Aspen Institute Romania annually awards the "Mihnea Constantinescu - Leadership Based on Values" trophy to a leader in the public sector or an international organisation with notable activities in their area, constantly supporting and promoting the values of a model of leadership excellence.
On the morning of December 20, the Russians once again demonstrated their true colors and fired ballistic missiles at Kyiv. As a result of the falling debris, residential buildings were destroyed, eleven people were injured, and one Ukrainian was killed.

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The morning shelling took place in the "blogger's quarter" of the capital, where many Ukrainian influencers live. On their social media accounts, Internet celebrities showed the consequences of the aggressor country's terrorist activities and shared their emotions.

Blogger Kateryna Moiseienko posted footage that, unfortunately, perfectly demonstrates modern Christmas in Ukraine. From the window of her apartment, where the Christmas tree is already decorated, one could see a bright flame and a column of smoke caused by the Russian shelling.

Mom-blogger Maryna Krasnoshchok showed her smashed apartment. The published photos show smashed windows, damaged furniture, and ruined children's toys. The woman admitted that she was most worried about the life of her daughter Rehina because before the attack she was sleeping right in front of the broken window.

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"War, unfortunately, is a creature that takes everything from you. I was scared for Rehina the most. She is in shock, tears, hysteria, and cuts. You can see everything for yourself, the house is in shambles. But of course, we will rebuild everything. We will be left without windows in winter... Our lives are safe, thank God," she wrote.

The shop of Dariia Paziuk, better known online as Baba Dasha, also suffered considerable damage. The influencer said that a fire broke out right next to her shop.

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Roman Svechkorenko, an Internet celebrity, also experienced a terrible morning. He noticed that the debris hit so close to his house that the windows in the building were shattered. Oleksandr Zalisko also experienced terrible feelings. The influencer admitted that this was the loudest morning of his life in the capital.

Dasha Kvitkova's day also began on an unpleasant note. According to the blogger, she had to grab her son and quickly run into the corridor because of the strong explosions. A piece of rubble fell right next to the house of model Kateryna Lozovytska.

Only verified information on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
The two chambers of the new Parliament elected in the December 1 election are set to convene on Friday, as of 2 pm, in separate sessions, to open the 2024 - 2028 legislature, at the call of president Klaus Iohannis.

The sessions will be chaired by the deputy or senator with the highest number of parliamentary mandates, as a senior president, assisted by the four youngest deputies or senators, as his/her secretaries. In the event that two or more deputies or senators have held the same number of parliamentary mandates, the oldest of them will lead the proceedings.

No parliamentary debates can take place in these first meetings, during which validation committees composed of 30 deputies or 15 senators, respectively, will be established, according to the political configuration of each chamber.

These committees will verify whether the election of new parliamentarians was carried out in compliance with the provisions of the electoral law and will draw up validation reports.

According to the Senate Regulations, the validation committee will propose the invalidation of the election of a senator if it finds that his election was made in violation of the provisions of the electoral law regarding candidacy or obtaining the mandate, as well as if there is a final and irrevocable decision regarding the commission by the senator in question of a crime related to the conduct of the electoral process.

The hearing of senators for whom the invalidation of the election has been proposed is mandatory both within the validation committee and in the plenary session of the Senate. Before the validation committee, the person in question may choose a defender from among the members of the Senate or may be assisted by a lawyer with the right to submit conclusions to the High Court of Cassation and Justice.

Also, according to the Rules of Procedure of the Chamber of Deputies, the validation Committee will propose the invalidation of the election of a deputy if it finds a violation of the constitutional and legal provisions regarding the eligibility conditions and/or if it finds that there is a final court decision of conviction for the commission by the respective deputy of a crime related to the conduct of the electoral process.

In the case of deputies for whom the invalidation of the mandate has been proposed, the Chamber of Deputies debates and decides by vote for each case separately.

The validation or invalidation of the mandates is done by the vote of the majority of the deputies or senators present.

Subsequently, the deputies and senators whose mandates have been validated will take the oath.

The Chamber of Deputies and, respectively, the Senate are considered legally constituted after the validation of two-thirds of the deputies' mandates or three-quarters of those of the senators and after they have taken the oath. Parliamentarians who refuse to take the oath are considered invalid.

After the legal establishment of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, the presidents of the two legislative bodies and the other members of the Permanent Bureaus - vice-presidents, secretaries and quaestors - are elected. The parliamentary groups are also presented and the parliamentary committees are formed, according to the political configuration of each chamber.

The election of the president of the Chamber of Deputies and, respectively, of the Senate takes place by secret ballot, with ballot papers. Each parliamentary group can make only one proposal. The candidate who has received the votes of the majority of the deputies or senators present is declared elected president of the legislative body.

The Permanent Bureau of the Chamber of Deputies and, respectively, of the Senate is formed following negotiations between the leaders of the parliamentary groups, respecting the political configuration, the lists being subject to a secret ballot with balls.

Following the December 1 election, a total of 465 members of parliament were elected - 331 deputies and 134 senators, according to the lists submitted by the Central Electoral Bureau.

PSD (Social Democratic Party) holds 122 seats (36 in the Senate and 86 in the Chamber of Deputies), AUR (Alliance for the Union of Romanians) - 91 seats (28 in the Senate and 63 in the Chamber of Deputies); PNL (National Liberal Party) - 71 seats (22 in the Senate and 49 in the Chamber of Deputies); USR (Save Romania Union)- 59 seats (19 in the Senate and 40 in the Chamber of Deputies); S.O.S. Romania Party - 40 seats (12 in the Senate and 28 in the Chamber of Deputies); UDMR (Democratic Union of Hungarians of Romania) - 32 seats (10 in the Senate and 22 in the Chamber of Deputies); Young People's Party (POT) - 31 seats (7 in the Senate and 24 in the Chamber of Deputies).

Also, 19 deputy mandates were assigned to representatives of national minorities.
Prosecutor General Alex Florenta calls for the amendment of the criminal legislation and harsher penalties for those who incite to violence, hatred or discrimination in the online environment, but also for promoting the cult of persons who were part of the leadership of a fascist, legionary, racist or xenophobic organization.

"In the current context in which there is a resurgence in the public space of such manifestations characterized by speech inciting to violence, hatred or discrimination, I would like to make the following clarifications: The Prosecutor General's Office is following with the utmost attention the manifestation of such phenomena that fall within its competence and is taking all the necessary steps to hold all those who are guilty of committing such crimes liable," Alex Florenta said in a press release.

He says that the Prosecutor General's Office monitors the situation of files on a semi-annual basis regarding crimes provided for by GEO no. 31/2002, as well as crimes that inciteto violence, hatred or discrimination.

In the particular situation in which the perpetrators of these crimes were persons with a special status, among those that would attract the jurisdiction of the Prosecutor General's Office, the prosecutors took action ex officio and launched investigations, according to their own powers. Thus, only during 2024, several criminal files were opened in which investigations were carried out against persons with the status of MPs or MEPs.

In this context, the Prosecutor General proposes amending the criminal legislation and increasing the punishment limits for those who incite to violence or promote the personality cult for persons who were part of the legionary movement.

"Considering the recent events and the increasingly exacerbated manifestation in the online environment of illegal behaviours, like urging the public to commit crimes or inciting to violence and discrimination against individuals, there is an urgent need to adjust the existing legislation to correspond to the factual realities and new forms of manifestation of such crimes. From this perspective, the Prosecutor General's Office requested the creation of a working group, which would include representatives of institutions from the judicial system and the Ministry of Interior, in order to work as quickly as possible more legislative amendments, which would provide criminal prosecution bodies with updated and capable tools to effectively combat the phenomenon. With the direct participation of the Ministry of Justice, a first meeting of this working group took place on December 18," mentioned Alex Florenta.
AGERPRES special correspondent Oana Ghita reports: President Klaus Iohannis drew attention on Thursday, at the European Council meeting, to the intensification of Russian hybrid attacks aimed at undermining democracies through disinformation, malicious cyber activities, and manipulation via social media, particularly in electoral contexts, bringing to mind the elections in Romania and in the Republic of Moldova.

He stressed that these attacks are not directed only at a single country but at democratic societies in general and at the way of life based on values, rights, and freedoms, the Presidential Administration points out.

In this context, Klaus Iohannis informed EU leaders about recent developments in Romania, in the context of the presidential elections, and conveyed a firm message regarding respect for democratic values and the pro-European path, with Romania continuing to be a stable and responsible country.

Thus, the President of Romania called for effective coordination at the EU level on the issue of combating foreign interference by developing effective tools and mechanisms to counter these increasingly present phenomena, with the theme of combating Russia's interference and hybrid activities being included in the final Conclusions text at Romania's request.

Regarding the decision to lift border controls and finalise Romania's and Bulgaria's accession to Schengen, the Conclusions of the European Council welcomed its adoption. In this context, President Klaus Iohannis thanked the other EU leaders for their support in adopting this decision and reiterated Romania's commitment to remain a dedicated and proactive partner in strengthening the EU's internal security, as well as its external border security.

Concerning Ukraine, discussions focused on Russia's aggression against Ukraine in all its dimensions, as well as the continued comprehensive support from the Union for Ukraine. The EU's support for the principles and key objectives of the Peace Formula proposed by President Zelenskyy was reaffirmed, emphasising the importance of ensuring that no international peace initiative be advanced without Ukraine's involvement. Likewise, the EU must remain closely involved in all matters concerning Europe's security, according to the Presidential Administration.

In this regard, President Iohannis reconfirmed Romania's support for Ukraine on all relevant fronts, particularly concerning defence and energy needs. Regarding potential peace negotiations, the Romanian head of state underscored the necessity for these to be based on fair and just principles, respecting international law and Ukraine's position as a victim of this illegal and unprovoked aggression.

At the same time, Klaus Iohannis drew attention to the issue of energy security for the Republic of Moldova, which, alongside Ukraine, faces increasingly serious challenges in this regard, amid Russian aggression. President Klaus Iohannis also advocated for maximising bilateral support for these two countries, together with European and international partners.

He also highlighted the need to continue supporting the resilience and stability of the Republic of Moldova, as well as its reform efforts on its European path, including through the implementation of the Moldova Growth Plan and the swift adoption of the Reform and Growth Facility. Furthermore, the adopted Conclusions refer to the need to strengthen support for the Republic of Moldova on the crucial issues mentioned, including energy security.

EU leaders discussed the situation in the Middle East, welcoming the ceasefire agreement of November 27 between Israel and Lebanon and reiterated calls for the parties involved to implement it. At the same time, they renewed the call for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and for the release of all hostages, as well as improved access to humanitarian aid. European leaders reaffirmed their commitment to international law and the two-state solution.

The President of Romania advocated for a unified, firm, and coordinated positioning that would allow the EU to contribute to resolving these crises in accordance with international law and multilateralism principles. In this context, he pointed out that the European Union can strengthen its role as a mediator in the region and as a defender of human rights in a broader sense.

Regarding the situation in Syria, Klaus Iohannis reiterated Romania's support for the EU policy on the return of Syrian refugees, which must be voluntary and in safe conditions. He also noted the need for a political solution in Syria that includes a peaceful power transition to a responsible government that protects Syria's sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity.

The head of state encouraged maintaining a constructive approach to migration management, focusing on monitoring progress in border protection and strengthening the external dimension of migration. He also underlined that migration remains a common challenge that must be addressed through enhanced cooperation and decisive measures that have produced positive results so far by reducing illegal migration and asylum requests. At the same time, he noted that Romania can support an early implementation of the Migration and Asylum Pact on certain aspects, taking into account a fair balance between responsibility and solidarity.

Klaus Iohannis mentioned that enlargement policy, one of the EU's most important policies, must continue, including by considering the opportunities offered by the current framework. He reiterated support for the ambitions of partners to advance their EU accession processes at an accelerated pace, respecting the principle of merit. In this context, he also mentioned support for the objective of opening Cluster I negotiations with the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine as soon as possible.

European leaders reiterated the importance of increasing preparedness, prevention, and response to crises, in the context of an evolving threat landscape. The importance of improved and coordinated military and civil preparedness was also highlighted, within an approach that considers risks on all relevant levels.

The President of Romania reaffirmed the importance and urgency of strengthening the EU's action capacities in this area as Union priorities, also in the context of the growing number of natural disasters caused by climate change.

Klaus Iohannis also advocated for the need for consolidated and coordinated preparedness for the strategic management of crises at the level of society as a whole, respecting the competences of member states and in synergy with NATO, as well as for a realistic level of ambition and prioritisation of initiatives in this area, which require urgent funding.
The Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban, was received on Friday at the Victoria Palace by Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, with the leader of the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR), Kelemen Hunor, also attending the ceremony.

Upon the moment of the reception in the gallery of honor of the Victoria Palace of Government, Viktor Orban and Marcel Ciolacu looked at the paintings of former Romanian prime ministers.

The two high officials will have a meeting, followed by joint press statements.

According to the program announced by the Government Press Office, the two will hold talks at the Victoria Palace, followed by joint press statements.

The Hungarian Prime Minister met the Bulgarian President Rumen Radev in Sofia on Friday.
On January 1, 2025, Poland will take over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union. At a pivotal time of geopolitical uncertainty, Poland intends to build its six-month mandate around the concept of EU security from multiple dimensions.

Poland will take over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union on January 1, 2025. With a six-month mandate, it will run the Council until June under the motto: 'Security, Europe!'

The priorities that Warsaw wants to imprint on its mandate all revolve around the concept of security, in every sense of the word: external, internal, information, economic, energy, food and health security.

Polish Prime Minister and former President of the European Council Donald Tusk said that Warsaw would be presiding over the 27 EU member states in a challenging period. In this context, he particularly recalled the crises in Ukraine, the Middle East and the developments in Georgia.

Upon presenting the presidency's priorities last week, the head of the Permanent Representation of Poland to the EU, Agnieszka Bartol, explained that the presidency also intends to focus on strengthening the competitiveness of European companies, particularly in areas such as energy prices, with a focus on energy security and the reduction of red tape.

The head of the International Energy Agency (IEA), Fatih Birol, said earlier this month that the EU made three mistakes when it comes to the economy and energy: it became dependent on Russia, it gave up on nuclear energy and it allowed itself to be overtaken by China in the field of ??green technologies.

Birol pointed to the clean industry strategy being prepared by the European Commission, which is expected to be presented within the first 100 days of its new term. This means that the discussion on it will take place during the Polish presidency.

On enlargement, Ambassador Bartol said that the presidency intends to take a balanced approach - particularly on the Western Balkans - adding that it is a geopolitical priority for Poland.

Tusk's Ukraine peace talks in the making

As Warsaw gears up to take over the EU presidency, it has been discussing the situation in Ukraine with various foreign officials.

Prime Minister Tusk said on Thursday (December 12) that he discussed with French President Emmanuel Macron the possibility of stationing foreign troops in Ukraine in case of a ceasefire, but that Warsaw was not currently "planning any such actions."

Tusk said last week that Ukraine peace talks could begin "in the winter of this year."

'Our (EU) presidency will notably be co-responsible for what the political landscape will look like, perhaps how the situation will look during (peace) negotiations,' he said.

Poland, a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) - a 32-nation military alliance - is a staunch backer of neighbouring Ukraine and serves as a crucial logistics hub for Western military aid to Kyiv.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas recently said 'we need peace in Ukraine in order to have peacekeeping missions' and added: 'For that we need Russia to stop shelling, which they are not doing.'

'Before that, we have nothing to talk about. And of course, it's to every single European country to make their decision whether they are using their troops in which processes,' the former Estonian prime minister added.

It is expected that Poland could play a significant role in the events surrounding Ukraine. In February, it will be three years since the start of the Russian aggression, and the plan is to adopt the sixteenth package of sanctions at this time, which should be very tough on Moscow and significantly hit Russia.

Individual EU member states are also making efforts to boost Ukraine - but not without internal political struggle.

Caretaker Bulgarian Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev approached the country's National Assembly for an express mandate to his government to sign a Security Cooperation Agreement with Ukraine, as approved by Bulgaria's Council of Ministers on October 4.

However, the response in Parliament on December 18 was mostly negative, with some parties objecting to the procedure of seeking the mandate, while others objected to Bulgaria sharing armaments and resources with Ukraine.

Glavchev said on December 18 that he will sign a security cooperation agreement with Ukraine only if he receives approval from the National Assembly.

Ukraine's EU membership on the horizon?

Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the EU's enlargement efforts gained momentum, with Ukraine making rapid progress ever since.

Under the Belgian EU presidency in the first half of 2024, the EU agreed on the official start of accession talks with Ukraine. Subsequently, the so-called screening began, a process between the European Commission and the candidate state in question, during which national legislation is assessed and areas of convergence with EU legislation - the so-called acquis - are identified.

Screening is a necessary prerequisite for opening the so-called clusters, which always include several accession chapters. It is possible that this screening will be completed during the Polish presidency.

Next steps for Poland at the helm of the Council

The Polish EU presidency's logo, the Polish flag combined with the letters E' and U', represents Poland's commitment to the European Union, its 20 years of membership, its involvement in European affairs, and its ambition to set new directions for EU policies, in particular with regard to the continent's security.

The logo was designed by the famous Polish artist Jerzy Janiszewski, who also created the logo of the Solidarnoc (Solidarity) trade union movement founded in 1980.

The Council of the European Union, often referred to as the Council, is one of the EU's main decision-making bodies. It represents the governments of the 27 EU member states and is made up of ministers from each country, meeting in different configurations depending on the policy area being discussed.

The Council of the EU is not to be confused with the European Council, which brings together EU heads of state or government to set the EU's overall political direction and priorities.

Every six months, an EU member state takes the helm of the Council to lead the policy discussions. While 2024 saw Belgium and Hungary preside over the Council, Poland and Denmark will do so in 2025.

The Polish presidency will be inaugurated with a concert in Warsaw on January 3, 2025. Meetings of ministers within the Council will also be organised in the capital - 23 informal meetings are to be held in the Warsaw Citadel. The second place for official meetings will be the National Stadium.

The content is based on news by agencies participating in the European Newsroom (enr, a cooperation project between news agencies from all over Europe) - in this case AFP, ANSA, BTA, CTK, dpa, PAP.
The number of people who entered the country through the Nadlac II Border Crossing Point in the last 24 hours has increased sevenfold compared to a typical day, reaching 50,000 travelers. This surge is due to many Romanians working abroad returning home for the holidays.

Representatives of the Arad Border Police reported on Friday that over 57,000 people were checked on the entry side of the border crossing points in the county, with 50,000 of them passing through Nadlac II.

On a typical day, 7,000 people cross into Romania at Nadlac II, meaning that in the last 24 hours, the number has increased sevenfold.

Romanians working abroad who are returning home for the holidays will not have to wait in long queues at the border when leaving Romania in January.

"It is important to note that, starting January 1, 2025, controls at land borders will be eliminated. This means people will be able to travel to or from other Schengen Area countries without having to stop for border checks. This will apply to all individuals, regardless of nationality, and to all types of transport, including cars, buses, minibuses, trucks, ships, and trains. However, border police will remain present in their area of competence, especially at the border, and will continue to conduct random and unannounced police checks together with other authorities, such as the Police, Gendarmerie, or Immigration, and other competent structures, to prevent and combat illegal migration and cross-border crime," Arad Border Police Spokesman Andrei Dinca told AGERPRES.

Authorities recommend that travelers consult the "Trafic Online" application on www.politiadefrontiera.ro to check waiting times at the border and choose less congested crossing points.

On Friday morning, at Nadlac II, eight control lanes were open to manage traffic. Despite this, waiting times of up to 50 minutes were reported on the motorway. At Nadlac I, the wait was about an hour with two lanes open, while there was no congestion at Turnu and Varsand.
You've definitely noticed the resemblance between supermodel Cindy Crawford and her daughter, model Kaia Gerber, between actress Reese Witherspoon and her child Ava Elizabeth Phillippe. Famous fathers also have their own "copies". Just look at the photo of actor George Clooney and his father, journalist Nick Clooney. Or, for example, the photos of actor Chris Hemsworth and his father Craig Hemsworth... Sometimes genetics resorts to more complex experiments. When babies inherit facial features from their grandparents. What exactly it will be (the shape of the nose, the cut of the eyes, the oval of the face, etc.) depends on which alleles in homologous chromosomes will dominate in a particular case. This was reported in Nature Communications.

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In the OBOZ.UA article, we decided to find out which grandchildren are incredibly similar to their famous grandparents. After reading the article, find photos of your older relatives (in childhood and youth). Perhaps you have some similarities with them.

1. Harrison Ford and Ethan Ford

The grandson of the American actor Harrison Ford, Ethan Ford, inherited his grandfather's eye slit, nasal hump, lip shape, oval face, and light hair color. Interestingly, these two are more visually similar to each other than Harrison and his son Ben Ford (Ethan's father). Genetics can play tricks!

2. Elizabeth Taylor and Quinn Tyvee

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You don't have to imagine what the Anglo-American actress Elizabeth Taylor would have looked like if she had been born a man instead of a woman. Just look at the photos of her "copy"  grandson Quinn Tyvee: the same eyes (expressive look), nose shape, thick eyebrows, sweet smile, and lush black hair. It's time for Quinn to conquer the cinema! Just like his grandmother did in her time.

3. Marlon Brando and Tookie Brando

The American actor Marlon Brando, star of the films The Godfather (1972) and A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), was apparently not very close to his grandson Tookie Brando. After all, shortly before his death, he excluded the young man from his will (but included friends and colleagues)... The boy inherited something else from the movie star - charisma and facial features (both have the same nose and lip shapes, dark eyes, and thick eyebrows). This is what Tuki used for his career in modeling.

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4. Jane Fonda and Viva Vadim

Viva Vadim is an almost exact copy of her grandmother, the American actress and model Jane Fonda, in her youth. She has a similar eye slit, oval face, and nose and lip shape. In addition, like her relative, she dedicates her life to creativity (she is an artist and photographer) and active charity work.

5. Grace Kelly and Charlotte Casiraghi

The Monegasque journalist, horsewoman, and writer Charlotte Casiraghi looked incredibly similar to her grandmother in her teens: the American actress and Princess of Monaco Grace Kelly had the same eyes, lips, nose shape, cheekbones, and face oval... Now the movie star's granddaughter is 38 years old. With age, her upper eyelids drooped slightly, and the resemblance to her relative became less noticeable.

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6. Priscilla Presley and Riley Keough

American actress and businesswoman Priscilla Presley and her granddaughter, American actress, model, and producer Riley Keough, are so similar to each other that it seems as if they are the same person who travels through time (and to avoid anyone noticing, she often changes her hairstyle, eyebrow shape and style of clothing). Of course, this is just a game of genetics! Both celebrities have almost identical smiles, nose shapes, eye slits, and face ovals.

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7. Jacqueline Kennedy and Rose Schlossberg

Apparently, the American actress Rose Schlossberg is proud to have inherited her famous grandmother, the 35th First Lady of the United States Jacqueline Kennedy, a slit eye, a modest smile, a nose shape, an oval face, and thick black hair. A wonderful gift from genetics! Especially considering that the relative was one of the most popular and influential women of her time: she had refined manners and impeccable taste in clothing, was a wise diplomat, and a guardian of the historical and cultural heritage of the United States. Now it is time for the star time of the "copy" of Jacqueline Kennedy - Rose.

Only verified information is available in the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
Runners begin the U.S. Space Forces T-Minus 10-Miler marathon at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla., Dec. 14, 2024. This annual 10-mile endurance race challenges participants to reach the edge of outer space together, blending fitness with space history and camaraderie. (Samuel Becker/U.S. Space Force)

December 20th marks five years since the U.S. Space Force became the first new branch of the U.S. military in just over seven decades, when President Donald Trump in 2019 signed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020.

With it, Air Force Space Command dissolved and saw its units fall under the operational control of USSF. The USSF remains part of the Department of the Air Force.

As its older sibling branches count centuries of service  the U.S. Army and Navy are older than the country itself  the Space Forces few birthdays thus far hold special significance, according to Assistant Deputy Director for Space Sarah Fiocco, a spokesperson.

While established branches honor centuries of tradition, the Space Force uses these anniversaries to celebrate its unique mission and emerging identity, Fiocco said in an emailed statement, adding that this holds particularly true for milestone birthdays such as this one.

Maj. Jeremy Crossman, U.S. Space Force Guardian, cuts the birthday cake as the youngest service representative in attendance during the Space Force's 5th birthday celebration at Patch Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany, Dec. 17, 2024. (Michael Mason/U.S. Air Force)

Asked how the force is developing its identity, Fiocco said that while the Space Forces senior leaders set the tone for professionalism and forward-thinking, a culture is also emerging organically from guardians.

Bottom-up traditions are already forming, such as collaborative storytelling about mission success and the unique camaraderie found in small, agile teams. Additionally, time-honored traditions across the military, such as cake cuttings, and other smaller initiatives, like the design of patches, have emerged across the Space Force, said Fiocco.

Leading up to the birthday were two events that may be nascent traditions: the Spacepower conference and the T-Minus 10-Miler.

At the second annual Spacepower conference, held in Orlando, Fla., ten days before the birthday, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman hailed the forces growth since he joined, when it had less than 100 civilian and military personnel.

We had a shoestring budget and a mountain of work to do. Today, the military and civilian personnel serving the Space Force total nearly 15,000. Average that out, and youre talking about almost tripling our size every year for five years  an unheard of and monumental administrative feat in any government organization, said Saltzman, according to a transcript.

Just a few days after the conference, on Dec. 14 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, the Space Force held its third annual T-Minus 10-Miler. Participants not only ran 10 miles, but did so while passing sites important to aerospace history.

U.S. Air Force Capt. Margaux Nagano, Space Systems Command assistant staff judge, crosses the finish line during the U.S. Space Forces T-Minus 10-Miler marathon at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla., Dec. 14, 2024. Nagano took first place among female competitors during the annual 10-mile endurance race. (DeAnna Murano/U.S. Space Force) Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman, left, speaks with retired Lt. Gen. Bill Liquori during the Space Force Associations 2024 Spacepower Conference in Orlando, Fla., Dec. 10, 2024. (Eric Dietrich/U.S. Air Force) Chief Master Sgt. of the Space Force John Bentivegna, left, and Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman, right, pose with the winners of the Guardian Arena during the Space Force Associations 2024 Spacepower Conference in Orlando, Fla., Dec. 10, 2024. (Eric Dietrich/U.S. Air Force)

It is unclear how many cake-cuttings or birthday balls have been held, given the forces relatively small headcount, although Fiocco said celebrations are increasingly common across the force. The Army & Air Force Exchange Service is also holding a sweepstakes in honor of the birthday, from Dec. 20 to Jan. 17, 2025.

However the guardians celebrate, they are keeping busy too. In early December the service activated its sixth service component, U.S. Space Forces  Japan at Yokota Air Base, and it is working to stand up Space Futures Command in 2025.
Naples Bay Tours' offerings include a class held at a restaurant in Naples, Italy, where participants learn to make tagliatelle and ravioli. At the end, students get to eat their pasta creations during a family-style meal. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes)

Most of the people who take a class on handmade pasta in Naples probably will never make the Italian cuisine staple ever again, given how labor-intensive it is and the availability of great pasta in the city.

But that doesnt mean you should pass on getting your hands sticky making pasta with a group of similar-minded foodies.

The 2 1/2-hour class I took with Naples Bay Tours offers participants the opportunity to learn the pasta-making basics used by Neapolitan nonnas, or grandmothers, while reveling in the citys food culture.

Participants in a pasta-making class in Naples, Italy, on Dec. 3, 2024, get plenty of hands-on experience in using a pasta recipe favored by Neapolitan nonnas, or grandmothers, to make tagliatelle and ravioli. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes)

On a recent Tuesday evening, I joined four other aspiring pasta chefs at Mammina pizzeria just off the ancient street of Via Toledo in central Naples, although the restaurant is not affiliated with the class.

Offered twice a day, the class focuses on ravioli and fettuccine Alfredo, or rather the Italian version of the dish. Minutes into our class, our instructor, a lifelong Neapolitan who has been cooking since he was in his early teens, patiently explained that the long, wide noodles called fettuccine in the U.S. dont exist in Italy.

The closest comparison of American fettuccine Alfredo for Italians is tagliatelle with butter, Parmesan cheese and sage. Thats it, he said.

This standard pasta recipe in Naples, Italy, includes just three ingredients: eggs, double-zero flour and salt. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes)

With that knowledge, we cracked two eggs into the middle of some finely ground double zero flour and added a little salt. Just three ingredients are in the standard pasta recipe used by Italian grandmothers everywhere, our instructor said.

It was important to whisk the eggs until foamy first without incorporating the flour, which is high in protein and offers the smooth texture and elasticity needed for pasta. Before long, it was time to knead the dough.

A class instructor in Naples, Italy, on Dec. 3, 2024, demonstrates how to shape pasta dough into a ball, which is then covered and allowed to rest for about 20 minutes before being rolled into sheets. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes)

This took time, muscle and patience as our instructor explained how to shape the dough and then push an indentation into the resulting ball to see if it was ready.

If the indentation bounces back, its time to cover the dough and let it rest. In Italy, this is known as putting the pasta to bed or buona notte, which means good night.

With 20 minutes on our hands, we were seated at a table and offered an appetizer of warm zeppole, deep-fried dough balls that are a typical Neapolitan snack and our instructors favorite. The platter also included bruschetta, or grilled bread with chopped tomatoes and basil.

The break offered a chance to taste traditional cuisine and share in the joy of eating together, which is important in Italian culture.

Ravioli and tagliatelle in progress during a pasta-making class in Naples, Italy. The class is held twice a day at a restaurant just off the famed Via Toledo. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes)

After learning a little more about one another  three of my classmates were a family on vacation from Irvine, Calif., and the other an Australian finishing up a few months tour of Italy and France  we were back at the hard work of making pasta.

The elasticity of the dough requires patient stretching in a large, thin circle using two different types of wooden rolling pins. Giving it our best try, each of us ultimately needed our instructors assistance to roll out the dough nearly paper-thin.

This meant lifting up a portion of the flattened disc and putting your hand behind it. Dough that is thin enough has a sort of transparency that allows you to see your fingers, our instructor advised.

We then cut off the edges of the circle to make a square, saving the trimmings for later. Nothing goes to waste, our instructor said.

An instructor shows how to properly fold dough over filling for ravioli as part of a pasta-making class in Naples, Italy, on Dec. 3, 2024. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes)

Half of the square would become ravioli, filled with fresh ricotta and some Parmesan cheese seasoned with a little salt, pepper and olive oil.

The other half would become the tagliatelle, rolled horizontally, cigar-style, at a width about the size of a pinkie finger. We cut the roll vertically at index-finger widths, unwrapping the resulting pinwheels into long strips, and cut the leftover trimmings to match.

Our work was done. It was now time for our instructor to boil the pasta, not more than 4 or 5 minutes, and make the sauces to accompany it.

A 2.5-hour pasta-making class offered in Naples, Italy, includes an appetizer of fried dough balls called zeppole and bruschetta with tomatoes. Participants also get to eat the pasta they make and take home the recipes. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes)

The ravioli came out first, blanketed in a sauce of sauteed San Marzano tomatoes accented with a touch of Parmesan. The buttery tagliatelle, or fettuccine Alfredo, was next.

We savored each expertly prepared dish while sitting family-style around a dining table decorated with an iconic, red-checked tablecloth, swapping stories about what brought us to Naples.

The class ended in a toast with limoncello, a lemon-flavored liqueur, and the presentation of pasta chef diplomas that included a QR code to an online site with recipes.

Fettuccine Alfredo and ravioli class

Address: Via Santa Brigida 65, Naples, Italy

Cost: 42 euros, including appetizer, drink and pasta lunch or dinner. Classes are kid-friendly; they are not wheelchair accessible. Instruction is in English.

Hours: 11 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. daily; reservations required

Information: Online: naplesbay.it/en/prodotto/lesson-of-the-egg-pasta
Movies in English are shown at Cinecitta Multiplexkino in Nuremberg, Germany, with tickets costing about 11 euros. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)

I often find myself torn between the comfort of a cozy night at home and the joy of spending time out with friends.

An evening at a movie theater strikes a balance between the two. But living in a foreign country means adding the challenge of finding theaters that screen English-language movies without German dubbing.

Cinecitta Multiplexkino in Nuremberg offers films that cater to both German- and English-speaking audiences, along with restaurants and amenities that encourage spending a little extra time there before or after the show.

Cinecitta Multiplexkino, nestled along the Pegnitz River in Nuremberg, Germany, lets patrons enjoy dinner and a show all under one roof. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes) Cinecitta Multiplexkino in Nuremberg, Germany, stands out by offering numerous showtimes for films in English, free from dubbing or translation. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)

The theater is nestled along the Pegnitz River and close to all the sights and sounds of the citys old town. If you visit in December, its a scenic 10-minute stroll from one of Europes most famous Christmas markets.

The tickets for Gladiator II were 11 euros, which is very reasonable in comparison to what Ive come to expect from American theaters lately. But we arrived well in advance to check out what the complex has to offer beyond the movies.

Cinecitta Multiplexkino hosts a bar and common area where patrons can have a snack or a drink and socialize when they're not watching a movie. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes) The common area in Cinecitta Multiplexkino in Nuremberg, Germany, provides a social atmosphere beyond the film screenings. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)

The atmosphere outside the screenings is a social one, say those who recommended the spot to me. The common area between the theaters, restaurants, cafe and bar wasnt jumping on a Tuesday evening, but Im told its a busy hangout over the weekend.

The food options include the recently renovated Oriental, which goes in two different directions, Middle Eastern mezze and southeast Asian. If hummus and stuffed grape leaves appetizers and pad thai for dinner is your thing, have at it.

The Google returns are positive about the food. One five-star review mentions, among other things, remarkable photos on the way to the toilet.

The second floor of the complex hosts an American-style diner, where I indulged in one of the most classic fast-food meals from our culture, chicken tenders and fries, while a friend accompanying me opted for a salad.

The food offerings at the American Diner in Cinecitta Multiplexkino in Nuremberg, Germany, serve as a complement to the American-made movies shown there. The theater offers English-language shows without dubbing or subtitles. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes) The American Diner is one of several places at Cinecitta Multiplexkino in Nuremburg, Germany, where patrons can grab a bite to eat. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)

The food was decent, affordable and convenient, especially since we had both come straight from work without having the chance to grab dinner beforehand.

We didnt have time for the bar and cafes, but theres a lot to choose from if you do. Central Bar is a lot more than bar, serving stone oven-baked pizza, smoothies and ice cream sundaes, among other things.

Theres also the cappuccino bar and a roof terrace open in the summer. I cant vouch for the beer, but I wouldnt be worried about the quality  youre in Bavaria.

Cinecitta Multiplexkino in Nuremberg, Germany, presents films in German, as expected, but it stands out by also offering numerous screenings in English. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)

The movie theater itself was cozy, if unremarkable. The crowd was minimal, allowing us to have the entire row to ourselves. As for Gladiator II, I found it entertaining. Im not a film critic, but they generally say Denzel Washington stole the show, and Id have to agree.

If it hadnt been a weeknight, I would have loved to stay for a nightcap. I fully intend to return, especially with the lineup of films debuting early next year. And when I do, Ill sample more of what Cinecitta has to offer beyond the movies.

Cinecitta Multiplexkino in Nuremberg, Germany, offers more than just a movie night. The vibrant social scene at its various eateries, cafe and bar invites customers to linger long after the credits roll. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)

Cinecitta

Location: Gewerbemuseumsplatz 3, Nuremburg, Germany

Cost: Ticket, 11 euros; dinner entree, 10-18 euros

Hours: Sunday to Thursday, 10 a.m.-1 a.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 a.m.

Information: Online: www.cinecitta.de
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has admitted whether he will celebrate New Year's holidays and Christmas with his family: his wife Olena and children Oleksandra and Kyrylo. He has prioritized his work on ending the war with Russia as his most important duty, and his family has taken a back seat.

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So far, the issue of celebrating important winter dates is still in limbo for the President of Ukraine. However, according to him, if there is an opportunity to spend them with his family, he will definitely do so. These statements were made in an interview with Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the French newspaper Le Parisien.

"As for the New Year's holidays and Christmas, I don't know. If there is an opportunity, I will gladly spend time with them, if there is no opportunity, then next time. No one is giving up because of this. We have one country, and there will be many more holidays ahead, so I'm fine with it," the President said with a smile on his face.

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According to him, the most important thing is just to spend time with your family, and this moment does not necessarily have to be on a holiday. However, his priority is still to end the war so that all military personnel can celebrate the New Year holidays with their loved ones.

"I am sure that in any case, we deserve to end the war, to have a sustainable peace. I am sure that we will definitely do it. Then there will be time, and we will be together; there will be time for all these pleasant moments. What is a holiday? This is also what you understand during the war  the question is not what day, but who you are with on a given day. This is what a holiday is  being with those you love," Volodymyr Zelenskyy added.

At the same time, he claims that it is his family that "keeps him afloat" and motivates him to work: "All this gives me strength, so whenever I have the opportunity, I do my best to spend some time with those who motivate me and charge me very much. But they tell me that I also motivate and energize them very much. So it's in the best interest of our family."

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum gestures during her first morning conference at the National Palace in Mexico City on Oct. 2, 2024. Sheinbaums administration is prepared to work in coordination with federal, state and local authorities in the face of possible mass deportations after Donald Trump becomes U.S. president, the Mexico Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement in response to questions from Bloomberg News. (Alfredo Estrella/via Getty Images/TNS)

MEXICO CITY (Tribune News Service)  Mexico is prepared to receive its nationals living in the U.S. if President-elect Donald Trump follows through on his deportation pledges, but it wont serve as a safe third country for migrants of other nationalities.

President Claudia Sheinbaums administration is prepared to work in coordination with federal, state and local authorities in the face of possible mass deportations, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement in response to questions from Bloomberg News.

Trumps transition team has contacted the governments of Mexico and El Salvador through back channels about taking in some of the millions of undocumented migrants set to be expelled under his deportation plan, Bloomberg News reported Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Trumps team and informal advisers have had detailed conversations with representatives of the two Latin American governments, in some cases via businesspeople, about taking back migrants, according to the people.

The incoming administration is seeking to prepare broad understandings so that detailed work on deportations can begin immediately after he takes office.

Trump will have the difficult task of getting countries with which the U.S. doesnt have good relations  such as Venezuela, Nicaragua or Cuba  to receive their migrants, as many of these countries dont generally accept deportation flights.

Mexico, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said, will not be a safe third country for people of other nationalities, reiterating a position it held during Trumps first term.

In 2019, then-President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador balked at an agreement that would have required Central American migrants seeking refugee status to file asylum claims in Mexico rather than waiting until they reach the U.S.

We reaffirm the responsibility and obligation of the Mexican State to our fellow citizens so that they can have the confidence that they will be received in the manner they deserve in the face of present and future challenges, the ministry said.

As part of its preparations for Trumps presidency, Mexico is also getting its consulates in the U.S. ready to support citizens living there, in case the mass deportations do in fact take place.

Foreign Minister Juan Ramon de la Fuente  one of Sheinbaums close, longtime allies  has traveled to the U.S. several times in the last few weeks to fill empty consular slots and prepare a strategy of legal and consular advice for that scenario, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter.

The Mexican government is taking Trumps threats seriously and wants to be prepared. De la Fuente said on Wednesday from El Paso, Texas, that hes working on a legal defense strategy for Mexicans in the U.S., as well as on a process to simplify procedures and digitize the documents they may require in case of deportations. That includes documents such as birth and marriage certificates, he said in webcast remarks to Sheinbaums daily news conference.

Among the reasons why Sheinbaum chose De la Fuente for this key role at the Foreign Ministry is that he measures his public statements and approaches the position in an institutional manner, said the people.

A psychiatrist by training, De la Fuente was the chief of Sheinbaums transition team and previously held roles such as Mexicos ambassador to the United Nations, rector of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and chair of the board of the Aspen Institute in Mexico.

Last month, Trump threatened to impose 25% tariffs on all goods from Mexico as soon as hes inaugurated until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country.

In a call between the two leaders, held in English, Sheinbaum noted the efforts Mexico is making in both areas. Trump later described the call as a wonderful conversation.

Mexico will look to continue showing Trump the progress its making to stop migrant caravans going north and reduce border crossings to the U.S.  as well as the increase in fentanyl seizures  because Sheinbaums administration believes Trumps threats could diminish if he sees progress in these areas, the people added.

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The Japan coast guard vessel JCGC Wakasa maneuvers during a trilateral search-and-rescue exercise in the Sea of Japan on June 6, 2024. (Elijah Murphy/U.S. Coast Guard)

TOKYO  The U.S. Coast Guard will join its Indian and Japanese counterparts for first-of-its-kind training in Tokyo Bay early next year.

The three-day exercise will take place Jan. 7-11 in conjunction with an annual summit on Jan. 10 between Japan and Indias coast guards in Tokyo, the service announced in a news release Thursday.

The Japanese and Indian coast guards have been strengthening cooperation and collaboration through annual summits, joint exercises and so on, working together to maintain security and ensure safety in the Indo-Pacific region, according to the release.

The training will primarily involve India coast guard vessels  slated to make their first port call on Yokohama in six years  and the Japan coast guards National Strike Team. The U.S. Coast Guards National Strike Force, a specialized unit that trains others for disaster response, will also participate, according to the release.

It will be the first such exercise between the three countries, a Japan coast guard spokesman told Stars and Stripes by phone Wednesday. Government spokespeople in Japan typically speak to the media on condition of anonymity.

The drill will focus on cooperation and environmental protection at sea, including measures against hazardous materials, he said.

U.S. 7th Fleet spokeswoman Lt. Cmdr. Jamie Moroney said she could not speak to future operations due to operational security concerns.

We regularly integrate with allied and partner nations to train, exercise and develop tactical interoperability, she said by email Thursday. Professional engagement with allies and partners in the region allows us the opportunity to build upon our existing, strong relationships and learn from each other.

Nikkei Asia, citing an unnamed source in Japans Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reported Tuesday that Australia would also participate in the exercise; however, the Japan coast guard spokesman said thats not the case.

The Yomiuri newspaper, citing unnamed Philippine coast guard officials, reported Tuesday that a second exercise will take place sometime in March between the U.S., Japan and the Philippines. The coast guard spokesman said he was aware of the report and that a definitive plan has not yet been made.
Navy Cmdr. Daniel Ropp poses in front of a mural he painted for the library at Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan, on Dec. 12, 2024. (Jeremy Stillwagner/Stars and Stripes)

NAVAL AIR FACILITY ATSUGI, Japan  An officer on this installation southwest of Tokyo is exercising his artistic side with contributions to the Navy and local Japanese communities.

Cmdr. Daniel Ropp, assigned to Fleet Readiness Center Western Pacific, has been creating art throughout his 20-year military career, finding joy in the impact his work has on others.

When I make art or any creative process, it is genuinely rewarding, the native of York, Pa., told Stars and Stripes in a recent email interview.

Ropp said he has never really settled on a particular subject, though he experiments with portraiture, reflective items and aviation-related art.

This painting by Cmdr. Daniel Ropp of Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan, will be on display at Ayase City Hall through the end of the year. (Jeremy Stillwagner/Stars and Stripes) Cmdr. Daniel Ropp, assigned to Fleet Readiness Center Western Pacific, has been creating art throughout his 20-year military career, finding joy in the impact his work has on others. (Daniel Ropp)

Now in his third tour at NAF Atsugi, Ropp was recognized on Dec. 3 by Ayase Mayor Yoshihiko Katsukawa for a painting he submitted for the Ayase BaseSide Festival.

That Halloween painting depicts two Japanese-American children dressed in traditional American scary costumes with a glowing jack-o-lantern under a full moon. It is scheduled to be on display at Ayase City Hall for the remainder of the year.

Although naturally talented, Ropp said he never attended art school but honed his skills in sketching and painting over the years. Throughout his Navy career, he has designed unit shirts and morale patches but has expanded his focus in recent years.

I genuinely enjoy experimenting with all mediums and have experimented with drawing, acrylic and oil painting, large-scale spray paint murals, sculpture, and carving, he said.

Using spray paint, he has performed live speed painting at NAF Atsugi open-base events, supporting the Morale, Welfare and Recreation department.

Cmdr. Daniel Ropp, assigned to Fleet Readiness Center Western Pacific, has been creating art throughout his 20-year military career, finding joy in the impact his work has on others. (Daniel Ropp) Cmdr. Daniel Ropp, assigned to Fleet Readiness Center Western Pacific, has been creating art throughout his 20-year military career, finding joy in the impact his work has on others. (Daniel Ropp)

Ropp said he is scheduled to complete a large mural early next year in nearby Yamato and has a goal of getting more public art into the community.

He said his artistic objectives are twofold.

Sometimes I want to create something from my imagination that plays with different elements, and on some other pieces I genuinely want to create a piece to help build community and tell a story of that organization or group, he said.

After becoming more comfortable with public art exhibitions in 2021, Ropp said he pushed his works out to social media. About three years ago, he established a dedicated Instagram page, @flysurrealart, and a webpage, www.flysurreal.com, to show off his creations.

Each piece requires significant time and effort, Ropp explained. Paintings like the one displayed at Ayase City Hall vary in complexity, depending on materials, size and detail.

For some complex oil paintings, it can take months because of the curing required, he wrote. For some acrylic paintings, it can take about 12 to 24 work hours, and for live paintings, I strive to complete them between 4 to 7 hours so they can be completed in a single sitting.

A large-scale mural, like one he created for NAF Atsugis library, could take months. It shows a compilation of childrens story book characters, such as from the 1982 book, The Big Friendly Giant, by Roald Dahl. Ropp used his personal leave time to complete that project.

I wanted to put as many different elements and Easter eggs throughout the mural so that when people view it, they are always looking and discovering new parts of it, he said.

Ropp was deeply moved by the recognition he recently received from Ayase city.

I was completely surprised, humbled and grateful, he said. I am glad that something like art can be used to connect communities and find common ground in our humanity.
Naha District Court, which also houses the Naha branch of the Fukuoka High Court on Okinawa, is pictured on Dec. 20, 2024. (Keishi Koja/Stars and Stripes)

NAHA, Okinawa  A U.S. airman convicted on Dec. 13 in Japanese court of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl last year on Okinawa has appealed the verdict.

Senior Airman Brennon Washington, 25, of Kadena Air Base, appealed on Dec. 13, the same day the verdict was rendered in Naha District Court, a spokeswoman for the court said by phone Friday.

Washington was sentenced to five years in prison with hard labor after a three-judge panel found him guilty of kidnapping and sexually assaulting the girl after picking her up in a Yomitan park and taking her to his home on Dec. 24, 2023.

The case will be forwarded to the Naha branch of Fukuoka High Court, the spokeswoman said.

Some Japanese government officials may speak to the media only on condition of anonymity.

Washington is in Japanese custody, the 18th Wing at Kadena wrote in an unsigned email Friday.

Under the Japanese legal system, a high court reviews the trial court proceedings and judgment to ensure compliance with procedural law and look for errors in the interpretation or application of law, excessive severity or leniency in the sentence or errors in fact-finding.

Usually, proceedings are restricted to oral arguments by attorneys and prosecutors and do not involve reexamination of witnesses or other evidence.

The court can either dismiss Washingtons appeal, reverse the original judgment, reverse the judgment and remand it back to Naha District Court for a retrial, or render a new judgment. However, the new judgment cannot be stricter than the original.

The case against Washington and unrelated charges of attempted sexual assault against Marine Lance Cpl. Jamel Clayton unleashed discontent within the Okinawa government and prompted a mass demonstration by Okinawa citizens. It also led U.S. Forces Japan and bases on Okinawa to impose restrictions to curb excessive drinking by U.S. troops across the country.

In the wake of Washingtons March indictment, undisclosed until June, Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki accused Japans central government of withholding information from Okinawa prefecture about criminal allegations against U.S. service members.

The Okinawa Prefectural Assembly also called for changes to the status of forces agreement governing the U.S. military population in Japan.

In its verdict, the court gave credence to the girls testimony, some of which was backed up by security cameras in the Yomitan park.

The judges also determined that Washington was aware he did not have consent based on the girls repeated requests for him to stop. They found that Washington invited the girl into his car with the intention of acting indecently.

The girl testified on Aug. 23 that she used English, Japanese and hand gestures to tell Washington she was 15 and that Washington at his home kissed her with his tongue and penetrated her with his fingers and tongue.

She had to repeat stop in English and Japanese several times, she testified.

Washington admitted in court on Aug. 29 that he was intimate with the girl, but with her consent, and that he did not penetrate her. He also testified that he believed the girl was 18.
U.S. Army Gen. Paul LaCamera, the outgoing leader of U.S. Forces Korea, speaks during his change-of-command ceremony at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, Dec. 20, 2024. (Luis Garcia/Stars and Stripes)

CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea  U.S. Army Gen. Paul LaCamera bid farewell Friday to the 28,500 troops he led in South Korea and urged them to remain vigilant against threats from North Korea and other potential adversaries who threatened the international rules-based order.

In his final speech before retiring from his post as commander of USFK, LaCamera reminded the troops that this land has been sanctified with the blood of countless sons and daughters.

LaCamera is retiring after 39 years of service. He is succeeded by Army Gen. Xavier Brunson, who promised to build on the principles of collective security.

U.S. Army Gen. Xavier Brunson, the new leader of U.S. Forces Korea, speaks during his change-of-command ceremony at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, Dec. 20, 2024. (Luis Garcia/Stars and Stripes)

United we are stronger and more capable of meeting any challenge, Brunson said at the change-of-command ceremony. I pledge to serve with humility, respect and an unyielding commitment to our shared mission.

The commander of USFK also leads the U.N. Command and the Combined Forces Command.

Since the 1950-53 Korean War, South Korea has transformed into a thriving nation that can stand as a beacon of freedom and prosperity, LaCamera told an audience of roughly 500 people outside the commands headquarters.

But this growth did not come free of cost, he added.

More than 33,700 U.S. troops died in combat during the Korean War, according to the U.S. Defense Casualty Analysis system.

The four-star general advised troops to continue training daily and that complacency is our greatest adversary.

Readiness is perishable, he said. You need to hone it  each and every day.

LaCamera took command of USFK on July 2, 2021. Prior to that, he led the Hawaii-based U.S. Army Pacific and XVIII Airborne Corps in Fort Liberty, N.C.

A native of Westwood, Mass., he was commissioned an infantry officer after graduating from West Point in 1985.

U.S. Army Gen. Paul LaCamera, the outgoing leader of U.S. Forces Korea, passes the guidon to Adm. Samuel Paparo, the head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, during a change-of-command ceremony at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, Dec. 20, 2024. (Luis Garcia/Stars and Stripes) A pair of AH-64 Apaches fly over U.S. Forces Korea headquarters during USFK's change-of-command ceremony at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, Dec. 20, 2024. (Eric Mendiola/Stars and Stripes)

Adm. Samuel Paparo, the head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, oversaw Fridays ceremony, which was also attended by South Koreas acting defense minister, Kim Seon-ho, and U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Philip Goldberg.

LaCamera has been ruthlessly focused on combat excellence throughout his tenure, as evidenced by leading unprecedented military exercises with the South Korean and Japanese militaries, Paparo told the audience.

LaCamera oversaw a series of novel drills held in response to North Koreas ballistic missile testing, including the first U.S., South Korean, Japanese aerial escort drill of a nuclear-capable bomber on Oct. 22, 2023.

The Air Force B-52H Stratofortress was escorted by U.S. F-16 Fighting Falcons, South Korean F-15K Slam Eagles and Japanese F-2s over air-defense zones overlapping South Korea and Japan, showcasing the strength of the trilateral relationship, INDOPACOM said in a statement at the time.

Two weeks prior to the bomber sortie, the three countries conducted a two-day maritime drill, the first of its kind since 2016.

Brunson previously commanded the Armys I Corps based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. His other assignments include command of the 7th Infantry Division at Lewis-McChord and chief of staff of the XVIII Airborne Corps.

The Fayetteville, N.C., native graduated from Hampton University and was commissioned an infantry officer in 1990.

His wife, Kirsten Brunson, is a retired Army colonel and is the services first African American female judge.
Lilliyana Desancic, 11, had her ornament design selected as one of 24 that will hang on a Christmas tree near the White House this year. The tree's decorations represent her Defense Department school in Sembach, Germany. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stipes)

SEMBACH, Germany  One of Eowyn Gambles biggest wishes for Christmas this year is to have her artwork catch the eye of Vice President Kamala Harris.

The 9-year-old, whose father is a Navy senior chief petty officer, is among two dozen Sembach Elementary School students who designed Christmas ornaments that are on display near the National Christmas Tree in Washington, just steps away from the White House.

My message to her would be that its a (drawing of a) plum tree, Gamble said. A lot of people decided to draw flags or sunsets, but I thought of doing a tree. It was super-creative.

Normally, the fourth grader draws pictures of dragons, foxes or herself. Hearing that her artistry had been selected for use as an ornament was exciting, she said.

Every year, one Defense Department-run school from each of three global regions joins a school from each state and U.S. territory in being selected to design ornaments for their own Christmas tree in Washington.

These smaller trees line a path near the national Christmas tree in Presidents Park, behind the White House. The annual display, called America Celebrates, is meant to be a way for students to show pride in their states history and culture.

For children of service members living overseas, it can also be a way to feel connected to home at a time of year when being away can be particularly difficult.

Gamble and her family are spending their first Christmas in Germany after living in the Washington, D.C., area for three years.

Eowyn Gamble, 9, is one of 24 students at Sembach Elementary School in Sembach, Germany, who designed ornaments for this years National Christmas Tree celebration in Washington, D.C. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes) Members of the Gamble family, photographed at the Christmas market in Kaiserslautern, Germany, on Dec. 17, 2024, are spending their first Christmas in Germany this year. Sembach Elementary School student Eowyn Gamble's drawing of a plum tree was selected to be transformed into an ornament for a school Christmas tree near the White House. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes) A Christmas ornament designed by Eowyn Gamble, 9, was inspired by a plum tree growing behind the fourth graders house in Germany. It was among 24 ornaments designed by students at Sembach Elementary School included in this years National Christmas Tree celebration in Washington D.C. (Ashlee Gamble)

Sembach Elementary School, located in the sprawling Kaiserslautern Military Community in southwestern Germany, was selected as this years Department of Defense Education Activity in Europe representative.

The schools art teacher, Cassie Bennett, had over 240 of her students between kindergarten and fifth grade design a Christmas ornament in the fall, telling them only that it was for something special.

Their task was to create a design that depicted what living in Germany is like. After the designs were submitted, Bennett had to decide which 24 would be sent to Washington to be turned into ornaments.

Its definitely different living here, Bennett said. Coming here, youre away from family, youre away from familiarity, so when you get to be a part of something back home thats this big and iconic, its special.

President Calvin Coolidge began the national Christmas tree tradition in 1923. About three decades later, a wider celebration called the Christmas Pageant of Peace was launched, in which the tree lighting event expanded to three weeks.

The expansion also included a feature called Pathway of Peace around the national Christmas tree. Its composed of smaller trees representing all the states and additional areas.

The Sembach students whose designs were selected werent told until Dec. 13, when their names were announced at a Christmas concert at the school.

A third grade choir performs at Sembach Elementary School on Dec. 13, 2024, during an event in which names of 24 students who had ornament designs included in this years National Christmas Tree celebration were announced. (Colin Cruickshank/DODEA) A parent takes a photograph on Dec. 13, 2024, of Sembach Elementary students whose ornament designs were included in this years National Christmas Tree celebration. (Colin Cruickshank/DODEA) Cassie Bennett, an art teacher at Sembach Elementary School, sent designs by 24 of her students to Washington to be transformed into Christmas ornaments. The school in Germany is this year's Department of Defense Education Activity in Europe representative in an annual program to decorate trees near the White House. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)

I felt so overwhelmed, said Lilliyana Desancic, 11. I stayed in my seat because I thought they were calling another Lilly. Then I was like, Whoa, its me. 

Desancic, whose father is an Air Force captain at nearby Ramstein Air Base, used rain clouds in her ornament design and said she thought that shed more likely have a wet Christmas this year instead of a white one.

I like Christmas in the U.S., she said. We used to live in Wyoming and my favorite part was jumping in the snow. Here, its too rainy for me.

Desancic has three siblings attending Sembach Elementary School. Their ornament designs, along with the others not selected for Washington, have been hung up around the school to reflect its participation in the capital celebration.
Army 1st Lt. Michael Wisniewski stands with other troops near al-Tanf garrison in Syria on Oct. 31, 2024. (Mahsima Alkamooneh/Army photo)

WASHINGTON  The U.S. had more than doubled the number of American troops in Syria to counter the Islamic State group before the fall of former President Bashar al-Assads government almost two weeks ago, the Pentagon said Thursday.

These additional forces are considered temporary rotational forces that deployed to meet shifting mission requirements, said Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the top Pentagon spokesman.

The U.S. now has 2,000 troops in Syria as part of an American-led coalition in that country and Iraq working to prevent a resurgence of ISIS. The Pentagon has reported since at least 2021 that 900 U.S. service members and an undisclosed number of contractors are operating in Syria, where they support local Kurdish forces. An additional 2,500 American troops are in Iraq.

The Pentagon had been asked in recent days and weeks about U.S. forces in Syria but the increase was never disclosed. Ryder said the additional forces had been in Syria at a minimum months  its been going on for a while.

He said Army conventional and special operations forces make up the bulk of the additional troops.

The 13-year civil war in Syria reignited two weeks ago as rebel forces led by the militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, launched an attack on the city of Aleppo and moved into the countryside around Idlib. Rebel forces overthrew Assad at the time.

U.S. bases in the Middle East have been prone to attacks since the surprise attack in October 2023 by Hamas militants on Israel. The Pentagon recently said U.S. forces had been fired upon 125 times in Syria and 79 times in Iraq since the Hamas attack.

The U.S. has stepped up airstrikes against ISIS targets in Syria in the wake of Assads fall from power.

President-elect Donald Trump tried to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria during his first term, which drove former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to resign in protest. As Trump prepares to return to the White House, he has said he does not support U.S. forces getting more involved in Syria, The Associated Press reported.

Right now, we have no plans to cease the de-ISIS mission, Ryder said.
No data leakage has been recorded as a result of the Russian hacker attack on the state registers of Ukraine. All information contained in electronic systems is backed up and will be restored, so there is no question of data loss.

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This was stated by the Minister of Justice of Ukraine Olga Stefanyshyna at a briefing on December 20. "I have received information from the head of the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection that the data leak has not yet been confirmed," the Justice Minister said.

She clarified that the registers are currently in "quarantine" and additional checks are being conducted."The most important thing is that there is no threat of data loss, all registers will be restored. I ask citizens to be patient," Stefanyshyna assured.

She also explained that all state registers have backups. The information is reserved in the full form in which the registers worked before the attack.

It is with the data set that was "recorded" before the attack that the registries will return to work. According to the head of the Ministry of Justice, problems may arise only with data that was entered within a few hours during the attack itself. Separate decisions will be made based on such information.

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In addition, the events related to the registers of the Ministry of Justice did not affect other state information systems. In particular, this applies to the Diia application, which does not store data.

"Yesterday (December 19  Ed.), after the attack on the state registers, we contacted related government agencies. There is no threat to other information resources, but we have asked all departments to take protection measures. That's probably why Reserve+ took some quarantine yesterday to carry out additional checks," Stefanyshyna added.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, 25 services are temporarily unavailable in the application and on the Diia portal, including booking employees from mobilization, due to the suspension of the state registers. It is also not yet possible to apply for some types of social assistance, re-register a car, etc.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
A Dec. 19, 2024 strike by U.S. forces in Syria killed Abu Yusif, an Islamic State leader, and one other operative, U.S. Central Command said in a statement Dec. 20. (U.S. Central Command)

U.S. forces in the Middle East killed a leader of the Islamic State group in a precision airstrike in Syria, U.S. Central Command said Friday.

The strike on Thursday in Syrias Deir el-Zour province killed Abu Yusif and one other operative, CENTCOM said in a statement. It was conducted in a region previously controlled by the government of former President Bashar Assad and Russian forces, the command said.

The action was part of U.S. efforts to keep ISIS from reconstituting and taking advantage of the current situation in Syria, said Gen. Erik Kurilla, CENTCOM commander.

ISIS has the intent to break out of detention the over 8,000 ISIS operatives currently being held in facilities in Syria, Kurilla said.

The U.S. will continue to target ISIS leaders and operatives, including those trying to conduct operations outside Syria, Kurilla added.

Thursdays strike was the third this month against ISIS. Those strikes largely have targeted camps and operatives in the central Syrian desert, killing at least 12.

Syria remains unstable following the collapse of Assads regime, with rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham looking to install a new government.

The White House has said the U.S. will not get involved in Syrias war. But America has its own interests in the nation, including defeating ISIS and preventing conflict between Turkey and U.S.-backed Kurdish forces in the northeast.

CENTCOMs announcement of the most recent strike comes a day after the Pentagon announced that there were about 2,000 troops in Syria.

About 1,100 service members have deployed to the country over the last several months, Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters Thursday. For months, the Pentagon said there were about 900 U.S. service members in the country.

Stars and Stripes reporter Alison Bath contributed to this report.
A gun and a liquor bottle in the foreground with a person seated in a shadow in the background. (Joshua J. Seybert/U.S. Air Force)

WASHINGTON  The number of veteran suicides continued to hold steady in 2022 despite an infusion of $13.5 billion in funds for mental health services for former service members, according to newly released findings from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Veteran suicides rose to 6,407 for calendar year 2022, up by three from the previous year, according to the VAs 2024 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report that examined suicides by population groups of veterans.

The report showed firearm deaths contributed to most veteran suicides  used in 75% of suicides by male veterans, up 2% from the previous year. Firearms were used in about 45% of suicides among female veterans, down 6% from 2021, the VA said.

Firearms account for more suicides among veterans than in the non-veteran, general population, according to the report. From 2021 to 2022, the percentage of veteran suicides involving firearms increased about 7%.

Overall, the suicide rate among male veterans was up 1.6% in 2022 but the rate among women dropped significantly  by about 24%. The suicide rate increase for male veterans was comparable to the general population. But the suicide rate among women in the general population went up by more than 5%.

Suicide rates were down among veterans who are homeless but showed an increase among former service members with certain serious psychiatric disorders.

Rah-jaunn Dorsey, 49, a former Navy seaman, said Thursday that he has struggled with homelessness and thoughts of suicide since his military service from 1998 to 2000.

Rah-jaunn Dorsey, 49, a Gulf War Navy veteran, rests Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, in his tent outside of Progress Place in Silver Spring, Md., a facility owned by Montgomery County offering food, showers, prescription assistance and other resources to homeless people. Progress Place houses Shepherds Table, which provides hot meals daily to people who need them. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)

Dorsey, who was camped outside the Shepherds Table soup kitchen in Silver Spring, Md., said worsening psychiatric problems made it difficult for him to navigate the VA system to qualify for health care and other benefits related to his depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, a condition that afflicts people who have experienced terrifying events.

Veterans diagnosed with PTSD are at higher risk of death from suicide and accidental injury, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Ive been trying to apply for all types of assistance but getting nowhere. Its hard to get anything done, he said.

Dorsey said he now receives assistance at a county resource center with prescription medications, where a caseworker is trying to help him get housing and qualify for VA care.

Another veteran standing outside the Shepherds Table said he thinks some former service members just need to be better directed to care.

The 58-year-old former Army sergeant, who declined to use his name, said he sees a lot of veterans on the streets with mental health and addiction problems.

Some of these guys are psychotic and need extra help getting their care, he said. Theyre lost.

In 2022, the VA launched several efforts to address suicide among veterans, including a 988+1 crisis line for immediate assistance. Nearly one million veterans contacted the crisis line in 2022, which included phone calls, texts and chats.

The VA also expanded support for suicidal veterans that includes free health care, regardless of whether the veteran is enrolled in VA health care. The VA provides free emergency care at VA and non-VA facilities for veterans in acute suicidal crisis, according to the agency. More than 85,000 veterans sought help in 2024.

The VAs budget request for programs to address the mental health needs of veterans has been on a steady climb, increasing from $13.5 billion in fiscal 2022 to $17.1 billion for fiscal 2025.

There is nothing more important to VA than ending veteran suicide, VA Secretary Denis McDonough said. We will learn from this report to better serve veterans and save lives.

But Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., who is chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, raised questions about the VAs effectiveness in stemming veteran suicides despite funding increases for programs.

Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., who is chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, raised questions about the VAs effectiveness in stemming veteran suicides despite funding increases for programs. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)

Our veteran community continues to battle an epidemic caused by the invisible wounds from their service in uniform, Bost wrote in a letter to McDonough prior to the reports release. It is unfathomable that the mental health budget has increased by billions, but the suicide rate has not budged.

As a response to veteran mental health needs, the VA has eliminated co-payments for the first three mental health care visits each year, increased its workforce of clinicians by 27% since 2020 to more than 30,000, and provides night and weekend appointments at many locations, said Mark Ledesma, spokesman at the Veterans Health Administration.

In 2022, suicide rates for veterans with other psychotic disorders rose about 14% from the prior year. These are veterans experiencing serious psychiatric disorders but do not have a diagnosis of bipolar disorder or schizophrenia.

The suicide rate for veterans diagnosed with a sedative-use disorder rose in 2022 by nearly 30%. Sedatives are defined as prescription drugs that include Valium, Xanax and Ativan, which commonly treat anxiety, insomnia and seizure disorders.

The report also a highlighted a 19% drop in suicides among homeless veterans in 2022. The VA housed more than 40,000 homeless veterans for the calendar year.

The overall number of 6,407 veterans suicides in 2022 is lower than 12 of the previous 14 years, the VA said, but more than in 2021. By contrast, there were 41,484 suicides in the general population, which was 1,476 higher than in 2021. The average number of suicides per day in the non-veteran general population was 131.2 compared to an average 17.6 among veterans, the VA said.

The VA described the annual report as critical to informing public health strategy for addressing suicide risks among veterans. It represents the nations largest national analysis of veteran suicide rates annually, the agency said.

The VA also provided numbers from 2001 to 2022 showing a long-term decline in suicides rates among veterans with certain mental illnesses who were receiving their care at the VA. Suicide rates fell by 34% for veterans with depression and by 31.6% for veterans with PTSD.
Crawford had shouted F**k you and your fair trial and stormed out of the dock after the jury returned their verdict

A violent criminal who assassinated a grandfather by emptying the contents of a pistol into him when he answered the front door at his mothers home and later perjured himself at trial, has been sentenced to life in prison.

Cailean Crawford (28) had pleaded not guilty to the murder of Thomas McCarthy (55) on July 27, 2020 at Croftwood Park, Ballyfermot, Dublin 10 but was unanimously convicted by a Central Criminal Court jury earlier this month.

Crawford had shouted F**k you and your fair trial and stormed out of the dock after the jury returned their verdict.

Detective Sergeant Roan McDermott told todays hearing that Crawford has one previous conviction for conspiring to murder gangland criminal Wayne Whelan, for which he received a five-year sentence in September 2021.

Mr Whelan survived that murder attempt in September 2019 but was subsequently shot dead following another attack two months later.

That sentence expired in June, Det Sgt McDermott said, but Crawford remained in custody, having been arrested in relation to this offence in October 2020.

Thomas McCarthy

Mr McCarthy, a father of five, was gunned down when he answered the door at his mothers home in what the prosecution described as an execution.

In a victim impact statement delivered to the court today, Mr McCarthys partner Nia OReilly said never in her wildest dreams did she think she would have to say her childrens father was murdered.

I still think to this day they had the wrong person, the wrong house, she said. Thomas was a gentleman.

The jury of six men and six women deliberated for eight hours and 20 minutes before returning their unanimous verdict, agreeing with the States case that Crawford was the assassin who fired several times, fatally injuring Mr McCarthy, having come to the scene in a blue Ford Fiesta car which was seen driving in and out of the area on CCTV.

Passing sentence on Crawford today, Mr Justice Tony Hunt said the idea that someone would walk up to house and without further ado empty the contents of a pistol into the body of the person at the door simply beggars belief.

The judge said there were two travesties in this case; the first was the assassination of Mr McCarthy, who he said, appeared to be by all accounts a decent man.

The second, the judge noted, was the perjury committed by the accused man in an attempt to, as prosecuting counsel had put it, weasel out of his responsibility in this matter.

Mr Justice Hunt expressed his thanks to the jury for their hard work in the case and said that following lengthy and detailed analysis, they had come to the only sane conclusion anyone could come to on that body of evidence.

He said he was glad the panel had rejected certain matters that were put to them by Mr Crawford during the trial, in particular the suggestion that because he was seen back at work delivering parcels in a normal manner a couple of hours after the killing that they should draw the inference that he was a normal person who was unlikely to have been involved in a grotesque outrage like this.

The truth of this matter is he appeared perfectly normal afterwards because he, as a person in cahoots with [Charles] McClean, is prepared to engage in activities to snuff out the lives of others on an organised basis. That is the truth of the matter, said the judge.

The 12 jurors had rejected the defence case that Crawford, last of Clifden Terrace, Ballyfermot, was involved in drug dealing and had loaned a phone and a GoVan he had hired on the morning of the killing to associate Charles McClean.

McClean (35), last of St Marks Drive, Clondalkin, was described earlier this year by a Central Criminal Court judge as a "remorseless" criminal, after he sentenced him for calling Mark 'Guinea Pig' Desmond to a drugs meeting in a Dublin park, where the gangland figure was gunned down. McClean, who was already serving consecutive sentences of 16.5-years for facilitating the murder of Thomas McCarthy and conspiring to murder Wayne Whelan, was jailed for an additional three-and-a-half years for impeding the apprehension of the person who murdered Mr Desmond.

Mr McCarthy, who had five children and two grandchildren, was living in the UK at the time but had returned home to visit his family and his mother, who lived at the address in Ballyfermot.

It was the prosecution case that a group of people were involved in planning and carrying out the murder of Mr McCarthy, with a number of cars used which were purchased using false names. Prosecuting counsel Bernard Condon SC said that movements of the accuseds van and other vehicles involved, including a black Mercedes, a Skoda, a Ford Fiesta, and a Toyota Avensis, showed dry runs being carried out in the days before the murder.

Following Mr McCarthys murder, some of the cars were subsequently found burnt out, with a 9mm semi-automatic weapon retrieved from the Fiesta.

Crawford took the stand during his trial and told the jury that he was being blamed as the centre point of a murder he didnt commit after he loaned the van to McClean. He said he had handed the van over to a man with bones sticking out of his face who was a mate of McCleans.

Crawford said he assumed McClean needed the van to collect drugs. He said McClean had previously given him a Lyca SIM card to use after Crawford agreed to collect and transport drugs on two or three occasions in the Ballyfermot area.

Before sentencing Crawford, Mr Justice Hunt said he was glad the jury had come to the proper conclusion in regard to the defendants association with McClean. He said what had been sold to them was that Crawford was the innocent dupe of McClean who was planning a dreadful murder behind his back and he was simply the innocent abroad but they had rejected this as the nonsense that it is.

The judge imposed the mandatory life sentence on Crawford, backdating this to June 1 this year when his previous sentence ended.

He extended his sympathy to Mr McCarthys family, saying that to lose a relative prematurely in such violent circumstances leaves wounds that can never adequately heal.

Victim impact statements on behalf of Mr McCarthys family were read to the court today by prosecuting counsel Fiona McGowan BL.

Mr McCarthys partner of 31 years, Nia OReilly said she used to be an optimistic person but now she just has sleepless nights and panic attacks when she is up walking the floorboards wondering why someone would do this.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would have to say my childrens father was murdered, she said.

She said Mr McCarthy is constantly in her thoughts and the pain, anger, loneliness, worry and heartache have been overwhelming.

I still think to this day they had the wrong person, the wrong house, she said in her statement. Thomas was a gentleman. He had good morals and would do anything for anyone.

She added: To think that someone would walk up to his mothers door and do this. Why, why, why.

The victims mother, Pauline McCarthy, said it was difficult to put into words the complete devastation and heartache that the loss of Thomas has caused to her family.

She said what happened to her son haunts her daily, adding, he is the last thing I think of when I go to sleep and the first thing I think of when I wake up.

Thomas had been killed cruelly and so senselessly in the place he called home, a place he should have been able to feel safe, she added.

Pauline said the family have been left with so many questions and no answers.

Danielle McCarthy, the deceaseds niece, said her uncle always lived life to the full and loved travelling and seeing other parts of the world whenever he got the chance.

She said Mr McCarthy never had an easy life and had worked extra hard for everything he had. Family was a big part of his life, she said, and he loved coming home to Dublin to see family and friends. Danielle said she and her siblings looked up to Thomas as a father figure.

She said she couldnt understand why anyone would want to ruthlessly murder someone who was so kind and caring.

We will never fully know why this was done to Thomas or how people can sleep at night knowing the heartache they have caused, she said.

< ENDS >
The judge said it was a rare case where the imprisonment of an individual for contempt of court did not have the coercive effect desired

Controversial schoolteacher Enoch Burke has been released from prison by the High Court despite refusing to purge his contempt.

The decision came in a chaotic hearing during which Mr Burke repeatedly talked over Mr Justice David Nolan as the judge delivered his ruling.

The judge said it was a rare case where the imprisonment of an individual for contempt of court did not have the coercive effect desired.

The matter was before the court for a periodic review of Mr Burkes incarceration for defying a permanent injunction restraining him from the grounds and premises of Wilsons Hospital School.

He has spent 512 days in Mountjoy Prison, over three separate periods, since August 2022 for his repeated refusal to comply with various court orders requiring him to keep away from the Multyfarnham, Co Westmeath secondary school.

The judge said that instead of imprisonment he would impose a daily fine of 1,400 on Mr Burke for each day he defies the order  double the 700 fine imposed on him last year.

He also urged Mr Burke to use the Christmas period to reflect on his fruitless campaign.

Mr Burke never paid those fines and lawyers for the school raised concerns that there was no mechanism to collect them from him.

The judge directed that in the event Mr Burke again breaches the order when the school reopens in January, the Attorney General and the Department of Finance should come before the court to determine a mechanism whereby his salary can be used to directly pay the fine.

He said Mr Burkes talents as a teacher were being entirely wasted and that he repeatedly came to court to make misguided and ridiculous arguments.

During the hearing, Mr Burke repeatedly talked over Mr Justice Nolan and refused to say if he would comply with the court order.

The judge asked him several times to sit down and stop talking, but he ignored these instructions.

Mr Burke was accompanied in court by his mother Martina and siblings Ammi, Isaac and Josiah.

Mr Burke taught German and history at Wilsons Hospital but was suspended in August 2022 after publicly clashing with management over a request that a transgender pupil be called by a new name and they/them pronouns.

The teacher, who is from a well-known family of evangelical Christians from Castlebar, Co Mayo, refused on religious grounds to comply with what he terms was an unlawful demand.

The board dismissed him in January 2023, a decision he is appealing. The hearing of that appeal has been delayed due to legal action taken by Mr Burke over the composition of the appeals panel.

Despite being suspended and later sacked, he continued to show up at the school each day for work, even after its board of management secured a temporary injunction restraining him from doing so. The High Court granted a permanent injunction in May last year.

Mr Burke has been incarcerated for contempt three times.

His most recent imprisonment began on September 2 after he repeatedly turned up at the school following the commencement of the educational year.

His imprisonment has been on foot of applications made by the board of management.

Jailing him in September, Mr Justice Michael Quinn said he was satisfied Mr Burkes attendance at the school was disruptive of the duties and functions of staff seeking to provide ordered schooling to pupils.

While Mr Burke claims that he has been imprisoned for his religious views, several judges have rejected this, saying compliance with court orders did not require Mr Burke to abandon his beliefs.
The Slovak authorities are ready for an open conflict with Ukraine over the refusal to transit Russian natural gas. This European country is also preparing for retaliatory measures if it is unable to receive energy resources from Russia.

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According to the local edition of Pravda, this was stated by Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico at a press conference after the Council of Europe summit held on December 19 in Brussels. He was reacting to the words of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who warned the day before that there would be no more transit of Russian gas.

"If Zelenskyy does not let our gas through, it could lead to a serious conflict. It is possible that in this situation we will have to think about retaliatory measures on the part of Slovakia," Fico said.

He acknowledged that he had disagreements with Zelenskyy over gas transit through Ukraine. According to Fico, in a conversation with Zelenskyy, he asked whether Ukraine could transit any other gas besides Russian gas.

"He asked if we could imagine paying for gas that finances the war," the Slovak politician added.

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At the same time, the head of the Slovak government emphasized that his country would not support a package of sanctions that would apply to Russia's nuclear power industry, as it depends on nuclear power generation.

"If any sanctions against Russia are adopted in the future and if they concern the peaceful atom program, I will block such sanctions. Our nuclear power plants are of Russian origin, whether we like it or not," Robert Fico reminded.

The Slovakian Prime Minister also admitted that his country refuses to transfer weapons to Ukraine because it does not believe in a military solution to the war between Ukraine and Russia. He reminded that Slovakia provides humanitarian support to Ukraine and supplies electricity to Ukrainians in times of electricity shortages. At the same time, he warned that Slovakia would oppose an increase in EU spending on aid to Ukraine if US President-elect Donald Trump cuts US aid.

As OBOZ.UA previously reported, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal confirmed that the agreement between Ukraine and Russia on gas transit expires on January 1, 2025. Kyiv will not extend it, but Ukraine is not opposed to transporting any gas through its GTS, except for Russian gas.

Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
Marcin Zawila (43) was served with the book of evidence when he appeared on bail before Blanchardstown District Court.

A firefighter accused of seriously assaulting a female has been sent forward for trial.

Marcin Zawila (43) was served with the book of evidence when he appeared on bail before Blanchardstown District Court.

The accused, of Castlegate Heath, Adamstown, Lucan, is charged with seriously assaulting a female.

The incident allegedly took place at a property in Adamstown on April 29 this year.

Read more Associate of murdered drug dealer was target of foiled hit from prison, gardai believe

Mr Zawila is facing trial in the Circuit Court after the allegation was ruled to be too serious for the District Court.

A state solicitor said that the book of evidence was ready and had been served on the accused, who goes forward to the next sittings of Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Judge David McHugh gave Mr Zawila the formal alibi caution.

The court heard Mr Zawila was working as a fireman, and the judge assigned defence solicitor Alex Rafter and one junior counsel on legal aid.

The judge remanded Mr Zawila on the same bail to appear before the Criminal Courts of Justice in February.

Mr Zawila has not yet indicated how he intends pleading to the charge.

A video-copy of an interview which gardai conducted with the accused will also be provided to his legal team.
Chong Chong Nen (50) was on what he believed to be an all expenses paid trip to Ireland, paid for by a man he knew only online who asked him to bring a suitcase along with him

A Malaysian man who believed he was importing edible birds nests until gardai found 380,000 of cannabis in his suitcase has been given a sentence of three and a half years with nine months suspended.

Chong Chong Nen (50) was on what he believed to be an all expenses paid trip to Ireland, paid for by a man he knew only online who asked him to bring a suitcase along with him.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that a second man, Kim Low Swee (35), caught on the same day with a similar amount of cannabis, also told gardai he believed he was carrying bird nests.

Low Swee, also from Malaysia, received a sentence of three years and six months, with the final 12 months suspended earlier this month.

Chong Chong Nen of Jln Pandan Indah, 2/8 LK Lumpar, Malaysia, pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis for sale and supply at Terminal 1, Dublin Airport, on June 2, 2024. He has no previous convictions and has been in custody since his arrest on the day of the offence.

Passing sentence today, Judge Dara Hayes noted the deleterious effect of drug crime on communities and on wider society.

Judge Hayes said Chong Nen, who works as a delivery driver, was accepted to be on the lowest wrung of the ladder, and there was no evidence of any wealth. He noted he was a foreign national, and time in prison would be more difficult for him.

He said there were specific and exceptional circumstances in the case which allowed him to depart from the presumptive minimum sentence of ten-year imprisonment, citing the manner in which he had dealt with the case, his early plea and his cooperation and admissions.

He set a headline sentence of five and a half years before imposing a term of three years and six months. He suspended the final nine months, noting Chong Nen had not committed the offence due to significant financial pressure as Low Swee had done.

Garda Jaime Connor told Shaun Smyth, BL, prosecuting, that customs officers stopped and questioned Chong Nen after he was spotted acting in an evasive manner in the blue customs channel.

The officers x-rayed his bag and had to open it with a bolt cutter as Chong Nen had no key.

Inside, they found vacuum-packed bags of cannabis wrapped in a blanket, valued at 389,800.

Chong Nen gave an account of travelling from Malaysia, Thailand, Doha, and Ireland. He said he was a tourist and a man he met online, whom he knew only by nickname, had booked and paid for the flights and accommodation.

He said his friend had asked him to take the case to Ireland, and he understood it to contain edible birds nests, which are an Asian delicacy.

Gda Connor agreed with Philip Rahn SC, defending, that Chong Nen was cooperative on arrest and forthcoming with gardai. He pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and has been a model prisoner.

Gad Connor agreed Chong Nen had no trappings of wealth and had given an account of carrying this out for an all-expenses paid trip to Ireland. Mr Rahn said this was huge for Chong Nen, who had never travelled before, and he had made a stupid decision to bring contraband to Ireland.

The garda accepted his role was that of a drug courier and he was at the very bottom of the ladder.

Mr Rahn handed in a letter of apology and remorse from his client to the court.

He asked the court to take into account his very early guilty plea, how quickly the case has moved, his lack of prior convictions, and how difficult serving a custodial sentence will be for him as a foreign national. He asked the court to leave light at the end of the tunnel.

He said his client was at the lowest level of the operation, and there was a lack of sophistication.
Jacintha McSherry O'Connor was found guilty to two counts of indecently assaulting a male student in 1985.

A secondary school teacher who 40 years ago told a 13-year-old pupil she indecently assaulted that she was herself a victim of sexual assault did so as part of a grooming process, the Court of Appeal has ruled.

Whatever way one looks at this, the evidence disclosed inappropriate and continuing conduct, said Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy rejecting an argument by Jacinta McSherry O'Connor (64) that the jury in her trial should not have heard that she told the 13-year-old boy about her own assault.

McSherry OConnor, The Mullins, Donegal Town, pleaded not guilty to two counts of indecently assaulting a male student in 1985, but she was found guilty following a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court trial in October 2023.

The court heard that she indecently assaulted the boy on two occasions in his home on dates between June 1 and September 1, 1985, while giving him grinds.

She was aged 24 at the time and the boy was 13.

At a previous hearing, the man, now in his fifties, stated in a victim impact statement that McSherry O'Connor had been like a "spectre" hanging over him his whole life.

He said she took his innocence away and that what happened was deeply and morally wrong.

McSherry O'Connor was sentenced by Judge Elma Sheahan to three years on each count concurrently, with the final six months suspended.

Launching an appeal against her conviction, McSherry O'Connor's legal team asserted that the trial judge erred by refusing to accede to an application to exclude portions of her interview with gardai, in which she referenced an alleged incident with another senior teacher where she said she was the victim of a sexual assault.

At the Court of Appeal in October, counsel for the appellant, Marc Thompson BL, said that his client had given these details of being the victim of sexual assault in a statement she made, which the prosecution introduced into evidence.

Jacintha McSherry O'Connor pictured arriving to Dublin circuit court (File pic: Collins Courts)

He said that these portions of her statement should not have been given to the jury in the case.

Concerning her disclosure of this alleged assault to the student, Mr Thompson said that the appellant, who was 24 at the time while the boy was 12, had just been the victim of sexual assault herself, so she blurted it out to the boy.

In delivering the Court of Appeals judgement today, Ms Justice Kennedy said that it was the courts view that the impugned material was relevant and necessary.

Grooming of a child is, by definition, an ongoing continuing process and may be multifaceted in its nature.

"The behaviour may seek to try and develop a connection between the adult and the minor over time, she said.

The judge went on to note that the appellant was aware the child had a crush on her and she maintained inappropriate sexualised conversations with him.

Whatever way one looks at this, the evidence disclosed inappropriate and continuing conduct on the appellants part, which (the State) was entitled to rely upon as evidence of grooming, said Ms Justice Kennedy.

Saying that the court was not persuaded by the argument advanced by the defence, Ms Justice Kennedy ruled that the appeal was dismissed.
Gardai believe a mixture of criminal elements were involved in the conspiracy, which was prevented after armed gardai intercepted a suspected hit team in Clondalkin on Tuesday night.

The Glock weapon and ammunition that were seized on Tuesday

A young Dublin crime boss is suspected of playing an integral role in orchestrating a foiled murder attempt from his high-security prison cell.

Gardai believe a mixture of criminal elements were involved in the conspiracy, which was prevented after armed gardai intercepted a suspected hit team in Clondalkin on Tuesday night.

It followed a major investigation involving the criminal intelligence branch and the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB).

Detectives are investigating whether a close associate of Cormac Berkeley (37), a drug dealer shot dead in December 2022, was the intended target of this weeks foiled hit.

More than 300 gardai were involved in the operation and follow-up searches which saw 18 properties examined in Dublin, as well as two jail cells in Portlaoise Prison.

One of the cells belonged to gangland criminal Charles McClean (36) who is serving 20 years for his role in three shootings, including two murders.

This feud has been ongoing and clearly hasnt stopped since the murder of Cormac Berkeley two years ago

The other cell on the same landing was that of a Crumlin criminal aged in his mid-20s who is suspected of leading a gang in the south Dublin suburb.

A veteran associate of this man was suspected of involvement in Cormac Berkeleys murder, and gardai are now probing if the younger criminal played a central role in the latest murder plot.

The feud stemmed from a stabbing allegedly carried out by Berkeley and his associate that resulted in the men coming under threat from the veteran Crumlin criminal.

This feud has been ongoing and clearly hasnt stopped since the murder of Cormac Berkeley two years ago, a source said.

The younger Crumlin man is serving a jail term for firearms offences but is still suspected of being integral in this latest murder plot.

The Glock weapon and ammunition that were seized on Tuesday

As well as the involvement of Crumlin criminals, gardai believe associates of The Family crime group, based in west Dublin, were involved in the failed hit.

On Tuesday night, members of the emergency response unit swooped on a car in Rowlagh Avenue, Clondalkin. During a search, a Glock handgun and ammunition were found.

Two men, one from Clondalkin aged in his mid-30s, and the other from Tallaght and aged in his mid-40s, were arrested and detained on suspicion of facilitating a criminal gang.

Sources have described the men as low-level associates of the Family crime gang.

Masks, passports and a quantity of cocaine were also seized during these searches.

Another criminal linked to the conspiracy is McClean.

His convictions include one for impeding the apprehension or prosecution of the person involved in the murder of psychopathic criminal Mark The Guinea Pig Desmond in December 2016.

McClean has previously also admitted conspiring to murder Wayne Whelan in Lucan in September 2019. Whelan, a drug dealer, survived that shooting but was murdered several months later.

McClean is also serving jail time for facilitating a criminal organisation in murdering innocent father-of-five Thomas McCarthy (55) in Ballyfermot in July 2020.

It is understood that a number of items were seized from McCleans jail cell and will now be analysed as part of the investigation.

A garda spokesperson said this weeks operation involved the GNDOCB and the Garda National Crime and Security Intelligence Service, as well as regular unit members from the Dublin Metropolitan Region.

An Garda Siochana believes the firearm was intended for use in the commission of murder

Speaking following the operation, Assistant Commissioner Angela Willis, head of Organised and Serious Crime, said: The intervention by members of An Garda Siochana in West Dublin on the evening of December 17, 2024, has again resulted in the removal of a lethal firearm and ammunition from circulation.

An Garda Siochana believes the firearm was intended for use in the commission of murder(s).

I wish to acknowledge the members of An Garda Siochana involved in the operation for their professionalism in bringing this operation to a successful conclusion.

An Garda Siochana will continue to prioritise targeting those that are the most violent and cause the most harm in communities.

The firearm and ammunition seized will be forwarded to the ballistics section of the Garda Technical Bureau to undergo analysis and investigations. The two men are being detained under section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act 2007 and can be held for a period of up to seven days.

An Irish Prison Service spokesman said: The Irish Prison Service does not comment on individual prisoners or specific operational or security matters.

The Irish Prison Service continues to have high level engagement and the sharing of intelligence with An Garda Siochana on a regular basis, which is resulting in the seizure of contraband, arrests and significant disruption to organised crime.

The Irish Prison Service has committed to continuing to invest in new technologies and measures to support our efforts to keep contraband out of prisons.
Gardai believe Ms Lawlor (32) was the victim of an assault in the house in Baile Eoghain in Gorey in the early hours of Thursday.

A man who had been arrested in relation to the death of Co Wexford woman Paula Lawlor has been released, gardai said on Friday morning.

Gardai believe Ms Lawlor (32) was the victim of an assault in the house in Baile Eoghain in Gorey in the early hours of Thursday.

A man in his 30s who was known to Ms Lawlor was arrested at the scene. It is understood no weapon was used in the course of the fatal incident.

In an update this morning, gardai said a postmortem examination on Ms Lawlors body had been completed, but that the results would not be released for operational reasons.

Read more Associate of murdered drug dealer was target of foiled hit from prison, gardai believe

"Gardai continue to investigate all the circumstances surrounding the death of a woman (30s), who was found unresponsive at a residence in Baile Eoghain, Gorey, County Wexford on Thursday morning, 19th December 2024, the force said in a statement.

The post mortem was completed on the body of the deceased by State Pathologist Dr. SallyAnne Collis yesterday evening. The results of the post mortem are not being released for operational reasons.

The male (aged in his 30s) who was arrested and detained in relation to this incident has been released from the provisions of Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984.

Scream

It came after a neighbour of the mother of one described hearing a roaring scream in the early hours of the morning before gardai were called.

On Thursday morning, neighbour and close friend Diane Walsh said she had heard a "heart-rending scream coming from the direction of Ms Lawlors home at 3am.

I actually knew something had gone on last night, but not that it had involved Paula, Ms Walsh said.

Supt David O'Sullivan at Baile Eoghain in Gorey. Pic: Jim Campbell

My young lad has autism, hes 22 and hes high functioning and in college, but he doesnt sleep. So I sit up because I cant sleep when hes not sleeping.

It was about 3am and I heard one hell of a roaring scream. It was heart-rending.

I knew it had come from up the street so I went out to look, but I couldnt see anything. But I heard that scream and it went straight through me  it was awful.

I couldnt see anything so I thought Ill go to bed because I was so tired. So I went to bed at about 3.15 and didnt hear anything after.

And then I woke up at about 7am and I saw a car parked out the front here and a guy with a camera.

I thought he might be taking photos of the houses with the new windows so I went out and asked him if he was taking photos of my house.

But he said: No, Im taking pictures of the house where the girl died and thats when the coppers pulled up.

And I said: Oh my God, its not Paula is it? And he said: Yeah, she was found dead at 3am this morning.

I just burst into tears then.

Another neighbour of the victim said: She was a bubbly girl and shed never pass you without stopping to have a chat. Its shocking and just so tragic that something like this could happen to such a lovely girl."

Cllr Joe Sullivan offered his condolences to Ms Lawlor's daughter and extended family. "This time of year, or any time of year indeed, for someone to die in such circumstances represents a huge tragedy.

"It's not something we're very familiar with, thankfully, in Gorey, but it's something that has arrived on our doorstep and we have to offer as much support and kindness towards the family going forward. I have no doubt the people of Gorey will do that as they have always rallied around in a time of misfortune and distress."

Paula Lawlor

Today's News in 90 Seconds - December 19th

Gorey Community School principal Michael Finn was a teacher at the school Ms Lawlor attended when she was younger and remembers her as a "very pleasant and well-behaved, bright student. It's very shocking that's after happening to her."

Both the arrested man and Ms Lawlor are Irish nationals.

Gardai in Gorey are appealing to witnesses to come forward. They are seeking dash-cam footage from motorists who were in the vicinity of Baile Eoghain at the time of the incident.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Gorey garda station on 094 30690 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 11.
Patrick McKinney is being kept in custody and an investigation remains ongoing.

An Irish national has been charged for allegedly smuggling 14 Albanian nationals into Scotland in a livestock wagon.

Patrick McKinney (23) has been charged with 14 counts under section 25 of the Immigration Act and one count of culpable and reckless conduct in connection with the incident

It is claimed the Albanian nationals were smuggled into Scotland by ferry.

The Home Office said the 14 foreigners were found by officers concealed in the wagon in unsafe conditions at the Loch Ryan Terminal at Cairnryan in Dumfries and Galloway.

He is being kept in custody and an investigation remains ongoing.

Home Office Criminal and Financial Investigations lead Anthony Hilton said: Our investigation remains ongoing, and we continue to carry out inquiries at pace.

Were doing everything we can to stay ahead of the people smugglers who exploit our borders and put the lives of desperate people on the line for financial gain.
Security sources claim the novel approach is bearing fruit and claim several republicans have walked away from the terror group

MI5 have stepped up their relentless campaign to close down Thomas Ashe Mellons New IRA gang by hitting them in their pockets.

And the spook agency think many of his pals are literally getting the message following a string of texts.

Mellons notorious loan shark number two was the target of the shadowy British security agency last week when they sent text messages to his wife and other republicans within his gang  telling them they know theyre heavily involved in helping to raise funds for the New IRA.

As revealed here over the last few weeks, MI5 have been targeting republicans and their families with links to Mellon with a series of text messages warning them MI5 know they are involved in the New IRA support network.

Security sources claim the novel approach is bearing fruit and claim several republicans have walked away from the terror group as a result of the pressure.

It comes after the Police Services Terrorism Investigation Unit carried out a search at an address in Derry last week and said it was part of an ongoing investigation into illegal money lending.

A sum of cash was seized and a number of mobile phones were removed for forensic examination.

And that came after another serious blow to their fundraising wing when republican ex-prisoner Brian Sheridan had his assets frozen by the UK Treasury because they believed he was funding the New IRA.

The government said it had reasonable cause to suspect that Sheridan, born in Armagh, had been providing or assisting others in providing financial services or making available funds or economic resources for the New IRA.

MI5 text message

It is the first such use of the Treasury-led domestic counter-terrorism sanctions regime relating to paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland. We recently revealed how the Mellons beleaguered unit has been taking advantage of vulnerable people  including drug addicts and alcoholics  by getting them to store weapons and other terrorist paraphernalia.

And we made reference to a notorious loan shark who has made it possible for several of the Derry leadership, including Mellon, to drive top-of-the-range luxury cars, despite none of them working a day in their lives.

That loan shark is Mellons second-in-command who had been tipped to take over as OC until MI5 started targeting his gang and is now running scared of being exposed after he was humiliated in a fight on a bus to Dublin to see Derry City play in the cup final.

Fellow fans on the bus who hate him were reading our article that Sunday morning and started singing loooan shark to the tune of that song Baby Shark towards him.

Last week MI5 went for him and his loan shark pals with a number of texts and we can reveal they even sent one to his wife.

The text message stated: This is MI5. You will understand why we cant contact your partner directly at the moment. We are concerned that he is raising money for the new IRA. This activity facilitates terrorism and harms the local community.

" We would advise him to cease this activity and step away from the new IRA, as many others are doing. If he would like support to do this, please contact this number.

Thomas Ashe Mellon

Meanwhile a second text was sent directly to some republicans. Its not clear if the loan shark received one personally but we know several of his underlings who do his dirty work did.

That message stated: This is MI5. We are concerned that you are involved in the funding of the new IRA. This activity facilitates terrorism and harms the local community. This may have left a trail between your personal finances and that of a terrorist organisation. We would advise you to cease this activity and step away from the new IRA, as many others are doing. If you would like support to do this, please contact this number.

The messages came from different numbers but they have ruffled some feathers in the New IRA in Derry.

Saoradh  the New IRAs political wing  have even publicly stated they fear MI5 are exploiting republicans at this particular time of year by offering cash for information to pay for Christmas.

Not surprisingly they make no mention of the high interest loan-sharking they have been offering round vulnerable members of the community.

Saoradh have been made aware that a number of IRPWA activists in Belfast, and the wife of an IRPWA activist in Derry, have been contacted by MI5 in a bid to disrupt family life and deter political activism.

Raising money for republican prisoners and their families, particularly at Christmas time, is not a crime.

"What is a crime, is the fact that the armed wing of a foreign occupier can freeze bank accounts, saving accounts, credit cards and any other financial means at will with the backing of every mainstream political party.

It is no coincidence that republicans and their family members are receiving these types of messages at Christmas time. Financial hardships and the pressure that comes with this time of year are the main issues that MI5 use to target individuals.

"It is clear that the British state, its military wing and all its tentacles are at war with the republican community...

A source told the Sunday World how the loan shark, who we cant identify at this stage for legal reasons, gets others to do his dirty work.

He gets his cronies to do all of the donkey-work regards the money-lending and they are thick enough not to see it for the pyramid scheme that it is, said the source.

Hes exploiting his underlings as much as anyone else as they are the ones taking the risk while he and Thomas Mellon reap the benefits.

Between targeting the loan-sharking racket, freezing Brian Sheridans assets and sending messages to other money men to expect the same, their intent is clear  they are strangling what is left of the New IRAs money, most of which is trousered as personal assets anyway.

Going for the loan-sharking is their weak point because the New IRA would be very embarrassed by that, given how they claim to be socialists yet charge extortionate rates that a bank would never charge.

It exposes them as self-serving hypocrites and whats left of their support base is crumbling over it.

Ive heard republicans outside of Derry  especially those in prison  are disgusted by it and Mellon is getting the blame for allowing it to happen, and benefiting from it personally.

The talk outside of Derry and especially in jail is that the New IRA has been taken over by a criminal element.

MI5 are shutting down their finance department  you can be sure of that.

This all comes after we also revealed how spooks used a Liverpool match at Anfield recently to try to recruit a republican into becoming an informer.

The republican said, having already been approached by MI5 agents at the airport, his name was called out over the Anfield Tannoy during the second half of a Premier League match.
Provo intelligence officer McClure fled to the States after questioning by the RUC

La Mon families and campaigners outside the office of the Police Ombudsman

The aftermath of the attack on the La Mon House Hotel

A top IRA man who witnessed the murder of mum-of-10 Jean McConville was also a leading suspect in the La Mon firebomb massacre, the Sunday World has learned.

Twelve innocent Protestants were incinerated and another 30 suffered serious burns when the IRA targeted a dinner dance event in the La Mon House Hotel on the outskirts of Comber, Co. Down, on February 17, 1978.

The atrocity sent shockwaves around the world as news bulletins reported the extent of the IRA barbarity.

And 24 hours later, Provo intelligence officer Pat McClure  a former Royal Marine Commando  was arrested and subjected to an intense week-long interrogation which led to him quitting the IRA.

Martin McCann as Pat McClure in Say Nothing

As a senior member of the IRA leadership in Belfast, McClure would have had full knowledge of the IRA plan to bomb La Mon.

And today we can reveal that following his seven-day interrogation, the ex-British soldier was so stunned by the RUCs detailed knowledge of IRA structures and personnel he decided to quit the republican terror group immediately.

McClure moved his family to the United States, where he soon found work as a security officer in a government correctional centre. He died of a heart attack in Connecticut in 1985, aged 46.

We were told McClure had a chance meeting with a trusted republican contact minutes after he was released from custody.

The incident is mentioned in the bestselling book Say Nothing, by American writer Patrick Radden Keefe, which has been dramatised in the hit Disney+ TV series.

Tracked down

Firefighters at the La Mon Hotel

And this week the Sunday World tracked down a former Official IRA man who met McClure outside the notorious Springfield Road RUC Station, just as he was being released.

As a dishevelled McClure stumbled out a heavy steel door at the RUC station after his seven-day interrogation, he bumped into the Official IRA man, whom he knew and trusted.

And over a cup of tea in a nearby house, McClure revealed how he was stunned by the high level of accurate intelligence the RUC held on the IRA.

He told the Official IRA man: These people know everything. They know the names of every IRA volunteer in Belfast and they know exactly what theyve done as well.

Its time to get out while you still can or were all going to jail for a very long time.

He added: That was the worst seven days of my life.

And in an interview with the Sunday World this week, the ex-Official told us: I knew Pat McClure because we were both involved in resolving disputes among the Officials and the Provos.

One morning in February 1978 I was walking past Springfield Road RUC barracks when Pat walked out. He looked like hed seen a ghost. He was pure white.

Pat was in a really bad way and I took him to my home, which was just around the corner, for a cup tea. I knew Pat was a former Marine and a tough guy. But it was clear the cops had got the better of him in Springfield Road.

He didnt break, but he came out of that station a broken man. He added: Pat told me it was time for him to quit and thats exactly what he did.

The aftermath of the attack on the La Mon House Hotel

We have learned that almost immediately after his release, McClure began making plans to emigrate to the States with his wife and family.

Baffled

And in a move which later baffled republicans back in Belfast, he found work as a security guard in the state-run high-security prison, the Cheshire Correctional Centre.

Back in Belfast, McClures name all but vanished from internal republican discussions.

But after the deceased Old Bailey bomber Delours Price named him in the confessional film I, Dolours as the leader of a secret IRA cell known as The Unknowns, McClures name once again began to feature in republican circles in his native city. Journalists began asking questions and it became clear McClure  as head of the IRAs Unknowns  had played a central role in the abduction and disappearance of Jean McConville.

Earlier this week, a Police Ombudsmans report exonerated the police from blame in the criminal investigation which followed the La Mon bombing. The Ombudsman added, however, that it found a plethora of missing documents frustrating.

In the run-up to Christmas two years ago, a man claiming to be one of the IRA men involved in the La Mon massacre contacted the Sunday World to say he bitterly regretted the loss of life.

Seven men and five women  all guests at the Irish Collie Club annual dinner dance  died when a fireball swept through the function suite as they ate dessert.

Fireball

The man claiming to be the La Mon bomber  who is now in his late 60s  said: I want to speak out now so that people know the full story. The loss of life was wrong and should never have happened. No one should have died.

He claimed that IRA men from the Market in Belfast were used as scouts for the bombing team from west Belfast. He said: They were brought in to act as scouts because they had local knowledge of the area.

La Mon families and campaigners outside the office of the Police Ombudsman

The were told to wait outside near the main road while we went in with the bombs.

We planted the bombs, but when we drove out again around 8.30pm, the scouts had gone. We were completely lost. It was pitch black and we didnt know whether to turn left of right.

We travelled for about eight miles in the wrong direction. In the end, we spotted the lights of Saintfield, so we stopped to phone a warning, but the only public phone in the village was broken.

We had no option but to head for Belfast. A call was made from a public phone box at Finaghy, but it was just nine minutes before the bombs were due to detonate, he said.

The La Mon victims were Thomas Neeson (52), Paul Nelson (37), Dorothy Nelson (34), Daniel McGill (37), Carol Mills (26), Gordon Crothers (30), Joan Crothers (26), Sarah Cooper (52), Christine Lockhart (33), Sandra Morris (27), Ian McCracken (25), Elizabeth McCracken (25)
Weather Eye

with John Maunder

In the bleak mid-winter,

Frosty wind made moan,

Earth stood hard as iron,

Water like a stone,

Snow had fallen,

Snow on snow, Snow on snow,

In the bleak mid-winter,

Long ago.

These words, from the first verse of the well-known carol, were written by the English poet Christina Rossetti in 1872 in response to a request from the magazine Scribner's Monthly' for a Christmas poem.

It was published posthumously in Rossetti's Poetic Works' in 1904.

The poem became a Christmas carol after it appeared in The English Hymnal' in 1906.

The text of this Christmas poem has been set to music many times; the most famous settings being composed by Gustav Holst and Harold Edwin Darke in the early 20th Century.

The version by Darke is favoured by cathedral choirs, and is the one usually heard performed on the radio broadcasts of Nine Lessons and Carols' by the King's College choir.

The carol featured in the Queen's Christmas TV message several years. Of some significance is that on December 15, 2013, the Mail Online' (UK) had the following headlines relating to a severe snow storm, which hit the Holy City  and at the same time Cairo experienced its first snowfall in more than 100 years. Perhaps a reminder that Christmas carols do come alive?

A Christmas card come to Life: Jerusalem hit by worst snowstorm for 20 years, as eight inches fall across Holy City.

- Unusually heavy snowfall, as temperatures dip below freezing.

- Dome of the Rock and Western Wall bathed in white blanket.

- Prime Minister Natanyahu gets in on the fun with family snowball fight.

As all my readers will be aware, the weather is always with us; and although we may all hope that the weather this Christmas and in 2025 will be to our liking, it is perhaps important to remember that in the Southern Hemisphere where the carol In the Bleak Mid-Winter' may seem unusual, there have been two significant and tragic events.

The first was on Christmas Eve in New Zealand, in 1953, when the Tangiwai rail disaster occurred with loss of 151 lives, caused by a volcanic lahar from the crater lake on Mount Ruapehu.

The second was in Darwin, in Australia on Christmas Day 1974, when Tropical Cyclone Tracy killed 71 people and destroyed 80 per cent of the city's houses.

I take this opportunity of wishing all my readers a very happy Christmas and I will be back in 2025 with some more WeatherEyes.
Tauranga woman Robyn Molloy is on a heartfelt mission to trace the family of an English woman who, during World War II, sent a letter to her mother after hearing a message from Vatican Radio confirming the survival of Robyns father, Jim Craig, who had been missing and presumed dead.

The story begins with Craig, a New Zealand Army officer seconded to British Military Intelligence during WWII, and his work in Greece, where he played a pivotal role in helping escapees from the German occupation.

In late 1941, Craig was dropped off on the small Greek island of Antiparos by the British submarine HMS Triumph.

Under the command of Lieutenant John S. Huddart, Triumph was part of Operation Isinglass, a covert mission to evacuate British and Commonwealth prisoners of war and resistance fighters.



When it foundered, the HMS Triumph submarine (pictured here at its 1939 launch), which had a crew of 39, was on a top-secret mission to recover 18 British commandos from a remote Greek island. Photo / Royal Navy Submarine Museum

Diverted

After completing 20 war patrols, HMS Triumph was set to return to England for a refit and some well-deserved rest and relaxation for its crew, whod already done their Christmas shopping in Alexandria. However, at the last moment, they were diverted for the special mission by Craig and others.

The submarine, failing to return on January 9, 1942, was declared missing, presumed lost. It had vanished without a trace, along with its entire crew of 64, leaving behind a veil of mystery that has lasted 81 years.

My father, who had been waiting for its return, was captured, Molloy said.



Jim Craigs Military Cross. Photo/ David Hall

For years, the fate of HMS Triumph remained unclear.

Craigs family received a telegram reporting him missing in action, but the story of his survival took a dramatic turn when Vatican Radio broadcast a message that brought hope to his wife, Hazel Craig.

Molloys quest to uncover the full story began about 10 years ago when she was contacted by a University of Edinburgh professor whose uncle had been aboard the Triumph. He asked Molloy for information about the exact time the submarine was due to return and pick up the crew and passengers it had dropped off, including her father. Robyn provided the necessary details from among her fathers papers.

Eight decades

The Triumph lay lost for eight decades, but the families of her crew began to find one another in 2010, eventually connecting more than 200 relatives.



The last picture of the crew of HMS Triumph in Egypt before their final mission. Photo / Edward Wilkinson-BNPS

Last year the wreckage of the Triumph was discovered by veteran Greek underwater explorer Kostas Thoctarides, lying 200m below the surface of the Aegean Sea and a few miles from Cape Sounion in Greece.

The likely explanation for the Triumphs sinking is one of its 21-inch torpedoes exploded while still in the torpedo stowage compartment in the bow of the submarine, causing it to plunge immediately to the sea floor.

It was found in June 2023 with all 64 hands still on board at the bottom of the Mediterranean. It had gone down with the hatches open and was flooded, Molloy said.

When it was found, all the Christmas presents were still in the submarine.

The Scottish professor, whod contacted her 10 years ago, notified Molloy of the discovery.

They had a commemoration cruise and laid wreaths over the submarine, she said.

Molloys husband, Terry, travelled to Greece to attend the ceremony on her behalf because she was unable to attend due to health reasons.

While he was away, she went through a suitcase full of her fathers wartime papers.



The letter written by Mrs H.M. (May) Shorey in England to Robyn Molloys mother. Photo/ David Hall

A letter

Among them, she uncovered a letter from Mrs H.M. (May) Shorey, an Englishwoman, revealing a remarkable connection to her fathers story.

This woman [May Shorey] had heard a broadcast on Vatican Radio which contained a message for Hazel Craig: Jim is alive and well, do not worry. My mum had received a telegram saying he was missing, presumed dead, Molloy said.

May wrote to my mother on July 22, 1942, saying her husband and two sons were away fighting in the war, that she was thinking of Mum in New Zealand, and that shed heard the message on Vatican Radio. She sent my father a parcel of chocolates and tobacco. He was in Padula, the same Italian prisoner-of-war camp as one of her sons.

Molloy is now trying to find Shoreys family. Despite efforts to locate them using online resources, her former address at 68 Ellison Rd, Sidcup, Kent, in England has been rebuilt post-war and further searches have yielded no conclusive leads.



Telegrams amongst Jim Craigs papers. Photo/ David Hall

In her search, Molloy also reflected on the larger story of her fathers survival.

He was also working in Italy and he was captured and imprisoned, but he escaped several times. He jumped off a train twice and he was awarded a Military Cross and bar, she said.

Honour

Jim Craig, who survived the war, was decorated twice with the Military Cross for his courageous work behind enemy lines in Greece and Italy.

Despite the harrowing nature of his experiences, Jim never spoke much about the war, a trait Robyn attributes to his stoic Scottish heritage.



Jim Craigs medals and military papers. Photo/ David Hall

As Molloy continues her search for Shoreys family, she is inspired by the kindness and resilience of those who lived through the war.

For someone to take the trouble in England during the Second World War to reach out and offer support to my mother in New Zealand  I want to find her family, not just to honour my fathers memory, but also to honour this woman who helped us in such a meaningful way, Molloy said.

If you can help Molloy find the Shorey family, email: terryandrobyn.molloy@gmail.com
Food is always one of the main magnets for tourists wherever you go. And some travelers are specifically looking for destinations where they can get new culinary experiences.

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Especially for them, CN Traveler has identified the most interesting places on the planet where you should go in 2025 for gastronomic experiences. Your taste buds will definitely be delighted with this vacation.

Clare Valley, Australia

South Australia is the wine capital of the country, which is known worldwide for its vineyards. But the Clare Valley stands out among them. Local vineyards produce aromatic dry riesling and elegant shiraz. However, not even all locals know about this amazing region. The local distilleries offer not only tastings of their drinks but also entire lunches, which include a wide selection of delicious dishes prepared from products grown right here. In addition, you will be given an interesting tour and learn more about the history of the amazing wine region.

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Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Until recently, Dubai's food scene was mostly known for celebrity restaurants that flaunted dry-ice sushi plates and mountains of truffle shavings. But now everything has changed completely. World-famous chefs Dani Garcia, Dabiz Munoz, Anne-Sophie Pic, and Jean Imbert have opened their restaurants here. So get ready for creative cooking with a personalized and innovative approach. In addition, in Dubai, you can visit several establishments dedicated to a single theme  Japanese ramen or dishes from Nicaragua. You can taste the whole world in one city. Dubai has become a city where cultures, tastes, and ideas collide in the most beautiful way.

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Genoa, Italy

For centuries, Genoa has been called La Superba, which translates to posturing, arrogance, but also majesty and pride. This nickname is still appropriate today. One of Italy's largest ports and a former financial and shipping power, it jealously guards its culinary heritage in the midst of rapid globalization. The city's pride can be seen in its centuries-old food culture, with recipes carefully handed down from generation to generation and cherished by Genoese as national treasures. You can taste such classics as pesto, focaccia, farinata, panissa, and various types of pasta everywhere. If you want to taste Italy, go to Genoa.

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Goa, India

Want to produce local flavors at their best? Come to Goa from spring to late summer, when the sweet, juice-filled fruits are harvested and their juice is sent to ferment in traditional distillation cubes. Here, it is transformed into feni, a strong alcoholic drink to which local gas and a little chopped green chili or other spices are added. The bartenders will be happy to treat you to this unusual cocktail along with local snacks. Pair it with spicy Goan chorizo and curried shrimp rekedo or a pava bun. Also try crispy fish, squid stuffed with shrimp, or local empanadas with meat or mushrooms.

Isle of Islay, Scotland

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This patch of land off the southwest coast of Scotland has been home to some of the finest scotch in the world for centuries. Its flavor is emphasized by the peaty soil that covers this marshy seascape. For any connoisseur of the drink, a trip here is a kind of pilgrimage. In 2025, several new establishments will open here, offering their guests not only the taste of the strong drink but also interesting dishes to go with it  seafood from the nearby waters, venison, berries, and other plants from the local hills.

Kigali, Rwanda

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Rwanda is known as the Land of a Thousand Hills, where crops such as tea, coffee, cassava, and beans grow thanks to its temperate climate and volcanic soils. In recent years, the country has attracted the attention of gourmets from around the world. Many African chefs have been drawn to Rwanda to work with the wonderful local products. Try Mombasa shrimp, Congolese peanut stew, and steak with Nigerian suya sauce. And, of course, enjoy the local coffee. This is Rwanda's third largest export product, and experts from around the world say that Rwandan beans are among the best in the world.

Lima, Peru

Many unique products can be found on the mountain slopes and in the waters of this remote country, from Andean river algae to the head of an Amazonian piranha. And recently, local cuisine has become increasingly accessible. Unpretentious street food stalls and home-style restaurants are attracting the attention of many gourmets. Order chirashi, assorted raw mariscos, or the freshest seafood you'll find anywhere else in the world. And be sure to ask for as many local herbs as possible on your plate.

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Lofoten Islands, Norway

The tiny Norwegian archipelago of Lofoten has a distinctive character and nature. And, of course, a special set of products. One of the main ones is northern cod, which has been traditionally caught and dried here since ancient times. The local cuisine also offers a variety of seafood dishes, as well as delicately sweet Norwegian seaweed cakes, fried fresh flounder served with baked root vegetables, and ice cream with fresh arctic rowan leaves.

Puerto Rico

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Puerto Rican cuisine is as dynamic as reggaeton rhythms. Here, you can feel the culinary influences of local peoples, Spain, and Africa that make the island's traditional dishes so unique. Puerto Rican food is a reflection of many years of work by chefs focused on products that are grown right here. When visiting the country, you should try arroz con conejo  stewed rice with rabbit, dishes from the local calabaza pumpkin, a variety of vegetables, and the famous meat fritters.

Washington, DC

Until recently, the American capital could only boast of club steakhouses. But thanks to new restaurants from some of the country's most renowned chefs, as well as a diverse home restaurant scene, Washington, D.C., has now become the culinary capital of the United States. Chefs with a wide variety of backgrounds  Spanish, Italian, Mexican, etc.  have gathered here. If you want to visit the whole world in a limited time, go to this city and it will show you all the available variety of flavors.

Subscribe to OBOZ.UA channels in Telegram and Viber to keep up with the latest developments.
The Aerocool Rescue Helicopter carried out 41 life-saving missions within the Coastal Bay of Plenty, and surrounding regions during the month of November.

These missions included 25 inter-hospital transfers, 4 medical related events, 6 rural/farm incidents, 3 motor vehicle accidents, and 3 miscellaneous missions.

Various Hotspots for the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter included Aongatete, Katikati, and Hospitals such as Whakatane Hospital which had 13 inter-hospital transfers and Tauranga Hospital which had 9 inter-hospital transfers.

This brings the total number of life-saving missions this year so far, as of November 30th, to 528 missions and with the busy summer months upon us, the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter crew are gearing up for this number of missions to increase dramatically. As outdoor activities and events are at their peak, the demand for the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter is at its highest.

The month of November started with the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter was dispatched to Whakatane Hospital for a female who was experiencing a medical condition. The patient was flown to Auckland City Hospital to receive further treatment.

On Sunday morning, November 3rd, the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter was tasked to Broadlands for a male who sustained serious injuries after being involved in a motor vehicle accident. The patient was treated on scene by the onboard Critical Care Flight Paramedic before being flown to Waikato Hospital for further treatment.

On Tuesday morning, November 5th, the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter was tasked to Whakatane Hospital for a female who was experiencing a serious medical event. The patient was transported to Tauranga Hospital for further treatment.

On Friday afternoon, November 8th, the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter was dispatched to Papamoa Hills for a male who was experiencing a time critical medical emergency. The patient was transported to Tauranga Hospital for further treatment.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, November 10th, the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter was tasked to Waihi Airfield for involving a male who was experiencing a potentially life-threatening medical event. The patient was transported to Tauranga Hospital to receive further treatment.

That afternoon, the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter was tasked to Te Puna Quarry for a female who sustained injuries to her lower leg after a fall. The patient was transported to Tauranga Hospital to receive further treatment.

On Tuesday morning, November 12th, the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter attended to a motor vehicle accident in Paengaroa in which a male sustained potentially life-threatening injuries. The patient was flown swiftly to Tauranga Hospital for further treatment.

On Thursday afternoon, November 14th, the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter was dispatched to Whangamata for a male who was in critical condition following a motor vehicle accident. The patient was treated on scene by the onboard Critical Care Flight Paramedic, and on route, while being flown to Tauranga Hospital to receive further care.

The Aerocool Rescue Helicopter carried out 41 life-saving missions within the Coastal Bay of Plenty, and surrounding regions during the month of November. Photo supplied.

That afternoon, November 17th, the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter was tasked to Oropi for a male who sustained injuries after falling from bike. The patient was treated on scene by the onboard Critical Care Flight Paramedic, and on route, while being flown to Middlemore Hospital to receive further treatment.

On Friday evening, November 22nd, the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter was tasked to Kawerau for a male who was experiencing an immediate life threat after a water related incident. The patient was flown to Waikato Hospital for further treatment.

On Sunday evening, November 24th, the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter was tasked to Tauranga Hospital for a male who sustained injuries after a cyclist vs motor vehicle accident. The patient was transported to Starship Hospital for further care.

In the early hours of Monday morning, November 25th, the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter was tasked to Aongatete for a male who was experiencing a serious cardiac event. The patient was flown to Waikato Hospital for further treatment.

On Wednesday morning, November 27th, the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter was dispatched to Katikati for a female was experiencing a critical medical condition. The patient was flown to Tauranga Hospital for further treatment.

The month ended with the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter was dispatched to Tauranga Hospital for a male who sustained injuries after a significant fall. The patient was transported to Waikato Hospital for further treatment.

Philips Search and Rescue Trust General Manager Vanessa Richmond said the crew are set to expect a high number of callouts across the next few months within the Coastal Bay of Plenty region as the holiday season begins.

It has been a busy year, and on behalf of our rescue helicopter crew, I would like to thank all our generous supporters and sponsors for standing by us and helping us continue our life-saving work. We couldn't do what we do without you! We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a safe, and joyful holiday season.
But at the end of last year, Tasha got sick and was diagnosed with an aggressive form of ovarian cancer in January.

They had nearly a decade together and looked forward to having children one day.

She loved painting, walking their dog, spending time in nature, and cleaning  becoming a housekeeper. Together, they enjoyed driving somewhere to watch the sun rise or set.

Jayden Whyman met his future wife, Tasha, at a bus stop in Rotorua when they were just teenagers.

She had surgery and began a series of treatments. In August the couple married in a small wedding at Tashas aunts home.

On November 25, Tasha died in hospice care in Hamilton. She was 25.

Her grieving family believe mistakes were made in her treatment that cost her precious time.

Jayden, 28, Tashas mother Melanie Stretch, and brother-in-law Troy Whyman spoke to the Rotorua Daily Post about being told nothing more could be done for Tasha  and their firm belief that if her treatment had been different, she could still be alive.

We want them to be held accountable so that these kinds of things dont happen to other people. Because ultimately, it cost us time with Tasha, Troy said.

Health New Zealand says it recognises the loss of Tasha and the deep impact on her whanau and friends.

The agency is conducting a thorough investigation into the issues raised by Tashas family about her care and treatment.

Two major surgeries to beat aggressive cancer

Jayden said Tashas symptoms started when her stomach kept getting bigger and bigger.

After three visits to the doctor and suspected bladder and kidney infections, she was told to get a scan at the hospital.

Thats when they found the tumour, Jayden said.

In January, Tasha had surgery to remove the Sertoli-Leydig cell tumour and was diagnosed with Stage 1 ovarian cancer at Rotorua Hospital.

Jayden said the tumour on Tashas ovary was removed but claimed the surgery did not remove other parts the cancer could spread to, including the blood vessel that supplied that ovary and the fatty layer of the bowel.

Thats where it did eventually spread to ... so [I believe] if they had cut all of that off to begin with while the tumour was just on the ovary, then she would still be sweet.

Tasha Whyman was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in January.

In April, Tasha had a biopsy at Auckland Hospital. An MRI scan found three tumours on her bowels and a little lump on her lymph node.

Tasha had a second surgery  most of her large intestine, her uterus, other ovary, fallopian tubes, some lymph nodes, and part of her diaphragm were removed.

The cancer was so aggressive, it quickly grew back.

From May to August, Tasha had chemotherapy every three weeks at Rotorua Hospital, Jayden said.

Nothing they could do

After finishing chemotherapy, she was still in constant pain so they kept returning to the hospital.

Jayden said on November 8, a CT scan showed the cancer was in her pelvis, which ruled out further surgery.

By then, there was nothing they could do for her because there was nothing else they could remove.

That same day, Jayden said hospital staff fitted Tasha with a Nikki pump which self-administered pain relief drugs.

On November 12, Jayden said staff discovered the pump had not been working the whole time.

Consequently, her pain spiked so high.

Tasha Whyman enjoyed spending time in nature.

Meanwhile, the family contacted a cancer specialist in Australia about Tashas treatment options.

On November 15, Jayden said they were told the cancer drug Avastin could have been an option with weekly chemotherapy.

He claimed this was a result of contact from the specialist in Australia.

We shouldve had that option, Jayden said.

Stretch said Tasha was admitted to hospice on November 13.

On November 18, a CT scan at Waikato Hospital showed Tashas tumour had grown so large it was pressing against her kidneys, causing them to fail.

Tasha and Jayden Whyman were together for almost 10 years.

This ruled out chemotherapy as a treatment option.

Jayden claimed they were told Tashas pain needed to be managed before proceeding with treatment.

In his view: If they hadnt have mucked up the Nikki pump, she could have been able to have treatment.

Tasha was surrounded by her family when she died on November 25. Her funeral was on November 29 at the C3 Church in Rotorua.

Jayden believed if the mistakes had not been made, Tasha could still be alive. Troy said the family want accountability.

The family have submitted a complaint to Rotorua Hospital and plans to complain to the Health and Disability Commissioner.

Stretch received a response to her complaint from Health NZ on December 12, but had replied with further questions about Tashas care.

Stretch described her daughter as caring, loyal, honest, and a bit sassy.

If she loved you, then she had your back.

She didnt realise how good she was.

Health NZ investigating

In a statement, Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora Lakes group director of operations Alan Wilson said Health NZ wished to recognise the loss of Tasha, and the deep impact this continued to have on her whanau and friends.

We are conducting a thorough investigation into the issues raised by Tashas family concerning her care and treatment and we will make contact with the whanau and are keen to meet with them after our investigation is complete.

We encourage Tashas whanau to contact us directly if they have any questions or concerns.

-Rotorua Daily Post
However, he had also long reported having trouble with people stealing and killing some of them.

Edmondson had become famous in the community for caring for the friendly pigs and piglets, with locals and tourists often visiting his property to snap photos of themselves petting the animals.

The future of the pigs had been in doubt after property owner Stuart Edmondson pleaded not guilty to murdering Kevin Mabbot and the attempted murder of another man on the 309 Rd last week.

Up to 40 pet pigs are set to be moved from the Coromandel Peninsula to a sanctuary in Wellington after their long-time carer was charged with murder.

Now animal welfare group Helping You Help Animals (HUHA) says its planning to rescue about 40 of the pigs and move them to its 157-acre Haywards Hill sanctuary in rural Wellington.

Edmondsons three dogs will also be rescued in the Sunday operation.

We will keep them safe and give each of them a bright future away from the people wanting to harm them, the group said in a Facebook post.

Edmondson, 77, appeared briefly in the High Court in Hamilton earlier this week to enter not-guilty pleas to multiple charges.

Both 41-year-old Mabbott and the other victim had been shot.

A witness told the Herald that Mabbott was shot in the chest and was pronounced dead at the scene.

He believed the other man had been hit in the shoulder.

The two victims were understood to have been hunting pigs at the time.

Immediately after Edmondson was taken into custody, animal welfare groups and family and friends began worrying for the pigs.

A Givealittle page set up on Monday made an urgent appeal for the pigs' safety and has since raised more than $35,000.

It said the pigs faced an uncertain and dangerous future and are likely to become targets for hunters.

For over 70 years, this man lived on the property his parents purchased, dedicating his life to these animals, it said.

He treated the pigs like family, raising them with love and care.

Tourists from around the world visited to meet these friendly pigs, who were raised as beloved pets.

Carolyn Press-McKenzie, the founder of HUHA, told the Herald there were two groups of pigs roaming Edmondsons Coromandel Peninsula property.

Those that were domesticated and beloved pets, who Edmondson even slept with at night, and wild pigs wandering in and out for food and comfort.

The pigs have become somewhat of an attraction for those visiting the Coromandel.

HUHA would be collecting the pet pigs, and she said identifying which ones to take shouldnt be hard.

They follow you everywhere, apparently, Press-McKenzie said.

I was talking to one of the gentlemen yesterday, who was caring for them, and he said he feels like the Pied Piper.

She said that not long before the recent shooting, Edmondson had invited HUHA to help him.

They had been considering potentially desexing the animals and fencing the property.

Then, after Edmondson was taken into police custody, family friends stepped in to watch over the pigs.

His family also contacted HUHA with Edmondsons blessing to ask them to move the pigs.

Press-McKenzie said those on the property had told her that because a lot of the bigger pigs had already been poached, these are all quite small.

To house the pigs, HUHA rushed through plans to fence off 10 acres of sanctuary land containing pine and native trees.

The 40 pigs will join 30 already living on the sanctuary.

To help feed the existing 30 pigs, HUHA currently receives about $64,000 in donated food a year consisting of food scraps from PaknSave and malt from Panhead brewery.

She hopes to be able to get more volunteers to come in and scratch their bellies and tell them theyre lovely.

All need to know theyre loved and cared for, Press-McKenzie said.

The aim will be to rehome all 70 pigs and Edmondsons dogs but if suitable homes cannot be found theyll be welcomed to live out the rest of their lives on the sanctuary.

In a video directed by Amy Taylor and James Muir and posted to YouTube in 2018, Edmondson talks about having had trouble with people hurting pigs he regarded as pets.

They just walk up to people and they just shoot them with a crossbow and put them in all that pain, very slow deaths, he said in the documentary.

Breaks your heart when you see an animal suffering like that.

-Bay of Plenty Times
Tauranga Airport is preparing to welcome an influx of holidaymakers over the next few weeks, with a freshly installed digital kiosk ready to guide and inspire their leisure options.

Up to 2000 passengers will arrive and depart on the airports busiest days, with most catching an Air New Zealand flight to or from Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch.

Other connections include Whangarei, Great Barrier Island, Whitianga, Gisborne and Napier for passengers using Sunair or Barrier Air services.



Alex Stone used the digital kiosk to search for key information when he arrived from Perth to spend Christmas and New Year with his extended family. Photo / Supplied

Tauranga Airport manager Ray Dumble said he was expecting a similar number of passengers to pass through the key city gateway as last summer.

The digital kiosk that has just been installed by Tourism Bay of Plenty is going to be a great convenience for inbound non-resident travellers who might be unaware of how much great stuff is on offer in the Bay.

It has been strategically placed at the baggage claim area where there is often some dwelling time for arriving passengers.



The new digital kiosk at the airport is strategically placed near the baggage claim area. Photo / Supplied

The digital kiosk is one of four installed at key spots around Tauranga during the past year.

Others can be found outside the Mount Hot Pools, in the city centres Red Square and at nearby Masonic Park on The Strand.

Tourism Bay of Plenty general manager Oscar Nathan said the 24-hours-a-day touchscreen kiosks were an essential part of the citys new wayfinding and storytelling infrastructure.

Were creating a visually attractive, interactive set of digital tools to help visitors and locals discover, navigate and learn about everything the city has to offer.

This includes its history, events, attractions, activities, accommodation, special deals, hospitality options, transport and weather information.

This type of digital integration for contemporary wayfinding is an emerging trend in cities all over the world, so its been very exciting introducing these kiosks to Tauranga and seeing people using them.



Tourism Bay of Plenty general manager Oscar Nathan says the digital kiosks are an essential part of Taurangas new wayfinding and storytelling infrastructure. Photo / Supplied

Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment data shows the key activities New Zealanders most look forward to when theyre visiting the Coastal Bay of Plenty.

The Domestic Growth Insight Tool shows short natural wilderness walks, swimming at the beach, soaking in a thermal hot pool, visiting a theme or leisure park, shopping at a market and eating at local restaurants are the top summer holiday preferences.

Were looking forward to our peak visitor season. Our region has so many options, whether visitors want the vibe and events at the most popular spots or the tranquillity and relaxation of being a bit more off the grid, said Nathan.

Its usually only a short drive and sometimes just a walk between these very different experiences.

Were proud of this beautiful place we call home and its a privilege to share it with visitors who want to enjoy memorable moments with their whanau and friends.
The death of Spark, a kiwi recently released into Otanewainuku Forest, has prompted a plea for motorists to slow down when visiting the Western Bay of Plenty area.

Otanewainuku Kiwi Trust chairwoman Lesley Jensen said in a statement she and the trusts volunteer team and supporters were devastated by the loss.

Sadly, our team recently found Spark dead on No 2 Rd, Te Puke after she was hit by a car.

Jensen said Spark was one of the kiwi the trust had been monitoring after she was recently released into the Otanewainuku Forest following incubation at the National Kiwi Hatchery in Rotorua, and then time maturing in the trusts kiwi creche.

We are reaching out to our wider community to slow down when driving the roads that pass through the reserve as kiwi move quite quickly and have absolutely no road sense.

We are hoping the community gets in behind our work protecting Kiwi up on Otanewainuku mountain by slowing down when driving in the area.

Jensen said thanks to the hard work of the trusts dedicated team of volunteers in successful relocation programmes and effective pest management, there were now about 40 adult kiwi living in the Otanewainuku Forest.

Our kiwi population is increasing which is fantastic but this growth in numbers does mean the risk of injury or death at road crossings has also grown.

She said the Otanewainuku Kiwi Trust volunteers managed more than 180km of trap and bait stations to give the birds a fighting chance in the forest.

It was one of the most intensive trapping networks in the country.

Jensen said the community could help support the trusts work by being kiwi aware, driving carefully and leaving dogs at home when visiting the area this summer.

Even the scent of dogs can scare a kiwi from its nest with the risk of precious eggs being abandoned.

We ask that our neighbours and people driving through this area also help support this precious taonga.

The Otanewainuku Kiwi Trust is a community-based conservation Trust formed in 2002 by Te Puke Forest and Bird and other members of the community.

The Trust works closely with iwi partners, including Tapuika and Waitaha, the Department of Conservation and the Bay Conservation Alliance to protect the forest and its kiwi, kokako and other birds and animals.

-Bay of Plenty Times
Kelsey Arrington

Sidney Sun-Telegraph

There is much to be said about a small town during the holidays; from the warm greetings from strangers to the simplicity of Christmas magic in the evening air, all are welcome home. Working to incorporate this sense of holiday spirit and cheer into the lives of all who call Sidney home, Kendra Mitchell has created a winter wonderland, welcoming everyone, with the help of countless helpers and volunteers.

For its second year at the Cheyenne County Fairgrounds, the All is Bright holiday tour is sparkling in its 2024 season. Filled with new sights and precis...
By Aaron Berger, Nebraska Extension Beef Systems Educator

The use of genetic selection tools by cattle breeders has resulted in significant changes within many major breeds over the last 30 years. With a few exceptions, the genetic trend has been for more milk, higher weaning weight, and bigger mature weight. Without question, the use of Expected Progeny Differences (EPDs) has enabled this change. While we have achieved our goals of more, have we achieved our goals of better? The late Dr. Bob Taylor from Colorado State University said it well, "Profitable cattle are usually productive, but pro...
Announcement Made at Commissioners' Meeting; Resignation Effective January 5, 2025

MIKE MOTZ

Sidney Sun-Telegraph

SIDNEY--On Monday, December 16, 2024, the Cheyenne County Board of Commissioners held its regular meeting, and the biggest topic on the agenda was the resignation of Cheyenne County Attorney Paul Schaub. Schaub's last day as County Attorney will be January 5, 2025. The County Attorney is an elected position with a four-year term, and Schaub's current term has about two more years left before the next election for the position will be held. Schaub has been the County Attorney since January 1995, and also served as Interim Deuel County Attorney from 2012-2014.

Scha...
Tips from Community Lead to North Side Drug Raid

MIKE MOTZ

Sidney Sun-Telegraph

SIDNEY-- On Wednesday, December 11, 2024, multiple law enforcement groups executed search warrants on two houses, outside structures, and mobile homes on Elm Street near the former North Side Elementary School location. 10 individuals were taken into custody and detained at the Cheyenne County jail.

Interim Sidney Police Chief Sam Lovato spoke with the Sun-Telegraph. Although he was unable to give full details of the operation due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, he was able to add a few details to the original statement given by the Sidney Police Depa...
"Unto us a Son is given! He shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Prince of Peace. a gift to Men." Isaiah 9:6,7 God's pattern awakens the people (shepherds), who awaken the Church (Simion). Then Anna awakens the government. Luke 2

Jewish and Gregorian calendars have come together. Hannukah and Christmas fall on the same day. The first book of Maccabees (see the Apocrypha) reports the days when the temple was destroyed by Syria. Jewish priests had refused to offer hogs on their sacred altar. They, then sought refuge in the desert of Israel. The Syrians attacked their hideaway, killing over 1200...
Christmas is coming soon, which means that the whole family will gather around the table to celebrate this bright holiday. It is customary to eat authentic main dishes, one of which is stuffed cabbage rolls.

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That's why millions of housewives will soon start wrapping stuffed rice and other products in cabbage leaves. A food blogger with the nickname smachno vyshneve on TikTok shared the three best ways to wrap cabbage rolls. She assures that thanks to these methods, they will never fall apart.

Method #1.

Put the filling on the edge of the prepared cabbage leaf.

Fold the free side edges inward as if closing a box.

Wrap the cabbage rolls.

Method #2.

Spread the filling on the edge of the prepared cabbage leaf.

Without tucking the edges, roll the filling to the end of the sheet.

Use your fingers to fold the free edges inward on both sides.

Method #3.

Spread the filling on the edge of the prepared cabbage leaf.

Fold the leaves from one long and one short side inward to the filling.

Wrap the filling to the end of the leaf

Use your fingers to fold the free edge inward on one side.
The fire began at 6:30 p.m., Paris local time, on Monday, April 15, 2019. An hour later, people, who watched from a distance, stared in horror as the top portion of the 300 foot spire broke off and crashed down through the cathedral's roof.

Some 400 firefighters, working from the inside, extinguished the last of the flames by 3:40 a.m., on Tuesday, by pointing low-pressure water hoses at the flames, to minimize damage to the contents, pulling thousands of gallons of water from the Seine River via a pump boat.

At the same time, some 100 policemen and municipal workers formed a human chain and p...
Jorge Pastor Granada Friday, 20 December 2024, 18:21 | Updated 19:27h. Compartir

Those who are frequent visitors to the Museo de Bellas Artes in Granada will no doubt have noticed that where Juan de Palenque's The Assumption used to be, there is now a modern reinterpretation of the fable of the Three Graces. Yes, it is not a dream. You are standing in front of The Three Graces (1923) by Pablo Ruiz Picasso himself. It was one of his personal favourites, and it can be seen hanging on the wall in old photos of Picasso's studio in rue La Boetie.

This painting, together with the sculpture Head with Helmet (1933) are the two creations by Picasso on display at this museum of fine arts located in the Palacio de Carlos V at the Alhambra until 16 March 2025.

The Museo Picasso Malaga, in collaboration with Faba (the combined art foundation set up by the Fundacion Almine and Bernard Ruiz-Picasso), has put together this exhibition in consultation with the Junta's regional ministry of culture, sponsorship from the Fundacion Unicaja and also with the collaboration of the Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife.

This exhibition is not only hosting these Picasso treasures but also three others by Jeff Koons, one of the most sought-after, contemporary artists in the world today, and who came in person to the formal opening of the exhibition.

Dialogue

Reflections, Picasso and Koons in the Alhambra is the title of this reinvention of, and reflection on, art. The artistic dialogue is designed to occur on two levels: firstly one between Picasso and Koons, and then another of Picasso and Koons with the artists whose works are normally on show at the fine arts museum, works ranging from late Gothic to Baroque.

It should be noted the tour of Reflections does not actually start in the Museo de Bellas Artes but rather in one of the large wall niches of the Palace of Charles V where another version of the Three Graces is located, an imposing sculpture made by Koons between 2016 and 2022 in polished stainless steel with a transparent covering. Inside the museum, The Three Graces and Head with Helmet by Picasso and two creations by Koons from his well-known Gazing Ball series have been installed.

According to Miguel Lopez-Remiro, artistic director of the Museo Picasso and curator of this Reflections exhibition, together with Ricardo Tenorio as director of the Museo de Bellas Artes, "the museum of the 21st century is presented as an amplified space where art transcends limits and establishes a conversation with multiple contexts, a place conceived as a public square and meeting point."

Reflections is part of this vision, seeking to expand the Picasso Museum's foothold in the art world beyond its Malaga city headquarters. The project will be extended to the whole region of Andalucia. The Alhambra is only the first stop, "a unique setting", says Lopez-Remiro, "which invites a profound reflection on the intersection between tradition, the avant-garde and contemporaneity."

The Three Graces, an archetypical representation of beauty and harmony, have historically occupied an ambiguous and fascinating space in the visual arts, which has made them a universal symbol. This group of female figures, celebrated in antiquity for symbolising the generosity of nature, has inspired artists of different periods for centuries. Picasso and Koons both took a very personal view of this allegory, which both distances itself from, and pays homage to, its classical sources.

Picasso's use of the myth

Picasso began The Three Graces during the time he spent in Antibes and he finished it in his Paris studio. He made use of the myth, but projected it as something new. He painted something very special. Firstly with the format, which is very large - about two metres high by one and a half metres wide. Secondly because of a technique (grisaille) in which different shades of the same colour are applied to define the figures as though in 3D, almost as if they were sculptural pieces.

The three young women are not completely naked. The one in the centre is clothed, while the one on the left, half-covered with a cloth, shows a breast and legs, and the one on the right, her back and buttocks. They are connected by their hands. Who are they? Many conjectures have been made. One suggests his wife Olga Jojlova, because of her features, accompanied by Sara Murphy and the Countess of Beaumont. What is clear is that it is a hymn to happiness, as according to mythology Euphrosyne was the goddess of joy, Thalia the goddess of abundance and Aglaya the goddess of beauty.

Jeff Koons revisits the theme, from a contemporary and technological approach. Inspired by porcelain figures, he transforms the delicacy of this material into the perpetual shine of polished steel. He manages to give his Three Graces a festive appearance that contrasts with the melancholy of Picasso's painting.

Zoom Koons takes a photo of one of his sculptures; behind is the Three Graces by Picasso. Pepe Marin 'An honour to exhibit my works in dialogue with those of Picasso' Andalusian culture minister Patricia del Pozo recalled that the idea of bringing Picasso out of his museum could not be realised earlier due to the pandemic. The project aims to achieve three main objectives: to attract new audiences to monuments and avant-garde art, to increase the impact of the Picasso Museum beyond Malaga, and to showcase Picassos influence on contemporary art, she said. Bernard Ruiz-Picasso emphasised that Reflections has the power to bring Picasso closer to the public beyond the Malaga venue. Jeff Koons stated, It is an honour to exhibit my works in dialogue with those of Picasso. When I think of the Three Graces, I see them as a symbol that has captivated us over the centuries, representing the ideals of grace, beauty and charm. Jose Manuel Dominguez, president of the Unicaja Foundation, highlighted the companys commitment to Granada. The mayor of Granada, Marifran Carazo, congratulated the Picasso Museum and the regional government for choosing the Alhambra, Spains most visited monument, as a symbol of dialogue and understanding.

Classical mythology is also a source of inspiration in both Picasso's Head with Helmet created in 1933 and Koons' Gazing Ball series (David's Intervention of the Sabine Women), dated between 2015 and 2016.

Picasso's bronze sculpture is yet another example of his deep connection to Greek classicism. The piece takes as its starting point the broad, rounded forms that characterise Picasso's sculptural portraits of his muse Marie-Therese Walter, but goes a step further into the experimental world: the use of a tennis ball to shape the eyes - highlights his ability to transform everyday objects into elements with a powerful expressive spark.
Juan Cano Marbella Friday, 20 December 2024, 21:03 Compartir

It was 4 December 2004, a Saturday and, for many, the start of the Constitution Day long weekend in Spain. Mercedes Canadas and her husband travelled to Marbella with their only child, seven-year-old Jose Manuel. They were accompanied by her brother-in-law, her father-in-law and a couple of friends, all from Seville. In total, there were seven adults and six children. During the summer holidays they usually stayed at another hotel in the town, but this time they chose the H10 Andalucia Plaza, a four-star hotel with a heated swimming pool for the children. They arrived tired from the trip and decided to have lunch in the resort's restaurant.

Mercedes got change for a 10-euro note and handed the coins out to the children. Then, she went up to her room to fetch a tablet as her father-in-law had a headache. It was 5.30pm - they had only been in Marbella for five hours - and the group were drinking coffee on the ground floor of the hotel. The children were playing outside. Mercedes was walking downstairs with the pill in her hand when she heard the gunshots. She thought the children had bought firecrackers with the money she had given them. Then she began to wonder where they could have got them from, and she was struck by a feeling of dread.

SUR

Mercedes remembers the people scattering and herself running against the tide. People were fleeing into the hotel and she was running the other way. "Auntie, they've shot at us," said her niece, whom she met as she made her way outside. "Where's your cousin? Where's your cousin?" she asked. "I don't know," replied the little girl, who miraculously was not seriously injured, although a bullet grazed her thigh.

Everyone reacted differently to the burst of gunfire. Jose Manuel apparently thought they were fireworks and ran into the street. His aunt tried to stop him, but she was hit by bullets and badly wounded. The family friend hid with her two daughters behind a flower planter, which was shot at 28 times and served as a shield. All three were unharmed.

The Jackal

Little Jose Manuel died on the spot, hit by bullets aimed at Cosmo hairdressing salon, located on the ground floor of the hotel. There, Alex B., nicknamed 'El Chacal' (The Jackal), was having his hair cut; the police considered from the beginning that he was the real target of the bullets. SUR published at the time that he was an informer, but there is no trace of this in the case file, nor of the activities that could have made him the target of a settling of scores. Nothing was or has been heard of him since.

On hearing the first shot, Alex B. threw himself to the ground and lay face down until the gunfire ceased. He was unharmed, but not his bodyguard, who was hit several times. The hail of bullets - forensic police counted 78 - also hit Cosimo Pizzi, 36, the hairdresser; he was a friend of Alex B., who he had met in Paris and who, according to the indictment, had lent him the money to open his business on the ground floor of the Andalucia Plaza.

Cosimo, like Jose Manuel, died instantly. The little boy's aunt, who was 28 years old at the time, was admitted in a critical condition to the intensive care unit of the Costa del Sol Hospital with shrapnel in her lungs and had to undergo 18 operations due to the multiple injuries, from which she still suffers the after-effects today. Her two daughters suffered minor injuries, one from cuts and the other from a bullet graze.

The bodyguard, then 42, was hit in the back and thigh. He was also admitted to the ICU. He was remanded in custody at the hospital for illegal possession of weapons.

There were three gunmen who got out of a grey Audi A-4 driven by a fourth individual. A British woman who was in the hairdresser's and who witnessed what happened - she was unharmed - told the police that she thought they were speaking Arabic. All wore balaclavas, three-quarter length mafia-style dark coats and used weapons of war. Reports later confirmed that they used AK-47s, also known as Kalashnikovs, the same model of assault rifle that has recently caused panic in neighbourhoods such as Las Tres Mil (Seville), El Torrejon (Huelva) and La Palmilla (Malaga). In Marbella they arrived more than 20 years ago.

The Cosmo murders marked a turning point in organised crime on the Costa del Sol. In a society used to waking up every so often to the news of a gangland murder, the deaths of a hairdresser and a seven-year-old boy in a settling of scores to which they had no connection showed that no one was safe any more. Mafia-style activity could affect anyone.

The government reacted to the killings by creating the Greco (Grupo de Respuesta Especial contra el Crimen Organizado), an elite special response organised crime group to complement the Udycos (units against drugs and organised crime). This was the team that took over the investigation of the murders.

The police claim in their reports that the gunmen appeared "unprofessional" and that they fired "indiscriminately and brutally" because they feared Alex B.'s reaction and therefore intended to ensure the "elimination of the target", even if "innocent people fell". Professional or not, nothing is known about the gunmen.

Detectives were suspicious of a young British man who entered the hairdresser's that afternoon to make an appointment and who, while waiting for his turn to have his hair cut, went out for a coffee. One of the hypotheses is that he marked the target inside the salon, as the shots were fired only a few minutes later, although this line of investigation was unsuccessful and the client could not even be identified.

They tried to locate a friend of Alex B., also British, who was a luxury car dealer and who mysteriously disappeared after the crime. Before leaving, he allegedly committed a half-million-euro scam with which he apparently financed his escape, according to the indictment. His connection to the crime is unknown.

In 2005, an inmate in Alhaurin de la Torre prison asked for a personal interview with a detective and told him that he had heard that Alex B. had had "problems" with a British gang and that the gang had contracted an Arab group to settle the scores, however this statement could not be verified.

Investigators tapped several phones, including that of the bodyguard himself, who made it clear in his conversations that he knew the police were listening. They followed different lines of inquiry, all unsuccessful, and after two years of secrecy in the proceedings they sent the court a report that shelved the case.

In that document, Uydco officers claimed to have focused their suspicions on a Bosnian colonel who, after participating in the Balkan war, led a paramilitary organisation, the 'Grey Wolves'. They also followed the trail of the 'pied noirs' (literally, in French, black feet), which is the police jargon for members of organised groups of French nationality and Algerian origin. But that too was without success.

That report led to the lifting of the confidentiality of the investigation and, probably, the closure of the case. However it was reopened in 2008 and even included several phone taps that revealed a kidnapping of which the police had no knowledge. The case was shelved again a year later when no new clues about the murders were uncovered.

Twenty years on

Mercedes worked as an agricultural expert in a warehouse in Brenes (Seville). The family lived in San Jose de la Rinconada. They have had no more children, although they are still together.

After the murder of her son, Mercedes began to study psychology at the UNED university of distance education and graduated in three years. After that she did a master's degree in grief and trauma, becoming one of the few psychologists with this speciality in the region. Now she is dedicated to helping other families cope with experiences like hers.

The family, who spent "millions of euros" on lawyers to try to push the judicial investigation forward have not received any compensation.

This past 4 December was the most painful anniversary for them. The High Court of Justice of Andalucia (TSJA) confirmed to this newspaper that the murders of little Jose Manuel Contreras and Cosimo Pizzi will go unpunished. The maximum limit of the statute of limitations for murders, which is 20 years, has been reached, and there will be no punishment for those responsible for the deaths.
Ignacio Lillo Malaga Friday, 20 December 2024 | Updated 26/12/2024 15:29h. Compartir

Paqui Tellez, 77, is not exactly the stereotypical older person living alone in Malaga. Widowed for 24 years, she has two children to whom she is very close. She is also a volunteer at Cudeca and an amateur painter. And now because she is an active person, she was the ideal candidate to launch the Animate programme organised by the provincial authority, the Diputacion de Malaga, and the Colegio Oficial de Veterinarios de Malaga (official college of vets).

The initiative has already succeeded in getting a dozen seniors to adopt, completely free of charge, abandoned animals as a way of combating loneliness, while the pet is given a new home.

Before retiring, Paqui worked as an assistant in a shoe shop and at the post office. A little over a month ago she saw on the internet - via her mobile phone - an advertisement from the Diputacion about this initiative and a telephone number. She called and shortly afterwards she was contacted by the president of the veterinary association, Juan Antonio de Luque.

The organisation considered her to be a perfect candidate for the programme and sent her photos of several animals that matched her profile. Afterwards, she went to see them at the Centro de Proteccion Animal Municipal del Ayuntamiento de Malaga (Malaga city hall municipal animal protection centre). There she was introduced to seven dogs that were very similar, but she decided to keep the smallest and the one that looked the most vulnerable.

Scared and hungry

The dog was given her vaccinations and a full health-check before Paqui went to pick her up. "When I went to pick her up I found her in a carrier, very scared, I picked her up and started stroking her. She was very scared and very hungry. When we got home she ate the food from my hand, but now she doesn't want to do that any more," explains Paqui.

"You take the animal away from everything that has gone before and give it a good life, and it keeps you company".

And that is how Yari found her new home. Paqui found the name, again, on the internet: "I was looking for name suggestions, because I have previously had several named Laika, but my son's dog is called that and I didn't want to repeat it, although sometimes I forget and change the name," she smiles, with the inseparable dog by her side. Yari is a healthy one-and-a-half-year-old Yorkshire terrier cross.

The animal's story is sad. Paqui was told that Yari was previously owned by a man who suffered from Diogenes and Noah's syndrome, and she was found along with a number of other dogs, some of which had died. The police removed them after complaints from neighbours.

Paqui and Yari have been together for a month now. "The neighbours tell me that she has improved a lot since she has been at home with me," Paqui says. Yari still has a little way to go and is learning how to socialise with humans and other dogs. Until she was adopted by Paqui, she had never been taken outside and was not socialised. "She stands still when she crosses paths with anyone," explains Paqui.

Mutual affection

They give each other a lot of company and mutual affection: "She lies on her back for me to stroke her tummy and when I get home she gives me an impressive greeting, she stands on her back legs and paws at me, I dont know how she learnt that". But, above all, Paqui Tellez recognises that thanks to Yari she now goes out more. "Before I never went out in the evenings and now I do, to take her out; I walk more, I exercise and chat with the neighbours who also have dogs".

Paqui Tellez is therefore very happy with her decision and calls on people who are lonely and like animals to follow in her footsteps. "It is very rewarding. I recommend it to everyone. You take the animal away from everything it has been through before and give it a good life, and it gives you a lot of company: we help each other."

"We want to help solve two problems: the loneliness of the elderly and the abandonment of animals".

The Animate programme - 'Pets against Loneliness' was launched on 1 October and has two objectives: there are 75,000 older people living alone in the province and at least 3,000 pets in centres, shelters and refuges. "We want to help solve both problems," says Jose Santaolalla, the Diputacion's spokesperson for older people, who is leading this initiative in conjunction with the college of veterinary surgeons, animal shelters and animal health centres.

Animate programme

The gateway for users is the "telephone number against loneliness": 900 92 30 92, which is the same number that was in place during the pandemic and lockdown, and which is still in operation to assist older people in this situation. The contact is referred to the professional association, which carries out a very thorough assessment to check that they are suitable based on factors such as their physical and mobility abilities and where they live.

Then the person is matched with an adult animal (puppies or kittens are not given), depending on their preferences and the adopter's situation. The involvement of family members is also requested, so that they can look after the pet in case of illness or travel.

Once accepted, the adoption form is filled in and, if necessary, the dog is even transported to the adopter's home, so that the adopter does not have to travel, especially from remote villages.

And all of this at no cost to the beneficiary: the microchip, the card, washing, deworming and documentation are paid for by the Diputacion. They are also monitored afterwards, with regular phone calls, to see how the experience is going.

Although Paqui Tellez was the first, Santaolalla points out that there have been a dozen more adoptions through the programme in the province, either confirmed or in the process of finalising the paperwork. In order to spread the word and help those interested, workshops are being held in towns and villages on responsible animal ownership. "All of them have resulted in several people wanting to take part," says Santaolalla.
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Syracuse, N.Y.  A steelmaker in the Syracuse area thats been in business for nearly 125 years is set to be sold early next year.

Crucible Industries LLC will be put on the auction block on Feb. 4, Chief U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Wendy Kinsella ruled at a Thursday afternoon hearing in federal bankruptcy court in Syracuse.

One bid has already been submitted. EraSteel, a Paris-based steelmaker with operations in multiple countries, is willing to pay about $17.3 million in cash for Crucibles specialty steel plant in Geddes and related intellectual property.

Crucible filed for bankruptcy last week, asking for protections to reorganize its debts and sell its factory at 575 State Fair Blvd. to the highest bidder. Company financial projections showed there would likely not be enough cash to continue operations past March.

Crucible president John Shiesley declined to comment on his way out of court Thursday.

Shiesley said in court papers that the company has struggled in recent years due to declining demand for steel. Employees were warned last week that the factory could close for good.

The company owes an estimated $11 million to vendors and customers, according to court filings. It estimated more than 250 creditors are owed money.

At the same time, the company estimated its assets at $21.5 million. It had only $980.23 in petty cash at the end of September, according to a court filing.

Several million dollars in liens are pending against Crucible, including about $9.9 million for KeyBank. The company owes about $5.5 million on $8 million in loans extended by New York States economic development agency in 2009 and 2010 around the last time it went bankrupt, an agency spokesperson said.

Crucible began marketing itself for sale early this year, company lawyers said. Four companies ultimately expressed interest in acquiring some or all of the company. None were willing to commit to an acquisition outside of a bankruptcy sale process.

The factory has already been through the bankruptcy process once.

Crucible Materials Corp., a previous owner of the plant, filed for bankruptcy in May 2009, citing a drop in sales to the automotive sector, a major customer. At the time, it employed 675 people, down from a high of 1,400 in the mid-1980s.

J.P. Industries Inc., a privately held Cleveland company, purchased the companys Crucible Specialty Metals division in Geddes for $8 million in a bankruptcy sale in September 2009 and named it Crucible Industries LLC.

Jack Jankovic, the registered agent for J.P. Industries in government filings, did not respond to a request for comment.

Crucible manufactures stainless steel and other specialty alloy bar products.

The company traces its roots back to 1876, when Sanderson Brothers & Co. purchased Sweet Iron Works located between Erie Boulevard and West Fayette Street. Sanderson Brothers joined 12 other steel companies to form Crucible Steel Co. of America in 1900.

A machine operator prepares steel rods to be fed into a machine that removes scales formed in the annealing process at Crucible Industries. Photo take in 1997.File photo by David Lassman | The Post-Standard

Staff writer Jon Moss covers breaking news, crime and public safety. He can be reached at jmoss@syracuse.com or @mossjon7.
On the morning of Friday, December 20, Russia launched a combined attack on Kyiv using "Kinzhal" air defense missiles and Iskander/KN-23 ballistic missiles. Unfortunately, the shelling resulted in casualties, and debris fell in several areas of the city.

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This was announced by the head of the Kyiv City Military Administration Serhii Popko, the KRMA press service reports. Residents of the capital were urged not to ignore the warnings.

"Today at about 7:00 am, the Russian armed forces launched a combined missile attack on Kyiv. First, the enemy used "Kinzhal" aeroballistic missiles from MiG-31K and Iskander/KN-23 ballistic missiles. A total of 8 missiles were fired. As a result of this strike, debris fell in 3 districts of the city," said Popko.

According to him, an office building, road surface, and a gas pipe were damaged in Holosiivskyi district, with subsequent depressurization; 5 cars caught fire. At another address, the facade of an office building was damaged, followed by a fire on the roof, and the fifteenth floor was destroyed.

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A fire broke out in a non-residential building in Solomianskyi district as a result of falling debris. The fire was extinguished, and no injuries were reported. In Shevchenkivskyi district, a fire broke out in a non-residential building.

Later, the press service of the Armed Forces of Ukraine clarified that at about 7:00 a.m. on December 20, 2024, the enemy struck the capital of Ukraine with 5 "Iskander-M"/KN-23 ballistic missiles. The missiles were launched from Voronezh and Bryansk regions of the Russian Federation.

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For his part, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that 630 residential buildings, 16 medical institutions, 17 schools, and 13 kindergartens in Holosiivskyi district are without heat as a result of the enemy attack and damage to the heating main. "Kyivteploenergo" crews have already started working to eliminate the consequences of the large-scale damage.

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Later, the police clarified that 11 people were injured, including one dead, as a result of the morning Russian attack on the capital. Among the wounded are men and women aged 19 to 58, most of whom were diagnosed with multiple shrapnel wounds and bruises on their bodies. The deceased man was 53 years old.

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Later it became known that a man died as a result of the attack. Under the procedural guidance of the Kyiv City Prosecutor's Office, criminal proceedings were initiated over a war crime that led to the death of a person (Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

At 4:25 p.m., the KRMA clarified that the number of casualties in Kyiv has already increased as a result of today's missile strike. A man sustained a cut wound and bruises to his limbs and was treated on the spot. In total, 13 people were injured.

Only verified information on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
New Hartford, N.Y.  A state Supreme Court justice elected by voters across Central New York is no longer fighting a state commissions call for her removal over racially charged remarks at a private party.

Erin Gall  a judge for the Fifth Judicial District based in Oneida County  has submitted her letter of resignation, the judge said in court papers filed with the state Court of Appeals. The letter was dated Dec. 15.

Gall has been suspended with pay since the state Commission on Judicial Conduct ruled on July 17 that she should be removed from office after an inappropriate interaction with police and civilians at a graduation party in 2022.

Gall repeatedly invoked her office, threatened to shoot a group of Black teens and insulted their intelligence during a racially offensive, profane, prolonged public diatribe outside a high school graduation party on July 2, 2022 in New Hartford, according to the commission.

Over an 80-minute interaction with police, she invoked her position as a judge more than a dozen times. She made statements that were racially insensitive and others that demonstrated a bias toward law enforcement to the detriment of civil rights.

The incident began when groups of uninvited teens began arriving at a party where Gall was a guest. Fights broke out and police were called. Galls son and husband were involved in the fights, a fact she told the commission was the catalyst for her comments at the party.

Related Article: Watch videos that break down a Central NY judges racially offensive rants: Ill shoot them

On Aug. 16, Gall requested the Court of Appeals to review the commissions decision, hoping they would recommend a lesser sanction than her removal.

notified the court she had resigned.

In an affidavit attached to the motion, Gall wrote that the decision to abandon hope of remaining on the bench was one of the hardest decisions she has made.

She said the decision was motivated by a desire to protect her family from death threats and negative attention that stemmed from the incident being publicized.

I do not believe that I can move forward with arguing this appeal for fear that my family will be put in danger once again, Gall wrote.

By accepting the commissions recommendation for removal, she also promised never to seek another judicial office.

Despite accepting the commissions determination that she should not be a judge, Gall is still pushing back on the commissions ruling that her actions were racially offensive.

I certainly do not think it fair to characterize my reactions as racially motivated and to stigmatize me with that finding based on the facts of the case, she wrote in the affidavit.

Gall also downplayed her actions when testifying before the commission on Nov. 15, 2022. Gall tried to avoid admitting that she made disparaging comments about the intelligence of the Black teens.

Body camera footage shows Gall disparaging a group of four Black teens, who were not invited, when they were stranded at the party after losing their car keys somewhere on the property.

They dont look like theyre that smart, Gall is heard saying on police body cameras. Theyre not going to business school, thats for sure.

That comment was a reference to her own son attending business school in the fall.

During her testimony, Gall told the commission that she could have been referring to a police officer she believed was being condescending to her.

The testimony was halted as Gall was asked to rewatch the body camera footage. When the questioning resumed, Gall admitted she was referring to the group of Black teens.

When asked if those statements could be considered racist, Gall said no. She went on to defend her position.

I did not identify them at any point as Black males, Gall said in her testimony. I dont see color. I am not racist. I have numerous family friends we refer to as aunts and uncles that are of color.

Gall also said that when she threatened to shoot the group of Black teens if they returned to her friends property it was not racially motivated. When questioned about the optics of a white judge threatening the group with violence, she said that it was not a race thing and reasserted that she does not see color.

After the commission made its final determination to recommend Galls removal, commission member Nina M. Moore, of Syracuse, wrote a concurring opinion to highlight her concerns with the racially offensive statements.

Moore wrote that the appearance of racial bias is equally damaging to Galls credibility as a judge.

Moore, a Colgate University professor and author of a book about systematic racism in the criminal justice system, pushed back on Galls defense.

If there were a therapeutic cure for racialized behavior, the world would likely be a better place, Moore wrote. But, until such a cure is available, Judge Erin Gall should not sit on the bench with Black litigants left to cross their fingers and hope for the best.

Robert Tembeckjian, the commission administrator, said that the commission will be reviewing Galls submission.

It appears she has finally conceded that her reprehensible conduct would result in her formal removal from office, Tembeckjian said in a statement, notwithstanding her self-serving and unpersuasive explanations.

In 46 years, the commission has issued 184 determinations of removal. The state Court of Appeals has reduced 10 determinations of removal to either a censure or an admonition, but has never dismissed a sanction that began as a request for removal.

Gall, a Republican, was elected to the bench in 2011. Her current 14-year term was set to expire in December 2025. Her salary was $232,600.

Erin Gall campaigns at an annual Pompey spaghetti lunch in 2011 when she was running for state Supreme Court judge. She was elected to a 14-year term.Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard, file photo

Staff writer Anne Hayes covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, a story idea, a question or a comment? You can reach her at ahayes@syracuse.com.
By Catherine Dominguez | Houston Chronicle

The Biden-Harris administration will cancel the debt for more than 50,000 public service workers, allocating $4.2 billion for student loan relief.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, this reliefwhich is the result of fixes that the administration has made to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Programbrings the total loan forgiveness by the administration to approximately $180 billion for nearly five million Americans, including $78 billion for 1.1 million borrowers through the program.

The public servants approved for debt cancellation today include teachers, nurses, service members, law enforcement officials, and other public service workers who have dedicated their lives to giving back to their communities and who are finally earning the relief they are entitled to under the law, Biden stated in a news release. From day one of my administration, I promised to make sure that higher education is a ticket to the middle class, not a barrier to opportunity.

The loan forgiveness program provides an incentive for Americans to pursue and remain in careers in education, public health, law enforcement, emergency response, and other critical public service fields by forgiving borrowers' remaining student loan balance after they have made the required 120 qualifying monthly payments. The relief announced today includes both borrowers who have benefited from the administrations limited PSLF waiver, a temporary opportunity that ended in October 2022, as well as from regulatory improvements made to the program during this administration.

Four years ago, the Biden-Harris Administration made a pledge to Americas teachers, service members, nurses, first responders, and other public servants that we would fix the broken Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, and Im proud to say that we delivered, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona stated in a news release. The U.S. Department of Educations successful transformation of the PSLF Program is a testament to whats possible when you have leaders, like President Biden and Vice President Harris, who are relentlessly and unapologetically focused on making government deliver for everyday working people.

According to information from the U.S. Department of Education, in total, the Biden-Harris Administration has approved $56.5 billion for more than 1.4 million borrowers through Income-Driven Repayment, including the Saving on a Valuable Education plan; $28.7 billion for more than 1.6 million borrowers who saw their institutions close, or are covered by related court settlements; and $16.2 billion for almost 572,000 borrowers with a total and permanent disability.

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(c)2024 the Houston Chronicle

Visit the Houston Chronicle at www.chron.com
By Chris Gelardi | New York Focus

This story originally appeared in New York Focus, a nonprofit news publication investigating power in New York. Sign up for their newsletter here.

New Yorks prison population has been declining for decades, and at a faster pace than the national prison population  from a high of over 70,000 in 1999 to about 33,500 today. As a result, New York shuttered 24 prisons in the two decades leading to 2023, and a provision in this years state budget allowed the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision to quickly close up to five more. It has so far pulled the trigger on two: the notorious Great Meadow prison, just north of Albany, and Sullivan Correctional Facility, near the Catskills.

Meanwhile, some facilities are operating far below capacity. When the Great Meadow closure was announced, for instance, it employed more security personnel than it housed incarcerated people. Rural communities whose economies depend on a local prison are up in arms about well-paying state government jobs moving elsewhere.

How did we get here?

In the 1970s and 80s, prompted by a nationwide fear over drugs and rising violence, states and the federal government enacted a slate of policies that sent more people to prison for longer, causing the national prison population to balloon.

In 1973, New York enacted one of the nations harshest sentencing regimes. Known as the Rockefeller Drug Laws, they included 15-to-life minimum sentences for selling drugs, including cannabis. The federal government later offered states billions of dollars to construct prisons if they had similar laws on the books; New York received over $216 million.

The national prison population started a slow decline after hitting its peak in the late 2000s. In New York, prison decarceration has been more rapid.

One factor in New Yorks faster-than-average decline is that it has changed its approach to drug offenses. The revision of sentencing laws  including the Rockefeller package  as well as decreased enforcement of drug crimes and initiatives that gave people convicted of them an opportunity to avoid prison time all contributed to a steady decline in the prison population.

While the number of people imprisoned for crimes categorized as violent fell by 29 percent over the past three decades, the number imprisoned for drugs fell by 87 percent  from about 23,000 to 3,000  according to data compiled by the Vera Institutes Greater Justice New York project and shared with New York Focus.

In 1994, drug convictions accounted for about a third of the prison population. They now make up less than 10 percent.

New York City, where over 40 percent of state residents live, has disproportionately contributed to the states reduction in drug imprisonments  and to its decreasing prison population overall.

The number of people sent to prison from the city dropped more than 70 percent over the last three decades, whereas the prison population from outside the city is roughly the same as it was in the mid-1990s.

The difference is particularly stark for prison admissions related to violent crime. Those from the city decreased by a quarter between 1999 and 2022, while they increased by over a third throughout the rest of the state.

Thats partly because New York City has seen a drop in reported violent crime since the 90s. Its also a result of policy decisions. Starting in the late 2000s  while the New York City Police Department was cracking down on low-level offenses in Black and low-income neighborhoods  the citys court system aggressively pursued diversion initiatives, which allow people convicted of certain crimes to avoid incarceration if they participate in substance treatment, counseling, or other support programs.

Politics likely played a role in the discrepancy between New York City and other regions. Prosecutors and courts are afforded discretion in whether to send people to prison and for how long. Liberal New York City has seen a concerted pushback against mass incarceration and aggressive policing uncommon in more conservative areas of the state. District attorneys and judges  both elected positions in New York  are in tune with the attitudes of their voters.

As with many social trends, Covid-19 threw a wrench in New Yorks prison decarceration. For the first time since the 1990s, the state prison population has increased for two years in a row.

Thats likely in part due to increased crime. Jurisdictions across the United States experienced the uptick in interpersonal violence that accompanied the social and economic upheaval of a global pandemic.

There are likely also bureaucratic reasons for the slight rise in recent prison admissions. Even though peak Covid saw increased violence, courts were either shut down or operating at limited capacity, leaving many who would be convicted waiting for court dates; admissions increased as courts worked through the backlog. Quarantine procedures also delayed custody transfers, leaving people sentenced to prison time stuck in their county jails.

Its still too early to tell where, after the peak of the pandemic, New Yorks prison population trajectory is headed.
The entire civilized world is eagerly awaiting the death of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. The end of the regime should open a new page in world history.

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Vega Investments even decided to make a movie about it. The official Ukrainian trailer for the satirical thriller Smert Putina (Official name: Putin; Eng: The Death of Putin) filmed by a Polish director has been released online.

Putin will be available for viewing in Ukrainian theaters on January 16. It is directed by Patryk Vega.

Deepfake technology helped to ensure the visual authenticity of the main characters. Vega even claimed that he maganed to obtain insider information from a psychiatrist who once worked with the Kremlin dictator.

In the film, Putin appears not only as a tyrant, but also as a weak, frightened man.

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According to the director, working on the film was a real challenge.

"The lack of access to real materials about Putin's life forced us to look for innovative approaches. We engaged experts in military affairs, quantum mechanics and architecture. In particular, I consulted with a NATO general who commanded troops in Iraq and Afghanistan," Vega said.

Despite the promising title, the film focuses not only on Putin's death.

The plot also tells about the main stages of the dictator's personality development. There will be stories from Putin's childhood and details of his rise to power. The main storyline should focus on the establishment and maintenance of an authoritarian regime in Russia, as well as the war in Ukraine. Therefore, the film goes beyond the story of one person.

Slawomir Sobala, who is also called "Putin's double," plays the monster himself.

Patryk Vega hopes that the film will give Ukrainian viewers hope and faith in victory.

By the way, experts say that it is the look-alikes who appear at official meetings and attend various events in Russia on behalf of Putin, not the dictator. Earlier, the head of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov noted that the presence of "clones" can be confirmed even by comparing their appearance at various events: the "Putins" have different facial features, facial expressions, gait, manner of speaking, and height.

Subscribe to OBOZ.UA on Telegram and Viber channels to keep up with the latest developments.
Something to look forward to: Valve confirmed plans to bring its SteamOS Linux distro to devices other than the Steam Deck over a year ago, but exactly when that will happen remains unclear. A recent announcement from Lenovo supports recent leaks indicating that the company will soon become the first OEM to back what has become a strong alternative to Windows for PC gaming.

The Verge reports that Lenovo is inviting CES attendees to a handheld gaming showcase in cooperation with Valve. The press release has added fuel to speculation that Lenovo will soon reveal a successor to the Legion Go featuring the Steam Deck's operating system, signaling a potential move away from Windows for handheld gaming PCs.

Lenovo will host a January 7 event called "Lenovo Legion x AMD: The Future of Gaming Handhelds," featuring Valve's Pierre-Loup Griffais, a key figure in the development of SteamOS and the Steam Deck. Lenovo is expected to unveil three rumored Legion Go revisions, one of which was recently pictured featuring a button with a Steam logo.

While the button's precise function is unknown, the leak coincides with increasingly frequent signs that Valve will soon outline its plans to bring SteamOS to devices from other manufacturers. Last year, the company confirmed its aim to make the Linux distro available on various handheld gaming PCs before progressing to general availability.

Recent branding guide updates indicate that Valve is preparing to support numerous devices running on SteamOS. Furthermore, leakers recently reported that the company could resume its attempts to sell console-style PCs.

In contrast to Windows, which most portable PCs use, SteamOS enables users to manage games and system parameters with a relatively simple console-like interface. Valve's quality-of-life features also solve common PC gaming annoyances like driver updates and shader compilation.

Jason Ronald, the VP of Xbox Gaming Devices and Ecosystem, who Lenovo calls Microsoft's "VP of Next Generation," will also attend Lenovo's event. Microsoft's presence is intriguing in light of the company's ongoing development of a handheld; however, Microsoft admits that the device's launch is years away.

Lenovo's upcoming Legion Go variants are expected to feature AMD's Ryzen Z2 APU platform, which includes a Zen 4 CPU, a GenAI-capable NPU, and an RDNA 3.5 integrated GPU. The fastest member of the lineup, the Z2 Extreme, could provide substantial performance boosts compared to recently released handheld PCs.

Image credit: Windows Central, Evan Blass, via The Verge
What just happened? Craig Wright, the Australian computer scientist who has repeatedly made the false claim that he is Bitcoin inventor Satoshi Nakamoto, has been found to be in contempt of court and handed a 12-month jail sentence for continuing to sue developers.

Back in 2016, Wright announced that he was the pseudonymous Satoshi and said he could prove it. That claim has been disputed ever since, but Wright continues to argue that he really is the mysterious creator and has launched legal battles against those who say otherwise.

The Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) forced a trial earlier this year aiming to stop Wright from suing more people.

The high court in London  Wright lives in the UK  found in favor of COPA. The judge said during the trial that Wright had lied about his role in launching Bitcoin, using clumsy forgeries "on a grand scale" and "technobabble," and that he is not the author of the Bitcoin white paper. Wright was ordered to stop taking legal action against Bitcoin developers.

In October, Wright ignored this court order and launched a legal case claiming he was owed $1.2 trillion for the intellectual property rights related to Bitcoin. He also repeated his claim that he is Satoshi.

The judge said the case is a "flagrant breach" of the original court order. For the five counts of contempt of court, Wright has been sentenced to 12 months in jail, suspended for two years, and must pay 145,000 ($181,308) in costs within two weeks. His $1.2 trillion claim has also been dismissed.

Wright had been ordered to appear in court in person during the hearing, but he refused on the grounds that he could only do so if he was paid 240,000 ($300,000) to cover his costs and lost earnings. He appeared via video call from somewhere in Asia  Wright refused to say where  stating that he intends to appeal the sentence.

COPA counsel Jonathan Hough KC said Wright's legal threats had "terrorized" people, putting "developers and bloggers through [] years of personal hell." He said the latest claims were intended to "cause maximum possible distress."

In May, High Court judge Mr Justice Mellor said that Wright presents himself as an extremely clever person, "however, in my judgment, he is not nearly as clever as he thinks he is."

"In both his written evidence and in days of oral evidence under cross-examination, I am entirely satisfied that Dr Wright lied to the court extensively and repeatedly," the judge said, via The Guardian. "Most of his lies related to the documents he had forged which purported to support his claim. All his lies and forged documents were in support of his biggest lie: his claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto."

In October, an HBO documentary claimed Peter Todd, a Canadian developer who was heavily involved in Bitcoin in its early days, was Satoshi Nakamoto. Todd denied the claim and went into hiding for his own safety.

Satoshi is thought to own 1 million bitcoins, worth around $92 billion, which would make him one of the richest people in the world.
In brief: For weeks, residents in New Jersey and New York have called on authorities to investigate an increasing number of mysterious sightings near critical US infrastructure. While government officials currently believe there is no immediate threat to public safety, the FAA has imposed several months-long restrictions on drone flights.

The Federal Aviation Administration has implemented a temporary ban on drone flights over portions of New Jersey, warning that the US government reserves the right to use deadly force against "airborne aircraft" if deemed necessary for security purposes.

The restrictions cover 22 infrastructure sites across New Jersey and will remain in effect until January 17, 2025. Under these temporary flight restrictions, individuals flying drones in restricted areas without proper authorization risk detention by law enforcement. Exemptions are granted only for activities related to firefighting, national defense, or approved commercial operations with a "valid statement of work."

Similarly, the FAA has imposed 29 TFRs in New York State, which will last until January 18, 2025. New York Governor Kathy Hochul described the move as "purely precautionary," emphasizing that authorities currently have no evidence suggesting the drones pose a significant threat to national security. However, she advocated for legislative measures to help law enforcement better address this "evolving technology."

Bans have a radius of one nautical mile and cover flight from the surface up to and including 400 feet above ground level.

For weeks, Americans have been reporting sightings of unidentified flying objects resembling car-sized drones near coastlines, military bases, power plants, and other critical US infrastructure. In New Jersey, concerned residents have voiced their fears to local authorities, sparking widespread media coverage and thousands of additional reports of drone sightings.

The FBI has received over 5,000 such reports, which have generated approximately 100 leads. However, officials maintain there is little cause for alarm, as most reviewed sightings have been identified as commercial drones operated by hobbyists or law enforcement, as well as fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters mistakenly perceived as drones.

Authorities are reminding the public that shooting down drones is illegal and could result in severe civil penalties or even criminal charges. Similarly, pointing lasers at aircraft mistaken for drones is both dangerous and unlawful, posing risks to passengers and carrying fines of up to $11,000 per violation.
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What's new? Google is rolling out an AI-powered system for its browser designed to sniff out scams and shady operations. The feature, dubbed Client Side Detection Brand and Intent for Scam Detection, debuted in the latest Canary builds of Chrome.

Chrome's new scam detection employs an on-device language model to scrutinize web pages on Windows, Mac, and Linux. The localized approach is essential because it helps Google avoid the potential privacy pitfalls of uploading your browsing data to the cloud. Your credentials and online activities should remain safely on your device instead of getting beamed up to Google's servers for processing.

Bolstering web security has always been challenging, but it's grown even more critical due to an explosion in cyber incidents. Microsoft's recent Digital Defense Report stated that over 600 million cybercriminal and nation-state attacks occur daily, targeting individuals, businesses, and governments alike.

It looks like Chrome will also use AI to detect scams, there's a new flag in Canary that suggests this:https://t.co/uQb84zbqeW pic.twitter.com/7CyK5y4gtO  Leopeva64 (@Leopeva64) December 19, 2024

Chrome's new feature bears some similarity to a "scareware blocker" Microsoft recently introduced for its Edge browser. Edge's tool utilizes AI to identify cyber scams and other malicious sites, just like Chrome's. However, Microsoft's version is opt-in, requiring users to enable it in their settings manually.

Microsoft is reeling with cybersecurity debacles. The Russian Nobelium hacking group managed to gain access to the company's corporate account for a month and exfiltrated executive email accounts. In light of the incident, CEO Satya Nadella underscored security as the company's "number one priority" last quarter.

Chrome's version will be on by default when it rolls out. However, you'll need to download the latest Canary release and toggle the "Client Side Detection Brand and Intent for Scam Detection" flag. Just navigate to chrome://flags, find that option, and enable it.

Earlier this year, Chrome gained a similar security-bolstering feature that threw a full-page "download warning" for risky downloads. It offers multiple options to bypass the warning, with one asking the user why they wish to do so.

Meanwhile, this new AI scam-busting upgrade follows another AI-driven Chrome feature Google rolled out last month called "Store reviews." It aggregates and summarizes independent retailer ratings from sites like Trustpilot to give users the full scoop before they purchase something.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has reported "little progress" in ceasefire negotiations in Ukraine. He emphasized that Ukraine and Zelenskyy should be ready to sign an agreement, but did not mention Putin and Russia's readiness to take this step.

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This position probably indicates that Trump is more comfortable putting pressure on Ukraine than on Russia. This opinion was expressed in an exclusive interview with OBOZ.UA by diplomat Oleksandr Levchenko, former Ukrainian ambassador to Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina (2010-2017).

According to him, the main problem now is not in Ukraine, but in Russia, which demonstrates complete unwillingness to negotiate. This is confirmed by its actions both in Ukraine and in the international arena.

"Perhaps it is much easier to put pressure on Ukraine than on Russia. That's why this is the wording for now. During the trilateral meeting in Paris, the President of Ukraine confirmed that we are ready, in principle, there are no questions. But it's not about Ukraine, it's about Russia. It is not ready for this. All of this is evidenced by the steps it is taking in Ukraine and the international arena," Levchenko said.

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However, Trump's position on the Kremlin may change in the future.

"So far, the discussion in this field is ongoing, but if Russia presents Trump with too many of its "wants" and tells him something about "Oreshnik" again and so on, I think the next US president may change his position on the Kremlin," the diplomat said.

Earlier, ISW analysts analyzed the statements of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin made during the "Direct Line," where he spoke a lot about the war in Ukraine. In particular, Putin said that he was "forced" to launch a full-scale invasion because of Ukraine's alleged refusal to fulfill the Minsk agreements. He also noted that Russia should have launched the invasion earlier than February 2022. In addition, Putin reiterated his earlier ultimatum demands.

As OBOZ.UA reported earlier, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas emphasized that there was no point in pushing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to peace talks with Russia. She noted that it is Russian dictator Vladimir Putin who does not intend to end the war.

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The Dutch Data Protection Authority (DPA) fined Netflix 4.75 million ($5 million) for failing to provide sufficient information to its customers about their personal data usage between 2018 and 2020.

The DPA started its investigation against Netflix in 2019 following complaints from None of your business (noyb), an Austrian NGO committed to privacy.

The Dutch watchdog found that the streaming service did not inform customers clearly enough in its privacy statement about what exactly it does with their data.

Moreover, customers were not adequately informed when they inquired about the data Netflix collects about them, constituting violations of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Apparently, Netflix gathers extensive personal information from its users, including contact details like email addresses and phone numbers, payment information, and detailed records of viewing behavior, such as what content is watched and the precise timing of their activity on the platform.

According to the DPA, the popular video streaming service failed to provide clear and adequate information to customers on several key aspects, including:

The purposes of and the legal grounds for collecting and using personal data;

Information about which personal data are shared with third parties and the specific reasons for doing so;

The duration for which Netflix retains the personal data;

What measures does Netflix take to ensure the security of personal data when transferring it to countries outside Europe.

A company like that, with a turnover of billions and millions of customers worldwide, has to explain properly to its customers how it handles their personal data. That must be crystal clear. Especially if the customer asks about this. And that was not in order, Aleid Wolfsen, Chairman of the Dutch DPA, said.

Reacting to DPAs decision, Stefano Rossetti, data protection lawyer at noyb said: We are happy with the DPAs decision to issue a fine against Netflix. However, it took almost five years to obtain it, and in a very simple case.

On the other hand, Netflix reacted to the fine by saying that over the past five years, it has actively collaborated with the Dutch DPA during the investigation and has already proactively updated its privacy statement to ensure transparency and improve its information provision.

Since the investigation began over five years ago, we have worked closely with the Dutch Data Protection Authority and continuously evolved our privacy information to provide greater clarity for our members, a spokesperson for Netflix stated.

Meanwhile, Netflix has objected to the fine but hasnt yet appealed the decision as a whole.
Anti-whaling campaigner Paul Watson arrives in France



Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport, France, Dec 20 (AFP) Dec 20, 2024



Freed anti-whaling activist Paul Watson on Friday arrived in France after five months in detention in Greenland pending an extradition demand from Japan, an airport source told AFP.

Watson, 74, was released on Tuesday after Denmark refused the Japanese extradition request over a 2010 clash with whalers.

He landed at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport shortly before 3.00 pm (1400 GMT), an airport source said.

A smiling Watson was seen wheeling his luggage through the airport terminal as armed police looked on, video footage showed.

Supporters clapped and some shouted: "Bravo!" One woman handed him a balloon. The activist left the airport without making a statement, only saying: "Thank you" in French and English.

Watson, who featured in the reality TV series "Whale Wars", founded the campaign group Sea Shepherd and the Captain Paul Watson Foundation (CPWF) and is known for radical tactics including confrontations with whaling ships at sea.

On his release on Tuesday, he had announced his intention to return to France, where he had been living since July 2023 and where his two young children attend school. He requested French citizenship in October.

Watson's legal woes have attracted support from the public and activists, including prominent British conservationist Jane Goodall, who has urged French President Emmanuel Macron to grant him political asylum.

"It's been five months and this is the first day of freedom, so I'm feeling great," Watson told AFP in a video call shortly after his release from the Danish autonomous territory this week.

Tokyo accuses Watson of injuring a Japanese crew member with a stink bomb intended to disrupt the whalers' activities during a Sea Shepherd clash with the Shonan Maru 2 vessel in 2010.

Watson's lawyers have said they have video footage proving the crew member was not on deck when the stink bomb was thrown.

Supporters planned to stage a rally on Saturday afternoon to welcome Watson.
Freed anti-whaling campaigner Paul Watson arrives in France



Paris, Dec 20 (AFP) Dec 20, 2024



Freed anti-whaling activist Paul Watson on Friday arrived in France after five months in detention in the Danish autonomous territory of Greenland due to an extradition demand from Japan.

Watson, a 74-year-old Canadian-American, was released on Tuesday after Denmark refused the Japanese extradition request over a 2010 clash with whalers. He was released after a high-profile campaign in his support.

French President Emmanuel Macron had pressed Danish authorities not to extradite the campaigner, who has applied for French nationality.

Watson landed at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport shortly before 3:00 pm (1400 GMT), an airport source said.

A smiling Watson was seen wheeling his luggage through the airport terminal as armed police looked on.

Supporters clapped and some shouted: "Bravo!"

One woman handed him a balloon. The activist left the airport without making a statement, only saying: "Thank you" in French and English.

"We didn't expect him to be released, especially before Christmas," said Gabriela Cabrera, a 49-year-old volunteer with Sea Shepherd, an organisation founded by Watson. She said she was delighted by what she described as "a miracle".

Another supporter, Laurence Huygues-Despointes, said she wanted to thank President Macron.

"We criticised him (Macron) a lot, but he vouched for him (Watson) and I hope he will obtain French nationality," said the 68-year-old.

Watson, who featured in the reality TV series "Whale Wars", founded the campaign group Sea Shepherd and the Captain Paul Watson Foundation (CPWF).

Adept at gaining publicity, he gained notoriety for "direct-action" tactics such as ramming vessels and using acoustic weapons, water cannon and stink bombs.

In the 2000s and 2010s, Sea Shepherd played a rough game of cat and mouse with Japanese ships as they sought to slaughter hundreds of whales every year for "scientific purposes".

Watson had been held in Greenland since July on a 2012 Japanese warrant, which accuses him of causing damage to a whaling ship and injuring a whaler.



- 'Feeling great' -



On his release on Tuesday, Watson had announced his intention to return to France, where his two young children attend school.

Watson's legal woes have attracted support from the public and activists, including prominent British conservationist Jane Goodall.

"It's been five months and this is the first day of freedom, so I'm feeling great," Watson told AFP in a video call shortly after his release from the Danish autonomous territory.

Tokyo accuses Watson of injuring a Japanese crew member with a stink bomb intended to disrupt the whalers' activities during a Sea Shepherd clash with the Shonan Maru 2 vessel in 2010.

Watson's lawyers have said they have video footage proving the crew member was not on deck when the stink bomb was thrown.

Supporters planned to stage a rally on Saturday afternoon to welcome Watson.

On Wednesday, Japan's government voiced dismay over Watson's release.

Supporters of whaling accuse their critics of double standards given the methods used to produce much of the millions of tons of meat from other animals consumed every year.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announces the transfer of another IRIS-T SLM air defense system to Ukraine. The Ukrainian army will also receive a Gepard SPAAG self-propelled artillery system.

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Scholz made the statement at a briefing on December 19 after a European Council meeting in Brussels. "Another IRIS-T system is currently being delivered, I think today, as well as the Gepard SPAAG, which we continue to deliver along with all the ammunition that we have resumed production of," he said.

As German Aid to Ukraine points out, Scholz's statement "would be in line with previous announcements" that the sixth IRIS-T SLM launcher, as well as two additional IRIS-T SLS launchers promised by Germany, will be delivered to Ukraine by the end of 2024.

The SLS and SLM variants of the system differ in chassis, missiles, and range of interception of air targets, Militarnyi writes.

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What is known about the IRIS-T air defense system

IRIS-T is a German anti-aircraft missile system designed for air and missile defense. The manufacturer is the German company Diehl Defense. The IRIS-T SLM has a medium range and is designed to destroy airplanes, helicopters, UAVs, and cruise missiles at a distance of up to 40 km. Its development was completed in 2014.

The IRIS-T SLS variant has a short range. It is also designed to combat airplanes, helicopters, UAVs, cruise and ballistic missiles of short range, but at distances of up to 25 km.

In September, Scholz said that Ukraine had already received seven IRIS-T systems, which helped it shoot down more than 250 Russian missiles and UAVs. At the time, he also said that Germany had ordered 17 more units for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Four were scheduled to be delivered by the end of this year, and the rest  next year.

Before that, Reuters reported that Germany had decided to supply six IRIS-Ts to Ukraine by the end of the year.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, in late November, the German Defense Ministry promised to transfer two IRIS-T systems to Ukraine by the end of 2024: SLM and SLS.

In October, Germany had already announced the transfer of one SLM and one SLS.

On November 13, following a conversation with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Scholz announced the transfer of the sixth of the planned IRIS-T systems to Ukraine by the end of the year.

Only verified information on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
Swiss govt wants to lift ban on more nuclear power plants



Geneva, Dec 20 (AFP) Dec 20, 2024



Switzerland's government said Friday it wanted to change the law to get around a 2018 ban on building more nuclear power stations to help guarantee the country's energy needs.

"The aim is to keep nuclear energy open as an option for the long-term security of the Swiss energy supply," said a statement from the Federal Council.

It had begun consultations with local authorities, political parties and unions, it added.

The idea was to have an alternative on hand in case renewable energies could not be expanded to the required extent, and no climate-friendly alternatives were available.

The government explained its decision to go back on the ban on further nuclear development by referring to changed circumstances, including "Russia's military aggression against Ukraine".

It added: "The looming Europe-wide electricity shortage in 2022/23 has shown that Switzerland's dependence on electricity imports in winter represents a risk."

Developing renewable energy sources nevertheless remained a priority, it added.

The government's position has already been rejected by the left, as well as anti-nuclear and environmental groups.

But it was welcomed by the country's Association of Electricity Businesses (AES).

The Swiss approved the gradual phase-out of nuclear power following a 2017 referendum, banning the construction of new power plants.

That law was the result of a long process initiated after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan, triggered by a tsunami.

But it still has four, ageing nuclear reactors in service.

Earlier this month, Switzerland announced that its oldest nuclear plant, Beznau, would be kept running until 2033, ignoring arguments from environmentalists that it should be shut down immediately. It began operating in 1969.

Beznau 2, which opened in 1971, will shut down in 2032.

The other two nuclear power plants, Goesgen and Leibstadt, came into service in 1979 and 1984 respectively.

Greenpeace has been campaigning for the two Beznau reactors to be shut down immediately.

vog/jj/rlp
On the morning of December 20, Russia fired missiles at Kyiv, causing injuries and deaths. The Russian Defense Ministry reported a "successful strike" on the Ukrainian capital.

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However, the Russians themselves could not hide their disappointment and were outraged by the senselessness of such "successes." They wrote about it on social media.

The morning in Kyiv began with an air raid alert and ballistic missiles launched by Russia. The air defense system worked, but the debris of the downed targets fell in several areas of the capital, causing serious consequences. As of 11:00 a.m., ten people were reported injured and one man was killed.

In its official statement, the Russian military leadership proudly reported on the strike on allegedly important targets in Kyiv: "the SSU control center," "the "Promin" design bureau, where "Neptune" and "Vilkha" missile systems are being developed," and "Patriot air defense system positions." The attack, according to the occupiers' leadership, was a response to a recent Ukrainian strike on the Rostov region.

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On social media, Russians ridiculed the attack by their military. Some of them openly stated that this attack looked like an imitation of work, "just for show."

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As reported by OBOZ.UA, on the morning of Friday, December 20, Russia launched a combined attack on Kyiv using "Kinzhal" air-ballistic missiles and Iskander/KN-23 ballistic missiles. Unfortunately, the shelling resulted in casualties, and debris was seen falling in several parts of the city.

On the morning of Friday, December 20, the aggressor country of Russia launched a terrorist attack on Kyiv with ballistic missiles. As a result, buildings were damaged and cars were burning in the Holosiivskyi district of Kyiv.

Only verified information on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
On the morning of December 20, Russia launched five ballistic missiles at Kyiv, and explosions were heard in the city during an air raid alert as air defense systems were activated. As a result of the enemy attack, debris from the downed targets fell in several districts: 11 people were injured and one man died.

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The fires caused the right bank of the city to be covered in smoke. Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported the attack on his Telegram channel, urging residents to take shelter.

"One person was killed in the capital as a result of the morning attack, 11 were wounded, five of them hospitalized, and the rest were treated on the spot," the KRMA reported after 11:00.

It is noted that cars were burning in the Holosiivskyi district due to the fall of rocket fragments.

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The National Police reported that a man who was on the street at the time of the shelling was found dead.

In addition, the fall of the downed target was recorded at another address in the same area. Two people were injured there: one was treated on the spot and the other was hospitalized.

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According to the emergency services, a fire broke out in the Solomianskyi district. Emergency services, including medics, were sent to the scene.

"There are fires on the roofs of buildings, cars are also burning. The heating main is damaged. Emergency services are working everywhere. Doctors hospitalized two victims," said Mayor Klitschko.

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The KRMA reported that the attack resulted in debris falling in three districts of the city.

In particular, in the Holosiivskyi district, an office building, a road surface, and a gas pipe were damaged with subsequent depressurization; five cars caught fire.

At another address, the facade of an office building was damaged, followed by a fire on the roof, and the 15th floor was destroyed (probably because people were trapped there).

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A fire broke out in a non-residential building in Solomianskyi district as a result of falling debris  it was extinguished. In Shevchenkivskyi district, there was a fire in a non-residential building.

"Seven residential buildings on 70 Antonovycha Street have been disconnected from the gas supply. This is due to the fall of rocket fragments in Holosiivskyi district. Relevant services are working to restore services," KRMA said.

In addition, 630 residential buildings, 16 medical institutions, 17 schools, and 13 kindergartens in Kyiv were left without heat due to the damage to the heating main.

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Russian Federation attacks Kyiv with ballistic missiles

The morning alert across Ukraine was caused by the takeoff of MiG-31K aircraft in Russia. After 07:00, the Air Force reported the movement of four high-speed targets in the direction of Kyiv.

Monitoring channels noted that the missiles (probably North Korean KN-23) were neutralized by air defense forces, but the threat of enemy strikes remains.

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Later, the Ukrainian Air Force reported that the enemy launched ballistic missiles in the direction of Kyiv again.

According to the Air Force, at about 07:00, the enemy launched five "Iskander-M"/KN-23 ballistic missiles at Kyiv from Voronezh and Bryansk regions of the Russian Federation, and all of them were shot down as a result of combat work by Ukraine's air defense.

Head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council Andrii Kovalenko said that Russians launched ballistic missiles from the Bryansk and Voronezh regions of Russia.

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Later, he pointed out that Russian dictator Putin, having lost several strategic facilities in Russia, decided to attack civilian cars and houses in Kyiv, frightening children.

"When some people run around saying that they are offended by the word 'dolbo*ob', I advise you not to fall for this nonsense. This is an ordinary war criminal who has been doing this for three years. And the more strategic facilities in Russia are destroyed, the sooner it will end," he said.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, on the night of December 20, the defenders of the sky shot down all Russian kamikaze drones that tried to attack Kyiv. The wreckage fell on the territory of non-residential buildings in the Desnianskyi district.

A large-scale fire broke out in a 15,000-square-meter warehouse in the Boryspil district of Kyiv region due to an attack by enemy UAVs. No one was killed or injured.

Only verified information on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
Columnist Will Sutton on State Sen. Cleo Fields' election to fill the new 4th Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives:

"It's fitting that Fields' return to Congress resulted from a court fight over redistricting. His previous tenure there, from 1993-97, ended because the courts threw out his "zig-zag" district. Now, he's back in Congress representing a diagonal slice of Louisiana that runs from East Baton Rouge Parish to Caddo Parish.

"But how long he'll stay there remains a matter of litigation  the U.S. Supreme Court, to be exact.

"The day before Election Day, the high court said it will consider a challenge to Louisiana's new majority-Black 6th Congressional District."
Whitebark Energy shares soared as much as 50 per cent on Friday after the company made an off market bid to acquire private entity King Energy, which holds Australias biggest prospective onshore seismically defined sub-salt, white hydrogen, helium and gas projects in South Australias Officer Basin.

Under the bid agreement, Whitebark will issue 100 million new shares at a price of 1.2 cents and a further 100m options, exercisable at 0.5c.

Whitebark has made a play for King Energy, which holds a massive clean energy play in South Australia.

Investors already seem intrigued with the market potential for the first two elements of the periodic table and shares in Whitebark hit a high of 1.2 cents in intraday trading today, up 50 per cent from 0.8c at the start of trade.

Hydrogen comes in a rainbow of colours  derived from a myriad of magical processing methods. Green hydrogen is made by cracking water into oxygen and hydrogen. Blue hydrogen is made from natural gas, with the carbon emissions captured and stored. Grey hydrogen comes from natural gas, with carbon dioxide emissions released into the atmosphere.
A group of men deciding who will inherit power. And women serving them. A meeting that has been a constant since human beings first set foot on Earth. In some corporations, little has changed, and even less so in spiritual power. The same holds true for the grand institution that most fiercely unites politics and spirituality, power and religion: the Catholic Church, which, in turn, most crudely reflects the patriarchy.

Sitting over coffee, German filmmaker Edward Berger, 54, smiles and responds: The Church represents the oldest patriarchy in the world. Of course, if it wants to have a future, it will have to change. Berger reflects on the issue ahead of the premiere of Conclave, an adaptation of one of Robert Harriss bestsellers, which, as the title suggests, portrays the gathering of cardinals who will choose the new pope.

This seclusion began in the 13th century, when the people of Viterbo, 52 miles north of Rome, grew weary of the cardinals two-year-long deliberations, which had failed to produce a new pontiff. In frustration, they removed the roof of the palace, hoping the Holy Spirit would descend on them (or, more practically, that the bad weather would force them to act). It took another year, and two cardinals died before a pope was finally elected.

An image from 'Conclave,' with Ralph Fiennes (right) and Brian F. O'Byrne.

Finally, in 1274, the elected pontiff, Gregory X, decreed that from then on, the cardinals would be confined to a single room with an adjoining bathroom (the word conclave means a locked room) in the palace for 10 days following the popes death. This is realistically depicted in Conclave, albeit under 21st-century conditions: smartphones are left at the door, and signal inhibitors block communication with the outside world.

But, as always, doubts arise, Berger interjects, because its doubts that make us human. Cardinals are human, no matter how many rings and hats they wear.

Its also about power, just as it was centuries ago. Its what fuels the universe, says Berger, whose previous film, All Quiet on the Western Front, won four Oscars. Everyone can identify with these intrigues. Do you know what they do in a conclave? To my mind, they elect the most powerful person in the world. Power isnt always about money or land. A pope doesnt govern a large state on Earth. He controls something else: wills, beliefs  feelings that are, at certain moments, much stronger than a weapon.

Thats why Bergers movie Conclave  which premiered in September at the San Sebastian Festival, where this interview took place  revels in the corridors, in the huddles and whispers at the doors of the rooms after each round of voting. Its curious how, in the previous film, I focused on silence, and in this one, we move forward through conversations. Secrets are hidden in the tangle of words, says the German filmmaker.

Edward Berger (l) and Ralph Fiennes on the set of 'Conclave.'

Inigo Dominguez is EL PAISs correspondent in Rome. He attended two conclaves: the one that elected Benedict XVI and, after the German pontiffs resignation, the one that elected the current pope, the 266th of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis from Argentina. Those who enter [the College of Cardinals] know that no institution has lasted so long with such uninterrupted power, except the dynasties of the pharaohs, says Dominguez.

Berger adds: The cardinals feel the weight of history when they sit down; they know that they will shape not only the future of the Church but also that of humanity.

For Dominguez, the best example is John Paul II: He was there for 25 years, and yes, certain historical circumstances played a role, but his presence undoubtedly helped bring about the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The Polish pope exemplifies in the 20th century how crucial it is to choose between a young pontiff and one in transition, says the EL PAIS journalist. Cardinal Ratzinger was in transition, and like Benedict XVI, he served as the primate of the Catholic Church for seven years. His papacy forced the College of Cardinals to reflect on where they wanted to focus their future.

Isabella Rossellini in 'Conclave.'

Historically, young popes have not been a good idea. Both Berger and Dominguez offer numerous examples, but the one most often highlighted in history books is Benedict IX, who was elected pope at the age of 20 in 1032. His predecessor, John XIX, was his uncle, and his family purchased the papacy. During his 12-year rule, Benedict IX was notorious for his brutality, committing murders and rapes without remorse, and was even accused of bestiality. In 1044, he was forced to resign. Eager to regain power, in April 1045, he ousted his replacement and reclaimed the papacy.

However, when he wished to marry his cousin, he decided to sell the papacy, which he did. Gregory VI, his godfather, paid for it. Benedict IX then proclaimed himself pope once more in 1047, leading to a situation where three men were considered pontiffs at the same time: Benedict IX, Gregory VI, and Sylvester III (the first replacement). Ultimately, it was the Roman Emperor, Henry III, who dismissed all three in June 1048 and gave the papacy to Damasus II, who died just 23 days later.

European monarchies had the right to veto papal elections until less than 200 years ago, says Dominguez. The Vatican has always been a place of political struggle, and the popes of any given time are a faithful reflection of the politics of that moment.

It has always had an echo in the behavior of the cardinals, who group themselves by mother tongue or place of origin, Berger reflects. That creates geopolitical alliances, which in Conclave  a favorite for the Oscars  culminates in a humorous joke about the French. When I was a Protestant child, what really mesmerized me about the Vatican was its ornamentation, its paraphernalia. Now, as a film buff, what interests me, and what I have tried to reflect, is that conspiratorial atmosphere, like the great thrillers of the 1970s, in the style of Alan J. Pakula.

Will there ever be a real entry of women into the Vatican? Berger believes there should be: The patriarchy within the Church must change, and the patriarchy in the world must change. To highlight womens rise in the Vatican, the nun played by Isabella Rossellini in Bergers movie sometimes manages the future of the conclave in the shadows.

Dominguez is more skeptical: In 2019, Woman, Church, World, the womens supplement of the Holy Sees newspaper LOsservatore Romano, was left headless when the entire editorial team, starting with founder and director Lucetta Scaraffia, resigned. The resignation occurred after Scaraffia testified in a report about the abuse of nuns by priests. Francis has spoken of the demasculinization of the Catholic Church, but thats where these changes must come from.

Ralph Fiennes, in an image from the film 'Conclave,' by Edward Berger. Courtesy of Focus Features.  2

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Exclusive Eating outFood Rick Shores team finally unveils its long-awaited Gold Coast sequels Theyve been five years in the making, but Norte and Sueno were worth the wait. Take a look inside. Matt Shea December 20, 2024 Save Log in , register or subscribe to save recipes for later. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share

Five years of planning. Months upon months spent researching and cooking in Mexico, Argentina, Peru, Brazil and Colombia. A build overseen by one of the countrys most in-demand design teams. The investment in time and money thats gone into Norte and Sueno is intimidating. But it probably has to be when youre following up Rick Shores, the Gold Coasts most iconic modern restaurant. Norte and Sueno open tomorrow in Mermaid Beach. Courtesy of Norte/Sueno Im not sure we feel a weight of expectation, says Nick Woodward, who co-owns Norte and Sueno with David Flynn, Frank Li and chef and new partner James Brady. Its more anticipation because so many of our regulars are excited about it. Weve been working on it and talking about it for long enough now, but weve also been quite selective in what weve been telling people. Theyve been driving past, watching it slowly come together. Now its about sharing it with everybody.

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Brisbanes most exciting restaurant openings of 2024 Norte and Sueno open tomorrow inside the new Oxley 1823 development in Mermaid Beach. Norte is a restaurant that ranges across Latin American cuisine cooked on an enormous custom-made hearth, Sueno a rooftop bar with a focus on hard-to-find tequila and mezcal. In charge of design of both venues was Jared Webbs J.AR OFFICE, fresh off its work in Brisbane on the Hong Kong-inspired Central  the groups most recent opening  and a late-2023 facelift of Gerards Bistro, for which it won a coveted Eat Drink Design award. Much of Nortes menu is cooked on a custom-made hearth with a parrilla-style grill. Courtesy of Norte/Sueno The result is a pair of venues that look to capture the spirit of Mexico Citys modernist architecture. Norte is decked out in black slate, brown limestone and woven textiles, and boasts a showstopping vermiculated waffle ceiling. The standout features are an open kitchen with its hearth, and a red metal staircase that sits in the centre of the venue, leading up to Sueno.

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Slow cooked short rib with al pastor aji amarillo and pineapple. Courtesy of Norte/Sueno As for Sueno, its a semi-open-air affair intended to reflect the feel of an arid landscape, with splashes of colour and potted greenery. The food at Norte is anchored by the hearth with its parrilla-style grill. Coral Trout with white asparagus, kohlrabi and nashi pear. Courtesy of Norte/Sueno Snacks and smaller dishes include a Mooloolaba spanner crab churro with cucumber, apple and jalapeno, an al pastor-style Moreton Bay bug taco with pineapple, a fish taco with charcoaled spring onion and a Tasmanian pepper berry emulsion, and a beef tostada with fermented chilli, agretti and a taki kombu.

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Mains include a flank steak with native chimichurri and caramelised onion, and slow cooked short rib with al pastor aji amarillo and pineapple. Mooloolaba spanner crab churro with cucumber, apple and jalapeno. Courtesy of Norte/Sueno Theres also a whole fish menu that features grilled coral trout with a koji butter, guacachile and green pico de gallo, and whole John Dory with garlic crema, dressed shaved zucchini and seasonal herbs. The food is backed by 150 bottles of wine, with almost half the list occupied by Central and South American drops. Braised mushroom tetela with pickled fungi and spices. Courtesy of Norte/Sueno

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Upstairs at Sueno the food leans more towards snacks such as baby abalone with fermented habanero, bonito soy and pickled red onion; hiramasa kingfish and Ora King salmon ceviche; and champagne crayfish skewers with a chipotle butter. For drinks at Sueno, the tequila and mezcal form the cornerstone of a cocktail menu with a bunch of variations on the classics that include a half-tequila half-mezcal margarita, and a capirinha that group beverage director Peter Marchant has previously described as the best  Ive tasted in my life. When you walk in that front door and walk up those stairs, your jaw will hit the floor, Woodward says about the finished venues. Its so impressive and everyones done an incredible job. Its looking fantastic. It has such a capacity to [transport the guest], it could work anywhere in Australia. Norte open Tue-Sun 12pm-late

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Sueno open Thu-Sun 12pm-late 17 Lavarack Road, Mermaid Beach norte.restaurant

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The director of the Australian War Memorial told its curators to seek guidance from the senior manager of the company funding the defamation action of war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith as the institution grappled with how to acknowledge the special forces war crimes scandal.

Leaked files from within the memorial reveal it considered a proposal for a small panel, less than two metres wide with four exhibits, to deal with the story of how two dozen Australian special forces soldiers, including Roberts-Smith, came to be accused of involvement in at least 39 executions in Afghanistan.

Ben Roberts-Smith at the Australian War Memorial in 2014. Credit: Jay Cronan

A senior curator wrote in a May 2023 email that she was advised by memorial director Matt Anderson to consult two veterans appointed to the War Memorial council who were likely to have strong opinions on how (or even if) the Memorial presents the story of war crimes allegations.

One of the two Australian War Memorial council members to be consulted regarding the proposed war crimes exhibit is named in leaked documents from 2023 as former SAS commander James McMahon.
As a schoolkid, Michael Leunig was playing footy when he found himself with the ball running into an open goal. Had it been anyone else, the ball would have been theatrically kicked through the big sticks into the next paddock. Michael, however, he told me years later, found himself wondering, What if I just keep running? Which he did, only to find a certain goal was now only a behind and the crowd that was cheering was now groaning in frustration. It seems the Leunig template was established early.

Leunig was already a hero of mine when I met him in 1986, his books providing a galaxy I could float in for many hours. He was 19 years older than me and knew how I regarded him, but never talked at me. He asked lots of questions and made me feel like we were equals, even though we clearly werent.

Age colleagues and friends: Michael Leunig and Jim Pavlidis at a Queenscliff Gallery function in 2019.

He seemed to know people everywhere and had heaps of stories, many of which were so outrageous that I dared not ask if they were true. Apparently following the death of the controversial Indian mystic Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, there was a Leunig book among his possessions. Holy man indeed, though not beyond the realm of possibility that he was a Leunig fan.

Art was a favourite topic of conversation. Not so much, Which art do you like? But the philosophy and ideas behind creative expression. In a self-pitying moment one day, I expressed frustration at my lack of artistic technical finesse. Michael wouldnt have a bar of it, and simply said, Jim, think of your art like its a three-legged dog, you dont put it down because its missing a leg.
She was particularly critical of Overland and disputed his evidence that he only became aware of Gobbos registration as an informer after the fact. She said Overland had gone to great lengths to justify his inaction, at times providing inherently implausible versions of events, while finding there were also lingering doubts about whether he had provided a full, frank and candid account. I am unable to conceive of how or why it was not obvious to officers in senior command of Victoria Police (Mr Overland in particular) that there were obvious legal risks (not just risks to Ms Gobbos safety) in registering and using her as an informer, Fullerton wrote. Former lawyer and police informer Nicola Gobbo. Credit: ABC She said the former chief commissioners failure to ensure Gobbos role did not embroil the force in illegal conduct or impropriety was nothing short of egregious.

Fullerton found that Victoria Police was complicit in the barristers breach of duty to her clients and the course of conduct grossly improper, while police also exercised their powers of arrest on two occasions in a way that could undermine the administration of justice. I am also satisfied that Ms Gobbos multiple breaches of her duty of loyalty to the applicant [Mokbel] and to those of her clients who gave evidence against him was improper, indeed grossly improper, and that the nature and extent of Victoria Polices complicity in that course of conduct was also grossly improper. Former police commissioner Simon Overland (centre) in 2019. Credit: Jason South The judge stressed that her findings about a joint criminal enterprise were made on the balance of probabilities, a lower bar than the criminal standard of beyond reasonable doubt. Last year, then-director of public prosecutions Kerri Judd, KC, refused to bring a criminal prosecution against anyone involved in the Gobbo scandal.

Others caught up in the damning findings include former director of public prosecutions John Champion, who was appointed a Supreme Court judge in 2017. Fullerton found Champion breached his duty of disclosure and made an error of judgment by failing to inform the court that Gobbo had been working as a police informer. She was also scathing of evidence provided by Superintendent Boris Buick, a serving police officer, and found he had persistently obfuscated and been deliberately dishonest. Gobbo with Mokbel outside court in 2004. She was Mokbels barrister at the time. Credit: Nine I might have put that explanation down to naivety were it not for the fact that Mr Buick is legally trained, Fullerton wrote. He was admitted to practise as a lawyer in Victoria in 2000, in the course of which he undertook compulsory study in legal ethics and professional responsibilities of lawyers.

Buick headed the Purana taskforce investigation that led to the conviction of Faruk Orman over the 2002 murder of gangster Victor Peirce. That conviction was later quashed after the courts found Gobbos involvement had contaminated the prosecution case. However, Fullerton did not find Overland, Buick or Champion were involved in the joint criminal enterprise. Loading Fullerton also made a series of scathing findings against Gobbo, including deliberate and repeated breaches of her professional duties to clients, while also deriving financial benefits from her association with Mokbel. She also enjoyed both material benefits the applicant (Mokbel) was able to provide and the perverse thrill of being a highprofile lawyer of a suspected member of the criminal underworld, with the dubious status and public profile that accompanied that position, Fullerton wrote of Gobbo.

Gobbo did not give evidence during the trial regarding the conduct of police or prosecutors in the case, while Mokbel gave evidence over four days earlier this year. The Court of Appeal will use Fullertons findings to decide whether Mokbels appeal should succeed. On Wednesday, Supreme Court judge John Beach shot down the applications of two police officers to suppress their names after Fullerton found the two men had met Gobbo to help turn a key witness  Mokbels drug cook  against the drug kingpin during a meeting on St Kilda Road. In documents, the officers expressed distress in learning about the findings. One is undergoing psychiatrist treatment for health conditions, and the other has been in regular discussions with his doctor for the past four years about the effect the Nicola Gobbo matters were having on his mental health. The suppression ruling prompted the pair to launch an 11th-hour appeal on Friday afternoon to keep their names suppressed.
Police only disclosed the existence of Davis psychological report to Farquharsons defence lawyers late in the second trial, according to sources speaking anonymously because they are not permitted to make public comment. It was not made public at either trial. Though it went nowhere, Davis report remains the only attempt by either the prosecution or the defence to get to the bottom of Farquharsons mental state  a fact which experts Tim Watson Munro and Xanthe Mallett said was unfathomable. Brothers Jai , 9, Bailey, 2, and Tyler Farquharson, 7. Given the whole case pivots around his mental state, how is there no [full] psych report? I do not understand, said Mallett, a forensic anthropologist and associate professor at the University of Newcastle. Dr Deb Bennett, a psychologist, criminal profiler and 40-year veteran of Victoria Police who had a hand in shaping Davis report, told the Trial By Water podcast that in her experience, police investigators often did not want to understand what had really happened.

They were more interested in winning cases and would listen to nothing that seemed to go against that, she said. Lets face it, its not about justice. Its who tells the best story. Thats really what its about, Bennett said. A redacted version of Davis report was released by police to this masthead after a freedom-of-information request. The seven-page paper is called an indirect personality assessment because Davis had not interviewed Farquharson. The documents he was supplied included several statements by witnesses, videos of Farquharsons police interview and a lie detector test.

However, it appears from the dates of the witness statements on his report that Davis had no access to Gambinos police statement. Farquharsons estranged wife supported him for four years before changing her mind and coming to believe he was guilty. Her first statement said, among other things, that there had been no violence or coercion in the marriage. Davis conceded in his report that, if he had been given different material to work with, it may have resulted in a different opinion. As a result, he insisted that his report was provided as an investigative aid rather than for legal purposes. Rob and Cindy Farquharson at the funeral of their three sons. Credit: John Donegan Davis concluded the evidence for Farquharsons story of coughing and passing out was poor, citing investigators theories that the car had been deliberately steered into the dam. It appears more likely that this was an intentional act, he wrote.

However, if the motive was to punish his ex-wife by killing their children, Davis wrote, then a certain level of rubbing it in [to hurt Cindy] would be expected. He did not see evidence of this in Farquharsons attitude. It would appear that if he did intend to kill just his children, he is now experiencing considerable guilt, Davis wrote. Lets face it, its not about justice. Its who tells the best story. Former Victoria Police criminal profiler Dr Deb Bennett As evidence for the suicide-gone-wrong theory, Davis pointed to Farquharsons prescription for anti-depressant medication, the fact that the crash had happened on Fathers Day, and the fact that he controlled his emotions. Mr Farquharson appears to have a somewhat avoidant personality characterised by controlled emotional expression and brooding  His love for his children was expressed through overprotectiveness and playing sport with them, Davis wrote in his report to police.

Mr Farquharson is not an overtly aggressive person and will tend to bottle up his anger. He is not easily goaded into responding with aggression and shows considerable control. Loading It is my opinion that an attempted suicide/homicide is perhaps a more likely explanation than homicide. I understand that this is also the opinion of the investigation, he wrote. Mr Farquharson appears to be labouring under a combination of guilt and fear. He is trying very hard to convince himself that he is innocent. Criminal psychologist Tim Watson-Munro said of the report, theres some fairly strident statements about Farquharsons intent, and I can say that, having given evidence in the Supreme Court and murder trials on hundreds of occasions over the decades, the one thing you never talk about is intent.

No degree of expertise will enable you to say with certainty what was going on in an individuals mind at the moment that they committed an offence, Watson-Munro said. Of the over-control theory, Watson-Munro said, thats a sort of false kind of logic, really. Xanthe Mallett said that when men were guilty of multiple-child killing, they had always been previously violent and coercive, and there had been an escalation in behaviour leading up to the incident. Farquharson had none of these features. Many people get depressed, Mallett said, but the fact that somebody has depression would be a minor consideration for me when looking at the seriousness of this crime. Bennett, who was then a detective senior sergeant with Victoria Police, met Davis for two hours as he prepared his report in 2005.

She would not comment about its contents, but said in general of the fact that Farquharson took anti-depressant medication that, other than anti-cholesterol tablets, antidepressants are the largest selling drug in the US. Did they suggest someone was suicidal or murderous? Can you imagine? she said. No! No! After 40 years of working with Victoria Police, Bennett said police often jumped to conclusions based on peoples behaviour in traumatic circumstances. Loading Once the leader has deemed that so and so is guilty, then the team, its your job to bring that case to fruition, Bennett said, speaking generally. They say  Were keeping an open mind  [but] every time I hear that I think, No, youre not. Trial By Water established that police formed an early view of Farquharsons guilt because of his unemotional behaviour by the dam while others were searching for his sons, and his strange behaviour in a subsequent police interview in the hospital. Physical evidence at the scene also fuelled their suspicions.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size On a mild Autumn evening, a group of Sydney University students, mostly attached to the Socialist Alternative and left-wing activist groups, set up camp on the institutions iconic front lawns. The pro-Palestinian demonstration began off the back of a wave of student protests at US universities and remained a constant presence on campus for almost two months. It led to a bruising year in which Sydney University found itself ground zero for accusations of antisemitism. Facing pressure to respond, the university commissioned a review into its response to the encampment, to be done by workplace health and safety barrister Bruce Hodgkinson SC. Among his suggestions was a radical proposal designed to enforce a more civil discourse on campus. It was dubbed The New Civility Rule. The novel rule, devised by Hodgkinson, would require staff and students to make their intended meaning known when they used contested phrases or slogans, for example, from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free. He argues it will allow serious debate while also creating a safe environment for staff and students. But the rule and broader protest crackdowns have set off a firestorm of criticism. Its led to claims of the death of activism on campus and an end to the universitys proud history of rebellion. A history that has seen a student Anthony Albanese scale the quadrangle clock tower to protest course cuts, a vice chancellors office occupied, sit-ins, bonfires lit and flares released. Others are concerned it could be used to target those it intends to protect. A new campus reality The encampment began in April with a few student activists who pitched tents on the lawns, many affiliated with Socialist Alternative-linked group Students for Palestine. Over the next eight weeks, it swelled to more than a hundred tents. Muslim student groups joined the camp as did students from other universities. Far fewer students regularly remained on site overnight.

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Some Jewish students, in submissions made to a parliamentary inquiry, reported feeling unsafe and unwelcome on campus as a result of the encampment and felt the university did not support them. They also objected to the practice of lecture bashing, where students use the first five minutes of the class, usually with the lecturers permission, to make political statements. Commonly, over the past year, these have been about the Gaza war. Loading One submission from second-year veterinary student Dror Liraz says: I have suffered the encampment, calls for intifada (by students, professors, and politicians on campus), harrowing graffiti and daily harassment from those trying to spread anti-Jewish sentiment. Encampment organisers vigorously deny allegations they are antisemitic or made the campus unsafe for Jewish students. They also point to the fact one of the organisers was herself Jewish. After the end of the encampment in June, during a time when it was under scrutiny for failing to protect Jewish students, Hodgkinson was commissioned by the university to review its policies and processes. He backed the universitys earlier moves to significantly clamp down on protests and ban encampments or protests in buildings. He also called for an end of the lecture-bashing tradition. The pro-Palestine encampment at the University of Sydney this year. Credit: Kate Geraghty

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The need for civility But perhaps most significantly, Hodgkinson recommended the university introduce the New Civility Rule. This would require anyone utilising a word or phrase  to identify to the audience the context in which it is used. His report says that a failure to conduct a lecture, seminar, tutorial or meeting within any of the universitys facilities in accordance with the rule should be recognised as misconduct. In practice, it would mean someone wanting to use a contested slogan or phrase, such as from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free or intifada, would be obliged to spell out their intended meaning. The genesis for the proposed rule appears to partly come from a paper written by US rabbi Jill Jacobs and cited by Hodgkinson. In it, she says that the use of the phrase from the river to the sea ... is not necessarily antisemitic, depending on the intent. For example, she says, proponents using the slogan to argue that a free Palestine would also include Jewish citizens in a single democratic state are not being antisemitic as long as one is sincere about protecting Jews within such a state. But she points out that most Jews hear the slogan as a call to expel Jews from Israel. The rabbi says its therefore advisable for anyone who does not want to be viewed as antisemitic to avoid the phrase or only use it when there is an opportunity to clarify meaning. Hodgkinson also pointed to a recent full Federal Court judgment which sided with Sydney University after it sacked an academic who showed students a slide show that superimposed a Nazi swastika on the Israeli flag.

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Loading Professor Tim Anderson fought the sacking in court, and in October 2022, Federal Court Justice Thomas Thawley ruled he was exercising his academic freedom. He accepted the lecturers argument the swastika graphic was created to encourage critical analysis. Earlier this year, the full Federal Court overturned this decision in a two-to-one majority. Hodgkinson says this decision reflects a requirement for a speaker to make their context clear. By identifying context, which establishes the legitimacy of their use, the words and phrases could not be understood to have an impermissible meaning. They will not be construed as sexist, bullying, harassment or

racist, his report says. Although the report refers to examples of phrases that could be antisemitic, Hodgkinson says the same observations apply to phrases that could be, depending on context, sexist, racist, bullying or Islamophobic. There does not appear to be any known precedent for the civility rule, and how it would work in practice is up for debate.

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Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-executive director Peter Wertheim backed the proposed rule, but says its enforcement needs to be fleshed out in far more detail if it is to have any chance of being effective. Sydney Universitys governing senate gave its in-principle support for the rule and all other recommendations made by Hodgkinson. Its implementation is now in the hands of vice chancellor Mark Scott and the rest of the executive. Scott has conceded significant work would need to be done before a version is implemented. What I hear from Hodgkinson is a call for clarity, for people to be more precise, he told a parliamentary inquiry last month. University of Sydney students chained together while protesting against conscription in 1972. Police are using bolt cutters to break the chain and arrest them. Credit: Roderick John Macrae/Fairfax Media Student politics Sydney University has long lauded its rich history of student activism, beginning with the 1965 Freedom Ride led by Charles Perkins, highlighting discrimination faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia. Long before the encampment, the university was the scene of dramatic sit-ins, the storming of a vice chancellors office and the occupation of buildings. In 1983, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese scaled and occupied the clock tower in the universitys main quadrangle in protest over changes to the political economy course. He was suspended and fined over the incident.

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The Blue Marble  this is the name of the first complete photograph of Earth, captured by the Apollo 17 spacecraft in 1972. For the first time, humanity could see itself from space as a singular, ordinary body. It was an innocent postcard compared to the image shared three months ago by billionaire Jared Isaacman, commander of SpaceXs Polaris Dawn mission. This mission, part of Elon Musks ambition to accelerate space exploration, provided a starkly different vision: a selfie with a planet in flames as the backdrop. This striking image marks a paradigm shift, one that Argentine writer Michel Nieva examines in his essay Capitalist Science Fiction: How Billionaires Will Save Us from the End of the World.

The author begins by reinterpreting the famous phrase attributed to Fredric Jameson and popularized by Mark Fisher: It is easier to imagine an end of the world than an end to capitalism. In this context, Nieva points out that those envisioning such scenarios are Silicon Valley entrepreneurs who have co-opted the rhetoric of hard science fiction  rooted in scientific plausibility  to persuade us that only they can save humanity.

They care more about the epic narrative of a utopian discourse than with its realism, Nieva explains via video conference from New York. Under the guise of being strongmen and humanitys only possible saviors, businessmen like Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk have commercialized space. Disguising their speculative greed in the face of the urgent threat of climate change, they propose environmentalist plans to rescue this society by taking it to other planets. And in doing so, they perpetuate the mechanisms of financial speculation. We are witnessing the golden age of capitalist science fiction.

The original space tourist, engineer, and entrepreneur, Dennis Tito, paid $20 million in 2001 for a ticket provided by Eric Anderson, co-founder of Space Adventures, the first commercial space tourism company. In 2023, Bransons Virgin Galactic sent its first three tourists into orbit for a few minutes at 50 miles above Earths surface, charging $200,000 each. Following the success of this venture, ticket prices increased to $400,000 for a 90-minute trip, according to Business Insider. Bezos has not disclosed pricing for Blue Origin, nor has SpaceX. However, SpaceX aims to take civilians (read: billionaires) on 72-hour trips to altitudes over 310 miles with its Falcon 9 rocket.

Tim Fernholz, researcher and author of Rocket Billionaires: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and the New Space Race, explains via video conference from Oakland: The rates are so opaque because sending a rocket into space is still very expensive, although reusable rockets have significantly reduced costs. For instance, the recent launch of SpaceXs Starship  the most advanced spacecraft for reaching the Moon  cost $40 million. Do the math on what each civilian crew member would have to pay to make it profitable.

The promotional spectacle surrounding this race is sometimes grotesque, whether its Bezos in a cowboy hat posing in front of a disproportionately large, phallic-shaped rocket, or Musk celebrating an electoral victory alongside Trump while wearing his Occupy Mars T-shirt [which mocks Occupy Wall Street], says Nieva. The worlds richest man, who donated nearly $200 million to Trumps campaign and is now one of his trusted allies, claims he will participate in the first Mars expedition  by 2029, he says  and will die there if necessary.

Fernholz is skeptical: We might start seeing lunar bases in about 10 years, but it will take decades to reach Mars.

Philosopher Yuk Hui, an analyst of the technological trends driven by mega-corporations, comments via email: These entrepreneurs grand gestures are a corporate campaign to transform other planets into habitable spaces, so they can avoid worrying about the destruction of Earth  a destruction to which they themselves contribute greatly.

In technological capitalisms appropriation of science fiction language, a hyperfuturistic (and, therefore, one that is capitalizable) aesthetic is everything. Jose Fernandez, costume designer for superhero films and Daft Punks helmets, is behind the aesthetics of SpaceX. Meanwhile, Jeff Bezos enlisted writer Neal Stephenson, revered in Silicon Valley for his 1992 novel Snow Crash, to design his astronautical branch, says Nieva. In the race to accelerate the neoliberal future envisioned by science fiction, anything goes.

This has always been the case. When Galileo Galilei first observed Mars through a telescope in 1610, he had already imagined cities on the planet. Jules Verne, in his 1903 article The End of Naval Wars, noted that the science fiction author writes on paper what others will carve in steel. Notably, the first atomic-powered submarine, commissioned by the U.S. Navy in 1954, was named the Nautilus, inspired by Vernes vision that sailed far beyond the 20,000 leagues he had imagined. The great ideologues of hard science fiction have often hailed from the scientific world: Isaac Asimov (a trained chemist), Arthur C. Clarke (physicist and mathematician), Hal Clement (astronomer), and Robert Heinlein (aeronautical engineer).

Many of these figures have close ties to governments, the military, and, today, mega-corporations. They have served as ideologues, advisors, or even direct employees. Wernher von Braun, the Nazi engineer who became one of the founders of NASA, had former U.S. president John Kennedy read books by Arthur C. Clarke to convince him of the need for an aeronautical agency. Clarke went on to collaborate with NASA to launch the first commercial satellite into orbit in 1963. Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft with Bill Gates, was a devotee of Robert Heinlein, one of the writers who helped shape the image of the virile intergalactic entrepreneur. As a child, Allen read Heinleins Rocket Ship Galileo, a novel about a group of kids who, with their scientist uncle, create a lunar travel company  a concept that later inspired Allen as an adult when he founded Teledesic, the first satellite internet company. He was also a pioneer in planning low-cost space travel.

Jeff Bezos, a fan of Douglas Adams, wants to name his first rocket to Mars The Heart of Gold, in homage to the eponymous ship in The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Musks main motivations for colonizing the red planet are rooted in Kim Stanley Robinsons The Martian Trilogy  a work also embraced by former U.S. president Barack Obama  and the philanthropic hero of Asimovs The Foundation (1951), who predicts the inevitable decline of his empire and chooses to establish intergalactic colonies.

Robinson himself believes that Mars is irrelevant to us now. We should of course concentrate on maintaining the habitability of the Earth. He has even joked about the delusions his work has inspired, telling Bloomberg: Musks plan is sort of the 1920s science-fiction cliche of the boy who builds a rocket to the moon in his backyard.

But the result is far less naive. According to Nieva, science fiction allows capitalism to create the most extraordinary fantasies: Terraforming and colonizing other planets, extraterrestrial mining, a life expectancy of 1,000 years, intergalactic tourism, artificial intelligence that automates wage labor. Futuristic goods that will free humans from both planetary and their own biological limits, but which will only be accessible to the millionaire 1% of the population.

Yuk Hui adds, I wont be the one to deny science fiction  I love it. But in the last decade, weve turned it into an indispensable tool to understand where were headed. That worries me. Beyond the fact that billionaires encourage this to support their discourse, it reveals the weakness of the intellectual discussions were having to solve the most immediate and real problems. What kind of future is truly desirable for humanity as a community? We can only find the answer if we keep our feet on the ground.

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Government funding will lapse after midnight on Friday unless an 11th-hour deal is reached. Anna Rose Layden (REUTERS)

The House of Representatives on Thursday evening rejected an alternative agreement, backed by Donald Trump, to avoid a government shutdown at midnight on Friday. Unlike the original package, which was the result of bipartisan negotiations but was torpedoed by conservatives led by billionaire tycoon Elon Musk, this plan B was only endorsed by Republicans  a fact that did not guarantee its success, as demonstrated by the result of the vote (235 to 174), which reflected the staunch opposition of 38 hardline Republicans and 197 Democrats. The text required the support of two-thirds of the House to be approved. The rejection brought the effort to avert a shutdown back to square one just one day before government funding lapses.

In less than 24 hours, and at the urging of the president-elect  who told his party to present an alternative to the spending deal rejected on Wednesday following an offensive led by Elon Musk  Republicans cobbled together a document just 116 pages long (the original was more than 1,500), which includes an extension of government funding until March and a two-year suspension of the debt ceiling, the maximum amount of money the government can borrow, with Congressional authorization, to finance its obligations. The last point was the condition Trump had set on Wednesday for giving his approval.

Plan B was presented after 48 chaotic hours since the presentation of the original proposal on Tuesday night by House Speaker Mike Johnson. This was followed by a barrage of social media posts by Musk on X (formerly Twitter). The tech magnate, who is also one of the men closest to Trump, was not the only person who opposed the original spending deal, but he was the one who led the operation to demolish it. The president-elect and his VP, J. D. Vance, seconded his criticisms and together they blew up a bill that, according to the most radical Republican faction, including members of the Freedom Caucus, made concessions to the Democrats.

The new bill, which represented only the Republicans view, kept some of the bipartisan provisions of the initial package but eliminated others, such as a pay raise for members of Congress that would have been the first since 2009. The bill allocated roughly $100 billion in disaster relief and about $10 billion in direct payments to farmers, as did the bipartisan agreement. But the alternative bill introduced a one-year extension of the 2018 farm bill, as well as extensions for some healthcare programs, though not all of those included in the initial agreement. The reform of the pharmaceutical benefits management system had been removed from the package, a bipartisan deal that significantly increased the length of the initial text.

Controversial clauses

The cuts to the initial bill went further. A clause authorizing a pandemic risk prevention law, which had drawn criticism from Musk and the partys right-wing, was removed. A bipartisan agreement to address the opioid crisis was also eliminated. The new document also did not include the transfer of administrative jurisdiction over RFK Stadium to the District of Columbia, Washington. It did, however, include federal funding to rebuild the Baltimore bridge that collapsed in March.

But despite the cutbacks in targets, lawmakers and observers had largely given up on the deal even before it was voted on. Bad deal, said Rep. Chip Roy of Texas. Im for lifting the debt ceiling, but Im not going to lift it without getting something conservative back, said Rep. Rich McCormick of Georgia. Democrats, for their part, continue to control the Senate and the White House, which foreshadowed their rejection, as Hakeem Jeffries, the House Minority Leader, made clear (The Musk-Johnson proposal is not serious, its laughable). The White House also criticized the Republicans for doing the bidding of their billionaire benefactors at the expense of hard-working Americans.

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Insecurity, poverty and corruption. Mexicans clearly identify the weaknesses of their country and there is no survey that says otherwise. Sometimes one issue stands out above the rest, but the triad remains unshakeable no matter how many years go by. And it is inevitable for Mexicans to gaze towards the United States when these matters are discussed, aware that these evils go back and forth across the border between the two countries. In a survey carried out by Enkoll for EL PAIS and W Radio between December 12 and 14, a sizable share of respondents (72%) attributed the responsibility for arms trafficking to the United States, but showed awareness that collusion with crime is rooted in the Mexican political and police system, in which they have lost their confidence. Mexicans also lack faith in the justice system to fight this scourge. And the return of Donald Trump to the White House does not exactly look like an element of hope.

In the battle  sometimes concealed and sometimes out in the open  that the United States and Mexico constantly maintain over the serious problems that they share, Claudia Sheinbaums government points to the volume of weapons entering Mexico from the U.S., while the latter protests against the drugs that the cartels introduce into American territory, causing serious addiction pandemics, for example, with fentanyl. When respondents (there were 1,200 personal interviews) were asked about the 70% of weapons that circulate illegally in Mexico, 72% blamed the United States to a greater or lesser extent, while 38% awarded it a high degree of responsibility. That is the message that the Mexican government has been repeating since the previous six-year term, under Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, and no one seems to doubt it anymore.

The diagnosis is clear, but the remedy against the violence that comes from this exchange of weapons and drugs is another matter. Insecurity and drug trafficking are underscored as the main problems, a tandem that accumulated 45% of responses; the economy, with unemployment at the top, ranked as the second most widespread problem (27%); and in third place came corruption, which is largely part of the same criminal network, with 14%. But the solution that American leaders threaten from time to time  sending troops into Mexico to end crime  is not acceptable: 58% of Mexicans would not allow that to happen if they were consulted about it. Here, again, we can see the message of national sovereignty that is so often repeated by the governing Morena party. Yet nationalism in this matter is not cut and dried. The idea that collaboration with the U.S. could reduce the violence they experience on a daily basis may be present in the minds of many Mexicans: a considerable 40% would consent to American agents operating in Mexico on these missions.

The possibility of allowing foreign forces to operate on Mexican territory is a reflection of the lack of confidence that people have in their own security system, with the police, the Attorney Generals Office and the judiciary among the most discredited institutions in the country. None of these institutions offer peace of mind to even half of the population. Federal efforts to combat crime and corruption within police ranks and political forces have not made great inroads among the people. A recent raid against mayors and police commanders in several cities in the State of Mexico, the so-called Operacion Enjambre, has been one of the loudest messages of the Sheinbaum presidency in its bid to clean up the institutions, yet 53% of respondents had not even heard of it. And only 34% trust that such operations against crime will bring them added security. A further 36% said they would feel just as insecure and 7% even more insecure. The underlying assumption is that if people do not trust the justice system, it will be of no use to arrest mayors and police officers.

The entrenched violence that Mexicans deal with on a daily basis, sometimes with a certain amount of anesthesia, is now compounded by economic concerns over the return of Trump to power. Threats of tariffs have been recurrent in the Republicans election campaign, as has the deportation of migrants and the introduction of taxes on remittances that Mexicans in the U.S. send to their families back home, and which represent a phenomenal support for the Mexican domestic economy. In recent years, there has been excitement about the possibility of more jobs and economic growth thanks to the relocation of American companies to Mexican soil, an expectation that is now dissipating in the face of Trumps bravado: 52% of those surveyed believe that the decisions made by the Republican magnate will greatly affect Mexico in terms of the economy and employment. And that is a concern shared by both the followers of the party in government (47%) and those of the opposition (between 54% and 64%).

Sheinbaums high approval ratings have not managed to clear the clouds that loom over Mexico in economic matters. There have been constant clashes between Trump and the president in recent weeks, which has sown concern among the population, although it is believed that Sheinbaum will be able to emerge unscathed from this tussle. Thirty-four percent believe that her dealings with Trump will produce even greater benefits than those obtained by former president Lopez Obrador. The unknowns will be cleared up when Trump takes office in January, and Mexicans will find out if his threats become actual policies, and to what extent.

Methodology 1,200 interviews with men and women aged 18 and over, with a valid voter ID. From December 12 to 14, 2024. Face-to-face interviews in homes, conducted with electronic devices using a collection instrument (questionnaire) appropriate for the purposes of the study.

SAMPLE SELECTION

The sample is representative for the Mexican Republic.

The sample was conducted a multi-stage probability sample: Stage I. Electoral sections are selected using a sampling with probability proportional to size (PPS) of the nominal list.

Stage II. Blocks are selected in each primary sample unit using a sampling with probability proportional to size (PPS) of the nominal list.

Stage III. Dwellings are selected in each block using systematic sampling with a random start. For a better representation of the population, quotas are used by gender crossed by age range.

PRECISION AND CONFIDENCE

The results have a margin of error of around +/- 2.83% with a confidence level of 95% in the main indicators.

The rate of attempts is 44.0% and the rejection rate is 34.5%.

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BJPs Ram Shinde is new Chairman of the State Legislative Council





Ram Shinde being congratulated on his appointment as Chairman of the Council, on Thursday. (Pic by Satish Raut)

Staff Reporter :

Elected unanimously on Thursday in the Upper House

The post was vacant since July 7, 2022, after the end of Ramraje Naik-Nimbalkars term

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator and former minister, Ram Shinde was unanimously elected as the new Chairman of the Maharashtra Legislative Council on Thursday. The post was vacant since July 7, 2022, after the end of the term of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ramraje Naik-Nimbalkar. Deputy Chairman of the Council Neelam Gorhe, who was presiding over the House after the end of Nimbalkars term, officially announced Shindes election in the Upper House on the very first hour of the fourth day of the Winter Session. Shinde is a first-time member of the Legislative Council and he was the only member who filed nomination for the position of the Chairman on Wednesday.

However, no other member from Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) filed nomination for the election. Therefore, Shinde was unanimously elected as Chairman of the Upper House. The resolution for Shindes chairmanship was proposed by BJPs Shrikant Bhartiya and seconded by Shiv Senas Manisha Kayande, Amol Mitkari of NCP, and Dnyaneshwar Mhatre of BJP. Shinde, a college professor, represented Karjat-Jamkhed Assembly constituency from 2009-2014 and again, in 2014-2019 as MLA. In previous Fadnavis Government during 2014-2016, Shinde served as the State Minister in various ministries like Home, Agriculture, Health and Tourism. Thereafter, in 2016-2019, he served as a Cabinet Minister in various ministries. However, Shinde lost the Karjat Jamkhed Assembly seat in the 2019 and 2024 elections to Rohit Pawar of the NCP (SP). Shinde is the second politician from Ahilyanagar to hold this post. BJP MLC N S Pharande, now deceased, was the Chairman of the Upper House between 1998 and 2004. Shinde also worked with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on the CMs revolutionary Jalyukta Shivar Project.

While talking about Shindes contribution in public service and politics in the Upper House on Thursday, CM Fadnavis said, I got chance to work with Shinde on many projects. He started his political career from the grassroot and his tenure as a Cabinet Minister in previous Government was remarkable. Fadnavis expressed gratitude to the House for the unanimous decision, saying, This year marks the 300th birth anniversary of Ahilyadevi, and Ram Shinde is from the ninth generation of Ahilyadevis fathers family. In a way, we have paid a perfect tribute to her.

Now, on his new responsibility, I believe that Shinde will justify the chairmanship in the Upper House with his dedication and hard work, said Fadnavis. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, on a lighter note, said, We both are Shinde and our dedication reflects in our work. I believe Shinde will strongly maintain the respect of the Legislative Council during his tenure. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar also congratulated Ram Shinde and thanked Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Ambadas Danve for supporting Shinde for Chairmanship during the election. Deputy Chairperson Neelam Gorhe also wished Shinde success in his new role, stating, I will continue to work for the society.
The Moscow-Pyongyang axis is causing concern in the Asia-Pacific region. North Koreas direct involvement in the war in Ukraine and the increasingly harmonious dance between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is sending seismic waves from Europe to the other side of the great land mass. If the presence of elite North Korean soldiers in live-fire combat in Ukraine, already confirmed by Kyiv and Western intelligence servies, represents a significant escalation of the war on the Western front, as defined by NATO, on the Asian flank there is particular concern about possible technological transfers from Moscow to Pyongyang in the ballistic and nuclear fields, due to their potential to destabilize conflicts already entrenched in the region, such as that of the two Koreas or Taiwan. The dismissal of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol following his failed attempt to impose martial law adds a further element of uncertainty and instability that benefits the interests of the Russia-North Korea axis.

For Kitamura Toshihiro, director general of press and public diplomacy at the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the presence of North Korean soldiers on the Russian front is a clear example of how interconnected the security threats in Asia and Europe are. The concern goes beyond the fact that Pyongyang is receiving high-quality Russian technology: If North Korean soldiers return, they will do so with real combat experience, he warns. This is something that has not happened since the Cold War: North Korea has not participated in a direct war since the one it fought against South Korea between 1950 and 1953; the South Koreans have not done so since they sent troops between 1964 and 1973 to the Vietnam War (1955-1975).

Everything is getting complicated, says a European diplomatic source based in Beijing. Kyiv and Seoul confirmed weeks ago that North Korean soldiers had been killed in the Russian province of Kursk, after British Storm Shadow missiles were fired; at least 100 soldiers from the Asian country have died and 1,000 have been wounded, according to a South Korean parliamentarian who was informed this week by Seouls intelligence services. For the European source, the new alliance between Kim and Putin, sealed in June and in force since the beginning of December, implies an even greater risk to security than the Russian leaders redoubled nuclear threats. This strategic partnership agreement includes a pact of mutual defense in the event of aggression.

A box containing a white cockatoo is unloaded from a Russian cargo plane at Pyongyang International Airport, North Korea, after being delivered as a gift from Russian President Vladimir Putin, November 20, 2024. AP

South Korea interprets North Koreas involvement in the war in Ukraine as a direct threat to its security. We do not rule out the possibility of supplying weapons. We would give priority to defensive weapons, Yoon said in early November, when he was still in charge of the country. This is something he had not done until now, limiting himself to non-lethal aid shipments. A week before declaring martial law, the South Korean leader met in Seoul with a Ukrainian delegation led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, to whom he emphasized the commitment to seek practical response measures and with whom he agreed to continue sharing information on the deployment of North Korean troops and the transfer of weapons and technology, according to an official statement.

The debate, according to Ramon Pacheco Pardo, a professor of international relations at Kings College London who specializes in the Korean peninsula, was whether Seoul would decide to transfer its anti-missile shield system to Ukraine, and even its weapons. The consequences of this more direct involvement are unpredictable. The Kremlin warned Seoul, through Andrey Rudenko, deputy foreign minister, to seriously evaluate the situation and refrain from taking reckless steps, according to the Russian news agency Tass. Sending weapons that kill Russian citizens, he said, would destroy relations between the two countries. We will respond in any way we consider necessary, he added.

The political crisis that has shaken South Korea has frozen the debate. Yoon, who was dismissed last Saturday by the National Assembly, has been removed from power, pending ratification by the Constitutional Court. In the meantime, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, the second highest authority in the state, has assumed presidential duties. The South Korean government is functioning, but new initiatives are paralyzed. Whatever was happening, it will not happen until this whole dismissal process is resolved, says Chun In-bum, a retired three-star general in the South Korean army and an expert on military affairs. This, in turn, will benefit the Russians and the North Koreans, he adds. They will buy time. In his opinion, South Korean political instability is bad news for Ukraine, for Europe, and also for Asia. He believes that South Koreas political and military rapprochement with Japan, led by Yoon under the auspices of the outgoing U.S. president, Joe Biden, will also likely suffer.

The situation comes at an already turbulent time between the two Koreas. Pyongyang approved a constitutional reform in October that omits references to reunification with its neighbor, which it now defines as the main hostile and enemy state. In January, the all-powerful Kim had asked parliament to include in the constitutional text the idea of completely occupying, subjugating and claiming South Korea and annexing it in the event of a war breaking out on the peninsula. At the end of November, the North Korean supreme leader declared that never had the confrontation between the two sides been so dangerous and intense, capable of escalating to the most destructive thermonuclear war, reported the state news agency KCNA.

A recent article by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think tank notes that Ukraine is evolving into an unexpected proxy battlefield for tensions on the Korean Peninsula. The Ukrainian theater of operations risks becoming the first direct test of Korean military capabilities since the 1953 armistice, which could radically alter the peninsulas security balance, the article warns.

Analyst Pacheco Pardo is also concerned about how the growing rapprochement between Putin and Kim could influence other potential regional fires. If, for example, there were an eventual conflict over Taiwan, the self-governed island that Beijing considers an inalienable part of its territory, the North Korean regime could take advantage of it to create instability with its southern neighbor. Once North Korea has helped Russia, he notes, this hypothetical conflict between the two Koreas would force Russia to support North Korea, something that before the June pact might not have happened. Pacheco Pardo does not believe it is likely, but, after seeing how Russia invaded Ukraine, it cannot be ruled out that this would give China ideas, he says, noting the lack of support from third countries.

North Korean Defense Minister No Kwang Chol (second from right) and Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov (second from left) during their meeting in Pyongyang last Friday. RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY PRESS/ EFE

This is also a possibility that worries Tokyo. We are concerned about cooperation between China and Russia, admits Toshihiro, of the Japanese Foreign Ministry, as well as Beijings growing assertiveness in the South China Sea, especially around Taiwan. However, Kyoko Hatakeyama, professor of international relations at Niigata Prefectural University, stresses that North Korea and China are different and points out that, for the Chinese government, economic development is essential, so it cannot take a decision of this magnitude lightly. North Korea is not a permanent member of the UN Security Council or a major player in international organizations. China cares about its reputation as a great superpower; North Korea does not, she notes.

China, which wants to protect its ties with the United States and the European Union, is trying to maintain a balance that is sufficiently far from the Pyongyang-Moscow axis, albeit for show. However, North Koreas entry into the Russian front  an event to Washingtons distaste  is not so bad for Beijing, explains Lee Sung-yoon, an international researcher at the Wilson Center think tank. Chinas biggest strategic competitor is the United States, and having the influence that China has over North Korea [Pyongyangs main economic support] already gives it a huge advantage when it comes to negotiations, says the South Korean analyst. Beijing is looking for the right moment to show itself as a less radical and more peace-oriented nation than Russia and North Korea, but at the end of the day it is the benchmark for this group of autocracies.

This cocktail of latent tensions, coupled with North Koreas growing involvement in a conflict taking place thousands of miles away, highlights how regional dynamics are taking on a global dimension. The United States is more willing to get involved in the Indo-Pacific than in Ukraine, says General Chun. North Korea has escalated the scope of the war in Europe and this has made Europe and its allies more aware that North Korea is not just an East Asian problem, but a global one, he concludes.

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Blast takes place outside police post inGurdaspur, second in Punjab this week





CHANDIGARH :

ANALLEGED blast took place on Wednesday night outside the Bakshiwal police chowki in Gurdaspur district, Punjab police said on Thursday. The police launched a probe on Thursday following reports that a blast took place. In an unverified post circulating on social media, terror out fit Khalistan Zindabad Force has claimedthe responsibility for the allegedattack.

This is thesecond incident of blast in Punjab this week and the third this month. The police said a team offorensic expertsreached the Bakshiwal police chowki to investigate the Wednesday incident. Asked about reports of any blast outside the police post, Kalanaur Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Gurwinder Singh said, We had received information.

We have launched an investigation. An FSL (Forensic Science Laboratory) team is on the spot. OncetheFSLteamgivesareport, it will be clear what exactly has happened, said the DSP. Therewassomesignofaburnt patch outside the chowki, said police, adding that nobody had heard the sound of any blast. The police chowki has been lying closed for the past two weeks, said the police.

A blast had occurred at Islamabad police station in Punjabs Amritsar on Tuesday. However, no one was injured in the incident. The Islamabad policestationincidenttookplace a fortnight after a hand grenade was lobbed at a police post in Nawanshahr. Some people attackedAsronpolicepostinthe Kathgarn police station in Nawanshahr by hurling a hand grenade in its premises on December 2. IntheIslamabadpolicestation case, an explosion was heard at around 3.15 am.
BMC Commr inspects city shelters, ensures better facilities





Staff Reporter

BHILAI,

The Bhilai Municipal Corporation is operating shelters across various locations in the city, providing temporary accommodation for travelers, students, laborers, and political visitors. On a recent inspection tour, BMC Commissioner Rajiv Kumar Pandey visited these shelters to meet the residents and assess the quality of services provided to them. During his visit, Commissioner Pandey interacted with the individuals staying at the shelters to understand their needs and challenges. He ensured them that any basic facilities required would be addressed promptly. He instructed officials to arrange housing allocations for eligible individuals under government regulations, wherever possible. The commissioner inspected the condition of shelter rooms, doors, windows, water supply, electricity, bedding, toilets, and cleanliness. He directed the staff to maintain regular cleaning and ensure the timely resolution of any issues. While interacting with the residents, Pandey showed keen interest in their activities, such as studies and art. Elderly residents even sang songs for him, bringing smiles to everyone.

The commissioner appreciated their talent and ensured that their stay would be made more comfortable by addressing any inconveniences. Some shelters required immediate improvements, and Pandey instructed officials to resolve these issues without delay. He emphasized the importance of maintaining the quality of this essential government initiative. Leader of Opposition Bhojraj Sinha, Zone Commissioner Ajay Kumar Singh, Assistant Revenue Officer Sharad Dubey, Shashibhushan Mohanty, and National Livelihood Mission Manager Aman Patle accompanied the Commissioner during the inspection.
Caste more in minds of politicians than in minds of people: Fadnavis





Staff Reporter :

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis delivers fiery speech in the Assembly

Im here to destroy Congress fake narrative factory, asserts Fadnavis

Between 2019 and 2024, I was deliberately targeted on various issues. This might be a record in Maharashtra. From morning till evening, they only spoke about me. However, I thank them. Due to the negative atmosphere they created, sympathy towards me grew among the public. People were observing my work. Caste is more in the minds of politicians than in the minds of the people. The Oppositions attempts at polarisation have not succeeded. I am a modern-day Abhimanyu; I know how to break the chakravyuh, asserted Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis during his response to the debate on the Governors speech.

Fadnavis delivered a fiery and impactful speech in the Assembly on Thursday. Fadnavis assured that no scheme would ever be discontinued. Every promise made in the manifesto will be fulfilled. As soon as the Session ends, the installment for Ladki Bahin Yojana will be credited to accounts of the beneficiaries. We are not removing women from the list. We are only trying to know whether the amount is going in the accounts of right people or not. Someone having multiple accounts and availing the benefits of the scheme is fraudulent and we want to avoid that, pointed out Fadnavis. Fadnavis explained the statistics of additional votes amounting to 74 lakh in detail.

People have elected us with an overwhelming majority. But Congress ran fake narratives, and I am here to dismantle those, Fadnavis warned. Referring to Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), Fadnavis remarked, Until 2012, there were only EVMs in the country. After that, VVPAT (Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail) came into play. VVPAT is essentially a form of ballot paper voting. It displays the slip bearing name of the candidate for whom the vote was cast, which is also counted during vote tallying. EVM stands for Every Vote for Maharashtra meaning the votes were for the Mahayuti alliance. If the election results are in your favour, then you call it the peoples mandate or victory of democracy. But if its against you, then you term it as murder of democracy and the Constitution or raise doubts about the Election Commission. Spreading doubts about constitutionally established institutions is tantamount to sedition, Fadnavis said firmly. Elaborating the issue of EVM further, Fadnavis explained, Opposition created doubts like how one can win in EVMs but lose in postal ballots and vice versa. If we look at the history as to how EVMs came into being then we will realise, EVMs were introduced on August 6, 1980, and first used on May 19, 1982.

EVMs were used in 6 Assembly constituencies in 1988, in 18 Assembly constituencies in 1998 and in 46 Lok Sabha constituencies in 1999. Congress came to power in 2004 when EVMs were used in all the Lok Sabha constituencies, but the machines became bad only after Narendra Modis government came to power in 2014. I advice you people of Opposition to accept the mandate with an open heart. You must introspect else you will keep suffering in the same manner you suffered in Assembly polls. We realised our mistake when we suffered a loss in Lok Sabha polls, we introspected and faced the Assembly polls with fresh mind. Fadnavis also criticised slogans like vote jihad used for winning the elections. An organisation made 17 demands and you people accepted those without uttering a single word. A youth complained of unaccounted cash to the tune of Rs 114 crore having been deposited in his account. A person named Siraj Mohammed transferred Rs 600 crore to Dubai. The Opposition uses their shoulders to let others fire guns. Nobody questions their credibility, added Fadnavis. Devendra Fadnavis also noted that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was the first to grant Marathi the status of the official language and thereafter it was done by Prime Minister Modi. The High Court has been requested to deliver judgments in Marathi, Fadnavis informed the House. Referring to the criticism by Opposition regarding projects being taken from Maharashtra to Gujarat, Fadnavis stated, The Opposition itself is ironically promoting Gujarats progress.

We must keep in mind that Maharashtra was number one in the past, remains so today, and will continue to be. Significant investments are coming into the State. During Chief Minister Shindes tenure, 221 major projects were brought to Maharashtra. Toyota is setting up a new plant in Maharashtra. Maharashtra ranks first in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). While the State regressed during the two-and-a-half years of the Maha Vikas Aghadi Government, it has regained the top spot now. New industrial hubs include Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Nardana, and Gadchiroli are being created.
Forces bust camps of 2 banned militant organisations in Manipur





IMPHAL :

SECURITY forces busted camps of two banned militant organisations while conducting search operations in Manipurs Imphal East district, police said on Thursday. A hideout of the banned KangleiYawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) at Makou Pourabi in Imphal East district was busted onWednesday during which one air gun, one mobile handset and one bulletproof helmet were seized, they said.

Another training camp of the proscribed PREPAK also at Makou Pourabi was destroyed onWednesday during which one INSAS LMG magazine, bayonet, five wooden dummy guns, two walkie-talkie sets, and cartridges were seized. Police also arrested nine cadres of the banned militant outfit Kangleipak Communist Party (Peoples War Group) during the last two days for their involvement in extortion activities. On Wednesday police arrested two members of KCP (PWG) who were involved in extortion activities from Mantripukhri bazar in Imphal East district and recovered demand letters and cash receipt notes of the outfit.
Hidden camera found in MRI Centers changing room in city,





Staff Reporter :

A shocking incident came to light on Thursday when a hidden camera was discovered in the changing room of the Mediscan MRI Center located in Malviya Nagar, Bhopal. The camera was found by a woman and her husband who had arrived at the center for an MRI. According to information , the camera was concealed within the false ceiling of the changing room, which is typically used by women to change into gowns before undergoing an MRI. Upon noticing the device, the couple raised an objection, which led to a confrontation with the staff. The staff responded rudely to their concerns. Upon receiving information about the disturbance, the Arera Hills police quickly arrived at the scene and detained a staff member of the center.

The detained employees mobile phone was seized, and multiple videos were found on it. The incident occurred when a man, a resident of Jahangirabad, visited the center with his wife. After his wife entered the changing room and began putting on the gown, she noticed something unusual in the ceiling. Upon closer inspection, she saw a mobile phone hidden within the ceiling tiles. The phone was recording video at the time, and the woman immediately informed her husband. When the husband checked the phone, he discovered that the device had already recorded a 20-minute video. The footage contained images of several women in the changing room. When the couple confronted the staff about the phone, the staff did not provide any explanation and even snatched the mobile from them, physically assaulting the husband. The couple managed to escape from the scene and rushed to the police station. The police then arrived at the MRI center with the couple and seized the phone.

Arera Hills Police Stations TI Manoj Patwa confirmed that the changing room has been sealed, and staff members statements are being recorded. Initial investigations suggest that a male employee, identified as Vishal Thakur, is suspected of being involved. His mobile phone contained obscene videos, and he is being questioned about the videos. Police are investigating further to determine what happened after the videos were recorded. Authorities are probing whether these videos were shared with other employees or uploaded to social media platforms. The investigation is ongoing to ensure justice is served.
Indian judiciary has a distinct identity across the world: CM





Legal Correspondent :

Advocate General Prashant Singh felicitating CM Dr Mohan Yadav during a programme organised by AG Office

Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav said that the Indian judiciary has a distinct identity in the world. This is also because it pronounces judgements not only on merit but also on the basis of values. That is why it has shown the courage to pronounce orders against even the Prime Minister in the past. He was speaking at a function organised by the Advocate Generals office in his honour and High Court Chief Justice Suresh Kumar Kait and others at a city hotel in Bargi Hills during his brief stay in Jabalpur on Wednesday night. Chief Minister Dr Yadav said that merit should be determined on the basis of life values. This is because even though the Kauravas and Pandavas were students of the same Gurukul, their life values were different. I wish a long life to the self-styled senior advocates who have been practicing law for more than 50 years.

The soul of justice was raised by removing blindfold from the eyes of the Goddess of Justice. Chief Minister Dr Yadav said that the Chief Justice of India had recently raised the soul of justice by removing the blindfold from the eyes of the Goddess of Justice. Such innovative decisions of the judiciary bring out the beauty of democracy. After listening to Advocate General Prashant Singhs speech, the CM said I felt that I can make him a candidate in the future. At the beginning of his address, Chief Minister Dr Yadav, while praising Advocate General Prashant Singhs welcome speech, candidly said that I can make him a candidate in future elections. Provided it does not cause trouble to the public representatives here. In fact, he gave a very good speech regarding coordination of the bar and bench, both the wheels of the chariot of justice.

I trust the Government to cooperate fully in the development of infrastructure: Chief Justice Kait said at the beginning of his address that he has received more bouquets in just three months after coming to the Madhya Pradesh High Court than he received in his 16 year judicial tenure. Therefore, the tradition of welcoming me in Madhya Pradesh has impressed me a lot. On the basis of the support I am getting here, I am determined to do concrete work for betterment of the judiciary. Senior advocate Satish Chandra Dutt, former Advocate General Ravish Chandra Agarwal, Ravinandan Singh, V N Purohit, Trilochan Singh Rooprah, Imtiaz Hussain, V S Shroti and M L Jaiswal, who have been practicing in the High Court for more than 50 years, were honoured.

Those present on stage were Chief Justice Suresh Kumar Kait, Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari, Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav, Advocate General Prashant Singh, MP State Bar Council Chairman Radhelal Gupta, High Court Bar President Dhanya Kumar Jain, High Court Advocates Bar President Senior Advocate Sanjay Agarwal, Senior Advocates Council General Secretary Senior Advocate Aditya Adhikari and District Bar Association, Jabalpur President Manish Mishra were present on the stage. All of them were also honoured after the welcome. Under series of cultural programmes, artists of Jabalpur captivated the mind with a beautiful presentation of Ahir dance. It may be mentioned that Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav praised the presentation and announced a prize of one lakh 51 thousand to the artists.
The trial of Dominique Pelicot and the 50 men who raped his wife at his invitation while she was drugged has played out like a Greek tragedy. The narrative is one of horrifying deeds. One of the most complex characters in the story is that of Beatrice Zavarro, already known as the devils advocate for her role as the lawyer defending Dominique Pelicot over the past four months in Avignon, in the south of France. After the verdict was announced on December 19 in the countrys most high-profile case in years, she met journalists, spoke on the phone and pondered whether they should launch an appeal.

Petite at 145 cm (475) and never without her burgundy-colored horn-rimmed glasses on her head, Zavarro has become one of the trials most iconic characters. She has been a lawyer since 1996 and has a long track record of defending criminals. She is also known for having represented Christine Deviers-Joncour, sentenced in 2003 to 18 months in a sleaze trial involving the oil company Elf-Aquitaine. But the Pelicot case has been a personal, tough and exhausting challenge. I have the feeling that Ive overcome it, Zavarro told EL PAIS at the courthouse gates. But I never hesitated to defend him, not for a single second. I am a lawyer and he has the right to a defense.

Zavarro was recommended to Dominique Pelicot by a fellow inmate in the Baumettes prison yard. Well aware of the potential repercussions, Zavarro didnt hesitate to take the case. She just wanted Pelicot to understand their position, as she explained to Le Monde newspaper. It will be you and me against the whole world, she warned him, in the calm monotone she used throughout. Zavarro knew her colleagues would make her life miserable and she entered into the fray as one might a war. But I couldnt have imagined the loneliness. In no other case has it been this intense, she said. She was subjected to insults and moral criticism: You are a woman, you shouldnt defend him, was the general gist.

Beatrice Zavarro, the lawyer of Dominique Pelicot, at the courthouse in Avignon on November 27, 2024. ALEXANDRE DIMOU (REUTERS)

The issue was perhaps not so much one of morality, but strategy. Zavarro approached the case from the start with the idea that each defendant is responsible for their actions and so her client could not be answerable for the crimes of the other 50 men who raped Gisele Pelicot. Zavarros strategy was to turn Dominique Pelicot into a mirror for society. We are all capable of doing horrible things, she told EL PAIS. Nobody knows what an individual may or may not do. We see it with children as well. They may have behaviors that are not a reflection of their personality. Im going to try to get a message across that the man Im defending is not a monster. What he has done is monstrous, thats indisputable, and I am not going to minimize his responsibility. I am simply saying that it is possible to do something monstrous without being a monster.

Zavarros strategy did not get Pelicot a lighter sentence. The court sent him down for 20 years, the maximum possible in the French justice system. The second longest sentence was the 15 years given to Romain V., who went to the Pelicot house six times to rape Gisele, despite being HIV-positive. In treatment for 20 years, Romain V. had a low viral load and was therefore not contagious, his lawyer said, a claim supported by medical documents. The other three most severe sentences of 13 years were given to men who had also raped Gisele six times: Charly A., Jerome V. and Dominique D. No one else came close to the 20 years given to Pelicot.

It was almost impossible for Zavarros strategy to win Pelicot any measure of sympathy. The lawyer knew that. The principle of individualization regarding the sentence has been applied, that is indisputable, Zavarro said. Beyond that the court has given its verdict. The court has distinguished between what Pelicot and all those men did. We are now considering an appeal. She believes that Dominique Pelicot has had the opportunity to be an active part of the process, not a mere spectator. And Gisele? I think she has found some relief. But I am not her lawyer. Rather, she played the devils advocate.
Time and time again his policies and actions have failed miserably. He has committed crimes against our country to enrich himself and his family and has caused the deaths of many people through his failed policies, both foreign and domestic. Part of the reason he continues to get away with it is because the leftist media protects him. They cover for him even though the blunders and crimes of his administration have made history.

Biden will go down in history as having the lowest approval rating of any president. And it looks like he may achieve the honor of being the worst president in American history.

And thats not all. Biden made history once again last week when he granted clemency to more than 1,500 people with a sweeping list of commutations and pardons. More than any president ever. These actions have not gone unnoticed by his critics, who have responded with outrage pointing out various names on the clemency list including people who cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars through their fraudulent actions.

One of those covered in what the Biden administration is proudly referring to as the largest single-day act of clemency by a U.S. president was Rita Crundwell, a former comptroller in Dixon, Illinois. Crundwell was convicted and sentenced to nearly 20 years behind bars for using her position to steal nearly $54 million from the small midwestern town.

Obviously Biden can completely identify with her since he and his family have been engaged in similar thievery for years. Only on a bigger scale.

Republican Illinois state Sen. Andrew Chesney called Bidens decision to grant clemency to Crundwell nothing short of a slap in the face to the people of Dixon. Her crimes did not only affect the taxpayers of Dixon, but they also had a rippling effect across the region and state, as communities became subject to stricter, more tedious regulations. First, it was the pardoning of his son, and now Biden is apparently extending clemency to anyone with political connections, including corrupt government employees. Its sickening, Chesney said.

Another one who made Bidens clemency list was former New York law partner Paul M. Daugerdas, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role in a multibillion-dollar tax fraud scheme. It was described by prosecutors as one of the largest criminal tax fraud cases in U.S. history.

And then we have Toyosi Alatishe, who abused his position as a caretaker for patients with severe mental deficiencies and physical disabilities by using their personal information to file fraudulent tax returns. What a guy!

Many of these commutations have a similar theme, involving elected public officials who engaged in schemes that defrauded public funds which in turn made them rich. Sound familiar? But in addition to these, Biden gave out commutations to white-collar criminals accused of defrauding their clients out of millions of dollars.

But thats not all. Not by a long shot. Biden outdid himself by also commuting the sentence of Michael Conahan, a former Pennsylvania judge who imposed harsh sentences against juveniles in exchange for $2.8 million in illegal payments in what became known as a kids for cash scandal. This so-called judge shut down a county-run juvenile detention center and shared millions in illegal payments from the builder and co-owner of two for-profit lockups.

The scandal is considered Pennsylvanias largest-ever judicial corruption scheme with the state's supreme court throwing out some 4,000 juvenile convictions involving more than 2,300 kids after the scheme was uncovered. The effects of this crooked operation are still felt to this today among the victims and their families.

With 30 or so days left of the Biden regime, dont think hes finished with the commutations and pardons. Remember, Hunter is not the only Biden family member involved in crooked payments from foreign enemy governments in exchange forwho knows what. Joe could very well pardon all of the Biden crime family before hes through.

Theres a lot of bad stuff Crooked Joe can still do in 30 days.

(COMMENT, BELOW)
The bartender recalls the day when, while working in his cantina facing the Caribbean Sea, a German tourist ordered a fish fillet.

 I dont have any, sir. What I have is pork, beef, and chicken, said the bartender, who wont give his name because hes not willing to lose his 25-year job at a hotel in Cayo Largo del Sur.

 But you have all that sea and no fish? the tourist replied.

On other occasions, the bartender has had to come up with a way to satisfy a customer. There was the case of a tourist who asked for a Cuba Libre, one of the most famous Cuban cocktails, made with white rum, Coca Cola, and lemon. If any of the above ingredients are missing, the bartender does not hold back: I told him: Look, I cant make you a Cuba Libre, but I can make you something else. If I have lemon soda, I say that I am going to make an aphrodisiac drink that in my city is called Santo Libre. That is a lie, it is lemon soda with aged rum. But the customer accepts and I tell them: Tomorrow, you tell me. Sometimes you solve the situation, but sometimes you cant. Canadians are great beer drinkers and, if there is no beer, there is nothing to invent, he says.

His hotel, a facility operated by the Gran Caribe group and the Blue Diamond company, is located in the Canarreos archipelago, a paradise in the southwest of Cuba. For him, there have been no better years than those between 2012 and 2015, when tourists arrived en masse at the hotel, on planes that left from Italy, Canada, or Germany and landed directly on the Cayo. Or American tourists, who reached a record number of 173,550 in 2014, the same year that former U.S. president Barack Obama announced the normalization of diplomatic relations with Havana.

People use their cell phones in the doorway of a Havana hotel during a power outage, in October 2024. Ernesto Mastrascusa (EFE)

Right now, those direct flights dont exist. Tourists come from Havana, Varadero, or other places in Cuba, says the worker, who regrets not having ever seen the no vacancies sign at the hotel again, as it was in its golden days, when the 600 rooms that the facility has were occupied.

This week, for example, the hotel only has 90 rooms occupied, mostly by Canadian tourists, the so-called snowbirds who escape the cold to vacation in the tropics and who today fill the void left by other travelers. Last year alone, a million Canadian tourists passed through the island. But in general there is a drop in the number of visitors arriving in Cuba. And this is also seen in the deserted streets. More than three years after reopening the borders after the coronavirus pandemic, visitors are much fewer than the government expected, according to official figures. In 2023, they expected to receive 3.5 million tourists and only 2.4 million arrived. This year, the numbers are even more discouraging. Minister of Tourism Juan Carlos Garcia Granda has confirmed that the country expects to close this year with the reduced figure of 2.2 million tourist arrivals.

Even so, the government continues to bet on the tourism industry as the driving force of the Cuban economy, amid an economic crisis that, according to researchers, surpasses the so-called Special Period. A report by the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI) confirms that, from January to June 2024, the authorities allocated almost 40% of their investments to activities revolving around tourism, such as hotels, restaurants, real estate, rentals, and business services, among others. The country invested 4.6 times more in the construction of hotel rooms and in business and rental services than in other currently deteriorating sectors such as education, health, or agriculture. This year, the government spent 4.931 billion pesos ($205 million) on hotels and restaurants, an increase of 112.1% compared to the 2.325 billion pesos invested in 2023.

The destinations of the investments do not adequately weigh economic and social needs, says Cuban economist Ricardo Torres, former researcher at the Center for Studies of the Cuban Economy and a professor at the American University of Washington. It is true that not everything can be devoted to social programs, because investment must be made to ensure economic growth, but the current situation goes beyond any consideration of that type. Even from a productive point of view, multimillion-dollar resources dedicated to a sector in sharp decline are not justified. If they had been dedicated to other sectors, for example, energy and food, the situation would be different today.

The question Cubans are asking themselves and the mystery that economists are trying to understand is this: in a country with a collapsed electrical energy system, with constant scheduled blackouts, and a food and health crisis with no recovery in sight, why does the government continue to allocate its resources to tourism?

Tourism is not the locomotive it used to be

The poor numbers in the sector clearly reflect the nonsense of a strategy that builds very expensive hotels in the midst of the collapse of the rest of the country, says Torres. How can tourism flourish without electricity? I believe that the reasons for this decision, maintained for years, are not in the economy and frankly no authority has offered convincing explanations to the citizens.

The economist believes that the government owes the people an explanation for the questions that many are asking in the streets, such as why there is no food in the grocery stores but there is in the hotels; why Cuba sells health tourism if the hospitals are overwhelmed; or why there is such a housing shortage while they continue to build gigantic hotels in the main areas of Havana.

A woman collects bread at a warehouse subsidized by the Cuban government, in San Nicolas, in 2023. Ramon Espinosa (AP)

In the 1990s, with the economy depressed after the loss of aid from the USSR, Fidel Castro accelerated the development of the tourist industry to keep the country afloat with the foreign currency brought in by visitors. The state monopoly Gaesa, in the hands of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR), together with its company Gaviota, began to create agreements with large hotel chains such as Spains Melia and Iberostar for the construction of hotel rooms. The government also decriminalized the possession of dollars as part of the economic reform that allowed purchases with that currency in places previously reserved only for international visitors. For years, tourism was one of the main sources of foreign currency income for the country, after remittances and the sums brought in from the export of professional services, mainly medical.

Although the performance was very improvable, it undoubtedly contributed to the economic recovery after the tremendous crisis of the 1990s, says Torres. Tourism was the only sector that, through various channels, left money for the government but also in Cuban homes. And that was greatly enhanced by the rise of the private sector, which became a leader in visitor services. Ten years ago, Cuba became the vintage postcard in which millions of tourists wanted to appear. In the Obama era, almost five million U.S. tourists came to the island. Although Donald Trump later reversed the rapprochement and, among other things, restricted travel by American tourists or the services of cruise ships arriving on Cuban shores, in 2018 the island received 4.2 million tourists, and 4.6 million in 2019. The hardest blow to that industry was the coronavirus pandemic.

Almost terrified by the idea of border closures, the Cuban government was reluctant to completely abandon tourism revenues at the start of the pandemic and combined periods of total closure with others of a certain opening. During the latter, the authorities went so far as to encourage tourists to try Cuban vaccines against Covid-19, sold confinement packages for nationals or foreigners arriving in the country, and produced commercials such as: Beach, Caribbean, mojitos and vaccines. All in one place. In addition, the Cuban government continued to invest and build hotels in its main hubs. At that time, 45.6% of total investment was allocated to the sector, according to ONEI figures.

A Chevrolet Bel Air car in front of the Riviera Hotel in Havana. Nigel Young

However, the coronavirus wreaked havoc on the Cuban economy, and the tourism sector collapsed. In 2020, 1,084,728 visitors were received. In 2021, 356,470. In 2022, the figure was 1.6 million. The European consultancy ForwardKeys stated that Cuba was the country with the worst tourism recovery in the Caribbean after the pandemic. Destinations such as Mexico or the Dominican Republic now occupy the top places in the rankings of the region. This year, the Dominican Republic will exceed 10 million tourists.

For economist Torres, it is clear that tourism is not the driving force it once was, and it will not be so in the foreseeable future. Even so, the government continues to bet its economy on this sector, despite the fact that pre-Covid figures have not been reached again and the low hotel occupancy rate, which this year was 28.4%, is evident. Omar Everleny Perez Villanueva, former director of the Center for Cuban Economic Studies at the University of Havana, finds it difficult to understand why the Cuban state maintains these investments. It could be due to many things. What I have been able to find out is that this credit was granted against an economic plan that anticipated a recovery in tourism, he points out. I would have a hard time thinking that the state is spending that money and yet does not have medicines for the population.

I think they were thinking that during the Biden era there could be an improvement, that there would be cruises, American tourists, he adds. But the conclusion is that the state concentrated a lot of money on a sector that is slowly recovering and neglected other important ones such as the energy industry or agriculture. That is inconceivable. Furthermore, Everleny points to specific factors regarding the drop in tourists from other countries. Russian arrivals, for example, have decreased after the invasion of Ukraine. Meanwhile, Europeans could be dissuaded from traveling to the island by the restriction for those who go to Cuba and then want to enter the United States with an ESTA visa.

Cubans take a photo in front of a cruise ship docked in Havana, in 2019. Ramon Espinosa (AP)

Tourists dont just come to hotels, they come to see Cuba

Both economists agree that news of food shortages and power outages may also be driving away tourists. No one is going to come to a country where there are long power outages, lasing 14 or 16 hours, Everleny says. No one is going to come to a country where the streets are unsafe, they have potholes. The hotels themselves leave a lot to be desired. There are no supplies.

In fact, it is not uncommon to hear of tourists having bad experiences due to the situation on the island, such as a Canadian woman who had to undergo surgery and described the hospital as a horror movie set, or another who sued the travel company Sunwing after paying for a vacation at the Memories Varadero Beach Resort and facing shortages of food, toilet paper, and a lot of cockroaches. There was even a Canadian family whose relative died during their visit to the island, and the body of a Russian tourist was repatriated to them. Sunwing, a Canadian tour operator, withdrew 26 hotels in Cuba from its offers after the massive blackout in October. Samantha Taylor, marketing director of Sunwing, told the travel website Pax News that the situation can shake consumer confidence.

American tourists walk outside the Bodeguita del Medio Bar, frequented by Ernest Hemingway in Havana, in May 2015. Desmond Boylan (AP)

Concerned that tourists might be scared away by this news, the Cuban Ministry of Tourism has said that if there is one sector that is guaranteed electricity, it is the tourist sector. But even with electricity in the hotels, how do people get around? What kind of country will they find? Everleny believes that in Cuba extra-hotel development is necessary. Tourists dont just come to the hotels, they come to see Cuba, its streets, its people, says the economist.

Meanwhile, the bartender at the Cayo Largo del Sur hotel experiences the drastic change in tourism in recent years on a daily basis. The so-called high season in Cuba began a month ago and there is no indication that it will continue. He also says that many workers have left their jobs. There is a massive exodus of experienced personnel, people who spoke several languages. That has affected us a lot. And tourists tell him that things are not the same as before. The supply is terrible, sometimes there is no coffee, no sugar. I can understand that a hotel does not have a delicacy, but that there is no flour, no sugar... There have been days when there are no eggs in the hotel, and how do you explain to a Canadian that he has to have breakfast without eggs? Then the client feels cheated. We dont understand why they continue to build new hotels if the ones you already have are falling apart.

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Ukraine is ending its third year of war against Russia trying to imagine what 2025 will bring. The general desire is for next year to bring an end to the fighting, but the terms of a fair and lasting peace agreement are still to be defined. Kyiv is nervously scrutinizing the signals it receives from its allies, especially the United States with the return of Donald Trump to the White House on January 20. But also from its EU partners, with whom Volodymyr Zelenskiy met on Thursday in Brussels. The Ukrainian president insisted that joining NATO would be the security guarantee that his country needs against future threats from Moscow.

The majority of Ukrainians are now in favor of opening negotiations, according to a Gallup poll published at the end of November: 52% of respondents favor a peace deal, compared to 22% in 2022, when the Russian invasion began. Those who urge fighting until victory on the battlefield have fallen to 38%, compared to 73% at the start of the conflict. Among the factors that have reversed opinion, respondents point to fatigue, the situation at the front, where the Kremlins greater resources and higher number of troops is making progress, and the uncertainty of the Trump factor. Zelenskiy has also been changing direction in recent months: the idea of negotiating is already on the agenda, although he is in no hurry. As he often reiterates, he wants to achieve peace through force.

Halyna Yatsyuk, 38, is part of the Ukrainian population that advocates continuing to fight. She fled from Lysychansk (Luhansk) in 2022, settled in Pavlograd, in the Dnipro region, and there she experienced a Russian bombing raid last September. We all want the war to end now, she said a few days ago in her apartment, which still has a window without glass. But not at any price: We have lost our homes, many people have died, our lives are in danger and so are those of our relatives at the front, and for what? she asks when faced with the possibility of a forced end to the war.

Hanna Hopko, co-founder of the Ukraine International Victory Center, was cautiously optimistic on Thursday. The former parliamentary deputy sees signs that European leaders  who have agreed to speed up arms deliveries to give Ukraine a strong bargaining position for negotiations  will not call for a ceasefire. They understand the price and consequences of a bad deal, especially after [the Donbas agreements] Minsk I and II, she said.

Security guarantees are essential for Ukraine and Hopko is convinced that the EU partners understand this. The question remains as to what guarantees will be acceptable to the parties. French President Emmanuel Macron is promoting the idea of a peacekeeping mission with European troops, given the refusal of some NATO members to invite Ukraine into the alliance.

Trump is one of the leaders who rejects this. He also wants an immediate cessation of hostilities, as he said after meeting the Ukrainian president in Paris on December 8. Keith Kellogg, whom the future Republican president will name as special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, outlined his idea for ending the conflict in April: freezing the front line and offering guarantees that could include an increase in the supply of weapons. Kellogg will travel to Kyiv in January, where he is expected with hope. Hopko, also president of the National Interest Defense Network (ANTS), sees it as a good sign that he has said that the visit is to gather data, not to negotiate.

Ukrainian Institute for the Future analyst Igar Tishkevich also does not believe that negotiations will be as immediate as Trump has indicated. They are not possible now, because [Russian President Vladimir] Putin does not want them. The only option he considers is for Ukraine to surrender; and Ukraine does not want to start the talks yet, it wants to continue fighting to show that it can stop Russia and become stronger, he explained on Thursday. Tishkevich, who this week presented his predictions for 2025 at an event in Kyiv with two colleagues, pointed to a possible start to the talks in mid-March, after Trump takes office.

Putin rejects a truce

At Mondays presentation, the institutes executive director, Vadym Denysenko, also stressed the difficulty of getting Putin to sit down to negotiate. We do not need a truce; we need a long-term, lasting peace backed by guarantees for the Russian Federation, the Russian president said on Thursday. Moscow demands the recognition of the occupied territories  which already make up 19% of the country  the neutrality of Ukraine with limits on the capacity of its Armed Forces, and guarantees that it will not join NATO. At his annual press conference, Putin assured that the end of the war is near, because according to him he will soon achieve the objectives of what he continues to call a special military operation.

Russia is in the ascendancy on the battlefield and still gaining ground, so it has no incentive to sit down to negotiate. The only thing that could force the Kremlin to do so, according to Denysenko, is the state of the Russian economy, with 62% of the population living in poverty, and the coal sector and infrastructure on the verge of collapse. But if there is one thing Putin fears, according to the analyst, it is a fall in the price of oil. And in this area, experts agree that Trump can apply pressure. I am ready for a meeting if he wants, Putin said on Thursday about the possibility of talks with the president-elect.

Zelenskiy knows he needs Trump on his side. Without the U.S., he said in Brussels, it is very difficult to maintain support for Ukraine. Kyiv will try to convince Trump that a ceasefire is not a good idea, but if it fails, it will have to adapt to what Western allies suggest, as analysts stressed in their presentation this week. Tishkevich believes that it will be key to see whether the EU compensates for the support that the United States offers to Ukraine. It is a complicated issue. Europe can help financially, but Kyiv is dependent on the military capabilities that the United States offers in terms of ammunition, missiles, and artillery. Among Ukraines urgent needs are anti-aircraft defenses, Zelenskiy said in Brussels.

Debates and meetings are taking place in Kyiv about what 2025 will bring, such as those of experts in foresight. All kinds of possibilities are being analyzed and the situation in Ukraine has been compared with that experienced by other countries after conflicts, such as the divided Germany after World War II, or the two Koreas. For Tishkevich, one possibility would be what he calls the Georgia scenario. The battle would stop at the front line and Ukraine would assume that it is not possible to use military power but would not recognize the territories occupied by Russia. No country would recognize Russias legitimacy over these new borders. Ukraine would try to rebuild the country and regain its military strength.

While experts debate, politicians talk, and the military fights to improve Ukraines position, Svetlana Zhygalina, a 53-year-old veterinarian, assumes that Moscow is in a stronger position and that Kyiv will have to make concessions. The former resident of Marinka in Donetsk  who now lives in a shelter in Pavlograd run by several UNHCR partner NGOs  has moved five times since the Donbas conflict began in 2014 and is exhausted, like many of her compatriots. We must stop the war now, otherwise [Russian troops] will occupy more and more territory, she says. Zhygalinas eyes fill with tears when asked the question left hanging by Yatsyuk. What was it all for? The war has been going on for 10 years and thats enough. Let the president decide the terms, but let him end it. The risk, otherwise, is that it will be prolonged and the country will disappear and turn into ashes.

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A man holds an Ecuadorian flag during a concert by Colombian Carlos Vives at the Puerta de Alcala in Madrid, on the occasion of the celebration of Hispanic Heritage, on October 14, 2023.

The number of Latin American-born residents in the Madrid region has surpassed the symbolic milestone of one million, according to the population census published on Thursday by Spains National Institute of Statistics (INE). As of January 1, 2024, the census recorded 1,038,671 people from the 18 Spanish-speaking countries in the Americas. This remarkable figure takes on even greater significance when put into context. Immigrants from this community, who identify as Latinos, now make up one in every seven inhabitants in the Madrid region.

If this group were to form a separate city, it would surpass the populations of Cubas second-largest city, Santiago (707,000), Perus Arequipa (984,000), and Chiles Valparaiso (1.02 million), and would be close to the populations of Managua and San Salvador, the capitals of Nicaragua and El Salvador, respectively, which are both home to around 1.1 million people. The size of this hypothetical city would be comparable to that of Malaga, which, with 1.03 million inhabitants, is the fifth largest urban area in Spain, and would be larger than Bilbao or Zaragoza.

Census data reveals how the distribution of the Latino community varies by country of origin: Venezuelans are spread throughout the Madrid region, while Ecuadorians, Peruvians, and Colombians are more prominent in neighborhoods outside the M-30 ring road. Dominicans have established their own enclave in the Tetuan district, often referred to as Little Santo Domingo, and Argentines are concentrated in the central areas.

When comparing the figure of one million with historical data, another striking revelation emerges that warrants further reflection: just a quarter of a century ago, in 1999, only 81,552 people were born in those 18 Spanish-speaking countries of the Americas. At that time, Madrid was a European capital w

ith little diversity and minimal connection to the world it had once dominated for centuries. Only 25 years have passed since then, and demographic experts predict that this trend will continue to grow. Immigration to the major metropolises of the wealthy world is reaching record levels, with cultural affinity being one of the key factors driving these movements. Thanks to these new Madrilenos, the capital has rediscovered its Latin American identity.

The year 1999 marked a turning point. That year, the arrival of Ecuadorians fleeing the serious economic crisis in their country accelerated. The collapse of the national currency, the sucre, left the population in ruin. Until then, political exiles from Argentina, Cuba, Chile, and Uruguay had been the main Latin American presence in Madrid. Many of them came from affluent families who had fled dictatorships. Ecuadorian immigrants, however, were escaping another evil: poverty. In the wake of Ecuadors economic crisis, flights from Quito began arriving at Barajas airport, filled with working-class families who, in a short time, transformed the face of the capital. They came to Spain because the economy was in desperate need of workers: men to build houses and women to care for the elderly.

Monica Guaman was one of the first to arrive when the clouds were already gathering on the horizon of her home country. She boarded a plane in Quito on August 16, 1998, the first flight of her life. At Barajas, she was met by a friend who had left two years earlier. She was 21 years old, and the Ecuadorian crisis had derailed her plans. She had to abandon her university studies in accounting halfway through because rising taxes made it impossible for her to continue paying. She clearly remembers her first days in Madrid: the fascination she felt when cars stopped at red lights, and the modernity of the Metro. She slept in a 40-square-meter apartment with 15 fellow Ecuadorians. A week later, she found a job as a caregiver for the elderly. The new life was difficult but filled with hope. I had to decide, she recalls today, reflecting on that adventure. Either I remained stagnant, or I began to fly. And I decided to fly.

Ecuadorians were soon joined by tens of thousands of Colombians, Peruvians, Bolivians, and Dominicans, who were fleeing crises in their own countries or seeking a better future, encouraged by Spains economic boom. By 2009, shortly after the construction bubble burst, almost 600,000 Latin American immigrants were living in Madrid.

That figure remained stable until 2017, when a second wave began, which continues today. The main countries of origin are now Venezuela, Colombia, and Peru, and their socioeconomic profiles are more diverse. Peope with large fortunes are also arriving (17% of residents in the Salamanca district are Latino, according to the municipal register) as well as students (14,776 Latin Americans enrolled in Madrid universities during the 2022-23 academic year, a 40% increase compared to eight years earlier).

Latinos are also transforming other regions of Spain, although none has as many Latin American-born immigrants as Madrid, where they make up 62% of the immigrant population. The next most-popular destinations are Catalonia and Valencia, with 883,548 Latin Americans (43% of immigrants) and 446,453 (37%), respectively.

As of early 2024, a total of 1,668,418 immigrants were residing in Madrid. The four most common countries of origin among immigrants are Spanish-speaking Latin American countries: Venezuela (184,387), Colombia (180,983), Peru (150,590), and Ecuador (136,309). The only non-Spanish-speaking countries in the top 10 are Romania (115,911), Morocco (98,360), and China (53,204), while Brazil ranks 15th (29,865).

This new wave is part of an unprecedented migration flow to wealthy countries. In 2023, many OECD nations saw record numbers of permanent migrants, totaling 6.5 million, along with a record 2.7 million asylum seekers. According to Mathias Cormann, Secretary-General of the OECD, one key factor is the strong demand for labor, coinciding with these countries aging population. The growing number of labor migrants has contributed to sustained economic growth, he said.

The children of these Latin American immigrants born in Spain do not appear in the INE statistics as a separate group, but they tend to self-identify as Latinos, meaning the cultural impact of this new community is likely even greater than the census figures suggest.

Miami's rival?

The influx of wealthy Latinos has spurred comparisons between Madrid and Miami, an idea amplified by both Spanish and American media, including Bloomberg and The New York Times. The argument is that the Spanish capital has become a serious rival to the Florida city for Latin American investment. Wealthy Latinos are buying luxury apartments in the Salamanca district and acquiring stakes in major IBEX companies. This investment surge has sparked enthusiasm among local politicians. Madrids mayor, Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida, told the BBC in March that the time will come when people in Miami will wonder why Madrid is looking at us in the rearview mirror.

Madrids growing Hispanic-American connection is viewed as a strategic asset in the global city competition. In his book Madrid DF, published in September, urban planner Fernando Caballero envisions a metropolis with 10 million inhabitants by 2050. He argues that Madrid should leverage its differences with Miami to capture the unique position the southern Florida city holds in the Latino imagination.

The two cities have very different mentalities, Caballero explains. Those who want to live in a dollar-based economy have their place in Miami. But they will encounter a less dynamic society and more barriers to entry. Madrid is much more accessible for newcomers, and its immigration laws are more friendly. In fact, a political strategy in Madrid is to lower these barriers, Caballero adds, referring to Madrids regional premier, Isabel Diaz Ayuso, who announced last year that in the future, university fees for Latinos would be reduced to the same level as those paid by Spaniards.

A couple of Peruvian friends stroll through the streets of the Salamanca district this Thursday. JUAN BARBOSA

The authorities are working to make Madrids Latino identity more visible, a characteristic that isnt entirely new. Most people are unaware that one of the oldest trees in the capital, an ahuehuete from Mexico, stands in Retiro Park, or that for centuries, Latinos came to court and left their mark. Regional premier Ayuso has stated that Madrid is the common home of Spaniards from both hemispheres and has promoted the celebration of Hispanic heritage every October, with festivities that grow each year. Ayuso has also expressed her aspiration to challenge the U.S. for the center of Spanish music production.

However, this comparison between Madrid and Miami does not convince sociologist Alejandro Portes. A Cuban-American professor at the University of Miami, Portes is known for his studies on migration. Two years ago, he published Emerging Global Cities, where he draws parallels between Miami and two other global metropolises: Dubai and Singapore. All three cities have become hubs for trade, finance, arts, and culture in their respective regions.

Portes believes geography prevents Madrid from joining this league. Unlike Miami, Dubai, or Singapore, Madrid does not have a seaport that could serve as a hub for goods. In a video conference with EL PAIS, Portes argues that Madrid is too far from the region it aims to influence. The influx of immigrants is understandable due to cultural affinity, but saying that Madrid and Miami are going to be similar is an exaggeration, he says. First, Madrid has no sea. Second, its in Europe, not Latin America. Third, Madrid is the political capital of Spain and thus has different characteristics. He continues: Latin American banks prefer to establish their regional headquarters in Miami over Madrid. Madrid is too far away and is highly regulated.

Portes suggests a different approach: I think Madrid has more to gain by investing in technology. Its not Venezuelan capital or Dominican workers that will catapult Madrid to prominence.

Regardless of Madrids future role on the global stage, the face and soul of the region have already been transformed. The Latin American influence will continue to shape the language, customs, music, gastronomy, and business culture of Madrid.

A shared dream

The lives of many immigrants who made the journey have also been transformed. When Ecuadorian Monica Guaman arrived in 1998, she thought she would make money and return home soon. However, she soon realized that life is unpredictable. The friend who picked her up at Barajas, Luis Lincango, later became her partner. In 2001, they had their first child. In 2003, they moved out of their sharehome and rented their own apartment. By 2005, they bought a place in Getafe. In 2018, Lincango opened his own business  a car workshop. Guaman works in a large company that cares for the elderly. Their eldest son, Diego, now 23, is a mechanic, and their youngest, Cesar, 17, is a high school student.

Monica Guaman with her husband Luis Lincango and their children Diego and Cesar. Pablo Monge

They have prospered, but at a high price. Guaman has always missed her homeland. She would like to return, but her children, especially the eldest, feel that they belong in Madrid and do not want to move to a foreign country. Was it worth emigrating? I tell those who arrive, she responds, If youve dared to cross the ocean, go ahead, but know that this is hard.

Those who walk through the doors of the international arrivals hall at Barajas today with the intention of staying share the same dreams as the million people who preceded them. Venezuelans Dariela Sosa, Federico Ortega, and their two children, Emiliana and Cristobal, aged nine and five, landed on June 25 of this year.

The couple, married and both professionals  he an economist and she a journalist  had previously lived in Venezuela, the United States, and Argentina. Federico works remotely for an American company, while Dariela founded and directs Arepita, a newsletter about Venezuela that has earned a prestigious Online Journalism Award in the United States.

Dariela Sosa with her husband Federico Ortega and their children Emiliana and Cristobal. Andrea Comas

For five years, they had been researching potential cities to emigrate to, using an Excel sheet to compare them. They filled out columns with categories that mattered most to them: security, democracy, language, culture, art, climate, job opportunities, and global connectivity. As they crossed the threshold at Barajas airport, Sosa thought, Ive come to the right place.

Their rented apartment, located in a residential area with a swimming pool in the north of Madrid, betrays their newcomer status. The walls are still bare, with only a picture frame waiting for a photo. In one corner, theyve placed the largest Christmas tree theyve ever had  nearly two meters high  as a way to send a message to their children: We are staying here, says Sosa. Ive placed my bet on Madrid.

Methodology and sources The figure of one million inhabitants includes individuals born in 18 Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America, with the INE providing a breakdown by country in its annual census. To create the historical series, we have used data from the Continuous Register (1998-2020) and the annual censuses (2021-2024). At the census section level, the INE provides data for only eight of these nationalities (the most numerous, representing 83% of all Latinos). For the remaining countries, the most recent detailed data available comes from the 2021 Population and Housing Census, which is conducted every ten years. This data for other countries of origin has been included on the map. Approximately 1,000 citizens fall into the other countries in America category (which encompasses the entire continent, both South and North), and are not reflected in the figures used in this article.

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In its final year in office, the Biden administration has set a new record for deportations in a decade. According to a report released Thursday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), 271,484 non-citizens were deported to 192 different countries during fiscal year 2024. While Donald Trump won the November 5 election promising the largest deportation campaign in history, Bidens deportations have surpassed the Republicans record of 267,260 during fiscal year 2019.

The sharp rise in deportations was driven by measures aimed at speeding up the process and diplomatic efforts to persuade countries to accept more deportees. ICE noted that deportation flights were increased to countries in Latin America, as well as to nations in Africa and Asia, including China, which had not accepted U.S. deportations for years. Mexico was the top destination for deportees (87,298), followed by Guatemala (66,435) and Honduras (45,923).

The majority of those deported  about 82%  had recently entered the country illegally and had been transferred to ICE by Border Patrol, rather than to detention centers in the interior.

Trump has criticized the current administration for releasing criminals and has pledged to prioritize the deportation of undocumented immigrants with criminal records. However, that policy is not new, as it was first implemented by Barack Obama and continued under Biden. ICE states that it has prioritized detaining individuals who pose a threat to national security. Of those deported, 88,763 (or 32.7%) had criminal records, with an average of 5.63 convictions and/or charges per individual. These included serious charges, such as 47,885 violent assaults, 16,552 sexual offenses, 10,862 weapons-related offenses, 9,453 robberies, 2,699 homicides, and 2,423 kidnappings.

Migrants seeking asylum are apprehended in a Border Patrol vehicle in Ruby, Arizona, last June. Brandon Bell (Getty Images)

For the past four years, undocumented immigrants who had not committed any crimes were not at risk of deportation. However, that will change in January, when Trump takes office, as the Republican intends to expel all individuals in the country without legal residence. However, it remains uncertain whether he will be able to implement this plan. To do so, Congress must approve an increase in funding to expand ICEs resources. The agencys annual report highlights its limitations in carrying out deportations and emphasizes that the number of agents  about 6,000  has remained unchanged for a decade. Currently, ICE operates with 41,000 beds in detention centers, but Trump has announced plans to increase that number to 100,000.

The Biden administration sought to increase funding through a bipartisan proposal, but Republicans, following Trumps agenda  who used immigration as a political tool in the elections  blocked the initiative in Congress.

Trump also promised to aggressively ramp up deportations during his first term, but resistance from Democratic-led cities and states prevented him from surpassing the Obama administrations record of over 400,000 deportations annually. Biden will also have exceeded Trumps deportation numbers.

On the other hand, the measures introduced by Biden in June to address the massive influx of migrants have resulted in a sharp decline in encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border. After reaching a record high in December 2023, encounters are now at their lowest level since July 2020, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). In November, Border Patrol recorded 46,610 encounters between ports of entry  18% fewer than in October 2024 and 76% fewer than in November 2023.

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Danger Ahead. If you cross into Texas illegally, you will regret it forever. How much did you pay to have your daughter raped? Many girls are raped by the coyotes you hire. With messages like these, displayed on billboards in Mexico and Central American countries, the Republican governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, seeks to persuade the thousands of migrants attempting to enter the United States unlawfully to stop their journey from even beginning. The billboards, Abbott said on Thursday at a press conference to announce the new strategy, will serve to warn migrants of the dangers they are exposed to when crossing the border, especially sexual assaults on women and children: Your wife and daughter will pay for the trip with their bodies. Coyotes lie. Dont put your family at risk., warns another one of the messages.

This is tough medicine, but we dont want any more rape trees in Texas, Abbott said, alluding to the practice of sexually assaulting migrants and hanging their undergarments on a tree as trophies. For migrants who are about to cross the border illegally, we have billboards with warning messages [] from Matamoros to Juarez and in many other places in between, the governor said during a press conference held on Thursday at a ranch in the border city of Eagle Pass, surrounded by billboards that will be part of the campaign. To ensure that as many migrants as possible get the message, the campaign will be run in Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Arabic, and other languages and dialects. The governor has not offered an exact figure on the cost of this campaign, but said it will be about one hundred thousand dollars.

The message is: dont risk making a dangerous trip only to be arrested and deported, Abbott said. This new security strategy is in addition to Operation Lone Star, which began in March 2021 and which, according to data released this week by the governors office, has resulted in the detention of more than 529,000 migrants without visas or other lawful documents to enter the United States, including 49,400 criminal arrests. The Republican governor has said that he will work closely with Donald Trump, who takes office on January 20, to continue along these lines: We will continue to aggressively arrest immigrants who enter Texas illegally and work with the Trump administration to deport them. Texas has already offered a tract of land to the president-elect to act as a base of operations for the mass deportations that the Republican intends to carry out.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott announces a billboard campaign in Mexico and Central America to deter illegal immigration, in Eagle Pass, Texas, on December 19, 2024. EVAN GARCIA (REUTERS)

Texas southern border is around 1,242 miles long, accounting for two-thirds of the entire U.S.-Mexico border. A year ago, Eagle Pass was one of the busiest crossing points for illegal migrants. The Texas National Guard installed razor wire, stacked shipping containers, and erected other barriers that injure migrants as they try to get around them. According to reports from Human Rights Watch, these initiatives have caused injuries and deaths of migrants, as well as abuse and harassment of organizations that provide them with humanitarian assistance. The Border Patrol, controlled by the federal government, has complained that the razor wire cuts off their access to the Rio Grande and closes off the spaces they need to process new arrivals.

Abbott, who has accused President Joe Biden of creating a war zone on the border, has argued that his new strategy seeks to refute a narrative allegedly spread by drug traffickers, criminal organizations, and the State of Mexico itself to present migration to the border as a safe journey. At the press conference, Abbott was accompanied by Rosa Luna, executive director of the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault, and the owners of the ranch where the press conference was held, Kimberly and Martin Wall.

Following the governors presentation, Kimberly Wall shared raw anecdotes of at least three rapes and two murders that occurred on the borders of her ranch, sometimes right in front of her door. Many women have been beaten and raped. I know my husband has found three different rape trees and burned them down. You dont know if youll be attacked by one of the men hiding in the brush, she said.

The Republican governor has insisted that Texas will do whatever it takes to stem the flow of undocumented migrants across the Mexican border and offered support to president-elect Trump to cooperate in completing the border wall and deporting as many undocumented migrants as possible. When asked how these policies could exacerbate the separation of mixed-status families, he repeated the message coined by Tom Homan, chosen as Trumps border czar: if everyone is deported, the family will not be separated.

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KYODO NEWS - Dec 20, 2024 - 17:55 | All, World

South Korea's joint investigation team said Friday it has made a second request for President Yoon Suk Yeol to appear for questioning next week in connection with his short-lived declaration of martial law, after he refused to comply with a similar summons two days earlier.

The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, one of the organizations forming the investigation team, plans to consider filing for a court warrant to detain Yoon for up to 48 hours if he continues to ignore its requests without valid grounds, according to Yonhap News Agency.

Yoon's declaration of martial law from the night of Dec. 3 was rescinded after six hours following a vote in the National Assembly.

His presidential authority has been suspended since lawmakers on Saturday passed an impeachment motion against him that was submitted by opposition parties that have accused Yoon of failing to meet constitutional requirements when he declared martial law.

The joint investigation team comprising members of the corruption investigation office, the police and the Defense Ministry asked Yoon to appear at the office's building in Gwacheon, south of Seoul, at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Yonhap reported.

Prosecutors who were separately investigating Yoon over the martial law declaration said earlier this week they will transfer the case to the corruption investigation office.

The Constitutional Court, which has 180 days from Dec. 14 to decide whether to approve Yoon's impeachment or to reinstate him, said later Friday that a set of documents needed to initiate court proceedings have yet to be delivered to him days after the court sent them, according to a spokeswoman of the court.

The court said Wednesday that it had used various means, including the postal service, in-person delivery and electronic mail, but delivery of the documents had failed due to a lack of cooperation from the presidential office.

Related coverage:

South Korea prosecutors again summon Yoon over martial law declaration

Over 70% worried South Korea turmoil to affect ties with Japan: poll
KYODO NEWS - Dec 20, 2024 - 16:53 | All, Japan

A 43-year-old man was sent to prosecutors on Friday over the stabbings at a McDonald's restaurant in southwestern Japan that left one junior high school student dead and another injured, police said.

Masanori Hirabaru, who lives near the fast-food restaurant in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, allegedly stabbed a 15-year-old boy in the waist at around 8:25 p.m. on Saturday, with the intent to kill. Hirabaru has admitted to the allegation, the police said.

The police are also investigating Hirabaru on suspicion of murdering Saaya Nakashima, 15, who went to the same school as the boy and was with him at the time.

No prior links have been found between Hirabaru and the students.

Hirabaru allegedly arrived at the restaurant's parking lot at around 8:10 p.m. and attacked the two inside, who were waiting to be served, before fleeing the scene.

Hirabaru was arrested Thursday after the police analyzed footage from numerous nearby security cameras.

Investigators searched Hirabaru's house and confiscated some dark-colored clothing and a pair of yellow sandals similar to those the assailant was seen wearing, an investigative source said.

Related coverage:

Man arrested on suspicion of involvement in teen stabbing in Japan

McDonald's teen stabbing victims not specifically targeted: source
Under the Banglar Bari Scheme, in the first phase, 7,949 beneficiaries in West Burdwan district will receive funds from the state government. In West Burdwan district, a total of 15,863 beneficiaries have been approved under the Banglar Bari Scheme. In the first phase, approximately 7,949 individuals will receive Rs. 60,000 each as the first installment. These 7,949 beneficiaries were selected under four categories: 5,148 by the local civil administration of the district, 196 from the Chief Ministers Office (CMO), and 2,557 from categories including natural disasters and missing data.

Incidentally, the central government has stopped funding under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Scheme, citing massive corruption. In response, the Mamata Banerjee-led state government announced that it would bear the entire cost of constructing houses under the Banglar Bari Scheme. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced that funds would be directly transferred to the beneficiaries accounts starting this month. She directed all district administrations to submit the final list within a stipulated timeframe.

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Accordingly, all district administrations have recently finalized the lists and submitted them to Nabanna for final approval. In Andal block, 1,285 out of 1,378 beneficiaries will receive the installments in the first phase. In Barabani block, approximately 726 beneficiaries out of 2,598 will receive the funds in the first phase. 609 beneficiaries in Durgapur-Faridpur block, 708 beneficiaries in Jamuria Block 1,458 beneficiaries in Kanksha Block, 1,397 beneficiaries in Pandaveswar block, 166 beneficiaries in Raniganj Block and 1,599 beneficiaries in Salanpur Block will also receive the funds. It is expected that all 7,949 beneficiaries in West Burdwan district will receive disbursements in their bank accounts under the Banglar Bari Scheme by December 25, as promised by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

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Four-time Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha member from Serampore Lok Sabha constituency in Hooghly district of West Bengal, Kalyan Banerjee, on Thursday, requested people to not allow delivery boys within homes when girls are alone there.

In his statement issued on Thursday afternoon, Banerjee also elaborated on the reason he is issuing such a note of caution: the recent incident in the Serampore area, where a delivery boy entered a house and attempted to assault a young girl who was alone there.

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Thankfully, the Serampore Police Station acted swiftly, identified the individual, and arrested him, as I had requested. Please stay vigilant and take every precaution to keep your children safe, Banerjees statement read.

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Meanwhile, state police sources said that in the incident that Banerjee referred to, the delivery boy entered the house while the girl was alone at home to deliver an item and asked for the OTP required for the delivery.

As the girl was checking her email on her desktop to get the OTP, the delivery boy tried to sexually abuse her. However, he left on being resisted vehemently and before leaving, threatened the girl of dire consequences if she revealed the incident to anyone.

The girl immediately informed the mother over the phone. First, a formal complaint was lodged with the online trading entity with which the delivery boy was attached and subsequently, the girls parents also lodged a complaint with the local police station.

The matter was brought to the notice of the Lok Sabha member who expressed concern over the development. Soon the accused delivery boy was arrested.

West Bengal has been making negative headlines for a number of reported cases of rape and murder in the state and in many cases the victims were minors.

The most talked about case on this count was the ghastly rape and murder of a junior doctor of R. G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata within the hospital premises this August.
The twin Burdwan districts have recorded investment proposals worth Rs 4,650 crore in the MSME sector, which, according to state MSME Minister Chandranath Sinha, is estimated to reach Rs 10,000 crore in the coming years. Mr Sinha addressed the Synergy & Business Facilitation Conclaves, 2024-25 for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) at the civic bodys Srijani Auditorium today. He stated: In 2024-25, bank lending to MSME units in East & West Burdwan is estimated at Rs 7,371 crore.

The number of registered units has reached 1,19,703 as of December 15th this year, which is a highly encouraging figure. East Burdwan accommodates 69,656 units, while its western counterpart, known primarily for heavy industries, has registered 50,047 units. The West Bengal Small Industries Development Corporation (WBSIDC), a Special Purpose Vehicle for MSMEs, is accelerating the development of three new industrial parks in East & West Burdwan. This includes a Rs 11.72 crore Common Facility Centre for the Refractory Brick Cluster at Salanpur, Asansol, covering 135 units and employing 5,100 workers. At Dharma in Salanpur, work is underway on a new Rs 14.51 crore industrial park on 7.09 acres that will house 27 MSME units.

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Additionally, the focus has been intensified on Phase II of the ambitious Rs 75.38 crore Durgapur Industrial Park on 27.32 acres, said Hiranmoy Chowdhury, Assistant Manager, WBSIDC in Durgapur. The second phase of the Rs 15.18 crore Industrial Park at Shaktigarh in East Burdwan on 15.76 acres has nearly been completed, and the state-of-the-art infrastructure will undoubtedly attract numerous MSME units soon, the Minister said. Two state-aided private industrial parks on 43.40 acres are being developed at Andal in Durgapur, where 61 MSME units with an accumulated investment potential of Rs 150 crore are to be accommodated, the Minister stated.

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The Chairman of the Asansol Durgapur Development Authority, Kabi Dutta, proposed to the Minister at todays conclave to establish a state-of-the-art entrepreneurship training center in Durgapur to nurture future investors. He said: We need to cultivate smart investors with a futuristic vision in the coming days, and for this, we need to train the youth. The Minister stated that a total of 58 units in these two districts have benefited under the Banglashree incentive scheme. Under the Bhabishyat Credit Card Scheme, an MSME initiative for unemployed youth with no educational barriers, a total of 4,757 loan applications for self-reliance have been approved by banks in these two districts until last November.
India is expected to see a 9 per cent growth in hiring in 2025, according to a report on Thursday.

The report by foundit (formerly Monster APAC & ME), showed that IT, retail, telecommunications, and Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) sectors are the primary drivers of this growth in the country.

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With a 10 per cent growth in 2024 and a 3 percent month-on-month growth in November, the forecast indicates that hiring is set to retain its momentum, with a predictable hiring environment.

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Emerging technologies and evolving business priorities will further shape Indias job market in 2025. Innovations such as edge computing, quantum applications, and cybersecurity advancements are set to transform industries like Manufacturing, Healthcare, and IT, the report said.

Meanwhile, the rise of retail media networks and AI-driven workforce analytics will reshape talent needs in e-commerce, human resource (HR), and digital services. Organisations will look for professionals skilled in digital marketing, ad management, and HR analytics.

As we enter 2025, Indias job market looks set to broaden its horizons, with a projected 9 per cent growth in hiring. Companies are not only looking for seasoned professionals but also broadening their search beyond established hubs. We believe this approach will create a healthier, more diverse environment  allowing businesses to access new talent pools and build a workforce aligned with future needs, said Anupama Bhimrajka, Vice President  Marketing, foundit.

The IT sector is set to drive 15 per cent growth in hiring in 2025, driven by the expansion of Global Capability Centers (GCCs) and multi-cloud adoption. Businesses are prioritising operational agility and sustainability through energy-efficient data centres, green IT practices, and refurbished hardware solutions.

The retail sector is predicted to achieve 12 per cent growth in hiring, reflecting rising demand for both traditional and tech-enabled roles. The sectors growth is driven by the resurgence of experiential brick-and-mortar stores and growing consumer spending in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.

The telecom sectors 11 per cent forecasted growth is driven by advancements in AI, 5G, and IoT, with demand for skills in edge computing, SDN (software-defined networking), NFV (network function virtualisation), and cybersecurity.

In 2025, sectors that are projected to rise include finance and accounts (+8 per cent), HR and admin (+7 per cent), IT (+6 per cent), Hospitality (+5 per cent), and marketing and communications (+3 per cent)

Bengaluru (10 per cent) will lead city-wise growth, followed by Coimbatore (9 per cent), Hyderabad (8 per cent) and Chennai (6 per cent), the report said.
Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal in a conversation with European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security underlined that non-tariff barriers were impeding trade and emphasised the need to address long pending issues as a confidence building measure.

The remarks by Minister Goyal were made during a video conference with Maros Sefcovic, European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security; Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency.

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Following nine rounds of intensive negotiations, FTA discussions require strategic political guidance to conclude a commercially significant and mutually beneficial agreement, with due consideration given to each sides sensitivities, Piyush Goyal said.

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Minister Goyal underlined that non-tariff barriers were impeding trade and emphasised the need to address long pending issues as a confidence building measure. Both sides agreed to explore a balanced, equitable, ambitious and mutually beneficial FTA.

Further, the two leaders committed to schedule a bilateral visit to understand each others sensitivities and concerns at a date convenient to both sides, through diplomatic channels.

The conference was the first introductory meeting between the two leaders after the assumption of the charge of the new European Commission of the European Union(EU).

It was convened to discuss India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, High Level Dialogue, India-EU Trade and Technology Council, other high level engagements & trade and investment issues.

Commerce Minister Goyal welcomed that President Ursula von der Leyen was elected for a second mandate by the European Parliament in July 2024.

He noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was given a historic and unprecedented third mandate by the people of India.

With continuity and stability, both sides would strive to deepen the relationship amidst growing uncertainty and turbulence, he said.

Goyal congratulated the EU Trade Commissioner Sefcovic on his new role in the European Commission and expressed confidence in working together to develop a new Strategic India-EU Agenda. Recognising shared values of democracy and rule of law, the two leaders agreed to explore ways to ensure greater wealth and prosperity for about 2 billion people of India and the EU.
In a major breakthrough, the South East District Police has solved a high-profile armed robbery case, arresting four suspects involved in stealing Rs 18 lakh at gunpoint in Hazrat Nizamuddin area.

The incident occurred on December 10, when the complainant reported being intercepted by two armed assailants who robbed him and his companion of a bag containing Rs 18.9 lakh.

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The robbers fled the scene. A case under relevant sections of the IPC was registered at the Hazrat Nizamuddin police station.

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Deputy Commissioner of Police (South East) Ravi Kumar Singh stated that the investigation began with the identification of a motorcycle used in the crime. This led to the arrest of a 20-year-old suspect, Tarun, from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.

During sustained interrogation, Tarun admitted his involvement, leading to the apprehension of two more suspects, Vikas and Shiva. A pistol, ammunition, and Rs 4.52 lakh in cash were recovered from them, Singh said.

Further investigation resulted in the arrest of the fourth suspect, Nishu, from the Sarai Kale Khan area after a police shootout in which he sustained bullet injuries.

According to the DCP, Nishu, the mastermind, targeted individuals involved in hawala transactions, exploiting the victims reluctance to report crimes due to the illegal nature of their activities.

Nishu would use stolen motorcycles and recruit vulnerable youths to assist him in carrying out the crimes, often concealing his identity to minimize the risk of being caught, Singh elaborated.
The AAP on Friday replaced its candidate and incumbent MLA Naresh Yadav from Mehrauli assembly constituency with Mahendra Chaudhary following Yadavs wish of not contesting the elections.

In a post on X ,Yadav wrote, Twelve years ago, inspired by Arvind Kejriwal, I joined AAP and the party gave me a lot. Today, after meeting Arvind ji, I told him that I will not contest elections till I am acquitted by the court. I am completely innocent and the allegations levelled against me are politically motivated and false.

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That is why I have requested him to relieve me from contesting the elections. I will continue to serve the people of Mehrauli and make Kejriwal CM again by living like a common worker. Jai Hind, the post mentioned.

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Following this, the party announced Mahendra Chaudhary as its candidate for Mehrauli. Chaudhary is the husband of Rekha Mahender Chaudhary, an incumbent AAP councillor from Mehrauli. He had unsuccessfully contested as a Congress candidate in 2020 assembly polls from the same seat before joining AAP in 2022.

Naresh Yadav was earlier named by the AAP as its Mehrauli candidate for the 2025 Delhi Assembly election. However, on November 30, Yadav was sentenced to two years in prison in the 2016 Quran desecration case and was also fined Rs 11,000.
In yet another such incident, a private school in south west Delhis Dwarka received a bomb threat in the early hours of Friday, police said.

The threat was received by Delhi Public School (DPS) Dwarka. Nothing suspicious was found, and the threat turned out to be a hoax, a senior police official said.

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This is the sixth such incident in the last 10 days

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According to police, PCR calls at 4 am and 7:56 am were recieved regarding bomb threats in schools at Police Station Dwarka North and Jaffarpur Kalan.

In response, the local police, PCRs, and fire-brigades reached the targeted schools.

School premises were thoroughly checked by the bomb disposal squads, they said.

On Tuesday, Indian Public School in south Delhi and Crescent Public School in north west Delhi received such threatening emails, causing widespread panic.

Last Friday, six schools, including Bhatnagar Public School (Paschim Vihar), Cambridge School (Sriniwaspuri), DPS (East of Kailash), South Delhi Public School (Defence Colony), Delhi Police Public School (Safdarjung Enclave), and Venkatesh Public School (Rohini), were targeted.
The Delhi unit of the Congress on Friday organized protests across all districts of the national capital in protest against Union Home Minister Amit Shahs remarks on Babasaheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar.

Congress members demonstrated with placards and demanded Shahs resignation. Protestors also burned effigies of the Union Home Minister to express their discontent.

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Delhi Congress President Devender Yadav stated that thousands of party workers, joined by local residents, took to the streets in all 14 districts to protest against Shahs insulting remarks about Ambedkar, demanding both his resignation and a public apology.

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Criticizing Shah, Yadav said, Amit Shahs disparaging remarks about Ambedkar are an insult to the people of India, who revere him for his unparalleled contributions to the framing of the Constitution and the upliftment of backward communities.

He added, BJP leaders remember Ambedkar, Dalits, and the backward classes only during elections to secure votes. In contrast, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been relentlessly fighting to uphold the dignity of the Constitution. Amit Shahs intemperate remarks not only undermine Ambedkars legacy but also disrespect the Constitution and the people of this country.

It is worth noting that during a debate in the Upper House marking the 75th anniversary of the Constitutions adoption, Shah criticized the Congress, saying, It has become a fashion to say Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar repeatedly. If they had taken Gods name as many times, they would have secured a place in heaven.
Bollywood fans were in for a delightful surprise when Kareena Kapoor Khan and Shahid Kapoor were spotted in the same frame during their childrens school annual day event.

Kareena, joined by her husband Saif Ali Khan and sister Karisma Kapoor, attended to cheer on her sons, Taimur and Jeh Ali Khan.

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A video captured Taimur performing on stage with a serious expression, while Kareena proudly recorded the moment. Jeh added a dose of cuteness, dressed as an elephant and dancing with enthusiasm.

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Interestingly, Shahid Kapoor was seated right behind Kareena, accompanied by his wife Mira Rajput. The sight of the former co-stars together sparked a wave of nostalgia, as fans fondly remembered their iconic 2007 film Jab We Met.

The romantic drama, which tells the story of Aditya and Geets transformative journey, remains a favorite among Bollywood enthusiasts, and the unexpected reunion brought back memories of their magical on-screen chemistry.

On the work front, Kareena Kapoor Khan was last seen in Rohit Shettys Singham Again, a blockbuster ensemble featuring Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar, Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, and others.

Meanwhile, Shahid Kapoor is preparing for his next big project, an untitled action thriller directed by Vishal Bhardwaj. The film, set for release in December 2025, also stars Triptii Dimri, Nana Patekar, and Randeep Hooda.

Producer Sajid Nadiadwala recently announced the film on social media, revealing that filming will begin in January 2025. Shahids role as Hussain Ustara, a gritty gangster from the 1990s, promises to be intense, with the actor describing the character as edgy and nasty.

Fans are eager to see Shahid bring this complex persona to life, adding another gripping performance to his repertoire.
KYODO NEWS - Dec 20, 2024 - 19:35 | All, Japan

Japan's ruling parties on Friday approved their tax reform plans for the next fiscal year starting April aimed at funding a scheduled defense budget hike through increases in corporate and tobacco levies from 2026.

In an attempt to increase people's disposable incomes, the Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner Komeito also agreed to raise the annual income threshold on earnings of individuals aged 19 to 22 with jobs, at which their parents lose income tax deductions.

The approval came as Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's ruling coalition, which lost its House of Representatives majority in October's general election, accepted some income expansion plans proposed by the small opposition Democratic Party for the People to gain its support to pass a supplementary budget for fiscal 2024.

Analysts said restoring Japan's fiscal health, the weakest among major advanced economies, will become even more challenging, as Ishiba's government will have to increase spending to incorporate policies of the opposition parties, while implementing tax cuts under the reform plans.

Facing security challenges in the region, Japan plans to allocate 43 trillion yen ($273 billion) in defense-related spending to achieve its target of doubling the defense budget over the five years through fiscal 2027.

The government has targeted an increase in annual tax revenue of 1 trillion yen through higher corporate, income and tobacco levies to help cover the expanded defense expenditure, without specifying a timeline to achieve the goal.

Among the taxation items, the ruling parties agreed to raise revenue from corporate and tobacco taxes starting April 2026, but put off a decision on raising income tax as Komeito, a self-proclaimed "peace party," remained reluctant.

Based on the ruling coalition's proposals, the government will formalize its tax reform plans for submission to parliament early next year.

Easing the tax burden on workers became one of the key issues in the tax reform talks after the small opposition DPP quadrupled its tally of lower house seats in the election with a platform to boost incomes by raising nontaxable income thresholds.

Despite concerns about a potential decline in tax revenues, the ruling camp made concessions in lifting the income threshold on earnings by a householder's dependent offspring to 1.50 million yen from 1.03 million yen from next year.

The LDP and Komeito also agreed to raise the tax-free annual income threshold to 1.23 million starting next year from 1.03 million yen, another measure seen as an obstacle for part-time workers.

Responding to concerns about a potential decline in tax revenue, LDP tax policy chief Yoichi Miyazawa said at a news conference that raising the income threshold is expected to reduce Japan's fiscal earnings by 600 billion to 700 billion yen.

But the new threshold is far less than the 1.78 million yen demanded by the DPP. Earlier Friday, the secretary generals of the three parties confirmed they will continue negotiations with the aim of achieving the 1.78 million yen target.

Related coverage:

Japan consumers' Christmas budgets down 27% amid rising living costs

Japan enacts 13.9 tril. yen extra budget for economic package

Japan gov't to raise tax break cap for offspring's income to 1.5 mil. yen
Anne Hathaway recently visited renowned chef Vikas Khannas restaurant, Bungalow, in New York, and the meeting brought back deeply emotional memories for the chef.

Sharing a heartfelt post on Instagram, Khanna revealed how the actress iconic role in The Devil Wears Prada had a special place in his life, particularly during his sister Radhikas battle with Lupus.

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Advertisement View this post on Instagram A post shared by Vikas Khanna (@vikaskhannagroup)

Vikas Khanna explained that during Radhikas illness, he and his sister would watch The Devil Wears Prada and Sex and the City repeatedly, with Radhika being a huge fan of Anne Hathaway.

She knew every line by heart, Khanna recalled, adding that the films became a comfort for his sister during her difficult days.

Also Read: Priyanka Chopras fans slam Nick Jonas over Elon Musk tweet

Tragically, Radhika passed away in February 2022 after a long fight with multiple organ failure. Khanna shared that he had to delete all the movie files from his computer after her passing, as they were too painful to keep.

However, when Anne Hathaway visited Bungalow, it felt like a bittersweet reunion. Khanna was moved as memories of his sister flooded back. He even edited a photo to include a picture of Radhika alongside Anne, as a way to honor her love for the actress. Thank you Anne for taking away her pain, he wrote, reflecting on the joy the film had brought his sister in her final days.

Bungalow, which opened in March 2024, has quickly become a popular spot in New Yorks vibrant culinary scene. Khanna, whose journey from Amritsar to becoming a world-renowned chef is inspiring, has cooked for dignitaries like Barack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The restaurant has also attracted other celebrities, including Priyanka Chopra, who recently visited and praised Khanna for offering a taste of home.
The critically acclaimed Hindi drama Santosh, which recently made it to the Oscars shortlist for Best International Feature Film, is ready for its theatrical release in India on January 10, 2025.

The film, directed by Sandhya Suri, has garnered significant attention after being selected as the United Kingdoms official submission for the 2025 Academy Awards.

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Out of 85 films submitted worldwide, Santosh secured a spot among the 15 films shortlisted for the prestigious category, and now with its India release, it is aiming a wider reach.

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This recognition is a significant achievement for the team behind the film, which also premiered at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in May 2024, where it received a lot of positive reviews from critics.

Santosh tells the story of a young Hindu widow named Santosh, played by Shahana Goswami, who unexpectedly inherits her late husbands position as a police constable through a government scheme.

Set in rural North India, the film explores themes of institutional corruption as Santosh navigates her new role. She is thrust into a brutal murder investigation involving a teenage Dalit girl, working alongside a seasoned detective, Inspector Sharma, portrayed by Sunita Rajwar.

The film is an international co-production between the United Kingdom, India, Germany, and France, highlighting the global collaboration that has contributed to its success.

Shahana Goswami, who plays the lead role, shared her excitement on Instagram, expressing gratitude for the recognition.

So happy for the team, especially our writer-director Sandhya Suri, for this little glory of recognition for our film Santosh! How incredible to be shortlisted from amongst 85 films. Thank you to everyone who loved it, supported it, and voted for it, she wrote.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said at the signing ceremony of the National Museum with France Museums Development for the upcoming Yuga Yugeen Bharat National Museum that he was hopeful that it will express India-France cultural collaboration.

Jaishankar said on Thursday that the museum will showcase tradition through technology.

In a post on X, he said, Pleased to join the signing ceremony between National Museum in New Delhi and France Museums Developpement for the upcoming Yuga Yugeen Bharat National Museum. Advancing a project of great national importance, it will express India-France cultural collaboration. Confident that the Museum will showcase tradition through technology, bringing global best practices to present our glorious past.

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Jaishankar highlighted the India-France relationship and stated that both nations see each other as important poles in this multipolar world, calling it a very strong relationship.

Jaishankar said, A few words about India and France. Most of you again would be aware that for us this has been a very strong relationship. India and France see in each other important poles in a multipolar world.

Further, Frances Ambassador to India, Thierry Mathou expressed strong support for Prime Minister Narendra Modis vision, particularly highlighting the shared cultural aspirations between the two nations.

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France is eager to embrace the vision of PM of India. We also share the same vision which is for the culture, said Mathou.

The museum, envisioned as a celebration of Indias unbroken civilizational history, was first announced by the Prime Minister at the International Museum Expo in May 2023 and further highlighted during the inauguration of Bharat Mandapam in the following July. As part of this agreement, India and France will collaborate on a comprehensive feasibility study, encompassing museum case studies, interpretive planning, and building programming, a statement by the Ministry of Culture said.

This strategic partnership builds on years of cultural cooperation between the two nations. Frances renowned expertise in museum development, exemplified by the Grand Louvre, will play a pivotal role in shaping this project. The adaptive reuse of the historic North and South Blocks will ensure the preservation of their architectural heritage while creating a vibrant and efficient cultural space, the statement added.
President Droupadi Murmu underscored the importance of embracing emerging and disruptive technologies while addressing a gathering at the College of Defence Management (CDM), Secunderabad. The occasion marked the presentation of the Presidents Colours, the highest honour awarded to a defence institution, recognising CDMs exceptional contributions to professional military education.

In her speech, President Murmu praised the colleges impactful role since its establishment in 1970. She lauded its legacy of equipping officers with the skills required to manage complex military operations, logistics, and resources, while integrating cutting-edge technologies and modern strategies.

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As part of the ceremony, the President unveiled a Special Day Cover and a commemorative medallion. She also released an updated compilation titled Pearls of Ancient Indian Wisdom, offering strategic insights from Indias ancient knowledge systems spanning the 1st Century BCE to the 7th Century CE.

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Additionally, President Murmu inaugurated a monumental national flag at CDM, a symbol of Indias strength, unity, and sovereignty, which also reflects the institutions unwavering commitment to excellence in defence education.
Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, who also holds the portfolio of Transport Department, has sought support of the people of the state, especially the opposition to smoothly run Himachal Pradesh Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) the lifeline of the state.

During the question hour in the state assembly at Tapovan (Dharamshala) in Kangra district on Friday, in response to the original question of

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Congress

MLA Chander Shekhar from Dharampur, Agnhotri said that efforts are underway to improve HRTC and the corporations income has started increasing.

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He said that 96 per cent of HRTC routes are loss-making and in spite of this, neither the salary of any employee nor the pension amount is pending in the corporation.

He admitted that the Transport Corporation is clearing the liabilities of its employees and pensioners by taking grants from the government.

Not only this, HRTC has also started paying its drivers and conductors their overtime dues and all the overtime will be paid by March, he added.

Agnihotri said that the Transport Corporation currently has a fleet of 3200 buses and about 5 lakh passengers are traveling in the corporations buses on a daily basis.

During the current financial year, more than 700 new buses are being added to the Transport Corporation, which includes 327 electric buses, 250 diesel buses, 100 Tempo Travellers and 24 Volvo buses. With the inclusion of these buses in the fleet of the corporation, the shortage of buses in the state will be overcome to a great extent, he said.

He further said that there are currently 51 buses in the Dharampur depot, for which 62 drivers and 77 conductors are available.

He said that 36 of these buses have crossed their age limit. MLA Rakesh Jamwal and others also asked questions about the Transport Corporation.

In another question, Health Minister Dhani Ram Shandil shared that 1714 soldiers and officers from the state have been recognized as martyrs since independence.

In response to a question by Congress MLA Malender Rajan from Indora, he said that out of these, 736 officers and soldiers belong to Kangra district and out of these, 9 officers and soldiers are from Indora assembly constituency.

He said that the next of kin of battle casualties are being given ex-gratia amount, free bus travel facility in HRTC buses, financial assistance for the marriage of daughters and sons of war widows and one family member of soldiers in the armed forces is being given employment facility in the state according to their qualification.

He also said that action is being taken by the government to fulfill the assurances given from time to time in cases of battle casualties.
Environmental protection during mining activities remains a core focus area for coal and lignite Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), said Union Minister of Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy.

He assured that these PSUs not only ensure compliance with the statutory provisions outlined in environmental laws but also actively exceed these requirements to uphold and enhance environmental standards in and around mining areas.

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Mr Reddy was chairing a meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee of Ministry of Coal in Parliament Annexe on Sustainability and Green Initiatives undertaken by the coal sector.

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At the meet, the minister reiterated the governments commitment towards sustainable development and achieving the target of Net Zero emissions by 2070, as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He also informed the Committee members about the sustainable development activities adopted by Coal/Lignite PSUs where coal production goes hand in hand with environmental conservation, societal well-being, and biodiversity protection.

He emphasised that these efforts would ensure the coal sector remains a key driver of economic growth while aligning with Indias vision of a sustainable and green future.

Minister of State for Coal and Mines Satish Chandra Dubey also attended the meeting along with the senior officers of Ministry of Coal, CMD (CIL), CMD (NLCIL) and CMDs of CIL subsidiaries.

A presentation was also made by the Joint Secretary, Ministry of Coal highlighting various Sustainability & Green Initiatives being undertaken by the PSUs.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday announced that senior Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) official Akhikesh Shukla whose goons allegedly assaulted his Maharashtrian neighbours with iron rods in a suburban Kalyan-based housing society, has been suspended with immediate effect.

The incident snowballed into a serious political issue after a video of the alleged assault on the Maharashtrian family went viral leading to political and social tension. In the video, Shukla and his wife allegedly abused Maharashtrians as filthy, accused them of eating meat and fish, after which they were allegedly assaulted with iron rods by Shuklas goons.

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The incident snowballed into a serious political issue of non-Maharashtrians discriminating against native Maharashtrians on the basis of their local language and food habits, even as the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) parties attacked the Fadnavis government.

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The incident came close on the heels of a similar incident in Girgaum a few days ago where a Marwadi shopkeeper allegedly asked a Maharashtrian customer to speak only in the Marwadi language, since according to him, a Marwadi party like the BJP has come to power in Maharashtra.

After the issue was raised in the legislative council, the chief minister said, Injustice will not be done to Marathi people under any circumstances as he replied during a discussion on the issue under Legislative Council Rule 289 moved by Legislative Council (Vidhan Parishad) member Advocate Anil Parab.

Akhilesh Shukla has been suspended from his service and an FIR has been registered against him and other accused, Fadnavis said, showing a copy of the First Information Report (FIR) filed against the senior MTDC official.

Let there be no doubt in anyones mind that Mumbai as well as Maharashtra always belonged to Maharashtrians, it still does and it always will, Fadnavis said, as members of the House applauded his statement.

However, Fadnavis rejected allegations by the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena that incidents of anti-Maharashtrian discrimination increased after the BJP-dominated Mahayuti government came to power in Maharashtra.

It is important to know who was responsible for the Marathi population being forced to migrate out of Mumbai after the construction boom during the last few decades, Fadnavis said, making an indirect reference to the then united Shiv Sena founded by Bal Thackeray, who was succeeded by his son Uddhav Thackeray.

The incident also comes amidst a feeling among a section of the local Maharashtrian population that the BJP is a party which is run by a Gujarati-Marwadi-North Indian lobby, which is least bothered about Maharashtrian sentiments. This feeling significantly increased during the 2024 Maharashtra assembly election campaign after the MVA parties alleged that all the industrial projects which were supposed to come up in Maharashtra eventually ended up being set up in Gujarat instead.
Bamboos potential for sustainable development was showcased in an international conference on Just Transition to Net Zero  Role of Bamboo in the SAARC Region held here. The conference underscored the urgency of cross-sectoral partnerships to unlock the full potential of bamboo for sustainable development in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) region.

At the event that was held on Tuesday, Pasha Patel, Chairman, State Agricultural Price Commission, Maharashtra, and Chairman, Executive Committee, Chief Ministers Task Force for Environment and Sustainable Development shared insights into the potential of bamboo as a sustainable resource. He highlighted the transformative impact of bamboo in the SAARC region for a greener future. Citing a study, Patel said all government thermal power generation units in the country release 5,90,000 MT of carbon per day into the atmosphere, he said, Bamboo can be an alternative to coal as a fuel for power generation.

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The conference, organised by the Foundation for MSME Clusters (FMC), served as a collaborative platform for CSR leaders, researchers, buyers, and artisans, aiming to create a regional strategy for achieving net zero goals through bamboo-based innovations. The event was also attended by Ajay Shankar, Chairman, Foundation for MSME Clusters, and Former Secretary to the Government of India and Ms. Rinzi Pem, Assistant Director, Social Window, SAARC Development Fund.

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The conference was part of the project Promoting Integrated Bamboo-Based Enterprise Development among SAARC Countries supported by the SAARC Development Fund since 2017. The project, implemented across Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal, engages partners such as Womens Economic Empowerment Rural Development Program (Afghanistan), BRIF (Bangladesh), Tarayana (Bhutan), FMC (India), and ABARI (Nepal).

During the event, project partners from Bhutan, Nepal, and Bangladesh presented case studies showcasing challenges, achievements, and innovations, offering valuable insights for advancing bamboo enterprise development.
Tamil Nadu governor RN Ravi has turned the domain of higher education in the state into a virtual turf war with the government of MK Stalin, leaving many state-run universities headless without a Vice-Chancellor.

In Tamil Nadu, as in the neighbouring Kerala, the Raj Bhavan is on a collision course with the elected government on the appointment of VCs. This stems from Governors, as chancellors of state varsities, overriding the elected governments in the matter. And the issue is even being dragged to the courts. The Bills passed by the legislature, removing the Governor as Chancellor, are yet to get assent.

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Out of the 20 state universities in Tamil Nadu, six universities, viz., Madras University, Anna University, reputed in the realm of technical education, Tamil Nadu Teachers Education University (TNTEU), all three in Chennai, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, Annamalai University, Chidambaram and Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, have no VC. Of these, Bharathiyar and TNTEU are headless for more than two years now while VCs of Periyar University, Salem, and Bharathidasan University, Trichy, are on extension.

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Three more varsities  Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli, Thiruvalluvar University, Vellore, and Alagappa university, Karaikudi  would join the list with the term of the VCs coming to an end in a few months. Then, 11 out of the 20 universities would become headless due to the ongoing tussle, leaving the varsity administrations in limbo.

It was the constitution of the VC search and selection panel for Annamalai University which has brought the tug of war once again to the fore. The Governors office had sent a list of four candidates  Governor-Chancellors nominee as convenor and nominees of the state government, university syndicate and UGC chairperson. The fourth one is the bone of contention as the government removed it while publishing the gazette notification on December 9, 2024 as the University statute does not permit it. Governor Ravi, terming the gazette notification as void ab initio (invalid from the beginning), directed the government to recall it and notify the list sent by him. He banked on the 2018 UGCs regulations which required the Chairpersons nominee in the VC selection panels.

Responding to this, Higher Education Minister Govi Chezhiyan, in a statement said Governor doesnt have the authority to form such panels and the search committee was formed as per the University statute, which has no place for the UGC Chairmans nominee. To buttress his point, he cited the Supreme Court ruling in Jagdish Prasad Sharma and others Vs State of Bihar which made it clear that the state government has powers to frame its own laws and it is not necessary to follow all recommendations of the UGC. He also charged the Governor with obstructing the functioning of the government elected with a popular mandate.

The DMK government received support from an unexpected quarter  the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), a constituent of the BJP-led NDA. No university in the state has the rule that the UGC chairmans nominee has to be included in the VC search panel. The respective statute and rules of the varsity for which VC is being selected has to be respected. In the absence of any provision to include the UGC chairpersons nominee, the stand of the state government is correct,

PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss said in a statement. The Governor is not vested with the power to constitute the search committee. He has to select from the list of three names submitted to him, he added. However, in his view the state government should expedite the case pending before the apex court for 13 months challenging the past orders of the Governor for resolving the continuing impasse.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu admitted on Friday that the health services in Himachal Pradesh need improvement.

The statement was made in response to a question raised by MLA Deep Raj in the Assembly on the third day of the winter session, held at Tapovan (Dharamshala) in Kangra district.

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Stating that the state government is working to improve health services, he also admitted that there is a shortage of staff in almost every health institution in the state, and efforts are being made to address the issue.

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He said there is a severe shortage of radiographers, and the recruitment process is underway. He also said that their salaries will be increased.

In response to a question by MLA Deep Raj, the Chief Minister said that 133 tests at Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC), Shimla, are conducted free of cost, while 42 tests are free at Kamala Nehru Hospital. He also mentioned that the state government is establishing a Model Health Institute in each Assembly Constituency to ensure the availability of all specialist doctors.

Replying to a question from MLA Ajay Solanki, the Chief Minister said that to tackle the monkey menace in Himachal Pradesh, the state government plans to plant 60 per cent fruit-bearing trees during the rainy season so that monkeys can be shifted to their natural habitats.

The problem of monkeys entering homes is not new, as people in urban areas have already been facing this problem. Now, people in rural areas have stopped growing crops due to the monkey menace, he said.

Disclosing that 1.87 lakh monkeys have been sterilised in the state so far, he said that of these, 1,188 monkeys were sterilised in the Nahan Assembly Constituency, and a sterilisation centre is functioning in Paonta Sahib in Sirmaur district.

He said that in light of the monkey problem, the central government had granted permission to cull them but religious sentiments came in the way and people did not kill the monkeys.

Sukhu said that instructions have also been issued to protect people from the terror of monkeys, and the public should follow them.

The Chief Minister said that more incidents of monkey attacks on humans are being reported in urban areas, adding that there is also a provision for compensating those affected by such attacks.

The Chief Minister also expressed concern over the problem of stray animals and said that the government is also trying to overcome it.

For this, the government is promoting natural farming to increase the role of animals in agriculture.
KYODO NEWS - Dec 20, 2024 - 13:00 | All, World

More than 1,000 days have passed since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine. Russia has occupied about 20 percent of Ukraine's territory, with their militaries engaging in fierce combat along front lines stretching for some 1,000 kilometers.

After Ukrainian forces launched a cross-border offensive into Russia's western region of Kursk in August, Moscow also made a new move by deploying North Korean troops to the area. Russian forces, meanwhile, are advancing faster in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region. The United States, the largest supporter of Ukraine in the war, will have a new president in January as Donald Trump, who has called for a quick end to the conflict, returns to the White House for a nonconsecutive second term.

With the war at a crossroads, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sat down for an exclusive interview with Kyodo News on Dec. 1, discussing various aspects of the conflict for about an hour. He spoke candidly about the situation Ukraine is now facing, saying the conflict has entered a "complicated period."

Read the full article with visuals and videos here




India has raised with the United States the threat issued by Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun to Indian Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra and hoped Washington will take New Delhis security concerns seriously.

We take the threats very seriously and we raise it with the US government. In this case, also, we have raised it with the US government and it is our expectation that the US government will take our security concerns seriously, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a media briefing on Friday.

In a recent video message, Pannun accused Ambassador Kwatra of being the face of the India-Russia terror nexus, claiming he is under surveillance by pro-Khalistan groups. Pannun alleged that Kwatra has been coordinating with Russian diplomats to counter Khalistani activism in North America.

The U.S. government, taking such threats seriously, has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring the safety of Indian diplomats and others serving in the country.

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Lieutenant General NS Raja Subramani, Vice Chief of the Army Staff (VCOAS), is on a three-day official visit to Vietnam to bolster defence ties and enhance bilateral cooperation between the two nations.

On the first day of his visit, the VCOAS toured the India Pavilion and other stalls at the Vietnam International Defence Expo (VIDE), showcasing Indias advancements in defence technology and innovation.

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He also explored Vietnams rich cultural and historical heritage by visiting the Military History Museum and the Temple of Literature in Hanoi. During his visit, he met with Sandeep Arya, Indias Ambassador to Vietnam, to discuss mutual areas of interest and avenues for collaboration.

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Lieutenant General Subramani also attended the 80th Anniversary celebrations of the Vietnam Peoples Army at the National Convention Centre.

His presence at these events highlights the deep and enduring defence partnership between India and Vietnam, reinforcing their shared commitment to regional peace, stability, and security.
Minister for Jal Shakti C R Patil asked the states to evolve a consensus on their respective river interlinking projects for the progress in the development of the country. Chairing the 38th annual general meeting of the NWDA Society and 22nd meeting of the Special Committee for Interlinking of Rivers (SCILR), he mentioned the recent progress made on MPKC (Modified Parbati Kalisindh Chambal ) and Ken Betwa Link Project and apprised about a programme organised in Jaipur for the inauguration of various projects of Rajasthan along with declaration of signing of the MoA upon MPKC link project by the prime minister.

The Secretary, DoWR, RD & GR, highlighted that substantial progress was made in the direction of interlinking of rivers during recent years.

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She specifically mentioned the Ken-Betwa Link project which is the first link of the National Perspective Plan under implementation.

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The secretary stated that the management of the water resources has been one of the key priorities of the Central government Interlinking of Rivers (ILR) Programme.During the meeting, a detailed presentation on the agenda items was made by the director general of the NWDA.

The status of various works and the pending issues/bottlenecks, etc. for ILR projects, annual report, and audited accounts for the year 2023-24 of the NWDA and intra-state links were discussed at length. The representatives of various state governments. expressed their views/observations on their corresponding ILR projects.

Rajbhushan Choudhary, Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, Minister WRD, Bihar, Swatantra Dev Singh, Minister (Irrigation & WRD), Uttar Pradesh and K. Lakshminarayanan, Minister, PWD, Puducherry attended the meeting.Roshy Augustine, Minister,WRD, Kerala, Shruti Chaudhary, minister, WRD, Haryana and Kuvarjibhai Bavaliya, Minister,WRD, Gujarat were present at the meeting virtually. Senior officers from various Central and state departments also participated in the meeting.
AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Friday accused BJP chief J P Nadda of equating Purvanchalis with Rohingyas and Bangladeshis, and also deleting their names from voters lists ahead of the Delhi Assembly polls.

Addressing a press conference, the AAP leader said, We will not allow BJP to delete the name of any person from Purvanchal from the electoral roll.

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Taking a dig at the saffron party, he claimed that AAP has worked to honour and settle the Purvanchal society on the other hand, BJP has made plans to displace them from the national capital.

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In Parliament, J P Nadda has called the people of Purvanchal as Bangladeshi, Rohingyas and infiltrators. In response to this, we will go to every house of the purvanchali community and show them the video and expose the saffron party, Kejriwal mentioned.

AAPs Rajya Sabha MP from Delhi and a Purvanchali face of the party, Sanjay Singh, will undertake Ratri Pravas (night stays) at Purvanchali dominated areas of the city to expose the BJPs well planned conspiracy, he said.

Kejriwal also voiced the issue of law and order situation in Delhi targeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah over its deterioration. Amit Shah ji, till when will you remain silent? Every day there are threats of bombing schools in Delhi. Children and their parents are scared. Amit Shah has failed to provide security to the people of Delhi, he should come among the public and answer, the AAP chief elaborated.

Meanwhile AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said, People from UP, Bihar have been living in the city for the past 30-40 years, are they Rohingiyas and Bangladeshi? I will go to every place where brothers, sisters and elders are living and show them the video of the insult done to them by JP Nadda.

Moreover, echoing similar sentiments, AAP leader and nominee from Patparganj assembly seat, Awadh Ojha said, AAP has done development works for the people belonging to purvanchal society and JP Nadda has revealed the saffron partys intention by calling them infiltrators.

The issue of deletion of votes in Delhi was raised in Parliament by Sanjay Singh on Tuesday.

In reaction to this, Nadda had claimed the names of Bangladeshis and Rohingyas are being removed from the voters list following the process laid down in the Constitution and asked the AAP if it was winning with their votes.
Chief Minister of Manipur N Biren Singh has asserted that the state, which has been reeling under ethnic clashes since May 2023, is witnessing signs of improvement.

Addressing district officials, Singh commended the Deputy Commissioners, particularly those stationed in the conflict-hit hill districts, for their unwavering commitment during these trying times.

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The situation in Manipur is improving. The deputy commissioners, especially those serving in the hill districts, have been working with dedication and sincerity during this difficult period, the chief minister stated.

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Singh emphasized the crucial role of bureaucrats in delivering effective governance and urged officials in the hill regions to remain steadfast on critical issues.

Bureaucrats are the backbone of good governance. Officers must work in the larger interest of the country without compromising on key responsibilities, he added.

Manipur has been embroiled in ethnic violence since May 2023, following tensions between the Meitei and Kuki communities over issues of land rights, reservation policies, and identity.

The unrest has resulted in significant loss of life and displacement.

The state government launched the Go to Hills Mission to address historical disparities between the valley, predominantly inhabited by Meiteis, and the hill districts, home to tribal populations. The mission aims to bridge developmental gaps and foster inclusivity.

CM Singh reflected on his vision for a united Manipur, which he articulated upon assuming office in 2017.

He reiterated his commitment to making Manipur an inclusive state with equitable development across its diverse regions, even amidst ongoing challenges.
As a precautionary measure, Assam police have detained Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) President Bhupen Kumar Borah and several senior Congress leaders, including former Rajya Sabha MP Ripun Bora, MLA Diganta Barman, and social media chairperson Ratul Kalita as they planned to take part in various events to honor Mridul Islam, who allegedly lost his life in police action during a protest earlier this week.

According to Bedabrata Bora, chairman of the APCC media cell, Bhupen Kumar Borah is currently being held at the 10th Assam Police Battalion in Kahilipara.

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Meanwhile, Ripun Bora has reportedly been taken to the Basistha Police Station.

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The party had announced interfaith prayers and a submission of a memorandum to the Governor, demanding a judicial investigation into the incident.

Condemning the detentions, Bedabrata Bora accused Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of resorting to undemocratic means to stifle dissent.

This cowardly act of suppressing democratic protests highlights the Chief Ministers fear of opposition voices. We strongly condemn the police action, Bora stated.

The Congress has vowed to continue its demand for accountability and justice, labeling the arrests as a blatant attempt to intimidate party leaders and disrupt their efforts to pay tribute to Shaheed Mridul Islam.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Friday hit out at Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi saying that NDA MPs are very agitated over the conduct of the Congress lawmaker in the Parliament premises.

The Parliamentary Affairs Minister said BJP MPs were deeply agitated by the Congress leaders actions on the floor, specifically a scuffle that resulted in injuries to two of their colleagues on Thursday.

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Talking to mediapersons, Rijiju said, He (Rahul Gandhi) insulted one of the MPs from Nagaland and then injured two other MPs. The Speaker has said that no protest should be done at Parliament gate. So, our MPs protested at the Mahatma Gandhi statue, he added.

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On the health condition of the injured when they were allegedly pushed by Rahul Gandhi, Rijiju said, Two BJP MPs were injured after being pushed by Rahul Gandhi. They are in hospital. Their condition is not very serious. They are stable. Our colleagues have met them.

Our MPs are agitated. Still, we have spoken with NDA MPs. They are agitated but there will be no jostling from our end, he added.

The Minister further emphasised that MPs must maintain Parliamentary decorum at all times. As MPs, we should uphold Parliamentary decorum. Whatever has to be said, it has to be done verbally, Rijiju added.

The row between the BJP-led NDA and the Congress-led Opposition over Bhimrao Ambedkar took an ugly turn on Thursday when a scuffle broke out in the Parliament premises in which two saffron party MPs were wounded and had to be hospitalised.

The two BJP MPs, Mukesh Rajput ( Farrukhabad) and Pratap Chandra Sarangi (Balasore), blamed Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for the incident in which they sustained injuries.

Amid high drama in the Parliament premises where the MPs of the two fronts were holding separate demonstrations over the Ambedkar issue, Congress chief and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge also alleged he lost his balance and was forced to sit down on the ground when he was pushed by BJP MPs.
Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal on Friday called for a 100% integration of industry stakeholders onto government platforms to improve the logistics sector.

He called for leveraging the government, private sector and academia to enhance skill development in the logistics sector.

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Noting that innovation in building infrastructure is needed, he said that better road building techniques, faster processes for bidding out contracts are required.

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Using Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics, we can make sure there is no time and cost overrun, he said.

Piyush Goyal was addressing the ULIP Logixtics Hackathon 2.0 Awards Ceremony.

He pointed out that Hackathon is the new style of governance model to solve problems in the country. It is inclusive, involves young minds, startups and innovators, he said.

He urged the participants to think about sustainability and integrate green practices into Indias logistics ecosystem.

We have to adopt technology like electric mobility, biofuels, multimodal transport options to bring down overall carbon impact and make sustainability the core of our thinking, he said.

Speaking on skill development in the logistics sector, the Minister called for collaborations with institutions to train and build a future ready workforce.

ULIP Logistics Hackathon 2.0 was launched in association with NITI Ayog and Start-up India, to provide a nationwide platform for start-ups, enterprises, and logistics service providers to address critical challenges in the logistics sector.

For the 2024 edition, the hackathon was scaled up significantly, receiving an overwhelming response of over 4,751 registrations.

Following a rigorous evaluation process, 72 participants were shortlisted to develop prototypes. Of these, 25 finalists were presented their innovative solutions during the Finale Event on 20th December 2024.
Calling Sanatan Dharma the national religion of India, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Friday that it is the collective responsibility of the citizens to protect it.

The chief minister said this while participating in the grand Ashtottarshat 108 Shrimad Bhagwat Paath and Panch Narayan Mahayagya held at Asharfi Bhawan Ashram in Shri Ayodhya Dham. As part of the Mahayagya, he offered oblations amidst Vedic chants, praying for the happiness, peace, and prosperity of the people of Uttar Pradesh.

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Addressing a gathering on the occasion, Yogi highlighted how religion and culture foster positivity and peace in society. Reflecting on the historical attacks on temples, he stated that the clans of those who desecrated these holy sites have met their downfall. Citing an example, CM Yogi remarked, Today, the descendants of Aurangzeb are driving rickshaws. Their plight is the result of their destructive actions. Had they upheld righteousness and refrained from demolishing temples, would they be in such a state?

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He reiterated that Sanatan Dharma is eternal and has existed since the beginning of creation, holding the key to establishing global peace. Sanatan Dharma is the national religion of India and it is the collective responsibility of the citizens to protect it, he added.

The chief minister stressed the importance of harmony between heritage and development. Highlighting the ongoing transformation in Ayodhya, he praised the double-engine government for restoring the citys ancient glory under the guidance of saints.

He cited the construction of the grand Ram Lalla Temple and the comprehensive development of Ayodhya Dham as monumental achievements in this endeavor.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath emphasised that this yagya serves as a powerful tool for self-purification and environmental purification while safeguarding Sanatan Dharma and fostering positive energy within society. He highlighted that organising this event in the sacred land of Maa Saryu and the birthplace of Lord Shri Ram adds profound significance to the occasion.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath stressed the need to learn from the mistakes of the past that led India into the shackles of slavery and resulted in the desecration of its sacred sites. He urged all Indians to unite in protecting and preserving Sanatan Dharma, asserting that respecting this eternal religion is essential for safeguarding humanity.

Highlighting its inclusive nature, he said, Sanatan Dharma, rooted in the principle of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family), has historically offered refuge to people of all castes, creeds, and religions during times of adversity.

The chief minister underscored that India remains India only as long as Sanatan Dharma is protected. He called for a collective effort to uphold and promote this timeless tradition, which has harmonised with the universe for centuries. He stressed the importance of vigilance to shield it from distortions and anomalies in the future, resolving to correct past discrepancies through the wisdom of great men, sages, and saints.

He firmly declared that India must move forward united, ensuring that no division or internal conflict weakens the essence of this religion or the nation.

Reflecting on the destruction of cultural and religious heritage, CM Yogi pointed to the tragic events in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan as examples of the consequences of undermining Sanatan Dharma.

He questioned the intentions of those who desecrated spiritual sites such as the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi, Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi, the Harihar land of Kalki Avatar in Sambhal, and the sacred Goddess Saraswati Temple in Bhoj. Their actions, he asserted, were driven by the goal of turning the earth into chaos, but their downfall was a direct result of their sins.

The chief minister called for vigilance to ensure that such atrocities are never repeated, emphasizing the importance of honoring and safeguarding Indias religious heritage.

He thanked Jagadguru Ramanujacharya Pujya Swami Shankaracharya Maharaj and his team for organizing the Panch Narayan Maha Yagya, highlighting its profound spiritual and societal significance. He said, The positive energy and virtues emanating from this Yagya would benefit all Indians, spreading harmony and unity across the nation.

Earlier , Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath started his day with prayers at the Sankat Mochan Hanumangarhi temple, where he prayed for the states peace and prosperity. He then proceeded to Shri Ramlala, where he performed aarti, completed a parikrama (circumambulation) of the temple, and reviewed the progress of the Ram temples construction.
Tripura Police detained six Bangladeshi nationals, including two minors, from Subhas Park in Khowai district early Friday.

The detainees, who were staying at Roy Guest House near the Khowai District Hospital, were found to have entered India illegally and were reportedly planning to return to Bangladesh.

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Acting on a tip-off, police initiated an inquiry. During the initial interrogation, they provided contradictory statements and were unable to produce valid identification. Further questioning revealed that they had crossed into India unlawfully a few days ago and traveled to New Delhi before returning to Tripura.

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The individuals detained include Md Kabir (37), Tania Begum (35), their children Md Sakib (6) and Sahida (5), Mumin (23), and Ayesa Khatun (70).

Police recovered Indian identification documents from them, believed to have been acquired through illegal means. The detainees claimed that their entry into India was motivated by a search for work opportunities.

Tripura shares an 856-kilometre international border with Bangladesh, much of which is porous and presents challenges for effective surveillance.

The region has witnessed several instances of illegal border crossings, often involving individuals seeking better economic prospects or attempting to reunite with family members.

Authorities in Tripura have heightened security measures, including the deployment of the Border Security Force (BSF), to curb unauthorised crossings. However, cases of forged identification and the use of unofficial routes continue to pose significant hurdles.

The detainees are now in police custody, and further investigation is underway to trace their movements, associates, and facilitators.
A video on Spring Festival is played during the 19th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Asuncion, Paraguay, Dec. 4, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhu Yubo)

Earlier this month, UNESCO inscribed the Spring Festival, a social practice of the Chinese people celebrating the traditional new year, on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This recognition highlights the festival's cultural significance not only for China but also for its growing global impact as a vital cultural connection across nations.

UNESCO's decision, made during the 19th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage held from Dec. 2-7 in Paraguay, reflects the widespread international appreciation of the Spring Festival's deep cultural values. The listing underscores the festival's rich traditions, including family reunions, the honoring of ancestors and various public celebrations that span communities both in China and abroad.

Professor Xiao Fang, head of the Department of Anthropology and Folklore Studies at Beijing Normal University, described the Spring Festival's listing as a significant milestone for the global recognition of Chinese culture. He noted that the lengthy and intricate application process for UNESCO recognition, which took place from 2023 to 2024, demonstrates China's commitment to preserving its cultural heritage. Meanwhile, the successful inclusion of the Spring Festival highlights the international community's acknowledgment of its importance.

Prominent professor of folklore Li Hanqiu emphasized the festival's cultural depth, noting that the Spring Festival is much more than a time of celebration; it embodies the core values and spiritual pursuits of the Chinese people. He stated that the festival's global spread not only strengthens recognition of Chinese culture but also serves as a model for integration and dialogue between different cultures worldwide.

The voices of ordinary citizens also reflect the deep cultural and emotional significance of the Spring Festival. Zhang Haodong, a local Beijing resident, shared that the Spring Festival is a time for family reunions and cultural continuity. He explained that whether it is enjoying the reunion dinner, attending temple fairs or watching the Spring Festival Gala, these traditions are not just about the holiday itself but about preserving cultural memories. He further expressed pride in the global recognition of the festival, saying that its worldwide celebration enhances the pride of Chinese people in sharing their culture with the world.

Johanna van der Kamp, a biomedical researcher from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) Australia, spoke about the festival's importance in her country's multicultural landscape. She explained that the Spring Festival has become an integral part of Australia's multicultural community, with various community events and educational programs fostering an appreciation for Chinese culture while strengthening the emotional ties between China and Australia.

Van der Kamp also shared her personal experiences with the Spring Festival. "I have hosted Chinese exchange students for many years, and we celebrate the Spring Festival together," she said. "This has made me realize that the festival is not just a holiday; it is a bridge connecting hearts and an important means of fostering international understanding." She believes the festival's recognition by UNESCO highlights global cultural diversity and injects new vitality into international cultural exchange.

However, as the Spring Festival continues to globalize, challenges remain in balancing commercialization with the preservation of traditional cultural values. Van der Kamp emphasized the importance of maintaining the festival's traditional essence while adapting it to modern contexts. She noted that to ensure the Spring Festival's continued global influence, it is essential to protect its core traditions while innovating so that it remains relevant to contemporary audiences.

The successful inclusion of the Spring Festival on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage serves as a significant manifestation of China's cultural soft power in the globalized era. From China to the world, the festival's unique charm is fostering a vision of a shared global future. This recognition not only strengthens China's cultural identity but also serves as a bridge for promoting global cultural exchange, offering new insights into humanity's diversity and collective future.


KYODO NEWS - Dec 20, 2024 - 12:56 | All, Japan, 3/11 Fukushima

The Japanese government said Friday it will aim to decide by next spring on a plan for how to recycle or dispose of soil in Fukushima Prefecture that was removed during the cleanup following the 2011 nuclear disaster.

"It is an issue that Japan should tackle as a whole," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told the first ministerial meeting held to discuss the situation.

About 14 million cubic meters of soil is currently piled up along with other radioactive waste at an interim storage facility near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex which was crippled by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The final disposal site of the soil is yet to be determined.

Soil with high radiation levels that cannot be recycled is scheduled to be disposed of outside the northeastern prefecture under law by March 2045. But amid a lack of a roadmap, Fukushima Gov. Masao Uchibori has urged the central government to swiftly craft one.

Japan plans to recycle soil with low radioactivity, or up to 8,000 becquerels per kilogram, using it to form road embankments, among other public works, to reduce the total amount of soil that eventually needs to be dealt with.

Nuclear reactors at the seaside power plant operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. suffered meltdowns following the March 2011 natural disaster, spewing massive amounts of radioactive materials into the air and resulting in contamination of land in the vicinity.

Related coverage:

Japan drops mantra of reducing nuclear dependency in new draft plan

Nuclear reactor in Japan's Matsue restarted for 1st time since 2012

Central Japan nuclear unit becomes 1st to fail post-Fukushima safety check
Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena workers barged into the South Mumbai office of a company on Friday and took to task a Bihari manager who used to allegedly mentally harass a Maharashtrian employee and kept saying Ek Bihari sab pe bhaari (one Bihari is enough to dominate everybody).

Sources said the Marathi employee who has been working in the company for the past 10 years alleged that his Bihari manager had been harassing him for the past six months and used to tell him Ek Bihari sab pe bhaari. Fed up with the harassment, the Marathi employee had even complained to the companys managers in writing, sources said.

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Later, when there was no improvement in his situation, the employee decided to approach the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, which has a reputation of fighting for native sons of the soil in its own well known way.

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Consequently, a department head Santosh Shinde barged into the office, along with a few Shiv Sainiks (UBT), and asked the Bihari manager, Tell me upon how many people will you be a burden. What have you been saying to (Marathi employee) Pawar? Is a Bihari a burden to everyone? How many people will you burden? Tell me.

After the cornered Bihari manager was given an earful, he climbed down and the matter was resolved, sources said. Incidentally, the Marathi employee has not filed any police complaint against the manager who had allegedly been harassing him for six months as he hopes that his troubles will soon be over. However, the employee has taken the stand that if his troubles do not go away, he will file a police complaint, sources said.
Against a backdrop of rapidly deteriorating relations between India and Bangladesh, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misris recent visit to Dhaka marked a crucial effort to restore bilateral ties. The historically robust relationship between the two nations has frayed following significant political upheaval in Bangladesh and rising tensions over minority rights.

This visit, the first high-level engagement since the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August, was aimed at addressing shared concerns and fostering dialogue. The political crisis in Bangladesh has significantly strained ties with India. Following Sheikh Hasinas resignation and subsequent exile to India, the interim government led by Professor Muhammad Yunus has struggled to maintain stability.

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Law and order in the country has steadily declined. Allegations of increasing violence against minorities, particularly Hindus, have heightened tensions. Reports of attacks on Hindu temples and cultural sites, including the Indian government-run Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre in Dhaka, have drawn sharp criticism from New Delhi. The arrest of a prominent Hindu monk, Chinmoy Krishna Das, on sedition charges further fuelled unrest, prompting protests in Indian states bordering Bangladesh and retaliatory demonstrations in Dhaka.

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Hindus and other minorities who constitute nearly 8 per cent of Bangladeshs 170 million population have faced increased violence in the wake of Hasinas removal. Historically associated with Hasinas Awami League, these communities now face heightened threats as right-wing forces gain prominence. While India has expressed concerns over the surge in extremist rhetoric and violence, the Yunus government initially dismissed these claims, asserting that minorities are better protected under the current administration. They even argued that it was their internal matter and India should not interfere in this. However, the religious and diplomatic tensions risk undermining the stability that characterized India-Bangladesh relations during Hasinas tenure.

Under her leadership, the two nations enjoyed close cooperation, reflected in robust trade and security ties. Bilateral trade reached $14 billion in 2023-24, and the partnership played a pivotal role in regional stability. The current strain threatens to derail this progress, with potential repercussions for trade, cultural exchanges, and security collaboration. Acting Foreign Secretary Riaz Hamidullah and Indian envoy Pranay Verma have acknowledged the challenges but emphasized the importance of maintaining open communication channels and working toward shared aspirations for peace and development. Indias Neighbourhood First policy underscores the strategic significance of Bangladesh, given their shared 4,000- km border and interlinked security and economic interests.

Yunus has also highlighted the mutual benefits of close ties, stressing that transient issues should not overshadow the broader goal of maintaining strong bilateral relations. International actors, including the United States and the United Kingdom, have expressed concern over the situation but are unlikely to intervene significantly given other global crises and domestic priorities. Resolving the current tensions will depend on the ability of India and Bangladesh to engage in constructive dialogue and rebuild trust. Foreign Secretary Misris visit on December 9 sought to address these mounting issues. In meetings with his Bangladeshi counterpart Mohammad Jashim Uddin and interim government head Muhammad Yunus, Misri conveyed Indias concerns over the safety and welfare of minorities in Bangladesh.

Following his visit, Dhaka acknowledged the violence, disclosing that 88 attacks on minorities had been reported between August and October, primarily targeting Hindus. They confirmed that 88 cases had been registered and 70 individuals linked to these incidents were arrested. Despite these admissions, Bangladeshi authorities maintained that some violence stemmed from personal disputes or political affiliations, downplaying the religious motivations. Misris discussions extended beyond immediate concerns to broader bilateral issues, including border management, trade, connectivity, and cooperation in water and energy sectors. Both sides emphasized the need for a constructive approach to rebuild trust and strengthen ties.

Yunus described the India-Bangladesh relationship as very solid and reiterated his commitment to addressing mu  tual concerns, urging India to help clear the clouds overshadowing bilateral relations. The visit underscored the complexities of the current India-Bangladesh relationship. India has historically supported Sheikh Hasinas leadership, viewing her government as a stable and reliable partner. Her ouster, however, has necessitated a recalibration of New Delhis approach. Misris measured comments during his visit sought to balance Indias concerns with an acknowledgment of Bangladeshs challenges, marking a shift from the more confrontational rhetoric seen previously. The power vacuum in Ban  gladesh has created an environment of heightened communal tensions, with significant implications for regional stability.

The United States has also called for a peaceful resolution to differences, emphasizing the importance of maintaining stability in South Asia. Misris visit highlighted the necessity of constructive engagement to address bilateral issues. While New Delhi must continue advocating for the protection of minority rights and a return to democratic governance in Bangladesh, it should also be prepared to consider Dhakas concerns. The violent transition of power in Bangladesh and the rise in anti-India sentiment present challenges that require nuanced diplomacy. Indias broader regional strategy must account for the evolving political landscape in South Asia, where recent changes in governments in Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives have posed new challenges.

By fostering a close, consultative partnership with Bangladesh, India can work toward stabilizing the region and ensuring mutually beneficial outcomes. Misris visit represents a significant step in addressing the strained relations between India and Bangladesh. Despite the challenges, the visits constructive tone and focus on dialogue offer hope for a reset in ties. A collaborative approach, rooted in mutual respect and shared interests, will be key to navigating this critical juncture in India-Bangladesh relations.

(The writer is Associate Fellow, Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies & Analyses)
It is reported in the press that in Pakistan, 12 security personnel were killed last month when a suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a check post in Pakistans north-western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Of late, there has been an escalation of suicide bombing attacks by terrorists in Pakistan. Hafis Gul Bahadur, a militant organisation affiliated with the Tehriki-Taliban Pakistan, claimed responsibility for this night raid. Pakistan says that TTP, which the USA lists as a global terrorist organisation, is orchestrating the deadly violence from sanctuaries in Afghanistan.

Kabul has stoutly denied the allegations uicide bombing is becoming the most dreaded form of terrorist attack in many countries of the world. In India, suicide bombing was not witnessed in the early days of terrorism in Kashmir and Punjab. The first and most daring case of suicide bombing was the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi by LTTE cadres in 1991. The Chief Minister of Punjab, Sardar Beant Singh was the next victim of suicide terrorism in Chandigarh in August 1995. The first suicide bombing in Kashmir took place in April 1999, in the Badami Bagh area of Srinagar, when a Jaish militant launched a suicide attack on Indian Army 15 Corps Headquarters.

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Suicide bombing first hogged the limelight in April 1983, when the terrorist network of Hezbollah attacked the American Embassy in Beirut, and later, in the same year, devastated the US Marine headquarters in Lebanon. The success of the Hezbollah suicide bombing inspired the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to resort to suicide bombings on a huge scale in their operations. The suicide bombers constituted an elite corps and occupied a privileged position in LTTE. They were separated from ordinary cadre, and kept in isolation. The Tigers are perhaps the only terrorist outfit responsible for the assassination of two former prime ministers  Rajiv Gandhi and Premadasa of Sri Lanka. LTTEs suicide missions were planned with minute attention to detail, and precisely executed with lethal impact.

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The LTTE cadre responsible for the assassination of Premadasa infiltrated into his staff, and remained inactive for nearly two years, before embarking on the deadly mission. Research in the field has shown that most suicide bombing missions are not lone wolf operations. They are meticulously planned by a terrorist network. The suicide bombers are trained, motivated and radicalised before being sent on their missions. For organizing successful bombing operations, there is need for extensive underground preparation and coordination. Explosives have to be smuggled and stored properly and safely, for which reliable local support is needed.

The damage inflicted by suicide bombings is both physical and psychological, and to inflict maximum damage the bombers rely heavily on the element of surprise. Surprise is generated by turning the everyday into a weapon. For instance, suicide bombers often wear their explosives underneath their clothing, carry them in backpacks, or even hide them in bicycle frames. Frequently, to inflict even greater damage, suicide bombers drive vehicles packed with explosives into the targets. The use of suicide bombing has grown for three main reasons. First, suicide bombing is almost impossible for security forces to prevent. Second, media attention is almost like oxygen to the terrorist and suicide bombings generate great publicity and receive enormous news coverage. Third, suicide bombings require little expertise and few resources beyond a bomb and someone willing to carry it, thus is more cost effective than other tactics.

The growth in suicide bombing has often been linked to the rise of religion-inspired terrorist violence, but this is not totally correct. American political scientist Robert Pape has argued that prior to 2003, a group that often resorted to suicide bombings was LTTE, a secular, separatist, ethnic group from Sri Lanka. Though religion is often misused to justify suicide bombings, studies have shown that many suicide bombers, particularly in developed societies, are not fanatics and a significant number of bombers come from income and education levels well above their countrys norms. Suicide bombers pose serious security hazards. It is very difficult to detect and prevent such bombers, who can always spring a surprise.

But the task of suicide bombers can be made more difficult and burdensome, and the impact of the strike may be reduced by adopting various measures like strict access control, strengthening of verification procedures, etc. There should be constant training and drill of the security personnel deployed for protection of VIPs and other possible targets and sensitive installations. There are instances where alertness of the security staff has prevented, or foiled lethal strikes. Regular briefing and constant simulated exercises are necessary to hone skills, and sharpen responses. Along with the refinement of skills, there should be upgradation of equipment and weaponry available to the security personnel.

(The writer is Senior Fellow  Institute of Social Sciences, a former Director General of the National Human Rights Commission and former Director, National Police Academy.)
The US Commerce Department said on Thursday it has decided to grant up to US$458 million in direct funding to SK hynixs project to build a new plant in the state of Indiana.

The U.S. government will also provide up to $500 million in loans, both under the CHIPS and Science Act, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.

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In April, the company announced a plan to invest $3.87 billion to build a memory packaging plant for artificial intelligence (AI) products, and an advanced packaging research and development facility in West Lafayette in the U.S. state to produce next-generation memory chips, reports Yonhap news agency.

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By investing in companies like SK hynix and communities like West Lafayette, the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act continues to supercharge Americas global technology leadership, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said in a statement.

The Commerce Department added that the agreement represents a significant step in advancing the security of the U.S. supply chain, adding the project will fill a critical gap in the U.S. semiconductor supply chain.

SK hynix looks forward to collaborating with the U.S. government, the state of Indiana, Purdue University and our U.S. business partners to build a robust and resilient AI semiconductor supply chain in the United States, SK hynix CEO Kwak Noh-Jung said.

Meanwhile, other major global chipmakers, such as TSMC, Intel Corp. and Micron Technology, have also finalized their agreements with the U.S. government for subsidies under the CHIPS Act.

Samsung Electronics Co. is currently in discussions with Washington for a subsidy worth $6.4 billion in direct funding, said the report.
Forcible disappearances in Balochistan have become one of the most urgent human rights issues in the region, particularly over the last two decades. These disappearances predominantly involve Baloch activists, intellectuals, and members of nationalist groups who are abducted by state security forces or unidentified armed groups.

Many of these individuals are held without charge, leaving their families in a state of uncertainty regarding their fate. While the issue has garnered international attention, efforts to hold the perpetrators accountable have largely proven ineffective.

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To grasp the severity of this crisis, it is crucial to explore its historical context, the parties involved, the social repercussions, and the legal and political challenges at hand. Balochistan, a region divided among Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan, has long been a hub of political unrest and ethnic tension.

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The Baloch people have historically felt marginalised by the central governments of these countries, particularly following Pakistans creation in 1947. Despite Balochistans wealth of natural resourcesincluding gas, minerals, and a strategic coastlineits people consistently assert that they are denied a fair share of the regions wealth.

Over the years, Baloch nationalist movements have sought greater autonomy or independence, leading to violent insurgencies against the Pakistani state, which views these movements as threats to national unity and security.

The recent surge in forcible disappearances in Balochistan can be traced back to the escalation of military operations in the region during the early 2000s. These operations, aimed at suppressing insurgent groups such as the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), the Baloch Republican Army (BRA), and the Baloch Liberation Front (BLF), frequently target suspected separatists, political dissidents, and civilians.

Pakistani authorities, particularly the military and intelligence agencies, routinely deny any responsibility for these disappearances, often branding the victims as militants or terrorists.

However, human rights organisations, both local and international, accuse the Pakistani government of orchestrating these abductions to silence political opposition and instil fear among the Baloch population.

Accurate statistics on forcible disappearances are difficult to obtain due to underreporting and fear of retaliation.

Nevertheless, organisations like the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) have documented an alarming number of disappearances over the years.

Estimates indicate that between 2001 and 2023, over 2,000 individuals have gone missing. These figures encompass activists, students, journalists, and ordinary citizens taken by security forces.

The actual number is likely higher, as many families are too frightened to report disappearances, and some cases remain unrecorded.

The abduction of Baloch activists has become a prevalent tactic employed by the Pakistani military and intelligence agencies, including the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the Frontier Corps (FC).

These agencies often operate with impunity, as many disappearances occur in areas with minimal media coverage, and victims are rarely presented before a court. Families of the disappeared are left without answers, facing limited options for seeking justice.

In some instances, individuals reappear months or even years later, frequently tortured and suffering from severe psychological distress, while many victims never return. These acts of enforced disappearance are not only illegal but also constitute clear violations of international human rights law.

Conversely, Baloch separatist groups are also implicated in forced disappearances, albeit to a lesser extent. These groups often target individuals they suspect of collaborating with the Pakistani state or military.

In such cases, the abducted individuals are accused of providing intelligence to authorities or supporting the militarys presence in Balochistan.

While these abductions may be viewed as acts of resistance against state repression, they have been heavily criticised for their indiscriminate nature, often ensnaring innocent civilians.

The actions of Baloch militant groups contribute to the overall atmosphere of fear and instability in the region. The states justifications for these disappearances are grounded in the necessity to maintain national security and combat terrorism.

Pakistani officials contend that Baloch insurgent groups are engaged in violent separatist movements, asserting that extreme measures, including enforced disappearances, are essential for restoring order.

They perceive these disappearances as part of broader counterinsurgency operations aimed at dismantling separatist networks. However, this justification is fiercely contested by human rights organisations, which argue that such actions are intended to silence dissent and suppress any form of political opposition.

The international community has increasingly voiced concerns regarding the ongoing human rights violations in Balochistan.

Human rights organisations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have consistently condemned the actions of the Pakistani government, calling for an end to enforced disappearances and accountability for those responsible.

Despite this, international pressure has had limited success in bringing about meaningful change on the ground. The Pakistani government has persistently rejected external interference, characterising it as an infringement on the nations sovereignty.

Furthermore, Pakistan has yet to ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, which came into effect in 2011. Consequently, there is no binding legal framework to hold the government accountable for these violations.

The social impact of these disappearances has been profound. Families of the disappeared often endure prolonged uncertainty and trauma, as the absence of a loved one becomes a form of psychological torture, leaving them without answers regarding their fate.

In some instances, families face additional suffering due to stigma, as the Pakistani state frequently labels them as traitors or terrorists solely because of their connection to the disappeared.

This stigmatization complicates their pursuit of justice, as they are often ostracised by their communities or subjected to harassment by state authorities. Furthermore, the pervasive fear of abduction has created a chilling effect on political activism and public dissent in Balochistan.

Many potential activists or critics of the government are silenced not just through force but also through fear. This atmosphere stifles the development of a vibrant political discourse and prevents the Baloch people from peacefully voicing their grievances.

The suppression of political freedoms has also led to the displacement of many Baloch individuals, with a significant number fleeing to neighbouring Afghanistan or seeking asylum in other countries.

Despite these challenges, efforts have been made at both local and international levels to tackle the issue of forced disappearances. Local organisations, such as the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons, continue to raise awareness of the crisis through protests and campaigns, both within Balochistan and internationally.

International human rights organisations have also called for increased attention to the issue, urging the Pakistani government to uphold the rights of its citizens and investigate all cases of enforced disappearances.

However, meaningful progress remains elusive. While the Pakistani government has established commissions like the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (COIED), these bodies are often criticised for their lack of independence and effectiveness.

Critics argue that these commissions serve merely as symbolic gestures, intended to appease international concerns without addressing the underlying causes of the problem.

The legal framework surrounding forcible disappearances in Pakistan is inadequate. While the Constitution guarantees fundamental human rights, these rights are frequently violated in Balochistan.

The Pakistani state has yet to implement comprehensive reforms that would protect its citizens from enforced disappearances, and without such reforms, the cycle of abductions and violence is likely to persist.

For the situation to improve, there must be a stronger political will from the Pakistani government to engage in meaningful dialogue with Baloch nationalist groups and address their demands for greater autonomy and control over their natural resources.

Additionally, Pakistan needs to take concrete steps to hold accountable those responsible for enforced disappearances, whether they are members of the military, intelligence agencies, or other state actors. International pressure and support for human rights organisations will also be crucial in urging the Pakistani government toward reform.

Until these measures are implemented, Balochistan will remain a region characterised by widespread human rights violations, with its people living in constant fear of abduction, repression, and violence.

The Pakistan Army, often supported by intelligence agencies like the ISI, has been widely implicated in orchestrating these forced disappearances as part of its counterinsurgency operations against Baloch nationalist movements.

These actions, carried out under the pretext of national security, have resulted in thousands of Baloch citizens being abducted, tortured, and in many cases, permanently disappeared.

The ultimate solution lies in recognising the rights of the Baloch people, ending state-sanctioned abductions, and restoring political and social freedoms in the region. Holding the Pakistan Army and intelligence agencies accountable for their role in these violations is crucial to breaking this cycle of impunity.

Until then, Balochistan will continue to be a place of suffering, where the voices of the disappeared and their families go unheard, and their pursuit of justice remains elusive.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday spoke with Britains King Charles III, holding discussions on a number of subjects of mutual interest, besides exchanging greetings on the upcoming festive occasions of Christmas and the New Year.

It was a pleasure to speak with HM King Charles III today. Reaffirmed commitment to bolster India-UK ties. Exchanged views on issues of mutual interest, including the Commonwealth, climate action and sustainability. Wished him good health and wellbeing, PM Modi posted on X after the phone call.

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The Prime Ministers Office (PMO) revealed that the British monarch and PM Modi recalled the historic relations between the two countries and reaffirmed commitment to further strengthen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between India and the United Kingdom.

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They exchanged views on the Commonwealth of Nations and the recently concluded Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa. Discussions were also held on a number of subjects of mutual interest, including Climate Action and sustainability. Prime Minister expressed his appreciation for His Majestys sustained advocacy and initiatives on these issues and briefed him on the multiple initiatives undertaken by India Prime Minister conveyed his best wishes to the King for his good health and well being, read a statement issued by the PMO.

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Modi had conveyed his and people of Indias wishes for the speedy recovery and good health to King Charles.

In reply to a post on X by the Royal Family communicating the news of the King suffering a form of cancer, the Prime Minister on February 6 posted: I join the people of India in wishing speedy recovery and good health to His Majesty King Charles III.

The two dignitaries had also discussed the Covid-19 pandemic during their phone conversation in April 2020.

Prime Minister Modi had then conveyed his condolences for the loss of life in the UK from Covid and had expressed satisfaction that Prince Charles  he had not ascended the throne then  had recovered from his own recent indisposition.

Charles had expressed his appreciation for the members of the Indian diaspora in the UK, including many members of the National Health Service, who played a seminal role in combatting the pandemic. He also referred to the selfless work being done by religious and social organisations of the Indian community in the UK besides thanking the Prime Minister for the facilitation and assistance provided for UK citizens stranded in India during the crisis.

Both dignitaries had also discussed Ayurveda with PM Modi explaining Indian initiatives aimed at teaching basic yoga exercises through short animation videos, and disseminating easy home-made traditional remedies for enhancing immunity during the Covid pandemic.
South Korea and Japan will hold high-level economic talks this week to boost cooperation and prepare for the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties, countrys foreign ministry said on Thursday.

The 16th South Korea-Japan economic dialogue will take place in Tokyo on Friday, led by Kim Hee-sang, Deputy Foreign Minister for economic affairs and Takeshi Akahori, a senior deputy minister at Japans foreign ministry, the Seoul ministry said.

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The talks will review the current economic cooperation between South Korea and Japan, a Seoul foreign ministry official said.

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We hope that the two countries will continue to develop their relationship in a future-oriented manner, he said.

They plan to discuss international economic issues, ongoing bilateral cooperation and ways to expand the partnership on the occasion of next years 60th anniversary of the normalisation of the diplomatic ties, Yonhap news agency reported.

The upcoming dialogue also demonstrates South Koreas ongoing efforts to maintain its international credibility and strengthen economic cooperation with major countries despite recent domestic challenges, the official added.

Earlier on December 14, the South Koreas National Assembly voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his botched imposition of martial law. An impeachment motion against Yoon passed 204-85, with three abstentions and eight invalid ballots, with all 300 lawmakers casting their ballots.

Yoons People Power Party (PPP) decided shortly before the proceeding to take part in the vote but Opposed impeachment. The result showed 12 PPP lawmakers broke from their party line to vote in favour of impeachment.

A two-thirds majority was required to approve the motion, with the opposition bloc accounting for 192 of the 300 members of Parliament.

The motions passage came 11 days after Yoon declared martial law in an announcement that caught the nation by surprise and drew outrage, as troops encircled the National Assembly compound in an apparent attempt to stop lawmakers from repealing the decree.

The martial law order, which was lifted within six hours after the Assembly voted it down, has prompted investigations by the police, the prosecution and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials into whether Yoon staged an insurrection. He is currently banned from leaving the country.

The court has up to 180 days to decide whether to uphold or dismiss Yoons impeachment, a decision that will unseat or reinstate him, respectively.
KYODO NEWS - Dec 20, 2024 - 15:56 | All, Japan

The Japanese government said Friday that it has conducted an on-site inspection of the U.S. Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo over the possible leak of so-called PFAS chemicals that may have harmful effects on human health.

Officials from the defense, foreign and environment ministries, the Tokyo metropolitan government as well as local municipalities entered the base in the morning to inspect a firefighting training area where an extinguishing agent containing PFAS is believed to have been used, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry.

Acknowledging local concerns over the chemicals, Defense Minister Gen Nakatani told a press conference that the government will work to ensure that "environmental measures in and around U.S. military facilities in Japan will be effective."

Water sample testing of a reservoir on the firefighting training site is also being arranged under a Japan-U.S. agreement allowing local officials to enter U.S. military bases in Japan to conduct environmental surveys, according to Nakatani.

The U.S. military in Japan has already stopped using extinguishers that include PFAS, but past U.S. investigations detected levels in reservoirs far above Japan's nonbinding interim standards.

The inspection that took place on Friday was conducted at the request of nearby municipalities after the United States informed the Japanese government in October of the possible leakage of water containing PFAS from the firefighting training area following heavy rainfall in late August.

PFAS is a general term for a group of over 10,000 artificial chemicals that include PFOS, or perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, and PFOA, or perfluorooctanoic acid.

While used in a wide variety of products including foam extinguishers and frying pan coatings, PFAS are known as "forever chemicals" because they break down very slowly over time and can accumulate in people, animals, plants and the environment. Exposure to certain levels of PFAS may lead to increased risk of some cancers.

Related coverage:

PFAS chemicals detected in 20% of Japanese tap water in gov't survey

Japan gov't says health impact of PFAS chemicals "undeniable"
Job Title: Junior Human Resources Specialist -Country Office. Ref No.GIZ-CO/JHRS/1224066

Organisation: GIZ Uganda

Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda

About Organisation:

GIZ is a German agency in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development and international education work dedicated to shaping a future worth living around the world. Uganda faces various challenges in the 21st century to provide its people with a social, economic, and sustainable livelihood that meets international standards. Uganda receives support from various international development partners, including the Federal Republic of Germany.

Job Summary: GIZ is recruiting a Junior Human Resources Specialist to support implementation of the programmes.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

The Junior Human Resources Specialist will be responsible for;

Providing support in the recruitment, selection and contracting of national Staff.

Providing clerical and administrative support for the Human Resources functions, and for the development and maintenance of policies and procedures.

Supporting with day-to-day operations of the HR functions and duties including orientation of new staff, and staff activities.

Keeping staff records/data updated.

Specific Tasks

The Junior Human Resources Specialist performs the following tasks:

Staff recruitment and selection

Downloads applications, profile and proper storage in the protected electronic locations.

Manages the scheduling and logistics of all interviews including sending invites to shortlisted candidates, organising interview venue, and clarifies for candidates any issues related to the recruitment process.

Supporting in interviewing candidates as assigned.

Preparing staff contracts.

Receiving and responding to inquiries involving job applications, status, and processes.

Filing of all recruitment related documentation for each selection process.

Notifying unsuccessful applicants.

Supporting in the induction of new staff.

Human Resources Information Systems and HR support

Compiles and updates employee records/data in electronic versions and ensuring documents are complete, up to date and stored in an easy to access electronic system.

Creates electronic staff files for all new staff and ensure documents are complete and updated in a timely and accurate manner.

Maintain trackers that may be required to manage general human resources information

Updating the staff list for the emergency messaging system EMNS for all GIZ staff that have left GIZ and those joining GIZ.

Audit Support

Supporting Audits by providing all Human Resource required information as requested by the Auditors.

Contract Management

Preparation of new staff contracts, contract amendments, and Job descriptions.

Staff assessment forms verification and filing.

Other Duties/Additional Tasks

Perform other duties and tasks at the request of management.









Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

Bachelors degree in Human Resources Management, Business Administration, Law, or Social Sciences (preferably with a focus on HR Management) or comparable degree.

A Human Resources Certification is desirable.

Details of experience

3 years professional experience in a comparable role, from reputable organisations.

Knowledge, skills and competences

Good working knowledge of ITC technologies (related software, phone, fax, email, the internet) and computer applications (e.g., MS Office).

Good working knowledge of national labour and general law.

Knowledge of HR management.

Excellent command of English language.

Confidentiality in handling HR topics.

Good interpersonal and communication skills.

Excellent organizational and coordination skills

How to Apply:

Applications and CVs should be in one document and a maximum of 5 pages only and sent electronically, quoting the position and reference number.

Please include name and contact of three references. One official reference from your current workplace is a MUST.

Eligible candidates are encouraged to apply to the Head of Human Resources by email to [email protected]

Deadline: 5th January 2025 by 11:59pm

Please note: This is a national position. Only the shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Disclaimer: GIZ DOES NOT charge any kind of FEE(s) at whichever stage of the recruitment process.

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 2024-12-20T06:58 Valid Through 2025-01-06T00:00 Employment Type FULL_TIME Hiring Organization GIZ Uganda Job Location Kampala, Kampala, Kampala , 0256, Uganda

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Job Title: Manager, Voice Branch

Organisation: Stanbic Bank Uganda Limited

Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda

About the Company:

Stanbic Bank Uganda Limited is a subsidiary of Stanbic Africa Holdings Limited which is in turn owned by Standard Bank Group Limited (the Group), Africas leading banking and financial services group. The Standard Bank Group is the leading banking group focused on emerging markets. It is the largest African banking group ranked by assets and earnings. Stanbic Bank Uganda Limited is the largest bank in Uganda by assets and market capitalization. It offers a full range of banking services through two business units; Personal and Business Banking (PBB), and Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB).

Job Summary: To implement, enable, scale, entrench, engage and commercialise the consumer client value proposition/s and life journeys in the Voice Branch, country in collaboration with other Segments, Client Solutions, Engineering and country stakeholders through the client engagement platforms. To drive integrated ways of work with Client Coverage, Digital and eCommerce for the delivery of client sales and service needs.









Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

Type of Qualification: First Degree

Field of Study: Business Commerce/ Administration or related field

Type of Qualification: First Degree

Field of Study: Business

Experience Required

Digital & eCommerce, CHNW

Personal and Private Banking

5-7 years

Experience in managing product and solution delivery, delivering business value, managing teams and managing IT projects within multidisciplinary teams. Experience in effectively managing relationships across the value chain to deliver a programme of work. Experience in effectively managing front to back delivery teams i.e. business, specialised functions (SMEs) and IT delivery. Significant business and product background and technical / IT understanding.

Behavioural Competencies:

Articulating Information

Challenging Ideas

Convincing People

Embracing Change

Exploring Possibilities

Interacting with People

Managing Tasks

Providing Insights

Understanding People

Technical Competencies:

Banking Process & Procedures

Compliance

Customer Understanding ( Consumer Banking)

Data Management (Administration)

Planning, Forecasting and Budgeting

Risk Measurement

How to Apply:

All candidates who wish to join the one of Africas biggest Banking Groups, Standard Bank in the aforementioned capacity are encouraged to Apply Online by visiting Link below.

Click Here

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 2024-12-20T08:51 Valid Through 2024-12-27T00:00 Employment Type FULL_TIME Hiring Organization Stanbic Bank Uganda Job Location Kampala, Kampala, Kampala , 0256, Uganda

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Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with officials of the executive, legislative and judicial organs of the Macao Special Administrative Region in south China's Macao, Dec. 19, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

MACAO, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Thursday that the executive, legislative and judicial organs of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) have comprehensively, accurately and unwaveringly implemented the "one country, two systems" policy.

When meeting with officials of the three organs, Xi said they have performed their duties pragmatically and effectively over the past five years, headed by Macao SAR Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng.

The achievements of the current Macao SAR government are remarkable and widely recognized, Xi said, noting that the central government fully acknowledges and highly appreciates it.

Thanks to efforts of successive terms of the SAR government in uniting all sectors of society to continue striving forward, Macao has achieved leapfrog development and the practice of "one country, two systems" in Macao has been a great success, he said.

Xi also expressed the hope that the officials will fully support the incoming chief executive and the new SAR government, continue to contribute to the development of Macao, and make efforts to build a better Macao.

On Thursday afternoon, Xi also met with representatives of the Macao SAR's disciplined services.

Cai Qi and other senior officials attended the meetings. Ho and incoming Macao SAR Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai also participated in the activities. 
The early 1500s marked the zenith of the Italian Renaissance, a time of unprecedented creativity, ambition, and political upheaval. Florencelong the cradle of art and humanist thoughtstood at the centre of this transformative age. At the heart of the Florentine resurgence were three titans of art: Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo Buonarroti, and Raphael Sanzio. Their rivalry, fuelled by genius and ambition, transcended personal competition and became emblematic of an era that married art to power. Surrounding them were larger-than-life patrons: Pope Julius II, the fiery Warrior Pope, and two Medici Popes, Leo X and Clement VII, whose influence would forever alter the course of Renaissance art.

Florence reborn: Politics, art and Machiavelli

The city of Florence had emerged from a tumultuous decade. The fiery Dominican preacher Girolamo Savonarola, who had denounced art as sinful and sought to impose a puritanical regime, was burned at the stake in 1498. In his wake, Florence reclaimed its status as a republican stronghold and cultural capital.

Art became a tool of political propaganda, projecting ideals of civic pride, strength, and divine favour. Niccolo Machiavelli, a key figure in the Florentine government, saw art as a means of reinforcing the republics image. Appearances, Machiavelli argued, often outweigh reality. In this charged environment, artists were both celebrated and burdened with expectation. Commissions promised prestige and wealth but came with political strings attached.

Michelangelo and the Unfinished Giant

Into this arena entered Michelangelo Buonarroti, a tempestuous genius known for his brooding temperament and relentless work ethic. In 1501, Michelangelo accepted a challenge that others had deemed impossible: carving a colossal statue of David from a flawed, abandoned block of Carrara marble. To Michelangelo, the marble was a prison from which he would liberate the figure inside.

Over three gruelling years, Michelangelo created a masterpiece that symbolised Florentine resilience and defiance. David, unveiled in 1504, stood over 17 feet tall, a naked colossus with a determined gaze, ready to confront any foe. While the Florentine committeeincluding Leonardodebated its placement, Michelangelos triumph was undeniable. The statue, though controversial for its nudity, became a powerful emblem of Florences republican ideals.

Yet Michelangelos victory deepened his rivalry with Leonardo, who dismissed David as crude and lacked Michelangelos obsession with physical perfection. Michelangelo, in turn, mocked Leonardo for starting works he never finished.

Leonardo: Genius, but incomplete

While Michelangelo focused on sculpture, Leonardo da Vincithen in his fiftiesembodied the Renaissance ideal of the polymath. Painter, inventor, anatomist, and engineer, Leonardos interests were boundless, but his perfectionism often left projects unfinished.

By 1503, Leonardo was at work on two masterpieces: The Last Supper, painted in Milan, and the Mona Lisa, whose enigmatic smile became a symbol of his genius. The Last Supper, depicting Christs betrayal, revealed Leonardos gift for emotional realism and composition, but his experimental technique caused the painting to deteriorate almost immediately. The Mona Lisa, meanwhile, showcased his pioneering sfumato technique, blending light and shadow to create lifelike subtlety.

Though celebrated, Leonardos inability to focus enraged rivals like Michelangelo, who accused him of squandering his talents. By 1508, with Florences politics fractious and opportunities dwindling, Leonardo accepted the patronage of King Louis XII and relocated to France.

Raphael: The golden boy

As Leonardo and Michelangelo battled their demons, Raphael Sanzio, a young painter from Urbino, quietly rose to prominence. Raphael possessed not only immense talent but also charm and diplomacyqualities that endeared him to patrons and rulers.

Arriving in Florence, Raphael studied the techniques of Michelangelo and Leonardo. He borrowed Michelangelos anatomical precision and Leonardos mastery of light, synthesising their strengths into a style that was both graceful and harmonious. Unlike his older rivals, Raphael was untroubled by perfectionism or temperamental outbursts; he completed commissions with efficiency and ease.

His talent caught the eye of Pope Julius II, who summoned Raphael to Rome in 1508. Raphaels frescoes for the Vaticans Stanzeparticularly The School of Athenscemented his reputation as the Prince of Painters. The work, celebrating classical learning and philosophy, featured idealised portraits of Aristotle, Plato, and other great thinkers, with Julius depicted as St Peters successor and directly connected to Jesus.

Michelangelo, labouring nearby on the Sistine Chapel ceiling, seethed with resentment. He accused Raphael of plagiarism and dismissed him as a mere imitator. Yet Raphaels popularity grew, and he became the favoured artist of Romes elite.

Julius II and the Sistine Ceiling

Pope Julius II, known as the Warrior Pope for his military campaigns, was a paradoxical figure. While he waged wars to expand papal power, he also became a tireless patron of the arts. In 1508, Julius commissioned Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapela task Michelangelo initially refused. Known primarily as a sculptor, Michelangelo resented the project, suspecting it was a plot by rivals to undermine him.

Under immense pressure, Michelangelo spent four years painting the Sistine ceiling, lying on scaffolding for hours on end. The result was a triumph: scenes from Genesis, including The Creation of Adam, showcased Michelangelos mastery of the human form and his vision of divine grandeur.

While Michelangelos frescoes dazzled Rome, tensions simmered. Raphael, painting the Vatican rooms, peered at Michelangelos work with admiration and envy, absorbing elements of his style into his own art.

The Medici Popes: Leo X and Clement VII

After Julius IIs death, the Medici family reclaimed papal power. Leo X, born Giovanni de Medici, became pope in 1513. A man of immense wealth and appetite, Leo X epitomised the extravagance of the Renaissance papacy. Under his patronage, Raphael flourished, receiving prestigious commissions such as the tapestries for the Sistine Chapel.

Michelangelo, however, found Leo X a frustrating patron. The pope ordered him to abandon sculpture in favour of designing the Medici family tombs in Florence. Michelangelos disillusionment grew, as he longed to return to the purity of stone carving.

Leo Xs successor, Clement VII (another Medici), faced a far more troubled papacy. By the 1520s, the Protestant Reformation was sweeping Europe, challenging the Churchs authority. In 1527, Rome was sacked by Habsburg troops, an event Michelangelo witnessed with horror.

Clement VII turned to Michelangelo once more, commissioning The Last Judgment for the Sistine Chapels altar wall. The work, completed in 1541, reflected Michelangelos profound sense of human frailty and divine judgment. Gone were the idealised forms of his earlier works; instead, The Last Judgment depicted tormented souls, apocalyptic chaos, and raw emotional powera reflection of the Churchs turmoil.

Leonardos final years in France

As Michelangelo wrestled with his demons in Rome, Leonardo spent his final years in France under the patronage of King Francis I. Living at the Chateau du Clos Luce, Leonardo enjoyed a quieter existence, admired more as a philosopher than as a painter. He brought the Mona Lisa with him to France, where it would remain after his death in 1519.

Though his output waned, Leonardos notebooksfilled with inventions, anatomical sketches, and philosophical musingsrevealed a mind that never stopped questioning. His final reflections hinted at regret: I have offended God and mankind because my work did not reach the quality it should have.

Raphaels death and Michelangelos loneliness

Raphaels death in 1520 at the age of 37 shocked Rome. Rumors swirled that he had succumbed to a fever brought on by excessive lovemaking. Raphaels funeral was a state affair, attended by Romes elite. Michelangelo, however, viewed Raphaels death with a mix of bitterness and sorrow, resenting his rivals fame but recognising the loss of a formidable talent.

By the 1540s, Michelangelo stood alone as the last of the Renaissance giants. Leonardo was dead, Raphael was gone, and Michelangelo, now in his seventies, continued to work with relentless energy.

A legacy of rivalry and genius

The rivalry between Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael pushed Renaissance art to unparalleled heights. Their masterpiecesLeonardos Mona Lisa, Michelangelos David and Sistine Chapel, Raphaels School of Athensremain eternal symbols of human achievement.

The Medici Popes, Julius II, and the turbulent politics of the 16th century provided both the fuel and the fire for this golden age. Florence and Rome, shaped by ambition, rivalry, and artistic genius, became the twin epicenters of the Renaissance.

When Michelangelo died in 1564 at the age of 88, the High Renaissance came to an end. Yet the works of these three titansborn of competition, conflict, and divine inspirationcontinue to remind us of the boundless potential of human creativity.
Sake, the smooth rice wine which is more Japanese than sushi, has been put on UNESCO's list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity. This list names products and practices of different cultures that are deserving of recognition, as against UNESCO's World Heritage List, which includes historical and centuries-old sites such as the Taj Mahal in India, the Pyramids of Egypt, and more.

At a meeting in Luque, Paraguay, members of UNESCOs committee for safeguarding humanitys cultural heritage voted to recognise 45 cultural practices and products around the world, including Brazilian white cheese, Caribbean cassava bread and Palestinian olive oil soap.

Sake is considered a divine gift and is essential for social and cultural events in Japan, Takehiro Kano, the Japanese ambassador reportedly said to UNESCO, as the Japanese delegation welcomed the announcement in Luque.

I once had the opportunity to taste this celebrity-favourite wine, brewed in centuries-old mountaintop warehouses, savoured slowly and at leisure. It was poured into my champagne glass and served slightly chilled, as we raised a special toast to celebrate the 20th year of Wasabi, the famous Japanese restaurant by Chef Masaharu Morimoto at the Taj Mahal palace and Towers in Mumbai.

Beforehand, Wasabi's seniormost server inquired if I'd like my sake warm or slightly chilled. Helping me to choose, he said chilled sake will help you enjoy the meal and digest it better and since we had just begun a seven-course spread, he said I could start off with the chilled one and then move on to the warm sake towards the end.

Going along with his suggestion I must admit it was very sound advice.

Morimoto - the founding chef of Wasabi, best known for introducing Japanese cuisine to India via India's iconic Taj hotels, in Mumbai and New Delhi - was in the city to lay out a specially crafted Omakase menu as a way to mark the celebration. Omakase, in Japanese, translates roughly to 'I am leaving it up to the chef. We were seated on the round table for a longish eight-course Omakase on a languorous Saturday afternoon and it was then that we learnt that sake was the most recent entrant to Morimoto's line of cookbooks, knives, grapeseed oils and beer.

A divine gift

Made from polished rice, sake, the fermented rice beverage that is the foundation of drinking culture in Japan, where it is called nihonshu, beautifully accompanies the food. It was sharp and mellow in equal measure, making it a fine starter sake and excellent to serve chilled with seafood.

Later, by the time we were expecting our last course, I switched to the warm sake, which again soothed and calmed the mind and the body.

The Japanese have been drinking it since around the eighth century, originally believing that it warded off evil spirits. The basic ingredients of sake remain a handful - rice, water, yeast and koji, a rice mould, which breaks down the starches into fermentable sugars.

The process of steaming, stirring, fermenting and pressing goes over to close to 60 days; yet, only some manage to get the taste just right. The only ingredient that can make or break the deal here is the innately Japanese variety of rice used in the preparation process of the alcoholic brew.

Alongside the drink, the sushi was the highlight of the lunch and we were served a whopping five different varieties of it all in one platter. What's more?

Morimoto himself took the blow torch to freshly grill the tuna before it arrived on our plate. He did the same for all guests. Immaculately dressed in a white shirt, black trousers and a long flowing jacket, with his hair neatly tied back, the chef asked, after about 30 minutes into the main course, "Did you enjoy the sake? It is one of my country's pride and I hope it is enjoyed in every part of the world." Indeed, hopefully, now it will be.
Between a strong Russian offensive, and the re-election of Donald Trump as American President, the war in Ukraine hangs in the balance. Russian President Vladimir Putin has described 2024 as a "landmark year" for Russia's ambitions in Ukraine, claiming significant territorial gains and a strategic initiative. From the start, Russia has been focusing on key infrastructure and strategic locations in Ukraine. On December 13, Russia conducted one of the heaviest bombardments of the Ukraine energy sector since the war began three years ago. Russian forces are reportedly just three kilometres from the key city of Pokrovsk in the east.

Ukraine has responded by stepping up assassinations. Audaciously and precisely, Russian Lt Gen Igor Kirillov, accused of committing war crimes by authorising the use of chemical weapons, was assassinated on December 17 as a scooter loaded with explosives was remotely detonated, in Moscow just miles from Kremlin.

The Ukraine war clearly demonstrates how a conflict in Europe in the present day is not limited to the European theatre and the ramifications on global security are becoming much more evident. The Russia-Ukraine war has become increasingly global in its implications.

ALSO READ: A look at Russia's nuclear stockpile, capabilities

One of the most significant developments has arguably been the revival of Russias partnership with North Korea, its former Cold War ally. That relationship has intensified in recent months, from provision of millions of rounds of artillery and missiles to one formalised by a comprehensive partnership treaty, to one that now involves the direct deployment of North Korean troops in the warfront. This raises a host of questions of international significance including both for the Korean peninsula and for Europe, at a time of major global change. There is the question about the role of China, North Koreas longtime economic lifeline and Russias strategic partner, providing Moscow with critical components and dual-use technology for military purposes. The other is how South Korea, which is going through its own political crisis might respond to the Russia-North Korea partnership.

Although India has maintained a position of strategic neutrality in the Russia-Ukraine war, the US state and treasury departments have sanctioned 19 Indian firms and two Indian nationals for what it terms enabling Russias prosecution of its illegal war. India has consistently abstained from UN resolutions criticising Moscow.

There is apprehension in Europe about whether vital US military support for Kyiv will continue now that Donald Trump returns as President. Answering questions during a press conference on December 16, at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, President-elect Donald Trump said Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky should be prepared to make a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to bring an end to the nearly three-year-old Ukraine war; "Gotta make a deal."

A week prior to this, in the backdrop of the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, Trump met with Zelensky, in a three-way closed-door meeting hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron. Reports suggested that Zelensky indicated some flexibility to accepting a ceasefire with Russia if his country can obtain NATO membership.

The incoming Trump administration appears inclined towards bringing a swift end to the Russia-Ukraine war. Trump appointee envoy for Ukraine, Retired Lieutenant-General Keith Kellogg is scheduled to travel to Kyiv and several other European capitals in early January.

Nevertheless, uncertainty surrounds how the war might unfold. While Russias preeminent goal is longstanding establishment of its preeminent role in the East European security sphere, the Western policy, dominated by the approach of the US appears to have neither strategy not an end goal.

What the three year war has done is: offer an alternative globalisation strategy in the face of extensive sanctions and diplomatic efforts to isolate Russia. The Global South has taken a more nuanced stance, which is a valuable symbol of its readiness to rally against the West, and this has been particularly relevant to sanctions evasion. The loss of naval base Tartus, along with its air base in Latakia, amidst Bashar Assads regime collapse, is being projected as a blow for Russias image as a key player on the global stage. But Damascuss future leadership might yet be willing to allow a long-term Russian military presence, in exchange for economic incentives, such as discounted refined fuel products. For Russia the deep militarisation of the economy has been manageable thus far and the lines are moving steadily westward in Ukraine, as NATOs concerted effort begins to look like a failure.

Vaishali Basu Sharma is a security and economic affairs analyst.






Filmmaker Hansal Mehta has made it crystal clear that he is not a fan of the Film Federation of India (FFI). Mehta has time and time again, disagreed with the federations decision of selecting Kiran Raos Laapataa Ladies over Payla Kapadias Cannes Grand Prix winner All We Imagine as Light as Indias submission to the Oscars. Now, in a recent bout, Mehta has asked FFI jury head Jahnu Barua for some clarity regarding the decision.

In a recent interview with the Hindustan Times, when Barua was asked why the Malayalam-Hindi film was dismissed in the selection process, he replied, The jury felt that her film was very poor technically.

ALSO READ | All We Imagine As Light was very poor technically: FFI responds amid Laapataa Ladies failure to be shortlisted for the Oscars

Mehta took to X (formerly Twitter), and reacted to the statement, demanding that Barua must explain what he meant by poor technically.

When another netizen tweeted that he was disappointed that a celebrated filmmaker like Barua would make such a comment, Mehta replied that he reciprocated the feelings, and revealed that he, too, was asked to be a part of the jury. I was asked to be on this jury several times including this time. But Id rather stay away than have to pretend that all these choices are free of external pressures and only based on merit, he wrote.

ALSO READ | Kiran Raos Laapataa Ladies out of Oscars 2025 race; internet reacts

On December 17, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) published the shortlisted film still in the run for a nomination in 10 categories, in which Kiran Rao directorial Laapataa Ladies , retitled Lost Ladies for the international audience, was noticeably absent.

Many, including Mehta, took to social media to express their disappointment and targeted the FFI for failing to choose a better film, many suggesting All We Imagine as Light.
Even as Kiran Rao's Laapataa Ladies missed the Oscars shortlist for the International Feature Film Category, the Guneet Monga-produced short film, 'Anuja,' has given us hope as it has now advanced to the next round after competing with 180 films.

However, the internet was divided on the subject with many well-known filmmakers criticising the process by which films are chosen to be presented at an international level. For instance, filmmaker Hansal Mehta and composer Ricky Kej called out the Film Federation of India after Laapata Ladies which was India's official entry for Oscars 2025, failed to make the cut.

Mehta sarcastically flagged FFI's dismal strike rate and selection of movies year after year.

Likewise, if one were to skim through various research papers and publications penned by the academia on 'India's film selections for the Oscars,' it wouldn't be hard to tell that they have been severely criticised.

For instance, Abhijit Ghosh from Lovely Professional University writes, "India makes around 2,000 movies per annum, which is almost half of the total movies made around the world. In spite of being the highest producer of films in the world, no Indian movie has yet won the much-coveted award."

His paper studies the selection procedure for the submission, its history, disappointments and the reasons for the failure of Indian cinema at the Oscars.

Gandhi, Slumdog Millionaire and Life of Pi in which Indians won Oscars, were actually perceived, produced and directed by non-Indians and most of us celebrated as if this was a kind of victory for the Indian Movie Industry, but actually none of these were completely Indian Movies.

Only five Indians have won Oscars so far, Bhanu Athaiya, Resul Pookutty, AR Rahman, Gulzar and Satyajit Ray.

Ray received an honorary award in 1991 and all others have worked in the movies made by foreign production houses and filmmakers," writes Ghosh.

"A shocking statistic is that out of 57 Indian films officially sent to the Oscars, 21 have been rejected due to plagiarism allegations (the story is copied or familiar to already existing stories which naturally brings down the score). This blame is nothing new. Todays filmmakers are master copycats and rarely create anything original. As a result, many of our entries are marked with plagiarism and many films get low scores due to this factor. Barfi, Eklavya, and Heena were some pictures which did not make the nominations because of possible plagiarism allegations," he adds.

Experts also cite the problem of "budgeting" as one of the reasons why good films fail to make the cut, right at the stage of nominations. For International Feature Film Nominations, the Oscars require a minimum of 15 shows across film festivals and if on average a single show costs $2000, then 15 turns into a whopping $30000.

Typically, many international films run as many as 100 shows across festivals but "good" Indian films lack this kind of budget.

For instance, the Marathi film Shwaas was Indias official entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars in 2004, however, it had to drop out of the race due to a lack of funds.

"Amitabh Bachchan donated Rs. 1 Lakh for the movie, while the Govt of Goa contributed 21 lakh and Govt of Maharashtra gave 15 lakh rupees. The movie ran 14 shows during the Pre-Oscar bid and narrowly made it out of the final five. Had the movie got 50 shows- it would have got a slot in the nominations and could have had the chance of winning," says Ghosh.

The Oscars or the Academy Awards, are the awards that are presented for the technical, creative and artistic merit in the movie industry annually. The elite awards are given across 24 categories involving the best film directors, producers, actors, technicians and others associated with the movie.

It's a matter of great honour to win the award or even get a nomination. Every year, the Film Federation of India selects one released movie of that year to represent India at the Oscars and submit it to the International Feature Film Award Committee in Los Angeles, the body that chooses the five nominations per category for the much-desired film award in the global cinema.

Meanwhile, actor Shahana Goswami's film Santosh has inched closer to being nominated for the International Feature Film category at the 97th Oscars. It is an international co-production of the UK, India, Germany and France and is the UK's official entry to the Oscars. Upon having been shortlisted, Santosh will compete with 14 other films to get an Oscar nomination.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Tuesday announced the shortlists in 10 Oscar categories for the 97th Academy Awards.

The announcement included movies that are in consideration for the following categories: documentary feature film, documentary short film, international feature film, makeup and hairstyling, music (original score), music (original song), animated short film, live-action short film, sound and visual effects. Emilia Perez, The Apprentice, Dune: Part Two, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Nosferatu, Wicked, Challengers, The Wild Robot, Gladiator II and Blitz were among the films that were shortlisted in several categories.
The Congress has reacted to the FIR filed against the Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi in connection with the scuffle in the Parliament, stating it was a badge of honour.

In a post on X, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal said the FIR against Rahul Gandhi was a diversionary tactic in response to his staunch protest against Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks on B R Ambedkar.

The FIR was registered at Parliament Street Police station under sections 117 (voluntary causing grievous hurt), 115 (voluntary causing hurt), 125 (act of endangering life or personal safety of others), 131 (use of criminal force), 351 (criminal intimidation), and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

The FIR against Sh. @RahulGandhi ji is nothing but a diversionary tactic in response to his staunch protest against the Home Minister.



A case against him for defending Babasahebs legacy is a badge of honour. And in any case, Rahul ji is already facing 26 FIRs due to the BJPs  K C Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) December 19, 2024

"A case against him for defending Babasaheb's legacy is a badge of honour. In any case, Rahul Gandhi is already facing 26 FIRs due to the BJP's political vendetta and this latest FIR will not stop him or the Congress from standing up against the casteist RSS-BJP regime," he said.

Venugopal also questioned why the Delhi Police had not acted on the FIRs filed by women MPs of INC against the BJP leaders who physically assaulted them.

The Congress MPs will also protest on Friday outside the Parliament House against Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks on B R Ambedkar.

However, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla banned demonstrations by MPs and political parties at any of the gates of Parliament on Thursday after political protests resulted in a scuffle.

"Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has issued strict instructions that no political party, Member of Parliament or groups of members will hold any dharna and demonstration at building gates of Parliament House," parliament sources said.

On Thursday, the protests by the BJP-led NDA and the Congress-led INDIA bloc parties on PArliament premises on the alleged insults to B R Ambedkar resulted in scuffles. Two MPs were injured and a woman MP claimed intimidation by the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.
The village volunteer system which was one of the hallmarks of YS Jagan Mohan Reddys government has been watered down by the new Andhra Pradesh government led by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

Soon after coming to power for the first time in 2019, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, fresh from his padayatra (walkathon) of over 3500 km and based on his meetings with lakhs of people, implemented an idea that would provide employment to rural youth and also help in last-mile delivery of government schemes. Around 2.5 lakh volunteers were appointed across the state with each volunteer entrusted with the responsibility of handling 40-50 houses and ensuring that households benefit from schemes and services offered by the government. The volunteers were paid around Rs 5000 per month.

The volunteer system proved to be very beneficial for the government during the pandemic as the volunteers along with medical workers took part in fever surveys and vaccination programmes. The model was promoted by the YSRCP government as a huge success. Other state governments also studied the volunteer system and showed interest in replicating it.

However, in the run-up to the assembly election held early this year, the Jana Sena party (JSP) and the TDP accused the volunteers of aligning themselves with the then YS Jagan government and also misusing the data. However, the TDP under Chandrababu Naidu did not completely disown them during the campaign and tried to woo the volunteers with a promise of a hike and also by improving their skills. After the elections, since the time TDP formed the government, the volunteers are groping in the dark as they stare at an uncertain future and job insecurities.

One such volunteer is Jyothi from Manjeru village in the Kakinada district in the Godavari region. She has worked as a village volunteer from 2019 to 2024. I got my last salary in May and since then my familys financial situation has changed. The Rs 5000 income was useful for petty expenses but since the salary has stopped, my family is completely dependent on agricultural income which we get once in 6 months.

She stressed the comfort factor that was attached to her previous job. I live in a rural village which has poor transport and connectivity. If we have to work then we have to travel a lot to reach the nearest town. Being a village volunteer was comfortable as the job required me to stay within the village and even the timings for flexible. Like many others, Jyothi wishes that the village volunteer system is continued.

Some of the volunteers have taken to the streets to protest demanding that the state take care of their employment needs. The protestors are being supported by the Communist Party of India (CPI).

CPIs Andhra Pradesh Secretary, K. Ramakrishna said, I have been requesting Chandrababu Naidu for only one thing to fulfil his pre-poll promises. It is not right to do injustice to them (volunteers) by using the excuse that there are no files or records about them. They work for a paltry sum of Rs 5,000 per month and are low-level workers. It is unfair to target them for political reasons. During the elections, Chandrababu Naidu told them that Rs 5,000 wouldnt be enough and promised to increase it to Rs 10,000 per month. Now that they are in power, they are not talking about it. You (TDP) can find former YSRCP leaders useful and welcome them into your party, yet you still see Jagan Mohan Reddy in these volunteers.

The TDP government has blamed the previous government for not issuing a fresh Government Order since 2023 related to the village volunteers because of which they are unable to legally utilise the services of the village volunteers.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday lodged a strong protest with Dhaka over the controversial remarks made by a key aide of Bangladesh's interim government Mahfuj Alam.

Alam wrote in his Facebook post that India should recognise the uprising that forced the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign.

Also read | Two countries share multi-faceted ties: Indian envoy Pranay Verma after meeting Bangladesh foreign secretary

#WATCH | Delhi: On threats issued by Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh against Indian Ambassador to the U.S, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal says, "...We take the threats very seriously and we raise it with the US government. In this case, also, we have raised pic.twitter.com/4LR4dHgN8m  ANI (@ANI) December 20, 2024

"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," said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.

Also read | ISKCON centre in Bangladesh burnt down, idols inside temples 'set ablaze'

"We would like to remind all concerned to be mindful of their public comments," he said.

"While India has repeatedly signalled interest in fostering relations with the people and the interim government of Bangladesh, such comments underline the need for responsibility in public articulation," Jaiswal added.

Also read | 'Inform Sheikh Hasina that we don't like her speeches from there': Bangladesh tells India

After a row erupted over the post, Alam had deleted it, reported PTI.

Hasina was forced to resign after massive protests erupted in Bangladesh over the reservations in government jobs. She fled from Dhaka in August as protesters rampaged her mansion.

Presently, Hasina is seeking refuge in India.

Since the formation of the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, the relations between India and Bangladesh have been strained.

Recently, India has raised concerns over the rising attacks targeting Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh. India urged the Bangladesh government to ensure the safety and security of the Hindus and minorities in the country.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visited Bangladesh a week ago and conveyed India's concerns and also urged the interim government to follow a "constructive approach".
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is lobbying for the restoration of statehood while carefully avoiding confrontation with the Centre.

Observers say he is combining this effort with a push for development funds to address pressing issues in the region.

On Thursday, Abdullah met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi, marking his second meeting with Shah since assuming office in October 2024.

During the meeting, Abdullah reiterated his demand for statehood, which remains his primary focus. He described the talks as constructive and expressed optimism about the ongoing discussions. Statehood was discussed, he said.

He also addressed the Transaction of Business Rules (TBR), which define the roles of the chief minister, council of ministers, and lieutenant governor. He clarified that framing these rules is the responsibility of the elected government of Jammu and Kashmir, not the Centre. The elected government will handle it and the Centre has no role in it, he said.

In his earlier meeting with Shah after the October elections, Abdullah had focused on governance challenges and the necessity of restoring statehood.

He has also sought development funds to address pressing issues in the region. His strategy balances collaboration with the Centre while maintaining his stance on statehood.

Observers describe Abdullahs approach as pragmatic, aimed at fostering a relationship with the Centre while keeping the focus on statehood. They believe that restoring statehood would allow the elected government greater autonomy to make decisions and fulfil promises made during the elections.

Abdullah has been quick to recognise the limitations of governing as a Union Territory and has sought to build a rapport with the Centre.

He understands that confrontation with the Centre over statehood restoration would not help his cause. Instead, he has been working to cultivate the support of the central leadership to govern Jammu and Kashmir effectively.

In a recent meeting with his party colleagues and MLAs, Abdullah advised them to avoid confrontation with the Centre and focus on governance. This advice followed complaints from MLAs that bureaucrats working under the lieutenant governor were not cooperating, preventing them from addressing issues in their constituencies. Abdullah urged patience, suggesting that statehood might be restored by March.
BJP MLA C.T. Ravi who was arrested for allegedly using a derogatory word against Women and Child Development Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar in the Legislative Council in Belagavi on Thursday was granted interim bail by the High Court in Bengaluru, on Friday evening.

The High Court also directed the immediate release from custody of the BJP legislator, who was charged under section 75 (sexual harassment) and Section 79 (outraging the modesty of a woman) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita.

Justice M.G. Uma, who heard Ravis bail plea and passed the order for his immediate release stating the petitioner was an MLC from the opposition party and his absconding or being unavailable to the investigating officer did not arise, after Ravis counsel Sandesh J Chouta argued that the punishment under the offence charged was up to seven years and hence the police had to issue a notice under BNS section 35 before arresting him. The accused was not given reasons for his arrest but taken into custody.

The court noted that even if allegations made against the petitioners are to be accepted, the police are needed to follow procedure as contemplated under BNSS and a memo should have been served highlighting the grounds for his arrest. But prima facie nothing has been placed before the court to satisfy the same was complied with.

The BJP leader was arrested by Hirebagewadi police but taken to Khanapur police station owing to security reasons as Congress supporters had made several attempts to attack Ravi both inside and outside the secretariat building. The following morning, Ravi, with a bandaged forehead was produced before the Judicial Magistrate of First Class in Belagavi, which transferred the case to the special court for peoples representative in Bengaluru.

Ravi, who was being brought by the police from Belagavi to Bengaluru, some 500 kilometers away, was released by the police midway, in Davangere soon after the high court granted him an interim bail, ordering his immediate release. The BJP party workers and leaders who were following Ravis car like a shadow turned jubilant on hearing the court verdict. The BJP leaders addressed a press meet in Davangere along with Ravi, and dubbed the Congress government as dictatorship.

Soon after his release Ravi claimed that the Siddaramaiah government was trying to kill him as he was taken around the Belagavi district all through the night after his dramatic arrest from Suvarna Soudha, where the state Legislature was in session.

The police gave me no notice before arresting me and took me around four districts and nearly 50 villages all through the night, in a bid to break my morale. But I am grateful that party leaders and party workers stood by me and gave me strength. I reiterate that the judgement has upheld the truth. Congress is using the police force against us."

State BJP president BY Vijayendra alleged Ravis arrest was a political conspiracy. If a legislator faces such a grave situation, cannot imagine the plight of a common man. The government has displayed its goonda behaviour. The party will decide its next course of action. The police who illegally arrested Ravi took him around in circles and every 30 minutes, senior officers were calling the police accompanying Ravi. The police have flouted all laws. The party leaders and cadres spent anxious moments as the police did not take Ravi to Bengaluru as informed earlier, said Vijayendra, adding that the High Court had cracked its whip against the state government and the police.

LOP R Ashok stated he had to wait for five hours at Khanapur police station for Ravi.

I hold a constitutional post. But the Belagavi Commissioner could not care less about any of it. He was taking instructions from his higher-ups. The Assembly and Parliament are places where the elected representatives are free to express their opinions. Why should Ravi apologise when he has done nothing wrong? The charges are yet to be proved. Around 50 people had entered the Suvarna Soudha and threatened that Ravi's body would be sent as a parcel to Chikmagalur (his hometown). How did these protestors enter Suvarna Soudha? Why did the police take an MLC to a deserted stone quarry in a forest? What did they intend to do? The police need to answer many questions, said Ashok adding the party condemned the highhandedness of the police and would stand with Ravi.

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar alleged Ravi was a habitual offender and asked if the BJP leaders endorsed his remarks against a woman.
BEIJING, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Central Rural Work Conference was held in Beijing from December 17 to 18. Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, the conference thoroughly implemented the guiding principles of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) as well as the second and third plenary sessions of the 20th CPC Central Committee. It also fully followed General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions and instructions on work related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers, and the guiding principles of the Central Economic Work Conference. At this conference, the current situation and challenges facing work related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers were analyzed, and arrangements were made for work in this regard for 2025.

The CPC Central Committee attached great importance to the conference, before which the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee held a meeting and put forward clear requirements for making the conference a success and advancing work related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers.

Xi, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivered important instructions on work related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers. Xi pointed out that in 2024, China's grain output has reached a new level, farmers' incomes have steadily increased, and rural areas have been harmonious and stable, providing a solid foundation for promoting high-quality economic and social development.

To do a good job on work related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers in 2025, we must follow the guidance of the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and fully implement the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress and the second and third plenary sessions of the 20th CPC Central Committee. We must also promote integrated urban-rural development, further deepen rural reform, improve the support system for strengthening agriculture, bringing benefits to farmers and increasing their incomes, and comprehensively promote rural revitalization. It is a must to never cross the red line when it comes to the protection of arable land, promote the development of high-standard farmland with high quality, strengthen support for agricultural science and technology and equipment, and ensure stable production and supply of grain and major agricultural products. It is imperative to actively develop rural industries for the benefits of villagers, raise overall agricultural returns, strengthen county economies, expand channels for farmers to increase their incomes, continue to consolidate and expand the achievements in poverty alleviation, and resolutely ensure that no large number of rural residents falling back into poverty. It is necessary to draw on the experience of the Green Rural Revival Program to steadily promote rural development, boost cultural development in rural areas, promote the transformation of outdated customs and habits, and build a beautiful and harmonious countryside for people to live and work in. It is necessary to strengthen the building of primary-level Party organizations in rural areas, and improve the effectiveness of guiding primary-level governance through Party building.

Xi stressed that Party committees and governments at all levels should give priority to the development of agriculture and rural areas, consolidate the political responsibility of secretaries of CPC committees at five levels in advancing rural revitalization, fully mobilize the enthusiasm of Party members and officials as well as farmers, work hard with persistent efforts and accelerate the modernization of agriculture and rural areas, so as to consolidate further the foundation of agriculture, make rural areas and villagers' life more prosperous, and move towards the goal of building the country's strength in agriculture.

Xi's important instructions were delivered and studied at the conference, and the Guidelines of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on Further Deepening Rural Reforms and Advancing All-Round Rural Revitalization (Draft) was discussed. Liu Guozhong, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Chinese vice premier, attended the conference and delivered a speech.

It was noted at the conference that in his important instructions, Xi fully affirmed the progress made in work related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers this year, put forward clear requirements for the work related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers in 2025, and provided scientific guidance to this work from a strategic viewpoint and with a focus on key areas, which hold great political, ideological, guiding and pertinent significance. Efforts must be dedicated to studying and implementing Xi's important expositions and instructions on work related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers. These directives must be resolutely carried out with a strong sense of political consciousness and translated into concrete actions with practical circumstances considered.

It was noted at the conference that focus should be given to studying and applying the experience gained from the Green Rural Revival Program and advancing comprehensive rural revitalization. Efforts should be concentrated on accomplishing some major practical matters to enhance the economic performance of agriculture, infuse new impetus to the development of rural areas and increase farmers' incomes. It is imperative to safeguard and ensure national food security through continuously improving the supply of key agricultural products such as grains, keeping the total grain acreage stable, increasing per unit yields of grain and oil crops on a large scale, enhancing the capacity to prevent and mitigate agricultural disasters, and ensuring stable and high grain production output. In addition, efforts must also be made to strengthen the protection of the country's farmland and improve its quality. This includes strictly offsetting cultivated land that has been put to other uses, establishing a monitoring network for the use of cultivated land, and guaranteeing regulation of the projects quality and capital security in the construction of high-standard farmland.

It is essential to coordinate all strengths in agricultural science and technology to make breakthroughs, speed up promoting the broad application of scientific and technological advances, and develop new quality productive forces in agriculture according to local conditions. It is imperative to refine the supportive policy system for grain production, and launch and implement the inter-provincial program under the coordination of the central government for major grain consumption areas to compensate major grain production areas. It is essential to optimize the coordination mechanism between trade and production of agricultural products, and ensure that the prices of key agricultural products including grain remain at a reasonable range. It is imperative to build a diversified food supply system, ensure stable development of the livestock industry, and improve the long-term mechanisms for the conservation of grain and other types of food. It is essential to unswervingly consolidate and expand the achievements in poverty alleviation, improve the efficiency of monitoring and assistance mechanisms to prevent people from slipping back to poverty, and coordinate efforts to establish the mechanism of preventing rural residents from lapsing or relapsing into poverty, and the system of multi-tiered and categorized support for low-income residents and underdeveloped areas. It is imperative to improve the quality and efficiency of rural industries, deliver good results in promoting local specialties, foster new industries and models, improve the mechanism for rural industries of all kinds to help villagers in different ways, and thus help increase their incomes.

It is essential to upgrade rural planning and development, keep up with the trends of demographic change, promote the integration of rural revitalization and new urbanization, coordinate urban and rural planning at the county level, extend endeavors for infrastructure construction to rural areas, improve basic public services there, continuously enhance rural living conditions, and strengthen rural ecological governance. Efforts must focus on refining rural governance systems, advancing Party building to drive rural revitalization, and tackling pointless formalities to alleviate burdens on primary level governments. It is imperative to implement the program to cultivate civilized rural customs, promote progress in rural culture and ethics in the new era and make efforts to change outdated social customs and habits. It is important to apply and further develop the "Fengqiao model" for promoting community-level governance in the new era, so as to identify and settle rural conflicts and disputes and maintain stability and harmony in rural areas. It is imperative to implement the task of comprehensively furthering rural reform, orderly advance the pilot program for villagers to contract their land for another 30 years after the second round of land contract expires. Effective models should be explored for villagers to make the best use of their idle rural housing through leasing, equity participation, or cooperative arrangements. Furthermore, investment and financing mechanisms for rural revitalization should be innovated to unleash the potential and dynamism of initiatives in this regard.

The need was emphasized at the conference to strengthen the Party's overall leadership over work related to agriculture, rural areas, and farmers. It is essential to take profound and effective measures to promote the study and application of experience gained from the Green Rural Revival Program and to improve the long-term mechanism for advancing comprehensive rural revitalization. It is crucial to uphold the Party's mass line in the new era, take into consideration the realities of rural areas, respect the will of farmers, and give full play to their principal role in rural development. It is also imperative to improve approaches and work style, and encourage local explorations, reforms, and innovations, so as to continuously create new prospects for comprehensive rural revitalization.

The first plenary meeting was chaired by Wu Zhenglong, state councilor and secretary-general of the State Council.

Those who attended the conference included members of the Central Rural Work Leading Group, leading officials from provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government, municipalities specifically designated in the state plan, and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, along with leading officials from central Party and State departments. Also present at the conference were leaders of relevant people's organizations, financial institutions and enterprises, and those from relevant departments of the Central Military Commission. 

Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, attends the annual central rural work conference and delivers a speech at the event in Beijing, capital of China. The annual central rural work conference was held in Beijing from Dec. 17 to 18. (Xinhua/Liu Bin)
The winter session of the Parliament ended on a bitter note with battle lines drawn between the BJP and the Opposition, particularly the Congress. The session, though coincided with the 75th-year celebrations of the adoption of the Constitution, will be remembered for the wrong reasons.

The Lok Sabha could only function for nearly 52 per cent of its scheduled time, while Rajya Sabha just 40 per cent. Only one bill, Bhartiya Vayuyaan Vidheyak, 2024, could be passed in the first six months of the NDA government.

According to the PRS Legislative Research, a legislative think tank, Question Hour could not be conducted in Rajya Sabha for 15 out of 19 days, while in Lok Sabha, Question Hour did not take place for more than 10 minutes on 12 out of 20 days as proceedings were disrupted owing to protests.

The only high point of this session was that the Constitution was discussed for 16 hours in Lok Sabha and 17 hours in Rajya Sabha to mark the 75 years of its adoption. However, what followed led to an increased schism between the treasury benches and the opposition.

ALSO READ: Parliament scuffle: Delhi Police file FIR against Rahul Gandhi

The Opposition's charge against Home Minister Amit Shah for allegedly disrespecting Dr B.R. Ambedkar during his speech and the BJPs charges that two of its MPs were injured after allegedly being pushed by Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, will reverberate on the streets and in political campaigns in the coming days.

In another first, a notice to move a motion for the removal of Vice President (Rajya Sabha Chairman) Jagdeep Dhankhar was submitted on December 10 by the Opposition as they accused the chair of partisan conduct. This notice was rejected by the Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha on procedural grounds. As many as 55 members of Rajya Sabha also filed a notice to initiate proceedings for the impeachment of an Allahabad High Court Judge for his views on Hindus and Muslims.

Reflecting on the proceedings of the Rajya Sabha, Dhankhar said, While our celebration of Samvidhan Divas in the historic Samvidhan Sadan was meant to reaffirm democratic values, our actions in this House tell a different story.

He claimed that persistent disruptions were steadily eroding public trust in India's democratic institutions. While we did pass the Oilfields Amendment Bill and Boilers Bill of 2024, and heard the statement by the minister of external affairs on India-China relations, these achievements are overshadowed by our failures.

The government introduced key bills related to holding simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. The bills were referred to a Joint Committee of Parliament for examination and wider consultations.

Meanwhile, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla warned members of action if any of them resorted to demonstrations and protests within the premises of Parliament.

The Parliament will again convene in January end for the budget session, which is again likely to carry the strain of the previous one.
The Delhi Police Crime Branch has taken over the investigation into the scuffle outside Parliament that occurred during protests by MPs from the BJP and Congress. Delhi Police on Thursday filed an FIR against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in connection with the scuffle.

Alleging physical assault and injuries during the protest, both parties have lodged complaints against each other.

Two BJP MPs suffered head injuries during the scuffle and they were later taken to hospital. Pratap Sarangi from Odisha and Mukesh Rajput from Uttar Pradesh were the MPs hospitalised on Thursday.

BJP leader Hemang Joshi filed a complaint against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of instigating the altercation.

The Delhi Police registered FIR under sections 117 (voluntary causing grievous hurt), 115 (voluntary causing hurt), 125 (act of endangering life or personal safety of others), 131 (use of criminal force), 351 (criminal intimidation), and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

"We have transferred the case from local police to the Crime Branch," a senior officer told PTI. He also added that the police will record the statements of Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput and may also call Gandhi for questioning.

Police also said that they will be accessing the CCTV visuals of the area where the incident occurred. "We are also taking legal opinion if the Congress leaders' complaint can be converted into the FIR," another police officer said, adding that a decision on this will be taken soon.

The Congress blamed the ruling party for the commotion and alleged that the members BJP pushed party president Mallikarjun Kharge, following which he sustained injuries to his knee.

Meanwhile, Sarangi claimed that Rahul Gandhi pushed him. "I was standing near the stairs when he came and pushed an MP who then fell on me," he told media.

However, Rahul said that he was standing near the entrance where the BJP MPs were protesting against the INDIA bloc MPs on the recent Amit Shah's Ambedkar remarks. "They were pushing and threatening me," he said.
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday expressed concern over the rising temple-mosque disputes and warned that no one can become "leaders of Hindus" by raking up such issues.

Bhagwat was delivering a lecture on 'India- The Vishwaguru' at Sahjeevan Vyakhyanmala (lecture series) in Pune when he spoke against the "mosque-temple" disputes. Though he did not specifically mention any incident, Bhagwant issued a word of warning, stating that Ram Temple was a matter of faith for all Hindus.

Mohan Bhagwat Ji:

"After Ram Mandir, some think they can become LEADERS OF HINDUS by raking up similar issues in new places. This is UNACCEPTABLE.



~ Every day, a new matter is being raked up. How can this be allowed? THIS CAN'T CONTINUE."



Follow for All News Updates pic.twitter.com/mTIPoENBLi  The Analyzer (News Updates) (@Indian_Analyzer) December 20, 2024 STORY | India gets advice on minorities; we now see what happens in other countries: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat



READ: https://t.co/aO3LurD4Ok



VIDEO:



(Full video available on PTI videos - https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/6GWPAMhQ0s  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 20, 2024

"We have been living in harmony for a long time. If we want to provide this harmony to the world, we need to create a model of it. After the construction of the Ram Mandir, some people think they could become leaders of Hindus by raking up similar issues in new places. This is not acceptable," he said. "The Ram Temple was constructed since it was a matter of faith for all Hindus."

The RSS chief said some people wanted the old rule to return but the country runs as per the Constitution now.

"People choose their representatives, who run the government. The days of hegemony are gone," he said, referring to how Mughal emperor Aurangzeb was characterised by such staunchness, though his descendant Bahadur Shah Zafar in 1857 banned cow slaughter. "It was decided that Ram Mandir in Ayodhya should be given to Hindus but the British sensed it and created a rift between the two communities. Since then, this sense of 'algavwad' (separatism) came into being. As a result, Pakistan came into existence," he said.

He added that there was no majority or minority in the country. "There is no majority or minority here; we all are one. Everyone is equal here. The tradition of this nation is all can follow their own forms of worship. The only requirement is to live in harmony and abide by rules and laws," the RSS chief asserted.

On India's bid to become 'Vishwaguru', Bhagwat said it should be achieved not through material happiness, but through moral principles.

He said the ancient, eternal Hindu nation of India originated from religious principles and truth. "This country has a benevolent attitude, which is evident from the examples of Sri Lanka, Maldives and Libya. The tradition of the country is eternal. We are not the ones who say that ours is the truth. Also, we have faith in everyone. However, if someone tries to convert us by attacking and insulting our gods, it will not work," he said.

The Sangh will implement programmes based on the five transformational principles of social harmony, environment, family enlightenment, awareness of 'self' and civic duty, Bhagwat said.
Two months after his release on bail, the Tamil Nadu Electricity, Excise and Prohibition Minister V Senthil Balaji seems to be in trouble again. The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to the Tamil Nadu government in a plea seeking to recall the bail granted to Senthil Balaji in a money laundering case linked to the cash for jobs scam.

Hearing a petition seeking the court to recall the bail granted to the minister, a bench of Justices Abhay S. Oka and Augustine George Masih urged the Government of Tamil Nadu to give details about the cases pending against the minister and also the number of witnesses against him. The court also directed the Tamil Nadu government to distinguish witnesses as to the public servants and other victims who are required to be examined during the trial in the money laundering case against Balaji.

We direct the added respondent to place on record the details about the criminal cases pending against Senthil Balaji. The state will also place on record the number of witnesses which are required to be examined in the cases. They will also state how many victims of the offences are witnesses and how many of the public servants who are witnesses, the Supreme Court bench ruled. The case has now been posted for next hearing on January 15, 2025.

The Enforcement Directorate which has registered the case under PMLA against Senthil Balaji argued in the court saying that Balaji was released on bail only because he was not a minister and that he would not use his powers to influence the witnesses. Reappointment of Senthil Balaji has cabinet Minister after his release has created undue pressure on witnesses. He had significant powers as minister without portfolio even when in jail, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta argued in the court while appearing for the ED.

Balaji was arrested on June 14, 2023 by the ED after a day-long search at his residence in a PMLA case linked to the cash-for-jobs scam. He was granted bail after 471 days by the Supreme Court on September 26, as he had quit his ministerial position and that there was no possibility of completion of trial soon.

Following his release he was appointed as a cabinet minister in Tamil Nadu. The ED and the victims in the case immediately approached the Supreme Court seeking to cancel his bail plea. Hearing the petition the Supreme Court on December 2, expressed surprise at Balajis appointment as minister.
After Defence Minister Yisrael Katz's stern direction, senior officers submitted the initial findings of the internal probe conducted into the functioning of the top IDF officials on the night of October 6-7 last year. The report has been submitted to IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Herzi Halevi.

The Hamas militants invaded Israel and took many people hostage on October 7. The October 7 Hamas attack has been seen as a huge security lapse on the part of the IDF.

Each senior official will present their findings to Halevi, and the details will be cross-referenced to reach conclusions.

The investigation is likely to take a few weeks and is unlikely to be presented to the public anytime soon.

Earlier Katz had given the ultimatum that the October 7 disaster probes must be finished by the end of January 2025. The defence minister will decide when to present the report to the wider public after reviewing it.

Reportedly, Katz has threatened Halevi that he would freeze all potential high-command appointments until he receives the probe results.

Recently multiple mid-level appointments were blocked by Katz saying that the officers in question could not be promoted until their role in the October 7 attack is known.

Will Halevi resign when the October 7 probes are published?

Halevi has said repeatedly that he is likely to resign around when the October 7 probes are published.

Earlier, Halevi had set a date for finishing the probes in February.

Publishing the October 7 probes could also give Netanyahu another major reason to attack the IDF in the public sphere.

Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee Chairman Yuli Edelstein also supported Katz in publicising the probes.
Two months after Pakistan successfully test-launched its Shaheen-II surface-to-surface ballistic missile, a senior US Biden administration official on Thursday raised concerns about the country's ballistic missile programme as "an emerging threat to the United States".

During a speech at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, deputy national security adviser Jon Finer raised the concerning issue while questioning the "real aim" of the ballistic missiles. "It's hard for us to see Pakistan's actions as anything other than an emerging threat to the United States," Finer said.

He said if Pakistan continued to develop increasingly sophisticated missile technology which ranged from long-range ballistic missile systems to equipment that would enable the testing of significantly larger rocket motors, it would acquire the "capability to strike targets well beyond South Asia, including in the United States."

The United States Deputy National Security Advisor, John Finer says that #Pakistan is developing, increasingly sophisticated and significantly larger ballistic missiles that could target the United States, including Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs). pic.twitter.com/sXqtZBRLqJ  Geo Political Updates (@GeoPolUpdates) December 20, 2024

Finer's statement comes a day after the US sanctioned Pakistan's National Development Complex (NDC), the state-run defence agency that oversees the programme, and three Karachi-based companies  Akhtar and Sons Private Limited, Affiliates International, and Rockside Enterprise - under "proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery."

Pakistan test-fired the Shaheen-II, a medium-range missile that can strike up to 1,500 kilometres which is far enough to cover significant portions of South Asia. It is powered by a solid fuel engine and boasts enhanced accuracy and survivability against hostile threats. It developed Shaheen-III in 2021. The latter can reach targets of more than 2,750 kilometres.

The US sanctioned (again) Pakistan due to its legitimate development of ballistic missiles, including the SHAHEEN-series (nuclear-capable) ballistic missiles. https://t.co/dMKPnsItOz pic.twitter.com/7eq4TIhHpQ  MenchOsint (@MenchOsint) December 18, 2024

Islamabad reacted to the sanctions calling it "discriminatory" and aimed at exacerbating the regional power imbalance. It stated that its strategic program was defensive in nature.

While the US concerns over Pakistan's missile programme could also be over Islamabad's close collaboration with Beijing - the solid propellant missile has been reverse-engineered from the Chinese M-9, M-11 and M-18 missiles - the nuclear issue will continue to be an irritant in the US-Pakistan relationship. Regional experts believe US wariness about Pakistan's missile programme began during President Obama's second tenure onwards.

Also read: Pakistan flight tests high-precision 'SMASH' SBLM missile. Should India be worried?

While it is more of a policy concern for the US, analysts say Pakistan's nuclear and missile program is aimed at neighbouring India. Even Pakistan's media cite "insiders" who claim that the missile programme is primarily focused on threats from its eastern border (India).

But, Pakistan has put the blame for the sanctions on India, stating it was carried out due to pressure from New Delhi. Karachi-based newspaper Dawn cited unnamed diplomatic sources in Washington that said "the deputy national security advisers contention may have been an attempt to ramp up pressure on Pakistan, presumably at New Delhis behest."

Islamabad also accuses the US of turning a blind eye to India's arsenal of long-range ballistic missiles while targeting Pakistans strategic capabilities.

The diplomatic sources also told Dawn that Islamabad was concerned by the growing US defence partnership with India, stating that the US has facilitated the transfer of high-end defence technologies to India, including advanced missile systems.

The US and India have also collaborated on missile development, including the co-production of systems under the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) and the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET).
Simba, let me tell you something that my father told me.... The great kings of the past look down on us from those stars.... So, whenever you feel alone, just remember that those kings will always be up there to guide you. And so will I, said Mufasa to his son in The Lion King, both 2019 and 1994. Now, in 2024, we are told, again and again, that Mufasa was not a royal lion. So, was his lowly lion father just randomly telling Mufasa about the great kings of the past? Or was the magnificent ruler of Pride Lands lying to Simba? Forget that. Was Mufasa, one of our favourite Disney dads, lying to us, trying to make it seem as if he came from a long line of monarchs?



The most likely explanation is that someone at Disneya singularly intelligent someone, no doubtfelt icky about that 'undemocratic' premise and changed it to an egalitarian and inspiring tale of an orphaned, non-royal cub's rise to be the elected-by-acclamation lion king; the lore be damned. (Disney, please stop trying to be 'woke'. Just make mistakes, get criticised and actually learn.)



So, here we are, with the story of the common-born orphan with a name that literally means king and his newfound friend and adoptive brother, Taka. The duo meet when a flood displaces Mufasa from his family, a prideless lion couple. There is no sign of a younger brother called Scar. That is because Taka, the royal heir of the unspecified place he is from, becomes Scar by the time the two lions make it to the Pride Lands at the end of the movie. I am sorry! Is that a spoiler? It is shown as a big reveal. But it is telegraphed so early and is apparent even from promotional clips that to even treat it as a reveal was utterly comical. Still, a little girl sitting behind me made a noise at that pointit is not clear whether she was surprised by the 'plot twist' or just wanted to go home.



Indeed, the urge to just get up and leave is likely to be strong as you try to sit through Mufasa: The Lion King. But, if you decide to soldier on, ignore the cumbersome plot and immerse yourself in the stunning visuals. There is a tremendous improvement from the 2019 effort. The photoreal animation animals can actually 'act', so much so that it is not too far-fetched to argue that these lions emote better than some big-ticket stars.



The high points of the movie are undoubtedly the direction by Barry Jenkins, who helmed the Oscar-winning Moonlight (2016), and the cutting-edge techniques used to make the talking animals look realistic. The performances pass muster. Aaron Pierre's voice as Mufasa does enough to convince us that this could be a younger version of the iconic voice of the late James Earl Jones. Similarly, Kelvin Harrison Jr's Taka hits upon certain notes that could be Scar. Mads Mikkelsen as the big baddie is menacing.



Sadly, one of the major problems in the narration is the attempts at humour via Timon (Billy Eichner) and Pumbaa (Seth Rogen). Their jokes are more irritating than funny. It feels like this movie would have been better if the two iconic characters had been cut out entirely. They were redundant, especially when there is more natural humour in other bits, like one of the scenes with Taka and Sarabi (Tiffany Boone).



Overall, Mufasa... is a thoroughly uninspired effort by Disney to cash in on a beloved character. The positive from it is the animation and filmmaking techniques used that could benefit future movies that opt for photoreal animation. But, the possibility of a brighter tomorrow is not enough to tide over the disappointment of Mufasa: The Lion King. A potential remedy is to go and watch Mufasa in all his regal glory on Disney+ Hotstar. That is just it though, Disney has got us all in its vicious 'Circle of Cash'.



Mufasa: The Lion King

Director: Barry Jenkins

Cast: Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr, Tiffany Boone, Mads Mikkelsen

Rating: 2/5
Mumbai, Dec 20 (PTI) Shreyas Talpade says "Emergency" by actor-filmmaker Kangana Ranaut is a fantastic film and he is happy that the movie has been cleared for release by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

The political drama, written, directed, and co-produced by Ranaut, was earlier scheduled to be released on September 6 but missed the date as it failed to get a clearance from the CBFC.

It was also caught up in controversy after Sikh organisations, including the Shiromani Akali Dal, accused the film of misrepresenting the community and getting facts wrong.

Im very happy for Emergency that finally we got clearance because its a good film being made on a good subject. Kangana has made the film with a lot of hard work and passion and the film should come out," Talpade told PTI in an interview.

"Its difficult for the producers to think, Forget all that has happened because they faced financial loss. Im passionately looking forward to the film getting released and watching it because it is a fantastic film, he added.

Also starring Ranaut as former prime minister Indira Gandhi, Emergency delves into the emergency that was imposed by her for 21 months from 1975 to 1977 and its aftermath.

Talpade plays the role of the former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the film, which will now release in theatres on January 17.

For the actor, Emergency turned out to be a rare opportunity where he got to showcase his versatility. He recalled being stereotyped by the industry during the earlier years of his career.

"I was launched with a film like Iqbal and when the era of comedy and multi-starrer films started at that time, I was not cast in them. I was told said, Youve a serious image because of Iqbal, so we are not sure if people will accept you in comedy roles or will you be able to do it or not.'

"Luckily, Golmaal happened and things changed for me. Today, after a spate of comedy films people are like, Will I be able to do a serious role or not, said Talpade, who has also been part of movies like Dor", Om Shanti Om, Welcome to Sajjanpur, Housefull 2, and Chandu Champion.

Talpade's latest work is the animated film Mufasa: The Lion King". The actor has lent his voice to the fan-favourite character of Timon for the Hindi-version of the movie.

The film, directed by Barry Jenkins, serves as both a prequel and sequel to the "The Lion King", the 2019 remake of the 1994 animated movie. It explores the journey of Mufasa from an orphaned cub to becoming a king.

What is most important is what we are teaching kids through this film. Like, a story like this will always stay relevant, the story of the triumph of the underdog, so all the kids will feel, Even I can achieve whatever I want despite all the obstacles, he said.

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan has voiced the title role of Mufasa in the Hindi version along with his son Aryan Khan lending his voice as Simba and youngest son AbRam Khan as Mufasa (cub).

Mufasa: The Lion King released in theatres on Friday.
New Delhi, Dec 20 (PTI) Renowned chef Vikas Khanna has shared a heartfelt post after Academy Award-winning actor Anne Hathaway visited his New York restaurant.

Khanna shared a photo with the actor and her husband on Instagram on Thursday after they dined at his restaurant, Bungalow.

In the post, Khanna said Hathaway's visit was special as his late sister Radhika was a huge fan of the Hollywood star's 2006 film "The Devil Wears Prada", co-starring Meryl Streep.

"I still remember the day I had to delete all 'The Devil Wears Prada' and 'Sex and the City' files from my computer. I had saved them to watch on loop with my sister while sitting by her hospital bed. Ive lost count of how many times Radha, @sammahmood, and I watched those movies together," Khanna said.

He said his sister loved Hathaway and knew every single line from "The Devil Wears Prada" by heart.

"Reciting those dialogues brought her so much joy-her happiest moments during those times. Somehow, I learned them all by heart too. Watching her laugh was the best painkiller. When the time came, I deleted every file and tried to forget those lines, as the memories were too much to bear," Khanna added.

Radhika, a fashion designer and entrepreneur, passed away in February 2022 following multiple organ failure.

Vikas said hosting Hathaway at his restaurant brought him absolute joy.

"Cooking and serving are the only ways I know how to express love and gratitude. Thank you, Anne, for giving her those moments of happinesswhen wed laugh and say, 'Everybody wants to be us.'

"I photoshopped my Radha into the photo, right next to her hero. I know she was there with us tonight," he said.
Taipei (Taiwan), Dec 20 (AP) Lawmakers clashed in Taiwan's legislature Friday when members of a leading political party who had broken into the building overnight to occupy the speaker's chair tussled with members of another major party who forced their way in to evict them.

Some lawmakers were injured in the clash, according to Taiwan media reports, though it wasn't clear how seriously.

At issue are three bills that the Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang, was trying to push through, including one that critics say would paralyse the Constitutional Court. The legislature approved one bill that would stiffen the requirements for voter petitions to recall elected officials, and debate on the other two was continuing into the night.

The third bill would redistribute tax revenues by giving a larger share to local governments.

Lawmakers from the Democratic Progressive Party, which says the bills threaten Taiwan's democratic system, removed windows to get into the building Thursday night and take over the speaker's area, piling up walls of chairs to block access, Taiwan's Central News Agency said.

Photos and videos of the morning clash showed chaotic scenes with Nationalist members trying to remove or push their way though the barriers of chairs or clamber over a ledge in front of the speaker's area.

Lawmakers from the other side shoved them and the chairs back and squirted or flung mineral water at them from plastic bottles.

The Nationalists, wearing matching white windbreakers, eventually took control of the area, allowing the speaker, Han Kuo-yu, to take his position.

The Democratic Progressive Party, known as the DPP, was attempting to block any votes on the bills. Neither they nor the Nationalists, known as the KMT, won a majority in the last legislative election.

The KMT, which took slightly more seats, has teamed up with a minor party to take control of the legislature and is jostling for power with Taiwan's president, Lai Ching-te, who is from the DPP.

A DPP leader said in a social media video Thursday night that the party's actions were extreme but that it had no other options, the Central News Agency reported. Negotiations on the bills have failed to resolve differences between the parties.

Thousands of DPP supporters protested outside the legislature on Thursday night and Friday.

One protester, Stevie Kuo, said the KMT and its partner want to paralyse the court, drain the central government's finances and make it more difficult to recall elected officials.

I think these three things will considerably harm Taiwan, the postgraduate student said. "The people do not want this to happen.

Lawmakers in Taiwan have brawled in the past. In 2020, they threw pig guts at each other over a government decision to lift a ban on the import of US pork and beef. (AP) NPK

NPK
ZAGREB, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The achievements Macao has made in the 25 years since its return to China affirm the success of the "one country, two systems" policy, said Ante Simonic, former Croatian deputy prime minister, in a recent interview with Xinhua.

Simonic highlighted Macao's remarkable economic growth, with its per capita gross domestic product rising from 15,000 U.S. dollars in 1999 to 69,000 U.S. dollars in 2023. He noted that this reflects a "huge improvement" in the quality of life for local residents.

Simonic stressed that economic growth "is not just about numbers" but must be viewed in terms of broader human wellbeing and global contribution.

"Macao's development has fostered job creation, improved public services, and enhanced living standards for its population. The city has also prioritized education, healthcare, and social infrastructure, ensuring that the benefits of prosperity reach its people," he said.

The "one country, two systems" model exemplifies China's "courage and profound wisdom in governance," Simonic noted. By allowing Macao to maintain its legal and economic systems while being firmly integrated into the larger framework of the nation, China has demonstrated its capacity to balance unity with diversity, he said.

Simonic emphasized that Macao's achievements extend beyond local development, as it has acted as a bridge between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, enriching regional collaboration and promoting cultural exchange.

He credited China's strategic initiatives, such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, for laying the groundwork for Macao's continued stability and prosperity.

"These efforts not only benefit local populations but also contribute positively to China's role in fostering global harmony and development," Simonic added.

Simonic, former Croatian ambassador to China, has been the founder and president of the Croatia-China Friendship Association in Rijeka, the third-largest city in Croatia. Honored with the Chinese Government Friendship Award in 2017, he was recently named a Friendship Ambassador by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.

Reflecting on his visits to Macao in 2010 and 2011, Simonic described the city as a unique blend of East and West. Macao's cultural diversity, warmth, and charm are beautifully reflected in its architecture, traditions, and way of life, he said. "From the serene charm of its historic temples to the lively atmosphere of its bustling streets, Macao remains a place where tradition and modernity harmoniously coexist, creating a truly unforgettable experience." 
Jerusalem, Dec 20 (AP) A journalists' association said Friday two reporters working for Kurdish media outlets have been killed in clashes between Syrian Kurdish militia and Turkish-backed fighters in northern Syria. Fighting in parts of Syria continues despite the fall of President Bashar Assad.

Elsewhere in Syria, the transition following the government's fall has been smooth so far, although it's been less than two weeks since Assad was ousted by a lightning rebel advance on the capital, Damascus.

The country is home to diverse sects, and there is ongoing fear and uncertainty among minority groups, including Christians, regarding their rights and safety under the main rebel group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, once an affiliate of al-Qaida.



Here's the latest:



Gaza officials say 77 people have died in the past 24 hours

The Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip said Friday that 77 people have died and 174 others arrived at hospitals during the past 24 hours as a result of the ongoing conflict in the territory.

The latest toll includes five children and 12 others who were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Shaaban Rais School sheltering displaced people on Thursday, as well as five people who were killed in Maghazi refugee camp in Deir al-Balah early Thursday.

Officials said some people remained under rubble and on roads where ambulance and civil defence crew could not reach them.

The ministry said the latest death toll brings the total of deaths in Gaza to 45,206 since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023 and triggered a 14-month Israeli offensive. Local health officials do not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but have said more than half of the fatalities are women and children.



Turkiye's president suggests Turkiye could intervene in northern Syria

ANKARA, Turkiye  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has suggested that Turkiye could intervene in northern Syria to eliminate what he said are threats to its security posed by Syrian Kurdish groups.

His statement to a group of journalists late Thursday comes amid reports of fighting between Turkish-backed fighters and the US-backed, Kurdish-led force in northern Syria, near the border town of Kobani and the Tishrin dam on the Euphrates river.

We will show that the time has come to neutralise the terrorist organisations present in Syria, Erdogan said, according to a transcript of his remarks that was made available on Friday. We will do this to prevent any further threats coming from the south of our borders.

Turkiye considers the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, SDF, as a terrorist organisation because its main component is a group aligned to the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. Earlier this week, the SDF said US-led mediation efforts failed to reach a permanent truce in Syria's north.

The end of the road for the terrorist organisations is near, Erdogan said. There is no room for terrorists in the future of the region. The shelf life of the PKK terrorist organisation and its extensions has run out.

Erdogan said by securing the border area in Syria, Turkiye would also prevent the PKK from recruiting militants.

The Turkish leader meanwhile, welcomed the fact that many countries were establishing contact with Syria's new leaders, saying it was a sign of trust in the new administration. He said Turkiye would assist the country to establish new state structures.

Erdogan added that Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan would travel to Syria soon.



US delegation in Damascus

DAMASCUS  A delegation of US officials headed by Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf left the Four Seasons Hotel in Damascus Friday afternoon without making any statement to waiting journalists. A statement was expected later in the afternoon.

Leaf, former special envoy for Syria Daniel Rubinstein and the Biden administration's chief envoy for hostage negotiations, Roger Carstens, made the trip for talks with Syria's interim leaders, the State Department said early Friday.

The first US diplomats to visit Syria since President Bashar Assad's ouster nearly two weeks ago  and the first to formally visit Syria in more than a decade since the US shuttered its embassy in Damascus in 2012  also came to seek information on the whereabouts of missing American journalist Austin Tice.

The State Department said in a statement that the team would be engaging directly with the Syrian people, including members of civil society, activists, members of different communities, and other Syrian voices. Members of the civil defense group known as the White Helmets were seen leaving the hotel along with the delegation.



IOM head: Large-scale return of Syrians would 'overwhelm' Syria

GENEVA  The head of the UN migration agency says that large-scale returns of Syrians to their homeland at this stage would overwhelm the country.

Syria's civil war has displaced millions of people since 2011. The fall of Bashar Assad's government earlier this month has fuelled talk in some of the countries where they went of the refugees' return.

Amy Pope, the director-general of the International Organisation for Migration, told reporters Friday after returning from a visit to Syria that her agency's message to countries in Europe and elsewhere is that this is not the moment to talk about large-scale returns.

Pope said that communities are just not ready to absorb the people who are displaced and would come back. She argued that if overwhelming numbers of people return, "it will overwhelm the country and it could risk more disruptive impact on a very fragile peace process.

Pope said it's right to support individuals on a case-by-case basis who want to go home or know that their place of origin is safe, but that efforts now need to focus on the humanitarian situation, recovery and rebuilding.



Swedish government ending 'core support' for the UN relief agency for Palestinians

STOCKHOLM  The Swedish government says it is ending its core support for the United Nations relief agency for Palestinians.

The government said Friday that 800 million kronor (USD 72.4 million) being allocated for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the region next year will go through the channels of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency and the government's support for other agencies such as the World Food Program, the UN Children's Fund, the UN Population Fund and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

In October, Israel's parliament approved legislation banning UNRWA's activities in the Palestinian territories, a measure that was to take effect in 90 days.

Sweden's minister for international development cooperation and foreign trade, Benjamin Dousa, posted on X that the Israeli decision will make much of UNRWA's work difficult or impossible.

He said that Swedish aid must arrive and not get stuck in a bank account en route, and that the Israeli parliament's decision forces it to pass on support to other organisations. Dousa added that UNRWA is undergoing a crisis of confidence.

Sweden provided 451 million kronor to UNRWA this year. (AP) GRS

GRS
Mumbai, Dec 20 (PTI) Following are the top stories from the Western Region at 1700 HRS.











BOM30 MH-HC-DHARAVI-2NDLD ADANI

* Path cleared for Adani Group to redevelop Dharavi slums; HC upholds tender award







Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Friday cleared the decks for redevelopment of Dharavi slums as it upheld the tender awarded to the Adani Group for the project by the Maharashtra government, ruling there was no "arbitrariness, unreasonableness or perversity" in the decision. *















BOM25 MH-COUNCIL-LD FAMILY ATTACK FADNAVIS

* FIR against govt employee, wife for attacking Marathi family: Fadnavis





Nagpur: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said a case has been registered against a state government employee and his wife for attacking a Marathi-speaking family at Kalyan in Thane district and the process to suspend him has been initiated. *





BOM17 MH-FADNAVIS

* Fadnavis announces judicial probes into Parbhani violence, Beed sarpanch murder





Nagpur: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday announced judicial probes into the Parbhani violence and the murder of village head Santosh Deshmukh in Beed district. *















BOM27 MH-BOAT-PROBE

* Naval craft driver lost control during engine trials causing collision with ferry: Police





Mumbai: The driver of the Naval craft, which rammed into a ferry off the Mumbai coast, lost control over the vessel during its engine trials, leading to the fatal crash mid-sea, an injured Navy staffer has told the police, an official said on Friday. *

















BOM2 MH-BOAT-SAR

Search operation on for 7-yr-old boy missing after ferry-Navy craft crash





Mumbai: The search operation launched by naval boats to locate a seven-year-old boy missing after a Navy craft rammed into a ferry off the Mumbai coast two days ago continued on Friday, an official said. *















BOM22 DEF-BOAT-NAVY CHIEF

Navy chief holds meet on craft-ferry crash during Western Naval Command HQ visit





Mumbai: Two days after an Indian Navy speedboat collided with a ferry packed with passengers off the Mumbai coast, Navy chief Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi on Friday visited the Western Naval Command headquarters and held a meeting with top officials over the crash.















BOM29 MH-RAUT-RECCE-PROBE

2 motorcycle-borne men conduct 'recce' of Sanjay Raut's bungalow, police launch probe





Mumbai: The Mumbai police launched a probe after two motorcycle-borne allegedly conducted a recce of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut's bungalow in Bhandup on Friday, officials said.





















BOM10 MH-ACCIDENT

Five killed, 27 injured after pvt bus turns turtle in Raigad district





Mumbai: Five persons were killed and 27 injured after a speeding private bus carrying a wedding party overturned at a ghat in Maharashtra's Raigad district on Friday morning, police said.













BOM26 MH-PATOLE

Maharashtra Congress to have a new chief soon: Patole





Nagpur: Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Friday said the partys state unit will soon have a new chief as he has asked their central leadership to relieve him of the post.













BOM15 CG-NAXAL BLAST-INJURED

Two DRG jawans injured in IED blast triggered by Naxalites in Chhattisgarhs Narayanpur





Narayanpur: Two personnel of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) were injured in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast triggered by Naxalites in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district on Friday, police said.















BOM23 MP-ASSEMBLY-ADJOURNMENT



MP assembly adjourned sine die after ruckus over Parliament scuffle





Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh assembly was adjourned sine die on Friday following a ruckus between BJP and Congress members over the face-off between the opposition and NDA MPs in Parliament for the alleged insult to Dr B R Ambedkar. ***
Kolkata, Dec 20 (PTI) Following are the top stories from the Eastern Region at 5 pm.



CAL 17 WB-SSB-LD SHAH

*SSB played key role in securing borders and combating Naxalism: Amit Shah

Siliguri: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday lauded the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) for its pivotal role in securing the country's borders with friendly nations such as Nepal and Bhutan and its contribution to combating Naxalism in Bihar and Jharkhand.





CAL 15 BIZ-BIHAR-INVESTMENT-LD PROPOSAL

Bihar has potential to become a major growth engine: Minister

Patna: Bihar Industries and Tourism Minister Nitish Mishra on Friday asserted that the state is poised to play a key role in the countrys growth engine, as he announced a record Rs 1.8 lakh crore investments across sectors, more than triple the amount received at its maiden investor meet last year.





CAL 13 WB-LD FIRE

East Kolkata slum gutted in devastating fire

Kolkata: A major fire, which broke out in a slum at Topsia area in east Kolkata on Friday afternoon, reduced a significant portion of the shanty town, comprising nearly 150 dwellings, to ashes, an official said.





CAL 14 AS-CONG LEADERS-CUSTODY

Assam Cong chief, others taken into custody ahead of protest over party worker's death

Guwahati: Assam Congress president Bhupen Kumar Borah and several other leaders were on Friday taken into police custody in Guwahati ahead of a protest over the death of a party worker two days ago, an officer said.





CAL 12 WB-GUV-JU-VC

JUs decision to hold Dec 24 convocation without informing Guvs office unauthorised: Raj Bhavan

Kolkata: West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose has observed that the decision by Jadavpur University's interim vice chancellor Bhaskar Gupta to hold the convocation on December 24 "without informing" his office is unauthorised, a Raj Bhavan official said on Friday.*
Chandigarh, Dec 20 (PTI) Punjab farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, whose fast-unto-death entered 25th day on Friday, wrote to the Supreme Court, urging it to direct the Centre to accept the farmers' demands including a legal guarantee of the minimum support price on crops.

Dallewal (70), a cancer patient, has been on a fast-unto-death at the Khanauri border point between Punjab and Haryana to press the Centre to accept the agitating farmers' demands.

In the letter to the apex court, Dallewal wrote that his indefinite hunger strike in support of farmers' demands entered the 25th day on Friday.

The farmer leader said he learnt through the media that the top court was concerned about his health.

"I respect your feelings," wrote Dallewal and said that he wanted to humbly request that the lives of those farmers who committed suicides due to the "wrong policies" of the governments are more important than his life.

He said a parliamentary panel has recommended the government implement a legally binding minimum support price (MSP) for agricultural produce, arguing that such a measure would benefit the rural economy, farmers and the country.

Dallewal further said the MSP guarantee law will result in an increase in purchasing power of farmers.

"This is an all-party committee of Parliament, which includes 31 MPs from all political parties," wrote Dallewal as he was referring to the parliamentary panel.

"I request you to give necessary directions to the Central government to make MSP guarantee law by respecting the report of the parliamentary committee and the sentiments of the farmers so that farmer suicides can be stopped," Dallewal wrote in the letter.

"I also want to bring to your notice that the issues on which we are protesting are not just our demands but are promises made to us by different governments," he wrote.

Meanwhile, doctors attending to Dallewal on Friday said he has turned quite weak and his overall condition is critical.

"Because of electrolyte imbalance, there is weakness in his body. His condition is worsening. Anything can happen to him anytime," said a doctor, who is part of a team of doctors from 5 Rivers Heart Association NGO.

Dallewal has not had anything during his fast and he is just taking water, doctors earlier said.

The farmer leader, however, has refused to take any medical assistance.

Meanwhile, farmer leader Abhimanyu Kohar said Dallewal will not leave the protest site at any cost. "He will stay where he is now."

The Supreme Court on Friday left it to the Punjab government officials and doctors to decide on the hospitalisation of Dallewal, who is on an indefinite hunger strike.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan said it was the responsibility of the Punjab government to look after the health of Dallewal.

The bench during the hearing earlier asked the Punjab government to give an undertaking on Dallewal's health condition and on moving him to the nearby facility for a round-the-clock monitoring.

Punjab Advocate General Gurminder Singh informed the bench that on December 19, Dallewal cooperated and underwent several tests, including ECG and blood examination.

He said Dallewal's health condition appeared to be stable for now.

Farmers under the banner of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha have been camping at Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13 after their march to Delhi was stopped by security forces.
New Delhi, Dec 20 (PTI) A total of 2,200 cases of violence against Hindus and other minorities have been reported in Bangladesh this year till December 8, and India's expectation is Dhaka will take necessary measures to ensure their safety, the government said on Friday.

Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh gave the information in a written response to a query in Rajya Sabha, citing data from minority and human rights organisations.

In Pakistan, the number of cases of violence against Hindus and other minorities in Pakistan this year stood at "112 till October 2024," the MoS said.

The corresponding figures for 2022 were 47 in Bangladesh and 241 in Pakistan, while in 2023 the figures were 302 in Bangladesh and 103 in Pakistan, according to the data he shared.

The minister said the Indian government has urged "Pakistan to take steps to prevent religious intolerance, sectarian violence, systemic persecution and attacks on minority communities and ensure their safety, security, and well-being."

He added, "India continues to highlight the plight of minorities in Pakistan at appropriate international fora."

Cases of violence against Hindus and other minorities in other neighbouring

countries (except Pakistan and Bangladesh) is "nil," the minister said.

Singh was asked about the total number of cases of violence against Hindus and other minorities reported in neighbouring countries during the last three years,

country-wise and year-wise; and the steps taken or proposed to be taken by the ministry to protect minorities, including diplomatic interventions and relief measures.

The Union minister in his response also said the "government has taken serious note of these incidents and shared its concerns with the government of Bangladesh."

"India's expectation is that Bangladesh will take all necessary measures to ensure safety and welfare of Hindus and other minorities. The same was also reiterated during the visit of the Foreign Secretary to Bangladesh on December 9, 2024," he added.

The High Commission of India in Dhaka "continues to monitor the situation" related to the minorities in Bangladesh "closely", the Minister of State for External Affairs said.

"The primary responsibility for the protection of life and liberty of all citizens, including minorities, rests with the government of the country concerned," he said.

Ties between India and Bangladesh came under severe strain after deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to leave the country in the face of a massive anti-government protest in August.

Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus came to power days after Hasina took shelter in India.

He heads Bangladesh's interim government as its Chief Advisor.

Relations between the two nations deteriorated further in recent weeks over attacks on the Hindus and the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das.
New Delhi, Dec 20 (PTI) The students of Delhi University's first batch of NEP 2020 will soon have the opportunity to complete a semester of their final year at a foreign university, pending approval of recommendations from a committee tasked with operationalising the initiative.

These students, who are also the first batch of the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP), will have the option to undertake a semester abroad at select Foreign Higher Educational Institutions (FHEIs) under a new twinning degree arrangement introduced by the university earlier this year.

A committee set up to determine the modalities for implementing the twinning degree arrangement has submitted its recommendations, which will be presented to the university's Academic Council for consideration on December 27.

According to the recommendations, the undergraduate students enrolled at the Delhi University from the 2022-23 academic year onwards will be permitted to study at a foreign university during their seventh semester.

The students in their first year will have the opportunity to study abroad during their third or fifth semester, while those in their second year will have the option to go abroad during their fifth or seventh semesters.

Under the arrangement, the students will be able to complete one semester abroad, earning a minimum of 12 credits and a maximum of 26 credits. Upon returning, the students will receive their degree from the Delhi University, the parent institution.

The twinning degree arrangement will also be accessible to the meritorious students from economically weaker backgrounds. The university plans to support one or two students from this category to participate in the program at a foreign university. An objective selection process will be established to identify these students.

The university's International Relations Office will be responsible for initiating collaborations with the foreign universities for the twinning program, which will include negotiations on matters such as course fees, curriculum, student medical insurance, accommodation and other logistical arrangements.

Information about the available options will be posted on the university's website to ensure the students are well-informed.

An academic expert committee will be formed to review the applications of the foreign universities with which the twinning degree arrangements will be made.

The eligibility criteria for FHEIs to be considered for collaboration will include their comparative or higher ranking in global university rankings such as the QS World Rankings or Times Higher Education (THE) Rankings. Specifically, FHEIs should have a ranking within 25 per cent lower than the Delhi University's ranking in the same year.

If an FHEI's overall ranking does not meet this criterion, the university will consider the ranking of the specific discipline the student wishes to study, ensuring that the disciplines ranking is comparable to or higher than that of the same discipline at the Delhi University.
Hyderabad, Dec 20 (PTI) Telangana on Friday urged the Centre to simplify the Income Tax slabs and reduce corporate tax rates to enhance ease of doing business.

In his speech at the pre-Budget meeting of the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said streamlining IT and GST filing processes is vital as these processes currently consume weeks for mid-sized and large businesses.

Expanding the tax base through digital tracking of financial transactions and encouraging voluntary compliance are also key measures, he opined.

"Reforms to the Income Tax Act are a welcome step. Indias current tax system is complex, leading to compliance burdens for individuals and businesses alike. Telangana urges simplification of tax slabs and reduction of corporate tax rates to enhance ease of doing business," Bhatti said.

Telangana supports a realistic fiscal deficit target of 4.5 per cent of GDP to sustain momentum in infrastructure and employment generation and from FY27 onwards, the state will emphasise a growth-driven approach to reducing the debt-to-GDP ratio rather than an austerity-driven strategy.

Telangana requests enhanced special assistance to states for capital expenditure with an allocation of Rs 2.5 lakh crore annually, he said.

Stating that gig workers are an emerging workforce segment contributing significantly to the economy but often lack social security and fair working conditions, he said Telangana recommends establishing a national framework for gig worker social security, including health insurance, pension schemes, and accident coverage.

"Formal recognition of gig workers is essential to ensure minimum wage protections and access to labour rights. Creation of a grievance redressal mechanism to address disputes between workers and platforms efficiently is critical. Encouraging platform companies to contribute towards gig workers' welfare funds is equally important," Bhatti said.

Maintaining that despite being among the fastest-growing states and contributing significantly to the national economy, Telangana has been underfunded with respect to centrally sponsored schemes, he said requesting allocations, based on population ratios, should be disbursed promptly without bias.
Every year the U.S. egg industry kills about 350 million male chicks because, while the fuzzy little animals are incredibly cute, they will never lay eggs, so have little monetary value.

That longtime practice is changing, thanks to new technology that enables hatcheries to quickly peer into millions of fertilized eggs and spot male embryos, then grind them up for other uses before they mature into chicks. The system began operating this month in Iowa at the nations largest chick hatchery, which handles about 387,000 eggs each day.

We now have ethically produced eggs we can really feel good about, said Jorg Hurlin, managing director of Agri Advanced Technologies, the German company that spent more than a decade developing the SUV-sized machine that can separate eggs by sex.

Even Americans who are careful to buy cage free or free range eggs typically arent aware that hundreds of millions of male chicks are killed each year, usually when they are only a day old. Most of the animals are culled through a process called maceration that uses whirling blades to nearly instantly kill the baby birds  something that seems horrifying but that the industry has long claimed is the most humane alternative.

Does the animal suffer? No because its instantaneous death. But its not pretty because its a series of rotating blades, said Suzanne Millman, a professor at Iowa State University who focuses on animal welfare.

Chick culling is an outgrowth of a poultry industry that for decades has raised one kind of chicken for eggs and another for meat. Egg-laying chickens are too scrawny to profitably be sold for meat, so the male chicks are ground up and used as additives for other products.

It wasnt until European governments began passing laws that outlawed maceration that companies started puzzling out how to determine chicken sex before the chicks can hatch. Several companies can now do that, but unlike most competitors, AATs machine doesnt need to pierce the shell and instead uses a bright light and sensitive cameras to detect an embryos sex by noting feather shading. Males are white, and females are dark.

The machine, called Cheggy, can process up to 25,000 eggs an hour, a pace that can accommodate the massive volume seen at hatcheries in the U.S. Besides the Cheggy machine in the small eastern Iowa city of Wilton, an identical system has been installed in Texas, both at hatcheries owned by Hy-Line North America.

The process has one key limitation: It works only on brown eggs because male and female chicks in white eggs have similar-colored feathers.

Thats not a huge hindrance in Europe, where most eggs sold at groceries are brown. But in the U.S., white shell eggs make up about 81% of sales, according to the American Egg Board. Brown shell eggs are especially sought by people who buy cage-free, free-range and organic varieties.

Hurlin said he thinks his company will develop a system to tell the sex of embryos in white eggs within five years, and other companies also are working to meet whats expected to be a growing demand.

Eggs from hens that were screened through the new system will supply NestFresh Eggs, a Southern California-based business that distributes organic eggs produced by small operations across the country. The eggs will begin showing up on store shelves in mid-July and NestFresh executive vice president Jasen Urena said his company will begin touting the new chick-friendly process on cartons and with a larger marketing effort.

Its a huge jump in animal welfare, Urena said. Weve done so much work over the years on the farms. How do we make the lives of these chickens better? Now were able to step back and go into the hatching phase.

Urena said the new system was more expensive but any price increase on store shelves would be minimal.

The animal welfare group Mercy for Animals has tried to draw attention to chick culling for more than a decade in hopes of ending the practice.

Walter Sanchez-Suarez, the groups animal behavior and welfare scientist, said laws in Europe outlawing chick culling and new efforts to change the practice in the U.S. are wonderful developments. However, Sanchez-Suarez sees them as a small step toward a larger goal of ending large-scale animal agriculture and offering alternatives to meat, eggs and dairy.

Mercy for Animals thinks this is an important step, but poultry producers shouldnt stop there and should try to see all the additional problems that are associated to this type of practice in egg production, he said. Look for alternatives that are better for animals themselves and human consumers.

(AP)
WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Approximately 2,000 U.S. troops are deployed to Syria, much higher than the previously reported figure of around 900 troops, the Pentagon acknowledged on Thursday.

Pentagon press secretary Pat Ryder confirmed the change at a press briefing on Thursday, noting that the additional deployments were made in response to the evolving security situation in Syria and to safeguard critical U.S. interests in the region.

"As I understand it and as it was explained to me, these additional forces are considered temporary rotational forces that deploy to meet shifting mission requirements, whereas the core 900 deployers are on longer-term deployments," Ryder explained at the briefing.

He also pointed out that these forces, which support the mission to defeat ISIS, had been deployed there before the collapse of the Assad government.

This is the first official confirmation of a significant increase in U.S. troops in Syria. 
A Kansas official who is an informal adviser to President-elect Donald Trumps transition team on immigration issues doesnt expect mass deportations to prompt arrests of migrants at sensitive locations such as schools and churches.

But Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach does expect Trump to take action that will spark a legal challenge over the citizenship status of children born in the U.S. to immigrants living in the country illegally. He also expects Trump to encourage local and state law enforcement officers to help with efforts to arrest and detain migrants.

Kobach has for two decades been one of the most influential lawyers in the Republican movement to restrict illegal immigration. He is also a longtime Trump supporter who could be a key ally given federal immigration authorities need for state and local cooperation to carry out Trumps promise of the largest deportation operation in U.S. history.

He said Wednesday that hes in regular contact with Trumps team, including Tom Homan, Trumps pick for border czar, and Stephen Miller, incoming deputy White House chief of staff for policy. He made his comments during an interview with The Associated Press. Here are excerpts:

Is it realistic to try to remove millions of immigrants?

Critics of Trumps mass deportation plans argue that hes promising to remove millions of immigrants from the U.S. and thats logistically not possible. But Kobach and other Trump allies think only a portion of those migrants would have to be deported for the effort to succeed.

KOBACH: Once theres a massive enforcement effort going on, then a lot of people start leaving on their own.

You can put a multiplier on that number, and itll be a much greater number. They will start leaving on their own because they dont want to get arrested. They want to leave on their own terms, and so I dont know  we dont know  what that multiplier number is going to be, but there will be one.

What about arrests at sensitive locations?

Immigrant rights advocates worry the Trump administration will rescind a longstanding policy of avoiding arrests of migrants at sensitive locations such as schools, hospitals and houses of worship.

KOBACH: I havent heard this.  First of all, I dont think that you are likely to see K-12 students being arrested. Its going to be the adults that are going to be the focus of the removals.

There are some places that are better to make an arrest than others. There are reasons why the policy of a police department is different with regard to a high-speed chase in a neighborhood versus a high-speed chase on a highway. So I think theyre probably going to have to make decisions as to which ones involve the least risk to the public.

Is an attempt to end birthright citizenship coming?

Birthright citizenship means that anyone born in the U.S. is a citizen, whatever the legal status of their parents. Trump has promised to end it, though others say the 14th Amendment enshrines it in the U.S. Constitution.

KOBACH: Whatever the Trump administration does will certainly be litigated because its one of those hot-button issues.

I believe that the Trump administration has every intention of addressing this issue, in his second term.

How would state and local officials help?

The Trump administration would need the help of state and local officials in its efforts to deport millions of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally.

A provision in federal immigration law allows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to make agreements with state and law enforcement agencies to deputize and train officers to arrest migrants.

KOBACH: They can provide a force multiplier to the federal government, and I think that is the biggest and best thing that the states and counties can do to help.  The point is, it casts a daily net.

I dont see how a massive deportation program can possibly succeed without it.

Where would immigrants be detained?

President Joe Bidens administration cut the number of beds that ICE had for detaining immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. However, in August, the agency issued requests for information about the potential for new detention centers in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington, documents show.

Trump could seek new contracts with counties to keep immigrants in their jails, and Kobach said hes previously worked as a lawyer for some Texas counties with bigger jails than they need for local offenders.

KOBACH: The Trump administration, the people in the immigration sphere, are well aware of this problem, and Ive talked to them.

A few of those (Texas) counties have a really big facility, jail, and the reason its so big is they want to contract with other counties and with the federal government.

(AP)
As Congress teeters on the brink of a government shutdown, Senator Rand Paul has proposed a bold and unconventional idea: appoint Elon Musk, the worlds richest man, as Speaker of the House.

In a Thursday morning post on X, the platform owned by Musk, Paul floated the suggestion to replace current Speaker Mike Johnson. The Speaker of the House need not be a member of CongressNothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk, Paul wrote, adding, think about itnothings impossible.

Pauls suggestion comes as Johnson defends a contentious spending bill designed to prevent a shutdown. Johnson, who worked on the bill with Senator John Thune, has faced criticism from both parties. Meanwhile, Musk, who is advising President-elect Donald Trump on government efficiency as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), launched a fiery X thread slamming the bills wasteful spending.

Trump also criticized the bill, calling it a TRAP set by Radical-left Democrats and scolding Republicans for supporting it.

While Pauls suggestion of Musk for Speaker is unlikely to gain serious traction, it reflects growing frustration among lawmakers and the public with the gridlock and partisanship in Washington.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) made it clear that Democrats are not stepping in to help Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) as he struggles to navigate turmoil within his own party over a government funding bill.

On Tuesday, Johnson introduced a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government through March 14, averting a shutdown scheduled for December 21. However, the proposal quickly unraveled. While some conservative House members voiced concerns, the real blow came when Elon Musk launched a social media barrage against the bill, posting over 70 tweets, many of them inaccurate. President-elect Donald Trump soon joined the fray, threatening to primary Republicans who supported the measure. Facing mounting opposition, Johnson scrapped the plan entirely.

There is no new agreement right now, Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) admitted.

Speaking on MSNBCs Alex Wagner Tonight, Crockett described the debacle as a recurring Republican problem. Were looking at this like this is their problem, she said, referencing the GOPs internal chaos since the January 2023 speakership vote that took 15 ballots to elect Kevin McCarthy, who was later ousted.

Crockett added, Im just gonna sit back and sip my tea and wait on them to figure it out.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
Congress has until midnight Friday to come up with a way to fund the government or federal agencies will shut down, meaning hundreds of thousands of federal employees could be sent home  or stay on the job without pay  just ahead of the holidays.

Republicans abandoned a bipartisan plan Wednesday to prevent a shutdown after President-elect Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk came out against it. Trump told House Speaker Mike Johnson to essentially renegotiate the deal days before a deadline when federal funding runs out.

Heres what to know about a possible government shutdown, what agencies would be affected and how long it could last:

What does it mean if the government shuts down?

A government shutdown happens when Congress doesnt pass legislation either temporarily or more permanently funding the government, and such a measure isnt signed by the president.

When would a government shutdown start?

If Congress doesnt approve a continuing resolution or more permanent spending measure by Friday, the federal government will shut down.

When the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, Congress passed a temporary funding bill to keep the government in operation.

That measure expires on Friday.

Which government agencies would be affected by a shutdown?

Each federal agency determines its own plan for how to handle a shutdown, but basically any government operations deemed non-essential stop happening, and hundreds of thousands of federal employees see their work disrupted.

Sometimes workers are furloughed, meaning that they keep their jobs but temporarily dont work until the government reopens. Other federal workers may stay on the job but without pay, with the expectation that they would be paid back in full once the government reopens.

The basic rules for who works and who doesnt date back to the early 1980s and havent been significantly modified since. Under a precedent-setting memorandum penned by then-President Ronald Reagan budget chief David Stockman, federal workers are exempted from furloughs if their jobs are national security-related or if they perform essential activities that protect life and property.

Essential government agencies like the FBI, the Border Patrol and the Coast Guard remain open. Transportation Security Administration officers would continue to staff airport checkpoints. The U.S. Postal Service also wont be affected because its an independent agency.

But national parks and monuments would close, and while troops would stay at their posts, many civilian employees in agencies like the Department of Defense would be sent home. Court systems would be affected, too, with civil proceedings paused, while criminal prosecutions continue.

Automated tax collection would stay on track, but the Internal Revenue Service would stop auditing tax returns.

Will a government shutdown affect Social Security checks?

No. Recipients of both Social Security and Medicare would continue to receive their benefits, which are part of mandatory spending thats not subject to annual appropriations measures. Doctors and hospitals would also continue to get their Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements.

But its possible that new applications wouldnt be processed. During a government shutdown in 1996, thousands of Medicare applicants were turned away daily.

What is a CR, or continuing resolution?

When Congress is down to the wire on passing measures to fund the federal government, the term CR often comes up. What does it mean?

CR stands for continuing resolution, and its a temporary spending bill that lets the federal government stay open and operating before Congress and the president have approved a more permanent appropriation.

A clean CR is essentially a bill that extends existing appropriations, at the same levels as the prior fiscal year.

What is an omnibus bill?

Its a massive, all-encompassing measure that lawmakers generally had little time to digest  or understand  before voting on it.

There are a lot of spending measures all rolled into one, and sometimes thats what happens if the dozen separate funding measures havent worked their way through the congressional spending process in time to be passed in order to fund the federal government.

But Republicans opted against an omnibus this time, hoping instead to renegotiate all federal spending next year when Trump is in the White House and they will control both chambers of Congress.

Is a government shutdown going to happen?

Maybe  and maybe not.

There is often a scramble on Capitol Hill to put together a last-minute funding package to keep the government open just before a deadline, at least temporarily. But shutdowns have happened, most recently six years ago, when Trump demanded funding for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. That shutdown was the longest in U.S. history.

Jimmy Carter saw a shutdown every year during his term as president. And there were six shutdowns during Reagans time in the White House.

(AP)
Apple and Android users have been advised to stop receiving two-factor authentication (2FA) codes via text message following revelations of a massive telecom breach that could leave sensitive data exposed to cyberattacks.

The FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have warned that hackers, believed to be connected to China, infiltrated major U.S. telecom providers, including AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and five other networks. The breach reportedly allowed the malicious actors to spy on customers by intercepting non-encrypted SMS messages.

In a memo released Wednesday, CISA highlighted the risks of using SMS for 2FA, stating that text messages are not encrypted and can be easily accessed by hackers with control over telecom networks. Instead, the agency urged users to adopt more secure methods, such as authentication apps, FIDO keys, or passkeys, which offer better protection against phishing and network breaches.

While some online services only offer SMS-based 2FA, CISA encouraged users to switch to alternative methods whenever possible. They also recommended strong passwords, password managers, PIN protections, and regular software updates to reduce vulnerabilities.

The advisory follows reports of an ongoing breach, nicknamed Salt Typhoon, which experts warn may be larger and more persistent than initially believed.

We cannot say with certainty that the adversary has been evicted, said Jeff Greene, executive assistant director for cybersecurity at CISA. Were tracking them, but we cannot confidently claim we know everything.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
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.

(AP)
The New York City Council voted on Thursday to rename a portion of President Street in Brooklyn to Lubavitcher Rebbe Way in honor of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the revered leader of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement.

Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, known as the Lubavitcher Rebbe, was the seventh leader of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement and one of the most transformative figures in modern Jewish history, said City Council Member Crystal Hudson, who introduced the legislation.

She detailed the Rebbes remarkable journey, noting that he arrived in the United States in 1941 after escaping the Holocaust. During his decades of leadership, the Rebbe spearheaded Chabad-Lubavitchs global expansion, establishing a wide array of institutions, including schools, shuls, care homes, and rehabilitation centers.

His ability to meet people where they wereengaging them with warmth and heartfelt communication regardless of their background or statusset him apart, Hudson said.

The renamed block of President Street is located between Brooklyn and New York Avenues, holds historical importance, as it was where the Rebbes home was located.

Yaakov Berhman, a representative for Chabads public relations, praised the councils decision. Taking to social media, he wrote, Today, the @NYCCouncil officially named President Street, located between Brooklyn and New York Avenues, as Lubavitcher Rebbe Way. This is the block where the Rebbe lived during his leadership and where his home remains as a sacred place of prayer and inspiration.

Berhman, who delivered the invocation at the City Council session, expressed gratitude to Hudson for her leadership and tribute to the Rebbe.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
The suspect wanted for the stabbing of a Jewish man on Monday, Dec. 9, on President Street in Crown Heights has been apprehended, thanks to a collaborative effort by the NYPD and Crown Heights Shomrim.

Crown Heights Shomrim shared the update on social media, praising the great detective work of the NYPDs 71st Precinct. The perpetrator wanted for a stabbing on President Street was arrested! the statement read. Shomrim credited their surveillance team, which provided initial photos and videos that were instrumental in the investigation.

The attack left a Jewish man seriously injured after being stabbed in the neck. Crown Heights Hatzolah paramedics swiftly responded to the scene, stabilizing the victim before transporting him to Kings County Hospital.

Following the assault, the suspect fled the scene, sparking a citywide manhunt. Surveillance footage released by Shomrim helped law enforcement identify and locate the suspect.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
Toronto police have launched a hate crime investigation after Bais Chaya Mushka Girls Elementary School in North York was targeted by gunfire for the third time.

Police responded to reports of gunfire at the Jewish elementary school at approximately 2:33 a.m. on Friday. Officers discovered evidence of a firearm discharge, but no injuries were reported as the school was empty at the time.

This is the third such incident at the school this year. As YWN had reported, gunfire was also reported in October during Yom Kippur and YWN reported about a second shooting in May, both occurring in the early morning hours.

In connection with the October shooting, a 17-year-old boy and a 20-year-old man were arrested and charged with multiple firearms offences. Authorities at the time were investigating potential links between the earlier shootings.

Community leaders and politicians condemned both prior attacks, calling for increased vigilance and support for the Jewish community.

The latest incident comes just days after a Montreal synagogue was targeted in a firebomb attackthe second such attack on the synagogue in just over a year.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
A new U.S. State Department report on global terrorism in 2023 says that while the United States and its allies have achieved key counterterrorism successes, terror groups worldwide remain resilient and determined. The annual report, delivered to Congress, paints a stark picture of escalating global instability and identifies Iran as the leading state sponsor of terrorism.

The report underscores the Hamas-led terror attacks in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the murder of 32 U.S. citizens and the ongoing hostage situation involving five Americans. The attack is described as a stark and horrific reminder that terrorist groups overseas remain a persistent and pervasive threat to the United States and U.S. citizens and facilities abroad.

Beyond the immediate crisis in Gaza, the State Department warns that the ensuing crisis has exacerbated widespread instability across the Middle East and globally, as extremist groups have exploited the conflict to threaten U.S. interests worldwide.

The report highlights a shift in U.S. counterterrorism strategy toward diplomacy, capacity building, and prevention rather than direct military intervention. This whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach seeks to create sustainable partnerships with global allies to combat evolving terror threats.

The State Department detailed the intensified security situation in Israel, particularly Hezbollahs rocket fire that forced the evacuation of some 80,000 civilians near Israels northern border. Separately, it reported 289 shooting attacks in 2023, many occurring as Israeli troops entered Palestinian cities to detain terrorism suspects.

At the same time, the report cited United Nations data recording 1,232 incidents of Israeli settler violence against Palestinians, marking the highest level since tracking began in 2005. The report also condemned increased violence following October 7, with U.S. officials explicitly denouncing settler attacks as terrorism in specific cases.

However, the report also called out the Palestinian Authority (PA) for its inconsistent enforcement of anti-terror measures. It noted that PA-aligned media outlets, particularly those linked to Fatah, often featured content condoning terrorism. The report further criticized the PA and the PLO for continuing financial support to terrorists and their families, commonly referred to as pay-to-slay.

The report singles out Iran as the most prominent sponsor of terrorism globally, accusing the Islamic Republic of supporting terrorist activities and assassination plots targeting dissidents and perceived enemies. It highlighted the indictment of three individuals connected to Iran for plotting to kill an Iranian dissident in New York City and similar incidents in Europe, including Denmark, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

Iran is also blamed for pursuing terror attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets, including a thwarted plot to attack Israeli tourists in Cyprus. These operations, according to the report, were orchestrated by current and former members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force.

The State Departments findings stress that terrorism remains a fast-moving, complex and ideologically diverse threat. While the U.S. and its allies have pivoted toward long-term counterterrorism partnerships, incidents like October 7 serve as chilling reminders of the ongoing dangers posed by terrorist organizations and state sponsors like Iran.

The report concludes with a clear warning: Terrorist groups and their enablers continue to threaten regional stability, U.S. interests, and global security, demanding sustained vigilance and cooperation.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
VIENTIANE, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Lao government is seeking to tighten safety measures for hydropower dams across the country to ensure secure and sustainable operations in the future.

In parallel with the annual meeting of the Lao Association on Dams (LAD), the seventh LAD Technical Meeting was held on Thursday with the theme of "Safety First: Protecting our dams to secure our future", Lao national TV reported on Friday.

LAD aims to be a center for the exchange of knowledge and good experiences in the field of dam safety between relevant government sectors, Lao and international dam communities, and stakeholders, LAD President Khampaseuth Thepvongsa said in a speech.

"Over a year ago, the association achieved several impressive results through practical implementation in terms of promoting safety and sustainability of dams, as well as extending external cooperation with domestic and international partners," he said.

The Lao government will continue to prioritize dam safety, environmental management, and community responsibility in areas with operational projects by applying innovation and high standards, while also focusing on supporting residents, according to Lao national TV. 
Fifty Knesset members and ministers signed a letter to President Isaac Herzog asking him to grant pardon to Eli Feldstein and the reservist, Sgt. A., the defendants in the case of the leaked classified documents from the Prime Ministers Office.

The letter states: The current reality in Israeli society necessitates extra caution. The intensive and exceptional investigation that the defendants underwent, alongside the ongoing legal proceedings against them poses a real threat to social cohesion at this critical time for the State of Israel. Moreover, the continuation of the proceedings could undermine public trust in the Shin Bet as a state body above all political disputes.

Earlier, additional Knesset members, including the chairman of the UTJ party chairman, Housing Minister Yitzchak Goldknopf, Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli, and other Knesset members, sent a request to Herzog to respond to the pardon request submitted by A.

Goldknopf wrote: As a minister in the Israeli government and as one entrusted with the welfare of the citizens of the State of Israel, I request your intervention on this matter. The sergeant, a dedicated officer to the state and the IDF, served his people loyally. Even if he erred in his conduct, he acted out of a genuine desire to do good and certainly did not intend to harm state security. It is known to the President that the sergeants mental and physical condition is deteriorating day by day.

I ask you to advance his release by granting a pardon while maintaining the necessary balances between security needs and IDF values against humanitarian principles. I sincerely hope that my request to visit the sergeant in detention will become unnecessary as I trust the President will act to secure his immediate release.

Chikli and MKs Moshe Saada and Dan Illouz are collecting signatures from ministers and Knesset members on a letter of support for the president, stating, A. has never acted with the intention of harming state security but rather the opposite. The conduct of the State Prosecution and law enforcement system raises feelings of severe injustice, damaging public trust in the law enforcement system.

Earlier, Shas chairman Aryeh Deri spoke with Herzog and requested a response to Sergeant A.s request for a pardon. Deri said: This is a normal soldier who made a mistake and acknowledges it. He poses no danger to the public in any way, and we must put an end to his suffering and prolonged detention.

The Presidents Office stated: The pardon request of Sgt. A. has been received at the Presidents Residence, and an investigation into the matter has begun. It should be emphasized and clarified  the President of the State has full trust in the judicial system  and the request will be examined and evaluated like all requests submitted to the Presidents Office.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
Jerusalem police are investigating a suspected terror attack after a 74-year-old woman was found on Thursday morning with stab wounds in her home on Koresh Street in downtown Jerusalem.

The Shin Bet is also involved in the investigation of the incident.

MDA teams who were summoned to the scene administered emergency medical aid to the woman and evacuated her in serious condition to Shaare Tzedek Medical Center in Jerusalem.

Police forces arrived at the scene, sealed off the area, and began collecting testimonies and evidence. At this stage, the circumstances of the case are unknown and the police investigation that has begun is ongoing, the police stated.

The police later placed a gag order on the case.

Paramedic Nissim Salem said: They led us to the woman who was lying in the house, semi-conscious and suffering from penetrating injuries to her body. We provided her with medical treatment and evacuated her in an MDA intensive care ambulance to the hospital, in serious and unstable condition.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
Israels strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen overnight Wednesday struck a humiliating blow to the rebel forces due to the attack on critical electrical power infrastructure in the capital city of Sanaa, Ynet war correspondent Ron Ben-Yishai wrote.

However, Ben-Yishai continued, the IDF strikes are not enough to deter the Houthis from continuing their missile and drone strikes on Israel or international maritime vessels.

The Houthis are a Shiite jihadi group fueled by an extremist Islamist ideology. Their only concern is proving they can continue their mission as part of Irans Axis of Resistance and attack Israel in support of Hamas.

The Houthis could care less about the Yemeni civilian population. This was proven after they attacked Saudi Arabia in 2015 and Saudi retaliatory strikes killed many innocent civilians and caused a famine for tens of thousands.

The Biden administration then forced Saudi Arabia to end their attacks and even removed the Houthis from the US terror list to allow humanitarian aid to be brought in through the Hodeida port.

Ben-Yishai believes that the only way to deal with the Houthi threat to Israels home front and world trade is a resolute military operation that will eliminate its leaders and destroy its military capabilities.

Ben-Yishai clarified that the Houthis are not a primitive bunch of barefooted tribes, but a real terrorist military force that is well armed with the latest Iranian weapons, including drones and ballistic missiles. Their production in Yemen  with Iranian know-how, must be stopped and their warehouses destroyed, so that they are no longer a problem for the world.

Israel and the US-led coalition in the Gulf must define the Houthis as a primary threat that must be addressed via intelligence on their launch and production sites so they can be destroyed.

However, Ben-Yishai noted that Israel and even CENTCOM may not have that intelligence at hand as obtaining intelligence from such a distant country requires great efforts that the US is not motivated to engage in and Israel lacks the resources to obtain.

The distance between Israel and Yemen is also a challenge, requiring Israeli fighter jets to refuel midway and require command and control aircraft in the air, regional coordination and more.

Ben-Yishai added that it would require dozens of fighter jets, even over 100, to strike the Houthi launch sites and command, most of which are in the Sanaa area in central Yemen.

CENTCOM and the U.S. Navy have such a large fleet of planes, cruise missiles and interceptors on their carriers and warships in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen but the Biden administration has limited their actions, to prevent regional war, he wrote.

Due to the Biden administrations concerns, the attack carried out on the Houthis by US and the UK earlier this month was on empty command posts near Sanaa and caused only minimal damage.

Ben-Yishai concludes that although Iran backs the Houthis, nevertheless, their leaders must be targeted just like the leaders of Hezbollah and Hamas were. This might spur the legitimate rulers of Yemen, to rise against the rebels like what happened in Syria.

Without significant military action, the threat from Yemen will persist, Ben-Yishai warned.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
Negotiations between Israel and Hamas over a potential ceasefire and hostage release deal are advancing but remain weeks away from completion, according to an Arab diplomat who spoke with The Times of Israel on Thursday. The trajectory is good, but there are still major issues to be negotiated, followed by difficult political decisions that both sides will need to make, the diplomat said.

While international mediators, including the U.S. and Qatar, push for a resolution, unnamed Israeli officials have expressed cautious optimism. According to Hebrew media reports, a deal could be reached by the end of December. An Israeli official involved in the negotiations told Walla news that talks in Qatar over recent days have been productive, though significant gaps persist. Channel 12 news also reported progress, quoting an Israeli official as saying, We are in the final stages of reconciliation, with clarity on a potential deal expected in the coming days.

CIA Director Bill Burns has played a key role in bridging gaps between the parties. Arriving in Qatar on Wednesday, Burns helped secure compromises that both sides are reportedly considering, according to Israeli officials.

Yaron Cohen, Israels hostage affairs coordinator, updated families of captives on Thursday, saying that a combination of regional developments and U.S. influence has created conditions favorable for an agreement. However, Cohen urged caution against relying on media reports, suggesting families contact his office directly with questions.

The primary sticking point in the negotiations remains the nature of the ceasefire. Hamas seeks a permanent end to the war, including the withdrawal of the IDF from Gaza. Conversely, Israel has proposed a temporary pause during which some hostages would be released, followed by the resumption of its military campaign aimed at dismantling Hamass military and governing structures.

Disputes also persist over the scope and terms of the deal. According to Channel 12, contentious issues include the number and identities of hostages to be freed; mechanisms for returning displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza; and the release and potential exile of high-risk Palestinian prisoners.

Israel has reportedly demanded the release of 34 hostages, including women, children, and the elderly, as part of an initial ceasefire phase.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
Elon Musk, with a fortune of $400billion, is already the world's richest man  although he chooses to live in a tiny $50,000 prefab home.

But speculation has arisen that this combative tech entrepreneur, an increasingly close associate of president-elect Donald Trump and supporter of Reform UK could become a trillionaire during the next four years.

This ascent in fortune would be fuelled by growth at his main venture Tesla, the world's number one maker of electric cars, and by expansion at his other key enterprise, Space X, the $350billion designer and manufacturer of advanced rockets and space craft. The colonisation of the planet Mars is among its aims.

Do the opportunities presented by Musk's mix of talent and friends in high places mean that this is the time to take a bet on this 'free speech absolutist'?

After all, Trump's presidential acceptance speech even included a mention of a Space X marvel  the 'Mechazilla' robotic arms fitted to the launchpad with which it catches the Starship rocket booster on its return to earth.

Cathie Wood, US fund manager at Ark Invest, says that Musk is equipped with a unique understanding of the 'current technology landscape', where artificial intelligence (AI), energy storage and robotics converge.

Close: Elon Musk and Donald Trump and a Tesla Model 3

These insights are one of the reasons why Tesla's board is fighting to give him a $56billion wage packet, although a court ruled against the award.

Another justification for this pay rise is the super-sized benefit that could, potentially, flow from Musk's role as co-head of the new US Department of Government Efficiency (Doge).

If this body slashes red tape, this should boost Tesla, Space X and Musk's other businesses which include xAI, the $50bn start-up firm behind Grok, a chatbot 'with humour', Neuralink which makes brain implants and social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, which has slumped in value under his ownership.

Yet despite the rewards that could result from the Trump alliance, investors should be mindful of the views of those who are not in the Musk fan club.

They do not doubt his extraordinary intellect and capacity for apparently endless innovation but argue that the new political position will test even Musk's constitution, although he happily works 100-120-hours a week.

David Coombs, head of multi asset investments at Rathbones is among the sceptics, saying that he would never put clients' Isa and pension cash into Tesla, arguing that it is 'a cult-like investment'.

Coombs also says that the bromance with Trump could end.

Ben Barringer, technology analyst at wealth manager Quilter Cheviot, also says that it is worth waiting to see how the relationship between the president and the mercurial Musk unfolds. 'The chief executives of the biggest tech groups have been meeting with Trump and Musk in an attempt to establish what the future looks like for the regulation of their industry,' Barringer says.

'These discussions are going on behind closed doors, but it is an area in which there could be considerable progress next year.'

The prospects look interesting, possibly thrilling  but also uncertain. If that fills you with enthusiasm rather than trepidation these are your options.

TESLA

In the early part of the year, Tesla was viewed as the laggard member of the 'Magnificent Seven' tech stocks: Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft and Nvidia make up the rest of the gang.

But Tesla has raced ahead over the past month rising by 108 per cent to $476. The price is now 1,777 per cent up over five years  and 3,557 per cent higher than a decade ago.

In the summer the focus was on the company's spiralling costs, and the challenge posed to its various models of car by the more affordable Chinese BYD automobiles.

Now the conviction is mounting that the Trump victory will enable Tesla to pursue its autonomous vehicle ambitions in a more unfettered way.

Under the current rules in the US, there are blocks on producing large numbers of cars without pedals or steering wheels. A Doge deregulation drive could see these obstacles  which

include detailed reporting of crashes  loosened. The outcome could be $1 trillion of extra sales for Tesla, or so the brokers Wedbush estimate.

Meanwhile, it is felt that Trump would take steps to shield Musk if Beijing were to retaliate against US tariffs by imposing its own tariffs on Tesla cars.

Wedbush has set a $515 target for the shares, adding that 'in a favourable scenario' the price could leap to about $650 by the end of 2025. Other analysts are more sceptical about the self-driving car revolution, however, rating the shares a 'hold'.

SPACE X

It is not possible to directly buy shares in Space X since it is an unlisted company. Musk owns about 54 per cent of the shares, with the rest held by institutions and venture capitalists.

You can, however, get exposure to the business through three investment trusts from the management group Baillie Gifford: Scottish Mortgage, Edinburgh Worldwide and Schiehallion.

Lawrence Burns, the group's deputy manager, hails Space X as possibly 'the most geopolitically important asset in the world', thanks to its near-monopoly over private sector access to space.

Space X, which was founded by Musk in 2002, carries payloads for commercial partners and the US government. Its collaboration with Nasa includes taking two astronauts to the International Space Station and back.

Musk would like to spend his retirement on Mars. But Space X's chief operating officer Gwynne Shotwell has no such dreams.

She is more interested in attracting more terrestrial customers to Starlink, Space X's internet network.

The belief that this satellite network could become the most popular way to access the internet is adding to the hope of many investors that Space X could go public. The company was valued at $210billion in June. The subsequent leap to $350billion makes it seem an irresistible proposition.

At present, however, tech companies are tending to see more advantage in remaining private. Maybe deregulation could change this stance.

Scottish Mortgage, a constituent of the FTSE 100, backs tech companies of all types, including Amazon, Nvidia and Tesla.

Space X may be one of its unlisted stakes, but such have been the concerns over this element of the portfolio that the trust's share price stands at a 13 per cent discount to its net asset value (NAV).

Scottish Mortgage is my personal bet on Tesla and Space X, but it is a high-risk vehicle, despite its solid-sounding name.

Schiehallion, named for one of the Munro mountains, is another trust only suited for those with a taste for a gamble.

However, excitement over its Space X link has narrowed its discount to 7 per cent, illustrating the willingness of investors worldwide to follow Musk to Mars  or wherever else he wishes to go.
SUVA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to Vanuatu Li Minggang said in an interview with Xinhua on Friday that the Red Cross Society of China has provided Vanuatu with 100,000 U.S. dollars in emergency humanitarian cash assistance in the wake of a recent powerful earthquake there.

"Today we have received 100,000 U.S. dollars of emergency humanitarian cash assistance from the Red Cross Society of China, which will be handed over to Vanuatu on Saturday," he said, adding that China will continue to provide assistance within its capacity based on the situation and the needs of Vanuatu.

Li told Xinhua that the embassy has kept in close contact with the Vanuatu government to learn about its rescue and relief needs, and provide timely support. 
MACAO, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday delivered an address at the meeting celebrating the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland and the inaugural ceremony of the sixth-term government of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR).

Please find the full text of the translation of the address in the attachment. Enditem

Full text: Chinese President Xi Jinping's address at the meeting celebrating the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland and the inaugural ceremony of the sixth-term government of the Macao SAR
ISTANBUL, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Turkish police on Friday captured 16 suspected members of the Islamic States (IS) in Turkiye's largest city, Istanbul.

Istanbul police units carried out simultaneous operations in different addresses across the city, the Istanbul Police Department said on social media platform X, adding that the suspects were accused of engaging in activities related to conflict zones in Syria and Iraq.

The video released by the department shows teams breaking down the doors of the suspects' homes and conducting searches. The apprehended suspects are also seen being handcuffed and placed into police cars.

The Turkish government designated IS as a terrorist organization in 2013, blaming it for a spate of deadly attacks in the country. 
Gardai have issued a statement on recent theft and burglaries around the country amid Christmas period, as part of Operation Thor.

Operation Thor is An Garda Siochana's "national strategy targeting organised crime groups involved in burglaries."

Gardai have arrested three people who were suspected of committing burglaries at commercial properties in Galway, Mayo, Cork, Kildare and Wexford.

Two men (aged in their 50s and 40s) and a woman (aged in her 40s) were arrested and are all currently detained at a Garda Station in the Garda North Western Region pursuant to Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act, 2006.

READ NEXT: Met Eireann in Christmas weather twist as they pinpoint snow to fall in these areas

Two locations in the Dublin Metropolitan Region were searched on Thursday 19th December, 2024, by Gardai from the North Western and Southern Regions investigating an organised criminal group which targeted at least 12 commercial premises.

An estimated 200,000 worth of cigarettes and vapes were stolen at the properties, according to An Garda Siochana.

"During the course of the searches, quantities of cigarettes were recovered, Gardai added.

Gardai have arrested three people as part of an intelligence-led operation targeting an organised criminal group suspected of committing burglaries at commercial properties in Galway, Mayo, Cork, Kildare and Wexford. https://t.co/yfqFv4rarA  Cork Safety Alerts (@CorkSafetyAlert) December 20, 2024

Investigations are ongoing.
(ECNS) -- Dec. 20 marks the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland. Twenty-five years on, the city has undergone a remarkable transformation under the "one country, two systems" policy.

Macao entrepreneur Elwin Ho, a witness to this evolution, attributes the citys progress to the nations robust development. I feel that Macao will develop even better in the future, he said in a recent interview with China News Network.

A more beautiful Macao

Born in the 1970s, Ho was obsessed with technology since he was a kid. To pursue his sci-tech dream, he left Macao for the Chinese mainland, earning a degree in a computer science from Peking University. He later continued his studies in the United States after graduating in 1996.



The young Elwin Ho (File photo: courtesy of the interviewee)

When Macao returned to China in 1999, I was working in Silicon Valley. I believed that the people of Macao would enjoy greater opportunities, he recalled.

When asked about the biggest changes in Macao, his immediate response was that the city has truly become more beautiful. My family lived right across from a vegetable patch, however, Macao has transformed so much after its return to the motherland. I couldnt even recognize some places when I first came back, he said.

In 2009, Ho founded Pachira, an artificial intelligence enterprise in Silicon Valley. Seeing the potential of the domestic market, he decided to come back to establish a Beijing office in 2010.

Over the past 25 years, Macao has experienced its fastest economic growth in history. Data shows that the regions GDP has skyrocketed more than sevenfold, from $6.5 billion in 1999 to $47.4 billion last year.

Ho also highlighted Macaos success in diversifying its economy, particularly in the fields of education, tourism, and sci-tech innovation. Since Macaos return to the motherland, the tourism industry has flourished, reaching a world-class level. The citys internationalization has become more evident, he said.

Bridge of the future

In recent years, Macao has actively played its role in advancing the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). Under this framework, the integrated development of Hengqin and Macao has been promoted.

In 2018, Pachira moved its headquartered to Hengqin with tremendous support from the local government. Three years later, an international operation center was launched in Macao.

According to Ho, Macao can leverage its advantages and act as a bridge to promote more efficient economic cooperation and cultural exchanges between the GBA or the whole country and Portuguese-speaking countries as well as serving as a gateway for the Belt and Road Initiative partner countries.

Macao offers abundant financing channels, while the Chinese mainland boasts a deep talent pool. It is also very convenient for both domestic and international experts to come to Macao or Hengqin, creating a favorable environment for both sides to develop more sci-tech products, he explained.

Looking ahead, Ho hopes for more collaborative projects between the Chinese mainland and Macao, particularly in culture and sci-tech innovation.


BAGHDAD, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Iraq warned Thursday that the terrorist organization Islamic State (IS) is reorganizing itself as it has seized numerous weapons due to the collapse of the Syrian army and its abandonment of weapon depots, which allows the group to expand its control over additional areas.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein made the remarks during a phone conversation with British Parliamentary Undersecretary of State for the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan Hamish Falconer, during which they discussed Syrian and IS issues, according to a statement from the Iraqi foreign ministry.

He also warned of the danger of IS members escaping from prisons, the deterioration of the situation in the al-Hawl refugee camp in northern Syria, and its impact on security in Syria and Iraq, it said.

Hussein stressed the need to build the Syrian political process based on the participation of representatives of all components, emphasizing the importance of providing sustainable international aid to the Syrian people, it added.

For his part, Falconer expressed his country's concern about the possibility of an armed clash between some armed groups and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, adding that the situation in Syria cannot afford further internal fighting, said the statement. 
TASHKENT, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Uzbekistan plans to attract 43 billion U.S. dollars in investment in 2025, according to the press service of the Uzbek president.

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev chaired a meeting Thursday on investment achievements in 2024 and tasks for 2025, said the service.

Uzbekistan has attracted 188-billion-dollar investments from all sources since 2017, of which 87 billion were foreign investments. In 2024, the volume of investments in the economy has exceeded 36 billion dollars.

The service said in November that Uzbekistan has taken in over 26 billion dollars in foreign investment during the first 10 months of this year. 
MOSCOW, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- On the initiative of the Uzbek side, Russian President Vladimir Putin and President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev had a telephone conversation on Thursday, the press service of the Russian president reported.

It was noted that Mirziyoyev expressed sincere condolences over the death of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, head of the Russian armed forces' radiological, chemical and biological defense troops, and his assistant.

It was emphasized that Uzbekistan strongly condemns this despicable terrorist act. The intention to continue close cooperation between the two countries' special services in countering terrorism has been emphasized. Mirziyoyev congratulated Putin on his successful annual press conference with a "Direct Line" question and answer session.

The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to further developing mutually beneficial Russia-Uzbekistan ties in all areas.

According to the press service of the Uzbek president, Mirziyoyev had a telephone conversation with Putin on Thursday. They discussed topical issues on bilateral agenda and multilateral cooperation within the framework of regional organizations.

They stressed the importance of continuing close and productive interaction between the intelligence services of the two countries to strengthen the fight against challenges and threats to security. 
VIENTIANE, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- A total of 1,896 new HIV cases were reported in Laos from January to November 2024, bringing the cumulative total to 22,584 cases since 1990, according to a recent report from the Ministry of Health.

The report, from the Center of Information and Education for Health under the Lao Ministry of Health, noted that the National AIDS Committee meeting was held recently to review efforts to achieve the United Nations' 95-95-95 targets by 2025.

These global benchmarks aim for 95 percent of people with HIV to know their status, 95 percent of those diagnosed to begin treatment, and 95 percent of those treated to achieve suppressed viral loads.

Currently, Laos operates 196 testing facilities and a growing network of treatment centers across its 18 provinces.

Lao government's efforts to combat the epidemic include strengthening services, increasing public awareness, and expanding preventive measures to protect vulnerable groups. 
DAMASCUS, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Israeli troops on Friday opened fire on demonstrators in the village of Ma'riya, west of Daraa province in southern Syria, wounding at least one protester, according to local al-Watan Online news outlet.

The demonstrators were reportedly demanding the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the area, according to the report.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that Israeli forces advanced further into the western outskirts of al-Rafid in Syria's southern Quneitra province, marking a significant escalation near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Citing witnesses, the observatory described a heavy presence of Israeli military vehicles and a heightened state of alert in the area.

The observatory noted that on Wednesday, Israeli troops advanced approximately nine kilometers into rural Daraa, entering the village of Kuwaya and the historic al-Wahda Dam near the Syrian-Jordanian border.

It added that Israeli forces also moved into the 74th Battalion compound belonging to the previous Syrian army near the village of Sayda, straddling the administrative boundary between Quneitra and Daraa provinces.

These incursions mark a significant violation of Syrian sovereignty and further strain an already tense situation in the south amid the absence of firm diplomatic efforts to de-escalate, said the observatory. 
Last week we noted that Kansas City's EV policy has confronted embarrassing challenges whilst workers wait the city to catch up with new tech.

Sadly . . .

Behind the scenes KCMO government did a good job of pushing back on that story end encouraging our mainstream colleagues not to follow-up . . . They even paid to tow a few of those idle EVs just sitting around.



However . . . In response to a recent order that city hall prioritize the purchase of EVs, insiders offer a glimpse into a local workaround that's having an impact on local streets.





Here's how it works . . .



Instead of ordering an EV . . . Savvy city hall workers now request an EPIC HALF TON PICKUP and claim their job can't be performed without that kind of equipment.



That's actually not a bad idea and it beats puttering about in an unreliable EV with limited range.

Also . . .

This is also the answer as to why their are so many half ton pickups on KC streets nowadays.



Of course, here at www.TonysKansasCity.com we don't want to spoil the fun of city hall insiders who actually need this kind of equipment.

However . . .

The latest beef inside city hall is that not everybody requires a two ton pickup to do their job even if the arguments are more about personal rivalries rather than saving the planet.



Developing . . .


Lots of news to catch up on this evening as we want to share a glimpse of holiday season crime, court cases, police action & ALLEGED misdeeds . . .



Check TKC news gathering . . .

Proactive surveillance leads to arrests of 5 shoplifters at Ward Parkway Mall Property Crimes detectives with the Kansas City Missouri Police Department have been busy during the holiday season.

KCPD asks for public's help to find vehicle involved in hit-and-run crash The Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department wants the public's help to find a car involved in a life-threatening hit-and-run crash.

Man accused of robbing Johnson County child at gunpoint arrested in Missouri The 19-year-old who stole an 11-year-old child's backpack at gunpoint in Overland Park in early December was found and arrested in Kansas City.

'We will find who did this': Mother pleads for answers in 17-year-old son's unsolved murder It has been four and a half months since Amber O'Connell was last told, "I love you," by her 17-year-old son. He was killed in a drive-by shooting in Avondale in Clay County on July 30.

Man charged with breaking into cars, using stolen credit cards at Lenexa stores Franchot P. Moore is charged with burglary, theft, criminal damage and identity theft in Johnson County.

Biden commutes sentence of man who ran LSD lab out of old nuclear missile silo in Kansas Clyde Apperson, along with William Picket, was busted for running the largest LSD lab ever discovered by the DEA out of an abandoned nuclear missile silo outside of Topeka, Kansas.

Raytown man indicted after raid leads agents to fentanyl, meth, heroin stash A 30-year-old Raytown man has been charged on multiple drug trafficking and firearmcharges.

Former rural Kansas prosecutor charged with felony perjury and witness intimidation * Kansas Reflector Former Neosho County Attorney Linus Thuston, who was jailed for misdemeanor convictions earlier this year, now faces six felony charges of perjury and witness intimidation.

Raytown BMX Track broken into four times in 2024, lose $20,000 of gear Multiple times this year, Raytown BMX Track volunteers have unlocked the gate and walked the course toward the shipping container storage to find items gone.

Man charged with involuntary manslaughter in June DWI crash: Court documents Jordan Asher, 25, faces involuntary manslaughter charges following a June accident that killed a woman and left another rider with several broken bones.

Billboard on KCMO's eastside asks for tips in 2003 homicide of Larry Riley A billboard towers over Kansas City, Missouri's, east side for the 21st anniversary of Larry Riley's murder.

Missouri State Highway Patrol: Have a safe Christmas season - Kirksville Daily Express The Missouri State Highway Patrol wishes everyone a merry and safe Christmas. One way for it to be merry is for everyone to arrive at their holiday celebrations safely. Wear your seat belt, obey all traffic laws, pay attention, and please, don't drive impaired. Remember: Missouri is now a hands-free state.

Kansas law enforcement receives $1.9m in federal grant Governor Laura Kelly announced that $1.9 million will go to various criminal justice organizations in Kansas on Thursday.

A new Kansas City program steers residents to mental health or drug care rather than custody The KC REACH program aims to address mental health, substance abuse and homelessness by providing care instead of police intervention for nonviolent crises.

Developing . . .
Here's an interesting trend to note . . .

Throughout local social media we're noticing local complaining about crooks captured and then immediately released back onto local streets . . . At the neighborhood level we're surprised to notice outcry about the lack of a city jail.



Accordingly . . .

Here's the solution that won't take hold for years but will at least put this town on the right track.

Check-it:



The one-quarter cent sales tax question will be on the ballot on April 8, 2025. It would renew a sales tax that would send revenue toward constructing a new municipal rehabilitation and detention center. It would also fund construction, operation and maintenance needs for law enforcement and emergency medical service providers.



Todays vote brings us closer to a safer Kansas City. As we continue our investment in housing, health, and education, we are also a City that needs to ensure bad acts have consequences that are swift and certain, said Mayor Quinton Lucas. I look forward to bringing our detention and rehabilitation plan to voters, who understand that investing in both security and rehabilitation is what strengthens our entire community.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .
Quite a few biz leaders exited the Kansas City metro this year.

In fact . . .

The largest private employer in Kansas City doesn't have much of a future in our cowtown despite denials from clueless politicos and civic leaders. Accordingly, ongoing layoffs and a power move out of KC speaks louder than continued assurances.



Here's the money line regarding the fate of local jobs that we liberated from behind a paywall . . .

"Cerner Corp.'s acquisition is years old, but Oracle Corp.'s CEO made clear what people in Kansas City had begun to suspect. He said in April that Nashville would be the company's world headquarters, extinguishing hope that the metro area would be a major base for the company."



Meanwhile . . .

The KC Biz Journal offers a baker's dozen for their local move out list but we just wanted to share a few names that might resonate . . .



Oracle Health



Signature Psychiatric Hospital



International Paper Co.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . . Paywall but it's worth it . . .



KC Biz Journal: These companies closed or moved their headquarters away from KC in 2024



Developing . . .


Another local connection to changing times and/or the answer to provide middle-class Johnson County white women when they naively ask: "Where's our nanny?!?"

Check-it . . .



The Midwest Regional Reception Center, which was previously operated as the Leavenworth Detention Center, a pre-trial detention facility for detainees charged with  but not convicted of  federal crimes in Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and western Missouri.



During its time as a pre-trial detention facility, the Leavenworth Detention Center grappled with persistent violence.



Micah Kubic, executive director of the ACLU of Kansas, said in a statement that an expanded ICE presence will deeply harm our fellow Kansans.



The community of Leavenworth has made it clear multiple times that ICE and CoreCivic are not welcome to wreak the havoc of federal immigration enforcement here, Kubic said, and local and state leaders do not have to give in.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .
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MOSCOW, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Russia launched a group strike with long-range precision weapons on Friday morning in retaliation for Ukrainian attacks on its chemical plant with Western-made missiles.

The strike targeted the Ukrainian Security Service command post, the state-run Kiev design bureau "Luch," and positions of the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

It said the raid was in response to Ukraine's Wednesday attack on a Russian chemical plant in the Rostov region with six U.S.-made ATACMS tactical missiles and four Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missiles.

Ukraine's General Staff of the Armed Forces said on Telegram that five Russian missiles targeted Kiev but were shot down by Ukrainian air defense at around 7 a.m. (0500 GMT).

The fragments of downed missiles resulted in deaths and injuries as well as damage in five districts of Kiev, it said.

In a major shift of policy on the Ukraine crisis, the United States in November authorized Ukraine to use U.S. long-range missiles to strike targets in Russia, triggering an escalation of tension around the conflict. 
Fire emerges after a Russian missile and drone attack in Kiev, Ukraine, Dec. 20, 2024. At least one person was killed and two were injured on Friday in the attack, authorities said. The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia dropped several ballistic missiles after its overnight drone strikes on Kiev. (Photo by Roman Petushkov/Xinhua)

KIEV, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- At least one person was killed and two were injured on Friday in a Russian missile and drone attack on Kiev, Ukraine's capital, authorities said.

The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia dropped several ballistic missiles after its overnight drone strikes on Kiev.

Preliminary reports from the Kiev City State Administration said that one person was killed in the city's southern Holosiivskyi district. Kiev mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed the incident, adding that another two were injured and a heating main was damaged.

Debris from the intercepted projectiles ignited several roofs after falling across four districts in eastern, southern, western and central Kiev, he said.

In the Boryspil region near Kiev, a massive fire broke out, engulfing a warehouse area of 15,000 square meters, reported local media. 

A damaged building is pictured after a Russian missile and drone attack in Kiev, Ukraine, Dec. 20, 2024.

At least one person was killed and two were injured on Friday in the attack, authorities said.

The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia dropped several ballistic missiles after its overnight drone strikes on Kiev. (Photo by Roman Petushkov/Xinhua)

This photo taken on Dec. 20, 2024 shows the damage caused by a Russian missile and drone attack in Kiev, Ukraine.

At least one person was killed and two were injured on Friday in the attack, authorities said.

The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia dropped several ballistic missiles after its overnight drone strikes on Kiev. (Photo by Roman Petushkov/Xinhua)

This photo taken on Dec. 20, 2024 shows the damage caused by a Russian missile and drone attack in Kiev, Ukraine.

At least one person was killed and two were injured on Friday in the attack, authorities said.

The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia dropped several ballistic missiles after its overnight drone strikes on Kiev. (Photo by Roman Petushkov/Xinhua)

This photo taken on Dec. 20, 2024 shows the damage caused by a Russian missile and drone attack in Kiev, Ukraine.

At least one person was killed and two were injured on Friday in the attack, authorities said.

The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia dropped several ballistic missiles after its overnight drone strikes on Kiev. (Photo by Roman Petushkov/Xinhua)

This photo taken on Dec. 20, 2024 shows the damage caused by a Russian missile and drone attack in Kiev, Ukraine.

At least one person was killed and two were injured on Friday in the attack, authorities said.

The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia dropped several ballistic missiles after its overnight drone strikes on Kiev. (Photo by Roman Petushkov/Xinhua)

Rescuers clear debris along a road affected by a Russian missile and drone attack in Kiev, Ukraine, Dec. 20, 2024.

At least one person was killed and two were injured on Friday in the attack, authorities said.

The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia dropped several ballistic missiles after its overnight drone strikes on Kiev. (Photo by Roman Petushkov/Xinhua)

Smoke rises from a damaged building after a Russian missile and drone attack in Kiev, Ukraine, Dec. 20, 2024.

At least one person was killed and two were injured on Friday in the attack, authorities said.

The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia dropped several ballistic missiles after its overnight drone strikes on Kiev. (Photo by Roman Petushkov/Xinhua)

This photo taken on Dec. 20, 2024 shows the damage caused by a Russian missile and drone attack in Kiev, Ukraine.

At least one person was killed and two were injured on Friday in the attack, authorities said.

The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia dropped several ballistic missiles after its overnight drone strikes on Kiev. (Photo by Roman Petushkov/Xinhua)

This photo taken on Dec. 20, 2024 shows the damage caused by a Russian missile and drone attack in Kiev, Ukraine.

At least one person was killed and two were injured on Friday in the attack, authorities said.

The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia dropped several ballistic missiles after its overnight drone strikes on Kiev. (Photo by Roman Petushkov/Xinhua)

This photo taken on Dec. 20, 2024 shows the damage caused by a Russian missile and drone attack in Kiev, Ukraine.

At least one person was killed and two were injured on Friday in the attack, authorities said.

The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia dropped several ballistic missiles after its overnight drone strikes on Kiev. (Photo by Roman Petushkov/Xinhua)

A damaged building is pictured after a Russian missile and drone attack in Kiev, Ukraine, Dec. 20, 2024.

At least one person was killed and two were injured on Friday in the attack, authorities said.

The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia dropped several ballistic missiles after its overnight drone strikes on Kiev. (Photo by Roman Petushkov/Xinhua)

A damaged car is pictured after a Russian missile and drone attack in Kiev, Ukraine, Dec. 20, 2024.

At least one person was killed and two were injured on Friday in the attack, authorities said.

The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia dropped several ballistic missiles after its overnight drone strikes on Kiev. (Photo by Roman Petushkov/Xinhua)

A damaged building is pictured after a Russian missile and drone attack in Kiev, Ukraine, Dec. 20, 2024.

At least one person was killed and two were injured on Friday in the attack, authorities said.

The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia dropped several ballistic missiles after its overnight drone strikes on Kiev. (Photo by Roman Petushkov/Xinhua)
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CAT 2024: 14 score 100 percentile, Maximum from Maharashtra

The Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) Calcutta announced Thursday December 19, 2024 CAT 2024 (Common Admission Test 2024) result, along with the details and score of toppers

Friday December 20, 2024 10:59 AM , ummid.com News Network

[Representative image]

CAT 2024 Toppers: The Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) Calcutta announced Thursday December 19, 2024 CAT 2024 (Common Admission Test 2024) result, along with the details and score of toppers.

As per the CAT 2024 result data released by IIM Calcutta, 14 candidates from different states have scored a perfect 100 percentile, and the maximum of them are from Maharashtra.

Also, as many as 29 candidates have secured 99.99% percentile  and again maximum are from Maharashtra.

CAT 2024 Toppers

Candidated with 100 Percentile

According to CAT 2024 result details published by IIM Calcutta, 14 candidates  13 male and 01 female, have scored 100 percentile.

Maharashtra tops the list with 05 candidates followed by Telangana with 02 candidates while Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh Odisha and Uttar Pradesh having 01 candidate each in the CAT toppers list.

The Engineering stream has sent 13 toppers.

Candidated with 99.99 Percentile

The CAT 2024 Merit List further showed 29 candidates getting 99.99 percentile. Of them 27 are male and 02 female.

Among them are 05 from Maharashtra, 04 from Karnataka, 03 each from Haryana and Rajasthan, 02 each from Delhi and Gujarat, and 01 each from Assam, Chandigarh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.

Again, 28 candidates who scored 99.99 percentile are from the Engineering stream.

Candidated with 99.98 Percentile

As per the CAT 2024 Merit List, 30 candidates from different states scored 99.98 percentile. Of them 29 male and 01 female, and 22 Engineering students whereas 08 non-engineering.

A total of 04 candidates with CAT score of 99.98 are from West Bengal, 03 each are from Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Telangana, and 02 from Uttar Pradesh.

The Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) Calcutta had released the Final Answer Keys of CAT 2024 (Common Admission Test 2024) on Thursday December 19, 2024, and soon later released CAT result on its website iimcat.ac.in.

CAT 2024 Timeline

CAT 2024 was conducted on November 24 across 170 cities with 2.93 lakh participants. It featured 68 questions divided into three sections: VARC, DILR, and QA.

The IIM Calcutta had released the CAT Provisional Answer Key on November 29, 2024.

Candidates were given a chance to raise objection if any till 11:55 PM on December 05, 2024.

CAT Final Answer Key was released on Tuesday December 17, 2024.

CAT 2024 Result declared on Thursday December 19, 2024

CAT 2024 Results: Key Statistics

Out of 3.29 lakh registered candidates, 1.19 lakh were female, 2.10 lakh were male, and 14 were transgender.

Among 2.93 lakh candidates who appeared, 1.07 lakh were female, 1.86 lakh were male, and 9 were transgender.

14 candidates scored 100 percentile, including 13 males and 1 female.

Of these 14 perfect scorers, 13 are from Engineering background, while 1 is from non-Engineering background.

CAT result is prepared based on the final answer key. Candidates can check their CAT score and result at "iimcat.ac.in" following the steps given below.

Steps to check CAT Result

Go to the official website: iimcat.ac.in. Click on log-in button under Registered Candidates link Enter user ID and password Type the 7 chracter code shown in the image Log in and click on the relevant link to download CAT 2024 score in PDF.

According to the CAT result released today a total of 14 candidates have scored 100 percentile and are CAT 2024 toppers.

The CAT 2024 score is valid only till December 31, 2025 and will accordingly be accessible on the website.

CAT 2023 Toppers

Common Admission Test in 2023 (CAT 2023) was held on November 26, 2023. The answer key was released on December 05 whereas the CAT 2023 result was published on December 22, 2023.

According to the CAT 2023 Merit List releases by The Indian Institutes of Management (IIM), 14 candidates had scored 100 percentile and were declared as CAT Toppers.

Besides the CAT toppers, as many as 29 candidates  28 males and 01 female, had scored 99.99 percentile in 2023.

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Israel accuses Pope Francis of trivializing Genocide in Gaza context

In a move that could spark outrage, Israel has accused Pope Francis of trivializing the term Genocide in Gaza context

Friday December 20, 2024 7:44 PM , ummid.com News Network

Tel Aviv: In a move that could spark outrage, Israel has accused Pope Francis of trivializing the term Genocide in Gaza context.

The Israeli accusation came after Pope - the highest-ranking member of the Catholic clergy and the head of the Catholic Church, called for investigation to determine if Israel is committing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.

In an open letter published by Italian newspaper Il Foglio, Israels Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli said the Popes remarks  made in excerpts from a forthcoming book that were published last month, amounted to a trivialisation of the term genocide.

As a people who lost six million of its sons and daughters in the Holocaust, we are particularly sensitive to the trivialisation of the term genocide  a trivialisation that comes dangerously close to Holocaust denial, Chikli wrote.

Also Read: IHRC calls for Holocaust Memorial Day boycott

Chikli, who ended the letter by calling Francis a dear friend of the Jewish people, asked the pope to clarify your position regarding the new accusation of genocide against the Jewish state.

The Pope in the book excerpts published by Italian daily La Stampa , said some international experts said that what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide.

We should investigate carefully to assess whether this fits into the technical definition [of genocide] formulated by international jurists and organisations, the Pope said.

Intersetingly, Pope Francis is not the only one accusing Israel of committing Genocide in Gaza. The United Nations, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), U.S.-based Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and a number of ther academics.

The Netanyahu-led extremist regime is already facing charges of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

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Hugo Award winner Liu Cixin (front R) autographs for sci-fi lovers during the 81st World Science Fiction Convention (WorldCon) in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Oct. 20, 2023. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan)

by Xinhua writers Yao Yuan and Huang Xinxin

BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Will science fiction writers seek a helping hand from artificial intelligence (AI), which is already assisting, if not replacing, humans in many forms of writing?

For acclaimed sci-fi writer Liu Cixin, author of "The Three-Body Problem," the answer is: not now, but not sure in the future.

"At least for now, I don't intend to include AI creation in my works," Liu said Thursday via video at a sci-fi forum in Beijing. "But given its current speed of growth, AI may have a strong writing ability in five to ten years. By then, I wouldn't be so sure not to accept AI's help."

The Hugo Award winner said the fast development of AI technologies may make sci-fi writers like him "the last generation of sci-fi writers whose writing is undoubtedly done by humans."

"Of course, many future writers will stick to human writing, but that would need proving, and that proving could be difficult," he said.

Meanwhile, 61-year-old Liu said he is trying his best to write, even though writing has been slow and difficult.

"I will try my best to depict humans' relations with the universe, our future in the universe, and the many possibilities we may face in the future," he said.

Liu is most known for his sci-fi trilogy "The Three-Body Problem," which has been translated into more than 30 languages and adapted into animation, television and radio dramas. Its film adaptation will be helmed by acclaimed Chinese director Zhang Yimou.

Machine writing is controversial for sci-fi writers. Award-winning sci-fi writer Ted Chiang reportedly said large language models are not creating interesting art, as they are programmed to take an average of or emulate the choices that other writers have already made.

Ji Shaoting, the forum's organizer, said sci-fi writers have a mixed feeling toward the advent of AI writing. "Some are boycotting AI writing, while some are cooperating with AI, using it to fill in contents."

"So far, what AI produces is boring, as it mostly does semantic rearrangement of existing texts and lacks overall thinking. It is no match to human writers when it comes to creating new ideas," said Ji, a member of the science fiction committee of the China Writers Association. 
Masjid-mandir disputes raked as short cut to become Hindu leader: RSS Chief

RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat Thursday December 19, 2024 expressed concerns over masjid-mandir disputes saying some people are creating and using these issues as a short cut to become leaders of Hindus

Friday December 20, 2024 5:12 PM , ummid.com News Network

Pune: RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat Thursday December 19, 2024 expressed concerns over masjid-mandir disputes saying some people are creating and using these issues as a short cut to become leaders of Hindus.

"After the construction of the Ram Mandir, some people think they can become leaders of Hindus by raking up similar issues in new places," Mohan Bhagwat said without taking name.

Speaking at an event titled India  The Vishwaguru', at Sahjeevan Vyakhyanmala (lecture series) in Pune on Thursday, Bhagwat said such actions are unacceptable and should not be allowed.

"Every day a new matter (dispute) is being raked up. How can this be allowed? This cannot continue. India needs to show that we can live together," he said without mentioning any particular site.

However, Bhagwats comments are seen in the context of the recent survey ordered by a Smabhal Court of Shahi Jama Masjid . Violence and clashes erupted after the survey killing five Muslims in police firing.

The violence in Sambhal and killing of Muslim youths in police firing had also rocked the ongoing Winter Session of the Parliament where Samajwadi Party Chief and former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav, presented a minute by minute detail of how the state administration incited violence and then police resorted to firing killing the Muslims youths.

This is not for the first time Bhagwat warned against creating what he called Ram Madnir like disputes. While addressing another event few months ago he had said this was unfair to search for temples in every mosque.

However, RSS critics question the seriousness of Mohan Bhagwats repeated assertions reminding the power he and his organization enjoy.

No one can dare raise such issues or create communal unrest if Mohan Bhagwat is really serious and meant what he asserts, RSS critics said.

In a related development, the Supreme Court has barred the courts of the country from ordering new survey of mosques or any other places of worship in the country.

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Released: World's First AI-Driven Digital Organism

Innovative startup GenBio AI Thursday December 19, 2024 released Phase 1 of the world's first AI-Driven Digital Organism (AIDO) opening the doors to a new era of scientific exploration

Friday December 20, 2024 5:12 PM , ummid.com News Network

Palo Alto (California): Innovative startup GenBio AI Thursday December 19, 2024 released Phase 1 of the world's first AI-Driven Digital Organism (AIDO) opening the doors to a new era of scientific exploration.

6 Groundbreaking Models

In this first phase, scientists will have access to not one, but six groundbreaking models that can simulate, program, and predict complex biological outcomes for DNA, RNA, Protein, Protein Structure, Single Cell Expression, and Evolutionary Information.

Unlike earlier models that focus on specific aspects of a multi-cellular organism, GenBio AI takes a holistic approach where multiscale foundation models are built in modules and integrated into a single system.

Capabilities

These State-Of-The-Art models are unprecedented in their capabilities:

They are the fastest and most efficient in the market - solving up to 300 diverse tasks simultaneously, compared to one to two tasks.

They are the only ones intentionally built to interact with each other - finally tackling biology and AI's research silo problem.

They allow biological data of all types and scales to be utilized to distill holistic and comprehensive knowledge of how living systems work - the first time this has ever been possible.

GenBio AI is set to fuel an unprecedented era of discovery across molecular, cellular, and organism levels.

"These "building block" Foundational Models are just the first phase on the company's road map to the world's first AIDO. More details are expected in the year ahead", GenBio said.

"New era of Medical and Life Science"

Commenting on the latest development, Professor Eric Xing, Co-Founder and Chief Scientist of GenBio AI, called it a "new era of medical and life science".

"GenBio will usher in a new era of medical and life science - through a paradigm shift powered by next-generation Generative AI technology beyond what has already brought us disruptive results such as ChatGPT", he said.

"Our transformative technology allows biological data of all types and scales to be utilized to distill holistic and comprehensive knowledge of how living systems work. Therefore, multiscale biological complexities are no longer barriers but opportunities for breakthrough insights", he added.

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US votes against UNGA resolution on Israel's humanitarian aid obligations in Gaza

Showing again its duplicity on humanitarian crisis, the United States Thursday voted against a United Nations General Assembly resolution seeking the International Court of Justice (ICJ) opinion on Israel's obligations to facilitate aid to Palestinians in Gaza

Friday December 20, 2024 11:52 AM , ummid.com News Network

United Nations: Showing again its duplicity on humanitarian crisis, the United States Thursday voted against a United Nations General Assembly resolution seeking the International Court of Justice (ICJ) opinion on Israel's obligations to facilitate aid to Palestinians in Gaza.

The resolution - submitted by Norway and backed by at least 22 states highlighting the dire humanitarian situation in Palestine, demanded Israel comply with its legal duties under international law, as previously outlined by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The United States however voted against the resolution.

Along with the U.S., Israel and 10 other countries voted against the resolution. A total of 22 countries abstained from voting.

The resolution was however adopted by the 193-member body with an overwhelming 137 member states  including United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia, China, Italy and India, voting in its favour.

"UN General Assembly ADOPTS resolution requesting ICJ advisory opinion on the obligations of Israel in relation to the presence and activities of the United Nations, other international organizations and third States.

"VOTE RESULTS: In favor: 137, Against: 12, Abstain: 22", the UN said Thursday.

Background

The resolution comes at the backdrop of Israel parliament passing laws in October banning the UNs aid agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, from operating inside Israel and East Jerusalem.

Israel alleges that UNRWA, which has provided critical support for Palestinian refugees for seven decades, has been infiltrated by Hamas but has consistently failed to provide evidence to support the accusation .

The ICJ, known as the World Court, is the United Nations' highest court, and its advisory opinions carry legal and political weight although they are not binding.

The Hague-based court has no enforcement powers if its opinions are ignored. This is why Israel continues to ignore ICJ directives passed on the issue earlier.

The ICJ is currently hearing a petition by Southe Africa and supported by a number of countries which accused Israel of violating Genocide Convention.

South Africa had approached the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in December last accusing the far right Zionist regime of committing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.

Following the South Africa petition, the world court at The Hague has two times - first time in January and later in March , announced provisional measures ordering Israel to refrain from killing the civilians and ensure aid to the displaced residents.

The UN General Assembly had on December 11, 2024 adopted a resolution expressing support for UNRWA, and deploring the Israeli law seeking to ban the UN agencys operations in Gaza and other Palestinian Occupied Lands.

Norway Resolution in UN

The latest UN resolution on humanitarian crisis in Gaza demands that Israel cease actions impeding the delivery of basic services and humanitarian aid to Palestinians, particularly in Gaza, and to respect the rights of international organizations operating in the region.

Noting the importance of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in providing "vital" assistance to Palestinians, it urged full implementation of the agencys recommendations to ensure neutrality and effectiveness in its work.

The resolution further reiterated the call for the realization of Palestines right to self-determination, urging all parties to uphold their obligations under international law.

It also called "upon Israel to uphold and comply with its obligations not to impede the Palestinian people from exercising its right to self-determination."

Warning against any "actions that could weaken the critical role of the United Nations in conflict resolution," it urged "support initiatives that contribute to a just, lasting and comprehensive settlement of the question of Palestine."

It requested on "a priority basis and with the utmost urgency" the ICJ to provide an advisory opinion to address Israel's legal obligations in the region.

Norway's Deputy Foreign Minister Andreas Kravik said before the vote: "We recognize that states may take different positions as to what has caused this dystopian nightmare. What we cannot afford to disagree on, however, is the humanitarian imperative to provide aid and assistance to those in desperate need."

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Watch: Chinese astronauts set new record of longest spacewalk

Two Chinese astronauts set new record of the longest spacewalk surpassing the earlier one set by NASA astronauts

Friday December 20, 2024 7:30 PM , ummid.com News Network

Beijing: Two Chinese astronauts set new record of the longest spacewalk surpassing the earlier one set by NASA astronauts.

Chinese astronauts, Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong, created history during their spacewalk outside the Tiangong space station two days ago, spending over nine hours conducting Extravehicular Activities (EVA).

The mission, part of China's three-person Shenzhou 19 mission, took place from late Monday night into Tuesday morning, according to officials with China's Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO).

Spacewalk Video

Don't miss the Shenzhou XIX crew members' first #spacewalk.



Check out the review! [CMS] pic.twitter.com/9E6t35UoKL  Chinese Space Station (@CNSpaceStation) December 19, 2024

The two Chinese astronauts bettered the previous record of 8 hours and 56 minutes held by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronauts, James Voss and Susan Helms , since March 2001.

"A Significant Milestone"

The successful Extravehicular Activities marks a significant milestone for the Shenzhou 19 mission, which docked with the Tianong station on October 29 this year and is set for a six-month stay.

The record breaking spacewalk of Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong also broke a previous Chinese record of Astronauts Ye Guangfu and Li Guangsu who spent 8 hours, 23 minutes outside Tiangong space station in 2022.

The video footage released by Chinese space agency showed the astronauts leaving the Wentian lab module. They were tethered by safety cables during the EVA.

Their work was supported by robotic arms and team coordination. Wang Haozhe, inside the station, assisted throughout the activity. More spacewalks and experiments are planned for the current mission.

Also, the record-setting EVA was the 17th overall outside of Tiangong. China's first-ever spacewalk was performed by Zhai Zhigang, commander of the Shenzhou 7 mission, in 2008 .



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BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Brunei's Safety, Health and Environment National Authority is urging employers and workers to prioritize safety measures to prevent fall-related fatalities in the workplace, local media reported on Friday.

According to local daily Borneo Bulletin, falls from height have accounted for nearly half of all workplace fatalities in Brunei since 2013, with a total of 79 workers losing their lives during this period.

Brunei recorded four tragic workplace deaths in 2024. This alarming trend underscores the urgent need for stricter safety protocols, particularly in high-risk industries like construction, according to the newspaper.

Brunei's Safety, Health and Environment National Authority has demanded that all employers, occupiers, and principals must take immediate actions to implement comprehensive safe work practices to protect their workers from fall-related fatalities. 
ANKARA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that his country would support Syria's transition process, and contribute to the country's recovery and stability.

"We are supporting the Syrian people in managing the transition process smoothly, without any setbacks along the way," the state-run TRT broadcaster quoted Erdogan as saying.

"Drafting a constitution is one critical step in rebuilding the state," Erdogan told journalists on his return flight from Cairo, where he attended the 11th Summit of the Developing Eight Organization for Economic Cooperation.

"For this, we have initiated communication with key figures in Syria's new administration."

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is set to visit Syria soon to discuss creating a "collaborative framework" for Syria's future, he said, adding, "If Syria establishes a truly stable structure with this new formation, in my view, it will hold a very strong position in the Islamic world."

He noted that Turkiye and Syria would collaborate on multiple sectors, including defense, education, and energy.

"Currently, Syria is facing serious challenges in energy, but we aim to resolve these issues swiftly," Erdogan said.

With years of conflict devastating Syria's infrastructure and cities, Erdogan underscored the importance of reconstruction. "To mend the wounds, it is essential to rebuild cities and create sustainable livelihoods," he said, pointing to plans for new housing, energy facilities, and initiatives in agriculture and livestock as priorities. 
International students in the Colorado College (CC) are encouraged to return to campus before January 20, 2025, which is the spring semester and the date that coincides with the US Presidential Inauguration Day of the Trump Administration.

With this announcement, CC wants to ensure that its international students, who hold F-1 and J-1 visas, avoid any potential disruptions that may arise due to new immigration policies that might come into effect.

The college spokesperson said that beginning Block 5, which is the academic term, would coincide with the inauguration, KRDO reported. While CC does not envision the changes having an immediate effect, taking preventative measures will ensure the safe return of its international students. The school has been directly in touch with its international students and informed them to arrive on campus before January 20.

Call for International Students in Colorado College

According to KOAA News 5, there are around 110 international students, or 4.5% of the college's population. These students are an important part of the college's community, and their successful readmission back to campus remains a concern.

Apart from dealing with immediate worries, the college has reassured the students and families that they are closely monitoring any federal change that could affect visa holders. In particular, the school administration is keenly looking into the potential immigration policies which will affect their travel plans. As part of this, it reassures its commitment to students amid transitions.

As the semester comes to a close on December 18, international students can make their plans to return during the holiday break. In doing so, Colorado College is being forward-thinking and sensitive to its diverse student body by aligning its recommendations with the inauguration timeline.
Pennsylvania State Police announced that Elizabethtown College will create a new police academy on campus.

Now, this academy will offer the ability for students enrolled in the Municipal Police Officer Training minor to receive Act 120 trainingthe required 26-week program for those interested in becoming municipal police officers in Pennsylvaniaright at the college, instead of needing to train at other academies and go through additional logistical processes.

Kadee Crandall, criminal justice program director at college, stated that the academy fits in well with the college's community service and workforce development missions.

Lancaster Online reported that students who enroll in this program can graduate with a four-year bachelor's degree and police academy training with no delays in their policing careers. The college proactively responds to the region's need for police training facilities as well.

The new academy will be the first Municipal Police Officers' Education and Training Commission-accredited facility in Lancaster County. It will also support training for municipal police departments in both Lancaster and York counties, filling a long-standing gap in local law enforcement education.

Michael Corricelli, the Director of Training and Curriculum Development at the commission, shared that the academy will open doors for aspiring police officers in the area. This means that individuals from Lancaster and York counties have access to top-tier training and resources, which leads to a more skilled and prepared police force.

Although the timeline for the acceptance of future officers is not yet decided, this development puts Elizabethtown College ahead in police education and training.
South Carolina students with minor drug or alcohol convictions will end up losing their scholarships funded entirely through state money, but legislators want to change that.

Currently, by law, college students here can have one misdemeanor on their record without their scholarships automatically being taken away. Having any other conviction leads to total scholarship disqualification for the year.

SC Daily Gazette shared that Rep. Leon Stavrinakis, D-Charleston, thinks it's too severe to take away scholarship eligibility based on minor infractions.

He just introduced a bill to eliminate misdemeanor drug and alcohol offenses from scholarship eligibility. Felony convictions would remain grounds for disqualification, but Stavrinakis says students shouldn't lose access to education funding over minor infractions.

As a lawyer who has seen the impact of these rules first-hand on students who can't afford to defend themselves in court, many South Carolina students have high stakes when it comes to their pocketbooks.

Read more: Top Ways to Qualify for Reduced College Tuition Fees

Losing Student Scholarships Over a Minor Offense

Currently, annual tuition at public universities ranges from not lower than $10,500 to over $15,000.

There are scholarships like the Palmetto Fellows that award students up to $7,500 per year. Other programs, which require a 3.0 GPA, offer as much as $5,000 for maintaining that average.

More assistance is given to students with additional financial needs or studying science, technology, or education-related fields. Losing these scholarships could put a huge burden on the shoulders of the students and their families.

This is not Stavrinakis's first attempt to change the rule. He has filed such bills twice since 2021, but neither made it to a hearing, per Bill Track 50. Still, he remains dedicated to ensuring that students are not unfairly penalized for minor offenses.

Stavrinakis emphasizes that education should be accessible and that scholarship rules should focus on supporting students' success instead of punishing them disproportionately. This way, the legislator hopes to create a more balanced system that allows students to focus on their education without the fear of losing critical funding over small mistakes.
ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 20th Dec, 2024) The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD) hosted an international forum on "The Role of Law and the Judiciary in Protecting and Promoting Human Rights," aimed at exploring legislative mechanisms that safeguard human rights and improve societal well-being, quality of life, and happiness.

Organised by the ADJD through the Abu Dhabi Judicial academy, the two-day event focused on the judiciarys role in promoting human rights and sustainable development, while emphasising the UAEs leadership in justice, equality, and aligning legal frameworks with global best practices.

The forum featured a series of sessions addressing key topics, including the UAEs legal framework, which is in line with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and related international treaties. Other sessions covered the Canadian legal experience in protecting rights, the role of family courts in promoting social justice, the ADJDs human rights initiatives, and the US public prosecutions approach to human rights.

Discussions also highlighted Abu Dhabis efforts to improve inmate rights in rehabilitation centres, aligning with global standards, and the evolving legal framework to protect workers' rights, with a focus on the Abu Dhabi Labour Court. The forum also examined the role of Abu Dhabi courts in applying international human rights conventions, the American judicial system, and the European Convention on Human Rights, along with the role of local courts in its enforcement.

The forum concluded with a review of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Departments contributions to enhancing human rights through its legal and administrative practices.


(@ChaudhryMAli88)

DUBAI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 20th Dec, 2024) Digital Dubai today signed a strategic partnership agreement with the Dubai Future Foundation, reflecting the shared commitment of both entities to developing national competencies that can anticipate and shape the future through innovative concepts, technologies, skills and tools.

The agreement was signed by Tariq Al Janahi, Chief Executive Officer of the Corporate Enablement Sector at Digital Dubai; and Saeed Al Falasi, Executive Director of Future Design and Acceleration at the Dubai Future Foundation.

This partnership focuses on empowering participants in the Digital Pioneers Programme, an initiative by Digital Dubai that trains new graduates over a one-year period to become future leaders through a blend of technical and behavioural skills, with a strong emphasis on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and tools of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Tariq Al Janahi said, This agreement aligns with Digital Dubais direction to enhance digital competencies, invest in its talent driving the digital transformation process, and provide them with advanced and diverse training resources.

We are pleased that Dubai Future Foundation serves as a key learning and training hub for Dubais digital talent.

Saeed Al Falasi, Executive Director of Future Design and Acceleration at Dubai Future Foundation said, "Imagining, designing, and executing the future - while remaining ready for its opportunities and transformations - is a core principle of the Dubai Future Foundations various programmes and initiatives. The strategic partnerships with leading entities, such as Digital Dubai, a benchmark in world-class digital transformation leadership, reinforce Dubai's status as the worlds most future-ready city."

The partnership encompasses several pillars, such as launching joint training programmes with leading global technology companies and participating in international events that showcase the latest advancements in future technologies.
Reuters: Foreign Minister Wang Yi will meet with Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval for talks on the China-India border issue tomorrow, the first such high-level talks since December 2019. Are you able to tell us what is on the agenda? What is needed to rebuild trust between the two countries?

Lin Jian: As we announced yesterday, the 23rd meeting between the Special Representatives of China and India on the boundary question will be held on December 18 in Beijing. We will release information about the meeting in due course. Please stay tuned.

On your second question, China is ready to work with India to implement the important common understandings between the leaders of China and India, respect each others core interests and major concerns, strengthen mutual trust through dialogue and communication, properly settle differences with sincerity and good faith, and bring bilateral relations back to the track of stable and healthy development as soon as possible.

AFP: The Council of the European Union announced yesterday a new round of sanctions intended to weaken Russias war effort against Ukraine, and this included the first use of what the Council called fully-fledged sanctions against Chinese actors, including travel bans and asset freezes. Does the Foreign Ministry have a comment on these new sanctions?

Lin Jian: China firmly opposes unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law or authorization by the UN Security Council. China deplores and firmly opposes the EUs unjustified sanctions against Chinese companies. On the Ukraine crisis, China is committed to promoting talks for peace. China never provides weapons to the parties to the conflict and strictly controls the export of dual-use articles, and Chinas scope and measures of export control over drones are the most stringent worldwide. The normal exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and Russian companies should not be disrupted or interfered with. Most countries, including European countries and the US, have continued to trade with Russia. We urge the EU to stop applying double standard, stop falsely accusing and shifting the blame to China, and stop undermining the lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies. China will do what is necessary to firmly defend the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies.

Beijing Daily: In recent months, the posts, pics and video clips about China Travel have been trending on overseas social media. A video tagged with China Travel garnered over 80 million views on Youtube, and videos with the same tag received nearly one billion views in total on TikTok. Visiting China right after leaving office on Friday has been a buzzword on the social media in the ROK and other countries. Whats your comment?

Lin Jian: I also saw quite a few China Travel videos posted by foreign internet users. Through their lens, many foreign friends offer a glimpse of the thriving and modern cities in China as well as the hustle and bustle of ordinary Chinese. Some of these curious visitors have never been to China, and others have visited our country more than once.

In recent months, China has implemented a complete mutual visa exemption with 26 countries. We have issued a unilateral visa-free policy for 38 countries, including France and Germany, a visa-free transit policy for 54 countries, and reached mutual visa-free agreements with 157 countries and regions. This morning, China fully eased and improved the visa-free transit policy, extending the permitted stay for eligible foreign travelers to 240 hours, or 10 days, from the original 72-144 hours. Twenty-one ports of entry and exit have been added for visa-free transit individuals. Foreign nationals entering China through the visa-free transit policy can make cross-province travels within the allowed areas.

We welcome foreign friends to add China to their travel bucket list, and experience Chinas time-honored history by visiting heritage sites such as the Great Wall, feast their eyes on natural wonders such as the glinting West Lake, discover application of cutting-edge technologies, and feel the spirit of humanity embodied in winter dining delights.

Reuters: China placed sanctions on 27 Trump administration officials during US President-elect Donald Trumps first term, including his then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Please can you confirm whether those individuals are still under Chinese sanctions?

Lin Jian: I have no information to share.

AFP: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said yesterday that his government is concerned about the challenge that China poses, as a Chinese businessman denied engaging in espionage. What is the Foreign Ministrys response?

Lin Jian: The China espionage accusation is just preposterous. Let me stress that advancing China-UK relations is in the interest of both countries, and conducive to global growth and response to global challenges. We hope that the UK will work with China, accumulate positive factors, and manifest the fact that cooperation benefits both countries.




KIEV, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine is working to create a joint gas hub with Poland to compensate for the loss of the Russian gas transit, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported Thursday, citing Deputy Energy Minister Mykola Kolisnyk.

"The end of transit marks the beginning of competition among new routes and resources, including liquefied natural gas (LNG), which is actively increasing its share in the EU's overall energy mix," Kolisnyk said.

The proposed Eastern European gas hub would leverage Ukraine's storage facilities and Poland's LNG terminals to store and supply gas for consumers in Europe, he added.

Ukraine used to be a key transit route for Russian gas supplies to Europe.

Earlier in the day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reaffirmed that Kiev will not extend its five-year gas transportation deal with Russia, which expires on Dec. 31. 
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Dec, 2024) The 18th Speakers Conference, hosted by the National Assembly after a decade-long gap, concluded Friday on a high note as political leaders reaffirmed their commitment to fortifying democratic governance in Pakistan.

The two-day event, which brought together key parliamentary figures, including Chairman Senate Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, and provincial legislative speakers, focused on addressing pressing constitutional and legislative issues.

In his opening remarks, Chairman Senate Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani highlighted the forum's significance in promoting dialogue and collaboration among Pakistans democratic institutions.

This conference is a testament to our shared resolve to enhance the effectiveness, transparency, and inclusivity of our legislatures, he stated.

A major focus of the conference was the review of the 18th Amendment, a landmark constitutional reform that decentralized legislative, administrative, and financial powers to provinces.

Delegates emphasized the need to refine its implementation, addressing challenges to ensure participatory governance and provincial empowerment.

The sessions also explored critical themes, including expanding the mandate of the Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services, fostering international partnerships, and strengthening oversight mechanisms such as Public Accounts Committees.

The establishment of an Association of Secretaries was also discussed as a way to streamline legislative operations.

In his concluding remarks, Chairman Gilani called for collective action to uphold constitutional principles and modernize legislative practices.

The way forward requires a spirit of unity and cooperation. Our assemblies must work collectively to address challenges, from constitutional ambiguities to the critical need for inclusivity in decision-making, he said.

The event concluded with the adoption of the Islamabad Declaration, a strategic roadmap aimed at enhancing parliamentary governance, fostering regional collaboration, and advocating for Pakistans interests on global platforms.

The declaration underscores the commitment of all participants to translate conference recommendations into actionable reforms.

As the curtains closed on the 18th Speakers Conference, participants hailed the event as a milestone in advancing Pakistans democratic traditions, with hopes for a more inclusive, transparent, and capable parliamentary system in the years to come.
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Dec, 2024) Chairman Senate Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani proposed a practical solution to address the issue of ministers' absenteeism in the House, recalling his tenure as Prime Minister.

Speaking at the Speakers Conference in response to a question about ministers' absence, Gilani said, "When I was Prime Minister, similar complaints were raised about ministers not attending sessions.

To resolve this, I decided to personally attend the House sessions regularly. Once I started doing so, not only did the ministers ensure their presence, but the attendance of ruling party members and ministry officials also improved significantly."

He suggested adopting a similar approach today, emphasizing that leadership by example can effectively enhance participation and accountability in parliamentary proceedings.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has formed National Youth Council to engage youth, increase their empowerment in policy making and give them more meaningful role in strengthening of institutions

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Dec, 2024) Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has formed National Youth Council to engage youth, increase their empowerment in policy making and give them more meaningful role in strengthening of institutions.

The prime minister will be the chairman of the council and ministers of youth affairs of the provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan will be the members.

The council will have 113 youth members and will work for and represent young people, aged 10 to 29 years. It will act as an official representative body of youth led civil society, both from the public and private sectors from across Pakistan.

The council will work to advance pro youth development and empowerment agenda as outlined in the National Youth Development Framework by advising on and facilitating processes and mechanisms that include and integrate young people into policy making, implementation, monitoring and evaluation at all levels of government.

It will provide a sustainable platform for unified engagement with decision makers in public and private sector as well as international youth led development initiatives.

It will mobilize the voice of young people and advocate with all levels of government to meaningfully engage young people.

It will identify policy and institutional gaps and provide strategic advice and direction for youth development and empowerment.

The council will support Federal, provincial and local government institutions in developing youth focused programmes, initiatives and institutional reforms.

It will monitor and assess impact of pro-youth schemes and initiatives at all levels of government and will strengthen the structure and institutionalization of National Youth Council.

The council members will broadly work around seven thematic areas including support in areas of policy, media, institutionalization of National Youth Council, support to marginalized youth, employment, reproductive health and youth engagement.
(@FahadShabbir)

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Dec, 2024) Security Forces killed most wanted khawarij leader Ali Rehman alias Maulana Taha Swati and seven others militants in a successful intelligence based operation (IBO) in Tank District.

On receiving information about the presence of Khawarij militants, the security forces conducted IBO in Tank district on the night between December 17 and 18, security sources said.

Khawarij Ali Rehman alias Maulana Taha Swati was a close associate of Khawarij leader Mufti Fazlullah, they said.

The sources said that Ali Rehman alias Maulana Taha Swati joined Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in 2010. The killed Khawarij Ali Rehman was an important leader of the Khawarij Shura, they said.

They said Ali Rehman alias was also a close associate of Qari Amjad alias Mufti Mazahim. During the operation, a militant entered a house and took two children hostage in a room, they added.

The sources said that the terrorist had disguised himself in a woman's clothes to escape.

The militant tried to use the two children as shields, they added.

The sources said that owing to the successful strategy of the security forces, the terrorist was eliminated while both children were safely recovered. The local people lauded the Pakistan Army for the safe recovery of the children, they said.

They said an explosive laden vehicle was also recovered from the terrorists' possession. The explosive material was likely to be used for a major terrorist attack, they said.

The sources said in past, key leaders of the Khawarij have also been killed in successful operations. The killings of militants on Pakistani soil on daily basis also reflect the strong alliance between Khawarij militants and Afghan Taliban, they said.

They said Pakistan has repeatedly provided credible evidence to the Afghan interim government in this regard, but no action has been taken so far. The alliance between Afghan Taliban and the Khawarij poses a serious threat to global and regional peace, they said.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Sydney, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Dec, 2024) Australia said Friday it has agreed to help boost Solomon Islands' police force with a finance and training package for the Pacific nation, which has fostered close ties with China.

The deal includes Aus$190 million (US$118 million) in financing over four years, training and infrastructure including a police training centre in the Solomons' capital Honiara, Canberra said.

It represents a "new foundation for Australia's security partnership with the Solomon Islands", Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told a news conference.

"What we have done is ensure that Australia remains the security partner of choice."

Albanese said he sealed the agreement in discussions with Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele.

Manele's predecessor switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 2019.

Three years later, the archipelago signed a secretive security deal with Beijing that raised alarm in Western capitals over China's expanding influence in the Pacific.

Beiing's move sparked a flurry of diplomatic activity by the United States, Australia and other allies to cement closer relations with strategically placed South Pacific nations.

"My government is proud to make a significant investment in the police force of the Solomon Islands to ensure that they can continue to take Primary responsibility for security in the Solomons," Albanese said.

"This partnership will strengthen the Solomon Islands domestic security, but it will also enhance its ability to contribute to regional stability."
(@FahadShabbir)

Kyiv, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Dec, 2024) A series of loud blasts were heard in the Ukraine capital Kyiv Friday morning and smoke could be seen rising over part of the city, AFP staff reported, after authorities warned of a ballistic missile attack.

"Ballistic missile from the north!" the Ukraine air force warned in a Telegram message, nearly three years after Russia invaded in a war that has cost tens of thousands of lives.

Authorities also reported missile attacks in the southern port city of Kherson, where one person was killed and six injured, as well as several other Ukrainian cities and towns.

Moscow's forces are advancing in the Kharkiv region that borders Russia and are aiming to recapture the town of Kupiansk, which was occupied in the first year of the war.

Ukraine recaptured it in September 2022 as part of a lightning offensive that saw its forces regain large swathes of the Kharkiv region.
(@FahadShabbir)

Russian missiles targeted Kyiv at sunrise on Friday, killing at least one person and damaging six diplomatic missions and a university in the centre of the Ukrainian capital

Kyiv, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Dec, 2024) Russian missiles targeted Kyiv at sunrise on Friday, killing at least one person and damaging six diplomatic missions and a university in the centre of the Ukrainian capital.

Moscow said it attacked Ukraine as retaliation for a strike using Western missiles on a chemical plant in Russia earlier in the week.

Russian aerial attacks regularly target the capital but rarely cause damage of that scale as Kyiv is well protected by air defence, nearly three years into Russia's invasion.

"There were explosions after explosions in a row," said 45-year-old Ksenia, who was staying at a hotel near the site of a wreckage.

The air force said it downed all five Iskander missiles Russia launched at the capital, but that debris caused damage in several districts.

The strikes killed a 53-year-old man and wounded 12 people, most suffering from shrapnel injuries, the city's administration said.

They also damaged a building housing the diplomatic missions of Albania, Argentina, Palestine, North Macedonia, Portugal and Montenegro, the Ukrainian foreign ministry said.

"These are barbaric attacks on diplomatic institutions, this is crossing all possible red lines and international rules," foreign ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhy was quoted as saying by Ukrainian agency Interfax.

In the absence of the Russian ambassador in Lisbon, the charge d'affaires of the Russian Federation has been summoned to be presented with a formal protest, the Portuguese government said.

The building of the Kyiv National Linguistics University was also impacted, according to the institution's Instagram account, which posted photos of a main campus building whose windows had been completely blown out, glass shards covering the floor.

- 'People start running' -

Victoria, a 35-year-old doctor, had come out to look at the charred cars and buildings with blown-out windows at the site of an attack.

"Russians should burn in hell," she said.

Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ignat said Ukraine Patriot air defence systems had been deployed to shoot down the missiles.

The Ukrainian think tank Defence Express said: "All the missiles were successfully intercepted, but in one case, the warhead failed to be destroyed and it exploded near a business centre in the city centre."

Moscow claimed responsibility for the overnight attack on Ukraine, carried out a day after Russian leader Vladimir Putin threatened to strike Kyiv.

"You know that such strikes on Russian territory have been carried out, and you know that the president has said that every time there will be a response," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

His comment came soon after the Russian defence ministry said that "in response to the actions of the Kyiv regime, supported by its Western handlers, a combined strike with long-range precision weapons was launched today".

The ministry said it had targeted an office of the SBU security service and a defence industry site, and that "all the targets have been struck".

- 'Dumbass' -

Putin at a press conference on Thursday had suggested a "high-tech duel" over Kyiv to test his claims that Russia's new hypersonic ballistic missile, dubbed Oreshnik, is impervious to air defences.

"Let them set some target to be hit, let's say in Kyiv," he said.

"They will concentrate there all their air defences. And we will launch an Oreshnik strike there and see what happens."

Zelensky hit back, saying: "People are dying and he thinks it's 'interesting'... Dumbass."

Putin's statement was the latest in a series of threats aimed at increasing pressure on war-torn Ukraine, which has faced nearly daily aerial attacks for almost three years.

Russian attacks also killed two people in Ukraine's southern city of Kherson Friday.

"Today Kherson woke up from numerous strikes of the Russian army. The occupants have created hell in the city," governor Oleksandr Prokudin said.

Prokudin also said shelling had left 60,000 homes without electricity in the Kherson region, which has been under daily strikes since Ukraine liberated the city in November 2022.

Russian forces were then pushed back to the other side of the Dnipro river, putting Kherson well within reach of Russian artillery stationed on the opposite bank.

A Russian sabotage group tried but failed to cross the Dnipro during the shelling of Kherson, spokesman for the Southern Defence Forces Vladyslav Voloshyn told state-run Suspilne media.

Russian troops are on the offensive again, especially in the eastern Donbas region, where they captured two small villages near the city of Pokrovsk.
Pristina, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Dec, 2024) Weeks after an explosion ripped through a strategic canal in Kosovo, the volatile state's authorities are under mounting pressure from Serb opponents who accuse them of politicising it ahead of the February elections.

The blast in late November ripped a hole through a canal providing water to hundreds of thousands of people and the cooling systems at two coal-fired power plants that generate most of Kosovo's power.

Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti blamed arch-rival Serbia for what he termed a "terrorist attack" but many in his administration have since fallen largely silent about the affair.

The Serbian government denied any links to it and announced plans to carry out its own investigation.

Following the initial outburst of accusations, Kosovo officials have offered little evidence, with many toning down their rhetoric in recent days.

"What have we learned from the investigation into the attack on the Ibar-Lepenac canal? Unfortunately, so far we have learned nothing," said Aleksandar Arsenijevic from the Serb Democracy Party, based in Kosovo's restive north.

"Everything is being kept under a veil of secrecy, and the investigation is clearly being dragged out in order to be used for political purposes. There is a serious danger that the Ibar-Lepenac case will end up in the shadow of other events."

Serbia and Kosovo have been at odds since the end of a war in the late 1990s between Belgrade's forces and ethnic Albanian separatists in what was then a province of Serbia.

Serbia has never recognised Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence.

The blast at the canal occurred near the border with Serbia -- an area home to many of Kosovo's remaining ethnic Serbs and long a hotbed of unrest.
UNITED NATIONS, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Dec, 2024) A senior UN official has denounced Israeli authorities for obstructing humanitarian work in the Gaza Strip, stressing that the aid system has been "weaponized."

Speaking to correspondents via video link on Thursday, Georgios Petropoulos, the head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) sub-office in Gaza, said, "Israeli authorities and military seem unwilling to open multiple access points at once," which he said it hampers the delivery of vital supplies.

Petropoulos pointed to multiple issues that have slowed down aid deliveries, including strict Israeli restrictions on items, looting of aid in Israeli-controlled areas, and limited access via Israeli checkpoints.

"Most of the areas in which these lootings happen are under the control of the Israeli forces," he told reporters.

Giving a harrowing update on the dire situation in the enclave, Petropoulos described it as "the most dangerous place on earth right now."

The official underscored the grim reality facing over two million people trapped in Gaza, where basic necessities like food, shelter, and safety have become scarce.

Dying hungry and in pain is an increasingly likely outcome for children, mothers, aid workers, and teachers alike, he said.

We're there to support [the people] who for more than 14 months have struggled to stay alive", Petropoulos said. But we're not allowed to do our jobs, he emphasized.

OCHA has been striving to deliver food, healthcare, and safe drinking water to Gazas besieged population, but fuel shortages and blocked access routes have exacerbated the crisis.

Moreover, these efforts have been opposed by what Petropoulos referred to as blanket prohibitions from Israeli authorities.

When we raise these things with Israeli authorities, they reject virtually every single practical solution that we table, Petropoulos said, adding that the aid system has been weaponized.



He further revealed that aid delivery often becomes a race against time, with insufficient supplies to meet the growing needs of the population.

As an aid worker in Gaza, you're forced to make horrible decisions, he described. Should I let people die of starvation or of the cold? Do we bring in more food to ease hunger or more plastic sheets for some shelter from the rain at night?, he illustrated.

North Gaza, under near-total siege for 75 days, has become a site of intensified military operations.

Petropoulos described chilling reports of mass casualties, the destruction of entire communities, and forced displacements under bombardment.

The Israeli corridor bisecting the strip, has been fortified to such a degree that it's not really a corridor anymore, he said, noting that 150 requests for humanitarian access have been denied since October.

Even when supplies manage to reach shelters or hospitals, they are often destroyed in subsequent attacks.

Petropoulos called on Member States to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and to ensure the protection of civilians.

He emphasized the need for a ceasefire and immediate, complete humanitarian access.

We need to get to people wherever they are, he said. We need to prove the impact of this response based on how people are doing and not the numbers of trucks, he added.

The UN has consistently warned of the escalating humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urging all parties to respect the principles of international humanitarian law and facilitate aid delivery to those in need.

As the crisis intensifies, the UNs humanitarian system in Gaza faces its greatest test yet, operating hand to mouth with little reserves left.
Brussels, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Dec, 2024) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday he needed both Europe and the United States on board to secure a durable peace, as he huddled with EU leaders at their final summit before Donald Trump's inauguration.

Trump returns to the White House next month having pledged to bring a swift end to a conflict that NATO says has left more than one million dead and wounded since Russian President Vladimir Putin's 2022 invasion.

Talk has increasingly turned to ways Europe could help guarantee any ceasefire, with embryonic discussions over a possible deployment of peacekeepers one day.

But there are few specifics and Zelensky insisted that any steps to secure peace would have to involve the might of the United States.

"I believe that the European guarantees won't be sufficient for Ukraine," he said after talks with his EU counterparts.

Zelensky said he was supportive of an initiative mooted by French President Emmanuel Macron to potentially deploy Western troops -- but it needed to be fleshed out.

"If we are talking about a contingent, we need to be specific -- how many, what they will do if there is aggression from Russia," he said.

"The main thing is that this is not some artificial story, we need effective mechanisms."

Kyiv and its European allies fear that Trump's return means the volatile Republican could cut support for Ukraine's military and force Zelensky to make painful concessions to Moscow.

Ukraine's EU backers -- fearful of being left on the sidelines -- insist they want to step up support to put Kyiv in a position of strength for any potential negotiations.

As the change of guard approaches in the US, Zelensky has appeared to soften his stance on any potential peace push.

He has said that if Ukraine is given firm security guarantees by NATO and enough weaponry it could agree to a ceasefire along current lines and look to regain the rest of its territory through diplomatic means.

But NATO members have rebuffed Kyiv's calls for an invitation to join their alliance right away, sparking speculation that sending peacekeepers could be an alternative.

In the near term, Kyiv is desperate for more air defences and weapons as its flagging forces lose ground across the frontline to Russia.

"We have to do everything that is in our hands to support Ukraine," said Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda.

Zelensky said it would be "very difficult" for Europe alone to support Ukraine without US involvement and pleaded for both sides to work together.

"I think only together the United States and Europe can really stop Putin and save Ukraine," he said.

European officials warned against trying to impose a deal on Ukraine -- and said only Kyiv can decide when it's time to negotiate.

"The European Union stands united in its support to Ukraine to win a comprehensive, just and lasting peace, not any peace, not capitulation," said European Council chief Antonio Costa.

"Now is not the time to speculate about different scenarios. Now is the time to strengthen Ukraine for all scenarios."
"We are very glad to hear that China has extended its visa-free policy to Croatia. I believe this will help boost the further development of our bilateral relationship," said Branko Balon, President of the Croatian-Chinese Friendship Society for Cultural, Scientific and Economic Cooperation. #GLOBALink






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With TikTok videos promoting honey packets, the supplements marketed as sexual enhancements have become popular on college campuses.

But as Charles Trepany reports in USA Today, the Food and Drug Administration has warned that ingredients in the supplements could be potentially dangerous. (November 2024)
Africa's mining sector is witnessing a surge in legal disputes in the Sahel and Central Africa, as mining companies face increasing scrutiny in the countries in which they operate. The disputes stem from tax and customs audits, and a lack of expertise in managing finance, arbitration, and change in legislations in some countries.



In a statement Wednesday, officials with the Barrick Gold Corporation said its operating entities in Mali submitted a request for arbitration to the International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes, ICSID, to address the disagreement with the Mali government regarding the Loulo-Gounkoto complex.



Barrick, the worlds second-largest gold miner, and the Mali military government have been in a dispute over new mining rules since 2023.



The new rules seek to give the state and local private investors a 35 percent interest in mining projects, up from 20 percent.



The International Arbitration, or ICSID, registered cases in six sub-Saharan countries this year: Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Senegal, South Sudan, and Tanzania.



Of the cases filed by investors and countries, 28 percent were in the oil, gas, and mining sectors, the highest.



Beverly Ochieng is a senior analyst with Control Risks, a firm specializing in political, security, and integrity risks. She says inward-looking countries and mineral rights are causing authorities to clash with mining firms.



Across the continent, there has been this bigger drive toward resource nationalism whereby countries feel that because they are the biggest stakeholders of those resources, whether its gold, zinc, uranium, they ought to put in legislation or update their legislation to make sure that the government earns a lot more. So, it hasnt quite led to disputes in other countries in a way it publicly played out in Mali, but it is bound to raise some concerns on how that transition happens, said Ochieng.



Mining experts argue that political instability, particularly in countries like Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, changes in mining laws and alliances have affected companies that have been mining in those countries for decades.



Some countries have shut down mining sites because of alleged environmental damage and failure to remit taxes to the government.



Disputes between companies and states arise from changes in government, insecurity, political instability, tax evasion, tribal authority, and environmental and social issues.



Paul Ogendi teaches law at the University of Nairobi. He says strong governance and rule of law are crucial for effective dispute resolution and preventing conflict and suffering.



We need to have the governance structure operating so that the judiciary and other arbitration or other dispute mechanisms can operate," he said. "If we dont have strong governance and institutions, particularly working under the rule of law, it will be a waste of time to go to court or any other forum to arbitrate or resolve your dispute because the players will ignore it and will continue destabilizing the region and this will continue to spur a conflict and the suffering of the people.



Geopolitical tensions are also influencing some African countries' decisions to deny or revoke licenses of some companies and give them to their newfound friends, like China and Russia.



Ochieng says African nations are diversifying partnerships, while Western operators face regulatory challenges as new players reshape the landscape.



It also allows African countries to diversify their partners and to strengthen their own resources," he said. "It will take a very long time for that to happen, but its not necessarily the biggest threat for Western operators. For Western operators its the issue of compliance and ensuring they have an understanding of how these governments, various governments have various factors of compliance that they need to adhere to. The emergence of a new place is definitely going to change that environment, and it's going to be seen as an opportunity or a threat depending on who is assessing it.



The ICSID says 88 proceedings were concluded in 2024. Of these, 71 percent were settled by the tribunal, and 29 percent were settled or proceedings discontinued. This year, Tanzania reached an agreement with Canadian company Montero Mining and Exploration Limited over a licensing dispute and agreed to pay $27 million.
An encounter with police in the Serbian city of Pirot earlier this year unnerved investigative reporter Slavisa Milanov.

A journalist for the independent media outlet FAR, Milanov was driving with a colleague in February when they were pulled over by police, who asked the pair to accompany them to a station to be tested for illegal substances.

Once there, Milanov said he was asked to leave his phone and personal belongings behind during a check.

The drug tests were negative, but when police handed Milanov his phone, he noticed the settings had been changed.

Suspecting that spyware may have been installed, he reached out to Amnesty International.

In a report published this week, the international watchdog confirmed Milanovs suspicions, finding forensic evidence that spyware was installed on the phones of several journalists and activists, including Milanov.

In at least two cases, software provided by Cellebrite DI  an Israeli company that markets products for government and law enforcement agencies  was used to unlock the phones prior to infection, the report found. Then, Serbian spyware called NoviSpy took covert screenshots, copied contacts and uploaded them to a government-controlled server.

In multiple cases, activists and a journalist reported signs of suspicious activity on their mobile phones directly following interviews with Serbian police and security authorities, Amnesty said.

'Major consequences' seen

Aleksa Tesic, who has reported on spyware in Serbia for the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, said the Amnesty report precisely documented for the first time cases showing technology abuse for the purpose of affecting civil liberties.

"We had various indications that this was happening before, because Serbia has been interested in advanced spy software for more than 10 years. But this could now have major consequences for democracy in Serbia," Tesic said.

Serbias Security Intelligence Agency (BIA) rejected the findings. In a statement on its website, the agency said the report contained nonsensical statements, and that the BIA operates within local law.

The Serbian Interior Ministry also denounced the report as incorrect.

Milanov said the existence of spyware on his phone could jeopardize me, my family, colleagues and my sources.

If anything happens to any of us, I will hold the state responsible for it. I don't see who else it could be, he told VOA Serbian.

Milanov is based in Dimitrovgrad, at the border of Serbia and Bulgaria, 330 kilometers from Serbias capital, Belgrade. He recalled to VOA the traffic stop and police headquarters, where he believes his phone was accessed.

There, I was told to turn off my phone and leave other personal belongings during the check. Alcohol and drug tests were, of course, negative. Yet the policeman was, as it seemed to me, messaging with someone unknown to me, Milanov said.

The reporter asked if he was free to go but was told, We are waiting for the boss.

Not long afterward, two men arrived. Milanov said they did not identify themselves.

I assumed they were police inspectors. We went to another police station, where they questioned me about my work, financing, if I have traveled to Bulgaria recently and with whom, he said.

Milanov answered the questions before being released with his belongings.

But changes to his phone settings led to a suspicion that something was wrong.

At home, he used specialized software and found that although he had left his phone off at the police station, it had been switched back on for the duration of his police encounter.

Call for accountability

Pavol Szalai, who heads the European Union-Balkans Desk of Reporters Without Borders, told VOA that Amnestys report corroborates information his organization had about journalists targeted by surveillance.

Spyware and surveillance used in an illegitimate way kills journalism without spilling [any] blood of a journalist. Surveillance undermines confidentiality of sources, which is a cornerstone of press freedom, he said. And as for Serbia on the international level, it must be held accountable by the international organizations of which it is a member.

Serbia is a European Union candidate country. But a report this year by the European Commission said the country lacked progress, including in the rule of law, the fight against corruption, nonalignment with Russia sanctioning and media freedoms.

A European Commission spokesperson told VOA that any attempts to illegally access citizens data, including journalists and political opponents, if confirmed, are not acceptable.

The commission expects national authorities to thoroughly examine any such allegations and to restore citizens trust, the spokesperson said.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that while he could not comment on a specific case, the use of spyware raises concerns.

Speaking broadly, we have made quite clear since the outset of this administration the concerns that we have about governments that use spyware to track journalists, to track dissident groups, to track others who legitimately oppose or report on government activities, Miller said in response to a question by VOA.

Grant Baker, a research analyst for technology and democracy at Freedom House, said Serbia should conduct an impartial investigation and provide remedy to those affected.

Authorities should also amend excessively broad laws regulating surveillance so they better align with both the European Court of Human Rights rulings and the International Principles on the Application of Human Rights to Communications Surveillance, Baker said.

The international community should also make clear that such disproportionate surveillance is a grave threat to democracy, Baker said.

While export controls are not a panacea, they are one important and necessary step to reducing the technologys negative impact on human rights around the world, he said.

Serbia has a vibrant media landscape, but reporters often face political pressure, and impunity for crimes against journalists tends to be the norm, according to press freedom groups.

Reporters Without Borders ranks Serbia 98th out of 180 on the Press Freedom Index, where 1 reflects the best environment for media.
Feminists and other critics say the sentences handed down in Frances mass rape trial are too lenient with some calling them shameful. The trial has shocked the nation of France and made international headlines.

Speaking to reporters in the southern French city of Avignon, 72-year-old plaintiff Gisele Pelicot said she respected the verdict. She said she never regretted going public  which she said aimed to give other victims of sexual assault the courage to speak out.

Pelicots ex-husband, Dominique, received the toughest sentence  the maximum of 20 years in prison  for drugging his wife and allowing dozens of men to rape her as she slept. The attacks went on for nearly a decade until police detained him for another sexual incident and discovered scores of videos of the rapes.

Some 50 other defendants received sentences ranging from three to 15 years  many less than what prosecutors had recommended. Some walked out free after receiving suspended sentences. Its not immediately clear whether Dominique Pelicot or others will appeal their sentences.

Protesters outside the court in Avignon slammed the sentences as shameful and insufficient.

So did womens rights activists like Laura Slimani, of the Womens Foundation. On France Info radio, she criticized the French justice system for what she said was its inability to handle sexual violence cases.

The Pelicot trial has sparked soul searching  and protests  in France about rape and other forms of gender-based violence.

Pelicot herself has become something of a heroine for her courage and dignity. She said Frances so-called macho, patriarchal society must change how it looks at rape.

After the verdicts, many again saluted her courage  including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. "The shame must change sides," Sholz said on X. "Thank you, Gisele Pelicot."
China's push to develop the world's premier fighting force extends beyond conventional and nuclear capabilities, with U.S. officials warning that Beijing is pouring resources into a mix of psychological warfare and cyber operations.

The goal in employing what are known in Beijing as cognitive domain operations, or CDO, is to influence the way China's adversaries think and behave, targeting everyone from the average citizen to senior officials.

China "views controlling the information spectrum in the modern battlespace as a critical enabler of information dominance early in a conflict," according to the Pentagon's China Military Power report, released Wednesday.

"The PLA [People's Liberation Army] probably intends to use CDO as an asymmetric capability to deter U.S. or third-party entry into a future conflict or as an offensive capability to shape perceptions or polarize a society," it said, adding that for Chinese military officers, "subduing the enemy without fighting is the highest realm of warfare."

The Pentagon's report does not state how much money Beijing has allocated for these efforts but says that the PLA has spent parts of the past six years looking at how to incorporate cutting-edge technologies, such as artificial intelligence, to produce deepfakes and other material to mislead the U.S. public.

It also says China has tasked some of its leading technology companies, including Baidu, Alibaba and Huawei, with using generative AI to produce better audio and video, in addition to more convincing text and images.

Successes and failures

The results, however, have been uneven.

U.S. intelligence officials repeatedly called out China, along with Russia and Iran, for trying to deploy AI-boosted influence operations in the run-up to the U.S. presidential election in November.

Some of the efforts, though, were described as clumsy.

"The quality is not as believable as you might expect," said a U.S. intelligence official at the time.

Earlier efforts, identified by tech giant Microsoft, described an improvement in Beijing's ability to produce "eye-catching content," though questions remained about the content's reach and impact.

U.S. intelligence officials have also said that Beijing's influence efforts have been hampered by what they describe as a struggle by Chinese intelligence to understand the American psyche with the same sophistication as other U.S. adversaries, such as Russia.

China has repeatedly denied such allegations, accusing the U.S. of calling out others for its own wrongdoing.

"For quite some time, the U.S. side has patched up all sorts of disinformation about threats of 'Chinese hackers' to serve its own geopolitical purposes," Liu Pengyu, the spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, told VOA in an email earlier this month regarding allegations that a Chinese-linked group known as Salt Typhoon had breached U.S. telecommunications companies.

"The US needs to stop its own cyberattacks against other countries and refrain from using cybersecurity to smear and slander China," he added.

Still, U.S. officials warn that aspects of China's psychological and cyber operations have met with an alarming amount of success, most notably the exploits of the hacking group known as Volt Typhoon.

Volt Typhoon has been "working to embed, burrow into our most sensitive critical infrastructure, not for espionage, but rather for disruption or destruction in the event of a major crisis in the Taiwan Strait," said Jen Easterly, director of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

'Induce societal panic'

"This is a world where a war in Asia could see very real impacts  across our nation, with attacks against pipelines, against water facilities, against transportation nodes, against communications, all to induce societal panic and to deter our ability to marshal military might and citizen will," Easterly added, speaking at a virtual cyber conference earlier this month.

The CISA director said U.S. cyber teams have worked with companies in the private sector to evict Volt Typhoon from their systems, but there still is a long way to go.

"We think what we've seen to date is really just the tip of the iceberg," Easterly said.

Pentagon officials echo those concerns.

"I think we're starting to see more emphasis in the cognitive space  not being only focused on our leaders but indeed on populations in a way that can be both corrosive to institutions we have but also is really, really hard to, frankly, prevent, deter," said Christopher Maier, the assistant defense secretary for special operations and low-intensity conflict.

China and other adversaries such as Russia are "going to be a lot more aggressive. They're going to take a lot more risk," Maier said in response to a question from VOA during an event in Washington on Wednesday.

"They're going to try to message our population in ways that, frankly, we would find completely inappropriate and threatening," he said.

But Maier questioned whether such tactics will ultimately yield the desired results.

"The information tool is most useful when it's paired with physical actions and done in a more, if you will, tactical way. That's something that China and Russia could do," he said. "But those effects don't tend to last for long."

And, he said, now that the U.S. is on the lookout, China and others could have a harder time finding more success.

"I think they'll see opportunities to exploit what they'll perceive as vulnerabilities," Maier said, adding, "I'm not sure they're as vulnerable as they might think."
In a polarized environment during Brazil's municipal elections, journalists  mostly women or minorities  faced a disproportionate number of online and offline attacks.

A report compiled by the Coalition in Defense of Journalism, or CDJor, monitored hostility toward journalists between Aug. 15, when the election campaign began, and Oct. 27, the date of the runoff.

The findings published in December show most attacks were directed at female journalists, despite women making up a minority of the media workers monitored. The rise in attacks underscores a culture of growing hostility toward both media and minority groups in the country, analysts say.

"We live in a very misogynistic and macho culture, so this is what happens when women are in a public space, getting power and being empowered," said Cristina Zahar of the Committee to Protect Journalists, or CPJ, which is a member of the CDJor.

Brazil's Foreign Ministry and Washington embassy did not immediately reply to VOA's emails requesting comment.

The recent elections were for mayors, vice mayors and city councilors in Brazilian municipalities. An overwhelming majority of right or center-right candidates won mayoral races in state capitals this year. The shift is indicative of a rightward trend within the country, Reuters reported, even as the far-right former president, Jair Bolsonaro, was unseated during the 2022 presidential elections.

Alongside harassment of female journalists covering the latest municipal elections, Black journalists experienced widespread racism, according to the CDJor report.

The report cited attacks on journalist Pedro Borges, who was the target of racial comments online after interviewing a right-wing political candidate on television. Black journalists in Brazil are often targets of dehumanizing name-calling and appearance-based attacks, Zahar, who lives in Sao Paulo, told VOA.

"It's a way of taking away their identity, taking away their right to be a good professional and exist in the journalism space," Zahar said.

Similarly, attacks directed at female journalists often consisted of comments on physical appearance and name-calling, according to the CDJor report. The attacks on women mostly took place on social media platforms. On Instagram, two out of three attacks were directed at female journalists. On X it was more than half, the report found.

Juliana Dal Piva, an investigative journalist for the outlet ICL Noticias, has been on the receiving end of such harassment since Bolsonaro, who analysts say made recurrent and vicious attacks on journalists, was president.

Dal Piva said that after she published investigations into Bolsonaro's leadership in 2019, she faced legal persecution and an onslaught of online hatred. She said she has also received threatening messages from Bolsonaro's lawyer.

"The people around Bolsonaro felt they had to destroy me in some way," Dal Piva told VOA. "They couldn't point out any mistakes in any of my stories, so instead they attacked me and destroyed me in other ways  my reputation, my career, who I am."

There were other attack incidents in 2021 and 2022, but she said the worst occurred this June. A right-wing influencer published a doctored image of a text conversation implicating her in a plan to arrest Bolsonaro; online hatred and threats quickly followed, she said.

Through X and Instagram, Bolsonaro supporters have used misogynistic slurs, made sexualized comments using a double entendre of her surname, and criticized her appearance. She also received death threats and comments telling her to take her own life, she told VOA.

"All of the content is very misogynous. It's very against women," she said in a September interview with Global Investigative Journalism Network. "For us as women journalists, you have to be strong, right? You can't cry, you can't be weak, you can't be afraid. This is not an option."

Although Bolsonaro is no longer in power, his leadership created "an environment of permanent hostility" toward the press, according to Reporters Without Borders. Journalists are still struggling to navigate this environment, Zahar said.

"Since Bolsonaro, a red line has been crossed for the relationship between the presidency and the press," Zahar told VOA. "And we, the media, must learn how to deal with this situation."

Zahar and Dal Piva are both worried about the future of free expression in Brazil.

"When you don't have free press, what do you have? A dictatorship," Zahar said.

To remedy the situation, the CDJor report recommends that Brazilian authorities strengthen public policies to protect journalists, hold aggressors accountable and review abusive judicial practices. The report encouraged online platforms to develop more effective mechanisms to curb online attacks.
On Thursday, two days after Port Vila, the capital city of Vanuatu, was hit by a deadly 7.3 magnitude earthquake with numerous aftershocks, residents were told to prepare for heavy rains that could grow into a cyclone that would bring more destruction to the ravaged island.

Earthquakes are commonplace in the Pacific Island archipelago, but Tuesday's temblor was exceptional. Its shaking flattened buildings, destroyed reservoirs, damaged hospitals and roads, and cut off power and telecommunications systems.

While most of the damage from the earthquake was in Port Vila, on the island of Efate, there was some damage, including landslides, in the 82 outlying islands.

The earthquake was about 30 kilometers west of the capital, at a depth of 57 kilometers.

At least 16 people have died, according to officials, but the death toll is expected to climb as emergency response teams search through the rubble for survivors and the dead. About 200 people have been treated for injuries, according to the government's disaster management office. Australia and France have dispatched first-response teams to help with the search.

The Associated Press reported that there were "dramatic rescues of dust-covered survivors that lifted spirits on Tuesday and Wednesday," but the prospects of similar events grow dimmer as days tick by.

According to the National Disaster Management Office, two reservoirs that supply water to the capital crumbled during the earthquake, forcing residents to stand in long lines at stores to purchase the necessity.

"People are not really concerned about electricity. They're just concerned about water," a Port Vila resident told AP.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Thursday that about 80,000 people were directly affected by the earthquake, and close to 1,000 had been displaced from their homes. The international alliance has slated $1 million for Vanuatu's immediate response efforts, including water, shelter and food.

"Make sure your family is safe," Vanuatu President Nikenike Vurobaravu said in an address on the country's national broadcaster's Facebook page. "Help each other during this hard time for the nation."

Tourists who flock to Vanuatu for its lovely beaches found themselves scrambling to secure seats on military evacuation flights that several countries organized.

Australia and New Zealand have delivered aid to the island and have been able to evacuate their citizens from the island on the aircraft that delivered the aid.

U.S. Ambassador Ann Marie Yastishock brought aid to Vanuatu, including Starlink equipment, Reuters reported.

Some information for this report came from Reuters and The Associated Press.
Its a photo that sent a tremor through British politics: Elon Musk flanked by British politician Nigel Farage and a wealthy backer, in front of a gilt-framed painting of a young Donald Trump.

Taken this week at Trumps Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, the image suggested that Musk, a key player in the incoming U.S. administration, could soon turn his disruptive attention to the U.K.

Farage, Trumps highest-profile British champion, confirmed talks are under way about Musk making a hefty donation to Farage's party, Reform U.K. The Times of London reported it could be as much as $100 million, which would be far and away the largest political donation in U.K. history. The reports have sparked calls for Britains rules on political donations to be tightened  quickly.

We did discuss money, Farage told broadcaster GB News after the meeting with Musk. Thats a negotiation we will go back and have again. He is not against giving us money. He hasnt fully decided whether he will.

Britain has strict limits on how much political parties can spend on elections, but they can accept unlimited donations, as long as the donors are U.K. voters or companies registered in Britain. Musks social network X has a British arm, Twitter U.K. Ltd., with a registered address in London.

Critics say thats a loophole that allows foreign influence in U.K. politics. The voting watchdog, the Electoral Commission, is calling for changes, including limiting the amount a company can donate to how much it earns in Britain.

Its crucial that U.K. voters have trust in the financing of our political system, the commission's chief executive, Vijay Rangarajan, told The Guardian. The system needs strengthening, and we have been calling for changes to the law since 2013, to protect the electoral system from foreign interference.

Britains center-left Labour Party pledged during the summer election campaign to tighten the rules on political donations, although legislation is not scheduled in the coming year. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's spokesperson Dave Pares said Wednesday that work is already under way to reinforce existing safeguards against impermissible proxy donations.

The Labour government and the right-of-center opposition Conservatives are trying to figure out how to deal with Musk, who has taken a keen interest in the U.K.  and seemingly formed a strong dislike for Starmer.

Musk often posts on X about the U.K., retweeting criticism of Starmer and the hashtag TwoTierKeir  shorthand for an unsubstantiated claim that Britain has two-tier policing, with far-right protesters treated more harshly than pro-Palestinian or Black Lives Matter demonstrators. Musk has compared British attempts to weed out online misinformation to the Soviet Union, and during summer anti-immigrant violence across the U.K. tweeted that civil war is inevitable.

Farage has echoed some of those themes in his own social media output and his partys anti-woke agenda, which includes pledges to slash immigration, scrap green-energy targets and leave the European Convention on Human Rights.

Founded in 2021, Reform U.K. is the latest in a string of small hard-right parties led by Farage that have had limited electoral success but an outsized influence on British politics. Farages opposition to the European Union helped push the country toward voting in 2016 to leave the bloc, a seismic political and economic break with the U.K.s nearest neighbors.

Reform U.K. won just five of the 650 seats in the House of Commons in Julys election, but it came second in dozens more and secured 14% of the vote. Now it is pushing for fast growth, trying to professionalize its previously ramshackle organization and holding gatherings around the U.K. to recruit new members.

Farage, a strong communicator who has embraced TikTok and other platforms, aims to emulate Trumps success in using the power of personality and social media to reach the bro vote  young men who are traditionally less likely to turn out at election time.

Farage told GB News that Musk has already given me considerable help  understanding the process from start to finish, reaching disaffected communities who frankly feel theres no point voting for anybody.

The electoral power of social media was on show recently in Romania, where far-right candidate Calin Georgescu came from nowhere to win the first round of the presidential election in November, aided in part by a flood of TikTok videos promoting his campaign. Amid allegations that Russia had organized the social media campaign to back Georgescu, Romanias Constitutional Court canceled the presidential election runoff two days before it was due to take place.

With Britains Conservative Party trying to recover from its worst election result since 1832, Farage dreams of making Reform the main opposition  or even the government  after the next election, due by 2029.

Thats a long shot, but Rob Ford, professor of political science at the University of Manchester, said a big donation from Musk could have disruptive potential in all sorts of ways.

He said Musks money would give Reform the opportunity to try and build up a serious campaign organization, which is something that they have generally lacked.

Its certainly adding a new joker to the pack of cards in British politics, Ford said. Weve had no shortage of surprising developments here in the past few years. And maybe this is the next one.
CAIRO, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian met here on Thursday to discuss efforts to strengthen bilateral relations and restore peace in the region, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement.

During a meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines of the 11th Summit of the Developing Eight (D-8) Organization for Economic Cooperation, Sisi stressed the importance of defusing regional tensions and avoiding escalation, urging all parties to act wisely in order to protect the region from dangerous confrontations that could have serious repercussions on peace and security in the Middle East and the world as a whole.

The meeting also touched on the situation in Palestine, with a review of Egypt's efforts to implement a ceasefire and deliver humanitarian aid into the enclave.

The two sides also exchanged views on the developments in Lebanon and Syria.

Earlier in the day, Pezeshkian stressed during the summit that the D-8 countries should take concrete and practical steps to put an end to the Israeli "aggressions" against Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria.

Pezeshkian is the first Iranian president to visit Egypt in 11 years. 
Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X, Tesla and SpaceX and the political ally of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, on Friday praised the German far-right Alternative for Germany party ahead of the German election scheduled for Feb. 23.

In a post on X, Musk said, "Only the AfD can save Germany."

A few hours later, the AfD's Alice Weidel  who is running for German chancellor as co-leader of the party  posted a video on X offering her gratitude to the American billionaire.

"Dear Elon. Thank you so much for your note. The Alternative for Germany, the AfD, is indeed the one and only alternative for our country  our last option, if you ask me," Weidel said. "I wish you and President Donald Trump all the best for the upcoming tenure."

German anger

The AfD party is polling in second place, at about 19%. The party's draft manifesto calls for a crackdown on immigration, a German exit from the European Union and an end to German support for Ukraine in its war against Russian invaders.

In an earlier post on X Friday, Weidel compared the EU to the Soviet Union.

Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution has labeled the AfD as a suspected extreme-right organization, which the party rejects.

Lawmakers from across the political spectrum criticized Musk's intervention on Friday. However, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said it was part of democracy.

"Freedom of speech also applies to multibillionaires. But freedom of speech also means that you can say things that aren't right and don't contain good political advice," Scholz told reporters Friday during a trip to Estonia.

He also questioned the economic success of X, which Musk bought for $44 billion in 2022.

Musk's intervention in German politics comes days after he met British lawmaker Nigel Farage at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida to discuss bankrolling his right-wing populist Reform U.K. party with a reported $100 million donation  although details of any such arrangement have not been confirmed.

Ukraine aid

German mainstream political parties have ruled out entering any coalition with the AfD, making it highly unlikely that Weidel's party will win power.

However, fringe parties have changed the discourse on support for Ukraine, says analyst Mattia Nelles of the German-Ukrainian Bureau, a consultancy based in Dusseldorf, Germany.

"They have more a negative influence on Germany's Ukraine policy in the sense that the main parties are less willing or less able to speak out in favor of more aid for Ukraine, given that they are campaigning against it  and they are portraying themselves, together with the Stalinist pro-left of populist Sahra Wagenknecht party, as the 'peace parties,'" Nelles told VOA.

"So they have a detrimental effect on the discourse by allegedly speaking for peace, but they're actually in favor of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and of a forced peace in Ukraine  which is not a peace," he said.

Economic pressures

Germany has given Ukraine about $11 billion in military aid since Russia's 2022 invasion, second only to the United States.

Economic pressures have put government spending at the forefront of the election campaign. Scholz's Social Democrats want to raise constitutional limits on government borrowing, partly to finance aid for Ukraine.

Scholz faces a tough battle to remain in power. The Christian Democrats, under party leader Friedrich Merz, are well ahead in the polls. They oppose raising the limits on government borrowing.

"I will not focus our country's economic policy on new debt, high taxes and a lot of redistribution, Merz said at a campaign event on Tuesday. But I will focus our country's economic policy on performance and competitiveness. We don't want to distribute the existing small cake in a better way. We want to work together to create a bigger cake for everyone."

Trump fears

There are fears in Germany that Trump will end U.S. support for Kyiv, leaving Europe to make up the shortfall, according to analyst Nelles.

"Given Trump's return to the White House, much more German leadership and much more German finances will be required. And without debt financing, I'm afraid that won't be possible," Nelles told VOA.

"The question is whether Germany can regain its leadership role and lead Europe in an age where Trump is likely to put a lot of pressure on the Ukrainians to start peace negotiations with Russia. At that moment, a lot of German leadership will be required. And right now, there's an absence of that in Europe, and this vacuum is detrimental to Ukraine and to Europeans at large," Nelles said.

Trump has repeatedly demanded that NATO allies spend more on defense, which would place additional strains on German finances.

"We're looking at funding gaps of well above 30 billion [$31.3 billion] annually just to keep the 2% [of GDP] NATO spending goal in 2027 and beyond, Nelles said. So, if we're looking at more defense spending, the question is how that is going to be financed  and at the cost of what."
Turkey expects foreign countries will withdraw support for Kurdish fighters in Syria following the toppling of Bashar al-Assad, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, as Ankara seeks to isolate Kurds who have long fought alongside U.S. troops.

Germany's foreign minister later said Kurdish forces should disarm and integrate into Syria's national security structure, and Washington's top diplomat for the Middle East said the U.S. was working on a "managed transition" for the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, in northern Syria.

Speaking to reporters on the flight home from a summit in Egypt on Thursday, Erdogan said there was no longer any reason for outsiders to back Kurdish YPG fighters. His office released his comments Friday.

The Kurdish YPG has been the main force in the alliance, but Turkey considers the group an extension of the PKK, which has long fought the Turkish state and is banned as a terrorist group by Ankara, Washington and the EU.

In his remarks, Erdogan compared the U.S.-backed YPG to Islamic State, and he said neither group had any future in Syria.

"In the upcoming period, we do not believe that any power will continue to collaborate with terrorist organizations. The heads of terrorist organizations such as Islamic State and PKK/YPG will be crushed in the shortest possible time."

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said after talks with her Turkish counterpart in Ankara that the security of Kurds was essential for a free Syria, but that Turkey's security concerns must also be addressed to ensure stability.

"The Kurdish groups must be disarmed and integrated into the national security structure," she said.

Barbara Leaf, U.S. assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, told reporters after visiting Damascus on Friday that Washington was working with Ankara and the SDF to find "a managed transition in terms of SDF's role in that part of the country."

"The conditions which led Kurds in northeast Syria to organize themselves and to defend themselves as they did were one set of conditions, and things have really changed in a very dramatic fashion," Leaf said.

The United States said this week that it has 2,000 troops on the ground in Syria working alongside the YPG-led alliance known as the Syrian Democratic Forces. The SDF played a major role on the ground defeating Islamic State militants in 2014-17 with U.S. air support and still guards Islamist fighters in prison camps.

Ankara, alongside Syrian allies, 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.

Hostilities have escalated since Assad was toppled less than two weeks ago, with Turkey and Syrian groups it backs seizing the city of Manbij from the SDF on Dec. 9, prompting the United States to broker a fragile ceasefire.

Erdogan told reporters that Turkey wanted to see a new Syria in which all ethnic and religious groups can live in harmony. To achieve this, "Islamic State, the PKK and its versions which threaten the survival of Syria need to be eradicated," he said.

"The PKK terrorist organization and its extensions in particular have reached the end of their lifespan," Erdogan added.

On Thursday, SDF commander Mazloum Abdi told Reuters that Kurdish fighters from outside Syria who had joined the group's ranks would leave if a truce were agreed with Turkey, long one of Ankara's major demands.

In his remarks, Abdi acknowledged for the first time that Kurdish fighters from other countries - including PKK members - had been assisting the SDF, but he said they would no longer be needed under a truce.

A Turkish Defense Ministry official said there was no talk of a ceasefire between Turkey and the SDF, adding that Ankara would continue taking counterterrorism measures until "the PKK/YPG lays down its arms and its foreign fighters leave Syria."
A network of secret prisons run by the former Syrian government is more extensive than the U.S. had realized, and is complicating efforts to find American journalist Austin Tice, the U.S. hostage envoy said Friday.

The U.S. government initially estimated Syria had around 10 to 20 secret prisons, but there may be 40 or more, the chief envoy for hostage negotiations Roger Carstens told reporters Friday, following a brief trip to the Syrian capital, Damascus.

Ive been rather amazed at the amount of secret prisons that Assad seems to have amassed, Carstens said, referring to former President Bashar al-Assad. Theyre in little clusters at times. Sometimes theyre in the far reaches of Damascus.

The scale of the prison network has made it harder to locate Tice, according to Carstens.

A Texas native and former U.S. Marine, Tice has been held in Syria since 2012, when he was detained at a checkpoint in Damascus. Aside from a brief video after his capture, little has been heard or seen of him.

Over the past 12 years, the U.S. government has pinpointed about six prisons where Tice was believed to have likely been, Carstens said. But new information means as many as three more facilities have been added to the list.

Limited resources makes checking them a difficult endeavor, Carstens said. In the absence of sufficient U.S. government personnel on the ground, non-governmental organizations, journalists and Syria's transitional government have been searching for Tice.

In a perfect world, well find Austin and bring him home, and well stop the search, Carstens said. Were not going to stop until we find the information we need to conclude what has happened to Austin, where he is, to return him home to his family.

One of the nonprofits involved in the search, Hostage Aid Worldwide, has a team on the ground in Syria. The groups president, Nizar Zakka, told VOA one barrier is not having enough people to help with the searches.

Its ridiculous, Zakka said. I need a team.

In the aftermath of the Assad governments collapse this month, thousands of prisoners have been released from facilities run by the government. That has raised hopes among the Tice family that Austin will be among them.

I feel like were standing in line, and were not the only ones that are still standing in line, Tices mother Debra told reporters Monday. We just need to get all those prisons opened, get all those families reunited, including us.

Tice is an award-winning freelance journalist and photographer who worked for outlets including The Washington Post, CBS and McClatchy. He is the longest-held American journalist abroad.

Shortly before the Assad government fell, the Tice family revealed that it had received information from a source vetted by the U.S. government that confirmed Austin was alive and held in the Damascus area.

Last week, Debra Tice wrote to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asking Israel to pause strikes in a part of Syria where her son may be held. Debra Tice told the Israeli leader her family had credible information that her son may be held in a prison in the mountains outside Damascus underneath a military museum.

Asked whether the U.S. government had received any new information that would reinforce the belief that Tice was still alive, Carstens said, The information that we have right now doesn't confirm either one way or the other.

Earlier this month, U.S. President Joe Biden said he believed Tice was still alive and that the United States was committed to securing his release. The president did not elaborate.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced $200 million in new humanitarian funding for the Sudanese people at a high-level Sudan meeting he chaired Thursday at the U.N. Security Council, bringing total U.S. support to Sudan to more than $2.3 billion since fighting began among rival generals in April 2023.

U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan Tom Perriello spoke to VOA U.N. Correspondent Margaret Besheer on the sidelines of the council meeting. He said the outgoing administration of U.S. President Joe Biden wants to consolidate humanitarian progress and move toward a ceasefire, even a temporary one, in its remaining weeks.

Once allies in Sudan's transitional government after a 2021 coup, Sudanese Armed Forces General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Rapid Support Forces General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo have become bitter rivals for power. Fighting erupted between their forces in the capital, Khartoum, last year. It has since spread across Sudan, causing widespread atrocities and killing, and one of the worlds largest humanitarian crises.

The following interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

VOA: U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan Tom Perriello, thank you for talking to VOA today. You have one month to go for the Biden administration. What do you realistically think you can achieve in the remaining weeks on Sudan?

U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan Tom Perriello: Well, one of the things that Secretary Blinken made clear today at the United Nations is that we're going to use every second we've got, and we've got some momentum. We're in the fifth straight month of breaking the largest humanitarian embargo in the world, but we have so much more to do. We've seen four times more food and medicine moving into Sudan than we saw just a few months ago, and each one of those is food and medicine reaching a mother or a child that's been malnourished for months in places like Zamzam camp or Kadugli in South Kordofan. We're getting the convoys moving, including the first convoy into parts of southern Khartoum since the war began almost two years ago. So, we have got a lock in those humanitarian gains that are saving lives. But ultimately, we've got to move towards a ceasefire, even a temporary ceasefire, from the parties, to give some relief to the horrific conditions that millions of Sudanese people are facing.

VOA: And how do you hope to move toward that temporary ceasefire? Might you convene another meeting of the ALPS [Aligned for Advancing Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan] before January 20th?

Perriello: I just came yesterday from Mauritania, where we were meeting with the African Union, the United Nations, the Arab League and others, about how we can move towards expanding both local and national ceasefire efforts. It was a big statement for Secretary Blinken to sit at the council today in the U.N. And you heard from the Algerians and the other African leaders this idea that we've got to give more urgency to this ceasefire. ... This famine and this war was a war of choice by men who were willing to let the Sudanese people suffer, and those same men can help bring it to an end if we can get the regional actors in Africa and in the Gulf to align on an effort to put a pause in the fighting and restore the civilian transition.

VOA: Would you say the two generals are the biggest obstacle to peace? Is this just about their egos? Or does it go deeper?

Perriello: Well, certainly it was a big part of what started this war. But really, you have to go back a few steps and remember it was Generals Hemeti [Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo] and [Abdel Fattah] al-Burhan joining forces to overthrow the civilian transition that had inspired the world in 2019. And there are many forces behind both of them that want to prevent the people of Sudan from having the power over their future. And we continue to see that with extremist groups and others who want to profit from this war, whether it's groups like the National Congress party of the former Bashir era, that know the people wouldn't support them having power, and they're using this war to come back to power. We see some of the tribal leaders who should be some of the strongest voices for peace, instead of figuring out how to profit off of the famine and off of the war, we see countries that have engaged and are willing to continue to see that suffering of the Sudanese people. But we've also seen neighboring countries show the welcomeness ... to accept millions of refugees. We've seen efforts in the region to work with us on these local ceasefire efforts, including some of these humanitarian corridors. So, it's important that we not use the level of the crisis as an excuse to do nothing, because when we've engaged, we've been able to make a difference. And I think that's what Secretary Blinken was trying to remind the council today.

VOA: What will it take to get the two generals to the negotiating table?

Perriello: Well, first of all, I think we'll continue to try to push them to the table, but what we showed with the ALPS efforts in Switzerland on humanitarian access is you don't need a table anymore. We have telephones. We have proximity talks. What we need is the political will, and we appreciate that countries like Saudi Arabia and Egypt and others are continuing to try to support these peace efforts. We think the African Union has a role to play. And the American people, in the same way we've seen Americans show just so much compassion in crisis after crisis around the world, we need folks to see these young people with the Mutual Aid Sudan and elsewhere that are risking their lives to get food and medicine into their communities. They need that support and attention from us. It's also something, quite frankly, that has really strong bipartisan support on Capitol Hill, including from a recent letter this week from both Republican and Democratic senators trying to draw more attention to the crisis in Sudan. So, it needs all of us to pay more attention, but most of all, it needs the people with guns and the people supplying guns to all sides in Sudan, to put those down and become partners in peace.

VOA: You mentioned, and Secretary Blinken mentioned in the council, that there's a lot of external interference in the war in Sudan. There's credible evidence the UAE has been fueling the violence and supplying the RSF with arms. Why has the Biden administration been reluctant to really exert significant public pressure on the UAE?

Perriello: Well, you saw some powerful testimony today at the Security Council about this issue, about foreign interference and the role certain countries are playing to fuel this conflict. The Biden administration has really led the way on putting pressure on all of the external actors to stop fueling this war and inviting them to be partners in peace, both ending the famine and trying to end this war. [U.S. Ambassador to the U.N.] Linda Thomas-Greenfield helped push for an extension of the Darfur arms embargo  and also the first sanctions for violating that arms embargo in over 15 years. We are going to continue with our sanctions and with our diplomacy to raise the costs of those that are fueling this conflict, but also to continue to invite in those who want to be partners for not just peace for the Sudanese people, but how we rebuild Sudan and how we restore that civilian transition. Secretary Blinken announced today an additional $30 million with Congress to support civil society, particularly women and youth, who have continued to inspire us in Sudan, to help rebuild that political dialogue and that path  the only real path forward  which is a unified civilian front into peace and democracy.

VOA: There are reports that the State Department is considering a genocide declaration. Why the reluctance to use the genocide word?

Perriello: Far from reluctance, the State Department's really been leading the way. I mean, as someone who was in Darfur more than 20 years ago when the genocide was happening. When I was out of government a year ago, I was proud that the State Department led the way on declaring the acts of ethnic cleansing that we heard about from the Sultan of the Masalit today. Called out the crimes against humanity. We'll continue to look at where the facts lead in terms of other designations.
Palestinian residents in Israels occupied West Bank city of Marda reported Friday that Israeli settlers set fire to and vandalized a mosque, writing slurs and threatening slogans in spray paint on its walls.

In security video taken from the scene, a masked and hooded person can be seen spray-painting the walls of the mosque. At least two others join the person, one of them carrying what appears to be a large jug or container as they head into the building.

Among the messages sprayed on the wall were Death to Arabs, and "the righteous will rejoice because he sees revenge," a quote from the Hebrew Bible's book of Psalms.

In a video statement Friday, Marda village council chief Nasfat al-Khufash called it a systematic terror attack.

A number of settlers set fire and attempted an attack on a wider scale on the mosque, he said. These attacks are continuous and systematic by settler groups.

Israeli police and the Israeli security agency Shin Bet security services said in a joint statement: "We see this incident as extremely serious and will act resolutely to bring the perpetrators to justice for rigorous trial."

Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported, in a statement posted to the social media platform X, Israeli Air Force fighter jets  under the direction of Israeli intelligence and the Israeli Navy  struck Houthi militant targets overnight on the western coast of Yemen as well as deeper in the country.

The statement said it hit fuel and oil tanks, two power plants and eight tugboats. The IDF said hitting the targets severely harms the military operations of the Houthi forces.

The IDF said the Iranian-backed Houthi militants have carried out repeated attacks on the State of Israel, in which unmanned aerial vehicles and surface-to-surface missiles were launched toward the country's territory.

Also Friday, Sweden announced it was ending funding for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees  known as UNRWA. Swedens international aid chief, Benjamin Dousa, made the announcement on Swedish television, saying the decision came following Israeli lawmakers passing a ban on the agency from working in Gaza.

Israel has long claimed UNRWA was a front for terrorists. Sweden said it plans to increase its aid to Gaza in the next year but will do so through other aid agencies.

In a statement Friday, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini called the decision disappointing and said it comes at the worst time for Palestine refugees. The agency chief said it will double the suffering the people of Gaza have endured over the past 14 months since the horrendous Hamas attack on 7 October and the ongoing war.

Lazzerini said he hopes Sweden reconsiders its decision.

The war in Gaza was triggered by the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people and led to the capture of 250 hostages.

Gaza health officials say Israels counteroffensive has killed at least 45,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, while Israel says the death toll includes thousands of Hamas combatants.

Hamas has been designated as a terror group by the United States, Britain, the European Union and others.

VOAs United Nations correspondent Margaret Besheer contributed to this report, and some information was provided by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
In a landmark event for Somalia, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Thursday officially launched the "New Mogadishu" development initiative, a transformative project that aims to reshape the capital's economic landscape.

The initiative includes construction of a modern airport, a port and a key economic zone, all focused on fostering growth and attracting investment.

During the launch, Mohamud said the initiative showcases the resilience of the Somali business community.

"Somali businessmen have stepped up to provide essential services during challenging times, proving their commitment to the nation's progress," he said.

Mohamud also noted the initiative has the potential for massive job creation.

"The creation of this project is not just about infrastructure; it's about creating opportunities for our youth and uplifting our communities," he said.

"The launch of the New Mogadishu project marks a significant milestone for Somalia as it seeks to revitalize its capital and strengthen investor confidence, paving the way for a brighter economic future," Mohamud added.

Fardowsa Osman Egal, Somalia's minister of transport and aviation, emphasized the significance of the new airport in this project.

"It is a long dream that is materializing now. Due to the capacity and function of the current Mogadishu airport, which only has one runway, this new international airport will help us increase international flights," she said. "The planned state-of-the-art airport and modern port will serve as vital infrastructure, creating a financial zone that is expected to draw both international and local investors."

Valued at approximately $650 million, the New Mogadishu initiative is expected to significantly boost Somalia's economic development.



On behalf of Somali business community, Mohamud Abdikarim Gabeyre, the chairman of the Somali Chamber of Commerce and Industry, welcomed the initiative.



"New Mogadishu, on the northern outskirts of the capital, is a project we welcome because we heard that the Somali business community will get the priority of the investment, and we hope it will be successful," he said.



On Wednesday, the president also inaugurated a $400 million groundbreaking development project named Gateway Complex, poised to transform Somalia's capital by introducing Somalia's first five-star hotel, managed by the globally recognized Rotana hospitality group, and an international convention center capable of hosting up to 5,000 attendees.



Plans also feature premium hotel apartments, a 300-bed modern hospital, a leading school, a vibrant shopping complex, residential units and recreational facilities.



Mogadishu has long suffered from lawlessness and terrorist attacks. Although the capabilities of the al-Shabab terrorist group have been weakened, it continues to pose a threat by assassinating civilians, particularly those who install security cameras on their shops and business centers.
Mozambique began constructing homes for victims of Cyclone Chido this week after the storm swept through three of the country's northern regions Sunday, killing at least 70 people and injuring 600 others as it left behind a trail of destruction.

On a visit to affected areas, Trade and Industry Minister Silvino Moreno said that the government is working to provide aid to storm victims and that international partners are pitching in to help.

Addressing the media after a stop in the province of Nampula, one of the regions affected by the cyclone, Moreno said the priority is constructing shelter with resilient materials. He said the goal is to avoid the destruction of homes built with poor material.

Almost all of the houses in affected areas were constructed with mud and reeds that never stood a chance against the powerful cyclone.

Moreno said the people need better construction training.

Before hitting Mozambique, Cyclone Chido caused significant devastation in Mayotte, a set of French islands. This resulted in fatalities, infrastructure damage and increased risks for vulnerable communities, including asylum-seekers and refugees, according to humanitarian agencies.

In southern Malawi, the storm brought strong winds and rains, leading to the destruction of houses and infrastructure in several areas.

Mozambiques meteorology agency said the country should expect more storms during the next three months of the rainy season and called for better preparation.

According to UNICEF, at least 174,000 people have been affected overall, but the numbers may increase as assessments continue.

In addition to homes damaged, at least several thousand classrooms were destroyed and 20 health facilities hit.

UNICEFs field office head in Mozambiques Zambezia province, Michael Chimedza, told VOA that his organization has requisitioned items so it can immediately respond to 50,000 people. He said the agency has provided funds for response training at the local level.

Besides Nampula, the cyclone tore through Cabo Delgado and Niassa provinces, leaving more than 25,000 families without electricity and damaging key infrastructure, including health units, roads and water supply sources.

In a region already fighting a cholera outbreak, the latest devastation creates an ominous likelihood that the outbreak will further worsen, aid agencies said.
Myanmars recent arrest and sentencing of four Thai fishermen has heightened tensions between the Southeast Asian neighbors with some analysts telling VOA the move appears to be aimed at gaining legitimacy and recognition ahead of high-level government meetings in Bangkok this week.

Earlier this week, a Myanmar court in Kawthoung sentenced the owner of a seized fishing vessel to six years in prison, and three other fisherman received four-year prison terms.

The sentencing comes as Thailands foreign ministry continues talks for their release and as Myanmar is the focus of high-level government meetings in Bangkok.

Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political scientist in Bangkok at Chulalongkorn University tells VOA that its clear that Myanmar is using the fishermen to leverage its own interests.

The detention of Thai fisherman is designed to gain leverage over the Thai government in return for more official engagement and recognition of the State Administration Council, Thitinan said. The State Administration Council, or SAC, is the official name of Myanmars military led government.

This makes Thailand look kind of weak. This has been going on for some time, its not the first time for sure, but suddenly it has become a thorny issue, Thitinan said.

Zachary Abuza, a professor at the National War College in Washington who focuses on Southeast Asia politics, agrees.

I think that the generals, in their Neanderthal-ish way, are using them to maintain Thailands full support, he said, adding that it risks backfiring if they hold the fishermen too long. The Thai government is as supportive of the junta as it could be, but there will be a public backlash at some point.

Myanmars military led government has said little about the sentencing of the fishermen or when they might be released. VOA reached out to the SAC for comment but as of press has not received a response.

Fishing disputes have long been a point of friction between the two countries but late last month Myanmars navy fired upon 15 Thai fishing vessels on the west coast off Ranong province in southern Thailand. Both Thai and Myanmar authorities blame each other for the incident.

Dominic Thomson, regional director of Southeast Asia for the Environmental Justice Foundation, says the incident was the first of its kind in a long time.

There have been no reports of similar incidences since at least 2015. The nature of the incident, coupled with the detention of the fishing vessels and crew is unprecedented, he told VOA via in an emailed response earlier this month.

One Thai national drowned during the altercation, while four Thai crew members were detained along with 27 Myanmar nationals. Myanmar authorities also seized one fishing vessel, the Sor Charoenchai 8.

Fast forward two weeks and Bangkok is now hosting two meetings with representatives from Myanmar, Bangladesh, China, India, Laos and Malaysia. The meetings are focused on border security, transnational crime, ASEAN and the Myanmars crisis.

The first meeting in Bangkok was held on Thursday. On Friday, a meeting centering on ASEANs role on Myanmars crisis is set to take place.

The recent maritime altercation has added to bilateral tensions between Thailand and Myanmars military government ahead of the meetings.

Nearly four years after the Min Aung Hlaing and his troops staged a coup in February 2021, removing the democratically elected government, Myanmar is in a state of nationwide conflict.

Over the past year, the junta has been losing territory, with pro-democracy and ethnic armed groups in coalition to defeat military rule. Over 60% of Myanmar is not under the militarys control.

At the same time, Myanmar is under increasing pressure to end the violence and hold an election next year.

Thitinan says for Thailand to engage the Myanmar junta in such a high-level way is problematic and that its no surprise that the Myanmar military is dragging the fisherman issue on.

The question is why Thailand is suddenly giving in to this demand and leverage from the [State Administration Council]. The SAC is playing hardball here, to get recognition for legitimacy, and Thailand is playing along, he said. The fisherman case dragging on is not surprising, the SAC is going to drag it on and milk it. It is surprising because in the medium long term it is detrimental. Engaging the SAC is very problematic because they are losing the civil war, and the future of Myanmar is not in favor of the SAC, he added.

For their part, Thai officials have sought to play down the incident. Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra says relations between Myanmar and Thailand remain strong, according to She said the four fishermen will be released on January 4, which, if it goes through, will be exactly five weeks since they were detained.

Thailands Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura speaking on behalf of Thailands Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa says fisherman issue has already been discussed between the two countries in Thursdays meeting.

Our Thai Foreign Minister also had the opportunity to have bilateral meetings with the Myanmar foreign minister. They discussed key issues such as regarding the case of the four Thai fisherman, Nikorndej told a press conference.

The Thai Foreign Minister receives official assurance from the Myanmar side that all four Thai nationals will be released soon. Both countries will cooperate in promoting understanding and preventing recurrence of issues of the same nature, he said.

Thitinan, however, believes the meetings in Bangkok may not be the end of the issue.

I would not be surprised if the Foreign Minister of Thailand Maris goes over to Naypyitaw next week or the coming days to clear up this issue, he added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed on Dec. 16 that recent changes in Moscows nuclear doctrine along with the Kremlins ever increasing nuclear rhetoric are "no nuclear saber-rattling" but merely a deterrence policy. Speaking at the Russian defense ministrys meeting, Putin assessed Russias conduct in the Ukraine war and shared insights on the nations nuclear posture.

He repeated a well-worn propaganda narrative to portray Moscows military aggression against Ukraine as "defending Motherland" and claimed that the whole of Russia is committed to giving their lives "for the sake of victory and the Fatherland."

Moving on to a nuclear topic, Putin claimed that the "collective West," and specifically the United States support for Ukraine, prompted him to pump up Russias nuclear arsenal and amend the constitution to loosen legal restrictions on Moscows use of nuclear weapons. All those actions are merely defensive, Putin said:

"Let me stress once again, so that no one accuses us of nuclear saber-rattling: This is a policy of nuclear deterrence."

That is misleading.

Threatening the use of nuclear weapons has been an integral part of Russias hybrid war strategies dating back to the Cold War era, long before the Kremlin launched its clandestine operation in 2014 to annex Crimea and destabilize eastern Ukraine.

Moscows nuclear rhetoric only intensified after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

The VOA Fact Check team reviewed nuclear threats voiced publicly by top Russian officials since the start of Moscows full-fledged war in Ukraine.

The resulting database includes 135 statements made between Feb. 24, 2022, and Dec. 17, 2024, ranging from a vague promise of looming "nuclear apocalypses" by Russias ex-president Dmitry Medvedev, to threats against Ukraine, the United States and Europe vowing to turn their cities "into radioactive ash."

Vladimir Putin made 27 of these 135 nuclear threats, with the number of statements increasing each year: five in 2022, nine in 2023, and 13 in 2024.

On the day of the Ukraine invasion, Feb. 24, 2022, Putin addressed the Russian nation and the outside world with an assurance that "Russia remains one of the most powerful nuclear states." He warned that "there should be no doubt" that "any potential aggressor will face defeat, and ominous consequences should it directly attack our country."

In September, he threatened to "of course, use" nuclear weapons, in response to a "nuclear blackmailing" and threats to Russias "territorial integrity," claiming that "This is not a bluff." In December, Putin revealed he was considering changing Russias military doctrine to allow "preventive disarming nuclear strikes" against potential enemies.

Four of his nine nuclear threats in 2023 Putin made in February, starting on Feb. 2 with a promise to nuke Germany, if Berlin sent its Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine (which Germany did send a month later). On Feb. 23, Putin ordered the Russian nuclear forces to simulate a scenario in which Russia strikes Ukraine with nuclear weapons to assess the effects and consequences of such an attack.

Most of the remaining nuclear weapons-related statements that year Putin dedicated to justifying the transfer of nuclear weapons systems to Belarus.

Of the 13 nuclear threats from Putin in 2024, a few had significant impact, including the U.S. warning to Russia on Feb. 14 not to deploy nuclear weapons in space.

Then on Feb. 29, Putin told the Russian Federation Council, that the nations strategic nuclear forces "are in a state of full combat readiness for a guaranteed use."

On March 13, the CEO of MIA Rossia Segodnya state media giant Dmitry Kiselyev asked Putin in a televised interview whether Russia was ready for a nuclear war. "Weapons exist to be used," Putin answered "... including the ones you just mentioned  if it is about the existence of the Russian state, about harming our sovereignty and independence."

On Dec. 16, Putin ordered the Russian nuclear forces "to remain in a constant combat readiness," while also claiming his acts and rhetoric have nothing to do with a nuclear saber rattling but part of Russias nuclear deterrence policy.

Russia continues to rely on nuclear saber-rattling because it is getting away with it, Heather Williams, director of the Project on Nuclear Issues at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., wrote in May.

"Holding Russia accountable for raising the risk of nuclear use and breaking down nuclear guardrails will not only uphold norms but also deter Russia from continuing with its irresponsible behavior," Williams said.
On Dec. 8, representatives from 162 countries met in Doha, Qatar, to discuss ideas ranging from global diplomacy to future-shaping innovations.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame addressed the forum, praising China and criticizing the West.

From the West, "we get more in terms of lectures and not so much in terms of value," he said.

With China, on the other hand, Africa has "many decades" of support, including during the processes of decolonization and gaining independence, Kagame said.

"Now the cooperation [with China] presents more value in terms of trade, investment. This relationship doesn't come with a lot of strings attached like we have had with many other parts of the world."

That is false.

There is ample evidence that China uses ''debt trap diplomacy'' to exploit Africa's natural resources, dominate infrastructure projects and acquire locations for its military bases, among other things.

That "diplomacy" has made China the biggest controller of Africa's natural resources.

According to experts, Beijing traps poor African countries by lending them unmanageable sums of money while taking collateral in the form of natural resources. In a default, a state is forced to relinquish some of its strategic assets to reduce the debt.

On Aug. 15, Reuters reported that the "Nigerian government accused a Chinese company of mounting a campaign to seize its assets overseas, including presidential jets,'' after Ogun, a Nigerian state, terminated a contract to develop a free-trade zone in 2015.

"Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga said Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Ltd. is using 'unorthodox means' to target Nigerian government property, despite having no contractual obligations with the federal government," Reuters reported.

A day later, the Chinese company said in a statement that "it had lifted the seizure of the Nigerian presidential Airbus A330" and instead would explore legal process.

In 2018, it was reported that China had bugged and spied on the African Union, which represents all 54 African countries, for five years after funding the construction of its headquarters with $200 million.

Last year, research by the Institute for Security Studies, ISS, exposed "concerns about a lack of transparency, clauses impacting local industries, and the absence of collective restructuring options in Chinese loan contracts."

An investigation by AidData, a U.S.-based aid transparency outlet that provides access to development finance records, found that since 2014, "China's contracts have become more secretive over time, with a confidentiality clause in every contract" containing restrictions that hide loans from the people who are bound to repay them via taxes.

"China's contracts also give it broad latitude to cancel loans or accelerate repayment if it disagrees with a borrower's policies,'' AidData revealed.

Kagame failed to mention that Beijing lends money to poor African countries for huge infrastructure projects such as the China Belt and Road Initiative and sends its own companies to work on them, thus denying the local population job opportunities.

In countries such as Kenya, where the Kenya China Economic and Trade Association reported on Dec. 18 that Chinese companies employed there more than 60,000 Kenyans between 2022 and 2023, a past investigation by a local newspaper, The Standard, showed that employees experienced "neo-colonialism, racism, blatant discrimination" and human rights abuses.

In Nigeria and Ghana, the locals who do get employed by Chinese companies complained of human rights abuses and poor working conditions.

As for Kagame's claim that Africa gets "more in terms of lectures and not so much in terms of value" from the West, the facts are that the United States is the single largest donor to Rwanda and other African countries.

According to USAID, the U.S. has "helped support the agriculture-led poverty reduction the country has seen over the past 15 years  from around 60% to around 40%."

On Sept. 5, Kagame attended a forum in Beijing where African countries sought quicker financial solutions to the growing debt problem. There, he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who pledged to invest nearly $51 billion and create 1 million new jobs across Africa in the next three years. Yet Xi failed to provide debt relief to the African countries already burdened by Chinese loans.

In Sierra Leone, a West African country, parliamentarians exposed bribery allegations against China Kingho, a company that corrupt government officials awarded four mining licenses despite declaring bankruptcy back home.

Last year, a joint investigation by the Telegraph and SourceMaterial exposed how corrupt Chinese investors  working with "corrupt government officials  are plundering the natural resources of Sierra Leone and harming people's health and causing serious environmental damage in the process."
The Chinese government website launched the online initiative, Share Your Views on 2025 China's Government Work Report, on Dec 20, 2024. The initiative, supported by people.com.cn, xinhuanet.com, chinadaily.com.cn, chinanews.com, and official websites of local governments and related departments, aims to solicit public opinions and suggestions on government work. It will run through to the annual sessions of the national legislature and the national political advisory body in 2025.

It covers 11 topics, including China's business environment, economy and trade, finance, innovation and digitalization, work in China and travel in China. Suggestions can be submitted via english.www.gov.cn, its app and participating websites and platforms, and will be forwarded to the draft team of the Government Work Report and relevant departments for further consideration.
The Somali government is open to a potential role for Ethiopian troops in an African Union mission scheduled to take over peacekeeping operations in the country next month.

A senior Somali government official on Thursday told VOAs Horn of Africa Service that the Somali government has secured and allocated all troops needed from the four other AU-troop-contributing countries  Burundi, Djibouti, Kenya and Uganda  to participate in the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia, or AUSSOM. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he had not been cleared to speak with reporters.

But Somali leaders, he added, are now ready to reconsider Ethiopian involvement in AUSSOM following a conciliatory dialogue between the countries hosted by Turkey last week.

In recent months, Mogadishu had repeatedly demanded that Addis Ababa withdraw its troops from Somali territory unless Ethiopia canceled a controversial Memorandum of Understanding with Somalias breakaway region of Somaliland. The memorandum grants Ethiopia access to a 20-kilometer stretch of Red Sea coastline in return for potential recognition of Somalilands independence.

The anonymous official said although Somalia secured all troops from those four AU nations to compensate for the absence of Ethiopian troops, the recent diplomatic breakthrough has reopened the door for involving Ethiopias military support.

During the talks in Ankara, Ethiopia and Somalia agreed to respect each others sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.

The possible breakthrough came just weeks after a spokesperson for Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nebiat Getachew, told media outlets that Ethiopias focus was on al-Shabab.

"Ethiopia's key role, in any situation  in bringing al-Shabab to a level where it cannot be a threat to the region, as well as its role in the establishment and stability of the Somali government  is known both by the Somalis and the international community, he said.

It is an undeniable fact that the Ethiopian army has made sacrifices in blood and bones for this great result, Nebiat added. The work of weakening the [Somalia-based] al-Shabab terrorist group will continue under any circumstances so that it does not pose a threat to our national security and the victories achieved through the sacrifices made so far are not reversed.

In a Thursday meeting, the AUs peace and security council expressed concern about the threat posed by al-Shabab and condemned the groups attacks on Somali and AU forces.

The AU appealed to the U.N. Security Council to explore financing options for AUSSOM.

This is vital for #AUSSOM to fulfill its mandate & support the #Somalia Security Sector Development Plan (SSDP), the AU said in a post on the X social media platform.

Starting in January, AUSSOM will have 11,900 personnel operating on the ground in Somalia, including soldiers, police and civilian support staff, according to Somali and AU officials.
Australian scientists said Wednesday that they had found a widespread decrease in coral cover in southern parts of the Great Barrier Reef.

Researchers have just completed a routine annual underwater survey of reefs off central Queensland state a month after their analysis showed similar devastation in a northern section.

The Australian Institute of Marine Science, a government research agency, said most of the damage it found in northern and southern sections of the Great Barrier Reef during the survey was the result of coral-bleaching warmer ocean temperatures.

The Great Barrier Reef off northeastern Australia is the worlds largest coral system. It is roughly the size of Italy or Japan.

Along with climate, tropical storms and infestations of coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish are also blamed for the coral loss.

Mike Emslie, who runs the institutes Long Term Monitoring Program, told VOA that "more than a third of the coral around Cooktown-Lizard reefs have been lost since last summer and, similarly, on the southern Great Barrier Reef, we have recorded a 40% decline in coral cover, which is one of the measures we use to indicate reef health of the Capricorn-Bunker group.

The institutes Long Term Monitoring Program has been running for four decades and examines key indicators of coral health. Researchers survey about 70 so-called core reefs off northeastern Australia each year.

Campaigners say the latest underwater survey results have shown "unprecedented coral losses."

The Australian Marine Conservation Society, a charity, said in a statement Wednesday that the Great Barrier Reef faces another summer from hell with heat already building up in the water and coral bleaching warnings for much of the northern reef.

Society Great Barrier Reef campaigner Simon Miller told VOA that its part of a global pattern affecting reefs around the world.

This most recent mass bleaching event was also part of a global mass bleaching event - the Caribbean, in particular, and coral reefs around Florida were extremely badly affected by marine heat waves and by a mass bleaching event that led to really high levels of mortality earlier this year, Miller said.

Warmer seas cause bleaching, forcing the coral to expel the microscopic symbiotic algae that give it most of its energy and color.

Reefs can recover from bleaching, but it can take years. If water temperatures do not return to normal, the coral can die.
A 7-year-old girl was stabbed to death Friday at an elementary school in Croatia by a knife-wielding teenager who also wounded three other children and a teacher, officials said.

Video footage Friday showed children running away from the school as a medical helicopter was landing.

The attacker is a former student of the Precko Elementary School in Zagreb where the attack took place, according to Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic.

The teen had a history of mental health issues and after Friday's incident "shut himself in a nearby health center where he tried to injure himself with the knife," according to Bozinovic. Police were able to prevent him from committing suicide.

Last year, the teen also tried to kill himself, the minister said.

"Five persons have been hospitalized, and their lives are not in danger," Croatian Health Minister Irena Hrstic said, including the attacker in the count.

Leaders declare day of mourning

School attacks are rare in Croatia.

"There are no words to describe the grief over the horrible and unthinkable tragedy that shocked us all today," said President Zoran Milanovic.

"We are horrified," said Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic.

Following the assault at the school, Croatian officials declared Saturday as a day of mourning.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
Thailand says regional talks it hosted Friday on a stalled peace plan for Myanmar were frank but reached no consensus on a path forward.

Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, gathered in Bangkok to discuss the Five-Point Consensus the bloc agreed to in April 2021, two months after Myanmars military seized power from the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. That coup sparked a civil war that has killed thousands and displaced more than 3 million people.

In addition to an immediate cessation of violence and negotiations among all parties to the conflict, the plan calls for the appointment of a special envoy to meet with all sides and assistance from ASEANs humanitarian aid agency.

Myanmars junta did grant a meeting last year between Suu Kyi  who has been held in custody since the coup  and Thailands then-foreign minister. Some aid has also trickled in via Thailand under ASEANs watch. But the bloc has not appointed a permanent special envoy, and there have been no meaningful negotiations between the junta and its foes as fighting shows no signs of letting up.

Fridays talks followed a meeting in Bangkok on Thursday among Myanmar and its immediate neighbors on cross-border concerns, including crime.

After Fridays meeting, Thai Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Nikorndej Balankura told the press that the talks between the foreign ministers of Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Singapore were cordial and very frank.

The blocs other members sent delegates but not ministers, he added.

Bolbongse Vangphaen, director-general of Thailands Department of ASEAN Affairs, said the delegates agreed that the peace plan from 2021 would continue to anchor their efforts.

The foreign ministers reaffirmed that the  Five-Point Consensus remains the main reference for ASEANs efforts in addressing the situation in Myanmar, he said, adding that all recognize that there is a need to step up efforts to see it through. We are aware that there are obstacles to making progress.

As for any broad agreement on how to tackle those obstacles, however, Bolbongse said nothing specific came out of Fridays talks, and that they would continue at another meeting of the blocs foreign ministers next month.

The meeting today was a chance for the foreign ministers and representatives to just sound out ideas and seek various approaches to see  how we could perhaps converge on some common terms to push forward, he said. Theres no clear approach as yet.

David Mathieson, an independent Myanmar analyst, told VOA that Thailand was trying to create momentum on regional efforts after another lost year of empty diplomacy.

He called meetings among Myanmars immediate neighbors crucial now that the junta has lost control of most borders. Those meetings, he added, are potentially more useful than ASEAN, which generally acts only when all members are in agreement.

Like many of the blocs critics, he called the Five-Point Consensus effectively dead from the start.

Its fundamentally flawed, depending on engaging the [State Administration Council, or SAC], who dont want to respond, he said, using the juntas formal title. Thats where all these efforts will fail, ascribing the SAC with reason they dont possess.

Surachanee Sriyai of Singapores ISEAS-Yusof Ishak institute agreed that the plan has never been a viable path out of the crisis for Myanmar, but at least gives the bloc the semblance of taking collective action while sticking to its norms of acting by consensus and staying out of each others affairs.

Following Thursdays meeting, Thailand said junta officials told the group it was open to inclusive political dialogue. Junta officials, however, have labeled many of their opponents terrorists and banned dozens of political parties, including Suu Kyis ousted National League for Democracy.

Mathieson said any efforts to help Myanmar out of its crisis need to include both the junta and all opponents. That means not only the National Unity Government comprising ousted lawmakers, but all the revolutionary groups now aligned against the junta.

Whether together or on their own, Surachanee said, ASEAN members should cultivate relationships with those opposition groups as they continue to gain ground on the junta, which, by some estimates, now controls less than half the country.

Plenty of [situational reports] have pointed at the SAC losing ground and the ability to govern, she said. In this way, countries, especially Thailand, should look to other alternative counterparts to work with.

Following Fridays meeting, Bolbongse said other ASEAN members were free to engage with whichever groups that they may have influence on and that those efforts could complement each other.

But by focusing their attention on dialogue with the junta, critics say the bloc and most of its members are legitimizing a regime that many if not most in Myanmar consider illegitimate.

Asked to respond to the critique, Bolbongse said Thailand was simply engaging in state-to-state dialogue.

Whether the SAC is seen as legitimate or not, Myanmar as a whole is still a member of ASEAN, so we are engaging with Myanmar, he said. Thats all, thank you.

The junta claims its military is waging a legitimate campaign of proportionate force. But numerous well-documented accounts of violence describe indiscriminate air and artillery attacks, with many destroying churches, schools and clinics. Rights groups allege repeated cases of rape, torture and murder. U.N.-appointed experts and envoys have accused the junta of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The United States has removed the $10 million bounty placed on Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, the militant fighter who led the rebellion that removed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from power earlier this month.

The move to scrap the bounty on Sharaa, leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, is a policy decision made as Washington begins its engagement with the rebel group, said Barbara A. Leaf, assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs, in a virtual briefing to reporters Friday.

Leaf said Sharaa had committed to Washingtons request that terrorist groups cannot pose a threat inside of Syria or externally, including to the U.S. and our partners in the region.

So based on our discussion, I told him we would not be pursuing the Rewards for Justice reward offer that has been in effect for some years, said the top U.S. diplomat on Middle Eastern affairs.

Leaf and two other U.S. officials, Senior Adviser Daniel Rubinstein, who is now tasked with leading the department's Syria engagement, and Roger Carstens, presidential envoy for hostage affairs, met in Damascus on Friday with Sharaa and other representatives of post-Assad Syria, including civil society activists.

The engagements followed a meeting last weekend in Aqaba, Jordan, where American, Arab and Turkish officials agreed on a set of transition principles for Syria.

We welcome positive messages, and we will be looking for progress on these principles and actions, not just words, Leaf said. We fully support a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process that results in an inclusive and representative government, which respects the rights of all Syrians, including women and Syria's diverse ethnic and religious communities.

The Damascus meeting comes as Western governments including Britain, France, Germany and Switzerland gradually establish channels with the new Syrian authorities under caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir. Qatar and Turkey are in the process of reopening their embassies in Syria.

Since 1979, the U.S. has designated Syria as a State Sponsor of Terrorism. Washingtons recognition of a new government in Damascus could lead to the lifting of wide-ranging sanctions that have crippled the Syrian economy.

Leaf declined to elaborate on discussions on lifting sanctions, saying only that Sharaas priorities are very much rooted in getting Syria on the road to economic recovery. As of today, HTS remains a U.S. designated foreign terrorist group.

She underscored that Iran will have no role whatsoever, after the fall of Assad, who was once a stalwart ally of Tehran. Iranian presence during the Syrian civil war was most predatory and destructive, she said.

Ensuring that Syria does not fall into chaos and become a breeding ground for terror is a key concern for the White House. Days after Assads ouster, U.S. President Joe Biden ordered more than 70 air strikes on Islamic State targets in the country.

US engagement

While the Biden administration has moved quickly to approach the new stakeholders in Syria, it remains to be seen how intensively the U.S. would remain engaged after President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20.

Trump has signaled he wants the U.S. to stay out of the Syrian conflict. This is not our fight, Trump said on social media. Let it play out. Do not get involved!

Earlier this week Trump said that Assads ouster was an unfriendly takeover done without a lot of lives being lost, by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He praised Ankara as a major military force.

Those people that went in are controlled by Turkey, he said in his first press conference since winning the presidential election in November. And thats OK, thats another way to fight.

Ankara has denied it was behind Assads ouster.

Trumps assessment of Ankaras role in the overthrow is exaggerated, said Natasha Hall, senior fellow with the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Nevertheless, his incoming administration may want to be involved as little as possible, she told VOA.

We will be watching for how he handles Turkey, Israel, aid funding and terrorism designations and sanctions, Hall said. He could easily create a crisis by simply not moving fast enough or engaging constructively enough on these issues.

Despite Trumps noninterventionist public declaration, its not clear how disengaged the U.S. can be.

Israel, a U.S. ally, has launched hundreds of strikes on military targets in Syria to further weaken what remains of Assads military and keep weapons from falling into extremists hands. On Thursday, Pentagon officials acknowledged that there have been roughly 2,000 soldiers stationed in Syria for months  more than twice the number of American troops widely known to be stationed in the country before Assads ouster.

Washington also backs the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Syrian Kurdish rebel group in the north of the country. SDF is seen by Ankara as allies of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, which has engaged in decades of armed insurgency on Turkish soil.

A State Department spokesperson said Tuesday that the ceasefire deal brokered by Washington after fighting broke out between SDF and rebel groups supported by Turkey last week has been extended until the end of this week.

A Turkish official denied a deal has been achieved, saying it is out of the question for us to have talks with any terrorist organization.

While in Syria, the U.S. officials also tried to uncover information about the fate of American journalist Austin Tice, who was kidnapped while reporting on the civil war there in 2012, and other missing Americans believed to be the country.

Farhad Pouladi contributed to this report.
President-elect Donald Trump has signaled eagerness to wrap up the war in Gaza as quickly as possible, even as the outgoing Biden administration continues its last-ditch diplomatic push for a ceasefire deal.

Earlier this week, Trump said if the hostages held by Hamas are not home by Jan. 20, 2025, the date of his inauguration, then "all hell is going to break out."

The warning is similar to the threat he issued on social media earlier this month, where he said, "There will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East, and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against Humanity. Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America."

It's not clear what Trump plans to do in Gaza. When asked to clarify the threat, he said, "It means it won't be pleasant."

Trump may deploy resources to place military pressure on Hamas, said Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. However, it's unlikely to be "significantly harsher than what the Israelis have brought to bear over the last 14 months."

"There could be another element  which I hope that's not the approach  to maybe squeeze some of that humanitarian aid going in," Alkhatib told VOA.

It's also possible that Trump's threats are directed to Hamas members outside of Gaza and the countries that support them, and Trump might move to pressure those nations to cut off financing, Alkhatib added. Hamas is a U.S.-designated terror organization.

Hamas' external wing may be more receptive to Washington's pressure, particularly since its patron, Tehran, has been weakened through the loss of Hezbollah in Lebanon and the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Like Hamas, Hezbollah is an Iranian proxy, while the Assad regime was Tehran's stalwart ally.

Trump's warnings send "an unmistakable message to the people in the Middle East that the U.S. wants to get this done," said David Makovsky, director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy Project on the Middle East Peace Process.

This leaves Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu navigating between placating the ultraright-wing faction of his coalition  which is pushing for building settlements in and even annexing Gaza  and pleasing Trump, who wants credit for ending the war and potentially expanding the Abraham Accords to include Saudi Arabia, Makovsky told VOA.

The 2020 agreement brokered under the first Trump administration normalized diplomatic relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, then later with Morocco.

"Trump is not into building more settlements and staying in Gaza. Trump wants, I think, a Nobel Prize for a breakthrough with Saudi Arabia," Makovsky said. "And I don't think those things go together."

Analysts say that even before taking office, Trump is already shaping the calculations of combatants in the Middle East. His pick for national security adviser, Representative Mike Waltz, gave the president-elect credit for last month's ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, brokered by the U.S. and France.

"Everyone is coming to the table because of President Trump," Waltz posted on social media. "His resounding victory sent a clear message to the rest of the world that chaos won't be tolerated."

US 'hopeful' for deal

Meanwhile, the Biden administration has pledged to spend all the time left in its waning days to try to make a deal happen. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday he is "hopeful" an agreement can be reached.

"Gaza has to be translated into something different that ensures that Hamas is not in any way in charge, that Israel doesn't have to be, and that there's something coherent that follows that enables the governance, the security, the reconstruction of Gaza," he said.

That goal is still out of reach, despite Washington's renewed diplomatic push with Turkey, Egypt and Qatar.

"I don't see a scenario in which President Biden is going to be able to really fundamentally shift the needle here," Alkhatib said.

He added that while Hamas may be motivated to secure a deal while Biden is still in office rather than after Jan. 20 when the U.S. is likely to drive a much harder bargain, they know that any assurances provided by the Biden administration may not be fulfilled by the Trump administration.

This despite officials from both the Biden and Trump administrations saying they are working together in handling global conflicts, partly to secure the transition period that may be seen by adversaries as moments of opportunity, said national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

"And so, the imperative on us, both the outgoing Biden administration, the incoming Trump administration, has to be to lash up more tightly than is typical, to spend more time together than is typical, and to try to ensure we are sending a common, clear message to both friends and adversaries in the Middle East."

The common message from the two leaders is that the U.S. wants the conflict to end. So far, the warring parties are not listening.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called on Israel to halt its airstrikes on Syria, calling them violations of the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"Syria's sovereignty, territorial unity and integrity must be fully restored, and all acts of aggression must come to an immediate end," Guterres told reporters.

Since the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad abruptly fell earlier this month, Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes, including around the capital, Damascus, that it says are aimed at destroying strategic weapons and military infrastructure.

The family of Austin Tice, the American journalist detained in Syria for more than 12 years, has raised concerns that Israel may be striking a part of the country where the reporter is held.

Israeli troops have also moved into the demilitarized zone between Syria and the Israel-occupied Golan Heights  formed after the 1973 Arab-Israeli war  that U.N. peacekeepers patrol.

Let me be clear: There should be no military forces in the area of separation other than U.N. peacekeepers  period. Israel and Syria must uphold the terms of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement, which remains fully in force, Guterres said.

Israeli officials have said the move is a limited and temporary measure intended to ensure the security of Israels borders. However, Israeli officials have not indicated when Israels troops will be withdrawn.

Guterres also said the U.N. is focusing on helping foster an inclusive, credible and peaceful political transition in Syria and getting aid moving to address one of the most severe humanitarian crises in the world.

This is a decisive moment  a moment of hope and history, but also one of great uncertainty, he said. But it is the obligation of the international community to stand with the people of Syria who have suffered so much. Syrias future must be shaped by its people, for its people, with the support of all of us.

Also on Thursday, the Pentagon confirmed to VOA that it has 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria, more than twice the 900 it previously said were there.

The Pentagon said the additional troops are considered temporary forces. They were sent to Syria to support the mission against Islamic State militants.

Pentagon spokesperson Major General Pat Ryder told reporters he did not know how long the number had been 2,000, but it predated the fall of Assad.

For many of our deployments, numbers will fluctuate from time to time. But given that this number is significantly higher than what we've been briefing, I wanted to let you know as soon as I found out this information, Ryder told VOA. He added that he learned of the new figure Thursday.

Meanwhile, Iraq on Thursday sent nearly 2,000 Syrian soldiers back to Syria after they had sought refuge in Iraq during the push by rebel forces to oust Assad, according to an Iraqi military statement.

The Syrian soldiers were returned at their request and entered via an Iraq-Syria border crossing, according to the statement.

The Iraqi Defense Ministry kept the soldiers weapons and will return them to a new Syrian government once it is formed, the statement said.

Russian response

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday rejected the notion that Assads ouster represented a defeat for Russia.

Putin said during his annual news conference that Russia had achieved our goals in Syria, where it rushed to provide direct military support for Assads government more than nine years ago to help push back rebel fighters.

Russian forces operated out of a network of bases in Syria to carry out airstrikes that helped Assads military gain an advantage in the civil war.

After rebels made a surprise surge that toppled Assads government earlier this month, Assad fled to Russia.

Putin said Thursday that he had not yet met with Assad but planned to do so. Among the topics Putin said he would discuss is the whereabouts of Tice. He also said he could ask those now in control in Syria about Tice.

Syrian transition

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that Syrians face an incredibly fraught opportunity as they work to shift away from decades of Assad family rule to a new future.

Speaking at an event at the Council on Foreign Relations, Blinken said the question is whether Syrians will seize an opportunity for the first time in decades not to be governed by a dictator, not to be governed by an outside power, not to be governed by a terrorist organization, not to be governed by one sect or minority over another.

He also pointed to the rebels who seized power, and the opportunity they have to engage with the outside world and not take actions that will isolate the country.

Blinken highlighted the example of the Taliban in Afghanistan, saying the group pledged to be more moderate after it seized control but ultimately acted otherwise and ended up terribly isolated around the world.

He said those in Syria need to move the country forward in an inclusive, nonsectarian way, to protect minorities and deal with security challenges such as chemical weapons and groups such as Islamic State.

Syrias new education minister, Nazir Mohammad al-Qadri, said Thursday that the new government would not restrict the rights of girls to learn.

Education is a red line for the Syrian people, more important than food and water, he told Reuters in Damascus.

The right to education is not limited to one specific gender, he said. There may be more girls in our schools than boys.

Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk is calling for an end to the siege of El Fasher in Sudan's North Darfur state, which has resulted in hundreds of civilian deaths and injuries, and the widespread destruction of homes and infrastructure.

"The continuing siege of El Fasher and the relentless fighting are devastating lives everyday on a massive scale," Turk said in a statement Friday to coincide with the release of a report describing the devastating impact of the seven-month-long siege of El Fasher in Sudan by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

"This alarming situation cannot continue. The Rapid Support Forces must end the horrible siege. And I urge all parties to the conflict to stop attacks on civilians and civilian objects  and to comply with their obligations and commitments under international law," he said.

Since the siege of El Fasher, the capital of Sudan's North Darfur state, began in May, the report finds at least 782 civilians have been killed and more than 1,143 injured.

Fighting displaces millions

The RSF and Sudan National Forces have been battling for control of the country since April 2023. Since the RSF and Sudanese warlords made a power grab, plunging the country into chaos, more than 11.5 million people have been forced to flee their homes. About 8.5 million are displaced inside Sudan. Another 3 million have fled as refugees to neighboring countries.

Additionally, the United Nations reports more than half of Sudan's population or 26.5 million are suffering from acute hunger, with thousands on the brink of famine.

Authors of the report say the findings indicate a persistent disregard of international humanitarian law by the parties to the conflict, "as evidenced by the indiscriminate use of explosive weapons with wide-area effects in populated urban areas and direct attacks against civilians and civilian objects, including attacks on health facilities."

Seif Magango, a spokesperson for human rights chief Turk, told journalists in Geneva on Friday that the RSF, Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, and their allies "have turned the city into a battleground" from which there is no escape.

"There has been regular and intense shelling by the RSF of densely populated residential areas, recurrent airstrikes by the SAF, and artillery shelling by both the SAF and its Allied Joint Forces.

"Residential neighborhoods, markets, hospitals and camps hosting internally displaced people have been struck," Magango said.

Survivors who fled El Fasher have testified that intense artillery shelling by the RSF on densely populated residential areas and recurrent airstrikes by the SAF and Joint Forces "in most cases were conducted without warning despite the presence of thousands of civilians."

The U.N. human rights report accuses the warring parties of the indiscriminate use of explosive weapons in populated areas. It says the Zamzam Camp, which hosts hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people, and where famine has been declared, has been shelled repeatedly.

It says the Abu Shouk IDP camp, northwest of El Fasher, housing more than 100,000 internally displaced people from African tribes, has been subjected to recurrent artillery shelling by the RSF, "amounting to direct attacks on civilians and civilian objects."

Between May 9 and November 28, the U.N. human rights office has documented 13 attacks on health facilities, most attributed to and "deliberately targeted" by the RSF. For example, it notes the Al-Saudi Maternity Hospital, in western El Fasher, "has been repeatedly shelled since the start of the hostilities."

"This is the last remaining public hospital in the city with the capacity to perform surgery and provide sexual and reproductive health services, including necessary medical care for survivors of sexual violence," it says, noting that "this is particularly tragic as there has been a surge in cases of sexual violence since the siege began."

Monitors track sexual violence reports

Human rights monitors have documented numerous reports of sexual violence against women and girls during the siege and as they fled El Fasher after May 2024.

The report quotes a reliable source who says the 20 to 40 victims of sexual violence reaching service providers each month "is considered to be significantly underreported due to stigma and artillery shelling that restricted movement."

"Attacks on civilians and civilian objects may amount to war crimes," Magango said. "This alarming situation cannot be allowed to continue. All parties to the conflict must refrain from attacks on civilians and civilian objects and respect international law."

The report's authors express concern about a buildup of SAF-allied Joint Forces in the densely populated Zamzam camp. This, coupled with the increased mobilization of fighters along tribal lines across Darfur, they say, "indicates preparations for further hostilities may be under way."

"Any large-scale attack on Zamzam camp and El Fasher city will catapult civilian suffering to catastrophic levels, deepening the already dire humanitarian situation, including famine conditions," warned High Commissioner Turk in Friday's statement.
China's ruling Communist Party used an agent in California to influence state politics, U.S. prosecutors said Thursday as they unveiled criminal charges against a Chinese national.



FBI agents arrested Yaoning "Mike" Sun, 64, at his home in Chino Hills, near Los Angeles, on charges that he acted as an agent for a foreign government while getting involved in local politics.

The complaint claims Sun served as the campaign manager and close confidante for an unnamed politician who was running for local elected office in 2022.

During the campaign, he is alleged to have conspired with Chen Jun -- a Chinese national sentenced to prison last month for acting as an illegal agent of Beijing -- regarding his efforts to get the politician elected.

The U.S. Department of Justice said Chen discussed with Chinese government officials how they could influence local politicians, particularly on the issue of Taiwan.

China considers the self-ruled island of Taiwan part of its territory.

Beijing -- which has said it would never rule out using force to bring Taiwan under its control -- has been accused of using local influence campaigns, among other tactics, to sway global opinion on the issue.

Charging documents say after the local politician won office in late 2022, Chen instructed Sun to prepare a report on the election to be sent to Chinese government officials, who expressed their thanks for his work.

"The conduct alleged in this complaint is deeply concerning," said United States Attorney Martin Estrada.

"We cannot permit hostile foreign powers to meddle in the governance of our country."

Sun was charged with one count of acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.

He also faces one count of conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States, which carries a maximum penalty of five years.

Asked about the charges on Friday, Beijing's foreign ministry said it was "not aware of the details in the case you mentioned."

But spokesperson Lin Jian said, "China never interferes in the internal affairs of other countries."

"The international community sees clearly who is actually wantonly interfering in the internal affairs of other countries," he said during a regular briefing.
A group of U.S. diplomats were in Syria to hold talks Friday with the countrys new leaders and seek information about the whereabouts of detained American journalist Austin Tice, following the fall of President Bashar al-Assads government.

Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf, former special envoy for Syria Daniel Rubinstein, and the Biden administrations chief envoy for hostage negotiations, Roger Carstens, are scheduled to hold talks with Syrias interim leaders, the State Department said early Friday.

They hope to uncover information about the fate of Austin Tice, Majd Kamalmaz, and other American citizens who disappeared under the Assad regime, a State Department spokesperson said.

A Texas native and former U.S. Marine turned journalist, Tice has been held in Syria since 2012, when he was detained at a checkpoint in Damascus. Aside from a brief video after his capture, little has been heard or seen of him since.

The longest-held American journalist abroad, Tice freelanced for outlets including The Washington Post, CBS and McClatchy.

Kamalmaz, a Syrian-American psychologist who was treating refugees from the war-torn country, was stopped at a government checkpoint in 2017. He had traveled to Syria to check on an elderly relative. In May 2024, the U.S. learned Kamalmaz had died in custody.

In a statement released in June, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, The Syrian government must answer for what happened to Majd.

His family in July filed a lawsuit against the Syrian government for wrongful death and false imprisonment.

The fall of the Assad government this month has fostered cautious optimism among Tices family that he will be among the thousands of prisoners being released.

What were hoping is that as people that are coming into Damascus are opening the prisons, that, by the power of God, theyll open the one that Austins in, Tices mother Debra told VOA last week.

Tices family said this month that it has received credible information from a source vetted by the U.S. government that confirms Tice is alive and indicates he may be detained in the Damascus area.

The U.S. government has said it believes that Tice is still alive and that locating his whereabouts is a priority. Syrias transitional government has said the search for Tice is ongoing.

The trip Friday is the first time American diplomats have formally visited Syria in more than a decade. The U.S. closed its embassy in Damascus in 2012.

They will be engaging directly with the Syrian people, including members of civil society, activists, members of different communities, and other Syrian voices about their vision for the future of their country and how the United States can help support them, the State Department spokesperson said.
BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Friday that a handful of Western media and long-time disinformation manufacturers have concocted one lie after another about Xinjiang, but what is made up will not hide the truth and a lie is still a lie even if it is told a thousand times.

Spokesperson Lin Jian made the remarks when asked to comment on a related query at a daily press briefing.

Certain Western media's articles cited a report by Adrian Zenz, who is an anti-China academic, saying that chili pepper products sold in UK and U.S. supermarkets contain ingredients from Xinjiang, which are probably produced using "forced labor."

Noting this so-called report mentioned by certain media outlets is deeply flawed, Lin said it pretentiously quotes some vague accounts by so-called anonymous witnesses, but does not provide any factual basis, and even lacks the most basic field investigation.

"The fact is, the farming process of chili peppers in Xinjiang has largely been mechanized already. In some major production areas, 100 percent of the chili peppers are now harvested by machines. Is the report suggesting that there is forced machine labor?" Lin asked.

The spokesperson noted that earlier this week, an international symposium on employment and social security was held in Urumqi. More than 200 participants from over 40 countries, regions and international organizations attended the event, and many said the Xinjiang they saw is very much different from the false propaganda they had seen from sources outside China. "They condemned the 'forced labor' narrative, calling it a lie that deprives people in Xinjiang of their right to work, subsistence and development," Lin said.

From cotton to tomato and now to chili pepper, a handful of Western media and long-time disinformation manufacturers have concocted one lie after another about Xinjiang, Lin said, adding what is made up will not hide the truth and a lie is still a lie even if it is told a thousand times.

"For those behind these same old clumsy theatrics, it is high time they quit this 'creative' business for good," Lin said. 
A spending bill backed by Donald Trump failed in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday as dozens of Republicans defied the president-elect, leaving Congress with no clear plan to avert a fast-approaching government shutdown that could disrupt Christmas travel.

The vote laid bare fault lines in Trump's Republican Party that could surface again next year when they control the White House and both chambers of Congress.

Trump had pressured lawmakers to tie up loose ends before he takes office on Jan. 20, but members of the party's right flank refused to support a package that would increase spending and clear the way for a plan that would add trillions more to the federal government's $36 trillion in debt.

"I am absolutely sickened by a party that campaigns on fiscal responsibility and has the temerity to go to the American people and say you think this is fiscally responsible," said Republican Representative Chip Roy, one of 38 Republicans who voted against the bill.

The package failed by a vote of 174-235 just hours after it was hastily assembled by Republican leaders seeking to comply with Trump's demands. A prior bipartisan deal was scuttled after Trump and the world's richest person, Elon Musk, came out against it Wednesday.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson provided no details when reporters asked him about next steps after the failed vote.

"We will come up with another solution," he said.

Government funding is due to expire at midnight on Friday. If lawmakers fail to extend that deadline, the U.S. government will begin a partial shutdown that would interrupt funding for everything from border enforcement to national parks and cut off paychecks for more than 2 million federal workers. The U.S. Transportation Security Administration warned that travelers during the busy holiday season could face long lines at airports.

"Congress must get rid of, or extend out to, perhaps, 2029, the ridiculous Debt Ceiling. Without this, we should never make a deal," Trump said in a post on Truth Social hours after the bill failed.

Thursday's unsuccessful bill largely resembled the earlier version that Musk and Trump had blasted as a wasteful giveaway to Democrats. It would have extended government funding into March and provided $100 billion in disaster relief and suspended the debt ceiling. Republicans dropped other elements that had been included in the original package, such as a pay raise for lawmakers and new rules for pharmacy benefit managers.

At Trump's urging, the new version also would have suspended limits on the national debt for two years -- a maneuver that would make it easier to pass the dramatic tax cuts he has promised.

Johnson before the vote told reporters that the package would avoid disruption, tie up loose ends and make it easier for lawmakers to cut spending by hundreds of billions of dollars when Trump takes office next year.

"Government is too big, it does too many things, and it does few things well," he said.

Teeing up tax cut

Democrats blasted the bill as a cover for a budget-busting tax cut that would largely benefit wealthy backers such as Musk, the world's richest person, while saddling the country with trillions of dollars in additional debt.

"How dare you lecture America about fiscal responsibility, ever?" House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said during floor debate.

Even if the bill had passed the House, it would have faced long odds in the Senate, which is currently controlled by Democrats. The White House said Democratic President Joe Biden did not support it.

Previous fights over the debt ceiling have spooked financial markets, as a U.S. government default would send credit shocks around the world. The limit has been suspended under an agreement that technically expires on Jan. 1, though lawmakers likely will not have to tackle the issue before the spring.

When he returns to office, Trump aims to enact tax cuts that could reduce revenues by $8 trillion over 10 years, which would drive the debt higher without offsetting spending cuts. He has vowed not to reduce retirement and health benefits for seniors that make up a vast chunk of the budget and are projected to grow dramatically in the years to come.

The last government shutdown took place in December 2018 and January 2019 during Trump's first White House term.

The unrest also threatened to topple Johnson, a mild-mannered Louisianan who was thrust unexpectedly into the speaker's office last year after the party's right flank voted out then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy over a government funding bill. Johnson has repeatedly had to turn to Democrats for help in passing legislation when he has been unable to deliver the votes from his own party.

He tried the same maneuver on Thursday, but this time fell short.

Several Republicans said they would not vote for Johnson as speaker when Congress returns in January, potentially setting up another tumultuous leadership battle in the weeks before Trump takes office.
As new potential threats from Chinese hackers were identified this week, the federal government issued one of its strongest warnings to date about the need for Americans  and in particular government officials and other "highly targeted" individuals  to secure their communications against eavesdropping and interception.

The warning came as news was breaking about a Commerce Department investigation into the possibility that computer network routers manufactured by the Chinese firm TP-Link may pose a threat to the millions of U.S. businesses, households and government agencies that use them.

Also on Wednesday, Congress took long-awaited steps toward funding a program that will purge other Chinese technology from U.S. telecommunications systems. The so-called rip-and-replace program targets gear manufactured by Chinese firms Huawei and ZTE.

Too far behind

While experts said the recent actions are a step in the right direction, they warned that U.S. policymakers have been extremely slow to react to a mountain of evidence that Chinese hackers have long been targeting essential communications and infrastructure systems in the U.S.

The lack of action has persisted despite law enforcement and intelligence agencies repeatedly sounding alarms.

In January, while testifying before the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, FBI Director Christopher Wray said, "There has been far too little public focus on the fact that [People's Republic of China] hackers are targeting our critical infrastructure  our water treatment plants, our electrical grid, our oil and natural gas pipelines, our transportation systems. And the risk that poses to every American requires our attention now."

A year previously, Wray had warned lawmakers on the House Appropriations Committee that his investigators were badly outnumbered.

"To give you a sense of what we're up against, if each one of the FBI's cyber agents and intel analysts focused exclusively on the China threat, Chinese hackers would still outnumber FBI Cyber personnel by at least 50-to-1," Wray said.

Decades of complexity

Part of the problem, experts said, is that it is difficult for policymakers to summon the political will to make changes that could be disruptive to the lives and livelihoods of U.S. citizens in the absence of public concern about the problem.

"It still remains very, very difficult to impress upon average, typical everyday citizens the gravity of Chinese espionage, or the extent of it," said Bill Drexel, a fellow with the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security.

He contrasted the relatively muted public response to the recent revelation of a Chinese hacking operation known as Salt Typhoon, which compromised mobile telephone networks throughout the country, with the uproar that accompanied the far less serious appearance of a Chinese spy balloon over the U.S. mainland in 2023.

"That just goes to show this  problem where really grave issues that are intangible  that are just in cyberspace  are really hard to wrap our minds around," Drexel told VOA.

"For four decades, we intertwined our supply chains very deeply with China, and our digital systems became more and more complex, allowing more and more compounding ways to be hacked, to be compromised," Drexel said.

"We've just started to try to change course on this stuff," he added. "But there's so much momentum for so long on these issues, and they continue to compound in complexity, such that it's just really hard to catch up."

Warning 'highly targeted' Americans

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued guidance on Wednesday, reporting that it "has identified cyber espionage activity by People's Republic of China (PRC) government-affiliated threat actors targeting commercial telecommunications infrastructure."

It continued, "This activity enabled the theft of customer call records and the compromise of private communications for a limited number of highly targeted individuals."

The warning appeared to be related to the Salt Typhoon hack that, according to government investigators, compromised all the major mobile phone carriers in the U.S., giving the Chinese government extraordinary access to the communications among millions of Americans.

The five-page CISA document outlines steps that the agency advises all Americans, but particularly those most likely to be targeted, to take immediately.

The first is to immediately curtail use of standard mobile communications platforms, such as voice calls and Short Message Service (SMS) texting. Instead, the agency advises Americans to restrict their communications to free messaging platforms that offer end-to-end encryption, such as Signal, which support one-on-one and group chats, as well as voice and video calls. Data sent with end-to-end encryption is extremely difficult to decrypt, even if a malicious actor is able to intercept it during transmission.

Among the other advice CISA offered was to avoid using SMS messages for multifactor authentication by switching to apps that provide authenticator codes or, where possible, adopting hardware-based security keys for highly sensitive accounts. Other recommendations included the use of complex and random passwords stored in password manager software, as well as platform-specific suggestions for iPhone and Android users.

TP-Link concerns

On Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal reported, and other outlets subsequently confirmed, that the Commerce Department, as well as the Justice and Defense departments, are investigating reports that computer routers manufactured by the Shenzhen-based TP-Link are one vector of attack for Chinese hackers.

TP-Link currently dominates the market for computer routers in the U.S., with nearly two-thirds of total market share. In October, a report from Microsoft revealed that one Chinese hacking operation it identified as CovertNetwork-1658 has compromised thousands of TP-Link routers to create a network that is used by "multiple Chinese threat actors" to gain illicit access to computer networks around the world.

The Journal's reporting also revealed that the Commerce Department is considering a ban on the sale of TP-Link routers in the U.S. next year, an action that could significantly disrupt the U.S. market for networking hardware.

Rip and replace

Congress on Wednesday took long-delayed action to address a different potential threat from China, allocating $3 billion to a program that will remove telecommunications equipment manufactured by Huawei and ZTE from rural telecommunications networks in the U.S.

Funding for the rip-and-replace program arrives years after the U.S. identified the two companies as posing a potential threat.

Beginning in the first Trump administration and continuing during Joe Biden's time in office, the U.S. pressured allies around the world to block the installation of Huawei and ZTE 5G cellular communications equipment from their networks, in some cases threatening to stop sharing sensitive intelligence with allies that failed to comply.
A new UNICEF report found that gang violence in Haiti forced more than 22,000 people to flee their homes. The United Nations agency expressed concern about the future for Haiti's youth who are now living on the street or in shelters.

Click here for the full story in Creole.


The U.S. Defense Departments annual report on Chinas military power, released this week, says the PLA is accelerating modernization, but it still faces several operational challenges in executing a rapid and decisive invasion of Taiwan.

Click here for the full story in Mandarin.
Will the U.S. government shut down, and if so, how will American activities overseas be affected? Turkey is making inroads in the Balkans as Russia seems preoccupied with Ukraine. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump says the leaders of Ukraine and Russia should be prepared to make a deal to end the brutal conflict that has consumed Ukraine since 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin held his annual press conference on Thursday, answering dozens of questions on home and international affairs.
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President-elect Trump advises Ukraine and Russia to negotiate a peace deal, following continuous conflict since 2022. He criticizes Biden's choice to allow Ukraine to attack within Russian borders using U.S. weapons, hinting at a potential policy change. #TrumpAdvisesPeace
 The Kurdish mercenaries of the PKK/YPG who administer north-east Syria for the benefit of the US occupation hoisted the flag of the new regime on their buildings on 12 December in order to demonstrate the unity of the country.

 Turkish troops are massing on the border, opposite Ain al-Arab (Kobane).

 All observers agree that, without the military support of the United States, the Kurdish mercenaries will not last long in the face of a Turkish offensive.

 After the ANS/Turkiye drove Kurdish fighters out of their stronghold of Tell Rifaat in the Aleppo region and then out of the city of Manbij, the US brokered a temporary ceasefire between the PKK/YPG and Turkiye. It is already being questioned.

 The 1991 Gulf War (operation "Desert Storm") allowed the United States to create the first Kurdish state in Iraq. The 2011 war against Syria allowed them to just as artificially create a Kurdish zone in Syria. However, the King-Crane Commission, formed by President Woodrow Wilson in 1919, indicated that Kurdistan should only be in Turkey. It warned against any territorial extension to the detriment of other minorities. The 2017 independence referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan was supposed to create a satellite state of Israel, but Turkiye, Iran and Iraq opposed it.
Voltaire, International Newsletter is a weekly newsletter on international politics. It features 10 to 15 pages of contextualized, sourced news items. Its aim is to enable you to follow the decline of the unipolar world and the emergence of a multipolar system.

The newsletter is published in several languages. Several foreign ministries from different countries have already subscribed.

Our director of publication and editor-in-chief directed French magazines several years ago, and has won journalism awards abroad. He has regularly contributed to some fifteen major dailies and magazines around the world.

Voltaire, International Newsletter is available by subscription for 500 a year, is published 42 times a year (not in July-August, nor during the Christmas holydays). Its an indispensable tool for any professional in international relations or defense.

Whats more, 10 times a year, subscribers are invited to Zoom virtual meetings with publications director Thierry Meyssan.

Please note: our confidential letter respects the end-of-year holidays. We will not be back until December 10th.

Contents of issue N113

EDITORIAL

 2612 Pentagon could create a second Kurdish state

AMERICAS

 2613 Joe Biden pardons his friends

 2614 The next FBI director was being spied on by the FBI

 2615 Ted Cruz announces regime overthrow in Tehran

 2616 Washington ambivalent towards Syria

 2617 Jewish Foundation subsidizes a Pro-Palestinian NGO

 2618 According to the Pentagon, China can nuke the United States

 2619 Jair Bolsonaro charged with conspiracy

EUROPE

 2620 Trumps inner circle subsidizes European conservatives

 2621 The Starmer government secretly received General Halevi

 2622 Israel closes its embassy in Dublin

 2623 Pro-US Francois Bayrou appointed Prime Minister in France

 2624 Moodys downgrades Frances rating

 2625 Ukrainians dont like Poles that much

 2626 The European Union reactivates its Association Council with Israel

 2627 Ursula von der Leyen announces EU aid to Syria

 2628 EU adopts 15th package of sanctions against Russia

 2629 Launch of the IRIS program

 2630 Switzerland condemns attacks on Ukraines electricity infrastructure

 2631 Georgia plunges into political crisis

 2632 Serbia spies on its citizens with Israeli technology

 2633 Volodymyr Zelensky at NATO and the EU

 2634 EU allocates 30 million to Belarusian opposition in exile

 2635 A hundred North Korean soldiers killed in Russia

AFRICA

 2636 The Muslim Brotherhood threatens Egypt again

 2637 Probable return of Tunisian jihadists

 2638 DRC files complaint against Apple

ASIA

 2639 Israel destroys Syrias weapons

 2640 Publication of the Netanyahu-Gil conversation, October 7 at 6:40 a.m.

 2641 Creation of a new division of the IDF

 2642 Knesset passes law to protect Netanyahu

 2643 Israel Katz wants Israel to occupy all Palestinian territories

 2644 Westerners warn Israel against further annexations of Palestinian territories

 2645 The Netanyahu Plan for the Occupied Syrian Golan

 2646 Agreement between Hamas and Fatah

 2647 Bombing of the Mawasi camp was unjustifiable

 2648 Israeli settlers tried to establish themselves in southern Lebanon

 2649 Hezbollah hails new Syrian government

 2650 Preparation for Hassan Nasrallahs funeral

 2651 Lebanon in search of Turkish protection

 2652 The Arab States and the New Power in Damascus

 2653 Israel assassinates top Syrian scientists

 2654 Emir Abu Mohammed al-Jolani dissolves armed factions

 2655 Emir Abu Mohammed al-Jolani decides to file members of the "Assad regime"

 2656 Emir Abu Mohammed al-Jolani interferes in the Lebanese presidential election

 2657 Succession of embassies in Damascus

 2658 Maher al-Assad goes into exile in Iraq with his soldiers

 2659 Resurgence of Iraqs Shiite movement independent of Iran

 2660 International law requires negotiations with Bashar al-Assad

 2661 Ibrahim Kalin in Damascus

 2662 Turkiye turns to the EU again

 2663 For Ali Khamenei, the US and Israel are responsible for the fall of Syria

 2664 Severe energy crisis in Iran

 2665 New law against women in Iran

 2666 Iran reconnects with Egypt

 2667 Bharat is not for de-dollarization

 2668 New revelations about the coup in South Korea

INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS

 2669 UN Security Council reviews JCPoA

 2670 Syrians cross paths, UNHCR says

 2671 Financing the ICJ Advisory Opinion on Israels Obligations

 2672 Russia opposes budget extension for UN Human Rights Council
WELLINGTON, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand Kiwifruit exports were valued at 3.5 billion NZ dollars for the 2024 season, up 44 percent compared with 2023, according to the statistics department Stats NZ on Friday.

"This is a great recovery for the industry after last year's weather events, and a return to historic highs," Stats NZ international accounts spokesperson Viki Ward said.

While the prices for kiwifruit remained relatively stable, the volume of kiwifruit produced this season has driven the overall increase in exports, Ward said, adding that the kiwifruit season is typically from March to November.

Total fruit exports for the year ended November 2024 were valued at 4.7 billion NZ dollars, with Kiwifruit making up 73 percent and apples 21 percent, statistics show.

Over the same period, apples rose 118 million NZ dollars, and avocados rose 33 million NZ dollars compared with November 2023, with the majority of New Zealand avocado exports heading to Australia, Ward said. (1 NZ dollar equals 0.56 U.S. dollar) 
If you were worried this Dexter flashback series wouldnt have flashbacks within flashbacks, Kid in a Candy Store is here to set your mind at ease. Yes, even though Original Sin is supposedly told from present-day Dexters near-death-experience perspective, were already getting other characters trips down memory lane, complete with the bad wigs we know and love. After the table-setting of the series premiere, it makes sense that the show would want to expand its world a bit  heres hoping its careful not to collapse under its own weight so early in the run. (It took OG Dexter several seasons before that happened.)

We pick up where we left off at Miami Metro, with Dexter simply delighted to be part of the team. (The fact that he recently popped his murder cherry is surely not part of that.) Tanya gives him a pager (its the 90s!) and says she owns him now, to which Dexters voice-over responds, I never liked being kept on a leash. This makes me increasingly concerned for Sarah Michelle Gellars longevity on this show. Harry is feeling way too optimistic about the new and improved Dexter, positing that putting killers away may be enough to keep Dexs Dark Passenger at bay. As a reminder, Dexter is not addicted to justice; hes addicted to serial killing, but sure, Dexs analogy of methadone for a heroin addict is apt enough.

Dexters first-ever crime scene is in Little Havana  cue Conga, and shout-out to Original Sins music budget  where a man is dead in a parking lot with a bullet wound to the head. Dex describes the moment as like Christmas morning (timely!), and we actually see the corpse with a big red bow wrapped around him. Im here for this level of whimsy. After making him get coffee and pastries, Tanya shows Dexter how to photograph a crime scene. Of course, he cant help getting ahead of himself, explaining that the victim must have been shot at close range given the void in the blood spatter that reveals where the killer was standing. Tanya calls everyone over to point and laugh at Dexter, with Bobby noting that the gunpowder burn on his forehead tells them the same thing. (It still feels like Dexs perspective is useful, and given Miami Metros abysmal 18-percent clearance rate for murders, maybe they shouldnt be so quick to dismiss him!) Harry explains that everyone is giving Dexter a hard time because hes new, and he should try to fit in by giving it back to them, something that certainly wont backfire immediately!

When Batista, Masuka, Bobby, and Dexter head to lunch at a Cuban restaurant owned by Angels cousin Alvaro, Dex continues to get lightly bullied. The cops make sure his Cubano is served with a void of meat  like the void of blood spatter, get it?  and to get them back, Dexter tells Bobby that he looks like hes one bite away from a myocardial infarction. Oh, Dex. Meals at home arent much less awkward: Dexter notes that Harry is still smoking, and they compare notes on urges, which Harry doesnt love. But he also still seems to be in complete denial about how relentless and dangerous his sons addiction is. After Dexter describes the murder of Nurse Mary as euphoric and almost indescribable, Harry suggests that maybe Dex can finally put all this killing stuff behind him. Lets use our common sense, my man. Meanwhile, Debra continues to feel left out, especially when Harry refuses to eat her tofu kebabs, leading to a lot of cursing and storming out. Original Sin still has no idea what to do with this character, and Im sorry that Molly Brown is saddled with dialogue like, Morgan residence, underappreciated daughter speaking.

Back at Miami Metro, Dexter tries to endear himself to his colleagues by bringing  crudites. (Harry taught him the Code, but not that you dont win friends with salad?) But while Camilla in Records fully throws Dexs veggie plate in the trash, she gives him something more interesting: access to the case files that Tanya has asked him to pull from. This lets Dexter see the seemingly endless array of unsolved killings in Miami, which makes him think about all the murderers walking free. And hes about to learn about an especially nasty one. On a night out with Batista  at Harrys urging, because Dexter and Angel are around the same age, apparently?  Dex learns about Rene, a former busboy at Alvaros restaurant. Rene owed a lot of money to a dangerous man named Handsome Tony Ferrer, so Ferrer confronted him at home and fired a warning shot. That bullet ended up striking and killing Renes mother, and a week later, Rene shot himself on his mothers grave. Upsetting stuff, and Ferrer remains a free man  good news or bad news for Dexter, depending on how you look at it.

Other possible bad news for Dexter: Debra is accidentally getting closer to his secret. When she and Sofia go shopping at Sunglass Hut, Debs impressed by her friends wad of cash. Sofia explains that she pawned her grandmas coat and suggests that Debra do the same. Even after a tough conversation with Harry in which he suggests its time to move on from her mothers death, Debra cant bring herself to sell any of Doriss jewelry, so she tries Dexters room. There, hidden in one of his VHS tapes, are Nurse Marys earrings, a trophy from his first murder. Ultimately, the pawnbroker wont take them, so Debra is forced to part with her moms pearl necklace after all, but she gives the earrings to Sofia. Presumably, this means trouble for Dex  although, given that this is a prequel and we know hes not getting caught, its more likely an issue for Sofia. Could she end up on Dexters kill table this season? Her sudden crush on him does not bode well for her.

The other concurrent story line in Kid in a Candy Store is Harry flashing back to the Estrada drug case, for which he collared low-level dealers Joe Driscoll and Laura Moser, turning Laura into an informant for Miami Metro. If you dont know your Dexter lore, these are our title psychopaths parents, and thats made clear later in the episode when Laura introduces Harry to young Dex and her other son, Brian (the future Ice Truck Killer). We know where this is going  Dexter and Brian are baptized in their mothers blood, which turns them into serial killers because of science  so its a lot of dramatic irony, i.e., Harry insisting that he can keep Laura safe. In some ways, it makes sense for the show to be focusing on Harrys guilt and major past transgressions. The chain of events that begins when he coerces Laura into becoming an informant (and perhaps also the death of Harry Jr.) is Harrys original sin. And, hey, thats the title of the series!

Throughout the episode, we also get brief scenes of a kidnapped child, who we learn is Judge Powells son, Jimmy. Captain Spencer thinks its the cartel, but all we know is that the kidnapper has a full face covering  prepare for that dramatic reveal  and that he has no qualms about mutilating a child. At the end of the episode, Jimmys severed finger arrives at Miami Metro. Dexter is very triggered by this, but he also recognizes that hes got a lot of competition when it comes to finding and killing the perp. Instead, hes going to focus his energy on a much easier task: Tony Ferrer. The truth is, there was no Nicorette for someone like me, no methadone, his voice-over says. The Dark Passenger was rising up, and there was only one thing I could do about it.

Blood Spatter Analysis

 In addition to Gloria Estefan, we get New Kids on the Blocks Step by Step at Sunglass Hut and Alice in Chains Man in the Box for a very effective overhead tracking shot of the troubled Morgan household. The period-appropriate music is really working for me.

 Speaking of period details, the scene where Dexter tries to give vegetables to his new co-workers is made much funnier by the fact that theyre literally all smoking.

 Unfortunately, smoking has consequences, and fans of the original series might remember what happens to Camilla in Records, played there by Margo Martindale.

 Patrick Dempseys line read of the episode: Miami is overflowing with cocaine  if we dont get a handle on this, were gonna be in a world of powdered shit!

 Im not sure whats going on with Levi Reed, the suspected home-invasion serial killer from the first episode whos now on trial. Im guessing that case is going to intersect with the kidnapping somehow? Levis girlfriend says he was with her all night, but Harry dismisses her with, Too bad its not Crackhead Alibiing Her Murderer Boyfriend Day.

 Tanya warns Dexter, Im tiny but mighty, and dont you forget it, which is absolutely a Buffy line. I wish I didnt feel like SMGs days on this show were numbered!
Period action-adventures used to be Hollywoods thing. But we rarely see movies like this new French adaptation of the Alexandre Dumas classic anymore. Photo: Samuel Goldwyn Films/Everett Collection

Is there a more purely entertaining novel in the classic literary canon than Alexandre Dumass The Count of Monte Cristo? Many have abridged it and updated it and riffed on it over the decades. In TV and film, there have been Indian versions, Chinese versions, Mexican versions, Sri Lankan versions, Korean versions, Turkish versions, to go with the multitudinous French and American versions. That central premise  of betrayal, followed by self-improvement, followed by revenge dished out patiently, ingeniously, and viciously  remains rock-solid compelling, no matter which country or era one is living in. Its almost impossible to screw up a movie of it. You dont need to Hollywoodize the thing. Its already simple, and filled with action and cloak and dagger machination; Hollywoods been borrowing from it for decades, as have superhero tales. (Christopher Nolans Dark Knight films clearly owe a debt to Dumas.) So, how interesting that the latest French adaptation, an expansive, handsomely mounted, big-budgeted affair written and directed by Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patelliere, doesnt just deliver Dumas  it also serves as a reminder of the kind of movie Hollywood has forgotten how to make.

The novel, first serialized in the 1840s, was steeped in Napoleonic intrigue, and this adaptation retains some of those elements without getting too overwhelmed. After saving a shipwrecked woman who is carrying a secret letter from the previously exiled Napoleon Bonaparte, young nobleman Edmond Dantes (Pierre Niney) is accused of being part of an anti-government conspiracy. Among the accusers is his best friend, Fernand (Bastien Bouillon), whos also in love with Mercedes (Anais Demoustier), the woman our hero had intended to marry. Sent off to a remote prison island and thought dead by his loved ones, Edmond meets a fellow inmate who spends years teaching him all the knowledge of the world and reveals the location of a lost Templar treasure. Upon his escape, Edmond finds the treasure, and reappears in Paris as the impossibly worldly and absurdly wealthy Count of Monte Cristo. His betrayers have all advanced in French society, with Fernand marrying Mercedes. Armed with an array of disguises and contacts in the underworld, as well as two younger associates (Julien de Saint Jean and Anamaria Vartolomei), each with their own ax to grind against these men, the Count executes an elaborate plan to destroy the lives that destroyed his.

But will his single-minded dedication to vengeance corrupt his own soul? The beauty of The Count of Monte Cristo, and a key to its enduring appeal, lies in how it captures both the exaltation and corrosion of revenge; it indulges in enormously satisfying, ancient blood-debt cruelty while recognizing the power of self-awareness and mercy. For much of their 178-minute running time, Delaporte and de La Patelliere let us delight in the spectacle of Dantes and his associates weaving their sinister, at times mysterious web  well-positioning us for the eventual reckoning, when well be thoroughly invested in all these characters and their impending fates.

The writer-directors also co-wrote last years two Three Musketeers films, similarly epic Dumas adaptations that made a ton of money and won awards in France. These movies reverse the classic direction of cultural transmission. Hollywood borrowed these stories and made them their own; now, Delaporte and de La Patelliere lift high Hollywood style to reclaim the tales for France. The Counts powers of disguise would make Tom Cruises Ethan Hunt blush with envy; his tight, severe outfits and black robes would prompt Batman to beg for the name of his tailor. (With his big sad eyes, half-snarl, and slender physique, Niney makes a fine earnest nobleman, as well as a compellingly embittered angel of darkness; the Counts fake little mustache helps, too.) Thundering, Zimmer-ian drums and roaring strings practically accompany Edmonds every move; theres even some slow-motion thrown in there for good measure. The movie might be set in the early 19th century, but its hero is a 21st century badass.

All this might be a bit much for those who like their international epics more refined and genteel. Once upon a time, I might have even agreed. But watching The Count of Monte Cristo, I was reminded all over again that we really dont see movies like this anymore  certainly not coming out of the American film industry. Period action-adventures used to be Hollywoods thing. The studio system had the means, the talent, and the will to make big, expensive, rip-roaring tales set in the past, featuring stars like Douglas Fairbanks and Errol Flynn and Charlton Heston. The collapse of the studio system took those types of pictures down with it, but they did come back in the late 1980s and 90s, capitalizing on the success of titles like Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and The Last of the Mohicans, and arguably hit their industrial peak with the runaway success of The Mask of Zorro and the Best Picture wins of Braveheart and Gladiator (two very different movies that I cant help but always lump together). There was even a delightful, late-breaking Count of Monte Cristo adaptation in 2002, directed by Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves Kevin Reynolds and featuring a wonderfully snide Guy Pearce as the chief villain.

All that couldnt prevent the genre from being replaced by endless fantasy franchises in Hollywoods post-9/11 realignment. And what rare films subsequently emerged were often burdened with the impossible task of speaking (weakly, obsequiously) to the contemporary moment, whatever that may be; look no further than the mess that is Gladiator II for an example. Its hard not to feel like the formula for successfully making such pictures has been lost along the way. But The Count of Monte Cristo, with its familiar, back-to-basics story and its successful merging of old and new, can perhaps point us in the right direction. Still, one need not worry about the fates of industries to appreciate it. After all these years, the elemental pull of Dumass tale remains irresistible.
Okay, this season is getting more overstuffed than Dolly Partons bra. I only make this joke about the one person we can truly call a National Treasure because, in this episode, Rodrigo and Tyler threw their 13-year-old dog Bella a Doggy Parton themed party, so its fitting. But also, who are all these new characters? What is even going on anymore? Is anyone on this show full-time other than the boys? Were seeing Venita and Leva, Whitney and Paige, and all of these other people who are just sprinkling little storylines around, but are they getting paid in something other than free dog biscuits from the party? Also, theyve all slept with each other? At least Venita brought some glam, showing up in pink chaps with sequin hotpants underneath, which is the only logical outfit for a Doggy Parton-themed dog birthday party thrown by gay dog dads.

Into this whole mess walks Mollys friend Salley, who apparently trains people how to use surgical robots. I really want to like her because that is the coolest job, other than being an ice cream taste tester. Salley and her unnecessary E hooked up with Shep once and sent him packing at 2 a.m. in an Uber against his wishes which I freakin love. How many times has Shep pulled that trick and sent home girls in a random Nissan driven by a law student named Jeremy in the middle of the night so that he and Little Craig could marinate in their own farts all night? Its nice for Salley to be both sex-positive and Shep-negative.

Salley got me on her side pretty quickly, but she lost me just as fast. She said that she also dated Taylors now boyfriend Gaston, who may or may not be on the show; Im not sure. She says, We dated for three months. I thought he was my person, and I thought I was his, but he was cheating the whole time. First of all, I will never forgive The Bachelor for giving us the phrase my person. Please stop with this. Its so dumb and reductive, and there are so many people in everyones lifetimes. Can we just axe this syrupy nonsense already? My person aside, she also decided this after three months. You cant even tell if you want to make a lifelong commitment to a mattress after three months; nonetheless, a human being named after the hunkiest of Disney villains. And while were on the subject, please sing it with me: No one meets like Gaston, no one cheats like Gaston, no one gets the ladies in the sheets like Gaston.

The other thing that bugs me about Salley is that she is blonde in the scenes but brunette in the confessionals. Are we sure its the same person? Are we sure that the producers of Southern Charm arent being Parent Trap-ed? And has Salley never learned of continuity?

Who else do we meet this episode? Theres Sienna, Sheps new girlfriend who lives in the Bahamas but came up for a visit. Shep fantasizes about moving to the Bahamas, marrying this native, having a bunch of children with her, and just fishing and hanging out for the rest of his life. Oh, so you mean Shep wants to be a colonizer? Just like his ancestors? Got it. Okay. Is he going to go so far as to open a plantation?

We also get to meet Audrey, who is Austens new girlfriend, though she just breezes by the camera quickly and she barely gets to speak to anyone. Audrey has the easiest job of all because Austens only ex on the cast is Madison, and shes too busy wearing matching outfits with Paige (they have the same Amazon Shop page) and talking about her husbands cancer to care about what is going on with Audrey. Salley seems like she wants to make some kind of beef happen with Taylor, who wants nothing to do with it. Taylor is too busy trying to get over the awkwardness of meeting Sienna for the first time when she tells Leva she thinks that she is only number one on the roster. Also, can we not with Taylor? There has never been anyone on reality television Im less interested in learning more about, and that includes half of the dogs at the puppy party.

Everyone mixes and mingles at the party except for JT and the hot gay newbies Ryan and Dr. Eddie, who werent invited. JT being excluded makes sense, but do Rodrigo and Tyler have beef with the other hot Charleston gays? Is there some kind of gay drama that we dont know about? And if there is gay drama, why dont we know about it? There aint no drama like a gay boy drama because a gay boy drama dont stop. And while it seems like the party might have been explosive, it was mostly a wash, probably because everyone was tripping all over their favorite little critters.

The only drama of the episode is thanks to JT, who is trying to repair things with both Miss Patricia and Madison. He decides that, like his mother, hes going to write her an apology note, which seems like a good idea. Thats until he starts writing on a note card on the side with his embossed initial right in the middle of the page. Dude, that is the back! Then he starts scribbling in his sad, millennial, TikyToky-addicted scrawl that doesnt make any sense. My intent was meant he writes before pausing, realizing that what hes writing makes absolutely no sense. If its that hard, just type it in Notes App like a celebrity apology first and copy it from the phone. Maybe then you could even space it out a bit so Warmest Regards isnt squished at the bottom like Salley trying to jam her way into this seasons overstuffed cast photo.

He delivers this envelope to Miss Pats door in a navy blue envelope that hes written on in black pen. How can JT do the right thing but then do it so wrong it ends up becoming even worse than what he did in the first place? Patricia receives the note and says that no one should make her feel like an invalid because she can still do handstands and cartwheels. All due respect to Miss Patricia, who I love and is a wonderful woman, but I am considerably younger but I cant even do handstands and cartwheels. Yes, shes still spry and sprightly, but cartwheels? Patricia says she doesnt want a friendship with him, but she will be cordial when she sees him.

At least Whitney is being realistic about whether or not JT called her a bitch, a word JT says he never uses because he called his mother once, and she cut six inches off the bottom of his legs. Thats why he stands at the height he does today. (Sorry, I have tall-man privilege.) Whitney also recalls that Craig sometimes has a loose grasp of the truth which, yeah, we all know that hes better skimming his pool and hot tub than he is faithfully recounting events.

JTs other big bust-up comes when Madison summons him to coffee to basically tell him never to talk to him again. She arrives at their date looking gorgeous in a tiny neutral dress and sunglasses so good I immediately ordered them off both her and Paiges Amazon Shop pages. I love Madison like Rodrigo loves arms day at the gym, but I think she might have gone a little too hard on JT. She didnt need to resort to talking about his looks when putting him in his place. The issue at hand is not that he isnt hot enough (which we all know he isnt), but why would he think that her husband would think that Madison is cheating? Whats at issue is him spreading crackpot theories before talking to her.

If he was close with Madison and he got that weird FaceTime, he should have just said, Hey, when you guys called me, it was kinda strange. Are we good? And she would have given him the very reasonable explanation that she gave to viewers. She said she calls Brett every night, and one night in Jamaica, she didnt call him, and he was a bit concerned. He just wanted to make sure that she wasnt staying up all night in bed with Austen, eating Mcdonalds and drinking red wine. (For the record, anytime Madison wants to drink red wine and eat McDonalds in bed, I am there, and I promise Brett I wont lay a hand on her except to braid her hair.) Of course, Brett is more worried about her f-boi ex who shes on a trip with than JT. I mean, duh. After she makes her case, she gets up and walks away, shaking it a little bit more, turning just a little bit sharper, showing JT just what hell never have. After all, in a season this full of people, you need to do something to stand out.
MACAO, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping on Friday inspected the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) garrison stationed in the Macao Special Administrative Region.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the inspection after attending a gathering in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland. 
Italy likely to be Biden's last overseas trip in office.

US President Joe Biden will travel to Italy in January to meet Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni, President Sergio Mattarella and Pope Francis, the White House said on Friday.

Biden willl have an audience with Pope Francis on 10 January to discuss "efforts to advance peace around the world", White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

Biden's visit to the pontiff comes at the start of the Vatican's Jubilee Year 2025.

Also on 10 January, the US president will meet with Italys leaders "to highlight the strength of the U.S.-Italy relationship, thank Prime Minister Meloni for her strong leadership of the G7 over the past year, and discuss important challenges facing the world", according to the White House statement.

The four-day visit, scheduled from 9-12 January, is likely to be the last overseas trip for the outgoing US president who will be succeeded by Donald Trump on 20 January.

Photo credit: Paul Froggatt / Shutterstock.com.
Eva Osborne

Cork Airport celebrated its three millionth passenger of 2024 on Friday.

Dr Muhammad Asim arrived on Ryanair flight FR3732 from Edinburgh which touched down shortly before 12:30.

Dr Asim was met on arrival by airport management and presented with a bottle of champagne and a luxury hamper from Cork Airport Duty Free to celebrate the milestone. Dr Asim, who lives in Cork, commutes regularly to Edinburgh for his work as an anaesthetist.

2024 has been a momentous year for the airport, Cork Airport said.

It said it has become the airport of choice for consumers from across the South of Ireland and the traditional catchment area of Munster has extended outwards to incorporate counties in south Leinster such as Carlow, Kilkenny, Laois, Offaly, Wexford, and Kildare.

Celebrating Cork Airports three million passenger milestone, Kenny Jacobs, daa chief executive, said: What a year it has been for Cork Airport. Breaking the three million passenger mark today is the cherry on top of a brilliant 2024, which included several great new route announcements, solid growth in passenger traffic, innovative sustainability initiatives, the opening of a new cafe/wine bar and acknowledging the significant contribution the airport makes to the Irish economy.

"Cork Airport is the fastest growing airport in Ireland and I'm extremely proud of the great work that the team in Cork are doing in driving that growth.

Looking ahead, 2025 promises to be an even busier and better year for Cork Airport and it will continue to enjoy the fullest support of daa Group in pursuing that ambitious growth strategy."
High Court reporters

A financial consultant who ended up with a severe brain injury after allegedly falling and fracturing his skull as he left a relatives house on Christmas Day has settled a High Court action for 600,000.

Anthony ORiordan had to be stretchered from the driveway of his sisters house in Dalkey, Co Dublin, after it is thought he may have tumbled as he attempted to get into a taxi on the driveway.

Mr O'Riordan's counsel, Bruce Antoniotti instructed by Agustus Cullen and Law solicitors, told the High Court the pensioner, who is now aged 81, suffered a brain injury and has been left with cognitive deficits following the accident 12 years ago.

Mr Antoniotti said Mr ORiordan had arrived at his sisters house at 4pm on Christmas Day 2012 with his wife and daughter. He said the driveway to the house was sloped and there was a 9.5-degree slope where the accident allegedly occurred.

Almost four hours later the ORiordan party were leaving and Mr ORiordan helped his wife into the taxi and walked around the back of the car to get in the other side.

He disappeared from view and appears to have lost his balance. We don't know what happened and Mr ORiordan does not remember the incident. We don't know if he tripped, slipped or stumbled, Mr Antoniotti said.

The most likely explanation was that Mr ORiordan stumbled, Mr Antoniotti said. He noted that the wing mirror of the taxi car was broken off, which was consistent with somebody stumbling and grabbed the wing mirror.

Anthony ORiordan, of Mount Merrion Avenue, Blackrock, Dublin, had through his wife, Hilda, sued his relatives Irene and Robin Hennessy, of Knocknacree Road, Dalkey, over the accident on Christmas Day 2012.

It was claimed he was negotiating the steep driveway and attempting to enter the taxi when he slipped and fell. Mr O'Riordan claimed there was a failure to ensure his safety, health and welfare while he was a guest on the premises and a failure to ensure that the cobble lock was cleaned down with a power hose to ensure it was free from any alleged buildup of biofilm, slime or other grime liable to leave the surface slippery particularly in the winter months.

It was further alleged that Mr ORiordan hit his head and was unconscious for about 20 minutes. The skull fracture and brain bleed were later diagnosed in hospital and Mr ORiordan had to have surgery. All the claims were denied.

Mr Antoniotti told the court that expert engineers on the ORiordan side were not critical of the driveway slope and said the rough surface was safe. A year-and-a-half after the accident it was noted on inspection of the driveway that it was in pristine condition but one engineer had surmised about the alleged possibility of a biofilm where microbes grow on the surface.

Outlining the litigation risk, Mr Antoniotti said he had grave concerns and he could not say they would succeed if the case went to trial.

Approving the settlement, Mr Justice Paul Coffey said there was no evidence as to how Mr ORiordan had fallen and there was no criticism of the slope by the engineers. Noting the litigation risk, the judge said the offer was fair and reasonable.

He said it must have been a very shocking event for the family and Christmas must now be a very difficult time for them.
A planning application has been submitted for the proposed development of Scart Mountain Wind Farm, a renewable energy project that could potentially bring up to 12 million in local community funding to the Cappoquin area of Co Waterford.

The application was submitted to An Bord Pleanala by FuturEnergy Ireland and which relates to a proposed site approximately 4km northeast of Cappoquinn, makes provision for 15 turbines, a 110kV substation and ancillary works, was made by Futurenergy Scart Mountain DAC on behalf of FuturEnergy Ireland, a joint venture company formed by Coillte and ESB. The company will also be submitting a planning application for the grid connection route for the Scart Mountain project in the coming weeks.

That will comprise 16km of cabling to the existing Dungarvan substation. Scart Mountain Wind Farm would support the local economy by contributing annual rates and providing a Community Benefit Fund.

A spokesperson for the applicants told Waterford News & Star that if given the green light and constructed as designed, the project would contribute "a minimum of 540,000 per annum to a Community Benefit Fund for 15 years" and a further 270,000 per annum for the operational lifetime of the wind farm.

The lifetime fund is a FuturEnergy Ireland initiative that would bring the contribution to the area to around 12 million.

Annual local authority rates contributions are estimated at more than 0.5m per annum, while the construction period would support up to 100 jobs with two or three long-term technical employees required.

The applicant spokesperson said Scart Mountain Wind Farm has the potential to combat climate change by contributing towards the national target of producing 80 per cent of electricity from renewable sources by 2030.

"If approved and constructed as proposed, it would save between 61,350 tonnes and 77,694 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually," he said.

Emer Campbell, Project Manager at FuturEnergy Ireland, said: This planning application marks an important milestone in our commitment to delivering renewable energy solutions that support Irelands transition to a more sustainable future."

If you consider that a single rotation of one turbine would power a typical home for 12 to 16 hours, Scart Mountain Wind Farm has the potential to contribute significantly to national renewable energy targets," said Ms Campbell.

"The project would also create local opportunities through a substantial community benefit fund, local rates payments and employment," she added.

Planning documents will be available to view at http://www.scartmountainplanning.ie, on An Bord Pleanalas website www.pleanala.ie and in the office of Waterford County Council. The deadline for submissions has been extended by nine days to allow for the Christmas period.

For more information about the project go online to www.scartmountainwindfarm.ie where members of the public can access a virtual exhibition of the project.
Newly-elected TDs John Cummins and Conor McGuinness had their first days sitting during the first meeting of the 34th Dail on Wednesday, December 18.

Joined by his parents and wife, newly-elected Waterford TD John Cummins had the "honour of [his] life" in hearing his name being read into the record of Dail Eireann on his first day in office on Wednesdays sitting of the body.

Today was a very special day, the first sitting of the 34th Dail, Deputy Cummins said in a message to his supporters.

Deputy Cummins was joined by his father, the former Fine Gael Senator Maurice Cummins, and his mother, Anne, as well as his wife, Inga.

It was the honour of my life to hear my name being read into the official record of Dail Eireann by the clerk and to look up at my wife, mother and father in the gallery.

Im so grateful to all those who have assisted me throughout my political career, which began over 15 years ago at the age of 21. I want to thank my family, staff, friends and party members who have supported me on this journey.

The new TD continued, Most importantly I want to thank the people of Waterford who have entrusted me as one of their four representatives for the next five years. I assure you I will work tirelessly on your behalf!

Newly-elected Waterford TD Conor McGuinness in his new temporary offices in the Houses of the Oireachtas.

Sitting in his new office in the Houses of the Oireachtas, a smiling Conor McGuinness marked the occasion of finishing his first day in the Dail representing the people of Waterford.

Deputy McGuinness described his first day on the job as a huge honour, saying that it was very special to have my family in Dublin to mark the occasion.

"I was really proud to take my seat in the Dail alongside David Cullinane and the Sinn Fein team of 39 TDs," Deputy McGuinness said to Waterford News & Star, "I was really conscious going in there that there are a lot of people who, although they weren't physically there, were going in with me. People who had campaigned for me in this General Election campaign, people who had done an awful lot of the groundwork over many decades to build support for Sinn Fein and for a political alternative in West Waterford, and a great many people who have put their faith in me and voted for me."

He thanked the people who "took the opportunity to give me their vote in the General Election, to send me to Dublin to do their work, to represent them, to stand up for the interests of people across Waterford, and to ensure that we have really strong representation across Waterford City and County between myself and David Cullinane."

The newly-elected Waterford TD said it had been a long day, lots of media, some productive conversations across party lines and that he had been very proud to vote for Mary Lou [McDonald] in the vote to nominate the Sinn Fein leader as the Taoiseach, despite the vote having failed with 44 votes in favour, and 110 votes against.

He said it was an opportunity for Sinn Fein to "set out our vision for the political and societal change that we need right across this country, and to back a really tremendous leader in Mary Lou McDonald and someone who I think has shown empathy, compassion, dedication, determination and a real energy, drive and vision for this country."

Following the first sitting of the Dail, Deputy McGuinness took to social media to say Myself and David Cullinane are here representing Sinn Fein  representing Waterford  and our promise is to do the absolute best that we can for the people of Waterford, for the people who sent us here.

My priorities remain housing, having an adequate supply of affordable housing across Waterford City and County, and access to healthcare - in particular mental health, which is a huge issue in the area that I am so proud to represent.
SEOUL, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's joint investigation unit sent its second summons to impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol, asking Yoon to appear for questioning on Dec. 25 over insurrection and other charges, Yonhap news agency said Friday. 
As talk of an end to Russias war in Ukraine grows among Western diplomats, and Volodymyr Zelensky comes round to the idea of what he calls a just peace, the true human cost of Vladimir Putins neo-imperialist land grab remains a source of great debate.

In recent days, the Ukrainian president has stated that 43,000 of the countrys soldiers have been killed and 370,000 wounded. It was Kyivs first disclosure of total casualty figures since Russias full-scale invasion began nearly three years ago, ending a policy of not wanting to reveal any information that could embolden the Kremlin on the battlefield.

Vladimir Putin with Gazprom chief executive Alexey Miller. Russias energy empire is crumbling. Credit: AP

Zelensky pointed out that Ukraines losses were dwarfed by its far bigger enemy: 198,000 Russians killed and more than 550,000 wounded, he claimed. White House analysts think the number is much higher on both sides.

What cannot be disputed is that one of the casualties of Putins war is Gazprom, the state-backed energy behemoth that was for decades Russias biggest money-spinner and the most striking symbol of the Kremlins influence abroad.
Thongs have reached high-fashion status, with celebrities and models sporting the style over the northern hemisphere summer.

From Miu Miu to Copenhagen street style, the humble thong has had a makeover, while quiet luxury brand The Row has taken the trend to the extreme with a pair of $1600 flip-flops. In September, German sandal-makers Birkenstock hopped on the bandwagon, releasing its own foot care range.

Yes, feet are back in a big way. But before you take to the streets, theres a bit of toe upkeep you might want to attend to. Heres what the experts recommend.

Thongs in the wild: Alexa Chung backstage at Proenza Schouler earlier this year, street style at Copenhagen Fashion Week 2024, and Miu Mius Spring Summer 2025 show. Credit: Getty Images

How to prepare your feet for summer
The five remaining members of the Bali Nine have returned home to their families after nearly two decades in Indonesian prisons, ending an ordeal that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said should remind Australians not to be stupid by disobeying foreign laws.

Flights landed in cities across the east coast on Friday morning carrying the one-time drug traffickers to Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane after the Indonesian government agreed to return them to Australia earlier this month.

Martin Stephens, Michael Czugaj, Scott Rush, Matthew Norman and Si Yi Chen look on as Australia and Indonesia sign an agreement for their return home.

Albanese, who spoke to the parents of one of the returnees, Scott Rush, on the weekend, said the men had committed a serious crime, paid a serious price and it was time for them to come home.

Referring to the Paul Kelly song How To Make Gravy, sung from the perspective of a man in jail writing to his family for Christmas on December 21, Albanese said tomorrow was that day and the first in decades when the families of the five men would have their loved ones home.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton will unveil a revamped frontbench as soon as this weekend in a shake-up that will replace two shadow ministers and promote a handful of younger MPs.

Shadow ministers James Paterson, Sussan Ley, Dan Tehan and former shadow minister Julian Leeser are the four candidates most likely to replace retiring foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham.

Peter Dutton is likely to announce a reshuffle before Christmas. Credit: Glenn Hunt

Paul Fletcher must be replaced as spokesperson for government services, arts and science as he is quitting politics before the next election.

Tehan is considered the frontrunner for foreign affairs as Dutton is likely to want to keep Paterson, a close ally, in the politically hot home affairs portfolio. As deputy leader, Ley could demand the foreign affairs portfolio but is said to prefer her domestic portfolios of industry, skills, training and small business.
The Sydney-Melbourne route remains one of the worlds busiest despite the number of airline seats still being lower than before the pandemic.

Aviation data provider OAGs annual report shows Sydney-Melbourne was the worlds fifth-busiest route in 2024. It had 9,217,377 seats available this year, down 7 per cent on 2019 and down 1 per cent on last years numbers.

Qantas domestic terminal at Sydney Airport. The Sydney-Melbourne route remained the worlds fifth busiest in 2024. Credit: Getty Images

The worlds busiest route was from South Koreas capital, Seoul, to the holiday island of Jeju. It had 14,183,719 seats. The route has been the No.1 busiest for many years, except for during the pandemic.

To determine the busiest international and domestic flight routes, OAG analysed the volume of scheduled airline seats from January to December 2024. The routes listed reflect round-trip flights rather than one-ways in a single direction.
PHNOM PENH, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The newly-built Dara Sakor International Airport in southwest Cambodia's Koh Kong province is set to begin operations for domestic charter flights next week, a civil aviation spokesperson said on Friday.

Cambodian State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA)'s Undersecretary of State and Spokesperson Sinn Chanserey Vutha said the first domestic test flight will be held between the Phnom Penh International Airport and the Dara Sakor International Airport on Dec. 26.

He added that Mao Havannall, minister in charge of the SSCA, is expected to welcome the first domestic charter flight to the airport on that day.

"This will mark the first-ever travel by air to the coastal area of Cambodia's Koh Kong province," Chanserey Vutha said in a news release.

"It will contribute significantly to the development of the economy, tourism and industries in Koh Kong province, in particular, and in Cambodia in general," he added.

According to the spokesperson, the Dara Sakor International Airport will be open to international charter flights if there is demand.

Located in the districts of Kiri Sakor and Botum Sakor, the airport, covering a parcel of 218 hectares in the first phase, was invested by the Coastal Airport Investment Co., Ltd. in the amount of approximately 200 million U.S. dollars, he said.

He added that the airport is capable of handling 7 million passengers per annum in the medium term, and its handling capacity will be increased to 20 million in the long term from 2030 to 2050.

Cambodia currently has three international airports in operation, namely the Phnom Penh International Airport, the Siem Reap Angkor International Airport, and the Sihanouk International Airport. 
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)




At the invitation of Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi, Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric will pay an official visit to China from December 19 to 21.

Yonhap News Agency: On December 14, the ROKs National Assembly passed the impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk Yeol, suspending him from office. How does China view the impeachment against President Yoon Suk Yeol and whats the impact on the ROK-China relations and on the situation in the Korean Peninsula? Will the appointment of a new ambassador be postponed due to the impeachment?

Lin Jian: We have taken note of the most recent political developments in the ROK. They are the ROKs internal affairs, which Ill not comment on.

Let me say that China and the ROK are important neighbors and cooperation partners. The sound and steady growth of bilateral relations is in the interest of both sides. Chinas policy towards the ROK has been consistent, and we have maintained the continuity of that policy. We hope the ROK will make continued positive efforts with China to actively deepen our friendly cooperation and strategic cooperative partnership.

A peaceful and stable Korean Peninsula is in the interest of all parties and requires the concerted and strong effort of all sides.

On your second question, I have no information to share. You may follow the Foreign Ministrys website for any update.

Xinhua News Agency: To follow up on Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djurics visit to China, how does China view its current relations with Serbia? Whats Chinas expectation of the visit?

Lin Jian: China welcomes Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric to visit China.

Serbia is Chinas ironclad friend. In recent years, under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and President Aleksandar Vucic, bilateral relations have realized leapfrog growth and historic achievements. Cooperation in such areas as infrastructure, energy, cultural and people-to-people exchange, and education continues to expand, and bilateral relations have been deepened and upgraded. Through this visit, China stands ready to work with Serbia to consolidate ironclad friendship, strengthen strategic communication, deepen practical cooperation and advance the building of a China-Serbia community with a shared future in the new era.





China News Service: According to the Ministry of Science and Technology, China and the US extended the Agreement Between the United States and China on Cooperation in Science and Technology for years. Whats Chinas comment?

Lin Jian: On December 13, the representatives of the Chinese and US governments signed in Beijing a protocol to amend the Agreement Between the United States and China on Cooperation in Science and Technology (STA) and extend it for an additional five years, effective from August 27, 2024.

Scientific cooperation between China and the US benefits both sides. The STA is one of the first government-to-government agreements signed between the two countries after establishment of diplomatic ties, and has been a strong buttress for scientific exchange and cooperation between the two countries. The extension of the agreement is an important move to follow up on the common understandings reached between the two presidents when they met. The extension is in the interest of both peoples, and what the international community hopes to see. It will not only contribute to both countries science and technology advancement and socioeconomic development, but also enable China and the US to respond to global challenges together, which will in turn benefit people around the world. We hope the US will work with China to earnestly implement the agreement so that the two sides cooperation in science and technology can truly deliver for both countries and the world.

AFP: Taiwans defense ministry said today that it has received 38 advanced Abrams battle tanks from the US. Does China have a comment on this?

Lin Jian: Let me first correct you by pointing out that there is no such thing as Taiwans defense ministry. China is firmly opposed to the USs military ties with and arms sales to Chinas Taiwan region. This position is consistent and unequivocal. China calls on the US to abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, especially the August 17 Communique of 1982, stop arming Taiwan, and stop abetting and aiding separatists attempt to seek Taiwan independence through military buildup. The Taiwan authorities attempt of seeking Taiwan independence through military buildup and soliciting foreign support for that agenda will not succeed. China will firmly defend its sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.





AFP: A US warship arrived in Cambodia on Monday just kilometers away from the Chinese renovated Ream naval base. This is the first American military port call to Cambodia in eight years. Does China have a comment on this?

Lin Jian: We noted relevant reports. China believes that security and defense exchange and cooperation between countries should be conducive to regional peace and stability, not otherwise.

PTI: The special representatives talks, that is Indian National Security Adviser Doval and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, are due to take place after the October agreement and theres speculation that the meeting is likely to take place shortly. Do you have any dates for it?

Lin Jian: Not long ago, the Chinese and Indian leaders met in Kazan and reached important common understanding on making good use of the Special Representatives mechanism on the China-India boundary question. The two sides are in close communication on holding a meeting under the mechanism. We will release the information once we have any update on that.

AFP: According to Kyodo News report, Japans Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya is arranging talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on December 25. Can the Foreign Ministry confirm this and give any details?

Lin Jian: We believe it is important to maintain dialogue and communication with Japan in all areas and at various levels, and stand ready to work with Japan to improve and advance bilateral relations. As for the specific visit you mentioned, I have no information to share at this time.








TOKYO, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks ended lower on Friday for the sixth straight trading day, as earlier gains led by exporter issues on a weaker yen were more than offset by selling of tech shares.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei stock index, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average, ended down 111.68 points, or 0.29 percent, from Thursday at 38,701.90.

The broader Topix index, meanwhile, finished 11.84 points, or 0.44 percent, lower at 2,701.99.

The yen fell to as low as around 157.90 against the U.S. dollar in early morning trading, hitting a five-month low. But the Japanese currency later rebounded to the upper 156 level versus the greenback after the finance minister warned the government will act "appropriately" against excessive currency movements.

Tokyo stocks were mostly in positive territory from the outset as the weaker yen boosted export-oriented auto issues, but selling of heavyweight technology shares tracking declines in their U.S. counterparts limited gains, analysts said. 
TOKYO, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Japanese authorities have conducted an on-site inspection of the U.S. Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo over the possibility that water contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) overflowed from the base, local media reported Friday.

The inspection came two months after the U.S. military informed the Japanese side that the water containing PFAS synthetic chemicals had leaked from an area of the base where a firefighting drill was being carried out.

Officials from the defense ministry, the foreign ministry, the environment ministry, Tokyo's metropolitan government as well as local municipalities entered the base on Friday morning, Kyodo News reported.

They inspected the firefighting training area where the leakage was believed to have occurred and water samples from the reservoir in the firefighting training area were expected to be taken in the future, the report said.

"This inspection was conducted in response to the fears and concerns harbored by local residents, and we will continue to work together with the U.S. side," Fumitoshi Sato, deputy chief cabinet secretary, told reporters.

PFAS, used in a wide variety of products including fire extinguishers, is known as "forever chemicals" because it breaks down very slowly over time and can accumulate in people, animals, plants and the environment.

The U.S. military in Japan has already stopped using extinguishers that include PFAS, but past U.S. investigations had detected in reservoirs levels far above Japan's nonbinding interim standards.

Japan's food safety panel previously concluded that the effects of PFAS on birthweight loss and reduced immunity are "undeniable," even though "evidence is limited" regarding the potential of PFAS to cause cancer.

On Oct. 3, Tokyo officials received a report from the U.S. military through the defense ministry that approximately 48,000 liters of PFAS-contaminated water overflowed from the firefighting training area at the base during heavy rainfall on Aug. 30. 
Leesville, LA (71446)

Today

Sun and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 81F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy with light rain developing after midnight. Low 66F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
Eva Osborne and Cate McCurry, PA

Fine Gael and Fianna Fail will meet again in early January to resume talks on the programme for government.

In a statement on Friday evening, Fine Gael said the two parties had met again and had made "progress on various issues".

The party said engagement will also continue with the Social Democrats and Independents in January.

Discussions between the two main coalition partners in the last government got under way in recent weeks.

They are expected to re-enter government together and replace the Greens with a group of independents as junior partners.

This gained momentum when Regional Group TD Verona Murphy was backed by Fine Gael and Fianna Fail to become the next Ceann Comhairle when the Dail returned on Wednesday.

The Labour party has ruled itself out of government formation talks with Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, blaming a policy gulf and different visions for Ireland.

The parliamentary party held a meeting on Thursday afternoon during which the decision was put forward and agreed.

Party leader Ivana Bacik said: I was updating colleagues at that meeting on the engagements weve had with both Fine Gael and Fianna Fail in recent weeks and I do want to acknowledge weve had engagements, its been very useful.

However as I indicated to the parliamentary party today, following the engagements weve had, Ive formed the assessment that it is not possible to for us to enter any negotiations on government formation.
By Grainne Ni Aodha, PA Dublin News Reporter

Eight Palestinian children have arrived in Ireland for treatment as part of a multi-agency effort.

Ireland is to take in 30 children following an appeal from the World Health Organisation (WHO) to address the urgent health needs of people in Gaza.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly confirmed the first group of Palestinian children arrived in Dublin on Thursday evening, along with eight carers and 11 siblings.

The group travelled on a plane provided by the Slovakian government for the medical evacuation and were accompanied by three medical doctors from Irelands health service as well as a translator.

Several politicians welcomed them to Ireland including the Palestinian ambassador to Ireland, Dr Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid, and Slovakian ambassador Andrej Droba.

The group will travel to hospital for a full medical assessment on Friday before settling into their accommodation over the weekend.

The Government approved the initiative in September.

Ireland is estimated to be receiving up to 30 paediatric patients in total from Gaza. Photo: Niall Carson/PA.

The Department of Health said Ireland will opt-in on a case-by-case basis for each child requiring treatment based on its capacity.

The WHO has coordinated the evacuation of 2,300 patients through Egypt since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, which has put pressure on the countrys health system.

The patients travelling to Ireland are part of the group that was in Egypt.

Ireland is estimated to be receiving up to 30 paediatric patients in total from Gaza.

Their health needs are categorised under cancer, haemodialysis and other severe medical conditions, with the exception of orthopaedics.

Micheal Martin said: Children in Gaza cannot go into the New Year facing more serious injury and trauma Photo: Brian Lawless/PA.

Micheal Martin, Tanaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister, said: The long-term impact of the physical and mental scars being inflicted on children in Gaza is unconscionable.

Ireland has continued to work with our international partners, most notably UNRWA (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees), to provide urgent assistance to people in Gaza.

The medical evacuation of children to Ireland is part of our consistent support for the people of Palestine.

I am conscious that many other critically ill patients remain in Gaza, and their requests for medical evacuation are being delayed or denied by Israeli authorities.

This denial of medical care is unacceptable and must stop.

Since the beginning of this conflict, Ireland has consistently called for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages and a massive surge of humanitarian aid, including urgent medical care for critically ill children trapped in Gaza.

This must happen. Children in Gaza cannot go into the New Year facing more serious injury and trauma.
A Ballyhaunis man was one of ten An Taisce Climate Ambassadors to be distinguished with a special award for his impactful climate actions.

Kurt Reinhardt, who worked at the Connacht GAA Centre of Excellence in Bekan, was described as an excellent example of a citizen driving climate action in his place of employment and local community.

The Climate Ambassador programme gave me the confidence, education and tools to go out into the community in an effort to transfer knowledge, promote and sow the seeds of change, said Kurt.

From there, hopefully, our communities can begin to take their own positive steps and actions to impact the thematic areas for the good of our future generations.

During his time with Connacht GAA, Kurt used innovative initiatives to increase sustainability and created a blueprint for climate action that can be adopted in GAA clubs and communities across Ireland.

These initiatives included tree planting, with over 10,000 trees planted and successful Climate Action Fund applications for Sligo and Leitrim GAA, resulting in new infrastructure like bike racks, water fountains, and solar panels.

The Centre of Excellence is home to the world's largest Airdome, which is powered by solar energy. The Airdome is now exporting solar energy with the first category B export licence to go live in Ireland, which is a landmark project in the country.

Kurt negotiated a 2m partnership with Pinergy which will guarantee renewable power supply to clubs at below market price across Connacht from Lacken Wind Farm in Sligo. Connacht GAA was also recently honoured as Ireland's top Sustainable Energy Community at the national awards.

An Taisce has no doubt that Kurt will continue to inspire others to take action locally and in GAA clubs across Connacht, said Grainne Ryan, Climate Action Manager with An Taisce.
KABUL, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- At least 14 people were killed due to carbon monoxide poisoning in Afghanistan's capital Kabul, during the past two months, Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran said Friday.

"The deadly gas poisoning incident caused the death of 14 Afghan people, including women and children, in different districts of Kabul city, the capital of Afghanistan, over the past two months," Tolo quoted Zadran as saying.

Due to high prices for firewood and other necessities, many Afghans have turned to gas to heat their homes during the harsh winter months.

The tragedy has highlighted the unstable circumstances that many Afghan families face across the country, where they are especially vulnerable due to limited prospects and economic difficulties. 
High Court Reporters

A group of Westmeath County Councillors have welcomed an adjournment in a challenge to a plan to house around 1,000 male asylum seekers in tented accommodation in Athlone, which has been conceded by the State, but say substantive environmental and planning issues remain.

Protests were held in Athlone over the plan to erect up to 150 army-style tents for 1,000 asylum seekers, on a site to the rear of an existing direct provision centre in Lissywollen, Athlone.

It had been proposed that the tents would eventually be replaced with modular units.

At the High Court on Monday lawyers for Cllr Paul Hogan, who brought the challenge against the expedited plan, said the case had been conceded by the State and that the development would be deemed unauthorised.

On Thursday, Mr Justice Richard Humphreys adjourned the matter to January 27th.

In a statement, the Athlone councillors behind the challenge said that while the case had been conceded on a narrow basis, the State are yet to engage with some of what we feel are, our even stronger grounds for judicial review.

While we have been informed that the site will remain in operation until there is a final determination by the court, the State confirmed that all works on the site in Lissywollen will cease this Friday (December 20th).

Accordingly the court has adjourned the matter until January 27 in order to tease this out in more detail.

We welcome this decision as it now gives us a potential opportunity to have all our wider issues of concern heard in full by the High Court.

The group says that there remain substantive environmental and planning issues that deserve further consideration.

The statement is signed by Mayor Frankie Keena, Cllr Aengus ORourke, Cllr John Dolan and Cllr Hogan who brought the challenge.

At the High Court on Monday, Oisin Collins SC with David OBrien BL, instructed by solicitors PB Cunningham & Co, for Cllr Hogan, told Mr Justice Richard Humphreys that "the case is being conceded" by the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability and Youth and that "the development will be classified as an unauthorised development".

In his challenge, Mr Hogan, who secured 4.8 per cent of first preference votes running for Independent Ireland in Longford-Westmeath in the recent General Election, claimed the ministerial process providing for the plan was unlawful, irrational and a breach of fair procedures.

Mr Hogans legal papers relied on similar grounds to one recently brought by a north Dublin group that secured a strike-down of a statutory instrument that had paved the way for 1,000 international protection applicants on a State-owned site near Dublin Airport.

Minister for Integration Roderick OGorman contested Mr Hogans case.

Mr Hogan wanted an order either pausing or quashing the statutory instrument the Minister made for the Athlone site.

The instrument confirmed the project did not need An Bord Pleanala approval and noted Mr OGorman was satisfied two specific environmental assessments under EU law did not need to be conducted before proceeding with the plan.

Mr Hogan claimed the Minister failed to adequately screen the project for potential environmental impacts and that he lacks the expertise to carry out such assessments. There were also deficiencies in the assessment of wastewater requirements and effect on traffic, Mr Hogan claimed.

He claimed the occupants would be free to move about and will inevitably cause a significant traffic hazard and a health and safety issue next to the site and along the road.

He submitted that Athlone has a long tradition of providing accommodation and support to people seeking international protection, with one of the first direct provision centres in the State constructed on the adjoining Lissywollen site in 2001.
BUDAPEST, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Hungarian travel agencies are experiencing a surge in demand for trips to China, driven by the introduction of visa-free travel for Hungarian citizens and an increasing number of direct flights connecting Budapest with major Chinese cities.

According to OTP Travel, one of Hungary's leading tour operators, interest in China has grown significantly. "The visa-free policy and the increase in direct flights from Budapest had an extremely positive impact on travel to China in 2024," Katalin Abrany, assistant manager at OTP Travel, told Xinhua.

China's visa-free initiative, launched in March 2024, allows Hungarian citizens to travel without a visa for up to 15 days for tourism, business, or family visits. Initially set to expire on Nov. 30, the program has been extended to the end of 2025, with the permitted stay increased to 30 days.

OTP Travel organized 14 group tours to China this year, with strong interest already evident for 2025. "Several tours for next year are already fully booked," Abrany noted.

The growing accessibility of China has also played a key role. Budapest now connects to seven major Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, with 21 weekly direct flights, providing travelers with more convenient options to explore China's cultural and natural attractions.

Another Hungarian travel agency, 1000 Utazas (One Thousand Travels), highlighted the practical and financial benefits of the visa-free policy. "The program not only simplifies the administration of such a voyage but also cuts travel expenses, as a visa previously cost around 40,000 Hungarian forints (100 U.S. dollars)," said Nora Szilagy, responsible for personal visas at 1000 Utazas.

Customer feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Geza and Marta, who visited China in September, described their trip as a "cultural and gastronomic journey," commending the unique experiences and rich history they encountered. Zsuzsanna T., who joined a "Beijing to Macao" tour, expressed similar satisfaction, saying, "The trip far exceeded our expectations in terms of organization, services, and programs." 
Reading, PA (19601)

Today

Partly to variably cloudy skies overnight; more clouds (low clouds and fog off the ocean) points south and east from the I-95 corridor to the shore especially. A total lunar eclipse after midnight peaks around 2:30-3:30am. .

Tonight

Partly to variably cloudy skies overnight; more clouds (low clouds and fog off the ocean) points south and east from the I-95 corridor to the shore especially. A total lunar eclipse after midnight peaks around 2:30-3:30am.
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.
WARSAW, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Poland summoned Hungary's ambassador to Warsaw on Friday over former Polish deputy justice minister Marcin Romanowski's political asylum granted by Budapest, and decided to recall its ambassador to Hungary.

Polish prosecutors accused Romanowski of 11 charges including involvement in an organized crime group, using crime as a source of income, and abusing his power while serving as deputy minister of justice.

A court in Warsaw issued a European Arrest Warrant for Romanowski on Thursday and the Hungarian government granted Romanowski political asylum the same day.

Gergely Gulyas, Hungarian minister in charge of the Prime Minister's Office, told local media that Hungary's decision was based on concerns about the lack of a fair trial and political influence in Poland.

The Polish foreign ministry said in a statement that it "considers the decision of Hungary to grant political asylum to Marcin Romanowski, who is wanted under the European Arrest Warrant, to be an act hostile towards Poland and contrary to the elementary principles binding on the member states of the European Union."

It warned that Poland will request the European Commission to initiate proceedings against Hungary under Article 259 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union "if Hungary fails to fulfill its European obligations." 
MOSCOW, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- A Ukrainian missile strike on the town of Rylsk in Russia's Kursk region on Friday has left "dead and wounded," said the Russian Investigative Committee.

The exact number is being established, the committee said in a statement, adding that a criminal case has been opened on the grounds of a terrorist attack. 
What we did in 2024

Our research impacted humans, animals and machines, while our students side hustles drove innovation, and our scholars deepened our knowledge.

In the second year of implementation of the Wits 2033 Strategic Plan, we have achieved much in advancing academic excellence; enabling social impact; fostering a shared identity; and ensuring our sustainability.

Wits in 60 Seconds Recap 2024

Research that matters

Wits academics continued to conduct pioneering and innovative high-quality research and have published in leading journals, particularly around the Sustainable Development Goals.

Some of the research that attracted substantial attention included a search for a meteorite, the reimagining of a TB vaccine, and an affordable AI device to monitor air pollution hotspots in real-time, amongst others.

The Wits Rhisotope Project entered a new testing phase with the insertion of radioisotopes into 20 live rhinoceros to combat poaching.

A robot, a human and an animal walk into a hub...

The newly launched Machine Intelligence and Neural Discovery (MIND) Institute is a space where great minds will unleash the power of natural and artificial intelligence to build ethical, safe and inclusive AI in Africa, for the world.

From idea to innovate to impact

In its second year of existence, the Wits Innovation Centre has grown from strength to strength, securing 13 patents for, among others, breakthroughs in neural tissue regeneration, solar energy optimisation, and treatments for cancer and ageing.

Homegrown PecoPower, a trailblazer in sustainable energy solutions, delivered the first PowerBrick(s) to the Nomzamo Agricultural Village in Mpumalanga as it launched its new Rent-to-Own Electricity and Champion Model.

Several innovation and entrepreneurship hubs launched this year, including the WBSs Centre for Entrepreneurship, Wits Entrepreneurship Clinic, the Fintech Hub, and the E-Hub  the Student Entrepreneurship Hub.

More than a building, so much more...

Opening to the public this February 2025 is the new the Wits Anglo American Digital Dome, a world-class multidisciplinary facility of infinite possibilities that will forever change how South Africans teach, research, and engage with science, technology, business, sport, the humanities and the arts.

Speaking of buildings...

The Wits Crucible in Marshalltown now serves as a hub for creativity and innovation. The nearly off-grid solar farm at the Wits Rural Campus demonstrates our commitment to sustainability and the proceeds of the development of the University's Frankenwal property will support the academic project. Wits also spearheaded the R100 million expansion of the Wits Roy McAlpine Burns Unit at Baragwanath Hospital, which opened in August.

And our revamped Flower Hall gained international recognition for its sustainable design.

At the centre of success is our people

Political theorist Professor Achille Mbembe is named 2024 Holberg Prize Laureate. Our researchers won in six out of 15 categories at the NSTF-South 32 Research Awards. Several Witsies were honoured by the South African Medical Research Council.

The South African Royal Society, the South African Chemical Institute, ASSAf, the NRF, the Geological Society of South Africa, and at the 2024 NIHSS Awards, amongst others.



We also celebrated Harry Saner, a Wits student, who represented South Africa in fencing at the Olympics, and the Wits Rugby team who clinched the 2024 Castle Lager Pirates Grand Challenge title. Our students excelled at the inaugural Innovathon Challenge with the EcoCane Innovation winning R200 000 in seed money to advance their eco-friendly bioplastic solution.
JUBA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The UN refugee agency along with 48 partners will require 468 million U.S. dollars to support refugees and host communities in South Sudan in 2025, the agency said on Friday.

Representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in South Sudan Marie-Helene Verney warned that the recent surge in arrivals in South Sudan is overwhelming services in border areas and funding for the humanitarian response remains insufficient.

"The lack of funding threatens efforts to address this new emergency and to meaningfully support new arrivals and the communities hosting them," Verney said in a statement.

According to the UNHCR official, nearly one million people have arrived in South Sudan since the start of the Sudan conflict in April 2023.

She said despite efforts to support this sudden influx, the humanitarian response remains woefully underfunded, with aid partners in South Sudan having received only 24 percent of what is needed to adequately meet people's needs this year.

Verney said after more than 20 months, the conflict in Sudan shows no sign of slowing down.

"In less than three weeks, over 80,000 people have sought safety in South Sudan following the escalation of fighting in Sudan's White Nile, Sennar, and Blue Nile States -- more than tripling the average number of daily arrivals compared to previous weeks," Verney said.

As part of the response to this new influx, UNHCR and its partners are scaling up protection and assistance, notably as some of the areas receiving new arrivals lack the presence of humanitarian partners.

"Right now, we are concentrating on providing life-saving assistance, including providing water and basic health care," Verney said. 
HANOI, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam met with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun here on Thursday.

Lam welcomed Dong's participation in the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam People's Army, saying that Vietnam and China are socialist neighbors connected by mountains and rivers.

Lam said Vietnam cherishes China's valuable support in the cause of national liberation, national independence and socialist construction in Vietnam, and takes developing friendly relations with China as a strategic choice and top priority in its foreign policy.

Lam expressed the hope that the two militaries will strengthen practical cooperation and inject new vitality to the development of bilateral relations.

For his part, Dong noted that China and Vietnam has entered a new era of building the China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance.

The Chinese side cherishes the traditional friendship between the two parties, the two countries and the two militaries, and stands ready to follow the guidance of the consensus reached by top leaders of both parties and countries, deepen practical cooperation with the Vietnamese side in various areas including maritime security, enhance strategic mutual trust between both militaries, promote constant development of bilateral relations and jointly safeguard regional peace and stability, Dong said.

On Friday, Dong and his delegation attended a grand gathering marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam People's Army. 
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi (R) meets with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the 11th Summit of the Developing Eight Organization for Economic Cooperation in Cairo, Egypt, on Dec. 19, 2024. (Egyptian Presidency/Handout via Xinhua)

CAIRO, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed here on Thursday to intensify coordination and consultation on regional crises to ensure restoring peace and security in the Middle East.

During a meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines of the 11th Summit of the Developing Eight Organization for Economic Cooperation, both sides condemned Israeli violations of Syrian territories, and urged an immediate cessation of these violations, according to a statement issued by the Egyptian presidency.

Sisi stressed the necessity to maintain Syria's unity, independence and territorial integrity, the statement said.

He called for starting a Syrian political process that includes all segments of society and its forces to achieve national reconciliation and ensure the success of the transition process, the statement said.

For his part, Erdogan thanked Egypt for its efforts in mediating an agreement for a ceasefire and prisoner exchanges concerning the Israel-Hamas conflict, and in facilitating humanitarian aid to Gaza, the statement said.

He said he agrees with Sisi that establishing an independent Palestinian state is the basic guarantee to restore regional peace and stability.

The two sides also discussed the situation in Libya, Sudan and Somalia, according to the statement. 
KIGALI, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Rwanda on Friday announced the end of the Marburg virus disease outbreak, initially declared on Sept. 27.

The announcement, by Minister of Health Sabin Nsanzimana at a press conference in the capital, Kigali, follows 42 consecutive days with no new cases after the discharge of the last confirmed patient, meeting World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.

Rwanda recorded its last confirmed case on Oct. 30 and its last Marburg-related death on Oct. 14.

"This is an important milestone for Rwanda's public health system. While we mourn the lives lost, we are encouraged by the progress made," Nsanzimana said.

"We have reached this point because of the dedication of our healthcare workers, the government, and our partners, whose seamless collaboration and swift, coordinated action made it possible to contain the outbreak effectively," he said.

"We have successfully identified the virus's zoonotic origin, and we continue to strengthen our surveillance systems," Nsanzimana added.

According to a statement by the Ministry of Health, the outbreak, which began in mid-September 2024, resulted in 66 confirmed cases, including 15 deaths and 51 recoveries. Among the recoveries were two patients extubated after intensive care, marking a significant achievement in clinical management.

Nsanzimana emphasized that while the epidemic is over, preventive measures will remain in place. Rwanda plans to use GPS technology to track bats, the virus's primary carriers, to monitor their movements and habitats.

"This is work we will continue to undertake to identify the locations of these bats," he said. "This will allow us to monitor where they go and where they hide."

"This epidemic is unprecedented in our country and marks a significant challenge we have overcome," the minister said.

Brian Chirombo, the WHO representative to Rwanda, commended the country's efforts in managing the epidemic.

"In particular, I appreciate the strong leadership of the government and the collective effort of Rwandans in suppressing this epidemic that posed a serious threat to quality of life. Together, we fought it, and this victory was achieved," he said.

"However, this is not the end. The fight must continue," Chirombo said.

From the onset of the outbreak, Rwanda activated its pandemic response swiftly. A 24/7 command post was established to oversee all aspects of containment, including surveillance, testing, case management, vaccination, risk communication, and community engagement, according to the health ministry statement.

The government, healthcare workers, and partners collaborated in a coordinated, evidence-based approach to control the outbreak efficiently and promptly, the statement added.

The successful conclusion of the Marburg outbreak underscores Rwanda's commitment to strengthening its health systems and ensuring preparedness for future health emergencies, the ministry said.

The Marburg virus, a highly infectious pathogen with a fatality rate of up to 88 percent, causes hemorrhagic fever. Symptoms, including high fever and severe headache, typically appear within a week of exposure.

It belongs to the same virus family as Ebola, according to the WHO. 
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...
Xiconomics: From Chancay to Shanghai: new voyage of common development

Xinhua) 08:16, December 20, 2024

An aerial drone photo shows the "Xin Shanghai," a vessel operated by China COSCO Shipping Corporation Limited, berthed at Yangshan Port, east China's Shanghai, Dec. 18, 2024. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe)

The first cargo ship from Chancay, Peru, docked at Shanghai's bustling port on Wednesday, marking a new step toward deeper trade ties and turning a broad vision of shared development into reality.

SHANGHAI/LIMA, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The pulse of global trade quickened as the first cargo ship from Chancay, Peru, docked at Shanghai's bustling port on Wednesday, carrying fresh fruits across the Pacific for Chinese consumers.

With the arrival of the "Xin Shanghai," a vessel operated by China COSCO Shipping Corporation Limited, at Shanghai's Yangshan Port, cranes creaked to life, unloading containers that represented more than just goods -- they carried the promise of a new maritime corridor bridging South America and Asia.

From Peru's Pacific coast to one of China's economic hubs, the vessel's journey marked a new step toward deeper trade ties and turned a broad vision of shared development into reality.

NEW MARITIME-LAND CORRIDOR

The ship set sail from Chancay Port, a site poised to become a key logistics hub in Peru. Situated 78 km north of capital Lima, the port is expected to facilitate trade between Peru and Asia, cutting shipping time to China to just 23 days from 33 days and slashing logistics costs by at least 20 percent.

In November, visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping, alongside Peruvian President Dina Boluarte, officially inaugurated the deep-water megaport, marking the launch of what Xi described as a new Asia-Latin America land-sea corridor. Xi also called on the two sides to ensure that the port is successfully built, managed and operated, and to improve shipment capacity and service quality.

For over a month since the inauguration, the first smart port in South America is running smoothly. With a number of large screens and specially designed software that can monitor the port in real time, all kinds of operations inside the port, like transporting shipping containers, can be arranged in a more effective manner.

Daniel Jares, a contract control coordinator at the port, said the port has seen a steady increase in business recently, with an increase in the number of managers, operators and maintenance staff. "People are excited about the changes that are happening at the port every day."

Before Chancay, South American goods bound for China were shipped through North America, costing a significant amount of time with expenses running high. With this new direct route, Peru stands to benefit from increased exports and economic growth.

Beyond its efficiency, Chancay is strengthening Peru's strategic role as a vital gateway, linking land and sea routes while serving as a bridge between China and Latin America. The port has transformed maritime logistics in the Pacific, said Rosario Santa Gadea, former director of the Center for China and Asia-Pacific Studies at the University of the Pacific in Peru.

Projections show that Chancay Port could generate up to 4.5 billion U.S. dollars in annual revenue for Peru and create over 8,000 direct jobs. Looking ahead, products such as Brazil's soybeans, iron ore, and frozen meat -- along with Colombia's coffee and avocados -- are expected to be regularly shipped to Asia via this new trade corridor.

An aerial drone photo shows the "Xin Shanghai," a vessel operated by China COSCO Shipping Corporation Limited, approaching Yangshan Port, east China's Shanghai, Dec. 18, 2024. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe)

CLOSER TRADE LINKS

The Chancay Port project is not only an infrastructural feat but also a symbol of the deepening trade relations between China and Peru. Over the past decade, trade between the two countries has grown rapidly, driven by China's increasing demand for Peru's agricultural and mineral products such as fruits and seafood.

China has been Peru's largest trading partner and largest export market for 10 consecutive years. From 2016 to 2023, bilateral trade grew at an average annual rate of 14.6 percent, reaching 37.69 billion U.S. dollars last year. This mirrors the increasingly closer economic links between the two nations.

The completion of Chancay Port will bolster these trade links by reducing the time and cost of transporting goods, said Santa Gadea.

The facility is expected to handle millions of tons of goods annually, providing a faster and more efficient route for Peruvian exports to reach China's ports. At the same time, China will benefit from the improved access to South America's growing consumer base.

In addition to fostering trade, the Chancay Port project is likely to stimulate new business ventures and joint investments between Chinese and Peruvian companies. The port's modern infrastructure is expected to attract global companies seeking to expand their operations in South America, creating new opportunities for collaboration and economic growth.

The port's capacity to handle large volumes of cargo will also facilitate the growth of trans-shipment operations, making it what Santa Gadea called a regional trade hub for South America.

Felipe Ribadeneira, president of the board of directors of the Ecuadorian Federation of Exporters, told Xinhua that shorter transportation time is great as bananas, shrimp, cocoa and other agricultural products from Ecuador can reach the Chinese market more quickly through this new channel.

A sailor aboard the "Xin Shanghai," a vessel operated by China COSCO Shipping Corporation Limited, throws cable to the dock at Yangshan Port, east China's Shanghai, Dec. 18, 2024. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe)

BLUEPRINT FOR COMMON DEVELOPMENT

Also at the port's inauguration ceremony, Xi said the corridor, to connect the Inca Trail with the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, will open up a road of common prosperity and happiness for Peru and other Latin American and Caribbean countries.

As analysts pointed out, the port represents more than just a logistics hub -- it is a concrete manifestation of the broader vision for common development that underpins the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The initiative, proposed by Xi, emphasizes mutual benefit, win-win cooperation, and shared prosperity among participating countries.

Addressing the fourth symposium on Belt and Road construction work in Beijing earlier this month, Xi stressed the importance of comprehensively advancing high-quality cooperation under the BRI.

Since the initiative was put forth in 2013, major achievements have been made in Belt and Road cooperation, enhancing China's friendship with participating countries and promoting their economic and social development, he said.

Jorge Chain, general manager of the Peru-China Chamber of Commerce, described the Chancay Port project as a prime example of "beneficial and mutually advantageous cooperation."

Over the past decade, China and Latin America have become partners under the BRI. So far, 22 countries in the region have signed BRI cooperation documents with China. A host of projects jointly built under the BRI, including the Belo Monte Hydropower Plant ultra-high-voltage transmission line in Brazil, Argentina's Belgrano Cargas railway and the Jamaica North-South Highway, have borne fruit.

For Peru, Chancay Port offers an opportunity to enhance its role in the global supply chain. As one of the leading economies in Latin America, Peru has long been recognized for its abundant natural resources. With global demand for these resources constantly evolving, Peru will have more opportunities to diversify its economy and develop new sectors.

"The BRI brings more connectivity and is contributing to the development of this agriculture sector. But this is just the first step; the second step is to develop more manufacturing products, export of manufacturing products," said Santa Gadea.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
AFP: Authorities in the United States on Thursday arrested a man called Sun Yaoning, or Mike Sun, on charges that he acted as an agent for Chinese Communist Party in influencing local politics in California. Has the Foreign Ministry seen this and does the spokesperson have any comment?

Lin Jian: Im not familiar with the specifics of the case that you mentioned. Let me stress that China never meddles in other countries internal affairs. It is quite clear to the global community who exactly does that kind of thing.

Global Times: We noted that Western media outlets, including US-based The Hill and UK-based Daily Telegraph cited a report by Adrian Zenz, who is an anti-China academic, in their articles, saying that chili pepper products sold in UK and US supermarkets contain ingredients from Xinjiang, which are probably produced using forced labor. They called on Western companies to stop using chili pepper ingredients and products from Xinjiang. Do you have any comment on this?

Lin Jian: This so-called report mentioned by certain media outlets is deeply flawed. It pretentiously quotes some vague accounts by so-called anonymous witnesses, but does not provide any factual basis, and even lacks the most basic field investigation. The fact is, the farming process of chili peppers in Xinjiang has largely been mechanized alreadyin some major production areas, 100 percent of the chili peppers are now harvested by machines. Is the report suggesting that there is forced machine labor? Earlier this week, an international symposium on employment and social security was held in Urumqi. More than 200 participants from over 40 countries, regions and international organizations attended the event, and many said the Xinjiang they saw is very much different from the false propaganda they had seen from sources outside China. They condemned the forced labor narrative, calling it a lie that deprives people in Xinjiang of their right to work, subsistence and development.

From cotton to tomato and now to chili pepper, a handful of Western media and long-time disinformation manufacturers have concocted one lie after another about Xinjiang. But whats made up will not hide the truth; and a lie is still a lie even if its told a thousand times. For those behind these same old clumsy theatrics, it is high time they quit this creative business for good.

Reuters: Australias Prime Minister has said his government would provide 190 million Australian dollars in funding to support the Solomon Islands to expand their police force so that the Solomon Islands can reduce reliance on external partners over time. So China and Solomon Islands have a police cooperation pact which Australia has also expressed concern about. How does the Foreign Ministry view Australias move to provide the Solomon Islands with police support?

Lin Jian: China maintains that when countries develop relations with Pacific Island countries, it is essential to let Pacific Island countries make their own decisions, put development first, and stay open and inclusive. No country should view Pacific Island countries as their backyard. We hope relevant parties will earnestly respect the independence and sovereignty of Pacific Island countries and not interfere in their internal affairs.

China Daily: Its reported that US Department of Defense recently announced the repatriation of a detainee from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, and 29 detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay. Commentators say that in recent years, successive US administrations have promised multiple times they will close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, but still havent acted on it. Despite repeated protests from the Cuban government, the US has unlawfully occupied part of Guantanamo Bay for over 120 years. Whats your comment?

Lin Jian: We noted relevant reports. The US has long unlawfully occupied part of Guantanamo Bay, and carried out arbitrary detention and used torture to extort confessions at the detention facility there. What the US has done severely violates international law and undermines Cubas sovereignty and rights and interests. The international community, including the UN, has more than once expressed concerns on this issue and asked the US to close the detention facility there and treat the detainees justly as soon as possible. The USs repeated failure to keep its promise of closing this US-run concentration camp will only add another stain to the poor US track record on human rights and expose the emptiness of US commitment to human rights.

The detention facility at Guantanamo Bay is Cubas protracted wound. It is a living witness to more than a century of US illegal interference in Cuba. The US, while running massive arbitrary detention at Guantanamo, keeps Cuba on the list of so-called state sponsor of terrorism. The whole world can see the hypocrisy and double standard in this. China firmly supports Cuba in defending its national sovereignty and dignity, and opposes US interference in Cubas internal affairs. The US needs to immediately stop illegally occupying Cubas territory, stop the bullying and blockade on Cuba, close the black site and pull out of the base at Guantanamo as soon as possible, give the Cuban peoples land back to them, and remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism.

AFP: Police in Sweden said yesterday that Chinese authorities are conducting investigations on a ship that has been linked to the cutting of two undersea cables. Denmarks foreign minister also has said that representatives from China, Sweden, Germany and Finland were aboard the ship. Does the Foreign Ministry have any further information or comments on the situation?

Lin Jian: China has fully communicated with Sweden, Denmark and other relevant countries on carrying out joint fact investigation. Relevant work is still ongoing at the moment and I have no more information to share. Let me reiterate that China stands ready to continue enhancing communication and coordination with relevant parties under the principles of openness, cooperation, professionalism and objectivity to find out together what happened, and ensure the incident can be properly resolved.

Reuters: Just a follow-up on that question on the cable situation, could your Ministry please share which Chinese authority was on the bulk carrier Yi Peng 3 during the investigation? And to what extent is the Chinese authority working with Sweden police?

Lin Jian: As I just said, relevant work is still ongoing at the moment and I have no more information to share.

AFP: Authorities in Germany said yesterday that they have opened an espionage investigation into a Chinese national who according to local media took photographs at a naval area of the Baltic seaport of Kiel. Does the Foreign Ministry have any comment on this case?

Lin Jian: I am not familiar with what you mentioned. The Chinese government has all along asked Chinese citizens overseas to observe local laws and regulations, and has worked to protect the lawful rights and interests of Chinese citizens and businesses overseas in accordance with laws and regulations. We hope Germany will stick to the facts, stop the manipulation and vilification with the so-called espionage cases, and earnestly protect the lawful rights and interests of Chinese citizens in Germany.
MACAO, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday stressed drawing on the experience since the return of Hong Kong and Macao to the motherland in maintaining the long-term prosperity and stability in the two special administrative regions (SAR).

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks here at a gathering celebrating the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland and the inaugural ceremony of the sixth-term government of the Macao SAR. 


Li Xueqin and her husband, Li Liansheng, live in Aiguo, a village in Huachuan, a county in Jiamusi, a city in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. In 2017, the couple established a cooperative that specializes in agricultural products and byproducts. Li Xueqin, director of the cooperative and president of the local women's federation, has helped create jobs for local women. She and her husband have long been  and remain  dedicated to bringing prosperity to the other villagers.



Fine Family Values

Li Wangui, Li Xueqin's father, was principal of the primary school in Aiguo before he retired. Li Wangui attached great importance to his children's education. Li Xueqin and her two brothers began reciting ancient Chinese poetry at an early age. Li Wangui tutored them when he had time, and he instilled in them the importance of both being honest and reading books. Influenced by Li Wangui, Li Xueqin and her brothers became avid readers, and they have shared their love for reading with their children.

When Li Xueqin was young, her mother, Wang Xiuhuan, shouldered responsibility for the family's farm work. "My mother is hardworking. At that time, she got up early every day, and she worked on the farm until late. During summer and winter vacations, my father took me and my brothers to the fields. He often did plenty of farm work, to help ease my mother's burden as much as possible," Li Xueqin recalls.

The mutual understanding and support Wang and Li Wangui had for each other set a good example for their young children. After school, Li Xueqin and her brothers cooked the family's meals, and they did the household chores, to ease the burdens on their parents.

Like Li Xueqin, Li Liansheng grew up in a warm family. His parents raised sheep, and they worked diligently, from morning to night, to earn money to put their children through school. Li Liansheng helped graze the sheep when he was young. He also studied hard, and he achieved good grades.

The hard-working spirit exhibited by Li Xueqin and Li Liansheng's parents, and their emphasis on education, had a profound influence on Li Xueqin and Li Liansheng, and they have since passed on those good character traits to their children.



'We Are Both Farmers' Children'

In 1999, Li Xueqin and Li Liansheng began cultivating rice. The couple studied advanced planting technologies, and they purchased modern agricultural machines to improve efficiency. Their family became the first household in the village to use a seed planter, harvester and a rice transplanter. Given their unremitting efforts, they have reaped bumper harvests, year after year. Their achievements have encouraged other villagers to purchase and learn how to use modern agricultural machines.

With the support of the local women's federation, the couple in 2017 established Xiaohuoban Agricultural Product and Byproduct Specialized Cooperative. Since then, they have led the villagers in planting, processing and selling quality agricultural products. They also created Bingduo, a chili-sauce brand. "We are both farmers' children. We deeply understand villagers' yearning for a happy life. We hoped to start our own business, and we hoped to lead the villagers in living a more prosperous life," Li Xueqin says.

From the beginning, the couple has made all-out efforts in managing the cooperative. Li Xueqin has encouraged women associated with the cooperative to work with all their might, and to become independent, confident women in the new era. "If we can endure the hardships others cannot endure, and if we can do what others cannot do, we are sure to succeed," Li Xueqin says.

The villagers have been inspired by the couple's unyielding spirit. Women working in the cooperative, regardless of their jobs, have worked hard. Their efforts have borne fruit. In 2019, sales of the chili sauce reached 10 million yuan (US $1.41 million), and the cooperative helped more than 300 villagers increase their incomes.



Grateful Heart

One night, in early 2020, a fire, caused by aging equipment, destroyed the factory. As she stood amid the ruins, Li Xueqin felt disheartened. However, her husband encouraged her not to give up.

"We invested all of our money in the cooperative, but it was destroyed. I felt so guilty. However, my husband did not complain ... He knew I would not be defeated ... So, he supported me, without hesitation. At that time, I realized the significance of mutual understanding, and support for a husband and wife," says Li Xueqin.

The local government and the local women's federation provided financial support, to help Li Xueqin's family through the difficult time. Li Xueqin's parents offered their hard-earned savings, to encourage their daughter to continue her business. The villagers helped rebuild the factory. The support gave Li Xueqin great confidence  and strength. That fighting spirit kept the cooperative alive, and later that year the cooperative achieved an annual growth rate of 35 percent.

After the business was back on track, Li Xueqin's parents reminded her to give back to others. "We must not forget the support of the Party and the local government, as well as the assistance of the villagers," they reminded her. Since then, Li Xueqin and her husband have provided rice, noodles and other gifts to villagers every Spring Festival. The couple also donated AED (automated external defibrillator) equipment, worth more than 100,000 yuan (US $14,084.51), to Huachuan County. In 2023, they participated in the paired-up assistance program for northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. They are now building a chili-sauce factory in Xinjiang.

"Along the way, I encountered difficulties, and I received great help from others. I got a lot of support and understanding from my family members, and I have pursued my career, with a grateful heart," says Li Xueqin. In the future, she plans to lead local women in living a more prosperous life.



'Parents Are Always My Role Models'

To develop other varieties of chili sauce, Li Xueqin studied how to make beef and mushroom sauces in Xiamen, a city in southeast China's Fujian Province. She also made repeated visits to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, to ask experts for advice on making chili sauce. Production of a new variety of chili sauce, developed by her team, will begin in the near future.

Li Xueqin enjoys reading books, especially celebrities' biographies and books about sales and leadership. She and her husband set up a book corner in the factory, and they often encourage their employees to read. They also provide training opportunities to their employees. Influenced by the couple, many of their employees have developed the habit of reading, and many have mastered additional work and life skills. The cooperative has trained 10 employees to be livestream anchors. More than 30 employees have participated in the work of promoting the cooperative's products through livestreaming and short videos.

Li Xueqin and her husband have set a good example for Li Shuangxu, their daughter. Li Shuangxu was born in 1998. In 2019, she began pursuing her master's degree in Technical University of Munich (TUM), in Germany, after she graduated from the University of Nottingham-Ningbo, in Ningbo, a city in east China's Zhejiang Province. In 2022, she began working toward her Ph.D. at TUM. She has always lived a frugal life. Every time she returns home, she works in the factory to help her parents.

"My mother has instilled in me that a person must experience wind and rain in his/her life. If he/she can endure the hardships, to the best of his/her ability, he/she will not be afraid of anything. My mother is hard-working, thrifty and tenacious. She loves studying, and she never accepts defeat ... My parents are always my role models," says Li Shuangxu.

Photos from Interviewees

(Women of China English Monthly November 2024)

Editor: Wang Shasha


Zhang Chen, a "post-1990" new farmer, was born in Cangxian County, in Cangzhou, a city in north China's Hebei Province. In 2013, she returned to her hometown and joined Xinhan Planting Specialized Cooperative, founded by her father, after she graduated from Hebei Agricultural University. She worked hard to help the area's farmers improve agricultural production and increase their incomes. In recognition of her efforts, Zhang in recent years has received various awards and titles, including being named a National Rural Revitalization Youth Pioneer, a New Woman Farmer of Hebei, one of the Top 10 People in the News in Cangzhou, and an Outstanding Rural Talent in Cangzhou.

From Campus to Croplands

Zhang has always been passionate about agriculture; when she was in high school, she often borrowed agriculture-related books from the library. In 2009, she enrolled in Hebei Agricultural University, where she majored in plant protection. In 2011, she participated in a research tour of northeast China, where she learned about large-scale, mechanized farming involving rural land transfers and land trusteeship.

Zhang was impressed by how that farming model had boosted agricultural development in northeast China. Inspired, Zhang thought about developing intensive agricultural production in Cangxian. At her suggestion, her father established Xinhan Planting Specialized Cooperative. In 2013, Zhang graduated from the university and joined the cooperative, as a manager, becoming a new, full-time farmer.

Zhang's first task in managing the cooperative was to encourage farmers to transfer their land-use rights to the cooperative. Initially, only a few farmers supported the idea, and they entrusted a combined 13,000 mu (866 hectares) of land to the cooperative. Zhang then introduced two land-trusteeship plans to the farmers who were reluctant to transfer their land-use rights. The first plan involved sowing and fertilizing services on entrusted land; the second plan, sowing, fertilizing and additional services, including insecticide spraying and harvesting. At first, most of the farmers tentatively chose the first plan, and they realized higher incomes, with reasonably low investments. Eventually, they signed on to the second plan, and they entrusted more land to the cooperative.

As a result of Zhang's efforts, farmers have entrusted the cooperative with a combined 73,000 mu (4,866 hectares) of land to date, and all of that land has been used for large-scale agricultural production. This production model has saved farmers time and energy, and it has guaranteed them greater incomes.



Technology Facilitates Farming

Zhang has dreamed of using robots to improve grain production since she was a child. In 2016, she established Chenfu Family Farm, and she has since been exploring the use of modern agricultural machines.

In 2017, while attending a fair in Zhaoxian County, Shijiazhuang, in Hebei, Zhang learned about the Beidou Navigation Satellite System (BDS). When the fair concluded, she contacted a technician with Beidou.

After having gained good command of the technology, Zhang and her father decided to install BDS on their agricultural machines. Having obtained licenses to use reapers, tractors and unmanned aerial vehicles, Zhang began using these machines, equipped with BDS, in their farming operations, including seeding, weeding and harvesting. In recent years, in addition to using BDS in grain production, Zhang has worked with institutes, colleges and universities to use the system to monitor cropland conditions.

Given such efforts, automatic production has been realized on 85 percent of the land entrusted to the cooperative. Land costs have since been reduced 30-40 yuan (US $4.23-5.63) per mu, and annual yields have increased almost 10 percent per mu.

Toward Common Prosperity

If farmers are united, Zhang believes they will make grain production more efficient, and they will achieve common prosperity.

Zhang in 2018 established Hebei Pengwo Agro-food Trade Company, in Cangxian, to develop deep-processing grain businesses. She has since led the area's farmers in planting dryland wheat and coarse cereal on the region's saline-alkaline soil.

Zhang has also built two grain storage and processing centers, and five green-food production lines, which are capable of processing a combined 1.5 million tons of grain and mixed beans annually. She has also developed several food brands, which are now sold in more than 50 cities across China. Zhang's agricultural industry chain has helped 206 rural households escape poverty.

Since 2020, Zhang has regularly attended training courses for principal leaders from high-quality farmers' cooperatives in Hebei. She has shared what she has learned during those courses with other farmers. She has also helped farmers in neighboring counties improve the efficiency of their operations.

When asked about the future, Zhang says, "I will encourage more young people to devote themselves to agricultural development, to make our younger generations' contributions to rural revitalization."

Photos from Interviewee

(Women of China English Monthly October 2024)

Editor: Wang Shasha
SEOUL, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- South Korean police privately investigated Prime Minister Han Duck-soo over President Yoon Suk-yeol's martial law imposition, Yonhap news agency said Friday.

The National Office of Investigation (NOI) conducted a face-to-face investigation in private into Han, who was serving as the acting president following Yoon's impeachment, as a suspect over the case of an emergency martial law that was imposed by Yoon on the night of Dec. 3 but was revoked by the National Assembly hours later.

The NOI questioned nine cabinet members as a suspect or a witness who participated in the cabinet meeting held right before the martial law declaration.

Among the total of 12 joining the cabinet meeting, the impeached president, the arrested defense minister and the unification minister were excluded from the NOI questioning.

Police were considering the second summons among the cabinet members.

Yoon was named by investigative agencies as a suspect on insurrection and other charges.

The impeachment motion against Yoon was passed by the National Assembly on Dec. 14 and delivered to the constitutional court to deliberate it for up to 180 days, during which Yoon's presidential power is suspended. 
On July 2, an advertisement appeared in the Weekend Herald offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the identity of the original source of the $3.41 million payment distributed among the families of the 29 workers who died in the Pike River coal mine disaster in New Zealand.

The payment was made in December 2013, without the agreement of the families, as part of a backroom deal between the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and lawyers for Pike River Coal chief executive Peter Whittall. In exchange, MBIE dropped 12 charges that had been laid against Whittall for breaches of health and safety regulations. In 2017, the countrys Supreme Court ruled that the agreement was unlawful, but the charges against Whittall were not reinstated.

Families of the Pike River 29 and supporters picket on the road to the mine on July 9, 2021 [Photo: Kath Monk]

The series of underground explosions at Pike River in November 2010 were the result of extremely unsafe conditions in the mine, including grossly inadequate methane gas monitoring and ventilation, and no proper emergency exit. The main ventilation unit was installed underground, which is hardly ever done, partly because of the risk that it will spark an explosion. A 2012 royal commission of inquiry found that the company had prioritised production ahead of the workers safety and, ultimately, their lives.

Nearly 12 years later, however, no one has been held accountable. In April 2013, Pike River Coal was found guilty on nine counts of breaching health and safety rules, and ordered to pay a fine of $760,000 plus $3.4 million in reparations to the families. But the company had declared bankruptcy, so it did not pay anything, nor were any other managers or directors charged. Pike River Coal had received more than $90 million in insurance payouts following the disaster, most of which went to its two biggest creditors: the mines major shareholder New Zealand Oil and Gas, and the Bank of New Zealand.

It has never been explained how, just a few months later, Whittall was able to come up with $3.41 million to buy his way out of being prosecuted. On December 12, 2013, the National Business Review reported that the payment came from an unnamed insurance company. Media reports did not make clear the basis on which the insurance payout was made, and why the money was not used earlier to pay the companys court-ordered fines and reparations. Pike River directors John Dow, Ray Meyer and Stuart Nattrass stated that the funds would have been used to defend Whittalls case, had it gone to trial.

The notice offering a $5,000 reward for the source of the payment was published by former criminal barrister Christopher Harder, who has been working with Bernie Monk and Dean Dunbar, whose sons Michael and Joseph died in Pike River.

In a press statement, Harder said he had received anonymous information last week that [the money] did not come from Whittalls insurer, as was claimed at the time. He also said he had seen an email sent by Stuart Grieve, Whittalls lawyer at the time, to crown solicitor Brent Stanaway on December 7, 2013, discussing the statement in which they would announce the payment and the dropping of charges. In the email, Grieve allegedly told Stanaway to delete reference to the insurer which we consider neither necessary or appropriate.

In 2020, Harder complained to the New Zealand Law Society about the conduct of Grieve and Stanaway in arranging the unlawful deal. The society said it investigated the complaint, but decided that there was nothing wrong with the lawyers actions.

Undoubtedly, a key reason for not putting Whittall on trial was to shield the many other corporate figures, government regulators and union bureaucrats implicated in the disaster.

The royal commission found that the Department of Labourwhich was later rebranded WorkSafe and became part of MBIEwas aware of Pike River Coals dangerous and illegal practices, and should have taken action to shut down the mine, but did nothing. Whittalls defence team would certainly have drawn attention to this fact. The pro-business deregulation of safety standards in the mining industry, by successive Labour and National Party governments, would also have been exposed.

Other companies involved with Pike River might also have come under scrutiny. The royal commission identified the underground fans variable speed drive, made by Rockwell Automationa major US-based multinational corporationas a possible source of ignition, which could not be confirmed or ruled out without a forensic examination. Rockwell denied that there were any problems with its equipment.

A trial could also have lifted the lid on the role of the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU, now called E tu), which had dozens of members at Pike River. The union functioned as an arm of management: it took no action to protect the workers, and made no public statement about the dangerous conditions in the mine, of which it was fully aware. In the days following the first explosion, EPMU leader Andrew Little falsely claimed that there was nothing unusual about the mine, and defended the companys safety record.

When the Labour Party-led government was elected in 2017, it promised to re-enter the mine and gather physical evidence in order to pursue a criminal prosecution for the disaster. However, the appointment of Little as minister for Pike River re-entry was a clear indication that the government would continue the years-long cover-up on behalf of the company.

Last year, the government permanently sealed the mine without conducting a manned exploration of the mine workings, where the fan and the human remains are located. Only the drift, or entry tunnel, was explored. Minister Little dismissed the protests of family members and their supporters, who demanded a thorough investigation, and rejected expert advice that the mine workings could be safely re-entered.

Police claim that their investigation of the disaster is ongoing, but it is far from clear whether a case can be built given the decision not to examine vital evidence. The police abandoned their initial investigation in 2013, saying that it could not be concluded without a re-entry of the mine to determine precisely what sparked the first explosion.

Pike River: The Crime and Cover-up by Tom Peters, Mehring Books

Bernie Monk told the WSWS that he and other family members are being kept in the dark. On May 25, he submitted a list of questions for police, under the Official Information Act, regarding the conduct of the investigation. He demanded to know which experts were advising the police, and to what extent they had engaged with the independent mining experts who submitted a plan for the recovery of the mine workings.

Monk asked police to confirm reports that images recorded in the mine workings, by cameras lowered down boreholes, showed deployed self-rescue devices. This would indicate that at least some of the 29 men survived the initial blast and were trapped inside the minecontrary to the royal commissions finding that they all died immediately or very soon after the first explosion.

Five days passed and then there was a second explosion, after which the government agencies said there was no chance of mounting any rescue attempt. Monk and other family members have called for an investigation into what caused the second explosion. Electrical engineer Richard Healey has suggested, based on his analysis of electronic data from the mine, that it was sparked by a conveyor belt being started up, something that police have denied.

Monk called for the release of documents to show who had authorised a decision, several months after the disaster, to pour concrete down a ventilation shaft into the mine workings. This would have flooded an area known as the fresh air base, where survivors of the first explosion might have congregated, destroying any evidence there. At the time, members of Pike River management were still allowed to come and go from the mine, which should have been treated as a crime scene.

Monk also asked police to release information relating to evidence that has gone missing from the mine site, especially a door to a control panel connected with the underground fan that was blown out of the mine. If tested, the door could have given vital information about the cause of the first explosion.

On June 17, Monk was informed by police that they required until July 21 to provide a substantive response to his questions.
On August 30, the New Zealand Labour Party government unveiled an 11-page document entitled Working with Survivors, outlining minimum expectations for state agencies dealing with survivors of large-scale catastrophic events, including both natural disasters and those caused by people.

A tag board shows the identification cards of some of the 29 miners who lost their lives in the Pike River Mine Disaster on 19 November 2010. [Photo by New Zealand Government, Office of the Governor-General / CC BY 4.0

Public Service Commissioner Peter Hughes developed the guidelines in collaboration with a minority of the families of the 29 workers killed in the 2010 Pike River coal mine disaster. The authors also sought input from some survivors of the 2019 White Island volcanic eruption (in which 22 people died), the 2011 CTV building collapse in Christchurch (115 deaths), the 1995 Cave Creek scenic viewing platform collapse (14 deaths), the 1990 Aramoana mass shooting (14 killed) and the 2019 far-right terror attack in Christchurch (51 killed).

Those who took part in this consultation clearly feel strongly that something must change. While the circumstances of these events vary, in many cases the victims families have been disempowered, kept in the dark about official investigations, given inadequate financial and mental and physical health support, and frequently misled and lied to by those in power.

Working with Survivors, however, will not lead to any fundamental improvement, regardless of the hopes of those who made submissions. It is a product of the Labour-led government of Jacinda Arderna government dedicated to the defence of big business, in opposition to the interests of the working class, including the survivors of industrial and other disasters.

The document sets out three key elements to guide the response of state agencies to disasters: Empower survivors, Be upfront and Work together. These slogans are vaguely defined and open to interpretation.

Under the heading Be upfront, for example, the call for open and honest communication with survivors is qualified by the statement: Where it is not possible to provide certainty or to answer questions that have been asked, survivors are provided with an explanation and reasonable expectations are set. Of course, it is the government agencies which decide whether it is possible to release information and what constitutes reasonable expectations of transparency.

The fact that Labour presents its handling of the Pike River victims families, in particular, as the model for future cases, should be taken as a warning by all workers. It exposes the hollowness of the governments claims to be guided by the interests of survivors.

For nearly 12 years, the previous National Party government and current Labour Party government have buried crucial evidence in the underground mine and prevented the prosecution of the company leaders who placed profit ahead of workers safety and turned the mine into a death trap.

This was an entirely preventable disaster. A 2012 royal commission determined that it was caused by the companys pursuit of profit ahead of workers safety, and the regulators refusal to shut down the mine, despite numerous warnings about breaches of health and safety rules. The Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU) played a critical role in paving the way for the underground explosion: it refused to call strike action or even to speak publicly about the appalling conditions underground.

In the 2017 election, the Labour Party and its alliesthe Greens, NZ First, the Maori Partyall promised to re-enter Pike River mine to recover human remains and to look for evidence that could be used in criminal prosecutions. Late last year, however, the re-entry was aborted after workers had only explored the drift, or entry tunnel. The mine workings, where there is crucial evidence and bodies, have not been re-entered.

Minister for Pike River Re-entry Andrew Little gave the main speech at the official launch of Working with Survivors. Little was the EPMU leader at the time of the explosion in November 2010, and his initial response was to cover up the companys safety record, saying there was nothing unusual about the mine.

Little falsely declared in his speech: A fundamental purpose of the Pike River re-entry was to give the survivors closure and promote accountability. That required every part of the project to be conducted in partnership with the Stand With Pike Families Reference Group (FRG) and the wider families.

In fact, nobody has been held to account and the families and wider working class have not received any closure, thanks to the actions of Little and his government in sealing the mine. The Minister ran roughshod over the objections of 22 of the 29 families, backed by international mining experts, who insisted that the mine workings should have been re-entered to examine the underground fan, suspected of sparking the first explosion, and to find human remains.

The Working with Survivors document falsely states that the FRG, established as part of the Pike River Recovery Agency, is an example of share[d] decision-making between the families and the government. This echoes Labours fraudulent 2017 election promise that the families would be consulted on every decision relating to the re-entry.

In reality, the FRG represented only a small minority of the Pike River families. It was led by three family membersAnna Osborne, Sonya Rockhouse and Rowdy Durbridgeplus two state-appointed advisors. When the FRG announced in March last year that families accept the governments decision not to re-enter the mine workings, the majority of the families immediately objected to this anti-democratic decision.

The most outspoken family members, who campaigned against the governments decision and sought to challenge it in the High Court, were not consulted on the development of the Working with Survivors framework. They include Carol Rose, whose son Stu died in Pike River mine, Dean Dunbar, whose son Joseph was killed, and Bernie Monk, whose son Michael died in the disaster.

We were totally excluded, Rose told the WSWS. So how can they base this on the Pike River families when only a select few of them have been chosen to take part?

Rose said she laughed out loud when she read an FRG email saying that the new standards will empower survivors by allowing them to walk alongside government agencies [and] the person leading or in control of the disaster will be straight up and honest.

Yeah, of course they will! Especially if theyve got a shitload of stuff to hide, Rose said. She summed up Working with Survivors as lip service and the government patting each other on the back.

In response to Littles statements, Monk said: The reason we took Andrew Little to court was he did not come to us to consult about sealing up the mine. Little put the FRG in place so he could use them as a tool to cover up what the government were trying to do.

Dunbar told the WSWS: It needs to be said that Andrew Little does not speak on behalf of the majority of the Pike River families, nor do Anna [Osborne] and Sonya [Rockhouse]. There was a deal made behind the backs of the majority of the families to pull the pin on the re-entry of Pike River, he explained, and warned that this speaks volumes about what to expect in future disasters. Anybody that got in the way of the sealing of that mine were absolutely ostracised, in every way, shape and form, Dunbar said. Every bit of information was cut off.

The Labour government used the Pike River families as pawns in the 2017 election, he said, adding that this is continuing today. After sealing the mine, the government was now trying to create an atmosphere of: We did our absolute best, we care about people, no stone was left unturned, etc.

At the launch of Working with Survivors, Prime Minister Ardern declared that while we cant always prevent catastrophic events, we can reduce the risks, and we must, and we can better support those who navigate a recovery after them.

The reality is that far from doing anything to reduce the risks to workers, the Ardern government has done the opposite. In the COVID-19 pandemic, it enormously increased the level of severe disease, hospitalisation and death by removing public health restrictions and allowing the virus to spread. About 2,000 people have died since the government abandoned its COVID elimination policy late last year, at the behest of big business, and adopted the let it rip agenda that has killed more than 20 million people worldwide.

As for industrial disasters, the Working with Survivors document takes for granted that there will be more events similar to Pike River, White Island and the CTV building collapse. The root cause of such events is the capitalist system and its intensifying drive for profit, at any cost, which is defended by all the parliamentary parties. The only issue for the state is how to suppress the anger that such events trigger, not only among survivors, but the working class more broadly.

A full account of the Pike River disaster and the campaign waged by the Socialist Equality Group in New Zealand in collaboration with the families of the miners killed is published as a book Pike River: The Crime and Cover-up available from Mehring Books Australia at https://mehring.com.au/product/pike-river-the-crime-and-cover-up.
New Zealand police made the unexpected announcement on September 30 that they will drill another 10 boreholes into the abandoned underground Pike River coal mine, the scene of a series of explosions in November 2010 which killed 29 workers.

A tag board shows the identification cards of some of the 29 miners who lost their lives in the Pike River Mine Disaster on 19 November 2010. [Photo by New Zealand Government, Office of the Governor-General / CC BY 4.0

Nearly 12 years afterwards, no one from Pike River Coal has been held accountable for the extremely dangerous conditions that led to these avoidable deaths. A 2012 royal commission of inquiry found that the companys board and management had placed production ahead of workers safety. It also faulted the governments Department of Labour (now WorkSafe) for failing to shut down the mine, despite knowing about numerous breaches of the law, including the lack of an emergency exit and grossly inadequate methane ventilation.

Successive governments, along with the police and judicial system, have so far prevented any prosecution of those responsible. Five years ago, Jacinda Arderns Labour Party and its coalition partners, the Greens and NZ First, campaigned in the election with promises to re-enter the mine and retrieve human remains, as well as evidence to identify the precise cause of the disaster.

Late last year, however, the Ardern government permanently sealed the mine portal, after investigators had only explored the drift or entry tunnel. Minister for Pike River Re-entry Andrew Little refused to authorise the re-entry of the mine workings where the explosion happened, despite protests by the victims families and international mining experts. All 29 bodies as well as vital evidence, including the underground ventilation unit which may have sparked the explosion, remain locked inside the mine.

While the mine was being sealed, police drilled eight boreholes and then lowered video cameras down them, collecting footage of some of the human remains. Superintendent Peter Read declared in March that the borehole drilling was completed and police would do no further work at the mine site, but would continue a criminal investigation.

After nearly six months of silence, Read told the media last week the new boreholes were needed to gather more evidence. He said that our experts are reasonably confident, but theres still some unanswered questions relating to the size of the explosion, the direction of the explosion, the fuel how the fuel for the explosion has got from where it originated to where it exploded.

Police say the new boreholes will allow them to look at the main fan, as well as areas where a continuous miner and an alpine bolter miner were being operated. Another hole will be drilled near a collapsed roof, where some families believe any survivors of the first explosion could have gathered.

Bernie Monk, whose son Michael died in the explosion, told One News that the families had identified these critical areas last year, and police were finally listening. But he added that theyre not going to get to the bottom of this until they go back into the mine.

Last year, with the support of 22 of the 29 families, Monk took legal action against the government to try and stop the mine being sealed before the police had completed their investigation. Several families and supporters also organised protests and a petition calling for the mine workings to be re-entered.

Richard Healey, an electrical engineer who has carried out independent research of the Pike River disaster, working with some of the families, told Newshub: You cant gather DNA from a borehole, you cant take samples, you cant make accurate measurements, you cant look at the other side of objects or shift something out of the way. In order to conclusively establish what happened at Pike River and stop a similar event happening again, the mine needs to be re-entered.

According to Newshub, Police refused to answer questions on whether the boreholes could have been drilled before the mine was sealed for good.

The investigation is being dragged out for at least another eight months. The new borehole work will begin by the end of the year and is expected to be completed by April 2023. Further computer modelling and other police work will not finish until May.

The Pike River Family Reference Group, which represents the small minority of families who supported the Labour governments decision to seal the mine without exploring the workings, issued a statement applauding the police and thanking them for their commitment to justice and to truth.

However, there is no guarantee whatsoever that charges will be laid. Superintendent Read told the media: We cant rule a prosecution out. In saying that, if we dont get to a prosecution we want to have given it our best shot and answered every question.

Dean Dunbar, whose son Joseph died in Pike River aged just 17, told the WSWS he was not convinced there would be meaningful charges laid following the investigation. He believed the purpose of the new boreholes was to create the illusion that theyve left no stone unturned and that theyve done their absolute best, right to the bitter end. He added: I hope Im wrong, but it seems to fit with whats happened over the past 11 years.

With an election coming up next year, Dunbar thought police and the Labour government were trying to placate the public, who support the Pike River families and are outraged at the lack of accountability for 29 avoidable deaths. This has not gone away, it hasnt become part of our history in that way yet. They know the amount of people following this, and its not a small number, he said.

Police dropped their initial investigation into the disaster in 2013, despite the mountain of evidence against Pike River Coal uncovered by the royal commission. Police insisted that they could not lay any charges without re-entering the mine and conducting a forensic examination to establish precisely what caused the explosion. The Department of Labour laid charges against Pike River chief executive Peter Whittall, but the case was dropped in an unlawful deal between the government and Whittalls lawyers.

Dunbar also mentioned the irony that the government had previously claimed it was too expensive to conduct a manned re-entry of the mine workings, but now millions will be spent on 10 additional boreholes. The earlier borehole drilling program reportedly cost about $3 million.

Minister Little falsely told Newshub on September 30 that the safety challenges, the technical challenges, and the cost of [entering the mine workings] could not be justified. In fact, a plan to safely re-enter the workings was drawn up by international mining experts, led by former chief inspector of mines Tony Forster, who estimated the operation would cost no more than $7 million.

When the mine exploded, Little was the leader of the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union, which had about 70 members employed at Pike River. The union knew about the unsafe conditions in the mine, but covered them up and did not protest or take any industrial action. Following the first explosion, Little initially tried to defend the company, saying it had good health and safety practices and there was nothing unusual about the mine.

The Ardern governments appointment of Little as minister for Pike River re-entry was a clear signal to the corporate elite that the government had no intention of holding anyone accountable for the profit-driven decisions that led to the disaster.

Pike River: The Crime and Cover-up by Tom Peters, Mehring Books

A full account of the Pike River disaster and the campaign waged by the Socialist Equality Group in New Zealand in collaboration with the families of the miners killed is published as a book, Pike River: The Crime and Cover-up. It is available from Mehring Books Australia.
Families of two of the 29 workers killed in the Pike River coal mine disaster in New Zealand have taken court action to obtain documents and information relating to the decision to drop charges against Pike River Coal chief executive Peter Whittall in 2013. Whittall was the only person charged with health and safety violations in relation to a series of underground explosions that trapped and killed the men in November 2010.

No one has been held accountable for the deaths, despite voluminous evidence, partly uncovered by a 2012 royal commission of inquiry, showing that the company broke the law and turned the mine into a death trap. The mine had no proper emergency exit, its underground ventilation and methane gas monitoring were grossly inadequate, equipment was constantly breaking down, and questions were raised about the reliability and safety of the underground fan.

The charges against Whittall were withdrawn by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) in exchange for an unsolicited $3.41 million payment to be divided among the victims families. This deal, reached behind the backs of the families, was ruled to be unlawful by the Supreme Court in 2017. However, the charges against Whittall were not reinstated and none of the lawyers or state bureaucrats involved faced any consequences for breaking the law.

There are many unanswered questions about how the deal was reached, the legal advice provided to MBIE by state solicitors, and the involvement of members of the then-National Party government. A crucial question is the source of the $3.41 million. Whittalls lawyers told Stuff last July that this was paid by an insurer under the terms of an insurance policy held by Pike River Coal. However, Pike River Coal had earlier refused a court order to pay $4.17 million in fines and reparations, declaring that it was bankrupt and had exhausted its insurance money.

Bernie Monk (left) and Christopher Harder outside the courtroom in Wellington on February 2, 2023. [Photo]

On February 2, former criminal lawyer Christopher Harder spoke in the Wellington High Court on behalf of Bernie Monk and Dean Dunbar, whose sons Michael and Joseph were killed in the series of underground explosions at Pike River.

Harder outlined the case for documents and correspondence held by WorkSafe (formerly the Department of Labour) relating to the unlawful deal to be made public, including emails between Whittalls lawyer Stuart Grieve KC and Crown solicitor Brent Stanaway. Harder also called for the release of a transcript from an earlier High Court hearing, held in 2015, in which some of the families sought a judicial review of the decision to drop charges.

Crown lawyer Amy Hill, appearing on behalf of WorkSafe in last weeks hearing, explained that some documents were already publicly availableincluding an email sent by Grieve offering the $3.41 million paymentbut argued that others should remain hidden. She asserted that this was not a case of the Crown [trying] to avoid scrutiny, but that there was a public interest in maintaining legal privilege for conversations between lawyers.

Harder earlier told the court that legal privilege does not allow two lawyers to discuss something that is a criminal offence. He referred to correspondence in 2013 between Grieve to Stanaway in which Whittalls lawyer proposed a voluntary payment [to the families]... conditional upon charges being dropped. Harder said: What is described here is nothing less than an offer of a bribe.

Instead of reporting Grieve to the Law Society for his proposition, Stanaway took the offer to his colleagues at MBIE for discussion, and ultimately it was accepted. District court judge Jane Farish then defended the withdrawal of charges at a district court hearing on December 12, 2013, declaring that this was not Whittall buying his way out of a prosecution and that the voluntary payment is really a side-issue.

Asked by Justice Jillian Mallon last week what Monk and Dunbar were ultimately seeking to accomplish, Harder explained: These gentlemen want accountability.  Nobodys been publicly held accountable. Their aim was to bring so much pressure to bear on the politicians that they will reopen the mine and get the bodies and examine the crucial evidence underground that could establish the precise cause of the explosions and lead to successful prosecutions.

In 2021, the Labour Party-led government shut down a re-entry operation into the mine and then permanently sealed it. Minister for Pike River Re-entry Andrew Little falsely claimed that it was too dangerous to re-enter the mine workings where human remains are located, as well as the underground fan that may have sparked the explosion. Monk, Dunbar and other family members and supporters protested against the decision. They were supported by leading international mine experts, led by former Chief Inspector of Mines Tony Forster, who explained how the mine workings could be safely entered using standard techniques.

At the conclusion of last weeks hearing, Justice Mallon reserved her decision.

Speaking to the World Socialist Web Site (WSWS), Harder said: The key question remains: who ultimately paid the $3.41 million? If the money was paid by Whittalls insurer, that is one thing. If the money was paid by a third party who had something to gain by the Whittall prosecution not proceedingi.e., so that issues of ignition and possible causation of the explosion were not discussed or probed in open courtthen there should be a fresh criminal investigation of all persons or companies potentially involved, as this would be a serious criminal endeavour.

Bernie Monk carrying a picture of his son Michael, who died at the age of 23 in the Pike River mine disaster.

Monk told the WSWS he was very pleased to have been granted the court hearing after years of applying to WorkSafe, the police and the Ombudsman to release information, including the legal advice given to MBIE in 2013. He said it was an absolute insult to the families that, despite the Supreme Court ruling that the deal to protect Whittall was unlawful, no one had been held accountable for the disaster and the subsequent cover-up.

Monk said he had told WorkSafes lawyer Hill: Im not going to go away, whether we win or not They might think that were going to go away, but its just not going to happen.

Dunbar said Pike River had revealed that this is a justice system that has a noose around its neck If anybody suggests that we havent got a two- or three-tier justice system then theyre not paying attention.

Dunbar also pointed out that there were unanswered questions about what caused the second explosion at Pike River Coal, five days after the initial blast, which may have been started by a conveyor belt being switched on. Police, who were then in charge of the mine site, have denied that their actions may have led to this explosion, which put an end to any talk of a rescue or recovery operation.

Dunbar said WorkSafe saw its job as protecting big business and blaming the poor workers in the forestry and mining industry for killing themselves at work. The unions performed the same role, he added.

The Department of Labour (now called WorkSafe) knew about the dangerous conditions in Pike River mine prior to the explosion but did nothing to stop its operations. Any trial of Whittall or other members of Pike Rivers management would have exposed the complicity of this government agency. It also could have shed light on the criminal role played by the trade unions.

Andrew Little, the Labour governments minister in charge of Pike River since the 2017 election, who was instrumental in shutting down the re-entry operation, was the leader of the miners union, the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union at the time of the disaster in 2010.

The EPMU did nothing to protect its members at Pike River, despite knowing the mine was extremely unsafe. It made no public criticism of Pike River Coal prior to the disaster. Shortly after the first underground explosion, Little defended the company, falsely telling the media that Pike River had a good health and safety committee thats been very active and that there was nothing unusual about the mine.
UK Defence Secretary John Healey threatened a further escalation in NATOs war effort in Ukraine Wednesday. Asked by the Times during a visit to the country whether the UK might send soldiers to train Ukrainian troops on the spot, Healey replied, We will look wherever we can to respond to what the Ukrainians want. They are the ones fighting.

What the Ukrainians [Zelensky and his military regime] want is what NATO tells them to wantin service to a war with Russia which is bleeding the country dry.

An X posting shows Ukrainian Minister of Defence Rustem Umerov (left) meeting UK Defence Minister John Healey in Kiev

Healeys comment that Britain and its allies needed to work with the Ukrainians to help them motivate and mobilise more recruits was made in the context of a Ministry of Defence statement which observed, With Putin resorting to sending as many as 2,000 Russian soldiers to their deaths on the battlefield each day, it is critical that Ukraine is supported with a supply of properly trained and equipped soldiers. It left out the ending: to die in equal and greater numbers.

Fuelling this slaughter, Healey also announced another 225 million in military equipment for Ukraines armed forces, including small boats, reconnaissance drones, uncrewed surface vessels, loitering munitions, mines, and 90,000 explosive artillery charges.

The UK has already trained 51,000 Ukrainian soldiers on British soil under Operation Interflex. Healey has acknowledged that British Army medics are in Ukraine, apparently providing training, and there have been repeated reports of UK special forces covertly operating in the country since the war began. But this is the most brazen step towards the dispatch of NATO troops yet taken.

Healey waved his fist, Nearly three years after Putin launched his illegal full-scale invasion, the depths of his miscalculation are clearer than ever, gloating, 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.

The Russian government has been clear that it considers NATO facilities and equipment in Ukraine legitimate targets. After the first use of US and UK long-range missiles to strike Russian Federation territory last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin went so far as to say in a televised address, We believe that we have the right to use our weapons against military facilities of the countries that allow to use their weapons against our facilities.

The deployment of UK military trainers places them deliberately at risk of such a strike, which would be used as an excuse for a dramatic increase in NATOs participation in the war, increasing the danger of a nuclear exchange.

This is presumably why Healey told the Times ahead of his visit, The part of this job that makes me lose sleep, and not much does, is weighing that decision to commit our UK men and women into areas they may be at risk. The paper comments, some chiefsat home and abroadbelieve the threat from Russia is so severe that NATO could be at war in as little as three years. In another article its writers note, there are concerns that an expanded British footprint in Ukraine could put the soldiers in danger. If Russia were to attack those forces, the UK could rapidly find itself in a war with Russia.

Not that this dissuades Healey, who insisted, we can put Putin under pressure. Russia is failing to win. We can put a lot more pressure on Russia. I see my job as defence secretary to step up the leadership on Ukraine.

Nor did the threat of a direct war between Britain and nuclear-armed Russia feature in the wider media reports of Healeys visit, which were either matter of fact or laudatory. Only the BBC made the faintest reference to the risks of a catastrophic confrontation, noting that, so far, The UK and other NATO members have not sent troops to Ukraine or enforced a no-fly zone over the country, for fear of being pulled into a direct conflict with Russia.

Defence Secretary John Healey (right) with Deputy Defence Minister Serhiy Boyev in Kyiv [Photo by Open Government Licence v3.0]

This is the direction of travel. A Ukrainian military source told the Times that British military trainers on Ukrainian soil would mark the beginning of a de facto deployment of NATOs military infrastructure back inside Ukraine and send a powerful military-political signal.

Healeys comments on the deployment of British troops come in the context of a broad discussion in Europe on the subject, crossing all previously declared red lines. UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who as recently as last month declared, We are not committing UK troops on the ground to Ukraine, responded to the same question on Wednesday by saying, It is strength that Vladimir Putin will respond to... The truth is Putin is not a man you can negotiate with.

Meanwhile, Ukraine continues to carry out gravely provocative operations, assassinating Russian lieutenant-general Igor Kirrilov in the streets of Moscow and striking an oil refinery in Rostov with scores of drones and more than a dozen missiles this week.

This was aimed at least in part at creating a frenzied atmosphere ahead of Thursdays European Union summit: the forum for a major discussion among the European powers about how to the respond to the incoming Trump presidency and its threats to upend the status quo in NATO and its policy in Ukraineincluding by massively increasing European military spending.

British imperialism has made its own plans clear, aiming to win Trump to continued military escalationof a war on which the UK has staked its international standingsupposedly in pursuit of his declared goal of negotiations. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer made this pitch during a visit with British soldiers in Estonia Tuesday and reiterated it in a call with Trump Wednesday, where he self-reportedly reiterated the need for allies to stand together with Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression and to ensure Ukraine is in the strongest possible position.

His foreign and defence secretary were on-message. Lammy told reporters the discussion at the EU summit would focus on how to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position as we head into and through 2025.

Healey said, The year may be ending, but the war is not. This is the time to step up further in Ukraine on every front.

Kiev would have to enter any talks from a position of strength not weakness. Moreover, Anyone who thinks that fight [to] talk is going to be a simple switch, misses I think the likely reality that you may have talking and still fighting.

And whether or not you have got talking, that may or may not be successful in reaching an agreement.
BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The China Coast Guard (CCG) has urged the Philippines to immediately cease its infringements and provocations after the illegal intrusion of a Philippine aircraft into the airspace over China's Huangyan Dao on Thursday.

"Huangyan Dao has always been part of China's territory. The Philippines' moves seriously violate China's sovereignty and could easily lead to unexpected incidents at sea or in the air," CCG spokesperson Liu Dejun said.

During the incident, the Philippine C-208 aircraft entered the airspace over Huangyan Dao without the approval of the Chinese government, Liu said, adding that the CCG monitored the situation closely, lawfully issued a warning and drove the aircraft away.

The CCG will continue to strengthen law enforcement for safeguarding rights in waters under Chinese jurisdiction, to resolutely safeguard the country's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights, Liu said. 
UK Labour government Health Secretary Wes Streeting has launched an attack on National Health Service (NHS) workers who oppose Israels genocide of the Palestinians, accusing them of antisemitism.

Streeting told the arch right-wing Telegraph he will urge medical regulators to discipline staff who express racist or extreme views using the conflict in the Middle East as a pretext to attack communities.

Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care arrives for Prime Minister Keir Starmer first Cabinet meeting in 10 Downing Street, July 6, 2024 [Photo by Simon Dawson/No 10 Downing Street / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Regulators have the power, he noted, to set conditions that a healthcare professional must work under, suspend them, or strike them entirely from the medical register.

Streetings filthy attack follow a campaign in the Telegraph, The Times, the Jewish Chronicle and other right-wing media to denounce the healthcare service as a hotbed of antisemitism. In the summer, the Times and the Telegraph ran the headlines, Complaints of antisemitism among doctors have soared since October 7 and Dozens of doctors accused of anti-Semitism.

Both were reporting on figures obtained by the BBC showing 60 medical professionals had been reported to the General Medical Council (GMC) for antisemitism in the four months after October 7, 2023 although the Times noted that only 22 of these were even undergoing triage to decide whether a complaint should progress to a full investigation.

The Telegraph invited Dave Rich, head of policy at the pro-Israeli Community Security Trust (CST)also a former member of the anti-Trotskyist Alliance for Workers Liberty who specialises in equating anti-Zionism with antisemitism--to comment, It is extremely alarming that so many medical professionals appear to have allegedly made anti-Semitic comments or expressed support for [a] terrorist organisation [i.e. Hamas].

Smuggled away in a single paragraph in the Times article was the acknowledgement that Dr Salman Waqar, of the British Islamic Medical Association, also told the BBC that while the figures showed an increase in Islamophobic incidents, it was difficult to give an accurate representation of the problem as people were afraid to complain to the regulator.

A month later, the Jewish Chronicle attacked the doctors union the British Medical Association (BMA) conference, which it described as a vehicle for Jew-hatred. Its evidence centred on proposed motions addressing and opposing the Israeli onslaught on Gaza.

In a politically filthy letter sent ahead of the event, Jewish Medical Association leaders Professor David Katz and Dr. Fiona Sim wrote snottily of the worlds first livestreamed genocide: it is clear that there is only one international event that merits medical political activism.

They continued, Whilst there have always been occasional antisemitic incidents involving doctors and other healthcare professionals, the scale, extent and virulence of these in the past eight months has been extraordinary.

The Times picked up the thread again two weeks ago, running Jewish doctors face rising antisemitism from NHS colleagues. The article refers to dozens of incidents since October 7, reporting just two in any detail. One is subheaded Death threats to children, when the claimed threats had no relation to the NHS or its staff whatsoever. Another subsection is headed, with outrage, Doctors wear Palestinian symbols.

Although the Times did not give details of the number of antisemitism complaints lodged with the GMC, the Jewish News did. Between October 7, 2023 and November 19 this year, there were 402 complaints of antisemitism, 350 (nearly 90 percent) of which were closed at triage stage, or assessment level; six are still at triage level and 25 are still under investigation.

The large majority of the complaints (376) were made against 98 identifiable doctors, with a further 26 made against doctors where we have been unable to verify the doctors identity on the medical register.

Many complaints could also refer to the same incident: For example, if 10 people referred the same post on social media to us, it would count as 10 complaints. The GMC added that the data we have provided shows the number of complaints we received about conduct that may relate to antisemitism. This is not a direct indicator that the complaint relates to antisemitic conduct or solely to antisemitic conduct.

The campaign branding all political opposition to Israel as antisemitism plus the huge percentage of complaints dismissed out of hand suggests that even these small number of incidents should be treated with scepticism.

Streeting nonetheless leapt at the opportunity to denounce antisemitism in the NHS, telling the Times, I expect employers and regulators like the General Medical Council, to take action against anyone working in the health service who promotes hatred against Jewish people.

A few days later, he met with a delegation from the pro-Israeli Board of Deputies, Community Security Trust, Jewish Leadership Council and Jewish Medical Association to discuss the same issue. The health secretary reiterated, I expect employers and regulators to take action.

Emboldened by this campaign, the provocateurs Labour Against Antisemitism submitted a complaint to the BMA accusing its president Dr. Mary McCarthy of having repeatedly amplified antisemitic posts and created a hostile environment for Jewish doctors.

The evidence it provided included reposts of one message on social media referring to the Gaza genocide as a holocaust and tweets from the account of Sarah Wilkinson, a pro-Palestine activist and journalist for MENA Uncensored recently subjected to a violent raid by British counter-terror police.

The BMA has immediately caved in to this slander and brought in external investigators. This should stand as a warning to its members. If this is its response to an attack on the unions president, how far will it go in lining up with Streetings attacks on all doctors and nurses?

Healthcare workers must organise their own opposition, together with workers in all sectorsincluding universities. schools and in local government where the government is cracking down most heavily on opposition to Zionism.

Streetings announcement is only the latest in a series of moves to politically police the workforceand will not be the last.

There is a specific incentive for the Labour government to target medical staff given the respect they are held in society and especially the impact of testimony from those who have volunteered to work in Gaza. British-Palestinian doctor Ghassan Abu-Sittah, for example, has been denied entry to any European Schengen country in an attempt to silence his account. He has faced repeated efforts by pro-Israel groups to suspend him from practice and destroy his career.

Nor will Streeting have missed the usefulness of these threats to his privatisation and efficiency campaign against the NHS, which has already seen him attack the workforce as an obstacle to reform, with a begging bowl and something for nothing culture.

The health secretary is the perfect point man for this combined offensive: a close political supporter of the Israeli regime and ally of private health corporations.

As detailed by Declassified UK, he was the first of Starmers cabinet to visit Israel, on a 4,700 trip paid for by the de facto Israeli government lobby group Labour Friends of Israel. And he has received a combined 20,000 from pro-Israel lobbyists Sir Trevor Chinn, Lord Mendelsohn and David Menton.

According to a report in The National, based on the register of interests for MPs, Streeting has also been given 60,000 by OPD Group Ltd and 35,475 from another company controlled by OPD head Peter Hearnwho helps private health companies recruit. He accepted 80,000 from John Armitage, a hedge fund manager with more a more than $500 million investment in private insurer UnitedHealth.
Amazon workers: Tell us what your demands are and what your working conditions are like by filling out the form below. Submissions will be published anonymously.

Amazon workers picketing the DAX5 facility in the city of Industry, California, December 19, 2024.

Amazon drivers across the United States launched a nationwide strike Thursday against poor wages and working conditions, as well as the online retailers refusal to recognize their decision to unionize. While the number of workers involved is not known, around 10,000 Amazon workers are members of the Teamsters union, which called the strike.

Hundreds of workers manned picket lines at individual locations, including at the DBK4 warehouse in the New York City borough of Queens. The strike is expected to last until Christmas.

The walkout is the largest ever of Amazon workers in the United States. It is part of a growing movement by workers across Amazons global operations, following protests in 20 countries during Black Friday last month.

Workers picket the delivery entrance to Amazon's DBK4 facility in Queens, New York City, December 19, 2024.

The global dimensions of Amazon itself prove the need for a global movement of the working class, led and controlled by the rank and file. On Thursday, members of the Socialist Equality Party distributed copies of a statement, Amazon strike in the US poses need for global rank-and-file strategy against hi-tech exploitation, which declared:

The power of the multi-billion-strong international working class, the source of all the wealth on the planet, must be leveraged against the tiny oligarchy that runs Amazon and society as a whole.

To accomplish this, the statement continued:

... the strike must be guided by a strategy worked out and democratically enforced from below by workers, through rank-and-file committees made up of representatives from every Amazon facility.

In New York City, police responded aggressively to the strike to prevent pickets from shutting down facilities. In Queens, New York, cops arrested two people, including a Teamsters official, for allegedly impeding traffic. According to workers who spoke to the WSWS, the second worker was an Amazon driver not even involved in the strike, whom police arrested for not exiting the facility quickly enough.

Police vans lined up near the picket line at Amazon's DBK4 warehouse in Queens, New York City, on Thursday, December 19, 2024.

The large JFK8 facility in Staten Island was on virtual police lockdown, with police fencing up parking lots and stationing dozens of uniformed cops on the scene. The obvious aim was to intimidate workers inside the warehouse and keep them from walking out. JFK8 workers are members of the Teamsters who have been working without a contract for two years since voting to join a union. They have also voted to strike.

However, Teamsters officials conspicuously left JFK8 out of the warehouses involved in Thursdays strike. According to some workers, a strike at the warehouse may begin this Saturday.

New York City police congregate outside the picket at Amazon's DBK4 warehouse in Queens, December 19, 2024

Look at all these cops, one worker told the WSWS, pointing toward more than a dozen armed police gathered near a bus stop by the warehouse.

He continued:

See those white shirts on some of themtheyre lieutenants and majors. Amazons got the power to call in a whole division. Its what you can demand when you got billion-dollar government contracts. All this fencing? It wasnt here yesterday. They put this up overnight. And look at the number of trucks going outhardly any. That means they diverted most of them to other warehouses, ahead of the strike, to play it safe.

Theres plenty of reasons to strike

Delivery drivers main demand is that they be recognized as Amazon employees. Currently they are classified as contractors employed by a huge number of small third-party firms, which make deliveries under the Amazon Logistics brand.

A driver in Queens said:

All of the drivers are hired by companies, so Amazon says we dont work for Amazon, but then the companies say we do work for Amazon. So everybody has plausible deniability.

Companies and individual drivers are evaluated by Amazon through a system, which is kind of like an Uber score, the driver said.

He said:

If their score is higher because of us, then they get more routes and can hire more people. Any reason could happen for them to say were not fantastic, and then we dont get guaranteed work. Anything could happen. I could hand you a package, but the app would say I scanned it way too far from your house and then my score goes down.

Its like that by design to divide the workforce, he said. The driver doesnt even spend much time in the building, where he might interact with co-workers inside the warehouse. He gets his route, picks up his packages  and he leaves. Im in the van by myself. The most Ill get is a dispatch call.

Amazon's DBK4 warehouse in Queens, New York City, during a delivery drivers' strike on December 19, 2024.

You dont get holiday pay, you dont get overtime, he continued. Workers are supposed to have a 40-hour guarantee, he said, but that doesnt happen. If I get my packages done within seven hours in a day or if Im working great and get it done in five, thats it. I dont get my guaranteed 40. I have to work extra days to get my 40, and thats when Im doing well.

He continued:

That extra time is not time-and-a-half. If I work 44 hours, I get paid 44 hours. I dont get time-and-a-half or holiday pay. Calling out the day before, during or after a holiday is considered a resignation. Theres plenty of reasons to strike.

Christian, another driver in New York, said:

Were tired of them not acknowledging us. Theyre ignoring what we want. We want it better today, safer conditions, better benefits. Theyre not giving us benefits. I could get better insurance out in the street. Plus, them failing to meet us as Amazon workers, is ridiculous. I wear Amazon branded everything and drive an Amazon brand, but Im not working for Amazon? That makes zero sense. They use these strategic techniques to win the law over so they dont have to be responsible for us. So were out here to prove that were a union, and this is what we want.

Amazon workers picketing the DAX5 facility in the city of Industry, California, December 19, 2024.

An Amazon driver from Palmdale, California, said:

As you can see in society, everything is expensive in this country. We have to remind the youth, our generation, if you dont fight for our rights, this is only going to get worse. So we have an opportunity to exercise our rights, and we have to actually fight.

Teamsters officials versus rank and file

While Amazon workers are determined to win their demands, the motivation of the Teamsters bureaucracy in calling the strike is to bolster its own credibility after selling out several major struggles.

While UPS workers are honoring the picket lines, massive layoffs are underway at the package delivery company as part of the Network of the Future program, an Amazon-style restructuring of the package delivery giant. This is being enabled by a new labor contract with UPS, which includes no meaningful protections against closures. Defying the near unanimous vote by the rank and file to strike, the Teamsters bureaucrats pushed through the deal last year under false pretenses, claiming it was a historic victory.

There is significant support for the strike among UPS workers. At the UPS Grande Vista hub in Southern California, which is slated to be closed before converting into an automated hub, several workers expressed a desire to join Amazon workers on the picket lines.

Jeffrey, an Amazon driver from Palmdale, said:

We are basically doing UPS work for poverty wages. We cant maintain ourselves or anyone were trying to support. If UPS can have a sustainable wage, why cant Amazon drivers have it? Weve had several UPS workers come on out and show their support with us. They take time off their days, off their schedule, just to be with us and show that its all right to fight for what you want, fight for your work.

The bureaucracy aims to establish the same corrupt relations at Amazon which they have at UPS and other employers. Meanwhile, both the bureaucracy and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos are major backers of the Trump administration, demonstrating that the Teamsters apparatus is joined at the hip with management and hostile to the workers they claim to represent.

From left to right: Representative Lori Chavez-DeRemer (Republican-Oregon), President-elect Donald Trump and Teamsters President Sean OBrien [Photo: Sean O'Brien]

Amazon workers are striking to deal a blow against one of the most powerful corporations on the planet and are inspiring other workers to join them in a fight against inequality.

One Amazon driver said:

We have to have a universal workers union. You talk about the warehouse workers separate from the drivers. The railroad unions may feel separate from the bus drivers. Were all working class, but in our day-to-day hustle trying to live, we dont see the next man is doing the same thing. But I also feel like it starts with us, us doing this might make the warehouse workers inside feel like, You know what, we should do that too.

As yesterdays WSWS statement concluded:

A rank-and-file rebellion is needed. Just as workers must organize to smash the power of the oligarchy that controls Amazon, they must also organize to smash the power of the union apparatus and restore workers control. New structures, rank-and-file committees, are being built to prepare for such a fight.
In recent months at the University of Melbourne, one of Australias leading universities, a pseudo-left group named the Platypus Affiliated Society has established a presence on campus and was reportedly successful in forming a student club.

Platypus, founded in 2006, is an international grouping that operates on university campuses, with chapters largely in the United States. It organises Marxist reading groups and public forums for a student audience.

Platypus Affiliated Society event titled What is a Political Party for the Left? at University of Melbourne on October 16. Speakers, from right to left: Ryan Mickler, Platypus; Daniel Lopez, Victorian Socialists; Edith Fischer, Revolutionary Communist Organisation; and Alison Thorne, Freedom Socialist Party. [Photo: Platypus Affiliated Society]

On October 13, Platypus wrote a letter to the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) club at the University of Melbournethe youth wing of the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI), the world Trotskyist movement.

The letter informed the IYSSE that Platypus was planning to start a club at the university and would hold its Inaugural General Meeting (IGM) later that week. An IGM at the University of Melbourne is required to have an attendance of 20 students who are club members.

In their letter, Platypus asked whether the IYSSE would assist their IGM by sending its members to attend and asking them to sign up as Platypus club members. This was framed as part of their broader aim to foster inter-Left dialogue on campus.

The IYSSE declined this request because it has fundamental and irreconcilable political differences with Platypus. To put it bluntly, Platypus is a right-wing, pro-war organisation, with absolutely nothing to do with Marxism or socialism.

A political exposure of Platypus is important, because it functions as a catchment area. It seeks to draw in students and youth interested in socialist and Marxist politics through discussion forums, which in fact serve as a gathering point for various anti-working class tendencies of the affluent upper middle class.

The fundamentally reactionary character of this operation is glaringly evident in Platypus position on the Israeli genocide in Gaza.

The Gaza genocide

On October 7, Platypus marked the one-year anniversary of the genocide by publishing an article promoting Israeli propaganda and hysterically denouncing Hamas. The piece, titled Means and ends in Gaza: A note on the morality of the October 7 massacre, published in the Platypus Review, focuses its attention exclusively on the violence committed amid the Hamas operation.

Palestinians walk through the destruction left by the Israeli air and ground offensive on the Gaza Strip near Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Monday, April 1, 2024. [AP Photo/Mohammed Hajjar]

It describes the events multiple times as a pogrom against Jews and refers to the Jew-hating character of the violence. Taking a leaf out of the Zionist regimes propaganda playbook, the use of these terms is unmistakably intended to link October 7 to the crimes of Nazi Germany.

Additionally, the article promotes lurid and unsubstantiated allegations of rape, gang rape, rape of corpses and murder of children and infants. It repeats official Israeli claims that Hamas is hiding in tunnel networks and using civilians as human shields. In the year since the October 7 operation, the claims of rape and of mass killings of infants have been discredited as imperialist propaganda, but Platypus repeats them as fact.

Socialists oppose Hamas from the left, noting that its bourgeois-nationalist program and links to regional capitalist regimes render it incapable of securing the liberation of the Palestinians and charting a course forward. The position of Platypus is diametrically opposed. In line with the racist propaganda of the Zionist regime, it presents the Hamas fighters, who are engaged in a battle with imperialism, as irrational barbarians. The clear aim is to delegitimise any fight against the Zionist regime, by covering up the fundamental distinction between Israel as a colonial outpost of imperialism and the Palestinians as a historically oppressed people.

The Platypus commemoration is, in substance, no different from the hypocritical moral outcries that flooded the corporate media on the October 7 anniversary, defending Israels atrocities to the hilt and comparing Hamas attack to the Holocaust. It treats October 7 as an isolated act of barbarism, making reference to neither the historical context nor to the US-backed Israeli war of extermination unleashed in its aftermath.

That such a piece was published a year after the beginning of the genocide, with tens or even hundreds of thousands of Palestinians murdered, brands Platypus as a group that is supporting a 21st-century Holocaust as it takes place.

Chris Cutrone at Communist Party of Great Britain (PCC) Communist University 2011, London. [Photo: Platypus Affiliated Society]

That has included a modern-day equivalent of Holocaust denial, with Platypus founder Chris Cutrone having ridiculed claims of a genocide in February, declaring it was not at all clear that ethnic cleansing was the current Israeli intent. Cutrone made those statements months after Israeli leaders had repeatedly declared their aim is to cleanse Gaza of Palestinians.

It is not only Palestinian resistance that is targeted by Platypus. In its October 7 anniversary piece, the group tars the masses of workers and young people who have opposed the atrocities, including in the US and the other imperialist centres, as dupes who are associating themselves with antisemitism, reactionary Islamism, misogyny and fascist morality.

That is a slander and a justification for the police-state crackdown that has been waged against opposition to the genocide, by the Biden administration in the US and affiliated imperialist governments internationally. It is a signal that Platypus will join with the incoming Trump administration in an even more frenzied attack on anti-war opposition.

The positions of Platypus are so openly pro-imperialist and right-wing, it is no exaggeration to say that they could have come from the US State Department itself or the Australian Labor government.

Protesters pack London's Whitehall on Feb. 15, 2003, during a march to Hyde Park, to demonstrate against a possible war against Iraq [AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File]

Platypus and the Iraq war

Platypus views on Gaza are not an aberration, but are consistent with its founding program. Platypus was created in 2006 in direct opposition to the mass international protests against the Iraq war.

The criminal invasion of Iraq by US imperialism in 2003, justified on the basis of brazen lies, provoked massive anger worldwide among workers and youth. It sparked what was to that point the largest global protest movement in history, involving millions.

The Bush administration launched the Iraq war on bogus claims that the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction. The neo-colonial war resulted in the death of more than 1 million people and the destruction of an entire society. It was broadly understood by masses of people as a war for oil, an effort by Washington to establish its hegemony in the Middle East and seize control of its resources. The chaos caused by the US occupation persists to this day.

Platypus began its life defending US imperialisms war of aggression as a war against reactionary Islamism and denouncing the anti-war movement it sparked. For them, the war was achieving the democratisation of Iraq against Baathist tyranny.

Platypus was originated by a group of students at the University of Chicago studying under academic Moishe Postone, a key ideological figure propagating the pro-imperialist justification of the Iraq war on the campuses. When opposition to the Iraq invasion erupted, Postone denounced protesters for their fetishised anti-imperialist position.

Moishe Postone [Photo: Moishe Postone Legacy Project]

Postone also accused protesters of adapting to the antisemitism of Arab ruling elites. His writings draw comparisons between Nazism, which he describes as a variety of anti-capitalism, and left antisemitism. In a 2010 interview with Workers Liberty, Postone dismissed the struggle against the state of Israel as reactionary and presented the colonial project of Zionism as legitimate Jewish self-determination. Workers Liberty is a pro-Zionist publication, which explicitly defends the existence of the Israeli state and also supported the US occupation of Iraq.

Postone sought to provide a left veneer to the standard line used to defend the imperialist Israeli state. He claimed that opposition to the crimes of the Zionist regime, even if voiced by explicit opponents of antisemitism, is a veiled expression of anti-Jewish bigotry. This argument, which has been promoted incessantly over the past year, has served as a justification for criminalising any opposition to Israel, above all from workers, young people and the socialist left.

In a 2008 article, Cutrone ridiculed claims that the US invasion was illegal and criminal, or that underlying economic interests were a motive for the war. He wrote, At base, the US did not invade and occupy Iraq to steal its oil, or for any other venal or nefarious reason. For Cutrone, the invasion was an acceptable response to actions of [Iraqs] indisputably horrifically oppressive rulers.

He even contrasted US imperialism favourably to the anti-war movement, which he linked with support for Saddam Husseins regime. Against the irresponsible protesters, the Bush administrations invasion and occupation of Iraq was an eminently responsible act.

The conflation of opposition to the war with support for Hussein was a fraud. Millions of protesters were on the streets, not because they supported the Iraqi regime, but because they correctly recognised this as a criminal war for oil. The ICFI and the World Socialist Web Site opposed the bankrupt bourgeois-nationalist regime of Hussein, but explained that the fundamental issue was the worlds preeminent imperialist power was seeking neo-colonial control over a historically oppressed nation, which had to be opposed.

By aligning itself with the administration of George W. Bush, Platypus stood on the right-wing of bourgeois politics. It mirrored the propaganda of the US State Department and the intelligence agencies. Its reiteration of Washingtons lies of war for democracy could be used to justify any imperialist operation.

Indeed, in their defence of the Iraq war, Platypus essentially dispensed with any pretence of adhering to a Marxist analysis of imperialism. In place of the imperialist program of a recolonisation of entire countries to extract and seize resources and markets, in the interests of the banks and major corporations, Platypus posited an essentially beneficent Washington, doing its best to spread peace and democracy down the barrel of a gun.

This political line both encouraged and dovetailed with the shift of a whole layer of the middle-class pseudo-left into the camp of imperialism. Groups around the world masquerading as socialist supported the US military in its wars against Libya and Syria in 2011, as well as being the most vocal proponents of the US proxy war against Russia in Ukraine.

Platypus defence of the Iraq war and the Gaza genocide, two of the greatest crimes of the 21st century, reveal the true character of the organisation, behind its phoney Marxist phrase-mongering. Its genesis as a pro-imperialist tendency underlies its attempts to draw together the various pseudo-left tendencies, which are also siding with imperialism against the working class.

Platypus promotes the Frankfurt School

In a 2022 account of his political development, Cutrone cites Postone, Theodor Adorno, and the Spartacist League as his principal teachers in Marxism. Postone is the inspiration for the groups openly pro-imperialist politics, while Adorno provides a theoretical justification for its rejection of the fundamentals of Marxism.

Max Horkheimer (front left) shakes hands with Theodor Adorno, in Heidelberg, April 1964. [Photo by Jeremy J. Shapiro via Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

As with every question, Platypus seeks to veil its rotten politics with deliberately opaque and sometimes self-contradictory academic phraseology. But the groups hostility to the Marxist assessment of the revolutionary role of the working class is made clear by its insistence that the work of the Frankfurt School is central to the reconstruction of the Marxian left. Platypus promotes Adorno as a Marxist in the tradition of such classic figures as Marx, Engels, Lenin, Luxemburg, and Trotsky.

This is a blatant falsification of the Frankfurt School academics and their real attitude towards Marxism. They expressed moods within the middle-class intelligentsia in the 1930s, who, formerly attracted to socialism, were demoralised by the rise of Nazism and rejected the prospects of socialism and even human progress altogether.

Against Marx, Adorno argued that the development of societys productive forces did not create the conditions for social revolution, but instead strengthened the rule of the capitalist class over an impotent working class. In their work, Dialectic of Enlightenment (1947), Adorno and his collaborator Max Horkheimer claimed: The powerlessness of the workers is not merely a ruse of the rulers, but the logical consequence of industrial society.

This thoroughly anti-Marxist perspective reflected the pessimism of broad layers of the middle class, who rejected the basic conception of classical Marxism: The working class is the revolutionary social force capable of ending capitalism and class rule. For them, the events of the 1930s invalidated this conception for all time.

These ideas gained sway among petty-bourgeois intellectuals demoralised by the defeats of the German working class suffered between 1918 and 1933. For Adorno and Horkheimer, these defeats were not due to the betrayal of workers by their political leadershipthat is, the Social Democrats and the Stalinists. Instead, they demonstrated the non-revolutionary character of the working class.

The Frankfurt School, which continues to exert considerable influence on left academia, is a source of inspiration for Platypus precisely because of this hostility to the working class. Adorno and company were the most articulate theoreticians of a political rejection of the proletariat. Platypus posturing as cultural critics is shared by academic layers, heavily influenced by postmodernism, who not only agree it is pointless to turn to the working class, but are bitterly hostile to any attempt to build a political movement within it.

By promoting the Frankfurt School, Platypus is sowing confusion among students about genuine Marxism, as well as providing a pseudo-intellectual cover for their reactionary politics. Moreover, the denial of the revolutionary role of the working class in capitalist society is the foundation of Platypus left regroupment agenda.

Platypus and Spartacism

The third source of Platypus perspective listed by Cutrone is the Spartacist League, a group that epitomised the reactionary character of middle-class radicalism. Many of Platypus positions, including its calls for a reconstitution of the left based on opportunist manoeuvring, derive from this Pabloite organisation, which was formed in opposition to the ICFI, the world Trotskyist movement.

Pabloism emerged within the Fourth International in the aftermath of World War Two. It was based on a repudiation of Leon Trotskys perspective of building the Fourth International as the world party of socialist revolution through a relentless political fight against Stalinism, social democracy and every form of national opportunism.

Michel Pablo (right) with Ernest Mandel

Instead, Michel Pablo and his chief collaborator Ernest Mandel claimed that there was a new world reality, unforeseen by Trotsky, in which the Stalinists, social democrats and bourgeois nationalists in the colonial countries would be compelled by the weight of objective forces to lead the fight for socialism.

Pabloism was a pro-Stalinist tendency within the Fourth International, but its perspective went beyond an adaptation to the Stalinist bureaucracy, which had superficially been strengthened by developments at the conclusion of World War II. Pabloism was liquidationism all down the line, calling for the effective disbandment of the Fourth International and the transformation of its sections into pliant adjuncts of whatever anti-Trotskyist political tendency dominated the mass movement. It expressed the interests of a growing middle-class layer, cultivated by imperialism, and was an adaptation to the post-war boom of capitalism.

The ICFI was founded in 1953, to defend the Fourth International and the fundamental conceptions of Trotskyism upon which it was based, including internationalism and the fight for the political independence of the working class from Stalinism and every other anti-Marxist tendency. The Socialist Workers Party (SWP) in the US and its leader James P. Cannon played the decisive role in rallying Trotskyist forces to the ICFI, and preventing Pabloisms destruction of the Trotskyist movement.

Underscoring the immense class pressures of the period, however, the SWP began to adopt the very Pabloite positions that it had fought against. In the late 1950s, it embarked upon a regroupment campaign with middle-class radicals within the US, including demoralised ex-Stalinists and liberals who did not even claim to be socialists. At the same time, it mooted a reunification with the Pabloites.

That reunification was consummated between 1961 and 1963. It was utterly unprincipled, based on a suppression of the issues that had led to the split of 1953 and the formation of the ICFI.

The SWP latched onto the Cuban revolution to justify the reunification, presenting its bourgeois-nationalist Castroite leadership as unconscious Marxists, who had been compelled to begin the socialist transformation of society by the weight of objective events. That utterly impressionistic assessment, which deliberately ignored the lack of any independent involvement of the Cuban working class in the revolution, was a classic Pabloite rejection of the need to construct the Fourth International as the revolutionary leadership of the working class.

Two tendencies emerged within the SWP, opposing its reunification with the Pabloites. The American Committee for the Fourth International (ACFI), led by Tim Wohlforth, collaborated closely with the British Socialist Labour League of Gerry Healy, which led the fight to defend orthodox Trotskyism and prevent the destruction of the ICFI.

James Robertson [Photo: Marxists.org]

The other tendency, the Spartacist League, led by James Robertson, opposed elements of the SWPs perspective, including its uncritical glorification of the Cuban Revolution. But the emphasis of the Spartacist League was on immediate tactical issues within the United States, not the global fight of the Trotskyist movement to defeat revisionism.

Both the ACFI and the Spartacist League were invited to the Third World Congress of the ICFI, held in London in 1966. Robertson, representing the Spartacists, made clear his hostility to the fight to build a revolutionary leadership based on a relentless fight against opportunism. In his remarks, Robertson stated:

We take issue with the notion that the present crisis of capitalism is so sharp and deep that Trotskyist revisionism is needed to tame the workers, in a way comparable to the degeneration of the Second and Third Internationals. Such an erroneous estimation would have as its point of departure an enormous overestimation of our present significance, and would accordingly be disorienting.

In reality, two years prior in Sri Lanka (then Ceylon), the opposite had already proven to be the case. In 1964, the bourgeois government of Madame Bandaranaike, facing a mass movement of the working class and an immense political crisis, brought the Pabloite Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) into the ruling coalition. The LSSPs betrayal was the first time that a party claiming to be Trotskyist had entered a capitalist government. In doing so, it helped derail a massive strike movement and prop up tottering bourgeois rule on the island.

Prime Minister Sirima Bandaranaike

As the Historical and International Foundations of the Socialist Equality Party (US) later explained, All that divides Marxism, theoretically and politically, from petty-bourgeois radicalism was summed up in this statement. In essence, Robertson denied the objective social and political significance of the conflict within the Fourth International. The lessons of Lenins struggle to build the Bolshevik Party in the struggle against revisionism, and, later, of Trotskys struggle against Stalinism and various forms of centrism, were ignored. The struggle against Pabloism within the Fourth Internationalso clearly connected to major political and social processes in the aftermath of World War IIwas derided by Robertson as a subjectively motivated squabble between various individuals.

Robertsons denial of any objective significance to the conflicts within the Fourth International was a justification for the Spartacist Leagues orientation to the very opportunist forces that had broken with Trotskyism. In opposition to the ICFIs perspective of building a revolutionary leadership through a relentless fight against the Pabloites, who represented the pressures of imperialism and Stalinism, the Spartacists stated that the movement would be built through a process of splits and fusions with the opportunists.

Over the ensuing decades, it would advance the very perspective associated with Pabloism. The Spartacist League joined with the SWP in multiple provocations against the ICFI. It became a cheerleader of the Soviet bureaucracy, including as the Stalinists were carrying out the liquidation of the Soviet Union, and continuously promoted the corporatised trade union bureaucracy as the unchallengeable leadership of the working class.

Platypus declarations that the left is dead echo Robertsons rejection of the continuity of Trotskyism, expressed in the struggle of the ICFI against Pabloism. For Robertson, and now Platypus, the claim that the Fourth International was destroyed is a justification for all manner of opportunist manoeuvring with any and all political tendencies, regardless of their history or program. That is the significance of Platypus calls for a reconstitution of the left, based on a rejection of Marxism and support for imperialism.

In direct opposition to the Spartacist League, the ACFI expressed its support for the global struggle waged by the ICFI and in 1966 formed the Workers League. Based on the fight against Pabloism and oriented to the working class, it developed a powerful Trotskyist tendency, that is today the Socialist Equality Party (SEP) in the US.

The renaissance of Marxism carried out by the ICFI over the past 40 years and expressed in documents that, if collected, would span dozens of volumes, the political development of its sections and the emergence of the World Socialist Web Site as the authoritative voice of revolutionary socialism, have refuted in practice the claims of Robertson and Platypus that the continuity of Marxism and Trotskyism was broken. The ICFI, basing itself on the heritage it has defended, is alone in fighting to build a revolutionary movement based on internationalism, the political independence of the working class and all the fundamental principles of Marxism, which are more relevant today than ever before.

Each of these achievements has testified to the immense power of the orthodox Trotskyism defended by the ICFI for more than 70 years, including under extremely difficult conditions.

For their part, tendencies such as the Spartacists, which based themselves on a rejection of this Trotskyist heritage, have either collapsed, or transformed into political instruments of imperialism. Their bankrupt positions are rooted in the interests of sections of the middle class that have grown affluent over the past 50 years, as the working class has suffered a massive assault on its social position. These tendencies, defending and advancing the privileges of this corrupt social layer, now form a last line of defence for the capitalist system, through their promotion of imperialist war and their attempts to chain workers to the political mechanisms of bourgeois rule, including the corporatised trade union bureaucracy and such formations as the British and Australian Labor parties and the Democrats in the US.

The completely divergent evolution of the ICFI from all those tendencies that broke from the Fourth International confirms the historical and political significance of the fight against Pabloism. The lessons of these struggles must be assimilated by students and youth now entering into politics, who should decisively reject the pseudo-left as the rotten and politically bankrupt pro-capitalist outfits that they are.

That must be part of a turn to the genuine socialist and revolutionary perspective advanced by the ICFI. We appeal to students to join the IYSSE and apply to become members of the SEP. Amid the historic breakdown of global capitalism, threatening world war and fascism, take up the fight for a socialist and internationalist perspective in the international working class!
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President-elect Donald Trump and his billionaire backer Elon Musk, the worlds richest man, intervened to torpedo a budget resolution that was set to pass Congress this week and forestall a partial shutdown of the federal government. The action is the latest of a series in which Trump has sought to remove all limits on the political authority he will exercise once he returns to the White House after his inauguration one month from now.

President-elect Donald Trump talks with Elon Musk in Boca Chica, Texas, Tuesday, November 19, 2024. [AP Photo/Brandon Bell]

At issue is not the specifics of the continuing resolutiona typically rotten compromise between the ultra-right Republicans and their Democratic counterpartsbut the very process by which it was enacted, through bipartisan dealmaking in which the two capitalist parties collaborated on a three-month extension in federal funding. Trump and Musk not only object to any role for the Democrats but to the involvement of congressional Republicans as well.

This is shown by Trumps sudden declaration that he wants to add a provision to the resolution that would lift the federal debt ceiling, either temporarily or permanently. On Thursday, House Republicans advanced a proposal that would suspend the federal debt limit for two years, which Trump said he supported.

In past years, measures to raise the debt ceiling have been used by the party out of power to obtain concessions from the party in the White House. Right-wing Republicans have been the main employers of this tactic, most recently in 2023, when Speaker Kevin McCarthy pushed through significant spending cuts in a deal with the Biden administration.

Trump wants to remove this potential check on the actions of his incoming administration, which given the narrow Republican margins of control, 220-215 in the House of Representatives and 53-47 in the Senate, could become a significant obstacle. Moreover, he wants to create sufficient fiscal room to enable the extension of his multitrillion-dollar tax cut for the wealthy.

Under ordinary circumstances, the 90-day extension of spending authority until March 14, 2025 would be considered highly favorable to the new administration, since all major decisions on non-military budget items would be deferred until then, when the Republicans will have complete control of the White House and Congress. (Significantly, the National Defense Authorization Act, which sets Pentagon priorities, has already passed Congress and been signed into law by President Biden.)

But these are not ordinary times. It is very possible that Trump wants a federal shutdown, perhaps extending until his own inauguration January 20, in order to generate an atmosphere of crisis and dysfunction in Washington and fuel demands for presidential action of an unprecedented character.

This would involve either passage of an American version of the Enabling Act that gave Chancellor Adolf Hitler supreme power in Germany in 1933 or the issuance of executive orders once Trump re-enters the White House which would have an equivalent effect.

Since winning the November 5 presidential election, thanks to the political bankruptcy of the Democratic Party and its indifference to the sharp decline in working class living standards over the past four years, Trump has been conducting the transition to his new authoritarian regime on two parallel tracks.

The first is to identify and target any opposition within his own party. His nominees for cabinet and top sub-cabinet positions were chosen from one standpoint only: absolute loyalty and willingness to carry out his orders, regardless of the law or the Constitution. Now he is putting House Speaker Mike Johnson on notice that he will be removed January 3 when the new House meets if he does not toe the line on the budget resolution.

At the same time, Trump is probing whatever institutional restrictions still remain to unchecked exercise of presidential power. He has suggested that he could order the Senate to adjourn for a period of time so that he can install his nominees through recess appointments. He is pushing for a military panel that would review the top brass for loyalty (to the president, not the Constitution) and remove those who fail that test.

In undermining Speaker Johnson, Trump is setting the stage for the most extreme faction of fascists, the so-called House Freedom Caucus, to block Johnsons reelection and open the way to imposing a new speaker more directly subordinate to Trump. Some House and Senate Republicans have already suggested that Musk could fill the bill, since the speaker is not required to be a member of the House, only elected by it. The oligarch has not rejected the suggestion.

Trump has declared that he will act as a dictator on day one, issuing a flurry of executive orders, including a blanket pardon for the fascist thugs who attacked the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, and mass round-ups of undocumented immigrants, with millions targeted for arrest, detention in concentration camps and expulsion from the country. For the latter action, he plans to deploy the US Army, even though the use of the military for civil law enforcement is prohibited under the Posse Comitatus Act.

Whatever the ebb and flow of events over the next few days and weeks, one thing is certain: As Trump and his acolytes move to assert dictatorial power, his nominal opponents in the Biden administration and the Democratic Party will do nothing.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre could only bemoan the effective Trump veto of the budget resolution. A deal is a deal, she wailed. Republicans should keep their word. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he would wait for the House to pass a continuing resolution, adding, We have a deal with Republicans, and were sticking with it. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said, House Republicans will now own any harm that is visited upon the American people that results from a government shutdown, or worse.

The Democrats are concerned only that they push through as much funding as possible for continuing the US-NATO war against Russia in Ukraine and the Israeli genocide in Gaza, as well as building up for a wider war in the Middle East against Iran.

Patrick Martin was interviewed about the US political crisis on the Law and Disorder podcast. The interview will be broadcast in New York City on WBAI at 11:00 a.m., Monday, December 23, on 99.5 FM and on 150 other radio stations nationwide. It will also be available at lawanddisorder.org
On December 10, the University of Michigan (U-M) fired a director of one its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) units for alleged antisemitic remarks. Rachel Dawson, the director of the Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives (OAMI), was summarily sacked for comments she allegedly made to two professors in a private conversation at a diversity conference held last March in Philadelphia.

Rachel Dawson [Photo: University of Michigan]

Dawson was removed despite the admission by an investigating law firm, hired by U-M, that there was no independent verification that she made the antisemitic remarks of which she was accused. Dawson has denied the allegations and declared her intention to sue the university.

A member of the U-M Board of Regents, Mark Bernstein, intervened when the university decided in October that Dawson would not be suspended or terminated, but would be required to undergo training on the issue of antisemitism. Bernstein objected and demanded that Dawson be fired, and the university complied.

The firing came only days after U-M announced that it was ending its requirement that for hiring and promotion purposes candidates submit diversity letterspersonal narratives explaining how they would contribute to the universitys DEI programs. The two developments make clear that U-M is seeking to accommodate itself to the incoming Trump administration by rolling back its DEI policy and related efforts to promote identity politics. As the WSWS noted earlier in the week:

Trump and the Republican Party are spearheading a right-wing America First ideological offensive that falsely links identity politics and programs such as DEI, long the stock in trade of the Democratic Party, with Marxism. This, in turn, is bound up with a massive escalation of attacks on democratic rights and basic social programs, from public education to healthcare.

Trump and the Republicans are threatening to cut off federal funds to universities that continue DEI and similar programs. These programs, championed by middle-class radical academics and organizations, have been used across the country to elevate personal identityrace, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientationabove class in order to sow divisions in the working class while covering up the real roots of inequality and discrimination in the capitalist profit system.

Far from promoting equality, they have facilitated the elevation of a thin layer of blacks and other minorities into lucrative positions in academia, the media, government and the military, while the social position of the broad masses of workers of all races has deteriorated and social inequality has reached unprecedented levels. The fascistic right is taking advantage of the discrediting of identity politics, which has nothing to do with genuine Marxism, to promote extreme national chauvinism and anti-communism.

In relation to Dawsons firing, a December 16 statement sent to the Michigan Advance news site by the universitys director of public affairs, Kay Jarvis, also cites her support for U-M students who faced police attack and arrest for protesting against the US-backed genocide in Gaza and the universitys ties to military aid to Israel. Jarvis writes that Dawson was fired by the Provost because her behavior as a university representative at a conference and during an on-campus protest was inconsistent with her job responsibilities.

U-M, along with universities and colleges across the US and around the world, is carrying out a vicious witch-hunt against opponents of the US/Israeli genocide, slandering them as antisemites.

Dawsons lawyer, Amanda Ghannam, told the Advance that Jarvis reference to an on-campus protest referred to her clients presence at an August 28 anti-genocide protest on the Ann Arbor, Michigan campus Diag, at which four peaceful protesters were arrested. What Ms. Dawson did there was advocate for student protesters not to be violently arrested, she said. Dawson, who has a law degree, can be seen in Twitter/X videos of the protest trying to advise student protesters who are being brutally detained by police.

According to an account in the New York Times, the alleged antisemitic incident took place at a diversity conference when Dawson was approached by two professors, Naomi Yavneh-Klos of Loyola University-New Orleans (LUNO) and another, unnamed, Jewish professor. Yavneh-Klos, who lists multiple academic collaborations in Israel on her university bio page, approached Dawson, together with the other professor, claiming to have heard about the negative experience of a University of Michigan Jewish student. She wanted to know, Does the DEI office work with these students?

Yavneh-Klos claims, according to the Times, She [Dawson] said no. Jewish students are all rich. They dont need us. That was the gist of what she said. It was really horrifying. Yavneh-Klos also claims that Dawson said the university is controlled by wealthy Jews and that Jewish people have no genetic DNA that would connect them to the land of Israel.

In a statement through her lawyer, Dawson said that she unequivocally denies making the comments attributed to her. She acknowledged that a discussion took place with the two professors, but said their allegations are deliberate mischaracterizations of what was discussed. For instance, Dawson says she told the professors that Jews and Palestinians shared an ancestral connection to the region.

Yavneh-Klos contacted the Zionist Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and filed a report the day of the discussion. The ADL waited until August to send a letter to the University of Michigan about the allegations.

In response to the August letter from the ADL, the University hired the outside law firm Covington & Burling to investigate the allegations, which itself is a highly unusual move for matters that are generally addressed internally. The New York Times reported that the ADL and Covington & Burling worked together previously on similar types of cases involving allegations of antisemitism, underscoring the biased and prejudicial character of the so-called investigation.

In an investigative report sent to the university on September 25, Covington & Burling wrote that it could find no independent verification that antisemitic remarks were made by Dawson. Nevertheless, it concluded that the weight of the available evidence supports ADL Michigans report.

According to the Times, Dawsons superiors, including the office of U-M President Santa Ono, initially determined that she would get a warning and undergo training in antisemitism and leadership.

When a university vice president informed the Board of Regents of this decision in late October, one of the regents, Mark Bernstein, immediately responded to the presidents office that he was disgusted with the decision. Bernstein wrote that it made a mockery of your/our commitment to address antisemitism and broaden our DEI efforts to include antisemitism and/or Jewish students, and said the only acceptable response was that Dawson be terminated immediately.

Bernstein, a Democrat, has frequently denounced the anti-genocide protests as evidence of a toxic presence of antisemitism on campus.

Shortly after Bernsteins intervention, Dawson was informed that the presidents office was reversing its decision, and on December 10 she was fired. Geoffrey Stone, a constitutional law scholar from the University of Chicago, was quoted in the Times as saying the firing was likely unconstitutional, as U-M is a public university, and even if she made the alleged comments her speech should be protected by the First Amendment.

Dawsons firing is a brazen violation of democratic rights and due process. Students, staff and faculty at U-M should demand that the decision be reversed and she be reinstated without any penalties or sanctions.
California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a state of emergency proclamation Wednesday over the spread of the H5N1 bird flu among dairy cows. The action comes on the heels of new cattle infections identified in dairy farms in Southern California.

The emergency declaration noted that on December 12, 2024, dairy cows at four Southern California dairies tested positive for bird flu, necessitating a shift from regional containment to statewide monitoring and response to active cases.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a news conference near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry along the border with Mexico, Thursday, December 5, 2024, in San Diego. [AP Photo/Gregory Bull]

Newsom issued the following statement: This proclamation is a targeted action to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility they need to respond quickly to this outbreak. Building on Californias testing and monitoring systemthe largest in the nationwe are committed to further protecting public health, supporting our agriculture industry, and ensuring that Californians have access to accurate, up-to-date information. While the risk to the public remains low, we will continue to take all necessary steps to prevent the spread of this virus.

Since March 2024, the bird flu has affected 16 states and 865 dairy farms. Since the H5N1 virus was first detected in Central California on August 30, 2024, there have been 649 herds impacted in the state, 315 just in the last 30 days, and 120 in just a week, according to the US Department of Agrculture. Until early December, all the infections had been contained across nine counties in central California.

The exact cause of the spread, however, remains unclear, according to the CEO of Western United Dairies, Anja Raudabaugh. Although cattle movements are the usual way for such spread, other factors such as infected people and shared milking equipment may have contributed to the outbreak in Southern California.

Currently, 985 dairies in California are under surveillance and 614 are under quarantine, according to the state of emergency proclamation. With over 1,100 dairies statewide, most located in the Central Valley, Californias annual milk production amounts to 41 billion gallons of milk, more than 18 percent of the total US production of milk, valued at $20 billion at the farm, and more than $160 billion at the supermarket.

Raudabaugh told the local news media, You do not want this on your herd. Its that bad  we have to do something really drastic in order to prevent this. Relying on herd immunity is not a good strategy.

Although bird flu is not nearly as deadly among cattle as it is among birds and chickens, the estimated fatality rate runs around 2 percent. However, once infected, the cows digestion process of ruminating stops, and it stops taking water. The animals also develop fevers, and with high ambient temperatures, they are predisposed to heat stress. Additionally, their milk production begins to decline rapidly early in the course of infection and only returns back to normal over the next several weeks.

Dairy cattle feed at a farm in New Mexico. [AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd]

Despite claiming he was being proactive, Newsom invoked use of the usual soporific catch-phrase, reassuring the public, While the risk to the public remains low, we will continue to take all necessary steps to prevent the spread of the virus. Yet, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that since April 2024, when the first person was detected infected with bird flu, there have been a total of 61 human cases, of which 34 have been in California.

One also must assume the impetus for the state of emergency proclamation was more than the economic challenges facing dairy farmers in California. On the same day Newsom made his declaration, the CDC confirmed the first case of severe H5N1 infection in a person in Louisiana, who is believed to have contracted the virus from dead birds found in his backyard. The Louisiana Department of Health had made a presumptive identification of H5N1 in a resident from the southwestern part of the state who is currently hospitalized.

The elderly unidentified person, with known health conditions that increase his risk for severe disease, remains in critical condition with significant respiratory symptoms, according to Emma Herrock, spokesperson for the department.

During a news conference on the H5N1 situation in the country, Demetre Daskalakis, director of CDCs National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, reported that the genetic sequence in the Louisiana case was different from the clade 2.3.4.4b genotype B3.13 strains affecting the dairy herds. The version that has infected the elderly person was the D1.1 genotype which has been circulating in wild birds. This was also the version that had sickened a British Columbia teenager last month. That person was in the critical care unit for several weeks on a ventilator and has remained in the hospital to date.

Wisconsin also reported its first human case of H5N1 bird flu linked to poultry in Barron County. The person in question was exposed to an infected flock. Raj Rajnarayanan, Assistant Dean of Research and Associate Professor at NYITCOM at Arkansas State University, wrote on his social media that the case in Wisconsin belongs to the D.1 genotype of the bird flu currently circulating in Washington state, Louisiana and British Columbia, Canada.

Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, director of the Boston University Center on Emerging Infectious diseases, said of these events, All these infections in so many species around us are paving a bigger and bigger runway for the virus to potentially evolve to infect humans better and transmit between humans. That represents an escalation in the situation, even if risk to general population remains low.

The failure to contain and eradicate the virus from dairy cattle and, more broadly, from agricultural facilities is not from any lack of technical skill or scientific knowledge, but stems from the capitalist nature of the agricultural business.

The Biden administration has protected the profit interests of the dairy industry under its Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, a former governor of Iowa and lobbyist for the dairy industry. Last week, the administration said that there were no current plans to authorize producing a stockpiled bird flu vaccine despite these developments.

This means that any action against the spread of bird flu to humanswhere the death rate could be as high as 50 percent of those infected, compared to 1 percent for COVID-19will depend on the decisions of the Trump administration, with its prospective Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a notorious vaccine denier and conspiracy theorist.
On Wednesday, Michael Kretschmer (Christian Democratic Union, CDU) was re-elected state Premier of Saxony. He heads a minority government of the CDU and Social Democrats (SPD), which has only 51 of 120 seats in the state parliament. Nevertheless, Kretschmer received 69 votes in the second round, 18 more than the governing coalition has. Twelve out of 15 members of the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) and six members of the Left Party voted in favour of him.

Michael Kretschmer (CDU) after his re-election as Prime Minister of Saxony [Photo: Nikolai Schmidt]

Unlike in neighbouring Thuringia, where the BSW, a right-wing split-off from the Left Party, governs in a coalition with the CDU and the SPD, negotiations on the BSW participating in the government in Saxony failed in mid-November. However, behind the scenes, there were agreements to involve the BSW and the Left Party in government work.

Kretschmer confirmed this after the election. The election result did not fall from the sky, he said, adding that the CDU and SPD had held many talks with responsible colleagues and factions in the past few weeks. They had helped to ensure that we do not descend into chaos today. He praised the responsible opposition and called on them to all work together.

BSW leader Sahra Wagenknecht also confirmed that there had been agreements with Kretschmer. She said that they did not want to cause chaos in the formation of the government in the state capital Dresden. The BSW parliamentarians had received certain promises and therefore supported the election of Kretschmer. Wagenknecht remained deliberately vague about the content of the promises. She claimed it had been promised that no money would be cut in certain areas and that certain initiatives for peace would be made possible.

The Left Party had already indicated its support for Kretschmer the day before the election. Co-state party leader Stefan Hartmann said that the Left Party wanted to act as a responsible opposition in the state parliament and participate in the upcoming budget negotiations. He criticised the BSW for breaking off negotiations on government participation. Even we didnt expect the facade of responsibility at the BSW to collapse so quickly, Hartmann said.

The minority government of the right-wing CDU politician Kretschmer is not only based on the BSW and the Left Party, but also on the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which in Saxony is classified by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, as the secret service is called, as being indisputedly right-wing extremist. The CDU and SPD have agreed on a so-called consultation mechanism that involves all opposition parties in the work of the government. The so-called firewall against the far right, which they otherwise like to invoke, thus proves to be an open door.

In the future, the government will submit proposals and draft legislation to the state parliament at an early stage so that all members of parliament, factions and groups can make suggestions, which will then be incorporated before the state parliament officially deals with them. This way, we are creating the opportunity for everyone to really participate, Kretschmer said. We want people to talk to each other in this Saxony state parliament and for it to be possible to find cross-party compromises.

Kretschmer explicitly included the AfD in this, wanting to get them out of their martyr role. They could then no longer say that no one was talking to them and that they had no opportunity to influence things.

When Kretschmers simultaneous claims that distance from the AfD will be maintained and that there would be no working with it, or when SPD state party leader Henning Homann insists that AfD parliamentary deputies would not be able to exert any practical influence on politics in Saxony with their heretical, anti-social theses, it is obviously absurd. Consultation is cooperation. Why consult the AfD if there are to be no political consequences?

It is worth noting in this context that Kretschmer met with the AfDs leader in Saxony, Jorg Urban, in the state chancellery on November 4, exactly one day before the exploratory talks with the BSW were abandoned. It was the first such conversation with the leader of the AfD faction, who has been in office since 2017. Afterwards, it was said that they had discussed state political issues and agreed to maintain confidentiality about the details.

Last week, Urban even proposed the CDU form a government supported by the AfD. Together, with 81 seats in the state parliament, they would have a stable right-wing conservative majority, he said. The CDU should take the risk and enter into a government completely freely and without the SPD, added AfD General Secretary Jan Zwerg. This idea also has supporters within the CDU among the so-called Heimatunion (Homeland Union) around state parliament member Sven Eppinger.

The AfD finally voted against Kretschmer on Wednesdayas far as this can be seen from the secret ballot. In the first ballot, AfD faction leader Jorg Urban received 40 votes, which is exactly the number of AfD members in the state parliament. In the second round, Urban received only one vote, while 39 votes were cast for Matthias Berger, the only member of the Free Voters grouping in the state parliament. The AfD had apparently planned to nominate Berger as prime minister in a surprise coup, as it had done in Thuringia in 2020 with Liberal Democrat (FDP) politician Thomas Kemmerich.

The manoeuvre failed because the Left Party and BSW voted for Kretschmer and 11 deputies abstained. Among them were the seven representatives of the Greens, who had made their vote for Kretschmer conditional on his providing more support for Ukraine. However, the Greens also reaffirmed their fundamental willingness to continue working with Kretschmer, in whose government they were involved for the last four years.

The fact that the AfD did not vote for Kretschmer does not rule out future cooperation. In terms of content, they are close. The core points of the AfD programmeanti-refugee agitation, law-and-order, military rearmament and austerityhave long since been adopted by the other parties. The relevant passages in the coalition agreement between the CDU and SPD could have been written by the AfD.

The new state government has pledged to increase the number of police officers to 15,000 by the end of the legislative period. The police are to work more closely with the domestic intelligence service, the state criminal police office and the domestic intelligence service are to be strengthened in terms of personnel and technology, a Saxony border police force is to be set up and telecommunications source surveillance (Quellen-TKU) is to be made possible.

Skilled workers among migrants are to be recruited, but the rest are to be brutally deported. People who do not fulfil the conditions for residence must leave our country as quickly as possible, the coalition agreement states. Those who do not leave voluntarily will be deported.

The improvements the agreement promises in the areas of social services, education and culture are all subject to funding. In other words, they are not worth the paper they are written on.

The current difficult economic situation in Germany and the associated stagnating tax revenues mean that the structurally balanced budget presents us with enormous challenges, the coalition agreement states. We must therefore set clear priorities in the state budget in the coming years.

There is a huge 4 billion hole in the state budget. Finance Minister Hartmut Vorjohann (CDU) had to withdraw a draft budget that proposed cuts of 50 to 80 percent in some areas because the previous cabinet could not agree on it.

Behind the minority government in Saxonyunusual by German standardslies in reality an all-party coalition, ranging from the Left Party and BSW to the Greens, SPD and CDU, and the AfD. The establishment parties are moving closer together and further to the right because they are in conflict with the broad majority of the population, who are not willing to accept war, social cuts, falling wages and job losses.

Saxony is no exception. All over the world, those in power are reacting to the deep crisis of capitalism with a sharp lurch to the right. This is demonstrated by the rise of fascists like Donald Trump, Georgia Meloni, Geert Wilders and Javier Milei to the highest state offices.

Saxony, an important industrial centre since the 19th century, has never recovered from the devastation that followed the dissolution of the former East Germany. Now, even the jobs that have been created since thenthe VW plants in Zwickau, Chemnitz and Dresden, the numerous companies dependent on them, the computer chip industry in the Dresden area, which is subsidised by billions, and many moreare also at risk.

Workers must prepare themselves for the coming social attacks by breaking with the all-party coalition and its affiliated trade unions and build a new party that fights for the international unity of the working class and a socialist society in which the needs of the majority take precedence over the profit interests of the richthe Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (Socialist Equality Party).
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.

Asia

India: Chandigarh power workers protest privatisation

Power utility workers in Chandigarh, the Union Territory (UT) capital of the northern Indian states of Punjab and Haryana, demonstrated on Tuesday against privatisation. Workers rallied outside offices in the city during the afternoon break against the handing over the local power sector to a private company without fixing any terms and conditions for existing workers.

The UT Powermen Union previously announced that if the assets of UT Power were handed over to a private company without protecting the service conditions of existing employees there would protests and boycotts. The private company Eminent Electricity Distribution Limited will take over UT Power on January 1.

Samsung workers in Tamil Nadu protest management harassment

Workers at Samsung Indias white goods plant near Chennai, Tamil Nadu, began a canteen boycott at the factory on Thursday to protest management harassment of 35 employees following the ending of a 37-day strike by 1,500 permanent workers on October 15.

The 35 workers led the September-October strike to demand recognition of a CITU (Centre for Indian Trade Unions) branch at the factory. One of the workers being harassed attempted to commit suicide when he was transferred from his department.

[Management] have been consistently persuading the workers, under the pretext of holding training sessions, to shun the labour union and instead join the internal workers committee, a CITU member said.

ASHA workers in Hyderabad protest over compulsory exams

Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers in Hyderabad, Telangala state, are protesting compulsory exams for Auxiliary Nurse Midwife and Multipurpose Health Care Assistants to be held on December 29. ASHA workers said they had been working for more than 20 years on low pay and that establishment of a competitive exam for their work was a definite attack on their jobs.

Bangladesh: Temporary rail workers demand permanent jobs and outstanding pay

A group of temporary workers from the Bangladesh Railway protested on Tuesday to demand five months of unpaid wages and regular jobs. They blocked the railway tracks in Dhakas Tejgaon for about 2.5 hours, disrupting train transport between Dhaka and the northern and eastern regions of the country.

The temporary workers who have been employed as gatekeepers, waymen, and assistants said they decided to protest because repeated meetings with the Ministry of Railways and railway authorities had failed to resolve their demands.

The protest ended after authorities agreed to pay the outstanding salaries by Thursday. Workers warned they would resume their protest on December 22 if this pledge was breached. There are around 7,500 temporary rail workers in Bangladesh facing the same situation.

Bangladeshi garment workers protest to demand annual wage hike

Garment workers from at least 25 factories in the Ashulia industrial belt walked out on December 11 to demand a 15 percent annual salary hike against the factory owners offer of 9 percent. Workers want their monthly wage to be 25,000 taka, ($US209). The current minimum wage of a garment worker is 12,500 taka.

The police and military personnel were deployed at key locations in the industrial area.

The factory owners 9 percent increase was announced by the labour ministry on December 9, up from an existing 5 percent offer. The new offer was made at a meeting of the Minimum Wage Review and Annual Increment Hike for the RMG Sector committee.

Australia and the Pacific

Qube workers strike at 10 ports for better pay and conditions

Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) members from ten bulk-handling facilities of Qube Ports around Australia stopped work on Monday in an International Day of Action against Qubes refusal to hold genuine wage negotiations. The MUA has been trying to renegotiate 19 enterprise agreements covering 21 port facilities and over 1,000 workers since October 2023. The union accuses Qube of ignoring serious safety, fatigue and work-life balance concerns during negotiations.

Along with higher pay, the workers want earlier notification of shift start times, a 10-hour break between shifts and 48 hours off after maximum consecutive shifts. Workers complained that they are regularly required to work within 8 hours of the conclusion of their last shift, leaving them exhausted on the job as they get thrown from evening shifts to day shifts and back again at the whim of roster managers. Workers are told at 4 p.m. each day if theyre required to work the next day and face the prospect of up to 20 different shift start times each day on shifts between 7 and 12 hours.

MUA members rejected Qubes pay rise offer of 5 percent over each of the first two years of a new agreement, and 4 percent in each of the two subsequent years, as well as back pay for agreements concluded by September 30. The union says its members wages have declined by 14 percent in real terms while Qube profits have risen by 148 percent since the last agreement.

The industrial action at Qubes bulk facilities includes bans on night shifts, shift extensions, work on ships for the first 8 hours in port, shifts longer than 8 hours, and start times for all shifts apart from 7 a.m., 3 p.m. and 11 p.m. Workers are also holding one-hour daily work stoppages at 5:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

The MUA is escalating industrial action and scheduled 24-hour rolling stoppages between December 23 and January 12 at Port Kembla, Brisbane, Fremantle and Darwin. The union claims Qube has cancelled bargaining meetings because junior managers wanted to go on leave around Christmas.

Western Australia: Weatherford offshore oil and gas workers take industrial action for new work agreement

Thirty-six members of the Australian Workers Union (AWU) employed by oilfield services company Weatherford took industrial action on Wednesday in opposition to Weatherfords proposed enterprise agreement. Weatherford presented its proposed agreement to the workers but the workers bargaining unit Offshore Alliance (OA) (comprising the AWU and Maritime Union of Australia) has directed workers to reject the deal.

OA claims Weatherfords baseline agreement was below industry standards and if accepted would lock workers into base salaries of only $60,000 a year with reduced conditions. The Weatherford workers industrial action includes seven different work bans and rolling one-hour stoppages.

Weatherford is an American multinational oilfield services company operating in 75 countries across oil and natural gas producing regions.

Rheem factory workers in New South Wales locked out

Over 160 workers from Rheems hot water systems factory at Rydalmere in Sydney have been locked out for two weeks, after notifying management that they intended to stop work for 24 hours on December 13. The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and Australian Workers Union are in dispute with Rheem over its proposed enterprise agreement.

The unions said Rheem had rejected their main demands for back-pay and CPI (consumer price index) wage adjustments in the new agreement. The workers current agreement expired on September 9 this year.

Gladstone Ports workers in Queensland strike against extended workday

More than 100 workers from Gladstone Ports, 500 km north of Brisbane, walked off the job for 24 hours on Monday to oppose the companys proposed enterprise agreement. Strikers protested outside the port facility holding signs saying, GPS refusing to negotiate and 8-hour day here to stay.

The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and the Electrical Trades Union have been in negotiations with Gladstone Ports since May. Management refused to continue negotiations after workers rejected its latest offer. On December 10, the workers unanimously voted to approve industrial action, which could include up to nine work bans and unlimited stoppages of 1, 2, 4, 12 and 24 hours.

The workers main opposition to managements proposed agreement is the introduction of 12-hour shifts. Workers complained that their current work/life balance would suffer and that they would be forced to give up commitments to community voluntary organisations.

Northern Queensland AMSA emergency tow vessel crew begin industrial action

Ten crew members employed by Smit Lamnalco on the emergency tow vessel AMSA (Australian Maritime Safety Authority) began 10 days of industrial action Wednesday. Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) members are opposed to Smit Lamnalcos attempt to reduce wages and conditions in its new enterprise agreement.

According to the MUA, Smit Lamnalco recently won the $190 million contract to manage the vessel by under-cutting the previous contract holder and is now seeking to strip away hard fought for working conditions.

The MUA alleged the company wants to convert the current 8-hour shift into a 12-hour shift with no additional wages, i.e., a 33.3 percent pay cut. Other attacks on conditions include a cut to income protection insurance, removal of all current allowances for living on the vessel, ending the status quo on annual pay increases tied to CPI (consumer price index), and to remove shipboard television and internet connections.

The AMSA provides emergency support when one of the hundreds of mainly internationally flagged vessels which transit through the Great Barrier Reef has an incident or requires assistance. The vessel is also used to perform maintenance on the thousands of navigational aids throughout the waters between the Torres Strait and Cairns.

Essential Energy workers continue strikes in five-month pay dispute

About 100 United Workers Union members at the Martin Brower cold-storage warehouse in Wetherill Park, Sydney walked out for 24 hours on Thursday to demand improved pay and conditions in the companys proposed enterprise agreement. Workers want a wage increase that keeps up with the cost of living and protection of hard-fought for conditions, which they say are under threat.

Ipswich council workers to hold more strikes for higher wages

Following a one-day strike on December 13, about 200 workers from the Ipswich Waste Services and Ipswich City Council, in southwest Brisbane, have walked out on December 20 and plan to strike again on December 23 and 24 after the council refused again to increase its pay offer. About 30,000 waste bins go uncollected each day the workers go on strike. They are covered by the Australian Workers Union (AWU) and the Transport Workers Union (TWU).

Workers rejected councils offer of a pay increase of 12.73 percent over three years and transition to a 36.25-hour working week by July 1, 2026. An AWU spokesman said the offer would not stop the standard of living of members from backsliding. The TWU claimed councils field staffs real wages have gone backwards in real terms by 8 percent over the last three years.

Workers want the new agreement to include a superannuation increase to match other council employees, along with a pay rise to keep up with cost-of-living pressures and allowances for working with dangerous poisons and chemicals.

St Vincents Private hospital nurses in Victoria escalate strike action

After a weekend of four-hour rolling stoppages by nurses and midwives on the wards at St Vincents Private hospitals at Kew, East Melbourne, Werribee and Fitzroy, theatre and recovery nurses at the private companys 29 operating theatres walked out again on Wednesday afternoon.

On November 18 about 800 Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) members instituted work bans and began four-hour rolling stoppages on December 13 in opposition to St Vincents proposed enterprise agreement. Their ongoing action includes overtime bans, taking the full meal break, bans on redeployment between wards, wearing ANMF t-shirts and not collecting administrative data.

The ANMF rejected St Vincents latest proposed enterprise agreement earlier this month. The union said the offer included some improved conditions but that the original pay offer had been reduced by 0.5 percent to 4 percent as a trade-off. It also said the offer failed to address safe patient workloads and ratios, improved allowances and did not contain improvements that were recently included in the 2024-28 public sector nurses and midwives agreement.

ANMF members want pay parity with public sector nurses and midwives, including new and improved allowances and more than 40 improved entitlements and working conditions.

Baptcare aged care workers in Tasmania strike for higher pay

On Wednesday, workers from Baptcare Karingal aged care facility at Devonport, Tasmania stopped work and protested outside the facility to demand a higher pay offer. The 23 Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) members and 55 Health and Community Services Union (HACSU) members rejected Baptcares latest pay rise offer of only 95 cents per hour on average.

Negotiations for a new agreement have been ongoing for more than a year. Baptcares original pay rise offer was just 2.5 percent per annum, well below the Australian Bureau of Statistics estimate of a 4.7 percent cost-of-living rise for an employee household over the year to September.

HACSU members say Baptcares low wages are contributing to low staffing levels and higher care workloads and that they will be taking more industrial action during the next two weeks.

Queensland professional lifeguards voting on industrial action

Over 450 lifeguards employed by Surf Life Saving Queensland (SLSQ) are voting on taking industrial action after overwhelmingly rejecting a second low pay rise offer from SLSQ.

The Australian Workers Union (AWU), and SLSQ have been in negotiations for seven months. The workers say their rate of pay is unsustainable under the current high cost-of-living pressures, especially in the coastal tourist areas where their jobs are based. The workers are seeking pay parity with lifeguards employed by Gold Coast City Council, who the AWU claim receive $10,000 a year more. The AWU has only asked for 3 percent annual wage increases, just slightly ahead of the current consumer price index rate of 2.8 percent.

Maurice Blackburn law firm workers strike for better pay and conditions

Close to 400 workers from the Maurice Blackburn law firm are taking industrial action in their fight for better pay and conditions. Australian Services Union (ASU) members walked off the job on December 12 and on Tuesday held a coordinated coffee break stoppage across the country.

After seven months of failed negotiations for a new enterprise agreement, workers overwhelmingly voted on November 29 to take protected industrial action. The ASU have called for a 19 percent pay rise over three years, better work/life balance options, and 10 days of reproductive health leave in the new agreement. The Labor Party-aligned company has only offered 10 percent.

Future action could include work stoppages between 5 minutes and 24 hours, nine different work bans and various union publicity campaigns, such as posting union messages in social media and in emails, wearing casual clothes at work, wearing and displaying union-branded material.

New Zealand WorkSafe employees oppose job cuts

More than 50 people, including health and safety experts, protested outside New Zealands WorkSafe head office in Wellington on December 17 as the agency confirmed plans to cut another 54 jobs.

The jobs being axed include dissolution of the health team whose remit is to prevent health-related harm and deaths in workplaces. Every year, 750900 workers die of chronic harm or health issues on the job.

Public Service Association (PSA) Acting National Secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said the sackings build on repeated job cuts at WorkSafe over the past 18 months and meant that the agency can no longer do the job we need it to do. NZ Council of Trade Unions spokesperson Erin Polaczuk offered similar platitudes. This posturing is fraudulent.

The National Party-led governments assault on the public sector has seen 10,000 jobs slashed, with more to come. This job destruction has been imposed with no united action by the unions, which issued appeals for increased consultation over the sackings.

New Zealand public servants begin limited action over zero pay offer

Nearly 3,000 workers at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) began partial strike action on December 17 after months of negotiations, beginning in March, resulted in a zero percent pay offer from the ministry.

While the Public Service Association (PSA) denounced this as offensive, it has responded with token bans, including workers refusing unpaid or unessential work and synchronising meal and rest breaks. This is expected to run until late January and include Border Operations staff in the New Year.

Attempting to keep a lid on the growing anger of public sector workers, PSA Acting National Secretary Fleur Fitzsimons warned of future strike action by MBIE workers but insisted the union would be bargaining for improvements to collective agreements for public service workers in the coming months.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong toured Kyiv on Wednesday, in her first visit to the Ukrainian capital since the war with Russia began in February 2022. She announced that Australia will reopen its Kyiv embassy, which was shuttered shortly after the conflict started, and touted Australias backing for the Ukrainian regime.

Ukraine Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha with Penny Wong, the Australian foreign minister, December 18, 2024 [Photo: X/PennyWong]

The visit was a hawkish and militarist one. Wong declared her Labor governments ironclad commitment to what is essentially a US-NATO war against Russia, with Ukraine serving as a proxy. Her trip coincided with, and was part of, yet another escalation of this conflict, including increasingly direct NATO interventions against Moscow, which threaten a nuclear war in Europe.

Inevitably, Wong couched her trip in terms of the defence of Ukrainian freedom and democracy. Such statements, always hypocritical from imperialist leaders, can only be described as nauseating under conditions where all the major governments, including Wongs own, are supporting the Israeli mass murder of Palestinians in Gaza.

The depiction of the conflict, moreover, is an entirely false one. The US deliberately provoked Russias reactionary invasion, and has since stoked the war, with a perspective of inflicting a strategic defeat on Moscow, even though it is costing hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian lives. By some estimates, half a million people on both sides have perished in little over two years.

Ukraine is not a democracy, but a police state, where scheduled elections have been suspended and martial law imposed. In her paeans to freedom, Wong predictably said nothing about the countrys growing number of political prisoners, including young Trotskyist leader Bogdan Syrotiuk, who is jailed on trumped up charges of treason for advancing a socialist perspective aimed at uniting Russian and Ukrainian workers and ending the carnage.

In addition to the embassy reopening, Wong announced an additional $76 million in aid, including $10 million for Ukraines energy sector and $66 million for reconstruction and recovery efforts. While presented as benign, energy subsidies have military implications in the context of ongoing hostilities. The recovery fund is being transferred to the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development, overseen by the major European powers, who are seeking to profit from the conflict.

The spends took Australian assistance since the war began to more than $1.5 billion. Over $1 billion of that is in direct military aid, contributing to the disastrous war, including the provision of ever more openly offensive weaponry.

During a trip to Ukraine in April, Defence Minister Richard Marles committed to providing air defence systems capable of shooting down aircraft, as well as drones. Australia has also provided surplus rifles, some of which have likely gone to Ukraines fascistic militia, as well as armoured vehicles. Australia participated in a British-led program to train Ukrainian recruits and previously deployed a surveillance aircraft to the region.

Wongs visit occurred amid intensive preoccupation by the European powers with the Ukraine war. There appears to be an atmosphere of uncertainty associated with the election of fascist demagogue Donald Trump as US president.

During the election campaign, Trump claimed that he could end the war rapidly. This was a cynical attempt to capitalise on anti-war sentiment. It also reflected differences within the US political establishment over foreign policy. Both sides in the debate support an overarching strategy of reversing the decline of American imperialism, by establishing hegemony over the vast Eurasian landmass.

That program means conflict with Russia and China. While the Democrats have insisted on the de facto war with Russia as a key stepping stone to conflict with China, Trump and others have at times promoted a turn away from the Ukraine conflict and a full focus on confrontation with Beijing.

The current balance of forces within the US foreign policy establishment is unclear, as is what Trump will do when he is inaugurated on January 20. Since the election, he has been briefed by Biden and others on the major escalation of the Ukraine war by the current administration, including permission for Ukraine to strike targets within Russia using US and NATO munitions.

Nevertheless, there seems to be an attempt by proponents of the war to establish facts on the ground by ramping up the conflict further. The European powers are also playing an even more direct role than previously.

The day before Wong arrived in Ukraine, the Ukrainian secret service assassinated Igor Anatolyevich Kirillov, the Russian lieutenant general in charge of its nuclear and chemical defense forces, in a bombing outside his home in Moscow.

French President Emmanual Macron has touted the possibility of NATO troops being deployed to Ukraine as peacekeepers, in the event of some sort of ceasefire. Even if there is a truce in direct hostilities, the presence of NATO soldiers on Russias border, under conditions where the imperialist powers have made plain their intention to overthrow Putin and loot Russias natural resources, would pose an immense danger of direct war.

On Wednesday, as Wong was in Ukraine, the UK Defence Secretary John Healey went a step further, suggesting a possible deployment of British military trainers as the war is still underway. Such trainers are no doubt on the ground already in a secret capacity. As historical experience, including the Vietnam War shows, the deployment of military trainers and advisors is frequently a prelude to a massive troop deployment.

Wong and her Labor government have clearly been involved in the backroom discussions surrounding these plans. Together with Defence Minister Richard Marles, she visited Britain before Ukraine. There they held talks about AUKUS, the militarist pact between the US, the UK and Australia, directed against China.

Marles declared he was confident that AUKUS, including the US provision of nuclear-powered submarines to Australia, would proceed under a Trump administration.

Significantly, asked about the possibility of Australian forces joining Macrons hypothetical peacekeeping force, Marles did not rule it out. That is, he left open the possibility of Australian troops participating in what could only be a build-up for war with Moscow on Russias borders.

The trip by Marles and Wong also includes meetings with NATO and European Union officials, which are no doubt along similar lines, related to the escalation in Ukraine.

A particular contribution of the Labor administration is to assist the imperialist powers in their increasingly direct linking of the proxy war with Russia and the confrontation with China.

Wong put forward that line while in Ukraine, declaring that The closer ties between North Korea, China and Russia through the provision to Russia of North Korean missiles and ammunition, Chinese dual-use goods and even North Korean troops, does not bode well for security in our region.

The comments dovetail with those of US national security leaders, who openly speak of a developing global war, pitting American imperialism and its allies against Russia, China and those countries with close relations to them.

The visit again demonstrates that the Labor government is not a minor player in this drive to a Third World War, but is actively involved in stoking it. Contrary to Wong, it is not China that is risking conflict in the Indo-Pacific.

Instead, the US is carrying out a vast military build-up, in explicit preparation for an aggressive war. That has included, over the past two years, the Labor government completing Australias transformation into a frontline state for such a conflict, including with AUKUS, the largest expansion of the Australian military since World War II and unprecedented US basing arrangements across the country.
When Nobel Prize-winning Canadian short story writer Alice Munro died in May, the media was full of praise for her work and many heartfelt tributes followed in the spring and summer. And for legitimate reasons: Munro was one of the most affecting, committed short story writers of her generation.

Born in 1931 in Wingham, in Huron County, Ontario, she published her first story in 1950, and her first collection, Dance of the Happy Shades, in 1968. Over the next 44 years she published 14 collections containing some 150 stories. She has had devoted admirers for decades and has been the subject of numerous academic conferences and doctoral theses.

Munro is widely regarded as having remade or, according to others, breathed new life into the short story form and is frequently compared to masters in the field such as American John Cheever (19121982) or the great Russian short story writer, Anton Chekhov (18601904), whose work influenced the course of short story creation over the last century.

The adulation of Munro in certain circles, however, has abated since July, when her daughter, Andrea Skinner, alleged that her mothers second husband, Skinners stepfather, Gerald Fremlin, had sexually abused her from the age of nine. Although Skinner revealed this to Munro in 1992, the author ultimately stayed with and defended Fremlin. He was convicted of sexual abuse in 2005.

If the allegations are true, they certainly speak against Munro as a human being and a parent. On their own, nonetheless, the facts of her personal life will not affect any serious assessment of her work. An authors moral failings are not the basis on which to judge her art. Class society damages and distorts personalities, including artistic personalities, but a substantive writers efforts nevertheless have an objectively truthful, revealing character. Of course, the #MeToo hysteria has done a great deal of damage in muddying these waters.

Will there be a movement to rescind Munros Nobel Prize? The University of Western Ontario has already decided to pause naming a chair after her. This week, the New York Times Magazine featured an assessment of Munro on the cover of its print edition. While the article did not entirely renounce her, it aired second and third thoughts about the Canadian author. The Times is voicing the embarrassment of the media and literary establishment about its longtime advocacy of what were perceived to be feminist aspects of Munros stories.

Certainly, a convincing argument can be made for Munro-the-artists siding with downtrodden and abused children. Since her work has been associated in particular with uncovering the inner, often hidden or suppressed lives of girls and women, her daughters claims may raise questions about intellectual or psychological fissures in her art. But this leads us on to our own assessment of Munros place in world literature, based not so much on how she led her private life, but on the social and historical forces that formed her art and the meaning it had for large numbers of people.

Aside from brief periods she spent in British Columbia, Munro lived most of her life in southwestern Ontario, in a part of the province that is largely agricultural. The region is the setting for many of her stories, and her people for the most part represent the middle layers of the populationfarmers, teachers, petty businesspeople. Poverty occurs in her work, but it is a subdued, rural poverty. Any general awareness or collective sentiment is usually limited to small-town innuendo. Often her women, especially young women, endureor fearabuse and discomfort, some degree of repression, whether they recognize it or not.

Munro is a serious artist. Her work can unravel complex and confused feelings. Her stories are full of insights into middling peoples lives and often surprise her characters and her readers. Her language is unadorned but precise, almost always in command of tone and sensibility.

Dance of the Happy Shades (1968)

Boys and Girls (1968) begins:

My father was a fox farmer. That is, he raised silver foxes, in pens; and in the fall and early winter, when their fur was prime, he killed them and skinned them and sold their pelts to the Hudsons Bay Company or the Montreal Fur Traders.

Thirty years later, Queenie (1998) opens like this:

Queenie said, Maybe you better stop calling me that, and I said, What?

Stan doesnt like it, she said. Queenie.

Her stories have a generally static quality. The semi-rural lives remain on the whole full of concerns and personal difficulties that do not rise to the level of genuine tragedy. There can be real distress and trepidation, but, overall, any disruption is set in a minor key. People do up and leave the relatively self-satisfied and inhibited Ontario communities, usually to pursue college degrees or to become professionals. But, as a rule, there is little sense of the development of Canadian life nor an inkling as to where it might be heading.

What strikes us now about Munros fiction, above all, and despite her many gifts, is its constrained and myopic character. The Times Magazine piece and much else published this year about her are oblivious to serious problems not simply in Munros work, but in the work of a whole generation of writers of the last 40 or 50 years and its own lag of consciousness in catching up with vast changes, that is, with actual, concrete social life and history.

It is something of a cliche today to say that Munros stories can cover decades and slide easily between past and present. This is an aesthetic strength, and one of the pleasures of reading her, but it also reveals artistic problems that have beset Munro and many others. These passages tend to take place apart from history, in Munros case, especially the history of Canada, but also the history of the world at large.

The Progress of Love (1986)

In The Bear Came over the Mountain, (1999, adapted as a film, Away From Her, with Julie Christie and directed by Sarah Polley, in 2006) a retired professor, Grant, visits his wife, Fiona, who has dementia, in an assisted living home. Fifty years pass in the story. A half century! These are postwar people, who have lived their lives in middle-class comfort, but without giving a thought to broader processes and circumstances apparently. Fionas mother, from Iceland, is a left-winger, and political conversations at her house are shrill. In the story, this is the distant past, a footnote.

The couple encounter anxiety and trouble. Grant has affairs and is flummoxed when Fiona takes up friendship with a man in the home. There is love lost and forgotten, infidelities, but the story, over a half century, does not add up to much. Why does it need to pass though decades? The passage of time only serves to heighten the modesty and even banality of the characters goals and purposes, but not in a tragic manner. The author seems all too uncritical about their aims or aimlessness.

In The Albanian Virgin (1994) a woman in Victoria, British Columbia, in contemporary times remembers hearing a story about a Canadian woman in the 1920s who falls in with a clan of Albanians in what is now Montenegro. They are deeply patriarchal and for her own safety she must adopt the Balkan custom of being a pledged virgin, a woman who forswears sex and is allowed the freedoms and privileges of a man. The recalled episode significantly overshadows the main storyline in which the narrator has left her husband because of an affair and opened a bookstore.

The story boldly passes back and forth in time, but here also, one cannot find a coherent, purposeful framework in which to place these two diverse worlds. There is clearly a reason they are brought togetherabove all, the feminism that had gained ascendancy in the middle class during Munros lifetime, and for which she became a standard-bearer to many readers and criticsbut the organic, historical connection (or stark opposition) between the Balkans of the early 20th century and North America in the late 20th century is not brought out.

One of her later books, The View from Castle Rock (2006) reaches further past into historical settings in Scotland, where many of Munros ancestors came fromincluding James Hogg, the Scots poet, essayist and novelist and friend of Sir Walter Scott. But in these stories too, there is no meaningful contrast of the past with the present and they largely ignore the sweep or significance of centuries.

Munro, in other words, leaves out much of the world that she experienced and knew firsthand from the quiet 1950s to the protests and convulsions of the 1960s and 1970s in Canada, including a massive strike wave and the imposition of martial law in Quebec under the War Measures Act. It is worth noting that one of the more notorious social disasters in recent Canadian history, the e-coli contamination of the drinking water supply of Walkerton, Ontario in 2000, which sickened more than 2,000 people and resulted in seven deaths, leaving others with chronic illnesses, occurred essentially a stones throw from Munros home territory.

These events find their echo in Munro, but only faintly, and it is the slow and somewhat low-stakes liberalization in the lives of people, their rethinking of their place in the world in terms of jobs, marriages and family that count. There is an element in her fiction that argues, like one of her characters in Open Secrets (1993): Olden times. Who wants em back? But this comes under the heading of relatively small change.

Dear Life (2012)

Munros somewhat complacent embrace of small-town life is troubling. There is much that is provincial, narrow and pinched in the region she inhabited and portrays. Never do we sense an overall critique or rejection of its backwardness and conservatism. The element of conciliation, accommodation, of taking the path of least resistance seems present in her writings. Part of the admiration for Munro came to her by defaultfor which she is not to blame, of course. Her quiet, modest but fierce dramas tended to stand out in a sea of bland best-sellers, sex confessions, cold and cynical postmodernist new novels, and identity politics obsessions.

In the 1980s and 90s, when Munro reached her maturity as an artist, Marxism and the primacy it gives to lawful historical development and the activity of the working class were being attacked by varieties of identity politics and postmodernism. Munro, who taught for many years at Western Ontario, could not have failed to be influenced by these trends, directly or indirectly. Certainly, the scholarship about Munros work is dominated by those outlooks.

A current of (over-)modesty and restraint runs through her work, a reluctance to discover any grand narratives animating the lives of her people, a fashionable micro-politics. Munros stories almost always concern small-town, small-scale Ontarians without many pretentions, and, by way of relief, some who have made an escape, but one both emotionally and materially moderate.

Several stories take place during the Second World War, with the Depression still fresh in the memory of the rural characters. Dear Life, (2011) for example, suggests a strong element of autobiography, as many of Munros stories do: a precocious girl is growing up with a father who raises minks and a schoolteacher mother.

One day, the girls mother tells her daughter that an elderly, perhaps crazy woman has been snooping around the house. Many years later, the narrator, who now lives in British Columbia suspects their house may have originally belonged to the old womans family. The story is sensitively told, but what does it add up to? A feeling of loss, of time passing, of middle-class sympathy for the poor, but not much more. The past might be regrettable, but it is done with.

The short story form, in which Munro chose exclusively to work, has its advantages: events and characters can be swiftly and even poetically encompassed. It is the mode suitable for epiphanies and startling, sudden shifts, often at storys end. It may also, however, lend itself to a minor and blinkered view of the world. One suspects that for Munro a longer form might have opened up possibilities for social and psychological development, or at least challenged her along those lines. It might have raised questions about why people left the unsatisfying, stifling communities where they grew up, how different one period in a persons life (and a societys) was from another, and so on. But the focus on the shorter form seems to be a decision on Munros part that meant: This far and no farther.

None of this is intended to be the final word, but one thing is clear: Munros work, for all its accomplishment, points toward wider problems in artistic and literary culture in the second half of the 20th century and early 21st century that remain with us.
BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Friday expressed condolences for the victims of a fire in the city of Taichung in central Taiwan.

Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, made the remarks while also extending sincere sympathy to the families of the victims and those who were injured in the incident.

A large fire broke out on Thursday afternoon at an incomplete warehouse in Taichung, killing nine and injuring eight. 
More than 30,000 nurses, healthcare assistants and midwives across New Zealand have taken part in a series of four-hour strikes over the past 10 days, with different parts of the country striking on different days. The latest actions follow an eight-hour nationwide strike on December 3.

Striking nurses in New Zealand, December 2024 [Photo: New Zealand Nurses Organisation]

Members of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) voted overwhelmingly to strike after learning that the government agency Health NZ Te Whatu Ora would only offer a pay rise of about 1.5 percent over the next two years. This would be a major pay cut, under conditions where household living costs have increased by at least 3.8 percent in the past year.

This is part of the brutal austerity agenda being imposed by the National Party-led coalition government. This week, in an attack on the countrys lowest-paid workers, the government announced that the countrys legal minimum wage will increase next year by just 1.5 percent. This sets a benchmark for slashing wages across the public sector and in private businesses.

On Tuesday, about 3,000 public servants at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment began limited work-to-rule industrial action after receiving a zero percent pay offer.

Health NZ and the Ministry of Health have already announced more than 2,000 job cuts so far this year, according to Radio NZ. This includes vital back office roles such as IT and administrative workers, as well as public health experts.

On December 10, RNZ reported that Health NZ is halting or deferring 136 data and digital-related projects, including upgrades to improve booking systems and staff rosters, and upgrades in gynaecology and radiology technology.

Hospitals are already drastically understaffed, a major issue for striking workers, who will be forced to do more administrative and clerical tasks due to the recent cuts. Health NZ recently suspended the use of Care Capacity Demand Management, a mechanism to determine minimum staffing requirements on hospital wards.

Striking nurses in New Zealand, December 2024 [Photo: New Zealand Nurses Organisation]

On December 10, NZNO chief executive Paul Goulter told RNZ the union was still holding talks with Health NZ but he gave few details of the discussions, other than saying a resolution was still a long way off. The union bureaucracy has not announced any specific wage demand. Goulter said they were pushing for Health NZ to commit to enforceable nurse-to-patient ratios. Safe staffing ratios, however, are not compatible with the billions of dollars in cuts being made by the government.

The WSWS spoke with some nurses on strike outside Wellington Hospital on December 18.

Michelle, who has been a nurse for 24 years, said that when she started in her career we had time to sit down and talk with patients. We were able to proactively educate people about their circumstances and try to prevent them from re-admitting, and we dont get the time for that any more.

She said people are a lot sicker by the time they get to hospital than was the case in the past. This was due to people not getting treatment soon enough, as well as the ageing population. Primary healthcare has been eroded and so we are feeling the fallout. I would like to see it financed to stop people coming to hospital.

Michelle said she was not surprised by Health NZs low offer. Basically, they get given [limited] money to pay for healthcare and the easiest people to take it from are the staff. They need to meet the directives from the government.

She said the back office staff cuts would inevitably have an impact on nurses. When things go wrong, like the computer system, how will we recover from that? She pointed out that doctors, orderlies, cleaners and other hospital staff all faced the same pressure on their wages and conditions.

Nursing takes its toll on you emotionally, it takes its toll on you sleep-wise, because its shift work. We have the highest rates of breast cancer of any profession. Ive had to give up my interests in team sport; I cant commit to getting to practices and games. She said younger nurses with families faced even harder struggles. I dont want to see young people working their guts out and then leaving burned out and disgusted at the system.

Michelle believed the government was seeking to privatise more of the healthcare system. Theyre not going to come out and say it, but I do think theyre pushing people into private health insurance. For many patients, if they want their hip replacement when they need it, thats the only option theyve got.

Stephanie (not her real name), who has been working as a nurse for four years, said more staff are needed not just in the hospitals, but in the rest homes and GPs. Nurses were constantly asked to do overtime due to staffing shortages, but Stephanie said she was too exhausted to do any.

Like many nurses, she had considered moving overseas to find better paying work, but Ive got a student loan, and they would put up my student loan. New Zealand residents can get interest-free student loans, but anyone who leaves the country is required to pay interest.

I feel sorry for the new graduates that are having to look overseas for work because they cant find any here, and will have to pay interest, Stephanie said. Hundreds of recent graduate nurses have not been offered jobs in New Zealand, despite the severe staffing shortages.

Stephanie was not optimistic that the government would change its position, adding that she expected there would be more strikes. Im hoping that we dont cave in, that we keep going, she said.

There is considerable determination to fight, and widespread public support for healthcare workers. The NZNO apparatus, however, has a long record of imposing sellout agreements. Following strikes in 2018 and 2021 during the last Labour Party-led government, the bureaucracy sought to wear down healthcare workers, and isolate them from other workers, in order to convince them that they had to accept a deal that failed to address living costs or the staffing crisis.

The fight for high-quality public health services, with decent wages and conditions, must be taken out of the hands of the union apparatus, which the government is relying upon to enforce its cuts. To break the isolation of their dispute, nurses need new organisations that they control: rank-and-file workplace committees. These will seek to broaden the struggle against austerity to all sections of the working class.

Such a struggle must be based on socialist policies, in opposition to the pro-business agenda that is upheld by the National government, the opposition Labour Party and all their allies. Workers should reject the lie that there is not enough money to properly fund the health system. The money to provide for all human needs must be obtained through the redistribution of wealth from the super-rich, and the ending of spending on militarism and war.
The US states of Indiana and Oklahoma executed two mentally incompetent men this week, ending a year that saw 25 death row prisoners put to death. Their executions underscore one of the most barbarous features of the death penalty system in America, which condemns inmates to death despite their documented severe mental illness.

Kevin Ray Underwood (left) and Joseph Corcoran (right)

The US Supreme Court ruled in 2002 in Atkins v. Virginia that execution of the intellectually disabled, known then as mentally retarded, constitutes cruel and unusual punishment, as prohibited by the Eight Amendment of the US Constitution. This prohibition, however, does not extend to the execution of the mentally ill. While condemned prisoners who do not rationally understand why they are to be executed are constitutionally exempt from execution, others are often not, and states differ on how their competency is evaluated.

Indiana

In the early morning hours on Wednesday, Joseph Corcoran was executed at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City, Indiana. Corcoran, 49, was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of four people in 1997, including his brother James Corcoran, 30, his sisters fiance Robert Scott Turner, 32, and two other men, Timothy G. Bricker, 30, and Doublas A. Stillwell, 30.

Corcorans execution was the first carried out in 15 years in Indiana, which halted executions in 2009 due to the difficulty in obtaining the lethal chemicals required to carry them out. Of the states that practice capital punishment, Indiana is one of two that do not allow media witnesses at executions, the other being Wyoming. Corcoran did choose, however, to have a reporter for the Indiana Capital Chronicle as one of his own witnesses.

Corcorans attorney Larry Komp said his clients execution took eight minutes, but that he only had a partial view and could not hear anything, including Corcorans last words. Corcoran was reportedly administered a single lethal dose of pentobarbital and was pronounced dead at 12:44 a.m. local time. Komp said there was no way to tell if the condemned inmate felt pain.

Evidence of Corcorans serious mental illness dated to early childhood, which included self-isolation, self-harm and extreme paranoia. Before his trial he rejected a plea deal, saying he would only agree to it if the state would sever his vocal cords first because his involuntary speech allowed others to know his innermost thoughts. On death row, he believed that prison guards were torturing him with an ultrasound machine.

Corcoran was a volunteer for execution who waived his appeals. In 1979, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall called the volunteer process nothing less than state-administered suicide. Of the 1,607 state killings in the US since the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty, 166, or 10 percent, have been of so-called volunteers.

Indiana Supreme Court Justice Robert D. Rucker dissented from a decision in 2005 allowing Corcoran to waive his appeals, stating, Corcoran is under the paranoid delusion that prison guards are torturing him with sound waves. As a result, Corcoran wants the State to execute him in order to end the pain. I am not willing to accommodate him. Five doctors who had diagnosed Corcoran with schizophrenia concluded he was incompetent to stand trial or waive his appeals, but the courts allowed it.

Religious groups, victims family members and the original prosecutor in the case all favored halting Corcorans execution.

Corcoran exhausted his federal appeals in 2016. The Indiana Supreme Court declined earlier this month to hold a hearing to decide if his execution should be halted because of his serious mental illness, as did the US Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit on Tuesday. The US Supreme Court denied his request for a stay late Tuesday, exhausting Corcorans legal options. Governor Eric Holcomb, a Republican, refused to commute his sentence.

Indiana has sent 21 prisoners to their deaths since 1990, when the state resumed executions after a brief hiatus was ended by the US Supreme Court in 1976.

Oklahoma

Kevin Ray Underwood was convicted and sentenced to death for the brutal 2006 killing of 10-year-old Jamie Rose Rolin. Underwood, a former grocery store worker, turned 45 on the day he was executed at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. His was the nations 25th and final execution of 2024.

Inside the death chamber, strapped to a gurney, Underwood apologized to his victims family and his own family for all the terrible things I did, adding, The decision to execute me on my birthday and six days before Christmas was a needlessly cruel thing to do to my family, but Im very sorry for what I did and I wish I could take it back.

A three-drug lethal injection protocol of a sedative, a paralytic and a drug to induce cardiac arrest began at 10:04 a.m. local time. His breathing jerked slightly, and his eyes closed several minutes later. A doctor entered the execution chamber at 10:09 a.m. and shook him a few times, declaring him unconscious. He was pronounced dead at 10:14 a.m.

Three members of the Oklahomas Pardon and Parole Board voted unanimously against recommending clemency. Underwoods attorneys had argued that he should be spared the death penalty because of his long history of abuse and serious mental health problems. These included autism, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar and panic disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizotypal personality disorder and deviant sexual paraphilias.

An examination of the actions that resulted in the death of young Jamie Rolin would lead any rational observer to the conclusion that the murder could only have been committed by a pathologically deranged individual. Underwood told the pardon and parole board that he lured Jamie into his home, hit her over the head with a cutting board and then suffocated her. He sexually assaulted her dead body but abandoned plans to cannibalize it.

He told the board, It is true that I have blocked out most memory of that day. When I do think about it, it causes me great pain. I cannot believe that I did  those things. The person that I was in the weeks leading up to that event is not who I am now or was before that.

State prosecutors argued that many people suffer from mental illness, but that does not justify harming children. After the boards vote, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said that he was pleased the board voted to deny clemency for this deeply evil monster and ensured that justice will be delivered for Jamie Rose Bolin.

Underwoods attorneys sought a last-minute stay of execution from the US Supreme Court arguing that their client deserved a hearing before all five members of the Oklahoma board and that his rights had been violated by scheduling the hearing after two members of the board had resigned. The Court rejected the request for a stay.

Oklahoma has carried out 127 executions since 1976, second only to Texas, with 591.
New Year Fund

Since his return to the White House, Donald Trump and his administration of billionaires have been working non-stop to eradicate democratic rights and transform the United States into a police state.

Trumps promise to rule as a dictator on day one is already becoming reality. Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil, a legal permanent resident, has been disappeared for protesting the genocide in Gaza. Trump has threatened that Khalil is only the first of many targets. No one is safe.

This crackdown on democratic rights is part of a broader assault on the jobs, living standards and social rights of workers. Trump, alongside Elon Musk, is purging hundreds of thousands of federal employees, targeting essential social programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, and moving to obliterate public education.

At the same time, Trump makes no secret of his ruthless imperialist agenda, proclaiming his intention to grab the Panama Canal, seize Greenland and annex Canada.

The Democratic Party is not opposing but collaborating with these policies. It is subservient to the same oligarchs and devoted to the defense of capitalism.

The only genuine opposition will come from the independent mobilization of the working class, united internationally in defense of democratic rights and socialism.

In this struggle the World Socialist Web Site is an essential weapon. Your financial support is vital to ensure that the WSWS can continue its uncompromising reporting, in-depth analysis, and the organization of opposition. Make the largest possible contribution today, and consider becoming a monthly supporter.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, meets with diplomatic envoys of Arab countries in China, in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 19, 2024. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

BEIJING, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with diplomatic envoys of Arab countries in China on Thursday in Beijing.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that China has always placed its relations with Arab countries in an important position in its foreign relations, and China-Arab relations have entered the best period in history under the guidance of the leaders of China and Arab countries.

China is ready to work with Arab countries to continue the good momentum of all-round China-Arab cooperation, advance modernization together and jointly build a high-level community of shared future, Wang said.

Noting that the Middle East belongs to the people of the Middle East, Wang said that the international community should respect the legitimate concerns, independent choices and historical and cultural traditions of countries in the region, and support regional countries to live in harmony and achieve long-term peace and stability.

He called for a comprehensive ceasefire and a permanent withdrawal of troops in Gaza as soon as possible, and a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian issue on the basis of the two-State solution.

Lebanon's sovereignty, security and territorial integrity must be preserved, and all parties in Syria should proceed from the long-term interests of the country and people and launch an open and inclusive political settlement process, Wang added.

China will continue to support Arab countries in strengthening their strategic independence and achieving unity and self-reliance, and make efforts for peace and stability in the Middle East, Wang said.

The diplomatic envoys of Arab countries in China said that Arab countries firmly support the one-China principle and speak highly of China's long-term support and assistance.

Hailing the first Arab-China Summit which elevated China-Arab relations to a new level, the diplomatic envoys expressed willingness to work with China to make good preparations for the second summit and push for more outcomes in China-Arab cooperation.

They also extended appreciation for China's fair stance on supporting the just cause of the Palestinian people and its positive contributions to peace and stability in the Middle East. They expressed the hope that China will play a greater role in easing the situation in the Middle East. 
SEOUL, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's joint investigation unit sent its second summons Friday to impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol, according to Yonhap news agency.

The unit, composed of the police, the defense ministry's investigation headquarters and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), called on Yoon to appear for questioning on Dec. 25 over insurrection charge.

The summons were sent by express and electronic mails to the presidential residence and the presidential office.

The CIO attempted to deliver its first summons to the embattled president last week, but it failed as the presidential security service refused to receive it.

The prosecution separately sent its second summons to ask Yoon to appear for questioning on Saturday, but it was actually invalid after the prosecution transferred the case to the CIO earlier this week.

The CIO reportedly planned to consider seeking an arrest warrant against Yoon if Yoon continues to avoid receiving the summons or fails to comply with the summons for no justifiable reasons.

Yoon was named by investigative agencies as a suspect on rebellion charge following his martial law imposition on the night of Dec. 3 that was revoked by the National Assembly hours later.

The impeachment motion against Yoon was passed by the National Assembly on Dec. 14 and delivered to the constitutional court to deliberate it for up to 180 days, during which Yoon's presidential power is suspended. 
by Xinhua writers Yao Yuan and Huang Xinxin

BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Will science fiction writers seek a helping hand from artificial intelligence (AI), which is already assisting, if not replacing, humans in many forms of writing?

For acclaimed sci-fi writer Liu Cixin, author of "The Three-Body Problem," the answer is: not now, but not sure in the future.

"At least for now, I don't intend to include AI creation in my works," Liu said Thursday via video at a sci-fi forum in Beijing. "But given its current speed of growth, AI may have a strong writing ability in five to ten years. By then, I wouldn't be so sure not to accept AI's help."

The Hugo Award winner said the fast development of AI technologies may make sci-fi writers like him "the last generation of sci-fi writers whose writing is undoubtedly done by humans."

"Of course, many future writers will stick to human writing, but that would need proving, and that proving could be difficult," he said.

Meanwhile, 61-year-old Liu said he is trying his best to write, even though writing has been slow and difficult.

"I will try my best to depict humans' relations with the universe, our future in the universe, and the many possibilities we may face in the future," he said.

Liu is most known for his sci-fi trilogy "The Three-Body Problem," which has been translated into more than 30 languages and adapted into animation, television and radio dramas. Its film adaptation will be helmed by acclaimed Chinese director Zhang Yimou.

Machine writing is controversial for sci-fi writers. Award-winning sci-fi writer Ted Chiang reportedly said large language models are not creating interesting art, as they are programmed to take an average of or emulate the choices that other writers have already made.

Ji Shaoting, the forum's organizer, said sci-fi writers have a mixed feeling toward the advent of AI writing. "Some are boycotting AI writing, while some are cooperating with AI, using it to fill in contents."

"So far, what AI produces is boring, as it mostly does semantic rearrangement of existing texts and lacks overall thinking. It is no match to human writers when it comes to creating new ideas," said Ji, a member of the science fiction committee of the China Writers Association. 
Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle began dating in 2018 and became a GOP power couple.

Page Six reported their breakup in December after Trump Jr. was seen with a Florida socialite.

Donald Trump chose Guilfoyle to serve as ambassador to Greece in his administration.

Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle have reportedly broken up after six years of dating.

Trump Jr., President-elect Donald Trump's oldest son, and Guilfoyle, a Trump campaign advisor and former Fox News host, began dating in 2018. Guilfoyle confirmed their engagement in 2022.

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Once called "the prom king and queen of MAGA land," the pair bolstered Donald Trump's 2024 presidential run with primetime addresses at the Republican National Convention and appeared at rallies across the US in support of Trump's campaign.

In December, Trump Jr. was photographed holding hands with Palm Beach socialite Bettina Anderson. He stopped short of confirming that his relationship with Guilfoyle had ended, but said in a statement to Page Six that "Kimberly and I will never stop caring for each other and will always keep a special bond."

Guilfoyle will remain in the Trump orbit as the president-elect's pick for ambassador to Greece.

Trump Jr., Guilfoyle, and Anderson did not respond to Business Insider's requests for comment.

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Here's a timeline of Trump Jr. and Guilfoyle's relationship.

November 2007: Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle ran in the same circles before they started dating.

Donald Trump Jr. and Vanessa Trump (left) with Kimberly Guilfoyle (second from right) at an event in New York City. NEIL RASMUS/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

Guilfoyle and Trump Jr. were photographed together at events in New York City in 2007 and 2008. At the time, they were in other relationships.

Guilfoyle was married to Democratic politician Gavin Newsom from 2001 to 2006, and she was first lady of San Francisco during his time as mayor. After they divorced, she married businessman Eric Villency in 2006 and had a son in 2007. The couple divorced in 2009.

Trump Jr. married model Vanessa Haydon in 2005. They divorced in March 2018 and share five children.

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June 2008: They posed for another photo with their then-spouses at an event in New York City.

Donald Trump Jr. (second from left), Vanessa Trump (middle), Eric Villency (third from left), and Kimberly Guilfoyle (right). Johnny Nunez/WireImage/Getty Images

The Washington Post reported that Guilfoyle and Trump Jr. became friends when her son, Ronan, went to the same private school in Manhattan as his oldest daughter, Kai.

May 2018: Three months after Trump Jr.'s wife Vanessa filed for divorce, Page Six reported that he and Guilfoyle were dating.

Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle. Steven Ferdman/Getty Images, Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for Taoray Wang

Guilfoyle started as a legal analyst at CNN and eventually became a co-host on the Fox News show "The Five." She left Fox News in 2018 amid reports of sexual harassment, for which the network paid her former assistant a multimillion-dollar settlement, and joined the pro-Trump super PAC America First Action.

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Guilfoyle had been connected to the Trump family for years and was in talks to become the White House press secretary, USA Today reported.

Trump Jr. and Guilfoyle began dating in April 2018. That May, Page Six reported that they made their debut as a couple at a send-off party for the Trump administration's ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell.

June 2018: They made their relationship Instagram official.

Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle at a rally. Bob Levey/Getty Images for Left/Right TV

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Trump Jr. posted their first Instagram photo together with Bret Michaels of the band Poison. Guilfoyle also shared the image on her profile.

June 2018: Guilfoyle accompanied Trump Jr. to the Montana Republican Convention.

Kimberly Guilfoyle in Montana. Win McNamee/Getty Images

Trump Jr. thanked Guilfoyle in his convention speech as his "significant other," Vanity Fair reported.

"We're going to take her fishing tomorrow, then shooting," he said. "This is a miniature test to see if she really likes it, or if she's going to pretend to like it, but either way we're going to have a good time  or at least I will."

August 2018: Page Six reported that they had nicknamed each other "Pooh Bear" and "Junior Mint."

Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle at a film premiere. Shannon Finney/Getty Images

Guilfoyle and Trump Jr. were overheard calling each other pet names during a weekend in Southampton, New York, Page Six reported. Guilfoyle reportedly called Trump Jr. "Junior Mint," which Page Six speculated was a reference to his bank account, and Trump Jr. dubbed Guilfoyle "Pooh Bear."

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September 2018: They returned to Montana to campaign for Matt Rosendale, the Republican challenger of incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Tester.

Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle at a campaign rally for Montana Senate candidate Matt Rosendale. William Campbell-Corbis via Getty Images

Rosendale lost the 2018 midterm election, and Tester was reelected to a third term in the US Senate.

November 2018: Trump Jr. and Guilfoyle walked arm-in-arm at the National Christmas Tree lighting on the National Mall in Washington, DC.

Donald Trump, Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle at lighting of the National Christmas Tree. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

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The tree lighting featured performances from Abby Anderson, "The Voice" contestant Spensha Baker, and "American Idol" contestant Gabby Barrett, according to the event's official website.

February 2019: They attended New York Fashion Week together.

Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle at New York Fashion Week. Theo Wargo/Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows

Trump Jr. and Guilfoyle sat in the front row at a Zang Toi runway show.

May 2019: After joining the Trump campaign as a senior advisor in April, Guilfoyle made several appearances at rallies.

Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle at a Trump rally. Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call

Guilfoyle spoke at a rally at the Williamsport Regional Airport in Montoursville, Pennsylvania, in May 2019, and Trump's 2020 campaign kick-off rally in Orlando that June. She and Trump Jr. were side-by-side at the events.

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"She's definitely made Don Jr. more serious," R. Couri Hay, a New York publicist, told Business Insider as part of a profile on Guilfoyle. "She's had years and years on TV. She's helped guide and train and been very influential in Don's increasingly very secure, very formidable, very opinionated television personality."

"They are like the prom king and queen of MAGA land," a senior Trump advisor told Business Insider.

October 2019: Trump Jr. and Guilfoyle embraced onstage while speaking at the University of Florida.

Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle at the University of Florida. Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Trump Jr. and Guilfoyle were paid $50,000 from student activity fees for their appearance, The Washington Post reported. The event drew hundreds of student protesters outside the auditorium.

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November 2019: Trump Jr. and Guilfoyle were asked about their marriage plans during a joint appearance on "The View."

Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle on "The View." Lou Rocco/ABC via Getty Images

"You and your family have hurt a lot of people and put a lot of people through a lot of pain," co-host Meghan McCain said to Trump Jr., naming Trump's attacks on a family whose son was killed while serving in the US Army in Iraq. "Does all of this make you feel good?"

Trump Jr. replied, "I don't think any of that makes me feel good, but I do think that we got into this because we wanted to do what's right for America."

In an attempt to "end on a light note," co-host Abby Huntsman asked Guilfoyle and Trump Jr. about when they're getting married.

"Oh my God," Guilfoyle said, grinning at Trump Jr. and saying they were more focused on getting Trump reelected.

August 2020: Trump Jr. watched Guilfoyle record her heated speech for the Republican National Convention.

Donald Trump Jr. watched Kimberly Guilfoyle at the Republican National Convention in 2020. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

"President Trump is the leader who will rebuild the promise of America and ensure that every citizen can realize their American dream!" Guilfoyle said in her RNC speech. "Ladies and gentlemen, leaders and fighters for freedom and liberty and the American dream, the best is yet to come!"

August 2020: They kissed onstage at a rally in Coplay, Pennsylvania.

Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle at a Sportsmen for Trump event. Preston Ehrler/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Trump Jr. and Guilfoyle  both avid hunters  marked the launch of a coalition called Sportsmen for Trump.

October 2020: Guilfoyle joined Trump Jr. for a signing of his self-published book, "Liberal Privilege."

Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle at a book signing to promote his book "Liberal Privilege." Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Trump Jr. held the book signing at a Marriott Hotel in Long Island, New York.

December 2020: Guilfoyle appeared in a Facebook Live video on Trump Jr.'s Facebook page wishing followers a merry Christmas.

Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle snap a selfie. Paul Morigi/Getty Images

As they expressed their gratitude to veterans and members of the military, Trump Jr. also joked on the Facebook Live stream that he was "reasonably thankful for Kimberly."

He also called Guilfoyle the "voice of reason" who makes sure that his tweets stay in check.

January 2021: They showed some PDA while campaigning before the Senate runoff in Georgia.

Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle campaign in Dalton, Georgia, in January 2021. Alex Wong/Getty Images

Trump Jr. and Guilfoyle kissed during a Republican National Committee Victory Rally at Dalton Regional Airport in Georgia.

Democratic candidates Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock beat respective Republican challengers David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler in the runoff election.

January 2021: Trump Jr. and Guilfoyle skipped President Joe Biden's inauguration and began looking for homes in Florida.

Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle exit Air Force One. Noam Galai/Getty Images

Trump Jr. and Guilfoyle skipped Biden's inauguration along with most of the Trump family, instead flying to Mar-a-Lago on Air Force One.

Upon arriving in Palm Beach, the couple began looking for waterfront homes in Admirals Cove, a gated community in Jupiter, Florida, The Palm Beach Post reported. They were reportedly in contracts to buy an $11 million seven-bedroom, 12-bathroom home that featured a wine room, theater, chef's kitchen, and guest wings. Guilfoyle herself was also looking at the $9.5 million two-story home next door that had six bedrooms and 11 bathrooms.

February 2021: Guilfoyle introduced Trump Jr.'s address at the Conservative Political Action Conference.

Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle at CPAC. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Trump Jr.'s speech, titled "Reigniting the Spirit of the American Dream," covered cancel culture, Liz Cheney, and "the MAGA movement as the future of the Republican Party."

March 2021: As their search for a Florida property continued, Trump Jr. and Guilfoyle sold their house in the Hamptons for $8 million.

Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle's former home in the Hamptons. Rise Media

The 9,200-square-foot Bridgehampton home sits on nearly 4 acres in a private gated community. It has seven bedrooms plus a heated outdoor pool, spa, and waterfall.

April 2021: The couple purchased a $9.7 million home in the gated Admirals Cove neighborhood of Jupiter, Florida, about 20 minutes from Mar-a-Lago.

Donald Trump Jr and Kimberly Guilfoyle at Mar-a-Lago. NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images

The 11,300-square-foot waterfront estate features six bedrooms and 11 bathrooms, People magazine reported.

January 2022: Guilfoyle posted a photo with Trump Jr. where she appeared to be wearing a diamond ring on her left ring finger, sparking reports that the two had gotten engaged.

A close-up of Kimberly Guilfoyle's engagement ring. Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

"Tonight was extra special celebrating @donaldjtrumpjr's birthday," Guilfoyle captioned the Instagram photo. "Don, you are strong, smart, courageous, funny and the love of my life. I can't wait to spend the rest of our lives together. Love you."

An unnamed source told The Daily Mail in January 2022 that the pair quietly got engaged on New Year's Eve in 2020, but neither Trump Jr. nor Guilfoyle had confirmed their engagement publicly.

"Kim has been wearing her engagement ring and both are very excited about blending their families," a source told People magazine.

February 2022: Guilfoyle confirmed their engagement in an Instagram post calling Trump Jr. her fiance.

Kimberly Guilfoyle and Donald Trump Jr. at CPAC. Octavio Jones/Reuters

"Falling in love with my fiance more and more every day," Guilfoyle wrote in a Valentine's Day Instagram post. "@donaldjtrumpjr, you're my best friend, my support system and my forever guy. Happy Valentine's Day, I love you and can't wait for the adventures that lie ahead."

November 2022: Guilfoyle and Trump Jr. attended Trump's 2024 campaign launch event.

Kimberly Guilfoyle with members of the Trump family. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Eric Trump, Lara Trump, and Jared Kushner were also in attendance, but Ivanka Trump skipped the event, saying in a statement that she was stepping back from politics.

December 2022: In an interview with Metropolitan Palm Beach magazine, Guilfoyle said she is "very traditional" in her relationship with Trump Jr.

Kimberly Guilfoyle and Donald Trump Jr. at CPAC. Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

"I love taking care of Don, the way I saw my mother lovingly take care of my father," Guilfoyle told Metropolitan Palm Beach magazine. "I go out of my way to make sure he has everything he needs  making coffee in the morning, cooking our favorite meals, doing our families' laundry, and caring for our home."

Guilfoyle also said that Trump Jr. loves that she is "traditional yet fiercely independent."

November 2023: Trump Jr. and Guilfoyle hit the campaign trail for Trump, appearing at a rally in Hialeah, Florida.

Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle at a rally in Florida. Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images

"America is Trump country!" Guilfoyle said in her speech.

April 2024: Trump Jr. marked their six-year anniversary on Instagram.

Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle in London. Justin E Palmer/GC Images

"Thanks for always being there no matter what the haters are throwing our way," Trump Jr. wrote on Instagram. "I love you."

The caption was accompanied by photos of Trump Jr. and Guilfoyle engaged in their hobbies of fishing and shooting, as well as a photo of them at the White House.

July 2024: Trump Jr. and Guilfoyle both spoke on the third night of the Republican National Convention.

Kimberly Guilfoyle and Donald Trump Jr. at the Republican National Convention. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Guilfoyle delivered a forceful RNC speech, warning viewers that the country is "closer to World War III than any time in my life."

Trump Jr. was introduced by his daughter, 17-year-old Kai Trump. He praised his father's bravery after the Pennsylvania shooting, calling him "Trump tough."

September 2024: Trump Jr. was spotted with Palm Beach socialite Bettina Anderson, sparking speculation that his relationship with Guilfoyle had ended.

Bettina Anderson. John Parra/Getty Images

In September, the Daily Mail reported that Trump Jr. was seen eating brunch with Bettina Anderson, a model, socialite, and founder and executive director of the wildlife conservation nonprofit Project Paradise. The outlet reported that Anderson was seen kissing Trump Jr. during their meal, raising questions about his relationship status with Guilfoyle.

Anderson did not respond to a request for comment.

November 2024: Trump Jr. and Guilfoyle appeared together at Trump's election night celebration after he won the race.

From left to right: Tiffany Trump, Michael Boulos, Kimberly Guilfoyle, and Donald Trump Jr. JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images

Amid rumors about their relationship, Guilfoyle and Trump Jr. continued to appear publicly together. They joined other Trump family members in celebrating Trump's victory on election night in Palm Beach.

December 2024: The day after Trump Jr. was seen holding hands with Anderson in Palm Beach, Trump announced Guilfoyle as his pick for ambassador to Greece.

Kimberly Guilfoyle at Mar-a-Lago. Carlos Barria/Reuters

Trump Jr. and Anderson were photographed leaving a Palm Beach restaurant while holding hands on Anderson's birthday, the Daily Mail reported. Anderson also tagged Trump Jr. in a photo on her Instagram story of a bouquet of flowers with a card reading, "Many have said you're aging out but I think you're perfect...happy birthday!"

The following day, Donald Trump announced he'd chosen Guilfoyle to serve as ambassador to Greece in his second White House administration.

"For many years, Kimberly has been a close friend and ally," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Her extensive experience and leadership in law, media, and politics along with her sharp intellect make her supremely qualified to represent the United States, and safeguard its interests abroad."

Trump Jr. congratulated Guilfoyle in a post on X.

"I am so proud of Kimberly," he wrote. "She loves America and she always has wanted to serve the country as an Ambassador. She will be an amazing leader for America First."

December 2024: In a statement to Page Six, Trump Jr. did not confirm his breakup with Guilfoyle but said that they "will never stop caring for each other."

Donald Trump Jr. at Mar-a-Lago. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Trump Jr. told Page Six that he and Guilfoyle "will always keep a special bond" and that he "could not be more proud of her and the important role she'll continue to play in my father's administration."

"She's been an undefeated prosecutor, national TV news star, a leader of the MAGA movement and close advisor to the president," he added. "The people of Greece are getting an absolute star and now the whole world will see it more than ever."

Guilfoyle did not share a statement with Page Six and did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Kenwood's Taste of Belgium is among the seven to close since May.

Taste of Belgium is shuttering another location after closing five Greater Cincinnati locations earlier this year.

The local restaurant group announced Thursday that it will permanently close its Austin Landing bistro, at 10267 Penny Lane in Miamisburg. The last day of operation is Sunday.

"Closing our Austin Landing location was an incredibly difficult decision, but one we needed to make to ensure the survival of our business as a whole. While we originally chose this site for its promise as a vibrant community hub, shifting dynamics have made it challenging to meet our goals. Despite our efforts, we were unable to generate the momentum needed to thrive in this location," founder Jean-Francois Flechet said in a press release.

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The Austin Landing restaurant, which opened in July, was the second Taste of Belgium bistro to open in the Dayton area following the Beavercreek location.

The group said it has decided to close the new restaurant due to "empty tables, rising food and labor costs and other difficulties (that) continue to affect restaurants nationwide," per a press release.

The restaurant group adds that it is "actively working" to relocate as many employees as possible from the Austin Landing bistro to the Beavercreek location. However, those who are not able to secure new positions at the Beavercreek bistro will receive "Visa gift cards commensurate with their average weekly hours worked."

We are truly grateful for those who visited and supported us at Austin Landing. ... We appreciate the dedication of our Taste of Belgium team members. We realize we are in the midst of the holidays, and we are doing everything we can for them, Flechet said.

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Taste of Belgium abruptly shuttered its Kenwood, Clifton Heights and Liberty Township restaurants in May, citing underperforming sales. The local restaurant group closed its Crestview Hills and Fields Ertel bistros in September because the locations did not meet sales expectations.

The company originally said it planned to reopen the Clifton Heights location as a new student-focused concept during the fall 2024 semester. However, Cresta Lewis, marketing communications manager for Cristofoli Keeling Inc., which represents Taste of Belgium, said that the bistro remains closed with no plans of reopening.

Taste of Belgium's bistros in Over-the-Rhine, The Banks, Rookwood, Beavercreek and Findlay Market remain open, per the group's website.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Taste of Belgium closes 6th location of 2024 months after opening it
It's not a very safe world. That becomes obvious when you visit the U.S. State Department website and see how many countries are subject to some form of travel warning.

All warnings, however, are not created equal. The lightest two travel advisories the State Department issues, Level 1: Exercise Normal Caution and Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution, amount to the government telling you to be careful.

Related: Forget Nassau, US adds serious warnings for 2 Caribbean cruise ports

For Level 1 and Level 2 travel advisories, it often makes sense to read the specific warning the department issued. Sometimes it includes areas not to visit or suggestions for how to be cautious in that area.

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Cruise lines generally ignore Level 1 and Level 2 warnings because many parts of the world are under them. In some cases the captain might offer advice on where not to go or things not to do in certain ports, but generally little heed to these warnings is paid.

"Level 3: Reconsider Travel" and "Level 4: Do Not Travel" are much more serious, but even when those are issued, cruise lines do not always follow them. Usually, that's for special circumstances where a cruise port is far from the area where the warning has been issued.

That's why Royal Caribbean still visits its Labadee, Haiti, private destination, despite a Level 4 warning for the entire country; and why both Royal and Carnival still stop in Roatan, Honduras, despite it being under a Level 3 advisory.

Be the first to see the best deals on cruises, special sailings, and more. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter.

Royal Caribbean no longer sails to Manzanillo.Image source: Royal Caribbean

One Mexican port is under a 'Do Not Travel' advisory

Royal Caribbean has stopped sailing to Manzanillo, a section of Mexico in Colima State that's under a U.S. State Dept. Level 4: Do Not Travel advisory.

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The cruise line still lists the port on its website and describes it as follows:

"Manzanillo might not be the first place on Mexico's Pacific Coast you think to visit, but its golden beaches, lively fishing harbor and emerald rainforest will leave memories that will last a lifetime.

"Frolic on Playa Miramar as seagulls dive into the waves in front of you to catch their lunch, or learn from a local expert how to fish for striped marlin, sailfish or tuna in the depths of the Pacific."

Princess Cruises, a Carnival-owned company, still has ships set for call on Manzanillo in January and February.

Related: U.S. government raises warnings for two popular vacation destinations

The State Department warning urges not to travel to the area "due to crime and kidnapping."

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"Violent crime and gang activity are widespread," the agency posted. "Most homicides are targeted assassinations against members of criminal organizations. Shooting incidents between criminal groups have injured or killed bystanders. U.S. citizens and LPRs have been victims of kidnapping."

The warning, however, did offer a bit of an exception for the actual cruise port area.

"US government employee travel is limited to the tourist and port areas of Manzanillo," it added. "US government employees may not travel to other areas of Colima state.

Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter to save money on your next (or your first) cruise.

Puerto Chiapas under Level 3 warning

Norwegian, Holland America and Princess cruises generally sail to Puerto Chiapas, but only Princess currently has cruises scheduled to stop there.

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All the Princess cruises set to stop in the port, which is under a Level 3: Reconsider Travel warning, are longer cruises where the cruise line simply hasn't yet canceled the port call.

"The southernmost port on Mexicos Pacific coast, Puerto Chiapas is named for the state in which it is located," Holland America Line's website describes. "It is relatively new, built in 1975, and is the primary hub from which the regions agricultural goods, including coffee, are sent abroad.

"For travelers arriving by cruise ship, the town of Puerto Chiapas is a jumping-off point to explore surrounding areas, including Tapachula, the second-largest city in the state of Chiapas."

ALSO READ: Top travel agents share how to get the best price on your cruise

The U.S. State Department has urged Americans to reconsider travel to Chiapas state, which includes the Port of Chiapas. "Reconsider travel due to crime. Criminal activity and violence may occur throughout the state," the federal agency shared.

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When visiting any cruise port, it's important to understand whether it's under a U.S. State Department travel advisory and to carefully read that advisory.

Are you taking a cruise or thinking about taking one? Visit our Come Cruise With Me website to have all your questions answered.
COLOMBO, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's Western Province accounted for the largest share (43.7 percent) of the country's nominal gross domestic product (GDP) in 2023, a marginal decline compared to 2022, the country's central bank announced in a statement on Friday.

The North Western (10.9 percent) and Central (10.3 percent) provinces followed as the second and third largest contributors respectively, according to the central bank.

The Western Province, the country's most populous province, maintained its dominance in industrial activities, contributing nearly half (48.7 percent) of the total industry value in 2023, the central bank stated.

It also claimed the largest share of services activities, accounting for 45.9 percent, according to the central bank.

Meanwhile, the North Western Province led in agricultural activities, contributing 19.6 percent of the total agricultural output in 2023.

In comparison, the Western Province contributed 43.9 percent of the country's nominal GDP in 2022, the central bank noted. 
Want to have an owl nest in your backyard? It's time to start to thinking about building a nesting box for your backyard.

Surprisingly, winter is the best time to put up an owl nesting box. You could put one up anytime of the year, but owls look for winter roosting sites and they nest earlier in the year than most species. Some nest as early as February, though most nest in March.

In Rhode Island, there are eight species of owls that call Rhode Island home or visit during migrations, according to the Rhode Island Audubon Society. They are the snowy owl, great horned Owl, Eastern screech owl, Northern saw-whet owl, barred owl, barn owl, long-eared owl, and short-eared Owl.

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If you've got a large tree in your backyard, it could be perfect for an owl nesting box.

Here's what you need to know about putting up an owl nesting box:

What owls benefit from nesting boxes?

A nesting box isn't right for every owl.

According to the nonprofit the Owl Research Center, some large owls such as the Great Horned Owl may be too big to enjoy the box, instead opting for open nests.

But small and medium sized owls, such as the screech owl and the barn owl, are literally better fits for nesting boxes. Rhode Island even has a volunteer-run nesting box program for barn owls.

A barn owl inside a nesting box. These boxes can be important to help owls keep their young safe and survive harsh winter weather conditions.

Why are owl boxes important?

Natural cavities in trees are in high demand, ornithologist Allisyn-Marie Gillet told the USA Today Network in 2023. Not only do owls use these spaces, but so do other animals such as squirrels and raccoons  which means they face competition for space to roost but also to lay their eggs.

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Owls and other raptors are important parts of the ecosystem, Gillet said. Properly built and installed next boxes provide owls with a safe place to raise their young and keeps other mammals from causing harm. These boxes also are used as a winter roost to help owls survive harsh weather conditions.

The boxes need to be made according to the cavity requirements of the species  "Not all cavities in trees are created equal," Gillet said. Boxes for Eastern screech owls need to be much smaller than the barred owl, for example.

To find more specific details, here are the instructions for the barn owl, barred owl and Eastern screech owl nesting boxes.

An Eastern screech owl's markings help it blend in with its surroundings in winter.

Where do you put them?

Perhaps unsurprisingly, where these boxes are placed  whether in the center of a wood lot or along the edge, for example  varies by the species of owl.

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For the Eastern screech owl, the boxes should be placed on a live tree or a pole anywhere between 10 to 30 feet above the ground. It's recommended the box be placed under a tree limb at the woodland edge with adjacent fields or wetlands. This could be in your yard if you have a nearby park or open area.

The boxes for the barred owl, however, need be only 12 to 15 feet above the ground, also attached to a live tree or a post. These bird prefers to have the boxes more within a wooded area, but located within 200 feet of water, if possible.

Barn owls, as the name suggests, often prefer open habitats like agricultural fields, which is why their boxes are often located on the sides of barns. It's recommended these boxes are placed between 10 to 25 feet above the ground. The nest boxes can be placed in a variety of structures, including barns, silos, granaries, grain elevators, and church steeples, or mounted on a free-standing pole.

How do you attract an owl to your yard?

You've put up the owl box, but how do you get an owl to use it. Here are a couple of tips from the Owl Research Center.

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Keep a brush pile: A brush pile with materials such as grass trimmings, sticks, old leaves, and other natural matter is perfect habitat for small rodents such as mice, voles, gophers, ground squirrels, chipmunks. These little guys are the perfect food source for owls so if they're running around your yard, you are more likely to have owls.

Dim the lights: Owls operate in the dark, so if you're leaving porch lights or a set of string lights on all night, that's less than ideal. Keep the lights off and you're more likely to have an owl move in.

Keep large branches on trees: Good perches give owls a reason to stick around. Leaving large branches or even standing dead trees will give them places to hang out.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Want owls in your yard? Here's how to attract them with an owl box
(KTLA)  A violent six-vehicle crash in Ontario has left one person dead and two others hospitalized, authorities confirmed to KTLA.

Officers with the Ontario Police Department responded to reports of the deadly collision at the intersection of Holt Boulevard and Mountain Avenue at around 9:31 a.m., police said.

Details are limited and its unclear exactly how the incident occurred, though surveillance cameras at a nearby business captured a portion of the violent crash, which shows two vehicles colliding, one of which had two wheels off the road.

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Medical personnel rushed one of the victims to a nearby hospital where they succumbed to their injuries and were pronounced deceased.

Surveillance cameras captured a portion of a violent six-car crash in that left one person dead and two injured in Ontario on Dec. 19, 2024. (OR Cars)

Two other victims were also hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

No information on the ages or genders of the victims was provided, nor is it clear which vehicle the deceased motorist was in.

Family desperate to find girl, 13, missing in Los Angeles for nearly a week

Authorities told KTLA that investigators have obtained video of the crash but are not sharing it at this time.

The intersection of Holt Boulevard and Mountain Avenue was closed for several hours while authorities investigated the cause of the crash and crews worked to clear the scene. The area has since reopened to drivers.

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Alcohol and or drugs do not appear to be a factor in the collision, with police saying no arrests were made.

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.
One person was killed when a plane crashed in East Aurora, N.Y., near property owned by Buffalo Bills player Dion Dawkins on Thursday, Nov. 19.

The pilot, who has not been publicly identified, was the only person onboard, according to an East Aurora Police press conference.

At 11:16 a.m. local time, Buffalo Niagara International Airport issued an alert that a single-engine plane had mechanical issues, officials said during the press conference. The plane's flight originated in Lansing, Mich., and was en route to White Plains, N.Y., but landed 353 miles northwest of the destination, in East Aurora  which is 20 miles southeast of Buffalo.

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The pilot called an emergency line, and the local air traffic controller tower directed him to the closest airport, which would have been Buffalo Niagara International Airport. The airport chief, William Major, confirmed the team was standing by for his arrival.

At 11:22 a.m., the East Road fire control dispatch center received a 911 call about a small plane crash in a small wooded area near a number of residences  one of which is owned by Dawkins, authorities confirmed. At 11:29 a.m., the fire chief arrived on site. Both the East Road Fire Department and Jamison Road Fire Department responded and worked to put out the fire, which took around 30 minutes.

Related: 'Several' Dead After Small Plane Crashes Into Florida Mobile Home Park

After the team's practice on Thursday, Dawkins said that his prayers were with the family of the pilot.

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"I just hope that the pilot's family is OK. I hope that they're doing all right, because somebody lost their life today," he said. "And I'm glad that my family is perfectly fine. The alarm systems, the security guards that are there and all other people that are involved that help keep us safe."

Dawkins, who was preparing for practice when he found out about the crash, went on to clarify that he does not live at the property, but that his partner was around to check the mail, according to ESPN.

Jordon Kelly/Icon Sportswire via Getty Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Dion Dawkins on December 8, 2024, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA. Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Dion Dawkins on December 8, 2024, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA.

One neighbor told WKBW she was in her kitchen when she saw a big cloud of black smoke.

I went down there and I saw smoke. I figured something was on fire, but I wasn't expecting a plane crash, she added.

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Related: Flight School Owner, Instructor and Student Pilot Killed in Massachusetts Small Plane Crash

Our people, our detectives, our officers, are on the ground, working with other agencies, assistants, and we're interviewing the neighborhood, the callers, anybody that might have seen something, East Aurora Police Chief Patrick Welch said in the press conference.

The FAA and NTSB will investigate. The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will provide further updates, the FAA confirmed to PEOPLE.

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.

Representatives for the Buffalo Bills and East Aurora Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLEs request for additional information.



Read the original article on People
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH)  A local 45-year-old man was taken to a hospital early Thursday evening after being shot on Woolsey Street in New Haven, according to police.

Police said they were dispatched to the area of Woolsey Street and Poplar Street around 6:07 p.m.

Modern Apizza selling canned New Haven tap water

On scene, they found the gunshot victim sitting on the front steps of a house. He was transported to Yale-New Haven Hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries, according to police.

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Police said a crime scene was located at a residence nearby. The house was secured and officers obtained a search warrant.

Police ask anyone with information to contact detectives at 203-946-6304 or through the departments anonymous tip line at 866-888-TIPS (8477.)

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.
When people take off for their holiday travels this year, the last thing they will want to deal with will be a delay at the airport. But the delays will likely be coming anyway. Holafly, an eSIM company, looked through airport schedules and flight-tracking data from last December to figure out how extensive those delays might be for some of the busiest airline routes in the country for this December.

Take a look at which routes are expected to see the longest delays.

10. San Francisco, California to New York, New York

San Francisco, California - Photo: Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle (Getty Images)

The route, traveling from San Francisco International Airport to John F. Kennedy International Airport, is expected to see an average delay of 12 minutes.

9. San Francisco, California to Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix, Arizona - Photo: Brandon Bell (Getty Images)

The route, traveling from San Francisco International Airport to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, is expected to see an average delay of 13 minutes.

8. Los Angeles, California to Las Vegas, Nevada

Los Angeles, California - Photo: Etienne Laurent/AFP (Getty Images)

The route, traveling from Los Angeles International Airport to Harry Reid International Airport, is expected to see an average delay of 14 minutes.

7. Phoenix, Arizona to Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas, Nevada - Photo: Mark Thompson (Getty Images)

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The route, traveling from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport to Harry Reid International Airport, is expected to see an average delay of 17 minutes.

6. Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Newark, New Jersey

Newark, New Jersey - Photo: Visions of America/Joseph Sohm/Universal Images Group (Getty Images)

The route, traveling from Fort LauderdaleHollywood International Airport to Newark Liberty International Airport, is expected to see an average delay of 21 minutes.

5. New Orleans, Louisiana to Dallas, Texas

Dallas, Texas - Photo: Kirby Lee (Getty Images)

The route, traveling from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport , is expected to see an average delay of 30 minutes.

4. Las Vegas, Nevada to Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix, Arizona - Photo: Brandon Bell (Getty Images)

The route, traveling from Harry Reid International Airport to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, is expected to see an average delay of 32 minutes.

3. New York, New York to Miami, Florida

Miami, Florida - Photo: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group (Getty Images)

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The route, traveling from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Miami International Airport, is expected to see an average delay of 34 minutes.

2. New York, New York to Orlando, Florida

Orlando, Florida - Photo: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group (Getty Images)

The route, traveling from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Orlando International Airport, is expected to see an average delay of 36 minutes.

1. Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Tampa, Florida

Tampa, Florida - Photo: Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group (Getty Images)

The route, traveling from Fort LauderdaleHollywood International Airport to Tampa International Airport, is expected to see an average delay of 1 hour, 13 minutes.

For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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: Brenda Faye Daniels. Image courtesy Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum.

We want to remember Brenda Faye Daniels, 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.
In 1976, as the city of Rolling Hills Estates considered plans for a new development on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, officials debated how water should drain through a nearby canyon.

The development would cause increased runoff, city officials noted at the time, which would ideally be maintained by the Los Angeles County Flood Control District.

But one other factor was paramount.

"It is recommended that all efforts be made to obtain that [flood control] district's acceptance," the city's resolution from August 1976 said. "However, this should not be done if it requires installation of concrete channels through the canyon bottoms which would defeat the intent of the natural area."

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And so, the drainage plan remained as outlined  failing to meet the flood control district's requirements and leaving drainage to the purview of the development's homeowners' associations, the records said.

Read more: Their neighbors lost everything in a massive landslide. Now they fear for their homes

That decades-old decision is now the linchpin of a lawsuit that claims the city, county and homeowners' associations failed to properly manage runoff in that canyon, a section of which would go on to collapse in July 2023, destroying several homes and damaging others in the Peartree Lane landslide.

The stormwater directed by the county and city drainage facilities into the canyon eroded and down-cut the toe of the slope, causing it to fail in July 2023," a group of affected homeowners alleged in the lawsuit's updated complaint. The city and county deliberately ignored their standard because they preferred the aesthetic beauty of a natural (i.e., unprotected) channel.

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The lawsuit alleges that the drainage decision, made while officials knew that the Palos Verdes Peninsula was landslide-prone, was mishandled and ultimately led to the landslide. The hillside collapse destroyed eight homes and left several others unsafe for inhabitants, just hours after firefighters evacuated families. No one was injured.

City and county officials "knew or should have known that the proposed Park Community and other developments in the watershed area would significantly increase the stormwater flow in the open canyon drainage channel, and that the increased stormwater flow would erode, down-cut, and destabilize the hillside on which plaintiffs homes would be built," says the new complaint, which was filed this month.

The city of Rolling Hills Estates, which concluded that extreme rains from the prior winter caused the landslide, rebutted the lawsuit's claims.

At this point, were not aware of any city infrastructure or city activity that contributed to the landslide," said Ed Richards, an attorney representing the city in the lawsuit. He declined to comment on specifics in the case because the litigation remains ongoing.

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Read more: Residents raised construction concerns decades before Rolling Hills Estates landslide

Lawyers for the county and the homeowners' associations didn't immediately respond to requests for comment, but have denied similar allegations in previous lawsuits.

Earlier this year, another group of residents whose homes were destroyed or damaged in the landslide filed a similar lawsuit, which also remains ongoing. A judge ruled earlier this month that the two cases were related and they could soon be consolidated.

In that other case, the residents alleged that "due to the design and/or maintenance" of the storm water system, it failed and led to the landslide.

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Ken Kasdan and Scott Thomson, attorneys for that group of residents, said they hired experts who conducted on-site assessments, finding that the way water funneled into the canyon "contributed to the slope failure."

Read more: 'Unusually heavy' rains caused Rolling Hills Estates landslide, city report finds

The group has also filed a third lawsuit, alleging the two homeowners' associations in the community, Rolling Hills Park Community Assn. and Rolling Hills Park Villas Assn., failed "to conduct reasonable inspection, repair, preservation, erosion and sliding prevention, and monitoring of the slope which resulted in the damage." That case also remains open.

Before construction on this development began, a city engineer in 1976 wrote to Rolling Hills Estates leaders, noting that it was important "to ascertain if any consequences exist in this area as a result of subsidence similar to that which is being experienced in some of the adjacent beach areas," which the most recent complaint said was in reference to the Portuguese Bend landslide.

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At that point, the Portuguese Bend landslide  a few miles southeast from the proposed development  had been slowly pushing land toward the sea for two decades, triggered in 1956 by nearby construction, and initially destroyed dozens of homes. (That landslide remains an issue in Rancho Palos Verdes, which borders Rolling Hills Estates.)

In spite of the risk of subsidence, [Rolling Hills Estates] insisted on draining stormwater across steep slopes into the open canyon drainage channel," the updated complaint said. "It chose not to build concrete channels."

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HOMEWOOD, Ala. (WIAT)  Two people were arrested in Homewood after a reported vehicle pursuit Thursday.

According to Homewood police, officers attempted to stop a vehicle suspected to be occupied by a suspect with arrest warrants in the 200 block of Jemison Road. The vehicle reportedly refused to stop, causing police to deploy spike strips. Officers were able to arrest the driver and passenger and recovered multiple guns and narcotics.

Former Montgomery Youth Detention Facility employee charged with sex abuse

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Paul Hinkle, 36, of Birmingham, was charged with attempting to elude, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, and second-degree receiving stole property. Rashawn Taylor, 24, of Tuscaloosa, was charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance and second-degree receiving stolen property.

Both were transported to the Homewood City Jail.

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Two people are dead and three others are injured after a train smashed into a city building in Pecos, Texas.

According to a public notice from local officials, on Wednesday, Dec. 18, a train derailed in Pecos after colliding with a tractor-trailer near Oak Street and Dot Stafford Street. The train struck the nearby Chamber of Commerce building, Reeves County officials said in a separate advisory notice.

Pecos City Manager Charles Lino confirmed during a press conference on Thursday, Dec. 19, that two people are dead after the incident.

Related: 1 Dead After Small Plane Crashes Near Property Owned by Buffalo Bills Player Dion Dawkins

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They were later identified as employees of the transport company Union Pacific Railroad, who were on the train during the collision, per Pecos Police Chief Lisa Tarango.

"Our condolences and sincere heartfelt sympathy goes out to the families as well as the Union Pacific Railroad family as well, as these were veteran employees in that agency," Tarango said.

She added that their names would not be released out of respect for their families and pending notification of next of kin. Three people who were injured sustained "minor injuries" and have since been released from the hospital, Tarango said.

Reeves County Texas/Facebook Aftermath of the train derailment in Pecos, Texas Aftermath of the train derailment in Pecos, Texas

Related: 2 Men Found Dead After They Failed to Return Home in Separate Colorado Hiking Incidents

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Ronald Lee, emergency services chief for Reeves County, said that some of those injured were in the Chamber of Commerce building during the collision.

"There was significant enough damage that we have advised all involved not to have anyone enter that building until they have an engineer come in and clear that building," Lee said of the damage to the building.



He confirmed that the train had containers with hazardous materials, including lithium-ion batteries and airbags for vehicles, but none were compromised during the collision.

Reeves County Texas/Facebook Aftermath of the train derailment in Pecos, Texas Aftermath of the train derailment in Pecos, Texas

The National Transportation Safety Board confirmed on X that it sent out six investigators to the scene as cleanup and an investigation into the cause of the collision continues.

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In a statement to NewsWest 9, Union Pacific Railroad said it is "saddened by the loss of two Union Pacific family members in Pecos, Texas, and extend our deepest sympathies to their families and the employees who worked alongside them."

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"We are investigating as we cooperate with local first responders," their statement added.

PEOPLE has reached out to Union Pacific Railroad for comment.

Read the original article on People
Two drug dealers accused of providing fentanyl that killed teenagers in the Fort Worth area were sentenced this week in separate cases, authorities said.

One case was in federal court and the other in Tarrant County court.

Ladraelyn Bolar, 34, sold fentanyl to an 18-year-old woman who died of an overdose, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Texas said in a news release. He was sentenced on Tuesday, Dec. 17, to 17 years in federal prison.

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Bolar was charged via criminal complaint in April, and he pleaded guilty in July to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.

Bolar admitted he conspired with others to distribute fentanyl, according to court documents. He admitted he sold blue M-30 pills that contained the deadly drug to an undercover ATF agent on March 25.

A confidential informant introduced the agent to Bolar and accompanied him to a parking lot in Fort Worth, where Bolar sold the agent 100 pills for $250, authorities said. Later in the day, Bolar offered the undercover agent a k-pack of 1,000 fentanyl pills, and the agent then bought 900 more pills for $1,400.

Just five days before those sales, a friend of the woman who died told Fort Worth police officers that she and the victim had bought the pills from Bolar.

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Fort Worth police and the ATFs Dallas Field Division conducted the investigation.

In the other case, 24-year-old Ariel Vargas was found guilty of possession with intent to deliver fentanyl and was sentenced to 25 years in prison, according to the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorneys Office.

Saginaw police found fentanyl, meth, cocaine, marijuana and THC products at Vargas home while attempting to arrest him on a felony warrant in May 2022, the district attorneys office said.

Jurors at Vargas trial also heard evidence about the warrant for delivering fentanyl to 19-year-old Valerie Vineyard, which contributed to her death in May 2021, the DAs office said in a statement Thursday.

Valerie Vineyard, 19, died in May 2021 in Saginaw after taking a fentanyl-laced pill.

Vineyards mother, Andrea McCutcheon, told the Star-Telegram in a 2023 interview that her daughter took what she thought was a Percocet pill.

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McCutcheon said she had gone back and forth on what sentence she thought Vargas should receive.

Im not one of those people that are just like let him go and do 50 years because to me, he lives with that every day, she said. But I do think he needs to have some type of punishment... . How many years is somebodys life worth?

This article includes information from the Star-Telegrams archives.
MANILA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine Board of Investments (BOI) said it has approved 1.62 trillion pesos (roughly 27.4 billion U.S. dollars) worth of investments as of Tuesday, the highest level of investment approvals in the BOI's 57-year history.

This year's approvals reflected a 28-percent growth compared to that in the same period of 2023, the BOI, the lead investment promotion agency of the Department of Trade and Industry, said on Thursday in a statement.

The agency said the energy sector, specifically renewable energy projects, led the surge in approvals, totaling 1.38 trillion pesos (about 23.37 billion dollars), a 40 percent year-on-year increase.

Other leading sectors included air and water transport, real estate activities (mass housing), and manufacturing, it added.

Foreign investments constituted a substantial portion of the approved projects, amounting to 383.31 billion pesos (about 6.5 billion dollars), the BOI said.

Switzerland, followed by the Netherlands and Japan, led the foreign investors, contributing 289.06 billion pesos (4.89 billion dollars) in the approved investments.

The agency said local investments have seen a 150 percent uptick, with Filipino companies contributing 1.23 trillion pesos (about 20.83 billion dollars) worth of investments. 
SIOUX FALLS SD (KELO)  The two teens accused in the shooting death of a Huron woman are headed to prison.

Help for homeless families

Rhianna Caban and Michael Lee, both 15-years-old at the time of the killing, were sentenced to 25 years, though Lees judgment was yet to be signed as of Friday morning.

Nichole Klich, 41, was shot and killed back in May. According to Klichs obituary, Caban was her daughter. Both teens pleaded guilty to one count of 1st degree murder in October.

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On the day of the shooting, law enforcement had requested residents of the Colonial Apartments to evacuate for several hours.

02CRI24-000403_JUDGMENT-OF-CONVICTION-AND-SENTENCEDownload

KELOLAND News spoke with a friend of Klich back in May, who described her as a funny, honest person, and a dedicated parent.

The investigation revealed the coordination and planning by the two juveniles to carry out this heinous murder. The prosecution and its outcome strived to obtain justice and closure for the victims family moving forward, wrote Brookings County States Attorney Dan Nelson in an email announcing the sentencing.

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Convicted sex offender facing new charges

The case had been moved from Beadle County to Brookings County earlier in the year due to a potential conflict of interest for the then newly appointed Beadle County States Attorney.

In June, Nelson confirmed that the two teens, later identified as Caban and Lee, knew each other, but he would not comment on any relationship between the teens and Klich at the time.

KELOLAND has reached out to Nelson seeking additional information following the sentencing announcement.

According to the sentencing document, Caban pleaded guilty to first degree murder, and despite her age, will serve her sentence in the South Dakota Womens Prison in Pierre.

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The States Attorney noted that Lee received the exact same sentence as Caban.

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LONDON (AP)  Two brothers were charged Friday with assaulting police during a scuffle at Manchester Airport in July that led to outrage when video on social media appeared to show an officer stomping on a man's head as he lay on the floor.

The Crown Prosecution Service said that no officers would be charged because it didn't think it could win a conviction.

We have reviewed all the available evidence, including witness statements, video footage, expert reports and other material related to police use of force, to make an independent and objective assessment about whether it is appropriate to present charges for the court to consider," said Frank Ferguson, head of the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division.

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We have concluded no charges should be brought against any officers."

The incident occurred after police had been called because of a conflict between passengers arriving on a Qatar Airways flight at Terminal Two on July 23. Three officers were assaulted, with one suffering a broken nose. All three needed hospital treatment.

Four people were arrested at the time and one police officer was suspended from duty.

Brothers Mohammed Amaaz and Muhammed Amaad were charged Friday.

Amaaz, 20, was charged with two counts of causing actual bodily harm, one charge of assaulting an emergency worker and one charge of common assault, prosecutors said. Amaad, 25, was charged with causing actual bodily harm.

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They were ordered to appear in Liverpool Magistrates Court on Jan. 16.

Family lawyers said that the men maintain their innocence and will fight the charges.

The brothers and their mother, Shameem Akhtar, had said they were assaulted by police during the melee.

Attorney Aamer Anwar said the family was shocked no officers will be be charged. They plan to request a victims right of review of the prosecution's decision.

The fracas happened amid rising distrust of police in the U.K. following allegations of excessive force used against ethnic minorities and scandals involving two serving police officers who were arrested for rape and murder.

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After video circulated showing an officer kicking one of the suspects, a group of about 200 people gathered outside the Rochdale police station to protest police violence. The officer was then suspended.

The following day, crowds marched through central Manchester, blocking roads and tram lines.

Additional video later surfaced showing the fast-moving and chaotic scene from a different perspective with men punching officers and one officer firing a stun gun to subdue a suspect.

Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Stephen Watson said that he welcomed the decision not to charge members of his force and said he had lifted the suspension of the officer.

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I welcome todays decisions from the Crown Prosecution Service to charge two men with assaults on our officers and a member of the public at Manchester Airport earlier this year, Watson said. "I also welcome their decision to take no further criminal action against serving officers."

The Independent Office for Police Conduct said it was nearing the end of its investigation into police use of force on six people.
CHILTON COUNTY, Ala. (WIAT)  Two men have been sentenced for the murder of three people after remains were found in a burnt car in Chilton County in 2021.

2 charged with murder after burnt human remains found in Chilton County

Abraham Perez and Noel Esquivel were each charged with three counts of murder and one county of attempted murder in 2022. On Dec. 20, 2024, Perez was sentenced to serve 32 years of his 35-year plea agreement, according to a press release. Esquivel was sentenced to serve 35 years in the Alabama Department of Corrections.

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On July 2, 2021, burned remains of Gabriel Rios Jr., Gilberto Cabrera, and Javier Gonzalez were discovered in an SUV in the woods near Chilton County Road 5014. Once they were identified through DNA samples, Chilton County sheriffs were able to determine the victims has traveled to Alabama from Tennessee. Autopsies established that at least two of the victims suffered from gunshot wounds prior to their bodies being burned.

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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  Two Oregon men were arrested as part of a recent Lincoln County child luring investigation, authorities said.

According to the Lincoln County Sheriffs Office, over the past two weeks, they used decoy social media accounts to investigate online child luring in the area.

During the investigation, officials said that deputies and detectives posed as underage children on multiple social media platforms and were approached by adult men who offered to meet for sex.

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Man arrested, accused of committing June murder in Northwest Portland

On Dec. 12, authorities said they arrested Jose Luis Sanchez-Morales from Springfield on two counts of luring a minor and online sexual corruption in both the first and second degrees.

A week later, on Thursday, authorities arrested Joseph Thomas Cunningham from Depoe Bay on two counts of luring a minor and online sexual corruption in the first and second degrees.

The Lincoln County Sheriffs Office is urging parents to monitor their childrens social media activity and to discuss the potential dangers of talking with strangers online.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
DAVIESS COUNTY, Ky. (WEHT)  Two people have pleaded guilty to abuse of a corpse after remains were found in a storage facility in 2022.

Remains found in Owensboro storage facility connected to missing persons report

Jose Gomez-Alvarez and Chyanne Porter were arrested two years ago after deputies with the Daviess County Sheriffs department were dispatched to a possible missing persons complaint. Police say Jose Gomez-Alvarez and Chyanne Porter were transient and caring for several children, including the missing girl.

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According to a release, the Daviess County Sheriffs Office received information that led them to a storage facility in Owensboro with a storage container rented by Porter. While searching the contents of the container, police say a tote was located with suspected human remains.

Now two years later, both Gomez-Alvarez and Porter have pleaded guilty to all charges. Porter will serve seven years in prison, while Gomez-Alvarez will serve 5 years.

Chyanne Porters charges

Criminal Abuse in the Second Degree

Tampering with Physical Evidence

Abuse of a Corpse

Jose Gomez-Alvarezs charges

Tampering with Physical Evidence

Abuse of a Corpse

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Eyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW).
The current primary date, June 3, overlaps with Shavuot, during which observant Jews cannot write, drive, or use electronics. (Photo by New Jersey Monitor)

A bill to delay the 2025 New Jersey primary election by one week to avoid conflicting with a Jewish holiday is on the governors desk after winning approval from both legislative chambers Thursday.

The measure would reschedule the primary to June 10. The current date, June 3, overlaps with Shavuot, during which observant Jews cannot write, drive, or use electronics.

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The bill won unanimous approval in the Senate and the Assembly. Gov. Phil Murphy is expected to sign it.

We have an obligation to encourage participation and ensure everyone can participate and trust our electoral system. We cannot allow deeply held and legitimate religious beliefs to become a barrier to voting, the governor previously said in a joint statement with Senate President Nicholas Scutari (D-Union) and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin (D-Middlesex).

Under the bill, some deadlines related to the primary would shift to correspond with the new June 10 date, though deadlines for nominating petitions, ballot position drawings, and sending vote-by-mail ballots to voters would still correspond to the original primary election date.

Asked Thursday about towns that close schools on the day of the primary, Scutari said, If theres an issue with it, Im sure well hear about it.

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Next years primary race will include the gubernatorial contest. Six Democrats and eight Republicans have declared their intentions to run to succeed Murphy, who is barred from seeking a third consecutive term.

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BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD)  A $21 million settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit claiming that a concrete median crash barrier on I-12 worsened flooding for homes and businesses during the August 2016 floods.

The lawsuit, filed in January 2017, alleged that the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) and several contractors failed to conduct proper hydrologic testing and modeling before the I-12 widening project. The barrier, located between the Amite River and Colyell Creek, was accused of acting as a flood wall, causing water to back up and exacerbate flooding in East Baton Rouge and Livingston Parishes.

Settlement Details

Funds from the $21 million settlement will be used for drainage improvement projects in the affected areas. The projects aim to retrofit existing barriers with openings or take other measures to reduce the risk of future flooding.

Fairness Hearing Scheduled

A fairness hearing to approve the settlement is set for Feb. 3, 2025, in the 19th Judicial District Court in Baton Rouge. Class members include residents, businesses, and governmental entities impacted by the 2016 floods in areas north of I-12.

Next Steps

Class members cannot opt out of the settlement but may file objections by submitting them in writing 15 days before the fairness hearing. More details, including contact information for legal counsel, can be found on the Bruno & Bruno website or by contacting class counsel directly.

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Federal court filings allege official committed perjury in lawsuit tied to Louisiana grain terminal

Latest News

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A recent graduate of Cornell University sent an eerie email before she mysteriously disappeared in Los Angeles earlier this year.

Jahnay Bryan, 23, hasnt been seen or heard from since Oct. 16the same day her sister says her now-missing sibling reached out to her ex-boyfriend out of the blue and suggested they get hitched.

I think we should get married, and I think we should work in industry, that email said in part, according to her sister.

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No one has been able to make contact with Bryan ever since, her sister Jahque Bryan-Gooden told NewsNation Thursday. The sister said that email came two months after Bryan had sent another blunt email to her ex: Gone for the last few months, back moving to a new city Monday. Bye.

That head-scratching correspondence apparently left Bryans loved ones perplexed, especially since the emails had grammatical errorssomething one wouldnt expect from a recent Ivy League grad. She was reported missing by her sister on Nov. 13, nearly a month after she supposedly sent the second email to her former beau.

A news release shared by the LAPD last month about Jahnay Bryans disappearance. / Los Angeles Police Department

Police in Los Angeles blasted out an ebony alert for the woman on Nov. 19 with details about the block she was last spotted at, but theres been no police update since then. That info was pushed out in a press release that did not specify if Bryan may be a victim of foul play, which loved ones fear is a possibility. The LAPD did not immediately respond to a request for information from the Daily Beast.

On October 16, 2024, around 9 a.m., Jahnay was last seen near the 2000 block of West 8th Street, police wrote. Jahnay has not been seen since and her family is concerned for her wellness.

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Bryan-Gooden said shes frustrated with the lack of updates. She told NewsNation there has been at least nine potential sightings of her sister in Los Angeles, but she did not elaborate on where those reports were coming from.

It is incredibly tiring and frustrating that no matter how much I know, it seems like its incredibly slow to move on getting any proof, Bryan-Gooden said.

Bryan-Gooden said shes confident her sister isnt just going off the grid like Hannah Kobayashianother high-profile missing persons case that gripped the nation this monthwas recently discovered to have done this month.

Instead, Bryan-Gooden says her sisterwho graduated from Cornell in 2023 and who once had her own podcastwas staying with someone in Los Angeles who could put her life in danger. The sister did not specify how she reached that conclusion beyond claiming she received a call that indicated her sister may be in a bad place.

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She had just graduated from Cornell and had all these ambitions, it is incredibly unlike her to just completely go off the grid, Bryan-Gooden told NewsNation.

The worried sister told Dateline previously that getting trafficked or someone kidnapping her was among Bryans biggest fears. She added that the Pennsylvania native had been slowly cutting off family and friends since she moved back to her home state after college graduation to live with their mother, who Bryan-Gooden says hasnt responded to requests for info or help.

Its unclear when Bryan made her way to Los Angeles, but Bryan said earlier this month that her sisters Outlook account showed that she was in the Pacific time zone. Bryan-Gooden said she hopes she can see her natural leader of a sister again soon and tell her she loves her.

Not only was she loved, but she loved a lot of people, soor does love people, Bryan-Gooden said. So, to know thatknow that people that care for her the most, she hasnt been in contact with, its scary. And its not like her, right? Its abnormal behavior.
A rainfrog, an amphibious mouse, and a blob-headed fish are only some of the 27 new species discovered deep Perus Amazon rainforest. During a survey in 2022, a team from Conservation International recorded 2,046 total species living in this lush and heavily forested landscape, many of whom are endangered.

The creatures were all found in the Alto Mayo Landscape which spans the Andes mountains to the Amazon River and includes the Alto Mayo Protected Forest. Instead of being one static environment, the Alto Mayo Landscape is a complex mix of different ecosystems and communities, including Indigenous territories, cities, and towns.

Of the 2,046 total species recorded, at least 34 of them appear to live only in the Alto Mayo. To document so many species, the scientists complemented their traditional survey methods with camera traps, bioacoustics sensors, and environmental DNA (eDNA) collected from the water.

Meet the mammals

Among the 151 mammals the team recorded, four are new to science. These include a spiny mouse, bat, squirrel, and a very rare amphibious mouse with webbed feet. At least 12 of these species are threatened with extinction.

This semi-aquatic (amphibious) mouse (Daptomys sp.) that is new to science. The species belongs to a group of semi-aquatic rodents that is considered among the rarest in the world, and the few species that are known have only been observed a handful of times by scientists, with much still to be learned about their ecology. CREDIT:  Conservation International/photo by Ronald Diaz. Ronald Diaz

Something fishy

Sixty-eight fish species were documented during the 38-day expedition. Eight of them are new to science, including a mysterious blob-headded fish. Scientists are still not sure exactly what the function of the blob is.

A tetra species (Knodus sp.) with colorful fins that is new to science and was discovered on the RAP expedition to Alto Mayo, Peru. Related species are popular in the aquarium trade. CREDIT:  Conservation International/photo by Robinson Olivera. Robinson Olivera

The scaly crew

This tropical region is well-known for fascinating and fearsome reptiles. The team documented 45 reptiles and amphibians. Three amphibians are new to science a rainfrog, a narrow-mouthed frog, and a climbing salamander.

This frog species (Pristimantis sp.), often known as robberfrogs or rainfrogs, is one of three new amphibians discovered on the RAP expedition to Alto Mayo, Peru. With around 600 described species, this genus of frogs is the most diverse (has the most species) among all vertebrates (animals with a backbone) in the world. CREDIT:  Conservation International/photo by Frank Condori. Frank Condori

Winged creatures

The place was also crawling with insects289 to be exact. They found 218 butterfly species and 71 scarab beetles. Of these, 12 are new to science, including 10 butterflies and two beetles.

This clearwing butterfly (Oleria sp.) is one of the 218 species of butterflies observed during the expedition. While most butterfly wings are covered in colorful scales, the transparent parts of the wings help the butterfly to avoid detection by predators in the shadowy understory of the rain forest. CREDIT:  Conservation International/photo by Marlon Dag. Marlon Dag

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A spectacular 536 bird species were spotted. Twenty-six of these birds are threatened with extinction, including the speckle-chested piculet and long-whiskered owlet.

The rufous-crested coquette (Lophornis delattrei) is a stunning hummingbird species that is rare to observe. Many species of hummingbirds were recorded on the RAP expedition, which documented 536 total bird species, of which 26 species are threatened with extinction. CREDIT:  Conservation International/photo by Marlon Dag. Marlon Dag

[ Related: See the strange new species discovered near Chilewith the help of a deep-diving sea robot. ]

Plants and beyond

Among the fauna, the team documented 955 different plant species. Ten of these are threatened with extinction, including some rare orchids and plants that are only found this region. Additionally, 48 species of both plants and animals observed in this expedition may also be new to science. Naming these will require more research.

Drone photo of a river meandering through the Alto Mayo landscape. The diversity of rivers and wetlands in the region contribute to the extraordinary variety of plants and animals found there, and are critical for sustaining local Indigenous communities. CREDIT:  Trond Larsen. Trond Larsen

The human connection

In addition to this incredible wild biodiversity, Alto Mayo Landscape has a relatively high human population density. This has led to some serious environmental pressures, including deforestation and agricultural expansion.

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The data from this expedition will also guide plans to connect the Alto Mayo Protected Forest with the Cordillera Escalera Regional Conservation Area. This will form an ecological corridor that is essential for species persistence. This newly collected will also support a spatial management plan for the Alto Mayo Landscape. The plan is designed to conserve biodiversity, enhance agricultural sustainability, and secure essential ecosystem services that local Indigenous communities depend on.

[ Related: New images of deep sea wonders are surprisingly adorable. ]

Discovering four new mammals in any expedition is surprisingfinding them in a region with significant human populations is extraordinary, Trond Larsen, who leads Conservation Internationals Rapid Assessment Program in the Moore Center for Science, said in a statement. This is a vibrant, dynamic mosaic of ecosystems, both natural and anthropogenic, that we must maintain and restore if we hope to protect the species found there.

Peruvian scientists and local experts with extensive traditional knowledge from Indigenous Regional Federation of the Alto Mayo Awajun Communities (FERIAAM) also were critical to the success of this expedition and will play a role in the actions that will come from it.

This Rapid Assessment allows the Awajun to protect our culture, natural resources and our territory, as we have a deep connection with nature, Yulisa Tuwi, an Awajun woman who assisted with the research on reptiles and amphibians, said in a statement. Being part of this research has allowed me to better understand how plants, animals and ecosystems interact with each other, and how this is part of our Awajun cosmovision.
RICHMOND COUNTY, Ga. (WJBF)  A former Richmond County Sheriffs Office deputy has pled guilty to federal civil rights charges involving an assault on a jail detainee.

ORIGINAL STORY ON WJBF: Six Richmond Co. Deputies off the job, facing charges

According to United States Department of Justice Southern District of Georgias office, Dantavion Jones, 33, pled guilty to an Information charging him with Deprivation of Civil Rights Under Color of Law and is now awaiting sentencing.

Dantavion Jones, 33

According to the plea agreement, Jones was a deputy with the Richmond County Sheriffs Office and, with other personnel, responded to Richmond Countys Charles D. Webster Detention Center on May 7th, 2022, to secure inmates who had caused flooding in a section of the jail, and according to the court documents, a pretrial detainee described as Victim 1 was handcuffed, face-down on the ground, and was not posing a threat to anyone when another deputy shouted that the detainee wanted his handcuffs removed.

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The court documents then states that a jailer attempted unsuccessfully to unlock the handcuffs, and Jones then proceeded to unlock and remove the handcuffs from Victim 1, and then, another deputy repeatedly punched the detainee and placed him in a chokehold, while Jones failed to intervene to stop or attempt to stop the assault.

According to authorities, two other former Sheriffs Office staff members, former Corporal Daniel DAversa, 52, and former jailer Melissa Morello, 27, await sentencing after previously pleading guilty to Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law in the underlying case.

Daniel DAversa, 52, and Melissa Morello, 27

According to the U.S. Attorneys office, the guilty plea subjects Jones to a possible sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison, along with substantial fines and restitution, followed by up to three years of supervised release upon completion of any prison term.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJBF.
BEIJING, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- China-Latin America cooperation is a voluntary choice of both sides as it serves the interest of the two peoples, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Thursday.

Spokesperson Lin Jian made the remarks at a daily press briefing, in response to an article titled "What China Got Right in Latin America" published by the U.S.-based Foreign Policy magazine. The article says that China's offer to build large investments and address long-ignored developmental deficits in Latin America stands in contrast to high-minded rhetoric from the U.S.-led West about ideologies.

"China has all along observed the principles of mutual respect, equality, mutual benefit, openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation in growing friendly ties with Latin America," Lin said. "Between China and Latin America, there is no zero-sum and the-winner-takes-all geopolitical calculations, only sincere mutual support and cooperation for shared progress."

Lin noted that the first ship departing from Peru's Chancay Port and bound for Shanghai entered Shanghai's port on Wednesday, marking the completion of the first ever two-way voyage between Chancay and Shanghai. Besides, in Colombia's capital Bogota, residents' metro dream became true with the completion of Metro Line 1, which was constructed by Chinese companies. Likewise, the Helios wind power cluster in Argentina provides clean energy for 360,000 households. The first modern highway in Jamaica more than halved traffic time between the south and north coasts. Satellite cooperation between China and Bolivia ensured free access to TV programs for half a million households.

"These and many other projects have delivered tangibly to Latin American countries and made lives better for the local population," Lin said.

As the world enters a new period of turbulence and transformation, China stands ready to work with countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) to continue to support each other through solidarity and cooperation and boost the connection and mutual learning between the Chinese dream and the LAC dream, Lin said. 
With 2025 around the corner, a new slate of laws is about to go into effect in Massachusetts.

The state Legislature, which is composed of the Senate and House of Representatives, proposes thousands of new bills each session. While they each move through the legislative process, only some reach the governor's desk and are signed into law.

Many laws go into effect Jan. 1 for a standardized start date each year, while others are implemented in waves.

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In 2025, several major laws will go into effect in Massachusetts, both new and updated. Here's what to know.

Massachusetts State House

Mass. salary transparency laws changing in 2025

One of the most major updates coming to Massachusetts in the New Year has to do with salary and pay transparency.

On July 31, Gov. Maura T. Healey enacted a pay transparency law that requires employers to disclose salary ranges and protects an employees right to ask for salary ranges.

The new law will be implemented throughout 2025.

Beginning Feb. 1, 2025, employers with at least 100 employees will be required to file an annual report with the state that includes workforce demographic and pay data categorized by race, ethnicity, sex and job categories. Unions, state and local governments and school systems must submit the reports every other year.

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Beginning Oct. 29, 2025, employers with at least 25 employees must include a pay range with each new job posting and must disclose the pay range to employees who are offered a promotion or are transferred to a new position.

Mass. Parentage Act to go into effect Jan. 1, 2025

The Massachusetts Parentage Act will update the state's laws to ensure that families are protected under law regardless of the parents' marital status, gender, gender identify or sexual orientation or the circumstances of the child's birth.

The law was signed by Healey in August, but will officially go into effect Jan. 1, 2025.

The new law updates an existing statute to be gender inclusive and to add new provisions including protections for children born through surrogacy or assisted reproduction.

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This updates the state's parentage laws for the first time in 40 years, according to a release from Healey's office.

More information about the law can be found on the GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders' website.

Changes coming to Mass. Paid Family and Medical Leave in 2025

Benefits under the Paid Family and Medical Leave Act, which is an existing law in Massachusetts, will be updated in the new year.

The maximum weekly benefit under PFML will increase to $1,170.64 in 2025. In 2024, the maximum weekly benefit is currently $1,149.90.

The PFML is a program that allows Massachusetts workers to take paid time off for a serious health condition or to care for a family member with a serious health condition. It also applies to time spent bonding with a child after their birth.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: New MA laws for 2025: See 3 new laws you should know
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  A total of 37 undocumented migrants were apprehended on Sunday, Dec. 15, as they were found hidden inside a tractor-trailer during a routine inspection at the Interstate 25 checkpoint near Las Cruces, U.S. Border Patrol said in a news release.

During the inspection, agents reported hearing movement near the rear door of the trailer and observed individuals attempting to crouch behind freight, Border Patrol said.

Border Patrol said further investigation revealed 37 migrants hiding inside the cargo trailer without proper documentation.

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The migrants, who were from various countries including Guatemala, Mexico, Cuba, El Salvador, and Ecuador, were taken into custody and transported to the Central Processing Center for further processing under Title 8 authority, Border Patrol said.

Border Patrol said that during Fiscal Year 2024, El Paso Sector agents disrupted 24 tractor-trailer smuggling events with 387 migrants found.

So far in Fiscal Year 2025, El Paso Sector agents have disrupted four tractor-trailer smuggling operations, resulting in the apprehension of 97 undocumented migrants, Border Patrol said.

The El Paso Sector Border Patrol regularly encounters smuggling tactics used by transnational criminal organizations, including concealing migrants in commercial vehicles, read the news release. Smuggling large groups in tractor-trailers poses extreme dangers due to the lack of proper safety measures. Individuals are often crammed into confined spaces without seat belts, adequate ventilation, or climate control  leading to dangerously high temperatures in the summer and freezing conditions in the winter.

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Smuggling organizations exploit migrants with false promises of safe passage and easy entry, but illegal entry into the United States often involves tactics that not only violate U.S. immigration laws but also endanger lives, El Paso Sector Chief Anthony Scott Good said. We remain focused on enforcing immigration laws, holding smugglers accountable, and applying consequences to those who cross the border illegally or attempt to circumvent the legal immigration process.

Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations El Paso Jason T. Stevens commented on the incident, saying the following:

This is a stark reminder of how ruthless smugglers exploit the desperation of foreign nationals pursuing the American dream, Stevens said. We are committed to working closely with the Border Patrol on this case and focusing on dismantling transnational criminal organizations that prioritize greed over human life. Together, we aim to create a safer environment and protect those in need.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection welcomes assistance from the community.

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Citizens are encouraged to report suspicious activity to the U.S. Border Patrol while remaining anonymous by calling 1-800-635-2509.

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LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KRQE)  Border Patrol found 37 migrants inside a tractor-trailer truck near Las Cruces on Dec. 14.

Officials said the truck entered the I-25 checkpoint, and agents found the migrants inside. This is a stark reminder of how ruthless smugglers exploit the desperation of foreign nationals pursuing the American dream, Jason T. Stevens, acting special agent in charge of HSI El Paso, said in a news release. We are committed to working closely with the Border Patrol on this case and focusing on dismantling transnational criminal organizations that prioritize greed over human life. Together, we aim to create a safer environment and protect those in need.

The migrants were apprehended. No other information was provided.

Migrants found inside truck at Las Cruces Border Patrol checkpoint on Dec. 14, 2024. (Credit: U.S. Border Patrol)

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A government shutdown is looking increasingly likely after an embarrassing number of House GOP rebels bucked Donald Trump Thursday night.

A bill that Trump had demandedwhich included raising the debt limitwent down in flames on the House floor with 38 Republicans joining Democrats to oppose it. Trump killed House Speaker Mike Johnsons initial bipartisan plan, which was expected to easily coast through Congress despite facing backlash from conservatives.

Senior Republicans have told Trump that shutting the government down would be bad for the start of his second term, with it potentially delaying key parts of his agenda, a GOP lawmaker told the Daily Beast.

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Without a spending bill passed by both houses of Congress by midnight Friday, hundreds of thousands of federal workers would be furloughed just days before Christmas. That includes essential workers like air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents who would be forced to work without pay during the slog of the holiday travel season until the government reopens.

A shutdown would almost certainly cause travel delays during one of the busiest seasons of the year, experts sayan ignominious note for Trump to begin his second term on.

Even though Thursdays floor action was a setback for Trump, Johnsons leadership position is simultaneously in jeopardy.

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT)a Capitol insider who nonetheless does not get to vote on Johnsons positionexpressed doubts for his survival.

Lee: I don't think the speaker is going to remain in power.. We need bold new leadership, outside leadership and I think it needs to be a doge speaker. Needs to be either Vivek Ramaswamy or Elon Musk. pic.twitter.com/W7TrN0Ptjq  Acyn (@Acyn) December 20, 2024

Trump applauded Johnson for following his orders and putting his bill to a vote. But GOP lawmakers are frustrated with how the speaker has handled government spending negotiations.

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Multiple lawmakers told the Daily Beast Thursday that the Louisiana Republicans speakership is on shakier ground than it was after Election Day, mainly over his handling of short-term government funding.

People are not happy with him right now, a GOP moderate said. But without an actual replacement I dont see how it could be serious.

Johnson is f---ed, another Republican lawmaker told the Beast.

The Trump-backed bills demise Thursday night followed a raucous floor debate during which Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-NY) broke his gavel trying to quell the fury.

The debate ahead of the new CR vote grew so raucous that Rep. Marc Molinaro broke his gavel trying to quiet the Democrats pic.twitter.com/fK6rzAlf5W  Tim Hanrahan (@TimJHanrahan) December 19, 2024

Trumps soon-to-be DOGE men, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, have been rallying MAGA support for shutting down the government, infuriating GOP moderates. And several centrists said they felt they should have put his initial bipartisan plan on the floor on Wednesday before Trump could take to social media to blow it up.

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Most of us are angered that Musk and Vivek jumped in on the 11th hour, one moderate GOP lawmaker told the Daily Beast. The thought that we demand everything and give Dems nothing is unrealistic and shows a total naivety to how Congress works.

Musk, whose legislative meddling earned him the nickname President Musk from Democrats, blamed the party for Trumps humiliating defeat.

Trump also echoed the sentiment in a statement, noting that nearly all of the partys congresspeople voted against the measure.

Nearly every single House Democrat just voted against government funding and to shut down the government, he wrote. As Vice President-elect JD Vance said, Democrats asked for a shutdown and I think thats exactly what theyre going to get.

A super fair & simple bill was put to a vote and only 2 Democrats in Congress were in favor.



Therefore, responsibility for the shutdown rests squarely on the shoulders of @RepJeffries. https://t.co/TKq65oKLs4  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 20, 2024

Johnson survived Trumps wrathtemporarily, at leastby bowing to the president-elects demand that any funding deal include one of Trumps top policy obsessions: increasing the debt limit, the cap on how much the government can borrow to pay off its debts.

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Trump threw Johnson a surprise curveball by demanding lawmakers increase the U.S. debt ceilingan issue that previously had nothing to do with negotiations to avoid a government shutdown. Different factions within the GOP Party are now fuming at the speaker for not moving faster to get a stopgap funding bill passed.

Another GOP lawmaker who asked not to be named in order to discuss sensitive negotiations said Johnson is alienating members across the partys spectrum, from the hard right to the pragmatic center.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) expressed such dissatisfaction with Johnsonwho she has already unsuccessfully tried to oustthat she floated replacing him with DOGE master Elon Musk.

Would you support @elonmusk for Speaker of the House?



The House controls policy and appropriations (spending) and can cut programs, departments, agencies, as well as make new laws like term limits and pass a balanced budget amendment.



DOGE could become the legislative branch.  Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) December 19, 2024

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Musk had been furiously tweeting his opposition to a bipartisan spending deal, indicating hed rather shut the government down.

Actions matter, sweet talk is irrelevant.



Kill the Bill. https://t.co/JfEY3nUXBI  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 18, 2024

Next steps on a government funding plan remain unclear, and some members fear it is a preview of what the next two years will look like.

Just totally frustrated with the current situation and the realization that this is probably how things will be handled for the next two years, a Republican lawmaker told the Beast.

The Daily Beast Podcast episodes are released every Thursday. Like and download on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app. And click here for email updates as each new episode drops.
OVERTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN)  Two people were shot at a manufacturing plant in Overton County Friday morning and the suspect has died following a standoff on Interstate 40.

A large law enforcement presence of officers and deputiesincluding investigators with the Overton County Sheriffs Department, Livingston Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations and the DAs office responded to a shooting scene at the Hutchinson plant on Airport Road around 6:30 a.m.

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Photo: WKRN Photo: WKRN (Courtesy: Tennessee Department of Transportation)

According to District Attorney General Bryant Dunaway, two people were shot at the plant. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation reported one victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment while the other was taken to a Nashville hospital. At a Friday press conference, officials said the victims are last known to be in stable condition.

 Read todays top stories on wkrn.com

The gunman, later identified as 34-year-old James Cody John, fled the shooting scene and officers pursued the suspects vehicle to Interstate 40 in Roane County where a standoff situation began. The Tennessee Highway Patrol reported troopers found the suspect dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the vehicle. No troopers fired any weapons.

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I-40 was completely closed for hours on Friday in the area near mile marker 342. The interstate has since reopened.

No additional information 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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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD)  As Christmas approaches, some people in West Michigan are settling into their new homes. It is part of 100 in 100, an initiative in Kent County to find permanent housing for 100 unhoused individuals in 100 days.

Christie Beyers had lived in Arkansas for 17 years when her apartment was forced to close. With nowhere to go, she came to Grand Rapids.

I have a friend that lives here and she said, Well, just come up here, you know, Beyers said.

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First two people housed through 100 in 100 Kent County program

Beyers situation led her to find shelter at Degage Ministries for 17 months. She said the experience was helpful, but not having her own place certainly took its toll.

You go through a lot of depression, a lot of depression over that, but you just have to stick to your guns and just keep hoping every day, Beyers said.

Hope arrived for Beyers this October. As part of the 100 in 100 Kent County initiative, a countywide effort to combat homelessness, she now has an apartment in northeast Grand Rapids.

Housing crisis in West Michigan

Beyers gets an opportunity to do things that can easily be taken for granted, like decorating or making home-cooked meals.

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I was like Oh my God, oh my God. I was just so happy, Beyers said.

So far, 42 people without a home have been housed through 100 in 100, and 70 more are in the process.

Its never really been about just housing 100 people in 100 days, said Thelma Ensink, executive director of Degage Ministries. Its been about helping them find purpose again, find meaning again, and find a forward to reach their goals.

Amid housing crisis, some new homes skip the basement

Case managers are also ensuring people arent just obtaining housing, but also sustaining it.

If it is furniture for the apartment, we can help with that. If its getting connected to a health care provider, that can be really important, or a mental health care provider, Ensink said.

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Ensink added that when the 100 in 100 goal is reached, community leaders wont stop there.

Weve learned how to cut through some of the red tape. Weve learned how to invite more landlords to the table. So many of the lessons weve learned, were now going to continue and scale up in the future, Ensink said.

Now that she has housing, Beyers said one of her goals is to visit Florida or California someday.

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DES MOINES, Iowa  Five Des Moines residents have been indicted in connection to a fentanyl bust on Wednesday.

Early Wednesday morning the Des Moines Police Department, along with several other agencies, executed over a dozen search warrants in areas around the metro. The search warrants were served as part of an investigation that began in January into an opioid-related death, the police department said.

2 Des Moines teens charged in drive-by shooting investigation

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As a result of the search warrants a federal grand jury returned an indictment that charged the following individuals:

Devonte Darnell Hassell, 28, is charged with conspiracy to distribute and distribution of fentanyl. Hassell faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a max of life.

Ryan Redmond, 31, is charged with conspiracy to distribute and distribution of fentanyl. Redmond faces a minimum of 5 years and a max of 40 years in prison.

Kevin Stanley Harris, Jr., 42, is charged with conspiracy to distribute and distribution of fentanyl. Due to a past drug felony conviction. Harris faces a minimum of 10 years and a max of life imprisonment.

Adonis Angel Devora, 43, is charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. Devora faces a max of 20 years in prison.

Ricky Jamall Ellis, 30, is charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. Ellis faces a max of 30 years in prison.

Four of the defendants were arrested in Des Moines, while one of the defendants was arrested in Houston, Texas.

According to the United States Attorneys Office Southern District of Iowa, the search warrants resulted in the seizure of roughly 610 grams of a heroin/fentanyl mixture, about 135 grams of methamphetamine, and about 260 grams of marijuana. Nineteen firearms and over $13,000 in U.S. currency were also seized.

Metro News:

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Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

A Russian missile struck a two-story residential building in the city of Kryvyi Rih in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast overnight on Dec. 19, injuring six people, including a child.

A 15-year-old girl and a man have been found and rescued from under the rubble. The windows of a nearby 10-story building were shattered, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Governor Serhii Lysak said in a post on social media. Twenty cars were damaged.

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Four other people were also injured, the head of military administration in Kryvyi Rih, Oleksandr Vilkul, confirmed on Dec. 20. All of the injured are in moderate condition. The girl and two men have been hospitalized.

Kryvyi Rih was previously attacked about a day earlier in a blitz that targeted several cities across Ukraine, killing one and injuring eight.

Air attacks against Ukrainian cities are a regular occurrence, with Russia targeting residential buildings and civilian infrastructure, including critical energy infrastructure.

Ukraine has struggled to maintain its air defenses against the high numbers of drones and missiles Russia launches. President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed to Western allies during meetings with European leaders in Brussels on Dec. 18, requesting an additional 19 air defense systems to protect critical infrastructure.

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Denmark pledged $292 million to bolster Ukraine's air defenses on Dec. 19 as Russian attacks continue.

Read also: Denmark allocates $292 million to bolster Ukraines air defense, minister says

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

Five people have been killed and a further seven injured in a fire at a detention center in the city of Yakutsk, which houses Russian soldiers who deserted their units during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian officials reported.

The fire broke out around 2 a.m. local time on Dec. 20, Sakha Republic military authorities said.

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At least seven people have been hospitalized having suffered smoke inhalation. The identities of those killed is still being established, authorities said.

No information was immediately available as to the cause of the fire, or the extent of the damage caused.

The Kyiv Independent cannot independently verify details surrounding the incident.

Desertion rates during Russia's full-scale invasion remain relatively high amid Russia's mounting casualty rates. Although up-to-date statistics on desertion are not readily available, the Russian independent media outlet Mediazona reported in April 2024 that Russian courts had received over 8,200 cases related to mobilization since the start of the war.

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Yakutsk is located in Russia's far-east, and is located about 450 km south of the arctic circle. Given the region's harsh weather conditions, Yakutsk and its surrounding region served as a key location for housing political prisoners during the rule of Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union.

Read also: Ukraine war latest: Zelensky blasts Putins Oreshnik threats, calling him dumbass

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On September 30, 2024, the Chinese Embassy in Sierra Leone held a reception to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. In the presence of Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Madam Peagie Alghali delivered a speech on behalf of the Sierra Leone government. More than 300 people attended the reception, including Chief Justice Nicholas Browne-Marke, a large number of government ministers, deputy ministers, senior military officers, heads of diplomatic missions in Sierra Leone, Chinese nationals in Sierra Leone as well as friends from all walks of life.

In his speech, Ambassador Wang Qing reviewed the development achievements of the Peoples Republic of China over the past 75 years since its founding. Looking ahead, he said that the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee has drawn a grand blueprint for further deepening reform comprehensively to advance Chinese modernization, opening up more opportunities for China and the world to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and achieve common development. China has always been committed to being a force for peace, stability and progress in the world, actively promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, and contributing Chinese wisdom and Chinese strength to deal with the world's risks and challenges.

Ambassador Wang introduced the main outcomes of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in 2024. He said that China and Sierra Leone have adhered to the principles of sincerity, friendship, equality and mutual support since the establishment of diplomatic relations more than half a century ago. The relationship has been a good example of China-Africa solidarity and cooperation. At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, President Bio visited China twice this year. The two sides reached a series of important consensus on further deepening the China-Sierra Leone Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership. China is willing to strengthen strategic synergy with the Sierra Leone side, and translate the important consensus of the two heads of state and the Ten Partnership Actions into practical cooperation results. We believe that with the joint efforts, China-Sierra Leone cooperation will gain more visible outcomes and better benefit the two peoples.

On behalf of the Government of Sierra Leone, Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh conveyed H.E. President Julius Maada Bio's greetings to H.E. President Xi Jinping and all Chinese people. He said that his presence at the reception, together with a large number of ministers, once again proved that the Sierra Leonean side cherishes the relationship between the two countries immensely. Sierra Leone sincerely thanks China for providing valuable support to Sierra Leonean economic and social development over the years and looks forward to further strengthening cooperation in various fields to better enhance the well-being of the two peoples. Sierra Leone has always adhered to the one-China principle and is willing to increase mutual support with China on multilateral issues and promote the building of a fairer and more reasonable international order.

Acting Foreign Minister Alghali warmly congratulated on the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, spoke highly of China's development achievements and the results of cooperation between the two countries in various fields. Alghali said that Sierra Leone and China enjoy deep friendship and close cooperation. The Sierra Leonean side is willing to work together with the Chinese side to continue to enhance the high level bilateral relations, strengthen the cooperation in the United Nations Security Council and other multilateral institutions, and push forward the Sierra LeoneChina Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership to make continuous progress.

The reception had a warm atmosphere. Ambassador Wang Qing, Vice President Jalloh and Acting Minister Alghali cut a cake to wish the People's Republic of China a thriving future for its 75th anniversary, which was witnessed by the Chief Justice of Sierra Leone and more than ten Ministers. They wished together for the prosperity of the two countries, the happiness of the people and the long-lasting friendship between China and Sierra Leone.

The guests watched the exhibition of the achievements of China-Sierra Leone cooperation, experienced traditional Chinese cultural projects such as tea ceremony, paper fan, knotting, enjoyed the traditional Chinese and Sierra Leonean cultural performances like songs, kungfu. Guests all praised the achievements of China's economic and social development and the fruitful fruits of China-Sierra Leone practical cooperation, and expressed their willingness to continue to make positive contributions to deepening the China-Sierra Leone friendship.

[Videolink]

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV133x9exEj3/?share_source=copy_web&vd_source=52230bc581f8023048b6b6a28e6f886a




Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday hailed the enormous transformation that has taken place in Macao since its return to the motherland in 1999. #XinhuaNews
Even though Elon Musk has never held any sort of political position and didnt support President-elect Donald Trump publicly until July, he was still tapped by to be a part of Trumps Cabinet. Musk was labeled co-chair of a group called the Department of Government Efficiency alongside Vivek Ramaswamy.

However, outlets like The Washington Post and The Hill have dubbed Musk as Trumps Co-President while politicians like Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said he is basically the fourth branch of the government.

Musk, who is the worlds richest man, has made it clear that he is looking out for interests of the rich. He will be instrumental in helping Trump execute his plans once hes officially back in officewhich will undoubtedly harm Black communities.

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From abolishing diversity, equity and inclusion to dismantling the U.S. Justice Departments Civil Rights Division, Black people face a dangerous reality under Trumps second term. Here are five reasons Musk has been labeled Co-Presidentmuch to the detriment of Black America.

1) Elon Musk is wielding his power on X to influence Republicans on legislation

On Wednesday (Dec. 18), Musk used his X account (which boasts over 200 million followers) to encourage House Republicans to stop a spending bill that would have kept the federal government afloat for three months. This bill should not pass, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO stated. He also posted multiple false claims about the bill, stating that the legislation would give members of Congress a 40 percent raise.

However, the maximum possible raise in 2025 would have been 3.8 percent under the legislation. According to the Washington Post, lawmakers were contacted by constituents who said they saw Musks post. Hours later, Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance shared their lack of support for the bill and House Republicans decided not to pass it.

2) He helped Trump select his Cabinet picks

Musk used X to not only express support for some of Trumps Cabinet picks, but he also used it to share some of his own suggestions per Reuters. According to the news outlet, Musk posted or reposted about Trumps cabinet picks more than 70 times between Nov. 7 and Nov. 20. In many instances, he gave attention to Trumps more controversial decisions like Tulsi Gabbard being selected for U.S. intelligence chief and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. leading the top U.S. health agency.

3) Musk has given hundreds of millions of dollars to Republicans

After Trump won the presidential election in November, Musk became Americas largest political donor. He donated $277 million to back Donald Trump as well as other Republicans, per CBS News. Watchdog groups are worried that this has increased Musks access to Trump and will influence the Republican party agenda as Musk is currently the focus of several government investigations.

4) Notable Republican figures are standing behind Musk

According to the Washington Post, Rep. Michael Lawler (R-New York) said that Musk being a part of Trumps Cabinet is fine as long as the transparency of his actions were accurate. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Florida) called Musk a member of the public that has a voice and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) said that she would be open to supporting Musk leading the House.

5) Democrats are warning the public about Musks power and influence

The Democratic Party is up in arms over Musks influence on Republicansand have expressed their outrage on X. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-California) shared an AI-generated image that showed Musk handling Trumps puppet strings. Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla) stated that an unelected billionaire was crowned co-president by the Republican Party. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut) insisted that Trump has a Billionaire First agenda.

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The FDA has finalized new standards that foods must meet before they can be labeled as healthy. Some foods that could previously carry the healthy label  such as white bread and heavily sweetened cereal and yogurt  will no longer qualify.

Heres what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.

1. Government shutdown

Congress is barreling toward a government shutdown after the GOP-led House failed to pass a funding plan backed by President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday, leaving Hill Republicans scrambling to find a path forward. Government funding expires at the end of the day today and a deal seems far from reach. Many Republicans were stunned when Elon Musk  with Trumps go-ahead  helped tank House Speaker Mike Johnson Johnsons short-term government funding deal Wednesday by unleashing a barrage of social media posts calling the deal criminal. Trump also called for the debt ceiling to be lifted or eliminated entirely before he takes office. Nearly all Democrats voted against the new bill and several Republicans were displeased with the contents of it, including the president-elects demand to raise the debt limit.

2. CEO murder suspect

Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, made his first appearance in federal court Thursday. He faces four federal counts in connection with Thompsons death, according to a criminal complaint. Mangione formally waived extradition and was flown from Pennsylvania to New York. He arrived in Lower Manhattan surrounded by dozens of heavily armed law enforcement officers and the citys mayor. The federal complaint also said a notebook in Mangiones possession contained several handwritten pages that express hostility toward the health insurance industry and wealthy executives in particular. He could face the death penalty if found guilty of the federal murder charge against him, prosecutors say.

3. Deportations

President Joe Biden carried out the highest level of deportations since 2014, according to a newly released annual report. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported 271,484 immigrants last fiscal year, and around 32% of those were people with criminal histories, the report reveals. Former President Barack Obama deported around 400,000 in one year, but a large number of those were recent border crossers. President-elect Donald Trump, who has vowed to make mass deportation a cornerstone of his incoming administration, faces a steeper challenge in targeting those already in the country with limited resources and personnel.

4. Amazon strike

Thousands of Amazon drivers went on strike Thursday in four states over concerns about their wages and benefits. Members of the Teamsters union are striking at seven facilities, and even though the Teamsters claim to represent 7,000 Amazon workers nationwide, that accounts for less than 1% of the companys US workforce. Amazon said the strike will not affect holiday deliveries during the busy shipping season. But by walking out the week before Christmas and Hanukkah, the Teamsters hope to apply maximum pressure to Amazon, and perhaps convince some of its customers to shop elsewhere for last-minute gifts.

5. Lays chips recall

Frito-Lay is recalling some 13-ounce bags of Lays Classic Potato Chips because they may contain undeclared milk. The recalled bags have a guaranteed fresh date of February 11, 2025, and were distributed to stores and online distributors in Oregon and Washington, the company said. No health problems related to the recall have been reported. However, someone with an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk could have a dangerous reaction if they eat the recalled chips and should discard them immediately, according to an announcement. No other Lays products are affected.

BREAKFAST BROWSE

Starbucks workers union to strike today in LA, Chicago and Seattle

Thousands of Starbucks baristas are set to go on strike today in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle, according to the union representing more than 10,000 workers. Unless an agreement is reached quickly, the union said the walkouts could reach hundreds of stores from coast to coast by Christmas Eve.

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Scientists think they know why Stonehenge was rebuilt thousands of years ago

New research has shed light on how Stonehenge may have served to unify Britains early farmers as newcomers from Europe began to arrive thousands of years ago.

Apple urged to remove new AI feature after falsely summarizing news

The press freedom group Reporters Without Borders is urging Apple to remove its newly introduced artificial intelligence feature that summarizes news stories after it produced a false headline from the BBC.

Superman trailer previews new DC Studios era

DC Studios debuted the first trailer for its feature film Superman, which will be released in the US next summer.

The tiny island that sits between Europe and Asia

The 2,500-year-old Maidens Tower in Istanbul is an icon of the city and has recently reopened after a major two-year restoration.

QUIZ TIME

Which objects have been spotted in the sky across the Northeast, prompting an FBI investigation?

A. Satellites

B. Meteors

C. Drones

D. Balloons

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Take me to the quiz

Last week, 39% of readers who took the quiz got eight or more questions right. How will you fare?

TODAYS NUMBER

10

Thats how many years it has been since Malaysia Airlines flight 370 disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in one of the worlds greatest aviation mysteries. The Boeing 777 aircraft was carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew. Earlier today, Malaysias transport minister said authorities will resume their search for the plane to hopefully uncover new evidence and provide closure to the families affected.

TODAYS QUOTE

Anytime Im linked with some of the greats to ever play this game  is pretty cool and very humbling.

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 Los Angeles Lakers superstar Lebron James, after becoming the NBAs all-time leader in regular season minutes played on Thursday, breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbars 35-year-old record.

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AND FINALLY 

This calligraphy ink has been made by foot for almost 450 years

In Nara, Japan, craftspeople have been making calligraphy ink using their feet for centuries. CNN visits one of Japans oldest ink makers to learn more.

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President-elect Trump has thrown a wrench into government funding negotiations with his call to eliminate the debt ceiling just days before a potential shutdown.

Republican lawmakers are already deeply divided over the path ahead for a spending bill after Elon Musk spurred a GOP revolt against a bipartisan spending bill.

Trumps call to permanently eliminate the federal debt limit is adding another surprising obstacle in the path to avoid a shutdown.

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Voting to raise the debt ceiling is a nonstarter among many House GOP hard-liners, and Democrats are refusing to lend Republicans a hand despite deep skepticism of the debt limit in their own party.

Heres what to know as shutdown politics and the debt ceiling collide:

What is the debt limit, and how do you raise it?

The debt limit, also called the debt ceiling, is the legal cap on how much debt the federal government is allowed to incur at any point.

It has no direct bearing on how much money the federal government spends or takes in through taxes, which is entirely up to Congress and the president.

Instead, the debt ceiling limits how much debt the Treasury Department can incur by issuing bonds, which are widely bought and sold in financial markets.

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The president and Congress can lift the debt ceiling by raising it to a certain monetary level, or suspending it for a period of time. Both options allow the Treasury to take on as much debt as necessary to pay for expenses already approved by law until the debt ceiling is reached, or the limit is reimposed.

The debt limit has existed for more than a century, but has only been used as a leverage point in funding battles over the past two decades.

What happens when the debt limit is reached?

The federal government has reached the debt limit several times over the past decade but avoided serious financial blowback through extraordinary measures.

Such measures involve shifting federal funds from certain accounts to pay immediate expenses and other ways to make sure the Treasury has enough cash on hand to pay debts as they come due.

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The Treasury Department can typically stave off a debt default by months at a time through extraordinary measures, though how long it can do so shifts and varies along with the economy and federal revenue.

But failing to raise the debt limit after running out of cash could force the U.S. to default on debt payments, which could trigger a financial crisis.

Why Trump wants to raise it

The debt ceiling was suspended in 2023 through Jan. 1, 2025, and extraordinary measures are expected to buy Congress and Trump a few more months until a potential default.

Trump said Tuesday that he wanted Republicans to force the issue and raise the debt ceiling while President Biden would be forced to take the heat for signing it into law.

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Doing so would clear the deck for potentially trillions of dollars in tax cuts that Republicans have been eager to cement.

Trump, who signed three debt ceiling extensions into law during his first term without cutting debt, also said the limit never actually leads to enduring spending reductions.

The debt limit doesnt mean anything, except psychologically, Trump told NBC News.

Many Republicans oppose increase without spending cuts

Despite Trumps opposition to the debt limit, many within his party have refused to raise it without drastic cuts to federal spending. With the national debt sitting at roughly $36 trillion, conservative hard-liners insist it is long past time to make major fiscal changes.

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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. Ive been negotiating to that end. No apologies, wrote Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) on the social platform X after Trump ripped the fiscal hawk online and called for him to face a primary challenge.

Republicans have sought major concessions from Democrats in exchange for raising the debt ceiling under former President Obama and President Biden. Such standoffs have brought the U.S. within days of defaulting and damaged the countrys credit rating, but have not made a major impact on the size or trajectory of the federal debt.

The latest standoff in 2023 led to a $20 billion reduction in funding for the IRS, cutting a fourth of the $80 billion Democrats had allocated for revamping the tax collection agency.

Why some Democrats want to eliminate the debt ceiling

Some Democratic lawmakers are eager to get rid of the debt ceiling after years of high-stakes showdowns with Republicans and no actual progress toward reducing the national debt.

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Critics of the debt ceiling argue that it is not an effective tool for preventing excessive government spending, was never meant to be one and does more harm than good given the catastrophic consequences of a default.

I agree with President-elect Trump that Congress should terminate the debt limit and never again govern by hostage taking, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said in a post on X.

Trump also cited Democratic support for getting rid of the debt ceiling during a Wednesday call to eliminate the measure.

The Democrats have said they want to get rid of it. If they want to get rid of it, I would lead the charge, Trump told NBC News.

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House Republican leadership is set to hold a vote Thursday night on a spending agreement that would suspend the debt ceiling for another two years, but it remains unclear if Democrats would support that measure.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said Wednesday that his caucus would not be willing to raise the debt limit on Trumps request.

GOP extremists want House Democrats to raise the debt ceiling so that House Republicans can lower the amount of your Social Security check, Jeffries posted to Bluesky. Hard pass.

Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.), who introduced a bill that would disarm future debt ceiling showdowns, also criticized Trumps call for an increase.

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We need to reform the debt ceiling  thats why I introduced the Debt Ceiling Reform Act. But the immediate issue is the looming GOP-driven shutdown. Republicans must honor their deal and stop creating crises that hurt hardworking Americans, he wrote on X.

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APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV)  The Appleton Fire Department is celebrating the success of six members who completed the Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) Under Fire training course.

The rigorous 40-hour program is run at the Illinois Fire Service Institute (IFSI) on the University of Illinois campus in Champaign.

Residential fire in Appleton causes $8,000 in damage, sends one to hospital

According to a Facebook post from the Appleton Fire Department, the training equips firefighters with advanced skills that are critical to operating as members of an RIT and focuses on rescuing firefighters who are downed during life-threatening situations.

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The course combines classroom lectures, firefighter fatality case studies and hands-on scenario-based training under live-fire conditions. Among the activities are drags and carries, breaching, heavy lifting and managing firefighter maydays.

The training is supposed to challenge firefighters in both mental and physical manners to prepare them for demanding scenarios.

The participants from the Appleton Fire Department were:

Battalion Chief Joe Kozikowski

Captain Jason Lee

Driver/Engineer Troy Kinley

Firefighter Cody Peabody

Firefighter Devin Halbach

Firefighter Ty Davis

There were other departments as well, including ones from Las Vegas, Orange County, El Paso along with fellow Wisconsinites in Milwaukee and West Allis.

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Fire in Fond du Lac controlled quickly, officials issue reminders on space heater safety

The Appleton Fire Department is proud of the dedication and resilience demonstrated by its members during this demanding training, the post said.

For more information on the program, visit the ISFI website.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WGHP)  A 60-year-old man is dead as the result of a crash on Friday morning, according to the Winston-Salem Police Department.

At around 8:15 a.m. on Friday, police came to the 2000 block of Pope Road after getting a report of a crash.

Investigators say that a 2015 Volkswagen was driving east on Pope Road, crossed the double yellow line for an unknown reason and crashed into a 2010 Mazda that was driving west on Pope Road.

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Ronald Keith Atwood, 60, of Winston-Salem, was the driver of the Volkswagen and suffered life-threatening injuries, according to police. He would be pronounced dead after arriving at the hospital.

The driver of the Mazda was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.

There is no further information at this time. The crash remains under investigation.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX8 WGHP.
ST. LOUIS  Police are investigating after a 64-year-old man was found dead in his home on Tuesday in north St. Louis.

According to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD), the man was found dead in his apartment shortly after 9:30 a.m. Tuesday on the 3000 block of North 25th Street in the St. Louis Place neighborhood of north St. Louis.

Multiple people struck by vehicle at Ted Drewes on Chippewa

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When police arrived on the scene, they found Reginald Dukes, 64, lying on the floor unconcious and not breathing, authorities say. The Medical Examiners Office took over the investigation at the time and later contacted SLMPDs Homicide Division on Thursday, advising that the 64-year-old man suffered from neck injuries consistent with strangulation, according to SLMPD.

The Homicide Division has assumed the ongoing investigation following the findings. Anyone with information about the incident is advised to call the Homicide Division at (314) 444-5371 or contact CrimeStoppers at 866-371-TIPS (8477) to remain anonymous and possibly receive an award.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Seven inmates were killed in a prison riot in southern Mexico, when inmates resisting transfers to other jails fought police with guns and knives, authorities said.

Four police officers and six other inmates were injured in the riot in the city of Villahermosa, the capital of the Gulf coast state of Tabasco.

State police chief Victor Hugo Chavez said late Thursday that officers were met by gunfire early in the day when they entered the prison to transfer two dangerous inmates to a federal penitentiary.

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One of the inmates with a gun held out for about three hours, protected by 20 fellow prisoners.

Chavez did not specify if police opened fire on the group, but said: Authorities have to act to defend their own lives, too."

Fires also broke out in the prison during the riot, and crowds of angry, desperate relatives gathered outside the prison, demanding information about family members locked up inside.

After regaining control of the facility several hours later, authorities found an assault rifle, five pistols, a hand grenade, 23 machetes, 14 knives and 23 homemade shivs.

They did not explain how the firearms got into the prison. Jails in Mexico are known for notoriously loose controls and corruption, to the extent that gangs at some penitentiaries control their own cell blocks and extort other prisoners for protection money.

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President Claudia Sheinbaum said Friday the riot would be investigated to see if there was any collusion and to see if the (police) operation was correct and why they found weapons inside the prison.

____

Follow APs coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
A 7-year-old girl is dead and several others, including her teacher, are injured following a knife attack at a school in Croatia, according to multiple outlets.

The Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic confirmed in a statement on X (formerly known as Twitter) that the incident happened at Precko Elementary School in the countrys capital of Zagreb on Friday, Dec. 20.

"We are horrified, as is the entire Croatian public, by the great tragedy that happened this morning at Precko Elementary School in Zagreb," he wrote in a translation of the post. "We express our regret and sympathy to the families of all the injured, students and school staff."



Stipe Majic/Anadolu via Getty A photo of Croatian police officers conducting their investigation at the sight of a knife attack in Croatia. A photo of Croatian police officers conducting their investigation at the sight of a knife attack in Croatia.

A 19-year-old Croatian entered the school at around 9:50 a.m. and injured a teacher and students inside a classroom with a sharp object, the Zagreb Police Department shared in a statement to the Associated Press, and Croatian news outlets Jutarnji and 24sata.

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Police said, per the outlets, that those who were injured in the attack received medical attention and confirmed the death of one student. They also noted that authorities detained "the attacker" and he was put under police surveillance.

Video obtained of the incident by local news showed several children running out of the school building and a medical helicopter landing on the schools campus, per AP. The outlet, along with several other news sites described the incident as a "knife attack."

Stipe Majic/Anadolu via Getty Croatian police officers at the Precko Primary School in Zagreb, Croatia on December 20, 2024. Croatian police officers at the Precko Primary School in Zagreb, Croatia on December 20, 2024.

Following the incident, Croatia's Health Minister Irena Hrstic, shared in a translated statement to Jutarnji: "We are appalled and shocked by the situation that has occurred. She added that a total of five people were injured, including three children and two adults.

This included two boys, ages 7 and 11, who were hospitalized with several stab wounds to their bodies, but were stabilized, acting director of the Clinic for Children's Diseases Iva Hojsak, shared to the media, per Jutarnji and 24sata.

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"Fortunately, both are out of danger at this time. Their diagnostic process is still ongoing," she added.

Stipe Majic/Anadolu via Getty A photo of police outside the school in Zagreb, Croatia. A photo of police outside the school in Zagreb, Croatia.

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Hrstic also noted, per Jutarnji, that the alleged perpetrator and the childrens teacher were admitted to a local hospital after the attack.

Plenkovic said in a translated statement on X, that the injured were taken to Zagreb Hospital, Sestre Milosrdnica Hospital, Sveti Duh Hospital and Klaic Hospital to receive care.

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Minister Hrstic will visit hospitals and see what the situation is with the injured. As soon as we have more information, the public will be notified, he added.

Plenkovic also noted that police and other authorities were still working to determine all the circumstances behind the incident.



Read the original article on People
There's no need to sugarcoat it; New Year's Eve can be a mixed bag.

It's a busy night. You're up late. And there's a whole lot of stock-taking that may or may not be fun. Nonetheless, there's a lot of fun to be had as well. Parties across the Twin Cities offer a little something for everyone, whether you want to dance, hear live music, play games, or just be with good company.

Here are seven events taking place on New Year's Eve that offer a delightful way to ring in the new year.

Davina & the VagabondsCourtesy of Davina & the Vagabonds

The high-energy group will play The Dakota twice on New Year's Eve. There will be an early "dinner show," followed by a "cocktail show" that starts late and will have you ringing in the new year with Davina Sowers' powerful voice and music that channels soul, R&B, and the bombast of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. 1010 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis ($175$105)

The O'Shaughnessy Distillery's Masquerade Party starts with a VIP party at 7 p.m. ($75) and then opens up to everyone at 9 p.m. with music from DJ Nick and a complimentary drink for toasting at midnight. 600 Malcolm Ave. SE, Minneapolis - 9 p.m.1 a.m. ($20)

Berlin will celebrate 2024's swan song with a night of John Coltrane. The Steve Kenny Quintet will perform some of Coltrane's most moving and beloved work throughout the night, right up until the new year arrives. A ticket gets you in the door along with three snacks to share. 204 N 1st St., Minneapolis ($50)

First AvenueBring Me The News

Jake Rudh's Transmission  a dance party that touts new wave, indie, funk, post-punk, synth-pop, and much more  will take over the First Avenue main room for the night. It'll be a genre-spanning dance party until the wee hours. 701 N 1st Ave., Minneapolis - 9 p.m. ($27)

The arcade, bar, and performance space is hosting an event that might be for those who want to have a good time but aren't excited to overcommit to the night in advance. The party includes a stacked lineup of live music, tarot readings, a free glitter bar (? and also !), and a countdown with a complimentary champagne pour. Oh, and also games. 755 Prior Ave. N, St. Paul - 7 p.m.1 a.m. ($20)

The bar where the Minnesota blues legend holds his weekly residency will host him on New Year's Eve. Cornbread Harris and friends will headline a free concert that includes sets from The TH3 and The Jazz Outlaws. Palmer's Bar says Harris will start at 11 p.m. and play "until he wants to stop, and he never wants to stop." It's a great option if the usual NYE price tags are a bit high for your liking. 500 Cedar Ave, Minneapolis - 8 p.m.1 a.m. (free)

While a rooftop party had initially been planned, the Hewing will host a dance party in the lobby with DJ Shiek. A complimentary toast will take place at midnight, and there will also be a separate "Chef's Choice Dinner" ($115) hosted at Tullibee, which wraps up just in time to head to the lobby party. 300 N Washington Ave., Minneapolis - 9 p.m.1 a.m. ($35)

More New Year's Eve events:

Related: Must-see concerts this week: The Jayhawks, Son Little, Kiss the Tiger
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Brunei has urged ASEAN member states to strengthen their national preparedness and capacity to address the persistent issue of transboundary haze pollution, local media reported on Friday.

During the 19th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution, Dr. Nor Imtihan, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Development of Brunei, made this call, according to Brunei's local daily Borneo Bulletin.

Imtihan also said that Brunei experienced haze impacts from local fires and transboundary haze during the fourth week of March 2024 due to low rainfall and a high number of fires in the country, the newspaper reported.

Brunei is a Southeast Asian country located in the northern part of Borneo Island, bordering Malaysia. The area is influenced by a tropical monsoon climate, and forest fires are more frequent during the dry season. 
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  A 78-year-old man who was last seen leaving the Sams Club in Bullhead City, Arizona, two days ago has been reported missing and endangered.

The Kingman Police Department is asking for the publics assistance in locating Wesley Lester Simmons. He is described as a white male, 6-feet-5-inches tall, 235 pounds, with gray hair and hazel eyes. He was last seen wearing a long-sleeved denim button-up shirt, blue jeans and brown shoes.

Simmons left his residence in the 3100 block of Southern Loop on Dec. 18 at around noon. Its a neighborhood in the south part of Kingman. Kingman is about 107 miles southeast of Las Vegas on U.S. 93.

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Simmons was also seen on camera at 4:20 p.m. on Dec. 18 leaving the Sams Club in Bullhead City. Bullhead City is about 37 miles west of Kingman. Simmons owns a white 2003 Ford F-150 4-door truck with a camper shell and Arizona license plate 238MSN.

Anyone with information should contact the Kingman Police Department by calling (928) 753-2191 or report tips online at www.kingmanpolice.com.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
Nine men from the Quad Cities have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in a racketeering conspiracy, which engaged in a years-long pattern of violence, including murder, attempted murder and drug trafficking, according to a news release from the Department of Justice. They are:

Don Christopher White, Jr.,

Raheem Jacques Houston,

Deaguise Ramont Hall,

Michael Linn Cross,

Devell Carl Lewis,

Lashawn D James Hensley,

Simmeon Terrell Hall,

Devante Atwell French and

Cortez Deangelo Cooper, Jr.

Public court documents and evidence presented at trials and sentencings show these men were members and associates of a coordinated violent criminal enterprise based in Rock Island that engaged in racketeering activity in Davenport and Rock Island. The enterprises purpose was to distribute controlled substances, obtain money and shoot at rival gang members. Trial evidence showed the criminal enterprise was connected to dozens of shooting investigations and at least seven homicides over the course of two decades, including:

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On August 6, 2006, Andrell Hearn was shot and killed in Rock Island. On August 19, 2006, White and other associates drove by an outdoor family gathering in Davenport where other gang members were present and shot into the group, resulting in the death of Vincelina Howard. On August 6, 2011, a shooting outside the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds involving enterprise members and members of a rival Davenport group. On September 5, 2012, French and another associate fired shots at a rival group member in Davenport. On March 31, 2013, several members of a rival group were standing in front of the Chorus Line when a member of the enterprise, Demarko Williams, walked into the parking lot and fired multiple shots at the group. In January 2014, Williams was sentenced to 100 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a felon. On September 2, 2015, associate Juwan Johnson shot and killed Lewis Woodson, a rival group member, in Davenport. On January 3, 2020, officers responded to a shots fired incident in or near the Davenport parking lot of the Quad City Times building and found a large number of casings that were later matched to firearms used by the enterprise members. On May 23, 2020, a dispute over a dice game at a family gathering in Rock Island led to a shootout between associates and others, resulting in the death of Timon Mayfield. Between May 24 and 31, 2020, multiple shootings in the same Rock Island neighborhood where Mayfield was killed left casings that were later matched to firearms used by the associates. On June 1, 2020, while Davenport was experiencing civil unrest, the criminal enterprise took part in two shootings in Davenport where they fired over 60 shots and seriously injured two men. Specifically, on June 1, 2020, White, Lewis, Deaguise Hall, Cross, Hensley, and Cooper went to a jewelry store to commit a burglary. While there, they saw a man they had mistaken for a rival gang member. Cooper and others fired 33 rounds from four guns, seriously injuring the victim. A few hours later, White, Houston, Deaguise Hall, Cross, Hensley, Lewis, and others were in a Davenport alley when a truck with three Davenport police officers entered the alley. Immediately, four enterprise associates fired over 30 rounds at the truck occupied by the officers. Evidence at trial showed they thought the truck was occupied by a rival group. One police officer was struck and injured by the gunfire. One of the officers returned fire and Marquis Tousant died in the exchange. White, Houston, Deaguise Hall, Cross, Hensley, and Lewis fled the alley, shooting, in a high-speed car chase through Davenport. They were eventually apprehended. Officers located seven firearms, a large amount of ammunition, large-capacity magazines, including a 50-round drum magazine, face masks and gloves inside the vehicle. Three of these firearms were later matched to fired casings in the Davenport alley. On December 4, 2021, White and another associate shot at a victim in a vehicle on Middle Road in Davenport. On December 8, 2021, White and another associate were involved in a shooting near the Centennial Bride and River Drive in Davenport. They mistook two men in a vehicle for rivals. On February 25, 2022, White shot a man during a dispute in Moline. On March 27, 2022, French shot a victim near the rear door of his residence on Locust Street in Davenport. On April 19, 2022, French shot a victim in the yard of a residence in retaliation for a prior shooting of an associate.

These defendants were sentenced on Wednesday, December 18:

Don Christopher White, Jr., 39, was sentenced to 40 years of imprisonment for racketeering conspiracy, and two charges for felon in possession of a firearm, followed by a three-year term of supervised release. White was also ordered to pay $22,784.20 in restitution.

Raheem Jacques Houston, 32, was sentenced to 30 years of imprisonment for racketeering conspiracy and felon in possession of a firearm, followed by a three -year term of supervised release. Houston was also ordered to pay $16,012.52 in restitution.

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Deaguise Ramont Hall, 35, was sentenced to 33 years of imprisonment for racketeering conspiracy and for possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, followed by a three-year term of supervised release. Hall was also ordered to pay $16,012.52 in restitution.

Michael Linn Cross, 32, was sentenced to 18 years of imprisonment for racketeering conspiracy, followed by a three-year term of supervised release. Cross was also ordered to pay $16,012.52 in restitution.

LaShawn D. James Hensley, 32, was sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment for racketeering conspiracy, followed by a three-year term of supervised release. Hensley was also ordered to pay $16,012.52 in restitution.

These defendants were sentenced on December 19:

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Devante Atwell French, 31, was sentenced to 30 years of imprisonment for racketeering conspiracy and felon in possession of ammunition, followed by a three-year term of supervised release.

Simmeon Terrell Hall, 36, was sentenced to 30 years of imprisonment for racketeering conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, followed by a three-year term of supervised release.

Devell Carl Lewis, 37, was sentenced to 18 1/2 years of imprisonment for racketeering conspiracy, followed by a three-year term of supervised release. Lewis was also ordered to pay $16,012.52 in restitution.

Cortez Deangelo Cooper, Jr., 31, was sentenced to 13 1/2 years of imprisonment for racketeering conspiracy and felon in possession of ammunition, followed by a three-year term of supervised release.

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Brandon Deshane Branigan, 34, was sentenced to 18 years of imprisonment for the same racketeering conspiracy, followed by a three-year term of supervised release on July 11.

There is no parole in the federal system.

Violent crime against our community and attacks on law enforcement will not be tolerated, said Davenport Police Chief Jeffery Bladel. These individuals demonstrated a blatant disregard for the safety of our Quad City community; especially in the case of the 2020 ambush and attempted murder of three of our officers. Im proud of our departments unwavering dedication to holding criminals accountable and protecting those who serve. My sincere thanks to the U.S. Attorneys Office for their steadfast commitment to justice.

Two defendants have pled guilty and are awaiting sentencing:

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Ricky Lee Childs, Jr., 40, is scheduled to be sentenced on January 23 for racketeering conspiracy. He was also charged with felon in possession of a firearm and sentenced to 110 months of imprisonment. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years of imprisonment.

Timothy Justin Beaver, 30, is scheduled to be sentenced on February 13 for racketeering conspiracy and for possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. He faces a maximum sentence of 40 years of imprisonment.

Two defendants are awaiting trial. Kylea Dapri Cartwright, Jr., 28, is charged with racketeering conspiracy and felon in possession of ammunition. The complaint alleges that on July 5, 2020, Cartwright shot a victim. Rasheem Damonte Bogan, 33, is charged with racketeering conspiracy and felon in possession of a firearm. The complaint alleges that on June 1, 2020, Bogan shot a victim.

Both are scheduled for a jury trial starting Monday, February 10 and each face a maximum of 30 years of imprisonment.

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United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement and the case was investigated by the Davenport Police Department and the Rock Island Police Department, with help from the Scott County Sheriffs Office, Iowa Department of Public Safety-Division of Criminal Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Drug Enforcement Administration.

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Editor's note: Letters to the editor reflect the views of individual readers. Scroll to the bottom to see how you can add your voice, whether you agree or disagree. We welcome diverse viewpoints.

Re: Nashville's star is fading. The Big Sort is creating a rural and red revolution, by Josh Abbotoy, Dec. 18.

A Tennessee native who recently returned to the Volunteer State, Josh Abbotoy is managing director of New Founding, a 2023 Lincoln Fellow at the Claremont Institute and conservative lawyer whose work has appeared in The Federalist.

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Abbotoy surely must realize that Tennessee cannot be any redder than it is and has been. In his guest opinion column, suspected hidden messaging led me to learn more, such as the mission statements of his aforementioned affiliations.

Here are a few from New Founding:

Pro-technology: Technology  to good ends can be a powerful tool for good and for dominion over the earth.

Pro-civilization:  reject leveling ideologies that seek to impose false concepts of equality 

Pro-Christendom: We seek to shape institutions with Christian norms and orient them toward a Christian vision of life, of society,

We build and back companies defined by American ideals and a positive national visionWe explicitly oppose DEI/ESG  promoting instead a culture of entrepreneurshipbetting on great companies, products, and customers disfavored by corrosive ideologies.

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Perhaps rather than cloaking an ideology in an innocent analysis of Tennessee politics, Mr. Abbotoy should just come right out and say what he wants, which is to turn back any progress we have made, rather than hide behind real estate dreams of developing the Big Sort of communities composed of those emboldened by right wing leadership.

Tennesseans will continue to fight to protect religious and all personal freedoms, and people will relocate to Tennessee for that reason.

Rae Levine, Nashville 37209

Agree or disagree? Or have a view on another topic entirely? Send a letter of 250 words or fewer to letters@tennessean.com. Include your full name, city/town, ZIP and contact information for verification. Thanks for adding to the public conversation.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Josh Abbotoy exposes antipathy toward progress in his essay | Letters
ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC)  Downtown Abilene has become a destination for a lot of businesses, festivals, and large gatherings. Thursday morning, the Abilene City Council talked about amending the special event permit policy, which requires various fees and permissions. These events attract hundreds, if not thousands, to the Key City, but how do they affect the stores right in front of them?

A good time of year to be happy Downtown Abilene aglow with holiday decor

Before the council meeting, Mayor Weldon Hurt said he had received feedback about the current policy.

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The feedback Im getting is it is still very burdensome and cumbersome to get through this process, Mayor Hurt said.

Freedom Veteran Parade brings changes in Abilene

Grain Theory via Facebook, September 2022

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Grain Theory, located on Pine Street, has benefited from the influx of people during the events. Owner Jeramie Sivy told KTAB/KRBC that during the last Christmas parade, even with preparations, there was still an overflow of business.

Business actually picks up quite a bit when parades come downtown because we get a lot of families coming in to enjoy our location, Sivy said. The amount of people was pretty wild. We staffed for the event, and we had a few extra people on. It was still pretty hectic.

Abilene hosts visitors from 28 states during 2024 CALF weekend

Around the corner at Roll Shack, manager Scarlet Crosby said she also prepares in advance when an event is happening, but she hopes to see better communication from the city in the future.

Roll Shack via Facebook, July 2022

We just had to go with the flow. So, on the morning of, I usually come in and stock everything. We buy more ingredients just in case there is an influx in customers, Crosby said. Having like a months notice so that we can prepare, kind of get all the information that we need to and just go from there and kind of understand what the amount of people might be coming in with.

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The council postponed the decision and appointed a subcommittee to examine the issue more thoroughly before bringing it back to the council.

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Dec. 20For one Albuquerque business, selling food at airports has become a family affair.

The Albuquerque International Sunport last week unveiled the competition of the first phase of its massive "Dream of Flight" renovation, a roughly $90 million, years-long construction project that will rejuvenate the Sunport and update its concessions. Restaurants that recently opened in

Operating the restaurants that recently opened is Fresquez Companies, a nearly 50-year-old Albuquerque family business that over the years as carved out a niche selling food at regional airports.

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Flavor of New Mexico, Rush of Prana, a branch of Annapurna's World Vegetarian Cafe, Dunkin' and a renovated Panda Express opened in the food hall. A bar named after Teller Vodka, a liquor from local distillery Safe House Distilling Co., opened soon after. A Cheese and Coffee and Indian Pueblo Kitchen restaurants are also expected soon, said Gary Gilliard, deputy director of the Sunport.

He said over the next four to six months, New Mexico Pinon Coffee, Frank's Famous Chicken and Waffles, Sadie's, Steel Bender and a Taos Peaks/Buffalo Wild Wings are among the new restaurants that will open. Eighty percent of businesses at the Sunport will be local, he said.

Lenny Fresquez, the CEO of Fresquez Companies, started his entrepreneurial career in 1976 with a landscaping business. He opened an Arby's several years later.

Today, the Fresquez brand operates 277 restaurants. The company runs restaurants in airports in Albuquerque, Atlanta, Tulsa, Oklahoma, and El Paso.

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"We don't do street stores anymore," Lenny Fresquez said.

What drove that decision?

"Profitability and not fighting the 99 cent wars," he said. "We ran the racetrack, the State Fair, that's how we got into concessions, when it was a real state fair experience for 21 days."

Travelers have likely complained about expensive food and a dearth of healthy options at airports. The new Sunport food hall aims to change part of the perception with healthy and flavorful local options.

The cost associated with airport concessions is because of all the logistics that goes into selling the products, said LeeAnna Fresquez, Lenny's daughter and the president of the compan

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"The operational costs associated with the logistics are amazing," she said.

There are docks outside the Sunport where all food products are unloaded and examined by security and sniffing dogs. Then the products are loaded on the same carousel as the luggage, Lenny Fresquez said.

"People say, 'How does this water bottle cost $4.' Well, people don't understand what I had to do to get that water bottle here," Lenny Fresquez said.

He sees Fresquez Companies as an ambassador for Albuquerque.

"We're the first thing people see when they get off the plane and the last thing people see when they are leaving," he said. "We have a chance to get in there and make sure their last experience is a good experience. ... So the food that we've created, other than the fast food, has been really thought out. We make it so people want to get to the airport early so they can eat at our airport."

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The new food also aims to keep Albuquerque and New Mexico on the mind of departing travelers. Flavor of New Mexico partnered with New Nuevo, a local company that sells packages of multiple New Mexico products. Those packages, which contain things like New Mexico green chile-flavored olive oil, will be available to Flavor of New Mexico.

In addition to being an airport ambassador of sorts, Fresquez Companies has employed many people through the state. Lenny Fresquez said 20% of all people in New Mexico have worked for one of his companies at one time or another.

"As we continue to scale, we try to maintain that sense of family," LeeAnna Fresquez said.

She said employees wear name tags so everyone calls each other by their name. She said the company also rallies behind employees who have family emergencies. The business has an entrepreneur spotlight program during which it mentors different local organizations.

"My father is an incredible entrepreneur, and he has been able to mentor so many entrepreneurs in the community," she said.
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI)  After a five-month deployment, Sailors aboard a guided-missile destroyer assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group have returned to San Diego. The servicemembers arrived to their Friday, just in time for the holidays.

The crew has been out at sea on the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance, with Naval Base San Diego serving as their homeport. They departed back in July and were deployed to the 7th and 5th fleet area of operations.

The Spruance crew continues to impress  there is no other team that I would rather be a part of. I am immensely proud of all that the team has accomplished and will continue to accomplish. This deployment was a test of our readiness and our Sailors exceeded every expectation, said Cmdr. Thomas Matt Adams, commanding officer, Spruance.

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The Sailors have been in the Indo-Pacific region to support regional security and stability. Their presence, according to Navy officials, was to reassure U.S. allies and partners of the Navys unwavering commitment.

Facing advanced missile threats and attack drones in a high-stakes environment, they demonstrated exceptional tactical precision and a war fighter mindset, Cmdr. Adams continued. From identifying incoming threats to controlling aircraft to executing flawless missile engagements, our crew neutralized every danger with unwavering focus and discipline.

As explained by the Navy, throughout deployment, Spruance traveled 37,200 nautical miles, conducted 12 replenishments-at-sea, 28 sea and anchor details, Anti-Submarine Tactical Air Controller (ASTAC) controlled over 800 hours of rotary air wing control, and the Air Intercept Controllers (AIC) controlled 50 live runs with Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9 and U.S. Air Force assets.

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MADISON  For Rep. Jerry O'Connor, Monday's tragic shooting at a Madison school struck close to home.

The Fond du Lac Republican has a great-niece and great-nephew who attend Abundant Life Christian School, ages 15 and 12.

His great-niece had a locker next to the shooter, Natalie Rupnow, and one of the victims who died following the shooting. She was in a room just across the hall when shots were fired.

Jerry O'Connor is running for the 52nd Assembly District.

His great-nephew was in the classroom below the one where the shooting took place Monday morning.

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"They heard the bodies hit the ground," O'Connor said.

Following the shooting, his niece, the mother of the two children, waited hours to see them. And now, he said, his family is figuring out how best to talk to the children and offer them comfort after such a harrowing ordeal.

"This will have a long-term trail here in Madison," he said. "Again, it's something nobody expects to happen here, but we live in a world where there are a lot of challenges."

Police are still seeking answers about why a 15-year-old female student, identified as Natalie Rupnow, opened fire Monday at Abundant Life Christian School, killing a student, a teacher and herself, and injuring several others.

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But while those answers remain elusive, one thing has become clear: Preparedness training through the state's Office of School Safety may have helped police quickly respond to the scene and saved lives.

O'Connor said he'd like to see funding continued for the office, which is set to expire in September.

More: Here's what Wisconsin's Office of School Safety does  and why it's in danger

"In this case, it shows preparedness makes a difference," he said. "You have to have some protocol in place to the reality is minimize any risk of loss. I think they did the right thing."

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Laura Schulte can be reached at leschulte@jrn.com and on X @SchulteLaura.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Madison school shooting hits close to home for Wisconsin legislator
A French court on Friday convicted two friends of the jihadist who beheaded a French history and geography teacher of complicity in the killing, jailing them for 16 years.

Prosecutors had sought life sentences for Naim Boudaoud, 22, and Azim Epsirkhanov, 23, for the brutal murder outside Samuel Patys school in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, west of Paris, which horrified France.

Mr Paty, 47, was killed in October 2020 by an 18-year-old Islamist radical of Chechen origin after showing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in class.

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His killer, Abdoullakh Anzorov, died in a shoot-out with police. It later transpired he sent a photo minutes after the murder to a member of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the group that toppled Syrias Bashar al-Assad, and received a warm reply.

The friends were found guilty of providing Anzorov logistical support, including to buy weapons.

Prosecutor Marine Valentin said that the accused had been fully aware of the killers jihadist convictions when they helped him.

Mr Paty was killed after an online campaign against him that was whipped up by a radical Muslim cleric and the father of one of his pupils.

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Brahim Chnina and Abdelhakim Sefrioui were jailed for 13 and 15 years, respectively, for terrorist criminal association.

Chnina, 52, an Algerian-born father of five, triggered the outpouring of hate against Mr Paty with mistaken claims of discrimination against his then 13-year-old daughter.

Prosecutors described him and Sefrioui, 65, as an infernal duo who should have realised that by denouncing the history teacher on social media as a blasphemer they risked inciting a terrorist to attack him. At the time of the attack, Sefrioui headed a group named after Sheikh Yassin, the founder of Hamas.

In all, eight people were found guilty.

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The other four defendants received sentences of between one and five years, including the only woman, Priscilla Mangel, 36, a social media influencer with open jihadist sympathies.

Mr Patys sister Mickaelle complained on Friday that prosecutors demands were very weak.

I think my brother died for nothing, she said, adding that teachers were still being targeted by violence and threats, she told BFM TV. In a book on the issue, she said: There has been no awakening, no jump start, and our enemies have gained further ground.

Mr Paty had used the cartoons, first published in Charlie Hebdo magazine, as part of an ethics class to discuss freedom of expression laws in France, where blasphemy is legal and cartoons mocking religious figures have a long history.

I have decapitated the teacher

Anzorov was shot dead shortly after the murder, but not before he sent a message to a contact in Idlib, Syria, saying: I have decapitated the teacher. I am going to do jihad in France. He sent a photograph of Mr Patys head. The contact replied: Allahu akbar. Let the peace, mercy and blessing of Allah be on you.

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Intelligence agents have identified the contact as Farrukh Furkatovitch Fayzimatov, 28, from Tajikistan, the court has been told.

Fayzimatov is said by the US Department of the Treasury to have used social media to post propaganda, recruit new members, and solicit donations for HTS, which is a proscribed terrorist organisation in America as well as several other countries.

The Liberation newspaper said in an article three years ago that French intelligence services doubted that HTS had ordered the killing but believed that Anzorov had been in touch with members in or near Idlib.

A few weeks before Mr Patys murder, Anzorov had posted on Snapchat a message saying that the best group to join at the moment is Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

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Shortly after the murder, a spokesman for HTS told a French journalist specialising in radical Islam that the group did not know Anzorov and had had no involvement in the murder. However, he failed to condemn the killing.

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NEW YORK  Luigi Mangione was hit Thursday with a potential death penalty case in the slaying of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson after a jolting sequence of events that saw him unexpectedly hauled to Manhattan federal court after a dramatic perp walk on the Wall Street heliport.

Mangione was widely expected to be arraigned on state murder and terrorism charges brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs office  including by prosecutors and his lawyers  after waiving his extradition to New York at a court hearing in Pennsylvania.

Instead, after he touched down in New York shortly after 1 p.m., the 26-year-old Maryland man was charged in an unsealed federal complaint with murder through the use of a firearm, which carries a maximum potential sentence of death or life in prison, and stalking and firearm offenses.

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It is a highly unusual situation that we find ourselves in, Mangiones attorney Karen Agnifilo said at a Manhattan federal court hearing, adding she had been prepared to defend him against state charges announced by Braggs office on Tuesday.

I dont think they even knew this was going to happen, the lawyer added. There are a lot of factors that are very confusing and highly unusual. Frankly, Ive never seen anything like this.

Manhattan Magistrate Judge Katharine Parker detained Mangione without bail after his legal team reserved making a bail application and set a preliminary hearing for Jan. 18. The court date will become moot if the Manhattan U.S. attorneys office secures an indictment from a grand jury in the interim.

A clean-shaven Mangione, wearing a navy blue sweater, a white collared shirt, and khaki pants, looked back once at the gallery in court and was silent except for answering yes when asked whether he understood his rights and what he was being accused of and had read the complaint.

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The University of Pennsylvania graduate is accused of gunning down Thompson, 50, on W. 54th St. as the CEO arrived for the annual investor conference of UnitedHealthcares parent company at the Midtown Hilton early on Dec. 4 in a caught-on-surveillance. He was arrested more than 200 miles away five days later when a patron recognized him eating hash browns at a McDonalds in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

Authorities recovered a 9mm 3D-printed ghost gun and silencer, ammunition matching that found at the scene, and writings critical to the healthcare industry, according to court records.

The federal complaint, replete with stills from surveillance footage of the incident, accused Mangione of beginning a stalking campaign against Thompson on Nov. 24 when he traveled to the city from Atlanta, Ga., and checked into an Upper West Side hostel for 10 days. His trip over state lines to carry out the alleged crimes gave the feds jurisdiction to bring the case.

The complaint alleges Mangione took months to plan the early morning murder, quoting entries he allegedly wrote in a notebook that express hostility towards the health insurance industry and wealthy executives in particular.

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In an August entry, Mangione allegedly wrote that he was glad  in a way  that Ive procrastinated, (because) it allowed me to learn more about an insurance company whose name the feds redacted from court papers. The entry said, the target is insurance because it checks every box, according to the feds.

1.5 months. This investor conference is a true windfall . . . and  most importantly  the message becomes self-evident, read an Oct. 22 entry cited, which said it went on to describe a desire to wack the CEO of one of the insurance companies at its investor conference.

In his Manhattan state case, Mangione is accused in an 11-count indictment of first-degree murder, second-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism, an additional murder count, multiple firearm charges, and forgery. If convicted of the top counts, he could face life in prison without parole.

Spokespersons for Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Edward Kim said Mangiones state case was expected to proceed to trial first.

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It wasnt immediately clear when he would appear in state court or whether he would be held in a city or federal jail facility.

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, Kim said in a statement.

Assistant director of the FBIs New York bureau, James Dennehy, said the this alleged plot demonstrates a cavalier attitude towards humanity  deeming murder an appropriate recourse to satiate personal grievances.

Mangione first appeared in court Thursday in Blair County, Pa., wearing an orange jumpsuit around 7:30 a.m. In the Keystone State, hes accused of carrying a firearm without a license, forgery, and giving cops a fake ID when he was apprehended. Hes not expected to be tried on those charges before his New York matters conclude.

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Mangiones apparent anger toward the health insurance industry has prompted an outpouring of support and sympathy for him online from people frustrated with the U.S. health insurance industry, with an online crowdfunding effort raising more than $140,000 toward his legal defense. On Thursday, protesters gathered outside the courthouse were heard yelling, Free Luigi!

The DA and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, at a press conference earlier this week, decried the support, with Tisch saying authorities had tracked a shocking and appalling celebration of cold-blooded murder.

Mangione, who comes from a wealthy and well-known family from suburban Baltimore, has not spoken publicly since his arrest outside of mostly inaudible remarks he yelled to the press at his first Pennsylvania court appearance about an insult to the American people and their lived experience.

Interviews with his friends and various writings he published on Reddit and other forums have shed some light on his medical history, including chronic back issues that saw him undergo spinal fusion surgery.

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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 medical care to maximize profits.

The NYPD has alleged Mangione had a manifesto laying out his reasons for the killing. He allegedly wrote that the U.S. had the most expensive health care in the world yet ranked 42nd in life expectancy and that insurers had simply gotten too powerful, continuing to abuse our country for immense profit because the American public has (allowed) them to get away with it.

Authorities say Mangiones mother reported him missing to the San Francisco police department in November and that an officer handling the missing person case recognized him in widely-circulated surveillance images after the shooting and contacted the FBI.

NYPD officials on Tuesday said they made contact with Mangiones mother on Dec. 7, who said she didnt know if it was him in the pictures but that the shooting might be something that she could see him doing.

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Mangiones climactic return to New York Thursday saw Mayor Eric Adams, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, and dozens of armed state and federal law enforcement officers waiting for him at the downtown helipad, an unusually public showing for what is typically a covert arrangement.

Former NYPD intelligence director John Miller told CNN the turnout wasnt intended to protect the public from Mangione.

The security around Mangione today is because of what theyve been seeing in terms of the public support for him and their security worries about somebody not trying to attack him, but to try and free him from law enforcement, Miller said.

_____
SYDNEY, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- A Sydney police task force targeting organized crime syndicates has arrested 33 people and seized drugs worth millions of U.S. dollars.

Police in the state of New South Wales (NSW) on Friday said that 33 people had been charged by detectives from Task Force Lupin since it was secretly established in July to address an escalating conflict between organized crime networks hailing from Asia.

In addition to the arrests, police seized prohibited drugs worth more than 10 million Australian dollars (6.2 million U.S. dollars) as well as 600,000 Australian dollars (372,000 dollars) in cash, seven firearms and more than 20 dedicated encrypted criminal communication devices.

Detectives executed over 35 search warrants and identified three clandestine methamphetamine labs, two in western Sydney and one in the remote town of Mollyan over 300 kilometers northwest of the city.

Detective Superintendent Peter Faux, commander of the NSW Police organized crime squad, said the task force worked tirelessly and covertly for six months.

"Our covert task force's efforts have culminated in a major breakthrough against organized crime hailing from Asia in southwest Sydney, with over 30 arrests made," he said in a statement.

"These were dangerous criminals capable of violent crime and the message today is simple: there is no place for this sort of violence on our streets."

In one June incident, police said that eight men wearing face coverings forced entry into a house in southwest Sydney before shooting the occupant and pouring petrol through the home.

Five people were arrested and charged over the shooting, including a 25-year-old man who was also charged over another shooting earlier in June.

A 37-year-old man who was arrested on Thursday has been charged with 19 offenses relating to the supply of commercial quantities of drugs and firearm possession. NSW Police said it would be alleged in court that he was a major player responsible for drug supply in one of the syndicates. 
COOK COUNTY, Ill.  Activists made good on their promise Thursday to protest the Cook County States Attorneys Offices decision to drop charges against a suburban police officer accused of excessive force following a violent July 2022 encounter captured on video.

One day after the controversial decision, the Arab American Action Network demonstrated outside Cook County States Attorney Eileen ONeil Burkes office. The protest coincided with what would have been the start of Oak Lawn police officer Patrick ODonnells scheduled bench trial.

Prosecutors initially accused ODonnell of using an exorbitant amount of force as cellphone video showed him repeatedly punching then-17-year-old Hadi Abuatelah on the ground amid an arrest. ODonnell faced charges of aggravated battery and official misconduct.

MORE OAK LAWN NEWS | I didnt expect this at all: Oak Lawn teen who overcame cancer surprised with trip to Hawaii

Oak Lawn police claimed Abuatelah was carrying a bag and attempted to grab a gun while on the ground after running away from officers conducting a traffic stop. Top brass within the department added that the traffic stop was also lawful, pointing to the smell of marijuana coming from the vehicle and an expired tag.

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Arab American Action Networks Muhammad Sankari slammed Cook County prosecutors decision on Wednesday, calling it a terrible injustice. Advocates said Abuatelah suffered a broken pelvis and bleeding in his brain.

On Thursday, Sankari again slammed the Cook County States Attorneys Offices decision.

We demand the States Attorneys Office serve the people by prosecuting police brutality and not protecting brutal police, Sankari said.

In a statement to WGN News on Wednesday, a Cook County States Attorneys Office spokesperson defended the decision: After a thorough review, we concluded that the evidence is insufficient to meet our burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt to move forward with the prosecution of this case.

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Retired Riverside Police Chief Tom Weitzel said Thursday that the countys decision to drop charges underscored the difference between ONeil Burke and her predecessor, Kim Foxx.

Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines

I think officers have felt that the States Attorneys were not advocating as prosecutors (but rather) acting as defense attorneys, Weitzel said.

The court process of a related civil suit filed against Oak Lawn police continues.

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New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) briefly spoke with Luigi Mangione, the suspect accused of shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, upon his arrival in New York for an arraignment.

I wanted to send a strong message with the police commissioner that were leading from the front. Im not going to just allow him to come into our city, Adams said during a Thursday interview with PX11 News.

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, he added.

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Federal prosecutors brought four new charges against Mangione for the shooting in midtown Manhattan. Mangione is facing additional state charges in New York and Pennsylvania.

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Elementary school teachers in West Virginia are having issues discipling students, telling the state Legislature that some students are violent towards them. (Getty Images)

Educators in West Virginia, like their peers across the country, are reporting challenges in fulfilling their mission due to increased student behavior issues.

In response to these growing concerns, lawmakers have considered highly punitive school discipline measures. Their concerns are valid  nearly 90 percent of public schools nationwide have reported negative impacts on students socioemotional development following the pandemic. At the same time, increased punitive and exclusionary discipline is not the appropriate response for either the short-term or lifetime well-being of children as young as five and six years old.

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Student and child behavior is a highly complex issue that is influenced at multiple levels. Children come to school carrying a lot, particularly in West Virginia where more than 1 in 5 children have experienced at least two significant adverse experiences (including economic hardship, parent death, family violence or living with someone with a substance use disorder). A childs physical, mental, and emotional health, their connections and interactions with peers, educators and school administrators, school district discipline practices, and state policies on school discipline all interact to produce student behavior. Lawmakers need to recognize the complexity of this issue when making policy decisions.

Recent school discipline policies that have been considered or enacted in our state promoted stricter responses to student misbehavior and increased discretion for teachers in disciplinary decisions. In addition to being harmful to student well-being, research shows that these sorts of policies do not address student misbehavior or improve school safety. Instead, they increase the chances of negative long-term outcomes for all students and contribute to inequities across student groups.

In our state, this was illustrated following implementation of 2023s House Bill 2890 which provided increased discretion to sixth through 12th grade teachers in their response to student behavioral issues and classroom disruptions.

Data from last school year suggests that minor behavioral incidents increased among students while serious and repeated incidents were not significantly impacted. Several student groups including Black students, students with disabilities, students experiencing homelessness, and students in foster care were disproportionately impacted by discipline decisions. Notably, students with disabilities, while only about one-fifth of the overall student population, accounted for more than double that amount for most disciplinary responses last year including in-school and out-of-school suspensions, alternative education placements, detentions, expulsions and law enforcement involvements.

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Rather than excluding students from the classroom or transferring them to alternative education placements, we must improve the capacity of traditional public schools to serve students. Doing so is critical, considering that nearly 90 percent of students in our state are served through the public school system.

While not an immediate solution, building capacity for student support is an approach that can ultimately prevent behavioral issues among students and strengthen our public schools.

Step 1: Increase staffing of student support personnel to meet students physical, mental and emotional needs such as nurses, social workers, counselors and psychologists. Many of our school districts are understaffed for these roles while numerous students face challenges including food insecurity, economic strain, homelessness, substance use and poor mental health. In November, lawmakers learned that the statewide ratio of social workers to students is 1:16,000, with entire school districts that lack a single social worker and others that have their professional support staff serving far more than the recommended 1:250 ratio.

Step 2: Increase staffing and retention of teachers, including special education teachers. This step can benefit students and improve experiences and outcomes for educators by addressing staffing shortages and causes of job strain and burnout. Modernizing the school aid formula to ensure districts can hire the appropriate level of professional support staff is a step state lawmakers should take right away to increase support for students and educators alike.

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Lawmakers have already demonstrated a willingness to utilize funding to address education in our state through the Hope Scholarship. Rather than further weakening public schools through this program, lawmakers can instead commit these funds to our public school system. For less than half of the estimated cost to make the Hope Scholarship universal, we could achieve sufficient coverage of essential professional support personnel across school districts.

Students and educators alike deserve the opportunity to learn in a safe and supportive environment. The concerns of educators must be addressed to ensure that students and educators can coexist in a public school system that recognizes their value and is committed to their wellbeing and success. By choosing to invest in our public schools, lawmakers can reaffirm their commitment to the students and educators in our state.

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Editors note: This story is available as a result of a content partnership between WFTV and the Orlando Business Journal.

One of the regions most active health systems has purchased over 200 acres in Lakeland where it plans to build a full-service hospital.

AdventHealth, based in Altamonte Springs, paid $14 million for an assemblage of 218 acres in the vicinity of 3838 Harden Blvd. in South Lakeland, according to Polk County property records. The land sale closed on Nov. 25.

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Read: Kennedy Space Center host their annual Holidays in Space event

On that property, the health system has proposed building a hospital with up to 400 beds as well as an offsite emergency department, a medical office building and designated areas for future residential and commercial development, a spokesperson for AdventHealth told the Tampa Bay Business Journal.

Click here to read the full story on the Orlando Business Journals website.

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AURORA, Colo. (KDVR)  A migrant and housing advocacy group is asking questions about how the Aurora Police Department carried out an operation that led to the arrest of 16 undocumented immigrants.

The Housekeys Action Network Denver said Thursday the agency went too far by using ICE agents to take people into custody.

Latest info: ICE: 16 suspects in Aurora apartment invasion arrested for being in the country illegally

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When Aurora police went to investigate a call for help regarding a home invasion and kidnapping at the Edge at Lowry complex, ICE agents went too. That has Housekeys Action Network Denver organizers concerned.

We believe that this is a testing ground right now in Aurora. For them to try out to see how far they can go when it comes to detaining migrants without proper cause, and forcing them into deportation status in a lot quicker fashion, Housekeys Action Network Denver Organizer V Reeves said.

The Network said several migrants who had nothing to do with the reported crime were detained by APD and then arrested by ICE.

We cannot allow the police force to discriminate against them and mass for where they come from and to force them into this situation, Organizer Reeves said.

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But the former head of ICEs Field office in Denver said ICE agents can help positively identify possible gang members. John Fabbricatore said ICE can also help keep migrants in custody until charges are filed in local cases.

Judge dismisses lawsuit arguing Colorado immigration laws violate state, federal rules

Once the city determines what they are going to charge them with then the city will come back and give ICE a writ to bring that person into city custody so they can be held at the county jail, Retired ICE Denver Field Office Director John Fabbricatore said.

Auroras new Chief of Police Todd Chamberlain said he would ask federal agencies to help in cases like the one at The Edge at Lowry, which was noticed by the countrys incoming border czar.

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Whats lacking is an ICE person standing next to him shoulder to shoulder. Hes talking the talk but lets hope he walks the walk and hands these people to ice when hes done with them. Because we can remove them not only from the community but the country, Incoming Border Czar Tom Homan said.

APD will evaluate all available resources and partnerships, including local, state, and federal agencies, to conduct thorough investigations, an Aurora Police Department spokesman said in response to questions about the ICE operation.

Tenants of troubled Aurora apartment complex worry about looming closure

APD investigators contacted Homeland Security Investigations and ICE  ERO to assist with our criminal investigation of the violent incident that occurred Monday night into early Tuesday morning. The primary role of our federal partners was to assist with the identification of the suspects involved in the crime and their associates, an APD spokesperson said.

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Housekeys Action says migrants at The Edge at Lowry are desperately trying to find a better place to live but are having a difficult time doing that.

A spokesperson for ICE told FOX31 the 16 people under arrest will go through removal hearings. The question now is whether they will be charged in the kidnapping torture case and be transferred to state custody.

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MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG)  A local family could be moving into their new home for the holidays as part of the City of Mobiles efforts to help find affordable housing for people who qualify.

WKRG News 5 got a sneak peek of the new house Thursday afternoon.

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It was a big holiday surprise for a family in West Mobile as the city revealed its fourth HoPE program home.

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The HoPE program is a pathway to home ownership. The program allows people with housing choice vouchers to use the funds to pay toward a mortgage rather than rent.

The home that previously stood at the new homes location was abandoned.

The city acquired the property, demolished the old house, and a new home was built in its place.

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It took a long time for the city to be able to buy this property and get a clear title and then convert it to this house, Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson said. I mean we took something for this neighborhood that was a cancer and were able to turn it into what is now a rose.

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Local contractor Dortch Figures and Sons built the house.

Company CEO Rashawn Figures said its their way of giving back to the community.

We wanted to set a standard of what affordable housing should look like that matched the mayors vision, Figures said.

UPDATE: MCPSS teacher placed on administrative leave

Stimpson said four more homes are currently under construction through the program, and the city hopes to build up to 75 more by the end of 2027.

The new homeowners expect to move in by the second week of January.

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 WKRG News 5.
The U.S. Capitol. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

Originally published by The 19th

More than two dozen members of Congress have been the victims of sexually explicit deepfakes  and an overwhelming majority of those impacted are women, according to a new study that spotlights the stark gender disparity in this technology and the evolving risks for womens participation in politics and other forms of civic engagement.

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The American Sunlight Project (ASP), a think tank that researches disinformation and advocates for policies that promote democracy, released findings on Wednesday that identify more than 35,000 mentions of nonconsensual intimate imagery (NCII) depicting 26 members of Congress  25 women and one man  that were found recently on deepfake websites. Most of the imagery was quickly removed as researchers shared their findings with impacted members of Congress.

We need to kind of reckon with this new environment and the fact that the internet has opened up so many of these harms that are disproportionately targeting women and marginalized communities, said Nina Jankowicz, an online disinformation and harassment expert who founded The American Sunlight Project and is an author on the study.

Nonconsensual intimate imagery, also known colloquially as deepfake porn (though advocates prefer the former), can be created through generative AI or by overlaying headshots onto media of adult performers. There is currently limited policy to restrict its creation and spread.

ASP shared the first-of-its-kind findings exclusively with The 19th. The group collected data in part by developing a custom search engine to find members of the 118th Congress by first and last name, abbreviations or nicknames on 11 well-known deepfake sites. Neither party affiliation nor geographic location had an impact on the likelihood of being targeted for abuse, though younger members were more likely to be victimized. The largest factor was gender, with women members of Congress being 70 times more likely than men to be targeted.

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ASP did not release the names of the lawmakers depicted in the imagery to avoid encouraging searches. They did contact the offices of everyone impacted to alert them and offer resources on online harms and mental health support. Authors of the study note that in the immediate aftermath, imagery targeting most of the members was entirely or almost entirely removed from the sites  a fact theyre unable to explain. Researchers have noted that such removals do not prevent material from being shared or uploaded again. In some cases involving lawmakers, search result pages remained indexed on Google despite the content being largely or entirely removed.

The removal may be coincidental. Regardless of what exactly led to removal of this content  whether cease and desist letters, claims of copyright infringement, or other contact with the sites hosting deepfake abuse  it highlights a large disparity of privilege, according to the study. People, particularly women, who lack the resources afforded to Members of Congress, would be highly unlikely to achieve this rapid response from the creators and distributors of AI-generated NCII if they initiated a takedown request themselves.

According to the studys initial findings, nearly 16 percent of all the women who currently serve in Congress  or about 1 in 6 congresswomen  are the victims of AI-generated nonconsensual intimate imagery.

Jankowicz has been the target of online harassment and threats for her domestic and international work dismantling disinformation. She has also spoken publicly about being the victim of deepfake abuse  a fact she found out through a Google Alert in 2023.

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You can be made to appear in these compromised, intimate situations without your consent, and those videos, even if you were to say, pursue a copyright claim against the original poster, as in my case, they proliferate around the internet without your control and without some sort of consequence for the people who are amplifying or creating deepfake porn, she said. That continues to be a risk for anybody who is in the public eye, who is participating in public discourse, but in particular for women and for women of color.

Image-based sexual abuse can have devastating mental health effects on victims, who include everyday people who are not involved in politics  including children. In the past year, there have been reports of high school girls being targeted for image-based sexual abuse in states like California, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. School officials have had varying degrees of response, though the FBI has also issued a new warning that sharing such imagery of minors is illegal.

The full impact of deepfakes on society is still coming into focus, but research already shows that 41 percent of women between the ages of 18 and 29 self-censor to avoid online harassment.

That is a hugely powerful threat to democracy and free speech, if we have almost half of the population silencing themselves because theyre scared of the harassment they could experience, said Sophie Maddocks, research director at the Center for Media at Risk at the University of Pennsylvania.

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There is no federal law that establishes criminal or civil penalties for someone who generates and distributes AI-generated nonconsensual intimate imagery. About a dozen states have enacted laws in recent years, though most include civil penalties, not criminal ones.

AI-generated nonconsensual intimate imagery also opens up threats to national security by creating conditions for blackmail and geopolitical concessions. That could have ripple effects on policymakers irrespective of whether theyre directly the target of the imagery.

My hope here is that the members are pushed into action when they recognize not only that its affecting American women, but its affecting them, Jankowicz said. Its affecting their own colleagues. And this is happening simply because they are in the public eye.

Image-based sexual abuse is a unique risk for women running for office. Susanna Gibson narrowly lost her competitive legislative race after a Republican operative shared nonconsensual recordings of sexually explicit livestreams featuring the Virginia Democrat and her husband with The Washington Post. In the months after her loss, Gibson told The 19th she heard from young women discouraged from running for office out of fear of intimate images being used to harass them. Gibson has since started a nonprofit dedicated to fighting image-based sexual abuse and an accompanying political action committee to support women candidates against violations of intimate privacy.

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Maddocks has studied how women who speak out in public are more likely to experience digital sexual violence.

We have this much longer, women should be seen and not heard pattern that makes me think about Mary Beards writing and research on this idea that womanhood is antithetical to public speech. So when women speak publicly, its almost like, OK. Time to shame them. Time to strip them. Time to get them back in the house. Time to shame them into silence. And that silencing and that shaming motivation  we have to understand that in order to understand how this harm is manifesting as it relates to congresswomen.

ASP is encouraging Congress to pass federal legislation. The Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-Consensual Edits Act of 2024, also known as the DEFIANCE Act, would allow people to sue anyone who creates, shares or receives such imagery. The Take It Down Act would include criminal liability for such activity and require tech companies to take down deepfakes. Both bills have passed the Senate with bipartisan support, but have to navigate concerns around free speech and harm definitions, which are typical hurdles to tech policy, in the House.

It would be a dereliction of duty for Congress to let this session lapse without passing at least one of these bills, Jankowicz said It is one of the ways that the harm of artificial intelligence is actually being felt by real Americans right now. Its not a future harm. Its not something that we have to imagine.

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In the absence of congressional action, the White House has collaborated with the private sector to conceive creative solutions to curb image-based sexual abuse. But critics arent optimistic about Big Techs ability to regulate itself, given the history of harm caused by its platforms.

It is so easy for perpetrators to create this content, and the signal is not just to the individual woman being targeted, Jankowicz said. Its to women everywhere, saying, If you take this step, if you raise your voice, this is a consequence that you might have to deal with.

If you have been a victim of image-based sexual abuse, the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative maintains a list of legal resources.
HONOLULU(KHON2)  The city is getting closer to providing relief to businesses derailed by construction along Dillingham Blvd.

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But the Rail Transit Mitigation Fund, announced in July, hasnt paid anyone yet because the city had to develop rules, a way accept applications, and award the funds.

Andy Kawano, director of the city Department of Budget and Fiscal Services (BFS), said they are handling the program.

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Were testing the portal right now and our platform, grant platform, and we should have it ready to be opened in the mid January time frame, Kawano said.

Previous attempts to offer aid to businesses along the Skyline route failed.

In 2018 , $750,000 earmarked for business relief, was put back into the general fund because the city had no way to disperse the funds.

The extra time creating the platform was essential to getting the money to qualifying businesses.

Kawano said when the portal goes live mid January, theyll likely accept applications for two weeks.

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But if in the first week we receive enough applications we believe that are going to be eligible for payout, well probably notify the public that were going to close the portal, he explained.

Honolulu City Council allocated $250,000 for the fund, this go-round, with a maximum pay out of $10,000 per business. Kawano said they expect to award around 22 businesses.

To qualify, businesses must be located within the construction zone, in operation from Jan 1, 2022 to the date of submission, with an annual maximum revenue of $750,000, 15 or fewer employees and be locally owned.

Anthony Han, owns Soul chicken across from Hawaii Community College.

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Hans business is one of roughly 200 businesses in the work zone.

He said his sales have dropped 40 to 50% since construction started.

I think $10,000 is not really helping to me because this is very difficult to survive, Han explained. People dont want to come. Even Uber Eats, they just try to just hold it from delivery service because it is takes time because of traffic.

Still, Han said he does plan to apply.

According to the HART website the Dillingham utilities relocation construction is supposed to be finished by early 2026, with construction of the rail through this corridor completed by 2030. But business owners arent sure they can survive that long.

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Elvin Lau owns Elvins Bakery in Kapalama Shopping Center. He doesnt qualify for the grant but has lost over 35% of his revenue.

I think Ill be retired in the next five or 10 years so by the time the rail is ready Ill probably be retired. Hopefully, I can survive till then, Lau said. But a lot of small business will be gone.

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The city plans to announce all the details for the program in the coming weeks. And Kawano said he thinks they will be able to disperse the funds by this spring.

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.
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP)  An ailing French national on death row for drug offenses has made a last-ditch plea to be returned home, Indonesian authorities said Friday, as the new administration of President Prabowo Subianto planned to give pardon to 44,000 inmates nationwide.

Subianto has surprised the nation with the clemency plan, barely two months after he took office. Past Indonesian leaders have rarely used the presidential prerogative of giving amnesty.

Serge Atlaoui, who had spent almost 20 years in Indonesian prison, won a last-minute reprieve in 2015 and was excluded from being executed by a 13-member firing squad.

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The father of four, who turned 61 on Monday and is reportedly suffering from cancer, wrote to the Indonesian government requesting to serve the rest of his sentence in his home country, according to Yusril Ihza Mahendra, Indonesias coordinating minister for law, human rights, immigration and corrections.

Atlaoui was arrested in 2005 for involvement in a factory manufacturing the psychedelic drug MDMA, sometimes called ecstasy, on the outskirts of Jakarta. His lawyers say he was employed as a welder at the factory and did not understand what the chemicals on the premises were used for.

We are forwarding a personal request from Serge Atlaoui to the Indonesian government which of course should be responded by the French government, because this concerns the transfer of a prisoner, Mahendra told a joint news conference with French Ambassador Fabien Penone after a meeting on Friday.

Law Minister Supratman Andi Agtas said after a cabinet meeting last week that humanitarianism and rehabilitation were the main reasons for the decision to release about 44,000 prisoners from the country's notoriously overcrowded prisons. No names or details have been disclosed in the announcement.

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Indonesia's government on Wednesday returned Mary Jane Veloso, a Filipina woman who had been on death row and who was nearly executed by firing squad in 2015, after longstanding requests from her home country.

On Sunday, five Australians who spent almost 20 years in Indonesian prisons for heroin trafficking returned to Australia under a deal struck between the governments.

In the case of Atlaoui, Mahendra said it was in the initial stages and will take some time because there has been no official request from the French government.

French Ambassador Penone said that Mahendra has briefed him about the case and that he is working with the Indonesian government.

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Atlaoui, from Metz, has maintained his innocence during his 19 years' incarceration, claiming that he was installing machinery in what he thought was an acrylics plant. Police accused him of being a chemist at the site. He was initially sentenced to life, but the Supreme Court in 2007 increased the sentence to death on appeal.

His case has drawn attention in France, which vigorously opposes the death penalty in all places and under all circumstances."

Indonesia executed eight others in May 2015, but Atlaoui was granted a stay of execution because he still had an outstanding court appeal. An Administrative Court in Jakarta denied his last court appeal in June 2015.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime says Indonesia is a major drug smuggling hub despite having some of the strictest drug laws in the world, in part because international drug syndicates target its young population.

About 530 people are on death row in Indonesia, mostly for drug-related crimes, including nearly 100 foreigners, the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections data showed last month. Indonesias last executions, of a citizen and three foreigners, were carried out in July 2016.
BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Multiple organizations in China released the most popular Chinese characters and phrases of 2024 on Friday, offering insight into the evolving trends of the country and the world.

On the list of 2024 buzzwords for China, the character "zhi", or "intelligence" in English, and the term "new quality productive forces" claimed the top spots for their respective categories.

Also featured are characters related to integration, safety, and stability, along with expressions like "Black Myth: Wukong," the internationally acclaimed Chinese video game, and "smell of work," a social media term that describes a state of fatigue, mental exhaustion, and loss of interest in life resulting from long working hours.

For global buzzwords, the list included "election," "war," "change," "Paris Olympics," "Global South," "Artificial Intelligence," and "Large Language Model."

The lists were compiled using an algorithm that analyzed a corpus of Chinese characters along with public recommendations, with final results confirmed by experts and researchers.

Having been held for 19 consecutive years, this annual event is jointly organized by the National Language Resources Monitoring and Research Center, the Commercial Press, and other institutions. 
Outgoing Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall on Thursday downplayed Elon Musks recent pronouncements that crewed fighters are obsolete in the era of drones, and suggested the billionaire industrialist learn more about the military.

I have a lot of respect for Elon Musk as an engineer, Kendall said during a webcast with the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. Hes not a warfighter, and he needs to learn a little bit more about the business, I think, before he makes such grand announcements as he did.

In November, Musk wrote that manned fighter jets are obsolete in the age of drones and called those building jets like the F-35 idiots in a series of posts on his social media platform X.

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SpaceX founder and billionaire Musk allied himself with President-elect Donald Trump this year, and has become a key confidant to the incoming president with growing influence. Trump named Musk, along with entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, to run a task force dubbed Department of Government Efficiency to examine ways to slash federal spending.

Musk made multiple scathing posts Wednesday about a proposed continuing resolution bill funding the government for three months that Congress was set to vote on, and his stance was soon echoed by Trump. This prompted Republican lawmakers to reject the CR, throwing the funding process into uncertainty and raising the specter of a government shutdown over Christmas.

Musks dig at crewed fighter jets isnt the first time hes ruffled Air Force feathers over the topic. In 2020, he appeared at an Air Force Association conference and declared, The fighter jet era has passed.

But while Musks star may be rising in the new Trump administration, Kendall said Musks idea of a drone Air Force that can take the place of the current crewed fleet is still years away from having the necessary technology to work.

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Its provocative, its interesting, Kendall said. I can imagine at some point  I dont think its centuries, by the way, I think its more like decades when something like he imagines can occur. But were not there, and its going to be a little while before we get there.

The Air Force is rapidly moving toward adopting autonomous drone wingmen known as collaborative combat aircraft, or CCAs, which would pair with F-35A fighters and, possibly, the services future Next Generation Air Dominance fighter.

Kendall said CCAs show the growing importance uncrewed platforms are playing in the Air Forces arsenal but that crewed fighters cant be abandoned yet. When the Air Force flies CCAs into battle, he said, it will be important to have a human battle manager nearby to control them as a unit, with a highly secure communications feed.

Pilots in simulators are already starting to learn how to manage large numbers of CCAs while continuing to operate their own jet, Kendall said  and are enthusiastic about the new possibilities and new ways to safely accomplish their missions CCAs will provide.

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My vision  is that our operators are going to embrace this, theyre going to move it forward and theyre going to deploy it in a cost-effective way, Kendall said. I was a little unsure as to how our operators would react to this, but when I asked them the question, How do you feel about this, they say, Sir, these are going to keep us alive.

Kendall said the military should continue to buy the F-35, which he called a state-of-the-art system thats continuously being upgraded, and in high demand from allied militaries around the world. The Air Force plans to buy 1,763 F-35s, but Kendall said the final number could change depending on how well CCAs and NGAD work out.
Dec. 19A little over a decade after the Air Force spent some $1.2 million to renovate a former officer's home on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the home was demolished last month, according to information obtained by the Dayton Daily News.

The Air Force spent $1.24 million, plus $77,000 in furnishings, to renovate the Charles Taylor House, a 3,500-square-foot, three-bedroom, three-bathroom Tudor-style brick home, this newspaper reported in 2012.

The final expenditure was about $400,000 more than the project's initial estimated cost.

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Base officials say the house was demolished this year after being designated "excess infrastructure."

Charles Edward Taylor built the engine that made the historic flight of the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk possible, according to historians. He has been recognized as a pioneer of aviation mechanics. The namesake house was found on the base's Area A.

The historic building was vacant before the renovation, essentially serving as a hotel for what the Air Force considered "distinguished visitors" or "VIPs"  officers ranking at colonel or above  and civilian executives.

Last month, the home was demolished, according to photos obtained by the Dayton Daily News and interviews with base officials.

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'Excess infrastructure'

A reader reached out to the Dayton Daily News about the demolition, saying it felt like a "tragedy."

Brick houses built on Wright-Patterson in the mid-1930s "show craftsmanship specific to an era of history," this reader wrote. "Personally, it would be lovely to see the existing homes restored/renovated and maintained with habitation."

The house was last renovated for $1.24 million in 2011, a spokeswoman for the 88th Air Base Wing said in response to questions from the Dayton Daily News.

The home was converted from family housing to a distinguished visitor's quarters on the base, used by the 88th Force Support Squadron.

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The 88th Air Base Wing is responsible for security, infrastructure and an array of support services to operate the large Air Force base.

In 2021, the building was returned to the 88th Civil Engineer Group for management, this news outlet was told.

After a review by the group, "it was determined the cost to convert it back to a family housing unit, as well as making additional code and compliance updates, was not financially tenable," said a base spokeswoman, Lisa Riley.

"As excess infrastructure, the decision was made to divest through demolition, in accordance with Air Force goals," she said.

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The building was demolished last month.

Tom Schatz is president of Citizens Against Government Waste, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization that critiques government over-spending, waste, fraud and abuse.

"Something that was renovated in the last 15 years should be livable and useable," Schatz said. "It does seem to be both excessive and premature  and it's perhaps a failure to determine what other purposes it (the home) might serve."

"Certainly the federal government should look to make what's being done more effective, more efficient," he said.

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'A five-star experience'

The building won an interior design award in 2010 from Air Force Materiel Command and featured a professional-grade kitchen. Guest feedback over the years had been positive, said a base spokesman in 2012, John Klemack.

"It's a five-star experience," Klemack told this newspaper more than a decade ago.

The house was located about a mile from the privately run Hope Hotel, next to busy base gate 12A. A decade or so ago, Air Force policy stipulated that VIPs could stay at that hotel only if no on-base facilities were available, a base spokesman told this newspaper in 2012.

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Remodeling and maintaining these vintage homes was never inexpensive.

Historic residential housing of the kind found at Wright-Patterson is rare in the Air Force, Brig. Gen. Mark Slominski, mobilization assistant to the commander of Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC), told this newspaper last year.

"They are high. They are higher than what you would expect to spend in a recap (remodeling) of a home off the installation," Slominski said then.

A Wright-Patterson home renovation project turned heads after a routine U.S. Army Corps of Engineer contract award in December 2022. The corps awarded a contract to Messer Construction for the renovation of 29 homes on Wright-Patterson  at a cost of about $2.4 million per home.

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Given the historic nature of the homes, tiles, windows, brick exteriors and metal roof materials need to be chosen carefully.

"It's a pretty substantial investment in materials that are very specialized," Slominski told this newspaper.
Ukrainian authorities have issued an air-raid warning for the second time this morning due to the threat of Russian ballistic missile strikes.

Source: Ukraine's Air Force on Telegram

Quote from the Air Force: "Threat of ballistic weapons attack throughout Ukraine."

Updated: The all-clear was given at 12:37.

Background:

On the morning of 20 December, Russian forces attacked Kyiv, causing a series of powerful explosions to reverberate through the city. Ukrainian authorities noted that the blasts were the result of air defence units responding to the threat.

Reports indicated that wreckage from downed Russian missiles landed in three districts of Kyiv: fires broke out and a heating pipeline was damaged. One person was killed and ten others injured.

Serhii Popko, Head of Kyiv City Military Administration, reported that the Russian military had likely attacked the Ukrainian capital with Kinzhal air-to-surface hypersonic missiles and Iskander/KN-23 ballistic missiles.

Later, Ukraine's Air Force reported that Ukrainian air defence had shot down five ballistic missiles headed for Kyiv and 40 UAVs in eight oblasts of Ukraine during the Russian combined attack, while another 20 drones did not reach their targets.

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JOHNSTOWN, Pa.  The John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airports federal status has been upgraded, landing the facility $2.7 million in funds for 2025.

Following back-to-back years with more than 10,000 enplanements, the airport is being reclassified within the nonhub commercial category to primary status  a move that guarantees U.S. airports at least $1 million in federal funds annually, Airport Manager Cory Cree said.

Its a designation the airport has been chasing for years  and Federal Aviation Administration officials delivered it alongside an extra Christmas present.

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By shifting from nonprimary to primary, the commercial airport is also receiving a $1.3 million boost in Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill funds, Cree said.

It was a huge surprise for us, Authority Chairman Rick McQuaide said. We have a lot of projects we want to get accomplished at this airport  the planned eight-unit hangar as well as improving the (parking) ramp and the hold room(s) that we need to lure an ultra-low cost carrier.

And now we have the money ... that will help us get those projects done, McQuaide added.

Authority officials were already planning for all three projects as future goals, but this puts them on a faster track, Cree said.

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The airport classification change, meanwhile, was a long time coming  12 years in the making, McQuaide said.

Window of opportunityJohnstown offers daily United Express flights to Chicago OHare International and Washington-Dulles International on 50-seat jets.

Nonhub primary airports are those whose commercial enplanements, or passenger boardings, are at least 10,000 in one year but less than a total U.S. boarding figure that often exceeds 400,000 enplanements.

Given Johnstown Airports surging passenger numbers, authority officials were confident the airport would eventually be reclassified among the approximately 400 nationwide with that designation. But there was a belief the funding allocation might not arrive until 2026, Cree said.

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Its now confirmed that $1.44 million in Airport Improvement Funds are being allocated for the airport for 2025, he said.

Those funds are designated for safety work such as runway repairs, maintenance equipment and airfield lighting, Cree said. Until now, as a nonprimary nonhub commercial airport, Johnstowns airport received just $150,000 per year.

He said airport officials were thrilled to learn that their separate pool of infrastructure funds would see a steep increase as well.

This federal funding stream is short-lived.

Airports will only receive the annual allotment until 2027, but its a massive windfall that Cree said should cover the cost for several projects the airports board has been exploring.

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Room to growThe airport authority met last year with several ultra-low cost carriers aiming to convince one to offer direct commercial flights to Florida.

Airline representatives responded that Johnstown would need to expand its passenger capacity.

Because ultra-low cost carriers  such as Allegiant Air and Spirit use larger Airbus jets equipped with more than 100 seats, the airport needs an area large enough for those people to wait before boarding  and after screening, airport officials have said.

As-is, space is often cramped prior to boarding. The authority had preliminary designs drawn up that would revamp a section of existing space near the baggage area as an additional hold room.

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But at approximately $400,000, the authority was seeking grants to start the project.

Now, 2025 infrastructure funds would cover that cost  as well as other needs, such as expanding the parking lot for additional travelers, Cree said.

These Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill funds give us an opportunity to do some projects that we cannot do with our other funds, Cree said.

Factoring in BIL funds from prior years the authority has not spent, the 2025 allocation will give the airport more than $1.4 million in funds to work with  and we want to make sure we use this money wisely.

The airport authority cannot use either pot of funding to purchase additional air service from a commercial carrier.

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Cree said the authority is hopeful the right mix of updates  and perhaps other incentives  will be enough to encourage one to give Johnstown a try.

Next stepsHe said the authority will have legwork to do before it can seek bids on constructing a new passenger hold room.

Airport officials will have to update their five-year capital plan with the FAA and, separately, engage with a professional firm to complete a final project design.

The best case scenario might see the project go out for bids late in 2025 or early 2026, Cree said.

But thats a faster track than the board wouldve anticipated a month ago, he said.

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And additional projects, which would also need environmental reviews, such as a parking area expansion, could theoretically move toward construction in 2026, Cree added.

There are a lot of moving parts  and planning ahead  but these are good problems to have, Cree said. We love these kinds of problems.

A testament to travelersMillion-dollar grants typically take applications, help from lawmakers and even a little luck given their competitive nature.

In this case, the credit goes to the growing number of people discovering Johnstowns airport for air travel  and the consistent, efficient service SkyWest and United Airlines are providing them, McQuaide said.

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The total number of people who boarded SkyWests United Express flights from or to Johnstown in 2024 is over 31,000 through Nov. 30, according to SkyWests report.

More importantly, a total of 16,137 people flew from Johnstown airport  and because of that, the airports annual funding level is growing, McQuaide said.

The biggest message to our public is that Great things happen when you use our service, McQuaide said. The more people who fly out of Johnstown, the more funding we get to expand our air service here.
AKRON, Ohio (WJW)  Following hours of closed-door discussions in executive session, Akrons school board on Thursday announced that they are hiring an outside firm  described to FOX 8 News as crisis intervention specialists  to investigate complaints and accusations against district Superintendent Michael Robinson.

Officers discover baby was missing for months before dad, sister died in crash

The announcement reads:

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In recent weeks, the Akron Public Schools Board of Education has met to consider some personnel-related issues involving superintendent Dr. Michael Robinson and other administrators. The Board has decided to engage an independent, professional firm to conduct a thorough and impartial review of these allegations. It is the Boards responsibility to take any allegations seriously. The independent firm will commence this review promptly and the Board will make its findings public upon completion. The top priority for the Board is to ensure continuity of high-quality education for Akron kids. Our full focus will be on fulfilling that mission every day. Further comment on these issues will be deferred pending results from the ongoing review. Akron Public Schools Board of Education

Robinson was hired in August of 2023 as the districts superintendent and given a five-year contract.

In the last year, the Akron teachers union has filed 20 grievances and four unfair labor practice complaints against the district and Robinsons administration.

The union has accused Robinson of using vanishing emails to send messages within the district, in violation of open-records laws.

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This superintendent is circumventing the law and sending public records in a manner that no one can download, forward and copy, and the superintendent is causing these emails to disappear suddenly from someones inbox. Thats a violation of Ohio law, union attorney Don Malarcik told FOX 8s I-Team.

He has also been publicly accused of lying on his resume, demoting a district employee as retaliation while that employee was out on family medical leave, bullying and intimidating at least one board member and creating a hostile work environment within the district.

Union President Pat Shipe said the announcement about an investigation comes as no surprise .

Nobody is disappearing emails other than the superintendent and his chief of staff. Nobody else has evidence of lying on a resume or making anti-union statements or supplanting union jobs. These are the behaviors of the superintendent. We believe and we have called for the board to handle their employee and to take some action and we are very concerned that that action isnt more decisive, she said.

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Shipe is also concerned that the superintendent is being given preferential treatment by remaining on the job while the investigation is underway.

We think they need to investigate, but any other employee that has been allegedly displaying these behaviors  these serious behaviors of bullying, retaliation, intimidation  has been put on administrative leave, has had their communication with other employees shut down and told not to contact other employees while the investigation is going on. Yet potentially the board feels that the superintendent should remain on his job, said Shipe.

Semi, driver involved in fatal October hit-and-run found

Robinson has publicly stated that he believes he is being unfairly disrespected by the board of education and treated like a criminal.

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In his first-year evaluation, board members stated he competently executed his duties and responsibilities.

But in their meetings over the last several weeks, the board appears to be split on any decision that would involve his possible dismissal.

In the last week-and-a-half, they have been in executive session for 11 hours, almost 12 hours over three nights. So that alone tells me there must be disagreement amongst the board. So the possibility that there are some people that feel like they want to take these allegations seriously would not surprise me at all, said Shipe.

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Al Cross renews a holiday tradition. ( Getty Images)

FRANKFORT  Ed Ryan wasnt the first political commentator to give Christmas gifts to political figures, but he and his successors as Courier-Journal Frankfort bureau chief, Bob Garrett and Tom Loftus, affirmed it as a tradition that Ive been happy to continue for 25 of its 44 years. It may seem like an anachronism at a time of conflict and turmoil, including the incoming national administrations hostility to the news media, but we all need to remember that were all human beings that benefit from some holiday spirit, maybe with a little mischief, so here goes:

U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell: A walking stick or a cane, of strong Kentucky hickory, to help him avoid more falls as he stands firm against the isolationism of Donald Trump and tries to keep the United States the leader of the free world. Holiday reading: his 4,500-word piece in Foreign Affairs magazine.

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Sen. Rand Paul: A new globe, to pick more exotic locations for fundraisers that seem to be more about spending; and a bust of the two-faced Roman deity Janus, since he didnt endorse Trump but wants to be in harness with him as new chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee.

Gov. Andy Beshear: A cell-phone app that diverts to voicemail all calls from New York Sen. Chuck Schumer and other Democratic leaders who rightly see Beshear as their only chance in 2026 to capture the seat of McConnell, who seems sure to retire. Beshear has pledged to serve out his gubernatorial term, which ends in 2027, and clearly wants an executive job in Washington, not a legislative one.

Former Attorney General Daniel Cameron: A dinner at The Catbird Seat restaurant in Nashville, to signify where he stands right now in the Senate race, if thats what he wants; hes a McConnell protege whom Trump endorsed against Beshear in 2023.

U.S. Rep. Andy Barr: A new Kentucky highway map and a directory of local and Republican officials to help the Lexingtonian explore the Senate race, since he failed to win the chairmanship of the House Financial Services Committee.

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Rep. Thomas Massie: The same two gifts, if he is likewise willing to give up his 4th District House seat in a bid for the Senate.

Rep. James Comer: For his second term heading the Oversight and Reform Committee, a refresher course at his alma mater, Western Kentucky University, in constitutional checks and balances  in light of his fawning reply to Trumps call for jailing members of the Jan. 6 investigating committee: If youve used a congressional committee and youve lied and tried to set people up and falsely imprisoned people, then you should be held accountable. If? Theres no such evidence, and if any committee chair needs to show independence from Trump, its the Oversight chair.

Rep. Brett Guthrie: From Bowling Green marble limestone quarried near their hometown, a bust of 2nd District predecessor William Natcher  the last Kentucky Democrat to chair a top House committee (Appropriations). Guthrie, a Republican, easily won the race for Energy and Commerce chair and is now one of the most powerful Kentuckians in Washington.

Rep. Hal Rogers: A framed photo of the late Sen. John Sherman Cooper, also of Somerset, to remind the dean of the House and former Appropriations chair what the Republican Party once was. And maybe inspire him as he nears the end of his career representing Eastern Kentuckys 5th District.

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Rep. Morgan McGarvey: A whip, to signify the Louisvillians election as one of 10 chief deputy whips for House Democrats, which perhaps more importantly makes him a member of their Steering Committee, which makes recommendations for committee chairmanships  or ranking members when in the minority, as they will be in January.

State Sen. Robert Stivers, R-Manchester: Some twigs of mountain laurel for his chamber nameplate, as, come September, he will break David Williams record 12-year, 10-month tenure as president of the Senate  and, during most of that time, the most powerful member of the General Assembly.

Kentuckys news media: Real money, either in donations or subscriptions  another word for underwriting. Someone must pay for independent journalism, which is essential to the successful operation of a democratic republic, where officials and institutions are held accountable. Advertisers no longer do that, so its up to the audience.

To our readers: Heartfelt wishes for a happy holiday and new year, and thanks for reading.

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This commentary is republished with permission from the Northern Kentucky Tribune, a nonprofit publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism.

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North Pole, Alaska  'Twas the week before Christmas and plenty was stirring at the Santa Claus House in the city of North Pole, Alaska.

The iconic Christmas-themed store checked its list twice, realizing that it is far more naughty than nice if any of the gifts it sends out arrive late to their destinations around the globe.

"People are used to waiting until the very last minute to shop online, which presents a challenge for us having to process that order and ship it out from Alaska," said Paul Brown, manager of the Santa Claus House, which for decades has been sending thousands of annual Santa letters to children worldwide.

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In North Pole, which is located about 13 miles southeast of Fairbanks, candy canes double as street lights, and Christmas takes on special meaning for resident and FedEx driver Bill Soplu.

"Yeah, this is a wonderful time of the year," Soplu said. "Everybody's so happy right now, so it makes our job a lot easier."

The cold weather doesn't diminish Souplou's cheer.

"Just the other day it was 30 above, you know, and then you wake up the next morning, it's 30 below," he said.

Nor do the moose.

"We don't want to mess around with those guys," he adds.

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The gifts Soplu is delivering come from an airfield 20 miles down a frozen road. There are only a few hours of daylight in Fairbanks during the winter months, and the temperature hovers around zero.

An average of 3,000 packages a day come through Fairbanks during the holiday season. Capt. Joseph Erikson is a delivery pilot for FedEx.

"I know there's a good chance there's a special present on that plane, and it's important to get that to that family," Erikson told CBS News.

Before they reach Fairbanks, shipments from around the world first come through a sprawling FedEx sorting center at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.

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During the holidays, there are 33 delivery planes a day which fly in and out of Anchorage carrying about 80,000 packages. The planes run around the clock so gifts can span the globe in as little as 24 hours.

"We've been putting these plans in place for months so we can make sure we're getting those packages to our customers," said David Lewis, senior manager for surface operations for FedEx in Alaska.

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

In Asheville, N.C., gingerbread houses reflect community spirit
TORONTO (AP)  The premier of Canada's oil-rich province of Alberta said on Thursday that Americans will pay a lot more for gas if President-elect Donald Trump imposes a 25% tariff on all Canadian products.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said in an interview with The Associated Press that American refineries won't have much choice but to increase the price of gas. Alberta provides 4.3 million barrels of oil a day to the United States.

We would be responsible for about 25% of the American need for energy, Smith told the AP.

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The U.S. tends to consume about 20 million barrels a day, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. It has also been producing domestically about 13.2 million barrels daily.

They are going to have to increase the price of gasoline by 25%," Smith said. "Do Americans really want to pay an extra buck a gallon on gasoline?

The president-elect has also talked about his desire to keep things like fuel prices low," she added.

Trump said the U.S. subsidizes Canada and is threating to impose the tariffs on all Canadian goods. He also wants Canada to stem what he calls a flow of migrants and drugs into the U.S.  even though far fewer of each crosses into the U.S. from Canada than from Mexico, which Trump has also threatened.

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About 60% of U.S. crude oil imports are from Canada. Alberta has about a trillion barrels of oil, 200 billion of which are recoverable.

Smith said the U.S. faces a problem.

If you don't get it from Canada there aren't a lot of great places you can get it from. You can get it from Venezuela or Iran or Iraq," Smith said.

I would humbly argue that Canada is a better friend and ally than any of those jurisdictions," she added.

Smith also said Canada has a particular type of oil that American refineries need. She said they just need to make sure there are more pipelines.

The sponsor of the Keystone XL crude oil pipeline pulled the plug on that contentious pipeline in 2021, after Canadian officials failed to persuade President Joe Biden to reverse his cancellation of its permit on the day he took office.

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Smith would love to get more pipelines approved during Trump's tenure. She noted Alberta's government took a billion dollar hit when Keystone XL was nixed as the government backstopped costs.

Smith also noted that Canada has critical minerals the U.S. needs, and that China is banning the export of some minerals to the U.S.

The U.S. has major aspirations to continue building out its AI data centers and critical minerals are going to be central to that, Smith said. Canada has virtually everything the Americans are going to need.

Canada has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is eager for and is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum and uranium to the U.S.

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Nearly $3.6 billion Canadian dollars ($2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day. Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states.

Smith responded to a social media post by Trump this week about Canada's trade surplus, saying the U.S. has a deficit with Canada because Canada sends billions of dollars' worth of raw materials like oil, gas and timber to U.S. refineries and factories. Smith said the U.S. relies on raw materials from Canada "to make trillions of dollars of wealth in your country.

About 60% of U.S. crude oil imports and 85% of U.S. electricity imports are from Canada.

Canadas ambassador to Washington, Kirsten Hillman, has said the U.S. had a $75 billion trade deficit with Canada last year. But she noted a third of what Canada sells into the U.S. is energy exports and said there is a deficit when oil prices are high.

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Smith also addressed the uncertainty in Ottawa with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau facing calls from within his own party to resign.

Trudeau, whose mandate expires next year, is expected to reshuffle his Cabinet on Friday as the crisis mounts.

Smith also called for an election so that Canada would become stronger at the negotiating table with Trump.

We dont have a leader of our country who has a four year mandate, Smith said. It would be a lot stronger to have a prime minister who says OK weve got four years to battle this out, you are not getting rid of me so lets talk turkey.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE)  Donovan Smith is no stranger to Albuquerque news. KRQE News 13 first talked about in 2014 when he and his mother recovered from homelessness and decided to give back by donating thousands of homemade soap bars.

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Now, Smith is sharing his story in his own words by making a childrens book in hopes of inspiring kids who may be facing the same hardships.

For 21-year-old Donovan Smith, its been over a decade since he and his mom moved to Albuquerque homeless. Albuquerque loved me first before I did, said Smith. Smith went on to say he never forgot the kindness he found.

He started with making soap. To date, hes donated over 20,000 bars to the homeless. From there, he started a hydro farm growing lettuce, tomatoes and other veggies inside his home then donating the food to non-profits in Spokane, Washington.

Ive always wanted to tell my side of the story. No interviewers, no nothing, just me sharing my story with the world, said Smith.

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So Smith wrote a book titled How Donovan Discovered the Gift of Kindness. The whole story and message of the book is community, said Smith.

The book follows Smith and his family as they travel to New Mexico and into a homeless shelter. The community really came together and made sure that we got through our first Christmas and cold winter, said Smith.

According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, there are over one million children living on the streets in the United States. Smith said this book is for them.

For one of those children to happen to pick up the book, whether thats in a library or elsewhere, and read that story and think hey this is a kid who is dealing with what I am dealing with right now and is made by an author who survived what Im dealing with right now and the message is things can and will get better, said Smith.

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Smith said hes working on getting a copy of his book into libraries here in the metro so everyone can have access even if they cant afford it.

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On the heels of losing her bid for a top House committee post, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said Friday that she doesnt feel rejected by Democrats, because she doesnt work for them.

I dont really feel abandoned by the Democratic Party, because my primary relationship that I care about the most is mass movements and mass-movement politics, she said on an episode of The Majority Report, a radio show hosted by political commentator Sam Seder.

I dont feel abandoned, because my job is not to try to gain personal acceptance, she continued. My job is to try to build power for the working class.

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On Tuesday, Ocasio-Cortez, 35, lost a Democratic caucus vote to name the top-ranking party member on the House Oversight Committee in the upcoming Congress  a position tasked with highlighting potential abuses by the incoming Trump administration. Instead, her colleagues went with Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), a 74-year-old, eight-term congressman.

Ocasio-Cortez, a progressive who runs with the Working Families Party, noted that the 131-84 vote was closer than people expected, making her optimistic about the partys direction.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) attends a news conference outside the Capitol on Nov. 19. Tom Williams via Getty Images

I dont think anybody in the party thought that it would be this close at the start, she told Seder. The fact that it was this close, the fact that some of the most established and powerful elements of the party had to mobilize to make this result happen  you know, people were hot on their heels  I think is a very good sign for us.

She also said theres a problem with long-serving Democrats holding on to outdated communication styles.

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Theres this idea... I think among more of the old guard, that having that kind of resonance and responsiveness is gauche and lowbrow and unsophisticated, and its attention-seeking, she said. Like the fact that a person has attention means that they are attention-seeking, as opposed to the fact that they are talking to people.

Republicans, Ocasio-Cortez continued, dont have a seniority system the way Democrats do.

Connollys supporters for the committee job largely cited his tenure on the panel when explaining why they backed him over Ocasio-Cortez.

Gerrys been on the committee for a long time. We watched him in the first [Trump] term. Hes a tenacious bulldog, Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.) told HuffPost this week. And Im glad that AOC ran as well. I think she presents a vision of the future, so kudos to her.

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Gerrys just been there and really devoted to that committee, and I think over time that really pays off, Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) told HuffPost. [Ocasio-Cortez is] great, though. I mean, not taking anything away. Shes a talent. Got to figure out a way to make sure that we use her skills.

Related...
DAMASCUS, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- A high-level U.S. delegation met with Ahmad al-Shara, the commander of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), on Friday.

In a statement, the U.S. 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 will discuss sanctions relief on Syria and the possible removal of the HTS from international terrorism lists.

The rare U.S. diplomatic engagement with al-Shara in the Syrian capital reflected a rapidly changing political environment following the fall of Syria's Bashar al-Assad's government nearly two weeks ago.

The U.S. team's arrival in Syria follows a flurry of visits by UN officials and European delegations from Britain, France, and Germany, signaling a concerted effort by international players to influence the shape of Syria's post-conflict governance.

The al-Assad government collapsed as a militant coalition led by the HTS captured the capital Damascus earlier this month. The HTS is still classified as a terrorist group by the United Nations, the United States, and Turkiye, among others. 
ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE (KFDX/KJTL)  On Thursday, December 19, 2024, the Altus Police Department, with the assistance of other agencies, arrested an employee and Fire Captain of the Altus Air Force Base Fire Department holding child sexual abuse material.

James Tolson arrested by Altus Police

42-year-old James Tolson was arrested for possession of child sexual abuse material and violating the Oklahoma Computer Crimes Act.

Wichita Falls Police Department warns against brushing scam

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According to Altus Police Chief Tim Murphy, the District III Drug and Crimes Task Force and the United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations were involved in the arrest.

Murphy also stated that the investigation was initiated based on a cyber tip, and investigators learned that Tolson had uploaded illegal files containing the child sexual abuse material into a cloud account.

That is when it was learned that Tolson was a civilian employee and captain at the Altus Air Force Base Fire Department.

Tolson was then taken into custody and later arrested.

This is a developing story. Stick with Texomas Homepage for updates as more information becomes available. All individuals charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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An Indigenous community in the Peruvian Amazon is celebrating a legal victory in the latest stage of its attempt to take back claimed ancestral rainforests.

The Puerto Franco community of the Kichwa tribe say their territory was stolen to form the Cordillera Azul National Park in 2001. Companies such as Shell and TotalEnergies spent tens of millions of dollars on carbon credits in the park to counter emissions from their fossil fuel operations. The Kichwas got next to nothing and were left in hunger, despite a 2022 Associated Press investigation finding that it was almost certainly their ancestral territory, by the terms of a convention Peru signed decades ago.

The community celebrated a dramatic legal victory last year, when provincial Judge Simona del Socorro Torres Sanchez ruled that creating the park without their consent had violated their rights. Authorities were ordered to grant them legal ownership and proceeds from the carbon credit sales.

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But that was quickly overturned by an appeals court in a move that some legal experts called questionable.

Judge Sanchez has now ruled once again in the Kichwas favor, however, making a new order that the Kichwas should get their land back and benefit from the carbon credit sales. She found the Kichwas were Indigenous, and their territorial rights counted for more than the amount of time thats passed.

The Peruvian government and a nonprofit which runs the park, CIMA, have argued that too much time has passed for the Kichwas to make a claim, and that they are not truly Indigenous people. Peruvian authorities have also argued in legal filings that the community didnt object to the parks creation in 2001.

Kichwa leader Inocente Sangama said he was outraged at the claim they were not Indigenous people. Who said an Indigenous person cannot wear clothes?

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The justice system has proved us right, he said. We feel pride and happiness.

The AP emailed the Peruvian government but did not immediately receive a reply. Jorge Aliaga Arauco, a director at CIMA, said by email that they would appeal the decision and were on solid evidential ground. The nonprofit says proceeds from the carbon credit project help protect the ancient rainforest, one of Perus most pristine and biodiverse environments.

The case may be moving towards a conclusion.

Juan Carlos Diaz, a constitutional lawyer at Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, told the AP that the ruling could be appealed before a superior court. If the Kichwas win there, the decision would be final, he said. Should the Kichwas lose, they would have one last right of appeal, to a Constitutional Court in Lima, but the government doesn't have that last recourse.

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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.
Amazon has reached a settlement with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) over working conditions at the e-commerce giants facilities, the Labor Department announced Thursday.

The settlement agreement resolves the worker safety watchdogs cases against Amazon for ergonomic hazards and requires the company to take measures to protect workers from conditions that could lead to lower back injuries and other musculoskeletal disorders.

This corporate-wide settlement agreement focuses on improving conditions for several hundred thousand Amazon workers nationwide, Douglas Parker, assistant secretary for Occupational Safety and Health, said in a statement.

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The ball is in the companys court, he added. OSHA stands ready to work with their ergonomics team to evaluate their progress and verify the commitments they made to OSHA.

Amazon was facing 10 cases that were set to go to trial before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission early next year, according to the Labor Department.

As part of the settlement agreement, OSHA dismissed nine of the citations and Amazon accepted one, Amazon spokesperson Maureen Lynch Vogel said.

At the site where we accepted a citation, well make some changes in the process path where employees handle TVs, Lynch Vogel said in a statement.

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Outside of that, the settlement doesnt require any engineering controls across the network; rather, OSHA is directing Amazon to continue implementing our existing processes and procedures to reduce ergonomic risk, she added.

The settlement comes as Amazon workers affiliated with the Teamsters union went on strike in five states Thursday ahead of the Christmas holiday, citing Amazons refusal to come to the bargaining table. Amazon contends that the workers are not employees.

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(NewsNation)  Nearly 10,000 Amazon workers who are part of the Teamsters union are striking across the United States ahead of the Christmas holiday, but the online retailer says it doesnt expect the strike to affect holiday gift deliveries.

Picket lines are being seen in cities like New York, Chicago and Atlanta as workers are walking off the job as the holiday rush to get packages delivered across the country heats up.

Amazon says the drivers represent a small fraction of its delivery workforce and should not slow down operations, the company told Fox 5 in New York.

Why are Amazon drivers striking?

Teamsters are demanding more money for workers and claim that Amazon officials have not done enough to fix workplace safety issues. Amazon has denied the claims.

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1,000 toys dropped off for patients at Bronson Childrens Hospital

In suburban Chicago, about 400 Teamster drivers work at a facility where some employees are encouraging their colleagues to join the picket lines. The main demand is better pay. Drivers claim they are living paycheck to paycheck.

Workers are also upset with how quickly they must process packages at Amazon fulfillment centers, citing a study that showed that workplace injuries at Amazon are double that of the industry standard.

Where are the areas affected by the Amazon strike?

Drivers are walking out of facilities in Southern California as well as San Francisco, Queens, New York, Atlanta, and outside of Chicago. The union calls it the largest strike against Amazon in U.S. history.

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Teamsters are also setting up picket lines at Amazon Fulfillment Centers nationwide, the organization said, adding drivers and warehouse workers who are not unionized are legally allowed to honor those picket lines.

If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazons insatiable greed. We gave Amazon a clear deadline to come to the table and do right by our members. They ignored it, said Teamsters General President Sean M. OBrien. These greedy executives had every chance to show decency and respect for the people who make their obscene profits possible. Instead, theyve pushed workers to the limit and now theyre paying the price. This strike is on them.

What do I do if my Amazon packages are delayed?

If your package is delayed, the retailer says to wait 48 hours before contacting them or the seller, according to Amazons website.

You can also find out how to track your order on the website or in the app.

Senate report on Amazon workforce

This week, a report released by the majority staff for the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, found that Amazon accepted employee injuries as part of the cost of doing business.

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Amazon responded by saying that the committees chair, Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders is misleading the American public.

Teamsters officials also argue Amazon management did not come to the bargaining table. Amazon executives maintain that the Teamsters are not representative of all of the companys drivers.

Amazon pays a driver service which in turn, provides about 7,000 independently contracted drivers for Amazon, which says the drivers are not Amazon employees. Those drivers, the company says, represent less than 1% of its workforce.

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MASPETH, QUEENS (PIX11)  With less than a week of shopping days until Christmas, Amazon drivers have gone on strike at facilities nationwide, including in the New York metro area.

Some 10,000 workers are part of the effort, according to their union, the Teamsters. However, Amazon says that the numbers of workers involved is too small to affect holiday deliveries.

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The strike was called at 6 a.m. on Thursday, at seven facilities across the country, including three in Southern California, and one each in Skokie, Illinois, near Chicago; Atlanta, Georgia; San Francisco; and in New York in Maspeth, Queens.

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Outside that distribution center on Thursday, the number of picketers fluctuated all day. What also fluctuated, but was certainly present were tensions between the 200 or so workers on the picket line, and hundreds more workers driving trucks and vans out of the facility on their way to deliveries.

The workers on strike said that theyre trying to get the corporation to negotiate with the union in order to benefit everyone who works at the distribution site.

Fleming Knight, an Amazon driver on the picket line, said that he and his colleagues are required to carry out strenuous work daily, for which they should be fairly compensated.

Im bringing up cat litter and Evian water to the sixth floor [walk-up apartments], he said. Pay me compensatory for what Im doing.

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Its physically demanding, its mentally demanding, he continued. We are worth far more than $20 an hour.

Olivia Carter, another driver who was on strike, said that each work shift for her is strenuous, but without benefits to match the jobs expectations.

350 Packages, 143 stops, she said was common in her workday. You do 10 hours a day, she continued. Your back hurts, your body hurts.

The point of the walkout, according to organizers with the Teamsters, is to affect the countrys second largest company at its busiest time of year, and in the process force it to negotiate a contract. It has not.

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For its part, Amazon has said that some 1.5 million people work for the corporation, and that they more than make up for the 10,000 workers that the Teamsters say are on strike.

In other words, Amazon says, its deliveries are going out, without interruption. That appeared to be the case at the Maspeth facility, called DBK4.

Any possible attempt by strikers to stop the trucks from going out could result in an arrest. Thats what happened two separate times along the picket line in Queens.

Two different people were arrested by some of the dozens of police on scene on Thursday. One of the arrestees, a union organizer named Antonio Rosario, got a heros welcome when he was released hours later. He received a desk appearance ticket on a disorderly conduct charge.

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Rosario said after his release that he was a union leader whod worked for more than 25 years at UPS. Hes now helping to organize Amazon workers and said that the latest UPS labor agreement, signed last summer, should serve as a template for the Amazon drivers.

At the end of the contract that we got, Rosario said, the workers will be making $49 an hour.

We feel equal work for equal pay, he continued. These Amazon workers do what we [UPS drivers] do.

The Teamsters said that the newly called strike is part of a growing organizing effort at Amazon facilities.

Vincent Perrone, the president of Teamsters Local 804, said that there are now 25 Amazon locations nationwide where workers have chosen to join the union. The first Amazon union formed at its JFK8 facility on Staten Island in April 2022.

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The Teamsters reported an extension picket at that facility on Thursday.

In the two-and-a-half years since the union began there, the numbers of members nationwide has grown exponentially.

Still, Perrone admitted that the numbers are less than 1% of all Amazon employees.

Yeah, its a small group, he said, adding that the numbers continue to increase. Six months from now, he continued, it could be 60 Amazon locations. This is going to gain momentum.

Amazon, which calls the labor action a demonstration, and not a strike, issued a statement through a spokesperson: For more than a year now, said Amazons Kelly Nantel, the Teamsters have continued to intentionally mislead the public  claiming that they represent thousands of Amazon employees and drivers. They dont, and this is another attempt to push a false narrative. The truth is that the Teamsters have actively threatened, intimidated, and attempted to coerce Amazon employees and third-party drivers to join them, which is illegal and is the subject of multiple pending unfair labor practice charges against the union.

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The union did not indicate how long Amazon workers will continue to remain on strike.

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With Christmas just days away, Amazon workers at several facilities around the country are on strike.

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a union which represents some Amazon workers, voted earlier this week to authorize a strike in four states. Massachusetts is not one of them.

Employees went on strike Thursday morning and are asking for higher wages and better work conditions as part of a new contract.

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The Teamsters represent nearly 10,000 workers at 10 Amazon facilities, which is only about 1% of Amazon's hourly workforce, according to Reuters.

The union calls it "the largest strike against Amazon in U.S. history," but the company has said it doesn't expect it to impact operations.

Amazon workers walk the picket line outside an Amazon facility in the City of Industry, California, on Dec. 19, 2024. Thousands of workers at Amazon facilities across the United States went on strike Dec. 19, 2024, the Teamsters Union said, halting work at the height of the busy holiday gift-giving season.

Will the Amazon strike delay deliveries in Massachusetts?

Amazon representatives told CNN that strikes would not interrupt holiday business.

The union suggests otherwise.

If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazons insatiable greed," Teamsters President Sean OBrien said in a statement. These greedy executives had every chance to show decency and respect for the people who make their obscene profits possible. Instead, theyve pushed workers to the limit and now theyre paying the price."

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Any shipping delays around the country would be minor and similar to winter weather delays, Satish Jindel, president of ShipMatrix, a software provider that tracks on-time delivery data for package shippers, told CNN.

Where are Amazon workers on strike?

Amazon workers are striking in New York, Atlanta, San Francisco, Skokie, Illinois and Southern California.

Amazon Teamsters at other facilities are prepared to join them, the Teamsters said.

The company has several warehouses around Massachusetts, including in Plymouth, Stoughton, and Dedham.

Why are Amazon workers on strike?

Striking Amazon workers said they are calling for higher wages, better benefits and safer conditions at work, according to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

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The union said it is aiming to put pressure on the company by threatening to delay deliveries during the busy holiday shipping season.

Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in an email to the Des Moines Register, part of the USA Today Network, that the union doesn't reflect its workers.

"The truth is that they were unable to get enough support from our employees and partners and have brought in outsiders to harass and intimidate our team, which is inappropriate and dangerous," Nantel said. "We appreciate all our teams great work to serve their customers and communities, and thanks to them, were not seeing any impact to customers orders.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Will Amazon worker strikes affect holiday deliveries in MA?
With Christmas just days away, Amazon workers at several facilities around the country are on strike.

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a union which represents some Amazon workers, voted earlier this week to authorize a strike in four states. Rhode Island is not one of them.

Employees went on strike Thursday morning and are asking for higher wages and better work conditions as part of a new contract.

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The Teamsters represent nearly 10,000 workers at 10 Amazon facilities, which is only about 1% of Amazon's hourly workforce, according to Reuters.

The union calls it "the largest strike against Amazon in U.S. history," but the company has said it doesn't expect it to impact operations.

Amazon workers walk the picket line outside an Amazon facility in the City of Industry, California, on Dec. 19, 2024. Thousands of workers at Amazon facilities across the United States went on strike Dec. 19, 2024, the Teamsters Union said, halting work at the height of the busy holiday gift-giving season.

Will the Amazon strike delay deliveries in Rhode Island?

Amazon representatives told CNN that strikes would not interrupt holiday business.

The union suggests otherwise.

If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazons insatiable greed," Teamsters President Sean OBrien said in a statement. These greedy executives had every chance to show decency and respect for the people who make their obscene profits possible. Instead, theyve pushed workers to the limit and now theyre paying the price."

Advertisement Advertisement

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Any shipping delays around the country would be minor and similar to winter weather delays, Satish Jindel, president of ShipMatrix, a software provider that tracks on-time delivery data for package shippers, told CNN.

Where are Amazon workers on strike?

Amazon workers are striking in New York, Atlanta, San Francisco, Skokie, Illinois and Southern California.

Amazon Teamsters at other facilities are prepared to join them, the Teamsters said.

The company has a warehouse in Johnston.

Amazon in Rhode Island: Amazon's sprawling Johnston distribution center is open. What to know.

Why are Amazon workers on strike?

Striking Amazon workers said they are calling for higher wages, better benefits and safer conditions at work, according to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

Advertisement Advertisement

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The union said it is aiming to put pressure on the company by threatening to delay deliveries during the busy holiday shipping season.

Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in an email to the Des Moines Register, part of the USA Today Network, that the union doesn't reflect its workers.

"The truth is that they were unable to get enough support from our employees and partners and have brought in outsiders to harass and intimidate our team, which is inappropriate and dangerous," Nantel said. "We appreciate all our teams great work to serve their customers and communities, and thanks to them, were not seeing any impact to customers orders.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Will Amazon worker strikes affect holiday deliveries in RI?
American Airlines (AAL) has settled a lawsuit filed by a group of Black flyers who said they faced discrimination from the carrier while flying out of Phoenix earlier this year. The passengers said they were singled out for removal from their flight under the guise of an odor complaint.

American Airlines is committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment to all customers, American said in a statement. While we cannot comment on the specific details of the settlement, we have reached an amicable resolution regarding the lawsuit filed earlier this year. The agreement allows all parties to move forward and focus on what matters most  ensuring a safe and inclusive travel experience for every customer.

In January, three men who boarded the American Airlines flight were told that they were being pulled from their seats because of an unspecified complaint of an offensive odor. When all of them had left the plane, they realized they were all Black. They filed suit in May, alleging discrimination.

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According to their complaint, when Plaintiffs pointed out that it looked like they had been singled out because they were Black, at least one of the American representatives said, I agree. I agree. Plaintiffs were told that they and the other Black male passengers would all have to be rebooked on another flight.

In June, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom issued an apology for their ordeal.

I am incredibly disappointed by what happened on that flight and the breakdown of our procedures, he wrote in a company memo. It contradicts our values, what we stand for, who we are and our purpose of caring for people on lifes journey. We fell short of our commitments and failed our customers in this incident.

The parties agreed to settle in October, but it wasnt until this month that the specifics of the agreement were finalized. On Thursday, court records indicate that the men notified the judge on the case that they would be seeking its dismissal, signifying the end of the proceedings.

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American Airlines settled a federal race discrimination lawsuit on Thursday, Dec. 19 involving three Black men who were required to deboard a plane.

Alvin Jackson, Emmanuel Jean Joseph and Xavier Veal filed a lawsuit against the Fort Worth-based airline in a New York federal district court in May, Outten & Golden LLP siad in a news release.

In January they and five other Black men were ordered to deboard a flight from Phoenix to New York after a flight attendant complained about an unidentified passengers body odor, the news release stated.

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The men did not know each other, they were not seated together and were not responsible for any odor, the release stated.

As the men began to deboard the plane, they noticed every Black man on the flight was also being removed, the lawsuit states.

Later an employee informed them that they would not be allowed to fly on the flight to New York and would need to be rebooked, according to the release.

The flight attendants responsible for their removal were terminated after the incident, the release stated.

According to the lawsuit the terms of the settlement are confidential but include a commitment by American to take action to prevent discrimination in the future.

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We are very pleased that American Airlines took our complaint seriously and we hope that this never happens to Black passengers or any other people of color again, said the three plaintiffs, Alvin Jackson, Emmanuel Jean Joseph, and Xavier Veal. Our goal in speaking out has always been to create change. We are proud that we used our voices to make a difference in the lives of Black Americans.

Corporations have a pressing responsibility to ensure that customers are not mistreated on account of race, said Michael Kirkpatrick, an attorney at Public Citizen Litigation Group who represented the plaintiffs. We appreciate that American Airlines treated this incident with the seriousness it deserves and agreed to correct course.

American Airlines commitment to take concrete actions to address discrimination is a significant departure from the way public companies have historically dealt with individual race discrimination claims, said Susan Huhta, partner at Outten & Golden and counsel for the plaintiffs. We are pleased to have reached a resolution that will allow these brave men to move forward with their heads held high.
LA PAZ, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Bolivian prosecutors have requested an immigration alert for former President Evo Morales, who is accused of human trafficking, the Minister of Government Eduardo del Castillo confirmed on Thursday.

The charges, filed on Monday, accuse Morales, who served as president from 2006 to 2019, of involvement in a human trafficking case connected to a 2015 rape investigation. An arrest warrant has also been issued as part of the ongoing probe.

Del Castillo said that the Bolivian Police will comply with the court's decision.

Morales claimed on Tuesday that he is the victim of a "brutal legal war" that seeks to block his candidacy in next year's general election and to hand him over to the United States as a "political trophy." He also accused the authorities of violating constitutional principles of innocence presumption and due process.

Currently, the former president is taking refuge in the Cochabamba tropics, a region where he enjoys strong support from coca growers.

"We have elite security," said Vicente Choque, political secretary of the Six Federations of the Tropic of Cochabamba and a follower of Morales. He also warned of possible confrontations should the former president's arrest be carried out. 
DEXTER, N.Y. (WWTI)  The American Red Cross is helping one person after a Monday fire in Jefferson County.

Volunteers from the Central and Northern New York Chapter of the American Red Cross provided immediate emergency aid to one person after a fire on Middle Road in Dexter.

The Red Cross provided financial assistance which can be used for necessities such as shelter, food, and clothing, to one adult. Volunteers also offered emotional support, comfort kits containing personal care items, and health services.

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In the coming days, Red Cross staff and volunteers will remain available to help those affected by the fire as they navigate the road to recovery.

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.
Human rights activists are accusing the Lebanese Hezbollah militia of violating international humanitarian law in Israel because of indiscriminate rocket attacks.

"Amnesty International documented three Hezbollah rocket attacks on civilian areas of Israel in October 2024 that killed eight civilians and injured at least 16 more that must be investigated as war crimes," the organization said on Friday.

Hezbollah did not distinguish between combatants and civilians, as is required by international humanitarian law, Amnesty continued.

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In Israel, civilian homes have also been damaged and destroyed due to the "reckless use" of unguided missiles.

Amnesty called for direct attacks by the Shiite militia on civilians and civilian sites, and indiscriminate attacks that killed or injured civilians, to be investigated as war crimes.

The human rights organization recently accused Israel of four "unlawful airstrikes" on residential buildings in Lebanon, resulting in many deaths, and called for investigations into whether these were war crimes as well.

Amnesty also criticised Israel's evacuation orders in Lebanon as inadequate and in some cases misleading.

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Hezbollah and Israel largely ended their year of attacks on each other at the end of November with a ceasefire.

The pro-Iranian militia and Israel's army did not initially comment on Amnesty's accusations when asked.

Amnesty also accuses Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
LIMA (Reuters) - An "amphibious mouse" with partially webbed feet that eats aquatic insects was among 27 new species discovered during a 2022 expedition to Peru's Amazon, according to Conservation International.

Scientists also discovered a spiny mouse, a squirrel, eight types of fish, three amphibians and 10 types of butterflies, Trond Larsen, head of Conservation International's Rapid Assessment Program, told Reuters this week.

He added that another 48 species found by investigators were potentially new, but needed further study.

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The new species were found in Alto Mayo, a protected area with several ecosystems, Indigenous territories and villages.

"Discovering so many new species of mammals and vertebrates is really incredible, especially in such a human-influenced landscape as Alto Mayo," Larsen said.

The expedition between June and July 2022 was made up of 13 scientists plus local technicians and members of Indigenous groups.

"It was really fantastic to work so closely with the Awajun people. They have extensive traditional knowledge about the forests, animals and plants they live side-by-side with," Larsen said.

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Among the new species, Larsen highlighted the spiny mouse that has stiff fur, the amphibious mouse, and a dwarf squirrel that measures 14 cm (5.5 in).

"(The squirrel) fits so easily in the palm of your hand. Adorable and beautiful chestnut-brown color, very fast," Larsen said. "It jumps quickly and hides in the trees."

Another favorite discovery was the blob-headed fish, a type of armored catfish, he said.

A total of 2,046 species were recorded during the 38-day expedition using camera traps, bioacoustic sensors and DNA sampling. Among them, 49 were classified as threatened, including the yellow-tailed woolly monkey and the tree monkey.

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Larsen said the discoveries reinforced the need to protect the area.

"Unless steps are taken now to safeguard these sites and help restore parts of the landscape ... there's a strong chance they won't persist in the long term," Larsen said.

(Report by Carlos Valdez and Marco Aquino; Editing by Alexander Villegas and Rosalba O'Brien)
In the six weeks since Donald Trump won the presidential election, Europe has been bracing for a U.S. administration that could strain traditional transatlantic alliances.

That sense of uncertainty has just been turbocharged by a disruptive new force: multibillionaire Elon Musk, who has made it clear he intends to leave his mark on politics and policy not only in Washington but in Europe as well.

On Friday, as U.S. lawmakers were racing to avert a looming government shutdown, Musk used his social media platform X to tout his strong support for a far-right political party in Germany that is looking to increase its clout in the wake of this months meltdown of the three-party ruling coalition of Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

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Only the AfD can save Germany, Musk wrote, using the German initials for Alternative for Germany, the party best known for its stridently anti-immigrant stance, longtime ties to neo-Nazis and the extremist designation that Germanys domestic intelligence service has given its youth wing.

Read more: News Analysis: Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin: A much-scrutinized relationship is back in the spotlight

The world's richest man had previously made provocative statements about German politics, but the timing of his latest remarks  coinciding with signals he intends to leverage his Trump administration position leading an advisory commission on government efficiency into a wide-ranging role in the new U.S. administration  stirred unease not only in Germany but across Europe.

Establishment parties and governments elsewhere on the continent are feeling vulnerable after a series of anti-system jolts, including the ouster this month of Frances prime minister, Michel Barnier, in a heavy blow to President Emmanuel Macron, who appointed him.

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Mainstay organizations including the European Union and NATO also are watching and worrying over the potential for destabilizing moves by Trump that could include protracted trade disputes and a withdrawal of crucial U.S. military support for Ukraine as it seeks to fight off a nearly three-year-old full-scale invasion by Russia.

Musks foray into German politics came just after far-right British politician Nigel Farage, who for years has been a fixture in Trump's orbit, declared this week that the South African-born Tesla and Space X magnate was considering a historically large contribution to his Reform U.K. party  prompting calls for swift action to tighten Britains rules on political donations, which are already far stricter than those in the United States.

In Germany, Europe's economic powerhouse and political center of gravity, Musks commentary roiled the political establishment  and drew expressions of glee from supporters of the AfD, whose nationalist-populist message has helped it make inroads this year in state and European Parliament elections.

Read more: News Analysis: Trump's transition moves raise fears of a politicized military

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The party hopes to mount a strong challenge to Friedrich Merz, the frontrunner to replace Scholz in a national vote expected in February, but other leading political blocs have already declared they would not accept the AfD as a coalition partner.

AfDs leader Alice Weidel quickly thanked Musk for his online vote of confidence, declaring: You are perfectly right!

In a video posted on X shortly after the billionaires accolade landed, she said the AfD is indeed the one and only alternative for our country  our last option, if you ask me!

Scholz has been something of a punching bag for his opponents across the political spectrum over Germanys floundering economy, but the Musk broadside prompted some of his chief rivals to come to his defense  often with acid commentary about Musk.

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We usually hear that Elon Musk is this gifted wunderkind, but when I hear these comments, I have to doubt that, Alexander Throm of the center-right Christian Democratic Union, which is leading opinion polls in advance of Februarys vote, told the public broadcaster Deutsche Welle.

Another Christian Democratic politician, lawmaker Dennis Radtke, branded Musks remarks as interference in German elections. Speaking to the Handelsblatt daily, he called the comments threatening, irritating and unacceptable.

Read more: Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is Trump's pick for secretary of State

Rare agreement came from a leading politician in what is considered the most leftist party in Germanys political mix. Hes not really contributing anything, policywise, Clara Buenger of the Left Party said of Musk.

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He doesn't really know how political discussions work in Germany," she said.

Scholz himself adhered at least in part to his typical low-key political style in responding to this episode. Without naming Musk, he pointed out that Germanys political system allows for freedom of expression, which also applies to multibillionaires.

But the chancellor used sharper than usual language, for him, to challenge Musks characterization of the AfD as a national savior. Freedom to speak out, he said pointedly, also means that you're allowed to say things which aren't correct, and aren't good political advice."

Musk also had jeered at the collapse of the governing coalition, and at one point tweeted in German that the chancellor was a fool. Scholz responded at the time that the remark was not very friendly.

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The billionaire entrepreneur-turned-efficiency expert has opined previously about the AfD, expressing his bafflement at the mainstream unease it prompts within Germany over echoes of the countrys Nazi past.

The country has legal prohibitions on use of Third Reich-style language and symbols, and there has been more than one case involving prosecution of an AfD figure for flouting those laws.

They keep saying far right, but the policies of AfD that Ive read about dont sound extremist, Musk posted in June. Maybe Im missing something.

In the United States, Trumps elevation of Musk has prompted little opposition from within his own Republican party. In Europe, however, there is considerably more wariness.

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After British politician Farage was pictured posing this week with Musk at Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort, and Farage confirmed that a potentially huge donation from Musk to his party could be in play  $100 million, according to at least one British report  some British lawmakers and transparency advocates urged that measures be put in place to prevent such an unprecedentedly large infusion of foreign cash.

While Britain curtails how much political parties are allowed to spend on elections, there is no ceiling on donations from within the United Kingdom. Musk could get around that with the British registration of the British arm of X.

Its crucial that U.K. voters have trust in the financing of our political system, the chief executive of Britains Electoral Commission, Vijay Rangarajan, told the Guardian newspaper. The system needs strengthening.

Musk has made clear his disdain for Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the left-leaning Labor Party, and has often voiced criticism of British policies on immigration and policing.

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Farage, for his part, cites Trump as a populist role model, and shares the president-elects antipathy toward bodies such as the European Union. His Reform party picked up about 14% of the vote in June elections, its strongest showing ever.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
By Shivam Patel

IMPHAL, India (Reuters) - Indian militant groups that took refuge in Myanmar and fought in its civil war have been streaming back across the border to Manipur state this year, Indian security officers said, inflaming the bitter 19-month ethnic conflict there with weapons and battle-hardened cadres.

This has led to an increase in violence between Manipur's dominant and mostly Hindu Meitei community and the mainly Christian Kuki tribes - a conflict that critics say is the biggest law-and-order failure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 11-year-old government. Since May 2023, some 260 people have been killed in the fighting and more than 60,000 displaced.

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Nine Indian military and police officers who spoke to Reuters, plus several politicians and rebel sources in Myanmar, described a conflict that is spreading to new areas as militants from the rival groups come across the border to Manipur.

Fighters are equipped with more sophisticated weapons, including rocket launchers, and 20 people were killed in fighting in November alone. In response, the federal government announced it was deploying 10,000 more soldiers in Manipur, taking the total number of troops to nearly 67,000 in addition to the 30,000-strong police force.

The escalation has been accompanied by an increase in crime  mainly extortion and illegal drugs trade  to fund the weapons and operations of the rival factions, the police and military officers said.

"The insurgents who we had controlled about 10 years ago are gaining relevance again," said Yumnam Joykumar Singh, a former Manipur police chief and the state's deputy chief minister between 2017 and 2020.

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"Some of them are coming back from Myanmar, some have already come," said Singh, a Meitei, who led operations against Meitei militants in Manipur as a hardline chief of police between 2007 and 2012.

The federal interior ministry, Manipur Police and the Myanmar junta did not respond to requests for comment.

Manipur is a hilly, forested region of 3.2 million people in India's northeast, bordered by Myanmar. The fighting there was sparked last year by a court order that proposed giving the Meiteis, who live in the prosperous Imphal valley region of the state, the same government benefits as those given to historically disadvantaged Kukis, who live in the more-impoverished hills.

Security forces have manned a buffer zone between the two groups to try to limit the violence.

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The state has a history of insurgencies and in recent decades many militants fled across the porous border following military crackdowns.

ON RIVAL SIDES

Security officers said Meitei groups have been fighting on the side of the ruling junta in Myanmar's civil war and an estimated 2,000 of their cadres had been camping in Myanmar's Sagaing region, just across the border from Manipur, as of December.

They have fought anti-junta rebels like the People's Defence Force - Kalay (PDF-K) and the Kuki National Army - Burma in Sagaing, Kachin and Chin areas of northern Myanmar, Indian security officers and tribal leaders said.

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The Kukis, meanwhile, have support from the Kachin rebels and have bought weapons from Myanmar's semi-autonomous Wa state, according to three Indian officers, several tribal leaders and a PDF-K source in Myanmar.

Some Meitei groups had operated from camps within Myanmar with the support of the military, but were now scattered along the frontier and going back into Manipur, said Sui Khar, vice chairman of the rebel Chin National Front, an anti-junta rebel outfit that operates in Chin state.

"They closely collaborated with the Burmese army in operations against us," he told Reuters in a telephone call.

The Indian military and police officers said it was difficult to assess the number of militants who have returned to Manipur.

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But more than 100 Meitei insurgents, including some intercepted by Indian authorities at the Myanmar border, were arrested in Manipur last year and more than 200 this year, according to a security officer and government data reviewed by Reuters.

About 50 Kuki insurgents were arrested in the same period, the data shows.

"Manipur was a problem, and now you have the Myanmar problem also coming in," Indian Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi said in October. "The battle lines are getting hardened".

In February, India announced plans to fence its 1,600 km (995 mile) border with Myanmar. EXTORTION, DRUGS

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Rival fighters are now equipped with rocket launchers, machine guns, sniper and assault rifles, including foreign-made M16s, M4A1s and AK-47s, according to seizure announcements by the military and the Manipur police.

While many of the weapons being used in Manipur were looted from state armouries in the initial months of the conflict, the more sophisticated weapons were brought in from Myanmar mostly this year, the officers said.

"These are two distinct conflicts, one for freedom from military rule, and another an internal ethnic conflict largely inflicted by one side on another," said Gautam Mukhopadhaya, India's ambassador to Myanmar between 2013 and 2016.

"With raging conflicts going on side by side, it can be assumed that some weapons transfers and trade in arms takes place."

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About 1,500 illegally imported arms are estimated to be in Manipur's Meitei-dominated valley area, and about 2,000 in the hills where most Kukis live, the Indian officers said, based on details from arrested insurgents.

These arms are in addition to about 5,000 government weapons that were stolen by Meitei groups, and about 1,000 by Kukis, the officers said.

Authorities have since recovered 3,000 weapons, including around 2,000 of those stolen, Manipur government officials told media in November.

Besides extortion, the security officers said some of the funding for the arms comes from illegal poppy plantations, which the state government has attempted to curb in recent years.

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"Poppy farms are in the hills, but processing also happens in the valley, and we have seen that field labour can be from any community, protected by armed men," said Homen Thangjam, a political science professor at the Indira Gandhi National Tribal University.

"Who pays them to grow is a mystery."

(Additional reporting by Tora Agarwala in Guwahati, India, Chanchinmawia in Mizoram, India and Devjyot Ghoshal in Bangkok; Editing by Krishna N. Das and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
By Jack Queen and Helen Coster

(Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump is adopting a wide-ranging legal strategy in suing media companies over what he describes as false or misleading coverage about him, filing cases under civil anti-fraud laws in addition to defamation lawsuits.

Some legal experts say the cases appear aimed at punishing outlets for critical coverage, and that the novel legal strategies are an effort to get past steep hurdles in defamation lawsuits, which can be difficult for public figures in the U.S. to win.

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Trump has said the lawsuits, three of which were filed in the past year, are necessary because media companies are very dishonest and need to be held accountable.

President Trump will continue to hold those who have committed, and are committing wrongdoings, accountable for blatantly false and dishonest reporting, which serves no public interest and only seeks to interfere in our elections on behalf of political partisans, Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement to Reuters when asked about the president-elects legal strategy.

Trump has one pending defamation case and is appealing a loss in another. His legal campaign against the media also includes at least two lawsuits brought under unfair trade practices laws and civil anti-fraud statutes aimed at protecting consumers from subpar products.

Media advocacy groups said Trumps use of such laws against news outlets could be a way of circumventing legal protections for the press, which can only be held liable for defamation against public figures if they say something they knew or should have known was false.

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There is this broader trend of litigants trying to evade the First Amendment protections that the courts have recognized in the defamation context by pleading their claims as something other than defamation claims, said Jameel Jaffer of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, referring to the part of the U.S. Constitution that protects free speech.

Trump on Monday told reporters he planned to aggressively pursue defamation cases against journalists.

He followed through that night by suing the Des Moines Register newspaper in Iowa state court over an opinion poll by the newspaper that showed Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris ahead of Trump before the Nov. 5 election -- but not for defamation. He instead brought his case under Iowas deceptive and unfair trade practices law, which makes it illegal to deceive or mislead consumers in the sale of merchandise.

Trump's lawsuit said millions of Americans "were deceived by the doctored Harris Poll."

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The Register acknowledged in a statement that the poll did not reflect Trumps ultimate margin of victory but said it stands by its reporting and believes the lawsuit is meritless.

On Monday, Trump also mentioned his ongoing $10 billion lawsuit against CBS over the networks October "60 Minutes" interview with Harris, which Trump said was deceptively edited. CBS said in a statement that it did not mislead the public and believes the lawsuit is meritless.

That case in federal court in Texas was brought under the states deceptive trade practices and consumer protection act.

Both of them are equally frivolous, said media attorney and Boston College Law School professor Jeffrey Pyle, referring to the lawsuits.

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'CREATIVE LAWYERING'

Suing media companies under different laws could avoid some of the obstacles that often doom defamation cases, but it still carries risks, legal experts said.

"This is creative lawyering. It doesn't mean that it's easier to win these other kinds of cases," said Ilya Shapiro of the conservative Manhattan Institute.

Iowa's consumer protection law, for instance, requires plaintiffs to prove a business knowingly did something deceptive and intended it to influence consumers.

Some legal experts said Trump could have a hard time convincing a judge that news coverage aimed at selling newspapers fits under laws typically wielded against businesses that swindle consumers. In a long line of cases, courts have rejected efforts to bring what are essentially defamation cases under the guise of other laws.

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Trumps lawsuits could still saddle news outlets with litigation costs and force them to turn over potentially embarrassing internal documents. Some experts said it would be corrosive to press freedoms if judges allow the cases to proceed.

If courts allowed Trump to use consumer protection laws to go after news outlets, for instance, it could open the door for state attorneys general to open official investigations using their broad authority to police the marketplace.

Consumer protection laws are meant to insure youre not marketing harmful products to the public, and are not meant to cover situations like this, said Gabe Rottman of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. When theyre used this way, it can pose a chilling effect on news gathering and reporting.

Trump's record with defamation cases is mixed. He claimed a recent success in a defamation case he brought against ABC News and anchor George Stephanopolous. ABC agreed to donate $15 million to Trumps presidential library and apologize for Stephanoplous' comments about Trump.

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ABC said in a statement that it was pleased the parties had reached an agreement to dismiss the lawsuit.

Trump lost a $475 million defamation lawsuit against CNN in 2022, when a federal judge in Florida found he could not sue over the networks comparison of him to Adolf Hitler and use of the term the big lie to describe his false claims that he won the 2020 election because those statements were opinions. The judge ruled those comments were opinions, and therefore protected speech. Trump is appealing.

(Reporting by Jack Queen and Helen Coster in New York; Editing by Amy Stevens and Jonathan Oatis)
Dec. 19ANDERSON  The Anderson City Council is hoping to submit a new district map to the federal court by Jan. 17.

The city council Tuesday voted to hire Virginia-based CensusChannel, a mapping services company specializing in geodemographic research and analysis, to create new maps for the city's six districts as the result of a federal lawsuit filed in 2023.

Lance Stephenson, president of the council, said Thursday that Anthony Fairfax with CensusChannel was hired to create the new maps.

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He said the firm charges $225 per hour, with the total cost for the creation of the new maps expected to be between $20,000 and $30,000.

"He's been doing this for 30 years," Stephenson said. "His credentials are top-notch."

Council attorney Rosemary Khoury said there is no date set in stone for CensusChannel to present the maps to the city council, but a possible date is Jan. 9.

She said a firm date is to present the maps to the federal court is Jan. 17.

"There have been discussions with the groups that filed the lawsuit," Khoury said. "We're hoping that we can reach agreement on a map and present it to the court."

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Common Cause of Indiana, the League of Women Voters of Indiana and the local chapter of the NAACP filed a complaint in 2023 in the U.S. District Court alleging the six single-member council districts violated federal law based on the one person, one vote requirement of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

Three members of the council  Ollie H. Dixon, Greg Graham and Joe Newman  created a map earlier this year that was never presented to the federal court.

Common Cause submitted a map to the city council.

The council voted not to accept that map and instead decided to hire an outside consultant to draw up the district maps as a result of the 2020 federal census.

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Earlier, a federal judge granted a partial summary judgement stating that the council failed to redraw the district maps.

The council faces a July 1, 2025 deadline to complete the new maps as required by legislation passed by the Indiana General Assembly earlier this year.

Follow Ken de la Bastide on Twitter @KendelaBastide, or call 765-640-4863.
ANGEL FIRE, N.M. (KRQE)  More affordable housing options will soon be coming to the Village of Angel Fire thanks to millions of dollars in funding from Housing New Mexico. Angel Fire has been granted a $2.42 million award to build a new rental housing development as part of a grant program for counties that have been impacted by wildfires.

Flights between Albuquerque, Angel Fire expected to take off before 2025

The businesses in Angel Fire dont compete for customers, they compete for employees, said Village of Angel Fire Mayor BJ Lindsey. There are a lot of families that would love to live and work in Angel Fire, but there is simply no place to live. The Village, resort, and all other businesses are all hiring, have qualified applicants but no place to house them.

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The village will use the money for an upcoming project that could bring 20 modular housing units to a 4-acre lot. Those rentals will be available to low and moderate-income families in Colfax 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 KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks at a press conference in Berlin, Germany, on July 24, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Hanlin)

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday urged the European Union to quickly reach a deal with China on the tariff dispute over electric vehicles.

BRUSSELS, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday urged the European Union (EU) to quickly reach a deal with China on the tariff dispute over electric vehicles (EVs).

"It makes no sense to have conflicts about this. Therefore, I appeal to everyone to bring these negotiations to a good result now," said the German chancellor Scholz upon arriving at the European Council summit.

China hopes that the EU will take concrete steps as soon as possible to jointly advance consultations on a price commitment plan for Chinese EVs, the Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday.

China always stands for the resolution of trade frictions through dialogue and consultation, and has been doing its utmost in the price commitment talks, said the ministry's spokesperson He Yongqian.

This file photo taken on June 6, 2024 shows an electric car at a charging station near the European Commission building in Brussels, Belgium. (Xinhua/Zhao Dingzhe)

Scholz also called on the European Commission to ease the enforcement of financial penalties for EU carmakers that fail to meet the region's carbon dioxide (CO2) emission targets set for next year.

"In the current global pressures facing the automotive industry, especially in Europe, it makes no sense to further burden companies with penalties for unmet targets in 2025," Scholz said.

"The Commission should find a way so that, if penalties become necessary, they do not impact the financial liquidity of the companies that now need to invest in electro-mobility, modern products, and vehicles," he added.

The European Green Deal aims for climate neutrality by 2050, including a 90 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from transport. To support this goal, stricter EU emissions rules for automakers will take effect from 2025, requiring average emissions of 93.6 grams of CO2 per kilometer or less. Automakers exceeding this limit face fines of 95 euros (about 98.45 U.S. dollars) per gram per car.

Industry estimates suggest European automakers could face penalties totaling 15 billion euros for failing to meet the targets, with Germany's Volkswagen, the region's largest automaker, among the most exposed. (1 euro= 1.04 dollar) 
Angry residents of cyclone-affected French overseas territory of Mayotte greeted French President Emmanuel Macron on his visit there, video broadcaster Euronews reported on Friday.

"I come from Ouangani, there is no water, there is no supply," a man told Macron, referring to Mayotte's capaital

"After six days, is that supposed to be normal? Do you think that is normal?"

Another resident questioned Macron if the sorry state of affairs in Mayotte was seen in other French territories, or if only Mayotte was being abandoned.

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Macron arrived in the region in the Indian Ocean on Thursday and stayed overnight.

On Saturday, Cyclone Chido swept over the territory with storm gusts reaching speeds of more than 220 kilometres per hour. It left a trail of devastation. Officially, more than 2,000 people are injured and 31 dead. However, the authorities fear a significantly higher number of fatalities.

Mayotte is located in the Indian Ocean, roughly between the coast of the southeast African country Mozambique and the island nation of Madagascar. Around 310,000 people live on the group of islands. The average age of the young population is just 23 years.

Macron said he wanted to spend a bit more time with the population and relief workers, and saw it as a sign of respect, as he explained in a video posted on the platform X.

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Previously, the president had announced plans to rebuild Mayotte. He asserted during his visit to the archipelago that all means would be made available for this. For those without insurance, Macron plans to establish a compensation fund.

Local prefect Francois-Xavier Bieuville estimates several hundred casualties.

Life in Mayotte is fundamentally different than on the French mainland, more than 8,000 kilometres away. More than three-quarters of the population live below the poverty line and people have less disposable income than in almost any other part of France, including the population of nearby La Reunion.

The economy on the archipelago, which was colonized by France in the mid-19th century, is poorly developed, and many people are unemployed and live in makeshift homes.
Angry residents of Mayotte, the French overseas territory hit by a cyclone, confronted French President Emmanuel Macron during his visit, Euronews reported on Friday, as the European Union pledged financial aid to support the region's recovery.

"I come from Ouangani, there is no water, there is no supply," a man told Macron, referring to Mayotte's capaital.

"After six days, is that supposed to be normal? Do you think that is normal?"

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Another resident questioned Macron if the sorry state of affairs in Mayotte was seen in other French territories, or if only Mayotte was being abandoned.

Macron arrived in the region in the Indian Ocean on Thursday and stayed overnight.

On Saturday, Cyclone Chido swept over the territory with storm gusts reaching speeds of more than 220 kilometres per hour. It left a trail of devastation.

Officially, more than 2,000 people are injured and 31 dead. However, the authorities fear a significantly higher number of fatalities.

EU to send help

The European Commission said it is organizing aid for Mayotte as well as for African countries impacted by Cyclone Chido.

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The commission "will do everything" to support Mayotte, EU Crisis Commissioner Hadja Lahbib said in a statement, thanking EU member states for their assistance.

The commission will send 900,000 ($935,405) in emergency humanitarian aid to help affected communities in Mozambique focused on water supplies, healthcare and shelter.

Five humanitarian flights will also deliver 60 tons of emergency aid, including shelter supplies, from EU stocks in Nairobi to Pemba in Mozambique.

Hundreds of estimated casualties

Mayotte is located in the Indian Ocean, roughly between the coast of the south-east African country Mozambique and the island nation of Madagascar.

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Around 310,000 people live on the group of islands. The average age of the young population is just 23 years.

Macron said he wanted to spend a bit more time with the population and relief workers and saw it as a sign of respect, as he explained in a video posted on the platform X.

Previously, the president had announced plans to rebuild Mayotte. He asserted during his visit to the archipelago that all means would be made available for this. For those without insurance, Macron plans to establish a compensation fund.

Local prefect Francois-Xavier Bieuville estimates several hundred casualties.

Life in Mayotte is fundamentally different than on the French mainland, more than 8,000 kilometres away.

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More than three-quarters of the population live below the poverty line and people have less disposable income than in almost any other part of France, including the population of nearby La Reunion.

The economy on the archipelago, which was colonized by France in the mid-19th century, is poorly developed and many people are unemployed and live in makeshift homes.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Friday said Syria's future is "hanging by a thread" as she called on Turkey to help stabilize the country during a visit to Ankara.

"Syria must neither become a pawn of foreign powers nor an experiment by radical forces," said Baerbock as she arrived in the Turkish capital.

The return of Syrian refugees and reconstruction of the country following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime "can only work if no one has to fear being prosecuted," the foreign minister said.

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"This should also be in the interests of the Turkish government, as there are more than 3 million Syrian refugees living in Turkey," added Baerbock, who was due to meet her counterpart Hakan Fidan in Ankara.

Since the beginning of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Turkey has been a major player in the country, supporting rebels against the Kurdish YPG militia.

Ankara considers the YPG to be an offshoot of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is seen as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union and the US.

Amid the power vacuum in northern Syria following the ousting of long-time ruler al-Assad, Turkish-backed rebels are believed to be advancing into YPG-held areas, leaving at least 100,000 residents displaced in recent weeks.

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Baerbock highlighted the fate of the Kurds in the Syrian border town of Kobane as she arrived in Ankara.

"While thousands are dancing in the streets in Damascus, Aleppo and Homs after the mass murderer Assad fled, the people in Kobane are already holding their breath again after an initial sigh of relief," said Baerbock.

"Peace is far from being won. Syria's future is still hanging by a thread," she added.
(WSYR-TV)  Census figures released last week show that Syracuse has the worst child poverty rate among larger US cities. Thats one of the reasons were focusing on hunger today.

The Food for Families campaign is underway throughout Central New York, to support food bank of Central New York. Today, Dec. 20, is the big day, where the all-day food drive is underway.

Our Tim Fox took us to the Tops in Airport Plaza, North Syracuse, with some ideas on how you can help.

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You can support the Food for Families campaign at your nearby Tops Friendly Markets around Central New York through Christmas Eve by purchasing Little Brown Bags of Hope which will go to the food insecure in our community.

You can also visit TopsNeighborsHelpingNeighbors.com and purchase a virtual Little Brown Bag of Hope to support the Food Bank of CNY in the mission to fight hunger.

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 WSYR.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department arrested and charged two more suspects connected to a shooting outside a school bus that came close to hitting the 33 students and a driver onboard.

CMPD: Second arrest made in school bus shooting

Gunfire from a drug deal struck the Albemarle Road Middle School bus on Monday along the 8820 block of East W.T. Harris Boulevard, CMPD said.

No one was shut but two students were hit by broken glass. The injuries were minor.

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On Thursday, police arrested Jaheim Savion Boone, 23, and on Friday, they captured Joshua Woods, 21.

Video shows bullets pierce school bus window narrowly missing students

They said Boone had a Glock 45 handgun and tried to shoot and kill three people who were in a 2018 Infiniti Q50 and Chevy Express. That was when rounds pierced through the school bus windows.

#NEW: Police have arrested another suspect in the shooting that sent bullets flying into a CMS bus with 33 students onboard.



Jaheim Boone is behind bars on no bond, facing a slew of charges. Police say the bullets he fired hit the school bus. Nobody was seriously hurt @wsoctv pic.twitter.com/ZY7qJiGnsI  Hunter Saenz (@Hunt_Saenz) December 20, 2024

He was arrested after a brief foot pursuit, CMPD said.

He was charged with three counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, nine counts of discharging a weapon into an occupied moving vehicle, possession with the intent to manufacture and sell cocaine, two counts of carrying a concealed gun, and resisting, delaying, obstructing a public officer.

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This is his ninth arrest since 2022 with plenty of felony charges.

Boone is currently in jail with no bond set.

Woods was charged with assault with a deadly weapon with the intent to kill and two counts of felony conspiracy.

Lamarious Ramel Anthony, 21, and Paris Lewis Bynum, were arrested earlier in the week.

Anthony was arrested and charged with felony possession of cocaine carrying a concealed weapon.

Bynum has been charged with possession of a firearm by a felon, assault with a deadly weapon with the intent to kill, and possession of a stolen vehicle. He is also in custody.

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There were new charges filed against Bynum on Friday.

Hours before Mondays shooting, he broke into a state Highway Patrol vehicle in Ballantyne and stole a rifle out of it.

Bynum now faces charges, including breaking and entering into a law enforcement vehicle and three other felonies. He remains in jail Friday.
It has been 10 years since her officer husband was brutally executed on a New York street by an anti-police vigilante, but Pei Xia Chen still thinks about it every day.

On Dec 20, 2014, NYPD officers Wenjian Liu, 32, and his partner Rafael Ramos, 40, were shot dead in a targeted assassination that stunned America.

The gunman, Ismaaiyl Brinsley, walked up to the passenger-side window of their patrol car in Brooklyn, fired several rounds into the heads and upper bodies of the officers, then escaped to a nearby subway station where he turned the weapon on himself.

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Brinsley had posted on social media about his intention to kill police officers in revenge for the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, two black men who had died that year at the hands of the police.

Im putting Wings on Pigs Today...They Take 1 of Ours...Lets Take 2 of Theirs, he wrote.

The shocking double murder brought to a head tensions that had roiled the nation for much of the year over allegations of police violence and racism.

Six years before the Black Lives Matter protests, sparked by the death of George Floyd, demonstrators from the newly-formed racial justice organisation took to the streets in cities across the country bearing signs saying I cant breathe.

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The slogan echoed the dying words of Garner, an unarmed man who was killed after being put in a choke-hold by an NYPD officer on July 17, 2014.

In a troubling prefiguring of what was to come, viral footage taken in the weeks before the NYPD officers deaths showed New York demonstrators chanting: What do we want? Dead cops! When do we want it? Now!

The protests brought to light concerns over police brutality that continue to be debated today.

But a decade on from her husband Wenjians murder, Ms Chen has warned violence directed at police officers is still being ignored.

Pei Xia Chen and her husband Wenjian Liu pictured on their honeymoon in Beijing

Assaults on NYPD officers have risen by nearly 60 per cent since 2019, up from 1,253 to 1,975, The New York Post reported.

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Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry told the outlet that people think they can take a swing at a cop and get away with it, because they believe the justice system is on their side.

Ms Chen said: While trying to keep society safe from dangerous criminals, police officers can be spat on, smacked, punched, stabbed, shot, and sadly, quite often, police officers are killed, simply for doing their job.

My husband and his partner were murdered only because they wore a blue uniform. This is the reality of what police officers live with every day when they choose to protect society.

On the day her husband was killed, Ms Chen was at her mothers house when there was a knock at the door at around 4pm.

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An officer told her that her husband had been seriously injured and they rushed to hospital in a police car.

When she arrived, hundreds of officers lined the hallways of the hospital and she started to worry.

I thought, oh my God, there must be something wrong, she said.

When they took me to the room, I saw him. He was lying there covered by the white blanket, and then they told me hes gone.

Liu and Ramoss funeral was the largest police funeral in New Yorks history, with more than 100,000 people present including then-vice president Joe Biden.

Mr Biden delivered a eulogy saying: When an assassins bullet targeted two officers, it targeted this city and it touched the soul of the entire nation.

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The murder of Liu and Ramos stalled weeks of protests that had brought New York to a standstill, but anger over the killings was directed towards Mayor Bill de Blasio, who police union officials accused of having blood on his hands.

When the embattled mayor gave a eulogy extending his condolences to the NYPD, hundreds of officers turned their backs.

In her own speech, Ms Chen tearfully described her husband as her best friend and hero, whose parents were his everything.

Reflecting on her memories of that day, the mother-of-one recalls a sense of the city having been whipped up into a frenzy in the lead up to her husbands death.

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The media and the politicians, they create all this, she said. They make people believe the police are bad people, but theyre not. Theyre just regular people and they got killed for no reason.

Law enforcement should be respected and supported.

Wenjian Liu was killed in December 2014

Liu and Ms Chen, 42, immigrated to the US from China in the 1990s when they were just children, and he joined the NYPD after witnessing the bravery of officers on 9/11.

He saw them run towards danger to help others, and thats what motivated him to join the police. He was always so proud of being a police officer, she said.

In the mornings, when her husband changed into his uniform and put on his shield, Ms Chen said she always worried about him - particularly after anti-police protests erupted in New York in the winter of 2014.

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I was concerned that this should be happening, because if his life was threatened, we are just regular people. How can we protect ourselves? she said.

The morning he died, Ms Chen recalled: He kissed me when he went out for work, and then he never came back.

Pei Xia Chen and Wenjian Liu on their wedding day

Ms Chen and her husband had only been married for three months when he was murdered. The couple were young, immigrant newlyweds who planned on living the American dream.

More than anything, she said, they wanted to have children and raise a family in their adoptive homeland.

More than two-and-a-half years later, Ms Chen gave birth to a daughter. She was called Angelina because Ms Chen believes she was sent from heaven - after asking doctors to preserve some of her husbands semen on the night that he died.

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Every time I see my daughter, I think of my husband. I think hes here with me, that hes never gone, she said.

As a baby, when Ms Chen spoke to her daughter about her father, Angelina would point up to the sky and say mommy, heaven.

Ms Chens daughter Angelina pictured at Christmas time

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Now age seven, Angelina knows everything about her father, Ms Chen said, adding that NYPD officers in her husbands former precinct are a constant presence in her daughters life.

I always make sure that Angelina talks to police officers that worked with my husband, she said. I want her to know that she still has the police family who love her very much.

Every year on her husbands birthday, Ms Chen and her daughter make a card to celebrate. And on the anniversary of his death, they commemorate Liu and Ramos at an NYPD service.

Christmas is always a difficult time of year, Ms Chen said, given the proximity to her husbands killing, but she and her daughter celebrate by putting his NYPD hat on top of their Christmas tree and placing a picture of him next to it.

That way, hes still with me to celebrate the holiday season, she said.

In order to continue her husbands legacy, Ms Chen launched the Detective Wenjian Liu Foundation in 2018 to provide comfort dogs to the bereaved families of NYPD officers killed in the line of duty.

She had the idea after adopting a black labrador puppy in the wake of her husbands death called Liu Liu, which she credits for helping her through her grief.

I realised how important having a puppy can be, and I wanted to do something good for other line of duty families who had been through a similar thing, she said. I want to give them the unconditional love Liu Liu gave to me to help them through their most difficult time.

Ms Chen, who works full time for the foundation, said that when her husband died, NYPD officers made her a promise that they would never forget him.

To this day, they never forgot this promise, she said. They call it the blue family. I lost my husband, but I gained a big family in black and blue.

Ms Chen warned that violence against police officers remains an ever-present threat, highlighting how NYPD officers were assaulted and spat on by protesters during anti-Israel demonstrations that rocked New York earlier this year.

More brave police officers continue to die, she said. Any time another tragedy happens it breaks my heart again, because another family joins me.

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Prospects looked promising earlier this year for the Antisemitism Awareness Act, the bipartisan legislation that passed the House by a 320-91 vote in May,following shocking scenes of anti-Israel protests on college campuses. The bill was buoyed by advocacy from major American Jewish organizations amid a nationwide wave of antisemitism.



The legislation codifies a Trump-era executive order declaring that antisemitism is a prohibited form of discrimination in schools and universities, and that the Department of Education should use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliances working definition of antisemitism in assessing cases of antisemitic discrimination.



But after the bill passed the House, the legislation soon ground to a halt in the Senate. Efforts to add the bill to one of two larger legislative packages that Congress has worked on over the past month ultimately did not pan out, despite an attempt at dealmaking.



And with just days left in the congressional session and lawmakers now scrambling to avert an imminent government shutdown beginning Friday night, it appears likely that the bill will be left on the cutting room floor, and Congress will conclude its business, in the worst period of antisemitism in decades, without passing any major new legislation on the issue.



Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) largely controls the Senate floor and could have brought the bill to a Senate floor vote after pledging that hed take action on the bill this year.



Schumer had been reluctant to bring the antisemitism legislation up for a standalone Senate floor vote out of concern that such a move might expose a significant divide among Senate Democrats over the legislation, according to two sources familiar with the legislation.



In the Senate, progressive Democrats and asmall number of hard-right Republicans would be expected to oppose or in some cases, have already expressed opposition to the bill over its use of the IHRA definition.



Some progressives believe the definition inappropriately declares certain criticism of Israel to be antisemitic, and 70 Democrats opposed the legislation in the House. Some conservatives have also expressed free speech concerns; some specifically claim that the definition is anti-Christian because one of the IHRA definitions affiliated examples states that its antisemitic to accuse Jews of killing Jesus. Twenty-one largely far-right Republicans voted against the bill in the House.



The claim by some right-wing Republicans that the legislation could deem parts of the New Testament antisemitic has led to some additional opposition to the bill among conservatives since it initially passed the House.



Another source familiar with the negotiations offered an alternative explanation for Schumers reluctance to bring the bill to the floor. His office, the source said, had been informed that a Republican would insist on an amendment vote related to the IHRA language about accusing Jews of killing Jesus. The source said that Schumer wanted to avoid a vote on the subject on the Senate floor, viewing it as harmful to the Jewish community.



Schumer has the power to block amendment votes, but such a scenario would have required a longer series of votes which would have taken multiple weeks of Senate floor time. The source said Schumer believed at the time he had an alternative pathway to avoid both of those scenarios: adding the AAA to the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, one of Congress annual must-pass bills that often serves as a vehicle for a host of other legislation.





Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA). (Photo credit: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) Schumer told Jewish groups that he planned to put forward the AAA as an amendment to the NDAA, and asked Jewish groups to advocate for the idea with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and others on the Hill, according to a source familiar with a meeting between Schumer and Jewish groups on the subject earlier this year.



That source said that Schumer, at the time, also planned to pursue the Countering Antisemitism Act, another bipartisan antisemitism bill that has run into roadblocks on both sides of the aisle and never advanced in either chamber.



A source familiar with the negotiations said that, because Schumer had heard no objections from Johnson about adding the AAA to the NDAA during the time Schumer had been discussing the issue with Jewish groups, he had assumed Johnson would approve Schumers request when he formally submitted it.



But a different source familiar with the situation said that Johnsons office had been unaware of Schumers plans until the Senate majority leader put forward the request during NDAA talks in mid-November. Johnson quickly issued a public statement rejecting the request, saying that the NDAA should remain limited in scope and that the Senate should hold a floor vote on the legislation.



It has been reported that Leader Schumer wants to avoid a vote of accountability and instead attach the Antisemitism Awareness Act to the annual NDAA legislation. By necessity, the NDAA will be strictly limited to matters pertaining to national security, Johnson said in a statement to Jewish Insider hours after Schumer publicly made the offer. Johnsons office didnt provide further comment for this story.



Adding the legislation to the NDAA would have generated political backlash for Johnson, given conservative ire about the AAA, a source familiar with the talks said. Several House Republicans and conservative influencers publicly blasted the House for passing the bill earlier this year.



Republicans will have a razor-thin majority in the House next year, and Johnson will need his conference party to remain largely united behind him to be re-elected as House speaker.



But the possibility of a deal on the NDAA was revived after Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), the lead sponsor of the AAA, talked to Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), who voted against the AAA in the House, about a potential path forward. Lawler had initially seemed open to Schumers NDAA proposal, but rejected it after Johnson did the same.



Lawler and Roy agreed, according to two sources, to put forward a proposal that the AAA be added to the NDAA and paired with House-passed legislation, led by Roy, to place sanctions on the International Criminal Court, which Senate Democrats opposed.



Roy didnt respond to a request for comment. Lawler didnt address the proposal, instead pointing blame at Schumer for the bills failure in a statement.



Johnson agreed to present the Lawler-Roy ICC proposal to Schumer, according to three sources familiar with the situation.



Schumer then deputized Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), the lead Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who had been leading negotiations on a potential compromise bill on the ICC with Senate Republicans earlier in the year, to try to find a compromise on the ICC, two sources said.



Democrats have argued that the ICC legislation as passed in the House was too broad and would have impacted U.S. allies that are members of the court in addition to the court itself and its personnel.



Two sources said Cardin connected with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), a key GOP advocate for the ICC sanctions, about negotiating a compromise bill, but Graham and Senate Republicans ultimately rebuffed the effort, expecting that theyll be able to pass the full sanctions package as written, or that the Trump administration will implement it itself, in the new year.



Cardin and Graham didnt respond to requests for comment.



Schumer ultimately told Johnson that he would not accept the proposal to include the ICC legislation as passed by the House, three sources said. One source familiar with the negotiations said that Schumer had presented an alternative version of the ICC bill that did not have support from Senate Republicans, which Johnson did not accept.



No further offers were made for potential compromises, according to three sources familiar with the talks.



When the NDAA talks closed without a resolution on the Antisemitism Awareness Act, Schumer again put forward the legislation as a potential amendment to government funding legislation known as a continuing resolution, but Johnson continued to insist on a standalone Senate vote.





AAA argument Schumer says that defense bill is the only way to pass Antisemitism Awareness Act Read more

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That CR, released on Tuesday evening, collapsed on Wednesday amid objections from President-elect Donald Trump, members of his administration and far-right lawmakers to a series of other bills that were attached to it. Lawmakers have been forced to return to the drawing board to figure out how to avert a government shutdown, set to begin Friday evening.



A source close to Schumer said he could not begin pursuing alternative options to pass the AAA  potentially on the Senate floor  until the CR negotiations came to their conclusion earlier this week.



The source added that Schumers plans for any other legislation for the remainder of the congressional session are now uncertain given the government funding stalemate and looming shutdown. Lawmakers were initially expected to leave town by Friday.



Senator Schumer will continue to work tirelessly across the aisle to pass AAA until we succeed, spokesperson Angelo Roefaro told JI earlier this week, before the CR collapsed.



Some advocates whove been pushing for the AAA argue that Schumer is principally or solely responsible for the bills failure because he never put it on the Senate floor.



William Daroff, the CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, blasted Schumer in a Dec. 12 op-ed for failing to bring the legislation to a vote.



Despite the urgent nature of the issue, Congress has been sitting on its hands, Daroff said. Though the House overwhelmingly passed the AAA last spring, the Senate refuses to budge. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will not schedule a vote on the bill. The Senate must stop hemming and hawing. Our children are suffering.



Daroff also noted that, at the time, ongoing negotiations on legislative packages provided many avenues to passage that are waiting to be capitalized on.



Lawler, one of the bills biggest House champions, slammed Schumer, and blamed him for fearing the wrath of the progressives in his party. Senator Schumer has had months to move the Antisemitism Awareness Act in a simple floor vote  there is no excuse for not bringing this to the floor other than his fear of Bernie Sanders and political considerations, Lawler said in a statement.



Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), the bills lead Senate Republican sponsor, said that the Democratic-led Senate wastes time on show votes and posturing instead of passing the AAA.



Antisemitism continues to stoke its hateful flames on college campuses and, now more than ever, it is crucial we stamp it out, Scott continued. I remain committed to working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get this bill across the finish line and uphold our responsibility to stand with our Jewish brothers and sisters and against antisemitic violence and hatred.



A source familiar with the negotiations accused Schumer of trying to deflect blame for his own failures onto Johnson.



The House passed this in May. Schumer has had this legislation since May. There is nothing that was stopping him from bringing it to the floor for a vote since May, nobody. He is the majority leader. He surely doesnt act like it. Shows no leadership, the source said.





Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks during March For Israel at the National Mall on November 14, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo credit: Noam Galai/Getty Images) The source objected to Schumers public statements that he had been working on a pathway that would ensure the legislation passed: OK, well where is it?



The source defended Johnson, saying that he had taken criticism for passing the bill in the first place. Johnson at least had the courage to bring it up for a vote and took flack from his crazy right. [Schumer], what have you done to take crap from your crazy left?



Another source familiar with the talks invoked Spider-man, quipping, As another New Yorker was famous to say, With great power comes great responsibility.



Roefaro, Schumers spokesperson, argued that Johnson is ultimately responsible for the bills failure because he didnt add it to the NDAA.



Putting AAA in the defense bill was the best and easiest way to pass it. But Speaker Johnson refused to do that, Roefaro said. If the blatantly political sources for this story genuinely wanted to pass the bill, instead of putting pressure only on Schumer, they would have put equal pressure on Johnson, who is the ultimate reason it did not pass.



Others say that theres blame to be shared on Capitol Hill  including by Johnson.



A source familiar with the negotiations said that Schumer will ultimately take the blame in the Jewish community, but that he did make a real effort to add the AAA to the NDAA and the CR. They noted the significant political pressures that Johnson faced in opposition to adding the legislation to a package.



[Schumer] did try to put it on the NDAA and the CR and failed, the source said. [The Jewish community is] not going to buy the reasons. [Theyll say], You had the opportunity and you didnt get it on [the NDAA], so you failed. But [Schumer] really did try. He worked his ass off on the CR and the NDAA.



They continued that Johnson deserves some blame for refusing to add the legislation to a package, but the reason he didnt do it is he [passed it] already, and could have faced threats to his speakership if he tried to add the legislation to the NDAA or CR.



Similar threats have now come to fruition over other provisions that had been included in the original CR, and Johnsons re-election as speaker is increasingly uncertain following a right-wing revolt.



Was [Johnson] at fault? Sure. He passed it once, the source said. But he was putting the pressure on and he said, Get me out of this. Ive got these right-wing guys that dont like this Christ stuff, but we passed it anyhow. Now you [Schumer] go pass it and we wont have any trouble with it.



Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, called it a shame that the bill is not likely to pass Congress, lamenting that politics seem to have gotten in the way of its passage, noting the issues in both the Senate and House. He declined to assign blame specifically to any congressional leaders.



Bottom line, its just a shame because theres bipartisan support in the House, Greenblatt said. I know theres a critical mass of electeds on both sides of the aisle in both houses who would support this thing.



Asked whether Schumer should have pursued a standalone vote on the legislation, given the expected strong support for it in the Senate, Greenblatt responded, I know what he was trying to do. I just wish it had worked out differently.



Sheila Katz, the CEO of the National Council of Jewish Women, defended Schumer.



People who try to scapegoat Leader Schumer for government inaction and antisemitism are grossly misguided and insult his extensive career championing the Jewish people, Katz said. He cares about protecting the Jewish people. He wants legislation that helps Jews in this country to pass, and he knows what hes doing.



She added that its tragic to think, in the year since Oct. 7, that major legislation combating antisemitism didnt go through. And everyone is responsible. Its unacceptable. And the people hurt right now the most are Jews all around the country who are navigating antisemitism each and every day, in the multiplicity of ways that it plays out. And our community deserves better.



We could point fingers all we want, but weve got to get to work, Katz concluded.



NCJW has prioritized the Countering Antisemitism Act but did not oppose AAA.



Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), the lead Senate sponsor of the AAA, said hes obviously very frustrated with the situation, adding that thatll have to be the work of the new Congress.



Its important that we pass it because its an awful problem in the country and it has to be addressed, Casey continued.



Two sources argued the Senates failure to pass the AAA before November was a factor in Caseys election loss, noting that Sen.-elect David McCormick (R-PA) had repeatedly bashed Casey on the campaign trail over his failure to move the legislation forward. Casey lost by a margin of just .2 percentage points, in a state with a sizable Jewish population.



Asked if he thought he might have fared differently if the AAA had passed, Casey said hed let the political scientists figure that out.



Karen Paikin Barall, vice president of government relations for the Jewish Federations of North America, said in a statement, Jewish students should not have to wait for Congress to feel safe. Failure to pass the Antisemitism Awareness Act sends a message to universities and university presidents that Congress is not making this a priority issue and not looking out for the best interests of Jewish students.



Barall emphasized the importance of codifying the policy.



But she added, Its not over til its over, so we have to keep trying until the very last minute. We must keep the issue alive and on the front burner, so if it doesnt pass in this session, well make sure it does in the 119th Congress.



Julie Fishman Rayman, the managing director of policy and political affairs at the American Jewish Committee, called it regretful that Congress will end this session without passing important legislation related to antisemitism, including AAA.



Undaunted, we look forward to continuing our work with Congress on bipartisan initiatives to counter antisemitism and make the Jewish community more safe and secure, she continued.

Jewish Insiders congressional correspondent Emily Jacobs contributed reporting.




The devastation from Cyclone Chido that shattered corrugated metal shacks and thousands of lives on the island of Mayotte was both immediate and long coming.

Residents of Mayotte, one of 12 tiny overseas territories remaining from one of the great global empires, have complained for decades of neglect by bureaucrats in France.

Authorities have confirmed 35 deaths from Cyclone Chidos landfall Sunday, but fear hundreds or thousands may be dead.

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The shacks of corrugated metal stood no chance in the Kaweni slum on the outskirts of the capital, Mamoudzou, where residents are still taking stock of their shattered lives.

Mayotte, the poorest place in the European Union, has struggled to care for migrants from the nearby independent Comoros islands. They have been moving to Mayotte  the only part of the Comoros that voted to remain part of France in a 1974 referendum  and last year, the government mobilized 2,000 troops and police to carry out mass expulsions, destroy slums and eradicate gangs.

This week, survivors lined up to collect water. Once among the islands rare riches  with rivers and springs nestled between mountains and forests  water has grown scare as mismanagement and climate change have taken their toll.

Mayotte has had its driest year since 1997, according to the national weather service. Even before Chico, indoor plumbing only worked from 4 p.m. to 10 a.m. once every three days on an island territory of about 350,000 people.

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Women rested Thursday on a footbridge over a stream filled with debris in the Kaweni slum after families rushed to prepare food, wash dishes, clean their homes and anything else involving water.

Those living in neighborhoods without plumbing lined up at public taps with buckets, plastic jerrycans, reused bottles  anything to collect water. Then for 48 hours, they were dry again.
SAYDNAYA, Syria (AP)  Behind the coils of razor wire and concrete walls, glimpses of the horror emerge from the warren of dank, airless corridors of what has been dubbed The Slaughterhouse.

A coarse, heavy rope lies on the ground, tied into a hangmans noose. Prosthetic legs are scattered outside a cell, the fate of their former owners unknown. In one cell, names are scrawled all over the walls  for some, perhaps the only testament they were ever there.

This is Saydnaya military prison, a sprawling complex just north of Damascus that has become synonymous with some of the worst atrocities committed under the rule of now ousted President Bashar Assad.

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For decades notorious for its brutality, only now is the true extent of what happened there coming to light. Thousands of people are believed to have died within its walls, executed or tortured to death.

Humidity runs down the walls. The air is heavy with the smell of the sweat of a thousand people. The warren of corridors leads to windowless underground cells, where a mixture of what appears to be mud and sewage covers the floor of one section. Even in cells that do have a window, it has been painted over or blocked to impede the sunlight. Cobwebs hang from the corners.

Some cells were clearly used for solitary confinement. In one, there was nothing more than tiny holes in the metallic door. Inside it was icy and pitch black.

On the upper floors, thin mattresses, handmade pillows, scraps of food and medicine are scattered on the floor of endless cells. Many of the cells and corridors have been burned out. The acrid stench of smoke, burned clothes and hair still lingers, nearly two weeks after rebel fighters stormed the prison and released the thousands of people held there in appalling conditions.

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In one cell, the floor was completely covered with discarded shoes, clothes and underwear. They seemed to have been there a long time, traces of lime powder sprinkled on top.

Since its inmates were freed, thousands of people have flocked to the prison, desperately searching for loved ones who have been missing for years, in some cases even decades. They pore over documents that lie scattered on floors, and use heavy machinery to dig up the grounds outside, searching for mass graves.

Inside, crews for days tried to punch through concrete walls, spurred by suspicions of the existence of cells beneath the prison where inmates might still be trapped. But no hidden cells have been found.

Syrias prisons under the rule of Assad and his father, Hafez Assad, were infamous for their harsh conditions. Torture was systemic, say human rights groups, whistleblowers, and former detainees. Secret executions have been reported at more than two dozen facilities run by Syrian intelligence, as well as at other sites.

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In 2013, a Syrian military defector known as Caesar smuggled out over 53,000 photographs that human rights groups say showed clear evidence of rampant torture, and also disease and starvation in Syrias prisons.

Saydnaya was particularly feared. In 2017, Amnesty International estimated that 10,000-20,000 people were being held there from every sector of society. It said they were effectively slated for extermination.

Thousands were killed in frequent mass executions, Amnesty reported, citing testimony from freed prisoners and prison officials. Prisoners were subjected to constant torture, intense beatings and rape. Almost daily, guards did rounds of the cells to collect bodies of inmates who had died overnight from injuries, disease or starvation. Some inmates fell into psychosis and starved themselves, the human rights group said.

___

Abby Sewell in Damascus and Elena Becatoros in Majdal Shams, Golan Heights, contributed.
MACAO, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday delivered a speech at a welcoming dinner hosted by the government of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) on the eve of the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland.

Full text: Chinese President Xi Jinping's speech at welcoming dinner hosted by Macao SAR government on eve of 25th anniversary of Macao's return to motherland
An amphibious mouse with webbed feet and an unsightly blob-headed fish are among the more than two dozen new species scientists discovered in a remote region of the Peruvian Amazon rainforest.

A 2022 expedition to Perus northwestern Alto Mayo region, which is heavily forested, saw the first documentation of at least 27 species that are new to science, according to a recent report in Conservation Internationals Rapid Assessment Program Bulletin of Biological Assessment.

The haul of new species was also accompanied by another 48 species that are potentially new to science but require further analysis, the report said.

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Overall, the RAP team encountered exceptionally high levels of biodiversity that far exceeded expectations considering most of the study sites were located near communities and towns, the report said, adding that the findings highlight the importance of research and conservation efforts in human-dominated landscapes.

In addition to the amphibious mouse and unusual-looking catfish, scientists discovered another type of mouse with stiff, spiny fur and a squirrel only distantly related to others known by science, as well as a new bat and several types of fish, butterflies and amphibians.

While discovering new species of insects and even fish is not uncommon, the most significant takeaway from the report is the documentation of new mammals, said Chris Jiggins, an evolutionary biology professor at Britain's University of Cambridge, who was not involved in the study.

Its astonishing  to find four new species of mammals unknown to science is pretty impressive. The amphibious mouse is something Ive never heard of. Its quite extraordinary, Jiggins told NBC News in a telephone interview Friday.

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This is the first report in which scientists have described these species; the Indigenous groups in the area who assisted scientists in their work have extensive knowledge about many of them, said Trond Larsen, the head of Conservation Internationals Rapid Assessment Program and one of the reports authors.

It was really fantastic to work so closely with the Awajun people. They have extensive traditional knowledge about the forests, animals and plants they live side-by-side with, Larsen told Reuters.

While Larsen and his team were understandably thrilled about finding the previously unknown species  one of the squirrels was adorable and beautiful chestnut-brown color, very fast, Larsen added  the report Conservation International released also highlights the need to do more to protect endangered species.

The RAP paper noted that the exhibition also documented 49 species designated as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature  the global authority on the matter  including two types of critically endangered monkeys.

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These forests in the foothills of the Andes going into the Amazon are the most diverse in the world, Jiggins, at the University of Cambridge, said. Its all heavily endangered and while there are still big tracts protected by those countries, theyre still under threat from the usual suspects.

Documenting this diversity is so important, he added, and we cant make an argument for protecting it if we dont know whats there.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
China has been called upon to "play a greater role" bringing peace to the Middle East, with more than 20 Arab diplomatic envoys meeting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing.

"The situation in the Middle East has changed suddenly, and the people in the region are suffering. We expect China to play a greater role in easing the situation," the envoys were quoted as saying by a Chinese foreign ministry statement issued after the meeting on Thursday.

Wang stressed that the region belonged to its people and should not "continue to become an arena for big countries to play power games", while warning that it should not fall victim to geopolitical rivalry.

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On the Palestine issue, he called for a "comprehensive ceasefire" and permanent troop withdrawal in Gaza, and a resolution based on the "two-state solution".

On Syria, Wang urged all parties to maintain the long-term interests of the country and its people, by using an open and inclusive political process so as to prevent terrorism from resurfacing.

Meanwhile, the United States has revealed that it has 2,000 troops in Syria, more than double the previously disclosed number, and Israeli air attacks continue on Gaza - with strikes also on Syria and Yemen.

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In Syria, where the regime of Bashar al-Assad collapsed earlier this month, rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa - formerly known by the alias Abu Mohammed al-Golani - told the BBC the country was exhausted by war and did not pose a threat to its neighbours or to the West.

China on Tuesday warned the new Syrian government not to support terrorism, after a Syria-based Islamic militant group sent messages to Muslims in China's Xinjiang region, urging them to wage jihad, or holy war, in China.

Earlier, China also said that Lebanon's sovereignty, security and territorial integrity must be maintained, with Wang in September condemning the "indiscriminate attacks against civilians" by Israeli forces.

Israel launched several deadly attacks on Lebanon over September and October said to target the militant group Hezbollah.

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"We will always stand on the side of justice and our Arab brothers, including Lebanon," Wang told his Lebanese counterpart on the sidelines of the annual United Nations General Assembly in New York, calling the situation a spillover from the war in Gaza.

The international community should respect the sovereign choices and historical and cultural traditions of countries in the region, Wang told the Middle Eastern envoys in the capital on Thursday.

China and the Arab world had deepened cooperation through programmes like the belt and road and the "three global" initiatives, Wang said, noting that these had benefited nearly 2 billion people in the area.

Both sides agreed that ties had reached a high under their current leaderships and pledged to continue the momentum of cooperation.

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The Arab envoys also firmly supported Beijing's position on issues concerning Taiwan and Xinjiang, firmly supporting the one-China principle and hailing Beijing's long-term support for Middle East stability, according to the foreign ministry readout.

"China and Arab countries are good friends and partners who share the same ideals and work together for development," Wang said. China would continue to support Arab nations in achieving strategic independence and unity, he added, pledging efforts to create a peaceful and stable Middle East.

The diplomats also pointed to the success of the first Arab-China Summit in advancing relations, and expressed interest in working together to prepare for a second one in the near future.

The Arab-China summit held in Saudi capital Riyadh in December 2022 was the first such meeting between the heads of state of the 22 Arab League nations and China, with a keynote speech delivered by Xi.

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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.
PIEDMONT TRIAD, N.C. (WGHP)  The leading edge of bitterly cold, Arctic air is barreling toward the Carolinas today.

We will have mostly cloudy skies and seasonable highs near 50 today, but as the cold air arrives around dinnertime, there may be a few showers popping up in the Piedmont. Skies are going to rapidly clear out tonight and stay sunny through the weekend.

Arctic high pressure, planted over New England, is going to pump frigid air down the East Coast. Highs are going to be in the mid-40s Saturday, then drop to the lower-20s Saturday night.

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Sunday is the coldest day of the week with highs in the upper-30s! By Monday morning, temperatures will have plunged into the upper teens.

We will start next week with sunshine and highs near 40 on Monday. Clouds will increase Tuesday, as will temperatures, reaching 50 by Tuesday afternoon. Christmas Eve is going to be superb for Santa, as we are expecting partly cloudy skies with temperatures in the upper-30s.

Christmas Day is going to be mostly cloudy with highs near 50. Hanukkah begins at sunset, and temperatures will be in the mid-40s.

A cold front will drop southward on Thursday, bringing a 30% chance of a few showers early in the day. Highs are going to be in the upper-40s.

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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 FOX8 WGHP.
PHOENIX (AP)  It's necessary to regulate groundwater in the states rural southeast, allowing the designation of a controlled area to stop rapid depletion of the water through agricultural use, the Arizona Department of Water Resources announced Friday.

The departments Director Tom Buschatzke said data analysis of hydrologic conditions in the states Willcox basin shows that the conditions have been met to take necessary steps to defend our groundwater supplies for future generations.

Under state law, Buschatzke is empowered as director to designate what is known as an active management area for the Willcox Groundwater Basin in Arizonas Cochise and Graham counties.

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As my staff has made clear in public hearings held in Willcox and in response to comments on our presentations from members of the public, the hydrologic conditions in the basin meet the statutory requirements, he said in a statement.

The director made the designation on Thursday, following public hearings on the matter, according to a statement by the water agency. During that period, the basin was closed to new agriculture use while the department decided whether to create the management area southeast of Tucson that would allow it to set goals for the well-being of the basin and its aquifers.

Gov. Katie Hobbs and the state water resources agency had been under pressure by local residents to deal with the groundwater depletion.

Hobbs on Friday praised the designation.

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Ive heard from families, farmers, and businesses who have experienced the devastating impacts of unchecked pumping by unaccountable, big corporations, said said. Their wells are running dry, their homes are damaged by fissures in the earth, and their farms are barely able to get by.

High rates of pumping can dry up wells and cause the ground to collapse, damaging roads and other property. According to a water resources department report, 26 wells in the basin that are regularly measured fell 10 feet (3 meters) to nearly 142 feet (43 meters) between the years 2000 and 2020.

Arizona farm interests have historically opposed groundwater pumping regulations, saying such a structure is too inflexible.

The Willcox Groundwater Basin management area is the first formed by executive action since approval of Arizonas Groundwater Management Act in 1980. Several other such areas in Arizona were created by similar laws. The urban areas of Phoenix and Tucson have long been under groundwater management.

___

This story has been updated to correct that the designation of the management area was made on Dec. 19, not Dec. 1.
The Arizona prosecutors who charged some of President-elect Donald Trumps top allies for their roles in his effort to subvert the 2020 election have obtained  but not yet reviewed  a large cache of their emails, texts and phone records.

Recent court filings show that Attorney General Kris Mayes team obtained search warrants months ago for data from the Google and Apple iCloud accounts of close Trump allies such as Mark Meadows, Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman and Boris Epshteyn. The data covers the three-month period between Nov. 1, 2020, and Feb. 1, 2021.

But a court order prohibits prosecutors from combing through the material until each defendant has a chance to review it and screen out irrelevant information. And in the meantime, Meadows has asked the judge in the case to scrap the data altogether, claiming the states search warrant was overly invasive and lacked evidence of his connection to the alleged conspiracy.

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Arizona prosecutors are continuing to advance one of the only remaining significant criminal cases arising from Trumps 2020 gambit to stay in power. And the fight over the data shows the prospect that significant details of that effort may still remain shielded from public view. A grand jury convened by Mayes, a Democrat, in April indicted 18 Trump allies related to the 2020 plot. The grand jury identified Trump as a co-conspirator in the case but opted against charging him, partly at the urging of prosecutors.

The broader case against Trumps allies is continuing to advance even as Trump prepares to take office and has largely succeeded in sidelining the cases in which he was criminally charged. But it hit a snag last month when the judge, Bruce Cohen, stepped aside after he was found to have called on colleagues to defend Vice President Kamala Harris from personal attacks made by her political adversaries.

Cohens successor Judge Sam Myers has since taken over the case. Notably, he recently pushed back a deadline, at Meadows request, for efforts to challenge the grand jury proceedings, which could signal a slowdown for a case already expected to linger into 2026.

The fight over the search warrants has been playing out quietly in court documents for the last few weeks and has provided new insights about the case Arizona intends to present against the Trump aides and allies  including 11 Arizona Republicans who falsely claimed to be legitimate presidential electors.

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According to the records, prosecutors issued 10 search warrants to tech companies in April and May for data related to the 18 defendants charged in the case, including Google, Apple and X. Those warrants, issued just days after the indictment itself was made public, sought emails, texts, call records, contact lists and geolocation data.

The state obtained a voluminous cache of data in response by September and began curating it to share with the defendants.

Last month, Meadows asked Myers to suppress the evidence, saying the warrant lacked evidence that he committed crimes, was written too broadly and resulted in the production of reams of personal data like photos, password information and FaceTime logs.

Prosecutors rejected those claims, saying the search warrant was tailored to only the three months in which the alleged crimes occurred and limited to potential evidence of crimes. If the companies produced too much information in response to those warrants, they said, defendants could screen it out before investigators review it.

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The battle over the search warrants also forced the reveal of new details about the case. For example, prosecutors told the judge who issued the search warrant that Meadows had confided in a staff member in early November [2020] that Trump had lost the election. Nevertheless, Trump wanted to keep fighting the election results, and Meadows wanted to help Trump.

Meadows argued that the notion of helping Trump was too vague to support the search warrant and provided no information about the staff members identity, how the State obtained the information about Meadowss purported statement to the staffer, the reliability of the staffer  or whether the State made any attempt to verify the staffers report.

In their response, prosecutors said the evidence came from a witness known to investigators (not an anonymous informant offering a tip) who stated that Meadows had said he wanted to help Trump, despite knowing Trump had lost the election.
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Dec. 20, 2024, announces Arkansas' new secretary of state and two Supreme Court justices. From left: Arkansas Solicitor General Nicholas Bronni and Supreme Court Justice Cody Hiland will assume seats on the state's highest court. Cole Jester, the governor's current deputy chief legal counsel, will be the next secretary of state. (Mary Hennigan/Arkansas Advocate)

This story was updated Dec. 20 at 4:55 p.m. to include a statement from Secretary of State John Thurston.

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Friday filled three major state positions, which became vacant as a result of this years elections.

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Sanders announced that her deputy chief legal counsel, Cole Jester, will become Arkansas next secretary of state, while Cody Hiland will return to the state Supreme Court in a new seat alongside newcomer Nicholas Bronni, the states solicitor general.

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders names Arkansas next secretary of state and two Supreme Court justices on Dec. 20, 2024. (Mary Hennigan/Arkansas Advocate)

The appointments are effective Jan. 1, 2025, and Sanders noted each appointees conservative values throughout Fridays announcement.

Jester has helped implement bold conservative reform one after another, while Hiland and Bronni will serve in Arkansas freshly minted conservative Supreme Court majority, she said.

Sanders said the state Supreme Court was liberal when she took office, but not anymore.

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Our Supreme Court is solidly conservative, she said. Theyll be there to call balls and strikes, interpreting laws as they were written  leaving the legislating to the legislators.

Senate President Pro Tempore Bart Hester, R-Cave Springs, said after the announcement that he supported Sanders liberty-minded and intelligent appointments.

Every aspect of the state of Arkansas is continuing to become more conservative, from the Legislature to constitutional offices, and now we are seeing the Supreme Court, Hester said. It just lagged a little bit behind, but now we are going to be undeniably a conservative court.

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New secretary of state

Jester, 27, will complete the two remaining years in current Secretary of State John Thurstons term.

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Voters first elected Thurston to his current post in 2018, and he won another four-year term in 2022. Following the death of former state Treasurer Mark Lowery in 2023, Thurston switched gears and ran for that position in this years general election. He received 65% of the vote and defeated his two challengers, according to results from the secretary of states office.

On election night, Thurston told the Advocate that the possibility of leaving his current office was the hardest thing about running for treasurer, a role that oversees the states investment portfolio of more than $11 billion. Former state finance secretary Larry Walther is currently serving as the interim treasurer; Thurston will be sworn in in January.

Cole Jester, current deputy chief legal counsel to Arkansas governor, will be sworn in as the next secretary of state in January. He spoke during the appointment announcement in Little Rock on Dec. 20, 2024. (Mary Hennigan/Arkansas Advocate)

Jester has served as Sanders deputy chief legal counsel for the last two years. He is a 2019 graduate of Ouachita Baptist University and the University of Virginia School of Law. He previously worked as an appellate clerk for Judge Lavenski Smith in the 8th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.

I know Cole will do an excellent job defending our election integrity and ballot security, Sanders said Friday. And more importantly, I know that he is honest, hard working and a man of deep faith and character.

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In a statement Friday afternoon, Thurston said he believed Jester will do a fine job and serve the people of Arkansas well.

Among the duties of secretary of state, Jester will serve as the chair of the Capitol Arts and Grounds Commission and the State Board of Election Commissioners. The secretary of state also serves as a member of the Board of Apportionment, which oversees the redistricting of state legislative districts after each dicennial census.

As your secretary of state, I will fight to keep Arkansas the best state in the country by keeping our elections the most secure in the country, Jester said. When our elections are free, when theyre safe, when theyre fair and when theyre fast, the people rule. And when the people rule, we can protect that which is really more important, not government, but our freedoms, our faith in God and our family.

Jester is among the youngest to serve as the secretary of state, the office said Friday afternoon.

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Terms for the secretary of state last four years, and the next election will be held in 2026.

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Supreme Court appointments

Hiland and Bronni will replace Justice Courtney Rae Hudson and Justice Karen Baker on the Arkansas Supreme Court, respectively. The women will not be leaving the court, though.

In March, Hudson was elected to the Supreme Courts second position, to which Hiland was previously appointed after the death of Justice Robin Wynne in June 2023. In November, Baker secured 52% of votes to become the first woman elected to serve as Arkansas chief justice. Former Chief Justice Betty Dickey was the first woman to lead Arkansas highest court when she was appointed to fill the chief justice position temporarily by former Gov. Mike Huckabee in 2003.

Cody Hiland, a current state Supreme Court justice, speaks during an appointment announcement on Dec. 20, 2024, in which he was named to hold a different Supreme Court seat come January. (Mary Hennigan/Arkansas Advocate)

Sanders said Friday that during Hilands time on the court he has shown his intelligence, honesty and dedication to the states residents and constitution. Hiland will serve the remaining two years of Hudsons Position 3 term.

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Im blessed to have a governor that has trusted me and placed faith in me to continue serving the greatest people in this nation, Hiland said.

Bronni has served as the states solicitor general since 2018, and he will now finish the remainder of Bakers term, which ends in 2030.

Following Bronnis appointment to the state Supreme Court, Attorney General Tim Griffin released a supportive statement and named Deputy Solicitor General Dylan Jacobs as interim solicitor general.

Nicholas Bronni, Arkansas solicitor general, will hold a seat on the state Supreme Court come January. He spoke at an appointment announcement in Little Rock on Dec. 20, 2024. (Mary Hennigan/Arkansas Advocate)

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I want to offer my sincere and heartfelt congratulations to Nick Bronni on his appointment to the Arkansas Supreme Court, Griffin said. It is obvious to anyone who has observed Nicks work that he is one of the best legal minds in Arkansas and is indisputably a national-caliber talent as evidenced by his two successful arguments before the United States Supreme Court. I know he will serve the people of Arkansas well on our states highest court.

On Friday, Bronni thanked the governor and his family. He said he was the grandson of a German immigrant who taught me at a very early age just how lucky I am to be an American.

In his new role, Bronni vowed that he will apply the law as written.

I come to the bench recognizing that a judge serves an important but limited role in our constitutional system, Bronni said. That is, its the role of the judge to say what the law is, not what they want it to be.

Justices are elected to serve eight-year terms. The nonpartisan elections are staggered.

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LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders sent a memo out instructing protocol amid a potential government shutdown.

Friday morning, Gov. Sanders cabinet secretaries received the memo in preparation for a potential federal shutdown. The memo detailed the approaching midnight deadline and what is to be expected from state agencies.

Johnson says plan C reached to avert shutdown, vote expected

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While we are hopeful a solution will be reached, as a state, we must be prepared to ensure the continuation of those services vital to the protection of public health, safety, and welfare, while temporarily suspending government services that rely on federal funding, the memo read.

Gov. Sanders went on to say cabinet secretaries, in consultation with the Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) and the Department of Transformation and Shared Services (TSS), will be responsible for determining which programs must be suspended and which employees will be furloughed under the criteria she explained in detail.

The list of criteria to make decisions on programs and employees:

1. If a program or employee has been identified by the federal government as being necessary to protect public health, safety, or welfare, and the federal government has provided documentation guaranteeing funding during the shutdown, the program and federally funded employment may continue uninterrupted by the shutdown.

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2. If an agency has sufficient federal funding and authorization from current or previous federal grants to fund a program or position, it may do so as long as funding remains available.

3. In all other cases, programs and employment that are wholly or partially dependent on federal funding will be suspended, effective Saturday, December 21, for the duration of the shutdown. The federal government will not allow us to make any exceptions unless the protection of public health, safety, and welfare would be compromised.

My administration will do everything in our power to keep the vital functions of government working, Gov. Sanders said.

Cabinet secretaries were advised to contact the DFA  Budget and Accounting offices and TSS  Office of Personnel Management for more information.

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Carborundum, or silicon carbide, is a material that can make semiconductors that perform better than regular silicon microchips. (Getty Images)

Two state grants totaling $9.3 million will help a training center for developmentally disabled adults in Cabot and a semiconductor project at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, officials announced Friday.

The Jobs 4 You Cabot Workforce Training Center in Lonoke County will get $2 million. The Multi-User Silicon Carbide (MUSiC) Fabrication Facility at UA is getting $7.3 million, according to a press release from the governors office. The money comes from the states restricted reserve fund, according to Department of Finance and Administration spokesperson Scott Hardin.

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These investments will go toward two of my administrations top priorities: opening professional doors for Arkansans, regardless of ability, and standing up to foreign adversaries like Communist China, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in the release. She announced the release of the funds alongside Secretary of Finance and Administration Jim Hudson.

The MUSiC program will be critical as our nation brings semiconductor production back home and will help Arkansas develop the industry right here in our backyard, Sanders said.

Hudson said that beyond the construction of buildings, the real investment will be in those benefiting from the job training and advanced research happening at both facilities and the contribution they will make to our workforce of the future.

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MUSiC facility

The University of Arkansas broke ground on the 18,660-square-foot semiconductor research and fabrication facility in August 2023. A National Science Foundation grant of $17.87 million is funding construction and operation, according to a 2021 UA press release.

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The new facility will produce microelectronic chips made with silicon carbide, a material that performs more reliably than regular silicon chips under adverse conditions and at higher frequencies.

The governors press release said the facility will help advance the development and commercialization of silicon carbide (SiC) power devices which will be used for military, consumer, industrial and healthcare devices.

Having the research and chip production located in Fayetteville will help the U.S. reduce its reliance on imported chips from China, Sanders said.

The facility will bridge traditional university research and private industrys needs while accelerating technological advances, Alan Mantooth, distinguished professor of electrical engineering and principal investigator for the facility, said in 2023.

Training center

Arkansas Enterprises for the Developmentally Disabled announced in February that it intended to spend $7 million on building the training center and two new transitional homes for developmentally disabled adults at risk of homelessness.

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The 10,000-square-foot, $3.2 million training center will be built on 3.79 acres in Cabot, The Leader reported in February. The facility will open in 2026 and train up to 60 people annually, according to the newspaper.

The center will create 38 new jobs and serve North Pulaski, Faulkner, Lonoke, Prairie and White counties, according to the governors press release.

State Rep. Brian Evans, R-Cabot, said the training center will empower developmentally disabled adults in the area by providing opportunities for skill development and meaningful employment.

This story was updated at 3:45 p.m. to add the source of the grants.

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LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  The Arkansas legislatures ALC Administrative Rules Committee has voted against Rule 128, addressing the ongoing fight between pharmacies and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).

In 2015, the General Assembly passed a law that regulates the rates at which PBMs reimburse pharmacies for drugs. PBMs are the intermediaries in setting prescription prices for insurance companies and pharmaceutical manufacturers.

Arkansas veterans, lawmakers say PBMs slowing access to pharmacies, adding extra steps to get prescriptions

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The emergency rule, passed in September, lays out plans to ensure pharmacies are paid a fair and reasonable rate. The rule expires in January, meaning lawmakers must decide if there needs to be a permanent rule to take its place.

After learning more about it, however, the majority of the legislators in Thursdays committee decided to hold off on the rules extension.

According to the language of the rule and testimony from state insurance department officials, the rule would increase dispensing fees for Arkansans by up to roughly 3.5% to 4%. The officials added that doing so could add up to $9 or $10 to help cover the difference for pharmacies paid the lowest NADAC (National Average Drug Acquisition Cost) rate by PBMs.

Legislators like Senator Jonathan Dismang have voiced concerns over the increase, and said it would hurt some of the states most vulnerable, who rely on monthly prescriptions and are on fixed incomes.

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Lawmakers also argue that the general assembly does not have the authority to delegate taxes and fees to the executive branch.

Arkansas Insurance Department goes after pharmacy benefit managers with hearings, $1.5 million penalties

Under the proposed rule, officials under the executive branch would determine the fair and reasonable rate because the statute never explicitly defined it.

You know why we probably didnt define it? Senator Jimmy Hickey said to the department representatives. We knew then the bill would probably not pass.

Hickey served in the state legislature at the time of the bills passage in 2015 and supported it, though he says he had no idea what it would entail today when it comes to what this rule looks to do.

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I can promise you that my intent was to allow for the penalties on the PBMs and I understood the NADAC [but] this thing is riddled with problems, Hickey told officials.

In addition to questioning the executive branchs authority to determine the taxes and fees in Rule 128, Dismang also questions whether the decision-makers would have an unbiased approach.

To be able to achieve fair and reasonable I think you have to start with fair and impartial, Dismang told state insurance department officials Thursday. Our legislative affairs director is not fair and impartial on this subject matter.

Arkansas lawmakers take action on rule holding pharmacy benefit managers accountable

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Dismang believes the insurance department could do everything it is looking to do under this rule already and has been underperforming for the last five years in holding PBMs accountable.

I would guarantee you that this is all for nothing, Dismang told the department staffers.

John Vinson with the Arkansas Pharmacist Association advocated for the rule and said that because of PBMs underpaying, Arkansas has lost 40 pharmacies, with a few more set to close next month. Two-thirds are independent pharmacies, and several Vinson listed come from rural areas with less patient access.

The vote today to stop that process will not allow that transparency to happen, and we are concerned what thatll mean for access and patient care all over Arkansas, Vinson said after the committees Thursday vote.

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The full ALC Committee will have a chance to decide on the rule Friday morning, giving it one last time for review and approval before it expires.

Federal bill looks to protect Arkansas health care patients & pharmacies from PBM overpricing

If it is not extended permanently, Vinson says Arkansans can expect to see new PBM legislation filed in the 2025 session.

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BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The United States needs to immediately stop illegally occupying Cuba's territory, close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, and pull out of the base at Guantanamo as soon as possible, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Friday.

Spokesperson Lin Jian made the remarks when asked to comment on a related query at a daily press briefing.

It is reported that U.S. Department of Defense recently announced the repatriation of a detainee from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, and 29 detainees remain there. In recent years, successive U.S. administrations have promised multiple times they would close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, but still haven't acted on it. Despite repeated protests from the Cuban government, the United States has unlawfully occupied part of Guantanamo Bay for over 120 years.

Lin said the United States has long unlawfully occupied part of Guantanamo Bay, and carried out arbitrary detention and used torture to extort confessions at the detention facility there. "What the United States has done severely violates international law and undermines Cuba's sovereignty and rights and interests."

The international community, including the UN, has more than once expressed concerns on this issue and asked the United States to close the detention facility there and treat the detainees justly as soon as possible, according to the spokesperson.

The repeated failure of the United States to keep its promise of closing this U.S.-run "concentration camp" will only add another stain to the poor U.S. track record on human rights and expose the emptiness of U.S. commitment to human rights, said the spokesperson.

The detention facility at Guantanamo Bay is Cuba's protracted wound, and it is a living witness to more than a century of U.S. illegal interference in Cuba, Lin said, adding that the United States, while running massive arbitrary detention at Guantanamo, keeps Cuba on the list of so-called "state sponsor of terrorism."

"The whole world can see the hypocrisy and double standard in this," he added.

China firmly supports Cuba in defending its national sovereignty and dignity, and opposes U.S. interference in Cuba's internal affairs, Lin said, adding that the United States needs to stop the bullying and blockade on Cuba, give the Cuban people's land back to them, and remove Cuba from the list of "state sponsors of terrorism." 
LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  The holidays dont feel the same without family nearby, and in Little Rock, two people show sometimes that family is found.

Mark Tudor and Amy Bradley have more in common than meets the eye. They both build Legos, wear the same low-top Puma socks, like the color orange, and discover more each year.

Last time I was here, I found out that his middle name was Bradley and my last name is Bradley, and I didnt know that, Amy shared.

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A 98-year-old mans liver was donated. He is believed to be the oldest American organ donor ever

They act like best friends forever, and though they text and call often, theyve only met a half dozen times.

Six years ago, on July 12, 2018, their lives intersected as both were at their lowest points. Bradley was on oxygen and a ticking clock battling a rare form of constant pneumonia.

I would walk around wondering why I couldnt breathe, Bradley said.

Mark was saying goodbye to his 22-year-old daughter Marissa, who died following weeks of complications from getting her tonsils removed. But like 58% of Arkansans, Marissa was an organ donor, choosing to become one when she got her drivers license.

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Tudor is CEO of ARORA (Arkansas Regional Organ Recovery Agency). Hes been in the organ recovery field for nearly 30 years, and he followed his daughters wishes which has since helped or saved hundreds.

Six organs were transplanted. Both corneas restored sight to somebody. She donated her hair, and she also donated her tissues, and they made 634 pieces of tissue that were transplanted into people over the past five years, Tudor stated.

ARORA making organ donorship easier for Arkansans for National Multicultural Donor Awareness Month

Marissa would have been a nurse. Her legacy lives on helping ICU patients through Brush of Kindness, a charity that has given hairbrushes to over 8,000 people and counting. Tudor said when his daughter first woke up from complications she had blood in her hair.

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She wanted to get it clean. She was like, If I look pretty, Ill feel better, Tudor recalled.

Making best friends who see each other each Christmas is Marissas greatest gift to her Dad and an extra Amy. Their get-togethers have been as long as two weeks before.

I live my life. I love my life now. I have like more of a meaning because I have a second chance. I think Im more a little outgoing. Im more accepting of people. It makes you look at the world differently, Bradley said.

And to me, I just think its great because I could be out here walking around, and shes all around us. I mean shes, shes here, Tudor added.

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In the three years since Tudor moved from Ohio and became ARORAs CEO, in-state transplants have increased 122% and organ donations have increased 209% as registered donors have increased. 1.52 million Arkansans are currently registered as organ donors.

2024 was a record year for ARORA with 200 organ donors and 800 tissue donors, but both Tudor and Bradley encourage people to become organ donors. It can be done online at any time.

Arkansas organ recipient and donors mother reconnect on National Donor Day

Life is beautiful. Its not made to be wasted, so if you can do what you can to help, were grateful. Very grateful, Bradley concluded

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Booth Rand, general counsel at the Arkansas Insurance Department, (right) answers a question from a lawmaker during a legislative subcommittee meeting on Dec. 19, 2024. He is seated with (left to right) Allison Hatfield, chief of staff for the state Department of Commerce, Jake Windley, director of legislative affairs and policies for the department of commerce, and Alan McClain, Arkansas Insurance Commissioner. (Mary Hennigan/Arkansas Advocate)

This story was update at 7:30 p.m. to add a statement from the governors office.

Arkansas lawmakers on Thursday rejected a proposed rule that would have allowed pharmacists to be paid a dispensing fee by drug middlemen who reimburse them for prescription costs.

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Members of the Administrative Rules subcommittee of the Arkansas Legislative Council spent about two hours questioning the Insurance Departments legal counsel about the necessity for the proposal before rejecting it by voice vote. There was at least one audible dissent.

The rule would have allowed the insurance commissioner to determine the amount health insurers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) would have to tack on to reimbursements to pharmacists, department legal counsel Booth Rand told lawmakers Thursday.

The dispensing fee could range from zero to a maximum of $10 based on data collected from PBMs and other interested parties, Rand said. An earlier survey of health plans projected an increase in health premiums between 3% and 4% if the dispensing fee was $9.

The rule was intended to replace an emergency rule approved in September that expires in mid-January. The emergency measure authorized the Insurance Department to review reimbursement rates to ensure that pharmacies will at least be paid [federally determined] minimums and to add a dispensing fee if the commissioner determines a pharmacys reimbursement is not fair and reasonable. A 2015 state law regulating PBMs, requires reimbursements to be fair and reasonable but doesnt define the term.

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In response to a question from Rep. Matthew Shepherd, R-El Dorado, Rand said the department has the authority to collect the data without the rule, but if the commissioner decided to impose a fee, the PBMs could object that theres no rule in place authorizing it.

PBMs are companies that negotiate prescription benefits among drug manufacturers, distributors, pharmacies and health insurance providers.

The nations three largest PBMs  CVS Caremark, OptumRX and Express Scripts  are owned by much larger corporations that each also own a top-10 health insurer. Together they control about 80% of the prescription market in the United States, according to a Federal Trade Commission interim study released in July.

Current PBM practices are unfair and unreasonable, not only to independent pharmacies but chain pharmacies as well, Rep. Stephanie Flowers, D-Pine Bluff, said Thursday. Ultimately, this affects our constituents, patients who dont know who to complain to if their pharmacy closes or they have an issue with prescription payments by their insurer, she said.

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When you control 80% of the prescriptions, Flowers said of PBMs, you have control over determining the formularies, you silence your pharmacists who must contract with you because you control all of the prescriptions, you own pharmacies, you own insurance companies  How do we ensure what is fair and reasonable within the law since they basically control the business, control the market, control reimbursements?

Allison Hatfield, Commerce Department chief of staff, responded, We see this rule as a mechanism to enforce the fair and reasonable language in the law.

Asked by subcommittee co-chair Sen. Kim Hammer, R-Benton, how that would increase the cost of business, Hatfield replied there would be no change, if a PBM is paying a fair and reasonable reimbursement rate.

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Some lawmakers said they also viewed the proposal as giving the insurance commissioner blanket authority to impose a fee without further legislative input.

Rule-making should occur within the constraints of existing law, Shepherd said, but shouldnt be viewed as blank-check authority.

Sens. Missy Irvin, R-Mountain View, and Jimmy Hickey Jr., R-Texarkana, also objected to giving the insurance commissioner the authority to levy an indeterminate dispensing fee, saying it usurps legislative authority.

We cant delegate our authority to an individual, Hickey said.

Irvin called the proposal tantamount to levying a new tax on consumers because the cost of a dispensing fee would be passed on to them.

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I dont agree you have the authority through the [PBM] licensing act  to create a new tax, she said.

Irvin said much the same thing on Monday during a five-hour debate on the proposed rule in the Joint Insurance and Commerce Committee that ended when the panels chairman declared the proposal reviewed.

Republican Sen. Mark Johnson of Little Rock asked Rand what would happen if the proposed rule failed to pass the committee.

Youre likely going to get a dispensing fee bill from pharmacies in the 2025 legislative session, Rand replied.

Tuesday evening, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued a statement saying her administration will not allow PBMs to skirt the law and will continue to hold PBMs accountable. She cited the $1.5 million fine we imposed on rule-breaking PBMs this summer. The administration will also continue to work the the Legislature to further protect Arkansans, she said.

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Arkansas Department of Higher Education Commissioner Ken Warden speaks at the Capitol during a press conference announcing grants for workforce training Dec. 19, 2024. (Screenshot from livestream)

The governor and Arkansas Division of Higher Education on Thursday awarded $26.7 million to 14 recipients to support workforce development efforts in the state.

The new Higher Industry Readiness through Educational Development (HIRED) training grant awards are in addition to $48 million distributed by the Arkansas Department of Commerce to 19 recipients last month.

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The grants are part of the HIRED program, which was created through the Workforce Initiative Act of 2015. The law established the grant program to address Arkansas workforce training needs, and provide dedicated funding to partnerships, education and workforce training programs, according to ADHE.

In total, $88 million is available through the programs two tracks, which are separately administered through the division of higher education and state commerce department, according to a press release from the governors office.

Through an executive order in 2023, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders created the Governors Workforce Cabinet, which developed a report this year that outlines steps for growing and developing Arkansas workforce.

During Thursdays formal announcement of grant recipients at the Capitol, ADHE Commissioner Ken Warden said the cabinet empowered officials to work across state agencies to make the biggest impact with the money available.

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These grants are a win for our state, Warden said. Its a win for our employers, as theyre going to have the talented and competent workforce they need, and its a win for individuals and for families because its going to enable them with more skills, enable them to earn higher wages, which is what we want. We want opportunities for all Arkansans to prosper.

The list of Thursdays grant recipients are below:

Track 1 HIRED Grant Recipients:

Arkansas State University-Beebe, $2,300,000

Arkansas State University-Three Rivers SCCTC, $2,000,000

Arkansas Tech University-Ozark Campus, $2,750,000

Black River Technical College with Arkansas Delta Training and Education Consortium (ADTEC), $1,675,000

Ozarka College, $1,550,000

Southern Arkansas University-Magnolia, $2,750,000

University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College, $2,500,000

University of Arkansas Community College-Morrilton, $2,000,000

University of Arkansas-Data Science, $750,000

University of Arkansas at Little Rock-Cybersecurity, $750,000

University of Arkansas at Monticello- Crossett, $2,000,000

Combined Track Proposals:

Arkansas State University-Jonesboro, Arkansas Northeastern College, Arkansas State University-Newport, $3,000,000

University of Arkansas-Semiconductors, $1,000,000

University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, $1,700,000

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WASHINGTON (DC News Now)  Police arrested someone for a homicide that happened in Southeast D.C. in October.

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said that on Thursday, officers arrested 33-year-old Andre Clark for shooting and killing 28-year-old Leonard Taylor Jr. of Suitland, Md.

Man sentenced to 17 years for raping two women in Wheaton in 1981

MPD said officers responded to the 1400 block of 18th St. SE around 8:45 a.m. on Oct. 20 for a reported crash.

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When officers got there, they found Taylor in one of the vehicles with a gunshot wound.

DC Fire and EMS responded as well, but Taylor died there.

Clark was charged with second-degree murder while armed.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston (left) unveils a portrait of U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves in the Capitol on Wednesday. Thurston is joined by Benjamin Johnson, CEO of the U.S. Marshals Museum, Cory Harris, U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Arkansas, Sen. Bryan King and portrait artist James Loveless Jr. (Photo by Mary Hennigan/Arkansas Advocate)

Until Wednesday morning, all two dozen portraits displayed in the Arkansas Capitol depicted the states former governors, all white men.

A portrait of U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves revealed Wednesday by Secretary of State John Thurston, alongside artist James Loveless Jr. and Cory Harris, U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Arkansas, marked the first non-governor and African American represented in such a way in the statehouse.

A portrait of U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves on display in the Arkansas Capitol on Dec. 18, 2024. (Photo by Mary Hennigan/Arkansas Advocate)

This portrait is more than just a work of art, Harris said. It is a reminder to all who walk these hallowed halls that our states history is rich with stories of individuals, such as Bass, who stood tall for what is right. Let it inspire us to continue building our future rooted in justice, courage and inclusion.

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Reeves (1838-1910) was born into enslavement in Crawford County, but he escaped and became one of the first Black U.S. deputy marshals west of the Mississippi River. He is known as one of the most prolific U.S. deputy marshals of the 1800s and has been the subject of several modern movies and television series.

Historic reports say that Reeves could shoot a pistol or rifle accurately with either hand and was considered one of the most respected lawmen in Indian Territory, now present-day Oklahoma. The area was one of the most dangerous areas for federal officers in the Old West at the time, and Reeves arrested more than 3,000 criminals during his service.

In addition to serving as a U.S. marshal, Reeves also served as a police officer in Muskogee, Oklahoma, until his death.

Thurston said he thought it was important to have a portrait of a legendary individual in law enforcement displayed in the Capitol to encourage the younger generation.

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The idea for the portrait stemmed from a 2017 resolution that Sen. Bryan King, R-Green Forest, filed to recognize Reeves contributions to law enforcement. When King returned to the Legislature in 2023, he said he talked with Thurston about commemorating Reeves with a portrait in the Capitol.

A display of materials related to U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves in the Arkansas Capitol on Dec. 18, 2024. (Photo by Mary Hennigan/Arkansas Advocate)

Reeves is also portrayed on horseback at the Ross Pendergraft Park in Fort Smith. The town is also home to the U.S. Marshals Museum, which opened last year.

Benjamin Johnson, president and CEO of the museum, said Wednesday it was  a shame he didnt know about Reeves history until moving to Arkansas.

[The portrait] is a great step in ensuring that everybody across the country and hopefully around the world gets to know the man Bass Reeves, Johnson said.

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Borrowed materials from the U.S. Marshals Museum were displayed in cases around the portrait on Wednesday. While Thurston said the portrait will remain on display until somebody decides it shouldnt be here, the exhibit surrounding the artwork will be on rotation.

A word with the artist

Loveless formal rendition of Reeves  bowtie and all  is not the first, second or third artwork that Loveless has done of Reeves. Its the fourth, and perhaps Loveless fastest, completed in just six weeks, he said.

The $15,000 contract for the painting began in October and was paid entirely with private funds, Johnson said.

Loveless said he didnt know the portrait of Reeves would be the first of any African American to hang in the Capitol, but he wanted it to be special and show the legacy of the individual like any other portrait.

James Loveless Jr., the artist of a Bass Reeves portrait on display in the Arkansas Capitol, talks during the unveiling ceremony on Dec. 18, 2024. (Photo by Mary Hennigan/Arkansas Advocate)

At first, Loveless said he wanted to paint Reeves in a manner that was more indicative of his spirit  a rough guy who worked outside and helped horses get out of ditches  but the formal portrait was recommended to match others in the statehouse.

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Loveless said Reeves seldom would have dressed as he is shown in the portrait.

Along with your expression, your hands say things, too, Loveless said. I feel as though he was a confident guy. I didnt want him to look over confident, but his hands reflect who he is. The hard work, the fact that he was relaxed in this kind of different situation of being in front of a camera  I wanted all that to come forth through his hands.

Loveless said he aims to depict historic, Black figures from the 1800s through his artwork.

In the eighth grade, Loveless said he had a teacher who told him that Black folks just stayed on the sidelines, they didnt do much during this time, so thats why its not included. But with two parents as school teachers who had books with illustrations of successful Black people, Loveless said he knew something was afoot.

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Im just glad that some of this is being uncovered, because I want people to know  to have a clear picture of what happened in the past, he said.

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By Panu Wongcha-um

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand has told Myanmar's junta that ASEAN members would want all stakeholders included in an election the military government plans to hold next year, even as the regional bloc seeks a common position on the polls, Thai officials said on Friday.

"If there is an election, ASEAN would want an inclusive process that included all stakeholders," Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa said in a group interview in Bangkok, after meetings with counterparts and senior diplomats of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) grouping.

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Myanmar has been in turmoil since early 2021 when its military overthrew an elected civilian government, triggering pro-democracy protests that morphed into a widening armed rebellion that has taken over swathes of the country.

The military is fighting rebels on multiple fronts, struggling to govern and manage a crumbling economy that was seen as a promising frontier market before the generals ended a decade of tentative democracy.

Thailand this week hosted two separate regional meetings on the crisis in Myanmar, the first involving the junta and its neighbours, including China, Bangladesh and India, followed by one with ASEAN members.

Myanmar's foreign minister on Thursday briefed attendees on the outline of the junta's political roadmap and progress towards holding an election, which critics have dismissed as a sham, largely due to the absence and sidelining of opposition groups.

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"The neighbouring countries said we support Myanmar in finding solutions but the election must be inclusive for various stakeholders in the country," Maris said, stressing that Myanmar's neighbours would advise, but not interfere.

Their effort, he said, would also support ASEAN's Myanmar peace plan, the "Five Point Consensus", its strategy to diffuse the conflict that has made scant progress.

The proposed Myanmar elections were also part of discussions among ASEAN members at Friday's meeting, which the junta was not part of, said Thai foreign ministry official Bolbongse Vangphaen.

The bloc is still awaiting details of the polls from the Myanmar side, he said, adding that ASEAN would also need to find a common position on the proposed ballot, which has the backing of regional heavyweights such as China.

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China's vice foreign minister said during Thursday's meeting in Bangkok that all parties should support Myanmar in advancing its peace and reconciliation process, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Friday.

Sun Weidong said all parties in Myanmar should resolve differences through dialogue and consultation.

(Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um; Writing by Devjyot Ghoshal; Editing by Martin Petty)
Viengchan Market, a family-owned Southeast Asian grocery store, opened Wednesday in the site of the former Coopers Foods on West Seventh Street in St. Paul.

The store has another location in Brooklyn Park, which opened in 2016.

In St. Paul, Viengchan Market opens at 9 a.m. daily and closes at 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 6 p.m. Sunday. The store offers a variety of pan-Asian groceries including Lao, Hmong and Thai ingredients, fresh produce and deli items, as well as continuing to offer many of the American staple ingredients stocked at Coopers.

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Lots of people have been coming in, Herder Her, who manages the stores IT systems, said at the store Thursday morning. We were in Brooklyn Park and knew there were more Asian people in the St. Paul area, so we knew we wanted to expand here.

Viengchans owners bought the 18,000 square-foot building in St. Paul from the Cooper family in spring 2024 and briefly leased it back for Coopers Foods closing sale, according to previous Pioneer Press reporting.

The Coopers Foods store near the corner of West Seventh and St. Clair Avenue, open since the 1990s, had been the local chains final location and closed in June. The family closed its 107-year-old Chaska location in March and a previous location in Highland Park in 2017.

With limited grocery options in the neighborhood  other stores like Lunds & Byerlys, Mississippi Market and Trader Joes are all over a mile away  residents had previously expressed concern over Coopers closure, and relief that the building would remain a source for fresh produce and ingredients.

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I think its really important that the community has access to fresh and affordable food, Meg Duhr, board president with the West Seventh/Fort Road Federation, told the Pioneer Press in June. I hope its successful. Without that, West Seventh is really kind of a food desert.

Viengchan Market: 633 W. 7th St.; viengchanmarket.com; Brooklyn Park location phone is 763-566-4489
Dec. 19Another state legislator made a visit to an area air ambulance headquarters this week to learn about the service.

Days after a visit from state Sen. Peter Oberacker to the Sidney base of LifeNet of New York, Assembly member Joe Angelino, R-Norwich, visited the facility Tuesday morning "to see firsthand the critical air medical services provided by the dedicated helicopter crew," according to a news release from the company. Angelino supported and helped pass legislation in 2021, allowing air medical teams to carry and administer blood when needed.

"I wanted to visit the base to thank the professionals who operate these lifesaving helicopters," Angelino said. "Rural medical care is a domino effect. The number of calls a rural ground ambulance can get in a day and the distance to the nearest hospital is so great, to get someone to the hospital in that 'golden hour' is where LifeNet of New York comes in. Sometimes helicopters are the best response."

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During Angelino's visit, LifeNet crew members explained their daily operations and demonstrated the specialized emergency medical equipment on board, according to the release. "A key highlight of the tour was the discussion of one of their most crucial resources  units of blood," the release stated.

Since the bill was passed, LifeNet has administered more than 1,300 units of blood statewide.

"We are thankful Assembly member Angelino took the time to meet our crews and are appreciative of his support," LifeNet of New York Account Executive Steve Sculley-Beaman said in a statement. "Having the ability to carry and administer blood products has made an incredible impact on the community. Our crews are better equipped to support our ground ambulances and hospitals, and together, we're able to deliver better outcomes."

"With my background in law enforcement and fire emergency services, I've conducted many landing zones, but today it was nice to visit the base to thank the air medical crew face to face who do this lifesaving work," Angelino said. "Their professionalism is unmatched here. We all know how stressful this line of work can be, but the flight crew remains calm and goes above and beyond in the medical care they provide."
UPDATE: Michael Sermons has been found safe, Atlantic Beach police said.

END UPDATE

Atlantic Beach police are looking for a man who has Alzheimers and was last seen early Friday. According to a post on the departments Facebook page, Michael Sermons, 73, was last seen in the 2000 block of Beach Avenue at 2:30 a.m.

He may be traveling in a black 4-door Nissan Frontier pickup truck with Virginia tag #WSK9670. Sermons is described as 6 feet tall, 185 pounds, with snow white hair.

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Any one with information on his whereabouts should call the police department immediately.

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

UPDATE...subject has been located and is safe. MISSING!!!! We are asking for the public's help in locating Mr.... Posted by Atlantic Beach Police Department on Friday, December 20, 2024

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DURANGO, Colo. (KREX)  The attempted robber who shot someone on the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Reservation was sentenced on Dec. 16.

Lovell Cassius Benallie, 27, of Kirtland, New Mexico, was sentenced to 166 months (or over 13 years) in prison for assault with a dangerous weapon and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. His prison sentence will be followed by three years of supervision.

The defendant acted callously and purposelessly, acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado Matt Kirsch said in a press release. Gun violence will not be tolerated on the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation and our office reaffirms our intention to vigorously violent crimes on our reservations.

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On Aug. 24, 2023, Benallie and an associate traveled from New Mexico to the Ute Mountain Ute Casino, about 12 miles southwest of Cortez, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office. After he finished gambling, Benallie went to a nearby travel center where he approached an elderly Navajo man preparing to do laundry.

Benallie said to the man, Give me all your money and pointed a firearm at him. When the man replied, What money, Benallie fired the gun at the mans leg before fleeing the scene.

The Navajo man was airlifted to Grand Junction for medical treatment. He ended up with serious and enduring injuries.

This defendant coldly and callously shot a total stranger during an attempted robbery. Any such act of violence on the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation gets the full attention of FBI Denver, Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek said in the release.

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In this case, we were assisted by the Farmington, New Mexico, Police Department. We will continue to support the Bureau of Indian Affairs and those who live on the reservation by investigating criminal acts and removing the perpetrators from the community.

Benallie had previous felony convictions including aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon in Farmington, New Mexico.

The FBI office in Durango investigated this case along with the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

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KAMPALA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Uganda on Friday reopened a key bridge on an international highway leading to the neighboring eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and South Sudan, after months of renovation.

Minister of Works and Transport Katumba Wamala told Parliament late Thursday that light vehicles and buses would be allowed to use the bridge.

Repairs that would enable heavy vehicles to use the bridge would also be completed soon, the minister said.

Local media reported that religious and political leaders converged on the bridge to witness its reopening after about four months of closure for renovation.

Since September, vehicles traveling to and from northern Uganda, South Sudan, and parts of eastern DRC have been using alternative routes.

The 60-year-old bridge, located in the midwestern Uganda district of Kiryandongo, has been renovated by Chinese construction firm China Railway Seventh Group and the Ugandan military, after it developed cracks. 
Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a motion Thursday night to block death row inmate Robert Roberson from testifying at the Capitol on Friday in the latest escalation of a political battle between the executive branch and a Texas House committee over Robersons case.

The motion asks a district court in Polk County  where the prison that houses death row is located  to allow the state prison system to ignore a Texas House committees subpoena ordering Roberson to appear in Austin for testimony.

Paxton wrote on social media that the filing of the motion automatically excuses the Texas Department of Criminal Justice from complying with the subpoena pending a hearing and resolution of the motion.

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The move is the latest in a tense standoff between Paxton and a bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers who have sought to obtain Robersons in-person testimony for weeks, convinced that the state legal system has failed him.

Reps. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, and Jeff Leach, R-Plano, have accused the attorney generals office of stonewalling the committee and slow-walking Robersons testimony until the panel automatically dissolves next month with the start of the new legislative session.

In the filing, Paxton asked the court to hold a hearing before it decides whether to grant his motion. But he requested that the hearing not be set before Jan. 13, 2025, saying he will be out of the country.

The new legislative session starts  and the committee disbands  on Jan. 14.

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The attorney generals office knows that and is trying to delay until the start of the next session, which is just horrifying and maddening to me, Leach said at an event with the Tribune on Dec. 6.

Members of the Texas House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence had planned to hear from Roberson at a hearing on Friday after serving the death row inmate with a second subpoena this week.

In his motion, Paxton argued that the committees subpoena was procedurally deficient and overly burdensome, making it necessary for a court to protect the Texas Department of Criminal Justice from complying with the subpoenas demand that the agency transport Roberson to Austin.

Paxton argued that the subpoena was issued in violation of the House rules, the Constitution and the Open Meetings Act. He wrote that legislative subpoenas must be approved by two-thirds of a standing committee, and that no one legislator can retain the power to issue a subpoena on behalf of the entire committee.

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The nine-member criminal jurisprudence committee had unanimously approved a subpoena to Roberson in October, which forced a stay of his scheduled execution and set off a legal and political fight between the lawmakers and the executive branch.

The committee did not reconvene to approve the second subpoena  making it invalid, Paxton argued.

The attorney generals office also argued that the subpoena imposed an undue burden in requiring TDCJ to transport Roberson to the Capitol, which the motion said poses significant safety and security risks to the inmate, correctional staff and the public.

Paxton argued that Robersons circumstances posed a uniquely disproportionate challenge for law enforcement, noting that his case has become highly publicized.

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To mitigate these risks even slightly, TDCJ would have to devote significantly more human and physical resources to the transportation of this one inmate, at a significantly higher cost than it otherwise would to transport an entire roster of inmates, the motion reads.

And Paxton accused lawmakers of misrepresenting their rationale for seeking Robersons testimony and violating the separation of powers by issuing a subpoena that exceeds any permissible scope.

Lawmakers have said they believe the courts are not properly applying the states groundbreaking junk science law, which Roberson has tried unsuccessfully to use to overturn his conviction. Members of the committee said they wanted to hear directly from Roberson, who is autistic, about his efforts to seek justice under the law to interrogate its potential deficiencies.

But Paxton called that reasoning nakedly pretextual, arguing that the committees public statements leave little doubt that the true purpose of this invited testimony is to relitigate the question of Robersons guilt or innocence.

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In a statement, Roberson's attorney, Gretchen Sween, argued that the attorney general's office was relying on baseless and vague smears and cheap fear-mongering to justify an act seemingly without legal basis.

When Roberson's execution was delayed in October, she said, TDCJ officials had made it clear to me personally that it would be no trouble at all to bring Robert to the Capitol. Then the OAG intervened.

The real 'fear' at play here seems to be that seeing and hearing from Robert will make it clear to the public that an innocent man sits on death row who is also a gentle soul with a pronounced disability, Sween said. Texans deserve better.

Moody and Leach, at the Tribunes Dec. 6 event, vowed to continue fighting for Roberson despite opposition from the attorney generals office  and even through the start of a new legislative session.

We will not relent in the pursuit of justice for Mr. Roberson, Leach said. If they want to thumb their nose in the face of the Legislature that egregiously and blatantly, they can be  and should be  assured that a new committee next session  will issue a new subpoena if we have to.
Tony Buzbee hasnt had a break since he started representing alleged Sean Diddy Combs accusers. A civil lawsuit against Diddy and Shawn Jay-Z Carter alleging the rappers raped a 13-year-old Jane Doe in 2000 has gotten messy over the weeks. Ironically, the Texas attorney is now facing a Jane Doe of his own in a new lawsuit against him.

In the suit filed in New York Supreme Court on Thursday (Dec. 19), Jane Doe alleges she met Buzbee online in 2018, according to PEOPLE. The filing claims Doe and Buzbee had dinner before Buzbee booked the two of them a room at a five-star hotel. The woman then alleges the two had sexual intercourse, but everything went left when Buzbee allegedly didnt tell her he had a venereal disease, which was not named in her filing.

Does filing, reviewed by the magazine, continued saying she allegedly began to feel uncomfortable sensations around her groin following their date, and after getting tested, a doctor confirmed she had a sexually transmitted infection (STI).

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The woman allegedly told Buzbee about her diagnosis, but he did not appear shocked and allegedly apologized, according to the magazine. Doe is claiming Buzbee knew he had the STd but did not disclose the information to her. In fact, the accuser said Buzbee allegedly offered to give her free legal advice in exchange for her silence on the matter. Eventually, Buzbee began representing the woman in a divorce case in 2021, according to TMZ.

Doe and Buzbee allegedly continued having relations after her diagnosis, but on one of the couples trips to New York City, she claims Buzbee assaulted her with a champagne flute, according to the lawsuit obtained by TMZ. The woman claims Buzbee flew into a fit of rage and allegedly pushed a champagne flute into her face, which even chipped her tooth. She claims to have medical and dental records to proving the injuries.

In response to the violent allegations, Buzbee told TMZ in November it was all crazy fiction. He continued saying, I would ask if the lawyer bringing this silly case is friends with a lawyer from the firm that brought the other [extortion] case. All this will be exposed soon.

Doe is suing Buzbee for legal malpractice, violation of judiciary law, breach of fiduciary duty, fraudulent misrepresentation and tortious interference, according to PEOPLE. The lawyer took to Instagram and said the lawsuit is frivolous, laughable and ridiculous and will be dismissed along like the others.

Regarding the baloney accusations against Roc Nation pic.twitter.com/618YUl7SgN  Roc Nation (@RocNation) December 20, 2024

With tensions rising between Buzbee and Jay-Z, the lawyer continued saying this alleged smear campaign against him can all be traced back to Diddy and Jay-Z. The conspiracy to discredit me and intimidate me from pursing claims in the Diddy litigation has at this point, become criminal, he wrote on instagram.

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In response, Roc Nation released a statement on X denying the claims. We are not the source of every sunlight you get but Roc sunshine is coming your way Mr. 1800. Shameful, the statement wrote.

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AUSTIN (KXAN)  The Austin Police Departments Missing Persons Unit asked Thursday night for the communitys help in locating 81-year-old Jaime Tamariz.

APD said he was last seen on Thursday, around 7:00 p.m. in the 900 block of East 2nd Street. Thats near the intersection of East Cesar Chavez Street and North Interstate 35 Frontage Road.

Authorities said Tamariz has dementia and only speaks Spanish. Police said they were concerned about his safety and immediate welfare.

The Austin Police Departments Missing Persons Unit asked Thursday night for the communitys help in locating 81-year-old Jaime Tamariz. (Austin Police Department Photo)

APD described Tamariz as 56, 140 Ibs., with brown eyes and salt and pepper hair. He was last seen wearing a dark grey sweatshirt, dark grey sweatpants and sandals.

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If you have seen Tamariz, APD asks you to call 9-11 or the missing persons unit at 512-974-5250.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP)  Australia announced on Friday it will pay for more police in Solomon Islands and create a police training center in the South Pacific island nations capital Honiara, where Chinese law enforcement instructors are already based under a bilateral security pact with Beijing.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia would spend 190 million Australian dollars ($118 million) over four years on funding and training new Royal Solomon Islands Police Force recruits with a package that would reduce any need for outside support.

My government is proud to make a significant investment in the police force of the Solomon Islands to ensure that they can continue to take primary responsibility for security in the Solomons, Albanese told reporters in Australia's capital Canberra.

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Albanese and his Solomons counterpart Jeremiah Manele said in a joint statement on Friday the package would build an enduring security capability in the Solomons, thereby reducing its reliance on external partners over time.

Australia has been energetically pursuing new bilateral security deals with its Pacific island neighbors since Beijing and the Solomons signed a security deal in 2022 under Maneles predecessor, Manasseh Sogavare.

That deal has created fears among U.S. allies including Australia that the Chinese navy will be allowed to build a base in the strategically important Solomons.

Albaneses Labor Party, which was the opposition at the time the pact was signed, described it as Australias worst foreign policy failure in the Pacific since World War II.

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Australia has recently signed security deals with Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu and Nauru that effectively give Canberra veto powers over any security deals those countries might want to strike with third nations including China.

Asked if the new deal would require the Chinese security presence to be removed from the Solomons, Albanese did not directly answer.

The Solomon Islands of course is a sovereign nation. They have some measures in place and we expect that to continue, Albanese said.

As a result of this agreement, what weve done is make sure that Australia remains the security partner of choice, he added.

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Mihai Sora, a Pacific islands expert at the Lowy Institute, a Sydney-based international policy think tank, said the agreement was a clear win for Solomon Islands, which has gained a much-needed boost to its law and justice sector.

But Solomon Islands has not committed to scaling back the essentially permanent rotating presence of around 14 Chinese police trainers in the country, who have been running their own parallel training program with Solomon Islands police since 2022, Sora said in an email.

So, the agreement falls short of a solid strategic commitment to Australia from Solomon Islands, and theres no indication that it would derail China-Solomon Islands security ties, Sora added.

Blake Johnson, an analyst at the Australian Security Policy Institute, a Canberra-based think tank, said Chinese policing in the Pacific gives Beijing tools to control Chinese expatriates and pursue other goals.

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They can be very heavy-handed in their response sometimes. There are also concerns around data and privacy risks associated with Chinese police in the region, Johnson said.

Sometimes theyre providing surveillance equipment. There are concerns about what that is being used for and what its capturing, he added.
By Kirsty Needham

SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australia will provide over $100 million to help the Solomon Islands, which also has security ties with China, expand its police force so it can reduce its reliance on external partners, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday.

The U.S. and Australia have been racing to limit China's security ambitions in the Pacific Islands ever since the Solomon Islands' then-leader, Manasseh Sogavare, signed a security deal with Beijing in 2022.

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Albanese told reporters in Canberra the four-year, A$190 million ($118 million) commitment showed Australia was the Solomon Islands' "security partner of choice".

The move "responds to Solomon Islands strong desire to build an enduring sovereign security capability, thereby reducing its reliance on external partners over time", Albanese and his Solomon Islands counterpart Jeremiah Manele said in a joint statement.

Solomon Islands has had a small Chinese police contingent since 2022.

Australian police had provided security from 2003 to 2017 at the request of the archipelago's government after internal conflict. They returned in 2021, helping to quell riots and supporting national elections this year.

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Manele had asked Australia for funds to double the size of the Solomons' police to 3,000 officers.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson told reporters: "No country should regard the Pacific Islands countries as its own backyard, but [they] should complement each other's strengths ...

"We hope that the parties concerned will earnestly respect the independence and sovereignty of the island countries and refrain from interfering in their internal affairs."

Mihai Sora, director of the Pacific Islands Program at the Lowy Institute think tank, said the security sector in Solomon Islands remains "highly contested", and that the funding "keeps Australia in the game, but it won't slow the pace of the competition."

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"Prime Minister Manele has agreed to extra law and order support from Australia, but he has not committed to diminishing his country's security partnerships with China, which remains the main objective for Canberra," he added.

Albanese said Australia's support would boost domestic security, but also enhance the Islands' "ability to contribute to regional stability."

The 18-nation Pacific Islands Forum agreed in August to form a regional policing strategy, boosting numbers and providing security within the "Pacific family". China is not a member.

Australia has signed a flurry of funding and security deals with its Pacific Island neighbours in December, amid uncertainty over the approach of the incoming U.S. administration under Donald Trump.

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A police funding deal with Nauru gives Australia a veto over China using its port and airport for security purposes, and a sports deal with Papua New Guinea can be scrapped if the country establishes police ties with China.

($1 = 1.6062 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Kirsty Needham in Sydney, Additional reporting by Mei Mei Chu in Beijing; Editing by Lincoln Feast, Sonali Paul and Kevin Liffey)
GREENE COUNTY, Ark.  Police in northeast Arkansas are investigating a deadly officer-involved shooting that followed a pursuit involving multiple agencies.

Authorities said officers with the Greene County Sheriffs Office, Paragould Police Department and the Arkansas State Police were involved in a pursuit involving a suspect in two violent incidents that happened in another county.

North Little Rock police searching for two suspects in MacArthur Drive deadly shooting

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Officials with the GCSO said the pursuit ended just outside of Paragould before an encounter with the suspect resulted in multiple officers firing at him and hitting him. The suspect died in the shooting, police said. No suspect information is available at this time.

No officers were injured in the shooting, officials said.

North Little Rock police make second arrest in Velvet Ridge stabbing death

Authorities said the Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division is investigating and the officers involved in the shooting are on administrative leave.

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German authorities are treating an incident in which a car ploughed into a group of people at a Christmas market in the city of Magdeburg as a suspected attack.

Matthias Schuppe, the spokesman for the Saxony-Anhalt state government, said it was "probably an attack."

City spokesman Michael Reif also described it as an "attack on the Christmas market."

Police have taken the driver into custody, local government sources told dpa.

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It was not initially known whether people were killed or injured.

The Christmas market, located near the city hall, is teeming with ambulances and paramedics, as videos posted on social media showed.

Magdeburg is a city of some 237,000 people and located about 150 kilometres west of Berlin.
Russia and Ukraine have not reached an agreement on the continuation of Russian gas transit through Ukraine to Europe, despite Azerbaijans mediation efforts.

Source: Reuters, citing a senior source in the Azerbaijani energy company SOCAR

Details: The EU and Ukraine are said to have asked Azerbaijan to facilitate negotiations with Russia on a gas transit agreement, which expires at the end of this year.

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On Thursday, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin said that a new agreement with Kyiv for gas transit to Europe was no longer possible.

Ukraine, which has been resisting a full-scale Russian invasion since February 2022, announced that it will not renew the contract, under which about 15 billion cubic metres of Russian gas is transported annually through Ukrainian territory to Europe.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on Thursday that Kyiv might consider continuing the transit of Russian gas, but only if Russia does not receive payment for it until the war ends. However, this condition is unlikely to be accepted by Moscow.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal reported that the transit agreement will expire on the morning of 1 January, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported. He added that transit can be resumed only for non-Russian gas if a request from the European Commission is received.

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The SOCAR source claimed that the company had been mediating negotiations between Ukrainian and Russian energy companies for almost a year at the request of Ukraine and the EU.

The source noted that high-level executives met with representatives of Ukrainian energy companies on 2 May in Istanbul and 29 August in Vienna, adding: "In the end, the Ukrainian and Russian sides could not agree on the terms".

Background:

Russian gas monopoly Gazprom's internal plans for 2025 assume that gas transit to Europe through Ukraine will no longer be carried out after 31 December 2024.

Slovakia will hold a series of negotiations to secure Russian gas supplies after the current transit contract through Ukraine expires.

SPP, Slovakia's largest energy supplier, has issued a declaration of support for gas transit through Ukraine.

On Thursday, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to discuss the possibility of continuing gas supplies through Ukraine.

Kremlin leader Putin says the contract for Russian gas transit through Ukraine will no longer exist, but Gazprom will "get through it".

The Ukrainian gas transmission system will be able to transport gas only of non-Russian origin effective 07:00 on 1 January 2025.

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(KRON)  The San Mateo County Sheriffs Office (SMCSO) said deputies made a swift arrest of a suspect tied to an attempted homicide after officials found a badly injured victim running through traffic. Investigators said the victim and suspect know each other.

Novato High lockdown cleared as police investigate robbery near school

Officials said deputies were dispatched at around 7:45 p.m. Wednesday to the area of Coronado Street and Obispo Road in El Granada on the report of a 37-year-old victim running through traffic. Deputies found the man, a victim of a serious assault who was suffering from major injuries to his head and face. He was taken to a nearby hospital.

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Deputies said witnesses gave them a full description of the male suspect and reported they saw him running away northbound.

The sheriffs office said the suspect, identified as Josef A. Holloway, 35, of Half Moon Bay, was quickly located. Deputies said Holloway was in possession of the weapon believed to be used in the attack along with drugs and paraphernalia. Holloway was arrested and booked into the Maguire Correctional Facility on charges including attempted homicide, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of narcotics paraphernalia.

SMCSO said with the arrest, there is no remaining threat to the community. However, the case is still active, and anyone with information is asked to contact the sheriffs office at 650-363-4911, the anonymous tip line at 1-800-547-2700 or email Deputy Kuhl at mkuhl@smcgov.org.

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On December 6, 2024, the Chinese Embassy in Sierra Leone held the 2024 Ambassador Scholarship and Grant Award ceremony. Ambassador Wang Qing, Minister of Technical and Higher Education of Sierra Leone, Dr. Ramatulai Wurie and Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Mr. Conrad Sackey delivered speeches.

Ambassador Wang Qing expressed his sincere congratulations to the awardees and then reviewed the fruitful results achieved by both sides in the field of education over the past 53 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Under a series of important consensuses reached by the heads of state of the two countries, China will continue to deepen cooperation in the field of education between China and Sierra Leone, and will always provide all possible help to young students in Sierra Leone. He hopes that everyone will become the backbone of Sierra Leone in the future, and the inheritors and promoters of China-Sierra Leone friendship.

Minister Dr. Ramatulai Wurie and Minister Mr. Conrad Sackey highly appreciated China's long-term support and assistance to Sierra Leones young students, positively evaluated the fruitful results of educational cooperation between the two countries, and looked forward to strengthening close cooperation with China in the field of education. At the same time, they encouraged Sierra Leones young students to make progress constantly and actively become the disseminators of China- Sierra Leone friendship.

Two award-winning students expressed their gratitude to the Chinese Embassy in Chinese and promised to study hard and strive to be messengers of China-Sierra Leone friendly cooperation and cultural exchanges.




A screenshot from a video released on Dec. 21, 2024 shows rescuers working at the scene of a Ukrainian missile attack in Rylsk of Russia's Kursk region. Six people were killed and 10 injured after a Ukrainian missile attack on the town of Rylsk in Russia's Kursk region, acting governor of the Kursk region Alexander Khinshtein said Friday. (Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations/Handout via Xinhua)

MOSCOW, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Six people were killed and 10 injured after a Ukrainian missile attack on the town of Rylsk in Russia's Kursk region, acting governor of the Kursk region Alexander Khinshtein said Friday.

Earlier Friday, Ukraine launched a large-scale missile attack on the town of Rylsk, Khinshtein said in a statement on Telegram.

Rescuers, firefighters and emergency services are working at the scene, though their efforts are disrupted by continued strikes from Ukrainian forces, he said, adding that several U.S. HIMARS missiles have been shot down by air defense forces. 
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Friday warned Turkey against military escalation in areas controlled by Kurdish militia in north-eastern Syria.

"The security of Kurds in particular is essential for a free and secure future for Syria," Baerbock said in Ankara following talks with her Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan.

"It was good to hear that the Turkish foreign minister sees it that way too," Baerbock told reporters.

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The warning comes amid concerns that Ankara and allied Syrian militias could further target the US-backed Syrian Kurdish militia YPG in areas along the Turkish border with Syria, including the town of Kobane.

While the US sees the YPG as a key player in its fight against Islamic State extremists, Turkey classifies the YPG as a terrorist organization.

Fidan demanded that the YPG lay down its weapons, according to readout shared by the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

Turkey has a "legitimate concern," Baerbock added. She suggested disarming the Syrian militia groups and integrating them into a future national security structure is among options.

Baerbock also met Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin in Ankara.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock gives a press briefing following her meeting with her Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan in Ankara. Michael Kappeler/dpa
TIVERTON R.I. (WPRI)  A business in Tiverton partially reopened its doors Friday morning one week after all the cats were removed due to licensing issues.

The Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals along with Tiverton police and animal control inspected Bajahs Cat Cafe at the request of local officials.

The reopening will focus on coffee, tea, pastries, and breakfast sandwiches as the cats are still not at the business as of now.

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Owner Amanda Souza-Viera surrendered 18 cats, keeping two she owned and returning two others to Forever Paws in Fall River.

Some of the cats were found to have mild upper respiratory infections, but the RISPCA reported that all appeared well cared for with up-to-date veterinary records.

Souza-Viera admitted she knew she didnt have the proper licensing, but said she was in the process of starting a rescue.

Theres nothing I can do anymore, I know they are in a good place that theyll be taken care of but it still hurts, Souza-Viera said. This mission doesnt stop now its just going to make me stronger its going to make me fight harder to get that rescue open.

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Her plan is to get some cats from the shelter to have at the cafe while she applies for a rescue license  which could take a while to get.

She added that they hope to stay open until 2 p.m. Friday.

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BALTIMORE  Exactly one month before Donald Trump is scheduled to retake the White House, Maryland leaders are taking a cautious approach toward his signature call to deport people who are in the country illegally.

In Baltimore, Mayor Brandon Scott  the citys first mayor to win reelection in two decades  has touted his role in reducing violent crime rates across all categories. While such a priority would seemingly align the mayor with the tough on crime president-elect, Scott has expressed concern over federal agents interfering with Baltimore Police in any widespread Trump-led deportation operation.

We would hope that this administration, who says they want to come down and make sure that violence is going down in cities, doesnt come disrupt the apple cart when violence is going down in the city to a level it has never had before, Scott told The Baltimore Sun in late November.

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Scotts office did not immediately respond Friday to a request to comment on how the mayor believes a federal immigration presence in Baltimore would increase or maintain the citys current crime rates.

The Scott administrations course seems to chart a middle ground between those of larger regional cities such as New York and Philadelphia, where officials rhetoric toward potential deportations has greatly varied.

In the Big Apple, Democratic Mayor Eric Adams  who is facing corruption and bribery charges  has indicated a willingness to work with Trump border czar Tom Homan to scale back laws limiting the citys cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

My legal team is going to sit down with [Homans] legal team to make the determination if an executive order can change that, Adams said Wednesday during a Fox News appearance.

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In Philadelphia, leaders like City Councilwoman Rue Landau have emphasized their citys status as a sanctuary. Philly became a sanctuary city in 2016 and is home to about 47,000 illegal immigrants, according to Migration Policy statistics.

Sanctuary is a word that holds more weight now than it has ever, Landau said at a Dec. 10 rally calling on Mayor Cherelle Parker to take a stronger stand against Trumps proposed immigration policies.

How will Gov. Wes Moore handle Trumps deportation plans?

In an emailed statement, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, called on federal leaders to set aside politics while vowing to wait to see what Trump does before taking any action designed to protect Marylanders.

Moores statement did not explicitly distinguish between legal and illegal immigration, as he instead referred broadly to immigrant communities.

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There is currently a lot of speculation going around about how the new federal administration plans to address immigration policy. As Governor, I have an obligation to protect Marylanders, including members of our immigrant communities, said Moore. We have issued clear guidance on the four values driving our work during this transition from one administration to the next: We will deliver for Marylanders, we will defend our constitutional rights, we will grow our economy, and we will restore faith in our public servants, our institutions, and our democracy. And as policy evolves, we will weigh our actions against these values.

In 2021, the Maryland General Assembly passed legislation largely along party lines to prohibit counties from entering into agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain immigrants on its behalf. Another law was enacted the same year requiring state employees to deny the inspection of files containing photos or personal information for immigration enforcement purposes unless the requester has a valid warrant.

Former Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, vetoed both bills. His vetoes were overridden  again, along party lines  during a special legislative session in December 2021.

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI)  One of the final regulatory hurdles has been completed in merging Capital One and Discover, two of the largest credit card issuers in the country.

Capital One Financial Corp. announced it received approval from the Office of the Delaware State Bank Commissioner on Wednesday to acquire Discover Financial Services.

This approval represents an important step toward the completion of the merger, the company said in a press release.

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Capital One first announced the merger, an all-stock transaction valued at $35.3 billion, in February.

The transaction brings together two companies with long-standing track records of delivering attractive and resilient financial results, award-winning customer experiences, breakthrough innovation, and financial inclusion, Capital One stated in the announcement.

Roughly five months later, it announced a five-year $265 billion community benefits plan in connection with the deal.

The transaction is expected to close in early 2025, subject to the completion of the final closing conditions between the companies, including approval from stockholders, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

How will this impact existing customers?

Capital One said it intends to keep Discover products branded under Discover, alongside other cards currently offered by Capital One.

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Given Discovers position as the smallest U.S.-based payment network, the acquisition is expected to bring scale and investment, making it a more credible alternative, according to Capital One.

AHEAD: RI leaders persist in keeping Hasbro local amid HQ search

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WEST PALM BEACH  Buried under a growing drug debt, 51-year-old Daniel Cruz robbed five banks in three days. Bank tellers across Palm Beach County told near-identical stories about the man who demanded cash and threatened to kill those around him.

Cruz showed none of that bravado Wednesday. Shackled in West Palm Beach's federal courthouse and facing up to 100 years in prison, he thanked the judge instead.

"I am sorry for what I've done," he began. "At the same time, I'm grateful the cycle was broken. A lot worse was going to happen to me than this if I would have stayed out there."

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Federal court: Dentist who flew to Florida for sex with child pleads guilty, paves way for possible life sentence

According to investigators, Cruz's three-day heist began on June 12 at a Wells Fargo in Lake Worth Beach. A bank teller tried to ignore his demand for money and walk away, but stopped when Cruz raised his voice and threatened to kill the customer waiting in line behind him.

Cruz fled from the bank with about $1,000 in hand. Investigators said he took another $3,000 from a second Wells Fargo in Palm Springs the following day, and another $2,301 from a different Wells Fargo the day after that.

On June 14, he tried to rob a PNC Bank in Palm Springs but left empty handed after a teller asked him for a deposit slip. He took a final $3,600 from a Truist Bank in Greenacres soon after, capping his profit at just under $10,000.

Bank robber spared million-dollar court fee

As deputies with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office flocked to Truist Bank, one noticed drivers swerving to avoid a silver Lexus speeding away.

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The sedan matched the descriptions witnesses gave of the robber's getaway car. Its occupant, identified as Cruz, wore the same clothes witnesses said the robber wore.

The search for the car ended almost two hours later in the parking lot of the Economy Inn motel in Lake Worth Beach. Deputies in a sheriff's helicopter watched Cruz step out of the car with two unidentified men and enter the motel.

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He walked back out in the same minute, dropped a crack pipe into a storm drain and began walking alongside a highway that neighbored the motel. Deputies arrested him as he walked and recorded his confession soon afterward.

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Cruz pleaded guilty to four counts of bank robbery and and one count of attempted bank robbery in September. U.S. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks sentenced him to 15 years in prison Wednesday and promised to recommend a facility close to Cruz's family.

Middlebrooks could have ordered Cruz to pay fines of up to $1.25 million for the crime but declined to, at the behest of Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Funk and Assistant Federal Public Defender Renee Sihvola.

"Good luck to you, sir," Middlebrooks told him at the conclusion of Wednesday's hearing.

Cruz, sentenced to prison two days before his daughter's eighth birthday, thanked him again.

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Hannah Phillips is a journalist covering public safety and criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at hphillips@pbpost.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida man robbed 5 banks in 3 days, thanked judge who sent him to prison
The latest chapter in the saga of a 300-acre development in the Verdugo Mountains revolves around surveillance cameras and native bumblebees. The developer is suing protesters for trespassing onto the property in attempts to gather evidence for why the land should be preserved.

Nevada-based developer Whitebird Inc. has grandiose visions for the luxury complex known as Canyon Hills. The project would transform the rugged hillside above the Sunland-Tujunga neighborhood, which has largely been spared from development, into a tony community with 221 homes.

The development was approved by the Los Angeles City Council in 2005 with a 20-year window of completion running through October 2026.

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Multiple groups have protested the project in the two decades since. Locals worried it would bring overpopulation and traffic to the rural community. Environmentalists claimed the homes would be unsafe in the fire-prone mountains.

Whitebird reined in the scope as a result, bringing the footprint from 900 acres down to 300 and donating the remaining 600 acres to be preserved as open space. But activists argue that 300 acres of development is still too much.

The latest group to protest, No Canyon Hills , formed in spring 2023 as a collection of artists, designers and amateur botanists who say the area's native flora and wildlife are worth protecting.

Now, with the closing of the 20-year development agreement on the horizon, Whitebird is suing.

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The developer filed suit against No Canyon Hills on Dec. 10, accusing group members of sneaking onto the property and secretly installing cameras and other surveillance equipment, disobeying posted "No Trespassing" signs. It also accuses the group of boasting about the alleged trespasses, posting proof on social media and in correspondence with government officials.

As a result, Whitebird claimed the activists damaged its reputation, disrupted its enjoyment of the land and increased costs to comply with contractual obligations.

"The Canyon Hills site is private property, not public open space," said Christopher Frost, an attorney representing Whitebird. "Like all property owners in California, our client has the exclusive right to the use of the land it has owned for over two decades and an expectation of privacy on that land without disruption. The trespassing and unauthorized surveillance we describe in the lawsuit are taking place in violation of those rights."

The suit also claimed that the protesting efforts delayed the development. It might be right.

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In addition to public outreach campaigns, including a petition that has racked up more than 177,000 signatures, No Canyon Hills has brought its concerns to local governmental agencies.

The rare Davidson's bush mallow is found only on California's Central Coast and in the hills around Tujunga, including on land where a luxury housing development is planned. (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)

On Sept. 11, Doug Carstens, an attorney who has represented No Canyon Hills, sent the L.A. Planning Department a note outlining its fears about the development's effect on local wildlife, specifically two protected species: mountain lions and Crotch's bumblebees. The complaint included multiple time-stamped pictures of a puma on the property.

Two days later, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) sent Whitebird a notice saying its application for an incidental take permit  a necessary step that lets the developer build homes in an area that is home to protected species, such as Crotch's bumblebee  was incomplete.

"No Canyon Hills submitted photos to public agencies, then those public agencies became rightfully concerned," Carsten said. "You can't just start grading land without accounting for wildlife that's been documented on-site."

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The project's original environmental impact report , which was finalized in 2004, found no evidence of mountain lions or protected bees. But as No Canyon Hills co-founder Emma Kemp said, a lot can change in 20 years.

"Certain components of the original impact report, which was conducted 20 years ago, don't reflect the current status of the land," Kemp said. "Our goal is to encourage city officials and state agencies to conduct an updated environmental review."

For now, the project is waiting for Whitebird to receive the incidental take permit related to the Crotch's bumblebees. Once that's issued, the company says it will resume development and seek a grading permit from the city.

It's a race against time. The development agreement closes in less than two years, but Frost said the company will be able to develop the lots by October 2026. It's unclear what phase the project has to be in by the deadline in order for the city approval to remain valid, but Jack Rubens, Whitebird's land use attorney, disputed the timeline and said he expects earth grading for the project to begin long before then.

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Kemp isn't so sure.

"Every month they don't have the permit, we're moving closer to the 2026 deadline, and that's partly because of the advocacy work we've been doing," she said.

Frost said Whitebird is also open to selling the land to a conservation-minded buyer  for the right price.

No Canyon Hills has been in discussion with Whitebird for the past year about a potential sale, according to Kemp, even fundraising on its website with the tagline, "Can we crowd-fund a mountain? Absolutely."

The fundraising goal is $12 million, but Frost said that's nowhere near the appropriate value of the land.

The Canyon Hills project would transform a rugged hillside above the Sunland-Tujunga neighborhood into a tony community with 221 homes. (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)

Whether a deal was ever on the table, Kemp was surprised at the aggressiveness of the lawsuit, given that earlier this year the two parties had been discussing a potential conservation acquisition deal alongside the Trust for Public Land, a nonprofit organization that creates parks and public land.

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"Their litigation team has all these slogans on its website of being fighters and 'unapologetically aggressive,'" she said. "It just seems a bit hostile to a bunch of kids that care about bumblebees."

Carstens, who isn't representing No Canyon Hills in the lawsuit but deals with land use issues frequently, said the suit seems like an attempt to intimidate the activists.

"Lots of developers work through these processes without suing the activists," he said. "If the developer wanted to negotiate selling the property in good faith, filing a lawsuit against an activist doesn't seem like the best course of doing that."

Carstens said the suit could backfire. Instead of getting Whitebird relief in the form of damages, it could bring more interest and attention to the group's cause.

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Despite the lawsuit, No Canyon Hills is still interested in buying and conserving the land, though the logistics become a bit tougher now that they have to fundraise for a defense attorney to represent them in court.

"Ultimately, we believe that the conservation of land is bigger than No Canyon Hills or Whitebird," she said.

She said the most rewarding part of the mission has been seeing younger people get excited about protecting the land and landscape they live in.

"Irrespective of what happens here, that still feels like something to be proud of," she said. "On the other end, we could end up bankrupt."

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Four family members whose bodies were found inside their Bay Area apartment home this week died in an apparent murder-suicide, according to authorities.

Milpitas Police Department Lt. Tyler Jamison said during a televised news conference that all four individuals were found with a single gunshot wound. He said investigators suspect the husband, identified as 36-year-old Vinh Nguyen, killed his wife and two kids with a handgun that was registered to him and recovered at the scene.

Police identified the mother as 36-year-old Betty Pham, but did not disclose the names of the couple's 9-year-old boy or 4-year-old girl.

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"We are deeply saddened by this tragedy," Jamison said. "The loss of their lives was preventable, and we urge those in need to seek support, to prevent incidents like this from happening again."

Read more: 4 dead in murder-suicide at Granada Hills home, police say

The four bodies were discovered Tuesday night, when police officers showed up at the family's apartment home to conduct a welfare check. Relatives told authorities they had not heard from the family for three days, and that Pham and Nguyen had not shown up to work at the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, according to Jamison.

When officers entered the apartment, they found Pham and the two children in their beds with single gunshot wounds to their heads, according to records from the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner. Nguyen, who suffered two head wounds, was found with a handgun on his right thigh, records show, and several bullet casings were also found in the apartment.

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Jamison said a motive for the shooting remains under investigation and did not disclose any more details about the case. But coroner's records show that relatives were becoming increasingly concerned about Nguyen, as he and Pham were going through a divorce. They told investigators that Nguyen was suffering from depression, insomnia and had just purchased a 9-millimeter semiautomatic handgun, coroner's records show.

Jamison said there had been no prior police calls to the home.

"This was our first contact as a police department with them," he said.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The EU imposes new sanctions on Belarusian officials and companies supporting the regime of Alexander Lukashenko.

In response to Belarus and Russias artificial migration crisis, the EU pledged 170 million euros for border security and backed Polands plan to suspend the right to asylum.

Belarus labels exiled National Theater actors as an extremist formation, criminalizing interactions with them for Belarusians inside the country.

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Minsk arrested seven ex-journalists of the closed newspaper as the pre-election crackdowns continued.

EU announces a 30 million euro aid program for Belarusian civil society in 2025.

EU introduces new sanctions against Belarusian officials, companies supporting Lukashenko regime

The Council of the European Union on Dec. 16 imposed a fresh set of sanctions against 26 individuals and two companies in Belarus.

According to the press release, the restrictions were introduced in view of the situation in the country. The new measures targeted members of the judiciary responsible for politically motivated persecution and the heads of penal facilities where political prisoners are held in inhumane conditions.

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Belarus has nearly 1,300 political prisoners, who were sentenced in the aftermath of nationwide protests in the wake of the sham 2020 presidential election. At least 2,200 former political prisoners have since been released after serving their full term, while over 50,000 individuals have been subjected to arbitrary detentions throughout the past four years, according to Viasna Human Rights Center.

The list of sanctioned individuals also includes the business owners and board members of two companies that benefited from the regime of Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko and were involved in sanctions circumvention.

The new restrictions impose an asset freeze on the transportation and storage company, Vlate Logistik LLC, which operated two privately owned customs checkpoints at the Belarus-EU border, and Ruzekspeditsiya LLC, which has been facilitating EU sanctions circumvention by exporting sanctioned fertilizers and taking delivery of cars prohibited for sale to Belarus, which are subsequently supplied to Russia.

Read also: Youll die here  Belarusian political prisoners recount experiences ahead of Lukashenkos reelection

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Throughout his 30-year rule, Lukashenko has been repeatedly subjected to European sanctions due to his regimes human rights abuse, disappearances of political opponents, and the instrumentalization of migration. Since 2022, the EU, the United States, and other Western states have introduced sectoral and financial sanctions over Minsks support for Russias war against Ukraine.

Altogether, the restrictions apply to 287 individuals and 39 entities in Belarus.

EU greenlights Polands plan to suspend right to asylum to counter weaponization of migration, allocates 170 million euros for border protection

The European Commission has supported Polands controversial plan to temporarily suspend the right to asylum for illegal immigrants if they are believed to have been weaponized by Belarus and Russia.

The move allows Poland and other EU states to suspend the fundamental rights of migrants if it is suspected that Russia and Belarus organized their transport from their home countries to the EUs border, and facilitated their crossing. To further enhance border surveillance, the European Union pledged 170 million euros ($179 million) of funding to Poland, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Norway.

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The funds will go towards upgrading electronic surveillance equipment, deploying mobile detection and counter-drone equipment, and enhancing the mobility of border patrols.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on Oct. 15 the adoption of the contentious plan to temporarily suspend the right to asylum of the waves of irregular migrants from third countries gathering on the countrys eastern border and arriving via Belarus and Russia.

Brussels accuses Belarus and Russia of the weaponization of migration, describing it as hybrid warfare designed to destabilize European societies, according to the Communication to Support Member States adopted on Dec. 11.

Adopting the communication represents a change in the EUs approach to a more conservative stance in its migration policy. Following an initial pushback and demands that Poland implement the provisions of the blocs migration pact, the EUs executive branch accepted the possibility and outlined the conditions for the suspension of the right to asylum.

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Despite a subsequent outcry from human rights organizations demanding that the right to asylum in Europe be upheld, the EU Commission decided that the suspension of fundamental rights is possible, although it has to be proportionate, limited to what is strictly necessary in clearly defined cases, and temporary.

Minsk began sending migrants to the EUs borders in the summer of 2021, responding to European sanctions introduced over the human rights abuse after the rigged 2020 Belarusian presidential elections and the forced landing of a European commercial flight in Minsk. One of Lukashenkos political opponents on board the plane was arrested, jailed, and has subsequently been used as a regime propaganda mouthpiece.

Following an initial abatement of the crisis in 2021, since 2023 the number of illegal arrivals has risen by 66%. Brussels believes Russia is facilitating the renewed hybrid attacks, as 90% of the migrants illegally crossing the Polish-Belarusian border have a Russian student or tourist visa.

Poland has stopped 26,000 illicit border crossing attempts in 2024 alone, according to the countrys Defense Ministry.

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Continuous crossing attempts by migrants prompted Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania to build walls along their borders with Belarus.

Belarus designates former National Theaters actors extremist formation

The Belarusian Internal Affairs Ministry has declared former actors of the Belarusian National Theater to be members of an extremist formation, Russian state-run news outlet Sputnik has reported.

Over 60 employees of Yanka Kupala National Academic Theater in Minsk resigned from the theater in protest following the rigged 2020 presidential elections, which Lukashenko claimed to have won by a landslide. In exile, the former actors launched a theater group called Volnya Kupalaucy, touring Europe and broadcasting their work on YouTube.

Belaruss law enforcers accused the exiled theater group of allegedly preparing to commit attacks on Belaruss sovereignty and discrediting state officials. They banned the group from the Belarusian segment of the Internet.

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Participation in the group or communicating information to its representatives is now punishable with up to seven years of imprisonment, according to Belarusian law.

The groups designation as an extremist formation serves as a confirmation that Belarusian culture is a threat to the regime, the former theaters director and current opposition figure Pavel Latushka told independent Belarusian news outlet Pozirk.

In 2020, after the Culture Ministry fired Latushka from his position as a theater director for supporting the movement, sixty employees resigned, leaving the theater idle for nearly three months.

Lukashenkos regime has frequently wielded its anti-extremism legislation against expressions of dissent. According to Viasna, at least 4,766 Belarusians are currently recognized as extremists, and countless media outlets and communities of Belarusians abroad have been slapped with the extremist formation label, criminalizing interactions with them for Belarusians within the country.

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Read also: Belarusian soldiers fighting for Ukraine say time is running out for their brother-in-arms extradited to Belarus

Belarusian authorities arrest 7 former journalists of closed independent newspaper

Belarusian authorities have arrested seven former journalists of the regional newspaper Intex Press, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported on Dec. 12.

The arrest of the journalists comes amid sweeping raids against opponents of the regime ahead of the January 2025 presidential elections. The first presidential vote since the contested 2020 race  which sent the country into a lasting political crisis  is set to extend Lukashenkos three-decade rule of the country, which began when he was elected president in 1994.

The raids in the western city of Baranavichy targeted seven former employees of the Intex Press, the largest regional newspaper in Belarus. They were accused of facilitating extremist activities.

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Charges of extremism are frequently brought against independent media in Belarus to obstruct their work, the independent Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) notes in a statement on the arrests. It called for a halt to the witch hunt against journalists. The independent association, which defends media freedoms in Belarus, has also been given an extremist status by the Lukashenko regime.

The detentions in Baranavichy brought the total count of jailed journalists to 45, the BAJ reports.

Journalists, even after the closure of their publications, continue to face threats and harassment, which hampers their work and creates a climate of fear, said the Brest regional branch of Viasna.

Intex Presss print run was terminated in 2021 following the publication of an interview with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who claimed to have beaten Lukashenko on the ballot in the 2020 presidential elections. Government-run firms refused to print and disseminate the newspaper. The Information Ministry terminated the newspapers license the following year.

The newspapers online publications were designated extremist in April 2023 and its website was blocked.

The international media freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders ranked Belarus fourth among the worlds biggest journalist jailers in 2024, along with China, Myanmar, and Israel. The country ranks 167 out of 180 in the annual Press Freedom Index, having dropped ten places since 2023.

Read also: Deals over ideals  Anne Applebaum explains the playbook of autocracies in new book, and how to undermine them

EU allocates 30 million euros for Belarusian civil society in 2025

The European Commission has announced 30 million euros ($31.5 million) in funding for Belarusian civil society in 2025.

The EU Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, announced the funding during a meeting with Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on Dec. 12. The EU4People of Belarus program will support independent media and civil society actors advocating for democracy in Belarus, and support education, culture, and small and medium enterprises in exile.

The announcement coincided with the holding in Brussels of Belarus Days  a series of events held between Dec. 9-13. Organized by the European External Action Service, European Commission, and European Parliament, the events brought together 150 Belarusian activists with European officials ahead of the 2025 presidential elections in Belarus in which no independent candidates were allowed to participate.

In meetings with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and EU High Representative Kaja Kallas, Tsikhanouskaya emphasized that the upcoming elections were a sham. She advocated the non-recognition of its results by EU member states, and pressuring the Lukashenko regime with more sanctions.

Discussions also included the topic of regional security with EU Commissioner for Defense Andrius Kubilius. In addition, Minister-President of Flanders Matthias Diependaele promised an additional 100,000 euros to be allocated for media support.

Since the widely disputed 2020 elections, the European Union has mobilized 170 million ($179 million) euros in support for the Belarusian people and pledged 3 billion euros in economic aid, contingent on a democratic transition in the country.

Read also: Looking to read Ukraine-related books? We picked the best of 2024

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
ASHWAUBENON, Wis. (WFRV)  Bellin Health partnered with the American Red Cross on Thursday to host a blood drive, addressing the critical need for blood during the holiday season.

Every two seconds, someone in the United States requires blood, and donors are especially encouraged to give if they have O-negative blood, which is universally compatible.

Click here for more news, weather, and sports

We see so many critically ill patients that need blood products, whether they are oncology patients or patients undergoing cardiothoracic surgery. The need for blood is constant, and its so important to get out and donate, said Ryan Blackmore, Bellin Laboratory Team Leader.

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Bellin Health emphasized that the donation process takes less than an hour, offering a quick and impactful way to help save lives.

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.
WASHINGTON D.C. (KNWA/KFTA)  A Bentonville man who pleaded guilty to charges in connection with the Jan. 6 insurrection has asked for his sentence to be delayed, according to court documents.

Nathan Hughes, 35, received a 25-month sentence in federal prison with three years of supervised release on Dec. 16 for civil disorder, assault on a federal law enforcement officer, and impeding passage through the Capitol related to his actions on Jan. 6, 2021.

He was also ordered to pay a $5,000 fine.

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Hughes pleaded guilty to those charges in August.

Nathan Earl Hughes, 34 (Courtesy of Washington County)

On Dec. 18, Hughes asked a federal judge to postpone his sentencing proceeding until after President-elect Donald Trumps inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025.

Bentonville man sentenced for involvement in Jan. 6 insurrection at US Capitol

The parties and this Court are in uncharted territory, Hughes attorney, William Shipley said in a court filing.

Never before has a criminal justice enforcement priority of one Presidential Administration been

disavowed so clearly by the incoming Presidential Administration  including from the President-Elect himself  coupled with a pledge to take affirmative steps to undo the efforts and outcomes of cases prosecuted by the prior administration, Shipley continued.

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On Dec. 20, U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves filed a response to Hughes request. Graves wrote in the filing that Hughes should not be spared from his sentence based on speculative hopes and desires that he may benefit from a future reprieve.

Background

Court documents say that video footage obtained by law enforcement shows Hughes in the vicinity of the Lower West Terrace tunnel for at least an hour.

Hughes pushed against the police line in the tunnel and helped other rioters physically fight police in an attempt to breach the line and enter the U.S. Capitol building, a release from the Department of Justice said. At approximately 3:15 p.m., Hughes was at the mouth of the tunnel and signaled the crowd of rioters, Cmon! Cmon! while waving his hand in the direction of the tunnel. After signaling to the crowd, Hughes entered the tunnel and charged toward the police line.

Bentonville man arrested in Jan. 6 case is journalist, lawyer says

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Hughes was reportedly observed using his elbow to strike in the direction of police.

In March, Hughes lawyer said in a motion that he was a freelance independent journalist with a history of reporting on political rallies, demonstrations and protests going back to 2017.

Citing Trumps win, Hughes asked in November for his case to be continued to Feb. 2, 2025, hoping for a pardon. However, a federal judge denied his request.

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.
BAGHDAD, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi Defense Ministry announced Friday in a statement the capture of seven Islamic State (IS) militants in the northern province of Kirkuk.

In implementation of the directives of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces to intensify intelligence efforts and eliminate terrorism and its sources, the Military Intelligence Directorate carried out several operations, which resulted in the arrest of seven IS terrorists wanted by the Iraqi judiciary, the ministry said.

"One of the IS militants was a primary transporter of personnel, weapons, equipment, and logistical supplies," it said, adding that they were handed over to relevant authorities.

The security situation in Iraq has improved since the defeat of the IS in 2017. However, IS remnants have sneaked into urban centers, deserts, and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerrilla attacks against security forces and civilians. 
CRAVEN COUNTY, N.C. (WNCT)  A New Bern man was sentenced to 40 years in prison for trafficking and distributing methamphetamine in Craven County.

A grand jury found Lucio Camargo Garcia guilty of all charges on August 8, in Raleigh. The sentencing stems from an investigation with the Craven County Sheriffs Office, the New Bern Police Department, Homeland Security, the DEA and other agencies that started in January of 2022.

Multiple controlled purchases of methamphetamine and fentanyl were made from Garcia from January to October. A search warrant was executed on October 31, at Garcias home and other residents associated with the drug trafficking organization. About one kilogram of methamphetamine, nine hundred grams of fentanyl and a loaded gun were all seized. Most of the drugs were taken from a secret compartment in Garcias closet.

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Garcia took advantage of Craven Countys most hopeless souls, extracting profit from their pain and addiction, said U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley, Jr. Too many of our friends, families, and neighbors are battling addiction. The Craven County Sheriffs Office and New Bern Police wont stand by and let armed drug traffickers push kilos of fentanyl and meth in our community unchecked, and neither will we. Eastern North Carolina traffickers take note  our partnership is for the long haul, and we wont let off.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WNCT.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE)  Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court issued a warning about a suspected jury duty scam.

The court said scammers were calling, pretending to be a police lieutenant with a local law enforcement agency, and told people that they failed to appear for jury duty and have a warrant out for their arrest or owe outstanding fines as a result.

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Some people also reported that they received emails with similar information. Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court said it will never call or email threatening arrest or demanding cash in exchange for clearing court matters.

The court mails hearing notices or summonses to appear for court or jury duty. If a bench warrant is issued for failure to appear, or for non-compliance with the courts orders, the bench warrant will be mailed. Anyone with a pending court case should verify that the court has a good mailing address on file.

If fines are owed, the court will send notification by mail through a court-issued summons or warrant. We have contacted the New Mexico Attorney Generals Office to report the calls received this week. Public information is easily accessible online, and scammers can sound legitimate by stringing a few things together, said Court Executive Officer Lissa Lowe.

If you suspect that something doesnt sound right, please call the court at 505-841-8151 to verify the information.

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A similar scam was recently reported in eastern New Mexico.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos.
Bernie Sanders says Elon Musk is using his wealth and political clout to undermine US democracy.

Musk lambasted a government funding deal and said a shutdown would be the Democrats' fault.

"Are Republicans beholden to the American people? Or President Musk?" Sanders asked on X.

Elon Musk is wielding his immense wealth and political power to pressure US lawmakers, shifting America from democracy to oligarchy, Sen. Bernie Sanders says.

In two recent X posts, the Vermont senator called out Musk's influence over Republicans and his warnings to legislators if they don't vote the way he wants.

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"The US Congress this week came to an agreement to fund our government," he wrote late Wednesday. "Elon Musk, who became $200 BILLION richer since Trump was elected, objected. Are Republicans beholden to the American people? Or President Musk? This is oligarchy at work."

The US Congress this week came to an agreement to fund our government.



Elon Musk, who became $200 BILLION richer since Trump was elected, objected.



Are Republicans beholden to the American people? Or President Musk?



This is oligarchy at work.  Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) December 19, 2024

"Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, is threatening to unseat elected officials if they do not follow his orders to shut down the government during the holidays," he said in a Thursday post. "Are we still a democracy or have we already moved to oligarchy and authoritarianism?"

Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, is threatening to unseat elected officials if they do not follow his orders to shut down the government during the holidays.



Are we still a democracy or have we already moved to oligarchy and authoritarianism?  Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) December 19, 2024

Musk blasted the funding bill in question as bloated and overcomplicated and wrote on X that "any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!"

He threw his weight behind Republicans' alternative bill, hailing it as cleaner and simpler. Moreover, he posted that it would be the Democratic Party's fault if an agreement isn't reached and the government shuts down.

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Both Trump's team and Musk have pushed back against the idea that he's pulling Republicans' strings. Musk has said he's only bringing things to the attention of his followers, and they're free to voice their support.

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO's net worth hit a record $486 billion on Tuesday, up $257 billion from the start of the year  a figure that exceeds the fortune of the world's second-richest man, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Tesla stock has slid since then, but Musk was still worth $455 billion at Thursday's close.

As Sanders wrote, Musk's wealth surged after President Trump's election victory as Tesla stock rode a broader market rally, and investors wagered the automaker would benefit from Musk's close ties to the White House. Additionally, SpaceX was valued at a record $350 billion this month, boosting the worth of Musk's stake in the rocket company.

Sanders has called out Musk several times in his criticisms of wealth inequality, which often single out billionaires for having too much influence and paying too little in taxes.

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"Never before in American history have so few billionaires, so few people had so much wealth and so much power," he said in a clip from "Meet the Press" that he recently shared on X.

"We can't go around the world saying, 'Oh well, you know in Russia, Putin has an oligarchy," Sanders continued. "Well, we've got an oligarchy here, too."

The progressive lawmaker has also clashed with Musk's Big Tech peers. Sanders recently told Bill Gates that he was a "very innovative guy" who deserved to be financially rewarded for his contributions to society as Microsoft's cofounder  but not to the tune of billions of dollars.

"How much do you deserve? Can you make it on a billion? Think you could feed the family? Probably. Pay the rent? Maybe," Sanders quipped.

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In response to Sanders saying billionaires shouldn't exist in 2019, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, now the world's third-richest person, agreed that "some of the wealth that can be accumulated is unreasonable."

Read the original article on Business Insider
JOHNSTOWN, Pa.  Generations of Jewish-owned businesses made significant contributions to Johnstowns identity, particularly in the downtown area.

Among them were retail stores, law offices, jewelers, clothing manufacturers, vegetable carts and scrap collection operations.

Barry Rudel, a representative of Beth Sholom synagogue, gave a presentation Wednesday about that rich history at Gallery on Gazebo in downtown Johnstown.

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I would say that the legacy of Jewish Johnstown is something that Beth Sholom wants to make sure that we continue through talks like this and the interpretive space up at Beth Sholom, Rudel said. Id say thats the overall idea.

Rosemary Pawlowski, a Gallery on Gazebo board member, said the presentation explained the history of a vibrant business community in Johnstown.

All total, more than 120 Jewish-owned businesses existed, according to Rudel.

Glosser Brothers was the most well-known.

Founded in 1906, the full-scale department store was a centerpiece of downtown Johnstown for more than eight decades.

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The family was also involved in numerous philanthropic efforts, including supporting the David A. Glosser Memorial Library, Greater Johnstown Community YMCA, Cambria County War Memorial Arena, Bottle Works and the Community Arts Center of Cambria County.

It was a most-important corporation and a very caring and generous corporation, Rudel said.

Glossers and the smaller Jewish-owned operations, like all other local businesses, were intertwined with the steel industry. They did well when the mills were strong. They went away when the industry declined.

The wealth of the overall Conemaugh Valley industrially allowed for the downtown businesses to thrive, Rudel said. The Jewish community was the beneficiary of the steel industry, of Cambria Iron Co. and Bethlehem Steel.
After a judge read a letter of support from a Quad Cities recovery program and heard a heartfelt apology, a 57-year-old Bettendorf man was sentenced Thursday to two years of probation after he led a police chase earlier this year.

James Bennett (Scott County Jail)

James Bennett earlier pleaded guilty to charges of eluding  speed over 25 mph over the limit, and operating while under the influence  first offense, according to court records.

Bennetts attorney, Troy Smith, said he sees few clients such as Bennett, who has earned a bachelors degree.

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Your honor, I want to apologize for my actions, Bennett told the judge. Im deeply ashamed for what I have done.

Two representatives of One Eighty were in the courtroom, where a letter from Todd Rothenberger, Mens Home supervisor for the One Eighty program, was submitted.

Bennett, Rothenberger says in the letter, has been in the 14-month faith-based program since July 31, and has diligently addressed his heavy struggles and participates in all that our program has to offer, including attending all the classes and volunteering when needed.

I have worked with James since he came to the One Eighty, and I have seen definitive improvements in his attitude and response to his lifes tough roads, he continues. James recently has been hired by One Eighty and works on the Develop Team helping the other residents as they go through the program.

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We are happy to have James here as a resident and on staff. James is working hard at changing his life and wants to give back.

Judge Tamra Roberts ordered Bennett to two years of probation. Other charges against Bennett were dismissed.

Read the letter below.

One-Eighty-letterDownload

A chase and five crime scenes

In July, Bennett was involved with crashes with a box-office post, a fire hydrant, a telephone pole and another car, leaving five crash scenes along the way, court records show.

Bennett was driving a 2014 Dodge Ram when witnesses in the area of Lundy Lane and Devils Glen Road in Bettendorf saw him strike a post, a fire hydrant, a phone pole, an unoccupied vehicle, and drive off-road at a high rate of speed, arrest affidavits show. These witnesses called into dispatch and gave the description of the truck and license plate.

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The truck was located driving the wrong-way on 21st Street and had heavy damage to the front end, and eluded police, affidavits show, until Bennett crashed at the intersection of Old Freeport Court and Lincoln Road.

Bennett drove at least 50 mph in a 25 mph residential zone during the chase, according to affidavits. Once officers encountered Bennett, he had an odor of ingested alcohol, slurred and mumbled speech, and bloodshot watery eyes, affidavits say.

In affidavits, police say Bennett admitted to drinking alcohol and had several empty alcoholic containers in his truck. Bennett refused questioning and was unable to maintain his balance without assistance from officers, and provided an evidentiary breath sample of .217 blood alcohol content.

Throughout the United States, the legal limit is .08 percent. Bennett, police say in affidavits, admitted he was a danger to the public

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Police located five separate accident scenes.

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One of Bangladeshs largest vertically integrated textile and garment manufacturers has axed tens of thousands of its employees, calling its future into further question as a once vast and impressive empire continues to crumble in the wake of its co-founder and vice chairpersons arrest in August, first for his alleged role in the death of a shop owner, then on charges of money laundering, embezzlement and other fiscal misconduct.

At a meeting of a government-formed advisory council committee to review business conditions at Beximco Industrial Park on Sunday, managing director Osman Quader Chowdhury said that 40,000 garment workers across 16 apparel factories, including Beximco Fashions, Crescent Fashion and Design, Shinepukur Garments and Yellow Apparels, would be laid off beginning Dec. 16. As per the Bangladesh Labour Act, they will receive half of their basic salary and allowances for 45 days.

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Beximco Group, which owns a sprawling portfolio across several other industries, including pharmaceuticals, real estate, communications, financial services, energy and media, said it has struggled financially over the past four months because it has been unable to open new lines of credit for importing raw materials, hampering its ability to fulfill orders or take on new ones amid severe liquidity challenges, a demand downturn, ongoing labor unrest and a contested receivership by the central bank to oversee its outstanding loans and liabilities.

We were initially assured by the interim government that our businesses would be supported. Based on this, we kept the factories operational for four months, Chowdhury said in a statement. However, no support materialized.

He said that the conglomerate, whose clients have included Marks & Spencer, Target, Calvin Klein owner PVH Corp. and Zara owner Inditex, has spent 300 crore taka ($25.1 million), including 100 crore taka ($8.4 million) it financed through bank loans, since August, largely to meet employee wages that can cost 60 crore taka ($50 million) each month. The 5-6 crore taka ($419,000-$502,000) that Beximco generates in monthly revenue from subcontracting with other factories has also been far from sufficient, Chowdhury said. Inditex declined to comment, and the other brands did not respond to emails seeking the same.

But Miran Ali, a member of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Associations interim board as the trade group works through plans for new elections, said that the caretaker government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus has been helping cover Beximcos salaries through state-owned Janata Bank but that there are limits to its ability to do so.

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The government of Bangladesh cannot indefinitely go on to pay the wages of the workers of a company whose owners are absconding and who have been involved in the looting of our country, he told Sourcing Journal. Layoffs are permitted in Bangladesh labor law if a company cannot run and Beximco in textiles will not be able to run, so therefore, legally, layoffs are the only recourse that they have at this point.

Ali said, however, that the government is still determining if it can revive parts of Beximcos textiles and garment manufacturing business as independent, viable companies and without the ownership of the former owners: the people who were involved in the looting and all of that. Foreign investors have already expressed interest in snapping up certain divisions.

Salman F. Rahman, who founded Beximco with his brother Sohail F. Rahman in 1970 and was once one of former prime minister Sheikh Hasinas most trusted advisors, remains behind bars. Hes now derided as the father of default culture for using his political influence to stave off repayment of his companys bank loans and liabilities, estimated at a breathtaking 50,098 crore Bangladeshi taka, or roughly $4.2 billion. Its because of crony capitalists, the Centre for Policy Dialogue in Dhaka recently declared, that several domestic banks are clinically dead with little to no credit to speak of, not even to allow customers withdrawals.

Last month, workers from several Beximco Industrial Park factories blocked the Chandra-Nabinagar Highway in Gazipur for weeks to protest unpaid October wages, causing traffic disruptions and the temporary closures of several nearby facilities due to safety concerns. They dispersed only after receiving messages that their deposits had cleared with the assistance of the Ministry of Labour and Employment and the Ministry of Finances Finance Division.

As of Friday, the Google listing for Beximco (Textiles & Apparels Division) was marked with a red bar and the words temporarily closed.
Law enforcement arrested a suspect Wednesday in a fatal hit-and-run crash in San Luis Obispo this summer.

On July 23, two Avila Beach residents were riding electric bicycles southbound on South Higuera Street near the cemetery when the driver of a white sedan sideswiped the first bike and then hit the second, police said in a news release.

Police said 74-year-old Martin Suits was moderately injured, and 87-year-old Saul Goldberg died of his injuries days later at the hospital.

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The vehicle fled the scene.

Just minutes later, Vanessa Noblitt, 44, struck a parked car at a mobile home park on South Higuera Street, police said.

The Bend, Oregon, resident had a blood alcohol content four times the legal limit, and she was later arrested on suspicion of DUI and hit and run, police said.

Oregon resident Vanessa Noblitt was arrested on Dec. 18, 2024, as a suspect in a deadly hit-and-run crash in San Luis Obispo.

The San Luis Obispo Police Department investigated the two collisions as related, and detectives discovered evidence that linked Noblitt and her vehicle to the fatal hit-and-run.

On Aug. 6, detectives served search warrants at Noblitts Oregon home and seized evidence, including her vehicle, police said.

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On Dec. 9, the San Luis Obispo County District Attorneys Office charged Noblitt with felony vehicular manslaughter, felony DUI causing injury, felony DUI with a blood alcohol content level of .15% or higher, felony inflicting great bodily injury with multiple victims and a misdemeanor hit-and-run causing property damage, police said.

The Deschutes County Sheriffs Office arrested Noblitt on Wednesday in Oregon, where she waited to be transported to the San Luis Obispo County Jail, according to the release.

She will be booked into the San Luis Obispo County Jail in lieu of $160,000 bail, police said.

Her arraignment will likely be next week, according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Jerret Gran.
The Biden administration is officially withdrawing its sweeping proposals to cancel student debt for tens of millions of Americans, effectively closing the door on mass loan forgiveness in the waning days of Joe Bidens presidency.

The Education Department said in a notice Friday that it was rescinding two of its major pending proposals to cancel student debt, one of which was already preemptively blocked by a federal judge in a lawsuit brought by Republican attorneys general.

The judge in that case, Matthew Schelp of the Eastern District of Missouri, a Trump appointee, had ordered the department to explain its plans for the rest of the Biden administration in court by Friday.

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In withdrawing the plans, the Education Department cited the operational challenges of implementing both rules and said the administration wants to use its remaining time to prioritize helping at-risk borrowers return to repayment successfully.

Department officials also wrote that they maintained the legality of the plans, though the incoming Trump administration is likely to take a different view. POLITICO previously reported that Trump transition officials and allies have been exploring ways to quickly wind down Bidens various student debt relief programs.

The White House did not comment on the withdrawn proposals. The Education Department didnt respond to a request for comment.

The withdrawn proposals  which together contemplated some loan forgiveness for at least 38 million Americans  had been billed as Bidens Plan B for wiping out large amounts of student debt after the Supreme Court in 2023 rejected his initial relief plan.

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In that 6-3 decision, conservative justices ruled that Biden could not use emergency powers tied to the Covid-19 pandemic to wipe out $10,000 or $20,000 of student debt for roughly 40 million borrowers.

Biden vowed immediately after his loss at the Supreme Court to begin a rulemaking process to come up with alternative ways to cancel debt. The Education Department has since been working on those plans that are based on a long-standing provision of federal higher education law that says the Education secretary can waive, compromise, and settle debts.

One of the proposals, released in April, would have forgiven the debt of roughly 30 million Americans who fit into certain categories, such as borrowers whose debt has ballooned because of interest, those whove carried debts for decades, and borrowers who missed out on existing relief programs.

A second proposal, released in October, would have given the Education Department the power to discharge debts of borrowers it determined had experienced financial hardship, which it estimated could provide relief to some 8 million borrowers.

The Biden administration has continued to announce batches of loan forgiveness to borrowers under changes it made to existing federal relief programs. On Friday, it announced another round of relief totaling $4.28 billion for 54,900 public service workers. Officials said that, in total, the administration has forgiven about $180 billion for nearly 5 million Americans.
The Biden administration is planning to announce in the coming days its final aid package under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) worth around $1.2 billion, Reuters reported on Dec. 20, citing unnamed sources.

The U.S. provided more than $60 billion in military aid to Ukraine under the Biden administration. The USAI is a Pentagon-led program that supplies arms to Ukraine through contracts with U.S. defense companies.

The package is expected to include air defense interceptors and artillery ammunition, one of the sources told Reuters.

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Separately, the U.S. is also providing assistance to Kyiv through the presidential drawdown authority (PDA), under which Washington supplies Ukraine with military equipment from existing U.S. military stockpiles.

It is not immediately clear whether the Biden administration plans to announce further aid packages under the PDA.

The New York Times (NYT) reported on Dec. 17 that the U.S. may run out of time to deliver the remaining $5.6 billion in military aid allocated to Ukraine under the PDA before Donald Trump takes office next month.

Trumps support for Ukraine hangs in the air as analysts and politicians try to gauge his plans to bring peace to Ukraine, as he promised to end the war within "24 hours" after reelection without revealing details.

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Read also: How will Russias war in Ukraine end? The good, the bad, and the ugly scenarios

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
The federal government certainly has an interest in reducing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. As such, its not unusual to provide various incentives to the growing clean energy sector.

Rather than putting broader support behind a variety of good and plausible ideas, the White House, via executive orders, and the Environmental Protection Agency, through its regulatory power, have chosen to specify battery-powered electric vehicles (BEVs) as the preferred technology solution for addressing vehicle emissions.

This is concerning for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that picking winners in the marketplace has never been governments strong suit.

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Government incentives can certainly accelerate the adoption of BEVs, which would reduce the offending emissions and also drive innovation. But there are also downsides to focusing on a single solution.

Committing primarily to electric vehicles carries great risks to companies

Battery technology is still in its infancy. Batteries have limited range, a problem thats compounded by insufficient charging infrastructure. This technology would also dramatically increase the demands on our already-fragile electrical grid.

We test drove this 2023 Cadillac LYRIQ EV to East Tennessee to see how electric vehicles fare on a road trip. We stopped at this Electrify America charging station at Sam's in Cookeville, Tn.

Theres one critical concern that neither the federal government nor automakers can afford to ignore: consumers may not be sold on BEVs. After initial growth, sales of electric vehicles have begun to decline in some areas.

Speaking of the auto industry, the focus on BEVs also puts it in a difficult position. These corporate giants are not always the most sympathetic entities, but they are critically important.

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The companies support 10 million jobs and contribute over $400 billion annually to the U.S. economy. Trying to avoid the ire of the federal government and be cooperative on BEVs makes it even harder for them to juggle sustaining their companies, serving their customers and satisfying shareholders.

Opinion: Nissan woes and EV demand are straining Tennessee's auto industry

Then, there is the matter of globalism. U.S. administrations have struggled with the notion of free trade versus tariffs and other restrictions. Just as the Japanese and Koreans came to the U.S. and Europe years ago with inexpensive cars and trucks, so now come the Chinese with cheap vehicles and a lead in EV battery manufacturing.

A single focus on BEVs by governments lays down a rich welcome mat for Chinese entities.

Other solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions have pros and cons

There is no perfect policy for dealing with greenhouse gas emissions, but there are certainly other options besides the singular focus on BEVs.

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One thats easy to understand but difficult to implement would be to increase investments in public transportation. This would reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality. But it requires large government investments and long-term planning during a period when partisan and ideological divisions can make even the simplest tasks daunting.

Public transportation is also a non-starter in the large swaths of territory that are less densely populated. And since neither government nor automakers cant afford to ignore what consumers (and voters) want, what happens if suburbanites in particular resist shifting their reliance from automobiles?

Another option is to provide financial incentives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adopt cleaner technologies. Carbon pricing, taxes on carbon emissions and cap-and-trade programs that set overall limits on greenhouse gas emissions and allow companies to trade these allowances with each other without involving government in the nuts and bolts of policy are examples of this approach.

As technology advances, there will be new unforeseen challenges

These policies have proven to be effective at reducing emissions, but they too arent perfect. They could lead to higher costs for employers, which could lead to higher prices and/or cost jobs. The devil is also in the details. If these programs arent carefully designed, they risk the possibility of companies moving to countries that dont have such policies.

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The various pros and cons of these approaches highlight why its so dangerous to settle on a single approach to solving such a complex and critical problem. And these are just the ones were currently aware of. As technology advances and the sector grows, there will undoubtedly be many unforeseen challenges.

Joseph M. Gigilio

The fact is that we dont know whether battery-powered electric vehicles, expanded public transportation, or the use of financial incentives is the best approach. My best guess is that they will all need to be part of the solution. And thats why we cant afford to just focus on a single approach to a very complex problem.

If you develop another feasible solution, I have a self-charging BEV with a fusion reactor to sell you.

Joseph M. Giglio is professor of strategy at D'Amore McKim School of Business at Northeastern University. He has studied the automotive market and recently visited Nashville and The Tennessean on business.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: President Biden put too much emphasis on electric vehicles | Opinion
BERLIN, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- A car plowed through a Christmas market in the central German city of Magdeburg on Friday evening, killing at least two people - an adult and a small child - and injuring over 60, Saxony-Anhalt's state premier announced.

Speaking to broadcaster ARD, the premier said that the suspected perpetrator is a doctor from Saudi Arabia who has been living in Germany since 2006 and working in Saxony-Anhalt. He noted that 15 of the injured are in serious condition, warning that the death toll could rise.

The driver of the vehicle has been arrested, according to dpa, which added that the suspect was not previously known to law enforcement as an Islamist.

The car, identified as a black BMW by Spiegel, reportedly drove into the crowd at approximately 7:04 p.m. Witnesses described the driver's movements as a "zigzag course across the entire market area," according to the local newspaper Mitteldeutsche Zeitung. Police said that the vehicle traveled "at least 400 meters across the Christmas market."

The Christmas market, located near Magdeburg's city hall, was immediately closed following the incident. Emergency services, including ambulances and fire personnel, responded in large numbers to assist the injured.

Magdeburg, a city of approximately 237,000 residents, is located in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, about 150 km west of Berlin.

The incident echoes a tragic attack nearly eight years ago, on Dec. 19, 2016, when an Islamist terrorist drove a truck into a Berlin Christmas market, killing 12 and injuring over 70 others. The perpetrator fled to Italy, where he was eventually shot dead by police. 
The Biden administration announced Friday the approval of $4.28 billion in additional student loan relief for 54,900 borrowers across the country who work in public service.

This relief brings the total loan forgiveness by the administration to approximately $180 billion for nearly 5 million Americans, according to the Education Department.

Four years ago, the Biden-Harris Administration made a pledge to Americas teachers, service members, nurses, first responders, and other public servants that we would fix the broken Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, and Im proud to say that we delivered, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said.

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Some Democrats on Capitol Hill have been pushing for the administration to forgive borrowers who are eligible before Biden leaves office.

We've got to step up and say to Joe Biden, You cant go back to Delaware until you get this done, buddy, Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the No. 2 Democrat said of borrowers who were defrauded by colleges.

They also expressed concern that President-elect Donald Trump's administration would not provide the same level of debt relief to borrowers.

During his first term President Trump refused to deliver meaningful debt relief for borrowers. His administration ignored or denied borrowers defense applications for years, Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass) said earlier this month. President Trumps negligence has led to harm, pain for people across the country.

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The Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program was created by a bipartisan act of Congress and signed into law by then-President George W. Bush in 2007. The program forgives loans for borrowers who make 10 years of payments while employed in specific public service jobs like teaching, nursing or working for a nonprofit.

When the first group of borrowers became eligible in 2017, the program had a 99 percent denial rate, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

Borrowers were often told they were denied because they werent given credit by their loan servicers for past payments, or they were incorrectly told they didnt qualify for the program.

The American Federation of Teachers, one of the nations largest teachers unions, filed a lawsuit against then-Education Secretary Betsy DeVos in 2019, accusing her agency of mismanaging the program.

The lawsuit accused the Trump administration of arbitrarily and capriciously rejecting loan forgiveness applications, failing to properly oversee the loan servicers it hires to administer the program. They ended up settling in 2021.


President Biden announced on Friday he would be canceling more student debt for tens of thousands of public service workers, possibly his last major move on the issue before leaving office in a month.

The administration said it will spend nearly $4.3 billion to cancel student debt for 55,000 such workers, the result of fixes made to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.

Four years ago, the Biden-Harris Administration made a pledge to Americas teachers, service members, nurses, first responders, and other public servants that we would fix the broken Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, and Im proud to say that we delivered, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said.

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With the approval of another $4.28 billion in loan forgiveness for nearly 55,000 public servants, the Administration has secured nearly $180 billion in life-changing student debt relief for nearly five million borrowers, Cardona added. The U.S. Department of Educations successful transformation of the PSLF Program is a testament to whats possible when you have leaders, like President Biden and Vice President Harris, who are relentlessly and unapologetically focused on making government deliver for everyday working people.

After Fridays announcement, the Biden administration has forgiven $180 billion in student loans for 5 million borrowers.

Under the PSLF program, more than a million Americans received $78 billion in relief.

The Associated Press reports Biden is also pulling back some unfinished student debt relief plans, such as forgiveness for those going through hardship.

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Biden is reportedly scrapping the pending regulations so the Trump administration cant come in and easily modify the plans to move forward measures that could harm student loan forgiveness. Instead, President-elect Trump will have to start over with a process that takes months to years if he wants to make his own changes.

The Hill has reached out to the Department of Education for 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.
(Reuters) - The Biden administration on Friday canceled another $4.28 billion in student debt for nearly 55,000 public service workers, the U.S. Department of Education said in a statement.

Friday's action brings the total public service student loans forgiven to about $78 billion for nearly 1.1 million workers, the department said.

The White House said separately that this brings the total number of all individuals who have been approved for student debt relief under President Joe Biden to nearly 5 million people.

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The actions are a part of Biden's effort to fulfil his 2020 campaign pledge to deliver debt relief to millions of Americans before he leaves office in January.

(Reporting by Angela Christy in Bengaluru; Editing by Ros Russell)
President Biden on Thursday said he would be attending President-elect Trumps inauguration next month.

When asked by MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas if he would attend the event, Biden said, Of course I am. The only president I avoided the inauguration of is the guy about to be inaugurated.

The White House said last month that Biden and first lady Jill Biden would be attending Trumps inauguration. In August, the president suggested he would attend a January 2025 inauguration for Trump if he were reelected.

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The president promised that he would attend the inauguration of whomever won the election. He and the first lady are going to honor that promise and attend the inauguration, White House senior deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said.

Trump did not attend Bidens 2021 inauguration as he was facing backlash over his actions related to the riot at the U.S. Capitol earlier that month.

Bates added that Biden views attending the inauguration as an important demonstration of commitment to our democratic values and to honoring the will of the people as we continue to provide an orderly and effective transition.

Biden has touted a peaceful presidential transition and met with Trump last month as the two vowed that the White House would change hands smoothly.

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Outgoing US President Joe Biden will have one more audience with Pope Francis shortly before his term comes to an end in January, according to the White House.

The meeting is to take place in the Vatican on January 10, the White House said in a statement.

Biden, a practising Catholic, and Francis would meet to "discuss efforts to advance peace around the world," the statement said. He was last received by the pope in October 2021.

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The meeting was first reported by the La Repubblica daily, citing church sources.

The White House said Biden also planned to meet with Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during his time in Italy.

Biden, 82, and Francis, 88, last met in June at a summit of the Group of Seven industrialized nations (G7) in Puglia in southern Italy.

Biden's successor Donald Trump will be sworn in at the White House on January 20. On a farewell trip to Europe, Biden could also make a stop in other capitals.

Pope Francis is the spiritual leader of 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide and also the head of state of the Vatican.
Dec. 20 (UPI) -- Almost 55,000 Americans working in the public service will have their collective $4.28 billion worth of student debt forgiven, U.S. President Joe Biden announced Friday.

"The public servants approved for debt cancellation today include teachers, nurses, service members, law enforcement officials, and other public service workers who have dedicated their lives to giving back to their communities and who are finally earning the relief they are entitled to under the law," Biden said in a statement issued by the White House Friday.

The Biden administration has now forgiven federal student loan debt for nearly 5 million people with Friday's news officially affecting 54,900 people, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

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Biden has made forgiving federal student loan debt one of the priorities of his presidency. One of the pillars of that philosophy included fixing the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program that was created in 2007 by President George W. Bush.

In August, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked Biden's attempt to pass legislation that would cancel or forgive student loan debt for millions of American borrowers.

The Biden administration has now forgiven federal student loan debt for nearly 5 million people with Fridays news officially affecting 54,900 people, the U.S. Department of Education said Friday. File Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI

The Biden administration then moved toward more narrowly-focussed student loan forgiveness for smaller groups of people.

"With the approval of another $4.28 billion in loan forgiveness for nearly 55,000 public servants, the Administration has secured nearly $180 billion in life-changing student debt relief for nearly five million borrowers," U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in the agency's statement Friday.

President Joe Biden has made forgiving federal student loan debt one of the priorities of his presidency. One of the pillars of that philosophy included fixing the Public Service Loan Forgiveness. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI

In October, the White House approved $4.5 billion for 60,000 public service borrowers in the latest round of debt forgiveness.

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Later that month, the Department of Education said new rules enacted in February would allow it to help forgive student debt for around 8 million Americans working in the public service.

"Over the last four years, we have made significant progress for students and borrowers - including securing the largest increase to the maximum Pell Grant award in over a decade; holding institutions accountable for taking advantage of students; and fixing broken student loan programs such as Public Service Loan Forgiveness and Income Driven Repayment," Biden said in the statement Friday.
A month out from Bidens transfer of power to Trump, the president used his power to announce a massive new round of student loan forgiveness for public service workers. The news comes as Republicans in Congress are still scrambling to avert a government shutdown.

The Biden administration Friday morning said it would cancel $4.28 billion in student loans for 55,000 teachers, nurses, service members, law enforcement officials, and other public servants. The relief brings the total of student debt forgiveness under Biden to nearly $180 billion for nearly five million people, according to a Department of Education statement.

The cancellations will be through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, or PSLF, which forgives public service workers remaining federal student loan balance after 10 years of payments. In recent years, the Biden administration has taken steps to reform and improve access to the program, which had long been plagued by mismanagement.

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Education Secretary Miguel Cardona in a statement praised the administrations newly announced relief and broader success revamping PSLF, saying, Four years ago, the Biden-Harris Administration made a pledge to Americas teachers, service members, nurses, first responders, and other public servants that we would fix the broken Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, and Im proud to say that we delivered.

A White House statement from President Biden said, Because of our actions, millions of people across the country now have the breathing room to start businesses, save for retirement, and pursue life plans they had to put on hold because of the burden of student loan debt.

As Bidens efforts to enact sweeping student forgiveness have largely been mired or dashed by Republican-led legal challenges, the administration has since pivoted to a revised Plan B, which targets specific groups of borrowers. The incoming Trump administration is expected to take a hostile stance toward student debt forgiveness.
This photo taken with a mobile phone on Dec. 13, 2024 shows a view of the Saudi hospital after a missile attack in El Fasher, the capital city of North Darfur State in western Sudan. (Sudan's North Darfur State Ministry of Health/Handout via Xinhua)

Civilians have been caught in the crossfire as homes were used for military purposes, and markets were attacked and looted. Many civilians lost their lives in their houses, markets, near hospitals, and on the streets.

GENEVA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) reported on Friday that the ongoing siege and hostilities in El Fasher, the capital city of North Darfur State in western Sudan, have left at least 782 civilians dead and more than 1,143 injured since May 2024.

According to the report, hostilities intensified significantly in June this year, with parties to the conflict engaging in heavy fighting in residential areas. Civilians have been caught in the crossfire as homes were used for military purposes, and markets were attacked and looted. Many civilians lost their lives in their houses, markets, near hospitals, and on the streets.

Thousands remain besieged in the city without guarantees of safe passage out, and at risk of death or injury from indiscriminate attacks by all parties to the conflict, the report said.

Photo taken on Dec. 11, 2024 shows houses damaged in an artillery shelling on a displacement camp in El Fasher, the capital city of North Darfur State, Sudan. At least 15 people were killed and 64 others wounded in an artillery attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on a displacement camp and a market south of El Fasher, a local health official said on Wednesday. (Coordination of Resistance Committees in El Fasher/Handout via Xinhua)

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk also called for an immediate end to the siege of El Fasher in a statement issued on Friday.

Turk urged all parties to the conflict to cease attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, adhere to international legal obligations, and called for immediate intervention by the international community to prevent further escalation.

Sudan has been gripped by a devastating conflict between Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) since mid-April 2023, which resulted in more than 28,700 deaths and displaced over 14 million people, either inside or outside Sudan, according to the latest estimates by international organizations. 
The recent signing of the Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act by Pres. Joe Biden included Congressman Doug LaMalfas, R-Richvale, bill, H.R. 4970, Protect Innocent Victims of Taxation After Fire Act, which exempts wildfire relief payments from federal income taxes for victims of such fires as the Park Fire in Tehama and Butte counties.

The legislation also streamlines the process for deducting losses from various natural disasters and includes provisions to exempt taxation on legal fees, emotional distress, lost wages, and other expenses linked to wildfire losses.

According to LaMalfas office, taxpayers will now be able to claim refunds for any taxes paid on wildfire settlement funds since 2020 by filing an amended return or claiming the change in the next tax year.

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After our visit with the president and Mrs. Biden at the White House Christmas Ball this week, I appreciate the Presidents timely signature, after his recent return from Africa, on our important disaster tax relief bill, LaMalfa said. I am thankful to all who have helped Congressman Thompson and I get this bill signed into law. I am hopeful that we can get refunds out to those who were needlessly forced to pay the tax in recent years. Our office stands ready to assist if needed with the IRS processing these refunds and reducing ongoing fire risk to all of our forested areas and neighbors.

What the bill means for wildfire survivors:

 Allows amended tax returns to be filed, by taxpayers who qualify for wildfire payment tax relief, up to a year after enactment  rather than being limited to three years after originally filing a tax return.

 Shields payment recipients from losing many of their benefits, such as Covered California premium subsidies, VA co-pay assistance, and FAFSA, because the government misinterpreted their disaster relief as an income windfall.

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 Estimated $512 million in taxes returned to wildfire victim and survivors.

 Applies not just to the Fire Victim Trust claimants, but any wildfire payments received in 2020  2025 for federal wildfire disasters which occurred after 2014.

LaMalfa represents Californias First Congressional District, including Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama and Yuba counties.
President Biden will travel to Italy in January for meetings with Pope Francis, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Italian President Sergio Mattarella.

The trip, from Jan. 9 to 12, will likely be his last foreign trip as president before President-elect Trump is sworn in on Jan. 20.

Biden will have an audience with the pope on Jan. 10 to discuss efforts to advance peace around the world, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

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He will also meet with Italys leaders to highlight the strength of the U.S.-Italy relationship, thank Prime Minister Meloni for her strong leadership of the G7 over the past year, and discuss important challenges facing the world, she added.

Biden is just the second Catholic president in U.S. history and has a relationship with the pope, who has supported him despite the churchs teachings against abortion. The two met in June while Biden was in Italy for Group of Seven meetings.

He also met with the pope in October 2021 as conservative Catholic bishops were mulling whether he should be able to receive communion due to his pro-abortion rights stance. Biden, at the time, said the pope told him he should keep receiving communion.

A month later, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops adopted a document on communion without mentioning whether Biden or other politicians should be denied the rite based on their stance on abortion, signaling an end to the debate on the issue.

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Biden has also recalled that the pope came to Washington, D.C., in 2015 while he was vice president and his son Beau had just passed away. He said that the pope spent 10 to 15 minutes talking with the family about his late son.

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.
(Bloomberg) -- President Joe Biden will visit the Rome and Vatican City next month in what will likely be his last presidential mission overseas, as he tries to solidify his legacy on the world stage.

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But Bidens farewell visit with Pope Francis is also likely to be deeply personal. As the second Roman Catholic president and the most religiously observant in recent history, Biden has formed an unusually close bond with the pontiff dating to his time as vice president.

During the four-day trip beginning Jan. 9  ending just eight days before he hands off power to President-elect Donald Trump  Biden will also meet separately with Italys president, Sergio Mattarella, and the countrys prime minister, Giorgia Meloni.

Meloni, who led the G-7 this year, is one of the few major Western leaders who remains relatively popular as her counterparts  including Biden, the UKs Rishi Sunak, and Germanys Olaf Scholz  are losing or have lost their grip on power. The White House said Biden would use the visit to focus on the strength of the US-Italy relationship and Melonis leadership of the Group of Seven.

The highlight of the trip will likely be Bidens audience with Francis, who turned 88 this week and has curtailed his own travel. Biden has long been an admirer of Francis, calling him a man of great empathy and a really, truly genuine, decent man.

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Earlier: Popemobile Goes Electric With Vaticans New Mercedes G-Wagon

Their relationship blossomed in 2015, two years into Francis papacy and five months after the death of Bidens oldest son, Beau. The two met in an airplane hangar in Philadelphia during a papal visit, and spoke about Beau for 10 or 15 minutes, Biden later recounted.

Pope Francis has become  I dont want to exaggerate  someone who has provided great solace for my family when my son died, Biden said in 2021. The two men also met twice during Bidens presidency, once at the Vatican in 2021 and again last June at the G-7 summit in southern Italy.

During their meeting on Jan. 10, Biden and Francis will discuss efforts to advance peace around the world, the White House said. Theyre likely to find common ground on climate change, advocacy for the poor and efforts to end armed conflict around the world. Biden and the pope spoke Thursday ahead of the trip about efforts to advance peace, human rights, and religious freedoms, according to the White House.

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Yet there remains a rift over abortion. Once an opponent, Bidens views on the procedure shifted as his Democratic Party became more associated with abortion rights. But while it was a motivating force for Democrats after the Supreme Court decision striking down the national right to the procedure, Biden remained uncomfortable with the issue, even avoiding the word abortion in a State of the Union address.

The spiritual leader of the worlds 1.4 billion Catholics  about 62 million of whom live in the US  the pope has been courted by politicians of both parties. Trump and his family visited the Vatican for a papal audience during his first foreign trip as president in 2017.

The Vatican later called the meeting cordial and said Trump and Francis discussed their joint commitment in favor of life, and freedom of religion and of conscience.

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2024 Bloomberg L.P.
Biden's administration posted notices to withdraw its broader student-loan-forgiveness plans.

Amid lawsuits, the Education Department wrote that it stands by the legality of its debt-relief plans.

The plans aimed to cancel some student debt for over 38 million borrowers.

President Joe Biden's administration has officially scrapped its unfinished rules for broad student-loan forgiveness.

The Education Department posted notices to withdraw its plans to cancel student debt for over 38 million borrowers. The withdrawal notices were for two of the department's unfinished debt-relief rules. The first rule was Biden's Plan B for broader debt relief after the Supreme Court struck his first plan down in summer 2023. The second rule was a proposal to provide relief to borrowers facing financial hardship.

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In the notices to withdraw the unfinished rules, the Education Department said it is focused on helping student-loan borrowers manage the remaining elements of the return to repayment that began last year following the pandemic pause.

The department said that withdrawing these regulations will give future stakeholders the flexibility to craft new forms of relief, especially with the uncertainty the incoming administration brings. Trump has previously criticized broad relief and is unlikely to continue Biden's efforts.

The department also said that the withdrawal of these rules is not a result of the questions surrounding their legality, saying that it believes the relief "is authorized by the Secretary's longstanding and existing authority" under the Higher Education Act.

Biden's Plan B for student-loan forgiveness would have benefited over 30 million borrowers. It proposed full or partial relief for categories including borrowers with unpaid interest and those who have made at least 20 years of payments. While the rule was never finalized, a group of GOP-led states filed a lawsuit in September to block its implementation.

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Meanwhile, the Education Department proposed a separate rule in October to provide relief to 8 million borrowers facing financial hardship. Those categories would have included borrowers facing challenges with childcare or medical expenses.

The Education Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider on the withdrawal of the plans.

Biden is still pursuing other avenues for debt relief before his term is up. On Friday, his administration announced an additional $4.28 billion in debt relief for 54,900 borrowers in Public Service Loan Forgiveness  a result of ongoing improvements to the program. Despite not being able to pass broad relief, Biden, over the course of his term, has provided relief to nearly 5 million borrowers through changes to various programs.

Some Republican lawmakers lauded the withdrawal of the plans. Sen. Bill Cassidy, the top Republican on the Senate education committee, said in a Friday statement that Biden's "student loan schemes were always a lie."

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Meanwhile, some advocates criticized the GOP-led challenges to Biden's relief efforts. Persis Yu, the deputy executive director of the advocacy group Student Borrower Protection Center, said in a statement that Biden's plans "would have freed millions from the crushing weight of the student debt crisis and unlocked economic mobility for millions more workers and families."

"We are deeply grateful to President Biden for the work he did to fight for the 40 million borrowers trapped in student debt," Yu said.

Read the original article on Business Insider
After filing for bankruptcy protections, Big Lots is closing its doors nationwide, with the remaining stores holding going out of business sales.

There are only five locations in the Oklahoma City metro, but according to a company press release, all stores will begin the closing process.

The Company is preparing to commence going out of business (GOB) sales at all remaining Big Lots store locations in the coming days to protect the value of its estate, Big Lots said in the press release.

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Heres what this means for Oklahoma Citys locations.

Big Lots national closure could be reversed if company is bought

Big Lots CEO Bruce Thorn said the closures could be reversed if a company sale is completed. Because of this, Big Lots said it would continue to serve customers in-store and online but did not specify how long the sales would last.

While we remain hopeful that we can close an alternative going concern transaction, in order to protect the value of the Big Lots estate, we have made the difficult decision to begin the GOB process, Big Lots said in the press release.

Where are OKC's Big Lots locations?

Oklahoma City metro has 5 locations. Since this is the start of the GOB process, it cannot be confirmed when or if they will close. There are 18 locations in Oklahoma.

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They are each located at:

3000 NW 63 St

7301 S Pennsylvania Ave

16000 S Broadway, Edmond

1630 Garth Brooks, Yukon

160 N Air Depot, Midwest City

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Is Big Lots closing in Oklahoma? How stores in state may be impacted
Big Lots is laying off 555 workers at its corporate headquarters following the collapse of its deal to be acquired out of bankruptcy.

The Columbus-based discounter reported to the state that the workers will be laid off starting Dec. 29 at the corporate office, 4900 E. Dublin Granville Rd. on the far Northeast Side. The biggest job categories impacted include buyers, IT staff and merchandise coordinators.

The Thursday notice came the same day the company announced that it planned to shut down operations after failing to reach a deal with Nexus Capital Management to pull the company out of bankruptcy.

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Retailer struggling: Big Lots files for bankruptcy protection, says store operations will continue

Big Lots corporate headquarters at 4900 E. Dublin Granville Road in Columbus on Thursday, May 31, 2018. The company will lay off more than 550 workers at the location following the collapse of its deal to be acquired out of bankruptcy.

Company President and CEO Bruce Thorn said Big Lots had hoped to find a buyer while still operating, but instead will look for one as it prepares to go out of business by early January.

Big Lots has been closing stores for months and will now start going-out-of-business sales at its remaining locations.

In October, the chain closed its distribution center on Phillipi Road on the West Side, eliminating nearly 400 jobs.

Including retail, corporate and distribution workers, more than 1,000 central Ohio Big Lots workers are losing their jobs, one of the largest cutbacks seen in central Ohio in years.

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Big Lots moved from its West Side headquarters in 2018 into its new offices on East Dublin-Granville Road.

Founded in 1967 as Consolidated International, the chain emerged as Odd Lots/Big Lots in 1982, one of the nation's early discount retailers. The chain thrived for decades but ran into problems the past few years and in September filed for bankruptcy.

jweiker@dispatch.com

@JimWeiker

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Big Lots bankruptcy leads to layoffs at Columbus HQ, store closures
The State Fair of Texas comes around once a year, but that doesn't mean you can't show off your appreciation for "Big Tex."

This month, the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles Board of Directors approved a specialty license plate for the State Fair of Texas. The plate, featuring Big Tex and his iconic "Howdy, folks!" greeting, will be available for purchase next year. Proceeds will benefit the Big Tex Scholarship Program.

Each year, the Big Tex Scholarship Program awards millions of dollars in scholarships to graduating high school seniors across Texas. Since its inception in 1992, the program has provided over $18.8 million in scholarships to more than 3,500 Texas students.

Maybe Big Tex is not your thing. There are some other cool license plates that Texans can have on their vehicles.

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Here's a look at other popular license plates in the state.

Best-selling license plates in Texas in 2024

My Plates, the company that designs many popular Texas license plates, released a ranking of their best-selling plates of the year.

My Plates offers various types of embossed license plates, including those for sports, colleges, charity, colors, and more.

According to FOX 4 KDFW, more than 90,000 specialty plates were sold across Texas in 2024, generating more than $3.7 million in sales.

Here is a list of the top-selling plates this year by category:

Charity plate: Texas DPS Troopers Foundation

Sports plate: Dallas Cowboys

Embossed plate: Black & Gold Embossed

College plate: Texas A&M University

New release : Brushed Metal Grill

Crossover plate: Lone Star Black Silver (State of the Arts)

Texas plate: Classic Black

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: 'Big Tex' license plate is coming to Texas. Here are 2024 best-sellers
The owner of a chain of bikini barista coffee stands was sentenced to 10 months in prison and fined $75,000 for tax fraud in U.S. District Court in Seattle on Thursday.

Prosecutors say Assad Baragzai, 47, of Yarrow Point, Washington, failed to report as much as $6 million in income between 2016 and 2020.

Judge Tana Lin criticized Baragzais actions, stating that the tax system is an honor system and you werent honorable.

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The judge determined that Baragzais fraudulent activities resulted in a tax loss of more than $1.3 million over five years, including $687,000 in 2017 alone.

Mr. Baragzai had great business success, but failed to fund the community that made that success possible, said U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Such conduct is not erased by paying what is owed some five years later  it is appropriate that he serve prison time for his willful tax fraud.

According to court documents, Baragzai underreported his income to his tax accountant to avoid paying his share of taxes.

The government argued his tax fraud deprived public programs, such as school lunches, of critical funding. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Dion wrote that Baragzais actions could have covered the cost of 462,000 school lunches.

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Baragzai is the second person sentenced in this investigation. In October 2024, his brother-in-law, Rajesh Mathew, 45, of Auburn, Washington, received 30 days in jail, a $5,000 fine, and 100 hours of community service for filing a false tax return.

Baragzai has agreed to pay restitution to the IRS but may face additional civil penalties, fines, and interest.

Adam Jobes, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigations Seattle Field Office, said, Instead of paying his fair share, Mr. Baragzai misrepresented his income to furnish an already-lavish lifestyle.




TYLER, Texas (KETK)  One in four girls and one in six boys are sexually abused before the age of 18 in the U.S., according to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, but now, a proposed child abuse prevention law is on its way to the White House for review by President Biden.

The Jenna Quinn Bill has been in the works for the past six years, named after abuse survivor, Jenna Quinn, the proposed bill will allow federal grants to fund training educators on sexual abuse recognition and prevention.

What to know about the debt ceiling debate as a government shutdown looms in Washington

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For many years I was sexually abused, abuse survivor, Jenna Quinn said. So, I understand what its like to be in that place of bondage, but I also understand what its like to experience healing and freedom and hope.

Rep. Nathaniel Moran said 90% of the time abusers are typically somebody within family or close friendship, relationship, making this bill vital to train educators and adults that work with children. Already making an impact, data shows educators are reporting abuse four times more after being trained than without.

We need to provide more opportunities for grant moneys that already exists to be used in a space that can save these kids from further abuse, stop the abuse and get them help as quickly as possible, Moran said.

The East Texas congressman spoke in support of the bill before it passed with full bipartisan support on Dec. 17.

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Its unusual here in congress, frankly, to see bipartisan support on any issue, but when it comes to kids and protecting kids from predators out there, those that would do harm simply for self-gratification, that is a bipartisan matter, Moran said.

The Jenna Quinn law has been unanimously passed in the US senate, not once, but three times. The first in 2020, then in 2022 and most recently in February of this year and was as one of the last bills that will make it through legislative process this year.

Getting it passed on the house floor this week was really important. Im confident and hopeful that the president will sign this into law, Moran 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 KETK.com | FOX51.com.
This story was originally posted on MyNorthwest.com

A bill presented during the last legislative session would give the Washington State Department of Commerce the authority to ban tires it deems inefficient and bad for the climate. (A PDF of that bill can be viewed here.)

Republican State Rep. Jim Walsh has pre-filed his own bill ahead of the next session in Olympia that would do the exact opposite, essentially letting Washington consumers buy any tire they want to buy.

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Earlier bill about tires had protecting the environment in mind

The bill announced earlier this year would apply to any replacement tires for cars and light-duty trucks under 10,000 pounds. It would also give the Department of Commerce the ability to fine people anywhere from $100 to $10,000 for violations.

The bill focused on the rolling resistance of tires. Heavier and more durable tires have more resistance and less energy efficiency. The heavier the tire is, the fewer miles to the gallon a vehicle will get.

At the end of the day, were facing a climate crisis, and we need to use as many possible tools to get ourselves out of that, Democratic State Rep. Chipalo Street told the House Transportation Committee earlier in 2024. This is one way to increase the gas efficiency of some of our vehicles.

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Previous coverage: Buying tires could become a lot harder

Walsh introduces his own tire bill

Recently, Republican State Rep. Jim Walsh, who is from Aberdeen, explained to media outlet The Center Square he pre-filed House Bill 1041 (HB 1041) in response to the tire bill introduced during 2024s earlier legislative session.

For the past several years environmental activists and their allies in the Legislature have been kicking around these proposals to restrict rolling resistance, Walsh said, according to The Center Square.

Walsh, who is the chair of the Washington State Republican Party as well, confirmed he pre-filed that bill during an appearance on KIRO Newsradios The John Curley Show Wednesday. He explained that while he is in favor of helping the environment, he wants to make sure peoples livelihoods dont suffer in the process.

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I want to save the planet John, Walsh said. Im just trying to save everybodys jobs and businesses and livelihoods while we also save the planet.

Chokepoints: Dont just pound your steering wheel. Tell us what slows you down each day.

Walsh went on to explain what the content of his bill states and what it sets out to accomplish for people in the state of Washington. The bottom line is people should be able to buy whatever tires they feel are best for them.

So I filed this bill preemptively saying that the state will have no restriction on how not be your tires are, Walsh said. If you want big tires with thick treads, you can buy them. If you can afford them and the state will not pass any restriction on what kind of tires you can put on your car.

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The state representative also understands the science behind the initial bill and what it is trying to accomplish. With that said, it also isnt settled science. It also doesnt make sense for a state like Washington, which gets a significant amount of precipitation, to have a law limiting the types of tires people can put on their vehicles.

You know, the theory is if you got knobby, you know, grabby tires, you burn more fuel to drive your vehicle, OK. Yeah, that may be. That may not, depending on the car, depending on the truck, depending on the driving situation. But I mean, we get a lot of rain in Washington and I think its really dumb to require thin shred tires in a place that gets as much rain as we do.

Walsh: This bill may stop others from moving forward

When John asked Walsh about the future of his bill and whether anyone would actively step up to stop it, Walsh took a different tact and pointed out the politics involved with some introduced legislation that never gets off the ground because those bills are meant to get in the way of other bills initiated.

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There are all kinds of bills and sometimes the bill is designed to become law and get signed by the governor. And sometimes the bill is a shot across the bow to prevent another bill from going forward, Walsh said. And I think that House Bill 1041.  defending your right to have knobby tires if you want them  might just prevent that other bill from going forward.




SNAP and EBT Accepted here sign. SNAP and Food Stamps provide nutrition benefits to supplement the budgets of disadvantaged families. (Getty Images)

A bill that would expand the work requirements for West Virginians receiving assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will get another chance at becoming law during the upcoming legislative session, its sponsor said.

Sen. Rollan Roberts, R-Raleigh, who chairs the Senates Workforce committee, said he plans to reintroduce legislation similar to Senate Bill 562, which the Senate passed during the 2024 regular session but wasnt adopted by the House.

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With some exceptions, able-bodied adults without dependents ages 18 to 54 are required to work or train for 80 hours a month in order to receive SNAP benefits, also known as food stamps, longer than three months.

Roberts bill, which last year had nine Republican co-sponsors including newly elected Senate president Randy Smith, R-Tucker, would expand the ages of able-bodied adults from 54 to 59 years old. It would require the state Department of Human Services to assign all able-bodied adults ages 18 to 59 to an employment and training program unless theyre otherwise working or meet another qualification for exemption.

It would allow the state Department of Human Services to exempt up to 20% of individuals from those work requirements based on challenges that the person would experience complying with the requirements.

We have a problem in West Virginia with a drug epidemic that we have not been able to resolve, though hundreds of millions of dollars have been thrown at it, said Roberts, a pastor and the principal of a religious school. We lead the nation. Were failing.

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The state also has a problem with child abuse, he said.

We had testimony in our education committee that those public education teachers are having kids five and six years old that have never been potty trained, he said. We are failing at some major things. And teachers say its the home, the breakdown of the home and the family unit.

The state has to deal with whats in front of it, he said  thousands of able-bodied adults without dependents that are receiving federal SNAP benefits.

These are the people that I think are also engaged in, maybe the bad behavior at home, negative, traumatic things, maybe with drugs and other things, Roberts said.

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West Virginia Watch pointed out to Roberts that the work requirements generally apply to those without children.

What Im saying is that I dont know what theyre doing with their lives, Roberts said. Theyre not volunteering, seeking vocational training, or theyre not working. OK, so what are these able-bodied adults doing with no dependents? They are not contributing to society in a positive way, apparently, and are we sustaining that lifestyle? And does that lifestyle impact other negative consequences everywhere in society? I suspect that it does. Its anecdotal proof.

Roberts said his bill combines compassion with responsibility.

I think thats one of the problems that were missing in too many people, he said I think its hurting other parts of our society where we are hurting and struggling, and I think that Im not sure what, if any purpose that this group of people has, and I dont have a problem with the hand out. Its designed for temporary sustenance, but thats not what we have anymore. Its become generational.

Recent changes to SNAP work requirements

According to the state Department of Human Services, as of Dec. 1, there are 100,799 able-bodied adults without dependents who fall into the age range of 18 to 54 and get SNAP benefits. Of those, 4,055 are currently not meeting or are exempt from the work requirements.

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A spokeswoman for the department noted that able bodied adults are defined in federal law as persons between the ages of 18 and 54.

The state first implemented work requirements for SNAP in nine counties as a pilot program in 2016. According to a report from the former Department of Health and Human Resources, in those nine counties, SNAP caseload dropped by approximately 5,417 while the counties saw no significant decreases in unemployment rates.

Nonetheless, the state Legislature in 2018 passed a law expanding those work requirements to all 55 counties. The law was slated to go into effect in 2022, but was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic until July 2023.

From August to September 2023, the number of households in the state that receive SNAP benefits dropped by about 8,600, likely because of the implementation of the work requirements, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health said.

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SNAP work requirements have also increased at the federal level recently. The Fiscal Responsibility Act, a law enacted in June 2023 that temporarily suspended the federal debt ceiling, increased the ABAWD age limit from 49 to 54, with exceptions for people who are homeless, veterans and young people who aged out of the foster care system.

Bill may have a better chance this year, Roberts said

Last year, Senate Bill 562 easily passed in the Senate with a 32-2 vote. The bill was referred to the House Finance Committee, which did not take it up.

Roberts said he thinks the bill will have a better chance at becoming law this year.

Last year, when it passed in the Senate, it did not have a fiscal note, he said. A fiscal note added later in the session effectively killed the bill in the House, he said.

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By the time you get to the end of the session, and last year, we werent able to do the flat budget the way we wanted to, and so [the budget] was already already over that level that anybody was comfortable with, and they killed the bill over in the House, he said.

The legislation would be implemented over three years. It also has reporting requirements for the state Department of Human Services.

Del. Evan Worrell, a Republican representing Cabell County, said the bill introduced last year included great educational and training opportunities for people. Rather than pass a bill changing West Virginias work requirements, Worrell said lawmakers should work with the Department of Human Services to have the state program align with federal rules regarding general work requirements and the work requirements for the able-bodied adults without dependents population.

I always want to provide a hand up, not a handout, Worrell said. But I also want to be clear that I am a person who wants to provide the hand up. You know that I have colleagues that dont even want to do that, right? Thats not my goal. My goal is like, hey, lets help people with employment and training, not take away their SNAP.

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But at least lets be real about this: There are some people who would sit there and say, Nope, just give me my money. Just let me get my food. And I dont want to do anything else, he said.

House minority leader Del. Sean Hornbuckle, D-Cabell, said he would ask Roberts the purpose of the bill. The states education and training program has had a positive effect on people attaining work at higher wages.

But since the SNAP program was scaled back to pre-pandemic levels, he said, thousands of people have lost their benefits and local retailers have lost millions of federal dollars.

That has a huge effect on the economy, Hornbuckle said. So again, if weve already scaled back to pre-pandemic levels, people have less SNAP benefits currently, as is, what are we getting at here? I think this is the first question that really needs to be asked and answered.

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Hornbuckle said hes open to taking a look at most issues, but hes struggling to figure out what the bill is trying to fix.

Advocates and food bank leaders in the state oppose work requirements for SNAP.

Seth Distefano, policy outreach director for the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, called work requirements weaponized bureaucracy against poor people. People get lost in the paper work theyre required to do in order to stay on the benefits, he said.

Dont be fooled  the accurate name should be paperwork requirements. Thats what these things are, Distefano said. Basically you bury people who are struggling economically in paperwork, you do the same thing to the departments that are tasked with supporting them, until people just cant keep up anymore. And then, we talk about people not falling through the cracks  work requirements create new cracks for people to fall through. Thats the entire point of why they exist in the first place.

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Cynthia Kirkhart, executive director of Facing Hunger Food Bank in Huntington, said she doesnt see their benefit.

I think that if the folks that are running these bills and proposals had the same opportunity to see who represents those benefits and had a fuller story of what that looks like in reality, I think that there would be less urgency to take benefits away from people that are really trying hard to get out of poverty, Kirkhart said.

SNAP benefits have been proven to be part of the success formula for people to get out of poverty, Kirkhart said. Because they have resources to purchase food, and if youre well fed, or at least you have access to resources for food, then you can support all the other things that cost money and resources in our lives  gas and rent and medicine and all those things.

Demand at the Huntington foodbank, which serves people in 11 West Virginia counties as well as some in Kentucky and Ohio, has been up 25% over last year, she said, though she does not know if that is all due to changes for SNAP.

Tammy Hatton, of Salt Rock in Cabell County, would currently fall into the ABAWD category and be required to meet work requirements to receive benefits, but a car accident left her physically unable to work. Since the wreck nearly a year and a half ago, shes had to stop working at her retail job.

With a metal rod in her leg and a plate in her wrist, she cant stand for long periods of time. Shes applied but not yet been approved for disability through the federal Social Security Administration, a process shes heard may not go quickly.

Hatton got food stamps this month and will again in January and February, but after that, unless shes approved for disability, she wont be able to get SNAP, she said.

Im a little bit worried about that, too, because theyve really been a godsend, Hatton said. Ive spent a lot of time at pantries and a lot of time at mobile food distribution lines whenever Ive been able to get a ride. So the food stamps have really been a godsend. They havent had me getting out of the house as much trying to search for food.

Hatton, 49, is unmarried and does not have children. Since the accident left her unable to work, shes lost her apartment and her vehicle. Shes moved in with a cousin who owns their own home, she said.

Hatton said shed like state lawmakers to know that not everything is so black and white with everybody. Hatton said shed love to not need the SNAP assistance. Before the accident, she didnt need government assistance.

I appreciate the assistance that I have been able to get, she said. But whenever it feels like somebodys almost breathing down your neck and telling you that youve got to have this and that, or youve got to meet this criteria and you have to have this turned in by a certain time. It makes things so stressful, because Im trying.

Its not that Im not trying to give everybody what they want, she said. Its just that Im one person who is halfway crippled and cant really do too much, and I just want to be able to make it. `

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Billie Eilish has been giving back during her Hit Me Hard and Soft tour. The superstar partnered with Support+Feed and American Express to provide support for small businesses across cities including Atlanta, Nashville, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles.

The partnership enables small businesses to provide over 30,000 meals to community members in need across these cities. Several of the businesses involved offer reservations on Resy and are also among the restaurants American Express has supported through its Backing Small grant programs.

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Im really excited that weve been able to support small businesses at the heart of our communities and deliver healthy meals where theyre most needed this winter, Eilish said in a press statement. Big thank you to Support+Feed and American Express for helping make this happen!

Her mom and Support+Feed founder Maggie Baird added of the Hit Me Hard and Soft official sponsor, Amex has been vital to our intersectional mission of providing healthy meals to communities experiencing food insecurity, and the fact that together were also able to support small businesses when they need it is incredibly meaningful.

Eilish has two more sold-out nights of her tour at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles on Friday (Dec. 20) and Saturday (Dec. 21) before she heads down to Australia in February and early March, followed by spring/summer 2025 tour dates across Europe.

In the midst of the tour, Eilish is nominated for seven Grammys at the 2025. Hit Me Hard and Soft is up for album of the year and best pop vocal album, while Birds of a Feather snagged nominations for record of the year, song of the year and best pop solo performance. The Over Now Extended Edit of LAmour De Ma Vie is nominated for best dance pop recording, while the Charli XCX Guess collaboration received a nod for best pop duo/group performance.

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LANSING  Long-sought legislation to heighten government transparency in Michigan was among the casualties when the state House abruptly adjourned its lame-duck session Thursday.

Among the dozens of bills that died on the order paper were Senate Bills 669 and 670, which would have expanded the Michigan Freedom of Information Act to include records from the governor's office and the Legislature. Michigan is a national outlier by excluding both the governor and Legislature from its public records laws.

The bills had passed the Senate with bipartisan support and, on Dec. 11, were advanced to the House floor in a unanimous vote by a House committee.

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The Michigan Press Association is "extremely disappointed" the bills did not become law in the 2024 legislative session, said spokeswoman Lisa McGraw.

"These bills have had bipartisan support and are good public policy that would improve transparency for Michiganders," McGraw said in a Thursday email. "Unfortunately they were put off by the House until the final days and became collateral damage of the circumstances that led to an early departure of the members. Hopefully they will be a priority in the next session."

The legislation reached a significant milestone in June when the bills, in 36-2 votes, passed the state Senate, which historically had been the main obstacle to passing such laws.

Sens. Jeremy Moss, D-Southfield, and Ed McBroom, R-Vulcan, put aside their partisan differences and worked for close to 10 years to advance the legislation. They worked with a diverse group of outside supporters, from the liberal ACLU of Michigan to the conservative Mackinac Center for Public Policy and the nonpartisan Michigan Press Association.

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A 2014 survey by the Free Press found that Michigan was one of only two states where both the governor and the Legislature were exempt from open records laws.

Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Latest effort to expand Michigan FOIA laws dies with House adjournment
(NEXSTAR)  Health officials on Wednesday confirmed the first severe case of bird flu in the U.S., causing a spike in online searches for symptoms of the virus.

There have been more than 60 bird flu infections in people across the country since March, 2024. Nearly all have resulted in mild illness.

On Wednesday, Google searches for bird flu symptoms shot up 500%, with bird flu topping all trending symptoms searches, according to the search engines data.

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Symptoms of H5N1 bird flu may include fever  or feeling feverish and chills  and respiratory symptoms such as cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches and tiredness, according to CDC Epidemiologist Dr. Denisse Vega Ocasio.

Louisiana patient has first severe bird flu case in US: health officials

Anyone who may have been exposed to bird flu and starts to feel symptoms should immediately contact the state or local health department  or a community health clinic  the CDC advises.

While bird flu cases have been rampant among wild birds, poultry and U.S. dairy cows, among other animals, cases in the U.S. have all been mild, up until a severe case was documented in Louisiana. That case, which was also the first in the U.S. linked to a backyard flock, involved a person over 65 with underlying medical problems who had been in contact with sick and dead birds. As of Wednesday, the individual was hospitalized in critical condition with severe respiratory symptoms, according to a Louisiana official.

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Health officials with the CDC reiterated Wednesday that the H5N1 flu still mainly affects animals.

No person-to-person spread of H5 bird flu has been detected, the CDC said in a news release. This case does not change CDCs overall assessment of the immediate risk to the publics health from H5N1 bird flu, which remains low.

While the current risk remains low, government officials across the country are working to make sure it remains that way as they try to minimize the agricultural impact.

California declares a state of emergency

In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency as cases of the virus were detected in dairy cows on Southern California farms. Previously, the virus had been detected in the states Central Valley.

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This proclamation is a targeted action to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility they need to respond quickly to this outbreak, Newsom said in a statement.

The virus has been detected in 865 dairy herds in 16 states, with nearly 650 of them in California. Raw milk from infected cattle was recalled late last month after the virus was found in samples sold in California stores.

On Wednesday, Los Angeles County health officials confirmed the deaths of two cats from bird flu infections after drinking the recalled raw milk.

Flu experts said the trajectory of the virus in people remains unclear, but they urged people who have contact with sick or dead birds to take precautions, including wearing respiratory and eye protection and gloves when handling poultry.

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We may see more cases of severe disease in the U.S. since cases seem to be growing more frequent, said Angela Rasmussen, a virus expert at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT)  The Birmingham Police Department has reported 148 homicides in 2024, 11 have been ruled justified.

The number of homicides reported matches the record number of homicides reported in 1933.

In October, Birmingham Police Interim Chief Michael Pickett spoke about his plans to address the issue of gun violence in the city after taking on the role of interim chief in November.

Tuscaloosa family devastated following shooting death of 18-year-old Cameron Thompson

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My number one goal is to make the citizens of Birmingham feel safer, said Pickett.

According to a statement from a spokesperson with the Birmingham mayors office, Picketts plans include spearheading a review of violent offender cases.

The Executive Director of Crimestoppers of Metro Alabama, Bob Copus, said they received a record number of tips in 2024 as well.

About 300 this year in tips, last year 120. So, you can see that the public is fed up with this violence, said Copus.

In October, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin also launched an independent crime commission in an effort to reduce homicides in the city.

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Basically, to get more input from the community about whats already happening, to intervene with crime before it even happens, said the Co-Lead of the Community Input Team Arnee Odoms.

Despite these efforts in place, the deadly shootings continued in Birmingham and the grief is felt beyond the crime scene tape for mothers like Candance Kemp, whos daughter, Anitra Holloman, was one of four victims in the mass shooting outside of Hush Lounge on September 21.

That was the biggest hit I could have took. My baby was my backbone, said Kemp.

Kemp said knowing 148 homicides has been reported this year is heartbreaking. Kemp said she not only grieves her loss but the loss of others.

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Its not a number. Its definitely peoples lives. Its peoples moms, me as a mom grieving, other moms grieving. Im on both sides of the fence right now, said Kemp.

Saying she is grieving from both sides of the fence this year as she lost her daughter to gun violence, and she has a son charged with a capital murder, according to court documents.

Kemp said she believes this speaks to the environment and growing gun violence problem in the community.

City leaders said its going to take everyone to have a part to stop the violence.

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Researchers on an expedition in Peru have discovered 27 animal species new to science  among them a blob-headed fish and a type of semi-aquatic mouse.

The survey was conducted by Conservation International, an environmental non-profit. It was carried out over a 38-day expedition in 2022 by a team working in the Alto Mayo landscape of northwestern Peru, which covers about 1.9 million acres of forest and agricultural areas and contains a diverse range of ecosystems.

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Although the region is densely populated, relatively little has been known about its biodiversity and the health of its ecosystems  with researchers hoping to fill gaps in the data through the survey.

But they were not expecting to unearth so many species new to science: four mammals, eight fish, three amphibians and 10 butterfly species.

Members of the insect team survey a swamp forest using nets and various types of traps. - Trond Larsen/Conservation International

When a discovery is considered new to science, it means it has never before gone through the formal scientific process through which new species are given a scientific name.

We were very surprised to find such high biodiversity in a landscape with so much human influence, said Trond Larsen, a researcher who led the expedition and directs the Rapid Assessment Program at Conservation International.

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Among the most surprising new species was an amphibious mouse with webbed toes  to adapt for life in the water. The group of semi-aquatic rodents to which this mouse belongs is exceedingly rare said Larsen, adding that they are incredibly difficult to find () very little is known about the lives of these creatures.

The researchers found this particular mouse species in just one small patch of swamp forest currently threatened by agricultural practices, making it a high priority for conservation.

The amphibious mouse belongs to a group of semi-aquatic rodents considered among the rarest in the world. - Ronald Diaz/Conservation International

The other new mammals the team discovered were a spiny mouse, a short-tailed fruit bat and a dwarf squirrel.

Also described for the first time was the blob-headed fish, which gets its name from its enlarged, blob-like head. Fish experts involved with the survey had never seen a feature like this before.

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The blob-headed fish has an incredibly bizarre head that looks almost like a giant swollen nose, Larsen told CNN. Scientists have never seen anything like it, and we dont know what the function of this bizarre blob-like structure is. One possible theory is that the blob helps the animal detect food, he said  but it remains a mystery.

Overall, the survey recorded 2,000 species in the landscape which spans from the Andes to the Amazon and crosses over Indigenous territories, towns and cities. Of those species, 49 are on the International Union for the Conservation of Natures Red List  meaning they are at risk of extinction.

Many parts of the Alto Mayo landscape are being cleared for timber and agriculture, leaving behind patches of forest that still maintain important species. - Trond Larsen/Conservation International

The researchers hope that knowing more about the regions biodiversity will make it possible to implement effective conservation measures in the face of threats posed by de-forestation and agricultural expansion.

And while the discoveries may have been new to science, that does not mean they were entirely unknown. The expedition enlisted the help of local indigenous researchers and continues to collaborate with indigenous communities on conservation efforts.

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This Rapid Assessment allows the Awajun (indigenous community) to protect our culture, natural resources and our territory, as we have a deep connection with nature, said Yulisa Tuwi, an Awajun woman who assisted with the surveys research on reptiles and amphibians.

Being part of this research has allowed me to better understand how plants, animals and ecosystems interact with each other, and how this is part of our Awajun cosmovision, she said in a press release.

Our main goal is to provide scientific knowledge needed to move conservation forward in a way that works for nature and people, said Larsen, who added that time is limited to meet global goals for biodiversity conservation.

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New charges have been filed against an active duty Marine Willie Ellington in connection to the killing of a former reality TV star.

For context, according to WKRG News 5, Tshey Bennetts body was found Wednesday (Dec. 18) in a pond in an abandoned neighborhood in Alabama, though shed last been seen at the Sweet Dream Inn in Pensacola, Fla.

According to a Facebook post posted by local authorities in Florida, Bennett was working as an escort at the location when she vanished, which was 50 miles away from where she was eventually found.

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The same day police found her body was also the same day Ellington was arrested in another town over 200 miles away and taken into custody. Theres been no word yet on just how Bennett was killed or how she ended up in that pond.

Now per the New York Post, on Friday, the 20-year-old military man has been been charged with first degree murder and possession of child pornography. Alabama authorities were able to find him after being tipped off to his location at a bus stop in Opelika, Ala.

Our team quickly scrambled to the station and set up a surveillance operation. When the bus arrived, investigators spotted and apprehended a man matching the suspects description, Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones told the outlet.

As confirmed by the Pensacola News Journal, Ellington is a private first class in the US Marine Corps serving in the Training and Education Command. He was stationed onboard at the Naval Air Station Pensacola where he received specialized training in aviation, cyber, explosive ordinance disposal (EOD) and combatant dive communities as a part of the Marine Aviation Training Support Group-23 (MATSg-23), per the Marine Corps.

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According to Capt. Jacoby Getty of the Training and Education Command, they are aware of Ellingtons arrest and have agreed to work in tandem with local authorities.

Bennett was one of 12 contestants and exotic dancers on the first season of the HollyHood TV series Skrippa Bootcamp.

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Cheverly Mayor Kayce Munyeneh (back to camera) waits to address the Bladensburg Town Council Thursday night over its plans to annex a valuable property that Cheverly also wants to annex. Photo by Josh Kurtz.

At a meeting punctuated by civic pride and an element of grievance, the Bladensburg Town Council voted unanimously Thursday night to annex a valuable piece of property that had been ticketed for development by a nearby municipality.

The mayor of the other municipality, Cheverly, said the town would sue to block Bladensburgs annexation attempts, perhaps as early as Friday.

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Bladensburg wants to acquire the site of the old Prince Georges Hospital Center, 113 unincorporated acres that the Prince Georges County government owns and planned to turn over to Cheverly, after pushing through a high-value mixed-use development proposal there.

But Bladensburg officials said they saw an opportunity to expand the towns footprint, create economic development opportunities throughout the region, and boost the towns image. And they pointed out that while there had been multiple conversations over the sited between county officials, developers and the Town of Cheverly, there is no written agreement to turn the property, which has been rebranded as Hospital Hill, over to Cheverly after the development is underway.

Bladensburg officials envision working with the same developers and calling the property Bladensburg Overlook.

We see this as our time to take a bold step forward, said Bladensburg Councilmember Kalisha Dixon.

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The council vote took place after a two-hour public hearing, with residents and officials packed into Bladensburgs tiny town hall.

Mayor Takisha James said officials from the Prince Georges County government, the county planning commission and the Maryland Department of Planning were invited to testify, along with state Sen. Malcolm Augustine (D-Prince Georges), whose district includes both communities, and Cheverly Mayor Kayce Munyeneh. Only Munyeneh showed up  though Prince Georges County Council Chair Jolene Ivey (D) sent a representative to read a statement in opposition.

Demolition has already begun on the old Prince Georges Hospital Center, which was replaced in 2021 by the new University of Maryland Capital Regional Medical Center in downtown Largo. Photo by Steve Crane.

Most of the rest of the testimony came from about 15 Bladensburg residents, who were almost uniformly supportive of the annexation, calling it a potential boon to the towns economy and sense of self-worth.

Police Chief Tyrone Collington Sr., Town Administrator Michelle Bailey-Hedgepeth and two consultants, including an expert on annexation law, also laid out their arguments for why the annexation would be beneficial  and perfectly legal. Collington also described all the services his department provides, and said they would become vital to residents and businesses in the new development  if they became part of the town.

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Two Bladensburg residents spoke out against the proposal. One complained the process hadnt been sufficiently transparent, while another warned about the confusion that non-contiguous municipal boundaries cause and the potential consequences during an emergency.

James said town officials were inspired to consider trying to acquire the hospital property after hearing Maryland Municipal League CEO Theresa Kuhns refer to annexation as the last frontier for municipalities. She said Bladensburg would not have moved to annex the property if Cheverly had already begun taking steps to do so.

Cheverly officials have said they were advised to wait on annexation until the development on the site was farther along. But James said Bladensburg did not like being excluded from any of the discussions about the development plan with their neighbors in Cheverly and county leaders.

Were .34 miles away  were not 34 miles away, she said. And we have not even been consulted.

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James added that any perception that Bladensburg officials were being stealthy about their desire to acquire the property was the result of them not being taken seriously. She attributed that in part to the fact that all five members of the Bladensburg Town Council are women of color.

Weve been underestimated, weve been second-guessed, James said. I cant even begin to tell you how many things have been man-splained to us in the last few weeks.

In an interview before the Bladensburg council meeting, Munyeneh, the Cheverly mayor, said she was sympathetic to her neighbors position  they feel like Cheverly has received preferential treatment  but found their annexation gambit an extreme and puzzling decision.

Were on their team, she said. When they succeed, we succeed. When we succeed, they succeed.

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Munyeneh said the proposal for the hospital site crafted by the countys Redevelopment Agency and two development firms has been tailored to Cheverlys needs, based in part on the impacts the hospital had on the town for decades. Bladensburgs annexation attempt disregards the history and jeopardizes the projects potential, she said during her public testimony.

Were better than this, Munyeneh said. We owe it to our neighbors to work together.

In an interview before the public hearing, the Cheverly mayor said the town had been working with an annexation attorney and was prepared to go to court quickly to block Bladensburgs move  and expected Prince Georges County and possibly the developers to follow suit.

But James seemed unmoved by that prospect.

Were prepared and we know the law, she said.
The Blue Face Global Hookah Lounge at 1826 N. Main Ave. has permanently closed by agreement of the property owner and the District Attorneys office.

In November, the Lackawanna County District Attorneys Office was granted an injunction to temporarily close the problem property and requested the court declare the business a nuisance and shut it down permanently.

Granting of the injunction followed an investigation that centered on the business and resulted in the arrest of nine people alleged to have participated in gang activity.

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The nine are believed to be associated with the Crips street gang and are charged with various drug-trafficking, weapons-related and corrupt organization offenses.

In court paperwork that requested the initial injunction, First Assistant District Attorney Brian Gallagher described the establishment as a drug nuisance that had a negative impact on the neighborhood.

An agreement between the parties dated Dec. 19, indicates that Ken Scranton, LLC, owner of the property, has legal authority to determine what tenant would occupy the building.

The document indicates that Marshall Weisman, of New York, who was named as a respondent in the original court paperwork, is not an owner of the property.

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Dwight Smith, who operated the business and was among the nine arrested, now has no standing in the matter, because Ken Scranton LLC has terminated the tenancy of Blue Face Global Hookah Lounge.

Marshall Weismann, spokesperson for Ken Scranton LLC, has indicated the business is seeking new tenants, according to the stipulation.

The stipulation indicates none of the respondents, which include Ken Scranton LLC, The Blue Face Global Hookah Lounge, Dwight Smith, Nasser Real Estate, Abbas Mohammadzad and Marshall Weismann, filed a formal response to the Commonwealths original Petition and Complaint requesting the business be permanently closed.
NAIROBI, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Kenya said on Thursday that terrorism and overall crime cases have fallen across the country in the recent past, thanks to collaboration between local and international security agencies.

Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, also acting cabinet secretary for the Ministry of Interior and National Administration, said 27 terrorist attacks have been thwarted between January 2022 and November 2024 across Kenya.

"During this period several terrorists have been neutralized. The government has also pushed for 11 successful convictions. Our success came through collaboration with international agencies," Mudavadi told journalists in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.

"Noteworthy, our success also came through collaborations with other international agencies to thwart crime through training and equipment support," he added.

Mudavadi said there has been a decrease in general crime, including robbery, break-ins, stock theft, vehicle thefts, dangerous drugs, traffic offenses, and corruption cases.

However, he said, incidences of vandalism targeting electric power transmission infrastructure have been on the rise, resulting in power disruptions that affect service delivery and cause economic loss.

Mudavadi said cattle rustling cases have dropped 62 percent in northern and eastern Kenya.

"In the last six years, a total of 383 officers have died in the line of duty, while this year, 830 officers have been injured in the line of duty," he said.

According to Mudavadi, Kenya recorded 7,107 sexual and gender-based violence cases from September 2023 to date. 
PANAMA CITY  A body was found Thursday evening, and foul play has not been ruled out.

According to a press release from the Panama City Police Department, the body was found about 7 p.m. Thursday in the Cove neighborhood after officers "responded to a welfare check."

"Upon arrival, they found a male deceased inside the residence," the release reads. "At this time, foul play has not been ruled out."

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PCPD notes detectives are investigating the situation as they wait for the results of a pending autopsy.

"There does not appear to be an ongoing threat to the community," the release reads.

More from local PD: Panama City OKs agreement giving police access to video feeds at Bay District Schools

Those with information about the death are asked to all the Panama City Police Department at 850 872-3100. They also can anonymously report at tip to Crime Stoppers at 850 785-TIPS.

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Body found in Panama City's Cove neighborhood; foul play not ruled out
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY)  A woman accused in connection with the disappearance and death of a man in Virginia Beach will be staying in jail.

Woman arrested in connection to disappearance of Knotts Island man

Ashley Walton was in Virginia Beach Circuit Court and is charged with concealment of a dead body in the case surrounding 42-year-old Martrell Lamar. She appealed her bond, which was initially denied in late November. In court, Lamars friends and family heard what they wanted to hear from a judge for a second time: bond was denied.

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Lamar has been reported missing since July 15. He has not been seen or found, and his family is still looking for answers. His older sister said reliving it over again in court is never easy the second time around.

Docs: Woman accused of driving missing BFs remains from VB to Knotts Island

Nobody wins in this situation, said Kanisha Harris, Lamars sister. My brother didnt deserve it. I mean, we know that hes not coming back. But just not to have him is just worse. And I love him and I miss him dearly.

Walton told authorities Lamar left earlier in the month after the two got into an argument, and she had not seen him since.

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But court documents tell a different story, with phone records showing the two at the Pungo Ferry Bridge boat ramp. His sister said that despite getting the answer they wanted from the judge, it wont bring him back.

Its just hard because we have to keep going through this, Harris said, living through this day after day, and just not knowing. It was just the worst thing ever. Well never see him smile again. Well never see him joke. He doesnt have any kids.

According to court documents, Walton called a man, the suspect, who allegedly showed up and shot Lamar. They said the body was then put in Waltons car, and she is accused of driving his remains.

In circuit court Thursday, attorneys said that Waltons vehicle was a positive hit for a dead body by a cadaver dog.

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The family believes he is dead. Without a body, however, they are unsure what they should do for his burial.

I hope we find him so we can have a proper burial for him, Harris said. I just wish he could come home, but thats never going to happen.

Walton has a preliminary court hearing scheduled Feb. 14.

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FREDERICK, Md. (DC News Now)  The economy of Frederick is moving full steam ahead.

A visionary entrepreneur is bringing an exciting new boutique hotel and first-class dining venue downtown.

The Visitation on E. Church Street was once a convent and Catholic girls school thanks to the vision of developer Lance Jaccard.

Students from Barbara Ingram School for the Arts to showcase their talent at Maryland Theatre Christmas show

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Jaccard said everybody is excited about the project.

It was sitting empty and everyone was afraid it was going to decay, Jaccard said.

Jaccard brought in some first-rate chefs for The Visitations Wye Oak Tavern, the brother team of Brian and Michael Voltaggio.

We thought this would be a great addition to the downtown here in Frederick and the restaurant scene thats here in Maryland now, Brian Voltaggio said.

For us to be able to give this restaurant, create this restaurant in our hometown, Micahel Voltaggio added. Its a pretty special homecoming.

Wreaths Across America, Frederick Health team up for wreath laying at Fairview Cemetery

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The Visitation officially opened Tuesday and Gov. Wes Moore was there to celebrate plans for a new conference center along Carroll Creek downtown, expected to generate more tourist revenue.

The economic growth here in Frederick is real, Moore said. We want it to continue and do it from a state perspective, do what we can to foster it, to celebrate it.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
The death of a toddler who was crushed when a television and fireplace fell on top of him has been ruled an accident.

Carter Walsh, 2, was dancing to the YouTube program Cocomelon at his home in England in September when the television and marble fireplace toppled onto him, according to BBC News and Wigan Today.

The television, which weighed up to 30 kgs (66 lbs.), was unsecured at the time of the incident, The Manchester Evening News reported.

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Carter was knocked unconscious and went into cardiac arrest before he was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the outlets.

Related: 6-Year-Old Boy Dies After Being Hit by Car While Running Across Interstate Near Home: 'Our Hearts Are Heavy'

Detective Inspector Stuart Woodhead, of Greater Manchester Police, told the inquest he believed the boy had gone towards the fireplace and grabbed the mantelpiece before he was crushed.

He didnt suffer, he didnt know what was going on, Woodhead explained, BBC News reported. It was an instantaneous event.

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Bolton Coroners Court ruled on Friday, Dec. 20, that the boys death was accidental in nature.

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Greater Manchester West area coroner Peter Sigee said Carter's death was caused by a head injury he sustained during the accident, according to BBC News.

PEOPLE reached out to the coroner for comment on Dec. 20, while Manchester Police declined to comment further on the case.

Related: Family's 'World Is Shattered' After Girl, 6, Dies on Amusement Park Ride: 'Worst Nightmare'

Helen Mayhew, the boys grandmother, told the inquest that her grandson "was just a happy toddler, according to the Evening News.

Woodhead concurred. "He was a happy, well looked after child, the detective inspector told the inquest. This is a tragic accident. He was well supported and loved.

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A relative was babysitting Carter when the incident occurred, according to Wigan News.

Related: Toddler, 1, Dies After Father Left Him in Hot Car All Day Because He Forgot to Drop Him at Daycare

Mayhew told the inquest that family members had a plan to secure the television before Carter was killed.

The day before the accident, me and my husband were looking at what we needed to secure it, she said. They were resting against the wall but there were no fittings to attach it.

Nearly 2,500 (about $3,150) has been raised through a GoFundMe campaign started to support Carters family in the wake of the tragedy.

Read the original article on People
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET)  Everybody needs a pat on the back from the boss every now and then, and Bakersfield Police Chief Greg Terry and his top lieutenants were happy to take 30 minutes out of their day to oblige on Thursday morning.

The 2024 annual Employee Awards Ceremony, held at BPD headquarters, was their chance to bestow some love on the men and women in blue, and assorted other colors.

The civilian employee of the year was digital forensic examiner Mick Street, who isnt just a star around the office, but among peers around the nation, recognized as one of the best when it comes to stopping cyber crime.

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Graham Payne was named dispatcher of the year; Reagan Selman was officer of the year; Philip Richardi was detective of the year, and Jamie Polm, who oversees the police properties and facilities department, was one of two supervisors of the year.

Golden Empire Most Wanted: December 19, 2024

The other, Sgt. John Bishop, supervises officer training  which is always a challenge, and ever more so in this day and age.

Its definitely a balance that we have to work out in how we train our officers, Bishop said. Im assigned to our training division. Thats over the defensive tactics team and part of what we do, and not just me, its really the team that I have, that weve put together, that has gotten us all the progress that weve made so far in this last year in the (California Department of Justices) stipulated judgement (directed at BPD).

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Bishop emphasized the importance of proper training in the police department.

Teaching the officers from the ground level, from the time we get them in the academy, all the way through the importance of being fair and unbiased in how they use force, said Bishop. How to recognize threats, and also how to use it in the most efficient ways as possible so that they can effect an arrest, overcome some resistance, and lawfully do the things theyre supposed to do in the line of duty.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KGET 17.
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET)  Kern County law enforcement officers took a break from patrolling the streets and got a chance to play Santa to spread cheer to families in need.

The Bakersfield Police Department and Kern County Sheriffs Office, along with volunteers, gathered at High Desert Distribution Wednesday morning to assemble and deliver 500 food baskets to members in the community.

The effort is part of the Family to Family Christmas Food Basket program that started back in 1984, with just 25 baskets.

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Kern County Fire Department retires H408 after 24 years of service

Every year, Kern County law enforcement and community members nominate families to receive a basket that includes a turkey and all the fixins for a nice holiday meal.

Some recipients of the baskets were victims of crime while others could just use a helping hand to get by during the holidays.

BPD Chief Greg Terry says the program gives officers a chance to deliver hope to the people they serve and protect.

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BRISTOL, Va. (WJHL)  After an overnight fire that drew more than a dozen fire departments to the former Virginia Intermont College campus, city leaders in Bristol, Virginia will discuss what to do with the property.

The Bristol, Virginia City Council has called a special meeting set for Saturday at 11 a.m. The meeting will be held in a closed session without the public.

A tragedy for our city | Massive fire burns Virginia Intermont campus

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A meeting agenda states council members will discuss or consider acquiring the Virginia Intermont property.

According to the agenda, discussing the possible acquisition in an open meeting could have adverse effects when the city bargains or negotiates.

During the meeting, council members will hear from legal counsel, staff members and consultants as they work on a plan to acquire the property from its current owner, U.S. Magis International Education Center.

City leaders told News Channel 11 that the company owes Bristol, Virginia more than $400,000 in taxes.

Fridays fire collapsed the main hall and spread to multiple buildings. A similar fire occurred at the old library on campus in November.

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Council member Neal Osborne said early Friday that he was frustrated with U.S. Magis following multiple attempts by the city to spur the company to care for the property.

They will have to answer for this, in my mind, Osborne said. They will answer for why this property was not secured, why they did not take proactive steps to prevent this from happening.

Bristol, Virginia Vice Mayor Jake Holmes said the hope is to give new life to what remains of Virginia Intermont once the city owns it.

Moving forward, though, just getting something positive in that space, getting it out of the hands of a company that does not care about this community, getting in and doing something, Holmes said. Getting a company or individual involved that can do something good with it.

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Holmes told News Channel 11 that the city had hoped U.S. Magis International Education, a Chinese-owned company, would use the campus for educational purposes when it purchased the property in 2016. However, Holmes said the remaining structures are a hazard and danger to public safety post-fire.

Virginia Intermont College closed its doors in 2014 amid financial troubles and the loss of its accreditation.

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LONDON (Reuters) - Britain and Mauritius both want to finalise a treaty over the future of a U.S.-British military base in the Chagos Islands as quickly as possible, they said on Friday, after Mauritius' new government cast doubt on the deal.

Britain agreed in October to cede sovereignty of the islands in the Indian Ocean to Mauritius, saying it would secure the future of the strategically important Diego Garcia military base, but a formal treaty is yet to be finalised.

Earlier this week, Mauritius' new prime minister said his government wished to renegotiate the deal, but Britain has maintained that the deal works for all sides, as it faces the possibility that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump could unpick the agreement when he takes office in January.

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On Friday Britain's foreign ministry published a brief joint statement with Mauritius, setting out the status of the negotiations.

"Mauritius and the UK have held a series of productive, ongoing conversations and exchanges on finalising a historic Treaty on the exercise of sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago," the statement said.

"Both countries reiterated their commitment to finalising a treaty as quickly as possible, whose terms will agree to ensure the long-term, secure and effective operation of the existing base on Diego Garcia and that Mauritius is sovereign over the Archipelago."

The deal has the blessing of U.S. President Joe Biden, but Trump's pick for secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has said the British handover of the islands to Mauritius poses a threat to U.S. security given China's influence in the region.

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When Mauritius became independent in the 1960s, London retained control of the Chagos Islands and forcibly displaced up to 2,000 people to make way for the Diego Garcia base. Some displaced Chagossians have expressed dismay that they weren't consulted on the deal agreed in October.

(Reporting by Alistair Smout; Editing by Sachin Ravikumar)
Britains relations with China, like it or not, are at a tipping point. The elected UK Government must decide whether it is better for our countrys interests to revive and deepen relations with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) state, the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), or to distance itself from it.

Events over the last week  in particular the exposure of long-term covert targeting of the Royal family and senior politicians by the CCP United Front Work Department  have shone a partial spotlight on the risks.

Yet the Prime Minister, so far at least, continues to emphasise benefits, at least from enhanced trade relations. A planned audit of UK-China policy has yet to emerge, but has in effect already been pre-empted by the earlier visit of the Foreign Secretary to Beijing and the decision to send the Chancellor there in January next year, after which the Prime Minister may also visit China and the Chinese premier may come to London.

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Is it therefore inevitable that the UK is locked into renewed rapprochement with a Marxist-Leninist superpower which recently told the US president it will not tolerate criticism of Chinas intentions for Taiwan and opposition to democracy and human rights? How are we to understand the objective balance of risk and gain posed by relations with China, and how a decision to deepen or lessen bilateral ties may affect Britains national interests?

A Taiwanese coast guard ship (L) monitoring a Chinese coast guard ship, a few nautical miles from Taiwans north-eastern coast - Taiwan Coast Guard/AFP

Once again, it is important to define what is really wrapped up in the notion of China risk, and well worth revisiting what our intelligence and security services have said publicly on the subject, since they are tasked to provide the Government with the best possible information on this point.

In September 2024, the chief of the UKs Secret Intelligence Service (SIS, also known as MI6), together with the director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), said that both services see the rise of China as the main intelligence and geo-political challenge of the century.

Two years before, the director of the UK Security Service (MI5), also accompanied by his US counterpart, described China as a massive shared challenge. This included patient, well-funded, deceptive campaigns to buy and exert influence.

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Risk is often described as a function of hostile intention and capability, (together constituting threat) applied to vulnerability or exposure. There is surely no doubt now as to Chinese intentions. As the UKs chief of defence staff said on Dec 4 2024, China is seeking to reshape the rules around its own interests.

In Taiwan and the South China Sea, military, economic, political and covert coercion are focused on undermining democracy, territorial integrity, free navigation and trade and the rule of international and domestic law. Civil society in Hong Kong is being subjected to levels of police state control matched only on the PRC mainland.

By buying large quantities of Russian energy, China is now a major supporter of Putins illegal aggression in Ukraine, not to speak of other forms of assistance with direct benefits to the Russian army in the field.

China has weaponised its economic power over much of the developing world to build up and exploit control of global supplies of strategic raw materials. Xi Jinping routinely talks about the aims of CCP policy in terms of combat readiness.

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Despite the obvious hardships economic mismanagement have imposed on PRC citizens, Xi continues to direct uncounted billions to military modernisation and expansion as well as dystopic levels of domestic surveillance. This has been projected against Chinese expatriates abroad and to infiltrate or disrupt the key national infrastructure, political decision-making and defensive dispositions of rival countries including Britain.

Chinese Peoples Liberation Army personnel participate in a military parade in Beijing. Xi Jinping has spent billions on military expansion - Greg Baker/AFP

Such is the breadth and depth of this activity that the UK and most of its allies and partners across the world are now exposed to what China calls war without limits, designed to degrade and defeat opponents without firing a shot. The result is existential risk.

The most common argument for restoring relations with China is that the Chinese economy is large and strong and it will be good for Britain to do more business there. The pandemic should have taught us clear lessons about how to reduce economic risk from China by cutting down our dependence on Chinese sourcing chains. Reducing imports from China, particularly in the form of items such as electric vehicles which expose our data to hostile exploitation, is simply common sense.

But China is only our sixth-largest export market. Given increasing Chinese interest in reducing dependency on foreign goods, what prospect is there of reducing Britains huge current trade deficit? China explicitly seeks to get richer independently of the West. Trade with Britain has been used to weaken us, not to make us stronger.

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Why should we still want to do anything  especially by providing financial services  to help a system bent on subverting the norms not only of international trade, but also democracy and the authority of international law?

How can we hope to remain uncontaminated by association with a regime which in pursuit of cash for exports, lies about the massive abuse of human rights that lies beneath the sale of agricultural products from Xinjiang? There are no excellent parts in this gargantuan curates egg.

Given the threats to world peace and prosperity posed by Xi Jinpings ruthless use of armed, political, economic and security coercion, where are the justifying benefits to be had from co-operation on shared interests?

All that now remains of this putative common ground seems to be health security and climate change. Neither can withstand critical scrutiny. PRC lies caused Covid-19 to spread across the world. China ignored its obligations under the International Health Regulations and would do so again.

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Beijing greenwashes itself as the largest producer of renewable energy technology, but Chinese manufacturing processes are massively harmful, components are vulnerable to digital sabotage and in its home economy China remains dependent on non-renewable energy, sourced increasingly far afield.

Britains interests must be pursued alongside stalwart Western alliances, not sold out to an existential adversary.

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KHARTOUM, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The World Food Programme (WFP) on Friday announced that three of its staff members were killed in an aerial bombardment in Sudan, while the Sudanese government pledged to investigate the incident.

"The WFP is outraged by the killing of three of its staff members in an aerial bombardment in Sudan on Thursday, December 19, 2024," the UN agency said in a statement on social media platform X.

"A WFP office was hit during the attack. We are gathering more information and will provide update as we learn more," it added.

For its part, the Sudanese Foreign Ministry vowed to investigate the incident to determine who was responsible.

"The United Nations Resident Humanitarian Coordinator's office in Sudan has reported that the WFP office in Yabus area in Blue Nile State ... was bombed last night, killing three of the office's staff members," the ministry said in a statement.

"The Government of Sudan renews its rejection and condemnation of any targeting of UN agencies and all humanitarian workers," it noted.

Sudan has been gripped by a devastating conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since mid-April 2023. 
By Kate Holton

LONDON (Reuters) -Britain named Labour Party grandee Peter Mandelson as its ambassador to the United States on Friday, seeking to woo Donald Trump's administration, avoid a trade war and ensure the countries remain aligned over Ukraine.

A former European commissioner for trade and a key figure in Labour's success under former leaders Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, the 71-year-old is the first political appointee to the role in almost half a century.

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His past reputation as a charming but ruthless behind-the-scenes operator saw him dubbed "Prince of Darkness" in UK media.

The selection is one of Keir Starmer's most significant foreign policy moves since becoming prime minister in July, given the potential reverberations from Trump's return to power.

Starmer said Mandelson would start early next year, replacing the highly-regarded Karen Pierce: a career diplomat from the politically neutral civil service at the end of her term.

"The United States is one of our most important allies and as we move into a new chapter in our friendship, Peter will bring unrivalled experience to the role and take our partnership from strength to strength," Starmer said in a statement.

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Mandelson will have to argue that Ukraine should receive all the support it needs in its war with Russia and that, as a close ally, Britain should be spared any trade tariffs Trump may impose.

He may be wary of Trump's well-advertised relationship with Nigel Farage, the populist politician who championed Britain's EU exit and is a vocal critic of Starmer's government.

"We face challenges in Britain but also big opportunities and it will be a privilege to work with the government to land those opportunities, both for our economy and our nations security, and to advance our historic alliance with the United States," Mandelson said in a statement.

No stranger to controversy, he was twice forced out of cabinet over separate scandals, and his belief in closer ties with China and opposition to Brexit may be at odds with Trump's outlook.

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The fate of a previous UK ambassador to Washington may serve as a warning. Kim Darroch was forced to quit in Trump's first term when leaked memos showed he had called the U.S. government inept, earning the wrath of Trump who called him stupid.

Mandelson believes Britain must navigate a path between the U.S. and the EU without choosing one over the other. "We have got to find a way to have our cake and eat it," he told a Times podcast this year.

(Reporting by Kate Holton; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Andrew Cawthorne)
LONDON (AP)  It's that time of year when crowds of pagans, druids, hippies and tourists head to Stonehenge in Britain to celebrate the winter solstice, with the shortest day and the longest night in the Northern Hemisphere.

Thousands are expected on Saturday at the megalithic circle on a plain in southern England as the first rays of sun break through the giant stones that make up one of worlds most famous prehistoric monuments.

Rain has been forecast but there is no doubt it won't be able to drown out the drumming, chanting and cheering.

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Beyond the fascination of the ritual, the eternal question may still linger in the back of the minds of many visitors: What was the real meaning and purpose of Stonehenge?

The site has been the subject of vigorous debate, with some theories seemingly more outlandish, if not alien, than others.

This year, those gathering will have something new to discuss.

In a paper published in the journal Archaeology International, researchers from University College London and Aberystwyth University say that the site on Salisbury Plain, about 128 kilometers (80 miles) southwest of London, may have had some unifying purpose in ancient times.

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They base that on a recent discovery that one of Stonehenges stones  the unique stone lying flat at the center of the monument, dubbed the altar stone  originated in Scotland, hundreds of miles north of the site.

What was surprising was that it came from so far away. It was long known that the other stones come from all over Britain  including the so-called bluestones, the smaller stones at the site that came from Preseli Hills in southwest Wales, nearly 240 kilometers (150 miles) away.

That varied geology is what makes Stonehenge unique among over 900 stone circles in Britain.

The fact that all of its stones originated from distant regions ... suggests that the stone circle may have had a political as well as a religious purpose," said lead author Professor Mike Parker Pearson from UCL's Institute of Archaeology.

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It may have served as a monument of unification for the peoples of Britain, celebrating their eternal links with their ancestors and the cosmos, Parker Pearson said.

Whatever its original purpose, Stonehenge today retains an important place in Britain's culture and history and remains one of the countrys biggest tourist draws  despite the seemingly permanent traffic jams on the nearby A303 highway, a popular route for motorists traveling to and from the southwest of England.

Stonehenge was built on the flat lands of Salisbury Plain in stages, starting 5,000 years ago, with the unique stone circle erected in the late Neolithic period, about 2,500 B.C.

English Heritage, a charity that manages hundreds of historic sites, including Stonehenge, has noted several explanations  from the circle being a coronation place for Danish kings, a druid temple, a cult center for healing, or an astronomical computer for predicting eclipses and solar events.

So as far as symbolism and unification go  maybe Stonehenge really was a Mount Rushmore of its day?
A British grandmother is stuck at a Florida hospital after testing positive for COVID-19 while on vacation in the United States.

Patricia Bunting, 76, was visiting Disney World in Orlando with family when she came down with the virus, according to The Manchester Evening News and Tampa Bay Times.

The British woman, whose health had recently been declining, was hospitalized at Health Dr. P. Phillips Hospital on Nov. 23 after she was found passed out in a bathroom.

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Now, her children are trying to bring her home. More than 35,000 (about $44,000) has been raised through a GoFundMe campaign started about a week after Bunting was hospitalized.

Related: Va. Woman Slipped and Fell on Cruise. She Was Stranded in Indonesia Hospital for Days, Family Says

Family members said Bunting, who has three sons and two grandsons, is the heart of our family. The funds raised through GoFundMe will go toward a specialized air ambulance and medical bill relief.

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We believe her only chance for a stable recovery is to get her back to Wigan, England, where she can be surrounded by her loved ones and access continued medical care, Emma, Bunting's daughter, wrote in the GoFundMe description.

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Related: Minnesota Couple Stuck in Brazil After Their Baby Was Born Early Will Return Home

Before she was hospitalized in the U.S., Bunting used a walker to move around and had three different inhalers for breathing problems triggered by her chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

Emma told the paper that her mother has also had pneumonia while in the hospital, and is scared of passing away in a U.S. hospital far from her family.

I want nothing more than to have mum home for Christmas so shes surrounded by all the love of her family, the daughter explained.

Related: California Man Stuck in Guatemalan Hospital Until He Pays $20K Bill After Freak Diving Accident

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In an update, Emma said the air ambulance would cost 130,000 (about $163,000). The lowest quote they have received for a medically-assisted flight is about 80,000 (about $100,000).

As of Saturday, Dec. 14, Bunting is battling a second bout of bacterial pneumonia, according to her daughter. She has experienced a gastrointestinal bleed and blood clots in her legs while at the hospital, and remains on continuous oxygen.

Emma said the family hopes to have a plan solidified early next week.

Your support, prayers, and kind messages have meant the world to us during this incredibly difficult time, the daughter wrote on GoFundMe. Knowing that so many people care about my mum has provided comfort and hope for our family.



Read the original article on People
A federal jury in Tampa on Thursday convicted a Broward County woman of one count of conspiracy against rights for her involvement in a group that spray painted threatening messages on pro-life pregnancy clinics in South Florida and elsewhere in the state.

Gabriella Oropesa, of Cooper City, along with three other people in the summer of 2022 vandalized reproductive health clinics in Hollywood, Hialeah and Winter Haven, between Orlando and Tampa, that provided abortion alternatives to women, including counseling and ultrasound exams, according to the indictment presented to the jury.

They disguised themselves with masks, hats and gloves, and targeted the clinics at night, federal prosecutors said.

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In May 2022, Oropesa and the others traveled to Hollywood in Broward County and spray painted on a clinic affiliated with the Archdiocese of Miami Ministry: If abortions arent SAFE then niether [sic] are you, the indictment said. They spray painted the same message on the clinic in Hialeah in July. They vandalized the Winter Haven in June with the messages: YOUR TIME IS UP!! WERE COMING for U, and We are everywhere.

Co-defendants Caleb Freestone, Amber Smith-Stewart and Annarella Rivera each previously entered plea agreements, federal court records show. Freestone was sentenced to one year in prison with three years of supervised release while Smith-Stewart and Rivera both were sentenced to 30 days, followed by three years of supervised release.

Oropesa will be sentenced in federal court in Tampa on March 19, court records show. She faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, according to federal prosecutors.
The European Commission proposed on Friday to suspend visa privileges for Georgian officials over the violent crackdown on pro-European protests in the country.

"Today we are taking action to hold Georgian authorities accountable for the violent repression of peaceful protests," said EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas.

The Kremlin-friendly Georgian Dream party claims to have won parliamentary elections in October before announcing that the Georgian government will halt efforts to join the bloc.

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Subsequent mass demonstrations were met with police violence and mass arrests.

The proposal "sends a clear message to the Georgian authorities that they cannot repress opposition voices or curtail freedom of expression without consequences," Kallas said.

If EU member states agree, Georgian diplomats, officials and their family members would no longer be able to travel visa-free to the bloc for short stays and would no longer be entitled to simpler and cheaper application processes for long-term visas.

Under the proposed measure, holders of ordinary Georgian passports would still be able to travel to the EU for short stays without a visa.

Previous plans for imposing EU sanctions on those responsible for violence in Georgia were recently blocked by Hungary and Slovakia.
Dec. 19As the months get colder, people who are living unhoused or unsheltered will have less options of where to sleep.

For this reason, the jail in Buchanan County, Missouri, has seen an increase in its population during the winter months, according to Lieutenant Joe Lysaght with the Buchanan County's Sheriff's Office.

"Actually, right now there's an inmate upstairs that will be very open and tells us he's here because he's homeless, he knows he'll get three meals a day and it's warm in here," Lt. Lysaght said.

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Individuals without shelter this time of year will intentionally commit petty crimes at the start of the cold weather season so that they will be put in jail by the time that winter sets in.

"Trespassing is one we see often," Lt. Lysaght said. "If a person commits a trespassing violation they're brought to jail and from there they decide if they want to continue that process through the courts and take it to a trial. If they decide to do so, the inmate is here throughout the whole process which ultimately keeps them here throughout the whole wintertime."

Lt. Lysaght said that the population increase is not happening at a high enough volume for the jail to notice a drastic influx but it's still a trend they're observing.

"We'd really like to see more of these individuals utilize the cold weather shelters," Lt. Lysaght said. "Of course, they only have so many beds available as well and that's the downside to it but we'd like to see them utilize other resources first so the jail can house individuals who need to be in here due to a more serious offense."

Jenna Wilson can be reached at jenna.wilson@newspressnow.com.
Originally appeared on E! Online

King Charles IIIs health is on the upswing.

Amid the British monarchs ongoing cancer battle, his treatment is moving in a positive direction, a Buckingham Palace source told NBC News Dec. 20.

While the update is good news for the 76-year-old, the source also noted that his cancer is a managed condition, and therefore his treatment cycle will continue into next year.

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As Charleswho ascended to the throne in September 2022 after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth IIcontinues to battle the disease, his wife, Queen Camilla, also recently shared a positive update on his health journey.

During a visit to the Dyson Cancer Center at the Royal United Hospital in Bath, England in September, the queen consortwho married Charles in 2005was asked by Suzy Moon of Macmillan Cancer Support about the kings health status. Camilla, 77, responded, per the Mirror, He is doing very well.

Keep reading for more recent updates from the royal family.

(E! and NBC News are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)

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Buckingham Palace disclosed Charles cancer diagnosis in Februarythough they did not say what kind of cancerand announced that he would take a step back from public duties to begin his treatment. He re-emerged in late April to resume his work, making a poignant trip to the University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre in London accompanied by Camilla.

Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Of course, Charles isnt the only member of the royal family fighting the disease. The palace announced Kate Middleton had also been diagnosed with cancer in March, after a photo editing controversy sparked conspiracy theories about her well-being.

Fortunately, the Princess of Waleswhose husband, Prince William, is heir to the British thronehas also shown signs of improvement. In November, William had good news to share about her condition.

Shes doing really well, he told Sky News during a trip to South Africa, adding that his wife has been amazing this whole year.

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Keep reading for more recent updates from the royal family.

(E! and NBC News are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)

Kate Middleton and Prince William Take Their 3 Kids Christmas Caroling

The family of five attended the annual Together At Christmas Carol Service at London's Westminster Abbey on Dec. 6. The holiday outing marked the first time the Prince and Princess of Wales stepped out with their children since the Trooping of the Colour ceremony in June.





Meghan Markle Breaks Silence on Prince Harry Divorce Rumors

The Duchess of Sussex shut down speculation of marital problems, joking during a Dec. 4 event in New York, "We've apparently divorced maybe 10, 12 times." "So, it's just like, 'What?'" continued Meghan, who shares kids Archie Harrison and Lilibet "Lili" Diana with the Duke of Sussex. "It's hard to keep up with, but that's why you just sort of ignore it."





King Charles III and Queen Camilla's Dog Beth Dies

The couple paid tribute to their late Jack Russell terrier on Nov. 18. "A sad farewell to Beth, The Queens much-loved companion from @Battersea Dogs and Cats Home," a message on their official Instagram account read, "who brought such joy, whether on walkies, helping on official duties, or curled up by the fire."

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Queen Camilla Withdraws From Public Engagements Due to Chest Infection

"Her Majesty The Queen is currently unwell with a chest infection, for which her doctors have advised a short period of rest," the Buckingham Palace announced on Nov. 5. "With great regret, Her Majesty has therefore had to withdraw from her engagements for this week, but she very much hopes to be recovered in time to attend this weekend's Remembrance events as normal. She apologises to all those who may be inconvenienced or disappointed as a result." Camilla returned to work on Nov. 12 to host a reception at Clarence House.





Princess Beatrice Is Expecting Baby No. 2

The royal and her husband of four years Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are expecting their second child together, the Royal Family announced Oct. 1. Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice and Mr Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are very pleased to announce that they are expecting their second child together early in the new year, the caption of their Instagram post read. His Majesty The King has been informed and both families are delighted with the news.





Kate Middleton Completes Chemotherapy

On Sept. 9, the Princess of Wales shared that she had completed chemotherapy after being diagnose with an unspecified form of cancer earlier this year. "The cancer journey is complex, scary and unpredictable for everyone, especially those closest to you," she said in a video statement. "With humility, it also brings you face to face with your own vulnerabilities in a way you have never considered before, and with that, a new perspective on everything." The royal added, "Although I have finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long and I must continue to take each day as it comes. I am however looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months when I can."





Kate Middleton's First Formal Appearance Since Cancer Diagnosis

The Princess of Wales returned to the spotlight on June 15three months after sharing her cancer diagnosisfor the Trooping the Colour ceremony in London. She was joined by her husband Prince William and their three kids: Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

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Princess Anne Is Released From Hospital

The Princess Royal was discharged after a five-day stay at Southmead Hospital. Her husband, Tim Laurence, said in a statement June 28, "I would like to extend my warmest thanks to all the team at Southmead Hospital for their care, expertise and kindness during my wifes short stay."





Princess Anne is Hospitalized With Concussion

The younger sister of King Charles III sustained minor injuries during an incident at her estate Gatcombe Park, Buckingham Palace has announced. "Her Royal Highness remains in Southmead Hospital, Bristol, as a precautionary measure for observation and is expected to make a full and swift recovery," the June 24 statement, shared to X, read. "The King has been kept closely informed and joins the whole Royal Family in sending his fondest love and well-wishes to The Princess for a speedy recovery."





Kate Middleton Shares Chemotherapy Update

Nearly three months after sharing her cancer diagnosis, the Princess of Wales said that she's "making good progress" with chemotherapy, though there are "good days and bad days" amid her health journey. "On those bad days you feel weak, tired and you have to give in to your body resting," Kate wrote on Instagram June 14. "But on the good days, when you feel stronger, you want to make the most of feeling well." She added, "My treatment is ongoing and will be for a few more months. On the days I feel well enough, it is a joy to engage with school life, spend personal time on the things that give me energy and positivity, as well as starting to do a little work from home."





New Role for Prince William

On May 13, King Charles III bestowed the title of Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps to his oldest son, sparking controversy as many royal watchers believed the title would be more suited for Prince Harry, who trained and served in the military branch.

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Kin Charles III Returns to Public Duties

On April 26, nearly three months after sharing his cancer diagnosis, Buckingham Palace announced that Charles will return to public-facing duties.





Queen Camilla Attends Royal Maundy Service

The queen consort attended the Royal Maundy Service on March 28 in place of King Charles III, making her the first spouse of the Monarch to continue the ancient tradition.





Kate Middleton Shares Cancer Diagnosis

In a March 22 video message, the Princess of Wales shared that she'd been diagnosed with cancer after undergoing abdominal surgery in January. "It was thought that my condition was non-cancerous. The surgery was successful," she said before noting that tests after the operation found cancer had been present. "My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment."





Kate Middleton Apologizes for Edited Family Photo Controversy

After photo agencies pulled the picture Kensington Palace shared of Kate since having her abdominal surgery on March 10, the Princess of Wales addressed claims the photo was doctored. "Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," she tweeted on March 11. "I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother's Day. C."

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Lady Kitty Spencer Privately Welcomes Baby

Princess Diana's niece celebrated Mother's Day in the U.K. by sharing she and her husband Michael Lewis privately welcomed their first baby. Its the joy of my life to be your mummy, little one. I love you unconditionally," she captioned her March 10 Instagram post. "Happy Mothers Day to those who celebrate today."





Queen Camilla Takes a Break

After keeping up her full slate of engagements in the wake of her husband's cancer diagnosis, the palace cleared Camilla's schedule. The Times pointed out March 2 that the queen consort didn't have any engagements on her calendar until March 11, when she'd be due at Westminster Abbey to observe Commonwealth Day.





Thomas Kensington Dies at 45

The husband of Lady Gabriella Windsor and ex-boyfriend of Pippa Middleton, was found dead Feb. 25. Days later, a coroner's inquest found that he died by suicide.





King Charles Diagnosed With Cancer

While King Charles III was in the hospital for his benign prostate enlargement procedure, the royal family member was diagnosed with cancer. "His Majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties," Buckingham Palace said Feb. 5. "Throughout this period, His Majesty will continue to undertake State business and official paperwork as usual.The King is grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention, which was made possible thanks to his recent hospital procedure. He remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible."

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Sarah Ferguson Is Diagnosed With a Second Type of Cancer

The Duchess of York's rep said in a statement on Jan. 21 that Sarah was recently diagnosed with malignant melanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer. Several months prior, she underwent a single mastectomy to treat breast cancer.





Queen Margrethe II of Denmark Abdicates the Throne

On Jan. 14, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark made history as she officially abdicated the throne, handing the crown over to her son, now known as King Frederik the 10th.





King Charles III Undergoing Treatment

Shortly after Kate's hospitalization was made public, Buckingham Palace shared that Charles "has sought treatment for an enlarged prostate." "His Majesty's condition is benign and he will attend hospital next week for a corrective procedure," the statement added. "The Kings public engagements will be postponed for a short period of recuperation."





Prince William Adjusting His Schedule

Amid Kate's recovery, Prince William postponed a number of engagements as he supported his family, including the couple's three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

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Kate Middleton Is Hospitalized

Kensington Palace announced on Jan. 17 that the Princess of Wales underwent planned abdominal surgery and was set to remain in the hospital for 10 to 14 days. "Based on the current medical advice," the Palace said, "she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter."



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The Bulgarian parliament has refused to approve the signing of a bilateral security agreement with Ukraine. Boyko Borissov, former Prime Minister and leader of the GERB party (Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria), who had previously supported the initiative, has changed his position.

Source: European Pravda with reference to Euractiv

Details: Bulgaria's acting Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev promised in October to join the countries that have signed bilateral security agreements with Ukraine.

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Glavchev was expected to sign the agreement with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during their visit to Brussels on 19 December, but the interim government refused and sought a mandate from the parliament, where Borissov's GERB party holds the most seats.

Only six of the EU's 27 member states  Bulgaria, Hungary, Austria, Slovakia, Malta and Cyprus  have not signed the agreement.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the GERB party has supported military assistance to Ukraine, and Borissov himself has often highlighted this support as evidence of his party's pro-Western stance.

But, the situation has now changed, as Borissov stated.

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"Six months ago, we would have categorically supported such an agreement," Borissov said, adding that today such support is equal to "buying a factory on 9 September".

The correct popular expression is "to buy a factory on 8 September", which means to make a very bad deal. On 9 September 1944, the Soviet army occupied Bulgaria, which did not bode well for factory owners.

Borissov explained that the reason for this was the growing discussion in Europe and the US about achieving peace in Ukraine.

He added that "we will work for a reconstruction or peace process" in Ukraine, but stressed that it should be a regular government that "signs a treaty that is mutually beneficial".

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Borissov did not explain what he saw as the proposed agreement's lack of mutual benefit. Asked how a regular government, of which the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) is a part, could sign a military cooperation agreement with Ukraine, Borissov said that "if the agreement is mutually beneficial, no party will object".

The BSP opposes any military assistance to Ukraine. Despite its modest number of MPs (20 out of 240), the BSP could become an important coalition partner in a GERB-led government.

Borissov also stated that the interim government does not need a parliamentary mandate to sign an agreement with Ukraine.

A few minutes after Borissov's speech, acting Prime Minister Glavchev commented from Brussels. He rejected accusations that his decision to ask for a mandate from the National Assembly was an attempt to sabotage the government talks.

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He said that the only reason he had sought approval from MPs was because of the proposed 10-year duration of the agreement.

Vessela Tcherneva, deputy director of the European Council on Foreign Relations and former adviser to former Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, told Euractiv that this was a "gift" for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is visiting Sofia on Friday.

Petkov is the leader of the We Continue the Change party, the second largest force in parliament. Without this force, it is almost impossible to form a government. They strongly support the signing of a security agreement with Ukraine and state that it can be signed without a vote in parliament.

It should be noted that Bulgaria has been experiencing a political crisis for several years due to the parliament's inability to form a stable government, which has resulted in seven early elections in the country over the past four years.

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Background:

It was reported in late October that a security agreement was being prepared between Ukraine and Bulgaria.

To date, Ukraine has signed almost 30 such bilateral documents along with the Ukraine Compact, a multilateral document containing commitments to support Ukraine.

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The Bulgarian parliament does not have enough votes to support the signing of Bulgaria's bilateral security treaty with Ukraine due to a shift in stance from the strongest party, Euractiv reported on Dec. 20.

Former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, head of the conservative-populist Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) party, suggested that the treaty is no longer beneficial amid expectations of peace talks.

Debates about a potential ceasefire deal are coming into focus as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump pledged to push Kyiv and Moscow to the negotiating table while Ukrainian officials signaled openness to a diplomatic resolution.

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Dimitar Glavchev, the prime minister of Bulgaria's caretaker government, was expected to sign the deal with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Brussels on Dec. 19. Glavchev unexpectedly backed out of signing the document, saying he needed to seek approval of the parliament first.

Kyiv has already penned 25 bilateral security agreements with international partners based on a pledge made by the G7 last July. Bulgaria is one of the few EU countries that are yet to sign such a deal with Ukraine, alongside Hungary, Austria, Slovakia, Malta, and Cyprus.

"Six months ago, we would have categorically supported such an agreement," said Borissov, whose party has supported Ukraine but now joined pro-Russian parties in opposition to the deal.

Borissov pointed not only to the ongoing discussions about peace in the international arena but also to internal political reasons, saying that such a deal should be signed by an elected government rather than the caretaker cabinet.

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Glavchev conceded on Dec. 19 that he would not be signing the document amid the parliamentary opposition and would leave the step to the elected cabinet, the Sofia Globe reported. Borissov did not rule out supporting a bilateral security agreement signed by the next government if "mutually beneficial" to Sofia and Kyiv.

The Glavchev cabinet will serve until a new government is appointed following the October elections, in which Borissov's GERB won 25.52% of the vote, the strongest result.

Bulgaria has provided Ukraine with a variety of aid since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, but the matter has been contentious due to significant pro-Russian sentiment in the country and opposition from President Rumen Radev.

Read also: Bulgarias Soviet stockpiles and large defense industry may be key to Ukraines success

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
MEMPHIS, Tenn.  Alissa McCommon, the former Tipton County teacher accused of rape of a child, pleaded guilty to multiple felony charges Friday.

McCommon pleaded guilty to:

 one count of Rape of a Child

 two counts of Statutory Rape by an Authority Figure

 three counts of Aggravated Statutory Rape

 three counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor by Electronic Means

 two counts of Solicitation of a Minor: Aggravated Statutory Rape

 one count of the Child Protection Act.

Tipton County teacher charged with rape of child

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She was sentenced to 25 years at 100%, running concurrently, plus community supervision for life and registration as a violent sex offender for life.

She faces revocation of her teaching license and must have no contact with victims.

Five victims testified against their former fifth-grade teacher. McCommon befriended the childrens mothers, exploiting her position of authority.

The former teacher called one of the victims nearly 200 times, played video games with him and sent explicit photos via Snapchat. In one of the messages, she threatened to kill herself if he broke off the relationship.

She also told him she was pregnant by him, which was later confirmed through DNA.

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The judge said McCommon will have no contact with the infant child.

Former Tipton County teacher indicted on new sex charges; 21 potential victims found

The investigation began in 2021, and in 2023, a mother reported text messages indicating McCommons pregnancy and threats against the victim.

One victims mother stated in court, I loved you like family, opened my doors to you. 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.

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The innocent child will be loved and raised without your influence. Theres no amount of time they can give you that will equal what God will give you. You will burn in hell.

McCommon was originally charged in a multi-count indictment with multiple sexual offenses against multiple student victims, District Attorney General Mark E. Davidson said in a release.

Fridays plea came with the full agreement and support of the victims families, Davidson said.

These convictions and sentence demonstrate the continuing commitment of law

enforcement and the District Attorneys Office to aggressively investigate and prosecute

child rape and sexual abuse cases in this District, especially where there are minor child

victims. We are glad that we were able to achieve finality, certainty and closure for the

victims and their families and the Tipton County community in this case Davidson said.

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LUSAKA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Nestled in Zambia's Central Province, the Kasanka National Park is a haven for wildlife enthusiasts and eco-tourists alike, renowned for its breathtaking annual bat migration.

The migration, typically occurring between October and December, has seen millions of straw-colored fruit bats descend upon the park each year, creating a mesmerizing scene as they fill the sky at dawn and dusk.

This natural spectacle has become a major tourist attraction, drawing visitors from worldwide who are keen to witness this unique phenomenon.

While it remains unclear why the bats move to Zambia during that time of the year, reports suggest that they are lured by the abundant seasonal local fruits, berries, and flowers in the marshlands and forests surrounding the park.

Simon Siame, a seasoned tour guide at the Kasanka National Park, explained the significance of this event. "Every year, we witness the arrival of about 12 million fruit bats. It's a sight to behold, as they emerge from the trees in a swirling mass, creating a living cloud that stretches across the horizon," Siame said.

He added that the bat migration has, over the years, drawn hundreds of visitors to the park.

Among them is Cathy Wells, a 51-year-old school teacher from Lusaka, Zambia's capital, who recently traveled to Kasanka to witness the spectacle firsthand.

"I have heard about the bat migration for years, but seeing it in person is an entirely different experience. The sheer number of bats is overwhelming," Wells said.

She went on to encourage others to make the journey to the Kasanka National Park to watch the fruit bats' migration and explore other natural wonders.

"If you have the chance to see the bat migration, don't hesitate. It's an experience that will change your perspective on nature and conservation," she said.

As more people become aware of the world's largest mammal migration, the park is committed to ensuring that the experience remains sustainable. Conservation efforts are in place to protect the bats and their habitat, allowing future generations to witness this phenomenal event as well.

"We are committed to preserving the environment while providing an unforgettable experience for our visitors, it's a delicate balance, but one that we are dedicated to maintaining," Siame emphasized.

Alfred Mbewe, a culture and tourism specialist in Zambia, said the bat migration has not only put the Kasanka National Park on the map but also made a significant contribution to the country's overall tourism industry.

"This event has brought a lot of attention to Zambia and helped promote our country as a top tourist destination. It has also created employment opportunities for locals, boosting the economic growth of the surrounding communities," Mbewe said.

Apart from the bat migration, the park boasts of other tourist attractions as well, such as the Wasa Lake, a forest-fringed haven for various water birds and the elusive sitatunga antelope. The park also offers a wide range of activities for tourists, including game drives, camping and birdwatching.

In addition to its rich wildlife and natural beauty, the park has a strong focus on conservation and community involvement.

The Kasanka National Park has been carrying out sensitization programs in nearby villages, aimed at educating people about the importance of preserving forests. Through these programs, village leaders and community members have been empowered with knowledge and tools to advance forest conservation and wildlife protection. 
BURNET, Texas (KXAN)  Burnet County Judge James Oakley has resigned. It comes after years marred by legal troubles and sexual harassment claims against him.

Oakley would have normally been at Thursdays Burnet County Commissioners Court meeting. But a day earlier he handed in his resignation to Burnet County Attorney Eddie Arrendondo.

Burnet County Judge could face once-dismissed criminal charges again, following appeals court decision

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Youre going to naturally have a lot of questions about what happens next, Arrendondo said. I respect that and I understand that, but this happened yesterday and so its not on the agenda for today.

KXAN reported back in November Oakley was indicted in 2023 on several criminal accusations, including abuse of office, official oppression and tampering with evidence. A jury found him not guilty of one charge, and a judge threw out the other charges. However, a panel of judges from the Third Court of District Appeals recently ruled that judge erred in his decision.

The claims centered around two different issues: Oakleys role as a Pedernales Electric Cooperative board member while also serving as Burnet County judge and, separately, the handling of a vehicle collision in 2021.

The State Commission on Judicial Conduct reprimanded Oakley on Dec. 11. One of the things hes accused of is removing the lock to Justice of the Peace Lisa Whiteheads courtroom door. Whitehead ended up filing a formal complaint over safety concerns after she said she could not find a workable solution with Oakley.

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Oakley also faces allegations of sexual harassment from Whitehead that stem from 2023 and for creating a hostile work environment.

KXAN reached out to Oakley for comment. The following is his response.

I have been humbled and honored to have been elected by the public to serve the public as Burnet County Judge for the last 10 years. Prior to that, I was equally honored to serve for 8 years as a Burnet County Commissioner starting in 1999. Im most proud of the excellent financial condition of Burnet County as well as the land and facilities now in place. That includes the renovation of the 1884 Historic Jailhouse Museum & Visitors Center, Oakalla Schoolhouse, acquisition of the old Burnet Elementary School, the donation of 800 acres for public use, and other land & buildings to accommodate our growing citizens needs. In recent years, the extreme lack of civility in public discourse has caused me to reevaluate how I want to spend my day to day life. My priorities are to protect my health / safety and that of my wife & family. As I am eligible for retirement, I have made the decision to resign my position effective January 2nd, 2025 such that I can achieve other personal goals and projects. Former Burnet County Judge James Oakley

Whitehead released a statement and said, I appreciate the State Commission on Judicial Conduct and their thoroughness of their investigatory process resulting in the Public Reprimand of James Oakley, she said. In that opinion, the findings of fact and Commissions conclusion say it all.

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Oakley was elected in 1998 as a Precinct 4 Commissioner in a job that he held for eight years. He was elected as county judge in 2014 and was reelected twice.

In a statement to KXAN, the Burnet County Sheriffs Office said there are no new charges at this time surrounding [Oakleys] resignation. The sheriffs office said there are other pending criminal charges still against him.

You can read the reprimand below.

Oakley.23-0518-Public-Reprimand-final-signedDownload

Oakleys resignation is set to be discussed during the Commissioners Court Jan. 3, 2025 meeting.

A temporary judge will be assigned until voters can choose a new judge. That new judge would finish out Oakleys term, which is set to expire in 2026.

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Avery Travis 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 KXAN Austin.
Dec. 20OSKALOOSA  The tooling department at Vermeer Manufacturing may seem like an unlikely place for the seeds of a fast food restaurant to be planted, but that's where Burrito Blast in Oskaloosa can trace its inception.

Daloy Veldhouse was a machinist at Vermeer. Greg Baehr is an engineer there. The two had lots of time to talk while Veldhouse machined parts for Baehr.

"So we'd talk, talk, talk, talk and 'we should start our own business,'" Veldhouse said. "And I was like 'well, let's come up with a premise.'"

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That premise was burritos, ready to go. It was a business model that Veldhouse encountered in Denver, Colorado  burritos, ready to go, fast.

"But it was basically the concept of the fact that, you know, you had to work, stop in, get in line, grab a couple burritos, and you're off. And you got a good breakfast," Veldhouse said. "So I'm like 'yeah, we need to mimic that... We did that exactly right here, and hopefully we can open up more chains later."

Veldhouse operates Burrito Blast with Baehr's wife, Jessica. Baehr was diagnosed with lymphoma too far into planning the restaurant to back out, and is on medical leave from Vermeer while he undergoes treatment, Jessica said.

Jessica left her housekeeping job to work at the restaurant. Her husband does not work there.

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Burrito Blast had a soft opening on Dec. 7, and officially opened on Dec. 9. Wednesday, the Mahaska Diplomats held a ribbon-cutting there.

The name, Burrito Blast, came about largely because the name Veldhouse originally wanted was already taken, by various food trucks, food trailers and brick-and-mortar restaurants. After Google searching many name possibilities that include "burrito," he found this one largely unused outside of the video game industry.

One of the most difficult and time-consuming tasks in getting ready to open was creating the green chile sauce Burrito Blast uses. They went through a lot of vegetables, and a lot of trial and error, before creating the recipe they would use.

"It took us a while to get that sauce put together, almost a year," Veldhouse said. "And it's vegetarian ready. There's no meat in there. That was the hard part. We're going to serve vegetarian burritos and be able to put the sauce on there, we have to claim that it is and show that it is. It is."

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Burrito Blast is open 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday, and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. They are located at 301 A Ave E. in Oskaloosa.

Veldhouse said they plan to eventually expand those hours to catch the evening meal crowd, but that depends on when they can bring on more employees.

Jeff Wilford is a staff writer for the Oskaloosa Herald. He can be reached at jwilford@oskyherald.com.
Donald Trump has threatened the European Union with tariffs unless member states buy more American oil and gas amid rising fears of a trade war.

On Friday, Mr Trump wrote on social media: I told the European Union that they must make up their tremendous deficit with the United States by the large scale purchase of our oil and gas.

Otherwise, it is TARIFFS all the way!!!

The president-elect is demanding that the EU ends its trade surplus with America, which stood at $131bn (105bn) in 2022.

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He is expected to increasingly threaten the bloc with taxes on European exports to the US unless more effort is made to buy America-made goods and services in order to bring trade into balance.

It is likely to pose a challenge for Britain, with the next US ambassador Lord Mandelson likely to make extensive diplomatic efforts to avoid any trade war while keeping both the US and EU on side.

Mr Trumps warning shot echoes his clashes with the EU during his last presidency, when he slapped tariffs on steel and aluminium sent to the US by the blocs exporters and threatened further penalties on imported German cars.

It triggered a war of words and then a panicked flurry of diplomacy. The then European council president Donald Tusk  now the prime minister of Poland  criticised the capricious assertiveness of Mr Trump, who in turn accused Europe of treating America like a piggy bank that everybodys robbing.

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A truce was eventually reached in 2018 after the EU hit back with its own penalties on American products such as jeans and Harley-Davidson motorcycles.

The stage is now set for more tit-for-tat tariffs.

The bruising experience under the last presidency, which caught Brussels off guard, prompted European officials to overhaul the EUs trade sanctions regime to allow member states to hit back more quickly in future stand-offs.

In late November, German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock said: We are well-prepared for the possibility that things will become different with a new US administration.

If the new US administration pursues an America first policy in the sectors of climate or trade, then our response will be Europe united.

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The EU has also adopted rules which allow it to block companies seen as benefitting from state handouts from bidding for government contracts or mounting takeover bids within the bloc.

Mr Trump has often let rip against the EU for relying on the American security umbrella while failing to spend enough on its own defence, while claiming that countries such as Germany have taken advantage of their ally through large trade deficits.

He has described Brussels, the EUs power centre, as a hellhole and threatened to let Russia do whatever the hell they want to Europe if Nato countries did not spend sufficient sums on their own militaries.

Mr Trumps latest round of tariff threats have been made against geopolitical rival China as well as close allies such as Canada, which he has jokingly referred to as another US state.

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The US is the worlds largest producer of crude oil and the biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

LNG buyers  including the EU and Vietnam  have already talked about purchasing more fuel from the US, in part to deter the threat of tariffs.

Europe is already the top destination for American LNG, with more than half of the deliveries going to the Continent last year, although EU countries such as Germany have also struck deals with other suppliers such as Qatar.

Since the invasion of Ukraine, the bloc has been scrambling to find alternative sources of oil and gas after its previous dependence on Russian supplies left it exposed to threats from Moscow.

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Mr Trump has previously described tariff as the most beautiful word in the dictionary and warned he will use taxes to penalise countries he believes are taking advantage of the US.

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WASHINGTON (DC News Now)  The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said it will tour universities across the DMV early next year as part of a new initiative to address Islamophobia, discrimination, censorship as well as other biases students in D.C., Maryland and Virginia face.

DMV Campus Tour will kick off in January 2025 and the goal for this tour is to listen and understand what is important for students as well as their concerns.

Man wanted for deadly shooting in Fredericksburg arrested in West Virginia

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CAIR is excited to collaborate with students and better understand their needs and how our organization can serve and support them. By fostering stronger campus communities, the DMV Campus Tour will serve as a springboard for sustained advocacy and support for Muslim students, said CAIR Marylands Outreach Coordinator, Kimberly Syuardi.

The event will be informational and also offer resources and workshops on different types of issues.

It will also have individualized trainings and discussions that will be specific to the needs of that University or College.

More than just offering resources, this initiative will provide an opportunity for students to share their experiences, understand their rights, and foster a safe and inclusive environment, said Syuardi.

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PHOTOS: Owl drops in through chimney of Arlington home to become Christmas trees new star

These are the universities where CAIR will be making tentatively stops at in D.C., Maryland and Virginia:

Johns Hopkins University

Towson University

UMBC

University of Maryland College Park

Bowie State University

American University

Howard University

Georgetown University

George Washington University

George Mason University

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
CALHOUN COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB)  Calhoun County Sheriffs investigators are collecting evidence tonight in a fatal shooting.

It happened around 7:00 p.m. Thursday at home on Shuman Ferry Road in the Shuman Ferry community, a few miles northwest of Blountstown.

Sheriffs Glenn Kimbrel told News13 the shooting was apparently the result of a domestic quarrel between a husband and wife.

He says the woman fired one shot at her husband, then called 911 and reported the shooting. The man died at the scene. Kimbrel said his deputies knew the couple but hadnt had any problems at the home in the past.

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He also says the wife is exercising her rights and is not giving much information. The Florida Department of Law Enforcements mobile crime lab from Pensacola is on the way to the scene.

News13 has a reporter on the scene as well and will have more on the story as soon as its available.

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California regulators voted Thursday to impose a permanent set of workplace rules aimed at protecting countertop cutters from silicosis, an incurable disease that has been killing young workers.

The unanimous vote by the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board extends and expands on workplace safety rules approved a year ago on an emergency basis, which are due to expire soon.

The rules are aimed at stemming the rise among workers of silicosis, which results from inhaling tiny particles of crystalline silica that scar the lungs, leaving people struggling to breathe.

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"This is a devastating disease. The evidence of its cause is overwhelming, and there's something that we can do about it right now," board Chair Joseph M. Alioto Jr. said before voting for the rules.

But "I'm concerned that the regulation, in some respects, does not go far enough."

The California board also voted unanimously to convene an advisory committee to continue assessing how to strengthen the rules and implement them effectively. Alioto said the committee should also consider concerns about the rules raised by industry representatives.

Cal/OSHA estimated the expected costs of the workplace rules at $106.5 million over a decade, which the agency said would be far outstripped by the estimated benefits of $492 million from preventing illness and deaths, not counting the "indirect costs" of pain and suffering, lost wages and lost productivity.

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The rules require employers to take steps to protect workers, such as providing protective respirators and using water to suppress dust, when employees are cutting, grinding or polishing slabs. They also eliminate earlier loopholes that allowed stonecutting shops to dodge safety requirements by claiming that protective steps weren't feasible, according to Cal/OSHA officials.

The agency said that in the past, state rules relied on employers to perform sophisticated assessments to decide what protections were needed. Many failed to do so, forcing the state to do the assessments itself, which could be manipulated by employers changing their usual practices when Cal/OSHA showed up, it said.

Tighter rules have empowered Cal/OSHA to act more quickly when workers were at risk, the agency said. As of early December, the state agency said it had inspected 85 stonecutting shops and issued 22 orders to temporarily shut down equipment or processes until the shops had addressed "imminent hazards" related to silica.

Leobardo Segura Meza, who suffers from silicosis, at his home in Pacoima. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

The rules approved Thursday require businesses to shift laborers to other kinds of work  but keep providing the same pay  if a medical professional recommends it to reduce their silica exposure. They also require more sensitive scans, rather than chest X-rays, to detect silicosis among workers who could be at risk.

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Industry groups said the rule took an ineffective, "one-size-fits-all" approach. The Natural Stone Institute and the International Surface Fabricators Assn. called instead for a system they likened to "TSA pre-check." Businesses that can show silica exposure is consistently below a set level should not have to face many of the stiffer requirements that were ushered in last year, they argued.

"We're not talking about a rubber stamp," said Marissa Bankert of the International Surface Fabricators Assn., which represents businesses that cut and polish slabs. "We're talking about the development of a rigorous system that qualifies the organizations ... who are doing things correctly."

Read more: Safer stone? New countertop options emerge amid concerns over silicosis and worker deaths

Bankert said her organization doesn't want workers to fall ill, but under the tighter rules, "we're still seeing these shops that are not compliant, right? And creating more rules is not going to help those people."

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In a report, Cal/OSHA staff said the rules do include some reduced requirements if employers show that silica exposure is sufficiently low, but argued against easing them further, saying, "the life of workers cannot be put at risk based on the results of air sampling, which can be highly variable from day to day."

Health officials have tied the silicosis outbreak among countertop cutters to the swelling popularity of engineered stone, which can contain upward of 93% crystalline silica. In a report, Cal/OSHA described the artificial slabs as the most popular choice for countertops in the U.S., with a market size exceeding $17 billion.

Engineered stone companies say their slabs can be cut safely with proper precautions, but Cal/OSHA said that dusty and dangerous conditions have persisted in many of the "fabrication shops" where workers cut and polish slabs to fashion them into countertops.

Experts warned that even with wet cutting, workers can be at risk. Georgia Tech scientist Jenny Houlroyd told the board Thursday that among Georgia workers cutting engineered stone high in silica, "we have not been able to consistently and effectively get companies to keep their exposures below" the limit.

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Relying on wet methods and ventilation can be inadequate due to the high level of silica in the slabs, but stonecutters often have a "false sense of security" and end up removing their respirators, Houlroyd said.

Read more: Jury finds stone companies at fault in lawsuit by countertop cutter sick with silicosis

Her presentation grabbed the attention of Alioto, who said he was concerned that her data and other findings shared by Cal/OSHA staff might mean that some exceptions laid out in the rules were not scientifically sound.

Bankert of the International Surface Fabricators Assn. told the board Thursday that on the topic of wet cutting, "we have data of our own that completely contradicts that" presented during the meeting.

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"Wet methods may not be the total solution, but when coupled with good housekeeping, routine monitoring, medical surveillance and so forth. ... We want to work together," Jim Hieb, chief executive of the Natural Stone Institute, told the board.

More than 200 cases of silicosis have been detected among California workers who cut countertops in recent years, including at least 15 that have led to death, according to public health officials. Men in their 20s, 30s and 40s have ended up relying on oxygen tanks or waiting for lung transplants to survive. One study of California countertop cutters with the disease found the median age among those who had died was 46.

"Workers should not be dying or needing lung transplants for the sake of our kitchen countertops," Dr. Amy Heinzerling, head of the emerging workplace hazards unit at the California Department of Public Health, told the board.

Heinzerling said the known cases could be the tip of an iceberg because additional workers might not have been screened. State officials warned that if trends don't change, as many as a fifth of the roughly 5,000 workers in stonecutting shops identified across California could develop silicosis and up to 200 could die of it.

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There are also conflicting estimates of the size of the industry: California public health officials have estimated there are more than 800 stonecutting shops across the state, but an industry official said at a UCLA conference earlier this year that his group believed there were roughly 3,000 of them.

Dennys Rene Rivas Williams shows the scars of a double lung transplant required after he was diagnosed with silicosis, an incurable disease caused by inhaling tiny particles of crystalline silica. (Al Seib / For The Times)

The rules approved Thursday require employers to take steps to protect workers when they are cutting or polishing slabs of engineered stone with more than 0.1% crystalline silica or natural stone with more than 10% silica.

Engineered stone has been broadly banned in Australia, and some researchers have called for other countries to prohibit artificial slabs high in silica, arguing that that is the most effective way to protect workers. When asked whether the California rules go far enough, Houlroyd told a board member that "in an ideal world, I would look to what Australia did." Several advocates spoke in favor of a ban during the Thursday meeting.

Read more: California countertop workers died of a preventable disease. The threat was known years earlier

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Cal/OSHA has previously warned that if the rules are widely violated, it could take steps toward a ban. But in a report, the agency said it decided against pursuing one at this point because it "could incentivize the growth of illegal fabrication shops that are hidden from regulators" or push scofflaw shops to other states.

State Sen. Caroline Menjivar (D-Panorama City) recently proposed a certification system for stonecutting shops that would require safety training for workers, create a tracking system for shops, and bar slab manufacturers from providing their products to uncertified shops. Then-Assemblymember Luz Rivas abandoned a similar bill in July, saying that state regulators were not receptive to the idea of setting up a tracking system.

In a recent interview, Menjivar said that after a year under the emergency standards, "we are in a better place to say, 'We gave you a shot. It wasn't enough'" to state regulators. She was unimpressed by the number of workshops inspected and shut down by Cal/OSHA under the emergency rules.

"I'm sick and tired of us not having urgency when it's people of color dying," she said. "If one person died from Beverly Hills, all the alarms would go off."

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  California regulators have approved a controversial proposal to delay the closure of the Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Facility, the site of the nations largest known methane leak, which forced thousands of families from their Los Angeles homes in 2015.

The California Public Utilities Commission on Thursday voted 4-0, with one commissioner recused, to approve a judges proposed decision that Aliso Canyon should remain open for the time being, the Southern California News Group reported.

But commissioners said the vote created a pathway to lowering or eliminating reliance on Aliso Canyon in future years by establishing a target for the level of demand for natural gas in Southern California that can be met without the need of the facility.

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This decision puts forward a path to the closure of Aliso Canyon that is achievable, realistic, and protective of families and businesses who are struggling to pay energy bills, CPUC President Alice Reynolds said in a statement. Huge progress is underway to bring online clean energy resources and drive down demand for natural gas-fired power plants."

Opponents of the facility want it closed immediately. Craig Galanti, a Porter Ranch resident living near Aliso Canyon, was unhappy with the commission's vote.

Am I surprised? No. Am I disappointed? Im exceedingly disappointed, he told the news group. The CPUC continues to support the best interests of the utilities at the expense of the communitys health and safety.

The 2015 Aliso Canyon gas leak, which took four months to control, released more than 120,000 metric tons of methane and other gases into the atmosphere over communities in the San Fernando Valley.

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Thousands of residents were forced to move out of their homes to escape a sulfurous stench and maladies including headaches, nausea and nosebleeds. SoCalGas and its parent company, Sempra Energy, agreed to pay up to $1.8 billion in settlements to more than 35,000 victims in 2021.

Last year, the company reached another settlement with the utilities commission, agreeing to pay more than $70 million to the Aliso Canyon Recovery Account to address the impacts from the leak on air quality and public health.
LOS ANGELES (KTLA)  With California voting overwhelmingly for a third time against electing Donald Trump as president yet seeing him win the White House twice, a global finance author and columnist says Californians could potentially see a ballot measure to secede from the United States.

[Trump] mustered less than 40% of the vote in California, writes Jeffrey Goldfarb of Reuters BreakingViews. Gavin Newsom, the Democratic governor, already has called on the state legislature to safeguard California values and fundamental rights from the president-elects second term in office. Such resistance looks destined to escalate into a secession movement in 2025.

Goldfarb argues that California, with the worlds fifth largest economy, would be viable as its own nation. And leaving the U.S. could make fiscal sense, he argues, since the Golden State contributed $72 billion more to the federal government than it received in 2022.

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The idea of secession isnt new and has gained traction worldwide, with examples like South Sudan and Brexit. In Canada, Quebec held two referendums on independence in 1980 and 1995, with the latter narrowly failing 50.58% to 49.42%.

Then Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, President Donald Trump, and Gov. Jerry Brown tour the Skyway Villa Mobile Home and RV Park during Trumps visit to the Camp Fire in Paradise, California, on November 17, 2018. (Photo by Paul Kitagaki Jr.-Pool/Getty Images)

In the U.S., Texas Republicans have pushed for a secession vote.

In 2017, just one year into Trumps first presidency, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found that nearly a third of Californians supported a peaceful withdrawal from the U.S.

And that was before Covid-19, when divergent approaches to managing the pandemic intensified acrimony between Newsom and Trump, Goldfarb writes.

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It wouldnt take much, he says, to put secession on the ballot. Supporters only need to gather 900,000 valid signatures out of 22.6 million registered voters.

But would California benefit if were to break away?

Simply, no, says KTLA consumer reporter David Lazarus.

Its the political equivalent of saying California is going to take its ball and go home, Lazarus argues. And even if secession was a serious idea (which its not), the state would quickly discover a wide range of financial headaches as it tries to get by without federal programs such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and veterans assistance.

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Instead of trying to become its own nation, Lazarus argues that California should continue to exert its influence on national policies and social issues and help shape the future of the United States rather than leave it.

A more realistic approach would be for California to flex its muscle as the worlds fifth-largest economy to influence national policy on immigration, environmental, and regulatory matters. The simple fact is that when California leads, other states often follow, says Lazarus.

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.
NEW DELHI, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The death toll in Friday's fire mishap involving several vehicles in India's western state of Rajasthan rose to 9, confirmed local officials over the phone.

The identity of most of the deceased could not be done yet as they were burnt beyond recognition.

Nearly 40 people with burn injuries were undergoing treatment at a government hospital in the state capital Jaipur.

The death toll was feared to rise further as some of the injured persons were in serious condition.

The gory incident happened on the Jaipur-Ajmer highway when a tanker filled with inflammable substance collided with a heavy vehicle, resulting in a massive fire engulfing nearby vehicles, including trucks, a passenger bus, and private cars, among others.

According to eyewitnesses, repeated blasts could be heard amid the fire even as vehicles parked up to 300 meters from the site of the mishap were also burnt.

The fire was of such a magnitude that fire department officials faced a tough time in dousing it.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences at the loss of human lives and announced a monetary compensation to the victims' families. 
The U.S. Senate on Friday passed the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act of 2024 (S. 1723). Action is needed to get the House of Representatives before the lame duck session ends.

The legislation would call for Congress to investigate the federal governments Indian boarding school policies, which led to the attempted termination and assimilation of Native Americans from 1819 through the 1960s. The bill is legislation to investigate, document, and report on the histories of Indian boarding schools, Indian boarding school policies, and long-term impacts on Native communities.

The House version of the bill was reintroduced earlier this year by Representatives Sharice Davids (D-KS-03) and Tom Cole (R-OK-04), co-chairs of the Congressional Native American Caucus. In February, the bill was referred to three separate committees and one subcommittee to consider provisions that might fall within their respective jurisdictions. On June 13, a Congressional committee advanced the bill out of one of the committees, bringing the law one step closer to the House floor.

Why It Matters:

The bill is budget-neutral and has bipartisan support .

It addresses historical wrongs and ensures that survivors stories are heard.

If not passed this year, it may not be reconsidered for years.

How You Can Help Today:

We need urgent outreach to House leadership to bring this bill to a vote. We ask you to call the offices of the following leaders to explain the importance of this bill and urge them to pass S.1723 immediately:

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Speaker Mike Johnson, Louisiana (202)-225-2777

Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Louisiana (202)-225-3015

Republican Bill Lead Tom Cole, Oklahoma (580)-357-2131

Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, New York (202)-225-5936

We need to pressure U.S. House leadership to make time for the Indian Boarding School bill today, so the president can sign it into law. Now is the time to call these members offices, explain how important this bill is for Indian Country, and request the House pass this bill. When talking to Congressional leadership, emphasize that:

The bill is fully paid for and will cost nothing; All of the conservatives in the Senate signed off with no objections; and The language was amended to ensure the support of faith-based groups.

Sample Script:

"Hello, my name is [Your Name], and Im calling to urge Representative [Leaders Name] to support the immediate passage of S. 1723, the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act, which unanimously passed the Senate, comes at no cost, and is crucial for addressing historical injustices, allowing survivors to share their stories. I urgently request that you bill this bill to a vote before its too late."

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About the Author: "Native News Online is one of the most-read publications covering Indian Country and the news that matters to American Indians, Alaska Natives and other Indigenous people. Reach out to us at editor@nativenewsonline.net. "

Contact: news@nativenewsonline.net
Dec. 19The voices calling on President Joe Biden to designate Caja del Rio Plateau a national monument in the waning days of his presidency have increased.

The 106,000-acre plateau near Santa Fe is made up of state and federal public lands and has long been used for ceremonial and religious practices, hunting and grazing. A 3,400-acre section of the Caja del Rio gained protection from mining after an executive order from State Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard last week.

Over 100 tribal and faith leaders in New Mexico sent Biden, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and the New Mexico congressional delegation a letter in support of a new national monument.

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"National monument status will give the Caja's land, water, wildlife, cultural, archeological and sacred sites protection while ensuring that traditional New Mexican land uses can be protected for future generations," it reads.

All five members of New Mexico's congressional delegation echoed the request Thursday with a letter of their own.

"The absence of adequate stewardship has led to environmental degradation, vandalism, and excessive trash. This threatens the very fabric of this sacred and biodiverse landscape," it reads.
(Reuters) - Cambodia's influential former Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Friday that Japan would be granted visitation rights to the country's Ream Naval Base, a facility the United States is concerned could become a military outpost for China.

Chinese military vessels have been rotating through Ream since a Beijing-funded upgrade started in June 2022. Cambodia has denied reports of a secret deal with China to station its forces at the base.

The upgrade came after Cambodia demolished a U.S.-built facility at the base in Sihanoukville in 2020, having declined Washington's offer to repair it.

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Hun Sen, now Cambodia's Senate president, announced the decision to grant U.S. ally Japan access during a visit by Akiba Takeo, its national security adviser.

According to a post on Hun Sen's Facebook page that was accompanied by footage of their meeting, he praised the role of Japan in a region he said recognised the country as a good partner.

Ties between the United States and Cambodia have been strained in recent years, in part due to Phnom Penh's strengthening alliance with Beijing and a sustained government crackdown that has decimated the political opposition.

Hun Sen's son, Hun Manet, a U.S.-educated graduate of the West Point military academy, succeeded his father as prime minister last year after nearly four decades in power.

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But Hun Sen has remained a powerful figure in Cambodia and has regularly met foreign leaders and delegations at home and abroad, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, whom he visited earlier this month.

The offer to Japan comes two months after a Cambodian deputy premier told a Washington think tank event that any country's military, including the United States, could call at the port once the base was completed, adding it "is not for the Chinese".

It also follows a visit to Cambodia on Monday by the USS Savannah, an Independence-variant littoral combat ship, the first of its kind by a U.S. navy vessel in eight years.

(Reporting by Martin Petty)
GoFundMe

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This article contains descriptions of fatal gun violence against a Black transgender teenager.

Cameron Thompson, a Black transgender 18-year-old girl, was shot and killed in Tuscaloosa, Alabama earlier this week.

Local CBS affiliate WIAT reported that Thompson was shot in the back shortly after midnight on Monday, Dec. 16. A suspect, whose name the authorities are not releasing because he is a minor, was arrested and booked into the Tuscaloosa County Jail. He will be charged as an adult, per AL.com. Authorities also told AL.com that the motive for the killing may be related to Thompsons online comments about the suspects sexuality. Thompsons family members told AL.com that they believe the shooting was a hate crime.

Law Enforcement Killed Cop City Protestor Tortuguita. Now Their Parents Are Suing

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The lawsuit from Joel Paez and Belkis Teran alleges that the raid that killed their child was illegal.

Thompsons aunt, Tara Maneice, told CBS 42 that her niece had a beautiful smile, very contagious smile, and that she loved fashion and the beauty industry. She also told AL.com that Thompson was a very sweet person and that she loved hair and nails. Per AL.com, she had just completed Job Corps training and had been working for UPS for about a month, while living with her mother and her 16-year-old brother. Maneice additionally told CBS 42 that Thompson wanted to go to college and buy a new car.

All these plans she had they have been just wiped away in the blink of an eye, a senseless act, Maneice told the outlet.

Organization Alabama for Progress posted to memorialize Thompson on its Instagram page on Thursday, writing, Now more than ever we must stand with victims and their families and demand justice be served as hate and bigotry against trans people, especially Black trans people like Cameron is invigorated by hatred across our state and nation.

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In order to help with Thompsons burial costs, Maneice started a GoFundMe campaign, writing in the description that the girls mother does not have a life insurance policy in place. At the time of writing, the GoFundMe has received $6,023, with a $6,500 goal.

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Originally Appeared on them.
The City of Las Vegas set up a barricade at a homeless encampment. (Michael Lyle/Nevada Current)

A series examining how local governments regulate  and criminalize  homelessness.

A man is sleeping on the ground next to a bus stop wrapped in a blanket when he is spotted by a police officer.

A City of Las Vegas marshal notices the 55-year-old while patrolling near the Fremont Street Experience in Downtown Las Vegas on a recent November morning, according to the police report.

Officer James Blaisure determines the man is unhoused and violating an expanded ban passed by the city council earlier in the month that restricts camping or lodging citywide even if there arent available shelter beds.

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The officer sees the mans walker covered in clothes next to him as he sleeps. Blaisure uncovers the blanket and tells him he cannot sleep there.

The man is asked if he has been to the Courtyard Homeless Resource Center, roughly a mile away that can accommodate up to 550 people with a sleeping mat at night.

He tells the officer he was going to make his way over there eventually, according to the police report.

It was the second time in a week that officers had warned him for the same offense  camping or lodging without consent, a misdemeanor that could carry a $1,000 fine.

Experts and advocates suspect such encounters are on the rise following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June that cities dont violate the 8th Amendments restriction on cruel and unusual punishment when they criminalize those experiencing homelessness for sleeping outside even if there arent other adequate accommodations for them to go.

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The National Homelessness Law Center tracked cities that have passed anti-homeless camping bans or expanded existing camping bans to make them more punitive since the high courts decision. It found 99 ordinances were passed in 26 states that restrict unhoused people from sleeping and camping, according to data it provided to States Newsroom in November.

Another 66 ordinances were pending at the time.

But with homelessness rising, driven by the lack of affordable housing, low wages, and limited access to social services among other factors, advocates say the court decision stands to worsen an issue that has become more politicized in recent years.

Every bill is a little bit different, said Jesse Rabinowitz, the communications and campaign director for the National Homelessness Law Center. The main two things they all have in common are that none of them solve homelessness and all of them will make homelessness worse.

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A full report from the law center on recent criminalization trends is expected to be released in early 2025.

Roughly a third of all camping bans the National Homelessness Law Center has tracked since July were passed in California, the state with the largest homeless population.

Illinois had the second highest with 13 ordinances, all that featured language crafted by the Illinois Municipal League.

Eric Tars, the senior policy director at the National Homelessness Law Center, said there is a common refrain across cities adopting ordinances with local officials saying its not our intent to criminalize people experiencing homelessness.

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The camping bans passed in Illinois cities start with a $75 fine, a hefty price for someone experiencing homelessness. The cost can increase each time.

Violating camping bans could result in a $50 fine in Merced, California and a $100 fine in Phoenix, Arizona.

Almost nowhere in America can you do all of the activities that you and I do every day and take for granted. Eating, sleeping, resting, sitting. We're all sitting right now. If we were doing that and we were homeless and doing that outside in a public space, it might be considered a crime.

 Eric Tars, National Homelessness Law Center senior policy director

A West Virginia city expanded a ban in September, prohibiting camping and storing personal property in public spaces, West Virginia Watch reported. Morgantown officials set penalties ranging from fines of $200 to $300 for second and third offense as well as possible jail time.

Many of Wheeling, W.Va.s unhoused population stayed in an encampment on a state-owned parking lot across the street from the Catholic Charities Neighborhood Center in March 2024 before the state closed and cleaned the camp, forcing people to move. (Daniel Finsley | Finsley Creative for West Virginia Watch)

Kinsburg, California has fines up to $500. Similar to Las Vegas fine, ordinances passed in some California cities like Fresno, Indio and Hemet could come with up to $1,000 fines.

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Las Vegas City Marshals, which oversee public safety and enforcement on city-owned property, issued citations to three unhoused people sleeping near the Fremont Street Experience in November.

In addition to a potential $1,000 fine, the 55-year-old man also faces up to six months in jail after his 2025 court date. In an email, a Las Vegas official said that its up to the judge to decide whether to implement the full amount.

Unhoused people who are arrested under many of these new ordinances could also face jail time ranging from 10 days to a year, the law center reported.

In the Illinois cities that passed similar camping bans, jail time is possible if someone violates the ordinances more than six times in a two-year period.

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Not all the bans tracked in the last five months are new, but some have been amended to be more restrictive following the Supreme Court ruling, according to the law center.

Cities including Las Vegas; Oceanside, California; Paso Robles California; Bremerton, Washington; and Auburn, Washington all updated existing camping and sleeping bans in recent months to remove provisions that prevented enforcement if shelter beds werent available.

When passing these ordinances, Tars said officials often try to assuage their conscience and say things like we want to push them into services or were working on other shelters.

Things like those will take longer, if ever, he said. The camping ban they pass goes into effect immediately. Even without those services theyre already moving toward enforcement. Thats the only piece they prioritize. That really tells you what their priorities are.

Public pressure to do more

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development found that nationally 654,104 people experienced homelessness on a single night in 2023, a 12% increase from the previous year.

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The numbers are largely viewed as an under count as the method of counting individuals on a single January night comes with challenges and an already transient population can easily fall through the cracks.

Marcy Thompson, vice president for programs and policy here at the National Alliance to End Homelessness, said data doesnt give a full picture of homelessness.

If you just look at that data, its easy to assume that things arent working and that homelessness response systems arent doing their job, or that resources arent being spent appropriately, Thompson said. What you dont see in those numbers are things like, how many people are becoming homeless each year for the first time.

Low wages not keeping up with the cost of rent, the lack of access to health care and mental health resources and systemic racism have all contributed to the homeless crisis, she said.

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On the list of policy issues that contribute to homelessness, Thompson said the lack of affordable and available housing nationwide is at the top.

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, signed into law by President Joe Biden, provided cities and states with an historic, one-shot infusion of flexible dollars that some used to address housing shortages or stand up homeless resources.

Lauren Lowery, the Housing and Community Development director with the National League of Cities, said those funds resulted in $6.7 billion for housing-related expenditures, which is like over 10 years of the home investment block grant.

ARPA dollars were very significant about helping cities to address those at risk for homelessness and those experiencing homelessness as well, she said.

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But the investments, while significant, were never enough, Thompson said.

There isnt sufficient housing, she said. As homelessness becomes more visible, theres often a lot of public pressure to do something.

The law center said of the 187 cities previously surveyed in recent years they found that each one had at least one, if not multiple, laws criminalizing homelessness in some form, Tars said.

In 2023, Georgia lawmakers passed a bill that mandates local governments to enforce ordinances prohibiting unauthorized public camping and sleeping on sidewalks and other public spaces, the Georgia Recorder reported. The measure also requires an audit of how public funding is used for programs to help people experiencing homelessness.

Gov. Bill Lee allowed a Tennessee law banning camping on public property to take effect without his signature in 2022, calling for the need to seek solutions to address homelessness, the Tennessee Lookout reported.

Almost nowhere in America can you do all of the activities that you and I do every day and take for granted, he said. Eating, sleeping, resting, sitting. Were all sitting right now. If we were doing that and we were homeless and doing that outside in a public space, it might be considered a crime.

There were attempts to limit punitive measures.

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed Republican-sponsored legislation in 2023 that would have made it illegal for unhoused persons to camp in public spaces. And the Missouri Supreme Court struck down that states public camping ban on a technicality.

An appellate court in 2022 ruled in favor of unhoused people who sought to overturn city ordinances passed in Grants Pass, Oregon, that restricted and fined people for sleeping and camping in public even though there arent other places to go.

Many Western cities within the jurisdiction of the court submitted amicus briefs the following year asking the Supreme Court to overturn the decision. Many argued their hands were tied to address homelessness because of the federal courts ruling.

Anit Jindal, an attorney representing the League of Oregon Cities, wrote in a brief that the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals decision limits the tools available to local governments for tackling this complex and troubling human issue.

When we talk to cities about the need to build housing or the need to fund outreach or services, they say cities cant move quickly because government is slow, Rabinowitz said. They have moved very, very quickly to pass these bills that make homelessness worse.

Even as the federal courts ruling stood, cities carried out encampment removals and adopted carefully worded ordinances to criminalize sleeping in a public right of way but only when shelter beds werent available.

In a 6-3 ruling this June, the Supreme Court reversed Johnson v. City of Grants Pass paving a way for cities to adopt camping and sleeping restrictions.

After the U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Grants Pass city officials restricted homeless camping to two lots nearly a mile apart. The city has provided portable toilets and handwashing stations, though not drinking water. (Ben Botkin/Oregon Capital Chronicle)

In a statement to States Newsroom, Jeff Olivet, executive director of U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, said cities are facing a difficult decision when it comes to the rising number of encampments.

Encampments raise significant, legitimate concerns about the health and safety of neighborhoods and local businesses, he said. However, the criminalization of homelessness is ineffective, expensive, and inhumane. Housing and health care, not handcuffs and fines, solve homelessness.

An uncertain future

In the days following his re-election, Republican Donald Trump vowed in his second term to use every tool, lever and authority to get the homeless off our streets.

Trump proposed an urban camping ban. He said he would open up large parcels of inexpensive land and create tent cities where the homeless can be relocated and their problems identified. He plans to bring in doctors, social workers and job rehab specialists.

The threat of a national camping ban from Trump isnt new and something he spoke about during his first term.

Before the Grants Pass decision, the 9th Circuit ruled in the 2018 case Martin v. Boise that cities cant punish people for sleeping on the streets if there isnt any alternative shelter.

The Supreme Court declined to review the case in 2019.

Tars said the courts decision might have prevented Trump from pursuing aggressive plans toward pressuring cities to enact punitive measures toward the unhoused.

Now that the Supreme Court has overturned the Martin v. Boise principle in the Grants Pass case, that has basically paved the way for him to pick up right where he left off, only bigger, better and worse, Tars said.

There are still mounting questions around what legal authority Trump would have federally to criminalize homelessness.

Thompson said there are other ways the federal response to homelessness and the housing crisis could change in a second Trump term.

When awarding grants, HUD gives points to communities who are demonstrating that they are not criminalizing homelessness, she said.

Another administration could choose to take those points away or offer those points for something else, right? she added.

HUD isnt the only department that could change how it approaches homelessness.

Weve seen the Department of Justice over the years provide guidance around the importance of not criminalizing, Thompson added. Weve seen guidance around good first responder and community partnerships that are housing focused from Department of Justice. Weve seen them speak out against community and state level tactics that have been enforced.

Those guidances, she added, could change and push more punitive tactics.

Even who is appointed to agencies could impact the direction the federal government takes to address homelessness, Rabinowitz said.

The 2019 pick to head the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, Robert Marbut, had been against housing first strategy.

While it is still unclear about a second Trump administration, Rabinowitz said early indicators show that Trump could force more people into homelessness by gutting further the social safety net.

Once people are homeless, they (Trump administration) have no plan to address it other than literally rounding people up and putting them in detention camps, he added.

Little daylight between Republicans, Dems

Although many are worried about what a more punitive approach to homelessness could look like under Trump and a Republican-controlled Congress, Tars said its not just Republicans who have embraced harsh stances toward the unhoused.

Democratic mayors, governors, people who should know better, are aligning themselves with the same position that Trump is taking, he said.

One example Tars points to is Californias Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who signed an executive order less than a month after the Supreme Court decision around encampments.

The directive orders state agencies to remove an encampment if they determine it poses an imminent threat to life, health, safety or infrastructure and if feasible to remove the encampment. The order requires notices be posted 48 hours prior to an encampment removal.

Following the directive, Newsom said there is now no excuse not to clean out encampments.

Tars warned moving people out of encampments isnt easy, especially if there isnt enough housing or shelter space for people to go. He warned the method to remove people could lead to more people ending up in jail.

Rabinowitz said Newsoms push to clear out encampments shows theres often little daylight between what Democrats like (Gov.) Gavin Newsom and what far right extremists like Donald Trump want to do in regards to homelessness.

The governors office declined to answer questions about whether the directive could push more unhoused people into the criminal legal system or how the effectiveness of the directive is being monitored.

In a statement to States Newsroom, the office said Governor Newsoms stance is not to forcibly remove homeless encampments or people.

We cannot comment on hypotheticals for the next administration or policies which have not yet been enacted, but California always stands ready to protect the best interests of our state and people, said Tara Gallegos, a spokeswoman for the governor. California will continue to advance person-centered approaches to help people access help, shelter, and affordable housing options.

This report was first published by the Nevada Current, which like NC Newsline, is part of the national States Newsroom network.
AUSTIN (KXAN)  The Bexar County Sheriffs Office said that a 20-year-old teacher died and several children were injured in an accident Thursday afternoon at a school on West I-10 Frontage Road in Boerne, Texas.

Emergency responders transported the driver and five children to nearby hospitals as a precaution following the accident, according to Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar. At the time of the accident, parents were picking up students from a school holiday party.

This is a heartbreaking scene, he said. A parent had loaded her children into her vehicle, then, for whatever reason, accelerated into another vehicle. That pushed the other vehicle into a fence.

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Salazar said his investigators dont believe the crash was an intentional criminal act or caused by intoxication.

[The driver] does have a past medical history that may have contributed to this, he said. It may have been a medical issue that took place.

Next of kin for the adult and the children have been notified. The identities of those involved wasnt released by the sheriff.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
A car drove into a group of people at a Christmas market in the central German city of Magdeburg on Friday evening.

Police have taken the driver into custody, local government sources told dpa.

It was not initially known whether people were killed or injured. It was also not immediately clear whether the incident was deliberate or intentional.

The Christmas market, located near the city hall, is teeming with ambulances and paramedics, as videos posted on social media showed.
Dec. 20The Kootenai National Forest is pleased to welcome Seth Carbonari as the new Deputy Forest Supervisor.

Carbonari is no stranger to the Kootenai, as he currently serves as the District Ranger on the Rexford/Fortine Ranger District.

Carbonari officially began serving in his new deputy role Dec. 16. He replaced Heidi McRoberts, who accepted a Forest Supervisor position in July 2024 on the Cibola National Forest in New Mexico.

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Growing up in Northwest Montana, Carbonari began his robust career as a seasonal firefighter for the Montana Department of Natural Resources & Conservation while attending first, Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell, then graduating from the University of Montana.

He transitioned to a firefighting position on the Flathead National Forest, which led to over 25 years in fire management positions, ranging from engine boss to District Fire Management Officer. This eventually led to Carbonari to become a District Ranger, serving on the West Fork Ranger District of the Bitterroot National Forest in 2018 until 2021, when he made the transition to Eureka as the District Ranger.

"The Kootenai is a great place to be," Carbonari states. "I very much look forward to continuing service to the Forest, the employees, and partners that help manage it and the surrounding communities."

Carbonari's career journey also included a season at Everglades National Park, a season as a smokejumper in Missoula, over 15 years assisting with the Flathead Avalanche Center and numerous details and assignments across the country and internationally.

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"The Kootenai is excited for Seth's transition into the Deputy Forest Supervisor position," said Chad Benson, Kootenai Forest Supervisor. "He has done a wonderful job in his current position, immensely helping the Forest and we look forward to what his strengths will bring into this role."

Carbonari said he continues to learn from and be inspired by the land the Service helps manage, the people who help care for it and the public it serves.

He and his wife Kristy chase their dogs all over Northwest Montana on snow, rock and water.
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA) in Brunei launched the Arabic Language Carnival 2024, local media reported on Friday.

According to the local daily Borneo Bulletin, the event was organized by the Arabic Language Faculty of UNISSA to mark World Arabic Language Day and to recognize the importance of the Arabic language in Brunei.

The carnival featured an Arabic language speech competition, which was participated in by eight students from UNISSA and the Religious Teachers University College of Seri Begawan (KUPU SB) in Brunei, the Borneo Bulletin reported.

Brunei is a sultanate in Southeast Asia, located in the northern part of Borneo Island. 
WARNING: The contents of this article discusses mental health issues and suicide. If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, call the San Diego Access & Crisis Line at (ACL) 1-888-724-7240.

CARLSBAD, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI)  More information has been confirmed regarding the Carlsbad man who federal agents say had been communicating with the teenager who went on a shooting rampage at a Christian school in Wisconsin earlier this week.

According to a Gun Violence Emergency Protective Order, 20-year-old Alexander Paffendorf was in contact with Natalie Samantha Rupnow, 15, and may have been planning a separate attack.

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RELATED: Carlsbad man faces Gun Violence Emergency Protective Order: What this means

FBI agents say Paffendorf told Rupnow that he would target a government building by arming himself with explosives and a gun. He allegedly confessed those details to authorities on Monday. The day after, officers swarmed his familys home in Carlsbad in search of weapons.

Eventually they got the garage open and they started raiding the garage, a neighbor told FOX 5/KUSI.

Other neighbors said that officers appeared to find a large gun case. However, the order states that officers did not seize any actual guns while on the premises.

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Parents are still looking for more answers on how the two people were allegedly communicating with each other.

How can a kid from California speak to a kid who is 5 years younger? one local parent asked. Theres clearly a platform that is inciting this violent terrorist behavior.

Rupnow opened fire during a study hall at Abundant Life Christian School in the city of Madison, Wisconsin earlier this week. One student, a freshman, and a substitute teacher were killed, and six others were injured, authorities confirmed. The teen shooter, who reportedly turned the gun on herself, was also found dead at the scene.

As it stands, its unknown if Paffendorf will face any charges. More information will be released once the FBI provides an update on the matter.

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FOX 5s Tony Shin contributed to this report.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News.
Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) threatened Thursday to vote against any government funding package that doesnt include disaster relief for the victims of hurricanes Helene and Milton, which ravaged their states.

The GOP lawmakers issued their warning after President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance called on Congress to pass a clean stopgap funding measure paired with language to raise the debt limit.

Trump and Vance, however, voiced support for providing support for farmers and disaster relief in the year-end funding package.

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Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) would face a wave of Republican defections if he attempts to move a funding package without relief for North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and other states hit by natural disasters.

We need disaster relief in the tens of billions of dollars, said Tillis, who asserted that the $100 billion in disaster relief included in the continuing resolution unveiled this week would be insufficient to repair the damage caused by the storms.

I dont think $10 billion or $20 billion and a promise well do something more in March is an acceptable solution, he said. We know what the need is today, it was negotiated in the package, and it needs to be in a package to get my support to get out of here.

Graham called disaster relief essential to South Carolina, emphasizing that the damage inflicted by the storms surpassed that of Hurricane Hugo, an infamous storm in 1989.

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I cannot tell you the level of destruction thats hit South Carolina, he said, noting that Trump has committed to include disaster relief in any deal to fund the government.

Disaster relief is an absolute must to get my vote and my support, Graham said.

The South Carolina lawmaker said hes urging colleagues to knock extra funding provisions out of the continuing resolution and pass a relatively clean stopgap paired with disaster relief.

The senators made their comments as House Republican leaders were gathered in Johnsons office to hash out a plan B to avoid a government shutdown Saturday.

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Republican sources told The Hill that Johnson plans to hold a vote that will fund the government until March 14 that would include $100 billion in disaster relief and $10 billion in economic assistance for farmers.

Republicans have decided to remove language to give members of Congress a pay raise and a provision to allow the year-round sale of gasoline with a higher ethanol blend known as E15.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright urged the state Department of Health to investigate strikingly high rates of cancer, illness and death among former employees of the former WEA Manufacturing in Olyphant.

I have been contacted by a number of my constituents who are former employees  or family members of former employees  of the former Specialty Records, WEA Manufacturing, and Cinram plant(s) in Olyphant, Pennsylvania who have, over a period of years, noticed and partially documented what appear to be strikingly high rates of cancer and other illnesses and deaths, including a notable number of middle-age deaths, among fellow former employees, Cartwright, D-8, Moosic, wrote.

The Olyphant distribution facility at Cinram Inc. were DVDs and CDs are packaged in 2005. (TIMES-TRIBUNE FILE PHOTO)

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Addressed to Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Debra L. Bogen, Cartwrights Dec. 12 letter lists more than a dozen serious health problems reported among former employees of the CD and DVD production and packaging plant that once employed more than 3,000 local workers, though layoffs drastically reduced that workforce in the 2000s until the plant, last known as Technicolor, permanently closed in 2018. Cartwright said his office has been working with a group of former employees for several months.

Citing the reported high number of cancers, illnesses and death among employees, in addition to prolonged exposures to chemicals, Cartwright asked the state to:

* Initiate an effort to formally intake reports and data from former employees and family members, including surviving family members.

* Analyze the input.

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* Acknowledge the level of health problems and health risk/danger that the reports and data represent.

* Offer any healthcare-related assistance that is warranted and possible, including health advice, to surviving former employees who came in prolonged contact with potentially hazardous chemicals in their jobs.

Former employees and their family members reported relatively liberal and incautious use of potentially hazardous substances on the job, the outgoing congressman said.

WEA Manufacturing in the Mid Valley Industrial Park. (TIMES-TRIBUNE FILE PHOTO)

In his letter, Cartwright provided specific health complications reported among former employees, including: mesothelioma, other lung cancers, leukemia, pancreatic cancer, brain cancer, kidney cancer, prostate cancer, thyroid cancer, lymphoma, rectal cancer, melanoma, and other cancers; myasthenia gravis (a neuromuscular disease), heart conditions, lupus, other autoimmune diseases, other lung and respiratory diseases, and cysts.

Check back for updates.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO)  Assuming a traveler cant count on a sleigh and some reindeer to get them from point A to point B, travel around the holidays can be a little dicey. The mother-daughter duo of Maria and Sofia Luna from Sioux City, Iowa were on their way Thursday to a much warmer location than the North Pole or Sioux Falls, for that matter.

We are headed to Vegas! Sofia said at Sioux Falls Regional Airport.

Its a birthday gift from Sofia to Maria, and it was off to a good start.

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It seems like our flights on time, Maria said.

Dhiraj Thapa of Nepal was set to fly Thursday from Sioux Falls to Minneapolis, where snow interrupted air travel, per WCCO News. But as of late Thursday morning, Thapas flight out of Sioux Falls was on time. Flying isnt his preferred way to travel; he was set to take a bus from South Dakota to Michigan.

PHOTOS: 2025 DTSF Burger Battle announced

It just got canceled yesterday evening, Thapa said.

Whether in a bus or plane, at least hes inside; hes not used to this temperature.

Look at me- Im wearing one jacket, two jackets, t-shirt  and Im still feeling cold, Thapa said with a smile.

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And its a similar vibe with the Lunas. Even if their plans are snarled by something less-than-ideal, theyre going to make the best of it.

Its an adventure, Sofia said. Let life take us.

I mean, if we get delayed, well make something out of it here, Maria said.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KELOLAND.com.
The most telling sentence in a lengthy Wall Street Journal article about Luigi Mangione, the Ivy League-educated scion of a prominent Maryland family who is suspected of shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is surprisingly banal: "It wasn't clear what dealings he had with health insurance companies."

As Business Insider reported, Mangione complained about terrible back pain in social-media posts "and what he felt to be the healthcare system's inadequate response." None of those posts "blame UnitedHealthcareor Thompsonfor his health issues." So we don't know about his personal healthcare experiences, but it is clear from the handwritten notes found in his backpack that he has a beef with our healthcare system.

Independent journalist Ken Klippenstein published those scribblings in their entirety, in which Mangione says, "the US has the #1 most expensive healthcare system in the world, yet we rank roughly #42 in life expectancy." These companies have "simply gotten too powerful, and they continue to abuse our country for immense profit because the American public has allowed them to get away with it."

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That argument has gained traction, but not in a thoughtful way. Instead, the social-media world has been at its ugliest, with myriad posts that make light of the incident. Many reactions were downright ghoulish and, quite frankly, make me fear for the future of the country.

Mangione was arrested at a McDonald's near Altoona, Pennsylvania, after a worker phoned in a tip. As Newsweek reported, police say that "officers and locals involved in the arrest have received threats since Mangione's arrestGoogle removed a number of disparaging one-star reviews about the restaurant, many of which included mentions about 'rats' in the kitchen." Green jackets similar to the one Mangione wore have become an instant sales hit.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (IVt.) called the killing "outrageous" and "unacceptable," per HuffPost, and then offered this critique: "I think what the outpouring of anger at the health care industry tells us is that millions of people understand that health care is a human right and that you cannot have people in the insurance industry rejecting needed health care for people while they make billions of dollars in profit."

Leftists criticize the healthcare insurance system as they seek a single-payer or Medicare for All system. Yet the problems with American health care are complex and not easily pinned on one source (insurers!). Summarizing medical research, the Washington Monthly's Bill Scher concluded that the widening life expectancy gap between the United States and other developed nations may be caused by obesity, high suicide rates, illegal drug epidemics, and socioeconomic disparities.

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Government is no panacea. Healthcare spending has increased in tandem with stepped-up government mandates and subsidies. Having experienced a health insurance quagmire involving my family, I'm well aware of people's legitimate frustration with the current system, its red tape, insurers who offer denials rather than providing needed coverage, and the stress of dealing with insurance absurdities in the midst of a troubling health crisis.

However, most of my experiences with our system have been laudable, as we've usually gained high-level care in a timely manner (check out wait times in countries with national health systems)and then just get a bill at the end for a small portion of it. Prices are indeed inflated, which is the result of any third-party system where someone else pays the costs and when there's no conceivable way to shop around for the best prices. And it should go without saying that complex heart surgery or knee replacements are fundamentally costly procedures.

Figuring out how to improve healthcare services is a complicated topic fraught with inherent conundrums. For instance, the demand for health care will always be higher than the supply. The more successful the care, the longer we'll liveand the more of it we'll need as we get older. Profit-based systems are the ones that best promote life-saving innovations.

There are only two ways to parcel out goods and services that have a higher demand than supply: pricing or rationing. Government healthcare monopolies are notorious for rationing care and for leaving customers with far fewer alternatives or avenues to challenge those decisions.

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"There is, in the U.K., a government agency that decides which treatments are worth covering, and for whom. It is an agency that has even decided, from the government's perspective, how much a life is worth in hard currency," Jonah Goldberg explained. He asked if we'd hear the same type of reactions "(i)f some punk kid stalked and shot the director of the VA, Medicare and Medicaid, or the U.K.'s National Health System." He doubts it, as do I.

We don't know anything conclusive at this point. But if you're justifying the killing of a healthcare CEOor even having schadenfreude about itthen you ought to check out your health plan's mental-health coverage options and take advantage of them immediately.

This column was first published in The Orange County Register.

The post Celebrating Brian Thompson's Killing Is Ghoulish appeared first on Reason.com.
COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL)  A murder suspect was taken into custody on Thursday in connection to a deadly shooting at Celia Drive on Wednesday morning.

Initial Report: 15-year-old dies in shooting on Celia Drive

According to the Columbus Police Department, Jeremiah West has been arrested and charged with murder as well as possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.

The charges stem back to Wednesday when police responded to the 1100 block of Celia Drive to find Elijah Hatcher, 15, was shot. Hatcher was taken to Piedmont Columbus Regional where he was pronounced dead at 9:15 a.m.

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The Violent Crimes Unit is leading this investigation.

West is scheduled to appear in Recorders Court for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 23.

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DANVILLE, Ky. (FOX 56)  When on the grounds of Danville Christian Academy, its hard to not notice how important safety is.

The whole goal is to deter something from happening. So, you know, my car is visible; theres signs at every entrance point. The gym that, you know, that, say, theres an armed school resource officer here protecting the kids, said Derek Robbins, the school resource officer (SRO).

Officer Robbins said shootings like the one in Wisconsin are a reminder no school is immune to tragedy. He said it is important to always be ready for a situation, which is why the school frequently does safety drills.

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Man allegedly ran Laurel County ring where members got drugs in exchange for stolen goods

We do those at least quarterly, and then, of course, well get together, especially after something like Madison, Wisconsin, happened, and talk and make sure that were doing the right things that we need to be doing to keep the kids safe, said Robbins.

Private schools can operate differently than public ones in Kentucky when it comes to safety protocol but often use what other schools do as a model.

Weve done a couple of things in the last couple of years that were really big steps, I dont want to be specific with them, but the school itself, you know, we run on very minimal budget, and luckily, you know, some of the parents and donors have helped to say, hey, we do need that at school, said Officer Robbins.

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With around 50 students, Kore Academy in Lexington does not have an SRO, but Cindy Zimmermann, executive director, said the school uses a curriculum that helps students gain skills to fight against bullying or arguing.

If we dont stop and say, wait a minute, this is how you deal with this, then youre not teaching kids to play in a life; youre teaching them to be victims, and we dont want our kids to be victims, said Zimmermann.

She said with school shootings becoming more common, it is important to focus on the students.

I hear everything about guns; I hear everything about security, but I dont hear about hurt kids, and I wish that would come to the table because it needs to, said Zimmermann.

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Both Zimmermann and Robbins believe the small size of a private school also has its advantages, such as being able to make closer connections with students.

I want them to know that Im here for them, whether its to protect them or be a shoulder to cry on or an ear to listen, said Officer Robbins.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 56 News.
The notorious Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn is once again housing a headline-grabbing accused criminal now that Luigi Mangione, the alleged gunman in the murder of the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, has joined rap mogul Sean Diddy Combs at the troubled facility as the two await trial.

Mangione, 26, was transported to MDC on Thursday, according to multiple outlets, and was listed as an inmate by Friday morning, according to online records; his release date is listed as unknown and aside from his age, the record contains no other information. A representative for Agnifilo Intrater, the law firm representing Mangione in New York, confirmed with The Hollywood Reporter on Friday that he is being held at MDC Brooklyn.

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Their pre-trial detention site is not the only element that Mangione and Combs cases have in common. Not only is the same New York firm representing them, their attorneys are married. Karen Friedman Agnifilo will represent Mangione in New York, it was announced last week, while Combs has retained her husband, Marc Agnifilo, to represent the rap world star in his sprawling RICO and sex trafficking case, which is set for trial in May.

On Dec. 9, Mangione was charged in New York with second-degree murder, three counts of illegal weapons possession, and forgery; in Pennsylvania on the same day, hed been charged with carrying a gun without a license, forgery, falsely identifying himself to the authorities, and possessing instruments of crime. On Tuesday, New York prosecutors charged him with first-degree murder as murder committed in furtherance of terrorism. Friedman Agnifilo called this unusual move out in court on Thursday.

On Thursday, Mangione made an initial appearance at New York federal court after he was extradited there following his arrest on Dec. 9 in an Altoona, Pennsylvania McDonalds. This week, potentially damning evidence mounted in the case against Mangione, including a 3-4 printed gun and multiple fake IDs. Journals were reportedly discovered where he apparently conveyed his hatred of the healthcare system.

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 this week. We are ready to fight these charges in whatever court they are brought.

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Before joining Agnifilo Intrater, Friedman Agnifilo worked as the chief assistant district as the second in command to DA Cyrus Vance. She is known to be a well-connected legal professional and is familiar with the judges who could potentially oversee Mangiones case.

In addition to his ongoing legal representation of Combs, Agnofilio represented disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein.

Thompson was shot in the back and right calf on 54th Street in Manhattan on Dec. 4 outside of the Midtown Hilton hotel; the 50-year-old was in town to attend the United Healthcare annual investors meeting. The assailant, using a suppressed 9mm pistol, fired three shots; Inscribed on the cartridge cases used in the shooting were the words Delay Deny and Depose.

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By Nazrin Abdul



On December 17, 2023, President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan engaged in an insightful interview with Dmitry Kiselev, the Director General of 'Rossiya Segodnya' International News Agency. The conversation, aired on Russias 'Rossiya-1' television channel and reported by RIA Novosti, delved into various aspects of Azerbaijans political, defense, and economic priorities. While much of the discussion centered on defense cooperation and regional dynamics, a significant portion of the interview shed light on Azerbaijans economic direction, particularly its energy sector, infrastructure projects, and international investments.

This analysis explores the key economic themes from President Ilham Aliyevs remarks, which reflect the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for Azerbaijan as it navigates its economic development amidst regional and global shifts.

Economic Resilience and Investment opportunities

Azerbaijan's economic outlook is increasingly marked by diversification efforts and investments in key sectors, such as energy, infrastructure, and technology. One of the most significant aspects of President Aliyev's interview was his emphasis on the country's growing energy capacity and its strategic shift toward green energy initiatives.

President Ilham Aliyev highlighted Azerbaijan's substantial natural gas reserves, pegged at 2.6 trillion cubic meters, which remain a cornerstone of the nation's energy strategy. However, he also highlighted that, despite these abundant resources, Azerbaijan is actively exploring renewable energy sources, including solar, wind, and hydropower. This approach reflects the broader global trend towards green energy, and Azerbaijan is positioning itself as a key player in the regional energy transition.

The countrys commitment to expanding its renewable energy capacity was illustrated by ongoing projects in Garabagh and Eastern Zangazur, aimed at building small hydropower plants. The total capacity from these projects is expected to reach 500 megawatts within the next two years, contributing to Azerbaijan's energy diversification strategy. This focus on renewable energy aligns with the World Bank's estimates of significant wind energy potential in the Caspian Sea, which could see Azerbaijan generating up to 6,000 megawatts by 2030.

Furthermore, the President mentioned the importance of exploring an energy cable project linking Azerbaijan and Europe, specifically a 4,000-megawatt capacity cable across the Black Sea.

This project is part of a broader strategy to position Azerbaijan as a key supplier of clean energy to European markets, which are increasingly seeking alternative and sustainable energy sources to meet growing demand.

While these developments signal a positive trajectory for Azerbaijan's energy sector, President Aliyev acknowledged that there are still hurdles to overcome. He noted the importance of attracting foreign investment, especially in the nuclear energy sector, where the country is exploring experimental mini-reactors for research purposes. This openness to co-investment demonstrates Azerbaijans willingness to embrace new technologies and partnerships, particularly in sectors that promise high returns for investors.

Reconstruction and infrastructure: An invitation to Russian investors

Another notable aspect of the interview was Azerbaijan's appeal for greater Russian participation in the ongoing reconstruction of Garabagh, which has become a focal point for international cooperation. Since the cessation of hostilities in 2020, Azerbaijan has been focused on rebuilding the region, particularly its infrastructure, including roads, railroads, tunnels, and bridges.

President Ilham Aliyev specifically mentioned Russian companies' involvement, citing the construction of a kindergarten in the Gubadli district funded by the Astrakhan region. However, he emphasized that while Russian companies have made some contributions, there remains substantial room for greater involvement. Given the scale of the reconstruction efforts, Azerbaijan is keen to attract more Russian contractors and investors, particularly those with expertise in large-scale infrastructure projects.

Notably, Azerbaijan has already welcomed foreign investments, including the establishment of a KAMAZ service center in the Jabrayil district, marking the first foreign investment project in the region. This is indicative of Azerbaijans broader strategy to create a business-friendly environment, where foreign companies, particularly from Russia, can play a crucial role in the economic revival of Garabagh. This approach highlights the potential for further economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and Russia, especially in sectors like construction, manufacturing, and technology.

The strategic balance: Energy, defense and economic growth

The economic aspects of President Aliyev's interview reflect the country's multifaced approach to growth. While Azerbaijan has traditionally relied on its oil and gas reserves as key economic drivers, the diversification into renewable energy, infrastructure development, and international investment signals a conscious effort to future-proof the economy.

At the same time, the Azerbaijani President's responses on defense cooperation illustrate the ongoing strategic relationship with Russia. Although there have been no new contracts for Russian weapons in recent years, President Ilham Aliyev made it clear that Azerbaijan continues to monitor the Russian defense industry closely. His remarks pointed to a pragmatic approach to defense procurement, acknowledging the temporary suspension of certain contracts due to Russia's domestic focus, but leaving the door open for future deals once the Russian defense industry regains its footing. This reflects the balancing act Azerbaijan must maintain between its economic interests and its security needs.

In conclusion, President Ilham Aliyev's interview paints a picture of an Azerbaijan that is not only committed to maintaining its energy dominance but also evolving towards a more diversified and sustainable economy. The country's investment in renewable energy, alongside efforts to rebuild Garabagh and attract foreign investment, signals a forward-looking approach that integrates both traditional and emerging sectors.

Moreover, Azerbaijan's focus on energy security and green projects aligns with global trends while positioning the nation as a key partner in Europe's search for alternative energy sources. The openness to Russian investment in reconstruction and infrastructure offers a clear invitation to Russian businesses, enhancing the prospects for deeper economic ties between the two nations.

As Azerbaijan navigates the complexities of regional geopolitics and economic development, its leadership is carefully balancing domestic priorities with international opportunities. The coming years will reveal whether the country can successfully capitalize on these initiatives to secure long-term growth and stability in an increasingly competitive global economy.
UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- As the situation on the Korean Peninsula is becoming more sensitive and complex with an unstable and uncertain future trajectory, the international community should work together to promote the political settlement process of the Peninsula issue, a Chinese UN envoy said at the UN Security Council.

"Maintaining peace and stability and preventing war and chaos on the Peninsula serve the common interests of all parties and are in line with the common expectation of the international community," Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said on Wednesday at a UN Security Council meeting.

He urged all parties to remain calm and exercise restraint, and refrain from any words or deeds that may intensify conflicts and tensions.

Stressing the importance of creating an atmosphere conducive to dialogue, Geng called on the relevant parties to be rational and pragmatic, resume contact as soon as possible to build mutual trust and restart dialogue, and work together to break the current deadlock.

"A certain country should abandon the myth of sanctions and pressure, take tangible measures to truly show goodwill and sincerity for dialogue," he added.

As a vestige of the Cold War, Geng said, the Korean Peninsula issue is rooted in the long existing failure to achieve the transition from armistice to a peace mechanism, and the severe lack of trust between the parties, especially between the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

The envoy said that the dual track approach and the principle of phased and synchronized steps proposed by China are effective ways to promote the political settlement process.

He called for the relevant country to abandon the Cold War mentality, and stop the erroneous acts of using the Peninsula issue to promote its geopolitical strategy and provoke bloc confrontations. "Otherwise, the political settlement of the Peninsula issue will be difficult to advance smoothly."

Noting that some council members linked the current European security with the Peninsula situation, Geng emphasized that the issue of Ukraine and the Peninsula issue are completely different in terms of origin and nature. "Linking the two will only make both issues more complicated and difficult to resolve," he added.

"Using the worry about the intertwining of the security in Europe and that in the Asia Pacific and their resonance as a pretext to push NATO to cross its boundary and extend its power to get involved in the Asian Pacific will only further intensify regional antagonism and exacerbate confrontations. China firmly opposes this approach," the ambassador said. 
CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, Ill. (WCIA)  Last week, the man who attacked a Nevada judge inside a courtroom was sentenced to more than two decades behind bars, raising the question of courtroom security. Here in Champaign County, officials say there are some changes they would like to see.

Thursday morning, WCIAs Jared Thomas sat down with the Champaign County Sheriff and the States Attorney. They both said the way the courtrooms are operated is safe, but theres always room for improvement.

City of Champaign plan working to reduce gun violence

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States Attorney Julia Reitz said she remembers a time when the Champaign County Courthouse looked a lot different than it does now.

It didnt have any courthouse security at all, Rietz said. And there were four doors that were wide open to everyone.

In 1997, a 911 call about a bombing inside the court room changed that all.

A man brought in a bottle of gasoline, lit it and threw it at the judge. Today, the courthouse has a single entrance, metal detectors and more security measures.

We have two court security that are always at the front door of the courthouse, said Sheriff Dustin Heuerman. And then we have 11 courtrooms. And so there are 11 court security officers when were fully staffed, one of which will be inside each courtroom when the court is in session.

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Its going to take a lot of time: Mahomet community mourns shooting victims, searches for answers

Heuerman said thats the minimum amount. Hes been asking the county board for two more officers.

That doesnt allow for anybody to be on vacation, that doesnt allow for anybody to be sick, that doesnt allow for anybody to be on military leave, Heuerman said.

Reitz agrees they do a good job with what they have, but it can be challenging.

I absolutely support Sheriff Heuermans request for more court security officers because I simply know that they are some of them are doing the work of two or three people.

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Reitz says the goal is to be ready for anything and always two steps ahead.

There are some personnel shortages that absolutely should be addressed because a courthouse is a place where where people come other than marriages and adoptions to address very serious, very emotional and potentially dangerous situations, Rietz added.

Heuerman said he first introduced the proposition in August, but the county board denied his offer because there wasnt enough money. He said he plans to keep trying.

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BALDWIN COUNTY, Ala. (WKRG)  The Tennessee man Gulf Shores police say fired shots at them before accidentally shooting himself in the hand was back in court today for a bond hearing on an additional charge.

Escambia County Sheriff reveals new details in Tshey Bennetts death

Sporting a heavily bandaged left hand, Buddy Snell, 39, from Taft, Tennessee, faces a host of charges including attempted murder and now an obstruction of justice charge.

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Gulf Shores police said they spotted Snell sleeping in his van behind a local movie theater. When they approached, he took off and ended up in Foley where he ran from his disabled vehicle and allegedly fired at police.

While running away Snell fired his handgun at least one more time, according to police, hitting himself in the hand.

Senior Bowl Executive Director Jim Nagy interviews for New York Jets General Manager opening

He is being held on a bond of over $250,000.

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(KRON)  The Mario Gonzalez death case took another dramatic turn on Friday when prosecutors announced dropping manslaughter charges against all Alameda Police Department officers who pinned Gonzalez face-down to the ground and his heart stopped beating.

The decision to dismiss the involuntary manslaughter charge against Officer (Eric) McKinley was the direct result of inconsistent statements made under penalty of perjury by Dr. Bennett Omalu. Dr. Omalu was the forensic pathology expert on cause of death for the family of Mario Gonzalez, the Alameda County District Attorneys Office wrote Friday.

On April 19, 2021, a neighbor who lived next to a small park on Oak Street called 911 to report that a man was outside acting strange and scary. APD police officers Eric McKinley, James Fisher, and Cameron Leahy detained Gonzalez in the park.

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The 26-year-old man was suspected of being drunk in public, possessed bottles of stolen alcohol, and failed to show identification. Officers pinned him to the ground and restrained him for several minutes before they realized that his heart had stopped beating.

VIDEO: Body camera video shows officers pinning Gonzalez on ground

The victims familys attorney, Julia Sherwin, said Gonzalezs death, would feel like drowning on dry land for him.

Gonzalez died from multiple causes, primarily, toxic effects of methamphetamine in his blood, forensic pathologist Dr. Vivian Snyder concluded.

In 2022, former district attorney Nancy OMalley said none of the three officers would face charges and they were cleared of criminal wrongdoing. A report released under OMalleys administration in 2022 stated, Mr. Gonzalez was lying face down with Officer McKinley and Officer Fisher struggling on top of him to get his arms behind his back and into handcuffs. Officer Leahy also held Gonzalez on the ground by restraining his legs.

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When former district attorney Pamela Price took over in 2023, one of her first priorities was to reopen the Gonzalez death case and file involuntary manslaughter charges against the three officers. Price was booted from her position by voters in November and her last day in office was December 5.

A judge dismissed all charges against officers Fisher and Leahy in October. Officer McKinleys charges were dropped on Friday under interim DA Royl Roberts.

Mario Gonzalez

The district attorneys office explained in a statement, The decision to dismiss the involuntary manslaughter charge against Officer McKinley was the direct result of inconsistent statements made under penalty of perjury by Dr. Bennett Omalu.

The statement continued, Dr. Omalu was the forensic pathology expert on cause of death for the family of Mario Gonzalez in their civil case. The initial autopsy was conducted by the Alameda County Coroner, and three of their forensic pathologists opined that the cause of death was toxic effects of methamphetamine. Dr. Omalu, on the other hand, performed the second autopsy and opined that the cause of death was restraint asphyxiation. Dr. Omalu wrote and signed a declaration under penalty of perjury that was inconsistent with his sworn deposition in the civil case. Multiple key inconsistencies by this now hostile yet necessary witness led the People to conclude they could not meet their burden of proving Officer McKinley committed involuntary manslaughter beyond a reasonable doubt. The People dismissed the involuntary manslaughter charge against Officer Eric McKinley.

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Gonzalez is survived by a 6-year-old son, who is also named Mario. Civil rights attorney Adante Pointer represented Gonzalezs family for a wrongful death lawsuit that resulted a $11 million settlement last year. Pointer said Gonzalez was guilty of no crime other than being suspicious to someone.

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DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN)  A Tyler Perry film which features the true story of a Dayton woman has officially debuted on Netflix.

Getty Images

In the drama The Six Triple Eight, Kerry Washington plays Lieutenant Colonel Charity Adams Earley, the highest-ranking Black officer in World War II. Earley, along with over 800 other women, were a part of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, which is commonly called Six Triple Eight.

The women in the Battalion worked to fix the issue of unprocessed mail, ensuring that troops received their mail.

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Before entering into the military, Earley attended Wilberforce University in Greene County, where she majored in math and physics.

The Wilberforce graduate eventually settled in Dayton. In 2002, Earley died at 83.

To watch the movie, click here.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDTN.com.
CHATHAM COUNTY, Ga. (WSAV)  With a growing population, Chatham County is working to make sure affordable and quality childcare is available. Chatham County official, Tara Jennings spoke with News 3 about the plan going forward.

Childcare and quality childcare we have known for quite some time is the cornerstone for people to have quality of life, whether that be workforce, housing, whatever it may be, Jennings explained. So, a strong educational foundation is how we feel like people should start.

Jennings said there are multiple factors that are straining the childcare system including cost, capacity, salaries and new requirements.

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We have quality-rated childcare centers, which means that the lead staff in the childcare centers have to have certain training and certain experiences, she said. Probably 10 to 15 years ago, that wasnt a requirement. Over time, its been steadily increasing. Thats made it harder for people to actually fit the criteria to be a lead teacher in a childcare center.

Through research, she has learned that infant care is the hardest to find and most expensive. One of their most recent projects, an early childhood learning center on Savannahs east side, aims to address these challenges

Its that six weeks to two-year-olds that we dont have a lot of quality care for, Jennings told News 3. So, this childcare center will be focused on the infant toddler space.

It is a joint effort with the city of Savannah, costing upwards of $10.3M. The center will serve up to 144 children.

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Within that, we know that theres going to need to be some scholarship opportunities or some support for families. and so, as we move into the operation and selecting an operator, we will be very intentional to find someone who can not only secure federal funds, but state dollars and philanthropy dollars to lower the parent portion of that.

Jennings said this is a step forward to expanding opportunity in Chatham County.

How much influence they have on a childs early education, that will protect them for the rest of life, she said. Its something we decided to invest in.

We are told there is no specific completion date for this project at this time.

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The Federal Railroad Administration has issued a new final rule on freight car safety standards including limitations on cars or parts from China or another country of concern.

The rule, released Thursday and effective Jan. 21, 2025, fulfills a requirement of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

The rule requires railcars to be manufactured or assembled in a qualified facility by a qualified manufacturer. In addition to limiting components from countries of concern or state-owned enterprises in such countries, it bars essential components or sensitive technology from such countries and enterprises. Penalties include prohibiting manufacturers from supplying freight cars for U.S. use.

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By enforcing stringent controls on where freight car technology and materials originate, this rule aims to minimize risks related to compromised security, ensuring that U.S. rail remains safe and reliable, FRA Administrator Amit Bose said in a media release.

Under the rule originally proposed in 2023, railcar manufacturers would need to electronically certify to FRA that each freight car complies with the rule before it can operate on U.S. railroads. However, railcar manufacturers would not have a continuing obligation to certify their assets on a regular basis, nor would the rule apply to after-manufacture changes, or to cars already in service.

The Rail Security Alliance, a coalition of U.S. railcar manufacturers, suppliers and unions, praised the new rule. The groups executive director, Erik Olson, said in a release that the rule makes our freight rail interchange safer. Olson also said the RSA looks forward to working with the incoming Trump Administration to ensure this regulation remains intact to prevent Chinese incursion into the freight rail interchange.

The RSA was formed in 2015 as Chinese firms, including state-owned CRRC Corp., the worlds largest builder of rolling stock, were looking to enter the American freight car market. CRRC had already supplied passenger equipment to a number of U.S. transit agencies. Vertex, a joint Chinese-American venture based in Wilmington, North Carolina, manufactured freight cars for the domestic market before closing in 2018.

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Find more articles by Stuart Chirls here.

Related coverage:

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The post China target of new US freight car security rule appeared first on FreightWaves.
MACAO (AP)  Chinese President Xi Jinping urged the casino hub of Macao to diversify its economy as he swore in the former Portuguese colony's new government on Friday at an event marking the 25th anniversary of its handover to China.

New Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai  Macaos first leader born in mainland China  vowed to address the territory's unbalanced and uncoordinated economic development.

Since its 1999 handover, the city of 687,000 has evolved from a monopoly-driven gambling enclave into the worlds largest gaming hub, drawing hordes of tourists from mainland China. The casino boom has improved living standards, but authorities are concerned that the semi-autonomous city's economy is unhealthily dependent on the industry.

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Some young people say the tourism-dominated economy has limited their career options and the citys diversified development. Critics say years of easy money from tourists have discouraged local businesses from innovating and improving, with many residents relying on personal connections to solve problems rather than civic participation.

During a gala dinner on Thursday, Xi praised Macaos progress on economic diversification over the past five years and its strengthened international influence. He called for the city to expand its international role while attracting global talent to build a better Macao.

On Friday, he said the city should enhance its industrial development planning, strengthen policy support and boost investment to nurture internationally competitive new industries, in what observers said were stronger and more specific comments than before.

The special administrative regions government and all sectors of society have to show more care to young people and create a better environment and conditions for their growth, talent development and fulfilling their aspirations, he said.

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Sam has promised to accelerate plans to boost tourism and other sectors such as Chinese medicine, finance, tech, exhibitions and commerce.

Although political activism has never seriously challenged Beijing in Macao, authorities have tightened control in recent years, particularly after Hong Kong was rocked by months of huge anti-government protests in 2019.

Vocal political dissent has largely been silenced. A vigil commemorating Chinas military crackdown on the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests in 1989 was banned, and pro-democracy figures were barred from competing in legislative elections. Last year, the city toughened its national security law.

Xi said national sovereignty, security and development interests are above all, while noting the need to safeguard the citys autonomy. He said security is a precondition for development and residents should cherish their hard-won stability and peace.

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Like neighboring Hong Kong, Macao is governed separately from the rest of China under a system that allows it to maintain elements of Western-style economic and social systems. It is the only Chinese city where casino gambling is legal.

With Beijing's policy agenda now dominating Macao's development, the casino hub is deepening economic links and social integration with neighboring Guangdong province.

China has designated a special zone on Hengqin Island in neighboring Zhuhai city, jointly run by Guangdong and Macao, to help foster new industries. That zone is planned to have about 120,000 Macao residents by 2035.

Xi said that Macao must participate proactively in the Greater Bay Area initiative, which Beijing aims to link Macao, Hong Kong and nine other Guangdong cities into an economic powerhouse.

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Xi concluded his three-day trip in Macao on Friday. During his stay, he visited a university and the special zone on Hengqin Island, and attended a lavish cultural performance. He also met with Macao's former city leaders and Hong Kong's chief executive, among others.

After seeing Xi off at the airport, Sam told reporters he pledged to face challenges head-on and be bold in action, saying his government would be clean, practical and close to its people.

___

Leung reported from Hong Kong.
Indonesian Minister of Labor Yassierli speaks during an interview with Xinhua in Jakarta, Indonesia, Dec. 18, 2024.(Photo by Zulkarnain/Xinhua)

JAKARTA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia and China have collaborated to establish a community that integrates education and industry sectors to cultivate more competent Indonesian skilled workers for industrial sectors.

The China-Indonesia Industry-Education Integration Community, launched on Wednesday, gathers 40 Chinese vocational colleges and 35 Indonesian universities, as well as 55 Chinese enterprises.

It was jointly initiated by the State University of Jakarta (UNJ), Wuxi Institute of Technology and the China-Indonesia Cultural and Educational Exchange Association.

Under the program, the Chinese education institutions will help Indonesian students, through vocational education, to improve and adopt skills that are required by the industries, particularly by the Chinese industries investing in Indonesia.

Indonesian Minister of Labor Yassierli, who attended the launch ceremony, said that the collaboration was an opportunity for Indonesia to produce skilled human resources with competence that was in line with the current industries needed.

He said one of the challenges that Indonesia is currently facing in terms of providing skilled workers was a mismatch.

"Many times, the high-level education institutions prepare human resources with skills that are not in line with what the industries need. There should be communication between the universities and the industries," Yassierli said in an interview with Xinhua on Wednesday.

Data from the Ministry of Labor showed that as of June, the employment situation in Indonesia tended to improve, with the unemployment rate slightly decreased by 0.63 percent year-on-year. With a population of nearly 300 million population, Indonesia has around 3 to 3.5 million new workers each year.

"Today's launch is just a starting step. From the Indonesian government, we hope that [the priority sectors] would be in line with our three national priority programs. First is food self-sufficiency. Second is related to energy resilience. The last is downstreaming. I see the biggest opportunity in the third sector," he said.

Rector of the UNJ, Komarudin, said in the launch ceremony that the collaboration was a good momentum for universities in Indonesia to cooperate with vocational schools in China.

"Under this collaboration, we will conduct training to Indonesian students, to make them ready to work in the industries, particularly Chinese companies," Komarudin said.

He believes that the joint program would bring benefits to both Indonesia and China, especially when it came to improving the welfare and economy in the Southeast Asia region.

Wu Huiyuan, vice president of the Wuxi Institute of Technology, said that the integration of industry and education would be the best way for cultivating high-quality technical and skilled talents.

"The collaboration will play an important role in further promoting the universities in China and Indonesia, providing what corporations need, producing high-quality employment, and optimizing the development of vocational education," she said. 

Indonesian Minister of Labor Yassierli speaks during the launch ceremony of the China-Indonesia Industry-Education Integration Community in Jakarta, Indonesia, Dec. 18, 2024.(Photo by Zulkarnain/Xinhua)
By Nicoco Chan and Tyrone Siu

MACAU (Reuters) -China's President Xi Jinping urged Macau's new government to have the "courage" to diversify the economy of the world's biggest gambling hub as the former Portuguese enclave swore in its first city leader born and raised in mainland China.

Xi's comments were made at the inauguration on Friday of the Macau government helmed by former judge Sam Hou Fai, who was born in China's southern Guangdong province and speaks fluent Portuguese.

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Xi called for Macau to develop new industries and connect with China's national development strategies, including the Greater Bay Area, an ambitious economic plan to link several cities in southern China, including the neighbouring financial hubs of Hong Kong and Guangzhou.

"At present the overall situation in Macau is stable, but the internal and external environment is undergoing profound changes," he said.

"Efforts should be made to promote moderate economic diversification... focus on cultivating new industries with international competitiveness."

Since Xi took office in 2013, he has called for the "appropriate diversification and sustainable development" of Macau's economy. The moves, and a sweeping anti-corruption drive, have throttled gambling revenues from the high-roller VIP sector.

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Xi arrived in Macau on Wednesday for a three-day visit to mark a quarter century of Beijing's rule. He has been visiting different areas of the city, including its universities and special economic zones.

The trip to Macau is Xi's third as president. He last visited in 2019 when anti-government protests were rocking the former British colony of Hong Kong.

On Friday, Xi called for Macau to be more open and inclusive to "recruit talent from all over the world" and "show greater achievements on the international stage."

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Beijing has consistently praised Macau for its loyalty and stability, with more than half of its 700,000 population immigrating from China in recent decades.

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A special administrative region of China, Macau is the only place in the country where gambling is legal. Its economy is heavily dependent on the casino industry, which contributes about 80% of regional tax revenue.

Macau returned to Chinese rule on Dec. 20, 1999, governed under the same "one country, two systems" formula as nearby Hong Kong.

Xi urged Macau not to be complacent and to "be brave to change and innovate" and make better use of "the one country, two systems" framework which guarantees a high degree of autonomy.

He said that respect should be given for the differences between the two systems and fully protect the special administrative regions high degree of autonomy.

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Sam, 62, has been head of Macau's highest court since 1999. He was the only candidate given permission by a panel of 400 pro-China loyalists to run in Macau's election.

He said he would demand "immediate action" on diversification away from the casino industry.

Xi outlined the development of adjacent Hengqin island, home to several leisure and business initiatives and the University of Macau, as part of China's decision to help diversify Macau's economy.

To enhance international competitiveness, Xi said Macau needs to further promote cooperation with Portuguese-speaking countries and "actively participate" in the China's Belt and Road Initiative.

(Writing by Farah Master; additional reporting by the Beijing newsroom; Editing by Lincoln Feast and Saad Sayeed)
China expelled a Philippine plane that "illegally intruded" into the airspace over a contested South China Sea shoal on Thursday, according to the China Coast Guard.

A C-208 light utility plane sent by the Philippines "illegally invaded the airspace of China's Huangyan Island", coastguard spokesman Liu Dejun said on Friday, using the Chinese name for Scarborough Shoal.

"The Chinese coastguard closely monitored, warned and drove the aircraft away according to the law," Liu said.

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Scarborough Shoal, known as Panatag Shoal or Bajo De Masinloc in the Philippines, is controlled by Beijing but also claimed by Manila.

The disputed triangular barrier of reefs is over 460 nautical miles from Hainan, the nearest Chinese shore, and about 120 nautical miles west of the Philippine island of Luzon.

It has been a flashpoint between the two countries since last year.

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"Huangyan Island is China's inherent territory, and the actions of the Philippine side severely infringe upon China's sovereignty and pose high risks of maritime and air incidents," Liu said.

"We sternly warn the Philippines to immediately cease its violations and provocation."

China claims most of the islands and rocks in the South China Sea and rights over their adjacent waters, leading to territorial disputes with several neighbouring countries, particularly the Philippines.

Last month, Manila enacted maritime legislation embedding its claims into domestic law. The claims included the Scarborough Shoal and most of the islands and reefs of Spratly Islands and their related waters.

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Beijing responded by publishing a set of geographic coordinates for 16 base points surrounding Scarborough Shoal.

China also submitted a copy of the geographic coordinates and nautical charts for the baselines of the territorial sea near Scarborough Shoal to the United Nations.

Observers said the efforts were an attempt by Beijing to formalise its territorial claims and were in line with international practice but could be challenged by the next US administration.

China has also been flexing its military muscle around the shoal since November, conducting combat-readiness patrols in the surrounding waters and airspace.

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Two weeks ago, it blocked four Philippine vessels that tried to "intrude into the shoal's territorial waters". Beijing added that it had "exercised control over the vessels in accordance with the law".

The wary encounters continued this week.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said on Thursday that it carried out a routine maritime patrol near Scarborough Shoal, distributing food packs and groceries to Filipino fishermen fishing near the maritime feature.

Philippine aircraft also spotted two China Coast Guard vessels positioned outside the shoal, along with seven Chinese maritime militia vessels in the surrounding waters, the PCG said. Two other Chinese maritime militia vessels were stationed inside the shoal, monitoring access routes into the area, it said.

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In the statement on Friday, Liu warned that the Chinese coastguard "will continue to strengthen its enforcement in waters under China's jurisdiction, resolutely safeguarding the country's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests".

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.

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CHIPPEWA FALLS  A Chippewa County jury found a former Arizona man guilty Thursday of four counts of sexual assault.

Raymond J. Buchli, 40, was convicted of sexually assaulting an 18-year-old woman at her home in the town of Eagle Point on Dec. 25, 2023. Buchli was in town, visiting from Morristown, Ariz., at the time of the assault. Court records show Buchli now resides in Bloomer.

The trial began Wednesday, and the jury deliberated between two and three hours on Thursday before reaching their verdicts, said Chippewa County District Attorney Wade Newell.

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I appreciate the time and effort the jury put into it, Newell said.

The trial brought some healing and closure to the victim and justice to Buchli, he added.

According to the criminal complaint, the woman told authorities on Jan. 3 about the assault. She said she woke up to Buchli sexually assaulting her, and he forced her to have sex with him, and she was unable to stop him.

When an officer later interviewed Buchli, he admitted to the sexual acts but claimed they were consensual.

All four convictions are felonies. However, the jury found Buchli not guilty on one count of second-degree sexual assault, which was the most serious offense and carries a higher number of years of incarceration. Newell said he didnt ask the jury why they found Buchli guilty on four counts but not the last one.

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Newell asked that Buchli be taken into custody at the conclusion of the trial, and Judge James Isaacson agreed. Isaacson set sentencing for March 7 and ordered a pre-sentence investigation.

Generally, when I ask for a bond to be revoked, its after a jury trial, Newell explained. He was from out of state at the time of the incident, and these are serious charges.

Court documents state Buchli has previously been convicted of a misdemeanor.
Former MSNBC anchor and political analyst Chris Matthews railed at Elon Musk on Friday for tanking the House continuing resolution (CR) that had been negotiated between Republicans and Democrats, and encouraging the GOP to take a hard line despite the rising risk of a government shutdown.

Youve heard of a bull in a china shop  this guy is an elephant in a china shop, Matthews said during a Friday appearance on MSNBCs Morning Joe.

These negotiations between the House Democrats and the House Republicans are very fragile. Theres a one-vote majority for the Republicans, he told co-host Jonathan Lemire.

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Democratic leaders have criticized their Republican counterparts for backing out of a deal after it came under fire from Elon Musk on his social platform X, before President-elect Trump came out against it.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) brought a plan B spending bill to the floor, stripping out some provisions, such as health care reform, that appealed to Democrats, and adding a two-year suspension of the debt limit, which would help Trump avoid a messy fight with fiscal conservatives next year.

Musk cited Democratic wins and what he views as unnecessary spending as the main reasons for opposition to the initial bill. However, Matthews and others have noted Republicans will ultimately need some Democratic support, given their own divided caucus and tiny majority.

You have to have Democrats aboard, because theres 30 or 40 Republicans who will not vote with their party, that will always vote against any extension of the debt ceiling or anything like that that includes more government spending, Matthews stated.

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So you need Democrats.

Johnson has remained fairly quiet about Musks external push for Republican domination.

The Louisiana representative has undertaken closed-door negotiations with other Republicans in recent days and returned to the Capitol touting a plan C Friday morning after talks with Vice President-elect JD Vance.

Matthews said Musk didnt seem to understand what is required to make a deal in Congress.

Along comes Musk with all his trillions of dollars, basically, doesnt know anything about civics. The House is divided. You have to make a deal. He doesnt understand that, Matthews fumed.

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Hes thrown this whole thing up in the air and its going to have, probably, a government shutdown tonight because of him personally.

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Southern Californias holiday forecast may include a bit of rain this Christmas Eve.

There is a chance of some light rain thats coming up on Tuesday. That will be during the evening hours, KTLA meteorologist Henry DiCarlo said Friday.

The showers arent ikely to be very strong but could result in some ponding on roadways and slippery streets, the National Weather Service stated.

Overall, most of Los Angeles and the surrounding areas will be looking at less than a quarter of an inch of rain from the storm. Not a big deal for us, Henry said.

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The best chance for measurable totals will be along the foothills and in the mountains.

Areas north of Point Conception could see up to half an inch of rain, the Weather Service stated.

The upper system will also usher cooler conditions into the area, with high temperatures cooling to the 60s in most places by Wednesday, the Weather Service stated.

(National Weather Service)

As for the upcoming weekend, we could get some cloud coverage on Sunday but no rain is expected as last-minute shoppers head to the stores.

Friday is also the shortest day of the year with sunset arriving at 4:47 p.m. Fall will officially end tomorrow as days start to get longer.

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Christmas travellers face holiday misery after union bosses announced strike action on the railways. Passengers on Avanti West Coast will have to negotiate holiday season turmoil as a result of a dispute between the RMT union and the train operator.

An initial plan for strike action was briefly halted after the train operator made a revised offer to unions. However, fresh dates have been announced after the two sides were unable to resolve the dispute.

Here is everything you need to know about the strikes:

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When are the strikes going to take place?

The RMT union has announced strike action will take place on New Years Eve and Jan2.

Staff will also refuse to work on all Sundays from Jan 12 to May 25 next year.

Which routes are affected?

Services are expected to be significantly reduced on the strike days, with those that do run likely to be busy.

Avanti strongly recommend that passengers travel either side of the new year strike dates.

On both dates, trains will run during limited hours, with the first train of the day departing Euston around 8am and the last train of the day from Euston departing before 5pm.

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There will not be replacement buses due to the strike action.

On New Years Eve, the operator plans to run three trains per hour to and from London Euston: one to each of Birmingham, Manchester and Preston (with a limited service extending to Glasgow).

Trains to and from Manchester and Preston are going a different route to normal, avoiding engineering work in the Crewe area. Avanti will also run one train every other hour between Liverpool and Crewe.

On Jan 2, Avanti plans to run three trains per hour to and from London Euston: one to each of Wolverhampton (via Birmingham), Crewe and Manchester. Well also run a limited service between Glasgow and Preston.

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Due to engineering work on this date, there were no planned Avanti West Coast trains to Liverpool, with replacement buses running instead. Due to the industrial action, the trains arent able to run via the planned diversionary route through the North West into Scotland.

Can I get a refund?

Customers who booked tickets to travel with Avanti West Coast on New Years Eve or Jan 2 before the industrial action was announced on Dec 17 can claim a full refund from where the tickets were bought.

If one leg of your planned return journey is scheduled to be on a strike date, you will be able to take advantage of Avantis ticket flexibility and refund options for both legs.

That is the case whether tickets are a return and either portion is affected, or if customers have booked two single tickets to make up a return journey.

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Alternatively customers can use their tickets to travel any time from Monday Dec 30 to Saturday Jan 4 inclusive.

Why are they striking?

An RMT spokesman said: Our members have resoundingly rejected Avantis latest offers in two referendums and sustained strike action is now the only way to focus managements minds on reaching a negotiated settlement with the union.

The RMT said up to 400 of its members are involved in the dispute. They voted by 83pc against a suggested deal.

What has the train operator said?

An Avanti West Coast spokesman said: This strike action will cause significant disruption to our customers making journeys on the West Coast Main Line over an extended period.

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Were disappointed our train managers who are RMT members have voted to decline the very reasonable, revised offer made to them to resolve the rest day working dispute and avoid inconveniencing our customers.

We remain open to working with the RMT to resolve the dispute.

What has the Government said?

Heidi Alexander, the Transport Secretary, has urged Avanti West Coast to negotiate a solution to planned new years strikes as she defended the Governments approach to industrial action.

Asked about the impending industrial action on Friday, Ms Alexander said it was up to Avantis bosses to resume negotiations.

She told Sky News: What I want to see happen is for the leadership of Avanti West Coast, which is currently a privately owned train operating company, to get back round the table with the RMT to see what can be done to avoid action happening.

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Ms Alexander defended the Governments deal, saying the proposed Avanti strike was not on the same scale as the action seen under the Conservatives.

She said: Let me be clear about the difference between what was happening under the previous Conservative government, who had a scorched earth approach to industrial relations, and we saw strike after strike after strike across the whole of the network.

The industrial action that may happen on Avanti West Coast is one train operating company. There are 14 train operating companies, so this just applies to one area.

I dont want this strike to happen, nobody wants these strikes to happen, but it is not on the same scale as what we saw under the previous Conservative government.

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Christmas travel weather caused headaches for some either driving or flying to their holiday destination in parts of the U.S. on Friday.

(MORE: Christmas Travel Forecast | White Christmas Forecast | 12 Best Travel Products)

Here are our updates from Friday.

(4:35 p.m ET) Saturday Travel Outlook

Tomorrow, there may still be some slippery roads in parts of New England and the Appalachians. Most snowfall should have ended by midday, except for a few lake-effect bands off Lake Erie in Ohio and western Pennsylvania, and off Lake Michigan into northern Indiana or southwest Lower Michigan.

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The main weather headache for travel then shifts to the West, with rain and higher mountain snow expected from Northern California to Washington and Oregon through the weekend.

For a full Christmas travel forecast, click here.

(4:21 p.m ET) Winter Solstice Ahead

We're now 12 hours away from the winter solstice.

This astronomical arrival of winter in the Northern Hemisphere happens at 4:21 a.m. ET Saturday morning.

For more on the solstice and what it means, check out Chris DeWeese's article on weather.com here.

winter_solstice.png

(4:05 p.m. ET) Appalachians Snow

Winter weather advisories are in effect until 1 p.m. Saturday in the Appalachians from West Virginia to the Smokies of east Tennessee and western North Carolina, including areas still recovering from Hurricane Helene.

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Snowfall totals locally over 6 inches are possible over the highest elevations. Coupled with wind gusts at times up to 50 mph, that could lead to dangerous driving conditions. Wind chills may plunge into the single digits or teens over the mountains tonight.

(3:35 p.m. ET) New York City's Mixed Bag

As quite often the case, the New York City Tri-state area has been a potpourri of precipitation types today.

It's been mainly wet snow in New Jersey and up the Hudson Valley. In the five boroughs, it's been a mix or rain, wet snow and even a little sleet. On the rest of Long Island, it's been mainly rain, where surface temperatures have been in the mid to upper 30s.

Here was a view this afternoon from Manhattan.

(3:00 p.m. ET) Wreck Shuts Down Stretch Of Mass. Pike

According to the Massachusetts DOT and Auburn Fire Rescue Department, a multi-vehicle wreck occurred on the Massachusetts Turnpike, Interstate 90, eastbound between state route 56 and exit 90 in Auburn, just south of Worcester, around 1:30 p.m.

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No injuries were reported, but this stretch of the Mass Pike eastbound was shut down. This illustrates how you dont need heavy snow accumulations on roads to make driving slippery and hazardous.

(2:40 p.m. ET) A Different Kind Of 'Whiteout'

Bianca Barr, content manager at weather.com and resident of State College, Pennsylvania, pointed out these cool photos of Beaver Stadium the day before the Penn State Nittany Lions host the SMU Mustangs in the first round of the College Football Playoff's first round.

We can't completely rule out flurries, the accumulating snowfall will be over by Saturday's Noon ET kickoff.

(2:20 p.m. ET) A View From Snowy Boston

He said he didn't have any flight delays, but the drive from Logan Airport had some slush on an elevated section of freeway in the city.

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The National Weather Service officially measured 0.5 inch of snow at Logan Airport as of 1 p.m. ET. Dedham, Massachusetts, just inside Route 128 has picked up 2 inches of snow, so far.

It continues to snow downtown and in most of the metro area except the south shore and Cape Cod, where winds off the ocean and Cape Cod Bay is keeping precipitation as rain.

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(1:55 p.m. ET) Ground Stops At NYC Airports

This just in from the FAA, there are now ground stops for all arrivals into JFK, LaGuardia and Newark due to either snow and ice (LGA and EWR), or volume (JFK).

Check your flight status before heading to the airport if you have a flight into the NYC metro this afternoon.

(1:45 p.m. ET) Obstructed View

One of my favorite photographers, Dave DiCello, captured this view of Pittsburgh this morning, obstructed by a wall of light snow and low clouds. Here is what the view would normally look like.

So far, about an inch of snow has been reported with some patchy areas of light snow persisting in western Pennsylvania.

(1:30 p.m. ET) A Ground Delay Now, A Big Game Tonight

The FAA is now reporting a ground delay for departures to Indianas South Bend Regional Airport, with average delays just over an hour and fifteen minutes due to snow and ice.

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Were now approaching 6 hours from kickoff of tonights game between the host Fighting Irish and Indiana Hoosiers.

Elsewhere in the Northeast, a ground stop is now posted for Boston-Logan (due to low clouds) and JFK Airport (due to traffic volume). Deicing delays continue at Detroit, Pittsburgh, Windsor Locks Bradley Field and Providence, Rhode Island.

(12:20 p.m. ET) First One Foot Plus Snow Total

A reliable rule of thumb Ive noticed in over 28 years in meteorology is to take the over when it comes to snowfall forecasts for Alberta Clipper systems in the Midwest.

We just received the first one-foot-plus snowfall total of the event, 13.8 inches of snow measured near Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, about 30 miles northeast of Madison.

(12:10 p.m. ET) Where The Snow Is Now

Wet snow continues to fall over parts of the NYC Tri-state area, generally from Manhattan and western Long Island to New Jersey, the lower Hudson Valley and Connecticut.

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Light snow is falling over much of Pennsylvania north and west of a line from Allentown to Lancaster and over much of central and western New York state.

Rain is mixing in with snow in Ohio, while patchy light snow continues in eastern Indiana and mainly eastern Lower Michigan.

(11:50 a.m. ET) California Fog Headaches

We mentioned earlier a ground stop was in place at San Diegos Lindbergh Field due to fog.

Departures from LAX are now being delayed briefly, and departures to John Wayne Airport in Orange County are now grounded due to low clouds and fog, according to the FAA.

A dense fog advisory is in effect for parts of L.A. and Ventura County until 9 a.m. PT.

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Meanwhile, the Central Valleys famed Tule fog is solidly in place. A dense fog advisory remains in effect, there, until 11 a.m. PT.

(11:25 a.m. ET) The Lakes Effect Has Arrived In Chicago

Lake-effect bands of snow have moved into Chicagoland, including the northwest Indiana suburbs, according to radar and satellite imagery.

For now that snow is light. According to the NWS-Chicago office, this lake-effect snow is forecast to shift primarily into northwest Indiana tonight, with potential slippery travel on the Indiana Toll Road, as well as Interstates 65 and 94.

(11:10 a.m. ET) Ground Delay Now At Boston

The FAA is now reporting a ground delay for departures to Boston-Logan Airport, with average delays of 49 minutes.

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Here was a nice aerial video taken this morning in Cambridge, Massachusetts, showing snow-covered ground along the Charles River.

(10:50 a.m. ET) Airport Delays Continue

According to the FAA, dense fog has triggered a ground stop for all departures to San Diegos Lindbergh Field.

We also have deicing delays being reported at Boston-Logan, Washington-Reagan National, Pittsburgh, Detroit and Salt Lake City.

(10:40 a.m. ET) Two Main Pockets Of Snow

The latest radar shows two prime pockets of steady light snow: Indiana into western Ohio and western and central Pennsylvania into western and central New York.

So far, temperatures in the mid-30s are keeping most roads wet, not yet too slushy in Cincinnati, according to Ohio DOT cams.

Light rain is falling in the Washington, D.C. metro. But farther north, some wet snowflakes are now falling in Newark and Trenton, New Jersey.

(10:20 a.m. ET) Higher Snow Potential

The National Weather Service has just issued a winter weather advisory for parts of southeast Massachusetts and northern Rhode Island. This includes much of the Boston metro area except the south shore and Cape Cod.

Intermittent light snow has already been reported this morning at Bostons Logan Airport.

The map below shows the high end snowfall potential from the National Weather Service forecast. In other words, this is generally the highest snowfall that is possible through Saturday morning. As you can see, there is potential for a few 6-inch-plus totals in parts of eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island through Saturday morning, if the setup is right.

(9:35 a.m. ET) Snow Before The Game

Chris Dolce, weather.com senior meteorologist, noticed this photo sent early this morning from Notre Dame Stadium. The Fighting Irish are hosting the Indiana Hoosiers tonight in the first game of the College Football Playoff.

Any snowfall should be over by the 8 p.m. ET kickoff. That should allow crews to clear snow off the field. But those traveling to the game from northern Illinois, Michigan or Ohio may encounter lingering snow covered roads.

Our College Football Playoff forecast also covers two other playoff games Saturday that could be quite cold.

(9:20 a.m. ET) Almost A Foot Of Snow

Snow totals have now reached 10 to 11 inches in parts of eastern Wisconsins Ozaukee and Washington Counties.

Some enhancement from Lake Michigan, as well as stronger bands of snow, lead to the higher totals, there.

Elsewhere, we have 4 to 7 inch totals in southern Lower Michigan, and 1 inch, so far, just northwest of Pittsburgh.

(9:00 a.m. ET) Snow Falling In Midwest, Interior Northeast

Light snow is slowly winding down in Chicagoland, though a lake-effect snowband is taking shape over Lake Michigan that may eventually reach parts of the metro later today.

Otherwise, light snow is falling in Lower Michigan, central Illinois, northern Indiana, western and central Pennsylvania and western and central New York.

Snow has ended in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

You can pull up your own interactive radar here.

(8:50 a.m. ET) Flight Delays At Some Major Airports

Earlier, Chicago O'Hare reported departure delays averaging about 45 minutes, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. But that's no longer the case as snowfall moves out.

Otherwise, delays due to deicing are occurring at Boston-Logan, Detroit, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Pittsburgh and Salt Lake City.

Check the status of your flight before heading to the airport.

Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.
The Church of St Nicholas, a national architectural monument, has been damaged during a Russian missile strike on Kyiv on Friday, 20 December.

Source: Father Pavlo Vyshkovskyi, parish priest of the Church of St Nicholas, in an interview with UP.Kultura

The windows in the towers of the church have been shattered, and the stained glass windows were also damaged.

Quote: "The rose window has been damaged, that is, the largest flower in the centre [meaning the large circular window above the entrance, a traditional feature of Gothic churches]. No plasterwork was harmed, only the stained-glass windows were shattered. The windows in the towers were also smashed," Father Pavlo said.

The church was damaged as a result of the attack.

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Photo: the Kyiv City Military Administration.

He said the parishioners have gathered in the church, ready to clear the debris from the attack, but they are waiting for a commission from the Ministry of Culture to assess and document the damage.

Father Pavlo added that a representative from the National Organ and Chamber Music Hall, the custodian of the church building, has advised them not to touch anything until the commission had completed its work.

The rose window above the church entrance was damaged.

Photo: Kyiv City Military Administration.

"We've been waiting for the commission from the Ministry of Culture since the morning, but they haven't arrived yet. We can't do anything ourselves. We need to cover them [the windows], at least a little, because it's getting cold. But for now, we have to wait," Father Pavlo Vyshkovskyi said.

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The church issued a statement that despite the damage, everyone is invited to attend Christmas Mass on 24 and 25 December. "This will be a demonstration of our fortitude, the fact that nothing and no one will steal Christmas from us," Father Pavlo said.

The Church of St Nicholas is one of two Roman Catholic churches in Kyiv built before 1917. It was constructed between 1899 and 1909 in the Neo-Gothic style by the Kyiv architect Vladyslav Horodetskyi.

Since 2009, the church has been in a state of disrepair, with activists frequently highlighting that parts of the facade have been falling off.

In 2021, there was a fire in the church. After that the Ministry of Culture promised to hand the church over to the community of believers, but as of December 2024, this had not occurred.

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A Cincinnati police captain was arrested Friday on charges related to a reported assault on a woman near Washington Park last month, officials said.

Capt. Brian Norris is charged with misdemeanor assault and disorderly conduct. His police powers have been suspended and he has been moved to an administrative assignment pending the outcome of the case, the department said in a statement Friday.

The case was investigated by the Columbus City Prosecutor's Office, Cincinnati officials said.

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"I stand by my decision to have an external agency investigate this situation," Chief Teresa Theetge said in a statement. "It is imperative to have a fair and impartial investigation when any high-ranking member of our agency is alleged to have engaged in misconduct."

What happened

On Oct. 24, a bystander unconnected to the incident reported a potential domestic violence situation in the 1200 block of Elm Street, according to the statement. Police said the captain was off-duty at the time.

According to an incident report, the passerby said the captain "dragged the victim out of a vehicle while holding her in a chokehold."

The bystander said he was "on top of the victim, continuing to strangle the victim with his hands," according to the report.

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Police classified the alleged offense as a strangulation, which is a felony. Norris is not charged with this offense.

The police response

A memo about the incident sent to Theetage from Sergeant Kisha Williams describes how police responded to the scene. The document was heavily redacted, making some of the details unclear.

According to the memo, first responders found a woman lying in the grass in Washington Park. The woman said she was OK, but asked the officers if their body cameras were on and said she hesitated to talk while they were on.

"He is CPD," she told the officers.

The memo states police did eventually speak to a woman, though possibly not on body camera. The redactions also make it impossible to determine if it was the alleged victim.

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The woman told the officers she had a verbal disagreement and was distraught over a family situation.

The memo states the woman told police "people could have misconstrued the situation" and that "(redacted) was only trying to help her."

The memo indicates that Norris was taken into custody. He declined to speak to the officers about what happened.

The incident report states the victim is uncooperative and was hesitant to press charges or speak about this case.

Police documents show that Norris has been on the force for over 30 years and has a good record.

In the Cincinnati police force, a captain is the highest rank that can be reached without being selected by the chief to be an assistant chief.

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Court documents in Norris' case were not immediately available Friday. Cincinnati police said he was arrested and taken into custody. It is unclear when he will be required to appear in court.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati police captain arrested in connection with Washington Park assault
Eries newest citizens will begin the new year as new Americans.

Twenty people from 13 countries took the oath at the federal courthouse Friday morning with District Judge Susan Paradise Baxter presiding.

One new American, Maria Villamairn from Ecuador, discussed the process to prepare to become a u-s citizen and how it felt to take the oath.

Working to get a citizenship, it was a little it was a little new. There were a lot of questions that I didnt know, that I was not aware of. But it was a great journey. I was ready. I was thrilled, so super happy. And today being here is the best thing and is the best way to end the year, said Villamairn.

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After the ceremony, the new Americans received a goodie bag, and a table was set up to help them with voter registration.

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VILNIUS, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Lithuania's parliament on Thursday approved the 2025 state budget, which raises national defense spending to 4 percent of GDP, the Baltic News Service reported.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda hailed the increase, contrasting it with the previous government's plan to cut defense expenditure.

The draft budget allocated 2.5 billion euros (about 2.6 billion U.S. dollars) or over 3 percent of GDP for defense, but the new government raised the borrowing limit by roughly 800 million euros (832 million dollars) to meet the 4 percent target.

Nauseda emphasized the need to toughen fiscal disciplines, as some of the funds will need to be borrowed.

The total 2025 budget includes 17.98 billion euros (18.69 billion dollars) in revenues and 23.1 billion euros (24.0 billion dollars) in expenditures. 
A senior lawyer who groped a colleague and vomited on her shoes while drunk has been suspended from practising for two years.

Nicholas Williams, who was a partner at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, one of the elite magic circle City law firms, groped a junior colleague who felt she should escort him home after a Christmas party as he was so intoxicated that he could barely stand.

After he attempted to touch her breast and put his hand under her skirt while they were getting out of the taxi, he then staggered over to the other side of the street and lay down on some cardboard on the floor before attempting to touch her again, to which she replied: No, absolutely not.

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As he did not tell her his address and she did not want to leave him in a vulnerable state on the street, she then ordered a second taxi to take him to her home, where her partner could help.

On arriving at her home, he then vomited all over himself, on a tree and on her shoes.

According to a judgment on the case, Mr Williams  who subsequently left Freshfields  took an unfair advantage of a more junior colleague and failed to treat her with the respect to which she was entitled.

It added that the public would not expect a solicitor to behave in the manner alleged towards a more junior colleague and friend who was trying to help him to get home, and said the woman was in a vulnerable situation as he was drunk and much larger than she was.

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Mr Williams told the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) that he had no memory of what occurred and that the behaviour was out of character.

The events happened in December 2017 and Mr Williams resigned in 2019. His lawyers said the very lengthy and unexplained delay on the part of the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) had taken a major toll on him and he had already paid a heavy price.

The tribunal said his level of culpability is high as he is an experienced solicitor who at the time of the misconduct had been qualified for over 11 years and was a partner.

It is the latest claim of harassment against a magic circle partner.

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A partner at Linklaters was banned from drinking alcohol at work events earlier this year after he was accused of inappropriate behaviour during a business trip to Vienna. The elite City institution is understood to have given him a final warning following a complaint that he had touched the bottom of a female associate during a work retreat in June.

In 2020, another major City law firm, Slaughter and May, banned staff ski trips after allegations of harassment on a winter getaway led to a male lawyer leaving the firm.

A Freshfields spokesman said: We were not the subject of the SRA investigation or involved in the related SDT proceedings. The individual left the firm several years ago. At the time, we looked into the concerns raised and took appropriate action.

There have been a number of cases of harassment at Christmas parties to emerge in recent weeks, with a human rights worker last week awarded 36,000 after she was harassed at her offices Christmas party.

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The SRA, which oversees the conduct of 125,000 lawyers across England and Wales, had 95 cases of sexual misconduct under investigation as of May.

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POOLER, Ga. (WSAV)The city of Pooler held a public hearing on Thursday to detail the Pine Barren/Pooler Parkway intersection improvement project.

News 3 spoke with Rhodes Hunt, the lead design engineer of the project.

The improvements consist of signal timing upgrades as well as additional capacity improvements, Hunt said. So, well be building several turn lanes, primarily on Pine Barren [Road], to help with some of the traffic needs that are here today and coming. Were also building a bike path.

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During the hearing, neighbors said Pine Barren Road could see heavy bumper-to-bumper traffic, especially during peak times. Hunt said this $4M construction project aims to enhance traffic flow and safety.

Its a two-lane roadway today, he said. So essentially, its just one lane in each direction. So, if youre trying to turn left, you are turning the same way as folks who are trying to get through.

He added that the city is looking to eventually expand Pine Barren to five lanes: two left turn lanes, two through lanes and a right turn lane. However, as an interim improvement, the road will initially have three lanes: one for left turns, one for through traffic and one for right turns.

Were building the pavement, the curb, gutter and the drainage out to that five-lane section, said Hunt. But in the interim, were striping it to only be three lanes, because the key is we dont want to build more than is needed in the short term to help improve operations along Pooler Parkway, specifically with left turn lanes, one turn lane versus two. It requires a little bit different signal timing that takes away some of the capacity on Pooler Parkway. So, were trying to hold off as long as we can before we do that.

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Were told Pooler residents could start to see shovels in the ground as early as next summer and possibly have a completion date of 2026.

Theres a lot more intentionality and I would say consideration being made for traffic needs than really ever before in the citys history, which is really cool and also really exciting, Hunt explained. The bike and pedestrian facilities on this project really will connect this new development all the way to the school system eventually, which will be really cool and Im excited for that.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSAV-TV.
NEW TAZEWELL, Tenn. (WATE)  A Claiborne County man accused of stabbing his wife and cutting her throat pleaded guilty second-degree murder and received a 37-year prison sentence, according to court records.

Benjamin Hopson, 38, was accused of stabbing his wife Lori Hopson, 49, in April 2024. Lori Hopson was a corrections officer in charge of the kitchen at Claiborne County Jail.

Fatal shooting in Knoxville under investigation

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The arrest warrants said he violently attacked her while they were in their car on Barren Creek Road. The vehicle crashed down the embankment and Hopson slit his wifes throat, leaving her body on the ground by the car.

The arrest warrant said that he left the crash. Later, he was allegedly seen by witnesses naked and covered in blood.

I noticed at that time that both of his hands were covered in blood past the wrists, he had a large blood smear on his left thigh, said a witness during Hopsons preliminary hearing on April 23.

Man facing arson charges after fire at Kingston Pike business

Hopson was then found by a Claiborne County deputy a short distance from the area and arrested.

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He will not be eligible for parole due to a Tennessee law requiring violent offenders to serve 100% of their sentences.

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Several viral X posts claim that an oil tanker transporting aviation fuel to Israel was seized this week by Iranian officials. Just in, Iran seized an Indian oil tanker carrying 300,000 barrels of aviation fuel to Israel, reads one post with more than 270,000 views. Dozens of similar posts are also spreading on the platform.

The claim lacks evidence.

None of the five Iran scholars The Dispatch Fact Check asked about the supposed oil tanker seizure had heard of it or any similar occurrences in recent weeks, and there have been no credible media reports of the incident. None of the posts making the claim link to a news story or cite a source.

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My team ran a Persian search today and found no reports about an Iranian seizure of an Indian-flagged oil tanker. I have also not seen anything in Israeli or Arab media, Brian Carter, the Middle East portfolio manager for the American Enterprise Institutes Critical Threats Project, told The Dispatch Fact Check. Iranian, Arab, and Israeli media would have almost certainly reported these incidents if they occurred.

While there is no evidence of this particular seizure, oil tankers and their associated firms do occasionally feature in the geopolitical tug-of-war between the U.S. (and Israel) and Iran. In early December, the U.S. placed sanctions on several entitiesincluding two Indian firmsthat transported Iranian oil, and an additional Indian firm was included in a wave of U.S. sanctions issued on Thursday. Iranian state media also announced this week that it would auction off two oil tankers seized in 2022 for oil smuggling. In January 2024, Iran also seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker bound for Turkey in retaliation for the seizure of the same vessel by the U.S. in 2023.

If you have a claim you would like to see us fact check, please send us an email at factcheck@thedispatch.com. If you would like to suggest a correction to this piece or any other Dispatch article, please email corrections@thedispatch.com.

Read more at The Dispatch

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A Clark Atlanta University student who was wrongly accused of shooting another driver in a road rage incident appeared before a judge Thursday, nearly a year after the shooting.

Ladavious McNair, a CAU doctoral student, was falsely accused of shooting another driver in the leg during a 2023 road rage incident. He said he is ready to hear if a judge will issue an arrest warrant for the detective who arrested him.

Channel 2s Michael Seiden was at the court, where the warrant application hearing finished.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

The proceedings, essentially a mini-trial, has both sides of the case call witnesses and deliver closing arguments.

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After that, its up to the judge to decide if theres enough evidence to issue an arrest warrant.

The judge said she needs more time before she can make her decision, which will come after she considers more than two hours of testimony and evidence.

McNair and his fiance were in the courtroom Thursday afternoon, where they listened to Atlanta Police Department Detective Abdul Mustapha, who arrested and charged McNair in October.

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Mustapha accused McNair of shooting and injuring another driver during a 2023 road rage incident near the Atlanta University Center. McNair was eventually indicted but last month, prosecutors dropped the charges against him after the victim told police and prosecutors that they had the wrong guy.

Since then, McNairs attorney, Marsha Mignott, has been trying to get justice for her client after she accused the detective of committing perjury by lying to a judge to get an arrest affidavit.

McNairs legal team said that Mustapha knowingly pursued him as a suspect, despite evidence and victim statements that indicated another person may be responsible.

Remember, our office got contacted by the alleged victim. Thank God he has a conscience because if he didnt have a conscience, he couldve easily used Detective Mustapha to complete finishing off an innocent man, Mignott said. The DAs office had absolutely no problem with Detective Mustapha or his investigation or they wouldnt have brought the charges if they felt this way, so we ask that ou dismiss this care, your Honor.

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The lawyer for Mustapha declined to comment on Thursdays hearing and its unclear when the judge will make her ruling. With the holidays right around the corner, the decision is expected to come in early January.

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AFTON, Okla.  Northeast Oklahoma high school students may be building the next aircraft youll fly in.

Five students at Northeast Techs Afton campus have been working to build a two-seat airplane this semester. Another 15 will join them next semester.

The project was made possible through a partnership with Tango Flight, a national nonprofit helping high school students build FAA-compliant planes. The plane comes in kits, with students responsible for assembling the frame, final shaping of some of the metalwork, and installing things like the fuel system and electronics.

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This plane is expected to take them about two and a half years to finish. While the school did have to front a down payment, theyll get that money back when the project is finished. Upon completion, staff with Tango will inspect and fly the plane before it is sold. While it does give the students real-world experience in things local manufacturers do every day, its also helping them make decisions about their future.

For the longest time, I thought I was going to major in computer sciences, and then I came out here, we started working on the plane, I realized this was a lot more fun, so now Im going to go into aerospace instead, said Reagan Rudd, a third-year senior at Ketchum High School.

Its also, to me, a great metaphor for life, because when this first came in, we were all really overwhelmed by just the sheer quantity of parts, and it was all new. And just like life, you learn how to break it down a little bit at a time. If you dont know what youre doing, you can reach out to somebody, and then they get new skills, and its great real-life experience for them, said Trishia Masterson, Northeast Oklahoma Tech Afton Campus STEM Academy instructor.

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By the way, Rudd plans to attend Oklahoma State University after high school, dual majoring in aerospace and mechanical engineering.

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MANHATTAN (KSNT)  A local man is back home after spending the last two-and-a-half years in prison.

Deshaun Durham was 20-years-old when he was arrested for having over two pounds of marijuana. He was originally given 92 months; an unusually extreme punishment for a first-time offender.

He was released earlier this month after Gov. Laura Kelly commuted the remainder of his sentence. Dec. 25 will be the first Christmas home with his family since getting locked-up.

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Such a good feeling, Durham said, to be able to actually enjoy, you know, what comes with the holidays. Be around my family and just celebrate Christmas again and everything like that, you know, its a pretty intense feeling.

Durham was incarcerated at the correctional facility in Hutchinson. He said when all-else failed, he appealed to the Governor.

They told me I could fill out a clemency application, he said, but thousands of people within the prison system put that in so, theyre like oh, youre probably not gonna get it. So I just sat in my cell one day and wrote a three-page letter to the Governor.

After years of waiting, he got a response.

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I guess in the end it worked out, he said. They told me I had an interview with the Governors chief legal counsel talking to other people in there, theyre like, oh, that never happens. So, you know, something good must be on the way.'

During a sit-down with 27 News, Gov. Kelly said she doesnt generally discuss specifics of pardons or commutations. When asked about Durhams case, Kelly stood by her history of exercising her power to grant clemency.

We should not keep people incarcerated who dont need to be incarcerated, Kelly said, or have been incarcerated for much longer than would have been in, say, another case.

Clemency isnt the only gift Durham got for Christmas. Among the top of his to-dos after release was seeing the Kansas City Chiefs play at Arrowhead Stadium. Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy caught wind and made it happen.

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It was definitely quite the experience, Durham said. I went from watching all the Chiefs games on my 13-inch TV that we had at the prison to actually being there and being so close to the field.

The Manhattan native didnt get the chance to meet Worthy, but hopes to say thank you in-person one day.

It was a really nice gesture by Xavier Worthy to hook me up like that, he said, I really hope in the future hes willing to meet me.

Durham is working at a local Chinese restaurant while he figures out whats next. He said the Last Prisoner Project, a cannabis policy reform advocacy group, was instrumental in his release. Durham also said he now plans to become an advocate for people incarcerated for marijuana-related crimes.

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On how it feels to be out for good, he said its still surreal to be free.

It kinda felt like a dream. I had to look at the paper, the commutation paper, a couple times just to make sure it wasnt like scam mail or something, to make sure it was real it was hard not to cry a little bit cause, you know, I had about four-and-a-half years left. Its, you know, prison is so hard in there. Deshaun Durham on finding out his sentence was commuted

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OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR)  Governor Kevin Stitt has named the next District Attorney for District 21 after longtime DA Greg Mashburn announced his retirement on Wednesday.

On Thursday, Jennifer Pointer Austin was appointed as the next DA for District 21, which encompasses Cleveland, Garvin and McClain Counties. She first began working as a prosecutor in the Oklahoma County District Attorneys Office, where she helped found the Domestic Violence Prosecution Team.

Jennifer Pointer Austin. Photo courtesy Oklahoma Governors Office.

Austin then joined the District 21 office under Mashburn in 2007, working with the Major Crimes Team and later the Special Victims Team to prosecute child and adult sexual abuse cases. In 2022, she became First Assistant District Attorney and managed daily operations while continuing to prosecute homicide cases.

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Austin will take office after Mashburns retirement on March 1.

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NORMAN -- The district judge presiding over a lawsuit between a Moore family, state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters and the Oklahoma State Board of Education spent almost two hours Thursday afternoon questioning attorneys on both sides of the case during a hearing at the Cleveland County Courthouse.

Judge Michael Tupper said he had examined the evidence and read all the filings from both sides but wasnt prepared to make a ruling Thursday. Tupper questioned Leslie Briggs, an attorney from the Appleseed Center for Law and Justice representing the Moore family and David Whaley, an attorney from Elgin, representing Walters and the state board.

The hearing, which comes almost a year to the day after the lawsuit was originally filed, followed a request by Briggs for summary judgement in the case.

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Tupper said he would issue a ruling later, adding that he needed time to evaluate the evidence, testimony and the briefs.

"You've (both) have given me a lot," Tupper said. "I need to think about this. I'm gonna do so. I'm not in the business of pontificating from the bench. That doesn't help anyone so this is an important matter and I want to give it some careful thought and analysis under the evidentiary materials you presented, under the law that has been cited. That's a long way of saying that I will take this under advisement and issue a written decision on this."

Tupper said he would make the ruling a priority but didn't want to limit himself. "I will have this to you just as soon as I can. I will prioritize it. Typically that means 30 days," he said.

Briggs client, listed a J. Doe on court filings, is a student in the Moore Schools District who sued Walters and education board over an administrative rule that prevents the student from changing their pronouns in school records.

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Briggs wrote that the ultimate issue in the case was a question of law and argued that Walters and the board violated the students right to procedural due process under the Oklahoma Administrative Procedures Act and the Oklahoma Constitution, which Briggs said, would entitle the student to a summary judgment in the case.

The Defendants had no authority to engage in rulemaking to control students ability to correct their gender markers in school records, Briggs wrote. To allow Defendants Rule to stand amounts to an improper expansion of (the Oklahoma State Department of Educations) power and constitutes an usurpation of Legislative policymaking authority. Oklahoma law is clear: Agencies are a tool of the Executive to carry out the policy of the Legislature. They cannot unilaterally expand their authority, and they must abide by the publics right to due process.

Whaley, the attorney for Walters and the state board, countered that education board took the action because of previous executive order issued by Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt.

"The governor did, in fact, issue an executive order," he said. "I believe the Department of Education took that (the executive order) into consideration when it promogulated the rule."

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Stitt's order, filed last August, requires documents such as drivers' licenses and birth certificates to list an individuals biological sex. That 'sex' marker must align with the governor's definitions which are outlined in the executive order.

The unnamed student wanted to change their pronouns in school records. But last September, the Board of Education created an administrative rule prohibiting school districts and local schools from altering sex or gender designations in past student records" without the board's authorization.

The board granted final approval to the rule on Jan. 25 despite court orders from judges in Cleveland and Payne counties that allowed for such changes in student records. Bryan Cleveland, then the agency's general counsel, called the orders illegal.

Court records also show that Jason Reese, who was listed as the attorney of record for Walters and the board withdrew from the case Thursday, replaced by Whaley.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Cleveland County judge questions attorneys in Oklahoma pronoun case
LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  The Transportation Security Administration is asking Little Rock fliers to check their bags ahead of the holidays.

So far in 2024, TSA in Little Rock intercepted 37 guns found in carry-on luggage. That is already matching the 2023 total but it is doing so ahead of the holiday rush.

What are cat eyes? TSA issues warning over uptick in passengers carrying prohibited item to checkpoints

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The Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport anticipates 80,208 travelers between Dec. 15 and Jan. 4, a 7.4% increase from the 74,685 in 2023. Each person will pass through security where a troubling trend is being noticed.

Guns and ammunition can travel through checked luggage, but guns must be declared, unloaded, and locked in travel cases. Ammunition must also be in its manufacturers packaging.

Bringing a gun to checked luggage results in a $16,000 TSA fine and may carry additional charges when local police respond TSA Media Spokesperson for Arkansas Patricia Mancha explained.

Some items cannot be stowed in either checked luggage or carry-on luggage. They include explosives (including fireworks) and torchlighters. More information can be found at AskTSA.

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TSA detects shotgun shell containing meth hidden in travelers groin area at Pennsylvania airport

For those caught with prohibited items at the TSA check, such as blunt or sharp items that could be used as weapons, anything that resembles a weapon, or liquids, gels, creams, butter, etc. that exceed 3.4 oz. there are other options besides voluntarily surrendering them.

Travelers actually have the option to step out of line, place the item in checked luggage that goes in the belly of the plane, give it to a non-traveler, or put in in their car, but most people dont have enough time or dont want to step out of line and start over, Mancha said.

She recommends arriving to flights two hours early to avoid any setbacks that would cause a person to miss their flight.

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Miami TSA agents catch man hiding snakes in his pants

The TSA checkpoint at Clinton National opens daily at 4 a.m., with airline ticket counters opening at approximately 3:30 a.m. to accommodate early departures.

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BUDAPEST, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Hungarian government has announced plans to contest what it called an "outrageous and unacceptable" fine of 200 million euros (207.3 million U.S. dollars) imposed by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) earlier this year.

The fine, coupled with a daily penalty of 1 million euros, stems from Hungary's alleged failure to comply with the European Union (EU) asylum regulations.

In a statement published Thursday evening, Justice Minister Bence Tuzson criticized the ECJ ruling, arguing it exceeded the European Commission's initial request and lacked adequate justification. He also raised concerns about the judicial process, claiming a breach of Hungary's right to a lawful judge.

Hungary has been protecting the EU's borders since 2015, and these efforts have gone largely unsupported financially by the EU, according to the statement.

The government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban is now consulting international law firms to take legal action. "Hungary is preparing to take legal action against the European Union, seeking compensation for damages resulting from the ECJ's ruling," the statement read. Tuzson emphasized that the EU owes Hungary reparations for the financial burdens incurred while safeguarding the EU's external borders.

The ECJ ruled in June that Hungary had failed to address violations identified in a 2020 judgment. These violations include restricting access to asylum procedures, detaining asylum seekers in transit zones, and expelling third-country nationals without due process. The court described Hungary's actions as a "serious threat to the unity of EU law," undermining the principles of solidarity and shared responsibility among member states.

Orban, a vocal critic of EU migration policies, has pledged to defend Hungary's sovereignty. "We will protect the borders and the Hungarian people," Orban said, accusing Brussels of financial coercion. (1 euro = 1.04 U.S. dollar) 
New clues have emerged as authorities continue investigating a mass murder where seven people were shot to death in 2020 at a marijuana grow house in Riverside County.

The property, located in the 45000 block of Highway 371 in Aguanga, a rural town, was home to more than 20 people at one point and housed several makeshift dwellings and a nursery.

On Sept. 7, 2020, Riverside County deputies responded to reports of an assault at the residence at around 12:33 a.m.

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At the home, authorities discovered six people had been fatally shot and one woman with a gunshot wound who was still alive. The woman was rushed to the hospital where she later died. All seven victims were of Laotian descent, authorities said.

Investigators discovered the property was being used to manufacture and harvest an illegal marijuana operation. Over 1,000 pounds of marijuana and several hundred marijuana plants were located at the scene.

This was not a small operation, said Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco at the time. This is a very organized crime type of operation.

A car is left parked at a house where killings occurred in the rural town of Aguanga, Calif. on Sept. 8, 2020. Seven people were found fatally shot at the illegal marijuana growing operation located on the property. (AP Photo/Elliot Spagat) A car is left parked at a house where killings occurred in the rural town of Aguanga, Calif. on Sept. 8, 2020. Seven people were found fatally shot at the illegal marijuana growing operation located on the property. (OC Hawk) A car is left parked at a house where killings occurred in the rural town of Aguanga, Calif. on Sept. 8, 2020. Seven people were found fatally shot at the illegal marijuana growing operation located on the property. (OC Hawk) A car is left parked at a house where killings occurred in the rural town of Aguanga, Calif. on Sept. 8, 2020. Seven people were found fatally shot at the illegal marijuana growing operation located on the property. (OC Hawk)

No suspects were found at the scene and the case went cold.

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Over the past four years, investigators have identified and followed up on multiple leads.

On Dec. 18, 2024, new clues were revealed as detectives believe the murders were a targeted incident involving gang members of Laotian descent from the San Diego area. Authorities have also identified one of the vehicles used in the shooting as a mid-size dark-colored SUV. The case was labeled a home invasion robbery but nothing was reported stolen.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the victims  five women and two men  were identified by authorities as Samantha Sourignasak, 44 and Khamphour Nanthavongdovane, 53, both of Las Vegas; Phone Chankhamany, 54, Thongpath Luangkoth, 47, and Souphanh Pienthiene, 48. Also killed were Anaheim residents Vikham Silimanotham, 64, and Khamtoune Silimanotham, 59.

The young son of a victim told the Times that most of the people killed were recent immigrants from Laos who were struggling to find employment. Many would work and live on the grow site until they made enough money to eventually move on.

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The property was being rented at the time and the owner, Ronald McKay, told the Associated Press that he was surprised to learn anything underhanded had been taking place.

McKay said he didnt know the tenants personally as the rentals were handled by someone who worked with him. He said the main house had been rented for three years and a mobile home on the property for two years without incident.

The circumstances leading up to the killings remain under investigation. Detectives are seeking the publics help in solving the murder.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Investigator Victor Magana or Investigator Ryan Deanne at 951-955-2777 or by emailing vmmagana@riversidesheriff.org. The public can also submit information through the Sheriffs Office online tip line.

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The U.S. Coast Guard and multiple rescue teams are searching for a 35-year-old Yacolt, Washington, man whose vessel sank in rough waters near Oak Harbor.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound received a report of a 37-foot cabin cruiser struggling in stormy weather near North Whidbey Island.

North Whidbey Fire and Rescue initially assisted the vessel, bringing it to safe harbor in Oak Harbor.

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The operator chose to remain aboard.

Hours later, the individual contacted dispatch again, reporting his vessel was taking on water after returning to sea.

The Coast Guard issued an urgent marine broadcast and launched a MH-65 helicopter from Air Station Port Angeles, while North Whidbey Fire and Rescue deployed marine assets.

Rescuers witnessed the vessel sink below the waterline, and the operator was seen flashing a light from the water.

Despite efforts to locate the man, responders lost sight of him.

The Coast Guard continued the search overnight using night-vision goggles, with assistance from a Navy MH-60 helicopter at first light and a USCG response boat from Station Bellingham.

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The Island County Sheriffs Office also joined the effort.

The partially submerged vessel was located east of Maylor Point in Oak Harbor.

The search area has spanned 74 square miles but has not yet yielded results.

The search continued until dusk on December 18.

The Coast Guard and local authorities remind mariners to take precautions in severe weather and carry emergency equipment when venturing onto the water.




Bullish, the owner of leading crypto publication CoinDesk, abruptly dismissed three top editors on Friday, including editor-in-chief Kevin Reynolds, according to sources familiar with the matter. The decision comes after a newsroom controversy in which Bullish leadership forced editors to take down an article about the crypto billionaire Justin Sun after his team complained about its tone.

Long a go-to source for blockchain industry news, CoinDesk was instrumental in exposing the massive fraud at Sam Bankman-Frieds FTX in 2022. More recently, CoinDesk has faced uncertainty since economic troubles at its previous parent company, Digital Currency Group, forced the crypto conglomerate to sell the outlet to Bullish, a crypto exchange, for around $75 million in late 2023.

While Bullish promised to preserve CoinDesks editorial independence, the unusual decision to remove the articlewhich appeared to be accurateabout Sun sparked backlash from the sites journalists. The incident also led to the resignation of Matt Murray, the former Wall Street Journal editor-in-chief whom Bullish appointed to lead a CoinDesk editorial committee after the acquisition.

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Fridays layoffs, which included deputy editors-in-chief Nick Baker and Marc Hochstein, throw the newsroom into further turmoil, with many staff members considering resignation, according to sources familiar with the matter. Hochstein also oversaw the sites ethics and standards, according to CoinDesks website.

One senior staffer described the three top editors as the heart of the newsroom to Fortune and said they were stunned and disappointed. They added that Bullishs decision after the Sun controversy sends the message that Bullish senior management is not seriously concerned with CoinDesks independence as a newsroom.

Reynolds and Baker declined to comment. Hochstein did not respond to a request for comment. Bullish CEO Tom Farley, CoinDesk CEO Sara Stratoberdha, and a spokesperson for Sun did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The banana controversy

In late November, CoinDesk published an article about one of the crypto industrys most eccentricand powerfulfigures, Tron founder Justin Sun. The article detailed a stunt by Sun, in which the billionaire purchased a modern art piece of a real banana for $6.2 million from the auction house Sothebys and ate it at a staged showing. The author describes the surreal nature of the event, as well as Suns personal run-ins with the law. (The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged him with fraud, though Sun and Tron are contesting the charges.)

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According to sources familiar with the matter, Suns team asked CoinDesk and its owners to take down the article, with Farley forcing editors to remove it in early December without the typical retraction notice. The move drew criticism from editorial staffers, leading to a newsroom meeting and Murrays resignation. Murray also began as executive editor at the Washington Post in June.

Editorial staffers have speculated that the decision stemmed from Trons role as a major sponsor for CoinDesks flagship conference, Consensus, which is debuting an event in Hong Kong this year. According to an email sent by Bullish to employees and viewed by Fortune, the company is also preparing for an initial public offering.

On Friday, the three top editors had their Slacks deactivated, and newsroom staff were later informed in an email, viewed by Fortune, from CoinDesk CEO Stratoberdha that Reynolds, Hochstein, and Baker were being let go in a restructuring as a result of cost reduction measures and to boost productivity. She added that there were no further layoffs planned and emphasized Bullishs commitment to CoinDesks journalistic independence.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
On Wednesday, Republicans in Congress killed a bipartisan spending package that would have averted a government shutdown.

Although Donald Trump has since taken credit for the decision, many prominent Democrats have argued that Elon Musk, who led the charge against the bill hours before the president-elect weighed in, is the one really calling the shots.

In his monologue Thursday, Stephen Colbert joined in on the trolling, referring to him as Vice President Trump.

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Yesterday, Speaker Mike Johnson had painstakingly negotiated a compromise with the Democrats to fund the government through March, Colbert noted. But then that was all upended at the last minute by Elon Musk, who tweeted at 4.15 a.m. yesterday, This bill should not pass.

It makes sense that Musk would kill this at the last minute, because hes an expert at blowing things up on the launchpad, Colbert joked, showing a clip of a SpaceX rocket exploding during a flight test.

Colbert continued, Im sure the founders are spinning in their graves with joy at the way all of this is playing out. After all, the Constitution does start with, We the people do whatever rich boy tells us. Rich boy makes the big square truck car!

Trump didnt weigh in for a few hours, but when he did, it was just to echo what Musk had already said, Colbert said, Which is why now some folks are calling Elon Musk president.

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Colbert declared, Well, if hes going to be the guy running everything, Im going to have to work on my Elon Musk impression.

The Late Night host gave an awkward jump, referencing Musks widely-mocked tendency to hop around on stage.

The President Elon jokes and accusations have also been made by prominent Democratic congressmen ever since the spending bill was killed. Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal, for instance, posted on X Wednesday, Its clear whos in charge, and its not President-elect Donald Trump.

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders posted, Democrats and Republicans spent months negotiating a bipartisan agreement to fund our government. The richest man on Earth, President Elon Musk, doesnt like it. Will Republicans kiss the ring?
After more than 30 years, Plano police arrested a man on Thursday, Dec. 19 in connection to child abuse cold case.

Nicholas Carney, 64, was arrested in the 1991 abduction and sexual assault of an 8-year-old child, Plano Police Department said in a news release.

Detectives located Carney in Ardmore, Oklahoma after years of investigation and collaboration with other law enforcement agencies, police said.

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Police said Carney has also been linked to a similar case in Dallas from 1999.

We have reason to believe there are more victims, police said.

On Aug. 15, 1991, at approximately 6 p.m. in the 1700 block of Lake Hill Lane in Plano, two children were walking to a neighborhood pool when an unidentified male abducted and sexually assaulted one of the children. The injured child was found five hours later in Garland, police said.

Police said in 2023, Plano police detective and Texas Rangers used the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative project to gather further investigative leads from evidence collected in 1991.

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In 2024 a combination of traditional forensic sciences and genetic genealogy research by Bode Technology and a crime analyst for the Plano Police Department connected evidence from the case to Carney, police said.

Carney is currently detained with a pending bond and0 police and detectives are continuing to investigate potential offenses by him, police said.

Anyone with information about Carneys relation to criminal activity is urged to call the Plano Police Department tip line at 972-941-2148 or policetips@plano.gov.
Anglers float down Glenwood Canyon near Grizzly Creek on April 7, 2023. (Chase Woodruff/Colorado Newsline)

While chaos in the U.S. House of Representatives threatened to trigger a government shutdown just before the holidays, Colorado Democrats and outdoor recreation advocates cheered the passage of a wide-ranging public lands bill in the Senate on Thursday.

The bipartisan Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences or EXPLORE Act was unanimously approved by the Senate after being passed by the House earlier this year. It now heads to President Joe Biden to be signed into law.

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Todays passage of the EXPLORE Act will supercharge the outdoor recreation industry and is a victory for our economy, our communities, our quality of life, and our shared connection to the outdoors, Jessica Wahl Turner, president of the trade group Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, said in a statement. By advancing this transformative legislation, Congress has shown its commitment to ensuring every American has access to world-class outdoor experiences, from our backyard to the backcountry, while supporting the businesses, workers, and communities who make those experiences possible.

The EXPLORE Act includes a variety of measures aimed at protecting certain recreational uses of federally owned public lands, simplifying permitting procedures for federal land management and ensuring equal access for people with disabilities, military veterans and young people.

Among the bills specific provisions is language recognizing continued installation of rock-climbing anchors as an appropriate use of federally protected wilderness areas, blunting any further attempts by federal agencies to allow them to be prohibited in some cases, as some conservation groups have called for. The climbing protections were a priority for U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper, a Colorado Democrat, who had repeatedly urged the Biden administration to back off plans for the new guidance.

Our booming outdoor recreation economy creates jobs and drives local economies across Colorado, Hickenlooper said in a statement Thursday. Were making it easier for our outdoor rec businesses and outfitters to thrive while improving access to our public lands.

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U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse, a Democrat from Lafayette, touted the passage of four bills he sponsored as part of the package, including measures to encourage the U.S. Forest Service to lease land for affordable housing and to expand opportunities for long-distance biking trails.

The EXPLORE Act also contains a Neguse-led bill boosting efforts to slow the spread of highly invasive aquatic species in waterways across Colorado and the West, following the detection of zebra mussels in several locations on the Western Slope this summer. Zebra mussels pose an extreme risk to water ecosystems because they strip plankton, an essential food source, from the water, and can threaten water supplies by damaging critical infrastructure.

The Stop the Spread of Invasive Mussels Act, also sponsored by Colorado U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, aims to strengthen coordination between federal and state agencies responding to the spread of invasive species, including by giving the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation the authority to fund response programs, improving data sharing and ensuring that at-risk basins are eligible and prioritized for watercraft inspection and decontamination funding.

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Its as simple as this  in Colorado, the preservation of our public lands and the strength of our outdoor recreation economy is not only integral to the spirit of our state but to the success of our people, Neguse in a statement. I am proud to see these bills through to the finish line  and even more excited for the ways in which they will deliver for our communities.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)  The Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority had a record-breaking year for investments, joining Columbus City Council in increased efforts to protect and promote affordable housing this week.

On Tuesday, CMHA announced a combined $78.9 million purchase of the Residences at Eden Park in northeast Columbus and The Orchards near Rickenbacker International Airport, two existing apartment complexes that will now offer affordable housing options for working families. The announcement followed a Monday City Council meeting where legislators passed three ordinances to help protect Columbus residents from eviction.

Columbus evicts dozens from homeless camps

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Council passed a measure regulating residential wholesalers, which will require property investors who buy up homes and neighborhoods to register with the city and follow a new code of conduct. The measure was introduced by Council President Shannon Hardin, who said the new practices will offer increased transparency and protections for residents.

Council also approved a bill that gives residents who are at risk for eviction access to legal counsel for their eviction hearings. That bill was sponsored by outgoing councilmember Shayla Favor, who also sponsored the third housing ordinance Council approved Monday evening, which involved rent increase notifications. Under the third new ordinance, landlords must notify tenants of a rent increase at least 60 days in advance.

All three measures were introduced to prevent eviction, which has dramatically increased in Columbus since 2020 and the onset of COVID-19.

CMHA said its two new complexes will add 426 units for workforce housing, or affordable housing for families who may be middle-income and who serve in essential roles like police, firefighters, educators, food service, retail and healthcare workers. CMHA said rent will range from $1,100 to $1,900 monthly for the one-, two- and three-bedroom units, and the complexes will include clubhouses, resident lounges, cardio centers, business centers, private patios and balconies, walk-in closets, coffee bars and a dog park.

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Both CMHA and Council said the efforts were investments into the people of Columbus, expressing that if people work in the city, they should be able to afford to live in the city. Economists found home prices have increased substantially in Columbus in response to new growth and increased demand, but income has not followed suit.

Columbus housing crisis: Storage unit living reported

Don Leonard, a professional practice assistant professor with Ohio States architecture program, said wages in central Ohio have gone up around 54% since 2000, whereas lower-tier housing costs have gone up 254% in the same period.

If youre not increasing supply of housing, all you do when you put more money in homebuyers pockets is put them in a bidding war against their fellow neighbors, Leonard said. And I think thats exactly what we see here in central Ohio.

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We called it Housing for All because at Columbus City Council, we believe housing is a human right. Period. Its a commitment to the idea that every individual deserves a safe, secure, and dignified place to live, Favor said.

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Dec. 20A Columbus, Indiana man has been arrested on felony charges following a six-month investigation by Indiana State Police detectives with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Earlier this year, Detective Robert Whyte began an investigation after the Indiana State Police received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The tip indicated that a social media application discovered that a user was sharing images of possible child pornography to other users.

After multiple search warrants and subpoenas were issued and served, the potential suspect was identified as Michael E. Lawless, 56, of Columbus.

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Wednesday, investigators with the Indiana State Police, with the assistance of the Bartholomew County Sheriff's Department and the United States Secret Service, served additional search warrants on Lawless in Bartholomew County.

At the conclusion of the search warrants, Lawless was arrested on felony charges of distribution and possession of child pornography. He was transported to the Bartholomew County Jail where he was incarcerated pending an initial court appearance in Bartholomew County.

The Bartholomew County Prosecutor's Office also assisted in this investigation.

The Indiana ICAC Task Force is a multiagency task force that investigates and prosecutes persons who use the internet to exploit children. The Indiana State Police oversees the task force.

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The Indiana ICAC Task Force encourages Hoosiers to report online exploitation, solicitation, and enticement-type crimes against children to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The NCMEC website can be accessed through the ICAC Task Force website located at internetcrimesagainstkids.com.

Suspected criminal activity may also be reported to your local law enforcement agency.  Information provided
COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL)  If a government shutdown were to happen, Columbus State University says it has its military students on the assistance program covered.

In the case of a shutdown, the CSU Foundation would cover tuition costs for students reliant on the Military Tuition Assistance Program until government funding is restored.

This ensures our dedicated active-duty soldiers, national guardsmen and reservists can continue their education without interruption, the university shared.

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Anyone with questions is asked to contact the CSU Military Connected Student Services advising team at military@columbusstate.edu.

Its worth noting CSUs hours will be slightly different during winter break. Starting Dec. 23, some campus services and offices will be closed or have limited hours. The university itself is closed from Dec. 25 to Jan. 1.

Classes start back Jan. 6.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WRBL.
BRUSSELS, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- King Philippe of Belgium has extended the mandate of Bart De Wever, president of the Flemish party N-VA, to form a federal government until Jan. 7.

Belgium has been without a federal government for six months following legislative elections in June.

The Royal Palace announced the decision on Friday, expressing hope for a decisive breakthrough early next year.

Efforts are underway to unite five key parties into an "Arizona" coalition: the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), the Flemish Christian Democrats (CD&V), the socialist Vooruit, the French-speaking Reformist Movement (MR), and the centrist Les Engages.

Negotiations have centered on sensitive topics such as migration and fiscal policy but have yet to produce a definitive agreement.

The urgency is compounded by Belgium's obligation to submit its 2025 budget plan to the European Commission by the end of the year, along with a multi-year fiscal consolidation trajectory for reforms and investments. 
AUSTIN (KXAN)  Commercial auto insurance rates rose for the second year in a row, new data shows. This comes despite a 2021 state laws goal of bringing down costs by making it harder to sue trucking companies, critics argue.

In the three years since a law targeting civil lawsuits against trucking companies passed (through June 30 of this year), commercial insurance rates for all vehicle types increased, on average, nearly 28%, according to a weighted rated change calculation and a new report released by the Texas Department of Insurance.

Since 2017, commercial rates have climbed by an average of 73%, according to TDI. The final numbers for 2024 are not available yet.

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The law, House Bill 19, created a bifurcated trial process when suing trucking companies involved in accidents on Texas roads, which are already some of the most dangerous in the country. Under HB 19, civil lawsuits involving a commercial vehicle are essentially split into two trials. A jury must first find the driver negligent before it can consider, in a second phase, whether the company carries any blame  and if so, how much.

Juries can only hear certain accusations  for example, if a company was negligent in hiring or training an employee  in a trials second phase. Attorneys said the law puts a muzzle on a victims ability to tell their story in court.

Supporters said the law isnt meant to prevent legitimate victims from seeking justice but rather to prevent juries from unfairly punishing businesses through large so-called nuclear verdicts.

The legislature tasked TDI with studying the laws impact on insurance rates, which was a selling point to lawmakers.

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Deadly truck crash foreshadows fight between business, safety at Capitol

Austin traffic (KXAN Photo/Chris Nelson)

Effect is not quantifiable

Last year, TDI began surveying insurers that filed a rate change. Their responses fell into three categories: HB 19 has no impact, the impact is immaterial to rates or it is too early to determine how significant the law will be, according to the report.

TDI said some insurers provided data related to the change in lawsuit rates but noted, so far, it has yet to see any impact from HB 19.

None of the insurers said that their rate changes were due to HB 19, the report found. A few insurers thought that HB 19 may eventually positively affect rates, but the effect is not quantifiable at this time.

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The average liability premium for all vehicle types increased 70% from 2017-2024. For trucks, tractors and trailers it increased 75% during that timeframe.

Per any comment, we defer to the report, a TDI spokesperson said.

Further tort reform must be pursued

The Texas Trucking Association lobbied for HB 19. In 2021, TTA President John Esparza testified in front of state lawmakers that reforms were needed because grossly inflated verdicts were driving up insurance costs and putting companies out of business. In a recent interview with KXAN, Esparza admitted its going to take some time to see whether HB 19 is going to be effective.

Its very difficult to see rates go down, he said. But weve got to start with providing the environment in which they can.

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Esparza said he expects the law will help slow rising rates but, in a statement, doubled-down by saying the new figures are precisely why further tort reform must be pursued today.

We are living in an era where phantom medical damages, staged accidents, and third-party investors benefiting from the blatant abuse of our judicial system are commonplace, he said. Its driving insurance companies out-of-state and trucking companies out-of-business. Unchecked, we can expect this type of lawsuit abuse to continue, and as you have noted, progressively gotten worse.

He said he wants lawsuit reform that ensures actual victims receive thoughtful and fair compensation.

A weighted average statewide range change for commercial auto rates in Texas (Courtesy Texas Department of Insurance)

They might have had a chance. Widower pushing for truck safety devices

Gutting legal rights

Texas Watch, a non-partisan group that advocates on behalf of consumers, said the latest numbers arent surprising.

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Weve had 30 years of tort reform in this state  always with the promise of lower insurance rates, said Ware Wendell, the groups executive director. That promise has been broken over and over. Insurance rates continue to skyrocket for drivers, patients, and small business owners who are paying more and more as greedy insurance companies continue to hike their rates.

Wendell testified against HB 19. His organization plans to fight efforts by the newly formed Lonestar Economic Alliance to expand the law during the next legislative session. Lobbyists have called for pain and suffering judgments to be capped, medical bills presented to juries to be regulated, and certain information  like if a driver was drunk or unlicensed  to only be heard if a civil trial reaches a second phase. Texans for Lawsuit Reform has advocated for claims for negligent hiring and retention to be jettisoned altogether and poor training to only be disclosed in unusual circumstances.

Gutting our legal rights only hurts families, Wendell said. It does nothing to improve safety or lower insurance costs.

The Alliance, which likened some civil suits to being held for ransom, is made up of more than 650 members from industries that include insurance, transportation, agriculture, construction, finance, food and beverage, home services, housing, law, medical supplies, oil and gas and other trade associations, according to a news release and the groups website.

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Special interest laws for careless trucking companies only make our roads more dangerous, driving up costs and stealing lives, Wendell said. Our focus needs to be on reducing the number of crashes, not removing rights.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
Houston  Donna Thomas is a pollution warrior in Houston, Texas. She wears a mask because she believes a lifetime of breathing polluted air in her community contributed to a stroke four years ago.

Near her home, Thomas points out Texas' largest coal-fired power plant.

"It's the oldest thing you can be burning in our neighborhoods. It's dangerous," Thomas said.

To respond to communities like hers, the Environmental Protection Agency under President Biden created a new Office of Environmental Justice. It is staffed by 200 people and funded by more than $2.8 billion that goes directly to "disadvantaged, marginalized, and over-polluted communities," including support for projects that allow neighborhoods to monitor their own air quality.

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But Project 2025, a possible roadmap for President-Elect Donald Trump, recommends "eliminating the EPA's stand-alone Office of Environmental Justice."

"We already know that everybody's concerned. We want our EPA to be stronger," Thomas said.

But that is unlikely, as Trump has vowed to "cut ten old regulations for every one new regulation."

Many business and industry leaders say environmental regulation is anti-competitive and costs them money. In his first term, Trump cut 100 environmental regulations. Just last week, he posted on social media that "any person or company investing one billion dollars... in the United States, will receive fully expedited approvals and permits, including...all environmental approvals."

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Daniel Cohan, a professor and researcher at Rice University, sits on one of the EPA's scientific advisory boards and is skeptical of the claim that environmental regulations stifle business.

"We've seen the oil and gas industry prosper and produce more oil and gas than ever before, even with EPA regulations," Cohan said.

Since the EPA first started regulating clean air in the 1970s, emissions of the most common air pollutants have dropped by almost 80%. But around Houston, there's still a long way to go. Each year, the pollution from that power plant is responsible for 177 premature deaths, a 2018 Rice University study found.

In a statement to CBS News, the plant owner, NRG, wrote: "...We have a strict policy of complying with all environmental rules and regulations and proud of our environmental record."

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Thomas believes that protecting the environment isn't a partisan issue.

"Whether you're a Democrat or Republican, you should be protected from all the environmental issues, but you're not because there's no justice out here for people," Thomas said.

And she's convinced over the next four years that environmental regulation and enforcement will be harder to come by.

Eye Opener: New details emerge in WI school shooting

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2 Republicans voted to release Ethics Committee's report on Matt Gaetz misconduct, sources say
Raleigh County Circuit Judge H.L. Kirkpatrick closed out his law career Thursday in the same courtroom where he was sworn in 29 years ago.

He was joined by about 100 people in the ceremonial courtroom in the Raleigh County Courthouse on Thursday for Kirkpatrick's retirement party.

In a speech to those in attendance, Kirkpatrick reminisced about the nearly three decades he served as a judge in Raleigh County.

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"Back in '95 whenever I was sworn in, I stood at this very podium, in this very courtroom back then on September the 28th, 1995, and I felt scared and weird, just like I do today," said Kirkpatrick, eliciting laughter from the audience.

"I didn't know what it was going to be like as a circuit judge, and today, I have no idea what is in store for me in terms of retirement."

Kirkpatrick said he was surprised yet honored that so many people turned out to celebrate his retirement and had such positive things to say about his time as a judge.

He also recalled the three promises he made when he was first sworn in as judge, which he worked hard to keep.

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In addition to the standard promise all judges make to be fair and impartial, Kirkpatrick said he also promised to never get "judgeitis," a term he made up but translated into never forgetting what it was like to be a lawyer fighting for a client in court.

For his third and final promise, Kirkpatrick said he would never let his head grow so large that he couldn't pull a robe over it.

"By that, I meant that I would never be such a big deal that folks couldn't stand me," he said. "This morning, I got out the tape measure, and I measured my head. I'm proud to say that it's the same size as it was in college. It's a seven-and-a-half hat size. And so if I've achieved nothing, I satisfied that last promise."

Kirkpatrick also thanked the staff who had been with him over the years and without whom he said he would not have been successful.
Authorities have identified the 17-year-old boy who was fatally shot outside his home in Minneapolis Monday evening.

Minneapolis police responded to the 1100 Block of 25th Street East and found Myron Dale James Neadeau with multiple gunshot wounds inside his home, to which he had run after being shot outside.

Despite lifesaving efforts by responders, Neadeau was pronounced dead at the scene.

GoFundMe

Information gathered at the scene by police showed that Neadeau was outside with a group when shots were fired. No arrests have been made as of Friday.

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A GoFundMe has been organized in his honor to help raise funds for his funeral.

"As we deal with this loss, we are asking for help with resources in order to give our boy all the help he needs for his new journey. Any help for the family is more than appreciated," the GoFundMe read.

According to GoFundMe, his tribe will hold a spirit fire until Friday, and a wake will be held at the Minneapolis American Indian Center for his family and friends in the cities. His burial in Red Lake will follow.

Many community members took to social media to share their grief and celebrate his life.

"You made the flowers have color. Our talks meant so much to me; we understood each other, and you brought me so much pride and joy, my boy," one tribute read on Facebook. "This shit hurts so fucking bad I hope you know how much I love you forever and always."

"Another act of gun violence and another juvenile shot dead," Minneapolis Police Chief Brian OHara said. This senseless act of gun violence has destroyed another young life and left another family with a life of grief."
Energy startup Commonwealth Fusion Systems has announced that it will begin construction of the "world's first grid-scale" nuclear fusion power plant near Richmond, Virginia.

The MIT spinout announced this week that it was "one step closer" to making fusion energy  fusing atoms together inside a reactor, like the process that powers stars in the night sky  a reality with a multibillion-dollar investment in the facility.

The goal is to produce a considerable 400 megawatts, enough to power 150,000 homes, the company claims. The company hopes to build the Virginia plant by the "early 2030s," according to an MIT press release.

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Needless to say, it's a highly ambitious plan  and one that warrants plenty of skepticism, since it would require many future breakthroughs to realize, even with sufficient funding.

CFS has yet even to demonstrate that its facilities are capable of producing more energy than is required to kickstart the process, or net fusion energy. That's something that has proven incredibly difficult, particularly at scale  despite almost a century of fusion research.

The company hasn't even finished the construction of its much, much smaller reactor called SPARC near Devens, Massachusetts, designed to demonstrate such a feat.

Illustrating exactly how speculative the whole thing is: a 2023 image featured in reporting by CNN about this week's announcement shows construction workers marveling at what appears to be an aspirational, full-scale mural plastered to the back wall of a cavernous and largely empty facility.

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Despite the countless hurdles still ahead, the company's executives didn't hold back.

"This will be a watershed moment for fusion," said CFS cofounder and MIT engineering professor Dennis Whyte in a statement. "It sets the pace in the race toward commercial fusion power plants. The ambition is to build thousands of these power plants and to change the world."

But the technicalities haven't passed over any heads, either.

"Nothing occurs overnight in fusion," company CEO Bob Mumgaard told CNN, claiming that the company was "deep into" constructing a tokamak capable of demonstrating net fusion energy.

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Mumgaard claims the company is hoping to produce first plasma in 2026, shortly followed by producing a net amount of power using its SPARC reactor. The much larger grid-scale facility in Virginia will then be the "next act."

"In the early 2030s, all eyes will be on the Richmond region... as the birthplace of commercial fusion energy," Mumgaard told CNN.

The company wouldn't be the first to claim to have achieved net fusion energy. In 2022, scientists at the government-funded Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California said they had achieved such a breakthrough using the "world's largest and highest energy laser system."

They claimed the reactor produced 2.5 megajoules of energy, a 20 percent net gain over what they needed to start the reaction  which is roughly enough power to boil about two to three kettles.

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Scaling up the concept is proving even more difficult, particularly when it comes to a far more commonly-used reactor type called a tokamak, like CFS, which is a donut-shaped machine that confines super-heated and super-pressurized plasma.

But with a whopping $2 billion in funding, CFS just might have a shot of taking a significant step forward, turning lofty promises into cold-hard science and actual results.

"There will be bumps in the road and things wont change overnight," Mumgaard told CNN. But "the designers and planners can now go from a general notion to a specific location for the next chapter in the fusion journey."

More on fusion: Scientists Say Secret to Fusion May Lie in Hellmann's Mayonnaise
LOUISIANA (KLFY)  The battle of local versus imported shrimp continues in Louisiana.

SeaD Consulting is a company that does genetic testing to identify seafood species. Understanding the issue of imported shrimp taking over the local seafood industry, they began testing shrimp from different seafood restaurants and festivals in the south.

CEO Erin Williams said about 30% of the shrimp they tested from 24 different restaurants in Baton Rouge are imported products but are labeled as local.

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This is Baton Rouge, where were looking at 30% authenticity. In Biloxi [Mississippi], we found figures as high as 82%, which is why were saying its a very conservative estimate and the numbers are likely far higher, Williams said.

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After their findings in Baton Rouge, Williams said they estimated that Louisiana shrimpers are missing out on more than $20 million in revenue. A new law will pass on Jan.1, 2025, prohibiting the mislabeling of shrimp by any supplier, restaurant, or festival. Williams said this will help bring more awareness to consumers.

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Having the label on the menu for consumers is great. I do believe that genetic testing is also a great tool to ensure that restaurants and retailers are remaining honest, Williams said.

Are you sure that Gulf shrimp came from the Gulf? Maybe not

They plan to make their way to other Louisiana cities soon.

[There are] many to come in the state of Louisiana. Were looking forward to getting a better idea of the supply chain throughout the state. And just now, we will be going to other cities to get a good gauge of the authenticity of their shrimp, Williams said.

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Police in Michigan said theyre looking into whether the stabbing of a manufacturing companys president during a meeting this week may have been motivated by the recent killing of UnitedHealthcares CEO in New York.

A 32-year-old employee was taken into custody on aggravated assault charges after allegedly stabbing the president of Anderson Express Inc. on Tuesday in Muskegon, Michigan, police said in a release.

We havent ruled out [a] copycat motive in regards to this, Fruitport Police Deputy Chief Greg Poulson told News 8 of the violence potentially being connected to the fatal shooting in New York. I think that comes to everyones mind at this time.

An employee at Anderson Express in Muskegon, Michigan, is accused of stabbing the company's president during a staff meeting on Tuesday. Google

Police said the employee, identified by local news media as Nathan Mahoney, stabbed company president Erik Denslow in the side with a knife just before 9:30 a.m. He then fled the business in a car but was tracked down and stopped by police just minutes later.

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Denslow underwent surgery at a local hospital. He was last listed as being in serious but stable condition, said police, who did not immediately respond to HuffPosts request for comment on Friday.

Mahoney had been hired by the company just two weeks prior. The company planned to train him to replace another employee in a high position who was retiring in two years, Poulson told News 8.

Anderson Express specializes in creating casts of tools and prototypes, according to its website. Denslow joined the company in 2022 as vice president and general manager and just a year later rose in the ranks to president, according to his LinkedIn page.

A company representative did not immediately respond to HuffPosts request for comment Friday.

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Mahoney remained in custody Friday on a $500,000 bond, jailhouse records show.

The stabbing came nearly two weeks after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot outside of a midtown Manhattan hotel.

Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing Thompson, had a vendetta against the health insurance industry and wealthy executives, federal prosecutors said in a criminal complaint against him.

Mangione viewed health insurance companies as parasitic and motivated by greed and power, according to a law enforcement bulletin citing a handwritten document found on him during his arrest last week.

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WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR)  The government is less than 24 hours away from a shutdown, unless Congress can accomplish a Christmas miracle in the 11th hour to fund the government.

House Democrats and dozens of Republicans rejected President-elect Donald Trumps plan, which included a two-year suspension of the debt limit.

After plan B failed for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), he says they now have a plan C to keep the governments doors open.

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There was chaos on the House floor and a broken gavel, precursors to the second attempt at a government funding bill that ended up failing.

It is I think really irresponsible for us to risk a shut down, said Johnson.

38 Republicans joined with Democrats to vote down the bill pushed by President-elect Donald Trump and billionaire ally Elon Musk which would have funded the government for three months and raised the debt ceiling.

It should have failed, Im glad that it failed, said Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.).

House Democrats say Republicans are not on the same page.

Theres obviously chaos on the other side of the aisle and its a very bad omen for whats to come, said Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.).

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Speaker Mike Johnson says they are not giving up.

 We will regroup, and we will come up with another solution, said Johnson.

In order to get a funding bill across the finish line Johnson will need Democrat support to make it happen.

Maryland Democrat Congressman Jamie Raskin recommends going back to the original deal that was negotiated for months.

I would advise our Republican friends dont do this again, go back to the original deal, said Raskin.

Johnson did not say what this plan C bill entails. Even if the House manages to pass a bill Friday it still needs to get through the Senate before reaching President Joe Bidens desk.

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Dec. 19WASHINGTON  Congress careened toward a government shutdown on Thursday after President-elect Donald Trump sank a bipartisan deal that would have funded the government until March, then endorsed a last-minute GOP proposal that most Democrats rejected.

The intervention by Trump and his advisor, Elon Musk, came after House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., negotiated a bill with Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, who leads the Senate Appropriations Committee, and her fellow Democrats who still control the upper chamber until the incoming Republican majority retakes control of the Senate in January. That compromise legislation would have funded the government at current levels through March 14 while adding about $10 billion in assistance for farmers and $100 billion in aid for recovery from wildfires, hurricanes and other natural disasters.

"I have been pushing for a comprehensive bill that addresses the wide scope of disaster relief needs across the country," Murray said in a statement when the bill was unveiled on Tuesday, "and while this is not the legislation I would have written on my own, it is a strong, bipartisan package that provides the resources communities urgently need to recover."

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But because that legislation would be the proverbial last train leaving the station before Congress departs for the holidays, it became what Capitol Hill insiders derisively call a "Christmas tree bill," bedecked with other provisions that lawmakers hoped to pass. Those measures included funding for child care, security for Supreme Court justices and rebuilding the collapsed Key Bridge in Baltimore.

To avoid the Senate filibuster and pass the House on a fast-track basis, a short-term spending bill will require the support of Democrats and Republicans, even after the GOP takes control of the Senate. But in a flurry of posts on X, the social media platform he owns, Musk made several false claims about the bill, called it "an insane crime against the American people" and said it "should NOT pass."

Musk, who is set to have a major role in the incoming Trump administration despite the apparent conflict of interest stemming from his companies' federal contracts, suggested in a series of more than 100 posts that letting the government shut down until Trump is inaugurated on Jan. 20 wouldn't have a major effect.

While the government's essential functions would continue during a shutdown, some federal workers would stop working and go without pay. A five-week shutdown that began at the end of 2018 cost the U.S. economy about $3 billion in lost productivity, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated.

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In an interview on Thursday, Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho, the incoming chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that while a shutdown "doesn't affect the American people that much," because of exemptions Congress has added to past bills, it still represents a failure on the part of legislators.

"Don't get me wrong," Risch said. "I am not advocating for a government shutdown. Congress needs to govern  that's our first responsibility  and you don't govern by shutting down the government. So I'm not in favor of that, but I'm also not saying it's going to be the end of the world."

After Trump and his allies came out against the bipartisan deal, House Republicans scrambled to negotiate a new bill that would meet the incoming president's demands, which include raising or eliminating the debt ceiling that limits how much the U.S. government can borrow. About three hours after unveiling a package that included disaster relief along with a debt limit hike, that bill failed as 38 Republicans and nearly all Democrats voted against it.

Rep. Russ Fulcher, a member of the hardline GOP House Freedom Caucus who represents North Idaho, voted against the bill. Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Spokane and Dan Newhouse of Sunnyside, both Republicans, didn't vote.

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The bipartisan bill released Tuesday includes a 3.8% pay raise for federal lawmakers, most of whom earn $174,000 but haven't given themselves a pay hike since 2009. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a Democrat who represents southwest Washington, said she would vote against the legislation because she opposed that measure. She was one of just two Democrats who voted for the Trump-backed plan that failed Thursday evening.

"When Americans feel the pressure of rising prices, from cough syrup to home ownership, Congress should prioritize the people we represent, not ourselves," she said in a statement on Tuesday. "Any way you slice it, Congress giving itself a pay raise right now is bananas."

Thursday night's failed vote leaves Johnson with no clear path forward. With just a two-vote majority when the new Congress is sworn in at the start of the new year, he will need virtually every Republican's support to be re-elected as speaker, yet averting a government shutdown will require cooperating with Democrats, which some GOP hardliners consider a fireable offense.

Orion Donovan Smith's work is funded in part by members of the Spokane community via the Community Journalism and Civic Engagement Fund. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper's managing editor.
Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), House Natural Resources Committee ranking member Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) led a letter Friday calling on Secretary of State Antony Blinken to condemn the Guatemalan governments prosecution of Indigenous environmental activists and the recent assassination of another.

The letter specifically cites the case of Sofia Tot Ac, an Indigenous leader and activist, against the development of energy infrastructure projects in Guatemalas Purulha municipality. In 2022, Tot Ac was charged with aggravated theft and aggravated usurpation of protected areas and sentenced to more than three years in prison this March.

It also points to Noe Gomez Barrera, an outspoken opponent of both a silver mining project and development by Renewable Energy Alternative in the municipality of Jutiapa. Barrera was murdered outside his home in October 2023.

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The letter calls the prosecution of Tot Ac and the killing of Barrera part of a greater pattern of prosecution of and violence against Indigenous Guatemalan activists for opposing government-backed energy projects, citing a report from the group Global Witness that nearly 200 environmental defenders were murdered for their cause in 2023. The Ancestral Indigenous Authorities of Guatemala have asked for protections from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights due to the trend.

In the remaining time of the Biden administration, it must publicly condemn the prosecution of Sofia Tot Ac and other indigenous environmental defenders who have spoken out against energy projects, and advocate for an immediate investigation into the assassination of Noe Gomez Barrera and violence against other Indigenous leaders who have spoken out against these projects, they wrote.

In addition to Markey, Grijalva and Barrera, the letter is signed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) and Reps. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Jesus Chuy Garcia (D-Ill.), Summer Lee (D-Pa.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) and Greg Casar (D-Texas).

A 2024 report from the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala found significant human rights problems in the country, including targeted violence against Indigenous people and repression of free expression.

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The Hill has reached out to the State Department for comment.

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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz gives an interview ahead of the European Council summit in Brussels, Belgium, Dec. 19, 2024. Scholz on Thursday urged the European Union (EU) to quickly reach a deal with China on the tariff dispute over electric vehicles (EVs). (Xinhua/Peng Ziyang)

BRUSSELS, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday urged the European Union (EU) to quickly reach a deal with China on the tariff dispute over electric vehicles (EVs).

"It makes no sense to have conflicts about this. Therefore, I appeal to everyone to bring these negotiations to a good result now," said the German chancellor Scholz upon arriving at the European Council summit.

China hopes that the EU will take concrete steps as soon as possible to jointly advance consultations on a price commitment plan for Chinese EVs, the Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday.

China always stands for the resolution of trade frictions through dialogue and consultation, and has been doing its utmost in the price commitment talks, said the ministry's spokesperson He Yongqian.

Scholz also called on the European Commission to ease the enforcement of financial penalties for EU carmakers that fail to meet the region's carbon dioxide (CO2) emission targets set for next year.

"In the current global pressures facing the automotive industry, especially in Europe, it makes no sense to further burden companies with penalties for unmet targets in 2025," Scholz said.

"The Commission should find a way so that, if penalties become necessary, they do not impact the financial liquidity of the companies that now need to invest in electro-mobility, modern products, and vehicles," he added.

The European Green Deal aims for climate neutrality by 2050, including a 90 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from transport. To support this goal, stricter EU emissions rules for automakers will take effect from 2025, requiring average emissions of 93.6 grams of CO2 per kilometer or less. Automakers exceeding this limit face fines of 95 euros (about 98.45 U.S. dollars) per gram per car.

Industry estimates suggest European automakers could face penalties totaling 15 billion euros for failing to meet the targets, with Germany's Volkswagen, the region's largest automaker, among the most exposed. (1 euro= 1.04 dollar) 

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz enters the venue of the European Council summit in Brussels, Belgium, Dec. 19, 2024. Scholz on Thursday urged the European Union (EU) to quickly reach a deal with China on the tariff dispute over electric vehicles (EVs). (Xinhua/Peng Ziyang)

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz gives an interview ahead of the European Council summit in Brussels, Belgium, Dec. 19, 2024. Scholz on Thursday urged the European Union (EU) to quickly reach a deal with China on the tariff dispute over electric vehicles (EVs). (Xinhua/Zhao Dingzhe)
KANSAS CITY, Mo.  The Jackson County, Missouri Legislature and Democratic County Executive Frank White have reached an agreement on how to spend remaining COVID-19 relief dollars that have been given out.

The moneys from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The agreement means $70.4 million will not be going back to the federal government.

County leaders plan to split the money evenly between infrastructure projects and community initiatives like nonprofits. Thursday, in the third special legislative meeting of the week, people in the crowd clapped after the legislature passed an ordinance dealing with ARPA funds.

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This is something to celebrate, Republican Legislator and Chairwoman Jeanie Lauer said after the passage.

Minimum wage set to rise in Missouri: Heres what workers will make in 2025

One person who was in the crowd Thursday was ArtsKC Government Relations Director Branden Haralson. In an interview with FOX4 after the meeting, he called it heartening to see the legislature and the County Executive work together.

Especially given the last few weeks, its gotten a little contentious at some points, he said. Its like as many of them said, Sometimes its a little disconcerting to watch the sausage getting made.'

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Haralson said hes glad the federal government wont be reabsorbing this money.

Not as of now, he continued when asked if he knows whether his entitys actually going to get money. I would imagine based on the resolution that organizations that want funding will have to go through another bid and selection process.

Thursday, FOX4 found out that Tuesday night, Democratic Congressman Emanuel Cleaver held a video chat with legislators and members of the United States Department of the Treasury.

Cleaver said they tweaked a piece of legislation that had already been drafted to meet federal guidelines.

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I left my office with some members of the staff at 10 [p.m.], Cleaver said in an interview with FOX4 Thursday afternoon, talking about Tuesday night. We started around noon, and it went on until a few minutes ago when the county approved this important legislation.

The county infrastructure projects White wants to use the $35 million on involve the front steps of the Jackson County Courthouse. He also wants to move the administration, legislature, and County Executives Offices to 1300 Washington. That building currently houses the Assessment Department and the Board of Equalization.

In an interview with reporters after Thursdays meeting, White said the non-profits will be covered in the federal relief dollars that were approved that day. He added that he believed the non-profits will have to apply again too.

I think right now, the legislature when this all gets laid out, theyll go back and revisit and make sure that those agencies that applied under the old process are considered under this process, he said.

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Tuesday, White called the application process Democratic Legislator Manny Abarca started in 2023 illegal. He claims he wasnt contacted about it, and he didnt recommend it. Tuesday, Abarca disputed the fact it was illegal.

Thursday, White said the courts at the downtown courthouse have issues that need to be taken care of, part of the reason he supported the ordinance.

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What this does is it lets us do some of the essential things that we need to do, but at the same time, long term, its going to be a bigger fix.

White says it will now be the legislatures job to revisit the application process that the nonprofits applied for in 2023.

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MERIDEN, Conn. (WTNH)  Police departments in Connecticut now have a new tool in fighting crime.

At the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection Forensic Crime Lab, theyre peeling back the layers on cell phones pixel by pixel. The new technology is called GrayKey and it allows Investigators to get into an alleged criminals phone no matter what secret passcode they have used or if the phone is even locked.

Different police departments are now being trained on the equipment that is at the States Forensic Crime Lab in Meriden. The machine looks similar to a black box and the phone is plugged into the machine, and in a matter of hours it will start to generate all of the data that is inside a phone.

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Without this technology it has been close to impossible to get data from a phone.

Its actually very difficult, Liz Arpin, employee at the Computer Crimes Unit at the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, said. The user passcode is set for security reasons.

Arpin also says you can hit delete as much as you want, but while it may look like the information is gone, its really not.

The training is specialized and the hope is to have every department using it.

Police will seize the phone by whatever means they need to, and then they physically connect the phone to the box, and it will prompt them on the screen depending on the make and model of the phone, Arpin said.

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So, what can this technology find?

Your contacts, your internet history, your pictures, your video, locations, emails, your calendar, Arpin said.

And thats not all. This electronic data hunter also finds your Venmo and Cash App data along with banking information. Social media posts are also right there for the picking for police. The technology is used in criminal cases where authorization and a search warrant has been given to police.

One agency using this powerful crime fighting weapon is Waterbury Police. The police chief said that this has helped in specific cases.

Shooting cases, homicides, [in] two recent homicides, Greykey was used to get into phones and collect information that assisted us with identifying the people that were involved, Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo said.

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Watch the full story above.

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(FOX40.COM)  The Placer Land Trust (PLT) and William Jessup University (Jessup) are in the final days of fundraising more than $5.1 million to preserve and protect hundreds of acres of rare woodland in Rocklin.

Situated on the northeast boundary of Rocklin, Clover Valley is a roughly 3-mile-long ecosystem of wetlands, oak woodland and grasslands that are teeming with a variety of wildlife, including the endangered California black rail.

Video Above: Ansel Adams stamps unveiled at Yosemite (From May 2024)

Long-lost Placer County captured by the legendary Ansel Adams

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It is also steeped in the history of human habitation of North America, with archaeological finds dating back at least 7,000 years, and the area served as a meeting place for Native American tribes for several thousand years.

It is really kind of the last oasis in suburbia, Placer Land Trust Executive Director Jeff Darlington told FOX40.com. When you step down into Clover Valley it is like stepping back in time.

Darlington said nearly three dozen archeological sites, including Native American burial sites, are on the property.

Clover Valley was also photographed by the world-famous landscape photographer Ansel Adams in 1962 as part of an advertisement campaign for a previous housing developer in the area.

Matthew Nobert Matthew Nobert Matthew Nobert Matthew Nobert Matthew Nobert Matthew Nobert Matthew Nobert Matthew Nobert Matthew Nobert Matthew Nobert Matthew Nobert

600 acres of oak woodland added to Hidden Falls Regional Park in Placer County

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He would capture his iconic Oak Tree, Sunset City photo there that is now featured in his recently released Forever USA stamp collection from the United States Postal Service.

If Jessup and PLT are able to gain ownership and stewardship of the property, it would be used as an educational center for the university and the ability for general public access would be developed, according to Darlington.

On Dec. 31, PLT and Jessup will reach the deadline to raise more than $10 million to purchase 402 acres of Clover Valley from being developed into more than 150 luxury homes.

Residents and visitors alike are going to miss out on an opportunity to see a very unique valley, Darlington said, referring to the possibility that they are not able to raise the funds. There is definitely going to be some public recreation allowed in this project so to not have it be protected is a huge miss for us as a society.

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New National Historic Landmark in California recognizes Chinese railroad workers

Darlington said that since he joined the organization in 2002, Clover Valley has been on his desk as an area of interest for preservation.

It was not until 2022 that things aligned when the longtime property owner was looking to sell the property for conservation and the funds were available to put a down payment on the property.

Jessup entered a purchase and sale agreement with the propertys longtime owner at a discounted cost of $10 million, as the property is valued at around $16 million.

Darlington said that it is important they work with landowners who are willing and ready to place their property under conservation or sell it for the purpose of conservation.

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Yosemite, the United States first state park

The beauty of it is that you are working with people who want to work with you and there is no arm twisting, it is all about that we both have a win-win coming out of this project, Darling said.

Since 2022, the Placer Land Trust and Jessup have been able to get sizeable donations, like a $2.25 million grant from Placer County, the City of Lincoln and the Emigrant Trials Greenway Trust.

An additional $3 million was granted to Placer Land Trust by a private family foundation this December.

Darlington said the struggle with protecting Clover Valley is the value placed on it given its ability to be used for development.

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Nations first wheelchair-accessible nature trail was built from Gold Rush-era flume

Its expensive ground, its entitled by a development agreement between the land owner and the City of Rocklin, Darlington said. So, from a development standpoint, it is very valuable and that is a daunting price tag for funders.

The estimated cost per acre in Clover Valley is around $30,000, according to Darlington.

During the two years of fundraising, PLT and Jessup were unable to secure state funding, which Darlington says has always been a longtime supporter of preservation efforts like Clover Valley.

I think for people around the area this is a great destination if it is made into a preserve, Darlington said. This is a place where you can be in nature and learn perhaps about this Nisenan who lived there, see the deer and the birds, take a hike and ride your bike.

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In these final days of fundraising, PLT and Jessup are asking anyone who can donate to do so.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX40.
A Miami-Dade judge has delayed a key decision in the high-profile case of Courtney Clenney, an OnlyFans model accused of stabbing her boyfriend to death inside their Miami condo in 2022, as attorneys debated whether controversial evidence obtained by state prosecutors should be made public on Thursday.

At issue: defense plans by attorneys for Clenney that state prosecutors obtained through a warrant signed by a judge. Clenneys attorneys are arguing that the information is protected through attorney-client privilege. The state was on the fence, seemingly willing to abide by the judges order.

The plans, and other evidence were obtained by state investigators during the failed prosecution of Clenneys parents, who were charged with trying to hack into the computer of her boyfriend Christian Obumseli, who she is accused of murdering. Circuit Judge Laura Shearon Cruz, who quashed the evidence as attorney-client privilege in the trial of the models parents, is considering permitting it at the murder trial.

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READ MORE: State drops computer hacking charges against parents, daughter in OnlyFans model murder case

The texts and emails, stored in an iCloud account, included strategic communications between Clenney, her parents Deborah and Kim Clenney, and her attorneys. Prosecutors had argued the seizure was lawful, claiming they were unaware that the parents were represented by counsel at the time

But Shearon Cruz postponed making a decision on whether the document will be classified and privileged until after the New Year Holiday.

While an attorney for the Miami Herald argued that if the information is used as part of a motion to disqualify the state from prosecuting the case, it should be made public.

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READ MORE: Texts, emails from family can be used in OnlyFans models murder trial

Defendant Courtney Clenney, Miami OnlyFans model accused of murdering boyfriend, speaks to attorney Sabrina Vora-Puglisi at Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Laura Sheron Cruz, courtroom at the Miami-Dade County Courthouse in Miami, Florida, on Thursday, December 19, 2024. Attorneys Sabrina Vora-Puglisi Frank Prieto

Clenney, 28, is charged in the 2022 stabbing death of her boyfriend, Christian Obumseli, in an Edgewater condo. Clenney has pleaded not guilty, asserting she acted in self-defense.

The couples two-year relationship was tumultuous, marked by Clenneys domestic battery arrest in Las Vegas and multiple police visits to her Austin home. After the stabbing in their Miami apartment, police investigated for four months before arresting her.
This article was originally published in The 19th.

Originally published by The 19th

President-elect Donald Trump is not the only conservative candidate who made a comeback on Election Day. In Temecula, California, former school board president Joseph Komrosky was elected a trustee once again after losing a June recall race following a series of controversies that brought national attention to the school district about an hour northeast of San Diego.

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By just over 200 votes, Komrosky eked out a win against his teachers union-backed opponent, David Sola, to obtain a seat on the governing body of the Temecula Valley Unified School District (TVUSD), which enrolls about 26,500 students. Three other seats on the five-member school board were also up for election. Conservatives won most of these races, giving the school board that has made headlines for its contentious policies related to race, gender and sexuality a right-wing majority once again.

Results from the school board election and other races throughout California were just finalized December 3 because state laws and voting-by-mail procedures require more time to process ballots. In major elections, officials have up to a month to certify results.

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Across the country, school boards and states have enacted policies in recent years to ban critical race theory (CRT), censor books, single out LGBTQ+ youth or ignore the lines between church and state. Temecula is a city with a plurality of Republican voters, and its school board has passed policies more aligned with the rightward shift in public schools in red states than with the liberal ethos of California. The trustees banned curriculum described as CRT and all flags but the American flag, which was widely perceived as a way to prevent Pride flags from being displayed on campuses. The board rejected a social studies curriculum for mentioning gay historical figure Harvey Milk in May 2023, which drew criticism from California Gov. Gavin Newsom. It also backed a plan that would have required school personnel to out transgender students to their families. Due to legal action, or the threat of such action, most of these policies were rolled back, but the election outcome places the newly conservative board in prime position to usher in more divisive proposals.

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We did it! We won!!! Praise the Lord, Komrosky said in an Instagram post after the election results were certified. Thank you Temecula for standing behind me again. Thanks to all of you who supported me during this campaign, as I couldnt have done it without you. That said, I will continue to protect the innocence of your children at TVUSD.

Komrosky did not respond to The 19ths request for comment about his victory, which came as a blow to organizers locally and nationally who mobilized for the recall campaign against him. After Komrosky and two other conservatives joined the five-member school board in 2022, they proceeded to pass policies that sparked public outrage, with footage of parents ejected from heated Temecula school board meetings going viral on social media and directing national attention to a town of nearly 111,000 that had previously been known for its wineries. The board also faced scrutiny when it fired TVUSD Superintendent Jodi McClay without cause. In November, McClay began as superintendent of St. Helena Unified School District near San Francisco.

The three conservatives were all elected with help from Pastor Tim Thompsons Inland Empire Family PAC, which aims to fill school boards with members of the Christian right. In May, Trumps son Eric Trump and Kash Patel, his pick to lead the FBI, traveled to Temecula to headline a May fundraiser for the political action committee. That month, Patel also appeared on Thompsons program Our Watch With Tim Thompson.

The successful recall against Komrosky and the departure of another conservative board member who relocated to Texas caused the Temecula school board to lose its right-wing majority for much of this year. But now that Komrosky has been elected once again, along with two newcomers who have been described as right-leaning and one liberal-leaning incumbent, Komroskys detractors predict that the school board will likely resume approving policies that split the community and garner negative attention for the city.

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One of them is Jeff Pack, cofounder of One Temecula Valley PAC, a political action committee started with the aim of uniting community members across partisan lines.

Obviously the dangerous part is Komrosky is back on the board, he said. Were disappointed about that, because we  think hes going to be even more vindictive this time. All he has to do is say a couple of buzzwords that scare people, and we have to thread a whole bunch of needles to convince them that theyre not showing pornography in schools.

Pack foresees more book banning by the school board, attempts to blur church-state separation and possibly the singling out of teachers who dont subscribe to the trustees views.

Edgar Diaz, president of local teachers union Temecula Valley Educators Association (TVEA), wont hazard a guess about the policies the newly elected conservative board members might enact. He stressed, however, how important it is for all school board members to prioritize students educational needs.

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Thats all were really focused on, and were hoping to work with any school board member, as we did last time, that would help to move forward those goals and set down a path that would allow our district to continue to be successful in educating the students of the community, he said.

Diaz said that TVEA is made up of educators of all political persuasions but did not discuss why he thought only one of the three candidates backed by the union, incumbent Steven Schwartz, won their races. Fellow incumbent Allison Barclay lost her seat to Melina Anderson, endorsed by the Riverside County Republican Party. A third TVEA-backed candidate, Gary Oddi, lost his race to Emil Roger Barham, also endorsed by the Riverside County Republican Party. Two conservative candidates, Komroksy and Jon Cobb, were endorsed by the Inland Empire Family PAC, but Schwartz defeated the latter contender.

The community divisions over the Temecula school board have attracted activists from Grandparents for Truth, a project of People for the American Way, a nationwide progressive advocacy organization. Grandparents for Truth works to give students the freedom to learn by opposing censorship and championing diversity in the classroom, among other issues.

Alana Byrd, national field director for People for the American Way, fears that far right conservatives may be using the same playbook to broadly enact policies, such as religious instruction in public schools, in districts across the country. She said the group is monitoring attempts in states such as Oklahoma and Texas to incorporate Christian Bibles in classrooms and Christian stories in the curriculum, respectively.

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As an organization thats committed to religious liberty, were not preaching against the Bible. Were not preaching against religion at all, Byrd said. The problem is that separation of church and state, when it is either mandated or its financially incentivized to teach a specific religion as this kind of state-sponsored religion, thats where it gets really concerning. And I would not be surprised if there seems to be a playbook, if the next thing on Komrosky and his colleagues list is to introduce some sort of religious mandate or thinly veiled mandate.

Despite the success of the recall campaign, Pack said it was an uphill battle for One Temecula Valley and the Temecula Valley Educators Association to stop Komrosky and other right-wing candidates from making it onto the school board. Republicans not only make up a plurality of the electorate in Temecula, but voters in Riverside County, where it is located, narrowly backed Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race. California may be a blue state, but it is home to millions of red voters, with some communities, particularly outside of the states major cities, known for their dense concentrations of GOP supporters.

We did an incredible job, Pack said of the effort to elect non-extremists to the board. I think its historic for all of the candidates, all of the efforts, the money, the time and just the effort spent on working to get these candidates elected has never been done here. Were proud of that effort, and we came real close. Hopefully in the future, well be able to get them over the line because I think the community is going to start seeing some of the damage that has already been done and will start affecting the kids and the schools.

He said the tight race between Komrosky and Sola demonstrates how important it is for the public to vote in school board elections. Some people likely voted for president but not for school board because they didnt think the local race mattered or dont have school-age children, Pack said.

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Our mantra has always been that a failed school district is a failed city, a failed community, he said. If the school district tanks, then youre going to start seeing the repercussions of it, even if you dont have kids. So, yeah, local local elections really do matter, especially at the school level.

Because taxpayer dollars support schools, Diaz said, all community members should feel invested in school board races.

Everyone has a voice in that, just like everyone has a voice in who should represent their neighborhood in the city council, Diaz said.

While Byrd is dismayed by the outcome of the Temecula school board races, she said the work to hold the new trustees accountable and uplift the rights of all students in the district must continue.

The One Temecula Valley PAC and the activists on the ground as well as Grandparents for Truth will continue to monitor what policies they might introduce and continue to fight back against anything that doesnt support diversity, doesnt support the students, doesnt support the teachers, doesnt support the families, she said.
HENRY COUNTY, Ala (WDHN)  The plan to reopen a shuttered Wiregrass youth camp could come to fruition following a final state inspection.

Camp SAYLA was meant to reopen in November under the leadership of new owners 3 Fold Plus. However, during an inspection by the Department of Youth Services, several issues were found on campus, including water leaks, repairs, and doors that needed to be replaced.

According to Henry County Commission Chairman David Money, the requested improvements have been made to the buildings and campus, and the county is waiting for DYS to return and do a final inspection.

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We are hopeful that 3 Fold Plus will soon receive licensing from the Alabama Department of Youth Services, said Chairman Money. Once that happens, the county attorney will develop a binding contract between the Commission and the Lessee.

Chairman Money told WDHN in November that he doesnt expect CAMP Sayla to reopen until April or May 2025, and the camp will have a new name when it opens.

The facility closed in February after it was plagued by building inspection violations. In March, former employees came forward, alleging to have witnessed abuse.

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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO)  One year after being released from prison, a local sex offender is accused of having two more victims.

And, this time, the alleged crimes go beyond state lines.

McGee fire burns western South Dakota

Authorities in Arkansas contacted Sioux Falls Police, in October, because they believed Christian Kezar, 24, was communicating with a young girl on Snapchat.

Police say the investigation also uncovered child pornography from a second victim.

According to court documents, Kezars victims keep getting younger. Heres a look at his history.

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We first told you about Christian Kezar in 2019. A 16-year-old girl was in a fender bender outside the Midco Aquatics Center in Sioux Falls, and police say Kezar impersonated an off-duty officer and gave the girl a ride to a relatives house.

She got out of his car and called 9-1-1.

The way he was talking, she said the way he was driving, he was kinda all over the road and honking and yelling at people. Theres was just a lot of things that I think after he left that just didnt quite add up, said SFPD information officer Sam Clemens in 2019.

Two years later, the impersonation charge was dismissed.

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A 2022 arrest landed Kezar on the South Dakota Sex Offender Registry.

He was convicted of two counts of making and possessing child pornography last summer. The website lists the victim as a 15-year-old girl.

Just three months after the conviction, Kezar was released on parole.

Tonight, hes back behind bars, charged with possession of child pornography, solicitation of a minor and other charges. Court documents say this time, one of the alleged victims was 12 years old.

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More details have emerged about Enbridge's Line 6 oil spill, as well as drone footage captured earlier this week by an activist who works to protect waterways.

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, according to federal officials. Enbridge's 465-mile pipeline carries crude oil from Superior, Wisconsin, to a terminal near Griffith, Indiana.

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.

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According to Trevor Nobile, a field operations director with the DNR's Remediation and Redevelopment program, an investigation is still unfolding, and the size of the spill may change yet again as Enbridge continues to take samples.

The Line 6 spill has raised questions about the amount of time it took for the public to be notified, and the accuracy of the initial reporting.

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.

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.

Rob Lee, a staff attorney at Midwest Environmental Advocates, said that while the DNR isn't required to notify the public, but it "makes common sense" to do so.

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"When it comes to Enbridge, the DNR should simply make the public aware every time there's an oil spill, because the track record of history shows that it's almost always worse than initially reported," he said.

DNR officials visited the site on Nov. 11 and 12, after the company reported the two gallon spill, but issued no public statement on the figure. The agency's next visit to investigate the site was on Dec. 6, weeks after Enbridge revised its number to 126 gallons. Again, it said nothing. Instead, it was another week before what is believed to be the company's largest Wisconsin spill was made public.

Data collected by Enbridge consultants show that nearby waterways, which include an unnamed creek, Lake Ripley and a transitional wetland area, have not been impacted, Nobile said. Residents in the area get drinking water from groundwater, which so far are also not impacted, he said.

Images taken via a drone by Bee Kakac, a water protector based in Minnesota, on Dec. 16 show the extent of the spill at the transfer station. That same day, Juli Kellner, a spokesperson for the oil company, said in an emailed statement that the area already was 60% cleaned up.

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When it comes to the increase from the initial estimate of two to 70,000 gallons, Lee said, "There's a trend there."

An oil spill can be seen December 16, 2024, at Enbridge's Cambridge Station in Town of Oakland in Jefferson County. The nearly 70,000 gallons spill was first reported to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources on November 11 as a very small matter.

In 2019, Enbridge failed to report a spill for more than a year even though the company was aware that a large amount of an oil substance had been released near Fort Atkinson, also in Jefferson County.

Lee also questioned how the company could not know that close to 70,000 gallons of it's product were missing.

The DNR will now meet onsite weekly to get updates on the cleanup effort. Nobile said it's not clear what the timeline is for the area to be cleaned up. But Enbridge is required "to restore the environment to the amount practicable." The DNR will ultimately make that determination, based on information provided by Enbridge.

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The Line 6 oil spill has heightened concerns about Enbridge's controversial Line 5 reroute project in northern Wisconsin near the shores of Lake Superior.

The DNR announced it had approved the Line 5 reroute 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. In June 2023, a federal judge ruled Enbridge was in trespass, because its easement expired more than a decade ago and was not renewed due to environmental concerns. The pipeline must be removed or rerouted by June 2026, per the court order.

The Band and environmental groups have since contested the wetland and waterway permit granted by the DNR and filed a lawsuit against the state agency, arguing the permit violates the states Environmental Protection Act.

More: Enbridge Line 6 oil spill raises alarm over Line 5 reroute risks, environmentalists warn

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More: Enbridge pipeline spills nearly 70,000 gallons of crude oil in Jefferson County

Caitlin Looby is a Report for America corps member who writes about the environment and the Great Lakes. Reach her at clooby@gannett.com or follow her on X @caitlooby.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Drone images reveal damage from Enbridge's Line 6 oil spill
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI)  Senate President Dominick Ruggerio turned heads this week when he hinted that he may be having a change of heart when it comes to a ban on assault-style firearms.

Ruggerio has long been seen as the number-one reason why the ban hasnt passed in the General Assembly. But in an interview with The Globe RIs Dan McGowan, he indicated that he could change his stance on the issue.

In the video above, Dan joins 12 News at 4 to break down the story.

Read more about it in The Boston Globe: Will Rhode Island ban assault weapons in 2025? If it gets out of committee, it passes 

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PRAGUE, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Czech police announced Friday that a man has been accused of scaremongering after falsely reporting the presence of a gunman in central Prague on Thursday.

"The man made it all up and confessed during questioning. Detectives charged him with the crime of spreading a false alarm, which carries a penalty of up to three years in prison," police said on the social media platform X.

Around noon on Thursday, police began investigating a report of a gunman allegedly moving from Letna Park towards Prague's city center. Dozens of officers were deployed, and precautionary measures were implemented near Charles University's Faculty of Law and Faculty of Arts buildings.

Approximately 30 minutes later, police concluded the security operation, confirming the report was fabricated.

The false alarm comes just ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Charles University shooting tragedy. On Dec. 21 last year, a gunman killed 14 people at the university's Faculty of Arts building in central Prague before committing suicide. An additional 25 people were injured in the attack. 
Labours plan to fix Britains broken asylum system risks exacerbating housing shortages and creating an internal civil war with local councils, analysis shows.

In opposition, ministers were highly critical of Tory plans to tackle the migrant crisis including its contentious Rwanda policy.

But news that the Government plans to find 800 new accommodation sites across the country to house asylum seekers risks causing chaos for local authorities, leaders warn.

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Councillors say they are already buckling under the pressure of huge social housing waiting list. Many are struggling to meet deputy prime minister Angela Rayners pie in the sky house-building targets which require 2.5 properties to be built every minute.

In a report from November, the Local Government Association (LGA) warned that given wider housing pressures, asylum and resettlement also affects all councils capacity to source accommodation both for new arrivals and for all those in housing need in their local area.

Analysis by The Telegraph shows that Newham, Brent, Bolton, Islington and Luton are the five local authorities under the most pressure.

Both Newham and Brent have social housing waiting list of more than 20pc of households, and more than 30 asylum seekers per 10,000 in population.

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Bolton and Islington have waiting lists of between 15pc and 20pc of total households, and the same number of asylum seekers as a proportion of population, whereas Luton has between 10pc and 15pc of its total number of households on its social housing waiting list.

The Telegraph understands that Brent council has capacity to house more asylum seekers, but other local authorities are at risk of breaching theirs.

Government rules mean councils have certain quotas to adhere to. For example, the number of asylum seekers in each local authority area cannot exceed 0.5pc of the population.

Labour councillor, John Woolf, who has responsibility for homes and neighbourhoods at Islington Council, said: We are increasingly concerned about the challenges many refugees face in finding stable housing after being granted status.

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Since last year, we have seen a sharp rise in the number of refugees presenting as homeless. This is partly due to the faster processing of asylum applications, which is positive in principle, but also because some individuals are being given as little as seven days to leave their accommodation.

He added that the council was allocating 500,000 to projects which support refugees and asylum seekers. It is also expanding its housing stock by buying back 310 ex-council homes to provide temporary accommodation.

A spokesman for Luton Council said: Luton is at the forefront of the UK housing crisis and currently faces an unprecedented demand for housing.

Additional pressures are caused by the Home Office policy of accommodating disproportionately higher numbers of asylum seekers in Luton compared with other local authorities in the region.

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While this does affect our housing offer in the town, it mostly impacts the quantity of temporary accommodation options that we have until their asylum is processed.

However, Muhammed Butt, Labour council leader for Brent, insisted asylum seekers were not the main cause of pressure on housing stock.

He said: The pressures on social housing in Brent come mostly from historic sell-offs under Right to Buy and evictions from private landlords, not asylum seekers placed in hotels by the Home Office.

Ultimately, it is the Government that decides where asylum seekers are housed, and for the provision of their accommodation across the UK.

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Across the country, more than 1.74bn was spent on temporary accommodation for 117,000 households in 2024.

This data accounts for families in crisis as well as asylum seekers.

Since April 2022, the number of those in dispersed accommodation has grown by 10,504 people to a total of nearly 67,000.

Local authorities have warned of a sharp increase in refugee homelessness, and Labour announced on Wednesday that it would spend an additional 1bn to tackle the issue.

The number of successful asylum applicants facing homelessness has risen to almost 20,000 in four years, a six-fold increase since 2020, information released to The Telegraph in November revealed.

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There were 1.33 million households on local authority waiting lists as of March 31 this year, an increase of 3pc on 2023, and the highest level since 2014.

Nearly one in 10 of those on a waiting list had been waiting for more than five years.

And the Governments housebuilding plan has led dozens of Labour councils to warn that the targets are impossible to achieve.

Andrew Walker, head of research at the Local Government Information Unit (LGIU), said: Lots of these issues come along because there is no resilience built into the system. Councils are under a huge amount of financial and resource pressure, and service demand is going up across the board.

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The costs of meeting these housing needs will be paid by the taxpayer, with large council tax hikes already planned in some regions for next year.

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead will seek a historic 25pc increase, as it seeks to avoid bankruptcy, it was revealed last week.

Local authorities will be able to raise council tax by up to 5pc without a referendum next year  with 2pc ring-fenced for adult social care  but councils face a funding gap of 6bn over the next two years.

William Yarwood, of the TaxPayers Alliance, said: Taxpayers are sick of being squeezed dry to pay for a broken asylum system, given nothing so far seems to have eased the situation.

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The Government needs to find a sustainable solution that genuinely reduces the demand for illegal crossings, with offshore processing likely to be critical to this.

Councillor Louise Gittins, chairman of the Local Government Association, said: We are aware that the number of arrivals, combined with the need to end the use of hotels, means that the Home Office is considering using a different approach to finding accommodation for asylum seekers.

She said that the body wanted to work with the Government to deliver, a place-based approach to wider cohesion and housing challenges.

The Home Office was contacted for comment.

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The Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing administers the state's Board of Behavioral Health Professions as well as other licensing boards. (Main photo by Getty Images; logo courtesy State of Iowa)

A mental health counselor has agreed to surrender his Iowa license after being accused of directing sexually or romantically inappropriate comments or advances toward a client.

The Iowa Board of Behavioral Health Professions recently charged counselor James Wagner of South Sioux City, Nebraska, with directing lewd, suggestive, lascivious or improper remarks or advances toward a client.

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The board alleges that in May 2023, a patient contacted Seasons Center for Behavioral Health in Spencer and reported that she had been contacted by Wagner, via text messaging, on multiple occasions. The patient allegedly provided Seasons with the text messages, which were romantic or sexual in nature.

To settle the matter, Wagner agreed to voluntarily surrender his license and forfeit the ability to reapply for licensure for one year. The board imposed no additional conditions, such as ethics training or a professional evaluation, as a condition for reapplication.

Other licensees recently sanctioned by the Board of Behavioral Health Professions include:

 Joseph D. Fox of West Des Moines, who has been an Iowa-licensed mental health counselor since July 2021. and has served as a psychology lecturer and adjunct professor at Des Moines Grand View University. Fox recently agreed to an indefinite suspension of his license after being charged with unethical conduct by making an improper sexual advance toward a client, and unethical conduct by betraying a professional confidence.

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The board alleged that at some unspecified point in the past, Fox counseled a female patient on her marriage and then, in September 2022, he ran into the woman and her spouse in a public location. According to the board, Fox made sexual advances toward the woman and then discussed the content of their counseling sessions with the womans spouse.

Fox will be eligible to apply for reinstatement after completing a mental health and professional-boundaries evaluation and completing additional training on professional boundaries. If his license is reinstated, it will be placed on probationary status for a period of three years.

 Alexia Slauson of Mount Vernon, who has had an Iowa marital and family therapist license since September 2022. The board has alleged Slauson engaged in communications of a personal nature outside of a therapeutic relationship with a current patient. To settle the matter, Slauson has agreed to voluntarily surrender her license and forfeit the ability to reapply for licensure for one year. The board has imposed no additional conditions, such as ethics training or a professional evaluation, as a condition for reapplication.

 Mackenzie Trotter of Ankeny, who has had an Iowa mental health counselors license since June 2021. In February 2023, the board charged Trotter with unspecified ethics violations. The board now alleges Trotters former employer, not publicly identified by the board, filed a complaint at some point in the past alleging violations of rules governing the profession.

The board says it investigated the allegations and engaged a peer reviewer to evaluate Trotters conduct. The peer reviewer allegedly concluded Trotters conduct violated ethical rules established by the American Counseling Association in that she had failed to discuss changes in diagnoses with her clinical supervisor and failed to retain copies of relevant documents, text messages, and emails in client records. The board agreed to settle the matter by issuing Trotter a warning and requiring her to work with a practice monitor and complete 10 hours of educational training.
Frederick County, its school system and other local organizations intend to create a neighborhood action plan to decrease childhood poverty and improve economic mobility for residents on the Golden Mile.

Frederick Countys Division of Family Services received an inaugural grant of $300,000 from Marylands ENOUGH program to fund the creation of the action plan.

ENOUGH  which stands for Engaging Neighborhoods, Organizations, Unions, Governments and Households  is a $20 million initiative focused on addressing and mitigating concentrated child poverty in the state.

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For a program to be eligible for an ENOUGH grant, it must focus on communities with high levels of child poverty, such as the Golden Mile.

This area, which is a corridor of U.S. 40 in west Frederick, has a large population of immigrants and Spanish speakers, as well as a high concentration of poverty.

At least one in three children in the Golden Miles neighborhoods live in poverty, according to a news release from the county.

Hillcrest Elementary School and Waverley Elementary School, both of which have many students who live on the Golden Mile, have high childhood poverty concentration rates.

Hillcrest Elementary has a rate of 93% and Waverley Elementary has a rate of 86%, according to the countys news release.

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Leshia Chandler, deputy director for the countys Division of Family Services, said the countys goal is to convene partners that work on the Golden Mile  such as unions, faith-based organizations and nonprofits  as well as the city of Frederick and Frederick County Public Schools.

The county also wants to work with residents living on the Golden Mile and bring all of the community partners together to really talk about the challenges that are keeping families in poverty and to listen to their desired efficacy and success in order to get them out of poverty, Chandler said.

The first phase of creating the neighborhood action plan will be gathering feedback, through community meetings, on what issues that Golden Mile neighborhoods are facing.

The first step is creating a community voice committee, which will host those meetings throughout 2025.

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Chandler said about 12 community meetings are planned.

The county will then start developing the actual neighborhood action plan based on feedback.

This is something thats really huge. Place-based strategy work is really a great way of bringing community and different agencies and different sectors together, Chandler said.
Matthew Hawn, a former teacher at Sullivan Central High School, has had his dismissal from teaching overturned. (Photo: Clark Hodgin)

A Sullivan County teacher who was banned from teaching in 2021 may have a chance at reentering the classroom after a chancery court judges decision to overturn his dismissal.

Matthew Hawn, who taught at Sullivan Central High School from 2005 until his firing was thrust into the national spotlight after being terminated following controversy surrounding his contemporary issues class that delved into the role of race in American society. Hawn, who earned tenure in 2008, received backlash from a parent over one of his lessons that centered around the concept of white privilege.

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The incidents that led to his firing began when Hawn included a poem titled White Privilege by Kyla Jenee Lacey and an article titled The First White President by the renowned author Ta-Nehisi Coates as part of his curriculum. The poem included explicit language that then led to a review of his teaching methods after a complaint was filed by a parent.

School administrators said the lessons were unsuitable and dismissed him shortly after the Tennessee legislature passed a law prohibiting the teaching of critical race theory. The academic framework involves the way in which systemic racism is embedded into different aspects of society rather than being simply the result of individual prejudices.

The Sullivan Central High School classroom of former teacher Matthew Hawn, who was dismissed in 2021 for discussing topics deemed critical race theory. (Photo: Clark Hodgin.)

Lessons such as Hawns have been at the center of controversy after conservative lawmakers have labeled culturally competent content in the classroom that explores race and culture as critical race theory.

The Sullivan County Board of Education voted for Hawns dismissal in 2021, a decision later upheld by an impartial hearing officer. In January 2022, Hawn appealed to the Sullivan County Chancery Court, seeking reinstatement and back pay.

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A 65-page ruling issued by Chancellor Katherine Priester overturned the dismissal Dec. 17 on the grounds that Hawns actions did not constitute insubordination or unprofessional conduct. She ordered his reinstatement with full back pay, also citing lack of prior performance issues, and the overwhelming support for Hawn.

The Court finds that Hawn was a tenured teacher who was well liked by students, teachers and administrators, Priester said in the ruling. Hawn had an unblemished sixteen-year teaching record going into the 2020/2021 school year.

Additionally, the instructional topic of white privilege was never prohibited by the administration during the 2020/2021 school year. The evidence is uncontroverted that Hawn was an exceptional educator, Priester wrote

The judge found inconsistencies in how the school handled his case, suggesting that he was not given clear guidelines or adequate support in addressing the parents concerns.

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Hawn expressed gratitude in a statement issued to the Tennessee Lookout.

I am grateful for the courts decision. I also want to thank all the former students, friends, neighbors and members of my family who have supported me. I look forward to returning to the classroom and reconnecting with my students and colleagues, he said.

Hawn, who grew up in Kingsport, Tennessee, said in 2022 that in the course of his teaching career the majority of his students were white, and he had been teaching the contemporary studies class for more then ten years without pushback. He frequently included discussions that centered around race and cultural competency, and began to have them more openly after racial tensions arose after the murder of Minnesota man George Floyd.

There is no dispute that the 2020/2021 school year was a tumultuous year. Our

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nation was in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, a contested presidential election, challenges to the results of the election, the January events, and significant racial tensions, the ruling stated. Many of the issues related to these events were highly charged and polarizing. Additionally, these issues were ripe for discussion in a course like Contemporary Issue.

The Sullivan County Board of Education is considering whether to appeal the decision before a mid January deadline.

Matthew-Hawn-Ruling






More than half a million Arizonans could lose their health coverage if President-elect Donald Trump and a Republican-controlled Congress target Medicaid expansion when they look for ways to cut federal spending.

Changes to Medicaid are expected under a second Trump administration and a potential target for spending cuts is the Medicaid expansion that was allowed through the federal Affordable Care Act, according to a Nov. 27 analysis by KFF, an independent health policy research and information organization.

Arizona is one of nine states with a so-called "trigger law" that would automatically repeal its Medicaid expansion program if enhanced federal funding drops to various levels below 90%, research by the KFF and the Georgetown Center for Children and Families says.

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In Arizona, the trigger for the Medicaid expansion population activates when federal matching funds dip below 80%, which would be a significant blow to the Arizona program and could remove coverage for thousands of enrollees.

Medicaid is health insurance for primarily low-income people and in Arizona, it is a $21 billion program that enrolls 2.1 million people and is known as the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, or AHCCCS (pronounced "access").

About 71% of the program's funding comes from the federal government and the remainder comes from various sources, including the state general fund, tobacco tax money and counties.

Medicaid expansion allowed more people to qualify for the government-funded program by expanding the qualifications to those earning up to 138% of the federal poverty level, or $20,783 per year for an individual.

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The adult Medicaid expansion population in Arizona is 70,866 people. An additional population of 448,592 childless adults is likely to be affected by a drop in enhanced federal funding because of a hospital assessment that the federal funding drop would eliminate.

Critics say repealing Medicaid expansion is among the possible actions on health care under Trump that would return hospitals to an era when emergency departments were filled with very sick, uninsured patients and when hospitals' budgets were stretched by providing uncompensated care.

Other potentially affected states with trigger laws are Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Utah, and Virginia, KFF reporter Phil Galewitz wrote Dec. 4.

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs is aware of various proposals "threatening jobs and access to health care for everyday Arizonans," a spokesperson wrote in an email.

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"While we wont engage in hypotheticals, the Governors Office is working with stakeholders to ensure they are aware of the ramifications of the various proposals and the devastating impact they could have on Arizona families and our economy," Christian Slater wrote.

When people can't get health insurance, hospitals and providers pay

If 70,866 or more Arizonans lose AHCCCS coverage and can't afford to purchase their own health insurance, the result would be what's known as "cost shifting," where health care expenses shift from the government program to the hospital and provider system that will have to give uncompensated care to uninsured people, said Dr. Daniel Derksen, a health policy expert who is director of the Arizona Center for Rural Health at the University of Arizona.

"If you price people out of the market, guess what happens. They go without and when they do get sick, you are talking about the hospitals, the physicians and others shouldering a higher burden of charity care and uncompensated care," Derksen said. "So you are not really saving money. You are just shifting who has to pay for the cost of that care to the providers and the hospitals."

When Arizona passed Medicaid expansion in 2013 under then-Republican Gov. Jan Brewer, it not only increased the AHCCCS income limit but also restored coverage for childless adults who had lost their coverage during state budget cuts in 2011, which resulted in hundreds of thousands more Arizonans gaining coverage.

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A potential drop in enhanced federal funding for Medicaid expansion would also repeal the Arizona Hospital Assessment, which is the primary source of funding for the childless adult population, AHCCCS officials say. The childless adults on Medicaid, who number 448,592, are often known as the Proposition 204 population, in reference to a 2000 voter mandate that the state provides health care for everyone below the federal poverty level.

Medicaid is not the only health care program that could be on the chopping block when Congress reconvenes and a new presidential administration assumes control of federal agencies. Federal subsidies that have significantly reduced monthly premiums for health insurance marketplace plans offered through the Affordable Care Act, known as the ACA, are set to expire at the end of 2025. ACA health plans are also sometimes called Obamacare.

Without enhanced ACA subsidies and with Medicaid cuts, Derksen said, Arizona's rate of uninsured people would likely end up "pretty close to where we were before the Affordable Care Act. I think we'd be at between 18% and 20% uninsured, potentially one in five Arizonans being uninsured (versus an uninsured rate of between 9% and 11% now)," he said "That's the kind of math that closes our rural and critical access hospitals."

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: Medicaid cuts expected under Trump. What to know in Arizona
Restrictive policies in response to COVID-19 did a huge amount of damage to our liberty, prosperity, kids' education, and even our sanity. But now there's evidence supporting what many of us suspected: Lockdowns also contributed to a surge in crime that temporarily reversed a decades-long decline in homicides. According to a new Brookings Institution report, forcing young men out of work and out of school fueled a surge in violence. Worse, this outcome was predicted.

A Surge in Crime

It's no secret that, after years of declining crime rates, crimes against people and property spiked in 2020 and for a period thereafter. Most concerning was the rise in murders, which had happily been dwindling since the early 1990s.

"In 2020, the average U.S. city experienced a surge in its homicide rate of almost 30%the fastest spike ever recorded in the country," write Rohit Acharya and Rhett Morris in a research review for the Brookings Institution published this week. "Across the nation, more than 24,000 people were killed compared to around 19,000 the year before."

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They add that "homicides remained high in 2021 and 2022, but in 2023 they began to fall rapidly."

The surge in crime has variably been attributed to efforts to defund or deemphasize policing that took off during the 2020 riots sparked by the killing of George Floyd, demoralized police officers resulting from those efforts, and the aftereffects of the social disruptions from lockdowns imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Acharya and Morris analyzed thousands of police records and examined the timeframe from which they were drawn. They find that the data best fits the last hypothesis.

Murderous Lockdowns

"The spike in murders during 2020 was directly connected to local unemployment and school closures in low-income areas," they conclude. "Cities with larger numbers of young men forced out of work and teen boys pushed out of school in low-income neighborhoods during March and early April, had greater increases in homicide from May to December that year, on average. The persistence of these changes can also explain why murders remained high in 2021 and 2022 and then fell in late 2023 and 2024."

Interestingly, they write, "the national homicide rate was already on track to reach a peak far above the previous year even before Floyd was killed" and police defunding efforts gained traction.

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Most violent crimes, Acharya and Morris point out, are committed by teenage boys and young men in their twenties. Dumping them out of jobs and out of classrooms, at loose ends and often without money in their pockets, was a recipe for disaster. In a focused look at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, they find similar surges in violent crime in that city after Hurricane Katrina in 2006 and following a massive flood in 2016, both of which displaced students from schools and closed many workplaces.

What's especially frustrating about the Brookings study is that we were warned that disrupting our society with lockdowns and mandatory closures would do serious social harm.

Ignored Warnings

"I am deeply concerned that the social, economic and public health consequences of this near total meltdown of normal lifeschools and businesses closed, gatherings bannedwill be long lasting and calamitous, possibly graver than the direct toll of the virus itself," David L. Katz, former director of the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center, wrote in The New York Times in March 2020. "The unemployment, impoverishment and despair likely to result will be public health scourges of the first order."

As I noted in a column that same month which quoted Katz, the International Labour Organisation (ILO), a United Nations agency, quantifies the degree to which shutting down economies damages societies.

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"For example," a 2013 report from the ILO emphasized, "a one standard deviation increase in unemployment raises social unrest by 0.39 standard deviations, while a one standard deviation increase in GDP growth reduces social unrest by 0.19 standard deviations."

"Why would economic shutdowns lead to social unrest?" I commented at the time. "Because, contrary to the airy dismissals of some members of the political class and many ivory-tower types, commerce isn't a grubby embarrassment to be tolerated and avoidedit's the life's blood of a society. Jobs and businesses keep people alive."

Likewise, education keeps teenagers engagedor at least off the streets. Lockdowns killed jobs and closed schools, handing young men and teenage boys a great deal of frustration and free time.

"The shocks of teen boys and young men being pushed out of school and out of work in low-income neighborhoods occurred across the country just before murders began to rapidly increase, and those baleful educational and economic conditions lasted for the same period of time that homicides remained elevated," add Acharya and Morris.

The Mistakes of the Past

These disruptions are a replay of events during past disease outbreaks.

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"The number of murders and of mass shootings have both increased dramatically," Brian Michael Jenkins, a senior adviser to the president of the RAND Corporation and author of Plagues and Their Aftermath: How Societies Recover from Pandemics, commented in a 2022 piece about the impact of COVID-19. "These last two years have resembled the disorders seen during the Plague of Athens during the Peloponnesian War and the Black Death in the Middle Ages." He quoted Thucydides' observation that "Athens owed to the plague the beginnings of lawlessness."

So, what to do? Acharya and Morris propose several anti-crime interventions, but the fact is that the damage has been done and we're now recovering to the extent we can. Murder rates have resumed their previous decline as teens go back to school and young men regain employment. But that's cold comfort for the families of those killed or otherwise victimized by the crime surge. They can't regain what they lost; they can only move on.

The best thing to do, then, is to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. We need to minimize social disruptions and certainly not permit government officials to close businesses and schools by decree. A free and prosperous society, it turns out, is a much happier and peaceful one than what results from the authoritarian whims of public-health officials.

The post COVID-19 Lockdowns Unleashed a Wave of Murder appeared first on Reason.com.
(COLORADO SPRINGS)  Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) said it has caught the coyote connected to a Thanksgiving attack on a 4-year-old child.

According to CPW, weeks of searching and trapping resulted in the capture of a coyote found with human DNA on its paws and human food in its stomach, leading CPW to conclude it was the animal involved in the attack.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: CPW hunts coyote that attacked child on Thanksgiving Day

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Witnesses told CPW that on Thursday, Nov. 28 in the Monument Creek neighborhood just south of the Air Force Academy, a large group of children were playing under adult supervision. Two of the children saw an animal they thought was a dog crouching behind a tree and approached it. The coyote attacked one of the children, inflicting serious injuries and requiring the child to stay overnight at the hospital.

CPW said the pursuit of coyotes in the north Colorado Springs neighborhood has ended but an investigation into illegal wildlife feeding is ongoing as the DNA on the foot and the human food in its stomach, along with seeing three coyotes showing no fear of humans, reveals someone is feeding wildlife, according to CPW.

The good news is that this neighborhood is safe because we caught and removed the coyote that attacked the child on Thanksgiving, said Tim Kroening, CPWs wildlife manager for the Pikes Peak area. The bad news is that a 4-year-old child suffered serious injuries and her family was traumatized because someone was feeding wildlife.

CPW said the coyote was not to blame for its actions, but it could not remain in the area because its lack of fear of humans made it a danger to other children.

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Our first obligation is to protect human health and safety and we cant allow dangerous predators to attack children, Kroening said. This is exactly why we constantly preach the dangers of feeding wildlife.

CPW said during the search, two coyotes repeatedly returned to the scene of the attack. They were removed and the carcasses were sent for examination for human DNA and testing for diseases. The coyote that had human DNA tested negative for rabies, the second coyote is still undergoing testing.

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 FOX21 News Colorado.
The Committee to Protect Journalists, in a letter to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on December 19, 2024, asked him to ensure that journalists and media outlets can work freely in Ukraine and that no one responsible for intimidating journalists goes unpunished, following a year marked by several incidents of pressure, intimidation, and surveillance, as well as lack of accountability.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy

President of Ukraine

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Office of the President of Ukraine

Presidential Administration Building

Bankova Street, 11

Kyiv, Ukraine

Dear President Zelenskyy,

I am writing from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), an independent non-governmental organization advocating for press freedom worldwide, to request your assistance in ensuring that journalists and media outlets in Ukraine can work freely and without fear of reprisal, and that no one responsible for intimidating journalists goes unpunished.

CPJ acknowledges the immense challenges facing your government in the midst of war and values Ukraines commitment to democratic standards and the rule of law. We recognize the need in exceptional circumstances for some limitations on journalistic access to information or areas for security reasons, and note that in the third year after Russias full-scale invasion, Ukraines media landscape remains vibrant and dynamic.

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However, we are increasingly concerned by signals pointing to an unwarranted attempt by the Ukrainian government to control the media and stifle investigative journalism. Over the last year, our research and detailed exchanges with local journalists show a pattern of unwarranted restrictions and other interventions that curtail the operations of a free press and ultimately do a disservice to the democracy that you are aiming to defend.

In October, independent news outlet Ukrainska Pravda (UP) stated that it was experiencing "ongoing and systematic pressure" from your office. UPs program director, Andrii Bystrov, told CPJ that government officials regularly receive directives from your office not to talk to the outlet on certain matters. On October 10, Ukrainska Pravda specified that Dmytro Lytvyn, the recently appointed communications adviser for your office, banned security forces and officials from communicating with the outlets journalists. Lytvyn denied the allegations on October 15. Ukrainska Pravda also alleged that your office is pressuring private companies to pull advertising from the outlet, and Bystrov told us that some advertisers had withdrawn following calls from your office.

In addition to the Ukrainska Pravda incident, CPJ has recorded several other concerning incidents. These include:

Pressure, intimidation and surveillance: Several Ukrainian investigative journalists have been subjected to surveillance and intimidation by officials in connection with their work. In addition, journalists seeking press accreditation previously told CPJ in 2023 that they had been questioned by the Security Service of Ukraine and pressured to take certain approaches in their reporting.

Lack of accountability: No one has been held accountable for intimidating investigative journalist Yuriy Nikolov in January. Similarly, no results have been communicated in the investigations related to the surveillance reported in January of investigative outlet Bihus.info or the attempt in April to serve investigative journalist Yevhen Shulhat with a military summons in retaliation for his work.

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In addition, CPJ is concerned about a bill currently being debated in the Verkhovna Rada that could increase criminal penalties for publishing information from public databases during martial law, thereby threatening the work of investigative journalists.

In its June 2022 opinion on Ukraines European Union membership application, the European Commission stated that "media freedom has also improved significantly in recent years, especially thanks to online media." Directly pressuring independent media or indirectly letting those who intimidate them operate with impunity would represent a significant step backwards in the realization of Ukraines European aspirations.

As someone committed to defending Ukraines international standing, who has recognized that "any pressure on journalists is unacceptable," we request that you take immediate steps to end Ukrainian government officials surveillance, harassment, or intimidation of journalists, and ensure that anyone who has acted to weaken freedom of the press in Ukraine is held to account.

We thank you for your consideration.

Jodie Ginsberg, CEO, Committee to Protect Journalists

Source
CHICAGO  The Chicago Board of Education has voted to fire Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez.

The decision came Friday night as all six board members voted to oust him.

The school board spent about an hour in closed session before coming back out to take the unanimous vote to fire Martinez without cause.

Martinez will be paid his currently salary for 180 days. He will also receive 20 weeks of lump sum payment.

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Martinez on Friday filed a lawsuit against the Board of Education in an effort to halt the evening vote that ultimately led to his ousting.

The suit argues the board has breached its contract and asks for a Temporary Restraining Order to stop the vote on an agenda item to approve his termination. His attorneys argue that halting his firing is in the public interest, and theyre asking for a hearing on the matter as soon as possible.

Martinez, who still has a year-and-a-half left on his contract, has been at odds with Mayor Brandon Johnson for refusing to take out a high-interest loan to help finance a new teachers contract and a pension payment for non-teacher staff. Hes called it fiscally irresponsible.

On Wednesday, the board added two voting items to its agenda that could lead to the termination of Martinezs contract or buy him out of it. They are listed as Approve Settlement with Chief Officer and Approve Termination of Chief Officer.

Alder, groups call for delay of Fridays special school board meeting

Supporters of the embattled schools chief say the board should at least wait until new members are seated next month before taking action on the CEO.

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Its very unusual and I think its kind of violates the spirit of everything thats happened in the last few years to transition the board from an appointed board to an elected board, said Peter Cunningham, the former communications director for CPS who also served in the US Department of Education during the Obama administration. It seems like theyre hurrying up to try and get these big decisions done before the elected members come in, and that feels like its inappropriate.

The school board currently consists of seven members, all appointed by the mayor, but will increase to 21, with 10 members elected in November to two-year terms. Earlier this week, Johnson announced his additional appointees to the board that will be seated in January.

Johnson, a former Chicago Public Schools teacher and Chicago Teachers Union activist, reportedly asked Martinez to resign in September but he refused. CTU president Stacy Davis Gates, who worked with Johnson while he was with the union, has been critical of Martinez, calling him an impediment to their ongoing contract negotiations.

Martinez opposes the mayors proposal to cover the school districts budget deficit with a $300 million high-interest loan.

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Martinez reportedly hired a law firm to help avoid the citys alleged attempts to fire him. Hundreds of CPS administrators in September sent a letter to the board urging them to retain Martinez at the helm of one of the nations largest school districts, but to no avail as proven Friday.

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Shortly after the board voted to fire Martinez, the Chicago Teachers Union issued the following statement:

For nearly a year, Chicago educators have been laser-focused on securing a 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. Through all of this, CEO Pedro Martinez stalled. Mr. Martinez put his personal politics, career goals, and media stardom ahead of the needs of our students and their families. As educators, we saw and felt the true impact of Martinezs lack of leadership up close and personal. We saw his unwillingness to hire more school nurses for our vulnerable school communities. We saw it in his reluctance to provide the resources for our neighborhood public schools struggling to meet the needs of an expanding migrant population. We saw him struggle to find real solutions for the ACERO families. Regrettably, we saw it at the bargaining table, where he was unwilling to join us in the solution-driven work of locking in many of the academic gains made by our young people over the past three years. Chicagos students and their families deserve a fighter as CEO: Martinez seemed willing to put up a bigger fight for his job than he was for the students and families of this city and the funding their schools desperately need. But instead of proactively leading our school district and fighting for full funding of our schools, he always sat on his handsputting CPS and the ACERO students and families in jeopardy. As we approach the years end and face the realities of a second Trump term in public education, we dont have time to waste responding to baseless claims made by Mr. Martinez and his high-priced attorneys. Lets be clear: battles with former Blagojevich attorneys will not improve the school day for our students and their families, provide resources for our classrooms, or provide protection for our students, staff, and their families. Now more than ever, Chicago needs a real champion for public schools. We need a leader who is unwilling to accept overcrowded classrooms, staffing vacancies, and failure to meet the needs of special education and English language learning students as standard operating procedures. The Mayor, Board of Education, and next CEO will have to reorient the culture of district leadership toward collaboration, championing equity in more than just lip service, and providing proactive leadership to fight against the coming attacks and for the full funding our schools need and deserve. We need a leader to fight with us to reclaim the promise of public education for our city, its students, and their families. We need a leader who sees the historic opportunity in front of CPS, Chicago, and the state of Illinois to end generations of disinvestment, reverse the trend of balancing its budget on Black and Brown students, and create a baseline of excellence for every school in every neighborhood. 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. Chicago Teachers Union

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The Illinois Latino Agenda also issued the following statement on Martinezs firing.

The Illinois Latino Agenda is dismayed at the treatment of Chicago Public Schools (CPS) CEO Pedro Martinez. Under Martinezs steadfast leadership, CPS has consistently achieved proficiency gains in reading, graduation rates, scholarships, college credits and certifications earned. As a CPS graduate and a parent of two CPS students, Martinez brought a personal commitment to the success of Chicagos diverse student body, 47% of whom identify as Latino. Martinez fostered stability and equity in a district long challenged by leadership turnover. Nearly 700 principals and assistant principals, representing 80% of district campuses, expressed confidence in Martinez citing his capable and collaborative leadership. In less than a year, Martinez oversaw the development of a seminal strategic plan and a complete shift from student-based budgeting to a needs-based approach which centers equity and expands opportunities for all students. At this critical moment, the Illinois Latino Agenda calls on the city and the newly elected Board of Education members to place the interests of students above political agendas. We urge the administration to reconsider this action and maintain stability for our schools. We remain committed to a school system that serves every child, the largest constituency of which is Latino. Illinois Latino Agenda

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California regulators voted Thursday to continue using the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility probably into the next decade, over the objection of local activists and residents who demanded a swifter closure of the site of the largest methane leak in U.S. history.

The California Public Utilities Commission voted 4 to 0, with one abstention, in favor of a plan first pitched Nov. 13 to develop a process to wind down the storage facility as demand for natural gas falls  as is expected in the coming years.

The vote took place in San Francisco, where dozens of people protested outside. Nearly 80 individuals addressed the commission either virtually or in person during a 2-hour public comment period.

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"This is not the same as the commission saying that we do not care about local residents' concerns," said CPUC Commissioner John Reynolds. "It means, rather, that we are obligated to ... uphold our core responsibility of ensuring safe, reliable and affordable utility service."

But that came as little comfort to those who for years have pushed to close the Southern California Gas Co.-owned storage field in Porter Ranch, which sprang a lengthy leak in late 2015.

"You're hearing the distress out there that, 'We waited nine years for this,'" said state Sen. Henry Stern (D-Calabasas).

Read more: California regulators propose plan that could close Aliso Canyon. Or is it just 'kicking the can'?

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The disaster spewed 109,000 tons of methane and other chemicals into the air, forcing more than 8,000 families to leave their homes. Many of those families complained of medical ailments, including headaches, nosebleeds and nausea.

The commission-approved proposal calls for moving ahead with potentially closing Aliso Canyon once Southern Californias demand for natural gas declines to a point at which peak demand can be served without the site.

"Aliso Canyon must be closed for good, but without harming working families with skyrocketing utility bills," Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. "Reducing reliance on the facility has gone slower than I would like, but the Public Utilities Commission  a constitutionally independent agency  has set out a reasonable path that protects residents near the facility and doesnt throw the natural gas market into chaos."

Read more: New tactic to close Aliso Canyon gas storage facility: Switch more neighbors to electric appliances

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The commission said demand for natural gas is on a downward trajectory as the state continues to bring renewable energy sources online.

The commission proposes initiating proceedings to review and potentially close the facility once the peak demand forecast for two years out decreases to 4,121 million metric cubic feet per day  and a biennial assessment shows that doing so would not jeopardize natural gas reliability or reasonable rates.

We share the commissions and governors view that natural gas storage at Aliso Canyon is currently necessary to help keep customers electric and gas bills lower and for energy system reliability, SoCalGas spokesperson Chris Gilbride said in a statement Thursday.

The current peak demand forecast is 4,618 million metric cubic feet per day, and that is expected to drop to 4,197 million in 2030, according to a commission information sheet.

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"We can only responsibly close Aliso Canyon when demand for natural gas goes down," said commission President Alice Busching Reynolds.

Read more: Opinion: Gov. Newsom, no more delays in shutting Aliso Canyon down

Busching Reynolds said the first biennial assessment would take place in June. The approved proposal also allows for "incremental reductions" in how much gas is stored at Aliso Canyon.

She struck an optimistic tone regarding gas usage projections, saying "it is certainly possible that we'll reach this target faster than what is forecasted."

However, even if California hits the designated two-year benchmark, the proposal wouldnt actually initiate an immediate shutdown process. Instead, it would kick off another assessment regarding potentially closing and decommissioning Aliso Canyon.

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At a news conference two weeks ago, Stern estimated that Aliso Canyon would close by 2039 at the earliest, under the commission's plan.

Stern was in San Francisco on Thursday and urged the commissioners to postpone their decision until March 31. He said a regulatory inquiry into possible market manipulation during the gas price spikes that occurred in the 2022-2023 winter season would be complete by early next year. He said he believes the report will provide more information about Aliso Canyon and help assess whether the facility must be kept online to prevent future price spikes.

Read more: Boiling Point: Newsom loves fighting Big Oil. Gas utilities? Meh

Matt Pakucko, president of the advocacy group Save Porter Ranch, said he couldn't understand why the commission didn't follow through on an earlier proposal to initiate the closure of Aliso Canyon in 2022.

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He told commissioners that the decision is not just an energy issue.

"The current biennial proposal puts costs and profits above the health and safety of Californians," he said.

For now, natural gas usage remains robust in California even though it is decreasing.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration released a report that noted 70% of California households used a gas stove in 2020, among the highest share of any state.

A California Energy Commission review also found that nearly 37% of the state's electric generation in 2023 was from natural gas.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
By Liam Mo and Brenda Goh

BEIJING (Reuters) -Apple (AAPL) is in talks with Tencent and TikTok owner ByteDance about integrating their artificial intelligence models into iPhones sold in China, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

The U.S. company started the rollout of OpenAI's ChatGPT into its devices this month, part of the Apple Intelligence product that allows its Siri voice assistant to tap the chatbot's expertise including on user queries about photos and documents such as presentations.

ChatGPT is not available in China and the country's regulatory requirements mandate that generative AI services obtain government approval before public release, forcing Apple to seek local partners for its AI features at a time when its market share in the country is declining.

Apple's discussions with Tencent and ByteDance on using their AI models are at a very early stage, said the sources, who declined to be named as the talks are not public.

ByteDance declined to comment, while Apple and Tencent did not respond immediately to requests for comment.

A successful partner for Apple's AI services in China could be a major winner in the country's increasingly crowded AI field where dozens of large language models have been launched by large tech firms as well as startups.

They include ByteDance's Doubao, Tencent's Hunyuan and search engine giant Baidu's Ernie.

Market share in China

Apple and Baidu have reportedly been in talks about using the latter's AI model in China, but The Information this month reported the discussions faced setbacks due to technical issues, including disputes over using iPhone user data to train AI models.

Baidu did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

Baidu's Hong Kong-listed shares fell after the Reuters report, down 4.2% against a 0.6% decline in the Hang Seng index.. Tencent's shares rose 2.3%.

The absence of AI capabilities in the latest iPhones sold in China has become a major setback for Apple, as it faces declining market share in the world's biggest smartphone market due to growing competition from domestic brands including Huawei.

Huawei, which returned to the high-end market in August with a phone using a Chinese-made chip, launched its Mate 70 series last month featuring AI capabilities powered by its proprietary large language model.

Apple briefly fell out of China's top five smartphone vendors in the second quarter before recovering in the third quarter. The U.S. company's smartphone sales in China still slipped 0.3% during the third quarter from a year earlier, while Huawei's sales surged 42%, according to research firm IDC.

(Reporting by Liam Mo in Beijing and Brenda Goh in Shanghai; Editing by Miyoung Kim, Jamie Freed and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
Craig Wright, the Australian computer scientist who falsely claimed to be Bitcoins creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, has been sentenced to 12 months in jail, suspended for two years, for contempt of court. This follows his violation of a previous court order that barred him from filing lawsuits based on his claim to be Nakamoto.

In March 2024, a U.K. court ruled that Wright was not Nakamoto. The ruling came after Wright continued to assert ownership over Bitcoin's intellectual property. In July, Wright was ordered to publicly declare that he was not the creator of Bitcoin, and he was prohibited from further legal actions related to his claim. However, in October, Wright filed another lawsuit, accusing Bitcoin developers of misrepresenting Nakamotos vision, claiming damages of over $1.18 billion. This led the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) to file a contempt case against him.

COPA argued that Wrights repeated legal battles, based on his claims to be Nakamoto, were an attempt to maintain his public following and were a violation of the previous court order. Wrights actions included lawsuits against more than 100 companies, demanding nearly 900 billion in damages, as he sought to enforce his intellectual property rights over Bitcoins whitepaper.

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Wrights legal troubles began in 2021 when he started suing individuals and organizations for the rights to the Bitcoin whitepaper. Despite being dismissed in previous cases, including a claim for $1.14 trillion in damages, Wright continued to pursue these legal actions. The contempt charge arose from his filing of a new lawsuit against COPA, which he argued was in line with his rights as Nakamoto.

In the Dec. 19 hearing, Wright was not present in court but appeared via video link, citing financial and logistical reasons for his absence. COPA had offered to fly him to the hearing in economy class, but Wright declined, stating he was in Asia for work. Judge James Mellor, who had earlier ruled that Wright was not Nakamoto, handed down a suspended sentence, noting that the intention was to deter further violations of the courts orders. However, the judge also acknowledged Wrights physical absence from the U.K., which complicated the enforcement of any custodial sentence.

Wright's defense team has stated their intent to appeal, but COPAs legal counsel believes this ruling should be the final chapter in Wrights attempts to claim Bitcoins creation. They argue that after the March ruling, it was clear that Wright was not Nakamoto, and his continuing actions were nothing more than a publicity stunt. Despite the legal battles, the true identity of Bitcoins creator remains unknown.
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV)  A two-vehicle crash Thursday night, December 19, lead to at least one person being airlifted from the scene. The wreck happened on I-70 near the Indiana and Illinois state line.

According to the Vigo County Dispatch, the crash involved two vehicles and entrapped passenger inside the vehicle. Officers at the scene told our reporter one of the vehicles was a semi-truck.

Dispatch also says at least one person was airlifted due to their injuries. That persons condition is unknown at this time.

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WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL)  An Iowa Park woman with a lengthy criminal record is back behind bars tonight on charges of credit card or debit card abuse.

According to the arrest warrant, Skyler Houston, 30, was jailed after police responded to a credit card theft from a 90-year-old victim.

Altus AFB FD Captain arrested on Child Sexual Material

Back in November, the victims daughter reported that Houston went to the victims house with her 9-year-old, claiming the child was doing a fundraiser and was allowed inside the victims home. The victims daughter said she knew Skyler from her place of employment.

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While inside, according to the report, Skyler was left alone in the living room, where the victim kept his wallet. The victim said that after Skyler had left, it was discovered that the credit card was missing.

The victim told police he received a notification from his bank that his credit card was fraudulently used at the Target store on Kemp Blvd. The victim called Target and got a copy of the fraudulent transaction.

Police reviewed the security footage from the store and positively identified Houston from similar criminal investigations. A warrant was issued, and she was arrested on Thursday, December 19.

According to jail records, Skyler has been arrested several times for similar alleged crimes. Her bond is set at $75,000.

This is a developing story. Stick with Texomas Homepage for updates as more information becomes available. All individuals charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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Felonies

The following people were booked into the Lee County-Tupelo Adult Jail in connection with felony charges ending Thursday at 11 a.m.

Elijah Dylan Bishop, 29, of Saltillo, was arrested by the Lee County Sheriffs Office, trafficking fentanyl, domestic violence.

Kanterro Markee Cummings, 23, of Tupelo, was arrested by the Verona Police Department, possession of marijuana with intent to deliver.

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TaEllis Edwards, 19, of Guntown, was arrested by the Tupelo Police Department, warrant for burglary of an auto.

Caleb Demone Price, 29, of Tupelo, was arrested by the Tupelo Police Department, possession of a Schedule II drug, possession of a firearm by a felon.

Lee County Sheriff's Office

The following reports were filed Thursday by the Lee County Sheriff's Office.

A Mooreville woman said she was concerned about a German shepherd at a County Road 1205, Nettleton, address. There was standing water in front of the doghouse, so the dog was standing behind the house to avoid the puddle. She asked for a welfare check. A deputy went to the location and saw a small puddle that was not keeping the dog from its house. The dog had a healthy appearance and was in good condition. There was no one at home, so the officer will try back at a later date.

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A County Road 1295, Mooreville, woman said she got emails from her bank about charges on her debit card. One charge was $19.95 to First Latitude and the other was to Open Sky for $650. Both are secured credit card companies. Her bank said she needed to file a report before they could open an investigation.

A Drive 939, Tupelo, man said overnight someone entered his unlocked pickup and stole four firearms  a 9mm pistol, a .22-caliber pistol and two 35 Wheelen rifles.

Anyone with information on any of these reports is urged to call the Lee County Sheriff's Office at 841-9041, the Tupelo Police Department at 841-6491 or Crime Stoppers of Northeast Mississippi at (800) 773-TIPS or download the P3 Tip App and leave an anonymous tip that way.
ZAGREB (Reuters) -A seven-year-old child was killed by a knife-wielding assailant who attacked a teacher and pupils at a Zagreb primary school on Friday, government ministers said.

Health Minister Irena Hrstic said the attacker stabbed five people, wounding four and killing one. The suspect later injured himself and was detained.

"Five persons have been hospitalised and their lives are not in danger," Hrstic told reporters. They included the suspected attacker.

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Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic said the attacker was a 19-year-old former school student, who entered the school in the middle of the morning and wounded the teacher and children with a knife.

"He ran away from the crime site and shut himself in a nearby health centre where he tried to injure himself with the knife," Bozinovic told reporters. "The police stopped him from committing suicide."

Bozinovic said the suspect had a history of psychological problems and had tried to commit suicide last year.

Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomasevic proclaimed the Day of Mourning on Friday.

"We are horrified," Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said.

(Reporting by Daria Sito-Sucic and Ivana Sekularac; Editing by Alison Williams, Alex Richardson and Angus MacSwan)
A knife-wielding teenager walked into a school in Croatias capital Zagreb on Friday, killing a 7-year-old student and injuring three more children and a teacher, authorities said. The attack took place around 9:50 a.m. on the last day of school before Christmas at the Precko Elementary School in the Zagreb neighborhood of the same name. It caters for children between the ages of 7 and 15.
At least 35 children were killed and six others critically injured in a crowd crush at a funfair in southwest Nigeria on Wednesday, police said.

Eight people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the incident at the Islamic school in the city of Ibadan, an Oyo state police spokesperson said in a statement Thursday.

The events main sponsor is among those detained, police said.

According to local radio station Agidigbo FM, the organizers of the event  identified as the Women in Need of Guidance and Support (WING)  expected to host 5,000 children under the age of 13 at the free event, where they could win prizes like scholarships.

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Nigerian President Bola Tinubu expressed his condolences through a statement from his spokesperson, state news agency NAN News reported.

In this moment of mourning, President Tinubu stands in solidarity with the affected families and offers prayers that the Almighty God will grant peace to the souls of those who have departed in this unfortunate event, the statement said.

The president also urged the Oyo State Government to take necessary steps to prevent a similar tragedy from occurring, according to NAN.

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde said it was a very sad day.

We sympathise with the parents whose joy has suddenly been turned to mourning due to these deaths, Makinde posted on Facebook.

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I want to reassure our people that anyone directly or remotely involved in this disaster will be held accountable. Please remain calm as the security agencies investigate this unfortunate incident.

The case has been transferred to the homicide section of the states criminal investigation department, police said.

The Oyo State Police Command sympathizes with all the families and loved ones affected by the tragedy and assures the good people of the state that justice will be served accordingly, the police spokesperson said.

The aftermath of the crush in the southwest Nigerian city of Ibadan. - TVC NEWS/Reuters

Nigeria, a West African nation home to more than 236 million people, has seen several deadly crowd crushes in recent years.

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In February, the Nigeria Customs Service confirmed that an unspecified number of people were trampled to death during a crowd surge as they waited for discounted rice at its office in Lagos, the countrys largest city.

Many children were among 30 people killed in a crowd crush at a church event in the southeastern city of Port Harcourt in 2022, according to police and security officials.

In 2019, at least four people were killed in a crush at a political rally held by the countrys president, officials told CNN.

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The Crown Princess of Serbia sent a royal thank you to UPMC after she underwent surgery for pancreatic cancer, according to a statement from the Royal Family.

Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia expressed her gratitude for the exceptional care provided by the dedicated healthcare professionals at UPMC in the statement. She said she especially appreciated the expertise and support of her surgeon, the anesthesiologist and the nursing staff who have been instrumental throughout her medical journey.

This has been a very difficult time, but I am strong and determined to continue my humanitarian work, particularly in the field of cancer. I am grateful for the support of my family, friends, and, of course, my husband, HRH Crown Prince Alexander. With my faith in God, the support of everyone around me, good friends, and the prayers of all, I will overcome this challenge. After all, cancer starts with can. Life is precious, and we should always spread love and kindness wherever we go, maintaining a positive attitude despite the challenges we face. My prayers and thoughts are with all those who are facing this challenging disease, stated HRH Crown Princess Katherine.

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The Crown Princess and her family extended their heartfelt gratitude to all who have sent their well-wishes and supported her recovery. At this time, Crown Princess Katherine requests that the public honor her privacy as she focuses on her recovery.

Her medical team is optimistic about her prognosis, the statement said.

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GEDDES, N.Y. (WSYR-TV)  Crucible Steel is scheduled to go up for auction in February of 2025.

NewsChannel 9 reported in mid-December that one of the Syracuse areas oldest manufacturers has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after warning employees the factory might close in 2025 due to financial struggles.

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In the filing, Crucible Industries claims around $21,500,000 in assets between payment owed and inventory, but tens of millions of dollars in loans and unpaid bills. The exact amount owed is unclear.

But there is someone interested in the steel company. According to court documents, a Paris-based company called Era Steel is willing to spend $17.3 million for the Geddes steel plant.

The documents also revealed millions of dollars in debt to Key Bank, New York State, Onondaga County, and National Grid. More than 250 creditors say theyre also owed money.

West siders  including past employees  have been vocal with their sentiments on the plants future.

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Sad, Paul Phillips simply put it. The former supervisor at Crucible worked there for a little less than two decades.

I was really part of the organization for the larger part of my life, he explained. A lot of people that reside in Solvay worked there. Businesses flourished in its heyday, but its a fraction of what it was.

Phillips wasnt the only one in his family to be employed by the steel plant. His father spent 35 years there.

Personally, I would love to go back there and walk through the plant, he continued. It was my home for a while.

He said one of his toughest decisions was when he chose to walk away.

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As for the surrounding area, Manny Falcone, the former Geddes Town Supervisor, added, People work here local, they live local, they pay taxes, they do business here. These guys are walking next door to the Byrne Dairy everyday and getting lunch, coffee and everything else. I see them with their helmets on. When you lose that, thats a decrease in business. Prices go up, you dont want to do that.

When a WARN notice was first issued making the community aware that the company might close, Crucible cited economic reasons.

Crucible has been in business since the 1800s and employs more than 150 people.

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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD)  Friday on the Daily 8, were looking at a Grammy-nominated teacher in Grand Rapids, a special donation from Teresa Weakley, a deer celebrating the end of hunting season and more.

You can watch the full Daily 8 for Dec. 20, 2024, in the video player above or check out any of the stories mentioned below:

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Each weekday, the Daily 8 brings you the top eight stories we are keeping an eye on in and around West Michigan.

The Daily 8 will be taking a holiday break from Dec. 23 through the new year. Join us again for another Daily 8 on Jan. 6.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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By Manya Saini, Pete Schroeder and Niket Nishant

(Reuters) -The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said on Friday it filed a lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo for failing to protect consumers from alleged "widespread fraud" on payments platform Zelle.

The lawsuit was initiated as the watchdog moves ahead with a bold agenda in the final weeks of Joe Biden's Democratic administration in a bid to advance consumer protections before President-elect Donald Trump overhauls the agency, Reuters reported last month. The moves defy congressional Republicans, who have called for agencies to cease rulemaking.

The CFPB seeks to stop the alleged unlawful practices via Zelle, secure redress and penalties, and obtain other relief for consumers, it said in a statement.

"What they built became a goldmine for criminals," making it easy for fraudsters to drain accounts, while providing insufficient protections for consumers or making them whole for losses, CFPB Director Rohit Chopra told journalists in a briefing. "These banks broke the law by running a payments system that made fraud easy, while refusing to help the victims."

The CFPB said the banks violated federal law through critical failures, alleging they left the door open to scammers, allowed repeat offenders to hop between banks, ignored red flags that could have prevented fraud and abandoned consumers after fraud occurred.

The proliferation of fraud and scams on Zelle has attracted attention from U.S. lawmakers, including Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren and regulators concerned about consumer protection.

"The CFPBs attacks on Zelle are legally and factually flawed, and the timing of this lawsuit appears to be driven by political factors," said Early Warning Services, the company that operates Zelle and is jointly owned by banks.

Customers of the three banks named in Friday's lawsuit have lost more than $870 million over the seven years since Zelle was introduced, the CFPB said.

Federal rules require banks to reimburse customers for unauthorized payments, for instance if their accounts were hacked. But in some cases, banks have resisted paying back customers who were tricked into making the payments themselves.

The consumer watchdog describes how hundreds of thousands of consumers filed fraud complaints and were largely denied assistance, with some being told to contact the fraudsters directly to recover their money.

CFPB officials said it would press on with the Zelle enforcement action regardless of the new presidential administration and likely leadership changes at the agency, including the probable departure of director Rohit Chopra. Billionaire Elon Musk, a close Trump adviser who is leading an effort to curb bureaucracy, has called for abolishing the agency.
When the Daily Mail unveiled plans to renovate its headquarters at the former Barkers of Kensington department store in West London, bosses insisted the new wellness-focused offices would be a long-term home for its talented people.

Three years later, however, the paper has admitted it will remain in its temporary offices for another decade, triggering anger and unrest among journalists already grappling with a troubled shift to the digital era.

Staff have accused the Mail of abandoning the office return as a cost-cutting measure, something insiders deny.

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Lord Rothermeres newspaper group moved out of its Northcliffe House headquarters in late 2022 as the art deco building underwent a refurbishment, which included plans for a new roof terrace.

It moved into separate offices across the road and planned to return in the second half of this year.

However, staff have been told that the Daily Mail will remain at its temporary site for a further 10 years after the renovation was delayed for at least another two years.

Rather than enjoying modern new facilities, journalists are stuck in a building that has issues with the toilets and air conditioning, according to one employee. They branded the temporary offices embarrassing and a s---hole.

Renovations at Northcliffe House have been going on since 2021 - Paul Grover/Northcliffe House

A lot of people arent particularly happy, even though they said theyre going to renovate everything, says one journalist. The implication is that this is going to be for the long term, maybe even longer than 10 years.

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Difficulties with the new location have been apparent for a while. Earlier this year, the Daily Mail sued a luxury gym chain based above it over complaints about people dropping weights on the floor above.

In a High Court claim, the company accused Equinox of causing excessive and intrusive noise and vibration, saying that in one incident an air conditioning unit fell from the ceiling, causing damage to property and narrowly missing an employee. All staff on the fourth floor were briefly asked to work from home to avoid the risk of further accidents. The case is ongoing. Equinox has declined to comment.

The company will embark on a refurbishment of its new offices after deciding to stay, including the installation of new lifts, an upgrade of the washroom and lavatory facilities and new air conditioning units. However, this will bring yet more upheaval as staff are forced to work around builders.

James Welsh, the deputy chief executive of DMG Media, said the building at 9 Derry Street was a better fit for how we work, with larger floors for both editorial and commercial teams.

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He added that the new site also offered a larger overall space providing flexibility both now and in the future.

Constant fear

However, staff have questioned whether the change of plan is in fact a cost-cutting measure.

Journalists fear they will never return to the Mails old headquarters, fuelling discontent at a time when morale is already low. DMGT has cut dozens of jobs as it scrambles to merge operations across its daily and Sunday titles and update its newsrooms for the digital age.

In a further blow, the Mail cut around 10pc of its workforce in the US in September after it was hit by an advertising downturn.

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Staff are bracing for further redundancies. One employee says there is a constant fear that the Mail will be fully merged into a seven-day operation.

Workloads have increased as the staff has shrunk. MailOnline has begun charging readers for access to a small number of premium articles in a bid to reduce reliance on advertising revenues, which fell by 3pc last year to 166m. Staff say managers are almost entirely focused on the new venture, dubbed Mail+, with reporters told all stories must drive subscriptions.

Daily Mails refurbished offices will be focused on wellness

A former staff member says: It was so, so siloed for so long and now theres this extra push with Mail+ thats adding to everyones existing workload on the smaller teams, who are almost at breaking point.

Insiders complain that there is no clear strategy around the paywall business or how it relates to other parts of the group.

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They realise that theyre behind in the digital race, says one journalist. Obviously they built MailOnline and theyre now trying to convert that audience into paying subscribers without killing off the free audiences that theyve built. But they dont seem to know how theyre going to do it.

The former Mail journalist says: Even senior editors have said theyre baffled that it took so long for DMGT bosses to realise they could monetise the worlds most-read news site.

DMGT pointed to an announcement last month that Mail+ had reached 100,000 paying subscribers, which it says is proof that readers are happy to pay for the kind of high-quality journalism the Mail has long been famous for.

Further adding to the confusion is a reshuffle of senior management at DMGT.

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In October, Danny Groom, the MailOnline editor, and Ted Verity, the Daily Mail editor, were moved into expanded roles aimed at accelerating the groups digital transformation. However, insiders dismiss the changes as moving some chairs around.

Insiders complain of increasingly unmanageable workloads and ailing morale as the company fails to replace departing journalists.

Theres been a lot of redundancies, people have left, says the journalist. Morale seems to be low among a lot of departments and some people seem very overworked.

As staff prepare to hunker down in their temporary offices for the next decade, observers lament what they view as the decline of the 128-year-old newspaper title.

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Its a real shame, says the former employee. There were so many talented people but theres been a real exodus ... I think they underestimated how quickly the younger reporters on the daily would jump ship once they could see that things were changing.

DMGT declined to comment.

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NewsNation will need to find a new host for its critical 9 p.m. hour, with Dan Abrams set to step aside from his primetime program early next year.

Abrams announced his decision Thursday at the end of his program Dan Abrams Live, adding that he will step aside from his show in February.

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Abrams is one of the media business biggest multitaskers, serving as ABC News chief legal analyst, a satellite radio host, host and producer for the Reelz Channel show On Patrol Live, and as the owner of a digital media empire that includes Mediaite, Law & Crime Network and other brands, all in addition to his nightly NewsNation program.

As you may know, I also host a weekend show called On Patrol Live that follows police in real time, I host a daily radio show on SiriusXM and appear on ABC News as its chief legal analyst, Abrams said Thursday. But in my on-air roles, I devote far more of my time to this show than anything else, and as hard as it is for me to admit, its not just not practical to do this show all week while also running, and expanding, my businesses.

Three years after this really unexpected opportunity, Ive reached the point where its impossible to keep devoting the time needed for this show while also running and growing my other businesses, he added.

Abrams said that he will remain with NewsNation  albeit not as an anchor  with more details to come in February. NewsNation is expected to name his successor early next year as well.

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Abrams, it should be noted, signed a new multiyear deal with NewsNation just one year ago, and was one of the hosts who helped forge NewsNations new identity under the ownership of the local TV station giant Nexstar. Three years ago, when Abrams first came on board, Nexstar rebranded it from WGN America, and earlier this year it officially went to a 24-hour cable news format.

NewsNation president Sean Compton and I quickly realized we had a shared vision about where there was a hole in the cable marketplace  compelling, smart, but politically agnostic news coverage, Abrams said. We shared the view that every other news channel was effectively cheerleading for one side or another. And as we talked more, the idea of my hosting a nightly show came to life.

Earlier this week NewsNation inked Abrams lead-in, Chris Cuomo, to a new multiyear deal.

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Veteran news host Dan Abrams announced Thursday that his show Dan Abrams Live on the cable network NewsNation will come to an end in February.

Abrams, in his statement, suggested he needed to be practical about what the future holds and what is possible to do every day. He also thanked his team and advisers for their work on the show, which first aired in 2021.

With the help of an amazing production team, Im incredibly proud of the show we have done day in and day out, Abrams said during Thursday nights broadcast. With their thoughtful and strategic preparation and efforts at fairness, Ad Fontes Media, which rates accuracy and media bias, have us dead center on their right-left media bias chart.

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While the show may be ending, he said he would be staying with the network in some capacity.

Abrams reflected on his decision in 2021 to join the network, saying that his start with the channel stemmed from a want to fill a hole for politically agnostic news coverage in cable media.

[NewsNation President Sean Compton and I] shared the view that every other news channel was effectively cheerleading for one side or another, he said.

The network has yet to announce who will fill the 9 p.m. EST slot currently held by Dan Abrams Live.

The television personality also hosts a weekend show, On Patrol Live, that follows police in real time and a daily radio show on Sirius XM.

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NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns The Hill.

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.
In February 1992, chicken magnate Frank Perdue received a pie in the face from a protester in a chicken costume during a meeting of the University of Maryland Board of Regents in Baltimore.

Perdue was founder, president and CEO of one of the nations largest poultry processors. More than that, he was the face of the poultry industry because of his frequent appearances in folksy television commercials: It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken.

Students and animal-rights advocates protested his 1991 appointment to the regents, charging that his factory operations on Marylands Eastern Shore mistreated workers as well as chickens.

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The feathered protester who targeted Perdue in Baltimore was associated with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Perhaps public humiliation will make Frank Perdue think about what he does to all the chickens he kills each year, a PETA member said of the pie attack.

Perdue, of course, was unfazed.

After he cleaned up, the regents returned to the business at hand: A proposal to eliminate free tuition for non-teaching university employees.

All these years later, it strikes me that such an agenda item  to deprive custodians and administrative staff of tuition waivers  would be as likely to cause a protest as the treatment of chickens.

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Perhaps more likely, given where we are now.

Where we are now is the aftermath of the high-profile murder of Brian Thompson, the 50-year-old CEO of UnitedHealthcare. This was not just a horrible, singular act of violence in a violent country, the kind of thing weve grown used to. It appears to be an act of vengeance against corporate America and a signal from the depths of discontent with the nations power structure.

Based on what authorities have revealed to date, Thompson appears to have been the victim of a protest killing. His death, allegedly at the hands of a Gilman School graduate, Luigi Mangione, appears to have been an attack on not only the private health insurance system but on capitalism, inequality and the growing influence of corporations and billionaires on American life.

These connections require no stretch. They have been widely shared by millions, in private and via social media, since Thompsons death on Dec. 4, and they have been boiling under the surface for decades.

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I didnt bring up the pie in Perdues face for laughs, but for comparison with where we are now.

It should go without saying, but Ill say it here, to be clear: It is sick to relish Brian Thompsons death and declare the suspect, Mangione, a hero.

Still, given what authorities have told us, its impossible to ignore the fact that the suspect  a Gilman valedictorian  wanted to make a point.

Some people rightfully decry what they see as perverse support for Mangione. But those same critics should acknowledge the public sentiment that underlies such reactions.

Its not just about frustration with the denial of health insurance claims by a company that reported more than $16 billion in operating profits last year.

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In a more general sense, the country has become rife with class resentments stemming from flat wages and the reality that many Americans will not enjoy the same level of financial security as their parents did. As a result, there is real tension between those who feel financial strains and those who dont.

For more than 40 years, the wealth gap has been widening, and the trickle down economics that promised greater prosperity for all has been busted as myth. What was once seen as just a reality of capitalism  the rich get richer and the rest of us struggle to keep up  is increasingly seen as a detriment to American society.

Opinion polling shows rising public sentiment against corporations and the nations wealthy and politically influential ruling class.

In a Harris Poll published in September, seven out of 10 Americans said they see wealth inequality as a serious national issue. Two-thirds said billionaires do not pay their fair share of taxes. The cost of health care was the top priority of those in the survey; they said additional taxes from billionaires should go to making health care more affordable.

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The Harris poll results reflected what Libby Rodney, chief strategy officer, called wealth gap anxiety, reflecting a growing sense of vulnerability among Americans who strain to keep up with the cost of living.

Coming out of the pandemic, the nations billionaires became even richer. In a YouGov survey, Americans seemed to be well aware of that fact and also supported raising taxes on the billionaire class.

Polls have also shown consistent support for a public system of healthcare coverage, ending the enormous profits of the private sector.

Obamacare has become increasingly popular since its enactment, and the Department of the Treasury says nearly 50 million Americans have been covered through Affordable Care Act marketplaces since January 2014. A Gallup poll in November showed that 62% of Americans believe the federal government should ensure that all Americans have health care coverage.

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Of course, everything I mention here  increased objections to the concentration of wealth and the popularity of Obamacare  did not keep Donald Trump from winning Novembers election. Billionaires and corporations enjoyed huge tax cuts during his first presidency and he has promised more of the same. He has also repeatedly criticized Obamacare and tried to kill it.

Nothing Trump plans to do will wipe away wealth gap anxiety and the underlying resentments that have trickled down through the years. Thats where we are.

_____
Danny Masterson's 2023 trial on decades-old charges that he raped several women in the early 2000s was riddled with "fundamental flaws" that should lead a court to overturn his conviction and 30-year-sentence, his lawyer argues in a 242-page Opening Brief as part of the actor's appeal.



Attorney Cliff Gardner released the filing on Wednesday, saying in a statement that Masterson was denied a fair trial because of glaring mistakes he said were made from the bench by Judge Charlaine Olmedo. Masterson was sentenced to 30 years in prison in September 2023 by Olmedo, who admonished the popular actor, You are not the victim here. Your actions 20 years ago took away another persons voice and choice. Your actions 20 years ago were criminal, and that is why you are here," before doling out the maximum penalty.

Related: Danny Masterson Accusers Allege Scientology Is Mob-Like 'Criminal Enterprise'

Gardner says his filing, which has not yet been accepted by the Appellate court, "demonstrates two fundamental flaws in Danny Masterson's convictions," going on to write that the trial was "rife with erroneous judicial rulings that skewed the jurys view of the evidence against him." Secondly, Gardner argued, "there was a stunning amount of exculpatory evidence which was never presented to the jury."



"The defense in this case was simple: Mr. Masterson knew both women socially, and the sex was consensual," Gardner and his co-counsel, Lazuli Whitt, wrote in the brief. "There was no physical evidence supporting the states theory, there were no admissions, there were no inculpatory pretext calls." In other words, Gardner wrote, Masterson is an innocent man targeted by women who displayed what he called a "motive of financial self-interest," exhibited by the filing of a 2019 civil suit.

Related: Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis Apologize for Danny Masterson Letters: 'We Support Victims'

Gardner points out that the statute of limitations to file a lawsuit against Masterson seeking damages for rape "had long since expired by the time of trial." Under state law, however, if Masterson was convicted of forcible rape, as he was in 2023, the women could seek sue for damages - a law that they were aware of, he wrote, and talked about in text messages after filing their first civil suit.



He also points out that in 2003, one of the women also sent a text to a friend that her encounter she had with Masterson was the "best sex" she "ever had." The following year, in 2004, she reported that encounter to the LAPD as a rape, Gardner wrote.

Related: Danny Masterson Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Rape of 2 Women

Masterson, a prominent member of the Church of Scientology, was charged in 2020 with forcibly raping three women on different occasions at his home in the Hollywood Hills decades earlier. An initial trial ended with a hung jury, he was retried by Los Angeles County prosecutors in at trial that included testimony from women who said Masterson drugged them before forcibly raping them.

Related: Retrial of Actor and Prominent Scientologist Danny Masterson Begins



The women have not reacted to Masterson's new filing, in which his attorneys also stated: It is true, of course, that a defendant is not entitled to a perfect trial. He is, however, still entitled to a fair one."
Danny Masterson is seeking to overturn the verdict in his 2023 jury trial, which ended with him being convicted on two counts of rape by force or fear and sentenced to 30 years in prison. The actor claimed fundamental flaws led to an unfair trial that featured shifting accounts of what happened from the three plaintiffs and arguing that it was meant as a legal attack on the Church of Scientology.

On Thursday, attorneys for the That 70s Show star filed a 242-page appellants opening brief demanding an overturning of Mastersons guilty verdict  the culmination of a weeks-long, high-profile jury trial that concluded in September 2023. The allegations in the filing by defense attorneys Cliff Gardner and Lazuli Whitt state that the jurys view of the evidence was skewed by the womens narratives of the attacks, the courts exclusion of significant exculpatory evidence and rulings by the judge overseeing the trial.

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It is true, of course, that a defendant is not entitled to a perfect trial. He is, however, still entitled to a fair one, Gardner and Whitt wrote in the filing. Danny Masterson received neither. Reversal is required.

Masterson, a longtime member of the Church of Scientology who has earned the distinction of untouchable status in the church, was accused by each of the three women of rape during encounters that date back 20 years. All three of the plaintiffs in the trial are former Scientologists who detailed their attacks to the court, explaining that they felt woozy after being handed a drink by Masterson. Why they were now coming forward with their accusations, nearly two decades later, is explained by the fact that Scientology forbids followers to notify authorities about acts committed by another Scientologist. The plaintiffs said that they had seen threats from their former church since each separated.

The Church of Scientology reacted after the guilty verdict earlier this year, stating: The Church was not a party to this case, and religion did not belong in this proceeding as Supreme Court precedent has maintained for centuries.

In the filing, Whitt and Gardner also point to the mistrial in the first go-round for Masterson over these allegations, which ended with a deadlocked jury in 2022. After the mistrial was declared, a survey of the jurors showed that two holdouts believed Masterson to be guilty while 10 voted not guilty.

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The lawyers also claim in the filing that there was no physical evidence supporting the states theory [of rape], making the situation a pure credibility contest.

Therefore, the case is a matter of a famous mans word versus that of a trio of women whose names are anonymized in court.

Yet all three did have encounters at the times in question with Masterson, who maintains his innocence and says that all of the encounters were consensual. This is a far cry from the plaintiffs accounts. Plaintiff N. Trout told authorities that Masterson had raped her so violently that she vomited while Jane Doe #1 detailed how Masterson held a gun as he raped her and suffocated her with a pillowcase.

Masterson, after being handed his 30-years-to-life prison sentence, was briefly sent to Corcoran State Prison but is now an inmate at the lower security Californias Mens Colony in San Luis Obispo.

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Dec. 19MITCHELL  The following cases were among those heard Tuesday, Dec. 17, during a circuit court session at the Davison County Public Safety Center, with Judge Chris Giles presiding:

* Mark Gauvin, 44, of Leeds, New York, pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance (Ritalin), a Class 5 felony. Gauvin was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to pay a $750 fine. He received credit for one day served. As part of a plea agreement, several additional charges were dismissed, including possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of two ounces of marijuana, both Class 1 misdemeanors, as well as four additional counts of possession of controlled substances involving THC pills and oil, Vicodin, Adderall and methamphetamine.

* Angel Brown, 30, of Mitchell, appeared in court to request a continuance. Judge Giles rescheduled Brown's jury trial from February to March. Brown is facing multiple drug-related charges, including conspiracy to distribute cocaine, two counts of distribution of cocaine, and distribution of cocaine in a drug-free zone, all Class 4 felonies. Each of these charges carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine. In addition, Brown faces Class 5 felony charges for possession of cocaine, unauthorized ingestion of cocaine, and keeping a place for use or sale of cocaine. Each of these charges is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. If convicted on all counts, Brown could face a maximum of 55 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years. Brown pleaded not guilty to all charges back in September.

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* Dominic Northrup, 27, of Mitchell pleaded guilty to a third-offense driving under the influence (DUI) charge, a Class 6 felony. His sentencing included a two-year prison term with all time suspended, 16 days in county jail with a six-day credit, a $650 fine and a one-year driver's license revocation. Northrup was also placed on two years of probation. As part of a plea deal, several charges were dismissed, including resisting an officer, failure to maintain financial responsibility, and having an open alcoholic beverage container, all Class 2 misdemeanors, as well as driving with a revoked license and obstructing police, both Class 1 misdemeanors.

* Brayan Duran-Escobar, 19, of Mitchell, failed to appear in court for a bond forfeiture hearing related to a fourth-degree rape charge. The charges involve a victim between the ages of 13 and 16 and is classified as a Class 3 felony. Judge Giles granted the return of the bond during the hearing.

* Cody Overweg, 24, of Mitchell, pleaded not guilty to charges of domestic abuse/simple assault, a Class 1 misdemeanor, and a third-offense domestic abuse/simple assault charge, a Class 6 felony. A request for a bond modification was denied. A jury trial is scheduled for March.

* Sara Kleinsasser, 30, of Mitchell, appeared in court to face charges of possession of a controlled substance (meth), a Class 5 felony, and possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class 2 misdemeanor. Kleinsasser applied for a court-appointed attorney. Her case was continued for three weeks.

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* Jazlyn Anderson, 24, of Mitchell, appeared in court to face multiple drug-related. These included possession of a controlled substance (THC wax), a Class 6 felony, possession of controlled substances (Clonazepam and marijuana wax), Class 5 felonies. Additional charges included possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class 2 misdemeanor, and possession of 2 ounces of marijuana, a Class 1 misdemeanor. Anderson applied for a court-appointed attorney. Her case was continued for three weeks.

* Elliott Star Iron Shell, 34, of Mitchell, pleaded not guilty to a fifth or subsequent offense of domestic abuse/simple assault, a Class 4 felony, and interference with emergency communications, a Class 1 misdemeanor. A jury trial is scheduled for March.

* Robert Stoltz, 58, of Mount Vernon, pleaded not guilty to a domestic abuse/simple assault charge, a Class 1 misdemeanor. A jury trial is scheduled for March.

* Arvin Aaberg, 55, of Sioux Falls, pleaded guilty to unauthorized distribution of methamphetamine, originally a Class 3 felony but due to Aaberg's status as a habitual offender, the charge was elevated to a Class 1 felony. The court ordered a pre-sentencing report and Aaberg is scheduled for sentencing in January. As part of a plea agreement, a Class 5 felony charge of possession of a controlled substance (meth) was dismissed.

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* Allen Thomson, 32, of Mitchell, pleaded guilty to aggravated eluding, a Class 6 felony. Thomson will be sentenced in January. As part of a plea agreement, a Class 1 misdemeanor charge of obstructing police was dismissed.

* Craig Maas, 41, of Mitchell, was sentenced for distribution of methamphetamine, a Class 4 felony. Maas was sentenced to 10 years in prison, with two years suspended and was credited for 91 days served.

* Matthew Sherman, 35, of Chamberlain, appeared in court for a motions hearing. Sherman is facing charges of possession of a controlled substance, a Class 5 felony, and unauthorized manufacturing/distribution of methamphetamine, a Class 3 felony. Sherman previously pleaded not guilty to the charges and a jury trial is scheduled for February.

* Tyler Brinkman, 25, of Letcher, pleaded not guilty to possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class 2 misdemeanor, and possession of a controlled substance (cocaine), a Class 5 felony. A jury trial is scheduled for March.

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* Elisa Hampton, 56, of Tacoma, Washington, pleaded not guilty to distribution of drugs (psilocybin mushrooms and hashish oil), a Class 4 felony, and possession of controlled substances (psilocybin mushrooms and hashish oil), a Class 5 felony. A jury trial is scheduled for March.

* Richard Dehmer, 50, of Fairmont, Minnesota, failed to appear in court on drug-related charges. Dehmer is charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class 2 misdemeanor, and possession of a controlled substance (meth). The court issued a bench warrant for his arrest.

* Jordan Dobesh, 23, of White Lake, pleaded not guilty to several charges, including failure to maintain financial responsibility and hit and run, both Class 2 misdemeanors; a hit and run causing property damage, DUI and criminal entry of a vehicle, all Class 1 misdemeanors, as well as first-degree burglary, a Class 2 felony. A jury trial is scheduled for March.

* Kyle Erickson, 34, of Sioux Falls, pleaded not guilty to several charges, including intentional damage to property amounting to less than $400, a Class 2 misdemeanor; attempted grand theft in the amount of $1,000-$2,500 and obstructing police, both Class 1 misdemeanors; as well as third-degree burglary, a Class 5 felony. A jury trial is scheduled for March.

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* Matthew Nunez, 31, of Mitchell, pleaded not guilty to several charges, including resisting arrest, failure to maintain financial responsibility, and possession of drug paraphernalia, all Class 2 misdemeanors; obstructing police, first-offense DUI, and hit and run, all Class 1 misdemeanors; as well as simple assault against a law enforcement officer, a Class 6 felony. A jury trial is scheduled for March.

* Jordan Scheel, 33, of Mitchell, was sentenced for possession of methamphetamine and third-degree burglary, both Class 5 felonies. For the possession charge, Scheel received a five-year prison sentence with all time suspended and was credited for six days served. He was also ordered to pay a $500 fine. For the burglary charge, he received another five-year prison sentence, also with all time suspended, along with a $500 fine and $1,000 in restitution.

* John Hofer, 53, of Renner, was sentenced for possession of a controlled substance (meth), a Class 5 felony. Hofer was sentenced to five years in prison with two years suspended, and received credit for 36 days served.

* Felix Rodriguez, 39, of Mitchell, appeared in court for a motions hearing, during which a stipulation was filed. Rodriguez is facing several drug-related charges, including possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class 2 misdemeanor; possession of Tramadol, a Class 6 felony and possession of meth, a Class 5 felony.

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* Wendy Knapp, 49, of Chamberlain, pleaded not guilty to possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class 2 misdemeanor, and possession of a controlled substance (meth), a Class 5 felony. A jury trial is scheduled for March.

* Matthew Weddell, 44, of Mitchell, appeared in court to request a furlough for inpatient treatment. The court granted the furlough. Weddell is facing a grand theft charge involving an amount between $2,500 and $5,000. He pleaded guilty back in November, and a jury trial is scheduled for March.

* Jerome Sitting Crow, 39, of Rapid City, admitted to a probation violation. He was serving probation for a possession of a controlled substance charge. He was sentenced to 300 days in county jail with credit for 18 days served.

* Derek Schleder, 47, of Mitchell, appeared in court for a probation violation and new charges of possession of a controlled substance (meth), a Class 5 felony. The case was continued until January.

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* Aria Uthe, 27, of Sioux Falls, denied a probation violation. Uthe was serving probation for possession of a controlled substance, a Class 5 felony. Uthe will reappear in court in January for a probation violation advisory/dispositional hearing.

* Mitchell Old Lodge, 31, of Chamberlain, pleaded not guilty to grand theft involving an amount between $1,000 and $2,500, a Class 6 felony. Old Lodge allegedly stole merchandise belonging to County Fair. A jury trial is scheduled for March.

* Jolene Vaughn, 20, of Mitchell, pleaded not guilty to attempted first degree robbery, a Class 3 felony, and first-degree burglary, a Class 2 felony. A jury trial is scheduled for March.

* Tyler Fernau, 35, of Mitchell, pleaded not guilty to possession of a controlled substance (meth), a Class 5 felony, and intentional damage to property totaling between $1,000 and $2,500. According to court documents, Fernau allegedly caused $1,300 damage to an apartment door. A jury trial is scheduled for March.
Ant Group, the fintech affiliate of Alibaba Group Holding, said it had no immediate plans to revive its initial public offering (IPO), dispelling market speculation it would soon go public.

The Chinese company shocked investors in November 2020 by cancelling its US$39.7 billion IPO in Hong Kong and Shanghai less than 48 hours before market debut amid regulatory scrutiny. Since then, the question as to whether the company, founded by Chinese entrepreneur Jack Ma, would restart its listing process continues to linger.

Speculation intensified in the past 10 days, after Ma gave a rare public speech at the 20th anniversary of Ant's mobile payments platform Alipay in Hangzhou, capital of eastern Zhejiang province, saying he had faith in the "next 20 years of Ant" and expected "more miracles". The widely-reported address, along with Ant's appointment of a new CEO, has renewed talks that an IPO could be around the corner.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

Ant poured cold water on such speculation. In a statement posted on its Weibo account on Thursday, the company said it "currently has no plans to go public, and there are no plans for a so-called 'back-door listing'." A back-door listing refers to the floating of assets through an existing listed vehicle.

Ant's Alipay is one of the dominant mobile payments platforms in China. Photo: Shutterstock alt=Ant's Alipay is one of the dominant mobile payments platforms in China. Photo: Shutterstock>

The company said it recently found that "some institutions have claimed on multiple platforms that Ant Group is about to go public through a back-door listing". It asked internet users to be wary of such "stock recommendation scams".

Amid Beijing's regulatory crackdown on Ant, the Alipay operator was fined nearly US$1 billion by China's central bank. To rectify its business in accordance with government requirements, the company boosted the capital base of its credit unit and distanced itself from Ma. Early last year, Ant announced that the founder would cede control of the fintech giant. At the end of 2023, the central bank declared that Ant's mobile payments platform Alipay had "no actual controller".

Ant conducted a sweeping reorganisation this year by restructuring its operations into several relatively independent business units with their own boards of directors, paving the way for future spin-offs. They include overseas unit Ant International, database operation OceanBase, as well as Ant Digital Technologies.
Dec. 20 (UPI) -- On this date in history:

In 1803, the United States formally took over territory acquired from France in the Louisiana Purchase.

In 1860, South Carolina becomes the first state to secede from the United States.

In 1956, a Montgomery, Ala., public bus boycott officially ended but not until it had given a major boost to the civil rights struggle in the South. The boycott had been called in reaction to the Dec. 1, 1955, arrest of Rosa Parks, an African-American woman, for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man.

Visitors to the St. Paul AME church in Montgomery, Ala., on October 29, 2005, line up to make a brief tour of a replica of the bus where Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white male passenger in December of 1955. File Photo by John Dickerson/UPI

On December 20, 1998, Iyke Louis Udobi, pictured, and wife, Nkem Chukwu, welcomed the United States' only set of octuplets to be born alive in Houston. The smallest baby, a girl, died a week later. File Photo by James Nielsen/UPI

In 1968, the so-called Zodiac Killer killed his first two confirmed victims -- David Faraday, 17, and Betty Lou Jensen -- in Vallejo, Calif. He would go on to kill at least five people, though he took credit for three dozen deaths.

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In 1987, a passenger ferry struck by an oil tanker sank in the Philippines and nearly 1,600 people died in what was called the century's worst peacetime maritime disaster.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II waves to guests gathered in the courtyard of the Wren building at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va., on May 4, 2007. On December 20, 2007, she became the oldest monarch in British history. File Photo by Roger L. Wollenberg/UPI

In 1989, the United States invaded Panama to oust Manuel Noriega and install the duly elected civilian government.

In 1990, Eduard Shevardnadze abruptly resigned as Soviet foreign minister, warning that a "dictatorship is coming." The Soviet Union formally broke up a year later and Shevardnadze became leader of his native Georgia.

Marines of Company D, 2nd Light Armored Infantry Battalion, stand guard with their LAV-25 light armored vehicles outside a destroyed Panamanian Defense Force building during the first day of Operation Just Cause on December 20, 1989. File Photo courtesy the U.S. Marine Corps

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In 1995, 160 people were killed when an American Airlines 757 crashed into a mountain shortly before it was scheduled to land in Cali, Colombia.

In 1995, NATO assumed peacekeeping duties in Bosnia-Herzegovina at the close of the Bosnian War.

On December 20, 1968, the so-called Zodiac Killer killed his first two confirmed victims -- David Faraday, 17, and Betty Lou Jensen -- in Vallejo, Calif. File Image courtesy of the San Francisco Police Department

In 1998, a Houston woman, Nkem Chukwu, gave birth to seven babies after delivering the first of her octuplets 12 days earlier. The six girls and two boys were the only known set of octuplets to be born alive in the United States. The smallest baby, a girl, died a week later.

In 2001, Argentine President Fernando de la Rua resigned amid mass protests.

Georgia's President Eduard Shevardnadze speaks with the press after meeting with President George W. Bush at the White House in Washington, D.C., on October 5, 2001. On December 20, 1990, Shevardnadze abruptly resigned as Soviet foreign minister, warning that a "dictatorship is coming." File Photo by Chris Corder/UPI

File Photo by Joel Rennich/UPI

In 2007, Queen Elizabeth II became the oldest monarch in British history, outliving her great-great grandmother, Queen Victoria, who lived 81 years, seven months, four weeks and one day. Queen Elizabeth II died in 2022 at age 96 years and 140 days.

Ileana Lunar, 23 holds her baby Venaz at the American Airlines counter at Miami International Airport on December 21, 1995. Ticket agents were busy dealing with passenger questions regarding American Airlines Flight 965, which crashed in the Andes near Cali, Colombia, on December 20. File Photo by Jeff Widener/UPI

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In 2007, two paintings, including one by Pablo Picasso called Portrait of Suzanne Bloch, were stolen from the Sao Paulo Museum of Art in Brazil. The paintings were recovered in January 2008.

In 2011, the Kepler, NASA's orbiting space observatory, discovered two Earth-size planets outside the solar system but scientists said both orbit too close to a sun-like star to have water on the surface.

In 2014, two New York police officers were killed execution-style while sitting in their patrol vehicle. The shooter had posted threatening messages on social media against police and in support of Eric Garner and Michael Brown, both killed by police.

In 2015, a landslide at an industrial park in Shenzhen, China, toppled dozens of buildings and killed 73 people. The disaster was caused by construction waste.

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In 2017, the U.S. Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the first major overhaul of the U.S. tax code in 30 years. The legislation slashed corporate taxes permanently from 35 percent to 21 percent and temporarily cut the top income tax bracket from 39.6 percent to 37 percent.

In 2019, President Donald Trump signed a bill creating White Sands National Park in New Mexico. Two years later, scientists announced that human footprints found preserved in sediment in the park are likely 21,000 to 23,000 years old. If accurate, they would push the timeline of human settlement in the Americas back by up to 10,000 years.

In 2022, the Taliban announced a ban on women in Afghanistan attending universities.
WASHINGTON (DC News Now)  D.C. police are investigating after a man was shot in the Shaw area on Friday morning.

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) told DC News Now that around 8:45 a.m., officers were called to the 1700 block of 7th Street NW for a shooting.

There, police learned that a man, who had been shot, took himself to the hospital.

Holiday travel rush begins, how potential government shutdown could impact your travel

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The condition of his injuries is unknown, as of Friday morning.

MPD said the suspected vehicle that was involved in the shooting was last seen traveling in the 600 block of S Street NW.

Police said the road is blocked on the 1700 Block of R Street between R Street and 7th Street.

Anyone with information is asked to call 202-727-9099 or text MPDs 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.
WASHINGTON (DC News Now)  A move that was intended to enhance safety has instead caused more safety concerns for bicyclists along a busy road in Northwest D.C.

New flexible bollards have been installed in the middle of New Jersey Avenue in Truxton Circle, but some say they are making things worse.

As a cyclist that lives on the street, uses the lane, Ive been pushed out of the lane repeatedly, a lot of times where I have to physically bang on the car windows to keep it from happening, said Justin Siemaszko.

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WATCH: Stolen van crashes into home, striking gas meter; 4 displaced in Northeast DC

One year ago on Dec. 19, 2023, a bicyclist was riding North on New Jersey Avenue when a car speeding southbound crossed into the northbound lanes and began turning left onto Morgan Street. The bicyclist was hit, and the following week on Dec. 28 he died from his injuries.

In response, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) installed yellow bollards to prevent that from happening again, but Siemaszko says its not helping.

During DC News Nows interview with the bicyclist, numerous cars inched into the bike lane.

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The cars avoid those yellowsee that truck right there? Hes across the line. Now weve got cars in both lanes moving over. And when the left-hand lane moves over, the right-hand lane has to move over, Siemasko said.

Parts of New Jersey Avenue have bollards for the bike lane, but not the section just south of Morgan Street.

I took videos before they put the pylons in and they were getting like maybe 10% of the cars. Now  over 50% of the cars are [in] the bike lane, Siemasko said.

Siemaszko wants to see change so he and others dont get hit.

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.
SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WSPA)  The deadline to apply for replacement SNAP benefits is Friday, December 20 according to the South Carolina Department of Social Services.

In October, D.S.S. posted about steps people who receive SNAP benefits can take to safeguard themselves from a nationwide increase in scam thats been targeting SNAP recipients.

SNAP theft and fraud is not just occurring in South Carolina but around the country, said D.S.S. in its message online. The use of federal dollars to replace SNAP benefits stolen via card skimming, cloning, and other similar methods of fraud will be available until December 20, 2024, or unless Congress takes further legislative action to continue to federal fund the replacement benefit program.

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Kathryn Davis, a Spartanburg resident, said she unknowingly fell victim to one of those scams earlier this week when she went shopping at a European-themed grocery store.

I thought I had money still since the balance is always displayed on the bottom of your receipt, said Davis. I still had plenty of benefits. Two days later, I went to use [my EBT card] again and go to check out, it says zero balance. So I went to the [back of the EBT card] and I had to call the number and see zero balance and it starts telling [me] the transactions [I] didnt even make.

Davis said she had an EBT card for years that she would request SNAP benefits depending on her financial situation, even going as far as to donate plasma twice a week in stretches to feed herself and her fifth-grade son.

But she said shes never had issues with her SNAP card or experienced any fraudulent activity on her account until she replaced her original card due to wear-and-tear earlier this month.

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It was about $180-$190 [that was charged], three times in a row, said Davis on the number of transactions that wiped out her roughly $600 SNAP balance.

Davis added that just two days had passed since D.S.S. loaded her card with her monthly SNAP benefits.

I literally just lost my benefits, so I wont get them until January, said Davis.

Davis admitted she hadnt changed the pin on her new card from her original card, but she said it was suspicious that she started having problems recently, explaining to 7NEWS that workers at one Spartanburg S.C. D.S.S. office informed her there were problems with fraudulent charges on SNAP accounts around the country and it was being investigated.

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7NEWS reached out to FBI Columbia for comment and was given this statement by Kevin Wheeler, Public Affairs Officer with FBI Columbia.

FBI policy does not allow the confirmation or denial of potential investigations, said Wheeler.

With the holiday season here, Davis, pregnant with a baby girl, said shes going to have to rely on family members until her next reload date.

Luckily, I have some income and a wonderful family, and its the Holidays, said Davis.

D.S.S. recommends people do the following to prevent themselves from falling victim to a SNAP Benefits scam:

Use Connect EBT on your mobile device . When using an app to access your benefits on a mobile device, be sure to use the official app for South Carolina DSS SNAP customers, which is Connect EBT. The South Carolina EBT Cardholder Portal can be accessed via the following URL: https://www.connectebt.com. The Connect EBT mobile app can found in the APP store for Android or iPhone. Unofficial apps are prevalent on app stores for both Apple and Android products and use of an unapproved third party app may expose your SNAP account information and EBT card number to thieves.

Spot card skimmers . Before you swipe your EBT  or any  card, pay attention to the card reader. Is it loose, off-center, or do parts of it wiggle? Then dont put your card there. Report it to the store manager and consider shopping elsewhere.

Change your PIN often . Change your EBT PIN at least once a month, right before you get your next benefits.

Watch for phishing. State agencies and EBT processors will never call or text you to ask for your PIN or card nu

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According to D.S.S., SNAP recipients who believe their benefits were electronically stolen should immediately report the loss to local law enforcement, and recipients should call the 24-hour toll-free customer service line at 1-800-554-5268 to cancel their SNAP card and protect their benefits.

To learn more about replacing benefits that are missing due to suspected fraudulent activity, you can click or tap 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 WSPA 7NEWS.
By David Latona

MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's minority government and the two largest trade unions agreed on Friday to implement a shorter work week with the same pay, although the change still needs to be approved by a fragmented parliament while it faces opposition from employers.

Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz and the leaders of unions UGT and CCOO stressed the "historic" nature of the measure reducing the maximum number of work hours per week to 37.5 from the current 40, with unchanged salaries, before the end of 2025.

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"Today, we're settling a debt with the working people of Spain ... with the new generations who understand that personal time is not a luxury, but a fundamental right," said Diaz, who is also deputy prime minister and leads the leftist Sumar party.

The planned change would affect some 12 million workers, especially those with precarious jobs, as well as reduce carbon emissions, she said.

The new weekly limit will be calculated on an annual average, with any additional hours worked considered overtime. The enforcement of working time recording obligations will be toughened and fines raised to 10,000 euros ($10,382) per worker for non-compliant companies.

One of the cornerstones of the ruling coalition deal between the Socialists and Sumar, the working week reduction has been opposed by the main employers' association CEOE, which argues it should not be imposed by law but through collective bargaining with each company to adapt to specific productivity needs.

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"The real deal is to actually think about the economy, not how to make headlines," CEOE head Antonio Garamendi said on Thursday, underlining businesses' worries about costs of the measure.

He also praised Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo, a Socialist, who has signalled the measure's full implementation could be delayed until 2026 to give small businesses greater flexibility and secure parliamentary support for its passage.

It remains uncertain whether the change can clear the lower house, as the minority government depends on an array of smaller parties such as Catalonia's separatist party Junts, which may be hard to convince due to its business-friendly stance.

($1 = 0.9632 euros)

(Reporting by David Latona; Additional reporting by Corina Pons and Inti Landauro; Editing by Andrei Khalip and Alex Richardson)
DECATUR, Ala. (WHNT)  The Decatur Police Department (DPD) says a woman reported missing earlier this month has been found dead in Indiana.

DPD said Ann Theresa Kipp, 62, was found dead in her vehicle in Indianapolis Thursday after the department reported her missing earlier this month.

On Dec 6, police asked for the publics help in finding Kipp, who had a Decatur mailing address but worked as a subcontracted driver for RXO and made deliveries nationwide.

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DPD said the Indianapolis Police Department found Kipp and the preliminary investigation suggests no foul play. Indianapolis PD is taking over the investigation.

According to DPD, Kipp had been last seen in October making a series of deliveries in Mississippi, Kentucky and Indiana.

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 WHNT.com.
Dec. 20 (UPI) -- U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks on Friday made holiday calls to service members of the Air Force, Army and Navy, Pentagon officials said.

In a statement from Pentagon spokesman Eric Paho, the deputy secretary thanked the service members and their families via video calls for their "unwavering dedication and sacrifice in defense of the nation."

She commended their commitment to the security of the United States, as well as their continued commitment to supporting America's global allies and partners.

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According to the release, Hicks spoke with service members from:

The 2nd Security Force Assistance Brigade. Soldiers from this unit are deployed to Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, to develop the Djiboutian security forces' capabilities.

The 480th Expeditionary Fighter Generation Squadron. Airmen from this unit are deployed to Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudia Arabia, and support aircraft and training requirements for the U.S. Central Command.

The USS Gettysburg (CG 64). Sailors aboard the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser are deployed in defense of the Harry S. Truman Strike Group.

Hicks also commended the professionalism and integrity with which U.S. service members worldwide carry out their duties, the release said.

The previous day, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also made holiday calls to service members from the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Space Force.

Austin spoke with Marines from the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade deployed in Naples, Italy. He also spoke to and sent holiday wishes to service members with the 53rd Space Operations Squadron, Detachment C, stationed in Landstuhl, Germany.
Originally appeared on E! Online

Richard Allen is facing over a century behind bars.

After the 52-year-old was charged and convicted of killing two middle school girls, Abigail Williams, 13, and Liberty German, 14, in a gruesome 2017 double murder, he has been sentenced to 130 years in prison, per NBC News.

Arrested for the crime in 2022, Allen was convicted following a four-week trial last month. His sentence is the maximum legal amount, with Judge Frances C. Gull telling Allen his act ranks right up there with the most hideous crimes.

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Gull also expressed empathy for Williams and Germans loved ones, adding, These families will deal with your carnage forever.

Attorneys for Allenwho had pleaded not guilty in the casenoted that their client plans to appeal the conviction, saying in a sentencing memo obtained by NBC, Richard Allen maintains his innocence.

The initial arrest of Allen, for which authorities said at the time they found probable cause, occurred five years after the murders of Williams and German took place in the small Indiana town of Delphi. The 13-year-old and 14-year-oldwho had been close friendswere found slain off the path of Monon High Bridge Trail after their parents reported them missing.

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During the trial, the prosecution presented evidence captured on Germans cell phone the day of her death, which was a video depicting a man, whom the prosecutors argued was Allen, walking toward the girls on a bridgelater referred to as the bridge guy.

Now all the pieces are clear, Carroll County Prosecutor Nick McLeland explained during the trial, per WTHR. Richard Allen is the bridge guy. He kidnapped them and later murdered them. He slit their throats. He stole the youth and life away from Abby and Libby.

After his 2022 arrest, Allen, a former clerk at CVS, admitted he had been at the bridge the day of German and Williams killings, but repeatedly denied the act, per NBC News.

Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

However, during a phone call from jail to his wife, he told her in a recording played by the prosecution during the trial, I did it, I killed Abby. I killed Abby and Libby.

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Allens wife said on the call that she did not believe him and that medication mustve been messing with his mind.

Indeed, defense attorney Brad Rozzi also attributed Allens confessions to a mental health crisis, caused by solitary confinement in a maximum-security prison noting, How much can one human endure?

Allens wife also told WTHR reporters after his conviction, This isnt over at all.

(E! News and NBC News are both part of NBCUniversal.)

For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
Richard Allen, the man convicted in the 2017 killings of two teenage girls who disappeared in Delphi, Indiana, was sentenced Friday to 130 years in prison.

Allen was sentenced to 65 years for each death, totaling 130 years in prison. His 760 days served since his arrest will count towards his sentence.

An Indiana jury in November convicted Allen in the murders of 14-year-old Liberty "Libby" German and 13-year-old Abigail "Abby" Williams, who had vanished during a hike in Delphi in 2017.

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The jury of seven women and five men spent about 19 hours deliberating over the course of three days before finding Allen, 52, guilty of all counts.

The sentencing lasted less than an hour.

Libby and Abigail's families speak after sentencing

The families of Libby and Abigail and the police addressed the public as the gag order in the case was lifted following Allen's sentencing. It would be the first time they were able to discuss the case since 2017.

The families thanked jurors for delivering a verdict of the maximum sentence. Mike Patty, Libby's grandfather, thanked the community for supporting his family and the investigative team for working towards justice for almost eight years.

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"I want to send out my appreciation that justice has been serviced for the girls," Patty said. "I'll always be grateful."

Investigators reflected on the work behind the case.

"A form of justice was serviced, but it does not bring Abby or Libby back," Sheriff Tony Liggett said. "They did not deserve this."

Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter thanked the families of the victims as well as Delphi residents. He said this verdict starts a new chapter for the community.

"Let's heal," Carter said.

Delphi murders: Timeline of events

On Feb. 13, 2017, Abby and Libby were dropped off at a hiking trail on the Monon High Bridge in Delphi when they failed to meet Libby's father later in the day, they were reported missing. They were found dead about a mile from where they were last seen with cuts to the throat, according to prosecutors.

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Police investigated thousands of leads and released multiple composite sketches of the suspect based on eyewitness accounts.

Audio evidence from Libby's cell phone revealed an unknown man had told the girls to go "down the hill." Libby also recorded a short Snapchat video of a man who police believed was the killer. Although police circulated the photo and audio just days after the killings, the case ran cold for more than five years until Allen was arrested in 2022.

Allen lived in Delphi and worked at a local CVS pharmacy until a clerk related to the investigation in September 2022 noticed he had placed himself at the scene of the killings. Just days after the bodies were discovered, Allen told police he had been on that trail around the time the girls were thought to have been killed. He told them he had been walking in the area and seen three "females" near a bridge but hadn't spoken to them.

On Oct. 13, 2022, Allen was interviewed again after police searched through former suspects. Allen was arrested after police matched an unspent cartridge found between the girls' bodies to a pistol recovered from his home during a police search.

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Allen was arrested on Oct. 26, 2022, and was charged with two counts of murder while committing or attempting to commit a kidnapping five days later. Prosecutors later amended the charges to include two additional counts of murder. Allen pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Over the course of the trial, the prosecution highlighted Allen's dozens of confessions while incarcerated: He confessed to the crime more than 60 times, prosecutors say, including to his wife, his mother, the psychologist who treated him, the warden, and other prison employees and inmates. They played audio recordings of some of the confessions for the jury. The defense doubted the confessions and said they were made involuntarily and that he was suffering from mental illness at the time.

Monica Wala, the former lead psychologist at Westville Correctional Facility where Allen was housed, testified he initially told her he was innocent but began confessing to the crimes in April 2023, around the time he was placed back on suicide watch.

According to WTHR, Wala testified that Allen had told her, "I killed Abby and Libby. I'm sorry," and that he originally planned to sexually assault the victims but ran away when he saw a van nearby and that he had cut the girls' throats and covered their bodies with sticks, she testified.

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Allen's lawyers previously suggested that the girls were killed as part of a pagan ritual sacrifice and accused police of ignoring evidence from the crime scene. In a search warrant request in March 2017, an FBI agent claimed the girls' bodies appeared to have been "moved and staged" at the crime scene. That theory was not heard by the jury per the judge's ruling.

Thompkins said Allen's conviction could be reversed if an appeal finds the jury did not hear a fair amount of evidence.

The defense could file an appeal within 30 days of the sentencing.

Teen shooter connected to man accused of plotting separate attack

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By Qabil Ashirov



Rabitabank signed its first loan agreement with Alizadeh LLC, facilitated by the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD).

Azernews reports that this significant step aims to meet the trade financing needs of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Azerbaijan and support the development of financial solutions in line with Islamic principles.

The signing ceremony was attended by Orhan Gultekin, the First Deputy Chairman of Rabitabank's Board, and Kazim Mustafazade, the Director of Alizadeh LLC. In his speech, Orhan Gultekin noted that this loan agreement is not only a crucial milestone in Rabitabank's operations but also serves the purpose of expanding the Islamic Corporation's (ICD) financial services market in Azerbaijan.

"As Rabitabank, we consider it our duty to support the emergence of new opportunities in our country's financial system and ensure the development of local entrepreneurs," he added.

Kazim Mustafazade, Director of Alizadeh LLC, emphasized that the agreement with Rabitabank would strengthen their trade activities and market position. He also highlighted that this opportunity is not only significant for their business but also for the development of the country's economy.

It was noted that Rabitabank's cooperation with the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector is an important step towards expanding Sharia-compliant financial solutions in Azerbaijan and enhancing the competitiveness of local businesses in international markets.

Currently, Rabitabank offers a wide range of banking services to its customers through 28 service points, 75 ATMs, the Rabita Mobile application, an Internet Banking platform, the RabitaBot chatbot, and the 133 Call Center, covering 16 regions and the city of Baku.
SUEZ, Egypt, Dec. 20, 2024 /CNW/ -- On December 16, 2024, EliTe Solar, a leading solar PV manufacturer headquartered in Singapore, held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new project in the Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone, marking a major milestone in the company's global strategic expansion. The facility has a planned capacity goal of 5GW, spanning an area of 78,000 square meters. The project is scheduled to begin production in September 2025, featuring 2GW solar cell and 3GW solar module production lines.

At the ceremony, distinguished guests, including Mr. Waleid Gamal Eldien, Chairman of the Suez Canal Economic Zone, Arab Republic of Egypt; Mr. Ouyang Xiaoming, First Secretary of the Chinese Embassy in Egypt; Mr. Li Daixin, Chairman of China-Africa TEDA Investment Co., Ltd.; and Mr. Liu Jingqi, Chairman of EliTe Solar, gathered to engage insights and discuss the future development prospects of the project.

"The launch of this project represents a major milestone in the development of Egypt's solar industry," stated Mr. Waleid Gamal Eldien, Chairman of the Egypt Special Economic Zone Authority. "By introducing advanced solar manufacturing technologies and optimizing local supply chains, this initiative will raise Egypt's overall manufacturing standards. EliTe Solar's advanced solar technology and managerial expertise will further enhance our global standing in solar power industry."

This project brings advanced energy manufacturing technologies to Egypt, driving the local solar industry supply chain and boosting Egypt's export capabilities and global influence in the solar market. It provides fresh momentum to the local economy and acts as a key driver in supporting Egypt's 2030 renewable energy goal of achieving 42% clean energy transformation.

"This project not only strengthens Egypt's solar industry but also positions the country as a key solar manufacturing hub in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). It enhances supply chain capabilities while providing crucial support for global renewable energy growth," said Li Daixin, Chairman of China-Africa TEDA Investment Co., Ltd.

Considering the recent power shortages and blackouts experienced across Egypt this year, which highlight strong future demands for electricity, there is an urgent need for a diversified energy architecture to ensure energy independence. This project perfectly addresses these needs by delivering sustainable solutions through renewable energy resources. Once completed, the project will generate 500 million kWh annually, save approximately 307 million tons of standard coal, and offset carbon emissions equivalent to planting 84 million trees.
DELPHI, Ind.  Authorities are imploring the public to not share crime scene photos capturing the deaths of Delphi teens Abigail Abby Williams and Liberty Libby German.

Please, if you receive those, delete those. Dont forward those on, dont revictimize the family said Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland.

McLeland and State Police made their plea to the public shortly after the sentencing of Richard Allen, who was convicted of the girls killings in November. McLeland compared the continued release of the photos to a scab on the families that never heals

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The photos were leaked in October 2023 following a security breach at the office of one of Allens attorneys, Andrew Baldwin. A friend and former employee, Mitch Westerman, would later be charged after admitting in an affidavit that he had surreptitiously taken pictures of the evidence he found on a conference room table. Westerman had forwarded the photos to the man who later killed himself after being questioned by police.

Related: Man who leaked Delphi murders crime-scene photos released from diversion program

The state mentioned the leak in a motion filed Friday during Allens sentencing that asked the court to seal the photos, along with the girls autopsy pictures and any of Allens mental health records.

The Defense has already negligently released crime scene photos that have caused irreparable harm to the victims families, the motion read.

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Police have since spent countless hours trying to scrub the photos from the Internet, McLeland said.

Abby and Libbys bodies were found a day after going to the Monon High Bridge in February 2017. During Allens trial, the state revealed the girls throats were cut.

McLeland, in a final word of caution, said he could bring legal action against anyone found sharing the photos.

If something comes into my office, criminal charges will be pursued if the criminal code allows it.

'Without her, we would not be here': Delphi murders tip-finder hailed as key to case

Contact IndyStar reporter Sarah Nelson at sarah.nelson@indystar.com

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: As Delphi murders case photos circulate, officials warn against sharing
The man convicted of killing two teenage girls in Delphi, Indiana in 2017 has learned his sentence.

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Richard Allen was sentenced on Friday to 130 years, according to WPTA in Fort Wayne and WXIN in Indianapolis.

He was given 65 years for each death and his 760 days served since his arrest will count toward his sentence, CBS News reported.

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As News Center 7 previously reported, Allen was convicted of the killings of 13-year-old Abigail Williams and 14-year-old Liberty German in November.

The case has drawn outsized attention from true-crime enthusiasts, with repeated delays, a leak of evidence, the withdrawal of Allens public defenders and their reinstatement by the Indiana Supreme Court. It has also been the subject of a gag order.

Allen was arrested in October 2022. He became a suspect after a retired state government worker who had volunteered to help police with the investigation found paperwork in September 2022 showing that Allen had contacted authorities two days after German and Williams bodies were found.

That paperwork indicated that Allen had told an officer he had been on the hiking trail the afternoon the girls went missing, according to testimony.

For more than five years after the teens were killed, Allen still lived in Delphi while working at a local pharmacy.

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Richard Allen, the Indiana man convicted of killing two middle school girls in 2017, was sentenced to 130 years in prison on Friday, almost eight years after the children's bodies were found near a hiking trail.

Allen, 52, was convicted of murder in November after a four-week trial in the deaths of Abigail Williams, 13, and Liberty German, 14, in Delphi.

The bodies of the girls, who were close friends, were found near a hiking trail on Feb. 14, 2017, but their killings went unsolved for years.

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Allen received the maximum sentence. Judge Frances C. Gull told him it ranks right up there with the most hideous crimes.

These families will deal with your carnage forever, the judge said.

Mike Patty, Liberty's grandfather and legal guardian, said that justice has been served for the girls.

Its been almost 8 years coming. If I live to make it to 80, it would almost be 10% of my life has been spent working on this, he said at a news conference.

Libertys uncle, Cody Patty, said nothing is going to bring the girls back.

This still aint justice, he said after the sentencing, NBC affiliate WTHR of Indianapolis reported. I mean this is a little closure. A step forward. We will be able to sleep a little bit easier tonight.

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Indianapolis State Police arrested Allen in October 2022. He was charged with murder after what the state police superintendent called a "long-term and complex investigation.

Prosecutors said that Allen encountered the girls on the Monon High Bridge Trail and that, armed with a gun, he forced them down a hill and cut their throats.

A jury convicted Allen on Nov. 11 of four counts of murder: one count each of felony murder and murder for each victim.

Allen had faced a potential sentence of 45 to 130 years in prison.

His attorneys say they plan to appeal. Richard Allen maintains his innocence, they wrote in a sentencing memo ahead of Fridays sentencing.

The killings shook the small town of Delphi, a community of around 2,900 about 60 miles northwest of Indianapolis.

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Liberty had recorded a man who prosecutors allege was Allen in cellphone video that day. Prosecutors also said that an unspent .40-caliber round that came from Allen's gun was found at the scene and that a black 2016 Ford Focus was seen on security video nearby  and that Allen owned the only such car registered in Carroll County when the murders took place.

Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland said the video Liberty recorded was a key piece of evidence in the case.

Id be remiss if I didnt thank Abby and Libby themselves. Libby, for recording the defendant as he walked across the bridge. Having the wherewithal to pull out her phone and record that individual, having the wherewithal to know that something wasnt right, he said at the news conference.

And then to Abby for hiding the phone, McLeland continued. Hiding the phone from the killer so they couldnt take it with him. Hiding the phone so that law enforcement could find it and get that piece of evidence that Libby had collected. Without the efforts from those two little girls, we wouldnt be here today. So Abby and Libby, thank you.

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Defense attorneys argued no one identified Allen as the man in the video or seen by witnesses. They also argued no forensic or DNA evidence connected him to the killings.

Prosecutors played an alleged confession made last year in a recorded jail call to his wife. In it, he says: I did it, I killed Abby. I killed Abby and Libby.

His wife did not appear to believe him and said his medication must be messing with his mind.

A former prison psychologist also testified that Allen confessed to her that he killed the girls, and prosecutors said he confessed to other prison staff members.

Allens defense attorney, Brad Rozzi, has attributed the confessions to a mental health crisis. Allen was being held in a maximum-security prison while he awaited trial. Defense attorneys have also argued he was kept in solitary confinement without due process.

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Defense attorneys also wrote in a sentencing memorandum that Allen has a long history of mental health illness and that he had been treated for major depressive disorder and anxiety disorder throughout his life.

Allen, who was a CVS clerk at the time of the killings, was not a suspect until a file clerk organizing thousands of tips discovered a mislabeled lead sheet in September 2022.

The document, which had incorrectly been marked clear, showed that Allen reached out to investigators days after the killings and said he had been at the same location as the girls on the day they disappeared.

Defense attorneys have said that Allen often walked on that trail and that he voluntarily went to police because he wanted to help in any way he could.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Michigan House Democrats assemble for an attendance call on Dec. 18, 2024. State legislative victories were a bright spot for Democrats in an otherwise dim year. (Kyle Davidson/Michigan Advance)

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As Democrats prepare for Republicans to take over the White House and Congress, theyre looking to their wins in state legislatures as a bright spot from Novembers otherwise-disappointing election results  wins they say will be the basis for their anti-Trump firewall.

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As President-elect Donald Trump retook the presidency and Republicans flipped control of the U.S. Senate, Democrats managed to hold off a red wave further down the ballot, said Heather Williams, president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC), state legislative Democrats campaign arm.

Democrats suffered some defeats, losing control of the Michigan state House and falling short of flipping competitive chambers in Arizona. But they also broke Republican supermajorities in the battleground states of North Carolina and Wisconsin, held onto a narrow majority in the Pennsylvania state House, and defended majorities in blue states where Trump gained significant ground  performing better than expected, given the national results.

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It wasnt perfect. But when you think about what happened everywhere else on the ballot, I think that we landed in a place where we are in fighting form coming into the 2026 midterms, Williams said. The battlegrounds remain quite familiar, and the Democratic firewall in this space is strong  and in fact, stronger than it was when Trump took office in 2017.

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In 2025, Democrats will hold trifectas in 17 states  meaning they control both legislative chambers and the governors office. They control one chamber and the governorship or both chambers with a Republican governor in four others, meaning an estimated 160 million Americans will live in a state with some degree of Democratic governance. With Republicans controlling Washington, those legislatures will be the ones passing and enacting Democratic policy priorities, potentially including protections for LGBTQ+ people and those seeking abortions.

The Republican State Leadership Committee, state Republicans main campaign arm, is also celebrating its victories in flipping the Michigan House, tying the Minnesota House and expanding its supermajority in New Hampshire. Dee Duncan, the president of the RSLC, said in a post-election memo that the organization defied an onslaught of spending from Democrats and a difficult political climate to secure its wins. Republicans will go into 2025 holding 23 trifectas.

Our strategy of investing early in targeted races as well as our commitment to improving the GOPs standing in absentee and early voting paid dividends as voters made one thing clear: they want Republicans and their policies at the state level, Duncan wrote. Republicans, he said, are well-positioned to advance conservative policies in the states that will benefit families for years to come.

Democrats have been working to rebuild their bench at the state level after debilitating losses in the 2010 and 2014 midterms under former President Barack Obama. Theyre set to enter 2025 holding majorities in 39 of 99 chambers and have doubled the number of trifectas they hold since 2017, according to the DLCC.

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In a year where the electorate as a whole shifted to the right and Trump gained significant ground in blue states, Democrats state-level wins were really remarkable, said Lala Wu, co-founder and executive director of Sister District, an organization focused on electing Democrats to state legislatures.

This wasnt a 2010 result in state legislatures across the country, which, given the baseline of this year, is unbelievable, said Simone Leiro, chief communications officer for The States Project, a Democratic group that uses a data-driven approach to invest in state legislative races. State legislative candidates outperforming the top of the ticket, she said, was unprecedented.

The outcome in 2024 was the opposite pattern of the 2020 elections when Democrats won a trifecta in Washington but lost ground in state legislatures.

Williams said that this year, the DLCC prioritized defense and incumbent protection over going on offense.

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State legislative candidates are the closest to the voters and communities they represent and can tailor messaging and strategy accordingly. Because state legislative races receive far less attention and are less nationalized than the presidential race, Williams noted, many candidates were in persuasion mode, working to convince voters up until Election Day  a strategy that paid off.

At the top of the ticket, Trump won in part by turning out lower-propensity voters, including many who had previously voted for President Joe Biden or hadnt voted at all. But enough of those Trump voters didnt vote in down-ballot races that his strength didnt translate into the same level of wins.

Wu said that messaging around popular issues like reproductive rights also played a role in helping state legislative candidates defy the national headwinds Democrats faced over issues like the economy and immigration. While Trump attempted to moderate his stance on abortion and defuse concerns he would sign a national abortion ban into law, state legislative Democrats could point to unpopular abortion bans and restrictions Republican lawmakers at the state level have passed and signed into law.

This was part of our theory of the case, Wu said, that if we could make the case to people that their state lawmakers are the ones who have so much control over reproductive rights and abortion, these issues that have been such winning issues for Democrats, then you could reduce roll-off down ballot.

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Democratic state lawmakers are also more prepared and ready than they were in 2017 to be the front lines of defense against incoming Republican governance at the federal level, Leiro said.

Theres going to be a real federal regulatory vacuum, Wu said. Theres real chaos at the federal level, and states have a real opportunity and really, an obligation to help fill in those gaps and step in to help regulate where the federal government may be stepping back.

That work is already underway in states like Michigan, where Democrats are scrambling to pass as much legislation as they can before they lose their legislative trifecta. Legislatures in deep-blue states like California and Illinois are also aiming to pass bills to Trump-proof their liberal states. Other lawmakers are adopting a wait-and-see approach to Trumps second term while keeping open minds to areas of potential collaboration with the incoming administration.

Electorally, Democrats are looking to build on their wins in 2025, starting with a trio of January state legislative special elections in Virginia. Governorships and state legislative seats will be up for election in New Jersey and Virginia. In both 2017 and 2021, Virginias off-cycle elections were bellwethers that accurately captured changing political trends.

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Weve proven if anything in 2024 that state legislative candidates need the seriousness and the investment in order to make their most compelling case to voters, Leiro said. In a year without other federal elections on the ballot, that becomes even more critical. In Virginia, we could see the next Democratic trifecta, or we could see a really different story, depending on how serious the investment and the focus is.

Blue states also made gains in womens representation, with Nevada and Colorado set to join New Mexico in states where women make up a majority of state lawmakers in 2025, according to the Center for American Women and Politics. Wu and Sister District want to see even more states reach parity in the coming years.

We can do so, so much more, Wu said. And we know that when women are in power, when there are more moms, teachers and nurses that bring diverse perspectives, we can get really incredible policy outcomes.

For Williams, Democrats success at the state level is a silver lining  and a pathway forward for Democrats success  for the next four years.

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Half of Americans are governed by a Democratic Party in their states, which means that the scale of our influence at this ballot level is really large, Williams said. Were not going to be able to get the kinds of things done federally that we all hope for, but that doesnt mean that all hope is lost. We have real opportunities to move important policies forward in the states that have a real impact on peoples lives.

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House Speaker Johnson and Republicans in Washington are scrambling to put together a bill that will fund the government with just hours left to go. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., joins Jose Diaz-Balart to share what she learned in a Democratic party meeting this morning, her thoughts on Elon Musks role in negotiations, and who will be impacted if the deadline is missed.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said Friday shes ready to stay in Washington through Christmas to fight off President-elect Trumps demand to strip negotiated provisions out of a bill to fund the government into 2025.

Murray, the most senior ranking Senate Democrat, slammed billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, one of Trumps top advisers, for torching the 1,547-page bill that congressional leaders unveiled earlier in the week. A second, Trump-backed plan, failed on the House floor Thursday night 174-235.

Im ready to stay here through Christmas because were not going to let Elon Musk run the government. Put simply, we should not let an unelected billionaire rip away research for pediatric cancer so he can get a tax cut, or tear down policies that help America outcompete China because it could hurt his bottom line, Murray said.

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We had a bipartisan deal  we should stick to it, she said, arguing the deal Democrats negotiated with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) would responsibly fund the government, offer badly needed disaster relief to communities across America, and deliver some good bipartisan policy reforms.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) urged Johnson to return to the bigger continuing resolution he signed off on earlier this week, before Trump and Musk torpedoed the bill.

Its a good thing the bill failed in the House. And now its time to go back to the bipartisan agreement, we came to, he said Thursday night after Johnson failed to pass a plan-B stopgap.

Schumer warned Friday morning that Congress is on the precipice of a shutdown and pointed to the earlier deal on a continuing resolution as the best option to salvage the situation.

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If Republicans do not work with Democrats in a bipartisan way very soon, the government will shut down at midnight. Its time to go back to the original agreement we had just a few days ago, he said on the Senate floor.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle think its increasingly likely that Congress could be back in session the week of Christmas to pull the government out of a shutdown.

Right now it looks like theres a very good chance we may be in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. We could be in D.C. on Christmas Day, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said on his podcast The Verdict.

At this point, the path ahead appears very uncertain, he said.

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The Scene

Democrats and Republicans agreed with each other on Thursday: Elon Musk had taken over the government, derailing up a funding deal that the elected representatives of the people had negotiated.

They disagreed about whether this was a good thing.

Elon Musk, this unelected man, said, were not doing this deal, and Donald Trump followed along, House Minority Whip Katherine Clark told reporters on Thursday. Other Democrats said that theyd warned about exactly this  the wealthiest man in the world, running the government  before the election.

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Elon Musk wants to make government more efficient for himself, and not for other people, said Texas Rep. Greg Casar, the incoming chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Hes happy to kill disaster relief funding, because if theres a disaster, Musk can just go hang out on Mars.

But for many Republicans, a process shaped by Musk was far superior to the muddle they were used to. On the Musk-owned X, where the CEO had posted dozens of tweets with accurate and inaccurate information about the contents of the continuing resolution, they cheered him for taking the lead on a demolition job that Trump himself joined Wednesday night.

Democrats warned that Musk was usurping Speaker Mike Johnsons power. Republicans said that voters had given Musk a mandate when they elected Trump  and would it be so bad, really, if Musk did run the House?

The DOGE movement is enormously popular in the House, Utah Sen. Mike Lee told podcaster Benny Johnson. That being the case, given that they all express such affection for Vivek [Ramaswamy] and for Elon, let them choose one of them  I dont care which one  to be their speaker. That would revolutionize everything. It would break up the firm. We would now have government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

Know More

Democrats werent happy about the spending bill pileup  a near-tradition in Congress. But for the first time since losing the Nov. 5 elections, many were on message, ready to deploy talking points theyd workshopped all year.

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Republicans, they said, had handed over the government to the wealthiest man in the world, President Elon Musk. And he would throw out benefits Americans needed in order to fund more tax cuts.

Elon Musk wasnt elected by anybody, yet hes exercising his authority over Trump and House Republicans, said Rhode Island Rep. Gabe Amo, who had worked in the Obama and Biden White Houses during Republican-led shutdowns and near-shutdowns. Its a dangerous start to this next Trump administration.

Some progressive legislators shared AI-generated images of Musk being sworn in as president; plenty referred to Musk as president, picking up an argument that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz had made then abandoned in October, as Musk stepped up his campaigning for Musk. All agreed that Johnson had given up power to the leaders of the unofficial DOGE operation, as a way to let Trumps whims run over Congress.

Johnsons acquiescing because hes weak, said Tennessee Rep. Steve Cohen. Its really the first step in autocracy. Day one, [Trump] will be a dictator. Day two, and forever after, he will be an oligarchical autocrat.

Room for Disagreement

As comfortable as they were with anti-Musk talking points, Democrats were more muddled on what might emerge from the blown-up negotiations.

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Trumps sudden demand that Congress scrap the debt limit, which Republicans had repeatedly used as leverage against Democrats, won over Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who wrote that Congress should terminate the debt limit and never again govern by hostage taking.

That clashed with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who wrote on Bluesky that the idea got a hard pass from him: GOP extremists want House Democrats to raise the debt ceiling so that House Republicans can lower the amount of your Social Security check.

And some Democrats had embraced the concept of DOGE, wanting a seat at the table as Republicans out-source government cuts and reform to Musk and Ramaswamy.

When in America do we not even want to have the conversation? Florida Rep. Jared Moskowitz told NPR this month, defending his decision to join a GOP-led DOGE Caucus that has no specific role in the reforms, but has gobbled up media attention. This idea of staying in your safe space and only talking to people you agree with didnt work for us in the last election.

Davids view

Democrats agree that the sight of the wealthiest man on earth riding roughshod over Congress will be a loser  practically and politically. They went from denial to befuddlement about how a party led by a billionaire, surrounded by billionaires, and filling his cabinet with millionaires and billionaires, could win so many working class votes.

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That was the thinking they took into the CR debacle. A Quinnipiac University poll this week found that only 41% of voters approved of the role Musk had taken in the Trump transition  promising for Democrats, who have been worried to see Trumps approval rating since his victory.

But 81% of Republicans did approve of it, and in other polls, approval of Congress itself is far lower. The original CRs pay raise for members of Congress, its first in 15 years, was the easiest for Republicans to throw out in their post-Musk negotiations.

Republicans are operating in an information space where the question here  should a successful CEO run the country, not 535 members of Congress?  is obviously answered yes. One of Ramaswamys favorite lines during his presidential bid, defending his plan to fire half the federal workforce, was that if you cant fire somebody who works for you, that means they dont work for you.

This is why Lee, and other Republicans, are so comfortable saying that government-by-Musk would be the will of the people. They dont see this as a clash between the elected and the unelected. They see it as a clash between the competent, as shown by their success in the private sector, and the incompetent  the latter category consisting of elected members of Congress and bureaucrats that nobody voted for.

Notable
House Democrats are rallying in overwhelming opposition to the Republicans second stab at a government funding bill, vowing to sink it on the House floor and force GOP leaders back to the table to negotiate a bipartisan compromise.

Huddling behind closed doors in the Capitol basement, party leaders detailed their opposition to the bill and urged their troops to join them in voting against it.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) foreshadowed that message going in, saying the GOP bill is laughable.

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If there were any questions about the message resonating, they were dispelled by the loud chants of hell no that could be heard deep into the hallway outside the meeting room.

You heard the two-word position, Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) said afterward.

Were all there, echoed Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.).

The vote, which is expected shortly after 6 p.m. on Thursday, is governed by a fast-track procedure known as the suspension calendar, which requires two-thirds of the House chamber to pass the bill. The Democrats opposition means GOP leaders will fall far short of that bar, forcing Republicans either to attempt to move the bill through the Rules Committee, where hard-line conservatives could sink it, or abandon the bill in favor of a plan C.

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President-elect Trump brought Congress to a standstill this week when he came out against the previous bipartisan funding plan that both sides had agreed to, while also making a last-minute demand for Republicans to put in language tackling the nations borrowing ceiling.

Unless the Democrats terminate or substantially extend Debt Ceiling now, I will fight till the end, he wrote in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday. He also warned any Republicans who back a stopgap funding bill without the debt ceiling component will face primary challenges.

Lawmakers are expected to have to tackle raising the debt ceiling, which caps how much money the Treasury can owe to cover the countrys bills, next summer.

Rep. Richard Neal (Mass.), top Democrat on the powerful tax-writing Ways and Means Committee, said the debt ceiling is legitimate, but it has to be decided and discussed in a separate forum.

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It has been demagogued by both sides over my time here, and I do think deserving of a conversation. But not to be had with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, Neal said.

The debt limit has previously been used as a key point of leverage for the party out of power, which can demand major concessions in return for agreeing to raise the debt limit. And Republicans have successfully used the task of acting on the debt limit in the past to secure concessions from Democrats  most recently last year.

Congress currently has until Friday to pass legislation to keep the government funded or risk a shutdown.

Democrats have pushed for Republicans to uphold a previously agreed-to, roughly 1,500-page package to keep the government funded that also includes a sweeping bipartisan health care deal, along with about $110 billion in disaster relief and economic assistance for farmers. Jeffries earlier Thursday opened the door to a slimmed-down package, but one without a debt ceiling suspension.

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In addition to suspending the debt limit for two years, the new 116-page plan unveiled by Republicans also includes billions of dollars in disaster relief and economic assistance, but strips out reforms to how pharmacy benefit managers operate and chips away at extensions for some health care programs that were included in the earlier package.

It also cuts other bipartisan provisions singled out by Trump allies that would end a years-long pay freeze for congressional members and language that would transfer administrative jurisdiction over RFK Stadium to the District of Columbia.

Trump is urging both sides to vote for the legislation on Thursday night, saying the bill will keep the Government open, fund our Great Farmers and others, and provide relief for those severely impacted by the devastating hurricanes.

A VERY important piece, VITAL to the America First Agenda, was added as well  The date of the very unnecessary Debt Ceiling will be pushed out two years, to January 30, 2027, Trump said. Now we can Make America Great Again, very quickly, which is what the People gave us a mandate to accomplish.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
By Lisandra Paraguassu and Anthony Boadle

BRASILIA (Reuters) -Brazil expects the South American trade bloc Mercosur to speed up more free trade negotiations after clinching a deal with the European Union, as the threat of U.S. tariffs when Donald Trump takes office as president forces countries to diversify their options for exports, diplomats say.

Topping the list of Mercosur's most likely new trade pacts next year are deals with the European Free Trade Association of four non-EU nations and with the United Arab Emirates, the diplomats said on condition of anonymity.

Singapore also reached an agreement with Mercosur this year that is being translated so it can be sent to the country's president and lawmakers for ratification, a diplomat said.

"This is undoubtedly a good time for the Mercosur bloc to move forward with other negotiations. Some countries have already approached us interested in expanding negotiations," a Brazilian official said.

If the pacts materialize, they would mark a revival for the trade bloc. Mercosur includes South America's two largest economies, Brazil and Argentina, but has long suffered from internal divisions and skepticism about its effectiveness. Uruguay and Paraguay are also founding members of Mercosur, which Bolivia joined this year.

Norway, one of the non-EU members that is part of the EFTA group, confirmed it is keen to sign an EFTA-Mercosur deal in the first half of 2025.

"A Free Trade Agreement between Mercosur and the EFTA states is a high priority for Norway. I hope to see the negotiations concluded as soon as possible," Norwegian Minister of Trade and Industry, Cecilie Myrseth, said in a message to Reuters.

"With the trade talks between EU and Mercosur now concluded, it should be possible for EFTA and Mercosur to shortly come to an agreement on the very few outstanding issues," she added.

For its part, UAE hopes to deepen commerce with the Mercosur bloc "within the next year" with an agreement that would open opportunities for businesses across the Middle East and Latin America, its Trade Minister Thani Al Zeyoudi said in a statement to Reuters.

THREAT OF TRUMP TARIFFS

Threats of fresh tariffs from Trump, who takes office in a month's time, have also forced the biggest U.S. trade partners to consider their alternatives, even as their priority is defending the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade.

Although Mexico expects a successful review of the USMCA in 2026, it has also begun to explore other options, which include deepening its trade agreement with Mercosur, according to two Mexican government sources.
GREENVILLE COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA)  The Greenville County Sheriffs Office released body cam footage Friday in reference to a fatal deputy-involved shooting last month on North Highway 101.

Deputies provided a disclaimer that the information released may be disturbing to some viewers and viewer discretion is advised.

According to the sheriffs office, deputies received a 911 call the night of November 4th regarding shots fired in the 3200 block of North Highway 101. Upon arrival, deputies learned that a resident fired at another person who lived in the same home.

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The individual was reported not injured.

The suspected shooter was identified as 62-year-old Rene Mercado Contreras. Deputies charged the individual with attempted murder and presenting a firearm.

During the investigation, it was reported that Contreras was armed and barricaded inside the home. Law enforcement said that after several negotiating attempts, Contreras had refused to surrender.

Authorities reported that during the standoff, they could see Contreras through a window in possession of a firearm. When deputies began to deploy non-lethal gas into the residence, the suspect began to fire his weapon toward deputies which led to the fatal shooting involving two deputies.

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Contreras was pronounced dead at the scene.

No deputies were reported injured during the shooting according to officials.

Both deputies involved in the shooting were placed on paid administrative leave according to the sheriffs office. Sheriff Hobart Lewis said it was determined that the deputies involved in the incident were consistent with the sheriffs office protocol and no policies were violated.

Further information regarding the sheriffs office protocol is located below:

GCSO-Response-to-Resistance-AggressionDownload

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is investigating the shooting and no further information will be released at this time.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSPA 7NEWS.
They could be ticking timebombs.

Westchester County health officials are imploring a pair of good Samaritans who dropped a rabid cat off at a Yonkers animal hospital to come forward  because they could be infected with the fatal disease.

The anonymous pair was caught on surveillance video pulling off their good deed last week, but left without giving shelter workers their names  and could now face a lethal health hazard.

Health officials said this woman carried an injured cat to the Yonkers Animal Hospital last week and could now be infected with rabies. Westchester Gov

This man and a woman may have been infected after dropping a rabid cat off at a Yonkers animal hospital. Westchester Gov

Rabies is fatal, but it is also 100% preventable with post-exposure treatment, county Health Commissioner Dr. Sherlita Amler said in a statement this week.

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If you see an injured or sick animal, call police, Amler said. Teach your children to not approach or handle animals they dont know, even if they appear young, injured or friendly, and to tell you right away if they are bitten or scratched by any animal.

But the cautionary advice comes too late for the Yonkers do-gooders, who county officials said were only trying to help the year-old feline after it was possibly struck by a car.

The cat, which was left at the Yonkers Animal Hospital on Saw Mill River Road shortly before 4:30 pm on Dec. 12, later tested positive for rabies, the health department said.

Security camera footage from the site showed a man wearing a red checkered jacket, khaki pants and a black hat, and a woman in a black jacket who carried the cat in a beige tote bag.

Rabies is a viral infection carried by animals that can prove fatal to humans without treatment with a rabies vaccine. Steve Heaslip/Cape Cod Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 60,000 people in the US receive medical treatment every year after exposure to rabig animals.

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Rabies is a viral disease transmitted to humans by animals and can be fatal if untreated.

While there is no indication the Yonkers good Samaritans were infected, the county wants to make sure.

Unusual behavior may be the first sign of rabies in an animal, the county said in a press release. A rabid animal may become either abnormally aggressive or unusually tame.

It may lose fear of people and become excited and irritable, or appear particularly passive and lethargic, the release said. Staggering and frothing at the mouth are sometimes noted.
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS)  The wife of a former Meridian Township Police Officer discovered suspect child sexually abusive material on his electronic devices and confronted him a month before reporting him to Michigan State Police.

Thats one of the many new details from a heavily redacted Michigan State Police report obtained by the 6 News Investigates Team in the case of Alexander Stachura. He was charged with 6 felonies on Dec. 9 involving possession of child sexually abusive material.

Alexander Stachura booking photograph. (Ingham County)

The MSP report was released by Meridian Township to 6 News after a Freedom of Information Act request. Officials in the township had obtained the report upon learning of the investigation into Alexander Stachura, 38, in late October.

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The report reveals Stachuras wife, whose name has been redacted from the report, first discovered the suspected child sexually abusive material on Sept. 25, 2024. It alleges she suspected Stachura of some action and the suspicion led to her searching his tablet. What she suspected about him has been redacted from the report.

As she reviewed his tablet she saw hed visited a questionable Reddit thread on his phone  something she reported to MSP he denied. Upon review of his browser history and files on his tablet, she identified some history of concern, but what that consisted of is unclear as it is redacted from the police report.

Stachuras wife identified photos of her friends, co-workers and others. Who else he had pictures of was redacted from the report. Those photos were in a locked folder on his Google Photos account, the report reveals.

Stachura MSP Initial ReportDownload

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She told MSP officials she confronted Stachura, but his responses to her confrontation and allegations are redacted. The confrontation allegedly occurred on Sept. 26 or 27, 2024 when she first identified the images and browsing history.

During an interview with MSP officials, she informed them Stachura, following the confrontation, did a factory reset of the tablet in question.

A lawyer advised her to copy the files from Stachuras tablet and laptop to a separate digital storage device and turn them over to law enforcement. That occurred on Oct. 27, 2024.

While she was doing this, she grabbed a gray flash drive they had around the house and plugged it into the computer to download the information from her phone. It was then, the report reveals, she discovered Alexander had stored files on the gray flash drive, which appeared to be backed up from his phone or an older phone.

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At the end of the interview, she handed MSP officials two laptops, a tablet and a flash drive. She said the two laptops were Stachuras and she did not have the passwords to access them.

MSP Detective Sgt. Thomas Gladney wrote in the affidavit filed in 55th District Court seeking warrants for Stachura, that when he reviewed the thumb drive provided by Stachuras wife, he found more than three of the images appeared to depict a post-pubescent teenage female engaging in sex acts or posing in a sexual manner.

Digital evidence embedded in the photo was compared with a database of known child pornography, Gladney wrote. The images were confirmed to be of a confirmed juvenile from the United Kingdom.

Gladney wrote he contacted Stachura and seized all of his electronic devices. A digital evidence review identified the same images from the thumb drive found by his wife were also on his cellphone. The information in the digital logs of Strachuras iPhone revealed those images were uploaded to his phone on Oct. 3, 2022.

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MSP and the Office of Ingham County Prosecutor John Dewane sought judicial approval for warrants for Stachuras arrest on Dec. 9, 2024. He was arrested and arraigned on Dec. 10, 2024, with a bond of $20,000 set.

Stachura Court record 122024Download

Hes due back in court at the end of January, and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 4, 2025, court records show.

Stachura was placed on leave by the Meridian Township Police Department on Oct. 29, the day after his wife provided MSP investigators with his devices.

He was charged with 6 felonies on Dec. 9 in 55th District Court. On Dec. 10, the day Meridian Officials say they learned of the authorized felony warrants for Stachura, the agency decided to end his employment. He was a probationary officer at the time.

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On Dec. 11, 2024, he was arraigned on 3 counts of using a computer to commit a crime and 3 counts of possession of child sexually abusive material.

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.
The work of crafting reparations at the municipal level is fierce.

Detroiters know. In November 2021, residents voted to create a reparations committee that would make recommendations for housing and economic development programs to address historical discrimination against Black residents.

Three years have passed  and Detroiters recently learned the report is delayed. Some folks are wondering: What is taking so long?

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We are a team of University of Michigan-based scholars of political science and sociology specializing in public opinion and attitudes toward reparations. Our research provides important context for understanding the challenges Detroits reparations committee faces.

Detroits missed deadline

The 13-member task force wasnt officially announced until February 2023. The two-year time lapse resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic and the unexpected passing in July 2022 of former City Council Member JoAnn Watson  a pivotal advocate for reparations.

Its membership included three co-chairs appointed by City Council President Mary Sheffield and nine at-large members selected by the council itself.

The task force held its first meeting in April 2023. At that time, it was given 18 months to produce a report outlining harms experienced by Black Detroiters and recommendations for reparations.

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As the October 2024 deadline approached, however, many residents voiced concerns that the task force was not progressing quickly enough or being as inclusive as expected. When the deadline extension was announced, task force co-chair Keith Williams issued his own report. This unilateral decision prompted the task force to release a statement letting Detroiters know that Williams report is not representative of the final report that is still in development. The official report is now due in March 2025.

Its hard all over

The challenges faced by Detroits reparations task force are not unique to Detroit.

In the past five years, 19 reparations initiatives have been introduced and passed in U.S. cities such as San Francisco, Evanston, Illinois, and Providence, Rhode Island.

Every locality tasked with developing reparations recommendations has faced similar challenges. These include providing evidence of past and current harm, developing plans to rectify those harms, defining who is eligible to receive reparations benefits, and ensuring transparency in developing and implementing these programs.

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This is challenging work, requiring navigating bureaucratic systems and political constraints while dealing with public opinion.

Nonetheless, in the absence of federal action, the country is experiencing a rise in reparations efforts enacted into local law, so figuring out what works is worth investigating.

Why achieving reparations is difficult

Public policymaking requires a fine balance between what is administratively sustainable and what is politically acceptable.

An administratively sustainable reparations policy requires a secured source of long-term funding, trained staff and established rules and procedures for efficient implementation.

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A politically acceptable reparations policy requires support and acceptance by relevant political figures and the general public.

These two elements are frequently in tension.

For example, a reparations committee could suggest reallocating money from a citys parks and recreation fund. That would be sustainable, but it is unlikely to be politically successful due to strong public opposition to interference with parks and recreation funding.

The Detroit committee has not yet developed reparations recommendations. It has requested a harms report from a network of University of Michigan scholars and an ethnohistory of Detroits Black community from scholars at Columbia University. These reports are now complete and will be used to assist the task force in crafting its reparations recommendations to city council.

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Another positive sign: Our research suggests it can expect goodwill from the public.

Support for reparations in Detroit, including among white residents, is higher than the national average, increasing the likelihood of passing reparations initiatives and minimizing future legal pushback from non-Black residents.

And yet, it is still true that if the committee fails to maintain a balance between sustainability and political success, it risks losing this crucial public support. So where can it turn for inspiration?

Learning From Evanston

So far, Evanston, Illinois, is the only city to succeed in providing reparations to its African American population. The citys US$10 million program is funded through a tax on the sale of recreational cannabis.

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The effort began in 2002 when Evanston City Council member Lionel Jean-Baptiste proposed a reparations plan. The plan didnt gain momentum until 17 years later when it was reintroduced by Councilwoman Robin Rue Simmons and passed.

Just two years later, reparations were issued to a first group of Black residents who lived in Evanston between 1919 and 1969, or who are direct descendants of people who lived in the city then. Eligible residents received a $25,000 grant to be used for housing, including repairs on existing homes. As of January 2024, 117 qualified residents had received a total of $2,953,596. There is a waitlist for several hundred people who will receive money as it comes available.

Evanston, Ill., is the first city in the nation to grant reparations to residents. Scott Olson/Getty Images

Critics of the Evanston program point out that the program helps only a handful of people in a city with more than 12,000 African American residents. Scholars Monique Newton and Matthew Nelsen argue that it did not adequately meet the needs of the Black people for whom it was intended to repair harm. The researchers found that many of the citys Black residents felt the programs focus on addressing homeownership left many residents behind.

For example, Black renters in Evanston were less likely than Black homeowners to claim reparations funds. Newton and Nelsen noted that the initiatives quick work, while well-intentioned, contributed to a policy that left many questions about eligibility, funding, and implementation unanswered and threatened the very viability of the policy.

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Many Black residents in Evanston wanted to see more than the enactment of a reparative policy. They wanted a reparative policymaking process, during which policymakers invested time into listening to local Black residents and who designed a policy that showed an attentiveness to their preferences, concerns and experiences in a way that most American policy does not.

Implications for Detroit

In our opinion, Detroit can build a reparations program thats fair and effective. This will mean taking the time to strike a balance between whats practical and what people will support. The task forces final report will need to consider funding feasibility, set up clear and obtainable steps for how the plan will work, and be transparent so the public can stay informed and confident in the process.

The task force is taking a positive step by seeking more public engagement through surveys and hosting monthly two-hour, in-person meetings to engage the public.

Despite criticisms of the task forces efforts so far, we feel going slow allows for more time to gather input from a broader range of Black voices, ensuring that diverse concerns are fully considered.

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By carefully creating its own course, Detroits reparations task force can not only right historical wrongs but also set a positive example for other cities looking to do the same.

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: Kamri Hudgins, University of Michigan; Erykah Noelle Benson, University of Michigan; Mara Ostfeld, University of Michigan, and Vincent Hutchings, Univer

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Erykah Benson receives funding from the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program.

Kamri Hudgins, Mara Ostfeld, and Vincent Hutchings do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
CHICAGO  A real estate developer at the center of an alleged attempted extortion scheme by ex-House Speaker Michael Madigan testified Thursday that he never felt intimidated or pressured into hiring Madigans law firm.

Andrew Cretal, who helped turn a site in the West Loop into a luxury apartment high-rise, was called as a witness in Madigans defense Thursday as the former speakers corruption trial hit its home stretch ahead of a holiday break.

Prosecutors have accused Madigan of leveraging his immense public power to get business for Madigan & Getzendanner, his property tax appeal law firm, including in July 2017, when he met with Cretal and an associate about the project known as Union West.

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The meeting had been set up on Madigans request by then-Ald. Daniel Solis, who was secretly cooperating with the FBI and made video and audio recordings at the center of the bombshell case.

On Thursday, Cretal testified he never felt that he had to hire Madigan & Getzendanner to get what he wanted from Solis, who led the 25th Ward, where the project was, and also headed the influential City Council Zoning Committee.

Cretal said he also found Madigan and his law partner to be knowledgeable and professional, and that he was ultimately happy with their work.

In your interactions with Mr. Madigan, did you ever feel fearful or intimidated or threatened into hiring that law firm? asked Madigan attorney Daniel Collins.

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I did not, Cretal responded.

Cretals testimony was intended to undercut allegations that Madigan used fear or intimidation to put the squeeze on developers and bring in lucrative contracts for his firm.

On cross-examination from prosecutors, though, Cretal said it was highly unusual that Solis had reached out to him to tell him that Madigan wanted to meet. In his 17 or 18 years as a developer, Cretal said, he had never gotten a request like that from a public official.

Did you feel a little bit nervous going into this meeting? asked Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Streicker.

Into the meeting with Madigan and Getzendanner? Yes, I was nervous, Cretal said.

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Cretal testified that he even asked a colleague, Rick Vogel, to come to the meeting with him so he would have a witness to vouch for what happened there.

You wanted a second set of eyes and ears, right? Streicker asked, which Cretal confirmed.

Cretal said he also was worried about an implication that if he did not hire Madigans firm, Union West would not get necessary approvals from City Council committees.

On further questioning from Madigans lawyers, though, Cretal said that worry dissipated after the meeting.

Throughout his testimony, Cretal, who is based in Virginia and appeared pursuant to defense subpoena, sounded less than thrilled to be on the stand, speaking almost exclusively in a deep monotone and offering bare minimum, one- or two-word responses.

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At one point, when Collins asked Cretal if the East Coast was one hour ahead of Chicago due to time zones, he responded dryly: Thats usually how it works.

Madigan, 82, of Chicago, who served for decades as speaker of the Illinois House and the head of the state Democratic Party, faces racketeering charges alleging he ran his state and political operations like a criminal enterprise.

He is charged alongside Michael McClain, 77, a former ComEd contract lobbyist from downstate Quincy and longtime confidant of the speakers. Both men have pleaded not guilty and denied wrongdoing.

Prosecutors rested their case in chief early Wednesday. With a break next week for the Christmas holiday, the defense phase of the trial will stretch into the new year. Prosecutors have indicated they will call at least one witness in rebuttal, and closing arguments could come as soon as the week of Jan 6.

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After Cretal left the stand, Madigans defense called Illinois Appellate Court Justice David Ellis, a best-selling novelist and the speakers former chief counsel, who spent time Thursday attempting to rehabilitate Madigans image, which was tattered somewhat in the dozens of undercover videos and wiretaps the jury heard.

Ellis said Madigan was very hands-on and wanted input from everybody. It didnt matter to him who came up with the right answer, as long as it was right. He didnt want a bunch of yes-men just telling him how great he was, Ellis said.

Madigan was also wary of big business and constantly told his staff to make sure the people were not being taken advantage of in legislation, according to Ellis.

Ellis also testified about his role as Madigans point person in the negotiations with ComEd over the 2011 Smart Grid legislation, which prosecutors allege was the focus of an overarching bribery scheme by the utility to win the speakers support.

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Ellis said he was instructed to hold ComEds feet to the fire, insisting on job creation, 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.

When Madigan attorney Todd 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 also advised Madigan during negotiations in 2013 over AT&Ts ongoing efforts in the General Assembly to end mandated landline service, known by the acronym COLR. Ellis said that, like the ComEd bill, he had concerns that AT&T was concerned more about its bottom line than providing service to rural and poor areas.

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Ellis said he told Madigan that the bill was not OK.

Earlier in the day, the jury heard from the lone witness called by McClains defense team: Stephen Selcke, a retired governmental affairs executive with AT&T Illinois, who was involved in the hiring of then-state Rep. Eddie Acevedo, a Madigan ally, as a subcontractor in 2017.

Selcke was initially on prosecutors witness list but was called instead by the defense after prosecutors indicated they would not put him on the stand. Defense attorneys wanted Selcke to tamp down allegations that former state Rep. Edward Acevedos hiring was a bribe to win Madigans assistance with the COLR legislation.

Indeed, Selcke testified Wednesday that as far as he knew there was no explicit arrangement for AT&T to hire Acevedo in exchange for Madigans support of bills the telecommunications giant wanted to pass.

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But Selcke was a potential gold mine for the government in other ways, particularly on Thursday when the prosecution was allowed to show jurors a series of emails detailing pressure AT&T was getting from McClain to hire Madigan-friendly consultants.

The emailed discussion, revealed in court for the first time, came in late 2016  about a year after AT&T had planned to cancel contracts with former state Rep. Annazette Collins, a Madigan ally, and the eldest sons of Acevedo, a Chicago Democrat who at the time was Madigans assistant majority leader.

That decision brought a negative reaction from McClain, who asked the telecommunications giant to reverse course, according to Selckes testimony Thursday.

After McClain intervened, AT&T renewed the contracts of both Collins and Apex Strategies, the company owned by Acevedos sons, Michael and Alex, according to testimony.

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Under continued cross-examination by prosecutors, Selcke testified that later that year, as they prepared their 2017 consulting budget, his colleague Bob Barry suggested they set up the $60,000 contingency fund for future requests from our friend in Quincy, a reference to McClain.

That would be OK with me as long as we realize, and make (AT&T President) Paul (La Schiazza) aware, that if we get folks crammed back down our throats we will have to steal from Invest in Illinois, Selcke emailed back, according to a redacted copy of the email string shown in court.

Prosecutors accuse Madigan and McClain of inducing AT&T to hire Acevedo on a lucrative contract for little or no work so that Madigan would support AT&Ts favored legislation.

Collins was convicted last year of tax charges related to the payments from AT&T and is serving a one-year sentence in federal prison. Acevedo and his two sons were also convicted of tax-related counts stemming from Apex Strategies accounts.

At the end of the day, with jurors out of the room, McClain told the judge he would not take the stand in his own defense.

Do you want to testify in your case? Blakey asked, after giving him the standard admonishments about his rights as a defendant.

No thank you, your honor, McClain said.

It was the second time in two years McClain had to answer that question from a judge. He also declined to testify in last years ComEd Four bribery trial, which saw McClain and three others convicted.

There has so far been no indication that Madigan will take the stand either, though that decision has not been announced.

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For the good of police and all other Ohioans, Gov. Mike DeWine should veto an awful, secret proposal lawmakers snuck into a township zoning law passed in the final hours of their lame-duck session early Thursday.

The law would greatly compromise police transparency by requiring anyone making public records requests for police videos to pre-pay estimated costs for departments to prepare and redact videos. It would affect footage from police officers' dashboard and body cameras and surveillance video inside jails, which are public records in Ohio.

The law would allow police to charge $75 per hour up to $750, meaning most private citizens and even media organizations might be far less likely to seek videos. The fee would reduce transparency into police conduct at a time when our society needs the opposite.

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Related article: Requesting police and jail video could cost up to $750 under Ohio bill before DeWine

There was no public debate

The fee was never proposed before Thursday's surprise amendment to House Bill 315, nor was it subjected to a public hearing or any level of scrutiny. That shameful behavior alone should be reason enough for DeWine to pump the brakes and force the concept to be reintroduced next year for proper public debate.

The surprise fee also conflicts with a long-standing precedent from a 1994 Ohio Supreme Court ruling forbidding local and state governments from charging citizens fees to compile public records. The ruling allowed for only reasonable charges for non-personnel costs for copies such as 5 to 10 cents per page or $1 for a disc.

With the advent of email and cloud storage, most agencies don't charge for public records that are shared electronically.

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Charging taxpayers to get their government's records is bad policy.

Ohio citizens are left in the dark

What motivated this law? We don't know officially because of its sneaky introduction, but one ACLU lobbyist told our Statehouse Bureau he's heard complaints before about users with YouTube accounts requesting large amounts of video and straining agencies' ability to fulfill public records requests.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost confirmed that concern to The Plain Dealer, saying social media influencers and professional YouTube creators are using taxpayers to "subsidize" their businesses.

In a Friday press conference, DeWine noted there are nearly 1,000 police departments in Ohio producing video and said records requests are creating a "heavy burden" for some agencies, especially smaller departments. He was non-commital on vetoing the language.

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If the problem confronting police is that serious, why was it not raised publicly? There could be solutions to be worked out with the media and others with a vested interest in maintaining open government records. They were never afforded that opportunity. That's wrong.

Transparency key to public safety

Police videos played a key role in two of our USA TODAY Ohio Network's statewide investigations in the past year that exposed problems in our state's juvenile jails and prisons and with inmates dying in county jails. Both efforts spurred government responses to solve problems and improve life for Ohioans. While such videos could still be obtained, the costs could be prohibitive in some cases with each agency potentially charging for every incident at every facility.

Because House Bill 315 is an appropriations measure, DeWine has the opportunity to line-item veto this fee without killing the entire bill.

That's clearly what he must do to preserve good government and transparency in Ohio.

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(This editorial was written by Columbus Dispatch Executive Editor Michael Shearer on behalf of 21 USA TODAY Ohio Network newspapers.)

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: DeWine must veto law charging taxpayers for police videos | Editorial
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WKBN)  Ohio Governor Mike DeWine appointed two Valley residents to positions in the administration.

Anthony Jesko, of North Lima, has been appointed to the Oil and Gas Land Management Commission for a term beginning December 19, 2024 and ending September 29, 2028.

The Oil & Gas Land Management Commission deliberates on issues dealing directly with the leasing of state mineral rights.

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Juan Rivera, of Youngstown, has been reappointed to the Commission on Hispanic-Latino Affairs for a term beginning December 19, 2024 and ending October 7, 2027.

The Hispanic-Latino Affairs Commission is an 11-member board that advises state government on issues impacting Hispanic Ohioans. The commission meets at least six times a year.

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.
MACKINAW, Ill. (WMBD)  One central Illinois resident made his television debut on Jeopardy! on Thursday.

Neal Bowling of Mackinaw came in second with $2,800 after Final Jeopardy.

Community members gathered for a watch party at Haynes on Main in Mackinaw to cheer him on.

Mackinaw resident set to be a contestant on an upcoming episode of Jeopardy!

Bowling said the support from friends and family made him feel like he won.

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The crowd lit up every time I got a question right and that made me feel really good, he said.

He said his wife convinced him to apply for the show, as he has been a fan of the show for 40 years.

It was pretty surreal to be out on the set and actually compete on a show I watch all the time, he said.

Bowling added that the production assistants on the show were a big help, calming the contestants during the nerve-wracking experience.

Carol Haynes co-owns the bar and grill, and said Bowling has been a loyal customer since the bar opened 12 years ago. She was excited to be chosen to host the watch party.

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Hes a great customer, him and his family. Were thrilled to be able to host this tonight, she said.

Bowling recorded the episode back in October and had been keeping his lips sealed about the result.

He learned he would be participating in the show shortly after a house fire damaged his home this summer. He got $3,000 as a consolation prize for coming in second and said his winnings would mainly go towards offsetting his travel costs.

He would have liked to make more money on the show, but it was still great to have a lifelong dream realized.

It would have been lovely to win a big chunk of money to put a little bit towards some of those repairs and upgrades that insurance wont cover, but its fine. I had a tremendous experience being on the show, he said.

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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 CIProud.com.
The best interest of Sean Diddy Combs and his defense team is to protect his reputation as a law abiding citizen who wont fold under the legal pressure hes facing. However, based on his latest court appearance, Diddy dont look like hes doing too hot. Heres three things to note from his last hearing:

1. Endearing Gesture

The rapper was due in court this week for a status hearing to settle the schedule moving forward in his pending federal sex trafficking case. The 55-year-old was reported to have walked in donning a khaki prison jumpsuit. ABC News reported he appeared to mouth You okay? to one of his sons who was in the audience. His son responded by nodding and placing his fist over his heart, the report says.

Combs children previously shared a statement saying they stood united in support of their father and slammed the public for judging him on conspiracy theories and false narratives.

2. Combs in Concerning Condition

An insider tells PEOPLE despite the pending prosecution, Combs is fit, healthy and fully focused on his defense.

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He has been very active, remains in good spirits, and, as always, he was happy to see his children, the source said to the magazine.

However, Law&Crime reporter Elizabeth Millner said when she attended the hearing, she noticed Combs looked just the opposite of fit and healthy.

He appeared just astonishingly thinner, which you can expect [being] inside a federal detention center for a couple of months now, Millner said. A lot different from the luxury lifestyle that he was living before, but he appeared very noticeably thinner and maybe being locked up in detention is starting to wear on him.

Millner also added that his hair appeared grayer.

3. A Well Wish

While exiting the courtroom, Combs was reported to stop and turn to his lawyers and courtroom spectators to say Happy holidays, yall, per ABC.



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I just wanted to say goodbye, he said, per the report. His attorneys then surrounded him for a hug before marshals escorted him out. This was his last in-person appearance, assumably, until his next court hearing which wont be until March 17.

Prosecutors said they are on track to disclose all evidence available to the defense by the end of the year.

Combs has been in jail since Monday, Sept. 16, when he was arrested in Manhattan by federal authorities, six months after they raided his two homes in Los Angeles and Miami. His indictment was unsealed the following morning, revealing charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and engaging in interstate transportation for prostitution. The allegations against Combs include sexual abuse, physical abuse, bribery and various drug offenses.

These allegations were first brought forth by ex-girlfriend and Bad Boy Records signee Casandra Cassie Ventura in a civil suit that accused him of sex trafficking, human trafficking, sexual battery, sexual assault, and other allegations. Combs quickly settled the suit within 24 hours, but lawsuits from other associates have quickly followed in the months since. Most recently, Houston attorney Tony Buzbee announced hes representing over 100 plaintiffs who came forward with claims of rape, sexual exploitation and sexual assault against the rapper.

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While many of the suits since 2023 have been civil, this federal case has Combs facing criminal charges. He has pleaded not guilty, and was denied bail three times. His trial is scheduled for May 2025.

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WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Hungary has given political asylum to a Polish opposition politician who is wanted on suspicions of corruption, triggering a diplomatic spat that worsened on Friday.

Poland's government decried Hungary's decision as a hostile act, and Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that he was dismayed by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's decision to shelter a man being sought on suspicions of defrauding the state of millions of zlotys.

The Polish Foreign Ministry said Friday morning that it has summoned its ambassador to Hungary back home for indefinite consultations. It also summoned the Hungarian ambassador in Warsaw to give him a protest note.

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The matter centers on the case of a former deputy justice minister, Marcin Romanowski, but also reveals a clash over rule of law and democracy.

Tusk took office last year vowing to restore democratic norms and fight corruption that has prevailed under the national conservative government of Law and Justice.

As part of that effort, his government has been seeking to bring to justice some former government officials who allegedly broke the law during Law and Justice's eight years in office, from 2015 to 2023.

I did not expect corrupt politicians escaping justice would be able to choose between (Belarusian President Alexander) Lukashenko and Orban, Tusk said on Friday, an apparent reference to the case of a Polish judge who fled to Belarus this year.

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Hungary's government  which is aligned with Poland's Law and Justice party  on Thursday offered political asylum to Romanowski, who is wanted under a European arrest warrant.

Romanowski through his lawyer argues that he is the victim of political retribution by Tusk's government.

Gergely Gulyas, Orbans chief of staff, said that Budapest believed that Romanowski would not receive a fair trial in Poland.

Both Poland and Hungary are members of the 27-member European Union, and Poland believes Budapest's move is "an action contrary to the fundamental principle of loyal cooperation as laid out in the EU treaties.

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We consider the decision of Prime Minister Viktor Orbans government to grant political asylum to Marcin Romanowski, wanted under the European Arrest Warrant, to be an act hostile towards the Republic of Poland and contrary to the elementary principles binding on the member states of the European Union, the ministry said.

European Commission spokesman Stefan de Keersmaecker said at a briefing in Brussels on Friday that EU member states are obliged to execute European arrest warrants, meaning that Hungary should send Romanowski back to Poland to face justice, though he refused to comment on the specifics of the case.

The Polish prosecutor's office has accused Romanowski of committing 11 crimes, including criminal group and rigging tenders, and the misappropriation of millions.

___

Balint Domotor contributed to this report from Budapest, Hungary.
(Bloomberg) -- Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., the iPhone maker known as Foxconn, is in talks with Nissan Motor Co.s biggest shareholder Renault SA about its willingness to sell its shares in the Japanese automaker, Taiwans Central News Agency said, citing people it didnt identify.

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Nissan and fellow Japanese carmaker, Honda Motor Co., are exploring a merger, people familiar with the matter said Wednesday, that would create a rival to Toyota Motor Corp. in Japan and better position the combined company to face competitive challenges around the world.

One potential spanner in the works however is Foxconn, which separately is said to have approached Nissan about acquiring a stake. Foxconn has been investing heavily in factories to build electric vehicles and Nissan, which has slashed its earnings forecasts and is culling 9,000 jobs globally, needs a financial rescue.

According to the Central News Agency, Jun Seki, the chief strategy officer for Hon Hais EV arm, told Nissan about Foxconns interest in buying its shares, but Nissan didnt respond in a favorable manner. As a result, Seki has started to engage Nissans 36% shareholder, Renault.

Seki and his team are currently in talks with Renault in France, the report said. Renaults stake in Nissan is a holdover from a longstanding alliance between the French automaker, Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors Corp.

Honda, meanwhile, has threatened to end its strategic software partnership with Nissan if it looks to join hands with Foxconn, Nikkei said in an earlier report. Should the approach from Foxconn turn hostile after a rebuff, Honda also offered to protect Nissan as a white knight investor, Nikkei said.

Official talks, including around a possible merger, between the two Japanese companies may start as soon as Dec. 23, Nikkei added.

Hondas shares fell more than 2.5% in early trading Thursday, while Nissans stock was trading down 6.5% after jumping a record 24% on Wednesday.

Honda is weighing several options, according to Executive Vice President Shinji Aoyama, which include a merger, a capital tie-up and even the formation of a holding company. The alliance could also include Mitsubishi Motors.

Representatives for Honda and Nissan didnt immediately reply to a requests for comment regarding the start date for talks.
Disney decided to renew ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos contract  despite having to fork over a $16 million legal settlement  because they didnt want his blood on their hands, The Post has learned.

Stephanopoulos, who hosts This Week and is a co-anchor on Good Morning America, was handed a multi-year deal  though he took a pay cut from his lofty $20 million annual salary, sources said.

No one wants a talent mess on their hands, one longtime network executive told The Post. No one wants an angry George Stephanopoulos loose in the world. No one wants to humiliate George by firing him or to have his blood on their hands.

Disney renewed George Stephanopoulos contract, despite shelling out a $16 million legal settlement. ABC

The well-connected former Democratic operative had been in talks with ABC News-parent Disney, which is in cost-cutting mode, before the companys shocking decision Saturday to settle with President-elect Donald Trump, according to Deadline.

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The Mouse House confirmed the extension Wednesday.

George is well-liked by the liberal-elite in Hollywood and The Hamptons. Hes friends with Jerry Seinfeld, Michael J Fox and Netflix boss Ted Sarandos, the source said, adding that he operates in the same bubble as left-leaning Disney top brass.

George has carefully cultivated a relationship with [Disney CEO] Bob Iger and board members. He remains a respected member of the Disney family.

But inside the halls of ABC News, staffers remain livid over Igers decision to stand by Stephanopoulos and cave to Trump.

They paid off Trump for a mistake that George made. How many jobs could that $16 million have saved? said a second network source, citing a fresh round of layoffs at the network.

Stephanopoulos frequents the same circles as Jerry Seinfeld and operates in the same liberal bubble as Disney brass, a source said. Getty Images

I think people are angry at the humiliation of the settlement with Trump. People are angry with Georges unforced errors and his defiance and that hes rewarded for his mistakes with another lucrative contract even if his salary has been cut, the first source said.

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The source said that even if the journalist is well-regarded by top brass, he isnt a favorite among staffers.

Sources said Stephanopoulos is a loner who doesnt play well with others.

They noted that Stephanopoulos wont take part in election night coverage or appear on air with ABC World News Tonight anchor David Muir.

Most great anchors are larger than life. George has always been smaller than life. And this humiliating settlement has made him even smaller, the network exec said.

A source said Disney CEO Bob Iger didnt want another talent

mess and decided to renew Stephanopoulos. Variety via Getty Images

As part of the settlement, Stephanopoulos was forced to apologize  which made the journalist apoplectic and humiliated, The Post exclusively reported Tuesday in an article headlined, Furious George.

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A source said ABC News employees are now calling Stephanopoulos Furious George behind his back.

George is mortified about the settlement and livid about the apology but he values money and status more than anything else, the person said. So he will take the paycheck and shut up.

Fiercely ambitious and introverted, Stephanopoulos has an inner-circle of loyalists, but his costly obstinance has alienated the journalist even more, a source close to the anchor said.

He has just been humiliated. The news division is furious at him for an unforced error, the person added.

ABC News staffers are upset over the hefty settlement and Stephanopoulos new contract amid belt-tightening at the network. NurPhoto via Getty Images

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Stephanopolous has remained mum despite multiple requests for comment by The Post this week.

ABC News and Disney declined to comment.

The deal awarded $15 million to a presidential foundation and museum for Trump and another $1 million for Trumps attorney fees.

Stephanopoulos created the legal headache during an interview with Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) in March. The This Week host said that Trump was liable for rape while discussing the civil lawsuit won by journalist E. Jean Carroll.

The Post exclusively reported on Wednesday that Stephanopoulos was repeatedly warned by his producer not to use the word rape.

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Disneys chances of winning the lawsuit would be damaged if Stephanopoulos ignored his producers warnings, legal experts told The Post.

The Post reported that Stephanopoulos ignored his producers warnings to not use the word rape on air. GC Images

Iger signed off on the networks settlement late Friday  hours after Florida Judge Cecilia Altonaga rejected a request to delay the case and ordered Trump and Stephanopoulos to sit for hours-long depositions just days before Christmas.

The judge also demanded that Disney turn over emails and text messages sent by and to Stephanopoulos by Sunday, according to reports.

Disneys top lawyer, Horacio Gutierrez, urged Iger to settle the suit rather than risk a civil trial in front of a jury in the president-elects home state, people familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal.

Iger also was worried that fighting the case could risk damaging press protections and hurt the Disney brand, according to the New York Times.
Dec. 20OREGON  A rural Dixon man charged with attempting to murder three police officers in June will remain jailed while continuing to review evidence that will be presented as his case proceeds through the courts.

Jonathon Gounaris, 32, is charged with four counts of attempted first-degree murder, three counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm, three counts of aggravated battery and two counts of possession of a firearm without a firearm owner's identification card  all of which stem from a June 12 standoff with police in the rural Dixon subdivision of Lost Lake. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is being held in the Winnebago County Jail in Rockford.

On Thursday, Gounaris appeared before Judge John "Ben" Roe for a status hearing. He was escorted into court by two Winnebago County corrections officers and two Ogle County court deputies. He wore a yellow jumpsuit issued to inmates, handcuffs and leg irons.

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Ogle County Assistant Public Defender Michael O'Brien told Roe that he is continuing to work through the 770 pages of police reports, medical records and other evidence relevant to Gounaris' defense and has conducted one of several meetings with Gournaris.

O'Brien said that there's still a "large amount of video evidence" he needs to go through with Gounaris in person and requested additional information pertaining to medical records.

Ogle County State's Attorney Mike Rock did not object and provided Gounaris' defense with the requested lab report.

O'Brien then argued for Gounaris' release. He acknowledged that he was not present for Gounaris' initial detention hearing, but said there "are conditions available that would mitigate the threat to the public."

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Some of those conditions could include home monitoring, taking prescribed medications, submitting to drug testing and attending counseling, O'Brien said.

O'Brien also pointed out that Gounaris has "continued to make progress while in jail. He has made no infractions, sanctions or reprimands."

He recently completed a four-day spiritual weekend program and has been taking "workable" medications, O'Brien said.

Ogle County Assistant State's Attorney Heather Kruse disagreed.

She said that all of O'Brien's arguments have been made before and pointed out that Gounaris' "obedience to the rules while in a structured environment doesn't mean he should be released."

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Roe denied the request for his release and ruled for continued detention until the next court date.

"We've already had an extensive hearing regarding his detention," Roe said. "I note the arguments about his progress, but it doesn't change the circumstances."

Gounaris is charged with shooting three members of the Ogle County Sheriff's Office Emergency Response Team after a three-hour standoff when police tried to enter his home at 402 Wild Rice Lane in Lost Lake.

The ERT is made up of individuals from agencies including the sheriff's office, Oregon and Byron police departments, and SWAT medics from the Rochelle Fire Department.

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Ogle County Sheriff's Lt. Jason Ketter was shot in the face and flown to OSF Medical Center in Rockford, where he underwent surgery. He was released from the hospital June 14.

Ogle County Sheriff's Deputy Tad Dominski was shot in the arm, and Tyler Carls of the Rochelle Fire Department was shot in the torso. They were treated at KSB Hospital in Dixon and released later that evening.

Gounaris also was shot during the gunfire exchange and was taken to KSB Hospital in Dixon, where he was treated before being booked into the Winnebago County Jail on June 18.

Gounaris' next court appearance is at 3:30 p.m. Jan. 23.
Dr. Deborah Burns watched her son William Hewes, 22, die from sepsis at the hospital in London where she works

Speaking before a hearing ahead of the inquest into Hewes' death, Burns claimed her advice was "ignored" ahead of her son's death, according to U.K. newspaper The Times

"I was present throughout his admission. I witnessed him receiving inadequate care despite my raising concerns. I was not listened to at the time and I watched him die," she said, per multiple outlets

A doctor watched her son die of sepsis at the hospital where she works in England, according to reports.

In January 2023, William Hewes, 22, died within 24 hours of being admitted to Homerton Hospital in east London with meningitis, which then turned into sepsis, per U.K. newspapers The Times, The Telegraph and The Independent.

William Hewes/Linkedin William Hewes William Hewes

On Thursday, Dec. 19, Hewes' mother, Deborah Burns  who is head of pediatrics at the hospital, where she's worked for over 20 years  attended a brief hearing ahead of the inquest into her son's death at Poplar Coroners Court.

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Before the hearing, the 63-year-old claimed her advice was "ignored" and that doctors provided inadequate care for her son, according to The Times.

I was present throughout his admission. I witnessed him receiving inadequate care despite my raising concerns. I was not listened to at the time and I watched him die," Burns said in a statement provided by her lawyers, per the outlets.

Since then, I have met with almost two years of resistance and lack of engagement. This has taken a terrible toll on me and my family and added another layer of pain to our grief," she added.

Carl Court/Getty A photo of Homerton Hospital A photo of Homerton Hospital

Hewes' father, Jonathan Hewes, 66  who was executive producer on the Oscar-winning 2008 documentary Man on Wire  was also in attendance at Thursday's hearing, according to The Times.

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William Hewes  who had been studying history and politics at Leeds University but was home in Canonbury, north London, when he became sick  was said to have been "fit and healthy" before he was admitted to the hospital, per the outlets.

All I was asking was for an open, honest and thorough investigation to take place so that vital lessons could be learnt from Williams death, Burns, who has three other children, said, per the outlets. I have a personal moral duty and professional obligation to act on what I witnessed. The added dimension is that it is my workplace."

I wanted to help prevent what happened to William happening to other young people, to give them the best chances of survival, to be able to continue to live their lives, to contribute to society, to love and be loved, as William very much was, Burns added.

A spokesperson for the Homerton Healthcare National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE, "Losing a child is an unimaginable tragedy, and our hearts go out to Dr Burns and her family during this devastating time. We extend our deepest condolences and want to acknowledge the profound impact this loss has had on Dr Burns and her family."

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"Whilst we cannot comment on the circumstances which led to William's death as we await the full inquest to be heard, we have taken the appropriate steps in the Trust over the past 22 months to continue to reinforce the awareness of suspected sepsis in patients coming into our Emergency Department," the statement added.

It continued, "As a member of our consultant pediatric medical team, Dr Burns has always been a much admired and respected member of our staff at Homerton. We have reached out to Dr Burns on a number of occasions over the past 22 months and will continue to do so. Our thoughts remain with Dr Burns and her family during this incredibly difficult time."

Carl Court/Getty A photo of the Homerton Hospital sign A photo of the Homerton Hospital sign

Lawyer Kate Rohde, who is representing the Hewes family, said, It is difficult to understand how an organisation to which Deborah dedicated her life as a pediatrician could so profoundly let her and her son down," The Times reported.

If Deborah, an experienced pediatrician, was not listened to, what hope do other parents have of getting doctors to hear their concerns? Rohde added, according to the outlet.

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A spokesperson for the lawyer told PEOPLE in an email, "This case is pre-inquest so no further comment at present."

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.

Per the World Health Organization, sepsis "is a life-threatening condition that happens when the bodys immune system has an extreme response to an infection, causing organ dysfunction."

Since Hewes' death, the British National Health Service (NHS) has introduced Martha's Rule, which "is a major patient safety initiative providing patients and families with a way to seek an urgent review if their or their loved ones condition deteriorates and they are concerned this is not being responded to," according to its website. The rule is currently still in its pilot year and came after 13-year-old Martha Mills' family expressed concerns about her deteriorating condition before she died from sepsis in 2021, the NHS said.

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The inquest into Hewes' death has been adjourned until Feb. 13, per The Telegraph and The Independent.

According to Dr. Ron Daniels  who is a chief medical officer at the U.K. Sepsis Trust and is also acting as an expert witness for the family  the inquest "will try to ascertain whether life-saving treatments, including antibiotics, were delivered in the right time, The Times reported.

Daniels didn't have any additional information to add ahead of the inquest when contacted by PEOPLE.

The U.K. Sepsis Trust and Poplar Coroner's Court did not immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for comment. Hewes' family has so far raised over $48,000 on a JustGiving page for the Meningitis Research Foundation as of Friday, Dec. 20.

Read the original article on People
Congress has gone months without passing any disaster relief funding for Western North Carolina after Helene devastated the region.

Then this week, lawmakers put forward one bill, then another, that would provide more than $100 billion in disaster relief aid, not just for North Carolina but communities across the country trying to rebuild from their own calamities.

But Republicans abandoned the first bill, a bipartisan compromise, after incoming President Donald Trump called it unacceptable. Then Democrats, along with some Republicans, defeated a slimmed-down replacement backed by Trump.

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Sen. Ted Budd, a Republican from Davie County, was on the House floor when the vote happened. He said he wasnt certain if disaster relief would stay in future iterations of the bill, or if disaster relief would pass before the end of the year.

I cant promise that, Budd said. All I can promise is what my efforts are going to be for North Carolina.

Budd and North Carolinas other Republican senator, Thom Tillis, had said a day earlier they would not accept a stopgap bill that excluded disaster relief aid for Western North Carolina.

North Carolina was set to get around $9 billion in disaster funding under the original bill, according to Rep. Rosa DeLaura, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee.

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The government shuts down at 12:01 a.m. Saturday if lawmakers dont pass a spending bill.

Disaster relief

The Biden administration had requested the money after responding starting in late September to the devastation in North Carolina and elsewhere caused by the remnants of Hurricane Helene. Within about a month, the Federal Emergency Management Agency had spent three-quarters of its annual budget, FEMAs director said in early November.

There have been some concerns that because the stopgap measure failed, the disaster relief package could fall by the wayside.

But prior to Thursday nights vote, the need for disaster relief seemed to be a consensus for most Republicans, with the exception of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus.

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Trump posted on social media Wednesday night, Republicans want to support our farmers, pay for disaster relief, and set our country up for success in 2025. The only way to do that is with a temporary funding bill WITHOUT DEMOCRAT GIVEAWAYS combined with an increase in the debt ceiling. Anything else is a betrayal of our country

Tillis and Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, told reporters that their constituents have a commitment that they will filibuster, a maneuver used by senators to delay or block votes from going forward, if the bill goes forward without disaster relief.

If Congressional leaders intend to leave DC before the holidays without passing disaster recovery, they should be prepared to spend Christmas in the Capitol, Tillis posted. Ill use every tool available to block a (continuing resolution) that fails Western North Carolina communities in need of long-term certainty.

At a news conference Thursday, Tillis displayed a large stack of correspondence from constituents who have reached out since Helene hit. Graham commented that the stack was taller than him. They said they would read the letters on the Senate floor to help delay any vote that didnt include disaster relief.

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Everyone needs to understand were talking about a possible government shutdown here in Washington, while there are parts of this country that have been affected by the storm, who are effectively shut down and until we fund them they have no hope, Tillis said.

Budd had been part of the news conference with Tillis and Graham but didnt speak while they agreed to filibuster. As he walked through the Capitol after Thursdays night vote, he still wouldnt say specifically that he was agreeing to a filibuster, but he did say: Im going to put every maneuver I can to get disaster aid as fast as we can for North Carolina.

That I promise, Budd said.

During the news conference, all three senators agreed they had a commitment from Trump that disaster relief would be in any future bill.

The bipartisan bill

Lawmakers originally agreed on a 1,547-page bill unveiled Tuesday that would keep the government funded until March 14.

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But things fell apart Wednesday afternoon.

First, billionaire Elon Musk, a businessman who will soon oversee the Department of Government Efficiency, posted on social media his displeasure toward the bill.

Soon, Vivek Ramaswamy, who ran against Trump and will lead DOGE with Musk, joined in.

And then came Trump and Sen. JD Vance, the next vice president.

If Republicans try to pass a clean Continuing Resolution without all of the Democrat, bells and whistles that will be so destructive to our Country, all it will do, after January 20th, is bring the mess of the Debt Limit into the Trump Administration, rather than allowing it to take place in the Biden Administration, Trump posted on social media. Any Republican that would be so stupid as to do this should, and will, be Primaried.

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He added that negotiations should be done before he takes office.

Trump called for members of Congress to get rid of or suspend the countrys borrowing limit and strip the bill of any of the Democrats requests.

The legislation will end up hurting many of the people it purports to help, Ramaswamy posted on X. Debt-fueled spending sprees may feel-good today, but its like showering cocaine on an addict: its not compassion, its cruelty.

Rep. Greg Murphy, a Republican from Greenville, pushed back.

Disaster aid and Farm aid is not Pork, Murphy posted on X. Its called governing. Thats what we were all ELECTED to do.

The new bill

House Speaker Mike Johnson started working from scratch Thursday morning and by late Thursday released a new 117-page bill that would suspend the debt ceiling, or borrowing limit, as Trump demanded.

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But Democrats objected to breaking the original bipartisan deal. Meanwhile, some Republicans demanded spending cuts, with lawmakers like Rep. Chip Roy, a Republican from Texas, saying that adding $110 billion just adds to their debts. Trumps support for the new bill didnt persuade all of them to get on board.

Republicans have risked a shutdown six times in two years, House Minority Whip Katherine Clark told reporters Thursday.

Here we are once again in chaos, and House Democrats are going to stand together and make sure that American families voices are heard here because we shouldnt even be in this situation of being on the verge of another shutdown, Clark said.

Republicans took to the House floor Thursday night and blamed their Democratic colleagues for any potential government shutdown if they voted down the bill.

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All seven of North Carolinas Democrats voted against the bill, while the states seven Republican House members voted for it.

The National Republican Congressional Committee took aim directly at Rep. Don Davis, a Democrat from Snow Hill, for voting with his party, which isnt always predictable.

Shame on Don Davis who would shut down the government to please party bosses instead of standing up for North Carolinians, said Jack Pandol, communications director for NRCC.

Davis was on their target list of seats they tried unsuccessfully to flip red during the 2024 election.

North Carolina impact

North Carolina lawmakers began calling news conferences Thursday afternoon, with Rep. Alma Adams, a Democrat from Charlotte, leading off at 1 p.m.

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Adams told reporters that she had been so confident that the bill would pass on Wednesday that she was supposed to be on a plane back to her district Thursday afternoon.

Now waiting for a vote in Washington, Adams said she wants to make sure people understand what would happen if the bill failed to pass.

Thats almost $9 billion  in funding for North Carolina that we would miss out on, Adams said. That we need desperately for rebuilding in the wake of Hurricane Helene.

Adams broke down the money North Carolina stands to miss:

Federal highway emergency relief funds

Long-term housing, infrastructure and economic recovery funding

Funds to rebuild portions of the Blue Ridge Parkway

Economic assistance to farmers

Loans for small businesses

Clean drinking water funding.

Government shutdown

And theres more at stake than just disaster relief.

In Adams news conference she talked about the effect a government shutdown would have on North Carolina.

A government shutdown would have a tremendous negative impact and dire consequences for the economy, our federal employees, for our veterans, for families and really, anybody who would like to travel, Adams said. You know, were just a few days from the Christmas holidays.

Government shutdowns typically force essential government workers to work without pay, cause national parks to shut down, and could affect government benefits, like food provided through the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children.

At the last minute request of Donald Trump and Elon Musk, House Republicans have gone back on their word to keep the government open  putting in jeopardy the paychecks of millions of hardworking Americans right before the holidays, wrote Rep. Deborah Ross, a Democrat from Wake County, in a news release. An agreement is an agreement. If the government shuts down, Republicans will only have themselves to blame.
The U.S. Department of Justice alleges in a civil suit unsealed Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024, that CVS ignored clear patterns of prescription fraud for opioids and other tightly regulated depressants. (Courtesy of CVS Health)

The U.S. Department of Justice has targeted CVS in a nationwide lawsuit, alleging the retail pharmacy giant worsened the opioid crisis by filling  and using government money to pay for  phony prescriptions for powerful drugs.

The civil complaint filed on Friday and unsealed Wednesday names CVS and its numerous subsidiaries in all 50 states as defendants. The 97-page suit accuses the pharmacy chain, which numbers more than 9,000 branches, of ignoring clear patterns of prescription fraud for opioids and other tightly regulated depressants.

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The national pharmacy giants filling of questionable prescriptions ultimately contributed to the epidemic of opioid death over the 10-year period investigated in the lawsuit, U.S. Attorney for the District of Rhode Island Zachary A. Cunha told reporters in a press event Wednesday.

It is our allegation that CVS as a corporation ignored repeated red flags that large numbers of opioid prescriptions were not legitimate and should not have been filled, Cunha said.

CVS Pharmacy Inc. is headquartered in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, and is the largest pharmacy chain in the country. It operates directly in six states, including Rhode Island, and owns subsidiaries in other states which are responsible for local compliance with Drug Enforcement Administration rules for controlled substances.

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The pharmacy chains parent company, CVS Health, has expanded into most areas of the health care industry but has experienced tough times in recent months. In September, it announced it would lay off 2,900 people, and a year ago, its stock price was $74.88 per share. Shares rose 2.82% to $45.28 Wednesday.

The suit argues that CVS ignored internal suspicions about certain problematic doctors and prescriptions, and essentially defrauded federal programs like TRICARE, a military health care program, by filling these prescriptions. The suit places the blame squarely on corporate policies, and notes that pharmacists themselves often raised alarms about prescriptions, including those from known fraudulent physicians, to no avail.

CVS pharmacists described working at CVS as soul crushing because it was impossible to meet the companys expectations while performing their jobs properly and safely, the lawsuit reads.

The misery of employees derived from CVS attempts to lighten its labor costs, the Department of Justice alleges, because the company set staffing levels so low that it was impossible for pharmacists to comply with their legal obligations and meet CVSs demanding metrics, according to the lawsuit. CVS repeatedly ignored the increasingly impassioned complaints from pharmacists that their pharmacies were dangerously understaffed.

One doctor mentioned in the civil suit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice against CVS Pharmacy, Inc. dispensed an estimated 16,000 controlled substance prescriptions over roughly 21 months  about 25 prescriptions for controlled substances per day. (Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)

These are not subtle red flags, they are overt

One doctor mentioned in the suit doled out an estimated 16,000 controlled substance prescriptions over roughly 21 months  about 25 prescriptions for controlled substances per day.

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The fact that a prescription is for a legitimately licensed drug doesnt make the individual prescription legitimate, Cunha told reporters. If I go to my physician and I pay that physician $100 in the absence of a medical condition to issue me a prescription for an opioid, thats not a legitimate prescription.

A case study of a Virginia resident identified as Patient #2 shows that CVS, over the course of about three months, filled four prescriptions at CVS for 2mg alprazolam tablets  the highest commercial dose of the drug also known as Xanax. The prescriptions were all written by the same doctor and amounted to 201 tablets in all, and together generated an excess supply of 166 tablets in three months, according to the lawsuit.

Patient #2 was also filling opioid and tranquilizer prescriptions from the same doctor at other pharmacies. Patient #2 died from a mixed overdose 10 days after picking up their last bottle of alprazolam at CVS.

Other patients mentioned in the lawsuit were able to successfully fill trinity cocktails at CVS, which are simultaneous prescriptions for an opioid, a benzodiazepine like alprazolam or diazepam (Valium), and muscle relaxant carisoprodol. The drugs can exert a fatal depressant effect when ingested together, and the lawsuit shows very high amounts of these drugs being dispensed in tandem at CVS locations.

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One trinity cocktail dispensed in a single day by an unidentified CVS location in 2020 had 270 opioid-containing tablets, 90 diazepam, and 90 carisoprodol.

Those numbers are far above recommended limits for opioid prescriptions. In one 2019 study published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, a review panel discussed the ideal number of opioids to prescribe for an assortment of common surgeries. According to the study, For all 20 surgical procedures reviewed, the minimum number of opioid tablets recommended by the panel was zero.

The lawsuit is founded on the violation of two statutes: the Controlled Substances Act, because the prescriptions were unlawfully and knowingly filled, and the False Claims Act, because federal funds were used to subsidize these unlawful prescriptions. The suits possible civil penalties include fines between $5,500 and $23,607 for each false payment claim fulfilled by federal programs, with false claims after November 2015 carrying a higher price tag.

I dont think it could be more clear that a pharmacy has an obligation under the Controlled Substances Act that the prescriptions that it lets go out the door are legitimate, particularly when there are repeated red flags that we allege, Cunha said. These are not subtle red flags, they are overtThe notion that there is some sort of regulatory ambiguity here; I reject that.

A shifting standard

Kara Page, a spokesperson for the pharmacies parent company CVS Health, wrote in an email Wednesday that the firm complied with the Justice Departments investigation for more than four years.

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We strongly disagree with the allegations and false narrative within this complaint, Page wrote. We will defend ourselves vigorously against this misguided federal lawsuit, which follows on the heels of years of litigation over these issues by state and local governments  claims that already have been largely resolved by a global agreement with the participating state Attorneys General.

That settlement arrived in 2022 and saw CVS agree to pay possibly up to $5 billion for opioid prescribing claims, without any admission of wrongdoing or liability.

The governments lawsuit seeks to impose a shifting standard for pharmacy practice, Page continued. Many of the litigation theories laid out in the complaint are not found in any statute or regulation, and relate to topics on which the government has declined to provide guidance. Each of the prescriptions in question was for an FDA-approved opioid medication prescribed by a practitioner who the government itself licensed, authorized, and empowered to write controlled-substance prescriptions.

Page also claimed the company created a program 12 years ago to block doctors with suspicious prescribing practices, and that the effort has blocked 1,250 practitioners since, including nearly 600 prescribers who the government continues to license, Page wrote.

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The governments lawsuit intensifies a serious dilemma for pharmacists, who are simultaneously second-guessed for dispensing too many opioids, and too few, Page added.

Cunha had a different take at the press conference.

Were not requesting that CVS be rendered unable to fill prescriptions, he said. Were demanding that CVS be held accountable for its conduct in the past, and we hope to encourage them to make sure that their practices are compliant with the law in the future.

Rhode Island Current is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Rhode Island Current maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janine L. Weisman for questions: info@rhodeislandcurrent.com.
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW)  According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, cases of domestic violence rise significantly during the holiday season, with factors like heightened stress, financial pressure and alcohol consumption.

Leaving an abusive relationship is a terrifying experience for many survivors, especially if there is no support system. KSN brings us a story of a Wichita woman speaking up so that others can get help as she did.

It went from bad to horrible, said Crystal Lee, a domestic violence survivor.

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Beloved Wichita Chef Rick Jeffrey needs lifesaving liver transplant

She says she witnessed abuse as a child. So, she didnt realize what she was going through as an adult was also abuse, both physical and mental.

To me, that was like normal until I realized, Wait. Actually, this is not OK,' said Crystal Lee.

After the realization, Crystal Lee reached out to some friends because she had no family in Kansas and planned her escape with her two kids. This was three years ago.

I used a payphone to call some friends and the harbor house and they actually came and picked me up and drove me to the harbor house and drove me to get my kids and everything, she said.

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Crystal Lee says her journey of healing started that day at the Harbor House emergency shelter. From there, she was referred to StepStone, a more permanent housing for survivors where they can stay for two years, giving them time and support.

We just dont give up hope: Wichita family hopeful for heart transplant

It definitely helped me rebuild myself and it helped me, like I have an advocate through here still, even after graduating the program that I can talk to, she said.

Crystal Lee said she learned a lot of life skills at StepStone, and these days, she feels more stable and grounded. She says its now time for her to give back to others.

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I really want to help people who are homeless. So thats something that I really want to work towards, like being an advocate for people that are experiencing street-level homelessness, she said.

Whether its for a family member, friend, co-worker, or for yourself, there is help out there for anyone experiencing domestic violence. Click here to find a list.

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.
New York City officials wanted to send a message on Thursday by escorting Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old charged in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, from a helipad after he was extradited to Manhattan.

But social media users, criticized for heroizing Mangione, seemingly found a different message. His flanked arrival spurred an image dubbed by one viral post as a late contender for hardest image of the year.

New York Mayor Eric Adams and law enforcement officers followed Mangione  the subject of thirst tweets, a look-alike contest and other fanfare  in a so-called perp walk before he was brought to a federal courthouse in the city.

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Mangione was flown to New York after waiving his right to an extradition hearing in Pennsylvania, the state where he was arrested after a multi-day search that ended at a McDonalds.

Mangione appeared in an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs as officers surrounded him in a perp walk that, per CNNs senior justice correspondent Evan Perez, is usually avoided as such a move is considered prejudicial.

John Miller, a former deputy commissioner with the New York City Police Department and CNNs chief law enforcement analyst, chalked the unusual arrival up to the public support for Mangione and security concerns over whether somebody would try and free him from law enforcement.

Adams  in remarks to reporters outside the helipad used by presidents and top business executives  said he and New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch wanted to send a very clear, loud message against violence in the city to show the symbolism of leading from the front.

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The New York Police Department also shared its own photos of Mangione being led into a plane and trailed by officers, including some armed with rifles.

The move by New York officials appeared to spark another round of social media users heroizing Mangione including those who drew an eerie comparison between the so-called perp walk and a scene from James Gunns upcoming Superman movie, a teaser trailer for which was released Thursday.

he allegedly killed one (1) guy btw, read an X post with 237,000 likes alongside a photo of Mangiones arrival captured by Michael Nagle for Bloomberg.

with no exaggeration, this is actual contemporary art, wrote one X user.

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why do they keep accidentally making him look like the coolest person alive dont they want us to hate him, wrote another user in a post with 38,000 likes.

The fatal shooting of Thompson has sparked talks of Americans frustration with the health insurance industry in recent weeks as lawmakers such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) have all weighed in on the topic.

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Palm Beach County's school board voted to fire a math teacher of 25 years at John I. Leonard High last month after students reported nearly a dozen inappropriate comments he made in class, ranging from saying women rely on men to pay for their beauty services to stories about thong underwear.

Robert Glatt, 66, addressed a group of boys as "hoes" and told another student that he needed to stare at their photo in the school's attendance system "a little longer," according to investigations conducted by the school district.

Reached Wednesday, Glatt called the school district's investigation "unjust and unreasonable" and added that his comments in class were taken out of context by disgruntled students.

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School board members voted unanimously to fire Glatt on Nov. 6. Although Glatt said he initially appealed his termination, he said he rescinded his appeal this month when he found new employment.

John I. Leonard High School on June 28, 2024 in Greenacres, Florida.

John I. Leonard High math teacher previously investigated for comments about students' bodies

The latest concerns with Glatt's classroom conduct was the second time he'd been investigated for his commentary toward students. District records show he was issued a written reprimand by principal Melissa Patterson in 2018 for telling a student she had "developed nicely" and another that she was a "waste of a Puerto Rican body."

In response to those allegations, Glatt said: "I may have crossed a line, but I can't remember saying those exact things. If I did, it was just in a joking manner. I have a relationship with my students and if I offend, they tell me and I will always apologize."

Glatt was hired in 1999, and he taught at John I. Leonard High in Greenacres for all 25 of his years with the district.

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Glatt's personnel records show that he had a previous career as a podiatrist in New York before moving to Florida. He applied to the school district with the intent of teaching math and science. He had an uneventful first 19 years.

Students are dismissed from John I. Leonard High School in Greenacres in 2016.

In 2018, a half dozen students in Glatt's classes came forward regarding the inappropriate and vulgar comments he made toward them about their bodies, including the comments to the Puerto Rican student.

One student said Glatt told her "Wow, you don't look 12 (years old) anymore  you finally grew boobs."

Another student wrote in their statement to investigators that Glatt said, "if she's old enough to breathe, she's old enough to breed," and "maybe I'll start lusting after you," toward another student.

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While three students shared that they felt uncomfortable with Glatt and found his statements inappropriate, two others reported that Glatt's comments didn't bother them.

"He makes jokes quite frequently about young women's bodies. But in no way, shape or form does he mean any harm," one student wrote in a statement to district investigators. "Most of his comments are about how good students look in certain items of clothing  But us students know it's a joke."

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Glatt was given a written reprimand. Glatt said on Wednesday, Dec. 18 that the district's investigation was missing the context of his statements. He said that in 2018 he told a student who was violating dress code by wearing a see-through shirt that she shouldn't be wearing that shirt because she "wasn't 12 (years old) anymore" and had presumably developed breasts.

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In 2020, he was investigated again for selling snacks like chips, ramen noodles and candy to students during class hours and taking payments via Venmo, which is not allowed by school district policy.

One of those Venmo payments sparked the interest of police in October 2019 after a John I. Leonard student went missing and investigators found that she made a payment to Glatt via Venmo on the day she was last seen.

Glatt told detectives that the student owed him money and that he didn't know why she had paid him on that day. Later, the student was located safely and Glatt was reprimanded for not reporting that the student had previously told Glatt that she was in a relationship with an older man.

It's not clear from the school district's investigation whether the student was located with her boyfriend.

Math teacher talked about women wearing thong underwear in class

In August 2024, 15 students came forward after the start of the school year with stories of Glatt's inappropriate behavior and jokes in class.

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Students said Glatt mentioned cocaine in class and spoke several times about dynamics between men and women.

One student said he told his class that "women need men to survive," while others said Glatt made comments about women needing men to pay for them to get their nails done in a salon. Another involved asking his class to assess the sentence "A woman without her man is nothing" for its grammar.

Glatt said Wednesday that he was using the grammar exercise to show the difference between "A woman without her man is nothing," and "A woman. Without her, man is nothing." Glatt confirmed he was using this exercise while teaching a math class.

"Mr. Glatt started talking about perspective," one student wrote. "He gave an example of a lady walking around the house in a thong (his next-door neighbor for example). Taken from the viewpoint as if he was looking through the gate. A good perspective would be a younger woman, because that would be pleasant to see. If it was an old woman, that wouldn't be good, because he doesn't want to see her."

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Records show Glatt was reassigned away from the classroom on Aug. 27 while the district investigated his comments. He was fired effective Dec. 5, the district confirmed .

Katherine Kokal is a journalist covering education at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at kkokal@pbpost.com. Help support our work; subscribe today!

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Math teacher at John I. Leonard High fired for inappropriate comments
Retail investors jumped at the chance to invest in Hong Kong actor Roger Kwok's company, with the initial public offering (IPO) oversubscribed more than 6,000 times, the second-highest on record in the city.

Herbs Generation Group, the healthcare products company co-founded by Kwok and his sister, priced its shares at the low end of its range at HK$3.75, resulting in the retail tranche being oversubscribed 6,083 times. The international portion was oversubscribed 0.8 times.

Most Kwai Chung, which launched its HK$95.3 million IPO (US$12.3 million) in 2018, holds the oversubscription record in Hong Kong at 6,288 times.

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Herbs Generation's shares jumped as much as 35 per cent on their trading debut on Thursday, eventually closing 10 per cent higher at HK$4.14. The broader Hang Seng Index fell 0.6 per cent.

An undated photo of TV actor Roger Kwok. Photo: Weibo/Roger Kwok alt=An undated photo of TV actor Roger Kwok. Photo: Weibo/Roger Kwok>

The company sells a range of health supplements, cosmetics and skincare products under brands such as Herbs, Zino and Classic. Its most significant revenue contributor was the "immune system and post-Covid care" segment, which accounted for more than a third of sales between 2021 and 2023.

One of the reasons Herbs Generation's IPO attracted hordes of Hong Kong investors is because of the brand's association with a well-known TV actor, according to Kenny Ng, a strategist at Everbright Securities International.

While the star appeal of Herbs Generation's promoter appears to have generated quite a buzz, not every consumer enterprise is likely to be greeted with the same level of investor interest and enthusiasm, he added.

The recent positive performance of cosmetics giant Mao Geping has provided some spark to the market, Ng said. Mao Geping's shares surged more than 70 per cent on their debut last week.

The Chinese company attracted overwhelming response from retail investors who oversubscribed the shares 918 times, while the allocation for global investors was oversubscribed 29 times, according to a filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange.

China's popular cheap eats food chain Xiaocaiyuan lists this week. It plans to sell 101 million shares for HK$8.50 each on Friday, which would raise about HK$860 million, according to its prospectus.
ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC)  The Abilene City Council approved a pedestrian plaza in downtown Abilene funded by two anonymous donors at Thursday mornings meeting.

The plaza will be located on the east side of Cypress Street, between North 1st and 2nd Street, next to a 142-space parking lot funded by the city. This site was previously home to the Abilene Reporter-News building, which was demolished due to a fire.

GALLERY: Demolition begins on Abilene Reporter News building

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Some planned features for the plaza include landscaping, hardscape, irrigation, lighting, power for a future water feature, and two shade structures.

Councilman Blaise Regan stated that considering the nearby parks and the prime downtown location, a plaza might not be the best use for this property.

We want to bring people downtown to shop, to live, to make it vibrant, Regan explained. If we didnt have any other parks, I would be all for this, but we already have one to the left and the right. And so I dont think this is the best use of property. I may be the only one who believes that, but my position is, lets keep this open and available for commercial development.

Excitement, concerns over Cypress Street Project in Downtown Abilene

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Mayor Weldon Hurt disagreed, saying, I believe that this is the best use personally. It combines those parks; it connects them. Makes a beautiful space in our downtown Abilene.

Councilman Blaise Regan raised concerns about camping in the park impacting visitors and the nearby Cypress Street Development project.

We have the same conundrum in Minter Park and Everman Park on either side of this, and we deal with that when it comes up. Theres a statewide camping ban that APD enforces, City Manager Robert Hanna explained. If someones sitting in the park and enjoying the park, theres no offense. But if theyre sleeping on the ground or a bench, we have ways of addressing that. We work with our nonprofits, and sometimes we move them along under the state camping ban statute if necessary.

Cypress Street to begin improvement project mid-April, complete by December 2025

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The city will have to front close to $50,000 for the project, but it will be paid back with private funding. The land will be owned by the Abilene Improvement Corporation.

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Dozens of men including the ex-husband of Gisele Pelicot were found guilty of raping and sexually assaulting her in a historic trial that shocked France.

Addressing a cheering crowd in the southern town of Avignon after the verdicts were read, Pelicot, 72, said the outcome of her case gave her faith in a future where everybody, women, men can live together in harmony, in respect and in mutual understanding.

Pelicot, who has become a hero to many in France for choosing to waive her right to anonymity and highlight the crimes orchestrated by her husband, added that she had fought the case with her children and her grandchildren in mind because they are the future, according to a live translation by NBC News British broadcasting partner Sky News.

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Earlier in the courtroom, she watched as Roger Arata, the lead judge, sentenced her husband Dominique Pelicot to 20 years in prison. He had earlier admitted to drugging her until she unconscious and inviting dozens of men to rape her over the span of a decade.

Gisele Pelicot addresses the media after her husband was sentenced on Thursday, Dec. 19.

Another 46 other men were found guilty of rape, two of attempted rape and two guilty of sexual assault in the high profile case, according to Sky News. They ranged from 26 to 74 in age and were handed sentences from three to 13 years. Collectively they will serve more than 400 years.

Arod 15 had admitted to the facts, although only a handful of the men accused expressed remorse in the lead-up to their verdicts.

Pelicot said she respected the court and its decisions.

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In a side room, family members of the defendants watched the proceedings unfold on television screens, with some bursting into tears and gasping as the sentences were revealed, The Associated Press reported.

With emotions running high, some 200 police officers were expected to be deployed in and around the courthouse, packed with family members of the accused, spectators and journalists from around the world. More than 150 journalists were accredited to cover the trial, which many activists see as a watershed moment for womens rights in France.

In an earlier hearing, it was revealed that Pelicot only learned of the horrors she endured when police started an investigation into her husband after a security guard caught him filming up the skirts of women with his smartphone.

Investigators told they had found videos on her husbands devices that suggested she herself had been the victim of a major crime.

A woman holds a placard reading in French "all women on earth support you, thank you Gisele" as people gather outside the courthouse in Avignon on Dec. 19, 2024.

While she could have remained anonymous, she called for the trial to be held in public and she instructed her lawyers to fight for harrowing video and other evidence to be played out in open court.

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She said she was doing this in a bid to put an end to the macho, patriarchal society that trivializes rape.

Campaigners against sexual violence had been hopeful that Pelicots case would represent a turning point in the fight against rape culture and in the difficulties that sexual assault survivors often face in obtaining justice.

And in France, some of them told NBC News earlier this week, that they hoped to transform a society in which 75% of women said they believe they are not treated equally in a 2024 government study and where last year, 230,000 women reported they had been victims of sexual violence.

We have a real problem with French law, said Magali Lafourcade, secretary general of the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights. There are a huge number of situations which are not rape under French law [but] which are rape in the eyes of the victim.

This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
NORTHWEST FLORIDA (WKRG)  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Tuesday, Dec. 17, that schools in Escambia County, Santa Rosa County and Okaloosa County were given the prestigious Purple Star District designation.

According to the Florida Department of Education, the purpose of the designation is to recognize schools that support the unique needs of military families, help military-connected students to navigate critical challenges and provide resources for military-connected students when transitioning to a new school environment.

Florida lawmakers talk hot topics at Crestview public hearing

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DeSantis said 176 schools in the state earned the designation this year with a total of 400 schools deemed Purple Star schools.

We encourage every school in the state to strive to better serve military families and earn the designation, DeSantis said. I am proud to recognize these schools and school districts for their efforts to support our military families and earn the Purple Star designation.

Schools that have earned this designation had to meet the rigorous requirements laid out under Florida legislation.

Those schools must maintain the following:

A school military point of contact to serve as the central liaison for military families

A school webpage for military students and families that includes resources like academic planning and transition planning

A school-led transition program to assist military students coming into the school

Staff professional development to identify and respond to the needs of military families

Five percent open enrollment seats for military students and families

Three additional activities to support military families such as participating in a service project to connect the school with the military community, hosting an annual military recognition event, or offering a JROTC program, among others.

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The schools that have received the designation are below.

Escambia County home a total loss after fire

Okaloosa County School District

Antioch Elementary School

Baker School

Bluewater Elementary School

Bob Sikes Elementary School

Destin Elementary School

Edge Elementary School

Elliot Point Elementary School

Edwins Elementary School

Eglin Elementary School

Florosa Elementary School

Kenwood Elementary School

Laurel Hill School

Lewis School

Longwood Elementary School

Mary Esther Elementary School

Northwood Elementary School

NW Florida Ballet Academie

Plew Elementary School

Riverside Elementary School

Shalimar Elementary School

Southside Primary School

Walker Elementary School

Wright Elementary School

C.W. Ruckel Middle School

Davidson Middle School

Destin Middle School

Max Bruner Jr. Middle School

Meigs Middle School

Okaloosa STEMM Academy

Shoal River Middle School

WC Pryor Middle School

Choctawhatchee High School

Crestview High School

Fort Walton Beach High School

Niceville High School

Okaloosa Technical College

Emerald Coast Career Institute

Lance C Richbourg School

Silver Sands School

Collegiate High School at Northwest Florida State College

Destin High School

Liza Jackson Preparatory School

Okaloosa Academy  FWB Campus

Escambia County School District

Ferry Pass Elementary School

Kingsfield Elementary School

Navy Point Elementary School

Beulah Middle School

Ransom Middle School

Pensacola High School

George Stone Technical College

Bailey Middle School

Beulah Academy of Science

Blue Angels Elementary

Escambia High School

Global Learning Academy

Jim Allen Elementary

N.B. Cook Elementary

Pine Meadow Elementary

West Florida High School

Bellview Elementary School

Beulah Elementary School

Booker T. Washington High School

Brown-Barge Middle School

Ernest Ward Middle School

Hellen Caro Elementary School

J.H. Workman Middle School

J.M. Tate High School

Lipscomb Elementary School

Pine Forest High School

Pleasant Grove Elementary

Santa Rosa County School District

Central School

Gulf Breeze High School

Jay High School

Milton High School

Navarre High School

Pace High School

Santa Rosa County High School

Avalon Middle School

East Bay School

Gulf Breeze Middle School

Hobbs Middle School

Holley-Navarre Middle School

King Middle School

Thomas L. Sims Middle School

Wallace Lake School

Woodlawn Beach Middle School

Bagdad Elementary School

Bennett C Russell Elementary

Berryhill Elementary School

Chumuckla Elementary School

East Milton Elementary School

Gulf Breeze Elementary School

Holley-Navarre Primary School

Holly-Navarre Intermediate School

Jay Elementary School

Oriole Beach Elementary School

Pea Ridge Elementary School

S.S. Dixon Primary School

S.S. Dixon Intermediate School

W.H. Rhodes Elementary School

West Navarre Primary School

West Navarre Intermediate School

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Scores of diners hoping to sample the best food in Southern California ended up vomiting and fighting through severe pain thanks to a norovirus outbreak.

Approximately 80 people who attended the Los Angeles Times' 101 Best Restaurants festival earlier in December were infected with the norovirus, which is commonly called the stomach flu.

Some oysters and Manila clams were recalled across the US due to possible norovirus contamination a few weeks after the festival.

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Mark Kapczynski and his wife spoke to CBS News about their experience at the festival.

"It was pretty painful, probably the most painful experience I have ever had," he told the broadcaster.

He is still recovering from the malady, and was in disbelief that the illness had come from the restaurant showcase.

Kapczynski said that the "restaurants are too good, couldn't possibly be [the 101 event]."

"We visited Providence, which I mean they are a world-class restaurant serving fresh oysters and clams with different sauces and I ended up having two plates very quickly," Kapczynski said.

He said he began to feel bloated immediately after he ate the oysters, and that his symptoms worsened the next day. Since then, he said the abdomen pain and the chills he's been experiencing have made it hard to find comfort or rest.

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The LA Department of Health is investigating the outbreak, and have thus far found 80 cases, including Kapczynski's.

The event was part of the Los Angeles Times 101 Best Restaurants festival (AFP via Getty Images)

An emergency room doctor in LA, Dr Ali Jamehdor, told CBS News that oysters are hitting people especially hard, worse than a typical stomach bug.

He attributed the more severe symptoms to "a bug called vibrio."

"It's a very specific bacteria that's specific to oysters and causes an illness that hits people very, very hard," he told CBS News.

Vibrio and the norovirus have similar symptoms and can both affect oysters.

Providence told investigators that the oysters used at the festival were from farms near Vancouver, British Columbia, and that health inspectors had signed off on all of their serving and handling requirements for event.

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The restaurant released a statement saying that if norovirus is the cause of the illnesses, Providence would not have been able to detect it before serving its oysters.

"The nature of norovirus is such that it would be undetectable to the vendor, the restaurant or the health inspectors who were onsite given that norovirus does not affect the appearance, odor or flavor of the shellfish," the restaurant said in a statement.

Ten days after the event, the California Department of Public Health issued a statewide alert warning that Canadian oysters could potentially make diners sick.

A recall on some oysters and manila clams due to norovirus presence was announced earlier this week. The shellfish were distributed to restaurants and retailers in Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York and Washington, according to the US Food and Drug Administration.

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The affected seafood was harvested by Rudy's Shellfish between November 15 and December 11 from the Pickering Passage growing area of Washington state.

It is unclear if the recalled seafood has caused anyone to fall ill. The recalled oysters are not the same as the oysters that affected the Los Angeles event, as those came from Canada and not Pickering Passage.
Dec. 19The man convicted in the drunk driving crash that injured Austin teen Wyatt Hamlin, and who later fled before he could be officially sentenced has been arrested in Tennessee.

Jeffer Lorenzo, 24, has been arrested in Cleveland, Tennessee and is currently being held in the Bradley County, Tennessee jail. According to the jail roster, he faced domestic assault and prohibited weapons charges. He was booked on Dec. 15 after being arrested by the Cleveland Police Department at around 7 a.m.

Mower County placed a hold on Lorenzo, however, there is no further indication yet as to when Lorenzo might be back in Minnesota.

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A warrant for his arrest was issued on June 13, 2024 in Mower County after he failed to show for a hearing at the Mower County Court House.

Lorenzo had previously agreed to a plea deal in April where he pleaded guilty to felony criminal vehicular operation causing great bodily harm while under the influence of alcohol.

According to the plea agreement, the remaining charges, which included a charge of felony criminal vehicular operation leaving the scene of an accident, could be dismissed.

In court documents, it was determined that Lorenzo was behind the wheel of the vehicle that collided with the SUV driven by Hamlin on July 28, 2023.

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Hamlin suffered severe injuries in the crash, which resulted in a lengthy hospital stay as a result of the crash.

Lorenzo was discovered lying on the ground next to a house near the scene of the crash. At the hospital, Lorenzo had stated that he was traveling around 50 mph at the time of the crash. A preliminary test indicated a .20 blood alcohol content.
(The Hill)  With more than 40 million Americans expected to travel by air over the upcoming holidays, mysterious drone sightings reported around the U.S. in recent weeks are raising anxiety levels over whether drone activity could affect peoples ability to reach their desired destinations.

Drone sightings in New York closed the runways at Stewart International Airport for about an hour last week. The airport said the closures did not affect any flight traffic. However, it prompted New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) to say that the drone sightings have gone too far.

Sightings have also been reported around several military installations around the country, which has added to concerns among lawmakers and local residents.

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This week, The Department of Homeland Security, FBI, Department of Defense and Federal Aviation Administration issued a joint statement about drones after complaints about a lack of government transparency.

The federal agencies said thousands of lawful drones are operated by hobbyists, law enforcement and commercial operators each day. The agencies say there are more than 1 million legally registered drones in the U.S. The statement concluded that other explanations for the sightings included people misidentifying objects such as helicopters and stars.

As of this week, the FBI said it has received more than 5,000 tips about drone sightings in recent weeks. White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said this week that there is no public safety threat over the drones.

However, as more Americans prepare to take to the skies for holiday travel, the FAA is warning drone operators to adhere to federal airspace guidelines, which prevent drones from flying below 400 feet at all times. The FAA defines controlled airspace as that which is found around some airports and at certain altitudes where air traffic controllers are actively communicating with, directing and separating all air traffic.

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NBC News reported in 2023, 42 million drone fights were reported, all of which were flying under 400 feet and below the 45,000 daily plane flights.

In addition to the airport closure in New York, drone sightings have been reported around airports in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Jersey, according to Fox News. Brett Velicovich, the CEO of Expert Drones, said the sightings leave airport officials little choice in how to respond.

Two Massachusetts men were recently arrested and charged in what Boston Police characterized as a hazardous drone operation near Logan Airports airspace, police said. The men face trespassing charges after the drones were reported flying dangerously close to the airport.

He said the drone sightings are affecting the economy by causing flight delays.

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The airports cant do anything else but shut down traffic even if there is just a reported sighting, Velicovich told the network. Out of precautions for safety (airports) have to, and thats the issue is (drone operators) cant be tracked easily and can quickly shut down traffic and cause mass disruptions.

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RICHMOND, VA (WVNS)  The Virginia State Police continue to look into drone tips across the state.

According to a press release, more than 150 tips about drone activity in Virginia were received by the Virginia Fusion Center, within the Homeland Security Division of the Virginia State Police, in December 2024.

Graduate mental health program to be launched by Bluefield University

We encourage anyone that witnesses a drone flying over critical infrastructure, such as energy installations, or military sites, to contact the Virginia Fusion Center. This will enable us to work with our partners to determine exactly what is occurring, and how to move forward. Virginia State Police Special Agent D. Robinson

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The Virginia State Police stated that the tips about drone activity are being investigated, and members of the community are encouraged to contact the Virginia Fusion Center by email, vfc@vfc.vsp.virginia.gov, if they see any suspicious drones.

Drones, which have 400 feet of maximum allowed altitude unless waived by federal regulators, must stay in the sight of the operator or a visual observer. Those who operate drones also need to have a license from the FAA for commercial use or a remote pilot certificate for recreational use.

Additional rules and regulations regarding drones can be found here.

Bluefield, Virginia Police Department gets new resources just in time for the holidays

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Flying drones within 50 feet of a residence is prevented by State Law, unless the person received authorization from the federal government, and is following the regulations and law.

The press release from the Virginia State Police stated that shooting a drone is against the law, and airspace is governed by the federal government.

More information about drones, released by the Virginia Fusion Center (VFC) Shield Program, can be found here. Information released by VFC Shield is public and meant to be shared, and the public can sign up for the free outreach program on the Virginia Fusion Centers website.

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HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM)  Reports of strange lights in the sky have been flooding in from all corners of America, including the Midstate. From cellphone videos to eyewitness accounts, many are asking the same question: What are these lights, and are they drones?

Local experts, including digital producer Kaylee Lindenmuth from abc27  who is also a recreational drone pilot  have investigated several reports of mysterious flying objects over the past week. The most recent incidents include sightings in Lebanon County (Annville) and Cumberland County (Camp Hill and Carlisle), prompting a closer look at whats actually up there.

Mystery drones: Where they have been spotted?

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Lindenmuth examined videos sent by viewers, noting that one in Annville showed a person observing lights in the sky while  according to Lindenmuths research using FlightRadar24  a Cessna 172 aircraft passed overhead. The planes landing lights, visible from a long distance, might have confused the observer, Lindenmuth explained. Another video from Camp Hill was found to show an American Airlines flight  an Airbus 319 from Charlotte  descending toward Harrisburg International Airport.

In Carlisle, eyewitnesses reported seeing something flying low, then circling. The object, according to Lindenmuth, turned out to be Penn States Life Lion medical helicopter flying at about 1,000 feet, flying in a location and pattern that matched the witnesses description.

National experts like Adam Kyle, a teaching administrator at Warren County Community College in New Jersey  who was trained at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, and now teaches in Warrens unmanned systems program  believe that the majority of so-called drone sightings are simply misidentified aircraft. Id say 95% of the sightings Ive seen that I can confirm are aircraft like airplanes or helicopters, said Kyle. Only a few appear to be drones or unidentified objects.

And those, Kyle and Lindenmuth both said, are well-lit, seem to follow Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations and often transmit whats called ADS-B data, which makes it easy for radar systems to detect them  not something someone with bad intentions would do.

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You might hear it, but youre definitely not going to see it, Lindenmuth said of a hypothetical bad actors drone flying under the cover of night.

However, some elected officials remain concerned. State Rep. Dane Watro (R-Schuylkill and Luzerne counties) has introduced a resolution calling for state and local oversight of drones. Drones are primarily regulated by the FAA.

We need to identify who is operating these drones and what their intentions are, Watro said. That poses a major security threat.

If the experts are correct, why do so many people think theyre suddenly seeing so many drones? No need to overthink or overcomplicate things, said abc27 Meteorologist Dan Tomaso.

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I think now people are looking up, Tomaso said. Thats not to say they never looked up before. But most didnt look up for long periods of time, influenced by what theyve seen and heard in social and traditional media channels.

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In my world, I look up all the time. Im interested in the weather, the clouds. Now this drone interest has gotten people to look up, Tomaso said. Personally, I have not seen anything suspicious in the last couple of months.

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EYEWITNESS NEWS (WBRE/WYOU)  State police announced DUI checkpoints will be placed across various roadways in Pennsylvania for the rest of the holiday season.

According to Pennsylvania State Police, sobriety checkpoints and roving patrols aim to deter drinking and driving. Police say they are operating with a zero-tolerance enforcement policy.

Police say checkpoints will be placed on roadways from now into January 6 that are experiencing high rates of DUI-related traffic violations and DUI-related crashes.

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State police encourage those who are out and choose to consume alcohol to not drive a car.

The counties participating in the DUI checkpoints are as follows:

Monroe County

PSP did not give details on the areas where the patrols will be conducted.

Officials warn drivers Pennsylvanias DUI laws issue a legal limit of .08% blood alcohol concentration (BAC). DUI offenses can range from a $300 fine with six months of probation, all the way up to fines of $5,000 with prison sentences of up to 5 years.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PAhomepage.com.
An East Boston man was arraigned on a slew of animal cruelty charges Thursday after investigators say he abused and mistreated a German shepherd for months.

Armani Dorshi, 27, is scheduled to be arraigned on six counts of animal cruelty and six counts of animal cruelty by custodian, according to the Suffolk County DAs office.

The DAs office said investigators received several reports between September and December of Doshi abusing the young female German shepherd. Witnesses reported hearing the dog crying throughout the day and allegedly saw Doshi walking the dog by holding her in a headlock, causing her to walk on just her hind legs. Some reported seeing Doshi lie on the dogs neck when she barked in public spaces.

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Maintenance in Doshis building also reported bite marks on a door frame, wall, and inside of the door when they were asked to repair a closet in his apartment. The dog was often locked in the closet with no light, food or water, the DA says.

During the holiday season many pets receive even more attention and affection from the families who love and care for them. But there are always the heartbreaking exceptions, and we will hold people accountable for cruel and abusive behavior whenever we can, District Attorney Kevin Hayden said.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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Europe

JP Morgan Asset Management has extended its active ETF range with all-continent equity, Paris-aligned benchmark (PAB) Europe and European high-yield bond strategies, ETF Stream can reveal.

The JPM All Country Research Enhanced Index Equity Active UCITS ETF (JRAW), JPM Europe Research Enhanced Index Equity SRI Paris Aligned Active UCITS ETF (JSEE) and JPM EUR High Yield Bond Active UCITS ETF (JEHY) are listed on the London Stock Exchange, Deutsche Boerse, Borsa Italiana and SIX Swiss Exchange.

The two equity ETFs carry total expense ratios (TERs) of 0.25%, while JEHY boasts a TER of 0.45%.

JRAW captures global large and mid-cap companies and is benchmarked against the MSCI ACWI.

JRAW Benchmarked Against MSCI

Managed by Piera Elisa Grassi, Raffaele Zingone and Lina Nassar, JRAW seeks to overweight companies with strong forward-looking earnings potential while underweighting overvalued companies.

The ETF is classified Article 8 under the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) and becomes the firm's ninth product in the firms $25 billion research enhanced index equity ETF range.

JSEE seeks to generate long-term outperformance against the MSCI Europe SRI EU Paris Aligned Benchmark Overlay ESG Custom index by investing in a portfolio of European companies aligned with the Paris Agreement.

JPMAMs third socially responsible PAB equity ETF also applies the firms research enhanced methodology and is classified Article 9 under SFDR.

JEHY becomes the firms second active high yield ETF in Europe after ETF Stream revealed the launch of the JPM USD High Yield Bond Active UCITS ETF (JPHY) last month.

Classified Article 8 under SFDR, JEHY is managed by Peter Aspbury and Russell Taylor and aims to achieve long-term returns exceeding the ICE BofA Euro Developed Markets High Yield Constrained index of euro denominated securities below investment grade.

Travis Spence, global head of ETFs at JPMAM, said, "The launch of these three new active ETFs underscores our commitment to broadening our existing suites of active ETFs, providing clients with even more opportunities to align their investments with their financial goals and sustainability preferences.

He continued, In fixed income, where active management is both proven and traditionally preferred, JEHY offers investors access to a fully active European high yield strategy with the added benefits of the ETF structure.

JPMAMs third socially responsible PAB equity ETF also applies the firms research enhanced methodology and is classified Article 9 under SFDR.

JEHY becomes the firms second active high -yield ETF in Europe after ETF Stream revealed the launch of the JPM USD High Yield Bond Active UCITS ETF (JPHY) last month.
LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) An East Earl Township man has been sentenced to two and a half to 10 years in state prison after pleading guilty to using an online alias to encourage minors to send him explicit images and sharing his huge collection of child pornography online.

According to the Lancaster County District Attorneys Office, Judge Merrill Spahn sentenced Kenneth Lee Schmidt, 46, to prison after he pleaded guilty to 49 charges. Schmidt is already in prison after being prosecuted federally for similar crimes as a result of the investigation.

The DAs office said his local sentence will run concurrently with a 35-year sentence imposed on him by the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

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According to the DAs office, First Deputy Assistant District Attorney Cody Wade told the court, Though Schmidt was already in prison on the federal charges, Wednesdays conviction ensures that the Commonwealth can provide justice to the victims and protect the public.

The investigation into Schmidt began in 2020 after police received a cyber tip that an IP address had been traced back to Schmidts home and a Sadsbury Township restaurant where he worked and shared explicit images of children, per the DAs office.

East Earl Twp. man arrested for alleged sexual abuse of children

The DAs office said Schmidt would attempt to convince juveniles across the United States to send him explicit images by posing as a teenage boy named Ben online.

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Police recovered hundreds of images and videos of suspected child pornography on Schmidts phone and computer during a search of his home. According to the DAs office, Schmidt said he could scroll through them for the rest of my life and never look at the same image twice.

Assistant District Attorney Janie Swinehart prosecuted the case, per the DAs office.

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HENDERSON COUNTY, Texas (KETK)  An East Texas man has been sentenced after being found with methamphetamine in a hotel room.

Nichalos Allen Hunt was sentenced to 10 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for possession of a controlled substance and four years for bail jumping and failure to appear in court.

Mugshot of Nichalos Allen Hunt, courtesy of the Henderson County Jail.

According to a release, on Nov. 12, 2023, a Henderson County deputy received information on an individual with an outstanding parole warrant located in a hotel room in Gun Barrel City.

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Officials said that deputies went to the location and observed through an open door, Hunt and a woman sitting on the beds in the room. A plastic baggie containing a crystal like substance was reportedly sitting in plain sight on the nightstand next to Hunt.

Hunt allegedly admitted the baggie and a glass pipe were his and it was later determined the baggie contained 2.22 grams of methamphetamine.

While on bond for this initial offense, officials said Hunt failed to appear in court for this charge which made him receive an additional charge of bail jumping and failure to appear.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KETK.com | FOX51.com.
JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (WNCT)  Airports across Eastern N.C. are preparing for more travelers and officials at Albert J. Ellis Airport said theyre expecting thousands of people to walk through the doors over the holiday.

Smaller airports like Albert J. Ellis are expecting another record-breaking travel season. Today, for example, we have eight outbound flights and so outbound passengers, youre going to have around 500, Albert J. Ellis Airport Director Mitch Sprunger said. So inbound will be about 500. So thats 1,000 passengers in and out of the building. Plus with family and friends coming and going, picking them up, I mean, youre looking at around 1,500 to 2,000 people in and out of the building on a daily basis.

The busiest travel days are likely to be Friday, Dec. 20th and Saturday, Dec. 21st. Airlines typically reduce schedules on Christmas and the day after. Flights from the airport only go to Charlotte and Atlanta.

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If youre not a frequent traveler, familiarize yourself with your connecting hubs. OAJ is easy to navigate, but Atlanta, Charlotte and maybe some of the larger airports that you may go through if youre not familiar with them and youve got a tight connection, having information can relieve the stress for you when youre transitioning through those airports, Sprunger said.

Sprunger said the best thing travelers can do is pack their patience. Keep tabs on the weather. Keep tabs on your app, your airline app and preparation, he said. I mean, the weather, of course, this time of year, sometimes its a little foggier which can cause delays. So, just have as much information as possible. It can be a little more chaotic traveling. So, be willing to adjust and adapt during your travels.

The next busiest period for these airports is going to be a couple days after Christmas heading into the new year.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WNCT.
Dec. 19The winter holidays are a tough time for our less fortunate neighbors that may have to sleep outside, or (lack basic necessities like food, water, and sheltered housing).

Through recent Point In Time homeless counts going back to 2022, those impacted by homelessness have increased from 60 in 2022 to 135 in 2024. Other local organizations play a critical role in helping those in need of emergency shelter.

Salvation Army of Odessa is working toward opening a day-center to host neighbors experiencing homelessness. Salvation Army is seeking volunteers to help with the day-center for it to successfully be and remain open to serve community needs. As part of this endeavor, Salvation Army has showers available for use on specific days.

For more information or to volunteer, call Jesus Gomez, Homeless Community Coordinator, Odessa Links at 432-582-0099 or e-mail [email protected]
GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT)  ECU Health and the national nonprofit Undue Medical Debt announced an initiative that will help eliminate more than $186 million worth of past-due hospital medical debt.

This collaboration pre-dates North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services medical debt relief initiative which spans across all hospitals in the state and lays out a plan for medical debt relief.

Thirty-two thousand qualifying patients will receive debt relief letters.

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Weve partnered with ECU Health and basically, we asked them, you know, what medical debts do you have on your books that are unpaid? We relieve medical debts for individuals who are four times or below the federal poverty level, which is about $120,000 a year for a family of four or for individuals who have medical debt, thats 5 percent or more of their annual income, Daniel Lempert with Undue Medical Debt said.

Lempert said that people in rural areas specifically find themselves in a challenging situation when it comes to medical debt. The partnership with ECU Health could help lessen the load.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WNCT.
HONOLULU (KHON2)  Were gonna go green, Liam McNamara announced Friday morning, officially making the call that The Eddie will go on Sunday.

Get Hawaiis latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You

The elements needed to green light the contest are wave heights, The Eddie requires consistent 40 foot surf, minimum; and the swell needs to arrive by 8 a.m. Conditions and direction of the swell are also factors.

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I like the fact that the key factors, the timing, the direction, the wind, everything is lined up. In fact, the latest output has increased our percentages, McNamara said on Wake Up 2Day. But in the end, the morning of, the bay will call the day.

Conditions prime for the Eddie to go this Sunday

McNamara also stressed that the bay can only hold so many people. He asked that people come early, listen to the lifeguards and announcers, stay away from the high-water mark and dont leave any trash in the bay.

Were running this event in the name of one of the biggest legends in the sport of surfing, who was a lifeguard here at Waimea Bay, Liam McNamara, the event director explained of the event. The legacy, the history, the prestige, its just all there.

The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational is the premier surf event in the world, honoring the memory of Eddie Aikau. It will be only the 11th time the prestigious event has happened since 1984.

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The Eddie will air on KHII and Rogue.tv, starting at 7:55 a.m. on Sunday.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KHON2.
Edina Public Schools Superintendent Stacie Stanley has been picked to become the next superintendent of St. Paul Public Schools.

The St. Paul school board on Thursday named Stanley their preferred candidate and officials expect to finalize an agreement in January, ending a six-month national search that commenced as Joe Gothard departed to lead schools in his hometown of Madison, Wisconsin.

In a statement, Board Chair Halla Henderson said Stanley brings strong leadership experience and expertise in building relationships and improving student outcomes and enhancing equity in diverse school districts.

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As the most diverse and second-largest school district in Minnesota, SPPS needs a leader who understands the power of listening, collaborating, and delivering results for our students and the community," Henderson stated. "We are confident that Dr. Stanley has the vision and experience needed to move our district forward and ensure every student has the opportunity to succeed.

Dr. Stacie Stanley. Provided by St. Paul Public Schools.

Prior to joining Edina Public Schools in 2021, Stanley served for three years as associate superintendent of Eden Prairie Schools.

In the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage District, she served as Director of Equity and Integrated Support Services, and later held the title of Director of Curriculum, Assessment, Instruction, and Support Services.

She is currently the president-elect of the Minnesota Association of School Administrators.

Other finalists considered for the job in St. Paul were Brenda Cassellius, CEO of Fresh Energy and Rhoda Mhiripiri-Reed, Superintendent of Hopkins Public Schools.
Its wrong for the incoming president to start suing newspapers and its a transparent effort to bully the press, but there Donald Trump stood Monday, proclaiming that we have to straighten out the press. Our press is very corrupt. Almost as corrupt as our elections.

Neither the press nor elections are crooked, but Trump is now suing the Des Moines Register and its former top pollster Ann Selzer in a clear effort to intimidate journalists.

Trump claims that the Register, Selzer and her polling firm violated an Iowa consumer protection law with the publication of a pre-election poll that showed Vice President Kamala Harris ahead in the state Trump ultimately carried comfortably.

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The legal arguments here and in other such Trump litigation efforts against the media are mostly pretext. Theyre window dressing for the real message, which is that the future president really hates criticism, dissent or even inconvenient factual information and will use the legal system to target those who engage in it.

Trump is already suing CBS News for a 60 Minutes broadcast that he thought was too favorable to Harris, as well as taking author Bob Woodward to court, and hes talking about bringing a case against the Pulitzer Prize Board because he didnt like them giving a prize to coverage of the Russian attempts to meddle in the 2016 election.

Trump also went after ABC News because of anchorman George Stephanopoulos description of the former president having been found liable for rape by the jury in the E. Jean Carroll case. The network settled the other day and paid Trump $15 million and another $1 million for his legal fees.

Observer and legal experts say it was rare for a case to be settled at this stage of the proceedings, especially in favor towards a public figure plaintiff.

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Just like any private citizen, Trump can avail himself of the court system as a plaintiff. But he must not bring in the federal bureaucracy that he will soon control. We dont have to speculate about his appetite for using that authority to punish his enemies because hes been very candid himself, having made more than 100 threats to investigate, prosecute, jail or otherwise use federal powers against them.

The idea that Selzer and the Register violated some sort of consumer laws by engaging in the long-standing tradition of public polling is not just absurd, its outrageous and self-evidently asinine. Polls have been wrong before, and theyll be wrong again.

The entire practice of polling has only gotten more difficult as people have moved away from landlines and answering their cell phones, plus there are a thousand reasons why a poll might have been off base. Unless there is some bulletproof evidence  and none has been presented  the notion that the long-respected pollster manipulated or manufactured this poll to specifically hurt Trump is ludicrous.

Trump built his career in New York in large part on manipulating the legal system, stiffing workers, under- or over-valuing his properties when convenient and generally trying to bully everyone around him. Even just prior to his 2016 election, he and his businesses had been involved in more than 4,000 lawsuits, a good chunk of them as a plaintiff, including at least 14 involving media figures and defamation claims.

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He has often mused openly about loosening up the nations historically strong First Amendment protections and making claims of libel easier to pursue, no doubt at least partly inspired by the foreign strongmen he so admires, who have helped consolidate their power by taking aim at the institutions that could hold them accountable.

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Eddie Lakin, the owner of the much-written-about Edzos Burger Shop, said the restaurant will close permanently after being open for business in Evanston for 15 years.

Lakin said Edzos, located at 1571 Sherman Ave, Evanston, has seen a decline in customers going back to at least 2020. He said Evanstons downtown office commuters never returned after the COVID-19 pandemic and that the business has been losing money since then. Lakin said he planned to close the Sherman Avenue location for good on Dec. 21 or until food runs out.

Since posting on Facebook on Dec. 18 that the restaurant would close, Lakin said Edzos saw a boom in business, a stark contrast to the last four slow years, which also reduced the businesss staff.

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All of a sudden, were doing like three times, four times our normal business, Lakin told Pioneer Press. Its been taking longer to get the food out to people. Weve had to turn a lot of people away, and weve closed early both of the nights since I announced it.

In 2019, former Chicago Tribune Food Writer Nick Kindelsperger included Edzos among the Top 20 burgers in the Chicago suburbs.

No place in the Chicago suburbs executes the classic American cheeseburger as flawlessly as Edzos, Kindelsperger wrote. There are no tricks or needlessly fancy additions. You can just tell that owner Eddie Lakin thought through all the details.

According to Lakin, Edzos also had two locations in Chicago at one point. The Lincoln Park location was open from 2012 to 2014, and a location at a food hall near Washington and State Streets was in business in 2022.

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Lakin said he is looking at possibilities to re-open Edzos, perhaps in another location in the northern suburbs or in Evanston near his customer base. He mentioned two incoming restaurants in the North Shore area, Smoque BBQ and Hometown Coffee, which will receive a combined $2.25 million in loans from the villages of Glenview and Northbrook, respectively.

If they (a municipality) want to throw some money at me like that, then I would definitely be willing to entertain the possibility, he said.

For now, Lakin said he will take a few week off to decompress and reevaluate things. He said his children have now grown, and he will also be an empty nester.

You start to kind of reassess everything at that point, he said.
Dec. 19The City of Effingham has several goals for improving its infrastructure, including expanding public transportation, improving road quality and constructing roundabouts.

Monday's transportation focus group for Effingham's 2050 Comprehensive Plan saw representation from the airport, bus system, and more. The thorough discussion included strong long-term goals and detailed visions for the city's infrastructure.

The Comprehensive Plan survey saw the same number of respondents believing the amount of parking is both fine as-is and wanting more of it, like off-street parking and the construction of parking garages. It also saw people wanting the city to prioritize maintaining existing roadways and expanding or improving public transportation.

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"We need a bus with a set schedule and bus stops," said one survey respondent. "Mainly one that goes from south town to north of town. The one now is okay, but you need to schedule pick-up times and if you forget even once, you're screwed."

During the transportation focus group, Operations Manager for Central Illinois Public Transit (CIPT) and Effingham County Public Transit (ECPT) John Althoff talked about the current bus system in the area. It has eleven stops throughout the route, but it's suggested that riders call 24-hours in advance and cancel, if needed, at least two hours before pick-up time.

"I'm hoping that we can increase services like we talked about and just be able to provide a good, quality service for Effingham County, especially, but all of our other counties, also," said Altahoff.

Another survey respondent also talked about infrastructure flow.

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"Multiple routes in and around town, access to the interstates and traffic lights have improved the flow. Amtrak and airport improvements are an added strength," they said. "An area to improve is safe mobility downtown and Keller drive shopping areas for pedestrians, especially with a growing senior citizen population."

Some of the goals discussed at the focus group meeting included those in a packet provided during the meeting: "Transportation & Mobility Draft Goals." Some of those included providing public transportation services that meet the needs of the community, along with considering improvements and expansion to the current transportation system to alleviate congestion or create more efficient travel.

Also discussed were the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) five-year city projects, which are:

Patching of US-45 from Fayette Avenue south to Jaycee Avenue  April 2025 letting

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Patching of IL-32/33 from Evergreen Avenue south to Jefferson Street  June 2025 letting

Repairs to the structure carrying Banker Street (US-45) over the CSX Railroad south of US-40  January 2025 letting

Safety shoulders along US-45 from north of Rickleman to the Shelby County line  April 2025 letting

Reconstruction of US-45 (Fayette Avenue) from Banker Street east to Salt Creek  June 2025 letting

Resurfacing of IL-32/33 from Evergreen Avenue north to Ford Avenue  January 2026 letting

Replacement of the structure carrying IL-32/33 over I-57/70  November 2026 letting

Discussion was also had regarding installing roundabouts throughout the city, like near Lake Sara and Moccasin Road and Fourth Street and Rickelman. Even though there is some stigma surrounding roundabouts, Director of Public Works Jeremy Heuerman believes they are convenient, require less maintenance and are quicker than four-way stops.

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"We really liked that the county is looking at roundabouts at Lake Sara Road and Moccasin Road," said City Planner Greg Koester. "Some really good short-term goals or projects [are] underway and some good long-term goals and visions for future roadways and roadway improvements."

The next focus group meeting will be held in the City Hall Chambers on Jan. 9. The topic is yet to be determined.

Effingham Daily News Reporter Marie Adamick can be reached at marie.adamick@effinghamdailynews.com or 618-510-9230
BANGKOK (AP)  Japanese automakers Nissan Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. confirmed Wednesday that they are discussing closer collaboration but denied reports they have decided on a merger.

Nissans share price soared nearly 24% in Tokyo after reports citing unnamed sources said it might merge with Honda to form the worlds third-largest automaking group. Hondas share price fell as much as 3%. Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi Motors Corp. is also part of the talks.

Trading in Nissans shares was suspended but then resumed after the companies jointly issued a statement saying they were considering various possibilities for future collaboration, but no decisions have been made.

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.
American billionaire Elon Musk, who will join President-elect Donald Trumps administration as an external adviser, intervened in the German election campaign on Friday, 20 December, calling the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) the countrys saviour.

Source: Reuters, as reported by European Pravda

Details: The AfD, known for its pro-Russian and anti-Ukrainian views, ranks second in opinion polls and could prevent a centre-right or centre-left majority, but Germanys main more centrist parties have vowed to avoid cooperation with the AfD at the national level.

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Germany is expected to vote in early elections on 23 February after the centre-left coalition government led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz collapsed.

"Only the AfD can save Germany," Musk wrote in a post on his social media platform, X (Twitter).

Musk, the worlds richest man, has already expressed support for other anti-immigration parties across Europe.

The German government said it had taken note of Musks post but declined to comment further during a press conference.

Musk reposted a message from German right-wing influencer Naomi Seibt, who criticised Friedrich Merz, the conservative chancellor candidate who is leading in the polls.

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Matthias Miersch, secretary general of Scholzs Social Democrats, told the media outlet t-online that Germany does not need foreign influence or "Trumpism", adding, "Stay out, Elon."

Musk had already expressed support for the AfD last year when he criticised the German governments handling of illegal migration.

Last month, Musk called for the dismissal of Italian judges who questioned the legality of government measures to prevent illegal immigration.

The far-right AfD currently appears to claim around 18-19% of the vote ahead of the early Bundestag elections due on 23 February 2025.

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The party has little chance of forming a government, as other political parties have ruled out cooperation with it. This month, AfD named its candidate for chancellor  Alice Weidel, the partys co-leader.

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Elon Musk waded into Germanys election on Friday, expressing his support for a far-right anti-immigrant and anti-Islam party that's being monitored by the countrys domestic intelligence agency.

Only the AfD can save Germany, the tech billionaire wrote on X, referring to the Alternative for Germany party.

The German government declined to comment at its regular press conference on Friday.

Europes most populous country is expected to vote on Feb. 23. On Monday, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left coalition government collapsed after he lost a confidence vote.

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It is only the sixth time such a vote has been called in the country of 83 million people, Europes largest economy. It was required because, in post-World War II Germany, the constitution does not allow the Bundestag, or parliament, to dissolve itself.

Scholz expected to lose the vote, but had hoped that it would boost the fortunes of his center-left Social Democratic Party (SDP), which had formed a fractious coalition government with the pro-market Free Democrats and the environmentalist Green Party.

Before calling the vote, Scholz accused Christian Lindner, his finance minister and Free Democrats member, of violating his trust after he publicly backed a different economic policy than the one they had agreed upon.

While mainstream parties have traditionally boycotted the AfD, meaning they will not form governing coalitions with the movement, the party is running second in opinion polls, according to Reuters, and might be able to thwart either a center-right or center-left majority.

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Founded in April 2013 as a movement against the euro currency, the AfD has shifted its focus to combatting Islam and immigration and has grown in popularity at both local and national levels ever since, particularly in the former East Germany, which has lagged economically behind the west of the country.

In September, it became the first far-right party to win the most votes in a state election since the Nazi era, when it triumphed in Thuringia.

The win came despite a string of controversies linked to its leadership. The party is monitored by the countrys domestic intelligence agency for suspected extremism. Party leader Bjorne Hocke has twice been found guilty by a German court of purposefully employing Nazi rhetoric. He has appealed the rulings.

And in May the partys top candidate, Maximilian Krah, was forced to withdraw from campaigning after he told an Italian newspaper that the SS, the Nazis main paramilitary force, were not all criminals. One of his aides was also charged with spying for China, and another candidate faced allegations of receiving bribes from a pro-Russian news portal.

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Musk also voiced support for the AfD last year when he criticized the German government over its handling of illegal migration.

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO, who has been tasked by President-elect Donald Trump with co-leading a commission called the Department of Government Efficiency, also called for the sacking of Italian judges who had questioned the legality of government measures to prevent irregular immigration.

He has also clashed with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer earlier this year after he labeled Britain a tyrannical police state and endorsed calls for a new election.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Elon Musk, already set to join the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump as an outside adviser, is now also sticking his head into Germanys upcoming elections. The billionaire entrepreneur endorsed the countrys far-right party, Alternative for Germany (AfD), on social media on Friday.

Only the AfD can save Germany, Musk wrote on X, the social media platform he acquired in 2022.

Musk made that comment in response to a video from far-right activist Naomi Seibt, in which she slammed Friedrich Merz, who leads the Christian Democratic Union of Germany party (CDU) and is reportedly leading in the polls to become Germanys next chancellor.

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Seibt claimed in her post that Merz is horrified by the idea that Germany should follow Elon Musks and [Argentinian President] Javier Mileis example of reforming the country with drastic public spending cuts.

Musk has become a close confidant of Trumps, who previously said he would name him co-director of a yet-to-be-created federal advisory group, the Department of Government Efficiency (or DOGE), that will purportedly aim to slash supposedly wasteful government spending.

Musk appears naturally drawn to the AfD, whose nationalist and anti-immigration rhetoric mirrors Trumps, and he reshared footage last year on X from a pro-AfD account that criticized Germany for subsidizing efforts to rescue refugees from drowning in the Mediterranean.

The German Foreign Office replied directly at the time to note, Its called saving lives.

Musk previously reshared a social media post slamming Germany's aid in rescuing refugees in danger of drowning in the Mediterranean. Alex Brandon/Associated Press

In September, the AfD became the first far-right party to win a state election in Germany since World War II. Its leader in Thuringia, Bjorn Hocke, was convicted for the second time in July for knowingly using a Nazi slogan, Everything for Germany, at a political event.



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Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) shared his outrage about Musks endorsement Friday on X, writing: The out of touch billionaire running the incoming Trump Administration announced last night that he enthusiastically supports the neo-Nazi party in Germany. WTF. NONE OF THIS OK, EVERYONE. NONE OF THIS IS NORMAL.



Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) agreed, stating in a repost of Musks AfD endorsement: Literally is a neo-Nazi party. Not even joking. This drug addled billionaire thinks he runs the world.

German chancellor Olaf Scholz addressed Musks AfD endorsement during an unrelated press conference Friday and said freedom of speech does also apply to multibillionaires, but that it doesnt prevent them from saying things that are not right, per Bloomberg.

Scholz led a three-party coalition government until he fired his finance minister Christian Lindner, head of the Free Democratic Party, in November. This left his coalition without a majority in Parliament, where Scholz lost a confidence vote Monday, triggering new elections.

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The AfD is currently polling in second at 19% behind the CDU, according to Politico.

Musk is certainly willing to spend a fortune on elections, as he reportedly doled out more than a quarter-billion dollars to reinstall Trump in the White House. He recently met with Nigel Farage amid speculation over a $100 million donation to boost his right-wing party, Reform UK.

Musk wont be able to directly help finance the AfDs efforts, however, as German law prohibits non-European foreigners from donating more than 1,000 euros. He certainly wields tremendous influence via X, nonetheless.

Germanys election, initially scheduled for next September, will be on Feb. 23.

Related...
Germany First

In an incredible mask-off moment, Elon Musk has endorsed Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD, per its German initials)  even though, weirdly, the party is against his business interests.

"Only the AfD can save Germany," the South African-born billionaire wrote on X-formerly-Twitter, quote-tweeting a video from Naomi Seibt, a far-right German YouTuber and apparent fangirl.

In the original English-language video, Seibt took on Freidrich Merz, a conservative politician who's likely poised to become the next chancellor of Germany, for criticizing Musk's austere economic vision.

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"Basically, the mainstream media have declared Friedrich Merz the winner," the 24-year-old influencer said, "completely disregarding the existence of the AfD."

Burn Baby Burn

Musk's endorsement of the party  which has been linked to neo-Nazi groups and recently fell into disarray after one of its officials said that the Third Reich's fearsome Schutzstaffel (SS) weren't necessarily criminals  is yet another example of him shooting himself in the foot.

As folks on X have pointed out, the AfD staunchly opposes the expansion of Tesla's German Gigafactory in Grunheide, a suburb outside of Berlin. At times, the party whose youth wing the German government considers "certified extremist" has even used violent imagery in its anti-Tesla campaigning, including one poster with a burning Tesla.

"Advent advent ein Tesla brennt," the poster reads, a reference to a German Christmas carol that replaces "a little light" ("lichtlein") with Musk's electric vehicle company.

AfD election poster with a burning Tesla https://t.co/xVJw1gAFYc pic.twitter.com/2MmvMV4my9  Wynner  (@EuroWynner) December 20, 2024

AfD About It

As Germany's Deutsche Welle reported earlier this year, Musk has shown sympathy for the AfD despite its opposition.

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Though he doesn't seem to have outright endorsed the AfD until now, the SpaceX and Tesla owner did quote-tweet a post from a xenophobic account in 2023 criticizing German groups for assisting a refugee flotilla traveling from Tunisia to Italy.

"Let's hope AfD wins the elections to stop this European suicide," the initial post read. Quote-tweeting it, Musk added "Is the German public aware of this?"

Amid his first foray into American government, Musk is now influence-peddling in Europe too  and he's willing to cut off his nose to spite his face on both sides of the pond if it achieves his regressive political endgame.

More on Musk's politicking: Elon Musk Bullies Congress Into Cutting Funding for Child Cancer Research
Elon Musk has spent the week derailing a bipartisan funding bill, sending the U.S. government hurtling toward a shutdown. But on Friday, the tech billionaire broadened his scope from domestic to international politics with a ringing endorsement of Alternative for Germany, the countrys far-right political party.

Early Friday morning on his social media platform, X, Musk posted, Only the AfD can save Germany.

The AfD is an ethnonationalist party that has faced criticism for its ties to neo-Nazis and, per the BBC, considers immigrants not properly German, regardless of citizenship status. The party has gained traction in recent years, with Voxs Li Zhou writing that AfD support is based on a vision of Germany thats white, that relies on fossil fuels, thats hostile toward more immigrants, and thats adopted many of the same anti-LGBTQ positions that are common among conservatives in the US.

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Musks endorsement, which comes with a February election on the horizon in Germany, has been celebrated by the AfD, its members, and leadershipbut slammed by many others. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said of Musks post: We have freedom of opinionit also goes for multibillionaires, but freedom of opinion also means that you can say things that arent right and dont contain good political advice.

In the U.S., observers have railed against the endorsement, with conservative commentator Bill Kristol writing, I think this should be kind of a big deal. The AfD is Germanys neo-Nazi party, and Democratic Senator Chris Murphy tweeting examples of AfD officials hateful actions and remarks, writing, The AfDs mission is to rehabilitate the image of the Nazi movement.

X screenshot Chris Murphy  @ChrisMurphyCT: The AfD's mission is to rehabilitate the image of the Nazi movement. One leader's license plate is an open tribute to Hitler. A top AfD official said about migrants, "We can always shoot them later...or gas them." Another described Judaism as the "inner enemy" in Germany.

Over the past year or so, Musk has gradually aligned himself with the AfD.

In October 2023, he quote-tweeted a post from a far-right German X account that supported the AfD stopping search and rescues of asylum-seekers in the Mediterranean, which the user said facilitated European suicide. Is the German public aware of this? Musk wrote, but, amid backlash, later posted, I have not supported any political party and dont know AFD from a hole in the ground.

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In June, Musk expressed curiosity about the party in a reply to Naomi Seibt, a 24-year-old far-right German political activist known as the anti-Greta. Why is there such a negative reaction from some about AfD? Musk wrote. They keep saying far right, but the policies of AfD that Ive read about dont sound extremist. Maybe Im missing something. Musks Friday endorsement came in a response to Seibt on X.

The worlds richest man has occasionally dipped his toes into European politics, with a major through line in his forays being opposition to immigration. Musk himself is an immigrant from South Africa.
By Andrey Sychev

(Reuters) - Billionaire Elon Musk, set to join U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's administration as an outside adviser, on Friday called on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to resign in response to a deadly attack at a German Christmas market.

"Scholz should resign immediately," Musk posted on X, adding: "Incompetent fool."

Musk was responding in a thread about reports of the incident, in which a car rammed into a crowd of revellers in the German city of Magdeburg. At least two people were killed and dozens injured, local government officials said.

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Earlier on Friday, Musk waded into Germany's election campaign, calling the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) the country's saviour.

The AfD is running second in opinion polls and might be able to thwart either a centre-right or centre-left majority, but Germany's mainstream, more centrist parties have vowed to shun support from the AfD at national level.

Europe's leading power is expected to vote on Feb. 23 after a centre-left coalition government led by Scholz collapsed.

"Only the AfD can save Germany," Musk wrote in a post on his social media platform, X.

Musk, the world's richest person, has already expressed support for other anti-immigration parties across Europe.

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The German government said it had taken note of Musk's post but declined to give any further comment at its regular press conference.

Musk had already voiced support for the AfD last year, when he attacked the German government's handling of illegal migration.

Last month, Musk called for the sacking of Italian judges who had questioned the legality of government measures to prevent irregular immigration.

And this week Nigel Farage, leader of Britain's right-wing Reform UK party and friend of Trump, posted a photo of himself and Reform's treasurer meeting Musk at Trump's Florida residence, and said he was in talks with Musk about financial support.

(Reporting by Andrey Sychev and Andreas Rinke; Writing by Richard Chang; Editing by Kirsti Knolle, Kevin Liffey and David Gregorio)
Billionaire Elon Musk on Friday said only the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party can "save" the country.

"Only the AfD can save Germany," Musk wrote on the social media platform X, which he acquired in 2022.

The AfD is in second place in German polls on around 19%, two months before early elections expected to be held on February 23.

However, Germany's established parties have ruled out co-operating with the party, which is under investigation as a suspected right-wing extremist group by domestic intelligence services.

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The AfD's candidate for chancellor, Alice Weidel, responded to Musk on Friday: "Yes! You are perfectly right."

Musk, the founder of electric carmaker Tesla and the private space company SpaceX, has emerged as one of the closest supporters of US President-elect Donald Trump.

He has also signalled his willingness to intervene in European politics, backing the populist Reform UK party in Britain.

The South African-born billionaire previously praised the AfD after European Parliament elections earlier this year.
Dec. 20 (UPI) -- U.S. billionaire Elon Musk on Friday said "only" the far-right Alternative for Germany party, currently running second in German polls with about 19% support nationwide, can "save" the country.

In a post on his wholly-owned social media platform X, the world's richest man gave the full-throated endorsement for the AfD while reposting a video by Naomi Seibt, a German right-wing social media influencer.

Germans are expected to vote in snap elections on Feb. 23. A conservative coalition headed by the Christian Democratic Union's Friedrich Merz is leading in the polls with about 32%.

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"Only the AfD can save Germany," Musk wrote over Seibt's video, in which she blasts Merz for being "horrified by the idea" that Germany should follow the examples of Musk and Argentine President Javier Milei in espousing right-wing populism.

Merz "staunchly rejects a pro-freedom approach and refuses any discussion with the AfD," Seibt wrote.

In June, Elon Musk wrote that he did not view the AfD as an extremist organization even as German domestic intelligence authorities view it as a right-wing extremist party. File Pool Photo by Allison Robbert/UPI

Friday's post is not the first time Musk has expressed support for the AfD, which is classified by German domestic intelligence authorities as a suspected right-wing extremist party.

In June, the close adviser to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump wrote that he did not view the AfD as an extremist organization. Those remarks came after reports circulated that AfD representatives met with extremist groups in which they discussed the mass expulsion or "remigration" of foreigners and Germans with migrant backgrounds.

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The AfD quickly amplified Musk's statement on Friday.

"If you also want to save Germany, then join in and fill out the membership application right away," the party posted on X, while AfD leader Alice Weidel wrote in English to Musk, "You are absolutely right," and blasted what she called the "Soviet European Union" and labeled former conservative German Chancellor Angela Merkel a "socialist."

Musk's intervention into German politics elicited a cautious reaction from the lame-duck government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who told reporters in Berlin that while freedom of speech applies to billionaires such as him, that freedom "also means that you can say things that are not right and do not contain good political advice."

Harsher criticism came from other German political figures.

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Matthias Miersch, secretary general of Scholz's Social Democrats, called the remarks "election interference," telling the news portal T-Online Musk's remarks are an "alarming signal" and declared, "We are clearly opposed to that. Germany needs neither foreign influences nor Trumpism. Stay out, Elon."

The head of the CDU's workers' wing, Dennis Radtke, told the German newspaper Handelsblatt it is "threatening, irritating and unacceptable that a key figure in the future U.S. government is interfering in the German election campaign," adding that Musk is becoming more and more of a "threat to democracy in the Western world" and has "converted X into a disinformation machine."
Cox School of Business Dean Matthew Myers

Cox School of Business Dean Matthew Myers

Over the past seven years, Dean Matthew Myers has guided the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University (SMU) through a period of transformative growth. Under his leadership, the school has expanded its physical footprint, enhanced its academic offerings, strengthened corporate partnerships, and boosted its reputation.

Situated in the heart of Dallas-Fort Worth, one of the nations fastest-growing business hubs, SMU Cox has become a vital contributor to the local economy and a leader in business education. Myers joined Cox as dean in August of 2017 from Miami Universitys Farmer School of Business where he had also been dean for more than three years. So he arrived at Cox, with the experience of having led another business school.

Myers tenure at Cox has been nothing short of transformative. From modernizing facilities to revamping programs and building a robust endowment, his leadership has positioned the school as a key player in business education.

In this interview with Poets&Quants John A. Byrne, Dean Myers reflects on his tenure, the milestones achieved, and the future of SMU Cox as he prepares to step down at the end of the 2024-2025 academic year. The interview has been edited for clarity.

John A. Byrne: Dean Myers, what was the state of the Cox School when you arrived in 2017, and what motivated you to make significant changes?

Matthew Myers: When I arrived, the SMU campus master plan didnt include any major developments for the Cox School. Our facilities were outdated, and we were bursting at the seams in terms of space. The school was already producing great results, but we needed a more robust infrastructure to meet the growing demands of the business world and the booming Dallas economy.

I quickly identified four pillars for growth: building the brand, enhancing academic programs, constructing modern facilities, and expanding the schools endowment. These priorities were driven by the vision that SMU Cox could play a critical role in not just the universitys success, but also the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and Texas as a whole. Having strong leadership from our president and trustees, along with support from the community, allowed us to implement these changes.

Byrne: The Miller Business Quad is one of the crowning achievements of your tenure. How did that project come together, and what impact has it had?

Myers: The Miller Business Quad was a transformative project for SMU Cox. In 2019, David and Carolyn Miller made a $50 million gift to kickstart the initiative, which was crucial in getting the community involved. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, we were able to raise $140 million to complete this 260,000-square-foot facility, which opened for classes in August 2023.
Elon Musk, the billionaire whose support for Donald Trump has given him the president-elect's ear, is throwing his support behind Alternative for Germany (AfD), a far-right party that critics describe as xenophobic, extremist and perhaps even a successor to the Nazi Party.

Only the AfD can save Germany, Musk wrote in an X post on Friday. The post follows a series of endorsements for other far-right parties and leaders across Europe, including Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni and Reform UK chief Nigel Farage.

The AfD is on track to see its strongest election performance since 2013, when it was founded as a Euroskeptic party before embracing more strident ethno-nationalist views. Polls show the party winning the second-highest amount of votes ahead of the February 2025 election, setting it up to be the largest opposition party in the Bundestag.

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The conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU/CSU), helmed by Friedrich Merz, currently leads in the polls, with nearly double the support held by Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD). Trailing further behind are the Greens and Free Democratic Party (FDP), who both served as Scholz's erstwhile partners before the governing coalition collapsed last week.

A strong performance by the AfD would guarantee that no party gains a majority in the Bundestag. Merz has, for now, ruled out forming a coalition with the far-right.

AfD co-leader and chancellor candidate Alice Weidel welcomed Musk's endorsement. Yes! You are perfectly right! she posted, plugging an interview in which she blamed the "Soviet" European Union and "socialist" Angela Merkel, the former CDU/CSU chancellor of Germany, for her country's economic woes.

Musk has expressed support for the AfD before (despite one local imbroglio over a Tesla factory), writing in June that he does not understand why it is considered far-right, even as the AfD itself has provided reams of evidence.

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The AfD's leader in Thuringia, Bjorn Hocke, once called Berlin's Holocaust memorial a "monument of shame" and called for a "180-degree turnaround" in Germany's remembrance of Nazi history. AfD co-chair Alexander Gauland spoke of fighting "an invasion of foreigners," while many influential blocs in the party subscribe to the belief that German citizens of migrant descent are not "properly German" and should be expelled. Indeed, in January 2024 senior AfD figures attended a secret meeting in which participants discussed a "master plan" for deporting millions of people with immigrant backgrounds, including naturalized citizens.

German authorities, citing publicly available data, classified the AfD as a "suspected extremist case" in 2021, a decision upheld by a high court earlier this year. That designation, part of a constitutional firewall against antidemocratic extremism set up after World War II, allows Germany's domestic intelligence agencies to monitor the party's activities and potentially apply the designation of "confirmed extremist," which could then open the way for a ban. The AfD's branches in Thuringia and Saxony, where the party has performed strongest, have already been classified as the latter.
An employee stabbed a Michigan company's president during a staff meeting, the police said.

A suspect, whom fellow employees describe as quiet, left the scene but was subsequently arrested.

Authorities are looking into whether the attack was inspired by the UnitedHealthcare CEO's killing.

Authorities say they're looking into whether a stabbing during a company meeting in Michigan might have had a "copycat" motive inspired by the recent killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York.

The Fruitport Township Police Department said in a news release that the president of the manufacturing company Anderson Express Inc. was stabbed at about 9:20 a.m. on Tuesday at the company's address in Muskegon, about 35 miles northwest of Grand Rapids.

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The police said a preliminary investigation found that a 32-year-old male employee stabbed Erik Denslow, the company president, in the side with a knife.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Denslow was said to be out of surgery and in serious but stable condition.

Anderson Express did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

The police said the suspect fled the scene in his vehicle before being stopped and taken into custody about 15 minutes later. They identified him as Nathan Joseph Mahoney.

Speaking with local media, the police said Mahoney had worked at the company for only about two weeks. The news release said fellow employees described him as having a "quiet demeanor."

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Muskegon County Sheriff's Office records show Mahoney is being held on a more than $500,000 bond. He was arraigned Wednesday and charged with assault with intent to commit murder. Amy P. Campanelli, who is listed as Mahoney's attorney in charging documents, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Denslow has been president of Anderson Express for a little under two years, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Authorities are searching for a motive, including whether the attack was inspired by the killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO, who was fatally shot earlier this month, leading to a widely publicized manhunt and the subsequent arrest of a suspect.

"We haven't ruled out copycat motive in regards to this," Fruitport Township's deputy police chief, Greg Poulson, told the local outlet News 8 on Wednesday.

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He added: "We're going through all his social accounts, all his electronic media, and trying to determine a motive for this act."

Poulson also told News 8 that threatening CEOs and high-profile businesspeople "seems to be a popular thing in this day and age."

Correction: December 20, 2024  An earlier version of this story misstated the location of Muskegon, Michigan. It's northwest, not northeast, of Grand Rapids.

Read the original article on Business Insider
The president of a Michigan-based manufacturing company was stabbed by one of his employees during a staff meeting earlier this week, in what authorities described as a possible copycat of the attack on UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Nathan Joseph Mahoney, 31, is accused of stabbing the president of Anderson Express Inc. in their Muskegon office just before 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, the Fruitport Township Police Department said in a news release.

The victim, Erik Denslow, was rushed to a nearby hospital where he underwent surgery. His condition was listed as serious but stable on Wednesday.

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Fellow employees described Mahoney as having a quiet demeanor, authorities said, adding that investigators have not established a motive.

The incident comes just weeks after the slaying of Thompson, who was fatally shot outside a Hilton Hotel in Manhattan, where he was expected to attend an investors meeting.

On Wednesday, Fruitport Township police said investigators were looking into the possibility that this weeks stabbing could have been inspired by the New York City shooting.

We havent ruled out copycat motive in regards to this, Deputy Chief Greg Poulson told local television station WOOD. I think that comes to everyones mind in this time. Were going through all his social accounts, all his electronic media and trying to determine a motive for this act.

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Investigators say Mahoney was a recent hire who was being trained to replace a retiring employee. He was among several employees present at Tuesdays meeting.

According to police, Mahoney got up in the middle of the meeting and left the room. When he came back about 10 minutes later, he walked over to Denslow and stabbed him in the side with a knife.

After the alleged incident, the suspect ran from the business, entered his vehicle and fled the scene. He was arrested approximately 15 minutes later, police said.

Mahoney is charged with attempted murder and fleeing and eluding, MiLive reported. Hes expected back in court on Dec. 26 for a probable cause conference.

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Lithuania's new Cabinet of Ministers arrived in Kyiv on Friday, 20 December.

Source: Kestutis Budrys, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, as reported by European Pravda

Quote from Budrys: "The entire Lithuanian government is in Ukraine today to send a clear message - we will stand with Ukraine until victory!"

Details: The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania reports that the morning of 20 December in Kyiv began with a Russian missile attack, which became a reminder of the brutal nature of this war.

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Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas said it was a privilege and honour to be in Kyiv during his first visit to the country.

This morning in #Kyiv began with a Russian missile attack, a stark reminder of the brutal nature of this war.



The entire Lithuanian government is in #Ukraine today to send a clear message - we will stand with Ukraine until victory!



Razom do peremogi!  pic.twitter.com/ggv3zwWVW6  Kestutis Budrys (@BudrysKestutis) December 20, 2024

Quote from Gintautas Paluckas: "At Kyivs Wall of Remembrance, with my Cabinet of Ministers, I paid my respects to the fallen heroes of Ukraine, men and women who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of their country, and by that  for the freedom of Europe."

It is a privilege & honour to be in Kyiv for my first visit as Prime Minister of Lithuania.



At Kyivs Wall of Remembrance, with my Cabinet of Ministers, I paid my respects to the fallen heroes of Ukraine, men and women who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of their country, pic.twitter.com/iNGReQmyu1  Gintautas Paluckas (@g_paluckas) December 20, 2024

More details: Delfi, a Baltic states news website, reported that only Finance Minister Rimantas Sadzius did not go to Ukraine out of the entire Cabinet.

As reported, the Lithuanian government will meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the prime minister, the speaker of the parliament and the minister of foreign affairs.

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Updated: Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal informed about the start of intergovernmental consultations with his Lithuanian counterparts.

Quote from Denys Shmyhal: "We have a rich agenda for discussion: defence and security of Europe, Ukraine's membership in the EU and NATO, the recovery programme, further strengthening of sanctions against Russia and confiscation of Russian frozen assets, as well as our economic and trade cooperation."

Photo: Telegram

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WASHINGTON (AP)  Michael Regan, who championed environmental justice as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, will leave the agency Dec. 31, three weeks before the end of President Joe Biden's term.

In a letter Friday to agency employees, Regan said he was proud of the EPA's work to confront climate change, restrict air and water pollution and spend tens of billions of dollars under the administration's landmark climate law to spur clean energy development.

Those efforts slashed harmful greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants that endanger communities, delivering significant economic and public health benefits in areas long overburdened by pollution, he said. The agency also created thousands of jobs and lowered costs for families, he said.

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Regan, the first Black man to head the EPA, noted that the agency elevated the role of environmental justice under his watch and placed it at the center of our decision-making.'' Regan went on a Journey to Justice tour from Mississippi to Texas in 2021. The five-day trip from Jackson, Miss., to New Orleans and Houston highlighted low-income, mostly minority communities adversely affected by decades of industrial pollution.

Regan, 48, a North Carolina native who headed the state Department of Environmental Quality before taking over at EPA in early 2021, said he will return to the state with his family.

Jane Nishida, EPA's assistant administrator for the Office of International and Tribal Affairs, will serve as acting administrator for the final weeks of the term, Regan said. Regan's chief of staff, Dan Utech, will serve as acting deputy administrator.

Democratic Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware, retiring chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said Regan has a good heart and a brilliant mind" and was a good steward" of the planet.

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Its no secret that he had a very tough job as administrator,'' Carper said in a statement. Regan was tasked with restoring morale, renewing emphasis on science and enforcement and hiring thousands of employees to replace a mass departure under former President Donald Trump, he said.

But from the moment he was confirmed by the Senate, Michael took quick action to restore the agency,'' Carper said. He led the EPA to obligate tens of billions of dollars from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act," major laws passed in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

Regan led EPA with compassion and skill and advanced historic environmental justice policies to better protect the health and well-being of every American," Carper said.

Regan, who worked at EPA earlier in his career, thanked Biden for naming him to the post, adding: Ten years ago, I could have never imagined coming back to lead EPA alongside such committed and dedicated staff."

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In the past four years, the agency has made huge strides to remove lead pipes from communities and protect drinking water sources for millions of people in America,'' Regan wrote. We have acted on forever chemicals like PFAS to protect families from pollution in the products we use, the water we drink, and in the backyards where our children play.''

EPA also reinvigorated enforcement efforts'' after four years of environmental rollbacks under former President Donald Trump, holding polluters accountable and making sure they pay for cleanups of legacy pollution sites across the country," Regan said.

EPA has banned dangerous chemicals such as asbestos and trichloroethylene, also known as TCE, and responded to environmental and public health emergencies across the country, including in Asheville, North Carolina, and Tampa, Florida, in just the last year, Regan said.

The agency also hired thousands of new employees, including hundreds of scientists who left the agency during the first Trump administration. The president-elect, who has named former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin to be EPA administrator, has said he will again slash environmental regulations when he returns to office for a second term next month. Trump also has said he will target what he calls onerous rules on power plants, factories and oil and natural gas production imposed under Biden.

While not mentioning Trump or Zeldin, Regan told staff that the work continues. I have nothing but optimism and faith in your commitment to continue delivering public health and environmental protections for every person in this great country.
ANKARA (Reuters) -Turkey expects foreign countries will withdraw support for Kurdish fighters in Syria following the toppling of Bashar al-Assad, President Tayyip Erdogan said, as Ankara seeks to isolate Kurds who have long fought alongside U.S. troops.

Germany's foreign minister later said Kurdish forces should disarm and integrate into Syria's national security structure and Washington's top diplomat for the Middle East said the U.S. was working on a "managed transition" for the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern Syria.

Speaking to reporters on the flight home from a summit in Egypt on Thursday, Erdogan said there was no longer any reason for outsiders to back Kurdish YPG fighters. His comments were released by his office on Friday.

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The Kurdish YPG has been the main force in the alliance but Turkey considers the group an extension of the PKK, which has long fought the Turkish state and is banned as terrorists by Ankara, Washington and the EU.

In his remarks, Erdogan compared the U.S.-backed YPG to Islamic State, and said neither group had any future in Syria.

"In the upcoming period, we do not believe that any power will continue to collaborate with terrorist organisations. The heads of terrorist organisations such as Islamic State and PKK-YPG will be crushed in the shortest possible time."

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said after talks with her Turkish counterpart in Ankara that the security of Kurds was essential for a free Syria, but that Turkey's security concerns must also be addressed to ensure stability.

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"The Kurdish groups must be disarmed and integrated into the national security structure," she said.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf told reporters after visiting Damascus on Friday that Washington was working with Ankara and the SDF to find "a managed transition in terms of SDF's role in that part of the country."

"The conditions which led Kurds in northeast Syria to organise themselves and to defend themselves as they did, were one set of conditions and things have really changed in a very dramatic fashion," Leaf said.

The United States said this week it has 2,000 troops on the ground in Syria working alongside the YPG-led alliance known as the Syrian Democratic Forces. The SDF played a major role on the ground defeating Islamic State militants in 2014-2017 with U.S. air support, and still guards Islamist fighters in prison camps.

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Ankara, alongside Syrian allies, 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.

Hostilities have escalated since Assad was toppled less than two weeks ago, with Turkey and Syrian groups it backs seizing the city of Manbij from the SDF on Dec. 9, prompting the United States to broker a fragile ceasefire.

Erdogan told reporters that Turkey wanted to see a new Syria in which all ethnic and religious groups can live in harmony. To achieve this, "Islamic State, the PKK and its versions which threaten the survival of Syria need to be eradicated", he said.

"The PKK terrorist organisation and its extensions in particular have reached the end of their lifespan," Erdogan added.

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On Thursday, SDF commander Mazloum Abdi told Reuters that Kurdish fighters from outside Syria who had joined the group's ranks would leave if a truce were agreed with Turkey, long one of Ankara's major demands.

In his remarks, Abdi acknowledged for the first time that Kurdish fighters from other countries - including PKK members - had been assisting the SDF, but said they would no longer be needed under a truce.

A Turkish Defence Ministry official said there was no talk of a ceasefire between Turkey and the SDF, adding that Ankara would continue taking counter-terrorism measures until "the PKK/YPG lays down its arms and its foreign fighters leave Syria".

(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu, Ece Toksabay, Ezgi Erkoyun, Alexander Ratz and Simon LewisEditing by Daren Butler, Peter Graff and Diane Craft)
ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla. (WKRG)  First having been reported missing on Dec. 14, Tshey Bennetts disappearance came to a tragic ending on Wednesday when officials recovered her body near Cardinal and Eagle Drives in Mobiles Birdville Community.

Her death has been connected to Willie Ellington, an active-duty marine with NAS Pensacola who was arrested Wednesday afternoon.

Senior Bowl Executive Director Jim Nagy interviews for New York Jets General Manager opening

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Its a heck of a case, Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons said. Its disturbing. Its chilling some of the stuff we found out in the course of the investigation.

Bennetts last known location was Sweet Dream Inn on Plantation Road in Pensacola. Authorities said she was working as an escort when she met Ellington there.

Simmons said when deputies arrived at Sweet Dream Inn, something felt wrong.

We get the call and working with folks at the hotel find that the door was left ajar that the victims car was left in the parking lot, that the victims phone was still in the hotel room, said Sheriff Simmons.

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UPDATE: MCPSS teacher placed on administrative leave

The Escambia County Sheriffs Office obtained Ellingtons phone through a search warrant and was unsettled by the suspects web search records.

Things like, What does a dead body look like after two days? How many prostitute murders go unsolved in a particular time period? If someone is strangled, can they talk, can they yell, can they scream?' Simmons said.

Simmons said that based on these web searches, the sheriffs office concluded there was clear intent by the suspect to harm Bennett.

Deputies said evidence found in the suspects phone led them to the location of Bennetts body in Mobile.

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Woman, man arrested after argument over car at elementary school: Mobile PD

They also learned Ellington left the area on a bus stopping in Opelika, Alabama. Deputies tipped off authorities in Lee County, Alabama, where he was arrested on Wednesday.

He now faces more than a first-degree murder charge.

We also found child pornography on the phone, so hes going to be charged with that as well, Simmons said.

Ellington is in custody in Opelika, Alabama, and will be extradited to Escambia County, Florida.

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 WKRG News 5.
BANGKOK (AP)  A powerful ethnic armed group in western Myanmar claimed Friday to have scored a major victory in the war against the ruling military, even as neighboring nations at a meeting in Thailand were discussing efforts to end the conflict peacefully.

The capture by the Arakan Army of a strategically important regional army headquarters in Rakhine state would put it a step closer to seizing control of the entire state, a goal not achieved by any of the several other rebel groups in other parts of Myanmar.

Rakhine has become a focal point for Myanmars nationwide civil war, in which pro-democracy guerrillas and ethnic minority armed forces seeking autonomy battle the countrys military rulers, who took power in 2021 after ousting the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

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The apparent fall of the militarys western command headquarters is the latest in a series of significant setbacks for the military government that began more than a year ago when a rebel alliance including the Arakan Army captured military bases, command centers, and strategic towns and cities along the Chinese border in Shan state in northeastern Myanmar.

In August this year, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, another force in the rebel alliance, was the first group to seize a regional command headquarters, in the city of Lashio in the northeast. Myanmars military has 14 important regional commands across the country.

Khaing Thukha, a spokesperson for the Arakan Army, told The Associated Press by audio message from an undisclosed location that his group had completely captured and controlled the entire western regional military headquarters based in Ann township on Friday at noon.

Most of the township was captured two weeks ago, leaving the headquarters encircled. The headquarters' deputy commander, Brig. Gen. Thaung Tun, and its chief operating officer, Brig. Gen. Kyaw Kyaw Than, were among those taken prisoner, Khaing Thukha said.

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The headquarters had overseen operations in Rakhine and the southern part of neighboring Chin state, as well as Myanmars territorial waters in the Bay of Bengal.

The military government issued no news about the latest development, which could not be independently confirmed, because access to the internet and mobile phone services in the area is mostly cut off. The Arakan Army in its past official announcements has generally been conservative in its victory claims.

The Arakan Army is the well-trained and well-armed military wing of the Rakhine ethnic minority, and seeks autonomy from Myanmars central government. In September it launched its effort to capture Ann, about 395 kilometers (245 miles) northwest of Yangon. It began its offensive in Rakhine in November last year, and has now gained control of 13 of 17 townships, along with one in neighboring Chin state.

Rakhine, formerly known as Arakan, was the site of a brutal army counterinsurgency operation in 2017 that drove about 740,000 minority Rohingya Muslims to seek safety across the border in Bangladesh.

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The Arakan Army has made extensive use of social media to document its operations and in recent days has used it to encourage the army's holdouts at the headquarters to surrender.

Separately in Thailands capital Bangkok, members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations met Friday to renew their efforts to help bring peace to Myanmar. The meeting was described as an extended informal consultation.

ASEAN in early 2021 agreed on a  Five-Point Consensus  for peace, but the military leadership in Myanmar did virtually nothing to implement it, frustrating the groups fellow members to the extent they have excluded members of Myanmars ruling military from attending their meetings. There were no representatives of Myanmar at Fridays meeting.

The peace plan calls for the immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar, a dialogue among all concerned parties, mediation by an ASEAN special envoy, provision of humanitarian aid through ASEAN channels, and a visit to Myanmar by the special envoy to meet all concerned parties.

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The foreign ministers and senior officials attending the Bangkok meeting reaffirmed their backing for the Five-Point Consensus.

Critics have expressed dissatisfaction at ASEANs conciliatory approach to Myanmars ruling generals. The military government is condemned by many countries and rights organizations for its brutal war and suppression of democracy.

The principle laid down by ASEAN includes the words to find a Myanmar-owned and -led solution," said Nay Phone Latt, a spokesperson for Myanmar's opposition National Unity Government, or NUG. Therefore, it will never get a Myanmar-owned and -led solution by working side by side with the terrorist military group that is not representing the people and killing them every day, instead of dealing with the revolutionary forces, including the NUG, which represents the people of Myanmar."

The NUG operates as a shadow government and stakes a claim to greater legitimacy than the ruling military.

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Bryony Lau, deputy director for Asia at Human Rights Watch, told The Associated Press that ASEAN has needed to shake up its approach to Myanmars crisis."

"But the meetings being held in Bangkok risk legitimizing the junta, which continues to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity with impunity against Myanmars people, Lau said.
The European Union is set to allocate over 30 billion to Ukraine in 2025, which will almost completely cover the country's budget deficit.

Source: Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, at a press conference after an EU summit in Brussels, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Von der Leyen stated that in 2025, Ukraine would receive funds through the EU's Ukraine Facility and a joint initiative with the G7 to utilise extraordinary proceeds from frozen Russian assets for Ukraine's benefit.

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"We know that 2025 is going to be a decisive year... we have to put Ukraine in a position of strength. Looking back, Europe has so far provided Ukraine with almost 130 billion. We have secured economic and financial stability until the end of 2025. That is good news. And with the Ukraine Facility and our G7 loan, we are even covering most of Ukraine's financing gap for 2025. This is a major achievement," she said.

Von der Leyen said this "also allows Ukraine to have more fiscal space to purchase the much-needed military equipment".

The Ukraine Facility provides up to 50 billion in grants and loans to aid Ukraine's recovery, rebuilding and modernisation efforts from 2024 to 2027.

Background: In late October 2024, the G7 finalised the terms of a US$50 billion loan to Ukraine initially agreed upon during a June summit in Italy. On 28 November, the EU and Ukraine signed a memorandum of understanding for 18.1 billion in macro-financial assistance, funded by proceeds from frozen Russian assets.

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Primergy Solar, a developer, owner, and operator of utility-scale solar and energy storage projects, on Dec. 18 said the company's 100-MWac solar project in Ashley County, Arkansas is fully operational. The Amazon Solar Farm ArkansasPrairie Mist has begun sending power to the grid. It is the second Primergy project to enter commercial operation this year. Prairie Mist represents a step forward in our mission to develop impactful projects that benefit local communities and meet the diverse needs of our customers, said Primergy CEO Ty Daul. Reaching commercial operation is a monumental milestone for our team, and we are thankful to our partners for their support and dedication to bringing clean energy to the Arkansas region. Prairie Mist connects to Entergys transmission system in the Midcontinent Independent System Operators (MISO) operating territory. It will deliver solar energy under a power purchase agreement with Amazon, and capacity attributes will be sold under a 20-year contract to the city of North Little Rock. Primergy hired Primoris Renewable Energy, a premier utility-scale solar contractor, as the engineering, procurement, and construction partner for the project. Prairie Mist created approximately 200 construction jobs and is expected to contribute about $10 million in tax benefits for Ashley County over its operating life. Beyond the construction and tax benefits, Primergy is supporting the community by building an ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessible playground and a shade structure at Hamburg High School. Primergy closed on $300 million in debt and tax equity financing in 2023 for construction and development of the project, with debt facilities led by SMBC as the transaction agent, Norddeutsche Landesbank Girozentrale, Societe Generale, and Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank. The tax equity investment was led by PNC Bank. POWER edited this content, which was contributed by Primergy Solar's communications team.
(Bloomberg) -- The European Union should consider taking bolder steps such as confiscating frozen Russian central bank assets to compensate Ukraine, the blocs top economic official said, downplaying risk warnings from the European Central Bank.

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We certainly must explore and work on all options, Economy Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said Thursday in an interview. There is an established principle under international law that the aggressor is liable for the damage which its creating, so we must find ways how to make Russia pay for the damage it is creating in Ukraine.

The EUs diplomatic service is conducting fresh assessments of the financial and economic risk of confiscating Russian assets and hand them over to Ukraine, Bloomberg previously reported. The discussion has new momentum as the bloc confronts the risk of a drawdown or cutoff of US aid to Kyiv once Donald Trump is inaugurated.

Up to now, the EU and the Group of Seven nations have tapped the profits generated by some $300 billion in sanctioned Russian assets to provide aid to Ukraine. Under a G-7 plan, Kyivs allies approved a mechanism where the profits would be used to underpin a 50 billion ($52.5 billion) loan package for Kyiv.

Euroclear Ltd., a Brussels-based clearing house, holds the largest tranche of Russias immobilized deposits, totaling 180 billion. Valerie Urbain, its chief executive officer, has warned that confiscating assets would be risky.

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Several member states, including Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg, and the ECB remain concerned that confiscation could breach the principle of a states immunity under international law and impact the euro as a reserve currency, as well as the euro areas financial stability.

Dombrovskis argued that any option must be legally solid to withstand potential judicial scrutiny as he downplayed the risks to financial stability.

We already took an important step when we immobilized those assets, and also then there was a question on financial stability or implications for the euro, he said. But we see that those financial stability risks did not materialize.

The EU is already one of the largest donors to Ukraine, including a 50 billion package for the 2024-2027 period that is separate from the G-7-backed loan.

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Russias invasion of Ukraine has prompted a broader discussion within the EU over boosting its military preparedness and how to increase its military spending.

The European Commission and some member states are discussing ways to help member states finance their defense build-ups. Some countries including Estonia and France have proposed joint borrowing to cover the military gaps after decades of under investment due to the reliance on the NATO umbrella, but others like Germany and the Netherlands remain opposed.

Dombrovskis, a former Latvian prime minister, said that the EU needs to explore new instruments before its next long-term budget, which is set to begin in 2028.

Its clear that we need to be ambitious in strengthening our defense capacities and find the right funding tools at the EU and national level, because security threat is real, he said. Especially in a context where the Trump administrations commitment to this is relatively unpredictable.

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European Union leaders reaffirmed their commitment to Ukraine at a Dec. 19 summit in Brussels, emphasizing that decisions about the war-torn countrys future must involve Kyiv and its European allies.

The meeting, attended by President Volodymyr Zelensky, highlighted solidarity with Ukraine as it has been fighting against Russian aggression fo over 1,000 days.

"Only Ukraine as the aggressed country can legitimately define what peace means  and if and when the conditions are met for credible negotiations," said Antonio Costa, president of the European Council. "So now is not the time to speculate about different scenarios  now is the time to strengthen Ukraine for all scenarios."

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The European Council urged EU member states to immediately enhance military aid to Ukraine. Leaders called for faster delivery of air defense systems, ammunition, and missiles, as well as additional training and equipment for new Ukrainian brigades.

Concerns linger over U.S. foreign policy as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office on January 20. Trump has promised to end the war quickly and has emphasized his rapport with Russian President Vladimir Putin, raising fears in Europe about a potential deal unfavorable to Ukraine.

Speculation is growing in Europe about potential peace talks in early 2025 and the possible involvement of European peacekeepers to enforce any agreement. However, EU leaders are cautious, aiming to avoid revealing their strategies to Russia. For now, their focus remains on bolstering Ukraines position in case Zelensky chooses to pursue negotiations.

In Brussels, EU leaders maintained their stance: "Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine, nothing about security in Europe without Europeans."

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Read also: Zelensky dismisses ceasefire as Putins ploy to regroup, seeks coordinated peace plan

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
The European Commission is organizing aid for the French overseas territory of Mayotte as well as for African countries impacted by Cyclone Chido, the EU's executive arm said on Friday.

The commission "will do everything" to support Mayotte, EU Crisis Commissioner Hadja Lahbib said in a statement and thanked EU member states for their assistance.

The commission will send 900,000 ($935,405) in emergency humanitarian aid to help affected communities in Mozambique focused on water supplies, healthcare and shelter.

Five humanitarian flights will also deliver 60 tons of emergency aid, including shelter supplies, from EU stocks in Nairobi to Pemba in Mozambique.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Friday the successful conclusion of years-long negotiations on a future cooperation agreement with Switzerland.

Von der Leyen described the agreement between the European Union and Switzerland as "historic" while speaking alongside Swiss President Viola Amherd at a press conference in Bern.

"In this challenging environment, where global power relations are constantly shifting, strong partnerships like ours are not just an advantage, they are a must," von der Leyen said on X.

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The Swiss government favoured joining the EU more than 30 years ago, but the population rejected entry into the related European Economic Area (EEA) in 1992 and put the move towards EU accession on ice.

Since then, around 25 bilateral agreements have been concluded.

The new cooperation agreement is designed to deepen and expand the EU-Switzerland relationship with multiple updates to existing bilateral deals on commerce and travel that changes to EU legislation left outdated.

This includes agreements on aviation, migration and trade in agricultural goods.

New pacts cover food safety, cooperation on health threats like pandemics, and Switzerland's participation in the bloc's research programmes and electricity markets.

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The agreement includes the dynamic adoption of legislation, with Switzerland updating its provisions to maintain harmony with EU regulations.

Switzerland is to now also make a binding annual contribution of 375 million ($390 million) to support economically undeveloped regions in the EU.

The small alpine nation must now make the necessary domestic political adjustments to its own regulations before the agreement will go to parliament for approval.

The Swiss People's Party (SVP), the country's most popular party, is against further rapprochement with the EU and has been looking to delay the agreement with a referendum.

It could take until 2027 or 2028 before the entire package comes into force.
Peter Thomas is facing the music, and not the kind thats played at his many nightclubs over the years.

On Thursday, the Real Housewives of Atlanta alum was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison, according to the Department of Justice.

The onetime 305-er pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Charlotte, North Carolina, to failing to pay more than $2.5 million in employment taxes.

Between 2017 and 2023, Thomas allegedly withheld over $1.7 million from employees paychecks at his multiple businesses  including Bar One Miami Beach, which closed in January  but failed to remit it to the IRS.

Prosecutors said that the onetime reality star was motivated by greed and used the dough to personally enrich himself.

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Americans can spend their money as they see fit, including on business ventures, say court documents. However, they cannot steal other peoples money in this case their employees payroll taxes  to prop up their otherwise failing business ventures.

The hospitality vet is no stranger to South Floridas nightlife scene, which he helped elevate with his various business ventures that helped transform South Beach.

In 1992, Thomas started the How Can I Be Down? urban music convention that brought thousands of people, the majority of them African Americans, and industry heavy hitters to South Beach to celebrate hip-hop. Soon after, the promoter and record label owner owned and operated Savannah, the first black-owned gourmet restaurant in South Beach. In 2000, Thomas moved back to Miami from Los Angeles and opened BARCODE Restaurant and Lounge, another go-to hotspot for locals and celebrities alike. His latest venture in Miami Beach was Bar One.

The day before sentencing, Thomas took to Instagram to advise his 832K followers that he was in a serious legal bind, and would have to sit down for a while, aka do time.

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I was wrong and I have to pay my dues, admitted the Jamaica native, who added that he just marked 50 years of being in the United States.

I didnt think Id be celebrating it quite like this, he said, half joking. My dad is rolling over in his grave.

He ended the clip by sending a warning to small business owners:

Pay your payroll before you pay your rent, because the landlord can evict you, you aint going to jail, though.

Thomas was also ordered to spend two years on supervised release, and to pay back the government all he owes.

Miami Herald reporter Jacqueline Charles contributed to this report.
By Mike Stone

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Biden administration will announce in the coming days its final Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative package, using up the remaining funds set aside to buy new weapons for Ukraine, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

The package includes air defense interceptors and artillery munitions, according to a third source, but the exact contents are expected when the package is announced in the coming days. The package will be worth about $1.2 billion, said the sources.

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Under USAI, military equipment is procured from the defense industry or partners, rather than drawn from American stocks, meaning it can take months or years to arrive on the battlefield.

The USAI package could be among the last steps the United States takes to provide direct military support to Ukraine as Kyiv braces for the return of President-elect Donald Trump, who has publicly questioned military aid and vowed to end the Ukraine war within 24 hours of taking office on Jan. 20.

Since Russia's invasion of its neighbor in February 2022, the United States has committed $175 billion in aid for Ukraine, including approximately $61.4 billion in security assistance.

About half of that security assistance has come through the USAI program, and the rest has gone toward pulling from existing military stocks via presidential drawdown authority.

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There is $5.6 billion remaining of presidential drawdown authority.

The State Department and Pentagon declined to comment on the upcoming announcement, saying they do not discuss security assistance packages before they are officially revealed.

The USAI program has been a boon for U.S. defense contractors, who have been able to book orders for newly manufactured weapons and establish new revenue streams.

One example is the L3Harris Technologies VAMPIRE system. The Vehicle-Agnostic Modular Palletized ISR Rocket Equipment counter-drone system received its first USAI-funded order in August 2022.

L3Harris delivered its first four units within 12 months. The company has seen increased interest in the system, and has subsequently had multiple orders placed through the USAI program.

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As the Biden administration prepares to unveil details of the final USAI package, questions remain about how and whether the United States will continue to assist its ally in the absence of dedicated USAI funding.

During his campaign, Trump repeatedly questioned the level of U.S. involvement in the conflict, suggesting European allies should bear more of the financial burden. Some of his fellow Republicans - who will control both the House of Representatives and Senate starting next month - have also cooled on aid to Kyiv.

This stance - despite strong past support in the U.S. Congress for sustained or expanded support for Ukraine - has raised concerns among Ukraine's supporters in Washington about the future of U.S. assistance under a Trump administration.

(Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington; Editing by Don Durfee and Rod Nickel)
By Alexandra Alper and Karen Freifeld

(Reuters) - The Biden administration plans to blacklist a Chinese company whose TSMC-made chip was illegally incorporated into a Huawei artificial-intelligence processor, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The Chinese company, Sophgo, drew attention after a chip found on Huawei's Ascend 910B multi-chip system matched one it ordered from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company.

Sophgo is the latest Chinese company slated to be punished by the U.S. for helping Huawei. This month, the Commerce Department added other companies viewed as part of Huawei's shadow network to the U.S. Commerce Department's restricted trade list.

Sophgo, an affiliate of bitcoin mining equipment supplier Bitmain, is in the process of being placed on the list, known as the Entity List, the source said.

Companies are added to the list for activities contrary to U.S. national security and foreign-policy interests. Exporters are then barred from shipping goods and technology to them without a license, which is likely to be denied.

China's Huawei, a telecommunications equipment maker and technology conglomerate, was placed on the list in 2019. Since 2020, it has been a violation to ship even foreign-made chips to the company without a license.

A U.S. Commerce Department spokesperson declined to comment.

Sophgo did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In an October statement, the company said it "has never been engaged in any direct or indirect business relationship with Huawei."

Sophgo is a supplier to local governments and state-owned firms such as China Telecom, according to tenders reviewed by Reuters.

Over the past two years, Sophgo and Bitmain AI chips have been bought by Chinese state-run universities building AI tools and police stations looking to upgrade their surveillance capabilities, according to the tender review.

RESEARCH FIRM DISCOVERED CHIP

Tech research firm TechInsights took apart the Huawei 910B, discovered the TSMC chip and informed the chipmaker, which notified the U.S. Commerce Department, as Reuters reported in October. After determining the chip matched Sophgo's design, TSMC suspended shipments to the company, sources have said.

TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker, said in October it has not supplied Huawei since 2020.

A Taiwan official said that month that TSMC alerted Taiwan and U.S. authorities and began a detailed investigation.

A TSMC spokesperson declined comment on Friday about what the investigation had turned up.

Starting on Nov. 11, the U.S. ordered TSMC to halt shipments to China of seven-nanometer or more advanced chips that could be used in AI applications, as Reuters exclusively reported.
Dec. 19Thousands of petition signatures were collected by Death Penalty Action leaders and supporters claiming an unfair clemency process for Kevin Underwood who was ultimately executed Thursday.

Underwood was executed for his 2006 murder of 10-year-old Jamie Rose Bolin.

Those protesting with DPA first gathered at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 18, outside the office of Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt in Oklahoma City to deliver that petition.

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"There is no reason for Oklahoma to continue executions, and especially not with a man who is so severely mentally ill," said Abraham Bonowitz, Executive Director of Death Penalty Action, who was outside the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester on Thursday morning.

Bonowitz said Oklahoma can be perfectly safe from people who have committed awful crimes while holding them accountable without executions.

"We know this because we don't execute the vast majority of convicted killers," Bonowitz said.

The execution was the fourth execution this year in Oklahoma and the 25th nationwide, joining eight other states including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Missouri, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah.

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Underwood was the final execution of the year in the U.S. Of note, Wednesday morning's execution in Indiana was the third state this year to resume executions after more than a decade without them, following Utah in August and South Carolina in September. Idaho failed to complete an attempted execution in February.

Bonowitz said he delivered the petition to Gov. Stitt and held protest vigils outside the Governor's Mansion in Oklahoma City.

Bonowitz with Heidi Leach and Charles Keith, from Ohio, held another protest vigil in front of OSP with a live hybrid virtual vigil hosted by DPA.

According to DPA, the hosted vigils start one hour ahead of every scheduled U.S. execution, convening a multi-faith panel of experts and faith leaders and connecting viewers worldwide with the protest on the ground at the prison.

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The protesters joined The Rev. Bryan Brooks and The Very Rev. Khiet Nquyen's prayer vigil waiting for Underwood's time of death at 10:14 a.m. Both Brooks and Nquyen are from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa, The Catholic Church of Eastern Oklahoma.

Bonowitz held a laptop streaming the virtual vigil and rung The Delaware Bell, which the DPA brought, before and after the priests' prayer vigil.

According to DPA, the Delaware Bell "was tolled outside many of Delaware's 16 executions" before the state's Supreme Court declared the death penalty unconstitutional and the legislature scrubbed the death penalty from the state statute.

The bell was gifted to DPA by Delaware Citizens Opposed to the Death Penalty "to share its clarion call for abolition wherever executions are threatened."

Sue Hosch of the Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty rang the bell for 14 previously executed Oklahoma death row inmates since 2021 and then one for Underwood.
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO)  For most people, the holidays are usually a joyous time of year. For others, theyre anything but.

Mental health professionals say the holidays are a vital time to check in with adolescents, namely those who have gone through childhood mental, physical and sexual abuse to make sure they feel valued and safe.

There are thousands of abuse cases in Illinois each year. Many of them happen in the Rockford area and dozens involve children. Experts say it is common for child survivors to be unable to process their grief.

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Their brain isnt fully developed yet, said Nicole Didier, a therapist at Forest City Counseling in Rockford. So, theyre not able to communicate or even necessarily know or be aware because they dont have a developed prefrontal cortex, which [controls] logic, reasoning, ability to relate.

Didier says its not uncommon for teens, even adults in their early 20s who have survived trauma when they were younger, to withdraw during times like Christmas. She says during those times, its important for parents and guardians to check in to help them work through their emotions.

If they dont give you an answer, if they say, I dont know, or Im fine, dont press, she said. The biggest thing that we can do is just be present and just be with them.

All of the busyness, commotioneven the joyassociated with the holidays can be triggering for a survivor.

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It can be extremely difficult and create a lot of barriers and situations where you are going to see teenagers withdraw, or you are going to see them pull away, Didier said. You are going to see them lash out.

Justin Russell, an assistant research professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, says long-term suppression of grief brought on by childhood abuse can lead to very serious situations down the road.

What will happen is, even if you reduce those symptoms of the next few years, you are still going to bear the scars of having lived in that environment, Russell said. And youre going to be at risk of mental health problems, as well as physical health problems, for the rest of your life.

Didier says its important to meet young trauma survivors where they are and never force them to enjoy the holidays.

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What we can do is hold spaceif you need to come in my classroom, if you need to come into my office and just beat the pillows, [and] throw stuff around, she said. If you want to take ornaments and like rip them up, lets do that. Give them space to do something with that negative energy that maybe theyre not ready to talk about.

If you are a survivor of domestic or sexual violence, visit our Stateline Strong page for resources.

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.
German enterprises are said to be increasingly considering Uzbekistan as a potential market, encouraged by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the German textile sector.

The report titled Human Rights Due Diligence: Assessing Risk for German Companies in Uzbekistans Textile Sector evaluates how these companies perform human rights due diligence to align with supply chain laws.

It investigates how well companies meet their due diligence responsibilities and what changes are necessary to ensure adherence to German and EU laws as well as accepted standards for responsible business practices.

Uzbek Forum for Human Rights founder and director Umida Niyazova said: Rights violations, including Illegal land grabbing, arbitrary state interference in cotton production contracts and mandatory production quotas, reveal the lack of protections for those involved in cotton production in Uzbekistan. "

The report also warns some companies are supplying the cotton to a number of German brands via producers in Turkiye or elsewhere.

"Effective and thorough human rights due diligence is therefore key to protect brand integrity.

With cotton production privatisation, Uzbekistan has introduced cluster models that integrate farming, processing, and manufacturing. Yet issues such as coercive contracts, limited land tenure for farmers, and poor labour conditions are seen to remain prevalent.

These include potential forced labour during harvest due to government quotas presented as forecasts, restrictions on unionising, land insecurity, governmental interference, and farmer exploitation.

Businesses face the expectation to undertake risk-based due diligence to identify and mitigate human rights risks in their supply chains.

Report author Ben Vanpeperstraete said: The public communication of companies does not give confidence that they are adequately assessing or addressing risk, particularly when sourcing from Uzbekistan. Our research identified an overly broad approach to human rights due diligence, rather than a tailored approach that reflects the Uzbek context, which still poses significant risks for compliance.

Principal observations:

- Despite reforms in Uzbekistan abolishing state-enforced systematic forced labour, residual risks persist.

- The possibility of forced labour and other human rights abuses within the Uzbek cotton industry remains considerable.

- Corporate disclosures indicate a lack of recognition of forced labour or other rights abuses as risks when sourcing from Uzbekistan; there is also an absence of information on efforts to detect, prevent, address, and rectify such issues.
President Trump recently said he does not like vaccine mandates in schools, igniting concern among many people. FatCamera via Getty Images

Another week brings more health care proposals, as incoming President Donald Trump and his pick for the head of the Department of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. share plans to change up some establishments throughout the United States. From vaccine access to funding changes to firing staffers at the National Institutes of Health, it seems no area will be untouched by the new administration.

One major area of concern throughout the country is vaccines. Recently, Trump voiced distaste for school vaccine mandates and said he and Kennedy are going to have a big discussion about childhood vaccination programs. Kennedy has long been known as an anti-vaccine advocate who has repeated debunked claims linking autism and vaccination (which Trump has also echoed) and is now working with a lawyer who previously tried to revoke approval of the polio vaccine for children.

All of this could signal a change to the lifesaving routine vaccinations for children in the United States. While no one knows exactly what will play out in the coming months, experts have thoughts on what an end to longstanding vaccine programs and mandates could mean if they happen. Heres what they say:

If childhood vaccine programs disappear, wed likely see an increase in infectious disease outbreaks in time.

First of all, we have to understand that this is the worst-case scenario, and I think it is unlikely, said Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine in the department of health policy at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. But should the general support in its various sources for the childhood immunization program be diminished or end, what would happen is we would have a growing population of under- and unvaccinated children growing up in the United States.

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If you look back to the late 1960s when there was not large support for childhood vaccinations and there werent school vaccine mandates, roughly 60% of children were vaccinated. While more than half of children were vaccinated, it wasnt enough to keep infectious diseases from spreading.

You would have a circumstance where there would be continuing outbreaks of these now bygone infectious diseases once again, Schaffner said.

Many of these infectious diseases have been out of the publics consciousness for decades.

If we ask the average new mom Whats diphtheria? or even maybe Whats polio? they wouldnt really be able to give us a comprehensive answer. Isnt that wonderful? Because theyve never experienced it. Their mother never experienced it. Their grandmothers never experienced it, Schaffner said.

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This is because these diseases were eliminated through vaccination. So, this is something we need to protect, because these illnesses are still out in the world ... and these germs dont require passports to come back into this country, he said. Should these laws be rescinded and these [susceptible children] grow up, the first disease that we would see being imported is measles because its so highly contagious, but the others would take a longer time.

This means, in the short term, it may look like nothing bad has happened after the elimination of vaccine programs  it will take a little bit longer, but then when it hits, it will hit very hard, Schaffner added.

It could be harder for people to access vaccines if they dont have the financial resources.

I dont have a crystal ball ... there are many things that could be possible here. Now, we hear people say that our vaccines are not going to be taken away, that people should have choice, but its hard to know if thats actually what intent looks like, said Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, a pediatric infectious disease professor at Stanford University in California. Even if there was choice, lack of access to vaccines could limit peoples choice.

In the U.S., we currently have pretty easy access to lifesaving vaccines, whether through insurance or programs for people without private insurance like the Vaccines for Children program (VFC). The VFC has been around for decades and makes access to vaccination equitable from the standpoint of the cost, she noted. But if there are changes to the funds the government needs for a program like this, it could lead to major problems.

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If that was restricted, then only people who could afford to pay for vaccines could get them, and that would be a real tragedy because that would be a huge disparity, Maldonado noted. But, again, we dont know what policies are going to look like going forward.

Vaccine mandates in schools keep kids healthy and keep eradicated viruses away. skynesher via Getty Images

There are structural supports that protect some vaccine access.

Maldonado said that processes dont move quickly enough for things to just be taken away at once.

Products that have been vetted for for a long time and have been produced for a long time ... Im hoping they dont just disappear. Given that theres so many structures in place that regulate what we can provide for people, it would be really a shame, and its hard for me to envision that things would just be taken away, Maldonado said.

Schaffner doesnt think the countrys childhood vaccination program would completely cease because of some structural supports.

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Congress would actually have to rescind that legislation, and I dont think that will be popular in any congresspersons district, he said. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians strongly support vaccination, and they will still continue to support that, and I think the private insurance programs in this country will continue to support vaccinations.

Vaccine mandates are another major discussion, Schaffner noted. In the U.S., children are required to get vaccinations to enter school and daycare  although there are exemptions, such as religious and medical.

Vaccine mandates are not federal laws, they were instituted in each of the individual 50 states, Schaffner said.

Since these laws were passed in every state, that meant they had to go through the House of Representatives and the state Senate of each of these states, he continued. There were legislative bodies that debated whether children should be protected against these diseases ... these laws, in their variations across the 50 states, passed and they were signed into law by governors representing the entire political spectrum in the United States.

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So there was then, and I hope now, a continuing support for obliging us to do this, Schaffner said.

These laws have made illnesses that used to plague children and their families dramatically lower in the U.S.

Those laws have moved our vaccination rates for children higher than the vaccination rates in any other country in the world, and as a consequence, we have eliminated a whole array of illnesses that plague children and their families, he added.

Routine vaccinations prevent millions of deaths in children throughout the world every year.

Its estimated that around the world, routine vaccines probably prevent, at a minimum, 3 million deaths a year in children, said Maldonado. And in the U.S., they probably prevent about 30,000 or more deaths a year.

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Stopping vaccinations would really be a huge step back in terms of keeping children healthy and alive, Maldonado added.

In the meantime, there are ways to protect your familys health.

If youre worried about the future of vaccines, first, try not to panic. Its impossible to know whats going to happen until it happens, and there are certain supports in place that help protect vaccine access.

Nonetheless, there are things you can do to stay healthy. You can start by talking to your doctor and your childrens doctor to make sure everyone is up-to-date on all recommended vaccinations, Schaffner advised. If you have questions about vaccinations and overall health, dont be afraid to talk to your physician, Maldonado said.

Your medical provider is there to answer your questions and to make sure that you are healthy and that your family is healthy, Maldonado explained. We in the medical community are constantly working to provide up-to-date information to providers and to patients [and] the public about what needs to be done to stay healthy. Not just for vaccines, but just in general.

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There are also lots of scary vaccine-related headlines and videos on social media. If you come across something that gives you pause, dont be afraid to message your doctor about it. Theyll be able to explain whats going on and if theres really cause for concern.

Social media is not a source of research and peer-reviewed information, so I would be very cautious, Maldonado said.

You can also look to resources like the American Academy of Pediatrics, which is an independent society that represents 67,000 pediatricians throughout the country. They have a ... publicly facing website, which is called healthychildren.org, and that is available to everyone to read, and theres lots of resources there, tool kits and slides and all kinds of information, Maldonado noted. The Centers for Disease Control and Preventions website is also a helpful resource.

And stay in the loop about the vaccination updates in your state.

Beyond caring for your family, you can pay attention to whats happening with your state legislature.

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Try to influence the legislation that is introduced regarding mandates and to make sure that your state health department still continues to promote vaccination, Schaffner said.

Vaccine mandates arent being issued in far-away Washington, he noted. This is close to home, each in our own state ... its remarkable that these are state laws that are in place and they can be altered locally. So this is something you can do with legislators who are in your state Capitol.

I think we just need to be aware that we have to be the caregivers of our families and our communities, Maldonado said.

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WESTFIELD, Mass. (WWLP)  The 104th Fighter Wing in Westfield is expecting to receive the F-35A Lightning II fighter jets, announced in a news release from State Senator John Velis.

The 104th Fighter Wing, located at Barnes Air National Guard Base, was selected by the U.S. Department of Defense to receive a new fleet F-35A fighter jets in 2026 to replace the aging F-15C and D-model aircraft used by the Air Force.

Final environmental study released on replacing aging F-15 aircraft at Barnes ANGB in Westfield

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The Department of the Air Force and the National Guard Bureau analyzed the potential environmental consequences of receiving the new aircraft the F-15EX or F-35A. A Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was released to the public last month that included studies for noise and project areas in Westfield before a decision was made.

This is a great day for the City of Westfield and all of western Massachusetts, as Barnes has solidified its place in our community for years to come. The decision to station a new fleet of F-35 aircraft at Barnes comes after years of advocacy by the Western Massachusetts Delegation, as well as Major General Keefe and state and local officials. Ultimately, the Air Force recognized not only Barnes critical role in defending our nation, but also something we in Massachusetts already know  we take care of our servicemembers, said Congressman Neal. I want to thank the dedicated airmen and women of Barnes who faithfully serve our nation. It is their integrity that has upheld the superb reputation of the 104th  an integral factor in this decision-making process.

This decision is a big win for Massachusetts. I worked hard to get this commitment for Barnes to enhance our national security, position our F-35s at a more climate-resilient base, and strengthen our economy in western Massachusetts, said Senator Warren. Ill keep working to bring home more wins for Massachusetts servicemembers and their families through my work on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Finalizing the decision to assign F-35s to the 104th Fighter Wing ensures Barnes Air National Guard Base will remain a key part of our nations air defense and a vital contributor to the western Massachusetts economy, said Governor Maura Healey. This decision not only reinforces the Wings historic legacy but also provides a lasting economic impact, creating high-quality jobs and enhancing the regions resilience. This decision is a testament to the 104ths extraordinary history and their ongoing dedication to the defense of our state and our country.

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The Department of the Air Forces decision to allocate F-35s to the 104th Fighter Wing marks a monumental moment for our unit and its critical role in our nations air defense, said Maj. Gen. Gary W. Keefe, The Adjutant General, Massachusetts National Guard. The 104th Fighter Wing has long been a cornerstone of our nations air defense capabilities, and this transition to the next-generation airframe solidifies our readiness and relevance for decades to come. This decision not only enhances our operational capabilities but also ensures the Wings ability to continue its proud tradition of excellence as we look forward to future missions and challenges.

This Record of Decision continues the 78-year legacy of fighter aircraft operating at Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport and solidifies a bright future for the 104th Fighter Wing and the 1100 dedicated airmen and civilians who work on this base. We look forward to our nations most capable fighter aircraft, the F-35, inheriting the air defense mission from our venerable F-15C, said Col. David L. Halasi-Kun, Commander of the 104th Fighter Wing. This new aircraft ensures the critical defense of the airspace of New England and New York and the protection of the 40 million Americans beneath that blanket of freedom. None of this is possible without the support of our local communities and our elected officials. Local, state, and federal representatives were instrumental in this decision-making process. Their efforts ensured the future of this fighter wing for generations to come, and soon the premier aircraft will be placed in the most capable hands at the best location to defend this nation we love.

I am beyond thrilled that the Secretary of the Air Force has solidified the assignment of the F-35As to the 104th Fighter Wing today, ensuring that the 104th remains a critical piece of our countrys national defense strategy for decades to come. This final signature is the product of the Commonwealths steadfast dedication to remain one of the best states in the nation for our service members and families to call home, said Senator Velis, Chairman of the Legislatures Veterans Committee and a U.S. Veteran. Through the passage of legislation such as the SPEED Act, and subsequently parts of the HERO Act, Massachusetts has demonstrated to the Department of Defense our commitment to continually surpass all expectations related to our care for service-members and military families and todays announcement is a recognition of that support for our military.

With the stationing of the F-35s at the Massachusetts Air National Guards 104th Fighter Wing, the 104th will continue its proud stewardship as the first line of defense for the northeastern seaboard of the United States, said Westfield Mayor Michael McCabe. The City of Westfield is honored to host them and would like to thank everyone who worked with us to make this happen.

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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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWLP.
Its no secret that the B and C variants of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter lack an internal 25mm cannon like the A version. Instead, they rely on belly-mounted pods to provide gun capability. Whats perhaps less well known is that the gun pods for the F-35B and the F-35C are not identical and are not interchangeable due to substantial structural differences between those aircraft.

The fact of the existence of F-35B and F-35C-specific gun pods  designated GPU-9/A and GPU-8/A, respectively  is highlighted in a recent U.S. military contracting notice about plans to purchase more of both types from General Dynamics. Both pod types contain a single four-barrelled 25mm Gatling-type GAU-22/A cannon and 220 rounds of ammunition. Some sources have previously described the GPU-8/A as a 30mm gun pod developed for the F-16-series, but this appears to be a case of confusion with the GPU-5/A pod and its GAU-13/A derivative of the famed GAU-8/A Avenger cannon found on the A-10 Warthog.

A US Marine Corps F-35C armed with a gun pod prepares to launch from the USS Abraham Lincoln during the RIMPAC 2022 exercise. USN

A heavily redacted declassified copy of a report on the Joint Strike Fighter program that the Project on Government Oversight (POGO), an independent nonprofit, obtained and published back in November further confirms that there are two pods and they are not interchangeable. The Pentagons Office of the Director of Test and Evaluation produced the report, which is dated February 2024.

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A podded version of the GAU-22/A is available for the F-35B and F-35C, which is externally carried on the centerline station of these aircraft, an unredacted portion of the report states. Differences in the outer mold-line fairing mount make the gun pods unique to each variant (i.e. an F-35B gun pod cannot be mounted on an F-35C aircraft).

As already noted, the GPU-8/A and the GPU-9/A do both contain the same gun and the same amount of ammunition. From available pictures, outwardly the two pods look virtually the same, but beyond that, what the total level of commonality between them might be is unclear. The War Zone has reached out to the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) for more details.

A nearly 20-year-old General Dynamics briefing slide showing a single design of a podded gun system for the short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) version and carrier variant (CV) of the F-35 (or F-35B and F-35C, respectively). General Dynamics

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Another General Dynamics briefing slide on the GAU-22/A cannon, shown here in the context of its internal mounting on the F-35A. General Dynamics

The podded guns do appear to have largely escaped the serious problems the internally-mounted GAU-22/A has faced over the years. Issues linked to the helmet-mounted displays (HMD) that pilots use when flying all F-35 variants have impacted gun effectiveness across the board in the past, but are said to have been resolved. You can read more about F-35As gun-related woes here.

A U.S. Marine Corps F-35B was damaged in 2021 after a 25mm shell exploded shortly after leaving the muzzle of its podded gun, but the exact circumstances behind that mishap are unclear. That same year, another Marine F-35B, operating from the Royal Navys carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth at the time, reportedly landed at Kadena Air Base in Japan due to unspecified issues with its gun pod.

If nothing else, the fact that there are two gun pods for the F-35 series highlights the significant differences between the B and C variants, as well as the A model. There is only approximately 20% parts commonality between the three versions of the Joint Strike Fighter despite their external looks and shared development. The short takeoff and vertical landing capable F-35B is particularly unique with its integrated lift fan, articulating exhaust nozzle, and substantially lightened core structure, as well as its internal weapons bay thats smaller than either the A or C. The Bs design also necessitates the inclusion of an automatic ejection system that you can read more about here.

The variant-specific gun pods also underscore the maintenance, logistics, and sustainment issues caused by the very limited commonality between F-35 variants. The lack of interchangeability means that units flying F-35B and Cs notably cannot leverage a common pool, at least when it comes to complete pods.

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The War Zone has previously explored in great detail extremely worrisome spare parts and related supply chain issues facing the F-35, exacerbated by differences in the three versions, which could have serious operational impacts, especially during a sustained high-end fight in a vast battlespace. The often convoluted nature of the logistics ecosystem around the Joint Strike Fighter has created hurdles even for exercises and other routine peacetime deployments. The U.S. military is well aware of these issues, but has long struggled in addressing them.

In the meantime, the Pentagon will have to contend with the realities the differences between the F-35 variants impose, including the fact that they all have unique gun systems.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has temporarily banned drones over some of New Yorks critical infrastructure sites.

This action is purely precautionary; there are no threats to these sites, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said in a statement Thursday. The ban will last through Jan. 18.

While we have not detected any public safety or national security threats, we will continue aggressively monitoring the situation as we call on Congress to pass legislation to give states and local law enforcement the authority and resources they need to manage this evolving technology. Public safety is my top priority and I will stop at nothing to keep my constituents safe, she added.

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The FAA issued a similar monthlong ban on drones in parts of New Jersey earlier Thursday.

Drones have reportedly been spotted in New Jersey and New York in recent weeks. Earlier this week, Hochul said the Biden-Harris administration had sent a drone detection system to the state, NewsNation reported.

Officials in the U.S. have insisted the drones do not belong to the U.S. military and are also not the property of foreign governments. The Department of Homeland Security, FBI, Department of Defense and FAA issued a joint statement earlier this week about drones amid growing concerns.

Lawmakers and residents have been pushing for more government transparency and answers about what these objects are, as the number of places sightings have taken place continues to grow.

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The sightings in New York closed the runways at New Windsors Stewart International Airport for roughly an hour last week as more than 40 million Americans are expected to travel by air during the upcoming holidays, though the closures did not seem to impact flight traffic. At the time, Hochul said the sightings had gone too far.

NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns The Hill.

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.
ZURICH(Reuters) - The European Union and Switzerland - the bloc's fourth largest export market - reached a political deal on Friday to overhaul their trade ties, setting in motion a lengthy approval process.

The two hope to formally conclude their negotiation in the spring after which the package of measures faces parliamentary hurdles and a likely referendum in Switzerland.

Here is what it contains:

NEW AGREEMENTS ON ELECTRICITY, FOOD SAFETY AND HEALTH

An electricity deal that has been long in the making integrates Switzerland into the bloc's grid, helping stabilise networks and allowing the EU to draw on Swiss hydropower.

The accord worries some Swiss grid operators, who fear disadvantages from market liberalisation.

An agreement on food safety provides for Swiss access to the European Food Safety Authority and reduces trade barriers.

An accord on health addresses cross-border threats by improving crisis prevention and ensuring continuous cooperation between EU and Swiss authorities.

DISPUTE RESOLUTION

Fulfilling a central EU demand, Switzerland agreed on a mechanism to align laws with relevant EU legislation, subject to constitutional safeguards, and on a way to handle disputes.

If a joint EU-Swiss committee fails to solve a dispute, cases will move to an arbitration panel, which must consult the Court of Justice of the European Union for interpretation.

Both parties can take proportionate measures across market access treaties to compensate for imbalances stemming from an unresolved dispute.

Swiss opposition to the deal has centred on the argument that Switzerland should not be subject to the dictates of EU courts that infringe on its ability to set policy.

'PROTECTION CLAUSE' ON IMMIGRATION

Swiss officials have been seeking to agree terms under which they can control immigration from the EU, a sensitive topic for the bloc as officials worry that notable concessions would encourage member states to seek their own opt-outs.

The Swiss government said it secured a protection clause to address serious economic or social issues relating to immigration using an arbitration mechanism.

The EU can take proportionate measures to compensate for Swiss restrictions on immigration that it does not agree on. Such measures could no longer target areas beyond market access like research or health, the Swiss government said.

RESEARCH, STATE AID

When Switzerland refused to sign a previously negotiated deal with the EU in 2021, it lost access to the bloc's research, innovation and educational programs. The new deal reinstates Switzerland's participation.
By Jack Queen

(Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is making good on his threats to go after the media in court, with several recent lawsuits seeking damages against major publishers over what he describes as false or misleading coverage.

Here is a look at five of the cases and where they stand:

DES MOINES REGISTER POLL LAWSUIT

Trump on Monday sued the Des Moines Register and its former pollster J. Ann Selzer in Iowa state court over an opinion poll published ahead of the Nov. 5 U.S. election showing Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris leading Trump by 3 percentage points in Iowa.

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Trump, a Republican who ultimately won Iowa, accused the Register and Selzer of engaging in brazen election interference by manipulating the poll and leaking it to Democratic operatives before publication.

A spokesperson for the Des Moines Register acknowledged that "the poll did not reflect the ultimate margin" of Trump's victory in Iowa, but said "we stand by our reporting on the matter and believe a lawsuit would be without merit."

The lawsuit also names the Register's parent company Gannett and accuses the defendants of violating Iowas Consumer Fraud Act, which makes it illegal to use deceptive or misleading practices in connection with the sale or advertisement of goods.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and an order that would bar the defendants from deceptive and misleading acts related to the poll and compel them to disclose all information related to it.

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ABC RAPE COMMENTS LAWSUIT

ABC News settled a defamation suit brought by Trump on Dec. 14, agreeing to donate $15 million to his presidential library and issue a statement saying it regretted comments about Trump made by anchor George Stephanopolous.

Trump alleged in the lawsuit filed in March in federal court in Florida that Stephanopolous defamed him by saying he had been found liable for rape.

Stephanoplous was referring to a civil case brought against Trump by writer E. Jean Carroll, who accused Trump of sexually assaulting her in a New York department store in the 1990s. A jury found Trump liable for defamation and sexual abuse but not rape, which is a separate offense under New York state law.

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Trump has denied assaulting Carroll. He is appealing the judgment, as well as a jury verdict finding him liable for defaming Carroll in a separate case she filed over the same alleged incident.

U.S. District Judge Cecilia Altonaga in Miami had denied ABCs initial motion to dismiss the case, though that did not necessarily mean Trump would have won.

An ABC News spokesperson said in a statement that the network was pleased that the parties had reached an agreement to dismiss the lawsuit.

CBS 60 MINUTES HARRIS INTERVIEW LAWSUIT

Trump filed a $10 billion lawsuit against CBS in October, alleging the network deceptively edited an interview with then-presidential candidate Harris to tip the scales in favor of the Democratic Party in the election.

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CBS aired two versions of the Harris interview in which she appears to give different answers to the same question about the Israel-Hamas war, according to the lawsuit filed in federal court in Texas.

Trump alleged CBSs editing of the interview violated the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices-Consumer Protection Act, which makes it illegal to use false, misleading or deceptive acts in commerce.

Millions of Americans, including residents of Texas and this district, were confused and misled by the two doctored Interview versions, the lawsuit says.

CBS said in a statement that the lawsuit is meritless and that it did not doctor the interview or hide any parts of Harris answers.

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CBS filed a motion to dismiss on Dec. 6, saying the lawsuit should be thrown out for lack of jurisdiction or at least transferred to New York.

Trump's lawyers have not yet responded.

SIMON & SCHUSTER RECORDING COPYRIGHTLAWSUIT

Trump sued Simon & Schuster in federal court in Florida in January 2023, accusing the book publisher and author Bob Woodward of violating copyright laws through systematic usurpation, manipulation, and exploitation of audio recordings of Trump that the veteran journalist gathered during interviews.

Trump accuses the defendants of illegally profiting from the recordings by distributing them without his permission and taking them out of context to cast him in a poor light. He seeks unspecified damages.

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Simon & Schuster and Woodward said in a statement that the lawsuit was meritless and that the interviews were on the record and recorded with Trumps consent. The publisher is trying to get the case moved to a federal court in New York.

Discovery in the case has been put on hold while a judge weighs whether it was brought in the proper court.

In a Tuesday court filing, Trumps lawyers told a judge they hope Simon & Schuster would follow Mr. Stephanopoulos expression of contrition, adding that Trumps election win has led to renewed accountability among those who violated his rights over the last four years.

CNN BIG LIE DEFAMATION LAWSUIT

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A federal judge in July 2023 dismissed a $475 million defamation lawsuit Trump brought against CNN over the networks use of the term the big lie to describe his false claims that he won the 2020 election and allegedly comparing him to Adolf Hitler.

In his October 2022 suit in a federal court in Florida, Trump argued that CNN's repeated use of "big lie" and the Hitler comparison in a January 2022 special report were intended to "aggravate, scare, and trigger people.

U.S. District Judge Raag Singhal in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, found that CNNs use of big lie and the comparisons to Hitler were opinions, not facts.

Being Hitler-like is not a verifiable statement of fact that would support a defamation claim, Singhal said.

Trump is appealing the order.

(Reporting by Jack Queen; editing by Amy Stevens and Jonathan Oatis)
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR)  Oklahomas newest proposed academic standards for social studies has a lens on Christianity and the teaching of Jesus. It also includes an overview of world religions.

They have no idea the depths of the lessons that theyre trying to implement into public school curriculum. said Rev. Fleck.

Reverend and Dr. Shannon Fleck is the Executive Director of the Oklahoma Faith Network. Rev. Fleck has studied Theology and world religions for more than a decade.

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One of the things Christian Nationalism has done to our country is to push this myth that our Founding Fathers were die hard Christians, wanting Christianity and Jesus and God and everything. What I want to say today is thats false, Rev. Fleck said.

LOCAL NEWS: Stillwater schools facing $5.5 million budget shortfall

In a press release, State Superintendent Ryan Walters said in part, We are presenting a successful model that others can emulate for how to restore public education and eradicate the radical woke influences from our schools.

Rev. Fleck says, This is not needed to be a successful student in Oklahoma. This is needed at home with family and your friends and used to guide your life.

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For example, a concept listed in the second grade curriculum wants students to identify stories from Christianity that influenced the American Colonists.

Oklahoma Academic Standards for Social Studies courtesy Oklahoma Education

Sixth graders are asked to evaluate the role of Judeo-Christian ideals in supporting colonial demands for independence.

Oklahoma Academic Standards for Social Studies courtesy Oklahoma Education

High schoolers would be expected to describe Christianity in ancient Rome, including the meanings and effects of Jesus of Nazareths words as recorded by Matthew.

Oklahoma Academic Standards for Social Studies courtesy Oklahoma Education

Our founding fathers believed in God to the point where they were going to keep it separate from the founding of our country, because every person deserves to follow God in their own terms, said Rev. Fleck

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News 4 reached out to a number of schools for their reaction to the proposed standards. So far, weve only heard back from Tulsa Public Schools. They sent the following statement below.

Together with our locally elected Board of Education, Tulsa Public Schools works hand-in-hand with input from our teachers, leaders, families, and community to select the most appropriate curriculum and instructional materials to equip our students to meet or exceed the standards set forth by the state department only once standards have been approved by the state legislature. We encourage our community and Tulsa Public Schools families to review the proposed draft of the standards released today and submit their comments to the Oklahoma State Department of Education by the January 21 deadline. Tulsa Public Schools

The revised standards are available for open comment through January 21, 2025. Feedback received during that time period will be reviewed by OSDE in the revision process.

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.
Vast Resources plc / Ticker: VAST / Index: AIM / Sector: Mining

20 December 2024

Vast Resources plc

(Vast or the Company)

Results of Annual General Meeting

Vast Resources plc, the AIM-listed mining company, is pleased to announce that at the Companys Annual General Meeting held earlier today the proposed resolutions were all duly passed with proxy voting as follows:

Resolution 1: 96.49%

Resolution 2: 86.72%

Resolution 3: 84.38%

Resolution 4: 92.18%

Resolution 5: 87.29%

Resolution 6: 84.37%

Resolution 7: 84.29%

Resolution 8: 84.29%

Resolution 9: 84.30%

Resolution 10: 84.30%

**ENDS**

For further information, visit www.vastplc.com or please contact:

Vast Resources plc

Andrew Prelea (CEO)



www.vastplc.com

+44 (0) 20 7846 0974 Beaumont Cornish  Financial & Nominated Advisor

Roland Cornish

James Biddle



www.beaumontcornish.com

+44 (0) 20 7628 3396 Shore Capital Stockbrokers Limited  Joint Broker

Toby Gibbs / James Thomas (Corporate Advisory)



www.shorecapmarkets.co.uk

+44 (0) 20 7408 4050 Axis Capital Markets Limited  Joint Broker

Richard Hutchinson



www.axcap247.com

+44 (0) 20 3206 0320 St Brides Partners Limited

Susie Geliher www.stbridespartners.co.uk

+44 (0) 20 7236 1177

ABOUT VAST RESOURCES PLC

Vast Resources plc is a United Kingdom AIM listed mining company with mines and projects in Romania, Tajikistan, and Zimbabwe.

In Romania, the Company is focused on the rapid advancement of high-quality projects by recommencing production at previously producing mines.

The Company's Romanian portfolio includes 100% interest in Vast Baita Plai SA which owns 100% of the producing Baita Plai Polymetallic Mine, located in the Apuseni Mountains, Transylvania, an area which hosts Romania's largest polymetallic mines. The mine has a JORC compliant Reserve & Resource Report which underpins the initial mine production life of approximately 3-4 years with an in-situ total mineral resource of 15,695 tonnes copper equivalent with a further 1.8M-3M tonnes exploration target. The Company is now working on confirming an enlarged exploration target of up to 5.8M tonnes.

The Company also owns the Manaila Polymetallic Mine in Romania, which the Company is looking to bring back into production following a period of care and maintenance. The Company has also been granted the Manaila Carlibaba Extended Exploitation Licence that will allow the Company to re-examine the exploitation of the mineral resources within the larger Manaila Carlibaba licence area.

Vast has an interest in a joint venture company which provides exposure to a near term revenue opportunity from the Takob Mine processing facility in Tajikistan. The Takob Mine opportunity, which is 100% financed, will provide Vast with a 12.25 percent royalty over all sales of non-ferrous concentrate and any other metals produced.
Dec. 19Niagara Falls City Council Chairman Jim Perry has landed on a statewide good government group's "naughty" list for 2024.

Members of the New York Coalition for Open Government named Perry among a group of 10 public officials and public entities that they believe behaved badly when it came to fostering open discourse and transparency this year.

The group cited as Perry's primary offense his decision to prevent resident Tanya Barone from discussing a Freedom of Information Law request during the public speaking portion of the Sept. 4 city council meeting. The coalition also criticized Perry for directing a police officer inside city hall to escort Barone away from the podium in council chambers when she insisted the information she obtained about the city's animal sheltering contract was a matter covered under the "for the good of the community" portion of the meeting.

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"There's a couple people on this list that don't like hearing from the public and it's your responsibility as an elected official to hear from the public," coalition President Paul Wolf said.

"It should not be that big of a burden to hear what people have to say whether you like it or not," he added.

Following the Sept. 4 meeting, Wolf said he believed Perry owed Barone a public apology for what he described as "truly outrageous" conduct on the council chairman's part.

At the time, Wolf, a Williamsville attorney who founded the statewide government transparency group, said Perry had "no legitimate reason" to bar Barone from discussing her FOIL request. He also agreed with Barone that the expenditure of tax dollars for a city contract was a proper issue to discuss during a council meeting.

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"It is truly outrageous for an elected city official to request that a member of the public be removed by a police officer because he did not like the topic she was addressing," Wolf said. "In America, you should not be removed from a public meeting because an elected official does not like what you have to say. Mr. Perry should learn from his mistake and publicly apologize for his behavior. It should not be that difficult for an elected official to simply listen to what a member of the public has to say."

Other notable officials making the coalition's 2024 naughty list included Gov. Kathy Hochul, and New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

Coalition members singled out Hochul for promising to usher New York into a "new era" of transparency when she became governor only to fail to deliver in any meaningful ways.

Wolf noted that Hochul recently vetoed legislation that would have required public entities in New York to post emergency contracts online, a requirement that he described as being "not a hard lift."

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In addition, Wolf noted that Hochul supported adding a new step in the state's response process that requires public employees to be notified when they are the subject of a FOIL request.

"The governor just doesn't seem to be that interested in this issue," Wolf said, referring to transparency in local and state governments.

Adams made the coalition list for delaying the release of his office schedule and for allowing two top New York City agencies  the police and transportation departments  to become "really bad offenders" where responding to requests for public information are concerned.

Wolf noted that a lawsuit revealed the New York City Police Department has delayed responses to 42,000 FOIL requests over a four-year period.

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"There's a lot of issues with transparency in New York City and the mayor as the chief officer of the city bears responsibility for that," Wolf said.

Coalition members also announced a group of individuals and public entities that made their "nice" list for promoting transparency in government in 2024.

This year's list included Jess Marciano, a trustee on the board in the Village of Medina who has been an advocate for greater transparency in Orleans County government and for educating the public about New York's open meeting laws.

The coalition also lauded one public entity  the Town of Hanover  for taking steps to get itself removed from the "naughty" list by improving the availability of public information on its website.

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"Hanover to their credit has worked on improving their website and it's significantly better than it once was and they are still working on it," Wolf said.

During Thursday's "naughty and nice" list presentation, coalition members said New York still has a lot of work to do when it comes to improving transparency and access to public information.

Albany County Legislator Mark Grimm, a former television news reporter and anchor who was named to the coalition's "nice" list for consistently advocating for better government transparency said he believes state law needs to be modified to include real punishments for offenders who frequently play "the shell game" when it comes to preventing the public from accessing information or meetings.

"I really think that's important," he said. "They get away with these things. That's why they do it."

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Under New York's current standards, Wolf said it's often the cast that residents or media outlets have to file lawsuits in order to compel public entities to share what should be public information.

"In other states, there's an independent body to enforce the law," he said. "The only recourse here is to hire an attorney."

"It's a continuing fight so as we go into 2025, hopefully we can make some progress here," he added.

For more information about the New York Coalition for Open Government, visit: https://nyopengov.org/.
DELPHI, Ind. (WXIN)  Richard Allen, the man convicted in the Delphi murders, learned his punishment Friday.

Special Judge Fran Gull sentenced Allen to 130 years for the murders of Abby Williams and Libby German, whose bodies were found in February 2017. Fridays proceedings also included victim impact statements.

Allen had faced between 45 years and 130 years in prison. He was given two 65-year sentences to be served consecutively, for a total of 130 years.

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COMPLETE COVERAGE | Delphi Murders Trial

The sentencing hearing comes more than a month after a jury found Allen guilty on four counts of murder. The verdict followed 17 days of testimony in the high-profile case.

Prosecutors said Allen put himself on the Monon High Bridge  near where the girls bodies were found  on Feb. 13, 2017, the day of the murders. They also said they linked him to the murders through an unspent cartridge found at the crime scene. A forensic firearms expert testified the cartridge had been cycled through Allens Sig Sauer P226, a firearm recovered by police during an October 2022 search of Allens home.

The line outside the Carroll County Courthouse before the sentencing hearing on Dec. 20, 2024. (WXIN)

While in custody, Allen confessed to the murders dozens of times. Gull allowed the confessions  and the bullet evidence  to be admitted at trial over the objections of Allens defense lawyers, Andrew Baldwin and Bradley Rozzi. The attorneys argued Allens confessions were the result of mental duress he suffered while being held in isolation for months.

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The special judge, appointed to the case by the Indiana Supreme Court after the original judge recused himself, stymied the defenses efforts to present its alternative murder theory in court. Allens attorneys blamed Odinists, members of a Norse pagan group, for killing the girls as part of a ritual.

Richard Allen is seen in an Oct. 2024 photo provided by the Indiana State Police. (Indiana State Police)

Allens attorneys filed a motion this week maintaining his innocence and saying they would not present evidence at Fridays sentencing hearing. They plan to move forward with an appeal.

Lets get this over with: Man charged with quadruple murder executed in Indiana

The trial began with jury selection in Fort Wayne on Oct. 14 before the proceedings shifted to Delphi on Oct. 18. The state and defense delivered closing arguments on Nov. 7, putting the case in the jurys hands. Jurors delivered their verdict on Nov. 11.

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During the sentencing hearing, Allen responded to a handful of questions from Gull. It was the first time hed spoken in court. He provided his name, answered a few questions and declined to speak on his own behalf. Gull advised him he had the right to appeal.

Fridays proceedings

Six family members described the impact of the girls murders on their lives and admonished the defense for its handling of the case. They were upset about the release of crime scene photos that stemmed from an evidence leak in 2023. The photos forced them to relive their nightmare over and over, they told the court.

Lt. Jerry Holeman, an Indiana State Police investigator who handled the case for years, said police poured our hearts and souls into the case for nearly eight years and called the murders very brutal. He said no one can imagine the fear the girls encountered that day and noted that Allen went on to live a normal life like nothing had happened.

Holeman interrogated Allen in October 2022. The interview ended with Allen daring Holeman to arrest him. Holeman obliged.

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Kerry Timmons, Libby Germans mother, couldnt adequately explain the path of destruction Allen left in his wake. She told the court she couldnt process how Allen, a husband and father, couldve done something so heinous.

German would be 22 years old and should be here, Timmons said, and the family was cheated out of her life, leaving them with massive grief and a hole in my soul.

Ill never understand how you were able to get away with this for so long, she told the court.

Please put me on your visitors list. Ill listen, she said, alluding to Allens desire to apologize to the girls families from one of his confessions.

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Josh Lank, a cousin of Germans, said she was one-of-a-kind, and that Allen took so much away from those girls.

He said God had no place for him but the devil has a place for him.

This man has made my familys life a living hell, he said. Now its time for your life to be a living hell.

He suggested Allen was a dead man walking.

Abby Williams grandmother, Diana Erskin, called the sentencing hearing a day of great sadness.

Williams brought so much joy to the family, she said. She wondered how she would ever erase the memories of the autopsy and crime scene photos.

Sleep is not an escape, she said, adding she seldom sleeps through the night without waking up.

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I will never be the same person I was before Abigails murder, she said. [Allen] took Abbys life on earth but she had already given her heart to God.

Williams grandfather, Eric Erskin, also took the stand. Like other family members, he said the murders were difficult to process and likened Abbys death to losing a limb that will never grow back.

He called the murders a horrific and senseless act. What he saw at the trial only affirmed he worst nightmares about what his granddaughter and her friend went through.

You will never take away our memories and their legacy, he said.

He criticized Allen for failing to set the record straight when he had the chance.

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Becky Patty, Germans grandmother, appeared angry on the stand. She had previously delivered emotional testimony during the trial. She said Allen was lying in wait and drank beer for liquid courage before he viciously and heartlessly killed the girls.

She called him a coward and noted hed developed photos for Germans funeral as part of his job as a pharmacy technician at the local CVS. This proved he showed no remorse, she told the court.

He robbed us all, she said. The world was robbed.

Patty then set her sights on Allens defense attorneys. Their actions, she said, had twisted the knife over and over, with crime scene photos still being shared online to this day, victimizing the families and the girls.

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She described the deafening silence at home and the grandchildren who would never come into their lives.

Their lives mattered, she said. He is the one responsible for all of this. This sentence needs to reflect the murders and each day [the girls] would have lived.

She told the court she hoped he ended up in the general prison population so he could have the human interaction he desperately craves.

Patty also said she hoped Allens relationship with God will compel him to stop the case from going forward.

I live with my choice to let them go to the trails that day, Patty said. What about you, Richard Allen?

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Mike Patty, Germans grandfather, also addressed the court. He called out the podcasters and YouTubers who suggested the family and police were corrupt. He reminded the court that the family received crime scene photos and noted Allen had showed no remorse and no regret.

Like other family members, he said he couldnt imagine the fear the girls felt once they encountered Allen on Feb. 13, 2017. He asked for a harsh sentence.

This is a man who, if allowed out, will kill again, he said. Hes a dangerous man.

Once the victim impact statements were over, Gull asked Allen if he wanted to address the court.

No, your honor, Allen answered.

Gull said she has been a judge for a long time and presided over some hideous cases. The Delphi murders ranked right up there, she said. The impact on the families was astonishing and they had to deal with Allens carnage.

Gull then addressed Allen directly.

You sit here and roll your eyes at me as you have rolled your eyes at me throughout this trial, Gull said. It was a telling moment, given that media and court observers couldnt see Allen from their vantage point to gauge his reaction to various happenings in court.

With her role in the case at its end, Gull lifted the gag order that had been in place for more than two years. The proceedings concluded with a contentious exchange between defense attorney Jennifer Auger and McLeland.

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Authorities in California have identified a family of four who are believed to have died in a murder-suicide.

On Thursday, Dec. 19, the Milpitas Police Department confirmed in a release that Vinh Nguyen, 36, Betty Pham, 36, and their two children, ages 9 and 4, were found dead in an apartment on Tuesday, Dec. 17.

Officers were dispatched to the Turing Apartments at 1355 McCandless Drive to conduct a welfare check after family members had not heard from their loved ones for several days, the release stated.

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Officers were able to gain access to the apartment and located Vinh Nguyen, Betty Pham, and their two children, ages 9 and 4, deceased inside.

Per ABC affiliate 7 News, Lieutenant Tyler Jamison stated the suspect was the father.

The outlet added that a Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) spokesperson confirmed the husband and wife were both employees at the transit center.

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 juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Getty Yellow police tape Yellow police tape

Related: Deadly House Fire That Claimed the Lives of Mom and 4 Kids Deemed Murder-Suicide

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Officials said that all the deceased had single gunshot wounds, adding that Nguyen had been identified as the suspect with the handgun  which was found at the scene  being legally registered to him.

In a press conference, Jamison revealed that the murder-suicide likely took place on Saturday, Dec. 14, reported CBS News.

Related: 3 Dead in a Family Murder-Suicide in Texas, Including a 15-Year-Old: Police

7 News added that a medical examiner's report stated the mother and father were going through a divorce.

Per the outlet, police said the pair had no record of domestic violence-related reports in Milpitas.

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"It's scary. You know, we have a family," Jerry Saldana, who lived above the family, told CBS News. "We got children ourselves, and to think that, you know, we're just right above, you know, the unit that it happened in, and not knowing any information."

In their statement, the police expressed their condolences.

"We are deeply saddened by this tragedy," they wrote. "The loss of their lives was preventable, and we urge those in need to seek support, to prevent incidents like this from happening again."

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.

Read the original article on People


The parents of an activist fatally shot by the Georgia State Patrol SWAT team in 2023 have filed a lawsuit against three law enforcement officers that they say violated their childs First and Fourth Amendment rights.

Manuel Esteban Paez Teran  better known as Tortuguita  was a 26-year-old nonbinary environmental activist who was protesting the razing of South River Forest to construct the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, also called Cop City. The facility has been polarizing on two fronts due to concern about its environmental impact and fear that it could encourage anti-Black police brutality.

The lawsuit is about what happened before [the shooting], how this event transpired, such that it was a terrible situation for everyone involved, said Jeff Filipovits, one of the attorneys representing the parents, Joel Paez and Belkis Teran.

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In the complaint filed on Dec. 17 in federal court, they name GBI officer Ryan Long, who they claim helped plan the operation, and two Georgia State Patrol officers, Mark Lamb and Bryland Myers, as the arresting officers.

According to the family, the lawsuits objective is to reveal what happened in the leadup to the Jan.18, 2023, raid that took Paez Terans life. On that day, a number of activists dubbed forest defenders were camping in Intrenchment Creek Park when a coalition of state and local law enforcement conducted a sweep to clear people out of the area.

Forest defenders are not terrorists, said Joel Paez at a Tuesday press conference announcing the lawsuit at Historic DeKalb Courthouse in Decatur. They are  and my child was  individuals concerned against environmental injustice. They are peaceful using their civil liberties and rights.

Paez Terans parents say they have been denied answers about the circumstances surrounding their childs death ever since the day they became the first environmental activist killed in the United States while protesting nearly two years ago, according to the lawsuit.

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I beg the authorities to help me to understand this situation, to have answers for this horrible crime that is bigger than just a problem here in Atlanta, said Belkis Teran, arguing that her child was killed for their political beliefs.

The family says Paez Terans activism in Intrenchment Creek Park was protected under the First Amendment and because Long helped plan the raid based on the protesters political beliefs, he violated their right to protest.

Similarly, by trying to arrest Paez Teran even though they were on public property and not giving them adequate time to depart the public park before placing them under arrest, the officers violated the activists Fourth Amendment rights, the lawsuit claims. They also allege that the officers used excessive force by shooting pepper balls into Paez Terans tent.

This is where the accounts of what happened that morning diverge. According to the GBI, Paez Teran responded to the pepper balls by shooting their gun through the tent four times, with one shot hitting and non-fatally injuring a Georgia State trooper. The other troopers then returned gunfire and killed Paez Teran.

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Their family and friends however have questioned this timeline of events based on what information they have been able to gather about what happened. First, they were able to get the body camera footage from Atlanta police officers who were part of the operation but in a different part of the forest at the time of the shooting. On the tape, officers are heard speculating that the trooper was actually hit by friendly fire.

The DeKalb County Medical Examiners report revealed that Paez Teran had no gunshot residue on their hands. The autopsy showed 57 gunshot wounds and that they were seated in a cross-legged position with their hands raised and palms facing backward when the shooting began.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation decided that not only did they oversee this operation, but decided that they would be the ones who would control the investigation, said Brian Spears, another attorney representing the family. They have refused to release to the parents of Manuel the results of that investigation.

The lawsuit only names three officers but leaves out others who also discharged their weapons at the scene because of how poorly conceived the operation was from the outset, the attorneys said.

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How this was planned [and] carried out, [the officers] were put in a terrible position, just as Manuel was, said Filipovits.

Lieutenant Greg Lyon of Atlanta Police Mounted Patrol tells reporters that the new stables at the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center can hold up to 18 horses. (Madeline Thigpen/Capital B Atlanta)

Cop City rages on

A few miles away, scheduled at the same time as the aforementioned press conference, the City of Atlanta hosted Capital B and other media outlets for a tour of the new training center that Paez Teran died trying to prevent.

Finishing touches are taking place, and you will see us start occupying this space with training officers and firefighters and EMTs in the first quarter of next year, Mayor Andre Dickens said at the start of the tour.

The 90-acre facility has stables for horses, an emergency vehicle operations course, a burn tower, a shooting range, and the mock city from which the facilitys nickname was born. SWAT personnel dressed in army green uniforms occupied the grounds.

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The facility sits in a predominantly Black community in southern DeKalb County, which had no say in the decision to tear down several acres of forest for its construction. While some believe Cop City will allow better training for law enforcement, opponents feel it will negatively impact policing in Atlanta.

Militarization of the Atlanta Police Department has long been a concern for racial justice activists. APD, like most other law enforcement departments in large cities, already has tanks and snipers in its arsenal. The training center offers law enforcement the opportunity to practice using their weapons in buildings that are meant to replicate apartments, a two-story house, a convenience store, and a nightclub.

Classroom training will take place at the training center in the academic building, and a 0.9-mile walking trail around the grounds will be open to the public.

Today, I know that some of you have a tour of the new training center, Filipovits said at the DeKalb courthouse. I hope that youll ask how they intend to change policing, if this is just designed to lock more people up in the Fulton County Jail, in the Georgia prisons, or if theres some meaningful change thats coming We have not seen any change. We have just seen more draconian enforcement.

The post Family of Slain Stop Cop City Activist Sues in Pursuit of Answers appeared first on Capital B News - Atlanta.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Williss (D) disqualification from Georgias election interference case against President-elect Trump and his allies could mark the beginning of the end of the prosecution.

Though the charges have not been formally dismissed, a state appeals courts decision Thursday to boot Willis and her office muddies the path forward already complicated by Trumps imminent return to the White House.

Trump and his co-defendants are celebrating the news, as legal experts view the decision as possibly dooming the cases future.

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This is complete and total omnishambles because the avenues going forward pretty much look like this case is dead, said Anthony Michael Kreis, a Georgia State University law professor. Now thats not necessarily the case  there are a few different ways that it could get resurrected. But its never looked more bleak.

The Georgia Court of Appeals panel ruled 2-1 that Williss once-romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, a top prosecutor on the case, amounted to a significant appearance of impropriety that compelled the district attorneys offices disqualification.

That decision reversed the trial judges ruling this spring that Willis could continue prosecuting Trump if Wade stepped aside, which he did.

Chris Timmons, an Atlanta-based trial attorney, said he had never seen an appellate court disqualify a district attorneys office in his 17 previous years serving as a state prosecutor.

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Uncharted waters  this is stuff that we dont see every day, Timmons said. I think its really unusual to see the Court of Appeals disqualify the DAs office. That just doesnt happen. I mean, usually, the DAs office disqualifies themselves.

Willis is attempting to revive her prosecution by bringing the appeals courts disqualification to the Georgia Supreme Court. That court, which is controlled by justices appointed by Republican governors, would have to first decide whether to take up the appeal.

The chances are not great that the case proceeds, but theres still a chance, Timmons said.

Kreis said the state Supreme Court could step in to say the appeals court has just fundamentally not done your job right, or it could choose to wipe our hands of this and move on.

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If the Supreme Court of Georgia refuses to take this up, then I think were pretty much end of story here, Kreis said. If they take it up, theres a good chance that they might say the appellate court was wrong and Judge McAfees decision stands  in which case we go back to Fani Willis.

If the court lets Thursdays ruling stand, the case would be handed over to the Prosecuting Attorneys Council of Georgia (PAC), a nonpartisan state agency.

Pete Skandalakis, PACs executive director, said he was aware of the appeals courts decision but declined further comment as Willis continues appealing.

At this point, all avenues of appeal have not been exhausted, Skandalakis said in a statement.

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The PAC could send the case to another district attorneys office, which would then decide whether to proceed, appoint a special prosecutor or handle the case itself.

The latter option is how PAC proceeded when it took over whether to charge Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones (R) in the election interference case. A judge prevented Willis from charging Jones after she attended a fundraiser for one of his political opponents.

More than two years later, the council declined to bring any charges against Jones, saying his actions were reasonable and not criminal in nature.

My review of the evidence finds this matter does not warrant further consideration, Skandalakis said at the time.

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Also complicating Trumps case is his imminent return to the White House. Legal experts agree the prosecution cannot continue while Trump is in office, meaning any chance of resurrecting his prosecution may not come until 2029.

This decision puts an end to a politically motivated persecution of the next President of the United States, Steve Sadow, Trumps lead attorney in the case, said in a statement, calling Thursdays decision well-reasoned and just.

Trumps co-defendants, whose charges could move forward while Trump is in office, have similarly celebrated the ruling.

Jeffrey Clark, a Trump-era Justice Department official, called it tremendous news and a good Christmas present during an appearance on Steve Bannons War Room podcast.

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Harrison Floyd, who led Black Voices for Trump, posted to the social platform X a video of Grinch toys dancing to the song Only God Can Do It from Renee Winston.

The decision by the Appeals court is the first step in the right direction. However, in order to prevent partisan prosecutors from weaponizing their office in the future, Fani Willis MUST be DISBARRED, and held ACCOUNTABLE to the fullest extent of the law. This isnt over! Floyd wrote in a subsequent post.

Jenna Ellis, an attorney involved in Trumps effort to overturn the 2020 election results who took a plea deal in the Fulton County case, reposted on X the suggestion that Willis and Wade should face perjury charges.

Wow, the sex scandals are really catching up with everyone today. Gods way is always best. Truth always prevails, Ellis wrote.

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BERWYN, Ill. (WCIA)  Hours after a man killed three members of the same family in Mahomet Wednesday night, far-right political commentator Nick Fuentes claimed the same person targeted him.

John Lyons is the prime suspect in the deaths of Janis, Sara and Caleb Mason, who were found shot in their Mahomet home on South Riverside Court around 9:40 p.m. Hours later, the Berwyn Police Department said their officers shot Lyons dead when he started firing at them during a foot pursuit in the Chicago suburb.

Hours after Berwyn Police announced the shooting, Fuentes took to X/Twitter to claim Lyons, prior to officers response, came to his front porch in what he characterized as an assassination attempt. This was made possible, Fuentes said, because his address had been doxed on the same platform earlier this year.

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Its going to take a lot of time: Mahomet community mourns shooting victims, searches for answers

Since Thursday afternoon, Fuentes has posted multiple times on the platform to explain what happened and to include home surveillance footage of the alleged assassin.

The killer parked his car in front of my house and approached my door with his pistol drawn and what appears to be a crossbow. I was livestreaming at the time, Fuentes wrote. He rings the door bell, tries the doorknob and yells Yo Nick!

Fuentes further claimed that the person who came to his home also had incendiary devices.

Fuentes mentioned the triple homicide in Mahomet several times in his posts, adding that the person at his home arrived around 11:30 p.m. Fuentes did not say whether he was the one who called police, who responded around 10 minutes after the suspect arrived.

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FROM WGN: Downstate triple homicide suspect shot, killed by police in Berwyn

WCIA has reached out to law enforcement to verify Fuentes claims, but Berwyn Police have yet to respond on the topic. The investigations into both the Mahomet homicides and the Berwyn officer-involved shooting are ongoing.

The alleged assassination attempt on Fuentes happened the night before he was scheduled to appear in Cook County court for battery. He is accused of attacking a woman who came to his home and rang his doorbell after his homes address was doxed.

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.
Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida was heckled into silence Thursday during a speech on the House floor after blaming Democrats for the drama surrounding a looming government shutdown.

Speaking in favor of a new, pared-down funding bill just hours after President-elect Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk blew up a bipartisan resolution that seemed on a glide path to approval, Luna began by heaping praise on Trump.

I never voted for a [continuing resolution], but Im here today because I realize the plan thats on the table currently to keep our government open, but also the promise from the only president in my lifetime who has ever followed through on all of his campaign promises to the American people, she said, drawing boos and jeers from the other side of the aisle.

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Excuse me! Im not done talking. Give me the same respect we give you guys, Luna responded.

New York Rep. Marc Molinaro, serving as Speaker Pro Tempore, jumped in.

My colleagues are reminded the gentlewoman has the floor and has the right to be heard, he said. The gentlewoman has the right to be heard and the gentlewoman would be reminded to direct her comments to the chair.

Luna picked up where she left off, ... From the only president in my lifetime who fulfilled all his campaign promises to the American people, have promised to cut hundreds of billions in reconciliation.

Luna lauded Speaker Johnson for pulling the initial shutdown deal for a new deal. The deal on the table will keep the government open for the American people and if you so choose to shut it down, it will be on you, but not the Republican Party, she said.

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We will not be going back to the table, Luna predicted minutes before the vote. This deal stands as it is. So let you go back home on Christmas and explain to your people why you shut down the government because we wont be doing it.

That elicited more sounds of disapproval among Democrats, which in turn caused Molinaro to pound the rostrum with his gavel, which apparently shattered.

Luna described parts of the original bill as not being in the best interest of the American people.

One item that was cut was a program funding research for childhood cancer and disease.

Luna added, So the deal on the table is as is. You either vote for it or you vote for the shutdown, but it will not be on the Republican Party, but on Democrats as it stands.

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Moments later, the Republican-controlled House failed to pass the bill.

A two-thirds majority was needed to pass the legislation, which would have extended federal spending for three months, along with suspending the debt limit for two yearsa key demand made by Trump.

Even though Republicans have a slim majority, not nearly enough of them voted to pass the billwhich would have failed even if a simple majority had been required. The vote was 174-235.

The government shutdown deadline is Saturday just after midnight.
The Moldovan Farmers' Association promises to block all checkpoints on the border with Ukraine, demanding the extension of restrictions on grain imports.

Source: European Pravda with reference to Newsmaker

Details: The Farmers' Power Association said it was concerned about delays in extending restrictions on the import of grains and oilseeds and wanted to blockade all checkpoints on the border with Ukraine.

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Farmers are unhappy that the current restrictions are in place until the end of the year, the draft law on the extension was published only this week, and it may not be actually adopted until January-February 2025. They see this as a risk of lower prices for their products.

If the restrictions are extended in time, the farmers promise not to protest.

Daniela Turculec, spokesperson for the Ministry of Agriculture of Moldova, assured that the draft law will definitely be adopted by the end of December.

Background:

On 4 October 2023, Moldova introduced import licensing for wheat, corn and sunflower during the state of emergency in order to protect local farmers.

Polish farmers are also stepping up their protests with the onset of winter, this time with the main cause of discontent being the trade agreement between the European Union and South American countries (Mercosur).

There is also dissatisfaction with the agreement in other European countries, including France.

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The suspect in Wednesday mornings fatal stabbing of a King County Metro bus driver was the suspect in a stabbing that killed a man in Nov. 2023.

No charges were ever filed in that stabbing.

Prosecutors in King County announced no charges were filed in the November 2023 stabbing case involving Richard Sitzlack, citing insufficient evidence to disprove his claim of self-defense.

Sitzlack called 911 from Cowan Park in Seattle on November 2, 2023, reporting that he had stabbed his roommate after being attacked with a weapon.

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He alleged the altercation occurred as he tried to leave their apartment on University Way Northeast.

According to the police report, Sitzlack stated his roommate grabbed him by the neck, shoved him to his knees, and swung a perceived weapon, prompting Sitzlack to defend himself with a knife.

Initially, investigators found inconsistencies in Sitzlacks account, including the condition of the victims body and the stabbings location in the apartment.

These observations led prosecutors to argue for probable cause at Sitzlacks first court appearance.

However, further investigation aligned more closely with his self-defense claims, and, under court rules, he was released after 72 hours.

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King County prosecutors emphasized that Washington law allows defendants to claim self-defense without a duty to retreat and permits reliance on a mistaken belief of an immediate threat.

Multiple senior prosecutors reviewed the case and determined that the evidence could not disprove Sitzlacks claim beyond a reasonable doubt.

While no charges have been filed, prosecutors noted that murder cases have no statute of limitations, and any future evidence that contradicts the self-defense claim could prompt a reevaluation of the case.




Azerbaijani Culture Minister Adil Karimli, who is on a visit to Italy, has met with his counterpart Alessandro Giuli, Azernews reports, citing the ministry.

During the meeting, Alessandro Giuli said that trade and energy relations between the two countries are developing at a high level. He pointed out that the Italian side is also interested in cooperation with Azerbaijan in the cultural sphere.

"We appreciate the contribution of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation to the restoration of historical and religious heritage in Italy, as well as in the Vatican, for which we express our gratitude to the Azerbaijani side," the minister added.

In turn, Adil Karimli drew attention to the strengthening of relations based on mutual trust and friendship between the leaders of Azerbaijan and Italy every year. It was emphasized that the Azerbaijani state attaches great importance to cooperation with Italy. In 2014, a Joint Declaration "On Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Italian Republic" was signed.

Cultural cooperation between the two countries is also developing. Relations in such areas as the preservation of historical and cultural heritage, architecture and design are particularly satisfying.

It was stated that Italy has extensive experience in the restoration and protection of historical and cultural heritage, museum and library affairs. The Azerbaijani side is interested in using the experience of a friendly country in this area.

The Azerbaijani minister brought to the attention that during the Armenian occupation of the Azerbaijani territories, the centuries-old historical and cultural heritage of our people was destroyed and vandalized.

Extensive restoration and reconstruction work is being carried out in the territories liberated by the Azerbaijani state.

President Ilham Aliyev and First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva pay special attention to the restoration of historical and cultural monuments. Italy also contributes to the restoration of the territories liberated from occupation.

The minister also exchanged views on the management of art and culture centres, the organization of mutual tours of music ensembles and other issues of mutual interest.
(Reuters) -Credit card companies that devalue or cancel the rewards points, cash back or miles that cardholders have earned may be breaking the law, the top U.S. watchdog agency for consumer finance warned on Wednesday.

In a policy circular, the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said prohibitions against unfair, deceptive and abusive practices mean authorities may punish card issuers that slash the value of such rewards based on fine print, hidden terms or technical glitches.

The CFPB distributes such circulars to other agencies, including state attorneys general and local regulators, that enforce federal consumer financial laws.

As of 2022, three-quarters of all general-purpose credit cards were rewards cards and many consumers choose which to apply for and use based on the rewards offered, according to the CFPB.

Industry groups reacted negatively, accusing the CFPB of chasing headlines and tarnishing a popular product.

Rob Nichols, president of the American Bankers Association, said in a statement that complaints about credit card rewards were "extraordinarily uncommon" and accused the CFPB of putting political pressure on card issuers.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has yet to name someone to run the CFPB next year but observers say the agency is virtually assured to take a very different approach to enforcement and regulation. Trump ally Elon Musk has called for abolishing the agency.

Republican lawmakers have also demanded that financial regulators cease issuing new regulations until Trump takes office, a call the CFPB has not heeded.

(Reporting by Douglas Gillison; Editing by Richard Chang and Bill Berkrot)
(File/Getty Images)

The son of a Pee Dee judge was elected the chief prosecutor of his judicial circuit. Now the judge can do little in the region where hes presided for more than three decades.

As head of the state judicial branch, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Kittredge published an order Friday that bars Judge Paul Burch from hearing any criminal cases in the Fourth Circuit, starting Jan. 1. The order also prevents Burch from presiding over any civil cases involving the solicitors office.

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The directive follows voters electing Paul Michael Burch Jr. as solicitor of the Fourth Circuit, which includes Chesterfield, Dillon, Darlington and Marlboro counties. His election flipped the job in what was a rural Democratic stronghold to the GOP.

Rep. Jay Jordan, an attorney who sits on the legislative panel that screens judicial candidates, said he does not recall a similar situation ever occurring in the roughly 17 years hes practiced law.

So, this is uncharted territory, the Florence Republican told the SC Daily Gazette.

Still, Jordan said, it is an issue hes confident the judicial branch is equipped to handle.

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In his order, Kittredge cited a rule of the judiciary which states a judge shall disqualify himself or herself in a proceeding in which the judges impartiality might reasonably be questioned. That includes matters in which a judges family member is part of a proceeding or is a lawyer on a case.

Because the judges son, who goes by Mike Burch, has direct oversight of the attorneys in his office as solicitor, it disqualifies the judge from hearing all criminal proceedings in the district or cases where a person who was previously convicted seeks to make a final challenge in their case, a process known as post-conviction relief.

Burch said he knew when he decided to run that his fathers position would become an issue if he was elected, and he and his father discussed it.

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He said his father assured him court administration would be able to move him to cases elsewhere in the state and pull in other judges to cover the Fourth Circuit. Mike Burch said he expects his father will largely work in the nearby Sixth Circuit, which includes Chester, Fairfield and Lancaster counties.

Lancaster County is where hes been a deputy solicitor for more than six years. And hes excited about his new job.

Thats the pinnacle of my career, to be head prosecutor in the district where I live, Burch said.

Meanwhile, his father is in the twilight of his career, so its not like its a long-term concern.

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Burch said the potential conflict of interest didnt really come up during the campaign. While law enforcement officers and others occasionally asked him about it, neither his opponents nor voters made it a major issue.

Burch beat out Shipp Daniel, an assistant solicitor in the Fourth Circuit, in the June GOP primary for the Republican nomination. He then went on to defeat Democrat Monty Bell for the seat held for 16 years by retiring Solicitor William Rogers Jr.

Like Daniel, Bell was also an assistant solicitor under Rogers, which means Bell now answers to the opponent who beat him. He did not immediately respond to messages from the SC Daily Gazette. Daniel has left the office and is now in private practice.

Burchs flip of the solicitors office in what was deep Democratic territory was touted by state Republican Party Chairman Drew McKissick in the days after the election.

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But Jordan said it is not usual for judges to travel outside of their circuit for court.

In our system, judges move around quite frequently, he said.

Jordan said he is confident in Kittredge and the court administrations ability to bring judges from neighboring districts in to hear cases, while sending Judge Burch to different districts in return.

Still, it means the judge must work largely outside the district to which the Legislature elected him. Paul Burch turns 72, the mandatory retirement age for active judges in the state, in 2026, meaning he can remain on the bench for two more years.

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Meanwhile, the Fourth Circuit is down a second judge in residence following the death of Judge Michael Holt Sr. in July.

Family Court Judge Gene Warr is seeking Holts seat in judicial elections scheduled to be held before a joint session of the General Assembly on Feb. 4, 2025.

From July 2023 to June 2024, there were more than 15,000 active criminal cases in the circuit and more than 8,800 cases were still pending and the end of that period, according to the latest statistics available.

That made it the eighth busiest out of the states 16 circuits when it comes to criminal cases.
An investigation has been opened by the FBI after a guest aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship died shortly after leaving the port of San Pedro in Los Angeles.

FOX 11 first reported the incident on Tuesday, after a person told the news outlet that a man aboard the ship, headed to Ensenada, Mexico, appeared to be drunk and unruly. The man allegedly threatened guests and attacked crew members.

The man, who the outlet identified as 35-year-old Michael Virgil, was later detained by crew members using zip ties and bear or pepper spray. The outlet reports that his family said security injected him with some sort of sedative.

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Virgil died a short time after his detainment.

In a statement, Royal Caribbean confirmed the death:

We are saddened by the passing of one of our guests. We offered support to the family and are working with authorities on their investigation.

The company did not disclose the cause of death. Virgil was aboard the cruise with his son and fiance.

No additional details were immediately made available.

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The Food and Drug Administration released new guidelines on what foods can be labeled "healthy."

The new guidance now allows foods like salmon, avocados, and olive oil to be labeled "healthy."

"Highly sweetened" yogurts and cereals however can no longer be qualified as healthy, the FDA says.

Your "healthy" yogurt may be getting a rebrand soon.

On Thursday, the US Food and Drug Administration published its new and improved definition of what constitutes a "healthy" food, tightening up the limits on added sugars, salt, and saturated fat in foods that carry the label.

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In a meticulous 318-page document, the federal agency details strict parameters for companies that wish to call their foods "healthy."

For example, a fruit-based food can't be "healthy" anymore if one serving has more than 2% of a person's recommended daily value of sugar. The same goes for veggies, meat, and eggs, while grains can have up to 10% DV of added sugars.

This could change how some brands currently market their food products as a healthy snack alternative.

The last time the FDA issued an update on the "healthy" label was three decades ago, according to the agency.

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Under the new standards, the agency said foods such as "water, avocados, nuts and seeds, higher fat fish, such as salmon and olive oil will now qualify to use the 'healthy' claim."

The new guidance comes as competition in the heath food aisle intensifies  the global health and wellness food market was valued at roughly $878 billion last year, according to a 2024 market data study from Data Bridge.

The FDA's report estimates that the changes could make a dent in chronic diseases nationally, saving about $686 million over 20 years.

The cost to manufacturers, meanwhile, comes in at $403 million over 20 years for "reformulating, labeling, and recordkeeping," per the report.

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The rule won't change food labeling overnight: it's not slated to take effect until 2028, and it's an optional one  food labels don't have to mention they're "healthy."

But it comes just as President-elect Trump prepares to take office. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who Trump has tapped to lead the US Departmet of Health and Human Services, the umbrella federal health agency that oversees FDA, has recently proclaimed he's waging war against big food companies, vowing to "Make America Healthy Again" and take chemical dyes out of our Fruit Loops. (In case you were wondering: Fruit Loops, with 24% of a person's recommended daily dose of added sugars per serving, do not make the new "healthy" claim cut.)

"If the incoming administration is truly serious about making Americans eat healthier, then they should embrace the power of food labeling," former FDA official Peter Lurie, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, told The New York Times.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Wetlands in Meridian Twp. | Susan J. Demas

The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals last week issued an opinion affirming that the Michigan Department of Environment Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) has the authority to conduct inspections to ensure compliance with their rules, following a lawsuit accusing the department of violating the Fourth Amendment by taking soil and water samples without a warrant.

The case is tied to another lawsuit filed by Attorney General Dana Nessel on EGLEs behalf accusing P&P Contracting Services, Inc., its president and director and its operator of unlawful destruction of wetlands.



According to a statement from the Attorney Generals Office, the contracting company hauls and disposes of production waste from sugar beet processing in Bay County.

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In late summer or early fall of 2020, the companys operator, Paul Satkowiak, acquired an interest in a roughly 15.84-acre piece of property in Bay County, largely made up of regulated wetlands. P&P Contracting Services, Inc. allegedly dredged and drained surface water from the wetlands and filled nearly five acres of the wetlands with harmful sugar beet production waste among other substances.

In July 2023, the Ingham County Circuit Court issued an injunction barring Paul Satkowiak, P&P Contracting Services, Inc. and President and Director Prizza Satkowiak from taking further illegal action on the property and allowing EGLE to ensure compliance with the injunction.

After EGLE collected soil and water samples Paul Satkowiak filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court against the EGLE personnel who completed the inspection, alleging they had unlawfully seized the samples.

The Michigan Attorney General successfully argued the inspection was conducted under a valid court order, with the Court of Appeals upholding the lower courts decision.

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EGLEs ability to conduct environmental inspections under state court orders is vital to holding bad actors accountable and protecting Michigans wetlands and natural resources, Nessel said in a statement. I am pleased the Sixth Circuit has affirmed EGLEs authority to ensure regulated wetlands are being preserved. We look forward to a resolution in this case that safeguards our states precious freshwater resources.

Nessels case against P&P Contracting Services, Inc., Paul Satkowiak, and Prizza Satkowiak remains pending in Ingham County Circuit court, seeking to hold the defendants accountable under the Michigan Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act and restore the wetlands to their previous condition.

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(KTLA)  The federal government could shut down at 12:01 a.m. Saturday unless Congress agrees on a new spending measure.

For most Californians, the impact of a shutdown wouldnt be felt immediately; services like Social Security, veterans, and unemployment benefits will still be distributed. However, depending on how long the shutdown lasts, things could change.

Heres how a federal government shutdown will impact Californians, according to state representatives.

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About 213,000 active-duty and reserve personnel serving in the nations armed forces in California will be required to work without pay.

People either flying to or through California during the busy holiday travel season could encounter delays. Airport security screeners and air traffic control workers would be required to work, according to a breakdown from Reuters, but absenteeism could be a problem.

About 972,000 people in California would lose access to Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) benefits in a prolonged shutdown.

About 5.2 million Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) beneficiaries in California would lose access to benefits in a prolonged shutdown.

National parks, monuments and other sites in California would be closed to the public. Park rangers will also be furloughed.

About 188,000 federal workers in California would be furloughed or forced to work without pay during a total government shutdown.

The Department of Agriculture would be forced to stop processing farm loans, which could impact California farmers.

This wouldnt be the first holiday stalemate if the government shuts down.

The government shut down for a record 34 days between December 2018 and January 2019, while a holiday shutdown in 1995 lasted 21 days.

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A Missouri man who pleaded guilty to entering the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, will be allowed to attend President-elect Donald Trumps inauguration next month, a federal judge ordered Thursday.

Judge Tanya Chutkan, who oversaw the federal election subversion case against Trump, also authorized Eric Peterson, who pleaded guilty this fall to entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds during the riot, to travel more broadly within the Kansas City metropolitan area.

Peterson is slated to be sentenced on January 27, a week after Trump takes the oath of office on the Capitol grounds. In addition to whatever sentence he receives, Peterson must also pay $500 in restitution to the Architect of the Capitol, according to his plea agreement.

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According to the statement of offense, Peterson, wearing a bright pink shirt, entered the Capitol at approximately 3:02 p.m. on January 6, took pictures in the Rotunda and left the building by 3:11 p.m.

Petersons attorney, Michael Bullotta, highlighted the short length of time in a filing earlier this week, adding that his client was not alleged to have done anything related to assault or vandalism and that Petersons offense was entering and remaining in the Capitol for about 8 minutes without proper authorization. The attorney also noted that Peterson is a military veteran without prior criminal history.

Bullota, argued that Petersons request to travel to Washington, DC, was even more appropriate in light of the incoming Trump administrations confirmations that President Trump will fully pardon those in Mr. Petersons position on his first day in office.

Thus, his scheduled sentencing hearing before this Court on January 27, 2025 will likely be rendered moot, he added.

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Bullota did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNN late Thursday evening.

While Trump has promised to pardon US Capitol rioters, it is not yet clear who among the hundreds of convicted rioters, defendants awaiting trial and remaining fugitives will receive clemency.

More than 1,500 Capitol rioters have been charged in federal court for their actions, with all but about 300 having been convicted or admitting their guilt almost four years after the Capitol attack. About half of the guilty rioters, 645, have been sentenced to jail time, according to the Justice Department, though many have completed serving their sentences.

CNNs Katelyn Polantz, Paula Reid and Hannah Rabinowitz contributed to this report.

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The clock is ticking to a government shutdown. Lawmakers are running out of time to pass a spending bill.

The deadline is midnight Friday, but as we get closer to the deadline, a shutdown seems more and more likely.

Congress rejected the latest spending plan backed by President-elect Donald Trump and it was some Republicans who rejected it.

The last thing Aaron Barker wants to see is a government shutdown.

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We have to come to work even if the government shuts down, Barker said.

Hes a lead TSA officer and the president of the local TSA workers union.

A lot of officers live paycheck to paycheck, so you know, this is the holiday season. Were supposed to be happy and joyful, and we have this thing looming over our heads, Barker told Channel 2s Richard Elliot.

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Lawmakers are scrambling to pass some kind of spending plan a day after Congress rejected the plan back by Trump and just days after Trump torpedoed a bipartisan effort.

It wasnt just Democrats against it -- 38 Republicans rejected it including Georgia U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde.

My constituents sent me to Congress to save our republic. Not to worsen Washingtons deficit spending problem, Clyde said in a statement.

But fellow Georgia Republican U.S. Rep. Austin Scott voted for it.

American farmers need help now and our country does not need a costly government shutdown, Scott said.

This is what frustrates so many people about Washington, DC, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock said.

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Warnock said he pushed to get the bipartisan bill passed only to see it fail.

He said things like hurricane relief and relief for Georgia farmers hang in the balance.

Congress should not go home and celebrate Christmas while being a grinch for families struggling in Valdosta and all across Georgia, Warnock said.

Barker told Elliot that its frustrating for all of them.

This is the holiday season. (Lawmakers) pay isnt going to get stopped. Theyre still going to get paid, Barker said.

Once a spending bill is eventually approved, Barker and other federal workers will get back pay but until then, a shutdown means no paycheck at Christmas.
JOHNSTOWN, Pa.  A flurry of drone sightings in states including New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania have residents asking questions.

Federal agencies say they have the answer.

In a statement penned by the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Defense, the agencies essentially said there is nothing to worry about.

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We have not identified anything anomalous, the statement said.

The FBI said of the 5,000 drone sightings in the past month, only 100 are worth investigating.

The rest are a combination of lawful commercial droves, hobbyist drones and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones.

Despite the assurance, criticism mounts with lawmakers demanding greater transparency. Drones were reportedly spotted in the skies over New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Ohio, Virginia and eastern Pennsylvania.

Were taking this seriously, Gov. Josh Shapiro said during a news conference.

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Shapiro is reportedly calling on the state police to investigate reported drone sightings to find their origin.

State Sen. Wayne Langerholc Jr., R-Richland Township, said residents need answers.

The American people and the residents of Pennsylvania need to know whats transpiring in their airspace, he said. We have the duty to protect our residents.

State police report no drone sightings in Cambria and Somerset counties, but they remain vigilant.

Regarding suspicious drone sightings elsewhere in the commonwealth, we are in contact with our local and federal partners, and continue to monitor the situation, Trooper Cliff Greenfield told The Tribune-Democrat.

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Social media has exploded with reported car-size drone sightings, Richland Township Supervisor Chairman Bob Heffelfinger said.

You cant get on Facebook now without seeing a funny meme with a drone and some little goofy message, he said.

Local police are telling residents that its not legal to shoot down a drone.

Discharging a firearm like that is unsafe, West Hills Regional police Chief William B.J. Newman said. You have a bullet going up, it must come down someplace.

Newman said a litany of unsubstantiated drone sightings have flooded the internet. One amusing post caught his attention.

I did see someone on social media saying there was a drone over Coopersdale Homes, Newman said. Im like, thats MedStar.
The federal government has provided insufficient information to date about drone sightings near Virginias military installations, said Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine on Thursday following a classified briefing on the matter.

The three lawmakers were briefed Thursday by the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice and the FBI regarding the ongoing investigation into the unexplained drone sightings in Virginia.

While we appreciate the agencies taking the time to update us on the situation, this briefing was insufficient and unsatisfactory, Youngkin, Warner and Kaine said in a joint statement. It has been more than a year since these sightings over key military facilities in Virginia and the lack of answers about the nature, intent, and origin of these incidents is completely unacceptable.

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Last week, a Virginia Beach resident reported seeing a large drone, described as the size of a small truck, over his neighborhood and two military installations along the coast. Hampton Roads is home to several military installations, and Langley Air Force Base in Hampton was subject to a drone incursion last year.

The Virginia Beach report added to the long list of strange drone sightings reported this month in other areas of the East Coast, including in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

Federal authorities have said the drones are not a public safety threat, but their presence has unnerved some people and prompted questions about national security and personal privacy.

On Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a temporary ban on drone flights in New Jersey after frequent drone sightings unsettled residents.

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The level of information flow or the willingness to take this at the level of seriousness, Ive been hugely concerned, said Warner, a Virginia Democrat, while taking questions from reporters earlier in the day. And again, Im chairman of the intelligence committee. Id love to be able to sit here and tell you, Dont worry, weve got it all explained but part of its classified. I cant tell you that.

Warner said hes more concerned about the delays in the way government officials have publicly addressed the recent ramped-up reports of drones rather than the aircraft themselves.

I do believe the overwhelming majority, 90%-plus, maybe 95 or 98%-plus are probably sightings of commercial aircraft, or drones that have already been properly registered but the slowness of the Defense Department to realize, Im not going to call it a full panic  youve got folks understandably concerned and not to be more kind of forward-leaning is totally unacceptable.

This month, the Virginia Fusion Center, a state police division, has received more than 150 tips regarding drone activity in the commonwealth.

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We encourage anyone that witnesses a drone flying over critical infrastructure, such as energy installations, or military sites, to contact the Virginia Fusion Center, Virginia State Police Special Agent D. Robinson wrote in a news release. This will enable us to work with our partners to determine exactly what is occurring, and how to move forward.

According to VFC, drones are required to remain in sight of either the operator or a visual observer and have a maximum allowable altitude of 400 feet unless waived by federal regulators. Operators are required to have a remote pilot certificate for recreational use or a license from the FAA for commercial use.

VFC warned that its against the law to shoot at a drone, and that Virginia law prohibits flying drones within 50 feet of a residence, unless the person is authorized by the federal government to operate and is doing so lawfully and consistent with federal regulations.

Suspicious drone activity can be reported to the Virginia Fusion Center: vfc@vfc.vsp.virginia.gov.

Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN)  A city man who was convicted last month of rape was indicted Thursday on gun and drug charges by a federal grand jury.

Leonard Sykes, 51, faces charges in the U.S. Northern District Court of Ohio of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl; being a felon in possession of a firearm; and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug crime.

An arraignment date has not been set yet.

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He is accused of having drugs and a gun on September 10 despite federal and state convictions for drug and gun offenses which prohibit him from having or being around weapons.

The indictment in the case does not give any more details.

Sykes was convicted on November 22 in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court on three counts of rape, a first-degree felony; importuning, a fourth-degree felony; and disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, a fifth-degree felony, following a bench trial before Judge Anthony Donofrio.

The crimes he was convicted of happened in August 2022, according to court records. He is expected to be sentenced Jan. 7.

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Sykes was free on bond in the state case when he is alleged to have committed the federal offenses.

Sykes was charged in the state case following a 2022 investigation that stemmed from an investigation into a missing juvenile by the Mahoning County Sheriffs Office.

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By Andrew Silver

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - As Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly expand sales of their popular diabetes and weight-loss drugs, cheaper copies of their patented remedies are winning approval from some regulators overseas, posing a threat to the pharma giants' prices and market share.

Since Novo's blockbuster Ozempic diabetes treatment was approved in the United States in 2017, regulators have greenlighted 22 medicines containing its main ingredient in Bangladesh, Laos, Russia and Paraguay as well as seven copies of Lilly's rival drugs in Bangladesh, according to a Reuters review.

Ozempic's patented semaglutide ingredient is also used in Novo's wildly popular obesity treatment Wegovy and diabetes tablets Rybelsus, while Lilly's tirzepatide is used in Mounjaro and Zepbound.

This year, at least seven new products containing semaglutide have been approved for sale in Laos and Russia, according to public lists of licenced drugs, comments from a regulatory official, details of two approved medicines in Paraguay obtained via a freedom of information request, and information on the websites of two drug manufacturers.

Asked for efficacy data on the licenced analogue versions, regulators in Bangladesh, Paraguay and Russia did not respond. Davone Duangdany, director of the drug and medical device control division within the Laos health ministry, told Reuters that such information was confidential.

Regulators in Bangladesh, Laos and Russia did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comments on the rigor of their systems to approve, develop, manufacture and distribute drugs.

"What I can tell you on behalf of the institution is that the highest and most demanding standards have been taken into account for (the two Paraguay medicines) approval, as we would do for any other product," Jorge Lliou, head of Paraguay's National Directorate of Health Surveillance, told Reuters in response to a query about the origin of the active ingredient in the locally approved drugs.

The growing number of licenced copies could depress prices for anti-obesity medicines and risk a spillover effect into important markets such as India, where Novo's Rybelsus has already been launched, three pharma experts said.

Anna Kemp-Casey, a medical policy specialist at the University of South Australia, said prices for Novo's and Lilly's weight-loss drugs would initially remain supported as strong demand currently far outstrips supplies.

But "in the longer term it is likely that all this competition will put downward price pressure" on Lilly and Novo in India and other countries, she added.
Three Major banks and Zelle rushed to bring a peer-to-peer payment network to market without first ensuring users would be protected against "widespread" fraud, alleges a lawsuit filed on Friday by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo ignored customer complaints related to Zelle, users losing hundreds of millions of dollars in scams, the regulatory agency alleges. Zelle is run by Early Warning Services, which is owned by the three banks named in the CFPB's suit, along with four other financial institutions.

According to the CFPB, bank customers have lost more than $870 million over the seven years Zells has been in operation. Early Warning and the three banks named in the complaint hastily created the payments network to head off rival payment apps including Venmo and CashApp without adequately protecting end users, the suit alleges.

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"The nation's largest banks felt threatened by competing apps, so they rushed to put out Zelle," Rohit Chopra, the CFPB's director, said in a statement. "By their failing to put in place proper safeguards, Zelle became a gold mine for fraudsters, while often leaving victims to fends for themselves."

Zelle blasted the CFPB's accusations as "legally and factually flawed," with a spokesperson also suggesting the timing of the suit as "driven by political factors unrelated" to the company.

JPMorgan also accused the agency of pursuing a "political agenda," stating that the agency was "overreaching its authority by making banks accountable for criminals, even including romance scammers."

JPMorgan Chase said it prevents nearly $20 billion in fraud attempts each year, and that 99.95% of its transactions are completed without dispute.

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A spokesperson for Wells Fargo declined to comment. Bank of America did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Offered by more than 2,200 banks and credit unions, Zelle has more than 143 million users in the U.S., according to the suit. Customers transferred a total of $481 billion in conducting 1.7 billion transactions during the first half of 2024, the CFPB noted.

Hundreds of thousands of customers filed fraud complaints and were denied assistance by Zelle and the three banks, according to the suit, which noted that some people were advised to contact those behind the fraud to get their money back.

Zelle "has been slow to implement anti-fraud measures, including closing accounts accused of fraud," Jaret Seiberg, an analyst with TD Cowen Washington Research Group, said in a report, pointing to the CFPB's allegations. "It also permitted the registration of emails that were impersonating legitimate entities, including Zelle itself."

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Since Zelle launched in 2017, according to the CFPB, JPMorgan Chase received 420,00 customer complaints involving more than $360 million; Bank of America heard from 210,000 customers with more than $290 million in fraud losses; and Wells Fargo tallied $220 million in fraud losses by 280,000 people.

In 2023 Early Warning began refunding money to an undisclosed number of fraud victims amid pressure from lawmakers. In late 2022, Sen. Elizabeth Warren issued a report that found increasing incidents of fraud and scams to be occurring on the popular payment app, with large banks typically reluctant to compensate victims, the Massachusetts Democrat said.

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Our final Feed a Family Food Drive took us again to City Market in Burlingtons South End.

The co-op sold out of 120 prepackaged bags, and that doesnt include what you dropped off to our tent. We also had to empty our cash collection boxes, not once, but twice.

Thursday started with our own Alex Wasilenko, with City Markets Cheray MacFarland.

We prepackaged these bags, theyre $10 a piece and they have cereal, mac and cheese, and two canned goods in them, said MacFarland.

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Alex was also speaking with our sponsors, Three Mountain Roofing and Vermont Federal Credit Union, as well as with the Vermont Foodbank, the recipient of your generous donations.

Cash donations to Vermont Food Bank have long legs, a dollar can help provide four dollars to neighbors across the state, said Vermont Foodbanks Sarah Keblin.

Thursdays donations will help Vermonters all over the state meet their basic needs during the holiday season and beyond. If you would still like to make a donation, City Market is setting up collection bins at all of their Vermont stores right up until a day or two before Christmas.

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Dec. 19A Rhode Island man was sentenced Thursday to five years in prison for the unlawful possession of a firearm as a convicted felon that was used in a fatal 2021 shooting in Seabrook, prosecutors said.

Garrito "Tony" Fort, 40, also was sentenced to three years of supervised release. In October, Fort pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Fort "brought a loaded firearm to a fistfight that he initiated," said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack in a statement. "He had multiple opportunities to walk away. Instead, the defendant chose to escalate the encounter, resulting in the defendant shooting and killing a man and severely wounding another."

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On Halloween evening in 2021, Fort thought he saw Christopher Colleti scratch his vehicle, a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The next morning, Fort grabbed a firearm to confront Coletti, whom Fort had never met before.

Coletti denied hitting Fort's car, but Fort continued to accuse Coletti, resulting in an argument, according to prosecutors.

Two bystanders separated Fort and Coletti, and Coletti walked away. But Fort went after Coletti again and continued to accuse Coletti of hitting his car. Eventually, another man, Richard Janvrin Jr., saw Fort holding the gun and punched Fort to disarm him. Fort fired two shots, seriously wounding Janvrin and killing Coletti, according to prosecutors.
Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste has been reappointed by incoming Washington governor Bob Ferguson. (Courtesy of Washington State Patrol)

Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste will soon be serving under his third chief executive.

Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson on Thursday announced Batistes reappointment to lead the statewide law enforcement agency, a job Batiste has held for nearly two decades.

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Also Thursday, Ferguson announced hes retaining three other members of Gov. Jay Inslees administration: Joel Sacks as director of the Department of Labor & Industries, Allyson Brooks as director of the Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, and Bill Kehoe as director of Washington Technology Solutions and the states chief information officer.

With our challenges ahead, proven and thoughtful leadership is more important than ever, Ferguson said in a statement. I am proud that these four individuals will continue their service.

On Friday, he said he was reappointing three additional agency leaders: Drew Shirk as director for the Department of Revenue, Scott McCallum as superintendent for the Washington State School for the Blind and Shauna Bilyeu as executive director for the Washington Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Youth.

Ferguson has named leaders of more than a dozen agencies and departments ahead of his inauguration next month.

Ferguson hires

Below are Gov.-elect Bob Fergusons choices to lead state agencies as of Dec. 20.

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Department of Children, Youth and Families  State Rep. Tana Senn, D-Mercer Island

Department of Ecology  Casey Sixkiller

Department of Corrections  Tim Lang

Department of Social and Health Services  Cheryl Strange

Department of Labor & Industries  Joel Sacks

Department of Licensing  Marcus Glasper

Department of Veterans Affairs  David Puente Jr.

Department of Agriculture  Derek Sandison

Department of Revenue  Drew Shirk

Office of Financial Management  K.D. Chapman See

Washington State Patrol  John Batiste

Employment Security Department  Cami Feek

Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation  Allyson Brooks

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Governors Office of Indian Affairs  Tim Reynon

Washington Military Department  Maj. Gen. Gent Welsh

Director of Washington Technology Solutions  Bill Kehoe

Washington State School for the Blind  Scott McCallum

Washington Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Youth  Shauna Bilyeu

Batiste could be a prominent figure in advancing Fergusons public safety agenda, which includes securing funding to help cities and counties hire officers and increasing safety on the states roadways.

Batiste joined the Washington State Patrol in March 1976, earning promotions through the ranks of sergeant, lieutenant, captain, and deputy chief.

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In 2005, then-governor Christine Gregoire appointed him to be the state patrols 21st chief. Gov. Jay Inslee kept him on when he took office in 2013 and Batiste is set to begin work for Ferguson on Jan. 15, 2025.

The Washington State Patrol has 1,100 positions budgeted for commissioned officers and 1,100 for civilian employees. Of its six bureaus, field operations is the most visible as it is responsible for traffic law enforcement, collision investigation, and motorist assistance on 17,524 miles of state and interstate highways.

The states crime lab and fire marshal are housed in the agency. And the Investigative Services Bureau includes the Firearms Background Division, a point of contact for all firearm-related background checks.

Sacks has led the Department of Labor and Industries since 2013. The department oversees Washingtons workplace safety laws and workers compensation insurance program, and enforces the states wage and hour requirements.

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In a release, Sacks said he was honored to join the Ferguson administration.

Im passionate about worker safety, and proud of what weve accomplished. As long as there are people hurt and killed on the job, we have a lot more to do, he said.
Ellen Shub, courtesy of Estate of Ellen Shub

In 1982, a trio of social critics offered a blunt assessment of the eras progressive movements: All the women are white, all the Blacks are men, but some of us are brave. Less a literal observation, the statement  famously the title of a landmark anthology co-edited by Akasha Gloria Hull, Patricia Bell-Scott, and Barbara Smith  reflected a prevailing concern held by a cadre of activists organizing under the emergent label of Black feminism. Among them  the brave  were Demita Frazier and twin sisters Barbara and Beverly Smith, who broke off from the National Black Feminist Organization to form their own group fifty years ago. They called themselves the Combahee River Collective, taking their name from Harriet Tubmans 1863 raid along the Combahee River, which freed over 750 people.

We started out like a lot of the Black womens organizations: in each others homes, Frazier told me one recent November afternoon. Shed just gotten a new dog, and her words came to me between excitable yelps and barks. Early meetings happened frequently, and membership could fluctuate wildly, though there are thought to be nine core members: Frazier, both Smiths, Cheryl Clarke, Audre Lorde, Chirlane McCray, Akasha Gloria Hull and Helen L. Stewart. Sometimes itd be a hundred women in the attic with us sweating it out and meeting and talking about all manner of things Black and womanly.

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As an organization, the CRC concerned itself with the myriad overlapping systems of oppression theyd witnessed: racism, sexism, homophobia, classism, imperialism, patriarchy, capitalism. They took themselves as seriously as they took the issues. Meetings were formal, with agendas and plans  but they were sure to balance their time with fun. Cookies and food were important to our being together, Margo Okawaza-Rey, another member, recalled recently, zooming in from Ramallah, Palestine. We laughed. We played together. Tonally, the organization treaded carefully between seriousness and levity; with few previous models for this sort of organizing, members had to  as Frazier would later put it in a 1995 essay  do it from scratch.

These days, the CRC is best known for their collective statement, published in 1977, which dismantled the false logic of competing identities. Instead, they contended that different systems of identity-based oppression can overlap and reinforce each other, foregrounding concepts of identity politics and intersectionality within activist movements. The Combahee River Collective statement asserted that there was such a thing as Black lesbians and that we were not apologizing for it, Smith told me over Zoom.

I always think of the organizing around the murders as a pinnacle of Combahees politics and Combahees effectiveness in mobilizing an entire city.

The document remains a sophisticated analysis of the interconnected systems of oppression, purposely written in plain, accessible language to broaden its reach. Separated into four chapters (on the genesis of contemporary Black feminism; the groups politics; difficulties; and future projects) and based on members own reporting and experiences, the statement is its own history and future. It both contextualizes the group, creating an ideological provenance by invoking Black female activists throughout history, and outlines how the work will carry on: The fact that individual Black feminists are living in isolation all over the country, that our own numbers are small, and that we have some skills in writing, printing, and publishing makes us want to carry out these kinds of projects as a means of organizing Black feminists as we continue to do political work in coalition with other groups, they wrote. We realize that the only people who care enough about us to work consistently for our liberation are us.

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The Collective put that exact sentiment into practice by leading a multi-coalition response to the Roxbury Murders, which shook the Boston area during the first six months of 1979. After eleven Black women were killed within several miles of one another, the CRC led protests connecting the murders to an American society that systematically devalued the lives of Black women. I always think of the organizing around the murders as a pinnacle of Combahees politics and Combahees effectiveness in mobilizing an entire city, Smith told me. We were feminists who actually understood that there was something called violence against women, and that these were not solely racial murders.

The Combahee River Collective disbanded in 1980, but their emphasis on a written record helped the collectives work find a home within academia, contributing to its continued popularity. In the intervening decades, though, the surviving members have seen their statement get chopped and screwed into morsels, divorced from its context. Notably, Okazawa-Rey points to the statements most quoted line, If Black women were free, it would mean that everyone else would have to be free since our freedom would necessitate the destruction of all the systems of oppression, as a point of common misunderstanding. Theres a line about for Black women to be free, the institutions would have to be changed, Okawaza-Rey said. So if you change the institutions to be non-misogynist and non-racist, then all women would be free. This is what were saying: not that were the most oppressed, and if we are free, then everybody will be free.

395-35 Ellen Shub, courtesy of Estate of Ellen Shub

The collective was always concerned with the transformation of systems, not simply of language. Fifty years later, the same is true. In the days following the election, I spoke to Demita Frazier, Barbara Smith and Margo Okawaza-Rey. These conversations were the first instances I heard myself laugh since that Tuesday night: Frazier talking back to her dog, Okawaza-Rey pulling out  and speaking through  a Cookie Monster toy she had brought with her to Ramallah, Smith invoking astrology (Dont ask me, Im a Scorpio) as context to her answers. I craved their guidance, their answers, their light, as if I could inhale it through the screen. Understandably, we talked a lot about solidarity, and how change will involve more than the preachers choir. Coalitions have to be broad and imperfect; it was true for Combahee, and its true now. I needed them to tell me what would come next: If there was a chance of organizing across movements, of uniting against terror, despite differences. To me, solidarity is based upon: do you have enough in common with some collection of people that you can figure out a strategy for what to do around real problems? Smith said. Its not because everybody has the same identity. Its because we agree that certain things are important, and then we try to move forward.

They were not precious: Smith started our conversation by announcing, We are facing horrors, horrors untold. But so many of them are, sadly, the horrors we already know, the same ones the Collective had sought to address. (Each of them pointed to issues that they had failed to cover, like trans rights, land reclamation by Native peoples, and disability justice.) When I asked about the efficacy of the text, its ability to endure, Okawaza-Rey turned it around on me  the Statement wasnt just an ideology; it was a blueprint. As soon as it stopped serving me, it would be time to pick up my pen. My question, Jazmine, to you and people of your generation is: Whats the statement you would write now?

The Formation

Demita Frazier: We started out like a lot of Black womens organizations do: in each others homes. Because we didnt have money. We were young. We started out at my house in Dorchester, and then we started rotating to different peoples places. We had this wonderful room on the third floor of the Womens Center in Cambridge, and we met there for the duration of our time together. We tended to have pretty formal meetings, in that we always had an agenda.

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Margo Okazawa-Rey: Our first autonomous retreat was in Wellesley, Massachusetts. We stayed at the Wellesley Hotel. I think there were maybe six, seven of us all staying in one room, because we had no money. Cookies and food were important to our being together. We laughed. We played together.

Demita Frazier: A centerpiece of our organization was two poles: humor  often bitter humor  and food. And the food part was the thing that made us so Black. During that period, it was the first surge of people looking at health, body, the mind-body connection, all of that, so it was always important for us to have something really delicious and healthy.

Barbara Smith: In the early 1970s, Black movements were dominated by Black men. And the Black agenda was set by people who were assigned male at birth, so any interest in looking at anything else  like violence against women, rape, sterilization abuse, reproductive justice  all of that was considered a betrayal.

Demita Frazier: It felt very exciting to find other Black women who were talking about power and women and all the things that we need to talk about as Black feminists, especially because it was finally a place where we didnt have to worry about what we talked about and how we talked about it. We werent getting pushback within the group who was telling us that we were focusing on the wrong issues, except for one person who ended up leaving, and we were like, Whatever. Bye, Sharon.

How Audre Lorde Taught Me to Love My Queer Black Identity

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"Lorde taught me that self-love means allowing yourself to feel; allowing yourself to stand in your truth no matter how painful it might be."

Margo Okazawa-Rey: All of us were involved in various activist things that brought us together and enabled us to have our own kind of trajectory. Whatever we learned outside, we could bring in and inform what we did inside. Barbara, you were involved in the Committee to End Sterilization Abuse, and I was involved in [fighting] the racist school busing stuff that was happening in Boston at the time. Another thing that was important in 1979, of course, was the series of murders of Black women. Kattie Portis was the executive director of the Women Incorporated, and Marlene Stevens, who was one of the leaders in the South End community, called a meeting. We ended up creating something called the Coalition for Womens Safety that included men and women, drug treatment people, social service providers, activists, even some people from sectarian left parties.

Barbara Smith: I always think of the organizing around the murders as a pinnacle of Combahees politics and Combahees effectiveness in mobilizing an entire city. One of the things that was happening is that when the murders first began happening in January of 1979, the first reports were on the back pages of the Boston Globe, where the racing results were. We were a catalyst because we had our feet in all of the communities that were being affected, and/or who were concerned. We were a part of communities of color, we were feminists who actually understood that there was something called violence against women, and that these were not solely racial murders, because when the murders first started happening, they were being defined as racial murders.

Demita Frazier: We knew that supporting groups across a variety of lines meant that we were going to have an opportunity to enlist and bring along people who might not even have thought about feminism or Black feminism.

The Statement

Margo Okazawa-Rey: Beverly [Smith], Demita and Barbara wrote the brilliant Combahee River Collective Statement. And I think its important to say also that the statement was so, whats the word? Prescient! It doesnt get old, except in maybe a couple of places.

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Demita Frazier: When we started writing the statement, I was struggling so much with having my voice be heard. Writing with other people, as you know, is also complicated  on a good day. And then you add in all the factors that make it really tricky. Barbara and Beverly are Scorpios.

Barbara Smith: I really feel that the fact that the statement is explicitly anti-capitalist and socialist is what has given it its staying power. We were not just saying, isnt it wonderful that were Black women? What we were saying is that we are allowed, we are permitted, as Black women, to formulate politics that have something to do with the actual conditions of our lives. In other words, identity politics. Thats what we meant. We did not mean that everybody who wasnt just exactly like us was trash.

Margo Okazawa-Rey: Theres a line about for Black women to be free, the institutions would have to be changed, right? There was a structural analysis. So if you change the institutions to be non-misogynist and non-racist, then all women would be free. This is what were saying, not that were the most oppressed, and if we are free, then everybody will be free. There was a structural analytic component that said we understood the ways in which these institutions are racialized and gendered.

Stonewall Never Happened: Miss Major on the Broken Promise of Our Movements Most Famous Uprising

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In an exclusive excerpt from Miss Majors long-awaited book, the legendary activist explains why as far as Black trans folks are concerned, its as if Stonewall never happened.

Demita Frazier: We were doing it as much for ourselves as it was for posterity, because we wanted to just have a sense of clarifying as Black feminists. There wasnt anything current that had been written like that about what it means to be a Black woman engaging in radical feminist politics. In that way it provided people, and it continues to provide people, with a sense that we have a right to do this work  and that were doing this work because we are part of a community trying to create transformative moments [for others]. So to the extent that the statement continues to be that lodestar, its great. Were there things missing? Yes.

Barbara Smith: One of the things thats missing from this statement is an analysis of gender and transgender identity and transgender oppression and being gender-nonconforming or nonbinary. I mean, I was looking a little while ago at it all, it was like one thing led me to the whole thing. I had no idea how many sexual orientations there were. We also didnt write about people with disabilities. And that to me, again, is in that kind of space that we needed to be educated about that in a way that we werent at the moment that the collective statement was written.

Margo Okazawa-Rey: We didnt really think about whose land were on, either. We didnt think about Indigenous people, and weve come to better consciousness about that, indeed. Even as enslaved people, we were brought to a colonized land by the same people who enslaved us.

The Future

Barbara Smith: We are facing horrors, horrors untold. I think that the United States has proven that it would prefer to have a fascist, incompetent criminal rapist [as President over] a competent Black and South Asian woman. I was not somebody who put energy into Vice President Harris campaign. But I did wish to avoid where we are now.

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Margo Okazawa-Rey: Yesterday exposed the true fabric of the founding principles of the U.S. I think its important to start the story of last night from the beginning, right? There have been blips where it seemed like there were moments of relief and periods of reform. Because if those reforms didnt happen, Barbara and I probably would not be sitting here talking with you, Jazmine, right? For various reasons. From what I observe, theres a deep moral and spiritual injury that has overtaken a large segment of the people in the U.S., but also around the world, as Ive seen it. Whats that saying? When the U.S. sneezes, everybody gets a cold.

Barbara Smith: I want to say something about what Black feminism has become. It wasnt necessarily about beating people up for what they didnt know or what they didnt understand. I feel like the mode of social media is to prove whos the smartest, whos the sharpest, and who can be self-righteous. I see the strongest Black feminist work being done in other movements, not necessarily under the rubric of Black feminism. The environmental climate crisis movement, for instance, is a place where we find dynamic women of color leadership. Black Lives Matter and those organizing against police brutality and the criminal justice system is another place where we see strong Black feminist leadership.

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Margo Okazawa-Rey: There are amazing, amazing Black feminists on the continent of Africa, in the Caribbean, in Brazil. If nothing else comes out of this conversation, I hope that when we talk about Black feminism, that we really keep in mind that Black women in other parts of the world are doing feminist work. Wherever there are Black women, youre going to find Black feminists.

Barbara Smith: If [a reunion] were to happen, I would ask, Are you okay? Because some of us have become ancestors. These are wonderful, multiple decades of friendships. But that would be what I would want to know: Are you doing okay?

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Margo Okazawa-Rey: Given our histories together separately, [Id ask the others] whats really confounding us in this moment. And how does what we learned back then, what else do we need to help understand this moment in a much deeper way? So what did we believe that we dont believe any more, and whats confounding us?

Demita Frazier: When you ask about getting us together, I cant picture it. Because in so many ways who Combahee was  we were such a creature of our time together. I dont think it was actually meant to live longer than that. Part of our karma was to be this illumination for a moment and to be illuminative, and then to move on. People used to say, How come you all didnt last? Trust and believe: It wasnt meant to last.

These interviews have been condensed and edited.

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Originally Appeared on them.
After getting into an argument with his wife, a man shot her daughter and killed her son-in-law before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Panama City, Fla. police said on Monday, Dec. 16.

According to a press release from the Panama City Police Department, the murder-suicide took place on Friday, Dec. 13, after Newell Mock, 67, had a domestic dispute with his wife, Rhonda Mock, 65.

Police say that after Rhonda fled their home, Mock traveled to the house of Rhonda's daughter, Jessica Johns.

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When he arrived, Jessica was home with her husband, Joshua Johns, and their children, ages 5 and 7, who were asleep upstairs.

Related: Man Executed for Brutally Murdering 10-Year-Old Girl as Part of Cannibalistic Fantasy

Mock allegedly entered the residence with force and "immediately" engaged the couple with gunfire, "striking each of them several times."

The department says that after the shooting was reported to 911, officers arrived approximately 2.5 minutes after being dispatched and found Mock "sitting on the front porch, still armed with a handgun."

"Officers attempted to de-escalate Mock, but he refused to engage in dialogue before fatally shooting himself," the press release reads, noting that Mock did not threaten the officers, and officers discharged no weapons.

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After getting access inside the home, officers found Joshua deceased and Jessica "critically wounded."

Related: Man Who Died Aboard Cruise Threatened to 'Kill' Passengers, But Family Says Behavior Was Uncharacteristic

Josh Johns/ Facebook Josh Johns Josh Johns

Jessica was rendered first aid before being transported to a hospital where she is currently recovering from "serious injuries," according to a GoFundMe created by her sister Molly Vise.

Vise adds in the fundraiser that "Jessica is now facing a long and difficult road to recovery, both physically and emotionally. As she heals, she will also be navigating the challenging reality of raising their children without Josh."

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She remembered Joshua as a "loving husband, father, and friend," whose sudden death "has created an immense void in our hearts, and our family is struggling with profound grief."

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.

While the case remains under investigation, Panama City Police Chief Mark Smith said in a video shared by WJHG on Dec. 16 that Mock's "anger was really directed at his wife, but when he couldnt expel that anger towards her, he decided to hurt her family, in order to hurt her."

PEOPLE has reached out to the Panama City Police Department for comment.

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If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.

Read the original article on People
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA)  TECO customers brace yourselves, starting next year you can expect to pay more for your monthly bill.

Today the Florida Public Service Commission approved new electric rates for TECO. The commission ensures customers will benefit from these rates; however, advocacy groups say this move will hurt Florida families.

The Florida Public Service Commission ultimately approved an increase of $9 for TECO customers starting in January 2025. Even with the backlash it faced this past year, thousands of TECO customers in Hillsborough, Polk, Pasco, and Pinellas counties could see their monthly bills sitting around $145.50, in just a few weeks.

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It all began in April 2024, when TECO filed a request to increase rates. In June, three customer service hearings were held, with expert testimonies in August. All the while, residents and advocacy groups took to the streets to protest the future changes.

Brooke Ward, Florida organizer with Food & Water Watch shared her concerns over the summer.

Its a really difficult thing to watch our bills go up and have to figure out how I am going to fit this into my budget, said Ward.

Earlier this month, the commission voted to reduce TECOs request by more than $100 million, according to PSC. TECO then recalculated the rates, which brings us to today.

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In 2025, the average residential customer will see their bill go up about $9. Thats about roughly 6% more than what theyre paying today. And with that increase, they will see significant improvements, said Cherie Jacobs with Tampa Electric.

Jacobs says these improvements include shortened power outages and faster storm restoration.

In response to todays vote, Food & Water Watch Southern Region Director Jorge Aguilar issued the following statement:

This latest rate hike is proof that in DeSantis Florida, corporations take precedence over communities. Governor DeSantis Public Service Commission is raising energy prices that will hurt Florida families and wreck our climate, while corporate utility executives and shareholders pocket massive profits. This fight is only beginning as more rate hikes requests are expected in 2025. Given that opposition to fossil fueled corporate rate hikes is stronger than ever, we need local and state officials to push back against DeSantis dangerous pro-corporate agenda. Our elected leaders must protect Floridians from skyrocketing energy bills by rolling back anti-consumer laws and enacting climate resiliency programs. Its time our elected officials put community need ahead of corporate greed.

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The group also shared that TECO customers can expect further bill increases in the new year.

The Food & Water Watch organization added that the utility is seeking to recover $365-425 million for costs related to Hurricanes Helene and Milton, which could potentially add another $30-40/month to bills if recovered over a 12-month period.



However, TECO says, they are still calculating those numbers.

TECO provides electric service to approximately 844,000 customers in Hillsborough and portions of Polk, Pasco, and Pinellas counties.

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.
Tony Buzbee: They can put up any witness they want, and whether Ive read his testimony or not I can still twist him up and make him look foolish. And Ill do that pretty easy - Shane Lavalette

Twenty years ago, when Tony Buzbee started making his fortune as a personal injury lawyer, reaping the spoils from his lawsuits against oil and gas companies around Americas Gulf Coast, he had a particular liking for rap music.

At the time, Buzbee was driving a Mercedes SLR McLaren Convertible (cost $500,000). Id drive around in my fancy car, he remembers with a laugh, playing the music real loud, make sure everybody could see me  then come back around again in case you missed me the first time.

One of the songs Buzbee particularly liked was Mo Money Mo Problems, a million-selling hit for the rap artist The Notorious B.I.G., co-written, produced by and featuring the boss of Bad Boy Records, Sean Puff Daddy Combs  better known now as P. Diddy.

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The song, about the perils that can come from success, had a particular prescience  Mo Problems for Combs, who is presently languishing in jail on remand in New York facing charges of kidnapping, drugging and coercing women into sexual activities, and, if Tony Buzbee has his way, Mo Money for him and for the more than 100 people he is representing who claim to have suffered sexual assault and/or abuse by Combs and his associates, in incidents going back more than 30 years.

Combs, who has been denied bail three times, has refuted all the criminal charges against him. If convicted he could face a life sentence.

The biggest, baddest, meanest dog in the yard

Buzbee claims to have won billions in lawsuits fighting oil companies, maritime operators, banks and insurance companies, and has cultivated an image of braggadocio and flaunted wealth.

In describing his tactics and courtroom manner, profiles in American papers and magazines invariably reach for the adjectives hard-nosed and ruthless, dwelling on the shark tattoo he has on his forearm, which matches the shark motif on the tail fin of his private jet (actually both his jets: he has a big one for long flights, to California, New York, and a smaller one for flights around Texas) and the shark-shaped door handles on his offices on the top floor of the JP Morgan Chase Tower in downtown Houston, the tallest building in Texas.

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He was once described by The Texas Tribune as a big, mean, ambitious, tenacious, fire-breathing Texas trial lawyer, and a fellow attorney has called him the biggest, baddest, meanest dog in the yard  a description you seldom hear applied to those called to the bar in this country.

Oh thats just somebody blowing smoke, Buzbee says with a laugh, tugging at the sleeve of his tailor-made Brioni suit, and revealing a glimpse of a diamond-studded gold watch. Trying to make me happy.

Combs, who is 55, is a phenomenon beyond the world of rap music. Born in Harlem, and an altar boy as a child, he worked as a music talent scout, founding Bad Boy Records when he was just 24, going on to develop the careers of artists including the Notorious B.I.G., Mary J Blige and Usher, and having a string of million-selling records under the name Puff Daddy.

The allegations against Sean Combs aka P Diddy go back as far as the 1990s - Al Pereira/Getty Images/Michael Ochs Archives

He branched out into the worlds of fashion and acting, but in the 2000s he became as well known for his so called White Parties  with a strict all-white dress code  extravagant affairs at his homes in Los Angeles and the Hamptons and on yachts in the South of France, which had musicians, Hollywood celebrities and socialites clamouring for an invitation.

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It is these parties, and more particularly what have been described as the freak offs, drug-fuelled orgies at which Combs allegedly coerced women into sexual acts and filming them for his own pleasure, that have been the principal focus of the criminal investigation and the civil actions being brought by Buzbee.

Buzbee says his cases could extend to anyone who took part in, facilitated, or observed the alleged offences. But his main focus is Combs. At a press conference in October he announced that he was representing 120 people making allegations against Combs, dating back to the 1990s.

In fact, he says now, he has received allegations from more than 400 individuals, all of which are being screened by a 100-strong team made up of special investigators, many of them former police officers. Ultimately well be filing about 100 cases, maybe more, he says. Theres a lot of cases I could file, but Im going to make sure we only file the ones that are solid.

People thought they could do whatever they want with impunity

All of these cases, Buzbee says, follow a similar pattern where an individual, singled out at a party or picked up at a concert, is drugged with GHB or some other date-rape drug and then abused.

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Theyre given a drink, either a bottle of water, or these bottles of vodka that have been laced with something, and the next thing you know theyre in la-la land and theyre taken advantage of, either by him or just by people who are attending the party.

Were dealing with a situation  and this is my opinion  where people, including Mr Combs, thought they could do whatever they want with impunity. Hes a powerful rich person and hes surrounded by celebrities and well-connected politically, but that wasnt good enough. Now I can put a drop in your drink and do whatever I want, and just have a good old time doing it. And that became a course of conduct.

Buzbee continues: There were girls at these parties doing things they would never do in public, with everybody watching. And I dont think its because they were just drunk or high on drugs. Its because they didnt even realise they were being given a drug and were being coerced into it.

Guilt, shame, fear of retribution, fear of violence, whatever, it takes people a long time to get up the courage to come forward, Buzbee says. Usually the argument they make to themselves is, How did I put myself in this position? They blame themselves. And they wont come forward unless somebody else does with the same kind of story. But every day they dont come forward makes it harder, because most people who dont understand sexual assault will be very judgmental.

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But the way I look at it, I dont care how long it takes, youve had the courage to step forward. A lot of people will say, I believe all victims  well, I cant be that silly, because there are people that come forward trying to sell me a bunch of baloney.

Its my bar licence and my reputation, so I have to be very careful about being on the one hand very receptive, and trying to help somebody; and on the other hand not pursuing a case that turns out not to be credible and which makes all the other cases look bad. Its a very fine line, which is why were filing these cases so slowly.

In October, Buzbee warned that many powerful people will be exposed through the lawsuits. And the charges against Combs have set the conspiracy mill churning. Theres a lot of interest in this case, and a lot of foolishness out there, Buzbee says now. I dont read all of it, but I hear about it. All the things related to this case, I would say 90 per cent of it is foolishness.

Theres this idea that Im Joe McCarthy or something, that I have in my possession some secret list. Theres no secret list. I have said that some of the people named in the case will raise some eyebrows. But most of them we can already guess who they are. Its not like they were secret parties.

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The most high-profile name to emerge so far is Jay-Z, the rapper and businessman married to fellow superstar Beyonce.

Jay-Z, right, has been accused of raping a 13-year-old girl with Combs - Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Roc Nation

It is a standard legal practice in personal injury cases, Buzbee says, to file what is known as a demand  usually a letter outlining the case against the accused, and offering a mediation to settle the case.

Ill never put a number in there. Ill just send a letter saying, heres the facts we have about you, its confidential, and we would like to get together in two weeks for a mediation thats cloaked and nobody can talk about whats said, and try to resolve this without the filing of a public lawsuit.

People claim extortion and all kinds of silly stuff. But its typical in these kinds of cases, because suits are so overwhelming and stressful to the plaintiff, because it creates a lot of publicity which makes it even more difficult.

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But I have not been sending these letters saying you will do this or else. First off, thats the way to get yourself in trouble; and number two, thats not the way I operate. I try to keep it professional.

If something has happened once its happened a hundred times

In November, Buzbee despatched a confidential letter to Jay-Z  real name Shawn Carter  outlining an allegation against him, along with Combs, having raped a 13-year-old girl, identified only as Jane Doe, at a party in 2000 following the MTV Video Awards. Jay-Z had been nominated for an award for the video of his song Big Pimpin.

Carters response was to sue Buzbee, alleging the lawyer had attempted to blackmail him by making the rape allegation public if he did not agree to a legal settlement. He later took to social media platform X describing the demand letter as a blackmail attempt, and Buzbee as deplorable and an ambulance chaser in a cheap suit.

I mourn yet another loss of innocence, Carter went on, lamenting the pain the allegations have inflicted on his family. We protect children, he wrote, you seem to exploit them for personal gain. Only your network of conspiracy theorists, fake psychics, will believe the idiotic claims you have levied against me that, if not for the seriousness surrounding harm to kids, would be laughable.

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This week Carters lawyer, Alex Spiro, described the now 38-year-old unnamed womans account as provably, demonstrably false pointing out apparent inconsistencies in her account.

Responding to these allegations, Buzbee issued a statement to NBC News saying that his office had interrogated [the woman] intensely and that she had even agreed to a polygraph. This has been extremely distressing for her, to the point she has experienced seizures and had to seek medical treatment due to the stress.

In postings made on X he described Carters assertions about attempts to blackmail him as bogus and laughable.

Carter, he said, had not only sued him anonymously but has tried to bully me and harass me and this plaintiff. His conduct has had the opposite impact. She is emboldened. Im very proud of her resolve, adding that the facts of the case will be [litigated] in court, not in the media.

Jay-Z and P Diddy together in 2000, the year the alleged incident took place - Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

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Not all the plaintiffs Buzbee is representing are women. The youngest is a man who, it is alleged, as a nine-year-old boy, was abused by Combs and others at an audition at the studio of his Bad Boy Records, where promises were made to the boy and his parents about a potential record deal.

Buzbee has handled a number of high-profile sexual abuse cases in the past and there is usually a pattern, he says  if something has happened once its happened a hundred times.

In 2013 he sued Stanley Marsh, the eccentric millionaire responsible for Cadillac Ranch  the art installation in Amarillo, Texas, featuring a row of vintage Cadillacs buried nose first in the ground. Marsh had an apartment downtown where over the years he sexually abused a succession of underage boys.

It turned out there were 30 or 40 boys still around, and probably a hundred over the years, Buzbee says. Those boys were going in and out of the Chase Tower in downtown Amarillo, and no one ever questioned, why are these boys going in there? He was hiding right in plain sight.

Buzbee represented 10 boys, and I took every penny he owned. Which, he adds, I was very proud of. I cant say what the settlement was, but I know that a lot of them were driving Ferraris around Amarillo. He laughs. And you dont normally see a lot of Ferraris or Lamborghinis in Amarillo.

The kind of business Im in, you dont garner a lot of love

Buzbee lives in one of the biggest mansions on the most exclusive street in Houston. There is a white Rolls-Royce parked in the forecourt, beside his wife Frances white Mercedes.

He has lived in the house for the past 11 years, purchased from a man who had sold his oil and gas company and gone into the wine business. He completely rebuilt the house, then sold it following a divorce. Buzbee paid $13 million for it.

Arriving at his home, I ring the doorbell, and a womans voice on the intercom instructs me to wait outside until Buzbee is ready to see me.

He appears 10 minutes later, sturdily built and of medium height, with a tan and slicked-back hair; he looks toned and refreshed. He is wearing a light-blue linen suit, hand-tooled alligator-skin boots and a dark-blue shirt. He speaks in a soft Texas twang at odds with his air of palpable self-confidence.

He has been following his daily routine of meditation, exercise and a plunge in an ice bath. He leads the way into the sitting room and sinks into a capacious sofa.

The house is a study in muted opulence. An art deco lamp on a rosewood table, paintings by Leger, Louis Kronberg and Alexander Calder on the walls. A book detailing his art collection  Matisse, Pissaro, Renoir, Cy Twombly, an abstract painted by Frank Sinatra  sits on a coffee table. (In an unfortunate incident in 2017, a female guest who had drunk too much ran amok when Buzbee called for an Uber, overturning furniture and causing $300,000 in damage to artworks including two Andy Warhol paintings.)

Buzbees mansion in downtown Houston is a far cry from his modest rural upbringing - Shane Lavalette

Bookshelves line the room: volumes on law, politics and international relations. There is a well-thumbed copy of The Book of Disquiet, by the Portuguese existentialist poet and writer Fernando Pessoa  from a time when Buzbee was living in New Yorks East Village, he says, trying to be a poet. Viktor Frankls Mans Search for Meaning, CS Lewiss Reflections on the Psalms, and a book by the new age spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Lifes Purpose.

Buzbee is a much more complicated man than his reputation for abrasiveness suggests.

As we talk, a small white dog bounces into the room, and leaps excitedly on his lap, before being shushed away. This reputation, I say, hard-nosed, ruthless, the meanest dog in the yard how would he describe himself?

Super nice guy. He grins. Thats not what Ive heard. He feigns a wounded look. Is that right? The grin broadens. Thats hurtful. Im trying to get in touch with my emotions.

So would he describe himself as loved, respected or feared? Well, you saw the dog

But in the human realm? I guess respected, probably. The kind of business Im in, you dont garner a lot of love.

I was at a dinner here once in this grand house owned by a billionaire, with a lot of oil and gas people, and I said to my date, Ive literally sued every single person in this room. So you dont get a lot of love when you do that.

If I had the case today I probably would have got 500 million

Nor did Buzbee have a lot of love growing up in the small, rural north Texas town of Atlanta. His father worked as a butcher at a local grocery and his mother worked in the school cafeteria.

A hard-scrabble upbringing. His father, he says, would fight at the drop of a hat  and usually be the one to drop it  and Buzbee would frequently be the object of his temper. Big and mean, he says. Everybody knew him in town. Still do, and hes 81.

On days when he wasnt working, hed tell Buzbee to get in the truck, boy, and theyd drive the dirt roads around town looking for discarded beer cans. Hed slow down, Id jump out, pick up a can, throw it in the back and wed keep going. Wed do that for hours. After selling the aluminum, his father would retire to his favourite bar to drink and play pool with his buddies, while Buzbee sat in the corner watching. He wrestled a bear once, he says, and fought a dwarf.

He did what?

I saw it happen. One day there was a dwarf in the bar who was drunk and who took it into his head to needle Buzbees father when he was shooting pool, jogging his arm when he went to make a shot.

My dad took pool super-serious, and he got annoyed pretty quick. When my dad said hey, the dwarf kicked him on the shin. My dad has really skinny legs, hardly any fat on them. He saw stars and he just went whack! and knocked the dwarf into the wall.

And the bear?

There was a man, he says, who would travel the small towns in the area with a muzzled bear, charging people $20 to wrestle with it, just to prove they could. Nobody could beat the bear. My dad wrestled it, and the bear beat him easily. Buzbee laughs.

Deepwater Horizon

At the age of 17, Buzbee graduated from high school, and I was out of there. Tried to get as far away as I could. He attended college on a Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps scholarship, and went to serve in the Marines, spending four years in the Middle East, Kenya and Somalia and rising to the rank of lieutenant.

Wondering what to do in the future, on a ship sailing off the coast of India he picked up a friends preparatory law school handbook and started answering questions and found he was pretty good at it. And I said, hey boys, Im going to go to law school.

He shakes his head and laughs. The weird things that happen to you.

He enrolled at the University of Houston Law Center, and in 1997 graduated summa cum laude, then joined one of Houstons biggest law firms, but left after a year. I decided, I dont want to keep making the managing partners richer so Im going to try to do it myself.

He set up with a partner in an office in a suburban strip mall, handling personal injury cases for oil-rig workers; he took to it, he says, like a duck to water. With my working-class background I could bond with those guys really easily. And if you have access to one guy you have access to 25 others  cousins, brothers, whatever; something happens in their family and they call you.

His first major case was an anti-trust violation. Reading through a truckload of depositions in a case against a drilling company he came upon evidence that nobody else seemed to have noticed, that companies were sharing information on employees wages to keep them rigged low. He told his partner they should pursue the case. When his partner hesitated, Buzbee took out two lines of credit to pursue it on his own, and within a year had collected $75 million in settlements from various drilling companies. If I had the case today I probably would have got 500 million.

Among the settlements was $15 million from the law firm he had been working for the year before, and who were representing one of the defendants. The case was a class action, meaning he had to make an application to the judge for a fee. He was awarded $18.6 million.

His biggest wins have come from actions against BP. In 2005 a BP plant blew up in Texas city, killing 15 workers and injuring a further 180. Buzbee represented 1,400 people and ended up settling for just under $500 million.

In 2010 he filed another lawsuit representing more than 10,000 individuals and businesses, following the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil-drilling platform that killed 11 workers and injured 17 others, and which caused an oil spill that spread across the Gulf of Mexico, devastating wildlife, and contaminating beaches, wetlands and estuaries. BP would end up paying $20.8 billion in damages for the spill, the largest environmental damage settlement in US history.

The explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig started one of the worst environmental disasters in history - U.S. Coast Guard via AP

Buzbee remembers that in the midst of the case he applied for a deposition to take testimony from the former CEO of BP, Lord Browne, who I was very excited to meet for obvious reasons.

I went to my ranch and I received a call from the general counsel of BP. He said, it looks like you got the deposition you wanted. I said, yes, I did. Id already taken a lot of BP money at that point. There were 85 cases Id already settled.

He said, well, wed like to settle all your cases. I told him we could discuss it, and Id be back in town on Tuesday. He said, no I dont think you understand. We want to settle all your cases today. I said, Im at my ranch and, st man, I dont even know who I represent.

He asked me how long it would take to get a list. I said, call me back in two hours. I had my assistant go to my office and fax me a list of clients, their injuries and their medical treatments. At hour two I was parked in my Jeep at the highest point of my ranch where I could get a signal, with a pen and paper and I said, lets go.

And in two and half hours we resolved 185 cases. It was like, Tom Jones. John Smith He said, Well give you four million on that. I said, Well make it six. OK, well give you five and half. OK, done.

When I hung up I drove back to my ranch house and sat in the front yard in my Jeep, trying to add all this up on the calculator on my cell phone. I went in and said to my wife, Goddam, I just settled all my BP cases. She said, Thats awesome, how did you do? I said, I think its something over 300 million but Ive got to add it up again.

And that was as close as I got to meeting Lord Browne.

Buzbee wants to smoke a cigar, so we move to his study  the only room in the house, he says with a rueful smile, where his wife will let him smoke. He settles in a chair and ignites a truncheon-sized Romeo Y Julieta.

He and Frances married in 2021. It is his second marriage. He was divorced from his first wife Zoe Benson, his college sweetheart and the mother of his four children, in 2017 after 26 years of marriage: I was not a good husband, but I was a good father.

Frances Moody is 24 years his junior, a daughter of one of the pre-eminent families in Texas with extensive interests in banking, insurance and hotels. Buzbee served on a bank board with her father for 10 years, and once sued her grandfather over an employment issue.

Did you win? Well, he paid me.

When he proposed to Frances, her father came to his office and asked him a hundred questions about his intentions. Some very pointed questions because Im considerably older than her. And apparently I passed. But hes just a very nice man, a very gentle, even-keeled kind of guy. And shes the same. And why would she want to marry a rogue like me? Youd have to ask her. But Im very glad she did. She doesnt need money. A lot of the things women would be attracted to me for, she doesnt need any of that.

For a wedding present, he bought her a farm.

When you run for mayor, half the people hate you and half the people like you

Buzbee collects presidential memorabilia. On the desk there is a wine decanter that once belonged to George Washington, a tobacco holder that belonged to Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Elsewhere in the house, there is a framed piece of the original Star-Spangled Banner, the flag that inspired the US national anthem, and a framed doodle drawn by John F Kennedy on stationery from the Rice Hotel in Houston, where Kennedy stopped the day before he was assassinated in Dallas. The rocking chair he sat in is upstairs.

There was a time when Buzbee had political ambitions of his own. He was chairman of the Democratic Committee in Galveston, but gave it up citing pressure of work and the responsibilities of having a young family.

In 2019 he ran for mayor of Houston, and lost. When you run for mayor, half the people hate you and half the people like you, he says. In 2016 he hosted a fundraiser for Donald Trump at his home, raising $500,000 for Trumps first run at the presidency. And that automatically gets you 40 per cent of the people who hate you and think youre the anti-Christ.

The idea of hosting Trump, he says, was just a novelty. Trump had just finished the last series of The Apprentice. I thought that was a cool show. I was asked, would you give this fundraiser; nobody else would do it in this area, so I said Ill do it. He was single at the time. They said, bonus  Ivankas coming! I thought, Lets go! He laughs. And she didnt turn up.

Trump, he says, was not what I expected. My mother came and we sat in the kitchen and he signed autographs for the kids.

There were some 40 people in his house, waiting to meet Trump and 700 more in the backyard. Thats how it is in America; you pay a little more and you get a picture. Trump was supposed to give a 10-minute speech indoors, then give his main speech outside, with those inside joining to hear it.

Well nobody told him that apparently. So he gave his typical 45-minute speech, off the cuff, just rambling. He thought he was finished, so I went and tugged on his arm and said, Mr Trump theres 700 more people waiting in the backyard. So he went out and gave exactly the same damn speech. He laughs.

I asked why he ran for mayor.

It was probably to assuage my inner child. Buzbee often jokes in conversation, but hes being serious. If you want the honest answer, thats probably it. I can go deeper if you want. To get the external validation I didnt get as a child. Thats probably the truth after many years of reflection on it, because Ive asked myself, why did I do that?

I spent $13 million doing it. Obviously I had a lot of ideas. I care about the city and the place where I live. I know how the city works and how it should work. I had a lot of people backing me who had great ideas

Tony Buzbee in 2014, when he was on the team that would be handling tackle two felony indictments against Texas governor Rick Perry - Robert Daemmrich Photography Inc/Corbis via Getty Images

And you wanted the power? No, it was a lot of things. If you look closely at your life, youre probably dealing with things that happened in your past.

Not to get too psychological, but why do I have personalised licence plates? Why do I live on the richest street in town? Im in a fishbowl. Theres no privacy here.

Its become a tradition at Christmas time for every house to be decked out with spectacular decorations  Buzbees is no exception  and the streets are thronged with thousands of people from all over town coming to look.

He pulls on his cigar. Hes been doing a lot of soul searching over the last few months, he says. pondering on all this  his upbringing, his success  mans search for meaning, as Viktor Frankl would put it.

Therapy?

Im doing my own analysis and therapy all the time. Adaptive behaviours that become maladaptive in adulthood, extreme self-reliance probably not the best trait to have if youre trying to have connection and vulnerability with people. I rarely show any vulnerability, I rarely express emotions other than anger. Anger has fuelled my career for 30 years.

That shark tattoo, I say  its definitely saying something

He pulls up his sleeve to show me. There is another on his arm in Latin script, bellum omnium contra omnes. Its from Thomas Hobbes, he says. War against everyone. I always used to say, whether its philosophical or otherwise, were always at war.

I created this aura of, were going to kick your ass and here we come  that in-your-face kind of thing. There was a lot of thinking and calculation that went into that. But now Im trying to figure out, why am I doing that?

Running from something. Running to something. Running Having a chip on your shoulder only goes so far. Are you going to have that till youre 90? I hope not. My dad still does. Hes never been able to process it, work it out. He was always angry about something.

But he must be proud of you, I say.

I would assume, but its not something Ive discussed with him. I dont think Ive seen him since I told him I was going to slap the st out of him, probably seven or eight years ago, and told him to get off my property.

Its important to the clients, its important to me and Ill put on a good show

Buzbee has a 7,000 acre ranch in north Texas, where he keeps a menagerie of animals including horses, llamas, zebra, wildebeest, water buffalo the list goes on. For a while I had him working on it. But at some point you have to make some decisions about how to go forward, and I made the decision to go forward without him in my life for my own peace of mind.

Buzbee thinks about this. Hes been making an inventory of his life, all this stuff hes acquired and surrounded himself with. The Second World War-era tank that used to be parked in the forecourt. The 40 cars he collected over the years. Im getting rid of them slowly. I didnt care about them. I didnt drive them, and when I did I didnt enjoy them. So I finally had to ask myself, why have them? We have the worst streets here in Houston.

Anger has fuelled my career for 30 years - Shane Lavalette

He also has a home in Dallas  we like to go to Dallas  and another in Galveston, where he anchored his yacht. Hes had two  an 85ft Azimut yacht, with five staterooms that can accommodate up to 10 guests, and which Buzbee liked to sail into harbour with the Pirates of Caribbean theme tune blaring out over the sound system.

That was replaced by a smaller boat, The Patriot, which sank in the Galveston marina during Hurricane Beryl in July. Id never been on that boat. Id walked on it, but Id never been underway.

He had homes in New York, Montana and Malibu  but he sold those. How many homes does one man need? He sighs. Ive got too much stuff. Even my ranch, all these animals, its too much. Its got eight houses on it. Staff. Its really a fabulous place, but Ive only been there once this year.

At some point in my life, I dont know if you call it angst, or restlessness. But being able to find out where that comes from can bring you peace.

And it took me a long time to figure out, first off, where it came from, and secondly how to turn it off. Because if youre not able to turn it off, youll never be at peace.

He muses on this. There is a church in the town, non-denominational Christian, where he grew up, with a graveyard where most of his family are buried. Over the years he has paid for its upkeep, but the last preacher left the church in the 1980s and it fell into disrepair. He has now rebuilt it, and preachers from all over the area will be invited to preach there. He might speak there himself. I think there are some things I could say.

So right now Im trying to simplify my life. He pauses. Of course, this Diddy case doesnt simplify my life very much

When I ask when he last lost a case, there is an immoderately long pause while he ponders the question.

Not in a long time

He used to feel terrible whenever he lost, he says, roll up in a ball and lie in a foetal position for a couple of days. Im not sure Id have that reaction now. Id probably move on pretty easily. Winning cases used to be something I needed to shore me up. But not any more.

I have the luxury of choosing the cases I work on, so I can be very particular about why Im doing them. Am I doing it because of a chip on my shoulder, or because Im truly trying to help somebody and even the score for them?

He has 26 lawyers working for his firm. They hand me a folder, I can get up at 4am, read that folder and commit it to memory, I can go to court and put on a show. And they can put up any witness they want, and whether Ive read his testimony or not I can still twist him up and make him look foolish. And Ill do that pretty easy. Thats just what I do and Im good at it.

But I dont spend a lot of time dwelling on the victories OK, move on. Last case, we were in Colorado. I think the verdict there was $50 million, and I forgot about it before I landed back here.

The criminal trial of Sean Combs is scheduled to begin in May. In the meantime, Buzbee will be filing more civil suits, and he has other cases to fight.

One is going to trial soon.

Its important to the clients, its important to me and Ill put on a good show, everybody will have a nice time, everybody entertained. He gives a smile to match his tattoo. And Im going to win  Im pretty certain of it.

He usually does.

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Russia launched a series of missile attacks against Kyiv on the morning of Dec. 20, reportedly killing one person, injuring 12, and causing damage across the city.

Multiple explosions were reported in Kyiv around 7 a.m. local time, according to Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that air defenses were operating over the city.

Russia attacked the capital with five ballistic missiles of the Iskander-M or the North Korean KN-23 model, the Air Force said. All five missiles were reportedly shot down, with debris falling in several districts of the city.

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One person was killed and at least 10 injured in the Holosiivskyi district, and at least one was injured in the Shevchenkivskyi district, the State Emergency Service reported. Five people remain hospitalized as of 1 p.m. local time.

In the Holosiivskyi district, the missile wreckage damaged office buildings, residential buildings, a gas pipe, and five cars. A fire broke out on the roof of one of the office buildings, and the 15th floor was damaged, possibly trapping people inside, authorities said.

Sixteen medical institutions, 17 schools, 13 kindergartens, and 630 residential buildings in the district were left without heating as a result of damaged infrastructure.

Fires were also reported at non-residential buildings in the Solomianskyi and Shevchenkivskyi districts of Kyiv. Initial reports about damage in the Dnipro district have not been confirmed.

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A blast wave damaged the stained glass windows of the St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Cathedral in the Pechersk district, the Ukraine International Institute of Restoration said. Footage shared by journalist Yan Dobronosov shows damage at an office building across the street.

A large-scale fire also broke out in a warehouse in the Boryspil district of Kyiv Oblast, covering 15,000 square meters, the State Emergency Service reported. The fire had been contained as of 4:05 a.m. local time.

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In recent months, Russia has continued to intensify its drone and missile attacks targeting different regions of Ukraine.

On Dec. 19, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed to "experiment" on Western air defenses by launching an Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) at Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly called on Western allies to provide more air defenses to the embattled country. On Dec. 18, during a visit to Brussels, Zelensky called for allies to provide an additional 19 air defense systems to protect against Russian strikes on critical infrastructure.

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Read also: Ukraine war latest: Zelensky blasts Putins Oreshnik threats, calling him dumbass

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  Las Vegas Fire and Rescue responded to a fire early Friday morning in an exclusive Summerlin neighborhood.

The fire was reported shortly after midnight in the 1800 block of White Hawk Court, near Town Center Drive and Summerlin Parkway.

The more than 10,000 sq ft home required a special technique called overhaul to completely extinguish the flames. Once the main fire is put out, smaller, hidden fires are allowed to flare up so they can be easily located.

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Its a very large home. so, you know, otherwise wed be chasing smoke all over the place, Darren Taylor, Assistant Chief of Las Vegas Fire & Rescue, said.

Las Vegas Fire and Rescue crews battle fire at large Summerlin home on Dec. 20, 2024. (KLAS) Las Vegas Fire and Rescue crews battle fire at large Summerlin home on Dec. 20, 2024. (KLAS)

Firefighters told 8 News Now no one was in the home at the time of the fire. There is no word on the extent of damage to the multi-million dollar home.

Taylor, thankful for the efforts of firefighters, They take an oath to protect us, and they take an oath to protect the citizens and the citizens belongings. And we saw a great example of it today.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
Firefly Aerospaces Blue Ghost Mission One Lander will lift off from NASAs Kennedy Space Center as early as next month.

The commercial lunar lander will carry 10 NASA science and technology instruments to a more than 300-mile-wide basin located on the near side of the moon.

Experiments will look at lunar sub-surface drilling, radiation tolerant computing, dust mitigation, and more all in support of the Artemis campaign.

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Firefly CEO Jason Kim said, In the future, theres all kinds of missions that you can do on the moon to mine the moon for natural resources that could help you with the gateway program, as well as on your way to mars.

Read: House rejects Trump-backed plan on government shutdown

On Wednesday, NASA announced Firefly Aerospace was awarded $179 million dollars to deliver six experiments to the lunar surface in 2028.

This fourth task order for Firefly will target landing in the Gruithuisen Domes on the near side of the Moon.

Firefly is conducting the uncrewed robotic missions as part of NASAs CLPS initiative, or Commercial Lunar Payload Services.

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Through CLPS, NASA is working to better understand the Moons environment to better prepare for future human missions to the lunar surface, as part of the agencys Moon to Mars exploration approach!

Read: Orlando International Airport prepares for the holiday travel season

Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.




A woman traveling to Philadelphia from LAX last week was stopped with several prohibited items in her carry-on, including multiple knives and fireworks.

It happened on Dec. 15 around 10 p.m. at Terminal 4 of the airport.

As the woman tried to pass through a security checkpoint, a Transportation Security Administration officer flagged her bag after spotting something suspicious in an X-ray.

The bag was put aside and searched by officers who discovered a box of firecrackers, three pocket knives and a can of pepper spray. There were also two pistol-shaped keychains and a pair of thread scissors.

This photo from the TSA shows firecrackers, knives and other prohibited items that were found in a womans carry-on bag at LAX on Dec. 15, 2024. (Transportation Security Administration)

The TSA described the discovery as shocking, even to its most tenured LAX officer, and said it was a prime example of all the things not to bring when traveling through the nations airports.

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The sheer number of prohibited items discovered in a single carry-on bag is extremely concerning, said LAX TSA Federal Security Director Jason Pantages. This traveler should have followed TSAs tried and true advice  unpack your bag before you pack it to ensure you dont bring any prohibited items to the security checkpoint.

Pantages said security checkpoints across the globe are already busy due to the holiday travel season, and urged any travelers to double-check the contents of your bag prior to coming to the airport.

The TSA notificed local authorities who interviewed the traveler and confiscated the fireworks.

Fireworks and other explosive are federally prohibited from being packed on any flight; knives and replica firearms are only allowed in checked luggage.

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TSA regulations allow for a single 4 ounce container of pepper spray in checked luggage as long as its equipped with a safety mechanism to prevent any accidental discharge. Any self-defense sprays that contain more than 2% tear gas are strictly prohibited on all flights.

Some airlines, however, prohibit the transport of any pepper spray, TSA said.

If a traveler is unsure if they are allowed to bring a specific item on a plane, they can download the MyTSA app, reach out on social media or text Travel to AskTSA (275-872) for answers.

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.
Daviess County commissioners ended their last official meeting of 2024, Thursday, defending their decision to turn the Daviess County Animal Shelter over to It Takes A Village, an animal rescue organization based in Evansville.

It Takes A Village was chosen from several groups that responded to the countys request for proposals about the shelter. The county began looking for agencies that could oversee the shelter after changing the shelters spay/neuter policy in March.

The shelter was not on Thursdays agenda, but county resident, Beverly Johnson, brought up the issue during public comments, asking commissioners, What was the initial root cause, reason, behind getting rid of the animal shelter?

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Johnson, an animal shelter volunteer, said the shelter has taken in more than 3,400 animals this year.

This shelter is doing a more than above-average job in the state of Kentucky, Johnson said, and that, to her knowledge, county commissioners hadnt spent significant time studying the shelters operations and hadnt asked shelter staff or volunteers for ideas about improving operations.

I would just like a simple answer, a truthful answer, in laymans terms as to why this decision had to be made, Johnson said. Where will the money budgeted for the shelter, where will the money go? What departments are lined up right now to enhance their budgets or start their new projects?

Johnson said, I can only hope and pray It Takes A Village ... continues services to our citizens and the throwaway animals in our midst, and that she hopes the community will support It Takes A Village as they take on this never-ending, daunting task.

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Commissioners Larry Conder and Janie Marksberry, in their comments, said money was not being redirected from the animal shelter.

I dont know where the rumor has come from that we are withdrawing funds or withholding funds from the animal shelter, Marksberry said. That is not correct. That has never been an issue.

Marksberry said there has never been discussions about funneling funds from the shelter to other departments.

I have been out to the shelter and Ive had a lot of conversations with people who volunteer, people who work out there, and I saw there were problems between who made decisions at the shelter, Marksberry said. It was a constant turmoil, to be honest, and we had to make a change, because the animals were the ones who were suffering.

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The county is looking to mirror how Bowling Greens animal shelter is operated, Marskberry said.

What makes it better than what we have, because part of it is a nonprofit, they can do fundraising for the animals, Marksberry said, and that while Daviess Fiscal Court provides $1.3 million to the local shelter, the Bowling Green shelter has a budget of over $3 million.

Marksberry called on local animal rescue groups to support It Takes A Village.

None of this in any way is defunding the shelter, Marksberry said, and that the group that presented the most impressive credentials was selected.

Conder said, As far as Im aware, the animals are still being taken in, its not shut down, nobody is going to necessarily be taking money from the shelter. The rumors that are out there are very disturbing, very hurtful, Conder said. Anyone who wishes to make those statements without the facts is very damning, not only to our people but also to our pets. So please, make sure you get your facts straight before you come up and accuse especially departments of taking money.

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County Judge-Executive Charlie Castlen also said, We are trying to mirror the Bowling Green model. They do a superb job of serving pretty much a regional hub. We can do it. ...Heres what I find odd: People who have an absolute of animals, why would you not do anything except work for the betterment of the animals? Because thats what they are doing in Bowling Green.

At the Bowling Green shelter, they are spending three times what we are spending here, Castlen said.

The county is not defunding the shelter, Castlen said.

The nonsense, and thats all I can call it, or the misinformation that we are going to defund ... and thats absolutely not true, he said.

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It Takes A Village is already taking animals from Daviess County, he said.

I have absolute confidence that we have picked the right group, Castlen said. The best thing anybody can do is to embrace what we are trying to do and help it succeed.
Russian forces struck a house in the city of Kryvyi Rih in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on the evening of 19 December, leaving two people injured.

Source: Oleksandr Vilkul, Head of Kryvyi Rih Defence Council; Ukraine's Air Force; Serhii Lysak, Head of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration

Details: The Air Force reported a high-speed target flying towards Kryvyi Rih at around 23:00.

Later, Vilkul reported that a residential building had been hit in the city.

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Subsequently, Lysak noted that a two-storey house had been severely damaged by the missile attack on Kryvyi Rih. A teenage girl and a man were rescued from under the rubble. In addition, windows in a 10-storey building were smashed.

: 

The aftermath of the Russian attack on Kryvyi Rih.

Photo: Ukraine's State Emergency Service

Updated: Around 02:00 on 20 December, Vilkul announced that the search and rescue operation had been completed.

Quote: "The enemy struck a residential two-storey building with a ballistic missile.

Five people are currently known to have been injured  a 15-year-old girl, two men aged 38 and 49 and two women aged 30 and 82. Two of them were rescued from under the rubble by patrol police and the State Emergency Service. All of them are in a moderate condition."

: 

The aftermath of the Russian attack on Kryvyi Rih.

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Photo: Ukraine's State Emergency Service

Background: On the evening of 18 December, Russian forces launched an attack on Kryvyi Rih, damaging numerous apartment buildings, a hospital and the local power supply system.

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In a surprise conclusion to a project dubbed The Final Experiment, several well-known believers in a non-spherical Earth have had a change of heart.

"All right, guys, sometimes, you are wrong in life," announced Jeran Campanella, a prominent flat-Earth theorist who joined an all-expenses-paid expedition to Antarctica to see the Sun circle the sky for an entire day.

"And I thought that there was no 24-hour Sun, in fact I was pretty sure of it."

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For the past three years a pastor from Denver, Colorado, named Will Duffy has worked to bring together a selection of 'globist' and 'flat-earther' YouTube content creators to "settle the shape of the Earth" in a single act of observation.

Traveling to Union Glacier Camp  a full-service private facility just 1,138 kilometers (707 miles) from the South Pole  the two 'teams' gathered to see with their own eyes whether reports of a non-setting Sun were fabrications of some greater conspiracy, or truthful observations of planetary physics at work.

Throughout history, various cultures have held mixed views on what lies over the horizon, and how the land beneath our feet connects with what we see over our heads.

In a modern sense, flat-Earth beliefs emerged in the 19th century as a counter to a scientific consensus, often buoyed by religious convictions or aligning with political values in a shared distrust of an academic authority. Today, social media has given voice and community to a legion of people who doubt what most of us take for granted as a well-supported fact.

A Sun circling a flat Earth is hard to reconcile with 24 hours of sunlight in Antarctica. ( Swiat Geocentryczny/Wikimedia commons/PD

"It's really about the power of knowledge, and that increasing distrust in what we once considered to be the gatekeepers of knowledge  like academics, scientific agencies, or the government," University of Melbourne communications expert Jennifer Beckett told Anders Furze in a 2019 article on the topic.

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Though there's no agreement on what this non-curving world looks like from afar, most descriptions need to account for what can be experienced as individuals. Phenomena such as the changing position of the Sun, or differences in the heights of objects as we travel towards a horizon, still need to make sense if Earth is a huge pancake rimmed in Antarctic frosting.

Scientific explanations of the Sun's seasonal shifts are relatively straight-forward. Perched on opposing ends of a tilted globe, each pole experiences alternating periods of uninterrupted sunlight or endless night as Earth completes laps of the Solar System.

Antarctica has only two seasons because of Earth's 23-degree axial tilt. ( NASA-JPL/Caltech

To some flat-Earth advocates, the existence of Antarctica's midnight Sun simply can't be reconciled with a position standing at the edge of a global circle. Like Campanella, they figured it simply didn't happen.

Watching the Sun skirt the horizon in person might clear up claims of any conspiracy, though it may not necessarily be enough to make converts of 'team flat-Earth'.

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Flat-Earth YouTube creator Austin Whitsitt humbly admitted the Sun was "doing what they said it would do, very clearly." Yet when it comes to embracing a new view of the world, he's far from convinced. "I don't think it falsifies plane Earth, I don't think it proves a globe, I think it's a singular data point."

Belief formation is a complex task for human brains, though, combining experiences shared by those we trust with a dusting of our own perceptions to construct personal stories that don't just explain what we see, but fit with what we value.

As an exercise in trust-building and a demonstration of the value in putting our firmest convictions to the test when given a chance, Duffy's 'Final Experiment' ought to be anything but final.

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MANASQUAN, N.J. (AP)  The federal government has dropped huge gates at the mouths of three inlets, as well as internal waterway barriers from a plan to protect New Jersey's back bays from the type of catastrophic flooding they endured during Superstorm Sandy.

Instead, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in a plan released Friday wants to rely more on elevating thousands of homes, hardening police and fire stations, hospitals and critical infrastructure, and restoring salt marshes to act as natural sponges capable of absorbing floodwaters during severe storms.

The changes would reduce the cost of the plan from $16 billion to $7.6 billion, and remove a major point of contention raised by homeowners, environmentalists and some local governments concerned about damage to the views of inlets and bays, potential harm to fish and wildlife, and the cost of maintaining the massive projects, which local governments would have to pay.

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But the scaled-down project would be less effective, the Army Corps acknowledged.

The storm surge barrier analyses remains valuable, and can be revisited at a future phase, but they ultimately required years of engineering work and environmental coordination, and we wanted to release a plan with elements that could be move forward in the near term, said Stephen Rochette, a spokesman for the Army Corps.

Without some sort of storm protection plan, New Jersey's back bay regions could sustain $2.6 billion a year in flood-related damage to property, infrastructure and vehicles each year between 2040 and 2090, the Corps projected. The study covered the area from Neptune in Monmouth County all the way to the states southern tip in Cape May.

The original recommendation called for large storm gates across the Manasquan, Barnegat and Great Egg Harbor inlets. In addition, so-called cross-bay barriers would have been erected in Absecon Bay near Atlantic City, and along a former railroad right of way along 52nd Street in Ocean City.

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These bay barriers would have had a swing gate in the middle that could be shut during major storms, and slat-like gates spanning about a third of a mile that would be lowered down into the water to block surges of water during storms. The structures would have risen about 20 feet (about 6.1 meters) over the water.

The storm gates plan would have been one of the most ambitious and costly efforts any U.S. state has yet taken to address back bay flooding. This refers to floods that are not primarily caused by waves crashing over ocean barriers, but by stealthily rising water levels in bays along inland shorelines.

Although ocean waves caused severe damage during Superstorm Sandy in 2012, back bay flooding also caused extensive damage in that storm. In numerous places, it was the primary source of property damage during Sandy.

The overwhelming cost probably had a lot to do with it, said Tim Dillingham, executive director of the American Littoral Society. There's a growing awareness on the part of local officials that the maintenance of these projects falls to them. Maintaining miles of dikes and thousands of feet of gates is very expensive.

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But there are also environmental benefits to eliminating the barriers, Dillingham said, adding they would have interfered with water circulation in the shallow bays, potentially harming fish and wildlife.

The new plan calls for elevating 6,421 homes by installing pilings underneath them. That figure is down from 19,000 in the original plan. Not all details are spelled out, but participants in an elevation plan would have to sign numerous permission forms to have their homes included in the government-funded work.

It envisions flood-proofing 279 critical infrastructure facilities such as police, fire, and ambulance stations and hospitals.

And it calls for using material dredged from the bottom of waterways to restore 217 acres (88 hectares) of salt marshes in seven locations deemed particularly vulnerable to sea level rise. These marshes would act as natural sponges capable of absorbing some of the floodwaters during severe storms.

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The latest version of the plan must still be finalized by the Army Corps, and Congress needs to approve funding for the work, which could take 11 years to complete.

___

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ORLANDO, FLA.  Democrats across the country are still figuring out how to process and respond to President-elect Donald Trumps win last month. Two Florida congressmen, Maxwell Frost and Jared Moskowitz, may exemplify the split in party ranks on whether to oppose him or work with him.

As of now, it appears Frost is on the lonelier side of that divide.

U.S. Rep. Frost, D-Orlando, has pulled no punches in slamming Trump and his wealthy advisors Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy for their Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, which they say will find ways to chop government spending by $2 trillion.

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These are billionaires who are coming to the table with a slash-and-burn corporate mentality which has devastated hundreds of thousands of American jobs over the last several decades, Frost said in an interview with the Orlando Sentinel.

He told MSNBC last week he was incredulous that Musk, the worlds richest man, is going to be in charge of helping us decide what my moms Social Security check is going to be.

U.S. Rep. Moskowitz, D-Parkland, meanwhile, has said he wants to work with Musk and became the first Democrat to join a congressional DOGE Caucus.

If theyre right on something, we should support it, Moskowitz told NPR. We shouldnt just be the opposition party of since they came up with it, we cant support it because we dont want to give them a win.

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This week, reports indicated Moskowitz may be asked to join the Trump administration itself as head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He later denied the rumors and said he would stay in Congress.

Moskowitz could not be reached for comment, according to his office.

Moskowitzs willingness to work with Trump is a far cry from 2022, when he introduced legislation to change the name of a Miami federal prison to the Donald J. Trump Federal Correctional Institution, calling him the gravest threat to this country and democracy everywhere.

But he seems to be in line with the fledgling Democratic strategy for the next two years, which U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., head of the partys House campaign arm, described as a willingness to work with Republicans but also to hold them accountable if things dont get done.

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Were here to govern, DelBene told ABC News. And I guess the question is, are they serious about governing?

Critics of this response have characterized it as appeasement. The anti-Trump conservative site The Bulwark said Democrats are in the fetal position and playing dead.

Frost, though, said despite his differences with that strategy, it shows something that our party has that their party doesnt. Even if we disagree a lot with the other administration coming in, which obviously we do, were still always trying to look for ways to work with them and work together.

But, he added, DOGE itself is not a legitimate government agency. Its a Twitter account right now. And I think its important that were honest about whats going on.

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Some of Musk and Ramaswamys suggestions for cuts have included PBS, military health care, and Medicare and Medicaid, according to reports.

Still, Democrats ranging from Moskowitz to U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Ca., as well as independent progressive U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, have said they would be willing to work with Trump and Musk to root out inefficiencies.

But beside some vague talk about trimming the military budget, there have been few details from Democrats about what common ground they might actually find.

There should be a bipartisan incentive to want government to run efficiently, said Aubrey Jewett, a professor of political science at the University of Central Florida. On the other hand, Its certainly understandable for Frost and many other Democrats to be skeptical of that effort. Is it a legitimate, sincere effort to improve government, or is it just one more way for conservative Republicans to try to destroy government?

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Musk has inserted himself deeply into the political process, almost single-handedly torpedoing a bipartisan deal to keep the federal government running until next year.

Frost maintained that those overtures from Democrats arent giving Musk and DOGE any additional legitimacy.

Look, were talking about the incoming president of the United States, Frost said. Were talking about the richest man on the face of the earth. Whether or not Bernie Sanders or anyone comments on it, its already a thing thats happening.

Democratic voters, he added, arent frustrated because Democrats are looking for ways to work with Republicans. Theyre more frustrated with the tone in which its being said. I get that, and agree with that as well.

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That tone is very different from when Democrats of every stripe prior to the election warned about Trumps anti-democratic actions and rhetoric, including President Joe Biden openly characterizing Trump as a fascist.

Democrats have to be really careful, because weve spent the last four years, almost a decade, actually talking about how much of a threat to our democracy Donald Trump is  and he is, said Samuel Vilchez Santiago, the chair of the Orange County Democrats.

Frost said he understands that it could now appear disingenuous for Democrats to offer to work with Trump.

What we said during the campaign is true, Frost said. He is a threat to democracy. He is an authoritarian figure.  Were seeing this kind of premature compliance because people are scared.

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At the same time, he said, He is going to be the president for the next four years, and we dont want to throw our hands up and say nothing is going to get done. And so both things can be true at the same time.

Andrew Lisa, the new chair of the Seminole County Democrats, said the election was a wake up call for us to rethink how we talk to each other and how we talk to our neighbors. We are not enemies. We have more in common than we dont.

In the end, its moderate lawmakers such as U.S. Rep. Darren Soto, D-Kissimmee, who could determine the Democratic response to Trump.

The American people have spoken, and we do have to work together on things that are important, Soto said.

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But he remained adamant about the threat Trump faces.

I was trapped in the chamber on January 6, and Capitol Police had to rescue me, Soto said of the pro-Trump insurrection in 2021. Ive seen the worst of authoritarianism under Trump. So as we see these things come up, including things like attacks on democracy or voting or civil rights? We will fight.

_____
The Florida Department of Education is taking action against former Douglas Anderson teacher Corey Thayer, who was accused of inappropriate contact with students last year.

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The new development comes just one day after a school board member raised concerns after noticing his teaching certificate was still valid and Action News Jax exposed student accusations against Thayer that predated his employment in Duval.

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In a letter written by Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz Thursday, the commissioner requested former Douglas Anderson teacher Corey Thayer have an administrative notice placed on his educator profile.

The safety of Florida students was recently jeopardized when it was reported that Mr. Thayer, an educator in Duval County, took advantage of his position of trust, Diaz wrote.

FDOE confirmed Friday morning the commissioners request had been approved.

While Mr. Thayer is not currently employed as an educator, this notice ensures that any hiring district will be made aware of the allegations against Mr. Thayer, an FDOE spokesperson told Action News Jax in an emailed statement.

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Duval School Board Vice Chair April Carney (District 2) was the first to notice Thayers teaching certificate was still valid.

Its good news today, said Carney after learning about the latest action taken by FDOE.

She said thanks to that action the family of Thayers victim will have assurance the former teacher cant simply move on to another district.

I know that they will be extremely pleased to hear this news, said Carney.

It seems Thayer has swapped districts after facing misconduct allegations in the past.

On Thursday, Action News Jax uncovered at least three separate complaints against Thayer where he was accused of sexual and behavioral misconduct dating back to 1999.

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Those accusations came from Thayers personnel file, not from Duval, but his previous employer Orange County Public Schools.

While the new action from DOE ensures employers will be made aware of the allegations against Thayer, his teaching certificate is still technically intact.

According to the department, it doesnt have the statutory authority to fully revoke his certificate without going the proper due process.

The Department is using every tool at our disposal to keep this individual away from kids, said an FDOE spokesperson in an emailed statement.

Carney said shes optimistic the outcome of that process will ultimately lead to a full revocation.

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Looking at the transcripts and the interviews, I dont see how that wouldnt be the absolute final decision at that point, said Carney.

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A Florida man accused of murdering his ex-wife and her partner at their Frederick County home has been extradited back to Maryland and was ordered to be held without bail on Thursday.

David Phillip Turner, 34, of Miami, faces two counts each of first-degree murder and firearm use in commission of a felony, as well as one count of home invasion.

Turner is charged in connection with the shooting deaths of Crimea Malita Baker and Sean Antoine Lange, who were found dead in the home where they were living together near Lake Linganore on the morning of Aug. 25. Both were shot multiple times.

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According to online court records, a warrant for Turner's arrest was issued on Sept. 28.  the same day he was apprehended in Florida, The Frederick News-Post previously reported.

Frederick County State's Attorney's Office spokesperson Jacqueline Rottmann confirmed in a phone interview on Thursday that Turner was returned to Maryland via an extradition warrant on Wednesday evening.

Online court records show that the Sept. 28 arrest warrant was served that same day.

On Thursday, Frederick County District Judge Eric Schaffer ordered that Turner be held without bail at the Frederick County Adult Detention Center.

A preliminary hearing in his case is scheduled for Jan. 16.
A conspiracy theory about weather manipulation has made it all the way to the Florida state government.

As the International Business Times reported, Republican Senator Ileana Garcia has put forward a bill to ban weather modifications, seemingly validating dangerous notions that spread around the time that back-to-back hurricanes, Helene and Milton, battered the Sunshine State.

In October, Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene suggested that Democratic politicians were responsible for the formation of hurricanes that hit traditionally Republican voting areas in the run-up to the U.S. general election.

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It would certainly make sense to ban any kind of weather manipulation that would cause hurricanes, but the fact is this practice isn't possible. As the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration pointed out, "No technology exists that can create, destroy, modify, strengthen or steer hurricanes in any way, shape or form."

The organization added: "All hurricanes, including Helene and Milton, are natural phenomena that form on their own due to aligning conditions of the ocean and atmosphere."

The introduction of legislation to ban these modifications feeds directly into a narrative that hurricanes can be controlled, potentially for political reasons. This encourages citizens to focus less on the true cause of worsening extreme weather events  a warming climate  and to instead shift their gaze toward unproven rumours.

"I hope this legislation can help dispel fears about alleged chemtrails," Senator Garcia told The Floridian, per IBT. "It is essential to put doubts to rest by implementing safeguards that ensure weather modification is never weaponized due to governmental negligence or a lack of public engagement. We should welcome open dialogue and investigation rather than dismissing these discussions as conspiracy theories."

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While small-scale weather intervention through cloud seeding  or releasing particles into the air to form clouds that produce rain or snow  can be done, there is no technology available that can create the conditions for deadly hurricanes to form.

Cloud seeding has been used in the U.S., China, and United Arab Emirates as a way to tackle water shortages, as the BBC detailed, but its impact is minimal, with studies suggesting it can achieve a 10% to 15% increase in precipitation, as Earth.org shared. That's nowhere even close to the devastation a hurricane can bring.

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Further research might be warranted on how cloud seeding can impact ecosystems, but to suggest it is being used to directly form hurricanes is simply untrue. Instead, we need to focus on science-backed reasons for why extreme weather events, like hurricanes, are getting worse.

As the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions noted: "Climate change is worsening hurricane impacts in the United States by increasing the intensity and decreasing the speed at which they travel.

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"Scientists are currently uncertain whether there will be a change in the number of hurricanes, but they are certain that the intensity and severity of hurricanes will continue to increase."

With that in mind, reducing our production of pollution is essential to slow the rate of rising global temperatures. As Senator Garcia's bill and Representative Taylor Greene's assertions suggest, we can't always rely on our politicians to follow the science. That's why we all need to play our part by investing in renewable energy, avoiding the use of dirty fuel-powered vehicles, and even eating more plant-based foods, among other positive actions.

Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.




Related video above: TSA explains reasons behind certain screening policies

HEBRON, Ky. (WFLA)  A Florida woman was charged after she accidentally fired an unfamiliar gun on Thursday at a ticket counter inside Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, according to police.

Brianna Mary Hannah, of Jacksonville, was at the United Airlines ticket counter on Thursday morning when she accidentally fired the North American Arms 22 Magnum while trying to move it from her purse to her checked luggage, police said.

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Florida man pulls out machete during road rage incident: deputies

Hannah told police she was unfamiliar with the firearm and was unsure how to make it safe, according to the citation. She had said her husband bought her the gun and loaded it for her, and she had only fired it once since owning it around Christmas last year.

No one was hit by the bullet, police said.

Hannah was charged with first-degree wanton endangerment. Kentucky online court records show an arraignment scheduled for Jan. 23.

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 nations busiest flight route for 2024 runs from Orlando to Atlanta, a travel analyst has found  with the news coming just ahead of another record-breaking holiday travel season.

OAG, a data platform for the global travel industry, announced that a total of 3.4 million airline seats flew between the theme park capital of the nation and the city that is headquarters to Coca-Cola, the Home Depot, and the worlds busiest airport hub, Hartfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL).

The 90-minute flight is about to get even more popular as Conde Nast Traveler and WalletHub named Orlando as one of the top 10 global travel destinations for New Years, and Orlando International Airport (MCO) predicted a jam-packed holiday period.

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For the 17-day holiday period starting Friday and continuing through Jan. 5, 2.9 million passengers are expected at the airport  a 1% increase over last years record-breaking season, the airport announced Thursday.

The busiest travel day is expected to be Saturday, Dec. 28, with more than 192,000 total arrivals and departures.

Orlando offers nonstop flights to over 170 destinations worldwide, but only four carriers offer service for the 405-mile journey from Orlando to Atlanta that fueled MCOs rise to the top of the list. Delta offers 30 daily trips between the cities, Southwest offers eight, Frontier varies between four and six and Spirit offers two to four.

Because Atlanta is a hub many of these flights from MCO may go to Atlanta for a connection to a different destination, Orlando airport spokesperson Angela Starke said in an email.

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Twinkly Awards 2024: 25 of Central Floridas best, brightest home holiday-light displays

OAG Chief Analyst John Grant said in an interview that growing demand for the route has pushed it ahead of others that have fallen in capacity. He didnt know the last year the route was No. 1, but said it was before the pandemic.

The theme parks are obviously a very large part of the market but there are other things there like the large meeting and conference industry and aerospace companies, Grant said. So whereas the other routes are perhaps a bit more susceptible to variances and changes in wider economic circumstances the probability is that Orlando-Atlanta will be more resilient against those issues in the coming years.

OAG creates its annual list based on an airlines total capacity on a particular route, or the planned total number of seats an airline expects to offer, Grant said. The rankings are based on travel in both directions on a particular route.

So whos #2? According to OAG, Honolulu to Kahului ranked second this year with 3.4 million seats, after claiming the top spot in 2023. The route between Oahu and Maui has 17% higher capacity now than in 2019. Just 14,941 seats behind is Las Vegas to Los Angeles, which ranks third.
Mark Statz, city administrator/engineer of Centerville, has been tapped to be city administrator of Forest Lake.

Statz, 48, will start his new job on Feb. 18.

Statz has been city administrator and engineer in Centerville since 2017. Prior to that, he worked in private practice at Stantec for almost 20 years, providing engineering services for cities and towns throughout Minnesota, including Centerville.

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I feel like my skill set will lend itself well to a growing community like Forest Lake, he said. Im excited to get to know Forest Lake and the people and discover whats important to them.

Statz, who lives in Lakeland, estimates he has been to more than 800 city council meetings throughout his career.

When I first decided to throw my name in the hat for the position in Centerville, I wondered if I could do the job, he said. And then I thought, Well, Ive seen it done 600 times, I probably could do it myself. That gave me the confidence to know that I could be a competent administrator.

Members of the Forest Lake City Council interviewed Statz on Wednesday night and then voted unanimously to offer him the position, said Mayor-elect Blake Roberts.

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Throughout the recruitment and interview process, Statz demonstrated a calm, professional, thoughtful demeanor, he said, adding that Statz has a reputation for strong technical knowledge and creative problem-solving skills.

I believe Mark is an excellent choice based on all his experience in both the private and public sector, Roberts said. I am looking forward and very excited to have the opportunity to work with Mark and the next city council to continue to move Forest Lake forward.

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Forest Lake has been searching for a new city administrator for almost a year. The Forest Lake City Council in January decided to part ways with then-City Administrator Patrick Casey, who had served in the citys top post since 2018. The council interviewed eight candidates during two different search sessions before deciding to interview Statz on Wednesday.

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Statz said he had applied for the city administrator job earlier this year and had been asked to be a finalist, but declined at that time.

Statz graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1999 with a bachelors of science degree in civil engineering.

Statz and his wife, Angela, have three children.
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WJTV)  Although prices for timber were lower in 2024, harvest on the states forest land was up about 8%. Officials with the Mississippi State University (MSU) Extension Service said this gave forestry an expected value of $1.5 billion, similar to what it had in 2023.

Because soybeans saw a fairly significant decrease in price, forestry regained the No. 2 agricultural commodity spot in Mississippi. Poultry continues to hold the top spot with an anticipated value of $3.8 billion, and soybeans holds No. 3 with a $1.3 billion estimated 2024 value.

Mississippians spend 9th most on Christmas trees: survey

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These figures are tabulated annually by agricultural economists with the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

Eric McConnell, associate professor of forest business in the MSU Department of Forestry and Forest and Wildlife Research Center, said forestry was expected to harvest 36.6 million tons in 2024. The final number in 2023 was 33.8 million tons.

Mississippi prices trended up slightly each quarter, but prices on average were down in 2024 versus 2023, McConnell said. The overall value of production came in at $1.48 billion, same as last year. There was $727.9 million paid to landowners for standing timber, while harvest and trucking added $756.4 million of value to the industry.

Forestry is big business in the state, generating an estimated 84,000 jobs and $4.5 billion in income.

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A Republican strategist is lashing out at Rep. Nancy Mace months after he says he fired her as a client, dubbing the far-right lawmaker a pitiful embarrassment.

Wesley Donehue, who is the CEO of a South Carolina political consulting agency, went after Mace in a string of X posts on Friday.

You can stop texting me, Donehue wrote in one. I fired Nancy Mace as client a few months back because Im a political consultant and not a babysitter, a sex therapist or a doctor who can prescribe fixes for chemical imbalances. I dont have time for her constant egotistical bulls--- and drama in my life.

Mace recently pushed to prevent transgender women from using the Capitol Hill bathrooms corresponding to their gender. / Andrew Harnik / Getty Images

Mace, hardly a stranger to controversy, was recently in the media spotlight for her successful effort to prevent an incoming transgender colleague, Sarah McBride, from using the Capitol Hill bathrooms corresponding to her gender.

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Several former staffers previously told the Daily Beast that Mace begged her team to let her get punched in the face to garner media attention as a mob stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Its seems that I hurt Nancys feelings, Donehue wrote in another post. Cant wait for her to throw that victim card down again. Its really her only play. A pitiful embarrassment to the South Carolina Lowcountry.

Gabrielle Lipsky, a spokesperson for Mace, downplayed the attack.

The government is about to shut down and yet, this is what your publication is writing about, she said.

Donehue appears to have been set off after Mace went after Fox News host Trey Gowdy, formerly a congressman from Maces home state, who had criticized her for voting against a Donald Trump-backed spending bill on Thursday night.

Imagine wanting to run statewide and thinking this is a good idea. The upstate loves Trey Gowdy. This is what happens when a person cannot control their emotions enough to think strategically. https://t.co/e9Db4rx2AU  Wesley Donehue (@jwesleydonehue) December 20, 2024

Maces way of firing back was to question whether Gowdy was transgender.

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Which bathroom do we think Trey Gowdy uses? she wrote in an X post, along with a photo of his face.

Amid his rant against Mace, Donehue defended Gowdy.

Imagine wanting to run statewide and thinking this is a good idea, Donehue wrote of the South Carolina congresswoman. The upstate loves Trey Gowdy. This is what happens when a person cannot control their emotions enough to think strategically.

Donehue finally ended his tirade with an expression of concern about Maces mental well-being.

Ill stop piling on, he wrote. Ive been worried about Nancy Mace for a while now. Mental health is a serious issue. I want her to get better and seek treatment.
In the wake of the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, Fortune 500 health care companies are in the spotlight for their practices. As people call into question the ethics and motivations of health care companies, Wendell Potter, former vice president for corporate communications at Cigna, penned a guest essay in the New York Times revealing what led him to leave the company in 2008.

I left my job as a health insurance executive at Cigna after a crisis of conscience, Potter wrote.

A push for consumerism

Potter revealed that his perspective on the company began to shift in 2005, when Cignaone of the largest health insurers in the countryput forward an initiative focused on consumerism, which he says aimed to push more health care costs onto patients before their insurance coverage kicked in.

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It was his job to develop a public relations campaign to lobby reporters and politicians to see Cignas new policy as the long-awaited solution to ever-rising insurance premiums, Potter wrote.

But through my own research and common sense, I knew plans requiring significant cost sharing would be great for the well-heeled and healthyand insurers shareholdersbut potentially disastrous for others, he said.

Prioritizing profits over people firsthand

Potter described that as Cigna and other health insurance companies raised the costs of their plansleaving customers with higher deductibles to reach before coverage would kick inhe grew uncertain of his role at the company.

It was an impromptu visit to a free health clinic at a fairground in Virginia near where he grew up that opened his eyes to the tangible issues with the American health care system.

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I witnessed people standing in lines that stretched out of view, waiting to see physicians who were stationed in animal stalls, Potter wrote. He spoke to the clinic workers, who told him that of the thousands of people who came to the three-day clinic each year, some did have health insurance, but simply could not afford to cover their out-of-pocket costs.

I was forced to come to terms with the fact that I was playing a leading role in a system that made desperate people wait months or longer to get care in animal stalls, or go deep into medical debt, Potter wrote.

UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting brings insurance issues to the forefront

Potters essay comes in the aftermath of the murder of a prominent health insurance CEO, which spurred widespread outcry over consumers frustration with medical debt, denied claims, high deductibles, and inadequate coverage is being discussed now more than ever.

The tragic assassination of the UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson has reinvigorated a conversation that my former colleagues have long worked to suppress about an industry that puts profits above patients, Potter wrote.

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Earlier in Potters career, premiums and deductibles were not as costlyand insurers were not as aggressive, he said. Over time, however, pressure grew from investors to spend less on paying out patients claims. Now it is more difficult to get a claim approveda process, he said, that forces patients and their doctors through a maze of approvals before getting a procedure, sometimes denying them necessary treatment.

The catalyst for Potters resignation was exactly thatCignas denial of necessary treatment for 17-year-old leukemia patient Nataline Sarkisyan. He called it the event that contributed most to my decision to walk away from my career.

Her scheduled liver transplant was postponed at the last minute after Cigna declined to pay, claiming she was too sick for the procedure, Potter said.

In another last-minute decision, Cigna decided to paybut it was too late. She died a few hours after they changed their mind, he wrote.

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As a father, I couldnt imagine the depth of despair her parents were facing. I turned in my notice a few weeks later, Potter wrote.

I could not in good conscience continue being a spokesman for an industry that was making it increasingly difficult for Americans to get often lifesaving care, he said.

When Fortune reached out to Cigna for comment, it responded with the following statement: The world, healthcare, and our company have each evolved massively since Mr. Potter worked here almost two decades ago. He offers unsubstantiated claims and cites unnamed individuals with a self-interested goal that we can only presume is to sell books. His opinions do not reflect our company, commitment, and our focus on supporting the health of our customers and patients. We are constantly working to improve our support for patients and their care, and we are committed to doing our part to build a more sustainable healthcare model for America.

For more on health insurance companies:

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR)  A former Canoo employee, who worked for the company in Arkansas before the State of Oklahoma offered it millions in performance-based incentives to locate in Oklahoma, says if Oklahoma leaders did their research, they should have seen plenty of signs that the company would not be a good investment.

News 4 reported Wednesday when electric vehicle manufacturer Canoo announced it had furloughed its remaining workers in Oklahoma and would be idling its two plants in the state.

That announcement came after Canoo announced some of its employees had been furloughed in November.

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Former employee: Canoo never built vehicles in Oklahoma, most employees never moved to Oklahoma

In 2023, Governor Kevin Stitt and Oklahoma Department of Commerce leaders announced the State of Oklahoma had awarded Canoo, a start-up electric vehicle manufacturer, more than $100 million in state-funded, performance-based incentives.

The plan was to pay out the incentives to the electric vehicle manufacturer over a 10-year period to help the company get off the ground.

In exchange, Canoo would manufacture its vehicles in Oklahoma, bringing the state jobs and potentially millions in tax revenue.

They opened a battery manufacturing plant at the Mid-America Industrial Park in Pryor and a vehicle assembly plant in Oklahoma City.

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Canoo furloughs workers, idles factory

The company never built anything at the battery plant.

Last year, Canoo claimed it built its first three vehicles at the Oklahoma City plant before selling them to the State of Oklahoma.

But, in an exclusive interview with News 4, a former Canoo employee said the three vehicles were actually built by a different company in Texas.

Canoo hemorrhaged money.

In 2023, the company lost more than $300 million.

Its stock price sat below 10 cents per share as of Thursday evening.

It barely met any performance goals the State of Oklahoma put in place, and the state has only awarded Canoo $1 million, to date, according to the Oklahoma Department of Commerce.

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But, before any of that, before Canoo came to Oklahoma at all, there was Bentonville, Arkansas.

Electric vehicle company Canoo facing breach of contract lawsuit

Thats where News 4 found one former Canoo employee, with some of their thoughts.

It was just kind of comical what they were doing, the former employee told News 4.

The former employee, who doesnt want her identity known, took a job with Canoo in 2022, when the company was getting ready to open a battery factory at a Bentonville warehouse.

I was looking for a new job and something that paid better than my current position, said the former employee.

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She says, Canoo seemed to do all the right things.

I was getting paid $25 an hour, she said. And the full benefits. Per diem was $50 a day So everything seemed great.

Canoo jetted her and the other new hires out to the companys then-headquarters in Torrance, California, where they planned to train them for three months.

It was quite the place.

Their break room was amazing, she said. We were getting paid a per diem. They housed us all in a hotel that was nearby.

She says the training finished pretty quickly, so Canoo had her get right to work on building batteries during their remaining time in California.

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Will the remains of EV startup Arrival help keep Canoo alive?

It was until the facility in Bentonville could get prepared, the former employee said. And then we got notice that it wasnt going to be ready right away and that they had to send us back home because they couldnt afford to keep us down in California.

She says that would be the first of many red flags to come.

The next one came when she got back to Arkansas.

They said they gave us two options, she said. We could either be let go at that time, or we could, if we wanted to, we could do what they said would be charity work at a at a farm, which sounded great.

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For the next several months, her team got their hands dirty working on that farm, and then when winter came, Canoo had them volunteer at a thrift store.

She says, Canoos management structure was a mess.

We had a 19-year-old supervisorwhose father was a supervisor, like, management, she said. And so our supervisor got moved up because of his dad. He did not have any managing experience. It was very evident that he didnt have experience. We had other employees that were smoking pot in the car. They would just stay in the car while were at the farm and be smoking marijuana. While we were at the thrift store, some of the other employees, they would they would be in the receiving, and they would take stuff that was brought into the thrift store and posted it for sale on Marketplace before it even got brought in or logged.

She says Canoo paid her team their full salaries and benefits the whole time they did that volunteer work. She was never exactly sure where the money came from.

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OKC Canoo workers face furloughs ahead of holiday season

They kept telling us that there was their plant in Detroit and that there were vehicles being sold up there, and that you could see these vehicles being driven in Detroit, she said. Otherwise, we had heard that they had at one point received some money from a company from Saudi Arabia, from some investors from out there. But we never really heard how it was happening. It just happened.

While they were doing their volunteer work, Canoos CEO was telling News 4s Bentonville sister station, KNWA, that Canoos delays there were a result of challenges they faced while negotiating a lease for a second building.

Because of the type of equipment we were gonna put in there and what it was gonna do, they wanted north of a $40 million deposit, Canoo CEO, Tony Aquila, told KNWA in 2023.

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The former employee News 4 spoke with says the company told her a different story.

They didnt get the EPA testing done, so they couldnt open up a battery plant that was right next door to residential houses, the former employee said.

Regardless of why, at that point, Canoo had no place to dock in Arkansas.

They said that they were going to look at moving to Oklahoma and opening out there because Bentonville wasnt going to happen, the former employee said. They sent out a message asking us if we would be willing to work in Oklahoma. And we all said, yes.

That would be a short lived promise.

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They just called us on the phone they go, were just calling, you know, to let you know that youve been let go, your job has been terminated, she said. And so I asked them, I said, well, what about Oklahoma? I was going to move to Oklahoma for it. And they said, no, thats a possibility.

Furloughed Canoo workers say more broken promises from company

That ended her time at Canoo.

But it wasnt the end of the world, because she already had concluded by that point it was pretty clear Canoo would not be long for the world anyway.

I just kept seeing their stocks going lower and lower, she said. I dont see how they could pull themselves out of it.

So, she couldnt help but laugh when she saw Oklahoma had offered Canoo the $100 million incentive.

I was like, its the same thing that they did to Bentonville, she said.

Its a decision she says any amount of research should have shown Oklahoma leadersit was one they shouldnt make.

State receives first electric vehicles from Canoo

I think it is pretty evident after what happened in Bentonville, she said. I dont know why anybody would have trusted them.

And its a decision, she says, had real-world effects.

I felt really bad for the people who got furloughed because I know what it feels like, she said. It was exactly what happened to us. Promised great things. It seemed like a great company to work for at the time. And then you see whats really happening.

For two days, News 4 has made repeated attempts to reach Governor Stitts Office to get his thoughts on whats happening with Canoo.

Nobody has responded.

News did hear from the Oklahoma Department of Commerce.

A department spokesperson said, since the incentives were performance-based, the state has only given Canoo $1 million as of Thursday, and the department will look into clawing that money back, if necessary.

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.
FAYETTE COUNTY, WV (WVNS)  A former Fayette County Law Enforcement Officer was sentenced to prison for crimes against children.

According to a press release, 58-year-old Larry Allen Clay Jr., of Fayetteville, was sentenced on Thursday, December 19, 2024 to 25 years in prison, followed by ten years of parole. He was also ordered to pay $80,000 in restitution for sex trafficking a 17-year-old minor female and obstructing the following investigation.

Former Fayette County officer found guilty of child sex trafficking and obstruction of justice

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Clay will also be required to register as a sex offender.

At the time the crimes reportedly took place, Clay was the Chief of Police for the Gauley Bridge Police Department and a deputy with the Fayette County Sheriffs Office.

The press release stated that evidence shown at the trial revealed that in June 2020, Clay paid $100 to co-defendant Kristen Naylor-Legg to have sex with her relative who was a 17-year-old minor female on two different occasions.

Clay reportedly wore his Gauley Bridge Police uniform, badge, duty belt, and service weapon at the time of the crimes. One incident occurred at or near Clays Gauley Bridge-issued vehicle on a rural Fayette County road, and the second was in a basement office reserved for the Gauley Bridge Police Department at the former Gauley Bridge High School.

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Raleigh County man sentenced for felony sex offenses involving a child

According to the press release, DNA evidence was found from a discarded washcloth in the office during the investigation.

Clay tried to get Naylor-Legg to lie about the incidents to members of law enforcement after the minor reported both incidents, as well as asked a member of law enforcement if his criminal conduct could be hidden.

After a four day trial, Clay was found guilty by a federal jury on April 28, 2023, conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of a minor via coercion, sex trafficking of a minor via coercion, and two counts of obstruction of justice.

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Todays sentence reflects the incalculable harm Larry Allen Clay Jr. inflicted on his minor victim, his community, and the publics trust of law enforcement. He failed his oath to protect the public and uphold the law. But Clay also failed to anticipate his victims courage. Despite everything she endured, she came forward. Because of this survivors bravery and resolve, he was brought to justice. Will Thompson | United States Attorney

Inmate sentenced for malicious assault in Fayette County

31-year-old Naylor-Legg, of Gauley Bridge, was sentenced on August 31, 2023 to nine years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of a minor under the age of 18.

United States Attorney Will Thompson thanked the Fayette County Sheriffs Office, the West Virginia State Police, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for their work on the investigation.

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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 WVNS.
Will Thompson, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia, stands with Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald (left) and Pat Kelly, with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, at a news conference Thursday following the sentencing of Larry Allen Clay, Jr. (Caity Coyne | West Virginia Watch)

A former Fayette County, West Virginia law enforcement officer was sentenced to 25 years in prison Thursday for sex trafficking a 17-year-old girl and attempting to use his position of authority as a police officer to cover it up.

Larry Allen Clay Jr., 58, was serving as chief of police with the Gauley Bridge Police Department and as a deputy with the Fayette County Sheriffs Department in 2020 when he paid $50 on two separate occasions to a woman to have sex with her stepdaughter, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.

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The child is only identified by her initials in the court proceedings. West Virginia Watch is not naming the stepmother to protect the identity of the child. It is our policy to not name survivors of sexual violence.

The stepmother  who was the only family the victim had, according to statements  pleaded guilty in 2021 to conspiring to sex-traffic her minor stepdaughter. She is currently serving a nine-year prison sentence for the charge.

Clays sentencing Thursday followed a four day trial last April, where a jury found him guilty on charges of conspiring to engage in sex trafficking of a minor via coercion, sex trafficking a minor via coercion and two counts of obstruction of justice. In addition to the 25 year prison sentence, Clay will have 10 years of supervised release and has been ordered to pay $80,000 in restitution to the victim. Once out of prison, Clay must also register as a sex offender.

According to court documents, Clay was having an extramarital affair with the childs stepmother, who took sexually explicit photos of the child and shared them with Clay and others after he expressed sexual interest in her despite knowing her age.

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In June 2020, she drove her stepdaughter to a rural road in Cain Branch, outside Gauley Bridge, where they met Clay.

Clay arrived in his police cruiser, according to court documents. Wearing his Gauley Bridge Police uniform, badge, duty belt and police department issued gun, Clay proceeded to force the child to have sex with him against the city-issued police car.

The second incident was even worse, according to U.S. Attorney Will Thompson.

Then, Clay brought the child to a police substation in the basement of the former Gauley Bridge High School. He proceeded to again, while wearing his badge, gun and uniform, force the child to have sex with him.

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After the assault, the stepmother gave the child a towel to clean herself. The victim, according to the initial criminal complaint, threw the towels in the corner, where police later retrieved them and were able to identify Clays DNA.

The victim reported what happened to law enforcement, kicking off a years long saga. Clay attempted to persuade the stepmother to lie to law enforcement about the trafficking and asked a fellow law enforcement officer if his crimes could be covered up.

Thompson said the law enforcement involved in the case  the Fayette County Sheriffs Department, West Virginia State Police and the federal Department of Homeland Security, among others  did everything they were supposed to do when the victim reached out to them.

Since making the report, Thompson said Clay has done the exact opposite of accepting any responsibility for his horrific actions.

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He tried to hinder and delay the sentencing in this case, he tried again today to delay the sentencing of the case, Thompson said. Thankfully, the judge saw through that and followed through with the sentencing, giving some closure to the hero of the case, that being the victim.

Thompson said Clay is now where he needs to be  in federal prison.

Ill let the public decide what Mr. Clay should be viewed as, but I dont view him as very much of a human. He was able to take advantage of his law enforcement position. He was wearing a badge when this happened, Thompson said. [The victim] is the reason that he will not be able to inflict this type of damage on any other little girls. She deserves to be recognized as a hero.

Thompson urged anyone who has been a victim of rape, sex trafficking or any other crime to reach out law enforcement and report it. If they are uncomfortable doing so, he said they can call the U.S. Attorneys office at 304-345-2200.

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Dec. 19WESTOVER  A former Morgantown resident is wanted in connection with the October robbery of the Commerce Drive WesBanco Bank location in Westover.

Westover Police Deputy Chief Scott Carl said the WPD received positive identification of the man a little over two weeks ago.

"As we were drafting warrants, we discovered he'd robbed another bank, in Ohio. So, we have warrants for the suspect and he's also currently wanted in Ohio, " Carl said. "We're working with that department and the FBI and the U.S. Marshals to get him picked up and arrested."

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Carl said law enforcement is currently not sharing the man's identity.

"After the positive ID, we also found that he's wanted in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and South Carolina on other fraudulent scheme charges, not bank robbery, but other property crimes, " he said. "So, he's wanted in at least six states now and that's why the U.S. Marshals are actively looking for him right now."

According to Carl, the man is "from all over, " but is believed to have lived in Morgantown for about six years, primarily in the area of Richwood Avenue and Willey Street.

"We actually found out he's a suspect in a case in Morgantown, and they really weren't sure who he was until we figured this out, " he said.

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According to the initial press release, a white man, approximately 40 to 50 years old, entered the bank at about 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 23 and handed the teller a threatening note demanding money.

Westover Police Chief Joe Adams previously said he believes the man made off with about $3, 000 before driving away in what looked to be a blue Buick LeSabre.

In other law enforcement news out of Westover, a man wanted in connection with a 24-year-old sexual assault cold case is back in West Virginia.

Carl said two WPD officers traveled to Connecticut earlier this month to bring Tyron Jermaine Walker back to West Virginia on an extradition warrant.

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On May 23, 2000, a victim reported a sexual assault to the Westover Police Department, but investigators were not able to locate or identify the assailant.

Carl said the victim had been out with a friend and the suspect that evening before returning to a Westover apartment.

Forensic evidence in the case was processed as part of the West Virginia Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) and the suspected offender's DNA was entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).

Just over 20 years later, the West Virginia Crime Laboratory connected the sample to Walker, whose DNA profile had been entered into the California State DNA Database and, it turns out, was also linked to a sexual assault case in Montana.

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On June 30, 2023, the Monongalia County Magistrate Court issued an arrest warrant for Walker.

This past July, members of the U.S. Marshals Violent Fugitive Task Force tracked Walker to a residence in Waterbury, Conn., where he was arrested.

Walker is currently being held in the North Central Regional Jail.

"We've had several big cases that have culminated in the last week or two and we've been really busy wrapping those up and trying to get those settled and those people in jail, where they belong, " Carl said.
The former top aide to New York Mayor Eric Adams was charged with receiving bribes in a classic "quid pro quo" scheme with a real estate business that financially benefited her and her son, officials said Thursday.

Ingrid Lewis-Martin "engaged in a long-running bribery, money laundering and conspiracy scheme" to "illegally influence Department of Buildings and other city decisions in exchange for more than $100,000 in cash and benefits for herself and her son, Glenn Martin II," DA Alvin Bragg said in a filing in state Supreme Court in Manhattan. Supreme Court is a trial court in New York state.

Lewis-Martin, Martin and two real estate investors, Raizada Vaid and Mayank Dwivedi, pleaded not guilty in a Manhattan courtroom Thursday afternoon to a variety of charges linked to the allegations.

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Prosecutors called Lewis-Martin "the second most senior person in City Hall" and said she "abused her position and sold her influence to enrich herself and her family."

"The indictment unsealed today can be summarized in three words  quid pro quo," Bragg told reporters.

"Todays indictment alleges and portrays a clear picture: 'You do this for me and I will do that for you.' It was not what is in the best interest of the city of New York and those who live here."

Lewis-Martin had been the longtime chief adviser to Adams until she abruptly resigned Sunday, another tumultuous moment for Adams, the mayor of America's biggest city.

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Lewis-Martin and her son shared a joint bank account that was used to buy him a 2023 Porsche, support his DJ business and help finance his plans to open a Chick-fil-A franchise, officials said.

The defendants communicated using encrypted apps with "coded language" to ask for help inside City Hall, Bragg said.

"This was an unfettered, on-call quid pro quo arrangement," Bragg said.

Lewis-Martin's attorney, Arthur Aidala, scoffed at the case.

"The district attorneys offices interpretation of these facts will make no sense to any New York jury," Aidala said in a statement. "To think a high-ranking city official would take a bribe in the form of a check and deposit it into their own bank account defies common sense."

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Lewis-Martin and her son were charged with conspiracy, receiving bribes and money laundering. Vaid and Dwivedi were charged with bribery and conspiracy.

"We look forward to the citizens of the city of New York, who Ingrid has served so admirably for decades, clearing her name after a trial," Aidala added.

A federal grand jury indicted Adams three months ago on bribery, campaign finance and conspiracy charges.

Adams accused of receiving lavish gift and illegal campaign contributions from foreign nationals, including Turkish interests, to help Turkeys government bypass New York City safety guidelines to open a new consulate building.

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The case against Lewis-Martin has no connection to Adams, prosecutors said.

"The mayor is not a target of our investigation, and we do not have evidence of criminal conduct by the mayor," Bragg said.

The Adams administration has seen a mass exodus in recent weeks of officials and advisers.

Police Commissioner Edward Caban resigned Sept. 12 amid a federal probe into the police departments nightclub enforcement, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Adams' chief counsel, Lisa Zornberg, resigned Sept. 14 in the wake of mounting legal issues for her boss.

City Schools Chancellor David Banks was set to retire and leave office late this year but instead hastened his departure to mid-October.

Sheena Wright, Adams top deputy mayor, resigned Oct. 8.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Valerii Zaluzhnyi, former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and current Ambassador to the UK, has released a book titled My War. The work, which he began over a year and a half ago, is the first instalment of a trilogy.

Source: Zaluzhnyi on Telegram

Quote from Zaluzhnyi: "I'm sharing with you my own story about myself, my thoughts and the decisions that shaped my life. My War is the first book in a trilogy I began writing in March 2023."

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Details: He mentioned that drafts of the book had been compiled and edited by his wife.

Zaluzhnyi stated that this book is written for young people, with the aim of conveying "an important truth: everything is possible in life if you truly desire it".

"This is a book about my war. Firstly, the war with my own fears that prevent me from doing anything. Secondly, the war with people who stop me from achieving my goals. And finally, the war against circumstances that become obstacles in life. I hope you find it interesting," the ambassador said.

He expressed hope that he would have the opportunity to meet and speak with readers.

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The book was published by The Library of Babel, a Ukrainian publishing house.

My War spans 248 pages, featuring an embossed cloth cover and a cardboard slipcase. It is priced at UAH 550 (approximately US$13) on the publisher's website. The print run is 20,000 copies.

Zaluzhnyi's trilogy will consist of books: My War, Our War and Their War.

Background:

On 8 February, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree dismissing Valerii Zaluzhnyi from the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

On 7 March, Zelenskyy approved Valerii Zaluzhnyi's candidacy as Ukraine's ambassador to the UK, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine submitted a request to the UK.

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WEST HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH)  A West Haven woman was sentenced to two years of probation on Thursday for diverting narcotics from veterans under her care while she worked as a nurse at the West Haven Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VA), according to the department of justice.

Former Yale New Haven Hospital nurse pleads guilty to stealing vials of medication

Tara Severino, 58, allegedly ingested fentanyl, hydromorphone and oxycodone intended for patients in her care while employed at the VAs Intensive Care Unit.

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In one instance, Severino allegedly repeatedly introduced fentanyl into the system of a braindead patient after claiming that she observed him in pain and having a seizure. She introduced fentanyl to the patient approximately 19 times over a nine day period so that she could divert some for herself.

She will have to serve the first six months of her probation on house arrest.

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.
FORT EISENHOWER, Ga (WJBF)- This weekend nearly 4,000 soldiers from Fort Eisenhower will head home for the holidays.

For many soldiers at Fort Eisenhower, its the first time theyve seen their family in months.

Im going home to my mom and my siblings and my granny and my dog. Really excited to see my dog, laughed 23-year-old Private First Class Kesauna Patterson, a soldier at Fort Eisenhower.

The command started bussing 3,000 soldiers to Augusta Regional Airport around midnight so they could catch their flights. Nearly 1,000 soldiers were picked up by loved ones, including Patterson who is headed home to Columbus, Georgia after 5 months away.

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Im a big family person and like, my family were very close. So it was hard being away from them. And we do everything together, like literally everything. And Im always, you know, checking in with my mom, she said.

Patterson told NewsChannel 6 that most of her family doesnt even know she is coming home.

But Im going to surprise my little sister at school. Hopefully I can catch them before they get out of school and then surprise my other sister at work. And then my granny. Im going to surprise her at the house.

This is a highly organized event for the post. Colonel William Cherkauskas, 15th Signal Brigade Commander, said it takes a lot of planning to transport so many soldiers efficiently.

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With moving almost 4000 soldiers in a very short window of time over about 12 hours. It takes a years worth of planning in order to make sure both our folks on post, as well as our off post partners, including the airports, the bus companies, are able to support us in a short period of time, he explained.

He added that its important to organize the soldiers travel to keep things orderly.

In the military were used to planning operations that are very complex and need to be done very well and safely. And certainly thats why we view this like no different than if we were deploying in a foreign country. We want to do the right thing- working with the partners to make sure that were doing it as safe and efficiently and not any kind of problematic issues with the community, the airports, etc, said Cherkauskas.

Their leave officially begins on Saturday, December 21 and lasts until January 2.

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To all of our service men and women, happy holidays and thank you for your service.

Photojournalist: Dania Alawir.

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.
Mason Doka doesn't remember the exact story of when his ancestors defeated the Orme Dam, a proposed federal project that would have drowned two-thirds of his tribes reservation. Murky on his history, Doka, who's 12, now associates the dams defeat with the annual carnival the tribe holds to commemorate it. At the carnival, he said, he likes to eat chili.

But Dokas shaky knowledge of history has not kept him from experiencing and knowing about the victory over the dam. Doka has spent his childhood playing on land that would have been drowned by the Orme Reservoir, building forts in the woods, jumping over irrigation ditches and playing with his cousins. That, Orme Dam warriors have said, is the true legacy of defeating the dam: a home for future generations and a place to anchor a community.

Doka is part of a young generation of Fort McDowell Yavapai whose lives feel distant from when Orme Dam threatened their reservation. Yavapai of many ages acknowledged the difficulty in passing old stories to new generations, even as the legacies of those stories continue to unfold. Decades removed from their ancestors' struggle, some tribal members fear that children might take their home and community for granted.

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Gabby Balderas, the tribes Youth Council coordinator, said the young people growing up on Fort McDowell today are navigating a different world. The story of the dam's defeat no longer has the same presence. Many of the tribal members and activists who fought the dam have now passed away. For most Yavapai children, grandparents are the closest link to the history of the dam and its significance.

I feel like they're losing the interest, or like they're not understanding the importance of everything, Balderas said. Every generation is different, like different things matter to different generations  nothing major like (the Orme Dam struggle) has come to happen with the younger generations.

Protests succeed in blocking dam construction

Fort McDowell Yavapai first established the annual Orme Dam celebration to memorialize the struggle against the dam for future generations. Orme Dam Victory Days usually involves a weekend-long carnival with dancing and speeches from tribal leaders. For Clissene Lewis, the nations cultural coordinator, the lesson of the celebration is perseverance.

The biggest lessons would be perseverance and never selling the water or the land, Lewis said. We reinforce that with reminders that people should never, ever give up.

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Lewis was 8 years old when 100 of her people marched three days to the Arizona state Capitol and protested the construction of the dam. After the march, and following years of legal struggles launched by environmental organizations, the Interior Department scrapped the dam in favor of an alternative that didn't flood the Fort McDowell Reservation.

Supporters of the dam billed it as a necessary flood control mechanism, pushing for the structure despite its effects on the roughly 350 Yavapai people living within the proposed reservoir. The Yavapai were not included in the dams planning process.

Once controlling roughly 10 million acres of west-central Arizona, Yavapai people now live on three reservations covering roughly 25,000 acres. Fort McDowell Yavapai gained their reservation in 1903 after two forced marches that killed almost 90% of the Yavapai people at the time. Even after they secured their reservation, the U.S. government attempted to relocate Fort McDowell Yavapai again and open the reservations resources to outsiders in 1910  an effort the Yavapai successfully resisted. Six decades later, the dam became the newest threat to their home.

The tribe publicly affirmed the importance of keeping its reservation in 1976 when it held a referendum on whether to sell its land and make space for the dam. The tribe voted overwhelmingly to keep the land (144-57 votes). Then on Nov. 12, 1981, Interior Secretary James Watt announced Orme Dam would not be built.

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We refuse to sell our lands, said Fort McDowell President Hiawatha Hood during a televised interview in 1977. We want this (dam) eliminated because our people will, in the future, have no place to live. There will be millions of dollars in their hands, but that might just fly out of their hands while the land will always be there. It is for the future that we are thinking, not the present, not the past. We want our future generations to have a place to live and enjoy life.

Today, the tribe has formalized ways of passing on that spirit and history  summer youth camps, language classes, and celebrations reinforce the values that Hood described. But Lewis, who helps manage many of those programs, holds that storytelling within families is still the most important link.

It's kind of a given knowledge that we already have, Lewis said. These stories are passed down first in the home, and that's the grandparents and parents. (The tribal government) is here as a support  it all starts in the home.

This photo shows the location of the proposed Orme Dam project on the Fort McDowell Yavapai Reservation. The dam was never built.

'You're lucky to have this piece of land'

In an interview with The Arizona Republic, four members of the Fort McDowell Yavapai Youth Council described the mixed success of that process. Danika Hosteeniz, 14, said her grandmother persistently reminded her of the Orme Dam and the lesson of protecting the tribe's reservation. Milie Duenas-Nelson, 14, said she had forgotten the story after she first heard it from her father. Her father, Tribal Council member Albert Nelson, 38, who was present in the interview, said he must have failed as a parent in relaying the story to his daughter.

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It's our job as leaders, as parents, to tell our children where we come from, the struggles that we've been through, Albert said. Our tribe is very big on education because we realize that  we no longer fight the federal and state governments with bows and arrows. We fight them with our words.

Though Albert Nelson said he may have failed to pass on the specific story of the Orme Dam, he said he successfully promoted the importance of the tribes land.

I think I do a pretty good job in telling them, you know, we're lucky to have this piece of land, Albert said. On the other side of the cattle guard (which marks the reservation boundary on roads), you know, you don't see trees, you dont see desert landscape. You see a house three feet over. You see another house. You see concrete. You see blacktop. Out here we get rain, dirt. These kids are truly blessed to be able to experience and grow up in nature.

Even if they couldn't remember the story of the dam, youth council members pointed repeatedly to the connection between their community and the land that Orme Dam warriors saved. Kyra Antone, 14, broke down in tears at the thought of the Fort McDowell reservation becoming a lake bed.

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I wouldnt have met these people, Antone said, gesturing to the other youth council members.

Hosteeniz recalled walking along the river with her mother and seeing hawks and eagles that nest along the still-flowing Verde River on the reservation. Her mother told her the raptors could be the spirit of her deceased father visiting her.

Fort McDowell Yavapai: How a Native American tribe changed the gambling industry by standing up to the FBI

Fort McDowell remains a home for its people

Some youths argued that Yavapai kids struggled to remember the Orme Dam story because their generation isn't interested in learning about their heritage and culture (Lewis pushed back on that idea, pointing out that traditional ceremonies are well-attended and "thriving"). But none of the youths believed their "community" was dying.

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The youth council members all said they want careers, many of which might take them far from Fort McDowell. Hosteeniz wants to be a neurosurgeon, Antone wants to be a business leader, and Doka wants to play in the NBA. Ultimately, they all believe they can have those careers without separating themselves from their homes on the Fort McDowell Nation.

Balderas, the Youth Council coordinator, was once a part of the council herself. After finishing high school, Balderas left Fort McDowell and went to Arizona State University for her bachelor's degree. Later, she returned to work for her tribe.

I'm a firm believer that you should go out and experience college and experience the world, and not just stay on the reservation, Balderas said. Because the reservation will always be here for you. You always have a place to come back to.

Looking back, Balderas said she values the struggle for Orme Dam because it made that home possible.

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"My home is always going to be here," Balderas said. "Without them fighting for it, we wouldn't have any place to come home to."

Austin Corona covers environmental issues for The Arizona Republic and azcentral. Send tips or questions to austin.corona@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: In 1981, Fort McDowell Yavapai blocked the Orme Dam project
OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla. (WKRG)  A Fort Walton Beach man was arrested and charged with negligent homicide/manslaughter after a 17-month-old died in June 2023, according to the Okaloosa County Sheriffs Office.

Escambia County Sheriff reveals new details in Tshey Bennetts death

According to an OCSO Facebook post, 24-year-old Charles Little was arrested on Wednesday, Dec. 18, in connection with the childs death.

A mugshot of Charles Little (Okaloosa County Sheriffs Office).

Officials said Little had taken the unresponsive child, who had no pulse, to a local hospital on June 7, 2023.

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Staff at the hospital worked to save the boy for three days before he died, according to the post.

The Florida District One Medical Examiners Office listed the cause of death as complications of multiple blunt force injuries, and the manner of death was ruled a homicide.

Navarre man found guilty, sentenced for 2023 deadly shooting

Officials said the boy had multiple injuries to his head, brain, neck, vertebral column and torso.

OCSO investigators said they were able to determine that Little was babysitting the child when the injuries occurred. He is not the childs biological father.

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 WKRG News 5.
Dec. 20 (UPI) -- A Texas horse is safe after becoming stuck in a cattle guard Friday.

The Fort Worth Fire Department teamed with the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office to rescue the animal at 5:30 a.m.

"A TCSO Deputy sedated the horse to keep him safe," officials wrote in a social media post. "Then Rescue 38's crew cut and spread the cattle guard to free the three legs that were stuck. The operation took about 45 minutes to completely free him."

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Once he was safely removed, he was taken across the street, where officials helped him stand. He was then taken to a vet.

The horse did not appear to sustain significant injuries, officials said.

This is the second horse rescue in a matter of days. A horse in California fell into a grain silo basement on Tuesday.
TOCOA, Honduras (AP)  Seven bullets pounded into Juan Lopez outside a small white church on a sunny September afternoon.

Six shots in the chest. One in the head. And a masked gunman standing in front of Lopez's blood-spattered truck.

In seconds, another environmental champion in Honduras was dead after leading the fight to protect dense jungle and crystalline waters in a region rife with corruption and drug trafficking.

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Lopezs killing led to calls for justice from the Biden administration, the United Nations and Pope Francis, and brought back stark memories of the global outcry over the 2016 murder of Honduran environmentalist Berta Caceres.

As environmental groups struggle to carry on, Lopezs death has become emblematic of the failures of a government that once offered hope for change.

By killing Juan, they wanted to shut us up, but the very opposite has happened," said Dalila Santiago, a close friend and leader in Lopezs movement. Weve raised our voices, demanded justice.

Environmentalists under threat

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Protecting the environment is a high-risk profession in Honduras. People like Lopez often act as unwanted eyes and ears in lawless swathes of Latin America, the most deadly region in the world for environmentalists, according to nongovernmental organization Global Witness. At least 18 environmentalists across Honduras were killed last year.

Activists and religious leaders assert that at the heart of Lopezs killing was his fight against an iron oxide mining project with close government ties and a tangle of corruption around members of the Honduran presidents political party.

Lopez's collective of local communities has fought the mine, which they say has carved into a nature reserve and polluted rivers, turning them a thick brown. Photos provided by residents show forest in the reserve eaten away by heavy machinery, and armed masked men guarding the mine.

The Honduran companies behind the mine  Inversiones Los Pinares, Inversiones Ecotek and their parent company  are being prosecuted for the mine's environmental destruction. They did not respond to requests for comment, but in prior public statements have defended the hundreds of jobs the mine created and their contributions to the region.

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Lopez, 46, also fought corruption, railing against scandals plaguing Tocoa Mayor Adan Funez, an ally of Honduras president who has defended the mine.

Juans vision was for the future, and what were leaving behind for generations to come, said Carlos Orellana, a local priest who worked closely with him. Those who defend the environment know that at any moment they can be killed, because there is no state protection."

Since the mine's opening in 2013, environmentalists in the rural Colon region have received anonymous death threats, been tailed by men in unmarked cars and been jailed for years without trial.

In 2023, two members of Lopezs organization, the Municipal Committee for the Defense of the Common and Public Goods, were shot dead. More than 40 others have fled, seeking asylum in the United States.

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The emptiness left behind

Two months after Lopez's killing, a pall hangs over the home where he and his wife, Thelma Pena, raised their daughters. It was there that Lopez wrote love poems even as the family feared for their lives.

We were always being followed, Pena said. He received messages threatening that they would kidnap him, torture him.

Now state-assigned bodyguards, masked and armed, live with the family around the clock. When younger daughter Julia turned 9 this month, she posed with them for a photo along with a cake before a sequined backdrop.

Posters of Lopezs face with Justice for Juan now line Tocoa's streets. Bullet holes dot the church where he was shot after delivering a Sunday sermon.

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His family has state protection and a small allowance for six months. After that, Pena doesnt know what they'll do.

Theres an emptiness, she said. When Im with the girls, I feel like crying, but I hold it back so they see their strong mother. But there are moments at night when youre all alone where you cant contain your tears.

A vile murder

Honduran President Xiomara Castro has called Lopez's killing a vile murder and promised to solve it.

In October, the government said it detained three people who carried out the killing, but Hector Longino Becerra, the government's sub-secretary for human rights, said they believe the person who ordered the killing is at large. It isnt easy to enforce laws in rural Honduras, he added.

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Castro had inspired hope for many when she won the presidency in 2021, promising to reduce violence, root out corruption and end open pit-mining projects.

In 2023, Lopez's coalition celebrated when Castros administration ordered mining suspended in the nature reserve. And shortly after Lopezs death, Honduran prosecutors formally accused company leaders and local government officials connected to the mine of illegally exploiting resources, abusing authority and environmental crimes for mining in the reserve.

But locals say they continue to hear dynamite explosions in the reserve and have witnessed mining continue.

We dont understand why these projects continue in our territory, said Santiago, Lopezs friend. But the government continues to be dominated by powerful businessmen and organized crime.

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A tangle of corruption

Among the mine's defenders is the mayor, Funez, the leader of the president's political party in Colon and one of the most powerful people in the region.

In a drug-trafficking trial in the U.S., an ex-leader of the drug gang Los Cachiros accused the mayor of aiding the gang. Prosecutors are also investigating Funez's administration over allegations that it helped the mine obtain falsified environmental permits in 2016.

In September, a widely published video showed Funez alongside the president's brother-in-law Carlos Zelaya meeting with leaders of Los Cachiros, which has a firm grip on the city. The video shows the men being offered $500,000 to support Castros failed campaign in 2013. Amid ongoing investigations by authorities, Funez acknowledged he was in the meeting and that he'd known the narcos as "businessmen, but said there was no evidence any payment was made.

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Lopez was among the first to call for Funez to step down after the video surfaced. Days later, he was dead.

That timing prompted Orellana, the priest, to publicly accuse Funez during a sermon of ordering Lopezs murder. Shortly after, prosecutors ordered Funez to turn over security camera footage of his house the day of Lopez's slaying. Prosecutors told the Associated Press that Funez was a person of interest in the murder investigation.

Funez did not respond to interview requests and maintains he is innocent, telling local media the priest was "not credible. He later said he wouldn't seek another term.

The president's political party has largely been silent about the accusations against Funez, but Longino Becerra called the corruption allegations structural problems plaguing Honduras that cannot be fixed quickly.

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You cant judge a government ... for the errors committed by some of its members, he said.

Ill always come back'

Other leaders in Tocoa have promised to continue Lopez's work, but many say it has lost strength.

Were scared to continue fighting, Santiago said. But "we have to keep Juan Lopezs legacy alive.

Five years ago, Santiago and Lopez made a promise: If she died first, he would plant a guava tree on her grave. If he died first, she would plant yuca to match his stubbornness.

"They can tear me up, they can cut me down. But Ill always come back," she recalled him saying.

With that memory running through her mind, she leaned over his grave, wiping tears from her eyes. She planted three yucas, and murmured: I never thought I would be here.

___

Associated Press journalists Fernanda Pesce and Moises Castillo in Tocoa, Honduras and Marlon Gonzalez in Tegucigalpa, Honduras contributed to this report.
During a warrant sweep targeting persons with outstanding arrest warrants related to truancy and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, the Tehama County District Attorneys Office made four arrests on Dec. 11

The sweep landed the following in jail:

 Miranda Julian Gomez, 30, of Corning arrested on suspicion of one count misdemeanor chronic truancy.

 Eleeshia Louise Rentreria, 37, of Red Bluff who was booked into the Tehama County Jail on suspicion of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

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 Kimberly Rose Duerr-Roberts, 20, of Red Bluff arrested on suspicion of chronic truancy.

 Dawn Marie Reina Gallo, 44, of Red Bluff booked into the jail on suspicion of chronic truancy.

The charges related to California Education Code which states, Each person between the ages of 6 and 18 years not exempted under the provisions of this chapter is subject to compulsory full-time education.
Georgias historic theaters are getting a big boost thanks to the Fox Theatre in midtown Atlanta and one of those theaters is the Springer Opera House in Columbus.

Channel 2s Wendy Corona went down to Columbus to show off a state theater rich with history.

When the Springer celebrated its 100th anniversary is when Jimmy Carter designated the Springer Opera House as the State theater of Georgia, Danielle Patterson Varner, Springer Opera House CEO and Executive Producer, said. I remember being backstage and just being in awe of everything. The costumes, the architecture, how you felt it just when you walk into this building, it captures are a part of you and it doesnt let go.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Captivated by the theater as a child, Patterson Varner is now its CEO and remains dedicated to preserving its legacy.

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Edwin Booth performed on the Springer stage and quoted the words To be or not to be right there on that stage, she told Channel 2 Action News. Weve had Hal Holbrook perform on that stage, Booker T. Washington.

The theaters moving performances connect with the community, so the community saved the Springer from the wrecking ball in the 1960s, banding together to fund a restoration project, then another restoration in 1998.

TRENDING STORIES:

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This community is so giving, so caring, Patterson Varner said.

The theater makes sure to give back, too, by helping other nonprofits and by providing education programs.

Thats what we try to do here, bring this community together for those shared experiences, so they become stronger as one, Keith McKoy, Springer Opera House artistic director, said.

To help continue those shared experiences, the Springer is receiving support from Atlantas Fox Theatre, and the Fox Gives grant program.

The program is designed to help restore and preserve Georgias historic theaters.

They all have different needs, different supporters, Leigh Burns, Fox Theatre Director of Community Partnerships, told Channel 2 Action News. But one thing they have in common is just being the best that they can be. Having their building look as good as it can.

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Over the past 16 years, Fox Gives has awarded more than $3.7 million to more than 70 historic theaters.

The Springer Opera House was recently featured in Georgias Hidden Treasures on Channel 2s Family 2 Family special.

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DAKAR, Senegal (AP)  It's been a tumultuous month for France and its relationship with former colonies in Africa, as its influence on the continent faces the biggest challenge in decades.

As Paris was devising a new military strategy that would sharply reduce its permanent troop presence in Africa, two of its closest allies struck a double blow.

The government of Chad, considered France's most stable and loyal partner in Africa, announced on its Independence Day it was ending defense cooperation to redefine its sovereignty.

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And in an interview published hours later by Le Monde, Senegal's new president said it was obvious that soon French soldiers wouldn't be on Senegalese soil.

Just because the French have been here since the slavery period doesnt mean its impossible to do otherwise, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye said.

The announcements came as France was making efforts to revive waning influence on the continent. Foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot was completing a visit to Chad and Ethiopia, and President Emmanuel Macronfor the first time had recognized the killing of as many as 400 West African soldiers by the French Army in 1944.

French authorities stayed silent for almost 24 hours after Chads announcement, finally saying they were in close dialogue on the future of the partnership.

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Chads decision marks the final nail in the coffin of Frances post-colonial military dominance in the entire Sahel region, said Mucahid Durmaz, a senior analyst at global risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft, referring to the arid region south of the Sahara.

The decisions by Senegal and Chad are part of the wider structural transformation in the regions engagement with France, in which Paris political and military influence continues to diminish, Durmaz added.

They follow the ousting of French forces in recent years by military-led governments in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, where local sentiments turned sour following years of French forces fighting alongside local ones in the face of stubborn Islamic extremist insurgencies.

What is Frances new strategy in Africa?

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Jean-Marie Bockel, Macrons personal envoy for Africa, last month presented to Macron his report on the evolution of the French military presence in Africa.

It was part of the "renewal of our partnership with African countries that Macron announced in a 2017 speech in Burkina Faso in the early days of his presidency.

The details of Bockel's report have not been made public. But three French top officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive talks with the concerned countries, said France aimed for a sharp reduction of its military in all its bases in Africa except the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti  where Macron is expected to travel in the coming days.

The officials said it doesnt mean France would necessarily reduce military cooperation but instead would respond to needs expressed by countries. It could mean providing more specific training in airspace surveillance or drones and other aircraft. France also could deploy troops on a temporary basis.

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The officials declined to confirm numbers of troop reductions but called it significant.

The French army earlier this year also set up a command for Africa, similar to the U.S. AFRICOM. Newly appointed commander Pascal Ianni specializes in influence and information warfare  a need highlighted by Russia's growing presence in Africa.

You can carry on your military cooperation like many countries do. But the idea of having permanent military bases, which then can be used as political ammunition against you and spun up in kind of a disinformation war, is maybe not the best way of going about things," said Will Brown, a senior policy fellow at the European Center for Foreign Relations.

Meanwhile, France is trying to boost its economic presence in Africas anglophone countries like Nigeria, analysts said. Already, its two biggest trading partners on the continent are Nigeria and South Africa.

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At the time of Chads announcement, Macron was hosting talks with Nigerian President Bola Tinubu.

Where does France have troops in West Africa, and why?

Since the independence of French colonies in Africa, France has maintained a policy of economic, political and military sway dubbed Francafrique, which included having thousands of permanent troops in the region.

France still has 600 troops in Ivory Coast, 350 in Senegal and 350 in Gabon, as well as around 1,500 in Djibouti. It has had 1,000 troops in Chad.

France's defense ministry said the role of French troops in Africa is to train local soldiers and reinforce their capacities to fight extremism, mainly in peacekeeping, intelligence and logistics. But critics say keeping boots on the ground also has allowed Paris to retain influence and protect political regimes favorable to France.

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The countries of Francophone Africa want a change in the nature of this relationship," said Gilles Yabi, head of the West Africa Citizen Think Tank.

Why are West African countries expelling French troops?

Growing anti-French sentiment has led to street protests in several West and North African countries, while governments that gained power on pledges of redefining relationships with the West say ties with France have not benefited the population. They want to explore options with Russia, China, Turkey and other powers.

Chads President Mahamat Deby would not have made this decision if he did not have security guarantees from another actor, Brown said. We know hes received serious support from the United Arab Emirates, who are very interested in whats going on in neighboring Sudan and Darfur. We know that Turkey also made some outreach.

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Chad borders four countries with Russian military presence. In January, Deby traveled to Moscow to reinforce relations with the partner country.

Military leaders of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso who expelled the French military have moved closer to Russia, which has mercenaries deployed across the Sahel who have been accused of abuses against civilians.

But the security situation has worsened in those countries, with increasing numbers of extremist attacks and civilian deaths from both armed groups and government forces. Over the first six months of this year, 3,064 civilians were killed, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, a 25% increase over the previous six months.

It is impossible to say whether the departure of French forces led to the increased violence. But it created a huge security vacuum, said analyst Shaantanu Shankar with the Economist Intelligence Unit, adding that it cannot be filled by Russia. Troops from the Russian private military company Wagner are being financed by the junta governments with fewer financial resources, he said.
Frontier Airlines sold its all-you-can-fly passes for their lowest price ever. Boeing announced a big investment in its 787 Dreamliner plant, and Deutsche Bank predicts a big 2025 for the airline industrys Big 3. Plus: The government had a response to all those anxieties about drone sightings on the east coast.

Take a moment to get caught up on the world of airlines and aviation.

A plane being fueled - Photo: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg (Getty Images)

Airlines need a few things to conduct business. Most importantly, they need planes to fly their passengers. They also need pilots to fly those planes and flight attendants to help those passengers.

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Southwest Airlines plane - Photo: Kevin Carter (Getty Images)

The leader of Southwest Airlines (LUV) is looking forward to the incoming administration of Donald Trump. In an interview with Yahoo Finance, CEO Bob Jordan says the next White House will create a business environment that is favorable for his industry.

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A Frontier Airlines plane - Photo: Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto (Getty Images)

Frontier Airlines just opened up enrollment in its all-you-can-fly Go Wild Pass for 2025. The budget carrier said Wednesday that it will be opening up pre-sales for the program at the cheapest rate in its short history.

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Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, and United Airlines planes - Photo: Eric Lee/Bloomberg (Getty Images)

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Although many airline executives have been openly excited about what they think the next Trump administration has in store for them, the spoils will not be evenly distributed. Deutsche Bank (DB) believes that the concentration of industry profits for the first year of the second Trump regime will be decidedly top-heavy.

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Donald Trump at his New Jersey golf club, where several drones have been spotted - Photo: Adam Gray (Getty Images)

The mystery of who is flying the drones that have been showing up along the East Coast continues, but there might be a partial answer behind why there have been so many more sightings. In an interview with ABC News, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said that a policy change by the Federal Aviation Administration may have cleared the skies for the devices.

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Boeings South Carolina facility - Photo: Sam Wolfe/Bloomberg (Getty Images)

Although Boeing (BA) has been slow to restart production of the planes built by its unionized workforce and has been laying many of them off amid a year of struggles, the company announced it would be making a big investment in a non-unionized plant.

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A drone seen over Ridge, New York on Dec. 12 - Photo: Grant Parpan/Newsday RM (Getty Images)

A string of mysterious drone sightings over the East Coast of the U.S. has provoked a lot of anxiety about where theyre coming from and whos flying them. A coalition of government agencies, however, said Tuesday that theres nothing to worry about.

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A Boeing factory - Photo: Jennifer Buchanan/Pool/AFP (Getty Images)

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The nearly two-month-long machinists strike at Boeing (BA) had a big, immediate effect on both the planemakers bottom line and the economy at large, but the work stoppage will have a long-tail ripple effect. The research firm Oxford Economics noted that aviation manufacturing was a big reason for the 0.1% advance in industrial output that was lower than market expectations.

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A Boeing 777 being built - Photo: Jennifer Buchanan/Pool/AFP (Getty Images)

Boeings (BA) slow manufacturing restart in the wake of its nearly two-months-long machinists strike is continuing to pick up steam. The company just announced that it has restarted production of two more models at its Washington state factories in addition to its cash-cow 737 Max planes.

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Lithium-ion batteries are causing lots of problems in the skies. Data from the Federal Aviation Administration shows that there has been a fire or fire-adjacent incident with the items at least once a week on passenger planes this year.

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This week, Mary Ann Bliesner, the 83-year-old former president and primary owner of Valley Processing Inc. (VPI) pleaded guilty to charges related to the manufacture and sale of tainted fruit juice products in violation of federal food safety laws. Bliesner operated a now-shuttered fruit juice facility in Sunnyside, Washington.

During an FDA inspection in May 2018, VPI employees used caution tape to prevent investigators from entering a room at Bliesner's Grape Road Facility in Washington that held concrete storage vats. The workers told FDA investigators that the facility was unsafe to enter and contained no juice or juice products. Not only did that room store juice, but it was often old unsold grape juice concentrate, sometimes held for years in large concrete vats that were not properly covered or cooled, according to the Department of Justice.

Investigators learned about the vats and, when they entered the room, found grape juice concentrate that testing later confirmed to be contaminated with bird and rodent feces, fur, insects, decaying remains of animals, mold, yeast and other contaminants. FDA inspectors even saw a live rat walking across the hardened crust that had formed on top of the grape juice concentrate.

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In November 2020, the government filed a complaint to stop VPI from making any juice products. In January 2021, Bliesner agreed to an injunction and VPI shut its doors. In September 2022, a federal grand jury indicted Bliesner and VPI on 12 counts of fraud and food safety crimes.

Bliesner pleaded guilty to multiple crimes, and admitted to conspiring to distribute tainted and potentially unsafe apple and grape juice to customers in the U.S. and abroad from October 2012 to June 2019, nearly seven years.

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VPI admitted that it blended grape juice concentrate that was stored outside for years and exposed to the elements, with newer grape juice concentrate, and sold the resulting blended grape juice product to unsuspecting customers as if it were a new product.

VPI even sold some of this contaminated product to customers who provided grape juice for the National School Lunch Program, which gives kids free or reduced-cost lunches.

Bliesner and VPI agreed to pay $742,139 as a criminal forfeiture. Bliesner and VPI will face a sentencing hearing on March 26, 2025. She was originally looking at 20 years, but a federal judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

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Johnna Reeder Kleymeyer, president and CEO of the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce & EDC for about the past three years, has rescinded her resignation that had been announced in late November.

"This decision comes after careful consideration of balancing personal and professional circumstances, reflecting Reeder Kleymeyers dedication to the Chamber & EDC and the Colorado Springs and El Paso County business community," the Chamber & EDC said in its news release Thursday.

Reeder Kleymeyer had announced intentions to resign Jan. 1, citing the need to care for her mother, who lives in Tennessee and faces health issues.

Instead, Reeder Kleymeyer plans to have her mother join her family in Colorado Springs in January. She will take a monthlong leave of absence and resume her duties Feb. 1.

The Chamber & EDC board is "providing ongoing flexibility with her schedule and workload to ensure she can balance her family priorities with her role as president & CEO," according to the release.

The board also announced it has agreed on a new three-year contract with Reeder Kleymeyer. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

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Family is important to me, and Ive learned through this situation that asking for help and considering new solutions can lead to opportunities I hadnt imagined," Reeder Kleymeyer said in the release. "Im grateful to the board for their support and flexibility, and to my leadership team for their expertise and dedication.

Reeder Kleymeyer joined the Chamber & EDC on Jan. 1, 2022, with more than 20 years of experience in economic development, corporate communications, higher education and government affairs in the Cincinnati and northern Kentucky areas.

Arguably the Pikes Peak region's leading business organization, the Chamber & EDC works to attract employers to town, encourages existing ones to expand and seeks to create jobs  mainly so-called primary jobs that bring wealth and investment into the community. The group also assists smaller companies with concerns and issues and takes positions on public policy matters.

During her nearly three years as head of the organization, the Chamber & EDC announced 25 economic development projects in manufacturing, aerospace and defense and the cybersecurity and technology sectors, which brought commitments of more than 4,000 jobs and $1.7 billion in capital investment to the area, the organization said in earlier Gazette reporting.

On Thursday, Colorado Springs learned of potentially more good news on the jobs front.

The Colorado Economic Development Commission approved more than $10 million in tax incentives to three companies looking to expand along the Front Range. The largest incentive of $6.25 million was awarded to a solar manufacturer looking to build its first solar cell factory under the code name Project Phoenix. Its considering El Paso County, in or near Colorado Springs, for the factory. Read more here.
Funding for the World Trade Center Health Program covering medical expenses for first responders and survivors suffering from 9/11-related illnesses is in jeopardy after it was stripped from the national spending plan to prevent a government shutdown, the Daily News has learned.

As House members scrambled to pass a stopgap spending plan Friday, lawmakers removed legislation that would have fully funded the World Trade Center Health Program through 2040, outraged 9/11 advocates said.

A measure that would have drastically reduced the proliferation of lithium-ion battery fires by setting national safety standards for the rechargeable batteries was also removed from the spending package.

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Both measures were pulled before they could be brought to the floor for another vote Friday after President-elect Donald Trumps insistence on including a debt limit increase had failed. The House eventually voted to approve the spending package  but without the 9/11 and lithium batteries bills.

The decision to not fund the World Trade Center Health Program will have dire consequences for those still sickened by the toxic soup that hung over Ground Zero for weeks  and force an army of dying first responders and survivors to march on Washington as they did when they fought for the creation of the program, said Benjamin Chevat, executive director of Citizens for the Extension of the James Zadroga Act.

We wanted to avoid the need to have sick and injured responders from having to walk the halls of Congress to get this done again, but we may be forced to ask them to come to return, just as they did 14 years ago to get the original bill passed and that is a shame, Chevat said. We know that [House] Speaker [MIke] Johnson and New York Republicans were committed to dealing with the impending service cuts to injured to 9/11 responders and survivors, but (recent) events stopped their effort as it approached the finish line.

Without the financial boost the legislation would have provided, the Health Program would have to undergo drastic budget cuts by 2027 as it faces rising medical costs and an uptick in 9/11 survivors coming down with cancers and other illnesses directly related to their time at Ground Zero, Chevat said.

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Both Republicans and Democrats agreed to fund the program, but Trump put the kibosh on the national spending plan it had been added to, destroying weeks of careful negotiations spearheaded by New York Sen. Charles Schumer and other legislators.

Sen. Schumer worked across the aisle to successfully secure permanent funding for the 9/11 first responders health program in the original bill Republicans put out Wednesday, Schumer spokesman Angelo Roefaro said. Now, at the very last minute, at the behest of Musk and Trump, Republicans have stripped it out.

The senator will work to find another opportunity to get it done  and ideally that will be an effort Republican members of Congress work with him on.

New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said she was deeply disappointed by the decision to exclude the World Trade Center Health Program in the government funding bill. 9/11 responders and survivors are real people, not political chess pieces, Gillibrand said in a statement. 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.

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John Feal, a 9/11 first responder who took part in the many marches on Washington to demand the creation of the Health Program, blamed Trump and Elon Musk for the legislations removal from the spending plan.

You cold callous reckless colossal out of touch insensitive monsters, Feal wrote on Facebook Thursday. @SpeakerJohnson and the @GOP you are all weak and pathetic. You should have left us alone!

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 came down with 9/11 illnesses.

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.

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The program, as well as the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund were extended to provide lifetime care for the heroes and victims of 9/11, officials said. Yet the initial funding the program received couldnt keep up with its extended mandate.

Also removed from the spending package was the Setting Consumer Standards for Lithium-Ion Batteries Act, which would have allowed the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission to create national safety standards for lithium-ion batteries, enforce the standards, and issue recalls for batteries that dont pass muster.

On Wednesday, FDNY Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker called the legislation a game changer that would ultimately help reduce lithium-ion battery fires in the city.

The missing piece was the federal component, said Tucker, who added there are already state and city safety standards regarding lithium-ion batteries. We know this legislation, once signed into law, will save lives. [It] will help prevent unregulated and uncertified batteries from entering the country, and New York.

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We all know how little it matters if something is illegal in New York City when you can get it across the bridge in New Jersey, he said.

Since 2019, more than 900 fires in New York City have been caused by lithium-ion batteries, which have injured more than 500 people and resulted in nearly three dozen deaths.
SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage)  The Texas Department of Public Safety Troopers Foundation has organized an online fundraiser for a former San Angelo TxDPS recruiting sergeant after he was seriously injured in a vehicle crash.

According to the fundraisers Help a Hero online donation portal, TxDPS Sgt. Daniel Cross was involved in a vehicle crash on Dec. 14 while traveling to work in Operation Lone Star. The crash was caused after a semi-truck towing a low-bed trailer attempted a U-turn at the center median, which left the trailer stranded and blocking both westbound lanes of IH-10 near MM 95.

Cross vehicle struck the trailer, leaving Cross seriously injured. He was taken to the Del Sol Medical Center. The fundraiser portal stated that Cross remains in stable condition but faces a lengthy recovery.

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Police: Man stabbed with box cutter Thursday afternoon

The fundraiser was created on Dec. 19 by the TxDPS Troopers Foundation with the goal of gathering funds to help cover Crosss expenses to his family as they are staying in a hotel in the Midland area while he recovers.

Help-a-Hero charges a fee up front, 100% of the funds raised will go to the Cross family, the fundraisers cause details read. If you are able, please donate.

Cross formerly worked as a TxDPS recruiting sergeant in San Angelo. He currently works as a recruiting sergeant in the Southeast Texas region, according to the TxDPS website.

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TxDPS Sgt. Justin Baker stated that Cross is also a member of the Texas Department of Public Safety Officers Association. He said that the organization provides several forms of aid to its members, including those who are injured or in a time of crisis.

Nobodys going to be alone in time of need when unfortunate events occur when working for this department or being a member of the association, Baker said.

The fundraiser has raised $3,460 of its $10,000 goal as of the time of publication, with funds being donated from 64 supporters. The donation portal states that the fundraiser will conclude in 42 days.

We wish the Cross family, and all involved a speedy recovery, the fundraisers cause details read.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ConchoValleyHomepage.com.
Dec. 20MOSES LAKE  The Walmart store in Moses Lake was awash in uniforms Tuesday evening, as nearly every law enforcement officer in the area was gathered there for the annual Shop with a Cop event.

"We get so many of our deputies that want to be part of this," said Grant County Sheriff Joey Kriete. "Every year we get some guys that keep coming back to do it, but we get a pretty good cycle of new people every year that want to be part of it."

"The nice thing is, everyone that's here is here on their own (time)," said Moses Lake Police Chief David Sands. "No one's working tonight that's here right now."

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Shop with a Cop has been an annual tradition since 2012, according to the Columbia Basin Herald's archives. Law enforcement officers are assigned a local family and a gift card and turned loose to buy whatever the children want for Christmas. The first year, the GCSO went shopping with four children; the following year the MLPD joined in and 15 children got their Christmas wishes.

Tuesday's event included 23 or 24 families, many with two, three or more children, and drew officers from the Warden Police Department, the Washington State Patrol and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, as well as half a dozen cadets from the Columbia Basin Technical Skills Center's criminal justice program.

"When we did that Tip a Cop program a couple of weeks ago to raise the money for this event, some of those students were there helping out as well," said their instructor, former MLPD Chief Dave Ruffin. "They like doing this, and it's good for them to be involved with not only the community but (the other agencies). It's good for them to be around the officers."

"This is a great opportunity for us to (be more invested in the community)," said WSP Lt. Ryan Raymond. "All of our troopers live in these communities ... and it's just a really important thing for them to be able to come back and be on this side of it and provide a fun night evening for all the kids."

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The event started off with a pizza party in the back of the store for officers and families, donated by Papa John's. It wasn't just uniformed officers shopping with the families; support staff and spouses were out as well. Santa Claus, played by MLPD Cpl. Ray Lopez in a blue suit, roamed the aisles as well, and an officer dressed as the Grinch found himself getting arrested several times at the behest of gleeful children. Volunteers had set up a wrapping station in the back so the gifts could be sent home prepared for Christmas morning.

Surprisingly, the children didn't all dash straight for the toys. Six-year-old Jessica Sanchez, accompanied by MLPD Det. Edgar Salazar, was trying on one pair of boots after another to see which was warmest.

"I moved 21 times by the time I was 24 years old," Salazar said. "Military, low-income background, and I've never landed in a place as supportive as Moses Lake."

Harmony Larioz, 8, dressed in Grinch pants and Grinch T-shirt, was looking for yet more Grinch paraphernalia, a big, yellow-eyed Grinch hat.

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"She's a Christmas Eve baby," said her mom, Evelyn Martinez, who had two more children shopping with officers as well. "It's awesome. I feel super blessed. It's been a hard year, but it's getting better."

Elaina Brooks, 7, had also had a tough year, said her grandmother, Robin Brooks.

"My husband, her Papa, passed away, and she's taken it a little hard," she said. "When she got in trouble, that's who she ran to, and she's trying to adjust to it."

Elaina had her cart filled in less than 15 minutes and was already at the wrapping station.

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"She's very excited," Brooks said. "At first she didn't want to come, she was scared. And then she was so excited she wanted to be here by four o'clock."

"I guarantee this, (you won't) see officers without a smile on their face," Sands said. "It's the funnest day of the year."
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis says the fight isnt over after the Georgia Court of Appeals removed her and her office from the Georgia election interference case involving President-elect Donald Trump and several of his allies.

Channel 2 investigative reporter Mark Winne spoke exclusively with Willis on Thursday following the ruling as well as the defense lawyer who played a key role in removing Willis from the case.

You are the defense attorney that raised in court the issue of DA Fani Williss relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade? Winne asked attorney Ashleigh Merchant.

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Yes, I am. And we were very surprised but happy to get the opinion today, Merchant said. I knew that once we had our day in court, we would be meritorious.

Winne also spoke to Willis by phone.

Were asking the (Georgia) Supreme Court to review the court of appeals decision, Willis said.

She said hopefully the Supreme Court will take this decision up for review and said she does not agree with the decision.

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Willis said she does not want to comment in detail on the merits of the case because too much is in the balance.

Trump and his co-defendants have tried to get Willis thrown off the case for months over her romantic relationship with former special prosecutor Nathan Wade.

Earlier this year, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee ruled that either Willis or Wade would have to step aside. Wade resigned, but Trump and his attorneys filed an appeal to remove Willis as well.

On Thursday, a three-judge panel concluded that the lower court made a mistake by allowing Willis to stay on the case.

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The effect right now is that Fani Willis and the Fulton County District Attorneys office have been disqualified from prosecuting the election interference case with all the defendants, including Donald Trump, former Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter said.

Porter said the majority ruling seems to change the standard for Georgia prosecutors from an actual conflict of interest to the significant appearance of a conflict of interest, which could potentially cause problems for prosecutors across Georgia.

Porter said the states notice of intent to petition the Supreme Court of Georgia for writ of certiorari means the Fulton County DAs Office is asking the State Supreme Court to agree to let the prosecution appeal.

He said while the Supreme Court rarely grants such requests, the chances seem good in this case that they will.

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I think that because of the far-reaching effects of the decision, they may. I mean, its fairly rare for them to accept a petition for sure, Porter said.

I think its very unlikely the Supreme Court will hear this case. The Court of Appeals got it right, Merchant said.

Defense attorney Manny Arora told Winne that McAfee has tossed out some charges and thats not affected by the new ruling.

In his dissent Thursday, Judge Ben Land said because the law does not support the result reached by the majority, I respectfully dissent.

It goes on to say, For at least the last 43 years, our Appellate Courts have held that an appearance of impropriety, without an actual conflict of interest or actual impropriety, provides no basis for the reversal of a trial courts denial of a motion to disqualify.

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From a citywide clean-up campaign to resisting the arrival of behemoth polluting facilities, the fight to make Gary greener and more sustainable never stops.

Gary, one of Indianas most polluted areas, is burdened by toxic air pollution, flagrant zoning and land use violations, and decades of economic disinvestment, which only heighten the stakes of the citys vulnerability to environmental hazards. However, with high stakes comes a stronger commitment from its local organizations to fight for their city and sustainability. From forming advisory councils to switching to sustainable transportation strategies, here are the ways Garys residents and businesses have fought for a cleaner, greener city this year.

Gary celebrates the end of Fulcrum BioEnergy

Fulcrum Bioenergy, a waste-to-jet-fuel plant, has finally ceased construction plans in Gary after attempting to come to the city for over five years. The construction project drew backlash and attention from local environmentalist groups, including Gary Advocates for Responsible Development and Just Transition Northwest Indiana, which brought attention to the issue nationally. After defaulting on their sister Nevada plant, which was touted as an example of what the proposed Gary facility would be like, Fulcrum filed for bankruptcy and ceased its construction operations. The Gary Redevelopment office officially declared the project concluded in June.

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The plant, which has been protested by GARD since 2021, was challenged by the environmental group for its potential risk to public health and pollution from environmentally hazardous chemicals.

I think we need to celebrate our victories, because not only does it reinforce the work were doing, but also the community sees it, and also administrators, said Kwabena Rasuli, a member of GARD, after plans for the $600 million plant fell through.

Hopefully, they think twice again before OKing stuff like this again.

Read More: Gary Celebrates the End of Waste-to-Energy Company Fulcrum BioEnergy

Think B.I.G. citywide cleanup campaign

Starting in the crisp spring months and lasting to late fall, a team of volunteers hit the streets of Gary to do their part and pick up trash. As part of a new campaign called Think B.I.G. (Beauty in Gary), it mobilizes a volunteer workforce to tackle trash accumulation from illegal dumping, littering, and overgrowth in neglected parks.

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We want to do it through every neighborhood, because its all our city, said Markael Watkins, coordinator of Think B.I.G., during a spring cleanup. We wanted to get the community engaged to help bring pride back to the city, and show people we care and love the city.

Read More: Gary Residents Join Forces with City Hall in Cleanup Campaign

LaTanya Rogers was among dozens of Garys residents at Hatcher Park this spring, participating in a vigorous citywide cleanup campaign. (Javonte Anderson/Capital B)

Gary forms new environmental advisory council

This summer, the Melton administration recently began recruiting residents to join a new environmentally focused advisory council headed by local sustainability and community leaders to help the city address critical challenges in the region. The council, which includes Mayor Eddie Melton, aims to advance sustainable practices, improve climate resiliency, and engage more Gary residents to get their perspectives and feedback around climate issues.

In a first for the city, the move marks an improvement in cooperation between the city and environmental advocates. Now, with a seat at the table, environmentalists and residents alike will have more representation in sustainability policies that will affect the city.

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Read More: Environmental Advocates Gain A Seat at the Table at Gary City Hall

Gary goes electric

Gary Public Transportation Corporation introduced four new electric buses to Gary and Northwest Indiana in September 2023. Since the buses launch on the Broadway Metro Express route, monthly bus ridership has grown about 30%, and it is the most energy-efficient transportation line in the region, according to David Wright, GPTCs planning and marketing manager. By increasing bus ridership and reducing air pollution from ridership in cars, the move not only marked a transition toward reducing the citys carbon footprint but also established Gary as only the second city in the state to adopt electric vehicles.

In addition, this summer, GPTC added a bike-share service to provide another transit option between trips that would use less pollution.

Read More: Gary Test Drives New Electric Transit Vehicles to Help Reduce Emissions, Costs

Gary cracks down on illegal dumping

Blending environmental action with political will, a citywide crackdown on illegal dumping has supported sustainability practices.

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This year, the city of Gary has charged at least 180 people and businesses with illegally dumping garbage within city limits, according to a previous Capital B analysis of court records. Illegal dumping is not just a legal issue. Discarded tires, a common type of dumping in the city, release carcinogens into the air and can contaminate soil as they break down.

Read More: Gary Taps Law Enforcement, County Resources to Crack Down on Illegal Dumping

A No Dumping sign near 22nd Place and Martin Luther King Drive in Gary warns potential violators of a $2,500 fine. (Javonte Anderson/Capital B)

Gary gets groundbreaking data on the emissions of Northwest Indianas steel mills

An October report released by Industrious Labs, an environmental organization focused on industry, provided Gary residents with the data behind what they always suspected  their health issues were tied to the regions steel and coke mills.

The report is a first for the steel industry, which gives a facility-by-facility breakdown of the U.S. coal-based steel and coke plants, exposing a staggering human toll of the facilities. According to the report, Gary Works released 182 tons of 24 hazardous air pollutants into the air in 2022  the most emissions of any steelmaker in Indiana. Moreover, the pollution from these emissions takes a steep personal toll on local communities. The Gary Works plant, the largest integrated steel mill in North America, contributes to 57 to 114 premature deaths, 48 emergency room visits, over 11,000 school and work loss days, and almost 32,000 asthma attacks each year, according to the report. Finally, data also shows that most residents living in Gary are in the top 10% of the nation for risk of developing asthma due to the release of toxic pollutants like benzene and lead from manufacturing plants.

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The report links these health impacts, which total $75 million in annual economic loss, directly to emissions from Northwest Indianas steel and coke plants.

Read More: Garys Steel Industry Is Linked to Increased Health Risks and Lower Life Expectancy

Gary School Board rejects cellphone tower proposal

In August, a proposal by Crown Castle, a national cell tower firm, proposed building two cell towers near two Gary schools: Banneker at Marquette Elementary School and Gary Middle School. The proposed 50-year lease faced backlash from parents and environmentalists, notably GARD, who had concerns over the tower radiation on the health of their students and on the environment, with one of the towers placed on the neighboring edge of Marquette Trail, near the Indiana Dunes National Park. GARD member Jennie Rudderham created a petition with more than 200 signatures voicing opposition to the proposal, citing the uncertainty of the effects of cell tower radiation on people, particularly vulnerable populations like youth, and the environment.

With five decades of student health and safety at risk, the school board rejected the proposal in November, marking a success for community and environmental protection.

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Read More: Garys School Board Considers a Proposal for New Cell Towers in the Area.

Canoemobiles come to Gary

Once a year, students, parents, and elders are invited to sail the Marquette Lagoon in a 24-foot Voyageur canoemobile to explore the great outdoors right in their backyard.

In October, Kimmie Gordon, Brown Faces Green Spaces founder and GARD vice president, partnered with Wilderness Inquiry to bring students on to the Marquette Lagoon, turning canoes into a floating classroom on nature, science and sustainability in Gary  offering locals a unique chance to explore nature in a city more often defined by its industrial landscape.

Gordon said she fostered this opportunity to get marginalized communities like those in Gary to get involved in the great outdoors.

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It creates a safe and welcoming atmosphere for those who want to be in the outdoors, and want to see people like us doing things in the outdoors, and doing things we would not otherwise have access to do, Gordon told Capital B Gary.

Read More: Gary Canoemobile makes a splash at Marquette Park

The post How Gary Residents Made Strides Toward a Cleaner, Greener City in 2024 appeared first on Capital B Gary.
Johnna Reeder Kleymeyer, president and CEO of the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce & EDC for about the past three years, has rescinded
GEORGE COUNTY, Miss. (WKRG)  The George County Sheriffs Office issued a Be On The Lookout notice for a man they consider armed and dangerous on Facebook Thursday afternoon.

Escambia County Sheriff reveals new details in Tshey Bennetts death

24-year-old Kyle Chantry McCarty is wanted for simple assault and exhibiting a firearm.

Kyle Chantry McCarty. (George County Sheriffs Office)

GCSO officials said McCarty is 6 feet tall and weighs 145 pounds. He has multiple tattoos.

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According to GCSO, his last known location was the Palm Bluff and Twin Creek area.

Senior Bowl Executive Director Jim Nagy interviews for New York Jets General Manager opening

He is considered armed and dangerous, according to GCSO, and anyone who sees him should not attempt to apprehend him and instead contact law enforcement.

The Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers can be reached at 877-787-5898 or online.

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 WKRG News 5.
An 18-year-old freshman at George Mason University in Virginia was arrested Tuesday for allegedly plotting a mass casualty attack on Israels General Consulate in New York City, which he described as a goldmine of targets, according to a report.

Abdullah Ezzeldin Taha Mohamed Hassan, an Egyptian national, was charged with one count of demonstrating how to manufacture an explosive with intent to murder internationally protected persons after allegedly instructing an undercover FBI agent in November to target the consulate with explosives, the Washington Post reported Thursday.

A George Mason University freshman was charged with plotting an attack on Israels NYC consulate. UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Two options: lay havoc on them with an assault rifle or detonate a TATP [suicide] vest in the midst of them, Hassan allegedly told the agent posing as a terrorist sympathizer on Nov. 27, prosecutors alleged in court documents obtained by the outlet.

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Hassan, who had been facing deportation proceedings, was arrested by the FBI in Falls Church and subsequently banned from campus, according to the report.

The Consulate General of Israel in New York City. Google Maps

The first-year college student has an extensive digital paper trail with social media accounts praising the Islamic State and Osama bin Laden and spreading terrorist and antisemitic propaganda, the FBI charging documents state.

He had been interviewed by the FBI in 2022 over his online ramblings spreading Islamic State messaging across the web but was not charged, according to the Washington Post.

The information technology major was skilled at concealing his online activity and at accessing the dark web for things like step-by-step video instructions on how to make a bomb with the greatest kill rate in a crowd, according to the FBI.

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Hassan allegedly sent the undercover agent an Islamic State propaganda video in mid-November calling for the death of Jewish people, the newspaper reported.

The agent then agreed to follow Hassans orders to commit a mass slaughter.

Over multiple days of back-and-forth, the teen suggested several weapons  including assault rifles, a suicide vest or a homemade acetone-peroxide bomb in a backpack  to use in the attack and sent Islamic State-stamped bomb-building instructional videos, according to the charging documents.

The college student eventually landed on Israels General Consulate in Manhattan as the target, authorities said.

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Hassan allegedly told the FBI informant the Big Apple would provide a goldmine of targets  those targets being Jewish people, whom he referred to in Arabic as Yahud, according to the FBI documents.

He meticulously plotted the mass casualty attack, suggesting the exact size of ball bearings to be used as shrapnel for a bomb and the exact flights the undercover agent should book to flee the US for Borno, Africa, the documents state.

Grateful for the quick action taken by the FBI in apprehending the suspect and preventing this cowardly act of antisemitic terror from occurring, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement Thursday night. Hate has no place in New York, and we will always stand with our Jewish neighbors.

Hassans deportation case will likely be delayed so that his criminal case can first be tried and resolved.

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If hes convicted and sentenced to prison, he would need to complete the sentence in the US before hed face deportation. He could face up to 20 years behind bars on the weapon-of-mass-destruction charge and may face additional charges as the investigation continues, according to the outlet.

The college student lived off-campus, according to George Mason University officials.

The university has implemented 24/7 campus police patrols amid Hassans arrest and upset over anti-Israel student activism.
The FBI arrested a student at Virginias George Mason University (GMU) for the alleged distribution of information related to explosives, destructive devices and weapons of mass destruction and the intent to murder internationally protected persons, court documents show.

According to the documents, Abdullah Ezzeldin Taha Mohamed Hassan, an Egyptian national, allegedly operated several accounts on various social platforms, one of which a tipster had described as engaging in radical and terrorist-leaning behavior.

The FBI traced the account back to Hassan based on information related to the email address, phone number and IP address.

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Prosecutors claimed the account tied to Hassan made posts revering Osama bin Laden and Ayman Al Zawahiri and operated several pro-ISIS and al Qaeda accounts that promoted violence against Jews.

The court documents allege Hassan, who lives in Falls Church, Va., planned a mass casualty attack at the Consulate General of Israel using an explosive device and rifle.

Court documents show an FBI information communicated with Hassan on social media and later allegedly recruited him to conduct a mass casualty attack.

The office of the president, Gregory Washington, at GMU on Thursday issued a statement regarding the arrest. The statement said the student has been barred from entering university property.

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George Mason University continues to take enhanced precautions to maintain a safe and secure university community in light of the recent FBI arrest of one of its students, Washingtons statement read.

As criminal proceedings progress, the university will take appropriate action on student code of conduct violations, he later added.

The Hill has contacted GMU for further comment.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A George Mason University student who is allegedly obsessed with martyrdom and ISIS was arrested and accused of plotting an attack on the Israeli consulate in New York City, officials said Friday.

Abdullah Ezzeldin Taha Mohamed Hassan violated federal codes against distributing information on weapons in furtherance of a violent crime and planning to kill a foreign official, according to a complaint filed on Monday by FBI Special Agent Tyler Ellefson.

The suspect is a GMU freshman majoring in information technology, the school said.

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"Although the student did not live on campus, he has been barred from entering university property," GMU Vice President Paul Allvin said in a statement to NBC News on Friday. "As criminal proceedings progress, the university will take appropriate action on student code of conduct violations."

Hassan, who lives in Falls Church, Virginia, first came to the FBI's attention on May 4 this year, when Fairfax County police notified federal authorities about someone engaging in radical and terrorist-leaning behavior" on social media, according to the affidavit supporting the suspect's arrest.

Investigators eventually linked that X user to Hassan, who was then contacted by an FBI informant, a "confidential human source" called "CH-1" in court papers.





An Israeli flag flies at the Israeli Consulate in New York.

Hassan sent the informant "a pro-ISIS video that called for the killing of Jews" and the agent "responded to this video by pledging allegiance to the leader of ISIS and calling Hassan his emir," the court papers said.

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The informant said he couldn't travel overseas to join ISIS and wondered if god "wants me to act here," according to the FBI.

That's when Hassan allegedly recruited "CH-1 to conduct a mass casualty attack" on U.S. soil.

When that undercover agent told Hassan that he was in New York City, the suspect called the five boroughs "a goldmine of targets," the affidavit said.

The suspect gave the agent "operational support" on the "manufacture and use of an explosive device" for "the planned attack on the Consulate General of Israel" in New York City, federal authorities said.

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"He said CH-1 could either murder people at the consulate with an assault rifle or detonate an explosive vest while standing in a group of targets," Ellefson wrote.

As they hatched the plot, Hassan told the informant "to 'schedule a flight out of the country' and that it should be to 'somewhere where there are no extradition laws,' federal officials said.

A court-appointed attorney for Hassan could not be immediately reached for comment on Friday.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. (DC News Now)  A George Mason University (GMU) student was arrested by the FBI on Tuesday and accused of planning a mass casualty attack against Israels general consulate in New York City.

Court documents stated that 18-year-old Abdullah Ezzeldin Taha Mohamed Hassan is an Egyptian national who has been living in Falls Church, Va. Hes a freshman majoring in information technology at GMU, Vice President and Chief Brand Officer Paul Alvin confirmed with DC News Now.

His arrest comes after the FBI first received a tip about Hassan in May after his X account was flagged for engaging in radical and terrorist-leaning behavior. He reportedly made posts about the guarantees of paradise for martyrs and called Osama bin Laden his idol.

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He had multiple X accounts that promoted violence against Jews, according to court documents.

In August, court documents said Hassan began planning a mass casualty attack at the Consulate General of Israel in New York City.

In November, Hassan allegedly sent someone a pro-ISIS video that called for the killing of Jews, trying to recruit the person to conduct a mass casualty attack.

The documents stated that on Nov. 22, the person told Hassan that if he couldnt travel to join ISIS, they should act here. Hassan then told the person to Aim for government buildings, use a Zastava rifle if you can access one to carry out your attack  or buy a 3d printed gun and just buy ammunition.

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The next day, Hassan reportedly messaged the person that it would be easier to commit an attack and be martyred by the police than to complete a suicide bombing successfully. In response, the person told him that they were in New York and that getting a gun there would be difficult.

I was blindsided: Man records moment he was shoved onto NY subway tracks

Hassan told the person that New York was a goldmine of targets and sent them the address for the Consulate General of Israel.

His plans continued at least through Dec. 4.

The criminal complaint states that Hassan is facing several charges including distribution of information relating to explosives, destructive devices and weapons of mass destruction in furtherance of the commission of federal crime of violence.

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He is currently going through deportation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to court documents.

GMUs President Gregory Washington issued a statement to students on Thursday. He confirmed a student was arrested by the FBI, causing security concerns among some community members.

2 California men arrested in Virginia in connection to thefts at high-end stores across 7 states

Washington wrote the following, in part:

George Mason University continues to take enhanced precautions to maintain a safe and secure university community in light of the recent FBI arrest of one of its students. The arrest, which the university learned of on Tuesday, December 17, so far appears to have no connection to an earlier police action involving two George Mason students whose home was searched in November. Although the student did not live on campus, he has been barred from entering university property. As criminal proceedings progress, the university will take appropriate action on student code of conduct violations. Gregory Washington, George Mason University President

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GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN)  As more students reach out for mental health services, mental health professionals who provide the help can be hard to find.

In many school districts across Texas there are vacancies for school counselor positions, and it can be a challenge to find candidates to fill them.

Depression, anxiety, bipolar, autism, said former school counselor Amy Goodwin. There is a lot of learning and education that goes into learning about those childhood disorders.

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Goodwin spent years helping students in need and is now worried about the lack of resources students receive when it comes to mental health services.

You have to know how to work with kids who have trauma, and then a big piece is critical crisis intervention and critical incident response, Goodwin said.

A lack of funding from the state has also made it hard on school districts to pay or hire more mental health professionals.

If the Texas legislature ever got to the point where they appropriately funded our schools, we would use any additional funding we could find to put more mental health services in our schools, in terms of counselors, Georgetown ISD Superintendent Devin Padavil said.

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Georgetown ISD board unanimously approves resolution to accept chaplains as volunteers

In an effort to open up to more candidates, the Georgetown Independent School Districts board of trustees approved a waiver that removes the Texas Education Agencys certification requirement for school counselors. They still must be licensed through the Texas State Board though.

Under TEA requirements counselors need to pass an exam to work in Texas schools.

Right now with a counseling shortage we also know that there are lots of people who can be certified as school-based therapists, Padavil said.

The waiver allows the district to hire licensed professional counselors, Master social workers and clinical social workers.

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According to the American School Counselor Association, the recommended ratio of counselor to student is 250:1, but the national student-to-school counselor ratio was 376:1.

It is absolutely necessary that we attend to the mental health needs of our students, Padavil said.

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TBILISI (Reuters) - Five Georgian interior ministry officials who were sanctioned by the West for their role in a violent crackdown on pro-EU protesters will be presented with one of the country's highest honours, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said on Friday.

Georgians have been protesting daily for three weeks since the government announced it was halting talks on joining the European Union - a longstanding and widely popular national goal - until 2028.

The officials to be decorated include Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri and heads of the ministry's Special Tasks Department, which is accused of orchestrating beatings of opposition politicians and journalists, who were sanctioned by the U.S. and UK on Thursday.

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Gomelauri, a former bodyguard to Bidzina Ivanishvili, a billionaire ex-prime minister widely seen as Georgia's paramount leader, was also promoted on Friday to deputy prime minister.

Police have used water cannon and tear gas against the crowds. Georgia's government has accused the demonstrators of trying to stage a revolution and says more than 150 police officers have been injured in clashes with protesters who have thrown fireworks at them.

Georgia had been seen as among the most democratic and pro-Western of the Soviet Union's successor states, but critics accuse it of moving in an increasingly authoritarian and pro-Russian direction in the past several years.

Kobakhidze told reporters the government would compensate any officials who suffered financial losses as a result of the "unjust decision" to impose Western sanctions.

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He said the officials were being rewarded for "the honourable actions carried out by the representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs." A total of 11 senior officials would be nominated for the Order of Honour, one of Georgia's highest civilian medals.

(Reporting by Reuters in Tbilisi; Writing by Felix Light; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
Caring For Others hosted its 24th annual food and household goods distribution event on Nov. 23 in Atlanta. The nonprofit distributed to several hundred families poultry, vegetables and other Thanksgiving fixings along with household goods like blankets and comforters. Photo from Caring For Others

A nonprofit organization found that 1.1 million Georgians were food insecure over two weeks in August and September this year, a number that is significantly higher than during the height of the pandemic.

A Hunger Atlas Report published by Hunger Free America in Georgia has sounded an alarm to alert civic groups over a federal report indicating 47 million Americans are food insecure. Leaders of various civic and civil rights groups are blaming the spike in food insecurity on wage stagnation, cuts to social services, and the lapse of safety net provisions like the child tax credit and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.

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The survey, published this month, found that more than 1.1 million Georgia residents didnt have enough to eat over two one-week periods during August and September, which is 67% higher than the same period in 2021.

The report, which includes data collected from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, underscores the severe societal consequences of food insecurity, including reduced productivity, increased health care costs, and educational underperformance, said Joel Berg, CEO of Hunger Free America.

Advocates continue pushing to strengthen federal safety net programs and increase wages to address the root causes of food insecurity.

In Georgia, the work of filling the food shortage gaps falls on the various food banks under the umbrella of Feeding Georgia, as well as numerous other civic organizations that rely on donations to help provide food for children and families suffering from economic hardships.

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Nonprofits that work to alleviate food insecurity are dealing with changes to child tax credits, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits and universal free school meals.

Between 2021 and 2023, 1.5 million Georgians lived in food insecure households, according to USDA food insecurity data analyzed by Hunger Free America.

Were facing an affordability crisis in America, wages are just not keeping up with costs, and the safety net has been slashed since the pandemic, Berg said.

According to a study conducted by Feeding Georgia and the University of Georgia in 2023, nearly 60% of Georgia families who visit food pantries make trade-offs between food and rent, utilities, and transportation.

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A decrease in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program aid reaching Georgia families has contributed to food insecurity. Georgia, where one in three children suffer from hunger, was one of a dozen states in 2024 that declined to participate in the U.S. Department of Agricultures summer feeding program.

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp declined to apply for an extension for a program that allowed the parents and guardians of 1.1 million kids who qualify for free- or reduced-price lunches across the state to get an extra $290 million in food assistance. Georgias final year of the program included children five and younger who were enrolled in SNAP.

Instead, Kemp last year awarded $38 million from the program to Georgia food banks to alleviate food insecurity.

States have until Jan. 1 to submit a notice of intent if they plan to participate in Summer EBT for 2025, according to the USDA.

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The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is central to the U.S. safety nets ability to help families weather financial shocks, a Brookings Institute 2024 research report said. SNAP is a particularly important program because it is the only nearly universal means-tested program, meaning many low-income households are eligible, regardless of their demographic.

A 2024 poll conducted by the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute found that many Georgians have struggled with food costs in the past year, and 84% agree that cutting SNAP at a time when food prices are high would be unfair to food insecure people.

The refusal of politicians to adopt Summer EBT leaves kids vulnerable to hunger, said Ailen Arreaza, executive director of ParentsTogether Action.

Summer break is hard enough on parents. For families that usually qualify for free or reduced school lunches, it can be almost impossible, Arreaza said. Politicians should be supporting families and children in their state rather than denying eligible families access to much needed nutrition assistance.

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A Dusseldorf court on Friday sentenced a 33-year-old man to four years in prison for membership of a terrorist organization abroad.

The Dusseldorf Higher Regional considered it proven that the man worked for the secret police of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist militia in his home country of Iraq between June 2014 and his flight to Germany in March 2015.

As an IS member, he is said to have spied on people in his neighbourhood and passed on the information to higher-ranking IS members.

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However, the defendant was acquitted of further charges. Among other things, the man, who most recently lived in the western German city of Wuppertal, was accused of involvement in public acts of punishment by IS, such as the execution of prisoners.

Contrary to the indictment, the accusations could not be proven with certainty, even after contradictory witness statements, said the presiding judge.

When sentencing the man, he took into account that the offence was committed 10 years ago and that the man left IS voluntarily and after a short time.

However, the fact that he worked for a particularly dangerous organization due to its size and brutal practices weighed against him.

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After several months of proceedings, the prosecution had demanded eight years in prison for the charges of IS membership and aiding and abetting war crimes such as murder.

During the trial, the defendant consistently denied the allegations and his defence sought an acquittal.

The verdict is not yet final and may be appealed by the Federal Public Prosecutor General in Germany's Supreme Court.

The man was already investigated in 2017 on the basis of information from his ex-wife. However, the proceedings were discontinued at the time.

New investigations were launched following a criminal complaint from a witness.

The suspect was arrested and has been in custody since autumn 2023. The trial against him began on August 1 and lasted 19 trial days.
New German films and screenplays can continue to receive financial support in 2025, following the passage on Thursday of a law needed to prevent a halt to government funding for the industry.

The Film Promotion Act passed with votes from the Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and pro-business Free Democrats - the parties of the former coalition before the FDP pulled out of it. Culture Minister Claudia Roth, a Green party member, called it an important success.

This is the first pillar of a concept aimed at attracting German and international productions to German shooting locations and at facilitating better utilization of long-established institutions like Studio Babelsberg. The industry reportedly generates an estimated 120,000 jobs.

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Roth said she would continue to advocate for the next steps to be taken with a tax incentive model and an investment obligation. Starting on February 1, support will be raised to an internationally competitive level of 30%.

The new law provides the legal basis for collecting the so-called film levy from users of the productions, such as cinemas, the video industry, online providers or television broadcasters. Last year this amounted to about 50 million ($52 million) which went toward funding new productions.

Under the legislation some processes will be simplified. For example many decisions will now be based on past successes instead of being decided by juries.

SPD and Greens welcomed the continuation of film funding in 2025, but criticized conditions imposed by the FDP for their approval, such as the removal of a planned diversity advisory board and requirements for sustainable film funding.
President-elect Donald Trumps pick for Secretary of Energy, Colorado's Chris Wright, views the world divided between the haves and have-nots  with a specific eye toward access to energy, arguing that, instead of a climate" agenda, America should focus on ensuring a wide array of cheap, abundant and sustainable energy sources that include geothermal, nuclear, oil and gas.
Germany on Friday enshrined reforms designed to guarantee the independence of the country's Constitutional Court, with lawmakers eyeing the threat posed by populist parties ahead of elections expected in February.

The package was approved by the Bundesrat, Germany's upper house, one day after passing the lower house with broad cross-party support.

The new law enshrines key aspects of how the Constitutional Court functions in Germany's constitution, known as the Basic Law.

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It formally fixes the court's size at 16 judges and sets out 12-year terms for judges, term limits and the mandatory retirement age of 68 years.

Supporters have described the move as a way to insulate the top court from possible political interference in the future, since changes to the Basic Law require two-thirds majorities in parliament.

Bremen Premier Andreas Bovenschulte on Friday said the package defends the independence of the Constitutional Court from outside influences, pointing to judicial crises in other European countries such as Poland and Hungary.

"Here in Germany, we are making our highest court watertight," he said.

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Rules for the Constitutional Court were previously laid out in German law, which can be amended with a simple majority in both chambers of parliament.

The changes also create a new mechanism for confirming judges to the court through parliament, aimed at making it harder for a minority party holding more than a third of seats to effectively veto nominees.

Of the country's 16 federal states, 15 supported the package in the Bundesrat on Friday, with only the eastern state of Brandenburg abstaining.
The German Development Ministry has warned against repatriating Syrian refugees too quickly after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime.

In a strategy paper seen by dpa, the ministry said "speculation about the cancellation of the protected status of Syrian refugees - whether in Germany or elsewhere - is clearly premature."

The ministry will continue its support for the countries where most Syrian refugees live "and expand it where necessary."

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In recent years, Germany has provided significant support to the approximately 5 million Syrian refugees in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq.

The ministry also writes that Syria's new transitional government must now be given clear messages of support, but also of expectations.

"The current rulers in Damascus are sending signs of their willingness to lead the country into a future that allows all ethnic and religious groups in the country to participate on an equal footing," the paper stated.

"This must not lead to naive hopes. However, it would be negligent not to do everything possible to strengthen and support the possibility of positive change," the ministry added.
(Bloomberg) -- Chancellor Olaf Scholz took a swipe at Elon Musk over his political judgment, escalating a spat between the German government and the worlds richest person.

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Scholz, speaking to reporters in Berlin on Friday, was asked about a post Musk made on his X platform earlier the same day asserting that only the far-right AfD party can save Germany.

We have freedom of speech, and that also applies to multi-billionaires, Scholz said alongside Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal. But freedom of speech also means that you can say things that are not right and do not contain good political advice.

Musk, a key adviser to US President-elect Donald Trump, hasnt held back in expressing his contempt for Scholz, labeling him a fool last month after the collapse of Germanys three-way coalition.

The billionaire Tesla Inc. owners latest comment is a more direct intervention in German politics, coming two months before federal elections which Scholz is again contesting at the head of the Social Democratic Party.

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Slap to Merz

However, Musks backing for the anti-immigration AfD is also an implicit rebuke of Friedrich Merz, whose center-right Christian Democratic bloc leads the polls, making him the frontrunner to become the next chancellor.

I expressly say: All democratic parties in Germany see things differently, Scholz said of Musks endorsement of the AfD, adding that his judgment is not as balanced as the economic success of his companies.

AfD support is at 19% in the latest poll by Infratest dimap, placing it second behind Merzs conservative bloc with 33%. Scholzs Social Democrats and his Greens coalition partner each have just 14% backing. Still, the AfD has no chance of joining a government after the Feb. 23 vote because all the other parties have ruled out any kind of cooperation.

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AfD leader Alice Weidel, who is running as her partys first-ever chancellor candidate, will probably be looking on with glee.

In a Bloomberg News interview this week, Weidel made clear that shes a fan of Trump, saying that she hopes he puts an end to this terrible war in Ukraine because European governments are not willing or capable of doing something like that.

We have huge hopes with his presidency, she said.

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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and opposition leader Friedrich Merz are neck and neck in head-on personal ratings ahead of elections expected in February.

While Merz's conservative CDU/CSU bloc is firmly ahead in the polls, a survey for German public broadcaster ZDF released on Friday found that, given a choice between the two politicians, 44% of residents would vote for Merz, with 43% opting for Social Democrat Scholz and 13% undecided.

Adding in candidates from the Greens and the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), however, complicated the picture.

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Some 29% of respondents said they would pick Merz as chancellor, with 25% choosing Green politician Robert Habeck, and Scholz level with the AfD's Alice Weidel.

Worryingly for Merz, only 29% of respondents believed a CDU/CSU-led government would improve politics in Germany, with 48% expecting no change.

Germany is expected to head to the polls on February 23, after Scholz lost a vote of confidence in the Bundestag - or lower house of parliament - on Monday.

The ZDF survey had Merz's CDU/CSU ahead in its poll on 31%, ahead of the AfD on 19%, Scholz's SPD on 15% and the Greens on 14%.

The pro-business Free Democrats - whose withdrawal from Scholz's coalition in early November left the chancellor leading a minority government - are on 3% and at risk of missing the 5% threshold usually needed to enter the Bundestag, as is The Left on 4%.

The upstart populist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, which has recently entered government in two eastern German states, is on 5%.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has reiterated that he wants to continue talking to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone, despite the criticism from Kiev and other Western leaders.

"I have spoken to the Russian president and I will speak to him again," he said after a meeting with Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal in Berlin.

He said he would always make it clear, however, that it was Putin's job "to end the war, to stop his aggression and to withdraw troops as well."

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Michal countered that he doubted that Putin could be persuaded to back down with phone calls. In his opinion, Russia would have to be forced to come to the negotiating table by further and greater Western support for Ukraine.

Scholz spoke to Putin on the phone in November for the first time in more than two years, and was criticized for doing so by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy and other leaders.

Among them was Michal, who said at the time: "No peace will come from this conversation." He continued: "The idea that such talks will have any additional effect  definitely not. Rather, a positive situation and message will be achieved by giving Ukraine more help, support and weapons."
Dec. 19"Applause for the first posada!" yelled a man with an oversized red nose and shoes. Applause filled the gymnasium as spectators tuned into the Payaso Tomy Plin clown show.

The first ever Posada Latina Southside, held Thursday evening, packed the Santa Fe Teen Center with crowds hoping to see the night's performances, grab a bite to eat or some toys for their kids, engage with their city councilors and, above all, build the sense of community many feel the south side has long needed.

"I almost never go to events, but it's a posada, so it caught my attention," said Guadalupe Escarcega, who said she came to show her daughter Victoria a good afternoon.

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"But there are almost no events," Escarcega added. "This area is very forgotten in the city."

It's a common sentiment, and part of the reason the event's organizers saw it as so necessary.

'I love it ... when we're together'

The Posasa was organized by the Latino Small Business Association, a group that came together earlier this year following community outcry surrounding discussion of the possibility of moving the Interfaith Community Shelter to the south side. Both that outcry and the association were spearheaded by the well-connected Gina Auz.

"I don't want to cry," Auz said with a laugh. "It gives me hope, yes, because I love community support. I love it, you know, when we're together."

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While Auz credited the businesses for coming together to throw the event, she also thanked City Councilors Alma Castro, Pilar Faulkner, and Lee Garcia for sponsoring the event, and helping to secure the space.

"Especially with Trump coming, I wish I could have a place where I can talk to the community and explain what happened, but I don't have that space. If I have the space to take all these people, be safe, we can help you, we can support you in different ways," she said.

Despite filling the teen center to capacity, Auz said she expected better turnout. She said she would like to see a permanent community space to throw these kinds of events, rather than temporary spaces provided by the city.

"This is raza. This is where we are. This is our home now. We need to be part of it," Auz said.

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Rollin Jones, a firefighter with the Santa Fe Fire Department, said there were doubts about the event at first. The fire department provided toys from its Northern New Mexico Toy Drive to hand out to attendees.

"We were like sitting there  me and the councilors  and were like, shoot. We got all these toys, all this food, what if nobody shows up?" Jones said.

But there were never any doubts from Auz  or her husband and fellow organizer John Paul Granillo.

"Gina was like, 'No. Trust me  they're going to come out and we're going to have fun,' " Jones said. "And next thing you know, we've got, like, this massive party, we've got like a huge parade. We've got food catered. We got all these partnerships and everybody was like, 'Yeah, we're going to do a south side party.' "

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Party and politics

Susan Dorn sat behind the voter registration booth, as she did during the Convivio Southside event a few months prior.

This time around, she reported, there's been much more success in getting people registered to vote, partly thanks to the Spanish-language voter registration forms.

In the banquet hall next to Dorn's booth, City Councilor Michael Garcia served free meals to a banquet hall of guests. And in the center of the building mingled City Councilors Lee Garcia and Pilar Faulkner, who said it's the biggest turnout a south-side event has had in recent history.

"We're so proud of our community," Faulkner said. "We're proud of all the people who helped. And this is what, this is what the relationship between readers and the community should be. We have to be one unit. So, this is fantastic. We're so excited."

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Sonia Perez, a dancer from Ballet Folklorico De Mi Pueblo, was at the Convivio Southside in September. She recalled a smaller, more scattered crowd there.

"It felt like we were dancing alone. But now it's great," she said, looking over the packed teen center. "It's amazing. And a little bit nerve-racking."

"But this is what we want to do," continued Perez, who has lived on the south side since moving from Mexico 20 years ago. "We don't want to dance in private events. We want to dance for the public, for the community. And inspire little kids and adults to want to dance with us."

Also in attendance was Adrian Andre, an advocate for improved assisted outpatient treatment, which authorizes the courts to mandate those with severe mental illness to seek treatment. Increased funding for such treatment was one of the few measures to pass during a special legislative session in July; Andre called it a "Band-Aid," not comprehensive enough to help those struggling with addiction or mental health issues.

"I know a lot of our community is afraid of a lot of certain things that happened with ... Pete's Place," he said. "But I've had homies who fell into addiction, families who fell prey, and were just devastated. And they can be more informed, so you don't have to look at them like they're the monsters, or the enemy."
The firing of Chicago Public Schools Chief Executive Officer Pedro Martinez has been top of mind for months now, the fallout of a long fight between leaders of the teachers union aligned with the mayor and leaders of a district facing serious budget headwinds.

According to an internal memo obtained by the Tribune, the mayor gave directives for the ousting of Martinez in September. Then, on the last day before the districts holiday break and in the middle of tense contract negotiations, the current Board of Education called a special meeting for Friday.

To many onlookers, the boards last-minute move to include two agenda items  either to terminate or approve a settlement with Martinez  signal the end of a drawn-out leadership bloodbath that has dominated conversations at meetings and behind closed doors.

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Theres a lot at stake here when you see this kind of chaos, said Peter Cunningham, former assistant secretary for communications and outreach in the U.S. Department of Education who worked with Arne Duncan when he was CEO of Chicago Public Schools in a recent interview with the Tribune.

When youre talking about a $10 billion school system that serves 330,000 people  youre talking about something that is the biggest driver of property taxes, so it affects every homeowner. Youre talking about the citys reputation, around the country, in the world.

Product of the district

Martinez was the first permanent Latino leader to head the district. An immigrant from Mexico and the eldest of 12 children, he credits Pilsens churches for welcoming his family to the city.

Martinez has a finance background, not a teaching background, which he was questioned about when he first took the role. He majored in accounting at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign got an MBA at DePaul University. He worked in the private sector as an audit supervisor before joining the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago.

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Martinez then went on to work under Duncan at CPS, and at a Nevada public school system as superintendent. Martinezs stint there ended after he was fired illegally by the school board and then offered a buyout.

He continued as a superintendent in San Antonio before returning to his home city in 2021 to lead one of the largest school districts in the nation as it was emerging from COVID.

Sept. 15, 2021: An uphill battle

Martinezs appointment by former Mayor Lori Lightfoot was announced at his alma mater Benito Juarez High School in the Pilsen neighborhood on Sept. 15, 2021.

Though Martinez took over for ex-CEO Janice Jackson during the COVID-19 pandemic, he had bright hopes. He pledged to keep schools open for in-person learning. He wanted to earn the trust of Black and Latino families enrolled in district schools.

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CPS is about six times the size of San Antonios school district, and Martinez did not fall into his role at an easy time. He was staring down a transition to an elected school board and long-standing structural debt problems of hundreds of millions brought on by financial disentanglement with the city under Lightfoot.

As he learned the ropes of his new position, the Chicago Teachers Union cited a lagging COVID-19 testing program, bus driver shortages and flaws in special education services, issuing a statement after his appointment saying Martinez must exceed expectations in a struggling school district.

We cannot be fighting within ourselves, Martinez said at the time. The enemy is the systemic racism weve had in our country. The enemy is poverty.

The pandemic dominated Martinezs first year as he faced steady, declining enrollment rates. There were constant disagreements over whether to hold in-person classes or remote learning options, to mask or unmask.

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CPS and CTU negotiated a safety agreement for months. Classes were canceled when teachers refused to give their lessons in person. But the district, like the rest of Chicago, emerged slowly  and bumpily  from intermittent quarantine.

June 9, 2022: Pandemic relief funds and improvements in student achievement

Facing a looming deficit, the union has long criticized the district for not spending more of its COVID-19 dollars. When the CPS released its $9.5 billion budget proposal in June 2022, it had used about half of the $2.8 billion it was allocated for federal pandemic relief funding  claiming it didnt want to pay for positions it couldnt afford when that money expired.

Were investing these funds strategically, setting a new foundation for success to ensure schools have the resources and capacity to move every student forward, Martinez said.

Still, the teachers union pushed for more investment, saying that what (students) need is recovery, with compassionate, competent leadership that is leading that recovery  not cuts to their schools and classrooms. Today, the CTU has not let go of that argument.

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(The district did invest in budgeted positions, adding hundreds of teachers, classroom assistants, social workers, nurses and coordinators since 2019, according to a recent CPS presentation. U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona later commended Martinezs deliberate approach to strategically spending pandemic relief dollars over the maximum allotted time.)

A seismic shift came when Mayor Brandon Johnson, a former teacher buoyed by more than $2 million in support from the CTU, was sworn into office in spring 2023. Although Johnson has long been affiliated with unions that are critical of leaders such as Duncan, the new mayor chose to keep Martinez as his CEO.

And the district, which had faced years of conflict between the powerful union and CPS leadership, saw a brief detente between the Chicago Teachers Union and Martinez.

Johnson promised to bring momentum to CPS. He proposed finding alternatives to standardized tests, filling the funding gap with state support and reversing declining enrollment.

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The district saw some real signs of improvement. There was the first enrollment increase in 12 years, and post-pandemic academic gains. Martinez and CTU President Stacy Davis Gates went out together to celebrate the first day of school that fall.

Martinez said he had big hopes to work with the mayor. The two saw eye to eye on shifting priorities back to neighborhood schools and getting rid of security officers in schools.

But the good feelings did not last.

Dec. 27, 2023: A financial cliff, an expired contract, a clash of interests

After decades of lacking investment, pandemic relief money gave CPS a fighting chance to show whats possible when resources are made available to meet student needs, Martinez said at one CPS event celebrating graduation rate increases.

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Those funds were set to expire in 2025, a phenomenon facing school systems across the country. To fill the gap, CPS officials said they were advocating for increased aid from the city and state.

Then, in late May, the Illinois Senate approved a state spending plan without additional money for the district. The teachers contract expired in June and the district approved a nearly $10 billion budget the following month without accounting for a pension payment to the city and the cost of a new teachers contract.

That caused tensions to boil over, culminating in the mayor requesting Martinez resign for refusing to take out a loan to fill the budget gap.

Martinez has said covering all the costs of the unions demands would not be a healthy financial decision for CPS. Hes said he does not want to plunge the district further into debt.

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The union, meanwhile, is still in contract negotiations with the district. Observers say CTU is uniquely positioned, with a close ally in the mayor, to push its demands through  especially after Johnsons previous hand-picked board resigned under pressure to fire Martinez and the mayor quickly appointed a new one.

The citys record tax increment financing surplus is bringing some extra cash to the district, but there is lasting disagreement over how many of the unions demands can feasibly met with that surplus.

The school board gets to fire or hire the CPS CEO. That has raised alarm from 10 newly elected members who will be seated in January when the board expands to 21 members.

Ultimately, the fate of Chicagos Pilsen-grown leader lies in the boards hands Friday evening.

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Although Johnson has sought Martinezs ouster for months, the district could throw a curveball by appointing someone to be co-CEO and attempt to keep him around for the remainder of his contract but cut him out of important decisions. The board meets at 5:45 p.m. Friday.

Chicago Tribunes Gregory Royal Pratt and Alice Yin contributed.
CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, Ill. (WCIA)  The Mahomet community was left in shock Thursday after a triple homicide of three members of a family. Now, many people in the village are mourning and continuing to look for answers.

I think there is a great amount of sadness  theres hurt right now, said Mike Case, Family Life Pastor at Grace Church in Mahomet.

Everything started when officers were called to a home in Mahomet Wednesday night. They found three members of the Mason family shot to death. Then, authorities say the suspect, 24-year-old John Lyons, fled north to Berwyn, a Chicago suburb, where Berwyn Police said they shot and killed him.

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READ MORE: Mahomet community remembers the Masons following triple homicide

Thursday night, dozens gathered at Grace Church in Mahomet. The church welcomed anybody feeling the heavy grief of the situation. The focus was silent prayer and reflection for a tragedy thats shaken an entire community.

A mother  61-year-old Janis Mason, her daughter 26-year-old Sara Mason, and her son 23-year-old Caleb Mason were all killed in the shooting on Riverside Court. Mahomet Police were called to the scene around 9:40 p.m. Neighbors described the area as typically quiet.

Completely confused by what happened, said family friend Bryson Keeble.  t didnt make any sense.

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Following the homicides, the suspect, 24-year-old John Lyons, drove about two hours north to the Chicago suburb of Berwyn. Local police shot and killed him around 11:30 p.m. the same night.

Bullet found at Champaigns South Side Elementary School

Now, less than 24 hours later, the long process of healing began for many impacted in Mahomet. A vigil was held on Thursday to mourn lost friends and community members.

This was not about Grace Church, Case said. This is about Mahomet, and helping the village of Mahomet to begin healing through this tragedy.

Case said the church opened their doors to allow dozens to reflect on the incident.

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Being able to have an opportunity to let some tears flow  its a good thing, you know? And every tear matters, Case added.

People at the vigil were crying and hugging. The church also welcomed trauma professionals and therapy dogs to help cope with the loss.

Early this morning, I just started to think about how could we try and just be a blessing as much as we can for our community, said Andrew Powell, Lead Pastor. And we just felt like this was an easy way to extend our love and offer an opportunity to be, hopefully, just some love, some hands and feet of Jesus, and just offer some comfort in a time we know is challenging for our community, says Andrew Powell, Lead Pastor.

Man arrested in Tennessee after hit-and-run of Rantoul teen last month

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A tragedy not soon forgottenand a community still reeling.

Its going to take a lot of time, but its also, you know, were not meant to be in a vacuum, Case added. Were meant to be around people.

The investigation has been turned over to Illinois State Police. This is standard procedure for officer-involved shootings. WCIA has reached out to state police for further 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 WCIA.com.
Red Handed

An image on Google Street View that appears to show a man stuffing a body into the trunk of a car provided Spanish authorities with a breakthrough in a year-long missing person investigation, The New York Times reports.

On Wednesday, the country's National Police announced that it had arrested two people last month in connection with the disappearance and death of an unnamed man who went missing in the country's northern province of Soria over a year ago.

One of the detained individuals, a woman, is said to be the former partner of the victim. The other, a man, is her current partner. Both are being held on suspicion of an "aggravated illegal detention," and will be charged for the victim's demise.

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After authorities picked them up in two different locations in Soria, they were able to locate human remains believed to belong to the missing individual. It now appears that the case has been cracked  and in no small part thanks to the astonishing coincidence of the crime seemingly having been caught by a camera-laden Google Street View car.

"Among the clues that the investigators had to solve the crime, though they were not necessarily the decisive ones, were some images that they detected during the investigations" on Google Maps, the police said in the statement, as translated by the NYT.

Forensic Files

The Street View image, captured this October in the mostly empty streets of Tajueco, shows a man in jeans hunched over the open trunk of a red sedan, stuffing a white bundle that's roughly the size of a human body inside it. Authorities didn't say how they stumbled upon the image. As of Thursday, the photo remains accessible on Google Maps and has not been altered to obfuscate the suspected morbid act.

Spanish newspaper El Pais reports that the missing man, originally from Cuba, was in Spain to visit a romantic partner. According to police, the victim was reported missing in November 2023 by a relative who started receiving suspicious texts from the missing man's phone number claiming that he had eloped with a woman he met.

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It's not clear yet what led authorities to arrest the two individuals, but the image is said to have played a part  though it wasn't the "key" to solving the case, a National Police spokesperson said Wednesday, per the NYT.

Following the arrests, the police searched the pair's homes and vehicles, and on December 11, human remains in an "advanced state of decomposition" were discovered buried in a Soria cemetery. They are believed to be the missing man's, though they couldn't be definitively identified.

Google Maps has been used to solve crimes in the past  but rarely is it because one of its roaming Street View cars caught one in the act.

More on crime investigations: Cops Say CEO Shooter's Pistol and Silencer Were Both 3D-Printed
Sixteen House Republicans are asking the Trump administration to find and appoint 94 acting U.S. attorneys to take over on Day 1 of the transition, a move they said will sidestep short-term leadership from those who may be an ideological protege of those currently serving in the post.

The U.S. attorneys who serve as the top prosecutor in each of the 94 federal court districts typically resign when there is a change in president, with the first assistant U.S. attorney then leading the office until a new presidential appointee is confirmed by the Senate.

But the lawmakers argued President-elect Trump should not delay in trying to reshape the Justice Department.

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The First Assistant is always an ideological protege of the U.S. Attorney, and thus the transition does not typically result in a change of judicial policy or practice. Allowing the First Assistants to serve as the acting U.S. Attorney will delay the much-needed reforms that will reinstitute the American peoples faith in the Department of Justice, they wrote.

Republicans have accused the Justice Department of having been weaponized and politicized under the Biden administration.

Still, those claims are often directed at the top leadership of the department, not U.S. attorneys who largely bring criminal charges against those who commit federal crimes within their district.

Among the Republicans on the letter are Reps. Darrell Issa (Calif.), Chip Roy (Texas), Kat Cammack (Fla.) and Andy Biggs (Ariz.). The lawmakers suggest Trump turn to current federal prosecutors to fill the roles.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The News

A group of Republican House members is calling on US President-elect Donald Trump and attorney general nominee Pam Bondi to replace all 93 US attorneys with interim replacements, according to a letter shared first with Semafor.

The move would ensure any Biden-era federal prosecutors dont automatically rise in the ranks to fill the slots of outgoing US attorneys while new ones are considered by the Senate.

President Trump was given a mandate to root out the rot from our weaponized, two-tiered justice department, Rep. William Timmons, R-S.C., the lead author of the letter, told Semafor. We dont need lingering Biden-era officials.

The signatories make up a broad coalition of more than 30 GOP members, including Reps. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and Lauren Boebert, R-Colo.
Republican lawmakers want a return to maximum pressure on Iran in the second Trump administration and are widely open to the idea of strikes on Iranian nuclear sites if its the only way to prevent Tehran from wielding nuclear weapons.

President-elect Trump is expected to increase pressure on Iran through sanctions as a first step to deter Tehran from procuring a nuclear weapon. But his team is also reportedly considering the possibility of military strikes.

Lawmakers caution that such action depends on how Irans nuclear weapons production develops and how Tehran acts in the Middle East, where it has suffered repeated blows to its proxies and allies in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria.

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These guys hate us. They hate Israel, and weve lost deterrence, said Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), a key House Armed Services Committee lawmaker, noting the two Iranian attacks on the main U.S. ally in the Middle East, Israel. Lets try to restrict all their energy exports.

Bacon also said he was open to strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.

If Iran does stuff that theyve been doing, like doing these missile attacks, or other kinds of attacks on Americans, we should use that opportunity to take out their nuclear force, he said. If Iran opens the door by being aggressive with us on something, that should be our response.

The United Nations nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, has warned that Iran has enriched uranium to 60 percent. It must reach just short of the 90 percent threshold to produce a nuclear weapon.

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A November report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence indicated that Iran has enough fissile material for a dozen nuclear bombs if uranium is further enriched, showing Tehran is on the cusp of producing a weapon of mass destruction.

Trumps team is considering airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites if economic pressure isnt enough to curb Tehrans nuclear program, The Wall Street Journal reported. Publicly, however, Trump has avoided answering questions about the possibility of strikes on Iran.

I cant tell you that. Its a wonderful question, he said in a Monday news conference. Am I going to do preemptive strikes? Can you imagine if I said yes or no? You would say, That was strange he answered that question.

But in a Time magazine interview this month, Trump did not rule out a potential war with Iran during his second presidency.

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Anything can happen. Anything can happen, he said. Its a very volatile situation.

Republicans are generally united in pushing for a return to maximum pressure on Iran after what they deem was a policy of appeasement during the Biden administration, which tried and failed to renegotiate a 2015 nuclear deal that limited Iranian nuclear production in return for the easing of sanctions.

In the late summer 2023, the GOP expressed serious concern about Bidens deal to free detainees in Iran in exchange for the release of some $6 billion in frozen Iranian funds.

The Biden administration froze those funds again after the Iranian-backed Palestinian militant group Hamas invaded southern Israel in October 2023, initiating a war in Gaza and prompting other Tehran-allied groups in Iraq, Syria and Yemen to start firing at U.S. forces in the region.

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But Republicans have long faulted the move as evidence of appeasement and are eager for the return of Trump, who in his first term pulled out of the 2015 deal with Iran.

Bidens weak policies of appeasement have failed to deter Iran. I support a return to President Trumps policy of maximum pressure on Iran, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), chair of the House Armed Services Committee, said in a statement. Rogers did not respond to a question on whether he supports targeting Iranian nuclear sites.

Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas), who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he wanted a second Trump administration to focus on restricting Irans oil sales and revenue.

And, frankly, watch very carefully their nuclear program, he told The Hill.

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Self said he would consider backing strikes on Iranian nuclear sites depending on what we learn about the nuclear program.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), who sits on the Senate side of armed services, also called for maximum pressure on Iran and signaled an openness to strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.

Iran cannot be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon or threaten the United States and its allies, he said in a statement, adding he believes Trump should use all means at his disposal to ensure that Americans and our friends are safe from this very real and dangerous threat.

Defense policy groups in Washington have also floated the idea of striking Irans nuclear sites.

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The Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA) said in a Thursday report that Trump will have almost zero time or margin for error to prevent a nuclear Iran and that the incoming president should exert maximum pressure and issue credible threats against Tehran.

JINSA noted that Iran has been weakened by Israeli strikes and the damaging of its proxies Hezbollah and Hamas by Israel, along with the fall of its ally Bashar al-Assad in Syria to rebel groups this month.

Irans nuclear program is now more vulnerable than ever before, lending serious credibility and urgency to U.S. and Israeli military options, a summary of the report said.

The pro-Israeli organization said Trump should consider negotiations with Iran if only to build support for much tougher U.S.-led pressure and the president should be prepared to walk away and consider tougher options.

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To seize this unique but fleeting opportunity, Trump should join Israel in giving Iran an ultimatum at the outset of his presidency: agree fully and immediately to verifiably dismantle its nuclear weapons program, or invite its imminent and utter destruction, it said.

Israel previously considered the possibility of nuclear strikes on Iran in October, following Tehrans massive barrage of missiles and drones that targeted the U.S. ally. The Iranian attack did some damage but was largely defeated.

While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was mulling a response, President Biden had pushed him to consider other options besides targeting nuclear sites, fearing escalation.

Israel ultimately struck back at Iran by hitting military sites and missile production facilities.

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A key part of the debate during Israels pre-retaliation phase was focused on the fact that Irans nuclear facilities are spread out across the country, making it difficult to target, while even successful strikes would only set Tehran back by months or years.

And striking Iran without a pretext could escalate tensions in an already volatile region.

Kelsey Davenport, director for nonproliferation policy at the Arms Control Association, in a Wednesday analysis pointed to newly elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkians interest in talks with the U.S. about his countrys nuclear program. She also said Iran is more likely to develop a nuclear weapon if provoked after its strategic regional losses made it vulnerable.

The incoming Trump administration should recognize the importance of sending early, consistent signals to Iran that it is interested in quickly starting a negotiating process, with the goal of reaching a deal within the first six months of 2025, and condemn loose talk about preventive military action against Iran, she wrote.

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Republicans argue that strength is the best way to clamp down on Irans threats.

Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.), a House Armed Services Committee member who is closely aligned with Trump, said he wanted strong sanctions and the return of a foreign terrorist organization designation for the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, who have fought against U.S. forces in the Red Sea since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war.

But also making sure we have diplomatic isolation and max financial sanctions on the regime itself, he said. These are all things that will play into trying to squeeze the Iranian regime.

Mills demurred on whether he would support strikes on Irans nuclear sites. The greatest thing about military strategy is you dont necessarily tell your enemies what you are or arent going to do. I dont think itd be wise to go ahead and say, Heres what were doing. Go ahead and prepare yourself.

Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.), also the committee, said Iran needs to feel pain when it attacks the U.S. or its allies, and he added he would in theory support strikes on Irans nuclear sites.

No one wants to start another war, but their nuclear facilities are bad news with the stability of the region.

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.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on Friday issued 43 pardons, granting an official statement of forgiveness for a host of Tennesseans the governor said have demonstrated strong rehabilitative and community engagement efforts.

Include among the pardons is Lanesha Faye Brown, a 38-year-old Nashville resident who was just 13 years old when she was convicted of attempted second degree murder. Brown retaliated with a small knife from an art project. She's never had another criminal incident on her record in the past 25 years, Lee said on Friday, and earned her associate's degree.

But Brown's criminal record continued to follow her. She was hired to work at a Nashville hotel but was later fired when her criminal background check came back several weeks later.

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"Her colleagues and the hotel general manager were so impressed with her, that they successfully lobbied the hotels corporate office to allow Ms. Brown to return to work," Lee said. "There was no victim opposition to her clemency claim."

Gov. Bill Lee speaks during Tennessees 2024 Electoral College at the State Capitol in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024.

During his administration, Lee has typically issued a swath of clemency grants at the end of each year. This year, Lee only granted pardons, but has in previous years also granted commutations, which can reduce time served for individuals or expedite their cases to parole eligibility.

Lee earlier this year quietly ended an expedited clemency program, which he established in 2021, for those sentenced under a previous version of the state's drug-free school zone law.

More: Lee ends expedited clemency process for harsh drug-free school zone sentences

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Among Lee's other pardons announced Friday include Matthew Hoover, a Chattanooga business owner now involved in several community groups and a jail ministry and Quanroyas Clendening, who was convicted of felony drug offenses three decades ago but later earned his bachelor's and master's degrees and now runs an ACT prep program for high school students.

"It is a very serious responsibility that I take," Lee said of the pardon process. "We have an exhaustive process that we go through before we get to this moment. Every case was reviewed individually by the board of parole, my legal team and individually by me."

Those receiving pardons:

Sabrina Myrick Adams

Otto Adkerson

Pamela Amos

Ashley Cooper Barnhill

Erik Bennett

Justin Beshearse

Lanesha Brown

Quanroyas Clendening

Jeffrey Crick

Johnny Drinkard

Lauren Driver

Angelia Laderman Dycus

Jason Hall

Sarah Harrell

Kimberly Holliday

Matthew Hoover

Joshua Hunt

Jonathan Jackson

James Jones

Kathy Keel

Tameka Kirk

Steven Langston

Shantie Martin

Miguel Monzon

Tyree Morgan

Brittany Nepa

Zennia Nesmith

Shirley Parsons

Christopher Prince

Cynthia Ramirez

Stephanie Robertson

Jennifer Rush

Melissa Smith

Thomas Smith

Taylor Stevenson

Robert Turner

Patrick Varni

Jeffrey Victory

Pamela Waller

Janet Watson

Joseph Whitfield

Paul Williams

Tanika Woodard

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee issues pardons for 43 Tennesseans
Gov. Spencer Cox speaks with reporters during a news conference in Salt Lake City, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (Pool photo by Chris Samuels/The Salt Lake Tribune)

After a legislative audit revealed two votes cast in the names of deceased Utahns, opening the door for vote-by-mail critics to lash out against the system, Gov. Spencer Cox reaffirmed his support for mail-in ballots and his determination to oppose legislation that would shut it down.

However, Cox also floated the idea of earlier deadlines for mailed ballots in order to expedite counting and ensure Utahns would get their electoral results sooner.

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No, I dont think we need to eliminate mail-in voting, but we should always be doing more to make it more secure, Cox said Thursday during his monthly PBS Utah press conference.

The audit released earlier this month found no evidence of significant fraud, but did encourage better maintenance of the states rolls of 2 million registered voters, identifying 1,400 registered but deceased voters who hadnt been removed. Criminal investigations are underway into the two ballots cast for deceased voters.

Now, Utahs election system that automatically sends by-mail ballots to all active registered voters could be in the crosshairs of Utahs Republican supermajority in the Legislature.

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House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, showed his frustration as the audit was presented to lawmakers, grilling elections officials and questioning how Utahns can have confidence in vote-by-mail elections.

Asked Thursday whether he would veto legislation seeking to dismantle the vote-by-mail system, Cox said he would need to see the details of any bills that surface, but its highly unlikely I would sign a bill that completely eliminates mail-in voting.

But when it comes to returning those ballots, Cox said perhaps the state should require that any voters using the U.S. Postal System should be subject to earlier deadlines in order to get their votes processed sooner and ease the burden on election administrators. Once the deadline has passed, voters could instead turn to in-person voting or secure drop boxes to cast their ballots.

So I do think we can limit the scope of mail-in voting in a way that adds trust to the system and makes it easier for clerks to administer, Cox said.

Ballots await processing at the Davis County Administrative Building in Farmington on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)

Delayed results

The governor, however, does believe the state needs to speed up counting and releasing election results in order to build trust with voters, pointing specifically to the amount of time that same-day voter registration takes.

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Utah saw initial election results delayed for more than two hours as election officials waited until every person still in line when the polls closed had a chance to cast their ballot. Lines were especially long in Utah County, where an unforeseen surge in same-day voter registration and in-person voting led to long waits, and polling stations risked running out of ballot paper.

Though he didnt refer to Utah County Clerk Aaron Davidson by name, Cox said he doesnt believe counties should be forced to use the same voting systems (Salt Lake County, for example, uses an electronic system for Election Day voting rather than paper ballots).

We do need to fix the same-day voter registration, voting that takes a tremendous amount of time. It doesnt need to take that much time. We can simplify that in a way that will speed things up, Cox said.

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He added, You know, just because somebody failed at their job, I mean, and didnt order enough paper and enough ink. I mean, thats no reason to change an electoral system. It may be a reason to vote for somebody different for that position, but its certainly not a reason to change the way they do the balloting in that place.

Gov. Spencer Cox speaks with reporters during a news conference in Salt Lake City, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (Pool photo by Chris Samuels/The Salt Lake Tribune)

Signature gathering vs. caucus for candidates

Cox also stood by Utahs dual path for candidates to get on the primary ballot, either through the caucus convention system or through signature gathering, and SB54, the law that created it.

Cox noted that SB54, long a target of some staunch Republicans, was a compromise that preserved the caucus system, which he supports. Cox himself lost at the partys convention and he relied on signature gathering to qualify for the primary, which he won.

Most of the major electeds in this cycle, including our new state senator, our attorney general, myself, showed that Republicans in the state were not the same as the delegates, and saw things very differently, Cox said.

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When it comes to signature gathering, Cox said he also supports changing the law in order to allow those signature lists to be released to the public in order to increase election transparency.

Following his loss, Rep. Phil Lyman, Coxs primary opponent and the nominee chosen by Utah GOP convention delegates, has long claimed, without evidence, that Cox made it to the ballot thanks to fraudulent signatures. Utah law currently mandates that those signature lists remain private.

A legislative audit found that despite signature verification errors, Cox qualified for the primary. Meanwhile, Lyman went on to run one of the most successful write-in campaigns the state has seen, but still finished well behind Cox and Democratic candidate Sen. Brian King.

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Utah Gov. Spencer Cox called for electoral reforms to speed up election-night results in the Beehive State.

During his monthly press conference on Thursday, Cox reiterated his support for Utahs vote-by-mail system but said an area that needs major improvements is how fast vote totals are updated following the election.

Cox recommended potentially moving up the deadline when voters are able to submit a mail-in ballot postmarked by the U.S. Postal Service.

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This would give county clerks more time to conduct signature verification of these ballots before polls close, potentially leading to more people voting in person on Election Day and the state counting 95% of its ballots by 10 or 11 p.m. on election night, according to Cox.

I think that would would help everyone have more faith in the election system because what happens inevitably is when youve got weeks, people start to doubt, Why is it taking so long? Cox said. And even though there are great answers for that, it makes it really easy for chaos agents to come in and make up conspiracy theories about why its taking so long.

What improvements are needed to Utah elections?

Utah was one of the slowest states in the nation to count 2024 general election results, with the states universal vote-by-mail system creating lags because of late-arriving ballots, the huge amount of signature-verification required and the need to reach out to voters about mismatched signatures.

The delay caused many news outlets around the country to claim prematurely that Utah was one of two states in the nation that decreased its support for President-elect Donald Trump compared to 2020.

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Over the course of the nearly three-week canvass period following the election, both Trump and write-in gubernatorial candidate Phil Lyman improved their vote share in the state by over 5 percentage points.

In response to two recently conducted legislative audits, Cox seconded some of House Speaker Mike Schultzs criticisms of the election system.

One audit, released by the states Legislative Audit Subcommittee, found an error rate of roughly 2% in the signature verification process that qualifies candidates for the primary ballot.

Another, released in December, found 1,400 deceased voters still on Utah voter rolls and identified areas where county clerks failed to meet election security standards.

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Upon reviewing the audits, Schultz, R-Hooper, claimed they showed that vote by mail could never be as secure as in-person voting because the signature verification process is subjective and burdensome on election workers.

Some lawmakers have proposed a compromise between those who want to maintain the convenience of vote by mail with the security of in-person voting by still allowing ballots to be sent to voters via the mail but requiring voters to return their ballot in person at an official polling location where they would be asked to present a valid government ID.

Cox emphasized that election security concerns have always existed, including before the state adopted vote by mail, and that Utah lawmakers pass election security bills every year to improve safety and accuracy of the process. But he said that shouldnt stop public officials from rethinking how voting by mail occurs.

I do think we can limit the scope of mail-in voting in a way that adds trust to the system and and makes it easier for clerks to administer, Cox said.

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To address concerns surrounding long lines for in-person voting in places like Utah County, Cox said the state should consider streamlining the same-day voter registration process. He also criticized a particular unnamed county clerk who Cox said had not prepared for the election by buying enough paper and ink.

Cox affirms support for SB54

Cox repeated his view that the states primary elections law, known as SB54, should not be repealed. The decade old law created a signature qualification to the primary ballot circumventing state party conventions.

Since its passage, SB54 has remained a favorite punching bag of conservative Utahns who say it allows moderate Republicans to buy their way to the nomination by skipping over the highly engaged party delegates.

Cox said many Utahns need to be reminded that SB54 was a compromise that saved the states unique caucus-convention system against a ballot initiative that would have removed it completely. Cox has said he values the caucus process and would not support its elimination  a point he repeated on Thursday.

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Cox directly responded to one complaint surrounding SB54 that related to his own primary qualification this year. He said that SB54 currently prohibits election officials from making the entire signature list public, unlike citizen ballot initiatives which are published online. Cox said he supports making that law more transparent so that those signature lists can be released.

But at the end of the day, Cox said his commanding win in the primary election among all Utah Republicans, as well as that of Sen.-elect John Curtis and Utah Attorney General-elect Derek Brown, who also lost at state convention, shows that Republicans in the state were not the same as the delegates and saw things very differently.
Renowned Austrian label "Second Records" has released a double vinyl record titled "Jazz Standards Live" by the acclaimed Azerbaijani jazzman, Rain Sultanov, Azernews reports.

The double vinyl record features the outstanding jazz trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, whose compositions are included in the book of jazz standards and the Real Book (a collection of jazz standards).

The album features jazz standards such as "Mr. P.C.," "Body & Soul," "Blue Monk," and "Don't Worry Baby," as well as original compositions by Kenny Wheeler.

The Jazz Standards Live project includes Honored Artists of Azerbaijan Shain Novrasli (piano) and Ruslan Huseynov (bass), as well as Paul Clarvis (drums).

This is the fifth vinyl record by Rain Sultanov released by a European label.

The traditions of classic vinyl records were reintroduced to the country by Sultanov in 2017 with the release of the project "Inspired by Nature," dedicated to the preservation of Azerbaijan's natural environment.
Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade spent his final monthly press conference of 2024 highlighting the goals the city had met and setting a few priorities for 2025.

In January, Mobolade announced an action plan framework with five categories of citywide goals for this year. The city put a page on its website to track the progress toward each of the priorities and a variety of sub-goals and steps along the way.

The website lists 11 of the 20 goals as being completed, with the remaining nine labeled as "in progress."

The only category that has completed all of its initial goals is community activation, which focused on mental health and community spirit. The mayor's wife, Abbey, spearheaded several of the mental health initiatives, such as the Pikes Peak Rising initiative with El Paso County Public Health and the 1000 Neighborhood Gatherings project over the summer.

"If we do not get a handle on our collective mental well-being, I don't believe we will be moving the needle," Mobolade said.

At the other end of the spectrum, all three of the housing solutions goals remain unfinished according to the website. Mobolade was one of several mayors who backed a law about construction defect costs that failed to pass the state House of Representatives.

The city website states the city met at least half of the original goals in the categories for public safety, economic vitality and infrastructure. Accomplishments in those areas include increasing the authorized number of police officers, the passing of the 2C ballot initiative to continue funding road repairs and the groundbreaking for Fire Station 24.

One of the alternative housing solutions Mobolade proposed was encouraging more accessory dwelling units to be built. The ordinance expanding ADU permits will head to the Colorado Springs City Council early next year, recommended by the Planning Commission after a lengthy and contentious meeting in December.

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Mobolade said Thursday he expected the discussion about accessory dwelling units to remain one of the stickiest points of debate next year as the city works toward building more housing.

Were all trying to figure out how to solve it while at the same time respecting the vibrancy of our neighborhoods," Mobolade said.

At the press conference, the mayor focused on the recent homelessness response plan and the federal funding provided to build more than 1,000 units of local housing.

One of the explicit priorities Moboalde announced for 2025 was completing a housing needs assessment that will help the city determine where more homes are needed and how to increase the supply. The assessment began this year to set attainable housing goals with the Pikes Peak Housing Network.

Mobolade announced two specific goals for 2025 at the press conference. Mobolade said he will embark on a listening tour throughout the city early in the year, similar to the visits he made during his first months in office. The other was to expand the technology available to Colorado Springs Police at the real-time crime center launched in October.

Other priorities for next year may depend on what changes President Donald Trump enacts once he takes office. Mobolade said he was holding daily conversations with various elected and military officials about the future of United States Space Command.

"I can't speak to what the president-elect is going to do. What I can speak to is our city will work to have a great relationship with the new administration, because it only benefits our city," Mobolade said.
Gov. Mike DeWine said Friday that he plans to veto legislation passed this week prohibiting state health agencies from infringing on medical free speech.

"This would totally gut our ability to regulate health professions," DeWine said during a press conference. As an example, he said, someone could overprescribe opioids and as a defense tell licensing authorities that in their opinion the prescriptions were necessary.

In the final hours of the legislative session, the Ohio House and Senate agreed to a package of bills that include hospital price transparency requirements and a measure allowing universities to pay student athletes.

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'Preying On Patients' investigation: DeWine signs bill to protect patients from sexually abusive doctors

The 400-page amendment to House Bill 315, known as a "Christmas tree" for its array of unrelated policy ornaments, also would:

Prohibit the Ohio Department of Health, Board of Pharmacy and State Medical Board from disciplining pharmacists or other licensed health care professionals who "publicly or privately expressing a medical opinion" that doesn't align with their views.

Note the World Health Organization doesn't have jurisdiction in Ohio.

Bar state and local governments from issuing public health guidelines that ban the prescribing of off-label drugs.

Ensure hospitals can't deny nutrition or fluids to patients unless requested or necessary for a medical procedure.

DeWine is allowed to issue line-item vetoes on House Bill 315, meaning he can remove policies he doesn't like and keep others intact. The governor promised to strike the medical speech provision, but a spokesperson said he's still reviewing the others.

The Food and Drug Administration still has not authorized the use of ivermectin to treat COVID-19.

The legislation came after the Ohio Medical Board suspended the license of a doctor who spread conspiracy theories about COVID-19 vaccines, including the false claim that it causes people to become magnetized. Dr. Sherri Tenpenny's 2021 testimony before a panel of state lawmakers attracted national attention and became the butt of jokes from late-night comedians.

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The board reinstated Tenpenny's medical license earlier this year.

Ohio Advocates for Medical Freedom president Stephanie Stock said the legislation wasn't a direct response to Tenpenny's case and stemmed from broader concerns about the stifling of medical opinions. Advocates pushed for the other measures in the bill, although lawmakers didn't grant everything on their wish list.

An early version of the off-label drug bill would have required pharmacists to fill those prescriptions and barred licensing boards from disciplining providers based on their use of off-label drugs. The issue got increased attention during the pandemic because of claims that the deworming drug ivermectin could treat COVID-19.

The Food and Drug Administration still has not authorized ivermectin for COVID-19 and said studies indicate it's not an effective treatment option. Stock said the original bill, opposed by hospitals and pharmacists, was intended to support Ohioans who said they lost loved ones because providers denied the patients different treatment options.

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"These families and physicians, health providers have taken a big enough hit with what they've lost," Stock said ahead of DeWine's comments Friday. "I think it would be pretty cruel to come in and line-item veto free speech and not starving patients in the hospital. That's not what anyone wants for Christmas."

Haley BeMiller and Laura A. Bischoff cover state government and politics 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 article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine to veto medical free speech protection
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo.  A judge ruled in favor of Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Friday in a legal battle to name the next St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney.

The ruling grants Gov. Parson sole authority in appointing Wesley Bells successor as St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney and prohibits St. Louis County Executive Sam Page from proceeding with plans to appoint a candidate for that role.

Page and Parson have been at odds over who has the authority to formally appoint Bells replacement for more than a month.

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Bell was elected for a seat within the Missouri U.S. House of Representatives in the November 2024 general election. He is scheduled to resign from his post on Jan. 3, 2025, to be sworn into Congress.

After Fridays court ruling, Melissa Price Smith is expected to be sworn into the role of St. Louis County Circuit Attorney next month. Smith was Parsons original pick for appointment.

In late November, the State of Missouri moved forward with a lawsuit against St. Louis County over the battle to appoint the countys next prosecutor.

Page has often referred to the county charter and argued for a local appointment process, one he claimed was similar to what St. Charles County used in 2023 to appoint its current top prosecutor.

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The state, however, cited a part of the Missouri Constitution in legal documents, which stated that the governor shall fill all vacancies, unless otherwise provided by law, asserting that Gov. Parson had responsibility.

According to documents from Fridays ruling, the court determined that appointing a prosecuting attorney to fill a vacancy is clearly a governmental function that pertains to the administration of justice under the scope of the governor through the Missouri Constitution, superseding the county charter.

Fridays court ruling declares that Governor Parson has exclusive authority to fill the anticipated vacancy at St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney. It adds that the county is permanently enjoined from taking any further steps to fill the anticipated vacancy.

This ruling signals that Melissa Price Smith is set to become St. Louis Countys next top prosecutor. She will serve out the remainder of Bells term, which ends on Jan. 1, 2027. She could also seek election for a full term in November 2026.

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Smith has 20 years of experience as a prosecutor and has worked with the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorneys Office in various capacities since 2008.

Pages pick for appointment had been Cort VanOstran, who has previously served as assistant St. Louis federal prosecutor.

Reactions

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson shared the following statement with FOX 2 after Fridays ruling:

Governor Parson was confident in his legal authority to name the St. Louis County Prosecutor, and we are happy to see the Courts affirm our position, as expected. Melissa Price Smith is an experienced and accomplished prosecutor, and Governor Parson looks forward to her leadership in improving public safety and upholding law and order in the St. Louis region.

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Doug Moore, spokesman for County Executive Sam Page, provided the following statement:

The voice of St. Louis County residents is taken away when charter language is ignored. We disagree with the decision and will appeal.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey shared the following statement:

The rule of law matters. Governor Parson has the clear authority to appoint a prosecutor that will deliver results for Missourians, which is why we filed suit. Im glad the Court recognized that and sided with us today.

Outgoing St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell sent the following statement:

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From the beginning, I wanted one of our excellent team leaders to succeed me as St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney. I recommended to the County Executive candidates from my team leaders, who included Melissa Price Smith. Contrary to unfounded speculation about collusion between the County Executive and myself on this appointment, Dr. Page appointed someone from outside our office. Though I respect Cort VanOstran and agree with Dr. Page that he would be a capable leader of this great office, I was pleased when the Governor appointed Melissa Price Smith. Just as Dr. Page and Governor Parson had a difficult choice to make in choosing my successor, the Court had a difficult decision in adjudicating which authority is the proper authority to make this appointment. While I am not pleased with the precedent set by the Governor superseding local authority in making this important appointment and I expect the Courts decision to be appealed, I have always thought Melissa Price Smith a highly capable and competent leader of the prosecuting attorneys office. Assuming the Courts decision stands and Melissa is sworn in as the next St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney, she will have all my support from my new position representing Missouris 1st Congressional District. She knows and everyone in our office knows that I will always work with them and be available to help this office as the next Congressman.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA)  Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced $9.3 million in funding for two projects, including the University of Arkansas Multi-User Silicon Carbide (MUSiC) Fabrication Facility.

$7.3 million will go toward the MUSiC Fabrication Facility at the University of Arkansas. This facility will advance research and development of silicon carbide (SiC) power devices, which are used in military, consumer, industrial and healthcare applications.

The University of Arkansas broke ground on the MUSiC Fabrication Facility in South Fayetteville in 2023. The 18,660 square-foot facility will focus on developing microelectronic chips using silicon carbide, a semiconductor with superior performance to traditional silicon.

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U of A to build the nations first-of-its-kind semiconductors

The project aims to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign semiconductor production, particularly from China and enhance national security, according to a news release.

These investments will go toward two of my administrations top priorities: opening professional doors for Arkansans, regardless of ability and standing up to foreign adversaries like Communist China, Governor Sanders said.

Proposed bill expands legal options for sexual abuse victims in Arkansas

The second recipient, The Jobs 4 You Workforce Training Center, will receive $2 million to provide job training for adults with developmental disabilities in central Arkansas.

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Located in Cabot, the center will serve North Pulaski, Faulkner, Lonoke, Prairie and White Counties, and is expected to create 38 new jobs.

The center is slated to open in 2026 and will also include the construction of two transitional homes for adults at risk of homelessness.

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.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced her appointment for three positions on Friday afternoon.

The governor said she had selected Nicholas Bronni and Cody Hiland as state Supreme Court justices and Cole Jester as the new secretary of state.

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders appoints Lindsay Wallace as Arkansas Secretary of Corrections

Bronni was the states solicitor general before this appointment, and he had argued for the state in court cases. He said he was humbled by the trust in the governors appointment, and spoke about applying the Constitution as the framers intended while citing Justice Clarence Thomas as a nod to his political leanings.

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It has been my privilege to serve as Arkansass solicitor general, and in that role, every time I stepped into a courtroom, I never forgot who I represented or that it was an honor to represent the people of the Natural State, Bronni said. And I thank Governor Sanders for the opportunity to serve the people of Arkansas in this new role.

Hiland had been appointed to the court in July 2023 after the passing of Justice Robin F. Wynne in June of 2023. He is assuming the seat of retiring Justice John Dan Kemp with todays appointment.

Hiland invoked the hymn Count your blessings to thank the governor for his appointment.

I am grateful for the faith that Governor Sanders has placed in me to continue serving the people of this state as an Arkansas Supreme Court Justice, Hiland said, adding, Im thankful for what Ive been given here today,

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Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders appoints Gary Arnold to Arkansas Board of Education

Jester had been the governors Deputy Chief Legal Counsel before the Friday appointment. Sanders complimented him by saying he was her go-to.

If my team ever needs someone to do a deep dive on the law, prep for a court hearing, or craft a brilliant defense of conservative legal philosophy, one of the first people I always ask is Cole Jester, Sanders said. So it shouldnt come as a surprise that when I was looking for someone to defend election integrity as Secretary of State, Cole Jester was my first choice.

The people of Arkansas deserve a secretary of state who will fight for them and for our shared values day in and day out, and I will fulfill that sacred responsibility, Jester said. In partnership with the governor, we will work to ensure Arkansas is the greatest state in the nation through election security, public safety, and efficient service to Arkansans.

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Jester later added, I will fight to keep Arkansas the best state in the country by keeping our elections the most secure in the country.

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders appoints Arkansas Secretary of the Military, National Guard adjutant general

Sanders closed by cautioning lawmakers in attendance that beginning of the year, were going to hit the ground running and wished everybody a Merry Christmas.

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 KARK.
As the year nears its end, the U.S. is faced once again with a government shutdown that could affect thousands of workers and disrupt certain services. And it could happen as early this weekend.

On Tuesday, Congress reached a bipartisan agreement to keep the government open through at least mid-March, but it was soon shot down by President-elect Donald Trump who has called for an increase in the debt ceiling. Trump and Vice-President-elect JD Vance released a joint statement on the issue calling for Republicans to call the Democrats "bluff".

"Republicans must GET SMART and TOUGH," Trump and Vance wrote in a joint statement Wednesday. "If Democrats threaten to shut down the government unless we give them everything they want, then CALL THEIR BLUFF."

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The more than 1,500-page bill had a number of add-ons within the funding package, that ranged from disaster relief to pay raises for lawmakers. The add-ons were met with criticism from many GOP lawmakers.

On Thursday, a slimmed-down, Trump-backed version failed to pass through the House with some 38 conservative lawmakers siding with 197 Democrats. The House voted 235-174 to reject the spending bill where two-thirds of the chamber was needed for passage.

Debates continue in Congress as time ticks down. Here's a look at what Tennesseans can expect if the federal government shuts down.

When is the federal government shutdown deadline?

The government has until Friday, Dec. 21, at midnight to pass a continuing resolution, a stopgap measure so that the government doesn't shut down and thousands of government employees are put on furlough for the holidays. If one isn't passed the non-essential employees will be put on furlough.

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The threat of a government shutdown is not new for 2024. In February, the threat of a shutdown also loomed, but was resolved before it happened.

What happens if the federal government shuts down?

If a federal government shutdown occurs, all officials and federal agencies that aren't deemed essential have to stop their work.

Currently, there are 32,437 civilian federal employees in Tennessee, according to the U.S. Office of Personel Management.

Who will be affected by a federal government shutdown?

Those who would feel the deepest losses are not the Congress members who will retain their pay during the shutdown, but members of the military who would serve without pay, numerous federal workers who would be furloughed, people that rely on WIC benefits to keep their babies fed and so many more.

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Federal workers that are deemed "essential," like air traffic controllers and emergency personnel would work without pay, but they would receive backpay once a shutdown ends.

What is the debt ceiling?

The debt ceiling is the amount of money Congress is allowed to borrow to pay bills it's already agreed to.

First created in 1917, the debt ceiling is a legislative cap that has to be raised by a majority vote in both the Senate and the House. The vote does not pledge any additional spending. It merely raises the limit on the amount of money the government can borrow to pay back commitments already agreed upon by Congress.

Once a routine congressional vote, it has now become highly partisan and acts as a lightning rod for debate on government spending.

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"Increasing the debt ceiling is not great but wed rather do it on Bidens watch. If Democrats wont cooperate on the debt ceiling now, what makes anyone think they would do it in June during our administration?" Trump and Vance said in their statement. "Lets have this debate now."

Will a government shutdown impact flights? Other travel?

The good news is even if the government does shut down your holiday travel plans probably won't be ruined.

Usually, flights are not impacted when a shutdown first occurs, but delays could occur if the shutdown lasts a while.

The government employees that people typically interact with at airports or at seaports for cruises are deemed essential workers, which means that they won't be getting paid during the shutdown. Funding to agencies like the Federal Aviation Administration, Transportation Security Administration and Customs and Border Protection would be on hold, this typically impacts hiring and training matters.

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The last government shutdown in 2019 lasted longer than a month. During that time essential personnel like FAA controllers and TSA agents were still working with no pay. After about two weeks they started not showing up for work, according to media reports at the time.

A government shutdown is also estimated to cost the country's travel economy as much as $140 million per day, according to an estimate from the U.S. Travel Association.

Will my Social Security still come if the government shuts down?

Yes.

The money for Social Security benefits is not part of the federal government's spending debate underway now but is a separate fund that isn't part of the appropriations process.

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Social Security has "dedicated funding, so it's outside of the budget process," said Craig Copeland, director of wealth benefits research at the Employee Benefit Research Institute. "All that money is there to paid (out). It doesn't have to be appropriated.  You're still going to get your checks."

What programs aren't affected by a government shutdown?

Other programs that are still funded if a government shutdown occurs include: military veterans' benefits, and medical care, and food benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Will Medicare benefits still be paid in a government shutdown?

Medicare benefits will continue, though there could be a delay in some payments.

Who does and doesn't get paid in a government shutdown?

Thousands of federal government employees will be put on furlough if a government shutdown occurs, but others that are deemed essential employees like the military, law enforcement and others will continue to work. During the shutdown, none of these employees will be paid but will receive back pay once the agency they work for is funded. In previous years Congress would vote if employees would receive back pay, but after the 2019 shutdown, it was made mandatory for employees to receive it.

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Government contractors  who carried out nearly $700 billion worth of government work the last fiscal year  are not guaranteed back pay.

When has the federal government shutdown in the past?

Over the years, there have been 21 government shutdowns. The last one was in 2019 during Trump's first administration, which lasted 35 days.

Here's when shutdowns have occurred since 1976:

1976 : Under Republican President Gerald Ford. Lasted for 11 days.

1977 : Under Democratic President Jimmy Carter. Lasted 12 days.

1977 : Under Carter. Lasted eight days.

1977 : Under Carter. Lasted eight days.

1978 : Under Carter. Lasted 17 days.

1979 : Under Carter. Lasted 11 days.

1981 : Under Republican President Ronald Reagan. Lasted two days.

1982 : Under Reagan. Lasted one day.

1982 : Under Reagan. Lasted three days.

1983 : Under Reagan. Lasted three days.

1984 : Under Reagan. Lasted two days.

1984 : Under Reagan. Lasted one day.

1986 : Under Reagan. Lasted one day.

1987 : Under Reagan. Lasted one day.

1990 : Under Republican George H.W. Bush. Lasted four days.

1995 : Under Democratic President Bill Clinton. Lasted five days.

1996 : Under Clinton. Lasted 21 days.

2013 : Under Democratic President Barack Obama. Lasted 17 days.

2018 : Under Republican President Donald Trump. Lasted three days.

2018 : Under Trump. Lasted several hours.

2019: Under Trump. Lasted 35 days.

USA Today contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: When will the government shutdown? What Tennesseans need to know
The chaos of a federal government shutdown is not the Christmas present America wants. Unfortunately, that's the gift America is likely to get, thanks to the ham-fisted interference of the president-elect and his band of oligarchs who objected to a bipartisan agreement in Congress that would have kept the government going well into the new year.

Republicans and Democrats had worked out another stop-gap spending bill, which included $100 billion in disaster relief aid, something that would benefit a state like Florida that has been hit with three hurricanes this year. That bill wasn't good enough for Donald Trump or his billionaire ally Elon Musk, who forced Congress to vote on a nonsensical spending plan that includes cuts to several popular programs and a demand to lift the debt ceiling for two years.

Opinion: Twas the Night Before Christmas at Trumps Mar-a-Lago

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Congress balked, in bipartisan fashion. The Trump package was rejected in the U.S. House of Representatives, with 38 Republican House members voting no. Blaming Democrats won't fly this time. Republicans control the House, and it was Trump who torpedoed the initial agreement that still needs approval in the U.S. Senate and the signature of President Joe Biden to go into effect.

Trump and his supporters insist that it was the president-elect's decision to urge Congress to consider an alternative to the bipartisan bill. But, Musk's fingerprints are all over this controversy and that's not helping Trump at the moment.

President-elect Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk seemed ready to assume power before causing chaos with the threat of a government shutdown.

If Donald Trump wanted to tarnish his new term as president before stepping foot in Washington, he couldn't have found a better way to do it. The nation is now literally hours away from a government shutdown, the last one in 2018 which cost the American economy $3 billion, according to Congressional Budget Office estimates, and it happened under Trump's watch as president, spurred by his desire to build a wall along the U.S-Mexico border. Trump has the chance to avert a new shutdown, and its potential disruption by backing off and allowing Congress to pass its bipartisan spending plan.

Trump should know better. He had largely avoided the chaos many feared as president-elect  until now. Now, the very threat of a government shutdown that would cause military families to go without paychecks has him in a political bind.

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Letter: President-elect deserves a chance to address problems

Make no mistake: It willl damage his standing and more importantly, hurt the country. If the worst occurs, the onus will fall on Trump, his allies and Republicans in Congress who somehow believe that a shutdown won't hurt them politically now that the 2024 election is over.

Trump can fix this mess of his own making, but time's a ticking.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: US can't afford a government shutdown. Thank Trump for it | Editorial
The US Capitol is seen on Dec. 20, 2024 in Washington, DC. Credit - Ting ShenAFP via Getty Images

The U.S. Congress may be playing the Grinch this Christmas.

If lawmakers dont make a last-minute deal, the U.S. government could shut down at 12:01 am on Saturday. Thats left Americans wanting to know how a government shutdown could impact their livesand their holiday season.

A government shutdown kicks in when Congress cant pass new funding for federal agencies. During a shutdown, the federal government only operates essential services, like the military, public safety and law enforcement, TSA screeners, air traffic controllers, and Social Security and Medicare payments.

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Those federal workers still working, including millions of troops, would have to do so without pay, and hundreds of thousands of federal workers would be furloughed. All of those workers would have to manage those financial hardships and uncertainty during what is usually a festive time of year.

Here are some ways a shutdown would impact Americans.

Will a shutdown impact holiday travel?

Travelers will still be able to fly during a shutdown. Transportation Security Administration airport screeners will be expected to report to work, so will air traffic controllers that work for the Federal Aviation Administration. But none of those federal employees will be paid until Congress comes to a deal. During the shutdown over the 2018 holiday season, air traffic controllers threatened to walk off the job, and a higher rate of absences slowed down travel in some airports.

The head of the TSA, David Pekoske, said Thursday that about 59,000 of the agencys 62,000 workers will be on the job during a shutdown to screen passengers and provide airport security. But, he wrote on X, an extended shutdown could mean longer wait times at airports. TSA employees expect to screen 40 million passengers at airports during the holidays, Pekoske wrote.

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Passport offices in some areas could be closed, making it harder for travelers with plans to go overseas to update travel documents or resolve other problems.

Troops wont get paid until Congress acts

Active-duty troops in the U.S. and overseas will still be required to report for duty during a shutdown, but wont get paychecks at the end of the month, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters on Thursday. The same goes for reservists required to report for duty and drills.

If theres a federal shutdown, Ryder said, the Department of Defense will continue to carry out our fundamental responsibility and mission to defend our nation and the American people.

Without an appropriation or a continuing resolution, troops will miss out on their end-of-month paycheck during the holiday season. Military reservists drilling after December 20 will not receive pay for those drills, and federal civilians that are required to work during a shutdown will not be paid either. When Congress has resolved shutdowns in the past, lawmakers have usually allocated funds to retroactively pay back federal workers and troops.

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Read more: As Shutdown Looms, $100 Billion in Disaster Relief Hangs in Balance

What about national parks?

Most National Parks will be closed during a federal shutdown. That could upend a lot of vacation plans for tourists who were planning to see the countrys public lands over the holidays.

The National Park Services contingency plans call for shuttering the majority of national parks and monuments. During the 35-day shutdown that started in December 2018, a few parks remained accessible to the publiclike the National Mall in Washington, D.C.but with fewer visitor services like guides, concessions, clean bathrooms and trash removal. During a 16-day government shutdown in 2013, the National Park Service estimated that there was a $500 million loss in visitor spending nationwide.

Utah may tap funds from the state budget to keep its national parks open. Republican Gov. Spencer Cox, told reporters on Thursday that the state has backup plans to foot the bill to keep Utahs five national parks from closing during a shutdown. The brinksmanship in Congress is just embarrassing, Cox said.

Safety-net programs

Programs like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps, and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women Infants and Children (WIC) will continue dispersing aid during a shutdown. But federal offices for those programs would have reduced support for people needing to sign up or looking for help with a snag with their aid. If the logjam in Congress lasts for an extended period, the money available for WIC and SNAP could run out.

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An extended closure could lead to disruptions in childcare programs like Head Start, which offers grants to childcare centers for families that have trouble paying for preschool.

Social Security and Medicare benefits would also continue uninterrupted. But federal offices would have reduced services for people looking to sign up for benefits or address problems. Veterans Affairs benefits, including pensions and disability checks, would also continue.

Contact us at letters@time.com.
A government shutdown is looming, and that could majorly affect Americans holiday travel plans.

If Congress is unable to pass funding to keep the government running by midnight Friday, nonessential federal operations would stop working, The New York Times reported. As such, there could be massive delays when it comes to travel, especially for those who plan to fly in the next week or so.

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Triggering a damaging government shutdown would hurt families who are gathering to meet with their loved ones, Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, said in a statement earlier this week.

The Transportation Security Administration is expecting to screen some 40 million air travelers from December 19 through January 2, the Times noted. Thats a 6.2 percent increase from the same time period last year. If the government shuts down, however, most TSA employees would be required to work without pay. As happened during a 201819 shutdown, some of those TSA agents could stop working due to financial hardship, potentially causing longer lines and wait times because of a lack of staff.

During that prior shutdown, for example, 10 percent of TSA agents were out nationwide at one point, The New York Times wrote. And on the last day of that shutdown, a dearth of employees at air-traffic control facilities resulted in rerouted flights and hundreds of delays throughout the Northeast. If something similar happens this time around, it could be compounded by storms predicted to occur in the Northeast and the South over the next few days.

For those traveling by train, Amtrak expects service to run as usual. While the company gets state and federal subsidies, its an independent entity, so it doesnt have to deal with the same issues as the TSA and other public groups. But if youre hoping to avoid the long lines at airports by driving, you may still run into some traffic, the Times reported.

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This year, with Christmas Day falling on a Wednesday, were anticipating record-breaking travel numbers the weekend before and the weekend after the holiday, Stacey Barber, a vice president at AAA Travel, said in a statement to the newspaper.

Its certainly not an ideal situation for all the people planning to travel around the country for the holidaysbut its also one that could still be avoided in the next few hours.

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The holiday travel rush kicked off this week, but a looming government shutdown could lead to longer TSA wait times at the airports and impact ATC hiring if the shutdown lasts for long.

Airlines for America, an airline trade organization, anticipates a record-breaking winter holiday season, with more than 54 million passengers expected to fly on U.S. carriers.

Here's what would be affected if lawmakers don't come to an agreement on funding before Friday night's deadline.

TSA

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers at airport security checkpoints are considered "mission essential" and will be required to work without pay if there is a government shutdown.

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A TSA spokesperson told ABC that 59,000 of the agency's 62,000 employees are considered essential workers and will continue to work. The agency said that while it is prepared to manage the high volume of travelers this holiday season, an extended shutdown would lead to longer airport wait times.

The TSA expects to screen 40 million travelers from Dec. 19 through Jan. 2, a 6.2% increase from last year.

MORE: Holiday travel questions answered: Expert guide to delays, refunds, and more

PHOTO: Holiday travelers wait in line to check their bags at the JetBlue terminal at Logan Airport in Boston, Dec. 20, 2024. (Charles Krupa/AP)

Although travelers could face longer wait times at airports during an extended government shutdown, commercial airlines are not expected to be affected and should continue to operate.

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Those traveling internationally shouldn't face issues as domestic consular operations, including passport and visa services, will remain functional as they are fee-funded operations, according to the State Department's contingency plan. U.S. embassies and consulates abroad will also continue operating under the plan.

ATC

Many air traffic controllers who are members of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), are required to work without pay during a shutdown.

This would mean working overtime with six-day work weeks and 10-hour shifts, as other aviation safety professionals are furloughed.

According to the Department of Transportation's shutdown contingency plan, over 12,000 air traffic controllers would be expected to work without pay during a shutdown. The contingency plan also states that out of 46,277 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees, more than 17,000 are expected to be furloughed.

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During a shutdown, the FAA cannot hire or train air traffic controllers. It would force the FAA to close its ATC training facility in Oklahoma. It would also take some trainee controllers working at airport towers off the job.

MORE: What are the possible impacts of a government shutdown?

PHOTO: Mayra Raya-Cruz, airport superintendent of operations, working air traffic control during the holiday travel rush at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, Dec. 21, 2022.x (Brittany Murray/Getty Images)

This year, the FAA exceeded its hiring goal by adding 1,811 air traffic controllers -- the largest number in nearly a decade. However, the agency remains 3,000 air traffic controllers short of its staffing needs, and a government shutdown could set back the progress made.

"We've seen a gap that has opened up over many years for the level of staffing -- we finally have that headed in the right direction," Secretary Buttigieg said during a press conference last year addressing the potential impact of a government shutdown on air traffic controllers. "But that can't happen if we get stopped in our tracks with training. At the end of the day that means more shortages and more outages, and that can contribute to cancellations."

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A coalition of aviation stakeholders representing industry and labor has sent a letter to leaders in the Senate and the House, urging immediate action to avert a government shutdown.

"During a shutdown, many FAA employees are furloughed, meaning that they cannot perform their duties that support aviation safety, aircraft certification and the integration of new entrants. The ensuing backlogs cause further delays in these critical FAA services long after funding resumes," the letter stated.

"While air traffic controllers will continue to work without pay, many of the employees who support them are furloughed, and the programs that the FAA uses to review and address safety events are suspended. To remain the world leader in aviation, we must continue to strive to improve efficiency and further mitigate risk," it continued.

How a government shutdown could impact air travel originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
A partial government shutdown is looming over the United States right before the holidays due to disagreements over a spending bill in Congress and lawmakers have until Friday night to figure it out.

This past week fears over a shutdown heightened after incoming Republican leadership  namely Elon Musk  began to push back on the bipartisan spending bill and urged House Republicans to oppose it. Once President-elect Donald Trump agreed with Musk, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson drafted a new bill which ultimately failed on Thursday.

If the spending bill passes, federal agencies would be funded until mid-March. But if it reaches midnight and there is still no deal, some federal services will be temporarily sidelined or federal workers will go unpaid.

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Here is how a government shutdown could impact holiday plans.

Transportation Security Administration (TSA)

Nearly all TSA employees would remain working if the government shuts down but they would have to do so without pay because they are considered an essential service.

Approximately 59,000 of the TSAs 62,000 employees are considered essential, the agency told Axios.

Passengers pass through the TSA checkpoint at Floridas Miami International Airport on Tuesday. Nearly 120 million Americans are expected to travel for the holidays this month (Getty Images)

However, airports could still face major staffing shortages as they did during a government shutdown in 2019 when hundreds of disgruntled TSA workers called out sick around the holidays due to working without pay.

National Parks Services

National parks and monuments as well as Smithsonian museums would close during a shutdown, forcing those who have plans to visit a park, museum or monument to pivot.

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Often during a government shutdown, the national parks services are the first to be impacted during a lapse in government spending plans as the agency lays out in its contingency plan.

U.S Postal Service

The U.S. Postal Service would be unaffected by a government shutdown because it does not rely on Congress for funding.

United States Postal Service Processing center In Los Angeles prepares for the busy holiday season (Getty Images)

Social Security and Medicare

Recipients of Social Security and Medicare will continue receiving benefits because those are funded separately from annual Congressional spending bills like the one in dispute.

However, the Social Security Administrations administrative budget is discretionary  meaning Congress funds it annually. So some activities like benefit verification and new applications can be impacted.

Military Services

Any service that is related to national security will remain functioning  that includes military personnel and emergency outpatient care in Pentagon medical treatment facilities, a defense official told NBC News.

However, members of the military and reservists would cease being paid during the holidays or at least until the shutdown ends.
Editor's note: In response to a question about banning certain materials from school libraries, Academy District 20 school board member Derrick Wilburn read passages from books currently available in D-20 middle and high schools, including a sexually explicit excerpt from the novel "Push."

An Academy District 20 school board member has filed a lawsuit alleging that a district parent has waged a public, multi-pronged smear campaign against him for almost a year.

Derrick Wilburn, who was elected to the board in November 2023, alleges that Bernadette Guthrie has made false and defamatory statements about him on social media, at school board meetings, and to the District Attorneys Office, according to the 26-page lawsuit document.

Wilburn is seeking a public retraction and unspecified damages from Guthrie, according to the lawsuit.

This is one of the worst defamation and outrageous conduct cases I have ever come across, said David Illingworth, Wilburns attorney, in an emailed statement to The Gazette.

Mrs. Guthrie's disappointment with an election is not a blank check to hurl vile and outrageously false slander for nearly a year now at a good and decent family man.

Filed on Dec. 10, the lawsuit comes months after a cease-and-desist letter, dated April 17, that accused Guthrie of purposely trying to damage Wilburns reputation with false and defamatory statements following an incident that occurred during a student-led school board candidate forum at Chinook Trail Middle School on Oct. 4, 2023.

During that forum, in response to a question about banning certain materials from school libraries, Wilburn read passages from books currently available in District 20 middle and high schools, including a sexually explicit excerpt from the novel "Push."

Since Wilburn took his seat on the board, Guthrie, who attended the forum with her then 11-year-old daughter, has said that the reading from "Push" traumatized her daughter and she alleges that reading sexually graphic material aloud in the presence of young children is tantamount to sexual abuse.

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Guthrie, who declined to comment for this story on advice from her attorney, told The Gazette in May, Nothing Ive said is untrue. I have said that I think (Wilburn) is dangerous to kids, and that I dont want him near my daughter.

The lawsuit  which refers to Wilburns forum response as a policy statement about the availability of sexually and racially inflammatory materials in district schools  includes excerpts from multiple emails and social media posts in which Guthrie accuses Wilburn of being a child predator who exposed children to sexually explicit material for his own enjoyment.

Guthries outrageously false allegations, according to the lawsuit document, have harmed Wilburns reputation, caused him to lose personal and professional relationships, and taken an emotional and physical toll.

Her actions have had their intended effect, the lawsuit states. (Wilburn) lives under a cloud of suspicion in his own community. The results of her conduct are foreseeable and obscene.

Wilburn also declined a Gazette request for comment.

Guthries most recent public statement concerning Wilburn came during the public comments segment of District 20s May 9 board meeting, when she said the cease-and-desist letter was an attempt to intimidate her into silence.

Therefore I will spend the next 1 minute and 30 seconds apologizing for the following untrue statements that I have made about Derrick Wilburn, she said before standing silently at the podium for the remainder of her speaking time.

Illingworth said that Guthries accusations have been malicious, injurious and ultimately without legal merit.

We wish it was not necessary to go this route, but Mrs. Guthrie's defamation and victimization campaign left us no choice, he stated.
A federal government shutdown was looming Friday as congressional Republicans sought to come up with a new stopgap spending plan after a proposal backed by President-elect Trump failed badly.

House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters that GOP leaders were crafting a so-called Plan C after 38 Republicans voted against a Trump-endorsed proposal late Thursday.

Stay tuned. Weve got a plan, Johnson told reporters as he hustled into his Capitol Hill office.

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Trump sought to blame President Biden even though it was he and Elon Musk who sunk Johnsons original agreement with Democrats, which had been expected to pass fairly easily.

If there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now, under the Biden Administration, not after January 20th, under Trump, Trump wrote on his social media site, referring to the date when he returns to the White House.

There have been no substantive negotiations between Republicans and Democrats, suggesting there is little chance of the latest proposal passing the House, let alone being enacted into law as required before the midnight deadline when parts of the government will start to shut down.

Democratic support is needed because many GOP House lawmakers refuse to go along with their partys own proposals and Democrats still control the Senate and White House.

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Congress has until midnight Friday to fund the government or federal agencies will shut down, meaning hundreds of thousands of federal employees could be sent home  or stay on the job without pay  just ahead of the holidays.

Republicans abandoned a bipartisan plan Wednesday to prevent a shutdown after Trump and Musk told House Speaker Mike Johnson to essentially rip up the deal days before a deadline when federal funding runs out.

The president-elect also unexpectedly demanded that Congress repeal or suspend the debt ceiling, a controversial and divisive proposal that most conservative GOP lawmakers strongly oppose.

On Thursday, Republicans cobbled together a revamped government funding proposal that would keep the government running for three more months and suspend the debt ceiling for two years, until Jan. 30, 2027.

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It included more than $100 billion for hurricane relief and billions more for farmers, both key GOP priorities, but stripped out provisions that Johnson had previously agreed to in a handshake deal with Democrats.

The bill failed badly in a House vote hours later, with more than three dozen Republicans almost all Democrats opposing it, leaving next steps uncertain.

If no bill is passed, any government operations deemed nonessential will cease and hundreds of thousands of federal employees will see their work disrupted.
WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR)  A government shutdown is just hours away unless Congress reaches a deal by midnight.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) is now on plan C to fund the government and avoid a shutdown, with the paychecks of millions of federal workers hanging in the balance.

Republican lawmakers left a meeting at the Capitol more optimistic than when they walked in.

We will not have a government shutdown, said Johnson.

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Speaker Johnson says he wants to move forward with his plan C to fund the government and avoid a shutdown.

Plan A was a negotiated deal with Democrats to fund the government through March, it included disaster relief and aid for farmers.

President-elect Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk spoke up against the plan a so it never made it to a vote.

On Thursday night Speaker Johnson unveiled plan B, a similar but smaller plan that included a debt ceiling increase, thats a non-starter for some Republicans and most Democrats.

Now Speaker Johnson hopes the third plans the charm.

Its a lot better package, said Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.).

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House Democrats say theyd hope to avoid a government shutdown.



Its time to stop the chaos. Its time to be responsible, said Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.).



The White House says the easiest way to do it is to stick to the original agreement-plan A.

Keep your word, Republicans in Congress. Keep your word. Keep your word, said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

The latest plan will not include a debt ceiling increase and will keep the government funded at the same level with a continuation of disaster relief and farm aid.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
The cryptocurrency prediction market Polymarket shows the odds of a government shutdown at more than 50%. Elon Musk and Donald Trump dont seem too worried.

The cryptocurrency prediction market Polymarket had Donald Trump favored to win the presidential election, and then he did. It had Scott Bessent favored to secure the president-elects nomination for Treasury secretary, too, and he did.

Now people are betting on whether therell be a government shutdown, and Polymarket puts the odds of it happening at 61% at the moment, but its swinging rapidly. Odds spiked as high as 75% late Thursday, then dipped below 50% on Friday before topping 60% again later.

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Another prediction market, Kalshi, puts the odds of a government shutdown this year at 57%, up from 48.5% earlier Friday and just 33% on Thursday.

There is no guarantee. But the way things are looking, a partial shutdown could very well happen. For the latest odds, check here and here.

It appears the richest man in the world, tapped to run a brand new cost cutting initiative, and the president-elect are fine with a government shutdown, as long as its not technically on their watch. On Friday, Elon Musk posted to his social media platform: Either the government should pass sensible bills that actually serve the people or shut it down!

Our former and future president was a bit more blunt, posting to his social media platform: If there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now, under the Biden Administration, not after January 20th, under TRUMP. This is a Biden problem to solve, but if Republicans can help solve it, they will!

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That only added to the twists and turns that complicated the last few days on Capitol Hill.

So lets take a step back. On Wednesday, Musk spent the day ripping a bipartisan spending package that could have kept the government open. He used X to call it one of the worst bills ever written, tell his audience to call their elected representatives, and demanded that it be killed. Then Trump tagged in and threatened any Republican who voted for it. So House Speaker Mike Johnson scrapped the bill that he was defending earlier.

On Thursday, a slimmed down version backed by Trump failed to pass. Trump called the plan vital and told Republicans (and even Democrats) to vote yes. Thirty-eight Republicans voted against it and defied Trump. That was Plan B. Oh and I might add that Trump has yet to step foot in the Oval Office and his billionaire backer isnt an elected official.

At this point, lawmakers have until midnight to pass a bill, and for President Joe Biden, who seems to be waiting this one out on the sidelines, to sign it into law. If not, the government shuts down just in time for Christmas. On Friday, Johnson told reporters, Were expecting votes this morningSo yall stay tuned, weve got a plan, according to the Wall Street Journal.

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But the Washington Post, citing two people familiar with the matter, reported that the White House Office of Management and Budget has alerted federal agencies early Friday to prepare for a government shutdown.



The Trump-J.D. Vance transition team did not immediately respond to Fortunes request for comment. Although on Thursday, transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement: As soon as President Trump released his official stance on the CR, Republicans on Capitol Hill echoed his point of view. President Trump is the leader of the Republican Party. Full stop, referring to the spending bill. That was of course before the Trump-backed bill failed, too.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR)  Governor Glenn Youngkin announced his proposed budget, setting aside $127 million dollars to create a new disaster assistance fund. He says that money will help fill the gaps between federal and private funding to rebuild communities after Helenes impact.

If that proposed disaster relief fund is approved by the general assembly next year, the money would go to support safety and housing-related recovery efforts for costs not covered by federal assistance, private donations or insurance.

Governor Youngkin said to WFXR News, that he was devastated seeing the damage after visiting southwest Virginia in the weeks following hurricane Helene, but he was also inspired by the grit of local community members, and their determination to rebuild. He says the commonwealths economy right now, is strong enough to set aside 127 million dollars to pay for something he has wanted since he took office: a permanent relief fund.

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Taylor Swift donates $5 million to Hurricane Helene and Milton relief efforts

Well work during the general assembly session, which starts right after the new year, in order to craft specific appropriation language to support people in southwest Virginia. We will also then have a permanent fund, which I think we should put money in routinely to be prepared should we have disasters like this in the future, said Governor Glenn Youngkin, I think this is good governance, but I also think its meeting the needs of these amazing Virginians who are going to rebuild better lives than even the ones they had before hurricane Helene.

Governor Youngkin says hes grateful to Congress introducing its own disaster supplemental bill with over $100 billion in relief funding for multiple agencies for recovery and rebuilding, including $6 billion to the forestry service, which owns portions of the Creeper Trail in Damascus.

I look forward to going to work to make sure that one day were going to clip a ribbon after the Creeper Trail is rebuilt and it is going to be even more vibrant and it is going to draw even more people to southwest Virginia than she ever has before, said Governor Youngkin.

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Governor Youngkinsaid he has wanted to create this disaster relief fund since he was elected. and now that hes entering his final year as Governor

Im very excited by the fact that three years of work has translated into Virginia being the best state in America for business. For us, seeing more people move here than move away for the first time in ten years for us to have record job growth and as a result, driving our ability through record receipts and surplus after surplus to again provide record tax relief and record investment in education and law enforcement and behavioral health, said Governor Youngkin.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFXRtv.
Mayor Michael OConnor used a song lyric to describe the relief of getting through a decade of effort by dozens of people interested in bringing a hotel and conference center to downtown Frederick.

Im going to try and keep this brief, OConnor said. In the words of Lizzo, Its about damn time.

He addressed a crowd of more than 100 people, including Gov. Wes Moore, state cabinet secretaries and local officials, in front of an bright yellow excavator and the south-facing wall that it would soon punch a hole into.

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The demolition of the old Frederick News-Post building  which symbolically started on Thursday  will make room for the Frederick Conference Center Hotel at Carroll Creek, a 208-room Marriott-branded hotel.

Plamondon Hospitality Partners, the hotel developers, is expected to cover $73.54 million of the total $102 million for the project, according to city records.

Downtown Hotel and Conference Center Project Demolition

Click and hold the video to rotate a 360-degree view of the knocking down of a wall at the former News-Post building, part of which is being razed to make way for a hotel and conference center.

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Peter Plamondon Jr., co-president of Plamondon Hospitality Partners, said in an interview that he was excited for the crowd of supporters and to listen to the passion from OConnor, Moore and County Executive Jessica Fitzwater in their remarks.

He said the project required support from many different elected officials and governing bodies over the 12 years he has been working on it.

This has been a journey, Plamondon said.

He said it was really satisfying to have a public-private partnership come together involving three levels of government, a collaboration he had never seen before.

Gov. Moore at Old FNP Bldg.

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Maryland Gov. Wes Moore speaks at the site where the new downtown hotel and conference center will be in Frederick on Thursday.

The city will contribute $2 million and the county $2.52 million to the project, according to city records.

The state is expected to pay $23.5 million for the project, including $7.5 million from the governors capital budget and a $1 million grant for demolition.

Richard Griffin, the citys director of economic development, said he became passionate about the project following a 2010 conversation with George Dredden, a former chair of the Frederick County Economic Development Commission and president of the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce, among other roles he held within the area.

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Griffin said he remembered Dredden saying: Richard, Frederick needs this hotel and conference center in downtown Frederick as an economic anchor along Carroll Creek Park.

He added that Dredden thought this would add to the redevelopment along Carroll Creek started under former Mayor Ron Young, as well as create jobs and serve the community.

OConnor thanked Young for his vision and for starting the process to bring destination lodging to downtown Frederick.

Ive looked at this wall behind me for more than a decade, OConnor said. I havent seen an empty press room. Ive seen untapped potential  untapped potential for economic growth in our urban core and untapped potential for sustainable, smart growth.

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He said the project required the right alchemy to get accomplished, praising all who played a role, including Fitzwater and former County Executive Jan Gardner. OConnor said he discussed the potential for the project a few years ago with then-candidate Moore over lunch.

Gov. Moore at Old FNP Bldg.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, signs a golden sledge hammer as Frederick Director of Economic Development Richard Griffin, Frederick County Executive Jessica Fitzwater and Frederick Mayor Michael O'Connor look on during Moore's visit to the site of the new downtown hotel and conference center in Frederick on Thursday.

Moore said the business community he has spoken with has expressed excitement for the potential of Frederick in fields like manufacturing and life sciences.

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And Im here to report that the buzz about Frederick, it is real, he said.

Moore echoed the urgency expressed by OConnors Lizzo lyric over what he said was a next-generation and generation-defining project for Frederick.

In an interview after the event, Moore, a self-professed data nerd, said he would consider the hotel project a success using metrics associated with economic development, investment in the city and quality of life.

It is important to remember that success does not happen just because, Moore told the crowd. Things do not change just because. They change because of leadership. They change because of intentionality and they change because we have some remarkable leaders here in Frederick.

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Following Moores remarks and his signing of an executive order aimed at promoting economic development in the state, the arm of the excavator swung clockwise toward the south-facing wall where the News-Post used to ship papers from.

The bucket dug into the cinder block wall above the roll-up door over the loading bay where daily newspapers used to leave.

The wall also featured a mural of the newspaper, painted by Judy Johnson in 1997, according to Myron Randall Jr., whose family used to own the newspaper.

Randall said the mural reminded him of two longtime employees of that building that housed the News-Post from 1968 to 2008.

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He said he thought of Onyx Barker, who ran the 1967 Urbanite Press until the paper switched machines when switching buildings. He also thought of Gene Fulton, who Randall said could fix anything that broke down in the whole building.

While the southern building will be demolished for the hotel, the two northern structures, the Trolley Building, will be renovated to accommodate retail and offices.

Will Randall, project manager of the redevelopment of the Trolley Building on behalf of the Randall family, which owned the News-Post until 2017, said work had already begun to separate the buildings.

He added that tearing the building down should take less than two weeks. From there, he said, the rubble would be sorted and recycled.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  The Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) has graded schools across the state, and on Thursday, the report card finally came in.

How did schools do?

Of the schools reviewed, 290 received an overall A grade, while 485 received a B. The DOE initially established a school letter grading system in 2016 to provide parents and families with information that shows how public schools are performing, according to this years letter grade protocol.

However, in fall 2023, the grading system was revised. The grades for K-8 schools are determined mostly by achievement, growth and growth for the bottom 25% of students. High schools are graded by the same factors with the addition of a College and Career Readiness indicator. More than 150 high schools received the highest level for that College and Career Readiness indicator.

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DECEMBER 2023: School districts upset with how TDOE rolled out new letter grade system

Overall, 445 schools received the highest level for achievement, while 536 schools received a level five for growth. Additionally, 385 schools received the highest level for the growth of highest-need students.

The 2023-24 State Report Card provides valuable insights into the performance of public schools and districts across Tennessee, giving families and communities the tools they need to advocate for their students, commissioner of education Lizzette Reynolds said in a Thursday press release. We are especially proud of the schools that performed highly on the School Letter Grades and are moving the needle for kids, and we encourage all Tennesseans to actively engage and contribute to the ongoing success of all our schools.

How did students do?

The state report card does not just provide evaluations about public, charter and special education schools across the state, though. TDOE also provided insights about Tennessees students. One of those insights revealed that 61% of students were either below or approaching expectations for English Language Arts based on state testing scores.

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Looking at a district level, 70% of students in Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) were not proficient in English Language Arts. Around half of students in Rutherford, Sumner and Wilson Counties also did not meet proficiency.

SEE ALSO: Tennessee to consider reducing weight of high school end-of-course exams

The statewide percentage is consistent with test scores from the past five years. Students also performed similarly in math, with 63.3% of students failing to meet or exceed expectations. Only a quarter of MNPS students tested proficient or above in math. Around half of Rutherford, Sumner and Wilson County students met the mark; Williamson County students came in at 70% proficiency or greater.

Science and social studies proficiency rates are slightly higher across the state  55.8% of students did not meet or exceed science expectations and 55.5% of students did not meet or exceed social studies expectations.

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The report card also evaluated students using a Ready Graduate criteria, which represents the number of students who demonstrate readiness for either postsecondary education or a career out of high school. Over half of Tennessees students in the 2022-2023 graduating cohort did not demonstrate readiness.

What else does the report card say?

Tennessee saw a 90.6% graduation rate, but there is a gendered discrepancy between students. Boys have a graduation rate of just 88.5% compared to 92.8% for girls across the state. See the charts below for other key differences among racial & ethnic groups and other student groups.

(Source: TDOE)

(Source: TDOE)

The overall four-year graduation rate has stayed about the same for the past six years.

Tennessees dropout rate was also consistent with previous years, coming in at just over 8% for the 2022-2023 graduating cohort. However, that dropout rate varied drastically among certain groups. Hispanic students had a dropout rate twice higher than the state dropout rate; Black students saw a 12.3% dropout rate.

 Read todays top stories on wkrn.com

To learn more about your school or district, or to find your closest school, follow this link.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
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?
ATHENS, Greece (AP)  Members of Greeces former royal family have applied for Greek citizenship and formally acknowledged the countrys republican system of government, in a landmark move 50 years after the monarchy was abolished, officials confirmed Friday.

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.

Interior Ministry official Athanasios Balerpas said that relatives of the late king, who died last year at the age of 82, signed a declaration Thursday acknowledging the republican government and adopting a new surname, De Grece  French for of Greece.

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A historically pending matter is being resolved, Balerpas told state-run radio. Lets look to the future now. I think its a good moment because it closes an account from the past and we can now look forward as a people.

Officials have not officially named the applicants. But Greek news media widely reported that ten family members have sought citizenship, including all five children of Constantine II and former Queen Anne-Marie  Alexia, Pavlos, Nikolaos, Theodora, and Philippos  as well as five of the late king's grandchildren.

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.

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.

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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.

The decision on citizenship must now be published in the official government gazette before they can apply for state identity cards and Greek passports.

Lawmakers from center-left and left-wing opposition parties argued that the former royal family members should not have been permitted to choose their own surname but did not oppose their right to citizenship.

Some lawmakers from center-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 the their right to citizenship.
GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP)  Christmas came early for some Greensboro teachers as they moved into their brand-new schools.

The first spot well go to is the gaming lab. One of the things I want to point out with this lab, no other elementary school has a gaming lab, said Foust Principal, Kendrick Alston.

At the new Foust Elementary School, students are getting a non-traditional education.

Northwest Guilford High School students preparing to perform in front of the Pope

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Theyll have a chance to learn about coding and game design, were also going to have esports. So students will have the opportunity to be a part of gaming competitions and leagues, those kinds of things, said Alston.

Leveling up what students are capable of in an all-brand new school. Teachers are blown away by everything the new schools include.

I was very excited. When I first walked in I literally took a selfie. It feels like Christmas already. I was so excited by it all, said third-grade teacher, Cierra Toth.

They were also impressed by how inclusive it is for all learning styles.

The variety of available spaces that were able to be used throughout the school. We have our outdoor learning, the small group learning spaces, a lot of unique furniture especially for our learners that dont learn the traditional way itll be very helpful, said third-grade teacher, Gabriela Santos.

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Each detail was thoroughly thought out to make learning interesting and fun for students.

Our district did a wonderful job of visiting schools outside of North Carolina even in North Carolina. And when we did these tours one of the things that became evident to us is that a lot of these district schools were thinking 15-20 years ahead and thinking about the job market, said Alston.

Grimsley High School football advances to state championship game

That means robotics classrooms could become the norm.

For college in my masters, we did a lot of robotics stuff so now seeing it here and knowing I did that in college but now these kids are going to get to do it in elementary school. I know how much I enjoyed it and it adult so now as kids, to see their excitement, Im ready to see it, said Toth.

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This is also preparing the next generation for the workforce.

Technology has advanced so much in the past few years that students need different skills so they need a different space to develop these skills as well, said Alston.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX8 WGHP.
TEXARKANA, Texas (KTAL/KMSS)  The Texarkana Texas Police Department (TTPD) is working to free one of their sergeants who was arrested by the Grinch! A post on the TTPD Facebook page has been gaining a lot of attention.

The post states, Sgt. Phelps had gone all out this year  decking the patrol room with hundreds of lights, wearing a Santa hat to every shift, and even passing out candy canes to everyone he met.

Apparently, the Grinch didnt like that. TTPD said the furry, green villain has been on a mission to crack down on holiday joy.

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DPSO gives thanks for new deputy Ben Waddlin

Eyewitnesses say when the Grinch confronted the officer he said, Sgt. Phelps, Im sorry to say, youve really crossed the line this time. This much holiday spirit has got to be a serious crime!

TTPD hopes Sgt. Phelps will be freed in time for Christmas!

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTALnews.com.
A man slain by police in a Colorado Springs officer-involved shooting on Dec. 13 has been identified as 33-year-old Dean Ackerman.

A call for service came in at 11 p.m., alerting law enforcement to shots being fired near the 3800 block of Astrozon Boulevard.

When officers arrived, they found a man later identified as Ackerman inside a vehicle in a parking lot. Police say he was waving a handgun.

Officers said they attempted to verbally deescalate the situation, negotiating with Ackerman for nearly an hour. During the negotiation, he allegedly fired multiple shots, ignoring commands to put down the weapon.

Less-than-lethal impact weapons were deployed but were unsuccessful, police said. At one point, Ackerman raised his weapon toward the officers, leading several of them to fire at least one round, killing him.

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No other community members or officers were injured during the incident.

Eight CSPD officers involved in this incident have been placed on administrative leave per department policy. While one deputy from the El Paso County Sheriff's Office was on scene, he was not involved in the shooting, according to a news release Thursday.

In accordance with Colorado Revised Statute 16-2.5-301, the Sheriff's Office is the lead investigative agency for this officer-involved shooting.


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We know all about the British royal family treebut what about the family tree of Queen Camilla? Here's everything you need to know about the extended family of Camilla Shand, a.k.a. Camilla Parker Bowles, a.k.a. Queen Camilla:

Design by Michael Stillwell

Design by Michael Stillwell

Camilla's parents: Rosalind Cubitt and Bruce Shand



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Rosalind Cubitt was born on August 11, 1921 in London, the daughter of Roland Calver Cubitt, the 3rd Lord Ashcombe (b. 1899, d. 1962), and Sonia Rosemary Cubitt (nee Keppel) (b. 1900, d. 1986). Sonia's mother (and Rosalind's grandmother) Alice Keppel, was a mistress of King Edward VII. In 1939, Rosalind was named "Debutante of the Year." She married Bruce in 1946 at St. Paul's Church in London. Rosalind died in 1994 at age 72 from osteoporosis, and her battle with the disease has inspired Camilla to take up prevention of the disease as one of her charitable focuses.

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Bruce Shand was born on January 22, 1917 in London England, to Philip Morton Shand (b. 1888, d. 1960), an architectural writer and critic, and Edith Marguerite Harrington (b. 1893, d. 1981). His parents divorced in 1920 when he was just three years old, and he was primarily raised by his grandmother.

Bruce attended Rugby School, then Sandhurst, and joined the British Army as a second lieutenant in the 12th Royal Lancers. As an officer in the British Army, he served in France and North Africa during World War II. On November 6, 1942, he was captured as a prisoner of war, and taken to a hospital in Athens then Spangenburg Castle in Germany.

As an obituary notes, "On emerging from the sick bay he found that General Eisenhower had absolved officers from the duty of escaping because the Germans were unlikely to respect the rules of war. Shand took on such responsiblities as laundry officer and taking down BBC radio broadcasts. The camp was short of food in the later months of the war, but Shand received monthly parcels of books sent out from a shop in Piccadilly, and was able to devote several hours a day to reading history and biography as well as Thackeray and Trollope, for whom he developed a lifelong affection."

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He returned to London after liberation, where he married Rosalind. After the war, he went into the wine business, working for Block, Grey and Block, then joining Ellis, Son and Vidler until his retirement. He was also "vice lord lieutenant of East Sussex (1974-92), a deputy lieutenant of the former county of Sussex, and joint master of the Southdown fox hounds (1956-75)." In 1990, Bruce published his memoirs, Previous Engagements. He died at age 89 in 2006.



Queen Camilla

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Queen Camilla was born Camilla Rosemary Shand on July 17, 1947 in London. She attended Queen's Gate School, then the Mon Fertile finishing school in Switzerland, and took a course on French literature at the University of London Institute in Paris. She was a debutante in 1965, and has had a lifelong affection for equestrian activities.

She met then-Prince Charles in 1970, and the two dated, but split when Charles joined the Royal Navy in 1973. That same year, Camilla married Andrew Parker Bowles, and they had two children together, Laura Lopes and Tom Parker Bowles (see below). Camilla and Charles reportedly began their affair around 1987, and she and Andrew would divorce in 1995. (Charles and Princess Diana's divorce was finalized in 1996.) In 1999, Charles and Camilla appeared in public together for the first time, and in 2003, she moved into Clarence House. In 2005, they wed, 35 years after they first met.

Per her official bio on the royal family's website, "Her Majestys charity work is varied but several themes prevail: health and well-being, promoting literacy, the arts, animal welfare and supporting survivors of rape and sexual assault." She was crowned Queen Camilla in May 2023 at King Charles's coronation.

Camilla's son: Tom Parker Bowles

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With her first husband, Andrew Parker Bowles, Camilla had two children. The eldest, Tom Parker Bowles, was born December 18, 1974, in London. He attended Summer Fields School in Oxford, and then attended Eton College and Worcester College, Oxford. After graduating, he worked as a publicist, before transitioning to a career as a food writer and critic.

"I was really shit at every job I did after university and was fired most of the time," he told T&C in 2019. "I mean food's the one universal experience apart from death. You can be celibate and you can not drink and you can not pay your taxes, but everyone has to eat. Now, you might not like food, but I like that language of food. And what drew it to me is chefs, I love chefs. And it's a world still where you can have a five-hour lunch, in a world where five-hour lunches don't exist anymore."

He's published eight cookbooks over his career, including Let's Eat: Recipes from my Kitchen Notebook and Full English: A Journey Through the British and Their Food.

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In 2005, Tom married Sarah Buys. They separated in 2018, and have two children: Lola, born 2007, and Frederick, born 2010. Frederick, who goes by Freddy, was a page of honor at his grandmother's coronation. Tom is active on Twitter (@tomparkerbowles), and is a regular contributor to Country Life (read his articles here).

Camilla's daughter: Laura Lopes

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Camilla and Andrew's second child, Laura Parker Bowles (now Laura Lopes) was born on New Year's DayJanuary 1, 1978. She attended St Mary's Shaftesbury, a Catholic girls boarding school, then Oxford Brookes University, where she studied History of Art and Marketing. After graduating, she interned at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, and then worked for the Space Gallery in London, and subsequently co-founded London's Eleven Gallery.

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In 2006, she married Harry Lopes, an accountant turned CEO of Eden Renewables (and former Calvin Klein model). Harry is a scion of the wealthy Astor family; his mother, Sarah Violet Astor, was the daughter of Gavin Astor, 2nd Baron Astor of Hever. They have three children: daughter Eliza, born 2008, and twins Gus and Louis, born 2009.

Her daughter, Eliza Lopes, was a bridesmaid at Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding:

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Gus and Louis joined their cousin Freddy as pages of honor at the coronation.

Camilla's sister: Annabel Elliot (nee Shand)

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The second of the Shand siblings, Sonia Annabel Shand (she goes by Annabel Elliot, her married name), was born February 2, 1949. At age 23, she married Simon Elliot, son of William Elliot, an Air Chief Marshal of the RAF, and Rosemary Chancellor. Annabel works as an interior designer and antiquities dealer, and she renovated many of King Charles's estates. At the coronation, she was one of the two ladies in attendance for her sister.

Simon passed away in 2023 at age 82 after a long illness. "He was beyond courageous in his last few months, his family and friends are devastated to lose a man whose middle name was loyalty. He was a fount of common sense and wisdom and it is a great sadness that he has gone so early," a close friend said of his passing.

Simon and Annabel have three children: Ben Elliot (b. 1975), a Conservative Party politician, Alice Irwin (b. 1977), and Catherine Elliot (b. 1981). In 2011, Ben married Mary-Clare Winwood, Steve Winwood's eldest daughter, and they have two sons: Arthur (b. 2012) and Ike (b. 2014). Camilla and Charles were front and center at Ben and Mary-Clare's wedding:

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In 2003, Alice married Luke Irwin, a Dublin-born rug designer who dropped out of Eton at age 16. A profile of Luke in the Wall Street Journal noted in 2011, "His client list is as diverse as his bespoke offerings, including rock stars and royalty, East End artists, West Country aristocrats and Russian oligarchs." Alice and Luke have two children: Otis, born 2006, and Violet, born 2009. During the pandemic, Alice launched "My Dear New Friend," a letter-writing campaign between children and residents of care homes, supported by her aunt Camilla.

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There's not much public information about Annabel's youngest, Catherine Elliot, who also goes by Katie.

Camilla's brother: Mark Shand

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The third Shand sibling, Mark Shand, was born June 28, 1951, and he tragically passed away on April 23, 2014 in New York City. He died of "blunt impact head trauma with a skull fracture and subdural hematoma,"per New York City's chief medical examinerwhich means he died of a serious head injury from a fall.

After his death, Clarence House (the former base of King Charles and Queen Camilla) described Shand as "a man of extraordinary vitality, a tireless campaigner and conservationist whose incredible work through the Elephant Family and beyond remained his focus right up until his death."

During his lifetime, Mark was a travel writer and conservationist, and founded the charity Elephant Family. He married Clio Goldsmith in 1990, and they divorced a few years before his death, in 2009. They had one daughter, Ayesha Shand, born 1995. Ayesha currently works at Hauser-Wirth, alongside Princess Eugenie.

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MEMPHIS, Tenn.  Police are looking for two masked men after at least three food trucks were robbed in Memphis this week.

MPD has released surveillance video that shows the robbers opening the back door of the Taco Nganas truck in the 2700 block of S. Perkins in Parkway Village on Wednesday night while employees were preparing food.

No one was hurt, but you can see both men point weapons at the employees before emptying a cash register.

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Investigators believe the same individuals held up employees working inside the Sabor Salvadoreno food truck in the 5600 block of 5678 Summer Avenue on Sunday afternoon.

Police said a male entered the back door of the food truck, pulled out a black semi-automatic handgun, and demanded money from the employees.

The suspect took the money from the business and left in a tan-colored SUV.

Officers also responded to a food truck robbery Thursday morning in the 5200 block of Winchester. They said two males were responsible but have released few details.

Customers say theyre taking precautions when ordering food.

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Hearing that people are getting you know, gunpoint at a food truck, yeah, its very scary, especially for me being by myself, customer Jessica Pender said.

Lots of questions after Memphis hairstylist, friend gunned down

The crimes are putting food truck vendors on high alert.

Lamees Virani owns Chakka, a Pakistani-style food truck located off Poplar and White Station, says his store is already responding after hearing about food trucks being targeted.

I talk to a lot of the food truck owners and everything is getting stolen from appliances to food itself, Virani said.

Virani said that, while business is good, thieves dont realize the impact these thefts have on small businesses.

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I know like when I had first started, our generator got stolen and generators cost a lot, so it takes us a few weeks to get back on our feet, he said.

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Virani says despite the set backs he hopes to continue to serve, and to share with Memphis his culture and food, like Dubai chocolate.

You cant give up. Were here to serve the community, day and night, and if thats a part of the community we have to go through, you know we are still going to cook the next day, Virani said.

If you recognize the suspects or have any information that can help police find them, call CrimeStoppers at (901)528-CASH.

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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 WREG.com.
DECATUR, Ill. (WCIA)  The results are in for the 2024 edition of the Gurneys, Guns and Hoses contest in Macon County.

The contest is an annual staple amongst the countys first responder agencies. For the last 14 years, firefighters, police officers, sheriffs deputies and paramedics have manned the iconic red kettles of the Salvation Army, tried to outraise the other agencies and win a traveling trophy.

First responders in Macon Co. having competition to help Salvation Army

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This years contest took place last weekend at Decaturs Walmart and Kroger locations, and it included new faces to the competition. The Mt. Zion and Blue Mound Police Departments teamed up for their first appearances in the competition, and Abbott EMS also joined in on the fun for the first time.

The Decatur Police Department was looking to defend a threepeat and go for a fourth straight title. But it was not meant to be. The Salvation Army said the Decatur Fire Department outraised their blue rivals by over $4,000 to reclaim the trophy.

We want to say thank you to all of the first responders who rang bells last weekend Dec. 13 and 14. The time given for this annual event each year by the Decatur Police Department, Macon County Sheriff Department, Decatur City Fire Department, & several county fire departments (and this year also Abbott EMS and the Mt. Zion and Blue Mound Police Departments) is nothing short of amazing, the Salvation Army said in a release. The groups collectively rang 98 hours and raised $15,826.30 this year. And thank you also to our generous community that comes out each year with support for this event.

Nearly $225,000 has been raised by the Gurneys, Guns and Hoses contest since it started in 2011, an average of $16,000 per year. The funds help support the programs of the Salvation Army of Decatur & Macon County.

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Salvation Army Toy Shop in Champaign Co. giving toys to 1,400 families

A table of 2024s results can be found below:

Agency Hours spent ringing Money raised Decatur Fire Department 35 $7,830.45 Decatur Police Department 18 $3,278.96 Macon Co. Sheriffs Office 20 $2,786.87 Mt. Zion/Blue Mound Police 10 $834.17 Abbott EMS 10 $663.31 Macon Co. Fire Departments 5 $432.54 Totals 98 $15,826.30

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.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) criticized Republicans for tanking a bipartisan government funding agreement, saying the party was bending to the will of wealthy backers and puppeteers.

The lawmakers remarks were a direct attack on billionaire Elon Musk, whose displeasure with the spending bill  aired on X, the social media site he owns  precipitated holiday season chaos in Washington. President-elect Donald Trump demanded Republicans put forward last-minute changes, including raising or eliminating the debt ceiling.

But the effort bombed Thursday night after many Republicans and almost every Democrat refused to go along with it, raising the stakes of a government shutdown just days before Christmas.

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The Musk-Johnson government shutdown bill has been soundly defeated, Jeffries, referring to House Speaker Mike Johnson, wrote on Bluesky, a social media site that serves as a counter to X. MAGA extremists in the House GOP are not serious about helping working class Americans.

They are simply doing the bidding of their wealthy donors and puppeteers, he went on. Unacceptable.

Republicans, who control the House, are now scrambling for yet another deal with just over a day to go. The saga represents a major threat to Johnsons grip on his party, which will have a razor-thin majority in the next Congress.

Musk, for his part, tried to lay blame on the second funding measures failure at Democrats feet, saying a shutdown would obviously be the fault of Jeffries and his fellow lawmakers.

The government will run out of funding as of 12:01 a.m. Saturday, which would see hundreds of thousands of federal workers furloughed and will affect millions of Americans preparing for a busy holiday travel season.
This article was originally published in New Hampshire Bulletin.

New Hampshires Supreme Court has long been clear: The state is constitutionally required to provide an adequate education to its resident students.

Now, the court is being asked to clarify that requirement. Last week, the court heard oral arguments in a pivotal case, Contoocook Valley School District v. State of New Hampshire, that could define whether the state is currently providing enough.

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The lawsuit has been brought by a group of school districts that say the current funding formula does not provide enough state funding for them to provide the bare minimum to run their schools without additional local funding, and that the shortfall is unconstitutional.

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The three justices present Tuesday  Senior Associate Justice James Bassett and Associate Justices Patrick Donovan and Melissa Countway  asked pointed questions of both sides, making their leanings difficult to scrutinize.

Here are three takeaways from oral arguments:

Plaintiffs: $4,100 per student is not sufficient

At the core of plaintiffs arguments to the court is the contention that the states school funding formula does not provide enough in per pupil funding to meet its obligations.

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Currently, for those school districts that are not able to raise enough revenue from the statewide education property tax, the state provides about $4,100 per student, and additional aid for students that are lower income, have special education needs, or are English language learners.

But when the ConVal case went to trial, plaintiffs presented expert analysis suggesting that $4,100 does not come close to covering what is needed for an adequate education  the bare minimum to meet the states needs. Instead, the number is closer to $10,000, the analyses found.

The analyses helped drive the Rockingham County Superior Courts ruling in November 2023 that the $4,100 base adequacy amount should be raised to at least $7,356 per pupil. In that ruling, Judge David Ruoff noted that the minimum threshold he was setting was likely not enough to actually provide an adequate education, but that it was intended to be an absolute floor.

This month, the attorney for the plaintiffs, Michael Tierney, argued to the Supreme Court that the superior courts ruling was correct and rooted in accurate numbers .

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The overwhelming evidence is that the states funding of base adequacy is woefully inadequate, Tierney said. It doesnt even come close.

The state has disputed those analyses, arguing they are incomplete because they included only the base adequacy funding in their determinations and excluded the other sources of state funding for schools  including aid for students with special education needs and lower income students.

Plaintiffs counter that pegging the analyses to base adequacy payments is appropriate because the case is focused on whether the state is providing enough funding to meet its constitutional obligations for all students, and the base adequacy formula is the only relevant metric.

State: Cost should be limited to whats required in statute

Central to the states contention that the superior courts ruling was wrong is the idea that Ruoff went too far in his definition of what the state should be funding at all.

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Senior Assistant Attorney General Anthony Galdieri argued that the question of what the state is constitutionally required to fund has already been answered by the Legislature in statute.

Back in 2006, the Supreme Court held in Londonderry School District v. State of New Hampshire that the states school funding statutes at the time failed to define what constitutes an adequate education, and directed the Legislature to do so.

In response, lawmakers passed language in RSA 193-E:2-a that lays out the subject areas that school districts must provide  from English to physical education  and directs lawmakers and the State Board of Education to approve detailed rules to specify what those content requirements should entail.

That is the statute that courts must use to determine whether New Hampshire is fulfilling its school funding obligations, Galdieri argued last week. Anything not specified is extraneous and not constitutionally necessary, he added.

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Defining adequacy strictly by that statute would mean the state is on the hook only for expenses directly related to providing those educational programs. That would exclude transportation costs, administrative costs like superintendent salaries, and building expenses, Galdieri said.

The court needs to recognize that when the Legislature is going to define this and it has a mandate from this court that says whatever you define, you pay for, and a trial court comes in and says, Well, were going to read into that all the things needed to operationalize a school  it does not come from the plain text of these statutes, he said.

The plaintiffs strongly disputed that interpretation and countered that schools need to have those services in order to provide a meaningfully adequate education.

It was something that all of the witnesses, both from the districts as well as the state witnesses, agreed: that both factually and lawfully, all of those components need to be provided in order for districts to provide education in math or science or English or whatever the other subject areas are listed in statute, Tierney said. Those things  a heated building, transportation, principals for every 500 students  thats both factually required in order to have a school and its also lawfully required by the laws of the state.

The big question: Is intervention appropriate for the court?

A broader argument made by the state is that the Rockingham County Superior Court should not have waded into the arena of setting a minimum level for school funding at all.

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Galdieri said the states separation of powers should prevent the courts from directing funding levels from the Legislature. For that reason, the plaintiffs case should be found nonjusticiable, Galdieri said.

And he said while state courts have in the past required the Legislature to pass laws increasing the states contributions to education, the court has never dictated how lawmakers should do it. In his ruling last year, Ruoff had improperly done so, Galdieri said.

The danger of this decision is it effectively constitutionalizes the concept of base adequacy, he said.

Galdieri added: The danger with that is if the court goes ahead and constitutionalizes that  essentially, the Legislature is hamstrung.

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But Tierney rejected the idea that the superior court had violated the separation of powers doctrine. The court merely set a floor for funding, but still provided lawmakers flexibility, he argued.

The trial court did not order the Legislature to take one option or another, he said  The order made very clear that all options are open to the Legislature, but what is not open to the Legislature is to continue to underfund at less than $7,356 per pupil.

New Hampshire Bulletin is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. New Hampshire Bulletin maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Dana Wormald for questions: info@newhampshirebulletin.com.
DENVER (KDVR)  U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen issued a factsheet on how a federal government shutdown would impact Coloradans after another bill failed to pass the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday.

Republicans were looking to pull together a third funding plan Thursday night after Democrats and Republicans rejected a bill that would have paired three months of government funding with $110 billion in disaster and farm aid, in addition to other measures, along with a two-year suspension of the debt limit.

House rejects Trump-backed plan on government shutdown, leaving next steps uncertain

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The federal government will shut down by the end of the day Friday if a funding measure is not passed. When a shutdown happens, many federal employees feel the impact. Some will be required to continue working without pay, such as air traffic control and soldiers, while other federal employees will be furloughed without pay until a funding measure is reached.

However, this wont save the government money. According to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, retroactive paychecks will be issued to cover furloughed days or days that employees worked without pay.

Colorado Democrats, Republicans weigh in on vote

Pettersen, a Democrat who represents Colorados 7th Congressional House District, voted against the funding measure. She said in a statement released Thursday evening that Republicans had gone back on their word  likely in reference to President-elect Donald Trumps request that the debt ceiling be increased, something that many Republicans oppose.

Shutting down the government and the services that so many rely on would hurt the military, our national security, our economy, and hardworking Coloradans, Pettersen said in a statement. The legislation put forward by Republicans only paves the way for tax breaks for billionaires on the backs of working people. Lets be clear: Republicans and Elon Musk will be responsible if the government shuts down.

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Musk, the billionaire who was tapped by Trump to co-lead a new federal department called the Department of Government Efficiency, called for the first government spending bill to be voted down. After a much thinner version of the bill was presented and subsequently voted down, Musk pointed to Democrats, saying the party would be at fault if the government did shut down.

However, not all Republicans were in favor of the second funding bill. U.S. Rep. Greg Lopez, a Republican representing Colorados 4th Congressional District, also voted against the second funding bill on Thursday.

I applaud the work of President Trump, Vice President-Elect Vance, and Speaker Johnson to come to a spending agreement. However, I dont believe in the use of continuing resolutions to constantly kick the spending can down the road, said Lopez in an emailed statement.

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America elected Congress to do a job and that involves making real, tough spending decisions, not avoiding them to go home in time for Christmas, he continued. While I would like to pass a bill that provides relief for farmers and those impacted by recent hurricanes, I cannot support a CR that does not consider our nations growing $36 trillion debt and removes the debt ceiling, creating an open checkbook for Congress to spend more money it already doesnt have.

What happens in Colorado if the federal government shuts down?

Pettersens factsheet provided data on the number of Coloradans who would be furloughed by a government shutdown, among other impacts to the state. She noted that in her district, 6,796 people, including 1,290 infants and 3,4008 children, would lose access to benefits provided through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program.

She also said that 10,419 federal workers in Colorados 7th Congressional District would be furloughed or forced to work without pay during a total government shutdown. She said the number does not include employees of businesses with government contracts who could be laid off, furloughed or see a cut to their hours.

New legislation will provide Social Security benefits to more retirees

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Pettersen also laid out impacts to the state as a whole, sharing information compiled by the House Budget Committee Democratic Caucus, asserting that:

52,367 active duty and reserve personnel in the armed forces in Colorado would go without pay during the shutdown

The Small Business Administration will stop processing small business loans. The agency provides $853.6 million in funding to small businesses in Colorado every year.

72,432 people flying through Colorado airports could see delays, safety concerns due to Transportation Safety Administration and air traffic control staffing impacts

87,752 people in Colorado would lose access to nutrition benefits in the Women, Infants, and Children program

43,634 federal workers in Colorado will be furloughed or work without pay

The Department of Agriculture would be forced to stop processing farm loans which provide $61.2 million in funding for farmers in Colorado annually

572,261 Coloradans would lose access to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits

7,434,361 people who visit Colorados national parks annually will be turned away or unable to fully access the attraction

One of the most common questions about the government shutdown is whether it would impact Social Security benefits, but recipients will continue to receive their payments as the Social Security Administration will provide limited services. Thats because Social Security is considered a mandatory program.

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.
With a government shutdown looming, Congress faces a fast-approaching midnight deadline on Friday to pass a funding bill. Without an eleventh-hour deal, hundreds of thousands of federal workers could be furloughed nationwide.

The uncertainty has left millions of Americans wondering whats next for critical programs like SNAP, Social Security, and other federal services with the holidays just days away.

While Social Security and Medicare benefits are expected to continue, delays in processing new applications or resolving issues could arise. Meanwhile, programs like SNAP could face disruptions if the shutdown extends, leaving vulnerable families in limbo about their access to essential support.

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More: Will Social Security COLA go up in 2025? What Texans need to know about benefit increases

More: Government shutdown live updates: Congress scrambles to make deal before midnight

What happens in a government shutdown?

A shutdown doesnt mean a complete halt of government operations. Federal agencies classify workers as either essential or nonessential.

Essential workers continue working, though they may not receive immediate pay. Nonessential workers, however, are furloughed, meaning they cannot work or be paid until the government reopens, according to a breakdown compiled by Reuters.

Here's how it may look:

White House: Most of the White House staff is furloughed; essential offices like the National Security Council continue; the president's salary remains unaffected. like SNAP could face disruptions if the shutdown extends, leaving vulnerable families in limbo about their access to essential support.

Social Security and Medicare : Social Security benefits continue without interruption; Medicare benefits may experience delays due to the shutdown.

Veterans Benefits : Veterans continue to receive benefits and medical care without disruption.

SNAP: The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program continues, with possible minor disruptions.

Military : Active-duty military personnel stay on the job, though about half of Pentagon civilian employees may face furloughs

National Nuclear Security Administration: The agency remains operational.

Law Enforcement: Federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, DEA, and prison staff, remain operational; Secret Service and Coast Guard continue their duties.

National Parks : National parks and monuments close; rangers are furloughed, and facilities are shut down, though some states may temporarily fund operations.

Borders and Homeland Security : Border Patrol and immigration enforcement agents remain on duty; local governments will not receive new aid for migrant shelters.

Transportation : Airport security screeners and air traffic controllers stay on duty; new hires and major infrastructure projects may face delays; absenteeism may impact airport operations.

Congressional Pay: Lawmakers continue receiving pay; staffers are furloughed, but essential personnel continue to work.

How many federal workers are in Texas?

Texas, home to nearly 130,000 federal employees, ranks fifth in the nation for the number of federal workers.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: How does a government shutdown affect Social Security, TSA and more
JAMM AQUINO / 2019 Despite the 2019 government shutdown entering its second week, museums such as the Bowfin, left, and the Arizona Memorial were able to secure some financial backing to keep operations up and running.

JAMM AQUINO / 2019 Despite the 2019 government shutdown entering its second week, museums such as the Bowfin, left, and the Arizona Memorial were able to secure some financial backing to keep operations up and running.

Unemployment claims jumped in Hawaii, but so did visitor arrivals, the last time the federal government struggled through a partial shutdown six years ago through the holidays.

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The 35-day shutdown lasted from Dec. 22, 2018, through Jan. 25, 2019, over a congressional fight to fund then-President Donald Trumps request for $5 billion to build a longer border wall on the Southern border that never materialized.

The current budget battle in Congress also involves Trump, now president-elect, who initially wanted to suspend the debt ceiling for two years to keep the government operating as usual.

The House rejected the Trump-backed plan Thursday.

A new shutdown would represent the 22nd time since 1976 that the federal government closed or partially closed.

The last time, Hawaii tourism grew 2.9 % compared with the same period the year beforelikely because hundreds of thousands of dollars poured in to keep the Arizona Memorial open at a time when other national parks on the mainland were shuttered.

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Hawaiis unemployment claims at the time were averaging about 1, 200 a week but suddenly jumped to 1, 929 in the first week of January when idled workers could file claimsand to 1, 782 in the second week before returning to normal levels, said state Economist Eugene Tian.

There was an impact,  he said.

The current battle in Washington, D.C., over whether to keep the government running likely will go down to the wire today, when Congress is scheduled to adjourn.

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If no deal can be reached, the federal government would begin sending nonessential employees home for the holidays starting at 12 :01 a.m. Saturday.

Federal agencies and employees who would be affected include the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which still would have employees available to respond to disasters.

But federal funding, such as $1.6 billion earmarked for Mauis rebuilding after the 2023 wildfires, would be delayed.

During government shutdowns, nonessential workers can file for unemployment, while essential workers have to stay on the job without salaries until the government reopens and provides them with back pay.

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Essential workers include air traffic controllers, Transportation Security Administration officers and Customs and Border Protection agents, some of whom did not report to work during prior shutdowns, disrupting travel and causing long lines at airports across the country.

The last time there was a shutdown, national parks in Hawaii closed, or were partially closed, with employees such as park rangers no longer on the job.

But donations from sectors of the tourism industrynotably, $126, 000 from the Hawaii Tourism Authoritypaid the salaries of federal park rangers and staff to keep the Arizona Memorial operating as usual, likely leading to the bump in tourism.

Other contributions came in from tour bus companies, hotels and airlines.

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We dont have that kind of funding this time but are prepared to encourage private funding if need be to kokua,  HTA Chair Mufi Hannemann wrote Thursday in a text to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

No one wants to see a federal government shutdown at any time, but its especially concerning during the holiday season,  Hannemann wrote. We certainly hope that an agreement can be reached. Bottom line is that travelers heading to Hawai i should not cancel or postpone their trips.

During the last partial shutdown, tourists continued to visit portions of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park that remained open, along with Halaekala National Park.

Without federal staffing, however, tourists were unable to access either parks visitor centers.

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In January 2019, WalletHub compared the effects of the partial government shutdown across all 50 states and the District of Columbia and reported that Hawaii was the fifth hardest-hit.

Hawaii trailed only the District of Columbia, New Mexico, Maryland and Alaska.

Minnesota, ranked 51st, was the least affected.

WalletHub looked at each states per-capita ratio of federal jobs, federal contracts and families on food stamps, among other measurements.
The News

Elon Musk is facing accusations of political meddling beyond the US after endorsing far-right parties across Europe, including the German Alternative for Germany (AfD) and Britains Reform UK.

Only the AfD can save Germany, Musk wrote on X Friday in a post that was viewed 25 million times within hours, leading one senior German politician to remark, stay out, Elon.

The tech billionaires post followed reports that Musk is considering donating as much as $100 million to the anti-immigration Reform UK after meeting the partys leader at Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago residence earlier in the week, in what would amount to the largest political donation in British history.

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Politicians from Italy, Ireland, and France have warned Musk not to interfere in their domestic politics.

SIGNALS

German politicians lash out after Musk backs the far right

Sources: Der Spiegel, Politico

German politicians of all stripes have decried Musks support for the AfD, calling his support for a party that Germanys domestic intelligence has described as confirmed extremist unacceptable. But not everyone agrees, with the leader of the liberal Free Democratic Party writing to the billionaire that he started a policy debate inspired by ideas from you and [Argentinian president] Milei. Musks endorsement of the AfD could make life harder for German conservatives, who are expected to win February elections and have ruled out working with the party, Politico reported. The leader of the Christian Democratic Union has portrayed himself as someone who can make deals with Donald Trump, this will be undercut if the president-elects most powerful adviser chooses to work with the AfD.

UK mulls reforming political donations to limit Musks influence

Sources: The Guardian, The Conversation, The New Statesman

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The UKs election watchdog has called on the government to restrict donations from foreigners amid rising concerns about Musks rumored plan to donate $100 million to Reform UK. The figure would amount to twice the ruling Labour partys annual budget, and would put further wind into the sails of the insurgent party that has started to challenge both the countrys government and the opposition Conservatives in recent polling. The money could help the party become a highly organized, centralized, professional operation with resources to spend on things like targeted data and funding a vast grassroots campaign, a New Statesman editor said.





EU faces a dilemma over how to deal with Musk

Sources: Financial Times, The Economist, The Independent

Even as Musk faces investigations in Brussels for running his social media platform X in violation of EU regulations, the Tesla and SpaceX owners political heft means that reining him in comes at a high cost for transatlantic relations. If Mr Musks influence in Washington holds it may become politically unpalatable for Europe to lay its regulatory mitts on him, The Economist argued. Signs of this are already emerging: Vice president-elect JD Vance has suggested that American support for NATO could depend in part on whether or not the bloc seeks to regulate the social media platform. The EUs new tech tsar has so far struck a more conciliatory tone towards Musk, after a series of spats between the billionaire and EU officials.




Colorado College is urging its international students to return to campus from winter break before President-elect Donald Trump takes office Jan. 20, fearing potential executive action that could hinder international travel.

Colorado College is one of more than a dozen higher education institutions around the country issuing these warnings, including Columbia University, the University of Southern California, Cornell University, Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, according to multiple reports.

Trump has said numerous times he will crack down on immigration in a second term.

We have been in touch with our international students who are on F-1 and J-1 Visas, advising them to return to campus before the start of the second semester, which begins on January 20, 2025, said Alexa Gromko, spokeswoman for CC. Because the U.S. Presidential Inauguration Day aligns with the start of Block 5, we dont anticipate that any of our international students will be impacted should any new policies go into effect.

Colorado College schedules operate on a Block plan in which students only take one class at a time over three-plus weeks.

F-1 is a more common type of international student visa. J-1 visas are meant to promote international educational and cultural exchange, in order to develop mutual understanding between the people of the U.S. and other countries, according to the CC website.

Gromko said Colorado College has 110 international students out of a total student body of 2,400, making up about 4.5% of the student population.

Many of the fears universities and colleges around the U.S. have stem from Trumps first term, when in January 2017 he signed the so-called Muslim ban executive order during his first week in office, stranding some students and faculty from returning stateside.

The executive order banned travel to the U.S. by citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries  Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen. Travelers from those countries were either barred from getting on their flights or detained at U.S. airports after they landed. They included students and faculty as well as business people, tourists and visitors to friends and family.

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Trump later removed some countries and added others to the list  15 countries were affected at some point during his presidency. More than 40,000 people were ultimately refused visas because of the ban, according to the U.S. State Department. President Joe Biden rescinded the orders when he took office in 2021.

We are also watching closely for any immigration changes impacting F-1 and J-1 students and will continue to work with our campus partners to support the mental health and well-being of our international students, ensuring they feel a sense of belonging and inclusion here at CC, Gromko said.

More than 1.1 million international students were enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities during the 2023-24 school year, according to Open Doors, a data project partially funded by the U.S. State Department. Students from India and China have accounted for more than half of all international students in the U.S., and about 43,800 come from the 15 countries affected by Trumps travel restrictions.

Colorado Colleges "International Students" webpage said the campus had 113 international students from 44 different countries for the fall 2023 semester.

As needed, we are meeting with our international students this week one on one out of an abundance of caution to prevent travel issues and to reinforce that they are welcome here, we want them here, and there are people speaking up for them and advocating for them, said Gromko.

CCs last day of classes for the fall semester was Wednesday.

What might Trump do now?

Trumps transition team did not respond to questions on the topic this week, but in the past he has said hell revive the travel ban and expand it, pledging new ideological screening for non-U.S. citizens to bar dangerous lunatics, haters, bigots and maniacs.

We arent bringing in anyone from Gaza, Syria, Somalia, Yemen or Libya or anywhere else that threatens our security, Trump said at an October 2023 campaign event in Iowa.

Trump also vowed to revoke the student visas of radical anti-American and anti-Semitic foreigners at our colleges and universities in response to campus protests.
Channel 2 Action News has learned new details in the case of a Henry County teacher originally reported missing.

The Henry County School District placed him on administrative leave amid allegations that he sexually assaulted a female student at Union Grove High School.

Rodney Freemans family reported him missing because they havent seen him since Tuesday, but as Channel 2s Tyisha Fernandes began digging into this story on Thursday people in the community tipped her off that police are investigating Freeman for sexually assaulting a student at his school.

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Freeman is a Senior Naval Science Instructor at Union Grove High School where he oversees the Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, according to the school website.

Police say a 17-year-old girl accused Freemen of trying to have sex with her. The girls father went to police.

Police said they tried talking to Freeman, but he lawyered up and then disappeared.

The Henry County School District said Freeman has been placed on administrative leave.

He has since become the subject of a missing person investigation, and a warrant has been issued for his arrest related to an off-campus incident, the district said in a statement.

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So far, police do not know where Freeman is.

Anyone who knows Freemans whereabouts is asked to call Detective R. Nelson at 770-288-7613, the Henry County Non-Emergency Dispatch at 770-957-9121, or text us tips, photos, and videos to 770-220-7009.




Dec. 19The federal government could shut down this weekend after the House rejected President-elect Donald Trump's plan to fund operations and suspend the debt ceiling, with Democrats and dozens of Republicans refusing to accommodate his demands.

The 235-174 vote Thursday night shooting down the latest deal came after Trump ordered Republican lawmakers to oppose a bipartisan spending agreement lawmakers had reached earlier this week.

Congress has a Friday night deadline to reach a new agreement or risk a partial shutdown that would cut off funding to a range of government operations and personnel.

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Here's how Maine could be affected, based on what followed during shutdowns in 2013 and 2018, and the projected impacts of a shutdown that was discussed during a budget impasse in 2023.

More than 11,000 federal workers in Maine could be furloughed or expected to work without pay during a shutdown.

Essential workers, such as air traffic controllers, Transportation Security Administration screeners and members of the military, would be required to work, but would not be paid for that work until a budget deal is reached and federal operations are funded.

As a result, air travel would not be disrupted and national security work would continue  as long as essential workers continue to work without pay. However, travelers could see longer wait times or delays if the shutdown reaches a point where employees either will not or cannot continue to work without pay.

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Acadia National Park would likely close its gates, along with other national parks and monuments. In 2013, the National Park Service turned away millions of visitors to more than 400 parks, monuments, and other sites, leading to a loss of more than $500 million in visitor spending nationwide, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a non-profit dedicated to educating the public on issues of significant fiscal impact.

Many parks remained open during the 2018-2019 shutdown, though no visitor services were provided, and damage and trash build-up were reported at many sites, according to the committee.

Last September, as a shutdown loomed, it was announced that all national parks would close.

The National Park Service's press team said in an email Thursday that the agency remains hopeful that a lapse in government funding will not occur.

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If it does, routine visitor services will be available through Sunday. The park service is continuing to review contingency plans and specifics for individual parks.

Food assistance programs could be affected, especially if a shutdown drags on.

During last year's threat of a government shutdown, the White House warned that it could jeopardize nutritional assistance for 7 million women and children nationwide who are helped by the Special Supplemental Nutritional Program for Women, Infants and Children, or WIC.

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services is expecting WIC to be unaffected this time, but department spokesperson Lindsay Hammes said the length of the shutdown could have adverse affects for the program if a shutdown drags on.

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The department also expects the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, to be unaffected through the end of the year. "We are working to assess potential impacts for current participants and new enrollees should the federal government be shut down in the new year," Hammes said in an email.

As of November, 183,711 people in Maine were participating in SNAP and 18,775 were enrolled in the WIC program.

Access to some federal programs, including applications for small business loans and federally backed home mortgages would come to a halt. Funding for federal housing assistance programs, such as Housing Choice Vouchers, may also be jeopardized in a prolonged shutdown.

Social Security benefits would continue so recipients would not feel a disruption in benefit checks. The Social Security Administration would provide limited services like issuing Social Security cards and holding appointments for benefit applications, however.

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The SSA would stop services like benefits verifications and processing overpayments, and customer wait times would dramatically increase, according to a shutdown Q&A from Rep. Chellie Pingree's office.

Mail delivery would be unaffected because the U.S. Postal Service does not depend on Congress for funding.

Federal courts, including in Portland and Bangor, would likely remain open for a few weeks into a shutdown since the court system has additional sources of revenue, such as fees it collects.

Federal courts in Maine have been told they probably have enough funding to stay open for at least three weeks, through Jan. 10, if a shutdown happens, according to the clerk's office in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine.

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Border crossings would still be staffed and Border Patrol and the Coast Guard would continue to operate.

Some state and local government programs could be affected.

The state funds most of its employees through general funds or non-federal dollars, which means most state government operations would remain unchanged on a day-to-day basis.

A shutdown would impact funding from some federal departments and agencies, but which departments are impacted remains to be seen, based on the actions of Congress, said Sharon Huntley, director of communications for the Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services.

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There are about 2,500 state employees who are funded either entirely or in part by federal agencies, Huntley said in an email.

"For many  if not most  of these employees, their day-to-day will be unaffected for the time being because their department or agency has sufficient funding from existing federal spending authority or alternative funding sources for now," Huntley said.

She said the state is awaiting guidance from the federal government about which streams of funding would be disrupted by a shutdown.

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WASHINGTON  The U.S. government will shut down this weekend unless Congress comes up with a plan and acts soon.

Federal funding expires when the clock strikes 12:01 a.m. Saturday, and congressional Republicans are back to the drawing board after billionaire Elon Musk and President-elect Donald Trump blew up their original bill and then a backup plan failed to pass Thursday night.

As Congress debates a path forward, government operations that people rely on and paychecks for millions of federal workers hang in the balance.

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Here is what you need to know about what a government shutdown is and how it could affect you:

What is a government shutdown?

The Constitution gives Congress the power of the purse, meaning almost all government funding decisions take place on Capitol Hill. Each year Congress must pass spending bills before Oct. 1, the start of a new fiscal year, or the government runs out of money to keep functioning.

If Congress fails to act before that date, the House and the Senate can also pass legislation called a continuing resolution to keep the government fully operating for a short period of time. Back in September, Congress did exactly that and set Dec. 20 as the new deadline.

Now, Congress must act before the end of the day Friday or there will be a lapse in funding. Then, all nonessential government functions must stop.

How did Congress get to this point?

This is how the government spending process is designed to work: Appropriations committees in both chambers are supposed to pass a dozen spending bills that cover different federal agencies every year. Then the bills must pass both the full House and Senate before they go to the presidents desk to be signed into law.

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That rarely happens in modern Congresses. As is now the norm, Congress ran out of time to finish the process in September, so it passed a short-term funding extension.

Though Congress has known about the Dec. 20 deadline since the fall, it did not release a deal to avoid a shutdown until this week.

On Tuesday night, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., announced the deal, which was struck between the top congressional Republicans and Democrats. It would have extended government funding until March 14 and provided economic assistance for farmers and relief for areas hit by hurricanes. It also included a small pay raise for members of Congress, at a maximum of 3.8%, for the first time in more than a decade.

Before the House even scheduled a vote on it, Musk began posting negatively about the bill to his more than 200 million followers on his platform, X. Trump and a series of far-right members of Congress came out against the plan, as well, calling it a giveaway to Democrats and criticizing some policy provisions, like the congressional raises.

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Trump also added a last-minute demand: that Congress include legislation to address the debt ceiling. The country is not expected to hit its borrowing limit until sometime next year, but on Thursday, Trump told NBC News he wants Congress to get rid of the debt ceiling entirely.

House Republicans tried to pass a second bill to address Trump's concerns, but it failed, with nearly every Democrat and 38 Republicans voting against it. Now, they will have to figure out a new path as the clock ticks closer to the deadline.

When would a shutdown begin? How long could one last?

In the absence of last-minute action from Congress, a shutdown would start at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, so its effects would not be immediately felt until Monday.

It is difficult to predict how long a shutdown could last, but if it happens, it could last for a while, given divisions on Capitol Hill and the upcoming holidays. Republicans have a narrow majority in the House, and Democrats control the Senate. That will change on Jan. 3, when Republicans take over both chambers of Congress, and then Trump will be inaugurated on Jan. 20.

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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., posted on X that she would support shutting down the government until Inauguration Day.

What parts of the government would a shutdown affect?

During a shutdown, the federal government would be unable to pay its millions of employees, including members of the military and reservists, just before the holidays.

Hundreds of thousands of government workers could be furloughed, meaning they would temporarily stop going to work. During a shutdown in 2013, about 850,000 workers were furloughed. But even those who have to keep performing essential duties would not be paid for the duration of a shutdown.

Federal workers would receive retroactive pay when the government reopened, which was not always guaranteed until Congress passed a law after a shutdown in 2019.

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Some functions of the government would continue, including the military and public safety, like air traffic control and the Transportation Security Administration. Every federal agency creates a contingency plan for how to operate during a shutdown and which employees are excepted from being furloughed.

The Defense Department, for example, would require active military personnel to continue to report for duty, and inpatient care and emergency outpatient care in Pentagon medical treatment facilities would continue during a shutdown, a defense official told NBC News.

Military retiree benefits would continue to be paid out because they come from a separate trust fund, not from congressional appropriations, but they could be slowed by a lack of personnel to process them, the official said.

President Joe Biden and members of Congress would all continue to work and be paid, as required by law.

Would a shutdown affect benefits and payments like Social Security?

Social Security checks that go out to 73 million people in the United States every month would continue during a shutdown, as that is considered mandatory spending and not funded through the dozen appropriations bills Congress is supposed to pass each year.

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Other examples of mandatory spending that would continue are payments from Medicare, Medicaid, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and veterans benefits.

How long did the longest government shutdown last?

Congress has allowed funding to lapse several times in the past four decades, leading to 20 shutdowns that lasted at least one full day.

The longest shutdown was also the most recent: The government shut down for 34 full days from Dec. 21, 2018, to Jan. 25, 2019.

During that shutdown, national parks remained open, but trash started piling up with park employees furloughed. TSA employees, who were required to keep working without pay, started calling in sick, leading to delays at airports. The TSA administrator has warned that a shutdown this year would lead to longer waits heading into the holidays.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
WASHINGTON  President-elect Donald Trump wont be sworn in for another month, but a possible government shutdown is raising questions in Washington about how a funding lapse could affect the opening of the next Congress, the certification of Trumps election, and his inauguration.

The short answer: probably not much.

Thats because the employees and functions that support the constitutional duties of the president and Congress  as well as life and property  are exempted from lapses in service.

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Though the federal government has never been closed for business in the January following a presidential election, Congress and past administrations  including Trumps  have plenty of experience with continuing to operate during a shutdown.

On Capitol Hill, parliamentary experts have spent time gaming out what might happen under various scenarios. Heres what we know  and dont know  about a first-of-its-kind pre-inauguration shutdown.

The new Congress

Under the 20th amendment to the Constitution, the new Congress convenes at noon on Jan. 3.

A shutdown would not affect that process in its own right because neither lawmakers nor essential aides are required to stop working during a shutdown. Some employees deemed non-essential would be furloughed, but only those whose jobs are not necessary to lawmaking, security and other functions related to Congress constitutional duties.

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The administration, which implements shutdown protocols for federal agencies, has no power over congressional employees.

The certification of the election results

While a lapse in federal funding would not stop Congress from carrying out its constitutional duties, the kind of political chaos that led to this months shutdown fight could.

Even before lawmakers are sworn in on Jan. 3, the House elects its speaker, which allows for all subsequent business to be conducted. But the current speaker, Mike Johnson, R-La., is on the hot seat  as evidenced by his struggle to find the votes to keep the government open.

In 2023, Republicans took five days  and 15 rounds of voting  to hand the speakers gavel to then-Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., on Jan. 7.

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That raises the prospect that the House could fail to elect a speaker before Jan. 6, the day reserved for Congress to certify the electoral votes that will make Trump president.

If there is no speaker, there is no one with the procedural power to start the counting of the electoral votes. Without a speaker, the just-elected lawmakers cannot be sworn in  meaning they could not cast an official vote to certify the electoral votes or to re-open the government.

No one expects Jan. 6, 2025, to be an echo of the same day in 2021, when a mob of pro-Trump loyalists stormed the Capitol in a vain attempt to stop the certification of President Joe Bidens loss. But a different kind of chaos  a headless House  is a related possibility.

Because the Senate is a continuing body, where two-thirds of its members were not on the ballot in November, it doesnt face the same procedural hurdles.

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Parliamentary experts on Capitol Hill have advised House leaders that there are possible workarounds if Republicans have not come to a consensus on who should serve as speaker by Jan. 6.

One of the things the House can do if there is trouble, they can elect a temporary speaker or a speaker that is limited in purpose or duration, said one former House aide who is familiar with the situation and was granted anonymity to speak candidly.

But, as the expert said, "This is all new territory."

The inauguration

Typically, the new president is sworn in by the chief justice of the United States on the West Front of the Capitol  a rare coming together of all three branches of government at the same time and place. It is a major national security event that requires intensive coordination among federal agencies and between the administration, Capitol Police and Washington, D.C., law enforcement officers.

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There are employees at each of the federal security agencies that would be subject to furlough during a shutdown, but the Office of Management and Budget is clear in its guidance to agencies that workers who support the presidents official actions and provide for public safety should remain at their posts.

For example, the Department of Homeland Securitys contingency plan for a shutdown envisions retaining 150,063 employees who are necessary to protect life and property and 152 who are necessary to the discharge of the presidents constitutional duties and powers.

Even the National Park Service, which has responsibility for the grounds of the National Mall and adjacent landmarks, has a plan to make sure a shutdown would not leave its turf littered. The Park Service can use "the minimal level of its money to provide critical health, public safety, and protection services as an exempt activity in a manner that maintains restrooms and sanitation, trash collections  law enforcement emergency operations, and the protection of park resources.

But ahead of the inauguration, officials are busy getting ready to transfer power and information at federal agencies. An administration official said that while the impact is still unclear, a shutdown will make that work harder.

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"A shutdown this close to inauguration will be incredibly disruptive to the new administration," this person said. "It will slow down the offboarding and onboarding process and make it far more difficult for the agency landing teams to meet with their outgoing counterparts. We're in somewhat uncharted territory here, but this is not how to prepare to take office."

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton on Thursday night filed a motion in state District Court seeking to block death row inmate Robert Roberson from testifying at the Capitol on Friday, extending an intra-party power struggle that began when a Texas House committee in October successfully fought to have the man's execution delayed.

Paxton's motion comes two days after the House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence again subpoenaed Roberson to appear at a hearing Friday at noon, with Chair Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, and state Rep. Jeff Leach saying the man could provide valuable insight into a Texas law on "junk science."

The motion once again could jeopardize House lawmakers' plan to hear from the man after the attorney general intervened to block the committee's first effort two months ago.

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Roberson, of East Texas, would be the first man in the country executed for a conviction involving 'shaken baby' syndrome, and his lawyers and a bipartisan group of lawmakers have argued that new scientific evidence casts doubt on a diagnosis of shaken baby that a jury was provided before Roberson was convicted of murdering his two-year-old daughter, Nikki, in 2003.

Several prominent Texas Republicans, including Paxton, Gov. Greg Abbott and some House lawmakers, have not supported Roberson's innocence claim. Abbott declined to grant the condemned man a reprieve in October.

This time, Paxton filed for a last-minute protective order against the new subpoena on behalf of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, which oversees the state prison system. Texas law allows any  person affected by a subpoena to file for a protective order, and doing so automatically exempts them from complying with the subpoena until and unless a court says they must do so.

While Paxton does not represent Roberson, he argues that TDCJ is affected by the subpoena because Roberson is in the prison system's custody. The motion was filed in state District Court in Polk County, where the death row unit for men is located.

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Paxton's office also argued in the Thursday filing that the new subpoena is invalid.

"In addition to presenting serious security risks, the subpoena is procedurally defective and therefore invalid as it was issued in violation of the House Rules, the Texas Constitution, and other applicable laws," a news release from Paxton's office reads.

Paxton said the subpoena violates House rules because a quorum of committee members did not vote to approve it, though the Jurisprudence Committee voted to allow Moody to subpoena Roberson indefinitely.

"In addition to violating House Rules, any purported delegation of the Legislatures future subpoena power to a single legislator violates the Texas Government Code and the Texas Constitution," Paxton's filing reads.

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The state's top lawyer also requested that a hearing on the motion not take place until Jan. 13  the day before the House committee that summoned Roberson dissolves as the 89th legislative session begins. The lawmakers' subpoena would no longer be valid when the Legislature reconvenes Jan. 14.

Both Moody and Leach declined to comment on the new development Thursday night. However, several weeks ago, Leach said he felt that Paxton would seek to run out the clock.

What the attorney general's office, I feel like, is doing right now, is trying to delay as much as possible and not work with us, Leach told The Texas Tribune on Dec. 6. "Theyre basically ignoring the Supreme Court's order, knowing that in a month or so, when the new legislative session convenes, our committee goes away."

In the Supreme Court decision which Leach referred to, all nine Republican justices ruled that a subpoena could not delay a future execution or interfere with another branch's "prerogatives," but upheld the Legislature's power to compel legislative testimony otherwise.

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Roberson's attorney, Gretchen Sween, asserted that she feels the subpoena was valid and suggested Paxton had ulterior motives for seeking to keep the condemned man from speaking about his conviction. She said that the motion was made "seemingly without legal basis."

"The real 'fear' at play here seems to be that seeing and hearing from Robert will make it clear to the public that an innocent man sits on death row who is also a gentle soul with a pronounced disability," Sween wrote in an email to the American-Statesman. "Texans deserve better."

As of 9 p.m. Thursday, the committee hearing was still scheduled for noon Friday at the Capitol.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas AG Ken Paxton seeks to block Robert Roberson from testifying
Employers owed Oklahoma workers at least $9.7 million in unpaid wages and penalties over the past four and a half years, according to an analysis of state and federal data by The Frontier.

The Oklahoma Department of Labor ordered companies to pay nearly $6.9 million in unpaid wages and penalties between January 2020 and September 2024, while the U.S. Department of Labor found companies in Oklahoma were on the hook for $2.8 million in back wages and penalties during that same period. The federal agency also recently announced that it is searching for more than 1,600 workers in Oklahoma who might not be aware they are owed a combined $1.3 million collected by the department from employers for wage violations.

The Oklahoma Department of Labor typically handles cases where an employer failed to pay promised wages to a worker, while the U.S. Department of Labor has jurisdiction over violations of minimum wage and overtime pay laws.

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The economic impact of wages being paid cannot be understated, said David Bryan, assistant general counsel and director of the Oklahoma Department of Labors employment standards division. Workers receiving their wages allow them to pay for rent and utilities, feed their children and provide for their families. This circulation of income further strengthens and grows our states economy. Wages paid to workers benefit all Oklahomans.

The Oklahoma Department of Labor has substantiated about a third of the 2,474 wage cases since 2020 and the employer was ordered to pay the back wages.

Employers owed Oklahoma workers at least $9.7 million in unpaid wages and penalties over the past four and a half years, according to an analysis of state and federal data by The Frontier.

More: Minimum wage set to rise to $15, beyond in 23 states next year. Where does Oklahoma stand?

Restaurants, real estate companies owed wages to Oklahoma workers

India Palace, an Indian restaurant in Tulsa, owed the most wages to Oklahoma workers, according to the data. The U.S. Department of Labor in April 2023 ordered the restaurant to pay $510,897 to 23 workers for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act, as well as penalties.

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Guldeep Singh, owner of India Palace, told The Frontier that an expensive paperwork issue was the problem. Singh said an outside bookkeeper for the restaurant lumped restaurant servers base pay with tips from customers in one of the businesss quarterly federal tax records. The document spurred the U.S. Department of Labor to open an inquiry when it appeared that servers were not receiving their tips. The agency later determined that the restaurant would have to pay workers the tips they would have been owed. Singh said the money had already been paid to workers and had been reported as part of their base pay.

Singh said he had to take out a business loan to pay workers. Though Singh said he wishes there was an avenue with the Department of Labor to fix errors in business tax documents after an investigation has been opened, he decided to let the issue go since it was his employees who got the money.

As long as my employees get it, Im still happy, Singh said. If the government was taking it, I would go ahead and do something.

The issue has since been resolved, Singh said.

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But other workers for different employers filed claims after their employers abruptly stopped paying them.

Shelby Weston, a former employee for Hometown Lenders, Inc., said he and other workers at one of the Oklahoma branches of the company suddenly found themselves not being paid for their work and customer mortgage applications nearly fell through.

Hometown Lenders, a now-defunct Alabama-based mortgage lender with branches across the country, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier this year, after several lawsuits from creditors. The bankruptcy case is ongoing. Weston said downturns in the housing market contributed to the companys sudden collapse.

Hometown Lenders owed the second largest amount of unpaid wages in Oklahoma since 2020.The Oklahoma Department of Labor found in October 2023 that the company owed nine employees $507,377 in unpaid wages.

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It was a bad situation, Weston said. Hey, youre not getting paid. See you later. As soon as that happened, as the branch manager, I had to make a move to a different bank to get my people taken care of.

More: How much do middle class people make in Oklahoma? Here's how we compare to nation

Weston said his team was able to reroute mortgage applicants who had already been approved for a mortgage from Hometown Lenders to other banks, but it was no easy feat.

I had so many loans in the pipelines, Weston said. I dont think I ate for two weeks. We got them all closed in 7-10 days.

Weston said he and many other Hometown Lender employees are still waiting to be made whole, but the companys bankruptcy case has stalled the process.

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They owed us a lot of money, still owe us a lot of money. They owe so many people, they let it get way too bad. It was a bad deal. We all lost a lot of money, Weston said. There was nothing you could do. When companies go bankrupt, theres not a lot you can do. Its sad. Youve got to live and learn.

An attorney representing Hometown Lenders in its Alabama bankruptcy case did not return a phone message from The Frontier.

More: Oklahoma state housing agency facing $8 million shortfall

In other wage cases, an employer may renege on a deal to pay employees extra for work performed.

The Oklahoma Department of Labor issued a judgement in October 2023 against McAlester-based home health agency Traditions Homecare on a claim from an employee who said he was owed $160,000 after the companys co-owner promised him a bonus to help wind down the business. The companys other co-owner disagreed with that decision and the employee, David Pratt, filed a claim with the state Department of Labor.

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The Department of Labor sided with Pratt and added a $160,000 penalty on top of the $160,000 in unpaid wages after finding the violation was wilful. Traditions Homecare has filed a lawsuit against the Oklahoma Department of Labor to overturn that decision. The lawsuit is ongoing.

An attorney representing Traditions Homecare in its lawsuit seeking to overturn the Department of Labors determination did not return a phone message from The Frontier, but in court filings the company states the co-owner who told Pratt he would get a percentage of the money from selling the business was not authorized to do so.

Pratt said he decided to first file a wage claim with the Oklahoma Department of Labor, rather than hiring an attorney to file a lawsuit, in hopes of avoiding an expensive legal case.

The companies have plenty of recourse to fight it if they want to Pratt said. At the same time, I havent had to spend one legal dime on it because the Department of Labor will defend their decision.

Different avenues to reclaim unpaid wages

Though filing a claim with the labor department rather than filing suit may be the least expensive way for an employee to get their owed wages, its not always the right decision, and depends heavily on what type of wage claim is being filed, said Steven Hickman, a Tulsa attorney who has worked in labor and employment law for more than 40 years.

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Hickman said his office usually recommends that workers who have not been paid their regular wages file a claim with the state department of labor before filing a lawsuit. But workers who are owed unpaid overtime wages should probably file a lawsuit, he said.

For overtime violations with the U.S. Department of Labor, the employee can only go back two years and in some cases three, for owed wages. An employer can essentially run out the clock on those claims if it can delay the case. But when a lawsuit is filed, it stops that clock, Hickman said.

If you hire a lawyer and file a lawsuit, the time on the statute of limitations stops running the day you file your lawsuit, Hickman said.

Yet, even in state-level wage claim cases, the worker may eventually need an attorney to collect what is owed to them.

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A dozen workers at the Oklahoma-based manufacturer American Foundry Group, filed claims for unpaid wages with the Oklahoma Department of Labor in March 2023. Workers at the companys Muskogee plant began having their paychecks bounce in 2022, according to a report in the Muskogee Phoenix. Some filed only wage claims, while others also joined together to file a lawsuit. A phone message from The Frontier to the companys attorney in the case was not returned, but in court filings, the company denies the workers allegations. A trial in the case is scheduled for March 3.

One American Foundry worker, who asked not to be named since they still work there, said the lack of pay caused financial hardships for many of the workers, and the financial strain the company was going through manifested not only with bouncing paychecks, but vendors who had not been paid. The companys Muskogee site was also closed shortly after the paychecks began bouncing.

A dozen workers at the Oklahoma-based manufacturer American Foundry Group, filed claims for unpaid wages with the Oklahoma Department of Labor in March 2023. Workers at the companys Muskogee plant began having their paychecks bounce in 2022, according to a report in the Muskogee Phoenix.

The worker said the American Foundry owners are not bad people. They were in a bad spot and made some really bad choices, the worker said.

The worker has since been made whole by the company, but others who were not paid have not.

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Its very stressful, the worker said. Nobody is out there working for fun, lets be honest. Anytime someone goes without wage while theyre doing the work, its going to be a process you have to work through and decide personally what you can accept and what you cant. It was when am I going to run out of money and say I cant do this anymore? My personal breaking point turned out to be four months.

The biggest surprise in the wage claim process, the worker said, came after the Department of Labor determined that back wages were owed  at that point, it is up to the worker to actually collect the money.

Theres not a guarantee that youre going to get any kind of payment. All theyre doing is saying yes, the company owes you X amount of money, the American Foundry worker said. I was really caught off guard when they said Ok, heres the letter verifying what the company owes you. Now its up to you to go and get it.

Workers still sometimes need an attorney to collect wages even after a favorable decision from the Oklahoma Department of Labor, said Hickman, who is representing many of the employees who filed a lawsuit against American Foundry.

The Frontier is a nonprofit newsroom that produces fearless journalism with impact in Oklahoma. Read more at www.readfrontier.org.

Working at collecting it sometimes is a hard thing, because sometimes these companies are out of business, or youve got to determine how to garnish their money, Hickman said.

In some cases, unpaid wages have already been collected from employers, but the workers may have moved to another job and not know they have money waiting for them, said Michael Speer, director for the U.S. Labor Departments Wage and Hour Division in Oklahoma.

What has happened is we've completed some investigations, the employer has paid in the money to us, and there are some employees on some of those investigations that we were unable to locate, Speer said. They moved away, or we've lost contact with them, and we got bad telephone numbers, bad addresses.

Speer said workers who believe they may be owed money can go to the departments online Workers Owed Wages site, which is available in both English and Spanish. Workers can enter their identifying information on the website to see if the department is holding money owed to them.

The Frontier is a nonprofit newsroom that produces fearless journalism with impact in Oklahoma. Read more at www.readfrontier.org.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma workers not paid millions in wages by some employers
Dec. 19The first PNM Power Pros class graduated this month.

The Public Service Company of New Mexico, Ace Leadership High School and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 611 in September launched the program that trains high schoolers in electrical work.

Students who graduate from the program receive a certificate of completion, OSHA 10 certification and high school elective credits, according to PNM.

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PNM President and CEO Don Tarry said the utility is proud of its program participants.

"We believe that investing in the education of our local students will help them find rewarding careers that help them choose to live and work in New Mexico," he said in a statement.

Another graduating class of students in Silver City will be honored in May during a school graduation ceremony.

More students are set to participate in PNM Power Pros in 2025, according to the company.
AAR Corp., an aviation services provider with billions in contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense and other government agencies, has admitted to doling out millions in bribes to foreign government officials in a complex scheme that involved bid-rigging, phony payments for services, and the use of code names such as Sisi, Cuz, and Boetie. All told, AAR Corp. profited $24 million as a result of the bribery operation, officials said.

AAR Corp. will pay $55 million in fines and penalties to resolve bribery investigations into payments made to high-ranking government officials in Nepal and South Africa, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Wood Dale, Illinois-based AAR Corp. has also entered an 18-month non-prosecution agreement (NPA) in connection with the case. Authorities said a former executive of an AAR subsidiary previously pleaded guilty for his role in the scheme involving officials in Nepal, while a third-party agent of AAR pleaded guilty for his role in the South Africa bribes.

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AAR bribed high-level government officials to obtain business with state-owned airlines in Nepal and South Africa and reaped nearly $24 million in illicit profits as a result, said Chief Counselor Brent Wible of the Justice Departments Criminal Division. The Justice Department continues to hold companies and individuals accountable for engaging in international corruption.

AAR said in a statement that the resolutions with both the DOJ and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) make clear that the relevant conduct was principally carried out by a former employee of a Company subsidiary and former third-party agents.

We are pleased to resolve these matters with the DOJ and SEC, said John M. Holmes, AARs Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. Holmes reaffirmed the companys commitment to transparency, ethics, and compliance in its operations.

AAR holds several significant contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense, with the total value exceeding multiple billions of dollars. In September, AAR was awarded a five-year contract with a ceiling value of $1.2 billion with the U.S. Navys Naval Air Systems Command for engine depot maintenance on its P-8A Poseidon Aircraft fleet. That deal came closely on the heels of a separate September contract valued at approximately $1.2 billion to perform airframe maintenance. The DOD did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

AAR Corp.s Tale of Two Bribes

Both the bribery deals laid out by officials in the NPA and settlement agreements weave a complex tapestry of contracts, bid rigging, disguised fees for consulting, wads of cash, special purpose vehicles, and financial transactions.

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According to the details laid out in the NPA, the Nepal scheme involved the state-owned Nepal Airlines Corporation and an AAR subsidiary executive named Deepak Sharma. It spanned 2015 to 2018. The NPA states Sharma allegedly met with a Nepal Airlines Corporation official in November 2015 to discuss a possible deal to sell two Airbus A330-200 aircraft valued at about $210 million. The official proposed using an unnamed intermediary as a lobbyist, and Sharma agreed.

The Nepal official later leaked a confidential draft request for proposal (RFP) to Sharma before it went public as part of a bid-rigging scheme, authorities said. Sharma, and others at AAR, allegedly used the inside information to suggest changes to the RFP that would benefit AAR and disadvantage competitors.

In reference to the deal, the official pinged Sharma with a text on Oct. 30, 2016, stating: [N]o need to worry at all. Almost all higher-ups are in our pocket.

Authorities alleged Sharma also set up agreements and helped make a total of $2.5 million in bribes through intermediaries, including configuring a new way to make payments to officials after a bank in Hong Kong blocked them. The payments shifted to a new intermediary company in the United Arab Emirates. Ultimately, AAR made $6 million in profits from the contract, according to the NPA.

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The South Africa scheme ran from January 2016 to January 2020 and involved San Diego man Julian Aires, who was an executive at an aircraft components company and controlled a South Africa joint venture with a subsidiary. Aires allegedly met with multiple officials of state-owned South African Airways (SAA) and determined that the officials would get a share of the revenue from contracts for South African Airways Technical (SAAT). In exchange, the officials would help AAR in getting and keeping business from SAAT, including a five-year contract, the NPA states.

Aires allegedly arranged payments through an unnamed company and the joint venture partner in the form of a success fee and a one-time payment used to bribe officials in South Africa to win the contract. Aires and Sharma were in contact during the process, and kept in touch with each other via emails, the NPA states. Aires allegedly sent Sharma photos of confidential bid information that gave a leg up to the AAR subsidiary.

In addition, Aires and an employee at another unnamed company kept records of the bribes, disguising them as consulting fees and referring to officials by the code names, Cuz, Sisi or Sissy, and Boetie. Aires also frequently carried cash with him on trips to South Africa and gave the money directly to officials to be shared, authorities said. The NPA states that during the course of the SAAT contract, SAAT paid AAR about $79.6 million. AAR profited $17.9 million in connection, authorities said.

Authorities said Sharma pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia on Aug. 1 to a conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act for his role in the Nepal scheme while Aires pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia on July 15 to a conspiracy to violate the FCPA for his role in the South Africa scheme.

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AAR said it self reported the potential violations to the SEC and the DOJ in 2019, and has since taken extensive steps to enhance its global compliance program. In light of the companys actions, authorities reduced the criminal penalty by 45%.

Companies competing on a fair and level playing field is a core value that we expect any U.S. company or anyone doing business in the United States to embrace, said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia. Bribery schemes, whether based inside or outside the United States, harm consumers and companies that are trying to lawfully run their businesses. That is why this office, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to diligently pursue any individual or company that seeks to profit through corrupt or illegal means.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
MANHATTAN, N.Y. (PIX11)  Luigi Mangiones lawyer called the federal and state cases against him highly unusual during a court appearance on Thursday.

Mangione, 26, was extradited from Pennsylvania to New York to face murder charges in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. He was flanked by members of the NYPD, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch and Mayor Eric Adams when he arrived in the city via helicopter.

Family of Luigi Mangione speaks out following arrest and arraignment

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Karen Friedman Agnifilo, Mangiones attorney, said in court that she was unaware the federal government was filing charges against her client. The federal government has charged Mangione with stalking, murder and weapons charges, while New York state indicted him on charges that include murder as an act of terrorism.

If convicted on the federal charges, Mangione could face the death penalty. Federal prosecutors have not commented on whether theyll seek the death penalty.

Who was Brian Thompson, the UnitedHealthcare CEO?

I want to note that the theory of the murder charge in the Manhattan D.A. case seems to be in conflict with and in opposite to the theory that is here being brought by the U.S. Attorneys Office, Friedman Agnifilo said. There, they talk about terrorism and potentially influencing a group of people. This is stalking an individual. Thats what the theory is here. Those are two completely different theories. These seem like different cases.

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Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the federal and state cases will, proceed as parallel matters.

Federal investigators shared more evidence against Mangione in a court filing on Thursday, including a notebook where he wrote he wanted to wack an insurance executive.

This story comprises reporting from The Associated Press.

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.
BOWIE, Md. (DC News Now)  Thursday was a day of celebration at Bowie State University. During the winter commencement ceremony, 380 students graduated, adding to the schools alumni. Students have been waiting for this moment for years, and finally get to celebrate it with their loved ones as they cross the stage.

When DC News Nows Tyger Munn asked graduate Roderick Robinson about what he was going to do when he saw his family, he simply said, Cry, and laughed

Robinson is originally from Memphis, but his pursuit of education led him to Bowie and this moment. Even if they were many miles away, his family had to be here for him.

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They took off work to be here. My moms here, my grandmas here. He said. Everybody here just for me. So just for them to come and support me, it means a lot. So I cant wait to just cherish this moment.

Real Housewives of Potomac star Karen Huger found guilty of DUI; body camera footage released

The University had a guest speaker at the event as well. Legendary hip-hop artist MC Lyte spoke to the students, giving them messages about being true to themselves and facing the challenges of the world.

Lyte, a prominent figure in the early days of rap, now spends her time speaking at events to the youth and doing her part in making a difference.

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I cant even tell you how many times I held back tears today, specifically with the moments where I could see that they had others here to cheer them on. And sometimes that thats all it takes is someone to actually support you, Lyte said.

Lyte has been doing this for years, but it doesnt fail to get her choked up looking at the future of Black America right in front of her.

It always feels just as invigorating, as if it were the first time because I could see the gleam in their eye. She said. I could also see the concern and, you know, just just because youre graduating doesnt mean its over, you know, the next step. You just have to trust in the process and also believe that you deserve the best.

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.
Swedish police said Friday a man had been shot dead in a parking garage in the city of Norrkoping, with media identifying the victim as the rapper Gaboro, who reportedly had links to criminal gangs.

A video purporting to show the killing quickly spread on social networks. In the video, seemingly filmed with a camera worn by the shooter, a person carrying a handgun can be seen firing multiple shots in a car garage.

Police said they were aware of the video and that it was part of their investigation.

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They said a man in his 20s, who had been found injured at the scene on Thursday morning, was later pronounced dead in hospital.

Police said in a statement that they were seeking information about a silver station wagon that may be connected to the case.

A police car stands near a parking garage where rapper Gaboro was shot dead on Thursday evening, in central Norrkoping, Sweden, Dec. 19, 2024. / Credit: Anders Wiklund/TT via Reuters

"The police are still working very intensively on the case, which is classified as murder," the statement said.

Multiple media outlets reported that the man was the rapper Gaboro, whose songs have been streamed millions of times on Swedish music streaming giant Spotify.

Sweden has seen a rise in gang shootings and bombings linked to score-settling between rival groups, with police struggling to control the illicit drug market.

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Several high-profile artists have previously been victims of the violence.

In June, 26-year-old rapper C.Gambino  whose real name is Karar Ramadan and is not to be confused with American rapper Childish Gambino  was killed in a shooting. He had been named the country's hip-hop artist of the year the month before.

Another award-winning Swedish rapper, Einar, was shot and killed in Stockholm in a gang conflict in October 2021.

Nevertheless, police told Reuters this week that they were making headway in their effort to curb. deadly gang violence, resulting in fewer shootings and shooting deaths.

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"This is the first time we have seen the trend pointing clearly downwards over an extended period of time," Police National Operations Department head Johan Olsson told Reuters.

Last year, 53 people died in 363 shootings, which often took place in public and sometimes claimed the lives of innocent victims and passers-by.

Flowers are placed near a parking garage where the rapper Gaboro was shot dead on Thursday evening, in Norrkoping, Sweden, Dec. 19, 2024. / Credit: Anders Wiklund/TT via Reuters

Teen shooter connected to man accused of plotting separate attack

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The Titusville Police Department has arrested a man suspected of a hit-and-run crash on Wednesday, Dec. 18.

40-year-old Joseph Domingo Santiago out of Titusville was driving his 2018 Nissan Altima when he struck a juvenile riding a Moleman mini motorbike near the intersection of North Singleton Avenue and Wilderness Lane, according to TPD.

Santiago did not stop and fled the scene of the crash.

The juvenile victim was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to police.

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Read: Operation Silent Night cleans the street of drugs before the holidays

TPD, through their investigation,n identified and located the vehicle and seized it for evidence.

Santiago was later identified as the driver and was located at his home and was taken into custody by TPD and booked into the Brevard County Jail.

Read: Orlando International Airport prepares for the holiday travel season

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CONNECTICUT (WTNH)  The holidays mark one of the busiest times of the year for travel.

Millions are expected to hit the roads and airports over the next few weeks.

Theres no place like home for the holidays. Many people at Bradley International Airport are already starting their journey, while others are heading to sunny destinations to celebrate Christmas and New Years.

New Connecticut laws take effect Jan. 1: Heres what to know

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According to AAA, there will be a record number of travelers to close out the year. They are projecting 119 million people will hit the roads and airports during Christmas and New Years.

That would surpass the previous record set in 2019, before the pandemic.

TSA expects to screen nearly 40 million people throughout the holidays.

Where is everyone going? AAA said tropical weather destinations for the most part. Major Florida cities like Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Orlando are at the top of the list, followed by Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Honolulu and New York City.

The advice to air travelers flying out of airports like Bradley is to arrive early and stay updated with your airline.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WTNH.com.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (DC News Now)  With a government shutdown looming, a potentially record-breaking holiday travel weekend could be even more hectic.

AAA projects more than 119 million passengers will travel by air between Dec. 21 and New Years Day. This is about three million more travelers this holiday season compared to last year.

In addition, the Trade group Airlines for America expects nearly 54 million people to travel by air from Thursday until Jan. 6.

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TSA announced it is also prepared to screen about 40 million passengers until Jan. 2.

I thought it was very long. I didnt really want to wait in it, thats how 10-year-old Camron and his 7-year-old brother Oliver felt when they saw the long TSA lines wrapped around the corner at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

According to AAA, Friday, Sunday, Dec. 27, 28, and 29 are expected to be the busiest travel days, which means long lines.

Its beginning to look like another record for holiday travel

But, when it comes to airport operations, employees and passengers wont feel an immediate impact instead it could be long-term.

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Its it is what it is. Im just ready to go home, so Im fine with waiting in a little bit of a line, said passenger Sarah Havdala.

With a potential government shutdown, it could impact holiday travel and airport employees. Experts say there wont be an immediate impact but more long-term. A shutdown could lead to more people calling off work, and that means even longer lines for passengers especially during their return home.

Its going to stress me out a lot, said passenger Tiffany Sacra.

Well get here early. She gets me up about three hours before the flight leaves for domestic, said passenger Jill Wallace.

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Lawmakers are encouraging travelers to continue with their holiday plans but to also have patience.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
Just a few days before the 2024 presidential election, Carolyn Fisher and her husband listened as their 16-year-old nonbinary child announced, I want to die, mama.

Their child, cellphone in hand, was on a call with an LGBTQ crisis hotline counselor. With tears in his eyes, Fishers child explained, as his parents listened, that he had joined an online group of LGBTQ kids that planned to die by suicide if former President Donald Trump won the election.

The Trump campaign -- which has said it will "end left-wing gender insanity" in schools, medical care, sports, and restrict anti-discrimination policies -- has been criticized for its rhetoric against gender non-conforming people.

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I feel like I was a bad mother because I was one of those people, said Fisher, a conservative Trump supporter, recalling that she had laughed at a pro-Trump ad on television that claimed Kamala is for They/Them. Trump is for you. Looking back, she recalls her child walking out of the room.

LGBTQ crisis line Rainbow Youth Project said it receives an increase in calls around the holidays. (ABC News Photo Illustration by Dani Grandison, Adobe Stock)

Fisher says she has long been supportive of her child wearing the clothes and hairstyle he prefers  even if members of their extended family openly disapproved or ridiculed her childs choices at holiday gatherings.

Last year during the holidays, her child chose to stay home by himself: He said he didn't feel well, but that was a lie. He has since told us he just didn't want to put us through that, said Fisher.

But after her child opened up about wanting to take his own life, Fisher said it's been a wakeup call for their family. They have since dedicated hours to discussing gender, politics and their childs experiences in order to build a stronger family support system and protect their child from hate.

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This year, the Fishers are keeping a strict guest list for the holidays: only those who are supportive of their childs identity are welcome into their home, Fisher says.

It's not because he was suicidal. It's because he deserves that. He does not deserve to be ostracized by our family, she said.

Fisher said she's been criticized by family members who have said she is letting her child "dictate" not inviting or not visiting some family members.

"And I'm not ashamed to sit here and tell you my exact words  Youre damn right, my child means that much to me. I love my child that much,'" said Fisher.

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The holidays can be a difficult time for those in the LGBTQ community without an accepting family to go home to or those who can expect to face criticism head-on at the dinner table. As anti-LGBTQ rhetoric grows nationwide, it has added painful pressure to what can be an already stressful season.

The Rainbow Youth Project, the LGBTQ hotline Fisher credits with saving her childs life, told ABC News that calls to the crisis center increase during the holiday season  and each year has seen more calls than the last.

The holidays can be a difficult time for those in the LGBTQ community as anti-LGBTQ sentiment grows nationwide. (ABC News Photo Illustration by Dani Grandison, Adobe Stock)

It's just really important that [callers] know that there is help, said Teegan Mauter, a member of the Rainbow Youth Project's Transgender Action Committee, in an interview. There are people out here that see them, that want to help them, that don't want anything from them, but for them to exist and for them to be happy.

The Fisher family is one of many families reckoning with unaccepting relatives and community members this season.

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Kenny Dunn, an Ohio father, told ABC News he has cut people out of his life because of the misinformation, falsehoods and offensive things theyve said about his 17-year-old daughter Melissa who came out as lesbian in February.

Her extended family has since made it clear that her parents are "not to bring the lesbian" to family events  claiming they were concerned that Melissa being a lesbian is going to rub off on one of the other kids, Dunn said. Another family member falsely claimed that Melissa would want to eventually become transgender, that it was a slippery slope.

Sexual orientation and gender identity is not a choice, according to the CDC.

This holiday season, the Dunn family is leaving their hometown and going on a vacation.

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Last Christmas was the last Christmas that we will spend with extended family, Dunn said.

If their ignorance and their lack of education on how this actually works is so severe that they can't accept my child, or they want to talk bad about my child, I don't need them in my life, said Dunn. And it took me a while to get there."

Melissa told ABC News that its been difficult for her to feel like shes the cause of the interfamily arguments, saying she fell into a "really dark place" amid the arguing and fighting.

But her father interjected: It's not your fault. It's their fault. It's their ignorance. And that's just something we're not going to tolerate.

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As these two families deal with the fallout, they all acknowledge how lucky they are to be a source of support for their child.

Fisher said her child has online friends across the country who will be alone for the holidays, some who no longer are allowed to live at home with their families because they are part of the LGBTQ community.

For the Dunns, their home had become a place where those who didn't "fit in" would find support. The recent death by suicide of Melissas close friend  who they say was gay and not accepted by his own family  has exacerbated the pain they feel this season.

Families say they are standing up for their LGBTQ children this season. (ABC News Photo Illustration by Dani Grandison, Adobe Stock)

"I don't know what it's like to be a gay man, but I know what it's like to be sitting in your truck in your driveway, replaying in your mind all the memories of this kid that was coming to your house for refuge and as a sanctuary," said Dunn. "And I just vowed that, even if I don't understand it, I was going to be that sanctuary to my own child, my own children, and any other kid in this neighborhood that's going through that."

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Still, this has been a learning process for both families. Both Dunn and Fisher said they had many questions for their child at the start.

Dunn said he's had to let go of the idea that he needs to be "authoritarian" over his children's lives.

"Sometimes we just need to sit back and let them drive the car for a minute," Dunn said. "And of course, we need to be the guardrails, but we need to just let them drive the car for a minute and try to explore and figure out who they are."

He said that Melissa knew who she was from a young age: We're really doing ourselves an injustice by not honoring the beauty in the fact that they are brave, bold and have courage to be different and not let anybody tell them that they can't be."

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For Fisher, she said that to be an ally to her child, she needs to trust him in who he says he is: "I would much rather go through this and make sure that I'm loving my child for who they feel they really are, than trying to love them for something that I want them to be that they don't feel like they are."

Hotlines like the Rainbow Youth Project -- a source used by both the Fishers and Dunns -- hope to be a tool for LGBTQ residents, their families and community members grappling with similar questions.

During this stressful season, Melissa asks people to be kind.

"It doesn't take anything extra to just leave me alone and let me live my life," she said. "I don't need another parent or a stranger telling me that I'm wrong. It doesn't take anything to be nice and be kind, and we are already going through a lot of pain."

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If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide or worried about a friend or loved one, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 for free, confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Holidays are hard for some LGBTQ people as politics stoke division originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
KANSAS CITY, Mo.  Wyandotte County commissioners approved a proposal Thursday by Hollywood Casino for a new hotel near Kansas Speedway.

The casino had originally received STAR bonds back in 2014 and promised to bring a 250 room hotel to the region within two years after it first opened in Kansas City, Kansas more than a decade ago but it never happened.

The new hotel will only have 125 rooms.

The exchange for the smaller hotel, Hollywood Casino is offering to give $350,000 more every year to local charities.

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Commissioners approved the proposal 8-2 at Thursday nights meeting.

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SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  A Department of Homeland Security agent who the FBI says conspired with another agent to sell an illicit drug known as bath salts pleaded not guilty to a drug distribution conspiracy charge Friday in federal court.

A grand jury in Salt Lake City brought the criminal charge against Special Agent David Cole of the Homeland Security Investigations unit earlier this week. The indictment alleges that Cole abused his position as a federal law enforcement agent to obtain and sell drugs for profit. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

Cole took drugs that had been seized as evidence, telling colleagues he was using them for legitimate investigations, and instead sold them to a confidential informant who resold the drugs for profit on the streets of Utah, according to the indictment.

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The informant, who has a lengthy criminal history, had been recruited by federal agents to work for them upon his release from prison. But in addition to conducting controlled buys from suspected drug dealers as directed by investigators, the informant said he was compelled by Cole and another agent to also engage in illegal sales.

The investigation began after the informants defense attorney contacted the U.S. Attorney in Utah in October to report that agents had required him to engage in potentially illegal acts dating from last spring to early December. Details of drug sales offered by the informant were confirmed through surveillance and other sources, the FBI said.

Cole and the second agent  identified in court documents only as Person A  profited up to $300,000 from the illegal scheme, according to an FBI affidavit filed in the case.

FBI spokesperson Sandra Barker said Friday that Person A had not been arrested or charged, but the investigation was ongoing.

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Cole, 50, of South Jordan, Utah, entered the courtroom Friday handcuffed and hunched over, wearing a white and gray, striped jumpsuit. U.S. Magistrate Judge Dustin Pead accepted Cole's not guilty plea and scheduled a trial for the week of Feb. 24.

Federal officials say Coles indictment sends a message that officers who break the law and undermine the publics trust in law enforcement will be prosecuted.

A drug dealer who carries a badge is still a drug dealer  and one who has violated an oath to uphold the law and protect the public, said Nicole Argentieri, head of the U.S. Justice Departments Criminal Division. "No one is above the law.

Special Agent Shohini Sinha, who leads the FBI's Salt Lake City field office, said Coles alleged actions helped fuel an already devastating drug crisis.

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Ingestion of synthetic bath salts, also known as Alpha-PVP or cathinone, can lead to bizarre behavior such as paranoia and extreme strength, according to authorities who say its similar to methamphetamine, cocaine or ecstasy. They are unrelated to actual bathing products.

Coles attorney, Alexander Ramos, has declined to directly address the criminal allegations but said his client has a strong reputation within the federal law enforcement community. Ramos did not immediately respond Friday to emails seeking comment on the not guilty plea.

The Homeland Security Investigations department where Cole worked conducts federal criminal investigations into the illegal movement of people, goods, money, weapons, drugs and sensitive technology into, out of and across the U.S. Cole and the second agent had their credentials suspended but have not been fired, according to court documents.
Dec. 20More than a year has passed since Kalispell City Council floated the idea of organizing a summit for Flathead County's three municipalities to address homelessness. But it has quietly fizzled in the intervening months.

Councilor Ryan Hunter still believes convening with leaders from Whitefish and Columbia Falls is a good idea, but said that progress stalled after Mayor Mark Johnson pledged to organize it.

The idea for a summit arose in October 2023 when Councilor Chad Graham floated the idea of inviting leadership from the neighboring municipalities to a conference aimed at addressing homelessness in Flathead County.

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That year participants in the annual Point-in-Time survey, led by the federal Department for Housing and Urban Development, found 263 homeless individuals living in the region. That figure dropped to 199 homeless people in the 2024 survey, though local service organizations say shelters in Northwest Montana are nearly always at capacity.

A month later, in November 2023, Kalispell Mayor Mark Johnson pledged to speak with his counterparts in the other municipalities after City Manager Doug Russell expressed hesitancy in organizing a summit without a clear agenda.

Officials in Columbia Falls and Whitefish at the time indicated willingness to participate.

But, over a year later, the idea seems to have died on the vine. After Johnson said he would come up with an agenda, "nothing happened," Hunter told the Inter Lake in a recent interview. "We don't seem to take too seriously actually proactively addressing this issue."

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Johnson did not respond to several requests for comment, both via email and in person at City Council meetings. Councilors Jed Fisher, Sid Daoud and Kari Gabriel also did not respond to requests for comment.

Graham expressed during Council meetings last year and again in a recent interview that the other municipalities should first provide services for homeless individuals in their own communities before a summit can convene. Kalispell, the seat of Flathead County, is home to the Flathead Warming Center and Samaritan House as well as Ray of Hope, a Christian ministry that offers shelter space, and Sparrow's Nest, which serves homeless high school students.

Graham said there is a lot of lip service in the valley about advocating for the impoverished, "but that kind of stops at the city limits of other cities."

"I'm tired of Kalispell being a doormat for the rest of the community when it comes to this issue," he said.

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But Columbia Falls Mayor Don Barnhart said he was unsure of the need for a shelter in his community.

"We don't really see homeless [people]," Barnhart said of Columbia Falls.

Whitefish Mayor John Muhlfeld did not respond to requests for comment.

And Flathead County commissioners have urged municipalities to block new shelters from opening. In January 2023, commissioners released a letter imploring city councils "to not permit or expand warming shelters that bring more of these homeless individuals to our community."

When Graham launched an effort earlier this year to revoke the Flathead Warming Center's conditional use permit and force it to close, communications officials for the county applauded the move on social media.

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To Hunter, the conference is one of several opportunities to address homelessness that the city has abandoned.

"There have been concrete suggestions about how to more proactively address this crisis in our community and there has not been a serious commitment to follow up on those suggestions and make them happen," Hunter said.

Flathead Warming Center Director Tonya Horn proposed the idea of forming an advisory board to address homelessness after the murder of a homeless man in June 2023. Authorities say Scott Bryan, 60, was killed in the parking lot of a Kalispell gas station and charged Kaleb Fleck with deliberate homicide in connection with Bryan's death.

The advisory board was intended to form a space for businesses and homeless individuals to share their perspectives. Over late summer of 2023, Tonya said Johnson met individually with several homeless people, listening to their experiences with an eye to forming the advisory board. But since then, progress seemed to have halted.

"Ideas are thrown out and never pursued," Hunter said.

Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at 758-4407 and junderhill@dailyinterlake.com.
Dec. 19Thanks to a $25 million donation from a wealthy philanthropist and another $10 million from a foundation, the Santa Fe nonprofit developer Homewise Inc. is positioned to tackle the affordable housing crisis in an unprecedented fashion.

Homewise officials announced early Thursday in a news release they had received the $25 million gift from Seattle billionaire MacKenzie Scott's Yield Giving organization as well as a $10 million "impact investment" from the Anchorum Health Foundation in Santa Fe.

Homewise CEO Mike Loftin called the Scott donation "game-changing," adding it comes with no strings attached.

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"We're very good at incremental change, but having a chance to kick it up to another level is very appealing," he said.

None of the funding included in the Scott donation or the Anchorum investment will be spent on Homewise's operational costs, Loftin said, vowing that all of it will go to the folks who need help the most.

"It will be spent 100% on people," he said.

According to the news release, the funds will allow Homewise to significantly expand its lending programs for first-time home buyers and to improve energy efficiency in homes.

Loftin said Homewise officials have not had the chance to decide how much of the funding will be directed toward each of those purposes, but he said they strongly relate to each other.

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"We're trying to build more and more new homes that are affordable and energy efficient," he said.

Jerry Jones, president and CEO of the Anchorum Health Foundation, said in the news release his organization's vision for addressing the affordable housing crisis depends on collaboration.

"It is bold, visionary investments like these that will help increase access to affordable homeownership, improve the overall quality of life and transform our community," Jones said.

Scott, the former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, formed Yield Giving the year after her 2019 divorce made her one of the richest women in the country. The foundation has since awarded more than $19 billion to nonprofits nationwide.

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Loftin said an official from Yield Giving reached out to him a few months ago in an email that only hinted at what Scott, the former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, apparently had in mind.

"It was very nondescript," Loftin said. "It would have been an easy one to delete."

Instead, Loftin said he followed up on the message and learned Yield Giving officials were eager to talk to him about a donation. It didn't take long for the magnitude of the situation to sink in for him, Loftin said.

"It was like, 'Oh, my God, they want to do something big,' " he said.

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Loftin said neither he nor his organization had any contact with Scott or her philanthropic group before that initial email, meaning it was Yield Giving officials who likely discovered Homewise on their own and came up with the idea of making such a significant donation.

"She has a team, and they scan the country," Loftin said. "They kind of find you."

Noting New Mexico nonprofits are not typically on the radar of large philanthropic foundations, Loftin said he believes Homewise's reputation for collaboration is what made the donation possible.

"I think it's a testament to the people in New Mexico institutions and the fact that we work well together," he said. "I think that's what caught their attention."

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Loftin said even though Homewise has helped establish 7,000 households through its work on the affordable housing crisis since the organization's founding in 1986, it still has a long way to go before the problem is solved in New Mexico. That's what makes Thursday's news so exciting, he said.

"I'm proud of the work, but it's not like we haven't lost ground," he said, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic set the movement back considerably.

That may change with the $35 million in new funding, Loftin said, noting the donations likely will attract additional funding from other organizations.

"We've already had lots of conversations with our partners, and they're excited about it," he said.

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The affordable housing crisis is not just a New Mexico issue, Loftin said. Many other states are in the same position.

"I think people are desperate for results," he said.

While he's unsure what the federal response to the predicament will be, Loftin said he believes the money will allow Homewise  which already has more than 1,500 new housing units in its pipeline  to make a big difference.

"In New Mexico, I'm very optimistic," he said.

Homewise is not the first New Mexico organization to benefit from Scott's philanthropy. In 2020, she donated $5 million to the Institute of American Indian Arts. A year later, her foundation made a nearly $3 million gift to IAIA's Museum of Contemporary Native Arts.

In March, the New Mexico Environmental Law Center, the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty, Cuidando Los Ninos, Enlace Comunitario, La Semilla Food Center, PB&J Family Services, the National Indian Youth Leadership Development Project, the Institute of Women & Ethnic Studies, NACA Inspired Schools Network and Keshet Dance & Center for the Arts all received $2 million donations from Scott.
CLEVELAND (WJW)  The holiday travel rush is in full swing at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.

Carol Eiler flew in from Arkansas to see family in Northeast Ohio.

The trip was pretty good really. Today was supposed to be the best day to travel, said Eiler.

Will Amazon strike affect your holiday packages?

Airport officials say 530,000 passengers will fly to or from Cleveland during the 19-day holiday period. Friday, Dec. 20 will be the busiest day.

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We estimate 33,000 passengers on that one day. The second busiest day is Monday, Dec 23. The third is Jan. 5, the Sunday after the new year, said Michelle Dynia, airport spokesperson.

The airport reminds people to arrive two hours before your flight, make a plan for parking and avoid packing wrapped gifts that might set off security alarms.

Dolly Parton plate bill heads to DeWines desk

As was the case during Thanksgiving, TSA will open security checkpoints 15 minutes earlier in the morning to help accommodate the crowds.

AAA says over 119 million people are expected to travel more than 50 miles from their homes between Saturday and Jan. 1.

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This is highest travel forecast since 2019.

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TYLER, Texas (KETK)  This holiday season, Hormel Foods Corporation and Brookshire Grocery Co. (BGC) partnered to donate $100,000 worth of hams to nonprofits.

Hormel Food and BGC are joining in on the East Texas Food Banks mission is to fight hunger and feeding hope to the East Texans that might not know where their next meal is coming from.

East Texas Food Bank Empty Bowls Longview event coming up in January

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On Dec. 19, the two companies donated nearly 8,000 hams to the East Texas Food Bank and other food banks throughout the communities where Brookshires, Super 1 Foods, Spring Market and FRESH by Brookshires stores operate.

Hormel Foods and BGC hosted the ceremony at Super 1 foods in Tyler to present the donation of hams to the East Texas Food Bank.

To finds ways to join the fight to end hunger in East Texas, visit the East Texas Food Bank website at easttexasfoodbank.org.

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FRANKLIN COUNTY, Ky. (FOX 56)  10 horses were relocated in an hours-long rescue procedure by the Kentucky Humane Society (KHS) on Thursday, with three more horses yet to be relocated.

4-month-old pig up for adoption to a hog-loving home at Lexington animal shelter

The KHS posted on Facebook that on Wednesday, the Equine Connect, Assist, Rescue, Educate (CARE) team got a call asking for help relocating 13 neglected horses in Franklin County.

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It took eight hours, but we were able to corral 10 out of the 13 horses into our trailers and bring them back to our farm, KHS staff wrote. The three remaining horses had jumped a fence to a part of the property that we could not access, but thankfully they appeared to be in decent condition and will have access to grass and water in their pasture.

The state humane society said team members have offered to return on Friday and work with law enforcement to relocate the remaining three horses to Willow Hope Farm with the others for medical attention.

(Kentucky Humane Society) (Kentucky Humane Society) (Kentucky Humane Society)

KHS officials said the horses showed clear signs of starvation.

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We are currently working to get each of these horses vetted and settled into stalls at our Willow Hope Farm so that we can properly assess their needs, shelter staff said. For now, they are being provided with nutritious hay and eating under close observation so that we can avoid refeeding syndrome, which occurs when malnourished horses eat too much, too quickly.

KHS members said that the organizations board of directors will match donations from the community on its website up to $35,000 by Dec. 31, so the Equine CARE team will have the funding it needs to carry out future rescue operations.

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A revamped stopgap spending plan put forward by Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson failed in the House late Thursday, one day after President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk torpedoed a deal needed to avert a government shutdown.

The new proposal, which would have required two-thirds of the majority to pass, failed in a vote of 174-235, due to opposition from most House Democrats and conservative Republicans.

In a debate before the House vote, Republican Texas Rep. Chip Roy acknowledged the new agreement was better than the initial proposal, but said the asinine bill would still increase the debt by $5 trillion.

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Several Democratic leaders previously said they would not vote for the deal exclusively agreed upon by Republicans, and would only support the initial stopgap spending plan that both sides meticulously negotiated over several weeks.

With the bills failure Thursday, Congress is back to square one as it stares down Fridays funding deadline. Unless it enacts a new spending plan, big chunks of the government could shut down as soon as this weekend and non-essential workers could be furloughed. Given the calendar, its unlikely anything would reopen until after New Years.

Trump had backed the new proposal crafted by Johnson and fellow GOP leaders that reportedly cut out a pay raise for lawmakers and tweaked some other provisions of the previous bill that he and Musk bitterly trashed. It would have also suspended the debt ceiling for more than two years but not permanently repeal it.

The newly agreed to American Relief Act of 2024 will keep the government open, fund our great farmers and others, and provide relief for those severely impacted by the devastating hurricanes, Trump wrote on his social media site earlier Thursday. All Republicans, and even the Democrats, should do what is best for our country, and vote yes for this bill.

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The new proposal came less than 36 hours before the government would start to shut down Friday night unless Congress takes action.

Trump had declared he wanted Johnson to force a new deal through Congress without making any concessions, a virtually impossible mission since any deal would need Democratic support to pass.

Trump also demanded Congress eliminate the debt ceiling, a complicated and divisive issue that most Republicans have opposed, and pass a stopgap spending bill including only Republican priorities such as aid to farmers.

He sought to blame Democrats and President Joe Biden for a potential shutdown, even though its Republicans who are refusing to pass a spending bill.

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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said GOP dysfunction would be to blame for any government shutdown. He opposed repealing the debt ceiling as part of any last-minute deal.

This reckless Republican-driven shutdown can be avoided if House Republicans will simply do what is right for the American people and stick with the bipartisan agreement they negotiated, Jeffries told reporters.

The president-elect and billionaire Musk effectively sunk a deal Johnson had struck with Democrats to fund the government through mid-March.

Musk, who has been tapped by Trump to lead a new budget-cutting organization called the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, took the first step in trashing Johnsons deal Wednesday, saying any Republican that supports it should be ousted from Congress.

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He later said Congress should not pass any legislation until Trump returns to the White House, an edict that would result in a monthlong government shutdown.

Along with funding the government, the sprawling so-called continuing resolution initially included $100 billion in aid for those impacted by hurricanes Helene and Milton, aid to struggling farmers and a grab bag of other priorities designed to attract votes from lawmakers in both parties.

Johnson pitched the plan as the best way to delay important decisions until the next Congress. After Trumps inauguration on Jan. 20, the Republican-majority House will hold a trifecta of power with the White House and Senate.

Many Republican lawmakers opposed the bill because it included what they consider to be unnecessary spending. But it was considered likely to pass anyway with wide Democratic backing.

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But Musk, and later Trump, blew up that plan with their eleventh-hour attacks.

Republicans hold a narrow majority of a couple seats in the House, but are unable to pass spending bills without Democratic support because some conservatives oppose all government funding measures without major cuts that most others oppose.

Any spending bill also needs to pass the Senate, which is still held by Democrats, and win the support of Biden to sign it into law.

The ugly internal GOP feud could endanger Johnsons hold on the speakers gavel, with a handful of right-wing lawmakers vowing to topple him in the next Congress.

_____
Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) said President-elect Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk could sustain the financial blow a government shutdown would cause, arguing that is why they offhandedly stifled support for House Republicans first spending package earlier this week.

Its not going to hurt Musk. Its not going to hurt Trump or all those donors, Landsman said Thursday evening on CNN. These are multi-millionaires, billionaires.

Theyre fine. It hurts our people. Its terrible, he added.

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Strategists and some legislators have suggested Musk is holding the reins of government instead of Trump, following a series of his posts on his social platform X worked to tank the funding bill that would have kept the government open until March.

The president-elects team has hit back on those claims, which arose after Trump had first seemingly supported the 1,500-page bill until Musk and other allies openly criticized it.

However, Landsman implied Trump was a leader only for the wealthy and the rich, stating that American people did not support a government shutdown nor the woes that would follow.

This is not what the American people want, he said in the interview. A government shutdown will hurt workers, our folks  I mean, 85 percent of the federal workforce is out in districts all across the country.

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And it will hurt the economy, cost the economy billions, the Ohio Democrat added. Its so reckless what theyre doing.

Federal employees pay could be withheld until Congress reaches an effective resolution for funding amid debate over the debt ceiling, disaster relief and aid for farmers.

The standoff between House Republicans and Democrats could affect nearly 3 million workers including airport security staff, Social Security Administration workers and Veterans Affairs employees. The left has been pointing fingers at Republicans for proposing last-minute changes to a deal that was mostly favorable to both sides.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre urged GOP lawmakers to vote in favor of a continuing resolution ahead of Fridays deadline, which includes measures Democrats advocated for.

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Triggering a damaging government shutdown would hurt families who are gathering to meet with their loved ones and endanger the basic services Americans from veterans to Social Security recipients rely on, Jean-Pierre said Thursday in a statement.

A deal is a deal. Republicans should keep their word, she added.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) revealed Friday morning that a third iteration of the bill has been reached, and voting is expected to take place.

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(Bloomberg) -- Elon Musk, President-elect Donald Trumps key adviser, backed House Speaker Mike Johnsons third attempt at a spending package, boosting its odds as voting got underway late Friday.

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The Speaker did a good job here, given the circumstances, Musk said on his social media platform X. It went from a bill that weighed pounds to a bill that weighed ounces.

The bill would keep the government open through March 14, provide disaster relief and give billions of dollars in economic aid to farmers.

Johnson emerged from a two-hour meeting with fellow House Republicans to tell reporters there is a unanimous agreement in the room that we need to move forward.

Johnson wouldnt discuss the plan and said he still had a couple things to work out. The speaker plans to use an expedited process for the measure that requires a two-thirds majority, meaning it will need significant Democratic support.

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Republican Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska said House Republicans decided not to include a suspension of the national debt limit after a funding package that included the provision failed Thursday evening. Trump has insisted that the debt limit be waived or raised before he takes office.

The last-minute haggling over details, which were not yet finalized, came as Musk continued earlier Friday to threaten a government shutdown if the incoming administration did not get what it wants out of the House Republican majority.

Either the government should pass sensible bills that actually serve the people or shut it down! Musk posted on his social media platform X.

The US government moved ahead with shutdown preparations on Friday, notifying federal workers they might be furloughed, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

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Democrats had been locked out of negotiations since Trump sank a bipartisan deal earlier this week. But House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries told colleagues that hes been in talks with Johnson.

The lines of communication have been reopened, Jeffries said.

A new interim funding package would be the third proposal the speaker has put forward to avert a shutdown, set for midnight Friday. Most Democrats and 38 Republicans late Thursday voted down the Trump-backed measure. Conservatives objected to a provision suspending the US national debt limit for two years that Trump demanded at the last minute.

That failure put a spotlight on the limits of Trumps power over a sharply divided Congress, despite Republicans impending control of both chambers next year. Fissures within the Republican ranks threaten to undermine Trumps ability to impose his will.

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Johnson was forced to withdraw an initial package to fund the government through March that had been negotiated with Democrats after Trump and Musk came out against it on Wednesday.

House Democratic leaders have made it clear they do not intend to help Republicans raise or waive the national debt limit without concessions, arguing the GOP intends to use the leeway for tax cuts benefiting the wealthy and corporations.

Trump maintained his pressure campaign on Republicans Friday morning, insisting that any government shutdown that started before his term would be blamed on Democrats.

If there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now, under the Biden Administration, not after January 20th, under TRUMP. This is a Biden problem to solve, but if Republicans can help solve it, they will!, he wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.

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--With assistance from Josh Wingrove and Natalia Drozdiak.

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WASHINGTON D.C. (WWLP)  House lawmakers rejected a funding bill proposed by Republicans to avoid a government shutdown.

Nearly all democrats voted against it, and 38 republicans in the house. The initial bi-partisan spending deal was scrapped Wednesday and President-Elect Donald Trump endorsed a newly crafted plan. The new version met a Trump demand to extend the nations debt limit until 2027, past the next midterm elections.

White House starts scrapping pending regulations, including student debt cancellation

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House Speaker Mike Johnson is blaming the Democrats for the failed vote, It is, I think, really irresponsible for us to risk a shutdown over these issues on things that they have already agreed upon, said Speaker Johnson. I think you need to be asking them the questions about that.

House Democrats are planning to meet Friday morning to discuss government funding. Lawmakers have until midnight tonight to come to an agreement or face a government shutdown.

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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The House on Thursday torpedoed Speaker Mike Johnsons (R-La.) plan B to avert a government shutdown and suspend the debt limit, dealing a blow to the GOP leader and catapulting the conference back to square one as it stares down Fridays funding deadline.

The measure  which Johnson rolled out roughly three hours before the vote  failed to clear the chamber in a 174-235-1 vote, falling short of the two-thirds threshold needed for passage under the fast-track suspension of the rules process.

The bill met its demise after Democrats  led by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.), who called the legislation laughable  and a handful of conservative Republicans came out against the legislation, largely over the inclusion of a two-year suspension of the debt limit, which was a demand made by President-elect Trump.

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It remains unclear what path Johnson will pursue next. Given the Republican opposition, the bill is unlikely to pass in the slim GOP majority if Johnson attempts to move it through a longer, regular rule process that requires just a simple majority.

After the vote, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) said leadership did not plan to send the bill to the Rules Committee.

Not on this bill  not right now, he said. Were going to have some more talks. I wont say anythings dead because were going to continue having talks.

Speaking to reporters as the vote occurred, Johnson did not say what the next step will be.

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The clock, however, is ticking: If Congress does not approve any legislation by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, the government will shut down.

The unsuccessful vote deals a blow to Johnson, who is scrambling to avert a shutdown by the looming deadline  and keep his grasp of the gavel come next year  and to Trump, who endorsed the package after torpedoing the Speakers initial proposal.

Johnson rolled out the plan B Thursday afternoon after hours of closed-door meetings with an ideologically diverse array of House Republicans. The proposal would have kept the government funded at current levels through March 14, suspended the debt limit for two years and appropriated roughly $100 billion in disaster relief and about $10 billion for farmer economic assistance, while stripping away a number of policy provisions that were in an original 1,500-page deal.

Trump quickly backed the package, calling it a very good Deal for the American people and urging lawmakers to support it.

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But a handful of Republicans rejected that call almost immediately, hammering away at the legislation.

More debt. More government. Increasing the Credit Card $4 trillion with ZERO spending restraint and cuts. HARD NO, Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, wrote on the social platform X.

Democrats also came out against the legislation in droves. During a closed-door House Democratic Caucus meeting after the bills rollout, lawmakers were heard chanting hell no.

Thursdays proceedings mark the latest twist in this weeks government funding debacle, which began after congressional negotiators rolled out a stopgap, heated up when Republicans of all stripes came out against the measure, and reached a fever pitch after Trump came out against the bipartisan bill, tanking its prospects of clearing the chamber.

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The series of events sent Republicans back to square one, huddling in Johnsons office for hours trying to come up with an alternative plan. Vice President-elect JD Vance joined those talks at various points.

The initial funding plan, which was crafted by congressional negotiators, would have funded the government at current levels through March 14, extended the farm bill for one year and appropriated roughly $100 billion in disaster relief and $10 billion in economic assistance for farmers, among other authorizations.

Johnson, however, never put that legislation on the floor after Trump, his allies and a large number of Republicans said they would oppose it.

Trumps demand to lift the debt limit hurled an eleventh-hour curveball into government funding talks, inserting the issue  which typically requires painstaking and lengthy negotiations  into the discussions with just hours to go until the funding deadline.

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Congress is expected to have to act on the debt by at least mid-2025. But Trump on Wednesday expressed concern about Democrats using the must-pass issue as a leverage point, calling it a TRAP at one point.

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House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and top House Republicans called on Congress to cut off federal funding to universities that target Israel in an after-action report detailing the findings of their seven-month investigation into the surge of domestic antisemitism.



One of the 11 policy recommendations made to Congress, the White House and the universities themselves in the report, released on Tuesday, states that the House and Senate should pass legislation removing Title IV eligibility from any university that boycotts or divests from Israel.



Such legislation would ban any university that boycotts Israel from receiving federal funding.



Another recommendation calls on universities to recognize that discrimination against Zionists is an unacceptable antisemitic civil rights violation.



Across the nation, Jewish Americans have been harassed, assaulted, intimidated, and subjected to hostile environments  violations that stand in stark contrast to Americas fundamental values, including a foundational commitment to religious freedom for all, the report reads.



The Committees findings are alarming. For instance, some of our most prominent American universities refused to crack down on antisemitism, it adds. In fact, many colleges handed down disparate disciplinary actions for Jewish students versus their antagoniststhe students who engaged in antisemitic behavior, encampments, and intimidating tactics such as campus checkpoints and tax-exempt organizations that enabled and funded violent campus protests, among other troubling findings.



The claims about universities refusing to address antisemitism on campus are in line with what the House Education and Workforce Committee alleged in its report on antisemitism in higher education in October.



The joint committee investigation also looked into antisemitism in federal agencies and programs, such as the foreign student visa program or the tax loopholes provided to nonprofit organizations and universities. In addition to Education and Workforce, the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Judiciary Committee, Oversight Committee, Veterans Affairs Committee and Ways and Means Committee took part in the probe.



The final report was authored by Johnson, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN), Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), who chairs the House GOP Conference, and Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT), the vice chair of the conference.



Over the past seven months, these committees have done important work. Theyve heard from government agencies, students, and universities, and did a deep dive into the ways we can stop anti-Jewish hate. Its our intent to take this report, its recommendations, and act, Johnson said in a statement. Well use whats in here to continue protecting our Jewish brothers and sisters from discrimination and violence. But make no mistake, we will continue these efforts in the next Congress and anytime antisemitism rears its ugly head, the House will shine a light on it and take action.



On October 8th, the world saw that antisemitic hatred was alive and well at American institutions of so-called higher education. As a result, the reputation of many of these schools has been in free fall. Stopping that free fall comes down to one word: accountability. We need accountability because without it, we cannot guarantee that Jewish students have the safe learning environment they deserve, Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), who chairs the Education and Workforce Committee, said of the report.



The report doesnt make mention of the Antisemitism Awareness Act, which the House passed but appears unlikely to pass Congress before the end of the year. It also doesnt make mention of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliances working definition of antisemitism, which is controversial among far-right House Republicans, as well as progressives.



It urges colleges to recognize that discrimination against Zionists is an unacceptable antisemitic civil rights violation, making reference to a House resolution describing anti-Zionism as antisemitism.



Karen Paikin Barall, the vice president of government relations for the Jewish Federations of North America, praised House Republicans for taking initiative with the report.



This report confirms much of what we already know  antisemitism is a major crisis on college campuses and within the healthcare system. It also pulls back the curtain and offers a behind-the-scenes look inside the halls where antisemitism runs rampant, Paikin Barall said. We applaud House leadership for publishing this report, which sheds light on this critical issue. To put a halt to this hatred, bipartisan collaboration along with public and private sector partners is essential. We look forward to working in the next Congress to confront this critical challenge.




DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN)  Trotwood-Madison City Schools has made the decision to make Marlon Howard its district superintendent.

Howard, who has served as interim superintendent since the resignation of Dr. Reva Cosby in June, was named superintendent during the districts Board of Education meeting on Dec. 19.

Since becoming interim superintendent, Howard has worked on the following:

Addressed the districts culture

Increased district communication

Reduce chronic absenteeism

Set ambiguous goals

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Board President Sonja Cherry said Howard is the right person to lead the district into its next chapter.

His leadership over the past six months has already moved us forward, and his deep understanding of the district and its needs ensures that we are well-positioned for a successful

future. We are confident in his ability to guide us in a positive and purposeful direction, said Cherry.

Howard says his mission is to assist students by providing them with what they need to be successful.

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HONOLULU (KHON2)  At approximately 9 p.m. Thursday a 28-year-old male was treated by EMS for gunshot wounds in Waianae.

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EMS said the male was apparently shot in the lower extremities.

Police asking for publics help in fatal hit and run in Makaha

Police records state that the victim was with a group at a residence when gunshots were heard after a white car drove by. The man fell and reported he had been shot.

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He was transported to an area hospital in critical condition where he later died.

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Honolulu Police Department have opened a murder investigation.

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The Walmart Supercenter in Boone reopened Friday, months after flooding from Helene forced the store to shut down.

During the closure, the company provided $10 million in grants to relief organizations and truckloads of food and water to western North Carolina.

Channel 9s Dave Faherty was there Friday for the grand reopening. He spoke with customers who were so excited they showed up hours before the store reopened.

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ALSO: Lowes giving away tiny homes to families hit hard by Helene

The reopening included a ribbon cutting, and one of the stores own workers sang the National Anthem as associates gathered to welcome customers back.

Joshua Daniels is the Boone Supercenters manager and will never forget when the area flooded during Helene and three feet of water poured into the store.

We got the customers out and we had associates that were here. Were thankful that no one got hurt. Everyone got out safely, Daniels said.

Two and a half months later, the store is finally in shape to reopen.

Channel 9 was there as Lex Stout and Maxine Horton were among the first customers to return.

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Ive been up since 5 a.m., I took a shower. Ive been waiting for this, Stout said.

Walmart is a big part of this area and I have really missed it, Horton said.

Since the storm hit, the Walmart in Boone provided washers, portable showers, blankets, and heaters to families in need. The company has given out more than a half million meals and provided support pay for workers who missed shifts because of the flooding.

Tammy Dickenson has worked at the store for 28 years and is thankful to be back.

To know that we our store back. Our community back. Seeing all of our customers coming back this morning is great, Dickenson said.

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During the reopening, Walmart also passed out several checks to local nonprofits.

Theyre still working to get the produce, meat and bakery reopened. Officials said the Supercenter is scheduled to fully reopen in February.

WATCH: CMPDs annual toy giveaway extends mission to WNC
AUSTINTOWN, Ohio (WKBN)- Hundreds of people lost power in Mahoning County Friday morning.

As of 7 a.m., over 850 people have lost power in Austintown, and around 15 people lost power in Canfield. A handful of people lost power in Youngstown.

First Energy said that power should be restored around 10 a.m.

At this time, we are working to find out why the outages occurred.

Caitlynn Hall contributed to this report.

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HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT)  The Huntsville City Council unanimously voted to revoke the business license of a long-time restaurant and club at Thursdays city council meeting.

Huntsville officials say Hideaway Bar and Grille had nude dancers inside the business as alcohol was being served which is illegal in Alabama. With the business license being stripped, the establishment loses its ability to operate in the city of Huntsville.

Held at gunpoint and hogtied: MCSO deputies searching for man after vehicle left scene of multiple wrecks

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Earlier this month, undercover officers showed videos to council members that captured what was unfolding at Hideaway.

City attorneys say the business knowingly violated criminal law and advised it to be shut down. Hideaway will receive a three-year revocation meaning they cant apply for another business license for at least three years.

Joe Dennis who owns Hideaway said he tried to improve its reputation after he bought it. He explained he fired a promoter whod assured him that as long as the women were partially clothed it would be okay, but undercover officers say the women werent always covered up.

Michelle Watkins was one of three council members along with Bill Kling and John Meredith who requested more time to review the revocation. After city attorneys answered her questions, Watkins says the evidence spoke for itself.

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Decatur Police: Missing woman found dead in Indianapolis

It was the evidence that was presented during the hearing and it was the fact that the individual did not have any evidence to counter it, Watkins told News 19. We have to side with the ordinance and go with the facts.

Dennis said he didnt want his business to be taken away because of one mistake, but council members ultimately decided otherwise. He faces a criminal charge of violation of an anti-obscenity law.

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An extremely hypothermic hiker with frozen limbs had to be rescued by helicopter after he got stuck in several feet of snow on a mountain in New Hampshire on Thursday morning, officials said.

The hiker, who officials identified as a 28-year-old man from Portland, Maine, was on his way to the summit of Mount Lafayette to watch the sunrise when he encountered deep blowing snow and decided to come back down, according to New Hampshire Fish and Game.

Officials said the hiker couldnt find the trail as he descended the mountain due to howling winds and frigid temperatures, eventually calling 911 for help from an area 1,000 feet off the trail just below the summit of Little Haystack on Franconia Ridge.

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A call was made to the Army National Guard around 10 a.m. in hopes that an airlift could be performed, but poor visibility due to snow squalls and clouds delayed the rescue, officials said.

When a ground crew reached the hike about three hours later, he was said to be extremely hypothermic. He was given shelter, dry clothing, and warm fluids.

At about 3:15 p.m., the clouds lifted and the Army National Guard lowered a medic and hoisted the hiker into the helicopter, officials said.

This aerial rescue saved a multi-hour carryout through rugged terrain and is a testament to how search-and-rescue works in New Hampshire with several different groups working together for a common goal, Fish and Game said in a statement.

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Fish and Game warned hikers that winter conditions have arrived in the mountains and urged them to be prepared for their trek by packing essential items including a map, compass, warm clothing, extra food and water, headlamp, fire starter, first-aid kit, whistle, rain/wind jackets, pants, and a knife.

The hiker was flown to Littleton Regional Healthcare for additional treatment.

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BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD)  An Iberville Parish man has been charged with felony theft and filing false public records for allegedly defrauding Louisiana taxpayers of over $14,000.

Investigators said Glenn T. Smith, Jr. submitted a bad check to the Louisiana Department of Revenue. This falsely created a credit on his tax account. It resulted in an illegitimate refund of $14,421.

Once they discovered the bad check, LDR obtained an arrest warrant, and authorities booked Smith into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on Dec. 19. LDR said Smith is the 77th person arrested in a joint effort with the state attorney generals office to combat tax fraud.

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Baton Rouge man sentenced to 40 years for 2020 toddlers death in shooting spree

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DENVER (KDVR)  Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Thursday that it had arrested 16 people previously detained after an Aurora apartment invasion. The 16 were arrested for being in the country illegally without authorization, according to the agency.

ICE previously said that the 16 were confirmed Venezuelan nationals and were also suspected of being Tren de Aragua members or associates.

Previous coverage: ICE says 16 detained in Aurora are suspected Tren de Aragua associates

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The Aurora Police Department took the suspects into custody after two people reported being tortured and kidnapped at the Edge at Lowry apartment complex.

Around 8:45 p.m. Monday, a male and female victim reported that they were accosted by between 13 and 15 armed individuals at the complex, which is located at 1258 Dallas Street.

They said they were forced into a different apartment and tied up, pistol-whipped, beaten and stabbed, according to police.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to carry out the largest deportation operation in American history, and recently obtained documents reveal that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been making plans to expand immigration detention in Texas and other states since before he won the election.

The documents were obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union through a Freedom of Information Act request and lawsuit filed earlier this year.

They show that ICE issued a Request for Information for Multi-State Detention Facility Support to private prison and logistics services vendors earlier this year. The deadline to send responses was June 23.

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What these FOIA requests revealed is especially concerning, since ICE detention facilities have historically disregarded the health, dignity, and constitutional rights of migrants, said Adriana Pinon, legal director for the ACLU of Texas. Texas diverse communities deserve resources, like better schools and access to health care, to help them flourish, not more immigration officials splintering our vibrant migrant communities and jailing people in inhumane conditions.

Three companies  CoreCivic, the GEO Group and the Management & Training Corporation  sent responses expressing their interest in providing detention services in Texas.

On June 21, Tennessee-based CoreCivic submitted information about a facility it operated in Dilley, Texas, to support ICEs operations out of its field office in Harlingen.

ICE terminated the contract for that facility on June 10, citing cost concerns. Ryan Gustin, CoreCivics director of public affairs, confirmed that the company no longer operates that facility. Immigration advocates have pointed to abusive conditions at the facility, including a 19-month-old migrant child who died after leaving the facility in 2018, which sparked an investigation into allegations of abuse and neglect.

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CoreCivic also submitted information about two facilities it operates in New Mexico that fall under the jurisdiction of ICEs El Paso field office. Critics have denounced inhumane conditions at those facilities.

Gustin told the Star-Telegram in an email that all of its immigration detention facilities operate with a significant amount of oversight and accountability.

The services we provide help the government solve problems in ways it could not do alone  to help manage unprecedented humanitarian crises, dramatically improve the standard of care for vulnerable people, and meet other critical needs efficiently and innovatively, he said. These are problems the American public has made clear they want fixed.

The GEO Group also sent responses stating it could provide services to ICEs Harlingen and El Paso field offices.

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ICE redacted the attachments containing the information submitted by the CoreCivic, the GEO Group and MTC, releasing only the emails by which they were sent.

Other companies that submitted information were Kastel Enterprises and Active Deployment Systems, which provide logistics and temporary facilities services for emergency response and other situations.

The GEO Group, MTC, Kastel Enterprises and Active Deployment Systems did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The ICE Request for Information also sought responses from companies to provide services for its field offices in California, Kansas, Nevada, New Mexico, and Washington state.
Austin Community College has purchased the historic Ford building in downtown Lockhart for $2.785 million to develop a campus to serve its next crop of students south of Austin, ACC announced Thursday.

Lockhart joined ACC's taxing district after voters within that town's school district boundaries on Nov. 5 approved an annexation proposal with 61% support, marking the college's first successful annexation in 14 years. In exchange for a property tax rate of 10.12 cents per $100 of valuation, residents within the school district will have access to all ACC educational resources and in-district tuition, with classes set to start in the spring at Lockhart High School outside of regular school hours.

ACC's purchase of the 20,000-square-foot Ford building on San Antonio Street will allow the college to develop a permanent home in Lockhart quicker than having to purchase land and construct a new building, as it had originally proposed in phase three of its annexation plan, the college said in a news release.

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The building will be used for instruction and hands-on learning spaces and "offer room for expansions" to meet the region's needs over the next decade, though the timeline for when the building will open for classes is still being determined, ACC said in a statement shared by spokesperson Sydney Pruitt.

"Planning is underway to repurpose the Ford building for educational use," the statement said. "Once planning is complete, we will provide details on the programs and courses offered."

Nick Metzler, president of the Greater Lockhart for ACC PAC, told the American-Statesman that the community college will help create much-needed affordable and accessible educational opportunities in the growing town of more than 15,000 residents. He said ACC's action to set roots in Lockhart fulfills its promise to the community.

"Their decision to purchase the old Ford building is crucial as a step forward in enhancing accessibility for the local community, not just for high school graduates, but adults also," Metzler said. "This is what was provided in the service plan, something tangible, something real, something in the community, and it works pretty well."

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Metzler, who was just involved in the lead-up to the Nov. 5 vote, said he has admired ACC's repurposing of other buildings, such as Highland Mall in Central Austin, which ACC developed into its main campus.

The community college has started planning for the build-out in Lockhart "immediately," according to its Thursday statement, while collaborating with industry, community and local school districts.

Metzler said ACC's property acquisition is "more accelerated" than many were expecting, which will positively help Lockhart transform faster.

"The biggest thing for people from all levels is they want to live here, they want to work here, they want to shop here," Metzler said. "This allows our economic development to start making intelligent decisions on what businesses are coming here and how we grow, and how we do that, to make sure that those kinds of wishes are fulfilled."

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ACC Chancellor Russell Lowery-Hart, who was not available for an interview Thursday, said in ACC's news release: "The historic building represents not only a physical space but our commitment to the Lockhart community. The Ford building's central location and rich history make it the ideal home for ACC Lockhart, where students can pursue their dreams while staying connected to their community."

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin Community College buys Ford building for new Lockhart campus
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA)  Customers in Illinois will get more notice when a business is about to start charging when a free trial ends, thanks to a new law going into effect at the start of 2025.

With this new law, any business that offers a free trial or promotional period of their product or services must email customers at least three days before the cancellation deadline for any gift or trial period longer than 15 days.

New IL pay stub requirement will begin in 2025

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Some businesses have been taking advantage of people for decades, said State Senator Doris Turner (D-Springfield), who sponsored the bill. We must protect consumers in Illinois, and this law puts an end to the tricks businesses have been using.

Turner said the law holds businesses accountable while protecting customers.

People should not be charged for services they dont use, Turner said.

The full language of the law can be found here.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com.
Racist political flyers targeting immigrant communities were discovered Thursday morning near a southside Milwaukee park.

The flyers were found along sidewalks near Ohio Park, 974 W. Holt Ave., in the Morgandale neighborhood between Eighth, Ninth and 10th streets by West Oklahoma Avenue and West Holt Avenue, Ald. Marina Dimitrijevic told the Journal Sentinel Thursday evening.

The alderwoman said a constituent notified her office and staff then notified the Milwaukee Police Department. Dimitrijevic said "it appears" that more flyers were found in other parts of Milwaukee County and Wisconsin. "The FBI is involved ... but it's still under investigation," she said.

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The FBI said they are looking into the complaint, but had no other immediate comment Thursday night. Milwaukee police didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Dimitrijevic said several versions exist of the flyers, one of which has circulated in a neighborhood group online. "MASS DEPORTATION NOTICE," a flyer is titled. The flyer then calls for undocumented immigrants to vacate the U.S. or be forcibly removed upon the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump on Jan. 20.

The Morgandale neighborhood is about 50% Latino and is also home to a growing Burmese Rohingya community. "This was a targeted area," Dimitrijevic said.

"Clearly someone with a terrible intent, racist intent, a hateful intent, spread these carefully in a certain area at a certain time and it almost felt like it was right before school and people were kind of getting moving," she added. "It's pretty painful to get these types of phone calls."

Ald. Marina Dimitrijevic had a strong response to racist political flyers being discovered in her district.

Another flyer calls for "white power unity" and offers a phone number to call to report undocumented neighbors, Dimitrijevic said.

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A substance was found in some of the baggies holding the flyers, but "the substance has been deemed nontoxic," Dimitrijevic said.

"I'll be asking the city attorney, the police department, to look at whatever the violation was, private property littering," she said. "... I certainly wish that racism was illegal but I am just really concerned about the families who worked really hard to be here and make our city what it is and to discover this with your family and children, such hateful flyers is just totally unacceptable. I can't say more about how I absolutely refuse to normalize this activity.

"I don't know why people are feeling emboldened but I'm not going to let that happen, certainly in my district or our city. ... I see the strength of my district and the city is diversity, so the fact that it's being attacked again, I'm not going to tolerate."

Longtime neighbor responds to flyers

Michelle Jensen has lived in the Morgandale neighborhood for 18 years. "I'm just sickened, to be honest, it makes me angry," she said.

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"I'm choosing to believe that this person doesn't live in my neighborhood."

Jensen described her neighborhood as "very diverse." She said it's been "great" having new communities move into her neighborhood.

"I truly have felt very blessed to live in this neighborhood because I've felt so supported by neighbors," Jensen said. "This makes me feel uncomfortable and not safe in the neighborhood.

"People have taken it too far, their political divide. What an idea to think that it's OK to hate like this. It's just gone too far.

"I really feel like it should be followed up on by the police. That's a serious threat and it makes me fear for my neighbors."

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This story was updated to add new information.

Drake Bentley can be reached at DBentley1@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Racist political flyers discovered in southside Milwaukee neighborhood
FAIRFIELD, CT  The hard truth about social media that two-dozen Civics & Law students learned at Fairfield Warde High School on Thursday is that it's addictive and designed by companies to be that way.

That was the message that Connecticut Attorney General William Tong sought to impart to the seniors and juniors during the discussion. Last year, Tong joined other attorneys general in suing Meta, claiming that the company "knowingly designed and deployed harmful features on Instagram and its other social media platforms that purposefully addict children and teens."

"How does Meta, how does Instagram make money?" Tong asked the students. "What to they need to make money? What is key to their business model? Users, eyeballs. The more eyeballs they have for longer, the more money they make."

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Tong said that he and the attorneys general who are suing Meta believe they have proof that the company, and other social media companies, intentionally target people with algorithms, infinate scrolling, haptics and other tricks to keep people engaged on their sites and platforms.

"The developer of infinite scrolling called it 'behavioral cocaine,'" Tong said. "They do it on purpose, they do it so that you don't take your eyes off the device [cell phone, tablet, etc.]."

Tong said he filed the lawsuit, because he believes the public, especially teens and children, are being harmed and negatively impacted by the addictive qualities of social media.

"When you see your stars or likes or your followers go up on your social media profiles, that hits those same dopamine receptors  the pleasure senors in the brain  that gambling hits," said state Rep. Sarah Keitt. "It's addictive."

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In addition to Keitt, Tong was joined at the discussion by state Reps. Cristin McCarthy Vahey and Jennifer Leeper; state Sen. Tony Hwang; and Schools Superintendent Michael Testani.

The school district is grappling with student anxiety, depression and a lack of social skills among some students, Testani said.

"Covid accelerated some of that, but it was happening before because of social media," Testani said. "We're never going to be able to truly take away for phones, but it's what they're doing on the phone, and when, that we need to address."

Tong said that one thing that legislatures are considering is a ban on algorithms being used on people under the age of 18.

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"The minute we do that, we'll get sued," Tong said. "But I'm willing to fight that battle."

The Impact Of Social Media On Teenagers Discussed In Fairfield originally appeared on the Fairfield Patch
(Bloomberg) -- Follow Bloomberg India on WhatsApp for exclusive content and analysis on what billionaires, businesses and markets are doing. Sign up here.

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Indias Parliament concluded its least productive session in more than a year, marred by brawls between lawmakers and opposition calls for investigations into Gautam Adani, the billionaire businessman and ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The latest sign of discord came Thursday, as members of Modis governing party filed a police case against Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi over a scuffle that they said ended with two of their members being hospitalized.

The opposition Indian National Congress said its members were attacked during a protest at the parliaments New Delhi compound. Gandhi on Thursday said that leaders of Modis Bharatiya Janata Party confronted them with sticks as they attempted to enter the parliament building.

The chaotic week underscored the escalating tensions between Indias ruling BJP and the opposition after Modis party lost its majority in the parliament following six-week elections that concluded in June. The deepening polarization has caused normal business to stall, with barely any legislative discussions taking place and most sessions adjourning on and off through the day.

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Indias lower house of parliament has functioned for about 60 hours during the 19-day session, making it the least productive parliamentary period since the session concluding in July 2023, according to the latest data by PRS Legislative Research. For the upper house, the number of functioning hours plummeted to about 43.4.

None of the bills listed to be taken up in this session have been passed by both houses and only two debates took place over the three week session, according to PRS. The opposition in the meantime filed a motion of no-confidence against the speaker of the upper house, Jagdeep Dhankhar, citing bias against the opposition during the proceedings.

This years national election resulted in the opposition having more power in the lower house than any time in 10 years, leaving it better able to mount protests against the ruling coalition and push for discussions on contentious issues.

Opposition lawmakers began the winter session of parliament on Nov. 25 calling for a debate about the US indictment of tycoon Adani in an alleged bribery plot. The lawmakers shouted slogans and loudly interrupted the proceedings until speakers were forced to adjourn.

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Recently, lawmakers had also raised issues about the violence in the northeastern state of Manipur and the recent spike in pollution.

This weeks chaos kicked off after opposition members complained about comments by Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah about one of the key drafters of Indias constitution. The members called for Shahs resignation after the remarks  which were taken as an insult to lower castes  and tensions escalated throughout the week.

At the beginning of the session, Modi warned the opposition against disrupting proceedings and asked for a healthy debate. On Friday morning, Dhankhar reprimanded the politicians for the chaos. We fail our citizens through conduct. These parliamentary disruptions mock public trust and expectations.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

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By Sakshi Dayal

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's Rahul Gandhi is under police investigation over a scuffle between opposition members of parliament and those from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, which injured two lawmakers, police said on Friday.

Police were responding to a BJP complaint accusing Gandhi, the opposition leader, of pushing and shoving BJP lawmakers and causing injuries to two of them on Thursday as they protested outside parliament house against opposition parties.

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Gandhi, the Congress party leader and scion of the Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty that has produced three prime ministers, already has multiple cases filed against him.

He was briefly disqualified from parliament last year after a court sentenced him to two years' imprisonment in a defamation case. The Supreme Court suspended the conviction and he was reinstated as a lawmaker.

On Thursday, television channels showed one of the injured lawmakers being taken from the spot in a wheelchair, with a woman pressing a cloth above his left eyebrow, which she lifted briefly to reveal a bleeding wound.

Gandhi denied the allegations, saying BJP members had pushed and threatened him and tried to prevent him from entering parliament during the scuffle.

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Congress party also filed a police complaint on Thursday, alleging BJP lawmakers had misbehaved against Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge.

"The first information report (FIR) against Rahul Gandhi is being investigated," said a senior Delhi Police officer, who asked not to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the media.

"We will be examining any footage of the incident," the officer said. "We have also received a complaint from the Congress and are examining it. Action will be taken as required."

The lawmakers were undergoing treatment at a hospital and were in "better condition" on Friday, doctors told news agency ANI, in which Reuters has a minority stake.

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Gandhi's sister, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who is also a lawmaker, said on Friday the latest police probe indicated the BJP's "desperation".

"The entire country is seeing... they have registered multiple cases against Rahul. They take out new FIRs, lie... this shows their level of desperation," she told reporters.

Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, asked about the Congress complaint, told a press briefing: "They are lying, trying to mislead people."

Both houses of parliament were adjourned minutes after convening on Friday, ending a winter session disrupted several times as government and opposition parties accused each other of creating political controversies to hinder legislative business.

(Reporting by Sakshi Dayal; Additional reporting by Ainnie Arif; Editing by Sudipto Ganguly and William Mallard)
Richard Allen, convicted of killing two teenage girls in the woods near Delphi, Ind., in 2017, was sentenced to 130 years in prison on Friday, Dec. 20.

Allen received the maximum sentence possible from Judge Frances Gull of Allen Superior Court in Fort Wayne, Ind., according to the New York Times.

Ive spent 27 years as a judge, and you rank right up there with the most heinous crimes in the state of Indiana," Gull told Allen, per the Times.

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Allen was credited by the judge for 786 days of time served, reported Fox 59.

He was found guilty last month of the murder of Liberty "Libby" German, 14, and Abigail "Abby" Williams, 13, near a hiking trail in Delphi.

German and Williams were dropped off for a day of hiking near the Monon High Bridge in Delphi on Feb. 13, 2017. The next day, the two were found dead, with their throats slit, near the banks of a creek. An unspent 40 caliber bullet was found between them.

Video taken on one of the girls' phones showed a shadowy man following them on the bridge. Audio also captured a man saying "down the hill" to the two teens.

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The case went unsolved for five years, and the man on the bridge was known only as "Bridge Guy," until Allen's arrest in 2022, after authorities matched a gun in his possession with the bullet found on the scene.

At trial, a state trooper testified that after having listened to 700 of Allen's prison calls, he could attest that the voice of "Bridge Guy" belonged to Allen, CNN reports. Meanwhile, those calls included what prosecutors called a confession from Allen to his wife.

"I did it," he reportedly said, per WTHR. "I killed Abby and Libby."

In his defense, Allen's attorneys sought to argue that the two girls were actually murdered by "Odinists," members of a pagan Norse religion linked with white nationalism, as part of a ritualistic sacrifice. The judge forbade the defense from making the argument, per IndyStar.

Allen's defense team plans to appeal the verdict, the Times reported.



Read the original article on People
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  An Indiana man convicted in the 2017 killings of two teenage girls who vanished during a winter hike was sentenced to a maximum of 130 years in prison Friday in the case thats long cast a shadow over the teens small hometown of Delphi.

Allen, 52, was convicted on Nov. 11 in the killings of Abigail Williams, 13, and Liberty German, 14, known as Abby and Libby. A jury found him guilty of two counts of murder and two counts of murder while committing or attempting to commit kidnapping.

The special judge in the case, Allen County Superior Court Judge Fran Gull sentenced Allen on two of the four murder counts and imposed the maximum of 65 years for each count, to be served consecutively. The sentencing hearing, which included victim impact statements from six relatives of the teens, lasted less than two hours.

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After the hearing concluded, one of Allens defense attorneys, Jennifer Auger, told reporters they plan to appeal and seek a new trial.

Thoughts and prayers to the families of the victims. What they went through was unimaginable, Auger said. She added that the defense plans to give a more detailed statement later, but today is not the day for that.

The Associated Press left messages for Allen's attorneys Friday seeking additional comment on his sentence and their plans for an appeal.

Allen, who has maintained his innocence, had faced between 45 years and 130 years in prison in the killings of the Delphi teens, who were found dead in February 2017, their throats cut, one day after they vanished while hiking during a day off from school.

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Allen also lived in Delphi and when he was arrested in October 2022, more than five years after the killings, he was employed as a pharmacy technician at a pharmacy only blocks from the county courthouse where he later stood trial. His weekslong trial came after repeated delays, a leak of evidence, the withdrawal of his public defenders and their reinstatement by the Indiana Supreme Court.

The case, which included tantalizing evidence, has long drawn outsized attention from true-crime enthusiasts.

With Gull's long-running gag order in the case lifted at the end of Friday's sentencing, police and prosecutors held a news conference where they thanked investigators for their work that helped with Allen's arrest and prosecution.

There is zero doubt that justice has been served and today is the day, said Carroll County Sheriff Tony Liggett.

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He and others singled out the work of a retired state government worker who volunteered in March 2017 to help police organize tips received as part of the investigation  and who discovered a key piece of information that led investigators to Allen.

Kathy Shank testified at trial that in September 2022 she found a misplaced lead sheet which stated that two days after German's and Williams bodies were found, a man contacted authorities and said he had been on the trail the afternoon the girls went missing. His name was listed incorrectly as Richard Allen Whiteman and marked cleared, Shank said.

She determined the mans name was actually Richard Allen and recalled that a young girl had been on the trail at the same location and time and had seen a man.

I thought there could be a correlation, Shank told the court, adding that she notified officers of her find.

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Liggett thanked Shank at Friday's news conference for her crucial discovery and for bringing it to investigators' attention.

When she would come across something she didnt know she would always bring that to an investigator and every time she brought us something and said, `Did you know this? we knew it  except for the tip that she brought us that got us here today," he said.

Germans grandfather, Mike Patty, thanked the jury, investigators, prosecutors and Gull as a photo of German and Williams, grinning in winter garb, was projected onto a screen behind him during the news conference.

Justice has been served for the girls, he said

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Gull, the special judge who oversaw Allen's trial, came from northeastern Indianas Allen County, as did the jury.

The seven women and five men were sequestered throughout the trial, which began Oct. 18 in the Carroll County seat of Delphi, the girls hometown of about 3,000 residents some 60 miles (100 kilometers) northwest of Indianapolis.

Allen's trial came after repeated delays, a leak of evidence, the withdrawal of his public defenders and their reinstatement by the Indiana Supreme Court.

The case, which included tantalizing evidence, has long drawn outsized attention from true-crime enthusiasts.

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A relative dropped the teens off at a hiking trail just outside Delphi on Feb. 13, 2017. The eighth graders didn't arrive at the agreed pickup location and were reported missing that evening. Their bodies were found the next day in a wooded area near an abandoned railroad trestle they had crossed.

In his closing arguments at Allen's trial, Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland told jurors that Allen, armed with a gun, forced the youths off the hiking trail and had planned to rape them before a passing van made him change his plans and he cut their throats. McLeland said an unspent bullet found between the teens bodies had been cycled through Allens .40-caliber Sig Sauer handgun.

An Indiana State Police firearms expert told the jury her analysis tied the round to Allens handgun.

McLeland said Allen was the man seen following the teens across the Monon High Bridge in a grainy cellphone video German had recorded. And he said Allens voice could be heard on that video telling the teens,  Down the hill  after they crossed the bridge.

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McLeland also noted that Allen had repeatedly confessed to the killings  in person, on the phone and in writing. In one of the recordings he replayed for the jury, Allen could be heard telling his wife, I did it. I killed Abby and Libby.

Allens defense argued that his confessions were unreliable because he was facing a severe mental health crisis while under the pressure and stress of being locked up in isolation, watched 24 hours a day and taunted by people incarcerated with him. A psychiatrist called by the defense testified that months in solitary confinement could make a person delirious and psychotic.

Defense attorney Bradley Rozzi said in his closing trial arguments that no witness explicitly identified Allen as the man seen on the hiking trail or the bridge the afternoon the girls went missing. He also said no fingerprint, DNA or forensic evidence links Allen to the murder scene.
An Indiana man convicted in the 2017 killings of two teenage girls who vanished during a winter hike will face up to 130 years in prison when hes sentenced Friday in the case thats long cast a shadow over the teens small hometown of Delphi, Indiana.

After a weekslong trial, Richard Allen was convicted on November 11 in the killings of Abigail Williams, 13, and Liberty German, 14. A jury found him guilty of two counts of murder and two counts of murder while committing or attempting to commit kidnapping.

Allen faces between 45 years and 130 years in prison for the killings of the Delphi teens, known as Abby and Libby. He will be sentenced on two of the four murder counts.

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Allen, 52, also lived in Delphi. When he was arrested in October 2022, more than five years after the February 2017 killings, he was employed as a pharmacy technician at a pharmacy only blocks from the county courthouse where he later stood trial.

Allens trial came after repeated delays, a leak of evidence, the withdrawal of his public defenders and their reinstatement by the Indiana Supreme Court.

The case, which included tantalizing evidence, has long drawn outsized attention from true-crime enthusiasts.

Liberty German (left) and Abigail Williams - Family Photos/WXIN

Allen will be sentenced Friday by the special judge who oversaw the case, Allen County Superior Court Judge Fran Gull. Relatives of German and Williams may address the court during the hearing, which Gull has scheduled to run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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Allens attorneys said in a sentencing memorandum that even in the unlikely scenario that Gull sentences their client to 45 years on each of two murder counts, and orders those sentences served concurrently, their clients minimum possible 45-year sentence with good time credit would amount to 33.75 actual years in prison.

Richard Allen is likely facing the rest of his life in prison. Even on his best day at sentencing Richard will be 85 years old upon his release, they wrote.

Gull and the jurors came from northeastern Indianas Allen County. The jurys seven women and five men were sequestered throughout the trial, which began October 18 in the Carroll County seat of Delphi, the girls hometown of about 3,000 residents some 60 miles (100 kilometers) northwest of Indianapolis.

A relative dropped the teens off at a hiking trail just outside Delphi on February 13, 2017. The eighth graders didnt arrive at the agreed pickup location and were reported missing that evening. Their bodies were found the next day with their throats cut in a wooded area near an abandoned railroad trestle they had crossed.

Richard M. Allen, 52, the suspect in the 2017 slayings of teens Abigail Williams and Liberty German - Indiana State Police

In his closing arguments, Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland told jurors that Allen, armed with a gun, forced the youths off the hiking trail and had planned to rape them before a passing van made him change his plans and he cut their throats. McLeland said an unspent bullet found between the teens bodies had been cycled through Allens .40-caliber Sig Sauer handgun.

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An Indiana State Police firearms expert told the jury her analysis tied the round to Allens handgun.

McLeland said Allen was the man seen following the teens across the Monon High Bridge in a grainy cellphone video German had recorded. And he said it was Allens voice that could be heard on that video telling the teens,  Down the hill  after they crossed the bridge.

Richard Allen is Bridge Guy, McLeland told jurors. He kidnapped them and later murdered them.

McLeland also noted that Allen had repeatedly confessed to the killings  in person, on the phone and in writing. In one of the recordings he replayed for the jury, Allen could be heard telling his wife, I did it. I killed Abby and Libby.

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Allens defense argued that his confessions were unreliable because he was facing a severe mental health crisis while under the pressure and stress of being locked up in isolation, watched 24 hours a day and taunted by people incarcerated with him. A psychiatrist called by the defense testified that months in solitary confinement could make a person delirious and psychotic.

Defense attorney Bradley Rozzi said in his closing arguments that Allen was innocent. He said no witness explicitly identified Allen as the man seen on the hiking trail or the bridge the afternoon the girls went missing. He also said no fingerprint, DNA or forensic evidence links Allen to the murder scene.

He had every chance to run, but he did not because he didnt do it, Rozzi told the jury.

Allens lawyers had sought to argue during the trial that the girls were killed in a ritual sacrifice by members of a white nationalist group known as the Odinists who follow a pagan Norse religion. The judge, however, ruled against that, saying the defense failed to produce admissible evidence of such a connection.

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Gulls long-running gag order in the case is expected to be lifted after Allen is sentenced, Indiana State Police spokesperson Capt. Ron Galaviz said Wednesday. Law enforcement, prosecutors and relatives of the teens plan to speak at a news conference shortly after Fridays hearing ends.

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An Indiana man convicted in the 2017 killings of two teenage girls who vanished during a winter hike was sentenced to a maximum of 130 years in prison Friday in the case thats long cast a shadow over the teens small hometown of Delphi.

A special judge sentenced Richard Allen during a hearing that began at 9 a.m. Allen, 52, was convicted on Nov. 11 in the killings of Abigail Williams, 13, and Liberty German, 14, known as Abby and Libby. A jury found him guilty of two counts of murder and two counts of murder while committing or attempting to commit kidnapping.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Unspent bullet at scene ties Richard Allen to girls deaths, court docs allege

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Allen had faced between 45 years and 130 years in prison in the killings of the Delphi teens. He was sentenced on two of the four murder counts.

Allen also lived in Delphi and when he was arrested in October 2022, more than five years after the killings, he was employed as a pharmacy technician at a pharmacy only blocks from the county courthouse where he later stood trial. His weekslong trial came after repeated delays, a leak of evidence, the withdrawal of his public defenders and their reinstatement by the Indiana Supreme Court.

The case, which included tantalizing evidence, has long drawn outsized attention from true-crime enthusiasts. The teens were found dead in February 2017, their throats cut, one day after they vanished while hiking during a day off school.

Allen was sentenced by Allen County Superior Court Judge Fran Gull, who along with the jurors, came from northeastern Indianas Allen County.

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The seven women and five men were sequestered throughout the trial, which began Oct. 18 in the Carroll County seat of Delphi, the girls hometown of about 3,000 residents some 60 miles (100 kilometers) northwest of Indianapolis.

This is a developing story. Check wsoctv.com for updates.

VIDEO: Mother expresses frustration with CMPDs response after daughters disappearance
An Indiana man convicted in the 2017 killings of two teenage girls who vanished during a winter hike was sentenced to a maximum of 130 years in prison Friday in the case thats long cast a shadow over the teens small hometown of Delphi, Indiana.

Allen, 52, was convicted on November 11, in the killings of Abigail Williams, 13, and Liberty German, 14, known as Abby and Libby. A jury found him guilty of two counts of murder and two counts of murder while committing or attempting to commit kidnapping.

The special judge in the case, Allen County Superior Court Judge Fran Gull sentenced Allen on two of the four murder counts and imposed the maximum of 65 years for each count, to be served consecutively. The sentencing hearing, which included victim impact statements from six relatives of the teens, lasted less than two hours and after it concluded one of Allens defense attorneys said they plan to appeal and seek a new trial.

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Thoughts and prayers to the families of the victims. What they went through was unimaginable, defense attorney Jennifer Auger said. She added that the defense plans to give a more detailed statement later, but today is not the day for that.

Allen, who has maintained his innocence, had faced between 45 years and 130 years in prison in the killings of the Delphi teens, who were found dead in February 2017, their throats cut, one day after they vanished while hiking during a day off from school.

Liberty German (left) and Abigail Williams - Family Photos/WXIN

Allen also lived in Delphi and when he was arrested in October 2022, more than five years after the killings, he was employed as a pharmacy technician at a pharmacy only blocks from the county courthouse where he later stood trial. His weekslong trial came after repeated delays, a leak of evidence, the withdrawal of his public defenders and their reinstatement by the Indiana Supreme Court.

The case, which included tantalizing evidence, has long drawn outsized attention from true-crime enthusiasts.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

With Gulls long-running gag order in the case lifted at the end of Fridays sentencing, police and prosecutors held a news conference where they thanked investigators for their work that helped with Allens arrest and prosecution.

There is zero doubt that justice has been served and today is the day, said Carroll County Sheriff Tony Liggett.

He and others singled out the work of a retired state government worker who volunteered in March 2017 to help police organize tips received as part of the investigation  and who discovered a key piece of information that led investigators to Allen.

Kathy Shank testified at trial that in September 2022 she found a misplaced lead sheet which stated that two days after Germans and Williams bodies were found, a man contacted authorities and said he had been on the trail the afternoon the girls went missing. His name was listed incorrectly as Richard Allen Whiteman and marked cleared, Shank said.

Officers escort Richard Allen out of the Carroll County Courthouse following a hearing, Nov. 22, 2022, in Delphi, Indiana. - Darron Cummings/AP/FILE

She determined the mans name was actually Richard Allen and recalled that a young girl had been on the trail at the same location and time and had seen a man.

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I thought there could be a correlation, Shank told the court, adding that she notified officers of her find.

Liggett thanked Shank at Fridays news conference for her crucial discovery and for bringing it to investigators attention.

When she would come across something she didnt know she would always bring that to an investigator and every time she brought us something and said, `Did you know this? we knew it  except for the tip that she brought us that got us here today, he said.

Gull, the special judge who oversaw Allens trial, came from northeastern Indianas Allen County, as did the jury.

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The seven women and five men were sequestered throughout the trial, which began October 18 in the Carroll County seat of Delphi, the girls hometown of about 3,000 residents some 60 miles (100 kilometers) northwest of Indianapolis.

A relative dropped the teens off at a hiking trail just outside Delphi on February 13, 2017. The eighth graders didnt arrive at the agreed pickup location and were reported missing that evening. Their bodies were found the next day in a wooded area near an abandoned railroad trestle they had crossed.

In his closing arguments at Allens trial, Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland told jurors that Allen, armed with a gun, forced the youths off the hiking trail and had planned to rape them before a passing van made him change his plans and he cut their throats. McLeland said an unspent bullet found between the teens bodies had been cycled through Allens .40-caliber Sig Sauer handgun.

An Indiana State Police firearms expert told the jury her analysis tied the round to Allens handgun.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

McLeland said Allen was the man seen following the teens across the Monon High Bridge in a grainy cellphone video German had recorded. And he said Allens voice could be heard on that video telling the teens, Down the hill after they crossed the bridge.

Richard Allen is Bridge Guy, McLeland told jurors. He kidnapped them and later murdered them.

McLeland also noted that Allen had repeatedly confessed to the killings  in person, on the phone and in writing. In one of the recordings he replayed for the jury, Allen could be heard telling his wife, I did it. I killed Abby and Libby.

Allens defense argued that his confessions were unreliable because he was facing a severe mental health crisis while under the pressure and stress of being locked up in isolation, watched 24 hours a day and taunted by people incarcerated with him. A psychiatrist called by the defense testified that months in solitary confinement could make a person delirious and psychotic.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
Nature has reclaimed an old coal mine in southern Indiana, and state environmentalists have collaborated to ensure the land will belong to all Hoosiers.

Indianas Department of Natural Resources, working with the Southern Indiana Sentinel Landscape initiative and The Conservation Fund, have acquired nearly 4,000 acres of diverse habitat that will become the Busseron Creek Fish and Wildlife Area in Sullivan County.

I am really excited to have this property and cant wait to see how it turns out, said Dan Eckstein, the southwest public lands supervisor with DNRs Division of Fish and Wildlife.

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The newly acquired state land has an interesting variety of landscapes, Eckstein said. There is quite a large area of bottomland forest and marshlands year round. The site also boasts grasslands, dry forests and upland areas  just about every habitat southern Indiana has to offer.

Some of that bottomland forest does not appear to have ever been mined and has really good natural plant communities in there, Eckstein said. Im excited because we dont see that a lot on reclaimed mine lands we get.

DNR had previously leased the land from a subsidiary of Peabody Energy, a coal producer based in Missouri. The lease allowed DNR to open and manage the Minnehaha Fish and Wildlife Area on the land for 30 years before the lease ended in 2016 and the land went back into private holding.

During the lease, Indiana worked to convert the land from a mining operation into a public recreation area.

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The DNR plans to add hunting units, parking areas and trails before opening the land to the public. The hope, Eckstein said, is to get the area open before youth turkey season begins this spring.

Purchasing the land

The Busseron Creek property cost the state $10.8 million, with support coming from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Program. Additional money came from the U.S. Navy and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

When staff at the Southern Indiana Sentinel Landscape found some of the land listed on the open real estate market, they acted quickly to begin coordinating a purchase so DNR could once again take over. The SISL is part of a national project with the U.S. Department of Defense, Department of the Interior and Department of Agriculture.

DNR does not have the ability to quickly buy land when it pops up on the market, Eckstein said. Groups like The Conservation Fund do have that ability so they may buy land and hold it until the state can purchase it from them, which is what happened in this case.

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Weed Wrangles: What to know about removing Indiana invasive plants

Michale Spalding, coordinator for SISL, said the Busseron Creek partnership came together due to the overlapping interests of conserving land around military sites. The land is close to the U.S. Navys Lake Glendora test facility and within the Southern Indiana Sentinel Landscape boundaries.

The land SISL saw on the open market was being divided up and sold to multiple landowners, and Spalding saw an opportunity for Indiana to conserve the area permanently.

The (sentinel landscape) designation is just that, Spalding said. It enables this partnership to exist and to bring priority conservation to that land area. If youre a private landowner in that area, there is nothing you have to do different. but we might have resources to help.

Busseron Creek winds through the landscape at Busseron Creek Fish & Wildlife Area, on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, in Sullivan County.

Beautifying Busseron Creek

DNR is currently developing a management plan for the fish and wildlife area, which will involve dealing with invasive plant species, establishing grazing leases and planning for prescribed fires.

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As the state works to restore and maintain the various habitats, it is also planning on making sure the property is accessible and welcoming.

It will take several years to get the property outfitted with the infrastructure you really want like getting boundaries marked, sign-in kiosks up and parking lots built, Eckstein said. Thats what we will begin working on this winter.

Emily Biesecker, TNCs director of land strategies, said The Nature Conservancys Indiana Chapter joined DNR on early site visits and gave a grant to The Conservation Fund to support the due diligence for the real estate acquisition.

Work was necessary to perform an environmental assessment and identify hazards or histories that needed to be addressed, Biesecker said. That research can be very expensive and TNCs grant to The Conservation Fund was able to remove the financial risk of investing before any of us knew if the project would cross the finish line.

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While reclaimed mine lands might seem irredeemable or unusable after intense use, the history of the property as a fish and wildlife area shows there is still value to the land, Biesecker said.

The context of such a big acquisition in Indiana history is really a generational opportunity, Biesecker said. And its a great success to return an important recreation and wildlife habitat asset to the state.

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: Indiana's newest public land purchase spans 4,000 acres
A 2-month-old Lakewood infant was on life support and not expected to survive after his father allegedly shook him in a fit of rage to get him to stop crying early Wednesday morning.

Prosecutors charged Fernandez Manaia Fruean, 27, with first-degree assault of a child, records show. Prosecutors will amend the charges to first-degree murder if the baby dies, according to charging documents.

A plea of not guilty was entered on Frueans behalf during his arraignment Thursday. Pierce County Superior Court Commissioner Philip Thornton set his bail at $2 million.

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Prosecutors allege Fruean did not seek medical help for his son for six hours after shaking him but instead put him face down on his bed and went to sleep, documents show.

Charging details

A Lakewood detective was informed at about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday that Fruean or the babys mother might have abused the child. The baby was hospitalized in Tacoma and had a brain bleed, fractured ribs that were partially healed and a broken collar bone. When a CPS investigator spoke to Fruean about his son, he allegedly became defensive and said he did not harm his child, documents show.

A detective spoke to Fruean at the hospital, and the defendant claimed his baby was breathing normally at about 3 a.m. when he woke up to feed him, documents show. Fruean said he rocked his baby until he fell asleep, then placed him on his back on his bed. He did not check on him until 8 or 9 a.m.

When Fruean checked on his son, he said the blanket was covering his face. He said he picked up the boy, noticed that his lips were changing colors and that he was gasping for air every five to 10 minutes, document show. He took his baby to the hospital right after the babys mother came home.

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The mother told detectives she returned home about 9 a.m. after running an errand when she saw Fruean holding their son and rocking him, documents show. They went to the hospital after she noticed their son was not moving. The mother said that Fruean is the babys primary caretaker because she works.

During questioning, the detective told Fruean the babys injuries were caused by abuse. Fruean denied harming his child and said he was charged in the past with abusing his infant daughter, documents show. He said he completed parenting courses and claimed to have learned a lot from them.

Records show Fruean was convicted in April 2023 for second-degree criminal mistreatment for breaking his infant daughters femur. His daughter has been in foster care following the conviction.

The detective said Frueans son had similar injuries as those suffered by his daughter. Fruean claimed he was sleeping the entire time and did not know how his son got injured, documents show. Fruean allegedly said the incident was just like the last time and its always the fathers fault.

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There was a previous incident on Nov. 25 when the 2-month-old was taken to a hospital because a frenulum was cut and he was bleeding. Document show the injury is common in child-abuse cases where there is forced feeding or trauma from falling. CPS was not referred for that incident. Fruean claimed his son injured himself with his fingernail.

The detective told Fruean that the baby had broken ribs that were partially healed. He said he did not know anyone that would have broken his sons ribs, documents show.

Fruean continued to deny harming his baby, documents show. He allegedly had inconsistencies in his story and when asked if he shook his son, Fruean adamantly denied it. After being asked again how the injuries happened, Fruean allegedly said he accidentally shook his son at 3 a.m. to see if he was OK.

When asked how Fruean shook his son, he said that he was angry and picked up the baby at around 3 a.m. when he shook him vigorously back and forth for five minutes, documents show. Fruean said his sons head went back and forth violently. He allegedly said after five minutes, his sons left eye was closed and right was open, the documents show. The baby was breathing hard as well.

Fruean said he put his baby back in his bed on his stomach and covered him up. He then went to sleep and said he was scared of being in jail again. The detective told Fruean that he needed to have his sons protection as a number one priority, not his own. Fruean was then arrested and booked into the Pierce County Jail.
MCALESTER, Okla. (KFOR)  After over 15 years on death row, Kevin Underwood was officially executed Thursday morning, on his birthday, for the murder of Jamie Rose Bolin in 2006.

Today, justice was done for Jamie, District Attorney Greg Mashburn said.

LOCAL NEWS: State of Oklahoma executes Kevin Underwood

Its been 18 years since Bolins murder in Purcell. Thursday morning, her killer Kevin Ray Underwood was executed.

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This does not bring our Jamie back, but it does allow the space in our hearts to focus on her and allow the healing process to begin, Bolins older sister Lori Pate said.

In 2006, Bolin was found in Underwoods apartment. He later confessed to police that he planned to eat parts of her body.

The death penalty in Oklahoma is reserved for the worst of the worst, Mashburn siad. This case was exactly that.

His execution was complicated due to two of Governor Kevin Stitts pardon and parole board appointees resigning. However, they still planned to move forward with his clemency hearing. Underwood sued them in federal court in early Dec. and argued that they should be able to present their case to a 5 member board. A judge denied that and the board eventually recommended denying clemency.

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Witnesses recalled Underwoods last words Thursday.

He said, I would like to apologize again for all the terrible things I did, Sean Murphy with the Associated Press said. I hate that I did those things. I wish I could take them back.

His time of death was 10:14 a.m. Attorney General Gentner Drummond released a statement that can be read in full below.

LOCAL NEWS: Disturbing details about Kevin Underwood revealed during clemency hearing

Justice for Jamie finally was served this morning with the execution of the depraved murderer who took her away from her family and loved ones. I pray that Jamies family and all who continue to mourn her loss find a sense of peace after todays action.  said Drummond.

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Im thankful that justice was able to be done for Jamie and that this chapters closed, Mashburn said.

His last meal was chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, pinto beans with a hot roll cheeseburger and fries with ketchup. He also had cola from a canteen. Officials also said they offer inmates sedatives during the process, and they are rarely taken, but Underwood took a Xanax the night before and the morning of the execution.

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.
Luigi Mangione and Sean Diddy Combs now share another thing in common besides lawyer Marc Agnifiloa home in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

Having been previously charged in both New York and Pennsylvania for his alleged involvement in the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, Mangione now faces four additional federal charges as of Thursday, including two stalking charges and murder through use of a firearm.

Joining the ranks of MDCs exclusive club of famous felons and alleged felons, Mangione is currently in custody in the notoriously hellish facility after arriving in New York to what felt like a presidential welcome . While the MDC holds around 1,200 detainees, it also is notably home to the alleged criminal Combs and the felon former crypto king Sam Bankman-Fried , who are reportedly in the same housing unit.

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Along with Combs and now Mangione, the MDC also once housed disgraced rapper R. Kelly and Epsteins accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell , who bemoaned her living conditions so loudlyincluding that she was losing hair, living with rodents, and being physically abusedthat she was ultimately moved to a low-level federal prison in Florida, according to AP .

As for Combs, Agnifilo told the Daily Beast in September that he was doing quite well under the circumstances, and denied rumors that the rapper was scared of eating the prison food, which according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons national menu, plates several options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner including oatmeal, hamburgers, and chicken fajitas.

The facility has been New York Citys primary federal detention center since 2021 after the Bureau of Prisons shut down Manhattans Metropolitan Correctional Center (where Jeffrey Epstein died in 2019) over its alarming conditions.

Predominantly used as a post-arrest detention center for people awaiting trial in Manhattan or Brooklyns federal courts, the MDC notoriously bolsters a less than squeaky-clean image with claims of understaffing, violent outbreaks, and a string of suicides and deaths plaguing the facility.

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The MDCs reputation is so disastrous, in fact, that some judges have even refrained from sending defendants to the facility according to AP , and Combs lawyers made a point to mention its conditions in one of his motions for bail in September claiming that several courts in this District have recognized that the conditions at Metropolitan Detention Center are not fit for pre-trial detention.

Just earlier this summer, an inmate was murdered, they continued. At least four inmates have died by suicide there in the past three years. Combs lawyers were seemingly referencing the death of an inmate named Uriel Whyte who had been awaiting trial on gun charges for more than two years, but was stabbed to death inside the MDC on June 7. A second inmate, Edwin Cordero, died after being injured in a jail fight over a month later.

According to The New York Times , Corderos lawyer called his clients death senseless and completely preventable before describing him as another victim of M.D.C. Brooklyn, an overcrowded, understaffed and neglected federal jail that is hell on earth.

This hell on earth is also made manifest through its abysmal living conditions, with the MDC being thrust into the national spotlight after a week-long blackout left its inmates shivering in the cold in January 2019. The blackout subsequently sparked a class action lawsuit which was settled for around $10 million last year.

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The MDCs nightmarish conditions have also trickled into the courtroom on several occasions, with two taking place in 2024 alone. In January, Southern District of New York Judge Jesse Furman refused to send a 70-year-old defendant to the MDC, and opted for bail instead after their conviction for drug charges. In his 19-page decision , Judge Furman described the MDC as dreadful and said that it has gotten to the point that it is routine for judges in both this District and the Eastern District to give reduced sentences to defendants based on the conditions of confinement in the MDC.

Prosecutors no longer even put up a fight, Judge Furman continued. Let alone dispute that the state of affairs is unacceptable.

Then again in August, Eastern District of New York Judge Gary Brown said he would vacate a 75-year-old defendants sentence for tax fraud and place him on home confinement instead if the Bureau of Prisons were to send him to the MDC, citing its dangerous, barbaric conditions.

In response, the Bureau of Prisons said it would temporarily pause sending any defendant convicted of crimes to the MDC to serve their sentences. It added that there were 43 people currently serving sentences in a minimum-security unit at the prison site.

Mangione was arrested in Pennsylvania on Dec. 9 and has since been the subject of increasingly incriminating evidence in regards to Thompsons murder, according to police. Along with gun charges in Pennsylvania and a slew of murder charges in New York, Mangione has also been charged with one federal count of using a firearm to commit murderif he is found guilty he could face the death penalty.
Deb Haaland had just begun her second term in the U.S. House of Representatives in January 2021, elected from her native New Mexico. She was one of the first Indigenous women to be elected to Congress, but President Joe Biden had another "first" in mind.

He nominated her as the first Native American cabinet official and the first Native person to serve as Secretary of the Interior.

Haaland said it was "a really scary thing" when she first stepped onto the road to public service.

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"It was like stepping into an area that you haven't gone before," she said. "And the job was no different. I had never been a Secretary of the Interior before."

She overcame that anxiety and set out to make history. Among her accomplishments managing the U.S. government's largest agency was a significant step for Indigenous communities.

"We gave tribes a true seat at the table."

Haaland, a member of the Laguna Pueblo, will depart the Interior Department at the end of Biden's term on Jan. 20. She leaves behind new and enhanced partnership agreements, more Indian Country homes with electricity for the first time and tribes playing a more active role in directing management of the Colorado River.

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During an interview with The Arizona Republic Tuesday, Haaland said she was proud of the work she and her staff have done to put tribes at the table and as partners in land and water management.

She was particularly proud of her efforts to shine a light on the harm done to Indian Country children, families and communities by federal Indian boarding schools.

During a two-year study she commissioned, Haaland gathered first-hand accounts of school survivors and their families, assembling a record of the worst abuses in the 367 boarding schools run by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and later the Bureau of Indian Education.

As part of her "Road to Healing Tour," she visited the Gila River Indian Community, hearing from people about their sometimes harrowing experiences. One former student talked about how her tongue was split when a teacher put a clothespin on it as punishment for speaking in O'odham in class.

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The tour and study were summarized in a two-volume report that detailed many abuses in the system: how so many kids were taken from their homes and sent to faraway schools, how the long-term effects of generations of traumatized students scarred their families and communities. And how so many children died in the schools.

The report also outlined recommendations for healing communities wracked by the social ills wrought by the schools, for revitalizing language and cultural support, for reunifying families, for reforms in tribal community education and for steps to reduce violence in tribal communities.

Haaland accompanied President Joe Biden to the Gila River Indian Community in October as he formally apologized to Indian Country, a historic moment for the government and the thousands of people whose lives were upended by the schools.

In December, Biden announced the creation of the Carlisle Indian Boarding School National Monument, which will share the story of the thousands of Native children, their families and communities who were affected by the schools. Carlisle was the first of its kind, designed to forcibly assimilate Native kids with the goal of terminating tribes. "Native American history is American history," Haaland said. "And we are making sure that our country doesn't forget the sacrifices during this era of our history, as sad and terrible as it was."

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Tribes and water: Tribes take a greater role in managing the Colorado River, still seek water rights

Protecting lands, waters and fish, hiking the Havasupai Trail

The secretary's days weren't all spent recounting abuses and trauma. Some of Haaland's work highlighted during her travels after her 2021 confirmation were joyous occasions.

Haaland visited Arizona in 2022, when she outlined water, drought resilience and other projects that would be funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. She discussed water delivery, funding for the Drought Resilience Plan and tribal water projects.

In July 2023, Haaland joined Biden and tribal, federal and state dignitaries for the creation of the Baaj Nwaavjo Itah Kukveni-Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument. The 917,618-acre monument encompasses public lands surrounding Grand Canyon National Park and includes many sacred and cultural sites for area tribes.

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Two months before that announcement, Haaland made a historic trip of her own when she hiked down the steep eight-mile-long Havasupai Trail to Supai as part of the first-ever visit of a sitting Interior Secretary to the Havasupai Tribe. After the visit, she hiked back up the trail the same day.

In June, Haaland joined Colorado River Indian Tribes Chairwoman Amelia Flores and Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs to formally sign a historic agreement as the next step in the 4,300-member tribe's project to lease or exchange portions of its Arizona water allocation.

Haaland returned to Arizona in September to formally announce the Apache trout had been removed from the Endangered Species List after a 50-year-long conservation partnership among federal, state, tribal and nonprofit organizations. The trout is the first sport fish and first trout species to recover from near-extinction.

Haaland also played a leading role in forwarding Biden's America the Beautiful initiative which set out to conserve 30% of the nation's lands and waters by 2030.

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She oversaw the establishment of new rules governing the oversight of 250 million acres of public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management to better safeguard the lands, expedite clean energy development and continue to provide for outdoor recreation.

Tribes now have more say in what happens to ancestral lands and other issues important to Native peoples.

"We had held consultations that really made sure that tribes had a seat at the table," she said. "Because of President Biden, $45 billion was able to be sent to Indian Country for (tribes) to make the lives of their people better."

She established a Missing and Murdered Indigenous Person unit at the Bureau of Indian Affairs to institute a cross-government approach to pursue such cases.

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Haaland also created a task force to eliminate offensive geographic names.

She praised her team, including Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton, for working to give tribes representation in many Interior agencies.

She also touted work the Interior has done to forward the clean energy transition, including offshore wind and tribal electrification across the nation's reservations. She signed water deals and held groundbreaking ceremonies for new transmission lines to bring renewable solar power to the West.

"The Hopi Tribe had houses that never had electricity before and now have electricity," Haaland said.

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And, in what Haaland believed was an enduring change, Interior agencies signed 400 co-stewardship agreements with tribes incorporating tribal traditional knowledge into land stewardship.

Some of her decisions weren't universally acclaimed by tribes. In 2023, Haaland issued a 20-year ban on new oil and gas drilling and fracking around Chaco Canyon, a world heritage site protected by the Chaco Culture National Historic Park. That move, heralded by Pueblo tribes, some Navajos and environmentalists was panned by the Navajo Nation, which said the ban could impede local Navajo residents' ability to make a living from developing the resources under their land.

Important places: Indigenous people find legal, cultural barriers to protect sacred spaces off tribal lands

Cheering from the sidelines

Haaland said she's not done yet.

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"We're going to keep working for another month," she said. "The folks who will leave when I leave are still working to get things done."

The career staff including scientists, biologists, ecologists and other experts will still be on the job after she and her fellow appointees leave, she said.

"And I am going to be cheering them on the sidelines because I know they'll continue to do the amazing work that they always do because they're public servants and they care about this country," Haaland said. "I wish the American people knew what I know about them, that they wake up every single day ready to serve their dedicated to the future, and so I applaud them every day."

The Department of the Interior's 65,000 employees run the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service and Fish and Wildlife Service. Interior also oversees the bureaus of Reclamation, Ocean Energy Management, Safety and Environmental Enforcement, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement. The staff oversees 480 million acres of public lands as well as subsurface minerals such as oil and gas, and the outer continental shelf.

The department also manages several Indian agencies including the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Indian Education and the Bureau of Trust Funds Administration.

Haaland is hopeful that much of that work to include tribes as partners continues into the next administration. For example, "All of those co-stewardship agreements that we put into place, all of the tribal traditional knowledge that we've been able to incorporate into the way we steward those lands, aren't going away," Haaland said.

"Above all, I really hope that the tribes will continue to have a voice," she said. "We've really worked hard to make sure they've had a seat at the table in the important decisions that we have made when it comes to their ancestral homelands." Haaland said she hopes tribes continue to use their voice and make sure they're listened to when moving forward.

Haaland was cagey about her plans after leaving the Interior as rumors swirl about her possible bid to become New Mexico's first Native American governor in 2026. Instead, she said, "I'm going to be cheering the staff from the sidelines."

As she prepares to leave her office, Haaland said she has been visiting different groups across the department. "I've gone into their hallways. I've been visiting with staff and appointees for about the last month."

At the end of the day, Haaland said, "What I can say is that I really tried to be my authentic self."

Debra Krol reports on Indigenous communities at the confluence of climate, culture and commerce in Arizona and the Intermountain West. Reach Krol at debra.krol@azcentral.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter @debkrol.

Coverage of Indigenous issues at the intersection of climate, culture and commerce is supported by the Catena Foundation.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Interior Secretary Deb Haaland leaves a personal legacy at agency
DES MOINES, Iowa  House Republicans in Washington, D.C. unveiled a new spending package after the failure of the bipartisan 1,547 paged proposal yesterday.

The new proposal is just 116 pages and funds the government for three months, suspends the debt ceiling until Jan. 2027, includes a one year farm bill extension and $110 billion for disaster aid and recovery that was in the the proposal that failed on Wednesday. The bill saw the United States House of Representatives floor vote just hours after it was unveiled. The bill was struck down 174-235-1 in a vote.

Comedy club to take over Old Spaghetti Works space on Court Ave.

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A picture is worth 1,000 words. I voted to support President Trumps version of the CR, which keeps the government open, addresses the debt ceiling, extends the Farm Bill, & includes key disaster relief for farmers. Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, (R) IA-02 on X

Tonight, I stood with President Trump to deliver relief for our farmers, extend the Farm Bill, and fund our troops and border patrol agents. Congressman Randy Feenstra, (R) IA-04 on X

Congressman Zach Nunn (R) from Iowas Third Congressional District and Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R) from Iowas First Congressional District voted in favor of the failed proposal but have not released a statement yet.

Iowa News:

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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 who13.com.
A captain in Irans Revolutionary Guard Corps faces federal murder and terrorism charges in New York, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Friday that charges Mohammad Reza Nouri with orchestrating the murder of an American citizen to avenge the drone strike killing of a top Iranian general.

Stephen Troell, a 45-year-old American living in Baghdad, was killed in front of his wife in November 2022 after federal prosecutors said Nouri gathered intelligence on Troell's daily routine, procured weapons and housed the operatives who carried out the murder.

"We allege that Mohammad Reza Nouri, an officer in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, orchestrated the murder of Stephen Troell, an American citizen living in Iraq, carrying out the Iranian Regime's efforts to take vengeance for the death of Qasim Soleimani," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement announcing the charges. "Stephen should still be alive today, and the Justice Department will work relentlessly to ensure accountability for his murder."

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The U.S. has said Iran sought revenge for the January 2020 death of Soleimani in an American drone strike in Baghdad.

In November 2022, the Iranian regime struck in Iraq. A group of operatives working on behalf of the IRGC brutally murdered Troell in Baghdad, where he worked at an English language institute, as Troell was driving home with his wife after work.

PHOTO: Seal of the US Department of Justice before a news conference in Washington, DC, Jan. 24, 2023. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Nouri, 36, allegedly "played a key role in the IRGC's targeting and ultimate murder of Troell," whom Nouri appears to have believed was working as an American or Israeli intelligence officer.

MORE: 3 charged in Iran-linked murder plots, with one targeting Donald Trump as revenge for killing Qassem Soleimani: DOJ

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According to the complaint, Nouri accumulated data including Troell's date of birth, coordinates of his residence, occupation, work schedule, telephone number, wife's name, and children's names, among other information. In the weeks leading up to the murder, he allegedly coordinated with one of his co-conspirators to procure firearms and a vehicle for use in the attack.

Troell was driving home from work with his wife when heavily armed gunmen in two cars forced the couple to stop shortly before they reached their residence, blocked any possible escape route, approached Troell on the driver's side, and, using an assault weapon, shot and killed Troell as his wife witnessed the attack in the passenger seat.

Less than a half hour after the attack, Nouri sent an encrypted messages inquiring about the wellbeing of the operatives tasked with carrying out the hit, allegedly asking, "The guys are fine?" and "They are doing well?"

In March 2023, Iraqi authorities arrested Nouri and he was subsequently convicted by an Iraqi court for his role in Troell's murder. He remains in custody in Iraq.

Iranian officer charged with orchestrating murder of US citizen in Iraq originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Israeli security forces said on Friday they are investigating a case of arson and graffiti at a mosque in the West Bank that local officials blamed on Israeli settlers.

"We are taking the incident seriously and will act decisively to bring those responsible to justice," said a statement from the police and the domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet.

Palestinian and Israeli media published footage and photographs allegedly showing the vandalism at the mosque in the village of Marda near Nablus in the north of the Palestinian territory.

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They show a burnt doorway and hate messages sprayed on the walls and floor in Hebrew, including the words "revenge and "let the mosque burn."

According to the Palestinian news agency WAFA, residents managed to extinguish the fire, which was set early in the morning. The damage was therefore limited to the mosque's entrance.

The already tense situation in the West Bank has worsened considerably since the Hamas massacre in Israel more than a year ago and the resulting Gaza war. Since then, violence by radical settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank has also increased.
CAIRO (Reuters) - Israeli airstrikes killed at least 25 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Friday, medics said, including at least eight in an apartment in the Nuseirat refugee camp and at least 10, including seven children, in the town of Jabalia.

Mediators have yet to secure a ceasefire between Israel and the Islamist group Hamas after more than a year of conflict.

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.

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Israel began its assault on Gaza after Hamas-led fighters attacked Israeli communities on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking over 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 Israel's campaign has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians and displaced most of the population of 2.3 million. Much of the coastal enclave is in ruins.

(Reporting by Nidal Al Mughrabi; Editing by Alison Williams, Timothy Heritage and Rod Nickel)
By Joshua McElwee

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - An Israeli government minister criticised Pope Francis on Friday for suggesting the international community should study whether Israel's military offensive in Gaza constitutes a genocide of the Palestinian people.

In an open letter published by Italian newspaper Il Foglio, Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli said the pope's remarks - made in excerpts from a forthcoming book that were published last month - amounted to a "trivialisation" of the term genocide.

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"As a people who lost six million of its sons and daughters in the Holocaust, we are particularly sensitive to the trivialisation of the term 'genocide' - a trivialisation that comes dangerously close to Holocaust denial," Chikli wrote.

Chikli, who ended the letter by calling Francis "a dear friend of the Jewish people," asked the pope "to clarify your position regarding the new accusation of genocide against the Jewish state".

The Vatican did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter.

Israel says accusations of genocide in Gaza are baseless and that it is solely hunting down Hamas militants and other Palestinian armed groups.

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The pope, as leader of the 1.4-billion-member Roman Catholic Church, is usually careful about taking sides in conflicts, but has recently been more outspoken about Israel's military campaign against Palestinian militant group Hamas.

In the book excerpts published by Italian daily La Stampa, the pontiff said some international experts said that "what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide".

"We should investigate carefully to assess whether this fits into the technical definition (of genocide) formulated by international jurists and organisations," the pope said.

Authorities in the Gaza Strip say more than 45,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 107,000 injured in Israel's offensive, and most of the enclave's more than 2 million people are homeless or displaced.

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Israel began its offensive after the Hamas-led attack on communities in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which about 1,200 were people and more than 250 were abducted and taken to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.

(Reporting by Joshua McElwee, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
By Samia Nakhoul

DUBAI (Reuters) - 2025 will be a year of reckoning for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his country's arch foe Iran.

The veteran Israeli leader is set to cement his strategic goals: tightening his military control over Gaza, thwarting Iran's nuclear ambitions and capitalising on the dismantling of Tehran's allies -- Palestinian Hamas, Lebanon's Hezbollah and the removal of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

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Assad's collapse, the elimination of the top leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah and the destruction of their military structure mark a succession of monumental wins for Netanyahu.

Without Syria, the alliances Tehran has nurtured for decades have unraveled. As Iran's influence weakens, Israel is emerging as the dominant power in the region.

Netanyahu is poised to zero in on Iran's nuclear ambitions and missile program, applying an unyielding focus to dismantling and neutralising these strategic threats to Israel.

Iran, Middle East observers say, faces a stark choice: Either continue its nuclear enrichment program or scale back its atomic activities and agree to negotiations.

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"Iran is very vulnerable to an Israeli attack, particularly against its nuclear program," said Joost R. Hiltermann, Middle East and North Africa Program Director of the International Crisis Group. "I wouldn't be surprised if Israel did it, but that doesn't get rid of Iran."

"If they (Iranians) do not back down, Trump and Netanyahu might strike, as nothing now prevents them," said Palestinian analyst Ghassan al-Khatib, referring to President-elect Donald Trump. Khatib argued that the Iranian leadership, having demonstrated pragmatism in the past, may be willing to compromise to avert a military confrontation.

Trump, who withdrew from a 2015 agreement between Iran and six world powers aimed at curbing Tehran's nuclear goals, is likely to step up sanctions on Iran's oil industry, despite calls to return to negotiations from critics who see diplomacy as a more effective long-term policy.

DEFINING LEGACY

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Amid the turmoil of Iran and Gaza, Netanyahu's long-running corruption trial, which resumed in December, will also play a defining role in shaping his legacy. For the first time since the outbreak of the Gaza war in 2023, Netanyahu took the stand in proceedings that have bitterly divided Israelis.

With 2024 coming to an end, the Israeli prime minister will likely agree to sign a ceasefire accord with Hamas to halt the 14-month-old Gaza war and free Israeli hostages held in the enclave, according to sources close to the negotiations.

But Gaza would stay under Israeli military control in the absence of a post-war U.S. plan for Israel to cede power to the Palestinian Authority (PA), which Netanyahu rejects. Arab states have shown little inclination to press Israel to compromise or push the decaying PA to overhaul its leadership to take over.

"Israel will remain in Gaza militarily in the foreseeable future because any withdrawal carries the risk of Hamas reorganising. Israel believes that the only way to maintain the military gains is to stay in Gaza," Khatib told Reuters.

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For Netanyahu, such a result would mark a strategic victory, consolidating a status quo that aligns with his vision: Preventing Palestinian statehood while ensuring Israel's long-term control over Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem -- territories internationally recognised as integral to a future Palestinian state.

The Gaza war erupted when Hamas militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel responded with an air and land offensive that has killed 45,000 people, health authorities there say, displaced 1.2 million and left much of the enclave in ruins.

While the ceasefire pact would bring an immediate end to the Gaza hostilities, it would not address the deeper, decades-old Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Arab and Western officials say.

On the ground, prospects for a Palestinian state, an option repeatedly ruled out by Netanyahu's government, have become increasingly unattainable, with Israeli settler leaders optimistic that Trump will align closely with their views.

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A surge in settler violence and the increasing confidence of the settler movement - highway billboards in some West Bank areas bear the message in Arabic "No Future in Palestine" - reflect a growing squeeze on Palestinians.

Even if the Trump administration were to push for an end to the conflict, "any resolution would be on Israels terms," said Hiltermann of the Crisis Group.

"It's over when it comes to a Palestinian state, but the Palestinians are still there," he said.

In Trump's previous term, Netanyahu secured several diplomatic wins, including the Deal of the Century, a U.S.-backed peace plan which Trump floated in 2020 to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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The plan, if implemented, marks a dramatic shift in U.S. policy and international agreements by overtly aligning with Israel and deviating sharply from a long-standing land-for-peace framework that has historically guided negotiations.

It would allow Israel to annex vast stretches of land in the occupied West Bank, including Israeli settlements and the Jordan Valley. It would also recognise Jerusalem as the "undivided capital of Israel" - effectively denying Palestinian claims to East Jerusalem as their capital, a central aspiration in their statehood goals and in accordance with U.N. resolutions.

SYRIA AT CRITICAL CROSSROADS

Across the border from Israel, Syria stands at a critical juncture following the overthrow of Assad by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebel forces, led by Ahmad al-Sharaa, better known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani.

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Golani now faces the monumental task of consolidating control over a fractured Syria, where the military and police force have collapsed. HTS has to rebuild from scratch, securing borders and maintaining internal stability against threats from jihadists, remnants of the Assad regime, and other adversaries.

The greatest fear among Syrians and observers alike is whether HTS, once linked to al-Qaeda but now presenting itself as a Syrian nationalist force to gain legitimacy, reverts to a rigid Islamist ideology.

The groups ability - or failure - to navigate this balance will shape the future of Syria, home to diverse communities of Sunnis, Shi'ites, Alawites, Kurds, Druze and Christians.

"If they succeed in that (Syrian nationalism) there's hope for Syria, but if they revert to their comfort zone of quite strongly ideologically-tainted Islamism, then it's going to be divisive in Syria," said Hiltermann.

"You could have chaos and a weak Syria for a long time, just like we saw in Libya and Iraq."

(Writing by Samia Nakhoul; Editing by James Mackenzie, William Maclean)
ROME (AP)  A court in Sicily Friday found Italian Vice Premier Matteo Salvini not guilty of illegally detaining 100 migrants aboard a humanitarian rescue ship in 2019, when he was interior minister.

The court in the city of Palermo dropped all the charges against Salvini in relation an incident in 2019, when he refused to allow the migrants to leave the Open Arms rescue ship at Italys southernmost island of Lampedusa.

Verdicts in Italy are only considered final once all appeals are exhausted, a process that can take years.

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Now transport minister in Premier Giorgia Melonis far-right-led government, Salvini has always defended himself, saying he acted to protect Italys borders.

Protecting our country's borders from smugglers is not a crime, the leader of the right-wing League party said shortly after the verdict. This is a victory for the League and for Italy.

Premier Meloni also expressed her great satisfaction," saying in a statement that the verdict "shows how the accusations against Salvini were baseless and surreal."

Salvini had always stated he didn't plan to step down in case of a guilty verdict, but such an outcome would have dealt a big blow to Meloni's government.

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He has the strong support of the premier, other government ministers and anti-migrant European lawmakers, as well as Elon Musk, who expressed his sympathy for the Italian leader in a message on the social media platform X.

During the 2019 standoff, some of the migrants threw themselves overboard in desperation as the captain pleaded for a safe port nearby. The remaining 89 people onboard were eventually allowed to disembark on Lampedusa by a court order.

Salvini took a hard line against migration as interior minister from 2018-2019 in the first government of former Premier Giuseppe Conte. He refused permission for humanitarian rescue ships to dock and accused the groups that rescued migrants at sea of effectively encouraging smugglers.
ROME (AP)  A court in Sicily is expected to announce its verdict Friday on whether Italy's vice premier, Matteo Salvini, was guilty of illegally detaining 100 migrants aboard a humanitarian rescue ship when he was interior minister.

Salvini faces up to six years in jail if convicted on charges of kidnapping for the 2019 incident when he refused to allow the migrants to leave the Open Arms rescue ship at Italys southernmost island of Lampedusa.

A sentence of over five years would also automatically bar him from office. However, verdicts in Italy are only considered final once all appeals are exhausted, a process that can take years. Salvini has made clear he will not step down.

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Now transport minister in Premier Giorgia Meloni's far-right-led government, Salvini has defended himself, saying he acted to protect Italy's borders.

I have kept my promises, combating mass immigration and reducing departures, landings and deaths at sea, Salvini said on Friday as he arrived in court.

Whatever the sentence, today is a good day for me because I am proud to have defended my country. I would do everything I did again," he added.

During the standoff, some of the migrants threw themselves overboard in desperation as the captain pleaded for a safe, close port. The remaining 89 people onboard were eventually allowed to disembark in Lampedusa by a court order.

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Salvini took a hard line against migration as interior minister from 2018-2019 in the first government of former Premier Giuseppe Conte. He refused humanitarian rescue ships port and accused the groups that rescued migrants at sea of effectively encouraging smugglers.

Salvini has the support of Meloni, other government ministers and anti-migrant European lawmakers, as well as Elon Musk, who expressed his support in a message on the social media platform X.

Since she took power in 2022, Meloni has moved to crack down on migration, striking deals with northern African nations to prevent departures while also setting up centers in Albania aimed at vetting migrants rescued at sea in the non-EU country without allowing them to enter Italy. Those centers are not yet operational amid legal challenges.
(Bloomberg) -- Italys Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini was acquitted over his role in preventing a rescue ship carrying 147 migrants from docking in Sicily in 2019.

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Salvini, the leader of the anti-migration League party and a junior partner in Prime Minister Giorgia Melonis coalition, had been facing a jail term of as much as six years.

After three years, common sense has won, the League has won, Italy has won, Salvini said after the verdict was announced. The idea of defending the homeland, fighting against traffickers and protecting our children is not a crime but a right.

Prosecutors had charged Salvini, who was the interior minister at the time, with kidnapping after he prevented the ship operated by the Spanish charity Open Arms from docking. The ordeal lasted about three weeks until a Sicilian prosecutor boarded the ship and ordered the migrants to disembark as sanitary and health conditions on the vessel had significantly deteriorated.

Salvini has reiterated over the years that he was following government policy to keep Italys borders secure. In a November interview with the daily newspaper Libero, he said that the trial was a political responsibility of the left, which, according to him, was seeking retribution.

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Meloni said the ruling showed how unfounded and surreal the accusations against Salvini were, expressing great satisfaction for his acquittal.

In a post on Facebook before his hearing, he wrote: I risk prison because the left wanted revenge. I would do it all again: Defending the borders is not a crime. He has previously accused the judiciary of siding with the opposition.

Salvini had told reporters he was proud of what he had done just before entering the courthouse on Friday morning.

Meloni, who came to power in 2022, has sought to curb illegal migration, including through a long-delayed plan to reroute some asylum seekers to Albania. The initiative, expected to cost hundreds of millions of euros, is still not operational.

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It took us a while but we got there, Salvini said. Ill push ahead with even more determination than before.

(Updates with Salvini comment in the third, final paragraphs.)

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2024 Bloomberg L.P.
Book festivals are incredibly important for nurturing a love of reading and storytelling in our communities. They bring together authors, readers, and publishers in lively celebrations of literature.

These events offer a chance to discover new books, meet favourite authors, and participate in discussions and workshops. More than just a place to buy books, book festivals create an atmosphere where people can share their ideas, connect with diverse voices, and explore different cultures through stories.

The 1st Baku Book Festival is one of such exciting events that brings the literary world to life in Azerbaijan.

Co-organized by the Public Union "Azerbaijan Publishers Association Public Union (ANAIB)" and Azerbaijan Culture Ministry in the Palace of Hand Games, the festival offers a great chance for readers to broaden their horizons.

Books by modern writers are presented at the festival, which aims at promoting the Azerbaijani literature.

The event brought together young people, including schoolchildren and students as well as book enthusiasts.

The festival is held under the slogan "Into the New Year with New Books!". Over 30 publishing houses, including ANAIB members, are participating in it. The festival also features stands of local newspapers and magazines.

ANAIB Chairman Shamil Sadig welcomed the guests of the festival. He expressed his gratitude to the attendees and shared details about the preparation process for the festival.

People's Poet Sabir Rustamkhanli, Rector of the Turkish Uskudar University Nazife Gungor, Chairman of the Public Council under the Azerbaijan Culture Ministry and director of the Ataturk Center in Azerbaijan, Academician Nizami Jafarov, member of the Azerbaijani Parliament Fazil Mustafa, Chairman of the Azerbaijan Press Council Rashad Majid and Honored Artist of Azerbaijan Rafig Hashimov addressed the event.

In their remarks, they emphasized the importance of books and reading, and their role in the development of society.

During the festival, visitors can enjoy thousands of books with discounts of up to 90 per cent, presentations and autograph sessions of famous writers and poets, meetings with popular personalities, poetry hours, as well as reading fairy tales aloud for children.

The 1st Baku Book Festival is open to visitors daily from 10:00 to 20:00 until December 22.
Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini was found not guilty in a criminal kidnapping case dating back to August 2019, when he barred a migrant vessel from docking in the country, leaving it stranded offshore.

The ruling judge said Friday that the facts do not exist.

The case dates back to when Salvini was interior minister in 2019. He had prohibited the Spanish-flagged Open Arms NGO rescue boat from docking in Sicily with 147 asylum seekers, leaving migrants at sea under stifling hot conditions for 19 days before a Sicilian court intervened and ruled they could be brought to shore.

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Children and vulnerable people onboard were air-lifted to safety throughout the ordeal.

At the time, Salvini cited national security concerns, amid government efforts to crack down on irregular immigration by sea into Italy.

In a statement released by her office, Italys Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her great satisfaction in Salvinis acquittal. A judgment that shows how unfounded and surreal the accusations against him were, Meloni said in a statement released by her office on Friday.

The case drew international attention after American actor Richard Gere, who was vacationing in Italy at the time, took food and water out to the stranded migrant vessel. Gere was also named as a witness, but did not testify in person or writing after objections from Salvinis defense, led by Giulia Bongiorno, who is also a member of Salvinis Lega party.

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On Thursday, Elon Musk posted on X that it was crazy that Salvini was being tried for defending Italy.

Salvini responded: Thank you for your solidarity, @elonmusk. Defending Italys borders was my duty, and I am proud of what I accomplished. Whether I am convicted or acquitted, our fight for FREEDOM and SECURITY in Italy and Europe will continue. Musk responded: You did the right thing.

Before nearly eight hours of deliberation, prosecutor Marzia Sabella told the court that Salvini had exceeded his powers as interior minister. There were no national security reasons preventing disembarkation, she told the panel of judges.

Salvini spoke with reporters outside the courthouse in Palermo before the final hearing. I am absolutely proud of what I did. I kept the promises I made, I fought mass immigration and, whatever the sentence, for me today is a good day because I am proud to have defended my country, he said, adding, I would do everything I did again.

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The verdict comes as Melonis government fights to send migrants to Albania to be processed, a scheme which has been blocked by the judiciary. The legality of the Albanian Centers, which cost Italian taxpayers millions of euros, is now to be considered by the European Court of Justice.

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By Elvira Pollina and Alvise Armellini

MILAN (Reuters) -Italy's data protection agency said on Friday it fined ChatGPT maker OpenAI 15 million euros ($15.58 million) after closing an investigation into use of personal data by the generative artificial intelligence application.

The fine comes after the authority found OpenAI processed users' personal data to "train ChatGPT without having an adequate legal basis and violated the principle of transparency and the related information obligations towards users".

OpenAI said the decision was "disproportionate" and that the company will file an appeal against it.

The investigation, which started in 2023, also concluded that the U.S.-based company did not have an adequate age verification system in place to prevent children under the age of 13 from being exposed to inappropriate AI-generated content, the authority said.

The Italian watchdog also ordered OpenAI to launch a six-month campaign on Italian media to raise public awareness about how ChatGPT works, particularly as regards to data collection of users and non-users to train algorithms.

Italy's authority, known as Garante, is one of the European Union's most proactive regulators in assessing AI platform compliance with the bloc's data privacy regime.

Last year it briefly banned the use of ChatGPT in Italy over alleged breaches of EU privacy rules.

The service was reactivated after Microsoft-backed OpenAI addressed issues concerning, among other things, the right of users to refuse consent for the use of personal data to train the algorithms.

"They've since recognised our industry-leading approach to protecting privacy in AI, yet this fine is nearly twenty times the revenue we made in Italy during the relevant period," OpenAI said, adding the Garante's approach "undermines Italy's AI ambitions".

The regulator said the size of its 15-million-euro fine was calculated taking into account OpenAI's "cooperative stance", suggesting the fine could have been even bigger.

Under the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) introduced in 2018, any company found to have broken rules faces fines of up to 20 million euros or 4% of its global turnover.

($1 = 0.9626 euros)

(Reporting by Alessia Pe and Elvira PollinaAdditional reporting by Supantha MukherjeeEditing by Alvise Armellini and Frances Kerry)
Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini has been acquitted in the trial over the treatment of migrants in the Mediterranean.

The verdict was announced by a court in Palermo, Sicily on Friday.

The head of the right-wing governing League party was accused of preventing a ship belonging to an aid organization with refugees on board from entering an Italian port for several weeks during his time as interior minister in 2019.

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The public prosecutor had called for a six-year prison sentence for Salvini, describing his behaviour kidnapping and dereliction of duty.

The ship, operated by the Spanish organization Open Arms, was anchored near the island of Lampedusa with more than 160 migrants on board, but was not allowed to enter the port.

Several people jumped into the water and tried to swim ashore. The ship was only allowed to dock after three weeks.
Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini has been acquitted in the trial over his August 2019 decision to block a migrant rescue boat from docking.

The verdict was announced by a court in Palermo, Sicily on Friday.

The head of the right-wing League party, which is part of the governing coalition, was accused of preventing a ship operated by an aid organization with refugees on board from entering an Italian port for several weeks during his time as interior minister in 2019.

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The public prosecutor had called for a six-year prison sentence for Salvini, describing his behaviour as kidnapping and dereliction of duty. Instead, the 51-year-old was acquitted by judges.

"After three years, the League has won, Italy has won, the defence of the fatherland is not a crime, but a right. I will be even more determined than before," Salvini told reporters after the verdict.

The ship, operated by the Spanish organization Open Arms, was anchored near the island of Lampedusa with more than 160 migrants on board, but was not allowed to enter the port.

Several people jumped into the water and tried to swim ashore. The ship was only allowed to dock after three weeks after a public prosecutor ordered it to do so - against the wishes of the minister.

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Salvini, now transport minister, is a key member of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's coalition government and she was quick to hail his acquittal.

"A judgement that shows how unfounded and surreal the accusations made against him were," Meloni said in a statement.

Congratulations also came from abroad.

"Justice has prevailed! Bravo, Matteo Salvini!" Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban wrote on X.
Italian far-right Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini risks six years in prison as he hears a Sicilian court's verdict on Friday over his August 2019 decision to block a migrant rescue boat from docking.

The public prosecutor accuses Salvini, who was interior minister at the time, of kidnapping and dereliction of duty for not allowing migrants to disembark from the Open Arms charity boat.

The Open Arms, carrying some 160 migrants from Africa who had crossed the Mediterranean in an attempt to reach the European Union, was forced to stay at sea for three weeks before it was finally allowed to dock on the Italian island of Lampedusa.

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As conditions on board deteriorated and desperation grew, several people jumped into the water and tried to swim to shore.

Proceedings against Salvini were launched at a court in the Sicilian capital Palermo more than three years ago.

Prosecutors have called for him to serve a six-year sentence. Salvini says he is being politically persecuted by "communist" judges pursing a left-wing agenda. His defence team is demanding an acquittal.

Even if convicted, the 51-year-old has made it clear that he intends to remain in office. Friday's verdict is not final.

Salvini is leader of the right-wing League party and is one of the central figures in Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's coalition. The governing parties rallied around Salvini as he defended himself in the case.

He now serves as minister of infrastructure and transport. But he first made a name for himself across Europe for his hardline approach to migrants and the charity ships operating in the Mediterranean in 2018 and 2019.
JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV)  The Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport (JAN) anticipates a significant passenger demand during the year-end holiday period.

As Jacksonians and central Mississippians head out to see family and friends or to take a vacation, the number of travelers is expected to rise beginning Friday, December 20. Peak travel days are expected from December 20-29, 2024, and the second peak is from January 2-6, 2025.

MDOT suspends work for 2024 Christmas, New Years travel

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To ensure a smooth travel experience during this busy period, the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority (JMAA) encourages all passengers to arrive at least two hours before their flight departures.

JAN offers a range of convenient parking options to meet passengers needs, including:

Garage parking: $19 per day

Surface lot: $17 per day

Long-term lot: $13 per day (with complimentary shuttle service)

Free 10-minute parking in any lot; hourly fees begin at 11 minutes

JMAA provides real-time information on flights at www.iflyjackson.com. For questions on specific TSA checkpoint rules and regulations and helpful holiday hints, visit www.TSA.gov.

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(Bloomberg) -- Japans ruling parties approved a tax reform plan for the coming year without securing an agreement with a key opposition party, raising the risk of further political gridlock for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishibas minority government.

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Ishibas Liberal Democratic Party and its junior partner Komeito signed off on plans for tax changes for the next fiscal year on Friday, despite lacking support from an opposition party. The parties need the support of the Democratic Party for the People to secure the majority needed to pass the plan and other legislation if they cant find other allies in parliament.

Sadly we were unable to reach a final agreement with the DPP, said Yoichi Miyazawa, chairman of the LDPs tax policy committee, speaking after the parties approved the plan. We do expect further movements before next years budget is approved, but we plan on a solid response, he added.

The ruling parties decided to raise the tax-free income ceiling to 1.23 million ($7,830.8), from 1.03 million, according to the plan released by the ruling parties tax committee. With the change, tax revenue will likely decline by 600 billion to 700 billion, according to Miyazawa.

Pushing up the ceiling is a key policy initiative of the DPP, but the proposed amount falls short of its demand of 1.78 million, a situation that earlier prompted the opposition party to suspend talks with the ruling coalition.

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The minor opposition party will still continue discussions with the ruling parties from here, according to senior DPP official Kazuya Shimba. A three party tax chief meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, he said.

The failure to secure DPP support suggests that Ishibas position will remain precarious as he struggles to get enough parliamentarians to sign off on his budget for next year. A recent opinion poll conducted by Sankei showed Ishibas disapproval rate outweighing his approval rating for the second consecutive time, highlighting the political challenges he faces.

The ruling parties tax plans for next year also includes a commitment to raising tobacco and corporate taxes in April 2026 to finance increased defense spending. Since Ishibas predecessor Fumio Kishida pledged a major jump in funds for improving defense capabilities in 2022, the government has struggled over how exactly to secure the money needed. The ruling parties again delayed deciding when to raise the income tax to fund defense spending.

Other key elements of the tax reform plan include:

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Raising the maximum monthly contribution limit for a tax-deductible defined-contribution pension plan (iDeCo)

Allowing workers aged 19-22 to earn up to 1.5 million annually without increasing their parents tax burdens

Reviewing car-related taxes, including vehicle and fuel taxes

Amid uncertainty over whether they can secure DPPs support, the ruling coalition has also initiated talks with other opposition parties. That includes the Japan Innovation Party, which holds 38 seats in the lower house. Their cooperation would be enough to let Ishiba get the budget through parliament. The Innovation Party has called for making high school tuition free, regardless of parental income levels.

Earlier this week, Ishiba successfully passed an extra budget to fund his 21.9 trillion stimulus package, securing support from the Innovation Party and the DPP in exchange for promises to consider their demands. Those considerations included raising the income tax ceiling and making high school tuition free.

--With assistance from Akemi Terukina.

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(Updates with ruling party tax chief comments, additional background.)

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Jay-Z's lawyer has asked the court to compel the rapper's accuser and her legal team to "preserve all evidence relevant to the case" after the alleged victim admitted to making mistakes in her allegations.

The victim, who was 13 years old at the time she claimed she was raped, recently shared in an interview that she may have made errors in her legal complaint but stands by her accusations.

In the filing, Jay-Z's legal team also pointed out flaws in the accuser's case and claimed they rendered her allegations "wholly unreliable."

Jay-Z's Lawyer Says Alleged Victim's Allegation Is 'Wholly Unreliable,' Calls For Preservation Of 'Evidence'

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In a new filing obtained by Fox News Digital, Jay-Z's lawyer, Alex Spiro, expressed fears that the rapper's accuser may destroy evidence in their case after the alleged victim admitted to making mistakes in her allegations.

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As part of the docs, the attorney urged the court to compel the anonymous accuser and her lawyer, Tony Buzbee, to "preserve all evidence relevant to this case."

Jay-Z's lawyer also poked holes in the alleged victim's case, referencing the mistakes she made in her allegations during an interview.

This includes a claim made by Jane Doe that the assault occurred in a private residence, which, according to Jay-Z's lawyer, does not exist.

"The timeline, location, and occurrence of events alleged in Plaintiff's complaint are rendered impossible by these admissions," Jay-Z's lawyer also penned in the documents. "Taken together, the factual inconsistencies, timeline impossibilities, and the lack of corroborating evidence make Plaintiff's allegations  wholly unreliable."

The Accuser's Attorney Is Still 'Vetting' Her Rape Story

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Buzbee had earlier responded to the uproar surrounding the alleged victim's admission, stating that another firm vetted her rape claims and that his office is still in the process of vetting it.

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"Jane Doe's case was referred to our firm by another, who vetted it prior to sending it to us," he said in an email to NBC News.

He added, "Our client remains fiercely adamant that what she has stated is true, to the best of her memory. We will continue to vet her claims and collect corroborating data to the extent it exists."

Buzbee also noted that the entire situation has been "extremely distressing" for Jay-Z's accuser and has brought on seizures and stress for which she had to seek medical treatment.

The Rapper's Lawyers Slammed The Accuser's Attorney For Not Verifying Her Claims

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After the alleged victim admitted to making mistakes in her complaint, Jay-Z's legal team slammed her lawyer for failing to conduct a "reasonable inquiry into the facts" before filing the claim.

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In a filing to the court, they also dismissed the allegations as a "sham" and "patently false."

"Basic facts in her narrative  the who, what, when, and where  are wrong," the filing read, per NBC News. "These stunning revelations make clear that the complaint filed by the plaintiff's attorney, Anthony Buzbee, had no factual basis whatsoever."

The lawyers concluded the filing by announcing their intention to immediately submit a motion to strike the first amended complaint, which relates to the refiling of the lawsuit that initially named only Sean "Diddy" Combs.

The motion for dismissal was filed on December 18.

The Rape Accuser's Attorney Sued Jay-Z And His Lawyers For Allegedly Inciting Former Clients Against Him

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It appears that the legal back-and-forth between the victim's lawyer and Jay-Z's legal team is set to escalate further, as the former recently filed a new lawsuit against the other side.

In the filing, he claimed that Jay-Z and his team employed "shadowy operatives" and promised payoffs to provoke some of his former clients into suing his law firm.

He alleged that these actions violated various state laws, adding that some of the operatives impersonated Texas state officials by "flashing fake badges."

Jay-Z's Roc Nation responded to the allegations by calling them another "sham" designed to deflect attention.

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"Tony Buzbee's baloney lawsuit against Roc Nation is nothing but another sham. It's a pathetic attempt to distract and deflect attention," read a statement from the organization, per USA Today. "This sideshow won't change the ultimate outcome, and true justice will be served soon."

Jay-Z Is 'Upset' About The Effect Of The Rape Lawsuit On His Wife And Kids

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During a press briefing in New York City, attorney Spiro revealed that Jay-Z was upset by the rape allegations brought against him.

"He's upset. He's upset that somebody would be allowed to do this, to make a mockery of the system like this," Spiro said, per CNN. "He's upset that this distracts and dissuades real victims from coming forward. He's upset that his kids and his family have to deal with this. He's upset, and he should be upset."

Spiro also said that Jay-Z has no association with Diddy and knows nothing about the rapper's legal troubles.

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"Mr. Carter has nothing to do with Mr. Combs's case or Mr. Combs," the lawyer said. "They knew each other professionally for a number of years. Just like in all professions, people know each other. At the music awards, they support each other."

"There is no closer association between any of them," he added. "That's also a matter of fiction. That's all that there is. He doesn't know anything about the charges or allegations against [Combs]. He has nothing to do with that case."
Queens Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar is returning a donation her city comptroller campaign recently received from a businessman indicted Thursday on bribery charges alongside Ingrid Lewis-Martin, Mayor Adams longtime confidante and former chief adviser at City Hall.

Arvind Sooknanan, a spokesman for Rajkumar, confirmed late Thursday that the candidate will give back the $2,100 she got in August for her comptroller run from Raizada Pinky Vaid, one of two real estate investors charged with bribing Lewis-Martin and her son in exchange for Lewis-Martin using her government influence to expedite Buildings Department permits for their construction projects.

Lewis-Martin resigned from her position last week.

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Sooknanan said Rajkumar, a prominent Adams ally who often appears with the mayor at public events, will also refund a $1,000 contribution Vaid gave her Assembly campaign in October 2022.

Our campaign has no problem returning the contributions out of an abundance of caution, said Sooknanan, whose boss is running in Junes Democratic comptroller primary against multiple candidates, including City Councilman Justin Brannan and Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine.

Rajkumar isnt the only local politician who has gotten cash from Vaid and his business partner, Mayank Dwivedi, who is also alleged to have bribed Lewis-Martin and her son.

According to state records, Vaid gave Gov. Hochuls campaign $2,500 in January 2022 and $1,000 to Assemblyman Mark Weprins 2024 campaign in October. Spokespeople for Hochul and Weprin did not immediately return requests for comment late Thursday.

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Dwivedi doesnt have any record of making political contributions on the city government level, but he pumped $10,000 into former Gov. Andrew Cuomos campaign in October 2017, state filings show. A spokesman for Cuomo did not immediately return a request for comment, either.

In an indictment unsealed in Manhattan Criminal Court, District Attorney Alvin Braggs office alleged Vaid and Dwivedi gave Lewis-Martin and her son, Glenn Martin II, $100,000 in exchange for her government favors. The two businessmen also allegedly made commitments to invest in business ventures floated by the younger Martin, who is a professional DJ known as Suave Luciano.

All four pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Bismarck State College President Doug Jensen. (Photo provided by Bismarck State College)

Doug Jensen is out as president of Bismarck State College.

The North Dakota State Board of Higher Education on Friday approved a separation agreement after meeting in a closed-door executive session. Jensens term ends Jan. 2.

Neither the board nor Chancellor Mark Hagerott commented during the meeting on the agreement after it was approved in a unanimous vote. No explanation was provided during the open meeting or in the separation agreement obtained by the North Dakota Monitor.

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In an email to faculty, students and staff after the meeting, Jensen said he had requested early retirement after dealing with medical issues and other personal issues, including the death of his brother in May.

I have come to the decision that now is the right time for me to step away and focus on my health and family, Jensen said in the email.

Jensen will be paid nearly $501,000, which is equal to Jensens salary of $388,428 plus a retirement contribution and a payment to go toward future health benefit premiums. Jensen will receive paid benefits through Bismarck State College for January and February 2025.

Jensen has been president of Bismarck State College since July 1, 2020, replacing Larry Skogen.

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He came to BSC after serving as president of Rock Valley College in Illinois.

Hagerott earlier this month said a performance evaluation for Jensen was not yet ready.

A 2023 evaluation called Jensen an invaluable to the North Dakota University System.

Your skillful leadership will need to continue as the state and higher education face an unprecedented future, the evaluation said in its conclusion.

The evaluation also mentioned that faculty dont feel they have enough input on decisions and they see faculty numbers decreasing and being replaced with adjunct professors. Faculty wanted more direct communication from Jensen.

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Bismarck State is described as North Dakotas only polytechnic, focusing on applied sciences and offering bachelors and associate degrees and certificate programs.

Enrollment this fall was about 4,200 students.

A report on compensation for North Dakota University System presidents that the board reviewed in January noted that Jensens salary was at the high end of his comparison group of similar colleges. It was also noted that the vision for the college is to grow in its role as a polytechnic institution.

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The boards action comes as it is poised to make hiring decisions for other top higher education jobs.

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The University System has begun accepting applications for the open president position at Dickinson State University. The application deadline is Feb. 7.

Stephen Easton resigned as DSU president in July after the nursing program administrator and all faculty resigned in a contract disagreement. Ty Orton, executive director of the Dickinson State University Heritage Foundation, is the acting president.

Earlier this month, Lake Region State College President Doug Darling announced his retirement effective June 30, 2025.

Hagerott also plans to step down as chancellor at the end of 2025.

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(NewsNation)  Michael Melham, the mayor of Belleville, New Jersey, said hes skeptical about a drone ban recently implemented by the Federal Aviation Administration.

The ban does not cover Melhams community.

Im glad, finally, were seeing the federal government take action, Melham said during a Thursday appearance on Elizabeth Vargas Reports. The fact that they are taking action is a first step. However, this new action only takes place for 22 areas here in New Jersey, and Belleville is not one of them.

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Travel tracker: What you should know as you prepare for holiday travel

FAA officials said the flight restrictions were requested by federal security agencies and are effective through Jan. 17.

The FBI, the Homeland Security Department and state agencies have been investigating, but officials say there has been nothing so far to suggest that any drones have posed a national security or public safety threat.

The agency has warned that deadly force could be used against the drones if they pose an imminent security threat, and that the government is using drone busters to take down unauthorized flyers.

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The agency said pilots who fail to abide by the new restrictions could be intercepted, detained, and interviewed by the law enforcement/security personnel.

NewsNations Kellie Meyer 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.
JetBlue Airways, the only U.S. carrier that connects Haiti directly with South Florida and New York, has extended suspension of its daily flights between the United States and the volatile Caribbean nation until late April 2025.

Due to the ongoing civil unrest in Haiti, we have made the decision to suspend all flights to and from the country through at least April 30, Selma Garcia, a spokesperson with the airlines, told the Miami Herald on Thursday. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and update our plans as necessary.

The Federal Aviation Administration had earlier extended a flight ban on U.S. commercial and cargo flights traveling to Port-au-Prince until March 12. The decision was announced the same day that Haitian officials officially reopened both Toussaint Louverture International Airport in the capital and the nearby Guy Malary terminal for domestic flights.

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Earlier this month, American Airlines told the Herald that it had indefinitely suspended its flights between Miami and Port-au-Prince, and would revisit the decision in late 2025.

JetBlue, which operates flights between Haiti and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood and between Haiti and New Yorks John F. Kennedy International Airport, cited the safety and well-being of our customers and crew members as the reasons for their decision to suspend the flights to Haiti until April.

While the suspensions have created anxiety for travelers, Haitis gang violence has created problems for pilots, some of whom were already prevented by charter and insurance companies from landing in Port-au-Prince after armed gangs shot at three U.S. commercial carriers on Nov. 11.

Those prompted each of the carriers  American Airlines, Spirit Airlines and JetBlue Airways  to announce suspension of their daily service and led to the FAA issuing a 30-day ban for the entire country before amending it to exclude some regions of Haiti. Haitian officials on their own also made the decision to temporarily close the capitals international airport and Guy Malary for the second time this year.

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READ MORE: Biden couldnt sell a Haiti intervention. Trump can, and should | Opinion

Haitis only other international airfield, Hugo Chavez International Airport in the northern city of Cap-Haitien, is exempted from the FAA ban and is the only gateway out of the country other than the vexing land border with the neighboring Dominican Republic. On Thursday, the Cap-Haitien airport received its second planeload of deportees from the United States despite severe flooding in the region that has cut off roads in and out of the city.

The Haitian Bridge Alliance, an advocacy group, condemned the Biden administration for what it says is its blatant violation of international and domestic laws through the continued deportation of asylum seekers to the Republic of Haiti. 

These actions undermine the United States long-standing commitment to human rights, due process, and international obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1980 Refugee Act, the San Diego immigration-rights group said. The recent wave of deportations, including vulnerable Haitian families fleeing violence, persecution, and immense violence, demonstrates a disturbing disregard for legal protections guaranteed to asylum seekers under U.S. and international law. 

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Though Haitian-owned Sunrise Airways operates flights between Miami International Airport and Cap-Haitien, and two airline companies connect the city with the neighboring Turks and Caicos Islands, the ban on U.S. commercial flights has isolated Haiti from the world. While people with means are able to connect to the capital on helicopters, others are trapped in Port-au-Prince, where on Monday armed gangs torched the Bernard Mevs trauma and critical care hospital.

The lifting of the FAA ban and tje resumption of daily service by JetBlue or any major U.S. airlines will depend on Haitis ability to convince airlines and the United States that air travel into its capital is safe, something the prime ministers office says it is working on.

Until this year gangs had kept their automatic rifles aimed at neighborhoods and each other as they sought control of more territory in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area and the neighboring Artibonite region. But in early March the country confronted coordinated, attacks from a powerful gang coalition trying to bring down the government.

Several Sunrise Airways jetliners were struck by stray bullets while on the tarmac. Then in October, a United Nations helicopter with three crew members and 15 passengers aboard was hit with multiple rounds as it flew over a gang-controlled neighborhood in the capital. No one was injured. Weeks later Spirit Airlines, JetBlue Airways and American Airlines all reported that their aircraft was hit by gunfire as pilots flew over Port-au-Prince.

The worst of the incidents involved a Spirit Airlines flight that had taken off from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. It was riddled with bullets as it prepared to land in the capital. No passengers were hurt, but a flight attendant had minor injuries. The gunfire forced the pilot to divert the flight to the neighboring Dominican Republic. Spirit Airlines, which has also canceled flights into Cap-Haitien, has not said if or when it plans to return to Haiti.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP)  With Hanukkah less than a week away the Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts held its annual meeting Thursday night.

They shared with those who attended about their accomplishments this year. Sara Colb, the deputy director for ADL New England was also the keynote speaker.

Menorah lighting ceremony held at Boston State House

At the meeting, the federation shared their new plan to protect people in their community following the rise of anti-semitism.

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We saw the need for increased security within our Jewish institutions and events here throughout the region and we are proud to be partnering with the secure community network to keep our community safe and put a formal plan in place, said Bobby Naimark.

On Dec. 25th, the federation plans to light the largest outdoor menorah in the region at the Jewish Community Center in Springfield to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah.

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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JOHNSON Co., Kan.  While an unexpected gift at your front door may sound exciting around the holidays, authorities say it could actually be a scam.

A detective at the Johnson County Sheriffs Office and the United States Postal Service spoke about whats being called the brushing scam.

Really what theyre looking for is to see how much information you will provide for them willingly, Detective Kevin Cronister said.

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Hollywood Casino to submit plans for new hotel in KCK

The brushing scam is a trick to gain personal information disguised as a Christmas gift.

Cronister said in the last month, Johnson County Sheriffs detectives have seen about three of the scams. He also said its not a prevalent issue, but he wants people to be aware.

Heres how it works:

A person will get a package full of gifts they did not order. That box may or may not have a return address. If it does, it could list a random retail company.

The scammer will include a QR code and say, Scan the QR code to find out who sent this package, Cronister explained.

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When you scan the code, he said youll be prompted to do several things.

Either theyll ask you to download an application or something on your computer or cell phone from the QR code, he said.

He said if you click the link or download the application that could lead to malware.

Scammers may also prompt people to fill out a questionnaire, asking name, date of birth or address.

Then, what theyll do, theyll fill out reviews in your name, then sometimes theyll sell your information, he continued.

Cronister said if the scammer asks for your bank information to pay for the gifts in the box, dont do it.

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Dont click it, dont scan the QR code, dont provide your information willingly, Cronister said.

He said people should be in the clear if they dont unpack personal information.

Unified Government to temporary prohibit food truck operations in part of KCK

Scanning the QR code doesnt give them any information aside from what type of phone you have and how many times you clicked the QR code, Cronister said.

The malicious part is when you start filling out questionnaire, or downloading the malware, that they ask you to download after you scan the QR code.

USPS Strategic Communications Specialist Mark Inglett said in some cases, these scammers will write fake reviews in your name.

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These folks will use your name, your address, things like that and theyll create fake reviews for these products and then theyll up their product purchases by people saying, that you gave them a 5-star review when you didnt even purchase the product., Inglett explained.

He said you can contact the postal inspector if you receive a package like this.

Cronister said if you like the gift, you can keep it. If its not needed for evidence, you can also throw it away.

If you scan the QR code and enter personal information or click a link, call your local authorities to file a report. The Johnson County Sheriffs Office non-emergency number is (913) 782-0720.

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LIMESTONE COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT)  Construction on the Belle Mina rock quarry can move forward for now.

The Southern Environmental Law Center, representing two churches, Belle Mina Methodist Church and New Beginnings Covenant Ministries, filed a motion for a temporary restraining order (TRO) against Grayson Carter & Son, Inc. and Stoned LLC. If granted, the TRO would have temporarily stopped all activity at the rock quarry.

Police asking for details in disappearance of Huntsville real estate agent

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This issue came before the Limestone County Circuit Court during an injunction hearing on Tuesday. Court documents show Circuit Judge Matthew R. Huggins denied the motion for a TRO on Thursday.

Huggins said in the order that he would not issue a TRO or preliminary injunction until both the both quarry opponents and its owners/operators could present evidence in a more thorough evidentiary hearing.

The churches were seeking to slow or stop the project citing a number of issues including anticipatory nuisance, due to expected noise, dust, and potential pipeline rupture. They also argued the structural stability of buildings exposed to expected blasting at the quarry could be compromised. The plaintiffs also argued air pollution, wildlife conservation of endangered species in the nearby creek and traffic congestion could become issues for the community if the quarry project continues.

My church is over 120 years old, Belle Mina Methodist Church Pastor Cody Gilliam told News 19. He said defendants Grayson Carter and Son and Stone LLC called an expert witness to the stand who could not tell us if the blasting was going to destroy our building.

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During Tuesdays hearing, attorneys representing the two companies said the TRO could not be granted based on anticipatory nuisance because some of the listed issues cannot be considered a nuisance if they havent happened yet.

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Judge Huggins also denied Grayson Carter & Son, Inc.s motion to strike evidence presented by the churches to supplement the TRO. The companys lawyers had argued that evidence was inadmissible and last minute as it was on the eve of Tuesdays hearing.

An earlier effort to halt construction by residents of the Belle Mina community was unsuccessful.

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Court proceedings will continue, as another preliminary injunction hearing in this case is set for February 6 at 9 a.m.

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A judge dealt Oxford school shooter Ethan Crumbley two major blows Thursday: He refused to let the convicted teenage killer take back his guilty plea, and, rejected his plea to have his life sentence reconsidered.

On this latter point, the judge used the shooter's own words against him, reminding him of what he said moments before he was sentenced in a packed courtroom of grieving families.

"Any sentence that (the victims) ask for, I ask that you do impose it on me, because I want them to be happy," Crumbley told the judge. "And I want them to feel secure and safe. I do not want them to worry another day. Because I am really sorry for what I have done, for what I have taken from them."

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That doesn't sound like someone who didn't fully understand what the victims wanted, the judge wrote in his opinion, noting the victims' families that day had specifically asked for a life-without-parole sentence  and Crumbley heard them loud and clear.

"(He) requested that the court impose the sentence that the victims wanted  life without parole," Oakland County Circuit Judge Kwame Rowe wrote in his opinion. "Therefore ... it would not be in the interest of justice to resentence (him) when the court (handed down) a sentence that (he) asked for."

It also fit the crime, Rowe concluded, writing: The court finds that (Crumbley's) sentence is constitutional and proportionate to the seriousness of the offense and the offender.

Moreover, Rowe concluded in a separate opinion, Crumbley also knew what he was doing when he pleaded guilty to murdering four classmates and injuring seven others, including a teacher. As Rowe put it:

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"There was nothing about his demeanor ... about his facial expressions, body language or anything else that would make this court believe that (he) was confused or not understanding of the court process. On the contrary (he) spoke, made adequate eye contact, was composed and answered the court's questions," Rowe wrote.

As for Crumbley's request to withdraw his guilty plea, Rowe concluded: The Court finds that defendants plea was knowingly, voluntarily, and accurately given and there was no defect in the plea-taking process.

Rowe's decision comes six months after a new team of defense lawyers asked the court to withdraw Crumbley's guilty plea and resentence him, alleging they had uncovered "new and compelling evidence" that  among other things  the boy had suffered fetal alcohol abuse that may have impacted his development. In court documents, they alleged that his parents, Jennifer and James Crumbley celebrated their wedding by drinking champagne when she was seven weeks pregnant.

Judge Kwame Rowe speaks as Oxford High School shooting suspect Ethan Crumbley pleads guilty for his role in the school shooting that occurred on Nov. 30, 2021, during his appearance at the Oakland County Circuit Court in Pontiac on Monday, Oct. 24, 2022.

The defense also questioned whether Crumbley understood his plea when he entered it, and argued that children who commit crimes have low rates of reoffending, writing, "A life without parole sentence for a child is unconscionable."

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The prosecution, meanwhile, scoffed at those claims, maintaining Ethan Crumbley knew full well what he was doing when he pleaded guilty, and, that he got the punishment he deserved, stressing he planned the shooting ahead ahead of time, decided to surrender so that he could witness the suffering, and even wrote in his journal: "The first victim has to be a pretty girl."

At his sentencing, Crumbley, who was 15 when he committed the massacre at Oxford High School, also told the judge to give the victims whatever they want, and that what he did was not his parents' fault.

More: Prosecutors in Oxford and Virginia school shootings took different approaches to charges

More: Jennifer Crumbley, mother of Oxford H.S. shooter, asks judge to toss conviction

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The shooter pleaded guilty to all his crimes in 2022 and was later sentenced to life without parole.

His parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, were also convicted in historic prosecutions that made them the first parents in America to be held responsible for a mass school shooting committed by their child. The prosecution convinced two separate juries that the Crumbleys failed to control their child, ignored signs that he was mentally spiraling, and gave him access to a gun  the same gun that was used in the 2021 shooting.

All three Crumbley family members were held responsible for the deaths of Hana St. Juliana, 14; Tate Myre; 16; Madisyn Baldwin, 17, and Justin Shilling, 17.

The parents are appealing, maintaining they had no idea their son was plotting to shoot up his school, that they never saw signs that he was mentally ill, and that the gun at issue was secured in an armoire, unloaded, and that their son could not freely use it.

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Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald, meanwhile, applauded the judge for letting the conviction and life sentence stick.

These are the right decisions under the law, and they allow us to continue doing the most important things  focusing on the victims and their families, and on preventing future shootings, McDonald said in a statement.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Judge refuses to let Oxford school shooter take back his guilty plea
Minnesota House Republicans may have a temporary majority when the Legislature convenes this January after a judge ruled Friday that a Democratic-Farmer-Labor candidate did not live in the district he was elected to represent.

Curtis Johnson, a DFLer who defeated his Republican opponent in House District 40B by 30 points in the November election, did not establish residence at his 450-foot Roseville studio apartment, making him ineligible to take office in January, Ramsey County District Judge Leonardo Castro ruled.

Rumors that Johnson continued to live at his house outside the district in Little Canada swirled in political circles months before the election, but it was an investigation and post-election lawsuit filed by Republican candidate Paul Wikstom that resulted in Johnsons disqualification. Wikstrom, of Shoreview, sought to nullify the results of the Nov. 5 election before the start of the 2025 legislative session and asked for a special election.

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Minnesotas state Constitution requires legislative candidates to live in their district for six months before an election.

Obtaining a lease and changing your voter registration does not satisfy this requirement; meaningful physical presence is required to show genuine intent to reside in the district, Castro wrote in his ruling. The people of 40B deserve no less.

Appeal pending

A preemptive appeal Johnsons lawyers filed to the state Supreme Court based on the timing of Wikstroms lawsuit was dismissed on Friday.

However, there could still be another challenge on similar grounds.

In a statement responding to the decision, House Speaker Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, said she believed the court made a mistake in not dismissing the case and echoed Johnsons attorneys claims that a residency issue must be resolved before an election.

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We will appeal to the Minnesota Supreme Court, and expect the Supreme Court will dismiss the case, she said. 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.

Balance of power

If Castros ruling holds, the 67-67 partisan tie in the Minnesota House of Representatives will give away to a 67-66 Republican majority. It could allow the GOP to take the speakership and other leadership positions, but they wont be able to pass any bills as that takes 68 votes in the House.

If a special election is held to replace Johnson, it would take place in a relatively safely Democratic district, meaning Republicans may hold a temporary majority. The governor would have to call it after Johnsons seat is officially vacated after current DFL Rep. Jamie Becker-Finns last term ends in January.

House Republican Minority leader Lisa Demuth, her caucuss pick for speaker of the House, said GOP representatives have settled on their leadership and are anticipating taking control of the House.

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We will operate in a fully functioning majority, she said. Even with 67 were ready to get to work and do whats needed while we await for  I am hoping  a special election.

Lisa Demuth (Courtesy photo)The 40B challenge is one of two election contests working their way through the courts this December. Another lawsuit filed by Republicans in a Shakopee area House district was heard in court this week.

Case background

Johnson, a member of the Roseville school board, has owned a house with his wife in Little Canada since 2017, and said he got a studio apartment at Rosedale Estates in District 40B in March. The apartment complex is on Rice Street in Roseville, about a mile and a half southwest of his familys home.

But a month of daily surveillance of Johnsons home, a lack of regular activity at his apartment, and other evidence, such as a lack of utility hookups, proved Johnson didnt actually live in the district and never intended to, Wikstrom claimed in his lawsuit. After reviewing evidence and testimony at hearings earlier this month, the district judge ultimately agreed.

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Wikstrom volunteers conducted a surveillance campaign on Johnsons house and apartment, taking notes, pictures and video. Volunteers visited the property more than 60 times between Aug. 31 and Nov. 11.

Between Sept. 16 and Oct. 14 they watched Johnsons Little Canada house daily, and found that Johnsons primary vehicle was parked in the driveway at the house every morning and evening, according to the lawsuit. A neighbor said she saw Johnson leave the house around 9 a.m. and return around 6 p.m. most weekdays.

Johnson hasnt listed his Little Canada home for sale, though hes said he and his wife plan to do so. In a statement, Johnson said he got an apartment as they searched for a new house in the district.

They testified in court that they had difficulties fixing up their Little Canada house for sale, finding the right new home and persuading their daughter to move.

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The Court appreciates that the Johnsons encountered genuine difficulties in moving, Castro wrote. But ultimately, it seems that the testimony of all three of (Johnsons) witnesses evidence an intent to move to the District in the future.

During the campaign, Wikstrom claimed that by the time he had enough evidence to file a challenge to Johnsons residency claims it was too close to the election.

Johnsons lawyers have argued Wikstrom suspected residency issues previously and did not investigate in a timely manner. But those assertions were rejected by the court.

54A election challenge

House District 40B isnt the only contested race. In District 54A, GOP candidate Aaron Paul is asking for another election after sitting Rep. Brad Tabke, DFL-Shakopee, beat him by 15 votes. The problem in that race, Republicans argue, is that 20 absentee ballots went missing.

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However, six voters with missing ballots testified in court this week that they voted for Tabke, more than he would need to rule out a Paul win, according to multiple news reports.

If the judge rules in Tabkes favor, the election results will stand. Though regardless of the result of either election contest, the DFL will not hold the House majority when the session starts on Jan. 14, 2025.

Related Articles
Third District Judge Laura Scott during a hearing on Utah Education Association's lawsuit against the Utah Fits All Scholarship program, in Salt Lake City on Dec. 19, 2024. (Pool photo by Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune)

Should Utahs school choice program be allowed to stay put  or is it unconstitutional?

Thats the question that a judge is now weighing after spending several hours listening to oral arguments Thursday.

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In the hearing, 3rd District Court Judge Laura Scott grilled attorneys for both the state and for Utahs largest teacher union, the Utah Education Association, on the complex constitutional questions she must now unravel before issuing a ruling in the case  which she said she expects to hand down sometime in mid-to-late January.

Earlier this year, the Utah Education Association filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Utah Fits All scholarship program, which the 2023 Utah Legislature created as an effort to offer school choice options by setting up a fund from which eligible K-12 students can receive up to $8,000 for education expenses including private school tuition and fees, homeschooling, tutoring services, testing fees, materials and other expenses.

In 2023, lawmakers appropriated about $42.5 million in ongoing income tax revenue to the program. Then this year they nearly doubled that ongoing funding by adding an additional $40 million. In total, the program uses about $82.5 million in taxpayer funding a year.

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That is, if the courts allow it to continue to exist.

In its lawsuit, the Utah Education Association alleges its an unconstitutional voucher program that diverts money from Utahs public school system  using income tax dollars that they contend are earmarked under the Utah Constitution for the public education system and should not be funneled to private schools or homeschooling in the form of the Utah Fits All scholarship program.

The Utah Constitution has historically required the states income tax revenue be used only for public education, though that constitutional earmark has been loosened twice  once in 1996 to allow income tax revenue to be spent on public higher education, and once in 2020 with voter-approved Amendment G, which opened income tax revenue to be used to support children and to support individuals with a disability.

Scott Ryther during a hearing on Utah Education Associations lawsuit against the Utah Fits All Scholarship (voucher) program, in Salt Lake City on Dec. 19, 2024. (Pool photo by Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune)

This year the Utah Legislature tried to remove that education earmark completely by putting Amendment A on the Nov. 5 ballot  but that effort failed after a judge voided the question because lawmakers failed to properly publish the proposed constitutional amendment in newspapers across the state.

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Attorneys representing state officials, the Alliance for Choice in Education (a group that the Utah State Board of Education chose to administer the program), and parents of students benefiting from the program urged the judge to dismiss the lawsuit.

They argued the Utah Legislature acted within its constitutional constraints when it created the program. They contended that when Amendment G added to the Utah Constitution the word children as an allowable use for income tax dollars, that created a broad yet not ambiguous category that allowed Utah lawmakers to use the revenue for the Utah Fits All scholarship fund.

Attorneys for the Utah Education Association, however, argued that when legislators put Amendment G on the ballot and pitched it to voters, their stated intentions did not include using the funding for private school vouchers. Rather, they argued it was characterized as an effort to narrowly open the revenue up to social services for children and people with disabilities.

Ramya Ravindran during a hearing on Utah Education Associations lawsuit against the Utah Fits All Scholarship (voucher) program, in Salt Lake City on Dec. 19, 2024. (Pool photo by Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune)

The judge repeatedly questioned state attorneys about their position, asking for clarity on the states interpretation of the Utah Constitution and whether it would allow Utah lawmakers the power to create a shadow or parallel education system that could funnel public dollars to private schools, which can select students based on religion, political beliefs, family makeup or other criteria. In contrast, Utahs public school system must be free and open to all.

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Arif Panju, an attorney representing parents who intervened in the case to argue in favor of protecting the Utah Fits All program, argued parents have a fundamental right to exercise their school choice options.

The mere fact that they can use a private scholarship  does not transform those options into a shadow system, Panju argued.

But to Scott, that still didnt answer her question.

Im getting a little frustrated, Scott said, adding that she wasnt trying to debate school choice but rather she was trying to conduct a constitutional analysis.

Ultimately, state attorneys conceded their position could open the door to a parallel or shadow system  however, they argued thats not what is being debated in this case. They argued the Utah Fits All program was funded only after the Utah Legislature appropriately funded its education system, as required by the Utah Constitution (which does not set a specific threshold).

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When the hearings time ran out at about 4:30 p.m., Scott said she would take the issue under advisement, and she would not be ruling from the bench.

Im hopeful for mid-to-late January, she said, but Im not making any promises I wont take the entirety of the 60 days that she has to make a decision.

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U.S. District Court Judge for the Eastern District of New York, Frederic Block, joins Morning Joe to discuss his new book 'A Second Chance: A Federal Judge Decides Who Deserves It.' Walter 'King Tut' Johnson was sentenced to five life sentences in 1997 by Block and Block ultimately released Johnson from jail after 27 years. Johnson also joins the discussion.
HANCOCK COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV)  A judge ruled that a former Diamondhead councilman violated his parole when he was arrested on a misdemeanor stalking charge.

WXXV reported Alan Moran was sent back to the Hancock County Jail by the judge during a hearing on Thursday, December 19.

Moran, 37, was arrested by Waveland police and booked into the Hancock County Jail on Monday, December 9. He faces a misdemeanor stalking charge related to an alleged incident in November 2024.

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Bond reduced for Franklin County woman charged in husbands death

Moran, who is the son of former State Sen. Philip Moran, was first arrested on February 14, 2022, for allegedly showing a minor video of two people engaged in sexual conduct, touching a minor under the age of 18 genitals and allowing them to drink. After a month of being arrested in 2022, Moran resigned from his position as councilman.

He was sentenced in February 2024 after being convicted of exploitation and solicitation of a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Moran was sentenced to 15 years on the first charge and six months on the second. The first charge was suspended, and he was given five years probation. The second charge was reduced to 30 days in the county jail.

With the judges ruling on Thursday, Moran could have to serve the 15-year sentence.

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O'FALLON, Mo. (AP)  A Missouri judge ruled Friday that the state's Republican governor, not a local Democratic official, has the power to fill a vacancy in the prosecutor's office for the state's most populous county.

A spokesperson said St. Louis County would appeal St. Louis Circuit Judge Brian May's decision siding with Gov. Mike Parson over St. Louis County Executive Sam Page. Both Parson and Page argued that they had the authority to replace County Prosecutor Wesley Bell, a Democrat, who is due to take a U.S. House seat next month representing the city of St. Louis and part of neighboring St. Louis County.

The ruling from May, an appointee of former Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon, means that a Republican governor will pick the top prosecutor for a Democratic-leaning county. While President-elect Donald Trump carried the state by more than 18 percentage points, he lost St. Louis County by 23 points, and Bell won his congressional race by a 4-to-1 ratio over his GOP challenger.

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May's ruling is based on a section of the Missouri Constitution that says the governor shall fill all vacancies in public offices, unless otherwise provided by law. Page argued that the county's charter  allowing him to fill the vacancy  qualified as another law.

The voice of St. Louis County residents is taken away when charter language is ignored, Pages spokesperson Doug Moore said in a statement. We disagree with the decision and will appeal.

Parsons spokesperson, Johnathan Shiflett, didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment about the ruling Friday, but he has also cited a law saying that the governor shall appoint some competent person when a prosecutor's office becomes vacant.

Parson and Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey sued Page and the county in November to prevent Page from making the appointment.

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Then, earlier this month, both Parson and Page made their own appointments to fill out the last two years of Bell's term, with an election for a full, four-year term in 2026. Bell defeated U.S. Rep. Cori Bush in the Democratic primary in August and is to be sworn into Congress on Jan. 3.

The Republican governor chose Melissa Price Smith, a 56-year-old assistant prosecutor in St. Louis County who has worked in the office since 2008. She currently supervises the team that prosecutes sexual assault and child abuse.

The Democratic county executive picked Cort VanOstran, a 36-year-old federal prosecutor for eastern Missouri, who left that job when Page appointed him. He handled fraud, embezzlement, identity theft, conspiracy, drug distribution and firearms offenses, a news release from Pages office said.

Bell said in a statement that he doesn't like the precedent set by May's ruling but added that Smith was among the internal candidates he recommended. He said he was pleased that Parson appointed her, though he agreed that Van Ostran would be a capable leader.

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May issued his ruling two days after a court hearing and emphasized near the beginning of his 11-page opinion that his decision was not a reflection on the individuals named by the Governor or County Executive. Instead, he ruled that the county prosecutor is a state official, not a county official.

This conclusion is reinforced by the fact that a county prosecuting attorney's authority is not limited to crimes that only occurred within the geographical boundaries of his or her county, May wrote. For these reasons, the Court concludes that the Governor has the exclusive authority to fill the anticipated vacancy.

Neighboring St. Charles County had its prosecutor resign last year, and its Republican county executive named a replacement with no opposition from Parson.

But May said that situation has no bearing on his ruling, as there is no indication that any such county action resulted in litigation, let alone a determination by a court concerning the issues presented here.

___

Hanna reported from Topeka, Kansas.
A judge dismissed all but one allegation filed against Hubbard Inn by a woman who posted a video alleging restaurant staff injured her in March.

In the now-deleted TikTok, Julie Reel alleged that a bouncer at the River North restaurant pushed her down the stairs between the evening of March 9 and the morning of March 10. The video was viewed hundreds of thousands of times across social media.

Soon after, Hubbard Inn responded with its own TikTok, denying the assault after interviewing its staff and reviewing their records. The response video compared Reels narration to on-premise security footage. In the two clips shared, Reel and a friend appear to be escorted through the second floor and down the stairs.

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Hubbard Inn filed a defamation lawsuit against Reel on March 18, arguing it had experienced canceled reservations, one-star reviews, damage to its reputation and financial losses of over $30,000.

Reel then filed seven counterclaims in response in July, including intentional infliction of emotional distress and battery. Reels filing also said the restaurants TikTok was missing video of the area of the alleged incident and that there was medical evidence of injuries.

Cook County Judge Patrick Sherlock dismissed six of Reels claims, including an allegation of defamation. In court documents from Dec. 18, Sherlock wrote that Hubbard Inns TikTok merely contradicts Reels version of events and is not defamatory. The judge also dismissed Reels allegation of battery against the bouncer because that employee was not named in her filing.

Reels allegation of battery against Hubbard Inn remains pending.

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Michael Forde, the lawyer from Forde & OMeara representing Hubbard Inn, said they are pleased with the outcome and that the videos speak for themselves.

This outcome affirms our longstanding commitment to operating with integrity and respect for our guests and their safety, Hubbard Inn said in a statement on the judges decision.

Rebecca Kaiser Fournier, an attorney at Henderson-Parks representing Reel, said they are still exploring options via testimony and evidence.

We are pleased that the court is allowing Ms. Reels claim for the physical injuries she suffered at the hands of Hubbard Inn and its bouncer to proceed, and that the court is allowing her to reassert certain claims once the identity of the bouncer is revealed.

Hubbard Inns allegation of defamation against Reel for her TikTok video remains pending.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan says she has often reassured police officers traumatized by the violence of Jan. 6, 2021, that the rule of law still applies.

But as President-elect Donald Trump  once a defendant in Chutkans very court  prepares to retake the White House and pardon many Jan. 6 perpetrators, Chutkan now says, Im not sure I can do that very convincingly these days.

Chutkans comments, delivered this week as she sentenced another member of the Jan. 6 mob to eight months in prison, are emblematic of the increasing alarm and dismay expressed by federal judges in Washington, D.C., at the likelihood Trump will grant clemency to people they view as responsible for a grave crime against democracy.

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In extraordinary but little-watched court proceedings since Election Day, judges appointed by presidents of both parties have emphasized the need for accountability for the people who stormed the Capitol in an attempt to derail the certification of Joe Bidens 2020 victory. These judges have sounded dire warnings about the fate of the country if the lessons of the 2020 election go unlearned, and they are bluntly bracing for a turbulent start to the second Trump presidency.



One Trump-appointed judge has already warned the incoming president against a blanket pardon for Jan. 6 offenders. A judge appointed by Barack Obama said Wednesday that any effort to absolve a former leader of the Oath Keepers, Jan. 6 ringleader Stewart Rhodes, would be frightening. Rhodes is currently serving an 18-year prison sentence for seditious conspiracy, but Trump will have the power to wipe away that sentence on his first day back in office.

The judges clarion calls are becoming markedly more frequent and pointed as Trumps inauguration nears. Since his 2024 victory, the federal trial courts in Washington have largely plowed ahead with Jan. 6 cases, even as defendants have tried to delay their cases by citing the possibility that Trump will soon pardon them. Judges have emphasized that his pardon power has no relationship to their obligation to mete out justice, and they have ignored, in Chutkans words, whatever happens outside this courthouse door.

At the same time, the judges are increasingly using their modest bully pulpits to reject efforts to memory-hole an attack they have been dissecting in their courtrooms for the past four years.

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U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell, an Obama appointee, lamented Thursday that few members of the public had been able to observe Jan. 6 cases in court and the reams of video and factual details that conveyed the true magnitude of the attack.

"The rewriting of the history of Jan. 6, 2021, is incredibly disturbing, Howell said during the sentencing of a man who surged onto the Senate floor and onto the dais where then-Vice President Mike Pence had only recently stood. There are politicians on the Hill still trying to rewrite the history."



U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton, a George W. Bush appointee who has ripped Trump as a charlatan for lying about the outcome of the 2020 election, worried that if losing candidates refuse to accept defeat, were headed for a breakup of this country.

This is supposed to be America, the judge said. America isnt a third-world country.

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Walton noted that after the 2024 election, he hadnt seen this type of lying and misinformation from the Democrats regarding their loss this time.

Mr. Trump won, Walton said. He won legitimately just like he lost legitimately.

The judges are also confronting Jan. 6 defendants who are becoming more brazenly defiant of their authority. Walton got into a heated argument with defendant Michael Bradley after accusing the man, convicted for swinging a baton at police officers at the Capitol, of lying on the stand.

What did I lie about? Bradley shot back before denigrating Walton for once appearing on national television to defend the judiciary amid Trumps attacks on the judge in his New York hush money trial.

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Im being convicted without a victim, Bradley continued.

At least three Jan. 6 defendants  barred from visiting Washington without court permission  have asked judges for permission to attend Trumps inauguration, including one at the invitation of Republican members of Congress. In two of those cases, the Justice Department pushed back fiercely, saying that permitting the defendants to return to the scene of the crime would be an affront to the police officers victimized that day  some of whom may be protecting the Capitol at Trumps second inaugural. Judges have yet to rule on those two cases.

But on Thursday, Chutkan granted permission to the third defendant, Eric Peterson, in a one-sentence order without explanation.

U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, a Ronald Reagan appointee to the bench, captured the mood among many of the federal judges in Washington when he issued a 13-page statement accompanying his sentence of a Jan. 6 misdemeanor defendant earlier this month. He decried efforts by some defendants to minimize the toll of the riot or recast themselves as victims of a government intent on squelching their First Amendment rights.

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On January 6, 2021, an angry mob of rioters invaded and occupied the United States Capitol, intending to interrupt the certification of the 2020 presidential election results, Lamberth wrote. No matter what ultimately becomes of the Capital Riots cases already concluded and still pending, the true story of what happened on January 6, 2021 will never change.

Chutkan, on Monday, said she fully endorsed Lamberths words.

This is the United States Capitol  the peoples house, Chutkan said. They trashed it. They treated it like a motel room after a concert.  Engaging in an act of destruction and violence in order to halt the peaceful transfer of power has to be met by consequences.
A pro-gun rights demonstrator carrying an AR-15 and a handgun stands outside of the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville in August 2023. Assault weapons bans have faced more challenges in federal courts after the U.S. Supreme Court expanded Second Amendment rights in 2022. (Photo by Jon Cherry/Getty Images)

More than two years after the U.S. Supreme Court fundamentally expanded its interpretation of the Second Amendment, federal courts throughout the country continue to strike down state restrictions on gun ownership.

Since the high courts 2022 decision  in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen  that firearm regulations must have some historical comparison going back to the countrys founding, some state restrictions have been ruled unconstitutional. But lower courts are still figuring out the limits of that historical test and have not yet come to a broad agreement on key gun-related laws.

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Still, wins for gun rights supporters have mounted. Over the past two years, federal courts have struck down bans on assault weapons in trend-setting blue states such as California and Illinois.

In October, a federal district court judge ruled that New Yorks ban on carrying a concealed firearm on private property open to the public is unconstitutional.

In September, a federal district court judge in northern Illinois ruled the states ban on carrying a concealed firearm on public transit violated the Second Amendment.

And in July, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit upheld a lower courts ruling that Minnesotas age restriction on residents carrying a handgun in public also was unconstitutional.

Bill Sack via Second Amendment Foundation

It has been a busy time for gun rights attorneys, such as Bill Sack, director of legal operations for the Second Amendment Foundation, a Bellevue, Washington, legal advocacy organization that has flooded the courts with challenges to gun regulations nationwide.

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The second Bruen came down, there was the starting gun for a sprint, for which we have not stopped yet, he told Stateline. Stuff is ripe for a fresh challenge.

Sack and other gun rights advocates are now asking the courts to define the Supreme Courts new Bruen standard: a series of who, what, and where questions about which gun rights limitations are allowed under the latest interpretation of the Second Amendment.

Who can own a firearm? Cases going through the courts are challenging laws that ban firearm ownership by anyone younger than 21, or anyone who has been convicted of nonviolent offenses, or people who live in public housing.

What sort of firearm equipment can someone possess? There are state laws that may put restrictions on owning handguns, assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, and untraceable ghost guns that people can assemble from online-bought or 3D-printed parts, such as the one allegedly used by the suspect in the recent assassination of a UnitedHealthcare executive in New York City.

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Where can people possess a firearm? The U.S. Supreme Court has established that states can ban firearms in sensitive places, but states and courts are still determining what that means. Some states ban firearms on mass transit and in public parks or government buildings. This month, Michigan banned firearms in and around polling places.

Still, Sack expressed optimism.

We are making major inroads, Sack said. The arc of history will show that this time period was very good for us and very bad for them.

But Sacks confidence may be misplaced, said Esther Sanchez-Gomez, litigation director at the Giffords Law Center, a nonpartisan gun safety organization.

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Last month, a federal judge in southern Illinois struck down the states ban on assault weapons. While that case is being appealed, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ruled earlier this month that the ban can remain in place for now.

Sanchez-Gomez pointed out that in August, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upheld Marylands ban on similar weapons. The issue might need to be resolved by the Supreme Court.

Theres movement on assault weapons, she said in an interview. I wouldnt say that its a lost issue universally. Rather, Id say that theres a lot of different results coming out and that courts have yet to coalesce.

A shifting standard

In June 2022, the 6-3 conservative majority of the U.S. Supreme Court struck down part of New Yorks law that established a strict permitting system to carry a concealed weapon. In the case, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen, the nations high court established the standard by which firearm-related cases should be judged.

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Not only did the court rule that Americans have a constitutional right to carry a firearm in public for self-defense, but it also noted that gun laws must have some sort of historical grounding dating to the countrys founding.

Clarence Thomas via U.S. Supreme Court

Conservative Justice Clarence Thomas outlined that test in the majority opinion, writing that to justify a firearm regulation the government must demonstrate that the regulation is consistent with the Nations historical tradition of firearm regulation. That has forced litigants and lawmakers to find comparable laws from 200 years ago to justify a new gun restriction.

This was a departure from the previous standard, established 14 years earlier in District of Columbia v. Heller.

In that 2008 case, the Supreme Court ruled a person has a right to possess firearms but made clear that gun restrictions are constitutional. The decision held that a gun law could be judged on whether it served the public interest, such as by preventing firearm deaths.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson via U.S. Supreme Court

That standard no longer applies, and courts are still determining whether there are limits to the Second Amendment and how a historical test from the Revolutionary era can be applied to modern firearm restrictions. Liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson has criticized the Bruen standard, saying it forces judges into service as amateur historians.

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But the Supreme Court has shown that it views some gun restrictions as constitutional. In an 8-1 decision in United States v. Rahimi this June  with Thomas the lone dissenter  the court upheld a 1994 federal law that bans people with domestic restraining orders from owning firearms.

The Supreme Court gave us some additional clues, but it is still creating some confusion, Sanchez-Gomez said. What youre seeing is courts across the country trying to figure out how to do that historical, constitutional test in real, practical terms.

Conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh even noted in a concurring opinion in Rahimi that Second Amendment jurisprudence is in its early innings and that he expects the court will see many more cases.

Indeed, The Trace, a nonprofit news service that investigates gun violence, found that as of September there had been more than 1,600 federal court decisions on Second Amendment challenges that cited Bruen.

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A paper by law professors at the University of Southern California and the University of Virginia, published in July, found the Bruen decision had a substantial effect on firearm-related gun cases. Bruen seems to have generated more pro-gun decisions, researchers wrote, but they said the next few years may bring yet more changes.

The future of gun restrictions

While Minnesotas minimum age requirement for possessing a firearm was struck down this year, similar restrictions in states such as Colorado, Florida, and Pennsylvania are still going through federal appeals courts and could have a different outcome.

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Courts also are trying to determine appropriate state firearm restrictions for sensitive places, where the presence of guns could be a significant danger. There are challenges across the country to firearm possession in post offices, parks, and playgrounds.

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In September, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld parts of Californias and Hawaiis sensitive places laws, allowing residents to carry firearms in some previously banned locations, such as financial institutions, hospitals, and public transit, but continuing the bans in alcohol-serving bars and restaurants, beaches, and parks.

In many of these cases, the makeup of the courts has been a deciding factor. For example, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, based out of northern Illinois, has tended to be more favorable toward gun safety laws.

Its unclear how gun regulations are going to fare in the courts in the coming years, said Adam Garber, executive director of CeaseFirePA, a gun safety organization that has advocated for tighter restrictions at the commonwealth and local level.

While the U.S. Supreme Court signaled a willingness to allow some restrictions in its latest decision this year, he said, the Bruen opinions effects linger.

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The reality is that there is a real risk to gun safety laws across the nation because of a radical interpretation, Garber said. But we also saw courts say, Wait, wait, wait, were not saying no gun safety laws are allowed.

This story first appeared in Stateline, 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. Follow Stateline on Facebook and X.

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JUNCTION CITY (KSNT)  Officials in Junction City approved changes to water and sewer rates this week which take effect for local residents at the start of the new year.

Junction City commissioners met on Dec. 17 to discuss several items, including possible changes to the water and sewer rates for local residents using a plan developed by the consulting company Raftelis. These changes are included in two ordinances: G-1311 for water rates and G-1312 for sewer rates.

Agenda memo documents obtained by 27 News show commissioners discussed a 11.5% increase in base sewer rate fees and a 6% water rate increase in both rates and the base fee. Commissioners approved the rate changes during the meeting, which are due to take effect as of Jan. 1, 2025.

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Kansas railroads receive $13 million investment

Junction City households, on average, will see an increase of $3 per month to their water rates and $5 per month to sewer rates, according to memo documents. Junction City Mayor Pat Landes, responding to a question from a local citizen, gave an explanation as to why this is necessary.

Were putting millions and millions of dollars into our water and wastewater system plants over quite a few years and to pay that we have to have graduated increases to pay for those, Landes said. Meeting federal guidelines and going forward we havent had enough money to fix the lines that are in the ground. Weve worked a lot on the plants, were starting to work on lines that are in the ground and theyre in the oldest part of our city.

Stephen Capizzi, a local homeowner, raised concerns during the commission meeting, and spoke with 27 News on Dec. 19 about why he is worried for the increase in cost for Junction City households. He said many in Junction City live below the poverty line, and will feel the increased costs.

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You fill your tub up, you smell like youre in a water park, Capizzi said. Its more like they [Junction City commissioners] want to be reactive once they have to be reactive. Its deferred maintenance and now theyre scrambling.

Bird flu found in two game bird operations in Kansas

Junction City commissioners approved of both ordinance G-1311 and G-1312 at a vote of 3-2. Commissioners Al Gordon and Richard Pinaire voted against the ordinances while Landes, Vice Mayor Ronna Larson and Commissioner Jeff Underhill voted in approval of the ordinances.

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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WOODLAWN, Tenn. (WKRN)  A Montgomery County utility board has made a controversial decision to stop adding fluoride to its water supply.

There has been a nationwide conversation about removing fluoride from water, but the move is one both dental and health experts warn against.

READ MORE | Latest headlines from Clarksville and Montgomery County

Fluoride has been added to drinking water across much of Middle Tennessee for more than 50 years. However, President-elect Donald Trumps nominee for the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., wants it removed. Tennessee leaders have talked about fluoride, with one citing a set of 72 epidemiological studies analyzing the association between fluoride exposure and IQ.

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Of the 19 [studies] they considered highly qualified, and low risk of bias, it showed an association between IQ and fluoride, and even low levels of fluoride, affect the IQ of children, Sen. Rusty Crowe (R-Johnson City) said.

Health experts who spoke with News 2 questioned those findings.

Amid the ongoing debate, board members of the Woodlawn Utility District voted earlier this week to stop adding the mineral to its water supply starting December 31. General manager Lynn Burkhart spoke with News 2 and explained theyre not against fluoride.

We just want to give people a choice and if you add the fluoride, those who dont want it dont have a choice, Burkhart said.

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He added other area utility districts in the area also choose not to add it and that small amounts of fluoride are already naturally-occurring in water.

We feel like with fluoride toothpaste, fluoride mouthwash and things like that, they get enough and we dont need to add to it, Burkhart said.

Dr. William Schaffner with the Vanderbilt University Medical Center strongly endorsed the use of fluoride in drinking water and explained its origins.

When it was in drinking water in very, very small amounts, it actually strengthened the enamel  the white covering  of our teeth and it profoundly reduced tooth decay, particularly among children, but also among adults, Schaffner said.

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Schaffner said that the key to fluoride is the amount added to the water supply, which can be easily and correctly calibrated and monitored.

 Read todays top stories on wkrn.com

Dentist Matthew Smith with Snodgrass-King Dental Associates in Mt. Juliet recommended patients talk with their dentist if their community takes fluoride out of their drinking water.

Where you live as an adult, where you lived as a child, all of those things affects how your body grows and develops, Smith said. So I would definitely expect that in the next 10 to 20 years if there was no fluoride, there would be a much larger increase in cavities in the population.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
Gov. Jim Justice appointed Del. Darren Thorne, R-Hampshire, to the state Senate, filling the seat vacated earlier this month. (West Virginia Legislative Photography)

Gov. Jim Justice on Friday appointed Del. Darren Thorne, R-Hampshire, to the state Senate, filling the seat vacated earlier this month by Sen. Charlie Trump, R-Morgan, according to the news release.

The Senate seat covers all of Hampshire and Morgan Counties and parts of Berkeley and Mineral Counties, according to the release.

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Im honored that Governor Justice has chosen me to be the next Senator from the 15th District, Thorne said in a separate news release from the state Senate. I have greatly enjoyed my time in the House of Delegates, and I look forward to serving both my current constituents in Hampshire County and my new constituents in Morgan and Berkeley counties in this new role. I look forward to this opportunity and working with Senate leadership to help move West Virginia forward.

Trump  whose seat in the Senate was not up for election this year  resigned in early December after winning his race for the state Supreme Court of Appeals.

Thorne won his reelection to the House in November. With his switch to the Senate, a Republican will now need to be appointed for his seat in the House.

A farmer by trade, Thorne was first elected to the House in 2022. Over the last two sessions, he has signed on as the lead sponsor of seven bills. One of those  House Bill 5349, the Truth in Food Labeling Act  was signed into law.

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In 2023 and 2024 sessions, Thorne introduced two bills twice: one to ban drag performances in front of minors and another that would have dictated how schools in the state teach concepts related to race, sex, ethnicity, religion or national origin. In both years, both of those bills died in committees.

Trump was elected to the state Senate in 2014. He successfully ran for the office after serving in the House of Delegates from 1992 to 2006, serving as minority whip for the then-Democrat controlled body from 1999 on. He will take the Supreme Court seat currently held by Chief Justice John A. Hutchison, who announced last year that he would be retiring from the judicial body.

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PIERRE, S.D. (KELO)  A divided South Dakota Supreme Court has ordered the removal of a circuit judge from a family dispute over farm land in Grant County.

Three of the high courts five justices agreed with the request from Paul OFarrell that a different judge should be assigned to the case.

Mobile market combatting food deserts in Sioux Falls

They also overturned all of the directives issued by Circuit Judge Robert Spears after OFarrell had made the initial request for a change of judge.

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Their decision was publicly released this week.

Third Circuit Presiding Judge Greg Stoltenburg had assigned Circuit Judge Spears to the complex dispute in place of Circuit Judge Dawn Elshere.

Attorney Daniel Brendtro, who was representing Paul OFarrell and one of the businesses, informally filed a request that Judge Spears disqualify himself from the case, because the judges campaign treasurer had a connection to parties in two of the matters.

Judge Spears declined, saying that he had been assigned to hear other allegations in the overall dispute and that he would be fair and impartial on all of them.

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Judge Spears noted that, in a related guardianship case in the dispute, Paul OFarrell had waived a potential conflict with the judges campaign treasurer.

After Judge Spears declined to step aside, Paul OFarrell on behalf of one of the businesses then filed an affidavit with Presiding Judge Stoltenburg, asking for a change of judge, saying Skyline has good reason to believe and does actually believe that [Skyline] cannot have a fair and impartial trial before Judge Spears.

Presiding Judge Stoltenburg turned down the request, citing the waiver in the guardianship matter, even though it wasnt the case where a change of judge was being sought.

Judge Spears then granted all of the other parties requests to dismiss and ordered Paul OFarrell and Skyline to pay their attorney fees totaling $17,925.88.

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Paul OFarrell appealed to the Supreme Court. One of his claims was that Presiding Judge Stoltenburg erred when he denied the affidavit for a change of judge.

Three of the Supreme Courts justices  Janine Kern, Patricia DeVaney and Scott Myren  decided that the presiding judge had erred.

Justice Myren wrote their decision.

SDCL 15-12-32 establishes the procedure employed by the presiding judge of a circuit when presented with an affidavit. It authorizes only two assessments by the presiding judge. First, the presiding judge must ascertain whether the affidavit was timely. Second, the presiding judge must determine that the right to file the affidavit has not been waived or is not otherwise legally

defective[.] The rule does not provide the presiding judge with authority to deny the affidavit based on consideration of judicial economy or efficiency, Justice Myren stated.

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He added, In this case, Paul and Skyline followed the procedure for seeking a change of judge. Neither Paul nor Skyline presented any argument or proof in support of a motion or application in this action before implementing the procedure for a change of judge. Presiding Judge Stoltenburg erred in finding there was a waiver of the right to seek a change of judge in this case.

Justice Myren then explained the majoritys solution.

The error at issue in this appeal is different than other types of judicial errors that may not require a reversal absent a showing of prejudice, Justice Myren stated. Unlike errors involving the misapplication of the law, erroneous factual findings, or an abuse of discretion exercised by a judge lawfully presiding over a case, the failure to reassign the case to another judge here resulted in a summary judgment being entered by a judge who was properly disqualified under SDCL chapter 15-12 as to any further acts in the case.

He added, As such, we vacate all orders entered by Judge Spears in this case following the filing of the affidavit and reverse the presiding judges order denying the change of judge. On remand, this case must be reassigned to a different judge accordingly.

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Chief Justice Steven Jensen agreed that Presiding Judge Stoltenburg erred, but the chief justice was unwilling to overturn Judge Spears directives after that.

In a partial dissent, Chief Justice Jensen said Judge Spears wasnt automatically disqualified, because the presiding judge had found that OFarrell had waived his right, even though it was an erroneous finding. Judge Spears was authorized to proceed under the rule once the presiding judge determined Paul was not entitled to file an affidavit for change of judge, the chief justice stated.

He added, The majoritys resolution of this case ignores our harmless error rule, which requires a showing of actual prejudice for any error in a civil case before reversing a final judgment.

Citing the 1996 decision by the Arizona Supreme Court in Taliaferro v. Taliaferro, Chief Justice Jensen stated, The decision fails to provide any sound legal basis for elevating the preemptive affidavit process in SDCL chapter 15-12 to create a presumption of prejudice. Such a presumption converts the preemptive affidavit for a change of judge from what is essentially a matter of grace, into a trump card which would later destroy the validity of the entire proceeding.'

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Justice Mark Salter also partially dissented, saying that the three-justice majority went too far in overturning Judge Spears subsequent directives.

On its face, the Courts opinion appears to reflect a certain sense of responsiveness; it provides a remedy for noncompliance with the disqualification procedure set out in SDCL chapter 15-12, Justice Salter wrote. Unfortunately, the Courts decision does much more than that by retroactively divesting the circuit court of its lawful general jurisdiction. Paul and Skyline did not seek this relief; nor is it justified. At most, the presiding judge misapplied our court rules that allow parties to unilaterally disqualify a judge and ask for reassignment.

Justice Salter said that reversing the judges directives went beyond the constitutional limit of the courts rules.

The error was not so serious that it divested the circuit court of its lawful jurisdiction, and, barring any showing of prejudice, the circuit courts decisions should be reviewed on their merits, he wrote.

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RAVENNA TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WJW)  An employee of a car dealership has been taken to the juvenile detention center after stealing a vehicle in Ravenna Township.

According to a press release from the Portage County Sheriffs Office, deputies were dispatched to the Haaz Automall in Ravenna Township on Thursday for a report of a stolen vehicle.

President Biden cancels more student loans

At the dealership, deputies learned that earlier in the day, employees noticed that a black Dodge Durango was missing from the lot.

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According to the release, the stolen vehicle was returned to the lot and an employee attempted to confront the driver. That is when the suspect fled the scene inside the stolen vehicle.

While investigating, deputies learned that the suspect was a juvenile employee at the dealership.

The suspect vehicle was eventually found traveling on State Route 14 in Streetsboro. Deputies attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but the suspect fled and a chase began.

SUV flips, man seriously injured: EMS

During the chase, the suspect, drove erratically, running red lights and driving through yards, the release said.

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Shortly after the pursuit was canceled, the stolen vehicle was abandoned at a nearby apartment complex.

According to the release, Portage Aggressive Crime Enforcement Unit Deputy Murray responded to assist with his K9 partner, Hector.

K9 Hector was able to track the suspect. After an approximate 200-yard track across grass and pavement, the K9 led Deputies to the suspects apartment door.

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony celebrating 30th anniversary in Cleveland

Eventually, the suspect surrendered. He was then placed under arrest and transported to the Portage County Juvenile Detention Center, where hell be able to sit and think about his actions, the release said.

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A Kansas City man was charged Wednesday with murder in connection with a fatal shooting in the North Town Fork Creek neighborhood of Kansas City in 2022.

Shaun D. Johnson, 42, faces charges of first-degree murder and armed criminal action for his role in the death of George Richards, 35.

The shooting took place on Aug. 1, 2022, in the 5000 block of Bellefontaine Avenue. Kansas City police were patrolling the southeast Kansas City neighborhood around 6 p.m. when they drove past Richards lying face down in the street.

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Richards had multiple gunshot wounds and was declared dead at the scene. Detectives also noted that Richards had tire tread marks across his left arm and back, according to court documents.

VIdeo surveillance captured in the area shows Johnson and Richards driving together to Bellefontaine Avenue about half an hour before the shooting, according to court documents. The two can then be seen walking around for half an hour, passing in and out of view of the camera, after which Richards can be seen opening the cars hood, using a portable car battery jump box to start the car.

As RIchards closes the hood of the car, surveillance video allegedly shows Johnson shooting him five times, then driving away, running over the left side of Richards body.

DNA evidence from the car battery jump box, along with cigarette butts discovered near Richards body, contributed to Johnsons arrest, according to court records.

Johnson is not eligible for bond. His next court date has not yet been set.

Previous reporting by Bill Lukitsch contributed to this article.
U.S. Rep. Ron Estes, R-Kansas, joined two GOP colleagues in voting for a bill that would have kept the government open and lifted federal spending limits for two years. The bill failed, with U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kansas, opposed to it. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)

TOPEKA  Republicans and Democrats in the Kansas congressional delegation took a partisan approach to voting Thursday on the failed U.S. House bill that would have averted a federal government shutdown.

That package endorsed by President-elect Donald Trump was rejected 174-235 with Kansas Republican U.S. Reps. Jake LaTurner, Ron Estes and Tracey Mann supportive of the measure and Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids opposed. The legislation was denounced by most Democrats and 38 conservative Republicans who defied Trumps directive to vote for it or expect political blowback.

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The bill put forward in the House would have funded the government into 2025, suspended the federal debt ceiling until 2027, appropriated $100 billion for disaster aid and delivered $10 billion to farmers. It replaced a negotiated bipartisan deal that included an array of additional spending earmarks.

Estes, the 4th District congressman from Wichita, said he opposed the initial 1,500-page bipartisan deal because it was filled with pork.

After the bad bill was stopped, we voted on a clean, temporary spending bill that the incoming president supports and which provides disaster relief to Americans that the Biden administration abandoned and extends needed support for Kansas farmers, Estes said.

Davids, the Democrat serving the 3rd District in the Kansas City area, said she voted against the bill because it didnt meet the needs of Kansas families and risked damaging the nation. She objected to the provision allowing unlimited federal spending for the next two years.

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Congress has a responsibility to keep the government running, not play political games with peoples livelihoods behind closed doors, Davids said. I will keep pushing for real bipartisan solutions that provide stability, lower costs and protect critical services for families in Kansas and across the country.

She welcomed the one-year extension of current farm programs included in the defeated bill. She objected to removal of measures to reduce prescription drug costs and lower consumer fuel costs by allowing year-round sales of E15.

If no deal cleared the House and Senate on Friday, portions of the federal government would be shuttered at 12:01 a.m. Saturday.

Davids said failure by Congress to embrace a bipartisan funding bill would result in the furlough of nearly 20,000 federal workers in Kansas. She said a shut down would cause service delays for Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits and interfere with distribution of food assistance for families enrolled in SNAP.

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Dislocation of the government workforce would compel travelers to face longer lines at airport security checkpoints and delay flights during the holidays, she said.

Trump said he preferred a federal government closure to occur under President Joe Biden instead of after the president-elect returned to the White House in January. Trump presided over the longest government shutdown in U.S. history during his first term.
The U.S. Courthouse stands in downtown Wichita in 2024. (Max McCoy/Kansas Reflector)

TOPEKA  A federal grand jury in Ohio has indicted a doctor who practiced medicine in Kansas in connection with what investigators called a sophisticated and brutal 1989 rape.

Frederick Tanzer, 66, was arrested at his home in the greater Cincinnati area Dec. 11. He has had an active medical license in Kansas since 2015, and appears to have practiced at the Hutchinson Regional Medical Center, according to a Kansas Board of Healing Arts registry.

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Two additional victims have come forward since the U.S. Attorneys Office in the Southern District of Ohio announced Tanzers arrest, including one who accused him of repeated druggings and rapes in Kansas as recently as two and a half years ago, the office said.

A six-count indictment filed Wednesday charged Tanzer with four counts of making false statements to a federal officer and two counts of making or using a false document or writing. Each carries a maximum prison sentence of five years.

These federal crimes are prosecutable even if an underlying offense has passed the statute of limitations, the office said in a Wednesday news release.

Tanzer will remain in prison while awaiting trial.

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Tanzer has been a doctor since the 1980s and was working at Cincinnati-area hospitals at the time of his arrest, according to court documents. Law enforcement officials say Tanzer raped a woman he knew at knifepoint on Aug. 1, 1989, at her condo in Cincinnati after she returned from work. The woman was Tanzers ex-wifes best friend, according to law enforcement.

Special Agent Eric McIntosh called the hourslong attack sophisticated and brutal in a federal affidavit.

A Cincinnati Police detective brought McIntosh onto the case in March, when Tanzer became the prime suspect, court documents said.

McIntosh said it was likely that the perpetrator of the 1989 rape was a serial offender and that additional investigation was warranted.

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FBI agents in April retrieved a Starbucks cup, labeled Fred, that Tanzer had thrown away while at an Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles office, collecting his DNA.

The DNA extracted from Tanzers coffee cup was confirmed by a forensic laboratory as a match to the DNA the rapist had left at the 1989 crime scene, said a Dec. 11 news release from the Ohio attorneys office.

A coffee cup was key to connecting a Kansas doctor to a 1989 rape in Ohio through DNA analysis, and additional victims, including one in Kansas, have come forward. (U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio)

Investigators confronted Tanzer at his home in the greater Cincinnati area this month. Agents falsely told Tanzer that they were pursuing alleged police corruption due to the mishandling of the investigation into the 1989 rape.

Tanzer denied in spoken and written statements interacting with the woman he raped, and agents arrested him on suspicion of making false statements to law enforcement. While searching his home, investigators found restraints, a gag, a black hat and zip ties together in Tanzers dresser, a court filing said.

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The same filing said Tanzer drugged at least two other women to have sex with them without consent and that he used a burner phone to engage with sex workers when he traveled for work for weeks or months at a time.

Tanzer has practiced medicine in Ohio, Kansas and Colorado.

He received a degree from the University of Ohio College of Medicine in 1988. He also has an active physicians license in Colorado, which was first issued in 2013, according to a state database of medical licenses.

Law enforcement officials requested the public consider the circumstances of the rapes, and the locations where Tanzer has lived, and to contact the FBI with any similar information at 1-800-CALL-FBI.

A representative for the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Kansas declined to comment on another districts case and whether charges related to alleged crimes in Kansas were forthcoming.
Kansas Supreme Court Justice K.J. Wall takes the oath of office on Jan. 9, 2023. Wall says the problem of not having enough attorneys in rural counties won't get better without intervention. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)

TOPEKA  Kansas Supreme Court Justice K.J. Wall said Friday the state is approaching a constitutional crisis with a shortage of attorneys in rural areas, and that equity and justice are at stake.

Wall spoke at a news conference in Concordia as a committee tasked with studying the crisis over the past two years unveiled a report that offers recommendations for attracting more attorneys to practice in rural areas. The report also presents stark data: Outside of the states five most-populous counties, just 21% of active attorneys serve 45% of the states population.

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One-third of the attorneys in those 100 rural counties are over the age of 60.

The problem is serious, and it is not going to get better without intervention and affirmative action, Wall said.

Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Marla Luckert established the Rural Justice Initiative Committee on Dec. 1, 2022. The 35-member committee included judges, legislators, attorneys, educators, business leaders, and organizations that serve victims of sexual or domestic violence.

Luckert said at Fridays news conference that she formed the committee after hearing from judges who said they couldnt find attorneys who were qualified or willing to take cases, from attorneys who wanted to retire but didnt want to leave their communities without legal help, and from local governments that struggled to hire a city or county attorney.

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She said we knew we had a crisis, but she wanted to know how pervasive it was.

I think we found that it was even worse than we thought it would be, Luckert said.

Data from the committees 84-page report shows 1,401 attorneys work in rural Kansas counties, where more than 1.3 million people live. In comparison, there are more Kansas attorneys working in Kansas City, Missouri.

Two Kansas counties  Wichita and Hodgeman, in west-central Kansas  have no attorneys at all. Seven more have no attorneys under the age of 60.

In 47 counties, there is less than one attorney per 1,000 people.

Rural judges struggle to find attorneys in cases where the right to counsel is guaranteed by constitution or statute  cases where a persons very liberty or right to parent their child is at stake, the report found. Attorneys are turning away potential clients each week because they cannot meet the demand in their communities.

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The report said barriers for attorneys working in rural areas include the balance between staggering student loan debt and lower incomes, a lack of business skills, and challenges of finding child care, housing, health care and reliable Wi-Fi.

The report makes 10 recommendations for addressing the problem. They include establishing programs to pay tuition or repay student loans for attorneys who attend law school in Kansas and practice in a rural part of the state.

Other proposals include developing a professional organization for rural attorneys to collaborate on recruitment and retention, supporting outreach efforts for K-12 students in rural Kansas, working with the Kansas Department of Commerce and Office of Rural Prosperity to help attorneys manage their businesses, and establishing a standing committee to monitor the results.
Gov. Laura Kelly during an interview with Kansas Reflector on Dec. 18, 2024, in her office. (Anna Kaminski/Kansas Reflector)

TOPEKA  The Kansas Legislatures unprecedented budget takeover will enter the 2025 legislative session with a bare bones spending plan and sweeping cuts while Republican lawmakers eye property and corporation tax reductions.

Gov. Laura Kelly is still preparing her own budget  as is customarily the governors duty  and said her greatest apprehension ahead of the 2025 session is overspending, she told Kansas Reflector on Wednesday.

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The apprehension applies both to spending on programs and further tax cuts, she said.

Obviously, we know what happens when you go too far too fast on tax cuts, Kelly said, recalling her predecessor Gov. Sam Brownbacks tenure, during which he implemented an experimental tax program that diminished the states tax base creating revenue deficits. And I dont think anybody in the state of Kansas wants to go back to that, including the Legislature.

Kansas Republicans created a new committee this year to give legislators the opportunity to craft their own preliminary budget. The committee wrapped up its meetings Thursday.

The meetings consisted of iterative presentations from almost 100 state agencies and departments seeking funding enhancements, which also were presented to the governor.

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Under Kansas customary budget process, state agencies can appeal the Division of Budgets recommendations to the governor. This year, about $1.1 billion worth of requests are up for appeal, according to committee chairman Rep. Troy Waymaster, a Bunker Hill Republican. The governor typically gets the final say on whether to accept or reject an appeal.

Waymaster weighed the possibility of denying all appeals requests in the legislative budget, regardless of what the governor decides.

If we want to do property tax relief for the people of the state of Kansas, theres no way we can approve the 1.1 billion thats been appealed, he said.

But House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Republican from Wichita, proposed eliminating all requested budget enhancements that added any new staff and the salary increases associated with them, leaving the Legislature with a base budget that could see additions as the session proceeds. A majority of committee members supported Hawkins proposal.

Expanding bureaucracy

Mounting requests for new facilities and expanded bureaucracy have too often flown under the radar, said Rep. Henry Helgerson, a Democrat from Eastborough, at a Dec. 12 committee meeting. He pointed to a $114 million ask from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation for a new headquarters and the now over-budget Docking State Office Building, which is set to finish renovations in April.

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We have gotten to a point where we just approve things and dont say anything, Helgerson said.

Its up to legislators to curtail spending, he said, wary, too, of the majority partys plans for further tax cuts.

This group has to change the trajectory of our spending in the state, he said, referring to the legislative budget committee.

Rep. Kristey Williams, an Augusta Republican who chairs the K-12 Education Budget Committee, agreed but said spending scrutiny must be applied indiscriminately. Lawmakers cant ignore certain golden areas the Legislature refuses to touch, she said, specifically referencing the Kansas State Department of Education.
A Kansas school board reportedly rejected textbooks because they believed that the teaching materials were too biased against Donald Trump.

A proposed contract with a Boston-based education company was also voted down by the newly elected conservative majority on the Derby Board of Education over their public statements on diversity, equity, and inclusion, KCUR-FM reported.

The $400,000 contract with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt was rejected even though it was recommended by Derby High School teachers, who requested a new school curriculum after being left without social studies textbooks for several years.

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But board members reportedly said that parts of textbooks and other learning materials offered by the company did not reflect fairly on Trumps first presidency.

My biggest concern  involved what I would define as bias of omission, board member Cathy Boote said, according to the outlet.

Boote then shared examples of the material she deemed did not accurately reflect the president-elects time in office, including the controversial Muslim travel ban.

Board members expressed concern that the materials were anti-Trump (REUTERS)

Then there was the Muslim ban, Boote said and made air quotes as she spoke.

With no mention of the fact it wasnt aimed at all Muslim countries, just those that have no ability to vet. Safety was the top priority, but they leave it sit there, with no explanation, to make you think he was xenophobic.

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Trumps travel ban, issued in January 2017, restricted entry into the US for certain people from foreign nations. It was nicknamed the Muslim ban by Trump as well as his aides and critics because a majority of those affected by the executive actions came from predominantly Muslim countries.

President Joe Biden issued a proclamation revoking the travel ban when he entered office, but in May this year Trump said he would reinstate the ban.

We will bring back the travel ban  you remember the famous travel ban, he said.

Boote said that she was also concerned about the way Trump was portrayed in the text books when it came to trade deals with China, the January 6 Capitol riot and his position on Cuba.

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Another board member, Michael Blankenship, reportedly agreed with the concerns raised by Boote, but also rejected the proposal to work with the company because of a pro-Black Lives Matter statement they made in 2020.

We believe Black Lives Matter [and] we believe in social justice, the company said.

Thats a pretty bold statement, Blankenship reportedly said. Wouldnt anybody want to know, What do you mean? I still dont have that answer.

The Independent has contacted Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for comment.
Veteran tech reporter Kara Swisher is aiming to put together a team of investors to purchase the Washington Post, TheWrap has learned. Axios was the first outlet to report the news.

Swishers belief is that a deal would be a win-win, allowing WaPo owner Jeff Bezos to focus more on his tech and space ventures.

The Post can do better, she told Axios. Its so maddening to see whats happening why not me? Why not any of us?

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The biggest hurdle to Swisher or anyone else buying the paper is that Bezos has not given any indication he wants to sell it. (The Amazon founder bought WaPo for $250 million in 2013.) Swisher, Axios said, is confident the money is there if Bezos ultimately feels like making a deal.

She added that any big-money backers would hopefully not include Elon Musk, though he seems pretty busy these days being President (Not) Elect.

Her push to acquire the Post comes after Bezos recently said he was very proud of the paper not endorsing a presidential candidate in the 2024 election. Heading into this election, the Washington Post had endorsed every Democratic candidate since 1988.

For the unfamiliar, Swisher is one of the best-known  and busiest  tech reporters in the world. She currently co-hosts the Pivot podcast with NYU Professor Scott Galloway, as well as her On with Kara Swisher podcast, and is an editor-at-large for New York Magazine. Swisher also has ties to WaPo; she started in the papers mailroom, and later moved up to becoming a tech reporter for the outlet.

The post Kara Swisher Wants to Buy The Washington Post From Jeff Bezos appeared first on TheWrap.
Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman has taken on several high-profile issues during his first year in office, including the state's drug crisis, violent crime in Louisville and TikTok's "predatory behavior" toward minors.

Heading into 2025, The Courier Journal sat down with the former U.S. attorney for the Western District of Kentucky to talk about the next priorities for his office.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

You had filed a lawsuit against TikTok for exploiting Kentucky's youth 'to return a profit.' What are your thoughts on the TikTok ban that could start in January and is being led on the federal level?

I want to be clear, this is a separate effort. (It's) separate litigation brought by me (and) both Republican (and) Democrat attorneys general from across the country. This is an effort that is focused on seeking injunctive relief to change the algorithm. It's like throwing water or throwing blood in the water around sharks. That algorithm that brings such negative content impacting kids' mental health, their anxiety, their depression, their self harm (and) their suicidal ideation. That's what we're seeking to tackle.

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What you're talking about with the ban refers to congressional action, federal action in Washington, D.C. This is a completely separate effort. I will leave that prognostication on the ban to members of Congress and our federal delegation. My focus with Republican and Democrat (attorneys general) is trying to change the practices of TikTok, (and) change the practices so they're not monetizing harm to our kids. That's where I stand, and I look forward to aggressively moving forward with the litigation.

Leading up to the general election, you had issued a 'cease and desist' letter to a Kentucky school district that was advocating against Amendment 2. Looking back, do you think there should have been more action taken when school districts were advocating against the amendment?

My response was initially because of action taken by a school district in southern Kentucky, which was clearly over the line. Our action was to put a notice out to superintendents across the commonwealth as to what the law was. We wanted to make sure that there was a bright-line rule. We wanted to make sure that superintendents were aware of what this law was, what the statute was and what the prohibition was and wanted them to not cross that line.

When one particular school district did cross that line, we sent notice that they had done so, and they pulled back. My job is to one, make sure that folks know what the law is, make sure that Kentucky clearly knows what the law is and then enforce the law. That's exactly what we did.

Now, there's a lot of confusion as to what actions violated that law (and) use of taxpayer funds. There was a lot of conduct that was First Amendment protected activity. There were some concerns that what we were doing was violative of First Amendment activity. We wanted to be very clear that superintendents, teachers could advocate for or against Amendment 2 all day long to their hearts' content, as long as they didn't use state resources to do something. We in no way sought to impede ... exercising their First Amendment rights. So, I'm satisfied that we not only articulated what the law was but reinforced the law in question.

Can you expand on your two-year statewide youth drug prevention initiative and what it looks like?

To effectively push back on (the drug) crisis, it has to be a three-pronged trident of an attack. One of those prongs has to continue to be enforcement. ... That's prosecuting traffickers. That's going after those that bring the poison over our southwest border (and) distribute it in Kentucky and in Louisville. We'll continue to do that. We'll continue to support our commonwealth's attorney colleagues, LMPD, our federal partners. That will remain a robust part of our effort.

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Treatment is another piece. ... That is less what the attorney general's office will do. But generally, we have to have effective treatment. ... But the other piece of the puzzle ... is prevention, and that's the crux of your question, and we have failed. ... We have to do a better job of providing an off ramp, of educating and providing an offer up. I will tell you my default reaction on how to tackle this as a dad and as a prosecutor and as a lawman is to beat the podium stand there with my coat and tie on to my 13- and 16-year-old and say, "one pill can kill." The data shows us that that's just not effective or as effective as giving young people agency. So, what I directed early on to the leadership of the opioid abatement commission (is to) look across the country and bring back what has worked elsewhere.

We'll be leveraging relationships with the University of Kentucky, the University of Louisville (and) Western Kentucky. The data is amazing. We can narrowly focus down to a level of a ZIP code and identify who are the influencers in that area that can carry a positive message (on social media) of "you're better off without it. You want to be like me, don't do X..."

We rolled this out, at least an initial roll out, at the University of Kentucky-U of L game a few days ago. ... A lot of the rollout will be next semester. It's a two-year, $3.6 million effort. ... If this program is not as impactful as we'd like, we'll pivot. We'll do what works. But I have full faith that this is going to have an impact, make a dent and so that's the route we're going over the next two years.

Are there policies you would like to see in the 2025 legislative session that you would support, either related to protecting Kentucky kids or any other sort of topics here?

So I very narrowly engaged on only a couple of matters (in 2024) ... (including) House Bill 207 (and) working with both members of the House and the other chamber to clearly prohibit child sex laws and AI-generated porn. It was so horrendous that we felt like we needed to engage. ... We had members of my staff testifying in both chambers, advocating (and) helping draft the bill itself.

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This next session, (we're focusing on) increases in domestic violence that we're seeing (and) very violent conduct that we're seeing. ... (An example) is the young woman we lost in the back parking lot of the Hardin county attorney's office. This was a woman that was in the actual process of seeking a protection order, and (her) offender lay in wait and took her life. It's the kind of conduct that we're working with the General Assembly to elevate some misdemeanors to felonies (and) to look at what our penalties are that are already in the felonies under KRS. ... We want to incapacitate repeat offenders, those that are harming women and harming kids, harming their significant others.

But the gold standard in law enforcement, whether that is child exploitation or whether it's domestic violence, the gold standard is to deter and prevent the conduct either through education (or) through the threat of punishment. We want to prevent harm so we don't have victims. ... We can do that in Jefferson County by doing a better job in deterring violent conduct by removing violent offenders for long periods of time, and that's why was I set up the violent crime reduction team in Louisville to focus on the trigger pullers, to focus on the most violent offenders, to aggressively prosecute them, so that we can get a greater sense of deterrence and punishment. ... What the criminology data will say, (is) that if punishment is swift and certain, there is a deterrent effect. ... That's what I'm going to be seeking and partnering with some of the leaders of the House and Senate to draft legislation to better protect women and children significant others for domestic violence next session.

Reach reporter Hannah Pinski at hpinski@courier-journal.com or follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @hannahpinski.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky AG Russell Coleman talks TikTok lawsuit, drug use prevention
By David Ljunggren

OTTAWA (Reuters) -Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday looked set to lose power early next year after a key ally said he would move to bring down the minority Liberal government and trigger an election.

New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh, who has been helping keep Trudeau in office, said he would present a formal motion of no-confidence after the House of Commons elected chamber returns from a winter break on Jan. 27.

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If all the opposition parties back the motion, Trudeau will be out of office after more than nine years as prime minister and an election will take place.

A string of polls over the last 18 months show the Liberals, suffering from voter fatigue and anger over high prices and a housing crisis, would be badly defeated by the official opposition right-of-center Conservatives.

The New Democrats, who like the Liberals aim to attract the support of center-left voters, complain Trudeau is too beholden to big business.

"No matter who is leading the Liberal Party, this government's time is up. We will put forward a clear motion of non-confidence in the next sitting of the House of Commons," said Singh.

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The leader of the Bloc Quebecois, a larger opposition party, promised to back the motion and said there was no scenario where Trudeau survived.

The Conservatives said they would ask Governor General Mary Simon - the personal representative of King Charles, Canada's head of state - to recall Parliament to hold a no-confidence vote before the end of the year. Constitutional experts say Simon would reject such a move.

"We cannot have a chaotic clown show running our government into the ground. What is clear is that Justin Trudeau does not have the confidence of Parliament," Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre told reporters.

Shortly after Singh issued his letter a smiling Trudeau, under growing pressure to quit after the shock resignation of his finance minister this week, presided over a cabinet shuffle.

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Trudeau's office was not immediately available for comment.

Trudeau, who has not publicly spoken about Freeland's exit, usually addresses reporters after cabinet shuffles but left without saying a word. Major domestic media organizations said his office had canceled traditional end-of-year interviews.

Votes on budgets and other spending are considered confidence measures. Additionally, the government must allocate a few days each session to opposition parties when they can unveil motions on any matter, including non-confidence.

Singh's move is a political risk, since the polls showing a bad defeat for the Liberals also have bad news for the NDP.

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Darrell Bricker, CEO of polling firm Ipsos-Reid, said Singh saw a chance to replace the Liberals as the first choice for voters who opposed the Conservatives.

"Waiting to give the Liberals and even Trudeau a chance to get off the mat is ill-advised," he said by email.

Before Singh made his announcement, a source close to Trudeau said the prime minister would take the Christmas break to ponder his future and was unlikely to make any announcement before January.

Liberal leaders are elected by special conventions of party members, which take months to arrange.

Singh's promise to act quickly means that even if Trudeau were to resign now, the Liberals could not find a new permanent leader in time for the next election. The party would then have to contest the vote with an interim leader, which has never happened before in Canada.

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So far around 20 Liberal legislators are openly calling for Trudeau to step down but his cabinet has stayed loyal.

The timing of the crisis comes at a critical time, since U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is due to take office on Jan. 20 and is promising to impose a 25% tariff on all imports from Canada, which would badly hurt the economy.

The premiers of the 10 provinces, seeking to create a united approach to the tariffs, are complaining about what they call the chaos in Ottawa.

(Reporting by David Ljunggren, editing by Ismail Shakil and Chizu Nomiyama)
MT. JULIET, Tenn. (WKRN)  A kidnapping suspect was taken into custody early Friday morning after a pursuit through multiple counties ended in Mt. Juliet.

Mt. Juliet police reported the incident began in Nashville when a man holding a woman against her will was pursued into Rutherford County where he hit a law enforcement vehicle and drove away.

According to court documents, 31-year-old Eddie Martinez was waiting outside the victims workplace on Donelson Pike and jumped in the drivers seat and took her keys when she went out to her vehicle to get a water bottle.

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15-year-old arrested after teen shot, killed outside Murfreesboro Pike club

Martinez had been inside the restaurant as a customer, and the victim reportedly recognized him from high school, but they had not seen each other in several years. Martinez told the victim he was taking her car because he needed to get away, according to Metro police. She got into the passenger side, hoping to talk him out of taking the vehicle.

(Courtesy: Mt. Juliet Police Department)

Martinez drove to Smyrna where officers tried to stop him. He reportedly drove away from the officers and hit a Smyrna police car as he drove back into Davidson County.

The victim asked to be let out of the car, but Martinez refused to stop. He eventually let the victim out to use a bathroom at a gas station where she found she had a text message from La Vergne police asking to track her phone, according to court documents.

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Metro police later located the suspect with the victim near McGavock Pike and followed their vehicle from Lebanon Road into Wilson County.

 Read todays top stories on wkrn.com

Mt. Juliet officers pursued the vehicle and stopped it with spike strips near a gas station on Mt. Juliet Road at Interstate 40 around 1 a.m. Martinez surrendered to officers and the victim was found to be unharmed.

Martinez was taken back to Nashville by Metro police officers. During an interview, authorities said Martinez admitted to taking the car because he needed to get away from people who were after him. The victim also reported that Martinez was acting extremely paranoid.

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The 31-year-old was booked into the Metro jail and charged with false imprisonment, vehicle theft and evading arrest. His bond was set at $47,500.

According to Metro police, Martinez was convicted of aggravated robbery and aggravated kidnapping in 2012.

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.
King Charles cancer treatment will continue into the New Year, but it is moving in a very positive direction, palace sources have confirmed.

Aides have signaled that Charles, 76, who has been under medical care for his cancer diagnosis since early February, will continue treatment towards his one-year anniversary as a "managed condition."

As the year comes to a close and Charles prepares for Christmas with many of his family around him, palace sources confirmed on Friday, Dec. 20, "His treatment has been moving in a positive direction and as a managed condition the treatment cycle will continue into next year.

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That positivity is evidenced by plans being under way for a schedule of public work similar to how he is ending 2024  with both trips around the U.K. and abroad pencilled into his diary.

Chris Jackson Pool/Getty King Charles at an event in the gardens of his home, Highgrove House, on Dec. 13, 2024 King Charles at an event in the gardens of his home, Highgrove House, on Dec. 13, 2024

Related: King Charles Comments on 'Encouraging' News in Cancer Treatment Following His Own Diagnosis

The news was first reported by Sky News, which featured a conversation with Dame Laura Lee, chief executive of the cancer support charity Maggie's.

"It's very common for treatment to be ongoing for very long periods of time, as is the treatment that the Princess of Wales went through, which is an intense period of treatment over a year, and then it comes to a point where it's on an end, and she's on that recovery from some of the impacts of her treatment," she said.

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"So we've got immunotherapy, chemotherapy, surgery, hormone therapy. There are all sorts of different treatment modalities. And so it's not surprising at all," Lee added.

Charles was first hospitalized for a planned operation to treat an enlarged prostate in January. While in the hospital an as-yet-undisclosed cancer was discovered and his treatment started on February 5. He cancelled all face-to-face engagements and only returned to his more public royal duties in April, beginning with a visit to a cancer hospital in London with his wife, Queen Camilla.

Chris Jackson Pool/Getty King Charles chatting to a craftsman at Highgrove House on Dec. 13, 2024 King Charles chatting to a craftsman at Highgrove House on Dec. 13, 2024

Related: A Complete Timeline of King Charles' Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment

In a second cancer diagnosis for the family, Kate Middleton revealed in March that she had also been undergoing cancer treatment for around a month. In September, the Princess of Wales, 42, announced in an emotional video message that she had finished her chemotherapy treatment.

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The King has ended 2024 with a fuller slate of engagements, including hosting the visit by the Amir of Qatar earlier this month. Meanwhile, on Dec. 19, he hosted his annual Christmas lunch for the extended royal family, and on Dec. 20 he was out and about in Walthamstow, east London, with Camilla, 77, to highlight social cohesion and community work in the area.

Samir Hussein/WireImage King Charles and Queen Camilla on Christmas Day 2023 King Charles and Queen Camilla on Christmas Day 2023

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!

His aides have hinted that plans are under way for foreign travel in 2025. Were now working on a pretty normal-looking, full overseas tour program for next year, a senior palace official said at the end of Charles and Camilla's tour to Australia and Samoa in October. Which is a high for us to end on, to know that we can be thinking in those terms, subject to signoff by doctors.

Read the original article on People


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King Charless cancer treatment will continue into next year as a Palace source said it is going in a positive direction. The Palace was moved to confirm details after a report from Sky News this morning about the Kings treatment attracted attention internationally.

His treatment has been moving in a positive direction and as a managed condition the treatment cycle will continue into next year, a Palace source confirmed to media outlets including T&C this morning.



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Buckingham Palace has given very few updates on King Charles since announcing that he had cancer in February. "His Majesty has chosen to share his diagnosis to prevent speculation and in the hope it may assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer," the Palace said at the time. Aside from the initial announcement, every piece of information proactively released about his health has been delivered only in the form of updates about his working schedule. The King has not said what type of cancer he has or what type of treatment he is receiving.

Despite his treatment, however, King Charles has maintained a busy program of public appearances in the latter half of this year. Aides maintained today that they are looking towards a busy program for 2025.

Anadolu - Getty Images

The King and Queen were in the London borough of Walthamstow this morning greeting crowds before they make their way to Sandringham for the Christmas break. They will appear on Christmas morning walking to church. The King's speech, which has been pre-recorded, will be broadcast at 3pm on Christmas Day.



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King Charles will reportedly continue his cancer treatment into the new year, according to a palace source.

An insider tells SkyNews (via People) that His Majestys treatment is moving in a positive direction and as a managed condition the treatment cycle will continue into next year. The treatment wont impact his schedule of royal engagements in 2025, and apparently he has plans for trips both abroad and within the UK.

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King Charles has been undergoing cancer treatment since February, when the Palace released a statement saying, During The Kings recent hospital procedure for benign prostate enlargement, a separate issue of concern was noted. Subsequent diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer. His Majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties. Throughout this period, His Majesty will continue to undertake State business and official paperwork as usual.

The statement continued, The King is grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention, which was made possible thanks to his recent hospital procedure. He remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible. His Majesty has chosen to share his diagnosis to prevent speculation and in the hope it may assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer.

Shortly after King Charless diagnosis, his daughter-in-law Kate Middleton was also diagnosed with cancer. She completed her chemotherapy treatment in September, and has returned to public duties (albeit on a much lighter schedule as she prioritizes her health).

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King Charles III's cancer treatment is moving in a positive direction, a Buckingham Palace source told NBC News on Friday, almost a year after he was diagnosed with the disease.

The source emphasized that while progress has been made, his cancer remains in a managed condition, meaning that his treatment cycle will continue into next year.

Charles was just 18 months into his reign when Buckingham Palace confirmed his cancer diagnosis in February. The statement explained that the 76-year-old chose to share his health status partly in the hope it may assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer.

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Further details of his condition have not been disclosed.

He resumed public duties as king in April after making progress in his treatment.

Charles was the United Kingdoms longest-serving heir to the throne during his time as Prince of Wales. He became king Sept. 8, 2022, following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

In January, Kate, the Princess of Wales, was hospitalized for almost two weeks to undergo abdominal surgery for unspecified reasons. While initial tests did not indicate cancer, further testing revealed cancer had been present, she said in a taped video statement.

The rare video statement marked the first public acknowledgment of her health struggles, breaking her silence as widespread speculation mounted.

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Prince William said 2024 has been brutal as his wife and his father both announced their cancer diagnoses.

Its been dreadful. Its probably been the hardest year in my life, William told NBC News international partner, Sky News, last month.

In September, Kate said she had completed chemotherapy treatment and would return to a light schedule of public engagements through the rest of the year.

Charles wife, Queen Camilla, 77, missed last months Remembrance events because of a chest infection, adding to the uncertainty about the health of the royal family.

Charles and Camilla will carry out their last major public engagement before Christmas, meeting local community volunteers, young people, emergency services and faith representatives in Waltham Forest, in East London, on Friday.

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They will then travel to Sandringham estate in Norfolk, on England's eastern coast, where they are set to host Christmas.

The Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, did not join the extended family Thursday at a pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace but are expected to attend the Christmas celebrations in Norfolk.

Prince Andrew was also missing from the festivities Thursday. His ex-wife, Sarah, the Duchess of York, persuaded him that now isnt the right time to appear alongside the rest of his family, Emily Nash, royal editor at Hello magazine told NBC News in an interview Thursday.

Andrew, Charles' scandal-hit younger brother, was in the headlines once again this week after a high court ruling said he had cultivated an unusual degree of trust with a man alleged to be a Chinese spy. Andrews office said in a statement that he ceased all contact with the individual after concerns were raised.

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Andrew returned his military affiliations and royal patronages in January 2022 after his lawyers failed to persuade a U.S. judge to dismiss a civil lawsuit accusing him of sexual abuse. He later paid a substantial sum to Virginia Giuffre, who alleges Andrew sexually abused her when she was 17.

Giuffre has long alleged she was forced in the 1990s to have sex with Andrew after notorious pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and his confidant, the British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, trafficked her to him. Maxwell, 62, was jailed for 20 years after a jury concluded that she played a pivotal part in recruiting and grooming teenage girls to be sexually abused by Epstein.

Andrew has repeatedly denied the allegation.

Nash said Andrew has lost any sort of public life and work, and now hes having to absent himself from private family gatherings.

He is in the eye of the storm at the moment, but its not impossible that he might join family gatherings in future, she added.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
By Michael Holden and Catarina Demony

LONDON (Reuters) -King Charles' cancer treatment is progressing well and will continue into next year, a Buckingham Palace source said, as the British royals prepare for their annual Christmas get-together after a "brutal" year for the family.

In February, the palace revealed the 76-year-old, who became king in 2022, had been diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer detected in tests after a corrective procedure for an enlarged prostate.

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While he was able to return to public duties two months later, the number of engagements has been limited on medical advice, something which the noted workaholic has found difficult.

"His treatment has been moving in a positive direction and as a managed condition the treatment cycle will continue into next year," the palace source said on Friday.

The palace source said there had been no change in Charles' health and the news that his treatment would continue in 2025 did not represent any significant update.

But his busy pre-Christmas schedule, which concludes on Friday with a visit to the northeast London district of Walthamstow that staged a large counter-protest in August in response to nationwide rioting, was an indication of his determination to stay busy.

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In October, Charles and his wife Camilla made a brief stopover in India where they stayed at a holistic health centre following his first major trip since being diagnosed with cancer to Australia and Samoa.

Overall the last year has been difficult for the royals.

The disclosure in March that the king's daughter-in-law Kate, the wife of heir Prince William, was undergoing preventative chemotherapy for cancer was another shock.

While her treatment has now ended, her return to official engagements has been limited and she said her path to full recovery would be long. William said it had been the hardest 12 months of his life and "brutal" for the family.

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But it has not just been health issues that have put the Windsors in the spotlight. The king's younger brother Prince Andrew was embroiled in another scandal this month after a close business associate of his was banned from Britain over government suspicions he was a Chinese agent.

The royal finances have also come under media scrutiny while Charles was heckled by an Indigenous senator at Australia's Parliament House during his tour there, a reflection of ongoing questions about Britain's colonial past.

Meanwhile, the king's younger son Prince Harry remains estranged from the family and more royal secrets are likely to be aired when he gives days of evidence in the witness box in his lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch's British newspaper group.

Both Harry and Andrew will be absent when the royals gather for their traditional festive gathering at the king's Sandringham home in eastern England, a very visual demonstration of those problems.

(Reporting by Michael Holden;Writing by Catarina Demony;Editing by Kate Holton and Angus MacSwan)
King Charles' cancer treatment appears to be going well.

The king, 78, has been under medical care for his cancer since February this year has been responding well. Palace sources confirmed to People Magazine on Friday, Dec. 20, that "[Charles'] treatment has been moving in a positive direction and as a managed condition the treatment cycle will continue into next year.

As the holidays are around the corner, Charles' promising health progress is shown in his busy schedule. He will spend the holidays with an array of public work and events, including trips planned around the U.K. and abroad.

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Earlier this year, Charles was first hospitalized to treat an enlarged prostate. But while the king was in the hospital, doctors discovered cancer. The royal canceled all his engagements when his treatment began in February and returned to his public duties in April.

The royal family also had another member in their family with a cancer diagnosis. After a media frenzy about the Princess of Wales' whereabouts, the 42-year-old Kate Middleton revealed in March that she also had been undergoing cancer treatment in a video.

In a statement about Middleton, Charles' spokesperson said, he is "so proud of Catherine for her courage in speaking as she did," adding that he "remained in the closest contact with his beloved daughter-in-law throughout the past weeks," as they both were in and out of the hospital.

In the summer, the Princess of Wales said, I am making good progress, but as anyone going through chemotherapy will know, there are good days and bad days."
King Charles cracked a joke about longevity during his final day out for work before the royal family convenes for Christmas.

On Dec. 20, the King, 76, and Queen Camilla attended a reception at Waltham Forest Town Hall to celebrate community cohesion in the borough of east London, where the sovereign quipped about endurance when someone asked how he was. Buckingham Palace announced in February that the King was diagnosed with cancer, and palace sources have confirmed that his treatment will continue into next year.

"Your Majesty, good morning, how are you?" Harvinder Rattan, a Sikh faith representative, asked King Charles at the reception on Dec. 20, as seen in a video shared by the Daily Mail.

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"I'm still alive," King Charles joked in reply with a smile, which made Rattan chuckle.

Wiktor Szymanowicz/Anadolu via Getty King Charles arrives in Fellowship Square to attend a reception at Waltham Forest Town Hall in London on Dec. 20, 2024. King Charles arrives in Fellowship Square to attend a reception at Waltham Forest Town Hall in London on Dec. 20, 2024.

Related: King Charles Cancer Treatment Will Continue into the New Year, Is in a 'Very Positive Direction,' Palace Source Confirms

The King and Queen's latest outing came on the same day that palace sources confirmed his cancer treatment will extend into next year, but is moving "in a very positive direction."

Aides have signaled that that sovereign will continue to receive treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer towards his one-year anniversary as a "managed condition."

Mina Kim - WPA Pool / Getty King Charles meets Caroline Akuffo, who shows a photo of them meeting in Japan in 1970, on Dec. 20, 2024 in London. King Charles meets Caroline Akuffo, who shows a photo of them meeting in Japan in 1970, on Dec. 20, 2024 in London.

"His treatment has been moving in a positive direction and as a managed condition the treatment cycle will continue into next year," palace sources said on Dec. 20. The King has had a full calendar in recent weeks, and future trips around the U.K. and abroad are penciled into his schedule.

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The day after hosting a traditional pre-Christmas lunch for the extended royal family at Buckingham Palace on Dec. 19, King Charles and Queen Camilla went to the reception at Waltham Forest Town Hall. There, the royal couple met community volunteers, young people, emergency service personnel and faith representatives from the area recognized as a Borough of Sanctuary.

MINA KIM/POOL/AFP via Getty King Charles speaks with a guest during a reception at Waltham Forest Town Hall in London on Dec. 20, 2024. King Charles speaks with a guest during a reception at Waltham Forest Town Hall in London on Dec. 20, 2024.

Related: King Charles Poignant Decision to Not Reveal His Specific Type of Cancer Was a Conscious Choice: Report

The event celebrated Waltham Forest's strong sense of community following the borough's peaceful anti-racism protest in August, organized as a response to the disorder that devastated the United Kingdom over the summer.

The U.K. was wracked by unrest after three children were killed in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga class in the town of Southport on July 29. King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William and Kate Middleton all issued statements expressing their sadness and shock at the attack, and the King and Prince and Princess of Wales would all later visit the grieving community.

MINA KIM/POOL/AFP via Getty Queen Camilla speaks with a guest at a reception at Waltham Forest Town Hall in London on Dec. 20, 2024. Queen Camilla speaks with a guest at a reception at Waltham Forest Town Hall in London on Dec. 20, 2024.

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Princess Kate, 42, also poignantly invited survivors and families affected by the tragedy to her Together at Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey on Dec. 6.

Like her father-in-law the King, Princess Kate navigated a difficult year after announcing in March that she was receiving cancer treatment, and said in September that she completed chemotherapy. Breaking with past precedent, Prince William and Princess Kate didn't go to the King's lunch before Christmas at the palace on Dec. 19, which brought much of the family together.

Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Kate Middleton, Prince William and King Charles at Horse Guards Parade for the ceremonial welcome for the Amir of Qatar's incoming state visit to the U.K. on Dec. 3, 2024. Kate Middleton, Prince William and King Charles at Horse Guards Parade for the ceremonial welcome for the Amir of Qatar's incoming state visit to the U.K. on Dec. 3, 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!

It emerged that the Prince and Princess of Wales were never expected to attend the holiday meal, and the couple are already in Norfolk with their kids Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6, where they have a country home.

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The Wales family is set to spend Christmas at Sandringham with the King as usual, and William and Kate are looking forward to catching up with family then. The King and Queen's Dec. 20 engagement is expected to be their last one before the upcoming holiday.

Step inside the royals' holiday traditions with PEOPLEs Special Edition: Christmas at the Palace: A Royal Family Album.



Read the original article on People
New mobile crisis teams have been deployed throughout King County, offering expanded access to immediate mental health care and alleviating the burden off other agencies that may be less equipped to handle a mental health crisis.

The county added 10 teams on December 2 to support adults experiencing a mental health emergency. While the county previously had mobile crisis teams, this milestone marks a major expansion, made possible by funding approved by voters last year.

The teams are operated by the Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC) and SOUND Behavioral Health. DESC operates the teams in Seattle and Vashon, while SOUND provides services in North, East and South King County.

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The two-person teams will deploy to individuals experiencing a mental health crisis, and will also provide resources and connections to services to help mitigate future crises too.

KIRO 7 received an exclusive first look inside SOUNDs new vans, equipped like a mobile mental health clinic with desks, technology, first aid supplies, food, water and more.

Were here and were in lieu of a police officer, said Joe Vela, Crisis Services Director at SOUND. We are better equipped, both clinically, and making connections with our peers, to deal with someone in crisis in the community.

The service is available for all adults, regardless of insurance status, including Medicaid clients.

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The expanded service will reduce response times and help improve access, while alleviating the burden on other agencies.

Theres nothing more disheartening than somebody coming to you and saying, Im here for help, and the only place you can send them is an emergency department or a shelter, said Katrina Egner, President and CEO of SOUND.

These teams help fill in the gaps.

In the last two and a half weeks, Vela estimates the teams at SOUND have already responded to over 20 or 30 calls.

It was our first call in SeaTac (Airport). Gentleman, French, very limited speaking, he said. They pulled out Google Translate, and they started talking. They were able to manage to get him and transport him to a shelter.

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The service is voluntary, so individuals will have to consent to receiving care. However, if you see someone on the street who appears to be experiencing a mental health crisis, you can still call or text 988. The teams can still attempt a response and provide resources to the individual.

If you walked by somebody and they were having a heart attack, youd call 911, Egner said. So if youre walking down the street and somebodys clearly struggling, you can call 988.

The teams are part of King Countys broader push to expand and streamline mental health services, by providing dispatchers to talk to, teams to respond and crisis care centers where individuals in crisis can go.

The county has committed to establishing a network of five crisis care centers, which will operate like urgent care centers for mental health concerns.

Next year, King County will also add two new mobile crisis teams for kids.




LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  A 25-year-old man faces an attempted murder charge after a Thursday morning shooting in Kingman, Arizona.

Zachary David Sowers of Kingman was booked into the Mohave County Adult Detention Facility after he fled on foot before officers showed up at a residence in the 2800 block of E. Hearn Avenue just after 7:30 a.m. The neighborhood is in the north part of Kingman.

Officers with the Mohave County Sheriffs Office found a 62-year-old man with a gunshot wound at the residence. He was taken to Kingman Regional Medical Center and later transferred to a trauma center.

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Investigators said Sowers had been living with the shooting victim and was being asked to leave when the shooting took place.

Detectives found Sowers in an alley a couple of blocks west of the residence and took him into custody after a short foot pursuit.

In addition to the attempted murder charge, Sowers had two outstanding warrants on misdemeanor charges, according to police.

Kingman is about 107 miles southeast of Las Vegas on U.S. 93.

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.
A Kingston man was sentenced to prison Thursday for stabbing his dog to death earlier this year after trying to poison it with fentanyl.

45-year-old Jonathan Paluzzi pleaded guilty in Plymouth Superior Court to two counts of animal cruelty and two counts of intimidation of a witness, according to Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz. He was sentenced to 5-7 years of incarceration in state prison.

According to the DAs office, Paluzzi gave his bull terrier, Brutus, fentanyl on January 31 with the intent to kill him. After realizing the dog had not succumbed to the drug overdose, Paluzzi fatally stabbed him.

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He loved the dog: Parents say Kingston man accused of killing pet was battling addiction

Investigators say Paluzzi had previously tried to get Brutus euthanized through veterinary means but animal care centers refused because the dog was in relatively good health.

A subsequent examination of Brutuss body by MSPCA-Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston determined he had fentanyl in his system during the deadly incident.

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Three Kissimmee teenagers face charges following a string of burglaries in St. Cloud.

St. Cloud police said the teens were arrested Thursday morning.

Officials said it happened after they rammed a stolen vehicle through the front door of Signal Zero Supplies.

Watch: Video shows delivery driver being robbed in Orlando, police say

The business is a gun and ammo store on Commerce Center Drive.

Investigators say the car got stuck inside the building, so the teens ran away.

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Watch: Police search for hit-and-run driver after violent crash inside Winter Haven neighborhood

Officers watched as they got into a rideshare car, and thats when they moved in to make the arrest.

Police said charges pending include grand theft, criminal mischief, possession of burglary tools, burglary auto or other conveyance, and more.

Read: Big Lots deal falls apart, going out of business sales planned at all locations

Police said the teens roamed the Summer Cove community, targeting Kia brand vehicles to steal and other vehicles to burglarize.

Anyone with information on the stolen car or business break-in is asked to call the St. Cloud Police Department at 407-891-6700 to report it.

Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.




When voting in Wisconsin this year, you might have been confused or surprised by five questions at the bottom of your ballots, asking about topics like election administration, federal funding and requiring that voters be U.S. citizens.

Four more of those questions could be coming in 2025 or 2026, depending on whether lawmakers decide to green-light them again in the new year. A referendum to add Wisconsin's voter photo ID laws to the constitution looks likely to appear on the April 1 ballot.

Voters who saw these questions in 2024 may have wondered why Wisconsin doesn't allow citizens to bring forward referendums, like many states do. Or, they may have wanted more information about what the wording of these questions meant.

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"Some voters don't even know that there's a constitutional amendment on the ballot until they get to the polls," said Bryna Godar, a staff attorney at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School's State Democracy Research Initiative.

"The first time that you're encountering those typically is when you're going to vote, which gives you less time to talk to other people about it and to look up more information about it," she said.

Here's an overview of the referendum process in Wisconsin, why the state doesn't have a process allowing citizens to bring forward referendums, and how other states provide information about these questions to voters:

How does a referendum question get on the ballot in Wisconsin?

Poll workers assist a voter at the Oconomowoc Community Center polling station on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.

The referendum questions Wisconsinites saw on their ballot this year are known as constitutional amendments, because they change or add language to the state constitution.

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To reach the ballot, the same constitutional amendment must be passed by state lawmakers two sessions in a row. Four constitutional amendments passed last winter that lawmakers can take up a second time in 2025 and schedule for upcoming elections.

Because Republicans have control of the state Legislature, they have the power to place referendum questions on the ballot without support from Democrats. It's a way to avoid Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' veto pen, putting the issue directly to voters instead.

In a year-end interview with the Journal Sentinel, Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer said Republicans' use of referendums in 2024 is "not the intended purpose of constitutional amendments."

"The people of Wisconsin have now elected Tony Evers twice to be governor and to have a say on legislation in this state," said Neubauer, a Democrat from Racine. "(Republicans) really should not be using that process. They should be working through legislation."

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Democrats have proposed their own constitutional amendments in recent years, such as eliminating language in the constitution that only marriages between one man and one woman are recognized in Wisconsin. Republicans haven't held hearings for the Democrats' proposals, though, so it's unlikely they would go before voters.

Are there other types of referendums in Wisconsin?

There's another, rarely used process in Wisconsin where a law can only go into effect if it's approved by voters, which does require the governor to sign off first.

Last year, Republicans considered using that process to ask voters whether to limit abortion access after 14 weeks in Wisconsin, but the state Senate didn't take action on the proposal. Evers was also against the idea.

Lawmakers can also pose non-binding, "advisory" referendums to voters. While lawmakers don't have to act on what voters decide, they can use the response to inform future policy.

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In spring 2023, voters supported an advisory referendum asking if welfare recipients should be required to look for work. Advisory referendums have also been held on the death penalty, gambling and gas tax increases, for example.

Local governments in Wisconsin have also placed advisory referendums on the ballot to gauge voter opinion on policies like marijuana legalization or nonpartisan redistricting. But a state law enacted last year now prohibits those types of questions, with exceptions for topics like boundary changes and telecommunications operations.

Those are different than local referendums to raise property taxes for school funding or police, fire and emergency medical services, which voters often approve.

More: The Wisconsin Rapids UTV/ATV referendum isn't going forward. Here's why

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More: The number of Wisconsin school referendums this year is up  way up. Heres why.

Can citizens bring forward referendums in Wisconsin?

Unlike 24 other states, Wisconsin doesn't have a process where citizens can collect signatures to place a statewide referendum on the ballot, bypassing the state Legislature.

Citizen-led ballot initiatives in other states, such as Nebraska, have allowed voters to weigh in on policies like medical marijuana, abortion and paid sick leave.

"I do think it is a really powerful democratic tool in the states that do have it, because it allows the people to go beyond what the Legislature is willing to do, and enact changes to our founding documents," Godar said.

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States in the western half of the country, like California and Utah, more commonly allow citizen-led initiatives, said University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor Barry Burden. It's somewhat surprising that Wisconsin doesn't have that process, given its progressive history, he said.

"(Wisconsin is) sort of the home of progressivism, and that was a set of ideas that really valued voters making decisions directly," Burden said, noting that Wisconsin does have a recall process that gives voters more direct control over their officials.

More: Ohio voted to legalize marijuana and abortion. Could that happen in Wisconsin?

Over a century ago, voters actually rejected establishing the idea in Wisconsin. In 1914, a referendum question asked whether citizens should bring forward petitions to propose laws or change the constitution, and 64% voted against it.

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Lawmakers have tried again since then. Last session, Democrats introduced a proposal to allow the petition process, but Republicans didn't schedule hearings for it. And in the wake of Roe v. Wade's reversal, Evers asked lawmakers to consider the same thing, allowing voters to "go to referendum on the issues that matter to them."

"I don't think that we are allowing the voters to have a full say without allowing them to initiate ballot referendums. I think that would strengthen our democracy," Neubauer told the Journal Sentinel.

Democrats have pointed out that polls show majorities of Wisconsinites support policies like legalizing marijuana and abortion access, which commonly appear as referendum questions in other states.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, a Republican from Rochester, said in a year-end interview with the Journal Sentinel that he probably wouldn't support bringing a citizen-led process to Wisconsin.

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"I really believe in representative democracy," Vos said. "The idea like in California, where you have dozens of ballot questions and it's literally paid signature-gatherers and out-of-state interests trying to influence the process, probably not. I think our system works pretty well."

Do other states explain referendum questions to voters?

Wisconsin voters have previously told the Journal Sentinel that the referendum questions are written in a confusing way, and said they do their own research before going to the polls.

There are examples of lawmakers in some states "deliberately choosing confusing language," Godar said. But it can also be true that state constitutions are just "written in a somewhat archaic way and can be difficult to understand."

"I think in either of those situations, whether it's deliberate or not, it really points to why it is so important to have more information that is accessible to voters, that explains in plain language what the amendment is going to do, and what the existing law is," she said.

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Some states, like Nebraska and Montana, provide voters with multipage booklets explaining ballot initiatives in plain language and including arguments for and against it.

Sending printed guides to several million voters is expensive, Burden noted, and it would be complicated to figure out whether the Wisconsin Elections Commission or county or municipal clerks would be responsible for that.

"I think it would be reasonable in this era, where there are more of these (referendums) being put on the ballot, and they kind of have these technical aspects to them, to give voters more information," he said.

Wisconsin does require a Type C Notice of Referendum, which clerks publish in newspapers and post at polling places on Election Day. The attorney general is responsible for writing an explanatory statement at the bottom of the notice, showing how a "yes" or "no" vote would change the constitution or keep it the same.

Sam Liebert, state director of All Voting is Local and a former municipal clerk, supported the possibility of state lawmakers allowing municipal and school board referendums to be written in a way that provides voters with more information.

"I've seen a lot of really good referendums  especially at the local level in my time  fail," Liebert said, including an ambulance funding referendum when he served on Janesville's city council.

Not being able to explain how it would affect people or raise taxes "creates a vacuum for mis- or dis-information," he said.

More: Political groups spent $1.2 million on MPS referendum; now unknown funders back MPS recall

And if voters ultimately don't understand the question, they might decide to vote against the measure, Burden said.

"I think the two (constitutional amendments) that failed in August were partly because they were complicated," he said. "It's difficult language for voters to understand. Sometimes, they're stated in legal terminology that's hard to decipher. I think in those circumstances, voters tend to be conservative and say, 'No, let's not make this change.'"

Laura Schulte of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contributed to this story.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: How Wisconsin statewide referendums work; why public can't start them
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)  A search expanded on Thursday for those killed or trapped alive by an earthquake in the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu, as rescue workers arriving from abroad fanned out through the capital, Port Vila, encountering flattened buildings that had not yet been searched.

Three days after the violent magnitude 7.3 quake struck just offshore from Vanuatu's most populous island, uncertainty persisted about the number of people dead and wounded. Damage was concentrated in Port Vilas downtown area where eight survivors have been rescued from collapsed buildings, according to the United Nations.

The official number of 12 confirmed deaths and more than 200 people injured was expected to rise.

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Not all of those killed or hurt had been brought to a hospital and would not be included in the figures, aid agencies said. Some residents were scared to visit badly-damaged Vila Central Hospital, the main treatment facility.

More than 1,000 people were displaced, according to the UNICEF, the world body's humanitarian agency. Aid workers estimated about 20,000 people were likely without water.

Water shortage threatens a fresh crisis

The biggest threat was the spread of illness from people drinking contaminated water, said Brecht Mommen, a UNICEF water, sanitation and hygiene specialist based in Vanuatu.

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Its a rush against time to get water trucks organized for those areas so that we prevent a second disaster, which is a diarrhea outbreak, he said.

It was still unclear where broken pipes were located in the immense network servicing Port Vila and it was unknown how long it would take to find and fix them all, Mommen added.

Rain and landslides slow relief efforts

Relief efforts were hampered by blocked roads, traffic jams and patchy communications.

Rain forecast in the next few days threatens to worsen landslides prompted by the quake. They included a major slip that has blocked Vanuatus sea port. The airport, currently open only for humanitarian flights, will resume commercial airline operations on Sunday, according to local news outlets.

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It prompted quiet hope for a return to normal among residents accustomed to life in one of the worlds most natural disaster-prone countries. But analysts said the problems that afflicted Vanuatu before Tuesdays quake were likely to hinder recovery.

A perilous island paradise

Vanuatu is an scenic, sprawling archipelago covering a vast expanse of South Pacific Ocean that lies between Australia and Fiji. More than 80 coral and volcanic islands are home to 330,000 people.

Perched on the Pacific ring of fire  a belt of tectonic plates and volcanoes  Vanuatu is regularly jolted by earthquakes, though none in living memory as large as Tuesdays.

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The country is also among the worlds most imperiled by climate change. Earlier this month Vanuatu led a group of small island nations in a landmark case on the matter in the top United Nations court.

The country's envoys argued that as rising seas threaten the existence of Vanuatu and other nations, major polluting countries should be ordered to take more responsibility for curbing their emissions.

A struggle to lure tourists back

Lush tropical forests and azure seas make the country a popular destination for holidaymakers from Australia and New Zealand, and tourism accounts for about 40% of the economy. The other major contributor is agriculture, with products exported or sold to tourist resorts.

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Disasters of recent years have frustrated its growth. Visitor numbers dwindled during the coronavirus pandemic and had barely started to recover before three major cyclones in 2023 dealt another blow. In May, the countrys national airline collapsed.

Political uncertainty could stall recovery

Vanuatu is currently led by a caretaker government after President Nikenike Vurobaravu dissolved Parliament in November as Prime Minister Charlot Salwai faced a no-confidence vote.

Salwai, now the caretaker leader, is Vanuatus fourth Prime Minister in four years, with his predecessor toppled in a confidence vote in 2023 after a month in office. A snap election is due in January.

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This is one of the most turbulent political systems in this part of the world, said Riley Duke, a Pacific analyst at the Lowy Institute, an Australian think tank. The political chaos has bred a permanent short-term focus, he said, and has deterred some funders of badly-needed development projects.

Part of a bigger geopolitical contest

Vanuatu has become part of a wider strategic battle for the Pacific in recent years as western countries seek to counter Chinas growing influence. Australia is still Vanuatus biggest donor, but the government has increasingly looked to China to fund infrastructure and building projects including work this year on a presidential palace.

In the process, it has amassed sizeable loans and was rated at high risk of debt distress by the International Monetary Fund before this weeks quake.

Theres going to be a drive by the next government to secure additional financing, which opens the door to more interest in external financing, said Duke. That obviously has secondary effects for geopolitics.
MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Friday that any new G7 sanctions on Russia's oil industry would backfire and that it would act to minimise the consequences of any such move and adapt.

Bloomberg News reported on Thursday that G7 countries are exploring options to toughen the price cap on Russian oil, including essentially replacing the mechanism with a full ban on handling Russian crude to lowering the price threshold from the current $60 to about $40.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, asked about Russia's concerns if these scenarios materialise, said there would "certainly" be risks to the stability of international energy markets.

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"This will inevitably happen and will hit simultaneously those countries that make such decisions," Peskov told reporters.

"We will do everything necessary to minimise the consequences of such decisions and ensure our economic interests".

(Reporting by Dmitry Antonov; Writing by Felix Light and Lucy Papachristou; Editing by Andrew Osborn)
Fridays Top Stories

Fridays Five Facts

[1] New Mexico woman who killed 2 in wrong-way crash sentenced to life in prison  Convicted of murder in the wrong-way freeway crash that killed a Santa Fe police officer and retired Las Vegas firefighter, Jeannine Jaramillo will spend life behind bars. Jaramillo was given two life sentences for the murders, along with another three years for other crimes tied to the conviction. Now 49 years old, Jaramillo led police into a wrong-way car chase on I-25 near Santa Fe in 2022 after claiming shed been held hostage by an ex-boyfriend. Retired Firefighter Frank Lovato and Santa Fe Police Department Officer Robert Duran crashed into each other during that chase and both died as a result.

[2] FBI offers reward for information on gunman who killed ABQ tattoo shop owner  The FBI is offering a reward for information that can help identify and convict the person who killed the owner of Por Vida Tattoo shop in Albuquerque. To help track down the killer, the FBI also released videos of the suspect from the day of the shooting. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons involved in this crime.

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[3] Mild & dry in New Mexico until Christmas  Seasonably cold air has been the big story on Autumns last morning with dry air despite some passing clouds. The change in winds in Southeast New Mexico will provide noticeably lower afternoon temperatures, but otherwise, high similar temperatures will either be close to or slightly higher than yesterday, especially in the Four Corners, still above normal for all. Despite a couple of very slight cooldowns ahead being accompanied by slightly lighter winds, generally warmer weather will continue through earlier next week.

[4] Albuquerque Balloon Museum looking to add outdoor play exhibit  The museum is now working to raise millions for the kid-focused idea that they hope to break ground on next year. Its a project the Anderson Abruzzo International Balloon Museum has been eyeing for years. The museum said the project would be built out in two phases, with an elevated walkway and balloon tower coming first, followed by shade structures, decorations, and special lighting. The city has added the project to its capital outlay funding requests, which theyll send to lawmakers next month.

[5] Albuquerque International Sunport offering flights to Angel Fire  Advanced Air will offer daily flights from the Albuquerque International Sunport to the Colfax County Airport five days a week. Flights from Albuquerque to Angel Fire kicked off on Thursday, and leaders came together to celebrate the inaugural flight.

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.
The Scene

After Donald Trump won the presidency and Republicans claimed the Senate, Kyrsten Sinema got an unexpected message about her insistence on protecting the filibuster.

One person reached out to me after the election and apologized  and said I was right. One Democratic senator, Sinema told Semafor in an interview this week in her pink-hued hideaway office beneath the Capitol. I was surprised about that one. I was very surprised. And I appreciate it.

The retiring Arizona Independent, not known for her chattiness with the press, did not identify the Democrat who credited her with ensuring the survival of the 60-vote threshold for getting most bills through the Senate. But her former party will now benefit from her and Sen. Joe Manchins refusal to vote to weaken the filibuster.

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As Republicans prepare to take power next year, the procedural tool she pushed Democrats to preserve is now their strongest leverage point in Washington. And despite the criticism her stance elicited from Democrats on and off the Hill, Sinema said that her 2022 opposition to changing the filibuster was the most important vote Ive ever taken in my life.

She had plenty of other huge votes to choose from, many negotiated in that subterranean pink office. In only a single term, Sinema has played an unusually integral role in bipartisan deals both big and small, on everything from infrastructure to gun safety to run-of-the-mill Senate floor operations.

Its a record that got clouded by her repeated breaks with her former party. She voted just last week to block President Joe Bidens reappointment of a top labor board nominee and shrugged off the resulting criticism from the left in typical fashion: Dont give a shit.

Now that shes perhaps just a day or two away from the end of her first and only Senate term, Sinema is still tuning out her haters. If she questions any popular criticism of her style, its the idea that shes a political cipher.

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Sinema isnt openly gregarious like Manchin and didnt participate a lot in caucus meetings over the years. That approach at times left her a mystery to her own colleagues, but she says anyone who had questions about her perspective on issues were not paying attention.

I know some people think Im, like, this enigma or whatever, but I dont think thats true at all, Sinema said. I think, maybe, this is a place where sometimes people say things that they dont mean. I am not one of those people  I think Im highly predictable.

That said, there are still questions Sinema wont answer. She wont discuss what sort of senator Rep. Ruben Gallego, her successor in the seat  who launched a run against her before she retired  will be.

And she wont divulge her presidential vote this year: Im not telling you that. Of course, I voted.

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She also knows what shes going to do next but wont divulge that either, though shes already growing happier as her tenure draws to a close. She did confirm that shes done with politics after a lengthy career in state politics and then in Congress, first as a House member.

No, she said. Were good.



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When Sinema judges her six years in the Senate, she looks strictly at the results, not the vibes. That may not be surprising for a lawmaker so often scrutinized online for her choices and comments, frequently from liberals  who sounded off when she opposed hiking tax rates on some high earners, skipped some votes to compete in an Ironman triathlon or worked at a winery for a stint.

Honestly, I feel like we got 40 years worth of work done in one term, Sinema said. I do wish we had gotten immigration done. We tried really hard, but everything else was just pretty freaking amazing.

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The border security deal she cut earlier this year with Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., and Chris Murphy, D-Conn., is certainly the one that got away. About a month after Trump and most Republicans sank the agreement, which had Bidens buy-in, Sinema announced she wouldnt run for a second term.

She said her decision not to run wasnt based on the border bills demise, but it was hard not to see that moment as a nadir for the Senates once-mighty dealmaker class. The roving band of centrists in both parties who championed cross-aisle negotiations had a remarkable run in a 50-50 Senate amid Democratic control of Washington and two party-line spending bills, beginning in 2021 with the bipartisan infrastructure law.

They followed that victory with successful passage of legislation on microchip manufacturing, gun safety and same-sex marriage.

Once Republicans controlled the House in 2023, though, dealmakers were marginalized. The original 10 senators who got together to write the infrastructure bill dined as a group on Wednesday night, their last hurrah before several more of them retired this year.

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Its clear that Sinema enjoys the close relationships shes forged with people like Sen. Mitt Romney and former Sen. Rob Portman. But did she enjoy being in the chamber?

I dont know if enjoy is the right word, she said. Did I feel like it was meaningful and worthwhile? Mostly. Were there times when I was like, Oh, my God, this place? Yeah, a lot.

The View From Democrats

Whatever the broader party makes of Sinema, particularly outside the Capitol, the energy was positive during her farewell speech this week. Roughly 20 Democratic senators attended, as well as a dozen or so Republicans. There were some progressives, too.

She was always hard-working, you know, a reliable colleague for Arizona. And had a big impact, Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., told Semafor of Sinemas record.

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The amount of positive things that are coming to our state because of her hard work should be noticed by people, he added. And sometimes, with specific people, maybe it isnt.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., offered another view: that she and Manchin will be likely remembered for the role they played in cutting down Bidens first-term climate and health care bill, which could have been transformative to this country.





Burgesss view

Even if you dont like Sinema, theres no denying her impact. She forced Democrats to curtail the ambition of Bidens early progressive agenda, but she also meaningfully leveraged her relationships with Republicans to move long-stalled bipartisan priorities.

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Its easy to downplay that second action in retrospect, but even modest legislation on infrastructure and gun safety were stuck for years before Sinema (and others) helped shake them loose.

She also made life harder for herself politically by spurning big Democratic initiatives like raising the minimum wage, weakening the filibuster and raising tax rates. Given that iconoclasm, its not clear to me she ever really prioritized reelection, regardless of what Gallego did.

Sinema appears to have made a calculation to do things her way, consequences be damned.

The biggest misunderstanding of her seems to come from her infrequent remarks in public  she simply saved her breath for her colleagues behind closed doors. When she talk to the press, she avoids talking points or even redirection to her preferred topics.

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And when she shuts you down, she still has a sense of humor. After she skirted my question on her presidential vote, I observed that she can be tough to interview.

Her reply: Imagine how hard it is to write a speech for me.
PIERRE, S.D. (KELO)  The Noem administration wants to significantly increase an administrative fee that many South Dakota employers already pay  and charge the higher fee as well to thousands of others currently not paying it.

State Labor Secretary Marcia Hultman unveiled a draft version of the proposal on Thursday during a teleconference meeting of the South Dakota Reemployment Assistance Advisory Council.

Council members gave the draft legislation an unenthusiastic but unanimous endorsement. State lawmakers will consider it during their 2025 session that opens January 14.

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Hultman described the expected $3 million impact as pretty minimal and said it would be offset by a $3 million reduction in reemployment taxes. But it would mean that businesses who currently dont pay any reemployment taxes would have to start paying the administrative fee.

The administrative fee currently costs most employers $3 per employee. The increase would raise the fee to $12 for all employers according to Pauline Heier, director for the state Reemployment Assistance Division.

In July, Governor Kristi Noem publicly declared victory after the Legislature had approved an $18 million tax cut in reemployment taxes the previous year. The news release that day said, Over 20,000 out of 33,378 South Dakota employers have benefited from a zero percent unemployment tax rate since HB 1101 was passed during the 2023 legislative session. In the prior year, only 4,800 obtained a zero percent rate.

Home demolition begins ahead of planned redevelopment

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Now, under the new proposal, all of those zero-raters would be subject to the proposed $12 administrative fee.

One of the state councils members, David Owen, president of the South Dakota Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said he would work on trying to find other solutions.

Everything in me thinks this ought to be part of your budget. Theres a part of me that doesnt like the fee but will support it, Owen told Hultman.

Pam Roberts of Pierre, the departments leader before Hultman, seconded Owens motion. Roberts otherwise didnt comment.

Another council member, Nathan Sanderson, is executive director for the 4,000-member South Dakota Retailers Association. His message was similar to Owens.

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I totally understand the need for the fee at this time to continue to operate the program, Sanderson told Hultman. But, he continued, This has got to fit within the broader budget discussion weve seen.

And, like Owen, Sanderson promised to explore other options that may or may not be complementary.

Julie Johnson, a lobbyist from the Aberdeen area, led the department during the mid-1980s. She wanted to speak before the vote, but Hultman said public comments needed to wait until afterward.

Johnson later told Hultman that the human resources professionals she represents were struggling to understand the situation.

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This is a little dumbfounding to them, Johnson said. I think a lot of extra communication with my clients would go a long way.

Hultman responded that none of the tax that employers pay into the reemployment assistance trust fund can be used for personnel.

Mark Willadsen, a Sioux Falls Republican who served 15 years in the state House of Representatives, told Hultman that the proposal might be in for a difficult time.

This is going to be an uphill battle given the nature of the 100th Legislature. Its going to be seen as a tax increase even thogh its quote unquote revenue neutral, Willadsen said.

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He suggested that a lot of discussion needed to take place and agreed that its fair that every employer should pay an administrative fee to keep the reemployment system financially sound.

I wish you the best of luck because this is going to be an uphill battle, Willadsen said.

Hultman thanked him. I appreciate that perspective, she 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 KELOLAND.com.
Even as groundwater levels have rapidly declined in farming regions from Californias Central Valley to the High Plains , the federal government has mostly taken a hands-off approach to the chronic depletion of the nations aquifers. But in a new report for the White House, scientists say the country is facing serious and unprecedented groundwater challenges that call for the federal government to play a larger role.

Members of the Presidents Council of Advisors on Science and Technology said the country needs better data to provide a comprehensive picture of how much groundwater there is and how fast it is being depleted. The scientists called for a national effort to advance strategies for safeguarding aquifers, including establishing a federal program that would provide incentives to encourage states and communities to manage underground water supplies sustainably.

The current rate of groundwater pumping exceeds that of natural recharge, the council said in the report . Much of the water in the major aquifers in the U.S. is fossil water, recharged over 10,000 years ago, and will not be replaced naturally in centuries and millennia. In the western U.S. groundwater resources are being depleted at alarming rates, mostly from agricultural withdrawal.

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They said that groundwater, which sustains communities , food production and ecosystems , is a strategic resource in the face of climate change, and that addressing depletion is vital for the countrys future and will require a comprehensive and informed approach.

The federal government has limited authority to regulate groundwater, but can deploy financial incentives, technical assistance, and convening power to promote groundwater sustainability, the scientists said.

Read more: Groundwater depletion is worsening worldwide. Parts of California are suffering rapid declines

The scientific advisory council outlined several recommendations , including creating an interagency working group focused on groundwater; increasing investment in research, data collection and modeling; establishing regional hubs to coordinate management efforts; and starting a program that would provide grants to incentivize groundwater conservation and management based on sound science.

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The 27-member council prepared the report for President Bidens administration after a fact-finding effort that included hearing testimony from leading scientists and others. The timing of the reports release one month before the handover of power to President-elect Donald Trump  who has said water is horribly mismanaged in California and has pledged to turn on a massive faucet for farmers and cities  leaves in doubt whether any of the proposals might lead to concrete changes anytime soon.

But experts said the report for the first time presents a framework for a national strategy that would promote and coordinate efforts to address the overuse of groundwater in regions where unchecked pumping from wells is causing aquifer levels to fall.

The seminal report is a beacon for the future of groundwater management, said Jay Famiglietti, a water scientist and global futures professor at Arizona State University. Its recommendations are comprehensive and forward looking, and if implemented over time, can be a game-changer for groundwater sustainability in the United States.

He said he thinks the White House report is one of the most important groundwater documents ever written in the United States.

Tristan Zannon stands beside a well at his family-owned pistachio farm in the Cuyama Valley. He and other farmers are involved in litigation with large agricultural landowners in the valley amid a dispute over how to manage the shrinking supply of groundwater. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Famiglietti has suggested that the federal government should go further and develop a national water policy . He and other scientists provided testimony to the council during a meeting last year and at a July workshop in Phoenix.

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Famiglietti said he told a council staffer that the most important thing the country must do is gain a detailed understanding of how much groundwater we have, how much we are using, and how these are changing over time. He said he was pleased that this point was featured prominently in the report, which says the U.S. needs a whole-of-country, unified, and comprehensive picture of the nations groundwater.

The report notes that states are primarily responsible for water laws, policies and regulations.

In California, for example, the state is gradually implementing the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act , which sets goals for local agencies to curb overdraft by 2040. In Arizona, groundwater has been regulated in urban areas since 1980, but pumping remains unregulated in rural farming areas , where water levels have been dropping.

The report says that many communities probably would initiate a transition to science-based groundwater management if funds and technical assistance were available. The report also outlines how the federal government could help promote efforts to boost groundwater levels through managed aquifer recharge projects .

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Famiglietti, a former NASA scientist whose research has included tracking declines in groundwater globally using satellite measurements , said he hopes the Trump administration will heed the recommendations.

If they do not, I have no doubt that many of us in academics will take the lead on moving forward with various aspects of the plan over the next few years, he said, adding that implementing even a portion of the recommendations would be beneficial.

Famiglietti and other experts have stressed that preserving groundwater will be crucial for the future of California and other arid Western states. Recent research has shown that global warming, driven by the burning of fossil fuels and rising levels of greenhouse gases, has become a major driver of worsening droughts in the West.

The council noted that irrigation to serve agriculture accounts for about 70% of the nations groundwater withdrawals, but offered few specifics about how the federal government could encourage reductions in agricultural water use.

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The council suggested providing grants to incentivize planning, recharge, and sustainable management, but didnt provide details. Famiglietti said the government could help by providing incentives for farmers to switch to more efficient irrigation methods, or to grow less water-intensive crops.

Read more: Groundwater pumping is causing land to sink at record rate in San Joaquin Valley

Researchers have found that when California farmers are charged more for electricity to run their pumps, they pump less water . These findings show that a tax or fee on water use could help achieve necessary reductions in pumping, said Matt Woerman, a co-author of the research and assistant professor of agricultural and resource economics at Colorado State University.

There are tons of different ways that you could try to get farmers to extract less water, everything from just putting limits on how much water they're allowed to use, charging them fees to use this valuable resource, some kind of a subsidy program to use more efficient irrigation infrastructure, Woerman said.

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However, Woerman added that although having federal money directed toward the problem would help, it will be up to local people and agencies to determine which approaches they adopt. Woerman said the councils recommendations seem like good first steps, but a lot of the real action is going to have to happen at a more local level.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Congress just handed a big win to anyone who loves recreating outside. Leaders in the outdoor industry have spent 10 years fine-tuning the details of the EXPLORE ACT, a bill meant to improve outdoor recreation on Americas public lands and waters.

With just 2 weeks left in this years session, the U.S. Senate passed the legislation on Thursday. Since it already passed through the U.S. House earlier this year, it will now go to President Joe Bidens desk for the final approval.

The bill enjoyed bipartisan support, but with the balance of power changing in D.C. next month, the bills advocates were ecstatic to see the EXPLORE Act cross the finish line. Over recent months (and years), a diverse cross-section of outdoor recreation lobbied Congress to support the bill, from climbers and hikers to hunters and anglers.

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It probably helped that the outdoor industry recently set a new $1.2 trillion benchmark in economic output.

The news was welcomed by the Outdoor Alliance, an advocacy group that formed 10 years ago  and has been working on the EXPLORE Act ever since.

We are thrilled, said Adam Cramer, CEO for the Outdoor Alliance, an advocacy group that formed 10 years ago  and has been working on the EXPLORE Act ever since. The passage of EXPLORE sends a clear message that outdoor recreation and our public lands are bipartisan priorities.

Rock climber Sasha DiGuilian holds up a bolt during Congressional testimony this fall about a landmark bill for outdoor recreation; (photo/screenshot)

What Will the EXPLORE Act Do?

The EXPLORE Act is a huge piece of legislation, with more than 15 individual bills from both sides of the aisle affecting all kinds of outdoor activities on public lands. Some of the most significant actions involve improving trails and widening access.

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According to the Outdoor Alliance, those include:

The Biking on Long Distance Trails Act (BOLT Act) will identify and create more long-distance bike trails.

The Protecting Americas Rock Climbing Act (PARC Act), which aims to safeguard wilderness climbing.

The Simplifying Outdoor Access for Recreation Act (SOAR Act), which will improve recreational permitting for outfitters and guides.

Codifies FICOR and the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership, which funds parks and green spaces.

Veterans, Housing

The legislation will also provide additional protections for access for horses and packers on public lands, according to Julie Broadway, President of the American Horse Council. Broadway praised the bill for its inclusion of the Military and Veterans in Parks Act, which would expand access for veterans to the benefits of outdoor recreation and equine therapy, she said. The bill will also:

Improve access to parks and public lands for veterans and people with disabilities by building additional trails.

Bolster affordable housing in gateway communities, where many workers face skyrocketing housing costs, primarily by offering leases within federal parks.

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AHC supports the EXPLORE Act because it protects access for horses and packers on public lands, Broadway said. Maintaining and expanding trail access on public lands ensures the next generation of horseback riders can explore and recreate safely alongside other users.

Hunting, Fishing

Advocacy group Backcountry Hunters & Anglers outlined several major initiatives of the EXPLORE Act that would positively impact the hunting and fishing community.

Creating fee-less public shooting ranges in each BLM district or national forest, offering more opportunities for individuals to prepare for hunting seasons. In addition to establishing appropriate and accessible facilities for safe shooting, this would help consolidate recreational shooting taking place on our public lands and resulting litter.

Authorizing the donation of hides, horns, and antlers harvested from wildlife management activities within the National Park System to the hunter. This would avoid the waste of wildlife and fully respect harvested animals.

Establishing a grant program for the inspection and decontamination of watercraft to avoid the spread of aquatic invasive species, while allowing federal agencies to carry out those activities.

Low-Income Access, Tribes

Another part of the bill is the Outdoors for All Act, which codifies the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) program and provides direct access to ORLP funding for tribes.

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Those measures will ensure that communities without access to green spaces and outdoor recreation can thrive, said Lesley Kane Szynal, chair of the LWCF Coalition.

Todays passage of the EXPLORE Act is a pivotal moment for close-to-home outdoor access and conservation, Szynal said.

In general, the passage of the bill represents a major milestone for the outdoor recreation industry, according to Jessica Wahl Turner, President of the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable. It shows that getting outside has become a cornerstone of Americas economy and an integral part of American life.

This will supercharge the outdoor recreation industry and is a victory for our economy, our communities, our quality of life, and our shared connection to the outdoors, Wahl Turner said..

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Learn more about the EXPLORE Act  or even send a thank you to the lawmakers who helped pass it  on the Outdoor Alliance website.

The post Landmark Law: Congress Passes EXPLORE ACT in Historic Win for Outdoor Industry appeared first on GearJunkie.
Jimmy Sengenberger is an investigative journalist, public speaker, and longtime local talk-radio host. Reach Jimmy online at Jimmysengenberger.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @SengCenter.
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With the federal judiciary increasingly hostile toward the battle against climate change, environmental litigators have turned to state courts for progress. They scored a major victory on Wednesday when the Montana Supreme Court issued a landmark decision holding that the state constitution protects residents against climate change. On this weeks Slate Plus bonus episode of Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern discuss the case and its consequences for other climate-curious state supreme courts. A preview of their conversation, below, has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Dahlia Lithwick: This week, the Montana Supreme Court boldly went where we keep hoping state supreme courts will go.

Mark Joseph Stern: It all started with a provision of the state constitution that guarantees the right to a clean and healthful environment and requires the state to maintain and improve that environment for present and future generations. Citing this language, the Montana Supreme Court, by a 61 vote, held that the state constitution limits the governments ability to exacerbate climate change. The court discussed the obvious and undeniable reality of climate change, not just globally but in Montana. Refreshingly, it began the opinion with facts about how climate change is ravaging Montana and threatens everybodys way of life.

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Then the court declared that the plaintiffs in this case, a group of young people, could bring this suit and hold the government to its constitutional obligation to protect the environment for future generations. It explained that this obligation is about not just preventing oil spills and other disasters but also limiting carbon emissions so that everyone can enjoy a clean Montana for hundreds of years to come.

If weve learned anything about environmental law, its that nothing stops or starts within the confines of a state. So while this sounds like an incredibly cool and lofty win, it also sounds like an abstraction, right? Does this actually change anything on the ground in Montana?

It does, and thats whats so extraordinary about the opinion to me. Montana Republicans enacted a statute that prohibited the state from considering greenhouse gas emissions when permitting energy projects. The state government essentially said that agencies could not consider the effect of fossil fuels when allowing fossil-fuel projects to move forward. And the court actually struck down that statute, requiring the government to once again consider greenhouse gas emissions when permitting projects. Its laying the groundwork to limit permits in the future that exacerbate climate change.

That takes this case outside the realm of abstraction and moves it into a much more concrete area. The courts really do have the power to examine a statute or a permit and say, No, this is repugnant to the constitution and must be set aside. They can do the direct work of limiting the devastating impact of fossil-fuel projects today and in the future.

I want to talk for a minute about the question of standing, which is a persistent problem in climate litigation. Lawsuits fall apart on standing because the courts seem to believe that nobody is personally injured by environmental catastrophes that harm absolutely everybody. How did the Montana Supreme Court get around that problem?

The state, in fighting this lawsuit, did argue that climate change affects everyone, so the plaintiffs here did not have a particularized injury that gave them the right to sue. The Montana Supreme Court shut that down. It held that because climate change affects everyone in some way, these individual plaintiffs arent unharmed. Quite the opposite: It illustrates that these plaintiffs clearly do have real grievances, that their future in Montana is jeopardized, and they should be able to vindicate a constitutional guarantee that applies to each and every person under the states foundational law.

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Here, the state Supreme Court departed a bit from the U.S. Supreme Courts standing doctrineand properly so, because the Montana Constitution provides broader access to the states courts than the U.S. Constitution provides to federal courts. Here, the majority refused to turn a provision so central to the Montana Constitution into a nullity just because climate change happens to affect the whole world. We know that its affecting Montana in a heightened way. We know that the plaintiffs future is imperiled by the acceleration of climate change. And the court said thats enough for them to come into state court and challenge a law that will exacerbate Montanas greenhouse gas emissions.

Some of the actual drafters of the Montana Constitution are still alive, right? And they were able to say that this was indeed the intent of their work?

Yes, thats absolutely right. The current Montana Constitution was enacted in 1972, so theres a very clear record of what the delegates wanted. And some of those delegates are still alive and have made it abundantly clear that at the time they wanted the strongest, most all-encompassing environmental protections in the nation. The delegates labored over this language to ensure that it would be the strongest found in any state constitution and rejected language that might limit it. Their protections were designed to be, as the court put it, anticipatory and preventative for both present and future generations.

Why? Because for decades, big corporations had destroyed Montanas environment. They had harvested all these resources from the state without concern for the lives of residents. And in 1972, the delegates said: enough. They saw that their state was being ravaged by corporations, and they decided to make it a fundamental guarantee that any Montanan could walk into court and vindicate their right to a clean environment. And that is what happened in this decision.

One last thought: Is this utterly Montana-specific, to this one Supreme Court, or is this scalable and replicable across the country?

It is scalable. Montana isnt alone here: Hawaii also has a state constitutional provision that guarantees the right to a clean and healthful environment, and its Supreme Court has vindicated that guarantee, holding that it includes the right to a stable climate system. It will continue to be a watchdog on this. Of course, the Hawaii Supreme Court is one of the most progressive in the country, but these provisions exist in the constitutions of five other states: Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island.

I think there is so much potentialespecially in a state like Pennsylvania, which has a lot of dirty-energy projects going onfor the state judiciary to impose some limits on a corporations ability to destroy the environment. All these states have left-leaning supreme courts. And I hope they will be emboldened and inspired by what happened in Montana to take action here and vindicate residents right to an environment that not just is free of litter and toxic materials but can endure for centuries into the future. That means taking climate change into account and imposing limitations on a states ability to exacerbate it.
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  A crash on Interstate 10 West and Airway closed all lanes for several hours early Friday morning, Dec. 20 in East El Paso.

Police sent out an alert to the media at about 2 a.m. saying the crash involved serious injuries, but did not specify how many people were injured.

The Police Departments Special Traffic Investigations Unit also responded to the scene.

All lanes opened up at around 7 a.m. Friday morning, according to TxDOT.

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No further information has been released. Were working on updating this developing story.

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.
MASURY, Ohio (WKBN)  One suspect has been taken into custody and is being charged with murder after a standoff that lasted almost 24 hours in Masury.

At approximately 9:52 a.m. on Friday, officers were dispatched to the 500 block of Lucy Street for an unwanted person, according to a press release from Brookfield Police.

Officers were advised that the person, 57-year-old Andrew Reedy, had been evicted from the home earlier that morning and was attempting to get inside.

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When officers arrived on the scene, the residence was locked, and after receiving no answer at the doors, officers were able to contact Reedy on the phone.

On that call, Reedy said he was returning to the residence to retrieve an item he left and that after retrieving it, he left the residence with the caller leaving in her vehicle after him.

Officers then forced entry into the home where they found resident Jane Payton, 57, dead with a large wound to the chest.

After hearing a firearm discharge on the second floor, officers backed out and awaited backup before entering a second time, hearing Reedy say something and then rack the action of a firearm, reports state.

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Officers moved back again and contacted the Mahoning Valley Crisis Response Team and the FBI.

Reedy surrendered himself to the police at 7:20 a.m. Saturday morning.

During negotiations, officers learned Reedy had a gunshot injury on his face. He was taken for medical evaluation.

The scene was described as tense, leaving the neighborhood on edge. Some were unable to enter their homes.

My oldest son and my 4-year-old daughter were in the house, and the whole place is locked up. We cant get into our own house. We run a business in our house, and I couldnt get any work done. What a weird thing to see happen in the neighborhood here, said Jason Kopp. We actually ended up staying over the neighbors house a street over  me and another family, we stayed in the same house last night.

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Lucy Street was closed during the incident and has since reopened.

Reedy has been charged with murder, a first-degree felony, in the Trumbull County Eastern Court.

A court appearance has not yet been scheduled.

Read next: Suspect in Liberty officer-involved shooting dies

A dog was recovered from the residence and is currently being housed by The Healthy Heart and Paws Project in Warren.

CEO Jason Cooke said the one-year-old dog Jax was in the house for the entire standoff.

This dog is going to have trauma for a long time, and our shelter is already overfilled, Cooke told First News. We hope to get him adopted out as soon as we can if no one from next of kin claims him.

Officers from Brookfield, Hubbard, Hubbard Township, Vienna and Sharon, Pennsylvania could all be seen in the area.

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By Emma Farge

GENEVA (Reuters) - Large-scale returns of refugees to Syria could overwhelm the country and even stoke conflict following the toppling of President Bashar al-Assad, the head of the U.N. migration agency said on Friday.

The U.N. refugee agency has estimated that 1 million people will return to Syria in the first six months of 2025. Some European countries have already frozen asylum applications for Syrians.

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"We believe that millions of people returning would create conflict within an already fragile society," Amy Pope, director-general of the International Organization for Migration, told a Geneva press briefing after a trip to Syria.

"We are not promoting large-scale returns. The communities, frankly, are just not ready to absorb the people who are displaced," she said, calling for support from donors to help stabilise and rebuild the country.

Pope said she was urging governments to "slow down on any plans to sent people back".

She said some communities could yet flee because of uncertainties about life under the new authorities, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group which once had ties to al-Qaeda.

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"We heard from communities, for example, the Christian community, who hasn't yet left, but are very much worried about the next several months and want to make sure that they don't become the targets of attack," Pope said.

Syrian rebels seized control of Damascus on Dec. 8, forcing Assad to flee after more than 13 years of civil war and ending his family's decades-long rule.

The United States, other Western powers and many Syrians welcomed Assad's fall, but it is not clear whether HTS will impose strict Islamic rule or show flexibility.

There is widespread apprehension among Syrians that the new administration will gravitate towards hardline religious rule, marginalising minority communities and excluding women from public life.

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Top U.S. diplomats were expected to hold Washington's first in-person official meetings with Syria's new de facto rulers led by HTS in Damascus on Friday, hoping to gauge how the former al Qaeda affiliate plans to run the country.

(Reporting by Emma Farge, Editing by Friederike Heine and Timothy Heritage)
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  A Clark County grand jury voted to indict the couple accused of leaving a dog to die inside a sealed plastic tub in the July heat on animal abuse charges, prosecutors announced Friday.

Earlier this month, Las Vegas Metro police arrested Issac Laushaul Jr., 32; and Markeisha Foster, 30, on similar charges. Their arrests came months after the pair allegedly abandoned the English bulldog they named Nike.

On July 26, officers found the dog in the 1100 block of East Twain Avenue next to a dumpster inside the tote that was taped shut. The temperature that night hovered around 110 degrees. The National Weather Service reported a high of 111 for the evening.

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The Vegas Pet Rescue Project, a local animal rescue group, nicknamed the dog Reba. Reba died the next day and her death made national headlines as people called for Justice for Reba.

Surveillance footage from the area showed two people, later identified as Foster and Laushaul, leaving the tote near the dumpster less than an hour before Reba was found. Police later released some of the footage to the public to identify the two.

The indictment means the case will bypass the justice court process and move directly to district court.

Foster and Laushaul remained in custody Friday. A judge previously set Fosters bail at $50,000 and declined to set bail for Laushaul.

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The Justice for Reba group started a petition that has garnered thousands of signatures pushing for tougher animal abuse laws. Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson previously said the penalties were too low and suggested neighbors implore their lawmakers to change the law.

Nevada Republican Assemblywoman Melissa Hardy filed draft legislation named Rebas Bill to strengthen penalties against animal abusers.

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LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  Metro police are asking for the publics help in identifying a person of interest after graffiti was spotted on the exterior of a building in the northwest Las Vegas valley.

Officers responded to the building on Dec. 12 in the 2700 block of North Tenya Way and found the graffiti on the building. Detectives later found video footage of a person and vehicle in the parking lot before employees arrived.

Although police did not specify which building was vandalized the location provided included several medical offices in the area including the UnitedHealth Group building.

Metro police are asking for the publics help in identifying a person of interest after graffiti was spotted on the exterior of a healthcare building in the northwest Las Vegas valley. (LVMPD)

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact detectives by

phone at 702-828-2290, or the See Something Say Something line at 702-828-7777. To

remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers by phone at 702-385-5555.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  A Clark County grand jury voted to indict the man accused of stabbing eight people on the Las Vegas Strip, killing two, on charges including terrorism, prosecutors announced Friday.

On Oct. 6, 2022, Yoni Barrios, 34, asked a group of showgirls to take a photo with a foot-long kitchen knife he was trying to sell before allegedly stabbing them, police said after his arrest. Barrios then entered competency court where a judge ordered him to treatment.

Brent Hallett, 47; and Maris DiGiovanni, 30, both of Las Vegas, died in the attack. Six others were injured.

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Barrios had arrived from Las Vegas from California earlier that week, police said. Barrios told police he was trying to sell his knives so he could go back home.

LVMPD investigates the stabbing on Las Vegas Boulevard on Oct. 6, 2022. (KLAS)

The grand jury indicted Barrios on charges including committing an act of terrorism and two counts of murder. During Fridays hearing, Clark County Chief Deputy District Attorney John Giordani said Barrios stabbed his victims indiscriminately.

Earlier this week, Barrios returned to the Clark County Detention Center after a two-year stay in a state hospital to regain competency. On Wednesday, Clark County District Court Judge Christy Craig determined Barrios was competent to stand trial based on doctors evaluations, documents said.

According to the arrest report, Barrios went to the Wynn casino to ask about job opportunities as a janitor. He told police he even asked the janitor to contact U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, so he could return to Guatemala.

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Barrios then left the Wynn and approached a group of showgirls near the main entrance to the casino on Las Vegas Boulevard.

FILE  Yoni Barrios appears in court at the Regional Justice Center, on Oct. 11, 2022, in Las Vegas. A judge has approved a competency evaluation for Barrios who is accused of killing two people and wounding six in a stabbing rampage on the Las Vegas Strip. (Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP, File)

Barrios told the group of showgirls he was a chef. One of the showgirls told the police that Barrios asked to take a picture with the group with his knife. He thought the women were laughing at him and making fun of his clothing and he said it made him angry and he stabbed one of the women in the chest, the report stated.

After the stabbing involving the group, Barrios ran off, stabbing six others, including Hallett, as he ran along the sidewalk from Las Vegas Boulevard to Sands Avenue where he threw the bloody knife in some bushes, police said.

The indictment means Barrios case will automatically move to district court. He was due to appear in court for his arraignment on the grand jury charges on Dec. 30.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  The United States Postal Service shared tips with 8 News Now to ensure holiday gifts arrive on time, with Christmas and Hannukah less than a week away.

The holiday countdown is on, as people around the country and Southern Nevada rush to get packages mailed to loved ones.

Gayle Piltzin spoke with 8 News Now as she was arriving at the United States Post Office in Summerlin on Thursday.

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Im mailing my great niece her package in Maryland, she said, pointing to a bag she was carrying.

She said she is counting on that package to arrive by the first night of Hannukah on December 25.

Im just gonna make it, she said. And she is going to get it in time.

United States Post Office Distribution Operations Manager Glenda Smith told 8 News Now her team is up for the challenge.

Every piece of mail is very important, Smith said, speaking at the Las Vegas Package Support Annex. To every employee thats in here.

The United States Postal Service shared tips with 8 News Now to ensure holiday gifts arrive on time, with Christmas and Hannukah less than a week away. (KLAS)

Smith said extra staff is hired, more trucks are in rotation and shifts are added during the holiday season.

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She told 8 News Now USPS distribution machines process about 300,000 packages per day and their goal is to get them where they need to go.

Sometimes the volume is so big, that we are at a standstill, Smith said of the holiday rush. But it doesnt stop us from moving the mail.

Holiday package deadlines

There is still some time left for those who still need to send packages. The deadlines are as follows:

 USPS Priority Express: December 21

 UPS 2 Day: December 20

 FedEx Home Delivery 1 Day Shipping: December 22

FedEx and UPS also offer overnight shipping until December 23, but prices rise significantly.

In order for them to get it there by Christmas, Smith said of packages. Gotta get up and get at it.

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Once a package is mailed, its recommended to share the tracking number with the person receiving it, so they can bring the box in immediately and stop it from being stolen.

The United States Postal Service shared tips with 8 News Now to ensure holiday gifts arrive on time, with Christmas and Hannukah less than a week away. (KLAS)

Smith also asked for patience, reminding the public that everyone on the USPS team is going the extra mile to make sure gifts arrive.

I cant be there, I cant give it to her, Piltzin said of her gift. So I have to trust the post office to get it to her.

USPS.com also offers an option to print shipping labels and schedule a pickup from your home.

Anyone expecting a package from USPS can also sign up for Informed Delivery. The service offers a rundown of everything an address is set to receive in the mail at the start of the day.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
MEMPHIS, Tenn.  The last Tuskegee Airmen from Memphis died on Thursday at the age of 99, according to Taste of Aviation.

Jerry T. Hodges Jr. served as one of the Original Tuskegee Airmen, a group of Black Army Air Corps cadets, during World War II. He passed away in California.

PFC Jerry T. Hodges Jr. (Photo courtesy of Taste of Aviation)

According to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas, Hodges Jr. was born in Memphis on June 29, 1925. He attended Porter Elementary School until his family moved to Heth, Arkansas, and he graduated valedictorian from Robert R. Moton High School in 1943.

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Hodges then attended Hampton Institute for a few semesters before he left college in 1944 to enlist in the Army Air Corps to pursue his interest in aviation.

 See more breaking news, local news and weather from WREG.com for Memphis and the Mid-South.

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Hodges Jr. became a Tuskegee pilot in 1945 and was assigned to the 607th Bomb Squadron of the 477th Bomber Group.

Taste of Aviation says Hodges was one of the more than 500 people who completed the Tuskegee pilot training program but did not see action.

He was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame in 2012.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
An Israeli airstrike on a residential building in central Gaza killed at least seven Palestinians, including four children, and wounded 16 other people Friday afternoon, health officials said.

Israel faces heavy international criticism over the unprecedented levels of civilian casualties and the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza. Israel says it only strikes militants and blames Hamas for civilian deaths because its fighters operate in residential areas.

More than 45,000 Palestinians have been killed in 14 months of war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. The war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas October 2023 attack on southern Israel, which killed 1,200 people. Negotiators say Israel and Hamas are inching toward a ceasefire deal that would free the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza.

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Elsewhere in the region, a U.S. diplomatic delegation was in Damascus holding talks with Syrias new leadership. It's the first American delegation to formally visit Syria in more than a decade, and comes less than two weeks after jihadi-led rebels overthrew the government of President Bashar Assad.

Syria is home to diverse sects, and there's ongoing fear and uncertainty among minority groups, including Christians, regarding their rights and safety under the main rebel group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, once an affiliate of al-Qaida.

___

Heres the latest:

UN Security Council says peacekeeping force should remain on the Israel-Syria border

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UNITED NATIONS  The U.N. Security Council has unanimously approved a resolution extending the U.N. peacekeeping force on the Israel-Syria border and underscoring that there should be no military activities in the demilitarized buffer zone.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israeli troops will occupy the buffer zone for the foreseeable future. Israel captured the buffer zone shortly after the collapse of Syrian President Bashar Assad's government.

The resolution adopted Friday stressed that both countries are obligated to scrupulously and fully respect the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement that ended the 1973 war between Syria and Israel and established the buffer zone. The resolution was co-sponsored by the United States and Russia.

The Security Council extended the mandate of the U.N. peacekeeping force monitoring the border area, known as UNDOF, until June 30, 2025 and called for a halt to all military actions throughout the country including in UNDOFs area of operations.

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The resolution expresses concern that ongoing military activities in the area of separation have the potential to escalate Israeli-Syrian tensions and jeopardize the 1974 ceasefire. It also expresses alarm that violence in Syria risks a serious conflagration of the conflict in the region.

Israeli troops wound a protester in newly captured Syrian territory

JERUSALEM  The Israeli military said its soldiers shot and wounded a protester Friday in the Syrian village of Maariyah.

Since the fall of Bashar Assads government in Syria, Israels military has occupied several locations in the country along the border with Israel.

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During a protest Friday by dozens of Syrians against the Israeli presence in Maariyah, soldiers shot at one man who the military said had approached their position, wounding him in the leg.

It said the troops acted in accordance with standard operating procedures.

We emphasize that the IDF is not interfering in events taking place in Syria, the military said.

Residents in the area previously told The Associated Press that Israeli forces were preventing farmers from reaching their fields.

Israeli leaders say they will remain in the area indefinitely.

US drops $10 million reward for top Syrian rebel leader who ousted Assad

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WASHINGTON -- The Biden administration said Friday it has decided not to pursue a $10 million reward it had offered for the capture of Syrian rebel leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, whose group led insurgents that ousted President Bashar Assad earlier this month.

The announcement followed a meeting in Damascus between Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was once aligned with al-Qaida, and the top U.S. diplomat for the Middle East, Barbara Leaf, who led the first U.S. diplomatic delegation into Syria since Assads ouster.

Al-Sharaa's group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, remains designated a foreign terrorist organization, and Leaf would not say if sanctions stemming from that designation would be eased. However, she told reporters that Sharaa had committed to renouncing terrorism and as a result the U.S. would no longer offer the reward.

Leaf said the U.S. would make policy decisions based on actions and not words.

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US hostage envoy meets with Syrian leaders in search for missing journalist Austin Tice

WASHINGTON  The Biden administrations chief envoy for hostage negotiations joined meetings on Friday in Damascus between U.S. diplomats and Syrias interim leaders and members of civil society.

The first delegation of U.S. diplomats into Syria since the fall of Bashar Assads government was aimed at pushing for an inclusive government and seeking information on the whereabouts of missing American journalist Austin Tice.

Roger Carstens told reporters there was no new information confirming Tices fate or whereabouts but vowed that efforts to find him would continue. More U.S. officials are expected to visit Syria in the coming days to pick up the search, he said.

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Were going to be like bulldogs on this, Carstens said, adding that the U.S. was focusing on about six prisons where it believed Tice may have been held in the past. In addition to those six sites, Carstens said the U.S. had information about another three prisons where Tice might have been incarcerated. Up to 40 sites may end up being examined for evidence of Tices presence, he said.

Israeli strike on a Gaza apartment building kills at least 7 people, including 4 kids

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip  An Israeli airstrike on a residential building in central Gaza killed at least seven Palestinians, including four children, and injured 16 other people on Friday afternoon, health officials said.

The strike hit an apartment in the Jaffa residential tower in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp. The dead and wounded were taken to Aqsa and Awda hospitals.

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The Israeli military did not immediately offer comment on the strike. Israel says it only strikes militants and blames Hamas for civilian deaths because its fighters operate in residential areas.

Israel faces heavy international criticism over the unprecedented levels of civilian casualties in Gaza and questions about whether it has done enough to prevent them.

Israeli settlers set fire to a mosque in the West Bank, the latest violent attack on Palestinian villages

MARDA, West Bank  Israeli settlers set fire to a mosque and vandalized property in the northern occupied West Bank on Friday, the head of the Palestinian village council said, as Israeli police pledged to investigate the episode.

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The West Bank has seen a surge in violence by Jewish settlers during the war in Gaza, and rights groups say the Israeli army often turns a blind eye.

Nasfat al-Khafash, the head of the council in Marda where the attack occurred, said a group of settlers arrived early in the morning, setting the mosque on fire and scrawling hateful messages on it.

Associated Press video showed spray-painted stars of David and the words in Hebrew, the mosque will burn, the temple will be built, an apparent reference to the ultranationalist desire to establish a Third Temple for Jews in Jerusalem at the holiest and most contested site in the Holy Land.

These slogans reflect their upbringing and hatred towards Palestinians and Arabs, said al-Khafash, adding that the settlers received full support from the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu  the furthest-right government in Israels history.

Israels police, military and Shin Bet internal security agency said they were investigating the episode. We view the incident seriously and will act with determination to bring those responsible to justice, they said in a statement.

The U.N.s humanitarian office said settler attacks on Palestinian farmers during this fall's olive harvest season at least tripled in 2024 compared to the each of the last three years.

In the West Bank and east Jerusalem, more than 700,000 Jewish settlers have Israeli citizenship, while the 3 million Palestinians in the territory live under Israeli military law.

US conducts airstrike in Syria against an Islamic State group leader

WASHINGTON  The U.S. military conducted airstrikes in northeastern Syria on Thursday, killing a leader of the Islamic State group and one other militant, U.S. Central Command said.

In a statement on X, CENTCOM said the strike was in an area formerly controlled by the ousted Syrian government. The strike was part of an ongoing effort to prevent IS insurgents from taking advantage of the upheaval in Syria, including any plan to release the more than 8,000 IS prisoners held in detention by Kurdish allies that have partnered with the U.S.

The leader killed was Abu Yousef, also known as Mahmud, CENTCOM said.

Gaza officials say 77 people have died in the past 24 hours

The Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip said Friday that 77 people have died and 174 others arrived at hospitals during the past 24 hours as a result of the ongoing conflict in the territory.

The latest toll includes five children and 12 others who were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Shaaban Rais School sheltering displaced people on Thursday, as well as five people who were killed in Maghazi refugee camp in Deir al-Balah early Thursday.

Officials said some people remained buried under rubble or on roads where ambulance and civil defense crews could not reach them.

The ministry said the latest death toll brings the total of deaths in Gaza to 45,206 since Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023 and triggered the devastating 14-month war in Gaza. Local health officials do not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but have said more than half of the fatalities are women and children.

Turkey's president suggests Turkey could intervene in northern Syria

ANKARA, Turkey  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has suggested that Turkey could intervene in northern Syria to eliminate what he said are threats to its security posed by Syrian Kurdish groups.

His statement to a group of journalists late Thursday comes amid reports of fighting in northern Syria between Turkish-backed Syrian fighters and the U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led force, near the border town of Kobani and the Tishrin dam on the Euphrates river.

We will show that the time has come to neutralize the terrorist organizations present in Syria, Erdogan said, according to a transcript of his remarks that was made available on Friday. We will do this to prevent any further threats coming from the south of our borders.

Turkey considers the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, a terrorist organization because its main component is a group aligned to Turkey's banned Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK. Earlier this week, the SDF said U.S.-led mediation efforts have failed to reach a permanent truce in Syrias north.

By securing the border area in Syria, Erdogan said Turkey would prevent the PKK from recruiting militants.

The Turkish leader welcomed the fact that many countries were establishing contact with Syrias new leaders, saying it was a sign of trust in the new administration. He said Turkey would assist the country to establish new state structures.

Erdogan said Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan would travel to Syria soon. Turkey has long backed the rebels who now control Damascus, and is looking to protect their interests in Syria now that Assad is gone.

US diplomatic delegation is in Damascus to meet with Syria's new leadership

DAMASCUS  A delegation of U.S. officials headed by Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf left the Four Seasons Hotel in Damascus on Friday afternoon without making any statement to waiting journalists. A statement was expected later in the afternoon.

Leaf, former special envoy for Syria Daniel Rubinstein and the Biden administrations chief envoy for hostage negotiations, Roger Carstens, made the trip for talks with Syrias interim leaders, the State Department said early Friday.

The first U.S. diplomats to visit Syria since President Bashar Assads ouster nearly two weeks ago  and the first to formally visit Syria in more than a decade since the U.S. shuttered its embassy in Damascus in 2012  also came to seek information on the whereabouts of missing American journalist Austin Tice.

The State Department said in a statement that the team would be engaging directly with the Syrian people, including members of civil society, activists, members of different communities, and other Syrian voices. Members of the civil defense group known as the White Helmets were seen leaving the hotel along with the delegation.

Kurdish journalists killed in northern Syria

ANKARA, Turkey  A journalists association says two journalists working for Kurdish media outlets were killed in northern Syria while covering fighting between Turkish-backed Syrian fighters and a Kurdish-led force.

Turkey-based Dicle-Firat Journalists Association said Friday that Nazim Dastan and Cihan Bilgin were killed Thursday after their vehicle was reportedly targeted by a Turkish drone on a road near the Tishrin Dam.

Tishrin Dam, located some 90 kilometers (55 miles) east of Aleppo, has been the scene of clashes between the U.S.-backed Kurdish-led forces and the Turkey-backed fighters .

There was no immediate comment from Turkish officials.

Bianet, a news website dedicated to human rights issues, said Bilgin was a reporter for the Kurdish Hawar News Agency, while Dastan worked as a freelance journalist for the Firat News Agency, which the news site said is associated with the Turkish militant group, the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

Turkey considers the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces to also be a terrorist organization because its main component is a group aligned to the PKK. The group has been engaged in an armed struggle against the Turkish state since the 1980s in pursuit of its objective to secure autonomy for Kurds in the country.

UN migration agency says large-scale return of Syrians would overwhelm the country

GENEVA  The head of the U.N. migration agency says that large-scale returns of Syrians to their homeland at this stage would overwhelm the country.

Syrias civil war has displaced millions of people since 2011. The fall of Bashar Assads government earlier this month has fueled talk of the refugees leaving some of the countries where they went.

Amy Pope, the director-general of the International Organization for Migration, told reporters Friday after returning from a visit to Syria that her agencys message to countries in Europe and elsewhere is that this is not the moment to talk about large-scale returns.

Pope said that communities are just not ready to absorb the people who are displaced and would come back. She argued that if overwhelming numbers of people return, "it will overwhelm the country and it could risk more disruptive impact on a very fragile peace process.

Pope said its right to support individuals on a case-by-case basis who want to go home or know that their place of origin is safe, but that efforts now need to focus on the humanitarian situation, recovery and rebuilding.

Swedish government ending core support for the UN relief agency for Palestinians

STOCKHOLM  The Swedish government says it is ending its core support for the United Nations relief agency for Palestinians.

The government said Friday that 800 million kronor ($72.4 million) being allocated for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the region next year will go through the channels of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency and the governments support for other agencies such as the World Food Program, the U.N. Childrens Fund, the U.N. Population Fund and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

In October, Israels parliament approved legislation banning UNRWAs activities in the Palestinian territories, a measure that was to take effect in 90 days.

Swedens minister for international development cooperation and foreign trade, Benjamin Dousa, posted on X that the Israeli decision will make much of UNRWAs work difficult or impossible.

He said that Swedish aid must arrive and not get stuck in a bank account en route, and that the Israeli parliaments decision forces it to pass on support to other organizations. Dousa added that UNRWA is undergoing a crisis of confidence.

Sweden provided 451 million kronor to UNRWA this year.

For decades, UNRWA has operated networks of schools, medical facilities and other services around Gaza and the West Bank  as well as in neighboring Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. In Gaza especially, it plays a major role in maintaining social services and the economy, as the territorys largest single employer and the source of education and health care for much of the population.
Educate Nevada Now, an advocacy group, contends the states intent was clearly to decide how many students it wants to serve and use the secret algorithm to allow them to meet that need and nothing beyond it. (Getty Images)

Nevada is using a secret algorithm to determine which students are considered at-risk enough to warrant additional education funding, raising concerns about transparency.

Developed for the State of Nevada by Minnesota-based tech company Infinite Campus, the algorithm is said to use machine learning and decades of student data to identify patterns of predictability. It assigns each K-12 public school student a graduation related analytic data (GRAD) score using dozens of data points, including their cumulative GPA, tardies and absences, changes in home address, and immigrant status.

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Infinite Campus calls it an early warning system. Numerous states and districts have contracted with the company to analyze their students. But it appears only Nevada is using the algorithm to allocate its public funding.

Proponents say it is a data-driven approach that allows the state to better target its finite amount of at-risk funding. They say students with the lowest GRAD scores should be the ones benefiting from the resources that additional funding allows for.

The funding youre applying gets diluted on a per-student basis the larger that base is, Commission on School Funding Chair Guy Hobbs told state lawmakers during a recent legislative subcommittee on education accountability.

Trying to arrive at something where youre actually targeting the funds to those who are truly in need of the additional counseling or other support programs that are there to help the at-risk students is more sensible, he added.

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But critics are concerned about the outsourcing of critical public funding decisions to a third-party contractor whose proprietary algorithm isnt fully transparent to taxpayers or the school districts dependent on its funding.

Im not a fan of relying on any third-party vendor for deciding funding, whether thats in education or health care, Assemblywoman Selena Torres (D-Las Vegas) told the Current.

Torres, a teacher turned charter school executive director, said school leaders she has spoken to are concerned because they dont know what weight each risk factor is given. That makes it difficult to understand who the state now considers at-risk of not graduating, and it makes it more difficult to design appropriate programming or support to get them on track.

Its very possible that theres information that schools are not even inputting into the system, Torres said. Even a small change can make the difference as to whether or not that school is going to get that funding.

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Infinite Campus did not respond to a request for comment for this story. But representatives for the company have previously pushed back on the characterization of their algorithm as secretive, noting their platform allows district officials to see student GRAD scores in real time. A list of the 75 risk factors considered by the algorithm was made public, though the weights of each factor remain a secret.

When the GRAD score algorithm was first implemented in Nevada, race and gender were among the factors considered. That raised ethical and practical concerns about how the algorithm treated two students whose only difference is gender or race, two federally protected classes. Race and gender have since been removed as factors, but the overarching issue remains unresolved, argues Torres.

School leaders have also raised concerns the algorithm will lead to funding instability as factors are shifted without notice.

A representative from Washoe County School District told state lawmakers the urban district saw their at-risk funding cut by a third in 2024  from $15 million to $10 million. The district was able to maintain its existing programming for at-risk students, he said, but continuous wild fluctuations in the budget would be difficult to weather.

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Educate Nevada Now, an advocacy group that has opposed the new handling of at-risk funding, has argued in public comments to the Commission on School Funding that the states intent was clearly to decide how many students it wants to serve and use the secret algorithm to allow them to meet that need and nothing beyond it.

Adjusting eligibility was a selling point, not a deal-breaker, the advocacy group wrote earlier this year, and as a result thousands of vulnerable students who are not served by the new formula will continue to suffer from abysmal academic outcomes.

The move to the GRAD score algorithm came as part of the states new pupil-centered funding formula, which the legislature first passed in 2019. As part of that yearslong rollout, lawmakers changed the formal definition of at-risk to allow for the adoption of the Infinite Campus algorithm.

Once the algorithm began being used, the number of students the state considered at-risk plummeted to approximately 63,000 in 2024 from 288,000 in 2023. That number represents the students whose GRAD scores are in the lowest quintile.

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Lawmakers promised the new funding formula would be significantly less complicated and more transparent than the antiquated one it replaced, recalled Chris Daly, political director of the Nevada State Education Association. As it turns out, its not less complicated and this path of a proprietary algorithm is clearly less transparent.

Prior to the new funding formula, the State of Nevada had seen success with targeted programs that provided additional funding to specific schools with high percentages of students classified as English language learners (ELL) or free and reduced lunch eligible (FRL), a proxy for low-income households. NSEA and ENN have argued that those programs  known as Zoom and Victory schools  galvanized school climate and culture and were seen as community building.

The new approach being embraced by the state is hyper-individualized and less community focused, says Daly. It highlights the broad philosophical differences that emerge when policymakers must decide who to help when they cannot, or will not, help everyone.

Its emblematic of bigger problems that Nevada education is facing, adds Daly. Were still underfunded.

Funding below national average

The Commission on School Funding this month submitted to the Nevada State Legislature an expansive report about the new funding formula and larger education issues, such as how the state can reach national per-pupil spending levels. The complete report has not yet been made public, but Hobbs highlighted some of its findings to state lawmakers during the subcommittee on education accountability.

(Graph courtesy of Nevada Commission on School Funding)

He noted that the commission found Nevada will spend $12,579 per pupil in fiscal year 2025, compared to the national average of $17,476.

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Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro (D-Las Vegas) disputed the Nevada dollar amount, saying it did not include $250 million in additional money earmarked by lawmakers in a 2023 bill for educator and staff raises. That money would bring the total up by $265 per student, she claimed.

That additional money would bring the Nevada total to $12,844 per pupil  still $4,632 per pupil below the national average.

[Editors Note: This story has been updated to correct Chris Dalys title. He is the political director of NSEA.]
Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services Secretary Carolyn Scruggs and Deputy Secretary for Administration Joseph Sedtal appear Thursday before a joint hearing of House and Senate committees on the death of Parole Agent Davis Martinez. Photo by Steve Crane.

House and Senate members grilled the secretary of Public Safety and Correctional Services on Thursday over her departments halting steps to ensure the safety of parole agents after one was killed May 31 in the line of duty.

The joint hearing by the budget and judicial committees of the House and Senate was the second on the subject, after an October hearing that Del. Ben Barnes (D-Prince Georges and Anne Arundel) called woefully inadequate. But lawmakers hoping for more substantive answers in this second hearing said they were disappointed.

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Im hearing a lot of fluff, but not a lot of substance, Sen. William Folden (R-Frederick) said to Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services Secretary Carolyn J. Scruggs

What Im hearing is, youve got nothing, Folden said later in the hearing. This inaction by you ad your leadership is now becoming a public safety issue for the citizens, not just your agents, but for the citizens as a whole.

But Scruggs outlined a series of changes we have made, and our continued progress to ensure the safety of each and every employee within this department. Those include hiring additional agents, a series of meetings and policy reviews with union leaders representing parole agents, procurement of new body armor effective against both bullets and knife attacks, and the reassignment of cases to better balance the caseload among agents  some of whom had no cases, but were assigned to be in court full-time for the Division of Parole and Probation.

The hearing came almost seven months after the killing of Parole Agent Davis Martinez, who became the first Maryland parole agent killed in the line of duty when he was brutally slain by a parolee he was visiting on the morning of May 31 in Silver Spring.

Maryland Parole and Probation Agent Davis Martinez, who became the first agent to die in the line of duty when he was killed May 31. Photo courtesy Maryland Department of Public Safety.

Martinez, 33, told his supervisor that morning that he was going to check on Emanuel Edward Sewell, who was out on parole after serving 21 years of a 40-year sentence for sex assaults and burglary.

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Martinez, a six-year veteran of the agency, said he expected to be done with the visit by midday. It would be the last time he was seen alive.

His supervisors did not check up on him when he failed to return. It was only after co-workers became concerned later in the day that they called Montgomery County Police, who went to Sewells home in the 2800 block of Terrace Drive. Martinezs car was still in the parking lot, and they found his body inside the home, wrapped in plastic and shoved under a bed. He had been beaten and repeatedly stabbed.

Sewell was arrested a day later in West Virginia and was returned to Montgomery County, where he was being held without bond.

In the wake of the killing, three top officers of the Division of Parole and Probation were ousted and the department immediately canceled home visits by parole agents, among other changes.

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Lawmakers pressed Scruggs when they learned that, except in specific cases where home visits are required, in-person checks on parolees by parole agents have not resumed after almost seven months, although some are done virtually or over the phone.

Lawmakers also appeared irritated by Scruggs refusal to say how many additional parole agents her department might need, saying that was an issue currently under discussion with the administration of Gov. Wes Moore (D), as the executive prepares his budget request for the next fiscal year.

Scruggs did say that the department will add 15 new agents in January and that another 21 are currently undergoing background checks in preparation for being hired as agents.

Scruggs touted the fact that the department has agreed to by new vests for agents that protect against both shooting and stabbings and that 600 of the current 648 agents in the division had been fitted for the multithreat vests, which will be should be delivered by March.

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Officials with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the union representing parole agents, did credit the administration for buying the new vests, meeting with workers and reviewing policies, ordering Tasers and undertaking a pilot use of body cameras. But more needs to be done, said Rayneika Robinson, president of AFSCME Local 3661, who called the actions so far baby steps.

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These steps are important, but fall woefully short, said Robinson, adding that the union is eager to work with the department on possible solutions. We are overwhelmed and struggling to actively engage with cllients.

Folden suggested that the department has made little progress in the seven months since the killing, noting that a number of the solutions presented Thursday appear to have developed over just the last few days, and that many are still far from being implemented. That was echoed by Barnes, who said in October that he hoped the department would have more answers in this next hearing of the House Judiciary and Appropriations committees and the Senate Judicial Proceedings and Budget and Taxation committees.

Unfortunately, I dont think weve moved the ball forward today, Barnes said.
WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR)  Ahead of the busy holiday travel weekend, some lawmakers are raising concerns about the Transportation Security Administrations facial recognition technology.

Its currently in 200 airports nationwide, with TSA planning to expand to more than 400.

If youre flying this weekend, you might encounter the technology at security checkpoints. You step up to a camera, scan your ID, and the system verifies the images match.

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Our world of privacy and freedom is shrinking, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) said.

Oregon Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley opposes the technology, which is optional. Hes shared videos of his experiences opting out.

Merkley and a bipartisan group of senators say theres not enough oversight. They sent a letter last month to the Department of Homeland Securitys Inspector General to investigate and report to Congress whether there are sufficient safeguards in place to protect passenger privacy.

The vision of facial recognition tracking you everywhere has been used by governments around the world to suppress dissent. Its too powerful a tool to entrust to any government, even ours, Merkley said.

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The TSA said in a statement that the images are immediately deleted before the next passenger approaches. A spokesperson said the technology represents a significant security enhancement and improves traveler convenience.

Facial recognition is truly a gamechanger when it comes to airport security, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Computer Science Professor Sheldon Jacobson said.

Jacobson says concerns about surveillance are overblown.

The reality is, if you are using your smartphone, if youre posting on social media, you are violating your own privacy far more than anything thats going to happen at an airport, Jacobson said.

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A U.S. Travel Association survey found about 80% of Americans support the technology.

Merkley says if you dont want to, you dont have to.

Just say No thank you. Dont step in front of the camera, and politely hand them your drivers license, and say, Im going to use my drivers license for ID, Merkley said.

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By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Nine Palestinian Americans sued the U.S. government on Thursday, alleging that it had failed to rescue them or members of their families who were trapped in Gaza where Israel's war has killed tens of thousands and caused a humanitarian crisis.

The lawsuit accuses the State Department of discriminating against Americans of Palestinian origin by abandoning them in a war zone and not making the same effort that it would to promptly evacuate and protect Americans of different origins in similar situations.

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It was the second case against the U.S. government this week after Palestinian families sued the U.S. State Department on Tuesday over Washington's support for Israel's military.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson said the department does not comment on pending litigation, while adding the safety and security of American citizens around the world is a "top priority."

Thursday's lawsuit was announced by advocacy group Council on American Islamic Relations and attorney Maria Kari, and filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

The suit alleges the plaintiffs' right to equal protection under the U.S. Constitution has been violated by depriving them "of the normal and typical evacuation efforts the federal government extends to Americans who are not Palestinians."

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It mentions comparable instances of the U.S. government evacuating its citizens from conflict zones such as in Afghanistan, Lebanon and Sudan and names President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin as defendants.

The State Department spokesperson said the U.S. has evacuated Americans from unsafe areas around the world, including Gaza.

Israel's war has killed over 45,000 people, according to the Gaza health ministry while also sparking accusations of genocide and war crimes that Israel denies. The military assault has displaced nearly Gaza's entire 2.3 million population and caused a hunger crisis.

The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered on Oct. 7, 2023, when Palestinian Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington, Editing by Humeyra Pamuk and Saad Sayeed)
Luigi Mangione, the man accused of shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, appeared Thursday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, where his lawyer questioned conflicting federal charges she described as highly unusual.

Is there one case? Two cases? Two investigations? Is it a joint investigation? Karen Friedman Agnifilo asked U.S. Magistrate Judge Katharine H. Parker.

There are a lot of factors here that I think are very confusing, highly unusual, she added.

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The high-profile lawyer, who spent more than 20 years working in the Manhattan District Attorneys Office, said the lack of clarity blurs the lines on discovery obligations, which could allow for access to evidence in preparation for Mangiones trial.

Investigators told reporters theyve linked Mangione to the shooting through DNA evidence found at the crime scene.

Mangiones Pennsylvania attorney, Thomas Dickey, has also cited concerns with not seeing any evidence and said he would challenge the forensic results admissibility and accuracy.

In over three decades of prosecuting and defending criminal cases in New York, frankly, Ive never seen anything like that what is happening here, and so any clarity that the government can give Mr. Mangione, wed really appreciate it, Friedman Agnifilo stated.

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Court documents unsealed Thursday revealed Mangione was facing four new federal charges in addition to state charges in New York and Pennsylvania.

The new charges, including murder through the use of a firearm, potentially carry the death penalty if he is found guilty.

Friedman Agnifilo said a Wednesday press conference from the Manhattan District Attorneys Office led her to believe Mangione would not be charged federally but subject to a New York murder as an act of terrorism law that could account for a harsher sentence.

I dont think they [Manhattan District Attorneys Office] even knew that this was going to happen, Mangiones attorney said in earlier comments in the courtroom.

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Despite Friedman Agnifilios pushback, U.S. Attorney Edward Y. Kim said hefty charges were warranted in light of Mangiones actions.

Brian Thompson was gunned down in cold blood as he walked down a street in midtown Manhattan. Thompson was allegedly killed just because he held the position of chief executive officer of a health insurance company, Kim said in a Thursday statement.

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 added.

Kim said amid the heinous nature of the crime, his office would remain steadfast in their efforts to enact justice.

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But this wasnt a debate, it was murder, and Mangione now faces federal charges. This Office and its law enforcement partners remain steadfast in our commitment to fight violence in whatever form it takes.

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Dec. 19A Lewis and Clark High School senior was selected as one of the top 650 academically inclined seniors in the United States and a finalist for "one of the nation's highest honors" in high school academia.

Marton Mezei learned Thursday he is a finalist to be a U.S. Presidential Scholar. Staff from schools around the nation nominate one pupil from their school for the honor, and the state superintendent's office picks seniors from that list as finalists for the designation.

Winners from that group of finalists are dubbed U.S. Presidential Scholars and earn a trip to Washington D.C., a tour of the Capitol and meeting with the president.

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Mezei's DECA adviser, Matt Filippini, recommended him as one of the hardest working students in DECA, a club where students learn leadership and business skills. Mezei also interned at The Spokesman-Review this summer in the newspaper's Teen Journalism Institute.

Mezei first stood out to Filippini his freshman year and first year doing DECA.

"He is just always working and accomplishing something," Filippini said. "The thing that started everything, he asked me, 'What do you think I could do to make this world a better place?' "

At Filippini's suggestion, Mezei has been a vocal advocate for financial literacy education in public schools, even pushing for a bill at the Legislature to mandate that it's taught in high school.

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Officials from the Department of Education will select 161 students from the list of 650 finalists to be named U.S. Presidential Scholars. Winners will be announced in May.

Elena Perry's work is funded in part by members of the Spokane community via the Community Journalism and Civic Engagement Fund. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper's managing editor.
At least two people were killed and 68 injured when a car plowed into a crowd of people at a Christmas market in Germany, according to reports.

Local police said on X that an extensive operation is underway at the scene in Magdeburg, a city in the eastern part of the country.

The driver of the car was arrested, and has been identified by Saxony-Anhalt Interior Minister Tamara Zieschang as a 50-year-old Saudi Arabian doctor who came to Germany in 2006, according to the Associated Press.

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As things stand, he is a lone perpetrator, so that as far as we know there is no further danger to the city, Saxony-Anhalt Governor Reiner Haseloff told reporters, per the AP.

While German media outlet Bild had previously reported that 11 people were dead, Haseloff has since stated that the death toll was two, one of whom was a small child, according to the AP.

He added that given how many people were seriously injured, he couldnt rule out further deaths.

But that is speculation now, he said, according to the AP. Every human life that has fallen victim to this attack is a terrible tragedy and one human life too many.

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The AP reported that 15 people had serious injuries, 37 had injuries of medium severity, and 16 had minor injuries, based on government officials and the citys website.

Police vans and ambulances stand next to the annual Christmas market in the city center following a possible terror incident on Dec. 20, 2024 in Magdeburg, Germany. / Craig Stennett/Getty Images

The incident mirrors an Islamist terrorist attack on a German Christmas market that happened eight years ago to the day and killed 13. The man driving the car was later killed in a shootout with police in Milan, Italy.

While the motivation for the incident on Friday is unknown, city spokesperson Michael Reif told the AP that it was believed to be a deliberate attack.

A graphic video circulating on social media shows the car ramming into a dense crowd of people at high speed. Panic erupts as the shoppers attempt to scramble out of harms way, though some are visibly unable to.

The cordoned-off Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, after a man drove a car into a crowd of shoppers. / picture alliance / Heiko Rebsch/picture alliance via Getty Images

Its a terrible tragedythis is a catastrophe for the city of Magdeburg and for the state, and for German generally as well, Haseloff said, according to the AP. It is really one of the worst things one can imagine, particularly in connection with what a Christmas market should bring.

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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz echoed the sentiment in a statement on social media.

My thoughts are with the victims and their families, he said in German, according to ABC News. We stand by their side and by the side of the people of Magdeburg. My thanks go to the dedicated rescue workers in these anxious hours.
At least one person has been killed and several embassies have been damaged in an early morning Russian missile attack on Ukraines capital Kyiv.

The Kyiv City Military Administration confirmed the death in a post on Telegram, adding that 12 others have been injured. Of those injured, five were hospitalized while the rest were treated at the scene.

It comes a day after Russian leader Vladimir Putin challenged Ukraine to a duel in his end-of-year conference, prompting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to call the Russian leader a dumbass.

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Let them propose some kind of technological experiment  a kind of high-tech duel of the 21st century, lets say, Putin said during Thursdays event in Moscow. Zelensky in response hurled the rude epithet at the Kremlin leader in comments made online.

According to Ukraines Air Force Command, Russia fired five ballistic missiles at Kyiv at around 7 a.m. on Friday. Ukrainian air defenses shot down all five missiles. In addition, 40 UAVs were shot down, and another 20 drones did not reach their targets, according to the command. However, falling debris caused damage and injuries in the city center, officials said.

In one district, an office building, road surface and gas pipe were damaged, and five cars caught fire, Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, said on Telegram. In another district, a fire broke out at the site of a building under construction.

Several embassies housed in the same building were damaged, according to Ukraines foreign ministry, with a spokesperson, Heorhii Tykhyi, calling the attack barbaric.

Buildings damaged during the missile barrage. - State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Reuters

A woman reacts at the scene of missile damage. - Thomas Peter/Reuters

These are the embassies of Albania, Argentina, Palestine, North Macedonia, Portugal and Montenegro, Tykhyi told a media briefing. Windows and doors were smashed in the premises.

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Portugal said the facility suffered light damage and summoned the Russian charge daffaires to protest.

Russias defense ministry said it launched long-range missiles at Ukrainian military targets on Friday, in response to a Ukrainian attack targeting a chemical plant in Russias Rostov region earlier this week. That attack was carried out using American-made ATACMS missiles, the ministry said.

In response to the actions of the Kyiv regime, supported by Western curators, this morning a group strike with long-range precision weapons was launched against the SBU command post, the Kyiv Luch design bureau, which designs and manufactures Neptune missile systems, Olkha ground-based cruise missiles, and the positions of the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system, Russias Ministry of Defense wrote on Telegram.

The strike targets were achieved. All objects were hit, it added.

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Zelensky said Friday in response to Russias missile attack of Kyiv more sanctions against Russia are needed.

I would also like to thank all of our partners who are responding to this and other Russian attacks by being ready to provide more air defense systems, the Ukrainian president added.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, the city of Kherson was heavily targeted Friday morning in a shelling attack by Russian forces attempting to advance, according to local military authorities.

Russian strikes on the southern city killed two people and injured a further 10, according to the head of the Kherson region military administration Oleksandr Prokudin.

This story has been updated with additional information.

CNNs Nathan Hodge, Svitlana Vlasova and Lauren Kent contributed reporting.

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A car ploughed into a holiday market in Magdeburg, Germany, on Friday, Dec. 20, in what was called a terror attack by officials, according to the German news agency DPA.

Extensive police operations are currently taking place at the Magdeburg Christmas market, the Magdeburg Saxony-Anhalt police department posted in a statement to X.

The number of victims was unclear, though The Guardian reported that at least one person had been killed. Video posted to social media showed several individuals laying on the ground and emergency services at the scene, the BBC reported.

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According to the AP and The Guardian, citing the German news agency, the cars driver has been arrested.

Dorthe Hein/picture alliance via Getty Emergency Services at German Holiday Market Emergency Services at German Holiday Market

This is a terrible event, particularly now in the days before Christmas, said Saxony-Anhalt Minister-President Reiner Haseloff, the outlets reported. The outlets also noted that German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser had said earlier in December that there were no concrete threats of danger to holiday market goers but encouraged shoppers to remain vigilant nonetheless.

Magdeburg is a city in central Germany, west of Berlin, with a population of roughly 200,000.

Dorthe Hein/picture alliance via Getty Bandages on Ground Outside German Holiday Market Bandages on Ground Outside German Holiday Market

In 2016, 12 were killed and almost 50 were injured after a truck drove into a holiday market in central Berlin. The attack spurred a multi-day manhunt for suspect Anis Amri that captivated the globe, concluding in a deadly police shootout in Milan, Italy.

Read the original article on People
Dec. 20 (UPI) -- At least one person was killed and 11 injured in Kyiv early Friday in a barrage of missile fire across the Ukrainian capital.

The city was targeted with five Iskander-M or North Korean KN-23 ballistic missiles which were all downed by air defenses, the Ukrainian Air Force said in a social media update -- but falling debris inflicted casualties and caused widespread damage in several areas.

The fatality occurred in the southeastern Holosiivskyi district where 10 others were hurt after office blocks, residential buildings, a gas pipe and cars were damaged with fears people could be trapped high up in an office building where the 15th floor had sustained damage.

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An 11th person was injured in the downtown Shevchenkivskyi district, according to the State Emergency Service which said at least six people had been hospitalized.

Damage to energy infrastructure left more than 45 hospitals and clinics and schools and kindergartens as well 630 residential buildings in the district without heat.

The 115-year-old stained-glass windows of St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Cathedral in the center of Kyiv sustained blast damage.

A missile strike sparked a major blaze in a 160,000-square-foot warehouse near Boryspil International Airport in the southwestern suburbs, but firefighters were able to bring it under control before first light.

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Russia's Defense Ministry said the missile strikes were revenge for a Ukrainian strike using Army Tactical Missile Systems against a missile fuel plant in its Rostov region in the south of the country on Wednesday.

Ukraine launched a major attack against strategic oil infrastructure in Rostov province in late August -- but just miles to the east of Russian-controlled parts of Luhansk Oblast -- and using drones, rather than missiles.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia's retaliatory actions to Ukrainian strikes deep into its territory would "occur consistently" in line with pledges made by President Vladimir Putin.

"You know that such strikes on Russian territory have been carried out, and you know that the president said that every time there will be a response," the spokesman said.

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"You see that the response is delivered, just as the president said," he added, referencing Russia's deployment of more destructive weapons, including its experimental Oreshnik intermediate-range missile in the wake of last month's U.S. reversal of its prohibition on Ukraine using ATACMS to strike deeper into Russian territory.

Russian missiles and 60 drones were also launched against targets in Ukraine's Sumy and Chernihiv provinces in the north and Dnipropetrovsk and Kherson provinces the south.

The Kherson military administration said Russian forces used the attack as cover for an unsuccessful push to penetrate the Ukrainian defensive line along the Dnipro River.
KANSAS CITY, Mo.  A teacher at Lees Summit West High School is facing charges related to child pornography in federal court.

Seth Brummond, 37, of Greenwood, was charged in a two-count criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday.

Raytown man sentenced for 2019 sexual assault in Kansas City

In September, Lees Summit police officers received a cyber tip stating that Brummond had uploaded 12 videos of child pornography using the Kik Messenger app, according to an affidavit.

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On Thursday, Lees Summit law enforcement officers placed Brummonds home under surveillance to serve federal search warrants.

When Brummond left his home, police followed him. Around 6 a.m., they stopped him and arrested him. Officers took his phone and a computer tower that was in the trunk of his car.

Missouri news: Headlines from St. Louis, Jefferson City and across the Show-Me State

Here is a statement from the Lees Summit R-7 School District regarding the charges:

The Lees Summit R-7 School District is aware of a federal criminal complaint charging Mr. Brummond with charges related to child pornography. These charges are serious, and we are being fully responsive to this situation. The district is cooperating with the federal investigation and has placed Mr. Brummond on administrative leave according to district policy.

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We have been informed that there is no current evidence linking LSR7 students to the allegations at this time. However, we encourage any parent or guardian to contact our administration, local police department, or anonymous Safe Schools tip line anytime they believe they have relevant information impacting student safety.

Our focus right now is supporting the well-being of students who may be distressed by this news with counseling and community resources, in addition to making plans to ensure that learning is not disrupted when students return from winter break.

Brummond will have his initial court appearance on Friday.

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LEETONIA, Ohio (WKBN)  A local teacher received the invitation of a lifetime.

Leetonia Exempted Village Middle School 5th Grade teacher Lauran Woolley recently returned from a holiday luncheon at the White House hosted by First Lady Dr. Jill Biden. Wooley was invited for her work as an education content creator.

Woolley won this years Youngstown Business Incubator Shark Tank contest for her company Little Tusk, a platform to educate students about financial literacy.

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It was beyond anything I have ever experienced in my life. I felt so honored to be a part of this event. Getting to see the White House decked out for the holidays is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience, Woolley said in a press release. The decorations were incredibly thought out and beautifully executed. They even included a tree made of six large golden stars to represent the six branches of the military.

Woolley said President Joe Biden gave a special speech, and some top attendees included astronauts Kellie Gerardi and Emily Calandrelli, actors and Harvard Executive Coordinators.

Sharing this experience with [my students] also helps them to realize that no matter where you are from, the big city or small-town Ohio, you can accomplish incredible things if you have confidence in yourself, and work hard towards your goals, Woolley said.

Courtesy of K Squared Marketing Courtesy of K Squared Marketing

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A legal challenge over the proposed redevelopment of ITVs former London headquarters has failed.

A group called Save Our Southbank took the U.K.s housing minister to court seeking to overturn planning permission granted earlier this year over the 25-storey tower block on Londons Southbank, next to the River Thames.

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The site, which also included a 4-storey building housing television studios, opened in 1972 and was the home of U.K. public service broadcaster ITV until 2018. Some of ITVs most well-known shows were broadcast from the studios, including The South Bank Show, a long-running arts series predominantly hosted by Melvyn Bragg.

The Southbank area is home to some of Londons most prominent arts and culture venues, including the National Theatre, British Film Institude and Royal Festival Hall, the latter of which is where the BAFTA TV and film awards take place each year.

After ITV departed the site for White City in west London, planning permission was granted for a mixed-use redevelopment which would include offices, television studios, retail units and residential homes. It involved replacing the existing buildings with two new towers, one reaching 31 storeys and the other 14. But no redevelopment ever happened and planning permission eventually lapsed.

In 2021 Mitsubishi Estate London made a new application to turn the site into offices, retail, food and beverage units and a culture and innovation hub but not any residential spaces. They proposed two towers, one 14 storeys and the other 25 storeys linked by a six-storey raised podium. Michael Gove, who was then housing secretary, granted planning permission for the proposal in Feb. 2024.

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However Save Our Southbank, which is made up of both local individuals and organizations, objected to Mitsubishis redevelopment proposal, saying the new taller tower would be 225% the size of the existing ITV building. In such a treasured area of London for locals and tourists, neighboured by listed IBM and National Theatre buildings, the design must protect and enhance rather than dominate its surrounding, they state on their website.

Earlier this year the group brought a legal challenge in the High Court objecting to Goves decision. Judge Mould, presiding over the case, has now handed down a judgment overruling their objections. I have not been persuaded that any of the Claimants grounds of legal challenge to that planning decision has been made out, he said in his ruling.

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BALTIMORE  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 Scotts office reported that precautionary testing at the Baltimore City District (Peoples) 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.

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The recommended closure is not related to a public health or safety concern, the mayors 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 mayors 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 die, the CDC states.

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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.

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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 citys 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.

Baltimore Sun reporter Racquel Bazos contributed to this article.

____
WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR)  The U.S. Senate is expected to pass legislation to expand Social Security benefits to nearly three million retirees before lawmakers leave for the holiday break.

The bill would eliminate two federal policies that currently prevent retired workers like teachers, police officers, janitors and others with public pensions, along with their spouses, from collecting their full benefits.

Its a wonderful way to end the year, said U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio.) ahead of the final vote.

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This is about promises kept, said U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) To return that which is due to the people who give their lives to serve the public.

Cassidy and Brown both shared personal stories from their constituents impacted by the rules.

Cassidy said when a retired Louisiana teacher became a widow, she saw her benefit fall to about $200 a month.

She would have been better off had she never worked, Cassidy said.

Brown said an Ohio school bus driver in her 70s has been too afraid to retire.

She just cant do it any longer, but she retires, what happens is her Social Security benefit would go from $2,100 a month to $500 a month, Brown said.

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Some lawmakers though oppose the way this specific legislation goes about addressing the issue.

It sounds like motherhood and apple pie: The Social Security Fairness Act,' said U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.).

Tillis said the bill would actually deplete the Social Security trust fund six months earlier.

They are going to raid $200 billion with a B over ten years to pay for this, Tillis said.

The Senates top Democrat, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) argues the legislation is decades in the making.

This Social Security fix right before Christmas would be a great gift, Schumer said.

The House already passed the bill so Senate approval would send it to President Joe Bidens desk.

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Rep. Frank Hornstein presents the transportation bill in 2023. He's retiring this year after 11 terms. Photo by Andrew VonBank of House Information Services.

When Rep. Frank Hornstein saw his first grandchild earlier this year, he sobbed.

Its this new life. This new generation, Hornstein marveled to me.

In Hebrew, the phrase that conveys the continuity of the human family goes, la dor va dor, or from generation to generation, as Hornstein told his House colleagues during his retirement speech in May, following 11 terms representing Minneapolis. Hell officially leave office early next year.

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Hornsteins tears of joy for the birth of baby Lusia fall upon the scroll of his family history, smudging away the old, allowing for a new story even if it will always bear traces of the tragic past.

All four of his grandparents and five uncles and aunts were killed in the Holocaust.

His mother, also Lusia, used fake papers  forced to deny her Jewish identity  to escape what is now Ukraine. She then hid Anne Frank style, as Hornstein put it.

A Nazi once let her go because he didnt think she was Jewish. I could smell a Jew a mile away, the Nazi said, according to Lusias account, which she shared with Hornstein in an extensive oral history he created while an undergraduate at Macalester College.

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Lusia joined the Polish secular resistance and fought the Nazis in the sewers of Warsaw.

Hornsteins father Stephen was in a forced labor camp in Hungary when the commandant sent him to Budapest to retrieve some pharmaceuticals. Its a mystery why hed send a prisoner, but he did, and Stephen Hornstein slipped away from his minder at the train station, and Stephen survived.

Stephen and Lusia met on a train in Germany after the war. Just 25 years later, 5th grader Frank Hornstein was in Cincinnati, listening to FM radio  he can talk (and sing!) Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen for hours  when he heard about the first Earth Day. He made a sign condemning littering. He picked up litter and walked home instead of getting his usual ride from school.

Thus began a long career as a community organizer for the cause of peace and justice, both here and in Israel, where he has cousins and has brought legislators to see the occupation of the West Bank.

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For Hornstein, the situation in Israel and the United States has rarely been more perilous. Whenever I see him, though, his presence is bizarrely leavening: His smile begins at the eyes and radiates outward, like a joyful orb, even as he implores us to help our neighbor and engage in the work of tikkun olam, i.e., repairing the broken world, both by policies and relationships.

Paradoxically, as Hornstein leaves the Legislature, its never needed people like him more than now.

Hornsteins beloved Minnesota House will likely be deadlocked 67-67 next year, and both parties have become home to partisan bomb throwers as interested in social media clout as they are in governing.



If credibility and sincerity were currency, then Frank Hornstein would be the wealthiest man at the Capitol, said former GOP Rep. Pat Garofalo.

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Hes a legend, said Rep. Mohamud Noor, DFL-Minneapolis. His assessment is particularly notable given the fissures in the DFL coalition following the Hamas attack on Israel last year and the ensuing counterattack, which has left tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians in Gaza dead, and hundreds of thousands homeless. Hornstein worked with Jewish and Muslim colleagues to keep dialogue open and respectful.

He understands the conflict, and I appreciate his leadership and guidance and humanity, Noor said.

Hornstein traveled to Israel in 1982 when his now-wife Marcia Zimmerman was in rabbinical school. Israel was at war in Lebanon, and then-Israeli Defense Minister Ariel Sharon was implicated in the Lebanese massacre of civilians at Sabra and Shatila. Hornstein joined the Israeli peace movement on a march and protested at a settlement in the West Bank. Hes been back 20 times or so and has made connections with groups like Standing Together, which unites Israeli Jews and Palestinians to work against the occupation and for peace and justice.

What I find astounding is how Hornstein keeps going in the face of such a grim reality both here and in Israel, where a cousin had to abandon her home after the Hamas attacks and other cousins farther north lived with air raid sirens as their daily soundtrack due to the war with Hezbollah, while the scale of Palestinian suffering is unfathomable.

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with settler fanatics in his cabinet, appears firmly entrenched. His ally Donald Trump will be president. Attacks on Jews from from both the left and right have soared since Oct. 7, 2023. (Hornstein, as is his way, is quick to point out that attacks on Muslims have also multiplied.)

Just last week, at Temple Israel, which is Hornsteins own synagogue and where Zimmerman is the senior rabbi, someone spray painted a swastika on a pillar and another on a door at the front entrance.

War in the Middle East. A U.S. president-elect calling for mass deportation. His top adviser is the richest man in the world.

My question to Hornstein in our most recent talks: Why bother? Why keep going when all of your work of the past 40 years is being obliterated?

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The answer, he says, is in the binding ties to the past, one that is ancient and tragic, but ultimately redeemed by the ceaseless urge to find meaning through human connection and the hope for a better world.

In good time and tough times, you remember and feel  even in your body physically  the presence of your ancestors, he said in his closing remarks at the Minnesota House.

He relies on a 2,000 year old Talmudic text called Pirkei Avot:

It is not your responsibility to finish the work, but you are not free to desist from it either.

This should resonate with us strongly in these times. Theres no final victory or defeat, and the obligation to make gentle the light of this world never ends. You do the work because the work needs doing, not because its going to lead to some imagined outcome.

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In a more colloquial, American context, Hornstein said he is leaning on Barack Obamas 2009 inaugural: Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

To be sure, theres been victories along the way. Decades of organizing and legislating helped him achieve what Hornstein calls the transportation bill of my dreams in 2023, including a gas tax increase and other new revenue to fund improvements for all types of getting around. (Hornstein doesnt drive, and by his own account were all safer for it.)

And, of course, plenty of joy. His oldest daughter is a rabbi  she joined the family business  while another daughter is a teacher and a son is trying his hand at standup comedy in Brooklyn.

And now a granddaughter to dote on, her face and name forever a reminder of the woman who raised Hornstein after she fought with the resistance in Poland.

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Hornstein expects to be back in the activism space soon, continuing to work on transportation and climate issues, or maybe  this is where I hope he lands  combatting hate crimes and hate speech.

Im particularly worried about our immigrant communities and the transgender community right now. Look at the advertising of this last election and the type of policies that are being talked about. Those are the groups that right now, I feel particularly, are the most vulnerable, he said. His empathy comes in part from the Jewish communitys own sense of fragility in a fraught moment, he said.

Hes keeping in his mind a passage from Exodus.

You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
Editors note: The initial published list of individual school grades contained multiple discrepancies. An incorrect data column reflecting the subscore for achievement was used instead of the overall letter grade. The currently published list corrects the error.

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL)  Letter grades for each school in Northeast Tennessee for the 2023-2024 school year were released on Thursday.

Letter grades are calculated based on achievement, improvement or decline in test scores (value add or growth), support for students with the highest needs, and readiness for college and careers. Grades are determined by exam scores.

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The school-by-school letter grade system, which launched in the 2022-23 school year, bills itself as an important tool to help families and communities understand how Tennessees schools are serving our students and performing.

The Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) website encourages people to explore the data for each performance indicator to get a more complete picture of Tennessee schools. It also suggests visiting schools and talking to educators, parents and students to get a fuller understanding.

The state report card as being something thats really, really useful, I think is yet to be seen, Johnson City Schools Superintendent Steve Barnett told News Channel 11.

I think parents that are looking at schools a lot of times look at achievement first and then they look at value added. And in our case, if you look at that, the achievement is strong in all of our schools.

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Indeed, 10 of Johnson Citys 11 schools scored A in achievement. Thats 50% of a schools score, with growth accounting for 40%. Another 10% comes from support for and performance of the students in that school who scored below a certain level on the previous years TCAP tests.

But likely due to weaker growth performance, the system had five A schools in Thursdays ranking, while three earned a B and three a C.

The TDOE webpage related to the report card includes a six-page Family Guide, a two-page Report Card FAQs and a more comprehensive 20-page explanation of how the school letter grades are calculated.

The grades for each individual school in Northeast Tennessee can be found below (the story continues).

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Northeast Tennessee Public School Letter Grades 2023-24 by Jeff Keeling on Scribd

The system isnt skewed toward awarding high grades. Statewide, the number of As and Bs was very close to the number of Cs and Ds awarded. A total of 774 schools received As (290) or Bs (484), while 838 got Cs (508) and Ds (330). TDOE gave 78 F grades  none in Northeast Tennessee.

The letter-grade breakdown was similar among Northeast Tennessees 124 graded schools, though as a whole they performed slightly better than the state average. Where 46% of schools statewide received an A or B, that figure was 53% in Northeast Tennessee.

Altogether, the region had 26 A schools, 40 B schools, 39 C schools and 19 D schools.

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Johnson Countys schools fared the worst in the region, with four of them scoring a D and two earning Cs. Kingsports results just edged Johnson Citys: also five As, but four Bs instead of three and two Cs instead of three.

Barnett said school systems typically use a wide range of data to help them see how to improve. In Johnson City, that includes standardized tests and internal assessments.

With eight elementary schools, you can look at the data and look at standards that are being taught that are in the state standards and say, these schools did a really good job with this, what are they doing that we can replicate in other schools? And we do that with our assessments throughout the year.

He did say a D would definitely get attention. Parents get letters when their kids school scores a D. He said in that event Johnson City Schools would provide additional resources to that school.

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We would make sure that we use state funding and local funding to make sure that we supported professional development and instruction in those schools, to make sure that we make improvement, Barnett said.

If that happened over several years, that would be a real problem for us. I think even one year or two years we would look at that as a real problem we would have to really work on and make sure that we made that improvement.

Assigning each schools grade 1 point for a D, two for a C, three for a B and four for an A produces the following grade point average based on each area school systems grades released Thursday.

Greeneville: 3.33

Kingsport: 3.27

Johnson City: 3.18

Bristol: 2.86

Elizabethton: 2.60

Greene County: 2.60

Carter County: 2.54

Unicoi County: 2.50

Sullivan County: 2.40

Washington County: 2.31

Hawkins County: 2.27

Johnson County: 1.33

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather.
Levi Strauss & Co. has created a new climate transition plan and promises to cut company emissions and pollution by 2050.

As Business Wire reported, the iconic jeans brand is focusing on three aspects of its business to help the planet.

The first is improving company operations by incorporating renewable energy solutions and energy-efficient technology. The second is working with its hundreds of global suppliers to invest in sustainable materials, promote sustainable cotton farming, and engage in other climate-positive partnership actions. The third is integrating its climate transition plan across its entire business model with the help of climate experts and proactive policies.

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In its plan, Levi's set detailed short- and long-term goals to reduce company emissions, use renewable electricity, and reduce freshwater use in manufacturing.

Jeffrey Hogue, Levi's chief sustainability officer, said, "These steps will not only move us toward our Net Zero climate ambition by 2050 but also strengthen our own business's resilience to the effects of climate change."

Levi's climate plan stands out because of its multipronged approach to addressing the company's environmental impacts. The brand listened to and aligned its mission with the latest climate science and solicited feedback from experienced climate advisors and research institutions.

Since our planet's climate situation is rapidly changing, Levi's committed to updating its climate plan at least once every three years. It has also committed to public transparency by regularly reporting its sustainability progress related to climate, consumption, and community goals.

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Supporting eco-friendly brands is an excellent way to live a fashionable life without compromising your values. As consumers demand climate responsibility and action from the brands they buy from, companies take notice and adjust their policies and operations.

Fortunately, many sustainable jeans options are now available, allowing you to wear your beloved denim without harming the Earth.

Which of these factors would most effectively motivate you to recycle old clothes and electronics?

Click your choice to see results and speak your mind

"The climate crisis is only increasing in urgency, and we applaud companies like Levi Strauss & Co. for not only setting clear, ambitious targets aligned to the Paris Agreement but for also publicly declaring how they'll make meaningful progress," said Eliot Metzger, director of sustainable business and innovation at World Resources Institute. "In a time where companies may be tempted to stay quiet on sustainability efforts, it's important to push for this level of transparency."

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.
Liam Payne on Jan. 21, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. - Credit: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images/Atlantis The Royal

Liam Paynes drug usage brought him close to death multiple times months before his fatal fall in October, according to his friend Roger Nores.

In a 91-page filing obtained today by Rolling Stone, Nores  who is accused of abandonment followed by death  described the alleged depth of Paynes drug abuse, which he claims led to several hospitalizations, multiple rehab center visits, and two resuscitations in just the past two years.

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Last week, a judge called for an indagatoria, which requires suspects in a case to be questioned as part of the investigation. Suspects are not required to respond to questioning, and can submit written responses, as Nores did Wednesday. It is not a deposition. The document  which includes Nores version of events and screenshots of conversations with people close to the former One Direction member  was filed by Nores to support his defense to the charge of abandonment of a person, followed by death.

I was a friend who loved him very much, who helped him selflessly in everything I could, who spent my own money to help him, and even then it was not enough, writes Nores in Spanish in the document obtained by Rolling Stone. I do not consider that I deserve the accusation that is being leveled at me.

In the filing, Nores claims that Payne was in and out of rehabilitation centers in Europe and the United States in the months leading up to his death, that he consumed heroin, and that his usage of substances nearly killed him several times.

In one instance, in September 2023, Nores alleges that Payne suffered from a severe intoxication that left him close to death, and that he was hospitalized for three days in Milan. He claims that at the time, Payne was forced to cancel a Latin American tour because of the incident and his subsequent visit to a rehab center. (Payne had canceled the tour that August due to a bad kidney infection.)

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Because of his addictions, Payne continued to attend rehab centers of his own free will in an attempt to overcome them, the statement contends. Unfortunately, these treatments were not successful and his addiction worsened as he began to use harder drugs, such as heroin.

Nores claims that Payne was hospitalized twice again in London in late 2023, and was taken to a hospital in an ambulance due to his high levels of intoxication, where he had to be resuscitated. Professionals had to resort to resuscitation maneuvers to save his life, without his family or friends being able to do anything to avoid these situations or help him, Nores alleges.

Nores claims that Paynes drug issues continued to worsen at the beginning of 2024, and that Payne entered a rehabilitation facility in Spain in March. Payne left the rehab center before completing treatment and returned to consuming drugs, Nores claims. Payne then allegedly had to be resuscitated again following a near overdose the following month.

Liam suffered a new relapse in his addiction, so he was again taken to the hospital in serious condition, and the professionals had to resort to resuscitation maneuvers to save his life, Nores claims. He further alleges that after this incident, Paynes father attempted to admit him to a psychiatric treatment center, but that Payne opposed the idea.

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Since he was not legally required to stay there, Payne checked himself out of the hospital and returned to the United States to seek help for his drug addiction, Nores claims. The filing contends that Paynes family and friends allowed him to do drugs the day before he left for the United States to avoid that he become violent. (The document does not specify the exact timeline of his return to the U.S.)

Nores maintains that Payne did not consume drugs that summer, including during a trip to Argentina when Payne went to a Louis Tomlinson show in South America. However, by the start of August, Nores claims that he and Payne had a strong argument where he discouraged Payne from returning to Manchester, England, because Nores could tell that Payne had started using drugs again.

In an Aug. 23 email obtained by Rolling Stone, Nores writes to Paynes attorney and father Geoff that he is really concerned for his well-being in the United Kingdom. I hope you can bring professional doctors to check on his health regularly as soon as possible as I did while he was out in the US, Nores wrote. I am going to stay fully out of the picture and disconnected from now on and I wish you all the best with Liams health and career.

Reps for Paynes family in Argentina and the United Kingdom did not immediately respond to Rolling Stones request for comment on Nores filing. Nores did not comment.

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Nores abandonment followed by death charge accuses him of leaving Payne while knowing that he was unable to care for himself and/or that he wasnt in his right mind. For said charge, Nores could face five to 15 years in prison. In Wednesdays filing, Nores maintains that he was not his doctor, lawyer, or representative, and claims that when he left Payne at the hotel the day he died, he was greeting fans and seemed to be fine. (He told TMZ that he was playful and in good spirits.)

In the document, Nores pivots blame to the hotel staff for carrying Paynes body to his room where there was more of a risk of death. According to a 911 call, the reception head claimed the musician had been breaking everything in his room prior to the fatal fall. If Liam had not been brought into the room by force, and had been left in the lobby and a doctor had been called while they saw him convulsing, none of this would have happened, reads the filing.

Along with Nores, the other four people charged in the case responded to indagatorias. Next, the judge must determine whether the defendants should be further prosecuted, dropped from the case, or if there isnt evidentiary support for either decision.

Payne died at the age of 31 of multiple traumas and internal bleeding after falling from the third-floor balcony of the CasaSur Palermo hotel on Oct. 16. In November, prosecutors identified alcohol, cocaine, and a prescribed antidepressant in Paynes system at the time of his death, according to a toxicology report. Many questions still loom about what led to his death.

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On Saturday, Paynes fans held a march in Buenos Aires calling for significant and timely advances in the investigation. The gathering spawned after an image leaked online, which appeared to show Payne being carried by three hotel workers back to his room, allegedly mere minutes before he fell.

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Georgia is a close neighbor of Azerbaijan and a good friend. There have been misunderstandings and differences in the history of relations between these young independent states, but they have always been resolved as problems between close nations are resolved.

The Azerbaijani side has always been interested in and concerned about what is happening in Georgia. Despite Azerbaijan's policy of non-alignment and Georgia's pursuit of integration into the EU and ideally NATO, the difference in foreign policy orientations has never created problems in relations. Both countries have always respected each other's sovereignty and have been aware of the inadmissibility of interference in the affairs of their neighbor. Perhaps, thanks to our choice, our country has moved faster along the path that Georgia is still on. This is the way of becoming true independence, when a country firmly establishes that it is a sovereign and self-reliant state that does not allow external interests into its personal space.

Over the past year and a half, Georgia has been making efforts to clear its personal space of outside influence, to stand firm in a difficult confrontation with the West, and to force itself to be reckoned with.

I must say that to some extent, Tbilisi is already beginning to succeed. The steadfastness with which the authorities have withstood the turmoil of recent months is admirable. The results of this resistance are already becoming apparent. Despite the loud hysteria in European institutions and some European capitals, the revocation of the visa-free regime and other punitive measures, Europe began to realize that Georgia would not succumb to blackmail, and if this continued, it would truly be lost to the West.

The day before, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berse, arrived in Georgia. He came here voluntarily. He met with Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, and President Mikheil Kavelashvili. After the meeting with Berse, Kobakhidze stated, "We have agreed that close cooperation between our country and the Council of Europe will continue." The details of the meetings were not disclosedhence they are closed.

It seems that it was not possible to play the Georgian card. This is completely unexpected for the West, which is used to playing out its own scenarios in this country. The situation is on the way to stabilization, and Azerbaijan is one of those who is very pleased with this. As President Ilham Aliyev said in an interview with Dmitry Kiselyov, CEO of MIA Rossiya Segodnya, destabilization or the threat of destabilization in Georgia is harmful to Azerbaijan just as much as it is to Georgia itself. According to the Azerbaijani President, the situation in and around Georgia is, in fact, a battle for the Caucasus. The issue of Georgia, he believes, is much broader than it seems.

The main problem for Georgia is external interference, carried out through non-governmental organizations. Azerbaijan once faced the same problem, but our country did not seek integration with Europe, so it quickly dealt with this threat to Azerbaijani statehood, not allowing it to grow.

As the head of state said in an interview with Kiselyov, there are thousands of non-governmental organizations in Georgia that receive funding from the West. The people who work or receive salaries in these organizations are probably tens of thousands, if not more.

"And we know what it is like. Because there was a period here in our country when grant-eaters and grant-givers also felt at ease, but we stopped it. And therefore, any grant issued by any structure, whether Azerbaijani or foreign, must be registered, and the relevant authorities decide whether to allow it or not," the President of Azerbaijan said.

When asked how this aligns with Azerbaijan's national interests, President Ilham Aliyev unequivocally replied: "Naturally." Because aid should be unobtrusive. Let's add, on our own, that it should be accepted voluntarily, in a sane mind and with sober memory, and not under pressure or blackmail. Take, for example, the American USAID, which, as the head of state noted, "wants to help, but for some reason, it does not help where we need it."

In Azerbaijan, these issues have long been brought in line with the norms of national legislation and national interests. Some call it a problem with rights and freedoms, but in reality, it is a struggle against disorder and chaos. We remember what happened before the ban on foreign financing. NGOs grew like mushrooms after the rain, most of them worked against the interests of their country, and the so-called "free" media engaged in outright racketeering. In fact, it is very strange when the media or NGOs of one country are funded from the budget of another. Especially on the scale in which it was done by Western agencies and foundations. In the very homeland of USAID, there is a law on foreign agents, and media organizations and NGOs funded from abroad unconditionally fall under the "Law on Registration of Foreign Agents."

When such a law was adopted in Georgia, an explosion occurred. Non-governmental organizations and political parties that relied on Western grants were alarmed and took to the streets with the intention of intimidating the government and forcing it to retreat. The wave of protests grew quite powerful. The masses, which had been preparing and receiving support for many years for these purposes, were mobilized. It was not difficult to do this, because Georgia had been a bit late in addressing the problem, allowing it to grow to an alarming scale. Through their "troops" inside the country, external players directed the processes, staged coups, and fueled civil unrest. And today, the moment of truth has come for Georgia, when it can break the negative tradition.

This is necessary not only for Georgia but also for Azerbaijan. A new source of destabilization in the region could create irreversible problems, given how many interests intersect in this small area. The President of Azerbaijan is absolutely right when he calls the current situation a battle for the Caucasus. That is exactly the case. There is a war for influence in a region that is small in territory but strategically important. Azerbaijan is an absolutely independent player here, not susceptible to external influence. Armenia is already under control, though, as alwaysthe only thing that has changed is the name of the owner. Interests foreign to the region have clashed in the South Caucasus, and it is important for Azerbaijan what happens to Georgia. Because this battle must be won, and it can only be won together.
HINESVILLE, Ga. (WSAV)  The Liberty County Sheriffs Office (LCSO) has announced the arrest of a deputy jailer following an investigation of mistreatment.

LCSO said on Friday that Crystal Russell was issued an arrest warrant for a violation of O.C.G.A. 42-4-5 Cruelty to Inmates. This comes after an investigation of an incident involving mistreatment of an inmate in the Liberty County jail.

The deputy jailer was also reportedly found to have violated numerous Sheriffs Office policies.

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Russell has been terminated and was immediately placed under arrest.

The Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council has been notified and they will conduct an independent investigation.

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 WSAV-TV.
(Bloomberg) -- Libyas prime minister said it would be unacceptable for Russia to move weapons from Syria to the divided OPEC member, where rival powers in the east have previously drawn on Kremlin support.

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No one would accept a foreign force that wants to impose its hegemony and authority on the nation and its people, premier Abdul Hamid Dbeibah said Thursday at a televised event when asked about reports of Russian transfers. Russia has two military bases in western Syria whose future is unclear after the overthrow of ally President Bashar Al-Assad this month.

While agreements can be reached between nations for training or education, for example, the notion of foreign troops entering the country forcefully is totally rejected, Dbeibah said. With regard to whoever enters this nation without a license, we will be against them and will fight them.

Dbeibahs internationally recognized government in western Libya is challenged by a rival parliament in the east, with regular disagreements threatening to plunge the country back into civil war.

Russia, which came to Assads rescue when he was close to being ousted in 2015, has a naval port in Tartus and an air base at Khmeimim. The Syria facilities are seen as key for the Kremlin to maintain an air bridge and manage its military, political and economic influence in parts of Africa.

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Eastern Libya, where Russia helped military commander Khalifa Haftar in a failed 2019-2020 campaign to seize Tripoli, has been suggested by some analysts as an alternative staging point.

Italian Concern

Speaking to La Repubblica newspaper this week, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said Moscow was transferring resources from Tartus to Libya.

This is not good, he told the Italian publication. Russian ships and submarines in the Mediterranean are always a cause for concern, especially if they are just a stones throw away from us instead of a thousand kilometers away. The size of the shipments wasnt clear.

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Bloomberg reported last week that Moscow was in talks with Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, the Islamist group now controlling most of Syria, to retain its bases there. Some European nations are considering making the expulsion of Russias military a precondition for lifting restrictions against HTS, according to people familiar with the matter.

On the other hand, Western diplomats said Russia may use its seat on the United Nations Security Council to push for its continued presence in Syria, as HTS is under UN sanctions. The long-term fate of the bases remains very fluid, they said, asking not to be identified discussing sensitive matters.

--With assistance from Sherif Tarek.

(Updates with deliberations on Russia bases in final paragraph.)

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MUHLENBERG COUNTY, Ky. (WEHT)  On the heels of the three year anniversary of the deadly western Kentucky tornado, Andrew and Charity Oglesby are using their loss to help others in need at Christmas.

Last year we started to try and figure out a way to honor Chase for Christmas, says Andrew, because around Christmas time is when he passed away.

The Oglesby family was forever changed on the night of December 10, 2021, when a violent EF-4 tornado ripped through Muhlenberg County, destroying the familys home. While Andrew and Charity survived their injuries from that night, their five-month-old son, Chase, did not. The family says gifts were already purchased for Chase that holiday season, and they decided to give them to other kids for Christmas. That gesture would eventually turn into Chases Christmas Charity.

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Couple receives new home three years after deadly tornado

A bunch of people got together and we were able to help 14 kids, says Andrew. From 14 kids in year one to more than 40 and counting in 2024, the Oglesbys have used their tragedy for good, all while attracting the attention of Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear.

They work to provide good Christmases to other kids, given that Chase isnt going to have them moving forward, says Governor Beshear. What a strong, special couple. What a strong, special family.

This year, the family held a t-shirt fundraiser to raise money to purchase gifts, along with strong community support. This year has been all donations, everybodys donated, explains Andrew. Were just trying to help kids have a brighter Christmas.

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Charity adds, The reason we really want to do this for the kids is because, during such a devastating time in our life, we were shown so much love and so much support. That generosity is now motivating the Oglesbys to help as many kids as possible, with hopes to grow the charity moving forward.

Millions raised for 2021 tornado relief efforts

Even though we may not know the kids or the people, explains Charity, we just want to share the joy of Jesus, we want to just share His love in some way, and this is the best way we can think about doing it, especially to remember Chase.

The Oglesbys say they have plans to make Chases Christmas Charity a non-profit charity sometime in 2025.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Eyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW).
Dec. 19LIMA  A Lima man was sentenced Thursday to 4 1/2 years in prison for possession of methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl.

Paris Foster, 31, pleaded no contest a month ago in Allen County Common Pleas Court to two third-degree felonies and one fourth-degree felony charge of drug possession with a specification to forfeit $904. He was alleged to have possessed 6.28 grams of cocaine, 5.23 grams of xylazine/fentanyl and 4.55 grams of methamphetamine.

None of the charges carried a mandatory prison sentence, so he would eventually be eligible to request judicial release. Pleading no contest means Foster didn't admit guilt but admitted to the truth of the facts in the indictment.

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According to Chief Assistant Prosecutor Kyle Thines, Foster had a police radio scanner app open on a phone while driving when he was stopped by police.

A phone found in the car also contained a text conversation with another individual about cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl, he said. Thines said the text conversation went against Foster's pre-sentence investigation statement where he said he didn't know the drugs were in the car.

Thines mentioned Foster was on judicial release from a case in Montgomery County when he was found with the drugs and was previously sentenced on felonious assault and aggravated possession of drugs charges.

Foster asked Judge Terri Kohlrieser to give him a second chance and said he was not the person the prosecution was portraying him to be. He said he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

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Foster's traffic stop occurred after police saw him interacting with Kyle Smith, of Lima, at Smith's house Feb. 1. Smith was found guilty by a jury in August of drug possession, the illegal manufacture of drugs and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity and was sentenced to a minimum of 20 years in prison.

Police said in the Smith case that Foster was known to the drug task force for trafficking drugs from Dayton and was believed to have supplied Smith with drugs. Foster's attorney, Kenneth Rexford, argued in previously filed motions that Smith could have left the drugs in Foster's car.

Reach Charlotte Caldwell at 567-242-0451.

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SIOUX FALLS, SD (KELO)  Students from Lincoln High School have been spreading holiday cheer to first graders in Sioux Falls whose families cant afford to put gifts underneath the tree this year.

The students made a special delivery at Hawthorne Elementary Thursday.

Empire Mall Santa gets phone, wallet stolen

A holiday hint that something good was in store for these Hawthorne Elementary first graders.

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We have some friends that did something very special for you today, principal Stephanie Jones said.

But first, a lesson in patience.

And Im not going to try and ruin the surprise, were going to wait for just a few minutes, Jones said.

And then came the surprise.

Heres our special guests. Were so glad youre here. Come on in, Jone said.

Twenty students from Lincoln High Schools special education RISE program came bearing gifts.

Are you ready?

Then it came time to open the presents. The excited students made quick work of the wrapping and were overwhelmed by the toys they received.

Super surprised, Hawthorne first-grader Sofia Sharify said.

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Everybody was so happy, Hawthorne first-grader Jostifer Martinez Melgar said.

Donations to the non-profit Promising Futures Fund paid for the gifts. The Lincoln students gift-wrapped them all.

I like to wrap presents and I like to help people celebrate Christmas, Lincoln junior Eli Tornow said.

The Santas from Lincoln are visiting 13 elementary schools in all. All of them have high rates of poverty and a student body grateful for whatever gifts they receive.

For a lot of these kids, you can tell theyre probably not getting much this time of year. And so, you watch that kid open up that monster truck or that Hot Wheels set or that doll, theyre beaming, theyre so excited, Promising Futures Fund Founder & President Steve Hildebrand said.

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The Lincoln students gift-wrapped more than 900 presents in all. They watched as the joyful Hawthorne students opened their presents before it was time to leave and spread that warm-hearted glow of giving to the next school.

The Lincoln students also made stops Thursday at Susan B. Anthony and Terry Redlin Elementary schools.

This is the fourth year the Promising Futures Fund has sponsored this gift distribution.

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Popular liquid-burning firepits have been named as the source behind the death of a New Hampshire couple and the injuries of others.

On Thursday, Dec. 19, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a consumer alert pointing to the portable liquid-burning firepits as a hazard to consumers, saying the products violate the requirements in voluntary safety standard ASTM F3363-19.

Stop using alcohol or other liquid-burning fire pits that violate voluntary standards and present flame jetting and fire hazards, the message from the Consumer Product Safety Commission read. Consumers should immediately stop using and dispose of these products. Sellers should stop selling these products."

Legacy.com Herm and Thelma Stolzenburg Herm and Thelma Stolzenburg

Related: N.H. Woman Warns About Tabletop Fire Pits After Her Parents Die: 'Hope I Can Spare Another Family'

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In June, New Hampshire residents Herm and Thelma Stolzenburg were both engulfed in flames after a tabletop firepit shot out flames while they were sitting around with their family, CBS News reported.

The couple, who were both 93, tragically died a week after the fire left them with severe third-degree burns, according to the outlet.

A month after her parents death, daughter Dee McEneaney told local CBS affiliate WBZ-TV, "All of a sudden, these flames shot out and like a blow torch, is all I describe it as. That totally took over both my parents' bodies."

The Stolzenburgs werent the only ones severely burned by the liquid-burning firepits. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said in its alert that there have ben at least 60 injuries since 2019.

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Related: South Carolina Couple Found Dead in 'Extremely Hot' Home Where Heater Measured Over 1,000 Degrees

According to CBS News, Katelyn Little from Massachusetts also found herself engulfed in flames but survived.

After setting up the firepit, Little told WBZ-TV that she had to jump into the nearby pool to put out the flames, resulting in being hospitalized with second- and third-degree burns.

"I was there for a total of four days being treated by the burn unit, with daily dressing changes and soaks and I didn't get out of bed for four days. I couldn't walk. It was just, it was horrible," Little told the outlet.

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On Oct. 17, the Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled close to 90,000 Colsen-branded firepits after dozens of people reported similar burn injuries.

Use of the recalled fire pits can lead to injury quickly and unexpectedly, causing burns in less than one second, that can be serious and deadly, the organization said in a message on its website.

Read the original article on People
Lithuania has announced its readiness to invest in the production of the Palianytsia drone missile.

Source: Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, following a joint meeting of the governments of Ukraine and Lithuania in Kyiv on 20 December

Quote: "We discussed key issues concerning our continued cooperation, including strengthening the defence capabilities of Ukraine and Europe. We deeply value Lithuanias comprehensive assistance.

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We thank Lithuania and all our partners for their readiness to invest in Ukraines defence industry. Specifically, Lithuania has announced its willingness to invest in the production of the Palianytsia drone missile, which is part of our long-range capabilities programme."

Background: Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umierov earlier confirmed that Lithuania would finance the production of Ukraines long-range drones.

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Lithuania's new ministerial cabinet arrived in Kyiv on Dec. 20, Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas said on X mere hours after Russia's missile attack against the capital.

"It is a privilege & honor to be in Kyiv for my first visit as Prime Minister of Lithuania," Paluckas said, signalling continuation of Vilnius's decisively pro-Ukrainian stance.

Lithuania has been a staunch supporter of Kyiv's struggle against Russian aggression, committing 0.25% of its GDP in future yearly military support for Ukraine.

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"At Kyivs Wall of Remembrance, with my Cabinet of Ministers, I paid my respects to the fallen heroes of Ukraine, men and women who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of their country, and by that  for the freedom of Europe," Paluckas added.

Paluckas took office on Dec. 12 after his Social Democratic Party (LSDP) won the October elections, replacing Ingrida Simonyte.

This morning in #Kyiv began with a Russian missile attack, a stark reminder of the brutal nature of this war.



The entire Lithuanian government is in #Ukraine today to send a clear message - we will stand with Ukraine until victory!



Razom do peremogi!  pic.twitter.com/ggv3zwWVW6  Kestutis Budrys (@BudrysKestutis) December 20, 2024

Lithuania's prime minister was received by his Ukrainian counterpart, Denys Shmyhal, to discuss Europe's defense capabilities, Ukraine's EU and NATO aspirations, and other topics. Following their talks, Shmyhal says Lithuania is ready to invest in Ukraine's new Palianytsia missile-drone hybrid.

"This morning in Kyiv began with a Russian missile attack, a stark reminder of the brutal nature of this war," Lithuania's Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said.

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"The entire Lithuanian government is in Ukraine today to send a clear message - we will stand with Ukraine until victory!"

Ukrainian air defenses shot down five Russian ballistic missiles over Kyiv in the morning, with fallen debris causing fires and damage across the city. At least one person was killed and 12 injured, authorities said.

Read also: Russian missiles strike Kyiv on the eve of holiday season (Photos)

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Some political problems are ideological and philosophical: What should be the moral basis of our thinking about abortion? Some of them are matters of priority: How big an economic price are we willing to pay to meet climate goals? Others are mainlyI was tempted to write simply, but that isnt quite rightmatters of design, which brings me to the news of the day: spending controls.

Outside of a few cranks and economic illiteratesI mean such figures as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders, who are the economic equivalent of flat-eartherspretty much everybody agrees that government at all levels requires spending controls and that this is critically true at the federal level, where debt is more of an issue than it is with the states and municipalities. It would be great if we could trust prudent green-eyeshade types to impose fiscal discipline on their own, but that would require having a Congress full of people willing to tell We the People to go stuff it when We the People, in their infallible wisdom, demand big spending and relatively low taxes.

Since that aint gonna happen, we need some formal rules and procedures. But it is really, really hard to come up with good ones that are politically durable while also doing anything useful on the debt-and-deficit front.

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Statutory budget controlsGramm-Rudman, budget sequestration, etc.have run into political trouble not because they dont work but because they do, and, when they start working, people complain.

A looming government shutdown has been avoided for nowin France, which has had four different prime ministers this year and where the senate has just signed off on a stopgap measure that will keep the government operating while the latest PM, the centrist Francois Bayrou, works out a new budget bill, which probably will not happen until early in the new year.

In the United States, things are looking a little different: Unless a deal is worked out and passed, government spending authority will lapse at one minute after midnight this evening. Donald Trump, who before entering politics had been an incompetent businessman who went to bankruptcy court even more often than he has been to divorce court, loves debt and wants Congress to revoke the statutory limit on federal debt as part of a deal to keep the government operating; short of that, he wants the debt ceiling raised before he enters office for purely political reasons as he himself frankly concedes, i.e., so that he can avoid the embarrassment of having to sign a debt-ceiling increase on his own watch. Hence, U.S. public finances are being held hostage to the petty vanity of an economic imbecile. Speaker of the House Mike Johnsonwho, for his many mortal sins, absolutely deserves to be leading the Republican caucushad already negotiated a deal with Democrats, and Democrats are not especially keen on giving up that deal for one that would be, from their point of view, inferior.

Statutory budget controlsGramm-Rudman, budget sequestration, etc.have run into political trouble not because they dont work but because they do, and, when they start working, people complain, and so Congress guts them or sets them aside or waters them down into nothing. Various gimmicks have been proposed, such as suspending congressional salaries if Congress fails to produce a satisfactory budget, but these are likely to come to nothing, because Congress can always vote to relieve itself if the situation becomes too uncomfortable for its members.

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It is possible to imagine measures that might improve the situation somewhat, such as painful measures (say, suspending Social Security payments) that would kick in six months before a shutdown crisis if the debt ceiling hadnt been dealt with or a budget or appropriations bills passed. But those would suffer from the same shortcomings as any other similar measureCongress could simply suspend itand would also create some ugly incentives for outgoing members of Congress who might want to create a fiscal and economic mess for the next Congress. Returning to regular order rather than relying on stopgap measures would be preferable to the current ad-hocracy, but regular order isnt a solution if it is not regular order in the pursuit of sane fiscal policies.

Under a debt-loving Republican president such as Trump and congressional Republicans who are afraid to assert themselves against him in any case and have almost no incentive to do so in the pursuit of unpopular policies (which budget-balancing measures always will be) or under a Democratic trifecta (in which no one would have any particular incentive to cut anything, though they might raise some taxes very modestly), the political pressure to impose fiscal discipline will never be half as strong as the pressure to keep borrowing and spending and keeping the gravy-train rolling down the tracks until it derails, which might not be for a very long timeor at least not until after the next election.

So what we most need is a way to manage our fiscal affairs without lurching from crisis to crisisand what we do not have is a powerful political incentive to manage our fiscal affairs without lurching from crisis to crisis.

So far, the crises mostly havent been that bad. The occasional shutdown reminds the world that the United States is a country that is powerful not because it is governed well but because it is rich, and that the United States is rich in spite of its not being governed very well at all since around the time of the Eisenhower administration. In response, the world shrugs and sniffs and makes rueful little noises and wishes that its GDP/capita were more like ours and then goes on stockpiling dollars and investing in U.S.-based assets.

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But that wont be true forever.

Everybody knows what needs to be done. Nobody will do it. Anybody who tried to do it probably would suffer political annihilation at the next election. After the trainwreck, Americans will be looking around for someone to blame. They wont need to look far.

Read more at The Dispatch

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TOPEKA (KSNT)  Law enforcement has released new information Thursday after a man was found dead in an area in north Topeka.

Rosie Nichols with the City of Topeka said the suspicious death victim has been identified as Dalton K. Thomas, 31, of Topeka. His death is now under investigation as a hit-and-run.

What Topeka killings remain unsolved in 2024?

Police were called around 6:45 a.m. on Dec. 13 to an area near the intersection of Northwest Topeka Boulevard and Northwest Elm Row. Officers arriving at the scene located a man suffering from life-threatening injuries who was later declared dead. Investigators announced the incident would be investigated as a suspicious death.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is encouraged to contact the TPD by sending an email to telltpd@topeka.org or call 785-368-9400. Anonymous tips can be made by calling Shawnee County Crime Stoppers at 785-234-0007. You can also make anonymous tips online.

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Mickel Cherry pleads guilty in Zoey Felix homicide case

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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BONNER SPRINGS, Kan.  For people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, life after their school years can be difficult. Finding a job, a purpose and a sense of independence is a real struggle. Thats where Happy Hearts Working comes in.

Carol Farnsworth founded the nonprofit because of her son Jack, who has down syndrome. Now, the organization serves nine adults with a variety of disabilities and is looking to take the next step, purchasing a building not just to expand their current capabilities, but to provide a semi-independent living space for four of the adults they serve, who they call associates.

I like the new building, said associate Nate Morerod. Its awesome and Its going to be amazing when it gets finished.

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It fully integrates our associates, like Melissa, into the community, Farnsworth told FOX4. Additionally, the people in the community get to share her joy and she teaches them about her gifts and how purposefully everyone can live lives. And thats what makes the community brighter.

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The building in downtown Bonner Springs, Kansas, would give the associates the ability to walk to stores, take public transportation and feel more involved in the community.

Right now, most of them are living with their families and families get busy and so they dont have a chance to always take them to the different parts of the community, said Mary Miller, who volunteers as a supervisor for Happy Hearts Working. The skills where they feel so much more confident to walk out into the community, to be able to walk into their jobs and know what their jobs are and to perform their jobs independently, that is really fulfilling.

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Their capital campaign to raise funds is nearing their goal of $50,000 to purchase the building.

The Loretto Foundation has also decided to match every donation up to $50,000 as well.

Farnsworth said they would like to finish their campaign by December 31 and are still looking for around $19,000 in donations.

Theyre adults and they look forward to living life like all other adults, said Sheila Stelzer, another supervisor. To have that independent living and us to be able to provide that in the upper part of the building, its going to be amazing.

Supervisors also provide transportation for the associates to get to jobs and volunteer opportunities, and Stelzer says that she can tell how much it means to them.

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Its so awesome to see how important they feel when they get to be a part of the community, she said. And they get to do a job that means something to these companies. It makes them feel really important.

To learn more about Happy Hearts Working, or if youd like to help them reach their capital campaign goals, see here.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB)  Dozens of Santas hit the road Thursday morning, wearing blue suits instead of red ones. Starting on Black Friday, Panama City Beach Police began accepting donations at a few Walmart locations across the area for their annual Cops n Kids toy drive.

Local schools selected the families that could use the help.

Downtown Panama City is glowing this Christmas season

Police tried to meet the needs of the entire list. They may not have gotten to every single one of them, but they sure did help a lot of families.

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120 families received gifts, a Christmas dinner, or both. Thats 10 more families than last year.

The holiday deliveries have increased tremendously throughout the years. We see a lot of joy. We see a lot of excitement. And we know that were providing necessary meals to families who are in need, Citizens assisting police program president Bobbi Griggs said.

Deliveries included toys, bikes, a ham, and other food for a Christmas dinner. Officials say this wouldnt be possible without the communitys help.

The community did an excellent job this year just pitching in. So its really the community helping us, you know, making our vision a reality. So they pitch in and we make sure that all those toys get to the right spot, PCBPD Community Outreach Division Lt. Tommy Anderson said.

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The special part for me is thinking about a kid waking up at Christmas, finding that toy thats magical. You know, where there wouldnt be one. Or maybe its the dinner that were taking to the parents that offers some relief, that offers some hope, that reassures them that theyre not alone, Anderson said.

Theres no steadiness to the job; State officials shine a light on mental health for first responders

Not only does this annual drive help families, but it also creates connections between the community and their local law enforcement.

Im here today because I love to see the joy on the kids faces when we come to the house. Were glad were able to be part of that and be able to supply that need and, and help out at this time of the year, Volunteer Terry Driskill said.

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Officers say they expect the toy drive to grow, providing gifts and dinner to even more families next year.

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EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI)  There are about 170 million TikTok users in the United States but the fate of the social media app is questionable.

Two weeks ago, a U.S. appeals court upheld a law that would ban TikTok starting Jan. 19 unless the China-based parent company agrees to sell it.

Just this week, the Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments by TikTok in January about whether the law restricts speech in violation of the First Amendment.

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Congressman Jim Langevin said the app poses a security threat to Americans in terms of data collection.

It could be very valuable to, say, the intelligence community in China to collect that data if they ever needed it or wanted to access it, he explained. We have a different system of government and a different economy than China.

BACKGROUND: Federal appeals court upholds law requiring sale or ban of TikTok in the US

Rhode Islander Ian Brownhill is one of the many content creators whose full-time job has become TikTok. Now he is raising concerns about losing his main source of income.

I feel like theres not enough information that Im receiving as a content creator, as someone who utilizes the platform to fully understand exactly why they feel that there is a threat to the American people, he said.

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Theres also that part of me that understands that if there is a real threat coming from having our data out there and they could show it to us, I would be on board, he continued.

TikTok has long denied it shares user data with China and has refused to sell the app.

President-elect Donald Trump has grown increasingly sympathetic to TikToks causes. He campaigned on a promise to save the app but has yet to offer a solution.

The Supreme Court will hear arguments from content creators and TikTok on Jan. 10.

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A ChatGPT-generated image of Alaska includes some strange-looking waterfowl.

Alaska Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavys transition plan for Donald Trump includes a laundry list of wishes for the next four years of federal governing  namely, opening up more lands for oil and mining development, roads and logging.

It also comes with something else: a pair of sinister-looking bird-like figures gracing the otherwise-idyllic wilderness scene on the reports cover page.

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The two figures are dwarfed by a more regularly proportioned bear and moose that appear next to a lake and cabin beneath craggy mountain peaks.

But a few eagle-eyed observers noticed the strange avian forms  which drew some bemusement and laughter along with a little derision from those with ornithological expertise.

I asked some of our most knowledgeable and esteemed birders and biologists to identify those birds, and their scientific, postdoctoral response was: What the hell are those? said Mr. Whitekeys, the musician and entertainer who is also board president of the Anchorage Audubon Society. Im guessing that this is AI, and somebody asked AI to generate a picture with a mountain, a moose, a bear, a lake, a cabin and two piles of bear poop.

Whitekeys, who stressed that he was speaking solely for himself and not the Audubon Society, is at least partially correct: A spokesperson for Dunleavy, Jeff Turner, said he checked with a contract attorney involved in the reports creation and that the image was generated using ChatGPT  a reference to one of the most popular AI chatbots.

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Turner did not respond when asked to share the prompt that generated the image.

Asked about the origins of what, to a reporter, appeared to be satanic ducks, Craig Richards, the contract attorney, said the terms of his agreement with the state barred him from discussing his work without gubernatorial approval.

I would love to talk about ducks, said Richards, a former Alaska attorney general. But that is what my contract provides.

The image is the latest example of AI-generated errors sneaking into official business  both at the state and national levels. Earlier this year, the Alaska Beacon revealed that a proposed cellphone policy drafted by the states education commissioner had depended on AI and included citations of studies that dont exist.

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More famously, a former Trump attorney, Michael Cohen, unwittingly gave his own lawyer legal citations that didnt exist; instead, they were generated by Googles AI assistant.

AI assistants are great tools, but all of them rely on some proofing, said Kenrick Mock, an artificial intelligence expert and dean of the University of Alaska Anchorages engineering college.

Weve seen several instances of this with text-generated documents, where if theyre not proofed, they might not have things that exist in reality  even if you want them to, he said.

The Alaska bird images provoked a range of responses when posted to Northern Journals social media accounts.

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One person said it evoked the Loch Ness Monster  if it lived beneath the surface of Wonder Lake inside Denali National Park and Preserve.

Please tell me this is at least coming from the free version of AI software, said another.

Whitekeys, the musician and birder, said he observed clear shadows on the righthand sides of the moose and bear but, strangely, less so next to the waterfowl. He cheekily suggested that thats consistent with a vampire grebe  grebes are a species of diving bird  that dont cast shadows at all.

Vampire grebes or satanic vampire grebes  its a subspecies, he said. You know, theyre probably there because both Mike Dunleavy and Donald Trump are committed to saving endangered species. And those are probably the only two birds on the face of the earth of that species left.

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Nathaniel Herz welcomes tips at natherz@gmail.com or (907) 793-0312. This article was originally published in Northern Journal, a newsletter from Herz. Subscribe at this link.

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The dramatic turn of events in Syrias 13-year civil war has consumed the worlds attention for the past few weeks. A lightning rebel offensive ousted the countrys long-ruling dictator, Bashar al-Assad, and created the opportunity to end the countrys lengthy internal conflict. With hostilities still unfolding in parts of the country, lasting peace is far from certain, but the possibility of it alone is welcome news.

Given the drama in Syria, it was easy to overlook positive developments in another long-running war. On Dec. 4, the Ethiopian government reached a ceasefire with the Oromo Liberation Army, or OLA. Conflict between the government and various rebel groups in the Oromia region has been ongoing since the early 1970s, with the fighting between the Ethiopian government and the OLA having persisted after the Oromo Liberation Front, or OLF, splintered off following a peace deal in 2018. The conflict in Oromia was in addition to Ethiopias war against the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front, which lasted from 2020 to 2022, and ongoing fighting in the Amhara region.

Sadly, there might be another reason that the ceasefire in Ethiopia attracted little attention, a reason with ominous implications for Syria and the other conflicts raging around the world: It didnt last, as the terms of the agreement have already been violated. Moreover, the ceasefire only addressed one aspect of one of the conflicts afflicting Ethiopia and inflicting a devastating toll on its people.

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The continuation of Ethiopias interconnected internal conflicts is concerning in and of itself. But there are also worries that Ethiopia and its northern neighbor Eritrea, which itself seceded in 1991 from Ethiopia following a long and bloody civil war, are on the verge of conflict again. The two nations fought a devastating border war in the late 1990s followed by a frozen conflict until a peace settlement was reach in 2018. That settlement earned Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, but relations have deteriorated since then. Indeed, relations are tense between Addis Ababa and its other neighbors, Somalialargely over efforts by Ethiopia, a landlocked country, to gain coastal accessand Egypt, due to disputes over Ethiopias massive dam project on the Nile River. Any one of these potential conflicts could destabilize the entire Horn of Africa.

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The intractability of conflict in and around Ethiopia points to a broader concern, one worth reflecting upon as we close out another record year of global conflict: wars persistence. According to the data collected by scholars of conflict, there has not been a single year in the past 200-plus years that did not witness a war somewhere on Earth. To be clear, wars dont happen everywhere. Indeed, most places most of the time are free of war. In his recent book, Why We Fight, Chris Blattman notes that war is still the exception to daily life for many, adding that even the bitterest of enemies prefer to loath one another in peace. But war is always occurring somewhere on Earth. And for those living amid war, it is a devastating experience filled with the harshest cruelties that humans can inflict on each other.

Why war persists has long been seen as the fundamental problem facing humanity. Entire academic disciplinesincluding my own, international relationsare centered on understanding the persistence and causes of war. Recently Richard Overy, a historian of World War II, engaged in a comprehensive review of what is known about the causes of war across various academic disciplines. His conclusion was that, while the potential causes of war are many, the core feature of war is that it will never be eradicated.

What is clear is that the use of violence appears to be fundamentally related to a hard truth: Humans live on a planet that is finite in land and space.

That assessment stands in contrast to the viewperhaps most famously argued by Steven Pinker in his bestseller, The Better Angels of Our Naturethat violence of all types is diminishing, with war being no exception. But that seems hard to accept, both in light of specific instances of intractable conflict as well as the record number of conflicts globally in recent years. Even if the number of wars was in decline, which it wasnt, war itself is far from over.

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Why does war persist? Why is it that even if Ethiopia ends up enjoying peace sometime soon, another war is likely to take its place somewhere else? As Overy detailed in his book, there are many possible reasons.

Some scholars, such as the esteemed political scientist of the mid-20th century, Hans Morgenthau, placed the blame on human nature. As Morgenthau famously wrote in his classic, Politics Among Nations, Men do not fight because they have arms. They have arms because they deem it necessary to fight. Others traced the cause of war to the absence of a world government: States seek to defend themselves and even attack others out of fear. Alternatively, the lack of a world government means some states can greedily exploit others because there is no global police to call to stop them.

Others claim war persists because humans have only recently come to adopt democracywhich arguably impedes violenceas a form of government. While 2024 might have been a record year for conflict, it was also a record year for elections. With democracy on the rise, the hope is that if it can eventually succeed in countries that have resisted it, perpetual peace will be possible.

Still others consider the cause of war to be mens dominance of international diplomacy: While war and violence are threats to all humans in the international system, they are specifically due to men having long held outsized influence in domestic political systems.

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All of these explanations capture mechanisms that can lead to war in some instances, but not others. Unfortunately, it is unclear under what precise circumstances those factorsbe they human nature, anarchy, lack of democracy or toxic masculinitywill trigger a war, and whether they operate alone or in combination. More work is needed to uncover and predict the onset of violence in specific instances.

What is clear is that the use of violence appears to be fundamentally related to a hard truth: Humans live on a planet that is finite in land and space, and historically the most effective means of controlling that space or moving others off of it is with the threat and, if necessary, the use of violence. This isnt to say that all wars are due to the need to hold and control territory. But focusing on competition over territoryand over the competing meanings attached to that territorycan go a long way toward explaining the persistence of war.

War is persistent because the earth is finite. Indeed, the centrality of land in the persistence of conflict appears evident in the ongoing conflicts in Ethiopia. From the border dispute with Eritrea to the various internal conflicts in the country, all are centered on the need to control land.

And the fragility of the recent ceasefire agreement in Ethiopia underscores concerns over a similarly fragile ceasefire in Lebanon, as well as over the inability to reach a ceasefire for the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and the risk of a return to civil war in Syria. As 2024 comes to a close, the problem of wars persistence will sadly remain with us.

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Paul Poast is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Chicago and a nonresident fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

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The post As Long as There Is Territory to Fight Over, War Will Be With Us appeared first on World Politics Review.
HIGH POINT  When Nicks Sub Shop & Grill closes on Saturday, it wont be because business has been slow at the longtime south High Point restaurant.

Owner Ernest Mellonas said the Greek fare and other offerings on the menu are still a popular draw 37 years after his family opened the restaurant at the Fairfield Square strip center at 1102 W. Fairfield Road.

Lunch is definitely busy, he said. The subs, gyros, salads  kind of everything sells. Weve always had good business here. Were not leaving because of business.

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Mellonas said he and his family would have preferred to stay but have been unable to come to acceptable terms with their landlord on a new lease.

He declined to comment on why he did not want to sign a new lease being offered by Fairfield Square LLC, which acquired the property in January after its original owner died.

He said hes moving the restaurant to a former Subway next to Davidson-Davie Community College just south of Thomasville and hopes to open it by March.

Its 15 minutes from here. We looked around High Point, Thomasville and Archdale and couldnt find anything, Mellonas said. Even if 50% of our customers dont follow us, we think we can gain that much new business because we have really good food.

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Fairfield Square LLC Property Manager Hannah Ritch said she tried for months to secure a new lease with Nicks.

I truly hate to see Nicks make the decision to leave their flagship location, which has been a staple in the community for so many years, Ritch said. For the record, Fairfield Square LLC has tried everything in its power to provide a lease with terms acceptable to Nicks and has always had the intention to do everything possible for Nicks to stay.

The restaurant was the original tenant when Fairfield Square was developed by Curtis Austin in 1987.

It was started by Mellonas sister, Esther Asprogiannis, and her husband, Nick Asprogiannis, as well as his later father, Selas Mellonas.

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He worked there off and on from the beginning and he and his wife, Alexandra, purchased it in 2006 from his sister and brother-in-law, who own Peppermill Cafe in High Point.

After Austin died last year, his heirs sold the center to Fairfield Square LLC. Nicks lease expired Jan. 1, 2024, and has had a month-to-month arrangement since then.

Ritch said the restaurant and other tenants were paying rents far below market-rate amounts.

Most of the tenants have been long-term tenants that have been paying the same rent for 5, 10, 15-plus years, she said.

Her company has sought to secure new leases that keep tenants in place while improving the property to attract more businesses and customer traffic, she said.

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In August, she presented Nicks with a proposed five-year lease with current and future monthly rent rates below comparable commercial spaces, she said.

It was a standard triple-net lease  where tenants also take on responsibility for taxes, insurance, and maintenance  which is the common commercial lease used for this particular type of strip center, she said.

She eventually heard from Mellonas that he would sign a three-year lease, but later learned that the restaurant backed out because of concerns about being obligated to pay for future repairs to their share of the building.

Mellonas said hes optimistic about the new location, which is just off what will be an expanded highway interchange at U.S. 29/70 and DCCC. He said most of the restaurants seven employees are coming to the new location. He said he owns all the restaurant equipment and will move that as well.

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Moving a restaurant is going to be very expensive, he said.

The new location is a freestanding building about the same size as the restaurants current space.

Its right off the highway so we hopefully will get highway business and college business, he said.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO)  2024 has been a bit of an odd year when it comes to weather, which has an impact on South Dakotas largest industry agriculture.

The South Dakota Agri-Business Associations Agronomy Conference this week is a chance for farmers, agronomists, crop advisors and more to look at what the past year was like in their industry.

What the latest trends and research is  we just heard from a weather speaker, Liv Stavick, Executive Director of the South Dakota Agri-Business Association, said. So anything within the realm of crop management we cover at this conference.

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It also allows agriculture professionals to network and maybe even discuss the challenges from the year  which 2024 had its fair share of.

We like to say, in our industry, we can do everything right as far as agronomically but were at the mercy of Mother Nature and this year was another year of curveballs that she threw at us, Kafka said.

Cody Kafka with CHS Farmers Alliance in Mitchell says things started off hit and miss in terms of precipitation in May, but then, of course, came June.

We had almost a years worth of rain in June in a lot of parts of the state, Kafka said. That had a pretty big impact on the crop. Then in July, August and September, the rain pretty much shut off.

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Kafka says what wasnt drowned out from June yielded well for most of the state, however, field averages were subpar because of the acres that did drown out.

He says the biggest thing impacting the industry right now, though, is low commodity prices.

Corn yields made up for a lot for the commodity price of that one. Beans  poor yield paired with poor prices have led to a lot of near zero margins for farmers when it comes to soybeans, Kafka said.

Now, as we enter into winter, Kafka says they hope to get more moisture into the ground for the next growing season.

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The cattle guys dont like to hear it but we need some good snow  meaningful snow and for it to stick around, not just fall and melt, Kafka said.

Kafka says another big thing for farmers going forward is the lack of a farm bill and uncertainties surrounding subsidies.

The old farm bill passed in 2018 and was set to expire in 2023 but Congress extended it one year. However, that extension will also soon expire.

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 KELOLAND.com.
Russian forces have captured the settlements of Trudove and Uspenivka, completing the occupation of the final segment of the "Uspenivka pocket" [the area around the settlements of Yelyzavetivka, Romanivka, Veselyi Hai and Hannivka]. Unfortunately, not all Ukrainian troops managed to break out of the encirclement.

Source: Ukrainian analytical project DeepState Map

Details: The capture of Trudove and Uspenivka marked the final phase of the occupation of the "Uspenivka pocket". Analysts noted that not all Ukrainian units were able to escape the encirclement. According to DeepState, this issue remains the responsibility of those who allowed such a situation to occur.

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Quote: "The enemy is regrouping in the occupied area and has intensified actions on the flanks of a new potential 'pocket'. Assault operations from Stari Terny towards the Shevchenko-Andriivka sector are being conducted continuously. Additional pressure is present from the side of Sontsivka, which the Russians have also recently fully occupied."

Details: The Russians are also actively attacking the area around Zelenivka, using both equipment and infantry to advance toward new strategic objectives, particularly Andriivka through Kostiantynopil.

Quote: "The Russians are actively using equipment and infantry here, deploying them as close to the line of contact as possible, where they disperse and try to entrench in the tree lines for further advancement."

Background: Analysts from the DeepState project reported on 12 December that the situation around the settlements of Yelyzavetivka, Romanivka, Veselyi Hai and Hannivka, which have found themselves inside the "Uspenivka pocket" in Donetsk Oblast, had been getting worse. The Russians are trying to break through defences from all sides to create a situation of complete encirclement of Ukrainian troops.

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Lower gas prices might be the best gift for this years holiday travelers.

This holiday season is shaping up to be a gift for American drivers, with gas prices presenting a stark contrast to the budget-breaking levels weve seen in recent years and a return to what feels like normal for many Americans filling their tanks, Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said in a release.

After waiting an exhausting two years for imbalances brought on by COVID and Russias war on Ukraine to settle down, were finally getting back to normal, he said.

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According to AAA, the average gas prices as of Friday:

 Nation: $3.05

 Pennsylvania: $3.22

 Berks County: $3.17

 Montgomery County: $3.03

 Chester County: $3.03

 Delaware County: $3.04

 Lehigh County: $3.08

 Schuylkill County: $3.15

Traveling

AAA projects 119.3 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home over the year-end holiday period of Dec. 21 to Jan. 1, according to a posting on its website.

The domestic travel projection for this season narrowly surpasses the previous record set in 2019 by 64,000 travelers.

AAA expects an additional 3 million travelers this holiday season compared with last year.

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This is the time of year when lifelong memories are made with loved ones, and travel plays a big role in that, Stacey Barber, vice president of AAA Travel, said in the posting. This year, with Christmas Day falling on a Wednesday, were anticipating record-breaking travel numbers the weekend before and the weekend after the holiday.

Travel modes

AAA says about 90% of holiday travelers will be driving to their destinations, making it the most popular way to travel.

Officials said 107 million people are expected to travel by car. That number is 2.5 million higher than last year, its shy of 2019s record of 108 million.

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AAA also notes that gas prices are lower this year than last year, when the national average was around $3.12 in the last two weeks of 2023. They noted demand for gas drops in December as the weather gets colder.

Airlines

AAA expects air travel to set a record this holiday season with 7.85 million passengers, surpassing the previous record of 7.5 million air travelers last year.

AAA said its booking data shows flights are 4% more expensive this holiday season compared with last year. The average domestic ticket is $830. International flights are 13% more expensive, averaging $1,630 a ticket.

Other modes

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The number of Americans traveling by bus, train and cruise this holiday season is up nearly 10% compared with 2023.

AAA expects 4.47 million people will travel by other modes of transport. That number is the highest its been in 20 years.

Travel times

INRIX, a provider of transportation data and insights, expects drivers will experience the worst traffic delays the weekends before Christmas and New Years Day. The holidays themselves are expected to have minimal congestion.

With a near record number of auto travelers expected this holiday season, drivers should expect delays in and around major metro areas, with Sunday, Dec. 22, expected to be the nations worst day to travel, said Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX. Our advice is to avoid traveling during peak commuting hours during the week. If schedules allow, leave bright and early or after the evening commute.

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The breakdown for traveling:

 Dec. 21: Worst between 4 and 8 p.m.; best before 2 p.m.

 Dec. 22: Worst between 3 and 8 p.m.; best before noon.

 Dec. 23: Worst between 1 and 6 p.m.; best before 11 a.m.

 Dec. 24: Minimal traffic impact expected.

 Dec. 25: Minimal traffic impact expected.

 Dec. 26: Worst between noon and 5 p.m.; best before 11 a.m.

 Dec. 27: Worst between 3 and 7 p.m.; best before 2 p.m.

 Dec. 28: Worst between 1:30 and 7 p.m.; best before 11 a.m.

 Dec. 29: Worst between noon and 6 p.m.; best before 11 a.m.

 Dec. 30: Worst between 5 and 7 p.m.; best before 2 p.m.

 Dec. 31: Minimal traffic impact expected.

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 Jan. 1: Minimal traffic impact expected.

 Jan. 2: worst between 4 and 8 p.m.; best before 3 p.m.

Airports

The Transportation Security Administration said this holiday season is expected to be one of the busiest on record for air travel and offered advice for getting through security smoothly.

In a press release the agency said:

We are seeing a lot of travelers arrive at our checkpoints with beverages and a variety of knives. Its important to remember that liquids, gels, aerosols and spreadables are limited to 3.4 ounces in one clear quart-sized bag in carry-on bags. Finish that bottle of water, energy drink or cup of coffee before you get to the checkpoint. Pack the larger shampoo, toothpaste, sunblock and hair gel in a checked bag. As for knives, if you must travel with a knife, please pack it in your checked bag.

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We know that passengers will be traveling with gifts, and thats OK. However, we strongly recommend that instead of wrapping gifts with paper and tape that the gifts be placed in gift bags or gift boxes with tissue paper. That way, if the item triggers an alarm, our officers can easily resolve the alarm without needing to unwrap the gift.

Individuals often like to travel with food when flying during the holiday season. Solid items like fruitcake, candy canes and chocolates are solids and may be transported in a carry-on bag.

However, liquids and spreadable foods such as eggnog, wine, maple syrup and preserves are not solid and should be packed in checked bags.

Heres a helpful tip: If you can spill it, spread it, spray it, pump it or pour it and it is larger than 3.4 ounces, it needs to be packed in a checked bag.

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Weather

Mother Nature is bringing a bit of a mixed bag for the holiday period.

According to AccuWeather:

 Dec. 21: Windy and cold with clouds and sun; it will feel like midwinter; high, 32.

 Dec. 22: Partly sunny and very cold; the coldest air so far this season; high, 24.

 Dec. 23: Mostly sunny; high, 30

 Dec. 24 (Christmas Eve): Mostly cloudy with a snow shower; perhaps mixed with rain late in the day; high, 34.

 Dec. 25 (Christmas Day): Intervals of clouds and sunshine; high, 38.

 Dec. 26: Considerable cloudiness with steady rain becoming intermittent; high, 41.

 Dec. 27: Sun followed by increasing clouds; high, 42.

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 Dec. 28: Rain; high, 47

 Dec. 29: Low clouds; high, 49.

 Dec. 30: Rain; high, 51.

 Dec. 31: Periods of rain; high, 50

 Jan. 1: Sun and areas of low clouds; high, 47

 Jan. 2: Mostly cloudy; high, 45.
DELPHI, Ind.  Standing in front of a projected image of Abigail "Abby" Williams and Liberty "Libby" German, Indiana State Police Sgt. Jeremy Piers said it is important to keep the girls at the forefront of why the public and media had gathered at the Wabash and Erie Canal Park.

The reminder came after Friday's sentencing of Richard Allen, who received 130 years in prison in the 2017 murders of Williams and German.

Carroll County Sheriff Tony Liggett said the end of 2016, a reference to the fatal house fire in Flora that claimed the lives of four young sisters, and the beginning of 2017 changed the fabric of Carroll County.

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Carroll County is a tight-knit community of about 20,000 people. It used to be a place where people didnt lock their doors, Liggett said. I believe that the verdict will help keep some of that sense of security.

After Allens Nov. 11 conviction, Liggett said he frequently had people ask whether he was glad there was finally closure. But, Liggett said, there will never be closure.

The Germans and the Williams families lost their daughters, their granddaughters, their siblings, Liggett said. A form of justice was served, but it does not bring Abby or Libby back.

Countless milestones for those families will be missed, Liggett said, because of a lowlife coward.

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Today is not closure, it was just turning the page and starting a new chapter, he said. My heart is, and always has been, broken for these families. I want them to know that we stand with them, and I want to apologize that it took eight years.

Liggett said it took 36 additional outside agencies to help with security for the trial, and that more were there to assist in the early days of the investigation.

But both Liggett and ISP Superintendent Doug Carter credited justice being served to one person: Kathy Shank, a volunteer and retired child protective services investigator with a career spanning 40 years.

Through the investigation, Liggett said Shank would frequently bring pieces of evidence to investigators. All had been previously known, he said, except for the tip that led police to Allen.

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Carter said that over the last few years of the investigation, he and other officers had been ostracized for their emotions and inability to answer questions at times. "Any notion of a cover-up, any notion of us deciding the outcome, Carter said, "is not correct.

Carter said he and other officers lived by the gag order Special Judge Fran Gull set, while Allens attorneys, Andrew Baldwin and Bradley Rozzi, did not.

They took aim and people online and on social media who shared leaked crime scene photos of the girls.

Anybody who shared those photographs of those two little girls should be held accountable, Carter said of leaked evidence. Whether theyre in the public sphere, or if theyre emailed to you, or if you found them in places where others can see: I hope you if ever seen them, you will picture your own children as Abby and Libby. I will never forgive that. I will never, ever forgive that.

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After Allens trial, Carter said he was listening to an Indianapolis-based lawyer on the radio discuss that the only people who mattered in the courtroom were the jury, something Carter hadnt thought about before in his career.

We have a system of justice that allows them to decide the fate of the human being; thats what our founders had established, and thats what they did, Carter said.

While acknowledging that mistakes were made during the investigation, Carter said he would crawl across shards of hot glass for Jerry Holeman, the ISP lieutenant who interviewed Allen in 2022.

Recalling squabbles with Holeman and former Carroll County Sheriff Tobe Leazenby, Carter said Allens defense attempted to use those arguments to show their incompetence, calling the efforts ridiculous.

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With the investigation over, Carter said it is time to heal.

Tone down the rhetoric. Stop all of the politics and all of the nonsense and all of the conspiracy theories, he said. Understand that we all did the best we could.

Carter paused, double-tapping the podiums platform, with one last comment.

Well done."

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana police defend Delphi investigation, call Richard Allen a 'coward'
Luigi Mangione is under monitoring in a 9-by-7-foot federal solitary-confinement cell in Brooklyn.

On Monday, he may be moved to the same protective unit as Diddy and SBF, who are in the same jail.

A prison consultant called his conditions "miserable."

Luigi Mangione is being held in a 9-by-7-foot solitary-confinement cell at the federal jail in Brooklyn that also houses the rap mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs and the cryptocurrency fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried, Business Insider has learned.

The trio could be living together in the same 15-man protective-custody unit as early as Monday, Sam Mangel, a prison consultant who has knowledge of Mangione's housing, said.

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Federal prison records confirmed Friday morning that Mangione, Combs, and Bankman-Fried were at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center.

Mangione is set to remain in solitary until at least Monday in one of MDC's small cinderblock Special Housing Unit cells  in a unit also known as "the SHU" and "the hole," Mangel said.

He'll eat meals in his cell, and inmates in his situation are typically allowed out for one hour of recreation or showering a day. Guards are supposed to check on him every 15 minutes.

"Miserable, just miserable," Mangel said when asked to describe conditions in federal solitary-confinement cells.

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"SHUs are notoriously loud. You have people in there for psychiatric issues, for disciplinary reasons, and for withdrawal" from drugs, he said, adding: "So it is the loudest place in the jail  people are banging on their doors at all hours of the night."

Mangione is being held without bail on death-penalty-eligible federal charges in the December 4 ambush fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. He has yet to be arraigned on New York charges of murder as an act of terror, which carries a top sentence of life without parole.

Mangione is being held in Brooklyn's notorious federal jail. AP Photo/Pamela Smith

New, high-profile inmates are often monitored in solitary cells in the days before their units are assigned, said Mangel, who said he had been in communication with the defense team through Craig Rothfeld, a prison consultant.

Rothfeld, who was in the audience for Mangione's first federal court appearance on Thursday, declined to comment.

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"It's a standard protocol," Mangel said. "This is especially true for a young man that, you know, might have some psychiatric concerns or his legal team or the BOP has concerns," he added, referring to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

"Even though it's called the 'SHU,' it's not for disciplinary reasons. It's strictly for administrative reasons," Mangel said.

A Bureau of Prisons spokesperson declined to comment, saying: "For privacy, safety, and security reasons, we do not discuss the conditions of confinement for any individual including their housing assignments."

Karen Friedman Agnifilo told BI that neither she nor Marc Agnifilo, her cocounsel, had spoken to Mandel. They did not immediately comment on Mangione's jail conditions.

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The husband-and-wife team's Manhattan firm, Agnifilo Intrater, also represents Combs, who is being held without bail while awaiting a trial scheduled for May 5 on federal sex-trafficking charges.

He has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.

In representing Combs, the firm complained about conditions at MDC throughout three unsuccessful bail applications, arguing that there were frequent random lockdowns and that inmates were deprived of basic trial-preparation materials, such as folders and notebooks. Combs' attorney Marc Agnifilo called the conditions "horrific" in one court filing.

One former prosecutor described the federal jail as frequently too cold or too hot and crawling with cockroaches  basically, "hell on earth."

The Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn holds people before and after they go to trial. REUTERS/Mike Segar

Mangione's solitary-confinement cell would be equipped with a metal bunk-style bed and a steel one-piece combination toilet and sink. If he's lucky, the cell has a small built-in writing desk.

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"You're usually only allowed out for one hour a day, but it could be more restrictive due to staffing issues, where you're only allowed out three times a week to take a shower or walk in a small, enclosed area," Mangel said.

Mangione would also be allowed out of his cell for attorney calls and visits, Mangel said.

"The defendant is actually sitting in a cage during the call," he said. "It's like a fenced-in area that has a monitor, and it's behind plexiglass, and the defendant is able to talk and have an unmonitored legal call during that time, usually for one-hour blocks."

Defendants can find these calls canceled at the last minute "because there's lockdowns and staffing issues," Mangel said, adding: "You get everything arranged, and then we're on the call, waiting, and the defendant never shows up."

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He said he expected Mangione would have better access to phones and visitors after he's moved to the jail's protective custody early next week.

Mangel said he had been a prison consultant for Bankman-Fried, who is serving a 25-year sentence for stealing $8 billion from customers of his FTX crypto exchange. Bankman-Fried has remained at MDC's protective custody unit since his arrest last year.

Mangione's next federal court date was set for January 18. As of Friday morning, a date had not been set for his Manhattan arraignment on state murder charges.

This story has been updated to include responses from the BOP and Mangione's attorney.

Read the original article on Business Insider
It was writings laid bare in a notebook found in Luigi Mangiones possession, authorities say, that would help investigators build the federal case against him  a well-planned homicide that involved stalking the movements of his alleged victim, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

An entry dated August 15, reads: the details are finally coming together, according to a 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.

The target is insurance because it checks every box, the notebook read, according to the complaint.

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The federal complaint marked investigators first public acknowledgment of the notebook, more than a week after its existence was first reported by CNN.

The high-profile case took an unusual turn when Mangione, 26, was hit with new federal charges Thursday, on top of state charges hes already facing for the executives December 4 killing in Manhattan, including for first-degree murder as an act of terrorism. The move appeared to take his lawyers by surprise.

Now, the state and federal trials will work in parallel, according to the Manhattan District Attorneys Office.

But Mangiones defense attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo said the new charges  which include murder through use of a firearm, two stalking charges and a firearms offense  raise serious constitutional and statutory double jeopardy concerns.

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Though its unusual for federal prosecutors to take on a case like Mangiones, legal experts say, a motion for double jeopardy  a doctrine that prohibits anyone from being prosecuted twice for the same offense  is unlikely to succeed.

Mangione, who will now be held in federal detention, is expected to face the state trial before his federal trial, prosecutors said. Manhattan prosecutors are working with the federal authorities to schedule an arraignment for Mangione on state murder charges that could happen as soon as Monday. Federal prosecutors, meanwhile, are next expected to seek an indictment from a grand jury.

The federal charges introduce the possibility of Mangione being sentenced to death if hes 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.

Notebook helps feds build their case

The notebook authorities say was in Mangiones possession contained several handwritten pages that express hostility toward the health insurance industry and wealthy executives in particular, according to the federal complaint.

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The details from the notebook helped the feds build their case because it demonstrates the interstate stalking and the premeditated lying in wait, said David Shapiro, a lecturer at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Its all there and part of a months-long plan to cross state lines.

In an entry on October 22, the writer said, This investor conference is a true windfall  and  most importantly  the message becomes self evident. The entry also described the intent to wack the CEO of an insurance company at the conference.

Its unusual for federal prosecutors to take on a case like Mangiones, Shapiro says, because historically, murder has been primarily prosecuted by the states since its a crime committed in a specific jurisdiction.

The federal complaint added four new federal charges against Mangione, who was previously indicted on 11 counts this week in New York. The charges include two counts of second-degree murder, one of which alleges he committed murder as a crime of terrorism.

Luigi Mangione is escorted from the Blair County Court House in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, after an extradition hearing on Tuesday, December 10. - Eduardo Munoz/Reuters

But, bringing both state and federal charges is not unprecedented.

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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 utilizing 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.

Defense questions concurrent charges

As Mangione made his first New York court appearance on Thursday, Agnifilo asked prosecutors to clarify whether theres a joint investigation among the federal and state prosecutors or two separate investigations.

Mangiones defense team appears to be poised to argue the concurrent charges may run afoul of his rights as a criminal defendant, several legal experts told CNN.

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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, Agnifilo said. We are ready to fight these charges in whatever court they are brought.

Agnifilos request to prosecutors on Thursday is about creating smoke and doubt, Shapiro said.

Mangiones lawyer could make a motion for double jeopardy, but its unlikely to succeed, according to both Shapiro and Elie Honig, a CNN senior legal analyst and former federal and state prosecutor. The Supreme Court ruled in 2019 that state and federal agencies can bring charges against a person for the same conduct because they operate as separate entities.

It does not violate double jeopardy principles to have the same person charged by the feds and the state separately, Honig told CNN. The rationale there is, these are separate governmental entities, and in this case, the nature of the charges is different in technical respect.

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Its not likely that a judge at the trial level is going to take a chance on ruling this is double jeopardy and throwing it out, according to Shapiro, because the societal stakes are huge.

Karen Friedman Agnifilo, lawyer of Luigi Mangione, walks outside a US district court in New York, on Thursday, December 19. - Jeenah Moon/Reuters

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the state case against Mangione will proceed in parallel with the federal case.

According to Shapiro, however, parallel suggests sort of two independent tracks, one above the other. Instead, he says, the two federal and state investigators are in fact intersecting tracks, like threads in yarn. They are working together.

Finding an impartial jury could be tough

Federal prosecutors asked that Mangione be detained and his attorneys told the court they will not seek bail at the moment but reserve the right to do so later. Mangione is being held in Brooklyns Metropolitan Detention Center, the only federal jail operating in New York City.

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The biggest issue facing Mangiones prosecution is jury nullification because, according to Shapiro, youre going to get a jury pool that is going to be somewhat familiar with the case.

The killing of Thompson, a husband and father of two, exposed many Americans fury toward the health care industry and Mangione garnered widespread support on social media after his arrest. Since his killing, officials have seen a shocking and appalling celebration of cold-blooded murder, said NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.

Luigi Mangione sits between his defense attorneys Karen Friedman Agnifilo and her husband Marc Agnifilo during his federal court hearing in New York on Thursday, December 19. - Jane Rosenberg/Reuters

Jurors can choose to nullify the law and return a not guilty verdict based on their own personal convictions, Shapiro said, even when they believe evidence presented at trial proves guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Jury nullification is the secret hope and dream of every defense attorney that doesnt have a case, Shapiro said. You cant argue for nullification as a defense attorney. But a juror can decide on his or her own to nullify the law, to ignore the evidence, and to say they wont convict because of their own reasons.

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Whats at play in both the federal and state cases against Mangione, according to Shapiro, is that its likely prosecutors dont want to try the case because it gives Mangione a soap box to air his views.

I think they want Mangione to plead out, which is why theyre holding the death penalty against him, he said.

CNNs Andy Rose, Kara Scannell, Lauren del Valle, Aditi Sangal and John Miller contributed to this report.

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Gen Z fans of Luigi Mangione are creating AI chatbot versions of the alleged murderer who they can talk to online.

The AI chatbots designed to impersonate the alleged murderer of Brian Thompson, the UnitedHealthcare chief, are hosted on the website Character AI. They used CCTV pictures of Mr Mangione that were shared during a manhunt and described him as a hero and it boy.

Character AI has been criticised after failing to stop users creating AI bots of dead children, school shooters and murder victims.

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The app, which is popular with millions of teenagers and can be used by children as young as 13, allows users to create AI chatbots, imbue them with a personality and share them with others.

The latest bots of Mr Mangione collectively had engaged in tens of thousands of chats. While Character AI had since removed many of the bots, some, which included minor misspellings of Mangiones name, remained online.

Forbes, which first reported the presence of the bots, said one confessed to murdering the UnitedHealthcare boss. Mr Mangione has been charged with his murder. His lawyers have indicated he may fight the charges.

The killing has been lionised by many Americans on the Left amid widespread anger at the US health insurance industry over rising costs and denied claims.

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Some of the bots included the phrase deny, defend, depose, which was allegedly written on bullet casings taken from the scene of the shooting. The phrase alludes to a popular book critical of the health insurance industry.

One of the bots The Telegraph interacted with described Mr Mangione as an absolutely stunning work of a man. A perfected face, a pleasant nose, full, lush, lips. Dark curly hair, sultry yet soft dark brown eyes, thick eyebrows. Hes the Italian dream.

Character AI said it had added the Luigi Mangione bots to its blocklist to prevent further clones being created.

A spokesman said: Users create hundreds of thousands of new characters on the platform every day. Our dedicated trust and safety team moderates these characters proactively and in response to user reports, including using industry-standard blocklists and custom blocklists that we regularly expand.

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As we continue to refine our safety practices, we are implementing additional moderation tools to help prioritize community safety. We will notify our trust and safety team to remove these characters.

Character AI was founded by former Google engineers and has emerged as one of the most popular consumer AI apps. Earlier this year, it sealed a $2.7bn (2.2bn) licencing deal with Google for the use of its AI technology.

The Telegraph previously disclosed that Character AI users had created dozens of bots mimicking notable serial killers and mass shooters, including AI clones which appeared to glorify and romanticise the Columbine shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, who murdered 15 people.

Users had also created bots in the likeness of Molly Russell, a British schoolgirl who took her own life aged 14, and Brianna Ghey, a transgender teenager who was murdered in February 2023. The bots were removed after being flagged by The Telegraph.

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Character AI this month tightened its controls on the kinds of chats younger users can have on its app and is planning to introduce enhanced parental controls.

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.
Luigi Mangione, the accused killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is expected to appear on state murder and terrorism charges in Manhattan on Monday  after being separately charged with federal death penalty-eligible offenses following his climactic return to New York City.

A spokeswoman for the Manhattan district attorneys office on Friday said state authorities were coordinating with the feds. Mangione is slated to be arraigned before Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro at lower Manhattans 100 Centre St.

After waiving his extradition from Pennsylvania to New York Thursday  and being perp-walked in dramatic fashion by a cavalcade of armed law enforcement and Mayor Adams on a downtown helipad near Wall Street  Mangione was unexpectedly hauled to federal court in lower Manhattan. He was charged in a four-count complaint with murder with the use of a firearm, discharging a firearm with the use of a silencer, and two stalking offenses.

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The top charge carries a maximum sentence of death. However, its unclear whether prosecutors, who have yet to secure an indictment, would pursue that punishment requiring sign off from the U.S. attorney general.

Following his brief court appearance, Mangione was transported to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, which also houses high-profile inmate Sean Diddy Combs.

A source told the Daily News Friday that Mangione has no cell mates of note on his floor, which they described as very low key.

What happens next?

Mangiones continued detention at the MDC or transfer to Rikers Island or another city jail facility is unclear but is expected to be ironed out at Mondays hearing.

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He had been expected to appear on state charges filed by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs office Thursday before the change of plans.

In his state case, Mangione is accused of first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism, second-degree murder as a crime of terrorism  which carries a maximum prison term of life without parole  and nine other offenses.

Prosecutors at the Manhattan U.S. Attorneys office, currently under the leadership of Acting U.S. Attorney Edward Kim, and Braggs office on Thursday said the cases will play out parallel to each other and that the state case will go to trial first.

Defense raises double jeopardy

Mangiones lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, described being blindsided by the change in circumstances at Thursdays federal court hearing and raised the prospect of a double jeopardy motion.

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There, they talk about terrorism and potentially influencing a group of people. This is stalking an individual. Thats what the theory is here. Those are two completely different theories. These seem like different cases, Friedman Agnifilo said of the state and federal matters.

I find out today that  all of a sudden, we are here in the Southern District of New York facing charges that one charge is death-eligible, and I would like to seek clarity from the government exactly whats happening here. Is there one case? Two cases? Two investigations? Is it a joint investigation?

Whether Friedman Agnifilo intends to pursue the argument that the dueling cases violate double jeopardy laws remains to be seen. She has declined to comment outside of what she said in court.

In 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court held that someone could be prosecuted for the same crimes in the state and federal courts, finding local governments and the federal government were separate sovereigns.

The allegations

Mangione, an Ivy League computer science graduate who comes from a wealthy and well-known Maryland family is accused in both the state and federal cases of sneaking up on Thompson shortly before 7 a.m. on Dec. 4 as the health care executive arrived at the Hilton Hotel in Midtown for an investor conference and fatally shooting him in the back and leg.

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He was arrested five days later at a McDonalds in Altoona, Pa., after someone recognized him and a worker called the cops. Mangione was in possession of a 3D-printed ghost gun, silencer, and ammunition matching that which was recovered at the scene, according to state and federal authorities, and writings critical of Thompsons line of work.

Mangione also faces lower-level offenses in Pennsylvania, including carrying a firearm without a license, forgery, and giving cops a fake ID when he was apprehended, which prosecutors there have said they will wait to try him on until after his New York matters have been resolved.

Authorities lay out potential motives

In court papers Thursday, the feds alleged Mangiones stalking campaign began Nov. 24 when he traveled to the city on a bus that originated in Atlanta, Ga., and checked into an Upper West Side hostel for 10 days.

They alleged Mangione methodically planned the hit, seemingly counting down the days in the months beforehand. The federal complaint describes excerpts of his handwritten notebook entries that express hostility toward the health insurance industry and wealthy executives in particular.

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The killing of Thompson, a 50-year-old father of two high school students from Minnesota, has garnered international media attention and an outpouring of support for his suspected killer online from people critical of the U.S.s expensive health insurance industry.

Mangione wrote on Reddit and other online forums about a severe spinal cord condition that saw him undergo surgery, and his family and friends have said he became estranged from them in the months before the shooting.
NEW YORK  Luigi Mangione, the accused killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is expected to appear on state murder and terrorism charges in Manhattan on Monday  after being separately charged with federal death penalty-eligible offenses following his climactic return to New York City.

A spokeswoman for the Manhattan district attorneys office on Friday said state authorities were coordinating with the feds. Hes slated to be arraigned before Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro at lower Manhattans 100 Centre St.

After waiving his extradition from Pennsylvania to New York Thursday  and being perp-walked in dramatic fashion by a cavalcade of armed law enforcement and Mayor Adams on a downtown helipad near Wall Street  Mangione was unexpectedly hauled to federal court in lower Manhattan. He was charged in a four-count complaint with murder with the use of a firearm, discharging a firearm with the use of a silencer, and two stalking offenses.

Advertisement Advertisement

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The top charge carries a maximum sentence of death. However, its unclear whether prosecutors, who has yet to secure an indictment, would pursue that punishment requiring signoff from the U.S. attorney general.

Following his brief court appearance, Mangione was transported to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, which also houses high-profile inmate Sean Diddy Combs.

A source told the Daily News Friday that Mangione has no cell mates of note on his floor, which they described as very low key.

What happens next?

Mangiones continued detention at the MDC or transfer to Rikers Island or another city jail facility is unclear, but is expected to be ironed out at Mondays hearing.

Advertisement Advertisement

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He had been expected to appear on state charges filed by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs office Thursday before the change of plans.

In his state case, Mangione is accused of first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism, second-degree murder as a crime of terrorism  which carries a maximum prison term of life without parole  and nine other offenses.

Prosecutors at the Manhattan U.S. Attorneys office, currently under the leadership of Acting U.S. Attorney Edward Kim, and Braggs office on Thursday said the cases will play out parallel to each other and that the state case will go to trial first.

Defense raises double jeopardy

Mangiones lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, described being blindsided by the change in circumstances at Thursdays federal court hearing and raised the prospect of a double jeopardy motion.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

There, they talk about terrorism and potentially influencing a group of people. This is stalking an individual. Thats what the theory is here. Those are two completely different theories. These seem like different cases, Friedman Agnifilo said of the state and federal matters.

I find out today that  all of a sudden, we are here in the Southern District of New York facing charges that one charge is death-eligible, and I would like to seek clarity from the government exactly whats happening here. Is there one case? Two cases? Two investigations? Is it a joint investigation?

Whether Friedman Agnifilo intends to pursue the argument that the dueling cases violate double jeopardy laws remains to be seen. She has declined to comment outside of what she said in court.

In 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court held that someone could be prosecuted for the same crimes in the state and federal courts, finding local governments and the federal government were separate sovereigns.

The allegations

Mangione, an Ivy League computer science graduate who comes from a wealthy and well-known Maryland family is accused in both the state and federal cases of sneaking up on Thompson shortly before 7 a.m. on Dec. 4 as the health care executive arrived at the Hilton Hotel in Midtown for an investor conference and fatally shooting him in the back and leg.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

He was arrested five days later at a McDonalds in Altoona, Pa., after someone recognized him and a worker called the cops. Mangione was in possession of a 3D-printed ghost gun, silencer, and ammunition matching that which was recovered at the scene, according to state and federal authorities, and writings critical of Thompsons line of work.

Mangione also faces lower-level offenses in Pennsylvania, including carrying a firearm without a license, forgery, and giving cops a fake ID when he was apprehended, which prosecutors there have said they will wait to try him on until after his New York matters have been resolved.

Authorities lay out potential motives

In court papers Thursday, the feds alleged Mangiones stalking campaign began Nov. 24 when he traveled to the city on a bus that originated in Atlanta, Ga., and checked into an Upper West Side hostel for 10 days.

They alleged Mangione methodically planned the hit, seemingly counting down the days in the months beforehand. The federal complaint describes excerpts of his handwritten notebook entries that express hostility toward the health insurance industry and wealthy executives in particular.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

The killing of Thompson, a 50-year-old father of two high school students from Minnesota, has garnered international media attention and an outpouring of support for his suspected killer online from people critical of the U.S.s expensive health insurance industry.

He wrote on Reddit and other online forums about a severe spinal cord condition that saw him undergo surgery, and his family and friends have said he became estranged from them in the months before the shooting.
LANSING, Mich. (AP)  During Michigan Supreme Court Justice Kyra Harris Bolden's first campaign, a critic told her she wasn't Michelle Obama or Kamala Harris, but you feel emboldened to run for this office.

She later named her first child Emerson, so it could be shortened to Em Bolden. The word has driven her ever since.

Bolden, now 36, won that race, for the statehouse in 2018, and in 2022 she was appointed as the youngest-ever justice, and first Black woman, on Michigan's top court. Voters affirmed Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's choice by electing Bolden to her seat in November.

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Its been a long journey for me, Bolden told The Associated Press, one that began generations ago when her great-grandfather was lynched and her family fled the South.

Michigan has a long legacy of electing women to its highest court. When Democratic-backed candidate Kimberly Ann Thomas joins Bolden on the bench in January, five of the seven justices will be women. It is the sixth time a female majority has made up the court, according to the Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society.

But only 41 Black women have ever served on a state supreme court, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, which tracks diversity in the judicial system.

Boldens election means that Black people in Michigan  about 14% of the population  still have representation. Across the state line in Ohio, where Justice Melody Stewart had been the first Black woman justice, her reelection loss makes for an all-white court.

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In Kentucky, Court of Appeals Judge Pamela Goodwine became the first Black woman elected justice. Kentucky also will have its first female chief justice and, for the first time, a female majority.

It was an act of racial terror that sent Bolden on her path to the court. She didn't know the details until she was nearly a college graduate in psychology and spent some time with her aging maternal great-grandmother, who shared family recipes and history, including what really happened to Jesse Lee Bond.

According to the Equal Justice Initiative, Bond was lynched in 1939 in Arlington, Tennessee, after asking a store owner for a receipt. Bond was fatally shot, castrated and dumped in the Loosahatchie River. Two men were swiftly acquitted in the murder.

Bolden said she is still trying to reconcile with the trauma this caused.

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I wanted families to see justice in a way my family had not seen justice, she told the AP.

So she took action: earning her degree at Detroit Mercy Law School and working as a defense attorney before serving on the House Judiciary Committee, where she pursued criminal justice reform and domestic violence prevention.

She believes in justice and believes in fairness for everybody, said her mother, Cheryl Harris, with pride heavy in her voice. And to see her in this position  its making me tear up right now.

Goodwine, for her part, said she was inspired as a teenager by the work of Thurgood Marshall, the first Black U.S. Supreme Court Justice. She started as a court stenographer and worked her way up through the four court levels of Kentucky, making history at almost every step along the way.

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It is absolutely essential that our younger generations are able to see someone who looks like them in every position, particularly a position of power, Goodwine said.

Bolden broke another barrier knocking on doors as the first Michigan Supreme Court candidate to run while pregnant, according to Vote Mama Foundation, a group that tracks mothers running for office.

There are so many people that dont know that this is achievable, Bolden said.

U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence, a Michigan Democrat who served in Congress from 2015 through 2022, spent years working to see a Black woman like herself serve as a justice.

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I just sit back, you know, with such pride, Lawrence said. Shes a hard worker and shes what the state needs.

___

The Associated Press women in the workforce and state government coverage receives financial support from Pivotal Ventures. The 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.
American human rights attorney Steven Donziger, who spent decades battling Chevron as part of a multibillion-dollar oil pollution case in Ecuador, is seeking a pardon from the Biden administration.

Donziger spent 993 days in home detention in Manhattan, which ended two years ago, on a criminal contempt charge after he refused to turn over his computer, phone and legal files to Chevron.

The confinement, four times longer than the maximum allowed for typical contempt offenses, was the result of a New York racketeering case Chevron brought against the attorney, whom the company accused of bribing an Ecuadorian judge, which he denies.

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Donziger won a landmark $9.5 billion judgement in 2011 against the oil giant on claims a corporate predecessor deliberately dumped oil waste in indigenous communities in the Amazon.

Donziger told The Guardian on Thursday that a pardon from Biden would send a clear signal to corporations that they can never again criminally prosecute and jail good people who hold them accountable for abuses.

He added: Even though detention ended, Im still not free.

Donziger was disbarred as part of his contempt conviction, and is unable to leave the US.

The Biden administration has already made liberal use of the presidential pardon power, with Biden pardoning his son Hunter, non-violent offenders, and thousands of people convicted of federal marijuana offenses.

Group of lawmakers urged Biden to pardon attorney earlier this month (AFP via Getty Images)

On December 11, a group of 34 members of Congress urged Biden in a letter to also pardon Donziger, calling the charges against the attorney highly suspect and warning they could set a chilling precedent for future human rights and environmental cases. They pointed to a 2021 opinion from the United Nations Human Rights Council finding Donzigers punishment violated the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, among other criticisms.

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Mr. Donziger is the only lawyer in U.S. history to be subject to any period of detention on a misdemeanor contempt of court charge, the lawmakers wrote. We believe that the legal case against Mr. Donziger, as well as the excessively harsh nature of the punishment against him, are directly tied to his prior work against Chevron.

The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.

Donziger made a similar argument himself earlier this year in an interview with The Independent.

This paradigm terrifies the industry, he said of his original judgement against Chevron, which the company has never paid.

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Theyre used to normal legal cases, and they just smash them. They win almost all of their cases because they just crush people. This is a new kind of thing, and the liability theyre facing on a global scale is in the trillions of dollars, he added. The model represents an existential threat to the industry, and that is why they are trying to destroy me.

Chevron argues it has been released of liability in the Ecuador case after it paid $40 million for clean-up efforts in 1998, and that the remaining pollution can be blamed on the countrys state oil company.

The Ecuador lawsuit is a well-documented fraud and Steven Donziger is an adjudicated racketeer who was convicted of criminal contempt, the company previously told The Independent.

He was disbarred for egregious professional misconduct in the Ecuador case, including fraud, bribery, and coercion. His indigenous Ecuadorian clients fired him years ago for refusing to disclose how he spent tens of millions of dollars raised in their name, the company added. They noted additionally that multiple courts have declined to enforce what they call the illegitimate Ecuadorian judgement.
French President Emmanuel Macron has faced jeers from locals on the cyclone-battered French overseas territory of Mayotte, telling them they should be happy to be in France, because if it wasnt France youd be 10,000 times even more in the s***.

Macron has come under fire for his handling of Cyclone Chido, which ripped across Mayotte last weekend inflicting destruction that has been likened to an atomic bomb, and his comments only risk exacerbating anger from locals who are without water or electricity.

Opposition politicians say France has neglected the archipelago and has failed to anticipate how to fortify the islands in anticipation for natural disasters linked to climate change, such as Chido  a category 4 storm that flattened neighborhoods, knocked out electrical grids, crushed hospitals and schools and damaged the airports control tower.

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The cyclone tore through the southwestern Indian Ocean last weekend, impacting northern Madagascar before rapidly intensifying and slamming Mayotte with winds above 220 kilometers per hour (136 miles per hour), according to Frances weather service. It was the strongest storm to hit the islands in more than 90 years, Meteo-France said.

Macron began the conversation on Thursday by expressing that he had come to Mayotte to listen and engage in dialogue with residents, who he acknowledged had lived through something horrible. But as the crowd began to scoff, he changed his tone.

Macron has been met with anger by many of the residents he visited during his two-day trip to Mayotte. Many say they feel there is a lack of support from Paris following the disaster.

The water isnt there, no services are there. After six days, is that normal? one man angrily asked him on Thursday.

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Another woman, clearly distressed, told Macron that the archipelago needs him.

Everything is demolished. We need you  there is nothing in Mayotte. We have young children, we are without water, without electricity, she said.

Meanwhile, right-wing politicians, including acting Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau of the conservative Les Republicains party, have pointed the finger at illegal immigration, which they say has impoverished Mayotte and left it with vast shanty towns vulnerable to extreme weather, Reuters reported.

The worst damage was to those informal settlements and shacks.

These neighborhoods are home to many of the roughly 100,000 undocumented migrants who live in Mayotte, according to Frances interior ministry.

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Located about 5,000 miles from Paris, Mayotte is the poorest place in the European Union and has struggled with unemployment, violence and a deepening migration crisis.

Around 77% of Mayottes population live below the national poverty line, making it the poorest department in France. The poverty rate in Mayotte is five times higher than that of mainland France, according to government figures.

In recent decades, tens of thousands of people from neighboring Comoros and Madagascar have come to Mayotte seeking better economic conditions and access to the French welfare system.

Authorities in Mayotte are continuing their relief operations, with many of the supplies arriving via an air bridge from Frances other Indian Ocean territory, Reunion Island.

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In addition to the 31 confirmed deaths, the local prefecture said Wednesday it had recorded 1,373 people with light injuries, with a complete list of deaths and injuries expected to take time. It is feared the death toll could still rise significantly, but authorities have said that they are currently focused on bringing survivors to safety.

Macron said the government would send additional support to Mayotte soon and that France will observe a day of national mourning on Monday.

CNNs Niamh Kennedy and Serene Nourrisson contributed reporting.

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Federal officials have spent years establishing and improving presidential transition processes, including making key resources available to incoming presidents and their teams. For example, as Donald Trump prepares to return the White House, he and his transition operation have been offered official government communications accounts  including .gov email addresses  to conduct official business.

Politico reported, however, that the Republican president-elect and his team are overseeing a fully privatized operation, which is relying on private servers, laptops and cell phones instead of government-issued devices.

Federal officials say theyre worried about sharing documents via email with Donald Trumps transition team because the incoming officials are eschewing government devices, email addresses and cybersecurity support, raising fears that they could potentially expose sensitive government data. The private emails have agency employees considering insisting on in-person meetings and document exchanges that they otherwise would have conducted electronically, according to two federal officials granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive situation. Their anxiety is particularly high in light of recent hacking attempts from China and Iran that targeted Trump, Vice President-elect JD Vance and other top officials.

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The Trump transition confirmed its use of private emails, with spokesperson Brian Hughes telling Politico that all transition business is conducted on a transition-managed email server. The outlet reported:

We have implemented plans to communicate information securely as necessary, [Hughes] added, but declined to say what those plans entail. In a statement in late November, transition co-chair Susie Wiles similarly cited unspecified security and information protections the team has in place, arguing that they replace the need for additional government and bureaucratic oversight.

Michael Daniel, a former White House cyber coordinator who now leads the nonprofit online security organization Cyber Threat Alliance, told Politico, I can assure you that the transition teams are targets for foreign intelligence collection. There are a lot of countries out there that want to know: What are the policy plans for the incoming administration?

You probably know what Im going to write next. Im going to write it anyway.

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Younger readers might not fully appreciate the degree to which the 2016 presidential election focused on former Secretary of State Hillary Clintons email protocols. Voters were told in no uncertain terms that this was one of the defining political issues of our time.

As Election Day 2016 approached, and the United States faced the prospect of having a television personality elected to the nations highest office, email was the one thing voters heard most about the more capable and more qualified candidate.

The fact that Clinton did not rely entirely on her state.gov address, the electorate was told, was evidence of her recklessness. She put the United States at risk, the argument went, by mishandling classified materials. For some, it might even have been literally criminal  culminating in Lock her up chants at Trump rallies.

During the presidential campaign, then-House Speaker Paul Ryan went so far as to formally request that Clinton be denied intelligence briefings  insisting that her email practices were proof that she mishandled classified information and therefore couldnt be trusted.

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When various observers  including me  said this was an outrageously foolish controversy, we received pushback from those who argued with great sincerity that this deserved to be an issue that dictated the outcome of one of the most important national elections in modern history.

Clinton, of course, narrowly lost to Trump, who was later credibly accused by federal prosecutors of improperly taking classified materials to his glorified country club in Florida, before relying on the kind of private email servers that sparked anti-Clinton hysteria eight years ago.

My point is not that Republicans have flip-flopped on the issue. Rather, the Trump-related developments serve as an example of insincerity.

Its not that Trump and his party have changed their minds about the importance of email security and the hazards associated with eschewing official government accounts. The truth is simpler: They never actually cared about Clintons tech practices in the first place.

It was simply a convenient line of attack, which has since outlived its usefulness.

This post updates our related earlier coverage.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
As the deadline for a government shutdown approached, lawmakers on Capitol Hill were intently focused on a stopgap spending measure. Donald Trump was not.

In fact, the president-elect didnt say much of anything about Congresss continuing resolution as it took shape, and he was equally silent when leaders unveiled a bipartisan agreement on Tuesday. On Wednesday, however, after Elon Musk targeted the bipartisan deal with misinformation, Trump decided to intervene, too, condemning the legislation and making new, 11th-hour demands.

A day later, House Republican leaders crafted an alternative package, which appeared designed to placate the incoming president. At least initially, they succeeded: Trump published an enthusiastic endorsement of the GOP-only bill to his social media platform, directing all Republicans to vote for it in order to do what is best for our Country.

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Hours later, the Trump-endorsed bill failed in an embarrassing fashion  in part because so many Republicans ignored the president-elects directive. The New York Times reported:

President-elect Donald J. Trumps hammerlock on the Republican Party was shaken on Thursday night when 38 of his partys lawmakers in the House voted to defy his command to support a spending and debt deal. ... [W]ith just a month left before he returns to office, Mr. Trump found out that at least some of his followers were willing to buck his leadership in the right circumstances.

Theres obviously no denying that Trump is the dominant voice in contemporary Republican Party politics. Indeed, a great many observers have made the case that the modern GOP often resembles a personality cult surrounding the president-elect, and those arguments tend to be quite persuasive. The Times report added that Trump has methodically seized control of the Republican Party at all levels, which is undeniably true.

But what often goes overlooked is that when it comes to events on Capitol Hill, the incoming president likes to bark orders, but GOP members dont always follow them. Thats in part because Trump still has no idea how to persuade policymakers and in part because some lawmakers have ideological preferences that eclipse Trumps demands.

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This happens more often than some in the party like to admit, especially in the wake of Trumps 2020 defeat. Earlier this year, for example, Congress weighed how and whether to reauthorize the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Trump intervened in the hopes of derailing the effort, directing Republicans to KILL FISA because of a misguided conspiracy theory.

Trump failed: Congress reauthorized FISA with ample support from GOP lawmakers who felt comfortable ignoring his orders.

A day later, as the Republican-led House prepared to take up U.S. security aid for Ukraine, Trump didnt explicitly denounce the legislation, though he wasnt especially subtle about his opposition. GOP leaders brought the bill to the floor anyway, and it passed with over 300 bipartisan votes.

These are not isolated incidents. Trump told House Republicans to elect Rep. Jim Jordan as House speaker, and that didnt happen. Trump told Republicans to shut down the government in September 2023, and that didnt happen. Trump told Republicans to use the debt ceiling to default on the countrys obligations, and that didnt happen.

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As regular readers might recall, Trump also told Senate Republicans to replace Mitch McConnell as the Senate minority leader, and they didnt. Trump told Republicans to derail a bipartisan infrastructure package, and they didnt. Trump seemed especially eager for GOP lawmakers to kill an overhaul of the Electoral Count Act, and they didnt do that, either.

Theres a myth in some circles that Trump can call the shots and watch GOP lawmakers link arms and obediently follow his instructions.

In several notable instances, thats just not the case.

This post updates our related earlier coverage.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
When House Speaker Mike Johnson reached a bipartisan agreement to prevent a government shutdown, the Louisiana Republican signed off on a variety of measures to be included in the year-end bill. This wasnt much of a surprise: Not only did he need to get Democratic support for the bill, but many lawmakers in both parties saw the spending package as their last opportunity to advance key priorities before the end of the Congress.

The day after the bill was unveiled, GOP officials abandoned the bipartisan deal and got to work on a Republican-only alternative. Not surprisingly, they omitted Democratic priorities that Johnson had already agreed to.

But its worth appreciating what that means in practical terms.

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The Bulwarks Sam Stein, an MSNBC contributor, took a closer look at the list of provisions left in the dust heap, and it was not short. Included among the GOPs cuts were all kinds of consumer protections, a bill to curtail deepfake pornography, restrictions on outbound U.S. investment in China, and a bill to secure semiconductor supply chains.

But some of the most notable provisions struck from the Republicans bill related to medical research. Steins report specifically referenced funding, scrapped from the GOP package, that was supposed to go towards combatting pediatric cancer. From The Bulwarks report:

The slimmed-down version was stripped of language that would have allowed children with relapsed cancer to undergo treatments with a combination of cancer drugs and therapies. ... The bill also didnt include an extension of a program that gave financial lifelines, in the form of vouchers, to small pharmaceutical companies working on rare pediatric diseases. It was also missing earlier provisions that would have allowed for kids on Medicaid or CHIPthat is, poor childrento access medically complex care across state lines.

If this wasnt quite enough, Steins report added that there was also funding for the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Program  named after a 10-year-old Virginia girl who died from an inoperable brain tumor in 2013  that helped to fund pediatric cancer research. It used to enjoy bipartisan support, and since it was up for reauthorization this year, no one was especially surprised when it was included in the continuing resolution earlier this week, ensuring that the program would continue for another decade.

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When Republicans took out their editing pens, however, the program was removed. Stein talked to Nancy Goodman, the founder and executive director of Kids v. Cancer, who called it a completely heart-wrenching outcome.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wrote in a message published to Bluesky, Republicans would rather cut taxes for billionaire donors than fund research for children with cancer. That is why our country is on the brink of a government shutdown.

The New York Democrat concluded, Welcome back to the MAGA swamp.

I dont imagine weve heard the last of this one.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
Most Americans probably didnt pay a whole lot of attention to the news out of Berlin earlier this week when incumbent German Chancellor Olaf Scholz lost a vote of no confidence, paving the way for elections in February. The developments did not, however, escape the attention of Elon Musk.

In fact, as NBC News reported, the worlds wealthiest individual apparently has some specific opinions about what voters in Europes largest country should do next.

Elon Musk waded into Germanys election Friday, expressing his support for a far-right anti-immigrant and anti-Islam party thats being monitored by the countrys domestic intelligence agency. Only the AfD can save Germany, the tech billionaire wrote on X, referring to the Alternative for Germany party.

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For those unfamiliar with the AfD, The New York Times published a fascinating item in 2019 that showed the degree to which the Republican Party is an international outlier among major political parties, well to the right of Britains Conservative Party and Germanys Christian Democratic Union. The Alternative for Germany party, however, is well to the right of our GOP and Europes mainstream conservative parties.

Its platform, the Times report added, contains plainly xenophobic, anti-Muslim statements. It reached the point earlier this year when Marine Le Pens far-right National Rally party in France decided to stop working alongside the AfD because it was too extreme.

The NBC News report, meanwhile, added:

The party is monitored by the countrys domestic intelligence agency for suspected extremism. Party leader Bjorne Hocke has twice been found guilty by a German court of purposefully employing Nazi rhetoric. He has appealed the rulings. And in May the partys top candidate, Maximilian Krah, was forced to withdraw from campaigning after he told an Italian newspaper that the SS, the Nazis main paramilitary force, were not all criminals.

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Its against this backdrop that Musk publicly declared that he sees the AfD as Germanys only saviors.

The fact that the conspiratorial billionaire has expressed support for such a radical foreign party would, of course, be far less interesting in the United States were it not for the fact that Musk has become a highly relevant figure in American politics, effectively purchasing electoral influence, attaching himself to an incoming president, sitting in on meetings with foreign leaders, huddling with members of Congress, helping kill legislation for reasons that dont make sense, weighing in on Cabinet choices and heading up a powerless advisory panel that the political world is pretending has real authority.

This is the guy whos also, evidently, hoping to see Europes largest country in far-right hands.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
As "World News Tonight" anchor David Muir continues showcasing small businesses during the 2024 holiday season, gift ideas are flowing in from California to Connecticut.

PHOTO: Ideas for American-made gifts are pouring in from around the country, including cast iron cookware from the company Lodge Cast Iron. (Lodge Cast Iron)

In South Pittsburg, Tennessee, Mike Otterman is CEO of the fifth generation family-owned cookware company Lodge Cast Iron. The company was founded by Joseph Lodge in 1896 and is the oldest manufacturer of cast iron cookware in America.

"We employ 563 people, and every year we make 10 million pieces of cast iron cookware," Otterman said.

PHOTO: Mike Otterman is CEO of Lodge Cast Iron, based in South Pittsburg, Tennessee. (Lodge Cast Iron)

The company had 20 new hires this year and is still looking to expand its team.

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In Novato, California, outside San Francisco, Wagster Treats makes healthy dog treats with natural ingredients. Some of their treat flavors include "Banana and Toasted Coconut" and "Apple and Toasted Almond."

Wagster Treats operates as a social enterprise created by the nonprofit Homeward Bound of Marin, helping those struggling with homelessness gain employment skills. The nonprofit runs the job-training program "Fresh Starts Culinary Academy," where Wagster Treats employees are hired from.

Sallie Miller, Homeward Bound of Marin's director of social enterprise, told "World News Tonight" that the dog treats are "all made by our graduates who have faced homelessness and are rewriting their futures for themselves, their families and their community."

PHOTO: Sallie Miller is the Director of Social Enterprise at Homeward Bound of Marin, the nonprofit that oversees Wagster Treats. (Courtesy of Sallie Miller)

Their team made more than 30,000 bags of treats this year and hopes to increase production capacity in 2025, as they have a new production facility that is slated to open in the spring.

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"The more treats we can sell, the more jobs we can create for our graduates," Miller said.

Another gift idea for American-made presents comes from East Hampton, Connecticut, where the sixth generation family-owned company Bevin Bells is based. The company, which was founded in 1832, is the only dedicated bell manufacturer in the U.S.

PHOTO: Cici Bevin is President of the company Bevin Bells, based in East Hampton, Connecticut. (Bevin Bros. Mfg.)

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One of their bells was used in the 1946 classic "It's a Wonderful Life." Today, the company has 25 workers, making more than a half million bells a year, including an ornament bell inspired by the iconic holiday movie.

"Made in America is really truly what we are all about, and I think it defines pretty much every way that we approach our business," Cici Bevin, the company's president, said.

PHOTO: This photo from 1905 shows the original Bevin Bells factory in East Hampton, Connecticut. (Bevin Bros. Mfg.)

Bevin said that the company has had to overcome challenges, such as a fire that burned down its factory in 2012, and go through periods of transition, but it has always found a way to keep going.

"I just feel very proud to be able to be a part of the family legacy and have my piece of this history," Bevin said.

Full episodes of "World News Tonight with David Muir" are available to stream on YouTube.

Made in America: 'World News Tonight' celebrates small businesses from coast to coast originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
LARGO, Fla. (WFLA)  Elementary students at Madeira Beach Fundamental are being beary generous this holiday season.

On Thursday, several students and staff donated bags full of teddy bears to the Rough Riders.

The Rough Riders are a local organization that gifts bears to hospital patients, veterans, and even foster children.

People have helped us, we help others, Madeira Beach Fundamental Principal Chris Ateek said. I think its a teachable lesson. Its a life lesson and this is what we do.

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Due to damages from Hurricane Helene, elementary students of Madeira Beach Fundamental have had to relocate to Walsingham Elementary School in Largo until repairs are completed.

Many people lost a lot, including our students and families and staff but we wanted to give back to the community and continue this tradition moving forward, Ateek said.

According to staff, this is the fourth year they have donated bears to the Rough Riders.

If you would like to donate new teddy bears to the Rough Riders, 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 WFLA.
President-elect Donald Trumps allies are opening a new front in MAGAs war with traditionalist Republicans  feuding over the leadership of top Senate campaign groups.

Typically a little noticed and relatively drama-free affair, hiring at the National Republican Senatorial Committee and its allied GOP super PAC Senate Leadership Fund has devolved in recent weeks into bickering over whether prospective new leaders are sufficiently loyal to Trump and the movement he created.

And after initially targeting the highest positions, MAGA Republicans objections are now extending even to less senior hires. The latest gripe is aimed at Brendan Jaspers, who was just tapped as the NRSCs political director for the 2026 midterms. The campaign against him has included private efforts to undermine his credentials and, publicly, some pointed social media posts from top Trump allies.

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MAGA activists and consultants said their concern about Jaspers stems from his work as director of campaigns at the anti-tax Club for Growth, which opposed Trump in the 2024 primary before later making up with him.

With all the available talent that is available, said a top 2024 Trump adviser who was granted anonymity to speak candidly, the NRSC seems more intent on finding people who only ran efforts against President Trump.

The person argued that Jaspers did just that.

Tom Schultz, the Clubs vice president of campaigns, refuted that claim, saying Jaspers work centered on Senate and House races and school-choice advocacy, and that he did not participate in the independent expenditures opposing Trump in the primary.

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Jaspers has quickly become a flashpoint in a broader struggle to gain influence in the Senate campaign apparatus. MAGA Republicans have complained about hiring choices by Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), the incoming NRSC chair. And privately even some GOP consultants supportive of Scott are baffled by his decisions that seem primed to antagonize Trumps orbit.



This intraparty warfare is driven in part by the vacuum caused by Sen. Mitch McConnells exit from GOP leadership, in which some Trump allies have moved to gain an advantage in a post-election scramble for power.

Scott, a more traditionalist Republican, infuriated Trump allies when he attempted to bring on as the committees executive director a one-time adviser to former Vice President Mike Pence, who became a staunch Trump critic after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol.

That aide, Stephen DeMaura, was just named deputy executive director, while Scotts former chief of staff, Jennifer DeCasper was given the executive director role. NOTUS first reported the move. DeMaura was expected to assume the role of executive director  and he was introduced as such at an NRSC event last month. But his hire was not announced publicly. And after MAGA activists openly criticized him, that appeared to change, with Scott on Thursday announcing DeCasper as executive director and DeMaura as her deputy.

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A spokesperson for Scott did not comment for this story. In a press release sent by the NRSC on the new hires, Scott said, Im excited about the organization we are building, the wins we will put on the board, and the results we will deliver for the American people." The release also touted Jaspers as having helped elect conservative senators such as Ted Budd, Mike Lee, Bernie Moreno, and Jim Banks. It said DeMaura "has started, led, and grown political organizations of all types across a more than 20-year career in politics and public policy."

A Scott aide pointed to posts on X celebrating the staffing moves, including from Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), who called them a strong machine of MAGA warriors.

The recriminations havent stopped at Scott, who ran against Trump in the 2024 primary before becoming a devoted ally in the general election.

A consultant deemed insufficiently loyal by some in Trumps orbit, Kevin McLaughlin, is also not a contender to lead the Senate Leadership Fund super PAC, according to two people familiar with the process, despite rumors that he was in the mix. People who spoke with McLaughlin said he told them he was in the running for the position, spurring threats from close Trump allies that they would form a competing super PAC, but its not clear if he was ever seriously considered.

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McLaughlin told POLITICO that he had no conversations with anyone about taking over at SLF and he strongly disputes the suggestion that he is not loyal to Trump.

The feuding over NRSC hiring has continued, however, and spilled into public view when Chris LaCivita, Trumps campaign co-chair, took a shot at the committee on X.

Whoever is making decisions at the @NRSC needs their head examined, he posted.

Meanwhile, Laura Loomer, a far-right activist who traveled on Trumps plane during the campaign, bashed Jaspers specifically  before his position was announced  taking to X to highlight his connection to Club for Growth.

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Trump and the Club for Growth have a long and complicated history. The Club, a power center for fiscal conservatives, opposed Trump in the 2024 primary. But the groups president David McIntosh and Trump, who once called it the Club for China Growth, made peace in February.

Trump himself has not weighed in publicly on the recent hires at Senate GOP groups. Complaints about staffing stem from people with varying degrees of closeness to the president-elect. And it is possible that some of the disputes may be more driven by the financial interests and personal grievances of political consultants than concerns about the ideological purity of the party. According to Scotts team, he and Trump are in contact about his staffing.

But two people with knowledge of the hires said some Trump allies wanted Dylan Lefler, a former campaign manager for MAGA ally Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), to be the groups political director. A Trump spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment.

And the infighting underscores the battle to reshape the traditional GOP into a party in the mold of MAGA wing  and it marks a stark contrast from the tenure of the departing NRSC Chair Steve Daines, who judiciously courted Trump and his allies as he sought to retake the Senate majority in 2024.

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Scotts hiring moves in particular have surprised some GOP strategists, who see them as unforced errors that cause distracting fights with MAGA loyalists. Scott and Trump have a personal relationship, and he was under consideration to be vice president. But any awkwardness between their top staffers could hamper the NRSC as it seeks to grow its majority  especially because there will be so many competing demands on the president-elects attention to help various campaign groups with tasks such as fundraising or recruitment.

Scott makes hiring decisions at the campaign arm, but incoming Senate GOP leader John Thune will be heavily involved in staffing the SLF super PAC.

SLF was long run by top McConnell lieutenants, who played a prominent role in selecting aides for the Senate campaign groups. SLFs current president, Steven Law, announced after the election that he would vacate the post.

The super PAC and its allied nonprofit will direct hundreds of millions of dollars of spending in Senate races. Former Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) was recently named as chair of its board but the top staff position remains open.
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.

Authorities confirmed that a child is among the dead, while local media reported on Saturday that 41 people are very seriously injured.

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A 50-year-old doctor from Saudi Arabia was arrested on Friday following the attack.

Identified as Taleb A, 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?

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. One of those killed was a young child.

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.

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He 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?

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 who first came to Germany in 2006, authorities confirmed.

He has been named by German media as Taleb A and has reportedly shown support for the far-right Alternative for Germany party.

A Saudi source told Reuters that the kingdom had warned German authorities about the attacker, who the source said had posted extremist views on his personal X account.

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He was recognised as a refugee in 2016 and is a consultant for psychiatry and psychotherapy in the nearby town of Bernburg.

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.

The vehicle, a black BMW, was pictured smashed up at the scene behind a police cordon. Officials believe the suspect acted alone. Verified bystander footage showed the suspects arrest at a tram stop in the middle of the road.

Mr Haseloff said at a news conference: As things stand, he is a lone perpetrator, so that as far as we know there is no further danger to the city.

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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.

Fairytale market turns into war-like scenes

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.

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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.

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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.
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN)  The Mahoning County commissioners honored three people Thursday for their service.

Nick Modarelli, Linette Stratford and Tim Tusek have served the county in various jobs over the years, most recently in the Prosecutors Office.

Commissioners presented each with a diamond gift.

The trios combined public service is more than 100 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 WKBN.com.
Dec. 19Members of Maine's Congressional delegation spent much of Thursday watching closely for details on a new federal spending plan after President-elect Donald Trump derailed an earlier proposal in a move that threatened to result in a government shutdown.

Three of Maine's four representatives  Sen. Susan Collins, Sen. Angus King. and Rep. Chellie Pingree  were preparing to support the deal to fund the federal government through mid-March when Trump intervened and urged Republicans earlier this week to reject it.

Rep. Jared Golden had planned to vote against the deal over his opposition to Congressional pay raises and a change in health care benefits that he said would have the federal government pick up more of the cost of members' health care premiums.

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By late afternoon, House Republicans had reportedly come up with a new proposal that had won the support of Trump, but the details and its chances of success still were not clear.

"Speaker Mike Johnson and the House have come to a very good Deal for the American People," Trump said in a statement posted on the social media platform Truth Social. "The newly agreed to American Relief Act of 2024 will keep the Government open, fund our Great Farmers and others, and provide relief for those severely impacted by the devastating hurricanes."

Here's where Maine's Congressional delegation stood on the negotiations as of Thursday afternoon:

Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican, said earlier this week that she was planning to support the original continuing resolution to temporarily fund the government through mid-March. In a written statement Thursday, she said she was hoping to avoid a government shutdown since it could have negative consequences across government.

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Shutdowns can disrupt everything from air travel to the ability of older Americans to apply for Social Security benefits to pay for members of the military and other essential federal employees, Collins said.

"In fact, government shutdowns actually cost taxpayers money by increasing the cost of short-term borrowing by the government and by adversely affecting the entire economy," Collins said. "As we await the House's deliberations, I am continuing to work with my colleagues to find a path forward to fund the government ahead of Friday's midnight deadline."

Sen. Angus King, an independent, told reporters on Wednesday that he also had planned to support the original plan and said there is "no excuse" to shut down the government.

pingree

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King also said he was hoping lawmakers in the House wouldn't enforce a rule that says they don't vote on anything until its been in their possession for 72 hours, to avoid votes going into the weekend.

"The question is, are they going to enforce that rule, or will they move forward so that we can avoid the shutdown that would occur on Friday night?" King said. "But, I am hoping that reasonableness will prevail, and we'll get this thing done before Friday night."

A spokesperson for King said early Thursday afternoon that it would be hard to discuss the latest plans because everything was changing very rapidly amid the negotiations.

Rep. Jared Golden, D-2nd District, announced Wednesday that he planned to vote against the funding plan that was before lawmakers earlier this week because he is opposed to a $6,600 raise for members of Congress for a 3.8% cost-of-living adjustment. The adjustment would bring annual salaries to just over $180,000.

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Golden was also opposed to a provision that would allow members to purchase health insurance through the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program, rather than the Affordable Care Act exchange, a move he said would result in the federal government funding larger shares of members' health insurance premiums at the expense of taxpayers.

"I think it would be wrong of Congress to vote to give itself a pay raise and lower our health care costs at a time when the inverse may be true for many Americans," Golden said in an interview Thursday.

He said he would continue to oppose any new plan if it continued to include those measures. "Sometimes there are things that are just so egregiously out of step with the values that this institution should represent and with what I think the American people would view as right versus very clearly wrong, that it's worth being a 'no,'" Golden said.

Speaking shortly after news of a new deal had broken Thursday afternoon, Golden said he hadn't seen any official details and couldn't say if he would vote for the new plan. He said Trump's call for increasing the debt ceiling in the new plan seemed unnecessary, but that he wouldn't rule out voting for a plan that included it.

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A spokesperson for Golden said later that the congressional raises and health care provisions were removed from the new plan released Thursday, but said Golden was still reviewing the new plan and it was too soon to say if he would support it.

Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District, said in a written statement Thursday that she had been preparing to vote in favor of the original funding package to make sure the government remained open and that critical programs would not be interrupted.

"From the devastating storms in Maine last winter, hurricanes in the southeast, and wildfires in the West, natural disasters have devastated countless communities," Pingree said. "That package would have delivered billions  including $325 million for Maine  in essential relief to help families rebuild their homes, restore local economies, and fortify critical infrastructure, as well as assistance for our farmers."

In her work as ranking member on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, Pingree said she was happy to see the bill include $2.26 billion for the National Park Service to address storm damage at impacted parks around the country, including Acadia National Park and $14 million that would have helped Maine address the spread of the invasive spruce budworm.

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"But it took less than 24 hours for Republicans to kill their own bill at Trump's order and concede to the online rantings of Elon Musk," Pingree said.

"Now, just days before Christmas, Congress is left scrambling down to the wire to avoid a government shutdown. It's my hope we can come to a bipartisan agreement  that includes this crucial funding for Maine communities and farmers  before it's too late."

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Among all of President-elect Donald Trumps most controversial Cabinet nominees, its remarkable that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has so far coasted through Capitol Hill on his way to his confirmation hearing.

Kennedy, whom Trump has nominated to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, has a reputational rap sheet that would make Matt Gaetz blush: his bizarre obsessions with animals (dead and alive), his claim to have been infected with brain worms, an allegation of sexual assault from a former babysitter, his promotion of conspiracy theories about the assassinations of his father and his uncle, and his diary of dozens of sexual conquests discovered by his second wife (who shortly afterward committed suicide). Thats all on top of the various positions that Kennedya heretofore lifetime Democrat and member of the famous first family of liberalismhas held at odds with the Republican senators whose votes hell need.

While some in the GOP are seeking to get reassurances that Kennedy will not upset policy goals of the pro-life community or the agricultural industry, there seemed to be little concern from Republican senators on Capitol Hill this week over his menu of junk-science remedies to Make America Healthy Again. Kennedy offers something for nearly everyone who has some level of skepticism about Americas institutions in the health, nutrition, and medical spheres: Going after the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health, ridding the water supply of fluoride, questioning the safety of vaccines and the pandemic-era restrictions, targeting processed foods like pasteurized milk and seed oils.

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And there is some evidence that a large number of Americans are receptive to some part of what Kennedy is selling.

Some new polling conducted on behalf of Phillip Morris International points to how broad the skepticism and dissatisfaction with public health has become. The post-election survey of Americans who voted in this years election found 51 percent say public health in the United States is getting worse. And a full 89 percent say they agree that its important the incoming Trump administration dedicates time and resources to improving the health of the nation. Furthermore, the poll found that 62 percent agree that reforming the FDA should be a top priority for Trumps administration.

Despite those findings, the polls questions are worded broadly enough that its difficult to draw specific conclusions about policy matters. Who could be against improving public health? But the poll has less to say about whether Americans really want more or less medical research funding, an expansion or reduction in government health insurance programs, or more or fewer regulations on medicine and food. Should FDA reform by cutting back on or adding to its regulations, by fast-tracking drug approvals or slowing them down? And how well do American voters understand what the federal government can and cannot do when it comes to, well, Making America Healthy Again?

Another post-election survey, from the Republican polling outfit Echelon Insights, looked a little closer at the relative popularity of some alternative health trendsand found that among Trump supporters, interest is significantly higher than the average. The poll found 32 percent of voters say they support removing fluoride from drinking water, but among those who say they voted for Trump in 2024, that number jumped to 45 percent. The same phenomenon can be seen when it comes to avoiding seed oils: 18 percent of all voters agree that people should avoid seed oils while 28 percent of Trump voters agree with that statement. And while 21 percent of voters said they support avoiding vaccines in general, 34 percent of Trump voters said they agree with that statement.

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These numbers reflect, in part, the power of the wellness women, as the journalist Elaine Godfrey dubbed them: the network of social-media influencers whose own crusade against the established science of health and medicine fits hand-in-glove with the Kennedy MAHA message. Its individualistic, suspicious of received wisdom, and reliant on lots of alternative pseudoscience. And the online platforms for the wellness women are massive and, well, influential. Hell hath no fury like a Facebook mom concerned about GMOs in her kids applesauce.

So its no surprise that elected Republicans (and even some Democrats) seem to have intuited that Kennedys health agenda has a constituency, even if it hardly constitutes a majority of their own voters.

Hes asking tough questions, questions that need to be asked, said Sen. Bill Hagerty of Tennessee on Fox News this week. And if you think about whats happening here in America, chronic disease is on the rise. We need to be asking these tough questions.

The problem is that Kennedy has already come up with answers to many of these tough questions, though he has done so without complete evidence or clear reasoning.

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Vaccines and autism? Since 2005, when he published the article Deadly Immunity in Rolling Stone, Kennedy has made and amplified claims that vaccines, particularly those that use a mercury-based preservative called thimerosal, have caused an uptick in the incidence of autism in children. (Both Rolling Stone and Salon, which reprinted the piece, issued so many corrections and amendments raised by medical experts that both retracted the article six years later. But the damage was done, and Kennedy had helped create an entire industry of vaccine skepticism driven by false conclusions and flawed studies.)

Fluoride in the water supply? He claims its an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease and that Trump should call for water systems to remove it. (The risks of fluoride are low and the benefits for dental health significant.)

Genetically modified organisms and ultra-processed food? He insists that the obesity epidemic in America is driven by poisoned food, defined by Kennedy as ultra-processed wheat, sugar, and flour, seed oils, pesticide-treated crops, dairy pasteurization, and food additives. (Obesity is a complex public health problem with many factors, and Kennedy exaggerates the risks of seed oils, pasteurization, and food additives.)

The threat of Covid? Kennedy once posited that the virus was ethnically targeted to harm Caucasians and blacks while leaving Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese people mostly immune. He also compared the public health policies during the height of the pandemic to the actions of Nazi Germany. (There are plenty of unanswered questions still about the origin of the Covid-19 virus, and the incidence of infection did have racial disparities, but there is no evidence the virus was created to target people of a certain race. Nazi Germany oppressed, imprisoned, and murdered millions of people, which is hardly the same as issuing temporary stay-at-home orders during a once-in-a-century pandemic.)

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The New York Times reported last week that a top lawyer for Kennedy, Aaron Siri, has actually petitioned the federal government to revoke its approval for the polio vaccine. The paper reported that Siri has been among those interviewing prospective officials at HHS, setting off more questions about what sort of policies Kennedy will implement if confirmed.

Trump, the skeptic-in-chief, got out in front of these criticisms of Kennedys views at a press conference on Monday, with both him and later Kennedy himself saying they support the polio vaccine. I think hes going to be much less radical than you would think, the president-elect said.

One interpretation of that comment is that Trump intends to rein in Kennedys worst impulses on health and nutrition. Another might be that what Kennedy plans to offer is not as out-of-the-mainstream as some may hope.

Read more at The Dispatch

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Malaysia has joined the EV race. Proton, Malaysias oldest domestic car company, debuted the Southeast Asian countrys first homemade electric vehicle this week in a launch ceremony featuring a guest appearance by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

We want and hope to set an example in the region, Anwar said Monday at the launch event. Malaysias prime minister has pressed Proton and fellow Malaysian carmaker Perodua to start producing electric cars.

Proton developed the e.MAS 7, an electric SUV, with Chinas Geely, whose parent company owns a 49.9% in the Malaysian carmaker. The e.MAS 7 comes in two variants, with the more expensive Premium model costing 123,800 Malaysian ringgit ($27,441).

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The car will also soon be available in neighboring Singapore, through an agreement with VINCAR, an auto distributor.

Proton presented its first EV as the culmination of four decades of experience. Proton has the expertise to develop a car from the ground up, from a robust supply chain to comprehensive after-sales support, said Proton CEO Li Chunrong on Monday.

Yet Malaysias first EV has had a rocky rollout among the countrys drivers. On forums like Reddits Malaysia subreddit, users complained about the e.MAS 7s price tag, given expectations that Protons first EV would be priced under 100,000 ringgit. Others suggested the e.MAS 7 was a rebadged version of Geelys Galaxy E5, which launched in China in August.

Proton has previously said that the e.MAS 7 and Galaxy E5 were developed concurrently. The company has played up its efforts to design the e.MAS 7 for local tastes, claiming that R&D engineers spent over 700,000 man-hours developing the latest model, which then underwent 100,000 kilometers of testing across Malaysias terrain.

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Fortune has reached out to Proton for comment.

Proton, founded in 1983, was Malaysias first local car company, following a drive by the countrys government to develop its own auto industry. The company started by selling rebadged vehicles from overseas manufacturers, but unveiled its first wholly locally developed car in 2000. Yet despite trying to build up its own auto line, Proton has suffered from criticism over its vehicle quality and after-sales service.

Malaysia has one other major domestic auto manufacturer: Perodua, established in 1993.

The Southeast Asian country imposes high import and excise duties on car imports, especially for completely built units. Yet Malaysia is offering tax breaks for EVs in a bid to attract investment and electrify the countrys fleet of cars. Completely built EVs currently enjoy a tax exemption until the end of 2025, while components for EVs assembled locally are exempt from import duties until the end of 2027.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
The Malaysian government has agreed in principle to resume the search for flight Malaysia Airlines 370, which disappeared more than 10 years ago.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced on Friday, Dec. 20, that the government agreed to a $70 million deal with Ocean Infinity, a United States-based marine exploration firm to resume the search for MH370, according to CNN and BBC News.

The Boeing 777 was carrying 239 people when it vanished while traveling from Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014.

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"Our responsibility and obligation and commitment is to the next of kin," Loke said at a press conference, Reuters reported. "We hope this time will be positive, that the wreckage will be found and give closure to the families."

Related: 'He Was Killing Himself': Investigators Say Malaysian Flight 370 Pilot 'Deliberately' Crashed Plane

Ocean Infinity approached the Malaysian government about resuming the search for the missing plane in early 2024, CNN previously reported.

In March, Loke said officials would do everything possible to solve this mystery once and for all."

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The Malaysian government and Ocean Infinity are still working to finalize their no find, no fee deal with Ocean Infinity, meaning the firm will not get paid unless the wreck is found, according to BBC News.

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Related: Mystery of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 Explored in New Film 9 Years After Plane Vanished: Watch the Trailer

Ocean Infinity reportedly operated under a similar contract while searching for the missing plane in 2018.

CEO Oliver Plunkett previously told ABC News in a statement that finding MH370 has been a constant in our minds since we left the southern Indian Ocean in 2018.

Since then, Plunkett added, We have focused on driving the transformation of operations at sea; innovating with technology and robotics to further advance our ocean search capabilities."

He continued, "This search is arguably the most challenging, and indeed pertinent one out there. Weve been working with many experts, some outside of Ocean Infinity, to continue analyzing the data in the hope of narrowing the search area down to one in which success becomes potentially achievable."



Read the original article on People
Malaysia has agreed to resume the search for the wreckage of missing Flight MH370 after a new analysis of data in one of the worlds greatest aviation mysteries.

The country has struck a no find, no fee deal with Ocean Infinity, a US-British exploration company which also conducted the last search for the plane that ended in 2018, after it sought to narrow down the area where the missing plane might be.

The Malaysia Airlines flight vanished on its journey from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8 2014.

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Debris, some confirmed and some believed to be from the aircraft, has washed up along the coast of Africa and on islands in the Indian Ocean in the subsequent years. However, no one has ever been able to establish what happened to the Boeing 777, which was carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew.

Anthony Loke, Malaysias transport minister, said the search was resuming in an effort to give closure to the families.

He said: Our responsibility and obligation and commitment is to the next of kin.

We hope this time will be positive, that the wreckage will be found and give closure to the families.

Ocean Infinity will sweep an area in the southern Indian Ocean that has yet to be covered in the search.

MH370 flight disappeared over the Indian ocean while carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew - NAZRI MOHAMAD/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

The ocean, the third-largest in the world, accounts for about 20pc of the water area on Earths surface.

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Mr Loke told a press conference that Ocean Infinity will receive $70m (56m) if it finds substantive wreckage.

Ocean Infinity, which has offices in Southampton and Austin, Texas, submitted a search proposal to Malaysia earlier this year.

At the time, Oliver Plunkett, the chief executive, said: This search is arguably the most challenging, and indeed the most pertinent one out there.

Weve been working with many experts, some outside of Ocean Infinity, to continue analysing the data in the hopes of narrowing the search area down to one in which success becomes potentially achievable.

Malaysian investigators initially did not rule out the possibility that the aircraft had been deliberately taken off course.

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More than 150 Chinese passengers were on the flight, with relatives demanding compensation from Malaysia Airlines, Boeing, aircraft engine maker Rolls-Royce and the Allianz insurance group among others.

Kuala Lumpurs air traffic control received a final message from the cockpit of the plane 39 minutes into the flight, just as the aircraft was about to leave Malaysian airspace above the South China Sea.

Within seconds of entering Vietnamese airspace, flight MH370 disappeared off the radar. No distress call was made.

In the absence of the fuselage and the black box, the exact details of the final hours of MH370 remain unknown, leaving huge gaps in understanding of who caused its disappearance, and how.

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Ocean Infinity failed on two attempts in 2018 to find the wreckage in the southern Indian Ocean.

That followed an underwater search by Malaysia, Australia and China in a 120,000 sq km (46,332 sq mile) area, based on the last satellite data captured from the plane.

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Malaysian officials approved a third probe into the Indian Ocean with the goal of recovering wreckage from flight MH370, which disappeared more than a decade ago.

The country has agreed to hire Ocean Infinity to take on the task for a second time touting a no find, no fee principle, according to Transport Minister Anthony Loke.

The proposed new search area, identified by Ocean Infinity, is based on the latest information and data analyses conducted by experts and researchers, Loke said in a statement obtained by The Associated Press.

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The companys proposal is credible and merits further examination by the Malaysian government, he added.

Three nations scoured the deep waters in 2017 during a $150 million effort supported by Australia, China and Malaysia to find the Boeing 777 that went missing midflight in March 2014.

Aboard the flight were mostly Chinese nationals leaving from Malaysias capital, Kuala Lumpur, en route to Beijing.

Ocean Infinity initiated their own private effort in 2018 but found nothing.

The companys CEO said technology has advanced since then, inspiring hope for a more substantive investigation set to begin in 2025. Under the new deal, Ocean Infinity will get $70 million only if significant wreckage is discovered, Loke said.

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This decision reflects the governments commitment to continuing the search operation and providing closure for the families of MH370 passengers, he added.

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(Bloomberg) -- Malaysia has identified eight social media and online messaging platforms that will be required to obtain a license by next year, even as the government faces resistance to its plans to regulate the industry, the New Straits Times reported.

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The platforms include Meta Platforms Inc.s WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram; Elon Musks X; Googles YouTube; Pavel Durovs Telegram; Tencent Holdings Ltd.s WeChat; and ByteDance Ltd.s TikTok, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said in an interview with the Malaysian newspaper.

From next year, any major messaging and social media service provider operating without a license from the government will face legal action. The move is meant to combat rising cases of cybercrime, including online fraud and gambling, as well as cyberbullying and sexual crimes against children, according to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission.

Some platforms have pushed back, citing reasons such as concerns over stifling innovation and the challenges of establishing a local office, the minister was cited as saying. The government is standing firm by its decision, according to the report.

The platforms had met the threshold of at least eight million users in Malaysia and were not being specifically targeted, Fahmi said. The ministry was currently engaging with the platforms, according to the report.

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Given the profits these platforms made and the significance of the Malaysian market, they should comply with local laws, Fahmi was cited as saying. For example, Meta earned about 2.5 billion ringgit ($554 million) annually from the Malaysian market through advertising, according to the report.

The government separately on Friday published a code of conduct for internet messaging and social media service providers, aimed at ensuring they uphold online safety and security, particularly for children and vulnerable groups.

It identified as harmful any content that incites hate speech, content used to bully others, and content that can incite violence, extremism or terrorism, among others. Service providers will be required to submit half-yearly online safety reports to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission.

(Updates with details of Malaysias code of conduct for service providers in final two paragraphs.)

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By Ashley Tang and Mandy Leong

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) -Malaysia has agreed to resume the search for the wreckage of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, its transport minister said on Friday, more than 10 years after it disappeared in one of the world's greatest aviation mysteries.

Flight MH370, a Boeing 777 carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew, vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014.

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"Our responsibility and obligation and commitment is to the next of kin," Transport Minister Anthony Loke told a press conference. "We hope this time will be positive, that the wreckage will be found and give closure to the families."

Jiang Hui, whose mother was a MH370 passenger, welcomed the decision to resume the search, but said the process to get there had taken too long and would be better if more players could take part.

"We hope the Malaysian government can adopt a more open approach, such as offering a public reward system where anyone can participate in the search," he said.

MH370's last transmission was about 40 minutes after it took off from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing. The pilots signed off as the plane entered Vietnamese air space over the Gulf of Thailand and soon after its transponder was turned off.

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Military radar showed the plane left its flight path to fly back over northern Malaysia then out into the Andaman Sea before turning south, then all contact was lost.

Debris, some confirmed and some believed to be from the aircraft, has since washed up along the coast of Africa and on islands in the Indian Ocean.

Loke said the proposal to resume the search in the southern Indian Ocean came from exploration firm Ocean Infinity, which had conducted the last search for the plane that ended in 2018.

A contract would be signed to cover an 18-month period and the firm would receive $70 million if wreckage found was substantive, he said, adding the search would be on the seabed of a new area covering 15,000 sq km (5,790 sq miles).

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No precise location of the new search area was given.

More than 150 Chinese passengers were on the flight. Others included 50 Malaysians as well as citizens of France, Australia, Indonesia, India, the United States, Ukraine and Canada, among others.

Relatives have demanded compensation from Malaysia Airlines, Boeing, aircraft engine maker Rolls-Royce and the Allianz insurance group, among others.

CREDIBLE DATA

Loke said Malaysia had assessed new data on the possible location from multiple experts and Ocean Infinity was confident about the chances of locating the wreckage.

"The data has all been presented. Our team has gone through and they felt that it is credible," he said.

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Malaysia engaged Ocean Infinity in 2018 to search in the southern Indian Ocean, but it failed on two attempts.

That followed an underwater search by Malaysia, Australia and China in a 120,000 sq km (46,332 sq mile) area of the southern Indian Ocean, based on data of automatic connections between an Inmarsat satellite and the plane.

The new arrangement would be on a no-find-no-fee principle, whereby Malaysia would not be required to pay Ocean Infinity unless sufficient wreckage is found and verified.

Asked about the prospects of locating all of the plane, Loke said it would be unfair to expect a concrete commitment.

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"At this point of time, nobody knows for sure. It has been over 10 years," he said.

A 495-page report into the disappearance in 2018 said the Boeing 777's controls were likely deliberately manipulated to go off course, but investigators could not determine who was responsible and stopped short of offering a conclusion on what happened, saying that depended on finding the wreckage.

Investigators have said there was nothing suspicious in the background, financial affairs, training and mental health of both the captain and co-pilot.

(Reporting by Ashley Tang and Mandy Leong; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by John Mair, Raju Gopalakrishnan and Alex Richardson)
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  A judge denied a reduced bond for the man accused of killing a man found dead after a crash on Brookshire Boulevard.

From the March 22 incident, 27-year-old Divee Cunningham has been charged with first-degree murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

That day, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officers were called to Brookshire Boulevard for a personal injury call. When they arrived, they found a man later identified as David McNeil, dead at the scene.

Queen City News is tracking CRIME in your area  >> Latest stories here

Investigators initially thought 44-year-old McNeil had been hit and killed by a vehicle. But they later discovered the man had injuries that were not consistent with the crash.

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CMPD said McNeil was mortally wounded before collapsing in the street and then had been run over a short time later.

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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  A Wilsonville man accused of stealing $1.2 million worth of equipment turned himself in on Thursday morning, authorities said.

Adrian Cooper, 36, is a former warehouse manager for Okonite Manufacturing in Sherwood.

City investigating fire code concerns of townhomes

According to the Sherwood Police Department, Cooper is accused of stealing and reselling the equipment back in April while still employed by the company, which manufactures underground wiring for public utilities.

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On Tuesday, police announced that a grand jury indicted Cooper on multiple charges related to the alleged theft and said he was still at large. The charges include 10 counts of aggravated first-degree theft and two counts of unauthorized use of a vehicle.

In a Facebook post, the Sherwood Police Department thanked members of the public for sharing the information and for those who provided tips leading up to Coopers surrender.

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Dec. 19A Huber Heights man shot by an officer in May after he pointed an air rifle at police following a pursuit is headed to prison.

Kenneth Leroy Haught, 42, was sentenced Wednesday by Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Mary Wiseman to three years. He pleaded guilty Dec. 4 to failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer, assault on a police officer and aggravated assault, according to the Montgomery County Prosecutor's Office.

Wiseman sentenced Haught to two years for failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer, and two months on each other count, all to be served consecutively, according to sentencing documents filed Thursday.

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A 911 caller reported that around 1:30 a.m. May 5 that a motorist  later identified as Haught  shot out his driver's side window and rammed his vehicle during a road rage incident on state Route 4, according to the Huber Heights Police Division's communication center.

The caller told dispatchers he was driving north on State Route 4 and heading to the Shell gas station at 8007 State Route 234.

When Huber Heights officers arrived at the gas station, they saw Haught leaving the parking lot. Police tried to stop his car, but he fled south on state Route 235.

Officers attempted a PIT (precision immobilization technique) maneuver on New Carlisle Park, but Haught continued to flee and was throwing items from the car as the pursuit continued, police said.

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Haught pulled into a grassy area near a house in the 9400 block of Taylorsville Road. Cruiser camera footage showed him get out of the car with a firearm and an officer could be heard ordering him to get on the ground.

"You can clearly see the suspect face the officers and raise a black AR 15-style rifle, pointing it directly at the officers," Huber Heights police Chief Mark Lightner said previously. "The officer closest to the suspect opened fire and stuck the suspect, who turned and tried to flee with his rifle still in hand."

Haught ran around a residence and dropped the weapon before he collapsed on a porch. Officers provided aid until medics took him to a local hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.

Police identified Haught's weapon as a DPMS full-auto SBR air rifle.

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The officer involved in the shooting, 19-year veteran Shawn Waler, will not face criminal charges after a county grand jury in August declined to indict him.

A grand jury also declined to indict Waler in an April 2023 shooting in Butler Twp. Waler shot Taevion Booker after Butler Twp. and Huber Heights police responded to the report of gunfire at the Days Inn on Miller Lane. Booker was shot in the torso and taken to Miami Valley Hospital in stable condition, police said. Booker's criminal case is pending in Vandalia Municipal Court. A warrant was issued but he has not been arrested, court records show.

As part of Haught's plea, charges of felonious assault, tampering with evidence and obstructing official business were dismissed, the prosecutor's office said.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  Police arrested a man accused of a murder over the summer that took place in Northwest Portland, authorities said.

OMarr Burnett died following an assault in Northwest Portland on June 12, 2024. (Courtesy: PPB)

Portland resident Major L. Hudson, Jr., 42, was arrested on Thursday and charged with second-degree murder, first-degree assault and first-degree robbery, the Portland Police Bureau said.

City investigating fire code concerns of townhomes

Hudson is accused of killing 51-year-old OMarr Burnett, who died in the hospital two days after the assault on June 12 in the 1900 block of Northwest Everett Street.

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Burnetts family was notified of the arrest of Hudson, officials said.

The Medical Examiner found Burnett died of homicidal violence, according to PPB.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
RANTOUL, Ill. (WCIA)  An arrest has been made in a hit and run incident that happened in Rantoul last month.

Jamie Diego-Martin was arrested in Knoxville, TN on Wednesday for the warrant of Leaving

the Scene of a Personal Injury Accident.

Part of I-57 south closed after multi-vehicle crash

The accident happened on Nov. 7 around 4:15 p.m. at the intersection of Champaign Avenue and Chanute Street. A car struck a teenager crossing Champaign Avenue in the crosswalk. The 16-year-old boy was taken to the hospital. The cars driver, Diego-Martin, did not stop.

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Due to automated license plate readers, officers were able to identify the vehicle involved in the accident. They later found the vehicle in a garage in Rantoul on Maria Drive with damages consistent with the strike. Police later identified the driver as Diego-Martin and issued an arrest warrant for him later in November.

The US Marshals Fugitive Task Force assisted in the arrest.

Police said Diego-Martin will remain in custody in Tennessee before being extradited back to Champaign County.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com.
KANSAS CITY, Mo.  A man already in custody in an Illinois prison is now facing charges in a Kansas City homicide from two years ago.

The Jackson County Prosecutors Office said it filed charges against Shaun Johnson. Hes being charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action.

Lees Summit West teacher charged with child pornography

The charges are for the shooting death of 35-year-old George Richards on Aug. 1, 2022.

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The shooting happened near E. 51st Street and Bellefontaine Avenue. Police discovered that Richards had been shot multiples times.

Court documents say investigators believe Richards and Johnson were trying to re-start a car battery when it happened.

Johnson is currently an inmate at the Jacksonville Correctional Facility in Illinois on an unrelated crime.

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No word on if and when he will be transported to Missouri.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
A Kansas City man has been charged for his role in a car crash that killed a woman in June.

Jordan Asher, 25, faces charges of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the June 25 crash. Charges against Asher also allege that he was driving while intoxicated.

The crash took place around 5:10 p.m. near East 43rd Street and Virginia Avenue in the South Hyde Park neighborhood of Kansas City. Asher was speeding on East 43rd Street in a silver Honda Pilot when his car went airborne as he crossed Virginia Avenue, according to police and court documents.

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The Pilot allegedly struck a black Mitsubishi head-on as it landed, killing the driver. Asher then hit two wooden utility poles, splitting one, before the Pilot landed on its roof around East 43rd Street and The Paseo.

Asher later told police detectives that he had run through a stop sign and rolled down a hill, and that this was when he lost control of the car, according to court documents. Asher also allegedly told police that he had smoked marijuana earlier in the day.

The dead woman has not been publicly identified.

A passenger in Ashers car survived the crash but had serious injuries, including fractures to the leg, foot, arm, wrist and ribs, according to court documents. Neither Asher nor the passenger was wearing a seat belt.

Asher is being held on $25,000 bond. His next court date has not yet been set.
A 26-year-old man who Wilmington police said killed another in 2021 is now being held in a Delaware prison.

Michael Bernier was in another state's custody when he was indicted in the killing of 20-year-old Marquis Lopez Jr. on Oct. 17, 2021  a year that saw a record number of people fatally shot in the state's largest city.

The shooting occurred shortly before 2 a.m. in the 1500 block of W. Third St., police said. Lopez was taken to a nearby hospital where he died.

Wilmington Police investigate a shooting that left a 20-year-old man dead in Wilmington Sunday, October 17, 2021.

More: 20-year-old man killed in early morning shooting Sunday, tying 2020 gunfire death count

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Wilmington police detectives linked Bernier to the fatal shooting and on Dec. 19, 2022, the case was presented to a New Castle County grand jury, which indicted him.

At the time, police said Bernier was in custody in Philadelphia on an unrelated matter.

On Tuesday, however, Bernier was taken into Delaware custody by Wilmington police's Criminal Investigations Division.

Bernier, who faces charges of first-degree murder and a weapons offense, was being held at Howard R. Young Correctional Institution Friday after failing to post a $1 million cash bail.

Send tips or story ideas to Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or eparra@delawareonline.com.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Man charged in 2021 Wilmington killing now in Delaware custody
(Humatak Holiday Concert)

The Humatak Mayors Office, Humatak Municipal Planning Council, and residents of Humatak are hosting the first ever Humatak Holiday Concert by the Bay December 22, 2024, 12:00 p.m. to 7 p.m. Doors open at 11:00 a.m.

(Humatak Holiday Concert)

Three headlining acoustic artists and friends from the U.S. Mainland have graciously offered to perform as their gift to the people of Guam. Guams top acoustic artists will perform the concerts opening acts. Culinary food trucks and village specialties will welcome Guam residents and visitors as they enjoy the bay and about 20 local artists as they paint live during the event. The Humatak Holiday Concert is free admission.

All proceeds from the sale of promotional merchandise, drinks, and alcohol will be used towards community projects within the district of Humatak. No outside food, drinks, alcohol, coolers, and/or pop ups will be permitted to support fundraising efforts. For a full list of allowed and prohibited items, please see attached Rule & Regulations flyer.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  A cyber tip from Google has resulted in the arrest of a 62-year-old man for sexual exploitation of a minor.

According to the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD), officers arrested Raymond L. Turner, after he allegedly uploaded images of child sexual abuse to his Google Pictures account.

CRIME TRACKER | Read the latest crime-related reports from across Middle Tennessee

MNPD Special Victims Division detectives executed a search warrant at Turners Strasser Drive residence and found the electronic files located on his Google account.

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He has been charged with three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, including two counts of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor.

MNPD said he remains jailed in lieu of a $150,000 bond.

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MANCHESTER, Mo.  A man is charged with first-degree murder Thursday after turning himself in for his fathers murder to police.

According to the Manchester Police Department, 41-year-old Jeffrey Goedde walked into the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office around 12:30 p.m. and told officials he committed a crime, adding that his father was unconscious and bleeding on the kitchen floor.

Immediately, the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office contacted the Manchester Police after determining an address along Baxter Heights Court.

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Officers in Manchester responded to the residence where they located 75-year-old Edward Goedde Jr., who was already deceased. According to a release, Edward suffered from multiple puncture wounds from an edged weapon.

Jeffrey was taken into custody by Manchester detectives and transported to the St. Louis County Jail.

The 41-year-old is charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action. He has been denied bond.

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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO)  Mark N. Peters, who was convicted of killing his wife Carol Jean Peters in 1990, has died in prison.

The South Dakota Department of Corrections said Peters, 67, died on Thursday. The state did not list a cause of death.

2 Huron teens sentenced to 25 years for murder

Peters was sentenced to life in prison for first-degree murder in Minnehaha County. Peters pleaded guilty to killing his wife.

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The death also involved a stand-off with Sioux Falls Police that lasted several hours.

Peters is the 12th inmate to die in state prison this year.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KELOLAND.com.
CHICAGO  A man was hospitalized on Thursday afternoon after he was injured in a drive-by shooting on the Far South Side.

Officers said the shooting unfolded just after 2 p.m. in the 400 block of East 109th Street in West Roseland.

Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines

According to police, the victim, a 24-year-old man, was in an alley in the area when an unknown vehicle approached and an individual inside opened fire.

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Officers said the victim suffered a gunshot wound to his chest and was taken to the hospital in critical condition.

Currently, it is unclear what led to the shooting and officers said no arrests have been made.

An investigation into the shooting is now underway.

LATEST CASES: Missing people in Chicagoland

Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to contact CPD Area Two Detectives at 312-747-8273 or dial 911.

Those with information that could help authorities in their investigation can also leave a tip at CPDtip.com. Tips can be filed anonymously.

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A man driving a stolen car died after colliding with another vehicle near 67th and Alice avenues in Glendale, the Glendale Police Department confirmed.

Just before 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, a male driver and a female passenger, both in their 20s, were heading northbound on 67th Avenue. According to Glendale police, they were traveling at a high rate of speed in a stolen black 2014 Honda Civic without the headlights on.

A 49-year-old woman was driving a Toyota Highlander with her two young grandchildren in the vehicle, ages 6 and 12, according to Glendale police. She was turning southbound onto 67th Avenue from Alice Avenue and didn't see the Civic driving northbound.

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Glendale police said the man in the stolen Civic attempted to swerve left, but crashed into the front corner of the Highlander.

The woman and her grandchildren were hit with so much force that their vehicle rotated clockwise and came to a stop over 30 feet north of the intersection, according to Glendale police. The Civic rotated clockwise and ended up on the west side of the roadway.

The male driver of the Civic was transported to a hospital and was later pronounced dead. Glendale police said the female passenger was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries.

Authorities found handguns and "other stolen property" inside the vehicle, all of which were obtained from robberies that previously took place in Phoenix, police said.

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The grandmother and her grandchildren were also hospitalized with minor internal injuries, according to Glendale police. One of their legs was broken.

The Glendale Police Department has not yet released the identities of anyone involved. No arrests have been made, and it is currently unknown if impairment was a factor in this crash.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Man dead after crashing stolen vehicle, injuring family in Glendale
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET)  Confronted while tampering with a car, Erick Arrellano knocked a man to the ground then kicked him and threw a knife before attempting to steal his vehicle.

Found guilty this week of charges including assault with a deadly weapon, Arrellano, 32, faces up to life in prison at his sentencing next month, according to a release from the District Attorneys Office.

Arrellano is a third-strike offender with a lengthy criminal history, including convictions for vehicle theft, burglary and recklessly evading police.

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Church under construction destroyed by fire in Lamont

By prosecuting violent criminals like Arrellano, we take crucial steps toward building safer communities, District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer said in the release. His extensive criminal history makes him eligible for a life sentence, a big win for public safety.

The incident leading to Arrellanos arrest occurred July 1 when a man who was in his car and about to leave an apartment complex saw Arrellano tampering with a neighbors vehicle, according to prosecutors.

The man yelled at Arrellano and the two fought. The man ended up on the ground.

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He told Arrellano he was done fighting, prosecutors said, but Arrellano kept kicking him  then threw an open pocketknife which missed his face.

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Arrellano jumped in the mans vehicle and tried to drive away, but the man got in and the fight resumed. Another neighbor arrived and helped grab the car keys and keep Arrellano inside the vehicle until deputies arrived.

Arrellano ignored deputies commands and was flailing his arms as he resisted arrest. After he was handcuffed, he spit all over the back seat of the patrol vehicle he was placed in, prosecutors said.

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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  A 39-year-old man was found guilty of a murder that took place in the Xpose nightclub in 2017, according to the Washington County District Attorneys Office.

Jimmy Travon Pierce is guilty of second-degree murder with a firearm and first-degree attempted murder with a firearm following the incident that involved two victims and left one dead.

St. Helens School District releases list of staff members on paid administrative leave

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On May 19, 2017, officers responded to the nightclub in Beaverton following reports of a shooting and found a man, Ramon Harris, suffering gunshot wounds to the head and chest. Harris was rushed to the hospital, but eventually died of his injuries.

Another man, Robert Nelson, was contacted after the shooting and told police he had to dive behind parked vehicles to avoid being shot. A Chrysler 300 and limo bus at the scene were both damaged from bullets, and eight spent shell casings were recorded nearby.

Investigators reviewed surveillance footage taken from inside Xpose and saw that Mr. Pierce was inside the club with his gang associates when the victims entered the club with a group of friends, the District Attorneys Office said. Both groups of men had ties to various Portland criminal gangs and began arguing with each other.

Multnomah County homeless deaths in 2023 show devastating toll of fentanyl crisis: Report

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Officials said Pierce could be seen exiting the club shortly before Harris and Nelson. The shooting took place in the parking lot moments later.

Police linked the shell casings to another shooting that happened in Southeast Portland six days earlier, leading them to cell phone data that linked Pierce to both shootings. DNA evidence from the Xpose shooting was also matched to Pierce.

Pierces sentencing is expected to take place Jan. 2, 2025.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT)  The man found guilty of a murder on New Years Day has been sentenced to 65 years in prison.

Christopher Boyd Jr. was found guilty of the killing of Jerry Hale in early December. Officials say Boyd Jr. shot Hale on East Riverside Drive in Evansville on New Years Day.

Jury finds man guilty of New Years Day murder

Boyd Jr. was previously convicted for an attempted murder in Cook County, Illinois in 2011.

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Two others were arrested in connection to the murder of Hale. Jahray Garrett was sentenced to two years of probation, while Nykeia Baker is scheduled to stand trial in February.

Officials have not yet said where Boyd Jr. will serve his sentence.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Eyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW).
ALBION, Mich. (WOOD)  A man will spend decades in prison for hitting a 61-year-old with his car and killing him last year in Albion, according to the Calhoun County Prosecutors Office.

Orlando Capado Billingsley, 46, was found guilty in October of second-degree murder, reckless driving causing death and driving while license suspended causing death, prosecutors say.

On Friday, prosecutors announced, Billingsley was sentenced to 40 to 60 years in prison for second-degree murder. He also received lesser sentences on the driving charges, to run concurrently, and credit for more than 1.5 years served.

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Albion murder suspect turns self in, arraigned

The conviction stems from the April 19, 2023, death of Stanley Wilson. According to the prosecutors office, around 11 p.m. that night, police responded to a report of screams in the area of Sycamore Court and Sycamore Street. When they arrived on scene, they found Stanley Wilson, of Battle Creek, in a grassy area between apartment buildings. Prosecutors say the 61-year-old had suffered extensive trauma to the head and face. He died on scene.

Investigations revealed that the altercation leading to Wilsons death began earlier that day when a dispute broke out between two children, escalating into a confrontation between parents, the release says.

Billingsleys family became involved, and there was a violent altercation at Billingsleys home, according to the Calhoun County Prosecutors Office.

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Once it was over, prosecutors say Billingsley followed Wilson and others as they walked away, got into his Dodge Charger, drove on the lawn between apartment buildings and chased Wilson as he ran away. They say surveillance video caught the moment when Billingsley hit Wilson with his Charger, dragging him a significant distance before (Wilsons) body was dislodged.

The conviction brings closure to the tragic case, prosecutors wrote in the release, and the community remains in mourning over the loss of Stanley Wilson.

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE)  The man who admitted to trying to help his friend steal ammo from a Cabelas will have his case dismissed. Joseph Montoya pled guilty to his role in the 2022 robbery of the Cabelas near Jefferson St. and Paseo del Norte Blvd.

FBI offers reward for information on gunman who killed ABQ tattoo shop owner

Montoya was serving as the getaway driver for his friend Gabriel Velasquez who was trying to steal ammo from the store. An off-duty New Mexico State Police officer confronted Velasquez and he responded by opening fire. The officer returned fire hitting Velasquez.

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Montoya was sent for treatment in the Young Adults Program last year. He graduated last week. Judge Cindy Leos was impressed with his improvements and gave him a conditional discharge. Velasquez was also given a conditional discharge after successfully completing the Young Adults Program.

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(FOX40.COM)  Sacramento Police responded to reports of a shooting in North Sacramento that left one man injured on Thursday night.

According to police, the shooting occurred near Altos Ave. and Fairfield Street just after 6:30 p.m.

Stay safe this holiday: Sacramento Metro Fire offers Christmas tree tips

Police said when crews arrived at the scene they found one man who sustained one gunshot wound.

Officials said he has been taken to a local hospital and his condition is stable.

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This article will be updated as more information becomes available.

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ATTALA COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV)  A man was killed during a shooting at an Attala County apartment complex.

Breezy News reported the shooting happened at Hannah Heights Apartments in Ethel just before 8:45 p.m. on Thursday, December 19.

Two injured during Brookhaven shooting

Attala County deputies said the victim, Leotha Ashford, 42, was pronounced dead at the hospital just after 10:00 p.m. His body will be sent to the Mississippi State Crime Lab for an autopsy.

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The shooting is under investigation by the Attala County Sheriffs Office.

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  A Charlotte man accused of helping a double murder suspect will not spend any additional time behind bars, a judge ruled on Thursday.

On December 19, Jamall Porterfield, 31, pleaded guilty to felony obstruction of justice as part of a plea deal that would dismiss two counts of felony accessory after the fact.

Prosecutors say Porterfield helped Xaveon Dunn get away from where Dondrake Blackmoore and Jakailah Jackson were found murdered in October 2020. Porterfield also allegedly took a gun from Dunns home after police searched the residence and got rid of the weapon.

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He was later arrested in West Virginia and posted bond. However, Porterfield landed in hot water with authorities when he reportedly missed a June 2023 court hearing, and an order for his arrest was issued.

WATCH: Video released of gunshot hitting CMS school bus, suspected shooter denied bond

In November 2024, Porterfield was rearrested and again posted bond, according to jail records. It does not appear that he faced any additional charges for his alleged disappearance.

Following Porterfields guilty plea, it was announced that he will likely not spend time behind bars. He was sentenced to between 6 months and 18 months in prison, but the sentence was suspended, meaning he will not have to serve that sentence if he successfully completes 3 years of probation.

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Part of his probation required a 7-day stint in prison; however, this was waived as he was credited for the time he had already spent in jail.

Porterfield was required to submit a DNA sample before his release and must complete a cognitive behavioral intervention program. He now faces over $2,200 in court and attorney fees.

According to court records, Xaveon Dunns last court appearance was in April 2022. He has not been convicted of murder, but the charges have not been dismissed.

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YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN)  Sentencing will be Jan. 3 for a city man who pleaded guilty Thursday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court to charges he beat a pregnant woman earlier this year.

Read next: Large police presence in tense situation in Masury

Rayvon Parker, 26, entered guilty pleas before Judge Anthony DApolito to counts of domestic violence, a first-degree misdemeanor; receiving stolen property, a fourth-degree felony; being a felon in possession of a firearm, a third-degree felony; and two second-degree felony counts of felonious assault.

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The attorneys in the case are recommending a 10-year prison term as part of the plea agreement.

Parker has been in the Mahoning County jail since was arrested about 11:50 a.m. Jan. 17 by Boardman police, more than 12 hours after a woman who told police she was pregnant with Parkers child was assaulted at her apartment in the area of Mathews Road and Applecrest Court.

Police were called to her apartment about 7:55 p.m. Jan. 16, where the woman told police Parker came to visit the four children they share. Reports said she told police Parker suddenly became angry, punched her, kicked her in the stomach several times and dragged her around the apartment by the hair before taking her car keys and fleeing with her car.

Police found clumps of the womans hair in her apartment and she had redness on her face like she had been punched, reports said. Reports said she was taken to St. Elizabeth Health Center Boardman where her fetus was examined. Reports said the baby was injured, but the woman was kept in the hospital overnight.

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Police returned to the apartment that evening but did not find Parker. They then received a call the next day that he was back at the apartment and when officers arrived, they saw him outside. Reports said Parker put his hands behind his back when ordered to but then pushed up against an officer, punched him in the head and knocked him down.

During the struggle, a loaded 9mm semiautomatic handgun fell out of Parkers waist and he ran away. He was tracked with a police dog on Meadowbrook Avenue, reports said. When he was caught, he had to be tackled and stunned to be taken into custody when he refused to get on the ground and reached towards his waist like he had a gun.

A grand jury indicted Parker in March.

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On December 10, the City of South Fulton Police Department reported a man missing who was last seen on Dec. 7.

The Atlanta Police Department found the victim, 83-year-old Billie Coot Carmichael dead on Wednesday after responding to a person down call at 3646 Hogan Drive in southwest Atlanta.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Officials say they responded to the location just before 2 p.m. when they found Carmichael.

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South Fulton Police say Carmichael suffered from dementia and had reportedly been missing for several days. Before he was found deceased in Atlanta, Carmichael was last seen at 6675 Hidden Brook Trail in South Fulton.

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APD says their investigation continues.

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MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now)  A man was sentenced Thursday for raping two women in Wheaton back in 1981.

Marion Pearson, 67, pleaded guilty in October to second-degree rape and second-degree sexual assault for the attacks in April and June of that year.

On April 20, 1981, the Montgomery County States Attorneys Office said then-24-year-old Pearson attacked a woman from behind in the 1800 block of University Boulevard W.

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He reportedly forced her into a wooded area off of the street and told her to shut up; that he wasnt going to hurt her, just hold her for ransom.

He took her deeper into the woods and put tape over her mouth and eyes before binding her hands behind her back.

He sexually assaulted her and took her wallet when he left the area.

Pearson untied her hands and told her not to scream or call for help before he was out of the area. After he left, the victim went to a nearby house for help.

Swabs taken from her exam were analyzed in 2022 and matched to Pearson.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: North Carolina man pleads guilty to 1981 Montgomery County rape cases

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Less than two months after the attack, on June 13, 1981, another victim was attacked from behind while walking in the 11400 block of Connecticut Avenue.

Pearson forced her into a wooded area and threatened to get his knife out if she didnt stop struggling. He put tape over her mouth and eyes and bound her hands behind her back.

When she heard him unzip his clothing, she reportedly told Pearson she had a sexually transmitted infection. He assaulted her anyway and hit her repeatedly with a stick.

She was able to break free and flagged down a passing driver, who stopped and drove her to a police station. Evidence was collected from her during an exam, which later linked Pearson to the assault.

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The victim had to get stitches for the injuries she sustained in the assault.

Pearson was freed in 2020 after serving 22 years in a North Carolina prison for a separate series of first-degree rapes. He previously lived in Prince Georges County, where he was arrested several times for assault, indecent exposure and peeping-tom offenses between 1980 and 1999.

I understand that time has passed, but the mere passage of time does not mean there should not be some level of accountability and some sentence of the vicious acts and crimes that were committed against these women, said Montgomery County States Attorney John McCarthy.

On Dec. 19, Pearson was sentenced to 17 years in prison and will be required to register as a sex offender for life.

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A man in South Carolina was sentenced to 30 years in prison for killing his partner two years ago in Kershaw.

Court records say Hurley D. Braddy pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to prison this week.

Braddy was arrested in December of 2022 after four children ran to a neighbors home on West 3rd Street and said that their father shot their mother.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE >> Man accused of killing mother of 5 in Kershaw, sheriff says

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Deputies went to the home and found the victim dead on the floor in a bedroom.

None of the children were hurt, including a one-year-old child who was sitting in a high chair in the kitchen when deputies arrived.

Lancaster County Sheriff Barry Faile called the killing a horrific act of violence in the presence of these children.

Braddy was also convicted of a gun charge.

(VIDEO: Former Lancaster County solicitor shot in Kershaw, deputies say)




An Indiana man was sentenced Friday to 130 years in prison for the brutal stabbing deaths of two girls in the small town of Delphi.

After the case had languished for years with no publicly named suspect, Richard Allen, 52, was convicted last month of kidnapping and killing 13-year-old Abby Williams and 14-year-old Libby German on Feb. 13, 2017.

Allen received the maximum sentence of 65 years in prison for each murder, to be served consecutively.

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The girls were last seen on a popular hiking trail, and following a frantic overnight search, their bodies were discovered the next day beside a creek about half a mile from an abandoned railroad bridge.

The 60-foot-tall Monon High Bridge, once a popular backdrop for celebratory photo shoots  including weddings, local news station WRTV noted in 2017  became an infamous landmark following the killings: Not long before they disappeared, Libby posted an eerie photo on Snapshot of Abby walking on the railroad trestles  and appeared to capture the killer approaching the girls in a blurry video later recovered from her phone.

The man, dressed in jeans and a blue coat, was nicknamed Bridge Guy by true crime sleuths obsessed with the case after the state police circulated snippets of the video in which he apparently directs the girls to go down the hill. A detective testified that he could hear one of the girls say that the man had a gun, WTHR reported.

In this courtroom sketch from Nov. 2, Richard Allen (left) is seated by one of his defense attorneys, Andrew Baldwin, at the Carroll County Courthouse in Delphi, Indiana. Li Buszka, pool photo via Associated Press

But despite hundreds of tips, the man in the video was never identified. It wasnt until September 2022 that a volunteer clerk uncovered a mislabeled record of a police interview with Allen, who lived in Delphi with his wife and had worked for years at the local CVS, placing himself on the trail at the time the girls disappeared, IndyStar reported. Authorities arrested Allen that October, after linking a gun Allen owned to an unspent bullet found between the girls bodies. During a search of the Allens house, they also found clothing similar to what the man on the bridge had been wearing, prosecutors said.

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Allen, who pleaded not guilty, confessed to killing the girls more than 60 times while he was being held in prison before the trial, prosecutors said. But his defense attorneys argued he was innocent, discounting the confessions as brought on by his poor mental health under the conditions of incarceration. Allens attorneys had earlier claimed that the girls had been killed in a ritualistic sacrifice. The judge barred Allens attorneys from presenting that third-party theory during the trial, however.

Allens attorneys said in a court filing this week that he will appeal the verdict.

Several family members gave emotional victim impact statements in court on Friday before the judge delivered the verdict.

Libbys mother, Carrie Timmons, said her family had endured absolute hell since the murders, leaving her with a literal hole in my soul, according to WTHR.

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Abbys grandfather, Eric Erskin, said, The loss of losing Abby is like losing a limb that never grows back.

Libbys grandmother Becky Patty had been the first to testify at the trial, praising Libbys adventurous spirit, intelligence and interest in true crime.

She was logical. She loved crime shows. She said, Im going to help you solve crimes. She wanted to make a difference, Patty said.

At a news conference following the verdict Friday, prosecutor Nick McLeland said that the girls themselves provided arguably the biggest piece of evidence in the case: the video that Libby recorded on her phone.

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Abby hid the phone from their killer, McLeland said, so that investigators could find it.

Without the efforts from those two little girls, we wouldnt be here today, McLeland said.

Flowers are placed at the Monon High Bridge Trail in Delphi, Indiana, on Oct. 31, 2022, near where Libby German and Abby Williams were last seen and where the bodies were discovered. AP Photo/Michael Conroy

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WEST BROOKFIELD, Mass. (WWLP)  Matthew Locke, who murdered his cousins wife and their three children in West Brookfield in 2018, was sentenced to life without parole in court on Thursday.

NBC Boston reported that Locke was initially arrested based on allegedly misleading the investigators but has since been charged with murder, arson, and armed burglary. He was sentenced to four consecutive periods of life without parole for the deaths of 38-year-old Sara Bermudez, 8-year-old Madison Bermudez, 6-year-old James Bermudez, and 2-year-old Michael Bermudez.

Springfield police seize illegal firearm after shots fired call

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The bodies were found on March 1, 2018, on Old Warren Road in West Brookfield with multiple stab wounds. The house had also been set on fire. Court documents said that DNA on one of the child victims led the detectives to Locke as a suspect.

(Worcester County DA)

Locke was convicted after a monthlong trial in a Worcester court. Moses Bermudez, Lockes cousin and the husband and father of the deceased, was present at the sentencing.

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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Dec. 20MANTORVILLE, Minn.  A man facing 17 felony charges related to possessing and disseminating child sexual abuse materials was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison on Wednesday, Dec. 18.

Michael Nathan Williams, 21, of Rose Creek, was charged with seven counts of disseminating pornographic work involving minors. The remaining 10 charges were possessing pornographic work involving a minor.

Williams pleaded guilty to the first count of disseminating pornographic work involving a minor. In exchange for his plea, the remaining charges were dismissed.

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Williams was previously convicted for possessing pornographic work in 2023.

According to the criminal complaint, a special agent with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension notified the Dodge County Sheriff's Office on Nov. 9, 2022, that the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a report of child sexual abuse images that had been uploaded to Twitter.

A phone number and an email address connected to the Twitter account were found to be owned by Williams.

The images depicted the sexual abuse of children in ages ranging from infant to young juvenile. Williams told police he had over 300 images on his electronic device and sent roughly 100 images.

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Police found a conversation on a messaging application between Williams and another person where Williams sent at least seven videos of children being sexually abused to the other person.

Those experiencing sexual exploitation can call a 24-hour crisis line at 507-289-0636 to speak to someone who can direct you towards help.
ANDERSON COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA)  The Anderson County Sheriffs Office said a person was shot after attempting to break into a home.

The incident happened on Don Avenue, deputies said.

The suspect reportedly walked into the house, and when the homeowners spotted them, they ran from the scene.

The homeowners shot at the suspect but did not hit them, according to the sheriffs office.

Deputies stated that they now have the suspect in custody, whose identity has not been released.

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DENVER (KDVR)  On Wednesday, a jury found a man who was shot by police in February guilty of six counts of kidnapping, among several other charges, according to the 8th Judicial District Attorneys Office.

Colten Sirio was found guilty of 10 charges, including three counts of first-degree kidnapping, three counts of second-degree kidnapping, two counts of child abuse, and one count each of menacing and reckless endangerment. His jury trial began on Dec. 10.

Fort Collins founder of illegal pyramid scheme that netted over $23M sentenced

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He faces a mandatory minimum sentencing of 72 years in the Department of Corrections and could get up to 216 years in prison, according to prosecutors. He is scheduled to appear for sentencing on Feb. 3.

The charges stem from an incident on Feb. 7, when Fort Collins Police Services officers responded to the intersection of City Park Avenue and West Elizabeth Street for a report of a suspicious man walking with a woman who was pushing a stroller. Officers recognized Sirio because he was subject to a Be on the Lookout report for an active warrant.

Officers told Sirio he was under arrest, and police said thats when the man produced a gun and pointed it at the woman he was with. Police said Sirio yelled at the officers and did not comply with their orders, continuing to hold the woman at gunpoint.

Then, an officer fired his weapon and struck Sirio in the shoulder. Officers were able to arrest him after the injury and later learned he was on parole at the time. Neither the woman nor the children in the stroller were injured.

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Because they fired a weapon, the 8th Judicial Districts Critical Incident Response Team was activated to investigate the officers actions. The team ultimately found the officers actions were justified and legal.

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HIGH POINT, N.C. (WGHP)  A man has died after being shot by two High Point police officers inside a McDonalds late Thursday morning.

The incident occurred at the McDonalds on Mall Loop Road, just yards away from the former Oak Hollow Mall. Police responded to a 911 call shortly after 11 a.m. about a suicidal man inside the restaurant.

According to High Point Police Chief Curtis Cheeks, officers arrived to find a 50-year-old man behaving erratically and cutting himself with a razor. By the time they arrived, the man had armed himself with a knife. Officers attempted to communicate with the man and de-escalate the situation, but Chief Cheeks said the mans actions escalated, leading two officers to fire their weapons.

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Eden man charged with child abuse after welfare call, police say

The man was critically injured and transported by Guilford County EMS to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, where he died.

No one else inside the McDonalds, including staff and customers, was hurt during the incident.

The State Bureau of Investigation is now handling the case, which is standard protocol for officer-involved shootings. Both officers involved were uninjured and have been placed on administrative duty while the investigation continues.

Chief Cheeks spoke about the challenges officers face during calls involving mental health crises.

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Our officers are trained on de-escalation. Theyre trained on responding to calls for mental health, and they do so well a great majority of the time. But part of any call for service is the reactionary point based on what an individual does or chooses to do, Cheeks said.

He added that while the department has been exploring alternative responses to mental health-related calls, situations involving weapons and immediate danger still require an armed police response.

Man who tried to kill wife in Eden shooting sentenced to decades in prison

Thats not something we would send unarmed civilian staff to assist with, so you would still get an armed police response, at least on the initial side. We would expect our folks to make an attempt to de-escalate, which they did in this instance. Again, the unknown is always what reaction you get, Cheeks said.

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The chief also addressed the impact such incidents have on officers, noting that the department has protocols to address their mental health.

Physically, both of our officers involved are okay. Obviously, theres the other side of that as well, and we have some protocols in place that will check on them from the mental health side, Cheeks said.

The SBI has not provided a timeline for when more details will be released.

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ST. LOUIS  A man was found dead in a backyard in the citys Patch neighborhood on Thursday afternoon with a large stab wound on his back.

According to SLMPD, the man was found in the 8400 block of Water Street when officers arrived after 4 p.m. on Thursday.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Homicide detectives are still investigating to determine the identity of the man and determine what led to the stabbing.

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Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Homicide Division directly at 314-444-5371. Anyone with a tip who wants to remain anonymous and is interested in a possible cash reward can contact CrimeStoppers at 866-371-TIPS (8477).

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WSPA)  The Asheville Police Department is looking for a man wanted for charges that stem from a child sexual assault case in early December.

Jose Arnoldo Gutierrez (Asheville PD)

Officers said 46-year-old Jose Arnoldo Gutierrez has been charged with indecent liberties with a minor. He is a Hispanic man who may also go under the name Jose Pena according to police.

Authorities said Gutierrezs last known address is in Arden.

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Anyone with information on his whereabouts should contact APD at (828) 252-1110. Anonymous tippers can text TIP2APD to 847411.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSPA 7NEWS.
In announcing Peter Mandelsons appointment as Britains new ambassador to the United States, the BBC described him as one of the best known figures in British politics.

That this is true is itself another feather in Mandelsons cap: he has run only two Whitehall departments in his career, after all  Northern Ireland and Business, the latter during two separate periods  and spent far longer outside the cabinet of his patron and friend Tony Blair than inside it (whereas he spent two thirds of Gordon Browns administration at its heart, despite the well-known acrimony and mistrust known to have existed between the two men in the past).

Aside from former party leaders, there arent many politicians of his, or indeed any, generation, who have managed to build up such a nationwide reputation from such fleeting brushes with executive power.

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Mandelson was always a divisive figure within Labour, from the moment he was recruited by Neil Kinnock in the 1980s to transform the partys old-fashioned image and to put far more emphasis on the partys messaging. More than any other individual, Mandelson is still seen (by those of us old enough to remember) as the father of spin, often used as a synonym for dishonesty and misdirection. This was never fair, but Mandelson accepted the brickbats and briefings from colleagues jealous of his close relations with Kinnock and then Blair with a suave insouciance.

Its that demeanour that will endear him to many in Washington, DC, when he takes up his post. It is not entirely Mandelsons fault that he built up such a store of enemies in his own party during Labours time in government and the period of opposition before it, when he represented the seat of Hartlepool. There were many in the Parliamentary Labour Party who took against him simply because of his superior air and his closeness to Blair, a stark contrast to the slippery pole that many of them had had to climb without the luxury of a leaders patronage.

What his detractors missed was his genius at politics, including an ability to frame key messages that would appeal to those voters Labour most needed to win over. It was that genius that was recognised by his old enemy and former close friend Gordon Brown when he (Brown) recognised his ailing administration needed some Mandelson magic if it was going to recover from the torpor into which Brown had led it in his first year as prime minister.

And so the latest in Mandelsons impressive series of comebacks resulted in his appointment to the heart of Browns government and simultaneously to the Lords. Even Mandelson, who had been tempted away from his post of EU trade commissioner to return to the cabinet, could not save the government and he largely disappeared from public view after David Cameron succeeded Brown in 2010.

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Its a little odd that few have even noticed that Mandelson has recently spoken in pragmatic terms about Britains new post-EU life. As a former EU trade commissioner, he might have been expected to play a higher-profile role in the Remain campaign in 2016. And he has kept a relatively low profile since, perhaps sagely choosing to remain above the chaotic quagmire into which his party descended during the five years after the referendum.

This is not to question his support for Remain, which was genuine and unambiguous. But there are few from his side of the argument still active in politics today who would even hint at the possibility that there might actually be some advantages to being a non-EU member in 2024. But Mandelson crossed that Rubicon last month in a podcast about the recent US election, where he told the host: Theres a very substantial trade agreement to be made between the UK and the US  optimism along these lines is regularly shredded by sceptical Remainers  in technology and digital trade in both civilian and military areas.

He added: The EU have introduced an AI [artificial intelligence] Act which were not going to embrace in this country and in a sense, not being in the EU allows us to be that little bit more nimble in our approach to regulating AI.

Mandelsons affinity to pragmatism was always part of his core political beliefs, and thats what made him such an effective operator as well as a target for his opponents. To make the case for a post-EU transatlantic trade deal as well as highlighting a (modest) Brexit advantage might have come across as a blatant bid for the job to which hes now been appointed. It probably was.

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But Mandelson has the skills and the political instinct to represent Britain effectively in the Trump 2.0 era; he will bring charm and intelligence to the role and perhaps even some progress towards that elusive trade deal that the Biden administration ensured was never a priority for it.

His appointment ensures his reputation as one of the best-known politicians in the country and for the first time in many years, many more people will be able to name Britains ambassador to our biggest and most important ally. And if in the process, Mandelsons enemies are to be enraged, so much the better.

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During his term in office from 2016 to 2022, former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was best known for his brutal war on drugs, which became a license for massive extrajudicial killings of drug addicts and dealers, as well as many people with no connections to drugs at all. An investigation by the International Criminal Court into the campaign and Dutertes role in it put the number of civilian casualties at between 12,000 and 30,000.

Dutertes other main policy initiative as president did not attract as much global attention: From his first days in office, he tried to shift the focus of Philippine foreign and economic policy away from the United Statesthe countrys longtime allyand toward China. This shift was not driven by domestic politics, as the Philippine public holds generally warm views of the U.S., but rather at least in part by Dutertes personal animus toward Washington. Unfortunately, he wound up getting little for putting his faith in Beijing, while alienating Filipinos who had been promised a Chinese windfall.

Now, Dutertes successor and political rival, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., has shifted Philippine foreign and economic policy 180 degrees, wholeheartedly embracing the U.S. instead of balancing between Washington and Beijing, as all other Southeast Asian states are doing. But with the imminent return of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to the White House in January, Marcos could ultimately find himself as economically and strategically sidelined by the U.S. as Duterte was by China.

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As noted, Dutertes foreign policy shift was partly motivated by personal grudges he held against the United States. He came from the southern Philippines, the region that was historically most devastated by U.S. colonial occupation in the early 20th century. He also believed that Washington had illegally extracted a U.S. citizen who accidentally set off an explosive in a hotel in Davao in 2002, when Duterte was mayor of the southern city. Duterte believed the bomber was a CIA agent, though this has not been proven. While president, he blasted the U.S., at times using profane language, including when he once called then-President Barack Obama a son of a whore.

To get more in-depth news and expert analysis on global affairs from WPR, sign up for our free Daily Review newsletter.

But Duterte also genuinely seemed to believe that throwing in with China would lead to a renaissance in aid and investment in the Philippines decaying infrastructure and decrepit manufacturing sectors, among other areas. The Philippines poor infrastructure has been an obstacle to Manilas ambitions to compete with neighbors like Malaysia and Thailand in attracting foreign investment.

In courting investment and aid from Beijing, Duterte also backed off from the tougher South China Sea policy of his predecessor, former President Benigno Aquino III. Aquino had taken Beijing to an arbitral tribunal in the Hague, which in July 2016just weeks after Duterte had taken officeissued a resoundingly favorable ruling for Manila, invalidating Chinas territorial claims and holding that Beijings many maritime activities in the area violated the Philippines sovereignty over its territorial waters. China ignored the ruling altogether, while Duterte quickly backpedaled and argued it was of no consequence.

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In return, Beijing originally made large economic promises to Duterte, offering the Philippines some $24 billion in new investment and aid. This proposed inflow included several major infrastructure projects as part of Chinas global Belt and Road Initiative that, if enacted, would have significantly improved Philippine infrastructure.

In addition to downgrading ties with China, Marcos definitively aligned Manila with Washington. But in making such a clear and categorical choice, he is taking a huge risk.

China did go on to make some modest investments in the Philippines and provided some aid. But these never matched the promised amounts, and they hardly transformed the Philippines infrastructure or economy. Four years into the single six-year term Duterte was allowed under the Philippine constitution, only two of Chinas many proposed infrastructure projects had been launched, according to Greg Poling of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Near the end of Dutertes term in 2022, the National Economic and Development Authority, which oversees projects in the Philippines, counted just five ongoing or completed projects funded with Chinese development assistance by the end of Dutertes term. By contrast, Japanese development assistance had funded 45 projects and the Asian Development Bank 52 by the end of Dutertes term.

Meanwhile, Chinese investors did little to impact most Philippine industries, with the exception of the online gambling sector, which ballooned in the Duterte era. However, many of the operators became linked to illegal activities like human trafficking and telephone scams.

With many Chinese projects failing to break ground, the Philippine public and policymakers grew frustrated, feeling that China, but also Duterte, had not delivered. In the influential annual State of Southeast Asia survey by the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, a leading Singaporean think tank, approximately 66 percent of Philippine respondents identified China as the most influential economic power in Southeast Asia in 2022. However, in the 2023 survey, only about 36 percent shared this view.

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Shortly after Marcos took office, Manila canceled Chinese funding for three major railway projects that had already stalled in development. According to The Diplomats Sebastian Strangio, Manila believed China had simply lost interest in financing the projects. Marcos also banned many of the problematic Chinese-funded online gambling operations Duterte had allowed.

But in addition to downgrading ties with China, Marcos definitively aligned Manila with Washington. In statements and bilateral visits with U.S. President Joe Biden and other high-ranking U.S. officials since taking office, Marcos has demonized China and called for the closest possible U.S.-Philippine ties.

In return for signing new defense cooperation agreements that grant Washington access to more bases in the Philippines, Manila has received hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. defense funding. The two countries armed forces have also embarked on a wide range of joint exercises designed to improve their interoperability in case they have to go to war together in Southeast Asia.

The U.S. has also stepped up efforts to steer investment and aid to the Philippines. The Biden administration, along with Japan, promised greater investment for Philippine supply chains and clean energy, among other areas. It also promised to take actions to spark greater U.S. private sector investment in the country.

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But in making such a clear and categorical choice, Marcos is taking a huge risk. No other Southeast Asian statenot even Thailand, a U.S. treaty ally, or Vietnam, which has sizable territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea and has bolstered its military to confront Beijinghas explicitly aligned itself with Washington, for one simple reason: They recognize that China is already the dominant trade and economic leader in Southeast Asia, and Beijing is continuing to expand its influence. According to the Lowy Institutes Asia Power Index, China is already more influential than the U.S. in most Southeast Asian countries in four critical categories of influence: economic relationships, defense networks, diplomatic influence and cultural influence.

By taking the Philippines down such a starkly different path than its neighbors, Marcos risks putting himself at odds with the other member state leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEANthe most important regional organizationand alienating the country from regional economic integration and greater regional free trade.

Given current domestic opposition in the U.S. to trade deals, Washington is not a major player in Asian regional economic integration, and that is unlikely to change when Trump returns to power, given his hostility to free trade. As a result, the Philippines, like other Asian countries, will need to rely on regional multilateral deals to broaden trade access. These deals heavily involve China, with Beijing playing a critical role in driving several of them.

In aligning so explicitly with Washington, Marcos risks angering Beijing to the point where it might reduce trade links with the Philippines. China may also drag its feet the investment pledges it made when Marcos visited Beijing in 2023 as part of an effort to ease tensions.

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Both measures would hurt Manila far more than they would Beijing. After all, China is still the Philippines largest trading partner, with trade volumes nearly double that of Manilas second-largest partner, Japan. Any major decrease in bilateral trade with China would devastate the Philippine economy, which like other Southeast Asian states has a high trade-to-GDP ratio. Despite Filipinos general warmth toward the U.S., if Marcos tough, unilateral approach significantly harms the Philippine economy, which was battered for years by the COVID-19 pandemic and a weak post-COVID recovery, voters could turn on him as they did on Duterte.

There also is no guarantee that the second Trump administration will even stick to the pledges made by the Biden administration to bolster the Philippine economy. Trump is notoriously skeptical of such aid programs, and his first administration focused little on aid to Southeast Asia, or any other engagement with the region, for that matter.

Marcos has already received substantial U.S. defense support, and there are compelling strategic reasons for Washington to continue the increasingly strong defense relationship, as the additional Philippine bases covered by the recently signed agreement would be essential staging areas for the U.S. military in the case of a war with China in the South China Sea or over Taiwan. But the Philippine president cannot count on sustained U.S. defense backing either.

According to several people familiar with its thinking, the incoming Trump administration is re-evaluating all U.S. alliances in Asia and is hardly committed to continuing extensive defense support for the Philippines, which has a trade surplus with the United States. A combination of those two factorsWashington providing defense support for a country that has a trade surplus with the U.S.has infuriated Trump in the past. There is little reason to believe it will not anger him in his second term, during which he will be surrounded with fewer traditional internationalist advisers and instead be guided by many more isolationist figures.

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In other words, things could get worse for the Philippines. If Marcos has seriously angered Chinaa critical player in the Philippines economy and a major threat in the South China Seawithout securing the kind of support from Trump he enjoyed from the Biden administration, Manila is in a world of trouble.

Joshua Kurlantzick is senior fellow for Southeast Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations and a featured analyst for World Politics Review. His new book is, Beijings Global Media Offensive: Chinas Uneven Campaign to Influence Asia and the World.

Abigail McGowan is a research associate for Southeast Asia and U.S. Foreign Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations.

The post Marcos All-In Bet on the U.S. Could Leave the Philippines Out in the Cold appeared first on World Politics Review.
YORK COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) A marijuana grow operation led to a house fire in Jackson Township on Friday, Dec. 20.

According to the Northern York County Regional Police Department, at 4:39 a.m., patrol units responded to a reported structure fire on 199 North Alpine Drive in York County. Firefighters discovered a hydroponic marijuana-growing system in the basement of the residence.

After the fire was controlled, a Northern York County Regional Police Department Fire Investigator determined that the fire was electrical and originated in the area of the growing system.

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During the investigation, police recovered multiple marijuana plants, a growing system, a handgun, and additional drug paraphernalia, according to police.

The American Red Cross said it is assisting seven residents displaced as a result of the fire. Police arrested and charged a 27-year-old male with endangering the welfare of children, manufacturing a controlled substance, and recklessly endangering another person, per police.

This is an ongoing investigation. Police are encouraging anyone with information regarding the incident to contact the NYCRPD tip line at 717-467-8355 or email tips@nycrpd.org.

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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.
The U.S. Navys Medium Landing Ship (LSM), a platform many view as crucial to transporting Marines among remote islands in a future war against China, is dead in the water for the time being. Reports emerged this week that sea service leaders balked at high cost estimates that have come in from industry to build the vessel. The pause raises questions about how the U.S. Marine Corps will enact its West Pacific, island-hopping concepts of operations, known as Expeditionary Advance Base Operations (EABO), and it is the latest delay to afflict the program.

Formerly known as the Light Amphibious Warship (LAW) and also referred to as the Landing Ship Medium, the vessel is envisioned as delivering forces right onto a beach without any established port facilities. It would ferry mobile, platoon-sized Marine units to islands where they would fire anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCM) at Chinese forces and collect data for the other U.S. forces, among other tasks.

Those Marines would also work to deter opponents in situations short of actual conflict, while helping to control littoral areas and seascapes. Such missions would be conducted by the new Marine Littoral Regiments (MLR). They would occur within Chinas striking distance, likely in the southern Japanese islands and in the Philippines, part of a sea-denial campaign spanning the South China Sea and East China Sea, analysts say.

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Navy and Marine Corps leaders have called for between 18 to 35 LSMs that would range in length from 200 to 400 feet, with a 12-foot draft, each crewed by about 70 sailors, according to an August Congressional Research Service (CRS) report. The LSM would provide 8,000 square feet of deck cargo space, carrying 50 Marines and nearly 650 tons of equipment.

A rendering of the future U.S. Navy Medium Landing Ship (LSM) and its capabilities. (U.S. Navy)

LSM would also feature a helicopter landing pad, two 30mm guns and six .50-caliber machine guns for self defense. They would have a 14-knot transit speed, a cruising range of 3,500 nautical miles, and would be expected to serve for 20 years.

But as the Marine Corps continues to urgently relay their need for the LSM, the Navy canceled a request for proposals to build the LSM after bids from industry came in too high, according to the sea service and media reports.

Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) officials declined to tell TWZ the cost estimate that led the service to cancel its solicitation for the LSM on Dec. 6, saying it was unable to provide source selection sensitive information.

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The LSM program is now working to revise its acquisition strategy to address affordability concerns, the command said.

A Request for Information (RFI) is likely to be released to industry very early in 2025 to identify non-developmental options, NAVSEA added.

USNI News Mallory Shelbourne first reported the latest LSM setback this week, citing comments by Navy leadership.

We put it out for bid and it came back with a much higher price tag, USNI News quoted Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition Nickolas Guertin as saying at an American Society of Naval Engineers symposium last week. We simply werent able to pull it off. So we had to pull that solicitation back and drop back and punt.

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Guertin noted that the service had what they thought was a bulletproof cost estimate, and a pretty well wrung out design in terms of requirements, independent cost estimates, USNI News reported.

The Navys proposed Fiscal Year 2025 budget requests show the first LSM would cost $268 million, but costs would average out to roughly $156 million by the seventh and eighth ship, according to the Congressional Research Service (CRS).

A U.S. defense official speaking on condition of anonymity told TWZ Thursday that initial plans called for each ship to cost between $100 million and $150 million, but that the Navy added features to meet their requirements, and that shot the price of each ship up dramatically. The Marines wanted a ship that was less exquisite and more numerous, according to the official.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said in April that Navy estimates for the LSMs cost have varied widely. CBOs own analysis found the LSM could cost $340 million to $430 million per ship for an 18-ship program, an estimate it said reflects the range of full-load displacements  4,500 tons to 5,400 tons  in preliminary designs that shipbuilders submitted to the Navy.

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Marine Corps representatives told TWZ Thursday that the service is currently working on a way ahead for the LSM program in conjunction with the Navy, and is exploring other options that will allow the MLRs to continue advancing the EABO concept.

LSMs are seen as a key mover of Marines under EABO, which is a major component of the Marine Corps overhaul known as Force Design 2030 that seeks to ready the service for a war with China. Part of that original vision saw the Navy and Marines moving away from a laser focus on large amphibious assault and landing ships. A more nimble, numerous and cost-effective fleet of small ships tailored to distributed warfare in the Pacific would offset some of the reduced large amphibious warship force. That so far has not happened, and the Gator Navy fleet focused on massive beach landings, which many say are unrealistic in modern warfare, remains intact.

A rendering of a potential medium landing ship by the shipmaker Austal. (Austal)

TWZ has extensively reported on EABO and what it means for the Corps:

At its core, EABO involves relatively small groups of Marines quickly establishing bases of operation in forward areas, especially on small islands. This concept of distributed operations also envisions them being able to then rapidly reposition themselves, as necessary. The purpose is to use these flexible, responsive ground forces to help control littoral areas, and even surrounding seaspaces, to deter opponents in situations short of an actual conflict, and then, if that fails, be well-positioned to engage enemy forces.

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In a statement to TWZ Thursday, the Marine Corps reiterated that the LSM is a critical component of the island-hopping mission it expects the MLRs to one day embark upon under the EABO concept.

The medium landing ship (LSM) is intended to provide surface maneuver direct support to Stand-in Forces (SIF) and the Marine Regiments executing missions on behalf of the naval campaign, the service said. Put plainly, to move a Marine regiment around the Pacific or elsewhere, it would take many C-17s  to move the personnel and equipment that a medium landing ship can move. And thats without the geographic flexibility of a beachable surface craft.

A Marine sets up defenses during an Expeditionary Advance Base Operation (EABO) exercise in 2020. (U.S. Marine Corps)

The Marine Corps also told TWZ that it is working on an acquisition way ahead for the LSM, and that the complex requirements of the ship challenge government and industry to design and produce affordable materiel solutions.

For now, the Marines are making do and are leaning on existing commercial and military capabilities that require little modification, according to the service. Those efforts have included Marines using stern-landing ships to inform the development of the LSM in the interim. A June 2024 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report warned that existing commercial designs require significant modifications to meet LSMs requirements, and that none of the commercial designs assessed by the Navy had the required beachability or cargo fuel capacity.

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Although not optimal, such vessels will provide both operational capability and a sound basis for live experimentation and refining detailed requirements for the LSM program, the Corps said in a 2022 update to Force Design 2030.

The Marines first introduced the idea of the LSM in 2020, but the program has suffered several stalls, with plans to acquire the first vessels initially pushed back to Fiscal Year 2023 and then to Fiscal 2025, as the Navy grapples with hefty bills for submarines and other needs, Defense News reported in 2022.

The Navy began receiving LSM concepts from shipyards and design firms in late 2020. By January 2024, the Navy was seeking proposals for the LSM, with Marine Corps officials saying they were on pace to procure in 2025 and deliver in 2029, according to the CRS.

Opinions continue to differ on what the LSM should be, with the Navy wanting a survivable vessel and the Marines looking to field the capability as quickly as possible, as some warn that China could invade Taiwan and prompt a U.S. response in the next few years.

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Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith downplayed concerns about the LSMs survivability in 2023, according to a report by Defense Dailys Rich Abbott.

Well, if I take that to the next step, soldiers and Marines, yall cant leave the barracks because the enemys got machine guns, Smith was quoted as saying. Hey, pilots, you got to stay on the tarmac because theres anti-air missiles out there. Hey, submariners and ship drivers, yall cant leave the pier because theres [anti-ship cruise missiles] and torpedoes. That doesnt make sense.

The Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Eric M. Smith, right, and the Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa M. Franchetti. (U.S. Marine Corps)

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TWZ has reported on leaders playing down the differences between the services on where LSM should head. Despite healthy friction over the LSM, there is no daylight between us on the need for those ships, Navy Vice Adm. Scott Conn, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Warfighting Requirements and Capabilities, said at a conference in April 2023.

The latest LSM travails again highlight a longstanding tension between the Navy and Marine Corps. The Marines need certain maritime capabilities for amphibious operations. The Navy is tasked with moving those Marines, but must pay for the ships the Marines need. Similar debates have surfaced around the size of the larger-deck amphibious fleet in recent years as well.

The amphibious force is not the favorite thing of the Navy to deal with, according to Bradley Martin, a retired Navy surface warfare officer who spent two-thirds of his 30-year career at sea.

I say this as a guy who spent a number of years on the amphibs, said Martin, now a senior policy researcher with the RAND think tank. The Marines arent very worried about how the Navy sustains ships, and the Navy hasnt been really clear about what it takes to sustain ships. Theres been that disconnect.

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Mark Cancian, a retired Marine Corps colonel and senior advisor with the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tanks defense and security department, told TWZ Thursday that the LSM conundrum is different because, unlike past amphibious disagreements, the Marines want a low-end ship and the Navy is arguing for a high-end capability.

Cancian worked in the Pentagon in the 1990s and recalled a proposal for the equivalent to a LHA or LHD amphib built to civilian standards that could be used for peacetime presence missions. It would be cheaper but unsuitable for wartime needs.

The Marine Corps fought against it tooth and nail, he recalled. I remember Marines being in my office, saying it would be immoral to put Marines on a ship built to civilian standards.

The amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD-1), a traditional big-deck Marine mover. (U.S. Navy)

Theres going to be some tough negotiations between the Navy and Marine Corps, Cancian added. And the new administration will weigh in too, on force design, on the topline and shipbuilding. But the Marine Corps wont give up.

In general, the LSMs concept has not matched its execution, Martin said.

They need something, and this just isnt the right capability, he said. Its too expensive. When you get right down to it, youve got to move stuff around, even if you beach, youre still going to be vulnerable during the period that youre beached.

The Pentagon should instead be investing in civilian-manned ferries for such missions that would be part of the existing strategic sealift fleet, Martin said.

Chinas Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is already at work on such a civilian-military meld. It has been modifying roll-on, roll-off (RO/RO) ferries with stern ramps that will allow the force to launch and recover amphibious combat vehicles in the event of a cross-strait invasion of Taiwan, Maritime Executive reported in 2023. Such a move would give the PLAN a big boost when it comes to the amount of amphibious lift it could summon for such a landing, allowing Beijing to close its amphibious gap without building more military amphibs.

The Pentagons annual report on Chinas military capabilities released this week notes that amphibious marine forces continued to conduct routine driver integration training with PLAN amphibious and civilian roll-on/roll-off (RO/RO) vessels.

Amphibious marine forces continued to conduct routine driver integration training with PLAN amphibious ships and civilian roll-on/roll-off (RO/RO) vessels, the report states. Non-amphibious marine forces continued civilian-military integration training, with a new PLANMC BDE in the northern theater observed loading vehicles onto a RO/RO and conducting a sea crossing before unloading from the RO/RO.

China has also used civilian ferries to move its amphibious forces and launch amphibious craft during beach invasion drills. Turning commercial ships into helicopter carriers is also something Chinas training to do during a major contingency operation.

China launches amphibious landing with 7 car ferries in Taiwan Strait



Expert warns drills could 'cover for a surprise kinetic operation' to capture Dongsha Islandshttps://t.co/9C81zOimT1 pic.twitter.com/1XfTk1ul5m  Keoni Everington (@keverington) September 30, 2022

Chinese Navy Using Commercial Car Ferries to Launch Amphibious Landing Craft  USNI Newshttps://t.co/wwBXDrgNCU pic.twitter.com/AiLOuy1iBb  USNI News (@USNINews) July 26, 2021

8x Z-10 attack helicopters from the  PLAGF Aviation during an exercise ready to take off using the deck of a semi-submersible transport vessel as offshore relay platform

(via wb/ & ) pic.twitter.com/XJMY6JSC8i  Jesus Roman (@jesusfroman) October 19, 2024

The LSM also reflects problematic requirements thinking, according to Martin.

LSMs wont be used to storm a beach, or for opposed landings, Martin said. But the requirements include a military crew, damage control and other features that dont reflect its core mission, which drives up the price.

Anywhere that ship might go is subject to targeting, but having the type of weapons its got on it wont do much good against the type of threat the Chinese or any capable power are likely to throw against it, he said. Its not a well-conceived answer.

Real talk about what capability the Navy could provide for the Marines to carry out EABO might have occurred at lower levels, but likely got diluted further up the chain, he said.

It got further and further away from a discussion about requirements, toward just a head nod that were going to do it, Martin said. That is a problem with the Navys management of requirements in general. All the services are guilty of this to a degree, but the people generating requirements are not talking to other people generating requirements, and theyre not engaged with the people actually designing equipment, and thats a big problem.

Even as the Marines proceed with Force Design 2030 and EABO, CRSs August 2024 LSM report notes that debate about the merits of the two plans continue.

Questions remain about whether the concepts focus too heavily on China war scenarios at the expense of other Marine Corps missions. It also remains unclear whether the MLRs would be able to get access to the islands they need to operate from, in addition to resupply and survivability concerns. Theres also the question of whether the MLRs could contribute meaningfully to sea-denial operations, although the Marines emphasize that the MLR platoons would be collecting vital data as well.

American military brass portrays the threat of war with China as one that is just over the horizon. If that is in fact the case, the latest delay in the LSM hinders the Marines ability to contribute to that fight in the not-so-distant future, given their plans for how their portion of that fight would play out. Above all else, it highlights a disconnect between urgent messaging on the threat and whats needed to address it, and the actual procurement of those solutions.

Email the author: geoff@twz.com
Republicans are calling for Elon Musk to be the new speaker of the House amid contentious negotiations over a spending deal to avoid a government shutdown.

The Speaker of the House need not be a member of Congress . . . Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky wrote on X on Thursday. Think about it . . . nothings impossible (not to mention the joy at seeing the collective establishment, aka uniparty, lose their ever-lovin minds).

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia also piped in on X: DOGE can only truly be accomplished by reigning in Congress to enact real government efficiency. The establishment needs to be shattered just like it was yesterday. This could be the way.

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If Musk is chosen to replace current Speaker Mike Johnson, it would represent a futher accumulation of power and influence over the direction of the Republican agenda after the tech billionaire donated $277 million to elect Donald Trump and allies, and was chosen to lead the president-elects Department of Government Efficiency iniative (DOGE).

Both Trump and Musk responded on Thursday to calls for the Tesla billionaire to become speaker.

Republicans argue elected Musk to be Speaker will advance DOGE agenda (AP)

Were very happy with Mike. [Elon] is too busy sending rockets to the moon, Trump told ABC News, adding: I think Mike is doing a good job. If Mike proves to be as tough as he is, he has a great chance.

When Musk was asked if he wanted to be speaker, he told the broadcaster with a laugh: Should I be?

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Democrats, meanwhile, have criticized Republicans for their eagerness to hand power over to Musk, arguing its undemocratic for an unelected billionaire who bought his way into the White House to have so influence, and creates confusion.

So who is our leader Hakeem Jeffries supposed to negotiate with? Is it Mike Johnson? Rep. Jamie Raskin asked reporters on Thursday. Is he the speaker of the House? Or is it Donald Trump? Or is it Elon Musk? Or is it somebody else?

Is Musk going to own the United States before its all over? Ohio congresswoman Marcy Kaptur wondered to the The Independent.

He has a lot of personal interests here, and hes not elected to anything, she added. Some people are calling him the president and President (elect) Trump the vice president. I have to do some homework on who this man really is.

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Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders accused Republicans of annointing a newly unelected President Elon Musk to steer the direction of the agenda.

Some political observers believe Musk has a real shot at the position, or at least influencing whoever the final winner will be.

Of course, they have to have influence, Rep. Tim Burchett told The Independent of Musk and DOGE co-leader Vivek Ramaswamys sway over the Speaker fight. I mean, theyre prominent people, and they have very big checkbooks.

The online prediction market Polymarket showed a surge in people believing Musk will become speaker.

The House will vote on a speaker for the new Congress in January, and Johnsons position could be imperilled thanks to contentious negotations over funding the government.

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After Johnson announced a bipartisan deal to fund the government through March and prevent a shutdown over the holidays, Musk rallied Republicans to oppose the effort and threatened those who supported it with funded primary challenges.

Today, Trump said Republicans had reached a new short-term funding bill, though Democrats blasted the proposal, which would strip funding for priorities ranging from funding sickle cell treatments to cancer screening.

Its not serious, its laughable. Extreme MAGA Republicans are steering us towards a government shutdown, Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters.

Eric Garcia contributed reporting to this story.
Dec. 20The fate of alleged killer Stephen Marlow remained in limbo Friday, after a court hearing to consider his competency, or lack thereof, to stand trial.

Marlow, 42, stands accused of gunning down four neighbors  a veteran and his wife, and a high school student and her mother  in August 2022 in Butler Twp.

Since January of this year, he has been confined to Summit Behavioral Healthcare in Cincinnati, where he's received treatment for delusional disorder.

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Marlow, who was present for his Friday morning hearing, sat quietly at the defendant's desk, occasionally taking notes and speaking with his lawyer, as defense attorneys and prosecutors presented arguments before Montgomery County Judge Dennis Adkins.

The two sides argued over whether or not Marlow's competency can be restored within the one-year statutory limit and further whether the court should pursue either civil commitment or continued court jurisdiction over the matter.

While Dr. April Sutton, a forensic psychologist at Summit, determined in a May report that Marlow had been restored to competency, even despite ongoing delusions, she has since contended otherwise.

Based on her most recent evaluation of Marlow, Sutton opines the defendant's condition worsened from May to November, despite medication adjustments, and that he now remains incompetent to stand trial.

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Sutton further testified during Friday's hearing that she does not believe Marlow can be restored to competency within the one-year limit, which expires Jan. 17, at the earliest.

Despite continued treatment at Summit, which has included antipsychotic medications and group sessions, Marlow's delusions have persisted, and have even become more entrenched, Sutton testified.

Also in question is when Marlow's one-year treatment window expires.

Prosecutors argued because Marlow has refused to fully engage in his treatment regimen, occasionally declining to participate in individual psychotherapy and competency restoration groups recommended by his treatment team, that the time to restore should be tolled until he does so for one year.

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Prosecutors further asked the court to consider moving Marlow to a different state-run medical facility if further competency restoration is deemed necessary.

The defense, however, says Marlow continues to suffer from delusions, which themselves may be impacting his compliance with treatment protocols.

Judge Adkins said he will consider both arguments, with a decision expected early next week.

Families of the four victims were present during Friday's hearing, including Brett Anderson, whose wife Sarah and daughter Kayla were killed in the 2022 shootings.

Anderson expressed some frustration following the hearing, but declined to comment on the proceedings.
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT)  A Marshall County man is facing sentencing Friday for his role in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Federal prosecutors say Joshua James, who was a member of the Oathkeepers group, has cooperated with investigators and provided useful information since his arrest.

Held at gunpoint and hogtied: MCSO deputies searching for man after vehicle left scene of multiple wrecks

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But the Justice Department is still seeking a two-year prison term for James. In court filings prosecutors argue the sentencing recommendation factors in James cooperation, but also seeks to serve as a deterrent, saying his conduct reflected ultimate disrespect for the law.

James lawyers say he needs continued mental health and substance abuse counseling and they are asking for a sentence of three months in jail and then probation.

James pleaded guilty in March 2022 to one count of seditious conspiracy and one count of obstruction of an official proceeding.

Justice Department attorneys say James life and service record prior to Jan. 6 make his actions that day hard to understand.

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At the time of this offense, James was gainfully employed, the court filing said. He had minor criminal history that does not account for any criminal history points. He is a veteran. In other words, the defendants crimes on January 6 were an isolated incident in an otherwise public-service-oriented, law-abiding life; although that fact also suggests James should have known better and makes his conduct on January 6 hard to comprehend.

New Hope man pleads guilty to cyberstalking, extortion and production of child exploitation materials

Indeed, Jamess conduct flies in the face of his experience serving in the United States military and taking an oath to the Constitutionthe very founding document that details the process he and his co-conspirators aimed to forcibly disrupt.

In arguing for a lesser sentence for James, his attorneys describe his U.S. Army service as he was nearly killed in Iraq after a suicide bomber crashed a truck into a overpass, killing three other soldiers near James. He suffered multiple facial fractures and brain damage, his attorneys say.

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For his wartime service in Iraq, he was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, and the Army Service Ribbon, according to the defense court filing.

The defense says James had a limited role in Jan. 6 planning, other than heading a security detail for Roger Stone, a well-known supporter of then-President Trump.

The filing says James eventually entered the Capitol Rotunda, encountered a chaotic scene, noticed an officer in distress and yelled repeatedly, You want out? But, the defense says that the encounter was misunderstood.

Once James reached for the officer and attempted to pull him out, he was struck by police, the defense filing argues. In that moment, James lost all semblance of composure. His outburst in those moments was a situational byproduct of his severe, untreated PTSD and a constellation of related mental health symptoms.

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He began screaming and briefly grappled with police before another officer pepper-sprayed him and he left. He did not physically injure any officer and he only remained inside the building for a total of roughly 13 minutes.

The defense also notes James became concerned about the behavior of Oath Keeper leaders following Jan. 6.

The defense included letters on James behalf to court from people in his life. The letters note he served with distinction in the U.S. Army, that he is being treated for PTSD and that prison would likely exacerbate problems associated with that condition. His boss said he is an excellent and valuable employee.

James wife also wrote the court, saying that his actions that day were out of character, that he is remorseful and is committed to making things right.

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James sentencing hearing is set for 2 p.m. central time in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

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HAGERSTOWN, Md. (DC News Now)  Maryland utility rates could be going up.

The state Public Service Commission held the first in a series of public forums in Hagerstown this week on the proposed rate increase.

New boutique hotel in downtown Frederick part of citys dynamic momentum

A typical household may pay roughly $15 more per month if the rate hike takes effect.

It seems like the rate hike is outrageous, Washington County resident Thomas Eorum told the commission at the hearing. In these times I think the government agencies need to ride herd on monopolies like Columbia Gas of Maryland.

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NiSource, the parent company of Columbia, said the rate increase is needed to upgrade utility infrastructure.

The commission moves next to Cumberland for a public hearing there.

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LEXINGTON, Mass. (WWLP)  Two-time convicted felon Jose Perez of Lynn was sentenced to 11 years in prison for drug and firearm charges.

Perez, 27, was sentenced in federal court in Boston. The sentencing came after an event in December 2022 in which police officers attempted to stop Perez when he was speeding through Lexington. Lexington police said that Perez was driving over 85 miles per hour on residential streets, crashing into another vehicle and eventually losing control and slamming into a post.

Man sentenced to life in prison for West Brookfield murders

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Lexington officers pursued Perez on foot after the car crashed, and a loaded Glock 34X 9mm semi-automatic handgun dropped to the ground as Perez exited his car. The passenger of Perezs vehicle, Henry Del Rio, also fled. Officers caught the two men in a Stop and Shop parking lot and seized $2,000 from Perezs pockets. Upon investigation, Lexington police discovered a bag of cocaine in the crashed vehicle, and a second bag of cocaine as well as 44 small bags of fentanyl on the ground where Del Rio had ran.

At the time of the mens initial arrest, Perez had been on supervised release on two prior federal convictions. In 2017, he was convicted for engaging in dealing firearms without a license, and in 2020 for felon in possession of a firearm and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. These prior convictions ruled Perez unable to carry a firearm.

In August, Perez was convicted of one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and one count of felon in possession of a firearm. Del Rio pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled sentences in May and is scheduled to be sentenced in January.

Perez will spend 142 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

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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SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP)  A serial rapist from West Springfield who was arrested in March 2022 pleaded guilty on Thursday to 30 charges.

Ali Ghaffar was arrested near Bear Hole Reservoir in West Springfield, where he had allegedly assaulted at least six women from Springfield at gunpoint. Officers arrested him with another victim in the car.

Neighbors in disbelief of alleged serial rapist is arrested in Bear Hole

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Ghaffar was identified with help from two survivors. DNA samples were also taken from Ghaffar which matched a sample from the March survivor.

On Thursday, Ghaffar pleaded guilty to the following charges in Hampden Superior Court:

Aggravated Rape (12 counts)

Armed kidnapping with serious bodily injury (6 counts)

Assault and battery with a dangerous weapon

Threat to commit a crime (4 counts)

Indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or older (3 counts)

Assault to rape (3 counts)

Larceny

He is scheduled to be sentenced on January 16th.

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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By Qabil Ashirov



"In an interview with Armenpress on December 19, 2004, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan made several harmful and inaccurate statements regarding bilateral relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as the issue of Western Azerbaijan," Azernews reports, citing a declaration made by the Western Azerbaijan Community.

The declaration states that the Prime Minister's attempt to present the return of Western Azerbaijanis to their homeland as a territorial claim and his objection to the term 'Western Azerbaijan' are completely unfounded.

"It is important to note that the term 'Western Azerbaijan,' which encompasses the former Irevan Khanate, Zangezur, and other regions where Azerbaijanis lived for centuries and were subjected to total ethnic cleansing by Armenia, is a term used within the framework of the self-identification rights of Azerbaijanis who lived in those areas and is based on historical facts.

The Western Azerbaijan Community aims to achieve its goal of return through peaceful means, in accordance with the norms and principles of international law, including respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of states. In this regard, it is particularly noteworthy that the Community has officially approached the Armenian government with a proposal for dialogue. The initiative of Western Azerbaijanis, who have been subjected to ethnic cleansing, discrimination, and violations of property and other rights by the Armenian government, to take the first step towards dialogue demonstrates their commitment to reconciliation and peace. It is regrettable that the Armenian government has left the Community's proposal for dialogue unanswered.

We would like to remind N. Pashinyan, who tries to explain his armament policy as a sovereign choice, that Armenia, deeply rooted in revanchist and radical ideology, is incapable of acting responsibly with military power. Considering this and Armenia's aggressive past, it is unacceptable to allow it to arm freely.

N. Pashinyan's refusal to eliminate the territorial claim enshrined in the Armenian Constitution, and his baseless assertion that the Azerbaijani Constitution contains a territorial claim against Armenia, indicate his lack of interest in signing a peace agreement.

The Western Azerbaijan Community demands that the Armenian government respect the right of return, immediately end its armament policy, and remove the territorial claim from its fundamental documents," the declaration reads.
BRISTOL, Va. (WJHL)  A full inferno engulfed the buildings of the former Virginia Intermont College in Bristol on Friday morning, prompting responses from over a dozen nearby fire departments  and sparking questions over the recent state of the structures.

A fires could be seen burning the main building on campus when Nexstars WJHL arrived on the scene. Shortly after 2 a.m., the channels crew saw the building collapse.

Additional buildings on the campus had also caught fire, with crews still battling the blazes well into the morning.

Photo: WJHL Photo: WJHL Photo: WJHL Photo: WJHL Photo: WJHL

City Councilman Neal Osborne said in a video posted to social media from the scene that firefighters from surrounding localities and departments were needed at the scene due to the size of the full inferno.

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Theres no way around it; this is very bad, Osborne said in the video. This is a tragedy for our city.

Alleged would-be Trump assassin faces new charge over accident that injured child

Osbourne added that he was furious over the incident, which he blamed on poor caretaking by the propertys current owners. He said previous attempts by the city to push the owners of take proactive care have fallen on deaf ears.

The private college, which closed in 2014, was purchased in 2016 by U.S. Magis International, a Chinese-owned company based in New York. Multiple fires have occurred at the campus in the last few years, including one at the former library building in November.

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They will have to answer for this, in my mind, Osborne said. They will answer for why this property was not secured, why they did not take proactive steps to prevent this from happening.

When asked how he intended to pursue the owners of the property, Osbourne told WJHL that he plans to discuss options with the city attorney.

Im unsure what legal avenues we have as a city, but I am going to talk with our city attorney first thing in the morning, he said. The owners have neglected for years to secure this campus and now weve lost it. What was merely another financial investment for them was a part of the fiber of our city.

A cause for the fire was not immediately provided by officials. Power was not running to the building, Osbourne said. Neighbors in the area of the campus said a significant homeless population had been living in the structures.

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US military orders new safety guidelines for key Osprey part after near-crash

In November, Vice-Mayor Jake Holmes said officials were bugging the heck out of the owners to have them secure the property and clean up any hazards, but said the city is limited, legally, in how to move forward.

Weve tried everything we can. Were scouring the law books to find out what else we can do, Holmes said at the time.

Chief Mike Armstrong of the Bristol Virginia Fire Department also said in November that the buildings were just too dangerous for people to be in.

I can tell you within the last 12 months, weve had multiple fires up here, Armstrong said. Weve had a call up here several months ago where a subject was shot.

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Virginia Intermont College opened in 1884. The school closed 130 years later in 2014 following financial troubles and the loss of its accreditation.

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Some Republicans in Congress are now passing around a resolution to enact the revenge plan that former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz outlined this week, according to a new report.

Gaetz, 42, told the Daily Beast Wednesday that he was seriously considering a brief return to Congress before officially resigning to file a privileged resolution that would publicize the names of current and former legislators who used public funds to pay sexual harassment settlements. However, it appears his colleagues may simply do it for him.

Some Republicans in Congress this week began circulating a draft of the resolution that would direct the Houses Administrative Committee to file a report with the names in question, Politico reported Thursday.

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The move would mark a stunning parting blow to the chamber that long shunned Gaetz, a firebrand Florida conservative with deep ties to President-elect Donald Trump, over accusations he had sex with an underage girl, used illicit drugs, and paid for sex.

Gaetz has long denied any wrongdoing, and a years-long Justice Department probe into his alleged misconduct ended with prosecutors declining to press charges.

The conservative is now actively seeking retribution against his former colleagues after the House Ethics Committee secretly voted to release the results of an ethics investigation against him.

Gaetz resigned from the House of Representatives after Trump nominated him to serve as attorney general, but he quickly took himself out of the running for the job after a spate of unfavorable headlines softened his supporteven among Republicans in the U.S. Senate.

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Despite his exit from Congress, Gaetz managed to quickly land on his feetannouncing last week that he planned to launch a show on the right-wing channel One America News Network.

It remains unclear how much he will be paid for the primetime gig, or when the show is set to launch. A landing page for the programtitled The Matt Gaetz Showon OANs website simply says it is coming soon.
NEW YORK  Citing Mayor Eric Adams federal corruption indictment, the citys election finance watchdog agency is weighing a possible finding that the mayors political campaign in breach of certification  the panels most severe penalty that has the potential to cost his team as much as $10 million, the Daily News has learned.

The detail was contained in a Dec. 18 letter sent to Adams 2025 campaign by the CFB elaborating on the boards decision this week to deny the mayor, who has pleaded not guilty in his federal case, the first round of public matching funds for his reelection run.

In the letter, Willemin wrote that Adams five-count indictment establishes probable cause he committed wire fraud to illicitly obtain public matching funds for his 2021 and 2025 campaigns and solicited illegal donations from foreign nationals for both his mayoral runs, too.

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The issues raised in this letter may cause the board to consider whether the campaign submitted a disclosure statement which the participant knew or should have known includes substantial fraudulent matchable contribution claims, which is one of the activities that can can lead to a finding of breach of certification, Willemin wrote in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by The News via a Freedom of Information Law request.

In addition, the campaign may be assessed financial penalties and may be found ineligible to receive public funds based on a finding of fraud or material misrepresentation, whether or not it is found in breach.

The breach of certification finding is seen as the boards most serious penalty because it doesnt just block campaigns from receiving any future matching funds, it can also require them to pay back all public funds theyve already received.

Adams 2021 campaign received some $10 million in public matching funds.

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Willemin wrote in the letter that the breach of certification is a potential finding the board is looking at as it continues a long-running audit of Adams 2021 campaign and scrutinizes matters related to his 2025 campaign, too, in light of his indictment.

A breach of certification determination could deal a blow to Adams reelection efforts, as hes already starting off the 2025 campaign without new matching funds as he faces more than a half dozen challengers in Junes Democratic mayoral primary.

A lawyer for Adams, who is set to stand trial in April, didnt immediately return a request for comment. A spokesman for the CFB declined to comment.

This past Monday, the CFB denied Adams about $4 million he had sought in public matching funds for his 2025 campaign, citing concern about his indictment, which alleges he solicited bribes and illegal political donations, mostly from Turkish government operatives, in exchange for political favors.

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Adams campaign can appeal the finding and try to apply again for matching funds on the next disbursement date set for Jan. 15, though legal expert have said the board is unlikely to come to any other conclusion unless something materially changes in his favor in his corruption case.

_____
MIDLAND, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)  The Midland College Board of Trustees recently welcomed Christine Gentry Foreman to the role previously held by retiring Board member Stephen Castle. Foreman was sworn in by the Honorable Leah Robertson during the regular meeting on Tuesday, December 17 after running unopposed.

Christine Foreman

We are thrilled to welcome Christine to the Midland College Board of Trustees, said MC President Dr. Damon Kennedy. Christines deep commitment to the Midland community, her passion for education, and her drive to make a positive impact will undoubtedly bring energy and perspective to our Board. Her dedication to service and her strong ties to Midland will help guide us as we continue to reimagine the future for our students and the community we serve.

Im excited to have the opportunity to make a lasting impact by supporting and advancing the important work of Midland College alongside my 8 fellow trustees, Foreman said.

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According to a release from Midland College, Foreman is a dedicated community advocate and servant leader with roots in Midland. After graduating from Midland ISD, Foreman furthered her education at Midland College and Texas A&M University before becoming a Registered Nurse for a decade. After her nursing career, Foreman became a professional volunteer and champion for community initiatives.

Using her training from Girl Scouts and the Junior League, Foreman contributed her time and expertise to numerous committees, boards, foundations, and PTAs. Her advocacy focused on enhancing opportunities, resources, and academic outcomes for students in the Permian Basin.

Foremans most recent professional journey includes serving as the Community and Public Relations Liaison at Region 18 Education Service Center. Currently, she holds the role of Student Transformation State Director for Maxwell Leadership, where she leads the statewide implementation of iLEAD, a values-based student leadership development initiative created by John Maxwell.

Beyond her professional and service roles, Foreman is a devoted wife and mother, whose family fuels her passion for creating a thriving community through proactive servant leadership.

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This appointment comes following Stephen N. Castles announced his retirement from the Board, effective December 17. Castle has been a member of the Board of Trustees since 2006.

Midland College appoints new VP of Institutional Advancement

Steve has been an integral member of the Midland College Board of Trustees, MC President Dr. Damon Kennedy said. Throughout his tenure, Steves leadership, insight, and commitment to our mission have greatly contributed to the success of Midland College. His dedication to advancing higher education and supporting community initiatives has made a lasting impact. I am truly grateful for Steves service and extend my heartfelt appreciation for his contributions.

The oil and gas industry in the Permian Basin is attracting a new generation of men and women seeking rewarding career opportunities, said Chair of the MC Board of Trustees Steve Kiser. It has been a privilege to work alongside a lifelong oil patch veteran like Steve, whose insights and expertise have been invaluable to the Board of a college that is dedicated to both supporting the success of the next generation and ensuring the long-term growth and prosperity of the region.

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During the Dec. 17 Board meeting, Midland College also swore in current Board members Vice-Chairperson Charlene McBride, Place 6, and Mike Oestmann, Place 4.

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CHICAGO (WGN)  Day 40 of the federal corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and co-defendant Michael McClain on Thursday marked the final day of testimony jurors will hear until 2025.

On Wednesday, the government formally rested its case, pushing it to the next phase, where defense teams for Madigan, 82, and McClain, 72, then got their chance to present their case and call witnesses to testify.

No thank you, your honor, McClain told Judge John Blakey when asked if he wished to testify in his case. His defense team rested after calling only one witness.

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Prosecution expected to rest Wednesday in Madigan corruption trial

Prosecutors called more than 50 witnesses to testify and presented evidence, including about 150 secretly recorded phone calls and videos, before resting their case.

Madigan, who served as Speaker of the House in Illinois for over 30 years, and McClain, a close ally and longtime lobbyist, are both charged in a 23-count indictment for bribery, racketeering, wire fraud, and other crimes. Both have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Madigans defense team called three witnesses to testify Thursday. It is not clear whether they intend to call any other witnesses or if the prosecution will call any rebuttal witnesses when the trial resumes in January.

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The first witness for Madigans defense team was Andrew Cretal, a real estate developer who worked on the Union West development, a luxury high-rise apartment building in the West Loop.

Another one of Madigans trusted allies testifies in racketeering and bribery trial

Star prosecution witness and alderman-turned-FBI mole, Danny Solis, testified in late Nov. that he helped arrange a meeting between Madigan and Union West developers, including Cretal, to discuss real estate taxes. Video secretly recorded during that meeting over real estate taxes in Chicago, and another between Solis and Cretal was shown to jurors.

It was not shown on Thursday, however, attorneys questioned Cretal about transcripts of conversations he had with Solis, Madigan, and others.

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Cretal was asked on direct examination by Madigan attorney Dan Collins about his meetings and the lead-up to those meetings, including conversations that indicated Solis suggested Cretal hire the law firm of Madigan & Getzendanner.

The second witness Madigans team called was April Burgos, who testified, Hes [Madigan] one of the most nicest, genuine people Ive ever met in my life.

Burgos is a longtime aid in Chicagos 13th Ward office. Her testimony, including direct and cross-examination, lasted less than 20 minutes.

Ex-ComEd executives testimony in Madigan trial raises credibility questions

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The final defense witness called by Madigans team before the break was novelist and former chief counsel for Madigan, David Ellis. He was asked about several consumer practice cases he was involved in, and how those resulted in him getting in touch with Madigan, ultimately returning to a role in government.

I dont want to do politics, is what Ellis said he told Madigan, to which the former speaker responded, I dont want you to do politics.

Ellis direct examination by Madigans attorney, Todd Pugh, finished at the end of the day Thursday. He is expected to return to the stand on Jan. 6, 2025, several days after the trial resumes on Jan. 2, due to a personal scheduling conflict.

McClains defense team only called Steve Selcke, a longtime AT&T Illinois lobbyist, who testified for close to four hours Wednesday before court adjourned for the day. He took the stand again Thursday morning around 10:35 a.m.  a later start than normal due to Blakey presiding over several matters with counsel related to witnesses and testimony.

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Selcke is no stranger to the stand. He was granted immunity by the U.S. Attorneys Office in exchange for his testimony during the bribery trial of his friend, and former AT&T Illinois President, Paul La Schiazza, which ended in a hung jury. His testimony, some argued, was problematic to prosecutors case.

Prosecutors focus on sexual harassment, no-show jobs in ongoing Madigan corruption trial

Federal prosecutors allege McClain, acting on orders by Madigan, conspired with La Schiazza to coordinate a no-work contract with former State Rep. Eddie Acevedo to the tune of $2,500 per month indirectly paid by AT&T Illinois  for a total of $22,500.

On the stand, Selcke, who was one of the top lobbyists for AT&T Illinois at the time, was peppered both days with questions related to Acevedos contract, including whether he personally felt, at the time, Acevedo would be an asset to AT&T Illinois.

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It was not a suggested contract that Bob [Barry], Brian [Gray] or myself had proactively suggested, Selcke said Thursday. He also testified if properly channeled and directed, he felt Acevedo may have been able to do positive work.

When he was asked whether any of his colleagues told him Acevedo did no work for the money he received in 2017, Selcke testified, I dont recall ever getting any report from Bob [Barry] or Brian [Gray] relative to Acevedos contract.

Barry and Gray are two other former AT&T Illinois lobbyists who were involved in conversations about the Acevedo contract, as outlined in emails jurors were shown.

Both days, McClain was asked whether there were people in Springfield who did not think highly of Acevedo. On Thursday, Madigans attorney Todd Pugh asked whether Acevedo was told that Republicans would potentially take negative action if he were a lobbyist.

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Prosecutors rest case in Madigan federal corruption trial

We did not, said Selcke. We didnt feel there was a need for him to understand that certain members hated him.

Around the time of Acevedos alleged contract discussions between AT&T lobbyists and others, including McClain, AT&T Illinois was pushing for key legislation, also referred to as COLR, or Carrier of Last Resort, which would put an end to mandated copper landline service.

Mitchell asked Selcke whether McClain promised Madigan would pass the COLR bill if AT&T offered work to Acevedo, to which Selcke testified he did not.

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Madigan attorney Todd Pugh, on cross-examination, also asked whether the former House speaker made any legislative promise in return for hiring Acevedo.

As a matter of fact, Im not aware of that, Selcke said.

After Thursday, jurors will not return to the courtroom until Jan. 2.

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Lawmakers should arrive in Boise next month prepared to defend the will of the people who put them into office, writes guest columnist Randy Johnson. (Getty Images)

When voters initiated and overwhelmingly approved expanded Medicaid coverage for 88,000 of our family, friends and neighbors who did not previously qualify, it was a significant statement that Idahoans care for our own.

The 2018 ballot initiative was  and is  a massive victory for the entire state, but especially for anybody who now has access to health care when they previously went without. Regular health care visits and access to preventative screenings lead to earlier discovery and better treatment options for cancer and other life-threatening diseases and chronic conditions. Catching these conditions early saves lives.

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Those newly insured folks previously fell into the coverage gap, with incomes above the states Medicaid eligibility level but also just barely above the poverty line, meaning they could not afford marketplace plans. For a single adult that is an income around $21,000 annually and just more than $40,000 for a family of four. What Medicaid expansion meant for people in the gap, in a practical sense, is they no longer needed to forego basic medical care to cover rent, food, child care or other basic needs. Mothers no longer are forced to choose between a potentially life-saving mammogram and a months worth of groceries or new shoes for her kids.

This is why voters passed expansion, approving it at better than 60%. Since its implementation it has only become more popular as a recent survey by Idaho Voices for Children found 73% of state residents believe Medicaid expansion should be kept as is, including 69% of Idahoans who identify as Republican.

That last part is important to note as the 2025 Idaho legislative session approaches. Lawmakers should arrive in Boise next month prepared to defend the will of the people who put them into office. When lawmakers failed to act on Medicaid expansion voters took matters into their own hands. Now it is their responsibility to stand behind the will of those same voters and maintain access to life-saving care for thousands of Idahoans.

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Last year what amounted to a Medicaid expansion repeal attempt was driven by out-of-state groups planting model legislation that was then introduced by Idaho lawmakers. More of the same is expected in 2025. Idahoans showed up in huge numbers last year and the bill died in committee. Hopefully, lawmakers have heard the will of the people loud and clear and wont put health care on the chopping block again.

These out-of-state interests say theyre trying to save Medicaid. The truth is, its not in need of saving. Its working just as voters intended and our friends, family and neighbors are getting the care they need when they need it. This includes the nearly 25% of expansion enrollees diagnosed with serious mental illness and nearly 80% with reportable income, meaning they are working but not making enough to afford private insurance. Repeal of Medicaid expansion would be devastating, and we simply cannot allow it to happen.

Nearly all our people work  and work hard  and many jobs simply dont provide access to health care. Only 43% of Idaho businesses provide health insurance benefits to their employees. Many of the folks who use Medicaid expansion work in the service industry, agriculture or are young professionals just getting their careers started. Access to Medicaid allows them to gain that footing and makes sure income does not dictate ability to detect cancer early or stop an easily treatable condition from becoming much more serious and potentially deadly.

Beyond the everyday health benefits for Idaho residents, Medicaid expansion creates jobs and supports the financial wellbeing of health care providers, especially those in rural settings which absorb millions in uncompensated care costs that have been dramatically offset by Medicaid expansion.

Medicaid expansion is working for Idaho and needs to stay in place as voters intended.

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Several people injured by in a suspected car-ramming attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany are being treated by paramedics in front of the market stalls.

A dpa reporter on the scene said there are injured people lying on the ground and being cared for by first responders. Tents have also been set up where the injured can receive treatment.

The Christmas market was closed after the suspected attack, and tram services in the central German city were also suspended. Emergency vehicles have flooded the market area, located near the city hall.

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Almost exactly eight years ago to the day, on December 19, 2016, an Islamist terrorist used a hijacked truck to crash into a Christmas market in central Berlin.

Twelve people were killed, with a 13th victim dying in 2021 as a result of their injuries. More than 70 people were hurt. The attacker fled to Italy, where he was shot dead by police.
MEMPHIS, Tenn.  In response to a federal investigation into the Memphis Police Department that alleged the organization has violated residents civil rights, the city has hired former federal Judge Bernice Donald to monitor the MPD.

Donald is a former lawyer and served as a federal circuit judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit from 2011 to 2023. The City of Memphis said in a statement that Judge Donald will serve in a process Oversight Capacity as a neutral and independent monitor, guiding the Citys community response and action plan.

Judge Donald has an excellent reputation as a civil rights activist and making appropriate decisions on the court in relation to those issues, said City Councilman Jeff Warren.

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Warren also says it will also save taxpayers money.

Citys attorney says Memphis wont enter consent decree with DOJ over police reform

Hiring a judge as a consultant and looking over our processes to make sure were continuing to constantly improve is a great idea for the city, Warren said. And its a whole lot less expensive than undergoing a consent decree. This could cost us millions and millions of dollars every year.

The Department of Justice wanted the city to enter a consent decree to make inprovements that would be monitored by the courts.

The City declined an interview about the appointment of Judge Donald, but made it clear early on, they had no interest in a consent decree.

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But pastor and city activist Earl Fisher still things a DOJ decree is the better move.

We want a level of oversight and regulatory force that we dont trust the city to implement, in and of itself, Fisher said.

The city says they also plan to establish a nine-person force to coordinate community engagement and develop the response plan with oversight from Judge Donald.

A budget will be allocated that will enable Judge Donald to secure the resources and subject matter experts needed to support the development of the response.

Memphis Mayor Paul Young said in a statement that the city is encouraged to collaborate with Judge Donald on the effort. He also added there there is no one more qualified to lead the process.

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We are committed to fostering a transparent and effective community response and believe this task force will ensure that every voice is heard. Together, we will develop a comprehensive action plan that meets the needs of our residents, said Mayor Young.

City of Memphis Chief Legal Officer Tannera Gibson added, Judge Donalds extensive experience and impartiality make her the ideal leader for this work. We believe that under her guidance, the task force will effectively engage the community and develop a responsive action plan that truly reflects our citys needs.

This comes after a 17-month federal investigation allegedly revealed that the Memphis Police Department engaged in a pattern or practice of conduct that violates the U.S. Constitution and federal law.

The government stepped in after now-former Memphis officers were caught on video beating 29-year-old Tyre Nichols, who later died. Those officers faced state and federal charges and the city faces a $550 million lawsuit.

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Earlier this month, the city said in a letter that it would not enter into a consent decree with the Department of Justice over its policing practices.

After evaluating the effects of these consent decrees in other cities, we believe there are better ways to reimagine policing that do not slow the process or cost the taxpayers millions of dollars, a letter from the city stated.

DOJ declined to comment Friday on the City of Memphis hiring Judge Bernice Donald instead of entering a consent decree.

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CULPEPER, Va. (AP)  Three Black men who were lynched by mobs in Virginia during the 1800s and early 1900s have been declared innocent by a judge.

The Washington Post reported Friday that the men were Charles Allie Thompson, William Thompson and William Grayson. Each was killed in rural Culpeper County, which is about 75 miles (121 kilometers) from Washington.

Circuit Court Judge Dale B. Durrer on Monday found that the men were and remain to this day innocent of their charges because they were denied due process. Durrer did so at the request of prosecutor Russell L. Rabb III.

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The ruling requires that documents about their treatment remain unsealed in court records for future generations to see.

The best history helps us recognize the mistakes that weve made and the evil corners in which humanity can dwell, Durrer said. This discomfort causes us to learn and grow and harness the great collective power we have as a community.

Zann Nelson, 76, is credited with making the ruling possible. She spent nearly 20 years researching the cases and pestering local officials.

There are those who might say, Well, it was so long ago, why is it so important?" Nelson said. "Well, because it brings closure. Not just to families, but to the community.

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Charles Allie Thompson was lynched in 1918 after a white woman accused him of rape. He was held in jail for five days before a mob kidnapped and hung him.

In 1877, William Thompson was accused of raping an 11-year-old white girl. Three days after his arrest, 50 men dragged him out of jail and hung him from a poplar tree. It's unknown if he was related to Charles Allie Thompson.

William Grayson, a free Black man, was charged with killing a white man in 1849. Virginia's Supreme Court overturned two of his convictions following two trials because he was known to have been elsewhere. He was in jail facing a third trial when a lawless mob overpowered the sheriff and lynched Grayson.
Dec. 19GOSHEN  Mennonites and others across Michiana are gathering at Assembly Mennonite Church to hold an all-night prayer vigil to lament and pray for peace in Gaza.

The vigil will start at 8:30 p.m. Saturday and will continue through 8 a.m. Sunday at Assembly Mennonite Church meetinghouse, 727 New York St., Goshen.

This vigil is in the Christian tradition of the Longest Night service, a service of mourning and hope on the longest night of the year, according to information provided by organizers. The program will include prayer, hymns, speakers, baking and service projects.

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The press release reads: "For over a year, our siblings in Gaza have endured night after night of sleeplessness, fear and anxiety as the sounds of falling bombs, drones, airplanes and gunshots have surrounded them.

"In the morning, those who survive the night wake to search through the rubble for survivors, or to gather food, water and medical supplies. To survive another day. To continue to struggle for life and dignity, free from apartheid, occupation and war.

If You Go

WHAT: Mennonites, members of a historic peace church, are gathering for a Longest Night Vigil. They will be lamenting the death and destruction in Gaza as well as praying and acting for peace throughout the night.

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WHERE: Assembly Mennonite Church meetinghouse, 727 New York St., Goshen

WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 21, 8:30 p.m. to Sunday, Dec. 22, at 8 a.m.

WHO: Mennonites affiliated with Mennonite Action and allies in Michiana

"This is the practice of sumud (pronounced 'sumood'). Of steadfastness.

"As we approach the longest night of the year, and the second Christmas of this ongoing humanitarian crisis, we hold vigil," the statement continues. "We hold vigil so that we might encounter God today in the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza and in all lands. We hold vigil so that we might hear more clearly the voices of our steadfast Palestinian loved ones who are so often dismissed, silenced, and dehumanized. They are speaking loudly to us this Advent season, providing both a meaning and a challenge to our own celebration of the incarnational presence of 'God with us' this Christmas."

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Mennonite Action is a movement of Mennonites bonded by a common belief that they have a responsibility to use their voices as powerfully as possible in service of Jesus' call to be peacemakers.

Members are part of a historic peace church across the United States and Canada that they say uses creative nonviolent actions to demand a ceasefire, end the U.S. and Western funded occupation of Palestine, and build for a lasting peace.

"We were shocked by Hamas' brutal attacks against Israeli civilians on Oct. 7," the statement reads. "And we are horrified by Israel's attacks on Palestinian civilians, as the death toll rises each day, including thousands of children. We cannot keep quiet. As our Palestinian, Jewish, Arab, and Muslim friends and loved ones are demanding a ceasefire even while they are forced to reckon with unspeakable tragedies, we believe we have a duty as pacifists and Christians to join public action for peace and justice whenever and wherever we can."

Visit www.mennoniteaction.org for more information.
BOSTON (WWLP)  The first night of Hanukkah is next week but state lawmakers kicked off celebrations Wednesday night.

Hanukkah came early to Beacon Hill as Jewish lawmakers and community members came together to light the State House menorah on Wednesday night. The ceremony featured musical performances, speeches from lawmakers and religious leaders, and retellings of the Hanukkah miracle when a one-day supply of oil miraculously created light for eight days and nights.

Lawmakers hold Menorah lighting ceremony on Capitol Hill

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The rabbi who hosted this event talked about the lessons we can learn from the menorah like when a second candle is lit, it does not diminish the first candles flame.

The ceremony had a solemn undertone as speakers touched on violence and death in Israel and Gaza and increasing anti-Jewish sentiment in the United States. Governor Healey spoke at the ceremony about her administrations partnership with Jewish leaders in the wake of rising incidences of antisemitism in the Commonwealth.

The governor denounced hatred of all kinds and called for togetherness during the holiday season. Hanukkah begins at sundown on December 25 and runs through sundown on January 2.

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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If fusion energy is a must-have for advanced civilizations, evidence of its use could help us find aliens.

A new study led by the University of Washington analyzes how deuterium-deuterium (DD) fusion regime could impact the deuterium-hydrogen value of an exoplanet compared to the surrounding interstellar medium.

Upcoming space missions could possibly look for these wavelength emissions and provide compelling evidence for advanced life.

Scientists employ many methods in the search for alien life. One approach is using both terrestrial and space-based advanced telescopes for some good, old-fashioned stargazing. Radio astronomy has also produced some exciting results , even if they didnt yield any aliens (yet).

Then there are the strategies that involve imagining ways that advanced civilizations would try to meet their increasing energy demands. While some scientists have speculated how to detect Dyson ringsmegastructures encircling a starfrom Earth, University of Washingtons David Catling is considering another not-so-far-future energy signature: nuclear fusion.

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Fusion is the end-goal of terrestrial energy generation on Earth. By fusing together plasma of two light nuclei (in this example, two atoms of the hydrogen isotope deuterium), the strong nuclear force binds together these isotopes into Helium-3 and releases tremendous amounts of energy.

The one benefit of using only deuterium is that unlike many other fusion candidates (especially tritium), Earths oceans and atmosphere contain a lot of the isotope, also known as heavy wateraround 35 grams for every ton of seawater. According to Catlings new paper published on the preprint server arXivits been accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journalastronomers could possibly detect the presence of such a deuterium-deuterium fusion regime on another planet by closely analyzing its atmosphere.

Deuterium-deuterium (DD) fusion is viewed as an ideal energy source for humanity in the far future, given a vast seawater supply of D, the authors write. Here, we consider long-lived, extraterrestrial, technological societies that develop DD fusion. If such a society persists over geologic timescales, oceanic deuterium would diminish.

To figure out what this depletion would look like, Catling and his team devised an energy expedition to an advanced civilization at around 10 times whats expected to be humanitys energy needs by 2100, which comes in at about 1,000 terawatts. The authors found that a planets deuterium-hydrogen (DH) value would decrease about 16 parts per million in 170 million years when compared to the surrounding interstellar medium. If a planet has more land than Earth, it could take only a few millions years for the DH value to be detectable.

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Of course, Earths stellar neighborsVenus and Marsboth have higher D/H values, but theyre also uninhabitable, and the authors note that planets with higher DH values than Earth likely point to the inhabitability.

So, how do we exactly find these planets? The authors suggest scanning for specific wavelengths for semi-heavy water (HDO) and H2O. This isnt impossible, as scientists successfully detected water vapor on an exoplanet back in 2019. According to Phys.org, two space missions in developmentthe Habitable Worlds Observatory and the Large Interferometer For Exoplanets could potentially measure D/H values indicative of advanced civilizations.

Fusion energy will one day illuminate Earth. And it could also illuminate that were not alone in the universe.



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NEW MEXICO (KRQE)  Due to an aging workforce, fewer graduates, and the rapid evolution of vehicle technology, there is a shortage of car mechanics in the state. However, the New Mexico Automotive Dealers Association is looking to change that.

The New Mexico Broadcasters Association, on behalf of KRQE Media Group, partnered with the dealers association to award $10,000 worth of scholarships to five worthy recipients.

Jack Schliening, who works at Honda Subaru of Santa Fe, received a check for $2,000.

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Bryan Marquez-Bustamante of Quality Buick GMC in Albuquerque was also given $2,000.

Coleton Kerwin of Rich Ford in Albuquerque was also presented with his scholarship check.

The other two winners are Elixandro Vidales of Amigo Auto Group in Gallup and Rodrigo Villalobos Martinez of Tate Branch Auto Group in Hobbs.

The winners were nominated by their employers, and a drawing was held for the five winners. These scholarships will be used to defray the cost of attending automotive technical school community colleges.

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Dec. 19The federal government may be shut down before Christmas. A bill to continue funding the federal government has to pass by Friday to avoid a shutdown and to provide over $1 billion in disaster aid to New Mexico, but negotiations were derailed by President-elect Donald Trump.

After months of work and weeks of negotiations, Congress was preparing to pass a continuing resolution to keep the federal government funded until mid-March. The deadline to pass a government funding extension is Friday. But on Wednesday, Trump and tech mogul Elon Musk pressured House Republicans to renegotiate.

"It's incredibly frustrating to have somebody who was not elected and earns $50 million a day torpedo a bipartisan agreement. That will afflict incredible harm on working families in New Mexico in particular," said Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, D-N.M., referring to Musk, who posted repeatedly Wednesday on the social media platform he owns, X, criticizing the funding package.

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New Mexico has many federal employees and a high percentage of people who rely on federal assistance programs. During a shutdown, essential agencies such as the Border Patrol and the Transportation Security Administration continue to operate, but national parks and monuments close and many of the Defense Department's civilian employees are sent home.

House Republicans brought a new version of the spending bill to the floor for a vote Thursday night. It failed 174-235, but Republicans could bring it back for another vote Friday.

Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., urged Democrats to vote in favor of the slimmed-down funding package during debate on the House floor.

"There is not a single thing in here you oppose," Cole said.

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Trump encouraged support for the new bill on social media, while President Joe Biden came out in opposition, in part because the new version would eliminate a bipartisan agreement to lower prescription drug costs.

"All Republicans, and even the Democrats, should do what is best for our Country, and vote "YES" for this Bill," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., was strongly opposed to the new GOP version, and only two Democrats voted in favor of it.

The new version includes measures from the original, such as extending the Farm Bill and a $110 billion disaster relief package, including $1.5 billion in recovery funds for the 2022 Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire.

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People who suffered losses from the fire and subsequent flooding also have a deadline: notice of loss claims have to be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Friday. There isn't enough money in the recovery fund to pay for all the claims that have been filed, which Leger Fernandez said is why she negotiated for additional Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak recovery money in the original continuing resolution.

The Farm Bill authorizes agricultural and food assistance programs and would be extended until September 2025 by either version of the continuing resolution.

Not extending the Farm Bill means that people planning planting seasons in New Mexico who rely on the Farm Service Agency "can't plan for next year's crops, if they can't plan to actually get credit ... from the federal government, as they usually do," Rep. Gabe Vasquez, D-N.M., said in a press call before the GOP released its slimmed down version of the bill. Vasquez serves on the House Agriculture Committee.

Vasquez voted no "on this rushed vote tonight," according to his spokeswoman Cecilia Belzer.

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The new GOP version does have a major difference: it would suspend the nation's debt limit until January 2027.

Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., said that Trump is trying to raise the debt limit so that he can pass tax breaks for "billionaires and corporations" after taking office.

The new version also stripped out an anti-deepfake porn bill, funding to research premature labor, money for sickle cell disease treatment, money for breast and cervical cancer early detection and a program for Down Syndrome research, all provisions that Leger Fernandez supported in the original bill, according to her spokesman Julian Duque.

The last government shutdown was also the longest, stretching over 30 days from December 2018 to January 2019 during Trump's first administration.
ECTOR COUNTY, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- The U.S. Marshals Service, in coordination with the Odessa Police Department, Ector County Sheriffs Office, Odessa Crime Stoppers, and the Ector County District Attorneys Office, today arrested a murder suspect who had evaded authorities for nearly 30 years.

The fugitive, Jose Rafael Marcelleno, 53, was initially indicted for murder in Ector County on April 23, 1996, following an OPD investigation into the murder of his wife, Guadalupe Petey Paredes, 32. Marcelleno allegedly stabbed his wife multiple times with a lock blade knife and ran from the scene.

The Justice Departments Office of International Affairs worked with the Ector District Attorneys Office and law enforcement officials to prepare a request for Marcellenos extradition, which was presented to Mexico on May 13, 2022. Thanks to information developed by foreign and domestic law enforcement agencies, Marcelleno was arrested in July 2023 in Juarez, Mexico.

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After Marcelleno was extradited from Mexico, he was released to law enforcement authorities in Odessa, and he remained in the Ector County Law Enforcement as of Thursday afternoon; he will not be eligible to post bond.

The Marshals and our law enforcement partners are committed to locating and apprehending the most dangerous individuals, even in other countries, said U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Texas Susan Pamerleau. Through coordinated efforts, we will continue to make our communities safer, one fugitive at a time.

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Rev. Andrew Black, Founder of EarthKeepers 360, a member of the Caja del Rio Coalition and a Minister at First Presbyterian Church of Santa Fe, was one of 112 spiritual and tribal leaders who urged President Biden to designate the Caja del Rio Plateau as a national monument on Dec. 19, 2024. (Photo by Austin Fisher / Source New Mexico)

The calls for President Joe Biden to designate wilderness land outside of Santa Fe as a national monument increased this week from faith and tribal leaders and New Mexicos congressional delegation.

The appeal to Biden in the waning days of his presidency could complicate Los Alamos National Laboratorys controversial plans to build a line across the Caja del Rio Plateau to power a new supercomputer that would simulate nuclear weapons, among other purposes.

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On Thursday, 112 spiritual, faith and tribal leaders sent a letter calling for the designation to Biden, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Vilsack, U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and the members of Congress. Most of the pinon-juniper forested area is federally managed, but it also includes some state-owned land. It has important cultural and religious significance to the Pueblos of Cochiti and San Ildefonso and Tesuque.

In a society that desperately needs healing, the Caja del Rio has been an invaluable place for individuals and communities to come together in unity, prayer, healing, and wholeness, they wrote.

Later Thursday, New Mexicos three U.S. representatives and two U.S. senators, all Democrats, also sent Biden a letter urging him to start the designation process as soon as possible.

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While neither letter explicitly mentions the new effort to bring additional power lines to the national laboratory, the members of Congress did write: We also ask, like previous national monument designations, that existing and proposed uses, such as grazing and power transmission, be included in the designation process.

Three high-powered transmission lines already exist in the area, but the monument designation could block the development of the proposed fourth line and additional roads and infrastructure.

The delegation noted the lack of adequate stewardship has led to environmental degradation, vandalism and excessive trash.

They wrote that even though Tesuque Pueblo last month inked a stewardship agreement for the Caja with the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management, without a formal national monument designation, the area will remain vulnerable to further damage.

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A spokesperson for the White House on Monday declined to comment on the proposal.

A spokesperson for the National Nuclear Security Administrations Los Alamos Field Office previously said they had not seen any documents pertaining to the designation proposal for the Caja. On Friday, they said they would not comment any further.
SANDOVAL COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE)  New Mexico State Police arrested a man who they said fled from law enforcement, assaulted an officer, and attempted to take an officers gun.

The incident started on Dec. 12 when police responded to a single-vehicle crash on Interstate 25 at milepost 263. When officers arrived, they found a vehicle that had crashed into the center median divider.

FBI offers reward for information on gunman who killed ABQ tattoo shop owner

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State police found the driver, 22-year-old Andi Gonzales-Perez, fled on foot, and when they caught up with him, Gonzales-Perez said he ran because he believed he had a warrant and admitted to using fentanyl shortly before the crash, according to state police.

Gonzales-Perez was taken to the hospital for injuries from the crash, and that is when police said he tried to escape custody and led an officer on a short chase. During that time, Gonzales-Perez assaulted the officer several times and attempted to take the officers handgun from his holster, according to police.

The officer and hospital staff were able to detain Gonzales-Perez. He and the officer suffered minor injuries as a result of the altercation.

Gonzales-Perez was booked into the Sandoval County Detention Center and has been charged with the following:

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Possession of a stolen motor vehicle

Driving while under the influence of drugs

Reckless driving

Resisting, evading an officer (2 Counts)

Leaving the scene of an accident

No drivers license

Failure to yield right of way to oncoming vehicle

Battery upon peace officer

Escape from custody of a peace officer

Attempt to commit a felony

Assault upon peace officer

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SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE)  Convicted of murder in the wrong-way freeway crash that killed a Santa Fe police officer and retired Las Vegas firefighter, Jeannine Jaramillo will spend life behind bars. There were some dramatic moments at the end of the hearing as Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer suggested Jaramillo was a liar and Jaramillo claimed she wasnt a murderer.

Story continues below

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Judge Marlowe Sommer: And after youve been found out? What do you say?

Jaramillo: Im not a murderer!  I am not I am not a murderer!

Judge Marlowe Sommer: You have taken the life of two outstanding members of the community, a police officer and a retired emergency responder. You did so in the most egregious and deplorable way. Their families, friends, and officers lives have been changed forever. At the end of the day, all these officers wanted to do their job.

Jaramillo was given two life sentences for the murders along with another three years for other crimes tied to the conviction. Now 49 years old, Jaramillo led police into a wrong-way car chase on I-25 near Santa Fe in 2022 after claiming shed been held hostage by an ex-boyfriend. Retired firefighter Frank Lovato and Santa Fe Police Department officer Robert Duran crashed into each other during that chase. He cared more for her life that day then she did. My brother died trying to save her life. Her sorry but not sorry letter, it was also very hurtful and upsetting to hear the details of her accounts. When my brother gave the ultimate sacrifice. Two beautiful lives were lost. Two families that will never be the same, said Angela Gamino.

In court, Jaramillo finally apologized directly to the families for causing the crash saying she made bad choices but she also made it a point to say sending her to prison wouldnt bring the victims back to life. The judge did not give Jaramillo the possibility of parole.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos.
MEMPHIS, Tenn.  The Memphis Fire Department released photos of a potential suspect accused of setting fire to a Summer Avenue business last month.

Fascinating Catering, located at 3519 Summer Avenue, sustained around $180,000 in building and content loss after the business went up in flames in what police determined to be an arson incident.

Photos courtesy of the MFD Photos courtesy of the MFD

Over a month later, the MFD posted photos of the potential suspect, saying his name may be Wes.

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If you have any information that could help police, call CrimeStoppers at 901-528-CASH.

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Dec. 20A Miami Twp. man accused of shooting his roommate in the mouth in February after he would not give him a cigarette faces up to 12 years in prison.

Damarion Charles Lee, 25, pleaded guilty Thursday before Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Steven Dankof to felonious assault. A second felonious assault charge was dismissed as part of his plea.

Lee is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 8.

Miami Twp. police responded to a shooting reported Feb. 19 inside a residence in the 6300 block of Saxony Road.

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Lee was walking outside in the snowy yard when police arrived. He approached the officers with his hands in the air and was detained, according to an affidavit filed in Miamisburg Municipal Court.

Inside, officers found Lee's roommate with a gunshot to the mouth, the document stated.

The pair were in the living room when Lee asked his roommate for a cigarette. The roommate told police he would not give Lee a cigarette and that he then went to his separate bedroom to lay down. Seconds later, the roommate said, Lee shot him, the affidavit read.

The roommate was taken to a local hospital.

Lee is held on XXXX bail in the Montgomery County Jail.
A 22-year-old man faces life in prison after he pleaded guilty on Tuesday to planning the mass killing of LGBTQ+ people at two locations in eastern Michigan, the U.S. Attorneys office announced on Wednesday.

Mack Davis, of Owosso, pleaded guilty to one count of committing a hate crime by attempting to carry out a mass killing at a gay bar and a nearby political headquarters he associated with the LGBTQ+ community.

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In his writings, Davis called the political headquarters Location 1 and wrote that it was filled with far-left liberal, f*gg*t scum. He called the gay bar Location 2 and described it as a f*gg*t bar.

Davis confessed to devising a plan motivated by his deep-seated hatred, targeting innocent individuals associated with the LGBTQIA+ community, Special Agent in Charge Cheyvoryea Gibson of FBI Detroit Field Office said in a statement.

Daviss plans were chilling, U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison for the Eastern District of Michigan said. He intended to commit mass shootings at two locations  destroying countless lives and devastating our community  all because of his fanatical hatred for gay people.

From June 2023 to June 2024, Davis conducted online research and physical surveillance on both locations, writing of his efforts in physical journals and online blog posts. He drafted a list of gear he owned and would need to purchase to commit the killings and methodically acquired an arsenal of firearms, magazines and ammunition, crossbows and arrows, bomb-making parts, smoke grenades, tactical gear, and several knives. One of the knives was inscribed with the words F*GG*T Killer.

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During the same period he was plotting his mass killing events, Davis vandalized two cars belonging to his gay neighbors, including one with an antigay slur. He also test-fired approximately 60 rounds of bullets from an illegal short-barreled rifle into the properties of his neighbors.

Davis was taken into custody in June after police responded to a report of gunfire from his home, local ABC affiliate WJRT reported at the time. Police determined the gunfire came from his bedroom. They obtained a search warrant and discovered his private arsenal and dozens of journals and other items detailing his murderous plans. While initially arrested by local police, he was later transferred to federal custody.

This defendant amassed an arsenal of firearms, rounds of ammunition, and bombmaking parts that he intended to use to carry out the mass killing of gay people, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division said. This kind of vile and heinous hate-fueled violence, intended to target innocent people based on their sexual orientation, runs contrary to our values as Americans.

Davis will remain in custody as he awaits a date to be scheduled for sentencing.
BECKLEY, WV (WVNS)  A Michigan man was sentenced for a federal drug crime that involved methamphetamine.

According to a press release, 40-year-old Evann Robinson, of Detroit, Michigan, was sentenced on Thursday, December 19, 2024 to eight years and four months in prison, followed by three years of parole, for distribution of methamphetamine.

Former Fayette County law enforcement officer sentenced for child sex trafficking and obstruction crimes

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The press release stated that according to statements made in court, Robinson sold a controlled substance containing methamphetamine on May 9, 2023 to a confidential informant in the Beckley area of Raleigh County.

Members of law enforcement carried out a search warrant on May 15, 2023 at Robinsons house in Beckley, and seized drugs including cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl, as well as $9,350 which included $40 in recorded buy money.

Robinsons criminal history included previous convictions for assault with intent to do great bodily harm, possession of a firearm while committing a felony, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and prisoner possessing weapons.

Raleigh County man sentenced for felony sex offenses involving a child

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The announcement was made by United States Attorney Will Thompson, who thanked the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit for their work on the investigation.

Members of the Raleigh County Sheriffs Office, the Beckley Police Department, and the West Virginia State Police make up the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit.

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LANSING  The Michigan Legislature completed its business for the year when the Senate adjourned Friday afternoon, ending a session that lasted just over 29 hours  a modern record.

Michigan Democrats' first in four decades trifecta  control of the governor's office and both chambers of the Legislature ended in embarrassing fashion Thursday when House Speaker Joe Tate, D-Detroit, adjourned abruptly because he lacked a quorum.

But Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks wrapped up that chamber's session at 3 p.m. Friday by talking about Democratic accomplishments in areas such as school funding, reproductive rights and measures to prevent gun violence.

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"We have made Michigan a national leader in pragmatic policymaking," Brinks told the chamber.

The duration of the Michigan Senate's Thursday-Friday session set a modern record.

She later told reporters: "There's always something more that needs to be done," and "we'll be back next year."

Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Township, said Democratic leaders, including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, "squandered" a $9 billion budget surplus, failed to negotiate a road funding deal and put thousands of restaurant jobs at risk by not addressing business concerns over a scheduled phase-out of the lower minimum wage for tipped workers.

"There's a lot of failures that they're trying to cover up with ... happy talk," Nesbitt told reporters.

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Republicans dragged out the record session by requesting that many bills be read in their entirety, as a way of expressing their frustration at a lack of committee hearings and other debate. Tempers flared at times while senators also added levity at times to the exhausting exercise.

Control of the state House flips from Democrats to Republicans in January after the Nov. 5 election.

The abrupt House adjournment meant that many bills the Democrats planned to pass, from government transparency to environmental measures, did not get sent to the governor.

More: After House adjourns, Senate passes bills in marathon session as lame duck nears end

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Senators adjourned until Dec. 30, at which time they don't have plans to conduct business but are to adjourn "sine die," or without date, to end the legislative session.

Gongwer News Service reported that the Thursday-Friday Senate session set a new modern record for its duration, surpassing the session of just over 26 hours in 1993 that produced Proposal A, to overhaul school financing.

Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan senators conclude record session as Legislature ends year
Snow and dropping temperatures resulted in slippery roads and a long list of vehicle crashes Friday afternoon.

Traffic on the Massachusetts Turnpike eastbound in Auburn was backed up for more than two hours after a crash involving a pair of tractor-trailers. There were slowdowns on the west side.

Emergency crews from Auburn were on scene, with no serious injuries reported, according to the Fire Department.

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The crash occurred about 1:30 p.m. The eastbound lanes reopened about 4 p.m.

In Worcester, a school bus slid along Clark Street, drawing a response from police and school officials. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

Police in the city were responding to crashes on Plantation Street, Franklin Street, Greenwood Steet and Brantwood Road, among others. Interstate 190 southbound in Worcester was seeing a slowdown after a crash.

More: Snow expected in Worcester this weekend. Here's what forecasters are projecting

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Midday snow delivers string of crashes in Central Massachusetts
Dec. 19The Midland College Board of Trustees welcomed Christine Gentry Foreman to the board.

Foreman was sworn in by the Honorable Leah Robertson during the Board meeting Dec. 17. She will step into the role previously held by retiring Board member Steve Castle.

Forman ran unopposed in the November election.

"We are thrilled to welcome Christine to the Midland College Board of Trustees," MC President Damon Kennedy said in a news release. "Christine's deep commitment to the Midland community, her passion for education, and her drive to make a positive impact will undoubtedly bring energy and perspective to our Board. Her dedication to service and her strong ties to Midland will help guide us as we continue to reimagine the future for our students and the community we serve."

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"I'm excited to have the opportunity to make a lasting impact by supporting and advancing the important work of Midland College alongside my 8 fellow trustees," Foreman said in the release.

Foreman has deep roots in Midland. A product of Midland ISD schools, she furthered her education at Midland College and Texas A&M University before embarking on a decade-long career as a registered nurse. Following her nursing career, Foreman embraced her passion for service, becoming a professional volunteer and champion for community initiatives, the release said.

Leveraging her training from Girl Scouts and the Junior League, she has contributed her time and expertise to numerous committees, boards, foundations, and PTAs. Her advocacy has focused on enhancing opportunities, resources, and academic outcomes for students in the Permian Basin, the release said.

Foreman's most recent professional journey includes serving as the community and public relations liaison at Region 18 Education Service Center. Currently, she holds the role of Student Transformation State Director for Maxwell Leadership, where she leads the statewide implementation of iLEAD, a values-based student leadership development initiative created by John Maxwell.

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Beyond her professional and service roles, Foreman is a devoted wife and mother, whose family fuels her passion for creating a thriving community through proactive servant leadership.

During the Dec. 17 board meeting, Midland College also swore in current Board members Vice-Chairperson Charlene McBride, Place 6, and Mike Oestmann, Place 4.
Dec. 19MIDLAND  Midland Habitat for Humanity (MHFH) celebrated their latest homeowner Tuesday with the dedication of its 200th home in the 200 block of North Adams Street to the Vinyette Moore family.

Habitat supporters, friends, family, and future Habitat homeowners gathered to support the new homeowner. The Beal Foundation generously provided funding for the build.

Moore worked over 250 hours of "sweat equity" in addition to completing Habitat's Homeowner College program with classes on personal finance, homeowner maintenance, civic engagement, health and wellness, and more.

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"This is an exciting day for Habitat but also for the Moore family. We are thankful for the Beal Foundation and their generous support to help fund this home. Vinyette worked hard to make this a reality and we're thrilled she made it in before Christmas! We want to thank the entire community for helping us get to 200 homes and we are excited to get to work on the next 200!" Joey Hopkins, MHFH's executive director, said in a news release.

Moore plans to get her teaching certificate to help her to continue to provide for her family of five.

Since 1991 MHFH has completed 200 homes with 48 of those coming in the last few years. Habitat has had 66 homeowners pay off their home in full. Over 800 West Texans call a MHFH house their home.

Based on production, MHFH is 6th out of 61 Habitat affiliates in the state of Texas and in the top 6% of affiliates nationwide. The 200 MHFH homes in West Texas are valued at more than $35 million, helping to fund all the local taxing entities.

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MHFH is one of the premier institutions responsible for constructing affordable housing in the Permian Basin. The organization's partnership model offers deserving, hard-working families a hand-up. MHFH uses a rigorous qualifying process that includes progress from the application through homeownership.

Each participant contributes a minimum of 250 hours of "sweat equity" on the worksite and completes a homeownership education program. Successful candidates are then awarded a 0% interest mortgage, making homeownership a reality for some of the most deserving families in the Permian Basin.

Anyone interested in supporting MHFH's efforts in the Permian Basin can contact Jeff Meyers, Chief of Staff, at 432-686-8877.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM)  A Midstate doctor has agreed to pay $120,000 in civil penalties for alleged violations of the Controlled Substances Act.

Dr. Donald J. Dinello, who has locations in Harrisburg and Hershey, reached an agreement with the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

The U.S. Attorneys Office accused Dinello of failing to use a required form when distributing certain substances and failing to maintain complete records of such distributions at both practice locations, among other violations.

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Practitioners who register with DEA in order to prescribe and dispense medications that fall under the Controlled Substances Act have an obligation to prescribe appropriately and keep careful records and inventories, said U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam. Not fulfilling those obligations makes it difficult or even impossible to be sure those potentially dangerous medications are being dispensed and handled appropriately and are not being diverted. The pursuit of this matter illustrates the continued dedication of our office to protecting the public in MDPA.

The goal of DEAs closed system of distribution is to ensure accountability for controlled substances and physicians who fail to maintain proper records of controlled substances create conditions ripe for diversion said Thomas Hodnett, Special Agent in Charge of the DEAs Philadelphia Field Division. The governments pursuit of this matter illustrates its emphasis on combating diversion of controlled substances. The record keeping and other regulations applicable to DEA registrants, including physicians, are the tools by which the DEA deters drug diversion.

The settlement is not an admission of liability by Dinello, the U.S. Attorneys Office 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 ABC27.
Two weeks ago, things were looking okay for Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. His party would enjoy a governing trifecta, and he was preparing to manage a majority in his chamber.

It was set to be a small House majority, possibly 217-215 to start, but one he was looking sure to be the head of. President-elect Donald Trump endorsed him for speaker soon after the election, and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a fierce critic who had previously tried to get him ejected from his post, said she would back him in the January 3 vote.

But then came the fight over government funding, and suddenly Johnson is finding himself hemmed in by his own party, the president-elect, legislative realities, and a ticking clock. Lawmakers have until Friday just before midnight to approve a continuing resolution (CR)a stopgap spending measure that extends federal funding until a future dateto avert a government shutdown. Right-wing members of the House, who are especially wary of spending, had feared the bill would do more than merely extend the status quo, pulling in other measures unrelated to keeping the government open in order to placate Democrats, whose votes are needed to pass it.

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After Johnson detailed some of the contents in a closed-door GOP conference meeting Tuesday before releasing the text that night, some of those members said their fears had become reality. Texas Rep. Chip Roy, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, said members were being forced to eat a crap sandwich. Beyond the House, incoming Department of Government Efficiency leaders Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy took to X Wednesday to call on members to reject the bipartisan agreement. As a final death blow, Trump spoke out against it.

While reports were already circulated this week that some House Republicans were planning to vote against Johnson in next months speaker election, Rep. Thomas Massie went on the record Wednesday saying he would do so.

Im not at that point, but there are members, both inside and outside the caucus who are much closer to that point, Freedom Caucus chair Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland told reporters Wednesday. Asked if he thought Johnson had the votes to become speaker, Harris added: If the vote were held today, he probably does, but the votes not held today. Its held on January 3.

Johnson said this week he was not worried about the speaker vote. But how he navigates the pitfalls of the spending debate will likely determine whether he will lead the House next year. Johnson will need to figure out a way to please rank-and-file members, right-wingers, and Trump. All were dissatisfied with the CR, and Johnsons handling of the spending negotiations may be all the excuse a few Republicans or the president-elect need to deny him the speakership.

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More centrist Republicans were upset about their lack of involvement in the negotiations. During Tuesdays caucus meeting, Johnson reportedly said crafting it was a collaborative process with House committees, but Rep. Jason Smith of Missouri, who chairs the Ways and Means Committee, said that was not true. Rep. Scott Fitzgerald told Fox News Digital that there had been very little back-and-forth with members on specific issues.

Members of the Freedom Caucus and other spending hawks took issue with the size and scope of the bill. Its an omnibus. Lets call it what it is, Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida told reporters. Im not a fan of it. Theres a lot of stuff in here that members really couldnt even understand. Were still figuring out all the stuff thats in here. Were not done. Donalds, whose name had been floated to run against Johnson, declined to say whether the speaker should lose his job if the CR goes through, saying it was, for him, irresponsible to make a comment on that until members have an opportunity to really digest where they are.

When he previewed the legislation, Johnson pitched it as a small CR that we had to add things to that were out of our control, such as relief for farmers and victims of natural disasters. Other provisions that ended up in the final bill reflected the priorities of Democrats, who for now control the Senate and White House. All told, the bill contained pieces related to: duty-free imports of Haitian textiles, the federal government paying the entire cost of rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, the transfer of ownership of Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, and several health care policy changes.

If you had put a clean CR with just disaster aid, you would have had overwhelming support from Republicans and Democrats, Florida Rep. Kat Cammack said Wednesday. This entire thing was an exercise in futility, if you ask me, and it is driving wedges between the conference. She added that she hoped the bad feelings didnt spill over into the speakers race: We dont have time for that, but the fact remains that this package is doing incredible damage within the conference.

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For most of Johnsons often precarious tenure as speaker, he has been able to draw support from Trump. So when the president-elect, who had stayed quiet during the stopgap negotiations, not only blasted the bill Wednesday but introduced a new wrinkle in the process, it caught many by surprise. Republicans want to support our farmers, pay for disaster relief, and set our country up for success in 2025, Trump tweeted in a joint statement with Vice President-elect J.D. Vance. The only way to do that is with a temporary funding bill WITHOUT DEMOCRAT GIVEAWAYS combined with an increase in the debt ceiling. Anything else is a betrayal of our country.

Raising the debt ceilingwhich Trump said was not great but something hed rather do on Bidens watchhad not previously been part of the equation. On Thursday, Trump even suggested abolishing the debt ceiling and in an interview with Fox News Digital called for anyone who supports a bill that doesnt take care of that limit to face primary challenges. Trump also suggested a vague pathway for how Johnson could hang on to his office. If the speaker acts decisively, and tough, and gets rid of all of the traps being set by the Democrats, which will economically and, in other ways, destroy our country, he will easily remain speaker, he said.

Johnson spent most of Thursday meeting with representatives of the various GOP factions and trying to come up with a deal. The result was a slimmed-down CR without many of the Democrats priorities and with a provision to raise the debt limit. However, the House, as expected, rejected the bill 235-174, with 38 Republicans voting no, including Roy. Of course, anything Johnson proposes would need support from Democrats too. Now, the only way to pass a bill before the shutdown deadline looks to be under suspension of the House rules, which will take a two-thirds majoritynever mind the fact that a spending bill also needs 60 votes in the Senate and President Joe Bidens signature.

Whatever the outcome, the bruising fight will likely leave Johnson in a more vulnerable position come January 3. Asked if the CR battles have endangered the speakers position, Rep. Rich McCormick of Georgia said, absolutely, noting Johnson did not have his support at the moment.

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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who criticized the new Musk-Johnson proposal Thursday, has been firm in his resolve to not bail out Johnson should he face a revolt from his conference on the speakership vote. As recently as last week he said no Democratic votes will be forthcoming for any Republican Speaker candidate on January 3.

On Thursday, Jeffries was just as resolute. The Dispatch asked him if Democrats would consider supporting Johnsons bid for speaker if he gives them a CR they approve of.

No, Jeffries replied.

Read more at The Dispatch

The Dispatch is a new digital media company providing engaged citizens with fact-based reporting and commentary, informed by conservative principles. Sign up for free.
U.S. service members could miss their paychecks over the holidays if the U.S. government shuts down this weekend, according to the Pentagon.

Unless lawmakers reach some agreement before the end of Friday to fund the federal government, active-duty troops will not receive their end-of-month paychecks, reservists who report to drills will not be paid, and federal civilians will not be compensated if they are required to work during a shutdown, press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters Thursday.

But Ryder stressed that even without a paycheck, service members and the military at large will continue to protect national security.

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In the event of a lapse in funding and a shutdown of the government, the Department of Defense will continue to carry out our fundamental responsibility and mission to defend our nation and the American people, Ryder said. However, its important to note that military personnel would not be paid until new funds are appropriated by Congress.

Congress was on track to pass a large government funding bill earlier this week before GOP infighting derailed the process.

The first plan, a bipartisan effort, tanked after it was opposed by many House members, President-elect Trump and Elon Musk, the latter of whom used his social media platform X to attack the bill, threatening Republican lawmakers who supported its passage.

Then on Thursday, the House rejected a GOP-crafted spending proposal endorsed by Trump.

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A plan C, which Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said would be voted on Friday, would pair a three-month government funding extension with $110 billion in disaster relief and farm aid. That bill does not include the debt ceiling hike demanded by Trump.

Should that also go up in flames, a government shutdown would furlough tens of thousands of employees, delay government contracts and vendor payments and leave service members without an end of the month paycheck.

Ryder said the Pentagon has been conducting prudent planning and preparations for a potential shutdown, with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin monitoring the situation.

A lapse in funding will cause serious disruptions across the Defense Department and is still avoidable, he said.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
If all goes to plan, traffic should flow a little smoother on West 8th Street in Millcreek.

The traffic signal at West Erie Plaza has been removed by the township.

A township supervisor explained that the city has received several complaints over the last couple of years about the traffic light.

The antiquated light once was essential as the West Erie Plaza served as a main thoroughfare.

Stoplight on West 8th Street at West Erie Plaza intersection to be removed

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A newer traffic signal installed at the intersection with Pittsburgh Avenue could not communicate with the old plaza signal, which created frequent traffic backups.

A traffic study showed that the signal at the plaza no longer had a high enough traffic volume, and the supervisors decided to remove it.

Were still going to keep the, you know, the right turn and the left turn only. And with the removal of the pole and the cabinet, that will improve the sight distance for the right turn out of here, said Jim Bock, Millcreek Township supervisor.

The removal was completed Thursday morning.

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 WJET/WFXP/YourErie.com.
The Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation on Thursday announced the awarding of more than $20 million to 31 outdoor recreation projects across the state.

The funding, made possible through legislative appropriations and the Outdoor Adventure Infrastructure Fund, signifies an investment in the states outdoor amenities, ensuring access, sustainability and enhanced experiences for all Utahns and visitors.

In 2023, Utahs outdoor recreation economy hit $9.5 billion, up 18% from the year before. People from Utah, the rest of the United States and international visitors have discovered Utah, and outdoor officials want to make sure the visitor experience meets their standards.

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The awarded projects include a variety of initiatives, including new infrastructure development, restoration efforts, land acquisition, feasibility studies and long-term recreation planning.

The funding reflects the mission of the Outdoor Recreation Initiative, recently created by the Legislature and overseen by the division to champion stewardship, sustainable visitation, safety, education and community engagement across the state.

Utah, in fact, became the first state in the nation to have an office of outdoor recreation created in 2013 by then Utah Gov. Gary Herbert as part of an outdoor recreation vision project.

Through the Outdoor Recreation Initiative, we are uniting efforts across Utah to build a brighter future for outdoor recreation by supporting local communities, building capacity and removing barriers at a regional level, said Patrick Morrison, the divisions recreation program director. The funding and creation of regional recreation councils demonstrates Utahs commitment to enhancing outdoor spaces, preserving natural resources, and ensuring that every Utahn has access to the incredible opportunities our state has to offer.

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Highlights of the awarded projects:

$3 million for the Beas-Lewis Campground project

$2 million for connecting trails on Sand Mountain

$1.7 million for the Lucerne Campground Restoration

$1.3 million for the Kents Lake Campground Improvements

$1.1 million for the Mud Springs Trail System

$1 million each for Pineview Reservoir Phase 3, 2025 Port Ramp Reconstruction and Utah Avalanche Center Machine Learning Recreation Study

In addition, $518,000 will restore safe access to upper American Fork Canyon, a half million goes to the Ure Ranch Recreation Area Land acquisition and another $400,000 will help the North Wash Boat Ramp at Cataract Canyon.

The ORI represents a collaborative approach to meeting the challenges of todays recreation needs and being proactive about the future, Morrison said. By connecting local and regional voices, were fostering an inclusive and locally led vision for Utahs outdoor future.

For more information on the Division of Outdoor Recreation and available grants, visit recreation.utah.gov.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)  Five Columbus City School buildings and one administrative building are set to close following a vote by the Columbus City Schools Board of Education.

This year, more than $10 million has been invested in the five school buildings, despite the ongoing closure conversation. Columbus Superintendent Dr. Angela Chapman said that because CCS students and staff are in those buildings right now, the district will continue to invest in them.

Columbus school leaders on decision to close five schools

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Five school buildings are set to close following a vote by the board of education on Tuesday night. However, this wont happen until at least the 2026-2027 school year.

Were going to continue to invest in these buildings because we have our most valuable resources in these buildings our people, our students, our families, our teachers, Chapman said.

The reasons behind closing these schools include moving students to updated classrooms, closing decades-old buildings, and, eventually, saving the district money.

It just costs more to maintain these buildings. And if the buildings are significantly underutilized, then were really not being the best stewards of our resources when were maintaining buildings that are significantly underutilized, Chapman said.

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Bill allowing indefinite school expulsions for hitlists, threats passes Statehouse

NBC4 Investigates wanted to know just how much it has cost to maintain the five schools set to close. Just this year, while the closure discussions were happening, a little more than $10.2 million total has gone into the five schools from January through mid-July.

Broadleigh Elementary received about $227,000 for new fire alarms and a new playground.

Moler Elementary received about $1.9 million for a new HVAC system and plumbing upgrades.

West Broad Elementary received just over $604,000 for new HVAC, roofing, playground and learning environment upgrades. Buckeye Middle School received almost $700,000 for plumbing upgrades, a new HVAC system and learning environment upgrades. Finally, Columbus Alternative High School received the highest amount: more than $7.7 million for an HVAC overhaul and roofing.

We will not set the conditions for our students and our staff. All of these buildings are currently occupied. So, we have to continue to invest in them. If theres a problem with the roof tomorrow, were going to fix it. If theres a problem with the HVAC system tomorrow, were going to fix it, Chapman said.

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Since 2020, $22.9 million has been invested in upkeeping these five buildings.

The district says the decision to close buildings will save them money down the road. The board was presented with the option to close 10 district buildings. They voted to close five school buildings and one administrative building.

I definitely want our community to know that this is not the end. This is the beginning of a larger process. As our superintendent has indicated, we need to be having these conversations almost annually at this point, Columbus City Schools Board of Education President Christina Vera said.

What happens to the kids in these five schools is still being discussed. The district said it wants hyper-local community involvement so parents can give feedback on how schools will be combined.

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If every recommended building closed, the district said it would save $9 million a year; the district has yet to release how much will be saved by closing the six chosen buildings.

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.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel was awarded the inaugural Wounded Warrior Project Award for excellence in coverage of veterans by investigative reporter John Diedrich.

The Wounded Warrior Project and the National Press Foundation established the award to elevate the discourse around veterans affairs in the media.

Diedrich's Behind the Gun project was an exhaustive, first-of-its-kind look at gun deaths in the state, including firearm suicide, including among veterans. The series, produced through the O'Brien Fellowship in Public Service Journalism at Marquette University, focused on solutions, both personal and systemic to raise awareness of the issue.

Journal Sentinel reporter John Diedrich, left, invites gun owners to share perspectives on strategies to reduce gun violence during the Emergency Gun Violence Summit, held at the Baird Center on Oct. 10. Also pictured, starting second from left, are Jeff Pharris, firearms instructor; Jieire Vance, security expert; and William Oliviere, pastor at Milwaukee nonprofit Bridge Builders.

"In reporting this project, John challenged his own assumptions and those of our readers," said Greg Borowski, executive editor of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "With the time and support the fellowship allowed, he dug deep and was able to put a critical issue  gun deaths  into proper context. He did so by listening first.

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"This is what we challenge all of our reporters to do  to connect with our community, and be essential to it."

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter John Diedrich takes part in the "At the Intersection of Firearms and Mental Health" panel at the UW Center of Civic Engagement in Wausau on May 16.

Diedrich, a Milwaukee native and graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, has been with the Journal Sentinel since 2004. His investigative work has revealed injustices and wrongdoing in the community. He is a Pulitzer Prize finalist in Public Service, a George Polk Award and Gerald Loeb Award winner, and a Goldsmith Prize finalist.

Prior to joining the Journal Sentinel, Diedrich covered the military for The Gazette of Colorado Springs and covered the Iraq War as an embedded reporter.

Reporter John Diedrich interviews a soldier from the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment on patrole in Ramadi, Iraq, in May 2003.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee reporter John Diedrich wins Wounded Warrior Project Award
Milwaukeeans may have noticed the new public museum, at West McKinley Avenue and North Sixth Street, gaining height over the past few weeks, as the columns and decking for the first of the building's five floors have been built and progress has started on the second floor.

At a Dec. 19 media event, Kurt Theune, vice president and general manager for Mortenson construction company, said that vertical construction will continue through the winter, with the structure starting to be enclosed by spring of next year.

After the new museum's groundbreaking in May, construction workers with Mortenson worked through the summer to build the foundation; Theune said the first floor's concrete pour started around Thanksgiving.

Construction continues on the new Milwaukee Public Museum on the northeast corner of Sixth Street and McKinley Avenue in Milwaukee on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. The new museum is scheduled to open in 2027.

Theune also noted that construction is on schedule, and Katie Sanders, museum's chief planning officer, said the museum is on track to be completed by late 2026 and open to the public by early 2027.

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Sanders also called attention to the building's unique design as it starts to take shape.

"When we were planning for the design of the new museum, we took a seven-day journey through Wisconsin, and one of the stops was Mill Bluff State Park," Sanders said.

The design team decided to pay homage to the state's geology by designing the building's exterior to resemble Mill Bluff's ancient rock columns.

New museum's rounded corners presented a construction challenge

Theune noted that those rock columns have rounded corners, which presented both a challenge and opportunity to the architecture and construction teams.

Because "there aren't a lot of right angles" in the building design, Theune pointed out, the construction team is utilizing void-form construction, which creates spaces within the concrete structure. More than 70,000 prefabricated plastic bubbles are set in each floor's deck, then surrounded by rebar before the concrete is poured. According to Theune, this type of construction gives the craftspeople more flexibility to create the rounded walls that resemble Mill Bluff.

Bee Bluff (the square bluff in the foreground) is among the prominent landforms visible at Mill Bluff State Park near Camp Douglas.

"In a building like this, craftspeople get to exercise a different level of intellectual creativity, and it makes them excited to work on the project," Theune said. "There are people clamoring to work here; most of them visited museums as kids, and now they get to build the next one."

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Sanders also confirmed that museum president Ellen Censky's most recent report on the museum's fundraising remains accurate. At a Dec. 3 meeting of the County Board's Committee on Parks and Culture, Censky declined to give a specific number regarding where the museum is in achieving its $108 million goal in private fundraising toward the new museum's $240 million price tag. But she assured committee members that they're "on track" and "will not have a shortfall."

At the Dec. 19 event, Sanders said there would likely be a more specific fundraising update "after the giving season."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: New Milwaukee Public Museum building on track for 2027 opening
Its that time of the year. Milwaukee property owners are receiving their annual property tax bills but some are reporting higher bills than usual.

Though some residents are experiencing higher costs, City Comptroller Bill Christianson told the Journal Sentinel in an email that not all properties "necessarily saw" increases.

Because some properties saw significantly larger increases in their assessed value than others, there was not a uniform across the board rate of increase to all property taxes for all properties, Christianson said.

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Christianson added that some homeowners may have even seen a reduction between 2023 and 2024 property taxes due to variability in increases in assessed value.

"In 2024, the combined property tax rate is $22.93 per $1,000 of assessed value," Christianson said. "So a property valued at $100,000 would be charged $2,293 in property taxes."

The combined property tax rates for 2024 decreased by $0.70 compared to 2023's rate, according to the Comptrollers Office.

Heres what to know:

What is my property tax bill?

Annual property tax bills are determined by multiplying the property assessment by the local tax rate.

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Property assessments are conducted by the Milwaukees Assessors Office and establish a propertys value. The local tax rate is determined by dividing the city tax levy by total taxable property value in an area.

The city tax levy, or property tax levy, is established during the citys annual budget process.

The total property tax bills for a home are made up of the tax levies established by the following five local governments, per the City of Milwaukees Comptroller's Office:

The City of Milwaukee

Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS)

Milwaukee County

Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD)

Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC)

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Property tax bills also include credits from the state: School Levy Tax Credit, First Dollar Credit, and Lottery Credit, according to the Comptrollers Office. These credits, if applicable, can make a bill go down.

Once the levy is set, payments are spread across the overall value of taxable property in the city.

Therefore, how individual property owners fare depends less on individual assessments and more on whether an increase was above or below the average change in citywide assessments.

Where does my property tax bill go?

Property tax bills fund the five local governments, according to the Comptrollers Office.

Why did my property tax bill go up this year?

Christianson said increased property assessments and combined tax levy are the primary factors driving the increases" reported by residents.

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To see the full "2024 Combined Property Tax Report" from the Comptroller's Office, click here.

The total property tax levy rose from $855.5 million in 2023 to $963.7 million in 2024, a $108.2 million or 12.6% increase, Christianson said.

Christianson added the largest driver behind 2024s property tax levy is MPS.

[MPS] increased its property tax levy from $320.2 million to $414.8 million, a $94.5 million or 29.5% increase, he said.

The MPS property tax levy spike was driven by a referendum to increase funding as the district was facing a projected $200 million budget shortfall.

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Voters narrowly approved the ballot measure in April. It will provide the district with an additional $140 million for the 2024-25 school year.

The other 4 taxing jurisdictions combined increased their property tax levies by a combined $13.6 million or 2.5% from 2023 to 2024, Christianson said.

The Milwaukee Common Council adopted a $2 billion budget for 2025 in early November, which included a property tax levy of $324 million, up 2% from $317.7 million in the 2024 budget.

In terms of property assessments, all 15 aldermanic districts in Milwaukee saw property assessment values rise from 2023 to 2024  though there was a range in how much the increases were.

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Commissioner of Assessments Nicole Larsen told the Journal Sentinel in an email not all property assessment increases "were greater than the citywide average."

"For those districts that experienced an increase below the citywide average, district residents would, on average, see a net decrease in their tax bill if the levies had remained mostly the same as 2023s levies," she said.

When is my property tax bill due?

Jan. 31 is the deadline in Milwaukee to provide full payment of taxes. For those using a payment plan, Jan. 31 is also the deadline of their first installment payment.

However, many homeowners often opt to pay their bills before Dec. 31 for tax purposes.

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More: Milwaukee property assessments going up across the city. What to know about value and property taxes

More: Did you see a large increase in the MPS share of your Milwaukee tax bill? We want to hear from you.

How can I pay my property tax bill?

Milwaukee residents have several options to submit payments, according to the Office of the City Treasurers website. For check payments, residents can pay by mail via the U.S. Postal Service or use several drop boxes throughout the city.

For credit or debit card payments, residents can also call 414-286-2240 or use the online portal here.

You can also make payments in-person at the Treasurer's Office during regular office hours, according to Larsen.

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For in-person payments, the payment method must be cash or check, Larsen said.

You can view your property tax bill here. To check the status of your payment, click here.

For more information, you can visit the City of Milwaukees Real Estate Tax Services website here.

Alison Dirr, Alec Johnson and Rory Linnane contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Why some Milwaukee residents have reported higher 2024 property taxes
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  A Minnesota man yelled Yall dont stop fighting" to his supporters after a judge decided Thursday not to free him from custody as he appeals his conviction in a gun and drug case that drew attention because it followed the commutation of his life sentence in a high-profile murder case.

Myon Burrell was locked up at 16 for the 2002 death of 11-year-old Tyesha Edwards, a Minneapolis girl who was hit by a stray bullet. He maintained his innocence. The Associated Press and APM Reports in 2020 uncovered new evidence and serious flaws in that investigation, leading to the creation of an independent legal panel to review the case.

Ultimately, Burrell was freed after 18 years behind bars. But then police in the Minneapolis suburb of Robbinsdale found drugs and a handgun in his SUV during a traffic stop last year. That was a problem because, while a state pardons board had commuted Burrells sentence, his pardon request was denied. That meant his conviction for first-degree murder remained on his record, making it still illegal for him to have a gun.

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As a result, he was sentenced to five years in prison on the gun and drug charges. But his defense is appealing the legality of the traffic stop.

Burrell, now 38, said on Thursday there was no excuse for his behavior but that he was learning to live again and trying to process what had happened to him in prison. His backers spoke of his powerful work with young people to try to keep them from being incarcerated, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported.

Senior Assistant County Attorney Cheri Townsend said the state simply opposed the motion to release Burrell because of concerns about public safety.

Following the traffic stop, Burrell was charged in May with an additional drug charge after an investigation in which police allege they found a small amount of methamphetamine in his car and $60,000 in a suitcase in his home. A few months after that, Burrell was arrested on suspicion of DUI, and police found marijuana in his car.

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Both of those cases are pending, and Hennepin County District Judge Mark Kappelhoff said they cast serious doubt on Burrells ability to prove there was no risk he would commit a serious crime.

I see the community, I hear the community, said Kappelhoff, who worked for years in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Assistant Attorney General. But my job is to apply the law based on what I see, based on the facts before me.
CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY)  Chesapeake Police are seeking the communitys help in the search for a missing, elderly man.

According to police, 67-year-old Shukri Salaam was last seen Thursday in the 1400 block of Commerce Avenue.

Salaam has a diagnosed mental health condition and requires medication.

He is approximately 5-foot-7 and 210 pounds with brown eyes and gray hair. He was last seen wearing a tan army style jacket, green shirt, blue jeans and white shoes. Photos of Salaam can be found below:

Shukri Salaam (Courtesy: CPD) Shukri Salaam (Courtesy: CPD) Shukri Salaam (Courtesy: CPD)

Anyone who has seen him or knows his current whereabouts is advised to please call the Chesapeake Police Department at (757) 385-4101, 911 or the Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com.
UPDATE:

GRENADA COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV)  Grenada County deputies said AMarion Nason was returned home in the early hours of Saturday morning. He was left on his mothers doorstep in a plastic box wrapped in a red blanket, wearing a Ziploc bag for a diaper.

Grenada County Sheriffs Office and MedStat EMS were on scene shortly after. Deputies said Anthony Mitchell is still wanted for Domestic Violence, and will most likely be facing more charges after Saturday mornings discovery.

GRENADA COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV)  A Missing/Endangered Child Alert has been issued for a 10-week old baby in Mississippi.

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Agents with the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) said Amarion Nason, of Holcomb, was last seen around 7:17 a.m. on Thursday, December 19 in the 700 block of Powell Road in Grenada County. Nason is 17.29 inches, weights 7.5 pounds and has black hair and brown eyes.

Brandon man accused of threatening to blow up Rankin County Sheriffs Office

Agents said Nason may be accompanied by Anthony Rayshun Mitchell, who is described as a Black male, 56, weighing 178 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.

Nason may have personal items that include a black and orange Nike onesie and a blue, black and orange cap.

Anthony Rayshun Mitchell (Courtesy: Grenada County Sheriffs Office)

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Nason or Mitchell can contact the Grenada County Sheriffs Office at 662-688-7299 or 911.

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UPDATE (12/20/2024): The Rochester Police Department has announced that Dajanae Hayes has been found safe.

ORIGINAL STORY

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC)  The Rochester Police Department is asking for assistance in locating missing 29-year-old Dajanae Hayes.

According to RPD, Hayes was last seen leaving her home around 9:30 p.m. Monday. She was reported as wearing a white headband and black and gray pea coat.

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Hayes is also described as 5-foot 2-inches in height with medium length black hair and brown eyes.

RPD said at this time there is no indication she has been the victim of a crime, but it is unusual for her to have not contacted her family.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to RochesterFirst.
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Arizona (ABC4)  A 66-year-old woman is currently missing, last seen at Grand Canyon National Park, according to the National Park Service.

Martha Anne Overholser, 66, was last seen at Mather Point on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park on Tuesday, Dec. 10. She was on a commercial bus tour when she failed to return to the group, officials said.

She was reportedly wearing an off-white long coat, grey hooded sweatshirt, and blue hip bag, pictured below.

Martha Anne Overholser (Courtesy of National Park Service)

Overholser is described as a Caucasian woman, 52, 110 lbs, with grey hair and blue eyes. She is believed to have been walking west from Mather Point, possibly in the direction of Bright Angel Lodge or Hermits Rest, according to the NPS.

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If you have any information regarding Overholser, please reach out to the NPS tipline at 888-653-0009. A missing person investigation is ongoing. NPS officials are actively searching for Overholser at this time.

No further information is currently available.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.
GUTHRIE, Ky. (FOX 56)The Clarksville Police Department reported a man missing on Dec. 6. The man was found and arrested in Kentucky.

According to Clarksville PD, George Henderson, 61, was found around 12:30 a.m. in Guthrie, Kentucky.

An arrest citation claimed that at 10:13 p.m. on Dec. 6, a Black man, later identified as Henderson, reportedly tried to enter a vehicle at a gas station illegally. At the scene, a Gutrie police officer said he found Henderson claiming the vehicle was his, but he was said to be very incoherent with constricted pupils and he was wearing two different shoes.

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After continuing to talk with Henderson, the officer said he noticed a white powder residue in his left nostril that he determined to be either cocaine or crushed crystal meth, per the citation.

Read more of the latest Kentucky news

The police noted that Henderson pulled away from the officer and started trying to fight him while being placed under arrest.

In the citation, the officer claimed that Henderson grabbed his arm and bit him during the struggle. Henderson was then punched in the face to gain compliance. The officer said Henderson briefly went unconscious and was taken into custody without further incident.

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At the scene, emergency medical services cleared Henderson and confirmed there were no signs of concerns or concussions, according to the citation. Henderson also said he was okay.

Henderson was charged with:

Attempted theft by unlawfully taking or displacing contents from vehicle

Public intoxication on a controlled substance excluding alcohol

Resisting arrest

Third-degree assault of a police officer

First-degree possession of a controlled substance

In a statement provided to FOX 56, injury lawyer Jeremy Stochaj said on the familys behalf:

People need to know that Clarksville Police Department, especially Officers Joshua Spain and Jan Saldana, but others as well, went above and beyond to provide support to our family during this crisis and vigorously searched for George. Unfortunately, Guthrie Police Department was across state lines abusing George on a gas station floor. We are deeply upset that the system so miserably failed him in this time of need.

LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS:

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Stochaj told FOX 56 that charges are still pending against George and the family has been advised to make no additional comments until the case is resolved.

Madylin Goins contributed to this story.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 56 News.
SUNFLOWER COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV)  A Sunflower County man was arrested after he allegedly received a stolen tractor valued at $64,000.

Agents with the Mississippi Agriculture and Livestock Theft Bureau (MALTB) said they received information about the stolen John Deere 3039R tractor on October 23, 2024, from a farm in Washington County. On or about November 22, the tractor was located in Sunflower County and tied back to Christopher Douglas Showah, of Indianola.

Missing Child Alert issued for 10-week-old baby in Mississippi

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On Tuesday, December 17, MALTB investigators searched M & D Aviation, a business owned by Showah. During this search, agents said a Polaris 1000 side-by-side that was stolen out of Arkansas was also recovered. The side-by-side was valued at $18,300.

Christopher Douglas Showah (Courtesy: MALTB) John Deere 3039R tractor (Courtesy: MALTB) Polaris 1000 side-by-side (Courtesy: MALTB)

Showah was arrested and charged with two counts of receiving stolen property. This is an open and ongoing investigation.

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A Mississippi woman was arrested after authorities allege she fatally shot her estranged husband outside a courthouse.

Tanya Saucier, 49, is being held at the Lenoir Rowell Criminal Justice Center in Poplarville, Miss., on a murder charge, according to online inmate records. Its unclear if she has entered a plea.

Saucier is accused of shooting her estranged husband, James Saucier, outside the Pearl River County Chancery Courthouse in Poplarville around 12:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 17, the Pearl River County Sheriffs Office said in a statement. James was pronounced dead at the scene.

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James attorney, Don Rafferty, told WLOX News the shooting happened after the couple had ended divorce proceedings.

I was handling some paperwork when things went crossways, Rafferty said, per the outlet.

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.

Meanwhile, Tanya Sauciers attorney, State Representative Jansen Owen, said he subdued his client after she opened fire outside the courthouse, WLOX News reports.

According to court documents obtained by WLOX News and WVUE-TV, James had been facing aggravated assault and domestic violence charges after shooting Tanya. He was expected to go to trial in March 2025.

"I wish they could have worked out their problems in a peaceful way, James brother-in-law, Wordie Carroll, told WVUE-TV.



Read the original article on People
Dec. 19 (UPI) -- A Missouri man has pleaded guilty to federal civil rights and arson charges for setting fire to a Mormon church, the U.S. Justice Department announced Thursday.

Christopher Scott Pritchard, 48, admitted that he intentionally set the church in Cape Girardeau, Missouri on fire on April 28, 2021, and completely destroyed the building, a release from the Justice Department said.

"Before this tragic fire, the church opened its doors to all, helped to feed the hungry, and support the needy. Attacks on houses of worship in our country undermine the fundamental right to practice one's religion free from fear or violence. The Justice Department will continue to vigorously enforce federal laws that protect all houses of worship from violent, hate-fueled attacks."

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Pritchard is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 18, 2025. He faces up to 20 years in prison for violating the Church Arson Prevention Act and a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison for arson of a building affecting foreign or interstate commerce.

He also faces a fine of up to $250,000 for each charge. A federal district court judge could impose further punishment if it is deemed warranted.
Students hold up anti-abortion signs at the Midwest March for Life on May 1 at the Missouri State Capitol (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent).

Weeks out from the 2025 Missouri legislative session, Republican lawmakers have already filed dozens of bills aimed at weakening or overturning Amendment 3, the voter-approved measure that legalized abortion in Missouri.

Proposals include returning to voters to ask to re-impose Missouris abortion ban, as well as smaller measures attempting to set parameters around Amendment 3, including by defining fetal viability.

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This includes lawmaker-proposed constitutional amendments that would ask voters if they want to again ban abortion and attempts to define fetal viability around stringent parameters.

Thats a powerful witness to the large numbers of pro-life lawmakers who have been elected and re-elected, said Sam Lee, a longtime anti-abortion activist and lobbyist. Im just glad to see so many have taken the initiative to file just a variety of ideas. Well just see what rises to the top.

But Lee foresees hurdles, including the threat of the Senate Democratic filibuster, which last session killed a proposed constitutional amendment seeking to make it harder to pass initiative petitions ahead of Amendment 3 landing on the ballot.

Sam Lee, a lobbyist for Campaign Life Missouri, testifies before the Senate Committee on Seniors, Families, Veterans & Military Affairs on April 6, 2022 (Tessa Weinberg/Missouri Independent).

And, despite so many lawmakers naming abortion as their main priority going into the 2025 session, Lee said there is bound to be some competition with other high-profile issues in reaction to Amendment 3s passage, including how Missouri Supreme Court judges are selected and renewed attempts to raise the threshold to pass initiative petitions.

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People outside the Capitol building find this hard to believe, but theres relatively little time to get something passed, Lee said. These are all potentially lengthy battles.

If the General Assembly is unsuccessful in pushing through a constitutional amendment that would again ban abortion during the regular session running from January to May, Lee said he and other activists are prepared to call on Gov.-elect Mike Kehoe to convene a special session later in the year.

If that doesnt happen, Lee said the next step is a citizen-led ballot initiative aimed at overturning Amendment 3 by reinstating an abortion ban.

Incoming House Minority Leader Ashley Aune, a Kansas City Democrat, said throughout her four-year tenure in the legislature, shes seen Republican colleagues attempt to undo the will of the people after they approve progressive issues at the ballot box.

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Aune said shes skeptical of what the Missouri GOP will be able to accomplish this time.

My concern would be higher if it seemed these folks had any clear plan to attack this issue, Aune said.   It seems like a lot of people have a lot of different ideas, but there is not a consensus in the Republican Party about how to clearly address this. I dont know that theyll be able to get organized enough to get something across the finish line, but I suppose time will tell.

Rape and incest exceptions

In 2019, when she helped draft the trigger law that would go into effect in 2022 outlawing all abortions in Missouri with exceptions only for medical emergencies, state Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, an Arnold Republican, did not include exceptions for survivors of rape or incest.

Last February, she and her Republican colleagues blocked an attempt to add rape and incest exceptions to the states abortion ban.

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Now she is among a small handful of Republican lawmakers proposing constitutional amendments that would overturn Amendment 3, but put in place abortion exceptions for survivors.

Asked why she included a rape exception this time, Coleman said   in these hard cases, you know, were going to provide a path for that, well probably get a bigger percentage of support.

She maintains that because Amendment 3 ultimately passed on tight margins  with 51.6% of the nearly 3 million votes cast  getting the support of voters to reverse it is possible.

The main question is what language and restrictions to put before voters.

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A Missourian might call themselves pro-life and feel that in the hard cases there should be an exception, but they dont want unfettered access, Coleman said. Somebody might call themselves pro-choice and they are really concerned about people being able to make those decisions, but also recognize the humanity of the unborn child and dont think you should have abortions into the second and third trimester.

A similar constitutional amendment was also filed by state Sen. Rick Brattin, a Harrisonville Republican. The difference is his amendment includes abortion exceptions for fetal anomalies and would only allow abortions in the cases of rape or incest during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy and only if the victim filed a police report.

State Sen. Rick Brattin, a Harrisonville Republican, protests outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in Kansas City on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, ahead of a hearing in a lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood seeking to overturn the states TRAP laws (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent).

Another proposed amendment, filed by incoming state Sen. Adam Schnelting, a Republican from St. Charles, would prohibit abortion but leave an exception for survivors of rape or incest prior to 12 weeks gestation and only if the crime was first reported to law enforcement at least 48 hours before the abortion.

Police reporting requirements have been widely-criticized in other states, with victim advocates calling such laws harmful to survivors.

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A number of proposed amendments would also ask voters if they want to exclude gender-affirming care for minors from the definition of reproductive freedom, an issue that was widely-debated in the run-up to the November election.

Amendment 3 broadly legalizes abortion but allows the state legislature to restrict the procedure after the point of fetal viability, which isnt clearly defined in the amendment but in the medical world is generally considered the point at which a fetus could survive outside the womb without extraordinary medical interventions.

This is often considered as being around the halfway point in pregnancy. Abortions later than 20 weeks in pregnancy make up fewer than 1% of all abortions in the United States.

But state Rep. Brian Seitz, a Branson Republican, is attempting to define fetal viability as the point at which electrical cardiac activity is detectable, but before a fetuss heart is formed. This usually happens by about six weeks gestation.

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Seitz hopes his bill will be one of the easier approaches to legislating Amendment 3.

The House of Representatives will be able to coalesce around the heartbeat bill, because it cannot be denied, scientifically, logically, spiritually, that once the heart has started beating, that is a living person, he said. And I think that person should be protected and guaranteed life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Seitz, who represents one of the more conservative Christian corners of the state, also filed a bill aimed at granting unborn children  the same rights, powers, privileges, justice, and protections as are secured or granted by the laws of this state to any other human person.

Similar fetal personhood bills have been filed in the form of constitutional amendments by Republican lawmakers, including state Rep. Justin Sparks of Wildwood and Rep. Burt Whaley of Clever.

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Organizations like the American Society for Reproductive Medicine have warned that fetal personhood laws, which have gained momentum in recent years, could criminalize some contraceptives and restrict infertility treatments.

Seitzs third bill, a Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, would establish first-degree murder charges for anyone who kills a child born alive following an attempted abortion procedure.

A number of Republican lawmakers, including Sparks and state Rep. Ann Kelley, of Lamar, filed legislation that would prohibit the use of fetal tissue for research following an elective abortion.

State Sen. Mike Moon, a Republican from Ash Grove, also filed a bill seeking to criminalize anyone in possession of or found distributing an abortifacient, including mifepristone, a medication commonly used to induce non-surgical abortions.

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This is likely a nod to a growing call by Republicans across the nation for the federal government to enforce the Comstock Act, a 1873 law that bans the mailing of obscene material, including for the use of abortion even in states where its legal.

Chris Melody Fields Figueredo, executive director at the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, said the efforts to unravel Amendment 3 are disheartening.

Weve seen Republicans, Democrats, Independents come together to either stop abortion bans or protect reproductive rights, she said. So what it looks like to me is politicians that are out of touch with their constituents and really using their political power to undermine the will of the people.

Maggie Olivia, a senior policy manager with Abortion Action Missouri, embraces abortion-rights supporters after the race is called in favor of Amendment 3 on Tuesday in St. Louis (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent).

When talking about the GOPs plans to fight Amendment 3, those on both sides of the aisle have pointed to a 2018 citizen-approved amendment that would have required legislative districts be drawn to ensure partisan fairness. This amendment, known as Clean Missouri, was repealed two years later through a legislature-proposed amendment.

Senate Democrats do have one major tool in their pocket: the filibuster.

Me and my Democratic colleagues in the Senate are going to do everything we can to uphold the will of the people and make sure that were doing everything we can to protect reproductive rights, said state Sen. Tracy McCreery, an Olivette Democrat. But we also are not miracle workers.

McCreery said while Senate Democrats still plan to use the filibuster to kill any abortion bills, she also called on voters who supported Amendment 3 to reach out to their elected officials about their continued support of abortion.

For a long time, Republican politicians have used abortion and reproductive health care to divide voters and to divide the electorate, she said. We need the public to understand that some of these (constitutional amendments) and bills that have been filed, these are serious attacks on their will and on their vote.

Planned Parenthoods lawsuit

Looming over every conversation around abortion legislation is a pending court case in Jackson County that will determine how quickly Planned Parenthood clinics can restart the procedure.

Missouris Amendment 3 legalizing abortion went into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Dec. 6, but Planned Parenthood officials said they cannot begin offering abortions again until a judge strikes down decades worth of restrictive targeted regulations on abortion providers, or TRAP laws, including a 72-hour waiting period between an initial appointment and the abortion procedure; requirements that abortion clinics must have admitting privileges at a hospital roughly 15 minutes away; and a requirement that the same physician who initially saw the patient also perform the abortion.

The Missouri Attorney Generals Office, a defendant in the case, has argued the TRAP laws are necessary to protect women.

The lawsuit, filed the day after the election by the states Planned Parenthoods and the ACLU of Missouri, asks the court for a preliminary injunction. While the plaintiffs hoped for a quick ruling, court challenges can take months, if not years.

In the meantime, Missourians seeking abortions continue having to look out-of-state to access the procedure.

The message You are not alone, support is here is painted on the window of the Planned Parenthood Great Plains on Friday in Overland Park, Kansas (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent).

A spokeswoman with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has said the department continues to view the states TRAP laws as constitutional but declined to comment on specific aspects of the lawsuit as the litigation is ongoing.

Our regulations remain in place, Sami Jo Freeman, spokeswoman for the department, said in a statement following the court hearing. We believe those regulations are not overly burdensome and establish necessary safety standards for these procedures. We cannot comment on pending litigation at this time.

Lee, the anti-abortion lobbyist, said hes pleased by how long the judge is taking to deliberate the case.

In the meantime, he plans to continue advocating for legislation that makes pregnancy and parenthood easier for families, including availability of housing, transportation and child care.

The latter  a package of tax credits that would increase access to affordable child care  remains one of the top priorities of lawmakers across the aisle headed into the 2025 session after the legislation was blocked two years in a row.

The Independents Jason Hancock contributed reporting.
MEMPHIS, Tenn.  Families lined up in Downtown Memphis on Friday, waiting patiently for a mobile food drive hosted by St. Patrick Catholic Church.

From frozen chicken to all the fixings, it was all provided by Mid-South Food. Dozens of volunteers worked for hours to distribute the food to those driving up and walking up.

The first person in line arrived overnight, roughly 10 hours before things got underway.

Photo by WREG Photo by WREG Photo by WREG

We are doing what Jesus said. When I was hungry, you fed me. And thats what we do here, said Father Dexter Noblefranca with St. Patrick Catholic Church. From words to action, we do the Jesus thing here.

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1,000-Lb Sisters star pleads guilty to drug charges after arrest at Tennessee Safari Park

In this case, theyre extending a helping hand by providing food to those who started lining up many hours before the food drives 8:30 a.m. start time, as cars were snaked around several blocks.

Last night after the Grizzlies game, there was a car already here like 10 oclock. So some stayed the whole night, said Father Noblefranca.

Someone who did get an early start is a man named Ray, who arrived around 3 a.m.

This event is a great thing thats happening in Memphis right now, Ray said.

Also pretty great is what hes doing  helping out a neighbor.

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Im out here now for my neighbor Miss Louise, she cant make it herself, so Im out here to grab a few things for her, said Ray.

Whether they are walking up or driving up, the need is certainly great. But, so too is the effort to help our neighbors in need.

 See more breaking news, local news and weather from WREG.com for Memphis and the Mid-South.

 Sign up for WREG newsletters and have the latest top stories sent right to your inbox.

An army of volunteers like students from across the Mid-South joined forces with parishioners and other community members to fill the vehicles with food that will soon fill bellies.

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We will provide food for 450 to 500 families, said Father Noblefranca.

St. Patrick Catholic Church along South Fourth first started hosting a weekly mobile food drive during the pandemic in 2020.

Nearly five years later, it continues, usually on the weekend, with the church saying they will keep at it as long as its needed.

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.
Igor Dodon, the pro-Russian former president of Moldova and leader of the Socialist Party, has said that the country's leader, Maia Sandu, "on purpose" gave a press conference at the same time as Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.

Source: NewsMaker with reference to Igor Dodon's statement, as reported by European Pravda

Details: NewsMaker reports that Sandu held a press conference for journalists on Thursday, 19 December.

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Dodon believes that she did it "on purpose" at the same time as Putin.

Quote from Igor Dodon: "Maia Sandu, haven't you overstepped your bounds? Do you think you are a queen? I understand that you live in a different world."

More details: The former president said he would watch the Kremlin leader's press conference if possible.

Background:

The day before, when asked Vladimir Putin whether he would change his decision to invade Ukraine on a large-scale basis if he could return to February 2022, the Russian leader said that the so-called "special military operation" (SVO)  as Russian propaganda refers to the war against Ukraine  should have been launched even earlier.

After incumbent President Sandu's victory in early November's elections, Dodon called her the "president of the diaspora."

Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman of Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin, said that Sandu could not be considered the country's president.

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Thamairis Canales Yanez had a stable life in Venezuela. She had her own dental practice and her own home, and she was raising her daughter, Ivanna, now 14, in what she thought was a stable environment.

Then in 2012, Canales was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 33 and began chemotherapy, but after President Nicolas Maduro took power in Venezuela in 2013, treatments for Canales' cancer became harder to find.

In 2017, she learned the government had taken over her dental practice, and she increasingly feared for her daughter's life. That's when she decided to seek asylum in the United States and settle in Austin.

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Her time in the U.S. has been difficult. Her dental license in Venezuela doesn't transfer here. Her cancer has spread to her brain, and she has needed surgery to try to remove it as well as treatment to try to stop the spread.

Last year, she had to leave the apartment where she was living because of a bad relationship. "I even had to live in the car with my daughter," she said.

She is now having seizures, which means she can no longer drive.

When her caseworker at Breast Cancer Resource Center told her she had been selected this year for the Statesman's Season for Caring program, "what I did was thank God, and once again, realize that the prayers that I make daily, he hears," she said.

Thamairis Canales Yanez laughs while talking to her daughter, Ivanna, in their South Austin home in October. "My daughter doesn't demand much," Canales said. "But she basically wants the same thing I do: our home."

She used to think she could make everything happen in this country for herself and her daughter without needing to ask for help.

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"For some time now, I have felt so disappointed in myself," she said. "I feel that I have not had compassion for myself and for what has happened to me in my life."

Through Season for Caring, "now God is giving me things I haven't been able to do for myself in this country," she said.

Season for Caring is the Statesman's largest charity program. Through donations, the Statesman has raised more than $20 million since 1999 to help local nonprofits, including Breast Cancer Resource Center, which nominated Canales.

Her biggest need right now is gift cards for Uber and Lyft. She recently had another seizure and will not be able to drive for at least three months. She also needs help with rent, utilities and an immigration lawyer. She would like to give Ivanna gift cards for clothing and shoes, a new computer and air pods for Christmas.

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"My daughter doesn't demand much," Canales said. "But she basically wants the same thing I do: our home."

For her future, Canales would love to one day save up enough money to own a home again, as well as become a licensed aesthetician.

Very few of the family's wish list items have come through yet. To find out more about the Canales family or to give an item on the wish list, contact Breast Cancer Resource Center, 512-524-2560, bcrc.org.

Statesman Season for Caring logo

About Season for Caring

The Statesman will be sharing the stories of all 12 Season for Caring families throughout the holiday season. Find more stories and information at statesman.com/seasonforcaring.

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All donations are being matched up to $500,000 by the Sheth family through Christmas Day. You can donate online or use the coupon on Page 2B and mail it to Austin Community Foundation, c/o Statesman Season for Caring, 4315 Guadalupe St., Suite 300, Austin, TX 78751. Make checks payable to Statesman Season for Caring.

Use the form below or click here: https://statesmansfc.kimbia.com/statesmanseasonforcaring

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Mom from Venezuela needs help rebuilding her life in Austin
Following a report on the Memphis Police Department by the U.S. Department of Justice, city officials have refused to accept a federal consent decree. (Photo by Karen Pulfer Focht )

In the aftermath of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) report documenting systemic failures within the Memphis Police Department (MPD), the posturing of Mayor Paul Young and our city administration against signing a consent decree is not only disheartening, it is morally indefensible. And, with each passing day, it is getting more disconcerting.

The findings from the DOJ provide a detailed and disturbing account of the injustices that have long beset our community. To reject accountability and oversight measures from the federal government in light of these revelations is a stark betrayal of our moral obligations to protect and serve all citizens of Memphis.

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The DOJs findings paint a deeply troubling picture of the citys police: excessive use of force, a lack of adequate transparency and patterns of discrimination that have disproportionately affected marginalized communities. It is evident that the very frameworks of our policing system are in dire need of reform.

Yet, in this critical juncture, Young has chosen to obstruct accountability by refusing to endorse a consent decree, which would serve as an essential mechanism to ensure that our police force operates within the bounds of justice and respect for civil rights.

Lets consider the moral implications of such a stance. Mayor Young acted swiftly and decisively when it came to replacing the Memphis Area Transit Authority board, recognizing the need for change. However, to shy away from taking decisive action regarding the MPD risks positioning him as an ally to unjust practices and an apologist for police brutality. The community deserves integrity, equity and vigilance in leadership, particularly on matters that directly impact our safety and civil rights.

Memphis Mayor Paul Young. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Moreover, this disparity in urgency raises questions about the financial reasoning underlying the mayors resistance to the consent decree. While some data shows consent decrees are worth their cost, Youngs administration has suggested that the costs associated with these types of reforms are burdensome. The mayor must substantiate these claims with credible evidence. He should provide detailed documentation outlining the financial impacts of previous consent decrees, displaying a disaggregated view of the data to portray an accurate financial landscape. In a city that takes pride in its fiscal prudence, we must demand transparency regarding the criteria that the administration uses to assess the efficacy of these financial decisions.

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The bottom line is glaringly clear: it is ultimately cheaper to invest in reforms than to bear the costs of litigation arising from police violence. The tens of millions of dollars associated with various consent decrees (over an extended period of time) may appear excessive at first glance. However, consider the $550 million that the family of Tyre Nichols is suing for  a stark reminder of the devastating financial and moral consequences of failing to address systemic issues. Investing in reform is an act of prudence; it directly counters the higher, avoidable costs associated with legal settlements stemming from police misconduct.

The City of Memphis faces an undeniable crossroads. We have seen the potential for change through community mobilization and advocacy, and now we must harness that momentum to push for a commitment to accountability. The administration must not only recognize that the publics demand for reform is just, but also that refusing to engage in a constructive relationship with the DOJ is financially and ethically perilous.

DOJ community meetings represent an opportunity for the people of Memphis to articulate our commitment to reform and demand that our city representatives take accountability seriously. We must demonstrate our unity and resilience in advocating for a justice system that prioritizes the safety and dignity of all Memphians.

Ultimately, the moral and monetary imperatives for accountability in Memphis policing are intertwined and undeniable. Young and the city administration cannot afford to ignore the overwhelming evidence of systemic failure.

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By electing to pursue a consent decree, we affirm our commitment to justice, reform, and a future where police accountability is not merely aspirational but a reality. Memphis deserves leadership that prioritizes the well-being of its residents over the potential inconveniences of reform. Let us stand together, demand accountability and reshape our citys narrative toward one of justice for all.

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GENEVA (Reuters) - More than 700 people have been killed in al-Fashir in Sudan's North Darfur state since May, the U.N. human rights chief said on Friday, imploring the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces to halt a siege of the city.

The siege and "the relentless fighting are devastating lives every day on a massive scale," U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said in a statement.

"This alarming situation cannot continue. The Rapid Support Forces must end this horrible siege."

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The U.N. rights office said it had documented the deaths of at least 782 civilians and more than 1,143 injured since May, citing evidence based partly on interviews of those who had fled the area. It said the casualties came amid regular and intensive shelling by the RSF of densely populated residential areas as well as recurrent airstrikes by the Sudanese Armed Forces.

Such attacks on civilians may amount to war crimes, the U.N. human rights office said. Both sides have repeatedly denied deliberately attacking civilians and have accused each other of doing so in al-Fashir and its surroundings.

Sudan's army and the RSF have been locked in conflict for more than 18 months, triggering a profound humanitarian crisis in which more than 12 million people have been driven from their homes and U.N. agencies have struggled to deliver relief.

Al-Fashir is one of the most active frontlines between the RSF and the Sudanese army and its allies, which are fighting to maintain a last foothold in the Darfur region. Observers fear that an RSF victory there could bring ethnic retribution, as happened in West Darfur last year.

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Earlier this month the RSF attacked the main hospital, killing at least nine people, locals said.

Nearby Zamzam camp, where experts say a famine is occurring among a population of more than half a million people, has also come under RSF artillery fire over the last two weeks, forcing thousands to leave the camp.

(Reporting by Emma Farge; additional reporting by Nafisa Eltahir, Editing by William Maclean)
The News

More and more US citizens want to see a quick end to Russias war in Ukraine, a trend extending to both Republicans and Democrats.

New Gallup research shows half of those polled now back the US trying to end the conflict as quickly as possible, even if it means Ukraine ceding territory to Russia.

A chart showing whether Americans support a quick end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict as opposed to Ukraine reclaiming territory.

For the first time, the share of Americans who want to see the US support Ukraine reclaiming territory from Russia dropped below half, to 48%.

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The results are a potential boon for President-elect Donald Trumps designs on bringing an end to the war, though he hasnt offered details on how he would do so yet.

Nearly seven-in-10 US adults believe neither side is winning the war. Meanwhile, US allies are blaming President Joe Bidens cautious approach for costing Ukraine possible victory, Bloomberg reports.
Dec. 19More cases of chronic wasting disease have been found in northeast Washington, including one outside the hunting unit where the diesease was first found.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Thursday that samples from four white-tailed deer killed by hunters tested positive for the disease.

Three of the animals were killed in game management unit 124 in northern Spokane County, the same unit where the disease was found for the first time this summer.

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The fourth was killed in unit 117 near Davis Lake in Pende Oreille County, a find that expands the area where WDFW knows the disease is present.

In all, Washington has found CWD in six animals since this summer, all but the first coming from hunter-submitted samples, and it's possible more positive test results are coming.

Donny Martorello, WDFW's science division chief, said in a news release that since some hunting seasons ended on Sunday, there are still "several samples awaiting testing at the lab from the areas where these recent cases were confirmed."

CWD has been found in 35 states and five Canadian provinces. It attacks animals' nervous systems, and kills them slowly over time. Animals in the late stages of the disease can appear emaciated and display erratic behavior.

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It is not known to infect humans but health officials advise against eating meat from infected animals.

Washington found its first case of the disease this summer in the Fairwood area of north Spokane. That prompted a suite of new rules for hunters and others aimed at limiting the spread and learning more about the scope of the outbreak.

Among the rules was mandatory CWD testing for hunter-killed animals in the three game management units closest to where the initial case was found  124, 127 and 130.

Of those three, only 124 has produced positive samples so far. Each of the five cases found in the unit were within 5 miles of each other, generally in the Fairwood area of north Spokane.

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The positive hit in Unit 117 is northeast of that area. Known as the 49 Degrees North unit, 117 covers a broad swath of territory between U.S. Highway 395 and the Pend Oreille River from Deer Park north. Davis Lake is on the east side of the unit, just off State Route 211.

Melia DeVivo, a WDFW ungulate research scientist, said the sample that tested positive was one of 131 that had been gathered from that unit. She added that the detection shows that the disease is more widespread than officials thought, but that it's not necessarily a big surprise.

"It's still not in the grand scheme of things that far from where we've already detected CWD," she said. "These animals do walk around."

Discussions of the CWD rules for next year will begin in January. DeVivo said the additional positive case will make them think differently about where they want to focus sample collection, and that it's likely that mandatory testing will be ordered there.
The MTAs inspector general said Thursday that he was deeply concerned about the poor condition of emergency exits in the subway system, as detailed in a report released by his office.

I saw firsthand some of the issues highlighted in our audit during site visits, MTA IG Daniel Cort said in a statement. I am deeply concerned about the poor conditions we observed.

Investigators with the Office of the MTA Inspector General (OIG) inspected 65 of the subway systems 549 emergency exit stairwells between October and December of last year, and found 35 of them to have serious defects, according to the report.

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Of those, 18 exits  28% of those inspected by the IG  should not be considered adequate for safe egress or access, according to the report. The other 17 emergency exits require repair in the short-to-medium term.

Investigators found one of the underground escape routes hatches would not open from the inside, and cited several others as being difficult to open.

Other emergency egresses, investigators wrote, had inadequate lighting or no lighting at all; OIG and NYC Transit staff had to navigate these facilities by flashlight because no backup lighting was in place.

The inspections also turned up cracked concrete, corrosion and other structural deficiencies, according to the report.

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The IGs office also inspected tunnel benchwalls leading to emergency exits, and emergency walkways along elevated lines, assessing 163 MTA assets in total. Investigators wrote that 41% of these had defects that required immediate or near-term attention.

Scattered at regular intervals throughout the systems roughly 440 miles of underground track, emergency exit stairwells provide a last-ditch means of getting passengers stranded on a subway out of the system and onto the street.

At least one emergency exit was used last week, when the MTA evacuated some 3,500 passengers stuck on two stranded F trains after a transformer explosion took out third-rail power in downtown Brooklyn.

Three thousand five hundred customers were just evacuated last week, and it was done safely, NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow told reporters Thursday. Our goal, obviously, is to keep our customers on trains. But if the unfortunate event comes that we have to evacuate, were confident that we can do it safely.

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Were really attentive to emergency exits, said MTA Chairman Janno Lieber. Were absolutely committed [to them], not just because its the law and the code, but its a practical matter: Our riders need them and our employees need them.

The OIG report states that some defects were addressed by maintenance teams on the spot during the investigators visit. Other conditions received prompt repair after being called in.

The report calls on the MTA to revise a slew of practices around inspections, reporting and repairs, only some of which were accepted by the transit agency.

Transit officials agreed to fix the remaining severe issues identified by OIG, and accepted several recommendations to overhaul the way inspections are conducted, plus make changes to inspection schedules to allow more time for repairs.

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The MTA, though, rejected a suggestion that it adjust its staffing to meet spot-repair needs, instead saying staffing would be guided by the agencys yearly financial plan.

The MTA also rejected the recommendation that it should better monitor the condition of lighting around the emergency exits, countering that transit workers flashlights were sufficient in an emergency.

[A]dequate emergency egress lighting is comprised of both lighting fixtures and employees PPE [personal protective equipment], which includes flashlights, the MTA responded. To that end, existing policies concerning emergency evacuations within the system require employees to use their flashlights to illuminate the path of egress.
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TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  As Florida continues to be one of the fastest growing states in the country, more people are leaving the state than ever before  especially workers, according to a new report from the Florida Chamber Foundation.

The 2024 Florida Migration Trends Report showed that while 637,000 people moved to Florida from other states in 2023, the state also lost 511,000  its largest outflow of residents ever. Florida saw more people leave than any state except for California.

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Floridas annual net migration was about 126,000 people, the second highest in the country. But aside from a small dip in 2017 and 2018, its the first drop in net migration in the last decade, according to the report, which used data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Screenshot from Florida Chamber Foundation report

The analysis found that those moving into Florida have higher incomes than those leaving Florida.

This can be a good thing  higher income means more spending power, fueling the economy  but it can also lead to increase cost of living, the report reads. Higher spending can be an indication of a labor force with steady incomes, but in some unique scenarios, it can also be the result of a large amount of wealth moving into the state from individuals and families who are not necessarily working.

Screenshot from Florida Chamber Foundation report

The report found that the median age of residents moving to Florida is 35.4 years, while the media age of people leaving the state is 32.7, which is not a new trend.

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However, the largest group of people moving out of the state are those ages 20 to 29, the report found.

Screenshot from Florida Chamber Foundation report

Compared to those moving to Florida, those moving out have a lower median income, the educational attainment held by the majority of people is slightly lower, and a smaller percentage own homes, according to the report. These are all characteristics of a young population, early in their career  a vital part of the talent pipeline  and many are leaving Florida.

Among reasons those aged 20 to 29 cited for leaving the state were job opportunities elsewhere and the high cost of housing.

Since the first quarter of 2019, the median home listing price increased by 41%, while per capita personal income increased by 35%, according to the report, citing data from Realtor.com and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

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The report noted that the trend of housing costs increasing faster than income is seen nationally, except in places like Texas and North Carolina. According to the report, most Floridians leaving the state are going to Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia.

Property insurance is also a concern for those leaving the state.

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While increases in property values and natural weather occurrences certainly play a role, the real drivers of high property insurance costs actually come from a legal environment that has historically incentivized lawsuits that have dramatically increased the cost of doing business in Florida, according to the report.

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Despite more people leaving the state than ever before, Florida continues to attract new residents. The report encourages the business community and the legislature to understand why people are leaving and find ways to encourage them to stay.

When Floridians see a pathway forward to a flourishing career and life in Florida, outmigration will slow. However, job opportunities are just one piece of the puzzle. If Floridians, especially those new to the workforce, cant afford to live here then they cant afford to work here, the report concluded. Rising housing costs compared to states like North Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia are leading to a net outflow of Florida workers to those areas. But legislation like the Live Local Act and the Florida Chamber Foundations Florida 2030 Blueprint goals surrounding affordable and attainable housing are steps in the right direction, especially if the business community takes ownership of efforts like these.

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The California Department of Food and Agriculture has issued a statewide recall of raw milk produced and packaged by Valley Milk Simply Bottled after H5N1 bird flu virus was found in samples from a bulk tank at the companys dairy farm.

The recall applies to all Valley Milk and Desi Milk raw cow milk in quarter, half-gallon or gallon jugs marked with dates between December 23 and December 30, the agency said in a statement.

No illnesses have been reported in connection with this recall, but the department is urging consumers not to use the products and urging retailers to pull them from shelves. Modesto, California-based Valley Milk Simply Bottled and Desi Milk have not responded to CNNs request for comment.

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Raw milk and cream from Fresno, California-based Raw Farm were recalled in early December after bird flu virus was found in products from store shelves, dairy stores and bottling sites.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health issued a warning Thursday advising residents not to consume raw milk products or feed it to their pets. Pet cats who consumed recalled raw milk recently became sick and died, the agency said. People who had contact with the cats were monitoring for symptoms and were offered antiviral medications.

Raw dairy products have not undergone pasteurization, a heating process that kills harmful germs such as bird flu virus, listeria, salmonella, E. coli and Campylobacter. These pathogens can make anyone sick, but children, older adults, pregnant people and those with weakened immune systems are more likely to become ill. Previous illness outbreaks linked with raw milk or raw milk products have involved miscarriages, still births, kidney failure and death.

At least 12 illnesses have been reported recently in people who drank raw milk, the California Department of Public Health says, but none has been linked to bird flu.

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PIERRE, S.D. (KELO)  As incidents of alleged financial corruption in South Dakota state government have surfaced in recent months, steps to respond to them are now increasing, too.

At a meeting of the state Board of Internal Control on Friday, the states internal control officer, Allysen Kerr, introduced the states first-ever deputy internal control officer, Karlee Rinehart.

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Rinehart recently joined the state Bureau of Finance and Management in the new position. She previously worked in the financial division for the state Board of Regents central office for two years and had been with the state Department of Legislative Audit for 10 years before that.

Her former supervisor, Regents vice president of finance and administration Heather Forney, serves on the state Board of Internal Control. Karlees a great get for BFM and the internal control office, Forney said.

BFM Commissioner Jim Terwilliger chairs the Board of Internal Control. He said Friday that Gov. Kristi Noem has requested two additional internal-control positions and $221,000 of spending authority for them.

The Legislature will consider those requests during the 2025 session that starts January 14.

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If anybody asks, Id appreciate any support for those resources, Terwilliger said.

His office also is looking at possible legislation. State lawmakers established the Board of Internal Control in 2016 at the suggestion of then-Governor Dennis Daugaard and adopted a chapter of laws for its operation.

Terwilliger said one of the goals under consideration would be to require annual reviews of state agencies internal controls. Wed like to formalize that more through legislation, he said.

Another goal he identified was being more proactive with testing of internal controls in state agencies.

Attorney General preparing legislation to curb corruption

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Adding those would be a great enhancement, according to Brenda Tidball-Zeltinger. She is deputy secretary for the state Department of Social Services and a member of the internal control board.

Really appreciate you bringing that forward, she told Terwilliger.

The State Auditor Office is being aggressive, too, and putting more of its practices into official written policy. State Auditor Rich Sattgast serves on the Board of Internal Control and on the state Board of Finance. Among the Finance Boards duties are reviewing applications from state offices for case by case exceptions to state travel spending rules.

On Tuesday, Jenna Latham, audit supervisor in Sattgasts office, explained to the Finance Board that a long-standing approach regarding reimbursement for state employees use of personal credit cards on state travel expenses would now officially be in writing.

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State law assigns responsibility to the auditor for reviewing nearly all vouchers submitted for payment by state government. The state treasurer can makes payments only for warrants approved by the auditor. State law says the auditor may refuse to make any payment that is illegal, unauthorized, or improper.

The auditors new written policy says, Reward points, vouchers, rebates, coupons, promotional credits, etc. are not eligible for reimbursement when submitting expense reports as they are not a form of out of pocket payment(.) It adds, Meaning you did not personally pay for the goods or services with your own money for the current expense  instead you used a pre-earned reward, voucher, etc. to cover the cost(.)

Said Latham, This will be put into our policy, so that basically any rewards points, vouchers, rebates, you cannot ask for reimbursement.

Katie Hruska, the governors legal counsel who chairs the Finance Board, said that it follows on previous discussions.

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Steven Kohler, deputy commissioner for the state Bureau of Finance and Management, said it was a good policy to have. He asked whether there would be exceptions for unique situations involving new employees who hadnt read the auditors policies.

Replied Latham, I guess I cant say one-hundred percent that they could. I would have to talk about it with (auditor) Sattgast on that. She added, You should be reading the policies. You should be informed. Its out there. You should be following those. But, you know, I cant one-hundred percent say yes or no on that, but I can certainly ask him.

Hruska said state law allows any state employee to come to the Finance Board seeking an exception.

Said Kohler, I appreciate the auditors office for taking the initiative and formalizing this long-standing practice that we had.

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SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU)  Morningside University is set to establish a new research and education facility thanks to a large gift from a local community leader.

The university announced Thursday that Regina Roth has donated $1 million towards a new state-of-the-art Animal Science and Food Safety Lab on the Morningside campus. The facility will contain cutting-edge technology to advance research and provide hands-on learning experiences, according to a release.

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The lab will be located inside the Walker Science Center and serve students in the Regina Roth Agricultural and Food Studies Department and other fields.

This transformative gift reflects [Roths] strong commitment to advancing education and improving lives, Morningside University President Albert Mosley said in a statement in part. With agriculture and food production being two of Siouxlands largest industries, the Regina Roth Applied Ag and Food Studies Department at Morningside will play a pivotal role in preparing students to meet the growing demands of these fields, ensuring a sustainable and prosperous future for the region.

Construction is scheduled to get started in 2025, the release says.

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Since the beginning of the day, the total number of combat clashes along the entire frontline has increased to 146. The situation was the tensest in Russias Kursk Oblast.

Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook, information as of 16:00 on 20 December

Details: In total, 40 combat clashes took place on the Kursk front. In addition, the Russians launched a missile attack and 260 artillery attacks.

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On the Pokrovsk front, the Russians attacked Ukrainian positions 31 times, with 5 clashes still ongoing.

On the Kurakhove front, Ukrainian defenders repelled 19 attacks, and 3 combat clashes are still ongoing.

On the Vremivka front, 13 Russian attacks were stopped, and 3 more are still ongoing.

On the Lyman front, 11 combat clashes have taken place since the beginning of the day, 4 of them are still ongoing.

According to the General Staff, the Russians continue to use aircraft, in particular, they are dropping guided aerial bombs. Ukraines defence forces are holding their lines and taking measures to prevent a breakthrough.

It is also reported that the Russians continue the artillery shelling of the territories bordering the Russian Federation.

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A clear majority of German residents believe Syrian refugees should be allowed to remain in the country until conditions in their homeland are peaceful and stable enough to return, according to a new survey.

The survey for German public broadcaster ZDF, released on Friday, showed 64% of respondents in favour of granting Syrian refugees time to assess developments in the Middle Eastern country after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime.

Germany is home to around 975,000 Syrians, according to Interior Ministry figures, with most arriving since 2015 as a result of the civil war that broke out in 2011.

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Since an alliance of rebel fighters led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) organization toppled al-Assad almost two weeks ago, a number of conservative German politicians have called for Syrian refugees to quickly return home.

Immigration authorities have also paused decisions on asylum applications from Syrians amid the developing situation.

However, the survey shows that only 6% of German residents believe all Syrian refugees should leave as quickly as possible, although 27% think that unemployed Syrians should do so.

The study also revealed that only 27% of respondents expect Syria to become stable and peaceful after al-Assad's fall.
A clear majority of German residents believe Syrian refugees should be allowed to remain in the country until conditions in their homeland are peaceful and stable enough to return, according to a new survey.

The survey for German public broadcaster ZDF, released on Friday, showed 64% of respondents in favour of granting Syrian refugees time to assess developments in the Middle Eastern country after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime.

Germany is home to around 975,000 Syrians, according to Interior Ministry figures, with most arriving since 2015 as a result of the civil war that broke out in 2011.

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Since an alliance of rebel fighters led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) organization toppled al-Assad almost two weeks ago, a number of conservative German politicians have called for Syrian refugees to quickly return home.

However, the survey shows that only 6% of German residents believe all Syrian refugees should leave as quickly as possible, although 27% think that unemployed Syrians should do so.

The study also revealed that only 27% of respondents expect Syria to become stable and peaceful after al-Assad's fall.

Development Ministry warns against repatriating refugees

The German government's response to the fall of al-Assad has been mixed.

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Immigration authorities have paused decisions on asylum applications from Syrians amid the developing situation, but the Development Ministry on Friday warned against repatriating Syrian refugees too quickly.

In a strategy paper seen by dpa, the ministry said "speculation about the cancellation of the protected status of Syrian refugees - whether in Germany or elsewhere - is clearly premature."

The ministry will continue its support for the countries where most Syrian refugees live "and expand it where necessary."

In recent years, Germany has provided significant support to the approximately 5 million Syrian refugees in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq.

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The ministry also suggested that Syria's new transitional government must now be given clear messages of support, but also of expectations.

"The current rulers in Damascus are sending signs of their willingness to lead the country into a future that allows all ethnic and religious groups in the country to participate on an equal footing," the paper stated.

"This must not lead to naive hopes. However, it would be negligent not to do everything possible to strengthen and support the possibility of positive change," the ministry added.

Interior Ministry probing short-term visits

Another issue facing Germany is whether to allow Syrian refugees to temporarily visit their home country without losing their protected status.

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One-third of Syrians in Germany have only subsidiary protection, a lower legal status than asylum or refugee status.

Subsidiary protection is only valid if the migrant faces serious threat in their home country.

However, the fall of al-Assad's regime earlier this month has raised the prospect of Syrian migrants being able to return home - either permanently, or temporarily.

"These conversations are ongoing, and we hope that we can come to a decision as quickly as possible," an Interior Ministry spokesman said.
GRANDVIEW, Ind. (WEHT)  Fat Daddys Grill and Chill is sure to always turn some heads but this time it may have been for different reasons.

Lexi Ling has been a manager at Fat Daddys in Grandview for nearly four years. But last winter, her life changed in a big way.

We went to the hospital, she said. I think I went at 11:45 and then at 8:00 a.m. they told me I was having a baby a month early.

Ling gave birth to her first son Alten after a battle with placenta previa causing complications at birth.

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He came out breathing too fast and so he had to go to the NICU, she said. He was in there for about two weeks.

During those two weeks when Alten was in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, the Lings were able to stay at the Ronald McDonald House on the Deaconess campus.

The Ronald McDonald house helps provide home-like facilities that offer comfort, support, and resources for families staying close to their childs hospital.

Trying to somewhat have the experience of having a new born at home, not at home, and being able to be involved in that and not having my kid 50 minutes away was great, she said.

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And now Ling is trying to give back.

I know how much it helped us for the short stay we had so I just want to be able to help others, she said.

She put out a call for donations such as snack or toys on Facebook and has already felt the generosity of her community.

They always impress and they always show out, she said. Its great to see having a small community, as small as we are, the amount of support we are able to have and show up for is great.

In a statement to Eyewitness News, Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Ohio Valley say they are grateful for the Ling family and say, Together we are making a meaningful impact in our communities.

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The mother of a 4-month-old girl, who prosecutors said was attacked and killed by her father, is also facing charges.

Danielle Rheude, 31, was indicted in Clermont County Common Pleas Court and arrested Thursday on counts of complicity to commit murder and child endangering, according to Goshen Township police.

Officials said the charges came after investigators presented additional evidence to a grand jury following the arrest of 33-year-old Andrew Kammerer, the child's father.

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Court records related to Rheude's case weren't immediately available Friday afternoon. It's currently unclear what role investigators believe Rheude played in the alleged abuse.

She's being held at the Clermont County Jail on a $375,000 bond, jail records show.

What happened to Evelyn Kammerer?

Prosecutors said Kammerer was the sole caregiver of 4-month-old Evelyn Kammerer and her twin sister at the time the girl's injuries were inflicted.

Goshen Township Fire Department personnel were dispatched on Nov. 4 to the 1500 block of East Meadowbrook Drive for a report of an infant experiencing breathing problems after a fall, police said.

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Evelyn was taken to the hospital and died more than 12 hours later at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, where she was placed on life support.

Kammerer told investigators that he was changing the girl's diaper when she fell from a changing table and that he performed CPR on the child until first responders arrived, police wrote in a criminal complaint.

Andrew Kammerer, 33, appears in Clermont County Common Pleas Court on Friday, Nov. 8, 2024. He's accused of killing his 4-month-old daughter in Goshen Township.

However, injuries found during an autopsy were "inconsistent with an accidental fall," the document states.

The autopsy showed Evelyn had been "subjected to an extraordinarily violent attack," said Assistant Clermont County Prosecutor Lara Baron-Allen, adding that the girl's twin sister also had injuries that had begun to heal.

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Prosecutors said that Kammerer told police and medical staff, "I don't know my own strength."

Court records did not list when Rheude is expected to appear in court. Kammerer is scheduled to appear before Judge Kevin Miles for a pretrial hearing on Jan. 9.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Clermont County mother indicted in Evelyn Kammerer's killing
WASHINGTON (DC News Now)  The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said an armed man was arrested after threatening a person on Thursday morning.

Police said that at about 8:45 a.m., they were sent to the 200 block of M Street for the report of a man with a gun.

The victim told officers that a man approached him and made threats while holding a gun. The victim was able to call 911.

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Police found the suspect a short time later. He was carrying the gun used in the incident.

The gun was determined to be a blank pistol.

Police arrested and charged 56-year-old Derrick Bowser of no fixed address with Assault with a Dangerous Weapon and Threats to Kidnap or Injure a Person.

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HEBRON, Conn. (WTNH)  First responders from thirteen different departments responded to a fire on Thursday in Hebron, according to the Hebron Fire Department.

Dirt bike operator seriously injured in Hebron

The fire happened at around 2 p.m. at a house on Papermill Road. Two adult residents had already evacuated the home prior to the fire departments arrival. Several pets, including multiple cats and dogs, were rescued from the home by first responders and the fire was put out within 30 minutes.

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The American Red Cross will be assisting the residents and the Hebron Fire Marshall is investigating the cause.

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A prison corridor in Holman Correctional Facility in 2019. Cases pending in municipal courts can complicate reentry for people serving time in state prison. (File)

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.

As part of re-entry, from a municipal court standpoint, I am trying to impress upon you that there is something there that we need to deal with because reentry, when they come out, if they have got these cases throughout municipal courts, it can trip them up, said K.C. Hairston, the vice president of the Alabama Municipal Judges Association. They are trying to get a fresh start, but now they are right back into this system.

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During his presentation to committee members, Hairston compared those about to be released who have assistance dealing with those pending cases and any potential penalties that may be waiting, and those who do not realize they have additional cases in municipal court resulting from past behavior, those that they may have forgotten about or did not resolve.

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They get out, footloose and fancy free, and they dont handle their business, Hairston said. That may be why they went to prison in the first place. If they dont handle their business, what happens? They get new (failure to appear notices), new suspended drivers licenses. Now, they get pulled over up the road, and because of the FTAs, now they are right back in jail.

Obtaining employment is an important factor in recidivism, with evidence demonstrating that recidivism rates for people decline when they have steady employment, which pending cases in municipal court can hamper.

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In these municipal courts, it just goes on and on, he said. That can be problematic for jobs. Also, if they dont handle their municipal court business, well, that is not good for a job either.

Hairston said he received correspondence from people serving longer sentences in state prison asking that their punishments from municipal court violations be levied concurrently.

You know what I do with that request? I grant every one of them, he said. I have never turned down one of those requests. That is what we are seeing.

Hairston 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.

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What if we could formalize a process where there is not someone, at the point they are about to get out of prison, that is when they start thinking about these things? Hairston said. What if, while they are serving time, we could have a formalized process where a form gets filled out, it goes to all the municipal courts  we grant these things?

The municipal courts may not grant the request for every individual about to be released, Hairston said. Some charges stemming from violent incidents may not be considered, but others would.

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.

There is no one at fault, said Cam Ward during Thursdays meeting, director of the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles, who chairs the Reentry Commission. There is no bad guy here, it is just the system our government is in.

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Ward said that only half of the law enforcement agencies, including courts, prosecutors, cities and counties, are reporting data.

We are making public policy on maybe 56% of the data getting reported, Ward said.

SB 203, sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur and signed into law in 2022, requires that municipal courts submit their records, including fines and fees, to the states Administrative Office of the Courts.

These sessions that we are having are precisely what the aim of that legislation was intended to be, said Jerome Dees, policy director with the Southern Poverty Law Center, a member of the Reentry Commission.

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It was meant to aid in pretrial resolutions and greater transparency for cases at levels of the court system.

That bill is only the beginning, however. Agencies and associations must then work to integrate the information into a single system that could eventually result in having everyone incarcerated in state prison having their criminal charges resolved.

A lot of times, the municipal courts, that is where the drivers license hold up is, Hairston said. If we are resolving the municipal court cases, all the clearance letters are entered, I think the packet they get when they step out is a resolution of all their municipal court cases and a brand-new drivers license.

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NORFOLK  The murder conviction of a man who claims a corrupt and abusive former Norfolk police detective forced a confession from him nearly 25 years ago was vacated Thursday.

Arsean Hicks was just 16 when he was charged with the Dec. 30, 1999, fatal shooting of an off-duty Norfolk Naval Shipyard police officer during a holdup at a diner on Tidewater Drive.

A jury found Hicks guilty of first-degree murder and robbery at his trial a little more than a year later. He was sentenced to 80 years in prison, and has been fighting for his freedom ever since.

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Judge Charles Maxfield vacated Hicks convictions after his attorney presented evidence indicating disgraced former Norfolk police detective Glenn Ford repeatedly slammed Hicks head into a table during his interrogation, and that evidence about Hicks injuries from the beating was never disclosed to the defense, according to Hicks lawyer Jim Neale.

No parent or guardian was with the teen when he was questioned, Neale said. He was placed in juvenile detention afterward and has remained in custody ever since.

Ford was found guilty in 2010 of taking bribes from criminals and lying to the FBI about it. He was later sentenced to 12 years in federal prison. Ford has also been repeatedly accused of forcing confessions from suspects, including the so-called Norfolk Four, who were convicted in the 1997 rape and murder of a Navy wife.

The group was later pardoned by Gov. Tim Kaine after evidence mounted that their confessions, taken by Ford, were coerced. DNA evidence also pointed to a sole attacker unconnected to the four, who later admitted he acted alone.

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Maxfield is a Fairfax County judge who was asked to hear Hicks case this week after Norfolks judges recused themselves, according to Neale, a Charlottesville lawyer who took on Hicks case pro bono.

The Virginia attorney generals office can appeal Maxfields decision, and if they win, Hicks conviction will be reinstated, Neale said. If the appeal is denied, the Norfolk commonwealths attorneys office would have to decide if they want to retry the case, he said.

Jane Harper, jane.harper@pilotonline.com
NEW YORK (AP)  An Iranian officer blamed for the 2022 killing of an American in Iraq has been charged in New York with federal murder and terrorism crimes, authorities announced on Friday.

Federal authorities in New York City said Mohammad Reza Nouri, a captain in Irans paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, has been charged in Manhattan federal court with multiple terrorism and murder-related charges that carry a potential penalty of life in prison. At least one charge carries the potential for a death sentence.

Nouri, 36, is in custody in Iraq, where he already has been convicted by an Iraqi court for his role in Stephen Troells killing, authorities said.

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Troell, a native of Tennessee, was killed in his car by unknown assailants as he pulled up to the street where he lived with his family in Baghdads central Karrada district. He worked for Global English Institute, a language school in Baghdads Harthiya neighborhood, which operated under the auspices of Texas-based non-governmental organization Millennium Relief and Development Services.

It was a rare killing of a foreigner in Iraq, where security conditions have improved in recent years.

Acting U.S. Attorney Edward Y. Kim said in a release that Nouri orchestrated the killing of Troell in Baghdad, Iraq, in November 2022.

Nouri is alleged to have gathered intelligence on Troells daily routine and whereabouts, procured weapons and vehicles, and provided safe harbor to the operatives who carried out the sinister plot to brutally attack Troell in front of his wife, Kim said.

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The prosecutor said the Iranian regime is actively targeting U.S. citizens, such as Troell, living in countries around the world for kidnapping and execution both to repress and silence dissidents critical of the regime and to take vengeance for the death of Qassem Soleimani, an Iranian military leader killed by an American drone aircraft strike in January 2020.

In court papers, the U.S. government asserted that Nouri celebrated the killing with a coconspirator on the day of the attack and left Iraq for Iran the night of the killing. It said shortly before leaving Baghdad, Nouri visited a religious site associated with mourning for Soleimani's death.

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in the release that the Justice Department will not tolerate terrorists and authoritarian regimes targeting and murdering Americans anywhere in the world.

Last month, the Justice Department disclosed an Iranian murder-for-hire plot to kill President-elect Donald Trump, saying a man had been tasked by an Iranian government official before the election with planning the assassination of the Republican president-elect.

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Esmail Baghaei, an Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson in Tehran, rejected the report, calling it a plot by Israel-linked circles to make Iran-U.S. relations more complicated, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Similar accusations in the past were rejected by Iran as their erroneousness was proved, he said.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Friday joined outrage over Elon Musks endorsement of the far-right German political party Alternative for Germany (AfD), which has been criticized as a neo-Nazi group, ahead of February elections in the country.

Musk, the tech billionaire and close ally to President-elect Trump, posted on his social platform X that only the AfD can save Germany, triggering backlash in the U.S. and from Berlin.

The out of touch billionaire running the incoming Trump Administration announced last night that he enthusiastically supports the neo-Nazi party in Germany, Murphy posted on X, alongside a screenshot of Musks tweet.

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WTF, Murphy added. NONE OF THIS IS OK, EVERYONE. NONE OF THIS IS NORMAL.

Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill), an outspoken Trump critic, slammed Musk as a drug addled billionaire who thinks he runs the world.

Literally is a neo-Nazi party. Not even joking, Kinzinger posted on X alongside Musks post.

Musk has demonstrated enormous influence with Trump since spending millions on his presidential campaign, and has played an informal role in foreign policy throughout the transition period.

His endorsement of the AfD came alongside a video of a far-right German commentator slamming the leading candidate to become Germanys next chancellor, the conservative Friedrich Merz. AfD is reportedly polling in second place in opinion polls.

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Elections are set to be held in the country on Feb 23 after the government headed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz collapsed.

Scholz slammed Musks remarks, saying freedom of speech also means you can say things that are not right and do not contain good political advice, Politico reported.

AfD leaders welcomed Musks backing.

Yes! You are perfectly right! Alice Weidel, the AfDs chancellor candidate, posted on X shortly after Musks missive.

She pointed Musk to an interview she gave to Bloomberg about how, as she put it, socialist [former German Chancellor Angela] Merkel ruined our country, how the Soviet European Union destroys the countries economic backbone and malfunctioning Germany!

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AfD leader Bjorn Hocke has been accused of whitewashing Nazi crimes and has criticized Germanys Holocaust memorial in Berlin  a recognition of the horror of the more than 6 million Jews and others murdered  as a monument of shame.

Last month, the party said it would eject members with suspected ties to militant groups after police arrested three members for plotting an armed revolt.

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President-elect Donald Trump's billionaire ally Elon Musk played a key role this week in killing a bipartisan funding proposal that would have prevented a government shutdown, railing against the plan in a torrent of more than 100 X posts that included multiple false claims.

The X owner, an unelected figure, not only used his outsize influence on the platform to help sway Congress, he did so without regard for the facts and gave a preview of the role he could play in government over the next four years.

Trump has got himself a handful with Musk, John Mark Hansen, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago, said in an email. Trumps done this kind of thing before, blowing up a bill at the last minute. This time, though, it looks like he was afraid of Musk upstaging him. Now theres a new social media bully in town, pushing the champion social media bully around.

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Hansen added: Well see what Musks influence is when he runs up against reality  like when he proposes cutting off wasteful spending for other people but not NASA contracts for Space-X.

Musks objections to the 1,547-page omnibus bill included misinformation about congressional salaries, federal funding and public health preparedness, among other topics.

He alleged that the plan included a 40% raise for lawmakers. But the maximum pay increase possible through the proposal would have been 3.8%, according to the Congressional Research Service.

One way that members of Congress can receive a pay raise is through automatic adjustments that go into effect unless denied by law. Most members make $174,000 per a year after their last increase of 2.8% in 2009. Congressional leadership is the exception, with the Speaker of the House earning the most at $223,500 annually.

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The rejected bill struck a section from a previous appropriations act that denied members of Congress this automatic pay raise. A maximum increase of 3.8% would have bumped their annual salary by about $6,600, to approximately $180,000 annually.

Musk also shared a post from another user that falsely claimed the bill provided $3 billion in funding for a potential new stadium for the NFL's Washington Commanders, commenting: This should not be funded by your tax dollars!

The bill included a provision to transfer control of the land that houses RFK Stadium from the federal government to the District of Columbia. That transfer is necessary to pave the way for the Commanders to possibly build a new stadium in the franchise's old home  though the team is still considering other locations.

However, no such funding is provided by the bill. It states, in fact, that the federal government shall not be responsible for payment or any costs or expenses that the District of Columbia incurs after the transfer is complete aside from responsibilities related to specific environmental issues.

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District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser addressed false claims about the stadium's funding on Thursday, calling them frustrating.

It was stated that the C.R. contains $3 billion for a stadium, she said at a press conference. "All wrong. There are no federal dollars related to the transfer of RFK and in fact, the legislation does not require or link at all to a stadium.

Bowser added that she has reached out to the Trump administration to correct misinformation about this issue.

In a third post, Musk incorrectly claimed that We're funding bioweapon labs in this bill!

The plan provided funds for up to 12 regional biocontainment research laboratories, not facilities for creating bioweapons. It stipulates that among their uses, the labs will conduct biomedical research to prepare for biological agents such as emerging infectious diseases.

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A spokesperson for Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Associated Press.

Some members of Congress expressed dismay that Musk had disseminated misinformation about the bill.

I love you Elon but you need to take 5 seconds to check your sources before highlighting bottom feeders looking for clicks, Rep. Dan Crenshaw, a Texas Republican, wrote on X.

In a hastily convened Thursday evening vote, the House rejected a new Trump-backed bill whittled down to 116 pages, with the bill failing 174-235. Dozens of Republicans joined Democrats in opposition.

The House finally approved a third spending deal Friday evening, and the Senate followed suit early Saturday. President Joe Biden planned to sign it into law later Saturday.

Trump led Republicans into the longest government shutdown in history in his first term during the 2018 Christmas season, and interrupted the holidays in 2020 by tanking a bipartisan COVID-relief bill and forcing a do-over.
Elon Musk caused a political storm in Germany on Friday after saying only the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party can "save" the country.

"Only the AfD can save Germany," Musk wrote on the social media platform X, which he acquired in 2022.

The AfD is in second place in German polls at around 19%, two months before early elections expected to be held on February 23.

However, Germany's established parties have ruled out cooperating with the party, which is under investigation as a suspected right-wing extremist group by domestic intelligence services.

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The AfD's candidate for chancellor, Alice Weidel, responded to Musk on Friday: "Yes! You are perfectly right."

She later produced a 30-second follow-up video addressed to Musk in which she praised the AfD and wished him and the American people a "Merry Christmas."

Musk then shared the video with his 200 million followers on the platform.

At a press conference in Berlin, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told reporters that freedom of opinion "also applies to multi-billionaires" and "means that you can say things that are incorrect and do not contain good political advice."

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Government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann earlier said it was "not the first time that Elon Musk has commented on German politics on X."

"We take note of it, we don't categorize it, we don't judge it," she added.

The general secretary of the Social Democrats, Matthias Miersch, warned that if Musk uses the X platform to boost the far-right AfD, it would be "an alarming signal," adding that Germany does not need foreign influence or "Trumpism."

He added, "Stay out, Elon."

Meanwhile, the digital policy spokesperson for the conservative CDU/CSU opposition parliamentary group, Reinhard Brandl, called the concentration of power and influence of one individual "a serious danger to our democracy."

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Similarly, the top candidate for the Left party, Heidi Reichinnek, accused Musk of using his wealth to control a mass medium, enabling him to "influence the politics of various states."

And Christian Lindner, the leader of pro-business Free Democrats (FDP), responded to Musk saying that he should not draw hasty conclusions from afar and noted that the far-right AfD is against freedom and the economy.

However, Lindner added that he was open to meeting with him and talking about the FDP.

Musk, the founder of electric carmaker Tesla and the private space company SpaceX, has emerged as one of the closest supporters of US President-elect Donald Trump.

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He has also signalled his willingness to intervene in European politics, backing the populist Reform UK party in Britain.

The South African-born billionaire previously praised the AfD after European Parliament elections earlier this year.
HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW)  A Myrtle Beach man and Georgetown County elementary school employee has been arrested and is accused of possessing child sexual abuse material, the South Carolina Attorney Generals Office said Friday.

Nathan Chad Horsley, 47, was charged with five counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. He was booked into the J. Reuben Long Detention Center on Thursday, where he remains without bond set.

Horsley is an employee at McDonald Elementary School and was placed on administrative leave on Thursday, the school district said.

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This morning, Georgetown County School District administration learned through public records of specific charges filed in Horry County against one of our employees from McDonald Elementary School, the statement reads. Prior to this, on Dec. 18, the district was contacted by local law enforcement in an attempt to locate the employee; the employee was not at work. Subsequently, GCSD was notified that night of the employees arrest for active warrants. The employee was placed on administrative leave on Dec. 19 while the district sought further information on the nature of the charges.

The district continued in its statement, saying it cannot comment on any investigations and has not been contacted by the prosecuting law enforcement agency as of this writing.

Horsley could face up to 10 years in prison for each count. The Horry County Sheriffs Office, Georgetown County Sheriffs Office and the US Secret Service assisted in his arrest.

* * *

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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.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW.
GEORGETOWN COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW)  A Myrtle Beach man pleaded guilty Thursday and was sentenced to eight years in prison for solicitation of a minor in Georgetown County, the South Carolina Attorney Generals Office said.

Thomas Jarrod Hood, 32, pleaded guilty to one count of criminal solicitation of a minor before Judge William Seals Jr. Hood was one of nine people arrested earlier this year during the Georgetown County Sheriffs Offices operation tidal wave.

An undercover investigation revealed Hood started speaking to a person he reasonably believed to be 14 years old and talked about wanting to have sex with her, according to the attorney generals office. He traveled to a Georgetown County location to have sex with a person he believed was 14.

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Hood was given credit for time served, which is 302 days, and he must register as a sex offender upon his release.

* * *

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.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW.
Drone sightings across the US have captivated many Americans and sparked widespread speculation.

The sightings have also put a spotlight on airspace management strategies in the US.

Experts say the focus should be on improved regulation and countermeasures instead of hysteria.

A recent wave of mysterious drone sightings across the US has, to a certain extent, kick-started a long-overdue discussion on drone technology and airspace management.

These drone sightings have captured national attention, and the public is now paying more attention to drone activity near US military bases. Federal agencies are talking to the public about drone issues. And there's more public discussion of congressional legislation to boost federal authority as the government says it's hamstrung in its ability to respond to drone threats.

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"There's a fundamental notion that drones present a very, very new expanded type of threat," Doug Birkey, executive director of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, told Business Insider, noting that the US largely lacks "the tactics and the procedures to deal with this."

Birkey said many people are "overplaying" the mystery behind the latest drone sightings. But the resulting buzz is driving conversations about counterstrategies and systems that "should have happened a long time ago."

Officials from the White House, FBI, DHS, DoD, and the FAA have urged Congress to "enact counter-UAS legislation when it reconvenes that would help extend and expand existing counter-drone authorities to identify and mitigate any threat that may emerge." This has been a recurring topic in press briefings in recent weeks.

"The good news is that technology largely exists" to address the challenges presented by drone tech, Birkey said. "We just have to get serious about going after it and then having the procedures down to be smart about it."

The latest drone drama

A drone is seen over Ridge, New York, on Thursday evening, on Dec. 12, 2024. Newsday LLC/Newsday via Getty Images

In mid-November, unidentified aircraft were first seen flying over New Jersey. They drew national attention as reported sightings extended to Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New York, among other states, this month.

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It wasn't until worry and wild speculation about the drones reached a fever pitch that agencies began a more organized effort to communicate. In the initial absence, others filled the void with conspiracy theories, a major one being that the drones were launched from an Iranian drone mothership off the US East Coast.

The federal government has shot many of these assertions down, saying they're not of foreign origin and not a threat.

The White House, FBI, Homeland Security, Pentagon, and FAA have said that all the evidence available indicates the drone sightings are a mixture of "lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones."

Though not nefarious, US officials said they "recognize the concern among many communities" and the "irresponsible" nature of the drone activity near restricted airspace and infrastructure, including military bases and civilian airports.

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Things have "sort of moved to a point of hysteria," said Stacie Pettyjohn, the director of the defense program at the Center for a New American Security. She said that "the public has gotten really agitated because of the perceived novelty of drones or the danger associated with them."

She said "people seeing drones everywhere" are "starting to conflate just normal air traffic and anything in the sky and assuming that something nefarious or strange is happening."

But even as the government has attempted to quell concerns, skepticism remains, leading some to push for greater clarity on this issue so that drones can be discussed rationally.

William Austin, a drone expert and president of Warren County Community College, said the federal government needs to be clear with the public in this situation.

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He wrote in a recent op-ed that "the public needs clear, authoritative communication: there is no credible evidence of large drones operating over New Jersey,"

Austin argued in his article that "the drone industry has too much to offer  cutting-edge technology, job creation, and life-saving applications  to be derailed by myths." He said, "We need facts, not speculation."

Drones are becoming prolific

Surging interest and investment in new drone tech have catalyzed rapid advancements, transforming the technology at an unprecedented pace in recent years.

Increasing competition in the global market is making drones more accessible, affordable, and user-friendly, expanding their use beyond traditional military and defense applications to sectors like agriculture, logistics, and recreation.

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"It's part of the changing technological landscape that extends beyond just the military," Pettyjohn said. "It's not just the realm of the government anymore to have really sophisticated capabilities. It's just part of everyday society."

Commercial and civilian drones only began to emerge in the early 2000s, leaving the general public largely unaccustomed to encountering them in their daily lives.

The high-profile Chinese spy balloon incident last year that ended with it being shot down by a US fighter jet spotlighted aerial surveillance as a potential threat to public safety and national security. Terrorist and insurgent operations, as well as the widespread use of drone warfare in Ukraine, have also heightened fears regarding their possible weaponization.

And there are real risks, regardless of whether drone activity is malicious. As drone technology proliferates further, activities around military bases and airfields are becoming a "huge problem" for the US, Mark Cancian, a defense expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a retired US Marine Corps colonel, recently told BI.

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A US military base in Ohio briefly closed its airspace after small drones were spotted in the area, and the runways at a New York airport were also briefly shut down due to nearby drone activity.

Sociologist and New York Times columnist Zeynep Tufekci wrote that the hysteria and drama of the recent drone situation aside, "unauthorized drones are a problem, and there does need to be better regulation and technology to deal with them. Let's hear about that, then, rather than this mindless dangerous panic."

Read the original article on Business Insider
The Naperville City Council is moving forward with energy consultant services that it previously rejected more than six months ago.

At its meeting this week, council members voted 6-3 to award a $74,950 contract to Customized Energy Solutions. The one-year agreement calls for the Philadelphia-based consultant to provide the city options for how it goes about powering its electric grid in years to come.

Over the past year, Naperville has started to explore what its electric supply will look like after 2035, when the contract with its current provider  the coal-heavy Illinois Municipal Electric Agency (IMEA)  is set to expire.

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As part of that process, city staff in June requested the council bring in consultants to help chart a path forward. The request was rejected by council because of concerns over the necessity.

A key qualm for some council members at the time was that it was too early to broach the subject. Members worried that pressure from IMEA  which has requested that the city decide by next spring whether it will extend its contract past 2035  was unnecessarily speeding up the councils window to make informed decisions.

However, Councilwoman Jennifer Bruzan Taylor brought the matter back for council to revisit in September. She said that in the months since consultant work was denied, she had come to understand the services were needed regardless of a potential IMEA contract renewal on the horizon.

Ultimately, staff was directed to reissue a request for proposals for energy management consulting services.

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The city received proposals from three vendors: Customized Energy Solutions, Maryland-based EFW Inc. and Georgia-based EnerVision Inc.

A selection team composed of staff from Napervilles electric utility, finance department and city managers office evaluated and rated the proposals. Customized Energy Solutions received the highest rating by far, scoring 90.2 to second qualifier EFWs 60.9.

Specifically, the contract tasks Customized Energy with laying out alternatives to IMEA and how they measure up to what the agency currently offers the city. The consultant also will evaluate the cost, benefit and risk of each option it provides.

Staff anticipates Customized Energy will complete the project by March 1, 2025. Contract terms, though, run through the end of next year to allow for follow-up discussions once the consultants report is submitted, staff said.

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Although approved, the proposal again incited some pushback Tuesday from council members.

I do agree that we do need a consultant to look at this  I am still worried about the timing, said Councilwoman Allison Longenbaugh, who joined members Ian Holzhauer and Patrick Kelly in voting against awarding the contract.

Were still 11 years away from the contract expiration  it just seems too early to me, Kelly echoed.

Taylor said she recognized the fear of not wanting to feel like IMEA is pressuring us to do anything but added that on the flip side, exploring how were procuring energy and who were procuring it from takes a significant amount of years.

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She also said that if the city wants to step away from IMEA, this is kind of the first step in having to do so because well have to plan for that.

Regarding early renewal with IMEA, Mayor Scott Wehrli asked Electric Utility Director Brian Groth whether approving the contract with Customized Energy Solutions would tie the city to any sort of spring 2025 vote on extending with its current provider.

It would not, according to Groth.

It is simply to understand our options and the timelines and the risks, he said.

In a call Thursday, Groth added that the timeline for Customized Energy Solutions project is separate from any potential contract decisions with IMEA.

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I think its a separate issue because the IMEA contract is one option that the city has and its one that we know of, but we dont know what the other options are.  We dont want to elminate any options that we have and thats why were doing this right now, he said.

Looking forward to what information and insight Customize Energy returns to the city with, Groth said, It will be nice to have a third party weigh in on  what options the city has as we procure energy and necessary services beyond 2035.

tkenny@chicagotribune.com
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER  With just a month left to go before stepping down as head of NASA, Bill Nelson warns his stance on conflicts of interest might not be the same as his likely successor, billionaire Jared Isaacman.

If I had a whiff of a conflict, I had to  under the rules set out by the Biden administration  I had to extinguish whatever investment that might be, Nelson said during a farewell interview Wednesday among reporters at the KSC Press Site. Whether or not those rules of the Biden administration are going to change in the Trump administration, where they allow potential conflicts, I dont know.

Isaacman, nominated by President-elect Trump to take over NASA next year, earned his fortune running a credit card processing company, which then funded his love of flying and two trips to space.

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He has so far flown with Elon Musks SpaceX on both of 2021s Inspiration4 mission, the first all-commercial spaceflight in history, and this years Polaris Dawn mission, which saw Isaacman perform the first commercial spacewalk.

He has up to two more spaceflights planned with SpaceX, including the first-ever with humans on the in-development Starship.

Nelson said that relationship with Musk, who is one of Trumps biggest supporters, is one that will have to be hashed out as far conflicts of interest.

I still went to the far extreme because I felt like that it was the perception of whether or not I had a financial conflict even more so than if I actually had the financial conflict  the perception was just as important, because of the public being so cynical about politicians feathering their own nest, he said.

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Dressed down for comfort sporting blue jeans and cowboy boots, Nelson, a native Floridian who was a member of the U.S. House and Senate before becoming NASA administrator, had some political advice for Isaacman, as well.

You need to be mindful that the budget is only proposed by the executive branch, he said. The budget is enacted by the Congress, and that means a lot of nuances.

Support for federal space endeavors needs buy-in from representatives who will be looking out for their own constituencies, so Isaacman will have to hone his political skills on Capitol Hill to break through and get whats needed for a mostly bipartisan effort in space.

He needs to become friends with the members of the (appropriations) committee and the leadership, Nelson said.

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Nelson said that although he called and congratulated Isaacman on the day Trump announced his nomination, he has yet to speak again with him and no transition team has been put together.

Billionaire tapped to lead NASA looks beyond SpaceX during Daytonas Embry-Riddle grad speech

Nelson, who flew on Space Shuttle Columbia in 1986 while in Congress, was sworn in as the 14th head of NASA on May 3, 2021, taking over from the only other elected official to lead it, former Oklahoma U.S. Rep. Jim Bridenstine, who led the agency for most of Trumps first administration.

I think if you look over the 14 administrators, each brings a different platform, plethora of experiences to the table, he said.

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He notes only three including himself were former astronauts. Others came from the military, were lawyers or businessmen.

Each of the administrators has strengths, and I am what I am, he said. Forty-two years elected public service. Now, four years as part of the administration, and having had the experience on the 24th flight of the space shuttle.

He said he carried the water for NASA in his years in Congress, including 18 representing Florida in the Senate.

People will judge me on the basis of what we accomplished, Nelson said. Weve been able to have a fairly robust budget until the budget got cut by things that are unrelated to NASA.

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While NASA had originally asked for $27.2 billion for the 2024 fiscal year, that total was shaved to $24.9 billion by a congressional deal tied to across-the-board cuts in exchange for raising the nations debt ceiling. The deal limited discretionary spending across the federal budget, including NASA, for fiscal 2024 and 2025.

The 2024 funding ended up about 2% less than what NASA was allocated in 2023, and the first time since 2013 that Congress didnt increase agency funding from the previous year.

Despite recent limitations, Nelson has been proud of some of the agencys major accomplishments over the last four years.

Weve had an incredible run, everything from the James Webb Space Telescope through the regular cadence of to and from the International Space Station, with both crew and cargo, and the scientific research that is finally beginning to blossom, he said.

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He also touted development of electric vertical-lift aircraft, aka flying cars, as urban transport, noting he was finally able to take a ride on one just two weeks ago. And he bragged on the X-59 supersonic jet that will take the bite out of sonic booms.

It would be a kind of muffled sound like the slamming of a car door out in the parking lot, Nelson said. Theyre ready to go, and shortly theyre going to fly their first flight, and thus potentially a future transport from Los Angeles to New York in about two hours.

He championed his shutdown of the Mars Sample Return mission from what had been its existing form after growing costs and time delays, and said NASA will announce its new plans for the mission in January.

At the end of the day, Im the decider on this stage, and then we hand that off to the new administration, Nelson said. Basically it was going to be way too expensive.

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The cost had grown to $11 billion and they were not even going to get the samples back until 2040, which is the decade were going to send astronauts to Mars. And so I pulled the plug on it.

He said the new path forward that combines efforts of NASA centers like the Jet Propulsion Laboratory combined with commercial partners will be more practical, timely and cost-effective.

Its go time: Artemis II moon mission players focus on job despite Trump uncertainty

Another program with ballooning costs is Artemis, which saw its first successful flight, the uncrewed Artemis I mission, during his tenure back in 2022. That mission, though, had already been delayed from its target launch, and the next mission  Artemis II  has now been delayed twice over the last four years.

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That mission, an eight-day flight around the moon that wont land but will be the first with crew, is now slated to fly by April 2026. The follow-up lunar landing mission was recently pushed to 2027  now three years later than the target that was in place when Nelson first took the job.

Those delays, though, were because of the need to ensure astronauts safety after the heat shield on the Orion spacecraft saw more damage than expected during Artemis I, along with other issues.

Were not going to fly until its ready, because safety is our North Star, he said, but he still praises the results of that first mission, noting Orion remains the one human-rated spacecraft that has already flown to the moon.

Hes also proud of the growing commercial partnerships, especially the two-company approach to endeavors including commercial cargo, commercial crew and the human landing system program for Artemis.

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Asked if legacy companies like Boeing and Lockheed Martin could learn from newer companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin, Nelson replied, Oh, by all means, I think theres a lot of things that have happened in the private sector. Whoever thought of catching a big rocket, the biggest rocket in the world with a bunch of chopsticks. I mean, thats pretty creative.

He still thinks progress should go through the federal agency, though, which has at its core people who can achieve the nations goals successfully and safely.

The biggest strength is NASAs people  the wizards, he said. The biggest challenge going forward is keeping the Congress focused to get the money so that they can continue to be wizards, and the wizards will solve the problem. You just got to give them the resources.
Norwegian NASAMS air defence systems have been deployed in the Polish city of Rzeszow to ensure the security of a logistics hub which is key to supporting Ukraine.

Source: European Pravda, citing a statement from Poland's General Staff

Details: The Polish military reported that F-35 multirole fighters had also been sent to support the defence of Polish airspace.

A launcher for NASAMS air defence missile system.

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Stock photo: Poland's General Staff

This NATO-led mission is expected to last until Easter. In addition to the fighter jets and anti-aircraft systems, 100 Norwegian soldiers will be deployed to Poland and stationed in Rzeszow.

Photo: Poland's General Staff

Background:

On 2 December, the Norwegian government pledged to deploy F-35 fighter jets and NASAMS air defence systems to Poland to protect the key hub for assistance to Ukraine in Rzeszow.

On 6 December, the ship Finlandia Seaways, carrying Norwegian air defence systems, ran aground in the Karmsund Strait near the town of Haugesund in Norway. However, the systems were reportedly delivered on a replacement ship.

In January 2025, Germany will deploy Patriot air defence missile systems in Poland to further strengthen the defence of Rzeszow.

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I would like to put emphasis on the importance of humanity, no matter what skin color or nationality we have, especially during this uncertain period of political transition.

An innocent bystander, Mr. Hwarang Joo, our beloved community member, was shot to death right in front of his business Hot Stuff Chicken in Antioch on Nov. 24.

This family man was on his way to his sweet wife and 2-year-old and 4-year-old children after working hard until late at night.

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All in the community are shocked and very saddened.

We may look different and have an accent, not fluent enough with blunt expressions in our conversations, but we are intelligent enough to be bilinguals.

We are hardworking, tax paying, law-abiding, good people, who have a taken care of less fortunate neighbors around us voluntarily by providing food and shelter for more than 17 years now, and got the Metropolitan government to proclaim the Nashville Korean Day with 15 endorsements from Metro Council members this February.

Our close-knit community has wrapped its arms around each other

To be frank with you, in reality, we are easily intimidated whenever we are mocked or even threatened. It is sad to admit it, but it is true that we find ourselves vulnerable in front of cold, rude, judgmental eyes of the world around us almost every single day.

Funeral for Hwarang Joo, who was killed outside his business in Antioch on Nov. 24, 2024.

Even though we have been wrongly and unfairly stereotyped as weak, uneducated, and subservient, we do not deserve the racial harassment or violence.

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We deserve a true sense of belonging and equity.

Finally, we have found a little strength in our closely-knit community. That is why tragedies such as this impact us so deeply.

We consider this our second home and take that love for our home with a great sense of pride. We deserve to be here and need others to know that we are justified in that love for our home here.

Opinion: My father's story of coming to America and countless others should be honored during AAPI heritage month

We have been waiting and expecting others to hear our voices, to open their minds to become close friends and compassionate neighbors.

We have sympathy for accused killer and their mother

As a mom of two adult children myself, I feel very sympathetic with the twin boys who were arrested and charged with being extremely violent with deadly weapons, and I also feel for their mother who has to bear the burden of accusations and guilt without her own children for a long time.

Funeral for Hwarang Joo, who was killed outside his business in Antioch on Nov. 24, 2024.

The accused teenage boys looked perfectly polite and well-mannered when they came to a shop in Clarksville, according to the business owner. It dawned on me that what triggered this horrendous tragedy is actually a problem of students and young adults here who are so-called bananas.

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These kids usually have distorted self-image of their identity and many are extremely depressed, and rarely express their emotion even those close to them, let alone to self-sacrificing single mom of theirs like these boys' case.

Most of them tend to be self-silencing and internalizing their frustration, anger and anxiety, especially as males for it is normally expected as a sort of cultural virtues.

These kids simply don't know how to vent with anybody anywhere about their pent-up feelings of being seen as inferior individuals, just like other peers in minority communities, such as, ours because they are rarely taught about the pride of their roots and heritage, even in this so called melting pot.

Instead of muting their emotions on and on, these kids of at least two cultures do need a place to meet, learn about their cultural heritage, and develop and expand kinship, and should be mainstreamed into society and eventually global leadership.

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Generally speaking, though, not many are interested in our unvoiced needs of bridging the cultural differences and in raising our kids as wholesome assets for the future of this globalized world.

Honor Joo Hwarangs memory and uplift AANHPI communities

We need authority to guide and protect us, not to divide us all as criminals. As we are grieving through this unexpected and unwanted tragedy, would you be willing to open your hearts to be with us and support the traumatized and bereaved family members who hold the American dreams like we do, please?

Can you guys be our true friends, please, trying to find a way to help these immature kids into possibly wonderful leaders not as criminals, growing with confidence and pride of their identity because you are treating them equally, affectionately?I'd like to propose to the government to name a street after the late Joo Hwarang, to commemorate his abruptly shortened life and highlight the importance of humanity regardless of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, or culture. His first name, Hwarang also means a group of warriors who practiced a kind of mental and physical training in ancient Korea. We would love to remember his kindness, dedication and loyalty.Lastly, I would like the federal government to honor our solidarity and grant a platform, an Asian American, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AANWPI)communities center where each ethnicity can get together and learn from each other and grow and support one another, and have opportunities to share and teach our heritage to you guys harmoniously in this country of freedom and diversity.

Rabecca Shin

I would like the administration of this great country to be caring enough to listen to our small voices and make this country even more beautiful and powerful thanks to our vibrant differences.Thank you very much for your listening heart.

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Rabecca Shin is the former president of the Korean American Association of Great Nashville. She is president of the new nonprofit Rise Up Together seeking to enlighten young minds, bridge cultures and expand humanity.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Koreans in Nashville mourn the tragic death of Hwarang Joo | Opinion
KANSAS CITY, Kan.  Many of the e-commerce giants drivers and warehouse workers walked the picket lines on Thursday morning after Amazon refused to recognize the presence of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in their shops, or to collectively bargain with that union.

Workers began their demonstrations around 6 a.m. Thursday. Amazon insists that its customers will be fine, and this work stoppage includes a small percentage of its workforce, so this wont affect holiday season deliveries.

Hollywood Casino to submit plans for new hotel in KCK

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Amazon operates 12 distribution centers in the Kansas City metro. Protestors lined up outside at least two of them on Thursday, including the ones on Riverview Avenue and the location off Leavenworth Road, both of which are in KCK.

Joe Walden, a supply chain professor with the University of Kansas School of Business, believes theres a chance customers in the Kansas City area will feel the effects of this work stoppage.

For those of us in the Kansas City areas with all our distribution centers, it shouldnt be a problem. What its going to impact is the stuff that has to move quickly from the ports or the west coast distribution centers or east coast distribution centers to this area may be impacted severely, Walden said on Thursday.

Amazons communications team sent a statement to FOX4 News on Thursday. The company dismisses this as a stunt, accusing the Teamsters of trying to bully employees to join their union. Amazon says this affects only one percent of its workforce.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
CARLISLE, Ky. (FOX 56)  A growing dispute over museum artifacts at Blue Licks Battlefield State Parks Pioneer Museum is now before Kentucky lawmakers.

These artifacts now belong to the Shawnee tribe, Sarah Cronen, general counsel for the Kentucky Tourism, Arts, & Heritage Cabinet, told lawmakers on Thursday.

Man allegedly ran Laurel County ring where members got drugs in exchange for stolen goods

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We shouldnt be in such a hurry to get rid of our precious artifacts, Paula Hunter, chair of the Friends of Blue Licks State Park organization, told lawmakers at the same meeting.

Returning Native American remains and certain items they were buried with to their rightful owners is not a new debate. NAGPRA, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, has been around since 1990 and is the reason why Blue Licks Parks Pioneer Museum may be parting with 274 artifacts.

274 items. Each item has its own case and its own evidence, and none of that was available or has been made available to the friends of the park to view. We think they deserve to see that, Sen. Steve West (R-Paris) said.

Residents and leaders from the community, including those who have donated to the museums collection, dispute that the states tourism cabinet has worked transparently on the repatriation process. Thursdays meeting was the first time its been brought before state lawmakers.

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Cabinet officials say they are following the law and that the items affected only represent 12.5% of the museums total collection.

We have asked the Shawnee Tribe more than once if they would be willing to allow us to continue to display these items, and they declined. These are grave goods. They declined, Cronen said.

New federal regulations this year introduced a January 2029 deadline for returning these items that the Cabinet said could otherwise result in a $2.2 million fine. The lengthy deadline has the other side asking, Whats the rush?

Ben Barnes, Chief of the Shawnee Tribe, was present at the meeting and said the deadline is much shorter in the context of the many thousands of artifacts that have to be processed across the country.

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All of the projectsnot just this one, but all of them. We cant wait 1200 days and then do that work on all of these projects. They all have to be done as they come up, so were here to do that work now, Barnes said.

Read more of the latest Kentucky news

Following the meeting, Barnes met with local lawmakers and the Friends of Blue Licks organization for additional discussions.

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 56 News.
PIERRE, S.D. (KELO)  A Weekly Reader-style newsletter could be a way for K-12 students throughout South Dakota to better understand the regions Native American histories and cultures, according to a member of the state Board of Education Standards.

Family, tribe seek answers in Zander Zephiers death

Linda Olsen of Dupree made the suggestion on Thursday as a way to help teachers deliver the Oceti Sakowin Essential Understandings.

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The governor-appointed boards members are reviewing potential revisions to the current OSEU standards and the current English language arts standards and looking at proposals for new OSEU standards and for new ELA standards.

Also under consideration is the first-ever set of K-8 computer science standards for South Dakota public schools.

Stephanie Amiotte was the only person to comment during a public hearing on Thursday about the potential OSEU changes. The Sioux Falls lawyer and Oglala Lakota tribal member said she was representing the South Dakota Education Equity Coalition as well as the education directors for tribal governments within South Dakota.

Amiotte criticized the state Department of Educations development of the OSEU proposal, saying that native people should have led the process and should have been invited to participate. She pointed to a state law that says, It is the policy of the state to consult with a tribal government regarding the conduct of state government programs which have the potential of affecting tribal members on the reservation.

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The nine tribal governments are represented on the state Indian Education Advisory Council.

State law says, The Department of Education shall consult with the Indian Education Advisory Council within the Department of Tribal Relations to develop and review the Oceti Sakowin Essential Understandings. It further says the consultation process shall align with the standards revision cycle established by the state Board of Education Standards.

Olsen offered her idea for an OSEU newsletter later in the meeting, after hearing an explanation from Melissa Bothun, a social-studies specialist for the department, regarding the Studies Weekly periodicals focusing on history and civics. Those will become available next spring for use in K-5 classrooms.

Department officials signed a seven-year consulting contract in February with the Utah-based company to provide the Studies Weekly materials and training. Since then, the contract has been twice amended, most recently in November, and now is for more than $6.1 million.

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Very well done, Olsen commented during the Studies Weekly presentation. Afterward, she told the other board members, I love this idea for the social studies standards.

Then she said a similar concept could help teachers who dont seem well-equipped to teach the OSEUs, including teachers in reservation areas and even Native American teachers.

A tool like this could be so effective, Olsen said.

Board president Steve Perkins of Sioux Falls called Olsens idea a good suggestion and offered that perhaps the equity coalition could help develop a curriculum on OSEUs.

The dialogue is always problematic with groups. We saw that with our social studies standards. There was a lot of opposition out there, Perkins said. He added the situation might be changing now that the new social study standards have been in place since April 2023.

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State law requires the board hold at least four public hearings before adopting any changes to content standards, and the hearings must include Aberdeen, Pierre, Rapid City and Sioux Falls. The board held its first hearing on the current three proposals on September 16 in Aberdeen. Thursdays meeting in Sioux Falls marked the second hearing. The boards next scheduled meetings are February 10 in Pierre and April 14 in Rapid City.

K-8 Computer-science standards

Several people commented during the public hearing about the proposed K-8 computer-science standards.

Rachel Pierson, who teaches computer technology for the Sioux Falls school district, said she was speaking for herself. She said many teachers dont feel confident in the subject, suggested that rural school districts might lack resources and said there could be confusion or redundancy because South Dakota already has educational technology content standards that were adopted in 2021.

Pierson said she strongly supports the proposed K-8 computer science standards provided that theyre accompanied by adequate investment. Asked whether those standards should extend beyond grade 8, Pierson said she could see that happening, eventually. I think K through 8 is a good start to get the foundational experience for all students, Pierson said.

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Benjamin Benson of Sioux Falls, who works at Sanford Research, serves as the current president for the Computer Science Teachers Association of South Dakota. He supported the proposed K-8 computer science standards. But, he noted, there are 10 fundamental principles and South Dakota currently meets only two. He said adopting the K-8 content standards would bring South Dakota up to three.

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 KELOLAND.com.
Shondiin Silversmith

Arizona Mirror

After the announcement that the preliminary investigation of the sexual harassment allegations she voiced against her boss would require no future investigation, Navajo Nation Vice President Richelle Montoya said she wants the full report to be released to understand precisely how that conclusion came about.

I expect to receive a full copy of the investigation report to come to my own conclusions, Montoya said because she wants to know what laws from the Navajo Nation guided the investigation and, ultimately, the decision.

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I will not rely on the summary of the investigation provided in a press release, she said, adding that she did receive an email that the full report would be shared with the public once it was shared with Navajo leadership.

Related: Investigation clears Navajo president of sexual harassment claim

However, she doesnt know if she is included in that leadership, even though she is the vice president. She contacted Navajo Nation Attorney General Ethel Branch  who was fired on Monday  and requested the full report but has not received a response.

The eight-month investigation into the sexual harassment claims that Montoya made against Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren concluded that the events that occurred did not constitute sexual harassment, and further investigation was not warranted, according to preliminary findings released Monday.

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Vice President Montoyas recounting of the August 17, 2023, incident does not constitute sexual harassment under policies applicable to either Navajo Nation elected officials or employees covered by the Navajo Nation [Personnel Policies Manual], investigators wrote. Further, the facts reported would not constitute a violation of any criminal law of the Navajo Nation.

The Navajo Nation Attorney Generals Office launched an outside investigation into the allegations in April after Montoya voiced her claims of harassment and bullying.

Montoya first shared that she had been dealing with issues within the Navajo Nations Office of the President and Vice President during her remarks as part of the Navajo Nation Councils spring session on April 15.

During a Facebook Live on April 16, Montoya followed up on her remarks by sharing that she was sexually harassed and bullied in an incident that occurred in August of 2023, but she did not name the alleged perpetrator.

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In May, Nygren confirmed in a press conference that Montoya was accusing him of acting improperly in a meeting in his office on Aug. 17, 2023.

Montoya said the investigations alleged outcome shows that even high-ranking elected tribal officials claims of harassment can be dismissed and disregarded.

President Nygren did harass me that day in his office, and he has been harassing me every day since, she added. He and his staff have created a hostile work environment for everyone to witness.

In response to the preliminary investigation results, Nygren said in a press release that the allegations against him were nothing but a disgraceful power grab and an attempt to remove him as president.

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In an interview with the Arizona Mirror, Montoya said that is a laughable claim, and she has always made it clear to the president and his staff that she never intends to be president of the Navajo Nation.

I was elected to be vice president, she said. Thats the job that I said I would do (and) thats the job that my constituents voted me to do.

Ive never tried to grab for power or his position, she added.

Montoya said she still goes to her office at the capitol in Window Rock, which is in the same building as the Navajo Nation Presidents office. However, she has only seen Nygren in passing and has not spoken to him directly since April.

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In October, Nygren called for Montoyas resignation. She said she never considered resigning because she committed to her vice-presidential role when sworn into office in 2023. She said she plans to do her best until her term ends.

It hasnt been easy, (but) I still do my job, Montoya said. She still focuses on the priorities she set out during her campaign, which include missing and murdered Indigenous relatives, implementing pet initiatives across the Navajo Nation and working with local chapter house leadership.

Montoya said she continues to work on those projects, even after Nygren terminated her authority over any projects, and she hopes to add updating Navajo Nation policies and procedures to her list of projects because she wants to help protect people working on the Navajo Nation, not only in the government but with any entities on the reservation.

Montoya said she did not have guidance on how to report what happened in August 2023. She said she sought help from Branch and other attorneys within the Navajo Nation government but received none.

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Nobody knew what to do, she said, adding that the policies related to sexual harassment and misconduct on the Navajo Nation need to be updated.

Montoya said a lot of people have reached out to her since April about their experiences of sexual harassment, and she feels it is unfortunate that this is the result of the investigation into her case.

She said many have told her they have been told it did not happen or have been questioned about how they remember the traumatic event. She said that is what happened to her, but she knows what happened and how she felt back in August 2023.

I know what I saw that day, Montoya said. (Nygren) wouldnt let me leave his office even though I asked four times, and I want other individuals out there to know that I believe them.
Naval aviator Lieutenant (Lt.) Cameron Baxter was recently honored for obtaining 1,020 flight hours in 2.5 years, all while training nearly 600 future military aviators. Few instructors fly so many hours in such little time. In August, Lt. Baxter was presented with a Navy and Marine Corps commendation medal for his accomplishment. It was bestowed to him for significantly contributing to his training squadrons success.

Being a flight instructor was very rewarding  easily one of the best jobs Ive had. Theres a certain feeling of satisfaction you get when you see your students have their first Aha! moment when the figurative light bulb comes on, and they finally nail that maneuver they were working on, Lt. Baxter said.

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Lt. Baxter, a Chickasaw citizen, was stationed at Naval Air Station, Whiting Field, Milton, Florida. He is currently stationed aboard the USS America (LHA-6), an amphibious assault ship based in Sasebo, Japan.

Although Lt. Baxter has been in the Navy for just more than nine years, he has been influenced by the military his entire life. As the son of a U.S. Marine, Lt. Baxter has lived all over the world. His father, retired Gunnery Sergeant (Gunnery Sgt.) Bryan Baxter, attributes his sons success to hard work , dedication , perseverance and determination, along with the educational help from the Chickasaw Nation.

As an accomplished aircraft pilot, Lt. Baxter has been certified to fly the T-6B Texan II training aircraft, among others. The Navy has also trained Lt. Baxter to fly helicopters, including the MH-60R Seahawk. The MH-60R has many missions, including antisubmarine warfare, surface warfare, electromagnetic warfare, command and control, and many noncombat missions.

Lt. Baxter is known as Shrimp among his fellow pilots and maintenance crew. Like many others, this personalized name was given to him through light, good-natured hazing.

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Shrimp is my call sign. In early 2019, I went on an underway with a group of guys. The guys I was with were all really tall, like 63 or taller. For reference, Im about 59 on a good day, so they were kind of already calling me Shrimp, as a way of teasing me, Lt. Baxter said.

We had pulled into port in California, where we were allowed to get off the ship and enjoy liberty. At one of the various Mexican restaurants we attended, I must have bitten into some shrimp that was left out too long. I quickly came down with food poisoning. That was all it took for my call sign to stick. It was a very long time after that before I had shrimp again, Lt. Baxter said.

Among military commands, call signs are unique monikers used to identify leaders, military personnel or subunits. These are used to make it more difficult for opponents to gather valuable intelligence during missions.

Lt . Baxter has also found the time to enhance his professional status by completing commercial airline training. Lt. Baxter has completed both Commercial Multi-Engine Rating at the Sanders Aviation Flight School in Jasper, Alabama, and the Delta Airlines Transportation Pilot Certification Training Program in Atlanta, Georgia.

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These two courses are requirements for Lt. Baxter to fly commercial airlines, which he plans to do when exiting active duty within the next two years. According to Lt. Baxter, the Chickasaw Nations higher education programs helped to fund the education courses.

Years after joining the Navy, while working on my commercial aviation ratings, I reached out to the Chickasaw education program. They granted me two separate Career Technology Program grants, Lt. Baxter said.

I owe the Chickasaw Nation a lot of credit. They have been supportive throughout the years, largely in funding my education expenses, both in school and in my commercial aviation flight training, Lt. Baxter said.

According to Gunnery Sgt. Baxter, the Chickasaw Nation helped shape Lt. Baxter into the officer he is today.

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Cameron is a success story, Gunnery Sgt. Baxter said. He has had much success as a small-town high school graduate from Silo, Oklahoma. The Chickasaw Nation assisted Cameron throughout school, college and getting into Navy Officer Candidate School. While in school both of our boys received clothing grants from the Chickasaw Nation and assistance with orthodontist costs.

The Chickasaw Nation assisted with college tuition and book cost while Cameron was attending both Southeastern Oklahoma State University and Georgia Southwestern State University ,  Gunnery Sgt. Baxter said.

Lt. Baxter is proud of his Chickasaw heritage. He said he receives his Chickasaw blood from his mother, Alisa. His Chickasaw grandfather is Billy Moore of Kingston, Oklahoma. They are direct descendants of original Dawes enrollee Joseph Sim Miller.
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS)  Have you experienced buying something from a company that looked credible, and suddenly the business closed?

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is offering tips to residents on what to do if customers are left without goods they purchased from a business scam as part of her Holiday Scams Campaign.

Nessel says these closures can leave customers without the goods or services they paid for, often creating financial and logistical challenges.

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Unexpected business closures are disruptive and often leave consumers vulnerable, said Nessel in a news release. Acting swiftly to protect your finances and privacy can make all the difference for your peace of mind. Were here to help ensure Michigan residents navigate these challenges and safeguard their rights.

Here are some steps to follow when dealing with sudden business closures:

If you paid by credit card, contact your credit card company immediately to dispute the charges for any undelivered goods or services.

If you have not received the goods or services paid for by check, ask your bank to initiate a stop payment on any outstanding checks.

If you signed a financing agreement, dispute payments with the finance company for items not received.

If you authorized automatic payments, cancel future withdrawals through your financial institution.

If you purchased insurance for medical devices, alert your insurance provider if a covered device was affected.

How to protect your rights:

Gathering all receipts, invoices, and records of transactions.

Attempting to contact the companys headquarters or customer service line.

Lodging a formal complaint on the companys website.

Filing a complaint with the Attorney Generals Consumer Protection Team at 877-765-8388 or through the online complaint portal.

Nessel says if the business is located out of Michigan, contact that states attorney general for assistance.

How to minimize potential losses before making a purchase:

Research the Business: Check reviews, and company history, and consult the Attorney Generals Consumer Protection Team or Better Business Bureau for any complaints.

Limit Upfront Payments: Pay only what is necessary to secure an order, and use a credit card for added security.

Review Contracts Carefully: For ongoing services, request monthly payment options rather than prepaying in full.

Click here to see all of Nessels holiday scam alerts.

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.
The Navy and Air Force are now cleared to resume flying their grounded V-22 Ospreys after conducting inspections on a crucial gearbox in the tiltrotor aircraft, and some are already back in the air.

The military temporarily stopped flying some Ospreys on Dec. 9 after a near crash in New Mexico in November. The Marines soon resumed its Osprey flights, but the Navy and Air Force kept them on the ground longer while they further reviewed what was causing metal components to fail.

Naval Air Systems Command, or NAVAIR, issued a bulletin to the fleet Friday morning ordering crews to verify how many hours each aircrafts proprotor gearbox had flown.

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If an Ospreys gearbox meets or exceeds a particular number of flight hours  NAVAIR would not say how many due to operational security concerns  it can resume flying under limitations issued in March.

But if the gearbox is found to have fewer flight hours, it will have to fly under a new and stricter set of limitations, Air Force Special Operations Command Spokeswoman Lt. Col. Becky Heyse told Defense News. Heyse said the groundings were not absolute, and some Ospreys kept flying to conduct necessary operations.

The fatal crash of an Air Force CV-22 near Japan in November 2023 was caused by a cracked gear, which had impurities called inclusions that weakened the metal. Similar metal weaknesses may have also caused the near crash near Cannon Air Force Base last month.

Osprey manufacturer Bell is working with the V-22 Joint Program Office to upgrade some of the aircrafts gears to make those weakening impurities less common.

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But that will take some time to roll out, Heyse said, and the military had to find a way to get its Ospreys back in the air in the meantime.

Its really important we dont keep these aircraft grounded, Heyse said. This allows us to fly and keep pilot proficiency while a longer-term fix is put in place.

Studies of the Osprey have shown that when those impurities cause gear cracks, Heyse said, it typically happens in their early life. Once they have flown a certain number of hours and are broken in, she said, they are less likely to crack and the military is more confident in them. That is why the Ospreys under the flight hour threshold must adhere to the more conservative restrictions, she said.

The stricter guidelines for those Ospreys will stay in place until their gearboxes are upgraded, or they exceed the flight hour threshold, NAVAIR said.

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Air Force Special Operations Command had already been inspecting some aircraft before today and verifying how many flight hours their gearboxes had, according to Heyse. Those Ospreys are already flying, she said.

The inspection process for each aircraft doesnt take long, she said.

The military declined to say how many Ospreys are affected by these changes, and what their additional flight restrictions are, for security reasons.

The Marine Corps has by far the most Ospreys in its fleet, at about 350. The Air Force has about 52 Ospreys, and the Navy has roughly 30.
NORTH CAROLINA (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  Members of North Carolinas congressional delegation are concerned if a new proposed federal budget will allocate enough money to help those impacted by Hurricane Helene, after the original deal fell apart.

President-elect Donald Trump and even billionaire Elon Musk bashed the first version for allowing excessive spending.

More than $100 billion in disaster relief was promised initially. Charlotte Congresswoman Alma Adams told Queen City News that included nearly $9 billion for North Carolina.

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Republicans from hurricane-ravaged states warn against stripping disaster aid from spending bill

As lawmakers hammer out a budget in Washington, residents in Western NC still need help. Jason Kimak with Samaritans Purse says the recovery is far from over, despite their best efforts to help people rebuild.

Youll still see a lot of debris, youll still see homes that had landslides come around them, youll still see cars and the river overturned from when the storm hit, said Kimak.

Sen. Thom Tillis says hes prepared to read off storm victims stories for a filibuster.

North Carolina Sens. Thom Tillis and Ted Budd as well as South Carolinas Lindsey Graham told reporters on Thursday afternoon that they all thought the original proposal had problems, but that the president-elect agreed disaster aid needed to be included.

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I agree with President Trump that we could do better than the CR that was before us and I also agree with President Trump, because he reaffirmed to me yesterday that he believes that disaster relief is absolutely essential before we go home, said Tillis.

If any proposal fails to provide enough help to Western NC, Tillis and Budd will delay any vote in the Senate by filibustering. The two plan to read letters they received from hurricane victims.

Youre gonna hear these stories on the Senate floor for as long as my voice and my colleagues voice can be heard, Tillis added.

Any budget that is agreed to needs to be passed before the 12:01 am deadline on Saturday.

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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 Queen City News.
(Bloomberg) -- A key former ally of Justin Trudeaus said he would vote to topple the government, a move that would likely plunge the country into an election early next year unless the prime minister seeks a temporary suspension of parliament.

Most Read from Bloomberg

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Jagmeet Singh, leader of the New Democratic Party, said in a public letter that he will put forward a motion of non-confidence in the government at the next parliamentary sitting, which is set to begin Jan. 27.

If all other major opposition parties vote with the NDP, Trudeaus government would have to resign, triggering an election campaign in Canada soon after Donald Trump returns to power in Washington.

Trudeaus Liberal Party does not have a majority in the House, and until now it has been relying on NDP votes to pass legislation and keep the government going. Singh and Trudeau had a formal agreement to cooperate, which they struck in March 2022. But the NDP leader withdrew from that deal in September.

The Liberals dont deserve another chance, Singh said. Thats why the NDP will vote to bring this government down, and give Canadians a chance to vote for a government who will work for them.

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Singh issued the letter on Friday morning, shortly before Trudeau announced changes to his cabinet, an effort to restore stability after this weeks shocking resignation of Chrystia Freeland as finance minister. The Liberals are deeply unpopular in polls and the prime minister is facing pressure from within his caucus to step down after Freelands departure.

The prime minister is expected to reflect on his future as Liberal leader over the holiday period.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, whose party appears to be on track to win a large majority if an election is held soon, said Friday that he would ask the governor general to urgently reconvene parliament so lawmakers can take down the government right away.

This cannot go on with a US president coming in threatening tariffs next early next year. We cannot have a chaotic clown show running our government into the ground, Poilievre told reporters in Ottawa. What is clear is that Justin Trudeau does not have the confidence of parliament.

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Governor General Mary Simon is the representative of the monarch in Canada and is responsible for summoning, suspending and dissolving parliament. The governor general usually acts on the advice of the prime minister and it would be very unusual for her to take the sort of action Poilievre is requesting.

New Cabinet

Trudeau has the option of asking the governor general to prorogue parliament  terminating its current session  which would extend the time before lawmakers return to Ottawa and thus delay Singhs promised vote of non-confidence.

The new cabinet takes over at a time when the economy is in a state of major uncertainty because of Trumps threat to place 25% tariffs on all Canadian goods.

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Dominic LeBlanc  who joined the prime minister at a dinner meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in November  was sworn in as finance minister on Monday after Freeland quit.

David McGuinty, an Ottawa member of parliament since 2004, is taking on LeBlancs former role as minister of public safety, a position that includes responsibility for border security. Thats increased in importance ever since Trump tied his tariff threat to concerns about migrants and fentanyl flowing into the US, and LeBlanc has said Trudeau asked him to continue to take a leadership role on the issue even as finance minister.

This week, the government announced a C$1.3 billion ($906 million) border security plan that included expanded surveillance and a pitch for a North American strike force to tackle the fentanyl trade.

Anita Anand, a Toronto lawmaker, will keep the transport portfolio while also taking on the new position of internal trade, focused on reducing provincial trade barriers. Ginette Petitpas Taylor will take over Anands previous role as president of the Treasury Board, responsible for managing government departments finances.

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Nate Erskine-Smith, also representing a Toronto district in parliament, becomes housing minister after Sean Fraser quit earlier this week. Erskine-Smith has a podcast and is viewed as a strong communicator, essential given Canadians continued frustrations about the cost of housing. He had previously said he wouldnt run in the next election, but said Friday that hed changed his mind.

Other changes to cabinet include:

Rachel Bendayan is minister of official languages

Elisabeth Briere is minister of national revenue

Terry Duguid is minister of sport

Darren Fisher is minister of veterans affairs

Ruby Sahota is minister of democratic institutions

Joanne Thompson is minister of seniors

Gary Anandasangaree adds northern affairs to his Indigenous relations portfolio

Steven MacKinnon adds employment to his labor portfolio

--With assistance from Derek Decloet and Thomas Seal.

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(Updates with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievres comments beginning in the eighth paragraph.)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2024 Bloomberg L.P.
From July 2023 to July 2024, Nebraskas estimated population grew by 17,601 people, a 0.88% increase, passing the 2 million mark. As in prior years, a natural change of births minus deaths was positive, while domestic migration remained negative. The largest growth driver was international migration, reaching 12,978, said the Center for Public Affairs Research in an analysis of new Census data. (Courtesy of CPAR)

OMAHA  Nebraskas population has topped 2 million, according to newly released Census estimates, and a key driver was a jump in international migrants.

As of July, the estimated number of people in the state was 2,005,465.

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Thats a one-year addition of 17,601 Huskers. At an annual growth of 0.88%, Nebraska ranked as the 17th fastest-growing state in data released Thursday, according to Josie Schafer of the Center for Public Affairs Research, which is the states liaison to the Census Bureau.

Its strong growth, better than expected, said Schafer. Weve been pretty slow growth from the million to 2 million mark.

Notable international growth

Notable, she said, is the rise reported in international migration  nearly 13,000 of the states 17,601 overall population growth during the year came from other countries. Schafer said that more than doubled the estimated increase reported the year before.

Josie Schafer, Ph.D., is director of the Center for Public Affairs Research at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. (Courtesy of UNO)

That sharp increase reflected in international migration figures is more due to a change in the methods used to track the data nationally, rather than a sudden influx of newcomers from other countries, she said.

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The Census Bureau said that international migration estimates across the country were considerably higher than the year before. Schafer said the federal officials did not release updates for the previous years international growth reflecting the new methodology.

While international migration soared for Nebraska, as a percentage of the population, the increase was .65%, ranking 19th among states, said Schafer, director of the University of Nebraska at Omaha-based CPAR. In contrast, states like Florida and California reported hundreds of thousands of international migrants in the newest data.

Other population components of the newly released data:

Nebraskas natural change, births minus deaths for the year, netted about 6,000 new Huskers. That marked an increase from previous years, which Schafer said was expected due to the states younger population. The state ranks sixth nationally for natural change as a percentage of total population, the same rank as the prior year.

Domestic migration, people moving within the states, pointed to a net loss of about 1,500 for Nebraska between July 2023 and July 2024, marking the continuation of a trend.

Key to workforce demand

Bryan Slone of the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that he was not familiar with the Census Bureaus new methodology used to track international growth. But he said that an increase in the foreign-born population would align with what business leaders have known for some time.

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A big factor in our population growth, and therefore in our economic growth, has been international migration, Slone said.

From a workforce standpoint, he said, immigration will have to continue to play a significant role in filling the tens of thousands of vacant Nebraska jobs.

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China's debt-relief package, a pivotal step for economic stability, progress

08:21, December 20, 2024 By Wang Yaguang ( Xinhua

BEIJING, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Just as a single decisive move can energize a chess game, China's latest initiative to address local government debt risks marks a crucial step in revitalizing the growth prospects of the world's second-largest economy.

The move comes as China gears up to navigate economic headwinds both at home and abroad, with a supportive fiscal policy serving as a crucial pillar to sustain a steady and robust recovery.

Local governments, the linchpins of the country's fiscal outlays, were stuck in a dilemma of high debts and falling revenues, bringing challenges to the efforts of bolstering the economy. With the debt-relief package, a well-timed financial adjustment to ease local governments' financing strains, the country is better positioned to pursue the broader agenda of fostering economic stability and progress.

CRITICAL MOVE

Unveiled in November, the debt-relief package is "the most significant measure introduced in recent years" to tackle the challenges, according to Finance Minister Lan Fo'an.

It includes raising the debt ceiling of local governments by 6 trillion yuan (about 834.36 billion U.S. dollars) over the next three years to replace the existing "hidden debts," a form of off-budget borrowings through local government financing platforms, government investment funds, and other channels.

As of Wednesday, 29 provincial-level regions, including Beijing, Jiangsu and Guizhou, had issued or disclosed plans for refinancing bonds, meeting this year's issuance target of 2 trillion yuan.

Additionally, local governments are allowed to use 800 billion yuan annually in special-purpose bond issuance for the five consecutive years starting from 2024, aimed at providing debt relief to replace "hidden debts."

Officials estimate that swapping the off-budget debts for on-budget is expected to save 600 billion yuan in interest for local governments over five years.

The Ministry of Finance has confirmed that at the end of 2023, the "hidden debts" stood at 14.3 trillion yuan, which authorities aim to address by the end of 2028.

Under the new arrangements, some 2 trillion yuan of "hidden debts" accumulated from housing improvement projects in run-down areas due by 2029 and beyond will also be paid in accordance with the original contracts.

Analysts believe the debt swap program will unclog capital flow to the real economy and help sustain the momentum of the economic recovery.

With the debt-relief package, the total hidden debts that local governments need to address by the end of 2028 will be cut from 14.3 trillion yuan to 2.3 trillion yuan. This can free up financial resources and policy space for local governments to promote development, improve people's well-being, boost investment and consumption, and support technological innovation, according to Lan.

CHANGING APPROACH

Besides its unprecedented scale, the package reflects a fundamental shift in China's approach to resolving local government debt risks, according to analysts.

Unlike the country's earlier efforts to resolve debt risks, the latest initiative reflects a shift from reactive crisis management to proactive and systemic resolution, and a transition from dual-track oversight of explicit and implicit debts to transparent and standardized management of all debts, said Fan Ruoying, a researcher at Bank of China.

It also indicates the central authority's guiding thoughts of defusing debt risks through development while trading time for development space, and illustrates the government's determination to promote economic growth while mitigating local government debt risks, said Luo Zhiheng, chief economist at Yuekai Securities.

Under the new arrangements, local governments still bear the debt repayment responsibility, but swapping to on-budget debts, with longer repayment periods and lower interests, can help ease the pressure on them to repay short-term debts. Effective debt swaps allow local governments to have more funds and space to promote economic growth and ensure people's livelihoods.

Lan said the finance ministry, together with relevant departments, will maintain a "zero tolerance" stance on increases of new hidden debts, further improve the local government debt management, and accelerate the establishment of a debt system with Chinese characteristics in line with the country's high-quality development.

The third plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China Central Committee, held in July, made arrangements concerning the issue, which include improving the government debt management system, establishing a system for monitoring and regulating all local government debt as well as long-term mechanisms for preventing and defusing hidden debt risks, and moving faster to reform and transform local government financing platforms.

STRONGER POLICY SUPPORT

The expedited implementation of the debt-relief package indicates that China is enhancing the intensity of its proactive fiscal policy, and the country still has a relatively large space for fiscal policy maneuvering, with its government debt level far lower than that of other major economies, according to officials and economists.

By the end of 2023, the average government debt-to-GDP ratio for G20 countries was 118.2 percent, while the average debt-to-GDP ratio for G7 countries stood at 123.4 percent, according to data from the International Monetary Fund.

In contrast, China's total government debt was 85 trillion yuan by the end of 2023, resulting in a government debt ratio of 67.5 percent.

The country has set its deficit-to-GDP ratio at 3 percent for 2024, which means 4.06 trillion yuan in government deficit, an increase of 180 billion yuan over the 2023 budget figure, according to this year's government work report.

China has vowed to implement a more proactive fiscal policy in 2025, set a higher deficit-to-GDP ratio and ensure that its fiscal policy is continuously forceful and more impactful, according to last week's tone-setting meeting, the Central Economic Work Conference.

Next year, China will actively use the room for a higher deficit, increase the issuance of local government special-purpose bonds, continue to issue ultra-long special treasury bonds, and increase transfer payments from the central government to local governments, said Lan last month.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
By Akbar Novruz



On December 18, 2024, the German-Azerbaijani Chamber of Commerce (AHK Azerbaijan) held its Members' General Meeting, bringing together over 80 representatives from the business community.

Held biannually, the event serves as a platform to review the Chambers activities, celebrate accomplishments, and outline future objectives.

The meeting opened with a welcoming address by Anar Hasanov, Chairman of the Board of AHK Azerbaijan. Hasanov announced that 15 new companies joined the Chamber in the last six months, bringing the total membership to 196, encompassing a wide range of industries from both Germany and Azerbaijan. The commitment and quality of our Chambers work continue to attract companies from diverse sectors, which is a testament to our shared success, he remarked. Hasanov also highlighted the contributions of the Chambers working groups and acknowledged the dedication of their chairs in driving impactful initiatives.

In his address, Hasanov presented an overview of AHK Azerbaijans activities throughout the year, including delegation trips, B2B events, and social gatherings. He extended his gratitude to the companies that provided sponsorship support, recognizing their vital role in advancing the Chambers projects.

Dr. Ralf Horlemann, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Azerbaijan, also addressed the attendees, reflecting on the German Embassys initiatives during COP29, which included facilitating business visits for over 300 German delegates to Azerbaijan. Dr. Horlemann praised AHK Azerbaijans contributions during the global climate conference and expressed optimism about a stronger German-Azerbaijani partnership in the post-COP29 era, particularly in the transformation of the energy system.

The newly appointed Executive Director of AHK Azerbaijan, Nargis Wieck, introduced herself to the members. Azerbaijan is a strategically important partner for both Europe and Germany. Beyond its pivotal role in energy and logistics, the country offers a wealth of business opportunities, Wieck noted. She emphasized Azerbaijans ongoing efforts to modernize its economy and underscored the potential for German technology and expertise to play a crucial role in fostering sustainable growth.

During the meeting, Board Member Farid Guliyev presented the financial report for the past year and oversaw the election of internal auditors for 2025. Following the voting process, Zalbey Agadadashov (Director, Turan Legal and Tax LLC), Vugar Hajiyev (QHSE Team Leader, PMD Project LLC), and Zahra Aliyeva (Director, German Language Training Center) were elected as the internal auditors.

The event concluded with the introduction of new members and a business dinner, providing attendees with valuable networking opportunities and fostering collaboration across industries.

Note that, the German-Azerbaijani Chamber of Commerce (AHK Azerbaijan) is the official representative of the German economy in Azerbaijan providing information services and support to the companies in their market and business research since 2012.
Law enforcement officers speak together outside Robb Elementary School following the mass shooting there on May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

LINCOLN  The Nebraska Department of Education has distributed $10 million to about half of the states public school districts and a few dozen private schools to improve school safety and security infrastructure.

The funds were divided among 122 public districts and 43 private schools for projects in the next year, such as to strengthen doors and windows or install cameras and lighting. State lawmakers approved the proposal as part of Legislative Bill 705, which passed 47-0 in 2023 as a large package of legislation from the Legislatures Education Committee.

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One measure, LB 516 from State Sen. Lynne Walz of Fremont, included recommendations from the states School Safety Task Force that formed after the May 24, 2022, shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Nineteen children and two teachers were killed.

It was the deadliest school shooting since 20 children and six adults were killed in 2012, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Sandy Hook is the deadliest K-12 school shooting in the countrys history.

State Sen. Lynne Walz of Fremont. Aug. 1, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)

Walz, a former teacher and former Education Committee chair, called for the task force two days after the Uvalde shooting. Members represented law enforcement, city leaders, public and private school educators and parents.

It is great to see that this legislation is going to be able to improve security measures in so many schools throughout our state, and protect students and teachers in schools, Walz told the Nebraska Examiner. The safety of our students is a bipartisan priority and something I am proud to have championed during my time in the Legislature.

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State Sen. Jana Hughes, a former Seward school board member, said she was pumped that so many schools got grant funds, including in her legislative district.

Application process

The Nebraska Department of Education began soliciting grant applications in February and reviewed applications for a variety of factors, including:

The needs, objectives, assessment and implementation of the requests.

Stakeholder engagement.

A districts poverty percentage.

Evidence-based programs.

Allowable uses of grant funds.

The department received a total of 217 applicants: 162 public districts and 55 private schools, through local Educational Service Units. Requests totaled $60.4 million.

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An evaluation committee that included department administrators, school safety team members, mental health personnel, program coordinators, former superintendents and principals initially recommended awarding $16.4 million in funds. This was pared back to the $10 million limit.

Funding projects that dealt with prevention were prioritized over those dealing with preparedness, response and recovery, which are four pillars of school safety, according to the Education Department.

Grant funds will be used for audio/communication systems, bollards, cameras, controlled access systems, door locks, fencing, front office/vestibule builds or remodels, glass/safety film to tint or strengthen windows, key fobs, lighting, phone systems, replacing or strengthening doors, Stop the Bleed kits and walkie talkies.

Locked classroom doors were a key best practice outlined in the Sandy Hook Advisory Commission report.

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The majority of funds were awarded to projects dealing with doors, locks, vestibules/entryways and access systems.

Members of the community gather at the City of Uvalde Town Square for a prayer vigil in the wake of a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School on May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. (Jordan Vonderhaar/Getty Images)

About 50 districts or schools that applied did not receive funds because school leaders didnt correctly complete the application process, the application scored low on an evaluation rubric or the request wasnt covered under the grant, such as mental health services or school personnel.

The minimum grant amount was $2,000, which was used for less preventative requests. About 10 districts or schools refused the funds because they didnt fully fund their planned projects.

Statewide impact

Nearly 200,000 students will be served through the grants in public and private schools.

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Just over 140,000 students are covered in about a dozen urban districts, while 92% of schools for the remaining students are in geographic rural areas across the state.

Public school districts received about 89% of the funds, or $8.9 million. Funds must be obligated by Aug. 15, 2025.

State Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil, Education Committee chair and a former school board member for what is now Sandy Creek Schools, said the requests demonstrated a huge demand for stronger structural security statewide in rural and urban, large and small districts.

Unfortunately, we need to do that in our schools, to strengthen them structurally, Murman said.

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Walzs proposal also included $870,000 in state funds for the states Safe2HelpNE anonymous reporting line. The statewide reporting system supports threat assessment teams or law enforcement and seeks to reduce potential risks or incidents of violence for Nebraska students or schools. Lawmakers created the system in 2021 and funded it for three years with available federal funds.

Anonymous reports can be submitted at any time online, over the phone at 833-980-7233 (SAFE) or through mobile apps for Android or Apple.

A need to change society

Murman led another Education Committee package this spring, LB 1329, which included LB 1339 from State Sen. Tom Brewer of north-central Nebraska. That measure allows school boards to authorize select school security personnel to carry firearms on school grounds.

State Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil, right, talks with State Sen.-elect Victor Rountree of Bellevue at a legislative retreat in Kearney on Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)

The bill took effect July 19, 2024, for private schools. It will apply to public school districts that are Class I or Class II  with fewer than 5,000 total inhabitants in the district  after Jan. 1.

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After that date, the states education commissioner will reclassify small public school districts into Class I or Class II districts. Currently, all districts are classified as Class III except Lincoln Public Schools (Class IV) and Omaha Public Schools (Class V).

The State Board of Education on Dec. 6 approved a model firearms policy in consultation with the Nebraska State Patrol for Brewers legislation.

An analysis by the North Platte Telegraph found that across 28 counties in western and west-central Nebraska, 50 out of 58 school districts fell under the 5,000 population limit. Of those, 17 were more than 15 minutes away from the nearest police station or sheriffs office.

Cody-Kilgore Public Schools in Cherry County, for example, in Brewers district, is 40 minutes and roughly 38 miles from the nearest law enforcement office, according to the Telegraph.

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Murman said the proposals from Brewer and Walz represent two approaches to keeping children safe. School size, beliefs and distance from law enforcement or emergency providers, Murman added, might make one approach more practical than the other.

I think the only way to truly protect our students is we have to  and, unfortunately, its not going to be easy to  change society, Murman said.

Grant recipients by Educational Service Unit (ESU)

ESU 1

Public school districts: 8

Private schools: 1

ESU 2

Public school districts: 9

Private schools: 1

ESU 3

Public school districts: 13

Private schools: 8

ESU 4

Public school districts: 7

Private schools: 1

ESU 5

Public school districts: 7

Private schools: 0

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ESU 6

Public school districts: 9

Private schools: 1

ESU 7

Public school districts: 9

Private schools: 4

ESU 8

Public school districts: 8

Private schools: 3

ESU 9

Public school districts: 5

Private schools: 0

ESU 10

Public school districts: 18

Private schools: 1

ESU 11

Public school districts: 4

Private schools: 0

ESU 13

Public school districts: 11

Private schools: 1

ESU 15

Public school districts: 1

Private schools: 0

ESU 16

Public school districts: 9

Private schools: 0

ESU 17

Public school districts: 3

Private schools: 0

ESU 18

Public school districts: 0

Private schools: 11

ESU 19

Public school districts: 1

Private schools: 11

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People who live near where a man shot at officers and wounded a canine say they feel a bit uneasy that hes still hasnt been found.

They say it doesnt help that officers are no longer on the ground searching for him.

Channel 2s Tom Jones was the first reporter to arrive on South Highway 29 in Grantville, where police had set up a command center while they searched for 51-year-old Ira Williams on Wednesday afternoon.

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The GBI released his picture Thursday afternoon and we learned he is from Rockdale County.

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Meanwhile, people who lived nearby were frantic seeing all the police activity. Trellis Zachary say a friend called her asking if she was okay.

Theres a man thats loose in your neighborhood, Zachary recalled her friend saying.

Zachary told Channel 2 Action News that shed looked outside and seen dozens of officers and felt safe.

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But then I got up in the middle of the night. Was like 12 oclock. And I peeped out the window and I was like I dont see the blue lights anymore. Im not safe, Zachary said. Theyre gone. Oh no.

Grantvilles Mayor Michael Proctor told Jones his police chief let him know the on-ground search had been called off.

Williams is accused of handing a state trooper his license during a traffic stop, then leading officers on a chase from I-85 to Grantville, shooting at them and wounding a canine.

Police say he ran into thick woods just off South Highway 29 and Calico Loop Wednesday. There was a massive police presence as officers searched for him, but they never found him.

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Business owner Jeffrey Ford thinks he knows why. I dont think hes still in Grantville. I dont. He gone. Really, he told Channel 2 Action News.

Ford owns Nards BBQ on South Highway 29. We caught up with him as he cooked his meat, Ribs. Chicken. Potatoes.

Hes near where Williams disappeared. But he says hes not worried. Hes former military. Even though he thinks Williams has left the area, hes not taking any chances.

Just keep your eyes peeled. And your ears open you know what I mean, Ford said.

Over at the hardware store on Highway 29, worker Jackson Lonnie said hes not worried about his safety, but he is concerned. For him, he said with a wry smile. Yeah. He ought to give himself up.

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Some members of the community in Grantville believe that officers ended the ground search for Williams since they have his drivers license and know what he looks like.

The GBI said Wednesday that Georgia State troopers initially stopped Williams for an obscured license plate.

The mayor said that while the on-ground search is off, officers have stepped up patrols in the area.

In the meantime, K-9 Amor is recovering.

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Nestle (NSRGY) just rolled out a new protein shot drink that it says will help people looking to lose weight manage their hunger and naturally produce GLP-1, the hormone weight-loss drugs mimic. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ruled Thursday that the shortage of tirzepatide  the active ingredient in Eli Lillys weight-loss drug Zepbound  is over, rattling the weight-loss industry. Popular weight-loss drugs such as Wegovy and Zepbound are boosting the use of healthcare in the U.S., leading to an uptick in patients getting diagnosed and starting prescriptions for other conditions, according to a new analysis.

Check out those stories and more pharmaceutical news highlights from this week.

Bryan Johnson, founder and chief executive officer of Kernel Holding SA, speaks during the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., on Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021. - Image: Bloomberg / Contributor (Getty Images)

Bryan Johnson, the tech entrepreneur and millionaire who became famous for infusing his sons plasma into his blood in an effort to prolong his life, said he is now microdosing the popular weight-loss drug Zepbound. Johnson posted a thread on the social media site X this Thursday describing his new longevity protocol. While GLP-1s are primarily known as weight-loss medications, Johnsons interest in the drug class that includes Zepbound stems from dozens of trials and new studies exploring their broader health benefits beyond weight loss.

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An Eli Lilly & Co. Zepbound injection pen arranged in the Brooklyn borough of New York, US, on Thursday, March 28, 2024. - Image: Bloomberg / Contributor (Getty Images)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ruled Thursday that the shortage of tirzepatide  the active ingredient in Eli Lillys (LLY) popular diabetes and weight-loss drugs Mounjaro and Zepbound  is over. The news could put pressure on companies that have been able to sell off-brand versions of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs because of widespread shortages.

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CVS is the largest pharmacy chain in the U.S.

CVS (CVS) and its subsidies unlawfully dispensed massive quantities of opioids and other controlled substances over more than a decade, according to the Department of Justice. The DOJ on Wednesday unsealed a civil complaint against the countrys largest pharmacy chain operator, alleging that the pharmaceutical company had filled invalid prescriptions since October 2013, violating the Controlled Substances Act. The complaint also alleges that CVS sought reimbursement from federal health care programs for the prescriptions, which would violate the False Claims Act.

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Family Christmas meal with home cooked food being served at dining table, traditional holly with berries garnishing roasted vegetables, Christmas cracker on table with wine and candles. - Image: 10'000 Hours (Getty Images)

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For many people, the holidays mean large family dinners with filling sides, sweet treats, and festive drinks  all things for which weight-loss drugs are designed to reduce cravings. Its no wonder that many users of popular weight-loss medicines such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound are turning to social media this year seeking advice on how to navigate the holiday season. However, medical experts recommend against skipping doses of these drugs.

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A birds nest logo sits on display at the Nestle SA headquarters in Vevey, Switzerland. - Image: Bloomberg / Contributor (Getty Images)

Nestle, the worlds largest producer of packaged food, just rolled out a new protein shot drink that it says will help people looking to lose weight manage their hunger. This is the companys most recent move to meet growing consumer interest in weight-loss products, sparked by the popularity of GLP-1 treatments like Ozempic and Wegovy.

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Still life of Wegovy an injectable prescription weight loss medicine that has helped people with obesity. It should be used with a weight loss plan and physical activity. - Image: UCG / Contributor (Getty Images)

Popular weight-loss drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound are boosting the use of healthcare in the U.S., leading to an uptick in patients getting diagnosed and starting prescriptions for other conditions, according to a new analysis by health-data firm Truveta. The firm analyzed thousands of electronic patient records between 2020 and 2024 and found a noticeable bump in first-time diagnoses of sleep apnea, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes just days after a patient started a prescription for a GLP-1 weight-loss drug.

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Former Republican presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands during a campaign rally at Desert Diamond Arena on August 23, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona. - Image: Rebecca Noble / Stringer (Getty Images)

President-elect Donald Trump answered a number of questions regarding his healthcare agenda during a press conference Monday at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. Throughout the press conference he defended his nominee to lead the U.S. Department of Human and Health Services (HHS), Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

I think hes going to be much less radical than you would think, Trump said about Kennedy. I think hes got a very open mind or I wouldnt have put him there.

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Noom CEO Geoff Cook. - Image: Noom

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One of the biggest stories  arguably the biggest  in pharma this year was weight-loss drugs. One of the most interesting subplots of this story has been the rise of lower-price, off-brand alternatives. Digital health companies such as Noom, Hims & Hers (HIMS), and even WeightWatchers (WW) all began offering compounded versions of popular weight-loss drugs this year  essentially custom-made formulations  for hundreds of dollars less than the brand-name options. Quartz spoke with Noom CEO Geoff Cook to get his take on what 2025 holds for the compounded drug market and the overall future of weight-loss drugs.

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A pharmacist holds a box of Novo Nordisk A/S Ozempic brand semaglutide medication arranged at a pharmacy in Provo, Utah. - Image: Bloomberg / Contributor (Getty Images)

Novo Nordisks (NVO) blockbuster diabetes drug Ozempic may have a potential link with an eye condition that causes vision loss, according to a non-peer reviewed study published Thursday on medRxiv. Diabetes patients using Ozempic were found to be over twice as likely to develop a rare eye condition known as NAION compared to those taking other diabetes medications, according to researchers who analyzed years of patient data from Denmark and Norway.

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LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  The Nevada Secretary of States Office is investigating 180 double-vote attempts from the 2024 general election, a report released Friday indicated.

The 180 double votes represent an attempt from a person to vote twice, whether intentional or not. Many double-vote attempts end up as voters who forgot they mailed in a ballot. A double vote can also occur if two people in the same household become confused about using one mail-in ballot, or if a voter accidentally voted in one state, moves and then votes in another, the department said.

Nevadas election systems prevent a voter from casting a second vote since each voter is given a unique identifier and can only vote once.

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The office had closed two double vote investigations as of Friday. In all, the 182 double-vote cases represent 0.0001% of the nearly 1.5 million ballots cast in Nevada in November.

Election security is a top priority for my office, and weve taken significant steps to ensure that Nevadas elections are some of the safest in the country, Nevada Democratic Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar said in a news release. The Secretary of States Office invested in enhanced cybersecurity, technology and investigative teams to ensure that our elections are protected and any issues that may come up can be addressed immediately. The 2024 election cycle was more secure than ever, and voters should be confident in the electoral process and their vote.

The department referred eight double vote cases to the Attorney Generals Office for prosecution from the June primary.

A new voter registration and management system helped find real-time discrepancies in potential double votes, the department said.

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More than 9,000 mail-in ballots across Nevada were not counted because voters did not verify their signatures before the curing deadline, according to data the 8 News Now Investigators reviewed.

There was no indication of widespread voter fraud in the 2020, 2022 or 2024 elections.

As the 8 News Now Investigators first reported, a Las Vegas man who voted twice in the 2020 election with his deceased wifes ballot was able to withdraw his plea on a felony charge and instead pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor as part of a plea deal where he avoided jail time and had to pay a $2,000 fine.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  Former MGM and Resorts World executive Scott Sibella portrayed himself as the victim of others who failed to file reports on suspicious cash transactions by a known illegal bookmaker at the MGM Grand Hotel. He lost his gaming license on Thursday and hell pay a $10,000 fine.

Sibella said he was an easy target for regulators while others escaped accountability for their actions, which Sibella alleged that they profited  something he said he never did.

He blamed the violations on subordinates who failed to file a suspicious activity report (SAR) after Wayne Nix, who pleaded guilty to bookmaking and tax charges in April 2022, paid a $120,000 casino marker in cash. Its the type of transaction the federal government monitors to prevent money laundering.

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Commissioner George Markantonis said, Quite frankly, they let you down, sir. And this is a statement to all of them, not to you. I think that your case, if theres anything good to come out of it for at least the industry, is that C-suite executives and owners, ownership groups of all of these companies, should take note of the fact that Nevadas compliance  adherence, actually, to Nevadas compliance standards, is non-negotiable.

Former Las Vegas casino executive sentenced to year of probation in bookmaking money laundering case

Sibellas blame was directed at casino hosts.

You dont have to take my word for it. You only need to look and see that since the investigation into these issues, MGM Resorts eighty-sixed many bookmakers that had been gambling in its casinos  and some of them for over 20 years, Sibella said in a prepared statement.

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The Nevada Gaming Commission approved a settlement that revokes Sibellas license, but he will have the opportunity to have his name removed from the list of excluded persons. That could come five years after the date of the transgression, stated in the NGC stipulation as Dec. 27, 2023. The settlement was expected after a document posted last week revealed the terms.

It was a momentous step for regulators. Gaming licenses are rarely revoked.

As commissioners spoke before voting on the matter, Chair Jennifer Togliatti acknowledged Sibellas claims that others committed the transgressions.

I would say, such is life  thats what happens, Togliatti said. Still, she voted with other commissioners, 3-0, to accept the settlement. Commissioner Rosa Solis-Rainey was not in attendance.

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The violations occurred while Sibella was at the MGM Grand, where he was president and chief operating officer for eight years. He left in 2019 to take the helm at Resorts World as it prepared for its 2021 opening on the Las Vegas Strip.

He abruptly separated from Resorts World in September 2023 as the resort said he violated company policies and the terms of his employment.

An ongoing investigation could mean steep penalties for Resorts World, but Sibellas settlement will shield him from repercussions.

Resorts World allowed culture of money laundering for illegal bookmakers, Nevada gaming regulators say

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I have caused my family to suffer and I am pained by the knowledge that I have to leave the industry that I love, Sibella said. At 62 years old, I know I still am capable of serving the industry in appropriate capacities.

Sibella appeared remotely by Zoom as commissioners took up the settlement on Thursday. He was unable to attend because of restrictions on his ability to travel, Togliatti said.

Sibellas full statement appears below:

OK, first of all, thank you for allowing me the opportunity to speak today. It was very important for me to explain the facts and circumstances that led to my plea agreement for failing to file a suspicious activity report, also known as a SAR. When I was the president of The MGM Grand Hotel, the time frame covered by the complaint, MGM Resorts at the corporate level performed all compliance functions. I did receive training regarding suspicious activity reports as well as other anti-money laundering matters. I was not, however, part of the compliance department. I never attended a compliance meeting or had any input with the compliance committee at MGM whatsoever. In fact, I was never given any forms that I could fill out to make a report to compliance if it had been necessary. I was only told to discuss with my superiors which I did many times. There was a preferred customer of MGM Resorts named Wayne Nix. Mr. Nix had gambled at various other MGM properties, but not The MGM Grand at the time this occurred. The marketing department for MGM Resorts created what was called Undercover Boss. These golfing trips would be attended by multiple preferred gamblers, MGM corporate executives and casino hosts. I was designated as the host of these outings. This is how I got to know Mr. Nix. On these trips, we bet on golf and made gentleman bets on sporting events just like all the other executives did on these trips. When I first met Mr. Nix, he already had been well established at MGM Resorts for almost three years. I had no idea he was a bookmaker. I only knew that he gambled on credit given to him by the MGM Resorts credit department. Accordingly, I relied on the fact that he would have been vetted for his occupation and credit by both the credit department and by compliance. Mr. Nix and I golfed a couple times in Las Vegas, and I ultimately learned he was an ex-major baseball player, a developer, a business owner, and as well as a bookmaker. Although we did make a few gentlemen bets, there was never a vig. I did not have an account with Mr. Nix. I was not a customer. I did not procure customers for him and I did not authorize any comps that he did not otherwise earn through his gambling activities and within MGM guidelines. Nor did I ever authorize Mr. Nix to be allowed to pay his markers with cash. I had no knowledge of how or when he paid his markers. It is my understanding that certain MGM casino hosts received kickbacks and assisted Mr. Nix in his endeavors. Those people have gone unprosecuted as far as I am aware. All their alleged contact was more egregious than mine. They personally benefited financially from their conduct. I received no personal financial benefit of any kind from my conduct. Nonetheless, I was the easy target. I was the president of a Las Vegas Strip hotel. The federal prosecutors in Los Angeles wanted to send a message loud and clear, that the failure by casinos and their executives to comply with anti-money laundering laws would not be tolerated. I recognize now that my failure to file a SAR was a violation of law and have accepted responsibilities for that. Never in my career did I file or cause a SAR to be filed. To my knowledge, no hotel president has ever filed a SAR. It was always left up to compliance. I have set forth these facts and circumstances. To let this commission understand the culture in which my failure occurred. You dont have to take my word for it. You only need to look and see that since the investigation into these issues, MGM Resorts eighty-sixed many bookmakers that had been gambling in these casinos and some of them for over 20 years. I have met with the board and its agents on multiple occasions and I have answered every question put to me on these and related issues. While this complaint against me focuses on my failure to file a SAR while at MGM Grand in 2019. I would note that the federal government and gaming have investigated both MGM and Resorts World Las Vegas regarding my tenure at those properties. The only charge brought against me was the failure to file a SAR  not to file a SAR  during my tenure at MGM. Todays stipulation, if approved, now resolves any gaming related issues during my time as an executive at both MGM and Resorts World. I have spent my entire career dedicated to the gaming industry and the betterment of Las Vegas. I have sat on various boards and committees all aimed to improve the Las Vegas community. I have developed programs and internships at UNLV where once I was celebrated. And now Im a pariah. Casino executive colleagues and friends wont even reach out to me. I have caused my family to suffer and I am pained by the knowledge that I have to leave the industry that I love. At 62 years old, I know I still am capable of serving the industry in appropriate capacities. These last two years have been a complete nightmare for me and my family. Published reports have labeled me as a dishonest, lying, sneaky, terrible person who committed a heinous crime. I am the only person in the gaming business to be charged for not filing a SAR that had no motive or personal benefit. In case you dont know, I have lost everything overnight. I have taken a massive hit for every casino worker in Las Vegas. But after todays hearing, I can now  begin to receive closure. Of course, I will live with this for the rest of my life, but after today there would be no more courts, hearings, meetings, attorneys or judges. I can now move on and enter the next chapter of my life. Through this process I have learned what the true meaning of friendship and loyalty is. The people I thought were my friends all scattered. Today you can see I have a new look, a lot of gray hair, I have new contact information and most importantly have a new outlook on life. I want to thank you for allowing me to hold a gaming license and senior executive positions for over 30 years. I truly enjoyed working in this great industry. While I would have preferred to surrender my license in a last act of dignity, the boards terms for doing so were simply unacceptable. Therefore, I humbly ask this commission to accept the proposed stipulation and agreed revocation of my license and approvals. Thank you again for listening today.

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Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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The Newton County Sheriffs Office says a 16-year-old girl who disappeared on Thursday has been located.

They did not provide details on where she was located.

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When she disappeared, deputies believed Valentine was with 37-year-old Kyonna Fannin.

The Newton County Sheriffs Office did not say how the two knew each other.

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NEW YORK (AP)  The man accused of gunning down United Healthcares CEO outside a Manhattan hotel is now jailed in New York, awaiting arraignment Monday on a state murder indictment after he was returned to the city in dramatic fashion to face charges in multiple courts.

Shackled and wearing an orange prison jumpsuit, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione was escorted Thursday by heavily armed police officers and whisked by air from Pennsylvania to Manhattan, where he appeared in a packed courtroom on federal charges that could bring the death penalty.

The Ivy League graduate, who prosecutors say inveighed against the health insurance industry and wealthy executives in his writings, was not required to enter a plea to federal charges of murder, stalking and firearms charges in the Dec. 4 killing of Brian Thompson. The state indictment charges Mangione with murder as a terrorist act.

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Heres whats next in the cases:

Jailed in Brooklyn

Mangione is being held without bail at Metropolitan Detention Center, the same federal jail where hip-hop mogul Sean Diddy Combs and cryptocurrency fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried are currently detained.

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.

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.

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State charges pending

Besides the federal charges filed Thursday, Mangione must still answer to a state murder indictment.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs office charged Mangione with murder as an act of terrorism, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole. He is also charged with state weapons offenses and possession of a fake ID.

Prosecutors have said the two cases will proceed on parallel tracks, with the state charges expected to go to trial first.

Mangiones lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, argued in court Thursday that the terrorism allegations in the state case and stalking charges in the federal complaint appear to be at odds.

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Those are two completely different theories, she said. These seem like different cases.

The U.S. Supreme Court in 2019 upheld a longstanding constitutional rule allowing state and federal governments to prosecute someone for the same crime.

Next court appearance

Mangione is set to be arraigned Monday in Manhattan on the state indictment, according to Bragg's office.

The University of Pennsylvania alum, who hailed from a prominent Maryland family and had also lived in Hawaii, had been expected to be arraigned Thursday on the state charges before the federal charges preempted that appearance.

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In the federal case, Mangione could next return to court for a bail hearing or for a preliminary hearing if prosecutors dont obtain a grand jury indictment by mid-January.

Death penalty looms

New York effectively effectively abolished its death penalty by 2007 and the last execution in the state was in 1963. But the federal death penalty remains in effect.

The federal complaint filed against Mangione includes a count of murder by firearm, which carries the possibility of the death penalty if he is convicted.

Federal prosecutors have not said if they will seek the death penalty. That decision will be made in coming months by Justice Department officials in Washington, likely after President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in on Jan. 20.

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President Joe Biden's administration put a moratorium on federal executions soon after he took office in 2021, but that hasn't stopped federal prosecutors from seeking the death penalty.

In contrast, Trump's administration carried out 13 executions in the last six months of his first term.

Pennsylvania charges on standby

Mangione also faces forgery and firearms charges in Pennsylvania stemming from his arrest last week, but those will likely not be addressed until the New York charges are resolved.

He initially fought attempts to be returned to New York, but ultimately waived extradition and a preliminary hearing on the Pennsylvania charges on Thursday.

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He is now in their custody, Blair County District Attorney Peter Weeks said after Mangione was extradited to New York. We intend to keep our case active and we intend to essentially revisit the case when the defendant is available for prosecution in Blair County.

___

Associated Press reporter Larry Neumeister in New York contributed to this story.

___

Follow Philip Marcelo at twitter.com/philmarcelo.
White supremacist influencer Nick Fuentes claims he was targeted by an armed would-be assassin at his home Wednesday night who was wanted in connection with a triple homicide earlier in the evening.

Fuentes posted Ring doorbell videos on X Thursday that appeared to show a man with a gun and a crossbow knocking on his door. Wearing a motorcycle helmet to disguise his face, the man rests the crossbow on a wall before pulling out the pistol. When there is no reply, he can be heard shouting: Yo, Nick!

Fuentes, a well-known far-right Holocaust denier who was once a guest of Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, said he was livestreaming at the time of the visit and the man left the address in Berwyn, Illinois.

The killer parked his car in front of my house and approached my door with his pistol drawn and what appears to be a crossbow. I was livestreaming at the time.



He rings the door bell, tries the doorknob and yells yo Nick! pic.twitter.com/5y1LF3Dv56  Nicholas J. Fuentes (@NickJFuentes) December 19, 2024

A gunman was shot later by officers after a late-night chase through a nearby residential area of Berwyn, during which he forced himself into a home and shot and killed two dogs, according to the Berwyn Police Department.

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The chase began when police responded to a report of a male subject with a gun around eight minutes after the timestamp visible in Fuentes videos.

The suspect reportedly refused commands to surrender and fired at officers. They responded and shot him dead, according to a release from the department.

The shooter was suspected of a triple homicide that happened earlier on Wednesday at a home about 140 miles away in Mahomet, Illinois, about 10 miles northwest of Champaign, the release adds.

Nick Fuentes says he was the target of a gunman. / NurPhoto / Zach D Roberts/NurPhoto via Getty Images

The dead man was identified by the Cook County Medical Examiners Office as John R. Lyons, 24, of Westchester, Illinois.

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Police have not officially confirmed the killer was the same man who targeted Fuentes.

But the streamer wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: According to police, the would-be assassin committed a triple homicide in southern Illinois early yesterday before he arrived at my doorstep with his pistol drawn, calling my name. I am grateful to God that I am still alive today.

Tragically, the gunman broke into a neighbors home to evade police & killed two of their dogs.



While heartbreaking, it could have been so unimaginably worse. God have mercy.



Doxing is not a game. This nihilistic lynch mob behavior must end before anyone else is killed.  Nicholas J. Fuentes (@NickJFuentes) December 19, 2024

Posting his doorbell videos on X, Fuentes wrote: The killer parked his car in front of my house and approached my door with his pistol drawn and what appears to be a crossbow. I was livestreaming at the time. He rings the doorbell, tries the doorknob, and yells Yo Nick!

In 2022, Fuentes was invited as a guest of rapper Kanye West, known as Ye, to dinner with Trump at his Palm Beach, Florida, estate. Trump confirmed the dinner on his Truth Social account but said he didnt know Fuentes was accompanying West.

I will now have to uproot my life and relocate. While I can handle whatever comes to my front door, it is irresponsible to expect my neighbors with young families to share that burden.



In the meantime I will have to contract 24 hour security to protect myself and my property.  Nicholas J. Fuentes (@NickJFuentes) December 19, 2024

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Posting about the gunman incident to his followers on Thursday, Fuentes said that his home address had been leaked online.

In another message, he wrote: Last night an armed killer made an attempt on my life at my home, which was recently doxed on this platform. The gunman carried a pistol, crossbow, and incendiary devices. I believe he intended to kill me. He is now dead. I am okay!

Fuentes claimed he would now need to relocate and was hiring 24-hour security to protect himself.

Tragically, the gunman broke into a neighbors home to evade police & killed two of their dogs, he wrote. While heartbreaking, it could have been so unimaginably worse. God have mercy. Doxing is not a game. This nihilistic lynch mob behavior must end before anyone else is killed.

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Authorities identified the people killed in Mahomet as Sara Mason, 26, Caleb Mason, 23, and Janis Mason, 61, according to WBBM-TV. Officers were called to the scene at 9.40 p.m. on Wednesday after gunshots were heard from the house.

The motive for the triple killing was unclear but a WCIA report said Champaign County Court records showed that Lyons sued Caleb Mason in June.

Police responded to a call to Fuentes home last month after a woman with a camera turned up unannounced and claimed she was squirted with a liquid and pushed down the steps. Fuentes was charged with misdemeanor battery in relation to the incident.

The woman, Marla Rose, told the Chicago Sun-Times she traveled to his home to ask him about a provocative post about abortion policies he wrote after Trumps election win last month which read: Your body, my choice. Forever.
Congress is scrambling to avoid a government shutdown before funding runs dry Friday night at midnight.

Thirty-eight Republicans voted against a proposal backed by President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday night to keep the government funded and raise the debt ceiling. This came after Trump waded into the debate over the funding deal following repeated outbursts from his newfound confidant Elon Musk.

Speaker Mike Johnson must now find a deal that can keep Trump and the conservatives in his own party on board, that can win the support of a significant number of House Democrats that can find support in the Democratic Senate and White House, and that at the same time allows him to retain the speakership.

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While its usually a good bet that lawmakers want to go home for the holidays and that shutdowns are seen as a losing proposition, both Trump and Johnson have been considering allowing a shutdown to happen, spending last night looking at the pros and cons, according to Politico.

But Johnsons team was also looking at the passage of a clean continuing resolution to keep the government open until January.

Senate Republicans grew irate Thursday after two proposals to keep the government open failed this week.

I get weary with the drama associated with this. This is so dysfunctional and so distracting from the things we should be doing, Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn said, according to The Hill. But he still said there was hope that well pull the rabbit out of the hat and find a government funding deal before the midnight deadline.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson speaks to the media during a vote on a spending bill. Chaos has errupted in D.C. after its failure (AFP via Getty Images)

Trump ally Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama said the failure of Johnsons latest proposal made a shutdown all but a certainty.

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Shut it down. Its whats going to happen. Theyre going to shut it down. I guess theyll try to work it out but, you know, shutting it down isnt going to make a lot of difference right now, he said, according to The Hill.

You could shut it down to January 5 and come back. Everyones going to get paid anyway, Tuberville added in reference to federal workers.

The senator was asked if Trump still has confidence in Johnson.

Well see after this fiasco, he said.

Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul indicated that he wasnt planning to back the legislation that Johnson tried to get through the House as he doesnt want to raise the debt ceiling unless its accompanied by major cuts in spending.

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The deal Johnson took to the floor of the House Thursday night would have raised new spending by $110 billion and the debt ceiling by more than $4 trillion.

Paul and other senators noted they dont know when the House may pass a deal that makes it to the Senate.

Its kind of a s***show over there, so who knows when thats going to happen, he said.

The failed vote Thursday night came after frenzied negotiations about how to avert a shutdown following Trumps shooting down of the more than 1,500-page continuing resolution revealed by congressional leaders Tuesday night.

Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) speaks to reporters following a vote to pass the American Relief Act on Capitol Hill. Senators have lamented the failure of the house to pass a spending bill (REUTERS)

The president-elect piled the pressure on House Republicans to pass a bill to raise the debt limit in order for President Joe Biden to get the blame for adding to the national debt. Trump suggested extending the debt ceiling until the end of his second term.

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Congress must get rid of, or extend out to, perhaps, 2029, the ridiculous Debt Ceiling. Without this, we should never make a deal. Remember, the pressure is on whoever is President, Trump wrote on Truth Social after 1 a.m. Friday.

If there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now, under the Biden Administration, not after January 20th, under TRUMP. This is a Biden problem to solve, but if Republicans can help solve it, they will! he added shortly before 8 a.m.

Johnsons replacement bill for the shot-down continuing resolution was a 116-page bill to keep the government funded until March 14 which included about $100 billion in disaster relief and $10 billion in farm aid.

But it was called laughable by House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Democratic lawmakers were heard chanting hell no as they met in the Capitol basement.

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Sen. Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, told reporters that Congress was dangerously close to a shutdown.

I dont know what the plan is now, she added, noting that Trumps call for a debt limit extension seems to have aggravated the Democrats considerably.

We cant have a government shutdown, and were getting dangerously close to that, she said, according to The Hill. She said she would back a three-week extension to avoid a shutdown and get Congress past the holidays.

GOP senators from states struck hard by Hurricanes Helene and Milton said they wouldnt support any bill that doesnt have a substantial amount of disaster relief.

I dont think $10 billion or $20 billion and a promise well do something more in March is an acceptable solution, Sen. Thom Tillis told the media earlier on Thursday. We know what the need is today, it was negotiated in package and it needs to be in a package to get my support to get out of here.
The former St. Xavier High School program administrator accused of having sex with a student was admonished by a judge Friday for asking a police officer assigned to the school about sending lunch and Christmas gifts to her former staff.

Among the conditions Emily Nutley must follow as part of her bond that allows her to remain out of jail while the case proceeds, is that she can't contact anyone at the school.

Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Jennifer Branch told Nutley, 42, that the bond order was clear  no contact, either direct or indirect, with students, teachers or others associated with the school.

Emily Nutley stands to the right of her attorney, Joseph Suhre IV, in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024.

Branch said violations could lead her to revoke Nutley's bond, and she would be jailed until the case is resolved. Branch did not sanction Nutley Friday. Nutley wiped tears from her eyes and at least once cried briefly during Friday's hearing.

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Branch also granted a request by Nutley's attorney, Joseph Suhre IV, to allow her to travel to Butler County, in addition to Hamilton and Warren counties. As part of a $30,000 bond, Nutley's location is being tracked by an electronic monitor. She was living in Warren County, but said in court Friday that she plans to stay with her mother in Butler County.

Her husband filed for divorce on Nov. 26, according to court records. She is a mother of three children.

The allegations date back to the fall of 2023, when Nutley was supervising a program that assisted students at the all-boys Catholic high school who were struggling with academics. According to prosecutors, it was while working in that program that she met the 17-year-old student and began to contact him outside of school. Prosecutors say Nutley sent the teen nude photos of herself and sexually explicit messages via text.

Court documents allege that Nutley and the student engaged in sex acts on two days in November 2023. Then in December 2023, they had sex, the documents say. Prosecutors have said that at least one of the encounters happened in her office after school hours.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Judge warns former St. Xavier employee accused of sex with student
A free press is the cornerstone of a free country, and the treatment of journalists exposes the true character of any society. In that context it is both appalling and predictable that Dmitry Medvedev, Russias former president from 2008 to 2012 and current deputy head of its security council, has branded the editors of The Times as legitimate military targets.

His threat followed the newspapers reporting this week on the assassination by Kyiv of Russias nuclear and chemical weapons chief, Lt Gen Igor Kirillov, in Moscow. Medvedev warned that editors should be careful, declaring that anything goes in London.

The British Government has rightly condemned Moscows desperate rhetoric  an apposite phrase. Since Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Medvedev has become one of the Kremlins most inflammatory propagandists. He has threatened hypersonic missile strikes on The Hague after the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for President Vladimir Putin, and regularly brandishes nuclear threats whenever events turn against Moscow. That he remains a central Kremlin figure underscores the regimes moral bankruptcy.

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No journalist should ever face threats for simply doing their job, and any regime serious about peace  as frequently Moscow likes to claim  would have condemned such remarks without hesitation. The Kremlin, however, chose silence, which should be remembered if the regime one day seeks to present a more amenable face to the world in any negotiations.

We stand in solidarity with all who are committed to sharing the truth and condemn such remarks without hesitation. Any legitimate foreign government would do the same.

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Dec. 19A new trial for a man charged with sexually assaulting a teenage girl while working as a state youth counselor in the early 2000s has been scheduled for next June, after a jury in September was unable to reach a verdict.

Victor Malavet, 62, of Gilford, faces 12 charges of aggravated felonious sexual assault for incidents that allegedly took place between June and November 2001. He worked as a counselor at the Youth Detention Services Unit in Concord, where children would be detained while awaiting court dispositions.

The mistrial came after the jury of seven women and five men twice told Judge Daniel St. Hilaire in Merrimack County Superior Court that they could not come to a unanimous decision on any of the charges.

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Jury selection for the new trial is set to begin on June 3.

The prosecution said Malavet invited the victim to Bible study, spent time with her after school, sat outside her locked room at night and called on her to do chores. The alleged assaults took place in the candy storage room, laundry room, storage room, clothing room and the television room  places where only staff members were allowed.

The defense, however, said the victim denied allegations of abuse in 2002, 2017 and 2019, only to file a lawsuit in 2021 seeking damages after others had filed similar lawsuits claiming they were abused in youth custody.

Malavet, who was arrested in April 2021, was the first of nine defendants to be prosecuted as part of a multiyear investigation into physical and sexual abuse allegations at the Youth Development Center in Manchester and Youth Detention Services Unit in Concord during the 1990s and 2000s.

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Last month, a jury found Bradley Asbury, 69, guilty of holding down a 14-year-old boy in a staircase with another worker as two other youth counselors raped him in the 1990s. Sentencing has been set for Jan. 27 in that case.

The three other staffers  Jeffrey Buskey, Stephen Murphy and James Woodlock  also face criminal trials.

Jury selection is set to begin in a case against Murphy on Jan. 6.

During a status hearing Thursday, prosecutor Meghan Hagaman told St. Hilaire the trial is once again expected to last four days.

jphelps@unionleader.com
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO)  Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams has indicted a group of suspects he says are in a gang called The Glock Boyz.

I dont want to put young men in jail needlessly, but whenever this violent activity rips across our streets and causes so much injury, so much death, so much mayhem, we have no choice, said Assistant District Attorney Andre Gaudin.

Williams was joined by multiple law enforcement agencies explaining the gang members are accused of committing multiple violent crimes in the city and neighboring parishes.

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New Orleans police arrest suspect in fatal shooting of Cox employee

Four members of this gang have been formally charged for their roles in an organized crime spree that spanned several months that included murder, armed robbery and a host of other extremely violent acts, said Williams.

Gaudin explains they became aware of the gangs activity earlier this year.

The horrible pistol-whipping and murder that occurred outside the Shamrock bar on Sept. 1 of 2024, to a Sept. 12 shooting just across the street from Kip Central, 30 or 40 rounds discharged, said Gaudin.

He also says they were able to match crimes to the gang due to posts made about the incidents on social media. Gaudin believes the group wanted to be recognized.

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The right clothing, the right faces, everything that we possibly could use to make sure we had the right individuals for each of these offenses, said Gaudin.

Hollygrove motel shut down due to rampant criminal activity is demolished

So far, only three men and one woman have been indicted, but Williams says more arrests are expected. Hes also issuing a strong message to those who may be involved in criminal activity.

If you are an individual that is choosing to wreak havoc in any part of this city, or if you are involved in a group of individuals that are choosing to wreak havoc in any part of this community whether its simply intimidating people, youre next up,  said Williams.

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Williams says arrest warrants have already been issued, for several suspects believed to be responsible for additional crimes in the city.

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Hundreds of cruise passengers and workers fell ill with norovirus on three different ships this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

The CDC has logged outbreaks in 2024 on 14 cruise voyages, but three ships were hit in December. This is the only month this year when the CDC has reported three confirmed norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships and there's still more than a week to go before the month ends. In all, 301 passengers and crew members fell ill during the December outbreaks, health officials said.

Those on Princess Cruises' Ruby Princess, on a trip around Hawaii's island, and Holland America's Rotterdam and Zuiderdam voyages, both in the Caribbean, mostly dealt with diarrhea and vomiting.

The Ruby Princess, a Grand-class cruise ship operated by Princess Cruises. / Credit: / Getty Images

Two Holland America cruise ships hit by norovirus

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The most recent outbreak was on Holland America's Rotterdam ship, which set sail on Dec. 8 and is set to end its Caribbean

trip Friday in Fort Lauderdale.

Officials said 83 of the 2,192 passengers on board and 12 of the 953 crew members were sickened.

"At Holland America Line, the safety and well-being of our guests and crew is our top priority. During the current voyage, a number of guests on Rotterdam reported symptoms of gastrointestinal illness," a Holland America spokesperson said. "The cases have mostly been mild and quickly resolving."

The Rotterdam cruise ship arrives at Port Everglades on April 02, 2020 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. / Credit: / Getty Images

In response to the outbreak, there was additional cleaning and disinfection. Sick passengers and crew members were isolated. Stool specimens were collected for testing. The cruise line also consulted with the CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program.

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Once the Rotterdam ship arrives in Fort Lauderdale on Friday, it will undergo a comprehensive sanitization process before its next trip, according to the cruise line.

There was also a norovirus outbreak on Holland America's Zuiderdam voyage earlier this month. Over the course of the Dec. 4-Dec. 11 voyage, 87 out of 1,923 passengers were reported ill, in addition to four of the 757 crew members, according to health officials.

A Holland America spokesperson declined to comment on the Zuiderdam outbreak because the voyage had already ended.

Norovirus, the "cruise ship virus"

Princess Cruises also dealt with a norovirus outbreak this month on its Ruby Princess ship during a cruise that started on Dec. 2 and ended on Wednesday. The ship started its journey in San Francisco and toured around Hawaii, according to CruiseMapper.

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In all, 103 of 3,001 passengers and 12 of 1,142 crew members onboard reported being ill.

The Ruby Princess was also subject to increased cleaning and disinfection procedures, according to the CDC. Stool specimens were collected for testing and sick passengers and crew members were isolated. The cruise line consulted with the CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program.

CBS News has reached out to Princess Cruises for comment.

There are about 2,500 reported norovirus outbreaks in the U.S. each year. Norovirus, which is sometimes called the "cruise ship virus," causes more than 90% of diarrheal disease outbreaks on cruise ships, according to the CDC. However, norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships account for only a small percentage of all reported norovirus outbreaks.

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"Norovirus can be especially challenging to control on cruise ships because of the close living quarters, shared dining areas, and rapid turnover of passengers," according to the CDC. "When the ship docks, norovirus can be brought on board in contaminated food or water; or by passengers who were infected while ashore."

This year, the CDC has logged outbreaks on 14 cruise voyages. Norovirus was listed as the causative agent for most of the outbreaks, though one was caused by salmonella and one was caused by E. coli. The causative agent of one outbreak remains unknown.

Norovirus outbreaks are usually more common during cooler months, typically happening from November to April in countries above the equator, according to the CDC.

Eye Opener: New details emerge in WI school shooting

Teen shooter connected to man accused of plotting separate attack

2 Republicans voted to release Ethics Committee's report on Matt Gaetz misconduct, sources say
PLYMOUTH, N.C. (WNCT)  Deputies with the Washington County Sheriffs Office arrested a man after responding to a report of a domestic assault outside of Plymouth on Dec. 18, 2024.

While on the scene, deputies were made aware of possible animal cruelty concerning hunting dogs. Ryan Peele was charged with assault on a female.

Deputies and animal control officers went back to the home and found 19 dead Walker Hound Dogs. Two dogs were found alive and in bad condition and they were taken by animal control.

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The dogs were from six months to three years old. Animal control officers determined that due to the way the dead dogs had decayed, they apparently died from a lack of food and/or water.

Peele was then charged with 19 counts of felony animal cruelty and two counts misdemeanor animal cruelty. Peele was jailed under a $19,000 secured bond.

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JASON, N.C. (WNCT)  Deputies with the Greene County Sheriffs Office responded to reports of a person shot in Jason Friday, Dec. 20, 2024.

Upon arriving, just after noon, deputies found Melvin Hawkins, 62, had been shot multiple times and the shooter had left the scene. EMS workers took Hawkins to ECU Health where he later died from his injuries.

Witnesses told law enforcement they saw Hawkins and Emmanuel Williams, 40, at the home and an argument began. They said Williams shot Hawkins and left.

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While deputies were on the scene, Williams contacted EMS to take him to UNC Wayne Memorial Hospital for treatment for cuts. Williams had an outstanding order for arrest for failure to appear on traffic violations and was jailed after being treated for his injuries.

After reviewing evidence and statements, investigators charged Williams with an open count of murder. Williams was jailed in the Greene County Detention Center without bond.

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People gather at Happy Harry's RibFest in Fargo on June 7, 2024. North Dakota's population grew to an estimated 796,568 in 2024, with much of the growth concentrated in urban areas including Fargo. (Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor)

North Dakotas population hit a record high of 796,568 people in July, according to new statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau  indicating another year of steady growth for the state.

The states population has increased by roughly 1% since 2023, the data show. North Dakota experienced larger year-over-year population growth than 35 other states.

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Population-wise, North Dakota is still the fourth-smallest state in the country.

County estimates published by the North Dakota Department of Commerce indicate the states population growth is concentrated in urban centers like Bismarck, Fargo and the Bakken oil region in western North Dakota.

State data indicate that Cass County this year grew to 200,945 people. Burleigh County, meanwhile, was estimated to have a population of 103,107 residents.

Williams and McKenzie counties, located in the Bakken, grew more than other counties between 2023 and 2024. Williams County grew by 1,459 residents, representing a 3.7% population increase, while McKenzie gained 500 residents, representing a 3.5% population increase.

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The Census Bureau will release county-level population estimates in the spring. Nigel Haarstad, state demographer, said he expects the county estimates from the Bureau to be very similar to the Department of Commerces numbers.

The Department of Commerce anticipates the states steady growth to continue in coming years.

In a February report, the North Dakota Department of Commerce estimated that the state would by 2030 reach a population of 831,543. It also projected that the state would grow to 890,424 by 2040, and 957,124 by 2050.

In contrast to other states experiencing an influx of retirees  like Florida and Arizona  the Department of Commerce speculates that North Dakota is seeing mostly working-age adults and children, Haarstad said.

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Based on an informal analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data, he said that generally, most of North Dakotas newcomers appear to be migrating from Minnesota, Illinois, South Dakota, Montana and Texas.

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North Dakota Supreme Court Chief Justice Jon Jensen, left, and Justice Lisa Fair McEvers hear arguments Dec. 18, 2023. On Thursday, the court struck down a Fargo ordinance regulating home gun sales. (Kyle Martin/For the North Dakota Monitor)

The North Dakota Supreme Court this week struck down a Fargo ordinance prohibiting the sale of firearms and ammunition in residential zones, upholding a lower courts ruling that found the ordinance violates state law.

The decision stems from a lawsuit filed by the city of Fargo in 2023 over a new state law that restricts the ability of local governments to regulate gun and ammunition sales.

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The law, adopted by lawmakers during the 2023 session, holds that local governments cannot adopt zoning ordinances related to the purchase, sale, ownership, possession, transfer of ownership, registration, or licensure of firearms and ammunition.

Fargo, which had had a zoning ordinance regulating the sale of guns and ammo on the books for several years, sued the state over the law, arguing that it is an unconstitutional violation of local control.

In February, a district court threw out the case, concluding that the law does not violate the rights of local governments. It also found that under the new law, Fargos local ordinance banning the sale of guns and ammo in residential areas cannot be enforced.

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The city appealed the decision to the North Dakota Supreme Court.

In a September hearing, the high court heard arguments from both parties.

An attorney for the city of Fargo warned that allowing the state law to repeal Fargos ordinance would hamper cities ability to self-govern. He pointed to a provision in the North Dakota state constitution that states North Dakota political subdivisions are to exercise maximum local self-government.

An attorney for the state countered that the constitution does not allow for local governments to be completely autonomous, and that the Legislature determines the scope of local law.

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In the Supreme Courts opinion, published Thursday, the court upheld the district courts ruling. The state constitution holds that each political subdivision shall have and exercise such powers as provided by law, the opinion states. This language gives the state Legislature the authority to delineate the lawmaking power of cities, the court wrote.

The Supreme Court concluded that the state law constitutes a valid exercise of its constitutional authority to create political subdivisions and, specifically, to define the powers of a home rule city.
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  Police in North Little Rock are searching for more suspects in a homicide investigation from November.

Authorities said they are searching for 18-year-old Jarquez Butler and 21-year-old Devontaye Hayes in connection with the death of 21-year-old Giovanni Castillo on Nov. 12.

North Little Rock police investigating deadly shooting on MacArthur Drive

On Nov. 12, officers with the North Little Rock Police Department responded to an area in the 4800 block of MacArthur Drive around 8:50 p.m.

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After arriving, officers said they found a man who had been shot. Police said the victim, identified as Castillo, was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Image of 18-year-old Jarquez Butler (left) and 21-year-old Devontaye Hayes (right) courtesy of NLPRD

Police said both are each facing a charge of capital murder and aggravated robbery.

NLRPD officials said Wednesday they arrested 23-year-old Briontaye Walls in connection with the investigation.

North Little Rock police arrest suspect in MacArthur Drive deadly shooting

Anyone who may know the whereabouts of Hayes or Butler is asked to contact their local police department or the NLRPD tip line at 501-680-8439. They should be considered armed and dangerous.

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UPDATE:  All lanes have reopened at this time.

MORGAN COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT)  The Morgan County Sheriffs Office (MCSO) says a multi-vehicle wreck is causing backups on the northbound lanes of Interstate 65.

MCSO said the wreck occurred just inside Morgan County on the Tennessee River Bridge. Authorities said the wreck had traffic backed up from the Tennessee River Bridge past the Priceville exit as of 6:43 p.m.

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The sheriffs office said air evacuation is in process at the scene. MCSO Spokesperson Mike Swafford said one person was seriously injured in the wreck.

MCSO said an 18-wheeler involved in the wreck was leaking diesel fuel.

Authorities asked that drivers use an alternate route and expect delays.

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NORTHWEST ARKANSAS (KNWA/KFTA)  Bells are ringing across Benton County grocery stores and some of the bell ringers may look familiar.

Six mayors are making a friendly competition this holiday season through the Salvation Armys Red Kettle Campaign.

Each mayor remembers the start of it a little differently.

Holiday dinners across the region

I think we started it during COVID-19, if I remember correctly, said Bentonville Mayor Stephanie Orman.

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Im not exactly sure who came up with it. I think maybe Stephanie Orman about six years ago, said Rogers Mayor Greg Hines.

Springdale Mayor Doug Sprouse has been participating for a while.

Time flies as you get older. But I think its been four or five years, Sprouse said.

Centerton Mayor Bill Edwards, accompanied by the local fire department, says this is his third year to participate at the Walmart on East Centerton Boulevard.

Over the years, the mayoral ring-off has become a tradition of friendly competition.

What we do is see which city can raise the most money, Edwards said.

Collectively, the mayors work to represent their town, while also getting shoppers to donate to the cause.

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Alice Walton aims to change healthcare in Northwest Arkansas

Mayoral bell ringers make an incredible impact. On average, paid bell ringers raise $40.33 an hour, while volunteer bell ringers bring in $65.41. Mayors raise an astounding $131.33 per hour! Their leadership inspires generosity and hope in our community, according to a statement from Captain Patrick Connelly, Area Commander of The Salvation Army of Northwest Arkansas.

Orman says she enjoys talking with the shoppers and encouraging them to donate.

Its so fun to see the kids do it and see the kids put the money in the bucket and talk to them about it and so, we just enjoy it. So, I dont know that we have a specific goal, but I am told that mayors do a pretty good job when were out here trying to help raise funds, Orman said.

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Hines says the cause is one to take heart in.

The Salvation Army represents one of many, many nonprofit organizations that during this time of year, particularly, are reaching folks where theyre at and where the greatest needs are, Hines said.

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OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR)  State employees will soon have to return to in-person offices for work, according to Governor Kevin Stitt.

The Executive Order 2024-29 Stitt signed directs state agencies to return full-time employees to in-office work environments by February 1, 2025.

According to Gov. Stitt, the decision ensures efficient government operations and accountability to taxpayers, while cutting the need for further COVID-19 pandemic accommodations.

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However, not everyone sees it that way.

As a state legislator whos interested in getting the best and brightest to work for the state, knowing that we have pretty steep competition in the private sector, I think that this is just a counterintuitive move, said State Representative Forrest Bennett, D-OKC.

One state employee spoke with News 4, but she wished to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Gov. Stitt mandates state agencies to return to in-office work

She tells us her office is in Oklahoma City, but she lives in Tulsa. When hired, she was promised shed only have to make the trip once a week.

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Now knowing that potentially I will have to spend four hours a day in my car going to work and coming back from work and spending less time with my infant daughter and husband is devastating, to say the least, said the state employee.

Not only does she fear the impact of work-life balance, but also finances.

Gas is expensive, the tolls are going up and its reasonable for me to work from home because of my position, so I was pretty shocked that it was you have to be back in the office within the next 30 days, basically, said the state employee.

She says this decision, coming out right before the holidays, makes it even harder.

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If an exception is not made, she says she will consider quitting.

According to the executive order, there are limited exceptions for those with non-standard work hours, jobs where in-office work is deemed unreasonable and agencies with not enough office space, which is another concern being discussed.

Weve downsized, so currently theres four people sharing my office right now and I know in my old office room there are currently 12 people sharing an office, so how is that feasible at all? In my mind, its not right, said the state employee.

Gov. Stitt says office space constraints that would require additional expenditures to accommodate employees would be an exception.

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Agency executives are the ones who will approve exceptions, and then they must be reported to the Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES).

News 4 reached out to OMES asking how many employees are currently working from home, and received this response:

Yesterday, OMES was directed by the executive order to create a new report that details workforce information from all state agencies. However, that report will be compiled once the transition to in-office work is complete. At that time, each agency will implement their own agreements with their respective staff and provide that information to OMES. OMES continues to work closely with agency partners to ensure Oklahomans are receiving efficient services that serve them at locations across Oklahoma. The Governors Office issued the executive order and is the appropriate office to further inquiries. Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES)

The Governors Office did not respond to us.

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Read the Executive Order here.

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Bikes, old furniture, you name it. The collection of old items that have built up outside the now abandoned Amoco gas station off Mayport Road and State Road A1A is more than just an eyesore. Its part of a much larger problem  with dozens of homeless reportedly living inside the now abandoned Mayport business.

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Its more than just an eyesore, nearby neighbor Komisha Blackmon explained. Its just disturbing because theyre homeless so you dont wanna say something, but the way they leave their stuff so nasty over there, it smells horrible.

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Neighbors in Mayport like Blackmon also say the location is now a hot spot for police activity.

According to calls for service Action News Jax requested with the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office, police have been called out 30 times to the location so far in 2024 - with five suspicious person calls, three calls for illegal camping or squatting, and one blight abatement.

The police are there, were constantly calling the police about it, and nothing seems to be done, Blackmon added.

Action News Jax reached out to JSO about plans to address the issue, with it being on private property, but has yet to hear back.

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Meanwhile, Jacksonville city councilman Rory Diamond, who represents the area, said in a statement, quote:

The beach community is being inundated with homeless from downtown. Eighty-seven percent of new homeless are coming from downtown. While we are a compassionate and friendly community, we are not going to be the dumping ground for Jacksonvilles homelessness problem.

Blackmon told Action News Jax Friday that the homeless community thats overrun the old building is a massive public nuisance.

However, Marsha Tidwell, herself homeless, told Action News Jax she just fell on hard times, adding that she hopes the community keeps compassion and remains focused on addressing the root causes of homelessness.

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Something needs to be done because Im not gonna always be down, Tidwell said emotionally, choking back tears. Im gonna come back up, but I just thank god for letting me see it because you learn a lot going through stuff.

Action News Jax also tried reaching out to the listed business owner to see if there are plans to renovate, repurpose, or sell the location but was unable to get in touch at this time.

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Since Ozempic blasted onto the stage in 2017 with its approval for type 2 diabetes, drugmakers Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have been battling to leapfrog each other with newer and more effective medicines to turbo-charge diabetes and weight-loss results with the class known as GLP-1 receptor agonists.

Novo Nordisks latest attempt in weight loss, a combination drug called CagriSema, matched the bar set by Lillys currently approved medicine, Zepbound, but didnt cleanly surpass it in late-stage clinical trial findings reported Friday.

The experimental drug puts semaglutide, the ingredient in Ozempic and the weight-loss drug Wegovy, together with a medicine called cagrilintide to make the combination Novo Nordisk calls CagriSema.

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The 68-week study showed participants on CagriSema lost about 23% of their body weight, compared with 12% for those taking cagrilintide by itself, 16% for those on semaglutide, and 2.3% for people on a placebo.

That means the study met its main goal, but those watching the weight-loss drug race closely had pegged their hopes on an average result for CagriSema of at least 25% weight loss, which would set a new bar for a field thats already been revolutionized by GLP-1 drugs.

Lillys Zepbound, approved in November 2023 as the Indiana-based drug giants answer to Novo Nordisks Wegovy, showed 21% average weight loss after 72 weeks for its highest dose in its Phase 3 trial, and a mid-stage study of another Lilly experimental medicine, called retatrutide, showed 24% weight loss after just 48 weeks.

We are encouraged by the weight loss profile of CagriSema demonstrating superiority over both semaglutide and cagrilintide in monotherapy, Martin Holst Lange, executive vice president for development at Novo Nordisk, said in a company news release Friday. He said Novo Nordisk would use insights from the trial to further explore the additional weight loss potential of CagriSema.

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Novo Nordisks stock fell about 19% in early Friday trading on the news, wiping out tens of billions of dollars from the Danish drug giants market value.

CagriSemas side effects appeared to be similar to other drugs in the GLP-1 class; the company said the most common ones were gastrointestinal, with the vast majority mild to moderate and going away over time. Only just more than half of participants got up to the highest dose of the drug, though, leading some to question if the combination may not be as tolerable at high doses.

Novo Nordisk said it expects results from a second Phase 3 trial of the medicine, this one in people with type 2 diabetes, in the first half of 2025.

The study reported Friday, which Novo Nordisk calls REDEFINE 1, enrolled people with obesity or who are overweight and have at least one health condition  the same group for whom Wegovy and Zepbound are approved for weight loss. Participants average body weight to start was 106.9 kilograms, or about 236 pounds.

A medical arms race

Novo Nordisks Ozempic and Wegovy are based on the active ingredient semaglutide, which mimics a hormone known as GLP-1 thats important for insulin secretion, digestion and appetite. Wegovy was approved by the FDA in 2021, after showing it helped people lose about 15% of their body weight, on average, in a 68-week clinical trial.

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Lilly answered with Mounjaro and Zepbound, approved in 2022 and 2023 for diabetes and weight loss, respectively. They use the active ingredient tirzepatide, which mimics not just GLP-1 but another hormone called GIP, to soup up results.

A Lilly-sponsored head-to-head trial earlier in December reinforced findings from separate studies that Zepbound yielded greater weight loss over 72 weeks, on average, than Wegovy  20% compared with about 14%.

Some people have described it as an arms race between Lilly and Novo, said Dr. Daniel Skovronsky, Lillys chief scientific officer, in a November interview with CNN. I dont like those words, because its a health race; were making better and better medicines, spurred by competition, for the benefit of patients.

The competition has also been a benefit to the drugmakers and their investors; Lillys market value now surpasses $700 billion, quintupling over the last five years as GLP-1 drugs rake in billions of dollars in annual revenue. Novo Nordisks stock tripled in that period, to more than $300 billion.

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Practitioners point out the field is moving at an incredible pace.

I can still remember when 5% [weight loss] was our goal, and wed be happy with that, said Dr. Eduardo Grunvald, medical director of the Center for Advanced Weight Management at the UCSD Bariatric and Metabolic Institute, in an interview with CNN before the CagriSema results were released.

A previous crop of weight-loss drugs, like Qsymia, a combination of older medicines not part of the GLP-1 class, and liraglutide, an earlier GLP-1 medicine sold under the brand name Saxenda, produced maximum weight loss of 8 to 11%, on average, said Yale School of Medicines Dr. Jorge Moreno.

With these older medications, the expectations for patients would be improving their cholesterol, blood glucose numbers or blood pressure, Moreno told CNN by email this week. Semaglutide reaching an average weight loss of [about] 15% was game-changing in 2021, he said, changing clinical benefit from improvement to remission of other conditions like hypertension, hyperlipidemia and diabetes.

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Weight loss of 25%, Moreno and Grunvald noted, would reach results obtained by bariatric surgery. And in Novo Nordisks CagriSema trial, 40% of participants did lose at least 25% of their body weight  just not enough to bump the trials overall average result past that benchmark.

Five years ago, if youd said, Novo Nordisk is going to have a new drug [where] 40% of people will get 25% weight loss, but thatll be pretty disappointing in 2024, we would have said, Youre smoking something, right? said Dr. Daniel Drucker, a pioneer of research into GLP-1 at the University of Toronto, whos worked with companies developing these medicines.

More important than how much weight is lost, Drucker told CNN Friday, are the health benefits GLP-1 medicines have shown in studies, which include reduction of metabolic liver disease and sleep apnea and osteoarthritis and heart disease and strokes, which dont appear to be strictly weight-loss dependent.

Even if next-generation medicines show greater degrees of weight loss, Drucker said, it takes several years for trials to prove benefits on other outcomes like those, which may be more meaningful to patients and doctors.

Competition through combination

With CagriSema, Novo Nordisk is targeting an additional hormone called amylin, in addition to GLP-1. Lillys retatrutide builds on tirzepatides GLP-1 and GIP by adding yet another hormone target, glucagon  giving it the moniker Triple G.

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Another drug company, Amgen, has taken yet another approach, blocking GIP instead of activating it, as tirzepatide does; its drug, dubbed MariTide, produced about 20% weight loss, on average, over the course of a year in mid-stage trial results reported in November.

The medicine is designed to be administered less frequently than Wegovy and Zepbound  with injections once a month or less, compared with current drugs weekly shots. Still, the results led investors to sell Amgens stock over fears it wouldnt be able to catch up with competitors.

It just shows you how fast the field is moving and how high the expectations are moving, said Drucker.

Grunvald said he was looking forward to seeing data on CagriSemas effect on body composition, the makeup of muscle versus fat, as there is some data that amylin activation may have less muscle-mass loss, he told CNN. Novo Nordisk only reported top-line results from the study in its news release Friday; typically companies publish fuller results later in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

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The signal that targeting amylin could preserve lean mass during weight loss  a key question about GLP-1 drugs  has so far been from animal studies, Drucker pointed out, leading him to question whether that result would bear out in human studies.

But he noted yet another hormone, glucagon, which is the third addition to Lillys retatrutide, is very good at getting fat out of the liver, so it may be especially helpful for people with metabolic liver disease.

The next very important chapter of the story, once we get beyond the weight loss, will be to say, OK, whats the unique character of each one of these partners, and does this bring a unique benefit? Drucker said.

But its also crucial to know if they affect safety, he said.

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GLP-1 drugs alone have a very powerful track record of safety, Drucker said, but every time we add something to it, were starting again.

And even just targeting one hormone, GLP-1, has been transformative.

For years, we always thought it was just willpower, like somebody was overweight because they just couldnt stop eating, said Dr. Clayton Runfalo, who practices family medicine at Ochsner Health in Louisiana.

A better understanding of these hormones over the last few decades have changed that, Runfalo said. Now he sees GLP-1 drugs as tools, along with behavior change, that have been really, really good for us as far as helping people get healthier.

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Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station with electricity pylons, Ohio. Getty Images.

Last week, the Ohio General Assembly sent a bill to Gov. Mike DeWine designating nuclear power as green energy.

Those who follow energy policy at the Statehouse should not find this particularly surprising. Last year, DeWine signed legislation to designate natural gas as green energy. Most experts would consider nuclear to be less harmful to the climate than natural gas, so this is not a particularly bold move.

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Nor does it have much of a policy impact. According to analysis by the Legislative Service Commission, the term green energy is not used by the Ohio Revised Code in any substantial way. It seems that this is more of a resolution than a true policy change by the state.

Green is kind of an empty term on its own, though it stands for certain things. We associate green fuels as those that are good for the climate, our health, and the sustainability of our energy supply. So lets ask those questions instead.

Is nuclear power good for our climate? The answer to this is, compared to the alternatives, almost certainly yes. In contrast to coal- or natural gas-powered power plants, nuclear power plants do not produce carbon dioxide when they are operating. Every kilowatt-hour of energy generated by a nuclear plant that replaces a kilowatt-hour of energy generated by a coal- or natural gas-powered plant helps reduce global emissions, slowing the changing of the climate.

Is nuclear power good for public health? This question is more tricky. On the one hand, nuclear power plants do not produce the sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, and mercury emitted by burning fossil fuels. This means nuclear power plants are not associated with the respiratory and cardiovascular problems that burning of fossil fuels generate.

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While direct exposure to radioactive materials is associated with high cancer risk, there is very little evidence that living near a nuclear power plant does the same due to containment of the energy. Living near a coal power plant or natural gas power plant is much more hazardous to your health than living near a nuclear power plant.

Accident and security risks and waste disposal are the most concerning potential public health problems with nuclear power. While U.S. regulatory requirements have prevented a meltdown from happening in the United States (the closest being the near-miss at Three Mile Island) and even the more recent accident in Fukushima, Japan having no definitive casualties, Chernobyl still looms large in the public consciousness. And while domestic terrorism drives fear around security risks, the fact that the war in Ukraine has been fought so brutally and still avoided a nuclear disaster is a good sign for the energy source.

Long-term deep geological storage is the best practice in disposal of nuclear waste, but Congresss inability to authorize a permanent repository has been a barrier to safe long-term storage.

From a sustainability perspective, nuclear power also poses challenges. The world currently has an estimated 90 years of uranium reserves. While a more abundant alternative fuel thorium is starting to be used, technological change will be needed to make nuclear sustainable in the long-term.

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So lets stop talking about whether an energy source is green. Lets talk about what really matters: whether it is good for the planet, good for our health, and provides us with affordable, sustainable energy that we can use to provide for our businesses, our homes, and our families.

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Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) on Thursday suggested Elon Musk is the one directing the Trump administration, not President-elect Trump, pointing to the tech entrepreneurs leading position in opposing the government funding stopgap measure.

Elon Musk has Donald Trump in a vise, Goldman said on MSNBC on Thursday. And it is very clear that Elon Musk is now calling the shots.

Musk made several social media posts Wednesday criticizing the spending measure deal unveiled by House Republicans this week. He called the more than 1,500-page measure a big piece of pork while calling on GOP lawmakers to oppose it.

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Trump later in the day also called for the bill to be dismissed, suggesting instead that Congress pass a clean continuing resolution with a debt hike increase. That proposal was rejected Thursday night, and Congress is now working on a plan C with less than 24 hours to go before the deadline.

We need to face the reality: Right now, we have President Elon Musk. And Trump? Maybe hes vice president, I guess, Goldman said. Vice presidents dont do much, so that makes sense. He might be the chief of staff. I dont know what you call him, but he is not calling the shots.

Goldman is not the only Democrat saying Musk is the one calling the shots in the administration; a number of Democrats have made similar arguments, while the White House has said Trump and the GOP are doing the bidding of billionaires.

It is the kind of debate that in the past has gotten under Trumps skin.

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Trumps team asserted Thursday that the GOP candidate is the one leading the party.

As soon as President Trump released his official stance on the CR [continuing resolution], Republicans on Capitol Hill echoed his point of view. President Trump is the leader of the Republican Party. Full stop, Karoline Leavitt, transition spokesperson for the Trump-Vance team, said in a statement previously shared with The Hill.

Trump appointed Musk as the co-leader of his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an advisory panel focused on cutting spending and the size of the federal government, alongside entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

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.
Deputies in York County have arrested a man who they said could be part of a national crime network pretending to be officers and scamming people out of cash.

Action 9 first warned you about this impersonation scam last January.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Watch out for scammers pretending to be York County deputies

Detectives with the York County Sheriffs Office said they first learned about 43-year-old Shulong Li on Dec. 11. Thats when a Minnesota woman said someone called her and told her to send money to a Fort Mill address in order to clear her sons name.

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The next day, investigators launched an operation to recover that womans money and to find the suspect. That eventually led to this arrest.

We also identified the suspects vehicle and were able to arrest him, YCSO Sheriff Kevin Tolson said.

According to YCSO, Li was arrested on Dec. 12 for an unrelated traffic-related offense. During their search, officers discovered a large number of cash and list of other Fort Mill addresses connected to the law enforcement impersonator investigation.

Police said Li is from College Point, New York. Were working on getting information on Lis full charges.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: York County sheriff seeing increase in law enforcement impersonator scams

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Earlier this year, Tolson told Channel 9s Tina Terry his office called a number used by a scammer and when it stopped ringing, you could hear a digital recording on the other end that sounded as if it was the sheriffs office.

Tolson said his employees would never ask for money over the phone and hes warning people, especially the elderly, to be on guard.

If you suspect it is a scam, hang up, he said.

Tolson said you can call the real sheriffs office at 803-628-3059 to find out if the call was real. They can also help you file a police report if needed.

With Li now in jail, detectives are still investigating the full scope of the scam. More on their investigation tonight, starting at 5 p.m.

VIDEO: York County couple says scammer tricked them out of almost $70K
CONNECTICUT (WTNH)  A Connecticut floral designer just helped decorate the White House.

Corinne Smolin, owner of Flower and Twine botanical and flower design studio, sat down with Ann Nyberg to talk about her journey from leaving the corporate world and entering the world of flowers.

Watch the full video in the player 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.
The unmasked accused killer, whose face was instantly recognizable from photos in news reports and countless social media posts and T-shirts, and even the big screen at a rock concert, made an intensely personal appearance in Manhattan federal court on Thursday afternoon.

Luigi Mangione had looked a touch raggedy in the mugshot taken in Pennsylvania after his arrest, but now he was clean-shaven and his hair looked newly trimmed. The 26-year-old software engineer was no longer wearing the orange prison uniform he had on earlier, when he stepped off an NYPD helicopter onto the downtown Manhattan pavement crowded with cops and officials.

His lawyers had provided him with a black quarter-zip sweater, white shirt, and khakis that seemed to be what he might have chosen on his own. He entered the courtroom looking like exactly what he is: a former high school valedictorian and Ivy League graduate from a wealthy family whose life was altered irrevocably when he allegedly shot and killed Brian Thompson on a Manhattan sidewalk as the UnitedHealthCare CEO walked to a Dec. 4 investors conference.

A courtroom sketch shows Luigi Mangione wearing a black quarter-zip sweater, white shirt, and khakis that his lawyers provided. / Jane Rosenberg / REUTERS

One difference was the shackles on his ankles, though they did not seem to hamper him as he made his way to a chair between the two members of his legal teamKaren Friedman Agnifilo and her husband, Marc Agnifilo. She had arrived on crutches, having torn an ACL. Her husband also represents Sean Diddy Combs in ongoing proceedings at the same courthouse.

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The Agnifilos had expected to appear with their client a block away, in state court, for a 2 p.m. arraignment on a grand jury indictment for murder and terrorism. But at 1 p.m., Mangione was served with a federal arrest warrant and taken to federal court, where a grand jury had yet to hear the case. He was brought into courtroom 26a to appear before Magistrate Judge Katharine H. Parker on a criminal complaint sworn to by an FBI agent

All of a sudden we are here, Friedman Agnifilo said, noting that in 30 years practicing criminal law, frankly, Ive never seen anything like this.

Attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo, who is representing Luigi Mangione, leaves US Federal Court in Manhattan on crutches. / Anadolu / Anadolu via Getty Images

Among other things, the agent had alleged that along with a handgun and a silencer, Mangione had been carrying at the time of his arrest a handwritten letter addressed, To the Feds. The feds had now responded with the complaint, a copy of which appeared to be on the defense table.

The most serious of the listed charges is a violation of United States Code Section 1111(a), murder with the use of a firearm. The major difference from the top state charge is the penalty. New York State does not allow capital punishment. Death penalty eligible, is how Friedman Agnifilo described the top federal charge.

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If Mangione was chilled by that, he gave no sign of it as he skimmed over the complaint while awaiting the start of the proceedings. He had turned angry and shouted about injustice when he was led into a lockup in Pennsylvania. But he remained subdued in court, appearing to keenly understand the seriousness of the moment. He did not flash the famous smile captured by a hostel surveillance camera after a young woman at the counter convinced him to lower his mask, thereby giving the copsunknowinglya big break in the case.

A man wears a shirt with a picture of Luigi Mangione, the suspected killer who shot dead UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. / Jeenah Moon / REUTERS

He rose and stood with his hands folded before him when the clerk announced the judges entry by calling out All rise! The clerk then announced the case that the feds had stepped in to grab first.

24 MAG 4357. U.S. versus MANGIONE.

After inviting everyone to be seated, the judge asked Mangione routine questions such as whether he understood his rights and the charges against him. He leaned forward toward the microphone each time and replied with a crisp yes.

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The judge asked if the defendant was asking for bail and Friedman Agnifilo replied not at this time. Friedman Agnifilo said, Id like to seek clarity from the government about the charges. The states allegation of terrorism suggested her client was seeking to install fear in a group of people. But the feds, who are more often the ones to allege terrorism, were only alleging that Mangione intended to kill Thompson as the CEO of a major health insurer.

Luigi Mangione arrives in New York City with a heavily armed police escort. / Spencer Platt / Spencet Platt/Getty Images

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The judge said that was beyond the scope of this arraignment and suggested the defense and the prosecution should meet to discuss the issues arising from the double prosecution for one murder.

Some clarity came from a statement issued by the office of acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District Edward Kim.

Mr. Kim also thanked the Manhattan District Attorneys Office, which has brought a separate prosecution against MANGIONE, which is currently expected to proceed to trial before the federal case.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg addressed the issue at a press conference.

Ill let the Southern District of New York speak for itself about their plans, but I do want to note that speaking generally, weve had state prosecutions and federal prosecutions proceed as parallel matters, and we are in conversations with our law enforcement partners.

A crowd gathers as Luigi Mangione, in NYPD police custody, lands at a Lower Manhattan heliport. / New York Daily News / Gardiner Anderson / New York Daily News via Getty Images

By the end of Thursdays federal proceeding, no date and time had been set for arraignment on the state charges. But it is sure to come. And Bragg has been assured that his office will go first. The feds will then be waiting with their death-eligible case.

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As Mangione left the courtroom, still looking collegiate in shackles, you had to wonder how Luigi fansincluding those who cheered when his face flashed on a screen at a Boston concertwill react if he ends up on death row for killing a 50-year-old health insurance executive who happens to have also been a high school valedictorian.

Mangione continued out the door without looking back. A court officer handed Marc Agnifilo a paper bag containing the orange prison uniform that Mangione had been wearing when he flew into a city where the state and federal prosecutors both want to go after him.
(KRON)  The Oakley Police Department (OPD) said it arrested a pair of suspected porch pirates following a one-day series of thefts where the two struck a new home almost every hour. One victim told police that every holiday gift she ordered for her children had been stolen from her porch.

Suspect in homicide of Washington toddler arrested in Alameda

OPD said in all of the incidents, surveillance video captured a female wearing a black Hollister hooded sweatshirt removing a package from the porch before fleeing the area. In one of the videos, a suspect could be seen fleeing in a green Kia car.

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Investigators said they have located eight victims so far and have returned their items to them.

The thefts were reported at the following times:

1:46 p.m. in the 800 block of Walnut Drive

2:34 p.m. in the 4300 block of Redwood Drive

3:23 p.m. in the 400 block of Devon Court

4:34 p.m. in the 900 block of Almond Drive

Oakley PD said they located the two alleged thieves at 4:39 p.m. driving in the suspected getaway vehicle in the 200 block of Delta Road.

Police said Randal Locke, 38, of Antioch, and Ashlee Fletcher, 35, of Oakley, were arrested and booked into jail. Officers said the two were found with a plethora of stolen items most likely from several days/nights of package thievery. After the arrests, police were notified of more theft incidents involving the pair, which are listed below:

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5:02 p.m. in the 900 block of Almond Drive

6:27 p.m. in the 3800 block of Creekside Way

(Photo: Oakley Police Department.)

OPD said it has not identified all of the victims and are working to return all stolen property back to the owners. Anyone who thinks they are also victims in this case is urged to call 925-625-8060.

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 KRON4.
Dec. 19Ohio lawmakers voted this week to designate October as Hindu Heritage Month following a legislative push by Dayton-area state Sen. Niraj Antani, R-Miami Twp.

The provision, which originated in a proposal by Antani in March 2023, was unanimously amended into Ohio House Bill 173  a bill designating May as Older Ohioans Month  late Wednesday night and subsequently passed with overwhelming bipartisan support.

With it, every October will be dedicated to recognizing "the contributions of Hindu Americans to the culture, education, faith, and life of the state."

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"This is a huge win for Hindus across Ohio and the country," said Antani, Ohio's first Hindu and Indian American state senator, in a press release.

The amendment was also championed in the House by Warren County Rep. Adam Mathews, R-Lebanon, who said he was grateful to work with Antani and his Hindu constituents to get the job done.

Both lawmakers had the support of the Hindu American Foundation, whose Managing Director Samir Kalra commended the bill in a press release.

"HB 173 goes a long way in ensuring that the contributions, culture and traditions of Hindu Americans are better understood and appreciated by the people of Ohio," Kalra said.

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We named him Squirt  not because he was the smallest of the 16 cuttlefish in the pool, but because anyone with the audacity to scoop him into a separate tank to study him was likely to get soaked. Squirt had notoriously accurate aim.

As a comparative psychologist, Im used to assaults from my experimental subjects. Ive been stung by bees, pinched by crayfish and battered by indignant pigeons. But, somehow, with Squirt it felt different. As he eyed us with his W-shaped pupils, he seemed clearly to be plotting against us.

Of course, Im being anthropomorphic. Science does not yet have the tools to confirm whether cuttlefish have emotional states, or whether they are capable of conscious experience, much less sinister plots. But theres undeniably something special about cephalopods  the class of ocean-dwelling invertebrates that includes cuttlefish, squid and octopus.

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As researchers learn more about cehpalopods cognitive skills, there are calls to treat them in ways better aligned with their level of intelligence. California and Washington state both approved bans on octopus farming in 2024. Hawaii is considering similar action, and a ban on farming octopus or importing farmed octopus meat has been introduced in Congress. A planned octopus farm in Spains Canary Islands is attracting opposition from scientists and animal welfare advocates.

Critics offer many arguments against raising octopuses for food, including possible releases of waste, antibiotics or pathogens from aquaculture facilities. But as a psychologist, I see intelligence as the most intriguing part of the equation. Just how smart are cephalopods, really? After all, its legal to farm chickens and cows. Is an octopus smarter than, say, a turkey?

CC BY A deepwater octopus investigates the port manipulator arm of the ALVIN submersible research vessel. NOAA

A big, diverse group

Cephalopods are a broad class of mollusks that includes the coleoids  cuttlefish, octopus and squid  as well as the chambered nautilus. Coleoids range in size from adult squid only a few millimeters long (Idiosepius) to the largest living invertebrates, the giant squid (Architeuthis) and colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis) which can grow to over 40 feet in length and weigh over 1,000 pounds.

Some of these species live alone in the nearly featureless darkness of the deep ocean; others live socially on active, sunny coral reefs. Many are skilled hunters, but some feed passively on floating debris. Because of this enormous diversity, the size and complexity of cephalopod brains and behaviors also varies tremendously.

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Almost everything thats known about cephalopod cognition comes from intensive study of just a few species. When considering the welfare of a designated species of captive octopus, its important to be careful about using data collected from a distant evolutionary relative.

Can we even measure alien intelligence?

Intelligence is fiendishly hard to define and measure, even in humans. The challenge grows exponentially in studying animals with sensory, motivational and problem-solving skills that differ profoundly from ours.

Historically, researchers have tended to focus on whether animals think like humans, ignoring the abilities that animals may have that humans lack. To avoid this problem, scientists have tried to find more objective measures of cognitive abilities.

One option is a relative measure of brain to body size. The best-studied species of octopus, Octopus vulgaris, has about 500 million neurons; thats relatively large for its small body size and similar to a starling, rabbit or turkey.

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More accurate measures may include the size, neuron count or surface area of specific brain structures thought to be important for learning. While this is useful in mammals, the nervous system of an octopus is built completely differently.

Over half of the neurons in Octopus vulgaris, about 300 million, are not in the brain at all, but distributed in mini-brains, or ganglia, in the arms. Within the central brain, most of the remaining neurons are dedicated to visual processing, leaving less than a quarter of its neurons for other processes such as learning and memory.

In other species of octopus, the general structure is similar, but complexity varies. Wrinkles and folds in the brain increase its surface area and may enhance neural connections and communication. Some species of octopus, notably those living in reef habitats, have more wrinkled brains than those living in the deep sea, suggesting that these species may possess a higher degree of intelligence.

Holding out for a better snack

Because brain structure is not a foolproof measure of intelligence, behavioral tests may provide better evidence. One of the highly complex behaviors that many cephalopods show is visual camouflage. They can open and close tiny sacs just below their skin that contain colored pigments and reflectors, revealing specific colors. Octopus vulgaris has up to 150,000 chromatophores, or pigment sacs, in a single square inch of skin.

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Like many cephalopods, the common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) is thought to be colorblind. But it can use its excellent vision to produce a dizzying array of patterns across its body as camouflage. The Australian giant cuttlefish, Sepia apama, uses its chromatophores to communicate, creating patterns that attract mates and warn off aggressors. This ability can also come in handy for hunting; many cephalopods are ambush predators that blend into the background or even lure their prey.

The hallmark of intelligent behavior, however, is learning and memory  and there is plenty of evidence that some octopuses and cuttlefish learn in a way that is comparable to learning in vertebrates. The common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis), as well as the common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) and the day octopus (Octopus cyanea), can all form simple associations, such as learning which image on a screen predicts that food will appear.

Some cephalopods may be capable of more complicated forms of learning, such as reversal learning  learning to flexibly adjust behavior when different stimuli signal reward. They may also be able to inhibit impulsive responses. In a 2021 study that gave common cuttlefish a choice between a less desirable but immediate snack of crab and a preferred treat of live shrimp after a delay, many of the cuttlefish chose to wait for the shrimp.

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A new frontier for animal welfare

Considering whats known about their brain structures, sensory systems and learning capacity, it appears that cephalopods as a group may be similar in intelligence to vertebrates as a group. Since many societies have animal welfare standards for mice, rats, chickens and other vertebrates, logic would suggest that theres an equal case for regulations enforcing humane treatment of cephalopods.

Such rules generally specify that when a species is held in captivity, its housing conditions should support the animals welfare and natural behavior. This view has led some U.S. states to outlaw confined cages for egg-laying hens and crates too narrow for pregnant sows to turn around.

Animal welfare regulations say little about invertebrates, but guidelines for the care and use of captive cephalopods have started to appear over the past decade. In 2010, the European Union required considering ethical issues when using cephalopods for research. And in 2015, AAALAC International, an international accreditation organization for ethical animal research, and the Federation of European Laboratory Animal Science Associations promoted guidelines for the care and use of cephalopods in research. The U.S. National Institutes of Health is currently considering similar guidelines.

The alien minds of octopuses and their relatives are fascinating, not the least because they provide a mirror through which we can reflect on more familiar forms of intelligence. Deciding which species deserve moral consideration requires selecting criteria, such as neuron count or learning capacity, to inform those choices.

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Once these criteria are set, it may be well to also consider how they apply to the rodents, birds and fish that occupy more familiar roles in our lives.

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: Rachel Blaser, University of San Diego

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Rachel Blaser does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
New body cam footage shows a Louisville police officer citing a pregnant woman and issuing her a citation despite pleading with him that she is going into labor and would like to be left alone.



Louisville Public Media (LPM) reported that Louisville Police Lt. Caleb Stewart issued the woman a citation for illegal street camping, which requires a court appearance in and a possible fine.

The woman  who asked LPM not to report her name  gave birth later that day at a nearby hospital, her public defender told LPM.

A spokesperson for the Louisville Police Department told PEOPLE we support officers using discretion while on the job.

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We also understand everyone may not agree with those decisions, but we are committed to being transparent in communicating and explaining processes and policy to the community, the spokesperson said.

Ryan Dischinger, a public defender assigned to the womans legal case, told LPM that the woman and her newborn son are healthy and currently living in a shelter  without assistance from the police department, who took credit for the womans safety when reached by PEOPLE for comment this week.



Without the officers intervention and call for EMS, it is possible the baby would have been born without medical care, the department claimed. The police spokesperson did not respond to PEOPLEs questions about whether Lt. Stewart faced any disciplinary action.

Body cam video shows Lt. Stewart return to his car after telling the woman he was issuing her a citation. Once in the vehicle, he self-narrates what just took place, accusing the woman of making up an outlandish story about being in labor.

So, I dont believe for a second that this woman is going into labor, Lt. Stewart says. But Ive called EMS, asked for a code 3, just in case Im wrong.

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Related: Breonna Taylor's Civil Rights Were Violated by Ex-Louisville Officer, Jury Determines

The footage released by the department shows the woman telling Lt. Stewart shes leaking and is going into labor multiple times.

Yall are evil people, the woman later tells Lt. Stewart, as he raises his voice at her while she begins to walk away from him carrying a blanket.

You dont have to holler and you dont have to push me, the woman says, explaining she wants to go find her husband who just went to call her an ambulance before police arrived.

Meanwhile, an orange city dump truck can be seen on camera removing the mattress the woman was resting on when police first showed up.

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Yall are horrible, the woman tells Lt. Stewart and the other officers surrounding her. Im glad yall got this job to f with the homeless and not help society.



The citation stems from a new Kentucky state law that bans people from street camping, according to LPM. The Safer Kentucky Act makes camping on the street a misdemeanor violation and could result in a fine.

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Dischinger, who did not immediately respond to PEOPLEs request for comment on Friday, told LPM that the reality for her, and for anyone whos homeless in Kentucky, is that theyre constantly and unavoidably breaking this law.

What she needed was help and compassion and instead she was met with violence, the public defender said.

Read the original article on People
Dec. 20CRESAPTOWN  Joshua Mills stood before the North Branch Correctional Institution and talked of his work as a correctional officer for 12 years.

Mills began his career in Hagerstown before he transferred to NBCI, where he's spent the past 10 years.

Today, inadequate staffing levels at the maximum-security, state-run prison requires employees to work mandatory overtime, which reduces morale and puts lives of officers, as well as inmates, at risk, he said.

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"If any major emergency were to happen, there'd be no staff to cover anything, and whatever staff you do pull are already worn down," Mills said.

Radios at the prison malfunction daily, "and we can't hear someone on the other side of the building," he said.

Due to faulty control panels, doors often freeze and shut down, Mills said.

"This facility is a ticking time bomb," he said.

Mills and roughly 45 American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees  Maryland Council 3 members from various state agencies, and retired state employees, met Thursday outside NBCI for a press conference to address unsafe staffing levels and facilities.

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The event marked the final stop on a statewide tour that the union, which represents nearly 45,000 public service workers, held to discuss what it described as dangerously low staffing levels and skyrocketing employee vacancy rates.

Tony Sines is president of AFSCME Local 898, which represents employees at NBCI and the adjacent Western Correctional Institution, a maximum security state prison for men.

Sines is a correctional officer at WCI.

NBCI and WCI house some of Maryland's "most dangerous offenders," he said.

Officers at the prisons are "overworked, exhausted and unsafe in these facilities," he said and added the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services has not provided workers a staffing plan.

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"We have been ignored for far too long," Sines said.

Kevin Miller is a union steward for AFSCME Local 3167 that represents Maryland Department of Juvenile Services employees.

He works as a residential adviser at Backbone Mountain Youth Center in Swanton.

The facility serves male youth who have been court ordered to a treatment program.

Miller said he enjoys hearing success stories from boys who go on to graduate from high school, attend college and start families.

But the center's work is in jeopardy, he said.

"We can be some of the only positive interactions for the kids," Miller said.

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"We can't run the programs that we want to run without more staff."

Children in the facility sometimes fight, which can lead to an uncontrollable situation without adequate attention from professionals, he said.

"Our jobs are demanding," Miller said.

"We need more support."

Shannon Sacco is president of AFSCME Local 611 that represents Allegany and Garrett county state employees.

She works as a licensed practical nurse at the Thomas B. Finan Center, a multi-purpose psychiatric facility that operates 88 beds in Cumberland that's owned and managed by the state.

Part of Sacco's job is to help patients recover and become stable, she said.

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"We don't have enough staff to meet our mission," she said and talked of rooms "sitting empty" for lack of resources.

Many employees at the facility must work overtime and at part-time jobs to survive financially, Sacco said.

Sean Santmyire is a workforce development specialist and member of AFSCME Local 3641, which represents Maryland Department of Labor employees.

"Staff turnover is high," he said.

Patrick Moran is president of AFSCME Maryland.

He talked of "serious staffing issues" and outdated infrastructure in state buildings.

"People are working in unhealthy conditions," Moran said.

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The workers need, earn and deserve relief, he said.

"They're coming in here and doing the damn job every single day, every single shift," Moran said.

Shawn Shumaker retired from WCI eight years ago.

Today, he is pastor at Redemption Gospel and Reviving Ministry based in Lonaconing.

Shumaker said he knows officers at the prison who have been assaulted at work.

Stabbings and deaths have been featured in various recent news reports.

In April, a correctional officer at NBCI returned home after being treated for a stab wound at Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, West Virginia. The officer had been assaulted by an incarcerated man.

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In early November, a prisoner at NBCI stabbed two correctional officers, seriously wounding them.

"These guys lay their life on the line every day," Shumaker said of the officers.

"The quickest fix is to get hiring back to what it should be."

Teresa McMinn is a reporter for the Cumberland Times-News. She can be reached at 304-639-2371 or tmcminn@times-news.com.
A woman who was hit and killed while walking in Roxbury Wednesday morning has been identified by authorities.

39-year-old Diva Helena Pina De Carvalho was hit by a motor vehicle while at the intersection of Malcolm X Boulevard and Tremont Street around 5:48 a.m., according to Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden.

Pina de Carvalho was pronounced dead at the scene.

Community advocate Domingos Darosa says, She was a really nice, hardworking lady trying to support her family

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The driver who struck her remained on scene and is cooperating with investigators, according to police. It is unclear if they will face any charges.

The incident remains under investigation.

A GoFundMe page has been set up for the victims family if you would like to donate.

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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New Jersey officials have debunked claims that drones were deployed to search for missing radioactive material from a shipping container, following social media speculation linked to reports of mystery drone sightings.

The shipment was a piece of medical equipment called a pin source, which contains a radioactive component commonly used to calibrate PET scanners. The pin source has since been recovered.

The rumor gained traction online and was echoed by Belleville Mayor Michael Melham during a Tuesday interview, when he suggested the drones, which have been spotted over several eastern states in recent weeks, might be involved in a search.

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"In my opinion, they're looking for something," Melham said. "There is an alert that's out right now that radioactive material in New Jersey has gone missing on Dec. 2. There was a shipment that arrived at its destination. The container was damaged and was empty."

Melham told CBS News he used the instance as an example of what the drones may be looking for. "My point is, they are flying in a grid-like pattern, in my opinion, sniffing for something," he said.

A spokesperson for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection told CBS News that the material in question has been recovered and drones were not part of the recovery operation.

The Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday issued a notice restricting drone flights over nearly two dozen towns in New Jersey until Jan. 17.

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Claims of missing radioactive material in New Jersey

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission released a report on Dec. 13 that said medical equipment from Nazha Cancer Center in southern New Jersey had been "lost in transit on December 2" after the shipping container "arrived at its destination damaged and empty."

Kalman Rosenfeld, a radiation site manager at Nazha Cancer Center, told CBS News that the equipment has arrived at a disposal facility in Knoxville, Tennessee.

The shipment contained trace amounts of Germanium-68, a "very low-level radiation source" permitted to be shipped through common carriers, according to the NJDEP.

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The department said the device was misplaced at a FedEx shipping facility before it was located on Dec. 10, repackaged and sent back to the manufacturer.

How the theory spread online

On Dec. 14, John Ferguson, the CEO of an unmanned aircraft systems manufacturer based in Kansas, posted a TikTok video that suggested the drones may be detecting gas leaks or radioactive material on the ground.

Podcast host Joe Rogan reposted the video and said, "This is the first video about these drones that has got me genuinely concerned."

Ferguson's video has circulated widely across social media, amassing more than 30 million views on X and thousands of users' engagement, with some users linking it to the missing shipment.

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However, Ferguson does not mention the shipping container, and he told CBS News he did not know about the shipment until after he made the video.

"I have heard about the medical equipment that came up missing in a shipping container," Ferguson said. "I do not know much about it, but I do know that that is not a part of my video or anything that I have done to date."

Government response to nuclear emergencies

A spokesperson from the National Nuclear Security Administration, an agency under the Department of Energy that works with the nuclear stockpile, told CBS News that the administration is not engaged in any operations involving radiological or nuclear threats.

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Additionally, their specialized Nuclear Emergency Support Team uses aircraft rather than drones to detect nuclear or radiological substances.

Researchers from the federal energy department's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory found that drones have the potential to conduct detection of low levels of radiation across survey sites, but more studies are needed before the devices are approved for use in decommissioning.

The FBI has received more than 5,000 tips about drone sightings in recent weeks, according to a joint statement released on Tuesday by the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, the FAA and the Department of Defense.

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OGDENSBURG, N.Y. (WWTI)  A 25-year-old Ogdensburg man is facing child pornography charges after being arrested on Thursday, December 19.

New York State Police charged Austin Cameron with one count each of promotion of a sexual performance by a child and possession of a sexual performance by a child.

Lewis Co. man charged with allegedly threatening woman with hammer; taking vehicle

Authorities said the investigation was initiated by an online platform reporting to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)

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It was determined that child exploitation material had been sent through that online platform through a residential WiFi network that Cameron allegedly had access to.

He was arraigned in the City of Ogdensburg Court and released on his own recognizance. Cameron is set to appear in court on January 21, 2025.

The investigation is ongoing according to authorities.

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.
Over the past year, T.D. Jakes has been one of a handful of high-profile individuals who have been the subject of online videos attempting to link them to Sean Diddy Combs alleged bad behavior. But now, Jakes legal team is fighting back against what they say is AI-generated misinformation and asking the courts to expose the identities of those responsible for creating (and getting paid) for the content.



According to NBC News, Jakes attorney Dustin Pusch filed a motion in a California court on December 19 against YouTubes parent company, Google, asking them to release information about accounts that appear to be located in Pakistan, South Africa, the Philippines and Kenya, that have made false claims about the pastor using AI-generated images and voice-overs.

Back in January, NBC News reported discovering dozens of YouTube accounts using things like clickbait headlines and suggestive AI-generated content to link celebrities like Bishop Jakes, Denzel Washington and Steve Harvey to the Diddy scandal. The videos have attracted millions of viewers and have allowed the creators to monetize the traffic to potential advertisers.

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In their motion, Jakes lawyers accuse these accounts of trying to capitalize on Jakes popularity, luring them into fake news stories.

These YouTubers are purportedly using the sordid and sensational allegations revolving around Sean Diddy Combs to attack, humiliate, degrade, and defame Bishop Jakesand many other prominent black celebritieswith manufactured claims that he is guilty of the same crimes and other lewd and repulsive conduct as Mr. Combs, the motion reads. In other words, YouTubers are using Bishop Jakess prominence as clickbait to attract unwitting users to view their knowingly false videos for their (and possibly other foreign companies) financial gain.

If the court allows Jakes legal team to access information about the account holders identity, theyll be able to move forward with defamation lawsuits against them.

For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Measures to better protect patients from abusive doctors that were years in the making are now law in Ohio.

Senate Bill 109, proposed by state Sen. Bob Hackett, R-London, was signed Friday morning by Gov. Mike DeWine. It will require doctors on probation for sexual misconduct to notify their patients in writing. and allow the State Medical Board of Ohio to act more quickly when a physician is accused of sexual misconduct.

"This bill signing is our latest step forward in the state to make progress in this area, strengthen the ways we respond as a state when a medical professional has shown to be engaged in sexual misconduct with a patient," DeWine said.

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Among other changes, the law will:

Require prosecutors to alert the regulatory board or agency that handles medical licenses about an indictment or charge of sexual battery against a licensed medical professional.

Require courts to alert regulatory boards or agencies to a medical professional convicted of sexual battery.

Expand the definition of rape to include circumstances when the offender knew that the other person's judgment was impaired because of drugs for medical treatment.

When a person knows a licensed medical professional has sexually abused a patient and fails to report it to law enforcement within 30 days, they can be charged with failure to report a crime, a fourth-degree misdemeanor.

Require consent to perform an intimate examination on an anesthetized or unconscious patient, except under limited circumstances, according to an amendment to the bill.

S.B. 109 was reintroduced in the state legislature after The Columbus Dispatch's "Preying On Patients" investigation into how the State Medical Board of Ohio handled accusations of sexual misconduct by medical professionals.

The Dispatch launched its investigation after it was revealed the medical board had previously failed to take action against Dr. Richard Strauss, an Ohio State University physician accused of sexually abusing at least 177 former students and athletes during his time there.

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The Dispatch investigation found that Strauss, who died by suicide in 2005, was no outlier in his abuse.

From 1980 through 2022, at least 256 Ohio doctors have faced disciplinary action for sexual misconduct. Of those doctors, 199 sexually abused or harassed 449 patients, The Dispatch found.

Those figures don't include an unknown number of victims who have never come forward or complaints that in the past were not fully investigated.

Previous iterations of Senate Bill 109 had stalled in the legislature despite support from the state medical board, DeWine and a working group the governor appointed in the wake of the Strauss scandal. While the bill sat in the Statehouse, the medical board did make a number of sweeping internal changes.

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The medical board has created a process to review closed complaints, required investigators receive trauma-informed training, created an online dashboard that provides data on complaints filed and has hired a victim coordinator, a sexual misconduct enforcement attorney, a team of sexual misconduct investigators and a medical director, spokeswoman Jerica Stewart has said.

DeWine said Ohio's medical board is the only one nationwide to have a team specifically dedicated to sexual misconduct complaints.

Stephanie Loucka, the board director, said Ohio is becoming a national leader in efforts to protect patients and hold doctors who commit sexual misconduct accountable.

Dr. Jonathan Feibel, board chairman, said: "The state medical board's highest priority is to protect patients. Our job is not to protect doctors."

mfilby@dispatch.com

@MaxFilby

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signs bill to protect patients from abusive doctors
Dec. 20Group homes for foster children will face additional reporting requirements and state oversight after a bill designed to address problems in Montgomery County cleared the Statehouse this week.

Group homes have been a growing problem in the county. A recent Dayton Daily News analysis found that Montgomery County is now how to more than one-third of all group homes in the state, which accounted for 3,000 calls for service received by Dayton police in 2023.

As such, getting regulations on the books before the 135th General Assembly formally expires in early January was a priority for Dayton-area Reps. Andrea White, R-Kettering, and Phil Plummer, R-Butler Twp, who had elements of their House Bill 583 rolled into House Bill 315, a 400-page omnibus bill that was the final official action of the 135th General Assembly.

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"Our No. 1 concern is for our children who are in need of a temporary loving, safe environment," White said. "Ohio is taking steps to secure more family homes where foster children can be placed, but in the meantime, we have children who are being placed many miles and many counties away from where their parents or caregivers live because there is a shortage of places in their home communities."

"Montgomery County has seen a substantial increase in group homes in our community, which creates its own set of challenges for our youth-serving organizations and community service providers," Plummer said. "We are going to properly regulate theses homes to ensure the owners are properly trained and equipped to handle the various challenges children face. We have had numerous complaints and concerns regarding this situation, and we are going to demand accountability on behalf of our foster children."

The legislation that passed sets up reporting requirements to the state when a child under the care of a group home receives emergency medical care or when law enforcement officers have investigative interactions with the foster child.

It also mandates that, when a delinquent child gets placed in a group home, the group home gets notification for how that child came to be adjudicated delinquent.

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Agencies with custody over any foster child will also be required to perform a monthly review on the group home the child was placed in and reconsider that child's placement if the group home isn't up to snuff.

The bill also tells the Ohio Department of Children and Youth to divide the state into regions, determine the ideal number of group homes in each region, and establish incentives to help draw group homes into those regions, potentially cutting down on the over-saturation Montgomery County has experienced in recent years.

Other provisions aim to ensure that group homes meet local zoning requirements, support foster children's education, and set up a study committee to evaluate the placement of delinquent children in group homes  a compromise to White and Plummer's original idea of entirely separating delinquent and non-delinquent children.

White said more needs to be done.

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"We want to ensure that providers running these homes and the on-site caregivers who support the foster children in their care are properly trained, responsive and accountable for delivering the level of wraparound services and supervision they are being entrusted to provide for some of our most vulnerable young lives," White said.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)  The Ohio Police and Fire Pension Fund is headed toward a financial crisis, but Ohios municipal leaders said they cant afford the bailout.

There was a proposal at the Ohio Statehouse to force cities to increase their contributions to the pension fund, but that bill stalled before lawmakers went home for the year.

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The Ohio House passed the bill, which would require municipalities to increase their contributions into the fund, but the Ohio Senate was under pressure to reject it and it stalled.

Ohio Fraternal Order of Police leaders back the bill, saying the system has been out of balance since it was set up 40 years ago.

For whatever reason, in 1984 when the cities came to the legislature and said, Look, we want a set rate of contribution, FOP Director of Government Affairs Mike Weinman said. Well, for whatever reason, they put fire at 24% and police at 19 1/2, and its unfair.

The proposed increase in the contribution rate for the police side of the pension would cost Ohio cities an additional $80 million a year. Cities said they simply cant afford it.

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Public safety is our largest municipal budgetary expenditure for cities across the state and if the state increases our pension obligations, thats fewer dollars that were going to be able to invest in hiring new officers, paying higher and more competitive wages, Ohiio Mayors Alliance CEO Keary McCarthy said.

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The FOP said the increase would be phased in over time  and as for claims that cities cant afford it

I would like to challenge that, Weinman said. You know, NBC 4 runs stories all the time about what cities are spending money on, you know, and we know theres a lot of fraud, waste and abuse out there, things that theyre funding that, you know, perhaps they shouldnt be.

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Just last year, cities across the state of Ohio spent $600 million into the police and fire pension fund, McCarthy said. These are huge amounts of money that our communities, our taxpayers, our cities, are investing into this pension fund, and again, we want to make sure that that pension fund is sound and stable for the long term. Were not unwilling to do our part.

McCarthy said if the state orders cities to put more money into the pension system, it would be an unfunded state mandate. He said if the legislature wants more money to go into the public pension, lawmakers should first increase funding to cities.

The FOP said whether its cities or the state, someone needs to take financial action because the pension is not sound. Police recruitment in Ohio is down, according to the union, by 87%, and if there is no stability in the pension system, it will get worse.

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Theyre trying to implement all sorts of different programs and things, and one of the things people look at is that stability, Weinman said. You know, whats going to happen to me? You know, I was shot and paralyzed in the line of duty, so I got disability retirement, and, you know, thats the safety net thats there for people, and if thats gone, you know, you have to sit there and wonder, like, What will happen to my family if I get injured?'

There are 27,000 active members of the pension and 30,000 retirees.

The bill did not pass this session of the legislature, and now the FOP wants voters to contact lawmakers and ask them to support the bill in the new year.

Hear more about the pension fund as well as Colleen Marshalls exclusive interview with outgoing Sen. Sherrod Brown this Sunday on The Spectrum at 10 a.m.

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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 NBC4 WCMH-TV.
The Oklahoma State Board of Education voted to rejected a hearing officer's findings in an investigation into Cody Barlow, a former Wewoka Middle School principal who in 2023, was accused of inappropriately touching children and exhibiting "grooming behaviors."

The situation led to a criminal case against Barlow and a lawsuit against him and the school district. The lawsuit was settled earlier this year for $1.95 million.

A federal magistrate judge in Muskogee approved equal tax-free payments to four boys for their personal physical injuries at the school. The first $1 million of the settlement is be paid by the Wewoka School District. The rest is to be paid out over three years from the school district's sinking fund.

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More: Shawnee superintendent's teaching license suspended by Oklahoma State Board of Education

In September, a jury in the Seminole County District Court found Barlow not guilty on all six felony counts of lewd or indecent acts and proposals to a child under 16.

The state board voted to remand the matter back to the hearing officer for reconsideration, and grant the Oklahoma State Department of Education's request for continuance. The board did not comment on its rationale for making any of those decisions.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Ryan Walters, board of education reject Cody Barlow investigation
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  The Portland City Ombudsmans office is investigating fire code concerns at a newly built Habitat for Humanity affordable housing complex in Southeast Portland.

Residents at Cherry Blossom Townhomes in the Hazelwood Neighborhood first voiced concerns. Then, a KOIN 6 investigation revealed that the city and fire bureau approved building permits while fire code concerns remained unanswered.

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Portlands Deputy Ombudsman Tony Green is sharing updates about their ongoing investigation into potential fire code violations as well.

An ombudsman helps resolve complaints and disputes between residents and the city by investigating issues, offering recommendations and ensuring fairness. In this case, the investigation centers on fire safety.

The big issues were the width of the fire access road and whether there was a secondary access road given the number of units, Green said.

Hes investigating several key issues including whether the townhomes are safe, whether Portland Fire and Rescue followed proper procedures in approving permits and how the city has communicated with residents when they raised these concerns.

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I think obviously the safety is the most important part. But people are entitled to know  the residents in particular are entitled to know  whether the process was followed and theyre also entitled to get straight answers, Green said.

During KOIN 6s investigation, Portland Fire Bureaus answers were called into question as PF&R Assistant Fire Marshal Jason Birch said on camera that he did not notice any fire code violations while he was there.

Portland Fire officials once again denied in an email to KOIN 6 that the buildings were nearly 32 feet tall. Code states buildings over 30 feet require extra accommodations for bigger aerial fire trucks or automatic sprinkler systems, the complex has neither. The ombudsman confirmed this is the case.

The fire code is clear, but there is a pretty big exception at the end that allows for significant deviations from whats in black and white, Green said.

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Portland City Council swearing in marks historic change

If builders or architects are seeking exceptions to Portland Fire Code, they must go through an official appeals process.

Portlands appeals process for fire code exceptions involves submitting an appeal to the Portland Fire & Rescue Fire Marshals Office. Applicants must provide detailed plans, justification for the exception, and propose alternative safety measures. The appeal is reviewed by a panel, and a decision is issued, which can be further appealed, if necessary.

However, whatever exceptions are made to current fire code still have to provide equivalent safety measures.

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Green confirmed that no appeals were filed in the Cherry Blossom Townhomes case.

Were confident that in the end, well be able to have a clear conclusion about what the fire code requires and whether the procedures were followed, he said. When we reach a conclusion, we have a good track record of affecting change.

The deputy ombudsmans investigation is still ongoing. He has not published a final report or issued recommendations. KOIN 6 News will follow up with those reports as soon as he does.

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.
Christmas this year in the Carolina mountains likely wont be the same for many families after Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc.

But Channel 9s Hunter Saenz met a group in Charlotte whos stepping in to help save Christmas for families in the mountains.

Whitney Black was one of the volunteers who spent hours wrapping gifts.

To be able to help them is a joy for me, Black told Saenz.

But these gifts arent for her family, theyre for a family she doesnt personally know.

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It makes you grateful for what you have and that youre not going through this, Black said.

After the wrath of Helene flooded what many here refer to as Gods Country, celebrating Christmas wasnt a top priority. But the Changing Lives Together Foundation saw an opportunity to help.

It just came to us as really kind of a no-brainer, said Mike Dascal, the founder and executive director of the group. It was really heartbreaking, just to hear so many stories and see it first-hand. We saw the devastation and just felt a need to do something for that community.

He put out a call for families to become sponsors, and they raised a lot of money.

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Weve had over 500 people donate from 25 states across the country, and weve raised over $150,000 over the last three, four weeks, Dascal said.

Those sponsors worked with volunteers like Black, who went through the wishlist of one family and bought it all. There were big wants from the kiddos, and desperate needs from the parents, too.

Some crib mattresses, a mattress for mom and dad, a chainsaw for the family to help with some downed trees, Black said.

With the help of sponsors and the foundation, gifts were purchased for 25 families. They were then boxed, wrapped, and marked by hand, ready for delivery.

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These people are going through a lot, and you know, some of these impacts are not only temporary, like from a housing standpoint, but theyve lost loved ones. Theyve lost family members. Theyre going to be devastated for a long time, and its just, it just feels like its the right thing to do, Dascal said. Were one big family, right? We all have each others back, and were all one big family.

A familys support after tragedy

For weeks, the Vandelogt family has been shopping and wrapping gifts for one of those Western North Carolina families.

Marissa Pack and her partner, Tyler, are the proud partners of three children. They live in Fairview, a small town outside of Asheville that was no match for the remnants of Helene.

We were just going to go to mom and dads because the weather was bad. The power was out, mom and dad had a wood stove type deal, so you know, the kids just wanted to go to Nanas, Marissa said.

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What typically was a 10-minute drive turned into four hours through hell on that September day.

Roads were out, power lines were down, trees were down, we had to cut our way out, Marissa said. When we got there, it was just gone. My whole childhood was gone. The house I was raised in was gone.

Also gone were Marissas parents. Terri and Freddie Pack were both washed away with their home. Their bodies were found days later.

We lost nine family members, Marissa said. Just gone, they had no warning.

Grief has been a journey, along with rebuilding their lives.

But on a dreary December day, not even the rain could wash the smiles off the faces of this family when they met the angels who adopted them this Christmas.

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First, they met the big man himself as Santa Claus made a stop and checked the list twice.

Give me five! Very good, you made the nice list! Santa told the Pack children.

The joy on their faces was clearly seen and felt by those looking on. Then it was off to a table full of toys to pick a few for themselves.

Nearly everything on their wishlist was bought, wrapped, and delivered.

Marissa was simply overwhelmed by the generosity.

It means more than I could explain, she told Saenz. I cant give my kids their Nana and their pa back, but I can replace, like at moms, they had a playroom.

And with the help of the Vandelogt family, that playroom is coming.

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It gave my kids like a sense of hope, Marissa said. Everythings going to be OK, and were going to be OK, and these strangers are going to make sure that were OK.

Marissa said the act of kindness taught her kids that giving back when someone is at their lowest is the most important thing.

>>If youd like to help the family with their recovery you can donate to this GoFundMe page thats been set up for them.

The Changing Lives Together Foundation and its sponsors spent thousands of dollars on each of the 25 families, and every family also got $1,500 gift cards to Walmart and cash to help them out.

(VIDEO >> This Christmas, some kids are looking for the ultimate gift: a family)
At least one person was killed and more than 50 others injured after a car ploughed into a Christmas market in the central German city of Magdeburg on Friday evening, Mayor Regina-Dolores Stieler-Hinz said.

Medics were treating injured people lying on the ground in front of the market stalls. Other victims have been rushed to the Magdeburg University Hospital.

The incident is being treated as a suspected attack, state and local authorities said.

The driver of the vehicle has been taken into police custody, sources close to the investigation told dpa.

Emergency services, fire department and police are on duty at the Christmas market in Magdeburg, after a car drove into a group of people. (Best possible quality) Heiko Rebsch/dpa
GAHANNA, Ohio (WCMH)  One person was killed Friday in a restaurant shooting.

A representative with Gahanna said police were contacted at 1:20 p.m. about a shooting at the Subway in Stoneridge Plaza. Gahanna police said when they arrived on the scene, they found a man suffering from a gun shot wound. Court documents indicate the victim was inside the Subway waiting in line when he was shot. The victim was pronounced dead 20 minutes later, police said.

Gahanna police said when they arrived on the scene, a suspect was found right outside the Subway, sitting on the curb with his hands in the air, fully undressed. Gahanna Deputy Chief of Police Jeff Lawless said he took off his clothes after the shooting, and confirmed the suspect is still in custody. All stores in the shopping center are open except the Subway where the shooting took place.

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According to court documents, police have charged William Marshall Jr., 30, of Westerville with premeditated aggravated murder. He is scheduled for an arraignment Saturday morning at 9 a.m., court documents show.

Columbus invests in new eviction prevention programs

This is the second fatal shooting in Gahanna in the past two days, but police assured the public the incidents were not related.

This is a relatively safe community, Lawless said. These things seem to be isolated at times. Anywhere, this could happen anywhere.

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.
A man was found dead inside a home following a fire in Montville early Friday.

Montville firefighters were dispatched to a residence on Kitemaug Road just before 3:30 a.m. for a report of a house fire, according to a Facebook post from Norwich Firefighter Local 892.

First responding units found a fully involved residence, said Montville Fire Marshal Paul Barnes.

An officer from the Montville Police Department arrived just minutes later and requested a second alarm, according to fire officials.

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Multiple departments responded to help battle the blaze at the two-story, wood-frame home including units from Mohegan Tribe, Norwich, Oakdale, Chesterfield, Poquetanuck, Preston, East Great Plain, Gales Ferry, Salem and Gardner Lake, fire officials said.

Early on there was a water issue, according to Barnes. It was a long hose lay from the Route 32 hydrant to the scene. They made an aggressive attack with the tank water on one of the engines, but once water was established, the fire was put out rather quickly.

Barnes confirmed that one person was found dead inside the home but did not identify them.

There was no possibility for an interior attack and subsequent search we did find remains of the homeowner inside the residence, Barnes said.

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No firefighters were injured during the incident, according to Barnes.

The Connecticut State Police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit responded to the scene to assist the Montville Fire Marshals Office with the investigation.

According to Barnes, the scene remains active.

Kitemaug Road from the Route 32 end will be closed for a while until we can get the fire completely out, he said. We have heavy equipment up there right now. There was a partial collapse of the building so we have heavy equipment up there right now piecing the building apart so we can get to the hot spots.

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Barnes offered condolences to the family of the victim.

Our hearts go out to them, he said. Its a difficult time being this close to the holidays and were working with them providing them with whatever assistance they need.
One in six people arrested across the country in connection with the unrest following the Southport stabbings were under 18.

There was widespread rioting and disorder in the summer following the killing of three girls  Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven  at a dance class in Southport on July 30.

Police and courts were quick to arrest and charge many of those involved in the unrest.

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An investigation by Radar, the data arm of the PA news agency, has collated the number of arrests by the police, alongside the detainees ages and the offences committed.

Responses to freedom of information requests showed there were 1,233 arrests across the 32 police forces that provided data, with 219 of them relating to children under 18.

Thirteen police forces did not supply figures.

Among those to provide information on why people were arrested, public order offences were by far the most common reason for arrest, with more than 700 cases.

However, there were also 69 offences of assault, 45 of theft and burglary (including four shoplifting offences), 38 for possession of weapons, 32 drug offences and 19 for malicious communications.

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Arrests can be for more than one offence.

Of the forces which responded, Greater Manchester Police made the most arrests (160), followed by Merseyside (148) and the Metropolitan Police (142). The most children were arrested in Humberside (38), Merseyside (33) and Manchester (32).

There were no arrests linked to the disorder made by six police forces.

Separate figures collated by the National Police Chiefs Council found 1,711 arrests have been made since the end of July.

Elsie Dot Stancombe, Alice da Silva Aguiar and Bebe King were killed in the Southport attack - Merseyside Police

A spokesperson for the organisation said arrests and charging decisions are likely to continue for some time.

The spokesperson said: Unfortunately, we did see a number of young people take part in these incidents.

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They said it was important to avoid the unnecessary criminalisation of children and young people, but added police need to respond appropriately to protect communities.

This can include the arrest and charge in the case of violent disorder and other serious offences.

A Home Office spokesman said: The senseless violence on our streets following the tragic loss of Bebe, Elsie and Alice was shocking.

We are grateful to all the officers who continue to work hard to keep our communities safe.

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No, nem szamitottam arra, hogy tetszeni fog a zombis build, azt hittem, sokkal rosszabb lesz. Most itt tartok, 83-as szinten, nemreg lenyomtam az uber lab-ot is: https://pobb.in/C2Qo8Bk1Giqx

Persze meg csak T6-nal jarok, nem viszem tulzasba. Absolution-t elhagytam egy ideje, ha lenne egy vulnerabilty-s kesztyu az AG-re, meg atkozodni sem kellene. Rare wand-ra meg rarakni a trigger spell-t (offering, convocation), onnantol kezdve csak setalna az ember.

Neha kicsit utban vannak az aprosagok, neha nem tudok hova kattintani vagy nem latom, hova lepek, de ha valakit erdekel, javaslok egy probat vele. Szamomra meglepoen jo, nem neztem volna ki ezt a zombikbol.

Jo, hogy meghosszabbitottak ezt az esemenyt, hatha addig eljutok a piros palyakra.

Nem tudom eldonteni, a balvanyozas jobb-e, mint az Atlas? Mondjuk idaig kb ami esett, betettem a map chance miatt, nemigen foglalkoztam massal. .

Feltetelezem a T. kollegaknak mar kiszakad a zsebuk a sok divine-tol...
ROME, NY (WUTR/WFXV/WPNY)  With extremely cold temperatures hitting the Mohawk Valley this weekend, Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente is making sure people stay warm.

Picente announced on Friday, December 20 that the Oneida Countys office facility in Rome will serve as an evening warming center. The center will be open until Monday, December 23.

With frigid temperatures forecasted through this weekend, many Oneida County residents will be at risk, Picente said in a statement. We will be opening up our county office facility in Rome to accommodate as many people as possible and will be working with the City of Rome to keep everyone safe during this time.

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The center will be in the main lobby of the countys office building at the former Berkshire Bank building on West Dominick Street. The Oneida County Office of Family and Community Services has set it up as a seating area within the building. Individuals using the center will have access to restrooms; however, no beds or bedding will be provided. Oneida County Sheriffs will be providing security within the building.

After reaching out to the County this morning for assistance, I would like to personally thank County Executive Anthony Picente for providing these resources to help our most vulnerable residents during these dangerously cold conditions, said Rome Mayor Jeffrey Lanigan. We are incredibly fortunate to have partners that we can count on when the need arises.

The shelter will operate from 8 pm to 7 am beginning on Friday, December 20. These hours will remain in place until Monday, December 23. Hours will be extended if necessary.

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A recent surge in bird flu infections is wiping out flocks of egg-laying hens across the nation. The outbreak has shattered egg production numbers, driving egg prices up 150% from last year.

The current bird flu flare-up is a resurgence of the 2022 outbreak, which has sustained itself over the last two years in a series of ebbs and flows. Since the start of this year, 35 million laying hens have died from bird flu  half of which were infected in the past three months. In October, the United States Department of Agriculture reported that egg production was down 4% from 2023, and it continues to lower its future projections of our egg supply. The drop in egg supply is causing egg prices to soar past previous records in many states. In the Midwest, the price for a dozen eggs reached $5.57, and in California, the price towers at $8.85.

Hiked egg prices stings consumers amid the holiday season  and they've begun to feel it. On the Reddit forum r/Costco, one user shared a picture of an empty space where pallets of egg cartons are usually held. "This store usually has 10-12 pallets stocked everyday and have been sparsely receiving pallets lately," they wrote. Other users chimed in and commented that the recent upsurge in bird flu cases has cleared out egg supplies.

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Read more: The Surprising Way Costco Slices Up Its Pizza To Uniform Perfection

What To Know About Bird Flu

Tested eggs sit behind a culture dish with avian flu written on it - Digicomphoto/science Photo Library/Getty Images

Bird flu affecting produce is alarming, but it's nothing new. Last month, California issued a milk recall due to risks of bird flu infection. The 2022 bird flu outbreak has perpetuated price increases over the course of the past two years. And in response, federal and state governments have allocated funding to vaccine research to curb the virus infecting U.S. poultry populations.

Wild birds infected with the virus are spreading it to commercial poultry farms. Some farmers have been slaughtering entire flocks to minimize the spread, but these measures have been to no avail thus far. The bird flu has also affected cattle this year, as farms use delivery trucks for transporting both poultry and dairy products. Luckily, humans are relatively safe from the bird flu. Only 61 human cases have been reported this year, most of which are individuals who had direct exposure to the virus on poultry farms. Luckily, almost all of the human cases of bird flu infection have been mild and no casualties have been reported.

The flare-up in bird flu cases in recent months has led to increased egg prices for the holidays. The holiday season  defined by both shopping, cooking, and baking  is a vulnerable time of year for consumers, and hiked prices only dings their wallets even deeper.

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Read the original article on The Takeout.
With the possible exception of China, no issue will figure larger on the foreign-policy agenda of the incoming Trump administration than Russia.

In the last three years, relations have plunged to depths of animosity not seen since the darkest days of the Cold War. Russias brutal aggression against Ukraine has rendered Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, politically toxic in Washington. Episodic phone calls between senior officials to head off crises are no substitute for sustained, substantive dialogue between the worlds two leading nuclear powers.

The restoration of more regular diplomatic relations is urgent. This is not a call for a reset, which is neither possible nor desirable: The clash of interests is too profound for it to be otherwise. The task, rather, is to transform a dangerous adversarial relationship into one of competitive coexistence, in which clashing geopolitical interests can be managed responsibly. Reaching that goal will require skill, tenacity, patience and resolve.

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To his credit, President-elect Trump has indicated that he wants to restore relations, at least to the point where it becomes possible to resolve the Russian-Ukrainian war in short order. He will find that the progress will not be quick, nor can his goal be reached unless it is embedded within a broader Russia agenda that includes such issues as strategic stability, European security, the Middle East, Northeast Asia, the Arctic and energy markets. The new administration will need a Russia policy, not just a Russian-Ukrainian war strategy.

That will take time. Trump should resist the temptation to have an early face-to-face meeting with Putin. The Russian ruler would welcome one as evidence that the Western effort to isolate him diplomatically has failed. Trump should want to get something in return for taking that step. It should come in the form of substantive summit outcomes that move relations forward while advancing American interests. That will not be possible without adequate preparation. At the same time, Trump also needs to indicate early on that he intends to restore regular dialogue.

How then should the new administration proceed?

Shortly after his inauguration, the new president should make a phone call to Putin to pass along two messages: First, that the U.S. does not seek Russias strategic defeat or regime change in Russia. Rather, the U.S. recognizes that Russia will remain a pillar of any future world order. For that reason, the two countries need to restore more normal diplomatic relations. And second, he must communicate that while a summit meeting is desirable, it should not take place until the two presidents can announce an agreed framework for managing relations and for resolving the Ukraine conflict.

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With that in mind, he should send his special envoy for Russia and Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, to Moscow to begin preparations, including agreement on a summit date by summer 2025. On the proposed agenda should be the following:

European security/Ukraine. Kellogg should bring ideas about how to stabilize the long NATO/Russia frontier, which now extends from the Barents Sea to the Black Sea, and how to deescalate the mounting hybrid war between Russia and the West. He should also bring a preliminary framework for resolving the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Strategic stability. It is too late to develop a follow-on treaty to the New START agreement, which will expire in February 2026. But the countries have a mutual interest in agreeing on how to manage their nuclear relationship in the future. The two countries with the deepest experience in nuclear affairs and strategic thinking should undertake joint work on a new concept of strategic stability that takes into account the shifting strategic landscape and new technologies.

The Middle East. The spreading instability in the region raises questions of mutual concern: nuclear proliferation, a resurgence of terrorism and energy security. The ouster of Syrian President Bashar Assad only fuels the instability, even as it upends Russia policy in the region.

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Northeast Asia. Russias new defense relationship with North Korea has implications for stability on the Korean peninsula. The U.S. should make clear to Russia what it is doing in the region, particularly with its Japanese and South Korean allies, to ensure that deterrence prevails.

The Arctic. With the opening of the Arctic due to global warming, the two sides should discuss how to manage the mounting security competition there.

The two sides would then work on these issues to produce a substantive summit.

Trump should meet with the key U.S. allies in advance of any meeting with Putin. Having the allies on board with a broad approach to Russia will enhance U.S. leverage in the run-up to a U.S.-Russian summit.

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Finally, the two presidents should meet. They should be able to announce frameworks for managing U.S.-Russian relations and resolving the Russian-Ukrainian war. Those frameworks would provide the meat of a joint statement; but, taking a page from the 1972 Shanghai communique, which laid the ground for the restoration of U.S. relations with China, the joint statement should lay out clearly the points of contention between the two sides. As with the earlier communique, a candid articulation of differences would lend greater credibility to the few agreed areas of cooperation.

After the summit, a long road will lie ahead in building less perilous U.S.-Russian relations, but at least there will be a road.

Thomas Graham, a distinguished fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, was the senior director for Russia on the National Security Council staff during the George W. Bush administration. His new book, Getting Russia Right, is now available from Polity.

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.
It has been almost five years since federal employees packed up their desk plants and office mugs and retreated to the comfort of their sofas. What started as an emergency measure to keep the government running during a pandemic has turned into a permanent remote-work free-for-all. The only problem is that it is not working anymore, if it ever did. It is high time for federal workers to hang up their pajamas, learn to tie their shoes again, and get back to the office.

Ask yourself, when you picture a federal employee working from home, what do you see? Someone diligently drafting reports and answering calls, or someone doing yoga between Netflix episodes while their sourdough starter rises in the background? The taxpayers who pay their salaries are not funding an army of home chefs perfecting their cake art or logging mid-afternoon Peloton sessions. Theyre expecting accountability, productivity and results.

But accountability is nearly impossible to enforce when workers are scattered across living rooms and coffee shops. Supervisors cannot keep tabs on performance when the Zoom camera is perpetually broken. A 2021 Government Accountability Office report found that managers in federal agencies struggled to monitor remote employees, resulting in missed deadlines and less oversight. Taxpayers and our country deserve better.

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Consider the Social Security Administration, which faced massive backlogs processing claims during the pandemic because workers could not collaborate effectively from home. Constituents waited months, and sometimes years, for benefits they desperately needed; you simply cannot run a high-functioning bureaucracy over spotty Wi-Fi and quick dog-walking breaks.

Then there is the issue of productivity (or lack thereof). A report from the Office of Personnel Management found that remote workers in several agencies experienced significant declines in efficiency during extended telework periods. Sure, there are superstar employees out there, but for every go-getter whos answering emails at 7 a.m., there is someone watching The Office in the background.

Speaking of offices, federal buildings across the country are sitting empty while we pay for their maintenance, utilities and security. Taxpayers are funding ghost towns. The federal government owns roughly 511 million square feet of office space, much of it in expensive urban areas. These buildings are more abandoned than an old Blockbuster, costing millions to maintain while employees apologize for their pets making noise in the background because the Amazon van arrived.

And what about the workers who have moved hundreds of miles away to cheaper cities, taking their federal paychecks with them? Sure, its nice for them, but taxpayers in D.C. and other hub cities are getting stiffed. Federal workers were supposed to support their local communities, not disappear to a remote Airbnb with a view.

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But enough about the taxpayers (for now)  lets talk about what federal employees are missing out on by staying remote: their careers. Remote work might seem like a sweet deal, until you realize its a one-way ticket to stagnation. Employees lose out on mentorship, networking and those spontaneous hallway conversations that lead to big opportunities.

You do not build a career over Zoom. You do not get promoted because you sent a well-worded Teams message or clicked the raise hand button in a meeting. You get noticed by showing up, contributing and building relationships with colleagues and supervisors. A 2022 study by Gallup found that in-person interactions are critical for fostering innovation, mentorship and professional growth.

We must not forget the value of team building and camaraderie. Remote work kills those watercooler moments that spark collaboration and creativity. And no, Slack channels full of memes dont count as teambuilding. A study published in the Harvard Business Review found that in-person teams are far more productive and cohesive than remote ones because real trust and collaboration happen face-to-face, not through a screen.

The irony here is rich: the Biden federal government loves to preach about the importance of community and collective effort, yet it has turned its own workforce into a collection of isolated strangers. Agencies that handle national security, public health and disaster response cant afford to operate like this. When the next crisis hits, do we really want a workforce thats forgotten how to work together in person?

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Lets not forget that remote work doesnt work for everyone, especially the public. When federal employees work remotely, the people they are supposed to serve often get left in the lurch. Good luck explaining to a frustrated constituent why the office they just called is closed or why their application is pending review after six months.

This isnt about being anti-worker or clinging to some outdated notion of the 9-to-5 grind. Its about recognizing that federal employees have a unique responsibility as public servants. They are not freelancers; theyre the backbone of the government, and they need to act like it.

Americans are already back to work: cops are patrolling streets, teachers are in classrooms, and truck drivers are keeping the economy moving. Federal employees are no different. The government was not designed to function as a fully or even mostly remote operation, and it is time to stop pretending it can.

So, lets cut the excuses, power down the Pelotons and get back to the office. Accountability, productivity and taxpayer trust are all on the line. Taxpayers are ready for their government to get back to business in person. Federal workers must be too.

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John-Paul S. Deol is a partner and leader of the nationwide Employment Law Practice Group at Dhillon Law Group.

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.
Uh oh, now the drones are flying close to Hill Air Force Base.

It was one thing when we had the luxury of watching the drone story unfold from a distance  in far-away New Jersey. But now, like that mysterious monolith that appeared out of nowhere in Southeastern Utah four years ago, this is our problem, too.

We can confirm that unmanned aerial systems were spotted in the vicinity of (Hill Air Force Base) recently, spokesperson Kendahl Johnson said, according to KSL. To date, unmanned aerial systems have not impacted (Hill Air Force Base) operations, and all appropriate measures are being taken to safeguard (Hill) personnel, assets and infrastructure.

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Well, Im here to tell you to relax and watch the show. If its like some recent things that captured public attention (think clowns eight years ago or shark attacks 20 years ago), its likely to be over soon  overtaken by the next crisis.

Shoot em down?

Or maybe the people of Deer Trail, Colorado, population 700, were right 10 years ago. Thats when they put a referendum on the ballot that would have let people shoot drones out of the sky after obtaining a sort of modified hunting license.

The referendum failed  probably because the only thing worse than a bunch of drones flying through the air would be a bunch of bullets flying through the air.

Crowded sky

The inescapable truth is that the only sure prediction this New Years Eve is that skies are bound to become more crowded in the future. Once driverless air taxis and freight-bearing drones come onboard (serious efforts are underway to make this a reality by the 2034 Olympics), we may find it quaint that people once worried about things hovering in the air.

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But until then, it is interesting watching the military and law enforcement react to repeated sightings of mysterious drones along the eastern seaboard. The FBI has now banned drones for a month from certain cities in New Jersey and elsewhere in the East. Politicians are demanding answers.

Olivia DeMattio, outside Simple Coffee in Mendham, New Jersey, on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024, is one of many New Jersey residents who has seen large drones at night over their houses and businesses. | Ted Shaffrey

Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagons top spokesman, said about a million drones currently are legally registered in the U.S., and about 8,000 of them take to the skies every day. The drones people see are not from the military, he said. They likely belong to hobbyists for recreational purposes. Also, they arent shooting at people, which is a good sign.

Just as virtually every other American, except the ones who suspect conspiracies everywhere, I dont know whats really going on. But my guess is that this is another case in which people ought to engage in slow thought.

Thinking slowly

Several years ago, when people reported clowns everywhere, I wrote about a book called Thinking Fast and Slow, by psychologist Daniel Kahneman. As he described it, fast thinking comes to us automatically and quickly. Its a necessary thing to have when we hear the screeching tires of an approaching car or need to understand a simple sentence.

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But slow thinking requires more work. He illustrated this by asking the reader to multiply 17x24. That takes real effort, requiring concentration and certain steps. Its not the kind of thing you should do while trying to turn left on a crowded road, he said.

Unfortunately, a lot of Americans right now are using fast thinking to react to drones. Thats a misapplication. Its why the Guardian, looking for opinions, reported, Some say theyre aliens, invading Iranian drones, emanating from a mothership off of the coast in the Atlantic. Maybe top-secret weapons testing.

And one off-duty firefighter told the paper, I heard it was al-Qaeda.

We need to slow down. Literally.

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The virtue of slow thought is that it always has the last word, and often it can keep us from saying inappropriate things or appearing shallow, self-centered or blind to reality.

I tend to agree with Garrett M. Graff, who wrote in The Washington Post recently, America has real national security challenges in the new era of unmanned aerial vehicles in warfare. But an invasion of mystery drones over New Jersey isnt one of them.

A mere illusion?

Maybe this is all a form of the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, also called the frequency illusion, in which people suddenly seem to see, all over the place, something they only recently heard about.

Maybe the folks in Deer Trail, Colorado, are laughing and saying they told us so, as the skies get more crowded each day.

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Or maybe the drones near Hill Air Force Base have been in the sky elsewhere in Utah for a while, and no one cared.

I dont know. But what I do know is that we all are better served by tossing aside our suspicions and theories and thinking slowly and calmly  no matter how dull that may seem.
Listen to this full episode of The New Abnormal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon and Stitcher.

President-elect Donald Trumps right-hand man Elon Musk is already giving Americas elected leaders a taste of whats to come, The New Abnormal co-hosts Danielle Moodie and Andy Levy explained on this weeks podcast.

With a government shutdown looming, President Musk took to X to threaten Republican members of Congress to vote against a bipartisan resolution that would have funded the government through March and staved off a looming government shutdown.

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What they continue to show before anyone puts their hand on that Bible on Inauguration Day is that they do not care how this country functions, who they harm, said Moodie. Its just one big joke to them.

Of course, Elon Musk, the probably richest man in the world, will be fine. If the government shuts down for 33 days, itd probably be good for him because he is basically doing all of this because he wants to pay even less tax than he does, and he wants to have even fewer regulations on his companies than we have, Levy added. So shutting the government down to him is a win, and that is literally all he cares about.

Plus! Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist Spencer Ackerman joins the podcast to discuss the next administrations potential reshaping of Middle East policy, and The New Republic writer Edith Olmsted unpacks Musks unprecedented presidential influence.

Listen to this full episode of The New Abnormal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon and Stitcher.
In a case that for years looked like it would remain unsolved, a new superseding indictment charging the man accused in the Gilgo Beach serial killings, Rex Heuermann, with the murder of a seventh victim continues to send a powerful message about the importance of justice for victims once cast aside by society. Heuermann entered a plea of not guilty to the allegations that he murdered Valerie Mack, initially known as Jane Doe No. 6, a 24-year-old woman from Philadelphia who was working as an escort at the time of her disappearance.

Her partial remains were discovered in 2000 in the woods in Long Island by a group of hunters whose dog alerted them to a plastic bag that contained human remains. Law enforcement, including the FBI, compared Macks DNA in 2020 to the evidence in order to determine the identity of the victim. Law enforcement also found a human hair on Macks left wrist; forensic testing led to the DNA profile of Heuermanns daughter, who is not considered a suspect and would have been 3 or 4 years old at the time of Macks death.

Six out of the seven alleged victims, whose killings spanned from the early 90s to 2010s, had hair recovered from their bodies that are forensically linked to Heuermann, members of his immediate family, or others he was living with. Heuermann has denied any wrongdoing and his lawyer argues that the DNA testing used in these cases is unreliable. His lawyer also claims that the prosecution has yet to show that any of the victims DNA was found inside of Heuermanns home.

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In a court filing, the prosecution disclosed that law enforcement seized from inside of Heuermanns house a hard drive that contained a Microsoft Word document, written in all caps, that they allege was used as a methodical blueprint for his murders. It was created in 2000, which is the year that Valerie Mack was murdered. According to reports, there were dozens of written entries, including reminders to clean the bodies and destroy evidence, to get sleep before hunt and to have a story set. Police also seized more than 350 electronic devices from Heuermanns home.

The continuing identification of Heuermanns alleged victims creates an even bigger hurdle for his defense. Jurors usually dont get to hear about a defendants other crimes or bad acts because there is a risk that the defendant might be found guilty if the jury thinks they had the propensity to commit the offense or if the jury thinks that the defendant committed the crime simply because hes a bad person.

But, in this case, the state of New York has a rule of evidence, commonly referred to as the Molineux Rule (4.21), which allows for an evidentiary exception in the following instances: to prove motive, opportunity, intent, preparation, common scheme or plan, knowledge, identity, absence of mistake or accident, or conduct that is inextricably interwoven with the charged acts; or to provide necessary background information or explanation; or to complete the narrative of the subject event or matter.

For example, in order to prove motive, common scheme or plan, absence of mistake or accident, prosecutors will likely attempt to get the court to agree that evidence of Heuermanns other crimes should be admitted against him when he goes to trial. The blueprint document found on Heuermanns computer that detailed plans to select, kill and dispose of alleged victims will be powerful evidence against him. The document includes pre-prep, prep, post event and things to remember sections, in which Heuermann set forth how to select a location without surveillance cameras and how to have an alibi and to avoid detection. Some sections also discussed how to dispose of physical evidence, like a body, and how to remove tattoos that might be used to identify the victim. Heuermann attempted to permanently delete this blueprint document, but forensic investigators were able to restore it. You can guarantee that the jury will hear about this consciousness of his guilt.

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Within its discretion, the trial court may conduct an inquiry or a hearing, outside the presence of the jury, to determine the admissibility and in particular whether there is sufficient evidence for the prosecution to use evidence pursuant to this Molineux exception. Although there is no requirement per se that the defense be put on notice in advance, the prosecution will likely file a notice indicating its intent to do so.

Some other human remains are yet to be identified in the investigation, and, as we have seen in this new superseding indictment charging Heuermann with Macks murder, its possible more charges are to come.

The pursuit of criminal cases brings closure in some form to the families and loved ones of victims who have been historically forgotten or shunned because of the circumstances of their lifestyles. Arguably, Heuermanns victims were selected because they were deemed easy targets and not important enough for people to miss them or care enough to investigate their disappearances and subsequent murders. Victims who had fallen through the cracks, run away from their homes, or were sex workers and escorts. These new charges and law enforcements ongoing investigation into missing persons possibly linked to Heuermann help set the record straight: These victims are worthy of justice, just like anyone else.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
NewsNation Chief Washington Anchor and On Balance host Leland Vittert was a foreign correspondent for four years in Jerusalem. He gives you an early look at tonights 7 p.m. ET show. Subscribe to War Notes here.

Programming Alert: George Will On America airs Christmas Eve at 8 pmset your DVRs.

THANK YOU!

Its been an incredible year thanks to your loyal readership and support. Mega Growth: We have grown from 3,000 to nearly 14,000 subscribers. Love it: 60%-plus of you open the newsletter every day. Thats double the national average. On Balance at 7 p.m. ET viewership grew by 85% from Nov. 2023 to Nov. 2024. Remember to set your DVRs so you never miss us at 7 p.m. ET and DVR the George Will special at 8 p.m. ET on Christmas Eve!

Also thank you to:

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Sean Compton, our network visionary who took a chance on me four years ago to create a show deeply rooted in fairness, doesnt cheerlead one side or the other  thats the mission statement every day.

Michael Corn and Cherie Grzech for their tireless leadership and support.

Federico Quarandi, our executive producer, for providing a Northstar of what fair really is.

The On Balance team  I wont go through everybody by name  but sufficient to say that I am surrounded by people far more talented than I who make every night possible.

Katie Oglesby and Shannon Stanton  who somehow turn my daily musings into coherent and typo free thoughts!

 And most importantly  again, to you, our readers and viewers. Without you, I wouldnt have the greatest job in the world. Good reminder: Its a privilege, and we wake up every day fighting to earn your trust.



Christmas cheer: Rachel and I have a tradition called God Loves You Hot Chocolate  pictured above.

Two packets of Swiss Miss hot cocoa per 8 oz. of almond milk  roughly double their recipe.

Combine over heat till piping hot.

Optional: Add 2 oz. of bourbon and .75 oz Grand Marnier per 8 oz. of almond milk.

Serve in a mug with marshmallows on top.

Use kitchen torch to brulee/toast the marshmallows.

Enjoy (responsibly)  and be sure to tag me in your social media pictures on Instagram here.

Before we get to the news: This is the last War Notes until January 6th, 2025.

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Rachel and I will be with our families to close the year out.

We hope you get to spend the holidays with people you love  its a privilege, no matter how much you fight with them.

Dont talk about politics. But if you do, tell them why you trust NewsNation and give them a subscription to War Notes by clicking here  its free!

See you on TV on Jan. 2nd and 3rd. War Notes is back Monday, January 6th.

Your Turn

We asked our favorite guests to answer the following questions with one-word answers. Reply to this email with your answers, and well endeavor to save them and recognize the winner next year.

By this time next year:

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Will at least one of Donald Trumps political opponents be indicted? Will Russia and Ukraine agree to a peace deal? Will Congress pass a border bill? Will Elon Musk still be in Trumps circle? Will Kamala Harris run for governor of California? Will stocks be up or down compared to this year? How many Cabinet members will Trump fire?

Be careful: Politico is out with the worst predictions of 2024  ha!

The Year of Elon

This week proved Elon Musk the most powerful unelected man in America.

Caveat: Until Trump gets tired of him or finds him a liability.

Right now: Musk gives Trump enormous cover. Musk can float ideas. Musk can play enforcer. Musk can go all in and allow Trump to appear as the reasonable one. Its the ultimate game of good cop, bad cop.

BoogeyMan: I watched Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., with Kaitlan Collins last night  they spent far more time attacking Musk than they did Trump. So did most Democrats on their cable news hits. Be smart: Democrats realize attacking Trump right now is futile  a majority of the American people like what hes doing and are rooting for him.



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Reality Check: Yes, Elon Musk is the richest man in America.

Yes, he has the ear of the president

Yes, he controls X, formerly known as Twitter. As my friend Mike Allen of Axios points out, there is a difference between the media and reporting: This reality highlights the difference between media (what people consume) and reporting (a set of standards for pursuing fact-based information). In the new world order, media and reporting are tossed together with a mix of truth, opinion, and nonsense.

As Mike Allen and Jim VandeHei point out above, Musks tweets that blew up the original deal to fund the government contained all three of those: truth, opinion and nonsense.

Money talks: Musk, like most rich men, are used to saying and doing what they want with few questioning or scrutinizing them.

Washington reality: Musk will face his biggest challenge yet  a Washington press corps out for blood.

Be fair: Musk has done the impossible over and over  just watch his chopsticks catch the rocket coming back to Earth or visit a supercharger  2025 will tell us if Musk can change Washington.

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Prediction: Trump and Musk are disruptors  just think about this week.

Next year will be messy. The D.C. establishment will cry about norms, hypocrisy and institutions. Musk and Trump wont care. The establishment will fight to survive.

BUT: The people have spoken. Americans want change. They want the house burned down. They want the swamp drained.

2025 is going to be messy  and thats a good thing.

Tune into On Balance with Leland Vittert weeknights at 7/6C on NewsNation. Find your channel here.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of NewsNation.

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.
Throughout American history, no president has demanded personal loyalty more overtly than Donald Trump. Loyalty over expertise is a hallmark of his nontraditional governing style, and its effectiveness will be tested more than ever in his second term.

Trumps MAGA forces are warming up during his blitzkrieg presidential transition. Strategically, they are weaponizing loyalty to soften the attitudes of Republican senators on the 2026 ballot who, with a majority of Americans, consider Trumps most controversial cabinet nominees as unqualified by traditional standards of experience and expertise.

Beyond the usual threats to primary less loyal officeholders, influential MAGA lawyer Mike Davis even threatened during an interview to unleash private detectives on vulnerable senators.

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Trump loyalists are masters at applying non-traditional media assets and mobilizing activists down to the precinct level. A shell-shocked Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) experienced a barrage of coordinated attacks after questioning Pete Hegseths nomination for Secretary of Defense. Having seen how loyalty can be weaponized against them, reluctant GOP senators are now more open to giving Trump the cabinet he wants.

Loyalty enforced by fear is the MAGA way. It sets a dangerous precedent that could consolidate power in the executive branch, unbalancing the equally powerful constitutionally mandated legislative and judicial branches.

To maintain this three-pronged delicate balance of power, the Founders devised a system of checks and balances. The Senate is tasked, in part, with advice and consent to confirm or reject the presidents nominees.

The high hurdle of Senate confirmation has tempered presidents worst instincts of appointing cronies and payback nominees. Once achieved, confirmation is a career milestone with The Honorable as a lifetime title.

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All confirmed, appointed, and elected officials take a loyalty oath swearing to support and defend the Constitution. There is no oath to support and defend or be loyal to the president  a purposeful omission, reflecting the Founders fear of the president becoming a king.

President-elect Trump will take office with the dubious distinction of having been twice impeached by the House but not convicted by the Senate. Last December, he famously said that if reelected, he would not be a dictator except for day one. That day is one month away.

Reports from Mar-a-Lago say Trump feels unassailable, and that starting on Inauguration Day, he could be the most powerful president in generations.

To remain unassailable, Trump has a Loyalty Enforcement Trio comprising his eldest son, Don Jr.; Vice President-elect JD Vance; and billionaire Elon Musk. The Trio is his first line of defense and offense against anyone deemed insufficiently loyal. This Loyalty Enforcement Trio often collaborates with major MAGA influencers such as Steve Bannon, Charlie Kirk, and Tucker Carlson to chastise wobbly Republicans.

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During Trumps reign, expect the Trio to grow in power and stature, emboldened to obliterate any roadblock to the presidents agenda. Since power and money create more money and power, the Trio could rally support from administration officials to bust through legal limits and shatter traditional norms of executive power  always justified by loyalty to Trump and his electoral mandate to make America great again.

All members of the House and Senate from both parties, be warned that you might bow to Trump, as did the nations most powerful CEOs. They quickly recognized that sitting at Trumps table is wiser than being carved up and served on his plate.

The tentacles of Trump Junior, Vance, and Musk are virtually ubiquitous. They represent the promise of the present that Trump calls the Golden Age  and a future where nothing is impossible with the full power of the U.S. government aligned with the worlds richest man who grows richer by associating with Trump.

The Loyalty Enforcement Trio lords over diverse spheres of influence.

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Don Jr. is the familys political protector and leads the Trump 47 brand. (He replaced sister Ivanka and brother-in-law Jared Kushner, who are consigned to the rearview mirror of Trump 45.) Don Jr. has long been a stand-in for his dad on the campaign trail and fundraising circuit. With his ear to the ground, Junior senses any disloyalty among the ranks and sends the rabid dogs.

The first son is especially attuned to the MAGA-bro base and is credited with convincing Dad to nominate the young, untested Vance as his running mate.

And Vance is the MAGA empires heir apparent, positioned as the 2028 front-runner to keep Trumpism thriving into the next decade. During the transition, he has been Trumps loyalty enforcer on Capitol Hill, tasked with turning unpopular nominees into successful Cabinet conferees.

After that mission is accomplished, Vance will flash Trump loyalty cards to ensure the passage of legislation requiring bent or broken knees. If the Trump-Vance team is successful, Trumps 2028 trajectory will be unstoppable, and Junior will be a political visionary.

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Elon Musks power is growing. Expect blowback. He is now rivaling the President-elect well beyond his status as a mercurial wild card and DOGE leader. He uses his X platform to enforce loyalty, promote pro-Trump messages, and intervene with government funding bills. Musk spent at least $277 million to elect Trump and GOP candidates and is looking for a return on investment.

This week, he was named the news medias most influential person. Elons futuristic businesses open doors at home and around the globe. He can spread the gospel of Trump anywhere and, as needed, buy loyalty funding primary campaigns against mushy GOP officeholders.

Does the Loyalty Enforcement Trio care if Trump expands presidential power and potentially tramples the Constitution to accomplish his aggressive agenda? Probably not.

However, Trumps 77 million voters could raise that question, and the answer will depend on perceived results.

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Americans want change, and expectations are high that Trumps more effective government will solve the immigration crisis, bring prices down, cut waste and taxes, and make peace through his America First agenda. But again, how far will Trump bend or break the Constitution to achieve those goals?

Will the people ultimately choose loyalty to Trump over the Constitution? Lets hope those circumstances for such a choice do not arise. But if so, expect a nationally defining moment with chaotic foundational consequences.

Myra Adams is an opinion writer who served on the creative team of two Republican presidential campaigns in 2004 and 2008.

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.
GUEST INTERVIEW: CJ Moses moves out of the shadows to discuss day-to-day issues at one of the worlds most scrutinised companies

CJ Moses, the Chief Information Security Officer and VP of Security Engineering at Amazon , has been at the company for 17 years but rarely speaks publicly about the companys security.

So, when he does, people listen.

In an interview with ITWire at AWS re:Invent 2024 event in Las Vegas, Moses acknowledged that we didnt think there was the need to talk publicly about what we were doing. But in the past six or eight months our customers have been asking because others have been talking and chest pumping and our customers are saying why arent you talking about this. I am sure you are doing something. The reality is that, firstly, our company culture is a bit more humble, secondly, the less out there about how we do things and how we defend ourselves the less the adversaries know.

Moses said that behind the scenes he is regularly in contact with customers about what the company is doing to keep their data safe. Customers increasingly ask us where our threat intelligence comes from, what types of threats we see, how we act on what we observe, and what they need to do to protect themselves.

AWS operates one of the most trusted cloud infrastructure on the planet. Organisations around the world place a lot of trust in AWS to look after their most sensitive data. And it is no wonder.

Moses said the number of threats the company detected through its honeypot system, MadPot, was around 100 million a day eight months ago. After making further enhancements to MadPot, that number is now around 750 million a day and continually on the rise. The massive increase is not only a reflection of increased hacker activity, but AWS is also detecting more threats using the smarts of Gen AI.

Every day across AWS infrastructure, we detect and thwart cyberattacks. With the largest public network footprint of any cloud provider, AWS has unparalleled insight into certain activities on the internet, he says.

Not only is our threat intelligence used to enrich security services that AWS and our customers rely on, we also proactively reach out to share critical information with customers that we believe may be targeted or potentially compromised by malicious actors. Sharing our threat intelligence enables recipients to assess information we provide, take steps to reduce their risk, and help prevent disruptions to their business.

Moses said AWS is constantly looking to improve its ability to see and react to actors evolving tactics, techniques, and procedures. To this end they created MadPot, a threat intelligence tool used to protect customers from cybercrime.

We have created large-scale systems so we can see different vulnerabilities. We need to see what is getting through and what isnt, Moses admits.

That threat intelligence informs other systems within Amazon to be able to protect our customers. On average we are seeing 750 million hits a day via MadPot. We get that information in as close to real time as we can and putting it into other systems that can do something about the threats that we see. We have a system, Sonaris, which allows us to block and tackle a lot of the things we see out of MadPot and other systems.

Moses also spoke about why AWS had decided to create its own security system rather than rely on third parties.

There is a lot of third-party threat intelligence and we often get asked why doesnt all of that work for us and why do we have our own?

The answer is pretty simple. Over a three-minute period in the AWS environment we will have a 23% change in IP addresses. We are that dynamic that if we get IP address-based threat intel that is an hour old the likelihood is that that threat intelligence is not very useful to us. The days of tracking metrics to mean time to detection are inadequate as well because if we put a new MadPot sensor out there with a new vulnerability within 90 seconds it will have been scanned and within three minutes attacked.

If you do the math - remembering the 750,000 million hits a day  that dynamic nature of the threat means that we have to be responsive so much more quickly. We dont track mean time to detection. The meaningful metric for us is mean time to defence. That is the metric we care about. If you want to focus on something you track a metric to it not to part of it.

Moses said MadPot identifies the intel, Sonaris and other systems (such as Guard Duty) will get that data and the meantime defence metric is the one it is looking for because we need to be shorter than the attack metric. It has to be within minutes, seconds in some cases to be able to be effective.

The reliance on third party threat intel for that type of model doesnt work for us. That doesnt mean we dont have good partnerships where identification of the threat and some of the other indicators they provide we aggregate and work really closely with our community on that. But on a day-to-day basis we have to automate and that has to be faster than humans and be responsive to the needs of our customers.

Moses said AWS received and analysed thousands of different kinds of event signals in real time. For example, MadPot observes more than 100 million potential threats every day around the world, with approximately 500,000 of those observed activities classified as malicious. This means high-fidelity findings (pieces of relevant information) produce valuable threat intelligence that can be acted on quickly to protect customers from harmful and malicious online activities. Our high-fidelity intelligence also generates real-time findings that are ingested into our intelligent threat detection security service GuardDuty, which automatically detects threats for millions of AWS accounts.

All these capabilities are also a benefit to AWS and Amazon. Internally we have 1.7 million employees that we need to be able to protect and that same system is protecting all of the Amazon infrastructure because it is mostly customer associated, Moses says.

We are able to identify hundreds of thousands of domain derogatory or nefarious domains on a daily basis to be able to block and tackle as appropriate.

We are about stopping bad things happening to good people. But for nearly 17 years we didnt say boo about threat intel.

Moses admits that opening up more about what happens behind the scenes at AWS is because customers want to know, at least, generically that we are looking out for them and what we are doing and that is what I think more broadly why we are talking more about this.

Moses says that back in the old days it was all about Malware. But now it is about identity. Identity is the attack vector of this century or at least this decade.

AWS is the most secure cloud provider in the world. I know because I help build it with a great team.

Moses is an interesting character himself. Away from work he is an active SRO GT America GT2 race car driver. He is a former FBI agent and served as a Special Agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. He was working for the FBI - where he led technical analysis of computer and network intrusion efforts - when the FBI approached AWS about becoming a customer.

We had a mission of taking every piece of the US government data about anti-terrorism efforts and cross correlating against everything we know. AWS had recently launched its EC2 virtual server and we wanted to use its processing power.

Moses, along with a handful of others, moved to AWS.

In his current role Moses leads security engineering and operations across Amazon. His mission is to enable Amazon businesses by making the benefits of security the path of least resistance. He joined Amazon in December 2007, holding various roles including Consumer CISO, and most recently AWS CISO, before becoming CISO of Amazon in September of 2023.

Moses spoke at some length about threat hunters  the IT professionals searching for threats before they can be detected by automated systems or traditional security measures.

We have this broad scale system that is doing all this stuff and we have a lot of Gen AI but the reality is we are never going to replace smart humans. The smart humans need to look for the things that Gen AI may call out - that something it has seen is out of the normal, an apparition. They need to be asking: I dont know what it is, but this is not normal. There is also the aggregation of a bunch of information that doesnt make sense or are patterns  that is where our threat hunters come in, although we dont call them threat hunters as they are engineers so we call them threat engineers. They get down into the ones and zeros on this stuff. They will do threat hunting using alerts and those indicators based on the large-scale systems.

We can never have enough threat engineers looking at all the things we are doing.

The other side also occurs. We get constant threat intel that comes from our partners, friends and the community. They will come to us and say I saw this and they will give us an IP address. I cant block anything as it is likely that the IP address has changed but what I can do is use our intel to go back and figure out what entity had ownership access to this, what did they do.

Moses, as you could expect, says he believes his team is the best in the world.

My focus is on hiring higher level threat engineers to build them into being the experts that they are. Above that we hire from the intelligence community in places where they have great expertise to be able to bring that forward.

They will tack 300 to 400 threat actors on a regular basis. We are not tracking a lot in great detail. We need to prioritise them.

Our threat engineers are getting better, we are getting better. We have also enhanced our algorithms so we find more.

Moses says that with MadPot and Sonaris they had blocked 2.7 trillion attempts in the past 12 months just in the EC2 environment.
The contortionists among American ruling political class are at it again. This week, New York Times columnist Bret Stephensa (formerly) prominent Never Trumper and one of the papers requisite moralizing conservativesthrew in the towel. In his column, entitled Done With Never Trump, Stephens wrote:

We also thought that Trump represented a form of illiberalism that was antithetical to our free people, free markets, free world brand of conservatism and that was bound to take the Republican Party down a dark road.

In this we werent wrong: Theres plenty to dislike and fear about Trump from a traditionally conservative standpoint. But Never Trumpers also overstated our case and, in doing so, defeated our purpose.

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Meanwhile, CNN has been reporting that Republican lawmakers have decided Liz Cheney should be prosecuted for probing what happened during the January 6th Capitol attacks. In just the past couple of days, president-elect Donald Trump has sued Iowa pollster Ann Selzer and the Des Moines Register because they released a poll she conducted that showed Harris winning Iowa during the final days of the campaign, while ABC News has settled a defamation suit brought by the president-elect to the tune of $15 million. (The network will also pay Trumps legal fees in the case.)

Further, were seeing widespread preemptive obeisance from the plutocrat class to Trumps wishes and his outstretched hand, as I wrote about here. Does this all sound like Never Trumpers overstated their case to you?

Bret Stephens has never found a noodle limp enough for his liking, but this is ridiculous. I dont know what was worse: When the nations elites blamed the nations underclass for Trumps successes in 2016 or when theyre blaming themselves now. Actually, I doits when they blame themselves. As Stephens wrote:

What ordinary people really cared about this year were the high cost of living and the chaos at the border. Why did Trumpso often deprecated by his critics as a fortunate foolunderstand this so well while we fecklessly carried on about the soul of the nation?

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Who are these ordinary people of whom you speak, B? And why are you placing Kamala Harris voters outside of the ordinary domain? Who is an ordinary American, anyway? Does one have to order bottomless coffee and two eggs over easy at a diner in the Midwest to be ordinary? Yes, most diners have signs that read No shirt, no shoes, no service, but the shirt you choose need to wear not be a hairshirt.

President Donald Trump holds up a sign during an 'Evangelicals for Trump' campaign event on January 3, 2020 in Miami, Florida. / Joe Raedle / Getty Images

This handwringing among the nations chattering class amounts to little more than self-pitying twaddle. The new administration is exactly the threat to democracy and American institutions that theyve long claimed it would be. Just because Trump didnt sic the Justice Department on his political enemies last time around doesnt mean he wont do it in the futurethe near future, if not the right now, as Stephens own newspaper is currently reporting. Heres the Times take on the Selzer news: President-elect Trump has said he would use his power to punish people he claims have wronged him. Those goals are now coming into focus.

Bret, sorry for harping on this, but how is Trump using his power to punish his political opponents not a form of illiberalism antithetical not just to your precious party but to the entire country?

I remember in 2016 when Trump first got elected, those same contortionist folks were tripping over themselves to give him a chance. The American people had spoken, they said, and we ought to listen to what theyd said they wanted; to swallow our pride and give the man an opportunity to demonstrate what he could do. And then we saw what he didit sucked.

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Never Trump Republicans have always left me with a sour taste because, as I suspected, never really means never until such a time as it becomes inconvenient. Weve seen capitulation from prominent Republicans like David French, Joe Scarborough, Christopher Wray, Mitt Im not particularly worried about criminal investigations Romney and more since Nov. 5.

In his piece, Stephens wrote that we should stop the heavy moralizing around Trump? Should we, though? Should we stop insisting that a man found liable of sexual battery not to inhabit the Oval Office? Should we stop pointing out the frauds, grifts, lies, threats and saber-rattling that flow like nonsense clockwork every time he opens his mouth?

In a January 2021 column, Stephens wrote that the GOP was walking to the edge of moral irredeemability. Bret, would you say the GOP has become more or less moral in the days since then? If they were at the edge then, where are they now? Because from where Im sitting, it looks like they broke right and are now paving new and most certainly irredeemable dark roads. The only difference between then and now is that youve just strapped on a neon safety vest to assist the work crew.

Stephens and his peers might be done with Never Trump, folding their handsand their principlesas their former foe returns to power, but there are millions of us who are not. There has not been a hopeful sign since the election that Trump has any intention of moderating his rhetoric, and just about every action he has taken during the transition has indicated that he plans on being the worst version of himself. Maybe the country can hold itself together for another four chaotic years. But it wont be because of capitulation.

If we make it through, it will be because millions of ordinary Never Trumpers like me held tough.
Its a security risk not to have it. At this point, we have to have it.

With these urgent words, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall described his experience after flying in an AI-controlled fighter jet. His feeling reflects a growing consensus among defense leaders that artificial intelligence is not merely a technological luxury but an operational necessity for Americas military supremacy.

However, this enthusiasm for AI as Americas next great military advantage may be overlooking the enduring realities of warfare.

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The Pentagons faith in AI stems from a long tradition of seeking technological offsets to counter adversaries numerical advantages.

During the Cold War, when Soviet forces vastly outnumbered NATO in Central Europe, America developed nuclear weapons as its first offset  a technological advantage that could deter or defeat a numerically superior opponent.

The second offset emerged in the 1970s and 1980s through precision-guided weapons and stealth technology, again providing America with a crucial military edge.

In 2016, the Department of Defense announced a third offset strategy that would focus on combinations of technology, operational concepts and organizational constructs.

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Today, as China fields the worlds largest military with approximately 2.18 million active military, including the biggest navy and a rapidly modernizing air force, defense planners are hunting for a new offset. AI, with its revolutionary advances in computing power and machine learning, seems to offer that promise.

Modern AI systems, powered by sophisticated graphics processing units and deep neural networks are enabling computers and machines to do things traditionally done by humans. As a result, we are now seeing unprecedented capabilities in autonomous systems, cyber warfare, and military command and control.

Yet the dream of AI as a war-winning technology faces several sobering realities.

First, unlike nuclear weapons, AI is not fundamentally changing the nature of great power competition. While nuclear weapons made direct conflict between major powers potentially civilization-ending, AIs impressive capabilities  though significant  do not yet create the same paradigm-shifting deterrent effect.

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For those banking on AI to be the key to unlocking this third offset, the ongoing war in Ukraine provides a stark reality check.

Both Russia and Ukraine are employing AI-enabled systems at unprecedented levels, from autonomous drones to sophisticated electronic warfare capabilities. According to recent Space Force assessments, the conflict has featured more electronic warfare than we have ever seen before.

Yet despite these advanced technologies, neither side has achieved a decisive advantage. Instead, the war has devolved into a grinding battle of attrition, eerily reminiscent of conventional conflicts from the past century.

History offers numerous examples of promising technologies that failed to deliver offset-level advantages.

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Nazi Germanys V-1 and V-2 missiles, despite representing revolutionary advances in propulsion technology, caused significantly fewer civilian casualties in Britain than conventional bombing raids. Some historians argue that Germanys massive investment in these advanced weapons was a strategic mistake, diverting crucial resources and industrial capacity away from more conventional military needs during a critical phase of the war.

Similarly, although the helicopter revolutionized battlefield medicine and dramatically reduced combat fatality rates in Vietnam by enabling rapid medical evacuation of approximately 900,000 troops, this tactical advantage did not alter the wars ultimate strategic outcome  eventual withdrawal in the face of a determined adversary willing to absorb substantial losses.

None of this suggests that the U.S. should abandon AI development. In modern warfare, every technological edge matters. However, we must resist the temptation to view AI as a silver bullet that will deter or defeat numerically superior opponents.

The Ukraine conflict demonstrates that even with advanced AI systems, future wars between major powers will likely still be won through industrial capacity, logistical superiority, and the ability or willingness to sustain losses.

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Instead of placing excessive faith in AI alone, America needs a comprehensive approach that leverages all of its national advantages. This means maintaining our robust industrial base, strengthening our network of global alliances and preserving our economic dynamism.

These fundamental strengths  more than any single technology  have historically proven to be the true foundation of American military power.

In preparing for potential future conflicts, particularly in regions like the Taiwan Strait where we might face numerically superior forces, we must remember that history favors nations equipped for sustained conflict.

The side with the most sophisticated AI will certainly have advantages, but victory will likely go to the competitor best prepared for a prolonged struggle  the one with the industrial capacity to replace losses, the economic strength to sustain a war effort, and the national will to endure hardship.

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As we invest in AI capabilities, we must also maintain a realistic perspective on its limitations. History showed that the true test of military power is not mere technological sophistication, but the ability to integrate technology with other elements of national power to achieve strategic objectives.

In this broader context, AI is an important tool, but not a guarantee of victory in future conflicts.

U.S. Air Force Maj. Adam Satterfield is an Air Force program manager and a former chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force Scholar at Harvards Kennedy School. U.S. Air Force Maj. Christopher Grimm is an Air Force program manager and a Dr. Heather Wilson STEM Ph.D. scholar.

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.
It will take a courageous Congress to stop Donald Trumps most corrupt instincts.

Trump is not letting those instincts go. The presidential election cycle wasnt just about re-election: It was about avoiding justice and more importantly, for him, punishing those who oppose him. Many times this year he has threatened his perceived opponents, the press and even members of his own political party. Anyone who stands in his way is vulnerable. We should also assume that, since he was last president, hes honed his ability to lash out against his opponents.

We now know that in his first administration, he weaponized his Department of Justice. The department recently released its inspector generals report detailing the misuse of government jurisdiction in 2017 in obtaining the phone and email records of his two most vocal and effective critics, myself and former Rep. Adam Schiff, now a U.S. senator. And Trumps first term had much more qualified individuals than the people he wants to appoint to his new administration. One can only imagine what these out-for-blood, eager-to-please-the-boss class of appointees will do on behalf of their leader.

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Predicting that the next Trump administration will investigate and prosecute Trumps enemies is not an act of conjecture  its an act of reading. Like reading FBI Director-appointee Kash Patels book, in which he lists his enemies of the state. While the list only includes current and former Executive Branch officials and is not exhaustive, he lists me and Schiff first among other corrupt actors of the first order, along with the entire news media. If confirmed as FBI director, Patel will carry out Trumps wishes to prosecute and imprison members of the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack.

These acts of intimidation and fearmongering in the MAGA tent arent new, but they carry significant weight now that Trump is the president-elect. Trump is laying the groundwork for an unleashed administration. And it doesnt help that the Supreme Court essentially gave Trump the green light to do almost anything he wants with absolute immunity.

Who can America turn to for checks and balances? To hold up the rule of law? What will a completely unchecked, unleashed and guardrail-free Trump do to his dissenters? How will Trump be successfully fenced in?

The answer is Congress.

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That may be laughable to some, but there is a recent proof of concept that a Republican Congress can be up for the job. Just ask Matt Gaetz, Trumps choice for attorney general. Or, rather, his former choice, before Gaetz withdrew after failing to win over enough GOP senators.

Ive learned in the many years of taking on Trump that if youre counting on a single Republican congressman or senator to stop him, forget it. Theyll shrink. Hell overpower them. Theyll fear they will become public enemy No. 1 among conservatives and their lives will be turned upside down with threats to their safety and country club memberships.

But if they can take a silent, collective action, they can be effective. No one can point to a specific single senator who blocked the Gaetz nomination. Thats not an accident. By banding together, a half-dozen senators said, Hell no and made Gaetzs path impossible. Do they have it in them to do it again? And again? And again, until the message is received by Trump that they will not rubber stamp Americas path to a dictatorship?

My hope is that, when it comes to Patel and other like-minded Trump picks, the Senate gets this right. I am, admittedly, biased: Not only did Trumps DOJ unlawfully go through my communication records, but this past year alone, his and MAGAs attacks against me brought dozens of credible law enforcement investigations into death threats against me. People are in jail for wanting to kill me and my kids. I spent $315,000 this past Congress on personal security to protect myself and my family. I know the consequences of dissent.

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What happened to me should not happen to anyone else. But even had I not had those experiences, Trumps crusade to crucify his enemies is unjustifiable. Thankfully, we are not helpless against Trumps threats to be a dictator on Day One. Congress is still the last, best check to stop Kash Patel from carrying out a lawful revenge tour. The power to halt Trumps radical hitmen is in our hands. Through collective action and bipartisanship, we can ensure that the rule of law stays in balance. The direction that America takes is completely dependent on how Congress responds.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
Earlier this week, two Russian Tupolev TU-95 (Bear) strategic nuclear bombers flew over the Bering and Chuki Seas near the Alaska coastline. The Russian Defense Ministry disingenuously described their activity as a scheduled flight over neutral waters.

The Bear is an ancient bomber, originally put into use seven decades ago, and is hardly a real threat to the U.S.  or, for that matter, to Canada. Nevertheless, despite its advanced age, and however routine the flight may have been, the timing during the interval between the presidential election and Trumps inauguration surely was meant to signal Russias ongoing ability to threaten the American homeland  and possibly also to reinforce Trumps inclination to press Ukraine to agree to a deal that ends the war. Whatever Moscows motive, it is time Washington returned the favor, though not necessarily in the same manner.

During the 1980s, the U.S. Navy spearheaded NATOs Ocean Safari series of ever-larger exercises in the Norwegian Sea which, as former Secretary of the Navy John Lehman relates in his memoirs, confounded and humiliated the Soviet naval and air defenses. In theory, the Navy and NATO could confound Russian planners as they did their Soviet predecessors.

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But times and circumstances have changed since then. Americas naval forces are stretched thin confronting Chinese adventurism in the South China Sea and a Houthi threat in the Red Sea, in addition to Mediterranean operations supporting Israel and maintaining a credible presence while the Ukraine war rages on.

Nonetheless, Sweden and Finlands recent accession to NATO offers the U.S. and its allies a new vector to complicate the work of Russian military planners. The Baltic Sea is no longer the Soviet lake that it was during the Cold War. The three Baltic states, once part of the USSR, are now members of NATO. Poland, once a Warsaw Pact member, is now as staunch and active NATO ally. And East Germany, a key force in the Baltic region as well on Europes central front, no longer exists.

Geographically, the Baltic has become a NATO lake. In military terms, however, NATO has yet to field a sufficiently powerful capability that would become a cause for serious Russian concern.

Traditionally, the U.S. Marine Corps has been the most active American force in the Nordic region. Since 1982, Marines have been pre-stocking equipment in Norway, probably enough to support a Marine expeditionary brigade. Small Marine units have also been exercising with Swedish Marines since 2018.

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On Dec. 5, 2023, Sweden and the U.S. signed a defense cooperation agreement that enables American forces to access and pre-stock equipment at 17 Swedish military facilities. The agreement was signed after Sweden had applied for NATO membership, but four months before it actually joined the alliance. Two weeks later, Finland, which had already joined NATO in April 2023, signed a nearly identical agreement with the U.S. that gives American forces access and pre-stocking capability at 18 military facilities.

The willingness of both Sweden and Finland to host American forces and equipment on their territory is a major development that has yet to be fully exploited. Since the Marines already pre-stock equipment in Norway, it would be natural for them to do the same in the newest NATO allies. Moreover, the two agreements create an opportunity for a constant Marine presence in the Baltic region. Indeed, earlier this year, that was exactly what Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin promised his Baltic NATO allies.

Russia has stepped up its hybrid operations against NATO, but especially against the smaller northern allies. Moreover, its aggression against Ukraine has led many observers to conclude that if Moscow emerges victorious from that war, its next target would be one or more of the Baltic states. An upgraded Marine presence in the region would demonstrate that Americas commitment to those allies is more than just verbal.

Marine exercises in the Baltic Sea that are constant and larger, as opposed to intermittent and smaller, would demonstrate NATOs ability not only to threaten the Russian exclave Kaliningrad, but also St. Petersburg. Russian President Vladimir Putin hails from that city and is devoted to it. Any such threat would be certain to command Putins attention and worry, and that would not be a bad thing at all.

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Dov S. Zakheim is a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and vice chairman of the board for the Foreign Policy Research Institute. He was undersecretary of Defense (comptroller) and chief financial officer for the Department of Defense from 2001 to 2004 and a deputy undersecretary of Defense from 1985 to 1987.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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An essay published recently in The Economist, the British magazine, suggested that the U.S. compensates its veterans too generously. Absurdly generous, was how it described veterans benefits.

Far be it from an American to criticize the British approach to caring for veterans wounded during counterinsurgency operations. If the British want to give wounded veterans such as Mr. Bates a chance to work as Lord Crawleys valet, even though Mr. Carson and the rest of Downton Abbeys staff thinks its a bad idea, thats their business.

Every countrys approach to veteran care is the product of its history. And without the U.S. Army, there would be no America. Without compensation and benefits during and after service, not enough people would serve in the U.S. military.

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I have taken advantage of those benefits myself. I received a masters degree through the post-9/11 GI Bill. I have a service-connected disability rating through the Department of Veterans Affairs and get a monthly check from the government, plus a couple hundred bucks off my property taxes every year. Most importantly, I get medical care for injuries and conditions I incurred during service in Afghanistan.

I dont depend on the check, or the medical coverage (I could get this through work), or the property tax break. But other veterans do.

The Economist essays conclusion  that the U.S. treats its veterans too well  is debatable. I certainly havent gotten rich from being a veteran, nor do I feel that Ive taken advantage of the system in claiming benefits. In fact, Ive used the degree I received to give back to the community. My M.F.A. from SUNY Stony Brook Southampton was instrumental to helping me found and grow a literary journal that has published dozens of veteran writers and essayists over the last decade.

The Economist piece seems geared toward readers in the incoming Trump administration. Some part of the MAGA movement is a response to the centralization of government and the expansion of the federal government into peoples everyday lives. All agencies and departments that exist at the national level will come under scrutiny, even the Department of Defense and the VA.

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The Pentagon requires a certain amount of centralization and coordination at the federal level to produce a competitive modern military. To win quickly and decisively in modern war, as the U.S. did against Iraq in 1991 and 2003 and against the Taliban in 2001 and 2002, depends on the ability to concentrate firepower in time and space using planes, boats, tanks, drones and people  and to do this repeatedly until an opponents military disintegrates. To make the military the U.S. has, which is sufficient to quickly and decisively win battles against any other military on earth (including Russia and China), one needs the system we have in place today. That system has never been disproven.

And that system is expensive. Paying for the U.S. military (nearing a trillion dollars) and paying for veterans ($325 billion to the VA for 2024) is costly, and the spending happens at the federal level. It is probably frustrating to some people who feel that they dont have any control over that process, although when one thinks it through, where and how the spending happens makes perfect sense. Even devout libertarians agree that the military is a national responsibility.

But if some are concerned that veterans benefits (a key component of having the best military in the world) are too generous, one way to address that problem would be to put the VA at the state level, and have states compensate their own veteran populations.

In other words, let the states pay for it.

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It should be possible to push most of the $325 billion in the federal budget for the VA to the state level. That $325 billion would still be spent, but it would be in Hartford, Albany, Austin and Topeka instead of in D.C.

If a states population feels that their veterans are being compensated too generously for their service, its far more likely that they can get state politicians to do their bidding than national politicians. Maybe those same state residents feel that their veterans are not being compensated well enough  that the benefits are insufficiently generous. Benefits could go up!

Under the current centralized model, states (and individual citizens) share the burden of paying for veteran benefits equally across the nation. Its effective and efficient, but its a single point of failure, as unwise and misguided people like Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are currently demonstrating.

A decentralized model would mean citizens of some states would pay less, while other states would pay more. States with more veterans (mostly in the South and Midwest) would see their taxes go up, while states with fewer veterans (such as in New England) would see taxes go down.

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Making politics more responsive at a state level, or even at a local level, is important and an underappreciated facet of populist politics. As long as citizens feel as though they dont have a say in the administration of a program, or that the programs implementation is somehow beyond their control, there will be discontent. Making those programs more responsive is a key to making them resilient in any form. Decentralizing the Department of Veterans Affairs  pushing veteran care down to the state level  might be one way to accomplish that goal.

Of course, before you lean into that as a solution, youll want to check where your own state ranks in terms of veterans. Alaska, where nearly one in 10 citizens is a veteran, would end up carrying a much greater obligation for its veterans than Connecticut, where barely five in 100 have served. Its also likely that more than $325 billion would get spent  centralization goes hand in hand with efficiency. Maybe American citizens paying more overall for veterans benefits is worth the price of determining how that money gets spent.

Or we could simply continue funding veterans benefits at the national level. After all, our military is quite a bit bigger than the U.K.s, and there arent enough Lord Crawleys for every Mr. Bates.

Adrian Bonenberger is a writer and a veteran of the U.S. Army. He is a co-founder of American Veterans for Ukraine.

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No one can walk away. We must stay in the fight, every one of us.

Thats what Vice President Kamala Harris told a gathering of young leaders in Maryland this week as the Biden administration entered its final month.

The broader public would do well to heed this message because President-elect Donald Trump isnt waiting until his inauguration to begin a crusade of retribution against his perceived enemies and any entity that tries to hold him accountable.

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And yet, rather than girding ourselves against Trumps torrent of threats and promises of revenge, too many of us are rolling out the welcome mat.

The same day that Harris spoke those words, Trumps allies in the House of Representatives called on the FBI to investigate former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney for her participation in the Jan. 6 Select Committees investigation. A few days before, Trump told NBC News Kristen Welker that Cheney, Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson and other members of the committee should be imprisoned for their work.

Trump also filed a lawsuit against The Des Moines Register for supposed election interference after the paper published a poll showing Harris beating him in the Hawkeye State.

As all of this is happening, Trump is assembling a potential Cabinet of loyalists such as Kash Patel for FBI director, whos promised to come after the media and Trump critics inside and outside the federal government. The clear message is that Trump will use the powers granted to him as president to attack those he perceives as his enemies. You could call it revenge, except that implies his targets did something wrong.

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To make matters worse, those with the most power to curb Trumps worst impulses are ceding ground to the erosion of our most sacred institutions.

FBI Director Christopher Wray recently announced he would resign before Trump  who, you may recall, appointed him in his first administration  takes office, despite having roughly three years left in his term. Wray chose to step aside and clear the way for Patel rather than daring Trump to fire him.

ABC News recently settled Trumps defamation case against the network, agreeing to give $15 million to a future presidential library as part of the deal.

Embattled Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been accused of working to curry favor with Trump, meeting with incoming border czar Tom Homan, whos promised to carry out mass deportations with or without the support of state and municipal officials. Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania agreed to meet with Trumps pick for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, despite allegations of sexual assault, which Hegseth denies.

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Both men have framed these moves as politically shrewd, but that would hinge on the premise that Trumps machinations are normal, rather than harmful to our democracy. Besides, is it politically shrewd to ignore threats of retribution against the American people?

Because thats the thing, folks. This is so much bigger than Trump. Its about preserving the checks and balances that have allowed this imperfect but determined country to survive even the most perilous times.

If the entities designed to hold our leaders accountable  Congress, journalists, public servants  choose to falter instead of fight, it will send a message to every aspiring autocrat waiting to become the next Trump.

Trump won the presidential election but hasnt yet won the battle for the nation's soul. That's a battle he can win only if we unconditionally surrender.

For more thought-provoking insights from Michael Steele, Alicia Menendez and Symone Sanders-Townsend, watch The Weekend every Saturday and Sunday at 8 a.m. ET on MSNBC.





This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
Headlines featuring an archbishop and the cover-up of child sex abuse were once largely the preserve of the Catholic Church, but last month it was the Church of Englands turn. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, yielded to immense pressure from both inside and outside the church and resigned his office.

A review the churchs handling of a serial sexual predator, John Smyth, found that Welby had shown a distinct lack of curiosity when informed of the abuse claims in 2013 and had failed to ensure the matter was passed to the police. A decade later, this apparent negligence has brought the archbishops career to a sudden end.

It would be easy to regard this as a grim but essentially internal affair for the Anglican Communion, the 85 million-strong worldwide denomination that includes the Episcopal Church in the U.S. and the Anglican Churches of Canada, Mexico, Central and South America. Although the Archbishop of Canterbury has no legal jurisdiction beyond England, he is regarded as first among equals by the other provinces and acts as the spiritual head of the Anglican Communion.

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In England, where the archbishop wields real authority, the church is in decline. In 2022, weekly attendance at services was only 654,000, half of what it had been 20 years earlier. On its current trajectory, Anglicanism will be all but extinct in the land of its birth by the 2060s.

But Welbys departure has a wider resonance. For one, it is an extraordinarily rare event. He was the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury in the succession from St. Augustine in 597 AD, and the first to be forced out of office in more than 300 years  William Sancroft was deprived in 1690 when he refused to swear allegiance to the new monarchs William III and Mary II. Since then, archbishops have died in the post or, as of more recently, retired. Welby would have reached mandatory retirement age in 14 months time.

The Church of England is waning in terms of its congregations. It retains a distinct identity, however, because it is the established church (in England, not in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland), and the king is its supreme governor. The U.K.s constitutional arrangements are the antithesis of the separation of church and state. Twenty-six of the most senior bishops sit in the House of Lords by virtue of their office, debating and voting on public legislation. All of Englands prisons are required by law to have an Anglican chaplain, and a quarter of public elementary schools are run by the Church of England.

The king is required by law to swear an oath at the coronation which includes promising to maintain in the United Kingdom the Protestant Reformed Religion established by law and maintain and preserve inviolably the settlement of the Church of England, and the doctrine, worship, discipline, and government thereof, as by law established in England.

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This privileged position in society is not unique, but the only other legislative body in the world to have places reserved for clerics is the Guardian Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

There have been campaigns to remove the churchs privileged status since the 19th century. The Church of Ireland was disestablished in 1871, while the Welsh branch of the Church of England lost its official standing in 1920. There was a surge of support for disestablishment from within the Anglican church in the late 1920s, when Parliament refused to authorize changes to the Book of Common Prayer.

Opinion polls suggest that around half the population is content with the status quo. However, the last census in 2021 showed that less than half of the people in England and Wales, 46.2 percent, identified themselves as any kind of Christian; that number had fallen by 13 points in just a decade and was below 50 percent for the first time ever. This historic development prompted renewed debate about the Church of Englands established status, and the toppling of Archbishop Justin may fan the flames of that debate once more.

This is not just about England, but about the role of religion, and of Christianity in particular, in public life. It was the English socialist writer George Orwell who in 1939 first referred to the Judaeo-Christian scheme of morals, but he was attaching a label to a sensibility that had underpinned politics in Britain and America for centuries: a broad ethical code derived from religious faith and shared by the majority of people, which therefore sketched out a notion of society.

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The U.S. retains a stronger religious inclination. Two-thirds of Americans still consider themselves Christians, though that is falling  for once, Britain may be a harbinger of where America is headed. But it could be that historians will look back from a largely godless society in 50 years time and see the fall of the Archbishop of Canterbury as a milestone.

If Christianity is to stem and then turn the tide, time is running out. It may be too late in Britain, but Christians in America must consider how they can revitalize their faith.

Eliot Wilson is a freelance writer on politics and international affairs and the co-founder of Pivot Point Group. He was senior official in the U.K. House of Commons from 2005 to 2016, including serving as a clerk of the Defence Committee and secretary of the U.K. delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, speaking on Kossuth radio, has expressed the opinion that Ukraine could still change its decision regarding the "Christmas ceasefire".

Source: European Pravda, citing Magyar Nemzet

Details: Speaking about his "peacekeeping mission", Orban explained that he had held talks with the leaders of several countries, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, emphasising that Erdogan was the only successful mediator between the two sides when the agreement on grain supplies was reached.

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Quote: "At the very least, lets resolve the situation in order to have a Christmas ceasefire. Thats why I am working to secure a ceasefire and a large-scale prisoner exchange during Orthodox Christmas."

The Hungarian prime minister pointed out that, given it would only last two or three days, the argument that one side might gain an advantage does not apply.

"A Christmas ceasefire would demonstrate that short-term peace is not impossible," Orban added, noting that he had succeeded in persuading the Russian leader to support the ceasefire, but he believes the Ukrainians could also easily change their position.

Background:

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticised Orbans attempts to present himself as a "mediator" in the "settlement" of the war.

"His relationship with Putin is too warm to put Putin in his place," the president said.

Tensions between Kyiv and Budapest escalated after Viktor Orban called Russian President Vladimir Putin last week.

Following this, Orban claimed he had offered Ukraine a Christmas ceasefire and a large-scale prisoner exchange, but President Zelensky allegedly rejected the idea.

In response, the Ukrainian president expressed hope that Orban "wont call Assad in Moscow to listen to his hour-long lectures as well".

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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban told EU leaders he plans to wait until U.S. President-elect Donald Trump takes office before deciding on an extension of the bloc's sanctions against Russia, Bloomberg reported on Dec. 19, citing undisclosed sources.

The EU sanctions must be extended by unanimous vote every six months, with the deadline for the next extension set at the end of January. The bloc imposed its 15th package of sanctions earlier this week, targeting Russia's shadow fleet and defense industry.

Trump, Orban's ally who received the Hungarian prime minister at his Florida residence on Dec. 9, will be inaugurated on Jan. 20 after winning the November presidential election.

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Orban "surprised" his fellow EU leaders by deciding to block the extension during a summit in Brussels on Dec. 19 in what is considered a "routine" step, Bloomberg wrote. Talking to journalists, the Hungarian prime minister warned Europe against doing "anything that would go against this future transatlantic relationship."

Hungary's leader has consistently obstructed and delayed sanctions against Russia and military support for Kyiv. He has also lauded Trump's reelection, expressing expectations of a quick end to the war.

Trump's imminent return to the White House is causing concern in Kyiv and Europe, as the U.S. president-elect hinted at reducing support for Ukraine and pledged to get his country "out" of the war.

The soon-to-be U.S. leader is expected to push European partners to take up greater responsibility for ensuring peace and security in Ukraine. This shift comes amid political instability in France and Germany and Russia's steady advances on the battlefield in Ukraine's east.

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Read also: Zelensky rejects Orbans mediation, says he has no leverage over Putin

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People camp on the sidewalk near Old Town in Portland. (Photo by Lynne Terry/Oregon Capital Chronicle)

A series examining how local governments regulate  and criminalize  homelessness.

Chain link fences ring the perimeters of the two designated homeless camping areas in Grants Pass, Oregon.

The two sites are the only spots where city officials allow homeless camping after they successfully defended their local camping ordinance before the U.S. Supreme Court.

In June, the nations highest court ruled in favor of Grants Pass, deciding that cities could impose criminal penalties without running afoul of constitutional provisions against cruel and unusual punishment. Since then, city officials have limited where about 600 homeless people can pitch a tent or sleep to just two locations in the city of 39,000.

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The new limitations have alarmed disability rights advocates and volunteer medical outreach workers who treat the people staying there.

We have to stop blaming the people whove been forced to live outside because of this massive housing shortage, not just blaming them, but vilifying them and arresting them and jailing them, said Edward Johnson with the Oregon Law Center who represented the plaintiffs before the Supreme Court.

Mayor Sara Bristol said having two sites is intended to keep smaller ones from popping up throughout Grants Pass and provide a temporary location while working toward long-term goals like shelter beds.

Broadly, Grants Pass shows how cities across the U.S. are challenged with crafting local camping ordinances that balance the rights of unhoused people with competing interests, from business owners to those with disabilities trying to access a sidewalk without obstacles blocking their way.

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Whats more, a lack of adequate shelter beds falls far short of the nations growing homeless population, which was 653,104 people in a point-in-time count in January 2023. The system has about 218,000 fewer shelter beds than necessary, that report found.

As homelessness becomes more political, rhetoric during elections conflate homelessness with crime, leading candidates to promise to get tough on the issue, Johnson said. Once considered allies, Democratic leaders find themselves under pressure to respond in their communities, with some weighing President-elect Donald Trumps stance of clearing camps and relocating people to land with some social services.

But thats not a solution.

It may be a short-term solution to getting reelected, but it is not going to end homelessness, he said.

Concerns for people with disabilities

After the U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Grants Pass city officials enacted a new policy designating homeless camping to the two lots nearly a mile apart, instead of any city park. Whats more, people can only stay in each spot for seven days. This means they must move between the two locations every week.

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Violations carry the risk of $50 citations.

Disability Rights Oregon, a nonprofit advocacy group granted federal watchdog authority, says the setting runs afoul of federal laws that require access and accommodations for people with disabilities.

For example, two volunteers carried a homeless woman in a wheelchair across the entrance and into a camp. Large rocks at its entrance prevented her from navigating the terrain in her wheelchair.

It is pretty much a barren, totally exposed gravel and dirt lot that still has no running water, still has no shade, said Dr. Bruce Murray, a volunteer physician with Mobile Integrative Navigation Team, or MINT, which provides on-the-ground health services to people camping there.

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In October, Disability Rights Oregon raised concerns about the homeless camping policy in a letter to city officials.

Its been pouring rain down there, said Tom Stenson, deputy legal director of Disability Rights Oregon. Theyre just puddles where people are unable to move. People with disabilities are just stuck. They have no ability to get around.

The largest of the two approved lots, Murray said, has about 100 tents. The other has about 40 tents. Hes identified more than two dozen people who should not have to move between camps because of health reasons, such as heart failure, lung problems and wheelchair use. Murray has issued them paperwork to show police when they face the risk of trespassing, but police still warn them.

Chad Patty said he believes he nearly died after moving to one of the sites in September. It had no running water to drink and portable toilets. He said he got sick with diarrhea and dehydration.

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I had no access to any sort of water, he said. Because of my condition, I was so sick I couldnt even really walk far to begin with.

Patty, who lives off $943 monthly Social Security disability check, has health problems including diabetes, arthritis, a lower back injury and lymphedema, a condition that causes fluid to build up in the body.

As he started to get ready on his second day there, Patty, 42, passed out and did not wake up for several hours.

Murray, who knew him, provided Patty with water and medicine. The doctor also helped Patty get shelter that led to his recovery and eventually housing in Grants Pass.

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Patty is no longer homeless and now lives in an apartment in Grants Pass. A MINT supporter purchased a house to offer rentals at discounted prices for homeless people with disabilities. Patty pays $600 a month.

City officials, Patty said, need to show more compassion.

Its so irresponsible, neglectful and inhumane that theres just

no way to put how I feel about it properly, except that they are cruel and heartless, he said.

Grants Pass officials have been publicly chastised. At an August council meeting, City Manager Aaron Cubic met withering criticism after he said the city was not legally obligated to provide water at city-designated spots.

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There is no legal requirement the city do anything more than designate a place to rest or a place to camp, he said at the meeting, adding that other services and amenities could include water and shade.

Murray, the 75-year-old retired physician who has worked in public health across the globe, said he was offended to hear water called an amenity.

Amenities are chocolate mints left on your pillow at a Hyatt hotel, he said at the meeting. Amenities are extra towels for the pool.

MINT, his organization, has provided hundreds of water bottles at the sites.

The city has provided portable toilets and handwashing stations, though not water. Bristol said that balance is necessary to avoid the perception the city is encouraging people to come there.

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Bristol, whose four-year term ends this year, said the public concerns are understandable, given the requirements to move every seven days.

A lot of them have a lot of stuff that even an able-bodied person would have trouble moving around and from a practical standpoint I dont blame them because this is their entire life, Bristol said.

Cubic did not respond to requests from the Capital Chronicle for comment. Stenson said his organization has not heard from city leaders in the two months since the letter went out.

Elsewhere in Oregon

Oregon Gov. Tina Koteks budget proposal for the next two years seeks more than $700 million to shelter homeless residents, transition them into stable housing and prevent them from living on the streets.

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Kotek also wants about $1.4 billion in bonds and infrastructure funding to bolster the states housing supply and chip away at the housing shortage.

Around the state, advocates are concerned that unhoused people will face increasingly harsher environments.

Democratic officials in cities are being pushed to act on homeless encampments, said Jimmy Jones, executive director of the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency in Salem, which provides regional services to combat homelessness and poverty in and around the state capital.

At the same time, Jones said its crucial for local leaders to avoid the approach of President-elect Donald Trumps agenda, which calls for cleaning out suburban encampments and putting designated homeless camps on vacant land with social workers and mental health workers. Some Democratic leaders could find the approach attractive amid the pressure they face to address homelessness, he said.

Jones said any citys approach needs to be focused on responding to public safety or health concerns and complaints, not randomly forcing a camp to relocate elsewhere.

It needs to be a complaint-based system generating the action instead of just chasing one group of people from one part of town or the other, ad nauseam, without any real random reason for doing so, he said. That doesnt help the people youre chasing. It doesnt help

the people youre trying to serve. It doesnt help the other constituencies in the community.

While disagreements about approaches continue, MINT and Grants Pass officials also collaborate. On Dec. 4, the city council approved a 10-year agreement to provide up to $660,000 for property that the nonprofit will use for a low-barrier shelter that eventually will serve up to 100 people.

Cassy Leach, executive director of MINT, said she and her organization want to be part of the solution.

In Portland, unhoused people can camp in public right-of-way areas, provided they have no other options like shelters. The city passed the ordinance in May, after homeless people sued the city in 2023 because of restrictions preventing them from camping between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., and forcing them to take down their tents and stay on the move throughout the day.

With the new ordinance, there also are restrictions for those who pitch tents. They cannot block building entrances or walkways, light fires or pile garbage around their tent.

Violators face fines of up to $100, up to seven days in jail, or both. But the goal is to get people into shelter and programs that help them, not jail.

The Portland Police Bureau works with the citys Street Services Coordination Center, which does outreach to people who are violating the ordinance.

Its really a powerful thing when outreach is there with police and theres that moment of: This is your moment to choose, said Hank Smith, deputy director of Portland Solutions.

The city also has a way for the public to report campsites that may be in violation, such as those camped on private property, blocking walkways or with debris piled up.

Under state law, notices to move campsites provide at least 72 hours.

In Bend, camping is also allowed in right-of-way areas with the goal of avoiding large camps. The city sets a 150-foot distance from one group of up to three homeless campsites  vehicles or tents  and the next homeless site. The ordinance also allows someone to camp for up to 24 hours in right-of-way areas that have vacant lots on both sides of the street, said David Abbas, Bends transportation and mobility director.

First, people get an opportunity to voluntarily move. Afterwards, a 72-hour notice is posted on or near their tent and they have three days to leave. If they dont, the city removes their things and they have 30 days to collect them at a city storage facility.

Abbas stressed the goal is voluntary compliance and the city provides information about local shelters.

Solutions beyond camping bans

For cities to successfully combat homelessness, they need more permanent, affordable housing, Johnson of the Oregon Law Center said. Nationwide, there is a housing shortage that feeds the problem, he said.

The other two needs: more protections for people to avoid unnecessary evictions and more temporary shelter space while people are waiting for permanent housing, he said.

As for city ordinances that restrict or ban camping, they do not solve the homelessness problem, Johnson said. For one, the restrictions can make it harder for people to stay in touch with providers who can help them find housing, he said. If someone is arrested, jailed and convicted, the criminal record creates another obstacle when they look for employment or housing.

Theyre aimed at hiding homelessness, and theyre not very effective at hiding homelessness for a very long period of time, because they actually increase the number of people who are forced to live outside, he said.

Despite the loss at the Supreme Court, Johnson said he has reason for optimism as cities look for solutions. In California, Los Angeles city and county officials criticized the ruling, saying the solution is affordable housing and support services, not criminalization.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has focused heavily on expanding affordable housing, with a 2022 executive order that reduced the red tape and waits developers face to get city permits. But newer restrictions that limit where fast-tracked affordable housing development can go in the city, such as historic districts, also raise concerns about how to balance affordable housing growth with neighborhood preservation, according to media reports.

Johnson also praised the work of cities that pursue a Housing First model that places people into supportive housing and off the streets as quickly as possible. Major cities are involved: Houston and Austin in Texas; Nashville, Tennessee; and Madison, Wisconsin.

You cant police your way out of this, but we also are not going to be able to litigate our way out of it, he said.

Stenson, with Disability Rights Oregon, said he still holds out hope that Grants Pass officials will look beyond their camping ordinance for long-term housing solutions.

Maybe the futility of what theyre doing will get them to move around to doing something actually useful, which is to try and find people housing, he said. We have to learn for the 1,000th time that you cant make it illegal to be a person with a problem. You have to actually address the problem.

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GUEST OPINION: Every click and swipe might feel like fleeting moments online, however, our digital footprints are enduring records that can be analysed, monetised, and sometimes weaponised.

Privacy has become a complex concept over the past few years.

Every second, Australians leave behind invisible data trails across online shopping retailers, social media, and smart devices throughout homes, schools, and workplaces. For businesses, understanding the privacy implications of our constantly evolving data-driven landscape isnt just about complianceits essential for maintaining trust and staying competitive.

Driven by the need to update Australias Privacy Act (1998), the upcoming privacy reforms reflect a growing concern around data proliferation.

The rise of digital services and interconnected devices has led to an unprecedented generation of data. Every online interaction leaves behind digital traces that, while seemingly harmless, provide companies with valuable insights into consumer behaviour. However, this reality brings significant responsibility for businesses handling that data.

On a global scale, the consequences of data misuse are evident. The Cambridge Analytica scandalwhere personal data was weaponised to influence voter behaviour without consentshined a spotlight on the issue. With IBM reporting the average cost of a data breach in 2024 totalled $4.88 million, the need for businesses to protect sensitive data is more critical than ever.

Australia has already witnessed significant privacy breaches. For example, the Optus and Medibank hacks in 2022 highlighted vulnerabilities in how businesses manage and secure data after exposing millions of Australians sensitive information.

Australia's regulatory landscape is shifting in response, and Australian companies need to be proactive in meeting new privacy standards or risk severe penalties and a damaged reputation.

The rise of surveillance capitalism

Surveillance capitalism, popularised by Harvard professor Shoshana Zuboff, has fundamentally changed the way companies operate. In this model, personal data is extracted, commodified, and traded to predict and influence behaviour. Surveillance capitalism thrives on the pervasive collection of data, often with minimal transparency or user consent, turning personal information into a critical business asset.

Consider Google, the archetype of a surveillance capitalism company. With over 80% of the search engine market under its thumb, the tech giant collects vast amounts of data from its usersranging from search queries and location history to email content and YouTube viewing habits. This data is used to build detailed user profiles, which are sold to advertisers looking to target their campaigns with unprecedented precision. Google generated over $237.86 billion in advertising revenue in 2023, highlighting the immense value of the data it collects.

However, the implications of this data collection extend beyond targeted advertising. In 2010, it was revealed that Googles Street View vehicles collected data from unencrypted Wi-Fi networks as they mapped the world. This included emails, passwords, and other sensitive information from millions of users, sparking legal actions and regulatory scrutiny in several countries. This incident is the perfect illustration of the fine line between innovation and invasion, raising critical questions about the ethical boundaries of data collection.

Fortunately, Australians are becoming more aware of the implications of this data collection. The federal governments inquiry into digital platform services demonstrated a growing concern about how companies use and potentially exploit consumer data.

With increased regulatory oversight on the horizon, organisations need to rethink their approach to data collection, ensuring they comply with stricter consent laws and privacy expectations.

Privacy vs. convenience

While data privacy is becoming a top concern for many Australians, the convenience offered by digital services and smart devices often leads consumers to trade personal information for ease. The proliferation of personalised services, such as health tracking apps and tailored news feeds, has created a sense of normalcy around data sharing. However, this dynamic is shifting, with many becoming more and more cautious about how their data is used.

According to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioners (OAIC) Australian Community Attitudes to Privacy Survey 2023, more than 60% of Australians see the protection of their personal information as a major concern in their life. As digital businesses develop new services that rely on personal information, they must balance convenience with robust privacy practices.

The major challenge is ensuring consumers feel their data is secure while still offering the seamless experiences they have come to expect.

Looking to the future

The future of privacy in Australia will unfold over the coming months, shaped by regulatory developments and changing consumer expectations. With AI and data collection on the rise, organisations will face increasing pressure to adopt and maintain ethical data practices.

The incoming Privacy Act reforms are a clear indicator that the Australian Government is taking these concerns seriously.

Ultimately, the future of privacy in Australia hinges on collaboration between the government, businesses, and individuals. Strong privacy protections and ethical data practices are not just about avoiding penaltiesthey are essential to maintaining trust.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  Oregon Attorney General-elect Dan Rayfield announced a new cabinet in his office on Thursday to oversee potential conflicts between federal mandates and Oregon law.

The Federal Oversight and Accountability Cabinet will support the Attorney General-elect and his work to defend against potential federal impacts on the state and its people, Rayfields transition team said in a press release.

In an era of uncertainty, we must be proactive in our outreach efforts and work to protect the interests and values of Oregonians, Attorney General-elect Rayfield said. The leaders serving on the Federal Oversight and Accountability Cabinet create a critical nexus between what is happening on the ground in communities throughout our state and the work we are able to do at the Oregon Department of Justice to defend all Oregonians.

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DONT MISS: Oregon Attorney General-elect Dan Rayfield on protecting abortion access

Rayfield will chair the cabinet and has appointed several members to the group including Dustin Buehler, who was appointed to a special counsel position in the executive office to direct federal accountability work.

Buehler will co-lead the cabinet with Fay Stetz-Waters, who will continue her role as director of civil rights and social justice under the attorney general-elect.

Other cabinet members include legal experts, and leaders of nonprofits and unions, such as AFSCME Oregon Executive Director Joe Baessler, ACLU Oregon Executive Director Sandy Chung and Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette CEO Dr. Sara Kennedy, among other members.

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LIST: These new Oregon laws will take effect in January 2025

We stand ready to defend the rights and values of the people of Oregon, Chung said. We appreciate Attorney General-elect Rayfields partnership in these efforts, as well as his recognition that we are stronger together.

The new cabinet comes after the attorney general-elect told KOIN 6 News about his plans to protect abortion rights in Oregon amid potential threats to access under the incoming Trump administration.

As attorney general in Oregon, the number one responsibility for me is to protect the values of our state, Rayfield previously told KOIN 6 News, noting his role to defend Oregon laws. We have a lot of protections for abortion rights in Oregon. However, challenges come when theyre being threatened in other states, whether its the mifepristone lawsuit that the current attorney general had to intervene and be a part of, even when we had a Democratic president, if the current administration were to advocate and pass an abortion ban nationally, that law would be in conflict with Oregon laws. It would be our responsibility in the Attorney Generals Office to make sure that we stand up for Oregons values and stand up for the laws that we have passed in the state that reflect the values in our state.

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Rayfields preparations for potential conflicts between federal and state laws echo a move by Washingtons Governor-elect Bob Ferguson who created a committee in his transition team to prepare for potential threats to state law from Project 2025, a policy guidebook for the Trump administration that was created by The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.

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.
(NewsNation)  A man from North Bend, Oregon, is missing after he left his home to photograph the king tides, according to the Coos County Sheriffs Office.

Joseph Neill, 72, is thought to have left home Sunday morning and was reported missing at 8 p.m. the same day, the North Bend Police Department Chief Cal Mitts told NewsNation KOIN-TV.

Neills vehicle was found early Monday morning on Transpacific Parkway near a landmark known as Jordan Point, the Coos County Sheriffs Office said. Authorities executed a search and rescue mission and found some of Neills personal property.

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Cornell graduate, 23, missing since mid-October

A Coos County Sheriffs Office K9 search team was brought in to search the area for Neills whereabouts, and determined Neill was no longer in the area.

Additionally, the U.S. Coast Guard and a North Bend Fire Department boat were called to the scene to search for Neill.

As there was evidence to suggest that Mr. Neill was elsewhere, the search was suspended pending further information or clues, the Coos County Sheriffs Office said.

Anyone with information about Neills disappearance should contact the North Bend Police Department (541) 756-3161.

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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 NewsNation.
Entergy Corp. headquarters in New Orleans. (Michael Isaac Stein/Verite News)

NEW ORLEANS  The New Orleans City Council voted Thursday to approve the sale of Entergys local gas utility to Delta Utilities, a newly formed company backed by a private equity firm.

The vote comes less than a week after the council first announced its intent to approve the sale and just days after the councils utility committee voted unanimously to advance the resolution to the full council.

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With all regulatory approval secured, the $484 million sale of Entergys gas utilities in Louisiana  which serves over 200,000 customers across the New Orleans and Baton Rouge area  can now officially move forward.

Natural gas is a very resilient fuel, Tim Poche, CEO of Delta Utilities, told Verite News on Monday. It heats our homes. We use it to cook with. Its a fuel thats used in times of emergency. We look forward to providing that service in a regulated environment and serving our customers.

The sale did not get a full hearing before the council on Thursday. Instead it was passed as part of the consent agenda  a group of ordinances and resolutions voted on en bloc  which came five hours into the meeting.

Still, nearly a dozen people and organizations gave public comments on it, all opposed to the sale, and approximately 80 people submitted online comments.

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Their comments raised concerns over what it would mean for private equity to take over a city utility. Private equity has a reputation for delivering higher rates of returns for its investors than publicly-owned corporations  often through dramatic restructuring, cost cuts and price hikes.

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Bernhard Capital Partners, the Baton Rouge-based private equity firm behind Delta Utilities, is led by Jim Bernhard, a former state Democratic Party chair and prolific political campaign donor.

Your intent to approve the sale after less than a week of public input, to be decided less than a week before Christmas, is a shameful capitulation to the interests of private equity and is deeply disrespectful to your constituents, Jack Reno Sweeney, co-chair of the local chapter of Democratic Socialists of America, said.

Entergy Corp is sellling its gas distribution system to a subsidiary of Louisiana-based Bernhard Capital Partners. The Louisiana Public Service Commission and New Orleans City Council, which regulate the utility companys subsidiaries fot its Louisiana and New Orleans service areas, respectively, have approved the sale.(Entergy Louisiana)

Other opponents of the sale said any kind of rate increase would be an economic burden for the citys low-income residents.

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Too many residents of our city live paycheck to paycheck, and any increase in their utility bills, including the initial $3 per month increase, will cost them and their families, Sarah Bodenstein said, referencing the councils analysis that the transition will only result in an estimated $3 per month in bill increases with their conditions.

Delta Utilities has pledged to step into Entergy New Orleans existing rates and not raise rates for the first fifteen months after the sale, which is expected to close in the second half of 2025. The earliest that Delta Utilities could bring a rate case to the council is the beginning of 2027.

Commenters also expressed concern over how this deal would impact the citys climate and clean energy goals.

The citys climate action strategy requires disinvestment in fossil fuels and investment in clean energy, said Wendy Beck of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice. [Delta Utilities] has declared plans to make additional investment in investments in New Orleans natural gas infrastructure. These investments would likely lead to higher emissions of natural gas combustion, hindering our progress toward meeting the goal of net zero [emissions] by 2050.

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But the council also received a handful of letters of support  from the United Way of Southeast Louisiana, the Home Builder Association of Greater New Orleans and the Black Chamber of Commerce, among other organizations. Supporters said it was important to have the economic development generated from having a new utility company based in the city.

Delta Utilities has promised to locate its headquarters in New Orleans and create 100 new jobs. In addition to purchasing Entergys gas utilities in Louisiana, the company has also made a bid to purchase CenterPoints gas systems in Louisiana and Mississippi and Emeras gas systems in New Mexico. Together, these systems will serve over one million customers.

The $484 million sale of Entergys gas systems was first announced last year, but it needed to pass regulatory muster with both the Louisiana Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities in the state, and the New Orleans City Council, which regulates utilities in the city.

The Louisiana Illuminator reported that Bernhard and other executives at his firm donated over $200,000 to members of the Public Service Commission  with the majority going to Baton Rouge-based Commissioner Craig Greene  over the past seven years.

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The commission approved the deal in August, but there were no formal challenges to the docket. Because of this, Commissioner Davante Lewis said that rejecting the deal would be arbitrary and capacious.

That was not the case in New Orleans, where the councils utility advisers and the Alliance for Affordable Energy, a local consumer nonprofit, both raised concerns over how the sale would impact electric and gas bills, as well as how new investment in fossil fuel infrastructure would impact the citys commitment to achieving net zero emissions.

Ultimately, the council chose to advance a resolution supporting the sale  with mitigating conditions. Those conditions limited the amount of transition and transaction costs that could be passed onto ratepayers, alleviating the advisers concerns.

But Jesse George, policy director for the Alliance for Affordable Energy, maintained that even with mitigating conditions the deal was bad for New Orleans as a whole and neglected to address how the deal would impact the citys climate and clean energy goals.

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I invite any one of you to explain to the public, George said at Mondays committee meeting, how the perpetuation of a fossil fuel distribution system, with its direct contribution to climate change, is not relevant to the question of public interest.

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This article first appeared on Verite News and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
On December 18, 2024, the Osage Minerals Council achieved a historic victory against Osage Wind, LLC; Enel Kansas, LLC; and Enel Green Power North America, Inc. (collectively "Enel") for unlawfully trespassing on the Osage Mineral Estate. The Federal Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma issued a final decision, finding Enel in trespass and ordering the removal of its wind farm. The Court also ruled that Enel must pay damages for unauthorized mineral use, trespass, and reimburse the Council's attorney fees.

The Osage Minerals Council hailed the ruling as a landmark decision protecting Indian trust resources from unauthorized use and exploitation by outside entities. The decision concludes over a decade of legal efforts to safeguard the Mineral Estate. It reinforces that any developer seeking to operate within the Mineral Estate must engage in a cooperative partnership with the Council, ensuring benefits for headright holders, the Osage Nation, and the Osage Reservation as a whole.

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This latest decision reaffirms the Courts December 20, 2023, order declaring Enel in trespass. Over the past year, the Court conducted hearings on damages and finalized its order for the wind farms removal. The Court has mandated that the wind farm, including its 84 turbines and associated infrastructure, be fully removed by December 1, 2025. According to Enels own estimates, the removal will cost approximately $259 million.

Osage Minerals Council stated that: We are thankful that the Court stood up for Indian rights. Our lands and resources have been taken and used by others for more than 150 years. We will always fight to defend our Mineral Estate that our ancestors reserved for our benefit and the benefit of generations to come. The Council continued, We are open for business and we look forward to working with anyone who negotiates with us in good faith.

The Court's recent decision builds on a significant legal victory the Osage Minerals Council first achieved against Enel in the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. In 2017, the Tenth Circuit ruled that Enel was required to obtain a lease for its use of the Osage Mineral Estate. However, even after the U.S. Supreme Court declined Enel's request for review in 2019, Enel refused to secure a lease from the Council. As a result, the case was sent back to the District Court to address issues of trespass and damages.

The Osage Minerals Council expressed gratitude for the steadfast support of its federal trustee, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, as well as the U.S. Department of Justice attorneys who worked diligently to protect Indian trust resources. The Council is represented by the law firm Patterson, Earnhart, Real Bird & Wilson LLP.

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EXCLUSIVE: The Oscar-contending documentary Sugarcane has received the rare honor of a White House screening, with Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and other dignitaries in attendance.

Directors Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie were accompanied by several of the films participants at the event on Tuesday evening (it took place at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House but is considered an official White House screening). The film investigates the abuse and disappearance of Indigenous children who attended a so-called Indian Residential School in British Columbia, part of a network of such schools in Canada and the U.S. that operated for over a century.

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On October 25, President Biden traveled to the Gila River Indian Reservation in Arizona to offer a historic apology for the federal governments role in supporting the boarding schools that were designed to deprive Indigenous children of their languages, customs, and identity. After Tuesday nights screening, the filmmaking team received a letter from Pres. Biden in which he reiterated his condemnation of the boarding school system.

A letter written from Pres. Biden about 'Sugarcane'

I have always believed that we must know the good, the bad, and the truth of our past so that we can begin to remember and heal, the president wrote. That is why I became the first President to issue a formal apology for the Federal Indian Boarding School eraone of our Nations most horrific periods.

For over 150 years, the Federal Government ran boarding schools that forcibly removed generations of Native children from their homes to live at schools that were often far away. The schools aimed to assimilate Native children by stripping them of their languages, religions, and cultures, often separating them from their families for years, with some never returning home. Native children endured physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, and at least 973 children died in these schools.

The president continued, The Sugarcane documentary shines a light on this shameful chapter of history, helping ensure that it is never forgotten or repeated I know the story of Sugarcane wasnt easy to tell, but we do ourselves no favors by pretending it didnt happen.

(L-R) Director Julian Brave NoiseCat, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, director Emily Kassie, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan of Minnesota attend a White House screening of Sugarcane

A trio of Sugarcanes executive producers  Jenny Raskin, David Fialkow, and Nina Fialkow  attended the event, joining Courteney Monroe, president of National Geographic Global Television Networks, and Jessica Moore, VP government relations for the Walt Disney Company. Also on hand were film participants Chief Willie Sellars of the Williams Lake First Nation, Chris Wycotte, and Anna Gilbert. Representing the administration were Rose Petoskey, Director of Tribal Affairs, and Secretary Haaland  the first Native American person ever to serve as a cabinet secretary.

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The evening was capped by an impromptu drum circle performed by Chief Sellars and NoiseCat.

Chief Willie Sellars (left) and director Julian Brave NoiseCat perform at a White House screening of Sugarcane

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The White House screening is the latest in a succession of honors for Sugarcane. It recently won Best Documentary from the National Board of Review and is nominated for a leading six nominations at the upcoming Cinema Eye Honors. NoiseCat and Kassie are nominated for the Truer Than Fiction Award at the Film Independent Spirit Awards, which will be held on February 22. They won the directing award for U.S. Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival, where Sugarcane premiered.

St. Josephs Mission Indian Residential School in British Columbia

The film explores intergenerational trauma inflicted by the boarding school system.

The [Indian Residential] schools operated for over 150 years across the North American continent. And its important for people to know that the last school closed in 1997, Kassie told Deadline at Sundance. This is a recent history, this is a recent horror, and its consequences and ramifications are very present. The death toll is still ticking higher as people continue to die from the brutal abuse and cycles of abuse that continue in the legacies of residential schools and Indian boarding schools in America.

BraveCats grandmother attended the St. Josephs Mission boarding school in British Columbia. She gave birth to a son there  Julians father, Ed Archie NoiseCat. Ed, as the film reveals, was miraculously spared from the incinerator; an unknown number of babies born to girls attending the school did not escape that grim fate  discarded with the knowledge or at the direction of Catholic clergy who ran the school.

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I think that our film tries to center a story about community and family, about the ties that bring us together and that endure despite the awful history of these schools and of this genocide, BraveCat told us at Sundance. So yes, it is a really awful history. I think that its a challenging film because of that, and it needed to be because this was a genocide. And at the same time, I think Emily and our cinematographers and our whole team, our editors, really tried to draw out and to make a point of is that despite that history, a very beautiful Indigenous way of life and connection to each other and to our land persists against that near annihilation.

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OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR)  On Thursday, another board meeting was held regarding Oklahoma education, and proposed rule changes for the upcoming year were discussed.

Last year, State Superintendent Ryan Walters proposed rules that would eliminate K-12 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs, allow religion in the classroom, and update the teacher code of conduct. Some of that passed the legislature later on.

This year, the rules proposed include crossing out civil rights from a portion of the rules, getting rid of the Multicultural Equity Advisory Committee, requiring students to provide proof of citizenship at enrollment, ensuring the U.S. flag is flying on campus for districts, and more.

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We have to know how many immigrants there are and how much they are costing Oklahomans, said Walters at Thursdays meeting.

Many lawmakers expressed concern soon after the proposed rules came out. Some said that requiring students to provide proof of citizenship could scare off many families from enrolling altogether.

Most people know its against federal law to ask a public school student for their immigration status, but Supt. Walters doesnt seem to know or care. Since this is not something he can require local public schools to do, this is more of him continuing his crusade to become a star in far-right circles and national media. Stunts like this do nothing to help increase student achievement or improve our public schools, but thats par for the course with Walters, said Representative Jacob Rosecrants (D-Norman).

The agency, including Walters, said it was a way to end sanctuary schools. News 4 hasnt yet heard of schools that were sanctuary schools.

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With this proposed rule families would have to provide a U.S. birth certificate, U.S. passport, drivers license, an unexpired permanent resident card, or another document proving the student has legal authorization to live in the country.

Faith leaders worry OSDEs proposed social studies standards are part of an agenda

Another proposed rule is listed as ensuring districts have American flags on campus. Accreditation of the district could be threatened if they dont comply.

News 4 has not heard of a district that doesnt have a U.S. flag flying somewhere on their schools campus in Oklahoma.

We will protect our students by ensuring American flags can be flown on campuses without infringement, said Supt. Walters.

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Another proposed rule surrounds taking out words in certain sections that contain the words Civil Rights and cutting the operational procedures of the Multicultural Equity Advisory Committee.

That committee is listed as being centered around many Title IV programs and states that its purpose is to plan activities relating to educational equity in the state.

Diversity Equity and Inclusion D.E.I. programs have been shown to not only support minorities but also kids with disabilities.

There are several other proposals on the OSDE website but it is open to public comment for the next month. Open public comment ends on January 17, and you can find the list of proposed rules here.

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According to the OSDE website, written public comment period closes at 5 p.m. on January 17 and written comments may be submitted by email to kory.kile@sde.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. 19A state housing finance board has tabled a decision to change the definition for who is considered "moderate income" to include more people.

Housing New Mexico, formerly the New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority, had proposed increasing the moderate income limit to encompass New Mexicans who make up to 200% of the area median income. But board chairwoman Angel Reyes removed the item from the agenda for Wednesday's board of directors meeting, spokesperson Kristie Garcia confirmed in a Thursday email.

"In the past few days, we have heard concerns from legislators and stakeholders about the proposed change that we would like to address and allow time for discussions," she wrote. "We want to be sure we understand their concerns. We'd like more time to provide more information to legislators on how funds are allocated throughout the housing continuum so there is a better understanding of where and how resources are used."

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The quasi-governmental entity provides financing through bonds, tax credits and other sources to make housing affordable to low- and moderate-income New Mexicans through down payment assistance, affordable mortgages, rental assistance and more.

The agency increased the "moderate income" definition in 2023 from 120% to 150% of area median income. Some legislators who sit on the Mortgage Finance Authority Act Oversight Committee said they were concerned a second increase would leave New Mexicans on the lower end of the income spectrum behind.

In an email, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's housing policy adviser Daniel Werwath said he was encouraged by Housing New Mexico's decision to hold off on the change.

"In general, we feel that extending limited public housing resources to higher income groups isn't the best way to address the historic housing shortage," he wrote. "Instead, we'd like to see a concerted effort to close the supply gap with a focus on creating more starter homes New Mexicans can afford without subsidy."

Several legislators, including Reps. Angelica Rubio, D-Las Cruces, and Andrea Romero, D-Santa Fe, have said they are working on affordable housing legislation they plan to introduce when the legislative session starts in January.
Update: This article has been updated to note that President Joe Biden signed the bill on Dec. 23.

Stewart Huntington

ICT

New tools and resources could be on the way for tribes and Native organizations to address child abuse and child neglect involving Indigenous children after Congress this week passed the Native American Child Protection Act.

The bipartisan bill, which cleared the House last year, passed the Senate Wednesday, Dec. 18, on a voice vote. President Joe Biden signed the bill into law on Dec. 23.

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It is a heartbreaking fact that Native children face disproportionately high levels of abuse. It is past time the federal government steps up to address this crisis, said U.S. Rep. Reuben Gallego, a Democrat from Arizona, the former chair of the Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples who co-sponsored the bill in the U.S. House. Gallego was elected to the U.S. Senate in November was set to be sworn in Jan. 3.

The bill would reauthorize, revise and expand parts of the Indian Child Protection and Family Violence Prevention Act enacted in 1990. The original programs were never fully funded.

The new bill would protect Native children by:

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Creating a National Indian Child Resource and Family Services Center to offer technical assistance and training to tribes, tribal organizations, and urban Indian organizations

Requiring intergovernmental agreements between tribes and states to prevent, investigate, treat, and prosecute family violence

Allowing Child Protection and Family Violence Prevention Program funding to cover additional activities such as operational costs for child protective services

Allowing urban Indian organizations to be eligible for funding under the bill

Encouraging culturally appropriate treatment services and programs

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Indian child welfare advocates were pleased with the bill.

Its important for the tribes to have the resources to build their own system so they dont have to rely on state and county offices, said Kimberly Cluff, the legal director for the California Tribal Families Coalition.

I think anything that moves us towards tribal self-determination helps on many fronts with tribal governance, but with child welfare, it is especially important, she said, noting that today, 46 years after the passage of the landmark Indian Child Welfare Act, large scale problems persist.

In many places Native children are still being removed from their families and lost to their tribes at staggering rates, she said. So maybe it's time to stop trying to fix the state and county systems and empower tribes to have local control. Smaller bureaucracies are good at child welfare and tribes are smaller systems. And the data tells us that tribes are, plain and simple, better at healing families.

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Sarah Kastelic, executive director of the National Indian Child Welfare Association, praised the bill when it was originally introduced

Community-based, culturally appropriate services are essential to the overall well-being of American Indian and Alaska Native children, youth, families, and their communities, she said. Our children and families deserve the same opportunities to grow up healthy and strong as other populations, and this legislation will help close the gap in access to funding and services.

Gallego said it was a step in the right direction to bring more resources to Indian Country.

U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego, a Democrat from the Phoenix area, speaks about the importance of the Native American Child Protection Act bill during a press conference on Feb. 17, 2023, at the Family Advocacy Center on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. The bill passed the House in 2023 and won approval in the Senate on Dec. 18, 2024. President Joe Biden signed it into law on Dec. 23, 2024. (Photo by Shondiin Silversmith/Arizona Mirror)

A lot of times in our tribal nations there's just not enough law enforcement, he said. And so when there are cases of child abuse, sometimes it's not reported, sometimes it's not prosecuted, and a lot of times it's ignored. So by coming in, bringing in more resources, more education, we hope that we can both prevent, stop and prosecute child abuse, especially because it's found more prevalent on our Native American lands.

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Indigenous children are seven times more likely that other U.S. children to be subjected to criminal physical abuse, sexual abuse or neglect, according to the National Crimes Against Children Investigators Association.

The bill was introduced in the Senate by Sens. Ben Ray Lujan, a Democrat from New Mexico, and Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine.

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Oviedos leaders recently asked in a survey on the city website why  for the second time in two years  did voters reject a referendum on borrowing tens of millions of dollars to build a larger police station.

The anonymous responses they got were blunt  and some were harsh.

Stop asking for more money, one person wrote. Youve been told no more funding. Youre embarrassing yourself.

Another said: We the people are out of money. We can barely pay for food, water and electricity.

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Most of the 178 respondents said Oviedos taxes are too high or the city is asking for too much money for a police station.

We sort of wanted to know what the voters were thinking and why they said no, again, Assistant City Manager Patrick Kelly said at Mondays council meeting in explaining the decision for the survey conducted Nov. 15-25.

Although, we could probably guess, Kelly said.

Now council members and city staff are searching for answers on how to move forward with building a police headquarters to replace one officers say is too cramped and outdated.

It comes at a time when voters are clearly not enthusiastic about paying higher property taxes to repay money borrowed for the project.

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On Nov. 5, 58% of voters turned down a referendum asking if the city should borrow up to $20.4 million to replace the 35-year-old building at 300 Alexandria Blvd.

That came after 64% opposed a bond referendum in November 2023 to allow the city to borrow $35.5 million for the project.

If either had passed, the city would have added the amount to $11.4 million voters approved in 2016 for a police building.

The problem with the public safety building is its not going away, council member Jeff Boddiford said. We have to do something.  We cant walk away from it.

In arguing for the referendums, police officials have long said space is too tight in their 11,000-square-foot building: Officers and detectives must share cubicles, theres a lack of storage space, no area for K-9 units and little space for technology. The department has 82 employees, including 73 sworn officers  nearly double when the headquarters was built in 1990.

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Now, the city is left with $11.4 million for a new police station but no direction.

Personally, I dont want to wait for a referendum next year that could potentially fail again, council member Natalie Teuchert said. We need to do something now. I dont want officers in those conditions.

Id like to see what we can do with the $11.4 million that we have on the table. Because thats the only given amount that we have. And we keep coming up short otherwise.

Twinkly Awards 2024: 25 of Central Floridas best, brightest home holiday-light displays

Mayor Megan Sladek suggested using the citys share of the countys 1 cent sales tax revenue  roughly $55 million over the next decade.

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But council members shot down the idea, saying sales tax revenue should be used mostly for constructing sidewalks and roads.

We would be taking money out of the 1 cent sales tax to pay for the police building; then how are we paying for roads and maintenance? Boddiford asked. Thats got to come from somewhere.

City Manager Bryan Cobb said hed like to see the current police building renovated and a garage constructed on the property to store equipment.

Without coming to a consensus, council members agreed to continue discussing the issue in February.

Even so, many of the survey-takers werent happy the city has dawdled on a plan since the first bond referendum was approved eight years ago.

The objection to this new referendum is there is no clear plan as to what the citizens are going to fund, one person wrote. A bond was approved years ago, and the police building didnt happen. Get the details sorted out and then lets move forward on funding and construction.
(Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi)

In Japan, there are countless yakiniku or Korean-style barbecue joints. You may have already sampled high-end wagyu beef yakiniku with a spicy garlic flavor. The fatty karubi (short rib) or roosu (sirloin) with hot garlic sauce are very satisfying, but that doesnt mean you arent missing full-flavored, smoky American-style barbecued meats with sweet and sour sauces.

If you are in Tokyo and craving American-style barbecue, head to BZQ at the New Sanno Hotel. The new restaurant on the hotels second floor will not disappoint with its hearty servings of authentic smoked meats and classic sides like potato salad and mac n cheese.

When my coworker and I visited BZQ recently, the spacious joint big enough to accommodate over 30 guests, was abuzz with others seeking a taste of the many smoked meats on the menu. The interior offered a variety of seating options, from booths and tables to a standard wooden high-top share table like youd find at a barbecue spot in Texas or Nashville.

The decor had a touch of Americana, including old license plates from the States, making us feel at home and reminding us of a typical KC country house with a backyard pit.

After we placed our orders at the counter, two pit masters skillfully went to work on the line of trays they piled high with juicy meats, sides and bread. I had plenty of options from brisket, ribs, chicken, lamb shoulder, pulled pork or sausage to choose from, but I decided to go with a two-meat and two-side combo for $16.

I selected brisket, ribs, jalapeno potato salad, baked beans and corn bread. Hot dogs and burgers are also on the menu, so my coworker chose the Smokehouse Burger and BZQ Wedge Salad for $12, making it a slightly lighter lunch than mine.

(Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi)

After a short wait, our order was ready. My metal tray lined with a butcher brown paper was loaded. The healthy serving of brisket was tender and smoky. The thick rack of ribs had a nice crust of rub on the surface and the meat easily came off the bone. I sampled the meat without sauces first and the flavors were good but slightly less seasoned so BZQs six signature sauces can really shine.

Each table had its own set of six sauces named after famous barbecue sanctuaries across Texas, Missouri, Tennessee, the Carolinas and a surprise Tokyo Miso sauce. I sampled each first alone, then dipped small bites into each to see the variances on how each would change the flavors of the meat. I enjoyed this because I felt like I was traveling along with my taste buds to all the famous BBQ spots in the States.

My favorites were the sweet, mustard-based Carolina Gold and hot and sour Tennessee Red sauces, as they added a nice kick and charm to my full-bodied smoky meat.

The Tokyo Miso sauce is a New Sanno original and features a deep soy and sweet flavor. It was a great addition to the sauce lineup.

The portion sizes of my platter werent too much of a surprise if youre used to BBQ restaurants in the States, but my coworkers Smokehouse Burger was also large by Tokyo standards. It was loaded with a juicy patty, coleslaw, pimento cheese and slathered with miso sauce. The wedge salad was also an impressive size with dressing, plenty of bacon bits and tomatoes. She said the burger was as tasty as it looked, but she called it quits after finishing her salad and half of her burger. She took the rest home to enjoy later.

Dont skip this taste of home in the center of Tokyo. Youll leave with your stomach full and your taste buds well-traveled thanks to the careful preparation of tender meat and flavorful sauces.

Things to know

Address: 4-12-20, Minami-Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo; : 2F New Sanno Hotel

Hours: Open daily, 11 a.m.  10 p.m. (L.O. 9:30 p.m.)

URL

Tel(DSN)229-8003 or (CML) 03-6868-2333
HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT)  The Owensboro Police Department (OPD) says it has made an arrest in relation to an assault at the Cadillac Motel.

Police say just after 11 a.m. on December 20, Preston Smith, 26, was taken into custody relating to the assault from Thursday night at the Cadillac Motel.

OPD says Smith was located in a nearby room at the Cadillac Motel and was lodged at the Daviess County Detention Center on Assault 1st degree.

ORIGINAL

Owensboro Police say a man required immediate life saving measures following an assault near the Cadillac Motel on Thursday.

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Authorities were dispatched to the motel just before 9 p.m. after receiving reports of a bleeding male at the nearby bus stop. Officers arriving at the scene say they found the man near the intersection of West 2nd Street and Frayser Avenue.

One dead, another in custody after shooting at a Jasper hotel

Police say the man suffered from a severe laceration to his left hand and wrist requiring life-saving measures, including applying a tourniquet. The man was transported to a local hospital and then transported to a Louisville hospital for further treatment. At this time, the condition of the man is not known.

According to a release, detectives were able to develop a suspect in the assault, but the investigation is ongoing. Authorities believe the assault to be an isolated incident. At this time, no arrests have been made, and investigators are continuing to follow all possible leads.

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Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact the Owensboro Police Department or provide an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers.

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 Eyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW).
A Southern Montgomery County announced its final days of operation will be Sunday.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

>>PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Local restaurant closes Miamisburg location due to financial strain

As reported on News Center 7 at 11:00, the Taste of Belgium at Austin Landing will close five months after opening.

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News Center 7s Amber Jenkins said a piece of paper now hangs on the restaurants door.

It said when the final day would be for Taste of Belgium at Austin Landing. They also thanked the community but said there is insufficient business to stay open.

People can visit the Taste of Belgium Friday through Sunday from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. before it closes permanently.

Jenkins emailed and left voices for the restaurants media contacts to get more information about the closing but did not hear back.

This restaurant is one of a handful of businesses to close in the Miami Valley.

News Center 7 has previously reported about Frischs, TGI Fridays, and Big Lots closing area locations.

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Jenkins spoke with people at Austin Landing about the closure and other businesses in our area shutting down.

No one wanted to talk on camera. Two people told Amber that the drinks at Taste of Belgium seemed pricey.

They said the other restaurants were better.

When the Austin Landing location closes on Sunday, the nearest Taste of Belgium will be at the Greene in Beavercreek.

As previously reported by News Center 7, the restaurant said all workers unable to move to their Beavercreek location will receive Visa gift cards commensurate with their average weekly hours worked.

The Taste of Belgium also posted a statement about the closure on social media late Thursday afternoon.

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When we opened at Austin Landing, we were filled with hope and excitement to be part of what we believed was a thriving commercial and lifestyle center.

Over time, it became clear that the area had changed, and the environment no longer provided the foot traffic or community engagement necessary to help us simply break even. Despite our best efforts and the unwavering dedication of our incredible team, the challenges proved insurmountable.

We held on as long as we could, always hoping that the next event or holiday would bring the momentum we needed. Unfortunately, that momentum never came. Weve come to the difficult realization that this location can no longer thrive under the current conditions, and we lack the resources and time needed to turn it into a destination spot.

I want to thank our amazing Austin Landing team for their resilience, positivity, and hospitality throughout this journey. Running a slow restaurant is never easy, yet they did it with heart and grace every single day.

Visit their Facebook page to read the statement.

We will update this story.

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HARRISBURG, Pa. (WTAJ)  Attorney General Michelle Henry announced that her office has submitted a filing for a lawsuit against a Florida-based company for attempting to scam Pennsylvania newly registered businesses.

The company, accused of impersonating the Pennsylvania Department of State, was allegedly contacting business owners as PA Corporate Certificates, LLC to solicit purchases of a Subsistence Certificate, which is a real document that costs $40 but is not necessary for all businesses.

The LLC allegedly inflated the price to $102.50 and received payment from more than 1,000 business owners. They are also accused of sending letters that appeared to be from the Department of State and misrepresenting the purpose or benefit of the Subsistence Certificate.

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This out-of-state company preyed on new business owners by allegedly impersonating a government agency, Attorney General Henry said. Entrepreneurs and new businesses revitalize local economies and enhance communities, so the Office of Attorney General takes very seriously any and all attempts to exploit business owners.

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Anyone who received a letter from PA Corporate Certificates should file a complaint with the Office of Attorney General online or by phone at 1-800-441-2255.

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 WTAJ - www.wtaj.com.
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV)  The holiday season is here, and so is the Christmas chaos. Holiday travel is set to hit new heights this year, with AAA predicting a record number of travelers.

If youre hoping for an empty seat next to you on your flight this week, you might want to rethink. The holiday travel period ranges up to 13 days, but that doesnt mean the airport is going to be any less crowded.

AAA says nearly 120 million Americans will be traveling 50 miles or more for the holidays starting Dec. 21 through New Years Day. Thats an increase of 3 million more travelers compared to last year.

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Around 8 million will fly, with air travel up nearly 5% compared to last year, the AAA said. The numbers show more people flying for the holidays than ever before.

Holidays to impact Chatham Area Transit services

Here in Georgia, more than 3.7 million people are expected to hit the roads or skies. Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport officials share they are anticipating more than 80,000 passengers, and theyll be much busier than Thanksgiving.

Its a little bit more than a hare (busier) here this time, which is great for us. We have about 10% more seats (filled) than we did last year, so we fully expect, you know, the crowds to be a little bit bigger. But its spread out a lot more evenly over the two weeks as the Christmas, New Years holiday, said Lori Lynah, the director of Marketing and Air Service Development.

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If you are planning on flying, officials ask you to check flight updates through your airline either online or on the app, arrive two to three hours early depending on parking. Airport officials ask you to check your gifts and not bring them through TSA because they may have to unwrap them per safety rules.

For those concerned about a delayed flight, Kayak shares that last year, less than 1% of flights were canceled during the holidays, and 6% were delayed more than an hour.

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 WSAV-TV.
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Provincial authorities in northwestern Pakistan said on Friday they planned to collect heavy weapons to stop sectarian clashes that have killed hundreds, but tribesmen in the historically lawless region said they would not give up their arms.

Kurram, a tribal district of around 600,000 near the border with Afghanistan where federal and provincial authorities have traditionally exerted limited control, has been a flashpoint for sectarian tensions for decades.

Fresh clashes between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims erupted last month, triggering a humanitarian crisis with reports of starvation, lack of medicine and oxygen shortages following the blocking of the main highway connecting Kurram's main city of Parachinar to the provincial capital Peshawar.

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Mohammad Ali Saif, spokesman for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government, said authorities had decided to dismantle private bunkers - observation posts used in the fighting by both sides - and collect heavy weapons from tribesmen in Kurram to stop the violence.

However, local tribesmen have refused to surrender their weapons, citing concerns about their safety.

"Our weapons are for self-defence, not against the state," said Jalal Hussain Bangash, a local tribal leader.

Another tribal elder, Zakir Hussain, warned that disarmament would leave the Shi'ite community vulnerable to attacks. "The government is ignoring ground realities in Kurram," he said.

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"We don't have medicine in medical stores and edibles in the markets. Previously we would use Afghanistan when the road was closed, but now the Afghan border is also closed for us after the Taliban took over the country."

Mehdi Hussain, a doctor at the District Headquarters Hospital in Parachinar, told Reuters that more than 80 people, including children, had died in recent weeks due to the lack of medical supplies.

The provincial government and Edhi Foundation have started sending medicines to the region via helicopters.

(Reporting by Mushtaq Ali in Peshawar; writing by Ariba Shahid in Karachi; Editing by Alex Richardson)
King Charles will receive more cancer treatment in the coming year, official sources at Buckingham Palace told global media Friday.

The official sources said the revelation that Charles cancer treatment would not end this year was actually no revelation, and that the encouraging and positive direction of his treatment was good news.

British media, hamstrung by tough privacy rules in the U.K., have typically been reluctant to investigate Charles cancer or reveal publicly what they may know on background.

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However, nearly a year after news broke of his diagnosis, there are signs that even the most loyal cheerleaders are acknowledging that Charles may not, after all, be immortal.

On Thursday, after William and Kate skipped a traditional royal luncheon, even the fiercely monarchist Daily Telegraph said their decision showed that, sadly, they were aware of the steady march of time adding, If William had once expected to have decades ahead of him as the Prince of Wales, his fathers cancer, and the ongoing treatment to keep it at bay, will have been an awakening the likes of which no child wants to experience.

The London Times said on Friday: It is clear, however, that cancer has taken its toll both mentally and physically on the King, 76, and added that William worried that his promotion to King could come to him at the worst possible time.

The Daily Beast has consistently reported on the fact that Charles cancer has dramatically changed the expectations of royal planners and the behavior of insiders, including his heir.

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Charles himselfwho has faced the illness with immense bravery by returning to public duties and workis no fool, of course. On tour in Samoa, he memorably said, without joking, that he hoped to survive long enough to visit the region again.

The Daily Beast has candidly reported all year that while Charles is indeed getting the best treatment in the world and fighting the disease courageously, few now expect him to live to his 90s, as his parents did.

The impending death of kings often triggers a collapse of discipline as the monarchy enters a pre-succession in which characters jostle for position and try and get their own settlements in place before the big change, and this is happening in the U.K., whether its Prince Andrews fight to stay in Royal Lodge, Prince Harrys security, or Queen Camillas living arrangements.

Prince William has been open about wanting to be a different kind of king, saying he wants to do it differently, for my generation. / Richard Pohle/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

The center of gravity also shifts in favor of the new boss, and William, 42, has not been shy about openly discussing his vision for changing the monarchy. He told the Sunday Times royal correspondent, Roya Nikkhah, that he was going to do it differently, for my generation, adding: Im doing it with maybe a smaller r in the royal, if you like. So its more about impact, philanthropy, collaboration, convening and helping people.

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The reality is that Charles cancerstill unspecifiedis now being managed as a long-term condition. While his schedule of public duties, including commitments over Christmas, continues, the old vigor of both Charles, 76, and Camilla, 77, is proving elusive.

Camilla was laid low by a brutal bout of pneumonia after an official trip to Australia and Samoa earlier this year. Palace spinners initially tried to pass this off as a nasty bug before Camilla went dramatically off-message and said she had actually contracted pneumonia.

The affair was typical of the problems that arise from the only partially transparent way in which the palace typically handles health news. When Queen Elizabeth II was clearly dying, aides consistently briefed she was suffering from nothing more than episodic mobility problems.

Friends have expressed their concerns about Camilla to The Daily Beast.

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One friend recently said: At 77, to be shipped off to the other side of the world to shake hands with thousands of people when your husband has cancer is, quite frankly, too much to ask. Camilla would never complain, and of course she wanted to support her husband, but she never should have been put in that situation. And she got pneumonia as a result. I hope this makes the mandarins sit up and take notice.

Palace spinners initially tried to pass off Queen Camillas pneumonia as a nasty bug. / Alberto Pezzali/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Prince William has spoken publicly about the toll the past year has taken on his family, describing it as probably the hardest year of my life.

An official source told The Daily Beast: The kings treatment cycle will continue in its very positive direction into the start of 2025 and spoke of the very encouraging status quo. The source added that a full national and international program begun in late 2024 would continue into 2025.
(Reuters) - Israeli settlers set fire to a mosque in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian residents said on Friday, and video showed "Revenge", "Death to Arabs" and other slogans had been spray-painted in Hebrew on the building's facade.

Black burn marks were visible at the entrance to the Muslim holy site in the northern West Bank village of Marda. The fire was put out before it could spread much further.

Israeli police said they were collecting testimonies and evidence at the scene.

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Nasfat al-Khufash, head of the Marda village council, said: "On Friday, Marda awoke to a systematic terror attack by a group of settlers who set fire to Bir al-Walideen mosque."

"These attacks by settler groups are continuous and systematic," he said.

The Israeli police and Shin Bet security services said in a joint statement: "We see this incident as extremely serious and will act resolutely to bring the perpetrators to justice for rigorous trial."

The Palestinian Authority foreign ministry assailed the attack as the latest in a series of violations and crimes by Israeli settlers and appealed to the United Nations Security Council for help protecting Palestinians.

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The U.N. says more than 700,000 Israelis live among 3 million Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, lands Israel captured in 1967. Most countries deem Israeli settlements built on the captured land to be illegal.

Israel disputes this and cites historical and biblical ties to the land.

Violence has surged across the West Bank since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack led by Hamas militants on southern Israel, which triggered Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza and a wider conflict on several fronts.

(Reporting by Ali Saftawi and Nuha Sharaf; Writing by Howard Goller, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
Every high school run by Palm Beach County's school district has metal detectors to scan students, staff and visitors as they enter. Should middle and elementary schools have them, too?

District leaders began that discussion Wednesday, Dec. 18, as board member Edwin Ferguson made the case for metal detectors to be installed at every school in the district. He said the safety programs at high schools have proved to be effective after metal detectors were rolled out in phases in 2023.

"Were somebodys bad day away from having our own Stoneman Douglas-like event here in Palm Beach County, which is why we need to be much more proactive in installing these metal detectors," he said referencing the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. A total of 17 students and staff members were killed.

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Right now, elementary and middle schools in Palm Beach County have single points of entry to their campuses and require visitors to sign in and provide photo identification when coming to campus. Also, an armed school police officer is stationed on every school campus in the county.

School board members agreed to discuss adding metal detectors at more schools at a workshop early in 2025, but Superintendent Mike Burke said that there will be issues with cost and staff time if the board chooses to add metal detectors at more schools.

Students walk past a free standing OpenGate metal detector on their way into John I. Leonard High School. The school was one of four in a pilot program testing the detectors in 2023.

"What we found as we reached some of our smaller high schools, they did not have a lot of support staff to man the detectors in the morning," Burke said. "Because it takes a small group of people to handle passing of the laptops around the detectors. The concern was if we went down to the middle school level, the staffing is thinner."

"Theres an equipment cost that actually pales in comparison to the staffing cost," he said.

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It cost the school district more than $2 million to add multiple sets of metal detectors to each of its 24 high school campuses in 2023 and 2024. Burke said most large schools have at least four sets of metal detectors that cost about $20,000 each.

More on metal detectors: Palm Beach County Schools to spend $2.25M on new metal detectors. Where will they go?

Board member Marcia Andrews said she supports adding metal detectors in the district, and asked for a special focus on schools she represents in the Glades. Andrews said several incidents involving gang violence in the community have concerned parents and teachers, including a 2022 drive-by shooting that killed 8-year-old Ronziyah Atkins. Ronziyah was shot while she played in the yard at her home.

Erica Whitfield, who represents Lake Worth Beach, parts of Boynton Beach and Delray Beach, said she hopes to hear from middle and elementary school principals about whether they feel they need metal detectors on campus.

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"I dont want there to be metal detector schools and non-metal detector schools," she said. "Either do all of the middle schools or none of them."

Do metal detectors really work at making schools safer?

Only about 8% of high schools across the country scan students daily with metal detectors, according to the most recent data available from the National Center for Education Statistics for the 2019-20 school year.

During the course of one school year, 57% of weapons confiscated in New York public schools were found without using a metal-detection device, according to a 2019 report from the WestEd Justice and Prevention Research Center.

A student walks through a OpenGate metal detector at John I. Leonard High School in 2023.

The report said for every 23,000 students scanned, just one dangerous item was found.

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Complicating the findings, according to the WestEd report, is that in some cases, some school staff members were not properly trained to use the metal detectors, or the equipment did not work correctly.

And metal detectors are designed to identify a weapon hidden in a student's bag or on their person, not to stop an aggressive person with a loaded weapon getting onto a campus and shooting.

Others studying metal detector use say their mere presence may serve as a deterrent. If students know they'll be scanned when they enter schools, they may be less likely to try to bring weapons to campus.

"Part of the draw of metal detectors is their visibility  they are a symbolic barrier that signals a presence of security. The question remains, however, as to whether these devices are effective in deterring or preventing violence," the WestEd study's authors wrote.

Want more education news? Sign up for ourExtra Credit weekly newsletter, delivered every Friday!

Katherine Kokal is a journalist covering education at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at kkokal@pbpost.com. Help support our work; subscribe today!

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Will Palm Beach County elementary, middle schools get metal detectors?
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB)  The St. Joe Companys Hotel Indigo and Harrisons Kitchen projects are Panama Citys first major investment from a corporate entity.

St. Joe self-funded both the hotel and restaurant without public dollars, loans, or bonds.

The companys development contract sets sales levels the hotel and restaurant must reach before the city receives a share of the revenue.

Lynn Haven man facing multiple charges for exploiting a child online

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For all intents and purposes, the hotel must reach 67% for the month. Then the city will receive between 2% and 5% of the total cost of the room.

If the restaurant achieves more than $251,000 in total annual sales, then the city will receive between 2% and 6% of the gross amount.

Over the past year and a half, the city has received over $392,000 from the partnership with the St. Joe Company.

$400,000 is quite a bit of money when we look at our general fund budget. So, it certainly does help provide revenue thats not coming directly from our taxpayers to support city operations, Panama City Assistant City Manager Jared Jones said.

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That amount includes more than just the lease payments which is the profit-sharing arrangement. The revenue stream also includes the occupational license fees, merchant license fees, and the fire assessment for both the restaurant and the hotel.

Hotel Indigo did not reach the 67% occupancy threshold from the time it first opened in June 2023 through June 2024. But it started paying a dividend to the city in July.

The city has seen a surge in revenue in recent months, doubling the amount from July to September over collections from April to June.

The St. Joes company pays all taxes in full, like other property owners.

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As the marina rebuild progresses, officials believe hotel indigo profits will continue to grow.

I grew up right down the road here, and I feel like Im getting to be a part of putting money back into the city, a city that I love and that I care about. Thats really important to me to be able to be part of rebuilding our city and making it a better place for our residents and visitors. Im a big believer in rising tide lifts all boats. Were working really, really hard to bring Panama City back and put us back on the map, Hotel Indigo General Manager Ethan Register said.

Wanted fugitive arrested following search warrant execution in Holmes County

City officials hope this deal is becoming a foundation they can build on in the future.

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I hope this is a catalyst not just for downtown, but the entire city for redevelopment and investment. I hope major corporations see whats happening here and want to replicate that, Jones said.

The citys share of the money from St. Joes Marina contract goes into the citys general fund.

Below is a breakdown of Panama Citys earnings from the Hotel Indigo partnership to date:

11/2022 to 06/2023: $79,434

07/2023 to 09/2023: $65,553

10/2023 to 12/2023: $52,661

01/2024 to 03/2024: $29,198

04/2024 to 06/2024: $53,449

07/2024 to 09/2024: $112,551

Total to date: $392,847

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.
COMMERCE, Calif. (KTLA)  A parking dispute at the popular Citadel Outlets in Commerce turned into a violent, all-out brawl and robbery Wednesday that was caught on a cellphone camera.

Deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department responded to reports of the fight in the parking lot along 100 Citadel Drive just after 5 p.m., authorities confirmed to KTLA.

The encounter, according to Patricia Cupa and her 19-year-old daughter Natalie Martinez, the victims, started after a trip to the outlet shops to return a sweater.

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In the parking lot, the mother and daughter said they drove around for an extended period of time looking for a place to park. Once they finally found an open spot, a portion of it was blocked by the open door of another vehicle.

A parking dispute at the Citadel Outlets turned into a violent brawl and robbery on Dec. 18, 2024. (Dennise Cupa) A parking dispute at the Citadel Outlets turned into a violent brawl and robbery on Dec. 18, 2024. (Dennise Cupa) A parking dispute at the Citadel Outlets turned into a violent brawl and robbery on Dec. 18, 2024. (Dennise Cupa) A parking dispute at the Citadel Outlets turned into a violent brawl and robbery on Dec. 18, 2024. (Dennise Cupa) A parking dispute at the Citadel Outlets turned into a violent brawl and robbery on Dec. 18, 2024. (Dennise Cupa) A parking dispute at the Citadel Outlets turned into a violent brawl and robbery on Dec. 18, 2024. (Dennise Cupa)

Patricia said that she and Natalie, who was behind the wheel of their car, waited patiently for several minutes for someone to close that vehicles door before Natalie finally honked the horn and asked one of the vehicles occupants if they could close the door.

When they eventually pulled into the spot and got out of the car, they say five people, four females and a male, exited their vehicle with things quickly escalating to insults, obscenities, a thrown drink, racist comments and then a violent physical altercation.

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I was really upset, Patricia said of the violence. I couldnt believe what was happening.

Video shows thieves crash stolen car into Southern California retail shop

In footage of the incident obtained by KTLA, Natalie is seen being pummeled by at least two people as a third person grabs her by the feet and pulls her out from between the two vehicles where she fell to the ground.

Once she gets back on her feet, the violence continues as she and another female exchange several more blows.

I tried fighting back, thats all I couldve done, the 19-year-old said. Your instincts kick in.

Natalie suffered cuts, bumps and bruises along with a busted lip.

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During the melee, a person from the other vehicle can be seen on video opening the drivers side door of the victims Volkswagen SUV. Witnesses said it was the male who reportedly grabbed a purse from the car before moving back around to the trunk of the vehicle.

Hes also seen moving around to the passenger side of the Volkswagen moments later and then quickly returning to where the fight was taking place.

Patricia told KTLA that her purse not only contained her drivers license and credit cards, but also $3,000 in cash, money she was going to use to pay rent, bills and buy some Christmas presents.

It is unclear if the people accused in the attack were still there when deputies arrived, but investigators were able to get a license plate number off video provided by Citadel Outlets security personnel.

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It does not appear that any arrests have been made, though the L.A. County Sheriffs Department said the matter is under investigation.

KTLAs Chris Wolfe contributed to this report from Commerce.

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After nearly 40 years in business, Party City is closing down all of its stores, including five in Oklahoma, CNN reported.

Party City corporate employees were informed in a meeting viewed by CNN Friday that it was the last day of their employment, as CEO Barry Litwin said the company is "winding down" operations immediately. The employees will not receive severance pay, and their benefits will end.

"That is without question the most difficult message that Ive ever had to deliver," Litwin said at the meeting, which was held on a video conference call, according to CNN.

Why is Party City going out of business?

The company's closing announcement comes just four months after Litwin was announced as CEO, who was hired in the midst of bankruptcy which was declared in January 2023.

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While the company exited bankruptcy a month after Litwin was hired, it still had over $800 million in debt, CNN reported.

Party City announced Friday Dec. 20, 2024, it is closing all of its stores, including the pictured Edmond location.

"Its really important for you to know that weve done everything possible that we could to try to avoid this outcome," Litwin told corporate employees Friday. "Unfortunately, its necessary to commence a winddown process immediately."

Party City locations in Oklahoma to close

According to the company's website, there are more than 850 Party City stores across the nation.

There are five Party City locations in Oklahoma:

Edmond: 526 S Bryant Ave

Norman: 552 ED Noble Parkway

Oklahoma City: 6413 SW 3 St

Owasso: 9002 N 121 E Ave Suite 600

Tulsa: 5301 E 41 St

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Party City closing stores in Oklahoma, nationwide: What to know
Party City is going out of business and closing all of its locations.

According to a CNN report, the company will begin winding down operations immediately. During a video conference call that CNN was on, CEO Barry Litwin also told corporate employees that Friday, Dec. 20, would be their last day of employment.

Corporate staff members were told they would not receive severance pay or any benefits coverage would end as the company goes out of business, according to the report.

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Its really important for you to know that weve done everything possible that we could to try to avoid this outcome, Litwin said in the meeting viewed by CNN. Unfortunately, its necessary to commence a winddown process immediately.

The company has not released any formal statements as of Friday afternoon, nor were there any warnings of the stores closing on any of Party City's social media platforms.

The Party City store in Wichita Falls has put out banners announcing the location will close.

How many party city stores are in Tennessee?

There are 11 Party City stores across Tennessee, according to Party City's website.

The party store has locations in Bristol, Chattanooga, Clarksville, Cookeville, Hixson, Jackson, Knoxville, Memphis, Murfreesboro, Nashville and Sevierville.

How many Party City stores are there in the United States?

Party City has over 850 outlets across the U.S., according to the retailer's website. Party City is the largest party retailer in North America.

Where is the headquarters of Party City?

The party supplier is headquartered in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Is Party City closing? How many stores are in Tennessee are affected
As Republican leaders on Capitol Hill scramble to rescue a government funding deal after President-elect Donald Trump helped torpedo an initial agreement, an NBC News review of historical polling data shows that lawmakers have not paid a steep political price in past government shutdowns.

Its a point some shutdown proponents have been making as Trump and his allies, including billionaire Elon Musk, called on Republicans to abandon a bipartisan funding deal that was released this week.

President Trump and Republicans should not be afraid of a government shutdown. The next election is two years away, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich posted on X. We had two shutdowns in 1995 and became the first reelected house gop majority since 1928.

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It may take shock therapy for schumer and democrats to learn President Trump is serious about draining the swamp, Gingrich continued, referring to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

In the 1996 elections, Republicans gained nine House seats and two Senate seats even as President Bill Clinton was re-elected, according to the American Presidency Project.

While Republicans have shouldered the blame for more recent shutdowns, standoffs over government funding have not been a major factor in subsequent elections.

The most recent government shutdown occurred during Trumps first term. It began in December 2018 and ended in January 2019, spanning 35 days and becoming the longest in U.S. history.

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An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll in January 2019, before a funding deal was announced, found 50% of Americans blamed Trump for the shutdown, while 37% said Democrats in Congress were responsible. But Trumps 43% approval rating in that same survey was unchanged from a poll prior to the shutdown.

An overwhelming share of Americans  71%  said at the time that neither they nor someone in their family had been affected by the shutdown, while 28% said they had been affected.

Trump, of course, went on to lose the election the next year, but the shutdown was not considered a major factor in a campaign dominated by the pandemic and other events.

In 2013, the GOP did take a sharp polling hit amid the first government shutdown in nearly two decades  but it didn't last. That shutdown came amid a standoff between Republicans, led by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, and Democrats over funding to implement the Affordable Care Act, then President Barack Obamas signature health care law.

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At that time, the NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll found a majority of Americans (53%) blamed Republicans for the stalemate, while 31% blamed Obama. And, unlike in 2019, the GOPs popularity hit a low point, with just 24% saying they viewed the party favorably.

The 2013 survey also found Democrats with an 8-point advantage on the congressional ballot, with 47% saying they would prefer a Democratic-controlled Congress and 39% saying they preferred a GOP-controlled Congress.

But things changed significantly over the next year-plus, and the 2014 midterms had different results. Republicans rode a red wave to their largest House majority in decades, while also taking control of the Senate. Other issues, including the glitchy launch of online portals to sign up for health insurance under Obamacare, ended up overtaking the 2013 shutdown.

The latest stalemate this year also comes amid high levels of pessimism about the divided country.

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In NBC News most recent poll, in November, 60% of voters expected the country to remain very divided with the election of the next president, while 28% said the country would become more united.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Cassie Burris says she woke up paralyzed from the waist down. I was screaming for help because I was laying there in the bed, terrified, she explained.

She said she was rushed to Rowan Medical Center. The MRI showed that I had two spinal tumors, she elaborated.

She said doctors told her they needed to airlift her to Charlotte. So she flew and had surgery. Eventually, she was able to walk again, but she said slowly and that she needed a walker.

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I havent lost faith or hope that Im going to get better, she said.

But then, she faced another challenge: the airlift bill, for more than $51,000. She has insurance. It covered about $6,700. Shes not sure why. So her portion: over $44,000.

ALSO READ: Thousands claim rogue agents and brokers added or changed health insurance behind their back

So she wrote her insurance this letter. Part reads, Licensed medical personnel determined that I required rapid arrival to a hospital with an advanced neurology service. It goes on to say, I should not be expected to pay more out-of-pocket because of an emergency which was beyond my control.

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But she said it hasnt changed anything. Burris said one of the companies turned her case over to collections.

>>If you would like to help Burris, click here.

Action 9 investigator Jason Stoogenke tried to get in touch with her insurance, CareFirst, three times in the last two months to see why it didnt cover more of Burris bill. It didnt respond in time for this report.

Stoogenke contacted the airlift company, Med-Trans, to hear its thoughts on Burris case. It said it was working with her to figure out payment options. Burris said she cant afford them and is considering GoFundMe.

ALSO READ: The Twilight Zone: Man says insurance company couldnt find his policy, even with all of his info

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So whats the lesson here? You always have the right to refuse an ambulance or air ambulance. The problem is you may not be conscious or, even if you are, you probably want to listen to your doctors.

So, if youre shocked by a medical bill, any medical bill:

Challenge it.

You can file a claim with your states Department of Insurance.

You can always talk to a lawyer but know that may cost you.

VIDEO: Thousands claim rogue agents and brokers added or changed health insurance behind their back
UPDATE: Officials said upon arrival 40-year-old Shawn Kirkham was found deceased inside his residence. An autopsy was conducted and Kirkhamss death appears to be from complications of several known health issues.

BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB)  Panama City Police are investigating an unexplained death in the Cove neighborhood.

They discovered the body of a man in one of the units at the Cove condominiums on the corner of Beach Drive and Cherry Street. They arrived at the property around 7:00 p.m. on Thursday after someone requested a welfare check on the man.

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DeFuniak Springs man dies in pedestrian accident

Authorities are investigating leads and awaiting results from an autopsy. PCPD said there does not appear to be an ongoing threat to the community.

Detectives are still investigating leads and have interviewed several individuals in connection with the incident.

Witnesses are urged to call the Panama City Police Department at 850-872-3100.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to mypanhandle.com.
A middle school in Peabody was evacuated on Friday after a laptop experienced electrical issues. 

School officials at Higgins Middle School decided to evacuate the building out of an abundance of caution after a Chromebook in one of the classrooms had an electrical issue.

All staff and students were able to return to the building within 10 minutes and resume the school day as normal.

We would like to thank our first responders as well as our staff and students for an exceptional job handling the situation, a Peabody schools department spokesperson told Boston 25 News.

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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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DENVER (KDVR)  Aurora police are investigating a deadly crash between a driver and a pedestrian on South Chambers Road.

On Thursday at around 10 p.m., Aurora Police Department officers were called to a crash on South Chambers Road, just south of East Iliff Avenue.

According to investigators, a man was crossing South Chambers Road in traffic when he was struck by a sedan. Police said the driver of the sedan remained on scene and was cooperative in the investigation.

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The pedestrian was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. The Arapahoe County Coroners Office will share his identity at a later date.

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Aurora police said the driver of the sedan is not expected to face charges in the crash.

This is the 48th deadly crash in Aurora in 2024, according to police.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
The European Parliament's resolution against Azerbaijan, dated December 19, 2024, is a deliberate attempt to weaken Azerbaijans statehood, Azernews reports, citing Sevil Mikayilova, Vice-President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) from Azerbaijan and a member of the Milli Majlis, in an interview with Trend, local media outlet.

"Yesterday, on December 19, the European Parliament adopted yet another biased, subjective, and unfounded resolution regarding Azerbaijan. The document ostensibly aims to condemn the 'repressions' allegedly existing in Azerbaijan, but in reality, it is an example of political manipulation based on false accusations and double standards.

The sole purpose of the resolution is to target Azerbaijan's sovereignty, damage our country's international reputation, and exert political pressure.

At the same time, this is a deliberate step aimed at undermining trust in Azerbaijan's legal system and weakening our statehood," Mikayilova said.

According to her, Azerbaijan has always been committed to the rule of law.

"No one can justify violating our laws under the guise of human rights. If someone sows seeds of hatred, disrupts public order, and harms society, they must be held accountable. This is not a political issue; it is a matter of justice.

While the European Parliament claims to fight for human rights and democracy, it demonstrates a glaring silence regarding serious violations within its own borders.

Why are there no resolutions condemning France's decades-long support for corrupt regimes in Africa, destabilizing the region, and exploiting natural resources? Why are the inhumane living conditions of migrants, violations of citizens' privacy, and systematic surveillance measures in EU countries not brought to the forefront?

All this shows that the issue of human rights is often applied selectively, used as a tool for political pressure, and not valued as a real priority," the MP stated.

Mikayilova noted that the inclusion of the "Armenian military prisoners" issue in the resolution clearly demonstrates that the document is not about defending human rights but is prepared with the aim of exerting political pressure on Azerbaijan.

"This approach is not only unjust but also an attempt to legitimize criminality and create an environment of impunity.

Any step taken by our country to firmly defend its sovereignty is immediately met with accusations of 'repressions' and threats of sanctions.

Azerbaijan has always advocated for relations based on mutual respect and equal partnership. However, we will never allow attempts to pressure us with ultimatums. We are an independent state and have the right to protect our interests.

Azerbaijan will never renounce its right to protect its territories and citizens. This is our sovereign right, and no resolution can question this right.

We invite the European Parliament to be objective. Using human rights as a tool for political pressure primarily undermines the remaining trust in this institution's values," the MP added.
(WHTM)  A Central Pennsylvania man has been sentenced to prison after being previously convicted of assaulting law enforcement during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Joseph Pastucci, 50, of New Cumberland, Pa. was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell to 26 months in prison, 36 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution.

Pastucci had previously pleaded guilty to a felony offense of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers.

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The DOJ says Pastucci and co-defendant Jeanette Mangia made plans to travel to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021, to protest Congress certification of the Electoral College. After the rally, the couple walked down to the U.S. Capitol building where they entered through the Senate Wing Door before eventually making it to the Speaker of the Houses Office Suite.

From there, the couple continued through the Capitol Building before making their way to the Senate Chamber where they inspected and photographed the Senate Dais, while also rifling through documents.

They remained in the Senate Chamber for about 14 minutes.

After leaving the Senate Chamber, the couple confronted police officers near the Senate Carriage Door. At this time the DOJ says Pastucci was pushed away from the Capitol by a police officer.

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After being ejected from the Capitol and watching Mangia be removed from the Capitol, Pastucci shoved a United States Capitol Police Officer in the chest and shoulder area.

The FBI arrested the duo on April 27, 2023, in Pennsylvania; Jeanette Mangia is currently awaiting trial for her role in the events of January 6th.

The U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Divisions Counterterrorism Section prosecuted this case and the FBIs Philadelphia and Washington Field Offices investigated.

According to the DOJ, in the 47 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,572 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 590 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony.

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abc27 news will keep you updated as more information becomes available.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27.
(WHTM) Pennsylvanias unemployment rate was up 3.5% in November, the first unemployment rate change since October 2023, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry.

The Department of Labor and Industry reported that the unemployment rate increased by one-tenth of a percentage point over the month. However, it remained significantly below the U.S. unemployment rate, which also increased by one-tenth of a point from October to 4.2%.

In November 2023, Pennsylvanias unemployment rate was 3.4%, while the national unemployment rate was up one-half of a percentage point over the year, per the Department of Labor and Industry.

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The estimated number of residents working or looking for work in Pennsylvania was down 24,000 over the month of November, while unemployment was up 5,000 from October, the Department of Labor and Industry said.

Additionally, Pennsylvanias total nonfarm jobs were down 2,500 from Octobers record high. The department said jobs decreased from October in seven of 11 industry supersectors, the largest decline being 3,800 in professional and business sectors.

According to the department, total nonfarm jobs were up 90,300 over the year, with education and health services having the most significant gain, with 47,300.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27.
The U.S. for months has had more than 2,000 troops inside Syria, more than double the 900 troops the Defense Department previously said are on the ground there, the Pentagons top spokesperson revealed Thursday.

The increased force presence has been going on for a while, with press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder estimating that the troops have been there at a minimum, months. But he stressed the extra troops are supporting the counter-ISIS mission and were unrelated to the fall of Syrian dictator Bashar Assads regime two weeks ago.

The new figures are particularly notable as the Pentagon in recent days and weeks has been asked repeatedly about its troop presence in Syria, with the stark increase never disclosed.

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A core 900 U.S. service members are in the country as part of an official nine to 12 month deployment, with another 1,100 troops there on a temporary basis for 30 to 90 days to address shifting mission requirements, Ryder told reporters. He added that Army conventional and special operations troops make up most of the extra forces.

Pressed on why the Pentagon did not reveal the updated numbers until now, Ryder said he had only learned of the new figure earlier Thursday and cited sensitivity from a diplomatic and operational security standpoint.

He also noted that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was aware of the increased forces but has not spoken about it with Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, who oversees U.S. Central Command.

Asked whether President Biden was aware of the extra forces, Ryder said he would not speak for the White House.

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A request for comment to the White House wasnt immediately returned.

Assad was overthrown Dec. 8 after rebels entered the capital of Damascus, ending the familys 50-year rule in the war-torn country. Israel and Turkey have since launched separate military operations inside Syria, with Israel striking Assads former weapons facilities and Turkey attacking Kurdish forces  a partner of the U.S. in its fight against ISIS.

The U.S., meanwhile, has increased its airstrikes on ISIS targets in Syria to prevent a resurgence of the group amid concerns of a power vacuum.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The Pentagon has predicted an increase in casualties among North Korean military personnel who continue to participate in fighting in Russias Kursk Oblast.

Source: Pentagon Press Secretary Major General Pat Ryder during a briefing, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Journalists asked for a comment on South Korean intelligence reports about the death of at least 100 North Korean soldiers in battles against Ukraine's defence forces.

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In response, Ryder stated that the US believes that, at this stage, the number of casualties could reach "several hundred" both killed and wounded.

Quote: "We continue to observe and assess, I would say at this stage it's our assessment that several hundred DPRK forces have been or several hundred casualties, which would range from killed in action to wounded."

Details: Ryder also mentioned that an increase in casualties amongst North Koreans can be expected given the ongoing involvement of these soldiers alongside Russian forces in combat against Ukrainian defenders.

Background:

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Following massive assaults on Saturday 15 December, Ukrainian forces posted images and videos of Russian and North Korean soldiers killed in Kursk Oblast.

UK Defence Intelligence reported significant losses among North Korean forces involved in hostilities in Russia's Kursk Oblast, citing poor coordination and interoperability issues with Russian troops.

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PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD)  Peoria public schools superintendent Dr. Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat is a finalist for a national award.

Kherat is a finalist for the 2025 National Superintendent of the Year Award by the American Association of School Administrators, PPS Director of Communications Marjorie Kauth said.

The American Association of School Administrators is an organization for school superintendents with members across the U.S. The award recognizes superintendents who demonstrate outstanding leadership, communication, professionalism and skills.

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I am deeply humbled by this recognition, but it is not mine alone, Kherat said. This sort of recognition is a testament to the amazing hard work and dedication of the Board of Education, each staff member, and our community partners. Their unwavering support and commitment to our students success is the true driving force behind this honor. Together, we will continue to re-imagine education that ignites passions and empowers students to be responsible and successful.

Peoria superintendent named Illinois Superintendent of the Year

This nomination comes shortly after she was named the Illinois Superintendent of the Year last month.

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DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN)  A person was arrested Thursday afternoon after allegedly hitting someones home multiple times.

Montgomery County Regional Dispatch confirmed to 2 NEWS that officers were called around 2:30 p.m. to the 600 block of Daniel Street in Dayton.

Dayton Police Sergeant Kari Staples provided 2 NEWS with additional details, saying an individual allegedly arrived at the residence of one of their acquaintances, where driving through and tearing up of the yard was allegedly done.

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Police also told said the person allegedly hit the acquaintances home multiple times with the vehicle.

It is reported by Dayton Police that the person left the scene, but was found about one mile away at the intersection of Troy Street and Stanley Avenue in Old North Dayton.

No injuries were reported.

The person has been arrested and taken to the Montgomery County Jail, according to police.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDTN.com.
PHILADELPHIA  The future of Philadelphias Market East community in Center City is now crystal clear as City Council has voted to approve a $1.3 billion plan to bring a brand new arena for the Philadelphia Sixers to the neighborhood.

During its scheduled meeting on Thursday, Dec. 19, City Council voted, with a majority of members in support on the legislative package that would make way for a plan that could have a transformative effect on the area. The approval occurred after months of negotiations with developers and meetings with members of the community in every corner of the city as well as protests and outbursts from those on both sides of the debate.

A raucous start

At the start of Thursdays hearing, there was no shortage of protest as a group of individuals opposed to the arena plan stood arm-in-arm, chanting and blowing whistles while on the floor of City Councils chambers in City Hall.

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Wearing shirts that read City Council sold out Philly and shut it down, protestors sat in a group on the floor of city council as the meeting was intended to start at 10 a.m.

Around 10:15 a.m., several protestors were taken out of the room by law enforcement officials.

Philadelphia City Council has voted to support the legislative package that would bring a new $1.3 billion arena for the Sixers to Market Street. Leading to the vote, there were protests and arrests at the council meeting of those opposed to the new arena.

By about 10:25 a.m., the protestors on the floor of chambers had been removed, yet the crowd in attendance throughout the room continued to chant.

For some time, as City Council President Kenyatta Johnson attempted to start the meeting, chants of shame filled the chambers.

The meeting was eventually brought to order by about 10:35 a.m., though some commotion persisted.

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In opening the meeting, Johnson addressed the crowd, calling for those in attendance to respect the process as council has had eight hearings solely dedicated to the arena plan.

All we are asking is just respect our process and let us continue our business, said Johnson at the top of the mornings meeting.

Public comment  which included an extremely long list of speakers, according to Johnson  opened with input from those on both sides of the issue.

Several individuals spoke positively on the economic impact and influx of jobs the arena could provide, saying the project would benefit the city.

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We want to make sure that this arena is built, Daisy Cruz of the service workers union 32BJ SEIU said. Thank you for the opportunity. Thank you for building the arena.

Paul Brown, who said he was a school psychologist in the citys Roxborough community, said that council should have fought for more money for the school district in the agreement with arena developers.

You are in a prime opportunity right now to demand something better, that doesnt displace people, that doesnt harm people, but you just want to rush through a deal that gives them less, he said.

How did the voting go?

Each of the 11 pieces of legislation needed its own vote.

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And the majority of these bills passed with a vote of 12 to 5.

The councilmembers that opposed nearly every bill in this package were: Jamie Gauthier (D-3rd dist.), Rue Landau (D-At-Large), Jeffery Young (D-5th dist.), Kendra Brooks (Working Families Party, At-Large) and Nicolas V. ORourke (Working Families Party  At Large).

Yet, a few of the bills were supported by more members of council.

For example, one bill that would create an overlay for the Chinatown neighborhood passed 14-3.

Other bills up for a vote passed unanimously.

Whats next?

The proposal would bring an arena to the intersection of Market and Filbert streets at 10th and 11th streets.

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Ahead of the days vote, City Councilmember Mark Squilla (D-1st dist.) said that, even after the days voting, City Council will continue to meet with stakeholders and members of the community to ensure neighbors are part of the development process.

This is not the end of the process, Squilla said.

City Council has been holding meetings since September focused solely on the arena plan. And there have been some sticking points.

The biggest just might be how much money the developers plan to include in a Community Benefits Agreement with the neighborhoods nearest the project site.

Initially, developers proposed $50 million in that agreement, but some suggested that figure be doubled.

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In fact, some members of groups that opposed the development plan had sought to have that figure upped to $300 million.

But, in legislation that was read before City Council for its first reading last week, the proposal was amended to request $60 million in that CBA.

In breaking down how this $60 million in CBA funding could be used in the community, amendments note that $33 million would be set aside for initiatives in and around the citys Chinatown neighborhood  like developing a master plan for the community and providing $2 million in grants for small businesses.

The remaining $27 million would then be spread to other initiatives citywide, including $7 million for extended day/extended year schooling and $3 million for public transit at the arena.

With City Councils support on Thursday, construction is expected to begin sometime in 2028.

Developers hope to open the arena in 2031.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
PHOTOS: Police seeking man suspected of stealing thousands in Lego sets

GASTONIA, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  Gastonia Police are seeking a suspected Lego thief.

Detectives are asking if anyone knows this suspect who allegedly took thousands of dollars worth of Lego sets. He is shown on camera at a retail store.

(Gastonia Police Dept.) (Gastonia Police Dept.) (Gastonia Police Dept.) (Gastonia Police Dept.)

Officers say he has been picked up by a woman in the red car pictured and sometimes arrives on his scooter.

Help would be appreciated as we are building a case and piecing leads together, they said.

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A state audit report published Wednesday found that the Pierce County Library System didnt have adequate controls to ensure it reported its financial statements accurately, resulting in the misclassification of nearly $16 million in 2022 and 2023.

In 2023 the Pierce County Rural Library District misclassified fund transfers in financial statements by nearly $4.4 million and understated pension liability assets by $5.7 million in 2022 and $5.9 million in 2023, the Washington State Auditors report said.

The library system also submitted incomplete financial statements that required specific information by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board in 2022 and 2023 which also resulted in errors in the applicable notes to the financial statements, according to the report.

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In summary, the states audit found deficiencies in internal controls over accounting and financial reporting that affected the Pierce County Library Systems ability to produce accurate financial statements. The state Auditors Office determined that was a result of inadequate staff training and an ineffective review process for ensuring fund transfers were correctly recorded.

Kathleen Cooper, director of communications for the Washington State Auditors Office, clarified Friday that the audit showed no money missing in the library system, rather it was categorized incorrectly.

Cooper said audits are important to ensure government expenditures and revenues are accounted for and accurately represent a governments financial position. Annual audits are important to provide independent checks on government agencies and ultimately give residents faith and confidence in the way their local governments are operating, Cooper said.

That is why we do these audits, because when there are mistakes in those financial statements, it raises a question about whether or not those statements are reliable for anybody looking at them, she said. When governments need to borrow money, or when they need to do other things on the publics behalf, their entities, ratings, agencies, banks, other things like that, they look at financial statements and audits to determine credit worthiness and things like that. So its really a good foundational principle of good governance that the financial statement audits are accurate.

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Pierce County Library System acknowledged and agreed with the audit report and said the librarys finance department was understaffed in 2021 through 2023.

As noted in the auditors report, all of the errors have been corrected, the library system said in the report. Regardless, the Library takes seriously the recommendations the auditor has offered, and will address them by strengthening training, reviews and verification processes. We appreciate the work of the State Auditors and we look forward to your visit for audits in future years.

Cooper said the library system district took steps to fix the problems identified, which is the best outcome you could hope for.

When governments do make mistakes and they receive a finding like the one that the district did here, its often related to just lack of experience on the part of the people preparing it, she said. These are complicated things, it can be tricky, and theres a lot of requirements that governments must follow ... with the accounting standards and things like that.

The state auditor will review the condition of the violations in its next audit.
Passengers were evacuated from a Norwegian plane after it overshot a runway and skidded to a halt just yards away from the sea.

The incident, which occurred on Thursday night, involved Norwegian flight DY430 (a Boeing 737) from Oslo to Molde Airport on Norways west coast.

The weather conditions were challenging with heavy wind gusts and a slippery runway, but it is too early to conclude why the incident happened. We are cooperating closely with the authorities on the investigation, said a spokesperson for Norwegian.

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Pictures taken by a passenger show it coming to a stop a matter of metres from the sea. The images show passengers exiting the aircraft using an evacuation slide, with the nose of the plane close to the waters edge.

We understand that the landing and evacuation of the aircraft may have been a frightening experience, and we are thankful that all onboard are safe, the Norwegian spokesperson added.

It is important to emphasize that Norwegian always prioritizes safety above all else, and we are cooperating closely with the aviation authorities.

A plane overshot the runway at Molde Airport on Norways west coast on Thursday night - Stig Waagbo

There were 165 passengers on board and six crew members. Nobody was physically injured and everyone evacuated the aircraft safely, Norwegian confirmed.

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One passenger on board, telecommunications worker Stig Waagb, 53, told Norwegian network VG: There was a little snow and stuff while we were landing but it looked like the visibility was good. When we were going down for landing I noticed that we landed a little far into the runway.

Then a braking process started, the engine blows a little before the plane slid a little sideways, Mr Waagb added. There was no panic. There was a bit of tension when we were told to evacuate, leave our luggage and get off the plane as quickly as possible.

The runway at Molde Airport was temporarily closed after the incident while the aircraft was removed. On Friday services at Molde Airport were back to normal.

How do pilots land on ice?

Brian Smith, who flies for a British cargo airline and has previously flown with Ryanair, Emirates and Air2000 (later FirstChoice), explains that every pilot is trained to land in icy conditions.

The aircraft ended up just yards from the sea - Svein Ove Ekornesvaag

This is a hot topic in winter and every company includes what we call contaminated runway operations, or simply winter operations in their annual pilot recurrent training, said Smith.

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The ability to stop an aircraft within the available runway length, in the event of a rejected take off or during a landing is determined by a critical calculation, carried out first of all before dispatching the aircraft. Once in flight, and in preparation for landing it is carried out again for the updated weather conditions.

The big challenge is maintaining directional control; in other words, maintaining the runway centreline as the aircraft decelerates to a stop. It is generally prohibited to attempt a take off or landing on a runway which cannot offer a high degree of probability of completing a safe stop.

Limitations are placed on the aircraft in that it must have all retardation devices operating normally. That means reverse thrust on all engines, all brake units, the ground spoilers and crucially the anti-skid. Some of these are allowed to be disabled temporarily for operations to dry, clean runways but must be fully working on contaminated surfaces.

How do runway excursions happen?

There have been a number of runway excursion incidents over the years. In 1965, a Continental Airlines flight overshot a runway while landing in wet and windy conditions at Kansas City Municipal Airport. Investigators ruled out pilot error and said it would have been impossible for the pilot to have stopped the aircraft in the conditions at the runway length. No one was killed or seriously injured in the incident.

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In 2020 a Pegasus Airline aircraft overran the runway at Sabiha Gokcen International Airport in Istanbul, Turkey. The Boeing 737-800 skidded off the runway while landing in poor conditions and broke into several pieces. Three of the 183 people on board died in the accident.

When an aircraft suffers a runway excursion, it is often a case of pilot error, although in the case of this Norwegian [incident], we shouldnt yet speculate. Pilots may have entered erroneous data into their performance calculations, or incorrectly delayed the application of reverse thrust or automatic braking.

In some cases pilots have persisted with a landing when the approach was becoming unstable, meaning the aircraft was carrying too much energy by being too fast or too high, or both, and subsequently landing with less than the required runway length in front of it.

Less likely is a sudden failure of a system or rapid deterioration of weather; both of these can be mitigated by executing a go-around which is always a safer and preferable option to a questionable landing, said Smith.

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Runways are generally cleared by a huge convoy of snow plough machines and sometimes treated with an ice and snow removal chemical, but not in every case. Airports issue comprehensive reports of runway condition which pilots must use to assist them in determining the likelihood of a safe landing or take off.

Smith concludes: Apart from a rare and unlikely systems failure, runway excursions are avoidable and pilots will divert to a more suitable airport or delay a takeoff in preference to a marginal operation with low probability of a safe outcome.

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Members of Pineville Boy Scout Troop 502 are working to raise money after their gear and trailer were stolen from the church where they meet up.

The trailer, which was stolen earlier this month, was later found damaged beyond repair.

The troops assistant scout master, Daniel Fisher, told Channel 9s Eli Brand he could tell the thieves ripped the lock right out of the door.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Gear, trailer stolen from Pineville Boy Scout troop

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Now recovered and back in the spot it was stolen from in Pineville, the troops trailer has been left completely empty. About $16,000 worth of items was taken.

We had portable kitchens, all of the pots and pans and the cook stoves, our propane tanks. All of the tents and canopies. All of the things we need for a camping trip was completely taken, Fisher said.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help the troop replace those items. As of Friday, the troop was about halfway to their $10,000 fundraising goal.

According to the Pineville Police Department, the trailer was found in Lancaster County, South Carolina.

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A person of interest in the theft was already in the custody of the Lancaster County Sheriffs Office for a different crime and has been charged with grand larceny there.

Pineville police have traveled across the border to interview that suspect, and warrants are pending for his arrest in Mecklenburg County.

Fisher said even though the trailer was found, none of its contents were recovered, and its making it much more difficult to accommodate the over two dozen kids that are part of the troop.

It just really hampers our ability to deliver that quality of program to the youth, Fisher said, adding that the end goal is to replace everything lost and continue to provide help for the children they serve.

This really helps them to grow and mature into responsible adults, Fisher said.

VIDEO: Woman steals $13K in checks made out to Girl Scouts, Huntersville police say




Dec. 19Democratic Reps. Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden of Maine joined more than half of the House Thursday night in voting against President-elect Donald Trump's plan to fund federal operations and suspend the debt ceiling.

The 235-174 vote in the House came after members of Maine's congressional delegation spent much of Thursday watching for details on a new federal spending plan after Trump derailed an earlier proposal in a move that threatens to result in a government shutdown if a deal isn't reached by midnight Friday.

Three of Maine's four representatives  Pingree and Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King  were preparing to support the deal to fund the federal government through mid-March when Trump intervened earlier this week and urged Republicans to reject it.

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Golden had planned to vote against the deal over his opposition to pay raises and a change in health care benefits for members of Congress that he said would have the federal government pick up more of the cost of members' health care premiums.

On Thursday evening, the House rejected Trump's new plan to fund federal operations and suspend the debt ceiling a day before a government shutdown, as Democrats refused to accommodate his sudden demands and the quick fix cobbled together by Republican leaders.

In a statement Thursday night, Golden said he voted against the deal largely because of its two-year suspension of the national debt limit.

"Given that the last time Republicans had control over Congress and the White House, the deficit grew by leaps and bounds each year, I cannot in good conscience vote to give the incoming trifecta a blank check to blow up the national debt," he said.

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Pingree also voted against the Republican proposal, spokesperson Gabrielle Mannino said Thursday night.

Here's where Maine's Congressional delegation stood on the negotiations as of Thursday afternoon:

Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican, said this week that she was planning to support the original continuing resolution to temporarily fund the government through mid-March. In a written statement Thursday, she said she was hoping to avoid a government shutdown since it could have negative consequences across government.

Shutdowns can disrupt everything from air travel to the ability of older Americans to apply for Social Security benefits to pay for members of the military and other essential federal employees, Collins said.

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"In fact, government shutdowns actually cost taxpayers money by increasing the cost of short-term borrowing by the government and by adversely affecting the entire economy," Collins said. "As we await the House's deliberations, I am continuing to work with my colleagues to find a path forward to fund the government ahead of Friday's midnight deadline."

Sen. Angus King, an independent, told reporters on Wednesday that he also had planned to support the original plan and said there is "no excuse" to shut down the government.

pingree

King also said he was hoping lawmakers in the House wouldn't enforce a rule that says they don't vote on anything until it has been in their possession for 72 hours, to avoid votes going into the weekend.

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"The question is, are they going to enforce that rule, or will they move forward so that we can avoid the shutdown that would occur on Friday night?" King said. "But, I am hoping that reasonableness will prevail, and we'll get this thing done before Friday night."

A spokesperson for King said early Thursday afternoon that it would be hard to discuss the latest plans because everything was changing very rapidly amid the negotiations.

Rep. Jared Golden, D-2nd District, announced Wednesday that he planned to vote against the funding plan that was before lawmakers earlier this week because he opposes a $6,600 raise for members of Congress for a 3.8% cost-of-living adjustment. The adjustment would bring annual salaries to just over $180,000.

Golden was also opposed to a provision that would allow members to purchase health insurance through the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program, rather than the Affordable Care Act exchange, a move he said would result in the federal government funding larger shares of members' health insurance premiums at the expense of taxpayers.

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"I think it would be wrong of Congress to vote to give itself a pay raise and lower our health care costs at a time when the inverse may be true for many Americans," Golden said in an interview Thursday.

He said he would continue to oppose any new plan if it continued to include those measures. "Sometimes there are things that are just so egregiously out of step with the values that this institution should represent and with what I think the American people would view as right versus very clearly wrong, that it's worth being a 'no,'" Golden said.

Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District, said in a written statement Thursday that she had been preparing to vote in favor of the original funding package to make sure the government remained open and that critical programs would not be interrupted.

"But it took less than 24 hours for Republicans to kill their own bill at Trump's order and concede to the online rantings of Elon Musk," Pingree said.

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"From the devastating storms in Maine last winter, hurricanes in the Southeast, and wildfires in the West, natural disasters have devastated countless communities," Pingree said in the statement. "That package would have delivered billions  including $325 million for Maine  in essential relief to help families rebuild their homes, restore local economies, and fortify critical infrastructure, as well as assistance for our farmers."

In her work as ranking member on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, Pingree said she was happy to see the bill include $2.26 billion for the National Park Service to address storm damage at impacted parks around the country, including Acadia National Park and $14 million that would have helped Maine address the spread of the invasive spruce budworm.

"Now, just days before Christmas, Congress is left scrambling down to the wire to avoid a government shutdown. It's my hope we can come to a bipartisan agreement  that includes this crucial funding for Maine communities and farmers  before it's too late."

Staff Writer Daniel Kool contributed to this report.

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PITT COUNTY, N.C. (WNCT)  The Pitt County Public Health Department is getting input from the community on how to spend their millions of dollars in opioid settlement funds.

The money comes from pharmaceutical manufacturers who have been found responsible for contributing to the opioid crisis. Pitt County is in year two of its 18 year settlement that all North Carolina counties are receiving money from. County leaders heard from community members Thursday night about their thoughts on how to spend the rest of the money.

Look forward to this money going to organizations that can really make a big impact and reduce the number of opioid deaths and overdoses in the community and reduce the stigma of overdose deaths so we can treat people that need that kind of treatment. And we just hope that these funds go to groups that can really make a big impact. said Wes Gray, Pitt County Health Director.

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The county will also host public community meetings in January.

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The Lake District is one of the UKs best-loved national parks, and for good reason. This is a region thats inspired walkers, painters, writers and poets for centuries. And, from glacial valleys and deep blue lakes to lofty peaks and waterfalls, it's UNESCO-listed landscapes offer plenty of opportunities for adventure.

Tackle some of Englands highest peaks, from Scafell Pike to Helvellyn. Reinvigorate yourself with a freshwater dip at lakes like Ullswater or Buttermere. Or stroll the cobbled streets of picture-postcard towns like Keswick and Windermere, stopping in at quirky museums and antique stores. Part of the beauty of the Lake District is its variety. So why stay in just one part of the national park when you could wake to a different landscape each day in your very own motorhome? Buckle up  heres how to plan the ultimate Cumbrian road trip.

Where should I go?

Theres a forested fell, a tempting wild-swimming spot and an appealing tearoom around almost every corner of Cumbria. Hikers should make straight for Wasdale Valley, where Englands highest mountain, Scafell Pike, rises above Wastwater, the countrys deepest lake. Wasdale Campsite is the perfect base in the area and accepts campervans under 6.5m in length. From here, its a 20-minute stroll to the Wasdale Head Inn, one of Englands most remote pubs, where you can enjoy a selection of real ales and hearty post-hike meals amid cosy interiors. For further on-foot exploration, make a base in the picturesque town of Keswick, from which the popular ascents of Helvellyn, Catbells and Haystacks are an easy drive away.

Wastwater is an ideal spot for parking up to enjoy wild swimming, hiking and one of the Lake District's most remote pubs. Photograph by HerbySussex, Getty

For a literary-inspired Lake District adventure, drive south to Windermere. To the west of the lake lies Beatrix Potters 17th-century farmhouse, Hill Top, which is said to have inspired her much-loved woodland characters. In the north, poetry lovers should visit Rydal Mount, William Wordsworths home. Here youll find serene Rydal Water as well as some incredible fell walking right on the doorstep.

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If you love a freshwater dip, there are plenty of wonderful wild swimming sites around Windermere and across the Lake District. Highlights include Loughrigg Tarn, a peaceful lake in a big open meadow; Black Moss Pot, a deep, fairytale pool surrounded by craggy rocks tall enough to jump off; and Ullswater, where you can join guided swim sessions.

What route should I take?

Pretty much any road you follow in the Lakes will be spectacularly scenic  hugging the curves of a glassy lake one minute and steering through a medieval market town the next. But the Lake Districts roads can be narrow, winding and steep  especially around the central and western fells  so theyre better suited to compact vans.

For classic Cumbria, make a loop drive through Grasmere and Ambleside, exploring Windermere and Coniston Water. Adventurers should head to Ambleside and Eskdale for world-class hill hiking. Or for a feeling of space, try the coastal route heading north from Barrow-in-Furness to Whitehaven  where theres a 200-mile mapped route to follow along the sea.

Cumbria is home to some of the country's most beautiful hiking routes, from challenging ascents of Helvelyn to gentle routes around Ambleside. Photograph by Peter Mulligan, Getty

Where can I park up?

While wild camping in a tent has traditionally been tolerated to a point in the Lakes, the only legal places to park a motorhome are formal campsites  unless you have permission to use someones land. Luckily there are plenty of great campsites dotted across the Lake District, ranging from basic fields where the only real amenity is the gorgeous view, to large touring sites with state-of-the-art facilities.

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In the regions west, Eskdale Campsite offers great amenities in a deep-green valley. More centrally, Gillside Farm provides pitches at the foot of Helvellyn and just a 15-minute walk from the shores of Ullswater. Campers can stock up on fresh milk and eggs from the working farm, or head to nearby Glenridding for an evening meal. For a more basic, secluded stay, Low Wray Campsite's hardstanding pitches sit on the western shores of Lake Windermere and enjoy beautiful views amid tranquil surroundings. And if you're after the ultimate off-grid experience, sites such as Brit Stops and Wild with Consent offer campervan pitches on private land.

There are plenty of remote spots to park up across the Lake District, so bringing a remote power source is recommended. Photograph by Ecoflow

What should I bring?

All you really need for a Lake District campervan adventure are hiking boots, warm and waterproof clothing, a swimsuit and a sense of adventure. However, there are plenty of additional items that can make your journey much more comfortable  and enjoyable. Part of the joy of the Lake District is its wild and rugged nature, but away from established campsites, you wont have access to electricity, water or waste-water disposal. As a result, its key to have your own facilities, such as a refillable water container and a portable power supply. Batteries charged by solar panel are a great option to ensure youll always have power in the wild, whether you need to charge phones, cameras or torches.

This paid content article was created for Ecoflow. It does not necessarily reflect the views of National Geographic, National Geographic Traveller (UK) or their editorial staffs.



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More than 1.5 million Ukrainian citizens are now living in neighbouring Poland almost three years after the beginning of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.

Around 988,000 of them have been registered as war refugees with a temporary protection status, a representative of the Ministry of the Interior told a session of the Polish parliament on Friday. There has been a "slow, steady increase in this number since June," the official said.

Of the Ukrainians who came to Poland after the outbreak of war on February 24, 2022, 20% are considering staying there permanently. Around 28% said they now have a good command of Polish.

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Half of the Ukrainians who were already living in Poland before the war broke out are considering staying permanently, and more than two-thirds say they have a good knowledge of Polish.

The Polish Ministry of the Interior says that among the war refugees, income from their own work accounts for an average of 76% of their total income.

It says that the refugees, who are mostly women, often take on work below their level of qualification. In Poland, refugees from Ukraine are entitled to child benefit, old-age and disability pensions, and free access to the education and health care systems. They do not receive benefits such as basic income support.
(Bloomberg) -- Poland said it would summon Hungarys ambassador in Warsaw after Budapest granted asylum to a Polish opposition lawmaker.

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On Thursday, Hungary granted political asylum to Former Deputy Justice Minister Marcin Romanowski who is wanted over alleged fraud at a state institution under the previous ruling nationalist government.

The government in Warsaw also recalled its ambassador to Hungary for consultations, according to a statement published by the Foreign Ministry on Friday.

The ministry warned the cabinet of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban that if Budapest continues to neglect its obligation to hand over Romanowski, Poland will ask the European Commission to bring the matter before the blocs Court of Justice.

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SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI)  On Thursday, Dec. 12, the San Diego Police Department found a 5-year-old boy stuck in the busy intersection of S. Woodman and Altaview Drive alone.

The boys dad, Adrian Mora, says the holidays might have looked different.

Itd be a whole different holiday, he said. We wouldnt be doing anything really if something bad happened to him.

Mora says he got a call from SDPD, saying they had his son, 5-year-old Alex Mora.

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I thought the worst, so it was pretty scary to get that phone call and not have much context, the dad said.

The San Diego City Schools Police Department report says someone called in after watching the boy cross the busy intersection when it wasnt his turn.

Mora says his son attends Zamorano Elementary School and was supposed to be in the PrimeTime Extended Day Program.

Mora says while on the way to pick their son up from police, his wife called the program asking about their sons whereabouts.

When we called, they said, yea, hes here. Well go get him, and then they hung up. Im guessing they realized he wasnt there, and then we called again. Theyre like, we actually dont have him, Mora said, remembering the call.

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The police report says there was some confusion because Alex said he was getting picked up from school early, but PrimeTime never confirmed that.

Mora told FOX 5/KUSI PrimeTimes policy is parents must send a written confirmation if they plan to pick up their kids early.

That didnt happen in this case. Instead, they let the boy go back to class to pick up a gift he left behind.

Alexs teacher thought he was headed back to the program, but PrimeTime thought he was staying in the classroom. Thats when Alex left.

When we picked him up, he was covered in dirt. He was saying it was his fault, and it was just kind of like heartbreaking to see that, Mora said.

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Mora says his son was missing for an hour after school let out before police found him alone on the street.

The only thing I could do is reassure him that it wasnt his fault, he said. He did everything right. He survived National City for an hour by himself at 5 years old.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the San Diego Unified School District, said Student safety is of the utmost importance to the San Diego Unified School District. Poor judgement by an employee of our contracted after school provider resulted in the child leaving the site unsupervised. We have spoken with the contractor and employee, reinforced our expectations about student safety and enacted corrective measures to prevent a similar incident in the future. Its important for San Diego Unified families to know weve met with the students parents to receive feedback and apologize, and that we are committed to keeping all students safe on our school campuses. 

Mora and his wife met with PrimeTime and the San Diego Unified School District who say the staff will walk children out of the program to ensure they get reunited with their parents.

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I just hope they take this serious. This could have been way worse, Mora said.

FOX 5/KUSI reached out to PrimeTime for comment on the situation but did not hear back.

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Dec. 19As people prepare to celebrate year-end holidays, Dayton police are stressing the importance of having a safe and sober ride home.

As of Thursday, there have been 19 fatal traffic incidents in Dayton this year, said Sgt. Gordon Cairns. Alcohol or drugs were involved in 15 of those cases.

"This is not just the at-fault person," Cairns said. "We do have several instances we've looked into where victims of some of these crashes, whether it be pedestrian or in a vehicle, are under the influence of alcohol or drugs."

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Whether a person is behind the wheel or walking home, drugs and alcohol can reduce reaction times and impact someone's awareness of what is going on around them.

"You might not be at fault for the actual accident but your reaction times and your ability to potentially avoid that accident is dramatically reduced," the sergeant explained.

With New Year's Eve and other winter celebrations coming up, Cairns encouraged people to plan ahead if they are going to drink or use marijuana at parties.

"Get a designated driver. Use your ride share. Have a plan for how you're going to get home," he said.

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People hosting parties should also make sure their guests have a safe ride before they leave.

Even in a minor traffic crash a driver will face more serious charges if they are impaired. Depending on the level of intoxication, the severity of the crash or a history of impaired driving, a person could go from facing a misdemeanor to felony charges, Cairns said.

The sergeant also discussed marijuana impairment and driving. Though recreational use of marijuana is legal in Ohio, Cairns said people should treat marijuana impairment the same way they treat alcohol impairment.

"Don't smoke marijuana in the car while you're driving," he said. "Don't drive after using marijuana. Give it time to get it out of your system."

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Similar to alcohol and other drugs, there are tests to determine how long marijuana has been in a person's system.

Cairns said Ohio has learned from other states that previously legalized marijuana. Officers also can attend training that teaches them signs of impairment for various drugs.
West valley barricade ends after Las Vegas police take suspect into custody

LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  A barricade on the west side of the valley ended with police taking the suspect into custody 7 hours after it began.

Las Vegas police reported a barricade involving a wanted person happening at an apartment complex on West Charleston Boulevard, west of Rampart Boulevard/Fort Apache Road.

According to Las Vegas Metropolitan police, the situation developed around 8:40 a.m. when officers located a man wanted for a violent felony crime who refused to exit an apartment.

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SWAT and crisis negotiators were at the scene. Police urged people to avoid the area due to a large police presence. According to police, Charleston was closed between Rampart and Apple.

Shortly after 3:40 p.m., police said they took the suspect into custody.

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VICTORIA BUDIONO / VBUDIONO @STARADVERTISER.COM A crowd gathered outside the Don Quijote store on Kaheka Street following a disturbance inside involving a man who barricaded himself in the store Wedneday evening.

1 /4 VICTORIA BUDIONO / VBUDIONO @STARADVERTISER.COM A crowd gathered outside the Don Quijote store on Kaheka Street following a disturbance inside involving a man who barricaded himself in the store Wedneday evening.

VICTORIA BUDIONO / VBUDIONO @STARADVERTISER.COM The front entrance of the Don Quijote supermarket on Kaheka Street Wednesday evening.

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2 /4 VICTORIA BUDIONO / VBUDIONO @STARADVERTISER.COM The front entrance of the Don Quijote supermarket on Kaheka Street Wednesday evening.

VICTORIA BUDIONO / VBUDIONO @STARADVERTISER.COM The front entrance of the Don Quijote Honolulu store on Kaheka Street Wednesday evening.

3 /4 VICTORIA BUDIONO / VBUDIONO @STARADVERTISER.COM The front entrance of the Don Quijote Honolulu store on Kaheka Street Wednesday evening.

VICTORIA BUDIONO / VBUDIONO @STARADVERTISER.COM Onlookers and police are seen outside the Don Quijote supermarket on Kaheka Street Wednesday evening as a barricade situation forced the store to close.

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4 /4 VICTORIA BUDIONO / VBUDIONO @STARADVERTISER.COM Onlookers and police are seen outside the Don Quijote supermarket on Kaheka Street Wednesday evening as a barricade situation forced the store to close.

VICTORIA BUDIONO / VBUDIONO @STARADVERTISER.COM A crowd gathered outside the Don Quijote store on Kaheka Street following a disturbance inside involving a man who barricaded himself in the store Wedneday evening.

VICTORIA BUDIONO / VBUDIONO @STARADVERTISER.COM The front entrance of the Don Quijote supermarket on Kaheka Street Wednesday evening.

VICTORIA BUDIONO / VBUDIONO @STARADVERTISER.COM The front entrance of the Don Quijote Honolulu store on Kaheka Street Wednesday evening.

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VICTORIA BUDIONO / VBUDIONO @STARADVERTISER.COM Onlookers and police are seen outside the Don Quijote supermarket on Kaheka Street Wednesday evening as a barricade situation forced the store to close.

Don Quijote supermarket on Kaheka Street was forced to close around 5 :45 p.m. Wednesday as at least a dozen police vehicles, Emergency Medical Service units and Honolulu Fire Department trucks surrounded the area after a man barricaded himself inside the store.

More than two hours later, at 8 p.m., sources at the scene said the Honolulu Police Department was attempting to contact the man, who had barricaded himself inside the liquor cooler room.

Kainoa Sastra, a 23-year-old visitor from San Francisco, said he was shopping at the supermarket with a friend and using the self-checkout when a commotion erupted in the liquor section at about 5 :05 p.m.

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There were aggressive, loud, screaming noises,  Sastra said, adding that the disturbance was quickly followed by the sound of glass bottles smashing.

Sastra said other shoppers said they saw a person armed with a knife.

As of 6 p.m., the man had barricaded himself inside the supermarket. A video circulating on social media showed witnesses alleging that the man was throwing liquor bottles and had started a fire inside the store.

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By 6 :20 p.m., another group of HPD officers dressed in tactical gear entered the building. At around 6 :30 p.m., store personnel said the man had locked himself in the freezer.
SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) The San Angelo Police Department released information regarding a man that was stabbed with a box cutter Thursday afternoon.

Mugshot: Michael Zubiate 12-19-2024 courtesy Tom Green County Sheriffs Office

According to a press release from the SAPD, officers were dispatched to the 700 Blk of East Avenue K for a reported stabbing at 3:57 p.m. on Dec. 19. A 45-year-old man was found with a stab wound from a box cutter that he had sustained during an altercation. The individual was transported to Shannon Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.

Officers arrested 42-year-old Michael Zubiate and took him into custody without incident. Zubiate has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He remains incarcerated at the Tom Green County Detention Center with no bond.

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(WFRV)  Police near the border of Wisconsin and Minnesota are urging residents to be aware of fake money that is making its way around.

According to the Rochester Police Department in Minnesota, there are fake $100 bills circulating, and they resemble real money, but are marked as movie prop money and labeled as for motion picture purposes.

Second graders at Elmore Elementary receive gifts from inmates at Green Bay Correctional Institute

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Real money should have a watermark thats visible when held to light, and ink in the bottom right corner that changes colors from copper to green.

So far, officers have found stacks of these bills that would add up to roughly $45,000. Anybody who finds counterfeit money is urged to call the police.

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Dec. 19Two drivers were hospitalized on Wednesday evening following a crash north of Goshen.

Elkhart County deputies reported that at 9:27 p.m. Wednesday, Yoleida Chacon, 61, of Elkhart, was traveling east on C.R. 18 approaching the intersection at C.R. 17 in a gray 2014 Nissan Sentra when police said she disregarded a lighted signal at the intersection and collided with a black 2019 Kia Forte driven by Deborah Martin, 57, of Goshen.

Both drivers were transported to Elkhart General Hospital for injuries. Chacon was cited for disregarding a lighted signal with bodily injury, and Martin was cited for possession of marijuana although police say neither drugs nor alcohol appear to be a factor in the crash.

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Failure to yield causes Benton crash

A woman was hospitalized on Wednesday following an Elkhart County crash.

Elkhart County deputies reported that at 2:50 p.m. Wednesday, Kimberly Snowden, 57, of Goshen, was traveling east on C.R. 44 in a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox and failed to yield the right of way.

Timothy Rhodes was traveling south on U.S. 33 approaching C.R. 44 when, according to Elkhart County deputies, his 2006 Chevrolet Impala was struck by a Snowden's vehicle.

Snowden was transported to Goshen Hospital for treatment and cited for failing to yield. A passenger in her vehicle did not seek treatment for injuries

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HIT-AND-RUN

A 28-year-old man reported to Goshen police that between 2 a.m. and noon Wednesday an unidentified vehicle struck his vehicle, parked in the 200 block of Tanglewood Drive, and left the scene.

A 58-year-old woman reported to Goshen police at 6:06 p.m. Tuesday that her unoccupied parked car had been struck and damaged by a pickup truck in the parking lot of Martin's Super Market, 1527 Bashor Road.

ARRESTS

A 17-year-old boy was arrested by Goshen police at 10:37 a.m. Tuesday on a charge of possession of a firearm by a juvenile, burglary, theft, and being incorrigible after someone called Goshen police asking for a welfare check on him in Pickwick Manor.

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A 34-year-old man was arrested and jailed by Goshen police at 12:30 a.m. Wednesday on a charge of operating a vehicle while intoxicated during a traffic stop near the intersection of Wilden Avenue and April Lane in Goshen.

A 43-year-old man was arrested and jailed Elkhart County deputies at 3:22 a.m. Tuesday on charges of possession of meth, paraphernalia and a handgun after he was found passed out in his vehicle in the 25000 block of C.R. 26 in Elkhart.

A 58-year-old man was arrested and jailed by Goshen police at 11:33 p.m. on a charge of operating a vehicle while intoxicated after he was stopped for traffic violations near Chicago Avenue and Denver Avenue.

SEX CRIME

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A 20-year-old woman reported to Goshen police at 10:19 a.m. Wednesday being sexually assaulted over the summer.

SCHOOL INCIDENT

Goshen High School staff reported to the school's resource officer at 2:05 p.m. Wednesday finding a teen with a vape that tested positive for THC. The teen was arrested and released to the custody of the Elkhart County Juvenile Detention Center, and then later released to a parent.

While working secondary employment at Elkhart High School, 2608 California Road, at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, a Goshen officer was alerted to a juvenile being in possession of marijuana and paraphernalia. The teen was arrested and released to the custody of the Elkhart County Juvenile Detention Center.

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BURGLARY

A 48-year-old woman reported to Goshen police at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday a burglary where someone entered her locked storage unit at Goshen Storage Center, 2019 Eisenhower Drive North and stole her bicycle.

UNLAWFUL ENTRY

A 37-year-old man reported to Goshen police at 4:23 p.m. Wednesday that his security system recorded two unknown men entering his unlocked vehicle in the 400 block of Jefferson Street.

THEFT

A 60-year-old man reported to Goshen police at 9:03 a.m. Wednesday that on Dec. 2 he received a call from a woman stating she had his dog and would not give it back.

A 68-year-old man reported to Elkhart County deputies that between Dec. 10 and Tuesday someone walked onto his friend's property in the 21000 block of C.R. 18 in Goshen and damaged his barn on the property and stole sheets of aluminum siding that were on the barn's west side.

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A 28-year-old woman reported to Elkhart County deputies at 7:44 a.m. Tuesday someone she knew took a package from her mailbox in the 2900 block of Elkhart Road in Goshen.

OFFICER'S REPORT

A 61-year-old man reported to Elkhart County deputies that between 7 a.m. Dec. 2 and 11 a.m. Dec. 9, his 2019 Jeep Compass was repossessed and the registration plate was not returned to him.

CRIMINAL MISCHIEF

A 48-year-old man reported to Elkhart County deputies that between 10 a.m. and 1:10 p.m. Wednesday someone damaged a fiber optic cable in the 51000 block of C.R. 5.

A 27-year-old woman reported to Elkhart County deputies that between 4 p.m. Monday and 9 a.m. Tuesday someone damaged a Bobcat track loader and a Kingman mobile storage unit in the 23000 block of C.R. 4, Elkhart.

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FRAUD

A 59-year-old man reported to Elkhart County deputies that between 10 a.m. Dec. 12 and 12:30 p.m. Dec. 13 fraud was committed.

A 19-year-old woman reported to Elkhart County deputies that between 10:30 p.m. Dec. 8 and 3:30 p.m. Dec. 13 fraud was committed.

A 61-year-old man reported to Elkhart County deputies around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday that someone made fraudulent purchases on his Meijer and Menards credit cards in Three Rivers, Michigan.
Five serving police officers have been sacked over a WhatsApp group featuring routine misogyny and casual racism, including a joke that an Asian detainee looked like a drawing of a terrorist.

The West Yorkshire officers were found guilty of gross misconduct over derogatory, offensive and discriminatory messages posted in the group, in which they also shared photographs of death scenes, car crashes, missing people and detainees.

A misconduct hearing was told the group used by some West Yorkshire Police officers based in Pudsey was characterised by mean-spirited and bullying remarks about colleagues and members of the public.

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On Friday, the disciplinary panel dismissed serving officers Sergeant Mark Otter, PC Dominique Hawkins, PC Javaid Habeeb, PC Luke Riddett, and an officer referred to only as PC X.

They ruled that three other former constables  Tom Harrison, Matthew Harrison and Lee Hillyard  would also have been removed from their jobs had they not already resigned.

All eight had denied gross misconduct between July 2020 and September 2021.

Setting out the case against the officers at the start of the hearing in October, Olivia Checa-Dover gave the panel a series of examples from the WhatsApp chat.

She said that, when discussing a member of the public referred to as Miss A, PC X posted: Miss A on a bridge jump, jump, jump.

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And she said PC Habeeb joked about a colleague taking his own life.

Ms Checa-Dover said that PC Riddett posted a photo of an Asian detainee with a beard captioned if you had to draw a terrorist, to which PC Tom Harrison replied racist.

When PC Riddett said no, its regional, PC Tom Harrison posted two laughing face emojis.

The barrister said to the panel: Was this dark humour or outright racism?

She told the panel that, in one conversation about going to a strip club, PC Tom Harrison mentioned a female officer, saying: You gonna strip too?

Ms Checa-Dover said messages were exchanged about photographs posted of an officer, referred to as PC A, and his sister.

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She said: The group variously joked that PC A could not be blamed for his genetics and PC Hillyard changed the group icon to a picture of PC A and his sister, and forwarded a mock-up of The Hills Have Eyes to include images of the two.

The barrister said to the panel: Was this a safe place for colleagues to seek support from their peers and provide support, or was it a platform used to communicate mean-spirited, bullying remarks about colleagues deemed not part of the group?

She said that, in a conversation complaining about a vulnerability appointment with a member of the public, PC Riddett said probably asking for it anyway, which the barrister told the panel was an inappropriate, victim-blaming comment.

Ms Checa-Dover said that, in a conversation about naked Uno, Sgt Otter referred to bubbles, showing off her rack and the same officer expressed his regret at having missed the opportunity to Eiffel Tower one officer.

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She said PC Riddett joked: Its not harassment if they say yes. Remember lads, 50 nos and one yes is still a yes.

Ms Checa-Dover said the officers did not deny their involvement in the WhatsApp group but argued that what went on was an expression of dark humour, a vehicle through which they would process traumatic experiences, a forum in which to express themselves freely, seek support from their colleagues and provide support to others.

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UPDATE: Hobbs has been found safe and in good health, according to CPD.

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL)  The Columbus Police Department is asking the public for information on a missing teenager.

Police say JoyKaila Hobbs, 14, was last seen on Thursday in the 1000 block of Quincy Drive at about 5 p.m. Her clothing description is unknown.

Hobbs stands at 5-foot-5 and weighs 130lbs. She has black hair and brown eyes.

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Anyone with information is asked to call 911, the CPD Special Victims Unit at (706) 225-3449, or Cpl. Emily Stice at (706) 225-4366.

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YORK COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM)  A missing York County woman has been found safe.

The West Manchester Township Police Department in York County sought a 76-year-old woman they said was missing and last seen in the area of Innovation Drive in York.

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Police said late Thursday that she was found safe.

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DENVER (KDVR)  The Boulder Police Department is warning residents not to fall for a jury duty scam that is recirculating.

The police department said it has received at least three reports from community members about the scam this week.

Dont trust caller ID: Beware of this scam targeting pet owners

Similar scam tactics have been used for over a decade and have been reported in Douglas, Denver and Jefferson County this year.

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According to police, scammers pose as law enforcement and call people claiming that they have an arrest warrant, telling the targeted victim that they will be arrested for not showing up for jury duty.

Scammers are also saying the person has another type of warrant and then demand money, usually via a wire transfer, to take care of the situation, the police department said in a post on Facebook.

Scammers demand money in a variety of ways, from Zelle payments to Bitcoin to Coinstar gift cards.

The police department emphasized that local law enforcement agencies will never do this and said anyone who is concerned can contact their local courthouse to see if they have a warrant.

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As Republicans scramble on Capitol Hill to get a new government funding agreement passed, many federal workers are now in limbo waiting to see how a government shutdown would impact them with the holidays right around the corner.

Based on past government estimates, some 3.5 million federal workers could go without paychecks this holiday season until an agreement is passed  many of them, like airport security officers, will be required to show up to work anyway. Others could be told to stay home and not work.

A payroll schedule for the U.S. General Services Administration shows some federal workers would miss paychecks as soon as Jan. 3 if an agreement is not reached by then.

PHOTO: In this Jan. 21, 2018, file photo, signs are posted outside of the Library of Congress in Washington D.C., notifying visitors that all Library of Congress buildings will be closed to the public in the event of a temporary government shutdown. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call via AP)

MORE: Government shutdown live updates: House plans to vote on new bill as deadline nears

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Federal contractors are not required to work and are also not guaranteed backpay for the duration of the shutdown.

Since fiscal year 1977, there have been 20 funding gaps, lasting from as short as 1 day to 34 full days in length. If the government shuts down Saturday at 12:01 a.m., it would be the 21st shutdown.

Below is a small snapshot of the impact a shutdown could have on millions of Americans across the country.

Impact on travel

The shutdown would come just as many Americans are traveling for the holidays -- during some of the busiest travel days of the year.

PHOTO: In this Jan. 22, 2019, file photo, people line up outside World Central Kitchen, which serves free meals and goods to federal workers who have been effected by the partial government shutdown, in Washington, D.C. (Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images, FILE)

MORE: How a government shutdown could impact air travel

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The shutdown could lead to longer security checkpoint wait times at the airports and impact hiring of air traffic controllers if the shutdown lasts for long.

The Transportation Security Administration says about 59,000 of the agencys more than 62,000 employees are considered essential and would continue working without pay in the event of a shutdown.

TSA says the agency expects to screen 40 million passengers over the holidays through Jan. 2.

While our personnel are prepared to handle high volumes of travelers and ensure safe travel, please be aware that an extended shutdown could mean longer wait times at airports, TSA Administrator David Pekoske said on X.

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Nearly 13,000 air traffic controllers would be expected to work without pay, and hiring and training new air traffic controllers would cease during a shutdown, according to the latest planning document from the Department of Transportation.

It's worth noting that air traffic controllers played a part in ending the government shutdown in 2019, when several workers called in sick on the same day, snarling air traffic. Then-President Donald Trump announced an agreement to temporarily reopen the government the same day.

Read more about the possible impact on air travel.

Impact on the military

If there is a government shutdown after tonight the U.S. militarys military operations overseas and domestically will continue, but U.S. military service members wont be paid during that time.

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Some 1.3 million active-duty service members would still be required to work, but without pay until a funding agreement is passed. Typically, half of the 700,000 Defense Department civilian workforce would be expected to keep working without pay.

If a shutdown goes into effect, defense Department civilians will be given guidance to show up at their offices on Monday morning and they will have four hours to sign a memo that acknowledges they will not be working, and will then have time to set up their out-of-office emails and voicemails, and turn off their phones and laptops so they will be unable to work from home during the shutdown. If the employees happen to be on time-off during the shutdown they will be able to provide a digital signature of that memo and they will turn off their devices. They will also provide personal email addresses so they can be contacted once the shutdown is over.

Both U.S. military personnel and DOD civilians are guaranteed retroactive pay after the shutdown ends under the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019.

Generally, contractors are not required to work and would lose paychecks for the duration of the shutdown. Contractors who work for the Pentagon will continue to work if their contract is funded through the current year.

Impact on the border

An estimated 60,971 employees with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and 17,575 employees with Immigration and Customs Enforcement would be asked to work without pay during a shutdown according to the latest planning document from the Department of Homeland Security.

Would shutdown impact Social Security?

Because they are considered mandatory spending, payments from Social Security and Medicare will continue to reach mailboxes, although agencies warn services could slow down.

Could holiday mail be impacted?

The U.S. Postal Service also won't be impacted because it is an independent agency, and relies on its own revenue stream.

Other impacts Americans could see

PHOTO: In this Jan. 2, 2019, file photo, a sign announcing Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo are closed due to a partial government shutdown is displayed at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C. (Bloomberg via Getty Images, FILE)

MORE: Elon Musk puts unprecedented outsize influence on display in government funding fight: ANALYSIS

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Given the shutdown would begin on a Saturday, many Americans would not really feel the impacts of a shutdown until Monday.

The National Park Service said they remain hopeful that a lapse in government funding will not occur, but if it does, routine visitor services will be available through Sunday. They are still reviewing the agency's contingency plan and working to determine specifics for individual parks.

The Smithsonian Institution, which operates 21 museums and the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., said it will use leftover funding to remain open to the public at least through Dec. 26, except for Christmas Day when all museums and the zoo are closed.

ABC News' Luis Martinez and Ayesha Ayi contributed to this report.

What are the possible impacts of a government shutdown? originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
As Christmas travel picks up, so does a stormy pattern. While the specific details are still a bit murky, there are early signs that the period after Christmas could bring a round of storms to parts of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and the surrounding areas.

Whats Setting This Up?

In the days following Christmas, warmer, more humid air from the Gulf of Mexico is expected to sweep northward. Around the same time, a potent low-pressure system should take shape somewhere near Texas and Oklahoma. Together, these ingredients could set the stage for unsettled, stormy weather as a cold front marches eastward into the Gulf Coast states.

Storm Fuel could build as early as Thursday, December 26th in Texas and Oklahoma.

Heres what the Arkansas Storm Team is monitoring:

Warmth and Moisture: Temperatures may climb into the 70s, with humidity high enough to fuel stronger thunderstorms.

Winds Overhead: Swift winds in the upper levels of the atmosphere could help storms organize and even rotate, increasing the chances for damaging hail, gusty winds, and perhaps an isolated tornado or two.

Instability: A clash between warm surface air and cooler air aloft could produce a classic unstable environment, giving thunderstorms the extra energy they need to really get going.

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When Might This Happen?

Right now, the timeframe to watch seems to be the weekend after Christmas (Thursday, December 26th  Saturday, December 28th). At first, southern Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi might be in the crosshairs, with the threat potentially shifting eastward into Mississippi, Tennessee, and Alabama by Saturday morning. Some storms might remain below severe thresholds, but others could become more intense, so its worth staying updated.

Since were still several days out, the details can and likely will shift. While we dont yet know exactly how this system will pan out, its wise to remain weather-aware between Christmas and New Years.

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A U.S. Postal Service worker was arrested Thursday on suspicion of swiping more than 20 checks from the mail and depositing $281,000 into various bank accounts under her name, authorities said.

Joivian Tjuana Hayes, 36, of Compton, was charged with one count of bank fraud and faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison if convicted, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

Hayes, whom prosecutors identified as a supervisor at the Costa Mesa post office in Orange County, is accused of stealing almost two dozen checks from the office since July, prosecutors said.

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Hayes allegedly deposited the checks in her accounts at various banks by forging the signatures of payees, prosecutors said. One of these checks was for more than $114,000, according to authorities.

Read more: Group allegedly stole, cashed checks throughout L.A. and Orange counties  then posted it on Instagram

Surveillance camera footage allegedly shows Hayes depositing the stolen checks at ATMs in Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley and Compton, prosecutors said.

She is also suspected of stealing currency worth tens of thousands of dollars, as well as gold coins, according to authorities.

Federal agents searched Hayes' Compton residence and her vehicle, a 2023 BMW, on Thursday.

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The matter was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General.

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CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. (WLAX/WEUX)  Authorities are investigating a potential threat to the Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District from a high school student. In a letter sent to staff, the district says the student will not be allowed to attend school and that they are working with law enforcement in the investigation.

The letter says, in part, While we understand this information may cause concern, please be assured that all appropriate safety measures are in place and that we are following established protocols in handling this matter.

The letter goes on to say that because of student privacy laws and the ongoing investigation, the district is unable to share specific details currently.

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The holiday season is a time for miracles, which especially rang true earlier this month in Bristol County.

Police say on December 3 just before 8 p.m., a Freetown resident, Edward Porawski, was speaking with a family friend on the phone, Mr. King, who lived in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, when he realized something was off.

Porawski determined that Mr. King was suffering a medical emergency. Even more worrisome, he knew that King was alone in his home, surrounded by three to four feet of snow.

Knowing his friends life was at risk, Porawski immediately called 911, where Dispatcher Dean Guimares jumped into action.

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Dispatcher Guimares, despite the challenges of coordinating emergency services halfway across the country, worked quickly to relay critical information to the Michigan State Police and Chippewa County 911, according to authorities.

Officials say within minutes, first responders arrived at Kings home and provided life-saving care.

He was transported to an area hospital, where Michigan authorities say he is recovering and will celebrate the holidays with his friends and neighbors.

The Freetown Police Department extends our gratitude to Mr. Edward Porawski for his quick actions, to Dispatcher Dean Guimares for his professionalism and persistence, and to all the emergency call takers and first responders who played a role in this life-saving effort, Police Chief Scott Rose said. This extraordinary event is a testament to the power of teamwork, compassion, and the dedication of those who serve in emergency services. Together, they gave the greatest gift of alla second chance at life.

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State budget regulators approved pre-design funds for a proposed new Indiana judicial building, which would house offices for the state supreme court and others. (Whitney Downard/Indiana Capital Chronicle)

Could the yearslong discussion surrounding a new Indiana judicial center finally be coming to fruition?

Proposals to construct a new building to house the states courts have been tossed around for decades  and was even a topic of controversy in the 1980s  but project plans have never developed enough to gain traction.

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Now, state officials want to restart the conversation.

To get the ball rolling, Indiana budget regulators this week approved a $5 million request for pre-design funds.

Matt Kent, chief financial officer for the Indiana Department of Administration, said those state dollars will be used to reevaluate the size and layout possibilities of a new building. State officials said they do not expect to spend the full appropriation on the study, however.

Whether any final structure plans will be approved is yet to be decided.

These funds will go towards the programming phase of the building and site pre-design. In this phase, well work with a consulting firm to explore the needs and requirements of the entities that would eventually inhabit the building. That work covers a large scope, and includes interviewing and understanding the needs of the stakeholders and future tenants, explained Kent, who spoke before the State Budget Committee on Tuesday.

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It will also include a space utilization plan to determine the needed square footage for each entity and the building as a whole, he continued. While some of the larger scope answers regarding the size and number of stories of the building will be answered, well also begin to answer questions about how the interior of the building will function on a daily basis. How do people move throughout the building? How do they work? What are their IT needs, security needs, etc.? Once this programming work is done, we can then start getting a rough estimate on the cost of the building and the scope of how long the project would take.

Years of discussion

Legislation from 1971 first authorized the State Office Building Commission to construct a new judicial building. At the time, lawmakers intended for the building to house the Indiana Supreme Court, Appellate Court, and other related agencies.

Enthusiasm for the project soon cooled, however, in light of other, more pressing state-funded endeavors.

A clip from the Indianapolis News shows a model of the proposed judicial center. (Indianapolis News)

The proposed judicial building regained traction in the late 1980s, and architectural plans were drawn up for a $50 million new building. Plans called for an elaborate, five-story limestone and granite structure located just north of the statehouse. Groundbreaking was originally anticipated to take place in 1989.

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That space is a surface parking lot used by hundreds of state employees every day.

But as projected construction costs ballooned, the building became a controversial topic during the 1988 governors race. Once elected, Democratic Gov. Evan Bayh ditched the plans.

The legislature last entertained the project in 1999, approving a $4 million feasibility study for a new judicial building. Its not clear what happened to that study, though.

In the past some of the issues that have stalled the project include location and parking; cost and downtown office buildings losing a large tenant. One other topic has always been whether the five Indiana Supreme Court justices and their courtroom would move as some prefer having representation from all three branches of government in the Statehouse.

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Currently, the Indiana Supreme Court has roughly 210 employees at its Capital Center location in downtown Indianapolis, and another 30 people within the statehouse, said court spokesperson Kathryn Dolan.

Rent at the Capital Center location is about $1.5 million a year. The current lease  which runs through July 2034  is abated for six months and includes a provision that addresses cancellation should the State of Indiana build a Justice Center, Dolan said.

She emphasized that, based on her understanding from recent proposal discussions, such a center would include the states entire judicial branch, including the supreme court, court of appeals, tax court, the state public defender, and others.

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Even so, Chief Justice Loretta Rush said the Indiana Supreme Court is not requesting a new judicial building.

However, we support the legislatures interest in assessing the states space needs and welcome contributing to that review process, she said in a statement to the Indiana Capital Chronicle.

Other entities that would be included are the Court of Appeals and Tax Court and the State Public Defender. The states transparency portal shows those entities employ about 165 people.

What next?

Before the budget committee gave its stamp of approval, Democratic Rep. Greg Porter, of Indianapolis, was critical of the price tag.

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Do we need to spend that much money on surveys?  I mean, $5 million is a lot, asked Porter, who sits on the committee. We need to be more specific in regards to the proposal or request for information. These conversations started back in the 80s.  Im just really perplexed that we need to have this $5 million to do that. I mean, in these tight times, all of a sudden, we want to do other things.

Kent maintained theres a lot of work that would need done to  basically, bring together several entities, and determine what each of their needs are.

How is the building going to work? And then the size of the building. And then if theres any of that money left over, that would probably roll into the design of the building, as well the design phase, he added.

Joe Habig, acting budget director of the Indiana State Budget Agency, clarified that only 10% of the appropriated funds are expected to be used for the study itself.

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Youre right  $5 million is a lot. But we dont anticipate the actual study to utilize the entire $5 million, Habig said, noting, too, the requested funds were already appropriated to the budget agency by the General Assembly. We anticipate that most of this  at least several hundred thousand  will go towards just updating a study that was done in 2000 or 2001. And so I think with the results of that, well reassess the cost of a full (architecture and engineering) design.

No request for proposals related to the judicial building study have been published yet, according to state procurement records. State officials did not provide a timeline for proposals, study completion or desired date to begin construction on a possible building.

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When Cincinnati police responded in January to an assault and robbery in Pendleton, they found a pregnant woman lying on the ground screaming for her unborn baby, prosecutors said.

Travis Durbin, 35, was sentenced on Thursday in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court to at least five years in prison for running over Normya Henderson with a work van during a purse snatching.

Durbin was convicted of two counts of felonious assault during a November jury trial. However, the jury was unable to reach a verdict for robbery counts and a mistrial was declared on those charges, court records show.

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Durbin picked up his cousin, Kyle Boreing, and Henderson from the Hamilton County Justice Center early on Jan. 24.

Durbins attorney, Angela Glaser, said trial testimony revealed Boreing and the woman were released from jail at the same time and Boreing offered her a ride. She said Durbin didn't know Henderson was tagging along until he arrived at the jail.

As Henderson was being dropped near the Braxton Brewing Co. in Pendleton, Boreing took her purse and demanded Durbin drive away, prosecutors said in court filings.

Henderson was dragged by Durbin's work van as he tried to flee, prosecutors said, adding that he turned the vehicle around and ran her over. Henderson and her child survived, but she suffered broken ribs and bruising to her heart and lungs.

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She laid in fear for her childs life in a cold, wet street, said Cincinnati police Detective Daniel Kreider, who investigated the robbery and assault.

Glaser said her client never set out to harm Henderson that morning.

"If Mr. Durbin never answered the phone that night to pick up his cousin from the jail, this never would have happened," Glaser said. She added Henderson testified at trial that Durbin didn't touch her during the robbery.

By the time I knew what had happened, I was already gone, Durbin said in court. He said he couldnt let his cousin be sent back to jail.

Court records show Boreing had been arrested on a drug possession charge, which was later ignored by a grand jury. He was arrested in connection with the robbery around the same time as Durbin.

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Glaser said Boreing testified at his cousin's trial.

Boreing pleaded guilty Thursday to robbery and the court dismissed counts of aggravated robbery and felonious assault. He was sentenced to three years of probation.

Under a state law that says the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections can extend someone's sentence based on their conduct, Durbin could spend as long as 7 years in prison.

Prosecutors sought a maximum of eight years, while Durbins attorney asked for a lesser sentence of two years.

I just want to tell you that part of this is simply because you did not stop, you left, Judge Terry Nestor told Durbin. So you were spared an even greater penalty because there wasnt more serious injury to either Ms. Henderson or her child in this case.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Man sentenced for running over pregnant woman with work van
HIGH POINT  The historic Allen Jay House, which only a few months ago sat squarely in the crosshairs of a wrecking ball, will be saved.

The board of the High Point Preservation Society this week unanimously agreed to purchase the approximately 175-year-old Quaker building from Springfield Friends Meeting, which previously had announced its intention to demolish the house.

The local preservation group will pay $25,000 for the house, according to Gloria Halstead, the organizations president. A closing date has not yet been set.

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This house was part of the Underground Railroad, which makes it very significant, Halstead said. Also, with its mortise and tenon construction, its handmade nails and hand-planked paneling, we think its an extremely important house. You just dont see properties like this every day.

According to Halstead, the High Point Preservation Society will purchase the house and then partner with Preservation North Carolina to market it statewide. The deed will include a preservation easement and a rehabilitation agreement prohibiting the new buyer from making any structural changes that would alter the houses historical and architectural integrity, she said.

Church officials are thrilled with this latest development.

Springfield Friends Meeting is delighted that the High Point Preservation Society will purchase the Allen Jay House and restore it with covenants to ensure that it remains a historic property, said Tom Terrell, a trustee and congregational leader at the church. Were grateful the house wont have to be demolished.

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The sale represents an about-face for the congregation, which this past summer made the difficult decision to demolish the house. The structure had sustained significant damage in a July 2023 fire, and the insurance proceeds were not enough to make restoring the house financially feasible, Terrell explained.

It was complicated, he said. We were going to lose insurance coverage for all of our properties because of the Allen Jay House, and we could not be without insurance. We were forced to make a decision very quickly so we wouldnt lose our insurance on everything.

Following the announcement about the houses demolition, church officials were approached by Halstead and Benjamin Briggs, former head of the High Point Preservation Society and now president and CEO of Preservation North Carolina. According to Halstead, they presented three potential options for saving the house:

 Preservation North Carolina would market the house through its Endangered Properties Program.

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 The High Point Preservation Society would buy the house with money from its revolving fund.

 Briggs and Halstead would seek enough donations to restore the house, allowing the church to retain the deed.

Church officials chose the second option.

Springfield Friends will get their money right away, Halstead said, and then were hoping someone will step forward to purchase the house and restore it.

Although the house is not listed on the National Register of Historic Places, theres plenty of rich history associated with the building, which stands on East Springfield Road across from the church.

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Most significantly, perhaps, church officials believe the house was a stop on the Underground Railroad before the Civil War. A small, hidden room in the attic is believed to have housed runaway slaves trying to gain their freedom.

The house is named for Allen Jay, a prominent Quaker farmer and minister who lived there with his wife, Martha, for about a decade after the war. Representing the Baltimore Association, he was instrumental in helping to rebuild schools that had been destroyed during the war or taken over by the military.

Jtomlin@hpenews.com | 336-888-3579
WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR)  President Joe Biden announced another round of student loan relief on Friday as his time in office winds down.

The White House said another 55,000 public service workers will see relief through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program.

From Day One of my Administration, I promised to make sure that higher education is a ticket to the middle class, not a barrier to opportunity. Because of our actions, millions of people across the country now have the breathing room to start businesses, save for retirement, and pursue life plans they had put on hold because of the burden of student loan debt, President Biden said in a statement.

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The PSLF program provides relief for teachers, nurses, law enforcement and other public service workers after 10 years in government or nonprofit jobs.

Under the Biden-Harris administration more than one million public service workers have received student debt relief, more than all other administrations combined since the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program was first established by Congress in 2007, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

Fridays announcement of $4.28 billion in student debt relief is expected to be the final round of public service loan forgiveness before Biden leaves office next month.

The Department of Education said Biden has forgiven a sweeping $180 billion in federal student loans for nearly five million people throughout his presidency. This comes despite the Supreme Court striking down his plan to provide widespread student loan relief.

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The White House is reportedly pulling back unfinished rules before the next administration takes office, including plans related to student loan forgiveness.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Multiple dogs in Boston mauled a grandmother on Thursday afternoon.

The victims family tells Boston 25 News that shes recovering in the hospital with serious injuries.

A woman who didnt want to be identified says her mothers coworker, Rosalia, was the person who the dogs attacked at a home on Brunswick Street in in the citys Dorchester neighborhood.

The two women work as home aids and Rosalia had been there before.

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But today was different, they just attacked her as soon as they saw her, said Rosalias friend. My mom was walking off to get out of the situation, she ran away asking for help  she tried to help her, but she knew if she jumped on them they would have hurt her too.

Rosalias family tells Boston 25 News she has serious injuries to her leg and may need surgery after this dog attack.

Police say she needed a tourniquet on the scene.

Boston 25 News crews saw at least four dogs still on the property Thursday night.

Police told the victims family they believe a pit bull was mostly responsible for the attack.

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Police are investigating the incident along with Animal Control while friends and family of this mother and grandmother are praying for her recovery.

My mom too, shes pretty traumatized from the issues shes just been crying since so its really hard for us, said the victims friend.

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LAWRENCEBURG, Ky. (FOX 56)  A Kentucky priest has fully paid the funeral expenses for an Anderson County student who died in a crash on Monday.

On Tuesday, Anderson County High School (ACHS) wrote on social media that it was mourning the loss of Colton Fridh, 16, who was killed in the crash.

Woodford County High School holds ribbon-cutting ceremony for new building

Father Jim Sichko of the Missionary of Mercy told FOX 56 on Thursday that he had paid for Coltons funeral.

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According to his obituary, a private service will be held for Coltons family with a burial at Grove Hill Cemetery.

Read more of the latest Kentucky news

ACHS staff announced on Wednesday that the school will continue to have grief counselors available for those who need them.

Coltons family made a GoFundMe to honor his memory. Donations can be made here.

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The Duke of York boasted of obtaining an account with a Chinese state-owned bank more than 15 years ago, The Telegraph can disclose.

A leaked email shows Prince Andrew was given preferential treatment, giving him the opportunity to open an account with the Bank of China in 2008.

The Telegraph understands the account was based in China, and would have enabled the Duke of York to receive payments for business deals without the scrutiny of UK authorities.

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The discovery of the bank account will put the Duke under intense pressure to disclose in full his business dealings in China amid a spying scandal that has shredded what remained of his reputation.

His close confidant Yang Tengbo, also known as Chris Yang, is suspected of being a Chinese spy who has been banned from Britain as a threat to national security. Mr Yang, who denies all wrongdoing, was a founding member of Pitch@Palace in China, a money-making business venture set up with the Duke in 2016.

However, the leaked email shows the Duke planning to open an account in China eight years earlier, suggesting his business deals in the country are more extensive than previously thought.

In the email, sent on Jan 12, 2008, to a British financier, the Duke wrote: Just thought youd like to know that I have been allowed to have a bank account in The Bank of China. I dont know all the details yet but it seems to be happening.

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Normally you have to present yourself in person but they will make an exception for me.

Might be useful Thats all for now.

The email was signed off The Duke of York and sent from his BlackBerry phone.

A second leaked document  a diplomatic cable marked unclassified and sensitive written in April 2010 by Sir Sebastian Wood, the UKs ambassador to China  also reveals the Dukes determination to frequently make trips to China. The briefing note was written following a trip made by the Duke to Beijing in spring 2010 with plans for another visit in the autumn.

Sir Sebastian wrote: The Duke returns to China for a longer visit in September. I have emailed the department separately in support of his wish to visit China annually.

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The Telegraph understands that intelligence agencies in the UK have been scrutinising the alleged money trail linking Mr Yang to the United Front Work Department, an arm of the Chinese Communist Party that is deployed by President Xis regime to buy influence and gain strategic advantage overseas.

The Duke is under intense pressure to disclose in full his business dealings in China - Reuters/Toby Melville

It is also likely to be looking at any payments made to the Duke, who has been struggling for cash since being exiled from the Royal family in the aftermath of his friendship with the financier Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted paedophile.

In October 2007, three months before he was granted the account, the Duke travelled to China in an official capacity, undertaking public engagements as the UKs then-trade envoy.

On the trip, he attended a dinner in Shanghai hosted by the Bank of China and the Royal Bank of Scotland at the Jean-Georges Restaurant.

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A day later on Oct 6, the Duke visited the Bank of Chinas offices on the 29th floor of the Bank of China Tower in Pudong, a district of Shanghai, where he was given a briefing by the banks bosses. The Bank of China is the worlds fourth-largest bank with global assets worth an estimated $4.5 trillion.

The proximity of that meeting to the email sent a few months later suggests that the Duke may have been given access to a Chinese bank account as a direct consequence of duties performed under his official role as trade envoy, tasked with promoting British exports abroad.

Looking for ways into the establishment

Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former Conservative party leader whose repeated criticism of China prompted Beijing to impose sanctions on him, said it was now important for the British intelligence services to scrutinise whom the Duke had been associating with in China.

Sir Iain, Tory MP for Chingford and Woodford Green, said: When it comes to the Royal family, the Government has to take an interest in what they are doing. The advice going to members of the royals should always be very clear.

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China, Russia and Iran are always looking for ways into the political establishment.

What Im concerned about is what weve learned in the last week is that the security services didnt seem to take any interest in what Prince Andrew was doing, in terms of whom he mixed with, and I think thats a major problem.

One expert, with experience of doing business in China, said: One reason you might want a bank account is if you were investing directly in Chinese businesses or getting payments from China.

If this was essentially a domestic bank account allowing them to hold renminbi [or yuan the Chinese currency], that would tend to suggest either that person is receiving payments from a Chinese business or that they were moving money into a Chinese business.

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The Duke of York was approached for comment but did not respond.

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Prince William and Kate Middleton faced an unimaginable year with her cancer battle, but there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel now. With a strong prognosis toward good health, the Prince of Wales is reportedly ready to sweep his bride off her feet with a romantic gesture.

William has reportedly set the wheels in motion to treat Kate to a surprise holiday after such a hard year, according to Closer Weekly, via GB News. The last year has left them closer than ever. The foundations of their marriage are impregnable, and the hardship of this year has brought making time for one another so very, very important, an insider divulged. William is ever the romantic  Kate values their alone time, nothing is more special than having her prince to herself.

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Catherine, Princess of Wales and Prince William, Prince of Wales attend the Ceremonial Welcome, at Horse Guards Parade, for the The Amir of the State of Qatar on day one of his State Visit to the United Kingdom on December 3, 2024 in London, England.

The romantic getaway might also include a ceremony to reaffirm their wedding vows in a private blessing. The plans might include a spot that is close to their hearts like Africa and the wildlife reserves. The insider added, To have their wedding blessed there after 14 years would be really special.

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The duo formed a deeper connection during Kates chemotherapy treatment as Willam stepped up to take on more household duties. Kate would never discuss this publicly, but she finds that the strength William displayed throughout her ordeal has made him more attractive, irresistible even, a Life & Style source claimed in early December. It definitely helped them find their spark again.

The couples heat was on full display in the September video they released, updating royal fans on Kates health. She had completed her treatment and was looking forward to the future, which included plenty of unexpected PDA from William and Kate  it was pretty steamy from the usually conservative couple. Of course, not everyone was thrilled by their handsy approach.

I can assure you that Charles and Camilla will not be filmed kissing each other on a beach [as William and Catherine were] until hell freezes over. Its distinctly un-regal, sniffed one royal critic to the Daily Mail. But it doesnt matter to Kate and William because their marriage is stronger after such a scary situation. It will also likely change the focus of their future as they start the early preparations for life on the throne.

Before you go, click here to see more photos of Prince William & Kate Middleton through the years.

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At the annual pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace today, one little royal made her first public appearance with the rest of the family: Princess Beatrice's daughter, Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi.

Sienna, the daughter of Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi was born in September 2021 and named after her great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth. She has never appeared publicly with the royals before today, and her parents have not shared any pictures of her publicly, but leaving the Christmas lunch, the three-year-old was photographed in the backseat of the car:



Aaron Chown - PA Images - Getty Images

Her older half-brother, Christopher Woolf (known as "Wolfie")Edo's son from a previously relationshipalso joined the royals for the Christmas lunch. He can be seen here in the backseat:

Aaron Chown - PA Images - Getty Images

Recently, Princess Beatrice and Edo announced that Sienna would soon be a big sister, sharing in October that they were expecting their second child together. "Both families are delighted with the news," Buckingham Palace wrote. Sienna, Queen Elizabeth's youngest great-granddaughter, follows her mom in the British line of succession: Beatrice is ninth, and Sienna is 10th.

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Sienna is the also the first granddaughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York. After Beatrice publicly shared the news of her pregnancy, Fergie wrote, "Darling Beatrice, words cant quite express the joy and excitement I feel as you and Edo prepare to welcome another precious addition to your beautiful family. Becoming a granny again fills my heart with so much happiness and gratitude. Watching you grow as a mother has been one of the greatest privileges of my life, and now to see your family blossom further is an absolute blessing."

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Prison governors have spurned the formality of being addressed as Sir, Miss or Maam and told inmates they can call them by their first names.

The informal approach adopted by some governors has surprised but also been welcomed by hardened criminals, who claim it represents a huge step to making prisons less dehumanising.

There is no Ministry of Justice (MoJ) guidance on how governors should be addressed although ministers have in the past drawn a line on jails doing away with the use of words such as offender for fear of stereotyping inmates.

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However, increasing numbers are adopting the informal approach even if some traditional prisons stick with the convention that staff address each other by their surnames and the governor is known simply as The Governor.

The trend was highlighted by a prisoner, who wrote to the prison newspaper Inside Time, to say that, after years serving time in every type of jail including the high-security estate and having seen fads come and go with little effect, he had turned up at HMP Bedford to experience something I had never seen before.

Whilst talking to a governor, she, after introducing herself, told me to call her by first name. Here a prison governor was comfortable on a first-name basis. I was taken aback, and addressed her as Miss, said the prisoner who used the pseudonym V Lynch.

As a long-term prisoner, I wouldnt have dreamed of calling a governor anything but Sir, Miss, or Maam, nor would anything less have been tolerated. However, later on that week, in a wing community meeting attended by two governors, they each introduced themselves and insisted we call them by their first names.

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When I enquired about this, the governor said: Were trying to move away from the old prison service where we used last names. We want to build a community here.

Ronnie Barker, Fulton Mackay and Richard Beckinsale star in prison sitcom Porridge - PA

More informal approaches to prison life have, in the past, proved controversial. One governor sparked a backlash from staff when she banned the use of the offenders or inmates because it defines them.

In 2022, the prison service banned jails from referring to prisoners as residents or to cells as rooms. Dominic Raab, the then-justice secretary, had ordered the crackdown because he regarded such terms as woke and politically correct.

However, the Inside Time prisoner said: Calling staff and prisoners by their first names may seem inconsequential, but in fact it is a huge step.

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For over 150 years the norm was to use last names, in effect similar to militarisation. This change humanises staff and prisoners, creating an equal basis for dialogue and interaction, as well as mimicking society at large.

This is a welcome change and is real evidence of implementing a culture of rehabilitation. And if it keeps it up, I have no doubt that in time HMP Bedford may, to say the least, have a few things to teach other prisons.

Carl Davies, vice president of the Prison Governors Association (PGA), said some prisons were steeped in culture and tradition, where even prison officers referred to each other by surnames, and governors were addressed as such.

However, the way people addressed each other in prison was pretty much down to the governor. Personally, I hold a view that its more about how you interact with a person, than what you call them, Mr Davies told Inside Time.

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In the 33 years I have worked in the Prison Service, I have been called many things, including Mr Davies, Carl, gov, boss, and many other things not suitable for publication.

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When a student carried out a shooting at Abundant Life Christian School this week, there was no school resource officer on site. And when six people were killed last year at another private Christian school in Nashville, there wasnt one either.

While school resource officers are not the only way to secure a school, and best practices to keep students safe on campus are similar among all schools in the United States, experts told CNN it can be challenging for some private schools to cover their security costs.

Rarely do we see a circumstance where a private school is able to house a school resource officer and thats for a variety of reasons. Its something the private school would have to self-fund, said Mo Canady, executive director of the National Association of School Resource Officers, a nonprofit group of school-based security professionals.

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Nearly 5 million students attended more than 29,000 private schools in the 2021-2022 school year, according to data compiled by the National Center for Education Statistics.

Private schools function outside the local jurisdiction and for the most part, they dont receive public funds outside the taxpayer dollars that some states have made available to help some students attend private schools  a trend that has grown in recent years.

Abundant Life Christian School  the small, private school in Madison, Wisconsin, where two people were killed Monday and six others were injured  has several security measures in place, and has received training and a grant from the Wisconsin Department of Justices Office of School Safety, said Barbara Wiers, the schools director of elementary & school relations.

We do not have metal detectors, but we do have a number of security protocols in place, Wiers said in a news briefing earlier this week.

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The students are aware that there are cameras in the building, and we do monitor those regularly in the offices so that we know what is happening in the hallways, Wiers added.

Like at Abundant Life Christian School, no public schools in Madison have school resource officers. In 2020, the Madison School Board voted to remove them from its schools, who were city police officers, said Stephanie Fyer, a Madison Metropolitan Police Department spokeswoman.

The move came after social justice groups and students advocated for years to have police free schools, citing the potential for the criminalization of students of color. Madison joined cities like Minneapolis and Portland, which severed ties with local law enforcement or reduced the presence of officers in schools in the wake of George Floyds murder.

But other places across the US have instead pushed for more school resource officers at both public and private schools, usually after high-profile school shootings.

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Last year, the deadly shooting that took the lives of three children and three adults at The Covenant School, a private Christian elementary school in Nashville, renewed the debate over how to best protect students and led to the approval of millions in state funds to support both Tennessee public and private schools.

Students from The Covenant School held hands as they were escorted by police to a reunification site after last year's mass shooting at the school in Nashville, Tennessee. - Mark Zaleski/USA Today Network/Reuters

Those funds included $140 million to employ one full-time, armed school resource officer at every public school in the state, $14 million to private schools to enhance security, and a pilot grant for public charter, private and church-related schools to purchase mobile panic alert systems.

In a report released this month, the Tennessee Department of Education said all funds to non-public schools were allocated to 346 institutions in the state. The top four categories describing how the funds are being utilized are access control, surveillance, window film, and communications equipment, the report said.

Months after the Nashville shooting, police in Collegedale - located about 150 miles southeast  hired the departments first school resource officer and assigned them to a K-12 Christian private school.

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Since announcing the creation of this position Ive received countless phone calls from agencies across the state wanting to know how they could follow our example in creating a school resource officer position for their private schools, Collegedale Police Chief Jack Sapp said in a statement.

In New York City, lawmakers have been discussing a proposal that would allow small private schools to be reimbursed by the city for the cost of security guard services.

It doesnt matter what type of school their kids attend, public or private, every New York City parent deserves the peace of mind that comes with knowing their children are safe while in school. Thats non-negotiable. My bill will make this happen, Councilmember Justin Brannan, the bills sponsor, wrote in a post in X.

Canady, the executive director of the National Association of School Resource Officers, said private schools employ off-duty law enforcement officers contrary to public schools, where the officers main job assignment is the school.

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If you will, an officer who works at night may go and work at a private school during the day because it would be an off-duty assignment, Canady said.

In addition to the funding challenges, private schools may also be impacted by the ongoing nationwide recruiting crisis for law enforcement.

A lot of agencies are already short in terms of having the number of officers they need to properly protect the community and now a private school is going to be competing against that, Canady said.

Guy Grace, chairman of Partner Alliance for Safer Schools, suggested private school officials focus on measures that wont cost money but are highly effective in making students safe.

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Its giving the appropriate training to the staff and the students on how to deal with those situations, simple things like how to lock doors, what to do if there is an attack on our facility, what to do if theres a tornado or a weather emergency, Grace said.

Even if schools invest in costly security measures, like technology or security guards, Grace said not having basic processes in place could make them lose out.

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Lengthy negotiations on an agreement for a ceasefire in Gaza after 14 months of war between Israel and Hamas are in a final phase, according to Egyptian security circles.

A deal that should also lead to the release of Hamas-held hostages from the Gaza Strip could be reached within 10 days, sources in Cairo familiar with the negotiations said on Thursday. Progress has been made on all outstanding issues, they added.

An Egyptian delegation travelled to Qatar's capital Doha in the morning to meet representatives from Israel and the United States for talks.

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The US, Egypt and Qatar are mediating between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas militia, which are not negotiating directly with each other. The aim is to agree to a ceasefire and the release of the hostages still being held in Gaza.

The round of talks in Doha will focus on the role of international institutions that are to monitor the implementation of the envisaged agreement, according to security sources.

A ceasefire would initially last 60 days, with Israeli soldiers remaining stationed in some areas of the Gaza Strip. The hostages kidnapped from Israel will be released in stages, the sources added.

Israeli media previously reported that sticking points include which Palestinian prisoners would be released from Israeli prisons in return for the hostages kidnapped from Israel during the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

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According to Israeli reports, some prisoners who have committed serious offences are to be held in countries such as Turkey or Qatar.

At least 15 killed in Israeli strikes

At least 15 people have been killed by Israeli airstrikes on two former schools housing displaced people in northern Gaza, the civil defence force in the coastal strip reported on Thursday.

The Israeli military said on Telegram that the former schools were now used as command and control centres by the Islamist Hamas militia to plan terrorist attacks. It said it had deliberately attacked the buildings.

It added that it had taken numerous measures before the attacks to reduce the risk to civilians.

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The statements from both sides could not be independently verified.

According to Palestinian figures from Thursday, more than 45,100 people have been killed in Gaza since the beginning of the conflict. The figures do not distinguish between militants and civilians.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV)  New York State is considering a ground piece of codifications requiring all newly built homes to install fire sprinklers.

Fire experts claim that this proposal is for safety measures, while local contractors argue that this could place an additional financial hardship on your wallet.

In a matter of minutes, house fires can turn deadly.

According to the Firefighters Association of the State of New York, this year 118 people became victims of deadly house fires. Ten percent of these victims live in the Greater Syracuse Area.

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John DAlessandro, Secretary of the Firefighters Association of the State of New York, says the solution is beyond smoke detectors the solution is sprinklers.

Fires can double in less than a minute. So you can imagine in the middle of the night a fire occurs in a residential structure how chaotic it is and how every second counts. Smoke detectors and sprinklers will give these people the needed extra seconds, said DAlessandro.

If embedded in NYS code regulation, these sprinklers will work like the ones that you see in schools  but in-home sprinklers will be scaled down. They will work similarly to commercial sprinklers only releasing water when they sense high heat above 100 degrees

The systems are designed for your specific residence. You know the way theyre set to go off, where the sprinkler heads are placed and thats why its hard to hit a definitive cost because theres a whole lot of things, stated DAlessandro.

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Dave Martin, President of Martin Custom Homes, disagrees with this effort voicing that this could hurt residents financially. Working on a home back in 2021, he claimed that the cost is fairly stiff.

I was told that the 2400 square foot house that we did in Baldwinsville for the parade would now cost in the range of 20 to 25 thousand dollars not including all the extras like water laterals, stated Martin.

After voicing these concerns to DAlessandro, he expressed that not all sprinklers have to be costly and that they vary in cost based on your home layout. Most sprinklers range only a couple of thousand dollars, reminding us with a 30-year mortgage thats only a few pennies per month.

Its an investment in protecting your family. So you have to decide what is a life worth, stated DAlessandro.

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA)  A new bill introduced in the 2025 Arkansas legislative session, House Bill 1071, seeks to update the states publicity rights law to address the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

If passed, House Bill 1071 will update the Frank Broyles Publicity Rights Protection Act to ensure that Arkansans are protected from unauthorized commercial use of their image, voice or likeness through AI technology.

Key changes in the bill include:

Expanded definition of likeness

The bill updates the law to include AI-generated images of a persons likeness. This means that digital creations or AI-generated avatars that mimic someones appearance would fall under the same protections as traditional photographs.

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Proposed Arkansas bill shields firearms dealers holding guns for others

Including AI in the definition of photograph

The bill also broadens the definition of photograph to cover AI-created images, such as 3D renders or video simulations, alongside traditional photos and videos. This ensures AI-generated content is treated the same as a photograph when it comes to publicity rights.

New protection for voice

A new definition of voice is added, which includes not only someones actual voice but also AI-generated simulations of their voice. This expands protections to cover digital recreations of someones speech.

Proposed bill targets violent behavior in Arkansas classrooms

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Clarification for service providers

The bill makes it clearer that service providers, like social media platforms, wont be held responsible if they dont know that content featuring someones likeness or voice violates their rights.

HB1071 was introduced by Rep. R. Scott Richardson and Senator Joshua Bryant.

Bill filing for the 2025 legislative session began on Nov. 20. The session will begin on Jan. 13, 2025.

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The prosecution in the Karen Read murder case has turned over four pieces of evidence to the 44-year-old Mansfield womans lawyers, according to a new court filing.

In Norfolk Superior Court notice of discovery filing dated Dec. 20, 2024, special prosecutor Hank Brennan stated, Now comes the Commonwealth in the above-caption matter and indicates that of this date, the following discovery and materials have been provided to the defendant through defense counsel.

Brennan indicated in the filing that a two-page MSP report, a copy of Lt. Brian Tullys notes associated with that report, identification documents of Chloe, and a four-page copy of a digital forensics analysis report of Jessica Hyde.

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Tully testified during Reads first trial and was later the subject of an internal investigation related to the murder case this past summer. Chloe was the name of the dog that lived with the Albert family. Hyde testified for the prosecution in Reads first trial, telling the court that a 2:27 a.m. Google search timestamp did not mean a search occurred.

New filing in the Karen Read case from the prosecution.

Special Prosecutor Hank Brennan says he turned over 4 items to defense.



1. 2 page State Police report

2. Lt. Tully's notes associated with that report

3. "Identification documents of Chloe" (Albert's had a dog named pic.twitter.com/buUYZG6kZC  Ted Daniel (@TedDanielnews) December 20, 2024

Brennans court filing only indicates that the items have been turned over to the defense. The actual documents in question didnt get published.

In a one-page Norfolk Superior Court filing obtained by Boston 25 News on Wednesday, Brennan asked Judge Beverly Cannone to establish a protective order restricting the public dissemination of all communications that the prosecution shared with Reads legal team on Nov. 26, 2024.

This order is necessary to effectuate the well-established privacy and safety interests of witnesses and the victims family, the prosecution stated in the filing. Furthermore, certain materials being provided as discovery in this case may be evidence in an unrelated pending criminal case.

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The filing didnt offer any specific details on the other criminal case mentioned in the filing and Reads lawyers didnt oppose the prosecutions request.

Read is accused of hitting her Boston police officer boyfriend John OKeefe with her Lexus SUV in January 2022 and leaving him to die in a snowstorm in Canton after a night of drinking.

The defense has sought to portray Read as the victim, saying OKeefe was actually killed inside fellow police officer Brian Alberts home and then dragged outside and left for dead.

Earlier this month, Cannone approved a motion from both the prosecution and defense to push the start of Reads second murder trial back three months from January to April 2025.

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The prosecution and defense have said that delaying the retrial would create a more efficient presentation of evidence.

Days after Reads first trial ended with a hung jury and a mistrial, Cannone scheduled Reads retrial for Jan. 27, 2025.

The SJC is currently determining if jurors who sat through Reads first trial will be questioned about their deliberations. The SJC will issue a written decision that could take months before it is published.

Reads lawyers have been fighting to dismiss her second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a deadly crash charge for double jeopardy reasons after multiple jurors told them that the jury agreed to acquit on those counts. Double jeopardy is a legal protection that prohibits anyone from being prosecuted twice for the same crime.

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The Office of Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey opposes Reads bid to get the charges dropped and argues that Cannone was correct when she ruled all of Reads charges should remain for her retrial.

Cannone also recently denied Brennans request for phone records from Reads parents.

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If you or someone you know are in crisis, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline can be reached anytime by calling 988.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD)  The family of a mentally ill man shot and killed by Grand Rapids police last month are questioning Fridays ruling that the shooting was justifiable.

A file booking image of Henry Wymer.

I am not OK with it. My mom is not OK with it, said Naomi Wymer, whose brother, Henry Hank Wymer, was shot and killed on Nov. 8 outside Trinity Health in Grand Rapids. I think that based on the phone calls on what he was doing, pacing around and waving a gun-like object, made it clear that he was in a mental health crisis, so its really strange to me that they didnt send some kind of crisis team, that they didnt ask him any questions, that they just literally said, Drop it, over and over when he said, Shoot me.'

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Man with apparent gun shot by officers, killed near Trinity Health in Grand Rapids

Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker ruled that the three Grand Rapids officers would not face charges in the shooting.

Becker held a press conference Friday morning to discuss the ruling.

Officers responded to a call about a man seen brandishing an apparent gun in the middle of the road. In footage released by GRPD, officers are heard telling the man to drop the gun multiple times.

Hes pointing the gun at me, one officer is heard saying in the dashboard camera video.

Three officers ultimately fired at him, GRPD says. Wymer was taken to the hospital, where he died.

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The interaction lasted a little more than a minute.

Man shot and killed by GRPD had long mental illness history

Michigan State Police investigated the shooting and the three officers were placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure.

GRPD later said the gun Wymer was holding was actually a gun-shaped object. Becker on Friday said the object he was holding was a Clickit lighter that resembled a gun.

The Clickit lighter that resembles a gun that 38-year-old Henry Wymer had when he was shot by officers on Nov. 8 outside Trinity Health in Grand Rapids.

During the press conference, Becker walked reporters through some of the footage from GRPD.

The officers who shot at Wymer were not the ones he was pointing the apparent gun at, but three different officers who were on the other side of the scene, Becker said.

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They shot right after an officer said, Hes pointing the gun at me, Becker said.

People have a right to use deadly force in the defense of others, Becker said. It doesnt matter that the people who actually were maybe in the danger  as the person perceived it  didnt fire. You still have a right to use immediately deadly force when you perceive that it may be necessary to protect the lives of others, and thats what these three officers were doing. They thought their fellow officer (was) in danger. . One of the officers said, Hes pointing the gun at me. And so they reacted at that point in time.

A still image taken from Grand Rapids Police Department dashboard camera video shows Henry Wymer pointing what appeared to be a gun at officers before they shot and killed him on Nov. 8, 2024.

He was shot seven times, Becker said. He was killed by shots to his torso, and he was also shot in the leg.

Court records show Wymer had last listed an address at Mel Trotter Ministries, a Grand Rapids homeless shelter about four blocks from where he died.

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Before that, records show, he had been homeless in Holland, where family said he was raised.

Kent and Ottawa county probate court records show Wymer suffered with mental illness most, if not all, of his adult life.

He had been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, acute psychosis, suffered hallucinations and had tried repeatedly to die by suicide, usually with pills.

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Becker said Wymer had been released from Trinity Health earlier in the day, and that he had spoken about so-called suicide by cop.

Police changing response to suicide by cop calls

He was carrying a last will and testament he had written with a pen borrowed from a McDonalds, Becker said.

Security footage from a McDonalds on West Fulton Street earlier that day shows Wymer coming in and eating a meal.

I ate at McDonalds and asked to use this pen. I could not find witnesses but I am medicated and this is what I want to happen, Wymer wrote in the last will and testament.

He said Wymer also had a hand-written note on him that said, I really cant be violent.

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Something clearly was going through his mind leading up to him being out in front of Trinity when he was, Becker said. But I dont know well ever be able to, no one will ever know for sure why this happened.

Grand Rapids police said they had interacted with him several times over the previous month and tried to get him help.

Expert suggests GRPD officers had time to de-escalate before shooting

Wymers sister, Naomi Wymer, said her brother was more than the mental illness that was tormenting him. She said 150 people attended his funeral.

Hank was so loved and he was hilarious, he was hyper intelligent, he was so much more than what has been said about him, for sure, she said.

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The police said they found another note, written by Wymer in crayon: Sorry, GRPD. Thank you for caring and watching out for me.

Police say when Henry Hank Wymer was shot and killed by GRPD in November, he had a note on him, written in crayon, that said: Sorry, GRPD. Thank you for caring and watching out for me. (Courtesy)

He did care about the police department, his sister said. He cared about GRPD. He knew that they did try to help him before, and I think he just wanted them to not feel bad because he knew they would kill him.

He was just a good guy and I think it was his way of saying he was sorry for doing this.

GRPD told News 8 the three officers are back to full duty. The department is following its standard protocol, which includes access to counseling, peer support and other resources.

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We extend our sympathy to Mr. Wymers family, especially at this time of year when losses are more deeply felt, GRPD Chief Eric Winstrom said in a statement.

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NORTH ALABAMA, (WHNT)  This holiday season, packages will flood doorsteps nationwide, and unfortunately, porch pirates are looking for opportunities to swipe them.

$18 billion worth of merchandise was stolen from folks home last year, said Karen Reeves.

Huntsville City Council revokes business license of popular restaurant

This is an alarming number of brazen thieves known as porch pirates.

When you get a delivery at your home, somebody comes by, maybe theyve been kind of scoping out the neighborhood, watching, and then they all grab those packages from your front porch, said Reeves.

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Captain Terrell Cook with the Madison Police Department said package theft increases around the holidays, so there are a few things you should keep when ordering online.

If youre going to be away and theres a package thats left on your front door, let your neighbor know youre expecting something to have them go and get it and hold it in their house until you get back, he said.

Held at gunpoint and hogtied: MCSO deputies searching for man after vehicle left scene of multiple wrecks

The Madison Police Department said that package theft is a serious crime, and if they catch you, they will put you in jail.

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It depends on the value of the item and a lot of times thieves dont know whats in the box, he said. So the higher the value of the item, the more punishment theyre going to potentially face in the court system.

Karen Reeves is the President of the Better Business Bureau of North Alabama, she recommended turning on tracking notifications.

While getting shipped right to your door is convenient, there are safer options worth checking out.

I know theres a lot of the online vendors have a lot of different options as far as delivering it to a secure location that you go and pick it up from a box, said Cook.

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Doorbell footage or security cameras may not stop the crime, but they do help law enforcement to track down the thief.

Yeah, it is a serious crime and if you steal something out of mailboxes, you could potentially be facing federal charges as well, said Cook.

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Nearly 200 protesters, including Amazon workers, have begun what they call the biggest-ever strike against the popular digital retailer.

With the help of the Teamsters Union, the demonstration in Maspeth, Queens, began on Thursday, December 19th, 2024 calling for better benefits, more money, and job security. Two arrests have been made so far for disorderly conduct.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he strongly encouraged the employer and the workers to come to a fair and reasonable agreement on economic terms.

How the strike will affect Amazon deliveries before the busy holiday season remains unknown.
PROVIDENCE R.I. (WPRI)  In Providence, firefighters provided some support for several families who lost their homes on Elmwood Avenue last week.

Members of the Local 799 Firefighters Union wanted to restore some of the items they lost. They got together with the families on Thursday to give them gifts and money.

9 displaced after fire destroys Providence apartment building

Union President Ernest Sprague said sometimes what the firefighters see on the job makes them want to do something extra.

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We feel like we definitely, as servants of the community, that we have an obligation to really do whatever we can even beyond whatever their call for service is, to do what we can to show them that were supporting them regardless, whether they are calling for our help or not, he said.

Nine people were forced from their homes.

The firefighters said they organized this event because they wanted to extend compassion to those families.

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Solar panels in Damariscotta, Maine. (Photo by Evan Houk/ Maine Morning Star)

Meeting ambitious clean energy goals is possible, according to a new state report, but some strategies for doing so could be more cost-effective and reliable than others.

The Governors Energy Office drafted a Pathways to 2040 plan outlining how the state can achieve 100% clean energy by 2040 by electrifying two areas with significant greenhouse gas emissions: transportation and heating. The roadmap also tests certain supply and demand variables to see how they would affect costs and reliability.

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Similar to the states updated climate action plan, key components to meeting the clean energy goal Gov. Janet Mills set in 2023 are electric vehicles and high efficiency heat pumps. But swapping in those technologies will increase the demand for electricity, so the clean energy plan said it is essential to decarbonize the electricity supply.

Most of Maines clean electricity needs in 2040 can be met with the states current and planned renewable energy resources, including the three gigawatts of offshore wind the state is committed to seeing developed in the Gulf of Maine also by 2040.

The public can provide feedback on the draft plan until Dec. 30. A final version of the report is due to the governor and Legislature by Jan. 15.

(Image via Governors Energy Office drafted a  Pathways to 2040  plan. )

How to get to 100% clean energy by 2040

The main pathway outlined in the plan relies on electrifying much of the transportation and heating needs in the state.

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Such widespread electrification will double power demand with a new winter peak that is three times that of the current summer peak, according to the report. But the plan outlines a way to meet those demands with mostly renewable sources  wind and solar  and a decreased reliance on fossil fuels.

Transitioning away from oil and gas will take more than just increasing renewable generation, the report explains. It will need support from battery storage, some imported clean energy and infrequent use of combustion-based energy production accounting for less than 5% of total generation in New England. Clean fuels could also replace fossil fuels in hard to electrify sectors like air travel and steel production.

Maine will also need to expand its transmission system and add lines to connect new resources, the plan says. Since Maine is part of the electric grid utilized by the rest of New England, these enhancements will allow for more power to move across the grid and greater exchanges with neighboring states.

The cost of electricity will likely decrease over time with this approach, while greenhouse gas emissions are also projected to be 45% lower than they were in 1990 by 2030 and 80% lower in 2050.

Factors affecting cost, reliability

The plan also explores alternative pathways that are not complete deviations from the baseline proposal, but rather test certain variables of energy supply and demand.

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One alternative explores the role of keeping some non-renewable electricity sources in the portfolio. A pathway with 100% renewable electricity generation is possible, but would be more costly because it would require additional infrastructure than currently planned and storage capacity to ensure reliability.

Maine is the most heating oil-dependent state in the country. If the state adopted a more hybrid heating model that maintained some of that fuel usage, rather than complete electrification, there would be lower peak electric loads. While this could save electric system costs, it would be offset by the cost of purchasing and maintaining dual heating systems, as well as the cost of heating fuel.

Two of the alternative routes probe at the role of flexible load management, or adjusting the timing of electricity usage to periods with less demand to maintain balance with the available supply. The two scenarios show that flexible loads, especially electric vehicle charging, helps system reliability by managing demand.

Flexible loads also keep distribution peaks lower, which can avoid increased transmission and generation costs. Therefore, the report says these alternatives underscore the need to invest in load flexibility sooner rather than later to maximize long-term savings.

Comments must be submitted to geo@maine.gov no later than 5 p.m. on Monday, December 30, 2024.

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PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD)  A central Illinois police department has outgrown its old building, which means an all-new location is on the way.

East Peoria Police Department broke ground Friday on its new police station on Camp Street, right next to the Kroeschell building.

Drivers now have one-way across the new bridge in Peoria

Mayor John Kahl shared remarks on how the new building will keep residents safe.

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What I like to stress to the public is not just that this is important to the men and women serving to protect us every day, he said. This is a testament to the community we have here. We view public safety as a top priority, we take it very seriously.

The 38,000-square-foot project will cost $21.6 million dollars, with that money coming from city budget along with money provided to them from the loan taken out by Flaherty & Collins Properties to build the Bluetowne apartments in the Levee District.

Police Chief David Catton explained how the building will best serve the department

One of the things that was important to not only the city but our officers, because weve dealt with it for so many years, we never had any space to bring our community members into a police department, he said. We couldnt entertain, we couldnt have meetings, we couldnt have academies, we couldnt do nothing.

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Catton continued by saying, With the addition of this building and the addition of a community room, well be able to do that now.

The old police department was 6,000 square feet, 32,000 less than the new one.

Catton stressed the importance of location with the new station, citing the Levee District as a crucial part of their response time.

Our response time is going to be better, he said. Our location right now to our downtown levee district is super important to us. We wanted to stay in this downtown area, we wanted the public to see that were here and we wanted our retailers to know that were here, too. So being right across from the levee district is a huge step.

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Construction will begin in January, with completion expected to be in June 2026.

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When his Russian bosses and the mercenaries protecting them finally left, Homam Kasouha walked into the plants head office and did something he had yearned to do for years.

Lifting Vladimir Putins portrait off the wall, he placed it on the leatherette sofa and turned it around so he would no longer have to look at it.

Then, having done the same with the picture of Bashar al-Assad, Syrias fallen dictator, he went down the corridor, ripping down the adhesive Russian flags stuck to each door.

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Mr Kasouha disliked his Russian masters, less for political reasons  though there were those, too  than for what they had done to the fertiliser plant, once the biggest in the Middle East, where he had worked for 24 years.

The Russians, in the form of a company owned by one of Putins closest friends, Gennady Timchenko, the oligarch, had arrived in 2019 with grand promises to restore the plant to its former glory and a contractual obligation with the Syrian government to invest 160 million in doing so.

Homam Kasouha pictured in his office in Qattinah, Syria - Eduardo Soteras

Mr Kasouha removes portraits of Vladimir Putin and Bashar al-Assad from the wall of his companys head office - Eduardo Soteras

Instead, says Mr Kasouha, they engaged in five years of plunder, milking every cent they could until they ran the plant into the ground, stealing the last items of value as they fled just before Assads fall on Dec 8.

They promised to invest, but all they did was to extract, said Mr Kasouha, the plants deputy manager and head of accounts. They were here purely for themselves.

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The vast fertiliser plant in Qattinah to the southwest of the shattered city of Homs is the story in microcosm not just of Syrias flailing economy but also of how Russia ruthlessly exploited it and the huge challenges its new leaders will face in restoring its finances.

Russias military intervention in Syria in 2015 ensured the survival of the Assad regime for nine years, turning the tide of the rebellion.

But the price Putin exacted in exchange went well beyond the strategic naval and air bases his forces built on Syrias coast to give Russia access to the Mediterranean and allow it to resupply mercenary operations in Africa.

The factory was a joint venture between Stroytranzga and the Syrian state-owned General Fertiliser Company - Eduardo Soteras

Russia also seized control of Syrias enfeebled economy, in what its new leaders say was a vast asset-stripping exercise, in order to pay for the aerial bombardment that laid waste to swathes of the countrys urban landscape.

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Oil and gas contracts were awarded to businesses owned by the Kremlin-backed Wagner Group of Yevgeny Prigozhin, who died in 2023 when his plane fell out of the sky two months after he led a mercenary mutiny.

But control of Syrias more lucrative phosphates sector fell to Stroytransgaz Logistics, a company owned by Timchenko, an oligarch believed to be Russias sixth-richest man and who has been under Western sanctions since 2014.

Syria has among the worlds largest reserves of phosphates, a vital ingredient in fertiliser production, and Stroytransgaz secured the entire supply chain  from mines near the ancient city of Palmyra, to the plant at Qattinah and the port of Tartus.

Mr Kasouha and his colleague Jamel al-Abed, the plant manager, were present when the contract granting Stroytransgaz majority ownership of the Qattinah plant for 40 years was signed. The 170 million investment pledge was the cornerstone of the deal, they said, producing a copy of the agreement.

Mr Kasouha was present when the contract granting Stroytransgaz majority ownership of the Qattinah plant was signed - Eduardo Soteras

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As representatives of the state-owned General Fertiliser Company, the Syrian partner in the deal, they were aware of how much investment the plant needed. Built by the Soviet Union, Syrias main backer during the Cold War, in the late Sixties, it was now showing its age.

In 2011, just before the civil war forced the plant to close for five years, Mr Abed had managed to produce 500,000 tonnes of fertiliser  but that was well short of the plants 800,000-tonne capacity.

The two men hoped that Russian investment would allow the plant to become a much more vital cog in the economy, supporting not just Syrias farmers but also potentially bolstering its export economy, too.

Yet it swiftly became apparent that Russias main interest was extracting the phosphates and exporting them directly through the port at Tartous, next to Russias military base, where Stroytransgaz had a 49-year lease.

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The plant itself was allowed to rot. Not a single penny of the promised investment ever emerged. Worse, the Russians refused to pay anything to repair broken down machinery and equipment, preferring to cannibalise parts in order to keep production running.

The investment Russia promised never emerged - Eduardo Soteras

The only investment Mr Kasouha ever saw the company ever make was when they repainted the offices of the 50 Russian managers of the plant  a redecoration that was not extended to those of their Syrian colleagues.

Basic safety regulations were ignored, with the plants 1,500 workers forced to operate in hazardous conditions, employees said.

Output steadily declined, falling to a measly 60,000 tonnes last year. By February, production had ceased entirely.

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The plant has been reduced to forlorn and rusty decrepitude. So thick is the phosphate encrusted on the walls of the giant phosphoric acid facility that it has caused the walls to buckle and crumble.

New ways to steal

To make matters worse, Stroytransgaz had taken loans from state-owned banks and had more 100m in outstanding bills for natural gas  money their Syrian former colleagues suspect the Russians never intended to repay.

For the five years they were here, all they did was think of new ways to steal, said Mr Abed, the plant manager.

The Telegraph has approached Stroytransgaz for comment.

Aghast at what was happening to the firm he loved, Mr Kasouha would fret over his account books and try to remonstrate with his Russian colleagues. They were scornfully dismissive in response.

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The Russians were just stealing, but what made it worse was that we knew their theft was condoned and encouraged by our own government, he said. It left a bitter taste.

If we ever protested, they would say: Do you know who we are? We have direct contact with Assad. He always answers when Russians call.

As well he might. In recent days, fresh evidence has emerged providing a glimpse into how the former dictator collaborated with his Russian allies to plunder the wealth of his nation.

The Russian employees at the fertiliser company fled for Tartus at the beginning of December - Eduardo Soteras

Over a single two-year period, between 2018 and 2019, Assads central bank airlifted two tonnes of banknotes with a value of $250m to Moscow, the Financial Times reported last week.

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The money is believed to have been used to pay the Kremlin for its military support and to allow the former dictators relatives to buy assets in Russia. After he was toppled, Assad and his family fled to Moscow.

As the rebels of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) swept south on the offensive that would topple him, the Russian employees at the fertiliser company fled for Tartus on Dec 1, with the 60-odd mercenaries who guarded the plant following four days later.

Stroytransgazs Russian employees at the Port also fled, retreating behind the fortified walls and sandbags of the adjacent base, Syrian security staff at the port said.

Two of the three Russian warships at the naval base have sailed away from the base, while the third could be seen out at sea, patrolling the coastline.

Abu Hassan al-Khiar, a HTS representative, says he is working on resuming production at the factory - Eduardo Soteras

When the Russians left the fertiliser plant, Mr Kasouha said they emptied the safes and took everything of value with them, from laptops and cash to 30kg of platinum  used in the production of nitric acid  with a value of nearly 700,000.

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The company is now back in Syrian hands. Abu Hassan al-Khiar, an HTS representative at the site, says he is working with civil servants at the ministry of industry to ensure that salaries are paid this month and that plans are drawn up for the resumption of production.

The former owners of this facility, like the former owners of this country, operated solely for their own benefit rather than for the benefit of the Syrian people, he said. We will rebuild this plant like we will rebuild the economy.

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A New York City teen accused in a University of Bridgeport shooting that wounded a teenage victim and prompted an hourslong campus lockdown earlier this year turned himself in on Friday, authorities in Connecticut said.

Dylan Cruz-Tillery, 18, of Queens, was charged with first-degree assault and carrying a pistol without a permit in connection with a shooting inside the universitys Marina Dining Hall on Oct. 29.

The incident led to an immediate lockdown at the university with a large security and police response, officials said. The lockdown lasted from around 6 p.m. until the following morning.

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The male victim, whose identity hasnt been released, was treated at an area hospital for a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the arm.

The two young men, who knew each other but were not students at the school, reportedly got into a fight over a female.

This was a targeted shooting where Cruz-Tillery was familiar with the victim and had prior communication with him via social media, police said.

The shooting was an example of young individuals ability to obtain firearms and their inability to de-escalate or diffuse situations, Bridgeport Police Chief Roderick Porter said after the incident. Thats something that we not only as a community here in Bridgeport but as a country, we need to work on our young people better on how to de-escalate and diffuse their situations.

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Cruz-Tillery was previously identified as a person of interest in the shooting. Earlier this week, Bridgeport Police Capt. Kevin Gilleran said investigators had secured a warrant for his arrest. His bond was set at $250,000

Hes expected to be arraigned in Bridgeport Superior Court later on Friday.

With News Wire Services
Four candidates have declared their intention to compete for chair of the Democratic National Committee, but as the race heats up, an aggressively polite, exceedingly Midwestern cold war has broken out between factions backing the two state party chairs in the race: Ben Wikler of Wisconsin and Ken Martin of Minnesota.

To a casual observer, Wikler may look like the frontrunner in this race. He has scooped up endorsements from the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, MoveOn.org (where he worked before taking over WisDems), and the centrist Democratic organization Third Way, which extolled his virtues in a lengthy Politico op-ed. The New York Times Michelle Goldberg declared in a recent column, If Anyone Can Save the Democrats, Its Ben Wikler. And just last week, Wikler stopped by The Daily Show, where his appearance was praised by Pod Save America host Jon Favreau. Ive rarely seen Jon Stewart so impressed with a political guest (though I cant say Im surprised hes a Wikler fan  so many of us are), Favreau posted on X.

But DNC chair is a position voted on by 448 party insiders, roughly one-quarter of whom are state chairs and vice chairs. Among that group, Wiklers peers, the qualities that have made him a darling of the media  his prodigious fundraising ability, relationships with donors and celebrities, and messaging ability  have engendered resentments that could torpedo his bid to head the national party.

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In conversations with Rolling Stone, current or former state party chairs expressed frustration at the outsize attention and money Wikler has attracted relative to his record as chair, and they raised questions about whether, as chair of the national party, he would be able to stand up to the ultra-wealthy donors he has courted during his tenure helming the Wisconsin party. Wiklers relationship with billionaire LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman  who has previously sought to privatize state parties prized voter files  was of particular concern to several people. Hoffman, records show, has personally donated a little less than $9 million to the Democratic Party of Wisconsin since Wikler took over.

Wiklers chief rival is his neighbor Ken Martin, the longstanding chair of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. Since he took over in 2011, the DFL has never lost a statewide race, Democrats have gained full control of the state government twice, and advanced a slate of progressive policy priorities.

Among the half dozen current and former state party chairs whom Rolling Stone spoke with for this story, everyone agreed it was critical for the next DNC chair to have experience as a state party chair, and each praised Wikler and Martin as smart and capable. But where Martin, who heads the association of state party chairs, was universally complimented for the efforts he made to help fellow chairs, Wiklers peers described him as less than generous when it came to sharing contacts and other resources. (A representative for Wikler pointed out that assisting other chairs is part of Martins mandate in his role heading the Association of Democratic State Chairs, and insisted that Wikler makes efforts to share his contacts, but that it was ultimately up to the person in question if they will allow him to share their information with others.)

Simmering in the background of the fight between Wikler, Martin, and their proxies is the reality that the state parties have seen their power recede dramatically over the last 16 years, ever since Barack Obama created his own 50-state nonprofit apparatus, Organizing For America. Today, most parties main source of funding is a meager stipend from the DNC: between $12,000 to $15,000 to cover all of their operations every month. (Thats up from $2,500 a month a matter of years ago.) For most chairs, the work is hard, it is thankless, and the pay isnt just bad, but nonexistent  a completely volunteer position.

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Beyond the funding they receive from the national party, the parties have a single asset to their name: the voter file. Every candidate and campaign needs access to those files, which are maintained by the state parties. For years, Democratic donors including Hoffman have sought to privatize them. Doing so, chairs told Rolling Stone, would represent an extinction-level event for their already-beleaguered organizations.

In an interview, Wikler insisted that he would work to protect state parties ownership of those files. I believe unequivocally state parties should own the data, and that thats essential to their work, their ability to ensure that elected officials and Democratic candidates work with the state party in a coordinated campaign, and their voice within the broader democratic ecosystem, Wikler told Rolling Stone. I also know that, in the world as it is now, we need to raise a lot of funds to be able to defeat Republicans, and we need to do that in a way that doesnt compromise our values.

He added: There are a lot of significant donors and partners that start from a place of skepticism about whether state parties can make a meaningful difference, and Reid Hoffman, when I first started interacting with him at his team, he was pretty skeptical that the parties could be a vehicle to defeat [Donald] Trump and defeat Republicans. Ive made the case, over years, that state parties are essential to this work and [that state parties] have powers that other bodies dont, and Ive urged them to invest in other state parties.

Rae Steward, managing partner of Reid Hoffmans investment fund, Investing in US, echoed that sentiment in a statement shared with Rolling Stone. When Investing in US entered the political space in 2017, we were generally skeptical of investment into state parties, and at first only gave modest support in a few instances. However, we found Ben Wikler very compelling as a leader and as we built a relationship with him, Ben repeatedly encouraged us to consider more robust support for state parties in addition to WisDems. Due to Bens persistent recommendations and endorsements, we established relationships with other state party chairs, and ultimately expanded our investments to include Arizona, Iowa, Nebraska, North Carolina, and Ohio.

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Wiklers national profile rests on the idea that the Wisconsin Democratic Party was broken (as Stewart put it during his recent visit to The Daily Show) before he took it over. But, chairs told Rolling Stone that narrative was flawed: They credited Wiklers predecessor, Martha Laning, with turning the state party around, and Wikler with sliding into the role once much of the hard work was done. Thats the thing that pisses off some chairs, one says. Martha Lanning was the chair that turned that state around and put Wisconsin on the map For Ben to be propped up as like the comeback kid who turned a red-state purple, thats not accurate.

Laning took over the Wisconsin state party during the Scott Walker years, after the Democratic Party had lost three times  two elections for governor and one failed recall  to the then-rising Republican star. As chair, Laning launched a year-round, statewide organizing program that helped current Gov. Tony Evers finally defeat Walker, helped re-elect Sen. Tammy Baldwin by five points, and picked up two state Senate seats. (A representative for Wikler pushed back on the criticism that he doesnt credit his predecessor, Martha Lanings efforts, sharing a recording of remarks Wikler gave to a recent meeting of the Association of State Democratic Chairs where he mentioned her work.)

Wikler, who arrived in 2019, is praised for helping deliver the state for Joe Biden in 2020 but, his critics point out, he failed to deliver a toss-up Senate race for Democrats in 2022, Democrats lost a long-held congressional seat and Republicans gained, briefly, a supermajority in the Wisconsin legislature on his watch  all while he was working with magnitudes more money than Laning had. This year, Wisconsin Democrats raised a staggering $56.6 million dollars, but Kamala Harris and Tim Walz still lost the state by a little less than one percentage point, and Republicans maintained their legislative majorities.

Wiklers Wisconsin Democrats did manage to win a critical race for the Wisconsin state Supreme Court last year, which set an important series of events into motion: The newly-Democratic Supreme Court majority struck down legislative maps gerrymandered to favor the GOP, which in turn helped Democrats pick up 14 seats in the state Senate and Assembly this November. A member of Tammy Baldwins campaign team who was present for both the senators 2018 and 2024 cycles, meanwhile, tells Rolling Stone that the difference between the support they received from the party under the respective chairs was like night and day, adding that in early October, Senate Republicans campaign arms and their candidate Eric Hovde announced plans to drop over $25 million in the race. Our first phone call was to Ben, and he was literally with us every step of the way, hand in hand, shoulder and shoulder, to make sure that our campaign had the resources and support we needed. Ben was an integral partner.

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Still, a number of chairs accustomed to operating with far smaller budgets expressed disbelief that Wikler has not been more successful with such an eye-watering sum of money at its disposal. Look, hes not been a savior for Wisconsin, former Washington state party chair Tina Podlodowski says. Wisconsin has a million fewer voters than my state, and Ben had almost 30 to 40 times the amount of money that I ever got in Washington state to do his work. I dont understand how we couldnt have flipped a state, and couldnt have understood those voters with that amount of money.

Podlodowski added, I brought Ben into my state in Washington and introduced him to a bunch of my high-end donors to try to help in Wisconsin when he first started. Did Ben ever do anything to help Washington state? No. Did Ben ever show up at these at their state party meetings for more than just a day and help other state parties? No. Was he ever fighting with us for different things from the DNC? No.

For her part, Washington states current chair, Shasti Conrad, tells Rolling Stone, When I was a new chair coming in I found Ben to be helpful Ben has built an incredible program in Wisconsin, and certainly has raised a lot more money than most of us have. I think sometimes it is hard to feel like we are all working just as hard but dont always get the same attention, the same resources, the same support In Washington, Ive got a [fraction] of what Ben has But we won everything. We did so well  but that story doesnt get told in the same way that Bens story does.

She added she would be pleased if either candidate won. Bens built a really incredible program in Wisconsin, and Id be happy to see him as chair. I certainly am a huge fan of Ken Martins as well. Kens been an incredible leader of our association  I really think the world of Ken.

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Anderson Clayton, chair of the North Carolina state party, however credited Wikler with helping unlock a stream of money that helped ensure that she would be able to take a salary as party chair. She was turning 26-years-old and about to be kicked off her parents health insurance. I was a young state party chair and somebody that nobody really had any business sticking their neck out for. And [Wiklers backing] made the difference in opening up an ability for me to raise money that I needed to really show myself somebody that was worthy of being paid in that position, Clayton told me. I think Ben wants to be able to do that for everybody in this race  open up a flow of resources that we, as state parties, havent necessarily seen. I think that we have been an undervalued branch of the DNC for a long time.

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How much will Americans get to know about the people Donald Trump is choosing to run the U.S. government? In the absence of any real vetting the way it's usually done, Rachel Maddow presents a Rachel Maddow Show Public Servant Announcement to hopefully help fill that gap. In this episode, Rachel takes a closer look at Trump's choice for director of national intelligence, former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, who has a deep history of anti-gay activism and a disturbing amount of support from Russia
A recent candidate for Raleigh County circuit judge has been hired as the newest assistant for the Raleigh County Prosecuting Attorney's Office.

During a meeting on Tuesday, the Raleigh County Commission approved the hiring of Marie Bechtel as a Raleigh County assistant prosecuting attorney.

Bechtel has been an attorney for 22 years and has spent half of that time working for Legal Aid of West Virginia, a statewide nonprofit organization that provides free legal services and advocacy.

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She recently ran against four other attorneys to replace Raleigh County Judge H.L. Kirkpatrick, who is retiring, where she placed third.

Recently appointed Raleigh County Prosecuting Attorney Tom Truman said he's known Bechtel for the past seven or eight years and has admired her work.

"She's been at Legal Aid for 14 years ... and in the law business, if you're at Legal Aid for 14 years, you're a special person," Truman said. "I got to see her work when I was (Raleigh County Circuit Judge Andrew) Dimlich's law clerk, and she was just the perfect fit."

Truman said his staff is drowning in work, and Bechtel will help relieve some of that.

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He added that Bechtel had already been scheduled cases and would begin attending hearings for them on Wednesday after being sworn in that morning.

The Raleigh County Prosecuting Attorney's Office is down three assistant prosecuting attorneys from what they started the year with, though Truman said he has no plans to hire anyone else.

"Seems to me like we're in pretty good shape now," he said.

The prosecuting attorney's office started the year with 10 assistant prosecuting attorneys.

Todd Kirby resigned in July after being appointed by the governor to serve as a Raleigh County circuit judge.

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Then, in the fall, Bill Roop, who is also the county attorney, resigned in preparation for his appointment to fill Kirby's seat in the Legislature. Roop went on to win the seat in the fall general election.

The final assistant attorney to leave was Chad Lilly, who was fired by then Raleigh County Prosecuting Attorney Ben Hatfield on the day that Hatfield returned from a nearly month-long voluntary leave.

The reason for Lilly's firing was never released.

At the time, Hatfield was facing a domestic violence petition, which was later granted, and civil lawsuits from employees, one of whom was Lilly, claiming discrimination, harassment, hostile work environment, deprivation of civil rights and more. Those lawsuits have yet to be filed.

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Hatfield resigned on Oct. 25, and Truman was appointed as his replacement.

Despite the challenges the office has faced in the past few months, Bechtel said she's excited and looking forward to stepping into her new role.

"I can't think of a finer person to lead that ship than Tom Truman and the staff over there, and the attorneys there, they're just outstanding," Bechtel said.

Starting out, Bechtel will be primarily handling child abuse and neglect cases, which she said she has experience with.

"Those cases are enormously important," she said. "Trying to help and stabilize families in the worst scenarios and remove children from those situations  it's absolutely necessary and important work."

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Though the work will be familiar given her background, Bechtel said she's never been a prosecutor and is excited to get to know a new area of law as well as serve the people of her hometown.

"Our legal community has been through a lot of changes over the past year, and I know there's certainly a need for some help over there  just given the opportunity to help in my hometown is very important to me," she said.
Raw oysters served at a Los Angeles event celebrating the best local restaurants have been linked to a possible norovirus outbreak, leaving at least 80 people sick, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed to food website L.A. Taco, ABC News and The Los Angeles Times.

Following the L.A. Times 101 Best Restaurants event at the Hollywood Palladium on Dec. 3, dozens of patrons reported symptoms that included diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain and vomiting, the Times reported on Thursday, Dec. 19.

L.A. Taco was first to report the incident, per the Times. The raw oysters in question were provided by Fanny Bay Oysters, Times spokesperson Hillary Manning said, per the outlet.

Getty Hollywood Palladium, October 2019 Hollywood Palladium, October 2019

According to Manning, the oysters  which have since been recalled  had been sourced by event sponsor, Santa Monica Seafood. (Santa Monica Seafood told the New York Times the oysters linked to the outbreak were sourced by another seafood company that voluntarily withdrew the product.)

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We have produced culinary events for many years and take food safety very seriously, Manning said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times via email.

Related: Woman Dies From Flesh-Eating Bacteria After Eating Oysters: 'She Knew She Was Dying,' Says Relative

As is the case with each of our events, we had protocols in place and, based on an inspection from the L.A. County Department of Public Health, we were in compliance with all relevant safety standards," Manning continued. "We also know the care that each chef and restaurant takes in preparing and serving food to our community.

PEOPLE reached out to the Los Angeles Department of Public Health for comment, but did not immediately hear back.

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Related: 3 Dead, 1 Hospitalized from Flesh-Eating Bacteria Found in Raw Oysters and Saltwater

"At this time, over 80 attendees that consumed the oysters have reported illness," a Los Angeles County Department of Public Health spokesperson told ABC News.

Because the oysters were provided by Fanny Bay, the company has pulled their affected products with a pack date of Nov. 25, 2024 or later from Pacific Northwest Shellfish Co., per the New York Times.

Pacific Northwest Shellfish Co. owner Leigh Loader said theyve already stopped shipments. We are very diligent  the whole industry here," he told the New York Times. "Nothing will be reopened until the government here is more than happy that there is no chance of further illnesses.

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A week after the L.A. Times 101 Best Restaurants event incident, the California Department of Public Health issued a Dec. 13 warning not to eat raw oysters harvested from British Columbia.

Additionally, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration advised restaurants and retailers not to sell the oysters due to potential norovirus contamination.

Mark Kapczynski told L.A. Taco he paid between $600 and $700 for two VIP tickets to the event, adding that he and his wife got so sick after consuming the food that he collapsed in his home.

Getty raw oysters  stock image raw oysters  stock image

They stuffed so many people into that place, he said of the venue. Someone who was sick might have sneezed on the food.

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Kapczynski also pointed out that the oysters were sitting out there wide open.

I feel like that may have been it, he said.

Kapczynski also told the New York Times he missed several days of work after consuming food at the event and could barely walk.

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It was a disaster, he said. These are the top restaurants in L.A. You think youre safe. Not what you expect.

According to L.A. Taco, who said they spoke with 11 attendees, including one of their own staff members who became sick, a spokesperson for the health department issued the following statement without referring to the Los Angeles Times gathering specifically: The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is investigating a norovirus outbreak associated with oysters that were served at an event on December 3, 2024.

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Norovirus is the leading cause of vomiting and diarrhea, and foodborne illness in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports, urging individuals to Always wash your hands and handle food well.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo.  A 65-year-old Raytown, Missouri man was sentenced this week for a 2019 sexual assault incident that happened in Kansas City.

Jackson County Judge Charles H. McKenzie on Wednesday sentenced Warren Carter to seven years in prison after he was found guilty by a jury in September of one count of second-degree rape.

Carter had previously been charged with forcible sodomy, forcible rape, two counts of first-degree kidnapping, three counts of first degree sodomy and two counts of first-degree rape, but was found not guilty on those charges.

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Court documents say Carter has targeted and assaulted women in Kansas City, with alleged attacks happening in July 2012, May 2017, and October and December 2019.

KCPD attempting to locate suspect vehicle involved in hit-and-run

Carter would offer the women a ride or forcing them into his vehicle with a firearm, according to court records. He would then drive to a secluded area and assault the women, prosecutors say.

Charging documents say Carter is missing his right leg, and that suspect description helped investigators link him to several of the alleged assaults. Prosecutors say there is also DNA evidence linking him to two of the assaults.

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The victim in a December 2019 assault said Carter approached her at a gas station at Truman Road and the Paseo, offering her a ride.

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The woman said Carter had a handgun and sexually assaulted her, court records say.

She had a sexual assault exam at a local hospital, and detectives said Carters DNA matched DNA collected from the victims exam.

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MIAMI (AP)  Prominent real estate broker Oren Alexander and his twin brother Alon will remain in custody following their initial court appearance in Miami on Friday.

The brothers had sought bond on charges of sex trafficking and gang rape. But federal prosecutors argued that they were a flight risk and a danger to the community. Judge Ellen D Angelo set a Dec. 30 detention hearing.

The judge read each brother the charges they faced and informed them of their rights.

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Last week, another judge in Miami rejected a $115 million bail package proposed by their older brother Tal Alexander that would have allowed all three men who are prominent in luxury real estate in Florida and New York to be released pending trial in New York City.

The brothers were charged last week in New York with luring, drugging and violently raping dozens of women over more than a decade. Alon and Oren Alexander also face state charges in Florida stemming from three alleged sexual assaults.

All three Alexander brothers will remain in custody in Florida. They have denied the allegations, saying through their attorneys that any sex was consensual.

Oren and Tal Alexander are known for brokering deals on high-end properties in New York City and Miami for clients that included Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, Liam Gallagher, and Lindsay Lohan. In 2022, they started a new real estate company called Official.

Alon Alexander attended law school and joined the familys private security business.
A realtor died in a crash after police say an underage drunk driver ran a red light going 100 mph in Chamblee.

The crash happened Sunday around 1:30 a.m. at the intersection of Buford Highway and Chamblee-Tucker Road.

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Police said 20-year-old Christian Fernando Irias-Ruiz ran the red light and T-boned another car, killing the driver. Family and friends have identified the victim as 38-year-old Jimmy Chang.

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Irias-Ruiz and two of his passengers were hurt in the crash. The driver of a third car at the intersection also had minor injuries.

Irias-Ruiz faces multiple charges including homicide by vehicle in the 1st degree, DUI, reckless driving, speeding and possession of alcohol by someone under 21. Police said the 20-year-old was also driving with no insurance, no license and a suspended registration.

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Chang worked as a realtor and served as president for the Atlanta chapter of the Asian Real Estate Association of America.

Since joining the AREAA Atlanta Chapter in 2017, Jimmy has been an integral part of our community, demonstrating unwavering kindness, dedication and leadership -- all in a style that is uniquely Jimmy, AREAA said in a statement.

There is a GoFundMe set up for Changs family. You can click here to donate.

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A spending Bill backed by Donald Trump failed in the US House of Representatives on Thursday as dozens of Republicans defied the president-elect.

The move leaves Congress with no clear plan to avert a fast-approaching government shutdown that could disrupt Christmas travel.

The vote laid bare fault lines in Trumps Republican Party that could surface again next year when they control the White House and both chambers of Congress.

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Trump had pressured lawmakers to tie up loose ends before he takes office on Jan 20, but members of the partys right flank refused to support a package that would increase spending and clear the way for a plan that would add trillions more to the federal governments $36 trillion in debt.

I am absolutely sickened by a party that campaigns on fiscal responsibility and has the temerity to go to the American people and say you think this is fiscally responsible, said Republican Representative Chip Roy, one of 38 Republicans who voted against the Bill.

The package failed by a vote of 174-235 just hours after it was hastily assembled by Republican leaders seeking to comply with Trumps demands.

A prior bipartisan deal was scuttled after Trump and Elon Musk - the worlds richest person - came out against it on Wednesday.

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Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson provided no details when reporters asked him about next steps after the failed vote.

Speaker Mike Johnson is under pressure to find a solution to the deadlock - Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images North America

We will come up with another solution, he said.

Government funding is due to expire at midnight on Friday.

If lawmakers fail to extend that deadline, the U.S. government will begin a partial shutdown that would interrupt funding for everything from border enforcement to national parks and cut off payments for more than 2 million federal workers.

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration warned that travellers during the busy holiday season could face long lines at airports.

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Congress must get rid of, or extend out to, perhaps, 2029, the ridiculous Debt Ceiling. Without this, we should never make a deal, Trump said in a post on Truth Social hours after the Bill failed.

Thursdays unsuccessful Bill largely resembled the earlier version that Mr Musk and Trump had blasted as a wasteful giveaway to Democrats.

It would have extended government funding into March and provided $100 billion in disaster relief and suspended the debt.

Republicans dropped other elements that had been included in the original package, such as a pay raise for lawmakers and new rules for pharmacy benefit managers.

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At Trumps urging, the new version also would have suspended limits on the national debt for two years - a manoeuvre that would make it easier to pass the dramatic tax cuts he has promised.

Johnson before the vote told reporters that the package would avoid disruption, tie up loose ends and make it easier for lawmakers to cut spending by hundreds of billions of dollars when Trump takes office next year.

Government is too big, it does too many things, and it does few things well, he said.

Democrats blasted the Bill as a cover for a budget-busting tax cut that would largely benefit wealthy backers such as Mr Musk, while saddling the country with trillions of dollars in additional debt.

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How dare you lecture America about fiscal responsibility, ever? House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said during floor debate.

Hakeem Jeffries criticised Republicans for lecturing America about fiscal responsibility - Will Oliver/Shutterstock

Even if the Bill had passed the House, it would have faced long odds in the Senate, which is currently controlled by Democrats. The White House said President Joe Biden did not support it.

Previous fights over the debt ceiling have spooked financial markets, as a U.S. government default would send credit shocks around the world.

The limit has been suspended under an agreement that technically expires on Jan 1, though lawmakers likely will not have to tackle the issue before the spring.

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When he returns to office, Trump aims to enact tax cuts that could reduce revenues by $8 trillion over 10 years, which would drive the debt higher without offsetting spending cuts.

He has vowed not to reduce retirement and health benefits for seniors that make up a vast chunk of the budget and are projected to grow dramatically in the years to come.

The last government shutdown took place in December 2018 and January 2019 during Trumps first White House term.

The unrest also threatened to topple Mr Johnson, a mild-mannered Louisianan who was thrust unexpectedly into the speakers office last year after the partys right flank voted out then-speaker Kevin McCarthy over a government funding Bill.

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Johnson has repeatedly had to turn to Democrats for help in passing legislation when he has been unable to deliver the votes from his own party.

He tried the same manoeuvre on Thursday, but this time fell short.

Several Republicans said they would not vote for Mr Johnson as speaker when Congress returns in January, potentially setting up another tumultuous leadership battle in the weeks before Trump takes office.

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EAST PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD)  The American Red Cross is encouraging people to donate during the holiday season.

The organization hosted its 20th annual 12 Hours of Giving Blood Drive at the Par-a-Dice Casino Hotel on Thursday. People have until 7 p.m. to donate.

According to the Red Cross Account Manager Caleb Liggin, the drive typically sees 250 to 300 participants.

Past drives have led to a total of more than 8,000 units of blood, he said. During the holidays, he said, the Red Cross sees a dip in giving so the drive tends to help with possible shortfalls.

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We essentially have this drive every year right before we go into the holidays because we know folks are going to be taking more of a break with their holiday plans, he said.

And so donating blood may not be as high on their list, but so we want to have a drive like this so you can make sure were keeping that fresh in peoples minds because the need for blood doesnt take a holiday, Liggin said.

For those who might be nervous to donate, Liggin said dont worry.

Having a needle in your arm might be a little uncomfortable for a few minutes, but that patient whos in the hospital thats going to be receiving your blood has a needle in their arm a lot longer, he said.

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Although Type O negative blood is the universal blood type, Liggin said the Red Cross needs all types of blood. For those looking to give plasma and palettes, he suggested going to the organizations location in Peoria at 405 W. John H Gwynn Jr., Ave.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CIProud.com.
Dec. 20On Saturday, January 18, 2025, Red Cross volunteers and community partners will join forces to install free smoke alarms for families in West Odessa as part of the Sound the Alarm event. This initiative is a key component of the national Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, which has helped save at least 2,212 lives since its launch in October 2014.

"Through the Sound the Alarm campaign, we directly assist local families by installing smoke alarms, which can cut the risk of dying in a home fire by half," Tracy Austin, Executive Director of the Permian Basin Chapter, said in a news release. "Our mission is to help people prepare for, respond to, and recover from home fires, which remain the most frequent disaster the Red Cross responds to every eight minutes across the U.S."

During home visits, Red Cross volunteers will not only install smoke alarms but also provide vital fire safety education, including how to prevent fires, what to do if a fire starts, and how to create an effective escape plan.

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How to Get Involved

 Request a Free Smoke Alarm: If you would like to schedule a free smoke alarm installation, call 210-582-1962 or visit this link. All services are free, thanks to the generosity of donors.

 Volunteer for the Event: No prior experience is needed to volunteer. Training will be provided before volunteer teams begin installations. Sign up to volunteer by visiting this link.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WJHL) U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia Christopher R. Kavanaugh has stepped down from his position.

Kavanaughs resignation takes effect at 11:59 p.m. on Friday following more than three years in office.

A tragedy for our city | Massive fire burns Virginia Intermont campus

In a Department of Justice (DOJ) news release, Kavanaugh said serving in the role has been an honor.

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Every day, the public servants of United States Attorneys Office for the Western District of Virginia work to make the District  and our Nation  a safer and better place for us all. It has been the honor of my life to lead this team of selfless individuals who are so dedicated to fairness, the rule of law, and doing what is right. I know that WDVA will continue to make an outsized impact as citizens of the Justice Department, and I look forward to its future. I thank President Biden for nominating me, Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine for their recommendation, and Attorney General Garland and Deputy Attorney General Monaco for leading the Department and supporting the United States Attorney community during my tenure. It has been an honor to serve the American people. U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh

Kavanaugh announced in August that he would be leaving office near the end of the year as his wife, Jasmine Hyejung Yoon, became a United States district court judge.

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco thanked Kavanaugh for his service to the people of western Virginia.

Four years ago, Chris Kavanaugh was one of the first people I brought in to join the Office of the Deputy Attorney General because of his experience within the Department and his leadership on national security issues, Monaco said. Throughout his distinguished career  at Main Justice, as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Columbia and the Western District of Virginia, and as United States Attorney  Chris has served the Department and his fellow Virginians with integrity and tenacity. I am grateful for his service.

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Kavanaugh was sworn in on Oct. 7, 2021 after he was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

According to the DOJ, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachery T. Lee will serve as the acting U.S. Attorney for the district starting Saturday.

For two decades, Zach Lee has served the Western District of Virginia with honor, distinction, and dedication as an Assistant United States Attorney, Criminal Chief, and most recently as First Assistant United States Attorney, Kavanaugh said. There is nobody more qualified to serve in this role, and I look forward to watching the United States Attorneys Office continue to thrive and serve the citizens of the Western District of Virginia under his leadership.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather.
Mold is visible during a Dec. 19, 2024, tour of the Idaho Transportation Departments former Boise headquarters. (Clark Corbin/Idaho Capital Sun)

A new report on the Idaho Transportation Departments former State Street headquarters in Boise estimates it would cost at least twice the amount of money the Idaho Legislature provided earlier this year to renovate the flood-damaged property.

Its not clear what happens next to the empty and contaminated property. But one thing is sure  the state did not set aside nearly enough money to get the building back in safe, usable condition for state employees.

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The issue involves the Idaho Transportation Department former Boise headquarters located at 3311 W. State St. On Jan. 2, 2022, the building flooded, was contaminated with asbestos and all ITD employees working at the building were displaced, according to court and ITD records.

Mold was also detected at the property, ITD officials said.

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The building, which was completed in 1961, has sat vacant since 2022. Other buildings on the 44-acre campus have been in use since the flood, state officials told the Idaho Capital Sun.

The Idaho Transportation Department board declared the State Street property surplus property the summer after the flood, which paved the way for the entire 44-acre campus the headquarters sits on to be sold.

Extensive damage is visible during a Dec. 19, 2024, visit to the Idaho Transportation Departments former Boise headquarters. (Clark Corbin/Idaho Capital Sun)

But in March, the Idaho Legislature suddenly blocked the $51.7 million sale of the State Street campus to a group of developers that included Hawkins Companies, FJ Management and Pacific West Communities.

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Legislators argued it would be a better deal for the taxpayers to block the sale, hold on to the State Street campus, renovate it and use it for state employees again. Legislators agreed to provide $32.5 million to renovate the building, based on a rudimentary, sight-unseen estimate provided by the Idaho Division of Public Works. The estimate from the Idaho Division of Public Works was not a full estimate and did not take into account the amount of flood damage or HVAC repairs, the Idaho Capital Sun previously reported.

ITD releases Property Condition Assessment report on Boise headquarters

Then on Thursday, the Idaho Transportation Department released a new 207-page Property Condition Assessment report. The new report lists repair estimates ranging from $64 million to $69.4 million.

Exposed wiring and ceiling damage is visible during a Dec. 19, 2024, visit to the Idaho Transportation Departments former Boise headquarters. (Clark Corbin/Idaho Capital Sun)

The $64 million level 1 estimate provides the estimated cost to allow state employees to move back into a safe, secure and comfortable building that meets the same standards as a typical state office building.

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The $69.4 million level 2 estimate includes all level 1 upgrades, plus a new fire suppression sprinkler system and recommendations for an open floor plan design to allow longterm occupancy and adaptability, according to the report.

Architects and consultants with CSHQA completed the property condition assessment report that includes the $64 million and $69.4 million estimates. Notably, the assessment is not a formal repair bid, so actual renovation and repair costs could vary from the assessment.

Rep. Wendy Horman, the Idaho Falls Republican who serves as co-chair of the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, said legislators took action based on the $32.5 million estimate provided by the Idaho Division of Public Works.

We used the numbers that were provided to us, Horman said in a phone interview Thursday. So it is interesting to see such a large discrepancy between what was provided to us and acted on in good faith during the legislative session and these new numbers.

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Horman said she does not know what comes next for the ITD State Street campus. She said it will be a discussion point during the upcoming 2025 legislative session, and she expects to get to the bottom of the discrepancy between the estimates.

It is interesting to see that nine months later we are given one (cost estimate) that is essentially double, Horman added.

When asked what will happen next, Idaho Transportation Department officials provided the Sun with a written statement saying they will take the latest estimates to the Idaho Transportation Department board in January. ITD officials also said they will seek a building design.

Based on current legislative direction, ITD will continue to work with (Idaho Division of Public Works) to advance the project, the statement read. In the current assessment, CSHQA has identified extensive repairs due to the age of the building, the flood damage and the subsequent deferred maintenance since the 2022 vacancy. A building design will provide the necessary detail to execute the rehabilitation work and provide a more accurate cost estimate. This estimate would inform ITDs appropriation request, as needed, in future fiscal years.

Inside of former Idaho Transportation Department Boise headquarters looks like disaster site

ITD officials allowed the Idaho Capital Sun and other local journalists to tour the inside of the flood damaged property on Thursday.

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Even three years after the flood, a damp, musty smell permeates the building.

Numerous walls, ceilings, carpets and floors show visible water damage stains.

Crews drilled dozens of holes in many of the buildings interior walls to help water escape and walls dry after water flooded down the walls and elevator shafts, ITD officials said.

Crews drilled dozens of holes in interior walls to help water escape and walls dry at the Idaho Transportation Departments former Boise headquarters. (Clark Corbin/Idaho Capital Sun)

Exposed electrical wiring, tangles of twisted metal and pieces of broken wood are scattered across some of the hallways.

Chairs and desks are stacked haphazardly, and in some cases toppled in piles.

Emergency exit signs have been ripped from ceilings and dangle from loose wires.

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Elevator doors are propped open.

The heat and lights only work in some parts of the building.

Despite the contaminated mess, stained ITD coffee cups still sit on some of the desks, project notes are still scribbled in red marker on whiteboards and even a few Christmas decorations from 2021 are still affixed to office doors and windows.

In short, it looks like a disaster scene.

When the would-be buyers including Hawkins Companies made the high bid for the State Street campus, they planned to demolish and build new, not renovate the flood-damaged building.

This file photo of the Idaho Transportation Departments old State Street headquarters in Boise was taken March 21, 2021, before the building flooded. (Otto Kitsinger for Idaho Capital Sun)

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(Photo by Caspar Benson/Getty Images)

An annual report put together by a national group that tracks the death penalty says Florida led the nation this year in imposing death sentences, a situation that appears to be linked to Gov. Ron DeSantis successful push to eliminate the requirement of a unanimous jury recommendation.

The Death Penalty Information Center, a group that says it has no position on the death penalty but is critical of how it carried out, reported that 26 people were sentenced to death in the United States in 2024.

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Ten states sentenced people to death this year but just four  Alabama, California, Florida, and Texas  accounted for the majority. Florida led with seven death sentences, followed by six in Texas, four in Alabama, and three in California.

About one-third of the 26 new death sentences were imposed without a unanimous recommendation from a jury, including six in Florida and three in Alabama.

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Changes to Florida law

Floridas death penalty law had undergone several revisions in the past two decades, including moving to a unanimous jury recommendation in the aftermath of rulings from both the U.S. Supreme Court and the state Supreme Court.

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But DeSantis pushed to eliminate the unanimous requirement after a jury failed to recommend a death sentence for Nikolas Cruz, the shooter who killed 17 students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland in 2018. DeSantis signed the measure, which allows a death sentence to be recommended by an 8-4 vote, in April 2023.

Once a defendant in a capital case is found guilty by a unanimous jury, one juror should not be able to veto a capital sentence, DeSantis said at the time. Im proud to sign legislation that will prevent families from having to endure what the Parkland families have and ensure proper justice will be served in the state of Florida.

The Florida Supreme Court held oral arguments last week in the case of Michael James Jackson, who is challenging the constitutionality of the new law and is represented by the American Civil Liberties Union. A jury recommended by an 8-4 vote that Jackson be sentenced to death.

Local and national organizations have argued that that lack of a non-unanimous jury recommendation violates the Eighth Amendment, which deals with cruel and unusual punishment, and the Fourteenth Amendment, which deals with due process and equal protection.

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The Death Penalty Information Center reported that the number of new death sentences and executions was higher than in 2023 but remained substantially smaller than what it was 20 years ago, when there were 130 new death sentences and 59 executions.

Robin M. Maher, executive director of the center, noted that a new poll suggests there could be a steady decline of support in the future for the death penalty because a majority of adults aged 18 to 43 now oppose it.

The center found that 25 executions had been carried out in the past year in nine states, including one in Florida  Loran Cole, for the 1994 murder of John Edwards, a Florida State University student who was camping with his sister in the Ocala National Forest.

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Less than 48 hours before defaulting and triggering a shutdown, Congress is still scrambling to pass a stopgap funding resolution that will keep the U.S. government funded and functional through the next few months. After several starts and stops, Republicans were reduced to infighting on Wednesday after Elon Musk  Trumps first buddy and government efficiency adviser  rejected a proposed funding deal and called for a legislative freeze and government shutdown until Trumps inauguration in late January.

As a result, the new stripped-down funding bill proposed today is literally throwing out the baby with the bathwater: It will exclude $190 million for the bipartisan Give Kids a Chance program for child cancer research. Sam Stein of the Bulwark points out that the new bill also excludes funding for research on premature labor, sickle cell disease treatment, early detection of breast and cervical cancer, the Rural Broadband Protection Act, an anti-deepfake porn bill, and more.

Fuck cancer. Especially pediatric cancer, Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) wrote on X. These people want to punish these previous little kids to pay for tax cuts for the wealthiest corporations in human history.

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President-elect Donald Trump endorsed the new funding bill this afternoon, writing on Truth Social: Speaker Mike Johnson and the House have come to a very good Deal for the American People. The newly agreed to American Relief Act of 2024 will keep the Government open, fund our Great Farmers and others, and provide relief for those severely impacted by the devastating hurricanes.

A VERY important piece, VITAL to the America First Agenda, was added as well  The date of the very unnecessary Debt Ceiling will be pushed out two years, to January 30, 2027, Trump added. All Republicans, and even the Democrats, should do what is best for our Country, and vote YES for this Bill, TONIGHT.

Democrats have been trolling Trump since Musk sank the original funding deal on Wednesday, referring to the billionaire as President Musk after he bent congressional Republicans to his will. Musk, like Trump, seems pleased with the new version of the legislation. He posted an image of the amount of pages of the now-dead deal compared to the substantially smaller number of pages of the new bill, adding a laughing emoji.

Democrats are not pleased. The Trump-Musk-Johnson proposal [is] laughable, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) told reporters.

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The House is expected to vote on the new version of the bill as soon as tonight.

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TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  Hurricane survivors will need to wait a while longer to see additional disaster relief aid come from Congress.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, whose district covers most of Pinellas County, posted on X that she did not support the first continuing resolution proposed Wednesday that contained billions of dollars in disaster aid. She wants a separate bill.

I just want to assure you that we will be getting the funding for FEMA. We will be getting the funding for Pinellas County beach renourishment, and also SBA, but its going to be coming in a different bill, Luna said.

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In a different post, she listed one of the reasons was the CR contained billions for Ukraine.

It was so bad. There was so much backlash, not just in Pinellas County, but across the country against it, Luna said.

The initial spending plan included $10 billion in disaster relief for Florida that was meant for families, businesses, and repairs to federal properties.

Rep. Kathy Castor announced during a virtual news conference that the money couldve also helped FEMA avoid going in the red if another disaster strikes. She said it couldve also replenished Small Business Administration disaster loans that have run dry.

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SBA ran out of money in October right at the time when so many of our neighbors needed those dollars to do home repairs, Castor said.

After Milton, so far, the SAB has only made two loan offers out of more than 35,000 completed applications in Florida. The SBA is currently waiting on Congress for more funding. Post-Helene had more offers since funding was still available.

This delay is going to cost jobs, its going to cause small businesses to close that were just teetering on the brink, its going to delay the economic recovery of many of our neighbors, Castor said.

In Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, alone, FEMA has distributed more than $540 million in individual assistance from Milton and Helene. That includes home repair, temporary housing, and other serious needs.

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Even though the SBA is not distributing low-interest loans at this time, it is still accepting applications.





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(NewsNation)  Hours before the start of a federal government shutdown, President-elect Donald Trump doubled down Friday on his insistence a debt ceiling increase be included in any deal  and if not, let the closures start now.

If there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now, Trump posted on social media.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., is racing behind closed doors to prevent a shutdown, but his influence has its limits. Trump and billionaire ally Elon Musk unleashed their opposition  and social media army  on the first plan Johnson presented, which was a 1,500-page bipartisan compromise he struck with Democrats that included $100 billion in disaster aid for hard-hit states but did not address the debt ceiling situation.

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What services are impacted when the government shuts down?

Objectively, the vast majority of Republican House members voted for the spending bill, but only 2 Democrats did. Therefore, if the government shuts down, it is obviously the fault of

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and the Democratic Party, Musk wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

That is why our country is on the brink of a government shutdown that will crash the economy, hurt working class Americans and likely be the longest in history.

Welcome back to the MAGA swamp, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries posted.

Jeffries was communicating with Johnson on the path forward, according to multiple people in a closed-door Democratic Caucus meeting. But there was no discussion in the meeting on whether a deal is being discussed or the details of legislation.

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Government workers have already been told to prepare for a federal shutdown, which would send millions of employees  and members of the military  into the holiday season without paychecks.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Congress is racing toward a shutdown at the end of the day Friday, and Republicans appear no closer to finding a path forward that will keep the lights on and appease President-elect Trump.

The latest setback roiled the House on Thursday evening, when Democrats and a band of Republicans rejected a bill that paired a three-month government funding extension, $110 billion in disaster and farm aid and other measures with a two-year suspension of the debt limit  the latter of which was a last-minute demand by Trump.

That plan B was cobbled together after GOP lawmakers, Trump and Elon Musk torpedoed the first deal Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) negotiated with Democrats, with the influential Republicans criticizing the policy add-ons included  such as a health care policy deal and cost of living raise for members of Congress  that ballooned the legislation to more than 1,500 pages.

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With Johnsons first two proposals up in flames, Republicans are unsure where to turn.

Theres no plan, Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) said after the plan B vote failed, adding: Trump wants the thing to shut down.

Johnson told reporters Thursday night, shortly after the failed vote, that Republicans would regroup and come up with another solution, adding stay tuned.

But Republicans, eager to stay on the incoming presidents good side, and Johnson, trying to keep his grasp on the gavel come next year, are struggling to unify behind a plan.

Trumps last-minute debt limit increase demand is opposed by many Republicans  38 of whom joined with Democrats to tank the plan B effort Thursday. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) said Republicans are not currently planning to try to bring the bill up through a longer regular rule process, which would require near-unified GOP support for passage.

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Beyond the struggles in the House, any bill would have to not only pass the GOP-controlled House but get approval from Democratic-controlled Senate and White House, which are rejecting the last-minute GOP changes.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) kept his posture steady even following the vote, indicating he was in no mood for negotiating further after Johnson reneged on their original accord.

Its a good thing the bill failed in the House, Schumer told reporters. And now its time to go back to the bipartisan agreement.

Senators voting on an unrelated bill across the Capitol complex as the latest stopgap measure was going up in smoke were unsure where negotiations will go from here with the clock ticking down toward a shutdown and a likely pre-Christmas weekend session.

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I guess its back to the drawing board, Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) told The Hill as he exited the Capitol. Well see. Well figure out in the House what they want to do next, and theyll digest this last effort and see what plan B is.

We have to be able to figure out a path forward, the incoming majority leader continued. Were little over 24 hours away from a shutdown, so its going to have to happen quickly, but well figure it out.

With little direction, members were throwing out ideas that could potentially stick. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) predicted a three-week clean continuing resolution without a hike in the debt limit could be the next course of action. He, however, acknowledged that he is labor, not management.

Sen. Susan Collins (Maine), the top Senate GOP appropriator, told reporters she would back a multiweek continuing resolution that would help get members through the holiday season, but conceded she is unsure where negotiators will go next with the hourglass running out.

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I dont know what the plan is now, she said, adding that the inclusion of a debt ceiling increase seems to have aggravated the Democrats.

My No. 1 goal is to prevent a government shutdown, she added.

The reaction was similar on the House side, where Republicans floated various ideas with no off-ramp in sight.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), for example, told reporters after Thursdays failed vote that he pitched Johnson on splitting the stopgap package into four separate bills: a clean continuing resolution, disaster aid, the farm bill extension and the debt limit suspension, passing them under one procedural rule then voting on each one individually.

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Massie said the idea wasnt rejected outright.

Its also unclear if Trump would support that strategy. Massie said Trumps team initially asked for a five-year extension of the debt limit, so it would not come up again during his presidential term.

Another idea brought up to Johnson was to add spending cuts to the bill to offset the unpaid disaster and farm aid spending, one source said, as a means of trying to woo hard-line conservatives to support the bill.

Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), the chair of the self-proclaimed pragmatic Main Street Caucus, said he suggested a number of ideas to Johnson but would not divulge specifics.

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Another House Republican predicted to The Hill that Republicans would move to a clean continuing resolution next. Another GOP lawmaker, meanwhile, said the rumor in GOP circles is that the Senate will try to pass the initial proposal negotiated by congressional leaders in an attempt to jam the lower chamber.

Senate Republicans are balking at that idea  but not ruling it out.

Collins, the top Senate GOP appropriator, told reporters a bill originating from the Senate is not the preferred way to proceed but is something she could potentially foresee amid the ongoing troubles.

I dont know what the plan is now, she said, adding that the inclusion of a debt ceiling increase seems to have aggravated the Democrats.

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Collins also said she would be supportive of a short-term measure that would get lawmakers past the holiday season.

Yes, she said about the possibility of a three-week clean bill.

As the clock ticks toward Friday at 11:59 p.m., lawmakers are becoming acutely aware of the time crunch they face to craft a proposal that can muster bipartisan support, move it through the House and usher it through the Senate.

With time running out, Republicans are urging their colleagues to get down to business.

At some point, lets just put on our big boy, big girl pants, lets understand that we got to get to 218 here and we got to get 60 over there, Dusty Johnson said. Ideas that dont move us in that direction are not helpful.

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The News

Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress have big plans starting in January. This weeks shutdown fight isnt helping them with those  and foreshadows an extremely challenging 2025.

Even if Trumps party can avoid a government shutdown, an outcome that the president-elect didnt seem to mind too much as he called for a shutdown to begin now, under the Biden administration, not after January 20, Republicans will now enter 2025 in a wounded state. While President Joe Biden is not exerting himself to help get a deal during his last month in office, the biggest victim of this weeks funding fight is almost surely Trumps agenda.

Even before Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance followed billionaire supporter Elon Musk by delivering a last-minute blow to a bipartisan government funding deal, it was clear that Republicans decision to negotiate over only three months of funding would be damaging. That length of a short-term spending bill will force the GOP to juggle federal spending alongside Trumps other priorities.

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And no matter what length of a funding bill eventually passes, Democrats will have leverage when it expires, on funding and the debt limit. Which means this week wont be the end of Republicans internal troubles, no matter how it turns out.

One of the things that Ive learned about myself, the older I get, the more sanguine [I am]  because otherwise Id be a screaming mess, said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. Its not going to get better, like early in the year particularly. Anyway.

It will probably take weeks to grind through Trumps Cabinet nominees, starting with committee hearings in early January and moving onto floor votes starting on Jan. 20. Then the House and Senate will need to synchronize on a budget to start work on any filibuster-proof legislation. Ultimately, Republicans will have to agree on those bills with no margin for error in the House and little margin for error in the Senate.

The partys disorganization around a simple 12 weeks of government funding only reinforces how hard it will be for them to get through those tasks during Trumps first year. And now Republicans know Trump, Vance and Musk can unravel the partys legislative plan on a dime if they dont like it  regardless of how much work went into it.

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Worst of all, if House Speaker Mike Johnsons last-gasp effort to stop a shutdown falls apart, a long-term funding lapse would deliver a brutal blow to Republican efforts.

Shutdowns are never good. I mean, nobody wins, said Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., the incoming majority leader. He blamed Democrats for not passing funding bills earlier this year but acknowledged, when it comes to the GOP agenda and beyond: Shutdowns arent good.





Know More

Theres still time for Republicans to figure this out. A few hours is an eternity in the Capitol, and there are strong incentives for people to bend on Friday. Many lawmakers are retiring, a new president is arriving and Democrats are ceding their Senate majority.

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A weekend shutdown would not be ideal, but if Congress can figure things out before Monday, a lot of damage could be mitigated.

That, of course, would require Trump to approve  or at least not oppose  of the latest solution to fund the government, which does not include the quick action on the federal debt limit that he has pushed for.

Republicans will then have to avoid putting themselves in the same position again next year; when they have total power over Congress, blaming Chuck Schumer will have less resonance. Theyre talking, as both parties often have in the past, of finally ending Congress penchant for blowing its own deadlines and taking up regular spending bills.

This is a failure of Chuck Schumer. This is a consequence of not doing our job, Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., said of the Senate Democratic leader. We have an opportunity as Republicans  weve been talking about it. In January, its our turn to do it. And I believe we will.

The View From Democrats

Democrats are already starting to get into more of a post-election messaging groove as Republicans juggle orders from Trump and Musk. They see plenty of opportunity to expose the GOP as incapable of governing.

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I dont think American voters sent everybody to Congress for this kind of nonsense. I think they expected us to get our damn jobs done. This is not what the election was about, said Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn.

Burgesss view

The House majority is going to shrink next year, and the GOPs job will get harder. Getting pretty much the entire party on board with unilateral bills is going to be really tough and require way more coordination with Trump  and possibly Musk, too?

Trumps attempts to pin a potential shutdown on Biden is a sign that this week is probably just the first of many frantic funding fights. In his first term, Trump oversaw a lengthy year-end partial shutdown that ran into a new Congress in 2018 and 2019. It did not go well, resulting in no border wall concessions from Democrats and a small GOP rebellion against him.

A shutdown this time would have that energy on steroids, complicating Johnsons pursuit of the speakership and potentially Trumps inauguration, to say nothing of the negative domino effect on his agenda and the more wide-ranging economic consequences of a full shutdown.

Its no wonder Republicans are racking their brains about how to get out of this one.

Notable

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, called for a DOGE speaker during an interview on Fox News.
Residents of Northside Jacksonville are voicing their frustration over the citys delayed response to addressing the long-standing ash contamination at Lonnie Miller Park. Many are asking why it has taken so long for the city to begin removing the hazardous material, which dates back to the early 20th century. In response to these concerns, the City of Jacksonville hosted a Community Open House to provide information about the ongoing cleanup efforts.

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The citys Solid Waste and Parks & Recreation departments are moving forward with the Ash Remediation Project as part of Project New Ground, a city-wide initiative aimed at addressing environmental contamination. The projects goal is to remove ash left behind by waste incineration that occurred throughout the city in the early 1900s.

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Jeff Foster, Environmental Engineer Manager with the Citys Solid Waste Division, explained that the cleanup is divided into two phases. Phase one focuses on removing contaminated soils from the park, while phase two will involve remodeling the park.

What weve done is segregated the fence line. West of that is OK to be in, east of that is where we have impacted materials from the incinerator ash that we are now going out there and cleaning up, Foster said.

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While the contamination does not pose an immediate health threat to the surrounding community, the city is moving forward with the cleanup to prevent potential long-term health risks.

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Despite reassurances, many residents, including long-time park visitors, are frustrated by the delay. Jacqueline Harmon, a resident who has been walking in the park for years, questioned why it took so long for the city to address the issue.

After all of these years, why now? Harmon asked. I contacted the office trying to figure out what was going on because there are a lot of seniors that walk in the park in the morning.

Foster responded to these concerns by explaining that the city prioritized cleaning residential areas first before tackling parks and commercial properties.

We are cleaning up all the residential properties first before we move into the larger scale, parks, and commercial properties, Foster said.

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The city has made significant progress with the project, having already completed more than 98% of the cleanup at other sites, including the Forest Street Incinerator and 5th & Cleveland Incinerator locations.

The cleanup at Lonnie Miller Park is expected to take about a year. Phase one, which involves removing contaminated soils, is currently underway. Phase two, which includes park remodeling, is projected to cost over $12 million.

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By Vitalii Hnidyi and Dan Peleschuk

POKROVSK, Ukraine/KYIV (Reuters) - Ukrainian pensioner Oleksandr Sopov barely reacts to the boom of artillery outside Pokrovsk, the eastern city where fierce battles are raging between Russian and Ukrainian forces.

"What should I be afraid of? I'm 64 years old - I've lived already," he said.

Sopov is among thousands of residents who remain as Russian troops advance on the strategic city, part of their grinding march across the industrial Donbas region.

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Moscow is moving at its fastest rate on the battlefield since 2022, capturing village after village as both sides vie for the upper hand ahead of expected peace efforts next year.

Ukrainian officials have said Kremlin troops are just 3 km (2 miles) from Pokrovsk, whose capture could severely compromise Ukrainian supply lines on much of the eastern front.

Yet more than 10,000 residents of the city's pre-war population of 60,000 remain, authorities and rescuers say.

Electricity supplies, water and heating have largely been cut. Some buildings have been heavily damaged in the fighting, and a bridge has partially collapsed.

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In mostly empty streets, locals press on with their lives, riding bicycles and selling holiday wares amid the near-constant din of duelling artillery.

Many of those interviewed by Reuters said they refuse to leave because they had nowhere else to go and few financial resources. Some, like shopkeeper Oksana Yarova, said they had returned after briefly evacuating earlier in the war.

"I don't want to go anywhere," the 44-year-old said. "I don't want to slum around."

Her customers include the miners still working at Ukraine's only coking coal mine about 10 km west of Pokrovsk. It is currently running at 50% capacity, industry sources told Reuters.

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Sopov, the pensioner, said living costs elsewhere are at least double residents' monthly pensions of around $100, making evacuation impossible for many.

"And that's just for housing. You still need to eat," he added.

RUSSIA'S RELENTLESS ADVANCE

Around Pokrovsk alone, Russia has thrown some 70,000 troops into battle, a Ukrainian military spokesman said this week.

It is one of several sectors along a 1,000-km frontline where Ukraine's outmanned and outgunned military has struggled to fend off relentless Russian assaults.

Emil Kastehelmi, an intelligence analyst with the Finland-based Black Bird Group, said a rapid collapse of the city was unlikely and multiple fortifications remained in place.

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"But some defensive points, which in theory should have stayed longer in Ukrainian hands, have fallen surprisingly quickly," he told Reuters in written comments.

Around 40 km to the south, Russians have stormed into the city of Kurakhove and are threatening to encircle a broad area around it, according to DeepState, a Ukrainian group mapping the fighting.

Far from the trenches, Moscow is waging a campaign of air strikes on critical infrastructure that is hobbling Ukraine's fragile energy grid as winter takes hold.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said he wants to achieve peace by diplomatic means next year, but only if Ukraine is bolstered by security guarantees from Western partners that would stave off new attacks by Russia.

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Some frontline troops said they did not currently see an opportunity for peace talks.

"I believe Ukraine will achieve victory when there will be an understanding that we can defend our country and prevent a repeat of the tragedies that happened," said a drone pilot in the 21st Special Purpose Battalion, known by his military callsign "Brain".

He spoke near the embattled eastern city of Toretsk in an area where Russian forces are advancing toward the regional logistics hub of Kostiantynivka, which links to several key cities further north.

While casualties have mounted on both sides, Ukraine says it is less willing than Russia to expend soldiers' lives.

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Zelenskiy said this month around 43,000 Ukrainian troops had been killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022. Western estimates of the toll are greater, and significantly higher still for Russia.

Khrystyna Siomova, a medic in Ukraine's 5th Separate Assault Brigade stationed west of Chasiv Yar, another scene of heavy fighting, said the weight of those losses is what kept her comrades-in-arms going.

"Every step we take is not just our own, but a collective step together with those we've lost."

(Additional reporting by Anastasiia Malenko and Inna Varenytsia; Editing by Mike Collett-White and Andrew Heavens)
[Watch previous FOX 8 News coverage in the player above.]

CANTON, Ohio (WJW)  An internal review board has concluded that a Canton police officer who fatally shot a man who appeared to be pulling a firearm during a foot chase last year acted within the departments use-of-force policy.

The shooting happened the night of Dec. 5, 2023, in the parking lot of Skyline Terrace Apartments along Alan Page Drive Southeast.

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Officers discover baby was missing for months before dad, sister died in crash

Patrolman Garrett Marino was pursuing 24-year-old Zachary Fornash, whod been accused of brandishing a gun during an argument. Fornash fled from the officer on foot and ignored commands to stop and show his hands.

Marino then saw Fornash turn toward him and, believing Fornash was about to open fire, shot the man multiple times. Fornash was pronounced dead at a hospital.

The gun Fornash was carrying in his right sweatshirt pocket was found to be a pellet gun:

Wish I could take it back: Man who sexually assaulted, beheaded 10-year-old put to death

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A Stark County grand jury earlier this year declined to indict the officer.

The police departments use-of-force review board reviewed the case in October and unanimously agreed that Marinos actions were in-line with department policy. Read the review boards summary below:

Any loss of life is tragic, and this instance is no exception. I appreciate the independent investigation by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, and the boards very thorough review, Police Chief John Gabbard is quoted in a Thursday news release. I agree with the boards recommendation and find that officer Marinos actions were reasonable and within policy. My prayers continue to be with the family of Mr. Fornash, officer Marino, and all of those affected.

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The sidewalks of the Fashion District in downtown Los Angeles were bustling.

Silver-faced, tuxedoed mannequins stared down crazy clowns and beaming Hello Kittys. Ball caps, Stetsons and sombreros, baby strollers, toasters and Crock-Pots, lucha libre masks, belts and shoes burst from open storefronts and vendors' sidewalk card tables. Steam rose up from food trucks and carts.

Matt Haney, a Democratic Assembly member from San Francisco, did a weave and a bob as he navigated the narrow straits. Dressed in denim and a monogrammed windbreaker, cradling a cup of coffee, he was casual and unassuming, perfectly attired for fact-finding on a late fall morning.

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Like all of you, I love downtowns, and I, like all of you, will not accept that we give up on our downtowns," he had told L.A. business leaders earlier in the day. "They are too important. They impact peoples lives in so many positive ways.

Fashion District President and Chief Executive Anthony Rodriguez, left, shows Assemblymember Matt Haney around the bustling neighborhood. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

Los Angeles was one of nine stops on his tour of the states downtowns. From Sacramento to San Diego, hes in search of a prescription for Californias ailing urban cores.

In Long Beach, he ate potato wedges at an outdoor event space by the city's convention center. In San Diego, he wandered a street of empty storefronts. In San Jose, he visited student housing in a former hotel. In San Francisco, he took in Union Square, where the iconic Macy's is slated to close.

Chair of the Assembly's Downtown Recovery Select Committee, Haney plans to introduce legislation next year to help these cities revive their downtowns.

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Not so long ago, downtowns were on the upswing. The recession was in the past, office space at a premium and residential development on the rise. But as COVID-19 lockdowns emptied buildings and left streets deserted, progress came to a halt, setting in motion a cascade of unfortunate events.

Office vacancies are at record highs  close to 25% in Los Angeles and 35% in San Francisco. Some areas, such as L.A.'s Fashion District, remain lively, but the inescapable realities of homelessness, mental illness and drug use keep many visitors and businesses away.

For Haney, who studied urban development at UC Berkeley before getting a law degree, there is no sugarcoating this reality, nor its urgency.

The clock is ticking, he said. With each month and year that goes by  and things get worse  it gets harder for cities to come out of the challenges that they're facing. We cant leave our downtowns to the vultures to circle and take them apart as they decay. That would be a catastrophic failure.

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Wrapping up his tour of the Fashion District, he was confronted with the tension between brick-and-mortar storefronts and sidewalk vendors, while just blocks away, encampments block sidewalks in Skid Row, a city-owned shopping mall is nearly deserted, and zombie buildings fill the skyline.

A lone passenger tours downtown San Francisco on top of a double-decker bus. Steeped in history, the city by the Bay now has a dubious reputation for intractable homelessness, rampant crime and an exodus of businesses. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

The pandemic made us aware that our downtowns are hugely unresilient, said Steven Pedigo, assistant dean at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin and director of its LBJ Urban Lab.

The vulnerability of urban cores, Pedigo said, comes from an overreliance on knowledge-based industries  the tech sector in San Francisco, government in Sacramento  whose workers have been slow to return to the office.

Broadening that focus will mean shifting from high-rise economies contingent on 12-hour workdays to 24/7 environments, popular day and night.

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The goal is to bring people to downtown, Haney said. Downtowns cannot survive without people.

No agenda is more simple and complicated. It begins by addressing the public perception that downtowns are dangerous and dirty.

Haney is looking to Proposition 1, a $6.4-billion bond to fund treatment and housing for homeless people with severe mental illness or addiction.

And it means diversifying the economic base of these neighborhoods.

In Long Beach, Haney stopped at a hotel built in the 1920s, which became a senior living facility before its recent reopening as a luxury hotel.

Haney, center, joins Downtown Long Beach Alliance President and CEO Austin Metoyer, left, and others on a walking tour of the neighborhood. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

In the Bay Area, he toured part of a hotel complex that San Jose State University converted into housing for more than 700 students.

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In Riverside, he visited the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture, which has played a key role in the city's downtown revitalization.

Each of them has very significant challenges, and they're facing these challenges by reimagining what their downtown is in different ways and in varying degrees of success," Haney said.

The scale of these problems is so great  and the needs so similar  that Haney believes a statewide strategy is appropriate.

One of the things that came up in some of these visits is these cities are not always talking to each other," he said. "They don't always have strong support or connections from the state as a whole."

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The state government could step up, Haney said, but the urgency just isn't there from the state to say, 'This is how you can do this, and we will approve it, and we'll make it easy.'

Clothing displays fill sidewalks in L.A.'s Fashion District, blocks away from sidewalks blocked by homeless encampments in Skid Row. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

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Joel Kotkin, a fellow in urban studies at Chapman University, said downtowns can succeed if they redefine their purpose.

I don't think downtowns are dead. I just think they're changing," he said. "And they're increasingly dispersed," as their residents are drawn to urban life on a different scale.

Larger cities could learn something from the smaller ones whose downtowns are flourishing, Kotkin said. He cited Orange, Downey and Paramount as examples of cities with little downtowns that serve their communities by creating destinations where residents want to go.

This sort of redefining and reimagining is behind Haneys tour. He lives in San Franciscos Tenderloin district, where opioid overdoses have taken such a toll that outgoing Mayor London Breed declared a state of emergency in 2021. Haney intends to continue his tour in the new year, with Richmond, Bakersfield and Stockton on the itinerary.

Haney, left, and Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson, center, pass an empty storefront while discussing ways to revitalize the city's downtown. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

While he is still sketching out his proposed legislation, Haney hopes to include incentives for universities and community colleges to develop downtown student housing, for the state to sell unused downtown buildings, for convention centers to draw more visitors and for cities to cultivate more nightlife.

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In addition, he plans to reintroduce a bill  vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last year  that would encourage developers to renovate older buildings by easing zoning restrictions, eliminating conditional use permits and giving municipalities the ability to offer incentives and concessions.

But he acknowledged that downtowns face more than just structural problems. Their image has also taken a hit, he said. In the past, banks, developers, philanthropists and other local leaders and institutions invested in downtowns out of civic pride.

A lot of these buildings and many of the developers are controlled by much larger forces of investment, so that civic pride or a local connection is not as present as it used to be," Haney said.

Buildings, he said, must be more than a number on a spreadsheet.

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He has until the end of February to submit his bill.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Cynthia Bailey's ex-husband, Peter Thomas, will not be having the jolly holiday he probably had planned.

The "Real Housewives of Atlanta" alum's former husband has bagged an 18-month prison sentence for pleading guilty to tax debt and evasion.

Peter Thomas also pled guilty this summer to one count of failure to pay trust fund taxes after he was accused of repeatedly evading paying the IRS between 2017 and 2023 for his businesses.

Cynthia Bailey's Ex-Husband Reportedly Owed IRS $650,000 In Trust Fund Taxes

According to a representative for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of North Carolina, Thomas was sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to failing to pay his taxes.

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Thomas will also have 2 years of supervised release and has been ordered to pay the IRS $2.5 million in restitution. The reality star pled guilty this summer to one count of failing to pay trust fund taxes owed by his business for six years, from 2017 to 2023.

The entrepreneur also allegedly owed the IRS nearly $650,000 in trust fund taxes on his employees' wages in Charlotte, North Carolina. TMZ also reported that Thomas was accused of defaulting on more than $2.5 million in employment taxes over six years from his businesses in various states.

Peter Thomas Advised Social Media Followers Against Owing Taxes

Fully aware of his looming fate, the businessman took to social media to share a video update in which he urged young entrepreneurs to learn from his mistakes.

He expressed his readiness to face the consequences of his actions, which included "consistently withholding taxes for business over 10 years."

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The businessman noted that he thought he could control the situation by drawing a payment plan, but he discovered that "it doesn't work like that." Thomas confirmed that he pled guilty, adding, "I plead guilty. And, with my plea of guilty, I have to sit down for a while."

The 64-Year-Old Raised Pulses With His DUI Mugshot Earlier In The Year

Cobb County Sheriff's Office

In January, The Blast reported that the reality star was caught on multiple charges after the local police picked him up for driving under the influence in Cobb County, GA.

He also bagged additional charges, including driving without a license, not having proof of insurance, failure to maintain lane, expired/no tag, and violation of a traffic control device.

However, his demeanor during what was supposed to be a low moment in his life had the internet buzzing. Thomas' mugshot sparked conversations as commenters mistook it for a regular photo op.

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The entertainer's signature silver fox looks, with his dyed beard and rugged charm, were on full display. Not only did he raise eyebrows, but he also received a same-day release after paying a $3,000 bail bond.

According to his booking sheet, a judge also decreed he was prohibited from drinking alcohol and ingesting marijuana. He must also be available for random drug and alcohol tests at his own cost with no chance to bear firearms.

The 'RHOA' Alum Was Arrested At Miami International Airport In 2019

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This is not the entertainer's first or second run-in with the law, which may explain why he is a veteran at giving the mugshot his best pose.

Thomas was previously seized in 2019 on a fugitive warrant. At the time, authorities revealed that he had spent the night in jail after being arrested at Miami International Airport.

He reportedly possessed a warrant issued from Louisiana, where he was accused of writing fraudulent checks. In an official statement, the "RHOA" star vehemently denied the allegations, declaring he would be "acquitted from any wrongdoing."

According to the standard booking procedure, he was ordered to get in line for a mugshot. Like his latest police photograph, the restaurant owner slayed the picture and served nothing but a lethal face card for the camera.

Cynthia Bailey And Peter Thomas Got Into A Legal Dispute 1 Year After His Miami Arrest

MEGA

Shortly after his 2019 episode about the alleged fraudulent checks ended, Thomas became entangled in another legal drama, this time with his ex-wife. Bailey sued him for $170,000, claiming she loaned him the amount to purchase an Atlanta property.

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She filed the case in September 2020 at a Georgia court, stating that her ex-husband promised to repay the loan within 36 months but has defaulted. Bailey claimed he took possession of the property despite failing to pay his debt.

"Defendant has breached the parties Agreement and is in default under the Promissory Note and owes the Plaintiff One Hundred and Seventy Thousand ($170,000.00) Dollars in principal, plus interests from May 27, 2020, until the note is paid," Bailey explained in her petition.

She asked the court to foreclose Thomas' home so she could collect the money she was owed and argued that her ex also needed to pay her attorney fees.

Will Peter Thomas appeal his case and get a shorter sentence?
NORTH PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI)  An accused arsonist has agreed to plead guilty to setting fires in February at Shiloh Gospel Temple, which federal prosecutors said he targeted because of its predominantly Black congregation.

Kevin Colantonio, of North Providence, has also agreed to admit that while behind bars in March at the Wyatt Detention Facility, he threw a mixture of feces and urine at correctional officers while they were trying to deliver his morning breakfast, according to the plea bargain.

Although Mr. Colantonios ultimate sentence will be determined by a federal judge, Im tremendously pleased that we are approaching closure in what is an important case and part of our civil rights enforcement efforts, which are critical, Rhode Island U.S. Attorney Zachary Cunha said Friday during a taping of WPRI 12s Newsmakers.

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Kara Manosh, a Providence attorney representing Colantonio, declined to comment.

Fire and hatred: Man charged in North Providence church arson

Colantonio faces a minimum sentence of five years in prison. The maximum sentence is 56 years behind bars, a $1 million fine and supervised release of three years. A hearing has been scheduled for Jan. 7 in Rhode Island U.S. District Court in Providence.

Cunha declined to speculate how prison time his prosecutors would seek during sentencing, saying the judge must first agree to the plea bargain and then sentencing guidelines would be determined by his office and the federal probation office.

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Colantonio was indicted by a federal grand jury and arrested in February. He was accused of using gasoline to set several fires outside the church on Charles Street in North Providence. The fires were set around midnight and nobody was inside the church at the time, according to law enforcement.

Firefighters were able to quickly knock down the flames before causing too much damage.

Shiloh Gospel Temple has a predominantly Black congregation and Colantonio, who is white, has agreed to admit that he intentionally selected the church as the object of the arson because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, and/or ethnicity of the congregants, according to the plea agreement filed Friday.

The race-based motive increases the penalties associated with the crime, according to the agreement.

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Police said they tracked down Colantonio after an employee of a nearby gas station told investigators a man had walked in with a gas can just before midnight and bought $10 of gasoline and a lighter.

Police said surveillance video captured Colantonio at the gas station, and they were able to track his movements to the church using videos from homes and businesses.

Eli Sherman (esherman@wpri.com) is a Target 12 investigative reporter for 12 News. Connect with him on Twitter and on Facebook.

Tim White (twhite@wpri.com) is Target 12 managing editor and chief investigative reporter and host of Newsmakers for 12 News. Connect with him on Twitter and Facebook.

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CRANSTON, R.I. (WPRI)  Joseph Keenan is a hero.

Though he passed away suddenly from a severe asthma attack in January 2018, Keenans status as an organ donor allowed him to save three lives.

Billy Partain, who was married to Keenan for 20 years prior to his passing, told 12 News his late husband donated his heart, liver and kidneys.

Joseph Keenan (Courtesy: Billy Partain)

He was a wonderful person and whatever I could say about him would never be enough, Partain said, adding that his husband was a hairstylist in Providence who loved to ski and spend time at the beach.

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Partain has since become close with Keenans heart recipient, whos a retired firefighter with six daughters and one son. He said the recipients wife always keeps a stethoscope around so he can listen to his late husbands heart.

Being able to hear my husbands heart beat again gives me so much peace, Partain said. You just know he is still around and hes giving back.

Partain said that, because of Keenan decided to be an organ donor, his heart recipient was able to walk his youngest daughter down the aisle.

She and I became really good friends, Partain said. When she had her first born son, she decided to name him after my husband  Joseph is his middle name. She says it is in honor of the man who not only gave her father life, but her entire family as well.

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How to become an organ donor in Rhode Island

This family saved my life as well, he continued. They have become a big part of my life and its as if my husband picked them out himself for me.

Since meeting his late husbands heart recipient, Partain has become a staunch advocate for organ donation awareness.

Billy Partain with his late husbands heart recipient (Courtesy: Billy Partain)

Partain described registering as an organ donor as being the ultimate gift.

Its the most selfless act and a beautiful gift to give, he said.

Partain shared his late husbands story Thursday at the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles to promote the life-saving work of New England Donation Services (NEDS).

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NEDS recently achieved a record number of life-saving deceased organ donations and transplants for three consecutive years. Since 2020, NEDS has increased the number of annual organ donors by 52%.

Nearly 550 deceased organ donors made 1,401 life-saving transplants possible last year, which NEDS has already surpassed this year.

Sophia Szabo contributed to this report.

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With Rhode Island's public benefits computer system breached by hackers, thousands of Rhode Islanders are worried that their personal information has been exposed.

Deloitte, the information technology vendor that built and runs the computer system known as RIBridges and UHIP, discovered that dangerous malware was embedded in the RIBridges computer code. The RIBridges/UHIP system was built to centralize and automate the process of applying for state benefits and determining who does not qualify for them.

Since last week, state authorities have advised people to protect their confidential information through measures like password changes and credit freezes.

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So we've rounded up answers to questions from readers.

How do I know if my data is compromised?

RIBridges facilitates applications for benefits programs including:

Medicaid

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP)

Health coverage purchased through HealthSource RI

Rhode Island Works (RIW)

Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS)

General Public Assistance (GPA) Program

At HOME Cost Share

The state has said that anyone whose personal information has been compromised will receive a letter by mail that explains how to access free credit monitoring.

How far back are we talking?

State officials urged anyone who has applied for benefits through the system since 2016 to change passwords and monitor their bank accounts for suspicious charges. The state estimates the data breach could affect 650,000 Rhode Island residents.

What information could be leaked?

The cybercriminals threatened to release personal data, including names, addresses, birth dates, Social Security numbers and bank information, state Chief Information Officer Brian Tardiff said last week.

Who do I contact?

The state launched a call center on Sunday for Rhode Islanders to receive general information about the breach and learn what steps they can take to protect their data. Representatives wont have any information on individual cases, as of now. McKee said that the call center received around 1,100 calls on its opening day.

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The toll-free hotline can be reached at 833-918-6603. It was set to remain open on Sunday until 8 p.m. and then continue operating from Mondays to Fridays between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.

Rhode Islanders will also be able to access updates from the state and general guidance online at cyberalert.ri.gov.

What can I do to protect myself?

According to Mike Tetreault, cybersecurity advisor at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, anyone concerned about identity theft should engage credit monitoring and watch their bank accounts. Tetreault advised residents to change their key online passwords to something with at least 10 characters and use multifactor identification, where an email or telephone is used to confirm a login in addition to a password.

The state is recommending that those affected:

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Freeze your credit lines by contacting all three credit reporting agencies, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.

Order a free credit report from one of the three agencies or through annualcreditreport.com.

Place a fraud alert on your files, which lets creditors know to contact you before opening any new accounts in your name. The credit reporting agencies can help with fraud alerts.

What is a credit freeze and how do I do it?

A freeze means creditors cannot access your credit report, meaning no new credit account can be opened in your name, whether it is fraudulent or legitimate.

There are three major credit reporting agencies, and you should contact all three: Equifax, (800) 525-6285, equifax.com; Experian, (888) 397-3742, experian.com and TransUnion, (800) 680-7289, transunion.com. It takes about one business day to freeze your account, and once you know your information is safe, you can have them unfreeze it.

Does it cost anything to freeze my account?

It's free. Also, you can get a free copy of your credit report every 12 months from the three main credit reporting agencies.

What if I suspect fraud?

Attorney General Peter Neronha's office released some guidance about the data breach:

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Contact the fraud department of any one of the aforementioned credit bureaus and place a 90-day fraud alert on your credit file that requests creditors contact you before opening new accounts or making changes to existing accounts.

Close the accounts that you know or believe have been tampered with.

File a police report.

File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at (877) 382-4357.

What about my benefits?

With the system shut down, state employees, beneficiaries, and applicants alike dont have access to the benefit portals. Services previously hosted through the RIBridges system will now be processed on paper or in person.

Anyone who was already enrolled in a HealthSource RI plan can pay their January premium by phone, in person, or at CVS locations  excluding locations inside Target stores. Although the open enrollment period goes until the end of January, new enrollments are not currently being processed, the agencys director said Monday.

Kimberly Merolla-Brito, the states Department of Human Services director, said theyre confident that the cyberattack wont interfere with delivering benefits in January.

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McKee noted that temporary disability insurance and unemployment are not part of the breached system.

The data breach affected EBT cardholders, and state officials recommend people change their pins and even freeze their accounts.

What about open enrollment for HealthSource RI

The RIBridges breach also shut down Rhode Island's public health insurance exchange during the open enrollment period.

In response, HealthSource RI is extending the open enrollment period through Feb. 28, Director Lindsay Lang said.

Anyone who needs to sign up for coverage starting on Jan. 1 is encouraged to call the HealthSource call center at 855-840-4774. There's also a new webpage with more information: healthsourceri.com/covered2025.

Who is behind the attack?

RIBridges was attacked by the international ransomware gang named Brain Cipher, which took credit for a hack of Deloitte UK in early December.

Did they demand ransom and will it be paid?

McKee said he did not know how much money the hackers demanded, because Deloitte was communicating with them. However, he said he would have the final say on the decision to pay a ransom.

Has the RI cyberattack data been released?

When the system was shut down Dec. 13, McKee said the state expected that personal data of those who had used the system would be released last week. By Dec. 30, though, the governor acknowledged "at least some" files were posted to a site on the dark web.

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"Right now, IT teams are working diligently to analyze the released files,'' the governor's office reported in a news release that went out at 11:52 a.m. on Dec. 30.

What is the dark web?

The dark web is the side of the internet that cannot be accessed by search engines. There, criminals can purchase and sell credit card numbers, guns, drugs, counterfeit money and more. Hackers can be hired to do the illicit work for you. You can buy or sell usernames and passwords.

What most of us see on the internet is called the "surface web." "Although the surface web is made up of many of the most popular .com, .net, and .org sites, it's estimated that it represents only around 5% of the total content available on the internet, with the rest being found on the deep web or dark web," according to an article from Tulane University. The dark web can only be accessed using specialized browsers like Tor, and users can access it anonymously.

What is the state doing to fix this?

The state said its working closely with Deloitte to uncover the cause of the cyberattack and its full extent, although Deloitte representatives have not been present at any of the governors press conferences so far.

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With reporting from Patrick Anderson, Alex Kuffner, Katie Mulvaney and Nish Kohli.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RIBridges data breach: What RI residents should do to protect selves
DELPHI, Ind. (WXIN)  Richard Allen, the man convicted in the Delphi murders, learned his punishment Friday.

Special Judge Fran Gull sentenced Allen to 130 years for the murders of Abby Williams and Libby German, whose bodies were found in February 2017. Fridays proceedings also included victim impact statements.

Allen had faced between 45 years and 130 years in prison. He was given two 65-year sentences to be served consecutively, for a total of 130 years.

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COMPLETE COVERAGE | Delphi Murders Trial

The sentencing hearing comes more than a month after a jury found Allen guilty on four counts of murder. The verdict followed 17 days of testimony in the high-profile case.

Prosecutors said Allen put himself on the Monon High Bridge  near where the girls bodies were found  on Feb. 13, 2017, the day of the murders. They also said they linked him to the murders through an unspent cartridge found at the crime scene. A forensic firearms expert testified the cartridge had been cycled through Allens Sig Sauer P226, a firearm recovered by police during an October 2022 search of Allens home.

The line outside the Carroll County Courthouse before the sentencing hearing on Dec. 20, 2024. (WXIN)

While in custody, Allen confessed to the murders dozens of times. Gull allowed the confessions  and the bullet evidence  to be admitted at trial over the objections of Allens defense lawyers, Andrew Baldwin and Bradley Rozzi. The attorneys argued Allens confessions were the result of mental duress he suffered while being held in isolation for months.

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The special judge, appointed to the case by the Indiana Supreme Court after the original judge recused himself, stymied the defenses efforts to present its alternative murder theory in court. Allens attorneys blamed Odinists, members of a Norse pagan group, for killing the girls as part of a ritual.

Richard Allen is seen in an Oct. 2024 photo provided by the Indiana State Police. (Indiana State Police)

Allens attorneys filed a motion this week maintaining his innocence and saying they would not present evidence at Fridays sentencing hearing. They plan to move forward with an appeal.

Lets get this over with: Man charged with quadruple murder executed in Indiana

The trial began with jury selection in Fort Wayne on Oct. 14 before the proceedings shifted to Delphi on Oct. 18. The state and defense delivered closing arguments on Nov. 7, putting the case in the jurys hands. Jurors delivered their verdict on Nov. 11.

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During the sentencing hearing, Allen responded to a handful of questions from Gull. It was the first time hed spoken in court. He provided his name, answered a few questions and declined to speak on his own behalf. Gull advised him he had the right to appeal.

Fridays proceedings

Six family members described the impact of the girls murders on their lives and admonished the defense for its handling of the case. They were upset about the release of crime scene photos that stemmed from an evidence leak in 2023. The photos forced them to relive their nightmare over and over, they told the court.

Lt. Jerry Holeman, an Indiana State Police investigator who handled the case for years, said police poured our hearts and souls into the case for nearly eight years and called the murders very brutal. He said no one can imagine the fear the girls encountered that day and noted that Allen went on to live a normal life like nothing had happened.

Holeman interrogated Allen in October 2022. The interview ended with Allen daring Holeman to arrest him. Holeman obliged.

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Kerry Timmons, Libby Germans mother, couldnt adequately explain the path of destruction Allen left in his wake. She told the court she couldnt process how Allen, a husband and father, couldve done something so heinous.

German would be 22 years old and should be here, Timmons said, and the family was cheated out of her life, leaving them with massive grief and a hole in my soul.

Ill never understand how you were able to get away with this for so long, she told the court.

Please put me on your visitors list. Ill listen, she said, alluding to Allens desire to apologize to the girls families from one of his confessions.

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Josh Lank, a cousin of Germans, said she was one-of-a-kind, and that Allen took so much away from those girls.

He said God had no place for him but the devil has a place for him.

This man has made my familys life a living hell, he said. Now its time for your life to be a living hell.

He suggested Allen was a dead man walking.

Abby Williams grandmother, Diana Erskin, called the sentencing hearing a day of great sadness.

Williams brought so much joy to the family, she said. She wondered how she would ever erase the memories of the autopsy and crime scene photos.

Sleep is not an escape, she said, adding she seldom sleeps through the night without waking up.

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I will never be the same person I was before Abigails murder, she said. [Allen] took Abbys life on earth but she had already given her heart to God.

Williams grandfather, Eric Erskin, also took the stand. Like other family members, he said the murders were difficult to process and likened Abbys death to losing a limb that will never grow back.

He called the murders a horrific and senseless act. What he saw at the trial only affirmed he worst nightmares about what his granddaughter and her friend went through.

You will never take away our memories and their legacy, he said.

He criticized Allen for failing to set the record straight when he had the chance.

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Becky Patty, Germans grandmother, appeared angry on the stand. She had previously delivered emotional testimony during the trial. She said Allen was lying in wait and drank beer for liquid courage before he viciously and heartlessly killed the girls.

She called him a coward and noted hed developed photos for Germans funeral as part of his job as a pharmacy technician at the local CVS. This proved he showed no remorse, she told the court.

He robbed us all, she said. The world was robbed.

Patty then set her sights on Allens defense attorneys. Their actions, she said, had twisted the knife over and over, with crime scene photos still being shared online to this day, victimizing the families and the girls.

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She described the deafening silence at home and the grandchildren who would never come into their lives.

Their lives mattered, she said. He is the one responsible for all of this. This sentence needs to reflect the murders and each day [the girls] would have lived.

She told the court she hoped he ended up in the general prison population so he could have the human interaction he desperately craves.

Patty also said she hoped Allens relationship with God will compel him to stop the case from going forward.

I live with my choice to let them go to the trails that day, Patty said. What about you, Richard Allen?

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Mike Patty, Germans grandfather, also addressed the court. He called out the podcasters and YouTubers who suggested the family and police were corrupt. He reminded the court that the family received crime scene photos and noted Allen had showed no remorse and no regret.

Like other family members, he said he couldnt imagine the fear the girls felt once they encountered Allen on Feb. 13, 2017. He asked for a harsh sentence.

This is a man who, if allowed out, will kill again, he said. Hes a dangerous man.

Once the victim impact statements were over, Gull asked Allen if he wanted to address the court.

No, your honor, Allen answered.

Gull said she has been a judge for a long time and presided over some hideous cases. The Delphi murders ranked right up there, she said. The impact on the families was astonishing and they had to deal with Allens carnage.

Gull then addressed Allen directly.

You sit here and roll your eyes at me as you have rolled your eyes at me throughout this trial, Gull said. It was a telling moment, given that media and court observers couldnt see Allen from their vantage point to gauge his reaction to various happenings in court.

With her role in the case at its end, Gull lifted the gag order that had been in place for more than two years. The proceedings concluded with a contentious exchange between defense attorney Jennifer Auger and McLeland.

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.
DELPHI, Ind.  Richard Allen, convicted of killing Abigail Abby Williams and Liberty Libby German, was sentenced Friday to the maximum punishment of 130 years in prison.

Allen was convicted in November of two counts of murder and two counts of murder while kidnapping the girls. Special Judge Frances Gull imposed the maximum 65-year punishment for each murder charge.

"I have been a criminal court judge in the state of Indiana for 25 years, and I have presided over some of the most hideous cases in the state of Indiana," Gull told Allen before announcing her sentence in a packed courtroom, "and you rank right up there."

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Gull also castigated Allen for his lack of remorse. Allen, who has maintained that he is innocent of the crimes, did not show any reaction.

Odinism, confessions, alleged bias: The issues Richard Allen could raise on appeal

"You sit here and roll your eyes at me as you have repeatedly rolled your eyes at me throughout the trial," Gull told Allen.

After the hearing, which lasted about an hour, Mike Patty, Libby's grandfather, was heard saying, "It's over."

But Allen and his defense team have made clear the case will continue.

Defense attorney Jennifer Auger told reporters after the hearing concluded that they're looking forward to pursuing an appeal and seeking a new trial.

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"Thoughts and prayers to the families of the victims. What they went through was unimaginable," Auger said, adding that they plan to give a more detailed statement later, "but today is not the day for that."

Abby and Libby were kidnapped and killed on Feb. 13, 2017, after they went on a hike on the Monon High Bridge trail. Their bodies were found the next day. Jurors found Allen guilty on Nov. 11. The long-awaited decision in one of Indiana's most high-profile murder cases came after more than seven years of investigation, nearly three weeks of testimony and roughly 18 hours of jury deliberation spread over four days.

Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland said the crimes affected countless people in Delphi and injected fear and anxiety into the community. People obtained gun permits and took self-defense classes, McLeland said.

Indiana State Police Lt. Jerry Holeman, one of the lead investigators on the case, said Allen killed the girls in a brutal and humiliating way.

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"He killed one in front of the other," Holeman said. "I can't imagine the fear."

'It's the Wild West out here': The Delphi murders and the true crime phenomenon

Girls' deaths will have a 'generational impact' on family

Several of the girls' family members spoke during the hearing, with some describing the whole experience as a nightmare that has and will continue to haunt them.

Becky Patty, Libby's grandmother, said the girls' deaths will have a "generational impact" on their family because their great-grandchildren will inevitably see photos of Abby and Libby on the Internet.

Carrie Timmons, Libby's mother, said she and her daughter would've been celebrating their birthdays together next week. Her 14-year-old, she said, will never get to fall in love, get married and have children.

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Diane Erskin, Abby's grandmother, said Allen took away her daughter's "one and only child," a teenager whose favorite phrase was, "Do you need any help?"

Abby was a shy girl, Erskin said, and she would've been devastated to know that photos of her were shown during the trial. The last time she saw Abby and her best friend, Libby, they were laughing together, Erskin said.

Josh Lank, Libby's cousin, said Allen "took so much away" from the girls and said he hopes Allen dies in prison.

"They had amazing lives ahead of them," Lank said. "Now, it's time for your life to become a living hell."

Allen and defense attorneys confident in chance of a new trial

Defense attorneys usually present arguments during sentencing hearings. But Allen's attorneys said very little, with Brad Rozzi asking Gull to not "count as an aggravator the way we did our job."

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Allen declined to talk when given the chance.

In a six-page memorandum filed Wednesday, the attorneys said they plan to focus their efforts on Allen's appeal, which they expect will involve "a neutral, detached and unbiased tribunal."

Allen to seek new trial: Delphi murderer Richard Allen maintains his innocence, won't cooperate with 'state actors'

They also advised Allen not to participate in the pre-sentencing process, which involves an interview with a probation officer who prepares a report to help the judge determine the appropriate punishment. Allen's attorneys advised him not to talk to "state actors" because doing so has only "negatively impacted his defense," according to their memorandum.

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Normally, parties submit long and detailed memorandums outlining why a defendant should receive a certain sentence. But Allen's attorneys listed only a few factors, including his lack of criminal history, his military service and his mental illness, that they said should result in a less harsh sentence.

Gull put little stock in those factors. She acknowledged that Allen has mental health problems, but said those are not tied to the crimes.

'Justice has been served' but there's no closure

After the hearing, McLeland, investigators and a representative of the victims' families spoke with reporters  the first time they addressed the case publicly since Gull placed a gag order shortly after Allen was arrested two years ago. Gull has lifted the gag order.

"Justice has been served for the girls," Mike Patty, Libby's grandfather, told reporters.

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Patty thanked the jurors for taking several weeks out of their lives to hear the evidence and for remaining open-minded. "For that, I will always be grateful."

Patty also thanked the investigators, prosecutors and the judge for their "steadfast" work on the case, and the Delphi community that has "embraced our families from Day 1."

Carroll County Sheriff Tony Liggett acknowledged that Allen's conviction and punishment was "a form of justice," but it won't "bring Abby or Libby back."

"There will never be any closure in this case," Liggett told reporters. "The Germans and the Williams families lost their daughters, their granddaughters, their siblings ... These families will live everyday without two of the most important people in their lives."

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Richard Allen sentenced to 130 years in Delphi murders
(lizchen/Stock photo via Getty Images)

Two Richmond janitors have filed federal complaints against Nu-Tech Janitorial Services, accusing the company of disability discrimination and retaliation linked to their union activity.

Clarissa McGhee, a janitor at the Marshall Plaza municipal building, says she intermittently uses a cane due to arthritis but has never let it interfere with her work  until she allegedly stopped receiving shifts. According to McGhee, Nu-Tech manager Russell Dandridge told her, dont come with a cane.

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My heart just dropped, McGhee said in a phone interview with The Mercury. Im like, what does my cane have to do with me?

McGhee described her cane as a necessary aid she occasionally relies on but insisted that it doesnt hinder her ability to perform her job.

Its a part of me, she said.

By early November,Nu-Tech instructed McGhee to clock out of a shift and return with a doctors note. After obtaining the note, McGhee brought it to the company the following week but was still sent home and allegedly told that her cane was a liability.

McGhee has since filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission, citing violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. She also joined her colleague, Sharonda Smith, in a separate complaint filed with the National Labor Relations Board alleging retaliation for union activity.

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Smith said that the two women had posted a flier to generate interest in forming a union. Shortly after, she was informed in November that her position had been terminated in November  a move she believes was linked to her union involvement.

The Service Employees International Unions regional chapter filed the labor complaint on their behalf and announced the action during a rally outside Richmond City Hall on Thursday.

At the rally, Smith shared her struggles since losing her job. A diabetic, she expressed concern about affording medical supplies not fully covered by Medicare and about keeping a roof over her familys head.

I expect to get eviction notices from the hotel where my family and I live because we cant afford anything else, Smith said. I have to go to charities and food banks, but I shouldnt have to do this because I enjoyed my job and I want work!





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Rhode Island Public Transit Authority Board Member Heather Schey disembarks a RIde van with her service dog Asher. (Courtesy of Rhode Island Public Transit Authority)

A pilot program originally scheduled to end Dec. 31 that gives curb to curb rides to eligible Rhode Islanders who cannot independently use public buses will continue until further notice, the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) announced Friday morning.

Launched Jan. 2, 2024, RIPTAs RIde anywhere program allows riders to reserve van or mini-bus transportation to come pick them up where they live. The federal government only requires paratransit service for people with disabilities when they live within  miles of a bus stop.

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Participants must complete the standard RIde paratransit application and be accepted before enrolling in the pilot program. Regular program passengers do not need to re-apply to be eligible for the pilot program, according to RIPTAs announcement.

Since launching earlier in the year, the pilot program has provided 5,974 trips.

The RIde Anywhere Pilot Program has been instrumental in expanding transportation access for individuals with disabilities, and continuing it allows us to gather more data and further explore how we can better meet the needs of Rhode Islanders who cannot access our fixed-route service, CEO Christohper Durand said in a statement.

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RIPTA board member Heather Schey, who herself uses paratransit services, commended the agency for its commitment to riders with disabilities.

People can have more access, she said at the boards meeting Thursday afternoon.

The pilot program was created under the states fiscal year 2024 budget, which appropriated RIPTA $500,000 to study the feasibility of expanding paratransit services to underserved communities. A little more than $330,000 was spent by the agency as of Nov. 30, according to RIPTAs announcement.

The agency is required to submit a final report on the program detailing program outcomes and recommendations by June 1, 2025.

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Paratransit fares are $4 per trip. Rides are requested by reservation, which can be made by calling (401) 461-9760 between 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Riders can also reserve Sunday trips, but will have to leave a voice message.

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The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority's (RIPTA) Melrose Street offices in Providence. The agency is proposing 23 new hires next year despite a looming $31.5 million budget shortfall. (Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current)

The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) wants to add 23 new positions at the start of the next fiscal year  even as the agency faces a $31.5 million revenue shortfall.

RIPTAs board of directors on Thursday voted 7-0 to approve the agencys $159.2 million spending request for the fiscal year starting July 1, 2025.

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The proposed budget is subject to changes by Gov. Dan McKee, who will unveil his own version of a statewide spending plan in January, which will then be reshaped by the Rhode Island General Assembly before a final budget is approved by June 30.

The $143.7 million allocation for RIPTA in the current state budget which ends June 30 is $15.5 million, or 10.8%, less than the bus agency is requesting in its new budget.

RIPTAs spending proposal calls for seven new customer service agents at Kennedy Plaza and the Pawtucket-Central Falls Transit Center, along with 10 new utility workers to maintain the agencys roughly 300 sheltered bus stops.

CEO Christopher Durand told the board that the agency restructured its budget to allocate funds more effectively and focus on rider needs.

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And we did it while reducing the deficit a little next year, he said.

RIPTA initially projected a budget shortfall of $32.6 million for the fiscal year starting July 1, 2025, which shrunk to $18 million thanks to a share of the states remaining federal pandemic aid, which will no longer be available to repurpose after this year.

The planned hires drew praise from transit advocates.

This is the most rationally organized budget Ive seen from RIPTA, Randall Rose, a member of the Kennedy Plaza Resilience Coalition and RI Transit Riders, told the board.

But Rose still questioned how RIPTA will manage to plug its latest gap.

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Theres not a lot of detail in the budget, he told Rhode Island Current.

The agencys draft fiscal 2026 plan projects $127.7 million in revenue, nearly $100 million of which comes from state and federal funding. Passenger fares would bring in another $11.3 million, based on the existing $2 charge.

Raising fares is not on the table, Durand told the board.

Meanwhile, the state is also staring down its own projected deficit of $330 million for fiscal year 2026.

So where else can RIPTA find funds?

Rhode Island Department of Transportation Director Peter Alviti, who also chairs RIPTAs board, suggested courting more companies to advertise on buses and sheltered stops.

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Durand said a lot of bus stops are in too poor condition for ads  something he said the agency plans to address after staff complete their survey of all 3,600 stops across Rhode Island.

RIPTA is also working with businesses to pay employees bus rides to boost ridership.

Board members Marcy Reyes and James Lombardi were absent from the meeting.

CORRECTION: Board member Vincent Masino was present.

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Riviera Beach mayoral candidate Kendrick Wyly faces a felony charge of child abuse without great bodily harm after striking a minor with a scooter, according to court documents and a redacted police report.

The child abuse charge is Wyly's second involvement with law enforcement since qualifying to run for mayor. Earlier this month, he said he called Riviera Beach police after City Councilman Tradrick McCoy grabbed him and pulled him from a barber's chair when he greeted the councilman with a reference to an ongoing lawsuit McCoy filed challenging whether Wyly and others paid their campaign filing fee in the proper manner.

Riviera Beach Police Chief Michael Coleman asked the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office to take over the investigation of that incident, and PBSO is looking into it.

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Riviera Beach police appear not to have passed off the investigation into the scooter incident, which occurred on Dec. 11.

The redacted police report from that incident does not include the name of a 15-year-old boy who told police that Wyly "gets drunk and becomes aggressive toward him as a result."

Police said the boy accused Wyly of "trying to take over the house" in the aftermath of the death of a person whose name is redacted.

"The argument escalated into a physical altercation when Kendrick struck (redacted name) on the leg with a scooter," the report states. An officer on the scene reported that he "observed redness and discoloration" on the person's right upper thigh.

Riviera Beach mayoral candidate Kendrick Wyly

Riviera Beach Fire Rescue evaluated the person's thigh, but the person declined transport to the hospital, the report states.

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Police also interviewed a 16-year-old girl who "stated that the fight occurred outside the residence."

The girl told police "family members tried to intervene, and she observed Kendrick hitting (redacted name) in the head with the scooter."

The report said an officer "later learned that Kendrick grabbed the scooter and tried attacking (redacted name) after family separated the two."

Wyly's sister, Kwana Wyly, "confirmed Kendrick mocked (redacted name) about his deceased grandmother, which upset (redacted name). Kwana confirmed that Kendrick attacked (redacted name) but chose not to provide further details."

Kendrick Wyly says dispute was with his nephew

Reached by The Palm Beach Post, Kendrick Wyly downplayed the incident, saying it centered on a dispute with his nephew, the son of his sister.

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"I just talked to the mother, my sister," Wyly told The Post. "She's going to call the state attorney and let them know she doesn't want anything to do with it."

An addendum to the police report states that, just before midnight on Dec. 11, officers were called to an address that was redacted regarding a stolen vehicle.

RIVIERA BEACH NEWS: Inspector General's scathing report rips Riviera Beach's water utilities leadership

"Kendrick Wyly reported that his white 2013 Nissan Altima was missing," the report states. "However, Kwana clarified that the vehicle was not stolen but had been moved because Kendrick was intoxicated and could not drive. The vehicle was located and returned to its original location."

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The report added: "Officers observed Kendrick to be intoxicated, and during a search, he was found wearing a bulletproof vest. Kendrick was taken into custody, placed in a marked patrol vehicle, and transported to the Riviera Beach Police Department for booking. After being read his Miranda rights, Kendrick claimed he was not at the residence but at his girlfriend's house. He was later transported to the county jail."

Wyly was not required to pay bond to be released, but he has been ordered not to have contact with the victim. He is also subject to random drug and alcohol testing, barred from possessing or consuming alcohol and barred from possessing weapons.

RIVIERA BEACH NEWS: Mayoral candidate Wyly claims councilman assaulted him

In an interview with The Post, Kwana Wyly said she's not sure who called police earlier that evening.

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"It wasn't me, and it wasn't my son," she said. "It could have been a neighbor."

Asked if her brother has a drinking problem, she said, "No. He's just like everyone else. He drinks occasionally. I was there. If my children were abused, I would have called police."

Kendrick Wyly: Police 'pick and choose what they do'

In discussing the barbershop altercation with McCoy, Kendrick Wyly was sharply critical of the councilman for being a representative of the city who acts in a manner unbecoming of an elected official. Wyly said he does not view the scooter incident in the same way.

He expressed frustration with the police department's response to the two incidents.

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"I called Riviera Beach, told them about an assault, and they didn't pursue it," Wyly said. "But here you have a minor that calls, and they arrest me. They pick and choose what they do."

RIVIERA BEACH NEWS: Judge's ruling in Riviera Beach could doom candidacies of Lawson, several office-seekers

Kwana Wyly said voters should not look unfavorably upon her brother because of the incident.

"He's a really good person," she said. "I believe in him, and this should not knock him down."

Wayne Washington is a journalist covering West Palm Beach, Riviera Beach and race relations for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at wwashington@pbpost.com. Help support our work; subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Riviera Beach mayoral candidate Wyly faces felony child abuse charge
Drivers have a new eastern bypass to avoid congestion around the city of Georgetown.

The new two-lane road, which opened Friday and is called Sam Houston Avenue or Corridor C, starts on Texas 29 east of County Road 106. The three-mile route winds southwest to a new bridge crossing Texas 130 and connects to an already existing part of Sam Houston Avenue at Patriot Way.

"This road allows through-traffic to bypass our busy downtown and provides an alternate route for trucks coming through our city, Georgetown Mayor Josh Schroeder said in a news release.

A new bypass has been opened around the eastern part of Georgetown. The bypass takes drivers southwest from Texas 29 and crosses Texas 130.

Texas 29 is known as University Avenue as it passes through Georgetown. It is the main east-west road through the city and passes in front of Southwestern University.

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The cost of the bypass is $30.5 million, city officials said. The money came from the county's 2019 voter-approved bonds and from the city of Georgetown. The Georgetown school district contributed right of way, the release said.

More: Groups fight to save spring-fed creeks, farmland from proposed Williamson County highway

This expansion is vital to keep the people of Georgetown safe and on the move, said Williamson County Commissioner Russ Boles, whose precinct includes the new bypass. "By reducing travel times, we are ensuring that Williamson County residents will spend more time with their families and less time stuck in traffic.

The project broke ground on Sept. 29, 2023.

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More: Segments of two new highways open to drivers in eastern Williamson County

"Seeing this project come to fruition is a testament to Williamson County's commitment to regional safety and mobility, Precinct 3 Commissioner Valerie Covey said in the release. Nearly 20 years ago, the City of Georgetown told me their biggest priority was a bypass that provided relief to local traffic in the heart of the city's commercial and historic areas; opening of this section of Corridor C is the final piece of that bypass, and I couldn't be prouder of the county and city's partnership.

More lanes will be added in the future as growth in the county happens and funding becomes available, said Connie Odom, a county spokeswoman.

"This is the most complete bypass of downtown Georgetown," Odom said in an email. "Drivers could bypass downtown Georgetown by taking SE Inner Loop up to (Texas 29), but traffic in that area is still heavy due to neighborhoods. They also could take SE Inner Loop to Sam Houston Ave. to Patriot Way up to (Texas 29), but that is right next to East View High School, so they are in the high school traffic area."

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: New eastern bypass around Georgetown lets drivers avoid traffic
Dassa: used his talent at sketching portraits to improve his living conditions in prison

Robert Dassa, who has died aged 91, was an Israeli spy who spent 14 years in an Egyptian prison for his role in the infamous scandal which came to be known as The Unfortunate Affair. It led to a political storm regarding who had given the order to operate in Egypt, and who was responsible for ordering an amateurish operation which ended in embarrassing failure - the prime suspect being Pinhas Lavon, Israels defence minister, hence The Lavon Affair.

In July 1954, Israel faced a dilemma: Britain and Egypt initialled an agreement under which British troops would withdraw by June 1956 from bases in the Suez Canal zone, which Britain had maintained under a 1936 treaty with Egypt.

The Israelis were concerned. If British troops were to leave, then British installations, including 11 military airfields, might be handed over to Israels sworn enemy, Egypt. Even worse, the British military buffer zone would go, leaving Israeli and Egyptian troops facing each other. In response, Israeli military intelligence came up with a plan aimed at stopping, or at least postponing, the British evacuation of its Egyptian garrison.

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The plan was to plant bombs in British and American facilities in Egypt, making it seem as if the bombs were put there by locals. The US and British governments, went the Israeli thinking, would conclude that Gamal Abdel Nassers Egyptian regime could not be relied upon to protect Western interests in Egypt, and it would therefore be better if Britain stayed put. The Israelis dubbed their plan Operation Susannah, and it would be carried out by the secret Unit 131.

This dormant cell had been set up a few years earlier by an Israeli spy named Avraham Dar. He travelled to Egypt under the code name John Darling to hand-pick recruits from among the Zionist youth in Cairo and Alexandria.

Dar recruited 12 members, including Dassa, with whom, as Dassa later recalled, Dar had a long chat, convincing the young Egyptian Jew that joining the cell could help the state of Israel. Dar then convened Dassa and the other recruits and taught them some basic espionage techniques, including making incendiary bombs with condoms, which were used as timing devices so that acid would only ignite once the chemical had ruptured the condom.

Dassa was instructed to cut off any contact with the Zionist youth movement to which he belonged and keep a low profile. He later said: We were idealistic we believed in the importance of what we were doing. We were young and innocent.

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At the end of 1952, Dassa and the other recruits were summoned to Israel. To get the visa needed to leave Egypt he enrolled for university studies in France. Following his admission, he procured his visa and travelled to Israel via France. Arriving in January 1953, Dassa went through an intensive training programme that included tours in Israel to boost his connection to the country.

Robert Dassa

At the beginning of July 1954, a certain Avri Elad secretly arrived in Egypt to take over from Avraham Dar. A few days later, when a codeword was broadcast in an Israeli radio cooking programme, it was the green light for Unit 131 to act.

On 14 July 1954, the unit planted a few incendiary devices in the US Information Agency offices in Cairo and Alexandria as well as in a British-owned theatre  but the amateurish devices either failed to explode or caused only minor damage.

On July 23, the anniversary of the Egyptian 1952 Revolution, Dassa and the group targeted cinemas in Cairo and Alexandria. But one of the explosive devices burst into flames prematurely while still inside the pocket of one of the groups members when he stood on the staircase to the Rio cinema in Alexandria. He was immediately arrested and interrogated, revealing all he knew about Unit 131.

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Egyptian police rounded up the units members, including Dassa, who was arrested when he returned home the next day. The only one not arrested was their commander, Avri Elad, who, as it later emerged, betrayed his subordinates and turned them in to Egyptian intelligence.

On June 28 1955, an Egyptian military court issued the verdicts on the saboteurs, which included two death sentences and several jail terms; Dassa was sentenced to 14 years hard labour.

Robert Dassa was born on May 8 1933 in Alexandria, the third son of Zahara, nee Deri, and Nissim Dassa. Both parents roots could be traced back to Jerusalem.

Young Robert attended a local Jewish community elementary school and then a high school in Alexandria, infusing his studies with his love for Israel and affiliation with Zionism. He was a member of the local Bnei Akiva religious Zionist youth movement but left it when he joined Unit 131.

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In jail, Dassa, who was good at drawing, used his talent to improve his living conditions. They saw that I know how to draw, he recalled, so they started bringing me photos of them and their families, and I would draw portraits... This is how my status was improved.

Drawing also helped Dassa to keep in touch with his family, as they let me draw postcards to send to my family on Jewish holidays and birthdays, and this was a sign to my family that I was still alive. Dassas drawings and artworks also decorated the officers offices and the prisons walls.

Dassa learnt to play musical instruments and joined the prisons orchestra, teaching the players to play the Israeli anthem (HaTikvah  The Hope), which the orchestra would often play in prison events.

Dassa was released in February 1968 as part of a prisoner swap between Israel and Egypt after the 1967 Six-Day War, and enrolled as a student of Arab Literature and history of the Middle East at Tel Aviv University. He worked as a journalist in the Arabic department of the Israeli public broadcaster for many years.

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After Israel and Egypt signed their Peace Treaty in 1979, Dassa visited Egypt; missing his old country, he made more than 20 visits in all.

In 1992, Dassa published his memoir, Back to Cairo.

Robert Dassa and his wife Dina had three children.

Robert Dassa, born May 8 1933, died September 24 2024

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ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO)  Rockfords housing market has continued booming to close out the year, ranking 2nd in realtors hottest housing markets.

The ranking comes partly because Rockford boasts the third-lowest median home price among the top 20 markets.

Another reason for the boom was due to Rockfords housing inventory increase over the past seven months, making it the first stretch of this magnitude in 15 years.

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In November, home inventory (including single-family homes and condominiums) increased 6.9%, from 363 homes available last November to 388 this November. Over the seven months, inventory has increased 13.0% from 2,145 homes for sale from May to November 2023 to 2,423 homes for sale from May to November 2024.

Those numbers equal 278 more homes for sale during the stretch.

Increasing inventory is leading to more transactions, said Conor Brown, CEO of NorthWest Illinois Alliance of Realtors. With additional job gains and continued economic growth resulting in growing housing demand. The worst of the downturn in home sales could very well be over.

Sales volume has also continued to rise. There was a 10.4% increase in the month of November alone.

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The CEO feels the boom will continue through the winter months.

A lot of people assume spring is the ideal time to sell their house, Brown said. And yes, buyer demand usually picks up at that time of year. But so does your competition because a lot of people put their homes on the market at the same time. Realtors are telling me that an increasing number of sellers are realizing this and are getting their homes ready for sale in the next few months.

Brown said knowing these trends can assist buyers when looking for houses.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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MANHATTAN, N.Y. (PIX11)  Dealing with crowds is part of the commute in New York City.

But some regular riders of the Roosevelt Island Tramway say their trip home has become extra busy with tourists.

The aerial tramway is a popular destination to take in skyline and river views. But residents of Roosevelt Island are making their case for some changes.

A group distributed flyers and spoke to riders on Thursday. They are asking for a priority line for residents and workers on the island.

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Some people also addressed the metering of the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation, a state entity that manages the island and tram.

Its not orderly. People dont move in and theres no signage or any type of support to manage the platform, Amy Namdar said.

Some tourists said they understood the local plea.

Paul Krikler welcomes the visitors and says the service issue should be addressed by the agency.

A lot of people take it. But with kids or mobility issues, now they just dont take it anymore, Krikler said.

It carries a maximum of 109 passengers and an attendant. Yearly ridership is in the millions and has been growing with new attractions on the island.

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A spokesperson for the island said the agency believes a separate line would be against state law regarding transit carriers.

Neighbors disagree and quote the law as prohibiting undo or unreasonable preference.

The tram isnt an MTA system. The F train subway stop didnt arrive until 1989. The tram first started running in 1976 when residential housing was developed on the island.

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.
Dec. 19Roy Blunt is the second lawmaker with ties to Southwest Missouri to be inducted into the Hall of Famous Missourians in Jefferson City in recent weeks.

A bust of Blunt was unveiled during a ceremony Wednesday at the Capitol, joining busts of other famous Missourians, including Harry Truman and Laura Ingalls Wilder.

"Senator Roy Blunt's life is an example of uniquely American opportunity met with Missouri values of leadership, dedication and service," reads the plaque below the bust. "Representing Missouri for over two decades in Congress, he became a pivotal figure in shaping policy and a leader in national security."

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It also notes his support of federal investment in health research and mental health access.

"We are all indebted to Sen. Blunt. He represents the best of us," Gary Kremer, director of the State Historical Society of Missouri, said during the ceremony.

Blunt, a former history teacher, currently serves as president of the State Historical Society of Missouri.

It is the latest in a string of honors for Blunt this year.

In April, he was named the recipient of the 2024 Harry S. Truman Legacy of Leadership Award. The Truman Library Institute noted that Blunt "is one of only two Americans in Congressional history to be elected to leadership positions by his colleagues in both the House and the Senate."

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In January, the Missouri Southern State University Board of Governors voted unanimously to name its health science center after him.

Blunt helped spearhead $2 million in federal support for the new center that incorporated a $2 million state match  "essentially a $4 million provision for the new building that will impact thousands of students in the state and region," MSSU said in a statement.

Blunt's half-century of public service included serving as Missouri secretary of state, 14 years in the House representing Southwest Missouri and 12 years in the U.S. Senate.

During his time in office, Blunt's was a familiar face in Joplin.

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He brought back funding to Missouri over the years for research into alternative and renewable sources of energy, culminating in his name being placed on the MARET Center at Crowder College in Neosho. He was a strong supporter of AmeriCorps, the federal volunteer program that was instrumental in helping Joplin recover and rebuild after the May 2011 tornado.

Blunt also has been honored for his support for Alzheimer's research and mental health.

The National Institutes of Health in 2022 dedicated its Roy Blunt Center for Alzheimer's and Related Dementias Building. According to the NIH: "Blunt has led efforts to increase funding for NIH by around 50% over the past seven years. During this time, he focused much-needed attention and funding to Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, more than quintupling the amount of funding available for research."

The late Ron Richard was inducted into the Hall of Famous Missourians last month. Richard was a former Joplin mayor who became the only Missourian to serve as both speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives and president pro tem of the Missouri Senate.
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  A runaway teenager accused of killing a homeless woman in a random attack has died in custody, the 8 News Now Investigators have learned.

Lincoln Boe, 18, who was reported missing from Idaho earlier this year, was accused of stabbing Gina Broome a dozen times on April 29 and then concealing the body near a dumpster. The stabbing happened behind a business near Sahara Avenue and Fort Apache Road in the west valley.

Boe was arrested days later on a charge of open murder. A grand jury later indicted him on a charge of murder with the use of a deadly weapon, records said. A trial was scheduled for April 2025.

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On Oct. 28, Boe died by suicide while awaiting trial inside the Clark County Detention Center, officials said. His death was not reported before the 8 News Now Investigators reporting Friday.

Lincoln Boe, 18, who was reported missing from Idaho earlier this year, was accused of stabbing Gina Broome a dozen times on April 29. (LVMPD/KLAS)

A spokesperson for Las Vegas Metro police, which runs the jail, said an investigation into Boes death remained active as of Friday. The agency does not issue news releases for deaths inside the facility other than murder.

Boe told detectives he killed Broome after she yelled at him outside of the business, documents said. Detectives said bloody shoe prints from the scene matched Boes. They also located a bloody knife in his car.

Police said surveillance video from behind the business showed Boe parking his car and looking through several dumpsters. Video also showed Boe walking to a business and asking if cameras were recording the trash area.

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An employee escorted Boe to a back door and showed him where the cameras were located, documents said. The employee told officers Boe then walked down a loading dock ramp and appeared excited and did a little dance.

Boe had pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Two inmates died between January and July inside the jail, according to the latest report. Both likely involved medical issues.

The Suicide & Crisis Lifeline can be reached by calling 988.

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.
President of Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdimuhamedov, has extended his heartfelt congratulations to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of his birthday, Azernews reports.

His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Dear Ilham Heydar oglu,

Please accept my heartfelt congratulations and best wishes on the occasion of your birthday!

Under your leadership, Azerbaijan is confidently advancing along the path of strengthening statehood and socio-economic development.

I am confident that the traditionally friendly Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan relations, based on the principles of equality, mutual respect, and trust, will continue to develop and strengthen for the benefit of our peoples.

Taking this pleasant opportunity, I sincerely wish you, dear Ilham Heydar oglu, good health and happiness, and the fraternal people of Azerbaijan peace, well-being, and prosperity.

Respectfully,

Serdar Berdimuhamedov

President of Turkmenistan
Russell Brand and his accuser will be legally questioned under oath in his ongoing sexual assault case next year!

The comedian will be in the hot seat next February and will answer important questions about the hefty allegations against him by an extra on his movie set over a decade ago.

Russell Brand's accuser claimed in her 2023 lawsuit that the actor exposed himself to her before the cast and crew of his movie project on set in 2010.

Russell Brand's Accuser Claimed He Was Intoxicated During The Act

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The actor's accuser will appear for her deposition weeks before him on January 21, 2025, while Brand will sit for his session on February 25, 2025.

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In the lawsuit filed last November under the moniker Jane Doe, the accuser claimed Brand "appeared intoxicated, smelled of alcohol, and was carrying a bottle of vodka on set."

She continued that the actor followed her into the restroom and proceeded to assault her as a crew member watched the door. The accuser noted that she has "suffered and continues to suffer extreme embarrassment, shame, and fear" as a result of the sexual abuse.

Per In Touch, the actor has since denied all the allegations with his attorney, claiming he did not recollect having any interaction with Jane and also denied claims of his client being drunk on set.

Brand's Attorney Stated That His Client Had Been Sober Since 2002

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His attorney explained that Brand's character, Arthur Bach, in the movie was a drunk who only acted as directed. Brand's lawyer insisted that his client was clean and "did not drink a sip of alcohol or consume any drugs at any time during production."

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"[Brand] has been sober since December 13, 2002. By the time [Jane] filed her Complaint in November 2023, [Brand] had not used drugs or alcohol for nearly 21 years. It appears that [Jane] is unable to distinguish acting from reality," the legal rep argued.

The attorney blamed the accuser's "faulty memory of the events she alleged in her complaint  more than 13 years after they supposedly happened" as the reason for her allegedly bogus accusations.

The Drug Rehabilitation Activist Urged The Court To Deny The Accuser's Request To Extend Deadline

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Brand's legal team demanded the court dismiss the victim's plea to give her more time in the case after she had waste time and let it sit for months. He asked that the court throw out the entire case due to delays.

The actor's team noted that the media continued to cover the case after she filed it, adding, "A simple search for Brand's name yields more than two dozen articles about this lawsuit."

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His lawyer stated that media houses such as BBC, Rolling Stone, NPR, and The Daily Mail have all "reported on [Jane's] scurrilous allegations against [Brand]."

They added that the accuser should not be "rewarded for dragging her feet and failing to move her case forward while the media continues to publish negative and prejudicial articles about [Brand] based on her unproven allegations."

However, the accuser recorded a win in her plea at a hearing on December 3 when the presiding judge granted her request for an extension.

Brand Was Recommended For 'Historic Sex Offenses' Charges By The MET Police

MEGA

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Following a rigorous 13-month inquiry by the Met police, the body finally recommended in November that Brand be charged with historic sex offenses based on multiple recent accusations from women he assaulted in the past.

As reported by The Blast, during the period of the inquiry, the actor was interviewed by the police on multiple occasions to confirm the details of his involvement with his alleged victims who he got involved with at the height of his career,

Brand's first meeting with the authorities was reportedly done under caution on November 16, 2023, with Brand being quizzed over three sex offense claims.

He also voluntarily came in for the interview after the negative attention he had received from the accusations, and he was invited a second time on December 14, 2023.

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He was questioned about six other historical sex offenses and was asked to come in for another interview session in January. There is no information on the length of each interview or whether Brand conducted it alone or with his attorney.

Inside Russell Brand's Mountain Of Improper Conduct Allegations

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The actor's can of worm opened wide after Channel 4's Dispatches and The Sunday Times concluded their investigation. About four women reportedly came forward accusing the comedian of sexual assault and rape, claiming they occurred between 2006 and 2013.

This also coincided with the peak of the "Despicable Me 2" actor's fame, as he was a BBC Radio 2 and Channel 4 presenter. A woman named Alice recalled dating Brand for three months and explained that the relationship drained her emotionally.

She described the actor as "emotionally abusive and controlling," adding that she was a teenager at the time and Brand was 31. Two more women also accused him of sexually assaulting them in Los Angeles and the United Kingdom, respectively.

What fate awaits Russell Brand next year when he wraps up the deposition?
Recent satellite imagery of Belbek Air Base, near Sevastopol in Russian-occupied Crimea, shows new hardened aircraft shelters and additional construction to help shield aircraft from drone attacks and other indirect fire. This reflects a broader push by the Russian military to improve physical defenses at multiple airfields two and a half years after the launch of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The War Zone obtained the satellite image of Belbek, seen below, which was taken on Dec. 19, from Planet Labs. Roughly 10 hardened shelters can be seen in various stages of construction over existing aircraft parking spots at the central portion of the facility. Another structure, the purpose of which is unclear, but that looks hardened, is also seen being built at a separate portion of the base.

PHOTO  2024 PLANET LABS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION

Additional latticework for less-well-protected soft shelters is also visible on an open apron at the center of the base, as well as across from the other structure that is being built. Similar structures have been seen at other Russian air bases in the past.

A closer view of the central section of Belbek showing the hardened aircraft shelter construction to the left and the other shelters or netting on the open apron to the right. PHOTO  2024 PLANET LABS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION

A close-up of the other hardened structure being built at Belbek, as well as the additional shelters or netting across from it. PHOTO  2024 PLANET LABS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION

Additional physical defenses at Belbek make good sense. The base has been a notably high-priority target for Ukraine since aircraft and air defenses based there help provide critical screening for the nearby Russian naval base at Sevastopol and also extend this coverage far out into the Black Sea. In addition to drone attacks, Ukrainian forces have employed U.S.-supplied Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) short-range ballistic missiles with cluster munition warheads against the facility. The base suffered a notably destructive ATACMS barrage in May of this year.

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Belbek is not the only Russian base that faces Ukrainian threats and there have been growing signs of Russian efforts particularly to shield highly vulnerable aircraft currently parked out on open flight lines from attack. Around September of this year, the first evidence began to appear in Russia of efforts to protect Flanker-series combat aircraft, which had previously been left exposed on their bases. While protective structures do exist on certain Russian air bases, the large dimensions of the Flanker mean that these aircraft were never provided with suitable hardened aircraft shelters. The only exceptions were in Poland and the former East Germany, and in some of the European Soviet republics  but not in Russia.

In the second half of November, various satellite images published on social media documented the construction of hardened aircraft shelters at several Russian military airfields. These include Kursk, Akhtubinsk, Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Yeysk, Morozovsk, Millerovo, and Krymsk  now joined by Belbek.

It appears that the construction of at least 70 Flanker bunkers began at almost the same time. It quickly became clear that a concerted construction program was underway, the scope of which finds parallels with the rapid efforts to harden airfields across Eastern and Western Europe after the dramatic success of the Israeli Air Force in the 1967 Six-Day War.

A Ukrainian research project, Frontelligence Insight, provided what may have been the first definitive publicly available evidence of new Russian bunker construction, in the form of a satellite photo taken at Kursk-Khalino Air Base on Oct. 22. Here, for example, excavation work for the foundations, the provision of prefabricated concrete parts, and initial assembly work were all clearly visible.

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Kursk: Russia Prepares Airfields for the Impact



The announcement permitting Ukraine to strike inside Russia with ATACMS came just yesterday, but evidence suggests Russia has been fortifying the Kursk military airbase since early October. Analysis from Frontelligence Insight  : pic.twitter.com/Db4z4GXRlu  Tatarigami_UA (@Tatarigami_UA) November 18, 2024

A satellite image of Kursk-Khalino taken on Nov. 2 was shared by Ukrainian journalist Mark Krutov and shows the full extent of the construction work at the airfield.

Still @Planet satellite images taken on November 2nd showing the new revetments at Khalino Airbase. pic.twitter.com/ahn4NBSyXG  Mark Krutov (@kromark) November 26, 2024

An annotated satellite image of Kursk-Khalino Air Base with the locations of the new hardened aircraft shelters overlaid. Google Earth

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A further satellite image taken on Nov. 17 was provided by U.S. imagery analyst @MT_Anderson and shows the construction of hardened aircraft shelters at Krymsk Air Base.

 Krymsk Air Base 

50cm  from 17 November 2024



Not seeing any obvious damage to the air base Flight line looks fine and fuel/ammo depot look fine as well



No obvious craters near the airfield either  pic.twitter.com/6kPnGp5vZS  MT Anderson (@MT_Anderson) November 20, 2024

Interestingly, from the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian military analysts and bloggers had voiced criticism regarding the vulnerability of fighter aircraft operating unprotected on Russian airfields.

Not only were critical airfields not equipped with protective structures, but there were no such hardened aircraft shelters suitable for the Flanker series in Russia.

A satellite image taken in June of this year after a drone attack on Akhtubinsk Air Base shows damage to one and possibly two Su-57 new-generation fighters parked out in the open. Satellite image 2024 Maxar Technologies

While bombers operated by Russias Long-Range Aviation branch were moved to  supposedly  safer bases deeper within Russia, tactical Su-24, Su-25, Su-30SM/M2, Su-34, and Su-35S aircraft remained primarily at their operational bases. However, they relocated every few months to other airfields within the operational area and sometimes even further away from the front line.

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Anti-aircraft defenses were set up at the edge of airfields, discarded aircraft were arranged as decoys and temporary blast walls were erected to protect against shrapnel and other fragments. More unorthodox measures included placing car tires on the upper surfaces of aircraft and painting aircraft silhouettes on concrete airfield surfaces. The tires, specifically, were intended to confuse image-matching seekers on Ukrainian missiles like the British-supplied Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missiles and nearly identical SCALP-EGs from France.

A Tu-95MS long-range bomber with tires on the wings and top of the center fuselage at Engels Air Base in August 2023. Satellite image 2023 Maxar Technologies



Painted decoys of Tu-95MS bombers at Engels Air Base. PHOTO  2023 PLANET LABS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION

On the whole, this mix of countermeasures to Ukrainian long-range strikes was largely ineffective. After all, it didnt include adequate hardened aircraft shelters  admittedly, the most expensive solution but also the best.

With each successful Ukrainian airstrike, the stunned comments and unsparing assessments from the Russian military information space became harder to ignore.

During an interview in July of this year, Russian Minister of Defense Andrey Belousov provided assurance that a schedule for airfields has already been drawn up and shelters will definitely be built.

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This report was picked up by Ukrainian analysts, who quickly assessed that such a project would be extremely expensive  roughly $1 billion for 300 AU-19 hardened aircraft shelters of the kind that can accommodate Flankers. The AU-19 is a standardized Soviet shelter pattern developed around the Flanker during the Cold War, but, as noted, wasnt ever built inside Russia.

The Ukrainian analysts concluded that Russia was unlikely to make this investment and would instead build shelters made of sheet steel at best, which would provide little more than weather protection.

This statement was true to the extent that a dozen such shelters were built in the winter of 2023-24 at Marinovka Air Base, located close together in a straight line, alongside the reserve taxiway. By July 2024, the second construction phase at Marinovka had begun, resulting in another dozen shelters, but this time in a more dispersed form.

A successful Ukrainian attack on Marinovka meant this construction work was never completed. In fact, the raid on Marinovka was probably a major factor behind the decision to build true hardened aircraft shelters, with work starting only a few weeks later.

A metal hangar at Marinovka Air Base in Russia shows extensive shrapnel damage after a Ukrainian drone strike. via Telegram

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Another factor was almost certainly the expectation that the Biden administration would allow Ukraine to use U.S.-produced and donated ATACMS to hit targets deep inside Russia. These missiles can hit targets of up to about 190 miles away and their use in this capacity was approved on Nov. 17. Roughly a week later, Ukraine used ATACMS in an attack on Kursk-Khalino Air Base, about 60 miles from the Ukrainian border.

The need to provide adequate protection to aircraft  especially for the U.S. military  is something that The War Zone has addressed before. Aircraft shelters with varying degrees of hardening are now very much back on the agenda globally, in response to evolving drone and missile threats. There is a growing debate within Americas armed forces and Congress about the value of building new defensive infrastructure for its aircraft, as well as investments in new active air and missile defense and tactics, techniques, and procedures. With the exception of a few forward deployment locations, the United States does not invest in robust shelters for its combat aircraft. The Russian experience from the war in Ukraine suggests that could be a mistake.

At this point, its worth returning to the aforementioned AU-19 hardened aircraft shelter. The AU-19 design reflected the Soviet expectation that an air war with NATO would be fought over the Central Front, with tactical aviation moving rapidly forward to keep pace with armored thrusts, with aircraft operating from bases closer to the front lines, as well as from captured airfields and improvised airstrips.

A Su-27 prepares to depart an air base in Poland, where it was stationed at the end of the Cold War, to go back to Russia, in July 1992. Soviet-operated air bases in Poland were among those to feature hardened aircraft shelters for Flanker-series fighters  seen here in the background. Rob Schleiffert/Wikimedia Commons

There are actually two AU-19 subdesigns. According to the Soviet designation scheme, AU-19/1 is a shelter with classic three-walled external sliding gates, while AU-19/2 has internal hinged gates, analogous to those used in certain first-generation NATO hardened aircraft shelters.

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However, the new Flanker bunkers now appearing in Russia use a different design principle. For the sake of convenience, we can refer to them as AU-19/3.

There are only a few images currently available showing the excavation pits for the foundations of the new shelters, their outer structures, building materials, and assembly processes. However, none of these suggest the AU-19/3 is in any way equivalent to the original AU-19. The degree of protection probably lies somewhere between a classic hardened aircraft shelter and the kind of sheet-metal shelters seen at Marinovka.

A closer look at sheet-metal type of aircraft shelters at Marinovka, before the successful Ukrainian drone attack. Google Earth

Stefan Buttner, an expert in Russian airbase infrastructure, told The War Zone that an AU-19/3 might just be able to withstand a hit from a drone armed with a 220-pound FAB-100 bomb, but anything more than that would inevitably lead to the collapse of the bunker itself in the event of a direct hit.

Based on the information currently available, the arched trusses used  presumably consisting of steel profile frames with concrete elements on top and a possible earth covering  give an impression of a construction that is far too fragile.

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This leads to the question of why Russia didnt simply reissue the comparatively robust AU-19 dating from the 1980s.

The design plans for the AU-19 are easily accessible and Russia has dozens of precast concrete factories whose product ranges reveal their Soviet origins. Perhaps, after all, it was simply a matter of cost that led to the current solution.

Still, the ability to protect from lighter strikes, like those delivered by drones and cluster munitions, is extremely relevant and balancing cost versus the most widespread threats does make some sense.

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com
Russian forces have lost 2,200 troops killed and wounded throughout the war zone over the past 24 hours, bringing Russia's total losses in military personnel to 770,420.

Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook

Details: The total combat losses of the Russian forces between 24 February 2022 and 20 December 2024 are estimated to be as follows [figures in parentheses represent the latest losses  ed.]:

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approximately 770,420 (+2,200) military personnel

9,584 (+8) tanks

19,823 (+24) armoured combat vehicles

21,220 (+42) artillery systems

1,256 (+0) multiple-launch rocket systems

1,027 (+1) air defence systems

369 (+0) fixed-wing aircraft

329 (+0) helicopters

20,600 (+79) tactical and strategic UAVs

2,943 (+0) cruise missiles

28 (+0) ships/boats

1 (+0) submarine

31,793 (+115) vehicles and fuel tankers

3,662 (+6) special vehicles and other equipment

The information is being confirmed.

Background: On 18-19 December, Russian forces lost 1,530 soldiers killed and wounded, 27 armoured combat vehicles and 14 artillery systems.

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MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian forces hit military targets in Ukraine with long-range high-precision weapons on Friday in response to an attack on Russia's Rostov region this week in which Ukraine used U.S.- and British-supplied missiles, the Russian Defence Ministry said.

Russia said on Thursday that Ukraine had launched six U.S.-made long-range ATACMs missiles and four British-made Storm Shadow missiles at Russia's southern Rostov region a day earlier.

Ukrainian officials said the Russian missile attack on Friday had killed one person and damaged buildings across Kyiv after explosions were heard in Ukraine's capital.

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The Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement that it had struck a command centre belonging to Ukraine's SBU intelligence agency, the Luch design bureau in Kyiv which it said was involved with designing and making missiles, as well as a U.S.-made Patriot anti-aircraft missile system.

"The goals of the strike have been achieved. All targets have been hit," the ministry said.

Reuters could not verify the battlefield assertion.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Mark Trevelyan/Andrew Osborn)
MOSCOW (Reuters) -Six people, including one child, were killed on Friday in a Ukrainian missile attack on the town of Rylsk in Russia's Kursk region, the acting governor, Alexander Khinshtein, said.

Ten wounded people, including a 13-year-old, were taken to hospital with minor injuries, Khinshtein wrote on Telegram.

"What happened today is a huge tragedy for all of us," he said. "We grieve together with the families of the victims. No one will be left without support."

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Those responsible would receive "well-deserved retribution", he said.

Russia's permanent representative to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzya, later told a session of the Security Council that Moscow would be quick to respond to the "unambiguous move by the Kyiv regime".

"As you can well understand, our response to this targeted crime against peaceful Russian citizens will not be long in coming," he told the session.

Ukrainian authorities have not commented on the incident.

Khinshtein said Ukraine had fired U.S.-supplied HIMARS rockets, damaging several buildings including a school, recreation centre and private residences in Rylsk, some 16 miles (26 km) from the border with Ukraine's Sumy region.

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An unconfirmed earlier report by the Mash Telegram channel, which is close to Russian law enforcement, put the death toll at seven.

The channel published unverified video showing damaged buildings and cars on fire in a city street.

Khinshtein, posting later on Telegram, said the attack had also disrupted heating and gas networks and work was under way to restore supplies to more than 80 residences.

Ukrainian troops still hold part of Kursk region after bursting across the border in a surprise incursion on Aug. 6. Russian President Vladimir Putin said during his annual press conference on Thursday that they would be expelled, but declined to set a date for when this would happen.

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Khinshtein, who served as a State Duma deputy until he was appointed acting governor of Kursk by Putin earlier this month, accused Kyiv of deliberating targeting civilians in the strike.

Both Ukraine and Russia regularly accuse the other of attacking non-combatants, and both deny it.

Tensions between the warring sides have ratcheted up since Tuesday, when a top Russian general, Igor Kirillov, was killed by a bomb in Moscow. Ukraine's SBU intelligence service claimed responsibility for the assassination.

(Reporting by Reuters and by Michelle Nichols at the United Nations; Writing by Lucy Papachristou and Ron Popeski; Editing by Mark Trevelyan and Stephen Coates)
KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  A Ukrainian attack Friday on a town in Russias Kursk border region using U.S.-supplied missiles killed six people, including a child, a senior local official said. The attack came hours after Ukrainian authorities said a Russian ballistic missile strike on Kyiv killed at least one person and wounded 13.

Moscow claimed the Kyiv strike was in response to a Ukrainian strike on Russian soil using American-made weapons earlier this week.

Ten other people in the Kursk town of Rylsk, including a 13-year-old, were hospitalized after Friday's strike with HIMARS missiles, Kursk acting Gov. Alexander Khinshtein said. He provided no further details.

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Russia is trying to push back a Ukrainian incursion into Kursk that was launched in early August, but Ukraines troops are dug in.

The truck-mounted HIMARS launchers fire GPS-guided missiles capable of hitting targets up to 80 kilometers (50 miles) away. The mobile launchers are hard for the enemy to spot and can quickly change position after firing to escape airstrikes.

President Joe Biden last month authorized Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied missiles to strike deeper inside Russia, easing limitations on the longer range weapons. The move was a response to Russia deploying thousands of North Korean troops to reinforce its war effort, officials said.

Shortly before sunrise Friday, at least three loud blasts were heard in Kyiv. Ukraines air force said it intercepted five Iskander short-range ballistic missiles fired at the city. The attack knocked out heating to 630 residential buildings, 16 medical facilities and 30 schools and kindergartens, the city administration said. Falling missile debris caused damage and sparked fires in three districts.

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We ask citizens to immediately respond to reports of ballistic attack threats, because there is very little time to find shelter, the air force said.

During the nearly three years since the war began, Russia has regularly bombarded civilian areas of Ukraine, often in an attempt to cripple the power grid and unnerve Ukrainians. Ukraine, struggling to hold back Russia's bigger army on the front line, has attempted to strike Russian infrastructure supporting the countrys war effort.

The falling debris in Kyiv caused damage to around two dozen high-rise office buildings in the city center as well as the landmark Catholic Church of St. Nicholas and the Kyiv National Linguistic University.

What may have been the blast wave from an intercepted low-flying missile also blew out windows and caused other damage at six embassies, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said.

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About five hours later, air raid sirens rang out again. Valeriia Dubova, a 32-year-old photographer, took cover with many others in a crowded subway station.

She said that in the morning attack, she sheltered at home and could feel the walls shaking. Outside, fire engines and ambulances raced down city streets, she said.

You could see that many buildings, high-rises, were damaged, with glass shards on the ground, far from the explosion epicenter, she said.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that the strike was in response to a Ukrainian missile attack on Russia's Rostov border region two days earlier. That attack used six American-made Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS, missiles and four Storm Shadow air-launched missiles provided by the United Kingdom, it said.

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That day, Ukraine claimed to have targeted a Rostov oil refinery as part of its campaign to strike Russian infrastructure supporting the country's war effort.

Ukraine's use of Western-supplied weapons to strike Russia has angered the Kremlin.

At the United Nations on Friday, Russias U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia asserted that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is doing everything he can to undermine any peaceful initiatives and to provoke Russia into escalating the conflict.

Ukraine fired several American-supplied longer-range missiles into Russia for the first time on Nov. 19 after Washington eased restrictions on their use.

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That development prompted Russia to use a new hypersonic missile, called Oreshnik, for the first time. Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that the missile could be used to target government buildings in Kyiv, though there have been no reports of an Oreshnik being used for a second time.

Answering the Ukrainian attack on Rostov on Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry said the military carried out a group strike with high-precision, long-range weapons on the command center of Ukraines military intelligence agency and another location where it said Ukraines Neptune missile systems are designed and produced.

The attack also targeted Ukrainian ground-based cruise missile systems and U.S.-made Patriot air defense systems, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The objectives of the strike have been achieved. All objects are hit, the ministry said in a Telegram post.

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Its claims could not immediately be verified.

In other Russian attacks on civilian areas of Ukraine, six people, including a 15-year-old girl, were injured by missiles in Kryvyi Rih, regional authorities said. It was the second straight night of attacks in Zelenskyys hometown.

Also, Russian artillery shelled the southern city of Kherson Friday morning, causing widespread damage and leaving around 60,000 people without power, regional Gov. Olesksandr Prokudin said.

___

A previous version of this story was corrected to show that Russia said Friday's attack was in response to a Ukrainian strike on Dec. 18, not earlier Friday.

___

Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
The Russians attacked Kyiv Oblast with drones on the night of 19-20 December, causing a fire at warehouse facilities in the Boryspil district. The firefighting operation is still ongoing.

Source: State Emergency Service of Ukraine on Telegram

Quote: "A 15,000 m warehouse facility caught fire at 00:50 as a result of another enemy drone attack in the Boryspil district."

Firefighting operation.

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Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine

Details: A total of 72 firefighters and 24 fire appliances are working at the scene. Specialised equipment from Kyiv, Boryspil airport, local fire crews, a fire train from Pivdenno-Zakhidna (Southwestern) Railways and water tenders from local authorities are involved in the firefighting effort.

Units of equipment involved in the operation.

Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine

The fire was contained at 04:05 and efforts to extinguish it continue.

Firefighting operation.

Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine

"No people were killed or injured," the State Emergency Service reported.

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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Portugal has summoned Russia's charge d'affaires in Lisbon after the Portuguese embassy in Kyiv was damaged during a Russian missile attack on the morning of 20 December.

Source: Portuguese broadcaster RTP; European Pravda

Details: Paulo Rangel, Portugalian Minister of Foreign Affairs, emphasised that the attack on the embassy warranted a strong diplomatic response.

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The damage to the Portuguese embassy was minor, including broken windows and deformed doors, with no reported casualties.

Other embassies affected by the strike include those of Argentina, Albania and Montenegro. The Portuguese foreign minister said that multiple diplomatic facilities are located within the same building.

Heorhii Tykhyi, spokesperson for Ukraines Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed that embassies of Albania, Argentina, Palestine, North Macedonia, Portugal and Montenegro sustained damage.

Quote from Tykhyi: "Windows, doors and parts of the ceilings in the premises were destroyed. These barbaric attacks on diplomatic missions cross all conceivable red lines and violate international norms."

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Quote from Portuguese foreign minister: "This deserves the harshest condemnation. Any Russian attack on Ukraine or Kyiv is unacceptable. However, it is absolutely unacceptable when such attacks affect diplomatic facilities."

More details: The Russian charge d'affaires in Lisbon was summoned to the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to receive an official protest, as the Russian ambassador was not in Lisbon.

Rangel added that "under no circumstances should diplomatic missions be targeted, according to international diplomatic rules".

The foreign minister stated that the embassys security had always been reinforced, noting that staff had sometimes refrained from working onsite due to safety concerns.

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Quote from Rangel: "This is part of a scenario that obviously involves risks, particularly personal risks. In any case, it is clear that under no circumstances should there be any impact, let alone a targeted attack, on any diplomatic mission in any country."

Currently, this is "the position of the Portuguese Republic regarding the Russian Federation; further steps will be taken at another level a bit later," he explained when asked about the European Union's stance.

Background:

During the Russian missile and drone attack in the early hours of 20 December, Ukraine's air defence intercepted five ballistic missiles headed for Kyiv and 40 drones in eight oblasts. Another twenty drones failed to hit their targets.

US Ambassador Bridget Brink condemned the attack and reaffirmed that the US, along with its partners, is enhancing security assistance to Ukraine.

Estonia's Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna also criticised the attack, stating that it demonstrated Russias lack of interest in peace.

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Russian attacks against Ukraine killed seven people and injured at least 34 others over the past day, regional authorities said on Dec. 20.

Ukrainian forces downed 40 out of 65 Shahed-type drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as five Iskander-M or the North Korean KN-23 ballistic missiles, the Air Force reported. Twenty more drones were reported as "lost" across Ukraine.

Russia launched a series of missile attacks against Kyiv on the morning of Dec. 20, killing one person, injuring 10, and causing damage across the city, local authorities reported.

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Russian forces launched a large-scale attack on the city of Kherson, targeting residential areas and critical and social infrastructure facilities, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said. At least two people were killed and 10 more injured, according to local authorities.

A Russian missile strike on a two-story house in the city of Kryvyi Rih in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast injured at least six people, including a 15-year-old girl, according to Governor Serhii Lysak.

The aftermath of a Russian missile attack on the city of Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, overnight on Dec. 20, 2024. (Serhii Lysak/Telegram)

Four people were killed in the villages of Shevchenko, Katerynivka, and the town of Siversk in Donetsk Oblast, Governor Vadym Filashkin said. Three more people were injured in the region over the past day.

Russian attacks on the villages of Cheremushne and Dvorichna in Kharkiv Oblast injured two women aged 46 and 54, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said.

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Three other people suffered injuries in a Russian missile strike near Kupiansk. The attack damaged 12 houses and a postal depot of Nova Poshta, Ukraines largest private delivery company.

Read also: Fire, casualties reported in Kyiv amid Russian missile attack

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By Andrew Osborn

MOSCOW (Reuters) -A Russian general assassinated by Ukraine was buried with full military honours on Friday and posthumously granted a top award, as Moscow launched an apparent revenge attack on what it said was a Ukrainian intelligence service command centre in Kyiv.

Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, who was chief of Russia's Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops, is the most senior Russian officer to be killed inside Russia by Ukraine.

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He was killed outside his Moscow apartment building on Tuesday along with his assistant when a bomb attached to an electric scooter went off in an attack for which Ukraine's SBU security service took responsibility.

State news agency RIA said Kirillov was buried in a ceremony outside Moscow attended by Defence Minister Andrei Belousov and Sergei Shoigu, the secretary of Russia's Security Council.

It said the ceremony had taken place at a Defence Ministry memorial complex called the Pantheon of the Defenders of the Fatherland.

Video broadcast by the Defence Ministry's Zvezda TV channel showed Belousov giving Kirillov's widow the Hero of Russia award, the country's top military honour, which President Vladimir Putin had decided to grant Kirillov posthumously.

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Footage of the funeral showed an honour guard carrying a coffin draped in the national flag and Kirillov's cap on top of it as solemn music played. A 10-man honour guard fired shots into the air in a snow-covered cemetery after his coffin was lowered into the ground as the national anthem played and mourners looked on.

Among giant wreaths were two sent by Putin and former President Dmitry Medvedev, who is now deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council and has called for the masterminds of the killing in Ukraine to be destroyed.

Russia's Defence Ministry said it had struck an SBU command centre in Kyiv in an attack which RIA said had killed several high-ranking military and SBU members.

Reuters could not confirm that report. Officials in Kyiv said at least one person had been killed in a missile strike on the Ukrainian capital on Friday, but Ukraine rarely provides details of strikes on military targets.

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The Russian Defence Ministry did not directly link the strike on the SBU command centre to Kirillov, saying it was vengeance for a Ukrainian attack on Russia's Rostov region.

A court in Moscow on Thursday ordered the main suspect in Kirillov's killing, a native of Uzbekistan, to be sent to pre-trial detention for two months after he was shown on state TV confessing to planting and detonating the bomb that killed Kirillov, 54, and his assistant.

(Reporting by Andrew Osborn, Editing by Timothy Heritage and Rod Nickel)
A Moscow court ruled on Dec. 19 to place the suspect in the killing of General Igor Kirillov in pre-trial detention for two months. The court announced the decision on its Telegram channel.

The suspect, originally from Uzbekistan, faces charges of committing a terrorist act resulting in death, according to a notice on the court's website.

On Dec. 18, Russian security forces detained two suspects over the assassination of a top Kremlin general and his assistant in Moscow. Kirillov was killed in Moscow on Dec. 17, with a bomb attached to a scooter. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) claimed responsibility for the attack.

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Kirillov, 54, served as the head of the Russian Armed Forces' radiation, chemical, and biological defense unit.

One day before his assassination, Ukrainian prosecutors charged him in absentia for deploying prohibited chemical weapons during Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

A Kyiv Independent investigation published in August revealed that Russian forces have increasingly used gas attacks against Ukrainian troops. Kirillovs involvement in these operations led to sanctions from both the U.K. and Canada.

Speaking to the Kyiv Independent on Dec. 17, a source from Ukraines SBU described Kirillov as a war criminal and a "completely legitimate target," as he gave orders to use banned chemical weapons against Ukrainian soldiers.

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Read also: General Igor Kirillov, the Russian chemical weapons chief and propagandist assassinated by Ukraine

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Russia conducted a cyberattack on Ukraine's government services on Dec. 19, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and Justice Minister Olha Stefanishyna said in a statement.

In the largest cyberattack in recent months, several government services were targeted, including state registers the Justice Ministry oversees. Stefanishyna did not specify which registers have been targeted.

Russia has regularly targeted Ukrainian companies and government institutions with cyberattacks since the onset of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In August, a massive Russian cyberattack targeted Monobank, one of Ukraine's largest banks.

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"We are coordinating work on countering cyberattacks and restoring systems. It's already clear that the attack was made by Russia to disrupt the work of critically important infrastructure," Stefanishyna said on Dec. 19.

"(Russia)... is trying to use this situation... to sow panic among citizens of Ukraine and abroad," she said, adding that it will take up to two weeks for impacted government services to resume operation.

In October, Microsoft warned that Russian hackers were targeting U.S. government officials. Cyberattacks and phishing emails are a part of Russia's hybrid war against the West over its support of Ukraine.

Read also: Ukrainian intelligence hackers disrupt Russias Gazprombank, source says

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Russian troops launched a drone strike on a nine-storey residential building in Kharkivs Saltivka district on the evening of 20 December.

Source: Oleh Syniehubov, Head of Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration; Ihor Terekhov, Mayor of Kharkiv

Details: Syniehubov reported that the drone hit a residential building, causing a fire at the site and damaging the first two floors.

Two individuals experienced acute stress reactions and received assistance on-site.

: 

Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine

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Update: Later, Syniehubov reported that the number of casualties had increased to four.

Three people suffered from acute stress reactions and a 12-year-old girl sustained a minor shrapnel injury.

Currently, efforts are ongoing to extinguish the fire on the ground and first floors, which covers an area of 30 sq m. Authorities are inspecting the building and finding temporary accommodation for the residents.

: 

Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine

Update at 23:39: It was later reported that six people were injured. Five suffered acute stress reactions.

At 23:47 Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported another strike, this time in the Kyivskyi district, which caused a fire to break out.

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A series of powerful explosions shook Kyiv at 07:00 on 20 December after an air-raid warning was issued in the city. Ukraine's Air Force reported detecting a high-speed target flying towards Kyiv.

Source: Ukraine's Air Force; Kyiv Oblast Military Administration; Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko on Telegram

Quote the Air Force: "High-speed target moving towards Kyiv!"

Details: Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko noted that air defence units were responding to the threat and urged residents to take shelter.

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Later, the Air Force reported detecting two more high-speed aerial targets heading from Chernihiv Oblast towards Kyiv, followed by additional explosions.

Air defences are also engaged in Kyiv Oblast, as reported by the Kyiv Oblast Military Administration.

At 07:19, the Air Force reported a ballistic missile was heading north towards the capital.

Background: At around 06:30, the Air Force reported that a MiG-31K, a carrier of the Kinzhal hypersonic missile, had taken off from Russia. An air-raid warning was subsequently issued across Ukraine.

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Russian forces attacked the city of Zaporizhzhia and Zaporizhzhia Oblast with UAVs on the evening of 20 December, injuring five people.

Source: Ivan Fedorov, Head of Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration

Details: After 21:00, Fedorov reported that the drone attack on Zaporizhzhia Oblast caused a fire to break out. Photographs show damage to a section of a residential building.

Later, it was confirmed that a 59-year-old man was injured in the village of Novodanylivka when the settlement was attacked with an FPV drone. The man was taken to hospital in a critical condition.

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Update: Later, Fedorov reported that a 12-year-old boy and a woman had been injured in the Russian attack on the city of Zaporizhzhia. The blast wave and debris shattered some of the windows in a nine-storey building.

The aftermath of the UAV attack on the city of Zaporizhzhia on 20 December.

Photo: Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration

The aftermath of the UAV attack on the city of Zaporizhzhia on 20 December.

Photo: Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration

It was later confirmed that four people had been injured.

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Russian forces launched a large-scale artillery attack on the city of Kherson on the morning of 20 December, hitting apartment blocks. As of now, two people have been confirmed dead and 10 others injured. The attack has also damaged critical infrastructure, leading to power outages in parts of the city. In addition, the city's electric transport and traffic lights are not working.

Source: Roman Mrochko, Head of Kherson City Military Administration; Oleksandr Prokudin, Head of Kherson Oblast Military Administration

Quote from Mrochko: "Kherson is under a large-scale bombardment. Civilians have been injured! Many apartment blocks have been hit."

Details: Prokudin noted that the city was under a large-scale artillery attack and urged people to take cover.

A 76-year-old man was severely injured in the morning bombardment. He sustained a blast injury and a shrapnel wound to his chest.

Another man, aged 63, was taken to hospital with concussion, along with blast and closed head injuries.

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Update: At 06:39, Mrochko reported that a third person had been injured and taken to hospital following the large-scale Russian attack on Kherson. The injured man, aged 44, sustained blast injuries and a traumatic amputation of fingers on his right hand.

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Updated. At 08:51, Prokudin reported that, as of that moment, one person had been killed and nine others injured.

He added that the Russians had turned the city into hell. "Explosions were heard in all districts of the regional centre. The enemy targeted residential areas, social and critical infrastructure," he said.

Reports indicate that two women aged 57 and 69 and a 42-year-old man had sustained blast injuries, along with abrasions, wounds and shrapnel injuries.

The large-scale Russian attack has left up to 60,000 consumers without power in Kherson Oblast. Damage to critical infrastructure facilities has caused power outages in the Shumenskyi, Zhytloselyshche, Tavriiskyi, and Ostriv microdistricts of Kherson, as well as in the settlements of Bilozerka and Komyshany. Power engineers are working on emergency repairs to restore power as soon as possible.

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Later, the Office of the Prosecutor General reported that two people  men aged 60 and 75  had been killed in the large-scale shelling of the city of Kherson.

Civilian infrastructure facilities, including houses and apartment blocks, as well as power transmission lines have been damaged.

At 09:50, Mrochko reported that the number of those who had sustained injuries had increased to 10 people. A 73-year-old man suffered concussion, blast trauma and a closed-head injury. Medics treated him on the spot.

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Russian military losses in its full-scale invasion of Ukraine have exceeded 750,000 Russian soldiers, and are expected to surpass 1 million Russian troops within six months, U.K. Under-Secretary of Defense Luke Pollard said on Dec. 19.

The U.K.'s latest estimate are in line with figures from Ukraine's General Staff, which, as of Dec. 19, sits at 768,220 troops lost since the start of the war. The figures do not specify killed or wounded, though the overall consensus is that it includes dead, wounded, missing, and captured.

"It is highly likely that they have sustained significant combat casualties, whilst only achieving limited tactical gains," Pollard told British parliamentarians on Dec. 19.

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Russia has gained ground in eastern Ukraine and Kursk Oblast in recent months but at the cost of heavy casualties.

Russian losses reached record highs in November and December, with a daily high of 2,030 troops lost in November, marking the highest daily loss since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. Russian losses exceeded 45,000 troops and $3 billion worth of equipment in November.

Ukrainian authorities reported 700,000 Russian losses on Nov. 4, less than three months after they announced 600,000 Russian casualties

Moscow does not disclose its casualty figures, though a Defense Ministry official recently let slip that the department received 48,000 requests to identify missing soldiers.

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According to joint investigation by BBC Russia and Mediazona, a Russian independent media outlet, published on Dec. 6, journalists have identified the names of 82,050 Russian soldiers who died during the full-scale invasion.

President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed in a rare statement that Ukraine had lost 43,000 soldiers on the battlefield since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.

In an attempt to mitigate casualties among Russian citizens, Moscow has also made an effort to recruit foreigners into their army. Russia has cooperated with North Korea, with Pyongyang reportedly dispatching 10,000-12,000 soldiers to assist Russia with its war against Ukraine.

Read also: UK announces $283 million military aid package for Ukraine

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A Russian missile attack on Kyiv damaged a number of foreign embassies on Dec. 20, Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi said at a briefing.

The embassies of Albania, Argentina, Palestine, North Macedonia, Portugal, and Montenegro are located in a building heavily damaged by the Russian strike.

Russia launched a series of missile attacks against Kyiv earlier in the morning, killing one person, injuring 12, and causing damage across the city, local authorities reported.

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The capital was attacked with five ballistic missiles of the Iskander-M or the North Korean KN-23 model, all of which were shot down, the Air Force claimed.

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"Windows, doors, and the ceiling have been damaged in the premises (of embassies). This is an absolutely barbaric attack by Russia on diplomatic institutions," Tykhyi said.

No casualties among diplomatic staff were reported.

The blast wave also damaged the Czech Center in Ukraine's capital, according to the Czech Foreign Ministry.

"No one was inside, but civilians were nearby. Once Ukraine wins, the Kremlin will pay for all lost lives and damage," the Czech Foreign Ministry said.

Read also: Russian missiles strike Kyiv on the eve of holiday season (Photos)

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At least one person was killed and several Nato embassies damaged by a Russian strike on central Kyiv on Friday, as the Kremlin begins targeting what it says are Ukrainian decision-making centres.

Dozens of buildings were damaged when debris from five intercepted short-range Iskander ballistic missiles smashed into the city centre just before sunrise, Ukraine said.

Russias defence ministry claimed to have struck an intelligence command centre, but Ukraine said the attack damaged a historic cathedral, a university, high-rise office buildings and six foreign missions.

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Kyiv city officials said the attack killed a 53-year-old man and injured 12 people, including five who were taken to hospital, most suffering injuries inflicted by shrapnel.

Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of Russian state-owned broadcaster RT, formerly Russia Today, said: Now the attacks on the notorious decision-making centres have arrived.

The Russian defence ministry said: The goals of the strike have been achieved. All targets have been hit, calling the strike a retaliation for Ukraines attack on Russias Rostov region with Western missiles earlier this week.

Quoting an alleged pro-Russian underground co-ordinator, RIA Novosti, the Russian state news agency, claimed Friday mornings strike had killed several high-ranking Ukrainian intelligence officers.

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Moscows defence ministry claimed to have hit a weapons developers office, which it said was involved in the production of missiles.

Photos from the site showed the heavily damaged roofs of two high-rise buildings across the street from the St Nicholas Cathedral, which is said to be also damaged.

Buildings damaged during a Russian missile strike in Kyiv on Friday. - STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE OF UKRAINE/REUTERS

Fire fighters attempt to put out a fire caused by a Russian missile strike in Kyiv on Friday. - Libkos/Getty Images Europe

Mykola Tochytskyi, Ukraines cultural affairs minister, described the cathedral as a monument of national significance.

One of the buildings is a business centre, whose tenants include a video game design studio and a baby food factory, according to its website. The other building is a Holiday Inn hotel.

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Videos from the scene show firefighters working to put out a blaze amid burnt-out cars on the rubble-strew street below.

People look at the Toronto business centre building that was damaged in the attack - Global Images Ukraine

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A rescue worker searches through the wreckage in the southern Holosiivskyi district of Kyiv. - Global Images Ukraine

The attack damaged the embassies of Albania, North Macedonia, Portugal and Montenegro (all members of Nato) as well as Argentina and Palestine, the Ukrainian foreign ministry said.

Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, described the attack as heinous and said: Putins disregard for international law reaches new heights.

The Portuguese government said it had summoned Russias charge daffaires to present him with a formal protest.

Russia has carried out an extensive air campaign against Ukraines energy infrastructure since 2022 but has largely avoided targeting government ministries or high-level command centres.

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It has threatened to target decision-making centres since November, when Joe Biden gave Kyiv permission to attack Russia with Western missiles.

The attack came one day after Vladimir Putin held a mammoth four-hour press conference and phone-in, in which he said decision-making centres could be a priority target.

He also challenged the West to a missile duel, stating that Russias Oreshnik missile, which was used against Ukraine in November, could not be intercepted by Western air defences.

Lets hold an experiment or a duel, he said. Lets say, in Kyiv, concentrate all their air defences there, and we will strike there with the Oreshnik and see what happens.

02:45 PM GMT

Thats all for now

Thank you for following our live coverage. This live blog is now closed.

02:21 PM GMT

Video: funeral held for general killed in Moscow

The funeral of assassinated Russian general Igor Kirillov was held in Moscow on Friday.

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Mr Kirillov, who headed Russias Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection troops, was killed by an explosive device in the Russian capital on Tuesday.

Ukraines SBU security service took responsibility for the killing, describing Mr Kirillov as a war criminal.

Russian state TV said that the funeral was attended by Andrey Belousov, the minister of defence, and Sergei Shoigu, the former minister of defence.

Vladimir Putin sent a wreath.

Russia's former chemical weapons chief Igor Kirillov funeral | Credit: Maria/X

02:17 PM GMT

Final Biden arms package to be announced in coming days

The Biden administration will announce its final arms package for Ukraine in the coming days, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

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The package is set to include air defence interceptors and artillery munitions, a third source told the agency, with the package expected to be worth about $1.2 billion (1 billion).

Under the programme, military equipment is procured from the defence industry rather than from American stocks, meaning it can take months or years to arrive on the battlefield.

This could be among the last steps the United States takes to provide direct military support to Ukraine as Kyiv braces for the return of President-elect Donald Trump, who has publicly questioned military aid and vowed to end the war within 24 hours of taking office on January 20th.

01:29 PM GMT

More pictures of Kyiv missile attack aftermath

People look at the Toronto business centre building that was damaged in the attack - Global Images Ukraine

A rescue worker searches through the wreckage in the southern Holosiivskyi district of Kyiv. - Global Images Ukraine

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Rescue workers evacuate two dogs from the site of where Russian ballistic missile fragments hit the citys Holosiivskyi district. - Global Images Ukraine

Someone surveys the damage in a restaurant in the Holosiivskyi in the south of the capital. - Global Images Ukraine

12:35 PM GMT

EU leaders condemn Kyiv embassy damage as barbaric

The EUs top brass have reacted to news that the Portuguese embassy was damaged in the Russian missile assault on Kyiv this morning.

Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the EU Comission, described the missile attack as another heinous Russian attack against Kyiv... Putins disregard for international law reaches new heights.

Kaja Kallas, the EU high representative for foreign affairs, said the incident was another barbaric attack by Russia on civilian targets that shows no willingness for peace.

12:11 PM GMT

Russian ballistic missiles target Kyiv

Russia fired a volley of ballistic missiles at Kyiv early on Friday morning, with projectiles hitting several districts of the Ukrainian capital.

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Residents of Kyiv were woken by air raid sirens at 6:40 am local time after the Russian army fired several missiles believed to be of the Iskander-M variety and the North Korean KN-23 model.

Local authorities said that office buildings, a gas pipeline and several cars were damaged in the attack, with one person reported dead and several more injured.

The Kyiv Post reported that eight loud blasts were heard in the city as the missiles struck at around 7am.

12:06 PM GMT

Orban holding up EU sanctions approval until after Trump inauguration

Viktor Orban, the Hungarian prime minister, wants to stall an extension to EU sanctions on Russia until after Donald Trumps inauguration, according to a report in Bloomberg.

EU leaders met for a summit in Brussels on Thursday and the extension of the sanctions was supposed to be routine, according to the report.

The measures need to be extended by a unanimous vote by EU leaders every six months, with the current round of sanctions set to run out at the end of January.

I suggest to Europeans to have strategic patience, Mr Orban told reporters on Thursday. We should not do anything that would go against this future transatlantic relationship.

11:16 AM GMT

Europe needs US help to secure Ukraine peace, says Zelensky

Volodymyr Zelensky has said that European guarantees wont be sufficient for Ukraine.

After speaking with EU leaders in Brussels on Thursday, Mr Zelensky said that was supportive of an initiative mooted by French President Emmanuel Macron to potentially deploy Western troops - but added that it needed to be fleshed out.

If we are talking about a contingent, we need to be specific - how many, what they will do if there is aggression from Russia, he said.

The main thing is that this is not some artificial story, we need effective mechanisms.

11:06 AM GMT

Ukraine hit by largest cyber attack in recent times

Russia carried out a mass cyberattack on Ukraines state registries, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna said late on Thursday, resulting in a temporary suspension of services.

The registries contain vital information about Ukrainian citizens such as births, deaths, marriages and property ownership.

Today the largest external cyberattack in recent times occurred with Ukraines state registries, Stefanishyna wrote on Facebook.

She added that the attack was carried out by the Russians to disrupt the work of the countrys critically important infrastructure and said it would take two weeks to retire the offices capabilities.

10:58 AM GMT

Ukraine confirms Russian advances in Donetsk region

Ukraines military confirmed on Friday that its forces had pulled back from the area around Uspenivka and Trudove villages in the eastern region of Donetsk to avoid being encircled by advancing Russian troops.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has decided to withdraw the units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces from the area in question to avoid encirclement, Ukraines Khortytsia group of forces said on Telegram.

Military units had avoided being surrounded and would continue to operations in the Kurakhove-Konstantinopolske area, the statement read.

Ukraines General Staff reported 18 battles on the Kurakhove front in the past day with Russian forces attempting to advance to the north of the town.

Earlier on Friday, the Russian Defence Ministry said its forces had taken control of Uspenivka and Novopustynka.

A military vehicle passes by a road sign that reads Pokrovska amid Russias attack on Ukraine, in the town of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region on Thursday. - Alina Smutko/REUTERS

A local resident rides a bicycle near a destroyed bridge in the town of Pokrovsk, near a front line in Donetsk region. - Alina Smutko/REUTERS

10:47 AM GMT

G7 oil sanctions will backfire, warns Kremlin

The Kremlin said on Friday that any new G7 sanctions on Russias oil industry would backfire and that it would act to minimise the consequences of any such move and adapt.

Bloomberg News reported on Thursday that G7 countries are exploring options to toughen the price cap on Russian oil, including essentially replacing the mechanism with a full ban on handling Russian crude to lowering the price threshold from the current $60 to about $40.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, asked about Russias concerns if these scenarios materialise, said there would certainly be risks to the stability of international energy markets.

This will inevitably happen and will hit simultaneously those countries that make such decisions, Mr Peskov told reporters.

We will do everything necessary to minimise the consequences of such decisions and ensure our economic interests.

10:33 AM GMT

Kremlin spokesman plays down high-tech duel comments

Putins spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said the Russian leaders call for a duel with the West, in which Russia would fire a hypersonic missile at Kyiv, have been taken out of context.

It is very important to talk about these statements in the context of the question that he was asked, Mr Peskov said on Friday.

This was not his initiative. He was asked to explain possible vulnerabilities, so the president, as he usually does, spoke in sufficient detail about how the missile works, how immune it is to air defence systems.

10:29 AM GMT

Seven Ukrainian civilians killed in past 24 hours

Russian missile strikes on settlements in several parts of Ukraine have killed seven people and left dozens more injured, local media report.

Friday mornings missile barrage on the capital Kyiv resulted in one fatality, while a strike on Kherson also killed two people, the Kyiv Independent reports.

Further injuries and deaths were reported in the Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk Oblasts.

10:05 AM GMT

Video: fire fighters quell blaze following missile assault

09:49 AM GMT

Russia claims to capture two villages in Donetsk region

The Russian Defence Ministry said on Friday that its forces had taken control of two more settlements in Ukraines Donetsk region, Uspenivka and Novopustynka, state news agency RIA reported.

According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Russia attempted to make gains in the Kharkiv Oblast over the past 24 hours but did not make any confirmed advances.

The ISW, which publishes daily updates on battlefield advances, stated that Russian forces had made some gains in the Luhansk Oblast but that Ukraine had likely destroyed 21 military vehicles as Russia attempted to expand a bridgehead near the Oskil River.

In Donetsk, Russian forces made some marginal gains over the past 48 hours but Ukrainian troops also managed to regain some lost positions, the ISW concluded.

09:04 AM GMT

Russian court jails Ukrainian man for 16 years for high treason

A Russian military court sentenced a resident of east Ukraines Lugansk region to 16 years in prison in a penal colony for high treason, Moscows FSB security service said.

Moscow regularly hands heavy sentences to people it accuses of spying for Ukraine and has also consistently imprisoned Ukrainians in Russia and regions it has occupied since 2014.

Prosecutors said the man had handed information on the Russian armed forces to Kyivs security services.

The FSB, cited by Russian news agencies, said he was found guilty of state treason, being an accomplice in terrorist acts as well as the illegal handling and transport of explosives.

08:58 AM GMT

Kyiv intercepted five Russian missiles during air barrage

Ukraines air force said on Friday it downed five ballistic missiles and 40 drones during a Russian attack on Kyiv on Friday morning, with a further 20 drones failing to reach their targets.

It said a total of 65 drones had been launched overnight.

It is not clear how many, if any of the missiles, believed to be of the Iskander-M or the North Korean KN-23 models, hit their intended targets.

But damage was reported at several non-residential buildings in the city, while the strikes caused fires and led to the outage of a district heating system.

08:41 AM GMT

Images of destruction in Kyiv after Fridays missile strike

Russia hit the Ukrainian capital with at least half a dozen missiles on Friday morning. Here are some images of the aftermath.

Buildings damaged during a Russian missile strike in Kyiv on Friday. - STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE OF UKRAINE/REUTERS

Fire fighters attempt to put out a fire caused by a Russian missile strike in Kyiv on Friday. - Libkos/Getty Images Europe

A woman works in a building damaged during a Russian missile strike on Friday. - Valentyn Ogirenko/REUTERS

08:26 AM GMT

Russia: strikes on Kyiv hit security service targets

Russia said on Friday that it targeted arms industry and security service targets in strikes on Kyiv as a response to this weeks Ukrainian strikes using Western missiles on a chemical plant in southern Russia.

In response to the actions of the Kyiv regime, supported by its Western handlers, a combined strike with long-range precision weapons was launched today, the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.

08:22 AM GMT

Putin says West cant intercept his latest missile

Speaking during his annual call-in with the Russian public on Thursday, Vladimir Putin claimed that his militarys new Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile cannot be intercepted by Western air defences.

And those Western experts who think (the Oreshnik can be intercepted), let them suggest to us and those in the West who pay them to conduct a technological experiment, Putin said, according to the Kyiv Independent.

Lets call it a high-tech duel of the 21st century. Let them determine some site to hit, lets say, in Kyiv, concentrate all their air defences there, and we will strike there with the Oreshnik and see what happens.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky responded that Putin was a dumbass, writing on X people are dying and he thinks it is interesting.

Russia fired the Oreshnik missile for the first time in November, hitting a military facility in the city of Dnipro.

My colleague Daniel Hardaker has more details on Putins annual 5-hour phone call in that took place on Thursday.

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A Russian missile attack on Kyiv killed one person and wounded nine others early on Friday morning, Ukrainian officials said, a strike that U.S. Ambassador Bridget A. Brink described as "brutal."

"Early this morning Russia launched a ballistic missile attack against the capital, killing a civilian and resulting in debris and fires around the city," Brink said in a statement on social media.

Brink added that the United States and its partners were "surging security assistance and energy support" to the country "in response to these brutal attacks."

PHOTO: A view shows buildings damaged during a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Dec. 20, 2024. (State Emergency Service Of Ukraine via Reuters)

MORE: Putin says West's air defenses have 'no chance' against Russian ballistic missile

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First responders were battling fires in the streets, and several high-rise buildings were damaged. Debris had fallen in at least four districts in the city, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on the Telegram messaging app.

More than 600 buildings, including more than a dozen medical sites, were without heat after the strike damaged a heating main in the city's southwestern Holosiivskyi District, he said. Seventeen schools and 13 kindergartens also were without heat early Friday.

PHOTO: A rescue worker walks by as firefighters work to extinguish a fire near the site of a building destroyed during a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in central Kyiv, Ukraine, Dec. 20, 2024. (Thomas Peter/Reuters)

Russia last month launched several aerial assaults that targeted energy infrastructure throughout Ukraine.

"Ukraine needs more air defense systems," Ukraine's Defense Ministry said on Friday. "Russian terror must be stopped."

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Nine people were injured, including four who were hospitalized, in the strike on Kyiv, the mayor said, revising the number of injured from the previous seven.

ABC News' Helena Skinner contributed to this report.

1 dead in 'brutal' Russian missile attack on Kyiv, US ambassador says originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
During a large-scale Russian artillery attack on Kherson on 20 December, the Russians damaged the building of the Kherson State Maritime Academy (KSMA). The building of the Maritime College sustained the most damage, but no one was injured.

Source: Oleksandr Shumei, the vice rector of the Kherson State Maritime Academy, in a comment to Ukrainska Pravda.Zhyttia (Life)

Quote: "Everyone is alive. The institution operates remotely, and there have been no classes in the building since the beginning of the full-scale war. We are not letting people inside because of the danger...

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The buildings of the academy and its departments are scattered around the city. There are strikes of various levels over the years almost everywhere. The most critical ones are in this building."

Details: Oleksandr Shumei noted that it was not the first time that the Russians had damaged one of the symbols of Kherson. The academy was on fire as a result of the attack on 2 July 2024, and fortunately, none of the staff or students were injured.

The building was built in 1880 and reconstructed in 1950. This year, the educational institution celebrates 190 years of its history. It was even mentioned by Shevchenko in his letters 165 years ago.

It is not the first time that Russians have damaged one of Kherson's symbols.

Background:

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On 20 December, Kherson came under a large-scale artillery attack, with the Russians hitting residential buildings and critical infrastructure.

At least two people were killed and 10 wounded. St Catherine's Cathedral was also damaged.

On the same day, Russians attacked Kyiv with ballistic missiles, damaging, among other things, Church St Nicholas.

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Analysts from the DeepState project reported on the night of 19-20 December that the Russians had occupied Kostiantynopolske in Donetsk Oblast.

Source: Ukrainian analytical project DeepState Map

Details: The Russians have also advanced near Kruglenkoe in Russia's Kursk Oblast, as well as Zoria, Zelenivka and Novoolenivka in Ukraines Donetsk Oblast.

Background:

Analysts from the DeepState project updated their map on the night of 18-19 December, reporting that Russian forces had occupied the village of Trudove in Donetsk Oblast.

Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, informed Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the UKs Chief of Defence Staff, about heavy fighting and a recent surge in Russian offensives across multiple frontline areas during a phone call.

On 18 December, Russian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov claimed that Russian troops had seized approximately 4,500 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory in 2024.

However, analysts from the Institute for the Study of War pointed out that Gerasimov had significantly exaggerated the amount of Ukrainian territory occupied by Russian forces this year.

The ISW said that Russian troops have only captured 3,306 square kilometres in 2024.

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Serhii Popko, Head of Kyiv City Military Administration, has reported that the Russians had likely attacked the capital with Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles and Iskander/KN-23 ballistic missiles in the morning on 20 December.

Source: Kyiv City Military Administration on Telegram

Quote from Popko: "Russian armed forces launched a combined missile strike on Kyiv at around 07:00 this morning. It is likely that the enemy used Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles launched from MiG-31K aircraft and Iskander/KN-23 ballistic missiles. As a result of this attack, wreckage fell in three districts of the city."

Aftermath of the Russian attack.

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Photo: Kyiv City Military Administration

Details: Specifically, an office building, a road surface and a gas pipe were damaged in the Holosiivskyi district, leading to a gas leak. Five cars caught fire. Early reports indicate that one person has been killed and another injured. The information is being updated.

The facade of an office building was damaged at another location, with subsequent fires recorded on the roof. There was destruction caused on the 14th floor and it is likely that people are currently trapped there. Two injured people have been hospitalised.

Aftermath of the Russian attack.

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Photo: Kyiv City Military Administration

Wreckage caused a fire in a non-residential building in the Solomianskyi district. The fire has been extinguished and no injuries reported.

A fire broke out on the territory of non-residential buildings in the Shevchenkivskyi district. Information is being gathered.

Aftermath of the Russian attack.

Photo: Kyiv City Military Administration

"Information about wreckage falling in the Dniprovskyi district has not been confirmed after verification," Popko added.

Background:

The Russians launched an attack on Kyiv on the morning of 20 December. A series of powerful explosions was heard in the city and authorities confirmed that air defence systems were responding.

Wreckage from a Russian missile fell in four districts in Kyiv. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that cars had been on fire, a heating pipeline damaged and two people injured in the Holosiivskyi district of the capital. Serhii Popko, Head of Kyiv City Military Administration, said one person is reported to have been killed in the Holosiivskyi district.

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Russia's seaborne fuel exports will plummet this year due to reduced processing volumes at the country's refineries, which have been redirected to focus on the domestic market following orders from Moscow.

Source: Bloomberg

Details: Seaborne oil product exports from Russia averaged around 2.2 million barrels per day in 2024, marking a 9% decline from the previous year and a 10% drop compared to 2022 when Europe was still importing Russian fuel.

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These figures represent a sharper decline than the drop in Russia's domestic refining, which fell by about 3% in 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.

In light of Ukrainian drone attacks, Russia has tasked its refineries with prioritising the domestic market, a move that could further deplete the countrys export volumes.

Western sanctions targeting the Kremlin's energy sector have had minimal effect on Russia's ability to export fuel. In response to the loss of US and European markets, Russia is redirecting its fuel exports to new markets in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.

Approximately 20% of Russian fuel is now shipped to Turkiye, while 11% is sent to China. Additionally, around 17% of Russian diesel and gas oil exports this year have gone to Brazil.

Background:

The Group of Seven (G7) countries are considering ways to tighten the price cap on Russian oil to better curb Moscow's ability to finance its war against Ukraine.

The Novoshakhtinsk Oil Products Processing Plant, the largest in southern Russia, has shut down both primary oil refining units following an attack by Ukrainian drones.

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OSHKOSH  Stories like Ryan Borgwardts are even more unique than youd imagine.

At least from an insurance perspective.

Executive Director for the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud Michelle Rafeld told USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin that while she doesnt know the missing kayakers motive for staging his disappearance, it is very uncommon for anyone to do so for an insurance claim.

While the idea of faking ones death for insurance money is something people hear about in movies or news stories, in reality, its extremely rare, and often comes to light after an investigation is launched due to suspicious circumstances, Rafeld explained.

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Seeing a policy taken out months before the incident is a red flag when combined with other factors.

Rafeld made the comments in light of the national story surrounding the 45-year-old Watertown man's failed attempt to fake his death on Green Lake on Aug. 11.

Case timeline: Ryan Borgwardt case timeline: Wisconsin man faked his own disappearance in August

Law enforcement eventually uncovered the plot a couple months later, with a forensic analysis of his laptop revealing the replacement of the hard drive, inquiries about moving funds to foreign banks  and the fact Borgwardt took out a new $375,000 life insurance policy.

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Authorities revealed Borgwardts immediate family were the beneficiaries, but they never tried to cash out the claim. Borgwardt has not been charged in court for anything related to the insurance policy.

Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll addressed the media Nov. 21, 2024, while playing a video of Ryan Borgwardt, a man who was reported missing after kayaking in August.

Back in 2022, the Coalition did a study with Colorado State University Global to determine the cost of insurance fraud, which is where we determined $308.6 billion is lost each year to insurance fraud, Rafeld said.

Of that $308.6 billion, approximately $75 billion is lost to bogus life insurance claims. Only a small percentage of that figure would be related to individuals staging their own deaths, as again, that's not a common incident.

More news: Former Fond du Lac restaurant owner & council member indicted for arson in 2021 fire

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Borgwardt recently returned to the U.S. from the European country of Georgia on his own accord. He does face a possible nine-month prison sentence and a $10,000 fine after being charged with a Class A misdemeanor of obstructing an officer for intentionally planting evidence to mislead law enforcement.

Green Lake County Detective Jeremiah Hansons record shows Borgwardt admitted to the following:

Stashing an eBike near the boat launch.

Paddling a kayak and a child-sized inflatable boat out into the lake.

Overturning the kayak and dumping his phone in the lake.

Paddling the inflatable boat to shore and then riding the eBike through the night to Madison.

Boarding a bus in Madison, going to Detroit and then heading to the Canadian border.

Continuing on the bus to the airport and getting on a plane.

Borgwardt told Hanson everything hinged on me dying in the lake, so he looked up lake deaths and how deep a body has to be without resurfacing after researching how other individuals successfully disappeared.

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Borgwardt is scheduled to return to court Jan. 13 for his second appearance.

His wife, Emily, recently filed for legal separation and custody of their three teenaged children.

Contact Justin Marville at jmarville@gannett.com and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @justinmarville.

This article originally appeared on Oshkosh Northwestern: Ryan Borgwardt's attempt to fake his death is a rare case, expert says
MEMPHIS, Tenn.  Some call it a gift of discovery, a present to trace your roots thats priceless. In fact, there are lots of discounts being offered for people looking to buy a DNA kit for someone as a holiday gift.

However, after the recent fallout from 23andMe, which saw its workforce slashed after a data breach, some are wondering about the safety of their most personal information.

On a single floor at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library, there are thousands of records about Memphis and its past.

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This is a Memphis and Shelby County Room. We have anybody thats doing research on the city or the county. This is the place to be, said Public Service Supervisor Verjeana Hunt as she gave WREG a tour.

Its also where people curious about their own family history might find clues about long-lost loved ones.

Hunt told us about one woman searching for her biological parents and the family looking for a relatives legal name and obituary.

Visitors can dig into a treasure trove of old yearbooks, pictures, newspaper articles and legal records dating back decades to try to piece together their puzzle.

In some cases, its a genealogy journey jump-started by an at-home DNA test.

Just the other day, we had, two ladies that came in and, they were doing some research, and they had just found out that they were sisters, Hunt said.

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Teresa Hill Mays started with paper records in places like the history department at the main library.

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Looking for documents, hearing the history of your family, and I thought, well, you know, how do you get past this? You know, said Mays as we sat in the new genealogy section of the Orange Mound Library.

But after only getting so far, Mays turned to a DNA kit from Ancestry in hopes of discovering even more about her family.

I said, you know, I think Im going to try this DNA because Im wondering if it really works and people discouraged me, Mays said. Oh, girl, they cant know anything, you know, dont do that. But I tried it and Ive been sold since then, and Im making everybody in the family, everybody get one.

Mays, who serves as the President of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society of Memphis learned about her African heritage, found loved ones and continues to connect others.

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I monitor about 30 peoples DNA kits, added Mays about just how much genealogy work she does now.

While some might be considering giving the gift of genetic tracing with a DNA kit for the holidays, others might think twice due to growing concerns about privacy.

(Photo by ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)

Once one of the biggest players in the business, 23andMe, recently slashed its workforce after first facing a data breach, then a plummeting stock price that possibly meant going private.

Its left some customers wondering what happens to all that data collected about them if the company changes hands.

NewsChannel 3 spoke with Melissa LeMaster Barker, an archivist for Houston County, Tennessee and a professional genealogist whos been in the business since 1990.

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WREG asked Barker, What were your biggest concerns as a genealogist?

Barker replied, All genealogists are concerned with privacy, what is that company going to do with my DNA results.

Barker explained while her work doesnt focus on DNA, she says in general, consumers and professionals should read the fine print.

I think that with anything like that, especially when you are giving a company part of your DNA because thats what youre doing, youre giving them a part of you, you need to be aware of what theyre going to do with it, explained Barker, who also handles public relations for the Tennessee Genealogical Society.

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HIPAA doesnt apply to data held by direct to consumer DNA companies, like with medical information.

However, several states, including Tennessee have passed genetic privacy laws.

Companies like 23andMe and Ancestry say they wont sell customers data without consent.

The privacy policies are very critical, explained Dr. Pavankumar Mulgand, an Assistant Professor of Management Information Systems at the University of Memphis.

While D-T-C DNA companies say they remove identifiable information, and customers can delete their accounts, Dr. Mulgand says once you give up your genetic data, theres really no getting it back.

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Mulgand explained, So, yes, your data is anonymized to some extent, but the nature of the genetic information is such that if other genetic pieces are found, its very easy to re-identify.

As an example, Mulgand said to think of solving cold cases.

WREG asked, What do I do with this information so that I can make an informed decision?

After reading up on the companys privacy policy and history of safety, Dr. Mulgand says the ultimate step for anyone considering buying a DNA kit is to decide whether its worth the risk.

What are you getting in return for what youre giving up? Mulgand asked. A great thing to do would be to look at okay, I might get to know where Im from, I might find some long lost relatives, but is it worth giving up some of my genetic information for that?

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Mays, whos learned so much but is still searching for her great-grandmothers father, says shes not worried.

In reality, Im not really shaken by it and a number of the people I talk to are not really, you know we dont like it, because you want your stuff to be secure, Mays added.

For people who do plan to explore their heritage with a DNA kit, Dr. Mulgand advises setting defaults to private on those websites.

Meanwhile, for folks who want to trace their ancestry the old fashioned way, the genealogists and historians we talked to say, start with yourself. Write down your own story.

They also say the holidays make a perfect time to document family recipes and stories that can be passed down to the next generation.

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Full statement from 23andMe:

23andMes Co-Founder and CEO Anne Wojcicki has publicly shared she intends to take the company private, and is not open to considering third party takeover proposals. Anne also expressed her strong commitment to customer privacy, and pledged to maintain our current privacy policy, including following the intended completion of the acquisition she is pursuing.

Beyond Annes pledge to maintain current privacy policy, we note that for any company that handles consumer information, including the type of data we collect, there are applicable data protections set out in law that would be required to be followed as part of any companys decision to transfer data as part of a sale or restructuring. Our own commitment to apply the terms of our Privacy Policy to the Personal Information of our customers in the event of a sale or transfer is clear: This privacy statement will apply to your personal information as transferred to the new entity.

We have strong customer privacy protections in place. 23andMe does not share customer data with third parties without customers consent, and our Research program is opt-in, requiring customers to go through a separate, informed consent process before joining. Further, 23andMe Research is overseen by an outside Institutional Review Board, ensuring we meet the high ethical standards for the research we conduct. Roughly 80% of 23andMe customers consent to participate in our research program, which has generated more than 270 peer reviewed publications uncovering hundreds of new genetic insights into disease.

In addition to our own strict privacy and security protocols, 23andMe is subject to state and federal consumer privacy and genetic privacy laws that, while similar to HIPAA, offer a more appropriate framework to protect our data than privacy and security program requirements in HIPAA. Although state privacy law protections apply to residents of certain states, 23andMe took the opportunity to make improvements for all 23andMe customers globally.

We believe we have a transparent model for the data we handle, rather than the HIPAA model employed by the traditional health care industry that allows broad exemptions and often unrestricted use and disclosure of protected health information (PHI) when used for treatment, payment and operations purposes, and where consent, opt-out and opt-in concepts are generally not imposed. You can see a chart comparing State Consumer Privacy Laws and HIPAA on page 2 of this document from the Coalition for Genetic Data Protection.

We are committed to protecting customer data and are consistently focused on maintaining the privacy of our customers. That will not change.

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.
GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV)  The Salvation Army of Greater Green Bay announced that its inaugural Bucket Blitz event is running on Friday from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. at the East Town Mall.

The event is a curbside drive-thru donation campaign with the goal of rallying the community to support the Salvation Armys Red Kettle Campaign. The goal is to raise at least $5,000 on Friday.

Second graders at Elmore Elementary receive gifts from inmates at Green Bay Correctional Institute

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Volunteers rang bells while collecting donations from the comfort of donors vehicles. The Salvation Army of Greater Green Bay says that whether its loose change or larger sums, every dollar raised will help provide programs and services to those in need across the area.

The Salvation Army of Greater Green Bays Marketing Specialist Nicole Hanley said its the first time theyve done a campaign like this and its to make a final push as the Red Kettle Campaign wraps up soon.

Right now we only have a few days to bell ring, Hanley said. Were running a little bit behind but were hoping that with a few days left until Christmas, people can help with a last-minute donation.

Greater Fox Cities Habitat for Humanity dedicates new home to family in need

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Hanley added that people who cant make it out to the kettles can still send donations by mail, as long as its postmarked before New Years Day.

All of the money raised will stay local, helping those in the Greater Green Bay Community.

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.
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON)  A man believed to be a security guard for a Christian Dior store was shot and killed by police in San Franciscos Union Square early Friday morning, according to authorities. The shooting occurred hours after two pedestrians and a bicyclist were struck in a related hit-and-run.

The San Francisco Police Department responded at 6:30 p.m. Thursday to the area of Kearny and Post streets on reports of multiple hit-and-runs by a single vehicle. Arriving officers learned that a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed mounted the sidewalk and struck an 18-year-old woman and a 17-year-old girl.

The suspect vehicle continued to drive in pursuit of a man on an e-bike, SFPD Assistant Chief David Lazar said at a news conference Friday morning. The vehicle struck the bicyclist, described to be a Hispanic man in his twenties, near Sutter and Kearny streets. The victim fled on foot after the collision and the suspect unsuccessfully attempted to take the bike in his vehicle. The suspect collected some of the victims belongings and left the area.

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Man piggybacking BART gates leads to gun, drug charges

Through the investigation and looking through video evidence, police said they believed the suspect worked as a security guard at the Christian Dior store at 185 Post Street.

At 1:38 a.m. Friday, several SFPD officers approached the suspect, who was standing outside of the Dior store. During the encounter, police shot the man, who authorities said was armed. Assistant Chief Lazar did not reveal what led up to the officers feeling threatened and the shooting.

San Francisco hit-and-run suspect dead after police shooting Dec. 20, 2024. (Will Tran) San Francisco hit-and-run suspect dead after police shooting Dec. 20, 2024. (Citizen) San Francisco hit-and-run suspect dead after police shooting Dec. 20, 2024. (Will Tran)

Police had initially reported that the suspect was shot inside the vehicle involved in the pedestrian hit-and-runs.

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Officers provided aid before paramedics transported the man to a hospital, where he was pronounced deceased. No officers were reported to be injured during the confrontation.

The two pedestrians were transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Lazar said the bicyclist has not been located, but SFPD wishes to talk to him about the incident.

The investigation into the police shooting remains active. Other possible victims or anyone who witnessed the events is asked to contact the San Francisco Police Department at (415)-575-4444.

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 KRON4.
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN)  Christmas came a little early for students at Potential Development on Friday.

Mr. Claus himself rode in on a Youngstown Fire Department truck instead of his usual sleigh and handed out sweet treats and brand new books to all.

Students got to take pictures with Santa and share what was on their Christmas list.

Potential Development CEO Paul Garchar said the visit was a great way to make sure all students had a chance to meet Santa and receive a Christmas gift.

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This is a great time of year. Santa Claus was able to come and visit all three locations, bringing gifts to all boys and girls, Garchar said. Its a great way to celebrate all our kids and their families.

Potential Development provides a nurturing and inclusive environment for students with autism, from preschool through 12th grade.

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.
DES MOINES, Iowa  The Satanic Temple of Iowa has taken issue with the Iowa Department of Administrative Services after an event planned for the Iowa State Capitol rotunda was cancelled.

The event included singing of holiday carols, making ornaments, a costume contest, and a religious ceremony.

According to the Satanic Temple, the state contended that part of the display was obscene, so permission to hold the event was denied.

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Matt Kezhaya, the Satanic Temple of Iowas attorney, said the state requested information about the content of the celebration. He says its more a case of freedom of speech, rather than religious disagreement.

We have first amendment rights for a reason and our government cant be picking and choosing what kind of speech it wants to host, they clearly chose, said Kezhaya. They said we dont want this particular speech, you cant do that.

Off the Cuff for the holidays

The Satanic Temple tried to negotiate having the celebration this coming Saturday, but that didnt work out.

My decision stands, wrote Adam Steen, Director of the Iowa Department of Administrative Services.

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Steen was backed in his decision by Governor Kim Reynolds.

The Iowa State Capitol Complex is a place that is open to the public, where children and families routinely visit. Because of this, the States event policy takes into consideration conduct that would be harmful to minors. This satanic event, which specifically targets children, is harmful to minors and so it was denied, said Governor Reynolds.

The Satanist Temple decided against going to court to get an order to allow the celebration.

Were not going get a court order as a matter of practicality. The effort to put together the request to the judge to get a court order that we can hold our event on Saturday, said Kezhaya. The juice aint worth the squeeze, so were better off just filing a suit after the fact saying we want a declaration from the court that our rights were violated.

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A lawsuit could be filed in January.

Metro News:

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to who13.com.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  South Carolina is back in the spotlight regarding abortions in the state.

A highly controversial bill is being reintroduced that would punish women with the death penalty if they receive the procedure.

The legislation was originally proposed in January of 2023.

Its set to be reintroduced during the next legislative session, which begins in just a few weeks.

Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, U.S. Supreme Court justices are set to take up a case that centers on a 2018 executive order from Governor Henry McMaster.

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It ordered the state health department to deem abortion facilities unqualified to provide family planning services under Medicaid.

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South Carolina

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
A school bus crashed into a ditch in Washington County Friday afternoon.

Washington County dispatchers said crews were called to Willow Road at Jefferson Avenue at 2:25 p.m. for a school bus that went over a hillside and ended up on its side.

Our crew at the scene saw the bus in a ditch. It had some front-end damage and appeared to have crashed into trees.

Dispatchers said no kids were on the bus when it crashed.

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

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The big story: Legislation that pushes political hot buttons tends to get plenty of attention in Florida.

Look no further than recent stories about a bill that aims to end in-state tuition guarantees for dreamers. That measure has landed on lists of items to watch as lawmakers return to Tallahassee.

But people in the classrooms and board rooms say they have more practical priorities as they craft their asks of the Legislature during the upcoming 2025 session. Theyre focusing on issues such as start times, door locks, teacher retention and hurricane recovery. Read more here.

Hot topics

Superintendent appointments: Pasco schools superintendent John Legg has named two more veteran district educators to key posts in his administration.

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Security: Palm Beach County elementary and middle schools might get metal detectors in the new year, WPBF reports.  Orange County school district and law enforcement officials continue to debate who will provide officers to keep campuses safer, Spectrum 13 reports.

Medical education: A state committee tasked with evaluating medical students' training in Florida hospitals is six months behind schedule, Florida Phoenix reports.

Employee discipline: A 25-year Palm Beach County teacher was fired amid allegations of inappropriate comments to students, the Palm Beach Post reports.

Contract talks: Representatives for the Alachua County school district and teachers union reached a tentative agreement on raises for the current academic year, the Gainesville Sun reports.

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Community schools: The Orange County school district is set to launch its fifth community partnership school, providing social services to students and the surrounding neighborhood, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

From the police blotter ... A Miami-Dade County substitute teacher was arrested on accusations of molesting several students, WSVN reports.  A Polk County schools community outreach facilitator was arrested on allegations of lewd conduct against a student, Lakeland Now reports.

Dont miss a story. Heres a link to yesterdays roundup.

Before you go ... Cant they just sing it faster? Enjoy the holiday season. With schools out for break, were putting the roundup on vacation, too. See you in 2025.
NEW YORK (PIX11)  Various school districts are dismissing students early and canceling after-school programs due to snow in New York and New Jersey.

Below is a list of reported school closings.

Byram Hills Central School District : No after-school programs.

Carmel Central School District : Dismissing one hour early. No after-school programs.

Chappaqua Central School District : Dismissing one hour early.

Eldred Central School District : Junior Senior High School dismissing at 11:15 a.m. Mackenzie Elementary dismissing at 12:15 p.m.

Ellenville Central School District : Junior Senior High School dismissing at 11:15 a.m. and the Elementary School dismissing at 12:15 p.m.

Fallsburg Central School District : Fallsburg Junior Senior High School dismissing at 11 a.m. Benjamin Cosor Elementary School dismissing at 12 p.m.

Hendrick Hudson School District : Dismissing one hour early. No after-school programs.

Monticello Central School District : Dismissing three hours early. No after-school programs.

Onteora Central School District : Middle School and High School dismissing at 11 a.m. Elementary Schools dismissing at 12 p.m.

Rondout Valley Central School District : High School, Junior High School, Intermediate School, and Pre-K students at Kerhonkson Elementary dismissing at 11:30 a.m. Kerhonkson and Marbletown Elementary dismissing at 12:30 p.m.

Wallkill Central School District : Middle School dismissing at 11:10 a.m. High School dismissing at 11:30 a.m. Elementary Schools at 12 p.m. No after-school programs.

Wappingers Central School District : No after-school programs.

Yorktown Central School District: Dismissing one hour early.

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Dominique Jack is a digital content producer from Brooklyn with more than five years of experience covering news. She joined PIX11 in 2024. More of her work can be found here.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
Some scientists trying to create "mirror life" have stopped in their tracks.

A mirror microorganism could end up being a major pathogen since immune systems wouldn't notice it.

Mirror-image biology inverts a fundamental property of life on Earth: which way molecules point.

Creating "mirror life" could be one of science's greatest breakthroughs, but some researchers who began the effort are now calling for it to stop.

No mirror-life microorganisms exist. But 38 scientists warned in a paper published in the journal Science on December 12 that if someone created one and it escaped the lab, it could cause a catastrophic multispecies pandemic.

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"We're basically giving instructions of how to make a perfect bioweapon," Kate Adamala, a coauthor of the paper and a chemist who leads a synthetic biology lab at the University of Minnesota, told Business Insider.

As the risks became clear, Adamala ended her lab's efforts to build a mirror cell. Her multiyear grant for that research expired and she decided not to apply for renewal, she said.

Now she and the 37 other researchers are urging other scientists to do the same.

"Although we were initially skeptical that mirror bacteria could pose major risks, we have become deeply concerned," they wrote in the paper.

What is mirror life?

Mirror biology takes a fundamental rule of life on Earth, called chirality, and flips it.

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Chirality is the simple fact that molecules  like sugars and amino acids  point in one of two directions. They are either right-handed or left-handed.

For some reason, though, life uses only one chiral form of each molecule. DNA, for example, uses only right-handed sugars for its backbone. That's why it twists to the right.

In mirror biology, scientists aim to create living cells where all the chirality is flipped. Where natural life uses a right-handed peptide to build proteins, mirror life would use the same peptide in its left-handed form.

Adamala's research focused on making mirror peptides, which can help create longer-lasting pharmaceuticals.

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The long-term goal of that research was a full mirror cell. Mirror cells could help prevent contamination in bioreactors that use bacteria for green chemical manufacturing because, in theory, they wouldn't interact with natural microorganisms.

"You could have this perfect bioreactor that can just sit there and you can stick your finger into it and you're not going to contaminate it," Adamala said. "That's also precisely the problem."

A mirror bacteria could bypass the natural checks and balances of life, like competing with other bacteria or battling our immune systems.

Immune systems would ignore mirror cells

Adamala said "the death sentence" for her mirror-cell research came when she spoke to immunologists. They explained that for humans, other animals, and plants, immune-system activation depends on chirality.

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Immune cells recognize pathogens' proteins, but they wouldn't detect the inverse versions of those proteins that mirror cells would use.

A mirror pathogen "doesn't interact with the host," Adamala said. "It just uses it as a warm incubator with a lot of nutrients."

If a mirror bacteria escaped the lab, it could cause slow, persistent infections that couldn't be treated with antibiotics (because those, too, rely on chirality).

Because they wouldn't face immune resistance, mirror bacteria wouldn't need to specialize in infecting corn, or goats, or birds.

"It would be a disease of anything that lives that can be infected," Adamala said.

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In the worst-case scenario, a mirror bacteria would multiply endlessly, unfettered. It would take over its hosts and eventually kill them. It would destroy crops. It would have no predators. It would overwhelm entire ecosystems, swapping out portions of our natural world for a new mirror world.

A long way away

Ting Zhu, one of the leading researchers working in mirror-image biology systems, told BI in an email that he supported being cautious but didn't think that "a complete mirror-image bacterium can be synthesized in the foreseeable future."

Zhu leads a mirror-image biology lab at Westlake University in China. He was not involved in the Science paper.

Adamala estimates that the world's first mirror bacteria is still about a decade away. She argues that's exactly why the research should stop now, before it builds all the tools that someone could use to make that final leap.

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"No one can do it on their own right now," Adamala said. "The technology is not mature enough, which means we're pretty well safeguarded against someone crazy enough to say, 'I'll just go do it.'"

In the meantime, Adamala and the other paper authors invited more research on and scrutiny of the risks they identified.

"If someone does prove us wrong, that would make me really happy," she said.

Correction: December 20, 2024  An earlier version of this story misstated Ting Zhu's research. Zhu's research is in mirror-image biology systems.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Metrology, the branch of science dedicated to measurement, has created better and better systems of measurement for the kilogram based on fundamental principles rather than arbitrary chunks of metal locked in a vault.

In 2018, scientists redefined the kilogram related to the basic electromagnetic principles. But a new study suggests that something similar could be done with gravitational principles as well.

This could help scientists better test the universality of quantum effects.

The history of measurements is a long one. The Ancient Greeks, for example, used distance measurements based on human anatomyincluding the foot, but also the forearm and palmwhile the Romans (along with some tweaking by the British) developed the the mille passum, or 1,000 paces that the U.S. still largely prefers over more mathematically and rationally appropriate measurement systems. For weight, some of the earliest systems relied on relating quantities based on the weight of a single grain.

However, even the metric system needs some way to define its base measurements. For more than a century, the kilogram was defined as the mass of a chunk of platinum-iridium alloy housed at the Bureau of Weights and Measures in France. Considering this is not the most scientific of definitionsand also that this alloy actually lost 50 micrograms since 1889experts decided to recast the definition into terms more foundational to the workings of the universe.

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Now, the kilogram is defined in relation to the Planck constant, the smallest amount of energy a photon can carry. With this constant, scientists can make ultra-precise mass measurements using the Kibble balance, an extremely accurate weighing machine.

Connecting mass with electrical quantities is one way to make sure the kilogram doesnt slip off its defined standard. But now, scientists at the University of Bremmen and the Natural Metrology Institute in Germany have devised another method that defines the kilogram in relation to gravitation rather than electrical constants. The results of the study were published in the journal Physical Review Letters.

Units such as the kilogram are thus traceable to electrical units, University of Bremmens Claus Lammerzahl said in a press statement . But it would also be possible to realize them in terms of gravity. After all, a gravitational field is to masses what an electromagnetic field is to charges.

The redefinition of the kilogram relied on a concept known as the quantum metrological triangle, which redefines quantum effects in terms of h (the Planck constant) and e (the elementary charge.) Electromagnetism, as enumerated by Maxwells equations, and gravity derived from Albert Einsteins general relativity, are both describe by fields that permeate nature. In this paper, the scientists created a gravitational equivalent for both the Josephson effect (an example of a macroscopic quantum effect) and quantum Hall effect, which is often observed in 2D systems.

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We were able to transfer the auxiliary effects of metrology, which previously only applied to electromagnetic fields, to gravitational fields, Lammerzahl said.

The gravitational quantum metrological triangle may have applications in metrology and could be used to investigate the relation of the Planck constant to fundamental particle masses, the authors added in the press statement.

This means the mechanical units could now be defined in terms of gravitational force instead of just an electrical one. Thats a big step up from a single grain of rice.



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The Department for Educations decision to scrap financial support for Latin provision in state schools is a cultural misstep of alarming proportions.

The announcement came packaged as a matter of budgetary prioritisation, but it is a false economy. Its implications extend far beyond the balance sheet.

This retreat is a self-inflicted wound, deepening the divide between state and private education. It reinforces the unfortunate perception that certain domains of knowledge  Latin, classical music, and the arts in particular  are exclusive indulgences for the wealthy.

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Latin is derided as elitist, a language dismissed as a dusty relic with no practical utility in the modern world. Yet removing it from state school curricula cements that elitism, ensuring it becomes the gilded domain of those who can afford private tuition.

Critics of Latin fail to recognise its role. It is not merely an academic exercise; it is a gateway to the legal, philosophical, and literary foundations of Western civilisation.

To study Latin is to grapple with the roots of our own language, to see how ideas and values have been transmitted across centuries. It fosters intellectual curiosity and analytical thinking. These are not esoteric skills for an elite; they are the bedrock of a well-rounded education. Stripping Latin from state schools is to tacitly admit that such an education is only for the few.

Humanities are increasingly treated as ornamental luxuries rather than integral to education. The rationale is framed on a pure economic basis: Stem subjects are perceived as more valuable because they ostensibly align with the needs of the job market.

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The reduction of education to quantitative metrics erodes its purpose, replacing meaningful engagement with mechanistic efficiency. This governance by numbers, to use the term of philosopher Alain Supiot, culturally impoverishes and means people are unable to engage with the ideas that underpin institutions born from the classical liberal tradition.

And it does not even protect them from being replaced by machines.

The purpose of education is not merely to prepare individuals for the work force; it is to prepare them for life. Education should challenge us to think critically, to engage with complexity, to understand our place in the world.

Latin, as unfashionable as it may seem, does precisely this. It demands discipline and rewards perseverance. It connects the individual student to a broader cultural and intellectual tradition. To dismiss it as irrelevant is to misunderstand what education is for.

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The decision to cut Latin provision in state schools sends a dispiriting message to students and teachers. It signals that certain forms of knowledge are not worth pursuing, that the state will not support the aspirations of those who wish to engage with the deeper currents of our shared history. This is not merely a loss for the students who are denied access to Latin; it is a loss for society as a whole. If the decision is led by economics, then the Department for Education should recalculate the bill. The long-term damage of such decisions will far outweigh the immediate savings.

Private schools invest in these subjects not out of nostalgia, but because they recognise their enduring relevance. In scrapping support for Latin, this Labour Government is not merely making an economic decision; it is making a philosophical one. The state sector tacitly concedes that it cannot  or refuses to  offer the same depth and breadth of education as its private counterparts, and that some forms of knowledge are expendable.

This is a mistake. Teachers, parents, and concerned citizens must resist this narrowing of educational horizons. The value of Latin  and the humanities more broadly  cannot be measured in immediate economic returns. Their value lies in their ability to enrich, to challenge, to connect.

The question is not whether we can afford to teach Latin, or Greek, or music, or visual arts, and so on; it is whether we can afford not to.

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. 20Friends and family are continuing to search for a Kila man who went missing in Kalispell last week.

Gregory James Wells, 69, was reported missing Dec. 11 by his wife after disappearing during a visit to Kalispell the day prior.

On the afternoon of Dec. 10, Wells left his home in Kila for a little light shopping in Kalispell before heading to the Gold Bar casino on West Montana Street, according to Mike Burke, a friend of the family aiding in the search effort.

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A bartender who worked at the casino that day recalled that Wells seemed fine. He gambled and had a couple drinks, then told the bartender he was heading home as he left.

Burke said surveillance video captured Wells leaving the casino at 6:30 p.m. His vehicle was last reported travelling west on U.S. 2 from Kalispell, according to Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino.

Wells was wearing blue jeans, a gray polo shirt, jean jacket, glasses and a brown/gray ponytail tucked under a Second Amendment hat. Wells has a scar on his right hand, according to the missing person's flyer distributed since his disappearance.

He was driving a 2000 slate blue Ford Explorer with factory roof racks and an AM 1050 sticker on the lower left back bumper.

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Wells's wife reported him missing to the Sheriff's Office the next day after he failed to return home.

Wells has never gone missing before and had no reason to leave and stay out of contact, according to Burke.

Wells' immediate family described him as old school. He does not carry a phone and typically pays in cash. Heino said that Wells's lack of a phone or vehicle that is connected with the OnStar network made tracking him more difficult.

The Sheriff's Office, working with the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office, have flown aircraft and drones, spoken with local businesses and inspected disturbances in bodies of water in search of the vehicle.

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"We are working every lead we can," Heino said.

Matt Wells, Gregory Wells's son, called his father's disappearance shocking.

"It's like a movie, it's kind of surreal," said Matt Wells, who lives in Washington and drove to Kalispell as soon as he could.

Wells's daughter, Joleen Rocks, also lives in Washington and flew to Kalispell to help with the search.

"This is not something you think will happen to you  ever," she said.

Wells is a family man, an Air Force veteran and light-hearted soul, according to his children. The oldest of eight siblings, Wells harkens from a large family, with relatives regularly stopping by his house.

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Rocks described her father as capable and self-sustaining.

"He can build or fix just about anything," she said. Wells was a jet mechanic while in uniform and also worked as a steel worker.

Matt Wells, who usually speaks with his father at least once a week, said the older man was feeling better after recovering from back surgery around two months ago.

Since Wells's disappearance, his family and friends have been combing through the city in an attempt to track where his vehicle may have gone.

Rocks urged anyone in the area to keep their heads up, ask around and distribute missing person flyers.

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Any tips and information regarding the Wells's whereabouts should be directed to the Flathead County Sheriff's Office.

Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at 758-4407 and junderhill@dailyinterlake.com.
The search for the Malaysia Airlines flight that vanished in March 2014 is set to begin again.

Malaysias government said it had reached a deal with a U.S. company, Ocean Infinity, which will be paid $70 million only if it recovers a significant portion of flight MH370s wreckage, according to the Associated Press.

Some debris confirmed to be from MH370 has washed up on beaches, but most of the wreckage is still missing. / Anadolu / Getty Images

The proposed new search area, identified by Ocean Infinity, is based on the latest information and data analyses conducted by experts and researchers, the countrys transport minister, Anthony Loke, said in a statement, the AP reported. The companys proposal is credible.

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The Boeing 777 disappeared from radar shortly after it took off to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur, carrying 239 people onboard, all of whom are presumed dead. Satellite data has indicated it was over the southern Indian Ocean when it went down.

The cause of the flights disappearance, which has spawned numerous theories, is widely regarded as one of the most significant unsolved aviation mysteries of all time.

A previous three-month search by Ocean Infinity, in 2018, failed to turn up the planes wreckage, as did the original international search. Some debris confirmed to be from MH370 has washed up on Indian Ocean beaches.

The Texas-based companys chief executive, Oliver Plunkett, said earlier this year that its technology had improved since its first attempt at locating the wreckage, the AP reported.

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Malaysia is set to finalize its negotiations with Ocean Infinity in early 2025, as the firm has suggested that January to April would be the ideal search window, the AP reported.

This decision reflects the governments commitment to continuing the search operation and providing closure for the families of MH370 passengers, Loke said.
TYLER, Texas (KETK)  A second state representative from East Texas is under intense pressure to switch his support as Texas House Republicans fight over who will be the next speaker.

Rep. David Cook, R-Mansfield, won the endorsement from the House GOP caucus, but Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, claims to have a bipartisan majority. This battle, as Burrows seeks democratic support, has led Republicans who support Burrows to walk a fine line.

East Texas representative says he will support house speaker candidate despite chairmans threats

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In recent days, the GOP has threatened to campaign against anyone who supports Burrows, such as Rep. Cole Hefner, R-Mount Pleasant, who has already faced backlash over his choice. Yet Hefner remains adamant in backing Burrows for the seat.

He has a clear, proven conservative track record to reign in local government overreach, fight to lower what cities and counties can raise our property taxes without a vote of the people. He was instrumental in moving constitutional carry, the heartbeat bill, the property tax relief package that we had last session. Hes from rural Texas where he understands water issues, he understands private property rights. We have David Cook, who is a moderate. He voted to ban fracking when he was mayor of Mansfield. Rep. Cole Hefner, District 5.

The Texas GOP has also threatened to censure any Republican who does not vote for Cook and has sent text messages to lawmakers like East Texas Rep. Cody Harris threatening to campaign against them.

My constituents didnt send me down there to follow the crowd. They sent me down there to do what I think is right and I think Dustin Burrows is the conservative leader we need, and thats whats right for House District 5, so thats where my vote will be going, Hefner said. I dont do threats, I dont respond to threats. Ive got a rock solid conservative voting record, and my record speaks for itself.

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Bill that could prevent child abuse heads to presidents desk

Hefner remains committed to the conservative agenda which includes addressing border security, school choice, property rights and taxes.

What unites conservatives is policy. Were sitting here squabbling over process and committees, Hefner said.

Burrow supporters could see potential challengers in the next primary election, but for Hefner, he will continue to do what is right.

If I lose doing whats right, so be it. Maybe thats what the Lord has in mind. I dont think so, but you know, Im going to do what I think is right, Hefner said.

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Like most of our state, Im deeply disappointed that the House adjourned today with so much unfinished business for Michigans residents.

Weve fought very hard to make this state a national leader in protecting and strengthening the fundamental right of every citizen to cast a ballot through the Michigan Voting Rights Act. Along with the MVRA, we need to pass important bills to make state government more transparent and accountable, root out fraud in the petition gathering process, prevent misinformation about elections, and to make our redistricting process even more fair.

We know the people of Michigan want these protections and reforms. Im still deeply committed to leading on these issues and wont give up the fight until its done.
FORT SCOTT, Kan.  A Southeast Kansas organization is looking for the help of the community to bring warm meals to those 60 and older.

The Southeast Kansas Area Agency on Aging is looking for drivers for its 60 Plus Nutrition Program. For years, the meal program hasnt received any significant increase in funding from the state. Due to this, volunteers are used to help keep costs under control for the agency and for participants.

Since the program decided to prepare meals in Fort Scott for delivery, current volunteers who are 60-plus chose to retire. Thats why its asking for volunteer drivers in the area to pick up prepared meals from the Buck Run Community Center and deliver them to individuals on a designated route.

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They feel like theyre part of their family, and its sometimes the only people that they see. So for the financial piece of it, volunteers are what help us maintain our programs. And then for the social piece, its such a joy for our seniors to get to see other seniors bringing them, said Stacy Dickerhoof, Southeast Kansas Area Agency on Aging associate director.

To volunteer, you must complete a background check and fill out an application. Applications can be picked up at or by calling the AAA office in Pittsburg or Chanute.

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Sen. Mike Lee called the effort to pass a 1,500-page continuing resolution ahead of the midnight Dec. 20 shutdown deadline Christmastime legislative extortion, saying legislative leaders try to pass massive spending bills ahead of the Christmas break every year.

The continuing resolution, which was the result of negotiations between Republicans and Democrats, was scuttled by House Republicans on Wednesday after President-elect Donald Trump, Vice President-elect JD Vance, as well as Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, the future leaders of Trumps government efficiency department, urged Republicans to vote against the billions of dollars in new spending for disaster relief, farmer subsidies and a significant salary increase for lawmakers.

Lee came out in opposition to the CR on social media, but told the Deseret News Thursday he is in favor of a clean continuing resolution, one that would fund the government for a specific period of time without legislative add-ons  although he said disaster relief alone would not have been a deal-breaker.

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But the House rejected a relatively clean resolution on Thursday evening, paving the way for a possible government shutdown starting Saturday. The latest resolution would have funded the government through March, provided some disaster relief, and moved the debt ceiling expiration to Jan. 30, 2027. Almost 40 Republicans joined most Democrats in voting against the legislation.

Lee said Thursday, before the vote in the House, that he is in favor of a clean resolution.

Thats what they were supposed to do, was to have a clean, short-term continuing resolution to keep the lights on between now and when the new administration will be in place, and the new Senate Republican majority will be sworn in. That was the plan. That was the promise, he told the Deseret News.

But on the idea of a debt ceiling extension, Lee said he was less sure that could be worked into this, adding he has a lot of questions about what Trump and Vance have in mind.

Lee: Original CR worse than dogs breakfast

Lee called continuing resolutions like the one that was rejected on Wednesday a trick. Legislative leaders ignored a series of spending deadlines until right before the Christmas break, then asked lawmakers to quickly approve the resolution, he said.

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They used a trick that theyve been relying on for too long, and its a trick that Ive been predicting for some time would one day stop working, and yesterday was finally that day, he said.

This time, Lee said, in the aftermath of the election and with heightened interest on social media, and AI giving people the option of quickly summarizing the 1,500 page bill, legislative leaders werent able to get it across the finish line.

To call it a dogs breakfast is an insult to dogs breakfasts everywhere, he said.

He said the failed resolution was evidence of the diminished power of the firm, Lees shorthand for the top Republican and Democratic leaders of the House and Senate  the law firm of Schumer, McConnell, Johnson and Jeffries.

Democratic leaders in the House defend deal

Democrats said Republicans who didnt support the original resolution were beholden to Musk.

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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said, The Musk-Johnson proposal is not serious. Its laughable. Extreme MAGA Republicans are driving us to a government shutdown, according to Politico.

Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro said in a speech on the House floor that Republicans had reneged on a deal theyd been negotiating for months, saying the GOP is to blame if the government shuts down, despite her caucus decision not to vote for the stripped-down continuing resolution.

Sen. Lee said he doesnt want a shutdown, floats idea of Musk or Ramaswamy for speaker

Lee made clear Thursday he was not in favor of a government shutdown, saying shutdowns are not good.

I dont believe at all that a shutdown is something that we want to achieve, he said. Sometimes a shutdown happens because of gross mismanagement on the part of the top Republican and the top Democrat from each chamber of Congress, and that is exactly what this is. This was entirely preventable. This was entirely avoidable, and this is entirely the fault of Misters Schumer, McConnell, Johnson and Jefferies.

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While Lee is not in the House, he has been critical of Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson in recent days, and suggested Musk or Ramaswamy might make better speakers. The Constitution does not say the speaker has to be a member of the legislative body.

Lee said Johnson is a friend, and a good person, but said its hard for him to comprehend a scenario in which he survives as speaker.

The reality of this is he lost complete control with disastrous consequences, Lee said.

Whether either of the entrepreneurs has time to be speaker while also running their businesses and the Department of Government Efficiency, Lee said well see if either one is interested.

Is President Biden playing a role in congressional negotiations?

When asked whether President Joe Biden was playing a role in negotiations over keeping the government open, Lee said as best as he can tell, Biden has played no role.

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The White House has put out statements about the negotiations, but in the past, Lee said, when Biden was vice president, he took an active role in legislative negotiations and discussions.

Its possible that he is as well this time, but I dont see any of the hallmark characteristics of direct Biden involvement, he said.
On Elon Musks social media site, X, he and Utah Sen. Mike Lee appear to have developed a mutual admiration for one another, frequently agreeing with each others takes on issues of the day.

Lee, who is in his third term in the Senate, floated both Musk and fellow entrepreneur and Vivek Ramaswamy as possible House speakers after current House Speaker Mike Johnson unveiled a 1,500-page continuing resolution that Lee, Musk and Ramaswamy all criticized. The resolution ended up getting pulled from consideration.

Ramaswamy and Musk have been tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the Department of Government Efficiency, a new temporary advisory commission tasked with cutting the size and cost of the federal government.

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When asked about his friendship with Musk, Lee said he and Musk have only met in person a few times, and have spoken on the phone a few times as well, but theyre had a meeting of the minds about the role of the federal government.

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, speaks during a ceremony to unveil a statue of Martha Hughes Cannon of Utah on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, in Washington. | Mark Schiefelbein

Lee: Musk and Ramaswamy are rock stars who love federalism

He called Musk and Ramaswamy rock stars.

Weve never had a rock star type personality in America who loves federalism and separation of powers, and they both do, so Im thrilled about that, he said.

When asked specifically about his relationship with Musk, Lee had praise for the rising political figure.

Hes a fascinating human being, and hes one who, until fairly recently, was a Democrat and has become, in addition to being an industrialist, somebody whos revolutionized entire industries and developed a lot of technologies, Lee said. Hes also become not only really interested in American government and politics, but hes also become a fierce defender of structural constitutionalism, of federalism and separation of powers.

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Lee has long argued the federal government has too much power, and that its influence have grown beyond its constitutionally mandated authority.

This is what I have long believed, what Ive been arguing for the last 15 years, is most badly needed in Washington, a return to an understanding of the structural constitution, meaning the vertical protection of federalism, the horizontal protection of separation of powers. Elon Musk gets that, and so does Vivek Ramaswamy, and I think thats why I get along well with both of them, he said. Its one of many reasons I like both of them a lot.
The Senate voted overwhelmingly Thursday to advance a bill to boost Social Security benefits for more than 2 million Americans by repealing two laws that have limited payouts to state and local public-sector workers and their families.

It advanced by a vote of 73-23.

It was a strong show of support for a bill that would help police officers, firefighters, educators and government employees who receive benefits from a public pension not covered by Social Security.

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The legislation passed the House earlier this month by a vote of 327-75.

It still must pass one more procedural hurdle in the Senate before receiving a final vote. President Biden is expected to sign it once it reaches his desk.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who championed the legislation, said it would address the horrendous inequities of the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO).

Together, the two statutes reduce Social Security benefits for workers who receive public pensions and their spouses, and lawmakers who supported Thursdays measure said in some cases they cut benefits so much that they pushed retirees close to poverty.

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Both combined created such inequities for people who had earned their Social Security benefits or who had spouses who worked in the private sector and earned their benefits, Collins said.

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who joined colleagues in reintroducing the legislation this Congress, talked about Ms. Betty, a high school civics teacher in Louisiana who worked her whole life teaching in public schools and whose husband worked for Exxon. She saw her monthly Social Security benefit cut to $200 per month after her husband died.

She would have been better off had she never worked than had she worked, when it came to her Social Security benefit, Cassidy said.

He said nurses, techs and janitors at the public hospital where he worked as a doctor face the same reductions in Social Security benefits because of the WEP and GPO.

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The bills sponsors say nearly 2.3 million Americans would see their Social Security benefits increase once the legislation is signed into law.

The Congressional Budget Office projected in September the legislation would add $196 billion to the federal deficit over the next decade and speed up Social Securitys insolvency by six months without further intervention from Congress.

The legislation encountered stiff resistance from budget hawks in the Senate Republican Conference during a contentious lunch meeting Tuesday.

Senate Steering Committee Chair Mike Lee (R-Utah) called for offsetting the cost of the legislation to avoid blowing a massive hole in the Social Security trust fund.

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Its got to be offset one way or another. We have never in history, to my knowledge, unleashed such a massive bomb that would blow such a massive hole in the Social Security trust fund  $200 billion, he said.

I understand the need to address some inequities that have arisen in this area. I dont think theres any member of our conference who doesnt think that we need to do some repair, but I think were kidding ourselves and mistreating the American people if we blow a $200 billion hole in it and give no thought to how to fix that, he said.

Senate Republican Whip John Thune (S.D.), who will take over as Senate majority leader next year, expressed his opposition to the bill behind closed doors.

But Thune later told reporters that he would let fellow GOP senators vote as they wanted.

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I think in the end, its going to come down to individual members are going to make their own decisions, he said.

Twenty-four Republican senators voted to end debate on proceeding to the measure Wednesday, including Vice President-elect JD Vance.

Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.), a self-described fiscal conservative who voted for the bill, said restoring millions of Americans full Social Security benefits wouldnt cost that much in the grand scale of Washington spending.

That was simple logic for me, even though Ive been one of the loudest fiscal conservatives, he said. It was addressing in my opinion a real issue of inequity.

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He called the bills cost chump change per year considering that the federal government now spends more than $6 trillion annually.

Two retiring members of the Democratic caucus, Sens. Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.), voted against the bill.

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In a win for filmmakers, the U.S. Senate has given final approval to a bill loosening restrictions around shooting in national parks without a permit.

The passage on Thursday, a day after a lawsuit was filed seeking to overturn federal permit and fee requirements on free speech grounds, cleared the bill for consideration by President Biden, whos expected to sign the measure.

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In a statement, Alexander Rienzie, the filmmaker who sued the government, said the move will spur production from outdoor filmmakers who struggled to navigate the outdated and arbitrary permit system. He added, Were deeply grateful for the legislators on both sides of the aisle that stood up for free speech and the rights of Americans across the country.

National Press Photographers Association President Carey Wagner called the bills approval a remarkable victory for the First Amendment rights of members, who sought protections for the freedom to take pictures and film in our parks and other federal lands.

Under the measure, filming in national parks in places where the public is allowed will no longer require a permit for productions involving fewer than six crew members as long as it doesnt impact other visitors or damage park resources. It eliminates a provision mandating advance permission for filmmakers intending to profit off of content they shoot.

A bill loosening permitting requirements passed the House in April. That language was incorporated into another measure, the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences Act, which passed by unanimous consent on Thursday as the government hurtles toward a shutdown.

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Filmmakers have been sparring with the government over federal permit and fee requirements to shoot in national parks for years. In 2019, indie director Gordon Price sued after he was issued a citation for filming without a permit in public areas of the Yorktown Battlefield in Colonial National Historical Park in Virginia. A federal appeals court held in that case that filmmaking in a national park is not covered under the First Amendment, reversing his win at the district court level.

The permitting scheme dates back to 2000, when lawmakers passed a law regulating commercial filming on federal lands motivated in part by major studios shooting in national parks. Fees are intended to provide a fair return to the government based on the duration of the production, size of film crew, and the amount and type of equipment involved.

Rienzie and Connor Burkesmith, represented by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, on Wednesday renewed the legal battle after they were denied a permit to film an attempt to break the record for the fastest time to ascend a mountain in Grand Teton National Park. They alleged violations of the First and Fifth Amendments.

Central to the lawsuit was whether the commercial nature of a project qualifies as a content-based restriction that violates free speech protections. It pointed to arbitrary distinctions in the permitting regime requiring permission to film video expected to be commercialized but not photography or content recorded under news-gathering activities. It claimed that the framework encourages overly discretionary decision-making by park officials to reject applications for allegedly unpredictable reasons.

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If a tourist, reporter and documentary filmmaker each filmed the same vista in a national park using the same equipment, the lawsuit alleged, only the filmmaker would be required to obtain a permit and pay a fee if the purpose was found to be commercial and not news-gathering.

The regulations do not serve any legitimate governmental interest in protecting national park resources, stated the complaint, filed in Wyoming federal court. A tourist recording video in a national park with a hand-held camera or cell phone is not required to obtain a permit, but he may become subject to the law if he later posts the video on YouTube, which pays some users for popular content.

That lawsuit is expected to be dismissed once the bill is signed into law.

National Park Service didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Sen. LaTonya Johnson (D-Milwaukee) during a press conference in March 2023. (Baylor Spears | Wisconsin Examiner)

Sen. LaTonya Johnson (D-Milwaukee) and Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison) both serve on one of the most powerful committees in the Wisconsin State Legislature, yet as members of the minority theyve often been frustrated by the way Republicans on the committee have excluded them from conversations. The lawmakers say they hope some of this changes next year.

The 16-person Joint Finance Committee is responsible for writing the states two-year budget  deciding which policy priorities get funding and which dont  and reviewing all state appropriations and revenues. Republican lawmakers will continue to hold 12 seats next session with Sen. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green) and Rep. Mark Born (R-Beaver Dam) serving as co-chairs.

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In previous sessions, when Democrats held a smaller minority in the Senate and Assembly, the lawmakers said Republicans often excluded them from the budget negotiation process.

The Republican party didnt just treat us badly because we were in the minority, they treated us as though we did not exist on Joint Finance, Johnson said. Some of their motions we didnt find out about until they were actually passing them out on paper. That means we had very little input.

Roys said its been very easy for the Republicans to just go in a little room, figure out what theyre going to do, and then they come out and they all vote in lockstep.

Theres no discussion, theres no transparency, and theres certainly no opportunity for Democrats to have our priorities reflected in the budget, Roys said.

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Beyond budget writing discussions, Republican lawmakers on the committee have also often rejected calls from Democrats on the committee to release money that was already dedicated to certain issues.

Johnson called the practice of withholding of money a tremendous problem. She noted that $50 million that was meant to help support the implementation of new literacy curricula in schools across the state havent been released despite being included in the 2023-25 budget.

Not only are they holding those funds up, but the cost is continuing to rise, so that $50 million that was promised in 2024 isnt going to go as far in 2025, Johnson said. Weve seen that.

Johnson also pointed out that funding to help expand the number of beds at Mendota Juvenile Treatment Center, a facility in Madison that provides specialized treatment services for juveniles transferred from the Department of Corrections, was withheld for about six months. It was only released after the death of a youth counselor for the Wisconsin Department of Corrections at Lincoln Hills School for Boys at the hands of a 16-year-old boy.

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Other funds that have been withheld by the committee in the recent session include $10 million to support hospitals in the Chippewa Valley and $125 million to combat PFAS contamination.

What is the purpose of us allocating these funds if the agencies cant access them the way that they need to to make these programs work, to get what they need to get? Johnson said.

Johnson said she thinks that new legislative maps could help change the dynamic. Roys also said it could have an impact that the state Supreme Court found it unconstitutional for the committee to block state spending on land conservation projects after the money has been budgeted.

That dynamic is at play, and I wonder if it will chasten the Republicans. It doesnt seem to have done so yet, Roys said.

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Elections under new legislative maps increased Democrats presence in the state Legislature by 14 seats. In the upcoming session about 45% of the Legislature will be Democrats, but they will only make up one-quarter of the finance committee with four seats. Despite this, Democrats hope that Republicans will allow for more communication.

Whether there is more bipartisan collaboration in JFC next session given the closer margins in the Senate and Assembly is an open question, Roys said.

Theres always an opportunity, Roys said. Our doors are open, and we are very willing to collaborate. I think weve shown that in previous sessions by supporting legislation that would not have passed without Democratic votes, even though Republicans had these crazy outsized majorities.

Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison) during a press conference in June 2023. (Baylor Spears | Wisconsin Examiner)

Johnson said that she hopes that Republicans learned a lesson from the recent elections, and warned that if Republicans dont change their ways it could hurt their election chances in two years, when Democrats will aim to flip the Senate.

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Republicans in the Senate lost four members in recent elections, including two who were members of the committee  Sens. Joan Ballweg and Duey Stroebel. Three new Republican Senators are joining the committee next session  Sen. Romaine Quinn, Julian Bradley and Rob Stafsholt  to replace the outgoing lawmakers and newly elected Senate President Mary Felzkowski (R-Tomahawk).

Johnson said that, while shes glad to have Sen.-elect. Sarah Keyeski of Lodi, who ousted Ballweg, joining the Senate Democrats, she thought Ballweg was a good lawmaker, who faced the consequences of gerrymandering.

Thats the hard part of when maps are gerrymandered  when its corrected, sometimes the people that you lose are the moderates who are willing to do the right thing simply because its the right thing, Johnson said. That doesnt mean that she never voted with her side. Of course she did. But she stepped away from that sometimes when she needed things for her community, too. She wasnt opposed to doing the right thing.

Johnson said she hopes the writing is on the wall for lawmakers that want to ostracize the minority.

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If they dont take this as a wake-up call, then thats better for us, Johnson said. Continue to operate the way that you have been operating for these last 11 years or so that Ive been in the building, continue to do that, and it should most definitely be best for us next election cycle.

Priorities for the lawmakers

Johnson, who has served on the committee since 2017, says she continues to because of the opportunity it presents.

The quickest way to help some of the people that I know that need help the most  like the working poor in Milwaukee, Milwaukee County  is through JFC, Johnson says. Thats where all of the important decisions are made because if youre going to get anything passed in that building that requires one dollar amount, then that money has to be set aside through JFC to make sure that the appropriate appropriations are there.

Johnson said lawmakers have been preparing for the next budget cycle by reading agency requests.

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The Democratic senators said they want to see next years budget invest in a variety of priorities, including K-12 and higher education, local government funding, child care, health care and public safety.

Johnson said that investing in some of these priorities could help bring down costs down the road.

Johnson noted the high costs of housing youth at Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake schools. Currently, the state budgets $463,000 annually to house each juvenile in those facilities, and the Wisconsin Department of Corrections has requested that be increased to about $862,000 per year by 2026.

investing in human needs and public education instead could help prevent children from ending up at the facility, Johnson said.

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It drives me crazy, Johnson said. I would much rather see my tax dollars being spent on higher educational tuition reimbursements, more housing assistance, more Foodshare, more whatever, to keep these families stable, to keep these kids in the home, than to pay [over] $860,000 for one child that may or may not correct that behavior.

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction has requested an additional $4 billion in funding, the UW System has requested an additional $855 million and the states technical colleges have requested an additional $45 million.

Roys mentioned increasing funding for education and local governments as some of her top priorities.

Weve been asking our schools and local governments to continually do more with less under these harsh levy limits and inadequate funding from the state. That compounds over time, Roys said. We have got to make sure that our schools and our local governments have the money they need to continue providing the service that every single Wisconsinite deserves.

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When it comes to K-12 education, Roys said securing a 90% special education reimbursement for public schools would be her top priority. Private schools that participate in the school choice program already receive that rate of reimbursement, while public schools currently receive about a 33% reimbursement.

We have a moral and a legal obligation to educate all kids, and that means meeting the needs of students with disabilities, but when the state only pays for a third of the cost of educating what that means is that school districts have to take away things for all students, Roys said. All kids are being harmed by the state failing to meet this unfunded mandate, failing to fund this obligation.

Roys said investing in child care is another big priority for her.

Wisconsins Child Care Counts program was launched in March 2020 using federal money and has provided funding assistance to eligible child care providers to help support operating expenses, investments in program quality, tuition relief for families, staff compensation and professional development. The program is set to end in June 2025, however, as federal funds will run out.

We cannot have a vibrant economy and have the workforce participation that we need for a strong economy if we dont have affordable, accessible child care in every corner of the state, Roys said. The Legislatures decision to go from, you know, $300 million Child Care Counts program that kept the doors open to $0 for child care in the last budget has had devastating consequences in every community across the state.

Lawmakers on what people should know

When asked about what people should know going into next year, Johnson said people need to stay aware of what the committee is doing. She pointed out that people who closely watch Wisconsin politics probably already know about the importance of JFC.

For those people who are not politically savvy and who dont pay attention to those types of things, they really need to pay attention to JFC, Johnson said.

JFC is where those priorities are manifested, or they go to die, Johnson said. It doesnt matter how good a piece of legislation is, if the funding isnt there for it and it requests dollar amounts, its gonna die.

Roys said people should make their voices and priorities known, saying that people could send emails to every member of the committee.

Public input tells us whats important, Roys said. We cant guarantee, obviously, what the Republicans are going to choose and be funded, but it does send a strong message. That is how we know without a shadow of a doubt that public education and affordable child care were key priorities, but Republicans chose to ignore that.

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Senate Republicans were left fuming Thursday over what they called the dysfunctional s show and fiasco they witnessed in the House as two proposals to fund the government through Christmas failed this week.

With Washington on the brink of a government shutdown, lawmakers are no closer to having a stopgap funding measure that can pass both the House and Senate and get President Bidens signature by the end of Friday.

I get weary with the drama associated with this. This is so dysfunctional and so distracting from the things we should be doing, said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who still expressed hope well pull the rabbit out of the hat by reaching a last-minute deal to avoid a shutdown.

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But as of Thursday evening, just more than 24 hours before the deadline, there didnt seem any promising path.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), a close Trump ally, said the collapse of Speaker Mike Johnsons (R-La.), latest proposal to keep the government funded, which lawmakers were calling plan B, made a shutdown all but inevitable.

Shut it down. Its whats going to happen. Theyre going to shut it down. I guess theyll try to work it out but, you know, shutting it down isnt going to make a lot of difference right now, he said.

You could shut it down to Jan. 5 and come back. Everyones going to get paid anyway, he said of federal workers.

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Tuberville declined to comment on whether President-elect Trump would still back Johnson serving another two years as Speaker.

Asked whether Trump still has confidence in Johnson after the failed continuing resolution, Tuberville replied: Well see after this fiasco.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) signaled he wasnt planning to support the legislation Johnson attempted to pass through the House because he doesnt want to vote to raise the debt limit unless its paired with significant spending cuts.

The proposal Johnson brought to the floor would have increased new spending by $110 billion and would have raised the debt ceiling by more than $4 trillion.

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Paul, like many senators, said he had no idea when the House may finally muster enough votes to get the continuing resolution over to the Senate.

Its kind of a s show over there, so who knows when thats going to happen, he said.

Thursday evenings failed vote in the House capped a day of frantic negotiations and uncertainty about how Congress would avoid a shutdown after Trump torpedoed the 1,547-page continuing resolution Johnson and other congressional leaders posted Tuesday evening.

The incoming president further complicated the situation by insisting House Republicans pass a bill to raise the debt limit, so Biden would get the blame for piling more onto the national debt.

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Johnson then unveiled a slimmed-down 116-page bill that kept the timeline of funding government until March 14 and provided roughly $100 billion in disaster relief, along with $10 billion in farm aid.

But it appeared dead-on-arrival, as House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) called the bill laughable.

Democratic lawmakers could be heard chanting hell no while they met behind closed doors in the basement of the Capitol.

The legislation wound up failing by a vote of 174-235-1.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), the top-ranking Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said Congress is now dangerously close to a government shutdown.

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I dont know what the plan is now, she told reporters.

She noted Trumps call to include language to raise the debt limit for two years seems to have aggravated the Democrats considerably.

We cant have a government shutdown, and were getting dangerously close to that, she said.

Collins said she could support a clean three-week continuing resolution just to get Congress past Christmas without a shutdown.

My No. 1 goal is to prevent a government shutdown, and we have to do a three-week extension, so be it, she said.

But Republican senators representing states hit hard by hurricanes Helene and Milton said they would oppose any funding bill that doesnt include the full amount of disaster relief.

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I dont think $10 billion or $20 billion and a promise well do something more in March is an acceptable solution, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) told reporters earlier in the day. We know what the need is today, it was negotiated in package and it needs to be in a package to get my support to get out of here.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) called disaster relief essential to South Carolina, emphasizing that the damage inflicted by the storms surpassed that of 1989s infamous Hurricane Hugo.

I cannot tell you the level of destruction thats hit South Carolina, he said, noting Trump has committed to include disaster relief in any deal to fund the government.

Disaster relief is an absolute must to get my vote and my support, Graham said.

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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called for Johnson to return to the 1,547-page deal he signed off on earlier this week, even though Trump and many conservatives in the House GOP conference oppose it.

Its a good thing the bill failed in the House. And now its time to go back to the bipartisan agreement, we came to, he 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.
A small group of senators are already holding secret talks about a bipartisan bill to increase security on the border, according to a report.

The border is the number one priority for President-elect Donald Trump, who has already urged Senate Republicans to move swiftly to push through a border package next year.

GOP senators promised to move quickly on the package, using the budget reconciliation to get it done.

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But the bipartisan group of senators, including at least two Democrats from Trump-voting states, have also been involved in conversations about a border bill that could secure the 60 votes necessary to pass, according to Axios.

The conversations have been described as very serious and the details very secret, Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma told Axios.

Mullin told the outlet that Trump was okay with one reconciliation package provided we can do border separately - without reconciliation.

Trump, pictured at the Mexico border earlier this year, has urged senators to move swiftly (REUTERS)

"If theres willingness to work in a bipartisan way to do some stuff, not only on border security, but on immigration reform, I think it would be great, Democratic senator Mark Kelly of Arizona told the outlet.

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Michigan senator Gary Peters added that Democrats would be certainly engaged in efforts over bipartisan border talks, while Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said he hoped to be part of the conversations.

The talks come following the failure of a bipartisan border bill earlier in May this year. Republicans blocked a bill meant to clamp down on the number of migrants allowed to claim asylum at the US-Mexico border.

The legislation was killed for a second time in May after failing a procedural vote with 42 Democrats and one Republican voting in favor of considering the bill; and six Democrats, one independent and 42 Republicans voting against.

The bill, negotiated by a bipartisan group of senators, was already rejected by most Republicans in February when it was linked to a foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other US allies.

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Had it passed, it would have provided the US president with the authority to shut down the asylum system if unauthorized border crossings reached a certain monthly threshold.

It would also have tightened standards for asylum-seekers and empowered federal officials to quickly remove those who did not qualify.
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Join us as we talk with Gillian Burkhardt, an obstetrician-gynecology physician currently on assignment with Doctors Without Borders in South Darfur. We explore the devastating impact of the ongoing conflict in Sudan, which has created one of the worlds largest displacement crises. Gillian shares firsthand accounts of the maternal and neonatal health crisis, the challenges of providing care amidst violence, medical supply shortages, and the urgent need for international support to address these critical issues affecting millions of displaced people.

Gillian Burkhardt is an obstetrician-gynecologist.

She discusses the KevinMD article, The maternal and child health crisis in Sudan: a call to action.

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Transcript

Kevin Pho: Hi, and welcome to the show. Subscribe at kevinmd.com/podcast. Today, we welcome Gillian Burkhardt. Shes an obstetrics gynecology physician. Todays KevinMD article is The Maternal and Child Health Crisis in Sudan: A Call for Action. Gillian, welcome to the show.

Gillian Burkhardt: Thank you so much for having me, Kevin.

Kevin Pho: So lets start by briefly sharing your story and journey.

Gillian Burkhardt: So, Im an OB/GYN currently based in New Mexico for the last eight years. I started my career in reproductive health as a Peace Corps volunteer, actually, more than 20 years ago, working in Madagascar. After I finished my residency in Boston, I began working with Doctors Without Borders and other international organizations in places like Liberia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Sierra Leone. I moved to New Mexico about eight years ago and worked for several years at an academic health center here as the medical director of our labor and delivery unit. I was very engrossed in the COVID response, which, you know, had me a little bit burnt out by the time I finished three or four years of COVID. I wanted to return to some of the things that drew me to medicine in the first place and went back to working with Doctors Without Borders about a year ago to really address the crisis in Sudan in multiple different aspects.

Kevin Pho: Alright, so were going to talk about that more. Your KevinMD article is The Maternal and Child Health Crisis in Sudan: A Call for Action. So tell us what led you to write this article in the first place and then talk about the article itself for those who didnt get a chance to read it.

Gillian Burkhardt: Yeah. So, as I mentioned, Ive been working on the Sudan crisis for about a year ago in October, first working on the side in Chad, actually, where people were fleeing Sudan into Chad. In the last couple of months, Doctors Without Borders found that there were alarmingly high rates of maternal death in Sudan. Sudan has become probably the largest humanitarian crisis in the world, with over one in five people in the country displaced internally or fleeing the country to escape violence. As a result, the health care system has completely broken down.

I know there are many crises around the world, both conflict and war and health care systems that are falling apart. Its hard sometimes when we get inundated with so many, but I felt that having been working in this country and around this issue for a better part of a year, I wanted to be able to share a little bit of what I was seeing in Sudan.

Ive worked on maternal mortality in many different countries, including South Sudan and here in the U.S., and it is really hard when you have pregnant women who are dying in childbirth or after childbirth, no matter where you are in the world, whether youre in New Mexico or Boston or Sudan. But I think what I was seeing in Sudan is probably one of the worst that Ive seen in my career.

Kevin Pho: So tell us, what did you see during your time in Sudan? What are some of the things that you can describe?

Gillian Burkhardt: You know, I think what is hardest about the acute crisis in Sudan, and in Darfur in particular, where I was focused for the last six months, is that women are dying from things that we really do know how to treat in the U.S. People are dying having deliveries at home in part because they cant reach the facility or because thats culturally or traditionally where they prefer, feel most comfortable delivering. But then when they have a hemorrhage after delivery, they cant reach the facility. Women are coming into the hospital where Doctors Without Borders is supporting with hemoglobin substitutes and are really completely in a state of shockhemorrhagic shock. Theres really nothing we can do at that point when they are so critical.

The most common reason that people are dying in the facilities that were seeing is actually sepsis, also from lack of supplies like antibiotics. We are facing really severe shortages of supplies in part due to the conflict and being unable to bring things in. The golden hour of treating sepsis within the first hour is really, really hard to do. So thats the main reason women are dying and newborn babies as well from sepsis due to the inability to start treatment in a quick, timely fashion.

Kevin Pho: Now, for those who are not versed in the history of Sudan and the history of violence, you talked about this bleak picture inside the hospital and the lack of access to health care and medications and antibiotics and basic necessities. Tell us how that threat of violence has led to this grim health picture.

Gillian Burkhardt: Sudan has been in conflict for the last 20 years, but it really erupted again in April of last year, April 2023. Unfortunately, health care facilities are not immune. They have been attacked and just completely destroyed. The facility that I was working in most recently is the Nyala Teaching Hospital. Its a Ministry of Health facility that was a 700-bed hospital with 13 OB GYNs, a full ICU, and about 10 operating rooms. Now its completely destroyed. There are bullet shellings through the roofs of different buildings. Doctors Without Borders has renovated the maternity and pediatric wards, but people are scared to come to facilities because sometimes theyre inadvertently targets. Its also difficult for people to move around because theres concern about attacks as theyre trying to reach the facilities.

Kevin Pho: And for yourself, what was it like to practice there? Did you feel like your safety was under constant threat of potential attacks, and how did that influence some of the care that you had to give there?

Gillian Burkhardt: We could not move around at night, for instance. Doctors Without Borders staff were restricted from movement in the evenings when it was not safe. So if there was a mass casualty that came in at night, there would be staff at the hospital, local staff, but people couldnt necessarily come in and out to supply support. Personally, I felt overall my security was safe, but it wasnt without risk. We did have airstrikes while I was there and had to respond to mass casualties of wounded people coming into the hospital. The local staff have been through so much and are the ones who have witnessed this the most, but they are incredibly resilient, continuing to provide care and services that are so desperately needed.

Kevin Pho: And how big was the Doctors Without Borders staff there?

Gillian Burkhardt: Our staff was actually pretty small. In this particular hospital, we had about 50 local staff, but we were supporting the Ministry of Health. I dont remember the exact number, but we had a couple hundred nurses and doctors that we were supportingthe Ministry of Health clinicians, nurses, hygienists, and administrators as well.

Kevin Pho: In your article, you also wrote about sexual violence and how there were barriers in terms of providing care for victims of sexual violence. Can you talk more about that?

Gillian Burkhardt: Yeah. I mean, we are aware that sexual violence has become a weapon of war in places like Sudan. The actual scope of the problem is hard for us to know. It is very stigmatized, and its very hard for people to feel comfortable accessing the care they need after a sexual assault. We have started to see an increased number of survivors coming forward through some community-based models that were starting to implement, so theres a little bit less fear and stigma. But we dont totally know the scope of the problem. I do know women are scared to move around, particularly at night, because of fear of being assaulted. The perpetrators are both civilian and military, and we dont know the full scope of whats going on.

Kevin Pho: And in terms of the message that you want my listeners and the KevinMD audience to hear, other than this grim news that youre talking about, how can the outside world help? What are some things that we can do to help with this situation?

Gillian Burkhardt: I think the first thing is to recognize that people are really resilient. There are stories of survival that give me hope about doing this workwomen who come and travel many hours after delivering in rural mountains, have a hemorrhage, arrive, get a blood transfusion, and overcome these severe scenarios. Being aware of whats happening outside our own communities while also supporting locally, listening to your communities wherever you are, whether it be here in my home state of New Mexico or in Sudan, is important. Were all interconnected.

Doctors Without Borders offers ways to support the work they are doing in Sudan and other conflict areas. Their website, doctorswithoutborders.org, is one way to stay up to date on whats happening and also to support their efforts.

Kevin Pho: And you said that you were in Sudan for a year, correct?

Gillian Burkhardt: Well, on and off for about a year. I was working in Chad first, which was part of the refugee response, and then in two different parts of Darfur on and off. Overall, its been a total of about a year. Seeing such dire situations day after day has been challenging.

Kevin Pho: Talk about how that affected you as a physician, just seeing this on a daily basis.

Gillian Burkhardt: Its hard and sometimes discouraging and tiring, but there are stories of resilience. Its also about the individuals we care forwhether youre in New Mexico or Sudan, we are touched by our patients lives. Thats what keeps me going. The individuals who come and smile every day despite everything, and the Sudanese people who have been through so much. The Doctors Without Borders Sudanese staff are still there doing all this work without knowing when it will end, but they keep going, keep smiling, and hope theyre making a difference.

Kevin Pho: And do you plan on going back in terms of your next experience with Doctors Without Borders? What are your future plans?

Gillian Burkhardt: I hope so. Working with Doctors Without Borders, its hard to know where youll go next. Im going to take a little break here, enjoy the sun and green chili of New Mexico, and go back to my hospital here for a few months. I do hope to be able to go back to Sudan or other places in the future.

Kevin Pho: Now, for those physicians who are listening to you on a podcast and are inspired by your work and the work of Doctors Without Borders, tell us how they can help. What are some of the questions that they should ask themselves to see whether they may be the right fit for something like this?

Gillian Burkhardt: I think working internationally, a lot of people think, Oh, I can never do this, but being a doctor is hard work no matter where we are. It requires flexibility, adaptability, and thinking outside the box. Having that mindset makes working internationally feasible for many, but it also doesnt mean its for everyone. There are ways to contribute through supporting organizations or by supporting local communities. Immigrant populations and refugees are coming into the U.S., and supporting them is also crucial.

Kevin Pho: Were talking to Gillian Burkhardt. Shes an obstetrics gynecology physician. Todays KevinMD article is The Maternal and Child Health Crisis in Sudan: A Call for Action. Gillian, lets end with some of your take-home messages that you want to leave with the KevinMD audience.

Gillian Burkhardt: Thinking about this, doctors are really privileged that people trust us no matter where we are. Medicine is changing in the U.S. and globally, and we all have our little part to play, whether it be in our small town in rural New Mexico, New York City, or Sudan. I encourage people to keep working on following your dream of why you became a doctor and what inspired you to do the grueling work of medical school and residency. It doesnt matter whether youre working in Sudan or in New York City; there are people who trust us to care for themselves and their families.

Kevin Pho: Gillian, thank you so much for sharing your story, time, and perspective, and thanks again for coming on the show.

Gillian Burkhardt: Thanks for having me.
Politicians on Washingtons Capitol Hill were scrambling last night to avoid a government shutdown after Elon Musk torpedoed a spending deal at the behest of president-elect Donald Trump  a move that could cost public workers including troops their Christmas pay.

Senators on both sides expressed dismay after the billionaire and Mr Trump criticised an expenditure bill and forced Republicans in the House of Representatives to scrap a continuing resolution that would have kept government open until March.

Democratic Sen Jon Ossoff was angry that the lack of legislation had delayed crucial assistance to victims of Hurricane Helene and Milton in his home state of Georgia.

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Disaster relief and economic assistance for Georgia farmers would already be on the way if Elon Musk could kept his mouth shut, he told The Independent.

Sen Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska who has long criticized Mr Trump, said Mr Musks sinking the legislation showed the power of his influence.

You would think that there is, theres value in your election certificate, that were back here to do the work, and we will do the work, she told The Independent. This is obviously a level of influence that we saw the impact yesterday.

Senators from both parties are upset over Elon Musks influence in the halls of Congress (Getty)

Sen Mitt Romney of Utah, who had excoriated Mr Trump for letting Mr Musk criticise the original spending agreement, laughed at the billionaires influence.

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Its a new world, said Mr Romney, a frequent critic of Mr Trump who will retire at the end of the year. New political world with new players.

Mr Musks new role as head of a new department of government efficiency means he will regularly clash with the members of both chambers who keep the government open. Susan Collins, who in January will take the reins of the Senate appropriations committee which writes the spending bills to keep the government open, blamed Mr Trump for Mr Musks influence.

If hed done it alone without the presidents backing, I dont think it would have torpedoed the agreement, Ms Collins told The Independent.

Sen Bernie Sanders, the independent democratic socialist from Vermont, said Mr Musks influence confirmed his years of railing against the influence of the ultra-rich in politics.

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When you have Elon Musk, an unelected official, telling Republicans what they have to do and threatening to primary them if they dont obey his wishes, youre really seeing the power of oligarchy and the power of big money, he told The Independent.

They blasted Musk as the House of Representatives continues to work on a bill to avoid a shutdown (Getty)

Democrats pointed out how the stipped-down version of the bill that Mr Musk wanted had language that removed crucial provisions to rein in pharmacy benefit managers, which serve as intermediaries between drug makers and consumers.

So I think that Washington is consumed with all the fighting, but in coffee shops around America, people are going to say Donald Trump said that he was going to bust these middlemen who are ripping off seniors and taxpayers, and now he's letting them off the hooked, Sen Ron Wyden, the chairman of the Senate finance committee, said.

Republicans in the House of Representatives spent much of the morning attempting to find a new way forward. But it would still have to pass the Senate, which Democrats will control until 3 January.

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Sen Jon Tester, a Democrat who lost his re-election in Montana, said Mr Musks influence caused the deal to fall apart.

I mean, look, the house has taken orders from the unelected false president, Elon Musk, thats the kind of s*** you run into when you start listening to people who arent elected, he told The Independent. They need to pull their heads out of the back end of whoever they got it up and get the job done.
Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) urged President Biden on Thursday to grant TikTok a 90-day extension to divest from its China-based parent company or face a ban.

The pair emphasized the current deadline is set for Jan. 19, the day before a new administration takes office, and the Supreme Court has scheduled oral arguments on the case for Jan. 10.

The stakes here are high: As a practical matter, even if the Court rules that the law is constitutional by the January deadline, ByteDance cannot divest TikTok in that limited time, the senators wrote.

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Consequently, absent a judicial injunction, decision overturning the law, or action by you, TikTok will soon be banned in the United States, causing its creators and users serious hardship, they continued.

The law gave ByteDance, TikToks parent company, 270 days to divest from the popular video-sharing platform. However, the president can grant the company an additional 90 days to complete a sale.

Markey and Paul have both previously voiced opposition to the divest-or-ban law.

After a federal appeals court upheld the law earlier this month, the senators wrote in a joint statement that the decision was disappointing and represented a serious threat to TikTok and its users constitutional rights across the country.

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Congress pushed through this law with limited debate about its impact on TikToks diverse base of users and creators and their rights, they said. As public support for the ban wanes, we urge Congress to reconsider the law and intend to work with our colleagues to do so.

The law passed Congress in April as part of a larger foreign aid package. Markey voted for the package, while Paul did not vote.

TikTok sued the government in May, arguing the law violated the First Amendment. After the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit rejected its challenge this month, the platform filed an emergency motion with the Supreme Court to delay the law.

The Supreme Court announced Wednesday it would take up TikToks case on the merits, scheduling oral arguments for early next month. The speedy timeline gives the court an opportunity to rule before the original Jan. 19 deadline.

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The impending ban comes as President-elect Trump is set to take office on Jan. 20. Trump has voiced support for TikTok and vowed on the campaign trail to save the app, although he has yet to offer more details about his plans.

The president-elect said Monday that he would take a look, when asked whether he would prevent the ban from going into effect next month.

I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok, Trump said during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, claiming he won youth by 34 points, and there are those that say that TikTok had something to do with it.

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Discussions regarding the potential deployment of Western peacekeepers in Ukraine are gaining traction, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said during a Dec. 20 briefing.

This idea, initially proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron, has reportedly garnered interest from multiple countries.

Indeed, in addition to France, there are several other countries that have expressed their readiness to take such a step, Tykhyi said.

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He reiterated President Volodymyr Zelenskys support for Macrons proposal, which the Ukrainian leader expressed during a Dec. 19 briefing in Brussels.

Tykhyi emphasized that discussions are still general and lack specific details regarding deployment timing.

Paris and London are exploring the deployment of French and U.K. troops to monitor a potential ceasefire along the contact line, a senior NATO official told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) in early December.

The official, speaking anonymously, clarified that these discussions are taking place bilaterally in national capitals rather than within NATO structures.

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The concept of deploying Western troops to Ukraine resurfaced earlier this year. Macron first raised the possibility in February and revisited it in May, suggesting that France might consider sending troops if Russian forces breached Ukraines front lines.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has also advocated for European troops to lead in monitoring a potential ceasefire, the Wall Street Journal reported on Dec. 12.

He has repeatedly emphasized that Europe should take greater responsibility in addressing Russian aggression.

Zelensky supported Macron's proposal but only after securing a clear timeline for NATO membership.

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Read also: Ukraine launched ATACMS, Storm Shadow against Russian chemical plant on Dec. 18, Moscow claims

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Several countries are considering joining a potential Western allied contingent in Ukraine, as proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron, although discussions are still in the early stages.

Source: Heorhii Tykhyi, spokesperson for Ukraine's Foreign Ministry, speaking to reporters, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Tykhyi recalled that after meetings in Brussels, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his support for Macron's proposal regarding the potential deployment of a Western allied military contingent in Ukraine as part of security guarantees.

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"Indeed, in addition to France, several other countries have expressed their readiness to take such a step," said Tykhyi.

"However, it is too early to discuss specific details, such as when and where these contingents could be deployed. This is a general discussion about the possibility and readiness to take such steps. We welcome these discussions and believe there should be no taboos regarding the formats of support for Ukraine from our partners. Specific plans will be crystallised at a later stage," he explained.

The spokesperson noted that Ukraine is actively involved in these discussions and the principle of "nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine" remains.

Background:

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President Zelenskyy acknowledged that the idea of deploying a peacekeeping mission to Ukraine as a deterrent against a new Russian invasion was discussed during meetings in Brussels. He also mentioned that he was already "seeing positive developments" from some leaders.

In an address to EU leaders, he expressed support for Macron's idea and urged other partners to join in.

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A teacher and several pupils have been injured in a knife attack at a school in the Croatian capital Zagreb, local media reported Friday citing police.

A young man is said to have attacked a teacher and several students "with a sharp object" and injured them, according to the reports.

The attacker has since been detained, it said.

Six ambulances and a rescue helicopter have reportedly been deployed to the scene of the attack.

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Police have cordoned off the area. Some groups of schoolchildren have been taken to safety and parents have been asked to pick up their children from school.

The police did not initially provide any information about the exact course of the crime.

Croatia's Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic expressed his "horror" at the "tragedy."
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  Multiple girls and women previously reported that Nathan Chasing Horse sexually abused them for nearly two decades, but their reports did not result in criminal charges.

Now as the Dances with Wolves actor is scheduled to go on trial in connection with alleged abuse against three women in a Las Vegas case, two of them when they were underage, prosecutors want to include evidence from two additional women who reported Chasing Horse sexually abused them as teens.

In a motion to admit evidence of other crimes filed by the Clark County District Attorneys office on Dec. 12, prosecutors detailed allegations from the two additional alleged victims and included police reports, although it appeared both investigations did not result in charges against Chasing Horse at the time.

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The defendant has groomed young women for at least over two decades and now starting as early as 2002/2003, prosecutors wrote.

One woman met Chasing Horse when she was 13 or 14 years old at a ceremony in Montana and thought of him as an uncle, according to the motion. Chasing Horse told her he wanted more, the motion stated.

When she was 15 years old, Chasing Horse sexually assaulted her and told her not to tell anyone, according to the motion. She believed if she told someone what happened, bad things would happen to her family because of Chasing Horses position as a Medicine Man, the motion stated.

Another woman met Chasing Horse when she was 13 years old and in a treatment center in Montana in 2003, according to the motion. Chasing Horse had approached her, asked her how old she was and asked for her address to visit her, the motion stated.

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Three months later, Chasing Horse sexually assaulted her at least three times, according to the motion.

The allegations from both women are relevant to the crimes currently charged in the Las Vegas case, according to the district attorneys office.

Both incidents reflect another example of defendant using his position in the community to gain access to young children, befriend them and their families, isolate them, and take advantage of them sexually, the motion stated.

Prosecutors also included a report from the North Las Vegas police department from 2015, after one woman, who is now identified as a victim in the indictment, first came forward.

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The department closed the case citing that the 19-year-old woman had come to North Las Vegas of her own free will to meet a male that she said had sexually assaulted her, and because during the sexual incident did not say no, push away, yell or run away, I found that I did not believe it could be prosecuted in court.

This was despite the department learning from the Meade County Sheriffs office in Sturgis, South Dakota that there were previous allegations against Chasing Horse of a similar nature.

Deputy Bostrom had gotten information that Chasing Horse may have sexually assaulted other females from Canada while at Bear Butte South Dakota the report stated. He spoke to Officer Fox of the Tsuu Tina National Police Department and found that 3 females had reported sexual assault reports against Chasing Horse in Canada.

The report also referred to Chasing Horses previous arrests in 1995 and 1996 in South Dakota for theft, obstructing and eluding police and priors for not paying child support in Montana.

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Chasing Horse is scheduled to go on trial in Las Vegas on Jan. 13. A Clark County grand jury indicted the Dances with Wolves actor in October for 21 felony charges including 10 counts of sexual assault with a minor under 16 years of age, six counts of sexual assault, two counts of possession of visual presentation depicting sexual conduct of a child, and one count each of use of a minor under the age of 14 in producing pornography, open or gross lewdness and first degree kidnapping of a minor. One charge dates back to 2010, according to court documents.

Prosecutors said they have evidence including video of Chasing Horse sexually assaulting an underage girl. That girl was later considered to be one of Chasing Horses wives, and is now an adult. Attempts to talk to the woman have been unsuccessful as law enforcement has been met with hostility from her family, according to testimony.

Police arrested Chasing Horse at his North Las Vegas home on Jan. 31, 2023.

The Las Vegas case is the first of several to move forward against Chasing Horse after Corena Leona-Lacroix, now identified as a victim in the indictment, spoke out.

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Leone-Lacroix, who previously shared her story with the 8 News Now Investigators, testified she first met Chasing Horse as a child and at the age of 14, turned to him to help cure her mothers cancer. She said this was when Chasing Horse first sexually assaulted her.

He said that its what the spirits had wanted, that that was the price of helping my mom, she said.

Leone-Lacroix said Chasing Horse repeatedly sexually assaulted her when she was underage. She said she eventually moved in with Chasing Horse and became a wife. She described abuse inside the home.

In 2019, Leone-Lacroix said she set up a Tinder profile which Chasing Horse later discovered. She testified he punished her.

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He had said that since I had wanted to be with other men so badly that he could make that happen and that that could be a way I could repay the betrayal that I had done by serving other men and being a vessel by letting men have sex with me. He said that the rules were though that I was not allowed to see them so I would be wearing a blindfold. I was not allowed to say anything and I was not allowed to move or touch them in return, she said. I was just supposed to lay there and allow it to happen and that would be a way I could pay back my betrayal.

She testified this happened multiple times, both at Las Vegas hotels and inside a home.

The second woman, who previously came forward to North Las Vegas police, testified Chasing Horse sexually assaulted her and then gave her a pill. She said she later developed an ectopic pregnancy.

Leone-LaCroix also testified she was given a pill after the first alleged sexual assault and then Chasing Horse put her on birth control.

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Chasing Horses followers were considered members of The Circle.

Chasing Horse was previously charged with 18 counts in Clark County District Court in connection with alleged sexual abuse against two of the three women in the current case.

The Nevada Supreme Court dismissed the previous indictment in a Sept. 26 order and said prosecutors should not have defined grooming to the grand jury. Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson immediately told the 8 News Now Investigators that prosecutors would seek another indictment against Chasing Horse within weeks and would follow the dictates of Nevadas high court. The order allowed prosecutors to retry Chasing Horse.

Chasing Horse faces warrants in Montana and Canada. He has also previously been banned from several reservations. Chasing Horse is a Rosebud Sioux Indian, Lakota Tribe, according to an arrest report.

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Chasing Horse was previously represented by the Clark County Public Defenders office and recently hired private attorney Craig Mueller.

8 News Now Investigator Vanessa Murphy can be reached at vmurphy@8newsnow.com.

To contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline, call 1-800-656-4673.

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.
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON)  Kara Swisher, a tech journalist who once described herself as the liberal lesbian Donald Trump of San Francisco, has reportedly floated a plan to but the Washington Post with a group of rich people. Except one, that is. Tesla CEO Elon Musk is not invited.

Swisher, speaking to Axios, said the was interested in rounding up a group of investors to buy the paper from current owner Jeff Bezos. Swisher, who is based in San Francisco, began her career as an intern at the WaPo and later went on to work at the paper as a tech reporter.

Bay Area city offering $100K signing bonus for new police officers who meet certain criteria

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The Post can do better, said the podcaster, author, journalist and CNN contributor to Axios. Its so maddening to see whats happening. Why not me? Why not any of us?

The Washington Post was criticized during the last election for failing to endorse a presidential candidate for the first time in decades.

This is not the first time there have been rumblings about Swisher wanting to buy the Post. In his fall newsletter, former CNN host Oliver Darcy reported that Swisher was interested in putting together a group of wealthy investors to buy the paper.

But while shes out soliciting billionaires to potentially wrest the paper from Bezos grasp, one person she wont be trying to get on board is Musk.

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Hopefully not Elon, she told Axios, though he seems pretty busy these days being President (Not) Elect.

One potential roadblock for Swisher, as pointed out by Axios, is that Bezos, who recently lost the title of richest person in the world to Musk, has shown no indication he is willing to sell the newspaper.

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 KRON4.
Pioneer Museum at Blue Licks State Park has housed jewelry and pottery removed from skeletons in graves that were unearthed in the 20th century, lawmakers were told Thursday. (Kentucky State Parks)

FRANKFORT  At the beginning of the year, the Kentucky Department of Parks published an online federal notice that state officials planned to return hundreds of Native American burial artifacts from a museum at the Blue Licks Battlefield State Resort Park in Nicholas County.

The department was following new federal regulations from the Biden administration under the decades-old Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), established to require institutions to repatriate Indigenous remains and cultural items excavated from grave sites.

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According to ProPublica reporting, NAGPRAs enforcement had been hampered since it was established in 1990 due to limited funding and institutions unwillingness to turn over such remains and artifacts. The revamped rules sought to speed up the process by giving more deference to tribes knowledge of their histories and regions in the decision-making process on reparations.

One of the three federally recognized tribes associated with the Shawnee people claimed the artifacts, and the artifacts are awaiting repatriation. But in the months since state officials started the process, locals with a group supporting the park have raised concerns and accusations about the transparency of the process  claims that Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet officials strongly refute.

The months-long conflict came to a head in a legislative committee hearing Thursday afternoon as state lawmakers sought to hear from both cabinet officials and Friends of Blue Licks State Park, whose concerns were supported by Sen. Stephen West, R-Paris, and Rep. William Lawrence, R-Maysville.

Sen. Stephen West, center, and Rep. William Lawrence, right, are joined by local park supporters who have concerns about the repatriation process. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Liam Niemeyer)

Shawnee Tribe Chief Benjamin Barnes, who sat in the back of the committee room at the Capitol Annex building but chose not to testify, told the Lantern he was willing to help the legislature on the issue and be a friend of the park. But he said his tribe has been waiting since 1990 to complete this work of repatriation.

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Its been 34 years of waiting for compliance, Barnes said. Were here to do that work now.

The artifacts to be repatriated

Sarah Cronan, the general counsel for the cabinet, and Jennifer Spence, the curator for Kentucky State Parks, explained to lawmakers that the 274 artifacts from the parks Pioneer Museum were originally bought by the state in 1949 from a man who helped found the museum.

Spence said that man, William Curtis, had obtained the artifacts either by excavating grave sites himself or obtaining them from others who looted graves. She said most of the artifacts come from the Fox Farm archaeological site in Mason County.

During Curtiss time, Fox Farm was often called bony field because farming activities frequently disturbed burials, uncovering both Native American remains and the objects buried with them, Spence said.

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Spence, who showcased newspaper clippings from the early 20th century about the excavations, said Curtis in 1925 excavated 125 Native American remains at the Fox Farm site along with funerary items including pottery, discs, shells, gorgets, beads, pendants and more.

She said while items such as pottery may seem unconventional as funerary items, they were traditional inclusions in burials.

Sarah Cronan and Jennifer Spence with the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet speak to lawmakers about the repatriation process at Blue Licks Battlefield State Resort Park. (Kentucky Lantern Photo by Liam Niemeyer)

Likewise today, in modern burials, we often include personal items such as jewelry, military medals, stuffed animals, books or photographs, items that hold special meaning, meaning to our loved ones, Spence said.

Spence said Curtis also kept detailed records about the artifacts in his collection. Among the artifacts taken by Curtis from excavations that eventually ended up in the state museum, according to Spence:

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Two copper bracelets taken from the arms of a skeleton in a burial mound in Mason County.

A string of twelve beads taken from the neck of a skeleton at Fox Farm.

Shell gorgets from a grave at Fox Farm which were found with two full grown skeletons lying side by side and a child apparently lying across them.

Cronan told lawmakers that Congress enacted NAGPRA in response to the digging up and looting of Indian graves all over the United States, including right here in Kentucky. She pointed to looting that damaged an archaeological site in Union County in the 1980s.

Cronan also said the Kentucky Department of Parks received a demand letter in June from the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, asking about the departments current processes and pace of repatriations.

The senator stated in this letter that delayed repatriation is delayed justice for the native peoples, Cronan said.

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Cronan pointed to potential civil penalties that Kentucky could be subject to if repatriations are delayed. She said the artifacts were currently in state custody awaiting to be collected by the Shawnee Tribe.

Accusations by local park supporters

But some state lawmakers voiced concerns shared by supporters of Blue Licks Battlefield State Resort Park that the cabinet hasnt gone about the process in a transparent manner.

West, a Republican who represents Nicholas County in the Senate, said the Friends of Blue Licks State Park group hadnt received information on timetables for when the repatriation was going to take place nor evidence associated with each artifact.

What is the rush? West said. The cabinet doesnt just represent the Shawnee Tribe, in all due deference to the tribe. They represent this commonwealth of Kentucky. The friends of the park are taxpayers of the state of Kentucky, and so all theyre asking for is transparency and an opportunity to ask questions.

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Paula Hunter, the chair of the Friends of Blue Licks State Park group, claimed that state officials were not being transparent with the reparation process because the original federal notice was posted online and not in local newspapers. Dennis Vesper, an archaeologist and former member of the Kentucky Heritage Council, also claimed that there was no DNA evidence that connects the artifacts to the Shawnee Tribe.

Hunter advocated for the artifacts to remain displayed at the state parks museum. Cronan, the state attorney, said state officials asked the Shawnee Tribe multiple times if the artifacts could continue to be displayed, but the tribe declined.

When asked by Rep. Lindsey Burke, D-Lexington, if the assertions made by the Friends of the Blue Licks State Park were accurate, Cronan said she disagreed with the groups characterization of the process. Cronan had told lawmakers earlier the cabinet wanted to clear up the misinformation about the cabinets efforts to repatriate the artifacts.

Parks has communicated with all stakeholders about its repatriation efforts. This includes state legislators, federal congressional representatives, local county judges and local county attorneys and members of the Blue Licks Friends group, Cronan said.

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In committee testimony, West said the cabinet had sent letters to local county attorneys and county judge-executives but that there were no personal meetings or anything of that nature.

Barnes, the Shawnee Tribe chief, told the Lantern there was no way to get DNA connected to the artifacts unless you violate the bones further.

Do we want to grind up your deceased grandparents? You know, I dont think thats appropriate, Barnes said. We know these are Shawnee people. We can trace it not just in history books. We can find it in archeological record.

We want to be sure that were involved in how the commonwealth tells the story of Indian country, Barnes said.

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The park is named for one of the last battles of the American Revolution, fought on Aug. 19, 1782, after the British had surrendered to Gen. George Washington at Yorktown, Virginia. British loyalists and Delaware, Huron and Shawnee warriors defeated Kentucky militia, some of whom were led by Daniel Boone, in a battle that lasted about 15 minutes, according to American Battlefield Trust.

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WESTFIELD, Mass. (WWLP)  Westfield police were called after a student found a shell casing on the playground at Southampton Road School.

A concerned parent sent 22News the letter sent to parents on Thursday that stated a student found a bullet casing (not a live shell) on the playground at the school. The letter, which was confirmed to 22News by Principal Ritchie said, At no time was Southampton Road School in any danger.

F-35A Lighting II fighter jets replacing aging F-15 aircraft at Barnes ANGB in Westfield

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Staff notified the Westfield police and the office of Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski. As a precaution, students and staff were kept inside the school as officers investigated. Principal Ritchie said that the police determined that there was no safety risk or threat.

The notification to parents and caregivers also serves as a reminder of the importance of their children to report anything they see or hear such as school safety, bullying, harassment, or any potentially unsafe situation to the school. Anonymous reports can also be made online.

Westfield Police Captain Steve Dickinson told 22News officers collected a shell casing for a rifle, .556.

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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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWLP.
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS)  A Shiawassee County man will continue to serve 25 to 75 years in prison for sexually assaulting his 9-year-old daughter, despite a finding by the Michigan Court of Appeals that an expert impermissibly vouched for the truthfulness of the child victim.

Tylor Robert Sattler-VanWagoner, 32, was convicted of one count of Criminal Sexual Conduct 1st Degree after a two jury trial in Shiawassee Circuit Court in June 2021. Sattler-VanWagoner was accused of performing oral sex on his biological daughter.

Tylor Robert Sattler-VanWagoner (Courtesy Michigan Department of Corrections)

He appealed his conviction, arguing in part that testimony provided by Holly Rosen of MSU Safe Place improperly informed the jury that the victim could be believed.

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During her testimony, Rosen testified that the fabrication of childhood sexual abuse was statistically very rare in these types of cases.

Read the Majority Opinion:

20241219_C362433_51_362433.opnDownload

Reading the Concurring Opinion:

20241219_C362433_52_362433C.opnDownload

The Michigan Court of Appeals Court ruled this statement was improper as vouching for the truthfulness of a victims statement. Vouching has been decreed as improper by the Michigan Supreme Court.

Despite that finding, the Court wrote, Looking at the body of evidence without this comment, we are not convinced that the result would have been different. The court then affirmed his conviction. That ruling was signed by Appeals Court Judge Noah B. Hood and Stephen L. Borrello.

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In a concurrence published in the case by Appeals Court Judge Colleen A. OBrien wrote she agreed with the other two judges assessments, but wrote separately to clarify a legal point in the ruling.

The opinion was published. When an opinion of the Michigan Court of Appeals is published, it means it becomes prevailing precedence in the courts unless or if the Michigan Supreme Court overrules the decision.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WLNS 6 News.
A response to The overwhelming reality of primary care: Why doctors still persevere.

I am a primary care patient in a rural area of a western state, and I have not seen the same physician or other provider more than two or three times in the past 20 years.

I am a primary care patient, and I have 10 minutes to explain my entire medical history, including my neurologic, musculoskeletal, and mental health issues.

I have 10 minutes to share that I was born with arthrogryposis, am in near constant pain, and desperately need physical therapy and massage that I cannot afford.

I have 10 minutes to share that a former primary care physician suggested that my multiple symptoms indicated that I may (probably) have MS and that my multiple MRIs, with and without contrast, show damage from a prior TBI, but the results are inconclusive for MS. I was ordered a lumbar puncture but cannot comply because I have no respite care for my son. As a result, I am formally undiagnosed. If I am undiagnosed, I do not have it, right?

I have 10 minutes to explain that I care full-time for my adult son, who has a severe form of Beckers muscular dystrophy that more resembles Duchennes than Beckers. He is fully disabled, non-ambulatory, and has social anxiety. He needs more than I can give him mentally or physically, but we persevere to keep him at home.

I have 10 minutes to share that I am now a wound care specialist after treating my sons venous ulcers from edema due to immobility for the last four years. I share that I am paying out of pocket for our supplies, as transportation to a wound care clinic is impossible, and we have used up our home health care visits.

I have 10 minutes to share that I cannot afford the copays for my Cymbalta, Modafinil, Prempro, Tramadol, Meloxicam, or any other prescription medication you might prescribe. When asked why I cannot afford my medication, I have 10 minutes to explain that I make $26,000 caregivingtoo much money to qualify for Medicaidand that my own Medicare premium leaves me with $171 of my own Social Security check. If my state drops the Medicaid-provided consumer-directed personal assistance program that pays me, we will both be in a dire situation. If I did not care for my son, I would be homeless. (My sons Social Security is $879.00 a month. That does not even cover our grocery/household supply budget. If you are wondering, we pay $1,400 per month for a one-bedroom apartment, most utilities included.)

I have 10 minutes to explain that I am concerned about the 3,000 mg of generic acetaminophen, 2,000 mg of ibuprofen, and 800 mg of caffeine that I take daily in an attempt to manage my many whack-a-mole symptoms, including daily headaches, fatigue, and musculoskeletal pain. I share in 10 minutes that I am sensitive to any codeine or codeine compound and choose not to use it, but I am concerned about how to manage increasing pain in the future or even how to afford pain management.

I have 10 minutes to share that I cannot afford the dentist to fill the painful cavity in one of my four remaining teeth. I also have 10 minutes to try to convince you to tell Medicare that my dentures are medically necessary.

I have 10 minutes to share that chronic sinusitis is seriously disrupting my sleep and my life as I try to manage symptoms without making another appointment that I cannot afford to pay for. I have 10 minutes to share my current symptom list, and for the nurse to tell me, We do not have time for all thatpick one. (True story.)

I only have 10 minutes.

So, I go online and visit Dr. Google, and in 10 minutes share what I have found. Then, for 10 minutes, I endure the Who gave you your medical degree? looks and comments. If I share my medical diary along with my thoughts or opinions, I hear and feel the dismissive attitudes. If I do research or ask my pharmacist and decide that a certain medication is not worth the risk, I am non-compliant. If I disagree with a physician, I am non-compliant. If I am insistent, I am fired as a patient, even if I am right. (Another true story.)

So, I have 10 minutes to share and listen, then go home until I decide in six months or a year to try once again to receive adequate health care.

I have 10 minutes.

I have 10 minutes to see you, the underappreciated backbone of American health care. I see that you want to care. I see that the medical situation in the United States absolutely wears us down and tries to suck out our souls, but I still appreciate that you do care. I appreciate you. I even love you for the work you do. I see you are doing the best you can, but somehow, some way, we have to do better. We must do better!

We need to take health care away from non-practitioners and insurance agencies. We need to return medical care to the control of doctors. We need universal health care for those with special needs who do not qualify for Medicaid, for those times when Medicare will not cover. We need to encourage new providers to commit to more than one year in a rural primary care setting. We need you to carecare enough to fight the soul-sucking system we call health care. We need you to have the courage to prescribe what needs to be prescribed. We need you to be able to prescribe and treat ethically without fear of repercussion. We need palliative care that is not dictated by an insurance company. We need you, but we need more than 10 minutes.

You have 10 minutes. What are we going to do about it? What can we do about it?

Tracey Karcher is a patient advocate.
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On Thursday, in a French court in the city of Avignon, 72-year-old Dominique Pelicot was convicted of an incomprehensible crime. He had drugged then raped his wife, Gisele (also 72), for close to a decade, starting in 2011, and had gone online and found strangers to come to his house to do the same. After she suffered side effects from the constant drugging and started to worry she had a brain tumor or Alzheimers, he feigned ignorance, accompanying her to her doctors appointments. (The doctors never found anything of concern.)

Pelicot was caught in 2020, after police nabbed him for taking up-skirt photos of women in public and, in the course of the investigation, discovered a stash of thousands of videos and photos, some of which depicted the crimes against his wife. This week, Pelicot was sentenced to 20 years. Fifty other men found on the tapesa varied group French media called Monsieur Tout-le-monde, for their everyday-nesswere convicted as well.

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Sara McDougall, a historian at John Jay College of Criminal Justice who specializes in legal history and womens history, was in Avignon this week to watch the verdict be declared. Slate caught up with McDougall to discuss the history behind the trial, what it might change in France, and how shell teach it to students in the future. This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Rebecca Onion: Why did youas a historian, not a journalistdecide to go to this trial in person?

Sara McDougall: Ive been working on a book about a woman who was gang-raped in the late 15th century in Dijon. I often feel so distant from so much of what Im studying. Historians are always sort of sitting there, thinking, What would it be like to be there? Ive started to think that one really good way to know that is to play anthropologist and go. I have been following contemporary trials about rape since I started writing this book about rape, and I was especially moved by E. Jean Carrolls trial. Following it actually ended up helping me better understand the medieval trial I was working on. It helped me see things about it that I hadnt seen.

This is a woman who was in whats supposed to be the happily ever after. She was with her husband in the home where they were spending their retirement; shes a grandmother. And then, in the land of the Marquis de Sade, something right out of the Marquis de Sade happens  but with modern technology.

I didnt know this, but you mentioned that the Marquis de Sade is from the same area, maybe even the same town?

Thats right. The town of Mazan, where the Pelicots lived. The nicest hotel you can stay at there is at his family home.

Theres also an interesting historical aspect to Avignon being a place where people would come to seek justice during the time you study.

Thats right. Avignon is this beautiful city, where popes were living for a while, during the time when there were two popes, in the 14th century. There was a lot of uncertainty and warfare, a time of tremendous political, social, religious disruption, and people didnt know what to think. There was a strong tradition of going to seek justice in this place from the pope, with a lot of political performances made, when people would visit to demand better. One woman who became St. Catherine of Siena would go there to persuade the pope to go back to Rome, to argue that there should be one pope.

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But there are also all sorts of stories about less famous women going there to ask for relief. I have a favorite case of a woman who went there after trying everything she could to get out of a marriage with a terrible husband, which women werent supposed to be able to do, but after she came to Avignon she did get justice, and ended up an abbess in a convent for repentant prostitutes 

That was a happy ending?

Yes. Your husband was technically supposed to be dead for you to be able to take up an abbess position.

Given all that backstory, it must have been so intriguing for you to be in that city where everyone came to protest during this trial. Most people, from what I can see from the coverage and the photos, were there to support Gisele Pelicot, right?

The only voices I have seen anywhere were supporting her. Masses of crowds, people dancing in her honor, hanging posters all over these medieval walls. (Kindly enough, they didnt generally paint the walls, just hung posters.)  Madame Pelicot herself was treated like a saint. Not just on the streets, but in the courtroom. Like a rock star. She dominated the proceedings with this unimaginable dignity and grace.

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Thats part of why I had to go in person, because of the idea that someone could transform a trial. She made it about something that was no longer about the horrible crime that was done to her or the terrifying man shed been married to all those years. People went to the trial to see her. She managed to diminish himpeople were just so full of admiration for her. She ensured that people would remember her, not him; she reclaimed their name for her grandchildren. I think of their children as her children, their grandchildren as her grandchildren, not his.

You teach a class about historical trials. If you were teaching this one, what kinds of takeaways would you want students to come away with?

We ask: Why do trials resonate with people? What, if anything, has changed as a result of this trial? Sometimes people care about a trial because theyre fascinated by a horrible crime. Sometimes its about social change the trial brings, thats either desirable or undesirable.

With this one, its hard to say because we dont know yet what changes will unfold. But there are more rape victims in France who are not exercising their right to remain anonymousthough that started before her. But of course its hard to look at her and count on being treated as well as shes being treated. First, she was right where she was supposed to be: asleep in her marital bed. And second, there were videos. Without that, it might have just been one of those awful his word against hers debates.

You mentioned a couple of precursor cases in France that seem as if theyll feed into the story of this case when the history is written. What are those cases?

The most obvious one for me, that some of the French reporters have also seized on, is a 1978 trial for a 1974 crime, where the victims were these two Belgian women who were camping near Marseilles. A guy hit on them and they rejected him. He came back with two other men, and they engaged in this horrible, horrible, violent rape. The women went to the police the next morning, and it was downgraded to aggravated assault in part because the laws at that timewhat counted as rape was very vague, limited, and hard to prove.

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The feminist lawyer who represented themanother Gisele, Gisele Halimimanaged to force the case to be tried at a higher level, at the criminal court, and tried to bring as much publicity as possible, because publicity would, she thought, be a deterrent to future rape. She thought anonymity for victims helped protect victims but also protected accusers to some degree.

She and the two women were harassed, insulted, spat on in the streetsa very different scene outside the courtroom from the one I experienced, which was a total lovefest. But it worked. They changed the rape law into something much broader, making it easier to prove and increasing the penalty.

The law today doesnt explicitly consider consent, but because of the Pelicot trial, there is a debate now in France over whether it should. Theres a debate in all of Europe over this, but now France is revisiting the topic, because in this case you see in videos such obviously nonconsensual acts performed on a woman who is sedated, but some defendants said because of the way the law is written, they didnt have the obligation to secure her consent.

It strikes me as fascinating that in the U.S., it feels as if we had #MeToo for about 18 months, and then weve had, lets see, maybe five years of backlash to it. What happened in France that such a case would be coming through now, with tremendous public support and momentum seeming to build for a cultural change?

I totally agree with your characterizationits like we never had a #MeToo in the U.S., or that the memory of it is only here now to punish us! In France, there was a lot of resistance at the beginning, with people saying that this was some ridiculous American thing: We dont have contractualization of sex, we are more libertine. What people want to do in the privacy of their homes is their business, and so on.

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Its interesting how its changing. People are more willing to admit theres patriarchy, theres rape culture, it might be wrong to abuse power. There seems to be an uptick in people calling for help, making accusations, and the public reaction to this has changed as well.

I got up in the dark on Thursday and rushed out to get in line at the courthouse. Of course, at 6:15 a.m., there were already all these journalists there. There were some members of the public already outside, including these two probably 20-year-old guys, and a woman about the same age, there to support Madame Pelicot. So of course 100 journalists were trying to interview them! Listening, it was so beautiful to hear how passionate and hopeful these young people were. I love to see it.
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell has named the next police chief: Shon Barnes from Madison, Wisconsin.

Harrell made the announcement Friday morning following a nationwide search.

Barnes has served as the Chief of Police for Madison since 2021. If his name is familiar, this might be why: He was thrust into the national spotlight earlier this week when a school shooting in Madison left three dead, including the shooter, and six injured.

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Earlier this week, under tragic circumstances, the nation received its introduction to Chief Shon Barnes. We all saw firsthand what our team has known since we began this recruitment process  that Chief Barnes possesses the impressive leadership capabilities, compassionate approach, and dedication to effective police work needed to continue moving our Police Department forward, said Mayor Harrell in a news release.

I am truly honored to accept this position and thank Mayor Harrell for his trust and confidence. The mayor and I share a vision that crime prevention and community safety is a shared responsibility and that every community member plays a role in keeping Seattle safe, said incoming Chief Shon Barnes in the release. My family and I are excited about the opportunity to integrate into Seattles vibrant community, known for its diversity, innovation, and resilience. I look forward to working alongside the dedicated men and women of the Seattle Police Department to uphold these core values.

The search for Seattles next chief began in mid-2024, after former Chief Adrian Diaz was terminated following an investigation into his behavior. That investigation claims Diaz had an intimate or romantic relationship with a former police department employee  one he allegedly hired and supervised for a position he created.

Sue Rahr was named interim chief, and she helped to lead the search for Diazs replacement.

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The mayors office says there were 57 total applications received from across the U.S. which were reviewed and narrowed to a list of 44 qualified candidates. The top four candidates were invited to take a competitive exam in November, as required by the City Charter. Three candidates  Chief Barnes; Nicholas Augustine, Assistant Chief of the Montgomery County, Maryland, Department of Police; and Emada Tingirides, Deputy Chief, Los Angeles Police Department  passed the exam and were forwarded to Mayor Harrell for his consideration and final selection.

Mayor Harrell will welcome Chief Barnes to Seattle with a public event in January.

He has over 12 years of police command-level experience, including patrol, training, and recruitment, and served as a civilian police accountability executive in Chicago, where he helped meet the training plan requirements of a federal consent decree.

Under Chief Barnes, so far in 2024, the mayors office says Madison has seen a 67% decrease in homicides, a 40% decrease in auto thefts, a 36% decrease in burglaries, and a 19% decrease in reports of shots fired.




Items are displayed in the window of a Burberry store on Michigan Avenue along the Magnificent Mile in Chicago in November. The rate of reported shoplifting incidents in the city surged by 46% from January to October 2024 compared with the same period in 2023, according to a recent report by the Council on Criminal Justice. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

CHICAGO  Shoplifting rates in the three largest U.S. cities  New York, Los Angeles and Chicago  remain higher than they were before the pandemic, according to a report last month from the nonpartisan research group Council on Criminal Justice.

The sharp rise in retail theft in recent years has made shoplifting a hot-button issue, especially for politicians looking to address public safety concerns in their communities.

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Since 2020, when viral videos of smash-and-grab robberies flooded social media during the COVID-19 pandemic, many Americans have expressed fears that crime is out of control. Polls show that perceptions have improved recently, but a majority of Americans still say crime is worse than in previous years.

There is this sense of brazenness that people have  they can just walk in and steal stuff.  That hurts the consumer, and it hurts the company, said Alex Piquero, a criminology professor at the University of Miami and former director of the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics, in an interview.

Thats just the world we live in, he said. We need to get people to realize that you have to obey the law.

At least eight states  Arizona, California, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, New York and Vermont  passed a total of 14 bills in 2024 aimed at tackling retail theft, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The measures range from redefining retail crimes and adjusting penalties to allowing cross-county aggregation of theft charges and protecting retail workers.

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Major retailers have responded to rising theft since 2020 by locking up merchandise, upgrading security cameras, hiring private security firms and even closing stores.

Still, the report indicates that shoplifting remains a stubborn problem.

In Chicago, the rate of reported shoplifting incidents remained below pre-pandemic levels throughout 2023  but surged by 46% from January to October 2024 compared with the same period a year ago.

Shoplifting in Los Angeles was 87% higher in 2023 than in 2019. Police reports of shoplifting from January to October 2024 were lower than in 2023. Los Angeles adopted a new crime reporting system in March 2024, which has likely led to an undercount, according to the report.

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In New York, shoplifting rose 48% from 2021 to 2022, then dipped slightly last year. Still, the shoplifting rate was 55% higher in 2023 than in 2019. This year, the shoplifting rate increased by 3% from January to September compared with the same period last year.

There is this sense of brazenness that people have  they can just walk in and steal stuff.  That hurts the consumer and it hurts the company.

 Alex Piquero, criminology professor and former director of the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics

While shoplifting rates tend to rise in November and December, which coincides with in-person holiday shopping, data from the Council on Criminal Justices sample of 23 U.S. cities shows higher rates in the first half of 2024 compared with 2023.

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Researchers found it surprising that rates went up despite retailers doing more to fight shoplifting. Experts say the spike might reflect improved reporting efforts rather than a spike in theft.

As retailers have been paying more attention to shoplifting, we would not expect the numbers to increase, said Ernesto Lopez, the reports author and a senior research specialist with the council. It makes it a challenge to understand the trends of shoplifting.

Impact on retailers, communities

In downtown Chicago on a recent early afternoon, potential shoppers shuffled through the streets and nearby malls, browsing for gifts ahead of the holidays.

Edward Johnson, a guard at The Shops at North Bridge, said that malls have become quieter in the dozen or so years he has worked in mall security, with the rise of online retailers. As for shoplifters, Johnson said there isnt a single type of person to look out for  they can come from any background.

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I think good-hearted people see something they cant afford and figure nothing is lost if they take something from the store, Johnson said as he patrolled the mall, keeping an eye out for lost or suspicious items.

Chicago mall security guard Edward Johnson believes theres isnt a particular type of shoplifter, making enforcement difficult. (Robbie Sequeira/Stateline)

Between 2018 and 2023, most shoplifting in Chicago was reported in the downtown area, as well as in the Old Town, River North and Lincoln Park neighborhoods, according to a separate analysis by the Council on Criminal Justice.

Newly sworn-in Cook County States Attorney Eileen ONeill Burke this month lowered the threshold for charging retail theft as a felony in the county, which includes Chicago, from $1,000 to $300, aligning it with state law.

It sends a signal that shes taking it seriously, Rob Karr, the president and CEO of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, told Stateline.

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Nationally, retailers are worried about organized theft. The National Retail Federations latest report attributed 36% of the $112.1 billion in lost merchandise in 2022 to external theft, which includes organized retail crime.

Organized retail crime typically involves coordinated efforts by groups to steal items with the intent to resell them for a profit. Commonly targeted goods include high-demand items such as baby formula, laundry detergent and electronics.

The same report found that retailers fear of violence associated with theft also is on the rise, with more retailers taking a hands-off approach. More than 41% of respondents to the organizations 2023 survey, up from 38% in 2022, reported that no employee is authorized to try and stop a shoplifter.

(The federations reporting has come under criticism. It retracted a claim last year that attributed nearly half of lost merchandise in 2021 to organized retail crime; such theft accounted for only about 5%. The group announced this fall it will no longer publish its reports on lost merchandise.)

Increased penalties

Policy experts say shoplifting and organized retail theft can significantly harm critical industries, drive up costs for consumers and reduce sales tax revenue for states. Those worries have driven recent state-level action to boost penalties for shoplifting.

Shoppers descend on an escalator at The Shops at North Bridge, a popular downtown Chicago destination during the holiday season. (Robbie Sequeira/Stateline)

California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a package of 10 bills into law in August aimed at addressing retail theft. These measures make repeated theft convictions a felony, allow aggregation of crimes across multiple counties to be charged as a single felony, and permit police to arrest suspects for retail theft even if the crime wasnt witnessed directly by an officer. In September, Newsom signed an additional bill that imposes steeper felony penalties for large-scale theft offenses.

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California voters also overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure in November that increases penalties for specific drug-related and theft crimes. Under the new law, people who are convicted of theft at least twice may face felony charges on their third offense, regardless of the stolen items value.

With these changes in the law, really it comes down to making sure that law enforcement is showing up to our stores in a timely manner, and that the prosecutors and the [district attorneys] are prosecuting, Rachel Michelin, the president and CEO of the California Retailers Association, told Stateline. Thats the only way were going to deter retail theft in our communities.

In New Jersey, a bipartisan bill making its way through the legislature would increase penalties for leading a shoplifting ring and allow extended sentences for repeat offenders.

This bill is going after a formally organized band of criminals that deliver such destruction to a critical business in our community. We have to act. We have to create a deterrence, Democratic Assemblymember Joseph Danielsen, one of the bills prime sponsors, said in an interview with Stateline.

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The legislation would allow extended sentences for people convicted of shoplifting three times within 10 years or within 10 years of their release from prison, and would increase penalties to 10 to 20 years in prison for leading a retail crime ring.

The bill also would allow law enforcement to aggregate the value of stolen goods over the course of a year to charge serial shoplifters with more serious offenses. Additionally, the bill would increase penalties for assaults committed against retail workers, and would require retailers to train employees on detecting gift card scams.

Maryland legislators considered a similar bill during this years legislative session that would have defined organized retail theft and made it a felony.

The bill didnt make it out of committee, but Cailey Locklair, president of the Maryland Retailers Alliance, said the group plans to propose a bill during next years legislative session that would target gift card fraud.

Retail theft data

Better, more thorough reporting from retailers is essential to truly understanding shoplifting trends and its full impact, in part because some retail-related crimes, such as gift card fraud, are frequently underreported, according to Lopez, of the Council on Criminal Justice.

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Measuring crime across jurisdictions is notoriously difficult, and the council does not track organized retail theft specifically because law enforcement typically doesnt identify it as such at the time of arrest  if an arrest even occurs  requiring further investigation, Lopez said.

The councils latest report found conflicting trends in the FBIs national crime reporting systems.

The FBIs older system, the Summary Reporting System, known as SRS, suggests that reported shoplifting hadnt gone up through 2023, remaining on par with 2019 levels. In contrast, the FBIs National Incident-Based Reporting System, or NIBRS, shows a 93% increase in shoplifting over the same period.

The discrepancy may stem from the type of law enforcement agencies that have adopted the latter system, Lopez said. Some of those communities may have higher levels of shoplifting or other types of property crime, which could be what is driving the spike, Lopez said.

Despite the discrepancies and varying levels of shoplifting across the country, Lopez said, its important for retailers to report these incidents, as doing so could help allocate law enforcement resources more effectively.

All law enforcement agencies have limited resources, and having the most accurate information allows for not just better policy, but also better implementation  better use of strategic resources, Lopez said.

Stateline staff writer Robbie Sequeira contributed to this report.

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.
A federal government shutdown in the coming days could have implications for the Federal Emergency Management Agencys (FEMA) long-term efforts, but it would likely have little effect on the agencys ground-level emergency response work.

For activities like FEMAs response to Hurricane Helene, whose devastating effects are still being felt in North Carolina, the agency relies on the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF), which is a no-year fund that is available for as long as it takes to spend rather than being beholden to fiscal years. That means the fund would not be immediately impacted if Congress fails to reach an agreement to fund the federal government by the weekend deadline.

Theyre not going to stop emergency workFEMA has authority to continue providing emergency lifesaving measures even during a shutdown, said Erin Greten, of counsel for the firm Baker Donelson, who wrote a brief on shutdowns effects on FEMA in September.

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Its not like theyre just going to walk away, theyll continue to perform their mission, Greten said.

However, she added, a government shutdown would hamper FEMA efforts if the agency is forced to implement immediate-needs funding and essentially triage spending. The agency must implement immediate-needs funding guidance, which prioritizes lifesaving operations, when funding will not cover all activity.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas warned during this years hurricane season that the amount of money in the DRF was insufficient to continue responding to new disasters without a supplemental funding bill.

As long as they still have funding in the Disaster Relief Fund, they can continue to fund disaster relief operations, but they need a supplement to add more funds to it, Greten said.

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Theres no telling how long a potential shutdown could last, but in calling for the initial spending deal reached by lawmakers to be rejected this week, Elon Musk endorsed the idea of shutting down the government until President-elect Trumps inauguration. That period would include the Jan. 7 application deadline FEMA announced for Helene aid in November. The Hill has reached out to FEMAs Region 4, which includes western North Carolina, for clarification on how a shutdown could affect the deadline.

After Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) reached a deal with congressional leaders for a funding bill earlier in the week, both Musk and Trump called for Republicans to vote against it, leading Johnson to pull the bill and introduce an alternate plan, which also failed Thursday night despite Trumps endorsement. That bill included $110 billion in disaster and agricultural aid.

Trump has also demanded that a funding bill include an increase to the federal debt limit, which would have been suspended for two years under the failed Thursday night bill.

With just hours to go until the shutdown deadline, House Republicans are eying a plan C to fund the government and allocate disaster relief.

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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 The Hill.
Unless a funding resolution is reached, the federal government could shut down at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, meaning some government offices and services could halt operations until a deal is reached.

Lawmakers on Thursday night rejected a plan that was backed by President-elect Donald Trump, making a possible partial shutdown more likely, USA TODAY reported. A shutdown means nonessential government services are halted, including closing national parks and delaying government benefits like food assistance.

However, services that are "essential, which includes the Transportation Security Administration and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, will continue to operate during a shutdown, but the employees will be working without pay until funding is resolved.

How would a shutdown affect holiday travel at Sky Harbor?

A TSA spokesperson told USA TODAY that most of the administrations employees are considered essential and would continue to work. Air traffic controllers would also continue to work and are considered essential.

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At the Transportation Security Administration, part of the Department of Homeland Security, 59,000 of the agencys 62,000-plus employees are considered essential and would continue working without pay in the event of a shutdown," the spokesperson said. "We expect to screen 40 million people over the holidays and through Jan. 2. While our personnel have prepared to handle high volumes of travelers and ensure the security of our transportation systems, an extended shutdown could mean longer wait times at airports.

A Sky Harbor spokesperson directed questions to federal agencies about the effects of a shutdown.

A shutdown should not immediately affect travel.

Funding to agencies like the Federal Aviation Administration, Transportation Security Administration and Customs and Border Protection would be on hold. However, the agents who you typically interact with at airports and seaports and the controllers who oversee your flights are considered essential and will be working without pay during the shutdown.

Which federal workers would stay on the job during a government shutdown?

Federal law enforcement, such as the FBI and Secret Service, would remain operational. Border Patrol and immigration enforcement agents will continue working. However, local governments would not receive new aid for migrant shelters.

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The Transportation Security Administration's airport security screeners and air traffic controllers would remain on duty, but new hires and some major infrastructure projects could face delays.

What happens during a government shutdown?

During a government shutdown, hundreds of thousands of federal workers deemed nonessential would be furloughed, meaning they won't work and won't be paid.

When government employees are furloughed, they are temporarily ordered to return home without pay for non-disciplinary reasons, according to OPM's Guidance for Shutdown Furloughs.

In the case of a government shutdown, those workers are put on leave because there isn't money budgeted for their jobs. Furloughed employees who are not allowed to work or who do not receive paychecks are still guaranteed back pay due to legislation passed in January 2019.

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What we know: How would a government shutdown affect Arizona?

Republic reporter Rey Covarrubias Jr. contributed to this article.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: What would shutdown mean for Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport in Arizona?
CoreCivic's Leavenworth Detention Center could serve as a detention center for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (Photo by Allison Kite/Kansas Reflector)

CoreCivic inquired with federal officials in June about turning its shuttered Leavenworth jail into an immigration detention center, according to documents recently obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union.

The facility, the ACLU warns, could be used as a hub for mass deportation efforts under President-elect Donald Trumps administration.

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CoreCivic Inc., the nations largest private prison operator, responded in June to a request by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to help identify potential detention facilities in the Midwest and other regions, according to the ACLUs documents. The company offered information on several of its facilities across the country.

Among them was the Midwest Regional Reception Center, which was previously operated as the Leavenworth Detention Center, a pre-trial detention facility for detainees charged with  but not convicted of  federal crimes in Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and western Missouri.

During its time as a pre-trial detention facility, the Leavenworth Detention Center grappled with persistent violence.

Micah Kubic, executive director of the ACLU of Kansas, said in a statement that an expanded ICE presence will deeply harm our fellow Kansans.

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The community of Leavenworth has made it clear multiple times that ICE and CoreCivic are not welcome to wreak the havoc of federal immigration enforcement here, Kubic said, and local and state leaders do not have to give in.

In a statement, Ryan Gustin, director of public affairs for CoreCivic, said the companys immigration facilities operate with a significant amount of oversight and accountability and are monitored and audited by ICE officials.

The services we provide help the government solve problems in ways it could not do alone  to manage unprecedented humanitarian crises, dramatically improve the standard of care for vulnerable people and meet other critical needs efficiently and innovatively, Gustin said. These are problems the American public has made clear they want fixed.

The ACLU obtained documentation of CoreCivics response to ICEs request for potential detention space through a lawsuit accusing ICE of failing to comply with the Freedom of Information Act. It also obtained documentation of responses to ICE from owners of potential detention sites in Texas, Nevada, New Mexico and California.

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Kansas Reflector also sought information on responses to ICEs request for detention space under the Freedom of Information Act in September, but has not received any documents.

The revelations come as Trump has promised to deport immigrants quickly after he takes office in January.

Eunice Cho, a senior staff attorney for the ACLUs National Prison Project, said in a press release that President Joe Bidens administration is paving the way for  Trump to make good on his cruel and inhumane mass deportation proposals.

You cannot have mass deportations without significant expansion of ICE detention capacity in states across the country, Cho said, and thats exactly what the incoming Trump administration is preparing to do.

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Gustin said CoreCivic does not advocate for or against legislation that serves as the basis for  or determines the duration of  an individuals detention.

Our responsibility is to care for each person respectfully and humanely while they receive the legal due process that they are entitled to, Gustin said.

For years, CoreCivic operated the Leavenworth Detention Center through a contract with the U.S. Marshals Service, but it closed at the end of 2021 under an executive order signed by Biden banning renewal of U.S. Department of Justice contracts with private prisons.

As of June 2020, the facility could hold about 1,000 detainees.

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The CoreCivic jails closure brought persistent speculation about what the company might do with the building, including whether it might become an ICE detention center. Just ahead of the closure in 2021, ICE told KCUR it was not pursuing a contract with CoreCivic to use the facility.

But in the years that followed, Leavenworth County discussed with CoreCivic the possibility of converting the facility to house immigration detainees. The county would have served as an intermediary in a contract with CoreCivic and ICE.

Commissioners voted in September 2023 to halt negotiations over the arrangement. Opposition to the proposal ranged from anti-immigration sentiments about releasing detainees into Leavenworth to immigration and civil rights advocates concerns about the facilitys history of violence and safety issues.

An investigation by Kansas Reflector in 2021 found the Leavenworth Detention Center was often understaffed and beset with rampant drug use and violence. The company faces a lawsuit from a former detainee who was stabbed in that year. The lawsuit, filed by Joshua Braddy, alleges at least 10 stabbings in 2021 and two suicides.

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In a sentencing hearing in the fall of 2021, U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson called the facility a hell hole. Earlier this year, CoreCivic reached a settlement in a wrongful death case with the widow of a former inmate killed in 2021.

CoreCivic settled in 2019 with more than 500 detainees for $1.45 million for illegally recording phone calls with their defense attorneys and providing the information to prosecutors.
STAMFORD, Conn. (WTNH)  Sikorsky will receive $480 million in federal funds to build two helicopter models in a move Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) called a blockbuster contract that is crucial to key defense capabilities.

Sikorsky completes delivery of new presidential helicopters

The senator also noted in an announcement Friday that the contract will boost the states economy and support jobs.

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They are a testament to the highly skilled Sikorsky workers and supply chain companies who build the worlds finest helicopters, Blumenthal said in a written announcement. There is an ever increasing urgency to the need for such aircraft. I will continue fighting to deliver contracts to Connecticuts expert defense manufacturers.

The funds will go towards building CH-53K and VH-92A helicopters.

Sikorski vice president and general manager rich Benton applauded the decision.

We are proud to call Connecticut home where our skilled technical workforce is dedicated to designing, manufacturing and sustaining aircraft systems that support critical national security and head of state missions, he said in a written statement on Friday.

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The move comes after the aircraft builder announced that it planned to lay off employees across its U.S. locations due to the Armys decision to cancel the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft program.

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.
Sign up for CNNs Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.

A small silver amulet discovered by archaeologists in Germany could transform our understanding of how Christianity spread under the Roman Empire, experts have said.

The tiny artefact, which measures about 1.4 inches (3.6 centimeters) long, was unearthed in a 3rd-century Roman grave just outside Frankfurt back in 2018.

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Archaeologists discovered it on the skeleton of a man buried in a cemetery in the Roman city of Nida, one of the largest and most important sites in the central German state of Hesse. However, it has taken until now for researchers to be able to examine a thin silver foil that was found inside it.

Researchers used CT scanners to digitally unfurl the brittle, hair-thin silver scroll. - LEIZA

Alongside other artefacts in the grave, such as an incense burner and a jug made of clay, the amulet was found under the skeletons chin. Also known as a phylactery, it was probably worn on a ribbon around the mans neck to provide spiritual protection.

The hair-thin foil inside the amulet was so brittle that it would have simply disintegrated if researchers had tried to unfurl it. However, microscopic examinations and X-rays carried out back in 2019 showed that there were words engraved on it.

It took a further five years before the team at the Archaeological Museum Frankfurt figured out a way to decipher what they said.

The amulet was discovered on an archaeological dig back in 2018. - Michael Obst/Denkmalamt Stadt Frankfurt am Main

The breakthrough came in May of this year, when researchers at the Leibniz Center for Archaeology in Mainz (LEIZA) used CT scanners to analyze the foil.

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Ivan Calandra, head of the imaging laboratory at LEIZA, explained the process in a press statement.

The challenge in the analysis was that the silver sheet was rolled, but after around 1,800 years it was of course also creased and pressed. Using CT, we were able to scan it at a very high resolution and create a 3D model.

It was only through this process of digitally unrolling the sheet that the entire text became visible and could then be deciphered. What the researchers discovered astounded them.

Earliest evidence of Christianity

There on the foil were 18 lines of Latin text that repeatedly referenced Jesus, as well as St. Titus, a disciple and confidant of St. Paul the Apostle.

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As the grave in which the amulet was found dates back to somewhere between 230 and 270 AD, the amulet has emerged as the earliest evidence of Christianity in Europe north of the Alps. All previous discoveries are from at least 50 years after this, according to the statement.

At the time of the burial, Christianity was becoming an increasingly popular sect but identifying as a Christian was still risky. Clearly the buried man, who is thought to have been aged 35 to 45, felt his faith so strongly that he took it to the grave with him.

Markus Scholz, an archaeologist and expert in Latin inscriptions and professor at Frankfurts Goethe University, painstakingly deciphered the text of the Frankfurt Silver Inscription, as it is known.

Describing the complicated process in the statement, he said: Sometimes it took me weeks, even months, to come up with the next idea. I called in experts from the history of theology, among others, and bit by bit we worked together to approach the text and finally decipher it.

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The fact that the writing was entirely in Latin was very unexpected, he said.

This is unusual for this period. Normally, such inscriptions on amulets were written in Greek or Hebrew.

When translated into English, the text reads:

(In the name?) of St Titus.

Holy, holy, holy!

In the name of Jesus Christ, Son of God!

The Lord of the World

Resists (to the best of his ability?)

All attacks(?)/setbacks(?).

The God(?) grants the well-being

Entry.

This means of salvation(?) protects

The human being who

Surrenders to the will

Of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God,

Since before Jesus Christ

All knees bow to Jesus Christ: the heavenly

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The earthly and

The subterranean and every tongue

Confess (to Jesus Christ).

There is no reference in the text to any other faith besides Christianity, which would also have been unusual at this time.

According to the Frankfurt archaeology museum, reliable evidence of Christian life in the northern Alpine regions of the Roman Empire only goes as far back as the 4th century AD.

Fantastic find made possible by modern technology

Wolfram Kinzig, a church historian and professor from the University of Bonn, helped Scholz to decipher the inscription.

The silver inscription is one of the oldest pieces of evidence we have for the spread of the New Testament in Roman Germania, because it quotes Philippians 2:1011 in Latin translation, Kinzig explained in an interview published on the University of Bonns website.

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Its a striking example of how Biblical quotations were used in magic designed to protect the dead, said Kinzig.

Peter Heather, a professor of medieval history at Kings College London with a specialist interest in the evolution of Christianity, described the discovery as a fantastic find.

Heather, who wasnt involved in the research, told CNN: The capacity to be able to decipher the writing on that rolled-up piece of silver is extraordinary. This is something thats only possible now with modern technology. If theyd found it 100 years ago they wouldnt have known what it was. Silver amulets are probably going to contain some kind of magical scroll but you dont know what  it could be any religion.

He added: Youve got evidence of Christian communities in more central parts of the empire but not in a frontier town like that in Roman Germany so that is very unusual, well its unique. Youre pushing the history of Christianity in that region back.

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Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) on Friday dismissed recent scrutiny from her Democratic colleagues as the Arizona lawmaker prepares for the end of her first and only term in the upper chamber.

Sinema, who opted against running for reelection earlier this year, faced her latest wave of pushback from the left after she and Sen. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) blocked the renomination of Lauren McFerran to the National Labor Relations Board, which opened the door for Republican control of the board under President-elect Trump.

In an exit interview with Semafor published Friday, Sinema waved away the pushback, saying she didnt give a s.

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I know some people think Im, like, this enigma or whatever, but I dont think thats true at all, Sinema told Semafor. I think, maybe, this is a place where sometimes people say things that they dont mean. I am not one of those people  I think Im highly predictable.

Both Sinema and Manchin began their terms as Democrats but left the party after facing widespread anger from the party for putting up roadblocks to some liberal priorities under President Biden, in part by staunchly backing the Senate filibuster.

Many in the left wanted Democrats to seek to end the filibuster, at least for priority issues like voting and reproductive rights, which Republicans have largely blocked using the procedural tool.

However, Sinema told Semafor that one Democratic senator, whom she did not identify, reached out to her admitting she was right about her protection of the filibuster.

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One person reached out to me after the election and apologized  and said I was right, she told Semafor.

Sinema was also opposed to Bidens plan to raise the corporate tax rate. However, she took leading roles in negotiating infrastructure and gun violence legislation that gave Biden some of his biggest legislative victories.

Sinema registered as an independent in 2022, saying shes never fit into any party box.

I dont want to, she said in late 2022. Removing myself from the partisan structure  not only is it true to who I am and how I operate, I also think itll provide a place of belonging for many folks across the state and the country who also are tired of the partisanship.

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Ruben Gallego (D), a retired Marine and longtime U.S. House representative, will move into Sinemas Senate seat after he beat Republican candidate Kari Lake. Sinema was reluctant to talk about what kind of senator she thinks Gallego will be during her Semafor interview.

She also declined to say whom she voted for in the presidential election.

Sinema told Semafor that shes done with politics and said shes becoming happier as the end of her term nears.

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SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU)  A Sioux City man has been federally sentenced to 10 years after building two improvised explosive missiles and causing a fire.

The U.S. Attorneys Office of the Northern District of Iowa said in a release that Daniel Graben, 60, was sentenced on Dec. 5 for possession of a firearm by a felon. He pleaded guilty to the charge on July 18. He was arrested earlier in 2024.

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On February 28, 2022, a man in rural Plymouth County said he saw what be believed was a low flying mortar over his house. He then heard it explode before another object went over his house and also exploded. A second witness claimed they heard a very large explosion while a third had reported a grass fire near the intersection of C44 and K18. The release said the fire was more than 1,000 yards away from a road or other obvious combustible spark. The Akron Fire Department extinguished the fire, and officials started to investigate it as a criminal incident.

During the investigation, authorities found the wreckage of two improvised explosive missiles. They connected the devices to Graben and searched his Sioux City home. They found firearms, ammunition, military-grade explosive material, more explosive materials, bomb-making materials, 110 non-missile explosive devices, and 14 non-missile explosive devices. Some of the bomb-making materials were consistent with the materials found in the missile wreckage. Grabens home was also near a school in a populated are of the city.

Graben had been convicted in 2008 for arson and threatening a crime with intent to terrorize in California. He was again convicted in 2012 for possession with the intent to deliver a controlled substance in Idaho.

Graben was sentenced to 120 months in prison and a fine. After serving time in prison, he will have to serve three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. He is being held by the U.S. Marshals until he can be taken to a federal prison.

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Anna Kessler and Jamie Kansier felt they had to leave La Crosse or fall further into chronic homelessness.

Both Kessler and Kansier struggled with substance abuse issues for years leading up to their departure. When Kessler finally got into a treatment program out of town, she realized it was best to stay out of La Crosse for her own good.

I dont want to even put myself near temptation where I know anybody, and Ive established myself here, even if I dont have a huge group of friends or this or that, Im still content with my life here, Kessler said.

She moved into her new Waukesha home about a year ago after half a year at a sober living house, and Kansier followed her to her new apartment a few months later.

Now in southeast Wisconsin for the foreseeable future, the two have rapidly improved with a clean slate away from temptations and unhealthy relationships to their former community.

Years outside

Kansier was moved to a La Crosse group home when he was 16 years old. When he graduated high school, he found an apartment and stayed in the city until he became homeless.

Kessler moved to La Crosse in 2010 from Beaver Dam, Wis., in order to find a better place to raise her son and take care of her father near the Tomah Veterans Affairs office. In 2015, her fathers condition worsened and she was taking care of him full-time.

The surmounting personal struggles proved too much a burden on Kessler, who soon became homeless as well.

Both Kansier and Kessler worked through the streets for almost a decade each. They struggled with their options limited to the Salvation Army and Catholic Charities warming center being the only viable options for overnight shelter most of the time.

I know these organizations do amazing things, but its hit or miss, you know. If they dont have room, they dont have room and thats it, Kessler said. You just kind of got used to camping.

With camping becoming the new normal, survival and adaptation took precedence over trying to climb out of their respective situations. For both of them, the cycle of homelessness spiraled the longer they were left on the streets.

Kessler said it became hard to shake the homeless label as she fell deeper into the cycle.

When other people, especially in La Crosse, are homeless, they spot you a mile away, and you are treated 100% differently, Kessler testified. You can be consistent with a place to eat, a place to shower and you cant walk off the street and say, Im homeless, I live in a tent. You can rely on me, and people are going to believe you for a job.

The WINN van

What did help Kansier and Kessler was Sue Graf. The two first met Graf in 2019 when she worked as a coordinator for the Franciscan Hospitality House. The house offered drop-in services for homeless and marginalized people in the region.

When the house shut down right before COVID-19 pandemic measures started up, Graf kept the cause going in her own way with What I Need Now.

Started out of the back of Grafs personal car, Graf upgraded to a bright yellow van in 2022 to hand out food, clothes, toiletries and whatever else people in hardship requested. The bonus to having a van is Graf could meet people where they were instead of asking them to toil over town to get the right resources.

I knew if I needed something, that I at least had an option that I can try and I wouldnt just get turned away right away without even being considered, Kansier said.

Even when Kansier was moved out of La Crosse, Graf sent him a Walmart gift card to purchase work boots so he could get started at his new job.

It was the only service they said helped substantially in their quest to get off of the streets. While others outdoors benefit from a myriad of services, Kessler and Kansier dug deep within to crawl out of the vicious cycle.

If something were to happen to that woman, it would  I dont even know, but like, even though people that are still homeless, they would protect that woman more than anything on this planet, Kessler added. Sue is so important, and everyone in the homeless community respects Sue.

Moving on

Kessler moved out of La Crosse and into the help she needed with a sober living program. After an arrest in Aug. 2023, her mom paid for her to get residential treatment at WisHope Recovery in Waukesha.

She stayed in the WisHope sober living house for half a year before she was cleared to move on. Falling back on her experience taking care of her father, Kessler responded to a Craigslist ad looking for a home health caretaker in Waukesha.

Her current home health client has cerebral palsey, and Kessler spends 90 hours a week making sure her needs at home are met.

She is an amazing person because she knew my background and still gave me a chance, Kessler said.

Kansiers final straw was spring flooding in the La Crosse marshes. He woke up in his tent during a rainstorm and had a change of heart as his tent and others around him flooded.

I was one of them people. I am one of them people, Kansier said, referring to others around him who were living outside. I just made the decision to put in the extra work to get myself out of it. If I would have continued with how I was, I never would have changed.

He bought a bus ticket to Waukesha and moved out of La Crosse with everything he needed on him. Now, Kansier has a printing job at the Waukesha Freeman, a Milwaukee area newspaper.

Hard restart

Both Kessler and Kansier said they dont see themselves moving back to La Crosse any time soon. For them, the town is full of temptations and unhealthy connections to enablers.

While they are on some state assistance programs such as FoodShare, they now pay their own rent, utilities and other bills completely on their own thanks to their steady jobs.

With their philosophy lifting them out of homelessness, they believe that people living outdoors should put in similar efforts if they wish to rise above housing insecurity.

I mean, if youre just going to take the assistance and just basically just throw it away, then those are resources that can be used on somebody that is willing to actually use them and, you know, have the possibility of being successful, Kansier added.

Now that they have a roof and are working hard, theyre finding they can enjoy the simple pleasures and wants of their lives again. Saturday nights are date nights since its the one day both Kessler and Kansier have off. Theyve gotten into movies and the theater a lot with their new planned weekend time. Its nice to know that when were going to go spend $40 on a movie, or, you know, were going to go shopping for clothes and, like, dictate what this money gets spent on, we have the money to do so because were actually planning and budgeting correctly, Kessler said.
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU)  For the first time ever, a small group of organizations and members from local congregations gathered to talk about concerns for Siouxlands immigrant community.

Lutheran Services in Iowa invited people to an informal meeting to discuss how the incoming administration could affect local refugees and migrants.

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The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, which is a federally-funded assistance program for refugees coming to the U.S. is getting added attention. The president-elects policies could limit how many people can enter the country through the program every year. Currently, its capped at 125,000.

Last year, we helped resettle 272 individuals here in the Siouxland community, said Nick Wuertz with Lutheran Services in Iowa. And so, you know, if that number comes down nationally to a significant degree, well see a much smaller number of people here that were resettling. And a lot of those people that were resettling are our family members of existing community members there, you know, their family reunification cases. And so it means families will not be able to be reunified and will be separated for four years or more.

Wuertz cited the previous Trump administrations policies as reason for concern, as that limited the number of refugees to 18,000 a year. For now, organizations like Lutheran Services just have to wait and see.

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(Reuters) - Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico warned of a gas crisis on Friday as Ukraine continued to reject extending the transit of natural gas through its territory after a contract expires at the end of the year.

Ukraine has repeatedly said it would not continue a gas transit deal with Russia as the two countries are at war.

Slovakia, which has a long-term contract with Russian oil giant Gazprom, has been trying to keep receiving gas through Ukraine, saying buying elsewhere would cost it 220 million euros ($228.73 million) more in transit expenses.

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Fico pushed the subject on Thursday at a European Union summit in Brussels, which was also attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy who reiterated that his country would not continue the transit of Russian gas.

"We are demonstrably facing a gas crisis thanks to President Zelenskiy," Fico said at the start of a news conference in Bratislava on Friday, without elaborating.

Fico had spoken before the EU summit of alternative setups in which the gas Ukraine is transiting would not be Russian but owned by someone different.

But directly after the summit, Fico said late on Thursday that Zelenskiy had ruled out any gas transit. Fico also rejected Zelenskiy's suggestion that Kyiv could consider continued transit of Russian gas on the condition that Moscow does not receive money for the fuel until after the war.

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The European Commission has said it has no interest in continuing Russian gas flows via Ukraine.

Fico said he could not rule out that Slovakia might have to "think about reciprocal measures" without the gas transit.

Slovakia has provided energy to Ukraine in recent years, such as electricity and diesel supplies, and provides humanitarian aid for its neighbour.

But Fico has stopped state military aid to Kyiv, has said the war with Russia does not have a military solution and has criticised sanctions against Moscow.

Slovakia says stopping gas flows at the start of 2025 would not threaten its supplies due to sufficient storage, but it would hit transit operations and has warned it would impact market prices.

($1 = 0.9618 euros)

(Reporting by Jason Hovet in Prague, additonal reporting by Kate Abnett in Brussels; Editing by Susan Fenton)
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has said that Slovakia is facing a "gas crisis" because of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Source: Fico at a press conference in Bratislava on Friday, 20 December, as reported by European Pravda, citing Reuters

Details: At the European Union summit the day before, Fico raised the issue of Russian gas transit through Ukraine, which the latter refused to continue after 2024.

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"We are demonstrably facing a gas crisis thanks to President Zelenskyy," the Slovak prime minister said at the beginning of the press conference, without specifying what he meant.

Later, he said that he did not rule out that Slovakia would have to "think about reciprocal measures" in the absence of Russian gas transit.

According to Slovak media, the day before, Fico discussed a conversation with Zelenskyy regarding the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine.

"We have differences on the issue of gas transit through Ukraine. I asked him whether he would be ready to transit other gas besides Russian gas," the Slovak prime minister said.

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He said that Zelenskyy ruled out the possibility that Ukraine could transit any gas. "He asked if we could imagine paying for gas that finances the war," Fico described the conversation.

He also added that he had discussed the issue separately with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the summit and warned them that if Kyiv stopped transiting gas, it would become more expensive.

Background:

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal confirmed in a conversation with his Slovak counterpart, Robert Fico, that Kyiv rules out extending the transit agreement with Gazprom. However, he stated that Ukraine is not opposed to transporting gas through its gas transmission system, provided it does not come from Russia.

The day before, Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukraine was not considering renewing the agreement with Gazprom on the transit of Russian gas to Europe and also made it clear that Kyiv would not agree to pump Russian gas under the guise of Azerbaijani gas.

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(Bloomberg) -- Slovakia may consider reciprocal measures against Ukraine if it doesnt allow the transit of gas from Russia to Europe.

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Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said he was taken aback by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiys refusal to allow flows after the two leaders spoke at a summit in Brussels. Zelenskiy said Ukraine wont transit Russian-origin gas unless he has assurances the Kremlin wont benefit financially while the war continues.

That leaves importers such as Slovakia with few options to keep the route open. The country had suggested several alternatives, such as changing the ownership of the gas before it enters Ukrainian territory, but Zelenskiy dismissed these ideas as games, Fico told reporters late Thursday.

While Europe as a whole is unlikely to face significant damage if Russias flows through Ukraine come to a stop after the end of this year, Slovakia is among a few countries that still rely on those imports, with the nation warning over possible financial damage.

Fico questioned whether Ukraine has the right to harm the economic and national interests of an individual EU member state under these circumstances. If Kyiv wont allow gas transit, he would consider during Christmas whether to adopt retaliatory measures against Ukraine, he said.

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Slovakia currently sends power supplies, humanitarian aid and private arms shipments including ammunition to Ukraine. The government under Fico has refused to send military aid from its own reserves and has also rejected supporting Ukraines NATO membership. Its also trying to maintain friendly relations with Moscow and criticizes the involvement of the US and most European Union countries in the war through military support for Ukraine.

The Slovak prime minister said he wants to continue negotiations with the European Commission over the next three to four days in an attempt to find arguments regarding Ukraine. He also said that his discussions with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal had been more constructive, and he was surprised by the blunt words from Zelenskiy.

Zelenskiy, meanwhile, said on Thursday he was aware of Slovakias financial concerns, but said its a bit shameful to talk about money because we are losing people.

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(KRON)  A small plane made an emergency landing Friday morning at an old, abandoned runway at the decommissioned Alameda Naval Air Station, KRON4.com has confirmed. According to the Alameda Fire Department, officials were notified of an aircraft experiencing mechanical issues and losing altitude at 10:26 a.m.

The aircraft, which the FAA said was a single-engine Cessna C152, had two people on board. An FAA spokesperson said it landed safely at the decommissioned air station at around 10:35 a.m.

The pilot reported an engine issue, according to officials. The Cessna was headed to Palo Alto Airport at the time of the incident.

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The plane was able to land safely with no injuries to those on board or anyone on the ground. No hazmat issues were reported as a result of the landing, fire officials said.

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The Alameda Fire Department dispatched its fireboat to the scene and requested assistance from the United States Coast Guard helicopter, which located the plane. East Bay Regional Parks is now handling the incident, which is in their jurisdiction.

Seventeen Alameda FD personnel were dispatched to the scene.

The aircraft remains at the location of the landing, according to officials.

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Alameda NAS was decommissioned in 1997. Since then, it has been developed for mixed use by the city with residential and business properties. The old runways are frequently used recreationally by cyclists, joggers, and people walking their dogs.

The FAA said it is investigating.

KRON4 News has a crew on the way to the scene and will provide updates.

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SOUTH CAROLINA (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  A small twin-engine plane from South Carolina landed on a snowy highway Friday afternoon in Albany, New York.

According to FlightAware, the plane left from Winnsboro, South Carolina (FDW) at 8:35 a.m. Friday, Dec. 20, with a scheduled landing for 12:45 p.m. at Albany International Airport (ALB)

A small plane landed on the northbound Thruway (I-87) between exits 22 and 23 in Albany. Emergency responders are on scene. The right lane is currently closed, police shared.

Photo: New York State Thruway Authority Photo: New York State Thruway Authority

New York State Police confirmed to Queen City News sister station NEWS10 that three people were on board the plane and no injuries have been reported.

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The small plane landed on the Thruway after reportedly encountering engine trouble. The plane has since been moved from the area.

Another plane had to make an emergency landing at the Albany International Airport about an hour later, NEWS10 reported. According to the NY airport, the plane had a nose gear alert, which was checked and no issue was found. That plane landed safely.

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CHEATHAM COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN)  Cheatham County authorities made an unusual arrest Wednesday evening after one drivers sneezing attack apparently led to a crash and a scuffle between another motorist and first responders.

The incident happened on Wednesday, Dec. 18 by the intersection of Highway 49 and River Road. According to the Cheatham County Sheriffs Office, a 39-year-old driver in a work truck had a sneezing attack while he was making a left turn, which caused him to collide with a Mercedes in the oncoming lane of traffic.

The truck driver suffered a minor injury to his hand, but there were no serious injuries. However, as deputies investigated the head-on crash, they determined that neither the truck driver nor the two passengers in the Mercedes were wearing their seatbelts.

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Im going to cite you for not wearing a seatbelt, alright? a deputy said to the work truck driver, who admitted he wasnt wearing one.

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Then, the deputy questioned 30-year-old Zachary Scruggs and a 26-year-old woman in the Mercedes about their seatbelt usage. Their interaction was captured on body camera footage:

Deputy: Im going to ask, why werent you wearing your seatbelt? Woman: I normally have mine on all the time. Scruggs: Me, I drive all the time, so I dont think about it when I hop in. Deputy: Well when the insurance finds out, it will disqualify you. Other words, they probably wont pay out on the claim because you werent wearing any safety gear. Scruggs: I was this time. Deputy: No you werent. Scruggs: How do you know? Deputy: Because the seatbelt would be locked out. Its not. Scruggs: It could lock in. Deputy: No it wont. Its a safety feature, my man. Deputy: So, that seatbelt right there would have been locked out with that impact. You werent wearing it; your passenger wasnt wearing it. I dont understand. Its a law.

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After the deputy inspected the inside and outside of the Mercedes windshield, he also questioned Scruggs claim that he was driving the vehicle.

The deputy told the 30-year-old his investigative assertion was based on evidence inside the Mercedes  namely, a long hair he found embedded in the windshield directly above the steering wheel. The deputy indicated that Scruggs female passenger, who had very long hair, may have been driving, adding that there was no other way the hair could be stuck in the broken glass and hanging straight down.

The deputy informed Scruggs and the woman he had questions about who was behind the wheel.

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Deputy: Who was driving? Scruggs: Me. Deputy: Wrong. Her hair is still stuck in the front- Scruggs: No s***! I was driving. Woman: He was driving. Scruggs: Dont come over here and start accusing me of s***! The woman and another man interjected, asking Scruggs to chill out. Deputy: You need to chill out. Scruggs: No, you need to chill out! That is the second time you- Deputy: Alright, turn your, put your hands behind your back, now.

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This led to a scuffle that involved other first responders.

A man at the scene who was related to the woman questioned the deputys assertion that Scruggs was not the driver.

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What does it matter who was driving? He was driving, but what does it matter who was driving? the man asked.

Because nobody was wearing a seatbelt and theres charges! the deputy argued.

Even when he was on the ground in handcuffs, Scruggs still argued he was the driver and others corroborated that.

Hes saying I was driving! Scruggs exclaimed

I dont care what hes saying! the deputy replied. The evidence in the car doesnt support it!

According to the arresting deputy, Scruggs had an issue with his boot on the way to the Cheatham County Jail.

Whatd you just throw? the deputy asked.

I didnt throw anything. I cant get my boot on, Scruggs responded.

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After delivering Scruggs to the jail, the deputy stopped outside the door and looked in the darkness near the fence for any contraband. He didnt find any. However, according to officials, Cheatham County jailers later found what was believed to be marijuana in Scruggs boot.

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In addition, the report from the sheriffs office indicates the long hair found embedded in the windshield above the steering wheel will be sent to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) crime lab for testing.

Scruggs  who has no prior arrest history in Cheatham County or Davidson County  is currently charged with misdemeanor assault on an officer, misdemeanor resisting arrest, and felony introduction of contraband into a penal institution. Scruggs and the work truck driver involved in Wednesday evenings wreck were also cited for not wearing their seatbelts.

News 2 called the work truck driver, who said he did not see who was driving the Mercedes at the time of impact. However, after the crash, the work truck driver remembered seeing a man getting out of the drivers side of the car.

According to jail officials, Scruggs was released on a $27,500 bond. News 2 called the number listed for Scruggs on his jail intake information, but that number was not in service.

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The National Weather Service in Wilmington has issued a special weather statement for Greater Cincinnati on Friday.

Snow mixed with rain is initially expected to spread across the area between 6 a.m. and noon on Friday. Locally moderate snow will also be possible as the day progresses.

The snow will affect the morning commute in the Cincinnati and Dayton metro areas. With temperatures slightly above freezing, much of the snow will accumulate on grassy and elevated surfaces. However, higher snow rates will reduce visibility and may cause roads to become slick, especially on bridges and overpasses.

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Allow extra time to reach your destination if traveling on Friday morning, the NWS recommends.

Snow accumulations will vary from a half-inch to up to 2 inches, the report adds. Snow will taper off and will become rain and snow again during the afternoon as temperatures warm slightly.

Some slick spots may redevelop Friday night as temperatures drop below freezing. Highs will range from the lower to mid-30s west to the upper 30s east. Lows will range from near 20 in the north to the upper 20s along and south of the Ohio River.

Saturday will remain cold under partly cloudy skies. Highs will range from the upper 20s north to the lower 30s south.

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Sunday morning lows will generally be between 15 and 20 degrees as high pressure settles over the region. Daytime temperatures will only be marginally warmer than Saturday.

Snow and rain will overspread the region this morning and taper to rain and snow this afternoon. Heavier snow amounts of 1-2" are expected west and north of the Cincy-Dayton metro areas. pic.twitter.com/tZ3Il93zLE  NWS Wilmington OH (@NWSILN) December 20, 2024

Will Cincinnati have a white Christmas?

According to The Old Farmer's Almanac, there's "a chance" the Ohio Valley could see a white Christmas.

The outlet also predicts snowfall will be "below normal" in the far eastern U.S. and "above normal elsewhere" this winter.

"The snowiest periods will be in late December, from late January into early February, in late February, and in mid-March," The Old Farmers' Almanac forecast predicts.

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However, the National Weather Service is currently predicting that rain will spread over Greater Cincinnati Monday night through Thursday. Warmer conditions with temperatures in the upper 40s to near 50 are also expected to return early next week for the Christmas holiday.

Detailed 7-day Cincinnati weather forecast

Friday: Rain and snow before 3 p.m., then a chance of rain. High near 35. South wind 5 to 11 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 22 mph. The chance of precipitation is 100%. Little or no snow accumulation is expected.

Friday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low of around 26. North wind 7 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 31. North wind 6 to 8 mph.

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Saturday night: Partly cloudy, with a low of around 19. Calm wind.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 34. Calm wind.

Sunday night: Mostly clear, with a low of around 24.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 46.

Tuesday (Christmas Eve): A chance of rain before 8 a.m. Cloudy, with a high near 46. The chance of precipitation is 40%.

Wednesday (Christmas Day): A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 50. The chance of precipitation is 30%.

Thursday: A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 55. The chance of precipitation is 30%.

Source: National Weather Service, Wilmington.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati weather: Rain, up to 2 inches of snow possible on Friday
Snow showers are beginning to move into the Miami Valley as the sun comes up. The high today will be right around 35 degrees with rain and snow chances through the entire day.

Overnight, snow will move out, and we will clear skies late in the night with a low of 20 degrees. Tomorrow the high will only be 28, as Canadian air settles in to the area with mostly to partly sunny skies. Warming up into the work week with highs getting into the 40s.

We will see shower chances arrive as we head into the evening hours, and those chances continue Tuesday, and Wednesday for Christmas.

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A white Christmas does not look possible this year.

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As 2025 approaches, another round of people will become eligible for Social Security benefits  and some will hit their full retirement age.

The minimum eligibility age for Social Security differs from the program's full retirement age, which is increasing in 2025. It's up to retirees when they begin to claim benefits, but holding off for a few years comes with larger checks.

In Wisconsin, more than 1.2 million people receive monthly Social Security benefits. Here's what to know about the program's full retirement ages for 2025:

When can you begin receiving Social Security benefits?

You can begin filing for monthly Social Security benefits at age 62. However, if you begin filing at this age, you will not receive full benefits.

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At age 59, you can also begin withdrawing from tax-advantaged retirement savings accounts, such as 401(k)s and IRAs, without the Internal Revenue Service exacting a 10% penalty tax .

What is the Social Security full retirement age?

Your monthly Social Security checks will be higher if you wait until your "full retirement age."

The full retirement age increases a bit each year and is determined by birth year. It was originally set at 65, but the U.S. Congress passed a law in 1983 to gradually increase this age threshold to account for increasing life expectancies.

Can you wait until after full retirement age to claim benefits?

You can increase your benefits even more by waiting until after your full retirement age to claim Social Security. If you do this, your benefits will increase by 8% annually until age 70.

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For example, people who filed for Social Security at the minimum age of 62 this year received a maximum of $2,710 in monthly benefits, according to the Social Security Administration. Meanwhile, people who retired at full retirement age were eligible for maximum benefits of $3,822. And people who waited past full retirement age and claimed benefits at age 70 received up to $4,873 this year.

What is full retirement age in 2025?

According to the SSA, individuals born between May 2, 1958, and February 28, 1959, will reach their full retirement age in 2025.

Here are the full retirement ages for people born in 1955 and later:

1955: 66 years and two months

1956: 66 years and four months

1957: 66 years and six months

1958: 66 years and eight months

1959: 66 years and 10 months

1960 and later: 67 years of age

What is the Social Security COLA for 2025?

Social Security also increases by 2.5% in 2025 to account for cost-of-living increases across the country, the SSA announced in October. However, next year's cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will be the smallest it's been in three years.

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That's down from the 3.2% increase granted in 2024, marking the smallest cost-of-living adjustment since 2021. For the average beneficiary, their monthly payment will rise by $50 next year, going from to $1,907 in January 2024 to $1,957.

When do Social Security and SSI checks go out in 2025?

Social Security checks are distributed on a Wednesday each month depending on the recipient's birth day, while SSI checks are released on the same day for all beneficiaries. Due to a schedule quirk, January 2025 SSI checks will go out on Dec. 31, 2024 this year.

See the 2024 schedule and 2025 schedule for more details.

More: The 2025 Social Security cost-of-living adjustment will be the smallest it's been since 2021

USA TODAY contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What is the Social Security full retirement age for 2025?
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB)  A new solar project in the Town of Mount Morris is fully operational and delivering electricity to the states power grid.

EDF Renewables North America announced the development this week. At full capacity, Morris Ridge Solar is expected to power more than 47,000 average households, EDF said. That would potentially avoid 140,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually, which is roughly the equivalent of 30,000 passenger vehicles driven over the course of a year.

It is exciting to see a renewable energy project like Morris Ridge Solar start to deliver clean, reliable electricity to New York families and businesses, said Doreen Harris, president and CEO of the New York State Energy and Research Development. This achievement is a shining example of how a community-driven project can support hundreds of local jobs while spurring meaningful economic development activity and investment in Mount Morris and Livingston County at large.

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The project has been a financial boost to the area thus far. At its peak, EDF provided jobs for 550 people, the company said. Those benefits to the community are expected to continue going forward, with the company projecting financial contributions of $18 million to the county, town, school and fire districts over the grids operational life.

The Morris Ridge Solar Project not only represents our commitment to renewable energy but also underscores our dedication to the economic and environmental well-being of New York State, said Stephane Desdunes, vice president development for EDF Renewables Northeast Region. We are proud to be the first project to receive permitting through the Office of Renewable Energy Siting, marking a significant step in New Yorks clean energy transition. We are especially grateful to the host community, whose support and active participation were instrumental in realizing the largest operational solar project in New York State. We look forward to continuing to contribute to the states sustainability goals in Mount Morris and other communities.

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Mark Ludwiczak joined the News 4 team in 2024. He is a veteran journalist with two decades of experience in Buffalo. You can follow him online at @marklud12.

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Lawmakers listen to Gov. Kristi Noem present her annual budget address on the South Dakota House floor on Dec. 3, 2024. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)

To understand South Dakotas state budget situation, imagine youre part of a family thats been saving up to build a dream home.

Perhaps you recently experienced a sad event  the death of a relative  that turned into financial gain with a large inheritance. Youve worked a lot of overtime the past few years while times were good in your industry. Youve paid down or paid off your credit cards, student loans and car loans. Your credit score has risen.

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Because of all those factors in and out of your control, youve been able to do something remarkable. Youve socked away more than two-thirds of the money youll need to build that house.

Then your situation changes.

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Things go south in your industry, and your boss cuts your hours at work. An unforeseen health problem pops up. Your kids become teenagers, and they need cars and car insurance and money for college.

Your plan to save the rest of that money for your dream home runs up against reality. But your living situation is getting worse. Youre in an old house thats deteriorating.

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Do you say to your family, Sorry, youre going to have to postpone that doctor visit, were all going to share one car, nobodys going to college, and were also cutting back on food, clothing and fun, so we can pay cash when we build a house?

I doubt it. Like most of us who live in the real world where compromise is unavoidable, youd probably use your savings as a down payment on the house, and then use your good credit to get a loan for the rest, realizing you can always make extra payments and pay off the debt early.

How does this relate to state government?

For South Dakota, the sad event was the COVID-19 pandemic. The inheritance was billions in federal pandemic relief money. The overtime pay was sales tax revenue fueled by the federal dollars circulating in the economy. The savings are $569 million that legislators set aside during the past few years.

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And the dream home is a prison. Thats an odd thing to dream about, but this is South Dakota, where Republicans have been in charge for decades.

Those Republicans showed commendable discipline by shoveling some money into savings while the state was flush with cash. But now things have changed. The federal pandemic money is spent. Sales tax collections are declining. The state penitentiary  parts of which date to 1881  is so outdated that prison officials say its unsafe. Its time to make difficult decisions.

A drawing of the planned mens prison in rural Lincoln County. (Courtesy of Department of Corrections)

Gov. Kristi Noem wants to put away more money to replace the penitentiary. Accounting for the interest she expects the state to earn from the $569 million already in the prison savings account, she said the state needs another $182 million to build the $825 million facility without incurring debt.

To come up with that $182 million, shes proposing cuts. Those include delaying maintenance and repairs of state buildings, giving only a 1.25% funding increase to schools, and making severe cuts to agencies including public broadcasting, the State Library, the Department of Social Services and the Department of Human Services. The latter two departments manage an array of programs including Medicaid, child care licensing, child protection, foster care, food assistance, and support programs for elderly and disabled people.

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Meanwhile, you may have heard some of our states leaders brag about South Dakotas triple-A bond rating. Thats an outstanding credit score. It means the state can borrow money at great rates.

Before legislators begin considering Noems budget proposals next month, they should ask their constituents some questions. Do they want drastic cuts in public services so the state can pay cash for a new prison? Do they want to avoid some of those cuts by borrowing money to finance part of the prison project? Do they want lawmakers to take another look at factors affecting the projects cost, such as the size, design and proposed location south of Sioux Falls?

It seems clear South Dakota needs to do something about its penitentiary, and paying cash to build a prison sounds fiscally responsible.

But fiscal responsibility isnt just about balancing numbers. Its also about balancing goals like debt avoidance with other priorities, such as the services that South Dakotans need, want and expect to be delivered with the tax dollars they provide to their government.

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A family says they have a home but they are essentially homeless.

They say their home was destroyed by vandals and their insurance company refuses to pay for all the repairs after a year and a half.

Ive been asking over and over for State Farm to help, homeowner Onerine Browning told Channel 2s Tom Jones via Zoom.

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She says it feels like she is homeless, even though she has a home.

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Why am I living up here in New York with other people? she asked.

She says she cant live in her home on Jeffrey Drive in the City of South Fulton after vandals destroyed it.

And she says State Farm refuses to pay to get it back like it was before the break-in back in July 2023.

This is worse than living under the bridge, her son Malik Haney said.

He is living in the home and showed Jones the massive damage.

We saw unfinished ceilings, floors, and walls.

There are no appliances or cabinets, and no toilets or sinks.

It had mold after the home was flooded. There is no heating or air conditioning system.

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Im bundled up like this. It gets cooler in here than it is outside, Haney said.

The family says State Farm has paid for some of the damage, but not enough to make them whole.

No matter what we do nothing is getting done, Haney explained.

Jones has stayed in contact with a State Farm spokesperson.

He sent a statement that said: We have reviewed this claim again. And can share we continue to actively work on this claim and communicate updates through the public adjuster.

Public Adjusters work to ensure policyholders receive full and fair compensation.

Browning says that process isnt working for her.

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Why my house is not back together? Why? she said.

She said dealing with the stress of not living in a home she is paying for is affecting her health. And she noted she is still paying for insurance.

Her son says this is affecting his health as well. And he says he lost custody of his children because the home is unlivable.

They are seeking out an attorney to help them resolve the issue.

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(Bloomberg) -- South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeols dramatic fall is building public support for his biggest political rival  Lee Jae-myung  to run as the nations next leader if fresh elections happen.

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The number of respondents who favor Lee as the next president now stands at 37% in a poll published Friday by Gallup Korea. Thats up from 29% in a Dec. 6 survey, which was compiled after Yoons short-lived declaration of martial law. The impeached presidents decree enraged many Koreans and pushed his approval rating down to a record-low 11% last week.

Support for Lees main opposition Democratic Party climbed to a record of 48% this week from last weeks 40%, while the rate remained unchanged at 24% for Yoons ruling People Power Party, Fridays Gallup poll showed. Separately, 60% of respondents expect South Koreas economy to deteriorate over the next year. Only 16% anticipate improvement.

The Constitutional Court is now deliberating on parliaments impeachment motion against Yoon. The legal review could end as late as June. If hes ultimately ousted, South Korea must hold an election within 60 days.

Even if Yoon is removed, that doesnt mean Lee will necessarily get to contest in the election. An appellate court is looking into Lees November conviction for making false claims while campaigning for president in 2021.

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The judges are expected to rule on his appeal of the conviction by February. If the verdict remains guilty, Lee would be barred from seeking office for 10 years.

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A South Korean fast-food chain has issued a statement denying any role in president Yoon Suk Yeols martial law plot after investigators said plans were hatched over burgers in one of its outlets.

Social media has been flooded with memes poking fun at Lotteria, which has more than 1,600 chains across seven countries, after the alleged link was revealed  including AI-generated posters showing insurrection burgers with a taste that devours an entire country.

Shake those flavoured French fries if you want to shake up the nation, one person wrote on social media. The chain in question in Ansan, south of the capital Seoul, has since been dubbed the martial law shrine.

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The satirical reviews and memes came after investigators claimed the defence intelligence commander, Moon Sang-ho, met with Noh Sang-won, his predecessor, and two of his colonels at the burger joint two days before president Yoons shock announcement of martial law. Mr Noh was arrested late on Wednesday over his alleged involvement.

Online posts included AI-generated posters showing insurrection burgers - Instagram

We are perplexed at being embroiled in political matters, Lotteria told the Korea Times, adding that there are no immediate plans to release a civil war burger.

We had no idea that the [military commanders] visited one of our restaurants, and the eatery in question is just one of our branches, the chain said.

Over a fortnight after Mr Yoon declared martial law, sending shockwaves through the East Asian country and financial markets, South Korean politics remains in turmoil.

Lotteria told the Korea Times that there are no immediate plans to release a civil war burger - Instagram

Although the president has had his powers suspended since the opposition-controlled National Assembly impeached him on December 14, he has so far dodged requests to talk to those investigating charges lodged against him. On Friday, investigators said they would now summon him for questioning on Christmas Day.

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It is not yet clear what investigators can do if Mr Yoon, who says he is preparing to face the Constitutional Court over impeachment claims, continues to resist their demands. Moreover, under South Korean law, locations potentially linked to military secrets cannot be seized or searched without the consent of the person in charge, AP reported.

Earlier this week Han Duck-soo, the countrys acting leader and prime minister, sought to reassure allies that things are slowly returning to normal, yet clashes between rival political parties are only escalating in parliament.

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SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  South Korean investigators on Friday again sought to question impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over his Dec. 3 declaration of martial law, summoning him for questioning on Christmas Day despite his repeated refusal to cooperate.

The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, which is leading a joint investigation with police and military authorities into the ill-conceived power grab that lasted only a few hours, said it plans to question Yoon on charges of abuse of authority and orchestrating a rebellion.

Yoon, whose presidential powers have been suspended since the opposition-controlled National Assembly impeached him on Dec. 14, has so far dodged three separate requests by the joint investigation team and public prosecutors to appear for questioning while also blocking searches of his office.

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Its not clear what investigators can do if Yoon continues to reject their demands. Under the countrys laws, locations potentially linked to military secrets cannot be seized or searched without the consent of the person in charge, and its unlikely that Yoon will voluntarily leave his residence if he faces of being compelled to appear.

Yoon is focusing on defending himself at the Constitutional Court, which following his impeachment will decide whether to remove him from office or reinstate his powers.

Yoons martial law decree and parliamentary impeachment have triggered a political storm, disrupting state affairs, halting high-level diplomacy and sending shockwaves through financial markets at a time when the country was already grappling with a faltering economy.

The countrys acting leader, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, and other officials have tried to reassure allies and diplomatic partners that things are returning to normal, but tensions between rival political parties are only escalating as they clash over government policies and the appointments of new justices to the Constitutional Court, which has three vacant spots.

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Authorities have already arrested Yoons defense minister, police chief and several other military commanders involved in the attempt to enforce the martial law decree, which harkened back to the days of authoritarian leaders the country hasnt seen since the 1980s.

Yoon and his military leadership have been accused of attempting to block parliament from voting to end martial law by sending hundreds of heavily armed troops to encircle the National Assembly. Lawmakers who managed to get in unanimously voted 190-0 to lift martial law. Yoon says the troops were there to maintain order.

Kwak Jong-keun, the now arrested commander of the Army Special Warfare Command, testified in parliament that Yoon had asked for his troops to quickly destroy the door and drag out the lawmakers who are inside the Assemblys main chamber where the vote occurred. Kwak said he did not carry out Yoons orders.

Yoon has also been accused of ordering defense intelligence officials to detain key politicians, including opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, National Assembly speaker Woo Won Shik and the ex-leader of his own conservative party, Han Dong-hun, according to a high-ranking intelligence official and Han himself, a reformist who supported investigations into corruption allegations against first lady Kim Keon Hee.

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The joint investigation team also on Friday obtained a court warrant to formally arrest Maj. Gen. Moon Sang-ho, commander of the Defense Intelligence Command, who was detained this week over suspicions that he sent troops to the National Election Commission in Gwacheon city after Yoon declared martial law.

Yoon defended his decision for troops to be deployed at the election commission as other forces were encircling the National Assembly. He claimed the troop deployment was necessary in order to investigate supposed vulnerabilities to the commissions computer systems potentially affecting credibility of election results.

Yoon's failure to offer any evidence in support of his claims raised concerns that he was endorsing conspiracy theories from right-wing YouTube channels that April's parliamentary elections were rigged. The Democratic Party had won those elections by a landslide. The election commission rejected Yoons allegations, stating there was no basis to suspect election fraud.

Moon, the military intelligence chief, is also suspected of discussing operational plans for enforcing martial law with two subordinates and retired former defense intelligence commander Noh Sang-won at a fast-food restaurant, just two days before Yoon declared martial law.

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Seok Dong-hyeon, a lawyer and spokesperson for Yoons legal team, defended the presidents actions on Thursday. He echoed Yoons assertion that he didnt commit rebellion but saw martial law as an emergency measure to counter the main opposition Democratic Party, which used its parliamentary majority to obstruct his agenda.

Seok insisted that Yoon had no intentions to paralyze the parliaments functions, despite the troop deployment to the National Assembly, and claimed he never ordered politicians to be detained.

When asked whether Yoon would continue to ignore authorities requests to question him and search his office, Seok declined to give a specific answer, saying that these matters would be handled by Yoons legal team, which he said has been nearly assembled.

Some experts say any attempt to compel Yoon to appear for questioning would ultimately require consent of the countrys acting leader, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who is locked in a standoff with the opposition Democratic Party after he vetoed several controversial agricultural bills backed by the party.
(Bloomberg) -- Foreign ministers from Southeast Asia said they need to find stronger approaches to help resolve the crisis in war-torn Myanmar, as doubts grow about the military regimes ability to hold onto power.

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Top diplomats from countries including Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Laos and Singapore met in Bangkok on Friday, where they reaffirmed the so-called Five-Point Consensus on the worsening violence in Myanmar. But they also conceded that the three-year-old framework hasnt shown enough progress.

The Five-Point Consensus remains the main reference for Aseans efforts in addressing the situation in Myanmar, Bolbongse Vangphaen, director-general of Thailands Department of Asean affairs, told reporters in a briefing. All recognize that theres the need to step up efforts to find approaches in line with that agreement.

Despite the consensus on the need to do more, Bolbongse added that no decision was made on the exact way forward.

Read: Chinas Premier Vows Support for Myanmar in Junta Chief Meeting

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The gathering followed an informal meeting in the Thai capital on Thursday that saw a Myanmar junta-appointed official directly address representatives from the five countries it shares land borders with for the first time since the military took power in a 2021 coup, toppling a civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has been criticized for an approach to Myanmar seen as slow and ineffective. The Five-Point Consensus, adopted in 2021, calls for an immediate cessation of violence, talks among the warring parties and increased humanitarian assistance, among other issues.

The meetings this week underscored heightened concerns in the region about the prospects of bringing stability to Myanmar, with the junta increasingly under pressure as armed groups make gains in the north and west of the country.

Election Delay

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On Thursday, Myanmar foreign minister Than Swe told representatives from the neighboring countries, including China and India, that the regime is on track to hold a general election next year. But the juntas efforts to hold elections  already delayed by more than two years  have so far been met with a lukewarm response from rebel groups and opposition leader Suu Kyis National League for Democracy party.

Asean is still awaiting further details from the Myanmar junta on its election plan, according to Bolbongse.

More than 6,000 civilians have been killed since the 2021 coup, with about 21,000 people still in junta custody.

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LOS ANGELES (KTLA)  After a record-shattering start to the year with Torrential rain, flooding and mudslides, metro Los Angeles is now experiencing a dry spell that could also make history.

According to the National Weather Service, the last time it rained more than a trace in L.A. was on May 5, when the city received 0.13 inches of rainbarely enough to soak the ground. This was followed by five straight months without so much as a drop.

Then, November only saw 0.14 inches of rain with a series of light sprinkles.

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If we do not receive any measurable rainfall through December 31, the Downtown Los Angeles sensor will finish tied for first place for the driest conclusion to the year, said Todd Hall, senior meteorologist at the Weather Service offices in L.A. and Oxnard.

This extended dry spell has also increased fire risk in Southern California, where Santa Ana winds have fueled several wildfires in recent months. These include the Mountain Fire in Ventura County, which destroyed around 200 homes, and the Franklin Fire in Malibu, which leveled 20 structures.

Drought conditions have also begun to return. A U.S. Department of Agriculture map shows Southern California as abnormally dry as of Dec. 17.

Drought conditions in California as of Dec. 17, 2024. (USDA)

There is, however, some hope for precipitation in the extended forecast.

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Models show a 20% chance of rain in Los Angeles on Christmas Eve. Hall said there is also a potential storm system headed for California around New Years Day or the first week of January.

We usually start to see some activity in the jet stream through the middle part of December, said Hall. 1989 was also on track to be a record dry end to the year, and then it rained on December 31, which took it out of the top spot.

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.
Thousands of Southern Water customers who were left without water for 48 hours are still getting value for money, the providers boss has insisted.

A supply fault meant 58,000 properties across Hampshire faced the fourth significant outage in two years.

Homes in and around Southampton, as well as parts of the New Forest, were finally put back on supply by the early hours of Friday morning, the firm said.

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The disruption caused more than 20 schools to close, tankers required at University Hospital Southampton and lengthy queues for bottled water.

The latest supply issue comes after Thursdays announcement from industry regulator, Ofwat, revealing Southern Water customers will face a 53 per cent increase to their bills  the highest increase across England and Wales.

Tim McMahon said that water bills have been going down over the past ten years in real terms, but money was needed to invest in the company - BBC

Asked on BBC Radio 4s Today programme if customers were getting value for money, Tim McMahon, the managing director of water at Southern Water, said: Absolutely.

When you look at the water sector in the UK, we are half the price of Western Europe.

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If you look at bills over the last 10 years theyve been going down in real terms.

What should have happened is, there should have been gradual increases over the last 10 years. We should have been getting that money sooner, so we could have invested sooner.

I can only apologise to the customers who have been impacted  some of the stories are very challenging and distressing.

He said due to the number of customers affected, it was always going to be very, very difficult to meet everyones needs.

Mr McMahon said the firm missed some vulnerable customers with water deliveries or took a long time to reach them.

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Asked how he could justify the bill increase, while customers suffered such frequent issues, he added: Thats why we need the money.

We need the money to stop these incidents occurring.

The water sector is a complicated picture and all I can say is were working very, very hard to improve the position were in.

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New Jersey rocker Southside Johnny Lyon, known as the grandfather of the New Jersey sound, is retiring after 50 years of touring in an effort to manage ongoing health issues.

After a hugely successful 50-year run with his band Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, touring non-stop throughout the U.S and overseas, Southside Johnny Lyon has made the decision to retire from touring in order to manage ongoing health issues, Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes shared in a joint statement on Friday.

As part of his announcement, the artists has canceled his upcoming performance at the Count Basie Center in Red Bank, New Jersey, which was slated to take place on New Years Eve. Those who purchased tickets will receive a refund, newjersey.com reports.

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In a tribute to the musician, the Basie Center thanked him for his contributions and impact over the years.

Johnny Lyon and the Asbury Jukes are an integral part of the Basie Centers history and the history of music here at the Jersey Shore, the message read via Facebook. Basie Centers Facebook page. While were sad we wont be seeing them this New Years Eve, everyone at the Count Basie Center is forever grateful for the hundreds of moments that he and his bandmates have created on our stages. We love you, Johnny!

At this time, there are no confirmed details about Johnnys specific health issues, however, back on Dec. 14, Johnny left the his band halfway through their performance at the Birchmere in Alexandria, Virginia. The band continued on with their act, but Johnny, 76, did not return.

In addition, Lyon had to exit the stage during a number of concerts the band had in February at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, app.com reports. During one of his shows, he had to be taken to the hospital halfway through the show and ultimately postponed two more of his shows that were scheduled in New York.

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Southside Johnny had two Billboard Hot 100 singles and four albums place in the Billboard 200 chart of top albums.

The post Southside Johnny Retires From Touring After 50 Years to Manage Ongoing Health Issues appeared first on TheWrap.
Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee, left, and Helena Bounanno Foulkes, right, appear to be heading for a rematch in the 2026 Democratic primary for governor. And they're already trading accusations of failed leadership. (Left photo by Michael Salerno/Rhode Island Current; right photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)

Nowhere in the 97-page federal lawsuit against CVS Health is its former pharmacy leader, Helena Buonanno Foulkes, mentioned by name.

But Gov. Dan McKees campaign was quick to point out the connection between the pharmacy giants alleged misdeeds and his former gubernatorial rival. Foulkes served as president of CVS Pharmacy Inc. for four years during the decade in which the U.S. Department of Justice alleges the pharmacy giant filled fake prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances.

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The DOJs complaint, unsealed on Wednesday, alleges that CVS worsened the opioid crisis, pointing the finger at company policies  and the unnamed executives who developed or enforced them  for creating a soul-crushing environment for employees with deadly consequences for patients.

Less than 24 hours after U.S. Attorney Zachary Cunha unveiled the damning accusations in a press conference with reporters, Gov. Dan McKees campaign came out with its own response to the wrongdoing that took place under Helena Foulkes tenure as CEO.

Allegations in the DOJ suit concerning behavior of certain CVS employees during the opioid crisis that began in 2013 are deeply disturbing, Mike Trainor, a spokesperson for McKees campaign, said in a statement Thursday morning. We must hold accountable those executives whose greed created institutional profit by spreading addiction throughout our communities. The DOJ suit strongly suggests that CVS executives also jeopardized the wellbeing of an important Rhode Island employer as their alleged actions reaped devastation on many of our families and even caused deaths.

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Mckee also highlighted his own record as then-lieutenant governor to crack down on drug manufacturers.

As Lieutenant Governor, I led a joint effort of Rhode Islands cities and towns to successfully sue drug manufacturers and achieve substantial compensatory damages, he said in a statement on Thursday. My concern and focus on the critical issue of how deadly drugs are legally distributed to our citizens remains strong to this day.

Foulkes returned the jab a few hours later in a statement of her own.

She accused McKee of trying to distract from his failed leadership on the Washington Bridge crisis and the cyberattack affecting countless Rhode Island families by misrepresenting facts about one of the states largest employers.

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Foulkes also defended her tenure at CVS Pharmacy.

As president of CVS Pharmacy from 2014 to 2018, I led a team which confronted the opioid crisis head-on, implementing strict controls that cut opioid prescriptions by 45%. Instead of solving our states challenges, Governor McKee would rather exploit a crisis for political gain, Foulkes said in a statement.

The opioid epidemic, and Foulkes potential involvement as a former CVS executive, was a central topic in the 2022 gubernatorial primary, which featured Foulkes, McKee and three other Democratic candidates. While McKee held on to the seat, besting Foulkes in the primary by a 3-percentage-point margin.

Neither has confirmed their plans for the 2026 race, but speculation about a rematch between the former campaign rivals was already swirling before the latest beef on CVS.

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Foulkes has started rallying supporters for a potential 2026 campaign already, reporting more than $411,000 in donations and $40,000 in spending in the three-month period that ended Sept. 30, according to the most recent report filed with the Rhode Island Board of Elections. Foulkes has more than $800,000 cash on hand in her campaign account, though she also owes $1.8 million in outstanding personal loans.

McKees reelection campaign appears less aggressive on the fundraising front thus far. He received $144,000 in donations, spending $38,000 in the same three-month reporting period, according to his third-quarter campaign finance report. His campaign reported $505,000 cash on hand, including an outstanding, $21,900 personal loan, as of Sept. 30.

Joseph Shekarchi, another rumored potential candidate for the 2026 Democratic gubernatorial primary, dismissed the prospect of a run for the top state office in an interview on Dec. 16. Shekarchi reported $3.1 million cash on hand as of Dec. 2, the most recent reporting deadline for candidates in the Nov. 5 election.
People cast their ballots at the voting station in Albion at the Besse Building on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. (Photo by Michael G. Seamans/for the MAINE MORNING STAR)

A special election will be held in February to fill the House District 24 seat in the Maine House of Representatives vacated by Democrat Joseph Perry.

Perry was re-elected to fill that seat in November, but had to resign after being chosen by his peers to serve as state treasurer. House District 24 covers parts of Bangor, Brewer, Orono and all of Veazie.

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The special election will be held Tuesday, Feb. 25, according to a news release from the Maine Department of the Secretary of State. The states political parties will choose candidates for the seat. Those nominations are due to the Secretary of State by 5 p.m. on Jan. 10.

Non-party candidates need to obtain 50-80 signatures from registered voters in the district, which must be certified by the municipal clerks before submitting. Those petitions also must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Jan. 10.

Write-in candidates have until 5 p.m. on Jan. 14 to declare candidacy. Forms for write-ins and non-party candidates can be obtained by contacting the elections division of the Secretary of State at 207-624-7650.

Former Maine House Majority Leader Mo Terry of Gorham was expected to take on the position of treasurer in an uncontested race, but Perry made a last minute decision to vie for the position after his colleagues indicated that Republicans would support him.

The candidate chosen to fill Perrys spot will serve out the remainder of the two-year term.

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Drake - Credit: Joseph Okpako/WireImage

Spotify has responded to allegations that it helped prop up Kendrick Lamars Not Like Us after the streaming service got pulled into Drakes legal squabble with Universal Music Group.

In November, Drake accused UMG  the major label that both he and Lamar are signed to  of surreptitiously bolstering the widespread appeal of Lamars Drake-aimed diss track, including an allegation that UMG and Spotify worked out an arrangement to discount the streaming licensing rates on Not Like Us in exchange for increased audibility.

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Although the potential legal battle is between the artist and his label, Spotify responded to Drakes likely-to-fail petition in a statement to Music Business Worldwide, denying that the streaming service and UMG had to deal to cut licensing rates by 30 percent, nor did they overtly recommend the song to users or allow bots to artificially inflate the songs streams.

Spotify has no economic incentive for users to stream Not Like Us over any of Drakes tracks, a spokesperson for the streaming service said. Spotify also filed its own opposition brief to Drakes petition, stating that it should be denied.

Under cover of the far-fetched contention that this gives rise to a civil RICO claim, Petitioner in this proceeding seeks to invoke the extraordinary remedy of pre-action discovery. As to Spotify  a stranger to this fracas  the Petition sets forth a single allegation, on information and belief, that Spotify agreed with UMG to a discounted royalty rate for Not Like Us in exchange for recommending [it] to users who are searching for other unrelated songs and artists,' the opposition brief, obtained by Rolling Stone, said.

On this basis, Petitioner seeks pre-action discovery of documents sufficient to show any such agreement and the financial benefits allegedly received. As set forth in the accompanying affirmation, the predicate of Petitioners entire request for discovery from Spotify is false: there is no such agreement.

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Drakes legal team at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP said in a statement to Rolling Stone of Spotifys motion, It is not surprising that Spotify is trying to distance themselves from UMGs allegedly manipulative practices to artificially inflate streaming numbers on behalf of one of its other artists. If Spotify and UMG have nothing to hide then they should be perfectly fine complying with this basic discovery request.

In the late-November filing, Drakes company Frozen Moments accused UMG of having a scheme with bots and payola to boost the song while the two artists were feuding, according to a filing obtained by Rolling Stone. The filing is not yet a lawsuit but a pre-action disclosure for information.

UMG did not rely on chance, or even ordinary business practices, attorneys for Drakes company wrote in the pre-action, accusing UMG of false advertisement, deceptive business practices, and violating the RICO Act. It instead launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves.

Drakes attorneys, citing whistleblowers, also write that Lamars label paid social media influencers to promote and endorse the song without disclosing the payment. The attorneys further claim, without naming sources, that UMG workers who are perceived as having loyalty to Drake were fired from the company.

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A spokesperson for UMG previously denied Drakes allegations, The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue. We employ the highest ethical practices in our marketing and promotional campaigns. No amount of contrived and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action submission can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear.

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According to a shocking new book, Spotify has been promoting so-called "ghost artists" so it can avoid paying its piddling royalties to real artists.

In an excerpt from "Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist" published in Harper's, author Liz Pelly reveals that the streaming platform has a secretive internal program that prioritizes cheap and generic music.

Dubbed "Perfect Fit Content" or PFC for short, this program not only involved a network of affiliated production firms creating tons of "low-budget stock muzak" for the platform, but also a team of employees who surreptitiously placed tracks from those firms on Spotify's curated playlists.

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"In doing so," Pelly wrote, "they are effectively working to grow the percentage of total streams of music that is cheaper for the platform."

Piloted in the mid-2010s, PFC reportedly became one of Spotify's biggest profitability schemes by 2017.

As one former employee told the author, playlist editors at the streaming service began to see a new column on their dashboards soon after the program officially launched that, along with stats like plays, likes, and skip rates, would show how well each playlist they made worked with "music commissioned to fit a certain playlist/mood with improved margins."

Not long after that new column appeared on employee dashboards, managers began pushing their underlings to add PFC songs to the playlists they were crafting for the platform.

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"Initially, they would give us links to stuff, like, 'Oh, its no pressure for you to add it, but if you can, that would be great,'" the ex-Spotify employee told Pelly. "Then it became more aggressive, like, 'Oh, this is the style of music in your playlist, if you try it and it works, then why not?'"

Other former employees told the author that they wished they'd pushed back more against that pressure from higher-ups because, as one put it, "some of us really didnt feel good about what was happening."

"We didnt like that it was these two guys that normally write pop songs replacing swaths of artists across the board," the former Spotify-er said. "Its just not fair. But it was like trying to stop a train that was already leaving."

As it became clearer and clearer that many of the company's then-current editors were skeptical of the program, Spotify began bringing in new blood that didn't care about the ethics of it. By 2023, when Pelly was writing her book, the team overseeing the PFC model was responsible for "several hundred" playlists. Of those, more than 150 playlists bearing titles like "Deep Focus," "Cocktail Jazz," and "Morning Stretch" were populated almost entirely by PFC content.

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To make matters worse, a jazz musician Pelly spoke to who moonlighted as an ambient trackmaker for one of Spotify's PFC partners told her that he was offered an upfront fee of a few hundred dollars and told he would not own the master rights to the track.

Because it was an easy gig, the musician composed a few tracks for the firm that were released under aliases on Spotify. After a few of the tracks began getting millions of streams, however, he realized that he may have been ripped off.

"Im selling my intellectual property for essentially peanuts," the musician told the writer.

Perhaps most offensive about this entire alleged scheme, which Spotify seems not to have commented on in the excerpt published by Harper's, is that the company is doing so to avoid paying infinitesimally small royalties to real artists that generally only make a fraction of a cent per stream.

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Though Spotify has repeatedly denied that it creates music in-house and said in 2017 that such claims were "categorically untrue, full stop," CEO Daniel Ek tweeted earlier this year that "the cost of creating content" is now "close to zero"  a bizarre statement to make for someone whose company claims to not be in the business of ghost artistry.

More on music: AI-Generated Lil Wayne Diss Track Against Kendrick Lamar Causes Chaos Online
Five children are seeking closure 35 years after their mother, Melinda Holder, was found dead inside of a Green Cove Springs home.

The decades-old case is getting renewed interest and leads thanks to First Coast Crime Stoppers and the dogged work of Detective C. Milliken.

Jacksonvilles Morning News spoke live on Friday with Detective Milliken, and Chase Robinson, Executive Director of First Coast Crime Stoppers about the investigation, the $3,000 reward, and how all tips remain anonymous.

LISTEN: Melinder Holder death investigation update on WOKV








FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. (DC News Now)  A Springfield man is facing several years in prison after he was convicted of raising money for the Islamic State of Iraq and sending it to members of the Islamic State group, according to the United States Attorneys Office.

According to court records and evidence presented at the trial, 35-year-old Mohammed Azharuddin Chhipa collected thousands of dollars and sent it to Islamic State group members in Syria from October 2019 through October 2022.

Records revealed that the money was used to benefit the terrorist organization by financing the escape of its members from prison camps and supporting the organizations fighters.

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George Mason University student arrested by FBI, accused of planning mass casualty attack on Israel consulate in NYC

Officials said Chhipa raised the money through various social media accounts. He would then receive electronic money transfers and travel to collect the money by hand.

Court documents stated that Chhipa would then convert the money to cryptocurrency and send it to Turkey, where it was smuggled to Islamic State group members in Syria.

During the course of several years, Chhipa sent over $185,000 in cryptocurrency.

On Dec. 13, a jury found Chhipa guilty of numerous charges including four counts of providing and attempting to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

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He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison per count, according to the attorneys office.

Chhipas sentencing is scheduled for May 5, 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 DC News Now | Washington, DC.
UPDATE 12/20/2024  The woman who pleaded guilty to arson in October 2024 has been denied probation and been sentenced to prison time.

According to court records, Fredaann Marie Reed will serve five years in the Missouri Department of Corrections for the arson she committed in 2023.

She will be held in the Greene County Jail pending the outcome of a separate case where Reed is accused of assaulting a Walgreens employee in 2022. The employee eventually required surgery on her left shoulder due to injuries she suffered during the assault.

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Reeds next court appearance in the assault case is currently scheduled for Jan. 30, 2025.

Original story:

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.  A Springfield woman has pleaded guilty to arson after she was accused of setting fire to a home when being served an eviction notice.

Fredaann Marie Reed, courtesy of Greene County Jail Inmate Roster

Online court records show Fredaann Marie Reed entered a guilty plea on Oct. 4. She is scheduled to be back in court in December for sentencing.

Springfield woman arrested for arson after being served eviction notice

Documents say Reed told law enforcement she walked out the front door and around the corner of the house to open her bedroom window and used a lighter to set fire to a bedsheet being used as a curtain.

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Three other people were inside when the fire started, and one suffered minor injuries.

Reed is also charged with assault in a separate case where she allegedly pushed a cart into a Walgreens employee, then pushed the employee into store shelves. The employee suffered injuries that eventually required surgery.

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 KOLR - OzarksFirst.com.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP)  Sri Lanka's navy rescued more than 100 people believed to be Rohingya refugees who were found adrift aboard a fishing trawler off the island nation, a navy spokesman said Friday.

Navy spokesman Gayan Wickramasuriya said fishermen had spotted the refugees, including 25 children and 30 women, off Sri Lankas northern coast on Thursday. Navy vessels then escorted the trawler to naval base on Sri Lanka's east coast where they were given medical care, food and water.

Wickramasuriya said the navy hasnt yet confirmed whether the refugees are Rohingya because of communication difficulties. But the navy believes the group to be from Myanmar.

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The rescue mirrored a similar incident in 2022 when the Sri Lankan navy picked up 100 Rohingya refugees who were also found adrift aboard a fishing boat inside Sri Lankan waters.

Hundreds of thousands of the predominantly Muslim Rohingya have fled Myanmar amid widespread discrimination. Most are denied citizenship.

About 1 million Rohingya live in Bangladesh as refugees. Most of them had fled a brutal counterinsurgency campaign in 2017 by Myanmars security forces, who were accused of committing mass rapes and killings.

Thousands have been trying to flee Bangladesh's overcrowded camps to neighboring countries with Indonesia seeing a spike in refugee numbers since November which prompted it to call on the international community for help. Rohingya arriving in Aceh face some hostility from some fellow Muslims.

Returning safely to Myanmar is virtually impossible because the military that attacked them overthrew Myanmars democratically elected government in 2021. No country has offered them any large-scale resettlement opportunities.
On December 20, the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov, received a delegation from the Turkish Land Forces Command led by Lieutenant General Tuncay Altu?, who was visiting the country, Azernews reports, citing the Ministry.

The Ministry noted that the meeting took place at the Ministry's headquarters, where Colonel General Zakir Hasanov welcomed the guests and expressed his pleasure at seeing them in Azerbaijan.

Speaking about the historical development of joint military history between Azerbaijan and Turkiye, which dates back to ancient times, the Defense Minister emphasized that thanks to the personal friendship between the leaders of the two brotherly countries, military cooperation has further developed in modern times, reaching the level of strategic alliance.

Expressing gratitude for the warm hospitality, Lieutenant General Tuncay Altu? shared his positive impressions of the meetings held during his visit with the Defense Minister.

During the meeting, the importance of mutual exchange of experiences, joint exercises, and bilateral visits to further expand military cooperation between the two countries was highlighted.

At the end of the meeting, there was an extensive exchange of views on regional security, the current state of military relations, and other issues of mutual interest.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  The St. Helens School District has named the teachers and district officials who are on paid administrative leave as students and community members call for transparency from their schools.

Staff members who were placed on paid administrative leave were named in a recent email to families after the district received multiple public records requests from community members seeking transparency, according to the St. Helens School District.

The district said nine of the 10 are under pending investigation by outside entities. A district spokesperson said the employees listed, are on leave in association with the current issues facing the district, but would not say whether they are individually tied to ongoing accusations of sexual abuse and failure to report.

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PacifiCorps rate increase reduced to 8.5% in 2025 by Oregon Public Utility Commission

In the email, St. Helens officials said the district is committed to fostering a safe, respectful, and transparent educational environment for our students, staff, families, and community.

Questions surrounding district officials placed on leave began in mid-November when former teacher Mark Collins and current teacher Eric Stearns were arrested on sex abuse charges.

The criminal charges were followed by state-led investigations into several teachers and administrative officials, including Principal Katy Wagner who is accused of failing to report these incidents for several years.

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The list revealed by St. Helens School District on Friday did not specify the details of what led each staff member to be placed on leave, but did list them by name, office, position, status, and leave date.

The list includes 10 staff members throughout the district, but does not include former teacher Mark Collins, who is currently facing charges in Columbia County.

Name Office Position Leave Date Eric Stearns St. Helens High School Choir Teacher 11/13 Katy Wagner St. Helens High School Principal 11/14 Scot Stockwell St. Helens School District Superintendent 11/15 Keith Meeuwsen St. Helens High School Social Studies Teacher & Union President 11/18 Stacy (Scott) Pieper St. Helens Middle School STEM Teacher 11/21 Carla Pletsch St. Helens High School Campus Monitor 11/22 Adam Wies Plymouth High School Teacher 12/6 Dezmond Stoudamire St. Helens High School Campus Monitor 9/20 Jeremy Wayne St. Helens High School Math Teacher 11/4 Dawn Robillard McBride Elementary School SPED IA 11/21

The announcement followed calls from community members who have expressed frustration with the districts transparency. High school students have told KOIN 6 News they are glad the staff members were removed, but added that the ongoing stress caused by this saga has impacted their education.

They are so concerned about getting phones out of the classroom and the issue is the staff, St. Helens High School senior Rowan. We dont even know if we can trust the staff anymore.

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On Monday, St. Helens High School senior Misha Bainbridge told KOIN 6 News her civics teacher Mr. Meeuwsen  who is also the union president  was likely among the staff on leave.

For a while when these names werent coming out I was like, You [the district] arent actually being transparent, but now it seems they are committed to that, St. Helens High School senior Misha Bainbridge said.

Protesters outside of St. Helens High School on Nov. 14, 2024 (KOIN) Mark Collins appeared in Columbia County County on Nov. 14, 2024. (KOIN) St. Helens High School teacher Eric Stearns appeared in court on Nov. 13, 2024. (KOIN) https://www.koin.com/news/oregon/st-helens-principal-arrested-mistreatment-misconduct-11272024/ Community members began protesting in front of St. Helens High School and district offices on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (KOIN) Parents and teachers of St. Helens High School pack the Village Inn Restaurant and Lounge in St. Helens to hold a watch party of an emergency district board meeting. November 15, 2024 (KOIN). Parents continue to protest in St. Helens following ongoing investigations into alleged sex abuse in the districts schools. Dec. 3, 2024. (KOIN) St. Helens High School (KOIN, File)

In response, the district said student safety and community trust is their top priority.

We understand that this situation evokes strong emotions within our community, the district said in the email that included the list. Thorough, unbiased investigations are critical to building and maintaining trust and integrity. We ask for patience and understanding as these matters are thoroughly and carefully investigated. Our shared goal is to ensure that any decisions made are informed, fair, and capable of withstanding scrutiny.

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The district also clarified that placing an employee on paid administrative leave is standard practice and does not imply a presumption of wrongdoing.

The districts list revealed that two staff members had been placed on leave before the allegations against Collins and Stearns went public, raising new questions about the timeline of events. Meanwhile, Stearns was allowed to teach for nearly two months after police notified the district of their investigation  something still upsetting for many students.

Not cool. It should have been immediately that he was out of the school, Rowan said, also adding, This is wild. Ive never had to deal with something like this before and it makes me a little uncomfortable because the district has known.

Multnomah County homeless deaths in 2023 show devastating toll of fentanyl crisis: Report

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J. Marie, a consultant with J. Marie & Associates, said she has several questions she hopes to uncover as an investigation into the district continues.

Who knew what? What did they do once they knew what they knew? So, we will have clarity on that with the report from the third party investigation, Marie said.

Leaders say the combined costs of leave salaries and substitutes have already cost the district nearly $200,000 as of Tuesday, Dec. 17. That breaks down to $120,000 dollars in paid leave salary and benefits and $64,000 to hire eight subs and two acting administrators.

But Bainbridge said money isnt the only cost of these absences.

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We just come to class and none of Meeuwsens lessons have been given to the subs, so he cant continue to give us the lessons, she said.

More listening sessions are scheduled for next month, as listed below:

Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025

6-7:30 p.m.

McBride Elementary

Monday, Jan. 13, 2025

6-7:30 p.m.

Lewis & Clark Elementary

Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops.

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.
Ramsey County prosecutors announced Friday that a St. Paul officer was legally justified in shooting a man, who turned out to be unarmed, nearly a year ago.

The shooting happened after a St. Paul officer shouted for a man to show his hands  so police could see if he had a weapon  and to slowly come out of an apartment when police responded to a 911 call. The man dashed out at them, body camera footage released by the police department showed.

Officer Ryley Reschke yelled, Hes got something! and officer Josh Needham fired his gun three times. Brett Kohl Fraser, then 31, was shot once in the arm and sustained non-life threatening injuries.

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The Ramsey County Attorneys Office determined that charges against Needham were not justified under state law, the office said Friday.

No weapon was discovered on or near Fraser, according to a county attorneys office memo summarizing the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigation. A replica handgun was found in a backpack in the apartment and didnt belong to Fraser.

The officers responded to a 911 call after a man called at 12:22 a.m. Jan. 6. He reported he heard a woman screaming in the apartment below his that she was being sexually assaulted. He said the unit on Thomas Avenue between Mackubin and Arundel streets was supposed to be vacant of tenants. The man also reported the man was beating the woman, and that he saw the man with a gun before he called 911.

Outside the apartment door, in a small space, Reschke was the only one of the two officers with a direct line of sight into the apartment when a woman opened the door and exited.

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Reschke loudly yelled into the apartment, Show your hands! and St. Paul Police! Seconds after he issued the last command, Fraser ran out of the apartment door and charged at Officer Needham, who was unable to safely retreat from the confined hallway area, the memo said.

Fraser was seen holding a metallic object in his left hand and extending it toward Needham, who thought it was a knife, the memo continued. Fraser told the BCA he was holding his cellphone when he ran out of the apartment. Frasers right hand was behind him and Needham said he couldnt see if he had a weapon in that hand.

BCA agents separately interviewed Fraser and the woman who left the apartment. They said theyd been dating. The woman said another man sent her a message, which upset Fraser and he wouldnt let her leave.

She said they verbally and physically pushed each other for about an hour, that she wasnt physically hurt and she described herself as the aggressor because she said she was fighting Fraser to get her phone back, according to the memo. She did not say she had been sexually assaulted.

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Fraser said he and his girlfriend were homeless, that a friend lived in the apartment building and he knew one of the apartments was recently vacated, so he and his girlfriend went inside. He said they argued over drugs, and theyd been smoking methamphetamine and fentanyl throughout the day, though his girlfriend told the BCA that wasnt the case.

Authorities found a cellphone and a bag of meth near Fraser after the officer shot him.

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Fraser said he heard the officers orders to slowly exit the apartment with his hands up, but hid in a closet at first because he had a warrant from Anoka County. Fraser said he was a dumb(expletive) for charging at the officer and that the officer could not have known that he did not have a weapon.

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Prosecutors concluded that Needham was reasonable in his belief that his use of deadly force  was necessary to prevent being killed or suffering great bodily harm, the memo said. That the officers were responding to a report of an emergency situation, with a 911 caller saying there was an in-progress sexual assault and a man armed with a handgun, meant there was very little time for deliberation, prosecutors also wrote.

Fraser was not charged in connection to the case.
The St. Paul school board unanimously selected Stacie Stanley as its next superintendent, hiring the current Edina superintendent whose background growing up in St. Paul and attending the citys schools pushed her candidacy forward late Thursday night.

The decision comes nearly seven months after Superintendent Joe Gothard left St. Paul to lead his hometown district in Wisconsin and the search for a replacement began.

The opportunity we have right now is to lead, to lead with compassion and to show our students that you can grow up in any part of this city, and you can become a brilliant leader, and you can be the leader that this city needs at this moment, said board chair Halla Henderson at Thursdays meeting. And I think that is who Dr. Stanley is.

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Stanley edged out fellow finalists Rhoda Mhiripiri-Reed, who is superintendent of Hopkins Public Schools, and Brenda Cassellius, CEO of nonprofit Fresh energy and former Boston Public Schools superintendent and Minnesota commissioner of education.

Board members highlighted Stanleys St. Paul background, her existing connections in the community, focus on student support and her ability to ask difficult questions when meeting with staff and board members.

John Thein has been serving as interim superintendent since May after the departure of Gothard, who left to lead the school district in Madison, Wis., where Gothard grew up and attended school. Thein also served as interim superintendent of St. Paul Public Schools from 2016 to 2017.

The candidates each spent a day this week visiting schools, meeting district staff, students and community members, and attending virtual meet-the-candidate sessions. Impression forms were available for community members to fill out for each candidate to later be shared with the board.

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Candidates were then individually interviewed by the board before providing presentations on academic outcomes. The final candidate interview took place Wednesday.

Stanley has been superintendent of Edina Public Schools since July 2021 and previously served as associate superintendent at Eden Prairie Schools. She is the president-elect of the Minnesota Association of School Administrators. Stanley has held leadership roles in the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District, Roseville Area Schools and East Metro Integration District.

Stanley grew up attending St. Paul schools and graduated from Central Senior High School, as did board member Chauntyll Allen. Stanley said during a virtual session for parents and guardians Wednesday that her mother was also born and raised in the Rondo community.

I am very proud to be from the Rondo legacy and it would just be an incredible honor to be able to come here and serve families and just give back to the community that helped me  quite honestly, shaped me  to be the leader that I am today, Stanley said during a virtual session for parents and guardians Wednesday.

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Before moving into education, Stanley worked in occupational therapy. She then worked as a math teacher, she said during the virtual session. She eventually became director of the office of equity and integration for East Metro Integration District, a district which no longer exists. In her career, she has overseen curriculum assessment instruction and support services and English-learner programs, she said during the virtual meeting.

Stanley said at her board interview Wednesday that if selected as superintendent, she would create a superintendent academic advisory team that would include members of the executive leadership team, principals and other members relevant to supporting students. The team would allow the district to stay focused on its performance targets, Stanley said.

Board members at times expressed concerns with Stanley coming from a significantly smaller district with largely different student demographics from St. Paul Public Schools, but also described her as an inspirational and compassionate choice for the district who received significant positive feedback from community impression forms.

The suburban Edina district includes six elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school, serving around 8,600 students, with more than 1,300 staff members, according to SPPS. SPPS has more than 33,000 students and more than 6,000 staff, according to the district.

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Stanley has a doctorate in educational leadership from Bethel University in Arden Hills, and a masters degree in education and a bachelors degree in K-8 elementary education from St. Catherine University in St. Paul.

Shes going to do a fabulous job, and I have faith in her. Anything I can do to make the path in the transition smooth and help, I will go the extra mile, thats for sure, Thein said Thursday night.

Stanleys start date will be decided during contract discussions after the districts winter break, which goes through Jan. 3, and the offer is contingent on those negotiations.

Challenges for Stanley will include budget cuts and enrollment efforts in a period when schools around the country grapple with declining enrollment. St. Pauls school board approved a $1 billion budget in June for the current school year, which included around $114.6 million in cuts. They came as significant federal pandemic aid from the American Rescue Plan was set to expire, meaning reductions in many programs and positions including arts and music, special-education interpreters and after-school programs.

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Meanwhile, two former St. Paul Public Schools employees, including the districts former chief financial officer, also filed a lawsuit against the district in November, alleging the district misused federal COVID-relief funds and fired the employees for attempting to flag the misappropriation.

To learn more about the districts superintendent search, go to spps.org/superintendentsearch.

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Two of the victims in the school shooting in Madison, Wisconsin, on Monday, Dec. 16, have been identified as staff member Erin M. West, 42, and student Rubi P. Vergara, 14, authorities said.

The Dane County Medical Examiner's Office released the names of the two victims who died in the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School.

"Our hearts are heavy with these losses," the school said in a statement to NBC News on Wednesday. "It is our honor to recognize Erin West and Rubi Vergara."

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The suspected shooter, identified as 15-year-old student Natalie Samantha Rupnow, also died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound while being transported to an area hospital, officials said.

Officers responded to the K-12 school at 10:57 a.m. when a second grade teacher called 911 to report an active shooter, police said, and multiple people were found with gunshot wounds.

Six people were injured in the shooting, police said. Two people who sustained life-threatening injuries remained in the hospital as of Wednesday evening, and four others had been discharged, police said.

The shooting occurred in a classroom "during a study hall for mixed grades," police said. Investigators recovered two guns from the school, but only one was used in the shooting, police said.

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A motive for the shooting is unclear, but police said they were aware of documents and photos "circulating around the internet," though investigators have not yet verified them.

A 20-year-old man in California was detained by the FBI after he had allegedly communicated with Rupnow, according to a gun violence emergency protective order obtained by NBC San Diego.

It is unclear if the man, identified as Alexander Paffendorf, is facing any criminal charges at this time.

Here's what we know about the staff member and 14-year-old student who died in the shooting.

Erin M. West

Staff member Erin West

West was a staff member at Abundant Life Christian School who began her career there as a substitute teacher, the school said in the statement.

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"ALCS is a better school for the work of Erin West," the school said. "She brought her love of Jesus and love of people to our staff and school family all wrapped in a hug and topped with a smile."

After serving as a substitute teacher for three years, she accepted a staff position as the school's sub coordinator and in-building substitute teacher, the school said, describing the role as "tailor made for her abundant skills and breadth of knowledge."

"She served our teachers and students with grace, humor, wisdom, and  most importantly  with the love of Jesus," the school said. "Her loss is a painful and deep one and she will be greatly missed not just among our staff, but our entire ALCS family."

Rubi P. Vergara

Rubi Patricia Vergara.

Rubi was a ninth grader at Abundant Life Christian School and had attended the school since kindergarten, according to the statement.

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"Her gentle, loving, and kind heart was reflected in her smile. Rubi was a blessing to her class and our school," the school said. "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 statement continued. "Yet, it was Rubis love for Jesus that shined brightest and she shared His love with others by volunteering faithfully. She will be missed deeply by her teachers and fellow students."

Rubi was described as an avid reader who loved art, singing and playing keyboard in her family worship band, according to her online obituary. She also shared a special bond with her beloved pets, a cat named Ginger and a dog named Coco, the obituary said.

A funeral service will be held for Rubi on Dec. 21, according to the obituary.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz has been fired over an alleged relationship he had with a staff member, and a Star Wars-themed letter is at the center of the investigation.

Diaz was fired on Tuesday, Dec. 17, the same day Mayor Bruce Harrell released a report announcing his termination and detailing findings about the alleged relationship, according to NBC affiliate KING-TV.

Among the evidence against Diaz is a love letter found in a police department-issued Toyota Highlander by his security detail, according to an investigation report released in November.

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The Papyrus birthday card with an Ewok on the front was addressed to AZD and included a handwritten message.

KING-TV reported city investigators believe the letter was written by former Chief of Staff Jamie Tompkins, who resigned in November.

You woke me up, the letter read, in part. Like a prince in one of your Disney movies. I hope I always know your kiss. I hope I always feel your influence. I hope to always know you and me. I love you.



Karen Ducey/Getty Adrian Diaz of Seattle Police speaks at a press conference as Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan (R) looks on at Seattle City Hall on August 11, 2020 in Seattle, Washington Adrian Diaz of Seattle Police speaks at a press conference as Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan (R) looks on at Seattle City Hall on August 11, 2020 in Seattle, Washington

In the latest report, Harrell indicated Diaz violated multiple police department policies and recommended he be relieved of his duties as chief of police.

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This type of decision is not made lightly, the mayor said in the letter. It is based on a comprehensive investigation that provided factual findings that suggest Diaz acted inconsistently with Seattle Police Department (SPD) policies.

When reached by PEOPLE on Friday, Dec. 20, about the firing, Tim Robinson, communications manager for the Seattle City Attorney's Office, declined to comment. PEOPLE has reached out to the mayor's office and Tompkins for comments.

In a statement obtained by PEOPLE, Diaz says he looks forward to clearing my name and exposing the Citys retaliatory actions."

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.

This termination lacks legitimate or lawful justification; it is an act of retaliation for my prior disclosure of my sexual orientation and my refusal to comply with what I believed to be an unlawful directive from the Mayor, Diaz adds.

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Rumors of the romance initially surfaced in August 2022 before the employee began working for the city, according to the 40-page investigation report.

In May 2023, Tompkins was hired as Diazs chief of staff, even as rumors reportedly continued. Diaz denied the romance when formally questioned and said she was hired based on her work.

Related: 5 Officers Fired, 3 Others Suspended as Sex Scandal Rocks Tenn. Police Department

In his statement, Diaz says he strongly disagrees with both the decision to fire him and the purported reasons behind it.

"I proudly dedicated 27 years of service to the City of Seattle, and I was deeply saddened and blindsided by Mayor Harrells decision earlier today to terminate my employment, Diaz shares. From the start of this investigation, I have been truthful and clear: I never engaged in a romantic or inappropriate relationship.

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He says, The rushed investigation report, which the Mayor claims to have relied upon, is fundamentally flawed. The investigator chose not to consider crucial evidence, neglected to interview key witnesses, and failed to preserve evidence, all of which would have exonerated me.



Read the original article on People
Baristas at a handful of Starbucks around Los Angeles as well as in Chicago and Seattle went on strike Friday, kicking off a work stoppage that union officials said would include hundreds of the coffee giant's stores by Christmas Eve.

The union, Starbucks Workers United, said the strike was necessary after they failed to reach a deal in negotiations with the company over what would be a first contract for Starbucks workers. By walking out from five locations in the Los Angeles area and other key markets, workers are hoping to pressure Starbucks during the busy holiday season, when its frappuccinos and themed drinks are in high demand.

The union said it plans to spread the work stoppages to potentially hundreds of stores over the course of the five-day action that will conclude on Christmas Eve. It is looking to extract from Starbucks a more robust wage proposal and an agreement to quickly resolve outstanding unfair labor practice charges filed by workers in recent years.

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A Starbucks tucked into a strip mall on Alameda Street in Burbank that typically opens at 4:30 a.m. stayed closed Friday. At 10 a.m. a crowd of about 30 Starbucks workers, union organizers and supporters walked a picket line outside, chanting, "No contract, no coffee," and, "Hey, Starbucks, you can't hide, we can see your greedy side."

Kai Krawczeniuk, 25, a shift supervisor at the Burbank store, said Starbucks "made an economic offer that was unacceptable."

"It was insulting, frankly. That made us feel like we have to act, we have to show them we mean business," Krawczeniuk said.

In a statement, the union said Starbucks had proposed an economic package earlier this month "with no new wage increases for union baristas now and a guarantee of only 1.5% in future years."

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Starbucks said about 10 of its more than 10,000 company-operated stores in the United States did not open as planned today.

There has been no significant impact to our store operations. We are aware of disruption at a small handful of stores, but the overwhelming majority of our US stores remain open and serving customers as normal," Starbucks spokesperson Phil Gee said in an emailed statement.

The company criticized the union, saying it had proposed an immediate 64% wage increase that "is not sustainable" and prematurely ended bargaining sessions this week.

"It is disappointing they didnt return to the table given the progress weve made to date," the company said in its statement.

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Besides the Burbank location, four other stores in Southern California, including in Van Nuys, Santa Clarita, Highland Park and Anaheim, were also hit with strikes, said Evelyn Zepeda, organizing director in California for Workers United.

Former Burbank Mayor Konstantine Anthony, who currently is a member of the City Council, joined the Starbucks picket line Friday morning and said the company was "nickel-and-diming" workers. It was "no coincidence," he said, that the Starbucks strike coincided with work stoppages by Amazon warehouse workers and delivery drivers in the run-up to Christmas.

"Workers have shown up at the exact moment where these two companies make their biggest profits, Christmas season," Anthony said. "Power lies with the people, people who make the drinks, people who deliver the packages. If you want to give a good product to your customers, you need to treat the people delivering that product well."

The new work stoppages mark a major turning point for Starbucks Workers United, which formed in 2021 and steadily has made headway in its campaign to persuade baristas at Starbucks around the U.S. to join. Hopes that the two sides would be able to hammer out a deal had been high since February, when the company pledged publicly to work with the union and take a more neutral approach toward the drive to organize workers.

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The conciliatory stance was an about-face for a company that previously had intensely resisted the campaign to organize its workers. Federal regulators found Starbucks repeatedly violated labor laws by disciplining and firing workers involved in unionizing activity, shutting down stores and stalling contract negotiations.

The National Labor Relations Board has conducted a total of 647 union elections at Starbucks stores, with 109 of them falling short, several others with challenged ballots and 528 currently with certified bargaining units, according to NLRB spokesperson Kayla Blado. In California, 66 stores have held union elections and 44 of them have had their bargaining units recognized by the labor board.

Blado said workers have filed more than 700 unfair labor charges against Starbucks, its subsidiary Siren Retail Corp., or its law firm Littler Mendelson, alleging a range of violations. The union has not filed any new charges against Starbucks since late February.

In March, the federal board ordered Starbucks to stop threatening and interrogating employees at a store in Cypress Park about union organizing efforts and to post a notice of workers rights. In September, the board ordered Starbucks to stop threatening workers with the closure of a store in Los Angeles if organizing activity continued. And in October, the board found that Starbucks' former chief executive, Howard Schultz, violated labor law by encouraging a Long Beach employee to quit after they raised issues related to unionization in 2022.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
(NewsNation)  Starbucks union employees will strike at locations in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle Friday morning, which could impact holiday sales, in a pre-Christmas push for increased wages and better schedules.

Workers United, which represents employees from more than 500 Starbucks stores nationwide, said the walkouts could reach hundreds of stores by Dec. 24 if a deal with the company isnt reached, Reuters reported.

The union has been negotiating with Starbucks over wages, staffing and schedules. Starbucks said union representatives prematurely ended their bargaining session this week, according to Reuters.

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Will Amazon strike affect your holiday packages?

Ninety-eight percent of union members voted Tuesday to authorize the strike.

Starbucks cant get back on track as a company until it finalizes a fair contract that invests in its workforce, said Silvia Baldwin, a Philadelphia barista and union bargaining delegate, in a news release. Right now, Im making $16.50 an hour. Meanwhile, Brian Niccols compensation package is worth $57,000 an hour.

Niccol is Starbucks chairman and CEO, joining the company in September.

Amazon workers, similarly, went on strike this week at seven U.S. facilities, demanding better pay and safer working conditions.

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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 NewsNation.
Love Starbucks holiday drinks? This week, you may not get them.

Starbucks Workers United announced baristas will strike starting Friday in three key markets  Seattle, Los Angeles and Chicago.

The union said the move is in response to the coffee chain's failure to bring viable economic proposals to the bargaining table and to resolve hundreds of outstanding unfair labor practice charges.

The union, which started organizing in 2021, represents 525 union stores and over 10,500 union workers, according to its website. Starbucks has over 10,000 company-operated locations.

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Since February, Starbucks has repeatedly pledged publicly that they intended to reach contracts by the end of the year  but theyve yet to present workers with a serious economic proposal, the group wrote on X. This week, less than two weeks before their end-of-year deadline, Starbucks proposed no immediate wage increase for union baristas, and a guarantee of only 1.5% wage increases in future years.

The group said baristas starting Friday morning will embark on five days of escalating strikes that could spread to other cities through Christmas Eve unless Starbucks honors our commitment to work towards a foundational framework.

Starbucks, which is headquartered in Seattle, told NBC News there has been no significant impact to its store operations.

"We are aware of disruption at a small handful of stores, but the overwhelming majority of our US stores remain open and serving customers as normal, company spokesperson Phil Gee said in a statement.

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About 10 of its company-operated stores did not open as planned on Friday.

In a Tuesday news release the union said it and Starbucks had announced a path forward earlier this year and have advanced dozens of tentative agreements at the table, but Starbucks has yet to bring a comprehensive economic package to the bargaining table.

Starbucks cant get back on track as a company until it finalizes a fair contract that invests in its workforce. Right now, Im making $16.50 an hour. Meanwhile, Brian Niccols compensation package is worth $57,000 an hour, Silvia Baldwin, a Philadelphia barista and bargaining delegate, said in a statement referring to Starbucks' CEO.

The company just announced Im only getting a 2.5% raise next year, $0.40 an hour, which is hardly anything. Its one Starbucks drink per week. Starbucks needs to invest in the baristas who make Starbucks run, she added.

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A Starbucks spokesperson said Workers United delegates prematurely ended our bargaining session this week.

Starbucks argued that it offers a competitive average pay of over $18 per hour, and best-in-class benefits such as health care, college tuition, paid family leave, and company stock grants.

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 year contract. This is not sustainable, the company said.

Starbucks said it is ready to continue negotiations.

It comes as the Teamsters union announced Thursday strikes at several Amazon delivery facilities, amid the peak holiday delivery rush.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Tensions are brewing at Seattles coffee giant.

Workers at Starbucks stores across the U.S. plan to go on a five-day strike to protest a standstill in contract negotiations with the company.

The strikes are scheduled to begin Friday at stores in Seattle, Los Angeles, and Chicago, and could spread to hundreds of locations by Christmas Eve.

The union representing workers accuses the company of backtracking on the path forward they agreed to in February.

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The company has repeatedly pledged publicly that it intended to reach contracts by the end of the year, but it has yet to present workers with a serious economic proposal, a news release states.

Starbucks Workers United represents over 11,000 baristas across 500 stores in 45 states and the District of Columbia.

Starbucks sent KIRO 7 the following statement regarding the unions decision to strike:

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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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.

We are ready to continue negotiations to reach agreements. We need the union to return to the table. "
Starbucks (SBUX) workers in three major cities are launching pre-Christmas strikes on Friday as negotiations with their employer stall.

Workers United, which represents more than 525 stores, said employees were going on strike to fight for better pay and benefits, protest unfair labor practices, and resolve litigation with Starbucks. Ninety-eight percent of union partners voted in favor of the strikes, Workers United said.

The union said that five days of escalating strikes will kick off Friday and continue until Dec. 24, beginning in what it called three of Starbucks most important markets  Los Angeles, Seattle, and Chicago. About 10 of the companys thousands of stores in the U.S. have been affected.

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The walkouts are expected to ramp up over the next few days and reach hundreds of stores across the country by Christmas Eve, according to the union. For now, there has been no significant impact on Starbucks operations, according to company spokesperson Phil Gee.

An escalation can be avoided if Starbucks and the union are able to come together and create a foundational framework to reach collective bargaining agreements for its stores.

The parties agreed to do just that in February, but Workers United said the company hasnt presented a comprehensive economic package. The union also says hundreds of active unfair labor practice charges are in effect and that liabilities of more than $100 million are outstanding.

Starbucks said that Workers United prematurely halted bargaining earlier this week, and it touted the 30 meaningful agreements the parties had come to. The company also said the unions demands for an immediate 64% wage hike, which would increase to 77% over the term of a three-year deal, would be unsustainable.

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The company said it is ready to continue negotiations but needs the union to return to the bargaining table.

Starbucks cant get back on track as a company until it finalizes a fair contract that invests in its workforce, Philadelphia barista and Workers United bargaining delegate Silvia Baldwin said in a statement Tuesday. Baldwin slammed new CEO Brian Niccols compensation package, which has a base salary of $1.6 million.

Right now, Im making $16.50 an hour, she said. Meanwhile, Brian Niccols compensation package is worth $57,000 an hour. The company just announced Im only getting a 2.5% raise next year, $0.40 an hour, which is hardly anything. Its one Starbucks drink per week. Starbucks needs to invest in the baristas who make Starbucks run.

The scattered strikes at Starbucks come just a day after thousands of Amazon workers launched their own strikes. Employees represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters at seven locations across four cities have walked off the job. At the same time, German workers have coordinated their own strikes in a handful of cities.

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Amazon (AMZN) has slammed the Teamsters walkouts as an attempt to mislead the public and push a false narrative that they represent thousands of Amazon employees and rivers. The nations largest online retailer also contends that the strike itself is illegal.

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Unionized Starbucks workers went on strike in three cities Friday and threatened to expand their walkouts to additional markets in the run-up to Christmas.

Their union, Starbucks Workers United, said the strikes were timed to coincide with Starbucks busiest stretch of the year, and could spread to hundreds of stores by Tuesday  Christmas Eve  if the two sides dont make progress in contract talks.

The union accused the coffee chain of backtracking on its commitment to reach a framework for a national deal for the more than 500 stores that have organized since 2021. Not one of the stores has secured a first contract yet.

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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 Texas worker involved in negotiations, said in a statement through the union.

Andrew Trull, a Starbucks spokesperson, said in an email that the company and the union had reached tentative agreements on 30 matters over the course of bargaining since April. Trull said the unions delegates prematurely ended negotiations this week ahead of the strikes.

It is disappointing they didnt return to the table given the progress weve made to date, he said.

Members of the Starbucks Workers United union picket outside a Starbucks store in Chicago on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. Vincent Alban/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Starbucks Workers United, which is part of the union Workers United, said the first strikes hit stores in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle.

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The Starbucks campaign is one of the most closely watched U.S. union efforts in decades. The coffee chain was union-free until baristas in the Buffalo, New York, area unionized their stores three years ago, leading to an organizing wave that spread around the country.

Starbucks resisted the union campaign and was found repeatedly by the National Labor Relations Board to have broken the law, but earlier this year softened its stance and agreed to make headway on a contract. There are now roughly 11,000 baristas in the union.

The two sides are currently in the tricky stage of negotiating a pay package that would apply at the union locations. (Starbucks has roughly 10,000 corporate-owned locations in the U.S.)

The union said Starbucks latest offer does not include an immediate pay raise and would guarantee just a minimum 1.5% annual pay hike. Lynne Fox, the president of Workers United, said in a statement that baristas wouldnt accept a proposal that doesnt treat them as true partners.

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Trull said Starbucks average pay is above $18 and argued that its benefit package, including health care and college tuition coverage, is best in class. No other retailer offers this kind of comprehensive pay and benefits package, he said.

Starbucks baristas arent the only workers to hit the picket lines ahead of the holidays. Amazon delivery drivers walked off the job at several of the online retailers hubs Thursday, demanding that the company bargain with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
Starbucks workers in several major US cities are planning to strike until Christmas Eve, according to the Starbucks Workers United union.

The union announced on Friday that workers in three cities  Seattle, Los Angeles, and Chicago  will strike beginning on Fridayand continuing until Christmas Eve.

The strike is reportedly a response to Starbucks corporate's "failure to bring viable economic proposals to the bargaining table," and to "resolve hundreds of outstanding unfair labor practice charges," according to the union.

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NBC News reports that the union claims to represent 525 stores and more than 10,500 workers. Starbucks has nearly 10,000 stores across the country, according to the Associated Press.

Since February, Starbucks has repeatedly pledged publicly that they intended to reach contracts by the end of the year  but theyve yet to present workers with a serious economic proposal, the union wrote on X. This week, less than two weeks before their end-of-year deadline, Starbucks proposed no immediate wage increase for union baristas, and a guarantee of only 1.5% wage increases in future years.

Starbucks workers at locations in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Seattle will strike until Christmas Eve (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Union representatives said the strikes would escalate over the next five days, and potentially prompt similar labor action at other stores across the US. They said the strikes will continue until Christmas Eve "unless Starbucks honors our commitment to work towards a foundational framework."

Starbucks has at least publicly shrugged off the strike, telling NBC News that the work stoppage has had "no significant impact" on its operations.

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We are aware of disruption at a small handful of stores, but the overwhelming majority of our US stores remain open and serving customers as normal, the company said.

A bargaining delegate for the union and Philadelphia barista, Silvia Baldwin, said he was making $16.50 an hour, while the company's CEO, Brian Niccol, is making $57,000 an hour.

The company just announced Im only getting a 2.5% raise next year, $0.40 an hour, which is hardly anything. Its one Starbucks drink per week. Starbucks needs to invest in the baristas who make Starbucks run, she said in a statement.

Starbucks has insisted that the company offers a "competitive average pay of over $18 per hour, and best-in-class benefits" that include health insurance, college tuition assistance, paid family leave, and company stock grants.

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The coffee behemoth argued that the workers asking for raises would make the company's operation "not sustainable."

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 year contract. This is not sustainable," Starbucks said in a statement, adding that the company was willing to continue negotiations.

The strike comes a day after Amazon workers in several warehouses across the country launched their own strike.

Striking workers in Queens were arrested by police after they picketed outside their New York warehouse. The strike, led by the Teamsters, is the largest strike against Amazon in the US to date.

Their strike comes at the height of the holiday shipping rush as Americans order last-minute Christmas gifts and other products from the online mega-retailer.
The workers union representing Starbucks baristas across the country announced members in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle will go on strike in the days leading up to Christmas.

Workers United, which has unionized more than 525 U.S. Starbucks locations, said in a press release Thursday that unfair labor practices and stalled negotiations with the company are the catalyst behind the holiday season strike.

The union says five days of escalating strikes will begin Friday and continue until Dec. 24 in "three of the company's priority markets" during what it called the company's busiest days of the year.

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During the strike period, the walkouts "are expected to spread each day and ultimately reach hundreds of stores from coast to coast by Christmas Eve" unless the company honors a February commitment made with the union.

PHOTO: Starbucks Unionized Baristas Strike At Hundreds Of Locations (Bloomberg via Getty Images)

In February 2024, Workers United and Starbucks announced they would work on a "foundational framework" to reach a collective bargaining agreement for stores, something the union says has not come to fruition.

In a statement on Thursday following the strike announcement Starbucks said Workers United delegates "prematurely ended" its bargaining session with the coffee giant this week.

MORE: Starbucks CEO talks prices, new technology to optimize wait time, bringing back Sharpies

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Starbucks added that the company is "focused on enhancing" employee experiences by offering an average wage of $18 per hour and benefits including health care, free college tuition, paid family leave and company stock grants.

"We are ready to continue negotiations to reach agreements," Starbucks said, adding, "We need the union to return to the table."

Workers United, however, said despite "repeatedly pledging publicly" that it intends to reach contracts by the end of the year, Starbucks has not yet presented workers with a "serious economic proposal."

PHOTO: Starbucks Unionized Baristas Strike At Hundreds Of Locations (Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"Nobody wants to strike. It's a last resort, but Starbucks has broken its promise to thousands of baristas and left us with no choice," Fatemeh Alhadjaboodi, a five-year Starbucks barista and bargaining delegate, said in the release.

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"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. 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," Alhadjaboodi added.

MORE: Starbucks CEO explains turnaround plans after sales dip

"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," Arloa Fluhr, a bargaining delegate who has worked off and on at Starbucks for 18 years said in the release.

"I'm a mom of three, including my daughter who is diabetic. I know what it's like to panic because my hours were slashed and I won't be able to pay my bills and could lose access to healthcare, including my daughter's insulin. That's why we're steadfast in our demands for Starbucks to invest in baristas like me," Fluhr added.

ABC News' Zunaira Zaki contributed to this report.

Starbucks workers union announces pre-Christmas strike in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
(This Dec. 21 story has been corrected to remove the word 'contract', in paragraph 14)

By Savyata Mishra, Gursimran Mehar and Renee Hickman

(Reuters) - Some members of the Starbucks workers' union that represents more than 10,000 baristas walked off their jobs in multiple U.S. cities on Friday, citing unresolved issues over wages, staffing and schedules.

The five-day strike, which began on Friday and closed Starbucks cafes in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle, will expand to Columbus, Denver, and Pittsburgh through Saturday, the union said in a statement.

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This is the latest in a series of labor actions that have picked up pace across service industries following a period when workers at manufacturers in the automotive, aerospace and rail industries won substantial concessions from employers.

At Starbucks, the Workers United union, which represents employees at 525 stores across the U.S., said late on Thursday that walkouts would escalate daily, and could reach "hundreds of stores" nationwide by Christmas Eve.

"It's estimated that 10 stores out of 10,000 company-operated stores did not open today," Starbucks said, adding that there was no significant impact to store operations on Friday.

Around 20 people joined a picket line at a Starbucks location on Chicago's north side, buffeted by snow and wind, but cheering in response to the honking horns of passing cars.

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A few confused customers tried to walk into the closed store before strikers began chanting, but union member Shep Searl said the reaction had been mostly positive.

Searl said 100% of the unionized workers at the Starbucks location in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood were participating in the strike, and according to the workers, they have been subject to numerous unfair labor practices including write-ups, "captive-audience" meetings and firings.

The union member said they made about $21 an hour and added, "that would have been a great wage in 2013."

It is an inadequate wage, the baristas said, given inflation and the high cost of living in a large city, especially since they rarely get 40-hour work weeks.

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WORKERS SNUB OFFER

Negotiations between the company and Workers United began in April, based on an established framework agreed upon in February, which could also help resolve numerous pending legal disputes.

The company said on Thursday it has held more than nine bargaining sessions with the union since April, and reached more than 30 agreements on "hundreds of topics," including economic issues.

The Seattle-headquartered firm said it is ready to continue negotiations, claiming the union delegates prematurely ended the bargaining session this week.

The union, however, said in a Facebook post on Friday that Starbucks had yet to present a serious economic proposal with less than two weeks remaining until a year-end deadline.

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The workers' group also snubbed an offer of no immediate wage hike and a guarantee of a 1.5% increase in future years.

"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," Starbucks said on Friday.

In response to Starbucks' statement on the proposals, Michelle Eisen, a Starbucks barista and bargaining delegate, said, "Starbucks' characterization of our proposals is misleading and they know it. We are ready to finalize a framework that includes new investments in baristas in the first year of contracts."

Separately, the baristas' union said on Friday that it filed a new labor practice charge against the coffee house, alleging Starbucks "refused to bargain and engaged in bad faith bargaining" over economic issues.

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Hundreds of complaints have been filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), accusing Starbucks of unlawful labor practices such as firing union supporters and closing stores during labor campaigns. Starbucks has denied wrongdoing and said it respects the right of workers to choose whether to unionize.

WORKING ON A TURNAROUND

Last month, the NLRB said that Starbucks broke the law by telling workers at its flagship Seattle cafe that they would lose benefits if they joined a union.

"It's (the strike) taking place during one of the busiest times of the year for Starbucks, which could magnify its impact while bringing unwanted public scrutiny into the company's labor practices," Emarketer analyst Rachel Wolff said.

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The coffee chain is working on a turnaround under its newly appointed top boss, Brian Niccol, who aims to restore "coffee house culture" by overhauling cafes and simplifying its menu among other measures.

"Given how much Starbucks is already struggling to win over customers, it can ill afford any negative publicity - or impact to sales - that the strike could bring," Wolff said.

The Starbucks workers' strike comes in the same week as Amazon.com workers at seven U.S. facilities walking off the job on Thursday, during the holiday shopping rush.

There were 33 work stoppages in 2023, the most since 2000, though far lower than in past decades, data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed.

(Reporting by Renee Hickman in Chicago and Gursimran Kaur, Savyata Mishra and Mrinmay Dey in Bengaluru, additional reporting by Chandni Shah and Rishabh Jaiswal; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila, Pooja Desai and Muralikumar Anantharaman and Diane Craft)
This story was originally published on Restaurant Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Restaurant Dive newsletter.

Dive Brief:

Starbucks Workers United members at a number of stores in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle are set to strike Friday in the first wave of actions in an escalating, multi-day strike, the union announced Thursday night.

The union called the strike in response to outstanding unfair labor practices, with the aim of forcing Starbucks to offer raises at the bargaining table. At a bargaining session this month Starbucks proposed an economic package with no new wage increases for union baristas now and a guarantee of only 1.5% in future years, the union said in a press release.

Between Friday and Christmas Eve, the number of stores on strike will increase daily unless the company returns to the bargaining table. The union said in a statement that hundreds of the roughly 535 stores it represents could be impacted.

Dive Insight:

The strikes follow a period of relative calm that began with a framework agreement in February over bargaining issues between the company and the union. The strikes are timed to coincide with busy holiday days, and come after several quarters of falling same-store sales at Starbucks in the United States.

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While significant in timing and scale, the actions are in keeping with Starbucks Workers Uniteds tradition of demonstrative strikes of limited duration. But an escalating strike will test the unions mobilization skills.

Starbucks Workers United has said since April that it has bargaining representatives from each store who are elected by their co-workers. That bargaining assembly structure, in theory, means the union has a representative who can communicate priorities at the store level. But it is one thing to discuss bargaining updates with co-workers and another to organize workers in strike actions.

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 Texas barista and bargaining delegate, said in a statement.

Michelle Eisen, a barista at the first unionized Starbucks in Buffalo, New York, said the company has spent millions of dollars to bring in executive talent in 2024, but that hasnt been reflected in its commitment to hourly workers. Eisen said Starbucks readiness to bargain seemed to falter after Niccol joined the company.

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In October, we were ready to exchange comprehensive economic proposals. In October, November, and December, Starbucks failed to bring viable economic proposals to the table that included real investment in baristas. This is backtracking on months and months of progress, Eisen said in the statement.

On a video call with supporters, Starbucks Workers United members said a bargaining session this week fell apart over the companys wage proposals. The union said Starbucks offered no immediate raise and less than 2% in future years. Year-over-year, the consumer price index is up 2.7%; wage growth below that rate would represent a decrease in real terms.

Starbucks blamed the union for the failure of bargaining.

Workers United delegates prematurely ended our bargaining session this week, said Phil Gee, a spokesperson for the company. 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.

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Gee also highlighted the companys wages and benefits, which tend to be better than other fast food chains. Earlier this week, Starbucks announced it would double the amount of paid leave offered to parents, and tripled the paid leave offered to birth mothers.

On the call with supporters, union members said the companys recent expansion of parental leave was identical to the unions stance on parental leave in earlier bargaining sessions. Starbucks has several times appeared to implement benefits based on union demands, like credit card tipping.

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(Bloomberg) -- Prime Minister Keir Starmer named 30 new Labour peers as he seeks to address the political imbalance in the House of Lords, despite pledging at the election to slim down and eventually replace the upper chamber.

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Sue Gray, Starmers former chief of staff who was ousted from Downing Street just three months after his July election win amid infighting with other government aides, is on the list of nominations for peerages published on Friday.

Political allies including David Evans, Labours former general secretary, and Deborah Mattinson, who was Starmers director of strategy until the election, will also enter the Lords, alongside a number of former Labour members of parliament including Luciana Berger and Thangam Debbonaire.

Starmers nominations for peerages will begin to close the gap between Labour  which currently has 185 peers in the upper chamber, and the Conservatives, who have 271 after spending 14 years in power.

At the same time as nominating new Labour members, however, Starmers government is working to whittle down the numbers in a bloated upper house that  with more than 800 peers  is often described as the second biggest legislative chamber in the world, after Chinas National Peoples Congress. A bill to take away the right to sit and vote in the chamber from 92 remaining hereditary peers is currently working its way through Parliament.

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In Fridays list, Starmer also nominated three former top trade union figures to the upper chamber: Brendan Barber, the former head of the Trades Union Congress, Mary Bousted, former leader of the National Education Union, and Kay Carberry, a former assistant general secretary of the TUC.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch nominated the journalist and free speech advocate Toby Young and former Deputy Prime Minister Therese Coffey among six people in her own list of peerages announced Friday. There were also two new peerages for the Liberal Democrats, the UKs third party.

Labours election manifesto pledged to ultimately replace the House of Lords with an alternative second chamber that is more representative of the nations and regions, although it is unclear when Starmer will follow through with that proposal.

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I still remember getting the call that hot July day in 1997. A quadruple murder means editors need all hands on deck. That was the first time I heard Joseph Corcorans name.

I was a cub reporter with only a few years under my belt, trying to find family, friends and neighbors to talk about Corcoran and his four victims. I had no idea that one way or another I would cover the case through its entirety  over 27 years.

Joseph Corcoran is seen going to the first day of his trial in Fort Wayne in this May 20, 1999, file photo. (Andy Barrand/KPC News)

My roommates and I talked about how young he looked  and how, if wed seen the 20-something at a Fort Wayne bar, we would have thought nothing of chatting with him.

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But beneath the surface, Corcoran was clearly not all there. Now, Im not a lawyer or a psychiatrist but something was wrong inside him.

When Corcorans case went to trial, I was the Fort Wayne Journal Gazettes court reporter. I remember how frustrated his attorneys were that he wouldnt plead guilty  not unless his vocal chords could be severed.

During jury selection they admitted their clients guilt immediately. After all, Corcoran called the police and turned himself in after he shot the four men, one of whom was his brother and another who was his sisters fiance.

That meant the guilt phase of the trial was actually pretty anticlimactic. But the sentencing phase was full of emotional testimony and mental health evaluations.

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I still recall how the room gasped a little when the judge read a question that the astute jury sent out: why didnt Corcorans parents testify on his behalf? Of course, she couldnt answer it. But the reason was because they were dead. And though acquitted, reports since then show he likely killed them.

I interviewed the jury foreman at the conclusion of the trial and he said the judge shared that detail with the jury privately after.

James Cullen told me then, A tremendous amount of relief was shared by all. Not only did we do the right thing, but we did the right thing in spades.

Through the process

The next few years I would cover various appeals in Corcorans case.

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He announced moments after he was sentenced he didnt want to appeal. And honestly he was mostly consistent on that over the next two two decades.

While Corcorans guilt has never been in question, I do wonder whether a short delay for a competency exam would have been worth it. Two members of the Indiana Supreme Court also wanted that, but their colleagues denied the stay.

It doesnt matter now. Corcoran took his last breath early Wednesday morning after a lethal dose of pentobarbital was administered.

I covered the case from start to finish in various capacities  a rarity in journalism. And I am glad, in the end, that Corcoran allowed Capital Chronicle Senior Reporter Casey Smith to be a witness as the death warrant was carried out.

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Impartial witnesses are key to public confidence in the system. We still have lots of questions and there will be time to evaluate the process in the coming days. Meanwhile, Attorney General Todd Rokita has already sought a date to execute another killer: Benjamin Ritchie.

And it appears at least one bill will be filed to repeal the death penalty, so a discussion in the legislature is a possibility.

Remember the victims

The only regret I have is not being able to speak with more family of the four men who lost their lives in this final chapter. Their grief and pain are unimaginable, and I understand their choice to remain quiet. But I would have loved to share more about their lives and personalities as the execution drew close.

Pamela Reams, mother of victim Timothy G. Bricker, delivered a speech rife with sorrow and despair during his sentencing in 1999. She recalled that she was tent-camping in Michigan when two state troopers called her name in the darkness to tell her something was very, very wrong.

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Reams begged Corcoran to explain it all and recounted how she prayed countless times for him to walk in the room and plead guilty. Then she handed Corcoran a book  a shiny black Bible with his name inscribed in gold lettering. She said that the answer was within the binding, and that if she doesnt see him in heaven, I will know you didnt take the time to read it.

I dont know if Corcoran did read that book, but he died with his reverend by his side.

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ALBANY, N.Y. (WWTI)  The New York State Attorney Generals Office has ruled that the fatal shooting of a St. Lawrence County man by a state trooper was justified.

The report released on Thursday, December 19 went over the details of the events that led to death of Shawn Sheridan, who was fugitive from justice. Sheridan was due to be sentenced after taking a plea bargain in connection with shooting his former fiancee in the neck.

Lewis Co. man charged with allegedly threatening woman with hammer; taking vehicle

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In August 2023, authorities were looking for Sheridan in a wooded area in the town of Russell near the Donnerville Road.

According to the report, a state trooper and a K9 were fired upon. The report added that the trooper was justified in firing back a number of shots at Sheridan, which killed him.

The attorney generals office also added that the trooper should not face charges for his actions.

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.
Dec. 19State District Judge Francis Mathew has been accused of driving drunk in Santa Fe, a criminal charge he plans to dispute.

Mathew, 72, was on the bench Thursday, presiding over cases, in spite of the charge he was handed Dec. 13. He declined to comment directly on the count, but an attorney representing him said the judge plans to fight the case and "is not guilty of DWI."

A criminal complaint filed Monday in Santa Fe County Magistrate Court by New Mexico State Police says Mathew faces a petty misdemeanor of driving while under the influence of intoxicating liquor.

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He was stopped at a state police DWI checkpoint the evening of Dec. 13 and failed several field sobriety tests, an officer wrote in a statement of probable cause filed with the charge.

The officer wrote he determined Mathew was "unable to continue driving a motor vehicle safely," although the judge's blood-alcohol level was under the legal limit for driving, according to two breath tests taken at a state police station in Santa Fe about an hour after the stop. Mathew was released from custody rather than jailed, but police still filed the charge.

Mathew's defense attorney, Ben Ortega, said Thursday he would be disputing the charge and noted the judge's alcohol level, as measured by police, was well below the driving limit.

"Judge Mathew cooperated completely with law enforcement," Ortega said. "He submitted to a breath test, did everything you're supposed to do, by the book. And when we go to court for this  if we have to go to court  I fully expect him to be exonerated."

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Mathew has continued presiding over cases in his state district courtroom in Santa Fe since the charge was filed Monday. He could be seen at the downtown courthouse Thursday holding hearings.

It was not clear if court officials were aware of Mathew's drunken driving charge when they were asked for comment on his status as a judge.

First Judicial District Chief Judge Bryan Biedscheid responded to an inquiry Thursday saying, "I need to learn more about this."

Administrative Office of the Courts spokesperson Barry Massey wrote in a statement judges, including chief judges, "are not able to comment on pending or potential court cases."

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"The ethics of Judge Mathew's conduct is a matter for the Judicial Standards Commission, which is an independent body that investigates disciplinary matters," Massey wrote. "Judge Mathew presides over civil cases. The First Judicial District Court will ensure that all cases are heard in a timely fashion pending a resolution of this matter."

When asked whether Mathew would be allowed to preside over cases while a disciplinary case is pending, Massey wrote, "I am not able to address that issue at this time."

Mathew pulled up to the state police checkpoint on Old Pecos Trail, near Arroyo Chamiso Road, at 6:42 p.m. Dec. 13, police wrote in the statement of probable cause. He was driving a gray Acura SUV. After he was asked if he had any alcohol to drink, he told the officer he had "a glass of wine and a cocktail with dinner" about an hour earlier, the affidavit states.

The officer administered two standardized field sobriety tests and two "alternative" tests, the statement says, and Mathew "performed poorly." Mathew was then arrested and taken to a state police office for a breath test for blood alcohol.

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His blood alcohol level registered at 0.05% and then 0.04%  under the state's limit of 0.08% for adult drivers.

Police noted Mathew was given a "deprivation period" of longer than 20 minutes before the breath tests took place. State police Sgt. Ricardo Breceda said the period is a standard procedure that begins "after the officer has visually inspected the inside of the arrestee's mouth."

"During this period, the person providing the breath samples may not eat, drink, smoke, or place any other foreign object in their mouth," Breceda wrote in an email Thursday. "This is done so that the breathalyzer accurately reads the person's breath alcohol content."

The probable cause for the charge against Mathew was his "poor" performance on the sobriety tests, but the judge was released from the station "because his breath samples were below the legal limit of .08," Breceda wrote.

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Ortega, who said he has been a DWI lawyer for 15 years, argued there was no evidence of "impaired driving" in Mathew's case.

The judge was administered a "finger dexterity test" and a "numerical countdown" test, the attorney said, which he described as "nonstandardized tests that have not been validated."

"It's not fair to judge anyone by these nonstandardized tests, particularly somebody that is over age 65," he added.

"Judge Mathew has the same rights as everyone, and whenever I represent somebody like a police officer or a judge, I have to be careful that their rights are respected," Ortega said.

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He added, "I will not permit him to make a statement at this time. He's charged with a criminal offense, and from the evidence that I can see in all my 15 years experience, he is not guilty of that offense. The time and place for him to make a statement regarding the criminal allegations, if and when he does, will be in court."

Mathew was first sworn in as a judge in the First Judicial District Court in 2013 after being appointed by former Gov. Susana Martinez. He was elected to the bench the following year and has presided largely over civil cases.

He has presided over several high-profile cases, including one against Cowboys for Trump founder and former Otero County Commissioner Cuoy Griffin and a drunken driving case against former state Sen. Richard Martinez.
MEMPHIS, Tenn.  After more turmoil at Memphis-Shelby County Schools, the community is seeking options to hold the school board accountable in Tennessees largest school district.

This week, a huge and vocal crowd turned out for a school board meeting in which the board tried to terminate Superintendent Dr. Marie Feagins. The board put off that vote until a meeting in January.

MSCS board postpones vote on Feagins future until January

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Thursday, much like the MSCS board meeting, a large crowd showed up for support at Memphis Lift.

State Rep. Mark White, chair of the Education Administration Committee, shared legal options. He believes this could all be resolved with one conversation.

I think if we will sit down in a room and we talk as adults, yeah, we can get things done this week, White said. What is happening right here is how you change things when the community gets involved.

Rep. White says with the tight deadline before the Jan. 14 meeting, he hopes to meet with the board after Jan. 1.

Some community members say that, instead of firing MSCS superintendent Dr. Marie Feagins like the board attempted to do, perhaps some board members should instead be recalled.

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I do think Memphis and Shelby County deserves a recall process for school board members so that we can determine if we decide to replace people, said Noah Nordstrom, an MSCS teacher.

But Linda Phillips with the Shelby County Election Commission says state law doesnt allow for a recall.

Tennessee law does not currently include a general provision for recalling school board members statewide, only in Madison County, Phillips said.

County Commission wants end to chaos surrounding MSCS and Superintendent

County Commissioner Mick Wright, posting to X on Thursday, said recalls for school board members apparently arent allowed.

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There is a recall process in the charter that, while narrow and difficult, covers any and every elected person in Shelby County with the apparent exception of school board members, Wright wrote. The barriers to holding elected officials accountable are ridiculous and must change.

Memphis Lift leaders say parents demand stronger accountability in Memphis-Shelby County Schools, and not a state takeover.

Feagins is the right person for such a time as this, said Sarah Carpenter, executive director with The Memphis Lift.

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.
The Salt Lake City & County Building in Salt Lake City is pictured on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)

Utahs top Republican leaders are giving Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall a firm deadline to put together a plan to restore public confidence, security and safety in the states capital  or the Legislature will take the reins.

Thats according to a letter Gov. Spencer Cox, Senate President Stuart Adams, and House Speaker Mike Schultz sent the mayor on Dec. 13, giving her a little over a month, until Jan. 17, to present a plan ahead of the 2025 legislative session scheduled to begin Jan. 21.

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As Utahs leaders, we hear daily from business leaders, philanthropists, and citizens who are deeply concerned about the escalating public safety challenges in Salt Lake City, the letter, which Utah News Dispatch obtained Friday, begins. These stakeholders have urged the state to step in and address the law enforcement and criminal justice inadequacies impacting our capital city.

The letter goes on to criticize the Salt Lake City Police Department for not enforcing the law in Salt Lake City to their liking.

Local law enforcement is the front end of the system to appropriately address the disorder that we are experiencing in our capital city, the letter states. The ineffectiveness of SLCPD has become glaringly apparent.

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Mendenhall issued a prepared statement in response to the letter saying she was as frustrated as anybody, including our first responders, that the lasting progress on homelessness that weve all worked for has not yet materialized, but long-term progress takes long-term commitment and partnerships.

There has never been a quick or easy solution to these challenges, and Ive said many times I will never walk away from the table in order to do what I must to get the best outcome for Salt Lake City, the mayor said. The invitation to stay at the table with the state as we tackle one of the greatest challenges cities across this country are facing is an invitation I wholeheartedly welcome.

Police Chief Mike Brown also issued a prepared statement, saying his department has significantly increased our efforts through alternative response models, targeted enforcement, directed patrols, and proactive community outreach throughout Salt Lake City.

We recognize the important role we play in improving the quality of life for business owners, residents, tourists, and the homeless population in our city  and we recognize more must be done, he said.

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However, the chief said the issue also goes beyond his department.

Gaps in the criminal justice system often hinder progress, leaving officers and social workers to navigate cycles of disorder that erode trust and create perceptions of lawlessness, he said. We are determined to break those cycles.

Brown added the Salt Lake City Police Department remains committed to collaborating with state and local partners to address systemic challenges and create a standard of accountability, coordination, and shared responsibility while continuing to enforce the law.

By doing so, we can deliver meaningful change  providing justice to offenders and compassionate support to those in need, he said.

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According to the Salt Lake City Police Departments crime statistics dashboard, the number of violent crimes is slightly up, 3.2%, from last year, but down 5.1% from a three-year average. The number of recorded property crimes are down about 7.6% from 2023 and down roughly 17.4% from the three-year average.

Why are state leaders threatening to intervene?

The pressure on Salt Lake City from Utahs most powerful state leaders comes as prominent state and community leaders involved in efforts to transform Utahs homeless system have criticized Salt Lake City for not doing more to enforce anti-camping ordinances and crack down on drug use and distribution.

Among them is Randy Shumway, chairman of the Utah Homeless Services Board and vice chair of the Utah Impact Partnership, a group of influential philanthropists who donate funds toward homeless services and have helped lobby the Utah Legislature for more money.

Shumway in recent months has called on Mendenhall and Salt Lake Police Chief Mike Brown to do more than theyre already doing, arguing that the fentanyl crisis is particularly sharp in Utahs capital city.

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Earlier this summer, when on-street camping reached seasonal highs, Mendenhall said its incredibly difficult to continue to wait for more shelter as state officials continue their secret search for a 30-acre property meant to house a transformative campus meant to increase Utahs emergency shelter bed capacity by up to 1,200 beds. That search is ongoing, and state officials have a deadline of Oct. 1, 2025 for the 1,200-bed shelter to be built.

I know how hard it is, and I know how hard you are working on this, Mendenhall told the states homeless leaders at the time. But I really am done taking blame for the entire homeless system.

In the letter, Cox, Schultz and Adams pointed to insights shared from Clark Ivory  chairman of the Utah Impact Partnership and CEO of Ivory Homes, Utahs largest homebuilder  from an event where Mendenhall discussed the root causes of these challenges.

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He relayed your assertion that the issue lies not solely with law enforcement but from deeper failures in the criminal justice system, the letter to the mayor states. According to Mr. Ivory, you emphasized the efforts of the Salt Lake City Police Department to apprehend individuals violating the law but expressed frustration over a system that often allows even felons to walk free within 45 minutes.

For years, Salt Lake County leaders have struggled to address a worsening jail crisis. Despite Utahs growing population, leaders of the states most populated county havent increased its jail capacity in more than 20 years. This year, an effort to address that crisis came in the form of a $507 million bond placed on the Nov. 5 Salt Lake County ballot  but voters rejected it. Salt Lake County leaders are now regrouping, looking to proceed with their plans but fund them in a different way.

Cox, Schultz and Adams letter to the mayor also says Ivory respectfully advocated on your behalf, conveying your readiness to collaborate with law enforcement leadership to create a strategic plan rather than default to legislative intervention.

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The trio then asked Mendenhall to do just that.

In the spirit of collaboration, we invite you to present this plan to us no later than January 17, 2025, the letter states, printing the deadline in bold.

They wrote this strategic plan should include clear accountability, enforce state law and local ordinances, and achieve decisive outcomes to eliminate crime and restore public safety.

If your plan demonstrates the decisive leadership and results needed to resolve these issues, we will work to strengthen and sustain your efforts through legislative action, they wrote.

But they also issued a warning.

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However, if progress stalls or alignment cannot be achieved, the legislature is prepared to move forward with legislation to increase state involvement and oversight during the upcoming session, the governor, Senate president and House speaker wrote.

They didnt offer any specifics on what possible legislation to increase state involvement and oversight may entail. However, alongside their letter they did include an outline of a proposed framework that identifies breakdowns in the system and implements necessary reforms.

Cox, Adams and Schultz told Mendenhall they respect your authority to lead this effort and design an effective strategy for improving public safety in Salt Lake City. They said they enclosed the proposed framework, drafted with input from business leaders, to support her.

The safety and well-being of all Utahns depend on bold leadership and swift action, the state leaders wrote. We are committed to solving these challenges and expect your office to do its part to restore public confidence, security, and safety in our states capital city.

Below is the proposed framework that was enclosed with the letter:

mendenhall public safety plan

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Dec. 20Do you have an opinion on the state's upcoming clean fuel program? Now's the time to speak up.

The New Mexico Environment Department on Thursday released its discussion draft rule on the clean transportation fuel program. State officials approved rolling out such a program earlier this year, allowing New Mexico to create a market that incentivizes the use, production and importation of low-carbon transportation fuels.

The goal ultimately is to reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector, which is New Mexico's second-largest emissions source.

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The Environment Department opened an online public comment portal, where anyone can submit feedback on the proposed rule until Jan. 17. The portal can be found at nmed.commentinput.com/comment/search.

New Mexicans can also attend public meetings in January to learn more about the draft rule. The Environment Department is hosting an in-person meeting Monday, Jan. 6, at the Albuquerque International District Library, 7601 Central NE, which starts at 4:30 p.m., as well as a virtual meeting on Jan. 10. from noon to 1:30 p.m.

"New Mexico continues to lead on strategies to protect our planet from climate change while also creating the dynamic new clean energy jobs of the future," Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a statement.

The Environment Department plans to petition the Environmental Improvement Board in February, spokesperson Drew Goretzka said. That's an entity within the department that must approve most NMED rules before implementation.

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The board will hold a hearing on the rule, which will provide another chance for public comment.

The rules must go into effect by July 2026, according to the law that adopted the program.

The full draft rule can be found online at service.web.env.nm.gov/urls/mdXHJqrs.
President-elect Donald Trump declared victory only a month ago and he doesnt take office for 31 more days. But his allies were already waging their next fight from the stage of a MAGA conference in battleground Arizona on Thursday night.

This time, the war is inside their own party.

In D.C., its not just the Democrats that are our foes. Its a vast majority of the Republicans, said Donald Trump Jr., the president-elects son. Its just an easy existence to be a weakling Republican.

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Thousands gathered for the first day of Turning Points annual America Fest conference on Thursday at the Phoenix Convention Center.

Headliners hammered House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., over his failed government spending bill, threatened to challenge Republicans who defy Trump in primary elections, and even floated a third Trump term, something that is forbidden by the Constitution.

The gathering was a victory lap for the Republicans who carried Trump to a second term in the White House on Nov. 5. It was also a warning that members of the GOP should stay in line when he takes the reins on Jan. 20.

Education through pain. Its a very simple concept, Donald Trump Jr. said. Donald Trump is in charge.

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Republicans won a governing trifecta in the 2024 election. They will take control of the White House, the Senate and the House in January. Their legislative majorities are slim, though, and the party is already struggling to act in unison.

That dynamic was laid bare this week when Trump and his billionaire ally Elon Musk killed a 1,500-page government spending bill for being too bloated. Johnson put forward a shorter replacement bill on Thursday. Democrats tanked it.

"Clearly, Johnsons not up to the task, and hes gotta go," said former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, who recently served a federal prison sentence for defying a subpoena related to a congressional investigation into the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. "He doesn't have what we call the right stuff.

Johnson was expected to speak at AmericaFest but reportedly canceled his appearance as the government shutdown fight continues.

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Charlie Kirk, the president of conference hosts Turning Point Action and Turning Point USA, credited the GOP grassroots with helping to squash the original bill, also known as a continuing resolution or CR.

You, everybody in this room and everyone watching online, you defeated the Washington insiders in hours, Kirk said. That CR is dead. It is dead.

Trump will need almost every GOP senator on board when his Senate confirmation battles begin next month, especially as some lawmakers express unease about Cabinet nominees such as FBI pick Kash Patel, director of national intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard and Pete Hegseth, who is up for leading the Department of Defense.

Donald Trump Jr. lamented that slim majority and pointed some of the blame on Republican Kari Lakes loss to Sen.-elect Ruben Gallego in Arizona.

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Theres no reason Trump should do as well in Arizona, but we cant get a senator over the line in the same state. Same thing in Nevada, Donald Trump Jr. said. We have to make sure we just get every possible seat forever, OK?

Turning Point plastered GIVE TRUMP HIS CABINET banners around the convention center and Kirk warned Republican lawmakers should vote for Trumps nominees or you will face a primary challenger immediately.

By the time the program concluded on Thursday night, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson had called for primary challenges against Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

Carlson told Crenshaw to shut up" after the Texas member of Congress challenged Musks opposition to the spending bill on social media this week.

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Dan Crenshaw cannot be a congressman again. He cant. Its just too insulting, Carlson said.

Trump will give his first post-election rally-style speech on the final day of AmericaFest on Sunday morning, calling his appearance a Tribute to Arizona after he won the state by more than 5 percentage points on Nov. 5.

Even the arms of the long-range cameras swinging around the main stage were emblazoned with the slogan MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN in Trumps signature serif font. Speakers also repeated Trumps false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. Turning Points chief operating officer was indicted for his alleged role in Arizonas fake elector scheme.

AmericaFest attendees said they support the people Trump has chosen for his Cabinet and the rest of his new government, and his push to nix the original government spending bill.

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I put all the trust and faith in him because I know that after what he's gone through, he's one of us, one of the people, said Corrina Kadlec of Mesa.

Will Vaughn, a political science student at the University of Central Oklahoma, said hes on board with challenging GOP lawmakers in primaries who hamper Trumps agenda.

These Republicans who block his agenda should be primaried. I think that it's embarrassing to their party and to the American people that these, these people are just so out of touch with what the people actually believe, said Vaughn, 20.

He said Johnson was a coward for backing out of the conference. Republicans should think about who would replace Johnson before they oust him, Vaughn warned.

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There's a lot of Republicans that do not have the right guts to stand up for what is right and to actually stand up for what the people want. Because ultimately, we the people are supposed to be running the country, not the politicians, said Rick Richards, 62, a businessman who lives in Gilbert.

At the end of his remarks, Bannon seemed to float an unconstitutional third Trump term.

And one last thing. Trump 2028. MSNBC, f you, Bannon said holding up his microphone and dropping it.

That was a step too far for some AmericaFest attendees like Richards and Vaughn. The 22nd Amendment limits presidents to two terms.

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Maybe he was talking about Trump Jr., maybe something else. But thats neither here nor there. I don't support any kind of third term. That is not legal, Vaughn said.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: What Donald Trump Jr., Tucker Carlson and Steve Bannon said in Phoenix
A large structure fire at a vacant industrial building Thursday has led to road closures and transit delays within the Ballpark and Central Ninth neighborhoods of Salt Lake City.

Firefighters responded to a commercial structure at 1030 S. 200 West, the site of the old Mrs. Fields Confections building, shortly after 10 a.m.

"Right off the bat, we had fire starting to come through the roof," said Salt Lake Fire Division Chief Bob Silverthorne. "At that point, it escalated quickly to a (multi-alarm) fire."

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About 70 to 80 firefighters from 20 fire units were dispatched to battle the fire as of Thursday afternoon. Police and paramedics were also on scene, but Silverthorne said there were no injuries.

He added that crews have taken a "defensive" approach, working to make sure the fire remains in the vacant building and doesn't spread to a cleaning business next door. There have been no residential evacuations.

Firefighters are expected to remain at the scene through most of the afternoon.

We are assisting @slcfire with a building fire in the area of 1000 South and 200 West.



200 West will be closed from 900 South to 1300 South.



Brooklyn Avenue will be closed from 300 West to 200 West.



Please avoid the area.#SLC #SaltLakeCity #SLCPD pic.twitter.com/YZ2G67a30R  Salt Lake City Police (@slcpd) December 19, 2024

Salt Lake police said 200 West is closed from 900 South to 1300 South and Brooklyn Avenue will be closed from 300 West to 200 West. At the time, there was no timetable for those roads opening.

A large structure fire in the Ballpark neighborhood of Salt Lake City Thursday has led to road closures and transit delays. | Salt Lake City Fire Department

The fire is also impacting Utah Transit Authority's TRAX service because of the building's proximity to a line that its blue, green and red lines all share. The agency set up a bus bridge from its 600 South and Central Pointe stations.

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It also notified riders to expect delays of 20 to 30 minutes on all TRAX lines in both directions from 600 South to the Ballpark Station and at all points in between.

#TRAX Alert 10:22 AM: Expect a delay of 20 to 30 minutes on all TRAX Lines in both directions from 900 South Station to Ballpark Station and at all points in between due to non-mechanical issues.  Utah Transit Authority - UTA (@RideUTA) December 19, 2024

Additionally, UTA's Jingle Train will only operate on the TRAX Blue Line between Salt Lake Central and Courthouse stations.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) A Struthers man who police said had a drug lab that investigators found while serving a search warrant at his home was indicted Thursday by a Mahoning County grand jury.

Read next: Large police presence in tense situation in Masury

Michael Gonzalez, 36, faces two counts of illegal manufacture of drugs, one a second-degree felony and one a third-degree felony and a fifth-degree felony count of aggravated possession of drugs. He is free on $50,000 bond.

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Gonzalez was arrested Nov. 21 by Struthers police after members of the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force discovered drugs and materials to make drugs in Gonzalezs Riffle Street home while serving a search warrant in a separate investigation.

Struthers police typed a separate search warrant to search for more evidence of drugs, and the warrant was approved by a judge.

Police found materials to make DMT, a drug that is similar to LSD, and several mushrooms. Reports said when questioned by police, Gonzalez admitted to manufacturing DMT.

Charges from the warrant served by the human trafficking force are pending. Several items for that investigation were seized and will be tested, reports said.

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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 WKBN.com.
Chellgren Hall at the University of Kentucky is the scene of an alleged sexual assault in September. (University of Kentucky photo)

The student newspaper at the University of Kentucky is suing the institution for access to records.

The Kentucky Kernel filed suit against UK at the end of last month requesting access to records of all non-student guests who signed into a campus dorm on Sept. 20 following multiple reports of sexual assault on campus during the fall semester. UK denied the records, arguing they are protected by personal privacy exemptions.

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Under the Kentucky Open Records Act, records can be requested from public agencies. Denials can be appealed to the Office of the Attorney General or a circuit court. The Kernel did the latter, filing in Fayette County Circuit Court. The lawsuit is assigned to Judge Thomas L. Travis.

The requested records relate to a September report in which a UK student said she was sexually assaulted off campus and then later in her dorm room at Chellgren Hall by a Lexington man, Chase McGuire, 22. He is charged with five counts of 1st degree rape, four counts of 3rd degree sodomy, one count of 3rd degree sexual abuse, one count of 1st degree strangulation and one count of 1st degree attempted strangulation, according to court records.

Kernel Editor-in-Chief Abbey Cutrer requested records from UK about non-student guests who entered the dorm on the day of the incident as well as any records that showed McGuire signing into a UK dorm during the current academic year. In an interview with the Kentucky Lantern, she said it was a way to discover if the university is following its protocols for residence hall security.

However, UK denied the records request in October, which the Kernel reported. According to a response letter from Eric Monday, UKs records custodian, any list of all non-UK student guests is considered an invasion of personal privacy and exempt from disclosure. Monday also said records regarding McGuire specifically were involved in an investigation not yet concluded and were therefore considered preliminary.

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Cutrer attempted to revise her request and obtain the records by requesting a list of guests with all names redacted except for McGuire. However, UK continued its denial, prompting the newspaper to sue.

UK is willfully violating the Open Records Act by refusing to produce vital public records about whether UK is enforcing its policies that are intended to protect its students from assaults like the one committed this September, says the Kernels complaint.

As of Friday, the university had not filed a response to the Kernels lawsuit in court. Whitney Siddiqi, a UK spokesperson, said in an email to the Lantern, the university is confident we followed the law and look forward to making our case.

As a state agency, the university follows the Kentucky Open Records Act in releasing public records, Siddiqi said. This includes exemptions for some records. Names of individuals visiting residence halls are protected by the personal privacy exemption. For students, those records are also protected as education records. Our Open Records Office works diligently to provide records to the public while also protecting the privacy afforded to individuals under federal and state law.

This is not the first skirmish between the university and the Kernel over open records. In 2021, the Kentucky Supreme Court ruled in favor of the newspaper which sought records from UK regarding a sexual misconduct case involving a former professor. That lawsuit lasted five years.
SCRANTON  During a season known for light and happiness, students at Howard Gardner Multiple Intelligence Charter School created messages of hope for people in war-torn Ukraine.

Groups of students spent Thursday morning making cards for children in hospitals and medical workers in the Dnipropetrovsk region of the country. They wrote phrases in Ukrainian that included we stand with you, get well soon, you are in my thoughts and you are an example of courage for all of us and colored flowers, flags and other symbols of the country using crayons, pencils and markers. Students wrote their name and grade on the cards using the Cyrillic alphabet.

Leading the students in the project was Zlata Korniichuk, the world languages instructor at the school in the citys East Mountain neighborhood. Before giving instructions to each group, she thanked them for participating and told them how much it means for people in her home country.

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Sixth graders Aubrey Mace and Luna Jaffe, both of Scranton, were among the students coloring cards. Aubrey planned to make hers colorful to show there is light in the world.

Im going to draw some flowers and probably some sunshine to show that theres always a sunny side, she said as she colored pink and purple flowers with markers.

Both girls also wrote messages in Ukrainian and drew the countrys flag on their cards. They hope their cards will make people feel supported.

I hope theyre happy they get the cards because I know that theyre having a hard time, Luna said.

We just wanted to show people are there for them, Aubrey said.

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Aali Muhammad, a third grader also from Scranton, was happy to make a card with the Ukraine flag and blue and yellow hearts on it. He hopes it will make the children feel good and special.

The cards will be sent with teddy bears and more than $3,000 worth of medical equipment in a container in mid-January to the Novomoskovsk Central Regional Hospital for Intensive Care and surrounding medical clinics in the Dnipropetrovsk region. The region in southeast central Ukraine, near the border with Russia, has been regularly attacked by Russian troops.

The project is a collaboration between the school and the Rotary Club of Scranton, which has held fundraisers and donated supplies to support Ukraine in its nearly three-year-long war with Russia. The club has collaborated with ones in Kentucky and the Netherlands on the initiative.

Club member Joe Riccardo said Bernie Strenecky, a Scranton native and member of the Rotary Club of Prospect/Goshen outside Louisville, Kentucky, suggested sending items to children earlier this month. He suggested the project to Korniichuk, who came to the region from Kyiv in June 2022, and she was happy to participate.

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The Rotary Club of Scranton received 5,000 euros, or more than $5,000, from the Heerleen Rotary Club outside Amsterdam, Netherlands for the initiative, Rotary Stands Up for Ukraine, Riccardo said.

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Howard Gardner MI Charter School students make get well cards for children hospitalized in Ukraine with war-related and other illnesses. The students made the cards as part of the schools Ukrainian Heritage Class taught by teacher Zlata Korniichuk. Born in Ukraine, Zlata Korniichuk arrived in Scranton shortly after the war started. Fluent in several languages, she teaches Ukrainian and Spanish to middle school students. Zlata is also active in many local causes to raise support for her homeland. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)

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Howard Gardner MI Charter School students make get well cards for children hospitalized in Ukraine with war-related and other illnesses. The students made the cards as part of the schools Ukrainian Heritage Class taught by teacher Zlata Korniichuk. Born in Ukraine, Zlata Korniichuk arrived in Scranton shortly after the war started. Fluent in several languages, she teaches Ukrainian and Spanish to middle school students. Zlata is also active in many local causes to raise support for her homeland. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)

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Third grader Liz Bosley, a Howard Gardner MI Charter School student, makes a get well card for children hospitalized in Ukraine with war-related and other illnesses. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)

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Rhys Weinerth, a Howard Gardner MI Charter School fourth grader, makes get well cards for children hospitalized in Ukraine with war-related and other illnesses. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)

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Howard Gardner MI Charter School student Chase Cunningham make get well cards for children hospitalized in Ukraine. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)

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Fourth grader Krisma Karki, a Howard Gardner MI Charter School student, talks with other students making get well cards for children hospitalized in Ukraine with war-related and other illnesses. The students made the cards as part of the schools Ukrainian Heritage Class taught by teacher Zlata Korniichuk. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)

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Howard Gardner MI Charter School students made get well cards for children hospitalized in Ukraine with war-related and other illnesses. The students made the cards as part of the schools Ukrainian Heritage Class taught by teacher Zlata Korniichuk. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)

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Howard Gardner MI Charter School student Aali Muhammad makes a get well cards for children hospitalized in Ukraine with war-related and other illnesses. The students made the cards as part of the schools Ukrainian Heritage Class taught by teacher Zlata Korniichuk. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)

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Howard Gardner MI Charter School students make get well cards for children hospitalized in Ukraine with war-related and other illnesses. The students made the cards as part of the schools Ukrainian Heritage Class taught by teacher Zlata Korniichuk. Born in Ukraine, Zlata Korniichuk arrived in Scranton shortly after the war started. Fluent in several languages, she teaches Ukrainian and Spanish to middle school students. Zlata is also active in many local causes to raise support for her homeland. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)

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Riccardo said the cards and teddy bears will lift the childrens spirits, giving them a sense of peace, hope and happiness. It also shows medical workers they understand their stress and thanks them for their work.

They have witnessed such horror, darkness and evil, he said. We feel that we want to show them that people care about them.

It is also a good way for students to practice the Ukrainian language, which Korniichuk teaches at the school along with Spanish, Riccardo said.

Korniichuk, who still has family in Ukraine, said she was honored and humbled to be part of the project and to have the support of her students and colleagues. She said 165 students in grades 2 to 8 volunteered to make cards, many of whom immediately signed up after Korniichuk announced the project last week.

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She said students are aware of the war and ask her how her family is doing regularly.

Theyre really supportive and full of compassion, Korniichuk said. They were really super excited to create this project.

Principal TreeAnne McEnery was thrilled to see students making cards.

Its heartfelt to see how many students volunteered to make the cards for the children and health care workers in Ukraine, she said.

Organizers hoped to make 200 cards, but Korniichuk believes the goal was surpassed. Korniichuk said Christmas is a good time to extend love and support to the Ukrainian people.

She and Riccardo hope the cards will show people in Ukraine they arent forgotten.

There is still war and Ukrainians are fighting for their freedom, sovereignty, for their right to exist as a nation, Korniichuk said. These cards are a gesture of support to all Ukrainians.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  There are more than 8,000 Tennessee children in foster care, but what happens when the age out of the system?

Between 70 and 80% of foster youth without a supporting relationship once they reach 21 could experience everything from struggles with substance abuse to being unhoused, according to a landscape study published by Belmont Universitys Innovation Labs in December.

Tennessees childcare crisis: Lawmakers to consider solutions proposed in new report

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They know through their lived experience what worked and what didnt work, Tom Baldwin, Director of Strategy and Development with Belmont Universitys Innovation Labs, said.

Belmont Universitys Innovation Labs has opened doors into a longstanding conversation in Tennessee focused on some of the most vulnerable people  foster children. Over four months, the labs had in-depth conversations with former foster youth.

One of those foster youth was Emily. She was born in Claiborne County, but it wasnt until she was 10 years old that her third grade teacher became concerned about signs of abuse and neglect. After a three-month investigation by the Department of Childrens Services (DCS), authorities found that Emilys parents were struggling with substance abuse. Emily was removed from their care.

Emily lived with three different foster families during her first year in the system. Finally, she found a stable home at 13 years old with a family in Knoxville. That lasted for two years when she had to move out because of a conflict with another teen in the home. Emily was able to move into a group home in Nashville.

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She then declined the offer to extend foster care services when she turned 18. Through the Belmont study, researchers were able to find out that Emily works minimum wage jobs and struggles to find affordable housing, relying on temporary shelters. The study went on to explain how her work and commute schedule makes it hard for her to access mental health services.

The topic of foster youth and child welfare is becoming something thats continuously more talked about, so its an incredible opportunity for us to be on the front lines of doing some work that helps to shape some of the recommendations, Baldwin added.

About a year ago, News 2 sat down with Tristan Slogh. His childhood was filled with several high-security placement facilities. That is until he turned 18, then the next hurtle.

The grades are in: TN Department of Education releases state report card for 2023-2024

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[I was] lashing out for a number of reasons a lot of problems that I was not  I dont think I even had the tools to deal with [it. I entered] DCS custody at 14, Slogh said. The plan was: youre going back home. Youre going to be with your mom. Youre going to be with your family. Eventually, it got to the point where I was about to turn 17 and I wasnt any closer to getting home.

Slogh was able to walk into another program, and became one of the success stories to come out of LifeSet. Its one of the nations first, and now largest, programs helping young people transition into adulthood after the foster care system.

The initiative was launched in 1998 in Tennessee and has since grown into other states to give more youth a second chance. The program is focused on young adults aged 17-21 years old.

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 recent study has found that stopping one method of deforestation also improves human health  making it a win-win.

Researchers at the University of Bonn and the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais discovered that a specific deforestation technique, known as slash and burn, not only has negative consequences on the environment and wildlife but also on human health.

However, enacting "measures to combat slash-and-burn techniques significantly reduce the concentration of particulate matter in the air," per Technology Networks.

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This is because this method uses fire, but halting the practice means less smoke in the air, resulting in higher air quality.

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In turn, "the number of hospital stays and deaths due to respiratory diseases" dropped, per the publication. The research team, whose findings were published in the journal Nature Communications, Earth & Environment, believes that nearly 700 lives each year were saved as a result of the forest protection and subsequent reduced air pollution.

The research honed in on the Amazon rainforest, the largest one in the world, covering over 2.5 million square miles. However, it's often subjected to deforestation, and its massive size is shrinking. Forest protection is essential for the health of the planet. Fortunately, there's plenty of evidence that conservation efforts work and can help struggling ecosystems rebound. Researchers around the world are working to increase the number of endangered animals, from huge whales to small snails.

Dr. Jan Borner, a researcher and professor at the University of Bonn, told Technology Networks that the Amazon study has two main takeaways: "Firstly, that the destruction of the rainforest can be successfully curbed. And, secondly, that this benefits not only the diversity of species and the global climate but also very specifically and very quickly the local population. This is an aspect that is still given too little consideration when assessing protective measures."

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.
Extreme weather exacerbated by our overheating planet is behind a rise in undocumented migration between the United States and Mexico, according to a new study.

What's happening?

Extreme weather has hit Mexico this year in the form of a prolonged drought and heatwaves. Chihuahua, a northern Mexico state, has been enduring a drought that has lasted nearly two years and has left farmers in the region at a loss of what to do next. A heatwave in spring forced officials to implement rolling power outages in Mexico City.

These are two examples of extreme weather, made worse by our warming world, that researchers say is behind a surge of more people from Mexico migrating to the United States.

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Scientists focused on nearly 4,000 undocumented people who crossed the border from Mexico into the U.S. for the first time. Researchers analyzed Mexico's daily climate data and the responses from nearly 50,000 people to surveys given over a 25-year period from 1992 to 2018 for their study.

"As the world's climate continues to change, human populations are exposed to increasingly severe and extreme weather conditions that can promote migration," the authors of the study wrote, per EcoWatch. "The findings  suggest that extreme weather conditions, which are likely to increase with climate change, promote clandestine mobility across borders and, thus, expose migrants to risks associated with crossing dangerous terrain."

Why is this migration study important?

Mexico has seen its share of extreme weather this year, while the United States is on pace to set a record for billion-dollar weather and climate disasters. Through the first day of November this year, there were 24 confirmed disasters in the country that had losses of at least $1 billion. That amount has nearly tripled the yearly number of such disasters, on average, experienced by the country between 1980 and 2023. It also means 2024 is well on its way to breaking the record of 28 billion-dollar weather or climate disasters seen last year.

While our overheating planet might not be the cause of all these disasters, our warming climate has been increasing the frequency and intensity of many extreme weather events not just in the United States but around the world. A World Weather Attribution study found that our warming world intensified the 10 deadliest extreme weather events of the past 20 years.

What's being done about extreme weather being intensified by our warming world?

Using our voices to raise awareness of how heat-trapping gases are raising the Earth's temperature and supercharging many forms of severe weather is important. Exploring critical climate issues and their impacts on our planet, and talking to family and friends about them, is a good place to start.

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.




In October, a member of the Reddit community r/meth, an online hub for methamphetamine enthusiasts, went viral for a series of posts purporting to be from an active duty soldier in the Sudanese civil war. In one post, he talks about looting baggies of crystal from the lifeless corpses of fallen foes. In another post, hes dropping notoriously inaccurate barrel bombs filled with whatever will go boom from an old, Soviet-era warplane.

This wasnt the first time 31-year-old Adande had tried meth. After having largely grown up abroad, hed already been busted for dealing the drug in Oman.

I was taken from jail and deported and thrown directly in the middle of the war zone, he told me. Stepping foot back in his homeland, where it was kill or be killed, Adande believed it was in his best interest to enlist.

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Adande said he belongs to a tribal militia called the United Front, which is now supporting the Sudanese military in its campaign against the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, a rebel military faction that broke with the government in 2023. He sent along a video of himself holding his ID as proof of his claims.

Im not in any specific division, I just happen to be related [to] the militia head, so I was trained a little and got to be a part of many aspects of the war, he said. I saw and still see ground action, aerial missions that are coordinated with the army, etc., but I am never on the frontlines as I mainly help with the technical/financial/logistics and anything else my education and experience allows  I do have a rank but it's kinda bulls**t and just based on the family/tribe thing and more honorary than anything. I was just lucky that even though I was never [living] here, just coming from the right family is enough to get preferential treatment.

Abande holding a gun

Sudan, on the frontiers of Arab-dominated North Africa and sub-Saharan Black Africa, has long relied on using tribal militias to quash insurgencies. One such militia was the Janjaweed (sometimes translated as devils on horseback), which carried out a genocidal counterinsurgency in the Darfur region of western Sudan from 2003 to 2005, before evolving into the paramilitary RSF led by General Hemedti. After dictator Omar al-Bashir was toppled via a revolution in 2019, the RSF and official Sudan Armed Forces stepped in to manage the transition of power. Then, in a 2021 coup detat, the SAF cast aside whatever remained of civilian leadership altogether to rule alongside Hemedtis RSF. But their uneasy power-sharing arrangement collapsed into open warfare by April last year.

The ethnic Arab RSF, backed by wealthy Middle Eastern monarchies such as the United Arab Emirates, has resumed its genocidal campaign against Black Sudanese, allegedly bursting into villages to gang-rape the women in front of their families and slaughter every male older than age 10. There have been reports of mass suicides among survivors. The death toll from the conflict may already be in the hundreds of thousands, although the true number is unknown, while over 14 million have been forced to abandon their homes.

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Sudan is a major producer and exporter of cannabis (known locally as "bango"), and for centuries that was the drug of choice until approximately 2019 with the arrival of stimulants, particularly methamphetamine or crystal meth. The seemingly sudden surge of meth use sparked a panic in Sudanese society. The reigning junta declared a war on drugs, claiming that counter-coup protesters were high, while independent media reports the narco-business is facilitated by elements within the military, police and RSF.

Lubna Ali, head of the Bit Makli Organisation and director of the Gadreen Centre for Addiction Treatment, the only such institution in the country which is still functioning, told Salon that in her centre in Port Sudan, 90% of substance use disorders involve methamphetamine.

Methamphetamine is not produced in Sudan  it only comes from overseas, Ali said. The drugs began spreading before the war and attracted the youth, because they have not had self-esteem for a long time. First of all the revolution, and after that corona[virus] comes and there is no school or work for two years. Then this war. Almost five years from when the youth are supposed to finish university, they are stuck in the second year or third year.

Abande holding a bag of meth

They feel they don't have any future, Ali continued. Some of them cope with the stress with drugs. Some of them committ suicide. Some of them illegally emigrate to Europe, paying whatever they have, selling their family houses or do anything. Maybe they sell drugs in the streets to get money to be able to escape out of the country.

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Ali noted that meth use has exploded since the outbreak of war, particularly among militia members. As for drug use within his ranks, Adande says it's very common.

More than half" the soldiers use it, he said, "mostly to be able to stay up for four or five days straight and get more s**t done, and yeah, recreationally too, and as a way to do missions that you probably won't do sober." Senior officers tend to "turn a blind eye if you can control yourself and do your part, and if you tweak and go crazy, you'll get killed in the next mission/raid/battle anyway, so that problem sorts itself out. He said some officers are using meth as well, but not as many or as visibly as ordinary soldiers.

Drugs and war have been a common combination throughout history. Probably the best-known case study was World War II, where stimulants were used on all sides to keep their troops fighting on minimal sleep. But pretty much any major conflict in the last 2,000 years has featured drugs in some way. The term Dutch courage (to do something drunk you'd be too scared to do sober) originates from the Anglo-Dutch wars of the 17th century, where soldiers braced themselves with sips of jenever, a Dutch version of gin.

The use of alcohol and other drugs during wartime is historically documented back as far as 333 B.C., with references to the use of opium poppy sap to relieve the suffering of war during Alexander the Great's invasion into Persia, said Dessa K. Bergen-Cico, a professor of addiction studies at Syracuse University.

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In the 1932-35 Chaco War between Bolivia and Paraguay, parcels of coca leaves were airdropped to Bolivian soldiers. Chewing coca provides a mild, invigorating buzz, and if processed further the leaves can be used to extract cocaine. During the 1939-40 Winter War with the Soviet Union, Finnish troops dosed themselves with heroin in order to keep fighting through their runny noses and the fierce Nordic winter. The Finns consumed 25 times more heroin than anyone else in the world, at a time when that drug could be found in any pharmacy as pills or cough syrup. Finland was so fond of heroin that the nation resisted U.N. efforts to ban it all the way into the 1950s.

Long before insurgents in the Middle East began deliberately blowing themselves up, the Japanese used kamikaze pilots in World War II, perhaps the first suicide bombers. Filling their planes with explosives, the kamikazes aim was to crash headfirst into U.S. warships, causing maximum damage. Methamphetamine was actually invented in 1893 by Japanese chemist Nagayoshi Nagai  before their final mission, the pilots were given large doses to fire them up in case the samurai credo of death before dishonor wasnt enough.

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The Nazis were especially mad for meth. Tank drivers and fighter pilots were fed meth-filled chocolate bars, and Berlin factories churned out 35 million energy pills for the 1940 invasion of France, which partly explains the rapid German advance  they were overamping (the technical term for tweaking) all the way to Paris. The Allies, meanwhile, swallowed pep pills known as Benzedrine: A hundred thousand pills were procured by Field Marshal Montgomery for the 1942 battle of El Alamein in Egypt. Only the Red Army didnt dose its troops with speed, instead drowning them in vodka.

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More recently, Captagon, a weaker speed-like stimulant, provided chemical courage to all sides during the Syrian civil war, numbing hunger, pain, fear and the need for sleep.

Substance abuse and addiction are closely correlated with trauma, and a population rattled by guns and grenades can take longer to find peace than negotiations themselves. After World War II, leftover meth stocks were peddled in occupied Tokyo by the yakuza, capitalizing on nationwide shock, defeat and humiliation. Could a postwar addiction crisis be awaiting Sudan?

Yes, it most certainly will, warned Bergen-Cico. Drugs, including alcohol, are mechanisms of defense from ones thoughts, emotions and physical pain. After decades of conflict, addiction rates among the population in Afghanistan are estimated at 10%. The Ukrainian Health Ministry and Ministry of Defense are actively preparing to meet the traumatic stress and addictions needs of its citizens, veterans and military  knowing that everyone has been affected to some extent.

As for Adande, when we last spoke he was hiring a smuggler to drive him over the desert abroad. It turns out Sudanese intelligence officers intel are on Reddit as well, and were not too impressed with his viral meth-posting.

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They have a capture or kill order on me, I know that from three reliable sources, he told me. Simply because of my history, background and online activity, they think Im paid by UAE or something and the level of noise my posts made means I am state-backed and not just an idiot over-sharing.

For his part, Adande was pessimistic about his nations future or a resolution to war, saying Its just Sudan being Sudan.
By Khalid Abdelaziz and Nafisa Eltahir

DUBAI/CAIRO (Reuters) - Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fighters have said they will work with a planned new government to oversee territories they control, the starkest move they have made towards a partition of the country after 20 months of civil war.

The RSF has been fighting the national army since April last year and now controls swathes of central and western Sudan including most of the capital Khartoum and the Darfur region, its traditional base.

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Any new administration ruling that area would be a challenge to the internationally recognised and army-led national government which was forced out of Khartoum last year and now operates on the Red Sea coast in Port Sudan.

A group of civilian politicians and armed group leaders have agreed to set up what they describe as a "peace government", members of the group told Reuters this week.

They said it would be civilian-led, independent of the RSF and set up to replace the government in Port Sudan which they accused of prolonging the war.

Three senior Sudanese political sources told Reuters this week that the RSF had worked with the politicians to form the government. The RSF said it had no current links to the government and would work with but not control the planned administration.

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"We in the RSF will only carry out the military and security role, but governing will be undertaken by civilian forces independently," it added in its statement to Reuters on Sunday.

There were no details on when any such administration might start and how it would choose representatives, govern or raise funds. Members of the group said it would be based in Khartoum.

The government in Port Sudan and the army - which controls the north and east of the country and is regaining ground in the centre - did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. In the past, both have said they are the sole national power and have accused the RSF and its backers of seeking to destroy the country.

Western diplomats told Reuters they were aware of discussions about a new administration, and said that any institution that emerged would be controlled by the RSF.

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"I see no one rushing to recognise them," one Western diplomat told Reuters on Monday.

"The biggest weakness of the RSF is no functioning chain of command. All the atrocities we see, how do we see that in a government?"

The U.S. and rights groups have said both sides have committed atrocities, and accused the RSF of carrying out ethnic cleansing in Darfur. Both sides have dismissed all the charges.

'MAXIMALIST TERRITORIAL CLAIMS'

The U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan, Tom Perriello, said last week any such new administration would be a step backwards.

"There are different things it could be, all of them bad, from government-in-exile to 'we are the government' to 'we are the government over the territory that we stand in,'" he told reporters in London.

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Members of the group who said they were forming a new government include officials who were part of the civilian-military power-sharing government that ruled Sudan for two years after the ouster of long-ruling president Omar al-Bashir in 2019.

While many of the participants do not have their own substantial constituencies or major active forces on the ground, they would gain a measure of authority in a body backed by the RSF, the political sources said.

Figures who confirmed their participation to Reuters included former Sovereign Council members Mohamed al-Taishi, Alhadi Idris and al-Tahir Hajar.

Others were politician Ibrahim al-Mirghani and Suleiman Sandal, the head of a faction of the Justice and Equality Movement.

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"The group in Port Sudan does not aim to have peace and refuses all initiatives to end the war," Taishi said on Monday.

"The Port Sudan authority is using its assumed authority... to divide the country through illegal unilateral moves," said Idris, citing recent moves to bring in new banknotes and launch school exams in army-held territory.

Amid all the talk, there is no end in sight for the war that erupted from a power struggle between the RSF and the army and has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 12 million and spread acute hunger and disease.

Attempts at peace talks have stalled and both sides have continued to draw on their foreign backers for arms, say rights groups and international observers.

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"Each belligerent has their own set of tools, and they're employing them without restraint, sticking to their maximalist territorial claims," Jalel Harchaoui, an associate fellow at the London-based Royal United Services Institute, said on Tuesday.

"This stubbornness, combined with unbridled foreign interference, may well result in partition."

(Additional reporting by Reade Levinson in London; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
Montana Supreme Court justices listen to oral arguments on May 15, 2024. (Photo by Blair Miller, Daily Montanan)

The ballot initiative to ban single-use plastics in Bozeman approved last month by voters was dealt a blow this week when the Montana Supreme Court reversed a lower courts decision that allowed the initiative to go onto the ballot in the first place.

In a 5-2 decision written by Chief Justice Mike McGrath, the states high court said that a bill passed by the Legislature in 2021 to preempt local ordinances, resolutions, initiatives and referendums regulating certain containers was not unconstitutional because the state constitution allows the Legislature to limit the powers of local government.

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Any limits on local government power must necessarily also include limits on the local power of initiative, McGrath wrote. Contrary to Cottonwoods position, the initiative power at any level  including local, statewide, and Constitutional amendments  has constraints.

Cottonwood Environmental Law Center attorney John Meyer sued in 2023 to challenge House Bill 407, passed in 2021 solely with Republican votes. The bill prohibited local governments from regulating or allowing citizens to pass initiatives to regulate what the bill called auxiliary containers, which include things like plastic bags and straws, among other things.

A Cottonwood member sought to place an initiative on the ballot for 2024 to regulate single-use plastics in Bozeman, but it was rejected by the Bozeman city attorney, who said the petition was outside of local initiative power because of the 2021 law. Meyer then sued in late November 2023.

He argued that the law stripped citizens of their constitutional right to run ballot initiatives, and that the law violated Montanans rights under the state constitution to a clean and healthful environment.

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In March, Lewis and Clark County District Court Judge Michael McMahon agreed with Meyers argument that the law preventing local initiatives on containers was unconstitutional, and Gallatin County agreed to process the petition. But McMahon did not issue an order regarding Cottonwoods claim that the law changes that came from HB 407 violated the right to a clean and healthful environment.

The State of Montana  the defendant in the case  appealed McMahons ruling on the first claim, however, and the case was fully briefed before the Supreme Court by Nov. 20.

Meanwhile, voters in Bozeman approved the single-use plastic ban ordinance 63% to 37% earlier that month.

But the Supreme Courts decision reverses McMahons, though the court noted several times in both the majority opinion and dissent that the clean and healthful environment claim is still ripe for review. A hearing on that claim is scheduled for early next year.

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A local initiative could not preempt state law, just as a statewide initiative could not preempt the Constitution or a constitutional initiative could not preempt the United States Constitution, McGrath wrote in the majority opinion. Cottonwood has not pointed us to any cases  in this jurisdiction or others  that have held otherwise.

The opinion effectively says that if the Legislature has passed a state law prohibiting local governments from exercising certain powers, that also prohibits local citizens from trying to exercise those powers through initiative.

Joining Justice McGrath in the majority were Justices Beth Baker, Jim Shea, Dirk Sandefur and Jim Rice. Justice Laurie McKinnon wrote the dissent, joined by Justice Ingrid Gustafson.

McKinnons dissent says the majority is correct that the state constitution allows local governments to exercise any power not prohibited by either the constitution, local government charter or state statute. But she said that applying limitations on local government should not infringe on the right of the power of initiative the constitution grants to Montana citizens.

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State jurisdictional and regulatory authority could be considered in the context of the local initiative without infringing on the peoples constitutional right of initiative, McKinnon wrote. Cottonwoods constitutional claims that [the statute] violates the right to a clean and healthful environment notwithstanding, the Montana Constitution expressly authorizes the legislature to constrain local governments in precisely that manner.

But she added that the constitutions specific and narrow limitations on the peoples initiative powers  simply do not contemplate curtailing that power when the people seek to regulate auxiliary containers.

As the District Court observed, the States argument that state statutes providing for a statewide policy can restrict the peoples constitutional right of initiative is the equivalent of stating that the Constitution may be amended by statute, McKinnon wrote. Such a patently absurd assertion upends elementary principles of constitutional supremacy.

Meyer declined to comment on the courts decision Friday because the case is still active. He and the state are due back in Lewis and Clark County District Court for a hearing on the clean and healthful environment claim on Feb. 6, he said.

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The Montana Supreme Court issued the decision in Cottonwood on Wednesday and almost simultaneously released its decision affirming the lower courts decision in Held v. Montana, holding that Montanas greenhouse gas emissions and two laws that prohibited the state from looking at those emissions when considering whether to grant energy project permits violated the constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment.

The District Courts conclusion of law is affirmed: Montanas right to a clean and healthful environment and environmental life support system includes a stable climate system, which is clearly within the object and true principles of the Framers inclusion of the right to a clean and healthful environment, McGrath wrote in the 6-1 majority opinion in that case.

cottonwood-mtsc
WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR)  Panic is beginning to set in for thousands of TikTok creators and users. TikTok is set to make its case to block a looming ban of the app before the Supreme Court Jan 10th.

Wednesday the Supreme Court agreed to fast track TikToks legal challenge. Federal law requires TikTok sell to an American buyer by Jan 19th, 2025, or be banned in the U.S.

Daven Gates, whos amassed 2.7 million followers on the app, opening the door for brand deals and even a cookbook, says he is nervous watching the legal fight unravel.

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Gates, a military veteran, husband and father credits the app for quadrupling his income and healing his mental health. He says hes now able to take care of not just his immediate family but extended family thanks to the community hes fostered online. He argues TikToks algorithm is like no other because of its virality.

Ive loved to cook my whole life, but I never thought that I would get, like, the notoriety or popularity from it. You know, my family loves my food, but its different when other strangers who dont know you, says Gates.

TikTok argues the federal law at the center of the ban is unconstitutional and violates the free speech of its roughly 170 million American users. Congress passed the law forcing TikTok to sell with sweeping bipartisan support. President Joe Biden signed it into law in April 2024.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) who helped champion the effort, argues TikToks Chinese parent company, Byte Dance, poses a national security threat. He says hes baffled by TikToks free speech argument.

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Creators they have the right to speech in general, but no foreign corporation has the right to do business in the United States, especially if that foreign corporation is controlled by a hostile government that is spying on our citizens, says Hawley.

TikTok denies accusation it shares user data with China and has refused to sell the app.

Like many TikTok creators Gates isnt sold on the national security argument. He believes TikTok is being singled out.

President-elect Donald Trump has grown increasingly sympathetic to TikToks causes. He campaigned on a promise to save the app but has yet to offer a solution.

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BROWNWOOD, Texas (KTAB/KRBC)  A suspect has sentenced to 40 years in prison following a stabbing incident at Lake Brownwood.

Jamal Baker was sentenced to 40 years for Aggravated Assault in connection to a stabbing at Flat Rock Park in May.

Police say first responders were dispatched to a disturbance a the park, and when they arrived, they found a female victim had been stabbed in her lower extremities.

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A press release from the Brown County District Attorneys Office says a knife blade broke off in her hip and Baker tried to stab a second victim after that.

Baker was also charged with a felony offense for a separate incident in which Baker shot an

individual, a press release explains. During the punishment phase of the trial, the jury heard evidence of this shooting from 2022.

For the shooting, Baker received 10 years in prison.

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(KRON)  A man connected to the fatal shooting of a 2-year-old in April was arrested in Alameda on Wednesday, the Alameda Police Department said. The victim was struck by a bullet in the parking lot of an IHOP in Federal Way, Wash.

APD took 31-year-old Jerome Lewis into custody, describing him as a suspect in the shooting. Lewis was living at a city-owned home for homeless people in Alameda.

Bay Area senior women accused of shoplifting from Palisades Tahoe ski shop

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The shooting happened on April 4 just before 10 a.m. The Federal Way Police Department responded to a shooting call in the IHOP parking lot and was informed minutes later that the young victim had arrived at a hospital with a gunshot wound.

Lewis is the second suspect to be arrested in this case. A 17-year-old suspect was arrested on Oct. 2 and will be charged as an adult.

Police arrested Lewis on a warrant for first-degree murder. The Federal Way Mirror reported that Lewis was the getaway driver, and the juvenile suspect shot the boy and his father.

Lewis will be extradited to Washington, and his bail is set at $3 million. He does not have a criminal record in Alameda.

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LOS ANGELES (KTLA)  Los Angeles police have arrested a man they believe set fire to several vehicles and structures in the San Fernando Valley earlier this year.

The fires were set on the evening of Oct. 20 in the Sherman Oaks area, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Several vehicles, dumpsters and a utility building were set on fire along Ventura Boulevard and Kester Street, police said.

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The Los Angeles Fire Department extinguished the fires and immediately determined that they were the result of arson.

This map from the Los Angeles Police Department shows the locations where several fires were intentionally set on Oct. 20, 2024.

An investigation was launched by the LAPDs Major Crimes Division, which eventually identified 42-year-old Ricardo Villanueva of Van Nuys as the suspect.

A wanted flyer with Villanuevas photo and description was distributed to law enforcement which helped lead to his arrest on Thursday during an unrelated traffic stop in Van Nuys.

Villanueva was taken into custody and arrested on suspicion of arson for the October fire spree. Hes currently being held at the Valley Jail in Van Nuys on $230,000 bail.

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The arrest of Villanueva comes the same day that several cars and a building were set ablaze in the Van Nuys and Sherman Oaks area. Authorities have not said if the fires are related.

In November, several Sherman Oaks residents voiced concern that their neighborhood was being targeted by a serial arsonist.

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New Year's Eve fireworks on Sydney's harbour could be canned due to safety concerns, Australian police said on Friday.

New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb said she had "grave concerns" about safety given industrial action by transport unions in the city.

"Each year, we police New Years Eve on the basis that 250,000 people can come into the city and then safely leave the city," she told a media conference.

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"Leaving the city is based on access to transport, including trains. And if trains arent available and people cant leave the city, I have very large concerns of the risk that will create to the public."

Webb said she had not ruled out a recommendation to the government to cancel the fireworks.

"It's that serious," she said.

Earlier this week, Rail Tram and Bus Union members voted to commence industrial action from December 28, as they seek a better pay deal.

More than 1 million spectators are expected along the Sydney Harbour foreshore for the New Year's Eve fireworks. Fireworks are expected to dazzle the harbour from the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Sydney Opera House and rooftops across the skyline.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV)  A Syracuse man pled guilty on Friday, Dec. 20, to 10 counts of receipt of child pornography in federal court.

David Hullihen, 41, admitted that he sent multiple videos showing child sexual abuse to another person. His cellphone also contained child sexual abuse material.

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Hullihen is a registered sex offender with two previous convictions for child pornography in New York.

The offenses that Hullihen pled guilty to carry a prison sentence of 15-40 years, along with a fine of up to $250,000, restitution to the children whose images he possessed and distributed and a term of supervised release between five years to life after his release from prison.

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In the face of post-Cold War drawdowns, the U.S. Air Force pushed ahead with buying the famously expensive F-22 Raptor stealth fighter in part because of a perhaps unexpected reason: concerns about Syrian air defenses.

Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall talked about the Syrian connection to the F-22s story during an online discussion that the Air & Space Forces Associations Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies hosted earlier today. Kendall is an Army veteran and career civil servant who has held various positions within the Department of Defense and the Air Force since the 1980s, including ones in which he was directly involved in crafting requirements for what became the F-22.

The Air Force selected Lockheeds YF-22 as the winner of its Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) competition, beating out Northrops YF-23, in 1991 just as the Soviet Union was collapsing. U.S. military spending notably contracted following the end of the Cold War ended with various high-profile programs being canceled or severely truncated, as a result. Questions were raised about the multi-billion-dollar F-22 acquisition program.

Northrops YF-23, at top, flies alongside Lockheeds YF-22. USAF

The scenario that we used  on a requirements basis to convince ourselves, [and] Secretary [of Defense Dick] Cheney, that we should continue with the F-22 was Syria, Kendall said today. Right after the Cold War,  they had [one of] the most modern  integrated air defenses at the time.

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During the 1970s and 1980s, the Syrian military did amass a significant array of Soviet short, medium, and long-range surface-to-air missile systems. This included fixed site types like the SA-2 Guideline and SA-5 Gammon, self-propelled designs like the SA-6 Gainful and the SA-11 Gadfly, and multiple variants of the Strela family of man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS).

Part of an Iranian SA-5 surface-to-air missile system seen in 2009. Ali Shayegan/AFP via Getty Images

A Russian SA-11 self-propelled surface-to-air missile system. YURI KADOBNOV/AFP via Getty Images YURI KADOBNOV

In the end, the F-22 program was still significantly scaled back ostensibly over its high cost and the Air Force only received 187 examples in the end, a decision widely viewed today as near-sighted.

Its certainly interesting to consider that Syrian air defenses were once significant enough to drive the development of something like the F-22, which remains the most capable fighter in U.S. inventory today. Syria was actually the first locale where the Raptor was employed in combat, with the stealthy jets striking ISIS terrorists in the country in 2014. F-22s were utilized in part because of their survivability against potential threats from the regime in Damascus. F-22s continued to operate over the country for years afterward to help shield U.S. forces and their local partners from Syrian forces, as well as their Iranian and Russian allies.

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Kendalls comments about the Syrian scenario and the F-22 came in response to a question about future stand-in strike capabilities.

It depends upon who youre standing against  Clearly, we need some of that capability [against] critical targets. It can be accomplished in different ways. You can do it with stand-off weapons, up to a point, but theres a cost associated with that, Kendall explained, after which he shared the F-22/Syria anecdote.

Our pacing challenge today is not Syria. Its much tougher, he continued. You gotta take a harder look at whats the right mix and what do you want to do with it. The other thing thats true is that Syria was not a nuclear power. Russia and China are nuclear powers with a lot of nuclear weapons. So what you would do in a conventional conflict with them has to be done with an eye to what are the consequences in the strategic [realm].

The Air Force is currently in the process of acquiring a new dedicated Stand-in Attack Weapon (SiAW) missile to provide [a] capability to strike rapidly re-locatable targets that create the Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) environment, according to the services 2025 Fiscal Year budget request. Those targets include Theater Ballistic Missile Launchers, Land Attack and Anti-Ship Cruise Missile Launchers, Jammers, Anti-Satellite Systems, and Integrated Air Defense Systems.

A US Air Force F-16C Viper fighter releases a SiAW test missile. USAF

Northrop Grumman is leading the development of the SiAW, which is a derivative of the companys AGM-88G Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile-Extended Range (AARGM-ER) missile. AARGM-ER, a program the U.S. Navy is leading, is intended primarily to punch holes in enemy air defenses, though it will also have a more general secondary strike capability. The stealthy F-35A Joint Strike Fighter is expected to be the first platform armed with the SiAW, which could find its way onto other aircraft and that you can read more about here.

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Kendalls comments today about the capability mixes and cost considerations also come as the services plans for a new sixth-generation stealth combat jet, as part of its larger Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) modernization initiative, are very much in question. A final decision on how to proceed with that program has now been pushed into next year when President-elect Donald Trump takes office. The fate of other Air Force advanced aviation efforts, including its Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) drone program and plans to acquire stealthy aerial refueling tankers, are also intertwined with the NGAD combat jet decision.

The current pacing challenge, or China, China, China as Kendall has liked to say during his tenure as Air Force Secretary, will be a key factor in any decision-making about Air Force modernization plans, just like Syria apparently was for the F-22.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com
As U.S. diplomats arrived in Damascus on Friday, Syria's de facto new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa will likely have greeted them with a clear message: Under his rule, there will be no threat to the West.

Sharaa, who has dropped his nom de guerre of Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, has been pushing this line in meetings with Western diplomats and the media since rebel forces, led by his Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, toppled the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. As his new administration takes charge, he has also called for the United States and other countries to drop sanctions against Syria.

Now, after all that has happened, sanctions must be lifted because they were targeted at the old regime, Sharaa, dressed in a smart suit and a white shirt, told the BBC in an interview earlier this week, having abandoned the camouflage military fatigues and turban he once wore as a jihadist leader.

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The victim and the oppressor should not be treated in the same way, he added.

He has also attempted to move away from his past as a jihadist leader with links to both the Islamic State terrorist group and Al Qaeda.

Striking a more moderate tone, Sharaa has vowed to usher in an era of change driven by a vision of an inclusive Syria in which the countrys many religious and ethnic groups will be represented.

Ahmed al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani and the head of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebel group.

But with a $10 million U.S. bounty on his head and as the current leader of a group that has been designated a terrorist organization by Washington and others, he faces an uphill battle to convince people that he is a changed man.

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Sharaa has been embracing a more conventional image, Joze Pelayo, an associate director at the Atlantic Councils Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative, told NBC News. But I think he needs to walk the talk for that recognition and for that approval to remain sustainable.

Sharaa has also attempted to present HTS as more moderate, insisting in his BBC interview that it should not be considered a terrorist group because it does not target civilians or civilian areas.

Sharaa, then known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, in a media appearance in July 2016.

Unlike the Taliban in Afghanistan, which barred women from higher education, public spaces like parks and most jobs, the BBC reported that Sharaa said he would be much more inclusive and had pointed to HTS' record in regions it has governed in recent years, particularly in the city of Idlib in Syrias northwest.

There, he said, universities had been teaching for more than eight years, adding, I think the percentage of women in universities is more than 60%.

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Sharaa also promised that a Syrian committee of legal experts would be formed to write a new constitution for the country. They will decide. And any ruler or president will have to follow the law, he said.

Hes saying all of the things that I think Washington and Europe want to hear in terms of a transition leading to a government thats inclusive and reflective of the will of all Syrians, said Dana Stroul, a former senior Defense Department official who served in the Biden administration.

What we dont know is, how long that will hold? Will he walk the walk and not just talk the talk? And if he doesnt win in the elections, will he peacefully stand aside for whoever does win? I think those are big questions," added Stroul, who is now a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

The Biden administration has said it is weighing whether to remove HTS from its list of terrorist organizations  but that will depend on whether it views Sharaa and his new leadership group as one that it can engage with.

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Were watching what they do now and certainly making clear that they want to be inclusive in dealing with other groups inside Syria, making clear that they respect women and minorities as they stand up interim governing authorities  making clear that Syria wont be used as a base for terrorist groups, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said at a briefing Tuesday.

But while many are wary of Sharaa's transformation, throughout Syria's civil war he carved out his own path during his rise to power, defying ISIS and Al Qaeda along the way.

Born in Syria in 1982, he was among the foreign fighters to cross into Iraq to fight against U.S. forces after they invaded the country in 2003 and was detained by the American military, according to The Associated Press.

People celebrating the end of the 54-year Assad family rule in Damascus.

As Syrias civil war erupted in 2011, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), sent him back home to establish the Al-Nusra Front, a branch of Al Qaeda. But when Baghdadi called on Sharaa to merge Al-Nusra with the ISI and form ISIS, he refused and instead pledged allegiance to Al Qaeda.

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In 2017, he dissolved the Al-Nusra Front to form HTS, which would maintain power in Idlib before it led the sweeping rebel takeover of Syria earlier this month, forcing out Assad and his regime.

Sharaa's track record as a leader in Idlib, where HTS was in control, was relatively positive, current and former U.S. officials have said. But its an open question how he and his allies would fare governing the whole country, which is much more diverse than Idlib.

But in a report last year on human rights practices in Syria, the State Department said HTS had reportedly permitted confessions obtained through torture and executed or forcibly disappeared perceived opponents and their families.

HTS held detainees incommunicado in secret detention facilities referred to as security prisons, it added, citing another study by the United Nations Commission of Inquiry for Syria.

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Hossam Jazmati, a Syrian researcher who has written extensively about Sharaa, also noted that for months in Idlib, the HTS leader had faced protests from both hard-line Islamists and more moderate Syrian activists, some of whom accused HTS of trying to quell critics' voices with arrests and detentions.

A taxi passes a man at Yarmouk camp in Damascus, Syria, on Thursday.

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Jazmati said Sharaa will have to carefully consider his approach should opposition to his leadership arise in Damascus and beyond particularly if he wants the support of the international community. That approval, he added, is what matters most for him so that his organization is removed from terrorism classification.

Pelayo at the Atlantic Council agreed. Sharaa understood the importance of projecting the appearance of a modern leader to facilitate normalization, avoid further tensions and remove the current sanctions that are on the Syrian government, he said.

Over the past two weeks, he has shown that he can tweak kind of his ideological background if that means success for his political aspirations, Pelayo said, adding that Sharaa appeared to have a lot of them.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand  Taiwan, which ratified a record defense budget of $20.2 billion in August as it contemplates rising Chinese aggression, received a first batch of 38 M1A2T Abrams tanks on home shores this month.

After being unloaded at Taipeis port on Dec. 15, the tanks were transported to the Armor Training Command in Hsinchu County southwest of Taipei. Around ten will remain there for training purposes.

The M1A2T is a customized M1A2 SEPv2 Abrams version, and these are the first new tanks Taiwan has received in nearly a quarter of a century. Taiwan previously received M60A3 TTS tanks from the U.S. between 1995 and 2001.

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Following this months first batch, 42 more Abrams tanks would be delivered next year, and the final 28 in 2026, Taiwans Ministry of National Defense (MND) said. Taiwan had ordered them in 2019.

Chen Kuoming, a Taipei-based military analyst, told Defense News the weapons are meant most importantly for defending the Taipei capital area. They will outfit an armored brigade in Linkou in Taipei, and another brigade in Hukou in Hsinchu.

The Abrams represents a significant step up in terms of firepower and protection compared to the existing fleet of M60A3 and M48H/CM11 models, which are armed with a 105mm main gun.

Chen said those tank types were too old and outdated, although 108 new Abrams are just not enough to cover replacements in central and southern Taiwan as well.

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No runways, no sorties: Chinese missiles threaten US airpower plans

Tanks essentially represent a final line of defense against any Chinese invasion. Taiwans earlier lines of defense against an amphibious assault include anti-ship missiles, artillery and rockets as well as attack helicopters.

From the Russia-Ukraine war, weve seen drones and loitering munitions attacking tanks, Chen said. He therefore expressed a need for the new M1A2Ts to be upgraded against such aerial attacks.

In that context, the analyst warned of diminishing returns for tank investments. Instead, he suggested the budget should be used on other equipment like small drones and loitering munitions, Javelin antitank missiles, Stinger air defense missiles or lighter armored vehicles.

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I want to encourage army officers to think about future wars, so theyll change their thoughts about buying heavier tanks, he urged.

Taiwan is also in receipt of an initial 11 of 29 M142 HIMARS rocket launchers. The defense ministry revealed that the first tranche arrived in October, with 18 more systems due before the end of 2026. These HIMARS were delivered to the 58th Artillery Command in Taichung, a city midway down Taiwans west coast.

Taiwans army has received a first batch of an undisclosed number of MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) from the U.S. too. Fired from the HIMARS launchers, the ATACMSs range of 186 miles (300km) puts mainland China within strike range.
(Bloomberg) -- A new wave of political wrangling between Taiwans ruling and opposition parties that has involved street protests and lawmakers tussling adds to questions about President Lai Ching-tes ability to govern one of the worlds most dangerous geopolitical hotspots.

Most Read from Bloomberg

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On Friday morning, members of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party piled desks, chairs and other furniture to block the entrance of the legislatures assembly hall in Taipei, while Kuomintang legislators pushed and shoved to get past them. Two lawmakers threw water bottles at each other.

Opposition parties still managed to push through three key amendments by midnight Friday, including a law that could effectively make it more difficult for the Constitutional Court, which doesnt currently have a full bench of judges, to strike down legislation.

About 2,000 protesters gathered on the streets to voice their anger at what they see as efforts to undercut Lais government. The demonstration was peaceful and recalled unrest in May, when larger protests were held, over a KMT-led effort to expand the legislatures powers that eventually failed.

The tensions are the latest challenge to Lai in leading Taiwan, which China has pledged to bring under its control by force if necessary. The Peoples Liberation Army has held major drills around the main island twice since Lai took power. Last week Beijing sent a large number of naval vessels near the archipelago after Lai made stops in Hawaii and the US territory of Guam on a trip to visit Pacific allies.

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The political wrangling comes as President Joe Biden, who repeatedly vowed to defend the democracy of 23 million people from any Chinese invasion, prepares to leave the White House.

President-elect Donald Trumps return next month casts doubts over those reassurances, adding fresh turbulence to one of the biggest sources of tension between the two nuclear-armed superpowers. Trump has appointed several China hawks to key positions, a move that leaders in Taiwan have interpreted as meaning they will continue to have US backing.

The KMT, which wants closer ties with China, says the legal changes are badly needed reforms. But the Constitutional Court amendment especially angered protesters, who see the institution as a defender of their decades-old democracy. The court shot down the KMTs plan to expand legislative power in October.

Xeni Li, a 32-year-old online retailer, said she and other demonstrators know that the DPP cant stop the amendments but feel it is important to preserve checks on that system.

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We still have the Constitutional Court to protect our rights, she said.

The amendment that passed on Friday will now require 10 justices to hand down a ruling, and nine must be in agreement. At present, the court only has eight justices after a slew of retirements, and Lais nominees must be approved by lawmakers.

A document filed in support of the amendment said the changes ensure the apex court can cover a plurality of opinions and viewpoints in big cases.

This is aimed at paralyzing the Constitutional Court and amounts to retaliation for its ruling in October, Chang Chun-hao, a professor of political science at Tunghai University in the central city of Taichung, said.

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This is unprecedented in Taiwans history, Chang said.

The opposition also passed legislation making it harder to recall elected officials. Another amendment reduces the share of tax revenue allocated to the central government, and instead directs it to cities and counties, which are mostly controlled by the KMT.

Even though the opposition has managed to pass the changes, they wont necessarily become law immediately. Lai can send them back to the legislature once, though the opposition would likely approve them again. He could also try to submit them to the Constitutional Court, the subject of arguably the most significant amendment.

Following the passage of the amendments, President Lai said on his Facebook account that the DPP legislature caucus would adopt all possible remedies, and the cabinet would protect the constitutional system in accordance with the rights granted by the constitution.

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--With assistance from Cindy Wang.

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Ahmad Morjan was desperate to hug his mother for the first time in more than 13 years but, when he reached the door of his childhood home, he found her head to the ground, kneeling in prayer.

Morjan immediately dropped to his knees too and cried Oh God! in gratitude for a reunion he believed might never happen.

For a moment, the two remained prostrated before finally embracing and weeping with joy.

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The poignant moment, shared on social media, is one of countless homecomings seen across Syria in the wake of its sudden liberation from the Assad dynastys rule. A trickle of those forced out of the country by the conflict are returning to what remains of the lives they lived before they fled.

Syrias 13-year civil war forced 6 million people to become refugees and saw 7 million become internally displaced, according to the United Nations.

Of those who fled the country, one million are expected to return in the first six months of 2025, the UNs refugee agency said Tuesday, as it appealed for donors to help support their humanitarian needs.

Many have longed to return for years, but in the immediate aftermath of a sudden rebel takeover, not all are keen to hurry back to an unstable country with an uncertain future.

It was pure joy

When the uprising against Assad began in the spring of 2011, Morjan, then an 18-year-old high school student, picked up a camera and started filming the massive demonstrations that rocked his city, Aleppo.

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He soon became known to government security forces and the citys feared intelligence units, which forced him into hiding, he told CNN in an interview this week from Gaziantep, southern Turkey.

In 2012, Aleppo was split in two - Free Syrian Army rebels wrested control of the eastern portion of the city, while the rest, including Morjans neighborhood, remained under government control.

Morjan, hunted and afraid, said he decided to cross battle lines and flee into opposition territory, leaving his family behind.

He threw himself into his work at an activist-run media network, while Syrian troops encircled and besieged the enclave, eventually cutting it off from food, water, medicine, and basic supplies. Barrel bombs, crudely made explosive devices packed into oil barrels and dropped from helicopters, pummeled the quarter of million people trapped in the hellscape.

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The international community condemned what it called the kneel or starve campaign but, ultimately, Assad got his surrender.

In December 2016, rebel forces and civilians withdrew from the city under an evacuation agreement, and government forces re-established control.

We are leaving with our dignity, Morjan said in a video he filmed of the exodus and posted online at the time. We are leaving with our heads held high, and we will return one day.

Ahmad Morjan left Syria in 2016, and is eager to rebuild his life there now that former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been toppled. - Ahmad Morjan

Morjan made his way to Turkey, home to more than 3.2 million Syrian refugees, where he started a family, found a job, and built a life. But Syria was never far from his mind.

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On the night that rebels took control of Aleppo this month, on their march to reach the capital and ultimately overthrow Assad, Morjan called his mother and vowed he would return now that his city was liberated.

I cannot describe the feeling of returning home after 13 years of exile, Morjan said.

When I finally reached the front door, my legs would no longer carry me. We were so happy and overwhelmed that my mom and I both kneeled and prayed. It was pure joy.

But despite this happiness his return was fraught, he said, with the knowledge that ex-government forces and shadowy former intelligence officers lurked in the citys streets. Morjan enjoyed a home-cooked meal, laughed, and chatted with loved ones all evening, then left again first thing in the morning.

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Now he is back in Gaziantep, preparing to move permanently back to Aleppo with his wife, whos also from Syria, and their two young daughters, both born in Turkey, in the next few months.

He knows it will be dangerous and difficult to eke out a living in a country where 90% of the population lives below the poverty line, according to the UN, but he said its worth it.

I am optimistic about the future, and I have huge hope that the country will be better than before, Morjan said. All our efforts, all the blood that was shed for the revolution, will be the seeds that sow a new Syria.

Ahmad Morjan is reunited with his mother, after 13 years apart, following the fall of the Assad regime earlier this month. - Ahmed Morjan

Revenge killing fears

Hussam Kassas pleaded with his Bedouin smugglers to let him die in the desert. It was a 13-hour walk out of Syria and across the Jordanian border to safety, back in early 2016, but he couldnt take another step.

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Only two months prior, he had undergone surgery to remove shrapnel from his knees, the lingering aftermath of a barrel bomb blast that had torn through his legs.

I told them, just leave me on the ground, I dont want to carry on, let the regime find me and kill me, he told CNN in an interview this week from Manchester, northern England. But those two people (the smugglers) encouraged me, and even carried me some of the way.

The human rights activist made it to Jordan and, years later, the United Kingdom granted him and his wife student visas. The young family arrived in Manchester in August 2023, and quickly applied for asylum. Kassas could finally imagine a safe and stable future, but his relief was short-lived.

His application, along with that of tens of thousands of other asylum-seekers across Europe, is now suspended.

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The governments of the UK, Austria, Germany, Greece and Sweden and others have announced a pause in the processing of all Syrian asylum requests to allow authorities to reassess the situation on the ground now that the threat of Assad is gone.

Hussam Kassas, who fled Syria in 2016, fears returning there would put his family in danger. - Hussam Kassas

But new risks are emerging. The United States, UN, and several countries consider the main group now governing Syria, Hayat-Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, a designated terrorist organization. In the wake of the rebels lightning advance on the capital, more than a million people fled their homes; most are now internally displaced, according to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR.

UNHCR has said the suspensions are acceptable, as long as no asylum-seekers are forcibly returned to Syria and that they continue to enjoy protections wherever they reside.

We want these returns to be voluntary. We want these returns to be sustainable, and we want to be able to help people return to a place where they can stay, William Spindler, a UNHCR spokesperson, told CNN.

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Kassas says he fears retribution if he returns to Syria.

He worked as a paramedic and human rights defender in his home province of Daraya, a Damascus suburb, during the civil war. His job was to document potential war crime violations by any party to the conflict  rebel, government or otherwise  and report the cases to international agencies, a role he says puts him at particular risk.

I do not want my family, my sons, to become the victims of a revenge killing, Kassas said. Just because the Syrian president fled the country, that doesnt mean his soldiers and secret service officers suddenly become peaceful angels.

He welcomed a second son, born in England, two weeks before his dream of a Syria free of Assad came true.

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But that dream has turned into a nightmare for his family. Both his right to work and right to rent permits are set to expire next month, and he worries he could lose his job and his apartment in Manchester if they are not renewed, with his asylum application on hold. He feels under threat, again.

I chose to take the risk of being a human rights defender and an activist, and I was willing to sacrifice myself to build a better country, Kassas said. But I will not let my wife and kids pay for the decisions that I made.

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Outrage and an ongoing FBI investigation ensued after the discovery that about $100 million was missing from trust funds for disabled and injured people no longer able to earn a living. But the backlash could grow.

Taxpayers in many states may also have been victimized by Leo Govoni, the Clearwater businessperson at the center of the investigation, according to the head of a California nonprofit appointed by a federal court to oversee the depleted trust funds.

Will Lindahl, the executive director of the CPT Institute, told the Tampa Bay Times that two-thirds of the money that should have been set aside for medical treatment through Medicare was missing. He said he also believes funds left over after beneficiaries died were kept by Govoni instead of used to reimburse states for treatment paid by Medicaid.

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Govoni, who founded and grew the Center for Special Needs Trust Administration, has been accused in federal bankruptcy court of orchestrating the siphoning of money from more than 1,500 medical trust funds as a loan. It was not repaid, forcing the St. Petersburg nonprofit into bankruptcy.

Lindahl, who has more than 26 years of experience administering special needs trust funds, was granted access to the centers accounts after his group was appointed by a federal judge. For more than two decades, he and Govoni were competitors, heading up two of the nations largest trust fund nonprofits.

This makes me sick to my stomach, he said. I cant believe this guy got away with this since 2009  how the hell does that happen?

The center oversaw more than 2,000 trusts when it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February. In most cases, the funds were set up after the awarding of damages to victims of accidents and medical malpractice and for large workers' compensation awards.

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In cases where an award includes money for the future medical care of a person who is on disability or likely to be eligible for Medicare, the federal government recommends money be placed in a dedicated fund. The set-aside fund must be used up before the victims treatment can be claimed through the federal program.

Managing Medicare set-aside funds was a service offered by one of Govonis other companies, Lindahl said. It appears those funds were placed with a fake set-aside company.

Many other (set-aside funds) are missing, Lindahl said.

The abuse of those types of funds is not surprising, said Charles David, a probate attorney with the Gainesville-based Florida Probate Law Group.

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The law establishing the set-asides was intended to protect Medicare but lacks an enforcement mechanism, he said.

If nobody is asking for or looking for this money, some people will take advantage of that, David said. Theres no oversight that Im aware of  there should be.

Lindahl said he also has concerns that trust fund money left over after a beneficiary dies was misappropriated.

For some trusts, leftover money goes to the named trust beneficiaries after any Medicaid liens have been paid. In others, the remains are shared between the states Medicaid agency and the nonprofit group that administered the trust.

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Lindahl said that center staff he interviewed were not allowed to wind down trusts. Instead, that was handled by John Staunton, an elder law attorney who cofounded the center with Govoni.

The center managed trust funds for individuals in 40 states, but Lindahl said he could find no records of repayments to any state Medicaid programs.

States' Medicaid agencies and Medicare got screwed, he said.

Staunton, 72, graduated from Stetson Universitys law school in 1997. He is a longtime business partner of Govonis, with the pair co-owing several companies, state records show.

The university in 2008 named a suite housing its elder law center after the pair, who also paid for an endowment toward the cost of a faculty position teaching elder law. The suite has since been relocated and no longer bears their name.

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Staunton is named as a defendant in two lawsuits filed in federal court on behalf of trust fund holders whose money is missing. The Florida Bar has an open investigation into Staunton, according to spokesperson Jennifer Krell Davis.

Telephone numbers listed for Staunton on his Florida Bar profile page and voter registration are no longer in service. He did not respond to multiple requests for comment sent to his email.

Daniel Nicholas, an attorney representing Staunton in the centers Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, said he could not comment on allegations he is unfamiliar with. He pointed out that Staunton resigned as a director of the center in 2009.

The trustee appointed to handle the winding down of the center recently asked a federal judge to approve a summary judgment against Govoni as the guarantor of the unpaid loan. Based on the conclusions by a forensic accountant, Govoni and his Boston Finance Group owe $120 million to the bankruptcy estate, the motion states.

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Attorneys representing Govoni from the Tampa firm Trenam Law asked the court to accept his debt totaling about $30 million. Those attorneys then withdrew as his counsel a little more than a week ago citing irreconcilable differences.

The judge has yet to rule on the amount of the debt.

The CPT Institute is one of the largest non-profit trustees in the nation. Lindahl said his firm will do everything it can to help each trust fund holder and their families. It has waived setup fees for all 2,000 trusts and CPT support Counsel Kevin Urbatsch has recruited 40 volunteer attorneys to assist with the work of reviewing and moving trusts to the institute.

But Lindahl said his review of the accounts shows the number of trusts that lost money is higher than the 1,500 originally reported in court records. He fears there will be little left for medical care and expenses for the disabled and injured people whose families fought for years to win settlements.

These arent just people that are disabled, these are people unable to earn a living, Lindahl said. This is all they have and they were swindled by this guy.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  A Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) operation showed new challenges in protecting kids from sexual exploitation.

In one instance, a man allegedly used AI to turn an image of his minor daughter into a nude photograph and shared it online.

With online sexual exploitation crimes becoming more disturbing, law enforcement says AI is also creating some complexities when it comes to investigating these cases.

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So, the ease that they can create this kind of material is probably going to double or triple our workload. Because some of these AI images are so realistic looking, we dont know if its a real child or not, said Paul Lusk, Digital Forensic Examiner at the Williamson County Sheriffs Office.

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Earlier this year, News 2 spoke with Lusk told News 2 law enforcement can now prosecute individuals using AI just the same as cases involving real children.

This week, the TBI arrested ten individuals during Operation Autumn Shield and charged them with sexual exploitation of children. In some cases, individuals had or shared over 100 images. In one instance, a man allegedly used AI to turn an image of his minor daughter into a nude photograph. Agents were able to identify 19 child victims in online sexual exploitation and sextortion cases.

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Weve actually had cases here in Wilson County involving sextortion and thats a really big problem rising across the country, said Scott Moore, Public Information Officer for Wilson County Sheriffs Office.

Sextortion is where a minor is forced into sending inappropriate content to someone online. In return, the online predator threatens to publicize the content if they dont send over money or more images.

CRIME TRACKER | Read the latest crime-related reports from across Middle Tennessee

And weve actually had cases like this in Wilson County and it is very alarming and there have been kids across the country who have committed suicide because of fear that someone was going to post something inappropriate of them online, Moore said.

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Earlier this month, the sheriffs office and Homeland Security met with Wilson County parents to inform them about new tactics used by online predators and the growing crime of sextortion cases.

With technology out there and the use of social media and apps and games, it really exploits details that are not only detrimental to the family but to the child, Moore said.

 Read todays top stories on wkrn.com

TBI agents are still attempting to identify eight more child victims of sextortion cases. Most of the victims were on platforms like Instagram and Snapchat. Both companies have reported these cases to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

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President-elect Donald Trumps team has snapped back at claims that Elon Musk is running the show after the billionaire played a significant role in tanking a spending bill that would have averted a government shutdown.

Musk helped topple House Speaker Mike Johnsons proposed bipartisan congressional spending bill by slamming it early Wednesday, which was followed later by a joint statement from Trump and JD Vance warning Republicans not to support it.

Stop the steal of your tax dollars! Musk wrote on his social media platform X that he threatened funded primary challenges against anyone who voted for the budget deal, a threat Trump later echoed in a post of his own.

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The move has left the federal government hurtling toward another shutdown after a Trump-backed plan B deal was voted down in the House on Thursday evening.

The optics have prompted Trumps incoming White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, to hit back about who is really in charge.

As soon as President Trump released his official stance on the CR (continuing resolution), Republicans on Capitol Hill echoed his point of view, Leavitt said in a statement to Business Insider. President Trump is the leader of the Republican Party. Full stop.

Trump-Vance transition spokesperson Karoline Leavitt snapped back at claims that Musk is running the show (AP)

After Musk posted comments expressing his objections to Johnsons bill on his social media platform X, Trump and Vance weighed in with their own opposition to Johnsons measure on Wednesday, saying it failed to address the national debt ceiling and granted too many concessions to Democrats.

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They called on Republicans to abandon it or face a future primary challenge and favor a new streamlined alternative instead.

Democrats have mocked the tech billionaires heavy-handed influence over the incoming administration.

Leading the Democratic jeering was Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who wrote on X: Democrats and Republicans spent months negotiating a bipartisan agreement to fund our government. The richest man on Earth, President Elon Musk, doesnt like it.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Co-Chair of the newly announced Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), arrives on Capitol Hill on December 05, 2024 in Washington, DC (Getty Images)

The leader of the GOP is Elon Musk, Democratic Rep. Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania added. Hes now calling the shots.

Also enjoying the apparent power struggle within the incoming Trump administration and questioning who is really in charge was David Axelrod, former White House adviser to Barack Obama, who asked on X: So will President-elect Musk join the budget negotiations now?

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Adding their voices to the row were Democratic representatives Pramila Jayapal and Maxwell Alejandro Frost.

Its clear whos in charge, and its not President-elect Donald Trump, the former wrote.

Shadow President Elon Musk spent all day railing against Republicans CR, succeeded in killing the bill, and then Trump decided to follow his lead.
The supply of Russian and Kazakh oil to Hungary, Slovakia, Czechia and Germany through the Druzhba pipeline has been suspended since Thursday due to technical problems at a Russian pumping station.

Source: Reuters

Details: The Druzhba pipeline has a capacity of 2 million barrels per day, making it one of the largest in the world, and the last pipeline connecting Russian oilfields to European refineries after EU countries efforts to reduce their dependence on Russian gas.

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Belarusian concern Belneftekhim confirmed the disruption in oil supplies through Druzhba in a comment to BelTA and said that Belarusian refineries are using stored oil to maintain operations.

The sources, who requested anonymity because they were not authorised to make public statements, said Transneft had discovered the problem at a pumping station in Unecha, in Russia's Bryansk Oblast, about 70 km from the border with Belarus.

The pipeline had been transporting 300,000 barrels a day before the shutdown.

According to the sources, the disruption has affected Russian oil shipments to Belarus and the EU, while shipments from Russia's western ports of Novorossiysk, Ust-Luga and Primorsk have remained unaffected. One source suggested that oil could be diverted from Druzhba to the ports.

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Another source said that the problem could be resolved in a few days, while a third said that supplies would be suspended until the end of the month.

Hungary's MOL, which needs the oil for its refineries, said on Friday that it had information that supplies could be resumed in a few days and that the disruption would not affect the region's energy security.

A spokesperson for Czech refinery Orlen Unipetrol said that "the supply of crude oil through the Druzhba pipeline has not been interrupted yet".

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YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN)  A 15-year-old boy who was arrested Thursday for shooting another 15-year-old will be held in detention pending a preliminary hearing in Mahoning County Juvenile Court.

The boy was arraigned Friday on a charge of attempted murder, a first-degree felony, along with a firearm specification.

Magistrate Karen Romano Melone ordered the suspect held in detention pending a preliminary hearing, which should be set within the next few days.

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WKBN does not name juvenile suspects of crimes unless they are bound over to common pleas court and indicted by a grand jury.

The defendant is accused of shooting another 15-year-old about 2:15 p.m. Tuesday in the parking lot of a 2700 South Ave. plaza. The victim is being treated at St. Elizabeth Health Center for his wounds, which are considered non-life threatening.

Detectives said the shooting happened after an argument.

A statement by the city school district Tuesday said both boys attend the same school, Wilson Alternative School and Virtual Academy, which is close to the plaza where the shooting happened.

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Magistrate Romano Melone told the boy prosecutors can seek to have his case bound over to common pleas court. She said a probable cause hearing will be held to determine if the charge will be bound over.

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Boston-headquartered Temu wants to keep things friendly with the neighbors up North.

The low-price e-commerce marketplace announced Thursday it has signed a safety-related agreement with the Canadian government.

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The voluntary agreement, called the Canadian Product Safety Pledge, was launched in 2023 and works to ensure consumers welfare when shopping on online marketplaces. In signing the pledge, Temu has agreed to take preventative and corrective actions whenever necessary to protect consumers health and safety. Health Canada oversees the countrys health policy and enforces the requirements outlined in the pledge.

By signing the Canadian pledge, PDD Holdings Temu has agreed to four high-level promises: increase sellers awareness of product safety issues, identify and proactively prevent unsafe products from being sold on its platform, work in tandem with Health Canada and empower consumers with knowledge on issues surrounding product safety.

Health Canada has set forth 14 requirements underneath those four main categories, which are meant to help signatories better understand the scope of their promise.

Temu noted its approach will include mandatory pre-listing documentation on safety, automated and manual quality monitoring, quick-turnaround removal of non-compliant listings and strict penalties for sellers repeatedly violating safety rules.

Temu will also be required to put forth an annual report diving into the ways it works to combat unsafe products from being sold on its marketplace.

Canadas pledge was modeled after existing, similar agreements brought to companies by the European Union, Japan, Australia and others, and is a first-of-its-kind pact for the North American country.

A Temu spokesperson said the pledge represents another step toward a more robust consumer experience.

Temus mission is to provide consumers with safe and affordable choices for the products they need, the spokesperson said in a statement. Signing this pledge reinforces our commitment to protecting consumers and ensuring safe, high-quality products are accessible to everyone.

Earlier this year, Temu signed a similar voluntary safety commitment with the South Korean government, not long after the country launched an investigation into both it and AliExpress. That agreement, led by the Korean Fair Trade Commission (KFTC), has similar stipulations to the Canadian Product Safety Pledge.
Ten European Union member states have proposed to tighten sanctions against Russia's energy sector, in particular liquefied natural gas, and institutions that help Moscow circumvent existing sanctions.

Source: document seen by Polish news agency PAP, as reported by European Pravda

Details: The new package of sanctions against Russia, proposed by the Baltic States, Denmark, Ireland, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Czechia and Finland, includes new and tighter restrictions.

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First of all, it concerns Russia's energy sector  in particular, a ban on imports of Russian gas and liquefied natural gas or a gradual reduction in its consumption, PAP writes.

The EU member states also call for tougher sanctions against Russia's "shadow fleet" and the EU's gradual abandonment of Russia's nuclear energy, the article says.

The document quoted by the agency calls for further trade sanctions against Russia, including sanctions on imports of Russian metals, as already reported in the media.

The EU, according to the document's signatories, should also impose sanctions on third-country financial institutions that circumvent sanctions by allowing, for example, financial transfers related to the transit of banned goods to Russia or using cryptocurrencies to circumvent restrictions, PAP notes.

Background:

On 16 December, the Council of the European Union adopted the 15th package of economic and individual restrictive measures, which included North Korean officials and Chinese suppliers of drone kits.

In early 2025, the EU is due to begin discussions on the 16th package of sanctions, which will coincide with the Polish presidency of the Council of the European Union.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  Tennessee parents and childcare facilities are facing mounting challenges, according to a new state report that sheds light on critical issues with accessibility, low wages for childcare employees, and retention, while providing possible solutions.

The report by the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR) was requested by the General Assembly through the passage of SB 2063, which was sponsored by Sen. Charlane Oliver (D-Nashville).

The report revealed Tennessee childcare employees are among the lowest paid in the country, making an average wage of $13.21/hour, and childcare directors cannot afford to pay them more.

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Childcare directors told commission staff that they are regularly losing workers to retail establishments like Target and Walmart, or casual restaurants like McDonalds or Chick-fil-A, Bob Moreo, a research manager for TACIR said.

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In addition, childcare deserts are a problem across the state. Eight counties in Tennessee have zero DHS-licensed providers available to care for infants under 12 months, and 10 counties only have one, according to the report. This has forced parents, especially women, out of the workforce, impacting Tennessees economy.

Among all Tennessee workers who are not currently employed, more than one in

six cite caregiving as the reason they are not working, the report said.

Strict and inconsistent codes and fire regulations at the state and local levels have placed limitations on expanding childcare access, according to the study.

Requirements like these eliminate certain properties that could otherwise be used for childcare facilities, and they can drive up costs because of the need to acquire larger lots, Moreo said.

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Read the latest from the TN State Capitol Newsroom

New mom, Macey Lewis knew how difficult it would be to find childcare, so she started looking for facilities when she was just three months pregnant.

We put out to every single daycare in the area that we knew of because we were so afraid we werent going to be able to get in, Lewis said.

Lewis couldnt find childcare until a few months after having her son. Following her maternity leave, her boss let her work from home until a facility had an opening, but not every parent is as lucky.

Youre already stressed as a new mom; youve got all these other things to worry about, Lewis said. You really dont want to add that to the list.

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The report includes some potential solutions to some of the issues Lewis and other parents face, including using vacant public schools to increase the number of childcare centers, launching a statewide financial incentive for childcare employees who stay at their jobs, and exempting certain childcare facilities from state business taxes.

However, the report acknowledged these solutions dont solve every problem.

It was very revealing what we are facing in Tennessee, and not only revealing but somewhat disheartening, Sen. Oliver said. The wages that our childcare workers are facing in this state, I feel like this is something we should have at the top of our list in our legislature to do something.

 Read todays top stories on wkrn.com

To read the full draft report, click here.

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The final report will be released in Jan. 2025.

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JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL)  On Thursday, shoppers across Tennessee set out for their routine grocery trip before the holiday season. But when they went to pay, they were shocked by what awaited them.

Members of Tennessee Credit Unions participated in a Grocery Giveaway, providing shoppers with around $18,000 in free groceries.

When presented with this gift at the PriceLess on South Roan Street, shoppers were at a loss for words.

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It was really amazing, said shopper Shelia Conner. Ive never had anybody do anything like that for me.

Carter County emergency management director fired

It just made me cry, said shopper Lisa Poole. I just wanted to thank God, thats how God works.

Poole went shopping to make fruit baskets for the homeless and was shocked at checkout.

It doesnt happen every day, said Poole. Things like this dont happen every day.

Melanie McWhorton, Executive Assistant for Horizon Credit Union, described the feeling of seeing someones day change instantly.

The look on their face and the surprise like, Really?' said McWhorton. And well say, Yeah, were real. And I had several today, her mom had just passed and things like that are so heartwarming that we can help during this time.

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Conner said the small act of kindness significantly impacted her day.

Ive been having a hard day today, said Conner. But this made my day.

Both Conner and Poole said they wish everyone could feel the love they experienced Thursday.

I think its wonderful because a lot of people are struggling these days, said Conner. A lot of people dont have the means and the money to feed their kids.

I wish everybody could; I wish they could experience the feeling I just had, said Poole.

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 WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather.
A historical marker on Hwy. 41 in Grundy County, Tennessee, marks the turnoff to the former site of Highlander Folk School, which trained scores of labor and civil rights activists. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)

(Correction: MASS Design Group, which Highlander will work with it, designed the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in conjunction with lead designers from the Equal Justice Initiative.)

More than 60 years after the state of Tennessee confiscated its land on trumped-up charges, the Highlander Research and Education Center will once again own land in Grundy County. The acquisition includes 8.5 of the then-named Highlander Folk Schools original 200 acres, including the library where Martin Luther King, Jr. once spoke.

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Its righting a historic wrong, and its correcting something that never should have occurred, says Dr. Learotha Williams, a Tennessee State University professor and historian who has supported Highlanders bid to regain their land. I think this will introduce a new generation of young people to the type of work [Highlander does].

Highlander purchased the land just a few months after it was sold to someone else  and after a public dispute over that sale made headlines. The announcement of Highlanders purchase does not include plans for the site, only that Highlander will work with MASS Design Group, the architectural firm that designed the National Memorial for Peace and Justice honoring victims of lynching in Montgomery, Alabama.

Its righting a historic wrong, and its correcting something that never should have occurred.

 Dr. Learotha Williams, Tennessee State University

This is an historic moment for Highlander, the social movements we accompany, and the people of this region, said co-executive director of Highlander Salimah Muhammad in a press release. (Both parties said that their statements in the press release would be the only comments on the sale and did not talk to a reporter.)

Selling and buying and fighting

From 2014 to 2019, the nonprofit Tennessee Preservation Trust (TPT) purchased several parcels of land on Old Highlander Lane in Monteagle with the intent to preserve what remained of the civil rights and union training ground. Under the leadership of then-board chair David Currey, a Nashville historian, the organization restored the library building. But as the nonprofits administration crumbled behind the scenes and the pandemic stalled ambitious plans, further redevelopment of the site stopped.

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From the beginning, Highlander told TPT they would be open to purchasing the land when they had funds to do so. In 2019, Highlander co-executive director Rev. Allyn Maxfield-Steele worked on a plan to acquire the site but couldnt get a commitment from Currey. But in 2022, the relationship publicly soured after TPT nominated the library for the National Register of Historic Places without notifying Highlander. The latter accused the preservation group of racism and said they attempted to buy the site; TPT seethed over the accusations and said they never received a serious offer. Both sides ceased communication.

In December 2023, without notifying Highlander, the TPT board voted to approve a sale of the land for $600,000 to Todd Mayo, the owner of an underground concert venue in Grundy County, The Caverns. Infuriated, Highlander made a counteroffer of $800,000 in June. The board turned it down. Despite questions about possible conflicts of interest in the sale, the Tennessee Attorney Generals office approved the transfer. (Per state law, the AGs office must approve any sale by a nonprofit of substantial assets.) According to property records, Mayo, via a land trust, closed the sale on September 18.

The library on the former grounds of the Highlander Folk Center, in which Rev. Martin Luther King once lectured, is one of few buildings remaining on the Grundy County site closed by the state in 1961. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)

A change in tone

As of late summer, tensions between TPT and Highlander were high, but tempers seem to have cooled off with the weather. Vociferously opposed to Highlander owning the land earlier this year, TPT board chair Phil Thomason says he supports the sale now that additional land use restrictions have been placed on the site.

TPT is pleased that [Highlander] plans to further preserve and protect the library building through granting a preservation easement to be owned and administered by TPT, Thomason said in the release.

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Mayo said hes excited about returning the land to its original owners.

Highlander, in John Lewiss words, gave the Civil Rights Movement the tools, the tactics, and the training to redeem the soul of America, Mayo says.  Im  optimistic that the site will become, in time, a worldwide destination along the Civil Rights Trail and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Highlander did not provide detailed information on terms of the sale or whether the purchase price was the same as its original $800,000 offer, only noting that more details would be released in the coming months.

Highlander stated in the press release that over the next 18 months, it plans to partner with Indigenous/First Nations partners, local residents, community groups, Civil Rights veterans and social movement historians in a participatory design process to develop a vision and strategic plan for the site  [and] to ensure that the people of Grundy County benefit. Site plans will be drawn up after that process.

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Whatever the plans turn out to be, Williams says people will celebrate.

Usually we dont win these types of battles, Williams says. Highlanders return [to Monteagle] is a moment of great joy. But it also should be a moment that inspires us to be better human beings.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee on Friday announced he is pardoning 43 people who have served out their sentences, stressing that his actions are very different than President Joe Biden's recent wave of commutations.

Lee's latest clemency moves are nearly double his next highest total for a single year.

But this time around, Lee specifically noted that he chose not to shorten any sentences  known as commutations  in his yearly announcement of clemency actions around Christmas. He aimed to distance his approach from Biden's, saying the people he pardoned in Tennessee have finished their sentences and rejoined their communities, and each had a recommendation from the state Board of Parole. Lee has issued seven commutations since taking office in 2019.

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Last week, Biden commuted the sentences of roughly 1,500 people who were released from prison and placed on home confinement during the coronavirus pandemic and pardoned 39 Americans convicted of nonviolent crimes, marking the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history. Some of the clemency actions drew community backlash. The clemency push followed a broad pardon for the Democrat's son Hunter, who has been convicted of federal felony gun and tax crimes.

These are very different individuals than many of the individuals whose sentences were commuted in the previous federal clemency grant, Lee told reporters.

In Tennessee, a pardon serves as a statement of forgiveness to someone who has completed their prison sentence and are no longer incarcerated, while commutation shortens a sentence but lets the conviction stand. Lee has only issued one exoneration while in office, in which the governor declares that the applicant didnt commit the crime. Other governors are likewise issuing acts of clemency around the holidays.

President-elect Donald Trump, whom Lee supports, has drawn scrutiny for clemency actions as well  helping a slate of well-connected people in his first term, and promising to start his next administration with pardons for people who were arrested for their role in the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

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The governor's office said none of the people he pardoned Friday have had an active criminal sentence for at least five years, including probation or parole.

Theyve been out, but theyve also shown a compelling reason and interest for getting a pardon and have shown exemplary citizenship, Lee said.

Lee highlighted several cases, including that of Lanesha Faye Brown. Lee said Brown was convicted of attempted second-degree murder in 1998 at 13 years old after she had been bullied at school and, in one circumstance, tried to retaliate with a small knife for an art class project when a bully attacked her. He said she now has been married for 15 years, earned an associate's degree, and has worked at a Nashville hotel. She was once fired because of a background check, but her hotel coworkers and manager rallied to get her rehired, Lee said.

The clemency actions follow an election cycle in which Republicans nationally leaned on tough-on-crime messaging, which has also been a focal point for Tennessee's Legislature in recent years. Lee, meanwhile, was elected governor in 2018 on a message that included criminal justice reform priorities. He has said clemency decisions and criminal justice reform are unrelated.

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Last year, Lee approved 22 pardons and commuted one persons sentence. He issued 13 pardons and three commutations in 2022, and in 2021 he pardoned 13 people, signed off on three commutations and exonerated one person.

Lee's predecessor, former Republican Gov. Bill Haslam, granted nine commutations, 35 pardons, and one exoneration over eight years in office.
Tensions between Poland and Hungary are escalating after Hungary granted asylum to a former Polish lawmaker from the previous right-wing populist Law and Justice (PiS) government who is sought by Poland through a European arrest warrant.

A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry announced on Friday that the Polish ambassador in Budapest has been recalled to Warsaw indefinitely.

On Thursday, Hungary granted asylum to former deputy justice minister Marcin Romanowski. A court in Warsaw had previously approved the prosecutor's request to issue a European arrest warrant for the 48-year-old.

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In addition, Hungary's ambassador has been summoned and handed a protest note.

Romanowski is being investigated by Polish prosecutors on 11 criminal charges, including suspected membership of a criminal organization.

As deputy justice minister, he is alleged to have channelled millions of zotys from a fund for crime victims into projects that the then justice minister, Zbigniew Ziobro, believed would benefit the party.

Romanowski denies all the allegations.

The national-conservative PiS ruled Poland from 2015 and 2023 and is currently the largest opposition party.

During this time, it significantly restructured the judicial system, which put it on a collision course with the European Commission.

The current government, led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk's centre-left coalition, has been working to reverse the controversial judicial reforms implemented by the previous PiS administration.
Tensions between Poland and Hungary are escalating after Hungary granted asylum to a former Polish lawmaker from the previous right-wing populist Law and Justice (PiS) government who is sought by Poland through a European arrest warrant.

A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry announced on Friday that the Polish ambassador in Budapest has been recalled to Warsaw indefinitely.

On Thursday, Hungary granted asylum to former deputy justice minister Marcin Romanowski. A court in Warsaw had previously approved the prosecutor's request to issue a European arrest warrant for the 48-year-old.

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In addition, Hungary's ambassador has been summoned and handed a protest note.

Romanowski is being investigated by Polish prosecutors on 11 criminal charges, including suspected membership of a criminal organization.

As deputy justice minister, he is alleged to have channelled millions of zotys from a fund for crime victims into projects that the then justice minister, Zbigniew Ziobro, believed would benefit the party.

Romanowski denies all the allegations.

The national-conservative PiS ruled Poland from 2015 and 2023 and is currently the largest opposition party.

During this time, it significantly restructured the judicial system, which put it on a collision course with the European Commission.

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The current government, led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk's centre-left coalition, has been working to reverse the controversial judicial reforms implemented by the previous PiS administration.

Tusk criticizes Orban

Tusk issued a sharp critique of Hungary, expressing his dismay that corrupt officials evading prosecution could now choose between seeking protection from Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko or Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Speaking in Brussels, Tusk remarked, "Those who have stolen, those who are corrupt, seek refuge in countries ruled by politicians like themselves."

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Romanowski, meanwhile, told Polish broadcaster TV Republika that he thinks the fact that Hungary has granted him asylum confirms that "we are dealing with political persecution in Poland."

Prosecutors and judges in his home country are politically controlled, he said.

European Commission: Arrest warrants must be enforced

A spokesman for the European Commission declined to comment on the specific case but emphasized that EU member states are obligated to enforce European arrest warrants.

In this instance, a Hungarian judge would need to assess the warrant to determine whether there are grounds for rejecting it. The final decision on executing the warrant must be made within 60 days.

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Regarding the asylum issue, he said that all EU member states maintain a high level of protection for fundamental rights and freedoms, making them all considered safe countries for asylum seekers.

As such, an asylum application from a national of another EU member state can only be accepted under very exceptional circumstances, the spokesman added.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP)  Texas attorney general sought again on Thursday to stop a man on death row from testifying to lawmakers who have raised doubts about his guilt and successfully paused his execution at the last minute in October.

Robert Roberson was convicted in 2003 of killing his 2-year-old daughter. His execution had been set to be the first in the U.S. over a conviction tied to shaken baby syndrome, a diagnosis some medical experts have questioned.

A Texas House panel had again subpoenaed Roberson to appear before lawmakers Friday, which would require a transport from his prison outside Houston.

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Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said his office asked a court for an order blocking the subpoena, which he said automatically prevents Roberson from appearing while the legal challenge is pending. A spokesperson for Democratic Rep. Joe Moody, chair of the Texas House committee that subpoenaed Roberson, did not immediately respond to a text message seeking comment Thursday.

Paxton has defended Roberson's conviction and sharply criticized lawmakers who delayed his execution.

It has expresslyand repeatedlystated its purpose for wanting Robersons testimony: It wants to relitigate the facts of his case because the Committee believes Roberson is innocent and obtain for him a new trial, Paxton's office told the court.

A new execution date for Roberson has not been set.

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Roberson, 58, was sentenced to death in 2003 for killing his daughter, Nikki Curtis. Prosecutors said Roberson shook her violently back and forth. Robersons attorneys have argued the girls symptoms did not align with child abuse and that she likely died from complications from severe pneumonia.

Roberson has gained bipartisan support from lawmakers and medical experts who say he was convicted on faulty evidence of shaken baby syndrome, which refers to a serious brain injury caused when a childs head is hurt through shaking or some other violent impact.

The Texas House committee has argued it needs to hear from Roberson about whether a 2013 law created to allow prisoners to challenge their convictions based on new scientific evidence was ignored in his case.

The House committee used an unconventional strategy to delay his execution: issuing a subpoena for Roberson to testify days after he was scheduled to die. After legal debate in multiple courts, the Texas Supreme Court upheld an order to stay Robersons execution.

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In November, the Supreme Court ruled that a legislative subpoena cannot stop an execution. The court said the committee could issue another subpoena for Robersons testimony so long as it didnt block a scheduled execution.

The committee and Robersons lawyers want him to appear in person, saying testimony by videoconference would be difficult for him because he has been diagnosed with autism and has communication challenges.

Roberson is being held in the Polunsky Unit in Livingston, more than 200 miles (320 kilometers) northeast of Austin.
Texas is installing ominous billboards warning migrants that they could be kidnapped or raped if they make the journey to cross the U.S.-Mexico border.

The billboards, which began going up this week, are part of a new campaign to dissuade migrants from entering Texas illegally before President-elect Donald Trump takes office, Gov. Greg Abbott said at a news conference on Thursday. The campaign, he said in a release, is meant to give potential illegal immigrants thinking of leaving their home country  and those already on the way  a realistic picture of what will happen to them on their journey or if they illegally cross into Texas.

Some of the billboards have stark warnings including, How much did you pay to have your daughter raped?; "Many girls who try to migrate to Texas are kidnapped; and Your wife and daughter will pay for the trip with their bodies. Others caution migrants that they will be arrested at the border and jailed.

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The campaign will cost approximately $100,000, Abbott said. The messages will be displayed in different languages, and the signs will be installed in several countries across Central America, as well as along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Our goal right now, immediately, is not only to discourage them from coming, but to help them understand the consequences, Abbott said.

The Texas governor has long clashed with the Biden administration over the influx of migrants into his state. Abbott has resorted to outrageous tactics to make a point about illegal border crossings, including busing migrants from Texas to blue cities across the country  an effort he has vowed to continue even as the number of migrants entering the country at the southern border has dwindled.

As illegal immigration emerged as a major concern among voters in this election year, President Joe Biden instituted harsher immigration policies, sparking backlash from immigration rights advocates. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in its annual report published Thursday that the number of deportations carried out in the past year is higher than any 12-month period since 2014.

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Looming over the issue is Trumps vow to implement the largest mass deportation in the countrys history when he returns to the White House. And a number of Republican state lawmakers, including Abbott, have begun introducing measures to help the president-elect with his zealous deportation plans.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
A Texas House committee was left without its key witness on Friday after Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a motion late Thursday barring death row inmate Robert Roberson from testifying at the Capitol.

The bipartisan House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence had planned to hear directly from Roberson on Friday about his failed efforts to overturn his capital murder conviction using the states junk science law, which grants new trials in cases that relied on scientific evidence that is later discredited.

But Paxtons motion, which argued that the panels subpoena to Roberson was procedurally deficient and overly burdensome, excused the state prison system from complying with the committees subpoena and allowing Roberson to testify in person.

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That left the future of Robersons testimony unclear.

The effort here has been by some to hide him and silence him, because his testimony would be instructive, state Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso and the committee's chair, said on Friday. Our laws have affected him as deeply as they can affect anyone, and it's our job here in this building to make sure they're fair and just and work as intended. That job is far from over on this issue, and we don't intend to leave it undone.

Roberson was convicted of capital murder in 2003 for the death of his 2-year-old daughter Nikki, who was diagnosed with shaken baby syndrome. He has argued that new scientific evidence discredits Nikkis diagnosis and shows she died of natural and accidental causes.

Lawmakers have tried for weeks to bring him to Austin after the Texas Supreme Court noted in November that state officials should be able to produce Roberson for testimony in compliance with a subpoena, as long as it does not interfere with a scheduled execution. After the committees first subpoena expired, it served him with another one this week.

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Roberson's execution has not yet been rescheduled.

On Friday, members of the bipartisan panel excoriated the attorney general's office for its intervention in Roberson's testimony.

If the case against him is so open and shut, as they say, why are they working so hard to flaunt laws passed by our Legislature and signed by our governor? state Rep. Brian Harrison, R-Midlothian, said. Are government officials really willing to let a potentially innocent person be put to death by the government in order to protect the reputation of a government system?

Moody and Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, accused the attorney generals office of stalling Robersons testimony until the panel automatically dissolves next month with the start of the new legislative session.

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In his motion to block Robersons testimony, Paxton asked the court to hold a hearing before it decides whether to grant his request. But he asked that the hearing not be set before Jan. 13, saying he will be out of the country.

The new legislative session starts  and the committee disbands  on Jan. 14.

We all see this for what it is, Leach said on Friday. As shocking as it is and alarming as it is, it's not surprising.

Leach noted that Paxton had numerous lawyers who typically represent the attorney general's office in court. And he said that he had heard from several lawmakers, including those who disagreed with him over Roberson's case, saying they were equally concerned about Paxton's moves against the committee.

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He asked the committee to consider demanding that Paxton or one of his designees appear at a committee hearing before Jan. 14 to explain the attorney general's authority to interfere with the committee's subpoena. We have not come this far to only come this far, he said.

Paxtons office, which legally represents the prison system, hamstrung efforts to secure Robersons in-person testimony even before Thursday's motion by insisting that nothing legally compels the executive branch to bring him to the Capitol.

Fifteen emails between Moody and Paxtons office obtained by the Tribune document the ongoing tensions between lawmakers and the executive branch over Robersons case.

In response to the committees first subpoena, Paxtons office sunk plans for Roberson to testify at an Oct. 21 hearing in person and said that the inmate would only be permitted to appear virtually due to public safety concerns  an arrangement the panel opposed due to Robersons autism.

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Instead, Moody suggested that the committee could travel to death row and take Robersons testimony there. But after Moody adjourned the Oct. 21 hearing, Paxtons office shut that possibility down.

The subpoena issued to Mr. Roberson required his testimony on Monday, and TDCJ did not impede Mr. Robersons compliance with the subpoena, going so far as to attempt to facilitate his appearance via Zoom, Kimberly Gdula, the attorney generals chief of general litigation, wrote to Moody on Oct. 25. The Houses subpoena has now expired, and the committee has adjourned.

After the Texas Supreme Court issued its ruling that Roberson could testify as long as it didnt interfere with an execution, Moody asked Gdula in an email if they could reach an agreement on having Roberson testify without requiring a new subpoena.

On Dec. 6, Gdula sent a series of questions and conditions, and sought to bar Moody from directly contacting the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, which operates the state prisons.

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She asked why Roberson could not furnish any needed testimony through safer alternatives like remote appearance by video, and claimed that the office had no information as to what topics you intend to discuss that only Roberson would be able to provide relevant testimony on.

She also wrote that representatives from the attorney generals office, the Anderson County District Attorneys office and Gov. Greg Abbotts office had a right to be present at any hearing where Roberson is testifying so they may assert any objections to questions that go beyond the scope of the Committees limited authority to question a death-row inmate.

Moody rejected the conditions, reiterating the committees opposition to a virtual appearance due to Robersons autism, referencing public materials describing the committees reasoning in seeking Robersons testimony and noting that the committee and TDCJ had addressed various safety and logistical issues on Oct. 18  before Paxtons office stepped in.

This is a subpoena, so any opinion related to the import of Robersons testimony does not authorize disobedience of it, he wrote. Anyone may attend this public hearing, but no one will be recognized to assert any objections because this is not an adversarial proceeding and there is no judge to whom you may object.

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Lawmakers vowed on Friday to continue fighting for Roberson despite opposition from the attorney generals office  even through the start of a new legislative session.

I dont intend to relent, at all, Leach said, until truth and justice are secured for Mr. Roberson.
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.

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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.

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"Farmers have been horribly taken advantage of, Ames said. I'm 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.

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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.

I'm 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.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP)  A second attempt by Texas lawmakers to bring a man on death row to the state Capitol over doubts that he killed his 2-year-old daughter failed again Friday, dimming the likelihood of Robert Roberson testifying publicly after a last-minute subpoena halted his execution.

Roberson, who had been scheduled to be die by lethal injection in October, would be the first person in the U.S. to be executed over a conviction tied to shaken baby syndrome, a diagnosis that medical experts have questioned.

The latest unsuccessful effort to have Roberson testify comes after Texas' attorney general asked a court to block a second legislative subpoena issued by lawmakers, who are running out of time until the Legislature reconvenes in January and the subpoena expires.

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We have been attempting to fight accommodation since October, and they have never responded to anything meaningfully because they dont want to have Robert here, said Democratic state Rep. Joe Moody, one of the lawmakers who led the effort to halt Robersons execution.

Roberson, 58, was convicted of killing his daughter in 2003. Prosecutors argued that he violently shook his daughter back and forth, causing severe head trauma in what's called shaken baby syndrome.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers, civil rights advocates and medical experts have expressed doubts over the shaken baby diagnosis used to convict Roberson and say his daughter likely died from symptoms of severe pneumonia.

The state's Republican attorney general, Ken Paxton, has staunchly defended Robersons conviction and said the science around shaken baby syndrome has not changed enough to absolve his guilt.

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In the court order, Paxtons office said that it is not the role of the Legislature to adjudicate offenses and that lawmakers overstepped their power when they halted his execution.

The Texas House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence issued their first subpoena for Roberson to testify one day before his scheduled execution  an unprecedent legal maneuver that successfully staved off his execution.

A new execution date has not been set.

Texas has a junk science law that allows people wrongfully convicted on dubious science to have their sentences overturned. The House committee said they wanted Roberson to testify about this law and how they believe it has not worked as intended for his case. Criminal justice advocates say the state's highest criminal court has deliberately misinterpreted the law.

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The Texas Supreme Court ruled in November that although the subpoena was valid, it cannot be used to circumvent a scheduled execution.

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has maintained that Roberson was rightfully convicted. The Texas Board of Pardons and Parole voted unanimously to not recommend him clemency in October.

___

Lathan is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
AUSTIN (KXAN)  The number of school employees assaulted on the job is rising in Texas with more than 2,600 assaults on educators reported to the state last year.

This week on Inside the Investigation, investigative Reporter Kelly Wiley and Investigative Intern Nina Banks explain what can happen after teachers are hurt in the classroom.

Related reading

The Exit: Teachers Leave. Students Suffer.

Give us a chance to survive: 1,639 Texas educators weigh in on school safety

Why this Texas teacher stayed amid an education vacancy crisis

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Join Kelly Wiley and Esmeralda Zamora every Friday morning for a live recap of the latest headlines and in-depth reporting from the KXAN Investigates 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 KXAN Austin.
The News

Thailand hosted two regional meetings with Asian leaders this week, aimed at ending a bloody civil war in Myanmar that has led to a spiraling political and security crisis.

China, Bangladesh, Laos, India, and Thailand  the five nations that share a border with Myanmar  met together with members of the countrys ruling military junta to discuss plans for possible peace negotiations.

Members of the ASEAN grouping of Southeast Asian nations also met in Bangkok to discuss plans to resolve the almost five-year conflict and the juntas plans to hold elections in 2025.

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Myanmar has been mired in civil war since Feb 2021, after a military coup toppled the democratically elected government, and the junta has since fought to maintain control against armed resistance groups.

The conflict has displaced millions of people, including Rohingya refugees who have fled across the border into Bangladesh, which has the worlds largest refugee camp. China and Thailand have also condemned reports of widespread human and drug trafficking that have occurred at their borders with Myanmar.

SIGNALS

Juntas election promises are a trap of diplomacy

Source: Deutsche Welle

Myanmars military junta has vowed to hold elections next year, but experts say these promises should be eyed with skepticism. Thailand said this week it had signaled to the junta that any elections should be free and fair, with the countrys foreign minister emphasizing that any vote must be inclusive for the whole country, adding that Myanmars neighbors would advise but not interfere. Yet the juntas promises to hold elections should not be trusted, Myanmar expert David Scott Mathieson told Deutsche Welle: This is a trap of diplomacy. If any interlocutor takes election preparations seriously, they have doomed the country to prolonged conflict.

Timing could be right for peace talks, and Thailand is key

Sources: Reuters, TIME, Deutsche Welle

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Myanmars military has spent the last couple of years on the back foot, Time reported, and experts say the conflict is likely in its endgame, with the junta facing pressure on several fronts. In April, Thailands previous prime minister told Reuters he saw an opening for talks, and a recent string of ASEAN summits focused on the conflict suggests a renewed effort by the bloc to reach a peace agreement. Bangkok has a strong incentive to broker a deal: The countries share an almost 1,500-mile border and Thailand has taken on an estimated two million migrants, making it the country most affected by the conflict, outside Myanmar. However, for talks to be beneficial, Bangkok will need to be more engaged and assertive, focusing not just on aid but peace and democracy, one veteran Thai journalist told Deutsche Welle.

China changes its approach to the conflict

Sources: Radio Free Asia, Voice of America

China has consistently backed both sides in Myanmars conflict, with weapons originating in the country held by both the ruling junta and rebel groups, Radio Free Asia wrote  in an attempt to ensure that the Chinese government is always seen favorably. However, Beijing has made a renewed effort to encourage peace talks in light of recent victories by Myanmars rebel forces; as it seeks to prevent total regime collapse and protect its economic assets in the country. Two major rebel groups credited Chinas mediation efforts when they announced their readiness for peace talks in recent months. However, political analysts told Voice of America that foreign pressure was unlikely to lead to a ceasefire: The juntas refusal to share power remains the primary obstacle, one said. Peace brought about by pressure cannot last long.
DENVER (KDVR)  Right now, Colfax is in the middle of a massive transformation and small business owners are concerned for their future as they try to survive the Bus Rapid Transit project.

Its aimed to add a bus lane in each direction along Colfax between Broadway and Yosemite. Driving through the area, its hard to miss the bright orange cones and the familiar sounds of construction.

Previous coverage: RTD gets $23M more for East Colfax bus project connecting Aurora, Denver

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People automatically think they cant get to a business when they see that. Some people will walk away, said Jimmy Shores, owner and operator of Sincerely Tattoo on East Colfax.

Shores has operated the business on East Colfax for 7.5 years. He said the impact of construction on the busy street has been a nightmare.

This has been my dream; Ive been doing it most of my life, he said. When they are shutting down whole sections of Colfax, not only is it affecting people parking out front, but people are just not using Colfa. They are like Its construction there.'

The construction is all a part of the Colfax Bus Rapid Transit project. The goal is to provide reliable access to businesses in the area and reduce travel time. However, construction is expected to last until 2027, and some business owners, like Shores, hope they can survive it.

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A big part of this type of business is walk-ins and traffic. Like people seeing you and saying Im going to stop in here. If we dont have that, thats more than 50% of our business, he said. A lot of the time people brush us off. Only a few of us are speaking up about it because only a few of us have the ability. We have a lot of businesses on Colfax immigrant-owned. English is their second language. They may not even understand the scope of everything.

ICE: 16 suspects in Aurora apartment invasion arrested for being in the country illegally

Shores is worried for his future on East Colfax, as well.

I cant afford to pay right now. My landlord is working with me, Shores explained. Im making payments on stuff. Im doing work around the building but when is it too much? When do you call it?

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Hes not against the construction, but he wants to know his shop as well as others will still be around when its completed.

Id like to see the BRT project finished and I still be here for it, he said. I hope it does what they say it does and bring more people, get more cars off the roads and bring more buses for commuters to make it safe. Right now, its a theory and theories arent paying the bills these days.

Shores said while there has been mention of help, theres no guarantee his business will be able to receive the help.

DIA holiday travel guide: Busy airport times and security changes to know about

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We got grants and funds, but it never seems to work out for businesses like mine, said Shores. Im emotional because its hard, sad and its scary. I built all this. Everything I have is in this if I cant eat from this why am I here? Its like a massive debt right now.

Upon completion, project leaders say the project will reduce transit travel time by 15 to 30 minutes and provide more affordable and reliable access to more than 250,000 jobs and community services in the corridor.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
DENVER (KDVR)  Police in Fort Collins, Colorado, were looking for a suspect who reportedly stole a baby Jesus figurine from a nativity scene, but said the thief returned the figurine on Thursday with a brief note.

Fort Collins Police first noted the figurine was stolen from the areas Old Town Square nativity scene on Tuesday.

What is coffee badging? Workplace trend seen as protest to return-to-office push

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This Grinch tried to ruin Christmas by stealing the Baby Jesus from the Old Town Square nativity scene, the agency wrote on Facebook.

According to police, the reported theft happened on Sunday at 2:19 a.m. The nativity scene was positioned behind restraint fencing at the Old Town Square.

This baby Jesus figurine was anonymously turned in to a Poudre Authority Fire station on Thursday after it was taken from a nativity scene in Fort Collins. (Fort Collins Police Services) This baby Jesus figurine was anonymously turned in to a Poudre Authority Fire station on Thursday after it was taken from a nativity scene in Fort Collins. (Fort Collins Police Services)

But on Thursday, the figurine was anonymously dropped off at Poudre Fire Authority Station no. 1 in Fort Collins with an apology note.

I am really sorry, I made a dumb mistake in the moment, it wont happen again, the scrawled note reads.

Holiday horror: 6 scary movies you can stream now

Police said they did not get any further information about the suspect from the figurine drop-off. The agency didnt say if it was still looking for the suspect pictured below but shared photos of the recovered figurine.

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The suspect was seen with three other people at the time of the theft, but their descriptions were not immediately available.

Suspect wanted for stealing baby Jesus figurine from nativity scene in Fort Collins. (Fort Collins Police Services)

Anyone who recognizes the suspect pictured or witnessed the theft is asked to call Officer Brittingham at (970) 419-3273.

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.
DENVER (KDVR)  Police in Fort Collins, Colorado, were looking for a suspect who reportedly stole a baby Jesus figurine from a nativity scene, but said the thief returned the figurine on Thursday with a brief note.

Fort Collins Police first noted the figurine was stolen from the areas Old Town Square nativity scene on Tuesday.

Hochul proposes new enforcement unit to crack down on retail thefts

This Grinch tried to ruin Christmas by stealing the Baby Jesus from the Old Town Square nativity scene, the agency wrote on Facebook.

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According to police, the reported theft happened on Sunday at 2:19 a.m. The nativity scene was positioned behind restraint fencing at the Old Town Square.

This baby Jesus figurine was anonymously turned in to a Poudre Authority Fire station on Thursday after it was taken from a nativity scene in Fort Collins. (Fort Collins Police Services) This baby Jesus figurine was anonymously turned in to a Poudre Authority Fire station on Thursday after it was taken from a nativity scene in Fort Collins. (Fort Collins Police Services)

But on Thursday, the figurine was anonymously dropped off at Poudre Fire Authority Station no. 1 in Fort Collins with an apology note.

I am really sorry, I made a dumb mistake in the moment, it wont happen again, the scrawled note reads.

Police said they did not get any further information about the suspect from the figurine drop-off. The agency didnt say if it was still looking for the suspect pictured below but shared photos of the recovered figurine.

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The suspect was seen with three other people at the time of the theft, but their descriptions were not immediately available.

Suspect wanted for stealing baby Jesus figurine from nativity scene in Fort Collins. (Fort Collins Police Services)

Anyone who recognizes the suspect pictured or witnessed the theft is asked to call Officer Brittingham at (970) 419-3273.

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.
The Scene

Back in 2022, when Americana was just getting started, I started wrapping up the year with a set of awards. There were no actual prizes. There was no public ceremony, which is increasingly unusual for Semafor. The jury consisted of one voter: Me.

You all seemed to like this, and the format helped put everything in context after a surprising midterm election, and  last year a set of off-year elections that made Democrats over-confident.

This was a much less complicated year, with a clear story and obvious winner. Donald Trump ran the best of his three presidential campaigns, benefitting from a robust alternative media that he helped build, and voter nostalgia for his first term. He was supernaturally lucky, surviving an assassination attempt that changed, for a long time, how the rest of the media covered him. There was no deus ex machina to explain the win this time, no Comey letter or Hillary Clinton fainting spell. He beat Joe Biden, then he beat Kamala Harris.

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What happened down the ballot? Here you go:

THE AWARDS

Best Senate campaign: We have a tie: Republican Dave McCormick in Pennsylvania, and Democrat Elissa Slotkin in Michigan.

McCormick had the harder job, on paper, of convincing a state he did not always live in  Sen. Bob Casey never stopped talking about McCormicks home in Connecticut  to reject a three-term Democrat whod always won independents and a decent share of Republicans. He had money and national GOP support, so he was never off the air. But he trailed in polls, and it was hard for some Republicans to see how hed unseat a famously moderate, low-key Democrat.Casey kept giving us openings, and we took them, said Mark Harris, a McCormick strategist. When Joe Biden left the ticket, the campaign instantly began tying Casey to Harris; when a focus group found that the final undecided voters were focused on change, McCormick went to his alma mater, West Point, and cut an ad all about change. He needed nearly every Trump voter, many of whom had voted for Casey in the past, to come with him, and he pulled that off.

Slotkins task was different: Hold an open seat in a swing state, as Kamala Harris lost it. She largely cleared the field, blowing past an actor/activist who ran to her left but never caught fire. But GOP nominee Mike Rogers mostly cleared his, too, securing an early Trump endorsement and rolling past more libertarian challengers. Slotkin had to navigate an electorate that was about to vote for Donald Trump  including tens of thousands of Muslim and Arab-American voters who were abandoning Democrats over Gaza.

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After the election, Slotkin told Semafor at a reporter roundtable that she navigated that risk with regular, sincere outreach to the community. Harris lost the city of Dearborn by 2,607 votes; Slotkin carried it by 950 votes. Like other successful Democrats, she pinned Rogers down on abortion rights and highlighted how her party brought down drug prices.

Best House campaign: Another bipartisan, unifying tie here: Republican Vicente Gonzalez in Texas, and Republican Don Bacon in Nebraska. Both candidates had to run well ahead of their presidential ticket, in places that were moving away from their party with every new block of registrations. Both drew re-matches with candidates who out-performed in the 2022 midterms  Gonzalez had to beat Mayra Flores, whod actually won the seat in a special election that year.

Both men figured out early, effective ways to distinguish themselves from their national parties. Bacon campaigned with Democrats and buried challenger Tony Vargas with ads about tax hikes he supported in Lincoln; Gonzalez instantly rebutted Floress ads about abortion and LGBTQ+ rights, picking a fight with progressive activists, confident that they didnt know south Texas.

Biggest Bust (Non-Presidential Category): The seven-state campaign to expand ranked choice voting, a dream of good government reformers who want to blow up the party primary system that has driven Democrats to the left and Republicans to the right. Both parties opposed the measures, and they failed almost everywhere. The outlier was Alaska, where voters saved the three-year old ranked choice system by a 0.2-point margin  after approving it by 1.1 points. This is not taking the country by storm, but really, no attempt to break the duopoly is.

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Best Campaign Ad: Donald J. Trump for President 2024, Access. When Harris replaced Biden on the ticket, the Trump campaign told Marc Caputo that she had several Willie Hortons in her oppo file. Democrats were nevertheless shocked by the Horton they picked: Shiloh Heavenly Quine, a convicted murderer who became the first prisoner in America to receive taxpayer-funded gender surgery. That generated no political outrage at the time, and Harris touted it in an interview with a transgender rights group two years later, as evidence of her commitment to LGBTQ+ rights. The Trump campaign turned that answer back on Harris, with this kicker: Kamalas for they/them, President Trump is for you. Democrats were blindsided; their allies were hopeful that this ad, like anti-trans messaging in the midterms, would flop or backfire. Instead, it inspired more than $215 million of follow-up ads, by multiple campaigns, dividing Democrats and fulfilling the Trump campaigns goal of branding Harris as an out-of-touch progressive.

Worst Campaign Ad: Vote Common Good, Your Vote, Your Choice. Everything that went wrong for Harris is packed into these 30 seconds. A celebrity endorsement (Julia Roberts) that reached nobody outside the Democratic base. A fantasy  that pollsters might be missing a quiet surge for Harris among female voters  that led to bad strategy. A smug message, that women were lying to their husbands, that generated more negative attention in conservative media than the expected good vibes in liberal media. Harris and her Future Forward super PAC ran economy-focused spots that helped her match or nearly match the 2020 Democratic vote in swing states. The outside groups that tried to be clever didnt help at all.

Best Bet: Trump picking JD Vance for vice president. Democrats were aghast that he did it, amazed that he would validate their year of campaigning against Project 2025 with the think tank president who conceived it. (Indeed, Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts delayed and retitled his own book, with its Vance forward, dropping it after the election when it would be less of a distraction.) Vances many, many hours of New Right speeches and interviews became, briefly, a problem for the campaign.

For a while, he was the least popular member of either partys ticket. But he was a perfect complement to Trump: A risk-taker running against two very risk-averse Democrats. Vance found his footing when he attacked Tim Walz, tangling Harriss running mate up with questions about his biographical exaggerations, then staggering him at their debate when he opted not to attack him, instead defending the Trump record in such warm ways  he salvaged Obamacare  that Democrats struggled to respond. According to exit polling, Vance ended the campaign with a 47-47 favorable rating  the only national candidate who wasnt underwater.

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Worst Bet: President Biden challenging Donald Trump to a June 27 debate, early enough for him to be replaced on the ticket if it went badly. And it did. Had Harris won the election, Trump accepting that invitation would have been remembered as a defining, but understandable, blunder  and a really good night for him, 90 minutes where he got to lay out his governing agenda with no effective pushback.

Most Catastrophic Success: The Democratic National Committees effort to demolish third party candidates, out of a desire to prevent another 2016 scenario where double haters  people unhappy with either major party nominee  swung the election to Trump. By most measures, this worked. None of the left-wing protest campaigns against Biden, then Harris, got much traction; there was no state where votes for the Green Party were decisive, and Cornel Wests candidacy largely became a cut-out for Republicans. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. was pummeled by negative news stories, defeated in court, and, by the time he left the race, no real threat to Harris.

But that was the problem. Democrats shunned Kennedy, not wanting to associate themselves with his vaccine skepticism, while Donald Trump courted him and offered him a role in his administration. (Trump took risks, but he also said whatever it took to get elected  the official position right before the election was that Kennedy wouldnt get the job hes now nominated for.) Trump treated third party and fringe groups like potential coalition partners; Democrats treated them like threats. We saw the result.

Best Memorabilia: Joe Bidens performance enhancing Dark Brandon water, a joke product inspired by the Trump campaigns trollish insistence that the president could only speak coherently and energetically if he was under the influence of some un-named drugs. It went on sale the night of the debate; if you bought it, your can arrived after Kamala Harris had become the Democratic nominee.

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Worst Memorabilia: Elon Musks Dark MAGA hat, which ditched the Century Schoolbook font used for all other MAGA merchandise in favor of a less-legible grindcore logo. It was the ideal Musk joke: The semiotics of something funny, without any funny content. What are you going to do? Tell the wealthiest man on earth not to wear Hot Topic chic?

Quote That Will Live in Infamy: New York Rep. Jerry Nadler bounding up to Biden after his final State of the Union to tell him that no ones gonna talk about cognitive impairment now. It was a popular sentiment at the time, that Bidens crisper speech that night would shove off all the concerns dredged up by Robert Hurs report on his handling of classified documents. But within four months, questions about his competence would destroy the Biden candidacy; by the end of the year, Nadler himself would give up his ranking member status on the House Judiciary Committee, conceding to Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin amid a mini-rebellion against leaders whose best years were behind them. That is the first legacy of the Democrats loss. Therell be others next year, as the campaigns get underway again with no more candidates born in the 1940s.
PALISADE, Colo. (KREX)  A third arrest was made earlier this month in connection to an Oct. 8 shooting in Palisade, the Palisade Police Department announced Thursday.

Darren Dwayne Kropf, 32, was arrested on Dec. 8 by Montrose County Sheriffs deputies- at the request of Palisade PD  for an active warrant for his alleged role in a shooting and robbery.

Kropf is facing multiple charges including:

Aggravated robbery with a simulated weapon (a Class 3 felony)

First-degree assault with a deadly weapon (Class 3 felony)

Robbery aggravated menace victim with weapon-attempt (Class 4 felony)

Felon Menacing with real/simulated weapon (Class 5 felon)

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Delta resident Zachary Bayhan, 27, and 32-year-old Jamie Hooper were arrested last month in what Palisade PD categorized as a drug deal gone bad.

The three suspects are believed to have played a role in the shooting of a 54-year-old woman who was left in critical condition. The woman was shot in the shoulder and crashed her car at the Golden Gate Gas Station on Elberta Avenue. She is expected to recover.

Initial reports said Bayhan and Hooper wanted drugs from the victim with the intent of not paying the woman. Kropfs role wasnt specified in the press release.

Hooper and Bayhan reportedly arranged for an unnamed 26-year-old man to introduce them to the 54-year-old woman.

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Law enforcement believes Bayhan allegedly shot the woman as she drove away. He then stole the 26-year-olds car and started a high-speed chase that ended in his arrest in Delta County.

The Palisade Police Department and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation worked together on this investigation.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WesternSlopeNow.com.
THOMASVILLE  A Thomasville man has been arrested in connection with a reported sex trafficking operation in Lynchburg, Virginia, two law enforcement agencies said.

Thomas Lee Thomas II, 58, was charged with felony receiving money from the earnings of prostitutes, felony commercial sex trafficking, felony conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, felony keeping, residing in or visiting a bawdy place for immoral purposes, and felony receiving money for procuring or placing a person at a location for the purpose of sex trafficking.

Early this month, detectives with the Davidson County Sheriffs Office were contacted by the Lynchburg Police Department about a sex trafficking investigation that began in June, naming Thomas as a suspect, the sheriffs office said.

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On Dec. 12, sheriffs deputies executed a search warrant at Thomas residence.

On the same day, Lynchburg police and the Virginia State Police Human Trafficking Unit executed a search at an address in Lynchburg.

No information about what was found in the searches was released.

Thomas was taken into custody and is awaiting extradition to Virginia.

The investigation is ongoing, and authorities ask that anyone with information contact Detective Davis of the Lynchburg Police Department at 434-455-6166.
Dec. 20ROCHESTER  The fourth time's the charm for Three Rivers Community Action.

It took four requests, but the southeastern Minnesota nonprofit has landed state financing support for a planned 36-unit apartment complex aimed to address the need for affordable housing options.

The proposed block-long complex on the north side of Fourth Street Southeast, between Seventh and Eighth avenues, was among 76 projects receiving a combined $191 million in statewide support.

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"We're thrilled that more Minnesotans will soon have access to safe, stable and affordable housing in communities throughout the state," Housing Commissioner Jennifer Ho said in announcing the statewide funding aimed at creating 2,276 homes

The local project is one of 21 rental projects approved throughout the state. It will be supported through 4% state tax credits and the federal HOME Investment Partnerships Program. It is expected to receive approximately $19 million in financing support, which will include loans, for the proposed $20 million project.

The local community action agency is also slated to receive $480,000 in financial support from the Coalition for Rochester Area Housing and $545,000 from Rochester's state housing aid. First Homes is also donating a lot to the site, which is otherwise completely owned by Three Rivers.

"I think teamwork and timing are kind of the two keys (to success in the recent state application)," Laura Helle, Three Rivers' housing development director, said of the project dubbed Eastside Apartments for early planning purposes. "Sometimes it's just the right time for the project and being persistent pays off."

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"We certainly felt this project was very supported by the city, First Homes and the Coalition this year, and everybody was being pretty strategic with their resources, trying to do the most good they with the funds available," she added.

Minnesota Housing made its funding announcement Friday morning, and Ho said she is excited about the Rochester project moving forward.

"I really want to applaud Three Rivers's persistence on this one," she said, citing the need to turn down the majority of funding requests each year due to limited resources.

While it was the only Rochester-based multi-family housing project approved for state support this year, the Three Rivers project has been a contender since 2020, with applications submitted four times throughout five years.

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Ho said the delayed approval helped make the project more competitive and beneficial to the housing effort.

"What we're seeing in the application in 2024 is a lot different from the application that we saw in 2020," she said.

Helle said those differences will fill housing needs seen in the community

"Three Rivers adjusted the unit mix to address the need for three-bedroom units in Rochester," Helle said. "The need shows up in our work in housing advocacy and was supported by reports from partners at Olmsted County and Rochester Public Schools."

The larger apartments reduced the total number of units from the 40 proposed last year for the block located between Seventh and Eighths avenues along the street that helps connect Rochester Community and Technical College to downtown.

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Plans call for the creation of nine one-bedroom apartments, 18 two-bedroom units and nine three-bedroom options.

At least four apartments will serve new tenants with a history of homelessness, while another five will be dedicated to tenants with disabilities. The building is expected to provide rents at a range of affordability to lower incomes with at least 18 apartments priced for people making less than half the area median income, and nine for those earning less than a third of AMI.

It will also include some supportive housing options for qualified tenants, with a full-time housing advocate working out of the building.

Ho said the ability to provide housing at rents affordable for households earning 30% the area median income was crucial to the review of the Eastside project.

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"That's who needs the housing the most and where there's the least amount of housing that's available," she said.

Olmsted County Housing and Planning Director Dave Dunn said the planned project is expected to go beyond addressing housing affordability in the city, since it will also support Rochester's redevelopment plans by adding housing within walkable distance to downtown and along what is expected to be a key transit corridor.

"This has been a project we've been trying to move forward for five years," he said.

When development will start is uncertain, since financing and plans must be finalized. Helle said it would be ideal to start construction by the end of 2025, but a spring 2026 groundbreaking might be more realistic.

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The time will also provide Three Rivers with the opportunity to work with tenants of their four market-rate rental homes that sit on the site and will be replaced by the new apartments. Helle said the agency will provide access to housing support staff, if needed, during the transition.

"We'll start working with them and supporting their  what I'm sure will be challenging  efforts in finding new housing in Rochester," Helle said, highlighting the need for added affordable housing options in the city.
TOPEKA (KSNT)  Three teen girls were hurt in a rollover crash in west Topeka on Friday, according to police.

Just after 11 a.m., police were called to the intersection of 21st Street and Belle Avenue for reports of a crash. According to dispatchers, the crash involved two vehicles.

Police at the scene told 27 News two 17-year-old girls and one 16-year-old girl will be going to an area hospital to get checked out.

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Kandrive.org is reporting traffic disruptions in the westbound lane of 21st Street.

Photo by Emma Noble. Photo by Emma Noble.

DOE pushing forward with Grain Belt Express

More information will be provided as it becomes available.

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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The Vermont Senate and House of Representatives passed 185 acts during the 2023-2024 legislative session, many of which went into effect immediately or sometime within the past two years.

Residents of the Green Mountain State, however, will see several laws passed during the last biennium go into effect in 2025, including legislation impacting insurance coverage for colorectal cancer screenings, allowing Vermont and certain states access to each other's occupational therapists and requiring job advertisements to list salary information.

Vermont will also receive an annual boost in minimum wage next year  a 2.5% increase from $13.67 to $14.01 per hour  as required by state statute.

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Below are three laws set to go into effect in 2025.

Changes to colorectal cancer screening health insurance coverage

What it is: Act 95 both aligns health insurance coverage of colorectal cancer screening with U.S Preventive Services Task Force recommendations for non-high risk patients. The law also continues to require coverage for clinician-recommended colorectal cancer screening examinations and lab tests for high-risk patients. The law also continues to prohibit health plans from enacting cost-sharing requirements for both high-risk and non-high risk patients.

When it goes into effect: Jan. 1

Sharing occupational therapists with other states

What it is: Act 112 enters Vermont into the Occupational Therapy Licensure Compact, which allows occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants from Compact member states to obtain licensure and practice in other member states as long as they pay a required fee. The law also allows the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation to perform background checks on occupational therapists and to impose a $50 biennial fee on occupational therapists and therapy assistants already licensed to practice in another Compact member state. More than 27 states participate in the Compact, including Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.

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When it goes into effect: July 1

Compensation disclosure in job advertisements

What it is: Act 155 requires most written job advertisements to list the type and range of monetary compensation prospective employees would likely receive if hired. It also instructs the Vermont Attorney General's Office to publish guidance on Act 155 for employers and employees.

When it goes into effect: July 1

Megan Stewart is a government accountability reporter for the Burlington Free Press. Contact her at mstewartyounger@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Three VT laws taking effect in 2025: cancer screenings, salary disclosure
Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Prince Andrew's former ties to a suspected Chinese spy prompted him to stay away from Thursday's traditional royal family pre-Christmas luncheon at Buckingham Palace.

Prince Andrew also is the Duke of York and has agreed to "honorably withdraw" from the royal family's holiday events this year, the BBC reported.

His attendance at a family holiday event likely would have drawn undue attention to him and overshadow the event. He also has said he won't attend the royal family's Christmas day celebration in Norfolk.

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Andrew is the younger brother of King Charles III, and Andrew's ex-wife, the Duchess of York, helped convince him to stay at his home in Windsor for Christmas, according to the news report.

The decision was made after U.K. officials banned an alleged Chinese spy named Yang Tengbo, aka Chris Yang, from entering the United Kingdom.

Tengbo is a Chinese businessman and has denied being a spy for the Chinese Communist Party or engaging in wrongdoing.

Tengbo appealed the decision to ban him from the United Kingdom for national security reasons, but the British High Court upheld the ban.

Court filings indicate Tengo in documents described Prince Andrews as being in a "desperate situation" and would "grab on to anything" to get out of it.

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Prince Andrew had a "close friendship" with Tengbo, the Independent reported.

The Chinese Embassy in London on Tuesday accused the British government of engaging in "anti-China manipulation and clamors" in the matter.

Andrew has said he never discussed anything of a sensitive nature with Tengo, but his relationship with an alleged Chinese spy raised doubts about his judgment regarding international contacts.

Prince Andrew no longer is on the royal family's payroll, but British intelligence agencies were concerned Tengbo was trying to gain influence over a member of the royal family.

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Prince Andrew placed an "unusual degree of trust" in Tengbo, invited him to attend his 60th birthday party in 2020 and was preparing to enter into a business relationship with the Chinese national, the British High Court said when upholding the ban on Tengbo's entry into the United Kingdom.

Prince Andrew's office said he ended all contact with Tengbo after concerns were raised in 2023 regarding his efforts seek connections with U.K. politicians and other prominent figures.
TikTok CEO Shou Chew met with President-elect Donald Trump earlier this week, according to NBC News, as the company comes down to the wire in its efforts to thwart a law that would ban the app in the U.S. unless it divests from its Chinese ownership.

Trump gestured vaguely in the direction of steps his administration could take to stave off the looming ban, saying, Well take a look at TikTok and peddling some self-aggrandizing lies about how the app supposedly helped him win young people by a wide margin in this years presidential election (Trump lost voters under 29 by 11 percentage points).

If Trump ultimately does play a role in preventing the TikTok ban from going into effect, expect the move to be portrayed as some last-minute heroics. But it seems more likely that it would come as the result of some serious schmoozing by TikTok investors.

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Chew  who, according to The Wall Street Journal, reached out to Elon Musk back in November to gauge Trumps willingness to avert the ban  isnt the only one trying to win over the incoming president.

Another TikTok stakeholder who has Trumps ear is SoftBank founder and CEO Masayoshi Son, who stood alongside Trump at a Monday news conference where the CEO promoted what he described as a multibillion-dollar investment in the U.S. over the next four years. (SoftBank made a similar commitment during Trumps first presidency, which yielded mixed results.) As Axios suggests, Sons investment announcement could come in handy very soon:

Consider this SoftBanks version of an inaugural donation, in the pursuit of a lighter regulatory touch for the firm and its portfolio companies. For example, SoftBank has a stake in TikTok parent company ByteDance.

And then theres Jeff Yass, the uber-wealthy Republican financier and TikTok investor whose support for Trumps election bid has been framed as another potential way to get TikTok on Trumps good side.

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All this is to say: Trumps about-face on TikTok  an app whose ban he once supported  seems more connected to how many rich supporters of the app have his ear than anything else.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
Popular social media app TikTok has federal and state lawsuits pending against them.

On Jan. 10, the Supreme Court will hear arguments regarding whether a law requiring TikTok to be sold or face a ban in the U.S. violates the First Amendment.

Last April, President Joe Biden signed a law that would ban the Chinese-owned app unless it is sold within a year. ByteDance, the parent company that owns TikTok, said it will not sell its app.

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Lawmakers enacted the ban due to concerns about ByteDance's connections to China, specifically, the fear that they may share American user data with the Chinese government.

A federal appeals court in Washington, DC, unanimously upheld the U.S. ban on TikTok earlier this month. The court ruled that the government has a national security interest in regulating the social media platform.

TikTok filed an emergency application for an injunction. Now that the Supreme Court has decided to listen to the dispute, here is what to understand about the lawsuit and what's at stake.

What is TikTok?

TikTok is a popular social media platform that allows users to create, share, and discover short-form videos, usually set to music or audio clips.

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Launched by ByteDance in 2016, it has quickly gained global popularity, especially among younger audiences. Users can make videos ranging from 15 seconds to 10 minutes long, featuring everything from dance routines and lip-syncing to comedy sketches, educational content, and more.

TikTok's algorithm helps personalize the content feed, making it highly engaging and addictive.

What is being argued in the Supreme Court regarding TikTok?

TikTok wants the high court to overturn an appeals courts ruling that the laws infringement of the free speech rights of the millions of Americans who use TikTok are justified because of national security concerns.

The U.S. government's primary argument focuses on the extent to which the Chinese company should be permitted to influence the American public and be prevented from spying.

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ByteDance is arguing that TikTok users should be allowed to post without limitation. This year, the Supreme Court has heard other arguments regarding private companies that moderate social media platforms and free speech.

BREAKING: The Supreme Court announced it will fully review @tiktok_us's challenge to a law requiring the U.S. company to completely divest itself of a Chinese partial owner or face a national ban. #SCOTUS pic.twitter.com/8hwi18arUz  Katie Buehler (@bykatiebuehler) December 18, 2024

When is the TikTok ban deadline?

TikTok has until Jan. 19 to divest from its China-based parent company, one day before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

Unless ByteDance sells the hugely popular platform by the deadline, it will be banned from app stores and web hosting companies in the U.S.

TikTok had asked the court to decide by Jan. 6 whether it would pause the Jan. 19 deadline because of the time the app stores and web hosting companies need to prepare.

What will happen if the Supreme Court sides with the US?

TikTok users could be forced to go to another app. TikTok has over 150 million American users. A forced sale and ban from app stores wouldn't necessarily mean people would stop using the app. There are similar, U.S.-made apps like Triller, Likee, and Huddles. However, it could take some time for those apps to attract new users.

The thing about the TikTok ban is it basically means if you have the app, you can still use it until the software stops working and needs to be updated/you get a new device that doesnt have the app on it.



You just wont be able to download it nor update it since its getting  bria celest (@55mmbae) December 18, 2024

What did President-elect Donald Trump say about TikTok?

Trump promised during the campaign to save TikTok despite having tried to ban it during his first administration.

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On Monday, Trump told reporters he has a "warm spot" for TikTok.

We'll take a look at TikTok, Trump said in response to a reporters question about how he planned to save the platform.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Is TikTok getting banned? Supreme Court decide fate of platform
Its time you came off the fence, Nigel. So counselled conservative philosopher Sir Roger Scruton, turning half-around as he walked away from my Oxford front-door one sunny afternoon in 2016. Hed come to look at Christ Churchs wine-list (and was leaving impressed). But wed also talked politics. Id told him that I preferred not to be boxable, maintaining room for manoeuvre. Whether Im conservative or liberal, Roger, I said, depends on (a) what Im talking about and (b) whom lm standing next to. At the time, I subscribed to both The Guardian and The Times.

Scroll forward six years to June 2022. Grown depressed by what Peter Hennessy once described to me as its relentless litany of complaint, Ive cancelled the Guardian. Im on the House of Lords riverside terrace, being lunched by my long-time mentor, Richard Harries, formerly bishop of Oxford, now Baron Harries of Pentregarth. Richard leans over the table and counsels me, Dont get labelled conservative, Nigel. Conservatives dont believe in anything. Theyre just pragmatists. I mumbled a non-committal response. But I thought to myself, I dont doubt there are conservatives hungry for power without much idea what to do with it, and others who believe in little but low taxes and deregulation, but Im not one of them. Then my next vocation spoke: Its time to nail your colours to the mast and explain what a deeper conservatism looks like.

So, in this season of enforced political Lent, when Tories are ruing their recent sins of commission and omission, and wondering what sort of repentance might hasten their partys resurrection, I offer my own confession of what a conservative should be. But while others examine the entrails of polls and focus-groups to divine vote-winning policies, I step back to reflect on the deeper springs of a conservative point of view. Like Kemi Badenoch, I want to recover first principles.

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I didnt so much jump, as ease off the fence. I was also somewhat pushed. But the direction of travel had been set early on. I was a child in the sixties, but not of them. I never trusted the frivolous trashing of the past. While I laughed at Monty Pythons mockery of Battle of Britain pilots, made ridiculous with their plummy accents and handlebar-mustaches, my laughter was uneasy.

After all, under thirty years before, such men had risked their twenty-something lives to save the nation from Nazism, some of them burning alive in their cockpits. So, while my (late) elder brother was swallowing hashish-filled condoms for smuggling onto flights from Nairobi to Glasgow, I performed my first act of conservative rebellion: while churches were starting to show more seats than bums, and to the bemusement of my churchless parents, I converted to Christianity.

A main reason was my attraction to the Christian vision of human life as a moral adventure, made heavy with meaning because so much is at stake for good or ill. It endows our little lives with significance by investing them in things whose lasting value we receive as given: caring for others well-being, doing justice, maintaining integrity, knowing the truth, preserving whats beautiful. Seen thus, human dignity is a by-product of serving objective goods. Its given from above, so to speak, not invented from below.

Thats why I support the conservation of Britains traditional, mixed constitution. A good political constitution certainly needs a part where rulers are made sensitive to those they rulean elected legislature whereby the people can hold their government to account and stop it in its tracks. It needs a democratic element.

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But it needs more than that. The people can be corrupt and popular majorities can be seriously unwise  after all, Hitler was elected by due democratic process. Moreover, popular election cant guarantee a body of legislators all the expertise it needs. A few years ago, for example, the House of Commons didnt contain a single medical doctor. So, a healthy political constitution needs a way of importing expertise into the legislature  by appointment to an unelected Upper House. It needs an aristocracy of wisdom.

It also needs a monarch who symbolises the accountability of the whole nation  king and people, rulers and ruled, government and opposition  to given values and principles of justice that are not the passing creatures either of royal fiat or of majority vote. Thats what the coronation ritual embodies, when the monarch gets onto his knees to receive the crown  the symbol of political authority  not from below, but from above. Not from the fickle people, but from the constant God.

Growing up in the shadow of the Second World War  I arrived only ten years after its end  imbued me with the conviction that violent force is sometimes necessary to fend off great evil. My mild-mannered father was transported from the gentle Galloway hills of Scotland to the war-torn Apennines of northern Italy, and I have climbed the modest mountain where, in October 1944, he found himself trapped in no-mans land as a stretcher-bearer. Though spared his fate, Ive read enough to know of wars horrors.

Nonetheless, I continue to think that the use of hard power is sometimes  lamentably, tragically  necessary. So, in 2013 I published a book about the ethics of violence, drawing on the sixteen-hundred-year-long Christian tradition of just war thinking. Provocatively titled, In Defence of War opposed itself to the virus of wishful thinking, borrowing a phrase from Michael Burns extraordinary 2003 autobiography, Turned toward the Sun.

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But while Burn was referring to his naive 1930s hope that Hitler would turn out okay, the virus I had in mind was pacifism  the idea that war is always and everywhere morally wrong  and the progressive aspiration to abolish it through international law. If war invariably causes dreadful destruction, peace can permit it. Not going to war in 1994 was good for Britons, but not so good for the Tutsi in Rwanda: our staying at peace left the Hutu at peace to slaughter 800,000 of them. Peace, like war, is morally complicated.

Accordingly, I supported British military intervention for humanitarian purposes in Kosovo in 1999, Afghanistan in 2001, and Iraq in 2003. While each was flawed, none made me abandon the possibility of morally justified military intervention. What they did impress on me, however, was the importance of engaging the national interest. Theres nothing necessarily immoral about this, since nations have morally legitimate interests that its the primary duty of their governments to serve. So, while saving foreign peoples from grave political evils would be a good thing to do, its perfectly reasonable for citizens to ask why their uniformed sons, daughters, and siblings should be put in harms way over there, in some distant part of the world.

This point was neatly made in 1796 by Edmund Burke, who was advocating British military intervention in France to stop revolutionary atrocities. Challenged to explain why he didnt also advocate intervention in equally deplorable Algiers, he replied, Algiers is not powerful; Algiers is not our neighbour; Algiers is not infectious... When I find Algiers transferred to Calais, I will tell you what I think ....

That is, while the British had a direct national interest in stopping revolutionary excesses in France, they had no such interest in stopping slave-raiding by Algiers. Since no one nation can save the whole world, the object of rescue must be selected. And national interest should help make that selection. What progressive idealists dismiss as hypocritical inconsistency is actually a properly cautious  conservative  exercise of political prudence. And prudence is a virtue.

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The year after my book on war had been published, my attention moved from the moral legitimacy of national interest to that of the nation itself. In September 2014, the referendum on Scottish independence was held. As an Anglo-Scot, born of a Scots father and an English mother and educated on both sides of the border, I had a dog in the fight: I was a visceral unionist. Nonetheless, I felt obliged to consider the arguments in favour of Scotlands independence, in case Scottish separatists might be right. As a Christian, I couldnt confuse the United Kingdom with God.

Nations arent divine; they come and go. The UK didnt exist before 1707, the United States almost fell apart in the 1860s, and Czechoslovakia did fall apart in 1993. Maybe the separatists were right, and the UK had come to the end of its shelf-life. So, I listened. But after listening and reflecting, I concluded that Scottish independence was a dogmatic solution in search of a justifying problem.

On the other hand, I was dismayed by the strangled inarticulacy of advocates for the Anglo-Scottish Union as they struggled to explain what the United Kingdom is good for and why its disintegration would be bad for everyone. The Conservative government seemed able to argue only in the thin terms of pounds and pence, trying to woo voters to stay with the UK for the sake of a few hundred quid. Yet, a full 45 per cent of Scots voters defied them, enchanted by a vision of a Better Scotland. So, no, Stupid, it really wasnt all about the economy.

Unionist inarticulacy was partly an effect of the difficulty of describing the ground on which wed long been standing, but it was also a symptom of a shrivelled notion of what matters to people. One of the referendums benefits was that it forced unionists like me to lift up our feet, look down, and contemplate what it is that supports us. I discovered that the UK is good for three things beyond the economic advantages of a single market: an historic depth of multinational solidarity of which the European Union can still only dream, greater external security for liberal democracy, and upholding of a humane international order.

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The Scottish referendum campaign revealed something else, too: the political potency of colonial history. One argument in favour of independence I met reduces to this equation: Britain equals empire equals evil. Independence, therefore, would be an act of national self-purification, in which Scotland would cleanse itself of complicity in Britains imperial past, with its worldwide abuse of hard power, and sail off into a bright, new, shiny, pacifist, sin-free, European future. Having read about British imperial history for twenty years, I knew that the simplistic equation of empire with evil is historically untenable. Yes, the British Empire presided over a century-and-a-half of enslavement, but then it became one of the first states in the history of the world to abolish it, before devoting the second half of its life to suppressing it worldwide from Brazil to New Zealand. So, empire equalled both slavery and, more recently, anti-slavery, both oppression and emancipation.

What the Scottish separatist story made clear was the attractive power  greater than the lure of pounds and pence  of a morally uplifting national narrative, with which individuals can identify. So I began to think that someone needed to expose the separatists cartoonish denigration of the British imperial record and tell a truer and nobler story about it. Thats why, in July 2017, I collaborated with John Darwin, the eminent historian of global empire, to launch an Oxford research project called Ethics and Empire. While its aim wasnt directly to defend the British imperial record, it did assume that empire could sometimes be a legitimate form of government.

After May 2020, when the Black Lives Matter movement came over the Atlantic in the wake of George Floyds murder in Minneapolis, the political potency of colonial history became even clearer. Here, the BLM narrative is that Britain today is systemically racist; that our systemic racism stems from our colonial past, which can be summed up in the word slavery; and that, therefore, we must repudiate that past  decolonise  to exorcise our persistent racism. This narrative hasnt only inspired the toppling of statues and erasing of names; its also misshaping our foreign policy  most recently by justifying David Lammys disastrous surrender of the strategically vital Chagos Islands to a Chinese ally.

Thats why, in February 2023 I published an alternative, even-handed history in the form of Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning.

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It was my nuanced view of the British colonial record that caused me to be dragged into the Culture Wars. In late November 2017 I published an article in the Times, arguing for what I thought was the incontestable view that we British can find in our colonial past cause for both shame and pride. Then in early December, I published an online description of the Oxford research project. That was enough to provoke Dr Priyamvada Gopal of Cambridge University to tweet her allies in Oxford, OMG. This is serious sh*t. We need to SHUT THIS DOWN.

Shortly afterwards, in the space of a week, three mass denunciations were published online, the last signed by almost two hundred academics worldwide, demanding that Oxford University take the project out of my hands. Consequently, John Darwin abruptly jumped ship, Oxford historians declared an official boycott, the project was temporarily stalled, friends and colleagues stepped nervously away from me, and sympathisers insisted on meeting where no one could see us.

Thats what pushed me off the fence: the repressive aggression of the progressive left, supported by the timidity of the conflict-averse centre. And thats what made me aware that free speech and academic freedom are under threat in our universities. Believing that all human views are fallible and need testing, in order to expose falsehoods and come nearer the truth, I took up the fight to conserve the cultural climate of free inquiry that I had hitherto taken entirely for-granted. I became chairman of the Free Speech Union and led a body of academics in shaping and promoting the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023, now set aside by the Labour government.

Yet while I believe in the importance of legal rights in shoring up liberties such as the freedom to speak ones mind, I dont buy into the absolutism of rights-advocates. Apart from a few legal rights that ought to obtain always and everywhere  say, against torturewhether and how a right should exist depends on the circumstances.

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Take, for example, the current controversy over Israels conduct in Gaza. Some international lawyers hold the Israeli government guilty of a war crime for depriving the civilian population of their absolute, inalienable right to water. But thats nonsense. Suppose a situation where theres no water or no one can supply it. Or a situation where a state has an overriding obligation to defend its own people against an aggressor, but cant do so effectively while supplying water to the aggressors civilians.

In such circumstances, how can those tragically deprived of water be supposed to have a right to what cannot or may not be delivered? A basic human need only amounts to a right where supply exists and delivery is possible and obligatory. The right comes and goes according to circumstances. So, whether or not civilians in Gaza have a right to water depends on Israeli intentions, their efforts to minimise civilian risks, and the importance of their military objectives.

Because I think that most rights are contingent upon circumstances, Im deeply sceptical of lists or charters of abstract rights. Here, again, I find myself aligned with Burke in his denunciation of revolutionary Frances Declaration of the Rights of Man. The problem with abstract rights is that they hand an unelected judicial oligarchy the power to override an elected legislature on highly controversial public issues, compromising the democratic legitimacy of the law. Thus, in 2015 the Supreme Court of Canada found the Canadian parliament in violation of Canadas Charter of Rights and Freedoms in failing to permit assisted suicide  despite the Canadian parliaments repeated and recent refusals to grant a right.

Thats why Ive come to the view that it would be best for the UK to withdraw from the European Convention of Human Rights and the jurisdiction of the Strasbourg court. While its defenders protest that the convention was largely a British creation, the truth is that the British government subscribed to avoid political embarrassment  and against the strong advice of the chief justice, who warned that subscription would hand a host of political hostages to judicial fortune. If the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand can manage without the supervision of an international court, I am confident Britain can, too.

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In sum I believe that human dignity derives from serving objectively valuable goods; in Britains traditional, mixed constitution, which recognises the importance of goods and duties that are given, not chosen; in the United Kingdom, because it continues to serve the good of its constituent peoples; in admiration for the humanitarian and liberal achievements of our imperial ancestors; in the unembarrassed pursuit of legitimate national interest; in the necessary use of hard power to fend off grave evils; in a liberal culture of free speech aiming to reach the truth more nearly; in well defined, legislated rights; and so in national independence of the European Court of Human Rights.

This creed is conservative because it seeks to conserve Britains Christian tradition, its mixed constitution, the integrity of the United Kingdom, an even-handed appreciation of the worldwide achievements of our forebears, and the liberal culture of free thinking and speaking that took turbulent centuries to cultivate. Because, against progressive idealism, it affirms morally justified nations, national interests, national judicial independence, and military force. And because, with Burke and against abstract rights that authorise rule by a judicial oligarchys fiat, it asserts rights prudently defined in view of particular circumstances by democratic legislators.

So, Sir Roger, I have come off the fence: I confess Im a conservative. But, no, Bishop Richard, that doesnt make me an unprincipled pragmatist, intent only upon gaining power, making money, and keeping them.

Nigel Biggar is Regius Professor Emeritus of Moral Theology at the University of Oxford and author of Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning (2023)

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More than 6,100 delays have already been reported at airports across the U.S., as the nation marks the start of one the busiest travel weekends of the year.

By the late morning, over 100 flights within, into, or out of the country had been canceled, according to the online tracker FlightAware.

Travelers took to social media to voice their frustration with Southwest Airlines and American Airlines. Southwest has seen more than 600 delays thus far.

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Never should have trusted American to get me to see my parents for Christmas. What a joke, said @AdamCollins350.

Of course there are delays. Thats what American does. Its incompetence to not be ready for today, @UfazedUCANE wrote on X.

More than an hour of delays because of cargo door nonsense at DCA with @AmericanAir. Normally wouldnt be that guy but staring down a missed connection, no other available flights after, and missing a rehearsal dinner because of incompetence thats becoming more and more common from airlines, said @GregButcher.

How are all other airlines flights into San Diego on time this morning yet all of yours are delayed? @JohnEary17 asked Southwest.

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Other than isolated weather-related delays in Southern California for fog and in the Northeast for rain and snow, the vast majority of the network is running smoothly, Southwest Airlines Lynn Lunsford said in an email to The Independent. You can check real-time status at fly.FAA.gov.

American Airlines did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Holiday travelers wait in line to check their bags on Friday at Bostons Logan International Airport. More than 6,100 delays have been reported at airports around the country ((AP Photo/Charles Krupa))

While storms brought snow across the Midwest, Northeast, and Appalachians on Friday, it was not immediately clear if any other circumstances could have contributed to the holiday chaos.

Chicagos OHare International Airport was the most affected, as lake-effect snow continued to fall across the region. There were more than 100 delays reported at the travel hub and it reportedly issued a ground stop.

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On Friday, the Chicago Department of Aviation said it was ready to serve approximately 3.66 million passengers at the citys airports between Friday and the beginning of January.

The Monday before Christmas was expected to be OHares busiest travel day, with nearly 243,000 passengers.

With Chicagos airports serving as gateways for millions of travelers each holiday season, the CDA is dedicated to delivering a world-class experience for everyone passing through, CDA Commissioner Jamie Rhee said in a statement. Our teams at OHare and Midway are dedicated to ensuring holiday journeys are smooth and enjoyable, with safety and security remaining our top priority as we welcome travelers during this special time of year.

Travelers walk through Chicagos OHare International Airport on Friday. Delays at the hub were linked to snow ((Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images))

Arizonas Phoenix International Airport also has dozens of delays, although weather in the state has been dry and tranquil, according to forecasters.

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Airports in California, Washington, Nevada, were dealing with delays.

A record number of people are taking to the skies this year, according to data from the Transportation Security Administration. Officials expect 2.9 million people to fly in or out of Floridas Orlando International Airport during this stretch, WFTV reported.

The agencys administrator, David Pekoske, warned Thursday that a potential government shutdown could mean longer wait times at airports.

Nearly 120 million people will travel over the year-end holidays, according to AAA, including a record number of air travelers.
Boston Police are now confirming what Boston 25 News has been reporting about the mother of three young kids who was found dead in a luxury apartment building in the South End.

We have reason to believe that Ms. Gillespies death is a homicide, police said in an updated statement released Thursday morning. Preliminary information indicates that this was not a random act and that residents of the building and members of the public are not in danger.

The body of 30-year-old Shantel Gillespie was found inside a fifth-floor unit at The Harris South End at 390 Harrison Avenue on Thursday, Dec. 12.

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Law enforcement sources previously told Boston 25 News that the case is being investigated as a homicide.

Boston 25 News also reported Gillespies identity and the heartbreaking circumstances surrounding her death after speaking with her sister.

She said Gillespie was trying to break free from a pattern of domestic violence and had just completed coursework for her nursing degree at Laboure College of Healthcare two days before she was murdered.

One of her neighbors said he just cant wrap his mind around how someone could take a mother from three children under the age of six.

She always walks her kids to school. She always comes out with her kids with book bags ready, said neighbor Jamelle Davis. You took three kids mother away.

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Investigators havent said if they are any closer to finding out who may have taken Shantel Gillespies life.

Homicide investigators are still awaiting an official cause and manner of death from the Medical Examiners Office.

Im thinking about her family right now especially around the holidays. It was really sad to see a mom just completing the nursing program, said neighbor Victoria Izzo.

Gillespie immigrated to the United States from Jamaica a decade ago.

A GoFundMe to raise money to lay her to rest in her native country and support her children raised more than $41,000 as of Thursday evening.

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This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Dec. 20The replica Seneca Chief, now named The Erie Canal Boat, is wintering in the Flight of Five locks in Lockport in advance of the 2025 statewide celebration of the Erie Canal's bicentennial.

The wooden vessel constructed mostly by volunteers, over an almost four-year period, paid its first visit to the Lock City in early August, a three-day stop as it underwent a round-trip "sea trial" between Buffalo and Rochester. Following a demonstration of the vessel being locked through modern canal locks E-34 and E-35, it was opened to free guided tours, and hundreds seized the opportunity to have an early look around, according to Maritime Center staff.

Lockport being the replica's first stop on its sea trial is a case of history being repeated, as well as a preview of what's to come next fall.

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"It's significant historically, (in 1825) when Gov. DeWitt Clinton sailed from Buffalo aboard the original Seneca Chief, Lockport was the first community to celebrate the arrival," noted David Kinyon, chair of the Lockport Locks Heritage District Corporation board.

And Lockport will be first again during New York State's 200th anniversary commemoration of the canal opening, when the replica repeats the original's voyage from Buffalo to New York City for the "wedding of the waters" from Lake Erie and New York Harbor. The Erie Canal Boat will depart Canalside in Buffalo on Sept. 24 and make its first stop at Lockport the same day.

The beginning of the bicentennial voyage coincides with the World Canals Conference 2025 in Buffalo (Sept. 21-Sept. 25), where the Lockport Locks Heritage District Corporation and Toward Castle Films will debut the Paul Lamont-produced documentary "America's Stairway," articulating the national significance of the Flight of Five.

This past July the "Help Us Make the Movie" campaign was waged by seven Lockport-based businesses, to help raise the last $30,000 or so needed to bring the film to completion, and as of mid December the local fundraising effort has succeeded. Kinyon said filming of interviews with historians and other experts is mostly done, the script is being edited now and it's anticipated the final product will be in hand by mid 2025. In addition to the canals conference, a showing of the film at Historic Palace Theatre has already been scheduled for Sept. 26.

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Also leading up to the milestone, over the summer Mayor John Lombardi III appointed the Erie Canal Bicentennial Committee to orchestrate a series of local commemorative events beginning as soon as January. According to committee chair Mike Tucker the goal is 200 events leading up to September, and enlistment of service groups, nonprofit organizations and businesses to host events is ongoing. For more information, or to list an event, email Grace Platt at grace@lockportmainstreet.com.

The Erie Canal Boat will remain in Lockport until May, when it heads back to Canalside to be readied for the bicentennial voyage.
Got a high school diploma? You might be surprised at how much pay you can earn in Tennessee without any further education.

According to a 2023 American Community Survey by the U.S. Census Bureau, the education level of 31% of Tennesseans age 25 and older is a high school diploma or its equivalent. While college-going rates have slowly grown in recent years in Tennessee, they are still markedly lower than they were a decade ago. In 2015, Tennessee's college-going rate was at 64.4%. As of 2023, that rate was at 56.7%.

A recent Pew Research Center survey showed that only one in four adults in the U.S. believe it is "extremely important" or "very important" to have a four-year college degree to get a well-paying job in the current economy. Around 35% said it is "somewhat important," while 40% said it's "not too important" or "not at all important."

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While some of Tennessee's best-paid jobs that don't require a college degree rival the salaries of other lucrative industries, many likely require extra training and years of experience.

Nashville Electric Service workers check power lines along Wilson Blvd. in Nashville on March 3, 2023, after high winds caused damage.

With that in mind, here's a look at Tennessee's Top 25 highest paying jobs that only require a high school diploma or its equivalent, based on 2023 annual median income calculated by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

Nuclear power reactor operators: $106,496 Power plant operators: $103,730 Power distributors and dispatchers: $99,894 Postmasters and mail superintendents: $91,790 Transportation, storage and distribution managers: $91,378 Explosives workers, ordnance handling experts and blasters: $87,342 Elevator and escalator installers and repairers: $82,860 Farmers, ranchers and other agricultural managers: $81,275 First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers: $80,268 Electrical power-line installers and repairers: $79,078 Petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators and gaugers: $77,652 Transportation inspectors: $76,227 Boilermakers: $76,146 Signal and track switch repairers: $75,902 Locomotive engineers: $72,342 Aircraft cargo handling supervisors: $70,693 First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers and repairers: $69,992 First-line supervisors of police and detectives: $69,181 First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers: $66,972 Detectives and criminal investigators: $64,700 Chemical plant and system operators: $64,693 Claims adjusters, examiners and investigators: $64,526 First-line supervisors of correctional officers: $64,306 Gas plant operators: $63,526 First-line supervisors of protective service workers: $63,484

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Best-paid jobs in Tennessee that only require high school diploma
By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the Environmental Protection Agency plans to step down on Dec. 31 after overseeing widespread efforts by the administration of President Joe Biden to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants.

EPA Administrator Michael Regan told employees of his plans in an email on Friday, saying the agency had "confronted climate change with the urgency science demands. We set the strongest standards in history and put billions of dollars to work to spur clean energy development, create good-paying American jobs and lower costs for families."

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This week, Regan approved a waiver to allow California to implement landmark clean car rules that seek to ban the sale of gasoline-only vehicles by 2035. Rules finalized by the EPA in March will cut vehicle emissions by 49% by 2032 and speed the deployment of EVs. They will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 7.2 billion tons through 2055.

Regan said Jane Nishida will serve as acting administrator through Jan. 20 and Dan Utech will serve as acting deputy administrator until then.

Last month, the EPA finalized a methane fee for big oil and gas producers meant to slash emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas, but which is likely to be scrapped by the incoming presidency of Donald Trump.

Trump said in November he was nominating Republican former Congressman Lee Zeldin, who often voted against legislation on green issues, to head the EPA.

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Trump plans to seek reversal of many Biden EPA rules on the burning of fossil fuels, including one curbing carbon emissions from power plants and another slashing such emissions from vehicles.

Trump has said he plans to begin rescinding EPA and the Department of Transportation vehicle pollution rules on his first day in office and is considering paring back or eliminating EV tax breaks and other incentives.

Trump also plans to rescind California's ability to set its own vehicle emissions rules, as he did in 2019.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
By Humeyra Pamuk, Amina Ismail and Simon Lewis

WASHINGTON/DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Senior U.S. diplomats visiting Damascus on Friday met with Syria's de-facto new ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa and held a "good" and "very productive" meeting with him about Syria's political transition and decided to remove a bounty on his head.

In their first in-person meeting with the leaders of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham since the former al Qaeda affiliate overthrew Syria's long-time President Bashar al-Assad two weeks ago, al-Sharaa "came across as pragmatic", Barbara Leaf, top Middle East diplomat at the State Department, told reporters.

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"It was a good first meeting. We will judge by the deeds, not just by words," Leaf, who was the head of the U.S. delegation, said in a briefing and added that the U.S. officials reiterated that Syria's new government should be inclusive. It should also ensure that terrorist groups cannot pose a threat, she said.

"Ahmed al-Sharaa committed to this," Leaf said. "So, based on our discussion, I told him we would not be pursuing rewards for justice," she said, referring to a $10 million bounty that U.S. had put on the HTS leader's head.

The United States, other Western powers and many Syrians were glad to see militias led by HTS topple Assad, but it is not clear whether the group will impose strict Islamic rule or show flexibility and move towards democracy.

Western governments are gradually opening channels to HTS and al-Sharaa, a former commander of an al Qaeda franchise in Syria, and starting to debate whether to remove the group's terrorist designation. The U.S. delegation's trip follows contacts with France and Britain in recent days.

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The United States has outlined a set of principles, such as inclusivity and respect for the rights of minorities, that Washington wants included in Syria's political transition.

The U.S. delegation also worked to uncover new information about U.S. journalist Austin Tice, who was taken captive during a reporting trip to Syria in 2012, and other American citizens who went missing under Assad.

U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens, who was part of the delegation, said Washington would work with Syria's interim authorities to find Tice.

Carstens, who has been in the region since Assad's fall, said he has received a lot of information about missing U.S. journalist Austin Tice, but none of it had so far confirmed his fate one way or another.

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The U.S. cut diplomatic ties with Syria and shut its embassy in Damascus in 2012. Daniel Rubinstein, the newly appointed senior advisor who will lead U.S. engagement in Syria, indicated there would be more trips by U.S. officials. "We're going to try to do them prudently and as frequently as practical."

TERRORIST DESIGNATION

Syrian rebels seized control of Damascus on Dec. 8, forcing Assad to flee after more than 13 years of civil war and ending his family's decades-long rule.

The rebel sweep ended a war that killed hundreds of thousands, caused one of the biggest refugee crises of modern times and left cities bombed to rubble, countryside depopulated and the economy hollowed out by global sanctions.

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The lightning offensive raised questions over whether the rebels will be able to ensure an orderly transition.

Forces under the command of al-Sharaa - better known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani - installed a three-month caretaker government that had been ruling a rebel enclave in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib.

Washington designated al-Sharaa a terrorist in 2013, saying al Qaeda in Iraq had tasked him with overthrowing Assad's rule and establishing sharia Islamic law in Syria. It said the Nusra Front, the predecessor of HTS, carried out suicide attacks that killed civilians and espoused a violent sectarian vision.

Al-Sharaa said the terrorist designation was unfair and that he opposed the killing of innocent people.

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Washington remains concerned that Islamic State could seize the moment to resurrect and also wants to avoid any clashes in the country's northeast between Turkey-backed rebel factions and U.S.-allied Kurdish militia.

SYRIANS GATHER

On Friday, thousands of Syrians held a celebration at Ummayad Square in central Damascus, in an event called for by HTS. Speakers blared revolutionary songs, while people waved the newly adopted Syrian flag and chanted slogans in support of the government and against Assad.

The crowd was a mix of people from different walks of life and backgrounds: armed men in military fatigues, women  both with and without headscarves  and children.

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Maram, 62, said that her four children had fled Syria 11 years ago and settled in Germany and Hungary after two of her sons were detained and tortured. She has not seen them since, but they plan to return to their country to help rebuild it, she said.

"The country has been completely destroyed in every aspect," she said, adding she hoped HTS could improve things, but was watchful. "We were not accustomed to freedom or governing our own country, so we will continue to monitor until we reach our goal."

There is widespread apprehension among Syrians that the new administration will gravitate towards hardline religious rule, marginalising minority communities and excluding women from public life.

Obaida Arnout, a spokesperson for the Syrian transitional government, said this week that women's "biological and physiological nature" rendered them unfit for certain governmental jobs.

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(This story has been refiled to correct a picture caption

(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Additional reporting by Daphne Psaladekis in Washington, Emma Farge in Geneva; Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Timothy Heritage, Ros Russell, Alex Richardson and Alistair Bell)
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is launching a billboard campaign in Mexico and Central America about sexual assault and the state's border security in an effort to deter migrants from entering the country illegally, the governor announced Thursday.

Abbott said the state of Texas had started setting up "dozens of billboards" to "give potential illegal immigrants thinking of leaving their home country  and those already on the way  a realistic picture of what will happen to them on their journey or if they illegally cross into Texas."

The billboards depict the "horror stories of human trafficking," sexual assault and other dangers faced by migrants attempting to cross the country's southern border illegally  especially the violence threatening women and children.

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People are also reading: Texas may begin busing migrants to ICE centers instead of sanctuary cities, source says

Abbott made the announcement at Wall Ranch in Eagle Pass, one of many sites of such violence inflicted on migrants. He was joined by ranchers Kimberly and Martin Wall, Texas Association Against Sexual Assault CEO Rose Luna, Texas Department of Public Safety Director Freeman Martin, Adjutant General of Texas Major General Thomas Suelzer, and Texas Border Czar Mike Banks.

Gov. Abbott speaks at a press conference Thursday in Eagle Pass where he unveiled state-sponsored billboards the state is putting up in Central and South America to deter migrants from coming to the U.S.-Mexico border.

"There is a largely unspoken sexual assault crisis impacting women and children migrating to the Texas border," Luna said. "Acknowledging this issue and its profound impact on survivors is not just crucial  it is our responsibility."

Over 40 billboards have been "strategically placed" in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico, as well as along the Texas-Mexico border, Abbott explained at the press conference while displaying a few examples. In addition to sexual assault and human trafficking, the billboards warn of the legal consequences of entering the U.S. illegally.

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One of the example billboards read, "Stop, if you cross the border illegally into Texas, you will be jailed." Another warned, "Your wife and daughter will pay for the trip with their bodies. Coyotes lie. Don't put your family at risk."

Abbott called the billboard campaign "tough medicine" and estimated the cost at roughly $100,000, The Texas Tribune reports.

For the billboard's messages to have the broadest reach possible, the governor's office said they had been translated into Spanish in Central America and Mexico, and Arabic, Chinese and Russian in Northern Mexico and along the Texas-Mexico border.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas billboard campaign warns migrants of dangers of border crossing
SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS)  One local organization is working hard to ensure local children in need have an unforgettable Christmas.

The African American Parade Celebration Committee is hosting a toy drive and giveaway this Saturday, December 21st, at Bill Cockrell Park.

More Holiday events, announcements and giveaways

We are so excited this year to continue the trend to move forward to bring a smile to a childs face and give a family an opportunity to know that there is someone out there who really cares and loves their children, says event founder Barbara Norton.

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If you are in the spirit of giving this holiday season, you can drop off new, unwrapped toys at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday.

The committee will give toys to children in need until 3 p.m.



Anyone is welcome, no sign up is required.

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 KTALnews.com.
Dec. 19AUSTIN  Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) on Thursday announced it has purchased Lake Colorado City State Park in Mitchell County.

Prior to the purchase, TPWD leased the 500-acre park from Vistra and its predecessors for more than 50 years. To purchase the property, TPWD utilized funding from Sporting Goods Sales Tax which was dedicated to the department through the passage of Proposition 5 in 2019. The proposition dedicates 93 percent of sales taxes on sporting goods to support state parks, historic sites and local park grants.

"I am thrilled that we were able to complete the transaction that will ensure public access to Lake Colorado City State Park for future generations of Texans," said Rodney Franklin, director of Texas State Parks. "Thanks to the support of our legislature and the voters of Texas, we will continue to acquire and protect the wild spaces of Texas."

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"Vistra's Texas roots go back more than 140 years, and we value our longtime partnership with Texas Parks and Wildlife," said Kyle Box, vice president of real estate at Vistra. "We're proud to have been able to provide public access to this privately owned land and lake for the last 50 years through a no-cost lease, and now it's exciting to see this land in new hands but serving its same purpose  as a respite for our fellow Texans."

Located south of I-20 between Midland and Abilene, Colorado City State Park sits on the banks of the Vistra-owned Lake Colorado City, which serves as a cooling reservoir for Vistra's power plant. Vistra will continue to provide an easement for lake access to park visitors. The park and lake have been a place for visitors to swim, fish, boat, paddle, hike, camp, and enjoy nature since 1971. Last year, more than 24,000 visitors enjoyed the park as a respite from the dry West Texas climate.

"Lake Colorado City State Park is a special place and we are thrilled that the park will continue to be a respite where people can recreate outdoors and build lasting memories that they can revisit year after year," said Leslie McGuigan, interim superintendent of Lake Colorado City State Park.

Lake Colorado City State Park is the most recent example of TPWD using the Sporting Goods Sales Tax fund to acquire park land. In September, the department acquired 630 acres adjacent to Enchanted Rock State Natural Area near Fredericksburg, allowing for the expansion of one of the state's most popular sites.

For more information about Lake Colorado City State Park, visit https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/lake-colorado-city.
By David Lawder

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A trade-dispute panel ruled on Friday that Mexico's restrictions on U.S. genetically modified corn exports violate the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, handing the Biden administration a major trade victory in its final weeks.

The U.S. Trade Representative's office said the USMCA dispute settlement panel ruled in favor of all seven U.S. legal claims in the long-running case. It said the panel found Mexico's restrictions are not based on science and violate the USMCA's chapters on sanitary and phytosanitary measures and on market access and national treatment.

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The three-member panel's final report recommended that Mexico bring its corn-trade policies into compliance with the trade agreement. It has 45 days to do so under the 2020 trade deal's rules and failure to comply could result in punitive duties on some exports to the U.S.

Mexico's economy and agriculture ministries said in a joint statement they disagreed with the ruling but would respect it, providing no details on what steps they would take.

"The Government of Mexico does not agree with the Panel's decision, as it considers that the measures in question are aligned with the principles of public health protection and the rights of Indigenous peoples," the agencies said.

Nonetheless, they said that dispute resolution was a key component of the USMCA trade deal, noting that Mexico and Canada prevailed over the U.S. in an automotive rules of origin dispute case last year.

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The corn dispute began six months after USMCA came into force in July 2020 when then-President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador decreed that GM corn be banned by the end of 2024 -- a move largely targeting U.S. corn exports. His successor, President Claudia Sheinbaum, has supported the policy.

After years of little movement in consultations, USTR requested arbitration to settle the dispute, challenging Mexico's 2023 decree that immediately banned use of GM corn in tortillas and dough, and instructed government agencies to gradually eliminate its use in other foods and in animal feed.

The U.S. argued the Mexican government's claims that GM corn is harmful to human health were not based on science.

"The panel's ruling reaffirms the United States' longstanding concerns about Mexicos biotechnology policies and their detrimental impact on U.S. agricultural exports, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said in a statement.

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U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the decision ensured that U.S. farmers and exporters "will continue to have full and fair access to the Mexican market."

"It is also a victory for the countries around the world growing and using products of agricultural biotechnology to feed their growing populations and adapt to a changing planet, Vilsack added.

In February, Mexico's government softened its initial ban on GM corn, explicitly allowing its use for livestock feed and industrialized products for human consumption, but maintained the ban for use in tortillas.

Mexican officials have defended restrictions on GM corn in tortillas and argued it is up to Washington to demonstrate its exports do not harm human health.

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U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 25% blanket tariff on all imports from Canada and Mexico when he takes office on Jan. 20 unless they stem the flow of illegal migrants and fentanyl to the U.S.

If implemented, those duties would appear to violate the USMCA's rules, possibly spawning another dispute case.

TOP BUYER

Mexico, birthplace of modern corn, prohibits planting of GM corn due to fears it would contaminate native strains of the grain. Yet the country is the top foreign buyer of U.S.-grown yellow corn, nearly all of which is genetically modified.

Mexico's government expects local buyers will import a record 22.3 million metric tons during the 2023/24 agricultural season.

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In 2024 through October, the U.S. exported $4.8 billion worth of corn to Mexico, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

Mexico boasts over 60 native varieties of corn, known as landraces, many coming in a kaleidoscope of colors and featuring distinct flavor profiles.

This month, Deputy Economy Minister Luis Rosendo Gutierrez stressed that the government was doing everything it could to protect the free trade pact amid Trump's tariff threats. He added Mexico would comply with the panel's ruling.

U.S. and international agriculture and biotechnology groups applauded the ruling.

"This is the clearest of signals that upholding free-trade agreements delivers the stability needed for innovation to flourish and to anchor our food security," said Emily Rees, president of CropLife International, which represents the plant science industry.

(Reporting by David Lawder and Adriana Barrera; additional reporting by Brendan O'Boyle, David Alire Garcia and Cassandra Garrison in Mexico City, Tom Polansek in Chicago and Leah Douglas in Washington; editing by Diane Craft, Rod Nickel and David Gregorio)
HAWAII POLICE DEPARTMENT Curtis K. Brown III, of Puna, is charged with first-degree theft, unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle and drug offenses.

HAWAII POLICE DEPARTMENT Curtis K. Brown III, of Puna, is charged with first-degree theft, unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle and drug offenses.

Hawaii County prosecutors announced auto theft and felony drug charges Thursday against a 31-year-old Puna man.

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Curtis K. Brown III was arrested and charged with the theft of a Chrysler minivan, reported stolen on Nov. 29 from the Black Sands Subdivision in Pahoa.

Police reports show that at the time it was stolen, the minivan was parked on Upper Puna Road due to a flat tire on Thanksgiving Day.

Puna patrol officers stopped Brown Tuesday during a traffic stop after noticing his rear license plate had been altered with black tape.

Officers executed a narcotics search warrant on the vehicle and recovered two glass smoking pipes containing a substance that tested presumptive positive  for methamphetamine, police said.

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They also recovered a zip packet with a substance that also tested presumptive positive for cocaine.

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Brown made his initial appearance Thursday in Hilo District Court, and bail was maintained at $55, 000.

His preliminary hearing was set for Monday.

Brown is charged with first-degree theft (for the theft of the minivan ), first-degree unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle and two counts of third-degree promotion of a dangerous drug.

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First-degree theft is a class B felony, which carries a penalty of a 10-year prison term or four years of probation and up to eighteen months in jail.

The other charges are punishable by five years in prison or four years probation and up 12 months in jail.

Anyone with information to assist local law enforcement is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 808-961-8300.

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The construction industry is booming and as older workers retire, they need new workers to take their places. A new apprenticeship program aims to fill that gap. Scott Terry, a career planner at the American Job Center who oversees the Illinois Works free apprenticeship program, spoke with Our Quad Cities News via Zoom to discuss the program.

I think what really makes the Illinois Works pre apprenticeship program unique is that its not just, hey, you know you got through our program. Congratulations, good luck. We are actually mandated by the state to continue to follow and work with our graduates for up to a year to provide transitional services and do everything we can to ensure that the benefits of their graduation come to fruition in terms of getting them transitioned into meaningful employment and/or acceptance into a trade apprenticeship.

The program saw success with its cohort this past summer. We had 20 enrolled, 18 graduated, he said. We have probably about three-fourths of those 18 who are either employed full time with a local contractor or have been accepted into a DOL RAP (Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship Program). Think electricians. Weve got a few on waiting lists with the electricians unions. Weve got a couple who have been accepted by the cement masons, a couple more on waiting lists with the glazers. Were really, really proud of our first cohort graduates. They have been phenomenal, ensuring that the taxpayers of Illinois, tax dollars that were invested in them are now coming into fruition. Their success will then turn around and be everybodys success as they contribute to construction projects and whatnot throughout the state.

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I think everybody knows that if you work hard and you stick with it, if you work in the construction industry and the building trades, youre going to make a good living. Very good benefits, very good retirement. I dont think most of the trade in any way have had too much issue recruiting or getting folks to apply. Usually, theres a lot of folks who apply and cant get in, at least in their first round. But I think what the state was hearing from the trades folks and construction industry folks was hey, we had a lot of people applying, but they dont have those basic fundamental soft skills that we need. I had one business manager tell me about how they had just brought in a new apprentice who couldnt figure out how to fill the gas can. Thats really why this program came about.

Anyone is encouraged to apply for the program, as long as they are Illinois residents over 18 with a high school diploma or GED. The residency requirement is necessary because the program is funded by Illinois taxpayers. Classes are held Monday through Thursday, 4- 8 p.m. from February 3 through May 16 and one weekend day a month. The schedule is somewhat flexible, as union presentations and tours wont be on weekends. Terry says the program couldnt happen without help.

This, I think, is a great opportunity, particularly for those who have been laid off in the manufacturing industry, because its a close cousin to the construction industry. Manufacturing is just as physical as the construction industry. So, I think theres a natural transition there. We actually had quite a few apply last cycle, and many of them were accepted who were some of the layoffs that we were weve been facing here locally, and they were all very successful. I encourage anyone who has worked in manufacturing, who has worked in farming, who has any past work experience working with their hands really well to apply.

The program features both classroom and firsthand training in skills like construction math, reading blueprints and learning to use hand power tools. Participants also learn resume skills and go through mock interviews. Training is free to participants and there are some unique benefits. The training does take place in Geneseo, in the CTE building next to the Geneseo High School, Terry said. I want to thank Geneseo High School for their partnership in that, as well as Black Hawk College, to take a moment to acknowledge them. They are the ones providing the program training.

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Program participants get more than just an education. There is a $14.50 per hour stipend that gets awarded per instructional hour for participants. Keep in mind, a stipend is not a wage. The reason thats a really important distinction is that theres no taxes taken out for your stipend and no taxes need be paid on a stipend, unlike your wage. Another benefit of the program, what they call wrap around services helps participants cover costs like gas and childcare during training.

The job outlook is bright for people in the program, said Terry. The construction industry continues to grow exponentially. Its an aging industry, in terms of those who have the experience, the knowledge and those types of things, especially the skilled trades. They are hungry for recruits. I dont foresee the demand for infrastructure projects declining, as our infrastructure is obviously aging as well. Bridge work and housing continues to grow the need for housing, particularly affording affordable housing. All indicators that I have received to date is that its only going to grow, and the demand in terms of job openings and those types of things are only going to grow.

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 WHBF - OurQuadCities.com.
Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, the National Leader of the Turkmen people and Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty of Turkmenistan, has sent a congratulatory message to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on his birthday, Azernews reports.

His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Dear Ilham Heydar oglu,

Please accept my warm congratulations and best wishes on the occasion of your birthday!

The great successes achieved in all areas of Azerbaijans public and political life, the significant accomplishments in the country's economic development, and the strengthening of its authority on the global stage are inextricably linked to your name.

Taking this pleasant opportunity, dear Ilham Heydar oglu, I sincerely wish you good health, happiness, and success in all your endeavors.

Respectfully,

Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov

National Leader of the Turkmen people,

Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty of Turkmenistan
Dec. 20JEFFERSON  Steps to alleviate housing issues facing young people in Ashtabula County have found traction with two major funding sources becoming available, to the tune of $1.75 million, Ashtabula County Commissioner Kathryn Whittington said.

The grants will assist in the potential construction of small houses behind the Ashtabula Township McDonalds to house young adults, ages 18-24, in need of consistent housing, Whittington said.

She said a small group of interested organizations and individuals met in 2017 at the Ashtabula County YMCA, seeking to address housing challenges for young adults, but nothing came of it. A slightly larger group gathered again in the last year to work towards addressing housing issues, with much better results.

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Dr. Jerome Brockway, retired superintendent of the Ashtabula County Vocational School, said he became involved in the process after seeing how many students in the Youth Opportunities program didn't have a constant home.

He said dozens of young people were couch-surfing or homeless. Brockway said he wanted to be a part of a program that helped alleviate the problem.

"It's very exciting," Whittington said. "I've been working with Youth Opportunities for years."

The Ashtabula County Board of Commissioners received a $250,000 allocation from the Ohio Capital Improvement budget, and $1.5 million through the 2024 Affordable Housing Program.

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Whittington said a proposed project to create 10 small houses for individual people to live in was slated to cost around $3 million. She said the project will likely be downsized to five or six houses, and be nearly fully funded.

The next step in the process will be to create a 501(c)(3) corporation for the project. She said a present 501(c)(3), through Pentecostal Community Church, is being used as the project gets rolling.

The new 501(c)(3) will likely take six months to create, and will then have an independent board of directors, if every thing goes as planned, Whittington said.

"We are honored to partner with all parties involved to make this project possible, and to build a long and lasting relationship that will meet the pressing needs of our youth," Pentecostal Community Church Senior Pastor Scott Ardary said. "It's our goal to help disadvantaged youth become productive members of society.

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"This is a significant step forward in our ongoing efforts to address homelessness in our community, especially among the youth who are often overlooked. With the collaboration of our county commissioners, local partners and dedicated community members, we are confident this initiative will make a meaningful impact and provide a better future for these young people."

The $1.5 million comes from a 10% portion of the Affordable Housing Program for specific housing options in the form of a grant, not a loan.

Whittington said Ashtabula County Land Bank Director Alex Iarocci suggested the grant.

"The receipt of the grant, coupled with the funding from the state, will provide an opportunity to provide transitional housing for homeless youth and young adults in the county," Brockway said.

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He said a structured environment allowing homeless youth and young adults the opportunity to acquire life skills, education, employment opportunities and skill development is an important.

Whittington said there will be a coordinator on-site to assist the young people, and there will be a community room and a center for services from county agencies to help with education, employment and skill development.

The current partners include the commissioners, the church, Ashtabula County Job and Family Services, A-Tech, the Ashtabula County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board, the Ashtabula County Land Bank, Ashtabula County Environmental Services, Ashtabula County Department of Planning and Development, the Ashtabula County Building Department, Sunset Transportation and Youth Opportunities.

Whittington said Youth Opportunities will be the lead agency in referring individuals, but they may come from social service organizations and area churches.

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Discussions have started with the Ashtabula Township Zoning Department, Whittington said.

She said if things go well, the project could occur sometime in 2025.

The proposed houses would be 420 square feet and have three rooms.

Ardary said he is passionate about the project. He said he came through the foster system in Pennsylvania, and wants to provide youth opportunities to become successful citizens not just have a place to stay.

He said he envisions 25-50 houses to be built over the long haul.
Christmas is fast approaching, and for swathes of the public that means travelling across the UK and beyond. Whether youre driving home for a festive celebration, taking the train to see family or flying overseas, youre at the mercy of both the countrys infrastructure network  and the weather.

With a range of cancellations and disruptions planned across the country, it pays to look ahead. It is also worth considering that the Met Office has warned that stormy weather conditions could hit the UK on Saturday December 21 and Sunday December 22, with winds reaching up to 85mph in some parts of the country. Northern, central and western parts of the UK are set to be the worst affected.

Douglas Cairns from Transport Scotland said: The strong winds across Scotland this weekend are expected to have an impact on the transport network.

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Road, rail, air and ferry services are all likely to be affected by the conditions, with longer journey times and cancellations possible, as well as potential restrictions on bridges.

Here are all the details you need to know about travelling during the festive period.

Railways

According to data from booking platform Trainline, Saturday December 21 will be the busiest day for train travel this year. Despite the railways being a popular way to get home for Christmas, millions of people are expected to be impacted by disruption.

Passengers travelling to or from some London stations have been warned to make alternative arrangements, as key routes will be affected by major engineering works. Below are some of the most severely impacted, but it is always worth checking your operators website before travel. And its important to remember that no trains at all run in the UK on Christmas Day.

The Great Western line: December 24 to 30

Paddington will be closed for six days, meaning those travelling to the west of England should expect delays and diversions. The Great Western line  which also includes those travelling between Paddington to Heathrow, Reading and South Wales  will be closed from Christmas Eve to Monday December 30.

Saturday December 21 will be the busiest day for train travel this year - Yui Mok

Passengers travelling to and from Penzance, Plymouth, Exeter, Swansea and Cardiff will instead have hourly trains to Euston, although these will not stop at Reading and seat reservations are required.

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Those taking journeys from Bristol, Bath, Oxford and Worcester will, however, run to Reading, where passengers then need to change to trains bound for Ealing Broadway or Waterloo.

West Coast Main Line: December 28 to January 5 (in parts)

Crewe station will be closed between December 28 and 30 (although full capacity will not return until January 5), meaning for many travelling to and from the north of the country, rail connections will be severely impacted. Trains that usually pass through the station will instead be sent to Manchester.

On Christmas Eve and December 27, there will be no Avanti West Coast services to Liverpool Lime Street. Services to the city will also not run during the engineering work at Crewe, either.

Trains from Euston to Birmingham and Manchester will also be reduced in number.

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On New Years Day, the line from Milton Keynes Central to Rugby will be closed, with Avanti West Coast operating rail replacement buses between the two stations instead. Services to Manchester, Glasgow and Birmingham will start at Rugby.

Midland Main Line: December 21 to 29

There will be no trains on the Midland Main Line between December 21 to 29, although hourly East Midlands trains will run between Sheffield, Corby, Nottingham and Bedford. Rail replacement buses will run to Milton Keynes Central.

Passengers have been warned that trains to and from London on this line could take up to an hour longer (and diversions are expected). Thameslink trains will be badly affected.

Roads

The RAC and transport analytics company Inrix are predicting that a total of 29.3 million car journeys will be made between Wednesday December 18 and Christmas Eve, the most since the RAC began recording the data in 2013  and many more than last years 21 million.

Around 21 million journeys were taken by car over the Christmas period last year - Getty

The weekend before Christmas (which this year falls on December 21 and 22) is typically the busiest time to travel. If you do have to take to the roads on those days, the advice is to set off as early or as late as possible, avoiding lunchtime. Drivers should factor in extra time for their journey; those driving in London should expect journey time to be doubled.

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Happily, though, National Highways has said that more than 95 per cent of roadworks on Englands motorways and major A roads would be lifted from 6am on Friday December 20. Most will not be begin again until January 2.

Airports

While last-minute disruptions and the forecast stormy weather conditions could affect air travel over the festive period, it can also be the cheapest time to fly. On Christmas Day especially, fares tend to plummet, meaning discounted travel to a home nation (or winter sun destination) can be particularly good value. British Airways, for example, is operating a larger-than-ever service out of London Heathrow on the big day, with return flights to San Francisco, for example, costing as little as 685.

Currently, no airport closures or strike action is planned at Christmas in the UK.

This article is kept up to date with the latest information.

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Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials expect to screen 40 million passengers over the holiday travel season until January 2. Some of those people were at the Pittsburgh International Airport Friday morning on what was expected to be one of the busiest days over the next few weeks.

Leonard Hoyle decided to take the red eye out of Charlotte Thursday night to skip the Friday morning rush on what was projected to be a packed day at airports nationwide.

Its all about planning. You dont have any anxiety if you plan ahead, Hoyle said. I fly often quite often. Im retired from the airlines, so I know how this action works.

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While TSA lines at Pittsburgh International Airport were long early on Friday, specifically between 4:30 and 6 a.m., passengers were pleased to see them die down as the morning went on.

Honestly, its kind of crazy. Sometimes, weve had to get here at like 3 in the morning just to be able to make it through security in time, but today was really nice because we only had to wake up at like 5:15 to get here, said Micah Fox of mt. Lebanon, who was flying to Florida with her family.

Airlines expect to have their busiest days December 20 and 22, as well as December 26, 27, and 29. Flight traffic is expected to be light on both Christmas Day and New Years Day.

It is my least favorite thing having to wait to get through security. Its just so annoying, Fox said.

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This is the first holiday season since a Transportation Department rule took effect that requires airlines to give customers an automatic cash refund for a canceled or significantly delayed flight, meaning three hours for domestic flights or a six-hour delay for international flights. It comes two years after two million Southwest Airlines flyers were stranded at airports nationwide during the peak of the holiday travel season.

That seems like a really good deal. Im glad they put that in place, Fox said.

Everyone goes through different circumstances, and for them to be reimbursed for whatever situation they might have is a great idea, Hoyle said.

Pittsburgh International Airport officials are recommending flyers arrive two hours before their scheduled flights.

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An effort has been launched to provide support for the family of a 72-year-old woman killed by a driver outside Knollwood Mall.

Debra Cizinski, 72, of Minneapolis, was running holiday errands when she was struck in the parking lot of the St. Louis Park mall. She suffered multiple blunt force injuries and despite lifesaving efforts from police and fire responders, was pronounced dead at the scene.

A GoFundMe has since been created for Cizinski's family, who are raising funds for her funeral arrangements, medical bills, and legal costs.

GoFundMe

"It is with heavy hearts that we come together to honor Deb and help ease the financial stress on her family," the GoFundMe reads. "Deb was not only a beloved Minneapolis community member but also a cherished wife, mother, grandmother, and neighbor who touched the lives of many with her kindness and generosity."

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The Minnesota Star Tribune reports that the 82-year-old driver behind the wheel of the car that struck Cizinski cooperated with St. Louis Park police and said she was talking to someone over Bluetooth while in the parking lot in her car.

When she went to turn off the vehicle by pushing the start button, the car "suddenly accelerated, jumped a curb, struck the pedestrian, then struck another car, and eventually came to rest against the light pole, the driver told police, according to a court filing.

As of Friday, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner still reports the collision as an accident.

Related: Authorities ID woman fatally hit by driver at Knollwood Mall
Dec. 20ANGOLA  Trine University students have been honored for projects presented at the university's eighth annual STEM Research and Design Symposium, held Thursday, Dec. 5, on the concourse of the MTI Center.

The symposium featured 52 student projects representing multiple academic departments. Projects included departmental freshman and research projects as well as Research Experiences for Undergraduates.

Awards were presented in the following categories:

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Best Trine Undergraduate Research in Chemical Engineering: Chemical engineering majors Natalie Crowner of Saline, Michigan, and Dean Campbell of Batesville, Indiana, "Abrasion Resistant Coating for Fiber Optic Cables."

Honorable Mention, People's Choice: Biomedical engineering majors Kaeli Sterling of Prior Lake, Minnesota, and Carley Thomas of Milroy, Indiana, "Nature Inspired Innovation."

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(Bloomberg) -- The Republican-led House rejected a temporary funding plan backed by President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday with just over 24 hours to go before a US government shutdown, capping an extraordinary two days in Washington that tested the limits of the incoming presidents power.

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Trump and key adviser Elon Musk had pressured GOP lawmakers, including threats to oppose them in the next election, to abandon an earlier bipartisan deal. Trump insisted Republican leaders add a provision waiving or raising the federal debt limit before he takes office.

But the bill failed by a vote of 235 to 174, with 38 Republicans voting against it in defiance of both the president-elect and the richest man in the world. Nearly all Democrats voted against the spending package, which would have also suspended the debt ceiling for two years.

We will regroup and we will come up with another solution, House Speaker Mike Johnson said after the vote. Musk took to his social media platform X to blame Democrats for the defeat of a super fair & simple bill.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries had dismissed the plan as laughable, adding extreme MAGA Republicans are driving us to a government shutdown. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre likened it to a giveaway for billionaires.

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Government funding will lapse Friday night without congressional action. The Trump-backed plan would set March 14 as the new funding deadline.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole said he was mystified why lawmakers would vote against a bill that extends important protections to the American people.

But another Republican lawmaker denounced the plan before the vote, taking issue with the extension of the debt ceiling.

To congratulate yourself because its shorter in pages but increases the debt by $5 trillion is asinine, Representative Chip Roy, a hardline conservative from Texas, said on the House floor. And that is precisely what Republicans are doing.

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Johnson huddled with other Republicans in his office much of Wednesday evening and during the day Thursday trying to work out a temporary funding plan that Trump would accept, as they closed in on the shutdown deadline.

Musk had savaged Johnsons earlier deal in a daylong series of social media posts Wednesday, rousing his followers against the bill and declaring that any lawmaker who supported it should be defeated in the next election.

The spending vote this week had been expected to be relatively free of drama, as neither the incoming unified Republican majority nor the Democrats currently in control of the Senate and White House wanted a showdown as the holidays loomed. But the bill included more than $100 billion in disaster aid and had other sweeteners, such as a pay raise for lawmakers, drawing the ire of Musk, who Trump has named to lead an advisory Department of Government Efficiency to bring major expenditure cuts.

The debt ceiling had been an issue legislators didnt expect to have to confront until next year, and certainly wasnt on their pre-holiday agenda. On Thursday, Trump told NBC News that abolishing the debt ceiling entirely would be the smartest thing lawmakers could do.

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I support that entirely, he said.

All About the Debt Ceiling as Trump Backs Ending It: QuickTake

--With assistance from Daniel Flatley.

(Updates with Johnson reaction in fourth paragraph)

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(Bloomberg) -- The federal government hurtled toward a holiday shutdown Friday, as President-elect Donald Trump scuttled a bipartisan funding deal only to fail to muster support within his own party for an alternative he backed.

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The Republican-led House late Thursday rejected the spending package with 38 GOP lawmakers joining nearly all Democrats in voting against the measure despite threats by Trump and his billionaire ally Elon Musk to defeat holdouts in their next elections.

The loss provided a striking demonstration of the limits of Trumps power after weeks of corporate leaders and foreign dignitaries paying homage to the newly elected president at his winter retreat in Mar-a-Lago. And it showcased fissures within the Republican ranks that present formidable obstacles to imposing his will despite the partys impending unified control of the elected branches of government.

House Speaker Mike Johnson was left without an immediate path forward. We will regroup and we will come up with another solution. So stay tuned, he said after the vote.

Trump on Thursday said he would not endorse a deal that didnt include an extension or elimination of the debt ceiling, which caps how much money the federal government can borrow and has been used as a weapon by both parties to extract concessions in spending fights.

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The bill would have funded the government until March 14 and suspended the federal debt limit for two years.

Democratic leaders said they would not accept the late demand for a debt ceiling suspension, casting the effort as a ploy by Trump to clear the way for future legislative priorities including the extension of his signature tax cuts.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries dismissed the plan as laughable, adding extreme MAGA Republicans are driving us to a government shutdown.

As for Johnson, the gambit was viewed more as an effort to preserve his own political future than a sincere bid to avert a shutdown that would furlough hundreds of thousands of federal workers and halt many government services.

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The Trump camp tried to put the blame on Democrats who just voted to shut down the government.

On Capitol Hill, the chaos was met with exhaustion and pessimism from lawmakers facing the reality that hopes of an agreement before the midnight deadline were rapidly fading. The mood further curdled with recognition that Trumps election  and vow, alongside Musk, to pursue a radical overhaul of the federal government  had already exacerbated the divisions and leadership failures that have for years plagued congressional Republicans efforts to govern.

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, Representative Chip Roy, a hardline conservative from Texas, said on X. Ive been negotiating to that end. No apologies.

Earlier in the day, Trump had lashed out at Roy and said on Truth Social that Republican obstructionists have to be done away with.

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The flap illustrated a core dynamic likely to play out repeatedly over Trumps second term: an emboldened president  with little institutional loyalty to his party, the knowledge he will never again have to run for election, and an electoral mandate that reinforced his notions of political invincibility  seeing no downside in pushing his advantage.

Trump has proven willing to endure shutdowns before, even if they ultimately resolve without him obtaining his original policy goals. Key allies, including Musk, spent recent days downplaying the impact of a shutdown on ordinary Americans.

For allies and opponents alike, learning how to negotiate with a president unshackled from any traditional considerations  and particularly as they are politically weakened  has rapidly emerged as the challenge of their time. Its a particularly acute dilemma for Johnson, who is now facing criticism from all directions over his handling of the crisis ahead of an increasingly difficult House vote over whether he can retain the speakers gavel.

Before that though, lawmakers have a more immediate concern  sorting out a deal to fund the government.

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Federal departments and agencies informed federal workers on Thursday that funding was set to lapse, and Biden administration officials have spent recent days preparing plans for a shutdown.

While Social Security payments, mail delivery and critical government operations would continue, a shutdown threatens the paychecks of critical employees including air traffic controllers and airport security screeners during the holiday season.

Both of Johnsons failed proposals would have kept the government funded at current levels until March 14 and included more than $100 billion in disaster relief.

But the earlier bipartisan deal was loaded with items opposed by conservatives, such as a transfer of land around the Robert F. Kennedy stadium in Washington to the District of Columbias government, along with pay raises and expanded health benefits for lawmakers.

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Trump and Musk condemned the package shortly after it was unveiled in a flurry of social media posts and statements. Trump said Republicans needed to do more to fight for their own priorities  including the extension or elimination of the debt ceiling.

Trump also dashed hope for a so-called clean stopgap bill that would have dropped so-called add-ons, including the disaster and farm aid, which may have garnered enough support to pass. In a series of posts, Trump emphasized that he still supported the disaster and farm provisions, while threatening Republican lawmakers who did not hold out for a debt ceiling extension with a primary challenge.

For the incoming president, a deal to eliminate the debt ceiling would deprive Democrats of leverage as he pursues an ambitious legislative agenda that is expected to include a series of new tax cuts on top of an already expensive extension of breaks passed during his first year in office.

But its a tough pill to swallow for fellow Republicans who have long cast the debt ceiling as an important check on government spending, and who may be thinking beyond Trumps final four years in office. Trump spent Thursday attacking party lawmakers who balked at his debt ceiling demands.

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He looked to assuage concern within the GOP during an interview with ABC News on Thursday, saying that voters would blame Biden for a government shutdown that begun under his watch  and also for any hike to the debt limit.

But with midnight approaching, there appeared little middle ground  or hope for a quick resolution.

Theres enough blame to go around right now, Nebraska Republican Don Bacon said late Thursday when asked who would be held responsible for a shutdown. Ill just say it that way.

--With assistance from Steven T. Dennis and Daniel Flatley.

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Donald Trump has endorsed a shutdown of the US government and said it would be Bidens problem, amid a row over a spending bill in Congress.

The president-elect waded into a row over spending, telling Republicans they should not vote for a bill that contained concessions to Democrats to keep the lights on in government departments.

Congress was racing to find a solution on Friday night, as a midnight deadline for authorising additional spending neared.

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An initial continuing resolution to provide supplementary funding to the government was attacked on Thursday by Elon Musk, who said it was criminal that it contained pay rises for members of Congress and a provision allowing the House of Representatives to reject subpoenas from the Department of Justice.

He and Mr Trump both said that any Republican who voted for the bill should face a primary election at the 2026 midterms, undermining the GOP House Speaker, Mike Johnson, who negotiated the compromise with Democrats.

Mr Trump said he was happy to allow a government shutdown - Evan Vucci

On Friday, Mr Trump said he was happy to allow a government shutdown, which he said would be Mr Bidens problem, rather than pass a bill that Democrats supported.

Republicans have a slim majority in the House, where the bill was debated, but some GOP representatives voted against a pared-back bill supported by Mr Trump on Thursday.

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As the deadline approached, Mr Trump said: If there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now, under the Biden Administration, not after January 20th, under TRUMP.

This is a Biden problem to solve, but if Republicans can help solve it, they will!

Threats of government shutdown are common, and happen when departments run out of money that has already been authorised by Congress.

They typically are resolved when Republicans and Democrats compromise on a spending bill, which often has other clauses about unrelated topics that are favoured by one party.

If a shutdown takes place, the government ends all non-essential activity and furloughs its workers. The last shutdown took place for 35 days at the end of 2018.

Mr Johnson, house speaker, negotiated the compromise with Democrats - SHAWN THEW/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

A shutdown at the end of Mr Bidens administration could prevent him from spending federal money on programmes to further his legacy in office.

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The White House blamed Republicans for the funding blockade, accusing them of playing politics and threatening to hurt hardworking Americans.

Mr Musks opposition to the bill suggests he will play a major role in Mr Trumps congressional strategy after his inauguration on January 20, even though he does not have an official position in the upcoming administration.

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO will instead chair a Department of Government Efficiency with Vivek Ramaswamy, a former Republican primary contender, to search for examples of wasteful spending.

His involvement in the spending row attracted praise and criticism on Capitol Hill, where some congressmen referred to him mockingly as President Musk.

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Others said his aggressive approach to lawmaking would benefit Mr Trump during his second term. Mr Musk has suggested that no laws should be passed until the president-elect takes office.

However, the row threatens the future of Mr Johnson, a Trump ally who will be required to compromise with Democrats to pass flagship legislation once he is sworn in next month.

His team were last night working on a third version of the bill that some Republicans thought had a chance of passing the House.

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With just hours to go until the American government potentially shuts down, both our current president and the president-elect are in agreement on one thing: Its not their fault.

Donald Trump and The White House took turns placing blame for the political malpractice on Friday, with Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre repeatedly putting the onus on House Speaker Mike Johnson for scrapping a bipartisan agreement as Trump faulted Joe Biden.

If there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now, under the Biden Administration, not after January 20th, under TRUMP,' Trump wrote on Truth Social early Friday morning. This is a Biden problem to solve, but if Republicans can help solve it, they will!

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Meanwhile, Jean-Pierres press briefing got quite repetitive as she consistently answered all questions regarding the impending shutdown with the same soundbyte about the GOP, insisting, They created this mess.

We have been here before, when were trying to avoid a government shutdown, and the president has had the same strategy  he knows how to work with Congress. In this instance, the Republicans blew this deal up. They did. They blew it up and they need to fix it, she said. This is not for the president to fix, this is not for us to fix, this is for Republicans in Congress to fix the mess that they created.

There is a bipartisan agreement, theres a deal that was agreed upon and thats what they need to move forward with  and when I say They, I mean the Republicans in Congress, Jean-Pierre added at another point. Thats what they said they would move forward with, the Speaker said that, and hes not holding up his side of the bargain.

Congressional Republicans made their decision because of what the president-elect said  at the direction of the president-elect and Elon Musk, she continued. There was a bipartisan deal on the table. They were moving forward, the Speaker agreed to do this, to move forward with the bipartisan deal and they stopped that because of what the president-elect said and what Elon Musk said. They wanted to clear a way for their billionaire friends. A tax cut, $5 trillion to the national debt with tax cuts for billionaires. So, thats the reality.

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While successfully acknowledging the billionaire class role in things, the press secretary did, however, dodge questions on why Biden is not publicly addressing the situation himself, reiterating that she is his voice in The White House.

The back and forth came after Trump discussed the topic of dealmaking late Thursday night on social media, writing, Congress must get rid of, or extend out to, perhaps, 2029, the ridiculous Debt Ceiling. Without this, we should never make a deal. Remember, the pressure is on whoever is President.

The government is set to shut down when federal funding runs out on Saturday at 12:01 a.m. EST, unless Congress can come up with a plan in the next 10 hours.

The post Trump, Biden Camps Cant Agree on Blame for Government Shutdown Turmoil: They Created This Mess | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
Fox News anchor Neil Cavuto is leaving the network after 28 years of service following a final show on Thursday, Dec 19.

Cavuto, 66, made the announcement on Thursday during his final taping of Your World, an afternoon program he has hosted since Fox News launched in 1996.

Ive been doing this for nearly three decades here, he told viewers on Thursday afternoon. You know, there are people working with me now who werent even born when I started at Fox. Thats how old I am.

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The veteran anchor went on to explain that he had been planning to depart for some time but made it clear that he is not leaving journalism. Im just leaving here.

I got to do what I love to do, report the news. Not shout the news, not blast the news, he added. Not call names, just call balls and strikes, following the news, hold truth to power and fairness to all. Thats it, thats me."

Steven Ferdman/Getty Neil Cavuto hosts an episode of 'Your World' on Nov. 14, 2019

Cavuto, who has been known for frequently challenging President-elect Donald Trump, was a network mainstay, hosting three shows across Fox News and sister channel Fox Business Network, totaling 12 hours of programming per week. In addition to anchoring the daily program Your World, he also anchored Cavuto: Coast to Coast and the weekend show Cavuto Live.

Cavuto went on to thank the higher-ups at Fox in his departure note, saying, Im forever grateful to my bosses here. Theyve been very good to me these many years and offered a very generous opportunity for me to stay years more.

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According to CNN, a person familiar with the matter said that Cavuto was offered a contract extension but at a lower salary, and he declined.

Related: Fox News' Neil Cavuto Was in the ICU with COVID Due to His 'Very Compromised Immune System'

Trump has frequently clashed with Cavuto for fact-checking him on a wide range of topics throughout the years, most recently during the 2024 presidential election. Trump was quick to celebrate the news of the hosts departure from the network.

GOOD NEWS FOR AMERICA! Neil Cavuto, the Lowest Rated Anchor on Fox, by far, is leaving - Should have happened a long time ago! Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

Fox News Neil Cavuto on 'Cavuto: Coast to Coast'

But not everyone shared the president-elects sentiments. Network colleagues on The Five spent a few minutes going around in a circle to send him well wishes.

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Dana Perino praised his "big heart" and "trusted voice" during the segment, and Jesse Watters commended his "great work ethic" and "great career." Jessica Tarlov told viewers that Cavuto is known to write hand-written appreciation notes to first-time guests on his shows.



"Neil Cavuto is not only a good man, he's really smart, and I learned a lot from listening to him," co-host Jeanine Pirro added on The Five. "We wish you well. You need a break Neil! And I hope you enjoy every minute."

Related: Fox News Turns 25: See the Network's Longest-Tenured Reporters, Then and Now

Others took to social media to praise Cavuto following his final broadcast.

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Ive always appreciated you. You call balls and strikes. Youre not a yes-man. Its an honor to be on your show, The Hill editor-in-chief Bob Cusack said.

Bravo Neil Cavuto on 3 great decades at Fox News. Fair and balanced for real, Neil never chickened out, former Fox News anchor Geraldo Rivera added on X. Even in the Time of Trump, when it would have been easy, he was a truth teller. He angered the ideologues but never backed down.

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Fox News shared a statement with PEOPLE that paid tribute to their longtime anchor, describing his decades-long tenure as illustrious.

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"Neil Cavuto's illustrious career has been a master class in journalism and were extremely proud of his incredible 28-year run with FOX News Media, the network said in a statement, per USA Today. His programs have defined business news and set the standard for the entire industry. We wish him a heartfelt farewell and all the best on his next chapter."

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An image from a court document filed in the case against Sioux Falls resident Amy Willis, charged in federal court for her alleged behavior on Jan. 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol. The yellow circle, added by prosecutors, allegedly identifies Willis. (Courtesy of U.S. Department of Justice)

Amy Willis says shes not a criminal.

When she entered the U.S. Capitol with a crowd of protesters whod been urged by Donald Trump to stop the steal of the 2020 election on Jan. 6, 2021, she claimed it felt more like a tour than a group of insurrectionists.

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I didnt know it was an insurrection until I saw it on the news the next day, Willis said in a recent interview with South Dakota Searchlight.

According to prosecutors, this image shows Sioux Falls resident Amy Willis and a police officer in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021. Willis is criminally charged for her alleged participation in the Capitol riot. (Courtesy of U.S. Department of Justice)

In July, Willis was indicted on misdemeanor charges, including knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building. The Sioux Falls herbalist became one of at least five South Dakotans and around 1,600 total people charged in federal court for their behavior that day  a group of people President-elect Trump has vowed to pardon upon returning to office next month.

A court document paints a starkly different picture than Willis description. A photo of her in the crowd before she entered the Capitol shows her amid a throng of people, some of whom held Trump flags and Gadsen flags  emblazoned with a coiled snake and the phrase dont tread on me  or American flags. A puff of what appears to be smoke billows over the crowd. Another image from inside the Capitol shows Willis appearing to film with her cell phone as rioters continued to pour in through the door and windows, the document says.

Willis was allegedly part of a group that pushed past a police line, forcing the officers to retreat. The document also says Capitol police were actively attempting to push back the rioters.

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Willis twice pulled away from an officer whod attempted to remove her, the document says. She told Searchlight her resistance was a trauma response tied to a physically abusive relationship, and said she was planning to leave the building as instructed.

South Dakotans charged for alleged insurrectionist behavior

At least four South Dakotans have pending charges for their alleged actions on Jan. 6, and another South Dakotan has been sentenced.

Trump has referred repeatedly to Jan. 6 rioters as political prisoners and otherwise downplayed the riot, where four people in the crowd died and more than 100 police officers were injured. One officer died the day after the riot, and four others committed suicide within seven months. Once in office, Trump will have the authority to pardon each alleged rioter, including those like Willis whose cases are still working their way through the federal court system.

Judges have granted delays for at least two Jan. 6 defendants based on their argument that Trump might issue blanket pardons, Politico reported in November. Trump owns potential criminal liability  he was indicted for his alleged efforts to subvert the 2020 election  have mostly dissolved in the wake of his election victory.

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On Thursday, a judge signed an order allowing a Kansas City man who pleaded guilty to Jan. 6-related charges to attend Trumps inauguration next month.

In a televised Dec. 8 interview with NBC News, Trump promised to be acting very quickly to pardon Jan. 6 defendants.

Newell man faces nine counts

Darrell Goins of Newell is charged with nine counts, including engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly and dangerous weapon  listed as a 20-ounce plastic soft drink bottle in his indictment  as well as disorderly and disruptive conduct, entering and remaining in a restricted building and assaulting or impeding certain officers.

The Goins case opened in May. He was arrested and released on his own recognizance that month. Hes pleaded not guilty to all charges, and a judge granted a continuance for his case in a virtual hearing held Dec. 17. His next hearing is set to take place eight days after Trumps Jan. 20 inauguration.

Thousands of rioters storm the U.S. Capitol building following a Stop the Steal rally on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

The FBI found Goins after getting a tip in mid-2022 identifying him in images and videos from Jan. 6, according to court documents. An agent interviewed a former coworker of Goins, who identified him in photos showing him raising a fist on the Capitols West Plaza at the very front of the crowd, standing directly in front of the line of the U.S. Capitol Police.

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The court documents include a photo of a man, alleged to be Goins, tossing a plastic bottle at an officer, and say that the bottle thrown by Goins appears to have narrowly missed the officers head. The documents allege that Goins physically engaged with several officers on the way into the Capitol building alongside other rioters, and that a special agent with the Capitol police recalled Goins actively rushing at the police line.

They also allege that he used an officers riot shield to push into law enforcement while standing in front of a police line. He spent about 16 minutes inside the Capitol building before leaving, the documents say.

Calls placed by South Dakota Searchlight to numbers listed for Goins were not returned.

Bench warrant issued for Rapid City defendant

Calls to numbers listed for William George Knight of Rapid City also went unreturned.

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Knight is charged with eight counts, including civil disorder, assaulting, impeding or resisting officers with a deadly and dangerous weapon  a large metal sign, according to his indictment  as well as disorderly conduct and entering and remaining in a restricted building.

A judge issued a bench warrant for Knights arrest in early October for failure to appear at a status hearing. U.S. Marshals Service spokesman Brady McCarron told South Dakota Searchlight via email that the only status they have for Knight is that he is out on bond.

The oldest open case involving a South Dakotan is that of Rapid Citys James Haffner.

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Haffner moved to Rapid City from the Seattle area after Jan. 6. He was arrested three years ago in Rapid City on charges of assaulting, resisting or impeding law enforcement, violent and unlawful entry of restricted buildings, obstructing law enforcement during a civil disorder and entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

Haffners case is still pending in D.C. district court. His next case status hearing is scheduled for Jan. 23.

When reached by South Dakota Searchlight, Haffner wrote that talking to the outlet would not be in my best interests.

From my perspective, most journalists and news sources are scumbags, Haffner wrote.

Sentenced from South Dakota

Like Haffner, rapper and Jan. 6 defendant Billy Knutson is an out-of-state transplant.

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Knutson, who goes by the name Playboythebeast, moved to Mitchell from North Carolina in 2021. His lyrical themes are heavily political  he has songs called Lets Go Brandon (fjb) and Kyle Rittenhouse  and they often reference his affiliation with the Proud Boys, a far-right group whose founder once sued the Southern Poverty Law Center for labeling it a hate group.

The former song is a coded insult of President Joe Biden. The latter song is a reference to the real Kyle Rittenhouse, who shot and killed a Black Lives Matter protester in Wisconsin in 2020. Rittenhouse was later acquitted of homicide charges on self-defense grounds.

Free all my homies from the 6th that whole s was a scam, Knutson raps in that song, which also includes the line AR-15 at my side like Im Kyle Rittenhouse.

Billy Knutson, aka Playboythebeast, in a screenshot from a music video. Knutson was sentenced to six months of incarceration for his actions at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (Courtesy of U.S. Department of Justice)

Once the rapping ends, Knutson uses his speaking voice to end the song with a shoutout to the Proud Boys founder, and another spoken shoutout to Jan. 6 defendants.

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Knutson served six months in federal prison on Jan. 6-related charges.

In a sentencing memorandum filed in Knutsons case, U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves of the D.C. district pointed to Knutsons lyrics as a reason to give him a more significant sentence than some of his fellow Jan. 6 defendants. The document includes screenshots of Knutsons music videos, including one in which the rapper holds up finger guns under a shower of bullet-shaped graphics.

Knutson pleaded guilty to one count of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds. He released songs about the riot before and after that.

Knutsons participation in a riot that actually succeeded in halting the Congressional election-certification, combined with his violent criminal history, his celebration and endorsement of the violence on January 6, and his public condoning of future violence  including gun violence  renders a significant jail sentence both necessary and appropriate in this case, the memo reads.

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The sentencing memorandum notes that Knutson moved to Mitchell because the Proud Boys state headquarters was located there.

Knutson was released from federal custody on March 31, 2023. Messages sent to Knutsons artist contact page were not returned.

Willis hopeful for pardon

Willis, the Sioux Falls herbalist, didnt stay up to hear the results of the presidential election on Nov. 5. But when she awoke the next morning to learn that Trump had won a second term, she was relieved on two levels.

First, she was pleased that her preferred candidate had emerged victorious. Second, she was hopeful that she might avoid being forced to stand trial.

Her interview with Searchlight marked the first time Willis had spoken to the media. Its also one of the first times shes admitted being in the Capitol that day, she said, though shes been contacted by law enforcement and appeared virtually in court a few times since being indicted earlier this year.

They have a lot of pictures of me anyway, Willis said. Now Trumps in office, so thats why Im OK with this.

Her next hearing is scheduled to take place virtually on Jan. 3.

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US President-elect Donald Trump has urged the European Union to import more oil and gas from the United States or face stiff new tariffs when he takes office in January.

The EU should thereby compensate for the "enormous trade deficit," Trump wrote on the Truth Social platform, which he co-founded.

"Otherwise, it is TARIFFS all the way!!!" he added in his post on Friday.

Brussels is currently exploring ways of averting a major new trade conflict with the United States. It is a known thorn in Trump's side that European companies sell significantly more goods in the US than American companies do in the EU.

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The trade deficit amounted to $131.3 billion in 2022. One way to avoid a trade war could be a new deal to expand American exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the EU.

Trump had already announced far-reaching tariffs during the election campaign, arguing that US companies would then produce more domestically again and that this would create jobs.

On his first day in office, Trump plans to impose high import tariffs on all goods from Mexico and Canada as well as additional tariffs on goods from China.

Tariffs are a type of surcharge on imported goods and are payable at the border.

Duties of 25% are to apply to goods from Mexico and Canada, while additional tariffs of 10% are to apply to goods from China.
President-elect Donald Trump is again using the most beautiful word as a threat against U.S. trade partners.

In an overnightpost on his social media network Truth Social, Trump said he told the European Union that it must lessen their tremendous deficit with the United States by buying more oil and gas.

Otherwise, it is TARIFFS all the way!!! he added in the 1 a.m. post.

According to the United States Trade Representative, the countrys goods and services trade deficit with the E.U. was $131.3 billion in 2022. Much of the U.S.s oil and gas exports already go to the E.U.s member states, including the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, which alone bought $11.3 billion and $11.4 billion of crude petroleum from the U.S. that year.

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The U.S. Energy Information Administration found that the U.S. was Europes biggest supplier of liquified natural gas (LNG) in 2023. E.U. data shows that the U.S. was the blocs overall biggest recipient of exports and that the U.S. had a trade surplus worth $72 billion.

Read more:Trump isnt backing down from his tariff tough talk

Trump has pledged to boost domestic oil and gas production, open new land for drilling, and slash regulations. He recently called for fully expedited permits for any company or individual investing $1 billion in the U.S., including for companies focused on drilling. The U.S. is experiencing its 10th consecutive year of volume growth in LNG reports, which are set to hit 86.9 million metric tons.

The E.U. had already been considering ramping up its gas purchases before Trumps latest threats. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters last month that the bloc is considering buying more from the U.S. to offset its reliance on Russian LNG.

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We still get a lot of LNG from Russia and why not replace it by American LNG, which is cheaper for us and brings down our energy prices, von der Leyen said.

Trumps comments came after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called Trump to discuss a way forward to resolving the Russia-Ukraine War. Scholz was in Brussels on Thursday for the European Council Summit, where leaders discussed the E.U.s role in global affairs and Trumps push to limit U.S. support for Ukraine, according to Politico. The war has pushed the E.U. to lower its dependence on Russian LNG exports.

His comments also mark the latest  and likely not the last  threat to slap tariffs on some of the U.S.s biggest trade partners.

In recent weeks, he hasthreatened Canada and Mexico, the countrys top trade partners, with 25% tariffs and China with 10% tariffs unless they meet his demands regarding illegal immigration and the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. On the campaign trail, he floated general tariffs of up to 20% on imported goods, as well as up to 200% tariffs on vehicles made in Mexico.

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During his first administration, Trump levied almost $80 billion worth of new taxes on Americans through tariffs on thousands of products valued at $380 billion in 2018 and 2019, according to the Tax Foundation.

Im a big believer in tariffs. I think tariffs are the most beautiful word. I think theyre beautiful. Its going to make us rich, Trump said during a recent interview. Tariffs are a  properly used, are a very powerful tool, not only economically, but also for getting other things outside of economics.

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(Bloomberg) -- Kash Patel has taken his perceived adversaries to court for years. Now that hes President-elect Donald Trumps choice to lead the FBI, critics are concerned hell use the bureaus vast resources for revenge.

Most Read from Bloomberg

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Most of the cases didnt go far. Nearly all were dismissed by judges or withdrawn by Patel. But his earlier promises to come after the media and root out the so-called government deep state are facing fresh examination as the US Senate weighs whether to confirm him as the next director of the nations top investigative law enforcement agency.

Bloomberg News identified six cases that Patel has filed since 2019. Four involved defamation claims. The other two were against a federal agency and former US officials that Patel accused of violating his rights. Taken together, they show how Patel has taken action in what he described in a 2023 book as a battle against government gangsters and peddlers of propaganda.

The way to judge someones future actions is to, at least in part, to assess what their prior conduct has been, said Mark Zaid, an attorney who recently received a letter from Patels lawyer demanding his client retract critical comments or face legal action.

Patel has a history of lawfare, Zaid said, a term that refers to using the legal system to damage or intimidate adversaries. His client, Olivia Troye, who served as a senior aide to former Vice President Mike Pence, rebuffed Patels retraction demand.

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A spokesperson for Patel deferred to the Trump transition team.

In a statement, Alex Pfeiffer, a Trump transition spokesperson, said Patel is going to end the weaponization of law enforcement and that the FBI will target crime, not law-abiding individuals with Kash leading the bureau.

Republicans will control the Senate next year and have largely thrown support behind Patel, though several GOP members said theyre scrutinizing his record.

In February, Patel told NBC that his December 2023 comments that he would come after the media and others were taken out of context, and that he was referring to people who broke the law.

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Patel would replace outgoing FBI Director Christopher Wray, who announced he will resign before Trump is sworn in. Wray, who was nominated by Trump during his first term, wont serve his full 10-year term  one of a series of reforms adopted in the 1970s to cabin the power of both the bureau and its director.

Claim Tossed

Like Trump, Patel has used his lawsuits to broadly criticize the media and current and former government officials. Court records also show that hes helped others sue their adversaries. A legal defense fund he runs contributed $7,500 to support a defamation case brought by former Trump administration official Richard Grenell against Troye.

Patel has pressed claims against officials from Trumps first term who fell out with the former president over probes into Russian interference in the 2016 election. In September 2023, Patel sued Wray and former Justice Department officials over a 2017 grand jury subpoena for his communication records, alleging it was illegitimate and retaliatory for his efforts to scrutinize the origins of the Russia investigation.

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The lawsuit began with claims that the awesome and chilling power of our federal law enforcement agencies has been weaponized against the American people.

Patel lost the case. A federal judge in Washington this fall rejected what he described as an attempt by Patel to expand what the US Supreme Court has said should be limited circumstances when federal officials can face damages claims. Patel didnt appeal.

The Justice Departments inspector general recently issued a report on the collection of email and phone records of journalists and members of Congress and their staffs. The report didnt include names but CNN reported that it covered the subpoena for Patels records.

The watchdog said it didnt find any evidence of retaliatory or political motivation by career prosecutors who sought the records and that no witnesses said that high-level officials directed the decisions.

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Dropped, Dismissed

Patel worked for the House Intelligence Committee and served in senior national security posts in the Trump administration. Patel sued the Defense Department in May 2023, suggesting it was unreasonably delaying a review of his memoir manuscript because he was critical of government officials.

Patel withdrew the case two months later and his book was published that fall.

Patels defamation cases have featured anti-media rhetoric and splashy high-dollar demands. A November 2019 lawsuit against Politico seeking $25 million began with references to partisan hacks and character assassins. A case he filed the same month against the New York Times seeking $44 million accused a reporter of promoting false facts to further the papers agendas and preconceived narratives.

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But he later dropped both cases, Virginia court records show. Patel pulled the New York Times lawsuit in August 2021. A spokesperson for the Times said that Patel didnt pursue the case after he filed it. Patels lawyer moved to withdraw the Politico complaint in late 2021. Politicos lawyers said in court papers that the judge had signaled he was preparing to toss the case.

In December 2020, Patel filed a $50 million lawsuit against CNN. A judge dismissed the case, finding it fell short on multiple levels. Patel appealed. The Virginia Court of Appeals heard arguments this year and hasnt yet ruled.

In June 2023, Patel filed a defamation lawsuit in Nevada federal court against Jim Stewartson, a self-described anti-disinformation activist who had been critical of Patel. The court entered a default against Stewartson after he failed to respond and theres been no activity in the case since then.

In an interview via LinkedIn, Stewartson claimed Patels lawyer didnt properly serve him with a copy and that if that happened, he would deal with it. He called the defamation claim frivolous.

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President-elect Trump reiterated his support for abolishing or raising the debt ceiling, after House Republicans failed to advance a continuing resolution that would keep the government funded past Fridays shutdown deadline.

Trump, whose criticism helped to tank the first iteration of the bill, urged lawmakers to extend the debt ceiling by at least four fiscal years.

Congress must get rid of, or extend out to, perhaps, 2029, the ridiculous Debt Ceiling, Trump wrote in a Friday early morning post on Truth Social.

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Without this, we should never make a deal, he said. Remember, the pressure is on whoever is President.

The concept seems to be a uniting factor for many Democrats and the president-elect, who believes erasing federal spending limits would benefit the country. Hes also argued that those who back a deal without a debt ceiling hike should face primaries.

The Democrats have said they want to get rid of it, Trump told NBC News in an interview Thursday. If they want to get rid of it, I would lead the charge.

He added that the debt ceiling doesnt mean anything, except psychologically.

Former National Economic Council member Bharat Ramamurti seemingly agreed, urging Democrats to use the impasse in Congress to push for the elimination of the debt threshold.

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In 2023, President Biden and former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) agreed to raise the debt ceiling while instating additional federal spending caps over the subsequent two years. The move, which required support from Democrats, angered many of his GOP colleagues who later voted to oust the California Republican from his leadership position.

House members must now decide on how to address the debt ceiling in their third attempt to reach a deal. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) indicated early Friday that a plan C for funding the government had been reached and votes are expected.

Lawmakers now have less than a day to prevent a government shutdown before the holidays. All eyes will be on Johnson as the House Speakership vote looms.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Donald Trump owes a lot to his adopted home state of Florida. The state, which is the third-largest in the Electoral College, has delivered him increasingly large majorities in each of the past three elections. Since his victory in November, the president-elect has announced plans to remake the federal government in Floridas image: His nominees for secretary of state, attorney general, chief of staff, and national security advisor are all from the Sunshine State.

But Florida may also present Trump with one of his thorniest political challenges. Hell have to oversee the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which has spent the past four years bringing down the hammer on Americans who live in disaster-prone regions like Floridas populous coasts, rolling out a series of insurance hikes and enforcement actions that make it more expensive to live and rebuild in risky areas.

This ongoing effort is a direct threat to the boom of cheap coastal development that has fueled the Sunshine States breakneck growth. Florida accounts for a huge share of the nations total risk from hurricanes and floods: It has more than $2 trillion in residential property, almost all of which is vulnerable to extreme winds or flooding, and it accounts for more than a third of all policies in the federal governments public National Flood Insurance Program. FEMA is now raising premiums in that flood insurance program by around 18 percent per year in parts of the state  based on a formula developed during Trumps first term  and its also penalizing Floridians who rebuild their homes in dangerous areas.

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In conservative Lee County, which lost more than 5,000 homes to Hurricane Ian in 2022, a backlash has reached a fever pitch. Last spring, FEMA accused the county and several of its cities, including Fort Myers Beach, of disregarding federal rules that require homeowners to elevate their homes when rebuilding after floods, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars per home but lowers the amount that taxpayers will have to pay for future disaster relief in the area. Lee County towns allowed hundreds of homeowners to rebuild at ground level after Ian, according to FEMA, and in response the agency moved to take away their flood insurance discounts, which could raise average insurance costs by hundreds of dollars per year. County leaders accused the federal government of revenge politics and threatened to sue.

As Trump takes office, he and his FEMA director will have to choose how to approach these kinds of conflicts, which are brewing in every place where the real estate market is premised on government-subsidized disaster relief. Trump could let the agency stay the course, which would save the federal government money on future disaster relief but place financial burdens on some of his most stalwart supporters. Or he could let Floridians off the hook, forgiving the dangerous redevelopment and siding with Republican state officials who want insurance relief.

Read Next

A damaged home stands in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, more than nine months after Hurricane Ian.

FEMA is making an example of this Florida boomtown. Locals call it revenge politics.

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Jake Bittle

The president-elect has tried to politicize the disaster relief process in the past. During his first administration, he diverted FEMA funding to beef up immigration enforcement at the southern border; last month, an outgoing agency official said that he feared Trump would do so again on a larger scale in his second term. Trump also vowed earlier this year to deny wildfire relief money to California unless the drought-prone state delivers more irrigation water to farmers. But Trumps first administration also tried to fix long-standing issues that were driving the National Flood Insurance Program into insolvency by designing the very premium hikes that now draw so much ire from Florida Republicans.

As of now, theres little evidence about his intentions for his second term. The two members of congress who hes reportedly considered to lead FEMA, Republican Garret Graves of Louisiana and Democrat Jared Moskowitz of Florida (who denies hes interested in the job), are deeply engaged on disaster relief issues and currently represent constituencies who benefit heavily from subsidized disaster relief and flood insurance. Graves has blasted FEMAs efforts to raise insurance premiums.

Despite the uncertainty, current FEMA officials say they dont believe Trump will tamper with the agencys efforts to stop development in flood-prone areas, if only because those efforts help cut federal spending in the long run.

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I think theres been a shift in perspective since that last administration on investing in a way thats built to last, said Victoria Salinas, FEMAs current head of resilience. No taxpayer should want their money going into things that are clearly going to get damaged before their time is up.

The conflict in Fort Myers Beach was over exactly this issue: Homeowners wanted to rebuild houses primed for future damage, despite federal regulations that prohibited them from doing so without elevating them above potential floodwaters. Local politicians appeared happy to let them do so.

Its very political, said Bill Veach, a former Fort Myers Beach city council member who was in office during Hurricane Ian. Youve got people on the council who were elected at a time when people were tired of regulations, and so they kind of made an effort to be softer.

After the initial spat with Lee County in April, the Biden administration tried to smooth things over, restoring insurance discounts in almost every town in the county. But last month, the agency imposed harsh penalties on Fort Myers Beach, where the risky rebuilding was most egregious, and it has faced a torrent of criticism from Florida officials ever since.

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The political divisions between the state and the feds only got worse in the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, when a FEMA relief crew supervisor told her employees not to knock on the doors of homes with Trump lawn signs when distributing information about disaster aid. FEMA chief Deanne Criswell fired the employee and called her actions a clear violation of FEMAs core values, but the incident created a frenzy among conservative politicians in Florida. The states attorney general sued the agency over the alleged bias, and Republican congressman Byron Donalds called for the agency to be completely revamped. The House of Representatives later called Criswell to testify about the incident.

Some town residents are hoping the incoming Trump administration will restore Fort Myers Beachs insurance discount, as well as clean house at the agency.

Ive worked with FEMA for about 20 years, said Fred Mallone, a restaurant owner who also runs an emergency management business, at a Fort Myers Beach town council meeting earlier this week. Theyre all gonna get fired. So, dont be scared of FEMA.

<img decoding="async" src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Biden-and-Criswell-Pinellas-County.jpg?quality=75&strip=all" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Biden-and-Criswell-Pinellas-County.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Biden-and-Criswell-Pinellas-County.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=330 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Biden-and-Criswell-Pinellas-County.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=768 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Biden-and-Criswell-Pinellas-County.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Biden-and-Criswell-Pinellas-County.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1536 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Biden-and-Criswell-Pinellas-County.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=160&h=90&crop=1 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Biden-and-Criswell-Pinellas-County.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=300&h=300&crop=1 300w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Biden-and-Criswell-Pinellas-County.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=400&h=400&crop=1 400w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Biden-and-Criswell-Pinellas-County.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=600&h=600&crop=1 600w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Biden-and-Criswell-Pinellas-County.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=640&h=853&crop=1 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Biden-and-Criswell-Pinellas-County.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=96&h=96&crop=1 96w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Biden-and-Criswell-Pinellas-County.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=150 150w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Biden-and-Criswell-Pinellas-County.jpg?quality=75&strip=all 1024w" alt="President Joe Biden walks with FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell during a tour of the damage caused by Hurricane Milton in St Pinellas County, Florida. FEMA has faced criticism for raising flood insurance rates in vulnerable coastal areas." data-caption="President Joe Biden walks with FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell during a tour of the damage caused by Hurricane Milton in Pinellas County, Florida.



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FEMAs problems go well beyond Lee County. The Trump administration also inherits nationwide blowback around attempts to raise flood insurance premiums for the riskiest homes. The shift to a new system of higher premiums for riskier properties, known as Risk Rating 2.0, was planned under the first Trump administration. The administration also sought to end insurance coverage altogether for new homes in flood-prone areas, part of a long-standing campaign by conservatives to wind down government-subsidized flood insurance. The Project 2025 agenda, which Trump disavowed during the presidential campaign and re-avowed after winning election, proposes to end the National Flood Insurance Program altogether.

But the politics of flood insurance have become scrambled since Trumps first term. When the Biden administration rolled out Risk Rating 2.0, flood insurance rates started to soar in coastal states, rising to more than $10,000 a year for some households. A group of Republican state attorneys general, including those representing Florida and Louisiana, filed suit to block the program.

As costs keep rising and coastal households feel the squeeze, Trump will face pressure from multiple directions. The conservative policymakers behind Project 2025 will pressure him to go even further than Risk Rating 2.0 and wind down federal flood insurance altogether, while coastal politicians in Florida and Louisiana will pressure him to roll back FEMAs insurance rate hikes, effectively restoring taxpayer-funded subsidies to the program. The latter may align more closely with Trumps own self-interest: The presidents Mar-a-Lago estate is a customer of the flood insurance program and stands to see its premiums shoot up under the new system.

But some FEMA experts doubt Trump will chart a drastic course in either direction.

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When it comes to flood insurance, the first Trump administration was sort of just a period of neglect, said Rebecca Elliott, a professor of sociology at the London School of Economics who has studied the flood insurance program. Whether you think that was benign neglect or malign neglect, I think is open to interpretation. Either way, she said, the administration is unlikely to revoke Risk Rating 2.0, which would return FEMA to a system that the agency has admitted was prone to miscalculating insurance costs.

As for the more radical Project 2025 proposals to wind down subsidized flood coverage altogether, Elliott doubts they will find purchase, even in a very conservative administration. The programs subsidized coverage helps prop up the value of floodplain homes in places like Florida, and as a result these homes are overvalued by as much as $237 billion, according to one estimate. Winding down the program would likely cause these home values to crater, and it would leave homeowners on their own to deal with flood damages, which now exceed $500 billion in the United States each year.

I think natural disasters are one of those areas where people kind of lose their free market religion as soon as they need help, Elliott said.

This story was originally published by Grist with the headline As Trump mulls his FEMA pick, a political land mine awaits in Florida on Dec 20, 2024.
As Elon Musk unleashed a volley of X posts demanding that Republicans back away from a deal to avert a government shutdown, Donald Trump was publicly silent.

Instead, the president-elect holed up in his office Wednesday in a ballroom above Mar-a-Lago. While Musk riled up the MAGA masses, Trump was holding a series of conversations with top aides  including Susie Wiles and Stephen Miller  as Vice President-elect JD Vance privately expressed Trumps concerns about the bill on Capitol Hill, according to two people granted anonymity to discuss the matter freely.

By the time Trump and Vance finally chimed in several hours later in a joint statement, the measure was already tanked and Speaker Mike Johnsons future was in jeopardy.

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The sequence highlighted the evolving dynamic with his high-profile benefactor-turned-adviser and raised an awkward question for Trump of whether he or Musk was running the show. As GOP lawmakers on Thursday floated the prospect of installing the billionaire businessman as House speaker, and Democrats taunted Trump by claiming Musk was the real leader of the Republican Party, Trump did a round of interviews with reporters seemingly meant to ensure they knew it was his idea to kill the bipartisan funding bill.



In phone interviews with reporters at ABC, CBS and NBC, Trump also called for the debt ceiling to be eliminated or extended and emphasized that if the government did in fact shut down, it'll be a Biden shutdown.

Trump aides and allies insisted that Musk was acting at the president-elects direction.

Musk is a pawn in Trump's chessboard, like everybody else, said a person close to Trump who, like others in this story, was granted anonymity to speak frankly. The media really wants to paint Elon as this independent character. If it were a chessboard, [Musk would] be a bishop.

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But the fact that Trumps spokesperson felt it necessary to issue a statement about who was leading the GOP showed the extent to which lines had been blurred, even among some Republicans and close Trump allies.

As soon as President Trump released his official stance on the CR, Republicans on Capitol Hill echoed his point of view. President Trump is the leader of the Republican Party. Full stop, said Karoline Leavitt, Trumps incoming White House press secretary, in response to Democrats taunts that Musk was actually in charge.

Musks involvement in the Capitol Hill fiasco raised questions about whether he was simply getting a head start on his cost-cutting duties as the leader of the newly announced Department of Governmental Efficiency with the blessing of Trump  or freelancing.

Johnson told Fox News on Wednesday morning he spent his evening texting with Musk and his DOGE partner Vivek Ramaswamy about the proposed bill.

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Here's the question: Is Elon saying to the president, 'Hey, I'm going to do this.' And the president's like, 'Great, you be the fucking bad guy. Or is he just doing this shit? And the president's like, Ah, fuck, said a person close to Trump.

Elon knows a lot about launching rockets into space. But what does he know about the minutiae of political dealmaking, right? And what it takes to get through? It is very difficult to get things passed when you have [an eight-seat] majority.

Those razor-thin margins left Johnson scrambling to piece together a stopgap bill that Democrats and Republicans alike could agree to, even if it went far beyond what Trumps team had made clear the president-elect would support.

If there were any hurt feelings between Trump and Musk, it was not apparent in the immediate aftermath. On Wednesday night, Musk joined Trump at a dinner with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos on the patio of Mar-a-Lago.

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The most influential person in the Republican Party is Donald Trump. But the second-most is Elon Musk. He has the attention of a lot of members, said a House Republican staffer granted anonymity to speak freely.

Much of Musks clout comes from his unique ability to fire up the GOP base on social media. A former Republican lawmaker said Musks power cant be overstated. The ex-lawmaker suggested that GOP members are aware of his ability to create a backlash online and take seriously his threat to fund primary challenges against them.

No one wants to cross him, the former lawmaker said, adding that it would be foolish to expect any profiles in courage given that most of the more independent-minded lawmakers have already departed.

Some conservative allies and Republicans close to Trump, like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), even suggested that Johnson should be replaced by Musk.

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Id be open to supporting @elonmusk for Speaker of the House, Greene posted. The establishment needs to be shattered just like it was yesterday.

The 24 hours of chaos  a foreshadowing of future negotiations on Capitol Hill  resulted in a GOP plan that both Trump and Musk endorsed. (It was resoundingly defeated on the House floor later Thursday.)

SUCCESS in Washington! Trump declared on X. Speaker Mike Johnson and the House have come to a very good Deal for the American People.

Musk reposted Trumps statement, and later clarified that he did not have anything to do with the new deal.

Im not the author of this proposal. Credit to @realDonaldTrump, @JDVance & @SpeakerJohnson, Musk wrote.

Eli Stokols and Betsy Woodruff Swan contributed to this report.
President-elect Donald Trump on Friday nominated Brian Burch, a right-wing Catholic who has often criticized Pope Francis, as his ambassador to the Holy See.

Trump announced Burch, a father of nine and president of the non-profit CatholicVote.org (which he described as one of the largest Catholic advocacy groups in the Country) as his nominee in a Truth Social post, which was followed by a message selling God Bless the USA Bibles.

Burch is also the author of the independently published book A New Catholic Moment: Donald Trump and the Politics of the Common Good, which touts Trumps impact on U.S. politics to make sure that Americans from all walks of life can live the American Dream.

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He represented me well during the last Election, having garnered more Catholic votes than any Presidential Candidate in History, wrote Trump of Burch and, of course, his recent re-election. Brian loves his Church and the United StatesHe will make us all proud.

Burch, however, may not have a lot of love for Pope Francis specifically. He strongly opposed the pontiffs decision to allow the blessing of same-sex couples; in a post on X last year, he derided the progressive Catholic cheerleading that he associated with Francis leadershipas well as what he charged as a crackdown on conservative critics.

He has also alleged church leaders might have collaborated with the FBI on plans to infiltrate Latin mass communities, amid reports last year that the agency had warned of radical traditionalist Catholics as part of investigations into far-right activism. The warning was later retracted amid controversy; a subsequent inquiry into its origins and implications ruled there was no evidence of malicious intent at hand.

In an interview with The National Catholic Reporter, theology professor and director of the Catholic Theological Unions Bernardin Center in Chicago Steven Millies described Burch as an agitator, mostly, the opposite of a diplomat.

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In this way, I suppose while Burch will be a good representative of this second Trump Administration, Millies continued. His appointment signals what we already know; a difficult time lies ahead for U.S.-Vatican relations.

Following his nomination, Burch tweeted that he was committed to working with leaders inside the Vatican and the new Administration to promote the dignity of all people and the common good.

Joe Biden plans to meet with Pope Francis in Rome in January on what is expected to be his final trip as president. Just yesterday, the two spoke on the phone to discuss efforts to advance peace around the world during the holiday season.
Former President Donald Trump shakes hands with Gov. Glenn Youngkin at a rally in Chesapeake, June 28, 2024. Youngkin said he will also attend Trump's rally in Salem this weekend. (Charlotte Rene Woods/Virginia Mercury)

Gov. Glenn Youngkin emerged from this falls campaign as one of Donald Trumps most enthusiastic supporters. But the incoming presidents plans have the potential to create major challenges for Virginias present governor.

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Youngkin is pitching a tax cut, and cites a hefty state budgetary surplus as justification. But surpluses can evaporate in a Mar-a-Largo minute, and the prospects of declining revenue flowing to Virginia because of cutbacks in federal employment and reductions in Medicaid reimbursements are making Virginia budget makers skittish about the future.

We have seen the Swamp and they is us

Trump has stated his desire to fundamentally change the federal bureaucracy by eliminating civil servants either deemed expendable or who do not exhibit sufficient loyalty to the president. He could start by reinstituting Schedule F, an executive order issued late in his first term (and rescinded by President Joe Biden) to strip job protections from many career federal employees and make them more like political appointees who can be fired at will. This would devastate the Commonwealth.

More federal workers live here than in any other state; 85,000 live in Northern Virginia and another 60,000 make Hampton Roads their home. Many earn a good salary and cuts in their positions would mean losing state revenue that comes both from their income taxes and the sales taxes generated from their purchases. Remember sequestration, when Virginia took a disproportionate hit from cuts in federal spending? Or the various government shutdowns? When the federal government sneezes, Virginia catches a cold.

Substantial cuts in federal employment might not dramatically affect the state budget until Youngkin has left office, but budget writers are justifiably concerned about future revenue shortfalls, thereby making any major tax cut problematic.

The Medicaid dilemma

While Trumps attack on federal employees may garner the largest headlines, his plans for cutting Medicaid pose more serious fiscal challenges for the states. Since 1965, Medicaid has been the largest source of medical and health care funding for poor and disabled Americans, providing free health insurance to over 80 million people, many of whom are children. It is administered by the states, but major program funding is provided by the federal government. For every dollar a state spends on Medicaid, Washington provides a match to cover the costs. The match rate differs by state. In states with higher per capita incomes such as Virginia and New York, the federal match equals 50% of costs. For poorer states like Mississippi and Alabama, the match is over 70%. Yearly federal spending on Medicaid exceeds $880 billion.

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Big changes in the program have occurred since passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, which initially required states to expand Medicaid to people with incomes of up to 138% of the federal poverty level (which today equals about $35,600 for a family of 3). In 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court made this optional, but since the ACA required the federal government to pick up 100% of the state costs for the expansion population (gradually declining to 90%), many states concluded that expansion was a great way to provide insurance to those who could not afford it. Forty-one states plus D.C. eventually embraced the plan. Virginia joined in 2019, and its expansion population now numbers 758,000 of the 1,872,000 state residents in the program. Today, Medicaid covers almost 13% of the states population, and it is the second largest expenditure in the state budget.

Virginia budget writers were recently informed that there is a $632 million Medicaid shortfall that will require addressing in the next Assembly session. While that may be enough to throw a monkey wrench into the Governors plan for a tax cut, it is potentially only the tip of the iceberg. Reducing Medicaid funding has been the target of conservatives for decades, and, with Republicans in control of the presidency and both chambers of Congress, a serious effort likely will be made to make cuts. The Heritage Foundations Project 2025 report, the Republican Study Committees budget plan and the FY 2025 House budget resolution all propose Medicaid cuts, including the reduction of the federal match for the expansion population.

Republican proposals to reduce the match rate would be a budgetary disaster for all states, including Virginia. Ironically, many of the states who voted for Trump would take the largest hit because their federal match is so high. In Virginia, a reduction in the match for the expansion population to 50% reimbursement would mean $3 billion less per year for our budget, making the present shortfall mild by comparison. The commonwealth would either need to find additional funds to fill the gap, or dramatically cut services to those most in need.

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But it gets worse. Buried in the 2018 Virginia Medicaid expansion authorization is language that requires the state to unwind expansion if the federal match falls below 90%. Eight other states (Arizona, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Utah) have similar laws that require termination of expansion if the share of federal funding drops. This would create a bureaucratic nightmare and remove 758,000 recipients.

This places Youngkin in a serious quandary. Many of the people in the reddest counties in Virginia who voted for both him and Trump would likely be seriously harmed if they no longer qualified for Medicaid or their benefits were reduced. The Governor, could, of course, propose new language in his budget to eliminate the requirement that the commonwealth abandon expansion if the match declines. Or he could speak out against any proposed cuts. To do either would likely draw the ire of the MAGA faithful, a group the governor is attempting to court as he contemplates a run for higher office.

Most likely, he does nothing, in hopes the U.S. Senate has enough spine to prevent anything serious from happening. It isnt exactly leadership, but it preserves his options for another day.

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President-elect Donald Trump said the smartest thing for Congress to do would be to get rid of the debt ceiling. Trump made his comments as a potential government shutdown looms ahead of Christmas.

The debt ceiling is how much money the American government can borrow to pay for programs it has authorized. Currently, federal debt is at around $36 trillion. Conservatives are typically reluctant to raise the debt ceiling because they believe it leads to excessive spending. Several Republicans say no to raising the debt ceiling because they dont think Congress is serious about wanting to make cuts to spending.

The House rejected a plan on Thursday that would have averted the shutdown, which is set to begin Friday at midnight.

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House Speaker Mike Johnson said early Friday that leaders are working hard to meet the deadline.

Right-wing lawmakers balked at increasing the governments borrowing limit, something many of them have long pledged not to do without spending cuts to keep the debt from ballooning further, The New York Times reported. Almost every Democrat voted no to the proposed deal and 38 Republicans joined in the no vote.

Utah Reps. John Curtis and Blake Moore voted against the deal to suspending the limits. Trump had backed the measure  earlier this week, a bipartisan deal was dropped after Trump and Elon Musk had spoken out against it.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks briefly to reporters just before a vote on an interim spending bill to prevent a government shutdown after President-elect Donald Trump abruptly rejected a bipartisan plan yesterday, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. The vote failed to pass. | J. Scott Applewhite

Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance issued a statement Wednesday, saying the most foolish and inept thing ever done by Congressional Republicans was allowing our country to hit the debt ceiling in 2025. It was a mistake and is now something that must be addressed.

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The future leaders of the country said the spending bill considered by Congress would give sweetheart provisions for government censors and increase the pay of Congressional members while Americans are experiencing financial struggles during Christmas.

While Wednesdays statement from Trump and Vance said raising the debt ceiling is not ideal, they would rather do it while President Joe Biden is in office.

Republicans must GET SMART and TOUGH, said Trump and Vance. If Democrats threaten to shut down the government unless we give them everything they want, then CALL THEIR BLUFF. It is Schumer and Biden who are holding up aid to our farmers and disaster relief.

This isnt the first time Trump has proposed getting rid of the debt ceiling. During his first presidency, he told reporters he thought there were good reasons to get rid of the debt ceiling.

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Musk, who is heading the Department of Government Efficiency, also spoke out about the measure. In a post on X, Musk said, Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years.

While Trump has been saying he wants to get rid of or extend the debt ceiling, he also ran on cutting government waste and spending  thats what he has tasked Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy with figuring out how to do. Eliminating the debt ceiling would mean the U.S. government wouldnt have a cap on how much money they have to borrow  but the debt ceiling itself isnt authorizing new spending.

Congress ultimately has the power to determine how much new spending there is.

According to The Hill, raising the debt ceiling would clear the deck for potentially trillions of dollars in tax cuts that Republicans have been eager to cement.

Why we do we care about the debt ceiling?
President-elect Donald Trump worked Friday morning to foist the blame for any potential government shutdown onto the current White House, insisting that the funding fight on Capitol Hill is a Biden problem to solve.

Lawmakers had seemed on track earlier this week to fund the government with time to spare, settling on a bipartisan stopgap spending bill, known as a continuing resolution or CR, that would extend government spending into March and included a lot of add-ons to appease Democrats and others. But that plan quickly drew the ire of Trump ally Elon Musk, followed by the president-elect and Vice President-elect JD Vance, tanking that bill. Still, with government funding set to run out at midnight on Friday, Trump insisted that it is President Joe Biden who should be held responsible for any shutdown. If there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now, under the Biden Administration, not after January 20th, under TRUMP, the president-elect wrote on Truth Social. This is a Biden problem to solve, but if Republicans can help solve it, they will!

Of particular interest to Trump amid the ongoing spending negotiations is an increase, or outright removal, of the governments debt limit. The president-elect has insisted that any funding package include such a provision, an especially tough pill to swallow for conservatives who have for years forced painful debt limit fights on Capitol Hill.

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Congress must get rid of, or extend out to, perhaps, 2029, the ridiculous Debt Ceiling, Trump wrote on Truth Social just after 1 a.m. Friday morning. Without this, we should never make a deal. Remember, the pressure is on whoever is President.

Lawmakers have so far struck out on legislation that would meet Trumps demands. A hastily brokered deal to fund the government and extend the debt limit collapsed on the House floor  with 38 Republican defectors  Thursday night. Speaker Mike Johnson worked through the night Thursday into Friday on a Plan C after ditching the original bipartisan deal and failing to pass the new bill on the House floor. Johnson and Trump are both weighing the pros and cons of a government shutdown.

Speaking to reporters, Johnson said the House will vote on a funding bill Friday morning.

Were expecting votes this morning. So yall stay tuned. Weve got a plan, he said. Asked if they had reached a new agreement, he added: Well see.

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Johnson is balancing Trumps demands with the reality that any deal will require Democratic support in both the House and the Democratic-controlled Senate. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is asking to return to the original bipartisan deal that Trump and Musk killed.

Its a good thing the bill failed in the House, and now its time to go back to the bipartisan agreement we came to," Schumer said Thursday.

Like Trump, Vance is already working on shutdown messaging, telling reporters Thursday that Democrats are to blame for the looming shutdown. Theyve asked for a shutdown and I think thats exactly what theyre going to get, he told reporters.
(Bloomberg) -- Tulsi Gabbard, President-elect Donald Trumps nominee to oversee US intelligence, toured Capitol Hill this week looking to reassure some Republican senators who have withheld their support so far and appeal to any Democrats who might be persuaded to back her.

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Gabbards priorities as director of national intelligence, she has told senators, would include Chinas cyber threat and fentanyl trafficking at the border while delivering more relevant intelligence reports, according to a person familiar with her conversations, who asked not to be identified discussing private meetings.

The conversations on Capitol Hill highlight the tricky balancing act Gabbard faces in winning Senate confirmation. She switched from Democrat to Republican this fall, announcing the move at a Trump campaign stop where she called him our best and only hope in this election to lead our country toward a future where every one of us can live in a truly free, peaceful, and prosperous nation.

Many of Trumps allies have pointed to Gabbard as a pick who will bring what they see as much-needed reform to the role of intelligence director. But critics cite her lack of intelligence experience and comments sympathetic to Russian President Vladimir Putins reason for invading Ukraine.

Theres also concern that her loyalty to Trump will affect how she interprets or presents intelligence to the president.

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My worry is that if theyre afraid of losing their position or that what they say to him will displease him, theyre not going to play their role as hard as they can, said Susan Gordon, a former senior intelligence officer who served as principal deputy director of national intelligence during Trumps first term. For an Intelligence officer, personal loyalty can actually diminish the effectiveness of the position.

The person familiar with Gabbards stance said she would keep her political views apart. Another element of the conversations has been to overcome concern about her past comments suggesting that Putin was justified in invading Ukraine and about a visit to Syria when President Bashar al-Assad was president. Her statements ran counter to US intelligence assessments.

Gabbard doesnt endorse Putin or Assad, said the person, and her past actions fit with Trumps style of foreign policy, which seeks to engage with leaders holding different views in an effort to resolve conflict. Her position that the war in Ukraine needs to come to an end also mirrors Trumps, the person said.

Trump has openly called for negotiations with Ukraine, and he once sided with Putins contention that he didnt meddle in the 2016 US election, despite the contrary conclusion of his own intelligence community.

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Respected Person

In an interview with NBCs Meet the Press on Dec. 8, Trump swatted away concerns about Gabbard, calling her a very respected person.

She cant lose more than three Republican votes in the face of whats likely to be unified opposition from Democrats. Though even that may not be a certainty, as the political gamesmanship this week over funding the government and avoiding a shutdown has shown.

Some Republican senators  including Tom Cotton and Mitch McConnell  have advocated a tougher line on Russia in Ukraine. Another Republican, Susan Collins, who helped write the law that founded the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, rejected Trumps pick in his first term - Richard Grenell  over insufficient national security experience. Thats likely to be a factor for Gabbard as well.

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In the meetings, many of the senators have voiced their concern over a string of past intelligence failures and the sense that they have been receiving intelligence briefings with little substance, with assessments often reading too much like articles in mainstream news outlets and not enough information about follow-on ramifications, the person close to Gabbard said.

Changing Positions

One of the questions about Gabbard, a 43-year-old former Congresswoman from Hawaii, is that her own policy views arent clear and she has been something of a political chameleon. As a Democratic presidential candidate in 2020, she criticized Trump for quitting the deal that put limits on Irans nuclear program. She also called his decision to assassinate a leading Iranian general an act of war.

No Republicans have publicly rejected her nomination so far, but many have also stayed quiet, suggesting her path to confirmation may not be straightforward.

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On her podcast, Nikki Haley, the former Republican presidential contender called Gabbard a Russian sympathizer and criticized her nomination.

She opposed ending the Iran nuclear deal. She opposed sanctions on Iran. She opposed designating the Iran military as terrorists who say, Death to America every single day, Haley said. She said that Donald Trump turned the US into Saudi Arabias prostitute.

Many Democrats already have come out against her, although some have said they remain open-minded about Trumps nominees, including John Fetterman and Jon Ossoff.

Gabbard holds a top secret clearance as a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve, she has deployed overseas multiple times and held past stints on the House Armed Services Committee  all experiences that are likely to bolster her credentials.

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For Victoria Coates, a former deputy national security advisor to Trump, the foreign policy shocks in recent years  from the Talibans takeover of Afghanistan to the Hamas attacks on Israel to Assads recent downfall - highlight the need for a fresh take at the top of the intelligence community.

Having somebody who is not captured by the system is entirely desirable in this case because we have to figure out whats wrong and fix it, Coates said.

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Donald Trump, then the GOP candidate for president, gave a keynote speech on the third day of the Bitcoin 2024 conference at Music City Center on July 27, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee. He had previously dismissed cryptocurrency as a scam but embraced it in his latest bid for a second term in the White House. (Photo by Jon Cherry/Getty Images)

President-elect Donald Trumps recent appointments and cabinet nominees suggest the next four years will usher in an era of deregulation in the tech industry, and lots of potential for competitive growth within the industry and globally, tech executives predict.

Trump has made a handful of recent selections, both to existing positions, like chair of the Federal Trade Commission and chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, and he has created new positions for his term, like the AI and crypto czar.

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There appears to be much more cohesion and support from within his camp to support a range of geopolitical, technology and innovation issues that were relegated in importance during his first term, software founder Yashin Manraj said.

Trump has chosen FTC Commissioner Andrew Ferguson to be the agencys next chairman, replacing Lina Khan, who fought Big Tech overreach during her tenure. Hes slated to be joined by antitrust specialist Mark Meador in his former position. Together, the pair will likely continue to scrutinize Big Tech agencies, but for issues of censorship which was a Republican talking point during the election.

Earlier this month, Trump named cryptocurrency advocate and former SEC commissioner Paul Atkins as his pick for chair of the SEC, and appointed former PayPal executive David Sacks to a new role of AI and crypto czar, PBS reported.

The move comes as Trumps view on digital currencies has evolved. During his first presidency, Trump called it highly volatile and based on thin air, but has since changed his tune. In September, he rolled out a new venture to trade crypto, called World Liberty Financial, and said during his 2024 campaign, that he aims to make the U.S. the crypto capital of the planet.

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And on Monday, Trump met with Japanese-based investment firm SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, who announced a $100 billion investment into U.S. projects over the course of Trumps term, many of which will focus on artificial intelligence.

Appointees setting the tone

These tech industry appointees and connections lean toward traditional Republican deregulatory instincts, said Dev Nag, Bay Area-based founder and CEO of AI automation company QueryPal.

Its a shift toward something Nag calls techno-pragmatic nationalism, or a mixture of these Republican deregulation instincts with industry policy that focuses on maintaining the U.S. status in the global tech economy.

Fergusons appointment to the FTC will likely result in policies that continue to allow large U.S. tech companies to thrive while addressing specific competitive issues.

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Well also probably see harder barriers against foreign tech competitors, especially China, Nag said.

Manraj, the Eagle Point, Oregon-based founder and CEO of software company Pvotal Technologies, also sees Trumps appointments as an attempt to focus on growing the local tech economies, rather than the global one.

These policies will weaken the tech industries of the European Union and many emerging countries, which were hoping for the heightened regulation under Harris to prevent further brain drains and promote [foreign direct investment] in their startup ecosystems, Manraj said.

There was a lot of technical advancement during President Joe Bidens term, but stronger tech regulations created some confusion and hesitation within the industry, Manraj said.

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Based on the track record of these appointees, were likely to see a significant rollback of AI safeguards implemented under the Biden administration, replaced with a framework emphasizing rapid deployment and commercialization, Nag said.

SoftBanks investment is a sign that the industry is feeling ready to develop, and that investment dollars are more likely to flow under a Trump administration, Manraj said.

Differences from Trumps first term

The appointments and tech-industry relationships Trump has developed for his second term appear to make him more prepared to be supportive of tech innovation and growth than his first term, Manraj said.

Hes relying on a new generation of technocrats, to enact change, Manraj said, rather than politically driven cabinet advisors from his first time in office.

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The crypto world is reacting positively to it, and many projects treading water for years are finally ramping up hiring and growth locally in the U.S., Manraj said.

Nag predicted several potential technological advancements we may see under Trumps second term, including the relaxation of AI restrictions paired with lots of investments into tech. That may allow for AI to integrate across lots of industries and infrastructures faster than it would have under a Kamala Harris administration.

Nag also noted Trumps change in attitude toward crypto, saying a friendlier regulatory environment for the digital currencies may position the U.S. as a global leader in the space. We may also see more advancement in semiconductor manufacturing and computing capabilities under more relaxed regulations.

All of these advancements come with important governance considerations, though, Nag said. AI advancements that go so far without safety frameworks can create future problems that we cant come back from.

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The key challenge for this administration will be maintaining the delicate balance between fostering rapid innovation and ensuring long-term technological resilience, he said.

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US President-elect Donald Trump has assured Europe that his administration will continue military support for Ukraine once he takes office.

Source: Financial Times (FT), citing sources familiar with the matter, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Three sources familiar with discussions with Western officials have revealed that Trump plans to continue supplying Ukraine with US military aid following his inauguration.

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British officials who visited Washington in early December told FT that Trump believes that supplying weapons to Ukraine after the ceasefire is in line with the idea of "peace through strength".

At the same time, they said, Trump still believes that Ukraine should never become a NATO member and wants an immediate end to the war.

During his election campaign, Donald Trump promised to cut off aid to Ukraine and force Kyiv to hold immediate peace talks, the Financial Times notes.

Among other things, the US president-elect pledged to end the war in Ukraine "in 24 hours".

Background:

Trump's team is currently working on a plan to end the fighting in Ukraine, and he recently said that he had made "some progress".

The US president-elect also stated that he would not "abandon Ukraine" in his attempts to resolve the Russo-Ukrainian war.

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President-elect Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on the European Union unless it purchases more oil and gas from the United States  an intimidation tactic that Trump has wielded against other countries as well.

After announcing a 25 percent tariff on the U.S. largest trading partners, Canada and Mexico, and threatening to increase tariffs on China, Trump has now targeted the E.U.

I told the European Union that they must make up their tremendous deficit with the United States by the large scale purchase of our oil and gas. Otherwise, it is TARIFFS all the way!!! Trump wrote on Truth Social around 1 a.m. Friday.

Trump has promised to impose more tariffs to lower the U.S.s trade deficit and make other countries more reliant on U.S. production (AP)

The E.U. and U.S. have deep-rooted economic ties with more than $1 trillion in goods and services exchanged. However, in recent years, the U.S.s trade deficit with Europe has increased as it imported more than it exported.

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Threatening to impose tariffs could increase political and economic tensions. At worse, it could escalate into a trade war  something economists heavily warn against.

But more than likely, it will force the E.U. and U.S. to engage in some kind of negotiation about oil and gas trading.

European Commission Spokesperson Olof Gill told CNBC the E.U. and U.S. have deeply integrated economies, with overall balanced trade and investment. But that it is ready to discuss how it can strengthen ties with the U.S. including by discussing our common interest in the energy sector.

The U.S. is the worlds largest oil producer, accounting for 22 percent of global supply and Europe is the largest importer of American gas. That is, in part, due to Europe trying to phase out its energy imports from Russia.

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The E.U. was already expected to purchase more U.S. liquefied natural gas, in part to appease Trump  a well-known fan of tariffs  and in part to replace its reliance on Russian energy.

Though the threat of tariffs is meant to bolster the U.S.s global standing and reduce trade deficit, when Trump imposed tariffs on Europe for aluminum and steel, they issued retaliatory tariffs  specifically targeting products like Harley-Davidson motorcycles and Jack Daniels whiskey  something that increased the trade deficit.

For now, it appears the E.U. is open to talks but it is unclear how they will approach negotiations  or potential tariffs.
Donald Trump is getting a rude awakening that his grip on the GOP isnt absolute.

Over the past 48 hours, 38 House Republicans rejected the stopgap spending bill that the president-elect publicly threw his weight behind after tanking Speaker Mike Johnsons original proposal to keep the federal government running past Friday. Their defiance came even as Trump and his allies threatened to field primary challenges against GOP members who didnt fall in line.

Then, on Friday night and early Saturday, the House and Senate passed a different version of the spending plan  one that didnt include Trumps demand to extend or end the debt limit.

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Its the latest example of Trump confronting the limits of his power, especially over his own party. Senate Republicans already dealt Trump a massive blow when a handful of them made clear they wouldnt support Trumps first choice for attorney general, Matt Gaetz, leading to him withdrawing. And that was after they chose John Thune over Rick Scott for Senate GOP leader against the wishes of Trumps allies.

Taken together, rank-and-file Hill Republicans early rebuffs of Trump show the party is far from total lock-step with the president-elect.

For a long time there were always calls for who in the Republican Party will ever stand up to Trump? And now we certainly have it. But it may not be in an ideal way, said Matthew Bartlett, a GOP strategist and appointee in Trumps first administration.

This is an inflection point: How Trump responds from outside the caucus, how he deals with those who are not ready to make deals  this is really just prepping the battlefield and testing the waters for the next four years to come, Bartlett said.

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Trumps push to get Republicans to accede to his demands ran headlong into longstanding GOP resistance to suspending the debt ceiling. Doing that is a huge ask of fiscal conservatives, and viewed through that lens, its unsurprising that the bill went down.

While Trump had hailed the reworked deal as SUCCESS in Washington and urged All Republicans, and even the Democrats to vote for the bill that he called VITAL to the America First Agenda, some in his party broke rank.

Republicans campaigned on cutting spending and reducing the $35 trillion national debt. You can't achieve that by suspending the debt limit, Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) wrote on X on Thursday. Until President-elect Trump takes office, I won't grant Joe Biden an extension on an unlimited debt ceiling.

Rep. Greg Lopez (R-Colo.), another Republican who opposed the bill Thursday, said in a statement that he could not back a continuing resolution that does not consider our nation's growing $36 trillion debt and removes the debt ceiling, creating an open check book for Congress to spend more money it already doesn't have.

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And Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.) said on X that ending reckless spending and tackling the national debt immediately is what will allow Trump to shake up the status quo.

I understand President Trumps concern that a debt ceiling fight will delay the implementation of his agenda but to Make America Great Again, we have to end business as usual in Washington right here, right now, McCormick wrote.

Their resistance is an early indicator of areas in which Republicans are willing to break with Trump on policy  and a warning sign that while the incoming president has enjoyed broad sway over Johnson, that influence may not extend to every member in the partys rank-and-file on every vote. And with such a slim majority in the House, the defiance of just a few Republicans can have an impact.



We talk about MAGA, Freedom Caucus, etc., but theres a sizable chunk of the conference that are OG Tea Partiers, said Doug Heye, a GOP strategist and Hill alum. Raising the debt ceiling tests the boundaries of what is otherwise an enormous influence over the party.

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A person close to Trump, granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, characterized the outcome as a win for the president-elect because it showed the whip count within the caucus and eliminated a bunch of the pork.

And Johnson, speaking to reporters after the House vote, signaled that Trump was on board with the reworked spending plan. Johnson was in constant contact with Trump, he said, and the president-elect knew exactly what we were doing and why.

But Trump has been prodding Johnson to deal with the debt ceiling for over a month, the person close to the incoming president said. And in the hours after his preferred deal went down in flames, he began advocating to push out the debt ceiling even further  to 2029.

The spending debacle has left some Republicans concerned that, like in his first term, Trump may not be able to get as much done as hoped because, they say, he is focused on the wrong things.

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One person close to Trump, who was granted anonymity to speak frankly, worried the president-elects decision to use his political capital to unsuccessfully try to pass a new funding bill suspending the debt ceiling could echo back to his failed attempts to kill Obamacare early in his first term  instead of pursuing a more popular policy such as an infrastructure overhaul.

Im hoping were not in that same spot right here, the person said.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Facing a government shutdown deadline, the Senate rushed through final passage early Saturday of a bipartisan plan that would temporarily fund federal operations and disaster aid, dropping President-elect Donald Trump's demands for a debt limit increase into the new year.

House Speaker Mike Johnson had insisted Congress would meet our obligations and not allow federal operations to shutter ahead of the Christmas holiday season. But the day's outcome was uncertain after Trump doubled down on his insistence that a debt ceiling increase be included in any deal  if not, he said in an early morning post, let the closures start now.

The House approved Johnson's new bill overwhelmingly, 366-34. The Senate worked into the night to pass it, 85-11, just after the deadline. At midnight, the White House said it had ceased shutdown preparations.

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This is a good outcome for the country,  Johnson said after the House vote, adding he had spoken with Trump and the president-elect was certainly happy about this outcome, as well.

President Joe Biden, who has played a less public role in the process throughout a turbulent week, was expected to sign the measure into law Saturday.

There will be no government shutdown," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said.

The final product was the third attempt from Johnson, the beleaguered House speaker, to achieve one of the basic requirements of the federal government  keeping it open. And it raised stark questions about whether Johnson will be able to keep his job, in the face of angry GOP colleagues, and work alongside Trump and billionaire ally Elon Musk, who called the legislative plays from afar.

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Trump's last-minute demand was almost an impossible ask, and Johnson had almost no choice but to work around his pressure for a debt ceiling increase. The speaker knew there wouldnt be enough support within the GOP majority to pass any funding package, since many Republican deficit hawks prefer to slash the federal government and certainly wouldnt allow more debt.

Instead, the Republicans, who will have full control of the White House, House and Senate next year, with big plans for tax cuts and other priorities, are showing they must routinely rely on Democrats for the votes needed to keep up with the routine operations of governing.

So is this a Republican bill or a Democrat bill? scoffed Musk on social media ahead of the vote.

The drastically slimmed-down 118-page package would fund the government at current levels through March 14 and add $100 billion in disaster aid and $10 billion in agricultural assistance to farmers.

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Gone is Trumps demand to lift the debt ceiling, which GOP leaders told lawmakers would be debated as part of their tax and border packages in the new year. Republicans made a so-called handshake agreement to raise the debt limit at that time while also cutting $2.5 trillion in spending over 10 years.

Its essentially the same deal that flopped the night before in a spectacular setback  opposed by most Democrats and some of the most conservative Republicans  minus Trumps debt ceiling demand.

But it's far smaller than the original bipartisan accord Johnson struck with Democratic and Republican leaders  a 1,500-page bill that Trump and Musk rejected, forcing him to start over. It was stuffed with a long list of other bills  including much-derided pay raises for lawmakers  but also other measures with broad bipartisan support that now have a tougher path to becoming law.

House Democrats were cool to the latest effort after Johnson reneged on the hard-fought bipartisan compromise.

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Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, said it looked like Musk, the wealthiest man in the world, was calling the shots for Trump and Republicans.

Who is in charge? she asked during the debate.

Still, the House Democrats put up more votes than Republicans for the bill's passage. Almost three dozen conservative House Republicans voted against it.

The House Democrats have successfully stopped extreme MAGA Republicans from shutting down the government, crashing the economy and hurting working-class Americans all across the nation, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said, referring to Trump's Make America Great Again slogan.

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In the Senate, almost all the opposition came from the Republicans  except independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, who said Musk's interference was not democracy, that's oligarchy.

Trump, who has not yet been sworn into office, is showing the power but also the limits of his sway with Congress, as he intervenes and orchestrates affairs from Mar-a-Lago alongside Musk, who is heading up the new Department of Government Efficiency.

The incoming Trump administration vows to slash the federal budget and fire thousands of employees and is counting on Republicans for a big tax package. And Trump's not fearful of shutdowns the way lawmakers are, having sparked the longest government shutdown in history in his first term at the White House.

If there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now, Trump posted early in the morning on social media.

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More important for the president-elect was his demand for pushing the thorny debt ceiling debate off the table before he returns to the White House. The federal debt limit expires Jan. 1, and Trump doesn't want the first months of his new administration saddled with tough negotiations in Congress to lift the nation's borrowing capacity. Now Johnson will be on the hook to deliver.

Congress must get rid of, or extend out to, perhaps, 2029, the ridiculous Debt Ceiling, Trump posted  increasing his demand for a new five-year debt limit increase. "Without this, we should never make a deal."

Government workers had already been told to prepare for a federal shutdown that would send millions of employees  and members of the military  into the holiday season without paychecks.

Biden has been in discussions with Jeffries and Schumer, but White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said: Republicans blew up this deal. They did, and they need to fix this.

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As the day dragged on, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell stepped in to remind colleagues how harmful it is to shut the government down, and how foolish it is to bet your own side wont take the blame for it.

At one point, Johnson asked House Republicans at a lunchtime meeting for a show of hands as they tried to choose the path forward.

It wasnt just the shutdown, but the speakers job on the line. The speakers election is the first vote of the new Congress, which convenes Jan. 3, and some Trump allies have floated Musk for speaker.

Johnson said he spoke to Musk ahead of the vote Friday and they talked about the extraordinary challenges of this job.

___

Associated Press writers Kevin Freking, Stephen Groves, Mary Clare Jalonick, Darlene Superville and Bill Barrow contributed to this report.
SAVANNAH, Ga.  The Tunnel to Towers Foundation has paid off the mortgage on the Savannah home of fallen Sergeant First Class Lance Vogeler as part of their 2024 Season of Hope.

Season of Hope delivers the gift of homes for the holidays. This year, Tunnel to Towers will provide over 40 families a mortgage-free home between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve.

Sergeant First Class Lance Vogeler joined the Army in May 2001, after he saw a poster in a recruitment office for Army Rangers. After graduation from the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program, he was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, where he served as a gunner, fire direction chief, fire direction computer, squad leader, and mortars section leader.

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Throughout his career, SFC Vogeler was deployed seven times to Afghanistan and four times to Iraq, all in support of the War on Terror.

On October 1, 2010, SFC Vogeler was killed in action during a heavy firefight while conducting combat operations in Afghanistan, leaving behind his wife Melissa, who was pregnant with their son Colin.

He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star Medal, and the Meritorious Service Medal.

Tunnel to Towers paid off the mortgage on the familys home in Savannah, Georgia, where SFC Vogeler and Melissa first met.

I always worry about ensuring Colin has everything he needs and is taken care of. This donation will give us more security for the future and allow me the opportunity to provide more resources for him if needed, said Melissa Vogeler.

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The Tunnel to Towers Gold Star Family Home Program honors the legacy of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice while serving our country by paying off the mortgage or providing the surviving spouses and young children with mortgage-free homes.

The Vogeler family has spent nearly 15 holidays without their hero. We cant imagine what a decade apart is like for them, but we hope that by paying off their mortgage, they can continue to focus on their future needs without this looming financial burden, said Tunnel to Towers Chairman & CEO Frank Siller.

By the end of 2024, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation will have delivered over 200 mortgage-free homes to our heroes and the families they left behind.

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 WSAV-TV.
By Nelson Bocanegra

BARRANCABERMEJA, Colombia (Reuters) - Alleged interference by Colombian President Gustavo Petro in majority state-owned Ecopetrol and purges of hundreds of staff to make way for pro-government replacements are fueling fears about the energy company's future profits and contributions to the economy.

The worries, according to interviews with workers, ex-employees, a former board member and analysts, come ahead of a March deadline for Ecopetrol to renew - or end - its joint oil venture with Occidental Petroleum in Texas.

Petro halted a separate $3.6-billion deal with Occidental to buy 30% of shale producer CrownRock in August, because of his opposition to fracking and fears about the company taking on more debt, according to two former Ecopetrol board members who resigned over the decision. The leftist president has said he wants to increase Colombia's use of renewable energy and lessen its reliance on fossil fuels.

Ecopetrol, Colombia's largest company, has let go hundreds of staff since CEO Ricardo Roa took over in April 2023, some of whom were unfairly fired to make way for pro-government replacements, half a dozen workers and former employees said.

A former leader of Ecopetrol's technology and innovation section, who was dismissed in August, said about 600 people have been let go across operations, or 3% of the company's workforce.

The magnitude of the turnover has not previously been reported.

"There are governance problems at Ecopetrol, but the fundamental problem is that 88.5% of the company belongs to the government and President Petro and his ministers don't want oil or gas," Juan Jose Echavarria, one of the former board members, told Reuters.

Ecopetrol shares have fallen 28% this year.

Banks Citi, Santander, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan have cut their target prices on Ecopetrol and American depositary receipts, a security that allows a foreign company's shares to trade in the U.S.

JPMorgan, Ecopetrol's second-biggest shareholder, downgraded the stock to "sell" twice - in mid-September and late October.

"The top worry is the deterioration of corporate governance," said Citigroup analyst Andres Cardona.

Petro's office did not respond to questions. Ecopetrol said Roa had previously answered Reuters questions at press conferences.

CEO DENIES ALLEGATIONS

Roa has denied accusations of poor management and said Petro does not meddle in company affairs.

"They want to discredit me, destabilize me and thereby destabilize the company," he said at a November press conference.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WIAT)  A Tuscaloosa family struggles to come to grips with the loss of their loved one, 18-year-old Cameron Jamal Mikquise Thompson who went by Cam.

On Thursday afternoon, CBS 42 News spoke the victims aunt in Tuscaloosa.

Were just devastated, like were still in shock, said Tara Maneice. We cannot believe that this happened you know so quickly, out of nowhere.

According to the Tuscaloosa County Violent Crimes Unit, Thompson, who identified as a woman, died after being shot in the 600 block of East 35th Avenue shortly after midnight on Monday. Capt. Jack Kennedy said a minor has been arrested and charged as an adult in her murder. He has been booked into the Tuscaloosa County Jail.

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We asked Maneice to describe her niece:

A beautiful smile, very contagious smile, she noted, loved fashion and the beauty industry.

Thompson, who was a transgender woman, had just completed Job Corps training and had a bright future ahead of her.

Birmingham police searching for missing woman last seen in Titusville community

All these plans she had, she was getting ready to try to go to college, buy a new car, that they have been just wiped away in the blink of an eye, a senseless act, Maneice added.

The Tuscaloosa County Violent Crimes Unit was called to investigate Thompsons shooting after her body was discovered near the street in a yard around 1 p.m. on Monday.

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Captain Kennedy said the motive appears to be related to comments that Thompson posted on social media regarding the suspects sexual orientation.

They were having a personal argument between each other, knew each other, and that seems to be the impetus behind this assault and murder.

Maneice said the mother believes this was a hate crime based on her daughters gender identity. Alabamas hate law only pertains to crimes motivated by victims race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, or physical or mental disability.

At the federal level, hate crime laws include crimes committed based on the victims perceived or actual race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability. Kennedy said the suspect in this case will have a hearing to determine if hes eligible for bond.

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Since hes under the age of 18, Kennedy said he is prohibited from releasing any identifying information.

Maneice created a GoFundMe to help pay for Thompsons funeral expenses.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS 42.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)  Two Columbus police officers are in stable condition after a Friday morning crash in east Columbus.

According to CPD dispatch, two officers were taken to the hospital after a crash at the intersection of Alum Creek Drive and East Livingston Avenue, near the Interstate 70 and U.S. Route 33 interchange.

Study: Ohio among top five safest states for cyclists

In a submitted traffic report, Police said that a person making a left from E. Livingston Ave. turned into the wrong lane on Alum Creek Drive. The vehicle then veered right into the proper lane, but struck a police cruiser attempting to make a left turn into a gas station.

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Medics responded to the scene at around 5:15 a.m. and both officers were hospitalized in stable condition.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV.
KICKAPOO, Wis. (WFRV)  Two people from Illinois were treated for minor injuries after their SUV slipped off of a snow-covered road in southwestern Wisconsin and overturned in a creek.

According to the Vernon County Sheriffs Office, deputies were made aware of a single-vehicle crash on Church Road in the Town of Kickapoo that happened around 5:30 p.m. on December 19 during a heavy snowstorm.

Deputies say that an SUV driven by a 27-year-old man from Evanston, Illinois, was heading northeast when it went off the road while navigating a curve. The SUV reportedly hit a guardrail, went down an embankment, overturned, and landed on its roof in a creek.

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Preliminary snowfall totals across northeast Wisconsin from Thursdays winter storms

It was noted that weather was a factor, as the majority of Wisconsin was blanketed by multiple inches of snow throughout that Thursday.

SUV overturns in a Kickapoo, Wisconsin, creek during winter snowstorm (Vernon County Sheriffs Office)

SUV overturns in a Kickapoo, Wisconsin, creek during winter snowstorm (Vernon County Sheriffs Office)

Both the 27-year-old and his 62-year-old passenger were treated for minor injuries at the scene and declined to be taken to a hospital for treatment.

First responders cleared the scene in roughly three hours.

Frozen road laws set to begin in northern Wisconsin on Saturday, what that means:

Assisting agencies included:

Kickapoo Valley Rescue Squad

Readstown Emergency Medical Service

Readstown Volunteer Fire Department

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I would like to thank all emergency personnel, including our 911 dispatchers who faithfully serve our community, said Sheriff Roy Torgerson. Many of those who responded are volunteers and we appreciate all of you. Our community would not be what it is without working together as one team.

The crash remains under investigation and no additional information was provided.

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.
ANKARA (Reuters) - Two journalists working for Kurdish media outlets in Turkey were killed in northern Syria on Thursday after their vehicle was allegedly targeted by a Turkish drone, Turkish media and a pro-Kurdish party said.

Turkish media reports said Nazim Dastan and Cihan Bilgin were killed near the Tishrin Dam, about 90 km (56 miles) east of Aleppo, while covering fighting between Turkish-backed forces and a Syrian Kurdish militia which is central to the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

In a speech in the Turkish parliament on Friday, Gulistan Kilic Kocyigit, co-chair of the DEM Party, condemned the killing of the journalists.

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"This attack is a crime against humanity," she said. "We call on the Turkish government to immediately address the issue and ensure press protections are upheld."

Turkish officials did not immediately comment on the incident.

According to the news website Bianet, the two journalists were known for their coverage of the Syrian conflict, including extensive reporting on Kurdish issues and the Islamic State.

Turkey sees the YPG militia, which spearheads the SDF, as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), whose militants have battled the Turkish state for 40 years.

(Reporting by Ece Toksabay; Editing by Daren Butler and Ros Russell)
The News

A vehicle drove into a Christmas market in central Germany on Friday evening, killing at least two people and wounding dozens, local news outlets reported.

The driver of the car was reportedly arrested following the incident in Magdeburg, although an explosive device is believed to remain inside the perpetrators vehicle.

The suspect is a doctor from Saudi Arabia who worked in the region, the prime minister of Saxony Anhalt, Reiner Haseloff, told MDR.

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The countrys embattled Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the news suggests something bad, adding that his thoughts were with the victims and their families.

A government spokesperson told Suddeutsche Zeitung that the incident was probably an attack.

This is a terrible event, especially now in the days before Christmas, Haseloff said.
Two men were shot in the head during a botched robbery at an illegal gambling den in Queens, police sources said Friday.

Cops were called to the rear of an address on Haight St. near 41st Ave. in Flushing at about 9:20 p.m. Thursday, where they found a 37-year-old shot in the head.

EMS rushed the victim to NY-Presbyterian Queens, where he remained in critical condition on Friday.

At about the same time, a 42-year-old man showed up at the same hospital with a bullet wound to his cheek, cops said. Investigators determined that he and the other victim were together in the gambling joint when they were both shot by the robber, according to a police source with knowledge of the case.

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After the bullets stopped flying, the older victim ran from the scene and took himself to NY-Presbyterian Queens for treatment, cops said.

Three Hispanic men were seen running from the scene after the shooting, police said. The men jumped into a white SUV with front-end damage and ran off.

No arrests have been made. Cops were scouring the area for surveillance footage that could help them identify the shooters.

On Friday police had cordoned off most of the block in the heavily Asian community. Cops could be seen entering a cafe with Anime images papering the front windows.

There are a few underground gambling  rooms around this block, said a neighborhood cabinet maker who didnt want to give his name. I think this happens a lot. Its just only this time people were shot.

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Other Flushing residents told the Daily News that illegal gambling halls were an open secret, but violence at these places was a rarity, they said.

It really makes people terrified, an area worker said about the double shooting.

When I saw [the cops] locking down the street, I just told my co-worker this morning, Im planning to move out,' the cabinet maker said. I even texted my landlords, I probably will move out in two months, because this street right here is dangerous.

This place is crazy right now, he said.
An "MKE icon." "A Milwaukee staple." "After you close Wolski's, go here."

All of these are Google reviews for The Minnow.

No, it's not a new restaurant or bar. It's the 33-foot Chris-Craft Roamer boat that's been stranded between Milwaukee's McKinley Marina and Bradford Beach for over two months now. The boat, actually named Deep Thought, now has a virtual marker on Google Maps under a new moniker  The Minnow.

Deep Thought ran aground just behind the rock wall near MooSa's restaurant on Oct. 13 when the boat's owners ran out of gas. No one was injured in the incident.

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U.S. Coast Guard officials said they didn't immediately move the vessel since no human lives were in danger and it isn't blocking any federal waterways. The Coast Guard has also determined that the boat doesn't pose a threat of pollution, floating away or other danger.

The Coast Guard has repeatedly said that it's working with a commercial towing and salvage company to remove the boat, though the vessel's owners are responsible for hiring and paying the salvage company.

Deep Thought, the boat that ran aground between Milwaukee's Bradford Beach and McKinley Marina on Oct. 13, is pictured here on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, peeking out from the behind the rock wall following a snowstorm.

On Thursday, Coast Guard Lt. (j.g.) Santiago Tamburini told the Journal Sentinel that officials are focused on removing the boat "as soon as possible," before ice delays removal further.

"We're still working to make sure it gets removed long before we settle into winter," he said. "Fortunately, there's no ice yet. ... We're trying to see if the owners and the salvage company can try to figure out an agreement in which they're both happy with the course of action."

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Because the boat doesn't pose danger or a navigation hazard, Tamburini said the Coast Guard has limited knowledge of the negotiations between the owner and the salvage company.

"We keep monitoring it so that it doesn't become a hazard ...," he said. "We're looking for a secondary option in case they can't come to an agreement."

Tamburini said the Coast Guard is in the "exploration phase" of looking for another agency to remove the vessel.

"We'll be looking into other options, possibly with partner agencies like NOAA," he said. "But, in the meantime, the salvage company is still working with the owner to figure out how soon they can get it out of there."

Deep Thought, the stranded boat that ran aground on Oct. 13, is pictured on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, covered in icicles.

Initially, officials said they hoped to have the boat removed by Oct. 20. However, the Coast Guard said weather, including high winds and waves, has repeatedly delayed removal. In November, U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Joe Neff said a crane may be needed to remove the boat since it's lodged "so far down" in the sand.

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In the nearly 10 weeks since it was abandoned, Deep Thought has become somewhat of a Milwaukee phenomenon.

Early on, passersby traversed the jagged rock wall between the sidewalk and the vessel to get photos and a closer look. The boat, visible to drivers and pedestrians traveling north along Lincoln Memorial Drive, became the subject of multiple social media posts in the private East Side Neighborhood-Milwaukee Facebook group.

After a few weeks, someone stuck an "I Closed Wolski's" sticker from the iconic Milwaukee tavern on the boat's side. A social media user held what looked to be a one-man rave on board. Now, the Milwaukee Record even sells T-shirts featuring the boat.

With winter weather in full swing, the boat might not be here forever. But for now, feel free to enjoy the fun while it lasts.

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As Google reviews Local Guide Chris Merkel puts it, "This is absolutely everything you expect from a beached boat. Boat. Water. Beach. Sometimes fish."

(This story was updated to add a video.)

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee's stranded boat near Bradford Beach is now on Google Maps
Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO)  Two people are being sought as suspects in a shooting that happened in the French Quarter on Sunday, Dec. 1, resulting in several bystanders being injured.

According to the New Orleans Police Department, the shooting happened around 2:31 a.m. in the 700 block of Canal Street.

Picayune man dies in Pearl River County crash: Mississippi officials

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Images were captured of two suspects, both of whom are believed to be from the Baton Rouge area.

(Courtesy: New Orleans Police Department)

Anyone with information that can help in the investigation is asked to contact Eighth District detectives at 504-658-6080 or Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111.

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.
Editors Note: The Burlington Police Department said it was a 14-year-old involved in the crash, not a 19-year-old as first reported. The department also said the girls were taken to an area hospital to be checked out but werent admitted. We apologize for the mistake.

BURLINGTON (KSNT)  Two teens were injured after a school bus crash in Burlington on Thursday.

At 7:38 a.m. on Thursday, the Burlington Police Department was called to a two-vehicle school bus crash at the intersection of Osborne and Martindale streets. According to police, a 17-year-old was driving east on Martindale Street and failed to yield to the bus that was traveling north on Osborne Street.

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The Burlington USD 244 bus hit the front right of the 17-year-olds vehicle. According to police, the 17-year-old said she thought she had time to cross the intersection.

Photo courtesy of the Burlington Police Department. Photo courtesy of the Burlington Police Department.

Kansas audit questions alternative fuel tax credit

The 17-year-old and her passenger, a 14-year-old from Burlington, were transported to a local hospital for treatment of injuries. Police said the bus driver, another adult, and 18 children who were on the bus, were not injured.

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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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News.
Dec. 19ELIDA  Two teenagers caught on security video brandishing BB guns in the Elida Elementary School parking lot in September pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges in Lima Municipal Court.

Damon Alexander and Landen McOwen, both 18, each pleaded guilty this month to a single count of illegal conveyance of an object indistinguishable from a firearm in a school zone, a first-degree misdemeanor.

Judge Tammie Hursh sentenced Alexander and McOwen to one year of probation.

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The teenagers must complete a firearms safety class and community service  40 hours for Alexander; 20 hours for McOwen  and pay $150 fines.

Failure to comply could result in jail time, as Hursh attached suspended jail terms to each sentence: 60 days for McOwen, and 55 days for Alexander, who previously spent five days in jail awaiting arraignment.

Administrators from Elida schools discovered security footage in September depicting a group of teenagers brandishing what appeared to be firearms in the elementary school parking lot after school hours on Sept. 5.

An investigation by Elida administrators and American Township Police concluded the teens likely possessed BB guns and posed no threat to students or staff. Police Chief Mike Haines described the incident as "a group of friends who picked the worst possible spot to play with their guns."

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Ohio law prohibits possession of firearms  real or fake  on school property, with exceptions for law enforcement, designated school employees and concealed permit holders who leave their handgun in a locked vehicle.

"It's just not smart, or legal for that matter, to have weapons of any kind on school grounds for any reason," Superintendent Joel Mengerink said on Thursday. "Those young people involved in this incident are finding out the hard way, both through the courts and through school discipline."

Police charged Alexander, McOwen and two juveniles with a single count of illegal conveyance of an object indistinguishable from a firearm in a school zone.

McOwen pleaded guilty on Dec. 9. Alexander pleaded guilty Monday, averting a trial set to begin the same day.

An attorney representing Alexander declined to comment. McOwen's attorney did not immediately return a request for comment Thursday.

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TYLER, Texas (KETK)  The Tyler Police Department arrested a 27-year-old man for online solicitation of a minor on Tuesday after a call from a YouTuber, according to an arrest affidavit.

Bill that could prevent child abuse heads to presidents desk

According to court documents, Tyler PD officers responded to a call about a suspicious person near the Residence Inn at 340 W. Heritage Drive in Tyler at around 5:45 p.m. on Tuesday.

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The caller was later identified as the owner of a YouTube channel used to catch sexual predators called Predator Poacher. The owner told Tyler PD officers about a man that the channel had reportedly been in contact with since June 11, 2023.

Jordan Lee Burk. Photo courtesy of Smith County Jail records.

Officers were shown messages that were reportedly between someone posing as 11 and 13-year-old girls and 27-year-old Jordan Lee Burk.

According to the arrest affidavit, someone posing as an 11-year-old named Emily and a 13-year-old named Maddi and Burk would have sexual conversations about dating and pregnancy.

On Tuesday, Tyler PD officers contacted Burk at his workplace, BioLife Plasma, to talk about the alleged messages. Burk was read his Miranda rights, questioned and allegedly admitted to contacting the 11-year-old.

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Burk was arrested on two charges of online solicitation of a minor sexual conduct and booked into the Smith County Jail before being released on Wednesday, according to Smith County Jail records.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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The Department of Justice unsealed a superseding criminal complaint filed in the District of New Jersey that charged a dual Russian and Israeli national for being a developer of the LockBit ransomware group.

In August, Rostislav Panev, 51, a dual Russian and Israeli national, was arrested in Israel pursuant to a U.S. provisional arrest request with a view towards extradition to the U.S. Panev is currently in custody in Israel pending extradition on the charges in the complaint.

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Three of the individuals who we allege are responsible for LockBits cyberattacks against thousands of victims are now in custody, and we will continue to work alongside our partners to hold accountable all those who lead and enable ransomware attacks," Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said.

The complaint alleges that Panev developed malware and maintained infrastructure for LockBit, which has attacked thousands of victims and caused billions of dollars in damage. According to Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, the Criminal Division has now charged seven of LockBit's key members and arrested three.

Complaints, documents and court statements allege that Panev acted as a developer of the LockBit ransomware group from its inception in or around 2019 through at least February 2024. During that time, Panev and his LockBit co-conspirators grew LockBit into what was, at times, the most active and destructive ransomware group in the world.

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The LockBit group attacked more than 2,500 victims in at least 120 countries around the world, including 1,800 in the U.S. Their victims ranged from individuals and small businesses to multinational corporations, including hospitals, schools, nonprofit organizations, critical infrastructure and government and law-enforcement agencies.

LockBits members extracted at least $500 million in ransom payments from their victims and caused billions of dollars in other losses, including lost revenue and costs from incident response and recovery. LockBits other members, called affiliates, carried out attacks and extorted ransom payments from victims. Developers and affiliates would then split ransom payments extorted from victims.

Law enforcement reportedly discovered on Panevs computer administrator credentials for an online repository that was hosted on the dark web and stored source code for multiple versions of the LockBit builder, which allowed LockBits affiliates to generate custom builds of its ransomware malware for particular victims.

On that repository, law enforcement also discovered source code for LockBits StealBit tool, which helped its affiliates exfiltrate data stolen through attacks. Law enforcement also discovered access credentials for the LockBit control panel, an online dashboard maintained by developers for affiliates and hosted by those developers on the dark web.

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The complaint also alleges that Panev exchanged direct messages through a cybercriminal forum with LockBits primary administrator, who, in an indictment unsealed in the District of New Jersey in May, the U.S. alleged to be Dimitry Yuryevich Khoroshev, also known as LockBitSupp, LockBit and putinkrab.

In those messages, Panev and the LockBit primary administrator discussed work that needed to be done on the builder and control panel.

Court documents further indicate that, between June 2022 and February 2024, the primary LockBit administrator made a series of transfers of cryptocurrency, laundered through one or more illicit cryptocurrency mixing services, of approximately $10,000 per month to a cryptocurrency wallet owned by Panev. Those transfers amounted to over $230,000 during that period.

In interviews with Israeli authorities following his arrest in August, Panev admitted to having performed coding, development and consulting work for the LockBit group and to having received regular payments in cryptocurrency for that work, consistent with the transfers identified by U.S. authorities.

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Among the work that Panev admitted to having completed for the LockBit group was the development of code to disable antivirus software, to deploy malware to multiple computers connected to a victim network and to print the LockBit ransom note to all printers connected to a victim network.

Panev also admitted to having written and maintained LockBit malware code and to having provided technical guidance to the LockBit group.

The LockBit Investigation

The complaint follows a disruption of LockBit ransomware in February by the United Kingdoms National Crime Agencys Cyber Division, which worked in cooperation with the Justice Department, FBI and other international law enforcement partners.

As previously announced by the Department, authorities disrupted LockBit by seizing numerous public-facing websites used by LockBit to connect to the organizations infrastructure and by seizing control of servers used by LockBit administrators, thereby disrupting the ability of LockBit actors to attack and encrypt networks and extort victims by threatening to publish stolen data.

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A total of seven LockBit members have now been charged in the District of New Jersey. Beyond Panev and Khoroshev, other previously charged LockBit defendants include:

In July, two LockBit affiliate members, Mikhail Vasiliev, also known as Ghostrider, Free, Digitalocean90, Digitalocean99, Digitalwaters99 and Newwave110, and Ruslan Astamirov, also known as BETTERPAY, offtitan and Eastfarmer, pleaded guilty in the District of New Jersey for their participation in the LockBit ransomware group and admitted deploying multiple LockBit attacks against U.S. and foreign victims. Vasiliev and Astamirov are presently in custody awaiting sentencing.

In February, an indictment was unsealed in the District of New Jersey charging Russian nationals Artur Sungatov and Ivan Kondratyev, also known as Bassterlord, with deploying LockBit against numerous victims throughout the U.S., including businesses nationwide in the manufacturing and other industries, as well as victims around the world in the semiconductor and other industries. Sungatov and Kondratyev remain at large.

In May 2023, two indictments were unsealed in Washington, D.C., and the District of New Jersey charging Mikhail Matveev, also known as Wazawaka, m1x, Boriselcin and Uhodiransomwar, with using different ransomware variants, including LockBit, to attack numerous victims throughout the U.S., including the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department. Matveev remains at large and is currently the subject of a reward of up to $10 million through the U.S. Department of States TOC Rewards Program, with information accepted through the FBI tip website at tips.fbi.gov.

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Senior U.S. diplomats traveled to Damascus Friday and held a first-ever meeting with the rebels who toppled longtime dictator Bashar Assad. Washington officially regards the rebel group as terrorists.

U.S. officials said they pressed the transitional government established by rebels to respect the rights of Syria's numerous ethnic and religious sects as well as women. They said they received new leads on the fate of long-missing American journalist Austin Tice but could not reach a conclusion about his whereabouts or whether he is alive.

In an initial gesture of goodwill, the Biden administration canceled a $10-million bounty it had placed on the head of the rebels' leader, Ahmed Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammad Julani.

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Barbara Leaf, the top U.S. diplomat for the Middle East and leader of the delegation, said it made sense to remove the reward since she and the other officials were meeting with him face-to-face.

Read more: A massacre, a rumored hanging and Syrians' thirst for justice and revenge

Leaf was accompanied by Roger Carstens, the administration's lead official for hostage negotiations, and former special envoy for Syria Daniel Rubinstein. They spoke by telephone to reporters after departing Damascus.

It was the first time U.S. officials have formally visited Damascus since the U.S. Embassy there was shuttered in 2012 as the country descended into a savage civil war. Backed by Russia and Iran, the Assad regime is believed to have killed tens of thousands of people, while many more were tortured in crowded, dismal secret prisons.

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Assad fled the country two weeks ago as rebels led by Sharaa's group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, stormed Damascus. It was a swift and spectacular collapse of a dynastic regime that terrorized the nation for half a century.

But the next steps are complicated for U.S. policymakers. Washington has formally labeled HTS a terrorist group. HTS traces its roots to terror groups Islamic State and Al Qaeda but claims it has reformed. The designation carries with it numerous economic sanctions and complicates assistance from aid groups or other parties.

Read more: Amid the joy after Assad's ouster, Syrians search for their missing

Leaf would not say whether HTS would be removed from the terror list or if sanctions would be lifted.

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Asked if she believed Sharaa had become a more moderate leader, Leaf seemed willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. She described him as "pragmatic" and the talks as "quite good, very productive, detailed," covering "a wide set of issues, domestic and external."

"We've been hearing this for some time, some very pragmatic and moderate statements on various issues from women's rights to protection of equal rights for all communities, etc.," Leaf said. "It was a good first meeting. We will judge by deeds, not just by words. Deeds are the critical thing."

Carstens said U.S. officials had believed Assad maintained around a dozen clandestine prisons, but as victims emerge and information comes to light, it appears there could have been 40 or more. While the U.S. has been working with what Carstens called credible evidence that Tice, the journalist, may have been held in as many as six prisons, new information indicates he might have been at one or two others. Searching is slow-going because the U.S. still has a limited presence in Syria, primarily a few hundred troops but no diplomatic or law enforcement personnel.

"We're going to be like bulldogs on this," Carstens said. "We're not going to stop until we find the information that we need to conclude what has happened to Austin, where he is, and to return him home to his family."

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Tice, a freelance reporter who would be 43 years old now, was snatched by gunmen at a checkpoint near Damascus in August 2012 and has not been heard from since.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The University of Michigan is facing a federal lawsuit that alleges it violated the free speech and other constitutional rights of students protesting the Gaza war.

The suit filed Friday in U.S. District Court on behalf of pro-Palestinian students and alumni names as defendants the U-M Board of Regents, President Santa Ono and others. The university did not respond to a request for comment.

It alleges the school has selectively targeted peaceful pro-Palestinian demonstrators for their beliefs, subjecting them to disciplinary proceedings and suspensions in a move at odds with its response to past campus protests for other causes.

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For the past year, the University of Michigan has overreached to specifically target students who advocate for divestment and the human rights of Palestinian people, said attorney John Philo of the Sugar Law Center for Economic and Social Justice, among the firms bringing suit. The university is breaking from its own long-standing traditions of honoring student protest and is violating the United States Constitution by weaponizing student and student organization disciplinary processes to punish pro-Palestine protesters into silence and to chill and repress speech in support of Palestinian causes on campus.

U-M students paint Palestinian flags on buckets at the encampment for Gaza setup at U-M's Diag in Ann Arbor on Monday, April 22, 2024.

Students and faculty at the Ann Arbor campus have demanded the school halt investments that may flow to Israeli companies in protests since the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, sparked Israels war on Gaza. Theyve faced arrest in addition to university-level sanctions; 11 were criminally charged by Attorney General Dana Nessel this fall.

Fridays suit is the latest in a series of First Amendment-violation cases brought against public U.S. universities for their curbing of pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Branches of the University of California and University of Texas also face lawsuits.

The University of Michigan has allegedly spent hundreds of thousands of dollars hiring consultants to initiate the disciplinary proceedings against individual students and student organizations, according to the suit.

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Punishments for demonstrators include terminating students employment from campus jobs, blacklisting students from future employment and issuing trespass notices preventing students from attending classes, going into administrative buildings, or even entering the Universitys Ann Arbor, Dearborn or Flint campuses, the suit says.

The disciplinary proceedings have been conducted in a manner that radically departs from published rules and longstanding practices for such proceedings, and in a manner that has never been implemented in proceedings against any other students or student groups, the suit says.

More U-M news: Huntington Woods home of regent Jordan Acker targeted by vandals

Proceedings were also allegedly initiated against a Students for Justice in Palestine chapter called SAFE (Students Allied for Freedom and Equality) over protected speech on its Instagram account, the suit alleges.

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The disciplinary consultants and private firms for which they work  Grand River Solutions and Beyond Consulting Group  are listed as co-defendants. Neither company immediately replied to a request for comment.

The Michigan chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations has separately accused the school of a bias that favors fighting antisemitism over Islamophobia. In an October complaint with the Department of Educations civil rights office, the group cited, among other things, a recording in which Ono allegedly described government pressure on universities to focus on anti-Semitism in an unbalanced way.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: University of Michigan violated Gaza demonstrators' rights, suit says
A U.S. Marine in Alabama has been charged with murdering a former reality television contestant after meeting up with her at a local hotel while she was working as an escort.

The Escambia County Sheriffs Office said in a statement this week that Willie Ellington, an active duty Marine based at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida, has been charged with first-degree murder and possession of child pornography.

The sheriffs office alleges that Ellington, 20, killed Tshey Bennett, who was working as an escort and met up with the marine at the Sweet Dream Inn in Pensacola shortly before she disappeared.

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After investigators discovered Bennetts body in a pond located in an abandoned neighborhood in Mobile, Ala., officers took Ellington into custody, according to the sheriffs office. It was not immediately clear how Bennett had been killed.

Ellington remains in custody at the Lee County Sheriffs Office in Alabama, according to records reviewed by PEOPLE.

Lee County Sheriffs Office Willie Ellington Willie Ellington

Local station WKRG reported that officers tracked Ellington down while he was on a bus and arrested him in Opelika, Ala., about 230 miles north of Pensacola.

The murder is believed to have taken place in Northwest Florida, the outlet reported, citing police, meaning Bennetts body is believed to have been dumped across state lines, roughly 50 miles from where the Escambia County Sheriffs Office says she was last seen meeting Ellington.

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.

Escambia County Sheriffs Office Tshey Bennett Tshey Bennett

Bennett appeared as a contestant on the HollyHoodTV series Skrippa Bootcamp earlier this year, according to the New York Post. The reality series is centered on 12 exotic dancers living in a single house together.

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Ellington is a private first class in the U.S. Marine Corps, Captain Jacoby Getty confirmed to the Pensacola News Journal. The newspaper reported that Ellington was among a Marine group training in aviation, technology, explosive ordinance disposal and combat diving.

Read the original article on People
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN)  A man wanted for a stabbing last month was found Thursday morning by members of the U.S. Marshals Northern Ohio Fugitive Task Force.

Shawn Hamlett, 29, is expected to be arraigned Friday in municipal court on a charge of felonious assault for a Nov. 27 stabbing in the 600 block of West Evergreen Avenue that put a man in the hospital.

Hamlett also faces charges of burglary, a second-degree felony; being a felon in possession of a firearm and failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer, a third-degree felony; improper handling of a firearm and falsification of a concealed handgun license and tampering with records, both fifth-degree felonies. Details for those charges are not available.

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Reports said Hamlett was found by marshals who tracked him to a home in the double-digit block of East Auburndale Avenue. He was seen coming out of the back door and when marshals tried to talk to him, he ran but was caught a short time later.

Hamlett also gave police a false name when he was arrested, reports said.

He was immediately booked into the Mahoning County jail following his arrest.

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.
The U.S. has spent tens of millions of dollars over more than two years maintaining a $230 million mega-yacht it seized as part of efforts to crack down on oligarchs linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin during the war in Ukraine, newly unearthed documents reveal.

Ever since U.S. authorities captured the Amadea in May 2022 in Fiji, American taxpayer funds have gone to payments like $52,717.08 on food and groceries for crewmembers, $277,200 for fuel, $1,000 on iPhone 11s for the bridge captains, and $1,216.24 for special toilet brushes, among other expenses uncovered by The Washington Post, which sued the federal government to release information about the seizure.

Authorities believe the yacht, which has a pool, wine cellar, and outdoor cinema, belongs to Russian billionaire Suleyman Kerimov, who was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in 2018 and has been accused of money laundering.

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Kerimov, a trained economist and representative of the republic of Dagestan in Russias Federation Council, made a fortune investing in Russian gold mining firm Polyus. He and his family are worth more than $10 billion, according to Forbes.

The federal government has accused Kerimov of using bank accounts to disguise his ownership of the yacht, a sanctions violation, prompting them to seize the luxury cruiser when it docked in Fiji in May 2022 as part of the Biden administrations larger attempts to crack down on Russian oligarchs in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

Another Russian billionaire, Eduard Khudainatov, claims he is actually the owner of the Amadea, which reportedly turned off its automated information system the day Russia invaded Ukraine.

The 348 foot superyacht was seized in May of 2022 in Fiji and sailed to San Diego (FIJI SUN/AFP via Getty Images)

Under federal law, U.S. authorities cant liquidate seized assets valued over $500,000 without a courts permission.

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In the meantime, crews have been working continuously to maintain the ship, which is docked in San Diego, in its present status, in the event it must be returned to its original owner.

Authorities celebrated the seizure of the Amadea at the time as a major victory.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement after the seizure that it "should make clear that there is no hiding place for the assets of individuals who violate U.S. laws. And there is no hiding place for the assets of criminals who enable the Russian regime.

Critics are now pushing for reform that would speed up the liquidation process.

The problem is weve been treating Russian oligarchs with massive assets better than weve been treating our own American citizens, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island told the Post. That simply makes no sense.
The University of Cincinnati this week resolved a federal complaint that officials ignored several reports of alleged harassment toward Jewish and Palestinian students in the 2023-24 school year.

The settlement of the so-called Title VI complaint  for reports of discrimination based on race, color or national origin  was announced Friday by the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights.

"The commitments the University of Cincinnati made today position the university to turn an important corner in effectively protecting civil rights for students who have suffered some egregious harms," Catherine E. Lhamon, assistant secretary for civil rights, said in a Friday news release.

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The university received about two dozen reports of alleged harassment based on Jewish or Palestinian ancestry last school year. An investigation into records and interviews with university staff and students showed the university didn't respond appropriately or at all to those reports.

Examples in Friday's news release include:

When the university received notice that the Students for Justice in Palestine, which is a registered student organization at the university, posted about a "Spooky Zionist" theme for a party on social media, the university did not intervene on the grounds of free speech. "While the university may not discipline speakers for protected speech, Title VI requires that recipients take other steps as necessary to ensure that no hostile environment based on shared ancestry persists and to provide and preserve equal access for students to its programs and activities," the Office for Civil Rights release reads. "The university should have evaluated whether any such steps were necessary in this instance and others."

When a law student reported that antisemitic comments were made at a student senate meeting and provided a perpetrator's name, the university did nothing.

When the university received multiple reports of vandalism targeted at a Jewish student  including that his home was egged, his door defaced and feces smeared around his home  the university did not assess the situation.

When a Palestinian student reported to the university that she and others had received death threats, the university referred the matter to the university's police department. "Even after the students professor reported the threats on her behalf, the university only asked the student how she was doing, and then offered the student advice, months later, such as that she should be drinking water and getting rest, and did not investigate the matter or otherwise take steps to address the effects of the alleged harassment," the news release reads.

"UC  like counterparts nationally  signed the voluntary resolution agreement in order to proactively enhance ongoing efforts to prevent discrimination and harassment," university spokesperson M.B. Reilly wrote in a statement posted to University of Cincinnati's website. She said the university investigated the above reports after an anonymous complaint was made to the federal office, but could not find the reports.

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As part of the resolution agreement, the University of Cincinnati has committed to review discrimination and harassment reports from the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years. For the current school year and next school year, the university will report its responses to any discrimination or harassment reports to to the Office for Civil Rights.

The university will also revise its Title VI policies and procedures and provide training for employees, including university law enforcement, on the university's obligations to respond to alleged discrimination. Students will get training, too. The university is expected to notify students and staff by March about how to report allegations of harassment based on race, color or national origin and remind them that the university will take responsive action to these reports.

The university is fortunate to have a large student population with diverse experiences, perspectives, and beliefs. Productive and civil exchanges are essential to the academic environment. Harassment is not. We all must work together to maintain an environment where everyone feels safe, valued, and respected," Bleuzette Marshall, vice president for equity, inclusion and community impact, said in a news release from the university.

The resolution agreement also states University of Cincinnati will administer a climate assessment for students and employees to evaluate the extent to which the campus community sees or experiences discrimination and harassment. These responses will help the university plan for next steps in making a healthier campus environment.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: UC resolves federal complaint after ignoring harassment reports
(Bloomberg) -- UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves will travel to China during the second week of January to revive high-level discussions aimed at improving economic ties between the countries.

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Reeves will meet with Chinas vice premier, He Lifeng, in Beijing on Jan. 11, according to a person familiar with her plans. A day later she will go to Shanghai to meet with British companies operating in the worlds second-largest economy. The date of the meeting was first reported by Reuters.

Both countries are likely to discuss the possibility of re-opening the Joint Economic and Trade Commission later in the year. This was set up in 1996 to promote trade and investment between the two countries, but most talks between the two countries were suspended in 2020 after China imposed a national security law on Hong Kong.

The latest talks come as Labour finds itself torn between seeking a closer working relationship with the Asian superpower, and distancing itself in an effort to burnish ties with US President-elect Donald Trumps incoming government.

Labour has vowed to boost growth in the British economy during its time in power, and forming stronger ties with China could help to achieve that goal. The Treasury has drawn up proposals to focus an economic rapprochement on financial services and clean energy, Bloomberg reported earlier this week.

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However Trump has vowed to slap 60% tariffs on imports from China, and is likely to lean on allies to take a more hawkish stance toward the country.

A recent spying scandal, in which businessman Yang Tengbo, who has links with Prince Andrew, was banned from the country, has added to mistrust of China among UK lawmakers.

Reeves will be the second UK cabinet minister to visit China since Labour came to power in Julys general election, after Foreign Secretary David Lammy did so in October. It marks a change in approach to the previous Conservative government  ex-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called China the greatest state-based threat to our economic security.

She will likely be accompanied on the trip by a business delegation including HSBC and Standard Chartered, among others.

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(Updates with details of Treasury proposals in fifth paragraph. An earlier version of this story was corrected to say second-largest economy in second paragraph.)

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Kyiv has repeatedly asked Hungary to refrain from manipulating the topic of the war in Ukraine, particularly in light of Budapest's "Christmas truce" proposal.

Source: Heorhii Tykhyi, spokesperson for Ukraine's Foreign Ministry, at a briefing on Friday, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Tykhyi stressed that "there is no real 'Christmas truce' on the table" at present, calling the alleged proposals "a PR move by the Hungarian side, which we call 'peace PR move'."

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"Why are they doing this? Apparently, for some internal political reasons. There are no realistic proposals on the negotiating table," the spokesperson emphasised.

He noted that Ukraine has repeatedly asked Hungary, both publicly and privately, "not to engage in manipulations on the topic of war, deaths and the Christmas holiday".

"It's just a cynical manipulation, in our opinion... Well, you can see they're doing what they see fit," the spokesman concluded.

Background:

Tensions between Kyiv and Budapest escalated after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban called Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin last week.

Afterwards, Orban said that he had proposed a ceasefire and a large-scale prisoner-of-war swap between Kyiv and Moscow for Christmas but claimed that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had rejected the idea.

Kyiv emphasised that it first learned of the "truce" proposal from media reports, as the Hungarian side had not communicated it directly.

Earlier, President Zelenskyy criticised Orban's attempts to present himself as a "mediator" in the "settlement" of the Russo-Ukrainian war.

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(Bloomberg) -- Ukraines capital faced a Russian missile attack for the first time in almost a month, a day after Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin offered to hold talks with US President-elect Donald Trump.

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The strikes targeting Kyiv killed one person and injured at least nine others, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said Friday on his Telegram channel. Buildings in four residential areas of the city as well as a warehouse and business center were damaged by falling debris, Kyiv citys military administration said.

Air defenses downed all five ballistic missiles fired at Kyiv as well as 40 drones targeting other regions of the country, Ukraines Air Force command said on Telegram.

The Defense Ministry in Moscow said on Telegram that the attack was in retaliation for a Ukrainian strike in Russias Rostov region on Wednesday involving ATACMS long-range missiles and Storm Shadow cruise missiles supplied by Kyivs Western allies. It claimed to have been targeting a design bureau involved in missile development, a Ukrainian security service command post and the positions of Patriot air-defense systems.

The attack damaged a building housing several foreign embassies, including those of Argentina and Portugal, according to the spokesman for Ukraines Foreign Ministry. No casualties among embassy employees were reported. The attack drew indignation from the European Unions foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.

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The barrage followed a major cyberattack by Russian hackers against Ukraines state registries, the countrys authorities said. As a result, a number of digital services ranging from real estate registration to online marriage registration were disabled. While no data was lost, authorities said, restoring it may take as long as two weeks. Russian authorities so far havent commented on the cyberattack.

The assault came after Putin said at his annual news conference in Moscow on Thursday that hes willing to meet with Trump, who has said he wants to bring an end to the war even before he returns to the White House on Jan. 20. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Thursday hed welcome the prospect of Trump initiating an effort to end Russias war, but cautioned against a cease-fire agreement that could easily unravel.

The cyberattack and the missile barrage against Kyiv followed the assassination in Moscow on Tuesday of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the head of Russias radiological, chemical and biological defense forces, in a bomb explosion. Russian investigators accused Ukrainian security services of plotting the killing.

--With assistance from Piotr Skolimowski.

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(Updates with details of damage to embassies in fifth paragraph)

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The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced on Dec. 20 that it had gathered evidence against Colonel General Alexei Kim, the Russian officer allegedly responsible for the Aug. 24 missile attack on the Sapfir Hotel in Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast.

The strike killed Ryan Evans, a British security adviser for Reuters, and injured six others, including two Reuters journalists.

Kim, a deputy chief of Russia's General Staff, signed the directive and issued the combat order for the Iskander-M ballistic missile strike, according to the SBU.

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The SBU said that Kim directed one of his missile units to target the hotel despite it being occupied solely by civilians.

SBU investigators charged Kim in absentia under Ukraine's Criminal Code with waging a war of aggression and violating the laws and customs of war.

The charges align with Ukraine's broader efforts to hold Russian military leaders accountable for targeting civilian infrastructure and committing war crimes.

This development follows the Dec. 17 assassination of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, head of Russia's radiation, chemical, and biological defense forces, in an alleged SBU operation in Moscow.

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Ukrainian prosecutors had previously charged Kirillov with deploying banned chemical weapons in the conflict.

Read also: Russian missile attack damages 6 foreign embassies in Kyiv, Foreign Ministry says

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By Max Hunder

KYIV (Reuters) -As the future of warfare pivots towards artificial intelligence, Ukraine is sitting on a valuable resource: millions of hours of footage from drones which can be used to train AI models to make decisions on the battlefield.

AI has been deployed by both sides on the battlefield during Russia's invasion of Ukraine to identify targets, scanning images far quicker than a human can.

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Oleksandr Dmitriev, founder of OCHI, a non-profit Ukrainian digital system which centralises and analyses video feeds from over 15,000 drone crews working on the frontlines, told Reuters his system had collected 2 million hours, or 228 years, of battlefield video from drones since 2022.

That will provide vital data for AI to learn from.

"This is food for the AI: If you want to teach an AI, you give it 2 million hours (of video), it will become something supernatural."

According to Dmitriev, the footage can be used to train AI models in combat tactics, spotting targets and assessing the effectiveness of weapons systems.

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"It is essentially experience which can be turned into mathematics," he said, adding that an AI program can study the trajectories and angles at which weapons are most effective.

The system was originally made in 2022 to give military commanders an overview of their areas of the battlefield by showing them drone footage from all nearby crews side by side on one screen.

After the system was rolled out, the team running it realised that video being sent back by drones could prove useful as a record of the war  so they began to store it.

On average, Dmitriev said five or six terabytes of new data were added every day from the fighting.

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IMAGE QUALITY

Dmitriev said he was talking with representatives from some of Ukraine's foreign allies that had expressed interest in his OCHI system, but declined to provide details.

Samuel Bendett, adjunct senior fellow at the U.S.-based Center for a New American Security, said such a vast pool of data would be extremely valuable in teaching AI systems to identify what exactly they are seeing, and what steps they should take.

"Humans can do this intuitively, but machines cannot, and they have to be trained on what is or isn't a road, or a natural obstacle, or an ambush," he said.

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Kateryna Bondar, a fellow at Wadhwani AI centre at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said the size of the data set and the image quality were important, as AI models learned to recognise targets based on shapes and colours.

Bondar said that the dataset was valuable in the context of training to fight Russia. However, she said U.S. officials and drone makers prefer a dataset that trains AI systems to operate in the Pacific against a potential Chinese adversary.

"(They want) systems ready and able to fight against China because thats the main priority for the U.S. right now, rather than getting a lot of footage of Ukrainian fields and forests."

Ukraine also has another system, called Avengers, developed by its defence ministry, which centralises and collects video from drones and CCTV.

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The ministry declined to provide information about this system. However, it has previously said that Avengers spots 12,000 Russian pieces of equipment a week using AI identification tools.

Thousands of drones are already using AI systems to fly themselves into targets without human piloting, and Ukraine is using AI technologies to help demine its territory.

Ukrainian companies are developing drone swarms, where a computer system will be able to execute commands for an interlinked cloud of dozens of drones.

Russia has also touted its use of battlefield AI, most notably for target recognition in Lancet strike drones, which have proved lethal against Ukrainian armoured vehicles.

(Reporting by Max Hunder;Editing by Alison Williams and Peter Graff)
Ukrainian soldiers repelled Russian sabotage and reconnaissance groups as they were attempting to advance towards the city of Kherson overnight on Dec. 20, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said.

The reports come amid an anticipated large-scale Russian advance in Kherson Oblast. In early December, Russian troops were carrying out assaults in the southern region to gain a foothold on islands in the Dnipro River delta.

Prokudin said earlier that Moscow has assembled "300 boats to cross the river."

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Russian forces launched a massive aerial attack on Kherson and its outskirts from the occupied part of Kherson Oblast overnight on Dec. 20, targeting residential areas and critical infrastructure. One person was killed, and at least nine others were injured, according to the local authorities.

Kherson and other regional settlements west of the Dnipro River have been subjected to near-daily Russian strikes since Ukraine liberated the area in November 2022 and Russian troops were pushed to the east of the river.

Russian troops have intensified ground attacks in several areas along the front line over the past few days but failed to break through Ukraine's defense lines, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Dec. 19.

Moscow's forces keep on advancing in Donetsk Oblast in an attempt to occupy the key towns of Pokrovsk and Kurakhove. Ukraine has also been building heavy fortifications near the southern city of Zaporizhzhia in preparations for a potential Russian offensive in the region.

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Read also: On a forgotten part of Ukraines front line, Russian forces mass for assault on Dnipro islands

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In a wide ranging interview with MSNBC on Dec. 19, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke about the prospects for a potential ceasefire in Ukraine, as well as support for the embattled country ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump in January.

"I want to make sure that were giving the incoming administration and the Ukrainians the strongest possible hand to play going into 2025," Blinken said in an interview on MSNBC Morning Joe. "Ukrainians have to make fundamental decisions about carrying on the fight or looking to negotiate and try to bring this to a ceasefire. The fundamental question is whether Russia is prepared to do that and to do that in good faith."

"If it moves to that, we want to make sure that the Ukrainians and the Trump administration have the best hand to play to cut the strongest possible deal. And that means trying to reinforce Ukraines position on the battlefield," Blinken added.

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The outgoing official's comments come as Trump has pledged to get the U.S. "out" of Russia's war and negotiate a quick peace deal. Ukrainian officials have urged the president-elect to maintain support and adopt a "peace through strength" approach in dealings with Russia

The Wall Street Journal reported on Dec. 12, citing undisclosed official sources, that Trump wants European troops to monitor a potential ceasefire in Ukraine. Trump reportedly made the comments during his Dec. 7 meeting with Zelensky and French President Macron in Paris.

"If this gets to a place where there is a ceasefire, and its a ceasefire thats on just and durable terms, that would be a good thing. But for it to be durable, there has to be some kind of assurance that Russia is not simply going to rest, refit, and reattack," Blinken added during the interview.

During a visit to Brussels to meet with European leaders on Dec. 19, President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected the idea of freezing the conflict without effective security guarantees, adding that doing so would "buy time" for Russia to regroup ahead of another attack.

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On Dec. 18, Zelensky said he was "discussing ideas with European leaders" on the potential deployment of European peacekeeping forces to the embattled country.

On Dec. 13, Andriy Yermak, head of the Presidential Office, said that Kyiv is not prepared to enter negotiations with Russia as it lacks sufficient Western support to engage from a position of strength.

Read also: US may not be able to send remaining $5.6bn in military aid to Ukraine before Trump takes office, NYT reports

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Ukraine is set to receive its first tranche of funds from the US derived from the proceeds of frozen Russian assets, with the World Bank allocating US$2 billion.

Source: Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal

Details: The World Banks Executive Board approved the decision recently and Ukraines Ministry of Finance signed the relevant agreements today.

Allocation of Funds:

US$1 billion will be granted as a non-repayable grant from the World Bank's FIF fund, sourced from the US contribution under the G7 initiative.

US$1.05 billion will be provided as a loan backed by guarantees from the governments of Japan and the United Kingdom.

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Ukraine has fulfilled all the necessary requirements to receive the funds, Shmyhal added.

Background: The European Commission announced on 19 December its decision to begin disbursing loans to Ukraine in early 2025 as part of an 18.1 billion macro-financial assistance package, which will be repaid using proceeds from frozen Russian assets.

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Ukraine has repatriated the bodies of 503 soldiers who died fighting against Russia, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of the Prisoners of War reported on Dec. 20.

The Geneva Conventions stipulate that those who lose their lives during war are entitled to a dignified burial. As of early March, Ukraine has identified more than 2,800 bodies and body remains of fallen soldiers, according to Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets.

The bodies of 403 soldiers were recovered from Donetsk Oblast, while 57 and 12 bodies were brought back from Zaporizhzhia and Luhansk oblasts, respectively. Another 31 bodies were repatriated from morgues in Russia.

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"Law enforcement officials and forensic experts will identify the victims as soon as possible," the headquarters wrote in a post on Telegram.

The operation to recover the fallen soldiers involved several government and military agencies, including the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the Interior Ministry, the State Emergency Service, and the Armed Forces.

The headquarters also thanked the International Committee of the Red Cross for its assistance.

In early December, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that about 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed during the full-scale invasion.

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Read also: Russian missiles strike Kyiv on the eve of holiday season (Photos)

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By Yuliia Dysa

(Reuters) - A Russian cyberattack on Ukraine's justice ministry registries caused a shutdown of online services for marriages and other matters, but no data appears to have been leaked or stolen, the Ukrainian government said on Friday.

Russia took several months to prepare the cyberattack, which was the largest to target Ukraine's state registries in recent times, Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna, who is also justice minister, told reporters at a briefing in Kyiv.

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Online services to register matters like marriages, cars, births or a change of residence in Ukraine were suspended, the government service platform said.

The attack sought to "instil panic among Ukrainian citizens and those abroad," Stefanishyna said.

The Ukrainian security service's cyber department said their main line of investigation was that a hacker group affiliated with Russian military intelligence (GRU) was behind the attack. There was no comment from Russia.

"Data leakage is not confirmed as of now... At this stage, all registries are suspended for security purposes," Stefanishyna said.

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All the data would restored, she added. It could take up to two weeks to restore basic services, she said.

As of Friday afternoon, the ministry's website said it was undergoing "technical maintenance".

Both Russia and Ukraine have been hit by cyberattacks on their infrastructure during their 33-month-long war. Ukraine's biggest mobile network operator was attacked last December.

(Reporting by Yuliia Dysa; editing by Tom Balmforth and Angus MacSwan)
The Ukrainian gas transmission system will be able to transport gas only of non-Russian origin starting at 07:00 on 1 January 2025.

Source: Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal at Prime Ministers Question Time in the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament), as reported by Interfax-Ukraine

Quote: "The gas transit agreement expires on 1 January 2025; the transit will be physically blocked at 07:00, and the resumption of transit will only be possible if, at the request of the European Commission, we transport non-Russian gas through our system."

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Details: Nevertheless, the prime minister explained that under the Association Agreement with the EU and the Energy Charter Treaty, Ukraine is obliged to ensure the transit of Russian oil to Europe at the European Commission's request.

"In this regard, technically, transit at the request of the European side continues. However, we are working to impose 100% of sanctions on Russian molecules," he said.

Read more: Ukraine is still pumping Russian gas and financing the war against itself. Will this continue in 2025?

Background:

Russian gas monopoly Gazprom's internal plans for 2025 assume that gas transit to Europe through Ukraine will no longer be carried out after 31 December 2024.

Slovakia will hold a series of negotiations to secure Russian gas supplies after the current transit contract through Ukraine expires.

SPP, Slovakia's largest energy supplier, has issued a declaration of support for gas transit through Ukraine.

On Thursday, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to discuss the possibility of continuing gas supplies through Ukraine.

Kremlin leader Putin says the contract for Russian gas transit through Ukraine will no longer exist, but Gazprom will "get through" it.

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Ukraine and the U.S. have reached a preliminary agreement on the date of a visit to Kyiv by Keith Kellogg, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Ukraine peace envoy, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said during a Dec. 20 briefing.

Tykhyi did not disclose the specific date of the visit for security reasons. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Dec. 19 that Kellogg would visit Ukraine before Trump's inauguration in January.

According to Tykhyi, Kyiv intends to use the visit to communicate "important information from the Ukrainian side" that should be considered as the incoming U.S. administration develops its strategy for achieving a just peace.

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He said that preliminary arrangements had been made, and Kyiv is preparing to host the Trump team representative.

Kellogg, 80, previously served as executive secretary and chief of staff of the U.S. National Security Council under Trump and as a top advisor to then-Vice President Mike Pence.

His forthcoming visit underscores the significant role the U.S. will likely play in shaping the future of peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.

Reuters reported that Kellogg and Frederick H. Fleitz, another senior advisor to Trump, had proposed a peace plan that included freezing the front lines, ceasing military aid to Ukraine unless it agreed to negotiations, and shelving Ukraine's aspirations for NATO membership.

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During his presidential campaign, Trump vowed to bring an end to Russia's war in Ukraine, claiming he could broker a deal "that's good for both sides."

However, his comments, including praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin and skepticism of further U.S. assistance to Ukraine, have raised concerns in Kyiv about the potential shift in U.S. policy.

Read also: Trumps pick for Ukraine envoy backs peace through strength, security guarantees

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
General Keith Kellogg, future US Special Envoy for Russia and Ukraine, plans to visit Ukraine, with both sides having tentatively agreed on a date.

Source: Heorhii Tykhyi, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, during a briefing on 20 December, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Tykhyi confirmed that the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry is involved in preparing Kelloggs visit to Ukraine, which was previously announced.

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Quote: "A tentative date for this visit has been set. I wont disclose it for security reasons, but I can confirm that we are expecting General Kellogg in Ukraine."

More details: Tykhyi emphasised that Kyiv aims to provide the Trump teams representative with "critical information from the Ukrainian side that must be considered in the new US administration's development of a vision for achieving a just peace".

Background:

In November, US President-elect Donald Trump announced his intention to appoint retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg as Special Envoy for Russia and Ukraine.

Kellogg previously stated his intention to conduct visits to hear the perspectives of all parties involved in the full-scale war.

Reuters writes that Kellogg is planning visits to Kyiv and other European capitals, excluding Russia.

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Russian forces attempted an assault on the outskirts of the city of Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast on 20 December. Ukrainian troops have repelled the attack and destroyed Russian armoured vehicles.

Source: Achilles Strike UAV Battalion of the 92nd Ivan Sirko Separate Assault Brigade

Details: Crews from the Achilles Strike UAV Battalion destroyed three Russian infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) and one tank while also damaging another IFV.

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The attack was repelled by the Achilles UAV Battalion together with the 116th Separate Mechanised Brigade, 114th Separate Territorial Defence Brigade and the 1st Presidential Operational Brigade.

Background:

On 11 December, the Achilles strike UAV battalion, alongside troops from Ukraine's 1st Presidential Brigade Burevii and the 77th Airmobile Brigade, successfully repelled a Russian mechanised offensive on the Kupiansk front in Kharkiv Oblast. The Ukrainian forces destroyed one tank, three infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), and three MT-LB armoured personnel carriers (APCs) during the confrontation.

Anton Shmahailo, Commander of the First Strike Company of the Achilles Battalion of the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade, suggested that the Russian forces had been given a deadline to achieve specific objectives in the area, likely to capture Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi before the New Year.

On 18 December, the Achilles battalion inflicted significant losses on the Russians on the Kupiansk front, destroying 21 units of Russian military equipment.

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Ukraine and Russia have exchanged parcels and letters for prisoners of war (POWs). The Ukrainian Parliamentary Human Rights Commissioner's Office has also provided lists of prisoners of war during the exchange.

Source: press service for the Ukrainian Parliamentary Human Rights Commissioner Office

Details: The meeting in Belarus between Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine's Parliamentary Human Rights Commissioner, and his Russian counterpart Tatyana Moskalkova was facilitated by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Photo: Ukrainian Parliamentary Human Rights Commissioner Office

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Ukraine handed over lists of POWs (the parties discussed their verification) and lists of illegally detained civilians.

Photo: Ukrainian Parliamentary Human Rights Commissioner Office

The exchange also included parcels and letters for POWs, with Ukraine providing 1,500 packages of warm clothes and essential items.

Photo: Ukrainian Parliamentary Human Rights Commissioner Office

Additionally, the bodies of fallen soldiers were repatriated.

Lubinets and Moskalkova discussed further cooperation on the exchange of POWs and civilians, as well as ways to address ongoing humanitarian concerns.

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The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has collected evidence against a Russian general who organised a missile attack on the Sapfir (Sapphire) Hotel in Kramatorsk, where a film crew of the international news agency Reuters was staying on 24 August 2024.

Source: Security Service of Ukraine; Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine

Details: A Reuters journalist was killed in the Russian attack and five of his colleagues sustained injuries.

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According to the SSU investigators, the person responsible for this air attack is Russian Colonel General Alexei Kim who holds the position of Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. The Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine clarified that according to the temporary staffing schedule, he is currently the Chief of Staff, Deputy Commander of the Joint Forces Group of the Russian Armed Forces and the Head of the Centre for the Organisation of Fire and Nuclear Destruction at the Military Command of the Russian Armed Forces.

Kim signed the directive and gave the combat order to fire on the hotel, where only civilians were staying.

To carry out the attack, Kim engaged one of the missile units under his command.

In accordance with his order, the unit hit the hotel with an Iskander-M ballistic missile.

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The strike destroyed the hotel building, and five civilians sustained injuries of varying severity in addition to the Reuters journalists.

The aftermath of the Russian Iskander missile strike on 24 August 2024.

Photo: Donetsk Oblast Military Administration

Based on the evidence collected, SSU investigators served Colonel-General Kim with a notice of suspicion in absentia under three articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine: Art. 28.2, Art. 437.2 (waging the war of aggression), and Art. 438.2 (violation of the laws and customs of war).

The SSU continues to work to bring the offender to justice.

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The State Special Communications Service of Ukraine does not confirm the information leak following Russia's cyberattack.

Source: Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraines Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and Minister of Justice, on 20 December

Quote: "I received information from the head of the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection before the press conference, stating that the data leak has not been confirmed," said Stefanishyna.

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The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) added that they are currently unable to confirm whether a data leak occurred.

Background:

Ukraine had experienced the largest cyberattack on government registries 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 registers will be restored within two weeks.

The largest cyberattack on Ukraine's state registers was prepared for several months, but the SSU stated that they cannot disclose details about its preparation.

The Ministry of Justice will prioritise restoring the unified register of powers of attorney, the unified register of special forms, notarial documents, and the inheritance register, ensuring proper record-keeping and minimising potential negative consequences.

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A Chinese-run gold mine in eastern Congos Ituri province is slowly spreading into an area that many say it should not be operating in at all. The area is the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, an endangered World Heritage site.

Congos government established the boundaries, or borders, of the reserve around thirty years ago.

But over the years the boundaries changed. These changes permitted the company to operate inside the forest.

The reserve was already on the endangered list, under threat from conflict and wildlife trafficking.

An alarming situation

Now the quick growth of the Chinese mines threatens to further hurt the forest and the communities living in it.

Residents and wildlife experts say the mining is polluting the rivers and soil, damaging trees and bringing more humans to the area. As a result, illegal hunting has increased.

Joe Eisen of Rainforest Foundation UK described the situation as alarming. He said that the area is supposed to be a protected World Heritage Site that was already at risk.

Covering more than 13,000 square kilometers, the reserve became a protected place in 1996. The area has wide biological diversity and many threatened species. These include the okapi, a forest giraffe, for which the reserve is named.

The reserve holds some 15 percent of the worlds remaining 30,000 okapi.

The reserve is in the Congo Basin rainforest  the worlds second-biggest rainforest. The rainforest is a major carbon sink. Carbon sinks help limit climate change. The area also has a large amount of mineral wealth such as gold and diamonds.

Under Congos mining rules, mining is barred in protected areas, which includes the reserve.

Issa Aboubacar, a spokesperson for the Chinese company, Kimia Mining Investment, said the group is operating legally. It recently renewed its permits until 2048, government records show.

Congos mining registry said the map they are using came from files from the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature, or ICCN. The ICCN is a government group responsible for supervising Congos protected areas. The mining registry also said it is currently working with the ICCN on changing the boundaries and protecting the park.

The ICCN told The Associated Press (AP) that in meetings this year with the mining registry, boundary misunderstandings were discussed. It also said the first boundaries should be honored.

A government document from August, seen by AP, said all companies in the Reserve will be closed, including Kimia Mining.

The document has not been reported until now and is the first admission that the current boundaries are wrong, environmentalists working in Congo say.

Rights groups in Congo have long said the permits were illegally awarded by the mining ministry based on incorrect maps.

Changing boundaries and rules

Eastern Congo has seen violence for many years. The Okapi Reserve has seen years of unrest by local militia.

In 2012, in Epulu town, a local rebel group killed several residents, including two officers of the reserve, and 14 okapis. The animals were part of a captive breeding program.

The reserve has also been threatened by smaller mining activities, including by thousands of Indigenous peoples who live in and around the forest.

Im John Russell.

Sam Mednick reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English.

_______________________________________________

Words in This Story

reserve  n. something set aside for a particular purpose, use, or reason, such as an area of public land

diversity  n. the condition of having or being composed of differing elements

alarming  adj. causing people to feel danger or alarm or to be worried or frightened

resident  n. one who lives in a place
Ukrainian air defence shot down five ballistic missiles headed for Kyiv and 40 UAVs in eight oblasts of Ukraine during the Russian combined attack on Ukraine on the night of 19-20 December, while another 20 drones did not reach their targets.

Source: Ukraines Air Force on social media

Details: Starting at 19:00 on 19 December, the Russians carried out an attack with an Iskander-M ballistic missile launched from Russias Rostov Oblast, a Kh-59/69 guided missile launched from Russias Kursk Oblast, and 65 Shahed-type attack UAVs and other types of drones launched from the areas of Bryansk, Millerovo, Oryol, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk.

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As of 09:30 on 20 December, 40 Shahed attack UAVs and other types of drones were confirmed downed in Russias Kursk Oblast, where the Ukrainian military hold some areas under their control, as well as in Ukraines Poltava, Sumy, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.

Due to active counteraction by the defence forces, 20 Russian decoy drones disappeared from radar (without negative consequences).

A nighttime missile and drone strike hit houses, apartment buildings, medical facilities, warehouses and farms in Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, Kyiv and Kharkiv oblasts.

At around 07:00 on 20 December, the Russians had struck the capital of Ukraine with five Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles. The missiles were launched from Russias Voronezh and Bryansk oblasts.

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As a result of combat efforts, air defence shot down all five Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles that the Russians had fired at Kyiv.

Quote: "Unfortunately, there are consequences on the ground after the insidious enemy attack. The wreckage of the downed missiles caused damage and destruction in five districts of the capital. Unfortunately, some people were killed and wounded.

We ask citizens to respond immediately to reports of the threat of ballistic weapons, as there is very little time to find shelter. Follow the recommendations of the emergency services and take care of yourself and your family."

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Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umierov has spoken with his Italian counterpart Guido Crosetto about the options for equipping Ukrainian brigades.

Source: a statement by the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Umierov noted that the key topic of the conversation was military assistance to Ukraine in 2025.

"We discussed the possibilities of equipping Ukrainian brigades with weapons and equipment," he said.

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He added that they had paid special attention to the issue of air defence.

"We are counting on further support in strengthening our air defence," Umierov said.

Umierov also stressed that he had pointed out the importance of joint industrial projects with the largest Italian defence companies.

Background:

On 16 December, the Italian government approved the tenth package of military aid to Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.

Earlier, it was reported that a Franco-Italian SAMP/T air defence system, the second unit for far, had been shipped to Ukraine.

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The Khortytsia Operational Strategic Group of Forces has denied information from the Deep State monitoring project regarding the encirclement of certain defence forces units near the settlements of Uspenivka and Trudove in Donetsk Oblast.

Source: Khortytsia Operational Strategic Group of Forces on Telegram

Quote: "Media outlets are circulating information, based on data from the DeepState portal, about certain units of Ukraine's defence forces being encircled in the area of Uspenivka and Trudove.

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This information is not true. The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine made the decision to withdraw the defence forces units from the area to avoid encirclement."

Details: The Khortytsia group of forces emphasises that the military units, which had been engaged in intense defensive battles against superior Russian forces for an extended period, had carried out the necessary manoeuvres to avoid encirclement and continue to perform operational tasks along the Kurakhove  Konstantynopilske line.

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KYIV (Reuters) - The Ukrainian military said on Friday its forces had pulled back from the area around Uspenivka and Trudove villages in the eastern region of Donetsk to avoid being encircled by advancing Russian troops.

With the war now in its 33rd month, the Ukrainian forces are engaged in intense defensive battles and are stretched thin as the Russians press forward along the front line.

"The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has decided to withdraw the units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces from the area in question to avoid encirclement," Ukraine's Khortytsia group of forces said on Telegram.

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Military units had avoided being surrounded and would continue to operations in the Kurakhove-Konstantinopolske area, a statement said.

Ukraine's General Staff reported 18 battles on the Kurakhove front in the past day with Russian forces attempting to advance to the north of the town.

The Russian Defence Ministry said on Friday its forces had taken control of two more settlements in Donetsk region, Uspenivka and Novopustynka. It claimed control of Trudove on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Anastasiia Malenko, Editing by Angus MacSwan)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has stated that Ukraine must decide on its course of action in the war: whether to continue fighting or start negotiations with Russia.

Source: Blinken in an interview with MSNBC Morning

Quote: "The Ukrainians have to make fundamental decisions about carrying on the fight or looking to negotiate and try to bring this to a ceasefire. The fundamental question is whether Russia is prepared to do that and to do that in good faith."

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Details: Blinken emphasised that the US is working to ensure Ukraine is in a favourable position to secure the strongest possible position in 2025. He said this involves strengthening Ukraine's military positions and providing ammunition, financial and overall support.

Quote: "It means continuing to exert maximum pressure on Russia... Everything that Russia tries to do takes longer, costs more and is harder to do. And of course, the losses on the battlefield are extraordinary. Putin keeps throwing these young men [Russian soldiers] into a meat-grinder of his own making."

Details: Blinken also noted that Ukraine's long-term success depends on ceasefire guarantees under fair conditions. He stressed that these guarantees must prevent the possibility of a renewed Russian attack in the future.

"If we get that, Ukraine is on a path to success," Blinken said.

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Blinken believes Ukraine has proven its strength as an independent state that could not be erased from the world map despite Russia's attempts.

Quote: "Thats what Putin wanted to do. Hes failed. It can stand strongly on its own feet militarily, economically, democratically. Thats the best possible rebuke to Putin. And I know President Trump will want to get a good deal going forward."

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Ukraines Presidential Office is suspected of orchestrating the unfreezing of the assets belonging to one of the countrys largest chemical companies, Karpatnaftokhim, in exchange for a free share in the company, later transferred to a front company.

Source: investigation by Ukrainska Pravda titled The Great Redistribution: The Story of Watchers and Proxies Returning to the Presidential Office

Details: In August 2022, law enforcement officers raided Karpatnaftokhim, suspecting it of funneling over UAH 5 billion (approximately US$120 million) to Russia through shell companies between 2017 and 2022. The court seized the company's corporate rights and property, intending to transfer the assets to the Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA). Then the state would have to profit from the fact that after the investigation and confiscation, the property would be sold to new owners or nationalised.

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However, ARMA later stated it could not find a manager for the asset due to procedural errors by law enforcement officers. As a result, over 14 months, Karpatnaftokhim remained unmanaged and in 2023, the court lifted the company's arrest altogether. Six months later, Andrii Veselyi became a co-owner of the company.

Source from the State Tax Service told Ukrainska Pravda that Veselyi officially earned UAH 1.87 million (approximately US$45,000) over 20 years, with an additional UAH 2.28 million (approximately US$55,000) as an entrepreneur. Despite these modest earnings, he became a co-owner of one of Ukraine's largest petrochemical and chemical production complexes, dealing in billions of hryvnias annually.

The Ukrainska Pravda investigative team tracked Veselyis brother, Vasyl Veselyi, in Kyiv. His car was frequently spotted entering the government quarter several times a week over a month. Political insiders also reported that his vehicle was spotted near parliamentary committees, the Cabinet of Ministers (Ukrainian government) and close to the Presidents Office and the National Bank.

Business sources claim that Vasyl Veselyi, despite lacking any background in banking, was appointed advisor to the head of Sense Bank, a financial institution nationalised due to ties with Russia. Insiders described Veselyi as a "watchdog" for the state at Sense Bank.

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Ukrainska Pravda asked Vasyl Veselyi about allegations that he was rewarded in the form of overseeing Sense Bank for providing his brother as a front man for the free transfer of shares of Karpatnaftokhim for the benefit of the Presidential Office.

Vasyl Veselyi. screenshot

In his response, Veselyi denied connections with the Presidential Office, claiming his visits to the government quarter were because "he lives there". He also stated that his brother had purchased a share in Karpatnaftokhim with his own funds and denied being a "watchdog" at Sense Bank, stating that he works there "on a voluntary basis".

Andrii Veselyi, when approached, refused to disclose details about acquiring the Karpatnaftokhim stake.

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Head of the Presidents Office Andrii Yermak has not yet responded to Ukrainska Pravda's inquiry. Meanwhile, the Prosecutor Generals Office confirmed that investigative actions are ongoing in the criminal case related to Karpatnaftokhim.

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By Michelle Nichols

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations Security Council on Friday extended a long-running peacekeeping mission between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights for six months and expressed concern that military activities in the area could escalate tensions.

Since a lightning rebel offensive ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad earlier this month, Israeli troops have moved into the demilitarised zone - created after the 1973 Arab-Israeli war - that is patrolled by the U.N. Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF).

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Israeli officials have described the move as a limited and temporary measure to ensure the security of Israel's borders but have given no indication of when the troops might be withdrawn.

In the resolution adopted on Friday, the Security Council stressed "that both parties must abide by the terms of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement between Israel and the Syrian Arab Republic and scrupulously observe the ceasefire."

It expressed concern that "the ongoing military activities conducted by any actor in the area of separation continue to have the potential to escalate tensions between Israel and the Syrian Arab Republic, jeopardize the ceasefire between the two countries, and pose a risk to the local civilian population and United Nations personnel on the ground."

Armed forces from Israel and Syria are not allowed in the demilitarized zone - a 400-square-km (155-square-mile) "Area of Separation" - under the ceasefire arrangement.

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U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday: "Let me be clear: There should be no military forces in the area of separation other than U.N. peacekeepers  period." He also said Israeli airstrikes on Syria were violations of the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity and "must stop."

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols, Editing by William Maclean)
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  The U.N. General Assembly approved a resolution Thursday asking the U.N.s highest court to state what Israels obligations are in Gaza and the West Bank to provide humanitarian assistance essential for the survival of Palestinian civilians.

The vote on the Norwegian-sponsored resolution seeking an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice was 137-12, with 22 abstentions. The United States, Israel's closest ally, voted against the resolution.

Resolutions in the 193-member General Assembly are not legally binding, though they do reflect world opinion.

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It follows the ICJs condemnation of Israel s rule over lands it captured 57 years ago. In a nonbinding opinion in July, the court said Israels presence in the occupied Palestinian territories is unlawful and called on Israel to end its occupation and halt settlement construction immediately.

Thursday's resolution also follows Israeli laws passed in late October, which take effect in 90 days, that effectively ban the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, from operating in the Palestinian territories.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has stressed that no other U.N. agency can take on UNRWA's role, and a U.N. spokesman reiterated Thursday that under international law, as the occupying power, Israel would be responsible for fulfilling the basic needs of Palestinians if UNRWA is banned.

Norways deputy foreign minister, Andreas Kravik, told reporters that the international community has a responsibility to react to tens of thousands of deaths in Gaza and virtually the entire population experiencing acute hunger, and some near famine.

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He said many countries, the U.N. and its agencies, and aid organizations are ready to step up their humanitarian efforts but the problem is theres a lack of access.

Israels U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon told the assembly before the vote that its members were debating the same recycled nonsense, where all that matters is attacking Israel and challenge its right to protect its citizens.

This time the Palestinians are using a new tool in this diplomatic circus: the International Court of Justice, he said.

The resolution demands that Israel comply with all its legal obligations under international law, including by the U.N.'s top court.

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It expresses concern about the Israeli legislation on UNRWA and Israeli measures to impede assistance to the Palestinians.

The resolution seeks the ICJs guidance on additional questions about its July ruling, including what Israel's obligations are to ensure and facilitate the unhindered provision of urgently needed supplies essential to the survival of the Palestinian civilian population.
The UN General Assembly on Thursday passed a resolution calling on the International Court of Justice to issue an opinion on Israels humanitarian obligations in Gaza.

A legal opinion should clarify the extent to which Israel must accept aid from the United Nations and international groups.

The resolution, introduced by Norway, received 137 votes in favour, with 12 - including the United States and Israel - against, while 22 countries abstained.

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"It is unacceptable for Israel to block the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Palestinians living under occupation," Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stre said in a statement.

Israel's obstruction of the needed assistance is "undermining peace and stability in the Middle East," added Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide in the statement.

"No country is above international law. And Israel has no right to expel UN organisations from Palestinian territory that it is occupying illegally," Eide added.

The request for an advisory opinion will now be submitted to the Court in The Hague. However the UN General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, and are considered symbolic.

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In October, the Israeli parliament or Knesset voted to ban the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the main humanitarian aid provider in the Gaza Strip, from operating on Israeli territory from late January. Israel has consistently charged that many UNRWA workers belong to the Palestinan Islamist Hamas movement that invaded Israel on October 7, 2023, sparking the current conflict.

The move risks preventing the agency from working in the Palestinian Territories too, as Israel controls the border crossings.

The Knesset vote caused international concern for the already-dire humanitarian situation of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The UN Security Council has called on Israel to reverse its decision.
KANSAS CITY, Mo.  The Unified Government of Wyandotte County will temporarily prohibit the operation of food trucks in part of Kansas City, Kansas starting next week.

The UG says this is due to several recent health and safety violations, including disposal of cooking grease and other food waste directly into storm water drains, burn barrels and evidence of burning trash, unpermitted portable restroom, road and right-of-way closures and food truck remaining parked at the same location for several days to weeks at a time.

The temporary food truck operation moratorium will be effective Friday, Dec. 27, around 18th Street/Central Avenue. No food trucks will be allowed between 17th and 19th Streets and Grandview Boulevard to Wilson Boulevard.

The UG says the moratorium will be in effect for a minimum of 60 days or until the UG Environmental Services Department is able to address any potential grease blockages and build-up that may be in the area drains and sewer pipes.

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Hollywood Casino to submit plans for new hotel in KCK

According to the UG, since the amendment of mobile vending back in May, it has documented multiple and repeat violations of the rules.

The changes to the ordinance regarding food trucks came after operators complained the UGs restrictions were too demanding.

The UG says licensed food trucks may still operate elsewhere in Wyandotte County as long as they comply with all applicable regulations.

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Food trucks found to be operating in the area of 18th and Central during the moratorium and subject to penalties, according to the UG.

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A Japanese artist who creates detailed designs on fallen leaves says the process gives the leaves new life and also helps keep him healthy.

The artist goes by the name Lito. He did not want to share his full name for personal reasons. Lito likes to cut, or carve, many different leaf designs. Examples of his work include a frog holding an umbrella, animals jumping happily, Japans famous Mount Fuji and ocean waves.

Lito began making his leaf art in 2020. Now, he has many fans around the world who discovered his designs on social media.

He recently told reporters from The Associated Press that his work also gives him peaceful feelings to help deal with a health issue. The condition Lito struggles with is called attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. People with ADHD can experience difficulties such as mental focus, directing attention and organizing and controlling urges.

The 38-year-old Lito said that in addition to helping him deal with his own issues, he hopes his art can give other people enjoyment as well.

Lito likes working at night. In a demonstration of his process, he showed that he first treats several leaves with a chemical to keep them from drying out. Then, he chooses the one he wants to work on and places it on a cutting surface.

He begins by making a design on the leaf with a pen. He then uses a special design knife to cut the leaf. As he works slowly and carefully, one leaf begins to take the shape of a frog carrying an umbrella.

Some of Litos more complex creations on a single leaf can take more than eight hours to complete. He said he likes to finish a leaf in one sitting. His leaf-cutting works include titles such as Scrolls of Frolicking Animals, Leaf Aquarium, and Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji: The Great Wave off Kanagawa. He often uses animals as his subject and each piece includes some of hisown personal elements.

Since his childhood, Lito says he has had high levels of concentration and patience. But no matter how hard he tried, he felt he could not meet expectations of behavior at school and work. He also struggled to understand others' feelings and to avoid conflict.

After years of difficulty, he went to a hospital at age 30 and was told he has ADHD, a diagnosis he felt explained why he has always done things differently.

Lito said he saw no reason to force himself to do things the same way as other people. So, he decided to change his way of living.

In early 2020, Lito learned about the art of leaf cutting. He saw it as the perfect use of his patience and concentration.

Word of his skill has spread far across social media, and he has published books on his leaf-cutting work. And almost every month, he holds a showing of his art in different places in Japan.

"If I can make people happy by doing what I am doing, I want to do more. That's my driving force for what's next," Lito said.

Im Jill Robbins.

Mayuko Ono, Shuji Kajiyama and Mari Yamaguchi reported this story for the Associated Press. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English.

______________________________________________

Words in This Story

umbrella  n. a device used to protect oneself from rain or sunlight

focus  n. a state or condition permitting clear perception or understanding

concentration  n. the ability to give your attention or thought to a single object or activity

patient  adj. bearing pain or difficulty calmly or without complaint

diagnosis  n. a medical finding of disease

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By Michelle Nichols and Sonia Rolley

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations Security Council voted to extend the mandate for a long-running U.N. peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo for another year on Friday, further delaying an agreed withdrawal from conflict-torn eastern provinces.

The Congolese government has previously pushed for the force - known as MONUSCO - to leave, but a note to the Security Council by Congo's mission to the United Nations in New York shows that Kinshasa asked for the operation to be renewed.

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"My government is in favor of a robust posture of the MONUSCO Force," the mission wrote in the note - titled a "vision for MONUSCO withdrawal and the renewal of its mandate" - which was seen by Reuters.

The renewal means nearly 11,000 peacekeepers will continue their deployment until at least December 2025, remaining a key part of security operations in mineral-rich eastern Congo, where many rebel groups fight over territory and resources.

After withdrawing from South Kivu province, MONUSCO's planned departure from North Kivu and Ituri was paused in July. At the time, Congo said security conditions did not allow for it, blaming the presence of Rwandan troops in Congo in support of the M23 rebel insurgency. Rwanda denies backing M23.

The U.N. resolution "condemns support by any external party to M23 and any other armed group operating in the DRC, as well as direct unauthorized foreign military intervention in the territory of the DRC, and demands the cessation of such support and the immediate withdrawal of any such party from the DRC."

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Ahead of the vote, deputy U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Robert Wood was frustrated that "many council members are not willing to" specifically call out Rwanda.

"If we don't call them out for the activities that they're engaging in this is just going to give them carte blanche to continue to do what they're doing," he told reporters late on Thursday. "Their support for the M23 is ... unacceptable and the council needs to take a firm stand on this."

The U.N. mission currently deploys 10,960 peacekeepers and 1,750 civilians in Congo, mostly in the east. In 2023, President Felix Tshisekedi called for their departure to be fast-tracked, accusing them of failing in their mission to keep the peace.

Their presence had become increasingly unpopular and even sparked deadly protests over a perception among some eastern residents that they have not sufficiently protected civilians from militia violence.

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The note to the Security Council from Congo's U.N. mission said a plan for an orderly withdrawal should still be under discussion, which would "gradually refocus MONUSCO's presence in the most volatile areas".

(Additional reporting by Justin Makangara and Alessandra Prentice; editing by Susan Heavey and Alex Richardson)
Luigi Mangione, the suspect indicted in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, waived his right to an extradition hearing and was flown from Pennsylvania to New York on Thursday afternoon to face federal charges.

Mangione, 26, appeared Thursday morning in Blair County, Pennsylvania, for a preliminary hearing, where he waived extradition and was subsequently taken into New York police custody.

He was also hit with new federal charges unsealed Thursday: two counts of stalking, murder through use of a firearm and a firearms offense.

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A clean-cut Mangione entered federal court in lower Manhattan on Thursday afternoon wearing beige slacks and a white shirt under a black V-neck. Before the hearing, Mangione picked up the charging sheet and appeared to read it carefully.

During the hearing, U.S. Magistrate Judge Katharine H. Parker read the four federal charges that were unsealed earlier Thursday. She asked Mangione whether he understood the charges, and he responded, Yes.

Parker ruled Mangione will be detained until his next hearing in mid-January. He will be jailed at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, a senior official told NBC News.

After the hearing, one of Mangione's lawyers, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, said outside the courthouse that his defense team is reserving comment.

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Were going to respectfully decline to make any comment this time. Mr. Mangione appreciates everyones support," she said.

Mangione now faces federal charges in New York and 11 New York state charges in the ambush shooting of Thompson, as well as charges in Pennsylvania.

In a statement from federal prosecutors with the Southern District of New York, acting U.S. Attorney Edward Y. Kim said the state case against Mangione is expected to go to trial before the federal case.

Thompson was fatally shot on Dec. 4. as he was walking in front of a midtown Manhattan hotel to speak at a UnitedHealth Group investor conference.

Federal charges

The federal stalking charges allege that Mangione traveled across state lines from Georgia to New York with the intent to kill, injure, harass, intimidate and surveil Thompson and that he used electric communications, interstate highways and the internet to carry out the stalking, shooting and killing of Brian Thompson.

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The complaint, written by a special agent with the FBI, shed new light on the notebook Mangione was found with when he was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Dec. 9.

The notebook contained several handwritten pages that express hostility toward the health insurance industry and wealthy executives in particular, the federal complaint said.

An entry marked for the date of Aug. 15 said that the details are finally coming together and that the target is insurance because it checks every box.

An entry marked Oct. 22 said: 1.5 months. This investor conference is a true windfall, the complaint said. Later on, that entry described an intent to wack the CEO of one of the insurance companies at the investor conference. That date was six weeks before the Dec. 4 murder, the day of UnitedHealth Groups investor conference.

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In a letter addressed To the Feds, Mangione wrote I wasnt working with anyone and said his actions were self-funded, the complaint said.

Extradited from Pennsylvania to New York

Mangione was attentive during his hourlong morning hearing in Pennsylvania and appeared to smile with his attorney.

Court sketches from Luigi Mangione's hearing in Pennsylvania on Thursday.

After the hearing wrapped up, Mangione, dressed in an orange jumpsuit, was ushered out of the courthouse and placed in a black SUV.

Around 10:40 a.m., a motorcade of New York City police and Pennsylvania State Police was seen at Altoona-Blair County Airport, where Mangione was loaded on a small plane to travel to New York. The flight took off about 10 minutes later. He arrived at MacArthur Airport on Long Island shortly after noon.

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Everything we did today was in his best interest. Were ready now to defend, move forward and start defending these charges in New York and Pennsylvania, his attorney Thomas Dickey said Thursday outside the Blair County Courthouse.

After the hearing, Blair County District Attorney Peter Weeks told reporters: He will go forth with New York to await trial or prosecution for his homicide and related charges in New York. We intend to keep our case active, and we intend to essentially revisit the case when the defendant is available for prosecution in Blair County.

Supporters of Mangione were outside the courthouse earlier Thursday morning, some carrying signs that said "Free Luigi."

Court sketches from Luigi Mangione's hearing in Pennsylvania.

Murder indictment

New York prosecutors indicted Mangione on Tuesday on 11 counts in connection with Thompson's death.

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Mangione, an Ivy League graduate, had been arrested at a McDonald's in Altoona after a five-day manhunt. He was charged in Pennsylvania with felony counts of forgery and carrying a firearm without a license, as well as a misdemeanor count of using fraudulent identification.

New York police have said Mangione may have targeted Thompson because UnitedHealthcare is one of the largest private health insurers in the country. He had suffered a painful life-altering injury to his back and had griped over corporate America and the health care system, according to his writings and social media presence.

The 11-count indictment in New York charges him with first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder  one of which is charged as killing in the act of terrorism  two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, four counts of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, one count of fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon and one count of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement.

Dickey, Mangiones Pennsylvania attorney, has said he will plead not guilty in the New York and Pennsylvania cases.

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Friedman Agnifilo said Wednesday night that they are ready to fight these charges in whatever court they are brought.

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.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
More than a dozen U.S. universities have issued guidance to their international students urging them to be back on campus before the Jan. 20 inauguration of President-elect Trump.

Trump has repeatedly threated a mass deportation effort when he returns to office, potentially including revoking the statuses of many currently in the country legally. He has also threatened to nix the visas of students protesters, and during his first term, he instituted a travel ban that left thousands stranded around the world.

The immigration landscape is likely to change under the new presidential administration. This guidance is intended to inform and assist international students, faculty, and staff at Cornell University, Cornell said in a notice to students, singling out students from countries including Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Myanmar, Sudan, Tanzania, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, Yemen and Somalia.

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Schools are also warning that international students should travel with additional documentation of their connection to their American college.

With the presidential inauguration happening on Monday, January 20, 2025, and uncertainties around President-elect Donald Trumps plans for immigration-related policy, the safest way to avoid difficulty re-entering the country is to be physically present in the US on January 19th and the days thereafter of the spring semester, Wesleyan University said.

In the 2023-24 academic year, a record number of 1.1 million international students came to U.S. colleges to study.

Trump has already threatened to revoke the student visas of radical anti-American and antisemitic foreigners at our colleges and universities, and he has indicated that a military crackdown could be involved in his plans.

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Since our last message earlier in November, many of you have asked questions about potential changes to immigration policies, Harvard told its international students. Our recurring advice to those who share concerns about situations that would disrupt or delay your return from break is to budget time ahead of the semester start, prior to the January Martin Luther King holiday.

Also sending out similar statements were Johns Hopkins University, the University of Southern California, Northeastern University, Brown University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Haverford College, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Yale University, Princeton University, Quinnipiac University and the University of Connecticut.

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.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA)  Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and officials from the Department of Education announced an injection of nearly $27 million into the states effort to train future workers.

They announced on Thursday they are splitting up the money and giving it away to 14 schools around the state.

The grants are coming from the Higher Industry Readiness through Educational Development (HIRED) Grant Program which is to help enhance the training of employees and the overall improvement of the workforce.

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Gov. Sanders, Department of Commerce award $11 million in HIRED grants to colleges in NWA, River Valley

Theres no one-size-fits-all approach to education and the HIRED Grant Program helps us meet Arkansas students, schools, and businesses where they are, Gov. Sanders said in a news release. These grants will help build the workforce of the future and make Arkansas more competitive in industries such as steel manufacturing, aerospace and defense, lithium, and cybersecurity.

In November, Sanders and the Department of Commerce announced $48 million in HIRED training grants, with $11 million of it going to schools in Northwest Arkansas and the River Valley.

Here is a list of the grant recipients:

Track 1 HIRED Grant Recipients:

Arkansas State University  Beebe, $2,300,000

Arkansas State University Three Rivers SCCTC, $2,000,000

Arkansas Tech University  Ozark Campus, $2,750,000

Black River Technical College with Arkansas Delta Training and Education Consortium (ADTEC)  $1,675,000

Ozarka College, $1,550,000

Southern Arkansas University  Magnolia, $2,750,000

University of Arkansas  Pulaski Technical College, $2,500,000

University of Arkansas Community College  Morrilton, $2,000,000

University of Arkansas  Data Science, $750,000

University of Arkansas at Little Rock  Cybersecurity, $750,000

University of Arkansas at Monticello  Crossett, $2,000,000

Combined Track Proposals:

Arkansas State University  Jonesboro, Arkansas Northeastern College, Arkansas State University  Newport, $3,000,000

University of Arkansas  Semiconductors, $1,000,000

University of Arkansas  Fort Smith, $1,700,000

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Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders appoints retired Colonel and Director of Military Affairs as Secretary of Veterans Affairs

The University of Arkansas- Fort Smith was one of three universities to receive awards from both the Division of Higher Education and the Department of Commerce in the HIRED program.

UAFS Chancellor Terisa Riley says with the funds it received from Sanders and the Department of Education, the university will modernize classrooms, upgrade technology and build on the momentum of the $4 million HIRED grant it got from the Department of Commerce.

This funding allows us to establish a Manufacturing Academy that will address workforce needs in advanced manufacturing while helping individuals in our region gain the skills needed for high-paying jobs, Riley said.

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The HIRED program uses funding established by the Workforce Initiative Act of 2015.

Sanders office says in total, $88 million is available through the HIRED Grant programs two tracks, which are distributed by the Arkansas Department of Commerce and the Arkansas Division of Higher Education.

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.
(Bloomberg) -- US authorities on Friday said they charged a dual Russian and Israeli national in connection with his alleged participation with the LockBit ransomware group and are seeking his extradition.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Rostislav Panev worked as a developer and coder for LockBit since roughly January 2022 and has received approximately $230,000 in cryptocurrency transfers for his efforts, according to charges from the Department of Justice that were unsealed on Friday. The 51-year-old was arrested in Israel in August and is being held there as US prosecutors pursue his extradition in court, the department said in a statement.

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LockBit has been connected to a string of ransomware attacks, in which hackers lock up victims data or render their systems inoperable until they pay an extortion fee. LockBit victims have included Boeing Co., the Industrial & Commercial Bank of China and the UKs Royal Mail.

According to a lawyer for Panev, he worked as a professional software developer who corresponded with LockBit through the Telegram messaging app. Panev developed tools at the groups request without any knowledge of the intended use of the software and has cooperated with law enforcement to provide information, defense attorney Sharon Nahari said in an emailed statement to Bloomberg News.

Law enforcement in the UK and US in February seized websites and servers used by LockBit members and affiliates. Police also obtained victim data and thousands of decryption keys, urging victims to reach out to the agency for help to recoup their stolen data.

We continue to comb through and conduct technical analysis of that data in pursuit of any and all individuals who were part of the LockBit ecosystem, said Brett Leatherman, deputy assistant director in the FBIs Cyber Division.

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A number of alleged LockBit members have been identified in recent months, including the alleged ringleader, who the US accused of making at least $100 million in illicit earnings.

--With assistance from Jake Bleiberg.

(Updates with comment from FBI official in penultimate paragraph)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2024 Bloomberg L.P.
By Richard Cowan, Bo Erickson, Andy Sullivan and Katharine Jackson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Congress passed spending legislation early on Saturday in a down-to-the wire burst of activity that will avert a destabilizing government shutdown ahead of the busy holiday travel season.

The Democratic-controlled Senate in an 85-11 vote passed the bill to continue government funding 38 minutes after it expired at midnight (0500 GMT Saturday). The government did not invoke shutdown procedures in the interim.

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The bill will now be sent it to White House, where President Joe Biden is expected to sign it into law.

The package had earlier cleared the Republican-controlled House of Representatives with bipartisan support.

The late-night vote capped a frantic week that saw President-elect Donald Trump and his billionaire ally Elon Musk defeat an initial bipartisan deal, throwing Congress into disarray.

The final version stripped out some provisions championed by Democrats, who accused Republicans of caving in to pressure from an unelected billionaire who has no experience in government.

Congress did not act on Trump's demand to raise the debt ceiling, a politically difficult task, before he takes office on Jan. 20.

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The federal government spent roughly $6.2 trillion last year and has more than $36 trillion in debt, and Congress will need to act to authorize further borrowing by the middle of next year.

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 programs due to expire at the end of the year.

Some Republicans voted against the package because it did not cut spending. House Speaker Mike Johnson said the party will have more influence next year, when they will have majorities in both chambers of Congress and Trump will be in the White House.

"This was a necessary step to bridge the gap, to put us into that moment where we can put our fingerprints on the final decisions on spending," he told reporters after the House vote. He said Trump supported the package.

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A government shutdown would have disrupted everything from law enforcement to national parks and suspended paychecks for millions of federal workers.

A travel industry trade group warned it could cost airlines, hotels and other companies $1 billion per week and lead to widespread disruptions during the busy Christmas season. Authorities warned travelers could face long lines at airports.

THIRD ATTEMPT

The package resembled a bipartisan plan that was abandoned earlier this week after an online fusillade from Trump and Musk, who said it contained too many unrelated provisions, such as a pay raise for lawmakers and a crackdown on pharmacy benefit managers.

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Republicans struck most of those elements from the bill - including a provision limiting investments in China which Democrats said would have conflicted with Musk's interests.

"He clearly does not want to answer questions about how much he plans to expand his businesses in China and how many American technologies he plans to sell," Democratic Representative Rosa DeLauro said on the House floor.

Trump has tasked Musk, the world's richest person, with heading a budget-cutting task force but he will hold no official position in Washington.

Musk wrote on his social media platform X that he was happy with the package. "It went from a bill that weighed pounds to a bill that weighed ounces," he posted.

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House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said his party still achieved some of its goals and prevented Republicans from enacting a debt-ceiling hike that would make it easier to cut taxes.

"We have successfully advanced the needs of everyday Americans, but there are still things to be worked on and we look forward to that fight in the new year," he told reporters.

Trump's demand to lift the debt ceiling was resoundingly rejected by the House - including 38 Republicans - on Thursday.

Johnson said lawmakers would look at the issue in January.

Representative Rich McCormick, one of 34 Republicans who voted against the Friday bill, said it did nothing to change the nation's fiscal trajectory and would only add to the debt load.

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"We will be the country of the past if we continue doing what we're doing," he said.

The federal government last shut down for 35 days during Trump's first White House term over a dispute about border security.

Previous fights over the debt ceiling have spooked financial markets, as a U.S. government default would send credit shocks around the world. The limit has been suspended under an agreement that technically expires on Jan. 1, though lawmakers likely would not have had to tackle the issue before the spring.

(Additional reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Scott Malone, David Gregorio and Stephen Coates)
The U.S. Department of the Interior announced Friday that it would nominate the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, which makes up roughly 92% of the Okefenokee Swamp, for consideration to be on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The refuge is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and is made up of more than 400,000 acres of land, including a large hydrologically intact swamp that is the source of two rivers  one that flows into the Atlantic and the other into the Gulf of Mexico.

The United States is home to some of Earths most incredible natural wonders, and today, the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge takes an important step toward joining the ranks of the worlds most cherished treasures, Interior Sec. Deb Haaland said in a statement. This nomination serves as a recognition of the refuges unparalleled natural and cultural significance, and of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees, local communities and Tribes that have stewarded these lands for generations.

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The department said the refuge is one of the worlds largest naturally driven freshwater ecosystems in the temperate zone and has a diverse set of habitat types, including 21 vegetative types.

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Additionally, the refuge has undisturbed peat beds, which the department said store valuable information on the environmental conditions from the past 5,000 years and are an important source of information about global changes.

Now having announced their intention to nominate the Okefenokee Swamp area for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List, it will be up to the Federal Register to complete a public review, then submit the location for nomination as a World Heritage Site.

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The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is a landscape of unparalleled beauty and ecological significance. As one of the worlds largest intact freshwater ecosystems, its critical to both science and conservation, Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Shannon Estenoz said. Being nominated for the UNESCO World Heritage List is a testament to the refuges global value, as a home for wildlife and a vital link to our planets environmental past and future.

Should the Okefenokee be included in the list, it would make it one of 1,223 cultural and natural sites of universal importance, becoming the 27th such site in the United States.

Other U.S. locations on the UNESCO World Heritage List are the Grand Canyon, the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks in Ohio and the Historic Bethlehem District in Pennsylvania, among others.

Following the news of the pending nomination, advocates for protecting the refuge said the nomination was well-deserved.

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To call the Okefenokee an essential ecosystem goes without saying, but we will proudly say it anyway. The nomination is a well-deserved recognition of the wild character, incredible biodiversity and cultural significance that define the largest blackwater wetland in North America, Defenders of Wildlife Senior Policy Analyst Christian Hunt said in a statement. At a time when the Okefenokee is under threat by mining interests, this nomination reminds us that we are talking about one of the most significant ecosystems in the world.

Currently, the Okefenokee Swamp is set to be the site of a potential titanium dioxide mine, though permitting and discussion for the mine are still underway.

Advocates who oppose the mining plan by Twin Pines Minerals have urged state and federal officials to block the mine from starting up, citing concerns over environmental health and safety.

The mining company, on the other hand, has said they remain committed to preserving the natural environment and ensuring safety in the area.

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(NewsNation)  U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported more than 270,000 people to 192 countries over a recent 12-month period, the highest annual tally in a decade, according to a report released Thursday.

ICE, the main government agency responsible for removing people in the country illegally, oversaw 271,484 deportations in its fiscal year ended Sept. 30, nearly double from 142,580 in the same period a year earlier.

It was ICEs highest deportation count since 2014, when it removed 315,943 people. The highest it reached during Donald Trumps first term in the White House was 267,258 in 2019.

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Trump border czar: 100K beds, more ICE agents needed for deportations

Despite that figure, immigration in 2024 drove U.S. population growth to its fastest rate in 23 years as the nation surpassed 340 million residents, according to a report released by the U.S. Census Bureau on the same day.

The almost 1% growth rate this year was the highest it has been since 2001, and it was a marked contrast to the record low of 0.2% set in 2021 at the height of pandemic restrictions on travel to the United States, according to the annual population estimates.

President-elect Trump has pledged to begin mass deportations of undocumented immigrants on day one of his upcoming administration.

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Texas billboard campaign warns countries where migrants are coming from

Tom Homan, Trumps declared border czar, says he would need at least 100,000 detention beds and a significant increase in ICE agents to successfully undertake the president-elects plans.

Trump has pledged the largest mass deportation in U.S. history, but how he will pay for his plans has been an open question. ICE isnt currently budgeted for anywhere near 100,000 beds, for example.

Trump has said his administration will be deporting thousands if not millions of people, though its unclear if Republicans on Capitol Hill, who are generally supportive of his plans, may balk at the soaring detention and transportation costs.

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The Associated Press and NewsNation affiliate The Hill contributed to this report.

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WASHINGTON (AP)  US diplomats travel to Syria for first time since Assad's fall, including hostage negotiator seeking info on Austin Tice.
By Raphael Satter

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hospital operator Ascension told Maine's state attorney general on Friday that nearly 5.6 million people were affected in a ransomware attack that hit it earlier this year.

The company said an unspecified amount of medical data - including patients' medical records, lab tests and insurance information - was compromised.

Cybercriminals use ransomware to paralyze computer networks and extort a payment, typically in cryptocurrency. Many also steal data for added leverage.

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Hospitals and healthcare providers - whose data is particularly sensitive and whose operations are especially critical - have regularly been targeted.

In a letter to the attorney general, Ascension's lawyer said the incident happened on May 7 and 8 and blamed it on a "cybercriminal", whom the company did not identify. Ascension did not immediately return a message seeking further comment.

The hack disrupted clinical operations, Reuters reported at the time.

Founded as a Catholic nonprofit in 1999, the Ascension network has about 134,000 associates, 35,000 affiliated providers and 140 hospitals, serving 19 states and the District of Columbia.

This year a particularly damaging intrusion at UnitedHealth affected the information of 100 million people.

(Reporting by Raphael Satter in Washington and AJ Vicens in Detroit.)
The US has scrapped a $10 million (7.9 million) bounty on the head of Mohammed al-Jolani, the Syrian rebel leader, after he promised to help fight terrorism.

Barbara Leaf, the leading US diplomat for the Middle East, said the decision was made after Jolani, who is now using his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa, shared positive messages in their talks in Damascus on Friday.

Based on our discussion, I told him we would not be pursuing the reward offer that has been in effect for some years, Ms Leaf said, following the first formal visit by a US diplomat to the capital since the early days of the countrys civil war.

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Jolani, Syrias de-facto new ruler, who has former links to Islamic State (IS) and al-Qaeda, is head of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Islamist group, which is still classified as a terrorist organisation by the US.

Ms Leaf added: We will be looking for progress on these principles and actions, not just words. She also said the US expected Iran to have no role whatsoever in the new Syria.

It came as American forces killed Abu Yusif, an IS leader also known as Mahmud, in a precision strike in Deir Ezzor province in eastern Syria.

US Central Command (Centcom) announced on Friday that the strike had been conducted in an area formerly controlled by the Syrian regime and Russians and said another unnamed IS operative was also killed.

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The US has for years carried out periodic strikes and raids to help prevent a resurgence of IS in Syria, but the group still controls small pockets of territory to the east.

However, Washington has in recent weeks stepped up military action against the jihadist group since the fall of Bashar al-Assads government earlier this month.

It has been hitting areas that were shielded by Syrian and Russian air defences before a lightning offensive by rebels who now control the country.

CENTCOM Forces Kill ISIS Leader During Precision Strike in Syria



On Dec. 19, U.S. Central Command Forces conducted a precision airstrike targeting ISIS leader Abu Yusif aka Mahmud in the Dayr az Zawr Province, Syria resulting in two ISIS operatives killed, including Abu pic.twitter.com/g3nO68Ye1T  U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) December 20, 2024

A Centcom statement said the air strike was part of its ongoing commitment, along with partners in the region, to disrupt and degrade efforts by terrorists to plan, organise, and conduct attacks.

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The US did not share any further details on Yusif beyond calling him an IS group leader.

The head of IS is Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, who officially became the groups fifth caliph in August 2023.

His predecessor, Abu Ibrahim al Hashimi al-Qurayshi, was killed in a US raid in northern Syria in February 2022.

General Michael Erik Kurilla, the Centcom commander, said the US would not allow IS to take advantage of the current situation in Syria and reconstitute.

He also repeated warnings that IS was planning a mass prison break of over 8,000 of its operatives being held in detention camps run by US-backed Kurdish forces, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

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From 2014, IS seized swathes of Syria and neighbouring Iraq before being defeated  with the loss of 95 per cent of its territory  by local forces backed by a US-led air campaign in 2019.

In early 2024, the UN reported that IS had been effectively suppressed in Iraq and Syria but remained a threat.

Before Assad was ousted, there were repeated warnings that IS could make a resurgence, including in the remote desert regions where sleeper cells are said to be regrouping.

On Dec 8  the day rebels took the capital Damascus  Washington announced strikes on more than 75 IS targets that Centcom said were aimed at ensuring it does not seek to take advantage of the current situation to reconstitute in central Syria.

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On Monday, Centcom said US forces killed 12 militants from the group in strikes it said were carried out in former regime and Russian-controlled areas.

The latest strike came a day after the US revealed it had more than doubled the number of its forces in Syria to fight IS.

For years, Washington said it had roughly 900 military personnel in the country.

However, now there were approximately 2,000 US troops in Syria and had been for at least a few months or even up to a year, Pentagon spokesman Maj Gen Pat Ryder told journalists, saying he had just received the updated figure.

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The News

US lawmakers want the State Department to tap the private sector for help in exposing repressed communities around the world to the internet.

A group of House China select committee members wrote to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Agency for Global Media chief Amanda Bennett, urging the sponsorship of a federal prize competition that would encourage satellite technology companies to build systems to connect people living under authoritarian leaders or in war-torn countries to the internet, as a way to advance human rights globally.

The letter name-checks companies like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and SpaceX as already working in this space, arguing that a competition would increase the pool of companies and ensure taxpayer dollars arent wasted.

The value of access to untainted information cannot be understated, reads the letter led by Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., and signed by China committee leaders.
UPDATE: Grantville mayor Richard Proctor confirmed to Channel 2 Action News that Ira Troy Williams was arrested Friday night and was taken into custody peacefully.

The US Marshal Service is offering a reward for the capture of a man accused of shooting a Georgia State Patrol K-9.

The service told Channel 2 Action News on Friday they were offering $5,000 for information that leads to Ira Troy Williams arrest.

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State troopers pulled over Williams, 51, on Wednesday night for an obscured license plate. Troopers said Williams gave his drivers license during the traffic stop, then led officers on a chase from Interstate 85 to Grantville, Ga.

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GSP says Williams shot at troopers with an AR-15 rifle, and injured K-9 Amor.

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After the incident, Williams ran off into thick woods off of South Highway 29 and Calico Loop and a manhunt started. On Thursday, officers canceled the manhunt but increased patrols in the area.

Neighbors told Channel 2s Tom Jones that they were uneasy after what happened nearby, but others said they werent worried for themselves.

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Over at the hardware store on Highway 29, worker Jackson Lonnie told Channel 2 Action News hes not worried about his own safety, but he is concerned. For him, he said with a wry smile. Yeah. He ought to give himself up.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said arrest warrants have been issued Williams for aggravated assault against a police officer for shooting at troopers during the car chase. He still has not been found and is considered armed and dangerous.

Anyone with information is asked to please call the Georgia State Patrol at 404-624-7451 or the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Midland at 706-565-7888.

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The US Navy has long held a missile-tube advantage over China.

But China's ships now have half as many vertical-launch-system cells as the US, research found.

VLS capacity is important for naval combat, but it's not everything.

China is closing the missile-tube gap with the US Navy as the latter's long-standing edge in vertical-launching-system cell capacity, one indicator of naval strength, shrinks.

The People's Liberation Army Navy now has over half as many missile tubes, or VLS cells, as US Navy surface combatants have. That represents a significant uptick from a few years ago, a new research report said.

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The US Navy still outmatches the Chinese navy in tonnage and firepower, but Beijing is catching up with new warships with combat-capability improvements sailing out of busy shipyards.

Earlier this week, the Department of Defense said in its latest report on China's military capabilities that Beijing would be able to carry out long-range precision strikes from its surface ships in the near term.

A Chinese destroyer escorting fishing vessels in October 2023. Xinhua News Agency/Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images

The US has 8,400 vertical-launch-system missile cells across its dozens of surface combatants, while the Chinese navy has almost 4,300 on a similar number of warships, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a UK think tank, found in an analysis published Friday.

A warship's VLS cells can carry various missiles, from air-defense interceptors to anti-ship missiles to land-attack weaponry. Ships are often outfitted with a mix of weapons for increased mission versatility. IISS reported that near the end of 2024, the US Navy had 85 surface warships with VLS to China's 84.

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Five years ago, China had roughly one-fifth of the US capacity. Johannes Fischbach, the maritime-research analyst at IISS who wrote the report, said that the diminishing capacity gap was due to a dip in US Navy numbers as its warships continued to age and Beijing's outpacing of America in terms of warship construction.

"The gap between the capacity of the US Navy and that of the PLAN is set to continue to close for the foreseeable future," he said.

China boasts the world's largest navy, with more than 370 ships and submarines, including over 140 major surface combatants, the Pentagon said in its annual report on Beijing's military. This battle force is expected to grow to nearly 400 next year and 435 vessels by the end of the decade.

The guided-missile destroyer USS Gravely launching missiles in the Red Sea in January. US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jonathan Word

"Much of this growth will be in major surface combatants," the Pentagon said in its report. Much of the US fleet is aging, the cruisers with the largest VLS capacities among the surface vessels are being retired, and the newest warships are delayed, some for years.

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Newer Chinese ships, like the capable Renhai-class destroyers with 112 VLS cells, are coming off the line at speed.

A high VLS capacity gives a ship the ability to fire a lot of missiles before having to reload, which can be difficult to carry out at sea and generally requires a port. The US is experiencing a taste of high munitions-expenditure rates during its conflict against the Houthi rebels in Yemen. The demands in a fight with China would be significantly higher.

While the number of missile tubes provides insight into a navy's warfighting capabilities, maritime combat is not entirely determined by a navy's VLS capacity. Launch tubes vary in size and function, and munitions vary. Air defenses and other countermeasures would matter as well in a US-China conflict.

Naval combat also extends beyond surface warships and their respective VLS capacities. Militaries can fire anti-ship missiles and other munitions from land or drop them from aircraft. Additionally, submarines can be equipped with missile-launching tubes. The US still maintains a significant advantage underwater over China.

Read the original article on Business Insider
The UK has imposed sanctions on Georgian Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri, along with Sulkhan Tamazashvili, head of the Georgian Police Department, and Zviad Kharazishvili, director of the Special Tasks Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Azernews reports.

The sanctions are reportedly linked to the "brutal attacks on journalists and peaceful demonstrators in Georgia." UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy emphasized that these measures reflect the UKs support for the Georgian people and its commitment to holding perpetrators accountable.

On December 16, EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, confirmed that the EU is preparing sanctions against Georgia, including the possibility of restrictions on the visa-free regime. However, the EU is still in discussions, with no consensus reached on the sanctions list.

Protests have erupted in Tbilisi and other Georgian cities since November 28, following the government's announcement that it was suspending negotiations on the country's EU accession until 2028. Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze stated that the decision was a response to the actions of European politicians using grants and loans as leverage.
The News

Senior US diplomats arrived in Damascus for their first talks with Syrias new, de facto rulers since Bashar al-Assads overthrow earlier this month.

The meeting is one among several that Western powers are undertaking with a group  Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)  that many countries still list as a terrorist organization. It comes as Washington said it had more than doubled its troop presence in the country.

The rebels who ousted Assad have called for sanctions to be lifted and for economic support to flow, downplaying their Islamist roots while promising to uphold minority rights and ensure a fair justice system. The countrys potential progress, the UN secretary-general said, offers a flame of hope amidst the Middle Easts many fires.

SIGNALS

Syria to face bumpy road ahead

Sources: Al Jazeera, The New York Times

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Syrias new interim government has made attractive promises to its people: Rebuilding the countrys infrastructure and economy, bringing former Assad facilitators to justice, and offering job vacancies to Syrians from all ethnic and religious backgrounds, to create a more just and equitable future, one HTS member told Al Jazeera. However, the leaders face significant hurdles. The country is still crippled by Western sanctions  which will form much of the focus of Fridays talks  and the Islamic State group has a strong presence in the countrys northeastern region, where they have carried out nearly 700 attacks since January, a Middle East analyst wrote for The New York Times. At this precarious moment in Syrias history, urgent steps are required to ensure that progress is not lost, he added.

Foreign powers vie for influence in Syria

Source: The Washington Post

The arrival of US diplomats in Syria signals the priority foreign powers are placing on building strong ties with the new leadership: Britain and France have reopened diplomatic channels, and Israel is trying to expand its control over the disputed Golan Heights. Assads flight to Moscow signals the demise of the ideology of anti-Western, anti-Israel resistance in the Middle East, an analyst told The Washington Post, noting that with longtime Assad-backer Iran significantly weakened, Israel is the new agenda-setter. However, Turkish-backed rebel groups have long had a presence in Damascus and northeastern Syria, where fighting continues. There is potential for tensions to come to a head: The rival ambitions of [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan and [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu could easily clash in Syria, another analyst told the outlet.
Top U.S. officials are in Syria making the first face-to-face contact with rebel groups that took over the country in a lightning offensive earlier this month, their mission aimed at searching for kidnapped American journalist Austin Tice and other missing Americans.

Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf, Near East senior adviser Daniel Rubinstein, and U.S. special envoy for hostage affairs Roger Carstens are in the region, although a press conference in Damascus was canceled Friday over security concerns, a U.S. official announced.

They are the first American diplomats to visit Syria since longtime dictator Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fled Damascus earlier this month, amid a takeover of the country led by the U.S.-designated terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, known as HTS.

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A State Department spokesperson told The Hill the U.S. officials are hoping to uncover information about the fate of Tice, who was kidnapped in Syria in 2012 when he went to report on the civil war.

They are also looking for information on Majd Kamalmaz, a psychologist who traveled to Syria in 2017 and disappeared a day after his arrival. He was stopped at a Syrian government checkpoint in Mezzeh, a suburb of Damascus, and has not been seen or heard from since that day, according to an FBI notice.

The spokesperson said the U.S. officials are searching for information on other Americans who disappeared under the Assad regime but did not name them. Amid the rebel takeover, opposition forces liberated Assads notoriously hellish prisons, freeing unjustly detained individuals, including missing American Travis Timmerman, who was recently returned to the U.S.

A State Department spokesperson told The Hill the U.S. officials are meeting with representatives from HTS to discuss their government transition plans.

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The U.S., along with Arab, European and United Nations partners, released a set of principles last week outlining a peaceful transition to a Syrian-led, civilian government, protection of minority and responsible destruction of Assads chemical weapons as necessary to normalizing relations.

The U.S. has sanctions on HTS and its leader, Abu Mohammed al-Golani  also known as Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa  for terrorism. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Biden administration is watching the actions of the group moving forward as it considers whether to lift any sanctions.

What weve heard them say is positive. The question is: What are they actually going to do? he said in an interview with Bloomberg on Thursday.

The U.S. and its partners have called for al-Golani and all groups exercising control in Syria to ensure protection for minorities and women and move transition into a government that is Syrian-led and Syrian-owned and that includes the political participation of minorities and women.

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The U.S. officials also met with Syrian civil society groups and Syrias Civil Defense, known as the White Helmets, which shared a photo of them together in a post on social platform X.

We emphasized the need for regional actors to commit to a coordinated plan supporting political transition and reconstruction, the group wrote alongside the photo.

Discussions also covered addressing challenges in northeast Syria while safeguarding Syrias unity and sovereignty, ensuring equal citizenship rights for all components of the Syrian people, and paving the way for a just and inclusive future, they continued. We also presented the White Helmets response to the evolving context through our emergency, resilience, and justice programs.

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 United States on Thursday announced sanctions on more than a dozen entities, vessels and individuals involved in either transporting Iranian oil or helping to fund the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.

The move was made to stop Iran from funding "its malign activities," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

The State Department imposed sanctions on four entities that have transported Iranian oil and identified six vessels as their blocked property.

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"As long as Iran devotes its energy revenues to funding attacks on U.S. allies and partners, supporting terrorism around the world, and pursuing destabilizing actions, we will continue to use all the tools at our disposal to hold the regime accountable," Blinken said.

The Treasury Department also sanctioned four entities and has identified three vessels as blocked property in conjunction with Iran's petroleum or petrochemical sectors.

Sanctions on Yemen's Houthis

Treasury also slapped sanctions on 12 individuals and entities - including the head of the Yemen's central bank in Sana'a, which the US says is Houthi-aligned, for what Washington says is their role in arms trafficking, money laundering and shipping illicit Iranian petroleum to benefit the Houthis.

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It said the Yemense central bank governor "serves as a key figure in the Houthi movement" and is the "primary overseer of funds sent to the Houthis" from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF).

Treasury also identified five cryptocurrency wallets associated with an IRGC-QF-backed Houthi financial official.

Todays action underscores our commitment to leveraging all our tools to disrupt the Houthis efforts to acquire weapons, procure dual-use components, and secure additional revenue, said Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley Smith, in a statement.

"The United States will continue to expose these schemes and will hold accountable those who seek to enable the Houthis destabilizing activities."

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Treasury said among the people hit with sanctions "are key smuggling operatives, arms traffickers, and shipping and financial facilitators who have enabled the Houthis to acquire and transport an array of dual-use and weapons components, as well as generate revenue to support their destabilizing regional activities."

"Houthi operatives located in Yemen and the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) play crucial roles in facilitating the movement of weapons and dual-use components into Yemen," Treasury charged. It named two Houthi officials who have facilitated Houthi smuggling through Somalia.
video: Johnny Cash statue unveiled on Capitol Hill

WASHINGTON  The U.S. Senate passed a bill to rename the Kingsland, Arkansas, post office after an Arkansas-born music legend.

Rep. Bruce Westerman (AR-04) sponsored the bill that will rename the post office to the Kingsland Johnny Cash Post Office. The same bill passed the U.S. House on June 3, meaning its next step is for presidential signature for it to become law.

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Arkansas Johnny Cash statue on the way to Washington D.C.

Westerman was understandably pleased with the bills passage.

I am immensely proud to hear that my bill to designate the post office in Kingsland, Arkansas, as the Kingsland Johnny Cash Post Office has officially passed the Senate, Westerman said. This bill is a testament to the legacy Johnny Cash left behind through service to his country, his iconic music, and the deep impact he and his family have had on the Natural State.

Westerman also thanked Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton and Sen. John Boozman for their help in getting the bill through the Senate. Both senators spoke of the importance of the legislation.

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Johnny Cashs legendary career helped define a generation and still inspires artists today, Boozman said. We are incredibly proud to call him an Arkansas native.

Johnny Cash was an Arkansas original with an unparalleled legacy in the Natural State, Cotton said. There is no more appropriate honor for Cash than for the post office in the hometown of Kingsland that he loved so dearly to bear his name.

U.S. House approves renaming Kingsland post office after Johnny Cash

Cash was born in Kingsland in 1932. After an Army tour, he settled in Memphis in the mid-50s to pursue a music career, ultimately leading to radio hits by the end of the decade, followed by a life-long musical career until his 2003 death.

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In 1994, Cash, with his wife June, son John and all his living siblings, attended the Kingsland Post Office dedication, where they performed for the 3,000 attending in what he later called The best day of my life.

I didnt think it would go as far as it did.: National interest in Johnny Cash leak surprises Kinglanders

A statue of Cash was unveiled in the U.S. Capitol building this fall.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Georgias U.S. Senators Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff are pushing for a federal investigation of the Georgia Pathways to Coverage program.

When Georgia launched the Pathways program, it became the first state in the country to have work requirements for some Medicaid beneficiaries.

According to a joint statement from the Georgia senators, and Sen. Ron Wyden, the Government Accountability Office should investigate the program citing concerns over mismanagement and high costs.

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The Georgia Pathways to Coverage Program currently has just 5,542 Georgians enrolled, the senators said. In August, Channel 2 Action News reported the number of enrollees was just over 4,200 people as of June, according to data shared by the Gerogia Department of Community Health.

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Separately, there are about 200,000 Georgians in whats known as the coverage gap, meaning the Georgians who make too much money per year to qualify for Medicaid but earn too little to get the federal insurance marketplaces tax credits.

For Georgians to qualify for the Pathways program and its health coverage, single people need to be making roughly $15,000 per year or less. Members of a family of three need to have a household income of less than $26,000. They also need to meet the following requirements:

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Had to be between the ages of 19 to 64

Have a household income up to 100% of the federal poverty level ($15,060 per year in 2024 for one person, or $25,820 for a family of three)

Be a Georgia resident

Complete at least 80 hours per month of full or part-time employment, on the job training, job readiness assistance programs, community service, vocational education training, enrollment in Georgias Vocational Rehabilitation Program or be enrolled in public or private universities or technical colleges for higher education

Not be qualified for other types of Medicaid

Not be incarcerated

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Both of Georgias U.S. Senators took issue with enrollment levels and cost management. The letter from them, and Wyden, to GAO said fewer than 1% of Georgians who would be eligible for coverage, if the state expanded Medicaid fully, had enrolled in the program since its start. Additionally, the program has reportedly cost more than $40 million.

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Despite the high administrative cost of implementing and operating a work reporting requirement for Medicaid coverage, Georgia Pathways has enrolled less than one percent of the individuals who would be eligible to enroll had the state opted to fully expand its Medicaid program due to onerous barriers created by this policy. While hundreds of thousands of Georgians are left without the health coverage they need, taxpayer dollars are being routed into the pockets of eligibility system vendors and consultants, the senators said in a statement.

The letter from the three senators said more than 80% of those funds had been used for administrative and consulting costs, not health services for those enrolled in the program.

Additionally, the senators said the Pathways program has been mired in design flaws and system failures.

Accordingly, we request that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigate both federal and state administrative burdens and costs associated with the Pathways section 1115 demonstration, the senators continued in the letter. This analysis is crucial to understand the impact administering Pathways has on federal and state spending, as well as the barriers to health care coverage Pathways has created either because of inherent design failure or mismanagement by state administrators.

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In response to the request for a GAO investigation of the Pathways Program, a spokesman for the Georgia governors office said the senators should focus on the ways the federal government was failing, rather than the Pathways program.

From record-long wait times to be approved for SSDI and a 24-month waiting period for SSDI recipients to receive Medicaid, to the disastrous management of the United States Postal Service and southern border, the Senators should be more focused on examining the failures of the federal government to adequately provide the services theyre required to administer than looking for every opportunity to criticize states that are taking innovative approaches to providing healthcare to their people, Garrison Douglas, a spokesman for Gov. Brian Kemp, said in a statement. The fact of the matter is that Georgia Pathways and Georgia Access, have covered over 715,000 people in Georgia under 138% FPL, which is more than double the amount of people traditional Medicaid expansion is estimated to cover.

During the programs test run, Kemp and other state leaders worked to get the programs deadline extended, but after suing the federal government, a judge rejected those efforts.

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Preston Arnold on his farm near Sikeston, Missouri, where he raised chickens before market changes on April 17, 2024. (Photo by Daniel Byrd for Investigate Midwest)

This article first appeared on Investigate Midwest and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Despite remaining tight-lipped about its investigation into Tyson Foods, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has collected nearly 18,000 related documents. However, some worry the inquiry could end under the next Trump administration.

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In August, Investigate Midwest reported that the nations largest poultry processor was under investigation by the USDAs Packers and Stockyard Division, the office that enforces longstanding regulations meant to protect livestock producers from unjust practices.

The current investigation follows Tysons sudden closure of several meatpacking plants last year, which left many poultry farmers in debt and facing bankruptcy.

While the USDA has not publicly confirmed the investigation, former Tyson contract growers have acknowledged being approached by federal investigators.

Tyson Foods declined to comment.

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In May, Investigate Midwest filed a Freedom of Information Act request for records related to a potential investigation, including interviews and documents provided by former Tyson broiler chicken contract growers.

The agency denied Investigate Midwests request in June. An appeal was also rejected last month.

2024-AMS-00005-A  Appeal Response Letter_Final 11-13-24 (1)

[The exemption] of the FOIA protects law enforcement records if their release could reasonably be expected to interfere with enforcement proceedings. The relevant law enforcement purpose in this instance is enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act, Bruce Summers, USDAs Agricultural Marketing Service administrator, wrote in a November letter to Investigate Midwest. For the materials that have been withheld under [the exemption], we have determined that they are enforcement records for an active investigation.

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The agency said there are approximately 18,000 records related to the active investigation into Tyson Foods.

Antitrust experts believe the investigation is related to Tyson Foods closure of nine meatpacking plants across the country, beginning in early 2023. When these plants closed, contract growers who raised chickens for Tyson were left with millions of dollars in debt and no company to grow chickens for.

After closing a Missouri plant, Tyson Foods was urged to sell the facility to a competitor by U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley and Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey. The two Republicans said not doing so could violate state and federal antitrust laws. Instead, Tyson sold the plant to Cal-Maine Foods, the nations largest egg production company, which would not be able to work with local farmers under their current operations.

Former Tyson contract growers sued both Cal-Maine and Tyson, alleging the companies colluded to prevent a different meatpacking company from purchasing the Missouri plant.

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Former contract growers who spoke to Investigate Midwest said they could face bankruptcy and would have to sell land or take on additional debt to become contract egg farmers with Cal-Maine because each company has different growing, barn and equipment specifications.

Preston Arnold, a former Tyson contract grower who was approached by Cal-Maine to become an egg grower, said it would take nearly $2 million to update his barns for the company, on top of a nearly million-dollar debt balance on his Tyson barns.

Preston Arnold on his farm near Sikeston, Missouri, where he raised chickens before market changes on April 17, 2024. (Photo by Daniel Byrd for Investigate Midwest)

Arnold, who said he was questioned by Packers and Stockyards employees after Tyson closed plants last year, is now a part of the ongoing class-action lawsuit. He told Investigate Midwest he had to take matters into his own hands as many growers were nearing foreclosures of their personal homes and businesses.

Growers dont have time to wait around for the federal government to act, he said.

Pending rules under a new Trump administration

A second Donald Trump administration could mean investigations into Tyson Foods are put on hold or dismissed altogether, said David Muraskin, managing director for the agricultural legal advocacy group FarmSTAND.

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We would expect to see an investigation like this closed or just die, said Muraskin, citing Trumps history of deregulation and business-friendly policies.

During his first term, Trump rolled back pending Packers and Stockyard updates implemented by the Obama administration. Some of these rulings were revitalized during the Biden administration.

The revitalized rules under Biden included protections for livestock and poultry growers based on race, sex, age, or disability from the companies that purchase their animals and set contracts. Another recent update requires processing companies to disclose financial risks associated with poultry growing contracts, as well as provide details about how payment is assessed.

No grower would enter in the contracts that they were told a slaughterhouse is going to close six months after they spend somewhere between $100,000 and a million dollars in upgrading their houses, Muraskin said.

By the Numbers

9: Tyson Foods meatpacking plants closed across the U.S. in 2023.

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18,000: Records related to the USDAs investigation into Tyson Foods, withheld due to the active investigation.

$2 million: Estimated cost for a former Tyson contract grower to upgrade barns for Cal-Maine Foods egg production requirements.

$1 million: Average debt balance carried by former Tyson contract growers after plant closures.

2022: Year that the Congressional Select Subcommittee staff reported Tysons role in drafting a Trump executive order to keep meatpacking plants open during COVID-19.

2017: Year Donald Trump rolled back Obama-era Packers and Stockyard Act updates during his first term.

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Even with the new rules, some farmer advocates say that the Biden administration dragged its feet in finalizing the updates.

Various other rules have been opened for public comment and are still being reviewed by the agency, including a rule that would address certain problematic practices, such as the common occurrence of contractor growers taking out debt to build or upgrade production barns and equipment. The proposal would require poultry companies to disclose risks, incentives and compensations associated with taking on capital anytime a company makes the request of a grower to expand.

The USDA declined to answer questions about the investigation and its collection of documents.

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Muraskin said any rule not yet finalized could be subject to congressional review when the new administration takes office. But he added that stronger rules are best for rural communities, which Trump has pledged support for.

If Trump is who he ran to be, this is something that the agency should very much be interested in, Muraksin said. This is companies exploiting the free market in ways that make it not operate cleanly, and are destroying rural America.

Trump has routinely sided with large meatpacking and processing companies, including in helping the industry continue operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A 2022 Congressional Select Subcommittee report found that Tysons legal department drafted the executive order Trump signed forcing meatpacking plants to stay open as the virus raged through plants.

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The report states that after the order was signed, the Trump administration asked meatpacking companies to issue positive statements and social media about the Presidents action on behalf of the industry.

On a November 2024 earnings call, Tyson CEO and President Donnie King said the company has successfully operated this business for over 90 years, no matter the party in control, the environment, he said. We look forward to working with the incoming administration.

Preston Arnolds farm near Sikeston, Missouri, where he raised chickens before market changes on April 17, 2024. (Photo by Daniel Byrd for Investigate Midwest)

Investigate Midwest is an independent, nonprofit newsroom. Our mission is to serve the public interest by exposing dangerous and costly practices of influential agricultural corporations and institutions through in-depth and data-driven investigative journalism. Visit us online at www.investigatemidwest.org
Preston Arnold on his farm near Sikeston, Missouri, where he raised chickens before market changes on April 17 (Daniel Byrd, for Investigate Midwest).

Despite remaining tight-lipped about its investigation into Tyson Foods, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has collected nearly 18,000 related documents. However, some worry the inquiry could end under the next Trump administration.

In August, Investigate Midwest reported that the nations largest poultry processor was under investigation by the USDAs Packers and Stockyard Division, the office that enforces longstanding regulations meant to protect livestock producers from unjust practices.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

The current investigation follows Tysons sudden closure of several meatpacking plants last year, which left many poultry farmers in debt and facing bankruptcy.

While the USDA has not publicly confirmed the investigation, former Tyson contract growers have acknowledged being approached by federal investigators.

Tyson Foods declined to comment.

In May, Investigate Midwest filed a Freedom of Information Act request for records related to a potential investigation, including interviews and documents provided by former Tyson broiler chicken contract growers.

The agency denied Investigate Midwests request in June. An appeal was also rejected last month.

Advertisement Advertisement

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[The exemption] of the FOIA protects law enforcement records if their release could reasonably be expected to interfere with enforcement proceedings. The relevant law enforcement purpose in this instance is enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act, Bruce Summers, USDAs Agricultural Marketing Service administrator, wrote in a November letter to Investigate Midwest. For the materials that have been withheld under [the exemption], we have determined that they are enforcement records for an active investigation.

The agency said there are approximately 18,000 records related to the active investigation into Tyson Foods.

Antitrust experts believe the investigation is related to Tyson Foods closure of nine meatpacking plants across the country, beginning in early 2023. When these plants closed, contract growers who raised chickens for Tyson were left with millions of dollars in debt and no company to grow chickens for.

After closing a Missouri plant, Tyson Foods was urged to sell the facility to a competitor by U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley and Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey. The two Republicans said not doing so could violate state and federal antitrust laws. Instead, Tyson sold the plant to Cal-Maine Foods, the nations largest egg production company, which would not be able to work with local farmers under their current operations.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

Former Tyson contract growers sued both Cal-Maine and Tyson, alleging the companies colluded to prevent a different meatpacking company from purchasing the Missouri plant.

Former contract growers who spoke to Investigate Midwest said they could face bankruptcy and would have to sell land or take on additional debt to become contract egg farmers with Cal-Maine because each company has different growing, barn and equipment specifications.

Preston Arnold, a former Tyson contract grower who was approached by Cal-Maine to become an egg grower, said it would take nearly $2 million to update his barns for the company, on top of a nearly million-dollar debt balance on his Tyson barns.

Arnold, who said he was questioned by Packers and Stockyards employees after Tyson closed plants last year, is now a part of the ongoing class-action lawsuit. He told Investigate Midwest he had to take matters into his own hands as many growers were nearing foreclosures of their personal homes and businesses.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

Growers dont have time to wait around for the federal government to act, he said.

Pending rules under a new Trump administration

A second Donald Trump administration could mean investigations into Tyson Foods are put on hold or dismissed altogether, said David Muraskin, managing director for the agricultural legal advocacy group FarmSTAND.

We would expect to see an investigation like this closed or just die, said Muraskin, citing Trumps history of deregulation and business-friendly policies.

During his first term, Trump rolled back pending Packers and Stockyard updates implemented by the Obama administration. Some of these rulings were revitalized during the Biden administration.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

The revitalized rules under Biden included protections for livestock and poultry growers based on race, sex, age, or disability from the companies that purchase their animals and set contracts. Another recent update requires processing companies to disclose financial risks associated with poultry growing contracts, as well as provide details about how payment is assessed.

No grower would enter in the contracts that they were told a slaughterhouse is going to close six months after they spend somewhere between $100,000 and a million dollars in upgrading their houses, Muraskin said.

Even with the new rules, some farmer advocates say that the Biden administration dragged its feet in finalizing the updates.

Various other rules have been opened for public comment and are still being reviewed by the agency, including a rule that would address certain problematic practices, such as the common occurrence of contractor growers taking out debt to build or upgrade production barns and equipment. The proposal would require poultry companies to disclose risks, incentives and compensations associated with taking on capital anytime a company makes the request of a grower to expand.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

The USDA declined to answer questions about the investigation and its collection of documents.

Muraskin said any rule not yet finalized could be subject to congressional review when the new administration takes office. But he added that stronger rules are best for rural communities, which Trump has pledged support for.

If Trump is who he ran to be, this is something that the agency should very much be interested in, Muraksin said. This is companies exploiting the free market in ways that make it not operate cleanly, and are destroying rural America.

Trump has routinely sided with large meatpacking and processing companies, including in helping the industry continue operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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A 2022 Congressional Select Subcommittee report found that Tysons legal department drafted the executive order Trump signed forcing meatpacking plants to stay open as the virus raged through plants.

The report states that after the order was signed, the Trump administration asked meatpacking companies to issue positive statements and social media about the Presidents action on behalf of the industry.

On a November 2024 earnings call, Tyson CEO and President Donnie King said the company has successfully operated this business for over 90 years, no matter the party in control, the environment, he said. We look forward to working with the incoming administration.

This article first appeared on Investigate Midwest and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Dec. 20The traditional college life is oriented around 18- to 24-year-olds. Dorm living, all-night study sessions and student clubs are all designed for a youthful student body.

But at the University of Southern Maine, 27% of undergraduate students don't fit that mold. They're 25 and older, many are parents and most work full-time jobs outside of school. So the university created a new hub called the Adult Student Success Center to support those needs.

"The assumption was that adult students are busy, which is true, but that they just want to fly into campus, get their degree and leave," said Gina Capra, USM's adult student success coordinator. "And what I'm hearing is they want a college experience, they just want it to work around their schedules, the demands of their lives, and for there to be activities they might actually be interested in attending that aren't geared toward 18- and 19-year-olds."

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Adult students are defined as undergraduates older than 24. Capra said the oldest current student is 91. The center also serves 18-24 year-olds with specific circumstances, like those who are parents or caretakers, emancipated from family, or who recently aged out of the foster care system.

The University of Maine System, of which USM is a part, set aside $250,000 in 2023 and $212,000 in 2024 specifically to support adult degree completion at the university. USM isn't unique among the system in having a large adult student population: that number is as high as 69% at the University of Maine at Presque Isle thanks to an online program geared toward older students. Across the system, 31% of undergraduates are over 24.

Capra opened the new center on the third floor of the Glickman Family Library on the Portland campus last month. The space has work tables, couches, a snack spread and an elaborate coffee station that students can use any time. There are toys and resources for children, and a food pantry with canned goods and toiletries. Capra wants the center to feel like a cozy study spot and a place to meet other students with non-traditional backgrounds.

"A couple of different students have said to me, 'I'm from this area, I'm well connected, I have a whole social group here, but not a single person I know is in college, and that feels really isolating. So I would love to know people that are my age that are going to school,'" Capra said.

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Social events at the center include a weekly craft and knitting group, intercultural mixers and yoga. Next year, Capra is planning to launch groups for students who are parents, and students 65 and up.

But there are also academic and logistical challenges. Adult students often began their education a long time ago and are resuming school as adults, so they have complicated transcripts that predate current systems, Capra said. Sometimes they aren't familiar with changes to higher education, like online courses, virtual submission platforms and email. Capra spends a lot of time auditing transcript history, and connecting students with services.

And then there's the schedules. Because adult students are often parents, or have full-time jobs, finding an accommodating class schedule or time to study is a major barrier. The center hosted a preparation event for finals week where students brought their study materials and planners and talked with counselors about scheduling their studying and finding academic resources during finals. Capra said 25 students attended.

There are also structural problems for adult students, like the standard timing of required courses that might conflict with the schedule of some full-time employees.

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"So a lot of what I do is advocate, because I'm the one working with the students and hearing what is and isn't working well," Capra said. "So I can elevate that to the rest of the university to try to make some changes."

Ellie McGee, 25, is an adult undergraduate who also works in the center as an adult student ambassador. McGee started college years ago at a different university but only took about 50 credits before leaving school. Now, they're back studying social and behavioral sciences and planning to get a fast-track counseling master's at USM.

"I felt really nervous about returning to school because I hadn't been in so long. I dropped out of my old school right before COVID hit so I had no idea how much things had changed since then," McGee said. "I was nervous coming back to a space that felt like it could be really different."

McGee chose USM because of the high rate of adult students, and said the center has been great for getting organized for finals and feeling like a part of the USM community.

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Just outside the center on Monday, Kevin McQuinn, 65, worked on a laptop next to a dense art history textbook. McQuinn is certainly a different type of adult student; he is returning after 40 years away from school. When he enrolled this fall, lots of things were confusing, like library resources and digital transcripts. But he got an email from Capra shortly after arrival, offering to meet and explain different campus resources.

"Being overwhelmed with a lot of things, it was just good to be able to come in, sit down and talk about, 'Hey, what's the deal? What do you know? Who should I talk to next?'" McQuinn said.

He said Capra set him up with research and writing tutors, and technological assistance.

Maine residents 65 and older seeking a bachelor's degree can get tuition waived at UMaine System schools, and McQuinn is taking advantage. He's getting a bachelor's degree in art and likes to work near the center so he can frequently pop in and make himself a coffee. He said while he mostly uses the center for academic support, and Capra's guidance, he's observed the positive social impact on fellow adult undergrads.

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"I like the fact that it's not just senior learners, that it's people from all sorts of nontraditional roles, whether it's a single parent or someone that's emancipated from their family. A big thing in terms of advancing in life and the world is having support, and sadly many people don't have support, so I think this is a great added resource," he said. "Because boy, if you bail out of school because you didn't feel like you knew how to navigate it, it's going to change your life."

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Gov. Spencer Cox speaks with reporters during a news conference in Salt Lake City, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (Pool photo by Chris Samuels/The Salt Lake Tribune)

About 20 days after Donald Trump was elected as the next president, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox unveiled his intent to back federal deportation plans with state resources, releasing a set of priorities to help deport undocumented immigrants who commit crimes.

While the governor hasnt shared many details on what the effort would look like in Utah, Cox reiterated Thursday during his monthly news conference broadcast by PBS Utah that deportations could start with a focus on those who have broken the law while living in the state.

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Were going to start with criminals, people who are breaking the law and causing harm to Americans. Thats where we have to start. Lets get the worst element out. Lets focus there. Thats something we havent been able to do, and the backlog is ridiculous, Cox said.

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When speaking of undocumented immigrants, the definition of who is a criminal has been unclear since Cox first announced his deportation plans. Some Utah residents have asked whether crossing the border illegally would itself constitute a crime, leaving some foreign-born Utahns worried about their future in the state.

Thats not where our focus is, Cox said. Our focus right now is on those who are committing other crimes.

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And that includes any type of crime, violent or not violent, he said.

If you commit crimes, yes, yeah, if you commit crimes, I dont care if theyre violent or nonviolent. Yes. You should not be here, he said. You shouldnt have been here in the first place.

Coxs initial statements in support of deportation drew criticism from immigrant advocacy groups in Utah, such as Comunidades Unidas, which said these types of efforts threaten to further marginalize and dehumanize the broader immigrant community.

Senate Minority Leader Luz Escamilla and House Minority Leader Angela Romero, both Democrats representing Salt Lake City, also condemned the governors November statements at the time, saying it could equate immigration with criminality.

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While we all want to hold criminals accountable and ensure public safety, this approach risks creating fear and misrepresenting undocumented individuals, many of whom contribute significantly to Utahs economy, culture, and workforce, the legislators said in a statement. In these conversations, we must distinguish between those who commit crimes and those seeking better lives for themselves and their families.

Currently there are more than 200 migrants held for all types of crimes in the state, Cox said. In his November statement he said that those immigrants make up 4.6% of Utahs prison population, costing the state nearly $16 million per year.

The Utah Department of Public Safety will handle the states deportation plans, Cox said, potentially with some help from the National Guard.

However, Cox said Thursday he doesnt have details yet on what deportation efforts will look like under the new Trump administration. While the incoming president has made big promises on ambitious deportation plans, Cox hasnt been part of any discussions about the steps moving forward.

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Were very anxious to get Gov. (Kristi) Noem appointed and confirmed, he said of his South Dakota counterpart, who is Trumps pick for Homeland Security secretary. So that we can start down this path. This is something weve been wanting to do for years.

With U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) being so broken, Cox doesnt foresee mass deportations happening anytime soon, calling a scenario in which 20 million people are deported not logistically possible right now.

They cant even take 100 criminals, serious criminals, in this state and deport them. ICE has been broken in this state, for this leadership has been an embarrassment, he said. The sheriffs in our state have lost faith in ICE leadership in our state under the Biden administration.

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The governor said there have been countless examples of ICE sending migrants to Utah even if the immigrants havent requested to come to the state. Its a claim that an ICE official denied earlier this year.

Theyve lied about transportation. Theyve lied to us about bed space. Weve offered fixes, we provided them facilities to lock up these criminals and they wont negotiate. They wont return calls. They lie about Utah being a sanctuary state, Cox said on Thursday. The ICE leadership in Utah has been embarrassing.

However, while some Republicans wish to see even more restrictions on legal immigration, Cox is not part of that group.

I want to be very clear about this. We care about those who have come here legally. Its really important that we fix legal immigration, he said.

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This position isnt anything new for Cox. And it isnt just a Republican talking point, he said.

My friends on the left are saying the exact same thing, Cox said. Its been remarkable to see the transition thats happened in the Democratic Party, to hear governors in blue states saying the same things weve been saying for a long time.

The issue isnt about Latino communities either, he said, as there are people, dangerous elements who have come from the Middle East, dangerous elements who have come from China, he said. So this isnt just about the Latino community. It is about law and order.

We just havent had an administration or an ICE leadership that has been willing to do the hard work, he said of the Biden administration.

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Utah Gov. Spencer Cox clarified that his support for President-elect Donald Trumps deportation agenda extends beyond removing immigrants who have committed violent crimes after entering the country illegally to also include those who are in the country without proper documentation or residency status.

Last month, Cox released a statement outlining five policy initiatives to increase coordination between federal and local partners to identify and deport more illegal immigrants who have committed crimes and pose a threat to public safety.

During his monthly press conference on Thursday, Cox said the states approach will make Utah safer and will actually benefit the Latino community.

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While he reiterated his belief that the country must fix its legal immigration process, the governor also said he supports the deportation of those committing a crime by living in the country illegally without proper documentation.

If you commit crimes, I dont care if theyre violent or non-violent, yes, you should not be here, Cox said. You shouldnt have been here in the first place, but you definitely should not be here.

Who will be deported under Trump?

Cox echoed Trump, and his incoming border czar Tom Homan, saying that a program of mass deportations will initially focus on those who have committed violent crimes and who are already on lists kept by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for deportation proceedings.

There are 662,566 noncitizens with criminal histories known to ICE in the United States, according to a document sent by ICE to Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, in September. Nearly 436,000 are previously convicted criminals and more than 425,000 of these are not being held in detention by ICE. Homan has said that these 700,000 will be the first to be rounded up by ICE for deportation under a second Trump term.

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Were going to start with criminals, people who are breaking the law and and causing harm to to Utahns and to Americans, Cox said. Thats where we have to start. Lets get the worst element out of here.

Deporting immigrants who break the law is not a controversial or new idea, according to Cox. Its something hes been saying for 15 years, and its something that former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush understood well, Cox said. At least 5 million immigrants were removed from the country under Obama and Bush, according to Department of Homeland Security data.

The controversy surrounding deportations has emerged as a result of President Joe Bidens immigration policies, Cox said, which reversed many of Trumps border security measures, relaxed asylum laws and created a catch and release system where immigrants could await their asylum claim court hearing indefinitely inside the United States.

Cox said porous borders and an administration that didnt take this stuff seriously contributed to the largest surge in immigration in U.S. history, which, according to a New York Times analysis, led to the share of foreign-born individuals living in the U.S. reaching a record high of 15.2% in 2023.

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Around 11 million immigrants were encountered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection during the Biden administration, in addition to the 11 million unauthorized immigrants already estimated to be living inside the United States.

The surge in immigration included an influx of more than 50,000 immigrants from China, and thousands more from Russia and the Middle East, during Bidens tenure.

Bidens policies allowed an historic  by every number  number of people to come across undocumented and a number of criminals to come across undocumented, Cox said. And we are all paying the price for that as were trying to root out that crime now and get those people out of our country.

Cox also addressed the presence of violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, which has spread to roughly 20 states across the country and was identified in Utah earlier this year.

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Group members have been charged with burglary and assault in connection with an alleged prostitution operation in Millcreek and a gang-related shooting and car crash in Herriman.

Cox said state and local law enforcement are working closely together to arrest gang members.

How will Utah law enforcement work with ICE under Trump?

Cox is looking forward to improved interactions with ICE once Trump enters office, he said. The last four years have seen frustration grow among Utah sheriffs toward ICE.

The ICE Salt Lake Field Office incorrectly labeled Utah a sanctuary state in 2023 after it began releasing previously convicted immigrants who entered the country illegally back into Utah communities because it could not find detention space in the state.

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Utah Sheriffs have said they have been repeatedly stonewalled by national ICE officials when they have made efforts to find detention space for ICE detainees.

In addition to releasing criminally convicted immigrants, ICE has also transported immigrants to Utah without the immigrants knowing why they were brought here and against the states wishes, said Cox, who did not have a number for how many individuals were brought into the state this way.

Cox said this lack of participation from federal partners has hurt Utahs efforts to remove criminal immigrants.

This is something weve been wanting to do for years, Cox said. We just havent had an administration or an ICE leadership that has been willing to do the hard work that needs to be done.

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During the run up to his second term in office, Trump has committed to use every tool at his disposal to implement large scale deportations of immigrants who entered the country illegally. By designating the recent surge in immigrant border crossings as an invasion, Trump has promised to activate the military, including the National Guard, to deport immigrants.

Cox said Utahs deportation efforts will be managed by the Department of Public Safety, not the National Guard. But he did not rule out potentially deploying National Guardsmen to help with immigration law enforcement, as Cox has done in the past when he sent a handful of service members to help secure the southern border in Texas.

Cox said he did not know how many immigrants are in Utah illegally and is unsure of how many could potentially be deported. He also expressed skepticism that ICE, as a broken government agency, would be up to the task of deporting what Trump has claimed are tens of millions of immigrants who are in the country illegally.

I have not seen a plan. I dont see any scenario under which 20 million people can be deported, Cox said. Thats just not logistically possible right now when we cant even deport somebody breaking the law down the street. So thats where our focus will be.
ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)  The University of Texas Permian Basin is working to ensure a higher education is an attainable goal for everyone who may be interested. The University recently launched cost calculators to help students figure out tuition and transfer costs.

Well, you know, one of the number one questions we hear, and I think most folks hear about going to college is, how much is it going to cost? And what should be a straightforward answer is sometimes complicated based on different factors. Are you from Texas? Are you out of state? Are you an undergraduate or graduate student? Are you going to take online classes or in-person classes? We wanted to get that information in the hands of people easier, and so about a year ago we launched a really fantastic cost calculator, said Dr. Becky Spurlock, Senior Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management.

Powering the Permian  UTPB to host 2025 Water in Energy conference

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UTPB said its tools have seen more than 9,000 visitors since the launch. The tools do not require tax information to provide an average cost for a year of classes.

Its easy to use. Its graphically interesting. If youve looked at cost calculators on some websites, it can be daunting. They want you to put in your tax information and a lot of details. Ours is much simpler, much easier to use, and will help you get an accurate idea of what it would cost you to come here to UTPB, continued Dr. Spurlock.

If you are interested in using some of these tools or would like to learn more about estimated tuition costs, please visit the Universitys website here.

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 Yourbasin.
By Vivian Sequera, Mayela Armas

CARACAS (Reuters) -One of the six Venezuelan opposition staffers who have been living at the Argentine diplomatic residence in Caracas has turned himself in to the attorney general's office, the office said in a statement on Friday.

The staffers have been at the residence since warrants were issued for their arrests in March, part of what the opposition says is a fierce government crackdown on dissent before, during and after a disputed July election, which both President Nicolas Maduro and the opposition claim to have won.

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Fernando Martinez Mottola, an adviser to opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who herself is in hiding, came to the attorney general's office voluntarily on Thursday, Attorney General Tarek Saab said in a statement posted on social media.

Martinez gave a declaration about the "violent, conspiratorial and destabilizing acts being organized from the aforementioned diplomatic location during recent months," Saab said in the statement.

Saab and other officials regularly accuse the opposition of conspiring with countries such as the United States to commit terrorism, overthrow Maduro and attack Venezuela's power grid.

The opposition has always denied the accusations and considers the attorney general's office an instrument of Maduro.

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Martinez is at his own home, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters overnight, without giving further details.

Martinez and five others have been accused of conspiracy.

The Argentine residence is currently under Brazilian custody after Buenos Aires cut relations with Caracas over the election dispute.

Maduro was declared the winner of the election by the electoral council and the country's top court, though authorities have not offered ballot-box tallies of the votes.

The opposition published ballot-box tallies on a public website that it says show its contender, Edmundo Gonzalez, handily won the contest. Gonzalez has since fled to Spain.

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Argentina granted asylum and safe passage to the six opposition members following the warrants, but Venezuela's government has not allowed them to leave.

Colombia's foreign minister has said negotiations are taking place to try to ensure safe passage for the six. But Ecuador said this week it would not allow its former Vice President Jorge Glas, an ally of Maduro, to leave jail, where he is serving a corruption sentence, as part of a deal.

Venezuela's opposition, a number of Western countries and some international organizations have said the election was non-transparent, with some parties openly labeling the process fraudulent.

Brazil, whose President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has gradually increased his criticism of Maduro since the election, pledged when it took over management of the Argentine residence that it would look after the six.

(Reporting by Vivian Sequera and Mayela ArmasWriting by Julia Symmes CobbEditing by Rod Nickel)
MEXICO CITY (AP)  One of the six members of Venezuelas political opposition who have been sheltering for nine months in the Argentine diplomatic compound in the capital, Caracas, abandoned the premises Thursday.

Two people familiar with the situation at the facility confirmed to The Associated Press that Fernando Martinez left the ambassadors residence and was home. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

The conditions under which Martinez left the compound were not immediately clear.

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Since late November, the group has denounced the constant presence outside the residence of Venezuelan intelligence service agents and police. It has also accused the government of President Nicolas Maduro of cutting electricity and water services.

The government has denied the allegations.

Those who remain at the Argentine ambassadors home include the campaign manager and communications director of opposition powerhouse Maria Corina Machado. The government of President Javier Milei allowed them into the compound in March after authorities loyal to the ruling party issued warrants for their arrest, accusing them of promoting alleged acts of violence to destabilize the country.

Martinez was involved in a parallel government that the opposition created after Maduros widely considered sham reelection in 2018 and participated in negotiations between the opposition and the government. He was minister of communications and transportation in the 1990s.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Venezuela's attorney general said Friday an opposition politician met with prosecutors after leaving the Argentine diplomatic compound in the capital, Caracas, where he had sheltered for nine months to avoid arrest.

Attorney General Tarek William Saab said in a statement that Fernando Martinez voluntarily presented himself before authorities and gave a statement after leaving the diplomatic facility Thursday. Saab added that Martinez decided to collaborate actively with the prosecution.

Martinez was one of the six members of Venezuelas political opposition whom the government of Argentine President Javier Milei allowed into the ambassador's residence in March, when authorities loyal to the ruling party issued warrants for their arrest, accusing them of promoting acts of violence to destabilize the country.

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Two people familiar with the situation at the facility confirmed to The Associated Press that Martinez was home Thursday night after leaving the ambassador's residence. The people spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

The conditions under which Martinez left the compound remain unclear. Those who remain at the Argentine ambassadors home include the campaign manager and communications director of opposition powerhouse Maria Corina Machado.

Since late November, the group has denounced the constant presence of intelligence service agents and police outside the residence. It has also accused the government of President Nicolas Maduro of cutting electricity and water services.

The government has denied the allegations.

Martinez was involved in a parallel government that the opposition created after Maduros reelection in 2018 which was widely considered a sham. A minister of communications and transportation in the 1990s, he participated in negotiations between the opposition and the government.
PARIS (AP)  Frances anti-terrorism court on Friday convicted eight people of involvement in the beheading of teacher Samuel Paty outside his school near Paris four years ago, a horrific death that shocked the country.

Paty, 47, was killed by an Islamic extremist outside his school on Oct. 16, 2020, days after showing his class cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad during a debate on free expression. The assailant, an 18-year-old Russian of Chechen origin, was shot to death by police.

Those who have been on trial on terrorism charges at a special court in Paris since the end of November were accused, in some cases, of providing assistance to the perpetrator and, in others, of organizing a hate campaign online before the murder took place.

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The 540-seat courtroom was packed for the verdict, which marked the final chapter of the Paty trial. Heavy surveillance was in place, with more than 50 police officers guarding the proceedings.

Seated in the front row was Patys 9-year-old son, accompanied by family members. As the lead judge, Franck Zientara, delivered sentences one after the other, emotions in the room ran high.

I am moved, and I am relieved, said Gaelle Paty, Samuel Patys sister, as she addressed a crowd of reporters after the verdict. Hearing the word guilty  thats what I needed."

"I spent this week listening to a lot of rewriting of what happened, and it was hard to hear, but now the judge has stated what really happened, and it feels good, she added, her voice breaking as tears filled her eyes.

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Families of the accused reacted with gasps, cries, shouts, and ironic clapping, prompting the judge to pause multiple times and call for silence.

They lied about my brother, shouted one relative. Another woman, sobbing, exclaimed, They took my baby from me, before being escorted out by police officers.

The seven-judge panel met or went above most of the terms requested by prosecutors, citing the exceptional gravity of the facts.

Naim Boudaoud, 22, and Azim Epsirkhanov, 23, friends of the attacker, were convicted of complicity in murder and sentenced to 16 years in prison each. Neither can be paroled for two thirds of their term, about 10 years. Boudaoud was accused of driving the attacker to the school, while Epsirkhanov helped him procure weapons.

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Brahim Chnina, 52, the Muslim father of the schoolgirl whose lies sparked the events leading to Patys death, was sentenced to 13 years for association with a terrorist enterprise. Prosecutors had sought 10 years for him.

Abdelhakim Sefrioui, a Muslim preacher, was given 15 years for organizing a hate campaign online against Paty.

The shocking death of the 47-year-old teacher left an indelible mark on France, with several schools now named after him.

The trial had begun in late November. The defendants were accused of assisting a perpetrator or organizing a hate campaign online in lead-up to the murder.

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At the time of the attack, there were protests in many Muslim countries and calls online for violence targeting France and the satirical French newspaper Charlie Hebdo. The newspaper had republished its caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad a few weeks before Patys death to mark the opening of the trial over deadly 2015 attacks on its newsroom by Islamic extremists.

The cartoon images deeply offended many Muslims, who saw them as sacrilegious. But the fallout from Patys killing reinforced the French states commitment to freedom of expression and its firm attachment to secularism in public life.

Chnina's daughter, who was 13 at the time, claimed that she had been excluded from Patys class when he showed the caricatures on Oct. 5, 2020.

Chnina sent a series of messages to his contacts denouncing Paty, saying that this sick man needed to be fired, along with the address of the school in the Paris suburb of Conflans Saint-Honorine. In reality, Chninas daughter had lied to him and had never attended the lesson in question.

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Paty was teaching a class mandated by the National Education Ministry on freedom of expression. He discussed the caricatures in this context, saying students who did not wish to see them could temporarily leave the classroom.

An online campaign against Paty snowballed, and 11 days after the lesson, Anzorov attacked the teacher with a knife as he walked home, and displayed the teachers head in a post on social media. Police later fatally shot Anzorov as he advanced toward them, armed.

Chnina's daughter was tried last year in a juvenile court and given an 18-month suspended sentence. Four other students at Patys school were found guilty of involvement and given suspended sentences; a fifth, who pointed out Paty to Anzorov in exchange for money, was given a 6-month term with an electronic bracelet.

Sefrioui, the preacher on trial, had presented himself as a spokesperson for Imams of France although he had been dismissed from that role. He had filmed a video in front of the school with the father of the student. He referred to the teacher as a thug multiple times and sought to pressure the school administration via social media.

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Some of the defendants expressed regrets and claimed their innocence on the eve of the verdict. They did not convince Paty's family.

Its something that really shocks the family, lawyer Virginie Le Roy said ahead of the verdicts. You get the feeling that those in the box are absolutely unwilling to admit any responsibility whatsoever."

Apologies are pointless, they wont bring Samuel back, but explanations are precious to us, Le Roy said. "We havent had many explanations of the facts.

___

Petrequin reported from London.
Some light snow is expected in Vermont today, but the real news is that it is also predicted to fall on Tuesday, Christmas Eve.

This is expected to be a record-breaking holiday travel season with millions of people driving or flying across the country," AccuWeather Senior Director of Forecasting Operations Dan DePodwin said in a release this week. "Wintry weather could cause some big travel disruptions."

When will the snow begin today, and on Tuesday? Here's what to know.

What's the outlook for snow today in Vermont?

"Widespread snowfall is expected across this afternoon into tomorrow morning," according to the National Weather Service branch in Burlington, VT, which added that temperatures will be in 20s today.

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"We have some snow showers in the Catskills (New York) moving into Vermont," Meteorologist Tyler Danzig told USA Today Network on Friday morning. "It's not a big snow event. It'll be clearing right out tomorrow."

The forecast noted that snow could fall harder toward this afternoon, causing travel issues for the evening commute.

"Accumulations will generally be between 1 to 2 inches, with some higher amounts across the western slopes and higher terrain," according to the National Weather Service.

"It will be more like 3-4 inches in the higher elevations," Danizig added.

AccuWeather's graphic showing which areas of the country have the best chance of seeing a white Christmas.

What's the forecast for Monday, Christmas Eve?

The National Weather Service stated in its forecaster's discussion that "a (Alberta) Clipper-type system is being presented in most model guidance to move through the region bringing snow showers as early as Monday which could impact holiday travelers."

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"There's a lot of model disagreement on this storm," Danzig noted. "But it looks like we will get precipitation on Christmas Eve. The storm should move out by Christmas morning."

He noted he expects that the storm will be "mostly snow," as opposed to rain, but said he does not expect too much accumulation from the storm.

However, meteorologists are saying that there could "be big changes based on how the forecast track evolves" with the anticipated storm.

This article originally appeared on wickedlocal.com: Snow is expected in Vermont over the next few days. Here's when
Very scary: Texas woman says she was bitten by snake in her toilet

AUSTIN (KXAN)  A Central Texas woman is describing something most people only have nightmares about  sitting on her toilet in the middle of the night and being bitten by a snake. Shes got the photos to prove it.

Maria Jaimes, a woman who lives near Bastrop, Texas, said earlier this month, she woke up early in the morning to use the restroom, didnt flip the lights on and felt something.

The 10 best albums of 2024: Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar and more

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The rat snake bit me in my leg when I sat on it, she said. Very scary situation on a Sunday morning at 4:30 a.m. with lights off.

Jaimes didnt think anyone would believe her so she snapped photos of the snake, still coiled underneath the toilet seat.

Photo of snake in toilet. A Cedar Creek woman says it bit her early in the morning (courtesy: Maria Jaimes) A Cedar Creek woman says this snake was in her toilet and bit her early in the morning (courtesy: Maria Jaimes)

As scared as I was when this happened, I am the one who took these pictures because no one would believe it! she said.

Jaimes said she believes the snake got in through her vent on the roof, so she had her husband put wire on it to avoid a situation like this happening again.

I just want people to be aware this happens in real life and to be aware, she told KXAN.

How frequently does this happen?

We took that question to Alan Brown, technical director at ABC Home and Commercial Services.

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Snakes coming up in the toilet is an infrequent occurrence, he said. In 25 years of pest control, I have never dealt directly with it or have anybody that I know of deal with it. It is something if you do an internet search, you will find there are occurrences. I think its more of an urban legend most of the time but it does happen.

Still, Brown said there are multiple ways snakes can end up in toilets.

One is through the vent stack up on the roof They can hold their breath and come through the toilet. They can also come kind of through the sewage system  especially if there may be a break in the lines or rats in the sewer, he said. And then in some cases, they just make their way into a house traditionally, through a crack or a crevice. Or [they] make their way in and are looking for water and curl up in a toilet, as well.

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MOSCOW (Reuters) - A vessel called Gam Express has sent a distress signal in the Kerch strait, Russia's Southern Transport Prosecutor's Office said on Friday.

"The Southern Transport Prosecutor's Office controls the safety of navigation in connection with the sending of a distress signal by the Gam Express vessel in the Kerch Strait," it said a statement posted on Telegram messaging app.

Interfax news agency said, citing a Russian sailors' union, that the ship sent the signal due to a delay in payment of salaries and a lack of food.

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"The crew just haven't had their wages for three months, and there's no food. Food was last delivered to them on board on the 16th of November, it's all gone... That's why they're signalling," Interfax cited the Russian Seafarers' Trade Union as saying.

The Kerch strait connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov and is a major shipping route.

(Reporting by Reuters. Editing by Jane Merriman)
Neil Cavuto, a business journalist who hosts a weekday afternoon show on Fox News Channel and has been with the network since its inception in 1996, is leaving after Thursdays show, Fox said.

A workhorse at the network, Cavuto also hosts programs at Foxs sister, the Fox Business Network, and is not considered one of the stable of opinion hosts.

Neil Cavutos illustrious career has been a master class in journalism and were extremely proud of his incredible 28-year run with Fox News Media, the network said. His programs have defined business news and set the standard for the entire industry. We wish him a heartfelt farewell and all the best on his next chapter.

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Unlike many at Fox, he has not interviewed President-elect Donald Trump since 2017 and sometimes has angered him. One time came when Cavuto said on his show that Trump had decisively lost his debate with Democrat Kamala Harris.

Cavuto remarked this summer that when the stock market goes up, Trump says it is because of investors looking forward to him being back in power, but when its down, he blames the Democrats.

On social media Thursday, Trump used all-caps to say Cavutos departure is GOOD NEWS FOR AMERICA. He said it should have happened a long time ago.

While Cavutos exit removes a Trump irritant from Fox, that fact had nothing to do with it, said a person at the network with knowledge of the discussions but spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk about contracts. Cavutos contract was coming to an end and while he was offered an extension, he decided to leave, the person said.

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With the television news business hurting financially, some major personalities have reportedly been asked to take pay cuts. Some, like the Today shows Hoda Kotb, decided to leave instead.

Cavuto, 66, has stayed on the job despite a number of health issues through the years. He has multiple sclerosis, underwent heart surgery and had bouts of long COVID.

Theres no immediate word on who will replace Cavuto at 4 p.m. Eastern on Foxs schedule, a coveted slot before the networks most popular show, The Five.

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MADISON, Wis. (WLAX/WEUX)  The Dane County Medical Examiners office says condolences are pouring in for 14-year-old Rubi Vergara and 42-year-old Erin West of Deforest. Those are the two victims in Mondays shooting tragedy at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison.

Vergara was a freshman at the school. In her obituary, her family shared that she was musically gifted, an avid reader and loved art. West was described as a loving and devoted teacher.

In a statement released to the public, ALCS called the loss painful. They called Rubi a blessing to her class and school and that she will be deeply missed They added, ALCS is a better school for the work of Erin West. She brought her love of Jesus and love of people to our staff and school family all wrapped up in a hug and topped with a smile.

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Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul has weighed in on the shooting as well. He says he is in talks with legislators in the hope of getting the Office of School Safety permanently funded through the state budget. He added, People are grieving, but also, they are coming together. They are supporting one another. They are looking at how to try to move forward following this tragic incident. Thats going to take time. Our Office of School Safety is working with the school to support them as they prepare to return to classes.

State Superintendent Jill Underly is demanding change in the wake of this incident. As part of her budget request for an additional $3 billion for Wisconsin School, Underly is asking for mental health support and additional school safety measures, You know, sometimes I watch my own kids leave in the morning and I think is this going to be the last time I see them? And it shouldnt be this way. Schools should be a sanctuary for our kids, and right now they are not.

Superintendent Underly says, beyond her budget requests to support students, its up to our lawmakers to make tangible changes in policy to prevent tragedies like these.

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 FOX2548 & WIProud.
January 6 defendants and attorneys have caught on to a shift in Donald Trumps statements about a pardon in recent weeks: hes teased the idea that he may issue a blanket pardon to non-violent offenders, while leaving the fate of the rest unclear.

If they were non-violent, I think theyve been greatly punished, Trump told Time magazine last week, in one of a few similar statements. Im going to look if theres some that really were out of control.

This is to be taken with a big, shifting pile of salt. As one defense attorney to several January 6 defendants told TPM, Trumps division between violent and non-violent offenders seems to be a matter of this week. Who knows what view he will take next week, or on January 20, the day of his inauguration. No defense attorney TPM spoke with had a solid idea of whether there was any organized process for submitting pardon applications. James Lee Bright, an attorney for Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes, told TPM I would give my left fucking nut to speak with Trump about a pardon.

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But that potential division between what sounds like a blanket pardon for non-violent January 6 offenders and a case-by-case approach to the rest has caught the attention of defense attorneys and January 6 defendants themselves, who are looking for something more concrete than Trumps campaign-trail promises.

IM COMING HOME!!!! THE JANUARY 6 POLITICAL PRISONERS ARE FINALLY COMING HOME!!!! wrote January 6 defendant Jake Lang in a social media statement after Trumps victory in the November election. Everyone involved in assaulting Congress on January 6 was, to some degree, involved in Trumps plan to disrupt the certification, but Langs charges make the question of who gets a pardon, and whether Trump will embark on a separate process for violent offenders, more acute. Hes pleaded not guilty to allegations around assaulting police with a shield and bat, and is currently incarcerated awaiting trial.

William Shipley, an attorney for dozens of January 6 defendants, tried to hash out this question in a column at The Blaze published earlier this month. There, he argued that the cases could be divided into several categories, dividing it up by those who were only charged with misdemeanors, those who were charged with felonies but were not charged with a violent crime, and those charged with violent crimes.

To Sam Merchant, a professor of Constitutional law at the University of Oklahoma, its all a bit ridiculous.

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Part of that works already been done by Congress by specifying misdemeanors versus felonies, Merchant remarked.

What it leaves unanswered is the question of arguably the most important and highest-profile defendants: those charged and convicted of seditious conspiracy.

That group includes Rhodes, several other Oath Keepers, and Proud Boys including leader Enrique Tarrio and top lieutenants of the group. Many of those charged with seditious conspiracy were not also charged with violent crimes; some were. The distinction, in other words, defies Trumps categories.

Potential pardons for these defendants have already elicited dismay from members of the D.C. judiciary, who have spent the past several years plodding through hundreds of cases brought in connection with the insurrection.

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The notion that Stewart Rhodes could be absolved is frightening and ought to be frightening to anyone who cares about democracy in this country, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta for the District of Columbia said at a sentencing hearing for a different Oath Keeper this week.

Merchant, the law professor, emphasized that non-violent or violent doesnt really capture or map onto the distinctions that the law makes. Seditious conspiracy, for example, is one of the most serious crimes on the books, though its a non-violent offense.

Historically these have been seen as the most serious types of crimes, Merchant said of treason and seditious conspiracy. More serious than violent crimes, murders, things like that, because they go to the heart of the structure of government and whether government can function.

Under the rubric thats being discussed, seditious conspiracy offenders like Rhodes and Proud Boys leader Tarrio could be pardoned.

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Nayib Hassan, an attorney for Tarrio, didnt return TPMs request for comment. CNN published a statement from Hassan in which he said that he and his client look forward to what the future holds from the new administration.

Bright, Rhodes attorney, jumped at the chance to argue to TPM for why his client would, according to Trumps recent remarks, be deserving of a pardon.

Hes an absolute nonviolent offender, he said, adding that the only thing Rhodes was guilty of was thought crime.
Federal prosecutors have charged a Virginia college student with plotting to attack the Israeli Consulate building in New York.

Abdullah Ezzeldin Taha Mohamed Hassan, an 18-year-old freshman at George Mason University originally from Egypt, was arrested on Tuesday and faces charges related to distributing information relating to explosives, destructive devices, and weapons of mass destruction, as part of an alleged plot to blow up the consular office, per a criminal complaint filed in the Eastern District of Virginia.

X accounts believed to belong to Hassan had been posting of admiration for Al Qaeda and ISIS and hating Jews when an undercover federal informant reached out, according to an affidavit signed by FBI Special Agent Tyler Ellefson.

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After the informant allegedly shared a pro-ISIS video calling for the killing of Jews, prosecutors say he "pledged allegiance" to ISIS and called Hassan his "emir," adding that he was "waiting on Hassan's direction."

Hassan and the informant allegedly hatched plans for a "mass casualty attack." Hassan instructed the informant on how to bypass Google safeguards to find bomb-making instructions, before eventually sending him a video directly, per the affidavit.

Related: Journalist Suffers PTSD from Covering War in Gaza, 'Hell on Earth': 'You Cant Escape' (Exclusive)

Hassan would later learn the informant was in New York, which he allegedly described as a "goldmine of targets," and suggested he attack the Israeli Consulate General, near the United Nations in Manhattan, because it represented the Jewish people, reads the affidavit.

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Hassan would allegedly send the informant links for purchasing firearms and ball bearings for bombs, instructing him to pay in cryptocurrency. Prosecutors say Hassan also gave instructions on surveilling the target and recording a "martyrdom" video before the attack to explain his actions .

He also allegedly instructed him to have flight tickets ready to a country that doesn't have an extradition treaty with the United States.

The State of Israel deeply appreciates the swift action and cooperation of the American security services in thwarting the recent attempted attack on our consulate," said Ofir Akunis, the Israeli Consul General in New York, in a statement. "This attempted attack by terror organizations is an attack on the sovereign soil of the State of Israel in its entirety."

A message to Hassan's lawyer with the Federal Defenders was not immediately returned.

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Hassan has been banned from George Mason's campus, although disciplinary action has not yet been taken, university president Gregory Washington said in a letter to students.



Read the original article on People
Cannabis leaves. (Pixabay/Creative Commons license)

Virginia lawmakers are preparing to reintroduce bipartisan legislation aimed at creating a regulated and taxed adult-use cannabis marketplace in the state. The renewed push comes after Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed a similar proposal earlier this year.

Del. Paul Krizek, D-Fairfax, and Sen. Aaron Rouse, D-Virginia Beach, are once again spearheading the effort, planning to bring forward the same proposal that previously passed both chambers of the General Assembly with bipartisan support.

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The measure, as sent to Youngkins desk at the time, would establish a legal framework to regulate the sale and taxation of cannabis for adults 21 and older, marking a significant step toward implementing the retail market many advocates have long championed.

Were trying to start with the same bill since we were able to get both chambers aboard, including a couple Republicans. I think theres a good chance that a few more Republicans will join in this time, especially in the Senate, Krizek said in a phone interview earlier this week.

While several GOP lawmakers supported the proposal at various points as it moved through the legislature during the 2024 session, only Sen. Christie New Craig, R-Chesapeake, voted for the bills final version in the state Senate. In the House, freshman Del. Chris Obenshain, R-Montgomery County, a former assistant attorney general, was the sole Republican to back the measure.

Virginia was the first southern state to legalize public possession of up to one ounce of marijuana by adults 21 and over and allow them to grow up to four plants of marijuana in a private residence. However, the General Assembly has yet to create a framework for a legal marketplace for cannabis products in the commonwealth.

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Without a legal market in place, residents can grow small amounts at home or possess cannabis, but buying or selling it remains illegal.

Under the proposed plan, the state would license cannabis retailers, establish clear rules for production and sales, and tax products to generate new revenue. Lawmakers argue that a regulated market would also curtail illegal cannabis sales and provide consumer protections.

Earlier this year, the General Assembly approved a version of the bill that would have established a market, only for Youngkin to veto the legislation, citing concerns over enforcement and the states role in managing cannabis commerce.

The proposed legalization of retail marijuana in the commonwealth endangers Virginians health and safety, he said in a statement in March.

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States following this path have seen adverse effects on childrens and adolescents health and safety, increased gang activity and violent crime, significant deterioration in mental health, decreased road safety, and significant costs associated with retail marijuana that far exceed tax revenue.

Youngkin has since repeatedly expressed skepticism about expanding legal cannabis in Virginia, and his spokesman Christian Martinez said on Wednesday that this hasnt changed.

But Krizek remains hopeful that in his final year as governor, Youngkin may be open to negotiating with Democrats as he looks to solidify his legacy.

Del. Paul Krizek, D-Fairfax (courtesy of Krizek campaign)

I cant get into his head, obviously, but I think its for that reason its worth trying, its worth putting this out as an opportunity for a compromise in some other capacity, Krizek said.

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I think its very possible, because hes already a lame duck and this is it for him, and if he wants to have one of his legacies be an unregulated cannabis free-for-all, then that will be his legacy. Or he could choose a rational marketplace with safe, tested and taxed products.

A poll conducted by the Institute for Policy and Opinion Research at Roanoke College and released during the legislative debate found that 63% of Virginians strongly or somewhat support measures to help small businesses compete with pharmaceutical companies and existing medical cannabis dispensaries, while only 15% are somewhat or strongly opposed.

And advocates believe there is growing momentum to push the legislation forward again. Supporters highlight the potential for tax revenue, job creation, and investments in addiction treatment and restorative justice programs funded by cannabis taxes.

Greg Habeeb, a former Republican member of the House of Delegates from Salem and a lobbyist for the Virginia Cannabis Association who helped draft Rouses bill earlier this year, said in an interview Thursday that Youngkins veto of the legislation caused an explosion of illegal corner marijuana stores, pop up shops and street dealers across the state.

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Everybody who was trying to engage in this market in a proper way, some of the people selling hemp products, some of the people selling CPD products, theyve almost all been wiped out of business, Habeeb said. Thats exactly what we said would happen if the government vetoed the bill to the extent there was a legally operating market in which this is essentially destroyed, and yet every day there are stories about raids and busts and illegal stores.

Eventually Virginia is going to have to wake up and create a regulated system, so we can get rid of these illegal stores and get this stuff out of the hands of our dealers and kids, Habeeb said, adding that Republicans will continue to say its Democrats fault for legalizing cannabis in the first place, and both Democrats and Republicans will continue to blame each other for the status quo, if it remains unchanged.

How that plays out for their individual legacies will have to be seen, but collectively creating a system where its legal to possess, legal to share, legal to grow, but illegal to sell in a regulated way, has created this system. It is completely unacceptable and I think history will tell us that it was a disaster.

The discussion around creating a legal marketplace for adult-use cannabis in Virginia is reignited as the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority (CCA)  the state agency created in 2021 to oversee the regulation and enforcement of cannabis laws in Virginia  unveiled its latest survey on marijuana-impaired driving.

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Between August and September, the CCA surveyed 783 Virginia residents aged 16 or older with a drivers license, including 310 who identified as past three-month marijuana users. The results, which build on the inaugural 2022 study, were released as part of National Impaired Driving Prevention Month this December.

The survey revealed nearly one-third of Virginia drivers believe those who consume marijuana are typically safe drivers. Furthermore, 22% of respondents admitted to driving while high a few times a year or more, and 34% acknowledged riding as passengers with drivers under the influence of marijuana.

Forty-six percent of marijuana users reported they do not always plan for a sober ride home. These figures remain unchanged or have increased since the 2022 survey, underscoring the need for continued education and awareness campaigns, the CCA said in a statement.

Despite these concerns, the survey also pointed to progress. The percentage of drivers who believe they are likely to be pulled over for driving under the influence of marijuana increased to 29%, up from 24% in 2022. Additionally, 47% of marijuana users said they always plan for a sober ride home, up from 42% last year.

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This survey shows that while weve made some progress, theres still considerable work to do, said Jeremy Preiss, acting Head and Chief Officer of Regulatory, Policy, and External Affairs at the CCA.

Driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal in Virginia. State law prohibits using cannabis while driving or as a passenger in a vehicle. Violations can result in fines, license suspension, or even jail time.

However, the survey still found that 1 in 10 Virginia drivers (9%) incorrectly assume that there is no penalty for driving under the influence of marijuana.

Despite enforcement concerns and Youngkins previous resistance, Krizek and Rouse  who is seeking his partys nomination for lieutenant governor in 2025  remain optimistic that a renewed effort can succeed, especially with continued bipartisan backing and public support for a regulated market.

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Their proposal is expected to be introduced when the General Assembly reconvenes in January. It will likely reignite debate over cannabis reform in Virginia, as lawmakers weigh economic benefits, public health concerns, and the political landscape leading up to the 2025 gubernatorial elections.

Id never say never, but I also realize that the governor has been pretty adamantly against the bill, Krizek said. I still think we have to do it, it would be legislative malpractice to not give it another try.

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(Photo: Getty Images)

Virginia lawmakers are preparing to reintroduce bipartisan legislation aimed at creating a regulated and taxed adult-use cannabis marketplace in the state. The renewed push comes after Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed a similar proposal earlier this year.

Del. Paul Krizek, D-Fairfax, and Sen. Aaron Rouse, D-Virginia Beach, are once again spearheading the effort, planning to bring forward the same proposal that previously passed both chambers of the General Assembly with bipartisan support.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

The measure, as sent to Youngkins desk at the time, would establish a legal framework to regulate the sale and taxation of cannabis for adults 21 and older, marking a significant step toward implementing the retail market many advocates have long championed.

Were trying to start with the same bill since we were able to get both chambers aboard, including a couple Republicans. I think theres a good chance that a few more Republicans will join in this time, especially in the Senate, Krizek said in a phone interview earlier this week.

While several GOP lawmakers supported the proposal at various points as it moved through the legislature during the 2024 session, only Sen. Christie New Craig, R-Chesapeake, voted for the bills final version in the state Senate. In the House, freshman Del. Chris Obenshain, R-Montgomery County, a former assistant attorney general, was the sole Republican to back the measure.

Virginia was the first southern state to legalize public possession of up to one ounce of marijuana by adults 21 and over and allow them to grow up to four plants of marijuana in a private residence. However, the General Assembly has yet to create a framework for a legal marketplace for cannabis products in the commonwealth.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

Without a legal market in place, residents can grow small amounts at home or possess cannabis, but buying or selling it remains illegal.

Under the proposed plan, the state would license cannabis retailers, establish clear rules for production and sales, and tax products to generate new revenue. Lawmakers argue that a regulated market would also curtail illegal cannabis sales and provide consumer protections.

Earlier this year, the General Assembly approved a version of the bill that would have established a market, only for Youngkin to veto the legislation, citing concerns over enforcement and the states role in managing cannabis commerce.

The proposed legalization of retail marijuana in the commonwealth endangers Virginians health and safety, he said in a statement in March.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

States following this path have seen adverse effects on childrens and adolescents health and safety, increased gang activity and violent crime, significant deterioration in mental health, decreased road safety, and significant costs associated with retail marijuana that far exceed tax revenue.

Youngkin has since repeatedly expressed skepticism about expanding legal cannabis in Virginia, and his spokesman Christian Martinez said on Wednesday that this hasnt changed.

Del. Paul Krizek, D-Fairfax (Photo: courtesy of Krizek campaign)

But Krizek remains hopeful that in his final year as governor, Youngkin may be open to negotiating with Democrats as he looks to solidify his legacy.

I cant get into his head, obviously, but I think its for that reason its worth trying, its worth putting this out as an opportunity for a compromise in some other capacity, Krizek said.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

I think its very possible, because hes already a lame duck and this is it for him, and if he wants to have one of his legacies be an unregulated cannabis free-for-all, then that will be his legacy. Or he could choose a rational marketplace with safe, tested and taxed products.

A poll conducted by the Institute for Policy and Opinion Research at Roanoke College and released during the legislative debate found that 63% of Virginians strongly or somewhat support measures to help small businesses compete with pharmaceutical companies and existing medical cannabis dispensaries, while only 15% are somewhat or strongly opposed.

And advocates believe there is growing momentum to push the legislation forward again. Supporters highlight the potential for tax revenue, job creation, and investments in addiction treatment and restorative justice programs funded by cannabis taxes.

Greg Habeeb, a former Republican member of the House of Delegates from Salem and a lobbyist for the Virginia Cannabis Association who helped draft Rouses bill earlier this year, said in an interview Thursday that Youngkins veto of the legislation caused an explosion of illegal corner marijuana stores, pop up shops and street dealers across the state.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

Everybody who was trying to engage in this market in a proper way, some of the people selling hemp products, some of the people selling CPD products, theyve almost all been wiped out of business, Habeeb said. Thats exactly what we said would happen if the government vetoed the bill to the extent there was a legally operating market in which this is essentially destroyed, and yet every day there are stories about raids and busts and illegal stores.

Eventually Virginia is going to have to wake up and create a regulated system, so we can get rid of these illegal stores and get this stuff out of the hands of our dealers and kids, Habeeb said, adding that Republicans will continue to say its Democrats fault for legalizing cannabis in the first place, and both Democrats and Republicans will continue to blame each other for the status quo, if it remains unchanged.

How that plays out for their individual legacies will have to be seen, but collectively creating a system where its legal to possess, legal to share, legal to grow, but illegal to sell in a regulated way, has created this system. It is completely unacceptable and I think history will tell us that it was a disaster.

The discussion around creating a legal marketplace for adult-use cannabis in Virginia is reignited as the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority (CCA)  the state agency created in 2021 to oversee the regulation and enforcement of cannabis laws in Virginia  unveiled its latest survey on marijuana-impaired driving.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

Between August and September, the CCA surveyed 783 Virginia residents aged 16 or older with a drivers license, including 310 who identified as past three-month marijuana users. The results, which build on the inaugural 2022 study, were released as part of National Impaired Driving Prevention Month this December.

The survey revealed nearly one-third of Virginia drivers believe those who consume marijuana are typically safe drivers. Furthermore, 22% of respondents admitted to driving while high a few times a year or more, and 34% acknowledged riding as passengers with drivers under the influence of marijuana.

Forty-six percent of marijuana users reported they do not always plan for a sober ride home. These figures remain unchanged or have increased since the 2022 survey, underscoring the need for continued education and awareness campaigns, the CCA said in a statement.

Despite these concerns, the survey also pointed to progress. The percentage of drivers who believe they are likely to be pulled over for driving under the influence of marijuana increased to 29%, up from 24% in 2022. Additionally, 47% of marijuana users said they always plan for a sober ride home, up from 42% last year.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

This survey shows that while weve made some progress, theres still considerable work to do, said Jeremy Preiss, acting Head and Chief Officer of Regulatory, Policy, and External Affairs at the CCA.

Driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal in Virginia. State law prohibits using cannabis while driving or as a passenger in a vehicle. Violations can result in fines, license suspension, or even jail time.

However, the survey still found that 1 in 10 Virginia drivers (9%) incorrectly assume that there is no penalty for driving under the influence of marijuana.

Despite enforcement concerns and Youngkins previous resistance, Krizek and Rouse  who is seeking his partys nomination for lieutenant governor in 2025  remain optimistic that a renewed effort can succeed, especially with continued bipartisan backing and public support for a regulated market.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

Their proposal is expected to be introduced when the General Assembly reconvenes in January. It will likely reignite debate over cannabis reform in Virginia, as lawmakers weigh economic benefits, public health concerns, and the political landscape leading up to the 2025 gubernatorial elections.

Id never say never, but I also realize that the governor has been pretty adamantly against the bill, Krizek said. I still think we have to do it, it would be legislative malpractice to not give it another try.

This report was first published by the Virginia Mercury, which like NC Newsline, is part of the national States Newsroom network.
WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL)  If you are not already in the holiday spirit and looking for some nostalgia, you have one day left to visit the Home for the Holiday exhibit at the Museum of North Texas History.

The exhibit features Christmas traditions from the early 1900s to the present day.

Angel Tree program helps hundreds celebrate the holiday

It celebrates various eras of living room decor throughout the years with holiday decorations and artifacts.

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The exhibit opened earlier this month and will close on Saturday, December 21.

The suggested admission is $5 for adults and $2 for kids. Its located at 720 Indiana Avenue in downtown Wichita Falls.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin has praised the "balanced" Ukraine peace drive led by China, Brazil and South Africa, describing it "a genuine attempt to find a solution".

"We view this as a balanced attempt without imposing anything on either Ukraine or Russia," Putin said, according to state-owned news agency Tass.

The three countries formally established a "Friends for Peace" group in September along with other developing nations at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

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Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

Its stated aims are to unite the Global South in promoting peace, calling for a ceasefire and advocating for the resumption of peace talks.

Speaking at his annual press conference, Putin contrasted these "neutral" nations with the West, which he accused of waging "a proxy war" in Ukraine.

The Friends for Peace platform emphasises the need for a balanced, impartial approach, without taking sides or replacing existing diplomatic frameworks. A communique on forming the platform called for a "comprehensive and lasting settlement" through "inclusive diplomacy and political means".

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Earlier this month, Chinese President Xi Jinping met former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, in Beijing, who also praised the group's proposals.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has previously said he is open to the peace efforts led by China, Brazil and South Africa, but he rejected a previous six-point plan drafted by Brazil and China as "destructive".

Chinese President Xi JInping welcomes the former Russian head of state Dimitry Medvedev to Beijing earlier this month. Photo: AP alt=Chinese President Xi JInping welcomes the former Russian head of state Dimitry Medvedev to Beijing earlier this month. Photo: AP>

That plan, released in May, urged Russia and Ukraine not to expand the battlefield or escalate fighting and not provoke the other side. It also called for resumption of direct dialogue and a push for de-escalation until a ceasefire is agreed.

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China has sought to present itself as a neutral party since the Russian invasion in February 2022 and has repeatedly denied providing support for Putin's war effort. However, it remains a close political and economic partner of Russia, with some Nato members accusing it of being an "enabler" of the war.

The Ukraine war has been discussed at various international forums, including the Brics summit in Russia, which was attended by the three "Friends for Peace", but details of the discussion have not been made public.

In June last year, Brazil put forward its own version of the plan, which suggested that Ukraine should cede Crimea.

Putin's annual press conference is as much a spectacle as a news event. Ahead of the event, over 2 million questions were submitted by the public, according to Russian state media.

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On Thursday, Putin said he had agreed to ceasefire proposals from Hungary and Turkey, blaming Volodymyr Zelensky for stepping back from those agreements.

He added Russia was willing to negotiate without preconditions, but it must be based on the proposals in the Istanbul Communique issued following multiple rounds of talks in the weeks after the invasion began in February 2022.

It was proposed that Ukraine abandon its Nato ambitions in return for guarantees of support from the West, but the talks eventually collapsed.

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.
Dec. 20AUSTIN  Texas Land Commissioner and Veterans Land Board (VLB) Chairwoman Dawn Buckingham, M.D., is proud to introduce the next installment of the series highlighting the VLB's Voices of Veterans oral history program. This week, they highlight the service of PFC Alan Pilot who served in the U.S. Army during WWII.

Pilot was born in Baltimore in 1923 and is the son of an immigrant father who came to the United States to attend medical school. When asked about Pearl Harbor, Pilot said he remembers that day vividly.

"My closest buddy right out of high school joined the Marine Corps, and I was taking, he had just finished basic training, and I was taking him down to the train station in Baltimore City, when we heard it on the radio," he said about December 7, 1941. "I was young and you know, and of course my buddy, he, he was gun-ho, but I still wouldn't. I got out of high school, and I worked a year in order to make the money to go to school, but a lot of my friends did join early."

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Pilot said he attended the Directional Institute of Technology in Philadelphia for chemical engineering but quickly learned that the math courses required for completion were just too much for him.

"It was a good program, but it didn't pan out. Uncle Sam, well, I tell you what, I was, I was almost flunking out anyway. I was not prepared to go into engineering coming from a county school, which, you know, they didn't offer the courses to prepare me for, uh, for engineering," he said.

Life changed for Pilot. He entered the Army, where he was trained as a medic, and was appointed to the 86th Infantry Division, which was formed in December 1942. Pilot said he was part of the first recruit class, entering in 1943, and was sent off to basic training.

"When I went in, they were making assignments, and they had, because of my eyes, they put a limit of service stamp on my papers because I was pretty nearsighted, and so when I got to where they were, got to Fort, I mean Camp Howse in Gainesville, Texas, the guy that's making the assignment, this officer put you're going to the medical detachment," Pilot recalled. "I said I don't want to go to medical. I want to go to an infantry unit. He, he says, 'That's a good spirit, son,' he says, 'but you're going to the medics.'"

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Pilot said his medical training was limited in scope and referenced being trained for one of two things: a company aid man or working in the battalion aid station.

"Our training was fairly basic," he said. "We were basically taught to treat shock, stop hemorrhaging, and get their butts back to the aid station as soon as possible. That's basically what, you know, we uh, we would administer morphine. I had these little morphine syringes that you'd give a guy to help combat the shock."

Pilot took part in the tail end of The Battle of the Bulge, a German-led counter-offensive that was intended to cut through the Allied forces in a manner that would turn the tide of the war in Hitler's favor.

"We didn't get the brunt of The Bulge. We got the roar, and that was, there were 100,000 German elite troops bottled in that area, and our job was to split the pocket," Pilot explained, acknowledging they had a quite a few casualties.

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"The biggest thing that I remember, and it's pretty indelible in my mind, is that the old Cologne cathedral was a, uh, forward observer point where, see, I was, I was with the E Company and H Company. Well, H has got the heavier weapons. They had the 80, 81-millimeter mortars, and so they had an observation post up the tip, at the top of the, of the Cologne cathedral, and I remember climbing up there. It was completely gutted inside and that most of Cologne was nothing. It was just completely destroyed by our artill-, I mean our Air Force, Air Corps then."

Pilot said he saw many things as a trained medic, things he'd never forget. One he remembers vividly, a forward observer took a German .88 to the stomach.

"He caught it in the stomach, and all his intestines were laying out. I had to take the hugest bandages I could and push them back in," Pilot explained about that day, adding he sprinkled sulfanilamide in the wound. This antibiotic drug was used to treat bacterial infections, including infected wounds in World War II. "Penicillin had not come into use as yet, and it wasn't until later, so it was the sulfanilamide, and so I used that just pushed it all back, and then valium, of course got him, got him back to aid station, and I understand he lived. Yes, he lived."

Click here to listen to PFC Alan Pilot tell his story.
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP)  Volkswagen and its employee representatives said Friday they have reached a wage deal for 120,000 German workers that avoids plant closings and bars involuntary layoffs through 2030. The agreement includes provisions for VW to shed more than 35,000 jobs through early retirement and buyouts by 2030.

The deal, reached in drawn-out bargaining sessions that stretched late into the night, is aimed at enabling the Wolfsburg-based carmaker to cope with a drop in demand in Europe, higher raw-material costs and increasing competition from Chinese automakers.

Lagging sales in Europe mean the company has lost potential sales of 500,000 cars a year, or the output of two factories.

The deal would save VW 1.5 billion euros ($1.56 billion) a year in labor costs and 4 billion euros a year by slashing manufacturing capacity by more 700,000 vehicles across its German plants through different production arrangements.

That the agreement avoids wholesale plant closings underscores the role played at Volkswagen by employee representatives and the state of Lower Saxony, who together have majority on the board of directors. That gives workers and the local government unusual leverage.

A top Volkswagen executive called it a good agreement.

We had three priorities in the negotiations: reducing overcapacity in German locations, reducing labor costs and bringing development costs down to a competitive level, said Thomas Schaefer, head of the company's namesake Volkswagen brand.

We reached sustainable solutions in all three areas.

Thorsten Groeger, negotiator for the IG Metall union, said employees also accepted painful concessions." A union statement said that the loss of bonus payments and other compensation were part of the deal but that monthly wage levels would not be touched. The company had pressed for a 10% wage cut.

Volkswagen argues that it must lower costs in Germany to levels achieved by competitors and by Volkswagen plants in eastern Europe and South America.

Though major plant closings were avoided, a factory in Dresden will cease production at the end of next year as previous planned, and a plant in Osnabrueck is to produce T-Roc SUVs only through the middle of 2027. After those dates, the company will seek other uses for Osnabrueck. Top Volkswagen employee representative Daniela Cavallo said the Dresden plant could be repurposed also in cooperation with other organizations that she didn't specify.

The company said it would move production of its Golf model from its home plant at Wolfsburg to Puebla, Mexico, and reduce the assembly lines at Wolfsburg from four to two that would produce the ID.3 and CUPRA Born compact cars. Some 4,000 vehicle development jobs would be dropped at Wolfsburg.
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL)  Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has tweaked his signature statewide education voucher proposal to try and assuage skeptics concerns over last years failed bill, but the jury is still out for several Northeast Tennessee lawmakers  with others opposed.

News Channel 11 polled the regions delegation, all Republicans like Lee, this week. Results from the one senator and six house members who responded show Lee may face another uphill battle in 2025 after last years effort didnt reach a full floor vote.

Letter grades released for Northeast TN schools

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Two representatives (Rebecca Alexander (7th) and David Hawk (5th) said theyre flatly opposed to the new bill at this point, with Gary Hicks (9th) leaning opposed. Tim Hicks (6th) was in favor, with Bud Hulsey (2nd) and Renea Jones (4th).

Lee, who lost the 2024 Senate sponsor when Bristol Republican Jon Lundberg lost the primary for his 4th District seat to Bobby Harshbarger, is likely to move for a special session on the topic when lawmakers return Jan. 14.

For his part, Harshbarger has remained noncommittal on the bill  which in year one would allow 10,000 students to leave public schools and receive the base funding amount provided by the state to offset private school tuition. That totals $7,075 as of the most recent school year.

Thursday, Harshbarger told News Channel 11 he was leaning opposing at this point. He said several concerns hadnt yet been addressed for him, including the sustainability of funding local public school districts if scholarships, which could increase significantly in number subject to demand, negatively impact schools.

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Lees bill, sponsored in the House by William Lamberth, has this to say about funding for public schools beginning with the 2025-26 school year: (A)n LEA (school systems) allocated education funding shall not decrease from one year to the next year due to the disenrollment of students The section does not address whether those funds would be disbursed or eliminated more than one year out from students leaving through the use of vouchers.

I also have concerns that if funding of LEAs are decreased it could lead to a future increase in property taxes by local county commissions to fulfill their requirements of maintenance of effort payments, Harshbarger said.

Lee does have at least one strong ally in Tim Hicks (R-Gray).

Unless a lot changes, yes, I will probably support the voucher bill, Hicks told News Channel 11 Wednesday.

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Hicks said parents choices should be broadened.

If they decide they want their student to have a good Christian education, then I believe they have every right to get some state dollars to be able to do that, he said.

Hicks also said hes convinced an increase in private school attendance could actually help local governments avoid increased expenditures, saying private schools dont rely on local property tax dollars.

I think its smart to grow private education at the same level as public education is growing simply because its not a burden on the property tax payer, he said, pointing to recent increases in local property tax levies across several county and city governments.

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Jones, who just began her first term, is a former Unicoi County School Board member who said she was opposed to the 2024 bill. She said she hasnt yet made a decision on the new version, which also offers a one-time $2,000 bonus to all Tennessee public school teachers.

She said shes communicating closely with her constituents.

Im talking to them to see where theyre at on it and trying to make sure they understand the new bill and how that would impact them, Jones told News Channel 11.

Hicks said the changed version also addresses concerns that were raised last year by private school representatives and homeschoolers. In the case of private schools, they had concerns about potentially being mandated to administer the same standardized tests as public schools.

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The new version allows private schools with scholarship students to administer a nationally standardized achievement test that is aligned to the respective private schools instructional plan  with rules surrounding that to be devised by the states board of education. Administering the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) test remains an option as well.

Whatever the test, results must be provided to the state similarly to requirements for public schools.

The bill is explicit, however, in its support for private school autonomy.

Private schools that enroll recipients must have the maximum freedom to provide for the educational needs of recipients without government control, it reads. The bill also makes clear private schools accepting scholarship recipients dont have to alter their creed, practices, admission policies, hiring policies, or curriculum in order to accept recipients.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather.
TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. (WFLA)  Several homes on Treasure Island are still vacant after Helene and Milton hit three months ago because many residents havent been able to return to their homes.

Some homeowners say their efforts to rebuild are at a standstill while they wait for building officials to determine the extent of the damage to their homes.

FEMAs 50% rule is a complex regulation that can cost homeowners a small fortune.

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Essentially, those who have substantial damage following a hurricane might not be allowed to just do simple repairs.

They may be forced to tear down their home, and completely rebuild at a higher elevation.

FEMAs rule is triggered when the cost of repairs exceeds 50 percent of the market value of a home.

If thats the case, building officials from local municipalities will issue a substantial damage determination letter.

If a property owner receives a letter, a homeowner will not be able to make repairs unless there are major changes, like elevating the house.

Ryan Turnbull is feeling the fatigue in his road to recovery from the storms.

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The work to rebuild his Treasure Island home is on hold while he waits for a permit from the city.

Hes unsettled by the substantial determination letter he recently received and says the work to repair his home is on hold because of it.

Im super frustrated, said Turnbull. No one has contacted us. No one has been inside the house. No one has been through the property, so how are they coming up with the number?

Other residents are voicing similar concerns including Steve Serbaty.

His Treasure Island home has been in his family for more than 30 years, but hes been in limbo for the last three months as he waits to rebuild.

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Serbaty is also voicing concerns after he recently received a substantial damage determination letter.

No one contacted me to look inside the house, said Serbaty. They drove by and said this home is 86 percent damaged.

Serbaty believes the letter was issued without a thorough inspection of his home and an estimation of the cost of repairs.

I want the city to come in and reassess the property, said Serbaty. Give me a building permit and let me repair my property.

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.
There are still questions surrounding claims from Yellow Corp.s former employees who say they werent properly notified ahead of mass layoffs in July 2023. A Thursday opinion from a judge in a federal bankruptcy court in Delaware provided some guidance, however, several open arguments will have to be settled at a Jan. 21 hearing.

A memorandum opinion issued by Judge Craig Goldblatt noted Yellow was correct in the application of certain defenses afforded to it under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act. However, he ultimately found the company was in violation as the notifications given to employees were insufficient.

The federal statute typically requires employers to provide 60 days of advance notice to employees ahead of layoffs. However, there are certain circumstances in which a company can provide a shortened notice.

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He said the brief statements werent detailed and didnt contain enough facts about the reason the company was closing. He acknowledged that internal emails to employees and press reports were enough to keep employees informed, but that they didnt necessarily meet the statutes requirements.

Defenses fail due to procedural shortcomings

Yellow was pursuing both the faltering company and unanticipated business circumstances defenses.

The former allows a company to shorten the notice period when its attempting to secure additional financing to remain in business. The rationale is that an announcement of mass layoffs could scare off potential lenders and hasten a companys demise. The latter addresses whether the company had a reasonable expectation that it would fail at the time the notice was required (in this case late May 2023).

Goldblatt said the record shows that Yellow continually worked with lenders from early 2023 up until its last days to obtain financing. The record also shows that it expected to get a deal done with lenders and the union, making the unforeseen business circumstances defense plausible.

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Yellow contends it was a July 18, 2023, strike notice from the Teamsters union due to the companys missed benefits contributions that precipitated its July 30 shutdown. The company said it had always been able to work out a deferral plan in the past when it was cash-strapped and that it expected to do so again.

By the time the pension funds (at the behest of the Teamsters) agreed to extend terms, the damage was done as Yellows customers had already fled to other carriers. Yellow terminated 3,500 nonunion employees on July 28, 2023, and 22,000 union employees two days later on July 30. It filed for bankruptcy protection on Aug. 6.

Yellow and the Teamsters had a long history of engaging in brinksmanship, but, until the events of July 2023, had, in the end, always reached an agreement, Goldblatt stated.

Goldblatt noted that testimony from Teamsters General President Sean OBrien indicated that he too thought a deal would get done. OBrien said he remained willing to work with Yellow even after the strike notice. The judge said that points to the unforeseen nature of Yellows shutdown, as all parties were expecting a deal.

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Indeed, it is not too much to say that Yellows ultimate failure was caused, at least in substantial part, by the Teamsters miscalculation about the effect of sending a strike notice, Goldblatt said.

What OBrien apparently failed to appreciate, however, was the fact that issuing the strike notice would set in motion an irreversible course of events beginning with Yellows customers fleeing the business and ending in Yellows liquidation. It turns out that events unfolded in a way that surprised both the company and the Teamsters.

Yellow didnt contemplate issuing WARN notices 60 days prior, as required, because its demise was not reasonably foreseeable at the time.

Asking whether the debtors considered issuing WARN Act notices when there was no reason to expect that they would have been required to do so is quite beside the point, Goldblatt stated.

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That rationale is for naught, as Yellows failure to provide detailed reasoning for the terminations on the notices voids those defenses.

Goldblatt classified the violation as a technical one but said the company appears to have acted in good faith in the handling of its WARN Act requirements, which may allow some of the claims to be reduced.

The violations arise out of the fact that the notices the debtors provided were worded improperly, Goldblatt said. And much of the information that those notices should have contained had been separately communicated by Yellow to its employees and was widely publicized at the time. For those reasons, this seems like an awfully strong case for reducing the damages on the ground that the violation was a purely technical one and that the company had in fact acted in good faith.

Was the company still a carrier when it terminated its union workforce?

The actual time of the companys last delivered shipment, which occurred on July 30, could determine the viability of another defense.

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A company can be designated as a liquidating fiduciary when it is strictly liquidating assets and not performing any business activities. That determination would allow for a shortened notification period.

Yellow was still handling shipments on July 28, and not a liquidating fiduciary, Goldblatt found. He ruled in favor of the companys nonunion employees who were let go on that date. However, the timing of the companys last shipment on July 30 could have some bearing on the claims from the 22,000 terminated Teamsters.

The validity of that defense will be heard at a three-day trial in January.

The court will also have to rule whether executed releases from employees were a condition for receiving severance.

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Yellow paid some employees severance ahead of the bankruptcy filing to ensure funds would be distributed. It claims it did so with the requirement that the employees would have to later sign a release. Counsel for the employees said the releases were procured by fraud because the employees were going to get the payment anyway, however, the court views that as far-fetched.

Some of the Yellows defenses will not be applicable in New Jersey and California given the way state statutes define the terms employer and business enterprise, making the liquidating fiduciary defense invalid. Separate adjudication proceedings are occurring at the state level currently.

More FreightWaves articles by Todd Maiden:

The post WARN Act claims against Yellow likely to be reduced appeared first on FreightWaves.
The Washington Post on Friday shared a new name and plans for its soon-to-launch Third Newsroom. Now called WP Ventures, the new division will be focused on creating stories that appeal to social media audiences, said Executive Editor Matt Murray, and will be led by WaPo Managing Editor Krissah Thompson.

WP Ventures will include teams dedicated to video, audio, newsletters, special initiatives, Well + Being and Inspired Life, Murray said in his Friday memo.

A core goal of WP Ventures is to strengthen our business by increasing the profitability of our more consumer-oriented coverage and building new products and experiences that drive habit and are worth paying for, Murray added.

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He did not share a launch date for it, but said the company will share more details about its plans in January. Thompson, who has been with WaPo for more than 20 years, was initially tapped to lead the new project in July, when it was still operating under its Third Newsroom title.

On Friday, Murray shared that Thompson will be working closely with Samantha Henig, creator of The New York Times popular The Daily podcast.

Henig will serve as general manager of WP Ventures, where she will bring her expertise in building journalism products and engaging younger, more diverse audiences to the role, Murray added. Beyond The Daily, Henig was a digital editor for The New York Times Magazine and has held leadership roles at BuzzFeed. Both Thompson and Henig will report to Murray.

WP Ventures will set up its headquarters on the fourth floor of WaPos D.C. office in January, Murray said.

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The new division comes as the Post has been looking for non-traditional ways to grow its audience in recent years. Video reporter Dave Jorgenson, for example, has been the face of the papers TikTok and YouTube operations for several years; WaPo has 4.5 million followers combined across both of those platforms.

The papers new division also comes after WaPo recently saw 250,000 subscribers ditch the paper for its canceled endorsement of Kamala Harris for president.

Murray, in his memo sharing the game plan for WP Ventures on Friday, said the need to move faster to reach untapped audiences and innovate is urgent, given the broad, and rapid, industry shifts in reader habits and economics.

The post Washington Post Details Strategy for 3rd Newsroom, WP Ventures, With Focus on Video, Audio, Newsletters appeared first on TheWrap.
President Biden and first lady Jill Biden are set to make their final pre-holiday visit to Childrens National Hospital in Washington before they leave the White House.

During the trip Friday afternoon, they are expected to meet with families and patients. It is also tradition for them to read a Christmas story to the children.

The event is scheduled to begin at 2:10 p.m. EST.

Watch the live video above.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Family members of inmates in a Mexican prison clashed with riot police on Thursday as they attempted to break into the jail where their relatives are held.

The attempted break-in happened after rumours spread that many inmates had died during a riot inside the jail in the southern city of Villahermosa.

Angry relatives, some of which were filmed rushing into the compound and trying to break open the prison doors with a crowbar, said they had been not been given any information about the unrest, fuelling fears for their loved ones.

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Jose Torres, the relative of an inmate, said: We know nothing. We are totally cut off, and Im waiting for news. I dont know anything about him.

There are many dead inside

Another inmates relative said: I fear the same as everyone else, that maybe he was beaten or killed, who knows, because I know there are many dead inside.

According to regional authorities, the incident occurred in the prison after staff attempted to transfer two prisoners to another jail.

Victor Hugo Chavez, the state security secretary, said: Authorities were met with gunfire and other acts of vandalism commenced, including the burning of furniture and garbage in the courtyard.

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The riot resulted in at least two deaths but rumours circulated that the death toll was much higher.

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EUCLID, Ohio (WJW)  The FOX 8 I-Team found a victim of a hit-and-run reaching out to thank two men, a 19-year-old and an Euclid police officer, that he says saved his life.

Chris Ford says on July 26 his life changed forever. He was riding his motorcycle in Euclid when he was struck by a hit-and-run driver. He was seriously injured and lost part of his leg.

The part of the story I would like to share is that in less than a minute, a 19-year-old guy named Yoson Porter came along and put a tourniquet on my leg which absolutely, positively saved my life, Ford said.

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Akron Public Schools to order independent investigation of Superintendent Michael Robinson

He says a few minutes later, more help arrived.



A guy named Tanner from the Euclid Police Department came and put a second tourniquet on, Ford said. He was the second one to save my life.

On Thursday, Euclid Police Chief Scott Meyer met with Porter and officer Tanner Doenges to thank them for their quick response.

These type of injuries are life-threatening, the chief said. If the bleed is not controlled quickly, you can lose your life in a very short time. Mr. Porter and officer Doenges did an incredible job.

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Euclid Police Captain Donna Holden noted Porter made his own tourniquet with items he had in his car.

I was just driving by when I saw that someone was hurt, Porter said. I went to my trunk to look what I had and I had a small blanket and a stick.

Both Porter and Doenges said they are glad they were able to help.



I am thankful I was there to help him out along with the rest of my shift and give him another shot at life, Doenges said.

Officials investigating suspicious Lorain church fire; up to $5K reward offered

The driver that caused the crash, Barry Smith, was arrested a short time later. Euclid police reports state Smith did not have a valid drivers license at the time of the crash. Smith entered a guilty plea to charge of aggravated vehicular assault and was sentenced to prison.

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Ford says he forgives Smith.



I am so grateful for my family and the help I got, Ford said. Those guys are two angels. They came out of nowhere and they did an amazing job.

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 8 Cleveland WJW.
Wendy Williams was spotted at her son Kevin Hunter Jr.s college graduation on Thursday (Dec. 19) as she continues her battle with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and primary progressive aphasia (PPA).

In photographs obtained and shared by The U.S. Sun, the former television host attended the commencement ceremony at Florida International University, using a mobility scooter among the crowd. According to the outlet, additional family members were in attendance at the milestone event including her father Thomas Williams Sr., 93, who was escorted via wheelchair by her sister Wanda Finnie.

The appearance comes days after the 60-year-old was seen enjoying time with family and picking up an order from the Sisa Saras Shonuff Oysters restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Both moments are after her court-appointed guardian, Sabrina E. Morrissey claimed the famed broadcaster is cognitively impaired, permanently disabled, and legally incapacitated, last month.

Wendy Williams attends SiriusXM Town Hall with Wendy Williams hosted by SiriusXM host Karen Hunter at SiriusXM Studios on July 23, 2019 in New York City.

Williams ex-husband has countered Morrisey in a separate filing. According to The Root, earlier this week, Kevin Hunter filed a Grievance Committee complaint against Morrisey alleging that Morrissey has been purporting herself to be his ex-wifes legal guardian but has also allegedly been practicing law in the state of New Jersey without having a license.

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Ms. Morrissey is not and has not been legally appointed as Guardian of my ex-wife in New Jersey, yet Ms. Morrissey has filed motions, cross-motions, and responses to motions, as well as testified in court in a jurisdiction that she has no legal standing, assert the documents. Ms. Morrissey is practicing law without a license in the State of New Jersey.

In response, Morrisey explained that she was granted the role of guardianship through a New York Supreme Court judge, per The Root, declaring, I have never appeared as an attorney in any Court for my ward, Wendy Williams Hunter.

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Wendys recently removed at least a dozen locations from its company website, suggesting that closures could soon affect Texas.

The fast-food industry in the United States is undergoing a significant shakeup, with Wendys  one of the nations leading burger and chicken chains  announcing in October its plans to close 140 locations by the end of the year.

The closures are part of a broader strategy to streamline operations by focusing on more profitable markets. Wendys said it plans to shutter outdated restaurants that fall below the system-wide average unit volume of $1.1 million. In their place, the company intends to open higher-performing locations, which are expected to generate an average unit volume of $2 million or more.

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With more than 460 restaurants statewide, Texas is more susceptible to closures than most other states. However, it remains unclear if any Texas locations are currently on the chopping block, leaving room for speculation about which areas may be impacted.

See Wendy's locations in Texas

Its not immediately clear if any Texas locations are affected by Wendys nationwide closures. However, some sites in other states appear to be redirecting customers to nearby locations.

Wendy's is currently in 98 cities in Texas.

You can check here to see if your local Wendys still has an active and updated webpage.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Wendy's locations disappear from restaurant website. Any from Texas?
Tom Contos is an avid runner. When he started experiencing rectal bleeding in March, he thought exercise could be the cause and tried to ignore it. But he became worried when the bleeding continued for weeks.

The Chicago health-care consultant contacted his physician at Northwestern Medicine, who referred Contos, 45, for a colonoscopy, citing in part a family history of colon issues. My primary-care physician said, Given your family history, lets get you in.

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Northwestern Memorial Hospital asked him to prepay $1,000, and he underwent the procedure in June.

Then the bill came.

- - -

The medical procedure

Colonoscopies are performed in the United States more than 15 million times a year. Rates of colorectal cancer are on the rise, particularly among younger people.

The procedure, which is also a recommended screening for people 45 or older, involves examining the large intestine using a tube with a video camera that can also collect tissue samples.

It typically takes less than an hour, with another hour spent taking the patients history, administering anesthesia and monitoring their recovery, said Glenn Littenberg, a physician who recently chaired the reimbursement committee of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.

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According to Contoss medical record, his colonoscopy was not difficult. The gastroenterologist biopsied and removed small growths called polyps from two spots and identified large internal hemorrhoids, which are swollen veins.

Pathology found that the samples were precancerous. The gastroenterologist reported no evidence of cancer and, after reviewing the pathology report, concluded that hemorrhoids probably caused the bleeding.

- - -

The final bill

The hospital charged $19,206 for the procedure, including physician fees. After the insurer negotiated discounts and paid $1,979, Contos was on the hook for $4,047. With the $1,000 he paid upfront, plus $1,381 after the procedure, he still owed $1,666.

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- - -

The billing problem: Colonoscopies that find polyps cost more

Contos was shocked and angry when he received his itemized bill.

I said, I dont understand this, he said.

He asked the hospital what it charges for a diagnostic colonoscopy and was pointed to a pre-procedure estimate of $7,203, with an out-of-pocket bill of $2,381.

He asked Northwestern why the charges were nearly three times the estimate and why his out-of-pocket share was nearly twice as high.

One reason was in an explanation of benefits statement from Contoss insurer, Aetna: Northwestern charged for two colonoscopies, at $5,466 each. Plus there were two fees for the gastroenterologist - $1,535 and $1,291.

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The first procedure was listed as colonoscopy and biopsy, while the second was colonoscopy w/lesion removal. Aetnas negotiated rate reduced the first $5,466 hospital charge to $3,425, while the charge for the second procedure was lowered to $1,787.

Neither the bill nor the benefits statement explained why there was a second procedure listed at a reduced price.

After examining Contoss bill, Littenberg said its standard for providers to bill for two colonoscopies if they remove two or more polyps in different ways, because of the extra work. As in this case, hospitals typically reduce the amount for the second colonoscopy so they charge only for the extra work, he added.

Even with that reduction, Littenberg said Contoss total out-of-pocket cost of $4,047 was a lot, though not rare for large academic centers.

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Contoss insurance documents show that Aetnas negotiated rate for his colonoscopy at Northwestern was more than twice the insurers median negotiated rate for the same procedure at other Chicago-area hospitals, according to Forrest Xiao, director of quantitative research at Turquoise Health, a company that gathers health-care price data.

Contos asked the hospital and insurer why he was charged for two colonoscopies. A Northwestern representative said he wasnt actually billed for two procedures, which Contos found bewildering.

I told Northwestern, Im not paying that, and I dont care if you send me to collections, he said. He filed appeals with the hospital and Aetna but was ultimately told the billing was correct.

- - -

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The resolution

A representative for Northwestern told Contos that its pricing is in line with other academic medical centers in Chicago and nonnegotiable - and that his account would be turned over to a collections agency.

CVS Health spokesperson Phillip Blando said in a statement to KFF Health News that the claims were paid accurately by Aetna, declining further comment. (CVS Health owns Aetna.)

Northwestern did not respond to requests for comment.

Contos wrote to his physician that he was dropping him and leaving Northwestern because of its high pricing.

He said hes still experiencing periodic symptoms, which he relieves with over-the-counter Preparation H. A one-ounce tube costs $10.99 at CVS.

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- - -

The takeaway

To get a lower price, Littenberg said, patients should consider going to a facility not associated with a hospital. A 2023 study found that ambulatory surgery centers billed insurers an average of $1,030 for a colonoscopy with biopsy or polyp removal, compared with $1,760 at a hospital.

To get a sense of cost, patients can consult the hospitals and insurers cost websites or look up a good-faith estimate of the cash price, which can be cheaper than using insurance. Or they can check websites that draw from federal price-transparency data or claims data from insurers.

Still, the cost could be higher if the colonoscopy finds one or more polyps that need to be removed and biopsied, which occurs in at least 40 percent of colonoscopies, Littenberg said. Patients should ask whether the price includes those services.

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It should be easier, Xiao said: You shouldnt have to be a medical billing expert to know what youre going to pay.

- - -

Bill of the Month is a crowdsourced investigation by KFF Health News that dissects and explains medical bills. Since 2018, this series has helped many patients and readers get their medical bills reduced, and it has been cited in statehouses, at the U.S. Capitol and at the White House. Do you have a confusing or outrageous medical bill you want to share? Tell us about it!

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A number of hazardous weather alerts were issued Dec. 20-21 for Western North Carolina counties, with snow and heavy wind gusts on the way to the region.

The Greenville-Spartanburg National Weather Service forecast office serves WNC, as well as parts of Tennessee and Virginia. Here's what advisories this morning said about N.C. weather, plus a rundown of their warnings for other states nearby.

Snow in Buncombe County

A weather advisory issued for Buncombe County at 6:56 a.m. on Dec. 20 warned of some light snow and strong wind gusts in the region across higher elevations.

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The advisory, which details inclement weather only through the night of Dec. 20, specified that a few snow showers are possible during the afternoon and evening, but only a dusting is expected away from Tennessee border counties.

During the late afternoon and evening, wind gusts could reach up to 45 mph but will be short lived.

Other affected areas included Graham, Northern Jackson, Macon, Southern Jackson, Transylvania, Henderson, Caldwell Mountains, Burke Mountains and McDowell Mountains.

More: Asheville hasn't seen a white Christmas in over a decade: Here's this year's forecast

Snow in Avery County

A weather advisory issued at 11:06 a.m. on Dec. 20 warned of snowfall creating slippery and snow-covered roadways, with hazardous conditions that could impact evening commutes through Dec. 20.

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In total, snow accumulations may be up to 3 inches, with winds gusting as high as 45 mph. Winds could be high enough to bring down tree branches in areas.

In particular, the alert mentioned Banner Elk, Ingalls and Newland as areas that will likely see the worst weather. Residents of these areas should be prepared for slippery roads and limited visibility, and use caution while driving.

The advisory will remain in effect until 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21.

Footprints, dog prints and tire tracks are seen in the snow on Haywood Street in downtown Asheville, December 3, 2024.

Snow in Haywood, Madison, Mitchell, Swain, Yancey Counties

A second winter advisory also issued at 11:06 a.m. on Dec. 20 warned of winter weather in Haywood, Madison, Mitchell, Swain and Yancey Counties. Snow is expected above 3,500 feet, creating snow-covered roads and producing scattered power outages.

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In total, heavy snow could create accumulation of up to 4 inches, with wind gusts of up to 45 mph, again potentially high enough to bring down tree branches.

Drivers should be prepared for snowy, slippery roads and reduced visibility, and should use extra caution while driving particularly during evening commutes on Dec. 20.

The advisory will remain in effect until 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21.

More: Contractors continue work on I-40 section closed by Helene: What to know about holiday travel

Snow in Tennessee, Virginia

Additionally, regional meteorologists in at Greenville-Spartanburg issued warnings for regions of Tennessee and Virginia. Affected regions include:

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Portions of the east Tennessee mountains and the higher mountains of southwest Virginia - Snow accumulation up to 4 inches, mainly above 2,500 feet. Locally higher amounts possible and winds gusting as high as 40 mph.

Portions of northwest North Carolina, southwest Virginia and southeast West Virginia - Snow accumulation up to 4 inches, winds gusting as high as 35 mph.

Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@citizentimes.com.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Snowfall forecast for Western NC: Mountains to get snow Dec. 20-21
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) Westminster Village in Terre Haute was recognized in Newsweeks 2025 Americas Best Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRC) in Indiana.

Westminster Village Terre Haute was ranked 5th in the list for Indiana and was one of the top 300 in the United States. According to a news release from Westminster Village, the annual rankings are developed in partnership with Statista and evaluates CCRCs across the United States. They evaluate these CCRCs through four key factors of online surveys, visitor satisfaction, accreditation, and Google reviews.

ResCare Community Living earns high accreditations

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Westminster Village Terre Haute is a not-for-profit Life Plan Community that offers a wide range of care options including independent home living, assisted living, and nursing care. For more information on Westminster Village and its services, you can visit their website.

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 MyWabashValley.com.
Buc-ee's, the widely popular Texas-based gas station chain, is scheduled build its first-ever Ohio location in Huber Heights, approximately 65 miles away from Cincinnati.

Construction, however, recently hit a roadblock.

Buc-ee's filed a petition in Clark County, blaming an ongoing legal dispute between the city of Huber Heights and Clark County over which party should provide sewer and water services to the future site, according to Fox 8. Clark County commissioners and the city of Huber Heights have been engaged in litigation for more than a year, the Dayton Daily News reported.

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In a Nov. 14 Facebook post, Huber Heights Mayor Jeff Gore explained the dispute, saying water and sewer services would be provided to Buc-ee's, whether it would be by the city or Clark County.

"The services are there and will be providedthats not the question," he wrote. "The question is who will provide the service."

Here's where construction for Ohio's first-ever Buc-ee's stands.

Buc-ee's in Sevierville, Tennessee. The popular convenience store and gas station has location set to come to Huber Heights, Ohio.

What's the latest on Ohio's first-ever Buc-ee's?

The Huber Height's mayor announced a major development regarding the halted Buc-ee's project last week.

Gore revealed in a Facebook post that Huber Heights City Council and Clark County made a new agreement relating to the water and sewer service for Buc-ee's on Dec. 11. In his post, Gore said a filing to dismiss the legal case would be made, adding that construction "should resume immediately."

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"The new agreement allows them to service Buc-ees and Old Dominion for the next 10 years and then it reverts to Huber Heights after that with no automatic extensions / renewals," he wrote in the post's comments. "I do believe this is a win win and it eliminated any further holdup of Buc-ees construction and in the end thats what we all wanted."

Buc-ee's declined to comment on whether construction has resumed and if its opening date is still on schedule.

The company broke ground at the future location off of I-70 near the State Route 235 intersection in Huber Heights in August, with the hopes Ohio's first Buc-ee's would open in late 2025.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Construction on first Ohio Buc-ee's hit a roadblock. Here's the latest
Luigi Mangione had a busy Thursday, with a whirlwind two-state courthouse tour turned spectacle featuring a helicopter ride, a throng of escorts  including the mayor of New York City at one point  and new revelations of his alleged intent to wack an insurance company CEO.

The 26-year-old murder suspect began his day at a jail in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, his home for the last 10 days, and ended it in a notorious federal prison in New York.

Along the way, he participated in three court hearings, was hit with four new charges, and hopped a ride in several vehicles, a plane and a helicopter  with cameras tracking him nearly every step of the way. Tourists were seen nearby taking videos and photos upon his arrival at a Manhattan heliport.

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The eventful day came two weeks after the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a Manhattan sidewalk, sparking a dayslong manhunt for a bushy-browed suspect that ultimately led to Mangiones arrest at a McDonalds in Pennsylvania.

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 New York City Police Department intelligence report obtained by CNN.

The targeted killing of a health care insurance executive unleashed what some observers describe as Americans pent-up anger and frustration with the nations health insurance industry. Mangiones striking physical appearance, too, has given him a quasi-folk hero status online  or at least a sympathetic hearing from those with their own health care insurance issues.

Mangione has been indicted on 11 charges in New York, including first-degree murder as an act of terrorism. He has not yet pleaded to the charges.

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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. Blair County District Attorney Peter Weeks said he would not push to have those charges heard ahead of Mangiones much more serious charges in New York.

And a federal complaint against him was unsealed midday Thursday adding four new charges and providing new details on a notebook authorities say was in his possession.

The state trial against Mangione will come before his federal trial, prosecutors said.

Heres a look at the course of his day from dawn to dusk.

Reports of new federal charges

Early Thursday, sources told CNNs Kara Scannell that Mangione was expected to face federal charges related to the CEOs shooting.

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His attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, issued a statement criticizing the existing case and the potential federal case.

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. We are ready to fight these charges in whatever court they are brought.

Hearings in Pennsylvania

On Thursday morning, Mangione arrived at the Blair County courthouse in Hollidaysburg clean-shaven and wearing an orange jumpsuit. He was escorted out of the police vehicle and into the courthouse by officers and did not speak or turn around.

His first hearing concerned the forgery and firearms charges in Pennsylvania. Outside the court, two people wearing green hats like the ones worn by the Luigi character in the Mario video game held signs supporting Mangione.

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Next, Mangione formally waived extradition at a second hearing. The judge asked Mangione if he wished to waive extradition, and his lawyer, Thomas Dickey, turned to Mangione and asked, Thats what you want to do? to which Mangione replied yes.

Luigi Mangione appeared in Pennsylvania court Thursday wearing an orange jumpsuit. - Dave Klug

In court, he appeared calm and answered yes or no to the judges questions, CNNs Danny Freeman said. He smiled at times and chatted with sheriffs deputies, but mostly kept his head down and examined papers in front of him, Freeman added.

It was altogether a stark contrast from his outburst last week when he yelled a message to the media while being escorted by police.

With his hands shackled in front and an officer on each elbow, Mangione left the courthouse and walked toward the right passenger door of a black SUV with New York plates. With cameras flashing, he stuck his tongue in his right cheek. He looked both ways. He looked toward the cameras.

Luigi Mangione was escorted into a black SUV after his Pennsylvania court hearings. - Pool

Everything we did today was in his best interest, Dickey told a gathering of media members. Were ready now to defend  move forward and start defending these charges in New York and Pennsylvania.

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Next to Dickey, a man held a black sign with yellow letters reading, Support hero Luigi Mangione.

Flights to New York

Police drove Mangione to the Altoona-Blair County Airport, where he boarded a jet headed for Islip, New York. From there, he was placed into an NYPD helicopter that flew to Manhattan.

The copters arrival at the Wall Street heliport led to an extraordinary scene: Mangione, surrounded by a swarm of gun-toting NYPD officers, in a slow, lengthy perp walk from the helicopter into a black van, with cameras catching every step.

It was almost Hannibal Lecter-esque, defense attorney Jeremy Saland told CNN Thursday evening.

Mangione was escorted by police from a helicopter to a van on Thursday in New York. - Pamela Smith/AP

A few steps behind the officers were New York Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch. We wanted to personally be here to show the symbolism of leading from the front, Adams said.

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Ive never seen anything like this, CNN correspondent Brynn Gingras said, noting the extent of law enforcement presence. They clearly want the photo opportunity to show what they believe: They got their guy.

The perp walk was a substantial departure from how federal suspects are normally processed because the parading of a suspect can be prejudicial, CNN senior justice correspondent Evan Perez explained.

The spectacle of the heavily armed police presence may be a reflection of Mangiones notoriety.

The security around Mangione today is because of what theyve been seeing in terms of the public support for him and their security worries about somebody not trying to attack him, but to try and free him from law enforcement, CNN chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst John Miller said.

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Cameras are not allowed in federal courtrooms, and the federal Bureau of Prisons does not release booking photos of inmates, so Mangiones helicopter departure may be the last time he is seen in public for some time.

Mangione formally went into federal custody about 1 p.m., prosecutors said.

Federal charges unsealed

Four federal charges against Mangione were unsealed in a complaint midday, including two counts of stalking, a count of murder through the use of a firearm and a firearms offense. He could face the death penalty if found guilty of the federal murder charge, according to prosecutors, who have not said whether they will seek that punishment. The decision would ultimately need to be approved by the US Attorney General.

The federal complaint also provides new details on a notebook allegedly in his possession, which contained several handwritten pages that express hostility toward the health insurance industry and wealthy executives in particular.

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In an August 15 notebook entry, the writer states, the details are finally coming together and that, Im glad in a way that Ive procrastinated because it allowed time to learn more about UnitedHealthcare, according to the complaint.

In another entry, on October 22, the writer called an upcoming investor conference a true windfall and described the intent to wack the CEO of an insurance company at the conference.

The NY state case against Mangione will proceed in parallel with the federal case against him, according to the Manhattan District Attorneys Office.

Mangione met with his attorneys in the New York federal courthouse ahead of his initial appearance before Magistrate Judge Katharine Parker, who oversaw the court proceedings at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Courthouse.

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Mangione, now wearing a white button-down shirt and khaki pants, later answered yes twice to confirm that he understood his rights and had seen the federal complaint against him.

Federal prosecutors asked that Mangione be detained and his attorneys told the court they will not seek bail at the moment but reserve the right to do so later. Asked by the court if he understood what he was accused of, Mangione again responded, Yes.

Defense attorney Karen Agnifilo said she was seeking clarity about the simultaneous state and federal charges against her client. Parker said those issues could be raised later. Agnifilo declined to comment after the hearing, saying: Mr. Mangione appreciates everyones support.

The 15-minute hearing was over by 3:15 p.m. and after a brief consultation with his attorneys, Mangione, in shackles, was escorted out of the courtroom by two federal marshals.

Mangione will be held in Brooklyns Metropolitan Detention Center, the only federal jail operating in New York City. Known as MDC, the federal lockup is where other high-profile defendants such as Sean Diddy Combs  who is represented by Mangione defense attorney Mark Agnifilo  have been held. The prison is notorious for its poor living conditions.

After the hearing, Edward Kim, acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in a statement that Mangione shot Thompson in a grossly misguided attempt to broadcast Mangiones views across the country.

But this wasnt a debate, he said, it was murder.

CNNs Kara Scannell, Andy Rose, Danny Freeman, Sara Smart, Rebekah Riess, John Miller and Lauren del Valle contributed to this report.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
The White House on Thursday bashed a newly released Republican funding bill as a billionaire giveaway ahead of the vote on it on the House floor.

Republicans are doing the bidding of their billionaire benefactors at the expense of hardworking Americans, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

She accused Republicans of breaking their word to support a bipartisan agreement aimed to lower prescription drug costs and make it harder for companies to offshore jobs to China and said they replaced it with a bill to give tax breaks to billionaires while cutting critical programs working families count on.

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Jean-Pierre said President Biden does not support the new Republican bill, suggesting he would veto the legislation if it reached his desk.

President Biden supports the bipartisan agreement to keep the government open, help communities recovering from disasters, and lower costs  not this giveaway for billionaires that Republicans are proposing at the eleventh hour, she said.

Republicans earlier Thursday announced an agreement on a plan B to avert a government shutdown ahead of Fridays deadline. It included a three-month continuation of government funding and a two-year suspension of the debt limit, which is a provision that President-elect Trump called for Wednesday when he urged Republicans to kill the bipartisan agreement that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) had negotiated.

Billionaire Elon Musk also put heat on the Speaker when he publicly lobbied against the bill.

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The new legislation keeps some of the bipartisan provisions that Johnson negotiated but stripped out controversial measures like a pay raise for members of Congress.

House Democrats are also rallying in overwhelming opposition to the Republicans second stab at a government funding bill, vowing to sink it on the House floor.

The House is scheduled to vote on it Thursday evening, and debate of the bill was underway at the time of the White House 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 The Hill.
White House Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was pressed Friday about why President Biden has stayed out of the public eye when it comes to government funding talks that are gripping Capitol Hill.

With less than 12 hours left before a government shutdown, Jean-Pierre repeatedly told reporters she would not weigh in on a hypothetical when asked what plans are being put in place should funding run out by midnight Saturday morning.

Instead, Jean-Pierre laid the blame entirely on Republicans, saying they blew up this deal and noting that as the reason Biden is staying above the fray.

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Americans need to know that Republicans are getting in the way here, and they are the ones that are creating this mess, she said. This is a strategy that we have done before, many times and this is for Republicans in the House to fix, they created this mess.

Republicans blew up this deal, they did, and they need to fix it, Jean-Pierre said.

The White House argued the way out of the chaos would be for lawmakers to pass the first continuing resolution that was negotiated by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). That package included a host of controversial proposals including a lawmaker health care plan and pay hike and was ultimately torpedoed by President-elect Trump and his top allies.

It is very easy to fix this, the mess that Republicans have created  bipartisan agreement, move forward, keep your word, Jean-Pierre said.

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Trump also injected chaos into the process when he demanded the debt ceiling be raised or eliminated before he takes office, in part to lay that blame on Biden.

Jean-Pierre said Biden spoke Friday morning with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and his team has been in touch with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

Vice President Harris has also been absent from the spotlight this week. She had planned to go to Los Angeles on Thursday but ended up canceling that trip. Jean-Pierre would not say why those plans changed.

Jean-Pierre also would not confirm whether Biden planned to stay at the White House over the holiday if the government shuts down.

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The press secretary also insisted that there was still time to make a deal and avoid a shutdown.

We believe theres still time for that to not happen, for Republicans to do the right thing, to hold up their part of the deal and move forward with the bipartisan agreement, Jean-Pierre said.

House Republicans earlier on Friday appeared to be eyeing a new spending proposal that would tee up votes on three separate measures, including to fund the government, appropriate disaster relief and allocate farm assistance, three sources told The Hill on Friday. It does not include Trumps debt ceiling demands.

Trump on Friday morning called for the government to shut down while Biden is president and not after he is sworn in in a month.

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If there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now, under the Biden Administration, not after January 20th, under TRUMP, Trump posted on Truth Social. This is a Biden problem to solve, but if Republicans can help solve it, they will!

When questioned about Trumps comments, Jean-Pierre said Republicans didnt move ahead with the bipartisan deal because of Trump and Musk so, thats the reality.

This could be avoided, Republicans in Congress dont want to go this route. There was a whole different route they were going that would have been done in a bipartisan way, Jean-Pierre said. They had that deal.

Jean-Pierre warned though that presidential transition activities, ahead of Trumps inauguration in a month would be restricted by a potential shutdown.

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The choice to allow a transition to move forward is in the hands of Republicans in Congress, she 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.
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4)  A southern white rhino known as George was euthanized on Wednesday after being diagnosed with rapidly advancing cancer in his leg, according to the Hogle Zoo.

The long-time resident of Utahs Hogle Zoo died at age 48 after a series of health challenges that zoo officials attribute to old age. The final diagnosis of cancer, and the lack of long-term treatment options for his particular situation, led to the euthanization.

Southern white rhino, George, at Utahs Hogle Zoo. (Credit: Utahs Hogle Zoo)

White rhinos are the second largest land mammals  the largest being elephants  and live up to 50 years in the wild and 55 in captivity, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare. Due to poaching and predators, the Hogle Zoo says rhinos often live 20 to 25 years in the wild.

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Utahs Hogle Zoo is mourning the passing of male southern white rhino George, the press release read. George was one of the oldest southern white rhinos under human care and one of Hogle Zoos longest residents.

George came to Utah in 1977 when he was under a year old, according to the zoos website. Lauren LeCoque, the Hogle Zoos supervisor of the High Desert Oasis, said George loved being scratched and eating bananas.

I love peoples surprise when I would say, Do you want to come scratch him? I think rhinos get such a bad reputation that it surprised people to hear and see how affectionate and personable they are, LeCoques quote reads.

Animal care team member with southern white rhino George at Utahs Hogle Zoo. (Credit: Utahs Hogle Zoo) White rhino, George, at Utahs Hogle Zoo. (Credit: Utahs Hogle Zoo) Southern white rhino George with heart enrichment at Hogle Zoo. (Credit: Utahs Hogle Zoo)

George lived at the zoo with his half-sister Princess for more than 40 years, and after his passing, staff let her have time to see her brother. Zoo officials said the practice is helpful for social bonds and understanding. Princess is 45 years old and is currently taking medication for seizures.

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He was my favorite part of my day. My team and I have given countless hours, days, months, and years to care for him. I hope people know how much he was loved and spoiled. Losing him is like losing a member of my family, LeCoque 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 ABC4 Utah.
How much guts does it take for a House Republican to publicly defy Donald Trump?

The only thing I fear is God, Rep. Chip Roy of Texas said Friday after leading dozens of Republicans the night before to smack down a temporary funding bill that Trump had demanded they support to stop a government shutdown.

I understand why the president [elect] wants what he wants, Roy said on The Dana Show podcast hosted by Dana Loesch. I think he went sideways yesterday in a way that was unfair and not correct.

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For that, and for the sin of voting against Trumps handpicked version of a stopgap bill to avoid a Christmastime government shutdown at midnight on Friday, the president-elect called on the MAGA faithful in Texas to challenge Roy in a primary election.

Roy and 37 of his GOP colleagues voted no on a second version of a temporary funding measure crafted by House Speaker Mike Johnson, who took his cues directly from the president-elect and his DOGE team leaders Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.

Speaking to reporters outside the Capitol Friday night, Roy said he wouldnt describe his fun argument with the president-elect as defiance.

Roy: I had some fun, back and forth with the president yesterday. You got to have a thick skin in politics. It is what it is. pic.twitter.com/Cd6fn0f6yH  Acyn (@Acyn) December 20, 2024

The MAGA version of a short-term funding bill failed Thursday, sending Johnson back to the drawing board Friday, needing to rely on Democrats to avoid the government shutting down, all of which threatens the speakers tenuous grasp on power (again). His third try was a charm. But Roy remained steadfast in his opposition, voting noalong with 33 other Republicanson the final shot to avoid a shutdown.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump walks with Elon Musk. / Brandon Bell / via REUTERS

These 38 rebels who voted against the bill on Thursday are fiscal conservatives who opposed the bill because it would have raised the nations debt limit. They included the usual suspects, like Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, and Kat Cammack of Florida. (Norman and Burchett on Friday supported the third and final version of the funding bill, which omitted a debt limit increase.)

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But notably, even a member of Speaker Johnsons own leadership team joined the mutiny: Rep. Blake Moore, vice chair of the House Republican Conference, which is chaired by Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trumps choice to be his ambassador to the United Nations. Moore voted yes on the final version on Friday evening.

Also joining the rebels was Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland, who chairs the House Freedom Caucus but whose job is to spend money in his capacity as a member of the House Appropriations Committee, which decides how government cash is spent. Yet he chose not to spend money when Trump demanded it in this case. He also voted against the final version Friday.

Roy, whoas he noted, fears nothing but God railed against his asinine fellow Republicans for supporting a bill that he said would jack up the national debt by $5 trillion.

I am absolutely sickened by a party that campaigns on fiscal responsibility and has the temerity to go forward to the American people and say you think this is fiscally responsible, Roy said. It is absolutely ridiculous.

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Others who dissed Trump include members who have the luxury of voting with their conscience: Theyre retiring, and wont be here when Trump becomes president. They include Reps Matt Rosendale of Montana, Jeff Duncan of South Carolina, Doug Lamborn of Colorado and Debbie Lesko of Arizona. (Lamborn and Duncan voted in favor of the final version to temporarily fund the government through March 14.)

For those among the 38 who arent retiring, they can expect to be bullied when Trump returns to power on Jan. 20. Massie, a longtime Trump antagonist who nevertheless endorsed him for president, stands out among the pack and has called on other Republicans to rise up against Trumps tyranny.

More of my colleagues should call out these ridiculous bullying tactics, he said earlier this year.

But Massie is no fan of Johnson, either. He says he wont support him for speaker on Jan. 3, when the new Congress is seated and House lawmakers will choose a speaker.

The Daily Beast Podcast episodes are released every Thursday. Like and download on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app. And click here for email updates as each new episode drops.
Thousands of Starbucks baristas and Amazon employees are currently on strike just days before Christmas, protesting their respective retail giants nationwide during the busiest shopping season of the year, according to their unions.

International Brotherhood of Teamsters President Sean O'Brien, whose union is representing the Amazon workers, drew attention to the timing in his statement released upon the strike's launch.

"If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon's insatiable greed," O'Brien said in the Thursday statement.

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The unions chose to strike over the holidays for two overlapping reasons, experts told ABC News: Workers retain maximum leverage if they can disrupt a company at a moment of roaring sales; and the public is more likely to pay attention at a time when Amazon and Starbucks tend to be on customers' minds.

"This is a time when both companies make a lot of money," Kate Bronfenbrenner, a labor relations professor at Cornell University, told ABC News. "The unions are being strategic about when to strike."

MORE: Teamsters say 'momentum continues' as Christmastime strike against Amazon enters 2nd day

Nearly 9,000 Amazon workers on Thursday began what they are calling "the largest strike against Amazon in U.S. history," targeting facilities in New York City, Atlanta, Southern California, San Francisco and Illinois.

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The Teamsters say they have organized 20 bargaining units at various Amazon facilities, calling on the company to formally recognize unions at each location and begin negotiating workplace conditions.

In response to ABC News' request for comment, Amazon spokesperson Eileen Hards said the striking workers are not Amazon employees.

"For more than a year now, the Teamsters have continued to intentionally mislead the public  claiming that they represent 'thousands of Amazon employees and drivers'. They don't, and this is another attempt to push a false narrative," Hards said. "What you're seeing at these sites are almost entirely outsiders  not Amazon employees or partners  and the suggestion otherwise is just another lie from the Teamsters.

On Thursday, Starbucks Workers United, a union representing 525 Starbucks stores in the U.S., said that baristas in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle would go on strike in the coming days.

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Five days of escalating strikes began Friday and will continue until Dec. 24 in "three of the company's priority markets" during what it called the company's busiest days of the year, Starbucks Workers United said.

In February 2024, Starbucks Workers United and Starbucks announced they would work on a "foundational framework" to reach a collective bargaining agreement for stores, something the union says has not come to fruition.

In response to ABC News request for comment, Starbucks spokesperson Phil Gee said the company has not experienced a significant impact from the strike.

We are aware of disruption at a small handful of stores, but the overwhelming majority of our US stores remain open and serving customers as normal, Gee said.

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In a previous statement to ABC News, Starbucks said it remains willing to continue negotiations with the union. "Workers United delegates prematurely ended our bargaining session this week. It is disappointing they didn't return to the table given the progress we've made to date," the company said. "We are ready to continue negotiations to reach agreements."

PHOTO: Starbucks workers picket outside of a Starbucks store, Dec. 20, 2024, in Burbank, Calif. (Caroline Brehman/EPA-EFE via Shutterstock)

Paul Clark, professor of labor and employment relations at Pennsylvania State University, said the strikes aim to derail company operations when business is humming.

Both the Teamsters and Starbucks Workers United have sought to disrupt the companies by targeting locations in major cities, where even a hiccup in service could impact a large number of customers, Clark said. Each union represents a relatively small share of the respective company's workforce, however, making it unlikely that the workers will impose a significant disruption, he added.

The Amazon workers said to be striking represent less than 1% of the company's 800,000 operations employees. Starbucks counts thousands of U.S. stores, meaning the union represents a fraction of its locations.

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"The likelihood that this will have significant economic impact on those companies is probably very small because of the small subset of employees involved," Clark said. "The bigger benefit of the strikes for the unions is the increased attention that it draws."

MORE: Amazon strike could lead to delays in delivery of holiday gifts

Diego Franco, a barista at a Starbucks in the Chicago suburbs, told ABC News that workers began picketing the store at which he works at 4:30 a.m. local time on Friday.

"Our regulars showed up at the same time of day as usual, and we caught them at the store, saying we're currently on strike. Most of them walked back to their car and went elsewhere," Franco said.

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Workers at the store filed federal charges against Starbucks over alleged illegal retaliation against union members, Franco said. Striking workers are also pressuring Starbucks to provide a reasonable offer in contract negotiations, he added.

When asked whether the holiday timing of the strike could elicit backlash from customers eager for their coffee, Franco said, "They should be frustrated with the company. We're the ones who serve them. We're the faces they see every morning."

Why are Amazon and Starbucks workers striking over the holidays? originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
A New Jersey woman yearns to reunite with her husband, who has never met, nor held his now 15-month-old twin baby daughters.

An Indiana mother despairs as her teenage son falls ill from a dire kidney condition.

A Texan woman mourns her father killed in a bombing, while trying to find escape for her critically injured mother.

All are trapped in Gaza, waiting for the United States to help them evacuate after more than a year of war. Their stories of anguish fill the pages of a federal lawsuit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Story continues after gallery

The nine plaintiffs allege that the State Department has neglected its duties by failing to evacuate American citizens, legal residents and their immediate family members out of Gaza. Some, like the elderly couple with green cards, have been killed or injured waiting for help from the United States.

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The Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Law Office of Maria Kari, representing the plaintiffs, claims that the State and Defense departments did not abide by their own regulations that call for protecting Americans overseas. The federal government also violated their Constitutional right to equal protection under the law by failing to provide the same evacuation assistance given to other nationalities, they allege in the complaint.

With every day that passes, the chance that these Palestinian Americans will die goes up, said lead attorney, Maria Kari. The State Department must do the right thing and save our clients.

A State Department spokesperson said the agency does not comment on pending litigation but added that its ability to confirm information about U.S. citizens in Gaza is extremely limited because of the security situation. There are no consular services within Gaza, where a advisory warning against travel to the area has been in place since 2003.

The agency said it helped more than 1,800 citizens, legal residents and family members leave Gaza between the start of the war in October 2023 and May 2024, when Israel seized and closed the Rafah border with Egypt.

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We believe that the vast majority of U.S. citizens who were in Gaza and seeking to depart have done so, the spokesperson said.

'Get these Americans home'

Aya Elamroussi, CAIR-NJ communications manager, speaks during a press conference, by Council on American-Islamic Relations New Jersey, to announce a lawsuit against the US State Department for failing to evacuate American citizens and family members at their office in Newark on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024.

Yet, others have been left behind.

After repeatedly reaching out to the State Department and elected officials, Marowa Abusharias husband, Loai, got official approved for evacuation. But his name was not added to lists of people who are cleared to leave across the border.

Every time I manage to get a hold of my husband who is trapped in northern Gaza, I dont know if it will be the last time I hear his voice, said Abusharia, who lives in Woodbridge.

Others are in the same predicament. Lead plaintiff Khalid Mourtaga, an American citizen from Mississippi, was approved to leave in December 2023 along with his parents. But only his mothers name appeared on a border crossing list, amid reports that military-aged men were being excluded from those lists.

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Facing frequent bombings and evacuation orders, Mourtaga and his parents have had to relocate at least seven times within Gaza. He has contracted Hepatitis A, one of many diseases that health agencies say are running rampant in Gaza amid poor living conditions.

Mourtaga and others trapped in Gaza say they are suffering from a severe lack of food and clean water and proper medical care.

President Biden can make a call, and he can get these people out, said Aya Elamroussi, communications manager at CAIR-NJ, at a Newark press conference Thursday announcing the lawsuit. Essentially, thats what we are hoping for, that this lawsuit will show that we are making an appeal to get these Americans home.

Related: Father of hostage Edan Alexander calls Hamas propaganda video 'encouraging but disturbing'

Federal help for evacuations

The lawsuit cites federal policies that provide for safe evacuation of U.S. citizens and nationals. Attorneys argue the policies have been applied unevenly, compared to evacuations in Israel, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Afghanistan, among other countries. They say that it constitutes discrimination.

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The State Department said that it does not control the border crossings or who is permitted to depart Gaza. Egypt and Israel had controlled the now-destroyed Rafah crossing. Israel now controls another crossing at Kerem Shalom.

CAIR attorneys believe the U.S. can take firmer action to aid the evacuation of Americans. They have already done so, the lawsuit argues, pointing to the State Department's coordinated the evacuation of a group of American doctors in May through Kerem Shalom. The U.S. has also has helped injured and ill children leave for medical treatment.

The State Department said in its reply that "it has no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas," even as people remain stranded.

"As the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem receives information regarding available exit procedures from Gaza, we will communicate this to U.S. citizens in contact with us," the spokesperson said.

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The lawsuit names President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin as defendants. They are calling for the court to order defendants to coordinate the emergency evacuation of plaintiffs and others in Gaza.

You have a list of countries where we immediately evacuated Americans to safety, said Kari, the lead attorney. "There is no reason Americans should still be there over a year later.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Americans trapped in Gaza: Lawsuit demands evacuation by US
Following their trouncing by Donald Trump and the MAGA movement in the 2024 election, Democrats continue to plod through the stages of grief, vacillating between denial, anger and bargaining. This behavior is increasingly taking the form of self-soothing talk among its leadership, consultant and media class that their defeat in the 2024 election was not as extreme and dire as it first appeared (Trump won the popular vote and the Electoral College; the Republicans now control both chambers of Congress) and that a big rebuild and reassessment of the party and its strategy, messaging and leadership are not necessary.

At the Atlantic, Russell Burman details this reasoning in his new article Maybe Democrats Didnt Do So Badly After All:

Now a clearer picture of the election has emerged, complicating the debate over whether Democrats need to reinvent themselvesand whether voters really abandoned them at all. Trumps popular-vote margin has shrunk to about 1.5 percent  one of the tightest in the past half century  and because some votes went to third-party and independent candidates, hell fall just short of winning a majority of the vote nationwide. Compared with incumbent governments elsewhere in the world, Democrats losses were modest. And in the House, they gained a seat, leaving the GOP with the second-smallest majority in history. A trio of Republican vacancies expected early next year will make passing Trumps agenda even more difficult, and Democrats are in a strong position to recapture the chamber in the midterm elections, when the incumbent party typically struggles. The final results are prompting some in the party to push back against the doom-and-gloom diagnoses of Murphy, Sanders, and others who say the Democratic brand is in tatters and needs an overhaul. If the Democratic brand was fundamentally broken and needed to be thrown out, this election would have been a complete blowout. And it was not. It was way too close, Yasmin Radjy, the executive director of Swing Left, a Democratic organizing group, told me. Another Democrat, who requested anonymity in order to speak candidly, put it this way: We lost an election. We didnt lose the country. In some areas, the election looked like a red wave; compared with four years ago, the presidential vote swung to the right by about 10 points in some of the most populous blue states, such as New York, California, and New Jersey. But down-ballot races offer a solid case for Democratic optimism. The party label appeared to be far less of an albatross for Democratic congressional candidates than it was in strong Republican years such as 2010 and 2014.

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Donald Trump supposedly does not have a mandate, they argue, because his victory was a very modest one, as The Nation summarizes:

FDR and Reagan had the numbers that were required to claim a mandate. Trump doesnt. Thats why it is important, as he prepares to reoccupy the Oval Office, for progressives to unspin the narrative of the election that put him there. Yes, Trump beat Kamala Harris. But not by much. And the narrowness of the GOP advantage provides an opening for Democratsalong with a dwindling but potentially decisive cadre of rational Republicansto block the worst appointments and most dangerous policies of a president who gained only a plurality of the popular vote. The big lie Donald Trump told after the 2024 election was that hed won a powerful mandate from the American people. He hadnt, and neither had his MAGA movement. The United States is, undoubtedly, a divided nation. But a majority of Americans who cast ballots in the 2024 presidential election actually agreed on one thing: They did not want Trump as their president. With almost all of the votes tabulated, we now know that around 50.2 percent were cast for someone other than Trump. Lets crunch some numbers, shall we? Trumps margin was historically narrow. The president-elects 1.5-point advantage over Harris was, as a postelection analysis by the Council on Foreign Relations notes, the fifth smallest of the thirty-two presidential races held since 1900. Trump won 4 million fewer ballots than Joe Biden did in 2020. In 2024, if roughly 120,000 voters had switched their preferences in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, Harris would have won the Electoral College and the presidency.

Donald Trump, for his part, has claimed a mandate. He behaves (and will continue to) as though he has a mandate to rule as the countrys first king. The polls show that the American people appear to be endorsing Trumps mandate on such issues as the border and the economy. Arguing the details about vote totals will not stop Trumps power and autocratic rule. In all, such obsessions are the equivalent of complaining about the referees when your team loses the big game. In the end, perception is usually treated as reality in politics.

If they proceed at the current pace, the Democrats (and their surrogates, news media and other opinion leaders  as well as rank-and-file voters and supporters) will not reach the depression and acceptance stages of grief anytime soon. As I have repeatedly warned here at Salon and elsewhere, they do not have the luxury of time.

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In a sharp essay and call to action in the New York Times, Jamelle Bouie considers the Democratic Partys lack of urgency and reluctance to rise to the challenge of Trumpism and the larger right-wing (fake) populist authoritarian movement. The Democratic Party needs to be in full opposition mode. Instead, the party and its leaders are mostly cooperating with, normalizing and de facto surrendering to President-elect Trump and the MAGA Republicans:

An opposition would use every opportunity it had to demonstrate its resolute stance against the incoming administration. It would do everything in its power to try to seize the publics attention and make hay of the president-elects efforts to put lawlessness at the center of American government. An opposition would highlight the extent to which Donald Trump has no intention of fulfilling his pledge of lower prices and greater economic prosperity for ordinary people and is openly scheming with the billionaire oligarchs who paid for and ran his campaign to gut the social safety net and bring something like Hooverism back from the ash heap of history. The Democratic Party lacks the energy of a determined opposition  it is adrift, listless in the wake of defeat. Too many elected Democrats seem ready to concede that Trump is some kind of avatar for the national spirit  a living embodiment of the American people. Theyve accepted his proposed nominees as legitimate and entertained surrender under the guise of political reconciliation. There are other reasons for Democrats to try to take the initiative. There are still many Americans rightfully concerned with an authoritarian turn in the United States. Again, nearly half the electorate did not vote for Trump. They deserve leadership, too. Indeed, the partys refusal to fight sends ripples through civic life. If Democratic leaders wont fight, then its hard to expect civil society, or just ordinary people, to pick up the slack. Either democracy was on the ballot in November or it wasnt, and if it was, it makes no political, ethical or strategic sense to act as if we live in normal times.

At the Hill, Democratic Party strategist Max Burns writes:

For the better part of two years, Democrats told voters that their country was on the precipice of disaster. Winning in November was imperative, party leaders insisted. Failure would bring catastrophe, not only for Americas democratic institutions but for the economy and working-class people as well. In normal circumstances, a party that fell short of preventing a crisis like that would be expected to engage in real introspection about what went wrong. Leadership changes would be expected. Like Republicans in the aftermath of 1960 or even 2008, the party would radically re-evaluate the decisions that led to this moment. Not so in this Democratic Party, where long-time leaders are trudging forward as if nothing happened. The result has been yet another schism between the base and the elites, with rank-and-file voters left to wonder why the partys most visible young voices are once again being kicked to the side in favor of the same crop of stalwart septuagenarians. Democrats status quo leadership elections would be understandable for a party that outperformed expectations. But this is a party that just lost the White House, the Senate and blew a real opportunity to reclaim the House. Instead of listening to demoralized and frustrated Democratic voters, the party elders chose to protect leadership that has lost the confidence of the people. If the party has learned a lesson from the debacle of Nov. 5, it sure isnt acting like it. Last months elections proved that voters arent willing to wait around while Democrats get the message that its time for a change. The sooner Democrats realize that, the better for the party  and our democracy.

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Demonstrating the validity of Burns and Bouies concerns, President Biden and Vice President Harris made a joint appearance at a Christmas holiday party last Sunday that was hosted by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to thank the donors who collectively gave more than two billion dollars in the election. Harris told the attendees, Our spirit is not defeated. We are not defeated ... We are strong, we are clear about why we are in this.We cannot let any circumstance or situation or individual ever take away our power ... we know what we stand for, and that's why we know what to fight for."

As is his way, Biden offered one of his folksy sayings: My dad would say, when you get knocked down, you've just got to get up, get up. The measure of a person or a party is how fast they get up. Biden added, The bad news for you all is I ain't going nowhere. We're going to stay engaged.

Harris and Bidens encouragements ring hollow. They are trying to rally the very same supporters that they led to a great defeat last month.

The loss to Donald Trump and the MAGA movement on Election Day should have been a profound moment of clarity for the Democratic Party and its leadership. Unfortunately, such a moment of clarity has not yet occurred. What Democrats need at this moment is bold leadership and clarity. Unfortunately, no such leader holds power.

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During a speech earlier this month in Chicago at his foundations Democracy Forum event, President Obama also tried to chart a path forward for the countrys embattled democracy and by extension his political party. In a non-partisan speech (Trump was not mentioned by name) Obama emphasized themes of democracy and pluralism in a time of extreme polarization, division and ascendant American fascism and authoritarianism.

Obamas speech was criticized for being too conciliatory and hopeful, if not naive, about the prospect of coming together with a Republican Party and MAGA movement and its other conservative supporters who reject compromise, civility, truth, reality, facts, the rule of law and democratic institutions and who have elevated a political strongman to the highest political office in the nation.

On this, Obama said:

Now, I should tell you that when Ive mentioned to a few friends that our foundation would be hosting a forum on democracy and pluralism, I got more than a few groans and eye-rolls. And its understandable, after all; here in the United States we have just been through a fierce, hard-fought election, and its fair to say it did not turn out as they hoped. And for them, talk of bridging our differences when the country and the world seem so bitterly divided felt like an academic exercise. It felt far-fetched, even naive, especially since, as far as they were concerned, the election proved that democracy is pretty far down on peoples priority list. I understood their skepticism; maybe you have had a conversation with a friend that felt the same way. But as a citizen and part of a foundation that deeply believes in the promise of democracy  not only to recognize the dignity and worth of every individual, but to produce freer, fairer, and more just societies  I cant think of a better time to talk about it. You see, its easy to give democracy lip service when it delivers the outcomes we want. Its when we dont get what we want that our commitment to democracy is tested. And at this moment in history  when core democratic principles seem to be continuously under attack, when too many people around the world have become cynical and disengaged  now is precisely the time to ask ourselves tough questions about how we can build our democracies and make them work in meaningful and practical ways for ordinary people. And thats why were here. Thats what these forums have been about.

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Here Obama considers the real challenge of trying to coexist in a democracy (however ailing) and political culture with a political party, political movement and other forces that reject such principles, norms and values.

Now, at this point you may be thinking, All that sounds pretty good, but pluralism depends on everyone following a certain set of rules, thats what you say, Obama. Its a problem. And when that happens, we fight for what we believe in. There are going to be times, potentially, when one side tries to stack the deck and lock in a permanent grip on power, either by actively suppressing votes, or politicizing the armed forces, or using the judiciary or criminal justice system to go after their opponents. And in those circumstances, pluralism does not call for us to just stand back and say, Well, Im not sure thats OK. In those circumstances, a line has been crossed, and we have to stand firm and speak out and organize and mobilize as forcefully as we can.

I often wonder, how it must feel, emotionally and intellectually, for Obama to look at Trumps second victory and what it will mean for multiracial pluralistic democracy and his legacy as the countrys first Black president. Obama is a great man of history. Donald Trump, Americas First White President (twice) is a great man of history as well. But their respective projects and legacies are anathema to one another. What will it mean for the nation as it tries to (or not) collectively reconcile such (dis)continuities?

At MSNBC, commentator Ben Burgis is extremely critical of Obamas speech as exemplifying elite liberalism and meritocracy in an era of gangster capitalism and globalization and worsening income and wealth inequality, thus leaving the populist rage and anger of the working class and others left behind by that order to serve as fuel for Trumpism and authoritarian populism. In his essay Obama still doesnt get why Trump won. Thats the problem," Burgis explains:

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During Obamas eight years in power, Americas wars in the Middle East ground slowly onward. This was a crucial factor in the rise of Trump, who was able to (deceptively) market himself as anti-war. And on the economic front, Obama continued George W. Bushs policy of bailing out too big to fail banks while leaving homeowners who lost their houses in the 2008 crash underwater. He oversaw eight years of mounting economic inequality. Hes not interested in giving the working class as a whole more structural power in our economy or our society. In other words, this is the same old centrism. Those eight years saw flashes of left-wing populist outrage like Occupy Wall Street and the first Bernie Sanders campaign. These were handily defeated by the powers-that-be, though, from the NYPD clearing the protesters from Zuccotti Park to the Democratic Party quelling the Sanders insurgency. And at the end of the day there was nowhere for all that populist energy to go but Trump. Obamas liberalism is far more concerned with shattering glass ceilings for deserving strivers than raising the floor of material security for everyone. And thats exactly the kind of liberalism that failed the first time  so spectacularly that a grotesque pseudo-populist demagogue was Obamas immediate successor. Now Obamas vice president, Joe Biden, is running out the clock on his presidency, and Trump is returning to power, this time with far more working-class support. Meanwhile, more than a few Americans have despaired so thoroughly of fixing our society through politics that theyre willing to cheer for an assassin murdering a health care CEO in broad daylight on the streets of Manhattan. We urgently need a far better response to the current crisis than anything the dominant faction of the Democratic Party is offering. And the first step is to stop listening to Barack Obama.

In Obamas speech at the Democracy Forum, some observers heard fire and growing motivation from the former president for direct intervention. By comparison, I heard (and read) a speech that was more mournful and, like the Democratic Party and other pro-democracy Americans, publicly working through the stages of grief about the 2024 election.

To that point, in an excellent article in Rolling Stone, Elizabeth Yuko explores the concept of political grief in the context of Trumps victory in the 2024 election:

In fact, theres an even more specific term for what were going through. Political grief is a very real thing, says Melissa Flint, PsyD, a professor of clinical psychology at Midwestern University Glendale, noting that it occurs on both individual and collective bases. When one struggles with a particular ideology held by those in political power, there is grief. This type of grief also reflects the feeling that your worldview or political beliefs  what we think is right vs. wrong, or morally valid  is under attack, she explains. In addition to the election loss, you may be mourning potential losses of your own rights and economic stability, as well as worried about the impact it might have on reproductive rights and public health. Political grief may also involve the fracturing of relationships as a result of ideological disagreements, or grappling with your identity if your values are at odds with the rest of your community. You may also be mourning your future safety. At the heart of political grief is a sense of despair due to the loss of predictability and safety in governmental structures, writes Darcy Harris, PhD, a professor at Kings University College in Ontario specializing in non-death loss and grief, in her seminal article on political grief. According to Harris, theres also a sense of paralysis that occurs when you question whether those in power are capable of making decisions for the good of the country during a time of such political polarization. For those experiencing political grief, loss of an election is equated with loss of identity, loss of agency, and loss of voice, she writes. Its impact can be personal and painful.

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Yuko continues, What about the feelings of disappointment associated with the fact that more than half of the voting public chose a candidate who is a convicted felon, was accused of inciting an insurrection and routinely makes inflammatory and inaccurate remarks about women and marginalized populations? We must acknowledge this as grief, says Dion Metzger, MD, a psychiatrist practicing in Atlanta. Its not only the loss of the candidate you voted for, but also the dread of whats to come. Grief and fear are two very strong emotions to have at once.

The Democratic Partys leaders need to be able to think in multiple dimensions, pragmatically, both about how they can win the political battles on the ground in the here and now, as well as in the future. In all, the Democratic Party needs much better vision and visionaries.

Trump and his MAGA agents and thought leaders possessed such a vision and that is why they were able to dominate on Election Day  and likely far beyond as they remake American society to serve their antidemocratic, anti-pluralistic and inhumane political and societal project. If the Democrats had a strong leader, he or she would have one standing order: Grieve later, learn from the defeat and reorganize to fight back now. With such a strong leader, the Democratic Party would now have its marching orders instead of being lost and slowly forming a circular firing squad.
The US House of Representatives voted against a spending bill backed by Donald Trump on Thursday night, putting the government on the brink of a shutdown.

Backers of the bill failed to reach the two-thirds majority needed for it to pass after 38 Republicans defied Mr Trump by joining Democrats in voting against the bill.

With a Friday deadline looming, the move leaves Congress with no clear plan to avert a fast-approaching government shutdown that could disrupt Christmas travel and leave millions of government workers in the lurch.

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It also laid bare fault lines in Mr Trumps Republican party that could surface again next year when they control the White House and both chambers of Congress.

Why did House vote against the spending bill?

Representatives overwhelmingly rejected the Republican-led funding bill that would have tied government funding to a two-year suspension of the federal-debt limit.

The debt limit determines how much the federal government can borrow to pay its bills. The contentious legislation would have kept the government open through mid-March and suspended the countrys borrowing limit for the president-elects first two years in office.

Mr Trump had pressured lawmakers to tie up loose ends before he takes office on Jan 20.

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But dozens of debt hawks in the Republican ranks refused to support a package that would increase spending and clear the way for a plan that would add trillions more to the federal governments $36 trillion debt.

Unhappy about allowing the national debt to rise unchecked for half of Mr Trumps term, they rebelled against their own leadership to sink the package.

I am absolutely sickened by a party that campaigns on fiscal responsibility and has the temerity to go to the American people and say you think this is fiscally responsible, said Republican Representative Chip Roy, one of 38 Republicans who voted against the bill.

The bill failed by 174 votes to 235.

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The loss marks a defeat for the Republican leader, who with tech billionaire Elon Musk  his incoming efficiency czar  had thrown his weight behind the plan.

Thursdays unsuccessful bill largely resembled the earlier version that Mr Musk and Mr Trump had blasted as a wasteful giveaway to Democrats.

Mr Trump and Mr Musk torpedoed that deal on Wednesday by telling Republicans to vote against it, amid conservatives complaints about unrelated items in the text ballooning its overall cost.

Mr Musk, a major Trump donor and ally, spent much of Wednesday bombarding his 208 million followers on X with posts trashing the deal.

Elon Musk trashed the original bill to his millions of followers on X, the social media platform he owns - Reuters/Allison Robbert

Twelve hours later, Mr Trump, who appeared to be playing catch-up, began threatening the re-election prospects of Republicans thinking of supporting Wednesdays bill and demanding that the bill increase or even scrap the countrys debt limit.

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The retooled version introduced on Thursday was considered under a fast-track method that required two-thirds support, but Democrats refused to help Republicans overcome their rank-and-file rebels and it failed to win even a straightforward majority.

Republicans dropped elements that had been included in the original package, such as a pay raise for lawmakers and new rules for pharmacy benefit managers.

Democrats blasted the bill as a cover for a budget-busting tax cut that would largely benefit wealthy backers such as Mr Musk, the worlds richest person, while saddling the country with trillions of dollars in additional debt.

The... proposal is not serious, its laughable. Extreme Maga Republicans are driving us to a government shutdown, Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic minority leader, said ahead of the vote.

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How dare you lecture America about fiscal responsibility, ever? he added.

The White House described it as a giveaway for billionaires.

Karine Jean-Pierre, President Joe Bidens spokeswoman, said the veteran Democrat supports the bipartisan agreement to keep the government open... not this giveaway for billionaires that Republicans are proposing at the 11th hour.

What happens if there is a US government shutdown?

If the bill had passed, it would have extended government funding into March and provided $100 billion in disaster relief and suspended the debt.

But with party leaders announcing no further votes in the House on Thursday, the race to keep the lights on and prevent 875,000 non-essential workers being sent home over Christmas without pay is set to go down to the wire.

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A partial shutdown would interrupt funding for everything from border enforcement to national parks and cut off pay cheques for more than two million federal workers.

Federal agencies are due to run out of cash on Friday night, with government functions set to begin winding up at midnight going into Saturday.

This means non-essential workers are at risk of being furloughed without pay, while essential staff toil through the holidays without a pay cheque.

The US Transportation Security Administration warned that travellers during the busy holiday season could face long lines at airports.

JD Vance, the vice president-elect, departs from the Senate chamber after the vote on Wednesday - Getty Images/Anna Moneymaker

Mike Johnson, the Republican House speaker who led negotiations, provided no details when reporters asked him about next steps after the failed vote.

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We will regroup and we will come up with another solution, so stay tuned, he said.

Mr Johnson has been facing criticism from all sides for his handling of the negotiations and his speakers gavel looks likely to be under threat when he stands for re-election in January.

The Louisiana congressman appeared to have misjudged his own members tolerance for the original bills spiralling costs, and for allowing himself to have been blindsided by Mr Trump and Mr Musk.

Mr Johnson was thrust unexpectedly into the speakers office last year after the partys right flank voted out Kevin McCarthy, the then-speaker, over a government funding bill.

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Since then, he has repeatedly had to turn to Democrats for help in passing legislation when he has been unable to deliver the votes from his own party.

He tried the same manoeuvre on Thursday, but this time fell short.

Several Republicans said they would not vote for Mr Johnson as speaker when Congress returns in January, potentially setting up another tumultuous leadership battle in the weeks before Mr Trump takes office.

Mike Johnson, the House speaker, has come in for a lot of criticism over his handling of the bills - AFP/Allison Robbert

Democrats, who control the Senate, meanwhile have little political incentive to help Republicans and Mr Jeffries has insisted they will only vote for the bipartisan package, meaning the president-elects party will have to go it alone on any further efforts.

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This is something the fractious, divided party  which can afford to lose only a handful of members in any House vote  has not managed in any major bill in this Congress.

Why did Mr Trump support the failed bill?

While voicing frustration over spending levels, Trumps main objection to the original bill was that Congress was leaving him to handle a debt-limit increase  invariably a contentious, time-consuming fight  rather than including it in the text.

When he returns to office, Mr Trump aims to enact tax cuts that could reduce revenues by $8 trillion over 10 years, which would drive the debt higher without offsetting spending cuts.

He has vowed not to reduce retirement and health benefits for seniors that make up a vast chunk of the budget and are projected to grow dramatically in the years to come.

Congress must get rid of, or extend out to, perhaps, 2029, the ridiculous debt ceiling. Without this, we should never make a deal, Mr Trump said in a post on Truth Social hours after the bill failed.

The last government shutdown took place in December 2018 and January 2019 during Mr Trumps first White House term.

Previous fights over the debt ceiling have spooked financial markets, as a US. government default would send credit shocks around the world.

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When wealthy Austin jewelers Corey and Ted Shaughnessy are attacked by intruders in their own home, investigators initially wondered if it was a robbery gone wrong. The answer was more sinister than anyone could have expected.

March 2, 2018: A shootout in the dead of night

/ Credit: Travis County Sheriff's Office

In a sprawling suburban home in Austin, Texas, 55-year-old Ted Shaughnessy, and his wife Corey were asleep, when in the middle of the night, they were awoken by home invaders. When Ted went to check out the scene, he was faced with a barrage of gunfire.

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Corey Shaughnessy fights back

/ Credit: Travis County Sheriff's Office

As shooters continued to fire in the Shaughnessy home, Corey used her own handgun to shoot back. When Corey ran out of ammunition, she hid in a closet and called the police, frantically pleading for help. Ted, her husband of 30 years, lay dead near their kitchen table.

Bart, one of the family's beloved Rottweilers also shot dead

Bart, one of Ted and Corey's two Rottweilers, was killed in the shootout. / Credit: Corey Shaughnessy

Investigators arrive on the scene

/ Credit: Travis County Sheriff's Office

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Paul Salo and James Moore of the Travis County Sheriff's Office arrived to investigate the shooting. Moore described the crime scene as, "a hail of gunfire."

The Shaughnessy home was in a state of chaos with broken glass everywhere and bullets lodged in the walls. Investigators found different types of bullet casings on the floor. This led them to believe that there was more than one shooter responsible for the attack.

An open window raises suspicion

/ Credit: Travis County Sheriff's Office

While inspecting the scene, investigators noticed an open window on the side of the house, and they wondered if the intruders had used it to get into the Shaughnessy residence. The window led to an unoccupied bedroom that had once belonged to their son, Nick Shaughnessy.

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Inside a drawer in that room, police discovered an empty gun box and wondered if the missing gun, a .40 caliber gun, could have been used in the shooting.

Nick Shaughnessy and Jackie Edison arrive

/ Credit: Travis County Sheriff's Office

Corey broke the news of her husband's death to Nick, then 19, who lived two hours away with his girlfriend Jackie Edison in College Station, Texas. They immediately drove to Austin. At the scene, Nick did something investigators thought was odd. The open side window was not visible from the street. Without being told it was open or that investigators thought it might have been the entry point, Nick walked right over to it.

Why was the couple targeted?

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Ted and Corey Shaughnessy owned a jewelry store in Austin, Texas. Corey thought that being jewelers might have made them targets. But Amy Meredith, the former assistant district attorney, noted that nothing from the home was stolen, and began to believe it was an inside job.

Police question Nick Shaughnessy and Jackie Edison

Nick Shaughnessy being questioned by Travis County detectives. / Credit: Travis County DA's Office

Nick and Edison were taken to the station for questioning later that day. They told detectives they had been at their apartment in College Station at the time of the attack. Nick also told detectives that he had not been in Austin for a month.

A search warrant reveals more clues

Ammunition found during a search of Nick Shaughnessy and Jackie Edison's College Station, Texas, home. / Credit: Travis County DA's Office

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A few days later, investigators executed a search warrant for Nick and Edison's apartment. In their search, investigators found ammunition. Though common among gun owners, they discovered that the ammunition was the same brand and caliber that was found at the crime scene.

Nick Shaughnessy and Jackie Edison are married and move in with Corey

Nick Shaughnessy and Jackie Edison's marriage certificate. / Credit: Travis County DA's Office

Through their search, investigators also learned that Nick and Jackie were secretly married. This was news to Corey, as well. Despite feeling they were too young, she offered to help them plan a proper wedding. And she had ample opportunity because in the days after Ted's death, the young couple moved in with Corey.

At this point, investigators suspected Nick and Edison may have planned the attack on the Ted and Corey. Since it was still just a working theory, they could not tell Corey.

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Corey Shaughnessy stands by her son as investigators close in

Nicolas Shaughnessy / Credit: Travis County Sheriff's Office

Regardless of the suspicions surrounding her son, Corey stood by him, hiring him a defense attorney and maintaining his innocence.

Nick Shaughnessy's whereabouts are questioned

A map of Nick Shaughnessy's cellphone usage on Feb. 28, 2018. / Credit: Travis County Sheriff's Office

As authorities continued to investigate, incriminating information arose. Although phone records showed Nick had been more than 100 miles away at the time of his father's murder, they also showed evidence of a lie. Nick told authorities he hadn't been to Austin for a month, but phone records proved otherwise. Phone usage showed Nick in Austin on Feb. 28, just two days before Ted's death.

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Jackie Edison withdraws money from the bank

Investigators also say they found text messages between Nick and Edison that show suspicious correspondence. In one text, Nick asks Edison to make a cash withdrawal. Detectives say that Jackie did in fact make this withdrawal, taking out $1,000 from the bank, just days before the murder.

A key witness

In May of 2018, investigators talked to a high school friend of Nick's named Spencer Patterson. Patterson proved to be an important witness. He told investigators that Nick had approached him, letting him know that he expected to come into $8 million once his parents died.

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A double arrest

Nick Shaughnessy and Jaclyn Edison

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On May 29, 2018, Nick Shaughnessy and Jackie Edison were arrested for criminal solicitation.

Revealing surveillance footage

Surveillance video shows Nick Shaughnessy, left, greeting two men at his front door. / Credit: Travis County Sheriff's Office

Security footage from Nick and Jackie's front porch proved to be a major turn in the case. Recorded just two days before the attack, it shows Nick greeting two men at the front door.

One of the men in the video is wearing a T-shirt with a logo, which led detectives to a nearby window company. An employee's daughter told detectives she had met the man in the surveillance footage. His name was Cameron Vosmek.

Cameron Vosmek's wife tells all

Detectives went to Vosmek's home, and he wasn't there. But his wife seemed to know exactly why they had shown up.

She told them a man named Johnny Leon had asked her husband to commit murder for money. Vosmek declined to help Leon and was ruled out as a suspect. But detectives now knew who the other man in the surveillance video was.

A third arrest

Johnny Leon / Credit: Travis County DA's Office

Johnny Leon was questioned by police and arrested for capital murder. And police were able to find evidence that Leon did not act alone. On Leon's phone investigators found a flurry of contacts around the time of the murder with a man named Arieon Smith.

A confession

Arieon Smith / Credit: Travis County DA's Office

Police brought Smith in for questioning and later arrested him for capital murder. Smith opened up about the events of that night. He not only confessed to being there for the murder, he also admitted to killing Ted. And he led investigators to the missing murder weapon. It was the .40 caliber pistol, missing from the gun box in Nick's childhood bedroom.

Jackie Edison cooperates and turns on Nick

Detectives question Jackie Edison. / Credit: Travis County DA's Office

After Edison's arrest, she decided to cooperate with police. She confirmed that Nick had hired somebody to kill his parents.

Capital murder charges

From left, Johnny Leon, Nicolas Shaughnessy and Arieon Smith / Credit: Travis County DA's Office

Nick Shaughnessy and the two alleged hit men were charged with capital murder. All three men took a plea: plead guilty to a reduced charge of murder in return for a sentence of 35 years, with the possibility of parole

Jackie Edison's plea deal

Nick Shaughnessy and Jackie Edison with the family's Rottweilers. / Credit: Corey Shaughnessy

For her cooperation, Jackie Edison was offered a different deal. She agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit capital murder by terror threat or other felony, and serve 120 days and 10 years probation. Additionally, for the next 10 years, on the anniversary of Ted Shaughnessy's murder, Edison must spend the night in jail.

Oct. 17, 2023: Jackie Edison is free

In October 2023, on the day Edison was released from jail after serving her four-month sentence, "48 Hours" producer Jenna Jackson was there with questions and a camera. When asked, Edison denied being in on the murder plot and claimed she tried to stop Nick. Investigators say there is no evidence that Jackie ever tried to stop the murder.

Remembering Ted Shaughnessy

Corey and Ted Shaughnessy in happier times. / Credit: Corey Shaughnessy

Corey says her husband Ted treasured making people feel special through his passion for gems. His absence is felt deeply by those who knew and loved him. Talking about her survival from the deadly attack, Corey says she knows she's "been given life" and intends to make the most of it.

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Dec. 19All of Albuquerque's city councilors have filled out their annual asset and liability reports except for one.

The holdout is freshman Councilor Dan Champine, and he didn't just happen to forget the July 1 deadline.

"I haven't filled it out based on working with my attorney and getting advice from him on how to fill it out properly," Champine said. "I understand and I agree with transparency. I get the checks and balances in the sense that we want to make sure that our elected officials aren't being bribed or bought for a vote."

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City code states that "all elected officials shall file with the City Clerk an annual disclosure statement listing all of the changes or additions to the disclosure information provided by the elected official at the time of filing his or her declaration of candidacy" and "the annual disclosure statement for all elected officials shall include the following information for the preceding calendar year."

"It does not appear we have received a 2023 annual disclosure form from Councilor Champine although we did receive the biannual disclosure form from him for 2024," Cristobal Rocha, spokesperson for the city clerk, said in a statement.

While the annual disclosure asks for a detailed inventory of income, possessions and employment of family members, the biannual disclosures ask for campaign contributions and expenditures. Champine has filled those out.

But Champine takes issue with the clerk wanting his 2023 asset disclosures.

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"They're requesting the 2023 disclosures, and I wasn't an elected official in 2023, so that's where there's a bit of clarification that I'm trying to figure out and why they're asking for 2023 but they don't have one for me because, again, I was sworn in January of '24," Champine said.

It's unclear what the ramifications may be for Champine not turning in his report.

"We have reached out to him to request it again. As this matter could come before the Board of Ethics, which our office staffs, we are unable to comment further," Rocha said.

In addition to his confusion on why the clerk needs his 2023 report, Champine thinks the annual disclosure asks for too much information, and he is concerned about his safety and that of his family.

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"Right now, if you want to find out everything ... you can find out a lot of stuff, not only about me, but my wife, my son. You pay nine bucks and you get all that information," Champine said.

An Inspection of Public Records Act request for the documents would be free digitally, $8.79 for a flash drive and $6.75 for a CD with the disclosures.

The annual disclosure reports take down information such as the address of the city councilor, all properties they own, their employer, their spouse's employer, additional sources of income, memberships with organizations, gifts given to or received by the councilor, their children or their spouse and any liabilities over $50,000 owned by the councilor or their family members.

"Look at the amount of people and the amount of things going on. Two years ago, there were drive-by shootings of elected officials, the UnitedHealthcare guy was just killed based on the fact that somebody who didn't like health care learned of his whereabouts, followed him, figured out his schedule and then murdered him," Champine said.

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The Journal reviewed the eight City Council disclosures and the mayor's provided by the city clerk's office. While most sensitive information was hidden, one councilor's primary residence address was listed and the addresses for two councilors' rental properties were found.

"I have never shied away from the fact that I own rental properties, right? I do. I'm concerned about that. ... I had put the addresses of those down," Champine said.

He said he owns four properties, including his primary residence.

Champine did not provide the name of the attorney he was working with or additional details on their conversations as "it is a private discussion."
After two years of intense courtship, progressing from warm words to vital weapons, summits in Pyongyang to 11,000 soldiers on the ground in Russia, the burgeoning relationship between Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un was signed in blood this week when the first stories emerged of North Korean casualties on the Ukrainian battlefield.

On Monday, the GUR, Ukraines military intelligence agency, claimed that 30 North Koreans had been killed or wounded in fighting around the villages of Plekhovo, Vorobzha and Martynovka in the Kursk region  a figure echoed by a spokesman for the US National Security Council. On Thursday, Lee Sung-kwon, a South Korean MP who had been briefed by his countrys intelligence services, claimed that at least 100 North Korean soldiers had been killed in total, with a further 1,000 injured.

These reports are difficult to verify given the nature of the battlefield and the agenda of those involved. Neither Moscow nor Pyongyang will admit to the deployment of North Korean troops in the war against Ukraine, let alone to any casualties. However, the first combat operations by Korean troops since the Vietnam War are already yielding some interesting insights into the military strengths and weaknesses of the renewed alliance, as well as its wider diplomatic risks and opportunities.

70 year old tactics

Many have expressed surprise at the ostensible naivety of the North Korean troops under live fire for the first time. Unverified footage posted on Ukrainian social media shows soldiers of apparent Korean origin (although Russias Asian minorities also serve in its armed forces) attempting to hide behind trees in open, snowy fields while being mercilessly hunted by drones. A Facebook post by the 8th Special Forces regiment boasted of their warm welcome for North Korean troops.

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They dont understand whats happening, one Ukrainian drone commander told The Washington Post. We were very surprised, we had never seen anything like it  forty to fifty people running across a field. Thats a perfect target for artillery and Mavic [drone] operators. Russians never ran like that.

Another drone operator in the Kursk region compared the bizarre experience to playing a computer simulator on easy mode, while a Ukrainian officer said the North Koreans were using the same tactics as 70 years ago.

Mark Cancian, a former colonel in the US Marine Corps and now a senior adviser to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), has also been speaking to Ukrainian officers. Im surprised that the North Koreans are being used in small groups, he says. If thats true, they will indeed end up as cannon fodder.

However, such tactics would not be wholly inconsistent with a Russian strategy that has relied more heavily on numerical advantage than innovation over the past two years. Russia has long been deploying its elite forces as infantry in frontal assaults, says Christina Harward, a Russia analyst at the Institute for the Study of War. Its unlikely that Russia would deploy North Korean forces any differently.

Language barrier

It is also possible that the Russians felt they had little choice given the short period between the untested North Korean troops being waved off in a special ceremony by Kim in October and their call-up on the battlefield only two months later. Armed with false documents identifying them as Buryats, an Asian people from Siberia, one hundred words of rudimentary Russian and some hasty training in trench clearing, the Koreans appear far from ready for a battle-hardened Ukrainian enemy.

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This impression has been strengthened by testimony from North Korean defectors, one of whom told Radio Free Europe this week that he agreed with the Ukrainian assessment that North Korean troops could suffer casualty rates of up to 90 per cent.

These casualties are likely to be exacerbated by the linguistic and operational challenges of a multinational deployment. Cancian was surprised to learn that the North Koreans are apparently being merged with Russian troops. In the First World War, the USA insisted on their units operating together  and not being dispersed along the front, as the French wanted, he says. Its hard enough to get the Americans and the Brits to understand each other and they have a common language. Russian and Korean are very different. It may be that the Russians do not have a great deal of confidence in the North Korean commanders.

According to the GUR, it was this language barrier which led to a recent friendly fire incident in which eight Chechen soldiers were killed by North Korean soldiers. The South Korean intelligence services believe that expendable North Korean units are viewed as more of a burden than an asset by their Russian allies.

Elite Storm Corps

However, others strike a cautionary note about jumping to conclusions on the basis of limited battlefield contact.

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We dont have enough information to assess the effectiveness of the Korean Peoples Armys integration with Russian forces in Kursk, says Michael Madden, a North Korea expert at the Stimson Center in Washington. We have heard the cannon fodder talking point even before North Korean forces were in the theatre of operations. Measuring their effectiveness will take a bit more time. While the Ukrainians can lay claim to a North Korean body count, it is the first innings in Russia retaking Kursk.

Similarly, Harward points out that Russian milbloggers have claimed that the North Korean forces were able to seize settlements incredibly fast in Kursk Oblast  although this is likely part of information operations aimed at intimidating Ukrainian forces.

There is also a risk of underestimating North Korean troops from the elite Storm Corps, a unit whose training includes breaking lightbulbs with their bare hands and clubbing their comrades shirtless torsos with wooden sticks.

By and large, these are highly trained and highly indoctrinated troops, says Madden. They come from military units which are fully supplied in terms of food, clothing and equipment.

Men in return for missile technology

So how might this military alliance play out in the long term?

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Allies inevitably get grumpy with each other, so there will be a political dimension, especially if the casualties start getting high, says Cancian. That may drive some adaptations, such as more training for the North Koreans or operating as complete units.

Madden points out that this is only the first phase in North Korean-Russian cooperation. Casualties might present short-term setbacks, but over the medium and long-term, this will bolster the relationship.

Military might: With 1.3 million conscripts and 7.6 million reservists, North Korea is amply resourced to help Russia in future stages of the war - AP

If needs be, there is no shortage of North Korean troops in a country with 1.3 million conscripts and 7.6 million reservists  even if Madden believes that it will be at least a year before Pyongyang increases its deployment. According to Ukrainian officials, a second battalion of North Korean troops has gathered in Russias neighbouring Belgorod region, potentially in preparation for an assault on Kharkiv.

We cannot rule out the likelihood that additional troops will be deployed from other divisions, says Dr Edward Howell, a lecturer in politics at Oxford University and the Korea Foundation Fellow at Chatham House. If Russia has pledged to provide North Korea with advanced military and missile technology, as well as knowhow, in response for North Korea going all in and sending manpower, then North Korea is likely to continue to deploy troops in order to reap these benefits, and ask Putin for more substantial concessions.

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The concessions already wrung out of Moscow reveals the extent to which these 11,000 North Korean soldiers are simply pawns in a wider geo-political war. Kim has shipped 20,000 containers of weapons to Russia, earning up to $5.5 billion for a country hit by American sanctions. Meanwhile, his provision of boots on the ground could bring in another $572 million per year in payments, shoring up his domestic position and giving his surviving soldiers 21st-century combat experience. The Russian alliance also offers the potential to develop his nuclear weapon capability.

Similarly, a Russian government which has suffered an estimated 600,000 casualties in two years might be able to avoid another unpopular call-up of its reserves thanks to Korean reinforcements.

A special relationship signed in blood: Kim Jong-Uns provision of 11,000 boots on the ground to President Putin could bring in $572 million per year in payments to North Korea - Reuters

According to Dr Howells recent paper for Chatham House, this mutual benefit is reinforced by two states seeking to undermine and erode the institutions and legitimacy of the US-led international order.

While the partnership is helping Russia as long as the Ukraine War continues, it is more beneficial, he argues, to North Korea in the longer term. Pyongyang now has the unwavering support of Moscow at the UN Security Council, which has been reduced to its most sclerotic since the institutions inception in 1945, he explains.

Luring defectors

However, the strengthening of the Russian-North Korean axis does provide two silver linings for Ukraines supporters. One is that the news of North Koreas participation had already prompted NATO to provide more military aid to Ukraine. The other is that the Ukrainians have quickly spotted the propaganda value of denigrating the North Koreans as mercenaries mistreated by their Russian masters. This week, President Zelenskyy said that there was not a single reason for North Koreans to die in this war, posting an unverified video on X of Russian soldiers apparently burning the faces of dead North Korean soldiers in a bid to hide their identities.

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Meanwhile, the Ukrainian I Want to Live project, which attempts to lure Russian soldiers into defecting, has taken to posting Korean-language videos promising three hot meals a day for North Korean defectors.

There are some very powerful opportunities, says Cancian. North Korean prisoners of war are likely to say some embarrassing things when removed from the propaganda bubble they have lived in all their lives. They might even manage to arrange some defectors to South Korea.

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Everyone knows the price of a pint is only going up and up. But theres another figure thats been changing  one that most drinkers havent noticed.

Your pint has been getting weaker.

In the past two years, more than a dozen brewers have quietly lowered the alcoholic strength of their beers. Household names such as Carlsberg, Fosters and John Smiths have all weakened their drinks, and experts claim this will continue.

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Just two years ago, beers with an alcohol by volume (ABV) of between 1.3pc and 3.4pc made up less than 1pc of sales, but they are now worth more than 7pc, according to the British Beer and Pub Association.

In part, this rise is due to people drinking more low-alcohol beer, but its also because brewers are lowering their strength.

In October, Grolsch was the latest beer to reduce its level of alcohol dropping from 4pc to 3.4pc.

Brewers will tell you its for health reasons.

Heineken UK, the parent company of John Smiths, said its decision to lower the ales ABV from 3.6pc to 3.4pc earlier this year was because consumers want a balanced lifestyle.

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Shepheard Neame, which produces Spitfire Amber Ale and Bishops Finger, similarly said its change was because customers wanted a healthier lifestyle.

But its no coincidence so many beers are reducing their ABV and that so many are settling on 3.4pc.

The real reason they are watering down your pint to this level, experts say, is because it allows them to save tens of millions of pounds in alcohol duty each year, thanks to reforms made under the previous Conservative government.

In August last year, the Tories expanded the duty discount for lower-strength beers from 2.8pc ABV up to 3.4pc ABV.

Under the new system, draught beers with a strength between 1.3pc and 3.4pc pay 8.42 in duty per litre of pure alcohol. Any beer from 3.5pc to 8.4pc pay significantly more, at 19.08 per litre of pure alcohol.

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In practical terms, for every pint Carlsberg sells on tap, it is saving 25p in alcohol duty by lowering its ABV from 3.8pc to 3.4pc. We drink 7.8 billion pints each year in Britain, so these savings quickly add up.

Kim Verberckmoes, of accountancy firm Blick Rothenberg, says she expects more and more brewers will be looking to lower their ABV to fall into the lower duty bracket.

Brewers and importers seem to be reducing their strength to make cost savings to minimise the impact of the rises, she says.

Colin Angus, senior research fellow at the University of Sheffields Alcohol Research Group, says the Governments reform has proven so popular with brewers because it acts as a sweet spot whereby they can save millions in tax without impairing the flavour beyond recognition.

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The lower band strength used to be at 2.8pc but no one was making beer at 2.8pc so it didnt work  whereas 3.4pc is attainable for brewers. You can make a beer that tastes alright so its something a lot of them are going for.

However, despite the recent changes, Angus warns even beers that havent advertised a reduction in strength might actually be weaker than you thought.

Under little-known rules, the published amount of alcohol in a beer lower than 5.5pc in ABV only has to be accurate to the nearest decimal place, meaning you could advertise your beer as having a 4pc ABV on the side of the bottle, but the contents may only be 3.5pc inside.

The rules were created for small brewers so they would not have to produce new labels with each batch, but Angus says he expects larger brewers are exploiting the rule.

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In 2017, it was revealed that Carling had been brewing its beer at 3.7pc since 2012 despite advertising the lager at 4pc.

HMRC took the brewer to a tax tribunal claiming it had underpaid tax by more than 50m between 2012 and 2015, but the court ruled in Carlings favour and said it only needed to pay tax on the actual ABV rather than the one published on the label.

Ever since then Ive assumed that every beer I buy is weaker than it says it is, Angus says. Only HMRC needs to know the truth.

Jem Roberts, of the Institute for Alcohol Studies, which lobbies to reduce alcohol-related harm, says lowering the alcohol content of beer by even a few fractions of a percent could be very, very effective for health outcomes.

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However, he makes short shrift of claims by beer companies that they are motivated by health reasons.

Its a nice corporate social responsibility line [that brewers] can give, but the proof that it is not really to do with health is that they did not do it before the tax change, he says. Its very clearly for the reduced tax burden.

Roberts says the rationale for brewers is clear and that most will be considering whether they can lower the strength of their beer or, alternatively, launch a new beer at 3.4pc to take advantage of the lower duty.

One brewer doing precisely that is Theakston, an independent producer based in the market town of Masham in the Yorkshire Dales.

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Richard Bradbury, its managing director, explains that while rivals such as Boddingtons and Tetleys had reduced their bitters to 3.4pc, they had held off reducing the strength of Theakstons Best.

Its our biggest selling beer and its at 3.8pc. We just didnt want to mess with the recipe or the flavour, he says.

Instead, the brewer set about launching a new beer at 3.4pc ABV that could capitalise on the expanded lower duty and take advantage of rising consumer demand for lower-strength drinks.

We felt it a better approach because if youve got an existing beer and then you are changing the alcoholic strength, your whole focus is trying to taste match the original beer and not alienate the existing drinkers of that beer.

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Whereas if you start from the point of view that you are brewing a new beer, you dont have to worry about any of that.

The new beer, Theakston Quencher, has so far proved a hit, with Bradbury saying the company expects to have sold 250,000 pints by the end of the year.

He thinks it reflects a wider trend in consumers who want to drink lower-strength beer and not stay out so late, citing recent comments made by the chief executive of Stonegate, Britains biggest pub chain, who said its peak trading hours were now in the late afternoon.

However, Angus says that many brewers will be nervous to see whether the industrys adoption of lower-strength beer will alienate loyal customers.

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His team at Sheffield University are currently in the process of studying the impact of the Governments duty reform, but it is not expected to be published until next year.

While he thinks some consumers do feel short-changed and points out it has been termed drinkflation by those angry at the changes, this group may be in the minority.

Stella Artois used to be 5.2pc, then in 2008 it went to 4.8pc. In 2020, it went down further to 4.6pc, he says. The fact they have done it since 2008 tells you it didnt harm their sales the first time round.

He adds that if the recent changes across the industry to lower beers to 3.4pc had had a catastrophic impact on sales, someone would have squealed.

In Australia, 25pc of the beer market is now made up of low-strength beers and thats maybe where we are going. Its certainly a lot less crazy a proposition than it was five years ago.

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19:59 HC stays arrest of Alt News co-founder The Allahabad high court on Friday stayed the arrest of Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair in relation to an FIR accusing him of promoting enmity among religious groups following a complaint by an associate of controversial priest Yati Narsinghanand. The order was passed by a bench of... Read more >

19:32 Rupee recovers from all-time low, gains 10 paise to 85.03 against US dollar The rupee saw some recovery from its all-time low level and appreciated 10 paise to close at 85.03 (provisional) against the US dollar on Friday, on softening of the US dollar index and a potential intervention by the Reserve Bank of India. Forex traders said the rupee is likely to remain in... Read more >

19:21 Modi's visit to Kuwait to open new chapter in bilateral ties: MEA Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day visit to Kuwait beginning Saturday will help in opening a new chapter in bilateral ties, the ministry of external affairs said on Friday.The visit would help develop a more dynamic partnership between the two countries, it said.The MEA said India was looking... Read more >

18:49 Ferry crash: Navy chief holds meet with top officials Navy chief Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi/File image Two days after an Indian Navy speedboat collided with a ferry packed with passengers off the Mumbai coast, Navy chief Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi on Friday visited the Western Naval Command headquarters and held a meeting with top officials over the crash. Admiral Tripathi also conducted... Read more >

18:37 HC to hear Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam pleas on Jan 7 Umar Khalid The Delhi high court will on January 7, 2025, hear the bail pleas of activists Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and others accused in a UAPA case connected to February 2020 riots.A bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur deferred the hearing after the Delhi police counsel said the case would... Read more >

18:20 HC allows sit-in by doctors' forum seeking justice for RG Kar hospital victim File image The Calcutta high court on Friday allowed an organisation of doctors to hold a demonstration from December 20-26 to press for speedy justice for the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital medic, who was allegedly raped and murdered in August. The court, however, directed the Joint Forum of... Read more >

18:07 ASI surveys temple, 5 sites, 19 wells in Sambhal File image A four-member team of the Archaeological Survey of India on Saturday conducted a survey of the recently-discovered Shri Kartik Mahadev temple, five teerths (pilgrimage sites) and 19 koops (wells), a senior official said. Speaking to reporters, Sambhal District Magistrate Rajender Pensiya... Read more >

17:42 2,200 cases of violence against Hindus ,other minorities in B'desh:Govt File image A total of 2,200 cases of violence against Hindus and other minorities have been reported in Bangladesh this year till December 8, and India's expectation is Dhaka will take necessary measures to ensure their safety, the government said on Friday. Minister of State for external affairs Kirti... Read more >

17:14 India registers strong protest with Dhaka over comments by Bangla govt aide MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal India has lodged a strong protest with Dhaka over certain controversial comments by key aide of Bangladesh's 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. We have... Read more >

17:06 Man on way to Sambhal's Jama Masjid for Lord Shiva darshan held: Police A mentally-challenged person was detained here when he was admittedly going to have a darshan of Lord Shiva at the Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal, which is under tight security for Friday prayers, officials said. Additional superintendent of police Shrish Chandra said Friday prayers were held... Read more >

16:33 2nd abandoned Shiv temple discovered in Aligarh Leaders of Hindu right-wing organisations have announced that another abandoned Shiv temple was discovered at Sarai Miyan, a thickly-populated Muslim locality under Delhi Gate police station in Aligarh.The discovery came on Thursday evening, barely 36 hours after a similar abandoned temple was... Read more >

15:55 UP Cong chief gets notice to join probe in worker's death Lucknow Police on Friday said it has issued a notice to Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai for questioning in connection with the death of a party worker during a protest here two days ago.Rai, however, told PTI that he had not received any such notice but said he would cooperate with the... Read more >

15:38 Winter session saw 57.87% productivity in LS The Winter session of the Lok Sabha, which saw a series of disruptions over issues ranging from Adani to billionaire George Soros' alleged links with the Congress leadership as well as Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks related to BR Ambedkar, saw a productivity of 57.87 per cent, official sources... Read more >

14:54 BJP MP gifts '1984' bag to Priyanka Gandhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Aparajita Sarangi on Friday gifted a bag with '1984' written on it in red to Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.This comes days after the Congress MP carried bags with messages on Palestine and Bangladesh written on it to Parliament.Sarangi, the BJP MP from... Read more >

14:49 Why sales have dipped at kirana stores... Surajeet Das Gupta/Business StandardA dipstick study by JP Morgan on 50 offline grocery stores in Mumbai shows that 60 per cent of them have seen a decline in their sales volume, and most attributed it to quick commerce (qcom) through their dark stores. The primary survey was undertaken in... Read more >

13:56 Shift Dallewal to makeshift hospital: SC to Punjab The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Punjab government to shift fasting farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal to a nearby makeshift hospital at the Khanauri border where his health can be monitored round-the-clock.A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan asked the Punjab government Advocate... Read more >

13:53 RS adopts motion to nominate 12 MPs to joint panel on simultaneous polls The Rajya Sabha on Friday adopted through voice vote a motion to nominate 12 of its members to the joint committee of Parliament that will scrutinise the two bills proposing simultaneous elections.Soon after the House met following an initial adjournment in the morning, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar... Read more >

13:01 Several Delhi schools receive bomb-threat mail Several Delhi schools received bomb-threat emails on Friday, making it the sixth such incident in the last 11 days, officials said.Security personnel conducted search operations at the schools, but nothing suspicious was found, an official said.We received a call regarding the bomb threat at 5:02... Read more >

12:43 Former Haryana CM Om Prakash Chautala dead Indian National Lok Dal president and former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala died in Gurugram on Thursday, a party spokesperson said. He was 89.Chautala, a five-time chief minister of Haryana and former deputy prime minister Devi Lal's son, suffered a cardiac arrest at his Gurugram... Read more >

12:39 'Nifty May Trade Between 25000-28000 In 2025' The benchmark Nifty50 index may trade within the range of 25,000 to 28,000 next year, according to a survey conducted by Smallcase involving 150 managers on its investment platform. On Thursday, the Nifty closed at 23,951. Most managers believe that green energy and banking could be prominent... Read more >

12:37 'Moderate Return Expectations In 2025' Sundar Sethuraman/Business StandardDomestic brokerage HDFC Securities has told investors to moderate return expectations amidst elevated valuations.The brokerage expressed concerns about investor reaction in a scenario of muted returns after 10 continuous years when Nifty ended... Read more >

12:35 FMCG firms pass 3-7% of price rise to consumers Sharleen Dsouza/Business StandardFast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies are increasing prices but are not passing on the entire price hike to the consumer as rural markets have just about begun to witness revival while urban demand is stagnating.While edible oil firms typically pass on the... Read more >

12:33 Sebi's new measures to curb misleading investment claims Khushboo Tiwari/Business StandardIn a bid to clamp down on individuals and entities making lofty return claims, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has introduced a Past Risk and Return Verification Agency (PaRRVA), which will be tasked to verify the risk-return metrics of services... Read more >

12:01 Dharavi redevelopment: HC upholds tender to Adani The Bombay high court on Friday upheld the tender awarded to Adani Properties Private Limited by the Maharashtra government for the Dharavi slum redevelopment project in Mumbai.A division bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar dismissed a petition filed by UAE-based Seclink... Read more >

11:27 Gaza runs dry as Israel strikes cripple water supply The search for water is a 'daily undertaking' for Palestinians as water in Gaza has become a 'tool of war', Al Jazeera reported.As the war continued, access to clean water has become more difficult, with an individual now having to survive on 'less than five litres a day', Al Jazeera reported.The... Read more >

10:47 Parliament scuffle: Injured BJP MPs 'stable' Bharatiya Janata Party MPs Pratap Chandra Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput, who were injured after a scuffle in Parliament on Thursday, are stable and normal, as per the officials.Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital MS Dr Ajay Shukla said, Medical reports received yesterday are fine. Some reports will come... Read more >

10:36 Mumbai-Delhi World's 8th Busiest Domestic Route! Deepak Patel/Business StandardMumbai-Delhi was the eighth busiest domestic route globally in 2024, with airlines operating 7.963 million seats between the two cities, according to aviation analytics firm OAG.In 2023, it held the ninth position, with airlines operating 7.276 million... Read more >

10:23 'Human error' blamed for Gen Bipin Rawat's death Country's first Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat died in a Mi-17 V5 helicopter crash on December 8, 2021, and a parliamentary panel report has said the reason behind the accident which occurred that day was 'human error'.Gen Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat, and many other armed forces... Read more >

09:32 Unregulated lenders may be jailed for 10 years Harsh Kumar/Business Standard The Centre, in collaboration with states, has proposed to classify unregulated lending as a cognisable and non-bailable offence, with penalties including imprisonment of up to 10 years.The finance ministry has invited feedback by February 13 from stakeholders on... Read more >

09:30 Ustad Zakir Hussain laid to rest in San Francisco Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain was laid to rest in San Francisco on Thursday. Hussain, one of the world's most accomplished percussionists, died at a San Francisco hospital on Monday due to complications arising from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a lung disease. He was 73.Hussain, the son of... Read more >

09:12 US sanctions Indian firm for trade of Iranian petroleum India-based Atlantic Navigation OPC Private Limited was slapped with American sanctions on Thursday on charges of trade of Iranian petroleum and petrochemicals.The United States imposed sanctions on Thursday on four entities and three vessels involved in the trade of Iranian petroleum and... Read more >

08:49 Sitharaman's pre-budget talks with state FMs today Harsh Kumar/Business StandardFinance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to engage in pre-Budget consultations with state finance ministers on Friday in Jaisalmer, ahead of the presentation of the 2025-2026 Union Budget. States are expected to play a major role in the consultations,... Read more >

08:33 Putin ready to meet Trump, 'compromise' on Ukraine Russian President Vladimir Putin while speaking at his annual end-of-the-year news conference said that he was ready to discuss the possibility of reaching a compromise in talks with United States President-elect Donald Trump on the issue of Ukraine, Al Jazeera reported.He expressed his readiness... Read more >

01:19 President of Pune school held over molestation of students by dance teacher The Pune police arrested the president of a private English medium school in connection with the alleged molestation of a few students by a 39-year-old dance teacher.We have arrested the president of the school for alleged negligence and failure to do the required verification of the teacher as... Read more >

01:11 LS Speaker's role crucial in complaints against MPs The role of Lok Sabha Speaker, Om Birla, will be crucial in the investigation of the complaints lodged by the Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress leaders over the jostling among its MPs in Parliament premises which sent two leader seeking hospital care.Permission from the Lok Sabha Speaker, being... Read more >

00:57 'Pushpa 2' crosses Rs 1,500 cr mark at global box office: Makers Allu Arjun-starrer Pushpa 2: The Rule has grossed over Rs 1,500 crore in worldwide box office collection, making it the fastest Indian film to reach the mark, the makers said on Thursday. Pushpa 2, a sequel to 2021's blockbuster Telugu film Pushpa: The Rise, released in cinemas around the... Read more >

00:43 'Dummy' students: CBSE conducts surprise inspection at 29 schools File image The Central Board of Secondary Education conducted a series of surprise inspections at 29 schools in Delhi, Bengaluru, Varanasi, Bihar, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh to check enrolment of 'dummy' students, officials said on Thursday.According to CBSE Secretary Himanshu Gupta, a total of 29 teams,... Read more >

00:34 Bear, two cubs killed as IED planted by Maoists goes off in Chhattisgarh File image A female bear and its two cubs were killed when an Improvised Explosive Device planted by Maoists went off in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district, a forest official said on Thursday. The incident took place a few days back in Kohkabeda under Barsoor police station limits but it came to... Read more >
Sylvester Stallone will pull his plans for a barrier he said he wanted to install to prevent seaweed and other debris from washing up on the shore of his Palm Beach property.

During a hastily called special Town Council meeting in Palm Beach on Thursday, Stallone initially made a case for his barrier, citing concerns for marine life and water quality. "We wanted to bring back this, its almost a sanctuary," he said. His wife, Jennifer Flavin Stallone, also attended the meeting.

But neighbor after neighbor dismissed his message.

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By the time the meeting ended, Stallone had agreed to withdraw the application.

"Youre great neighbors and youve been here a long time, and we respect your work and the way you see this," he said, adding that his plan for the barrier "was not just a vanity thing."

The proposal stirred controversy with neighbors who were surprised by a recent public notice from the Florida Department of Environment Protection that asked for public comment, which was due to the agency by 5 p.m. Dec. 25.

Jennifer Flavin and Sylvester Stallone hold hands Thursday as they decide to withdraw their application for a seaweed barrier at their Palm Beach property during a special Town Council meeting.

While applications to the state and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said the barrier was to prevent seaweed and other debris from accumulating along Stallone's shoreline, a public notice about the project issued by the Army Corps said that is a secondary concern.

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The primary purpose, the Army Corps had said in the notice, was to "exclude boaters" from coming near the property.

This meeting marked the public's first time hearing from Stallone and members of the project team, including local attorney Maura Ziska and Matthew Butler, an engineer with Isiminger & Stubbs Engineering Inc.

Through his entity Southpaw Trust, actor Sylvester Stallone owns this North End property at 1480 N. Lake Way in Palm Beach.

What did Sylvester Stallone ask for in Palm Beach?

The application was submitted to the state and Army Corps for review by celebrity wealth manager Lester Knispel on behalf of Southpaw Trust, the entity through which Stallone in December of 2020 paid a recorded $35.375 million for the property at 1480 N. Lake Way in Palm Beach, records show.

The estate where the famed "Rocky" and "Rambo" actor and his wife live includes a 262-foot private beach on the lake, along with a two-story mansion, a guesthouse and a pool pavilion.

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The property is just a stone's throw from the very northern edge of Palm Beach, which sits against the Palm Beach Inlet. Stallone's house looks west toward the Port of Palm Beach and Florida Power & Light's Manatee Lagoon education center, and Peanut Island, a popular boating and recreation site, is about a mile north.

According to state records, the floating barrier would have risen about 8 inches above the water and extended about 10 inches below. It would have been anchored into the bottom of the waterway using a system of nylon ropes and eyelets secured into the substrate by six piles, records show. The barrier would have allowed marine life to swim underneath, and creatures to swim around the barrier at each end, Butler said in an email to the state Department of Environmental Protection that was reviewed by the Daily News.

The barrier would have extended 191 feet south from the dock that is at the north end of Stallone's beach, and then make a 90-degree right turn to run 50 feet back toward the shore, forming an "L" shape, according to federal and state public notices describing the project.

There are three pieces to the proposal, Public Works Director Paul Brazil told the council Thursday.

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The first is the application for the barrier that was submitted to the state. Next is a request for a submerged land lease submitted to the state. That would have been necessary to complete the work of installing the barrier into the sandy bottom of the Intracoastal, he said. The third piece is the application to the Army Corps.

Council President Bobbie Lindsay said council members became aware very recently of the proposal.

"We here are not allowed to talk about it in between meetings unless we have a meeting in public," she said of her fellow council members, citing Florida's broad Government-in-the-Sunshine Law. "The reason that we decided to call a quick meeting is so that we can talk about this issue to the public and with the public."

Mayor Danielle Moore noted that it is unusual for the council to call a special meeting, adding that she believes the last time that happened was during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Palm Beach Town Manager Kirk Blouin, right, listens while Sylvester Stallone speaks about his application for a seaweed barrier at his Palm Beach property during a special Town Council meeting on Thursday.

What did Stallone say about the proposed seaweed barrier?

Stallone thanked the council and residents for coming to the meeting. "Weve lived in a lot of places, and we have never really enjoyed or respected an area so much in our life," he told the council. "Its just a jewel."

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His property is a unique piece of land because of its location and how the current flows through the area, he said. The spot also has a lot of "interesting aquatic life," Stallone said.

But there used to be even more, he noted.

The area has been adversely affected by boaters, Stallone said.

"There's a lot of traffic that comes in there, because of our notoriety," he said, adding that while there are "lookie-loos," there are also fishermen and tour boats. Vessels will come into the area next to Stallone's home, drop anchor and stay there for 10 hours while they have a party or fish, he said.

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"We're trying to make this pristine," he said.

Sylvester Stallone speaks about his application for a seaweed barrier at his Palm Beach property during a special Town Council meeting.

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He noted there is a lot of bird activity in the area, eliciting laughter from those at the meeting when he mistakenly said "penguins" instead of pelicans. He laughed, and joked, "I gotta study up on my geographics a little bit."

Stallone also raised the issue of derelict boats, or vessels that have been left to rot in the waterway. People also dump trash and other waste in the Intracoastal, he said.

"It's unbelievable to me that you can have your house ... and you can have some guy sit there for 10 months and do his laundry in front, and there's nothing you can do about it," Stallone said. He added that he is working with President-elect Donald Trump, with whom he is friends, on the issue.

"It's almost something that's been kind of lax, and no one's really paying attention," Stallone said. "Well, I'm going to pay attention. Trust me."

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He cited recent manatee deaths in the state in saying that he wants to clean up waterways and prevent more damage from being done.

This starlet coral was spotted during a November 2022 survey by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in an area where actor Sylvester Stallone is proposing a seaweed barrier in the water next to his Palm Beach home.

"Thank you very much for your time," Stallone said. "I have to go feed my penguins. They're hungry."

Speaking after Stallone, Butler pointed to a similar project at Islands of Islamorada, owned by fellow Palm Beachers the Frisbie family. The barrier is designed to reduce but not eliminate the amount of material that passes through, he said.

"We know it's not going to 100% stop, but it's going to reduce the flotsam that's going to float in there," Butler said.

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Reducing boat traffic in the area is a secondary, not primary, goal of the barrier, he said.

Neighbors react to plans

Susan Gary, who lives near Stallone on the North End and called the project to the attention of many of her neighbors, thanked Lindsay for calling the meeting and said her concerns are primarily focused on safety and the environment.

She asked the council to keep one thought in mind: "If you buy a house near an airport, don't complain about the airplane noise," she said.

Palm Beach North End resident Susan Gary voices her opposition to a seaweed barrier proposed for the Intracoastal next to actor Sylvester Stallone's estate, during a special Town Council meeting.

The barrier would have essentially closed off the area to the public, she said  a comment that was echoed by others who spoke to the council in opposition of the project.

Former U.S. Army major general Ron Silverman told the council that the barrier would create a safety issue.

"If you're out there in the channel ... and a big boat comes, you have to get out of the way quickly," he said.

Jane Lindsay and Joel Scott, who live near Stallone on Manana Lane, told the council that the barrier would impact public use. "A barrier like this would merely trap the trash and push it farther down the line," Jane Lindsay Scott said.

Minnie Pulitzer  daughter of fashion icon and designer Lilly Pulitzer, who lives in and grew up on the North End  implored Stallone to reconsider his plans.

"If you allow this, you set a precedent for it to happen all the way down through Palm Beach," she told the council.

Council responds to Stallone's request

Speaking before Stallone's decision to withdraw his plans from consideration, Mayor Moore told the council the barrier would set a bad precedent for Palm Beach.

The council before Stallone's announcement was coming to a consensus to send letters of opposition to the state and federal agencies overseeing the applications.

Members of the Palm Beach Town Council - from left, Council Member Bridget Moran, Council President Pro-Tem Lew Crampton, Council President Bobbie Lindsay, Mayor Danielle Moore and Council Member Julie Araskog - attend a special Town Council meeting Thursday to address Sylvester Stallone's request for a seaweed barrier at his home on Palm Beach's North End.

"I think it's appropriate that we object to this," Moore said, adding later, "Unfortunately, I understand all the circumstances. But I also understand that I believe it would be taking away the rights of boaters and the public to use this particular area."

Council Member Bridget Moran said the aesthetics of the barrier, as seen in the example of the one in Islamorada, were not good.

"It's going to look like you're always doing something" like a dredging project, Moran said. "It's kind of offensive. I don't think it's what we want to put as our best foot forward."

Council Member Julie Araskog knew the Stallones when she lived in California years ago, and said that as much as she would have liked to support the project, she was opposed.

"These are people who are very, very concerned," she said of the neighbors who spoke Thursday. "And I think that their concern is a good one, and I'm sorry. I would so like to say yes."

But, she added, she felt that the barrier would create a safety issue.

As the council members spoke, the Stallones nodded their understanding.

Lindsay said she met the couple earlier this year and talked with Stallone on Wednesday about the barrier.

She joked that she identifies with his predicament of boaters who come too close to his house: "It's tough being so famous," she said, laughing.

But, she added, she still opposed the project. And she called on Stallone to become involved with the effort to remove derelict boats from the Intracoastal and tackle the causes of seagrass death in the area.

"I think today we're being asked by our residents, and you can see where this is heading, to not support this particular application," Lindsay said. "And I would hope that when we do that ... that we also at the same time invite you to please work with us to go after some of these injustices that are happening in our waterway."

Reaction to Stallone pulling project

After Ziska's announcement that Stallone will withdraw the applications, the chamber erupted in applause.

"We cannot thank you enough," Susan Gary told him. "And we're so willing to work with you on the derelict boats and prohibiting the mooring fields along our shores."

After Stallone's departure, the council voted unanimously to still send letters to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Army Corps to register their opposition to future projects that could have similar plans.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Stallone says he will pull plans for seaweed barrier in Palm Beach
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE)  Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency leadership held a press conference Thursday to explain their decision to euthanize bear cubs housed at Appalachian Bear Rescue to prevent exposing the entire wild bear population to disease.

University of Tennessee School of Natural Resources Wildlife Veterinarian Dr. Dan Grove said during the press conference that the bears could still possibly carry the disease out into the wild. As a result, state wildlife officials elected to euthanize 13 bear cubs to help protect the broader bear population.

Dr. David Unger, the Associate Professor of Biology at Maryville College, shared an outside perspective on why decisions like this are made. He explained more about the bacteria and tough wildlife decisions are often based on overall population health.

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Unger explained even if an animal is no longer sick, the bacteria could still exist because they are harboring it. When they are put into the wild, the disease can spread and make it nearly impossible to contain.

An example of this would be of the Chronic Wasting Disease in Wisconsin beginning in 2002. They attempted to treat this disease. It was already in the wild and for the last 22 years theyve made attempts by culling deer, by having hunters increase their take, Unger explained. Yet, chronic wasting disease is still a problem. By taking a very difficult decision at a moment in time, you can prevent decades of hardship.

TWRA opted to look at the population from a broad long-term standing.

When youre talking about a population of 6,000 bears in Tennessee, all of whom could eventually come under risk if this disease were to escape, it suddenly is put into a context that makes a great deal more sense, Unger added.

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Unger notes that black bears have strong immune systems, so the fact that this bacteria was able sicken one to this extent suggests that it is a very serious illness.

This is not the first time ABR has delt with this bacteria, in 2023, several cubs also developed cases of pneumonia that veterinarians later discovered was linked to a specific streptococcus bacteria found in gallinaceous birds, such as domesticated chickens and turkeys. By the end of the illness, two of the bear cubs died. TWRA has made the decision not to bring in any additional bear cubs to ABR until they take measures to prevent future illness.

Appalachian Bear Rescue officials said in a statement Wednesday that they are committed to moving forward and forging a new relationship with TWRA.

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LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  Attorneys for the widow of airport executive Bryan Malinowski filed suit against the United States of America on Dec. 11.

The suit calls for the government to return 35 firearms and approximately 22,032 rounds of ammunition seized during a March 19 raid on the Malinowski home. Malinowski was killed by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) agents executing a 6 a.m. search warrant on his home.

Judge tosses ATF lawsuit out of Arkansas court, cites standing

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According to the suit, Malinowski exchanged fire with the agents who appeared to be armed intruders. At the time, Malinowski was the executive director of Little Rocks Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport.

Affidavits filed with the search warrant maintained that Malinowski was selling guns at gun shows without a dealers license, contrary to federal law. Attorneys for the Malinowski family have maintained that he was selling the guns legally under the so-called gun show loophole rule that allows private sellers.

The guns and ammunition were seized as a forfeiture due to government attorneys maintaining Malinowski was breaking the law.

Attorney for family of Malinowski says Its far from over after prosecutor declines to charge agents

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The suit claims the guns and ammunition should be returned because the government has not filed any charges against Malinowski. It continues that the government has failed to prove any illegal activity, including proof that Malinowski thought he was breaking the law.

The only gun specifically listed is the Cold Defender Handgun used in defense of Mr. Malinowski, his wife, and their home, the suit states.

Exhibits included in the filing is a copy of a web page showing the difference between two models of Glock handguns, a copy of the ATF transaction form used during a firearms purchase and the transcript of the Abramski v. United States case argued before the U.S. Supreme Court in 2014. That case was regarding proper disclosure during a gun purchase.

Released search warrant affidavit shows details of ATF case against Little Rock airport executive Bryan Malinowski

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Court records show that on Thursday, Judge Billy Roy Wilson granted the governments request to file a response to the suit, the next step in the proceedings, by Jan. 9, 2025.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK.
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As far as end-of-the-year news stories go, the drones-over-New-Jersey story has been a fairly fun source of intrigue. Federal agencies report having received several thousand tips from public sightings of moving lights in the sky in New Jersey and along the East Coast; the Federal Aviation Administration is taking the situation seriously enough that it has banned drones from flying over critical New Jersey infrastructure.

Much of the rash of sightings is, according to experts, likely attributable to a combination of legitimate, scheduled airplane flights, helicopters, legally operated hobbyist drones, and celestial objects, with speeds, sizes, and distances misjudged by the error-prone human eye. The federal government has assured the public that there is nothing unusual or inexplicable about the reports. Still, valid questions remain about at least some of the sightings, and the White House hasnt exactly said what it knows. Thats left plenty of room for people to throw around theories with varying degrees of outlandishnessthat these sightings could be the work of foreign actors, hidden government projects, or even angels.

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Sensing the rising public interest, lawmakers have gotten in on the discourse as well: Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, for example, posted a video of distant lightswhich seem to just be the constellation Orionand complained that the federal government was not taking drone sightings seriously enough. The American people deserve answers and action now, he wrote. New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew boldly speculated that they could be from an Iranian mothership. Donald Trump referenced the drones in a crude joke about the former governor of New Jersey.

The only realm of speculation politicians are staying away from? Extraterrestrials.

From a public-relations point of view, that makes sense, given that belief in alien life forms that visit Earth is considered, well, silly. But plenty of these politicians constituents are talking about aliens, if chatter on social media and casual polling are any indication. And you can bet politicians are hearing about space aliens from concerned citizens around the country. Because thanks to some fairly radical changes in how Americans assemble their personal creeds, the belief in extraterrestrial visitations has become far from fringe. In fact, more Americans believe in alien spacecraft than ever before.

According to Christopher Bader, a sociology professor at Chapman University who has polled Americans on their belief in the paranormal, some 35 percent of Americans believe that aliens have visited the Earth in modern times, and about a quarter of the population believes that at least some UFO sightings are extraterrestrial in origin. That number is well above where it was a couple of decades ago: A 1996 poll from Newsweek found only 20 percent of Americans were inclined to believe in alien UFOs; a Baylor religion survey in 2005 similarly found only 24 percent of people did. And Baders data isnt an outlier: A Pew survey from 2021 found that more than 50 percent of people polled believed that UFOs reported by people in the military are likely evidence of intelligent life outside Earth.

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That trend is not just about aliens. Overall, Americans are coming to embrace the paranormal in a multitude of ways. Baders polling found that a majority of Americans believe in hauntingsa 16-point increase from 2005and belief in psychic powers, while still relatively low, has roughly doubled in the past 15 years or so. These beliefs, he said, have been slowly but steadily growing.

As Bader sees it, one of the main reasons behind the general American embrace of the strange and paranormal is the long-running and steady decline of religious institutions. Churches, he said, can often serve as a kind of dampener on paranormal beliefs: Part of the role of a denomination is to lay out a particular creed. That creed may be supernaturalGod, after all, is beyond the realm of scientific proofbut institutional religious doctrine does not usually include any mentions of space aliens.

Now that fewer and fewer people attend religious services, its common in surveys to find someone who says, I believe Jesus is the one and only son of God, and also my house is haunted, and there might be a Bigfoot,  Bader said. People didnt use to believe all those things. Churches would say, Here is the correct package of supernatural beliefs youre allowed to hold. 

In recent years, faith has become more personal, idiosyncratic, and unpredictable. UFOs and ghosts and psychic powersas organized religion plummets, those are growing rapidly, Bader said. Once you no longer have your church telling you, Heres what youre supposed to believe about the world, it frees you to explore other things.

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Theres a common misconception, he said, that Americans are becoming godless secularists; the reality, instead, is that Americans are leaving organized religion in droves but remaining believers, in some way or another. Many Americans who abandon their parents old denominations still pray, still believe in an afterlife, still believe in something beyond the physical world. Actual atheism remains quite rareatheists are only about 5 percent of the population, according to Pew survey data. And committed atheists tend to be pretty skeptical when it comes to paranormal matters. But the vast middle category of spiritual or casually religious Americans are much more open.

This trend crosses demographics. The only real political element to paranormal belief, Bader said, is that people who attend more conservative churches tend to reject paranormal explanations of unexplained phenomena simply because those churches tend to teach that people should see strange things as demonic manifestations. (In other words: UFOs could be the work of the devil, but not aliens.) Otherwise, its all a matter of whether someone is casual enough about their religion to embrace the strange and surreal. (Bader did exempt Bigfoot which he said is more of interest to an outdoorsy, gun-loving, and decidedly Republican demographicfrom the nonpartisan rule.)

These changes in the American faith landscape help explain the publics growing belief in the extraterrestrialand presumably, the belief that the East Coast drones are exactly that. But the other major factor for growing belief in extraterrestrial spacecraft is the cratering of public trust in government. Decline in public trust comes with a rise in belief in conspiracy theories.

A huge portion of the New Jersey drone speculators appear to believe that shadowy government figures are hiding something from the publicno matter what the drones might be. Podcaster Joe Rogan has floated the idea that the drones are meant to inure the public to such aerial objects, to normalize the idea of us being invaded because they know some real UAPs [unidentified anomalous phenomena] are on their way. Other conspiracy theorists have revived an old claim that a staged alien invasion would provide cover to create an authoritarian global government.

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MAGA Republican politicians are fanning the flames, seemingly in large part to amplify distrust of the Biden administration. (Fox News speculated, for example, that anger over the drones will turn New Jersey red.) The government knows what is happening, Trump said in comments to reporters on Monday. Our military knows and our president knows. And for some reason, they want to keep people in suspense.

The most emphatic element of the MAGA response is the final telling detailone that truly reflects the American soul: Encouraging citizens to shoot whatever it is out of the sky.

Im going to tell you right now that if they try to tell us all to stay inside, stay home, shelter in place FOR OUR SAFETY from the drones, there is no way in hell I will comply with that absolute bullshit, Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote on Truth Social. Ill shoot the drones down myself along with every other red blooded freedom loving American.

Heres our future presidents post on the matter from Dec. 13:

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Mystery Drone sightings all over the Country. Can this really be happening without our governments knowledge. I dont think so! Let the public know, and now. Otherwise, shoot them down!!! DJT

What does it all add up to? The American response to unexplained aerial phenomena is clarifyingnot about whats in the sky, but for who we are: mistrustful people, lovers of the paranormal, eclectic in our beliefs, and trigger-happy (in word if not in deed). The New Jersey drone mystery may or may not get a clear explanation. But it has already told us something important about ourselves.
Amazon workers affiliated with the Teamsters union launched a strike at seven delivery hubs in four U.S. states this week, but experts say it wont have much of an effect on Christmas deliveries.

The striking workers are warehouse employees and delivery drivers who work for third-party contractors that handle package deliveries for the company.

According to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the striking workers walked off the job early Thursday at three Amazon delivery hubs in Southern California and four others in New York City, Atlanta, Skokie, Ill., and San Francisco. The union said it also planned to form picket lines at hundreds of Amazon fulfillment centers nationwide.

What are their demands, and how long will the strike last?

Workers picketing in front of an Amazon fulfillment center in the Queens borough of New York City on Friday. (Stefan Jeremiah/AP)

The Teamsters, which says it represents nearly 10,000 Amazon workers across the country, did not say how many workers were participating in the strike, which it called the largest strike against Amazon in U.S. history.

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The union did not specify how long the workers planned to strike or what demands they are making other than higher wages, better benefits, and safer conditions at work.

But as the Associated Press explained, Amazon has rebuffed demands to come to the negotiating table since it doesnt consider the drivers to be its employees.

What does Amazon say?

A demonstrator walks the picket line in front of an Amazon fulfillment center in Skokie, Ill.. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Amazon spokesperson Eileen Hards said in a statement Thursday that the striking workers were almost entirely outsiders, not Amazon employees or partners, and the suggestion otherwise is just another lie from the Teamsters.

Amazon employs 1.5 million employees worldwide, including 800,000 in the United States.

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The truth is that they were unable to get enough support from our employees and partners and have brought in outsiders to come and harass and intimidate our team, which is inappropriate and dangerous, the statement added. We appreciate all our teams great work to serve their customers and communities, and are continuing to focus on getting customers their holiday orders.

The strike follows similar actions by organized labor in the U.S. this year. Earlier this week, a union representing more than 10,000 Starbucks baristas authorized a potential strike, with employees in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle threatening to walk off the job on Christmas Eve.

How will the Amazon strike impact holiday deliveries?

Striking drivers talk outside an Amazon facility in the City of Industry, Calif., on Thursday. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)

The head of Teamsters union suggested the strike will disrupt holiday deliveries for the retail giant.

If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazons insatiable greed, Teamsters president Sean OBrien said in a statement.

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But Amazon said it does not expect the strike to affect holiday deliveries.

Thankfully, the vast majority of our employees and the drivers who deliver on our behalf came to work today to do what they do every day," Kelly Nantel, director of Global Corporate Issues and Media Relations at Amazon, told ABC News on Thursday, adding that the company had not seen an impact on deliveries.

Experts say the strike will have a very limited effect on Amazons holiday shipments, if at all.

They will have the ability to ship product from other locations. They wont be shut down, Satish Jindel, president of ShipMatrix, a software provider that tracks on-time delivery data for package shippers, told CNN. Some packages that might have taken one day to be delivered will now take two. Some that might have taken two days will take three. But it wont be that many.

It is possible there may be some isolated incidents of delay, Morningstar analyst Dan Romanoff told Reuters. I just do not think there will be a material impact.
A high-rise building in Kyivs Holosiivskyi district was damaged during the Russian attack on 20 December.

Source: Oksana Lebedieva, founder of the NGO Gen.Ukrainian, which supports childrens rehabilitation

Details: Oksana, a resident of the building, recounted to Ukrainska Pravda.Life that the windows in apartments from the ground to the twelfth floor were shattered. One of the affected apartments belonged to her elderly neighbours.

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Quote: "From what I know, no one in the building has been killed, but the windows shattered in an instant. The exterior of the building is in ruins. Everyone is in shock.

My neighbours are an elderly couple, and Im with them now. The husband managed to push his wife into the bathroom just in time. I dont know how he did it, but she is now having trouble speaking."

More details: Oksana explained that she was asleep during the large-scale attack but woke up immediately after the strike. At the time, her friend from Kharkiv, who had lost her home in an earlier Russian attack, was staying with her.

Quote: "So basically, Russia destroyed her home in Kharkiv and now hit again here. She has a few scratches and is in shock. Shes now with relatives, while Im staying to help my neighbours.

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There are no emergency services here yet, not even to board up the windows. Only Reuters came to film. The foreign press is asking controversial questions. They directly asked me whether I think the attack happened because Zelenskyy called Putin a dumbass. Such provocative things."

The entrepreneur has started a fundraiser to support the elderly couple. Donations can be made via the provided link.

Background: On 20 December 2024, Russia launched a large-scale attack on Kyiv using ballistic missiles and drones. Debris fell in three districts of the city. Reports confirm that one person was killed in the Holosiivskyi district and ten people were injured across the city.

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(NewsNation)  As police in Madison, Wisconsin continue to search for a motive in the deadly shooting at Abundant Life Christian School, students at the small private school are struggling to cope with what happened.

Michard Jean-Charles, a freshman at the school, told NewsNation the emotions of processing the shooting come in waves. He said that he did not hear any of the shots that killed two people at the school and injured six others. He said that he was downstairs in the schools weight room when he looked out of a window and saw several police cars parked outside the school.

We knew something was going on, Michard said. We just protected ourselves.

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CEO shooting: DOJ charges may lead to death penalty

Michelet Jean-Charles, who has three children at the school, was at work when he received word that there had been a shooting at a local school. He told NewsNation that he initially heard the shooting took place at a Catholic School. But when he did an online search, he discovered the shooting was at Abundant Life Christian School. He said he heard sirens for about 20 minutes, which made him think someone important was in Madison that required a police presence.

But upon learning of the school shooting at his sons school, he said that he immediately called his wife and went to the school, where other parents were already gathered.

Its been one of the scariest times for me in my life, Michelet Jean-Charles told NewsNation.

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Michelet Jean-Charles said he was in tears when he arrived at the school, which is located less than a mile from his workplace.

Michard said that he had known the student who was killed, Rubi Patricia Vergara since they were in kindergarten and that he knew the teacher who was killed, Erin M. West, for nearly four years.

Theyre both great people, he said.

Michard said that Natalie Rupnow, the shooter who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, was in her first year at the school. He said that to him, there was something slightly off about the 15-year-old.

The way she acted, I guess, it wasnt disturbing, but it was a little weird, I guess, he told NewsNation. Its hard to describe.

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Students will return to school after the new year, marking the first time they will be back inside the building since the shooting. Michard said doing so would be difficult.

Im praying that God makes it easier for all of us and that He just brings us peace, Michard said.

His father agreed.

Michelet Jean-Charles said that he knows the school will take new security measures when students return. He said that every time he or his wife drops their sons off at the school, it will be a reminder of the tragedy. But the family will rely on their faith to allow them to move on.

We know that God is in control, Michelet told NewsNation. He let (the shooting) happen. It happened for a reason. We know that He is sovereign, He is God and we stand on that no matter what happens.

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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 NewsNation.
JANESVILLE, Wis. (WFRV)  A 15-year-old boy was taken into custody Wednesday morning after allegedly posting a bomb threat targeting a residence on social media.

The Janesville Police Department said officers were alerted Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. by the Wisconsin Statewide Intelligence Center about a bomb threat posted on Snapchat by the boy.

All Wisconsin Big Lots stores to start going out of business sales after company announcement

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Shortly after midnight, the boy was taken into custody and transported to the Youth Services Center on charges of making terroristic threats. Police searched the boys home but did not find any concerning materials.

Authorities described the bomb threat as vague, referencing a residence as the intended target. The investigation remains ongoing, but there are no known threats to the community at this time.

Amidst snowstorm, authorities in Wisconsin remind motorists to clean off vehicle, urge safe driving

The Janesville Police Department emphasized the importance of using social media responsibly and urged the public to report any threatening or concerning behavior.

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Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Janesville Police Department at 608-755-3100.

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.
Wisconsin voters saw five statewide referendum questions in 2024, the most in a single year since 1982. Four more could appear on ballots in the next two years.

One would add Wisconsin's voter photo ID law to the state constitution. Republicans will try to pass that measure in time for the April 2025 election, coinciding with a high-profile state Supreme Court race, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos told the Journal Sentinel.

To reach the ballot, the same constitutional amendment must be passed by state lawmakers two sessions in a row.

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Because Republicans hold control of the Legislature, they have the power to put these questions before voters and decide which election to schedule them. Unlike about half of other states, Wisconsin doesn't have a process where citizens can initiate statewide referendums.

Last winter, lawmakers passed four constitutional amendments for the first time. To place the questions on ballots, a slimmer Republican majority would need to pass them a second time in 2025.

To get referendums on the April 1 ballot in Wisconsin, lawmakers have a Jan. 21 deadline to pass them in the full Assembly and Senate, according to the Legislative Reference Bureau. That's about two weeks after the session starts Jan. 6.

Vos said he intends to bring up the voter ID referendum "right away." The proposal's authors reintroduced it Dec. 17 and asked lawmakers to sign up to cosponsor it by Jan. 6, indicating the proposal could move quickly.

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Republicans could also wait and schedule referendums for elections in 2026. Vos said he assumed lawmakers will pass the three other constitutional amendments a second time, but his caucus hasn't yet discussed when to put them on the ballot.

Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer told the Journal Sentinel it's "entirely possible" Republicans will continue using constitutional amendments, which don't require Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' approval.

"We will just need to do what we can to push back against those (referendums) that move our state backwards," Neubauer said in a year-end interview.

Here's a primer on the four referendums that Wisconsin voters could see next and the debates behind them:

Adding Wisconsin's voter photo ID requirement to the constitution

State laws already require voters to show photo identification, but this referendum would enshrine that requirement in the state constitution.

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Adding a voter ID requirement to the constitution makes it less likely the state Supreme Court would declare it unconstitutional, or that Democrats could repeal the laws if they gain control of the Legislature. Reversing amendments to the constitution is more difficult than undoing state laws.

"I cannot say for certain how the Wisconsin Supreme Court would rule on voter ID laws, but I'm also not willing to risk the Wisconsin Supreme Court declaring voter ID laws unconstitutional," Sen. Van Wanggaard, a Republican from Racine, said at a hearing for the measure last year.

The state's highest court is under liberal control, but the April election will determine if it stays that way. Vos said he's concerned that Dane County Circuit Judge Susan Crawford, the liberal candidate in the race, was a lead attorney in efforts to overturn voter ID.

"We can hopefully have it on the April (ballot) and have it enacted into law before anybody would be elected or not," Vos said in a year-end interview. "I think that (voter ID) is such a common-sense thing. It worries me about other decisions she would make."

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It would "require something extraordinary" for a court to strike down voter ID if it's in the constitution, said University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor Barry Burden, unless justices decide it conflicts with another part of the constitution.

Other states took the same route in the 2010s with mixed results, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Minnesota voters rejected adding a voter ID requirement to their state constitution, for example, while voters in Mississippi and North Carolina approved it.

If approved by voters in Wisconsin, the amendment would still let lawmakers decide what types of photo ID are acceptable and create exceptions. Voters who don't have a photo ID when they go the polls could still cast a provisional ballot, which is counted after they return to their clerk with their ID.

In a letter to lawmakers, a coalition of liberal-leaning and voting-rights groups said adding voter ID to the constitution is "unnecessary, impractical, and risks disenfranchising countless eligible voters across party lines, all over the state."

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"We're hoping that the new Legislature will be more moderate in its tone," Sam Liebert, state director of All Voting is Local, told the Journal Sentinel. "I think it would take only two Republican senators, if all Democrats vote against it, to stop it. We're hoping that cooler heads will prevail."

More: Wisconsin voter ID law still causing confusion, stifles turnout in Milwaukee, voting advocates say

Prohibiting government from closing places of worship during a state of emergency

Another referendum would add language to the state constitution that says the state and local governments can't close or forbid gatherings in places of worship  like churches, synagogues and mosques  during a state of emergency.

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, state and local health officials limited public gatherings, including at places of worship.

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"These actions exacerbated the mental health strain that the pandemic inflicted on residents who were unable to access their place of worship and spiritual leaders," Rep. Ty Bodden, a Republican from Hilbert, testified at a hearing for the constitutional amendment.

Court decisions later lifted restrictions on gatherings, including a state Supreme Court ruling that struck down Evers' stay-at-home order. Another ruling said local officials couldn't close schools because the order violated religious private school students' right to free exercise of religion.

More: Wisconsin GOP lawmakers propose to ban church closures during health emergencies

Several states added similar policies to their state laws since 2020, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau, and voters in Texas and Louisiana added it to their constitutions. Voters in Arkansas narrowly rejected it.

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This referendum is "one that people understand and have opinions about," Burden said, compared to complex issues like who controls tax dollars. "My guess is that churches and other groups will be communicating about that."

Gov. Tony Evers vetoed the words and numbers in red, creating a $325-per-student increase in school funding each year until 2425.

Prohibiting governors from using a partial veto to create or raise taxes

Wisconsin is the only state that allows its governor to partially veto the state budget. That means they can remove words, numbers or punctuation to create new meanings or change spending amounts. Governors from both parties have creatively used the partial veto.

This proposed constitutional amendment would specifically prevent the governor from using the partial veto to create or increase any tax or fee.

Republicans made clear the amendment is a response to Evers striking a hyphen and a "20" in the last state budget, which effectively locked in school funding increases for the next 400 years.

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Attorneys with Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, the state's largest business lobby, sued over that veto, arguing Evers unilaterally allowed property taxes to increase. The case is before the state Supreme Court.

More: Can he do that? Tony Evers followed a Wisconsin tradition when he increased school aid for 402 years.

If this referendum passed, it wouldn't be the first time Wisconsin voters have reined in the governor's partial veto power.

Many proposals that would have broadly rolled back the partial veto didn't make it through the Legislature twice, said Bryna Godar, a staff attorney at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School's State Democracy Research Initiative.

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But more narrow limits on the governor's veto  like the new proposal  "seem to have gained more traction," Godar said.

That happened in 1990, when voters approved a referendum that said the governor can't remove letters to create a new word, known as the "Vanna White" veto. And in 2008, voters said the governor can't create new sentences from parts of two or more sentences, dubbed the "Frankenstein" veto.

Ending discrimination or preferential treatment based on race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin

The last referendum would prohibit governmental entities from discriminating against, or giving preferential treatment to, any individual or group based on race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin.

"Governmental entities" would include state government, local governments, the University of Wisconsin System, the Wisconsin Technical College System, public school districts and other public agencies.

The conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, which supports the proposal, testified that "in practice, this amendment would ban government-sponsored affirmative action, racial quotas and preferences, and so-called Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies that use racial discrimination."

Last summer, budget negotiations for the UW System were contentious as Republicans aimed to eliminate DEI positions. In June 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the consideration of race in college admissions policies.

More: At UW-Madison, Black and Hispanic enrollment declines after affirmative action ends

The amendment wouldn't prohibit actions required to keep getting funding from federal programs. It also wouldn't prohibit "bona fide qualifications based on sex that are reasonably necessary to the normal operation" of public employment, education, contracting or administration.

Eight states have similar laws, and five states have added it to their constitution since 1996, according to the Legislative Reference Bureau.

That includes Michigan, where in 2006 voters approved an amendment that says public institutions can't use affirmative action programs to grant preferential treatment based on race or sex. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld Michigan's amendment, saying it didn't violate the Fourteenth Amendment.

A shared revenue law enacted last year said counties, cities, villages and towns in Wisconsin can't discriminate or provide preferential treatment based on race, color, ancestry, national origin or sexual orientation  similar to language in the proposed constitutional amendment.

At the time, city and county officials told the Journal Sentinel that the practice has already been banned by state and federal law for decades and said it wouldn't change their hiring or contracting processes.

More: Wisconsin Republicans banned race-based hiring in local government. It's already been illegal for over 50 years.

Laura Schulte of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contributed to this story.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Voter ID referendum could be on Wisconsin ballot in April election
DELPHI, Ind.  Surrounded by police and prosecutors, a retired government employee stood with a stoic expression as those around her heaped praise.

She was the key to solving one of Indianas most infamous crimes in recent memory.

Kathy Shank, who volunteered as a clerk, came across a box of tip sheets in a desk drawer that led to an arrest in the 2017 killings of Abigail "Abby" Williams and Liberty "Libby" German in Delphi.

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On Friday, the man Shank helped identify, Richard Allen, was sentenced to the maximum punishment of 130 years in prison in their deaths.

Kathy Shank speaks to the media Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, during the press conference following the sentencing hearing for Richard Allen in the Delphi double murders at the Wabash and Erie Canal Conference and Interpretive Center in Delphi, Ind. Allen was sentenced to 130 years in the killings of Liberty German and Abigail Williams.

Without her, we would not be here, Carroll County Prosecutor Nick McLeland said during a news conference after Allens sentencing. Without her, we would not have an arrest, conviction and a sentence.

Before her retirement, Shank worked for 40 years as a child protective service investigator.

As soon as I saw (the tip), I just thought this was something wed been looking for, Shank said after the news conference Friday.

She was also hailed as a hero by Carroll County Sheriff Tony Liggett after Allens sentencing. Even after finding the tip, Shank played a role in the prosecutor's office.

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"She was the grandmother of our office, if you will," McLeland said. "She made sure that whatever we needed, she took care of and she never complained."

Shank said she was happy to be at the news conference and that there was justice for the families of the victims.

McLeland also thanked law enforcement and his team of prosecutors for their support in securing Allens conviction. He hopes the families of the victims can take a sigh of relief that this part of the trial is over, McLeland said.

On a large screen during the news conference, a photo of Abby Williams and Libby German was projected. In the photo, the girls appeared to be sitting in the back of a vehicle, with winter hats on, smiling into the camera.

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Next to the podium was another photo of the girls with the following message: Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same.

Allen was convicted in November of two counts of murder and two counts of murder while kidnapping the girls. Special Judge Frances Gull imposed the maximum 65-year punishment for each murder charge.

"I have been a criminal court judge in the state of Indiana for 25 years, and I have presided over some of the most hideous cases in the state of Indiana," Gull told Allen before announcing her sentence in a packed courtroom, "and you rank right up there."

Allen has maintained his innocence and will appeal.

Richard Allen was not on Delphi investigators' radar. Then a volunteer found a box of tips

A few days after the girls' bodies were found, Allen self-reported to investigators that he was on the Monon High Bridge trail on Feb. 13, 2017. He was later contacted by Dan Dulin, an Indiana Department of Natural Resources captain who was helping with the investigation, and the two met at a grocery store.

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Allen said he was on the trail that day between 1 and 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 13, Dulin told jurors during the trial in October. Allen told the investigator he saw three girls near the Freedom Bridge as he headed toward the trail, Dulin testified.

Allen was ultimately cleared, and for the next five years, he was not on investigators' radar. That changed on Sept. 21, 2022, when Shank came across a "lead sheet" about Allen.

That day, she opened the box and began going through the files, thinking she had to log them into a database. Then, she came across Allen's file, which appeared to have been mislabeled as "Richard Allen Whiteman," Shank testified during Allen's trial.

It's unclear where "Whiteman" came from, but Allen, a white man, lived on Whiteman Drive in Delphi.

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The file seemed to catch Shank's attention. She'd previously read that someone, a girl, had reported seeing a man on the trail on Feb. 13 at about the same time that Allen, based on his own self-reporting, was on the trail.

"I thought there could be a correlation," Shank testified.

Shank took the file to Tony Liggett, who was chief deputy at the Carroll County Sheriff's Office at that time. He alerted Steve Mullin, who was chief of the Delphi Police Department when the girls were killed and later became an investigator at the prosecutor's office.

The investigation then focused on Allen, leading to his subsequent conviction in November and sentencing on Friday.

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Contact Jake Allen at jake.allen@indystar.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @Jake_Allen19.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Delphi volunteer who found lost tip hailed as hero after sentencing
The handover of Macau marked a significant transition on December 20, 1999, establishing a legal framework intended to ensure stability and continuity.

Yet, as time passed, the initial laws and regulations began to falter under the pressures of a rapidly evolving society.

Lawyer Sergio de Almeida Correia highlights this struggle, noting that the lack of political will to modernize the legal system hindered Macaus development for years.

Fortunately, he adds, recent shifts in the authorities mindset have sparked a wave of fundamental legislative reforms aimed at revitalizing the regions legal sector.

Correia commented, These changes became outdated over time, and for many years, there was no political will to modernize the legal system and the courts, which was detrimental to Macaus development.

The legal expert believes that the new Chief Executive, Sam Hou Fai, who will be inaugurated today, will play a key role in modernizing the legal system.

He is well-prepared and knowledgeable about the legal and administrative challenges facing society, said Correia. However, he also pointed out that it will be more difficult to count on the Legislative Assembly due to the low technical and legal-political expertise of many of its members.

Reflecting on the evolution of Macaus legal system since the handover, the legal expert noted that changes have been minimal and often poorly executed. He specifically highlighted issues with the Land Law, which has led to significant problems.

Only in recent years has there been a genuine political will for reform, leading to improvements like the dematerialization of judicial processes and the modernization of registries. For Correia, these reforms have been long overdue due to previous leadership failures and inadequate preparation.

Meanwhile, critics argue that the initial promise of autonomy has been overshadowed by a lack of democratic reforms. The principle of One country, two systems failed because democracy was not granted alongside autonomy, stated lawyer Jorge Menezes.

Legislative Failures

The erosion of liberties in Macau is attributed to both insufficient legislation and the harsh enforcement of existing laws, according to Menezes.

The lawyer pointed out that violations of fundamental rightssuch as the right to protest, freedom of the press, and political participationhave impacted the exercise of freedoms.

Just last month, the Macau Journalists Association (AJM) has voiced concerns about the restrictions on press freedom in the city, calling on the government to withdraw unnecessary reporting limitations.

In a statement, the AJM highlighted several recent incidents that illustrate a troubling trend in the erosion of press freedom, noting that it is witnessing a systematic preclusion of various media outlets from covering government-hosted events.

Regarding the introduction of the national security law, Menezes stated that the law effectively makes every citizen a potential target for prosecution.

Criticism and the expression of opinion can be construed as crimes under the security law, he warned, emphasizing the laws vague nature.

Menezes observed, This led to self-censorship and a less engaged community, reflecting a broader trend where fear of repercussions hampers open discussion on important issues.

Looking ahead, Menezes expressed skepticism about Macaus prospects over the next 25 years. He pointed to the Greater Bay Area initiativea major economic projectas a potential risk to Macau.

The legal border with China would ensure Macaus distinctiveness, he explained, but breaching that protection could lead to further integration with Chinas culture and economy, diminishing Macaus uniqueness.

For Correia, while he stresses the importance of integration with mainland China and the Greater Bay Area, he insists that laws must be clear and well-crafted to avoid ambiguity. He advocates for skilled individuals to be involved in this process to promote development without creating barriers to investment or compromising Macaus identity.

The next 25 years do not appear promising, Menezes concluded, urging a reassessment of how Macau can preserve its unique identity moving forward.
CNN political analyst Gloria Borger is exiting the news network after 17 years, and Wolf Blitzer has shown his gratitude for her contributions to The Situation Room over the years.

At the end of Thursday, December 19s broadcast, Blitzer took a moment to thank Borger and remember her first appearance on his show, airing a clip from September 13, 2007.

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Everybody stand back for a moment. I want to have a special moment right now to say, Thank you, thank you, thank you, to our Gloria Borger. Seventeen years here at CNN. This is going to be your last week here at CNN. Youre getting ready to move on and we want to wish you only the very best, Blitzer told Borger. You and I go way back, in fact, your first appearance on CNN was right here in The Situation Room.

The clip showed Blitzer hosting The Situation Room and taking on the topic of George W. Bushs plans for the war in Iraq. Borger appeared on the show to give her take on those plans, standing opposite Blitzer across from a circular table.

Gloria, I speak for all of our viewers here in the United States and indeed, around the world, when I say, Thank you, thank you, thank you,' Blitzer told Borger after the clip.

Borger replied, Its been pure joy. Its been a great 17 years. Ive worked with the best people in the business [and] the best journalists in the business.

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The political commentator noted that in the clip they used to stand for hours to host the show, versus now where they all sit behind a desk to give their hot takes on politics.

Its been a great pleasure, she continued. Im going to really miss the place, but Im going to be CNNs biggest fan, and Ill be rooting for everyone from the sidelines.

Watch Borger on CNNs The Situation Room in the video below.

Gloria Borger on CNN exit: Im going to really miss the place, but Im going to be CNNs biggest fan, and Ill be rooting for everyone from the sidelines. pic.twitter.com/3YU88tK5Zr  Deadline (@DEADLINE) December 20, 2024

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA)  With a potential government shutdown looming, the Rep. Steve Womack of Arkansas about the effects that this conflict may have on Arkansans.

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson brought forward a plan midweek to fund the government, but the plan sank after tweet exchanges between President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk expressing distaste for the bill, two days before the government deadline.

Womack said that if a continuing resolution fails to pass soon, disruption will likely ensue.

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This would pause disaster recovery funds to help places like Rogers and jeopardize military efforts such as the foreign military sales training program at the Ebbing Air National Guard Base.

House rejects Johnsons plan B to prevent shutdown

I am deeply concerned about not being able to get FY25 appropriations finished and deeply concerned about the threat of a government shutdown and the impact it could have on a mission as vital to the valley area as the F-35 mission the FMS mission is to the greater Fort Smith and River Valley region, said Womack.

Training events, operations, and maintenance would be up in the air, affecting Ebbings mission.

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Womack said many people dont understand the long-term impacts of a shutdown and dont see it impacting them.

Over time, U.S. government-funded jobs will be affected such as IRS workers, and going into tax season, this could cause a variety of issues.

Mandatory and essential workers may not get paid on time but still have to work.

Theres a lot of things that happen that may not immediately and directly impact everyday citizens, but I promise you, we all pay for it in the end, Womack said.

Conversations of a new proposal that met the expectations of the President-Elect were turned down by the democratic party.

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The most recent plan took the over 1,500-page plan to around 116 pages and suspended the debt ceiling until early 2027.

Womack said he will be in Washington, D.C. for as long as it takes to vote on the important things in the U.S.

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.
PEARL RIVER COUNTY, Miss. (WHLT)  The woman accused of killing her estranged husband outside a Mississippi courthouse has been denied bond.

WXXV reported Tanya Saucier appeared in court on Thursday, December 19. She has been held in the Pearl River County Jail since the shooting occurred.

VIDEO: Porch pirate steals packages from Laurel home

The shooting happened outside the Pearl River County Chancery Courthouse in Poplarville around 12:15 p.m. on Tuesday, December 17.

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Pearl River County deputies identified the victim as James Ray Saucier, of Poplarville. He died at the scene.

According to the Pearl River County Jails website, Tanya Saucier has been charged with murder.

The shooting is being investigated by the Pearl River County Sheriffs Office.

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LAURENS COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA)  A Simpsonville woman was arrested Thursday for alleged identity fraud while working at Laurens County School District 55.

According to the school district, Bryia Lattimore Scott, worked at Waterloo Elementary School under the name Viola Church.

The Laurens County Sheriffs Office said deputies were contacted by the school district about Scotts alleged fraud.

The school district said Scott was employed by Aya Healthcare, which had a contract with the district.

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Aya Healthcare is a company that employs travel nurses across the country.

The district sent out a letter to parents and guardians of impacted students.

Deputies said Scott is being charged with identity fraud to unlawfully obtain employment.

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.
Dec. 19An Indiana woman who embezzled nearly $380,000 over seven years from a Miamisburg-based business was sentenced to probation.

Corinna C. Bystrom, 45, of Liberty, Ind., was sentenced Wednesday by Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Susan Solle to up to five years of community control sanctions. She pleaded guilty Nov. 12 to one count of aggravated theft a week before her trial.

She was accused of stealing from Stateline Medical Equipment Inc., her employer of 14 years.

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"An internal audit by Stateline Medical uncovered the defendant, an employee, had been writing unauthorized checks to herself since 2016, totaling approximately $380,000," the Montgomery County Prosecutor's Office stated.

The checks were written between Nov. 1, 2016, and April 11, 2023, according to court records.

Bystrom's attorney Antony Abboud said after graduating from high school that she worked at a local pizza restaurant for the business owner, and that after working at a bank and doing accounting for a local plumbing and heating company she was offered a position at the medical equipment company.

"For the past 14 years, Ms. Bystrom worked her way up to managing her own location for Stateline," Abboud wrote in a sentencing memorandum requesting probation instead of prison. "It should be noted that she has no prior criminal history."

Bystrom had faced up to three years in prison. She is next due back in court April 15 for a probation status hearing.
BRAZOS COUNTY, Texas (FOX 44)  A woman has been sentenced to six years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) for her third DWI.

The Brazos County District Attorneys Office says Judge David Hilburn of the 361st District Court sentenced Sabrina Perez on Wednesday. This was for the offense of Driving While Intoxicated-3rd or More.

College Station Police officers originally responded to a three-vehicle crash in the 2400 block of Texas Avenue in December 2023. No injuries were reported, but before officers arrived on scene the driver of the vehicle which caused the crash told the other drivers this would be her third DWI.

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Man arrested after fleeing authorities and crashing stolen car

The D.A.s Office says when officers approached Perez, they found distinct signs of intoxication including the smell of alcohol, red and glassy eyes, slurred speech, and stumbling and losing her balance. Perez told officers she only had two beers after work and was on her way home.

Officers attempted to perform a Standard Field Sobriety Test, but were unable to complete the test due to the level of intoxication. Perez was asked to consent to a breath or blood draw and she refused.

The D.A.s Office says a search warrant was obtained to do a blood draw of Perez at Saint Josephs hospital. The results showed Perezs blood alcohol content was a 0.214 nearly five hours after she caused the crash.

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Perez previously pled guilty to Credit/Debit Card Abuse from the Elderly and was probation. During this time, she was sent to an inpatient treatment facility to address any substance abuse dependency. Perez completed the outpatient program but later violated her probation, which was revoked. She was sentenced to two years in the TDCJ. Her prior trip to prison enhanced the third-degree felony to a second-degree felony.

The D.A.s Office says Perez pled guilty to Driving While Intoxicated-3rd or More in October 2024. A punishment hearing was set for December. Judge Hilburn heard evidence from one of the responding officers and one of the individuals involved in the crash. He then sentenced Perez to six years in the TDCJ.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KWKT - FOX 44.
DOTHAN, Ala (WDHN)  After getting a cold shoulder over the last few days from the city, five people who say they were falsely arrested, tazed, and one of them even beaten by a Dothan police officer over the weekend and their attorney, called out elected officials and Dothan Police to release body cam video of the alleged brutality that happened in the parking lot of the Elks Lodge.

WATCH: Lawyers for woman hit during Dothan arrest hold news conference

Everybody wants to stick their heads in the grounds like an ostrich as if it didnt happen. We have video, and we havent gotten anything from elected officials, especially the mayors office, said Attorney Dustin Fowler.

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Cell phone video recorded by a witness in the parking lot of the Elks Lodge shows April Franklin being jumped on by an officer, taken down to the ground, and punched multiple times before being handcuffed after police say she was in a verbal confrontation with officers.

Dothan Police say she got too close to officers arresting Zaire Downie, and when they asked her to back up, she refused, and thats when the video shows the officer attacking her  both the officer and Franklin were injured. However, Fowler didnt specify the injuries.

If anyone has looked at the video if you look, you see an officer totally out of control who exhibited conduct that cant be explained or tolerated in Dothan or any city. We also call for this officer to be suspended, Steven Etheredge said.

Just moments before the attack, a fight broke out in the Elks Lodge, which is why police were there, but Fowler says they werent there for them.

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Police punch Dothan woman during arrest, she alleges brutality and abuse

My clients did nothing to result in an arrest, whether they were inside the club or outside, Fowler said.

They charged five of his clients with resisting arrest. In addition, Franklin was charged with aggravated assault.

My clients did not hit anybody or taze anybody. This was out of hand with certain officers. We want to know what happened with these officers, Fowler said.

The internal affairs division, made up of three sergeants and a lieutenant within the police department, is reviewing the incident, which is standard procedure when theres the use of force.

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In an updated statement today, DPD says, To date, we have not received any allegations of excessive force against any officers from Mr. Fowler or any of his clients.

Dothan Police says the incident is under a thorough investigation, and although they dont typically release body cam footage, they are committed to ensuring transparency and accountability.

You can read Dothan Polices full statement at the bottom of this article.

Fowler says right now, they are not seeing transparency, and he believes theres a good chance they may not get to see the video.

If you didnt do anything, release it; if you did, this is taxpayers dollars. They deserve to know what happened, He said.

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Attorney General Steve Marshall issued an opinion of his office. As long as its under investigation, they are not subject to open records, and its just an opinion, but it leads me to believe he wouldnt be in favor, He continued.

In the future, Fowler did not rule out suing the Dothan Police Department.

First, we have to get past these bogus arrests and criminal matter but there will be a reckoning sooner or later,

Chief-Benny-Release-1Download

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDHN - wdhn.com.
Jessie Owen was traveling with her family twelve years ago when, while going through a mountain pass, a tree fell on their car.

In that moment, my parents passed away, my siblings were severely injured, and I became quadriplegic," Owen told ABC News. "I lost my independence. I lost my job. I lost my apartment. I lost my autonomy and the life that I dreamed for myself."

But thanks to a brand-new device  which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration on Dec. 19  shes able to move her hands and arms again.

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Onward Therapy, the makers of the therapeutic ARC-EX device, explain that the non-invasive device works via electrodes placed on the back of the neck.

Related: Groundbreaking Use of AI Technology Helps a Paralyzed Man Begin to Move Again

"It allows us to pass current through the skin to activate the sensory nerves as they enter the spinal cord. Now, those sensory nerves make direct connections to the motor nerves which help people to move," Dr. Chet Moritz, a professor of rehabilitation medicine at the University of Washington, told ABC News.

Owen, who participated in the devices clinical trial, told the outlet, "I was wildly surprised and pleased to see that it was making meaningful change in my life. I can now paint with my hands. I can open a jar of peanut butter. I can tie my shoes.

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According to the clinical trials results, 72% of participants saw improvement in the hand and arm strength and function  which led to meaningful quality of life improvements. Participants also reported a decrease in the frequency and severity of muscle spasms, improved sleep quality and reduced pain, which led to significant increases in overall well-being.

Related: Teen Becomes Temporarily Paralyzed After 2 Insect Bites: 'Something Was Very Wrong'

As Owen explained: It [used to] take me 30 minutes to get dressed. Now it takes 12. [I used to require] 20 caregiving hours a week and I was able to move down to about eight."

I continued to gain function back, and I found I was able to pour more into other people," she said. "The first indicator of success that I noticed was my own happiness. It works, and it gives us hope and passion."

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A woman pepper-sprayed by a passerby while raising money at a Brooklyn stoop sale for families in Gaza is calling for hate crime charges against another woman accused in the episode.

The victim, 40, who requested her name not be used, was taking part in the sale on Pacific St. in Cobble Hill on Nov. 23 when Amy Kwalwasser, 53, began taking footage of the group, some of whom were wearing keffiyehs.

All proceeds to families in Gaza, a sign attached to a tree in front of the stoop read.

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The victim then began filming Kwalwasser herself, resulting in an exchange that allegedly ended with Kwalwasser pepper spraying the victim, said cops and the victim.

A 40 year-old female victim got into a verbal dispute with another female individual. The victim was then sprayed in the face with pepper spray causing irritation to the eyes and swelling, said a DCPI spokesperson Thursday.

Kwalwasser, a lawyer from Fort Greene, was charged with assault, assault with intent to cause physical injury, criminal possession of a weapon, harassment and criminal mischief, according to a court database.

The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the victims lawyer, Ron Kuby, both say they have contacted the Brooklyn District Attorneys Office several times to urge Kwalwasser be charged with a hate crime.

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Kuby complains that the charges Kwalwasser is facing are not as severe as those faced by 28-year-old Taylor Pelton and others accused of spray-painting the homes of Anne Pasternak, the executive director of the Brooklyn Museum, and a museum board member. Kuby said the victim in this case hired him to make sure people who are thought to be Palestinian are treated the same way as people who support Israel when they are attacked.

This general indifference to Zionist-inspired violence against actual people stands in sharp contrast to the vigor with which you prosecute crimes committed by Palestinian supporters against Zionist property, wrote Kuby in a letter to two Brooklyn Assistant District Attorneys.

The case is under review.

We take all allegations of bias seriously, a spokesperson from the Brooklyn District Attorneys Office told the Daily News. The Hate Crimes Bureau is reviewing this case to determine if charges beyond those the police brought are warranted.

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Kuby, the victim and a witness provided video of the incident to The News.

According to another woman involved in the stoop sale who did not share her name, Kwalwasser told the group images of them would be posted online as an example of hatred towards Jews. The victim and her friends then began filming Kwalwasser with their phones.

Were helping five families who are being starved, the victim says in one of the videos.

Video shows Kwalwasser then reaches out for the victims phone.

She grabbed my phone and threw it violently, the victim later explained. First the phone hit the leg of one of our friends and then it hit the ground.

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Another video taken at the same time shows Kwalwasser throwing the phone, and then someone from the stoop sale group reaches out and grabs ahold of her bag before Kwalwasser wrenches it free and heads across the street.

Another video filmed by the victim picks up the scene across the street a few seconds later, after the victim retrieved her phone and saw it was damaged.

Come and repay my phone, says the victim, following Kwalwasser as she continues to walk backwards while recording and screaming for help.

We were keeping a distance and she was walking, slowly recording us and screaming like she was the victim, the woman whose phone was snatched later told The News.

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Kwalwasser then sprays the victim with pepper spray, the video shows.

In a matter of seconds my face started to burn, the victim said. After some time the police came and one of them helped me to cross the street because at that point I couldnt open my eyes anymore.

I was in shock. Is this happening to me?

The victim went by ambulance to NYU Langone HospitalBrooklyn, where she was treated and released.

Another video seen by The News shows Kwalwasser in handcuffs, being walked to a car by a pair of NYPD officers.

Remember, youre supporting terrorism, she tells the group, who react with sounds of mock concern.

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Kwalwasser was issued a desk appearance ticket by the NYPD to appear in court at a later date.

Kuby also represents victims of Jonathan Kaye, the Brooklyn investment banker charged with assault, menacing and harassment for allegedly shoving and punching a pro-Palestine group after the Brooklyn Pride Parade in June. Kuby also feels Kaye should have been charged with a hate crime. That case is ongoing.

The victim said its clear to her that Kwalwassers actions can be chalked up to bias.

A civilized person would say Im sorry, I had a burst of anger,' the victim said. Even if I am pro-Israel and you are pro-Palestine.

Phone messages left for Kwalwasser were not returned. She is due in court on Feb. 11.

With Rocco Parascandola
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  An Indiana woman pleaded guilty Friday to charges related to embezzling nearly $1.2 million from her Charlotte-based company.

According to the U.S Attorneys Office, Christina Robinson, 52, was charged with wire fraud after being accused of engaging in a scheme to defraud her employer by abusing her position as the companys controller. Robinson allegedly carried out the scheme by moving the embezzled funds and withdrawing them in cash. To conceal the theft and to remain undetected, Robinson made materially false and misleading accounting entries in the companys books and records.

York County woman pleads guilty to embezzling $1.7 million from Charlotte employer: DOJ

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Court documents show that Robinson, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, admitted Friday that she used some of the funds to pay for personal expenses, including more than $330,000 in purchases, over $324,000 in credit card payments, more than $80,000 in loan payments, over $40,000 in mortgage payments, and more than $35,000 in car payments.

Robinson was released on bond following the plea hearing. At sentencing, she faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the wire fraud charge.

A sentencing date has not been set.

The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Bozin of the U.S. Attorneys Office in Charlotte is prosecuting the case.

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In November, joint operations conducted by the Public Security Police Force (PSP) and the Labour Affairs Bureau resulted in the discovery of 69 alleged illegal workers, according to a press statement from PSP. The authorities inspected 142 locations, including construction sites, private buildings, industrial establishments, and commercial premises, leading to the interception of the 69 suspected illegal workers. Officials emphasized their commitment to continuing such initiatives to combat illegal employment practices, reduce criminal activity, and protect vulnerable workers from exploitation.

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Dec. 19SANTA FE  A woman convicted of causing a 2022 wrong-way crash that killed a Santa Fe police officer and a retired firefighter was sentenced Thursday to a minimum of 60 years in prison.

Jurors on Dec. 12 found Jeannine Jaramillo, 49, responsible for leading police in a high-speed chase against traffic on Interstate 25 near Santa Fe, resulting in a fatal head-on collision.

Killed in the crash were 43-year-old Santa Fe police officer Robert Duran and 62-year-old Frank Lovato, a retired firefighter from Las Vegas, New Mexico.

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First Judicial District Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer ordered Jaramillo to serve the two life sentences consecutively. Jaramillo repeatedly interrupted the judge during the sentencing, arguing that she had not committed murder.

"You have taken the lives of two outstanding members of our community," Marlowe Sommer told Jaramillo during the sentencing. She said Jaramillo initiated the high-speed pursuit by asking a bystander to call 911 and report that she was being held in her car at knifepoint.

"This was a priority one for law enforcement," Marlowe Sommer said. "You led (police) through busy streets, driving in the opposite lane of traffic at times on residential streets, and then you purposely drove on the exit ramp on Interstate 25 going directly against oncoming traffic." The wrong-way pursuit led to the fatal crash between Lovato and Duran, she said.

Jaramillo repeatedly made interjections during the judge's narrative.

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"I am not a murderer. I am not," Jaramillo shouted. "I was not in that crash."

The judge silenced her. "I'm sentencing you," Marlowe Sommer said. "I'm making observations, and you may not interrupt me. After five days of evidence and testimony, the jury said you did."

Family members of Duran and Lovato spoke at the two-hour sentencing hearing, describing the impact on their families.

"The loss of my husband will continue to impact my family for the rest of our lives," said Duran's wife, Kathleen Duran.

"We do our best to enjoy our lives as Robert would want us to but there's not a day that goes by that we don't feel his loss or the hole that his absence leaves," she said.

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Robert Duran's sister, Angela Gamino, said she suffers depression as a result of her brother's death.

"My family has been completely shattered and there is nothing I can do to fix this," Gamino said. "The pain of losing him, especially under such senseless circumstances, is overwhelming."

Gamino said Duran called her children every day.

"He always wanted them to know that he was thinking of them and he loved them," she said. "That was the kind of guy he was."

Before her sentencing, Jaramillo apologized to the families and told the judge she had struggled with drug addiction.

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"I'd like to say I'm sorry to the family with all my heart," Jaramillo said. "I'm so sorry for what I've done, for my actions. I'm not an evil person."

Jaramillo also said that the death of the two men an accident.

"I would never run into anybody on purpose," she said. "It was an accident."

Her attorney, David Silva, said his client understood she was facing mandatory prison time for her convictions.

"She does ask that you factor in her remorse," Silva said. "She asks that you factor in her history of drug use and being a victim of domestic violence and run who charges concurrent."

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Marlowe Sommer rejected Silva's request to run the two live sentences concurrently. She also rejected Jaramillo's claim that the fatal crash was an accident, citing the "length of time you led officers on this high-speed chase and the choices you made."

Jurors deliberated about four hours last week before finding Jaramillo guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and other charges.

Each first-degree murder conviction requires Jaramillo to serve at least 30 years in prison before she is eligible for parole. By running the two sentences consecutively, Marlowe Sommer required Jaramillo to serve at least 60 years.

The jury also convicted Jaramillo of great bodily injury by vehicle, aggravated fleeing, possession of a stolen vehicle and making a false report.

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Wrong-way pursuit

Prosecutors told jurors during the trial that Jaramillo set the fatal events in motion by falsely telling a bystander to call 911 because an armed man had taken her hostage.

The 911 call brought police to Vizcaya Apartments, 2500 Sawmill Road in Santa Fe, where officers began chasing a white Chevrolet Malibu, first on Santa Fe streets, then onto I-25.

Jurors viewed startling police dash-camera video showing Jaramillo driving 90 mph the wrong way on I-25 as other drivers swerved and pulled over to avoid head-on collisions.

Video also showed the fatal collision. Lovato avoided a collision with the Malibu, then collided head-on with Duran's police car. Both men died at the scene.

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Following the fatal crash, the Malibu collided with a heavy GMC truck that disabled the Malibu.

Officers testified that they saw Jaramillo crawl out of the driver's side window, then claim that a boyfriend named Mark Lopez had held her captive and forced her to flee police. Officers later determined that Jaramillo was alone in the car during the pursuit.
A 36-year-old woman from Bow, Washington, was taken into custody after fleeing a traffic stop and injuring a Washington State Patrol (WSP) trooper during a pursuit on Monday.

Bow is north of Burlington, west of Belfast.

The incident began just before 2:54 p.m. on Dec. 16 when a trooper attempted to stop a maroon BMW 5 Series sedan without license plates on State Route 20 near Burlington.

The driver drove away, leading officers on a chase through rural roads.

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The BMW briefly stopped on the 17700 block of Maiben Road.

As the trooper partially blocked the roadway ahead of the vehicle, the driver attempted to reverse but was unable due to traffic.

Instead, she drove forward, hitting the open door of the troopers patrol car and pinning the troopers leg between the door and the vehicle.

The injured trooper ended the pursuit as the woman drove away.

Investigators, with assistance from the Burlington Police Department, identified the driver and a male passenger.

On December 17, WSP troopers and detectives arrested the woman at her residence without incident.

She was booked into the Skagit County Jail on charges of Assault in the Second Degree, Malicious Mischief in the First Degree, Injury Hit and Run, and Eluding a Police Vehicle.




A decade ago in 2014, Lobna Yakout married Karim Salim, unaware of his history as a criminal. Now, four years after leaving him, Yakout is sharing how she learned that her ex-husband was a serial killer.

According to PEOPLE, after getting married, the couple moved to Cairo to raise their son. Although she felt like she found the love of her life, she had no idea she was in store for a much more dangerous lifestyle: Yakout allegedly endured years of abuse while living with Salim, alleging that, He nearly killed me many times.

After six years, Yakout had enough, and left Salim moving to a new home in Cairo, taking her 5-year-old son with her. But despite leaving him, Salim continued to harass and threaten her.

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In 2021, a year after the couple separated, Yakout met with Salim in what was meant to be a meeting between father and son. Unfortunately, that was also the last time she was her child, as Salim kidnapped him, according to Arham Online.

After not hearing any news about her son and continuing to receive threats from her former lover, Yakout escaped to the United Kingdom. For the next two years, she didnt hear from Salim until receiving a call in May from Egyptian authorities, telling her that he had been accused of murdering three women.

After an investigation, it was discovered that Salim murdered, tortured, and sexually assaulted the corpses of three female sex workers in his Cairo home between November 2023 and May 2024, recording every incident, per the report from Arham Online.

Now that Karim has been sentenced to death, Yakout is focusing on finding her son, who she still hasnt seen since 2021.

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In a TikTok video post last week, she shared, Whenever he [Salim] got locked up, he told the police that I was dead, so his mom took my son Its been seven months, I havent seen my son, I havent heard from my son, shes kidnapped him.

She continued, I filed all police papersI have full custody, I have every single right. I cannot find this woman.

Yakout has since started a GoFundMe in an effort to help find her missing son who is still somewhere unknown with Salims mother.

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This post contains brief mention of rape and abuse.

Recently, we covered a story about a Florida woman who was arrested and charged for allegedly "threatening" a BlueCross BlueShield insurance agent who denied her claim.

Bloomberg / Getty Images

Women online responded by highlighting what they see as a double standard of justice, calling out how quickly police arrested this woman for her "threatening" words while often dismissing female victims who have been threatened.

This is a real issue, according to a study done by the Battered Women's Justice Project, a nonprofit that focuses on intimate partner violence justice. 80% of women who reported abuse to police expressed a fear of not being believed, and some women in the study also expressed a fear of police not taking action. kali9 / Getty Images

So, we're sharing stories that we received from women in our comment section to highlight the seriousness of this issue. Here's what they said:

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1."I had voicemails and texts, and my stalker came into my work. He put a tracker on my car! The police said there was nothing they could do because he hadnt physically threatened anyone. But he had!"

"My stalker had a large gun safe full of guns and rifles. I told them that. The police said they couldnt do anything unless the situation escalated. Escalated! I couldnt get a restraining order. This went on for years."

Anonymous

2."When I asked for help about the stalker who terrorized me, the police asked me what I had done to make him so mad at me."

Anonymous

3."I once was chased by two men back to my apartment building. This was after I ignored them cat-calling me while walking back home. I luckily was able to get the building door locked behind me so they couldnt get in, and ran to the basement to access a separate stairwell where they couldnt figure out which floor I lived on since the main stairwell I would have normally used could be seen from the outside."

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"When I got back to my apartment, I could still hear them banging and screaming for 'Princess Jasmine' (Im South Asian) to come back down, so I called the police. The officers arrived while the guys were still banging on the door, and they told me that since I wasnt physically harmed, nor was the mens conduct threatening, they would not be taking any action. I was 19 years old."

Anonymous

4."I was in high school but old enough to drive. A man would wait for me at my parking spot and follow me home, getting increasingly threatening as I declined his (adult) advances. Eventually, he threatened to harm me and my family if I didnt go out with him. When we finally called the police after months of harassment, lying in wait, following, and threats of violence  they said no crime had been committed."

"They asked if I had said some specific special words, like, 'You are stalking me, I am scared, you must stop following me or you will be breaking the law.' Which was wild, was it a crime or nah? Why was the onus put on a teenage girl to inform a grown man of a law that police just told me did not exist? Unless I said those magic words or the man actually assaulted me, there was 'nothing they could do.'"

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Anonymous

5."I had a guy try to run me into oncoming traffic because of road rage. The cops said they couldn't do anything because they didn't see it happen. Even with dash cam footage, a description, and a full license plate."

Anonymous LightFieldStudios / Getty Images

6."My mother was constantly beaten up by her boyfriend; they just offered a restraining order. When he would show up and threaten her and us, they said they couldn't do anything unless he violated the restraining order. So he could threaten her and us from a distance, stalk her, but nothing would be done until he put his hands on her again."

Anonymous

7."I was kidnapped and raped about 15 years ago. Cops told me they could pick up the guy who did it, but since they had seen someone that looked like me taking photos in my town's graveyard the week before, the case wouldnt likely make it to court because 'only prostitutes hang out in graveyards.' They ended up putting me on the stand only to tell me since the guy said he 'paid me' by tossing a wadded-up $20 bill at me afterward, they could only charge him with soliciting and that I was actually lucky they werent charging me for prostitution."

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"WHAT HOOKERS HANG OUT IN GRAVEYARDS?! They also called me Stacy (not my name) throughout the entire ordeal and had the nerve to tell me that I shouldnt worry about getting pregnant because Id make a 'great mom.' Dude got away with everything, and they wouldnt even issue a restraining order because 'he doesnt even know you.'"

Anonymous

8."When I was in divorce proceedings, my soon-to-be ex ran into me and tried to run me off the road. Because there were no witnesses and I was able to control the car and drive to a police station, I was told, 'Wait 'til the next time!' WTF! He tried to kill me!"

Anonymous

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9."I called police about home invasions from my stalker of 17 years and all they said was 'change your locks.'"

Anonymous seksan Mongkhonkhamsao / Getty Images

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10."I was an advocate for a woman whose estranged ex had called her to say he was 'coming over right now to fucking kill her.' I was in court with her when the judge denied the protective order because 'it was not a credible or imminent threat. It was a figure of speech.' She had fled the home before he arrived."

Anonymous

11."My high school ex-boyfriend and his sister kept leaving threatening messages on my voicemail, telling me I need to 'watch my back.' My mom and I went to the police, and we were told that that wasnt actually a threat and there was nothing they could do."

Anonymous

12."My soon-to-be ex came over one night in December when I wasn't home and kicked out my front windows when I wouldnt let him in. I called the cops (there was a restraining order on him), and they met with him and told me there was no proof that he did it. Why would I lie about this?"

Anonymous Jason Doiy / Getty Images

13."This person was threatening to come to my residence to harm myself and my young children, and police said their hands were tied because he lived in another state. Even though he was in my state at the time."

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Anonymous

14."My 88-year-old mother was threatened by my niece and her boyfriend, who were squatting in her house. We told them they couldn't live there, so they threatened to send someone to harm her at 3:00 a.m. (typed out on Facebook). I took her to apply for an order of protection."

"The judge denied her an injunction because it was their First Amendment right to say what they think on Facebook. There is a saying in my family that the police only want to show up to do the body count after the incident happens."

Anonymous

15."I was threatened by an irate man in a Starbucks drive-thru. The baristas called 911 on my behalf, and the man was apprehended by six cops. The cops asked me if I had done something to provoke him, making me feel like it was somehow my fault I had been threatened by a random stranger. They ultimately let him go because no one else witnessed the threat. It was maddening, to say the least."

Anonymous Cristi Croituru / Getty Images

And finally...

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16."In 2019, Id had a threat from a Nazi in Texas that he was going to come to my home with a gun. I contacted the police in my city, and they said they couldnt do anything unless he was at my door. So after hed potentially shot me or my family? Useless. Simply useless. Homeland Security stepped in and learned he had made up his whole plan. But regardless, who makes these laws?"

KlutzyCat

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673), which routes the caller to their nearest sexual assault service provider. You can also search for your local center here.
CAIRO/UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday that three of its staff were killed in war-torn Sudan's Blue Nile state on Thursday after an aerial strike on its compound.

"Any loss of life in humanitarian service is unconscionable. Humanitarians are not, and must never be, a target," WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain said. "I demand a thorough investigation and for the perpetrators to be held accountable."

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was outraged by the killings, his spokesperson said.

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In a statement the Sudanese government expressed its condolences for the deaths, and condemned any attack on aid workers or the U.N. It said it would investigate the incident, but added that the army did not have any activities in the area.

War erupted in Sudan in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces ahead of a planned transition to civilian rule, triggering the world's largest displacement and hunger crisis.

"WFP remains committed to delivering humanitarian assistance across Sudan, including in Blue Nile State. WFP will stay and deliver vital food and nutrition aid across all locations in Sudan. This is what our fallen colleagues would have wanted," McCain said in statement.

(Reporting by Nafisa El Taher and Michelle Nichols, Writing by Menna Alaa and Michelle Nichols; Editing by Alison Williams and Andrew Cawthorne)
Dec. 19The Spokane County Sheriff's Office is one of a number of agencies statewide and across the country turning to artificial intelligence and researchers to review to what Sheriff John Nowels referred 'as law enforcement's single largest data set: body camera footage.

In the Evergreen State, much of that work is done at Washington State University's Complex Social Interactions Lab, which has reviewed more than 40,000 hours of footage for a number of law enforcement agencies since its inception in 2016.

Lab Director David Makin said the trend is an effort to turn those large data sets into usable and actionable information.

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"It's an untapped data source that you're spending a considerable amount of money to collect and store, but unfortunately, without these tools or integrated practices, it just sits there," Makin said. "It's a data source that largely is untapped, when you could use it to improve outcomes."

The lab partners with a number of law enforcement agencies across the state, and can tailor analysis to what an agency might want to learn from its trove of footage, Makin said. He added that any Washington agency could participate in the lab's studies free of charge.

For example, an agency may ask the lab to explore possible discrimination within the agency's force, the effectiveness of an agency's de-escalation tactics or a review of how often resources are provided following a domestic violence call.

The lab also partners with Axon, the largest provider of police cameras and footage storage in the country. The company's database of body camera footage sat at around 4 terabytes in 2016, as reported by ProPublica.

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As of August, that figure has grown to around 400 petabytes, according to a company letter to shareholders. That's the storage capacity equivalent to 3,125,000 iPhone 16s, if opting for the cheapest model.

Makin said his field has grown exponentially over the years, due in part to a somewhat competitive landscape and the piggybacking successes of involved parties. Makin said there are two main camps on the analysis side: researchers like himself who are developing open-source technologies that can be shared widely, and private companies developing proprietary programs and techniques. The company the county has partnered with, Polis Solutions and its software TrustStat, is an example of the latter.

Where TrustStat relies predominantly on artificial intelligence to carry the load, Makin's lab uses around 50 student researchers to assist in analysis. The students process the footage, take notes on the information they can gather, then enter it into machine learning algorithms to look for identifiable patterns or connections between what was observed and the eventual outcome of the police encounter.

Makin said that the human element helps with cases where a person's judgment might be needed.

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"We need some element of subjective kind of assessment, and so that's what we need our students for, as well," Makin said. "They help us label data, but they also give us that vantage of, 'Well, how well do you think the officer did in this interaction?'"

While implementing an analysis tool, or a program like the Sheriff's Office's, is one piece of the puzzle, Makin said incorporating the technology into an institution plays an equally large role. Integrating the tech into existing practices and daily operations is often where agencies fall short, he said.

"Integrating it means I got to align policy and practice so that if the technology identifies a set of body-worn material videos that I should go look at for various reasons, do I have a policy that tells the person how they have to do it?" Makin said. "What has to happen next?"

Makin said they evaluate the success of integrating technology on five main principles: it should lead to an improvement in efficiencies, effectiveness, resource allocation and the ability to deploy resources, while also having an accountability aspect.

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"You can have a successful integration if you can do all five of those," Makin said. "What's uncommon is actually going through it when you do your integration and checking, because you could actually implement a technology and actually it produces operational inefficiencies, introduces organizational ineffectiveness."

"Then we're kind of back at square one, and most people end up scrapping the technology and saying it didn't work," Makin said.

Nowels said he was not aware of the lab's ongoing work, and that the agency could have partnered with the lab free of charge. Makin takes the blame for that, saying the lab and researchers as a whole could do more to build awareness of their efforts.

"We just don't do well to market ourselves," Makin said. "I'm a researcher and I'm not a salesperson."

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Makin said he looks forward to seeing the results of the Spokane County program, and he hopes the aforementioned board overseeing the project has a research plan on what they hope to learn, how those lessons will be implemented, and so on.

"I think that's the missing part of all of this, right?" Makin said. "It's: 'We just got a grant to buy this technology.' Well, does it come with a plan to evaluate its effectiveness or its efficiency?"

Editor's note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly spelled the surname of David Makin, the director of Washington State University's Complex Social Interactions Lab.
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH)  Concerns from health officials are mounting as Wisconsin this week became the ninth state in the country to report a human case of bird flu.

The virus, known as H5N1, has been circulating among bird populations for decades.

Bird flu symptoms: Online searches spike after first severe case in US

Dr. Scott Roberts is an infectious disease physician at Yale New Haven Hospital. He said this new strain of bird flu behaves differently, infecting other animals and now people.

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What were seeing is that there are these spill-over events, particularly dairy workers, poultry workers. Those who have direct exposure to those infected animals are getting infected at higher rates than weve ever seen before, Roberts said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, theres been more than 60 human bird flu cases in the U.S. since April.

The latest case in Wisconsin is a farm worker who contracted the disease from an infected flock of commercial poultry. It comes just days after the first confirmed severe case in Louisiana.

California declared an emergency over bird flu. How serious is the situation?

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The hospitalized patient is reportedly over 65, had underlying health conditions, and caught the virus from sick and dead birds in their backyard.

The State of California declared a state of emergency, following an outbreak of bird flu among dairy cows.

Every time theres a human infection theres that risk and potential of maybe that human is also infected with regular seasonal flu. Is there going to be a mixing event? Or is it going pick up something from the regular flu and be able to spread person-to-person? Roberts said.

While were not there yet, health officials are watching all of these cases closely.

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Louisiana patient has first severe bird flu case in US: health officials

Bird flu can present a range of symptoms, including eye redness (conjunctivitis), fever, cough, and shortness of breath, according to the CDC.

Roberts said right now, the risk to Connecticut residents and the public is exceedingly low.

He recommends avoiding wild birds in your background.

We dont have a good sense of how well it spreads through this manner but avoid raw foods that may come from infected animals, he continued.

Authorities are concerned about the disease possibly spreading through raw (unpasteurized) milk.

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.
NORTH LIMA, Ohio (WKBN)  A New York man is in the Mahoning County Jail accused of breaking and entering into a North Lima home.

Police responded to the 600 block of West South Range Road in North Lima on Thursday after observing a man outside an abandoned home with a red Mercedes Benz SUV with a New York registration.

Officers identified the man as Emilien Boyer and found the south side door open. Boyer said that he went into the residence after he found it kicked in. Reports state that he then produced a set of gloves, a face mask and a headlamp that was still turned on.

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Owners of the residence said they did not know Boyner nor did he have permission to be on the property.

In an interview with police, Boyer said another person was with him. Officers found antique items in Boyers vehicle, but Boyer said they did not come from the residence where he was found.

Boyer was charged with burglary and possessing criminal tools. He is set to have a preliminary hearing on January 17.

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.
China is expanding its nuclear force, has increased military pressure against Taiwan and has strengthened its ties with Russia over the past year, according to a Pentagon report yesterday [Macau time] that details actions accelerating key areas of conflict with the United States.

The Chinese Embassy, in response, said China has always firmly adhered to a nuclear strategy of self-defense, follows the no-first-use nuclear policy and maintains its nuclear capabilities at the minimum level required for national security.

Liu Pengyu, the embassy spokesman, said such annual reports by the Pentagon are filled with Cold-War thinking and zero-sum game mentality, which China firmly opposes.

The report notes that the recent rash of corruption allegations within Chinas powerful Central Military Commission, which oversees the Peoples Liberation Army, is hurting Beijings military growth and could slow its campaign to modernize.

The impact, said a senior defense official, is a bit of a mixed bag because while there has been progress in some programs, China has slid back in others.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the U.S. assessment, warned that Beijing is working toward developing a more diverse and technologically sophisticated nuclear force. While the expected number of nuclear warheads has maintained consistent growth, China is broadening its targeting abilities.

Beijing is going to be able to go after more and different types of targets, do greater damage and have more options for multiple rounds of counterstrikes, the official said. The U.S. is urging China to be more transparent about its nuclear program, while also warning that America will defend its allies and take appropriate steps in response.

According to the report, which provides the annual U.S. assessment of Chinas military power and is required by Congress, China had more than 600 operational nuclear warheads as of May, and the U.S. expects it will have more than 1,000 by 2030.

The Biden administration has worked to maintain a balance with China, building up the U.S. military presence in the Asia-Pacific region to be ready to counter Beijing while also encouraging increased communications between the two countries at the diplomatic and military levels.

That uptick in talks has coincided with a decrease in coercive and risky intercepts of U.S. aircraft since late 2023, compared with the previous two years. China still, however, does what the U.S. military considers unsafe flights near American and allied forces in the region.

The Pentagons national defense strategy is built around China being the greatest security challenge for the U.S., and the threat from Beijing influences how the U.S. military is equipped and organized for the future.

The corruption within the PLA has resulted in at least 15 high-ranking officials being ousted in a major shakeup of Chinas defense establishment.

This wave of corruption touches every service in the PLA, and it may have shaken Beijings confidence, the report said.

In June, China announced that former Defense Minister Li Shangfu and his predecessor, Wei Fenghe, were expelled from the ruling Communist Party and accused of corruption. Last month, another senior official, Miao Hua, was suspended and put under investigation, according to Chinas Defense Ministry.

The U.S. report points to a persistent increased military presence by China around Taiwan. It said Chinas navy has been in the region more and that there have been increased crossings into the islands air defense identification zone and major military exercises in the area.

Just last week, a large deployment of Chinese navy and coast guard vessels in the waters around Taiwan triggered alarm as Taiwanese officials said it looked like China was simulating a blockade. Officials have said there were as many as 90 ships involved in what Taiwan described as two walls designed to demonstrate that the waters belong to China.

The sefl-ruled island has been the chief source of tension between Washington and Beijing for decades and is widely seen as the most likely trigger for a potentially catastrophic U.S.-China war.

More broadly, the report concluded that the PLA continued its drive to develop greater military capabilities but made uneven progress toward its 2027 milestone for modernization.

One area of expansion, the report said, is with unmanned aerial systems, which officials said are quickly approaching U.S. standards.

Regarding Russia, the report said China has supported Russias war against Ukraine and sold Russia dual-use items that Moscows military industry relies on. Dual use items can be used for both civilian and military purposes. LOLITA C. BALDOR, WASHINGTON, MDT/AP
NEW ORLEANS (AP)  Less than 1% of Catholic nuns in the United States today are 30 or younger. Seyram Adzokpa and Zoey Stapleton are two of the young women who have made the rare decision to join a religious community and begin the long process to become nuns. Here are their stories.

From Ghana to Texas to a New Orleans convent

The first time Sister Seyram Mary Adzokpa felt pulled toward religious life was walking in a Texas Walmart, at the age of 25, with her mother.

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Born in Ghana, Adzokpa had never encountered a nun. Her family attended the Catholic church faithfully, but she knew nothing of the religious life and always thought marriage would be her path.

I wanted a husband like my dad. With three kids. I had the names of my two girls picked out, she said.

Eleven years after moving to the United States she was introduced to this new possibility as she watched two Dominican sisters enter the store.

I still cannot describe the feeling, she said remembering how perfectly pressed their habits were. My heart just  I cant explain what it felt like  but it was a pull.

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But it wasnt until the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, about a year later, that she fully embraced the call.

There was fear. Absolutely, said Adzokpa, who at the time was working on the front lines as a nurse.

However, there was also a desire to cling, or reach out for someone who knew what was going on. And that person would be God.

Her spiritual director at church encouraged her to explore the call and date Jesus. I guess you can say sort of like an imaginary friend, she said.

She cooked with Jesus, cleaned with Jesus, even had date nights with Jesus, setting the table for two at dinner and selecting movies to watch together.

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It was on one of these date nights when Adzokpa came across a film about the Venerable Henriette DeLille, one of three founders of the Sisters of the Holy Family in New Orleans, the community which she would officially join in late September 2021 at 27-years-old.

But before she could join, she had to tell her family. And as a child of immigrants, she feared disappointing them.

They made this trip for us, she said. Came to the United States for better education, better life, a career, the American dream, right? And then here I am telling them that Im throwing it all away to go be poor and obedient and chaste.

To her surprise, their support was overwhelming.

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I thank God for that, she said.

Three years later, Adzokpa has said her temporary vows with the order and is using her nursing experience to help care for the elderly sisters in the community whose average age is about 80.

Shes found a balance between medicine and spirituality that shed been craving but was missing out in the world.

Despite having a career and a life that I enjoyed, still being able to respond to this call is Gods persistence, she said. I truly believe that when he calls you, he will hunt you down. He will not stop fighting.

A family comes to terms with daughter's choice

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Similarly to Adzokpa, it was a challenge for Zoey Stapleton, 24, to fathom being apart from her family so permanently. But if she were to pursue the persistent call to religious life, this would be the reality.

We have a very, very tight bond, said Stapleton, who grew up an only child just outside of Hershey, Pennsylvania. So obviously, entering into this new arena, this new adventure, means that were going to be separated.

After receiving an undergraduate degree in clinical psychology and a masters in mental health counseling from Franciscan University in Ohio, she found herself back home in Palmyra, enjoying time with family and friends before entering her pivotal next chapter.

Steam rose around her cheeks as she sauteed vegetables while cooking dinner with her mother, Peggy, on an evening in July. Her father, Tom, occasionally walked into the kitchen, reminiscing over old family photos and discussing their upcoming annual trip to the New Jersey coast.

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This would be their last family vacation before Stapleton entered the religious community, the Franciscan Sisters, T.O.R. of Penance of the Sorrowful Mother, in Toronto, Ohio.

They set the kitchen table for dinner and as the sun faded out the back windows, they sat to bow their heads in prayer before enjoying the home-cooked meal.

Although the news of both her decision and acceptance into the religious institute didnt come as a complete surprise to her parents, their own acceptance wasnt always easy.

Choking back tears after dinner, Peggy remembered asking her fellow parishioners at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church to pray for them.

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This is a change of life, Peggy said to her daughter as they sat together in the living room. Youre giving up so many worldly things.

Zoey, who still enjoys painting, used to draw pictures of the house she hoped to have in Hershey, said Peggy. It was like it just came crashing down.

But after weeks of processing, she found peace. What can be better than Jesus, God asking your daughter to be so close to him?

The conversation ended in laughter as Peggy asked her daughter when the communitys chapel was open to the public, hinting at her future visits.

In early August, Zoey joined the order as a postulant. She waved from the steps of the motherhouse as her parents drove down the winding driveway, her mother waving back from the sunroof of their car.

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And just months later, as the sisters voices rang out into the vaulted wood ceilings of the chapel during Mass, her parents could be found in the pews just a few rows behind her.

___

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.
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN)  Youngstown City Schools has received $15,000 for its STEAM Storytellers Project.

The Martha Holden Jennings Foundation awarded the grant to implement an exciting initiative that connects middle school scholars with STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) careers through storytelling, creativity and real-world exploration.

We are honored to receive this generous funding and are sincerely thankful to MHJF for recognizing the value of this project and supporting our efforts to provide innovative educational opportunities for our scholars, said YCSD Superintendent Jeremy Batchelor in a press release. This grant will allow us to inspire and engage our scholars in meaningful ways while helping them see the relevance of STEAM in their lives and future careers.

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The Youngstown STEAM Storytellers Project will operate from January 2025 through fall 2025, involving:

Field trips to local STEAM businesses : Scholars will explore careers through firsthand experiences and connecting classroom learning to the real world.

Creative storytelling and illustration: Middle school scholars will write and use AI to illustrate educational stories about STEAM careers for the K-5 scholars.

YCSD is seeking local businesses to be hosts for field trips and to provide guest speakers. Those interested can contact STEAM & Fine Arts Curriculum Supervisor Bridget Lambright-Tommelleo at bridget.lambright@youngstown.k12.oh.us.

We cant do this without the support of our STEM community, said Lambright-Tommelleo said in a press release. Your involvement will help us inspire the next generation of Youngstowns innovators and problem-solvers while ensuring a strong pipeline of talent for the future.

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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 WKBN.com.
Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine's former commander-in-chief and current ambassador to the U.K., released an autobiographical book titled "My War," the first part of a planned trilogy, he announced on Dec. 20.

The first part covers Zaluzhnyi's life from his childhood until the outbreak of the full-scale war.

Zaluzhnyi started writing the book in March 2023 before he was replaced as commander-in-chief by General Oleksandr Syrskyi this February. Zaluzhnyi's wife edited the copy.

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"This is a storybook for young people, to whom I want to convey an important truth: everything is possible in life if you really want it. Dream and follow your dreams," Zaluzhnyi said.

"This book is about my war. First, the war with my own fears that prevent me from doing anything. Second, the war with people who prevent you from achieving your goals. And finally, the war against circumstances that become obstacles in life," he added.

Zaluzhnyi is widely popular with both the military and the broader population due to his role in leading the resistance against Russia.

According to a recent survey by the Future Research Foundation, Zaluzhnyi tops the list of trusted Ukrainians with 70.9%, leaving behind Ukraine's military intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, and President Volodymyr Zelensky.

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The other two books by Zaluzhnyi will be called "Our War" and "Their War," the Babel media outlet reported in October, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter. The date of their release is unknown.

Sources claimed that the trilogy does not mark the start of the ex-commander political career.

Read also: Getting out of protracted war with Russia almost impossible, Zaluzhnyi says

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
LUSAKA, Zambia. (AP)  Two people have been arrested for allegedly plotting to harm Zambias President Hakainde Hichilema using witchcraft, police said Friday.

Police spokesperson Rae Hamoonga said in a statement that the two suspects, Jasten Mabulesse Candunde, 42, and Leonard Phiri, 43, were allegedly hired by Nelson Banda, the younger brother of fugitive lawmaker Jay Banda, to bewitch the president.

Jay Banda escaped from police custody in August 2024 while facing charges of aggravated robbery. His whereabouts are unknown.

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The two suspects face charges of practicing witchcraft, possession of charms and cruelty to animals.

The suspects were found in possession of assorted charms, including a live chameleon, and are alleged to be practicing witchdoctors," Hamoonga said, adding that their purported mission "was to use charms to harm the Head of State, His Excellency President Hakainde Hichilema.

The police spokesperson said the suspects disclosed that they had agreed to receive a full payment of $7,400.
Ukraine has received the sixth IRIS-T SLM air defence system from Germany.

Source: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an evening address on Friday, 20 December, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Commenting on Russia's latest missile strike on Kyiv, Zelenskyy thanked Ukraine's partners, "who are responding to this and other Russian attacks with the readiness to provide more air defence systems, more weapons that can protect against terrorists".

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"We've now come back from Brussels with new agreements on air defence systems. Germany has also handed over an additional IRIS-T system. Thank you," he added.

Previously: Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, Germany has provided Ukraine with six IRIS-T SLM (medium-range) and four SLS (short-range) systems.

Background:

During a visit to Kyiv in early December, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz confirmed that the sixth IRIS-T SLM system would arrive in Ukraine by the end of the year.

In early September, Scholz announced that Germany had ordered a total of 17 IRIS-T air defence systems for Ukraine, consisting of eight medium-range (SLM) and nine short-range (SLS) systems.

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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has held a video conversation with his Czech counterpart Petr Pavel on bilateral relations and military cooperation.

Source: Ukrainian President's Office, as reported by European Pravda

Details: During the conversation, Zelenskyy told Pavel about the situation on the battlefield and also raised the possibility of training Ukrainian brigades in Czechia "following the example of France and the United States."

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Quote: "The head of the Ukrainian state stressed that the brigades should train with the weapons and equipment with which they will return to Ukraine," the statement said.

Zelenskyy also spoke about the consequences of the Russian attack on Kyiv on the morning of 20 December and spoke about Ukraine's needs for various types of air defence systems and armoured vehicles, the Presidents Office added.

Zelenskyy and Pavel also discussed the implementation of the Czech initiative to supply artillery shells and agreed to work with partners to further fund it in 2025.

Finally, the leaders discussed the possibility of opening a representative office of the newly created Ukrainian Ministry of National Unity in Czechia, the President's Office said.

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Background: According to a poll, 44.4% of Czech citizens would like to see Ukraine win the war waged against it by Russia.

Read more in an interview with Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky for European Pravda

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Talkie, the popular personalised artificial intelligence (AI) app developed by Chinese start-up MiniMax, has been removed from Apple's US App Store due to unspecified "technical reasons".

Talkie has been unavailable in the US App Store for about six days. However, Talkie remains downloadable on Google Play, where the app was last updated on Thursday. Users in the US who previously downloaded Talkie from Apple's store can still access the app.

Talkie's official TikTok account, which has 29,800 followers, has not published any updates this week after previously posting daily. In response to a series of user inquiries regarding its removal from the App Store, Talkie attributed the situation to "technical reasons".

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Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

"We will get it fixed soon for you," the team said, without providing a clear timeline for when the app would become available again. Shanghai-based MiniMax declined to comment on Friday.

Launched in June 2023, Talkie allows users to create and converse with personalised virtual characters through generative AI technology. It was the fourth-most downloaded app in the US in the first half of 2024, surpassing Google-backed rival Character.ai, which ranked 10th, according to data research firm Sensor Tower.

Globally, Talkie recorded 17 million downloads in the first eight months of the year, trailing Character.ai with nearly 19 million downloads, according to a Sensor Tower report in September. Talkie's monthly active users reached 11 million in July, with over half living in the US.

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Linky AI, another AI companion app developed by Chinese tech firm Kunlun Tech, has also disappeared from the US App Store. The Shenzhen-listed company did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.

Founded in 2021 by Yan Junjie, former vice-president of Chinese AI pioneer SenseTime, MiniMax secured US$600 million in a funding round in March led by Alibaba Group Holding, alongside prominent investors including HongShan, Hillhouse Investment and Matrix Partners, according to Itjuzi, a start-up database service. The unicorn was valued at US$2.5 billion at the time, according to a report by Bloomberg.

Other big-name backers in previous financing rounds included Tencent Holdings, miHoYo and IDG Capital. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.

MiniMax's revenue is expected to reach US$70 million this year, driven mainly by Talkie's advertising sales and in-app purchases, the Financial Times reported.

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Companion AI apps are particularly popular among younger users, with those aged 18 to 35 accounting for more than 70 per cent of the user base for top apps that also include Linky AI and HiWaifu, according to Sensor Tower.

Talkie's domestic twin Xingye garnered 5.25 million monthly active users as of November, ranking seventh among AI apps in China, according to data from AIcpb.com.

In an interview in August with Chinese media, MiniMax CEO Yan said Xingye "is not like ChatGPT or Character.AI; it's a community where users can interact with each other based on AI-generated content".

In August, MiniMax also ventured into the text-to-video generation space with the Video-01 AI model, which has since been made available on both the mainland and international web versions of the company's consumer-facing Hailuo AI platform. Earlier this month, MiniMax released an image-to-video model that produces animations.

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In November, the overseas and domestic versions of Hailuo AI drew 16.35 million and 2.58 million visits, respectively, according to AIcpb.com.

Amid an intensifying US-China tech war, in which AI has emerged as one of the key battlegrounds, many mainland-originated companies have sought to mask their origin over concerns of geopolitical risks.

Talkie lists Singapore-registered company Subsup as its developer. The international website of Hailuo AI shows Singapore-registered company Nanonoble as its operator.

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.
SpaceXs satellite-to-cell Starlink texting service can now operate throughout New Zealand, thanks to the telecommunications company One NZ . The New Zealand-based provider says this is the first time that a nationwide satellite text messaging service has been powered by Starlink. T-Mobile has been making a lot of noise about getting this going, but it looks like One NZ beat it to the punch.

Whats the benefit here for New Zealand residents? Its a country with many rural areas without access to mobile towers , resulting in weak or no signals. This should even the playing field for people who dont live near big cities.

Now onto the caveats, and there are a couple of big ones. Starlink texting is incredibly slow when compared to traditional methods. One NZ says that most messages should be sent and received within three minutes during the initial rollout, but admits that timeframe could increase to 10 minutes or longer. It is for this reason that the company continues to urge folks to carry a personal locator beacon when traveling to a remote area.

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The service is also only supported by four smartphone models , which includes the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and OPPO Find X8 Pro. This list of eligible devices is expected to grow next year. The company also intends to eventually expand the service to include voice calling and data.
By Alimat Aliyeva

China and Pakistan have successfully concluded three weeks of joint anti-terrorism exercises, "Warrior-8", Azernews reports.

As reported by Chinese media, over 300 military personnel from the Western Military District of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) participated in the drills. The exercises were designed to strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation and enhance the operational capabilities of both nations armed forces.

The training took place amid rising security concerns following recent attacks on Chinese nationals in Pakistan. One of the most notable incidents was a suicide bombing in November near Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, which tragically killed two Chinese citizens.

In response to the attack, the Chinese Foreign Ministry urged Pakistan to adopt stricter measures to ensure the safety of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), as well as the protection of Chinese workers and projects operating within the country.

The Warrior-8 exercises underscore the growing military and security collaboration between China and Pakistan, particularly in light of ongoing security challenges. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a multi-billion-dollar infrastructure project, has become a focal point for bilateral cooperation. However, it has also drawn attention from terrorist groups, particularly in the Balochistan region, where many CPEC-related projects are located.

The collaboration also reflects the strategic partnership between the two nations, which continues to deepen in various sectors, including defense, trade, and infrastructure. As both countries face evolving security threats, this joint military initiative serves to reinforce their commitment to counter-terrorism efforts and safeguard mutual interests in the region.

Moreover, Pakistan's role in facilitating security for CPEC projects has become a critical issue in Sino-Pakistani relations. With the increasing presence of Chinese investments and infrastructure projects in Pakistan, maintaining peace and stability along the CPEC route is paramount. The Warrior-8 exercise is part of broader efforts to address these security concerns and solidify the partnership between the two nations.
A Manhattan resident has pleaded guilty to helping establish a secret police station in New York City, on behalf of the Chinese government.

Chen Jinping, 60, entered the guilty plea on a single count of conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government in Brooklyn federal court yesterday [Macau time].

Matthew Olsen, an assistant attorney general in the U.S. Department of Justice, said Chen admitted in court to his role in audaciously establishing an undeclared police station in Manhattan and attempting to conceal the effort when approached by the FBI.

This illegal police station was not opened in the interest of public safety, but to further the nefarious and repressive aims of the PRC in direct violation of American sovereignty, he said in statement.

Prosecutors say Chen and his co-defendant, Lu Jianwang, opened and operated a local branch of Chinas Ministry of Public Security in Manhattans Chinatown neighborhood starting in early 2022.

The office, which occupied an entire floor of the building, performed basic services, such as helping Chinese citizens renew their Chinese drivers licenses, but also identified pro-democracy activists living in the U.S., according to federal authorities.

The clandestine Chinese police operation was shuttered in the fall of 2022 amid an FBI investigation. But in an apparent effort to obstruct the federal probe, Chen and Lu deleted from their phones communications with a Chinese government official they reported to, prosecutors said.

China is believed to be operating such secretive police outposts in North America, Europe and other places where there are Chinese communities. Beijing, however, has denied that they are police stations, saying that they exist mainly to provide citizen services such as renewing drivers licenses.

Lu, who is due back in court in February, had a longstanding relationship with Chinese law enforcement officials, according to prosecutors.

Over the years, they say, the Bronx resident, who was also known as Harry Lu, helped harass and threaten a Chinese fugitive living in the U.S. and also worked to locate a pro-democracy activist in California on behalf of Chinas government. MDT/AP
The Portuguese Consul General in Macau and Hong Kong, Alexandre Leitao, has expressed a realistically optimistic view about the future presence of Portuguese citizens in the territory, despite recent changes to the citys residency policies.

As cited in a Lusa report, Leitao acknowledged that the presence of Portuguese individuals in Macau was quite evident and relevant, particularly in areas such as associations, law, education, administration, and the courts, where Portuguese judges preside. He described this to Luda as being unusual and a success that opens the door to a certain optimism regarding the future.

However, Leitao emphasized the need for realistic optimism given Macaus status as part of the Peoples Republic of China. He pointed to opportunities for Portuguese participation in regional initiatives like the Greater Bay Area and as a platform for relations between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, as well as the potential for the Portuguese economy to benefit from internationalizing in Macau.

Leitao also highlighted the competence and absolutely unique knowledge that the Macanese have of China as a contributing factor to the citys potential relevance, describing it as a cocktail that could be very effective.

Last year, Macau authorities stopped accepting new residency applications from Portuguese citizens for specialized technical functions, allowing only justifications of family reunion or previous connection to the territory. Leitao said this decision was a sign that could be interpreted in different ways, including as an effort towards normalization given Macaus status as part of China.

While acknowledging the sovereign right of the authorities to make such decisions, Leitao expressed his role in defending the interests of the Portuguese community and highlighting their potential to contribute to Macaus growth and diversification projects. According to Leitao, there are around 155,000 people of Portuguese nationality in Macau and Hong Kong, with over 2,200 born in Portugal who live in Macau. Victoria Chan
A crack of fire under a sprawling wok, a dab of soy sauce and a splash of Chinese rice wine. Bursts of aroma from spices sourced from around the world sizzle as a chef prepares Minchi, a dish of fried minced meat with diced potatoes topped with a sunny-side-up egg. This is one of the most iconic comfort foods for the Macanese.

Restaurateur Manuela Sales da Silva Ferreiras hopes to ensure her grandmothers version of dishes like Minchi are not forgotten, using recipes passed down through generations at her eatery, Restaurante Litoral.

In the 25 years since Portugal returned its trading outpost to China, Macau has become known for its glittering, luxurious casinos and nightlife. But as the city evolves, old restaurant owners retire and outlets close and some people fear Macanese traditions and authentic cuisine could disappear.

Macanese food is a mix of Portuguese and Chinese cooking, combined with flavors and ingredients that Portugal imported from its other colonies, from Brazil to Mozambique, Goa to East Timor. UNESCO called Macau home of the first fusion food, blending Western and Eastern cuisine.

Ferreiras paternal ancestors arrived from Portugal more than 400 years ago. She decided to pack her bags and leave in 1995, just four years before the Portuguese administration would end. But a sudden fear that Macanese cuisine could be lost pulled her back to her home city.

At that time, I was already married with children and even my children didnt ask what Macanese cooking is, she said. If I dont do anything, Macanese cooking will be lost.

That was when she opened her own restaurant.

Ferreira said she believes her family recipes derive from home cooking after centuries of Portuguese wives tried to replicate familiar dishes using local Chinese ingredients, while Chinese wives tried to recreate Portuguese cooking for their interethnic families.

Her own favorite is baked crabmeat, which she learned from her mother. While the original version in Portugal could have been crabmeat mixed with cream and pickles, served cold, the recipe has evolved while being passed down the generations and crossing oceans. Ferreira now serves it hot, baked in crab shells.

The city of Macau on the southeast coast of China has a population of around 684,000. Ethnic Chinese make up 89.4% of the population while Portuguese, Portuguese-Chinese and other mixed Portuguese residents account for just 1.9%, according to the most recent census conducted in 2021. MDT/AP
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The government considers it unacceptable that Hungary has been fined by Brussels over its migration rules and will take legal steps as already announced in September.

The required authorisation and financial resources have been announced in a government resolution published in Wednesday's official gazette Magyar Kozlony, the justice ministry said.



The ministry said in a statement on Thursday that international legal experts would be involved in the preparation of steps to be taken to protect Hungarian interests, for which 600 million forints (EUR 1.5m) have been allocated.



Contrary to press reports, the government will not yield to the ruling, and on the contrary, it will start taking legal steps against the Brussels' decision and pressurising attempts, it added.



The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has levied a 200 million euro one-off fine on Hungary and expects the payment of 1 million euros for every subsequent day of non-compliance in a case initiated by the European Commission over migration rules regulations, it said.



"The sum is brutal, being seven times larger than the fine the European Commission had proposed to the court," it added.



The justice minister has been instructed to assess the legal possibilities for preventing the consequences of the ruling imposed by the ECJ, it said.



"The government will continue to enforce Hungarian people's will and we will continue to protect the borders from illegal migrants," the statement added.



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National Economy Minister Marton Nagy announced the appointment of Bence Gerlaki as new state secretary for tax policy, consumer protection and trade.

Gerlaki, who has worked at the ministry as a deputy state secretary, was appointed to the post by President Tamas Sulyok on the recommendation of Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Gerlaki will take up his new position on January 1.



Nagy said the coordination of areas of strategic importance provides an opportunity to more effectively protect the interests of Hungarian families and businesses and to support Hungary's economic growth.



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On the second day of President Xi Jinpings three-day visit to Macau, Chinas top official had a packed agenda, which included several meetings and site visits to the Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) and the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin.

The day began with a visit to MUST, where President Xi was briefed on the development of two state-level key laboratories at the universityone focused on the quality of traditional Chinese medicine and the other on lunar and planetary science. During the visit, Xi also engaged with teachers, students, and scientific researchers.

After MUST, the delegation traveled to the Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, where President Xi met with Macau residents who live and run businesses in the zone, as well as those involved in its planning, construction, management, and services.

In the afternoon, Xi met with representatives from various sectors of Macaus society, during which he expressed appreciation for their contributions to the long-term prosperity and stability of the Macau SAR. He also urged the representatives from local associations and groups to remain united and continue working toward even greater achievements for Macau.

At this meeting, Xi also interacted with heads of central government agencies and leaders of major mainland-funded companies in Macau. Cai Qi and other senior officials attended, along with the Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference, Edmund Ho, Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng, and the incoming Chief Executive, Sam Hou Fai, among other local officials.

Later in the afternoon, in one of several meetings, Xi met with John Lee, the Chief Executive of the neighboring Hong Kong region.

They discussed how both regions should strive for greater accomplishments and better development as the practice of One country, two systems enters a new stage. Xi emphasized that the two SARs should learn from one another, strengthen exchanges and cooperation, and work towards a brighter future.

Lee was in Macau to participate in the celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Macau SAR and to attend the inauguration of its sixth-term government, which will take place today, and should be attended by 70 foreign representatives.

Xis day concluded with a gala dinner and a cultural performance at the East Asian Games in Macau.
The president of Ukraine has launched "an ugly campaign" against Hungary in the international arena in recent days, but "one should not fall for his provocations", the foreign minister said on Thursday, prior to attending a general assembly meeting of the United Nations in New York.

According to a foreign ministry statement, Peter Szijjarto said that the Hungarian government position had proven right during the past one thousand days of the war in Ukraine: the war has no solution on the battlefield and the only way to settle the armed conflict is through negotiations.



He said that "after more than one thousand days there are still those who are unable to see that an overall new reality has developed: the Russians are forging ahead more and more intensively day-by-day against Ukraine, while here, in the United States a pro-peace politician has won the presidential election and his inauguration is getting closer and closer".



Szijjarto said it was regrettable that "the American Democrats and Western European liberals have launched a bitter attack in a last-ditch effort" to thwart the efforts towards peace of the incoming president who will take office on January 20.



He noted that President-elect Donald Trump had made a clear statement in the recent days promoting peace and calling for peace talks.



"It is high time for Western European leaders to understand that Donald Trump is a serious person... He made clear during his presidential campaign that he had an interest in creating peace fast, and this must be taken seriously," Szijjarto said.



After Trump's taking office, standpoints about migration will change around the world, the foreign minister said.



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New Delhi: Filmmaker Anil Sharma is all set to host a special preview of his upcoming film Vanvaas for the Deol family on December 20th in Mumbai. Directed by Sharma, Vanvaas stars Nana Patekar, Utkarsh Sharma, and Simratt Kaur, and has generated significant buzz ahead of its release.

A source close to the project shared that Sharma and the Deol family share a long-standing bond, having worked together on blockbuster hits such as Gadar: Ek Prem Katha, Gadar 2, and Apne. It is said that Dharmendra personally expressed his desire to watch the film and give his blessings to Utkarsh Sharma, further strengthening the connection.

Vanvaas explores themes of family, honor, and self-acceptance, reimagining a timeless epic with a modern resonance. The film delves into the emotional journey of children exiling their parents, offering a poignant narrative that reflects contemporary struggles in familial relationships. With Vanvaas, Sharma redefines the concept of family bonds, emphasizing love and mutual acceptance over mere blood ties.

The film is produced by Zee Studios and marks the third collaboration between Sharma and the studio, following the immense success of the Gadar films. Vanvaas is set to release in theaters on December 20, 2024.
New Delhi: Nana Patekar is gearing up for the grand release of Vanvaas, directed by Anil Sharma. Starring Utkarsh Sharma and Simratt Kaur in pivotal roles, the film has generated significant buzz due to its emotionally compelling storyline.

Amid the excitement for the films release, it is reported that legendary actor Nana Patekar is shooting a special podcast with Aamir Khan, further heightening excitement around the project.

A source close to the development revealed that Aamir Khan and Nana Patekar will record a special podcast on Saturday, December 21, 2024. The podcast will center on Patekars upcoming film Vanvaas, which explores themes of family, honor, and self-acceptance, offering a modern twist on an epic tale. With the films release approaching, the podcast will serve as a key promotional highlight for eager fans.

It was also reported that the makers of Vanvaas plan to host an exclusive screening for Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan ahead of the film's official release. The screening is scheduled to take place in Mumbai, with Aamir Khan already receiving his invitation. This special preview adds to the growing anticipation surrounding the movies debut.

The source also revealed, Nana and Aamir Khan share a great bond, the team of Vanvaas has already arranged a special screening for the actor in Bombay. Aamir will be watching the film on 20th December.

Director Anil Sharma and Zee Studios, known for blockbusters like 'Gadar: Ek Prem Katha' and 'Gadar 2', are set to reunite for their next project, 'Vanvaas.'

Written, produced, and directed by Anil Sharma, Vanvaas will hit theaters on December 20, 2024. A Zee Studios Worldwide Release starring Nana Patekar, Utkarsh Sharma, and Simratt Kaur in key roles.
Kolkata: IT giant Infosys on Wednesday inaugurated a development centre built at a cost of Rs 426 crore at New Town near here.

The Infosys campus, built on 50 acres, will have an employment potential of 4,000 IT professionals.

Inaugurating the development centre, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, "This is a New Year gift to West Bengal".

"This centre of Infosys will help other IT companies to come to West Bengal. West Bengal is a leading IT state in the country. Nearly 2,200 IT companies have presence in the state, including big ones like TCS, Wipro, IBM and Accenture," she said.

The chief minister also said it is a historic day for the state.

Banerjee said, "We wanted Infosys in the state and the company fulfilled our dreams." The chief minister said a new Silicon Valley is coming to New Town on 200 acres with the potential to create 75,000 jobs involving an investment of Rs 27,000 crore.

"Twenty-eight companies have already started work with 11 data centres coming up," she said.

Banerjee said that a cable landing station is coming up in the state which will help in improving connectivity for IT companies.

She said the state has also formulated policies relating to data centres, broadband and guidelines for artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Banerjee, also the Trinamool Congress supremo, directed local party MLA Shaukat Molla to cooperate with the Infosys authorities in helping them operate the centre "smoothly and peacefully".

CFO of Infosys Jayesh Sanghrajka said there is a huge talent pool in West Bengal and the Kolkata development centre will lead to the creation of job opportunities and a technology ecosystem.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLC CT Ravi, who was arrested on charges of using a derogatory word against Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar, was granted interim bail by the Karnataka High Court. The HC passed an interim order for his release. The bench of Justice M G Uma said that Ravi should cooperate with the investigation and be available for questioning.

Ravi allegedly used a derogatory word against Hebbalkar in the Legislative Council on Thursday during an altercation between them when the House was adjourned for a while. He was arrested on Thursday evening and taken into the police van from the premises of Suvarna Vidhana Soudha.

Based on the complaint lodged by Hebbalkar, a case was registered against the BJP leader under sections 75 (sexual harassment) and 79 (word, gesture, or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

On Friday, the BJP leader took a hit at the ruling party in the state and accused the Congress-led Siddaramaiah government of acting like 'dictators' following his arrest in a case filed by Karnataka minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar.

"They (state government) have acted like dictators; there is a full stop to everything; dictatorship will not last long," said CT Ravi after he was arrested on the complaint by Karnataka minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar. The BJP leader was brought to Bengaluru to be produced before the People's Representative court in connection to the case.

Visuals showed police officials escorting BJP leader CT Ravi to the court. This comes after Belagavi's Fifth JMFC Court on Friday directed BJP leader and MLC CT Ravi to appear before the Special Court for People's Representatives in Bengaluru.

The Hirebagewadi police presented their case before the court, seeking a transit warrant for Ravi. The court granted their request and ordered the police to take him into custody as part of the legal process.

Meanwhile, former Karnataka Chief Minister and BJP MP Basavaraj Bommai responded to the case and said, "When there was a slogan, Pakistan zindabad, they never arrested anybody; they took time for the FCL report for 2 months and then made the arrest.

Here, no procedure has been done. There is a police raj in Karnataka. Investigation must be done, and the truth must come out, and then action must be taken. Police are being misused nowadays."

Ravi was arrested for allegedly making objectionable remarks about Karnataka cabinet minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar, following which an FIR was lodged against him.

The BJP leader was arrested and brought to the district court by Belagavi police. Before being taken to court, he underwent a medical checkup at the Mutag Health Center in Belagavi.

Ravi filed a counter-complaint at the Khanapura police station in Belagavi, accusing Congress leaders Lakshmi Hebbalkar, Chamaraja Hattiholi, DK Shivakumar, Saddam, and others of attempting to kill him. He alleged that the police brought him to the Khanapura police station without providing a reason.

"Police brought me to Khanapura police station around 8 pm. They didn't tell me in which case they brought me. They're not registering my complaint; they're not even filing a zero FIR. If something happens to me, the Congress government must take responsibility," CT Ravi claimed.

Karnataka Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar earlier in the day addressed the alleged derogatory remarks made by CT Ravi during the Karnataka Legislative Assembly session. Speaking to reporters at her residence in Belagavi, she expressed distress over the incident.

(With agencies inputs)
Congress on Friday dismissed the FIR against Rahul Gandhi as a diversionary tactic. The party linked it to his strong protest against Union Home Minister Amit Shah's comments on BR Ambedkar during a Parliament scuffle and lebelled it as a badge of honour.

In a post on X, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal said, The FIR against Sh. @RahulGandhi ji is nothing but a diversionary tactic in response to his staunch protest against the Home Minister. A case against him for defending Babasahebs legacy is a badge of honour.

Venugopal highlighted that the Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition is anyway facing 26 FIRs due to BJPs vendetta politics. he added, This latest FIR will not stop him or the Congress from standing up against the casteist RSS-BJP regime.

Congress general secretary criticised the Delhi Police for filing an FIR based on BJP MPs' complaints while ignoring a similar complaint by Congress women MPs.

The FIR against Sh. @RahulGandhi ji is nothing but a diversionary tactic in response to his staunch protest against the Home Minister.



A case against him for defending Babasahebs legacy is a badge of honour. And in any case, Rahul ji is already facing 26 FIRs due to the BJPs December 19, 2024

FIR On Rahul Gandhi

Delhi Police filed an FIR against Rahul Gandhi on Thursday over a scuffle in Parliament. Two BJP MPs were reportedly injured in the incident.

The BJP lodged a complaint, accusing Gandhi of "physical assault and incitement." They demanded charges, including attempt to murder, be pressed against him.

Police will seek CCTV footage from the Lok Sabha Secretariat of the spot where the incident occurred.

The case against the former Congress chief was filed under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including 115 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 117, 125, 131, and 351. Initially, Section 109 (attempt to murder) was also included but later removed from the FIR. The remaining charges align with those mentioned in the BJP's complaint.

An officer stated that all charges against Gandhi are bailable except Section 117. The punishment under this section depends on the severity of injuries and can range from seven years to life imprisonment.

Protest Over Ambedkar Remarks Turned Chaotic

The row over Amit Shah's remarks on BR Ambedkar escalated on Thursday, sparking dramatic protests by the Opposition atop Parliament's 'Makar Dwar.' The protest allegedly turned violent, with Congress MP Rahul Gandhi accused of pushing two BJP MPs, leaving them injured.

BJP MPs Pratap Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput were hurt during the scuffle. ANI reported that Mukesh Rajput is in serious condition and admitted to the ICU at Delhis Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital. Sarangi was also hospitalised after sustaining injuries near Makar Dwar.

Sarangi alleged, Rahul Gandhi pushed an MP who fell on me after which I fell down. I was standing near the stairs when Rahul Gandhi came and pushed an MP who then fell on me.

Rahul Gandhi refuted the allegations, claiming BJP MPs tried to block his entry into Parliament. "I was trying to enter Parliament and the BJP MPs were stopping me, pushing me and threatening me," Gandhi told reporters.
India has officially lodged a 'strong protest' with Bangladesh over controversial comments made by Mahfuj Alam, a prominent aide of Bangladeshs interim government. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) expressed concern over the nature of these remarks and called for greater responsibility in public statements made by leaders of the neighboring country.

MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal emphasized that India is keen to continue fostering bilateral relations with Bangladesh but warned that public articulation needs to be handled with care.

Growing Tensions in Bilateral Relations

Relations between India and Bangladesh have recently faced significant strain, particularly following political turmoil in Bangladesh. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government collapsed after violent protests erupted against the governments reservation policies in state jobs.

Hasina fled the country in August under threatening circumstances, taking refuge in India after mobs targeted her residence in Dhaka.

In the aftermath of her departure, the interim government, led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, assumed control. However, the political instability and the formation of this new government have heightened tensions between the two nations.

India has repeatedly expressed concerns over the state of governance and its impact on the safety of minority communities in Bangladesh.

Concern Over Violence Against Minorities

India has also raised concerns regarding a disturbing rise in violence targeting Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) highlighted that 2,200 incidents of violence against Hindus were reported in 2024, a significant surge from the 302 cases in 2023.

According to the MEA, this uptick in violence follows the collapse of the Awami League government in Bangladesh.

India has conveyed its concerns to the Bangladesh government on multiple occasions, urging the interim administration to take immediate steps to protect the lives and rights of Hindus and other minority groups.

Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, reiterated these concerns in the Rajya Sabha, emphasizing that the safety of minorities in Bangladesh is a key priority for India.

Indias Diplomatic Efforts

India's diplomatic engagement on this issue has been ongoing. During a recent visit to Bangladesh in December 2024, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri conveyed India's concerns directly to members of the caretaker administration.

The Indian government expects Bangladesh to take urgent action to ensure the security of Hindus and other vulnerable communities within its borders.
Jaipur Tanker Accident: Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered condolences to the families of the victims of the Jaipur fire incident, resulting in the death of at least seven people. The PM also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the families of the deceased as well as Rs 50, 000 for those injured in the incident.

Prime Minister's Office in a post on social media platform X, "Deeply saddened by the loss of lives in the accident on Jaipur-Ajmer highway in Rajasthan. Condolences to those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon. The local administration is assisting those affected". "An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000," the post added.

Deeply saddened by the loss of lives in the accident on Jaipur-Ajmer highway in Rajasthan. Condolences to those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon. The local administration is assisting those affected.



An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to  PMO India (@PMOIndia) December 20, 2024

On Friday morning, a truck loaded with chemicals collided with a tanker carrying LPG and other vehicles on the Jaipur-Ajmer route, resulting in a massive fire in Jaipur. The superintendent of SMS Hospital, Dr. Sushil Kumar Bhati, confirmed that seven people have died, ten to twelve have been injured, and over 60 per cent of the victims have suffered burns. Currently, 28 patients are admitted, with six on ventilators.

Following the incident, Rajasthan Chief Minister BhajanLal Sharma visited the site of the Bhankrota fire and announced the establishment of a helpline, along with necessary arrangements to provide treatment to those injured.

Amit Kumar, Superintendent of Police (SP), told ANI, "A horrific accident and fire occurred in the Bhankrota area of Jaipur. The accident happened early today on the main Ajmer Road. Nearly two dozen vehicles caught fire, and many trucks and trolleys were burnt to ashes. The accident took place near a petrol pump in the Bhankrota area." He further stated, "The fire started due to a collision involving several vehicles one after the other. Efforts are being made to extinguish the fire."
Jaipur Gas Tanker Crash: The death toll in the LPG tanker-truck accident on the Jaipur-Ajmer Highway rose to 11 on Friday. The incident occurred after an LPG tanker collided with a truck, sparking a massive fire that turned a stretch of the Jaipur-Ajmer highway into an inferno that sent 37 vehicles up in flames. According to an official, 28people are admitted, and many of them are in critical condition.

"A total of 11 people have died. Five were brought dead to SMS hospital. Five succumbed during treatment. One death was reported from Jaipuria Hospital," Dr. Deepak Maheshwari, Principal, SMS Medical College, said, as quoted by news agency PTI. He also stated that 27 people are admitted to SMS Hospital, and one is undergoing treatment at a private hospital. The highway was reopened in the night after all vehicles were removed.

Jaipur Police Commissioner Biju George Joseph, who was at the crash site, said an outlet nozzle of the LPG tanker was damaged in the collision, leading to a gas leak that caused the blaze.

The crash occurred around 5:30 am, when it was still dark, in front of a school, according to authorities. "Vehicles behind the tanker were engulfed in flames. Other vehicles coming from the opposite directions also caught fire, and the vehicles collided," Joseph said, as quoted by PTI.

The gas leak spread the fire in a flash, leaving no scope for those in nearby vehicles to come out. People were seen rushing and taking off clothes engulfed in flames. The injured were rushed to the SMS hospital in Jaipur in more than 25 ambulances.

As many as 43 people were brought to the hospital, seven of whom are on ventilator support, Dr. Maheshwawri said. Some people with minor injuries left the hospital after dressing. Officials at the spot indicated that the casualty count may go up. The Rajasthan government announced an assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh for the injured.

(With PTI Inputs)
Two days of meetings on Myanmar s violent political crisis began yesterday in Bangkok, the latest in a long series of regional talks that have made no headway in restoring peace to the war-torn Southeast Asian nation.

Myanmar has been wracked by violence since its army in February 2021 ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and violently repressed peaceful pro-democracy protests, leading to the establishment of an armed resistance movement. The military government has used harsh tactics, including air strikes, to suppress its opponents, but the war has only became fiercer, especially in the past year.

Yesterdays discussions were attended by foreign ministers and high-level representatives from Myanmar and its neighbors, Laos, China, India, Bangladesh and host Thailand. Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa described their talks as important because it was the first time that Myanmar and all five of its neighbors had met together.

Myanmars neighbors, fearing regional destabilization, particularly the massive movement of refugees from the fighting, have made numerous efforts to promote a peaceful solution to the crisis.

The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, has taken the lead in efforts to restore peace in Myanmar. Its members, excepting Myanmar, will hold talks in Bangkok today.

ASEAN in early 2021 agreed on a five-point consensus for peace, but the military leadership in Myanmar did virtually nothing to implement it, frustrating the groups fellow members to the extent they have barred leading members of Myanmars ruling military from attending their meetings.

The peace plan calls for the immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar, a dialogue among all concerned parties, mediation by an ASEAN special envoy, provision of humanitarian aid through ASEAN channels, and a visit to Myanmar by the special envoy to meet all concerned parties.

Only a very limited Thai-led effort of providing cross-border aid came to fruition. Thailand is widely seen as taking a conciliatory attitude toward Myanmars military government, which is condemned by many countries for its brutal war and suppression of democracy.

The six nations attending Thursdays meeting agreed that direct engagement with Myanmar is critical and necessary, said Thailands Maris. They see the value of meeting regularly. And they share the same understanding, more so than other countries, because they are direct neighbors directly impacted by the situation in Myanmar.

Thai officials said yesterdays talks were held in a friendly and cordial atmosphere, with a frank and constructive exchange of views, in areas related to border security and combatting transnational crime, particularly illicit drugs and online scams. 

They said Myanmar Foreign Minister Than Swe informed them about the military governments political roadmap, focused on elections planned for next year.

Critics of the Myanmar government of Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing have expressed dissatisfaction at conciliatory approaches to his regime.

Rather than two-track diplomacy, Thailand is engaging in two-faced diplomacy  signing up to ASEAN statements seeking to condemn and isolate the junta, while at the same time quietly attempting to usher the junta back into the regional fold, said Patrick Phongsathorn, senior advocacy specialist at Fortify Rights, a human rights group specializing in Myanmar affairs.

As the juntas atrocities escalate, the effects of which have had a massive regional spill-over, ASEAN must be steadfast in its rejection of Min Aung Hlaing and his cabal and any attempt to solidify their position through the sham elections planned for next year, he said. JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI, BANGKOK, MDT/AP
J&K News: In a massive crackdown on narcotics in Jammu and Kashmir, Sopore police destroyed narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances worth over Rs. 1 crore. The action was taken by the District Drug Disposal Committee headed by SSP Sopore Divya D-IPS, SDPO Sopore Sarfaraz Bashir-JKPS (Member), and DySP DAR Sopore (Member) in compliance with the order issued by Special Court (NDPS) Baramulla.

This consignment of narcotic/psychotropic drugs was seized in 21 different NDPS cases registered in different police stations of Police District Sopore. The destruction was done through incineration at an earmarked/approved location at Lassi Pora Pulwama.

During incineration, 123.728 kg of Poppy Straw/Powder, 2811 Bottles of Codeine Phosphate & 28316 Capsules of Spasms proxy on has been destroyed after following all legal requirements as envisaged under Rules, 2022 and was done strictly in compliance to directions issued by the Hon'ble Special Court (NDPS) Baramulla.
Kerala Lottery Results Friday 20-12-2024 LIVE: The Kerala Lottery Department, on behalf of the Keralan government, announces the "Nirmal NR-411" Lucky Draw Result today Nirmal NR-411, December 20, 2024. The draw will be held at Gorky Bhavan near Bakery Junction in Thiruvananthapuram. The Kerala Lottery Result 2024 for "Nirmal NR-411" will feature 12 series, with changes in series possible each week. A total of 108 lakh tickets are available for purchase weekly. The ticket prices may vary. Check the Nirmal NR-411 results right here to see if youre the first-place winner of 70 Lakhs. Stay tuned to this website for the live update of Kerala Lottery Nirmal NR-411 results today.

Kerala Lottery Result 20-12-2024 December: FULL LIST OF WINNING NUMBERS FOR NIRMAL NR-411 Draw

LUCKY TICKET NUMBER FOR 1ST PRIZE OF RS 70 LAKHS IS: NT 654969

LUCKY TICKET NUMBER FOR 2ND PRIZE OF RS 10 LAKHS IS: NX 168030

LUCKY TICKET NUMBERS FOR 3RD PRIZE OF RS 1 Lakh ARE: NN 840953 NO 790442 NP 383634 NR 964527 NS 384212 NT 995713 NU 995713 NV 827941 NW 766768 NX 138947 NY 928542 NZ 451179

LUCKY TICKET NUMBERS FOR CONSOLATION PRIZE OF RS 8,000 ARE: NN 654969 NO 654969 NP 654969 NR 654969 NS 654969 NU 654969 NV 654969 NW 654969 NX 654969 NY 654969 NZ 654969

(For The Tickets Ending with The Following Numbers below)

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LUCKY TICKET NUMBERS FOR 6TH PRIZE OF RS 500 ARE: 0327 0368 0557 0625 1002 1255 1344 1427 1445 1622 1842 1969 2441 2459 2477 2483 2507 2524 2526 2587 2604 2621 2886 3333 3370 3475 3537 3870 4009 4127 4150 4539 4623 4666 4699 4822 4997 5044 5057 5241 5294 5475 5502 5628 5653 5720 5755 6310 6314 6318 6339 6462 6481 6664 6775 6913 7027 7282 7317 7410 7614 7764 7957 8045 8094 8097 8403 8422 8810 8880 8979 9021 9046 9138 9195 9534 9670 9763 9792

LUCKY TICKET NUMBERS FOR 7TH PRIZE OF RS 100 ARE: 1513 8469 0019 4830 9181 8463 9817 7907 0571 4324 2612 3277 1551 3493 7108 3103 2190 4254 7973 3594 3746 8175 3357 4262 6542 4447 0332 9584 9359 7909 2948 4671 7672 1626 7027 2300 7973 3594 3746 8175 3357 4262 6542 4447 0332 9584 9359 7909 2948 4671 7672 1626 7027 2300 9344 1926 2091 5309 8992 1825 5611 2510 6571 9118 1415 6966 6327 9776 6164 3576 3950 5437 4351 7361 5203 5664 0903 8290 1642 1815 6051 0930 5650 1542 2804 3003 4558 5056 9027 1531

KERALA LOTTERY RESULT TODAY 20-12-2024 December: NIRMAL NR-411 LOTTERY PRIZE DETAILS

1st Prize: Rs 70 Lakhs

2nd Prize: Rs. 10 lakhs

3rd Prize: Rs. 5,000

4th Prize: Rs. 2,000

5th Prize: Rs. 1,000

6th Prize: Rs. 500

7th Prize: Rs. 200

8th Prize: Rs. 100

Consolation Prize: Rs. 8,000

(NOTE: Lottery can be addictive and should be played responsibly. The data provided on this page is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as advice or encouragement. Zee News does not promote lottery in anyway.)
Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Friday said the partys state unit will soon have a new chief as he has asked their central leadership to relieve him of the post.

Patole was speaking to reporters on the premises of the Vidhan Bhavan in Nagpur, where the Winter Session of the state legislature is underway.

He said a decision on the new Maharashtra Congress chief will be taken soon. We have authorised the partys central leadership to name the new leader, he said.

Patole said he has asked the party high command to relieve him as the state Congress chief since he has been holding the post for four years.

He said their legislature party leader would also be named soon.

Following the Congress worst-ever defeat in the assembly elections in Maharashtra, party sources had earlier claimed that Patole had requested the central leadership to relieve him of the responsibility of the organisational post.

Patole, however, had clarified last week that he had not tendered resignation and rumours were being spread.

In the recently held assembly polls, the ruling Mahayuti registered a resounding victory and retained power in the state, pocketing a whopping 230 of the 288 assembly seats. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi suffered a drubbing, winning 46 seats, of which Congress managed just 16 seats.

Patole retained his Sakoli seat with a margin of just 208 votes.
Mumbai Boat Accident: The Colaba Police in Mumbai have sent a letter to the Indian Navy, questioning why a boat trial was conducted on a busy maritime route where it collided with a ferry, killing 14. They also asked who gave permission to the trial in the area.

Earlier this week, a Navy speedboat collided with a passenger ferry 'Neel Kamal' carrying 113 tourists on its way to Elephanta Island, a renowned tourist site off the Mumbai coast. The tragic accident left 14 people dead while several others sustained injuries.

Survivor Recounts Mumbai Boat Accident

The police have recorded statements from nine individuals rescued by the Indian Navy, Coast Guard, Mumbai Police, and CISF teams. A survivor, who lost his aunt in the crash, told news agency PTI that the Navy speedboat driver was in a playful mood.

On Thursday, survivor Gautam Gupta contested the Navy's claim of engine failure as the cause of the collision, describing the speedboat driver as someone who was showing off. Gupta recalled the moments leading up to the collision, noting that many passengers, including himself, were recording videos as the driver zig-zagged through the waters. "It felt like a display," Gupta said. He also shared the heart-wrenching story of meeting his aunt after many years. "I met my aunt after many years. She came for my wedding, and I took her for sightseeing and a ferry ride in the sea. I had no idea it would be the last day of her life," Gupta told PTI.

He revealed that many passengers on the ferry were not wearing life jackets at the time of the collision. Initially, he did not realize the severity of the situation. "One occupant from the speedboat was thrown onto our ferry. We assumed our ferry was safe and that no damage had occurred. But soon, the ferry began to sink," he said.

Some survivors of the tragedy on Wednesday claimed the ferry did not have enough life jackets.

Authorities Claim Ferry Was Overloaded

Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi expressed condolences to the families of the victims. Investigations show the ferry, with a capacity of 90 passengers, was carrying over 100 people, according to police.

Documents from the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) revealed the boat was authorized to carry 84 passengers and 6 crew members, but was overloaded with more than 100. Police have seized all documents related to the ferry.

The Colaba police have registered a case against the Navy boat driver. The FIR includes sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) related to causing death by negligence, endangering personal safety, rash navigation of a vessel, and mischief causing wrongful loss or damage.

(With PTI inputs)
India-Canada Ties: Responding to a query pertaining to the recent developments in criminal cases allegedly involving the "Indian citizens/officials in the United States and Canada," the Union Government on Friday said that Ottawa has presented "no evidence whatsoever" in support of the "serious allegations" it has chosen to level.

The Central Government informed the Lok Sabha on Friday when asked whether the PM Modi-led government has taken note of the recent developments in criminal cases allegedly involving the Indian citizens in that country.

In a written response, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh also said, "In addition, its public narrative on this issue appears to be in service of an anti-India separatist agenda."

"Persisting with such a narrative can only be harmful for any stable bilateral relationship. The government has, therefore, repeatedly urged the Canadian authorities to take action against anti-India elements operating from their soil," he said.

Congress MP Manish Tewari, in his query, asked whether the Union government has taken note of the recent developments in criminal cases allegedly involving the "Indian citizens/officials in the United States and Canada" and, if so, the impact these cases are likely to have on India's bilateral relations with these countries.

He also asked whether the government has "engaged diplomatically" with the governments of the US and Canada to "address concerns" regarding these cases.

"The government is aware of the allegations about the involvement of the Indian nationals in purported acts or intent in the US and Canada. As part of ongoing security cooperation with the United States, certain inputs shared by the US side pertaining to the nexus between organized criminals, gun runners, terrorists, and others that impinge on India's national security interests as well are being examined by a high-level inquiry committee that has been constituted for this purpose," the minister said.

Singh, in his response, also said that as far as Canada is concerned, "it has presented no evidence whatsoever in support of the serious allegations it has chosen to level."

"In addition, its public narrative on this issue appears to be in service of an anti-India separatist agenda," he said.

The minister was also asked about the measures taken or proposed to be taken by the government to ensure the safety of the Indian nationals residing in the US and Canada, particularly in light of any "potential fallout" of these matters.

"The welfare, safety, and security of the Indian nationals, who are living, working, and studying in the US and Canada, remain of utmost importance to the government of India. Issues faced by the Indian nationals in the US and Canada are brought to the attention of relevant authorities, whenever they arise, for swift redressal," he said.

(With PTI Inputs)
New Delhi: The National Commission for Women (NCW), has expressed "grave concerns" over the alleged 'inappropriate' behaviour by Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, against Nagaland MP, Phangnon Konyak.

"The Commission stresses the utmost importance of upholding the principles of respect, equality, and dignity, especially in the temple of democracy. The NCW views this matter as a direct affront to the dignity and rights of female Members of Parliament and calls for immediate action to address the situation," the NCW stated in a press release.

Taking suo-motu cognizance of the matter, the Chairperson of the National Commission for Women, Vijaya Rahatkar, has urged the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha to take appropriate action against Rahul Gandhi, ensuring that such unethical behaviour does not go unchecked.

The Commission stated that it has come across media reports and Konyak's statement in the Rajya Sabha, detailing an "alarming incident" where Rahul Gandhi allegedly misbehaved with Phangnon Konyak, a Member of Parliament from Nagaland. "Konyak, a prominent Scheduled Tribe woman parliamentarian, reported that Gandhi's behavior was disrespectful, with his loud voice and physical proximity making her feel extremely uncomfortable," the NCW stated.

In her statement in the Rajya Sabha, she expressed her discomfort at the situation, saying, "He misbehaved with me in a loud voice, and his physical proximity to me was so close that I, being a lady member, felt extremely uncomfortable. I stepped aside with a heavy heart, denouncing my democratic rights, but I felt that no Member of Parliament should behave this way."

Parliament witnessed unprecedented scenes with opposition and BJP-led NDA members holding parallel protests that later led to a face-off. Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge alleged he was pushed, two BJP members were injured. BJP had filed a complaint against Rahul Gandhi under various sections including 109 (attempt to murder), 115 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 117 (voluntary causing grievous hurt), 125 (the act of endangering life or personal safety of others), 131 (use of criminal force), 351 (criminal intimidation) and 3(5) (common intention).

The Delhi Police removed section 109 (attempt to murder) of BNS and all other sections are the same as given in the complaint. The Delhi Police had also received a complaint from Congress which is being "investigated".
The Lok Sabha experienced significant disruptions throughout the Winter Session of Parliament, which ultimately resulted in the loss of over 70 hours of parliamentary time.

The session, which began on November 25, concluded abruptly with the announcement of a sine die adjournment on December 20, amidst ongoing protests by opposition MPs stemming from a scuffle on December 19.

Disruptions Across Sessions

According to official reports, the disruptions affected each phase of the Winter Session. The first session saw the Lok Sabha lose 5 hours and 37 minutes, while the second session lost 1 hour and 53 minutes.

However, the third session experienced a major setback, with a staggering 65 hours and 15 minutes lost due to interruptions. This session alone accounted for the lion's share of the total disruption time.

Decline in Debate Time

The disruptions also significantly impacted the amount of time dedicated to debates. In the first session, the Lok Sabha recorded 34.16 hours of discussions.

This figure rose to 115.21 hours during the second session, showcasing a marked increase in engagement.

However, by the third session, the debate time plummeted to just 62 hours, reflecting the mounting disruptions that hindered legislative proceedings.

Efforts to Recover Lost Time

Despite the frequent adjournments and disruptions, Members of Parliament (MPs) made considerable efforts to address the backlog of work. In an attempt to make up for lost time, extended sittings were held. MPs worked late during the first and second sessions, putting in a total of 7 and 33 extra hours, respectively.

During the third session, the House extended proceedings by 21.7 hours in a bid to complete the scheduled business.

Legislative Activity: Bills Introduced and Passed

In terms of legislative business, the session saw mixed progress. No bills were introduced in the first session. In the second session, the government introduced 12 bills, of which four were passed in the Lok Sabha.

The third session saw the introduction of five bills, and four of these were successfully cleared.

The bills introduced in the third session included:

- Coastal Shipping Bill, 2024

- Merchant Shipping Bill, 2024

- Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024

- Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024

- Appropriation (No. 3) Bill, 2024

The following bills were passed during the session:

- Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024

- Railways (Amendment) Bill, 2024

- Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024

- Appropriation (No. 3) Bill, 2024

Rule 377 Matters Raised

A significant portion of the proceedings also involved matters raised under Rule 377, which allows MPs to bring up issues not related to parliamentary procedures. In the third session alone, 397 matters were raised under this rule, highlighting the ongoing concerns MPs sought to address. In comparison, the second session saw 358 matters raised, and 41 were raised during the first session.

Rule 377 allows MPs to notify the Secretary-General in writing about matters they wish to bring up for discussion. The Speaker must approve the matter and determine the time and date it will be addressed
Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan called the Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi 'goon' during the press meeting at BJP's headquarters. He also accused Congress leader for deliberately causing a disruption during the BJP MPs' protest at Makar Dwar of Parliament which led to a scuffle between the ruling alliance and the opposition.

While addressing a press conference on Thursday at the BJP headquarters, Chouhan also took aim at Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi after their own press conference, asserting that their actions reflected a lack of accountability and respect.

Chouhan further added that Congress leaders should seek forgiveness for the actions they committed in Parliament.

Chouhan said, "Congress President Kharge and Rahul Gandhi held a press conference here just a while ago. We were expecting him to seek forgiveness for the actions they committed in Parliament, but instead, their arrogance was on full display. Today, my mind is upset and heavy with pain. I have been a member of both the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha many times, and I have seen the conduct and behaviour of the MPs and MLAs. What I saw in the Parliament today was unimaginable -- behaviour full of arrogance, arrogance and hooliganism."

Speaking about the incident, BJP MP claimed that security personnel had asked Rahul Gandhi to take a different route to avoid disrupting the BJP MPs' protest at Makar Dwar.

Chouhan further said, "MPs from any party have the right to protest on any issue. Congress has also been staging protests for the past few days."

Chouhan further accused Rahul Gandhi of escalating the situation into violence and claimed that BJP MP Pratap Sarangi had fallen and sustained a head injury, while MP Mukesh Rajput lost consciousness and had to undergo an MRI following the confrontation.

"Rahul Gandhi behaved like a goon. He started pushing there. Our elderly MP Pratap Sarangi fell and he was seriously injured on the head. He was admitted to the ICU and he is still under treatment. He was unconscious. His NRI scan is being done. Will physical power be used in the Parliament instead of logic? On whatever our Adivasi MP Phangnon Konyak, we are full of pain at what she mentioned. She has complained to the Speaker of the Rajya Sabha. She was treated inappropriately. The Speaker said that she approached him while crying," Chouhan said.

(With ANI Inputs)
The story of Niyanshi, a student from a government school in Bhadohi district, Uttar Pradesh, will inspire you. A resident of a small village, Niyanshi brought glory to her community by being selected for the National Mathematics Olympiad. Alakh Pandey, the founder of Physics Wallah, shared, "Niyanshi is from your Sarohi village. India conducts a prestigious Mathematics Olympiad in which only 900 students are selected, and Niyanshi was among them."

Niyanshi credited her success to online education. Alakh Pandey, in turn, promised free online study materials for all students at her school. He announced, "On behalf of Niyanshi, we will provide free access to all Physics Wallah batches for students in classes 9, 10, 11, and 12 preparing for exams." This initiative aims to give students more opportunities to achieve success like Niyanshi.

Niyanshi's Hard Work and Dedication

A video highlighting Niyanshi's dedication showed her studying at Mirzapur railway station while waiting for a train. She would study from 1:30 AM to 7:00 AM. This video garnered significant attention on social media, with over 934K views. Her mother shared that financial constraints prevented her from enrolling in an English-medium school in Bhadohi, but Niyanshi's perseverance and determination helped her soar high. Alakh Pandey also praised her efforts, saying, "Those who want to succeed always find a way."

Hard Work Pays Off

Impressed by her dedication, Alakh Pandey gifted Niyanshi a laptop and blessed her to continue her online education journey. This video has been viewed over 2.7 million times. Alakh Pandey recently encouraged government school students to use free YouTube lectures for their studies, emphasizing the accessibility of education.

He also stated, "Unacademy is one platform; we may be different, but when it comes to reaching students, we all stand together." Alakh Pandey extended his support to other online education platforms and motivated students to start learning.

Emphasizing the Importance of Online Education

In his message, Alakh Pandey expressed his vision of providing free education to students through various platforms, not just Physics Wallah. He mentioned platforms like Unacademy, Vedantu, and Career Will, which also offer free education on YouTube. His goal is to improve the quality of education across the country and reach as many students as possible.
The Central Government on Friday revealed that as many as 2,200 cases of violence against Hindus and other minorities have been reported in Bangladesh this year till December 8. The government also asserted that New Delhis expectation is that Dhaka will take necessary measures to ensure their safety.

In a written response to a query in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh revealed the information, citing data from minority and human rights organizations.

In Pakistan, the number of cases of violence against Hindus and other minorities in Pakistan this year stood at "112 till October 2024," the MoS said.

According to the data shared by Singh, the corresponding figures for 2022 were 47 in Bangladesh and 241 in Pakistan, while in 2023 the figures were 302 in Bangladesh and 103 in Pakistan.

The minister said the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led center has urged "Pakistan to take steps to prevent religious intolerance, sectarian violence, systemic persecution, and attacks on minority communities and ensure their safety, security, and well-being," as quoted by news agency PTI.

He added, "India continues to highlight the plight of minorities in Pakistan at appropriate international fora."

Cases of violence against Hindus and other minorities in other neighbouring countries (except Pakistan and Bangladesh) are "nil," the minister said.

Singh was asked about the total number of cases of violence against Hindus and other minorities reported in neighbouring countries during the last three years.

country-wise and year-wise; and the steps taken or proposed to be taken by the ministry to protect minorities, including diplomatic interventions and relief measures.

The Union minister in his response also said the "government has taken serious note of these incidents and shared its concerns with the government of Bangladesh."

"India's expectation is that Bangladesh will take all necessary measures to ensure the safety and welfare of Hindus and other minorities. The same was also reiterated during the visit of the foreign secretary to Bangladesh on December 9, 2024," he further stated.

The High Commission of India in Dhaka "continues to monitor the situation" related to the minorities in Bangladesh "closely," the Minister of State for External Affairs said. "The primary responsibility for the protection of life and liberty of all citizens, including minorities, rests with the government of the country concerned," he said.

(With PTI Inputs)
Analysis

The Greater Bay Area, Beijings attempt to unite nine cities in Guangdong with Hong Kong and Macau into an economic powerhouse and rival the New York metropolitan area and the San Francisco Bay Area, has been discussed many times but, according to experts, is still as exciting a prospect for Hong Kong as ever.

The Greater Bay Area comprises of Hong Kong, Macau, and nine municipalities of Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen, and Zhaoqing in Guangdong province. The total area is around 56,000 sq km and based on the data from 2023, it has over 86 million people and a GDP of almost $2trn.

To put this in perspective, the Greater Bay Area alone is just behind Canada in terms of GDP and ranks 11th in the world. Beijing sees the creation of the area as a key part of the countrys development plans but the same can be said for Hong Kong.

Hong Kong sees deeper integration with the GBA as essential for its future, greatly enriching the life chances of its people. For example in Shenzhen, right next door to Hong Kong are headquartered three of the most innovative tech companies in the world  BYD, one of the worlds largest EV companies; Huawei, one of the largest makers of cellphones and infrastructure for the internet; and Tencent, which is the company behind WeChat, the worlds biggest super-app, says Richard Hext, chairman of Vanmar Shipping.

Gautam Chellaram, the executive chairman of KC Maritime, believes the same thing. He says that the initiative could create significant opportunities for the maritime industry, including enhanced trade connectivity, infrastructure development, and increased demand for shipping services.

With its strategic location and well-established infrastructure and expertise in maritime technology, Hong Kong is poised to play a pivotal role in facilitating the transportation of goods within the Greater Bay Area. The initiative also presents opportunities for collaboration on technological advancements and sustainable practices within the shipping industry, Chellaram says.

The KC Maritime man adds that the Greater Bay Area will foster economic integration, improve connectivity, and stimulate growth across various sectors.

This means that the road ahead is not yet fully clear. Cara Carter, global managing director of Halcyon Recruitment, thinks the most exciting prospect for Hong Kong is to see how it will fit into Chinas overall growth strategy.

The area will also, hopefully, provide a united front for all those involved in the project and that could, with a little bit of coordination, result in less internal competition and more towards markets outside the GBA.

We see that there should be more coordination at government-level so that we could achieve growth for all ports in GBA and Hong Kong can focus on competition against other international transhipment markets such as Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia, etc, says Horace Lo, group managing director of Modern Terminals Limited.

This is not seen as the only possible outcome. Gary Wong from Hill Dickinson, a law firm, sees a possible double-edged sword situation. He does see a noticeable increase in competitiveness between the ports in the GBA and thinks the competition can be a good incentive for positive change. But it could also do something completely different.

Other than the physical proximity of Hong Kong and its GBA counterparts, developments across the GBA also means upgrades and advancements in various mainland Chinese ports. Cooperation between GBA ports will only foster mutual improvement, but can also mean that other ports within the GBA could be more attractive to specific stakeholders, Wong says.

The Greater Bay Area region is the largest urban corridor in the world but each city within it has a different specialisation which is mutually beneficial and where collaboration and good connectivity would be key.

Greater connectivity facilitating the flow of goods, services and people generally has a positive effect on trade, shipping, and logistics activities, according to Firoze Mirza, managing director of BSM Hong Kong. This can, in turn, boost Hong Kongs maritime industry as infrastructure development progresses and the massive economic potential is being used to the fullest.

With Hong Kongs more limited supply of land and status as an international maritime centre, the extension of port and maritime services further afield offers potential for growth alongside the establishing of operational synergies with the GBAs two other major container ports  Shenzhen and Guangzhou, says Bjorn Hojgaard, CEO of shipmanagement firm Anglo-Eastern.

He sees trade being done faster and cheaper forging increased demand between markets, especially if it is coupled with the Belt and Road Initiative and implementation of more digital technology solutions. According to Hojgaard, sea transportation and ports will be the central part of the equation.

Assuming tighter alignment, Hong Kongs strengths in high value-added services including ship management, ship finance, ship leasing, marine insurance, maritime law and dispute resolution services could also be leveraged, creating expanded business opportunities for Hong Kong companies, he adds.

Another positive of this in his eyes is the possibility of a massively increased talent pool which could be found across the border as well as perspectives of cross-pollinating innovation in the sector.

This, however, will be a slow process, which Hojgaard concedes as well as saying that there are still many unanswered questions. All those questions will be answered in the coming decade as we head towards 2035 when the Greater Bay Area is supposed to be fully developed. By Splash, MDT/Splash
Pantones Colour of the Year alters the perspective of the design industry opening up opportunities for more creativity. The colour of the new year 2025 is unveiled as Mocha Mousse- an earthy brown hue that evokes timelessness.

The hue broadens the idea of browns for people, from being modest and grounded to embracing luxury and aspiration. The shade is all about understated luxury that subtly exudes its alluring qualities rather than blatantly displaying them. In this article, Ar. Gagandeep Kapila, Founder and Principal Architect at Workshop for Metropolitan Architecture delves into the world of Mocha Mousse while unveiling its psychology in spaces.

The Psychology of Mocha Mousse

The colour feels luxurious and approachable, making it an ideal choice for 2025. The earthy nature of Mocha Mousse taps into the innate desire for connection and grounding. It evokes the sensation of sipping a warm beverage on a crisp day, offering emotional stability. This shade reflects the growing trend toward biophilia, drawing inspiration from natural materials like wood and soil. Its connection to the earth makes it a symbolic choice for a world increasingly focused on sustainability.

What Resonates with Mocha Mousse?

Brown, particularly in its rich, mocha-like tones, evokes feelings of safety and reliability. It reminds one of the natural landscapes and organic materials, offering a sense of permanence. Unlike stark whites, brown fosters closeness and intimacy. Mocha Mousse captures this warmth, making it a perfect choice for spaces where connection and relaxation are key. Moreover, brown has an inherent richness that elevates its aesthetic appeal. Mocha Mousse balances this sophistication with approachability, making it a go-to for high-end applications.

Mocha Mousse in Various Inteiror Spaces

In living rooms, Mocha Mousse can be used for accent walls or area rugs. Pairing it with cream or beige creates a calming and cohesive palette. For kitchens, this hue works beautifully in cabinetry or backsplashes, when paired with natural wood finishes. In dining areas, this colour enhances the appetite and fosters a cosy ambiance. As a bedroom colour, Mocha Mousse exudes warmth and tranquility. Combine it with soft textiles in lighter shades for a serene retreat or dark, moody accents for a dramatic effect.

Can we Create a Statement of Sophistication?

Mocha Mousse can help to create unique statements in modern interiors, adding a new element to the design. For instance, this hue can be paired with luxurious fabrics like suede and silk, creating depth and richness. Combining Mocha Mousse with jewel tones or pastel accents can further add dimension to the space.
Mumbai: Eijaz Khans spokesperson has responded to Pavitra Punias recent comments about their breakup, particularly regarding the issue of religion. Pavitra had mentioned that one of the reasons for their separation was her refusal to convert to Islam. However, Eijazs representative has firmly denied that religion was ever a problem in their relationship.



In an interview with HT, Eijazs spokesperson clarified that his family consists of people from different religious backgrounds, and they respect all faiths. The spokesperson also revealed that Eijazs father had been upset by the rumors circulating about the couples breakup, particularly the claim that Eijaz had pressured Pavitra to convert. His father was extremely happy when he learned about Eijaz and Pavitras relationship, and now, this unfounded claim has caused unnecessary hurt, the spokesperson said.



It was further emphasized that Pavitra had publicly stated that religion was not an issue in their relationship and had expressed that she would not convert. In fact, Eijaz had celebrated religious festivals like Diwali and Ganesh Chaturthi while living with Pavitra, underscoring his respect for diverse religious practices.

Pavitra also clarified in her interview with Telly Masala that her extended family had no concerns about caste or religion, and she had made it clear to Eijaz that she would not convert.

The spokesperson concluded by stating that these personal claims not only affect the individuals involved but can also have professional consequences. The spokesperson urged people to be more mindful of the impact such statements can have on others lives.
San Francisco: Tabla virtuoso Ustad Zakir Hussain, who played a vital role in putting Indian classical music on the global map, was on Friday laid to rest in San Francisco.

His funeral was attended by family members, friends and many renowned musicians. Drummer Sivamani along with some other musicians paid a musical tribute to Ustad Zakir Hussain at his final rites.

Before the funeral rituals, Sivamani took to Instagram to share a few words in memory of Zakir Hussain. While remembering the icon, he became emotional and could not hold back his tears.

Fans also gathered in huge numbers to pay their last respects to the legendary musician.

On behalf of the Government and people of India, the Consul General of India in San Francisco, K Srikar Reddy, paid tribute by draping the mortal remains of Ustad Zakir Hussain with the Indian national flag.

Reddy offered condolences to his wife, Antonia Minnecola and his family members and read out the condolence message shared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on X.

In a post on X, Consulate General of India in San Francisco stated, "On behalf of the Government and people of India, Consul General Dr.K.Srikar Reddy paid tribute by draping the mortal remains of the Ustad Zakir Hussain with the Indian national flag, offered condolences to his wife Ms. Antonia Minnecola and his family members, and read out the condolence message [tweet] of Hon'ble PM. Around 300 persons, including his family, friends, musicians [Sivamani and others], music lovers, and diaspora members, paid their last respects."

Zakir Hussain, son of the legendary tabla player Alla Rakha, blended traditions with global influences to create masterpieces that transcend language and culture. He left for his heavenly abode on December 15 but the rhythms produced by him on his tabla will always stay alive in the hearts and minds of his fans.

Ustad Hussain's family, in a statement, said he died of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a disease that causes scarring of the lungs. This scarring causes breathing to become progressively difficult.

He is survived by his wife Antonia Minnecola and daughters Anisa Qureshi and Isabella Qureshi.
Mumbai: Vivek Oberoi, who became a heartthrob with Saathiya alongside Rani Mukerji, recently shared some interesting anecdotes about the film and why he initially rejected the role. During an interview with SCREEN, Vivek opened up about the challenges and memorable moments he experienced while working on the film, which went on to become one of his most iconic projects.



Vivek revealed that when director Shaad Ali approached him with the project, he initially turned it down because he was already committed to Company. However, things changed after Shaad showed him a tape of the Tamil film Alaipayuthey, on which Saathiya was based. Shaad Ali was like a childhood friend. He called me one day and said he wanted to show me something. He showed me the tape of a Tamil film called Alaipayuthey. He told me he was making that film and wanted me to play Maddys role. I was doing Company, so I said no. But by the end of the movie, I was crying, and I wanted to do it. I spoke to Mr. Verma, we figured it out, and then finally I signed Saathiya.



Vivek recalled that Saathiya was a low-budget film, and as a newcomer, he faced several hurdles. He shared," Only Rani had a makeup van. I had to change in restaurant bathrooms and hotel washrooms. I did touch-ups on the streets. Nobody knew who I was. I used to carry the tripod on my shoulder and walk with the rest of the crew. I have shot for 22-23 hours non-stop for Saathiya. I used to put newspapers on the bench and take a nap so that I looked fresh.



Vivek also narrated an incident when he realised his newfound fame after Company had released during the shooting of Saathiya. He recalled, April 12, 2002, Company released, and that Sunday, we were shooting near Gaiety Galaxys railway channel. It was a scene where I was chasing Rani. Initially, it was a normal day, but by 11 am-12 pm, people started shouting Chandu Bhai (his character from Company). From 4-5 people, almost 2000 gathered, and the security arrangements fell apart. Shaad had to push me into Ranis makeup van for safety, and I watched the crowd through the window. Shaad told me, You are a star. The cops eventually had to escort me out in a police van.

The actor added that the scene had to be reshot the following Sunday under police protection. On the professional front, Vivek Oberoi, who was recently seen in Indian Police Force, has begun shooting for Masti 4, the next installment in the popular comedy franchise.


The now-viral video from inside a bus in Pune shows a woman slapping a drunk man more than 26 times after he allegedly molested her.

A video of a woman beating a drunk man who allegedly molested her on a moving bus has been doing the rounds of social media and eliciting numerous reactions from people.

The video shows the woman slapping the man not just once or twice but over 26 times after he attempted to touch her inappropriately while leaving his seat. He was reportedly sitting next to her on the bus.

Pune Woman Slaps Drunk Man 25 times for Allegedly harrasing Her inside Bus

pic.twitter.com/S5kMNynJYf  Ghar Ke Kalesh (@gharkekalesh) December 19, 2024

The video begins with the woman slapping the man repeatedly while he apologises for his actions. Despite the commotion, fellow passengers on the bus did not intervene, allowing the woman to continue slapping him. Eventually, the conductor stepped in, and the woman demanded that the bus be taken to the nearest police station.
US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti highlighted the potential of the US-India partnership, emphasising the need to lower tariffs and to 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 as the "most extraordinary resources that humanity has on its planets."

Garcetti said, "And to realise these ambitions, we must recommit ourselves to a mutual path of trust and transparencies 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."

"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," Garcetti said.
Mumbai: India sent humanitarian assistance consignment to Lesotho compromising of 1000 metric tonnes of rice to help in addressing the food security and nutritional requirements of people in Lesotho.

In a post on X, the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal wrote, "India sends humanitarian assistance to Lesotho. A consignment of 1000 MT rice, today departed from Nhava Sheva Port for Lesotho. The consignment will help in addressing food security and nutritional requirements of the friendly people of Lesotho."

India and Lesotho enjoy a strong relationship that has stood the test of time and is based on shared values and principles, underpinned by the noble objective of South-South cooperation.

The two countries have held frequent interactions across various platforms.

In October, the India GCC Trade Council organized the UN South-South Cooperation meeting, was attended by the Ambassadors of the Kingdom of Lesotho, amongst other partners.

Earlier this year in August, India and Lesotho also held the 5th round of Joint Bilateral Commission for Cooperation.

Both sides reviewed bilateral relations and discussed ways for cooperation in areas of development partnership, trade and economic relations, agriculture, health, infrastructure, consular and cultural issues among others.

During the meeting, the two sides carried out a comprehensive review of the existing bilateral relations, including enhancing of cooperation in development partnership, trade and economic relations, energy, agriculture, health, art and culture and consular matters.

As per the MEA, there are about 4000 Indian expatriates and PIOs in Lesotho working as teachers, accountants and other professionals. Some of them are engaged in business as well. The community has a reasonably high economic profile in the country. There is an Indian Association which organises periodic functions and has hosted well-attended cultural performances by troupes sent by ICCR from time to time.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his willingness to discuss the possibility of reaching a compromise in talks with US President-elect Donald Trump regarding the Ukraine issue, ANI reported citing Al Jazeera.

During the annual end-of-year news conference, He said, "I don't know when I'm going to see him. He isn't saying anything about it. I haven't talked to him in more than four years. I am ready for it, of course. Any time."

Putin also praised the 'invincibility' of the "Oreshnik" hypersonic missile, which Russia has already test-fired at a Ukrainian military factory. He stated that he was prepared to organise another launch in Ukraine to see if Western air defence systems could intercept it.

"Let them determine some target for destruction, say in Kyiv, concentrate all their air defence and missile defence forces there, and we will strike there with Oreshnik and see what happens," Al Jazeera quoted Putin, ANI reported.

"We are ready for such an experiment, but is the other side ready?" he added.

During his address at the plenary session of the Valdai International Discussion Club in Sochi on November 7, Russian President Vladimir Putin extended his congratulations to Donald Trump on his victory in the US presidential election.
Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia has not been defeated in Syria after rebel groups ousted his ally and longtime leader, Bashar al-Assad, earlier this month, Al Jazeera reported.

On Thursday, Putin said he had not yet met the former Syrian ruler who fled to the Russian capital, but that he "will definitely talk to him" and planned to meet him in Moscow, as per Al Jazeera.

He mentioned he would ask Assad about the fate of missing US reporter Austin Tice, whose release was described by the White House as a "top priority", Al Jazeera reported.

Speaking at his annual end-of-the-year news conference, Putin also denied claims of Russia's loss with the fall of the former regime. Russia intervened in Syria in 2015 and turned the tide of the civil war there in Assad's favour.

"You want to present what is happening in Syria as a defeat for Russia," Al Jazeera quoted Putin as saying. "I assure you it is not ... we have achieved our goals."

He said Russia intervened in Syria to "prevent a terrorist enclave from being created there" and that "it is not for nothing that today many European countries and the United States want to establish relations with them [Syria's new rulers]".

"We maintain relations with all the groups that control the situation there, with all the countries in the region," Putin continued, adding that the "overwhelming majority of them tell us that they would be interested in our military bases remaining in Syria".

Russia offered to maintain bases there "for humanitarian purposes", he said. He also admitted to having evacuated 4,000 Iranian fighters in the aftermath of the fall of the Assad government.

Notably, Syria's newly appointed Prime Minister, Mohammed al-Bashir, has focused on repatriating Syrian refugees living abroad as one of his key goals. Al-Bashir aims to "bring back the millions of Syrian refugees who are abroad" as part of efforts to restore stability in the country.
Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday once again acknowledged India's growing economic prowess while highlighting his government's continued efforts to keep the overall economic situation in the country normal and stable despite the long and ongoing conflict with Ukraine.

"International financial and economic institutions have placed Russia first in Europe in terms of economic volume, purchasing power parity, and fourth in the world. Ahead are China, the United States, and India. We overtook Germany last year and have overtaken Japan this year. But this is not an indicator that we should fall asleep and calm down on. Of course not," said Putin while answering questions during his annual press conference in Moscow on Thursday. He mentioned that the Russian economy continues to develop despite external threats and attempts to influence it.

"Everything is developing, everything is actively moving forward. If the Eurozone has fallen asleep, then there are other centres of world development, they are also moving forward. And in the Eurozone and in the States, the situation is also changing. We must maintain the momentum, change the quality of our economy," Putin asserted.

Earlier this month, the Russian President had lauded Prime Minister Modi's 'India-first' policy and the 'Make in India' initiative while expressing Russia's willingness to establish manufacturing operations in India.

Addressing the 15th VTB Russia Calling Investment Forum in Moscow, Putin had drawn parallels between Russia's import substitution programme and India's 'Make in India' initiative.

"Prime Minister Modi has a similar programme called 'Make in India'. We are also ready to set up our manufacturing operations in India. The Indian government, under the Prime Minister's leadership, has been creating stable conditions, driven by a policy of putting India first. We believe that investing in India is profitable," the Russian President said.

In September, during his one-on-one meeting with National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval in Saint Petersburg, Putin had hailed India's rising global stature and the strength of its growing economy under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi.

"Our special privileged strategic partnership is gaining momentum, gaining strength, which we are only happy about. We are also happy about India's success in building, strengthening its statehood, and developing the economy, which is happening under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi," the Russian President had said during his meeting with NSA Doval.
United States weapons manufacturers could work with Vietnamese counterparts to help build up Vietnams armed forces, the U.S. ambassador to the southeast Asian country said yesterday.

Our goal is to ensure that Vietnam has what it needs to defend its interests at sea, in the air, on the ground and in cyberspace, U.S. Ambassador Mark Knapper said at an international arms expo in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi.

Vietnam is hosting the expo that brings together 250 exhibitors including geopolitical rivals including the U.S., China, Russia, Ukraine, Israel and Iran. The expo, held at Hanois Gia Lam airport, continues through Sunday.

U.S. exhibitors include Boeing and Textron Aviation. China is present with Norinco and Gaodu International Trade. Irans defense ministry pavilion isnt far from booths set up by Israeli companies Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries. A number of Russian firms are also in attendance along with Ukraines Motor Sich.

Vietnam has been trying to increase its domestic arms manufacturing while reducing its reliance on Russia for weapon imports.

In 2022, Russia made up around 60% of all of Vietnams military purchases, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. But Vietnams longstanding efforts to diversify its imports have been accelerated by the war in Ukraine. It has also been trying to boost its own capacity to make arms and displayed indigenously-made military equipment at the expo.

A key driver for Vietnam is the escalating tensions in the South China Sea, a key trade and security route. It a flashpoint in Asia and a fault line in the U.S.-China regional rivalry. Vietnam has been critical of Chinas increasingly hostile actions in the disputed waters. Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries have overlapping claims in the busy sea passage.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh called the event message of peace, cooperation and development. He was later given a tour of a military plane made by U.S. firm Lockheed Martin. MDT/AP
A planned transfer by the British Government of sovereignty over the strategically significant Chagos Islands, an Indian Ocean archipelago, now faces potential revision after the new leadership in Mauritius questioned the terms of the contentious agreement with the UK. Under the original deal, the European state would hand over control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while retaining long-term authority over a vital military base on Diego Garcia, which it operates in conjunction with the United States. The accord promised to allow displaced islanders and their descendants to return to their homeland, except for Diego Garcia itself.

However, recent elections in Mauritius brought a new prime minister to power, and he now seeks to reopen negotiations. He argues that the proposed treaty would not provide sufficient benefits to Mauritius. He insists that while his country remains willing to finalize an agreement, it requires new terms better aligned with the nations interests.

Officials representing the British government maintain confidence that the deal will reach completion. They believe its provisions safeguard key strategic advantages and have secured broad support from international partners with regional security concerns.

Critics in the UKs political opposition have called the agreement a surrender of territorial sovereignty. Some voices from abroad, including those aligned with a former world leader, worry about the future implications for the military base, which has played a significant role in regional and global security operations.

The archipelagos colonial past, its eviction of local inhabitants decades ago, and its present strategic importance have combined to create a complex diplomatic puzzle that remains unresolved.
Malawis government has issued sweeping financial demands against three multinational corporations, including a gemstone dealer, an energy giant, and a tobacco firm, alleging that these entities owe enormous sums in unpaid taxes, royalties, or revenue. The requests amount to hundreds of billions of dollars, far exceeding the countrys gross domestic product and dwarfing its national debt.

Authorities claim that the gemstone company, based in North America, vastly underreported the value of rubies extracted and exported from Malawi over the past decade. The government cites the firms own public disclosures as evidence and insists that it deserves compensation for revenue that never reached state coffers. The accused company rejects the claims, calling them baseless, and points out that Malawi has never produced the fantastical volumes implied by the demanded sum.

In another case, officials seek billions of dollars from a major global energy provider, alleging that it failed to honor profit-sharing arrangements relating to a storage agreement dating back more than two decades. The company has not commented on these allegations.

Malawi also targets a foreign tobacco buyer that supposedly neglected payment for a massive shipment of leaves. Although the company insists it paid for a smaller quantity of lower-quality tobacco, the government references past legal victories in foreign courts to support its claim.

Observers attribute these moves to the governments urgent need for revenue. Economic strains and an international bailout have prompted officials to look for new streams of income, though many doubt that these massive claims will reach a successful conclusion.
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: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Packed holiday schedules, no school, disrupted bedtime routinesa parent's worst nightmare. And if you are one of the many turning to melatonin to help their little ones get to sleep, you may want to think again. New research suggests this increasingly popular solution deserves a closer look.

Nearly one in five school-age children now regularly use melatonin supplements, according to a study published last year in JAMA Pediatrics. And what's even more concerning, according to researchers, is that about 6% of preschoolers ages 1 to 4 are taking the sleep aid.

While melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone that helps regulate sleep cycles, supplements aren't regulated like prescription medications, and research on long-term use in children is limited.

"It is terrifying to me that this amount of an unregulated product is being utilized," Dr. Cora Collette Breuner, professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington, told NPR.

The surge in usage also coincides with an increase in melatonin poisoning cases. Melatonin ingestion cases reported to poison control centers, largely occurring among children younger than 5, skyrocketed by more than 500% between 2012 and 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. During this period, poison control centers documented 260,435 cases of pediatric melatonin ingestion, with the sharpest uptick occurring during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To cut back on melatonin usage, experts recommend these evidence-based sleep strategies:

Maintain consistent bedtimes, even during holiday festivities

Turn off screens at least one hour before bed

Use blackout shades and white noise machines if needed

Avoid letting children stay up more than one to two hours past normal bedtime on weekends

Create a calming bedtime routine with activities like reading or quiet music

If sleep problems persist, parents should consult their pediatrician before trying melatonin, Health reports.

When prescribed, experts recommend looking for supplements with a USP label, indicating third-party testing for content accuracy and contaminants. The American Academy of Pediatrics, according to NPR, emphasizes melatonin should only be used as a short-term solution under medical supervision.

2024 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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

Three Democratic senators asked the country's top nonpartisan government watchdog on Tuesday to investigate the costs of a Georgia program that requires some people to work to receive Medicaid coverage.

The program, called "Georgia Pathways to Coverage," is the nation's only active Medicaid work requirement.

Pathways has cost tens of millions in federal and state dollars on administration and consulting fees while enrolling 5,542 people as of Nov. 1, according to KFF Health News' reporting. The congressional letter cited the reporting in its request to the Government Accountability Office.

"Republicans are hell-bent on putting mountains of red tape between Americans and their health care," Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., head of the Senate Finance Committee, said in a statement about the letter he co-wrote. "Taxpayers deserve to hear from an independent watchdog about the true costs of the Republican health care agenda."

Georgia Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock co-signed the request.

The Democrats' letter asks the GAO to prepare a summary of the costs to run the programand detail how much of that has been picked up by the feds, break down the cost of the program per person, and assess how Georgia has used contractors to run the program and how federal officials have overseen it.

The request comes as President-elect Donald Trump, who supported work requirements in his first administration, is set to take office and potentially transform how people qualify for Medicaid, the joint federal-state health insurance program for people who are disabled or have low incomes.

Many GOP-led states have pushed for work requirements in public benefits programs such as Medicaid, arguing that they promote employment. Georgia's Pathways program requires some Medicaid applicants to prove they are working, volunteering, or studying for 80 hours a month.

The first Trump administration approved work requirements in 13 states. Only Georgia's program, which started on July 1, 2023, is in effect. A Medicaid work requirement launched in Arkansas was halted by a court order in 2019.

In November, South Dakota voters gave lawmakers a green light to seek a work requirement for some Medicaid enrollees. In 2023, North Carolina lawmakers directed the state to seek work requirements if the federal government would approve such a waiver. And some GOP-led states have indicated they might also seek work requirements.

Georgia's program has been a priority of Republican Gov. Brian Kemp and his team defended the program.

"The Senators should be more focused on examining the failures of the federal government to adequately provide the services they're required to administer than looking for every opportunity to criticize states that are taking innovative approaches," Garrison Douglas, a Kemp spokesperson, said in an emailed statement.

Enrollment in the program, which as of Dec. 13 was 5,903, has fallen far short of the state's initial projection of more than 25,000 in the first year.

The program has cost more than $40 million in state and federal funds, largely administrative costs and not medical care for enrollees, Georgia officials have said. KFF Health News reported in March that Georgia officials estimated the program's administrative costs could increase to $122 million over four years.

A spokesperson for Georgia's Medicaid agency, Fiona Roberts, said the costs "increased significantly" because of the program's delayed launch. While it was approved by the Trump administration, the Biden administration attempted to block it, resulting in a legal fight.

KFF Health News has also reported that the program has slowed processing times for other Medicaid applications and for public benefits such as cash assistance and food stamps.

Meanwhile, more than a year after Pathways' launch, Georgia officials said they still had not removed enrollees for failing to prove they are working, volunteering, or studying for 80 hours a month, KFF Health News has reported.

"State leaders continue to put taxpayer dollars behind their ineffective health care program that has failed by nearly every metric," Warnock said.

Previous federal research suggests that the high costs per enrollee associated with Georgia's program could be repeated elsewhere. The Trump administration didn't properly weigh administrative costs in state applications for work requirements, according to a 2019 GAO report. Pathways is slated to expire on Sept. 30, unless federal officials grant an extension.

2024 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Graphical abstract. Credit: Neuron (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.11.016

An international research team, including researchers at Karolinska Institutet, has mapped the genes expressed in the brain cells of people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The atlas, which is presented in the journal Neuron, is hoped to contribute to more personalized treatment of MS in the future.

MS is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the brain and spinal cord and usually affects people in their 30s and 40s. Symptoms vary, and some people have much more disability than others.

Currently, MS treatments target immune cells in the blood, stopping them from reaching the brain and causing damage. These are very effective in the early phase of MS. But to help treat patients when their MS is more progressive, researchers need to find treatments that act on the brain cells themselves.

However, there is limited understanding of how brain cells are affected in people with MS over their lives or why there is a huge diversity in how the condition affects people.

Now, an international research team including researchers at KI, Edinburgh University and Hoffmann-La Roche in Basel, among other institutions, has created an "atlas of MS brain cells" at an individual cell resolution, by examining the largest ever number of brains from deceased people with MS, comprising more than half a million brain cells.

Four groups with different brain cell profiles

Using information on which genes are expressed in the brain cells of people with MS, the researchers were able to categorize them into four groups with different brain cell profiles.

"Since each patient group presented different signatures regarding the genes that are active in cells in the brain, they might respond to treatments differently, which highlights the need for more personalized treatment of MS," says Goncalo Castelo-Branco, professor at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet and one of the main authors of the paper.

So far, researchers have observed these subgroups using post-mortem brain tissue.

"To help treat MS, we need to work out how to group people with MS using blood tests," says Anna Williams, professor at the University of Edinburgh who led the study. "We could then design clinical trials specifically for these subgroups, which could help us get the right drugs to the right people."

More information: snRNAseq stratifies multiple sclerosis patients into distinct white matter glial responses, Neuron (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.11.016. www.cell.com/neuron/fulltext/S0896-6273(24)00873-0 Journal information: Neuron
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In a pivotal move, the United States Supreme Court announced Wednesday that it will review South Carolina's controversial decision to cut off state funding for Planned Parenthood clinics, which provide critical health services to low-income residents.

A media report published by The Washington Post said that this move was made after the state terminated its agreement with the organization in 2018, citing its provision of abortion services, even though Medicaid does not cover abortion except in specific circumstances required by federal law.

Planned Parenthood, along with a patient, filed a lawsuit against the state, arguing that Medicaid recipients should have the right to choose any qualified health provider, including those that offer abortion services, the report shows.

The United States District Court ruled in favor of Planned Parenthood, and the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld this decision.

John Bursch, vice president of appellate advocacy at The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), representing South Carolina's health and human services director, stated in the report that South Carolina should be able to direct funds as it pleases.

"Taxpayer dollars shouldn't be used to fund facilities that choose to profit off abortion," Bursch told The Post. "South Carolina is free to use its limited funding to subsidize life-affirming health care."

The ADF has urged the Supreme Court to reverse the ruling, pointing out that other appeals courts in Texas and Arkansas have ruled differently in similar cases.

The Supreme Court's involvement is now crucial to resolving these conflicting rulings.

Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood, called the case a critical issue for patient choice.

"Today, the Supreme Court made it clear that people's ability to choose their sexual and reproductive health care provider is in jeopardy," Johnson stated.

"Patients who use Medicaid as their insurance should have the freedom to get high-quality, affordable health carebirth control, STI testing and treatment, and life-saving cancer screenings."

More information: Planned Parenthood has everything you need to know about birth control, abortion, and more.

Copyright  2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
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: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Shares in Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk, maker of diabetes and weight-loss treatments Ozempic and Wegovy, plunged on Friday after it announced disappointing results of a new drug study.

The drugmaker said clinical trials had demonstrated that overweight subjects using the weight-loss drug Cagrisema had lost an average of 22.7 percent of their weight over the 68-week trial, compared to 2.3 percent for those using a placebo.

The result fell short of the 25 percent Novo Nordisk had expected for the drug, sending shares down over 22 percent following the announcement.

The trial included 3,417 overweight or obese people with one or more comorbidities.

Martin Holst Lange, executive vice president for development at Novo Nordisk, said in a statement that the company was "encouraged" by the results.

He added that with the insights from the trial, "we plan to further explore the additional weight loss potential of Cagrisema".

In November, the drugmaker posted a 21-percent rise in net profit to 27.3 billion kroner ($3.85 billion) for the July-to-September period, but lamented capacity limitations at its production sites.

Sales of Wegovy, which has been approved for use to treat obesity in Britain, Denmark, France, Germany, Norway and the United States, rose by 42 percent in the first nine months of the year.

Sales of Ozempican injectable anti-diabetic treatment which has become popular for its slimming propertiessoared by 54 percent in the same period.

Novo Nordisk has a hold on 74 percent of the market for weight-loss treatments.

The World Obesity Federation predicts that by 2035, over half of the world's population will be overweight or obese and the global economic impact could then exceed $4 trillion a year.

 2024 AFP
The United Progressive Alliance Party (UPA) has officially endorsed former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi as its presidential candidate for the 2027 elections.

During a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Nyamira on Wednesday, UPA members unanimously agreed to nominate Matiangi as the partys flagbearer for the upcoming presidential race. UPA Secretary General Jacob Bagaka confirmed the decision, noting that Matiangi, who served as a powerful CS under retired President Uhuru Kenyattas administration, remains a popular figure in the country.

We have no doubt that Dr. Matiangis popularity in the country is undeniable, and the partys decision to prepare for his candidacy has been widely appreciated across the nation, Bagaka said as quoted by the Star.

Bagaka also revealed that UPA would soon launch an aggressive campaign to extend its influence beyond the Gusii region, positioning Matiangi as the key candidate for the 2027 presidential election.

Matiangi is said to have quietly returned to Kenya a few days ago from the USA, where he has been since 2022.

Nyamira Governor Amoss Nyaribo, the UPA leader, emphasized the partys rapid growth ahead of the 2027 polls.

Our party is already national, and we will intensify campaigns to make it more vibrant through increased membership, Nyaribo said.

Nyaribo also shared that UPA is in talks with other like-minded Gusii-based parties to strengthen the regions bargaining power ahead of the elections.

UPA leadership is holding discussions with other Gusii parties to create a powerful coalition that will propel Matiangi to the presidency, he added.

Matiangi was one of the founders of UPA before the 2022 elections, where he initially emerged as a potential successor to President Uhuru Kenyatta. However, he later supported Azimio La Umojas Raila Odinga, who lost to President William Ruto.

After the 2022 elections, UPA secured one governor, one MP, and 18 MCAs nationwide.
Two police officers, Chrispus Murakhi Butali and Samwel Mbugua Njuguna, have been charged with stock theft for slaughtering a cow reported missing at Kaptagat Police Station.

They also face charges of killing an animal with intent to steal and handling stolen goods, under sections 289 and 322 of the Penal Code. Both officers denied the charges.

The officers were arrested on Tuesday in Keiyo South, Elgeyo Marakwet County, after allegedly being caught slaughtering the cow, which had been reported missing by a local resident.

The incident sparked protests around the Kaptagat Police Station, with locals demanding compensation for three missing cows linked to the case.

Authorities reported that the situation grew tense but was eventually contained by the area Member of County Assembly (MCA).

The officers were granted a cash bail of Ksh40,000 or a bond of Ksh200,000 with surety at the Iten Law Courts. The case will be mentioned on January 2, 2025.
The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has directed employers to apply revised Pay As You Earn (PAYE) deductions starting December 27, 2024.

In a notice dated Thursday, December 19, KRA outlined plans to enforce the Tax Laws (Amendment) Act, 2024, which introduces a new framework for calculating PAYE. This follows President William Rutos signing of the Tax Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, into law.

Under the amended law, PAYE contributions for Kenyan employees will now include additional deductible amounts, impacting taxable income calculations.

These changes aim to increase employee take-home pay while streamlining the tax system.

Key Changes to PAYE

New Deductible Amounts for Taxable Income

Contributions to the Affordable Housing Levy.

Post-retirement medical fund contributions, capped at KSh 15,000 per month.

Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) contributions.

Mortgage interest, capped at KSh 360,000 annually (KSh 30,000 monthly).

Pension or provident fund contributions, limited to KSh 360,000 annually (KSh 30,000 monthly).

Removal of Tax Reliefs

Affordable Housing Relief.

Post-Retirement Medical Fund Relief.

Exemptions for Employment Gains and Benefits

Benefits, advantages, or facilities valued below KSh 60,000 annually (KSh 5,000 monthly) will be excluded from taxable gains.

The first KSh 60,000 annually (KSh 5,000 monthly) for meals provided by employers will be exempt from taxation.

Gratuity or similar payments made by employers up to KSh 360,000 annually will not be included in taxable income.

KRA emphasized that the updated system simplifies tax compliance while providing specific tax breaks to employees. Employers are expected to align with the new PAYE framework by the December deadline.
Jane Mugo, Kenyas infamous private detective known as Spy Queen, has been acquitted by a Nairobi court in a case where she was accused of threatening to shoot businessman Deepa Shah.

Senior Principal Magistrate Susan Shitubi, who presided over the case at the Milimani Law Courts, ruled that the prosecution failed to present sufficient evidence to prove its case.

In her judgment, Shitubi highlighted significant inconsistencies in the testimonies of two prosecution witnesses. The magistrate also dismissed one witnesss claim that Mugo had a pistol during the altercation, pointing out that the weapon was not recovered when investigators raided her home.

Also Read  Spy Queen Jane Mugo ready to be Rutos Running Mate

Shitubi further noted that the failure to cross-examine the witnesses left the court uncertain about their credibility, ultimately leading to a decision in favor of the defense.

The inconsistencies in the witnesses accounts, coupled with their lack of cross-examination, left the court unable to determine their credibility. As such, the benefit of doubt goes to the defense, the magistrate ruled.

Mugo was charged in 2019 with threatening to kill Shah on February 4, 2019, at Kyuna Close in Spring Valley. She denied the charges and has been out on bond since then.
Four suspects involved in a USD 100,000 gold scam were arraigned at Milimani Law Courts on Wednesday, December 18, facing charges of conspiracy to defraud and forgery.

The suspects, identified as Susan Wanjeri Kogi, Elvis Muga Ouma, Nazlin Karim Rahimbux, and Hubbard Kanyago Ndongo, were arrested on December 11 after an investigation by the DCI Operation Support Unit.

The suspects are accused of defrauding a Niger businessman while posing as customs officials based in Nairobi. The fraud scheme is linked to a larger international operation involving Mali, where the victims company in Dubai lost over USD 5,000,000 between February and December 2024. The funds were intended for the purchase, clearance, and transportation of 100kg of gold from Mali to Dubai.

The scammers falsely claimed that the gold consignment had been confiscated by customs officers in Nairobi. They then sent an invoice from an alleged Kenyan logistics company, DARDESSA Logistics Limited, demanding USD 100,000 for the release of the gold. The victim, following the instructions of the fraudsters, paid the sum, which was confirmed by Susan Wanjeri.

Suspicious of further attempts to extort money, the victim traveled to Kenya, where he met with the fake agents. After multiple demands for additional funds, he reported the fraud. Detectives launched an intelligence-led operation, leading to the arrest of the suspects.

The four suspects pleaded not guilty during their arraignment in court. They were granted a bond of Kes.500,000 or a cash bail of Kes.200,000. The case will be mentioned on January 21, 2025.

Business owners are urged to stay vigilant against organized fraud rings that exploit opportunities to deceive genuine traders.
Court in SW China upholds death sentence of Yu Huaying for child abducting and trafficking

Global Times) 08:33, December 20, 2024

This file photo shows the Guizhou Provincial High People's Court holds a court session to hear the appeal of Yu Huaying in the child trafficking case on November 2023. (Photo/Guizhou Provincial Higher People's Court)

A court in Southwest China's Guizhou Province on Thursday upheld the death sentence of Yu Huaying, who was charged with abducting and trafficking 17 children, rejecting Yu's appeal, according to Xinhua News Agency.

The ruling is final and Yu cannot appeal again. In accordance with criminal procedure, the case will be reported to China's Supreme People's Court for a review of the death penalty. After approval of the application of the death penalty, it will enter the final stage of execution, according to CCTV News.

In September 2023, the Guiyang Intermediate People's Court sentenced Yu to death after finding her guilty of abducting and trafficking 11 children between 1993 and 1996. Yu and her accomplice sold the children for profit. Yu immediately submitted an appeal against the ruling, according to Xinhua.

In November 2023, the Guizhou Provincial Higher People's Court held a second-instance trial and, in January 2024, ordered a retrial of the case after the police discovered that Yu was implicated in more child trafficking cases. In October 2024, Yu was sentenced to death for abducting and trafficking 17 children. Yu was also deprived of her political rights for life and all her personal property will be confiscated, according to Xinhua.

(Web editor: Tian Yi, Zhong Wenxing)
VMPL Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 20: The Indian Comics Association (ICA) hosted a panel discussion on the role of comics in Create in India, a key initiative of the government, at the Amar Chitra Katha (ACK) office in Mumbai. The event marked the appointment of Ruhi Singh, former Miss India, Indian film actress and comic book enthusiast, as the brand ambassador of ICA. Ruhi Singh will represent ICA at Waves 2025 and will help amplify the reach of comics as part of 'Create in India' and 'Waves' through her influential public profile. The panel discussion featured senior representatives from ICA and ACK, including Ajitesh Sharma, President of ICA, and Preeti Vyas, President & CEO of ACK. Other notable guests attending the event included Chief Editor Gayathri Chandrasekaran, Group Art Director, Savio Mascarenhas of Tinkle and Anadi Abhilash, Secretary of ICA, and Prathamesh Gandhi, Executive member of ICA. "We are thrilled to partner with the Indian Comics Association to promote the rich legacy of Indian comics," said Preeti Vyas, President & CEO of Amar Chitra Katha. "With a history spanning over five decades, Amar Chitra Katha and Tinkle are committed to preserving and promoting India's cultural heritage through comics and ensuring today's generation of young readers also connect with their roots through comics. This partnership with ICA is a significant step in the direction of pushing the comics industry forward." "I'm honoured to be the brand ambassador of the Indian Comics Association, and I'm committed to doing my part in reviving the Indian comics industry to its golden times," said Ruhi Singh. "I believe that comics have the power to inspire and educate, and I'm excited to be a part of this movement." The event also included the exciting launch of Tinkle Gold 5 containing brand new stories never before seen in print. Tinkle Gold 5 is the fifth edition of the bestselling Tinkle Gold series, with over 1 lac copies in print. "We are delighted to have Ruhi Singh on board as our brand ambassador," said Ajitesh Sharma, President of ICA. "Her passion for comics and her commitment to promoting Indian art and culture make her an ideal fit for this role." About Indian Comics Association The Indian Comics Association (ICA), founded in 2023, is dedicated to promoting and enhancing the comics culture in India. It serves as a platform for artists, writers, and publishers, encouraging high-quality comic production and fostering collaboration. Through events, workshops, and publications, ICA aims to elevate Indian comics locally and globally. (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)
This system has gained global recognition, with leaders like former World Bank President David Malpass applauding its transformative impact.

The Aadhaar Payment Bridge (APB) plays a crucial role in this success, linking over 85.45 crore Aadhaar numbers to bank accounts and achieving a 99.9 per cent transaction success rate.

Unified Payments Interface (UPI), introduced in 2016, has been a game-changer in digital payments. By linking multiple bank accounts through a single app, UPI has transformed how Indians transact.

In FY 2023-24 alone, UPI processed transactions worth Rs200 lakh crore, with Rs21.55 lakh crore recorded in November 2024.

It has also gained international recognition, expanding to countries like France, UAE, and Singapore. UPI's share in digital payments has grown exponentially, accounting for 70 per cent of all transactions in FY 2023-24.

By integrating banking, identity, and connectivity, JAM has created a seamless system that empowers citizens and enhances transparency in governance.

The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), launched in 2014, forms the foundation of this framework by making banking accessible to all.

With over 54.19 crore accounts opened, holding deposits of Rs2.4 lakh crore, the scheme has brought millions into the financial system.

These accounts offer benefits like zero balance requirements, free RuPay debit cards with Rs2 lakh accident insurance, and overdraft facilities of up to Rs10,000. Remarkably, 56 per cent of these accounts are held by women, and 67 per cent are in rural areas, highlighting its role in empowering marginalized communities.

Aadhaar, India's unique identification system, has strengthened JAM by providing a robust digital identity to 139 crore citizens.

This ensures that government benefits, from cash transfers to in-kind subsidies like fertilizers and skill development programs, reach their intended recipients.

Acting as a financial address through the Aadhaar Payment Bridge (APB), Aadhaar simplifies the process of identification and reduces duplication and fraud in welfare schemes.

Mobile connectivity, the third pillar of JAM, has further bridged the gap between citizens and services. With 1.17 billion mobile users, including 850 million smartphone users, India has made government services easily accessible through mobile apps like UMANG.

From OTP-based authentication to eligibility checks for schemes, mobile technology ensures that citizens can connect with governance anytime, anywhere. (ANI)
NewsVoir Bangalore (Karnataka) [India], December 20: In the drought-scorched fields of Kesaramadu Gram Panchayat, Tumkur, Karnataka, hope flows anew. Powered by The Art of Living Social Projects in partnership with Wipro, the JalTara Recharge Structures Project is transforming the lives of farmers and rewriting the story of water scarcity in rural India. Over nine months, from December 2023 to September 2024, this initiative has brought hope and water security to 154 farmers, rejuvenating over 500 acres of farmland through the construction of 500 recharge pits. Groundwater levels have improved, agricultural productivity has surged, and borewell water availability has significantly increased in many locations. Environmentally, the initiative has curbed water runoff while bolstering groundwater recharge. Inspired by this success, the partnership plans to expand the model to other drought-prone regions, bringing water security to more communities. JalTara: A Dual Shield against Drought and Floods What makes JalTara truly extraordinary is its two fold impact - it combats both drought and flooding. During dry spells, the recharge structures replenish depleted groundwater, providing farmers with a sustainable lifeline for irrigation and household needs. When the rains arrive, these structures act as guardians, preventing soil erosion by curbing water runoff and protecting the fertile topsoil vital for agricultural health. Efficient, adaptable, and economical, JalTara's design allows for rapid implementation without requiring heavy machinery or labor-intensive processes. Its versatility ensures it can be replicated across diverse terrains, offering an immensely scalable solution to India's water woes. From Parched Lands to Thriving Fields Water scarcity isn't just an environmental concern - it's a daily battle for survival in rural areas. Farmers often grapple with failing crops, mounting debts, and dwindling livelihoods. The JalTara project addresses these struggles with a simple yet effective solution: recharge structures that replenish groundwater and reduce dependency on unpredictable monsoons. For Chandrashekar, a farmer in Kesaramadu, the transformation has been remarkable. "With 16 recharge pits on my land, I've seen a rise in groundwater levels. My crops flourish, and irrigation is no longer a gamble," he shares. Satish, another beneficiary, echoes the sentiment: "Before JalTara, my borewell often ran dry, forcing me to consider costly alternatives. Now, with the recharge pit, water availability has doubled, and my farming costs have dropped." A Scientific Approach with a Human Touch JalTara's success lies in its blend of scientific precision and community involvement. It begins with meticulous groundwork: * Surveys and Studies: Detailed assessments pinpoint the best locations for recharge pits, ensuring maximum effectiveness. * Community Engagement: Farmers are actively involved, learning about water conservation and sustainable practices, encouraging them to take ownership of the solution. * Green Initiatives: Saplings are distributed for planting, complementing the recharge structures and enhancing the region's ecological balance. This integrated approach addresses water scarcity while fostering long term environmental and socio economic resilience. A Collaboration Driving Impact The partnership between The Art of Living Social Projects, Wipro, local volunteers, and farmers turned the vision of water security into tangible outcomes. Farmers like Shreedhar, who once struggled with expensive borewell drilling, now advocate for recharge pits. "For a fraction of the cost of a borewell, I've built three pits that provide reliable water throughout the year," he shares. From Local Success to National Impact The success in Kesaramadu has demonstrated how effective the JalTara model is in addressing water related challenges. The initiative has improved groundwater availability, revitalised agriculture, and restored environmental balance in the region. Its adaptability ensures that the model can be scaled to tackle drought and flooding challenges across India, paving the way for sustainable water management. Beyond the Numbers JalTara isn't just about pits or percentages; it's about empowering communities to reclaim their resources and livelihoods. It exemplifies how the combination of science, compassion, and grassroots action can yield transformational change. As we look ahead, sustainable water management remains essential, not optional. Initiatives like JalTara show that when communities, organisations, and innovative solutions come together, the future flows with possibilities. The Art of Living, a global non-profit organisation dedicated to peace, well-being, and humanitarian service founded in 1981 by the world-renowned humanitarian and spiritual leader Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, collaborates with various organisations and the Government of India to combat water scarcity through numerous water conservation projects. Follow: www.instagram.com/artofliving.sp Post: x.com/artofliving_sp Message: www.linkedin.com/showcase/artofliving-sp (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)
Union Minister Piyush Goyal held discussions with European Commissioner on India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) via video conferencing The ministry in an official statement stated that "Piyush Goyal held a video conference with Maros Sefcovic, European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security; Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency at 2030 hrs today". The ministry also added that this conference was convened to discuss India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, High Level Dialogue, India-EU Trade and Technology Council, other high level engagements & trade and investment issues. After the meeting Sefcovic posted on X, The overall EU-India trade and investment relationship is yet to reach its full potential. Glad to have exchanged with Minister Piyush Goyal on the best way to advance our trade negotiations. An opportunity to deepen our strategic ties." The meeting was held on Thursday and was attended by senior officials from both the sides. This was the first introductory meeting between the two leaders after the assumption of the charge of the new European Commission of the European Union(EU). The Commerce and Industry Minister welcomed that President Ursula von der Leyen was elected for a second mandate by the European Parliament in July 2024. He noted that Prime Minister Modi was given a historic and unprecedented third mandate by the people of India. With continuity and stability, both sides would strive to deepen the relationship amidst growing uncertainty and turbulence. Goyal also congratulated the EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefovic on his new role in the European Commission and expressed confidence in working together to develop a new Strategic India-EU Agenda. Recognizing shared values of democracy and rule of law, the two leaders agreed to explore ways to ensure greater wealth and prosperity for about 2 billion people of India and the EU. Following nine rounds of intensive negotiations, FTA discussions require strategic political guidance to conclude a commercially significant and mutually beneficial agreement, with due consideration given to each side's sensitivities. Minister Goyal underlined that non-tariff barriers were impeding trade and emphasized the need to address long pending issues as a confidence building measure. Both sides agreed to explore a balanced, equitable, ambitious and mutually beneficial FTA. The two leaders committed to schedule a bilateral visit to understand each other's sensitivities and concerns at a date convenient to both sides, through diplomatic channels. (ANI)
PNN New Delhi [India], December 20: In 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic left a piercing insight with us, particularly in those traumatic months when Pune, like many other cities across the globe, went through an acute scarcity of life-saving resources. It was still ringing in our ears when people had to run around for an oxygen cylinder, and there were emotional videos of people uploading them outside of institutions, turning into a dire spectacle. As a healthcare platform, Hidoc Dr made a conscious decision to dedicate 10% of their profits to charitable causes. Since then, the focus has primarily been on addressing food insecurity for children, a critical issue that affects millions globally. Varun Gadia, Co-founder and COO of Hidoc Dr. states, "In 2022, during the COVID-19 crisis, I saw my city, Pune, go through horrible pain with families torn apart and faced with heartbreaking choices to save one of their own. This made me decide to allocate 10% of Hidoc Dr's revenues towards charitable efforts, in this case, with the goal of alleviating childhood hunger. Since then, we have been able to contribute to a huge fight against malnutrition by providing meals in hospitals to children and participating in international disaster relief. While several companies are set with the intention of making a profit, for us at Hidoc Dr, the mission goes beyond profit." At Hidoc Dr, the commitment to social responsibility is taken seriously. Their philanthropic initiatives span across continents, ensuring that children in need receive not only the care and resources they deserve but also the hope that comes with knowing someone cares. Here are some ways they have made a difference: * Hidoc Dr provides meals to the children hospitalised in pediatric wards of several hospitals in Pune, including those who are unable to afford a fee and get treated, are assured of three meals a week until they get better and are discharged. * During the tragic Turkish earthquakes and the devastating Odisha train tragedy, critical aid was provided to families affected by these disasters. * Hidoc Dr is also an active participant in an esteemed project called IIM Ahmedabad Food Donation Forum to help the poor and hungry in India. * Hidoc Dr has helped sustain the living conditions of underprivileged children in India, Ukraine, and the Middle Eastern nations through their monthly donations to the United Nations World Food Programme. * Through the Muskaan Food Donation Organization, Hidoc Dr ensures that food reaches those in need, partnering with local communities and charities.Due to these combined efforts, Hidoc Dr has been able to provide more than 11,560 meals to needy children around the globe. Each meal is a source of hope for more than just food insecurity. By 2025, their goal is to provide the same assistance to an additional 5,000 children on a biweekly basis for the coming year, ensuring every child has access to the nourishment needed to thrive. Varun Gadia further states, "At Hidoc Dr, we believe that business success should never come at the expense of those in need. That's why every time a dollar is spent, 10% of that amount goes directly toward improving the lives of children in need. Whether it's providing meals, supporting disaster relief, or fighting hunger globally, the support helps make a lasting impact." The mission goes beyond providing cutting-edge healthcare services through Hidoc Dr. It is about fostering a community of compassion and generosity. Clients, partners, and the community are invited to join this journey, knowing their support is helping to better the lives of children and families worldwide. Together, they can continue to make a difference, one meal at a time. Together, we can continue to make a difference, one meal at a time. About Hidoc Dr Hidoc Dr is a leading healthcare platform dedicated to improving the quality of healthcare and making a positive impact on the lives of individuals. With a mission to empower doctors and medical professionals, Hidoc Dr provides a range of innovative solutions and services that facilitate seamless communication, access to up-to-date medical information, and efficient collaboration. (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)
VMPL New Delhi [India], December 20: The WhatsApp Application Programming Interface (API) is increasingly being used by organizations to enhance customer relationships and drive sales. Notable businesses such as Shaikh Petroleum, Manglam Jeweller, Vista Furnishing, Trim X Men's Salon, Sphere Tax Filing, Friday Night Cars, Online Financial, Keshav Jewellers, Loanwithin, AskDrJain, Knee Xpert, The Qiwano Co., Hyderabad Bhatia, Finmantri.com, Icon Star Business, AP Money Multi Recharge, Parekh Jewellers Limited, SHUBH LABH Online, Antilia Group, DSR Sarees, and Digital Adventure, along with many others, benefit from this technology. Recently, three new companies have formed partnerships with Triblem, including Shaikh Petroleum, Manglam Jeweller, and Vista Furnishing. This platform, built on the official WhatsApp Business API, enables small businesses such as Shaikh Petroleum, Manglam Jeweller, Vista Furnishing, Trim X Men's Salon, Sphere Tax Filing, Friday Night Cars, Online Financial, Keshav Jewellers, Loanwithin, AskDrJain, Knee Xpert, The Qiwano Co., Hyderabad Bhatia, Finmantri.com, Icon Star Business, AP Money Multi Recharge, Parekh Jewellers Limited, SHUBH LABH Online, Antilia Group, DSR Sarees, Digital Adventure, and many others, to operate efficiently and grow their customer base. Among the companies that have expressed interest in the Triblem WhatsApp API are Shaikh Petroleum, Manglam Jeweller, Vista Furnishing, Trim X Men's Salon, Sphere Tax Filing, Friday Night Cars, Online Financial, Keshav Jewellers, Loanwithin, AskDrJain, Knee Xpert, The Qiwano Co., Hyderabad Bhatia, Finmantri.com, Icon Star Business, AP Money Multi Recharge, Parekh Jewellers Limited, SHUBH LABH Online, Antilia Group, DSR Sarees, Digital Adventure, and many others. Hari Settu, Founder of Kiacart Private Limited, said, "The business messaging market has grown enormously. Hari Settu was born in Puzhal, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He has played a significant role in several political election campaigns across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, particularly in the digital media. He managed large-scale election campaigns through the official WhatsApp accounts of candidates. Well-connected in political circles, he holds considerable influence. Deeply religious, Hari Settu has a strong devotion to Lord Murugan. He also campaigned for Pawan Kalyan during the previous election in Andhra Pradesh, where Pawan Kalyan emerged victorious. In 2026, he may work with either DMK or AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, though this has not yet been confirmed. According to the company, the cloud-based version not only reduces integration time from weeks to just minutes, but it also aims to attract a wide range of smaller businesses. Triblem provides round-the-clock support to a wide range of brands, including Shaikh Petroleum, Manglam Jeweller, Vista Furnishing, Trim X Men's Salon, Sphere Tax Filing, Friday Night Cars, Online Financial, Keshav Jewellers, Loanwithin, AskDrJain, Knee Xpert, The Qiwano Co., Hyderabad Bhatia, Finmantri.com, Icon Star Business, AP Money Multi Recharge, Parekh Jewellers Limited, SHUBH LABH Online, Antilia Group, DSR Sarees, and Digital Adventure, among others. Support is also available to numerous other brands. This understanding is crucial for both the ongoing events and those yet to come. Approximately forty percent of Meta's advertisers worldwide, representing more than four million businesses, use click-to-message advertisements. These ads direct users from Facebook or Instagram to one of Meta's messaging platforms, where they can interact with businesses such as Shaikh Petroleum, Manglam Jeweller, Vista Furnishing, Trim X Men's Salon, Sphere Tax Filing, Friday Night Cars, Online Financial, Keshav Jewellers, Loanwithin, AskDrJain, Knee Xpert, The Qiwano Co., Hyderabad Bhatia, Finmantri.com, Icon Star Business, AP Money Multi Recharge, Parekh Jewellers Limited, SHUBH LABH Online, Antilia Group, DSR Sarees, Digital Adventure, and many others. Shaikh Petroleum, Manglam Jeweller, Vista Furnishing, Trim X Men's Salon, Sphere Tax Filing, Friday Night Cars, Online Financial, Keshav Jewellers, Loanwithin, AskDrJain, Knee Xpert, The Qiwano Co., Hyderabad Bhatia, Finmantri.com, Icon Star Business, AP Money Multi Recharge, Parekh Jewellers Limited, SHUBH LABH Online, Antilia Group, DSR Sarees, and Digital Adventure are just a few of the well-known companies and brands that are rapidly expanding in India. There are also many other brands experiencing significant growth. This understanding is crucial for both current developments and future events. Recently, Triblem has formed partnerships with three new companies, including Shaikh Petroleum and SHUBH LABH Online. Technological advancements in operations, innovative ideas and techniques in digital marketing, and strategies focused on enhancing the consumer experience have made businesses more aware and responsive. Some of the prominent brands in this group include Shaikh Petroleum, Manglam Jeweller, Vista Furnishing, Trim X Men's Salon, Sphere Tax Filing, Friday Night Cars, Online Financial, Keshav Jewellers, Loanwithin, AskDrJain, Knee Xpert, The Qiwano Co., Hyderabad Bhatia, Finmantri.com, Icon Star Business, AP Money Multi Recharge, Parekh Jewellers Limited, SHUBH LABH Online, Antilia Group, DSR Sarees, and Digital Adventure. Many brands, including Shaikh Petroleum, Manglam Jeweller, Vista Furnishing, Trim X Men's Salon, Sphere Tax Filing, Friday Night Cars, Online Financial, Keshav Jewellers, Loanwithin, AskDrJain, Knee Xpert, The Qiwano Co., Hyderabad Bhatia, Finmantri.com, Icon Star Business, AP Money Multi Recharge, Parekh Jewellers Limited, SHUBH LABH Online, Antilia Group, DSR Sarees, and Digital Adventure, are already taking advantage of these capabilities. Businesses have become more aware of the importance of technological advancements in operations, innovative approaches in digital marketing, and strategies that prioritize the consumer experience. Some of the brands on this list include Shaikh Petroleum, Manglam Jeweller, Vista Furnishing, Trim X Men's Salon, Sphere Tax Filing, Friday Night Cars, Online Financial, Keshav Jewellers, Loanwithin, AskDrJain, Knee Xpert, The Qiwano Co., Hyderabad Bhatia, Finmantri.com, Icon Star Business, AP Money Multi Recharge, Parekh Jewellers Limited, SHUBH LABH Online, Antilia Group, DSR Sarees, and Digital Adventure. As one of the primary ways for the otherwise free messaging app to generate revenue, the company has been working for several years to expand its Business API platform. Recently, Triblem has formed partnerships with three new companies, including Antilia Group and DSR Sarees. Visit: http://triblem.com/ (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)
NewsVoir Bangalore (Karnataka) [India], December 20: Prestige, a pioneer in kitchen appliances, proudly marks 75 years of its iconic brand. The revolutionary products from this Prestige Brand has transformed the way homemakers cook nationwide, cementing Prestige's place as a household name and an industry leader. From its humble beginnings, Prestige has grown to become a market leader across multiple categories, including Pressure Cookers, Gas Stoves, Induction Cooktops, Rice Cookers, and Breakfast Appliances. In the cookware category, brand offers products like casseroles, dosa tawas, roti tawas, grill pans, saucepans, kadhais, fry pans, and idli cookers. Offering a diverse range of kitchen essentials, Prestige has enriched consumers' lives with innovative solutions. Today, the brand also leads in categories such as mixer grinders and the Tri-ply range of cookers and cookware. This remarkable journey reinforces the company's commitment to innovation and quality, exemplified by its unique position as the world's sole manufacturer operating fully automatic plants dedicated to the production of pressure cookers. TTK Prestige has been honored with multiple prestigious awards, showcasing its excellence and innovation across various categories. Leading the list of accolades is the recognition as a Superbrand 2024 for consecutive 18 Years by Superbrands India Media Private Limited. The brand has also been awarded the India's Most Trusted Pressure Cooker Brand Award - 2024 and the India's Most Desired Pressure Cooker Brand Award - 2024 by TRA's Brand Trust Report. Among the other notable accolades are the Best Use of PR for Crisis Management (Design Infringement) at the CommuniCon Awards 2024 and the New Product Launch - Consumer Durables for the Induction Cooktop with Whistle Counter campaign at the E4M Marketing Awards South. Adding to its achievements, TTK Prestige has also been recognized as the Top 50 Brands Award and under the Evergreen Brand category. Leading the evolution in the pressure cooker industry, Prestige has pioneered numerous innovative solutions that have resolved consumer pain-points and transformed their cooking experience. Starting with its outer lid aluminum pressure cookers in 1959, the brand expanded globally in 1974 and introduced the groundbreaking gasket release system in 1982 for improved safety. In 1993, Prestige set new standards for durability with its stainless steel pressure cookers and, in the same year, launched non-stick cookware for health and convenience. In 2002, Prestige introduced its powerful mixer grinders, catering to diverse kitchen needs. By 2005, the inner lid Handi Pressure Cookers further refined the cooking experience. In 2007, Prestige evolved into a total kitchen solutions brand, and by 2009, it launched unique induction cooktops specifically designed for Indian cooking. The Svachh range, introduced in 2019, further advanced safety and hygiene with modern technology and sleek design. In 2017, Judge by Prestige brought quality kitchen solutions to value-seeking consumers at competitive prices. Prestige has also been at the forefront of modern kitchen technologies, including the Svachh range of gas stoves designed for cleaner use and the Induction Cooktop with cooker whistle-counting capabilities for enhanced precision. Safety and efficiency were further prioritized with the Safe Sense technology in chimneys, ensuring that users benefit from intelligent heat sensing and automatic shutdown features. In 2023, Prestige launched the Tri-ply Svachh Flip-On pressure cooker with a deep, spillage-control lid, ensuring mess-free cooking and easier cleaning. The recently launched Efficia Gas Stove, with its pioneering 75% thermal efficiency, sets new standards for energy savings and sustainability, surpassing traditional stoves in performance. The brand's innovations continue to address diverse consumer needs, bringing sophisticated, easy-to-use solutions into kitchens worldwide. With 5 state-of-the-art manufacturing plants, the presence in over 60,000 retail outlets, and now a strong online presence, Prestige is reaching consumers across the country. It's exclusive offline presence includes over 700+ company-owned Prestige Xclusive stores in more than 305 cities across 28 states. As an iconic brand, Prestige continues to expand its footprint in India and globally, ensuring its trusted products, designed to meet every need in the kitchen, are accessible to all. The brand remains committed to innovation, offering energy-efficient appliances and smart cooking systems that enhance user convenience and safety, thus building a closer bond with its valued customers. Reflecting on this momentous occasion, Venkatesh Vijayaraghavan, MD & CEO of TTK Prestige said, "We've been an integral part of countless families and homes for generations, adding value to their lives with innovative kitchen solutions for 75 years. We've continually pushed the boundaries of innovation with our pressure cooker and kitchen appliances, introducing revolutionary features and setting industry standards. Throughout the years, we've stayed true to our four core pillars: safety, health, convenience, and aesthetics. Today, we've blossomed into a household name, standing at the forefront of the future, eagerly anticipating the transformations yet to come. For 75 years, we've made it our mission to understand Indian homemakers and cater to their every need, but we are still young, with many more hearts and homes to conquer. Here's to the next chapter of our journey." As 'Prestige' commemorates 75 years of excellence, the brand looks forward to continuing its mission of innovation and serving the needs of households across India and beyond. TTK Prestige Limited is part of the TTK Group. Over the past six decades, TTK Prestige has emerged as India's largest kitchen appliances company, catering to the needs of homemakers across the country. Every Prestige product is built on the pillars of safety, innovation, durability, and trust, making the brand the first choice in millions of homes. In April 2016, TTK Prestige acquired UK-based Horwood Homewares and launched the Judge brand in India in August 2017. (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)
PRNewswire New Delhi [India], December 20: S Chand Publishing, a pioneer in educational publishing in India, successfully concluded Season 2 of its highly anticipated Knowledge Quest Quiz with a grand finale at Delhi Public School, GBN, Sector-132. This nationwide competition captivated students and educators alike, celebrating knowledge, innovation, and curiosity. The quiz series, designed to challenge and inspire young minds, featured a combination of online and offline rounds that drew participation from schools across the country, including Tamil Nadu, Assam, Maharashtra, and beyond. After a month of rigorous competition, the stage was set for an electrifying final showdown among nine exceptional teams. Winners of Knowledge Quest Quiz Season 2 * 1st Place: Atharv Gauttam and Medhansh Vaddadi from Cambridge Court High School, Jaipur, Rajasthan. Each won INR 10,000 Amazon vouchers and exciting prizes. * 2nd Place: Ahaana Moudgil and Pragnay Agarwal from Delhi Public School, GBN, Sector-132, Noida. Each received INR 5,000 Amazon vouchers and amazing prizes. * 3rd Place: Abhirath Kandpal and Raadhika Badyal from Army Public School, Tezpur, Assam. Each earned INR 2,500 Amazon vouchers and exciting prizes. The event featured renowned quizmaster Adittya Nath Mubayi and celebrated author Mudita Chauhan-Mubayi, the creative minds behind the Knowledge Quest book series, whose vision and expertise shaped this inspiring journey. Aligned with the NCF 2023 framework, the Knowledge Quest Quiz aims to ignite a passion for learning, foster critical thinking, and promote responsible citizenship among students. Key Highlights from the Event Speaking at the grand finale, Saurabh Mittal, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of S Chand Group and chief guest, praised the participants, saying, "We are amazed by the enthusiasm and brilliance displayed by these young minds. Knowledge Quest Quiz embodies our mission to foster lifelong learning and responsible citizenship." Adding to the occasion, Supriti Chauhan, Principal of Delhi Public School, GBN, Sector-132, who served as a guest of honor, applauded the participants, stating, "Their dedication is inspiring, and we believe this experience will fuel their curiosity and future achievements." A Celebration of Learning Through its Knowledge Quest Quiz initiative, S Chand Publishing continues to champion intellectual growth and nurture young talent nationwide. Season 2's success underscores the importance of such platforms in shaping the leaders of tomorrow. Congratulations to all participants and winners for their outstanding achievements! For more information, please contact: info@schandpublishing.com About S Chand Publishing: S Chand Publishing is one of India's leading educational content providers, offering quality resources that cater to a wide spectrum of learners across the country. S Chand is committed to empowering students with the knowledge and skills required to succeed in an ever-changing global landscape. (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 New Delhi [India], December 20: In today's world, meditation is recognised as the key to holistic well-being. In response to proposals from India and other nations, the United Nations General Assembly has declared December 21 as World Meditation Day. This date is significant as it falls exactly six months after International Yoga Day, celebrated annually on June 21. This recognition is a matter of pride for India, as the significance of meditation has been emphasised in the Indian Vedas and Puranas for thousands of years. These ancient scriptures also detail various forms of meditation, their techniques, and their benefits. Among the many types of meditation practised worldwide -- such as mindfulness meditation, transcendental meditation, and mantra meditation -- the most effective method is Roopdhyan Meditation, as explained by the fifth original Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj. This article explores the essence of Roopdhyan Meditation, how to practice it, and its transformative benefits. Why Practice Roopdhyan Meditation? Stress has become an unavoidable part of modern life, making meditation essential for maintaining physical and mental well-being. Appropriately, the theme for World Meditation Day 2024 is "Inner Peace, Global Harmony". Furthermore, scriptures from the Vedas to the Ramayana emphasise that meditation is the most vital aspect of devotion to God. These teachings inspire us to embrace Roopdhyan Meditation. What is Roopdhyan Meditation? The stillness of the restless mind often feels unattainable. However, saints have shown that the mind can be tamed by redirecting it toward God. Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj explains this with a simple analogy: a moving bicycle can be easily steered left or right, but balancing it while stationary is nearly impossible for an ordinary person. Similarly, the mind is easier to control when engaged in activity rather than forced into stillness. Roopdhyan Meditation employs this principle by channelling the mind's natural tendency to focus on forms and images. Whenever we think of a person or object, the first thing that comes to mind is their image. The same applies to the divine form of God. As we increasingly focus on His divine form, our meditation deepens, bringing unparalleled peace and joy. How to Practice Roopdhyan Meditation If you are drawn to an image of Shri Radha-Krishna in a temple or find a picture of God particularly captivating, begin by focusing on it. Observe the image carefully with your eyes open, imprint it in your mind, and then practice visualising it with your eyes closed. While this process may feel challenging at first, consistent practice will make it easier. You can also create your own version of Shri Radha-Krishna mentally. Some people also choose to meditate on the form of their Guru, a practice validated by scriptures. Along with God's form, you can meditate on Shri Radha-Krishna's qualities -- such as compassion, grace, and benevolence -- and their divine pastimes. The Shrimad Bhagavat narrates many of these pastimes, and Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj has composed thousands of devotional verses and kirtans in 'Prem Ras Madira' and 'Braj Ras Madhuri' among other spiritual masterpieces to aid in Roopdhyan Meditation. You can also imagine new pastimes, such as van-vihar or jal-vihar with Shri Radha-Krishna. Imagine playfully splashing water over Shri Krishna alongside other sakhis during a boat ride and Him returning the favour. Do not hesitate to engage in such visualisations, worrying that playful interactions with God might be inappropriate. Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj assures us, with scriptural proof, that we share every relationship with God -- He is our master, friend, parent, sibling, child, and beloved. Therefore, when meditating on His divine form, we must let go of all hesitation. Benefits of Roopdhyan Meditation By immersing your mind in Shri Radha-Krishna's divine pastimes and virtues and striving to deepen your love for Them, you will gradually find your physical and mental worries dissipating. Over time, your love for God will grow exponentially, and with the grace of a true saint, you will one day attain Shri Radha-Krishna. This will free you from the painful cycle of 8.4 million life forms and grant you an eternal place in God's divine abode. (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)
The 12 green field projects under the National Industrial Corridor Development Project will cover an area of 25,975 acres and involve an investment of Rs28,602 crore. The Projects are expected to attract Rs1.5 lakh crore in investments while generating employment opportunities for 9.4 lakh individuals over a period of five years.

Spread across less-served industrial regions, these projects focus on planned industrialization and balanced regional development.

The infrastructure costs include trunk infrastructure and land costs, with the respective states already in possession of the required land. These projects are positioned as growth centres, driving regional transformation and attracting investments across various high-growth sectors.

The 12 projects will cater to identified sectors based on market demand and India's long-term industrial strategy. These include Semiconductors, Aerospace and Defence, IT & ITeS, Electronics and System Device Manufacturing (ESDM), Engineering and Logistics, Automobiles and Auto Components, Renewable Energy, Pharmaceuticals, Textiles and Apparel, Food and Beverages, Chemicals & Metals, and Machinery & Equipment. These industries are crucial for enhancing India's role in the global value chain and driving sustainable economic growth.

The initiative aims to create infrastructure ahead of demand, ensuring ready-to-allot industrial land parcels to attract immediate investments.

The five-year action plan includes the development of 12 new industrial cities, aligned with Industry 4.0 standards, in addition to eight already approved projects.

These measures align with the government's vision of "Atmanirbhar Bharat," focusing on robust physical and economic infrastructure, addressing equity gaps, and fostering job creation for local communities and the youth.

Considerable progress has already been made under the National Industrial Corridor Development Project. As of June 2024, 308 plots covering 1,789 acres have been allotted in four key cities: Dholera, Shendra Bidkin, Greater Noida, and Vikram Udyogpuri.

Additionally, 2,104 acres of developed industrial land and 2,250 acres designated for commercial, residential, and other uses are available for immediate allotment. Notably, 68 companies have commenced commercial operations, and 83 projects are currently under construction in these cities. (ANI)
Pranav Adani, Managing Director (Agro, Oil and Gas), Adani Group on Friday said that the conglomerate is committed to investing in Bihar. "We came to the last Bihar Summit and have come this time too. Changes can be seen in Bihar. From law and order to ease of doing business, everything is going well. Adani Group is investing more and more here... there are many opportunities here and the government is also supportive," Pranav Adani told reporters, on the sidelines of Bihar Business Connect 2024. The Adani Group has reaffirmed its commitment to Bihar's development and announced investments in various sectors including infrastructure, smart metering and cement in addition to its investment in gas distribution, logistics and agri-logistics. Pranav Adani, Director, Adani Enterprises, announced at the Bihar Business Connect (BBC) 2024 today that the group is exploring an investment of Rs 20,000 crore to set up an an ultra-supercritical thermal power plant. Pranav Adani said, "We are also exploring investment avenues in Bihar's energy sector. Our plan is to invest around Rs 20,000 crore to set up an ultra-supercritical thermal power plant. We expect such a massive project to open up at least 12,000 job vacancies in the pre-commissioning phase - and also lead to around 1,500 skilled jobs during the operational phase." He said in three sectors- Logistics, Gas Distribution and Agri Logistics, the group has already invested in excess of Rs 850 crore and have created 25 thousand direct and indirect employment opportunities. The group is planning to invest an additional Rs 2300 crores in these sectors. "This investment will not only massively increase our warehouse and handling capacity and expand our presence in the Electric Vehicles (EV), City Gas Distribution (CGD), and Compressed Biogas (CBG) space but will also generate an additional 25000 direct and indirect local job opportunities," he said. Pranav Adani also announced its intention to invest Rs 1,000 crore in developing Gati Shakti Railway Terminals, Inland Container Depots (ICDs), and industrial warehousing parks in collaboration with the Bihar government. These projects aim to enhance the state's logistics and industrial infrastructure, supporting its economic ambitions. He said, "We are also working closely with your government to potentially invest another Rs 1000 crore in developing strategic infrastructure in Bihar like the Gatti Shakti Railway Terminals, ICDs (inland container depots) and the industrial warehousing parks. Another sector where we are investing is in the smart meter." He added, "As Bihar migrates from the conventional electric meters to two smart meters, we have invested an additional Rs 2100 crore to install over 28 lakh smart meters to automate power consumption monitoring in five cities Siwan, Gopal Ganj, Vaishali, Saran and Samastipur and this will generate approximately 4000 local jobs in this technology segment." The new phased project is focused on a cement grinding unit, which is poised to create 9,000 direct and indirect jobs. Adani stated, "Five months ago at the end of July, we also entered another exciting space in Bihar where the CM personally came and laid the foundation of our first Greenfield Cement plant since our acquisition of ACC and Ambuja Cements two years ago." "The new project is in Versali Ganj. It is a cement grinding unit and we have more coming on the way. We intend to invest Rs 2500 crore in Bihar to set up the cement manufacturing capacity of ten million metric tons per annum in multiple phases and this has the potential to create about 9000 direct and indirect jobs for the people of Bihar," he said. (ANI)
PNN New Delhi [India], December 20: The film I'm Gonna Tell God Everything, written by Katherine King and produced by Jay Patel, exposes the devastating reality of Syria's ongoing crisis. Based on true events, this compelling narrative takes a hard look at the human cost of war, focusing particularly on the suffering of women and children. Garnering widespread acclaim, the film has earned multiple prestigious awards, including recognition from the United Nations for its portrayal of the Syrian conflict. Katherine King, a renowned screenwriter, is celebrated for her emotionally gripping stories that address urgent global issues. With a career spanning over two decades, King has built a reputation for tackling human rights crises. In I'm Gonna Tell God Everything, she channels her passion for truth-telling, offering an intimate portrayal of the Syrian war through the eyes of those most affected by it. Her work shines a spotlight on the personal, often overlooked experiences of people in conflict zones, particularly women and children, who bear the heaviest burdens. Jay Patel, a respected film producer and philanthropist, is committed to socially responsible cinema. Known for creating impactful, non-commercial films, Patel's vision for I'm Gonna Tell God Everything was not just to make a movie, but to raise awareness about the devastating effects of war on vulnerable populations. His dedication to bringing these urgent stories to the screen reflects his broader commitment to using film as a tool for social change. Patel's mission is to create a lasting impact and spark meaningful conversations about the human toll of global conflicts. Bollywood superstar Sanjay Dutt's involvement in the project further underscores the film's global significance. When approached by producer Jay Patel, Dutt enthusiastically agreed to present the film, offering his support without charging a fee. His gesture highlights his commitment to the cause and his appreciation for the film's social relevance. Dutt praised the Hollywood actors and the entire team for their dedication to such an important project, recognizing the profound message it seeks to communicate. I'm Gonna Tell God Everything was conceived as a platform to amplify the voices of those most affected by war, especially women and children. Both King and Patel were determined to avoid creating a typical commercial film. Instead, they focused on the human toll of the Syrian conflict, offering a raw, unflinching look at the devastating consequences of war. The film was released on the International Day for Non-Violence, coinciding with Mahatma Gandhi's birthday, reinforcing its message of peace, unity, and the urgent need for global compassion. The film's impact extended well beyond cinema, with special screenings held in major cities such as Los Angeles, New York, London, Goa, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Delhi. It resonated with more than 10 million viewers worldwide, sparking important conversations about the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Syria and the broader consequences of global conflict. These screenings were a critical part of the film's mission to educate and inspire change. I'm Gonna Tell God Everything has been widely recognized for its sensitive, honest portrayal of war and its devastating effects on innocent lives. The film has earned multiple awards and commendations, including recognition from the United Nations. By focusing on personal stories of those affected, the film challenges the international community to confront the human costs of conflict and take meaningful action to address the needs of displaced people around the world. The film's powerful narrative is brought to life by an exceptional ensemble cast, featuring Essam Ferris as Adam, Roman Mitichyan as the Militant Leader, Hailey Winslow as Nurse Lily, and Abdullah Khalil as Photographer (credited as Abe Khalil). Vivaan Bisoi portrays Youssef, while Faruk Amireh plays the Rebel Leader. Nour Bitar Grayr appears as Amira (credited as Nour Bitar), and Jay Patel takes on the role of Dr. Mitul Trivedi. Robert Tarpinian plays Militant Soldier #1, and Toktam Aboozary portrays the Syrian Childless Mother. Katherine King appears as Dr. Lisa, with Naya Mousa (credited as Naya Abou Mousa) playing a Syrian Patient. Zein Khleif portrays Nurse Maya, while Massa Daoud plays Samia. Mudit Sachdev appears as Dr. Pinakin Shah, and Omar Amir portrays Rebel Man #2. Samer Sakka takes on the role of Militant Soldier #2, and Afshin De Jesus Hashemi also stars in a key role. Each actor's portrayal of the harrowing struggles faced by Syrian families brings authenticity to the film, ensuring that its powerful message resonates deeply with audiences worldwide. I'm Gonna Tell God Everything is more than just a film--it is a call to action. Through its uncompromising depiction of the Syrian conflict and its focus on the suffering of women and children, the movie serves as a powerful reminder of the human costs of war. It highlights the power of storytelling to drive change, spark dialogue, and inspire global solidarity in the face of crisis (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)
VMPL New Delhi [India], December 20: The European medical devices market, projected to surpass EUR230 billion by 2030, is driven by an ageing population, healthcare advancements, and technological innovation. In 2022, it was valued at over EUR150 billion with a 5.5% CAGR. The In-vitro diagnostic (IVD) device market is expected to expand steadily, reaching $32.93 billion by 2032. This market presents opportunities for global manufacturers, especially in a region with a large population and advanced healthcare systems. However, entering this market requires meeting regulatory requirements, particularly achieving CE Marking compliance. The European Authorized Representative (EAR) is critical for foreign manufacturers and exporters in ensuring compliance. The EAR acts as the manufacturer's liaison with EU regulatory authorities, facilitating market access and ensuring adherence to EU regulations. This article explores the role of EARs, their responsibilities, the significance of EU registration, and the critical roles played by competent authorities and notified bodies in the regulatory landscape of the EU market. Understanding the European Authorized Representative (EAR) A European Authorized Representative (EAR) is an EU-established entity acting on behalf of a non-EU manufacturer to ensure regulatory compliance for medical devices. The EAR is vital for affixing the CE Logo on a device or obtaining the CE certification from a Notified Body for high-risk devices. Without an EAR, non-EU manufacturers cannot legally place their devices on the EU market, making this role indispensable. Under the European Medical Device Regulation (MDR) and In Vitro Diagnostic Regulation (IVDR), the EAR also represents the manufacturer's liaison with EU regulatory bodies, ensuring compliance throughout the product lifecycle. The MDR and IVDR were introduced to strengthen patient safety and device performance, elevating the EAR's role in navigating these more stringent requirements. UK Responsible Person for UKCA Marking and MHRA Registration In a similar context, manufacturers exporting to the United Kingdom must appoint a UK Responsible Person (UKRP) for UKCA marking. This entity considered the UK equivalent of the EU Representative, ensures that devices comply with the UK Medical Device Regulations post-Brexit. Obligations of the Manufacturer to an EAR - Comply with all the requirements specified in Art. 10 (EU) MDR 2017/745 or Art. 10 (EU) IVDR 2017/746 regarding the general obligations of manufacturers. - Sign a mandate and agreement with the European Authorized Representative. - Keep the EAR informed about EU-marketed devices. - Ensure English-language IFUs are available to the EAR. - Prepare, maintain, and update technical documentation, including Declaration of Conformity. - Transfer agreed technical documentation and Declaration of Conformity to the EAR upon request. - Provide additional documentation as required by the Competent Authority or Notified Body. Responsibilities of the European Authorized Representative (EAR) The EAR plays a pivotal role in the regulatory framework, ensuring non-EU manufacturers meet all EU regulatory requirements. Key responsibilities include: - Readiness of technical documentation and the EU Declaration of Conformity for competent authorities' review. - To act as the primary communication link between the manufacturer and EU regulatory bodies, handling incident reporting, vigilance, and regulatory queries. - To perform Labelling and Packaging information check as per EU regulations. - Registration of manufacturers and their devices in the European Database on Medical Devices (EUDAMED). EUDAMED Registration EUDAMED, a comprehensive IT system developed by the European Commission, is designed to enhance transparency and streamline the coordination of medical device information across the EU. This platform requires manufacturers to register detailed data, including information about their devices, clinical and post-market surveillance reports, vigilance data, and certifications. It serves as a critical tool to demonstrate regulatory compliance and ensure efficient communication with EU regulatory authorities. Key considerations for Manufacturers when appointing an EAR According to Asha Johnson, a senior MDR-IVDR expert from I3CGLOBAL, it is imperative for manufacturers to appoint an independent entity as their EAR, rather than relying on distributors or importers. She underscores that selecting distributors or importers as the EAR can entail several challenges: - They may lack a comprehensive understanding of the requirements outlined in the EU MDR or IVDR. - If they choose to discontinue their role as a distributor or importer, it could disrupt business operations, necessitating the manufacturer to undergo the intricate process of appointing a new authorized representative. - European Authorized Representatives must be experienced in the field and well-versed in vigilance procedures and emergency action plans. Conclusion: A Pathway to Regulatory Success The European Authorized Representative (EAR) is crucial for non-EU manufacturers entering the European market. EARs bridge foreign manufacturers with regulatory authorities and ensure devices meet stringent EU standards. Understanding EAR responsibilities and appointing independent EARs is vital for EU compliance and CE Certification. Leading professional EAR (EC Rep) service providers like I3CGLOBAL offer advice and guidance that non-European manufacturers can consider for early regulatory compliance and market success. (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)
Along with Union Minister for State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary, the meeting was also attended by Chief Ministers of Goa, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Meghalaya and Odisha; Deputy Chief Ministers of Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Telangana; the Finance Ministers of States/UTs.

Secretaries of Departments of Economic Affairs and Expenditure, and senior officials of the Ministry of Finance were also present during the meeting.

Ministers from states and UTs have gathered in Jaisalmer for the GST Council meeting scheduled for Saturday.

The finance minister has so far held a series of meetings with various stakeholders, including with MSMEs, farmers' associations, and economists.

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.

As is the convention, the Budget for 2025-26 will be tabled on February 1, 2025.

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. (ANI)
India's forex reserves have slumped ten out of the past 11 weeks, hitting a new multi-month low.

The reserves had been falling ever since it touched an all-time high of USD 704.89 billion in September.

The reserves have been declining likely due to RBI intervention aimed at aggressively preventing a sharp depreciation of the Rupee. A substantial foreign exchange reserve buffer also helps shield domestic economic activity from global shocks.

The latest RBI data showed that India's foreign currency assets (FCA), the largest component of forex reserves, stood at USD 562.576 billion.

Gold reserves currently amount to USD 68.056 billion, according to RBI data.

Estimates suggest that India's foreign exchange reserves are sufficient to cover approximately one year of projected imports.

In 2023, India added around USD 58 billion to its foreign exchange reserves, contrasting with a cumulative decline of USD 71 billion in 2022.

Foreign exchange reserves, or FX reserves, are assets held by a nation's central bank or monetary authority, primarily in reserve currencies such as the US Dollar, with smaller portions in the Euro, Japanese Yen, and Pound Sterling.

The RBI closely monitors foreign exchange markets, intervening only to maintain orderly market conditions and curb excessive volatility in the Rupee exchange rate, without adhering to any fixed target level or range.

The RBI often intervenes by managing liquidity, including selling dollars, to prevent steep Rupee depreciation.

A decade ago, the Indian Rupee was among the most volatile currencies in Asia. Since then, it has become one of the most stable. The RBI has strategically bought dollars when the Rupee is strong and sold when it weakens, enhancing the appeal of Indian assets to investors. (ANI)
Oscar-winning actor Billy Bob Thornton has long been known for his versatility, but he recently revealed that he has never been eager to embrace the typical villainous roles. As per Deadline, in a recent interview, the actor shared the reasons behind his decision to turn down key "bad guy" roles in major films such as 'Spider-Man' (2002) and 'Mission: Impossible III' (2006). In a candid conversation on the Bingeworthy podcast, Thornton explained that his reluctance to take on these roles stemmed from his desire for "less predictable", more varied characters. "I don't have much interest in those kinds of roles," he said, adding, "With the Green Goblin, I didn't feel like getting up at 4 am for five or six hours of makeup. And with Mission: Impossible III, I didn't want to be the guy trying to kill Tom Cruise," as per Deadline. Thornton's reasoning also reflects a deep understanding of the long-lasting impact these villainous roles can have on an actor's career. "If you're the bad guy in a big movie like that, audiences remember it forever," he noted, adding, "I prefer to keep things looser and less predictable." The roles he passed on ultimately went to Willem Dafoe, who portrayed the Green Goblin in 'Spider-Man', and Philip Seymour Hoffman, who took on the role of arms dealer Owen Davian in 'Mission: Impossible III'. Despite turning down these high-profile villain parts, Thornton later embraced darker characters in other projects, notably in the acclaimed TV series 'Fargo'. In season 1, he portrayed Lorne Malvo, a ruthless hitman, for which he won a Golden Globe. Thornton's nuanced portrayal of Malvo earned him praise for his ability to bring a unique spin to a villainous role. More recently, Thornton has earned his seventh Golden Globe nomination for his performance as the titular landman in Landman, a series created by Taylor Sheridan. Reflecting on this new role, Thornton shared that his character is driven by a deep obsession with success, with little time for reflection due to the high-pressure, constant problem-solving nature of the job. "My character obviously came up doing more menial jobs in this," he explained, adding, "So he has been there. He knows how this works, and now suddenly he's like the foreman between the guy that owns the oil company and the people who work in the oil fields," as per Deadline. Thornton's approach to acting continues to prioritize roles that are unpredictable, complex, and grounded in realism, which explains his hesitation to embrace the stereotypical blockbuster villain. "There's not even much time to think in the job of being a landman. You're on the move all the time. There's always a problem to solve because he is a fixer really," he said, adding, "You develop an obsession with being successful. I think he's driven and doesn't really think about that much, though I think he's a bit fatalistic about it." (ANI)
As per a press note, Shahana Goswami-starrer 'Santosh' will hit the theatres in the country on January 10, 2025.

'Santosh', a Hindi-language international co-production set in rural north India, has found a spot in the 'Best International Feature Film' category.

A total of 15 films have been selected for the Oscar shortlist in this category out of 85 total films submitted by countries all around the world.

The film was sent by the United Kingdom as their official submission for the Academy Awards 2025. The movie also premiered at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in May 2024 and was well-received by critics.

Reacting to this "little glory", Shahana took to Instagram and expressed her happiness.

"So happy for the team especially our writer-director Sandhya Suri for this little glory of recognition for our film Santosh! How incredible to be shortlisted from amongst 85 films. Thank you to everyone who loved it, supported it and voted for it," she wrote.

Directed by Sandhya Suri, the film stars Shahana as a driven young Hindu widow who inherits her husband's job as a police constable thanks to a government scheme. She finds herself caught up in institutional corruption even as she warms to working with rough-edged veteran detective Inspector Sharma (Sunita Rajwar) on a brutal murder case involving a teenage girl from the lower caste Dalit community, as per The Hollywood Reporter.

The film is an international co-production of the United Kingdom, India, Germany and France. (ANI)
Actors Rose Byrne and Meghann Fahy will be seen sharing screen space in 'The Good Daughter'. As per Variety, the series is based on the Karin Slaughter novel of the same name. Byrne also serves as executive producer. The official logline of the project reads, "The Good Daughter is a suspenseful crime drama where sisters Charlotte (Meghann Fahy) and Samantha (Rose Byrne) Quinn have spent the last 28 years trying to piece together the lives that were fractured by a single night of violence. When another attack splinters the small town of Pikeville, Charlotte is the first witness on the scene. Now a lawyer like her father, she's forced to confront her own demons as the case twists through one shocking revelation after another. In the end, both she and Samantha find themselves wondering if the price of being the good daughter was worth it after all." Jessica Biel was earlier supposed to play the role of Charlotte. Fahy is best known for starring as Daphne Sullivan in Season 2 of HBO's "The White Lotus." Most recently, she played Merritt Monaco in the Netflix limited series "The Perfect Couple," with other previous credits including "The Bold Type" on Freeform. (ANI)
Various Congress MPs, including Randeep Surjewala, Rajani Patil and Shashi Tharoor condemned the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday claiming that the latter had disrupted the protest of the opposition at the Parliament premises and allegedly obstructed their party leader Rahul Gandhi from entering the parliament. "Today is a day of a blot on the Indian parliamentary system and a dark blot on democracy. The entire nation witnessed two days ago how in Rajya Sabha Home Minister Amit Shah brazenly insulted Babasaheb Ambedkar. He made fun of the teachings (of Babasaheb Ambedkar)," Surjewala told reporters. His remarks came after an alleged scuffle between the opposition and ruling party, injuring two BJP MPs, Pratap Chandra Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput. Both the MPs were admitted to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and are being treated for their injuries. Surjewala said that even though Opposition parties have been protesting against the remarks of Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Ambedkar, the BJP had taken out a protest "with criminal intent to create disorder." "For many days at Makar Dwar, all opposition parties including the Congress party have been protesting on various issues relating to people today. For the first time, BJP MPs came with a criminal intent to create disorder," he added. He further alleged that the BJP chose to target their party's president Mallikarjun Kharge. "They chose to target and attack the President of the Indian National Congress Mallikarjun Kharge, who is also the Leader of the Opposition. As he came in, he was pushed by BJP MPs. He lost his balance...This goondaism of the BJP is condemnable." Party MP Rajani Patil alleged that the BJP is trying to malign the image of their party leader, and said that Kharge himself had to sit on the floor due to being pushed around. "You (BJP) yourself are giving wrong statements. Now, when the reactions to it are coming from the whole nation, then you are trying to malign the image of our leader (Rahul Gandhi). This is wrong," she told ANI. Talking about how it is difficult for Kharge to sit on the floor due to his knee surgery, she added, "Secondly, our leader Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge had to sit on the floor due to the scuffle. However, he is not able to sit on the floor due to his knee operation...But we don't do drama. We don't need to show off." MP Shashi Tharoor said that the scuffle between MPs is really bad for the Parliament. He also mentioned that they had listened to LS Speaker comments regarding protests on parliament steps, and had gone to the Ambedkar statute instead. "...the Speaker had clearly said that you should not protest on the steps because it causes obstruction in people's movement. So, we protested in front of Babasaheb's statue...I think such things are extremely bad for Parliament," Tharoor told ANI. Earlier, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and multiple other party MPs wrote to LS Speaker Om Birla regarding the scuffle. KC Venugopal, K Suresh and Manickam Tagore wrote to the speaker and alleged that the INDIA Bloc MPs were physically obstructed from entering and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi was physically manhandled by three MPs from the ruling party. Kharge too had written to Birla, alleging that he was "physically assaulted" by BJP MPs during the protest. "When I reached Makar Dwar along with the INDIA parties MPs, I was physically pushed by BJP MPs. Thereafter, I lost my balance and was forced to sit down on the ground in front of Makar Dwar. This inflicted injury on my knees which have already undergone surgery," he said in his letter. (ANI)
The Communist Party of India (Marxist), Himachal Pradesh State Committee, has strongly condemned the state government's decision to recruit guest lecturers in government schools and colleges. With over 12,000 vacant positions across these institutions, this policy, according to the party, will not only degrade the quality of education in the state but also exploit the educated youth, said a press release. The Party State Committee stated that the current Congress government is following the same policy as the Modi government at the centre and blindly implementing the New Education Policy. The party emphasised that education and healthcare are fundamental drivers of the socio-economic progress of any country and state, and the government must not compromise on these sectors. Permanent recruitment should be made to fill the vacant positions, ensuring that no school, college, or healthcare institution is understaffed. Only through such measures can these institutions provide quality services, said a press release. As per the press release, furthermore, data reveals that more than eight lakh educated, unemployed youths are awaiting jobs in the state, with many others preparing for competitive exams after qualifying for the UGC-NET/TET. The government's decision to hire guest lecturers instead of making permanent appointments, the CPI (M) asserts, is a betrayal of the state's young, talented workforce. The party demanded the immediate withdrawal of the guest lecturer policy. CPI (M) State Committee also criticised the legislation introduced by the Congress Government in the state assembly during the winter session, specifically "The Himachal Pradesh Recruitment and Conditions of Service of Government Employees Bill, 2024." Referring to the Supreme Court's judgement in the case of Direct Recruit Class II Engineering Officer's Association Versus State of Maharashtra and Others (1990), the party pointed out that the court had ruled that if an appointment is made after considering all eligible candidates and the appointee remains uninterrupted in service until regularisation, the officiating period must be counted for seniority and also highlighted that various other judgements, including those from Himachal Pradesh's own High Court, have affirmed that services rendered on a contract basis should be counted for seniority, pension, and increment, the release stated. In light of these facts, CPI (M) demanded the immediate withdrawal of the bill, which was introduced "hastily and without proper consideration". The party further pointed out that in 1974, when the state's population was around 36 lakh, the number of employees stood at 1.76 lakh. Today, with the population more than doubling, the number of employees has only increased to 1.86 lakh. This significant shortfall in staffing has detrimental consequences for public services. The party's solution is clear: the government must immediately fill all vacant positions with a permanent recruitment drive, cease the exploitation of educated, unemployed youth through contract and guest teacher policies, and ensure that the state's public services are adequately staffed, said the release. (ANI)
Delhi Crime branch team arrested a 25-year-old man involved in a rape case in Badli, Delhi after an extensive 1500 km chase to Surat in Gujarat. The accused had been absconding since the registration of the case, Delhi police said on Thursday. A process of proclamation was also initiated against the accused in the present case. The accused was apprehended by the NR-I Crime Branch from Surat, Gujarat, after an extensive 1500 km chase. "The complainant, an employee in Bagwan Pura, had been befriended by the accused while working together. Under the pretext of trust, he administered an intoxicating substance and committed sexual assault while capturing explicit photos and videos. He used these recordings to blackmail the victim, coercing her into further physical relations. The victim courageously reported the matter, leading to the registration of the case at PS SP Badli," Delhi police said. Delhi police said that on December 16 actionable intelligence revealed the accused was hiding in Jai Ambey Nagar, Surat, Gujarat. Acting swiftly, the team conducted a raid and apprehended the accused, bringing him to justice. The accused, Kuldeep, hails from District Deoria, Uttar Pradesh, and completed his education up to the 8th standard. He has been residing in Bawana, Delhi, for the past 5-6 years and is currently employed as a welder in a factory in the area, Delhi police said. Police further said that a mobile phone containing explicit videos and photos was used for blackmail and sextortion. (ANI)
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday asked Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi to apologise to BJP Rajya Sabha MP from Nagaland S Phangnon Konyak following his alleged misconduct towards the Nagaland woman MP. "For his behaviour towards the Nagaland MP, the people of North East are hurt and angry with Rahul Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi must apologise to her...," the Assam Chief Minister said. "Rahul Gandhi's actions in Parliament today - hurting two senior MPs and shouting at one of our sisters from Nagaland, an Hon'ble MP - are very disturbing. He must issue an apology," CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said. The Assam Chief Minister has strongly condemned it. Earlier BJP MP Phangnon Konyak said that she "felt very uncomfortable" by Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition allegedly coming very close to her and shouting at her while INDIA bloc leaders protested at the Parliament premises. Konyak was talking about the parallel protests of INDIA bloc and NDA regarding the remarks of Union Home Minister Amit Shah on B R Ambedkar. During the protests, a scuffle broke out and two BJP MPs were injured. "I say this with a very heart, for which I have already sought your protection, today while protesting, it was a peaceful protest. I was standing just below the staircase of Makar Dwar. Something happened to me and I feel really disheartened. LoP Rahul Gandhi came really close proximity of me, and I really felt uncomfortable, and he shouted at me which I feel is really unbecoming of the leader of Opposition. It is not that I cannot defend myself but still then it is really unbecoming," MP Konyak said in Parliament. She also asked requested protection from Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar, submitting a notice on that regard. "What I felt that his action today was really bad and I feel disheartened and no lady member, let alone me should be made to feel like this. So therefore I seek your protection in this matter, for which I have already sent a notice to you sir (Rajya Sabha Chairman)," she said. (ANI)
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami laid the foundation stone of various development schemes worth nearly Rs 172 crore 65 lakhs, including the foundation stone laying of the multipurpose Satpuli Lake to be built in the Eastern Nayar River. He participated in a program organised at Satpuli in Pauri district on Thursday. On this occasion, the Chief Minister announced the construction of a new building in Government Inter College Bharoli Khal and Bironkhal under Development Block Bironkhal, construction of a motor bridge over the Western Nayar River between Nayar Patisain and Aswalsyun between Development Block Ekeshwar and Kaljikhal, construction of a mini stadium in Development Block Ekeshwar Headquarters, construction of a barrage 500 meters upstream from the Pipaldonga bridge built over the Ravansa River, establishment of a police post at Tadkeshwar Mahadev. The Chief Minister said, "Schemes worth more than Rs 172 crore have been inaugurated and foundation stone laid. These schemes will prove to be a milestone in the development of the region. With the completion of the construction of Satpuli Lake, it will also prove to be a boon for the regional economy." He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had described this third decade of the 21st century as the decade of Uttarakhand from the land of Baba Kedar, and this work has already begun. "The lake whose foundation stone has been laid will also benefit many generations to come," he said. He said that along with road and air connectivity, infrastructure is being developed rapidly in the state. Construction work is being done on a large scale in the tourism sector in the state. The Chief Minister said that the government is continuously working towards eradicating the big problem of migration. Along with promoting self-employment in the state, participation of youth is also being ensured in local industries. He said, "Our women power is bringing revolution in every field. The products prepared by Matrishakti are today failing even big companies, which are in demand even abroad." The Chief Minister said that the state government is also working with determination to preserve the cultural values of the state. He said, "Encroachment has been removed from more than 5000 acres of land in the state. In January 2025, we are going to implement UCC in the state. Very soon we are going to bring strict land laws keeping in mind the public sentiments of the state." During this, the Chief Minister released the development booklet of the assembly constituency Chaubattakhal. (ANI)
The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) safely rescued an injured fisherman from a boat about 110 km from the Pipavav coast in Gujarat. According to the Coast Guard, the fisherman sustained severe injury to his lower abdomen while fishing. He was given initial treatment by the ICG medical team and was safely transported back to Pipavav Harbour. There, he was handed over to the boat owner in stable condition for further medical management. In a post on X, the Indian Coast Guard said, "Swiftly responding to medical emergency at sea, India Coast Guard Ship C-409 rescued a fisherman from Indian Fishing Boat Dariya Dolat, about 110 km from Pipavav coast in Gujarat. Crew sustained severe lower abdomen injury whilst fishing. Post initial treatment by ICG Medical team, the patient was safely brought back to Pipavav Harbour and handed over to boat owner in stable condition for further Medical management." Earlier on December 4, in a display of prompt and coordinated action, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) rescued 12 crew members of the sunken Indian vessel MSV Al Piranpir from the North Arabian Sea. This humanitarian search and rescue mission saw close collaboration between the Indian Coast Guard and Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA), with both nations' Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres (MRCCs) maintaining continuous communication throughout the operation, Defence wing said in a press release.The mechanized sailing vessel (Dhow) Al Piranpir, which had departed from Porbandar enroute to Bandar Abbas, Iran, reportedly sank in the morning hours of December 4 due to rough seas and flooding. The distress call was received by ICG's Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Mumbai, which promptly alerted ICG Regional Headquarters (North West) in Gandhinagar. ICG Ship Sarthak was immediately diverted to the reported location. MRCC Pakistan was also contacted to alert mariners in the area, and their assistance was swiftly provided. In another development, the Inaugural session of the 21st Maritime Search & Rescue (M-SAR) Refresher Course was held at India Coast Guard Regional Headquarters (East), Chennai. "On 18 Dec 24, Inaugural session of the 21st Maritime Search & Rescue (M-SAR) Refresher Course was held at India Coast Guard Regional Headquarters (East), Chennai. 30 participants from ICG, INMCC, Bengaluru & AAI are attending the 3 day course by MRCC (East), aiming to enhance skills & boost synergy in SAR with a focus on harmonizing Aeronautical & Maritime operations,"Indian Coast Guard said on X. (ANI)
During the searches, a substantial haul of weapons and explosives was recovered, underscoring the ongoing security efforts in the region.

Among the seized items were a 7.62mm Russian RPD Machine Gun, a 5.56mm INSAS Rifle, and a 0.32 Pistol with its magazine. The operation also led to the recovery of a variety of explosives, including a 2-inch mortar and a 2.5 kg explosive with Ctn.

Several hand grenades, including No. 36 and WP hand grenades, were also found, along with two wireless radio sets, which could be linked to insurgent groups operating in the area.

In addition to firearms and explosives, security forces recovered a range of ammunition, including live rounds of 7.62mm and 5.56mm ammunition. The operation also uncovered improvised mortar shells and heavy artillery shells, further indicating the extent of illegal armament in the region.

The search operations, conducted in Nungbram Village and Lairok Vaiphei Village in Imphal East District, are part of a broader effort by security forces to maintain control over vulnerable areas. These areas have been prone to insurgency activities and have seen the presence of armed groups in the past.

On December 17, the Indian Army and Manipur Police joined forces to recover five Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in Manipur's Imphal East district. The search operation was launched based on specific intelligence about the presence of explosives in the Maphitel Ridge area.

Weighing a total of 21.5 kilograms, the IEDs were found at multiple locations. A key factor in the successful detection and recovery of these explosives was the crucial role played by Eva, the explosive detection dog, and the Army's bomb disposal squad.

This operation not only showcased the synergy between the forces but also prevented a major threat, saving countless innocent lives. The Army and local law enforcement agencies remain committed to thwarting subversive activities in Manipur. (ANI)
Rajasthan Chief Minister BhajanL lal Sharma arrived at the Sawai Mansingh Hospital in Jaipur to meet the victims of the Bhankrota fire in Jaipur that took place on Friday morning, as per the Chief Ministers Office. A total of four people have been declared dead and 35 others have sustained injuries. Taking to social media X, the Chief Minster expressed grief and instructed doctors to provide immediate medical facilities and all necessary care to the injured. "I am deeply saddened to hear the sad news of casualties of citizens in the gas tanker fire incident on Jaipur-Ajmer National Highway." As soon as the information about the incident was received, he went to SMS Hospital and directed the doctors to provide immediate necessary medical facilities and take proper care of the injured," the post read. Further, the CM wrote that the rescue work by the administration was being carried out. "Rescue work by the administration is continuing. The local administration and emergency services are working with full readiness. I pray to the Lord to grant the departed souls a place in his supreme abode, give the bereaved families strength to bear this immense loss and provide speedy recovery to the injured," the post further read. Rajasthan Health Minister Ganjednra Singh Khimsar said that there were five beds left in the critical burn wards and another ward of 40 beds had been prepared. "Around 5 beds are left in our critical burn ward. We have prepared another ward of 40 beds...The police team and administration team are active there. The traffic corridor has been completely open for the injured people to come to SMS Hospital...According to the police and administration, the maximum number of people have already reached the hospital...The blast in the LPG container was massive. We are not sure if the petrol pump caught the fire or not..." Khimsar said speaking to ANI. The fire incident occurred on Friday early morning on the main Ajmer road when multiple vehicles collided near a petrol pump resulting in the death of four people and leaving 35 others injured. Amit Kumar, Superintendent of Police (SP), while speaking to ANI, said, "A horrific accident and fire occurred in the Bhankrota area of Jaipur. The accident happened early today on the main Ajmer Road. Nearly two dozen vehicles caught fire, and many trucks and trolleys were burnt to ashes. The accident took place near a petrol pump in the Bhankrota area." "The fire started due to a collision involving several vehicles one after the other. Efforts are being made to extinguish the fire," SP Amit Kumar added. He further explained, "This accident probably involved a gas tanker, which may have intensified the fire. Many nearby vehicles have also caught fire. Police, civil defence, and the fire brigade are working tirelessly to control the situation. There are some casualties; we are trying to ascertain the details." Further investigation into the incident are underway. (ANI)
State BJP chief BY Vijayendra on Friday lashed out at the Karnataka government's handling of the CT Ravi issue, alleging that the police department was pressured by the state government. Vijayendra also claimed that Ravi, who suffered a head injury, was denied medical treatment and basic care, calling it an 'unpardonable' act. He also announced a statewide protest, condemning the government's actions and demanding further legal action. "The Speaker has already given the ruling on what CT Ravi said on the Floor of the House. We have to wait for the FSL report as well. At the same time, the attitude of the Police Department, probably the entire department, has succumbed to the pressure from the Minister and the State Government. Yesterday, there was a severe injury on the head of CT Ravi. Even then, he was not taken to the hospital. All night, he was not offered even a drop of water... Is CT Ravi a terrorist? He is a respected MLC, former minister," the BJP leader said. The state BJP chief also stated that a statewide protest has been called over the issue. He said, "The way the state government has handled this entire issue is unpardonable. They have treated CT Ravi as a terrorist. They will probably produce him before the magistrate; all our advocates and experts are there. We will discuss and take further action... We have called for a protest across the state, in all the district HQs. We have taken this issue seriously." Earlier on Thursday, via an X post, Vijayendra defended CT Ravi, saying, "Manya CT Ravi is a good orator with extensive experience as a senior legislator and uses cultured language. He did not speak like someone who lacks verbal culture beyond the bounds of politeness." Vijayendra also said that Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar had already provided a "proper clarification" regarding the words used against her during the incident and denied the allegations. In the X post, the BJP state chief also accused the Congress party of trying to create confusion through the Ravi issue and divert public attention from the issues of "anti-development governance" and "corruption scandals" surrounding the party. Further, the BJP leader in his statement condemned what he called an "attempted assault" on CT Ravi by goons inside the legislature, describing it as a direct attack on the democratic system. "The Congress, known for its politics of gooning, is creating a situation to the point of bringing goons into the legislature and causing chaos," he said, adding that this has left the people of the state worried about the safety of common citizens. "If the goons who attempted to attack CT Ravi are not arrested and strict action is not taken, @BJP4Karnataka will take this matter seriously," Vijayendra added. https://x.com/BYVijayendra/status/1869728702776619331 Meanwhile, BJP leader CT Ravi filed a counter-complaint at the Khanapura police station in Belagavi, alleging an attempt to kill him by Congress leaders Lakshmi Hebbalkar, Chamaraja Hattiholi, DK Shivakumar, Saddam, and others. The alleged incident occurred at Suvarna Soudha in Belagavi. Ravi claimed that the police brought him to the Khanapura police station without providing a reason. "Police brought me to Khanapura police station around 8 pm. They didn't tell me in which case they brought me. They're not registering my complaint; they're not even filing a zero FIR. If something happens to me, the Congress government must take responsibility," the BJP leader alleged. Ravi further accused Congress leaders and the police of conspiring against him. "By registering a false case, they're conspiring to murder me. I have already filed a complaint. It's been three hours since I was brought to the police station, and I haven't been told why. If something happens to me, the police, DK Shivakumar, Lakshmi Hebbalkar, and their team will be responsible," he said. Ravi also expressed concern over his treatment, claiming it was similar to actions taken during the Emergency period. "They're treating me like a criminal, and it's creating doubt in me. I have worked as a minister and am a people's representative. They're acting the way they did during the 'Emergency,'" the BJP leader added. (ANI)
The Shiv-Hanuman Temple in Sambhal, which was uncovered during an anti-encroachment campaign by the district police and administration on December 14, held its morning aarti on December 20. Heavy security has been deployed outside the temple. Geeta Pradhan, a former member of Uttar Pradesh's Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Commission and a BJP leader visited the temple to offer prayers on Wednesday. The temple, which had remained closed since 1978, was reopened on December 14 following efforts by the administration. Pradhan shared, "We are very happy. With the efforts of Honorable Yogi ji, an ancient temple has been rediscovered with the support of the administration. Everyone is here to offer prayers, and there is a wave of happiness among people. Many idols were installed outside the temple, all of which were demolished, and houses were built on the temple land." She further explained, "When the police administration came to investigate an electricity theft, they found the ancient temple. Today, the Hindu community is very happy." On December 15, Sambhal's Superintendent of Police (SP) Krishan Kumar and District Magistrate (DM) Rajender Pensiya also visited the newly uncovered Shiv-Hanuman Temple to offer their prayers. In the meantime, an anti-encroachment operation was carried out on December 14 in the Shahi Jama Masjid area. DM Pensiya told ANI, "In the morning, we checked whether loudspeakers were contributing to unnecessary noise pollution." During the inspection, extensive electricity theft was uncovered. "Around 15 to 20 houses and religious places were found to be involved. At a mosque, we found 59 fans, a fridge, a washing machine, and approximately 25 to 30 light points, all with the meter switched off. An intensive checking campaign is ongoing," added DM Pensiya. As for the Shiv-Hanuman Temple, which had been closed since 1978, it has now been reopened. The temple premises were cleaned, electricity connections were restored on Sunday, and CCTV cameras were installed for security purposes. Vishnu Sharan Rastogi, patron of the Nagar Hindu Sabha, confirmed that the temple had reopened after 46 years, explaining that the closure had been due to the absence of a resident priest. (ANI)
Congress MP KC Venugopal on Friday demanded Home Minister Amit Shah's resignation over his Ambedkar remark. Speaking to ANI, Congress MP KC Venugopal said, "Our agitation is very clear. Amit Shah should resign, he should tender an apology to the nation. When we are asking this if you want to put our leaders and us in jail, you are most welcome. Yesterday Varsha Gaikwad also gave a complaint but there is no FIR. The FIR is only for BJP's complaint?" This follows a recent speech in the Rajya Sabha, where Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated, "If they had taken the name of God so many times instead of Ambedkar, they would have got heaven for seven lives." Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra alongwith MPs of the INDIA Alliance protested over Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remark on Dr BR Ambedkar in Rajya Sabha, and demanded his apology and resignation. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, "The entire country is watching, they have slapped several cases on Rahul Gandhi. They bring in new FIRs and lie...This shows their desperation level." On Thursday, INDIA Bloc MPs led by Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi held a protest in the Parliament premises and demanded the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his remarks on Babasaheb Ambedkar. Many MPs including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Sanjay Raut, Mahua Majhi, and Ram Gopal Yadav were seen wearing blue clothes as a mark of protest against the Home Minister's remarks. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati also condemned Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks on Ambedkar and asked him to take them back. "The words used by Amit Shah in the Parliament about the architect of the Indian Constitution and messiah of Dalits and other neglected classes, Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, have greatly hurt Baba Saheb's dignity and existence, and in a way, he has been insulted. Now there is tremendous anger and resentment among his followers in the entire country and he should take back these words and he should also repent for this. Otherwise, his (BR Ambedkar) followers will never be able to forget this, just like the way they haven't been able to forget the misdeeds of Congress towards Dr BR Ambedkar," Mayawati said in a press conference in Lucknow. Samajwadi Party MPs also protested against Amit Shah's statement and demanded an apology from the BJP. SP MP Dimple Yadav said, "The BJP should apologise for the comments made in Parliament. This proves that the BJP is against the principles of Dr BR Ambedkar." (ANI)
Indian Youth Congress (IYC) President Uday Bhanu Chib and several national and state office bearers were detained by Assam Police. The leaders, who had gathered at a city-based hotel in the region, were reportedly not allowed to leave the premises, and security personnel were deployed in large numbers around the hotel. "This morning, I and other Youth Congress colleagues were detained from a hotel in Guwahati as if we were terrorists. Our mobile phones have been confiscated. We came here to seek justice for martyr Mridul Islam but the murderous Assam Police will not accept this," said a post from the IYC President's office. The IYC has accused the Assam Police of taking their leaders into preventive custody as they planned to protest against the death of Congress worker Mridul Islam. "What is Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma hiding who got Congress worker Mridul Islam murdered? Under which law were they arrested like terrorists after barging into the hotel at 5 in the morning?," a post from the IYC quoting Uday Bhanu Chib said. Islam died during a Raj Bhawan Cholo protest organized by the Assam Congress on December 18. The Youth Congress also intended to stage a protest against the remarks made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. The incident has sparked widespread condemnation, and the Assam Pradesh Congress organized a demonstration in Guwahati to protest against the actions of the police. Meanwhile, Assam police has registered a Suo-moto case in connection with the law and order situation that arose during the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee's Raj Bhawan Cholo protest on December 18, a senior police official said. "Guwahati City Police registered a suo-moto case in connection with the law and order situation that arose during the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee's Raj Bhawan Cholo on December 18," Diganta Barah, Commissioner of Police, Guwahati said. The East Police District of Guwahati has also issued a prohibitory order under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, in the Dispur area, enforcing strict restrictions on public gatherings. In an official order, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, East Police District, has prohibited the assembly of more than five persons, along with any agitation, demonstration, procession, or slogan-shouting within a 1 km radius of the Capital Complex in Dispur. The prohibitory order, which came into effect on December 19, mandates that any such activities in the area will require prior permission from the competent authorities. Security personnel have been deployed in large numbers to ensure the enforcement of these regulations. (ANI)
"Guwahati City Police registered a suo-moto case in connection with the law and order situation that arose during the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee's Raj Bhawan Cholo on December 18," Diganta Barah, Commissioner of Police, Guwahati said.

Congress leaders and workers held nationwide protests on Wednesday, including marches to Raj Bhavans in Jammu, Chandigarh, Guwahati, and Patna. The protests were held to raise concerns over Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks about BR Ambedkar, the ongoing crisis in Manipur, alleged inaction on the Adani controversy, and the demand for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood.

Two Congress party workers lost their lives during nationwide protests called by the party on Wednesday.

On December 19, Guwahati Police issued a prohibitory order under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, in the Dispur area, enforcing strict restrictions on public gatherings. This order enforces strict restrictions on public gatherings, stating that any such activities in the area must obtain prior permission from the competent authorities.

The decision comes amid the tragic death of Mridul Islam, a Congress party worker, who allegedly died in Guwahati during nationwide protests called by the Congress party.

On Thursday, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, "The institution of the Governor stands above partisan politics. Yesterday, Congress party leaders attempted to forcibly enter Raj Bhavan by breaching police barricades and causing chaos in the vicinity. The police will register an FIR and conduct a thorough inquiry into the incident, including a review of video recordings. Henceforth, no demonstrations will be permitted near Raj Bhavan. A designated area has already been allocated for protests and demonstrations." (ANI)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday spoke with Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma to inquire about a tragic accident and fire in the state that claimed the lives of at least four individuals. In a telephonic conversation, the Union Minister took stock of the situation in detail about the circumstances surrounding the tragic event. Shah expressed concern over the fire incident which occurred in Bhankrota area in Rajasthan's Jaipur district early on Friday on the main Jaipur-Ajmer Road. Four people have died, and nearly 40 vehicles, including trucks and trolleys, were burnt. The fire started due to multiple vehicle collisions near a petrol pump. Authorities are working to put out the fire. Meanwhile, the Rajasthan CM visited the spot and informed mediapersons that he has directed the authorities to admit all the injured people. "The government will provide all the necessary help...We have issued a helpline. This is a tragic incident... I have got the information that around 4 people have died...," Sharma said. Amit Kumar, Superintendent of Police (SP), while speaking to ANI, said, "A horrific accident and fire occurred in the Bhankrota area of Jaipur. The accident happened early today on the main Ajmer Road. Nearly two dozen vehicles caught fire, and many trucks and trolleys were burnt to ashes. The accident took place near a petrol pump in the Bhankrota area. "The fire started due to a collision involving several vehicles one after the other. Efforts are being made to extinguish the fire," SP Amit Kumar added. Jaipur District Magistrate, Jitendra Soni also visited the spot and said that four people have died in the incident. "Around 40 vehicles caught the fire. Fire brigade and ambulances have reached the spot. The relief work is underway. The fire has been doused and only one or two vehicles are left. Around 23-24 people have been injured in the incident." (ANI)
Lok Sabha on Friday adjourned sine die shortly after it began proceedings for the day a day after massive Parliament scuffle. Rajya Sabha was also adjourned till 12 noon. Before Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal moved a motion that the two bills concerning 'One Nation, One Election' be referred to a Joint Committee of the two Houses. The motion, which had names of 27 members from the Lok Sabha, was approved amid din in the House. The committee will have 12 members from the Rajya Sabha. The Committee will submit its report to Lok Sabha by the first day of the last week of the next session. Speaker Om Birla said maintaining the dignity of Parliament is collective responsibility. He said there that there should be no protest at any of the "dwars" of Parliament, saying it is not appropriate. He said the Parliament will have to take appropriate action in case of violation. Parliament witnessed parallel protests from both the Treasury and Opposition benches outside the parliament on Thursday morning. 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 Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his remarks on Babasaheb Ambedkar.Leaders from both sides alleged pushing and shoving by each other, while two BJP MPs, Pratap Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput were injured. Both the MPs were rushed and admitted to Delhi's Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. Earlier, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan accused Rahul Gandhi of behaving like a 'goon' and intentionally causing a disruption during the BJP MPs' protest at Makar Dwar of Parliament leading to a scuffle between the ruling alliance and the opposition. Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters, Chouhan also criticized Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi following their press conference, claiming that their actions showed a lack of accountability and respect. Meanwhile, earlier today, Congress MP K Suresh gave an adjournment motion notice in the Lok Sabha regarding Union Home Minister Amit Shah's alleged controversial remarks on Former Minister of Law and Justice BR Ambedkar. The notice stated, "I hereby give notice of my intention to ask for leave to move a motion for the adjournment of the business of the House for the purpose of discussing a definite matter of urgent importance." In the notice, the Congress MP said, "The statements made about Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the principal architect of our Constitution, was deeply disrespectful and hurtful to the people who hold him in the highest regard." He added that Shah's remarks belittled Ambedkar's contributions, calling them mere "political symbolism" and undermining the values of justice, equality, and dignity that Ambedkar fought for. He further underlined, "Dr Ambedkar's legacy is not confined to any political party; it belongs to the entire nation." Suresh urged the House to take a strong stand and called for an unconditional apology from the Home Minister for his statements, affirming the nation's commitment to respecting its national heroes. The Congress MP on Thursday too submitted an adjournment motion notice in the Lok Sabha, calling for an unconditional apology from Union Home Minister Amit Shah for his comments on the former Minister of Law and Justice, BR Ambedkar. He also sought an urgent discussion on Shah's remarks made during the 75th anniversary celebrations of the Indian Constitution. In his notice, Suresh expressed "grave concern" over Shah's comments, which he claimed were "deeply disrespectful and hurtful" to those who hold Ambedkar in high regard. Shah had reportedly stated in Rajya Sabha, "If they had taken the name of God so many times instead of Ambedkar, they would have got heaven for seven lives." (ANI)
The face off between the Congress and the BJP intensified on Friday after both factions staged another day of parallel protests outside parliament. Launching an all out attack on the opposition, Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Friday said that Rahul Gandhi was a liar and there was no bigger liar than him. "In the country's politics, there is no bigger liar than Rahul Gandhi.. he created hooliganism by pushing Pratap Sarangh. When he realized that an FIR would be filed, he started diverting the topic and started lying. He has just been trying to divert the topic...Today, Rahul Gandhi is known for his arrogance" Singh said while speaking to the media. This comes after an FIR was registered by the Delhi Police on November 19 in connection with a scuffle in the Parliament. Tensions erupted when members of the opposition and the ruling BJP-led NDA held separate protests, resulting in a face-off on Thursday. Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that he was pushed, and two BJP members were injured during the incident. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Arun Govil said that the scuffle was tarnishing the image of the Parliament. Speaking to ANI, Govil said "This is very unfortunate. What is happening is not good for our image. This is tarnishing the image of Parliament. It seems we need a lot of discipline and the opposition needs a lot of restraint. The way Rahul Gandhi was not looking calm when he came yesterday... this does not befit MPs in Parliament." BJP MP CP Joshi said that the face off of the MPs and the FIR was an insult to the democracy. "This is an insult to democracy. Congress party and its leaders have always attempted to shred the Constitution and democracy of this country. Yesterday's incident was very unfortunate. This makes it clear that when Home Minister Amit Shah exposed their true face before the country, it angered them and they hatched this conspiracy. People of the country can never tolerate such hooliganism." Joshi said speaking to ANI. (ANI)
Lok Sabha Member of Parliament and Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav on Friday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over Amit Shah's remarks on BR Ambedkar in Parliament, claiming that the ruling party is trying to weaken the constitution and democracy. Speaking to ANI, after the Lok Sabha adjourned sine die, the SP chief noted that Babasaheb's Constitution shows the way to take the country forward. "Parliament session might be concluding today, but issues don't conclude. The insult to Babasaheb Ambedkar and the attitude of the BJP towards him--opposition demands that he should admit his mistake and apologize... If we have to take the country forward, Babasaheb's Constitution shows the way. BJP attempts to weaken the Constitution and democracy from time to time," Yadav told ANI. He also slammed the FIR filed against Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and termed it a "false case." "We will have to understand the tactics of the BJP. They first do unconstitutional things and do injustice. When you stand with those who have faced injustice, they slap false cases. This is not happening for the first time. This is BJP's strategy," Yadav said. SP MP Dimple Yadav also held BJP MPs responsible for the scuffle, injuring two ruling party's parliamentarians, that happened in the parliament premises yesterday. "...Only the BJP MPs are responsible for the standoff we saw yesterday at Makar Dwar. We had never seen such a standoff," she said. Demanding an apology from BJP MPs, he said, "We want the BJP MPs to apologize because they have insulted Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, who is an idol for every citizen of the country..." "BJP goes ahead with just one side. It never goes ahead with India's Constitution, democracy, and its people. I think the BJP should apologize for tomorrow's face-off because only the BJP government and BJP MPs are responsible for it," she said. MP Jaya Bachchan also described the parliament scuffle as a man-made incident: "It was a man-made, created incident. They were stopping people from going up the steps. I am witness to it. They were stopping people...How can you be covering the steps? They were pushing and jostling," the Samajwadi Party leader said. (ANI)
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Arun Govil on Friday condemned the scuffle in the parliament saying that it is harmful to our image and is tarnishing the reputation of Parliament. Speaking to ANI, Arun Govil said, "This is very unfortunate. What is happening is not good for our image. This is tarnishing the image of Parliament. It seems we need a lot of discipline and the opposition needs a lot of restraint. The way Rahul Gandhi was not looking calm when he came yesterday. this does not befit MPs in Parliament." Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's behaviour during the winter session of Parliament, saying the BJP MP was upset by the scuffle in which two of his colleagues were injured. Speaking to the media, Rijiju said, "This is the last day of the Winter Session. Both Houses will be adjourned sine die today. NDA MPs are very agitated over the conduct of Rahul Gandhi yesterday." Earlier today, Rajya Sabha LoP Malikarjun Kharge, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other INDIA bloc MPs staged a protest over Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks over Dr BR Ambedkar in Rajya Sabha. The protesting leaders have demanded an apology and resignation from the Home Minister and have staged a protest from Vijay Chowk to Parliament. Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also condemned the Home Minister's remarks about BR Ambedkar and asserted that such insults would not be tolerated in the country. Speaking to the media, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, "They know that their true sentiments for Ambedkar ji have come out. So, they are now scared of the Opposition because we are raising this issue. National interest is related to this matter. Our Constitution has been given by Ambedkar ji, the people of this country and our freedom struggle. Such insult to him will not be tolerated by India." Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav said that the Home Minister must admit his mistake and apologise to the nation. "Parliament session might be concluding today but issues don't conclude. The insult to Babasaheb Ambedkar and the attitude of BJP towards him - Opposition demands that he should admit his mistake and apologise...If we have to take the country forward, Babasaheb's Constitution shows the way. BJP attempts to weaken Constitution and democracy from time to time," he said. On Thursday, both the NDA and INDIA bloc MPs staged a protest in Parliament premises when a scuffle broke out between the two sides, injuring two BJP MPs. (ANI)
The Bombay High Court on Friday dismissed a plea challenging the tender awarded to the Adani Group for the Dharavi Redevelopment Project. The petition was filed by a private firm that had contested the award, which followed the cancellation of a previous tender in 2019. The petitioner had called for a fresh tender, but the court dismissed the plea, granting significant relief to the Adani Group. The Dharavi Redevelopment Project, one of the largest 'urban renewal' projects in India, has been surrounded by controversy. Adani Group's involvement in the project has raised questions, but the group maintains that it aims to restore the dignity of over a million residents of Dharavi. Earlier this year, Adani Group Founder and Chairman Gautam Adani stated that the Dharavi redevelopment is not just about "urban renewal," but about "restoring dignity to over one million residents of our country." He underlined that the project is about creating an unmatched ecosystem of sustainable living and transforming the world's largest slum over the next decade. The Adani Group is working in partnership with the Maharashtra government on the project. According to the agreement, the redevelopment will provide eligible residential tenants in Dharavi with flats that include independent kitchens and toilets. The minimum size of the new homes will be 350 square feet, which is reportedly 17 per cent larger than the average size in Mumbai's other slum redevelopment projects. The project, valued at Rs 23,000 crore, has faced opposition, with some alleging that it would disproportionately benefit the Adani Group. However, DRPPL sources clarified that the railway land was acquired at a premium of 170 per cent above the prevailing market rates. Regarding concerns raised by Dharavi residents, they assured that the project follows government resolutions to ensure no displacement. Residents with tenements existing on or before January 1, 2000, are eligible for in-situ rehabilitation within Dharavi, while others will receive homes under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana outside Dharavi. The project also reportedly follows strict Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) standards, aiming to plant thousands of trees to enhance green cover. Additionally, the project's focus on sustainability is evident, with over four million trees already planted across India, and the group is reportedly committed to planting one trillion trees. In response to concerns about land allocation, sources close to the project clarified to ANI that the land will not be transferred to Adani directly but to the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRPPL). They assured that the prescribed procedures under the Maharashtra Land Revenue (Disposal of Government Lands) Rules, 1971, were followed. Furthermore, it was suggested that the survey for the redevelopment should be conducted by the government instead of Adani. DRPPL also sources clarified that, as with other Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) projects in Maharashtra, the DRP, along with SRA, is surveying with third-party experts. DRPPL's role is limited to facilitation, ensuring that the survey process is impartial and aligns with government standards. (ANI)
Karnataka Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar on Friday replied to the alleged derogatory remarks made against her by Bharatiya Janata Party MLC CT Ravi at the Karnataka legislative assembly, while speaking to reporters at her residence in Belagavi, Karnataka. Expressing her distress over the alleged remarks, she said that when the BJP leader called Rahul Gandhi a "drug addict," she asked whether him being in accidents made him a murderer. "After completing the protest (against remarks of Amit Shah), we were seated. I, too, was sitting quietly in my seat. At that time, City Ravi called Rahul Gandhi a drug addict. In response, I said, Even you have been in accidents does that make you a murderer..??," she told reporters. While narrating the incident, she said, "Following this, CT Ravi used derogatory words against me. I am also a mother...People look up to me and believe that thousands should enter politics inspired by me." The BJP leader was arrested and brought to the district court by Belagavi police on Friday. Before being taken to court, CT Ravi underwent a medical checkup at the Mutag Health Center in Belagavi. An FIR was filed against him following the complaint made by Minister Hebbalkar. The Karnataka minister said that her relatives, including her daughter-in-law expressed support for her. "My daughter-in-law called me and said, 'We are with you..' The people of my constituency are standing by me," she added. CT Ravi has been suspended from the Legislative Council; Hebbalkar had denied to comment on his suspension. Meanwhile, the BJP leader has also filed a counter-complaint at the Khanapura police station in Belagavi, alleging an attempt to kill him by Congress leaders Lakshmi Hebbalkar, Chamaraja Hattiholi, DK Shivakumar, Saddam, and others. He claimed that police brought him to the Khanapura police station without providing a reason. "Police brought me to Khanapura police station around 8 pm. They didn't tell me in which case they brought me. They're not registering my complaint; they're not even filing a zero FIR. If something happens to me, the Congress government must take responsibility," the BJP leader alleged. Meanwhile Ravi's lawyer, Advocate MB Jiragi has also alleged that despite the BJP leader being arrested under sections 75 and 79 of the BNS, the police have not officially recorded his arrest "CT Ravi has been arrested under sections 75 and 79 of BNS. He has been arrested physically. But so far, we have not been confirmed on record that he has been arrested. De facto, the Karnataka police have already taken him into custody. They took him to various places last night... So far, they have not produced him before the court of law," Jiragi said. State BJP chief BY Vijayendra also condemned the government's handling of the CT Ravi issue, alleging that the police department was pressured by the state government. Vijayendra also claimed that Ravi, who suffered a head injury, was denied medical treatment and basic care, calling it an 'unpardonable' act. He also announced a statewide protest. (ANI)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah attended the 61st Raising Day celebrations of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) in Siliguri, West Bengal, where he praised the force for its significant contributions to India's security. Shah commended the SSB for its vigilance and tireless work along the Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bhutan borders, highlighting the force's critical role in national defence and law enforcement. Speaking at the event, Shah noted that the SSB's vigilance in preventing illegal border activities had been exemplary. "The time has come to find the anti-social elements who are illegally using open fencing," he said, emphasizing the need for continued vigilance along India's borders. He expressed satisfaction with the SSB's efforts in securing the Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bhutan borders, which are vital to the nation's security. Shah acknowledged the important role the SSB had played in countering the Naxal movement in states like Bihar and Jharkhand. "Bihar and Jharkhand are now free from the Naxal movement because of the efforts of SSB," Shah stated, highlighting the force's success in maintaining law and order in these regions. The Home Minister highlighted the significance of the Siliguri corridor, which serves as a key link between the Northeast states and the rest of India. He lauded the SSB's alertness in safeguarding this crucial region. "Siliguri corridor is very important. It connects the Northeast states, and SSB's alertness helps us to protect the region," Shah said. Shah spoke about India's strong and cordial relations with Nepal, crediting the SSB for its role in strengthening cross-border cooperation. Additionally, he praised the force's operations in Jammu and Kashmir, where it continues to play a vital role in securing the region. Earlier, in a post on X, Union Home Minister Amit Shah paid tribute to the brave soldier of the force who had made the supreme sacrfice, lauding their unparalleled contributions to India's national security. "On the foundation day of the Sashastra Seema Bal, I pay my tribute to all the immortal martyrs of the Force and extend my best wishes on the Foundation Day to all the personnel and their families." https://x.com/AmitShah/status/1869942898222842308 Shah also noted the significant role of the SSB in contributing to the development of border areas. He continued "@SSB_INDIA has made national security and public service paramount through his sacrifice and valour. The efforts of the brave SSB soldiers dedicated to border security and surveillance to prevent crimes and illegal infiltration in the border areas have been commendable. The brave soldiers of the Sashastra Seema Bal are continuously contributing to nation-building by simultaneously accelerating development work in the border areas along with the security of the country. (ANI)
BJP workers staged protests in Chikkamagaluru and Belagavi on Wednesday, condemning the arrest of party leader and MLC CT Ravi. In Chikkamagaluru, BJP workers gathered to demand the release of council member CT Ravi, accusing the state government of targeting opposition leaders. Following Ravi's arrest, BJP leaders called for a bandh in Chikkamagaluru. The Chikkamagaluru district BJP organised the bandh, prompting a heavy police presence in the city. Security was tightened, with police deployed at key locations, including Hanumanthappa Circle. In Belagavi, BJP leaders and workers protested at Chennamma Circle. The protest was led by Opposition Leader R Ashoka and State BJP President BY Vijayendra. Ravi was arrested for allegedly making objectionable remarks about Karnataka cabinet minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar after an FIR was lodged against him. Meanwhile, Karnataka Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar addressed the alleged derogatory remarks made by CT Ravi during the Karnataka Legislative Assembly session. Speaking to reporters at her residence in Belagavi, she expressed distress over the incident. Hebbalkar recounted, "After completing the protest (against the remarks of Amit Shah), I was sitting quietly in my seat. At that time, CT Ravi called Rahul Gandhi a drug addict. In response, I asked, 'Even you have been in accidents--does that make you a murderer?'" She further alleged that CT Ravi used derogatory words against her following this exchange. "I am also a mother. People look up to me, and I hope thousands are inspired to enter politics because of me," she added. Earlier, Vijayendra alleged that the police acted under pressure from the state government. "The Speaker has already ruled on what CT Ravi said on the floor of the House. We must also wait for the FSL report. At the same time, the attitude of the Police Department, probably the entire department, has succumbed to the pressure from the Minister and the State Government. Yesterday, there was a severe injury on the head of CT Ravi. Even then he was not taken to the hospital. All night he was not offered even a drop of water... Is CT Ravi a terrorist? He is a respected MLC, former minister," Vijayendra said. Vijayendra also called for statewide protest against the arrest. "The way the state government has handled this issue is unpardonable. They treated CT Ravi like a terrorist. We will take further action after consulting our advocates and experts. We have called for protests across the state, in all district headquarters. We are taking this issue very seriously," he added. Earlier in the day, the BJP leader was arrested and brought to the district court by Belagavi police. Before being taken to court, he underwent a medical checkup at the Mutag Health Center in Belagavi. Ravi has also filed a counter-complaint at the Khanapura police station in Belagavi, accusing Congress leaders Lakshmi Hebbalkar, Chamaraja Hattiholi, DK Shivakumar, Saddam, and others of attempting to kill him. He alleged that the police brought him to the Khanapura police station without providing a reason. "Police brought me to Khanapura police station around 8 pm. They didn't tell me in which case they brought me. They're not registering my complaint; they're not even filing a zero FIR. If something happens to me, the Congress government must take responsibility," CT Ravi claimed. CT Ravi has been suspended from the Legislative Council, but Hebbalkar declined to comment on his suspension. (ANI)
Passengers of a bus, which caught fire in the massive blaze that broke out near a petrol pump at Bhankrota on Friday morning on the Jaipur-Ajmer highway after a chemical-laden truck collided with an LPG tanker and several other vehicles, have recounted horrific scenes from the tragedy that has left at least nine people dead and over 40 injured. The bus was among the nearby vehicles that got caught in the fire that spread from the initial collision that took place at around 5:30 am today. Speaking to ANI, an eyewitness recounted, "My friend and I were travelling from Rajsamand to Jaipur. Our bus suddenly stopped around 5.30 in the morning, and we heard a massive blast. There was fire everywhere around the bus. The door of the bus was locked, so we broke the window and jumped out. Along with us, around seven to eight more people jumped from the window. There were continuous blasts one after the other. There was a petrol pump nearby." "When we woke up at 5.30 in the morning, we heard a blast. Those who were able to jump out of the bus survived, while those who couldn't were burned there. A whole lane of 100-200 metres was burned," another eyewitness told ANI. Union Minister Bhagirath Chaudhary called termed it "a very tragic incident" and mentioned that Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma was present at the site. He further added that Union Home Minister Amit Shah has spoken to the Chief Minister. Superintendent Sushil Kumar Bhati of Jaipur's Sawai Man Singh Hospital where the injured from the accident were rushed to said, "A blaze broke out in a CNG tanker near Bhankrota, causing several nearby buses and vehicles to catch fire." "Currently, 42 injured people have been admitted here, and seven fatalities have been confirmed. Around 10 patients have severe burns of more than 60 per cent, with six patients on ventilators. The situation is under control, and treatment is underway." (ANI)
Congress MP Manish Tewari on Friday condemned the FIR against Rahul Gandhi, calling it an "blatant misuse of the provisions of criminal law." "It is a blatant misuse of provisions of criminal law," Tewari told ANI. He also demanded that anyone who has insulted the architect of the Constitution should resign. "The fundamental thing is that those who advertently or inadvertently insulted the founder of the Indian Constitution, Dr Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar, must resign," he added. His remarks comes after the Delhi police registered an FIR against Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi yesterday, in connection with an alleged scuffle that took place at Parliament premises. Tensions erupted when members of the opposition and the ruling BJP-led NDA held separate protests, resulting in a face-off. Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that he was pushed, and two BJP members were injured during the incident. Earlier, Congress MP and General Secretary in-charge Communications, Jairam Ramesh slammed the FIR, calling it an FIR "against Ambedkar." He also alleged that the ruling party is trying to attention from Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks on B.R. Ambedkar. Speaking about the FIR, the Congress MP said that the protest that led to the parliament scuffle was intentionally staged by the BJP. "Delhi Police will do whatever the home minister will say to them... Whatever happened in front of the Makar Dwar was completely planned...The home minister insulted BR Ambedkar, and we all demanded an apology, they planned all this to distract from the issue," Ramesh told ANI. He (the home minister) should have apologized... This FIR was not against Rahul Gandhi; this is against BR Ambedkar," he added. On the other hand, Union Minister Giriraj Singh launched a scathing attack on Rahul Gandhi, saying that "there is no bigger liar than Rahu Gandhi." "In the country's politics, there is no bigger liar than Rahul Gandhi.. he created hooliganism by pushing Pratap Sarangh. When he realized that an FIR would be filed, he started diverting the topic and started lying. He has just been trying to divert the topic...Today, Rahul Gandhi is known for his arrogance," Singh said while speaking to the media. Tensions erupted when members of the opposition and the ruling BJP-led NDA held separate protests, resulting in a face-off on Thursday. Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that he was pushed, and two BJP members were injured during the incident. (ANI)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to visit Tripura on Saturday where he will engage in a series of significant events, including a visit to the Bru settlement areas and participation in the 72nd plenary session of the North East Council (NEC). Shah's visit to Tripura underscores the Central government's ongoing commitment to addressing the concerns of the Northeast and fostering development in the region. The Home Minister will begin his trip by attending NEC meeting in Agartala where discussions are expected to focus on the region's development roadmap, infrastructure projects, and initiatives to promote connectivity, tourism, and entrepreneurship. Established in 1971, the NEC serves as a key advisory body for economic and social development in the Northeast. The meeting is expected to be attended by senior officials, state governors, and chief ministers from the northeastern states, further emphasizing the importance of collaborative efforts to ensure the region's holistic progress. He will later attend North East Banker Conclave 2.0 Agartala as well as 12th meeting of North Eastern Space Application Centre (NESAC)-- a joint initiative of Department of Space (DOS) and the NEC, that came into being on September 5, 2000, which helps in augmenting the developmental process in the region by providing the advanced space technology support. The minister will also visit the rehabilitation sites of the Bru community, who have been resettled in Tripura after years of displacement. The visit highlights the government's efforts to ensure the successful implementation of the historic Bru-Reang agreement signed in 2020, which aimed to provide permanent settlement and livelihood opportunities to the displaced community. Shah's visit to Tripura comes at a time when the Northeast has been witnessing enhanced focus from the central government, with significant investments in infrastructure, cultural integration, and conflict resolution. The outcomes of the meeting and Shah's interactions in the region will likely have a long-lasting impact on Tripura and the broader Northeast. (ANI)
The Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) held a demonstration in Bhubaneswar, Odisha protesting against Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's alleged manhandling of Balasore MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi in Parliament. The protest, led by BJYM president Abhilash Panda, took place outside the party office. Demonstrators raised slogans and demanded an apology from Rahul Gandhi for the incident that occurred in the Lok Sabha the previous day. BJYM president Panda, accompanied by BJP State President Manmohan Samal, submitted a memorandum to Odisha Governor Raghubar Das, highlighting the alleged manhandling of Sarangi and seeking his intervention. The memorandum demanded that the Congress leadership take action against Gandhi for his alleged conduct. Meanwhile, Several BJP MPs launched a scathing attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his alleged behaviour during a ruckus in Parliament on Friday, accusing the Leader of Opposition of "arrogance," "violating parliamentary rules," and a "shameful attitude" towards fellow MPs. BJP MP Anurag Thakur condemned Gandhi's actions, saying, "The arrogance of Rahul Gandhi that was seen yesterday and his attitude towards his fellow MPs is very unfortunate. The way he created a ruckus by violating all the rules and instead of going on the designated path, he deliberately took his supporters along and created a ruckus... this is not forgivable. Can a leader of the opposition go with this thinking? When he (Rahul Gandhi) was taken to the injured, forget about asking about their well-being, forget about apologizing, arrogance was visible on his face... His (Rahul Gandhi's) statement was that pushing and shoving keeps happening. This makes it clear that his thinking is that you can do anything to anyone, and nothing is going to happen to us." BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj also slammed Gandhi for ignoring repeated warnings from security forces. She said, "The public representative is the biggest sentinel of democracy, but Rahul Gandhi and all the members of the INDIA alliance have forgotten this. Just by showing the Constitution, you do not become the protector of the Constitution. Yesterday, the security forces repeatedly urged Rahul Gandhi to take an alternate route. He (Rahul Gandhi) knew that a peaceful protest was going on, yet he deliberately and maliciously pushed and passed through the midst of all our MPs who were peacefully protesting there... Two of our colleagues have been seriously and deeply injured... Along with this, he should also apologise for the shameful attitude he adopted with our Nagaland MP Phangnon Konyak." (ANI)
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of supporting the use of derogatory language towards girls. Speaking to the media, Siddaramaiah said, "They (BJP) are supporting the use of derogatory language towards women. If it is false that C.T. Ravi used vulgar language, why was he arrested? Normally, Women cannot file false complaints about such allegations. I don't know why CT used vulgar language. This is a crime. He was taken to Khanapura for his safety only, people might have started a protest against him, and that's why he was taken away from there (from the city)." His comment came after Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members earlier today staged a protest at the Freedom Park in Bengaluru over the arrest of BJP MLC CT Ravi. The CT Ravi was arrested after an FIR was filed against him on the basis of the complaint by Karnataka Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar for using derogatory remarks against her. Karnataka Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar addressed the alleged derogatory remarks made by CT Ravi during the Karnataka Legislative Assembly session. Speaking to reporters at her residence in Belagavi, she expressed distress over the incident. "After completing the protest (against the remarks of Amit Shah), I was sitting quietly in my seat. At that time, CT Ravi called Rahul Gandhi a drug addict. In response, I asked, 'Even you have been in accidents--does that make you a murderer?" Hebbalkar said. Ravi has also filed a counter-complaint at the Khanapura police station in Belagavi, accusing Congress leaders Lakshmi Hebbalkar, Chamaraja Hattiholi, DK Shivakumar, Saddam, and others of attempting to kill him. He alleged that the police brought him to the Khanapura police station without providing a reason. "Police brought me to Khanapura police station around 8 pm. They didn't tell me in which case they brought me. They're not registering my complaint; they're not even filing a zero FIR. If something happens to me, the Congress government must take responsibility," CT Ravi said. CT Ravi has been suspended from the Legislative Council, but Hebbalkar declined to comment on his suspension. (ANI)
Belagavi's Fifth JMFC Court on Friday directed BJP leader and MLC CT Ravi to appear before the Special Court for People's Representatives in Bengaluru. The Hirebagewadi police presented their case before the court, seeking a transit warrant for Ravi. The court granted their request and ordered the police to take him into custody as part of the legal process. The matter will now proceed at the Special Court for People's Representatives in Bengaluru. Meanwhile, BJP workers staged protests in Chikkamagaluru and Belagavi on Wednesday, condemning the arrest of CT Ravi. In Chikkamagaluru, BJP workers gathered to demand his release, accusing the state government of targeting opposition leaders. Following his arrest, BJP leaders called for a bandh in Chikkamagaluru. The bandh was organised by the Chikkamagaluru district BJP, prompting a heavy police deployment in the city. Security was tightened, with officers stationed at key locations, including Hanumanthappa Circle. In Belagavi, BJP leaders and workers staged a protest at Chennamma Circle, led by Opposition Leader R Ashoka and State BJP President BY Vijayendra. Ravi's arrest followed allegations that he made objectionable remarks about Karnataka Cabinet Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar. An FIR was lodged against him, leading to his detention. Reacting to the incident, Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar addressed reporters at her residence in Belagavi. She expressed distress over Ravi's alleged derogatory remarks during a session of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. "After completing the protest [against remarks by Amit Shah], I was sitting quietly in my seat. At that time, CT Ravi called Rahul Gandhi a drug addict. In response, I asked, 'Even you have been in accidents--does that make you a murderer?'" Hebbalkar said. She further alleged that Ravi used derogatory language against her following this exchange. "I am also a mother. People look up to me, and I hope to inspire thousands to enter politics," she added. However, BJP State President accused the police of acting under pressure from the state government. "The Speaker has already ruled on what CT Ravi said on the floor of the House. We must wait for the FSL report. The Police Department appears to have succumbed to pressure from the Minister and the State Government. "Yesterday, CT Ravi suffered a severe head injury, yet he was not taken to the hospital. He wasn't given even a drop of water all night. Is CT Ravi a terrorist? He is a respected MLC and a former minister," Vijayendra stated. He also called for statewide protests against Ravi's arrest, asserting that the treatment of the BJP leader was "unpardonable." "We will take further action after consulting our advocates and experts. Protests will be held across the state in all district headquarters," he added. Earlier in the day, Before being taken to the district court, Ravi underwent a medical checkup at Mutag Health Center in Belagavi. The BJP leader has also filed a counter-complaint at the Khanapura police station in Belagavi, accusing Congress leaders Lakshmi Hebbalkar, Chamaraja Hattiholi, DK Shivakumar, Saddam, and others of attempting to kill him. He alleged that police brought him to the Khanapura police station without providing a reason. "Police brought me to Khanapura police station around 8 pm. They didn't tell me why I was brought here. They are not registering my complaint or even filing a zero FIR. If something happens to me, the Congress government must take responsibility," Ravi claimed. Ravi has since been suspended from the Legislative Council. (ANI)
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Friday said that the productivity of Parliament's Winter Session had declined due to disruptions by the Opposition and urged them to avoid similar interruptions in the upcoming Budget session. Addressing a press conference, Kiren Rijiju said, "The productivity of the Parliament went down due to disturbances created by the Opposition. We tried a lot to make the Parliament run. I expect and also request Opposition not to create similar disturbances in the Budget session of Parliament." Rijiju said in the winter session of the parliament 54.5 per cent of work was done in Lok Sabha while only 40 per cent of work was done in Rajya Sabha. "In Lok Sabha 54.5 per cent and in Rajya Sabha almost 40 per cent work has been done. We are not satisfied with this because people elected us all and made us members of Parliament, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. We should have worked as much as we could for the country and left no stone unturned in service to the nation. But we have seen such activities in Parliament which have affected the work and also damaged the dignity of the Parliament. Members of the opposition parties have hindered our work progress due to which the productivity rate has reduced considerably," he said. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rijiju said that more than 100 per cent should be done in the parliament and urged the opposition parties to work together to address this issue of frequent disruption of the proceedings of the house. "I appeal to the leaders of all parties to work together to address this issue and ensure that the work of Parliament is not disrupted. We should strive to work more than 100 per cent. Whatever the issue is, it should be raised in the parliament, that is why one has been made a member of parliament," he said. Rijiju stated that instead of causing a disruption in Parliament, opposition party leaders should address their issues by following rules the established rules and procedures. "There are rules and procedures in place for raising issues, and we should follow those rules instead of just shouting, creating a ruckus, and disrupting the proceedings of Parliament, which causes great harm to the work of Parliament," he said. The Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned on Friday amid protests over Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks on BR Ambedkar. The Winter Session 2024 of Parliament began on November 25 and concluded on December 20. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered condolences to the families of the victims of the Jaipur fire incident, resulting in the death of at least seven people. The PM also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the families of the deceased as well as Rs 50, 000 for those injured in the incident. https://x.com/PMOIndia/status/1870001473041367070 Prime Minister's Office in a post on social media platform X, "Deeply saddened by the loss of lives in the accident on Jaipur-Ajmer highway in Rajasthan. Condolences to those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon. The local administration is assisting those affected" "An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000," the post added. On Friday morning, a truck loaded with chemicals collided with a tanker carrying LPG and other vehicles on the Jaipur-Ajmer route, resulting in a massive fire in Jaipur. The superintendent of SMS Hospital, Dr. Sushil Kumar Bhati, confirmed that seven people have died, ten to twelve have been injured, and over 60 per cent of the victims have suffered burns. Currently, 28 patients are admitted, with six on ventilators. Following the incident, Rajasthan Chief Minister BhajanLal Sharma visited the site of the Bhankrota fire and announced the establishment of a helpline, along with necessary arrangements to provide treatment to those injured. Amit Kumar, Superintendent of Police (SP), told ANI, "A horrific accident and fire occurred in the Bhankrota area of Jaipur. The accident happened early today on the main Ajmer Road. Nearly two dozen vehicles caught fire, and many trucks and trolleys were burnt to ashes. The accident took place near a petrol pump in the Bhankrota area." He further stated, "The fire started due to a collision involving several vehicles one after the other. Efforts are being made to extinguish the fire."(ANI)
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday condemned the attacks on places of worship, including in Bangladesh, and said that there is a conspiracy to make "hell on earth," by anyone who tries to desecrate Sanatan dharma's religious places. The CM was speaking at a 'Katha program' of Peethadhishwar Sridharacharya Maharaj in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. "Look at what is happening in Bangladesh. Then earlier what had happened in Pakistan and Afghanistan? I want to ask who were those people who destroyed the Sanatan Dharma's places of pride in the country and why did they do it?" the UP CM asked during his speech. CM Adityanath was mentioning the attack on Hindu religious sites in Bangladesh, calling it a conspiracy to "make hell on earth." "It was a part of the conspiracy to make the whole earth a hell by carrying out these barbaric acts, whether it is in Ayodhya's Ram janmabhoomi, Mathura's Krishna janmabhoomi, or in Sambhal the Hari Har Bhoomi... these temples get destroyed, desecrated or made impure, but the lineage and descendants of those who desecrated these temples will be destroyed," he added. The CM further reiterated that Sanatan Dharma is the only way to establish world peace. The UP CM also participated in the 'Ashtottarshat 108 Srimad Bhagwat Paath, Panch Narayan Mahayagya' at Ayodhya Dham. "May this Panch Narayan Maha Yagya become the basis for purification of the environment, protection of India and preservation of Sanatan Dharma and may all Indians and followers of Sanatan Dharma receive its virtue," the UP CM said in a post on X. Ayodhya's Ram Janmabhoomi was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 22, 2024 after a Supreme Court verdict in 2019. In Mathura, the Supreme Court had accepted various petitions regarding Krishna Janmabhoomi in Mathura and Shahi Masjid Idgah. More than 15 suits by different plaintiffs have been filed claiming competing rights over the Shahi Masjid Idgah on the ground that it is the site of the birthplace of Lord Shri Krishna (Krishna Janmabhoomi). In Sambhal, recently a Shiv-Hanuman temple was rediscovered during an anti-encroachment drive on December 14 and opened for prayers a few days ago. (ANI)
Madhya Pradesh police and Income Tax officials recovered 52 kg of gold worth over Rs 40 crores and Rs 9.86 crores cash from an abandoned car in state capital Bhopal on Thursday late at night, a police official said on Friday. The case was parked abandoned near Mendori-Kushalpur road under the jurisdiction of Ratibad police station limits in the state capital. On getting the information, the police reached the spot, seized the amount and an investigation into the matter was underway, the police added. Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP, Bhopal Zone-1), Priyanka Shukla told ANI, "On Thursday night, we received information that there is an abandoned car near Mendori-Kushalpur road under Ratibad police station limits. Acting on it, the police reached the spot and found that there were around seven-eight bags inside the car. It was suspected that due to the raid action of IT and other departments in the last a few days, someone might have left its property there." Later, the police informed the Income Tax Department about the matter, following which the officials reached the spot, broke the glass of the vehicle and took out the bags kept inside the car, the officer said. "When the bags were checked, around 52 kg of gold worth around Rs 40 crores and around Rs 9.86 crores of cash money was recovered from it. Further action was being taken by the IT department," she added. The officer further said that the car contained the number plate MP 07 (Gwalior RTO) registered in the name of Chetan Singh, who is originally a resident of Gwalior and currently living in Bhopal. An investigation into the matter is underway. (ANI)
Former Haryana Chief Minister and INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala passed away on Friday at his residence in Gurugram. Chautala had served as Haryana's chief Minister for five terms. Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the death of the former CM saying, "I am deeply saddened by the demise of former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala ji. He was active in state politics for many years and constantly tried to carry forward the work of Chaudhary Devi Lal ji. My deepest condolences to his family and supporters in this hour of grief. Om Shanti." Haryana CM Nayab Saini also condoled the death of the former CM, "The demise of INLD supremo and former Chief Minister of Haryana Chaudhary Om Prakash Chautala ji is extremely sad. My humble tribute to him. He served the state and society throughout his life. This is an irreparable loss for the politics of the country and Haryana state. I pray to Lord Shri Ram to give a place to the departed soul at his feet and give strength to the bereaved family to bear this sorrow." Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala expressed his grief over the demise of former Haryana Chief Minister and INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala. In a post on X, the Congress MP said, "The demise of former Haryana Chief Minister, Chaudhary Om Prakash Chautala, is an irreparable loss for the state. May God grant a place to the departed soul in his lotus feet and give strength to the family members to bear the grief." "My humble tribute. Om Shanti Om.," he added. On the demise of INLD supremo and former Chief Minister of Haryana Chaudhary Om Prakash Chautala, Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda said, "This is very bad news that we have got. The demise of Om Prakash Chautala is an irreparable loss for the politics of the country and Haryana state." Haryana government minister Anil Vij also expressed his sadness after the demise of Chautala. "This is very sad news. Om Prakash Chautala ji, who has been in politics for a very long time in this state, has contributed a lot to this state. He was also the chief minister many times, and he was an efficient administrator with whom I got the opportunity to work, Anil Vij said. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also expressed his grief and said that the former Haryana CM had made a significant contribution to the service of 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. In this hour of grief, we express our deepest condolences to his family and supporters and pray for the peace of the departed soul..."(ANI)
Congress Member of Parliament Pramod Tiwari alleged that the women MPs of the Congress were barred from entering the Parliament and pushed during the ruckus in Parliament on Thursday. "BJP has been charged with their lack of trust in democracy or Constitution. The recent events suggest, particularly the parliament session, that the BJP-led Modi government is a living example of fascism," Tiwari told reporters here. "...For the first time in the history of democracy, the BJP government did not allow the House to function for the first week," he alleged. On the ruckus in Parliament, he said, "Parliament was gheraoed, Entry gate was blocked. Our women MPs who were moving in a single line were barred from entering the House and were stopped and pushed. Our 83-year-old, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and our Congress President (Mallikarjun Kharge) was pushed down". Meanwhile, Several BJP MPs launched a scathing attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his alleged behaviour during a ruckus in Parliament on Friday, accusing the Leader of Opposition of "arrogance," "violating parliamentary rules," and a "shameful attitude" towards fellow MPs. BJP MP Anurag Thakur condemned Gandhi's actions, saying, "The arrogance of Rahul Gandhi that was seen yesterday and his attitude towards his fellow MPs is very unfortunate. The way he created a ruckus by violating all the rules and instead of going on the designated path, he deliberately took his supporters along and created a ruckus... this is not forgivable. Can a leader of the opposition go with this thinking? When he (Rahul Gandhi) was taken to the injured, forget about asking about their well-being, forget about apologizing, arrogance was visible on his face... His (Rahul Gandhi's) statement was that pushing and shoving keeps happening. This makes it clear that his thinking is that you can do anything to anyone, and nothing is going to happen to us." BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj also slammed Gandhi for ignoring repeated warnings from security forces. She said, "The public representative is the biggest sentinel of democracy, but Rahul Gandhi and all the members of the INDIA alliance have forgotten this. Just by showing the Constitution, you do not become the protector of the Constitution. Yesterday, the security forces repeatedly urged Rahul Gandhi to take an alternate route. He (Rahul Gandhi) knew that a peaceful protest was going on, yet he deliberately and maliciously pushed and passed through the midst of all our MPs who were peacefully protesting there... Two of our colleagues have been seriously and deeply injured... Along with this, he should also apologise for the shameful attitude he adopted with our Nagaland MP Phangnon Konyak." (ANI)
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi condoled the death of former Haryana chief minister Prakash Chautala. https://x.com/RahulGandhi/status/1870037487562960978 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." Several leaders across political lines condoled the demise of former Haryana CM and Indian National Lok Dal leader Prakash Chautala on Friday. Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Saini paid a humble tribute on Chautala's demise, saying that it is an "irreparable loss for politics." "The demise of INLD supremo and former Chief Minister of Haryana Chaudhary Om Prakash Chautala ji is extremely sad. My humble tribute to him. He served the state and society throughout his life. This is an irreparable loss for the politics of the country and Haryana state. I pray to Lord Shri Ram to give a place to the departed soul in his feet and give strength to the bereaved family to bear this sorrow," Saini said in a post on X. The INLD leader had passed away on Friday at his residence in Gurugram, Haryana. 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. (ANI)
The petition filed by Dalal, alongwith Lakhan Kumar Singla (a candidate in the Haryana polls), came up for hearing before a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna.

As senior advocate Maninder Singh, appearing for the Election Commission of India told the bench that a similar plea was filed before a bench of Justice Dipankar Datta and it was withdrawn, CJI Khanna ordered that the petition be listed for hearing before Justice Datta in the week commencing January 20, 2025.

Dalal has approached the apex court through advocate Aljo K Joseph seeking a policy for the verification of EVMs and compliance of an earlier judgement of the top court related to the issue.

Dalal and co-petitioner Lakhan Kumar Singla secured the second-highest votes in their respective constituencies and have sought a direction to the poll panel to implement a protocol for examining the original "burnt memory" or microcontroller of the four components of the EVM -- the Control Unit, Ballot Unit, VVPAT and Symbol Loading Unit.

The BJP had returned to power the third time in a row by winning 48 out of 90 assembly seats in the Haryana assembly elections held recently.

A bench comprising Justice Khanna and Justice Datta had delivered a judgement earlier in April rejecting the demand for bringing back the old paper ballots. (ANI)
After an alleged assault on a Marathi family in the Kalyan area of Thane, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Friday said that action will be taken against those who are responsible for the incident. Addressing a press conference, Deputy CM Shinde stated that the Kalyan issue is related to "Marathi Asmita" (Marathi identity) and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis himself has informed the Maharashtra Legislative Council about this incident. "Kalyan issue is an important issue and this is related to the 'Marathi Asmita'. Balasaheb Thackeray founded Shivsena to protect the Marathi Asmita and the Chief Minister has already informed the Maharashtra Legislative Council about this incident. An investigation will be done and action will be taken against those responsible for the incident..." Shinde said. The alleged assault took place in Kalyan's Yogi Dham area, where a government officer reportedly assaulted a Marathi family and made derogatory remarks about their ethnicity and food habits. The accused has been identified as an employee of MTDC (Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation). He allegedly summoned goons to attack Abhijit Deshmukh, a Marathi resident, and his family after an argument escalated over lighting of incense sticks, leading to an injury of an individual. The incident came to light after a video of the incident went viral on social media. Earlier today, during the session of the Maharashtra Legislative Council, Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Sunil Prabhu raised the issue of the assault on a Marathi family in Kalyan and demanded action against the accused. Maharashtra CM Fadnavis stated that an FIR has been filed against Kalyan incident accused Akhilesh Shukla and his wife. The Chief Minister iterated that the government will ensure that there will be no injustice to the Marathi people. He added that our Constitution gives every person the right and freedom to decide what to eat. It is not right to reject a house based on eating habits. "FIR has been filed against Kalyan incident accused Akhilesh Shukla and his wife. He is an employee of MTDC, action is being taken to suspend him. Police will take further action. No one should have any doubt that Mumbai and Maharashtra were and will remain Marathi people's. Sometimes some people make wrong statements. We will teach such people a lesson. There was no reason to give political colour to this incident. We will not let injustice happen to the Marathi people. Our Constitution gives every person the right and freedom to decide what to eat. It is not right to reject a house based on eating habits. If such complaints are received in the future, action will be taken," Fadnavis said in the Maharashtra Legislative Council. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar also said that the administration will take prompt action against the accused. "The information given by Sunil Prabhu will be investigated immediately. No matter how senior the officer (accused) is, action will be taken. The honour of the Marathi people will be maintained in the state. The administration will take prompt action against the accused," Pawar said. (ANI)
The north Indian hill town, Shimla, the capital of Himachal Pradesh, has been abuzz with activity as Northern Railway introduced a holiday special train to cater to the increasing number of tourists flocking to the hill station during the Christmas and New Year season. The Kalka-Shimla toy train, already famous for its picturesque route, has become even more accessible and enticing with this new addition, offering travellers a comfortable and scenic journey through the majestic hills. The holiday special train arrived in Shimla on Friday, marking the start of what promises to be an exciting season for tourists and locals alike. This train is not only designed for comfort but also ensures a seamless journey to Shimla amidst the growing festive fervor. Its route offers breathtaking views of lush green mountains, quaint villages, and tunnels that create a magical experience for passengers. For many, the train ride is the highlight of their trip. Nitesh Kumar, a tourist from Delhi, shared his enthusiastic review and experience. "When we travelled from Delhi by train, the journey was different, but starting from Kalka on the toy train was a unique experience. The scenic views, passing through tunnels, and the beauty of the hills were mesmerizing. Inside the train, everything was well-equipped, from lighting to washrooms and drinking water. The seats are arranged to provide a panoramic view, and the speed of the train adds to the thrill. We travelled for about 5 to 5.5 hours and didn't feel bored for even a minute. It was truly a next-level experience," said Nitesh Kumar. "We arrived early at 5:30 a.m., and the first train was heavily booked. That's when we learned about the holiday special train for Christmas and New Year. The train was very comfortable, with ample seating, and the reclining seats allowed us to enjoy views on both sides. Although we missed the snowfall this time, we hope to see it during our next visit. The lush green scenery we witnessed will transform into a white layer during the snow, offering a completely different experience," he added. Another tourist, Akash Sharma, echoed these sentiments, highlighting the convenience and joy the special train brings: "When we reached Kalka in the morning, we missed our train. Then we learned about this special train, which turned out to be an amazing experience. The staff and ticket inspectors were very helpful. The views were spectacular, and the train moved at a comfortable pace. It was an excellent journey. During this season, everyone looks forward to enjoying the snowfall and Christmas celebrations. This special train adds convenience for tourists. It's a comfortable and enjoyable experience that we highly recommend," Akash another tourist said. The introduction of the holiday special train has also brought renewed hope to the local tourism and hospitality sector. Over the past week, Shimla has witnessed a surge in tourist arrivals, bringing cheer to those dependent on tourism for their livelihood. Nasib Chand, a local taxi driver, expressed his optimism: "For the past couple of days, there has been an increase in tourist activity, and now this holiday special train has started. If it snows, as the weather department has predicted for December 27 and 28, it will attract even more tourists. Snowfall is a blessing for us, boosting our business significantly. We pray for God's grace and look forward to a prosperous season." The weather department's prediction of snowfall around December 27 and 28 has further heightened the excitement among tourists and locals. A snowy Shimla during Christmas and New Year is an enchanting sight, and many tourists are planning their trips around this magical experience. The holiday special train, with its charm and convenience, is set to make this festive season unforgettable for tourists while giving a much-needed boost to the local economy. As the hills of Shimla prepare to welcome snow, the spirit of celebration and adventure is in full swing. (ANI)
The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to the State of Tamil Nadu on a plea seeking to recall its verdict granting bail to Minister Senthil Balaji in a money laundering case related to the cash-for-jobs scam. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih sought details from Tamil Nadu about the cases pending against Balaji and the number of witnesses that are required to be examined in the cases. The State was also asked to inform about how many victim-witnesses are public servants and how many are common people as witnesses. The bench posted the matter for further hearing on January 15. Enforcement Directorate (ED) told the apex court that Balaji's re-appointment as a Cabinet Minister after his release from jail has created undue pressure on witnesses. The bench then said, "We want to know from the state how many victims are there. If there are a large number of victims, then obviously this man occupying the position of cabinet minister, what will happen to victims?" 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 top court was hearing a plea seeking to recall the September 26 judgment by which it had granted bail to Balaji on the ground that witnesses would be under pressure since Balaji was appointed minister after his release. 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 grounds of his long incarceration, since June 2023, and the unlikelihood of the trial commencing soon. On September 29, Balaji took oath as the minister. Earlier on June 14, 2023, Balaji was arrested 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 based on 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)
In the release, it stated, saying that the protest demands the "resignation" of Union Home Minister Amit Shah for Ambedkar's remark.

"The protest was part of a nationwide outcry demanding the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his controversial remarks and actions," reads the release.

Khriedi Theunuo, Working President of NPCC, strongly condemned the Home Minister for making remarks that insulted Dr B.R. Ambedkar, the Father of the Indian Constitution. He remarked that such statements undermine the very principles on which our democracy was built while calling for accountability at the highest level.

Adding to the condemnation, Akuonuo Miachieo, PCC Secretary (Protocol), expressed outrage over the remarks and demanded the immediate resignation of the Home Minister. She stated that the Home Minister's actions and words have shown a blatant disregard for the values enshrined in our Constitution.

The protest also highlighted the death of Assam Youth Congress member Mridul Islam, allegedly caused by Assam Police and the detention of Youth Congress leaders Zubair Anam and Uday Bhanu Chib in Guwahati.

Lima Lemtur, President of the Nagaland Pradesh Youth Congress (NPYC), condemned the incident, stating that it was a grave misuse of power and a direct attack on democratic values. Additionally, the NPCC condemned the allegations made by S Phangnon Konyak, MP (Rajya Sabha), against leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi. The NPYC said that such baseless accusations are aimed at diverting attention from pressing issues and undermining our leadership.

The NPCC will continue its protests until the Home Minister steps down, and reaffirms our commitment to safeguarding constitutional integrity and democratic principles. (ANI)
Lt Gen Subramani is on a three-day official visit to Vietnam from December 19- 21

This visit is aimed at further strengthening the defence ties and fostering bilateral cooperation between India and Vietnam.

On the second day of the visit, the VCOAS on Friday participated in the 80th-anniversary celebrations of the Vietnam People's Army at the National Convention Centre.

On the final day of the visit, Lieutenant General Subramani will pay tribute by laying a wreath at the Mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam's first President from 1945-1969, the release said.

Earlier on the first day of his visit, the VCOAS on Thursday visited the India Pavilion and various stalls at the ongoing Vietnam International Defence Expo (VIDE), showcasing India's contributions to defence technology and innovation.

He also visited the Military History Museum and the Temple of Literature in Hanoi and witnessed Vietnam's rich cultural and historical heritage. During this time, he also met with Sandeep Arya, India's Ambassador to Vietnam, to discuss matters of mutual interest and collaboration.

This visit underscores the strong and enduring defence relationship between India and Vietnam and highlights the shared commitment to regional peace and security. (ANI)
Union Minister and Telangana BJP president G Kishan Reddy on Friday met the BJP MPs Pratap Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput in the Ram Manohar Lohiya who were injured during a scuffle in the Parliament premises. Speaking to ANI after meeting them, Union Minister Reddy condemned the incident and said Rahul Gandhi should apologise to the country for this incident. "I have spoken to doctors and they (BJP MPs Pratap Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput) are under observation...BJP MP Pratap Sarangi is very weak, but still, he is working for the people. It is very wrong to attack him. Being the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, such hooliganism has never happened before. This is a shameless act. Rahul Gandhi should apologize to the country..." Reddy said. The Union Minister also attacked the Congress party, saying that it is the Congress party which has always disrespected BR Ambedkar and they should apologise for disrespecting Dr BR Ambdedkar. He further said, "The Congress party has always disrespected BR Ambedkar...They never gave him any recognition and always neglected him...They should apologize for disrespecting Dr BR Ambdedkar..." Earlier today, several BJP MPs launched a scathing attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his alleged behaviour during a ruckus in Parliament on Friday, accusing the Leader of Opposition of "arrogance," "violating parliamentary rules," and a "shameful attitude" towards fellow MPs. Condemning Rahul Gandhi, BJP MP Anurag Thakur said, "The arrogance of Rahul Gandhi that was seen yesterday and his attitude towards his fellow MPs is very unfortunate. The way he created a ruckus by violating all the rules and instead of going on the designated path, he deliberately took his supporters along and created a ruckus... this is not forgivable. Can a leader of the opposition go with this thinking?" "When he (Rahul Gandhi) was taken to the injured, forget about asking about their well-being, forget about apologizing, arrogance was visible on his face... His (Rahul Gandhi's) statement was that pushing and shoving keeps happening. This makes it clear that his thinking is that you can do anything to anyone, and nothing is going to happen to us," he added. Notably, both the NDA and INDIA bloc MPs had staged a protest in Parliament premises when a scuffle broke out between the two sides, injuring two BJP MPs. BJP MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi alleged that he was injured after Congress leader 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. He was rushed for treatment in an ambulance. Both the MPs were admitted to Delhi's Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. The authorities confirmed on Friday that the two BJP MPs are stable and normal. (ANI)
UP Police on Friday confirmed that the reports of a stampede during the Shiv Puran Katha program in Meerut were fake and have assured the public that the event has been proceeding without any disturbances. "The stampede at Shiv Puran Katha program in Meerut is fake and incorrect. There has been no such incident. The program is being carried forward in a smooth manner. Police officials are depolyed in the area," said the Superintendent of Police City and Superintendent of Police Crime from the scene. In their statements, the SP City and SP Crime assured the public that the situation was under control and that the event, part of the ongoing Shiv Puran Katha, was proceeding peacefully. This clarification from the police comes as a relief to those concerned about the safety of the participants and the general public in Meerut. The authorities are working to ensure that the program continues peacefully and without further misinformation spreading. Earlier on July 2 this year, over 100 people died in a stampede at a religious gathering in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh. The incident took place at a religious 'Satsang' event of self-styled godman Suraj Pal, alias 'Bhole Baba,' in Fulari village, Uttar Pradesh's Hathras, on July 2. (ANI)
A 4-member team from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) inspected five 'teerth' (shrines) and 19 wells in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh on Friday, officials said. DM Dr Rajender Pensiya informed that the inspection continued for 8-10 hours adding that a total of around 24 areas were surveyed. "It was a 4-member team. In Sambhal, 5 'teerth' and 19 wells were inspected by ASI. The new temple that was found was also inspected. The survey took place 8-10 hours...the ancient temple that was opened was also surveyed. ASI will submit its report to us...total around 24 areas were surveyed," DM Pensiya said. Meanwhile, the Shiv-Hanuman Temple in Sambhal, which was uncovered during an anti-encroachment campaign by the district police and administration on December 14, held its morning aarti on December 20. Heavy security has been deployed outside the temple. Geeta Pradhan, a former member of Uttar Pradesh's Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Commission and a BJP leader visited the temple to offer prayers on Wednesday. The temple, which had remained closed since 1978, was reopened on December 14 following efforts by the administration. Pradhan shared, "We are very happy. With the efforts of Honorable Yogi ji, an ancient temple has been rediscovered with the support of the administration. Everyone is here to offer prayers, and there is a wave of happiness among people. Many idols were installed outside the temple, all of which were demolished, and houses were built on the temple land." She further explained, "When the police administration came to investigate an electricity theft, they found the ancient temple. Today, the Hindu community is very happy." Three idols were recovered from a well near the ancient Shiva-Hanuman Temple in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, following the temple's reopening during an anti-encroachment drive. The temple premises were cleaned, electricity connections were restored on Sunday, and CCTV cameras were installed for security purposes. Vishnu Sharan Rastogi, patron of the Nagar Hindu Sabha, confirmed that the temple had reopened after 46 years, explaining that the closure had been due to the absence of a resident priest. (ANI)
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday lashed out at Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi over the scuffle that took place in the Parliament, alleging that the incident "exposed" the Congress leader's "true character" to the public. "Rahul Gandhi's yesterday's behaviour, that behaviour has shocked us all. He pushed a senior MP, misconduct towards a woman MP from Nagaland, that incident was unimaginable, we had never seen or heard that type of incident in our life. I know his character, and now his character has come out infront of the public. People will now gradually realise that this type of leader will bring only darkness, they don't show us any hope or light. They will divide the society and will do injustice to the society," the Assam Chief Minister told the media in Nagaon on Friday. The Parliament witnessed parallel protests from both the Treasury and Opposition benches outside the parliament on Thursday morning. The ruling BJP MPs were protesting in the Parliament's premises against the Congress party for "insulting" BR Ambedkar. INDIA Bloc MPs led by Rahul Gandhi held a protest in the Parliament premises and demanded the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his remarks on BR Ambedkar. Leaders from both sides alleged being pushed and shoved by each other's rival leaders. Two BJP MPs, Pratap Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput were injured, and both were rushed and admitted to Delhi's Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. Speaking about the police locking Indian Youth Congress President Uday Bhanu Chib at a hotel in Guwahati, the Assam Chief Minister allleged that they had come from Himachal Pradesh to cause 'trouble' here and the police had put them in the hotel instead of sending them to jail. "If it had been a different state, they would have put him in jail. But Assam is a loving state and he has been kept in a hotel," CM Sarma said. Hitting out at the Assam Congress, Sarma said that, in the past few days, the Congress that is Bhupen Kumar Borah or Ripun Bora, had wanted a shooting incident in Guwahati. "There is a competition among 2-3 leaders of the Congress party that who is the biggest leader. In that competition, they have been hostage to the people of Guwahati. A political party is not an agitator, political party agitation only happens in election boxes. It is not the job of political parties to do agitation. They want chaos in Guwahati and we will not allow to do this," the Assam Chief Minister said. CM Sarma on Friday distributed benefits to over 20,000 students under the state government's 12-Day of Development initiative. (ANI)
According to Thane police, the couple, identified as Sabuj Sanowar Shaikh and Bishti Sabuj Sheikh, crossed the Indo-Bangladesh border illegally. They were arrested during a raid by police in the area on Thursday.

Police said that the couple has been booked under various sections of the Passport Act and Foreigners Act by the Thane police's crime branch.

A case has also been registered against the landlord of the house, identified as Mustafa Munshi, who rented them his house despite being aware that both husband and wife had entered India illegally, the police added.

Further details are awaited. (ANI)
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday described Sanatan Dharma as the key to saving humanity and establishing world peace. Speaking at a 'Katha program' of Peethadhishwar Sridharacharya Maharaj in Ayodhya, Chief Minister Yogi said, "If humanity has to be saved, then there is only one way - respect Sanatan Dharma. If Sanatan Dharma is safe, then everyone in the world is safe." He went on to state that the protection of Sanatan Dharma was not only critical to India's spiritual identity but also essential to the well-being of humanity globally. "It is also our good fortune that our country is moving towards a developed, 'Viksit Bharat' under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," said CM Yogi. Chief Minister Yogi also condemned the attacks on places of worship, including in Bangladesh. "Look at what is happening in Bangladesh. Then earlier what had happened in Pakistan and Afghanistan? I want to ask who were those people who destroyed the Sanatan Dharma's places of pride in the country and why did they do it?" the UP CM asked during his speech. CM Adityanath mentioned the attack on Hindu religious sites in Bangladesh, calling it a conspiracy to "make hell on earth." "It was a part of the conspiracy to make the whole earth a hell by carrying out these barbaric acts, whether it is in Ayodhya's Ram janmabhoomi, Mathura's Krishna janmabhoomi, or in Sambhal, the Hari Har Bhoomi. These temples get destroyed, desecrated or made impure, but the lineage and descendants of those who desecrated these temples will be destroyed," he added. The CM further reiterated that Sanatan Dharma is the only way to establish world peace. The UP CM also participated in the 'Ashtottarshat 108 Srimad Bhagwat Paath, Panch Narayan Mahayagya' at Ayodhya Dham. "May this Panch Narayan Maha Yagya become the basis for purification of the environment, protection of India and preservation of Sanatan Dharma and may all Indians and followers of Sanatan Dharma receive its virtue," the UP CM said in a post on X. Ayodhya's Ram Janmabhoomi temple was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 22, 2024, after the Supreme Court verdict in 2019 which gave the site to Hindus. In Mathura, the Supreme Court had accepted various petitions regarding Krishna Janmabhoomi in Mathura and Shahi Masjid Idgah. More than 15 suits by different plaintiffs have been filed claiming competing rights over the Shahi Masjid Idgah on the ground that it is the site of the birthplace of Lord Shri Krishna (Krishna Janmabhoomi). In Sambhal, recently a Shiv-Hanuman temple was rediscovered during an anti-encroachment drive on December 14 and opened for prayers a few days ago. (ANI)
Arunachal Pradesh Governor Lt. General KT Parnaik (Retd.) on Friday addressed the inaugural session of the two-day annual Conference of Superintendents of Police and Commandants of Arunachal Pradesh Police at Dorjee Khandu Convention Centre in Itanagar, an official release said. He emphasized ensuring discipline, law and order, smart policing and countering the drug menace while touching on new criminal laws and the welfare of police personnel. "District Police Chiefs and Commandants are the custodians of our state's safety and security. Their decisions, actions, and leadership shape the perception of law enforcement and the sense of justice within the communities. Let every citizen, woman, and child feel that they live under the protection of the State Police that is ethical, disciplined, and dedicated to their well-being," he said. The Governor said that discipline and accountability form the cornerstone of a professional and respected police force. He urged the officers to implement and reinforce a culture of ethical leadership. "The essences of Smart Policing are the forward-thinking, technology-driven, and community-centred approach to modern law enforcement. As the District Police Chiefs, they must shift from traditional policing methods to embrace technology and data-driven approaches. Equip your officers with the skills and knowledge to operate modern tools effectively. Be transparent, ethical, and people-focused in your leadership," the Governor said. Referring to the three new criminal laws, the Governor said that these laws are people-oriented. "Laws are the backbone of a well-functioning society, ensuring order, justice, and equality. When laws are effectively implemented, they regulate society, empower citizens, protect rights, and create a safer, fairer, and more prosperous nation," he said. The Governor advised the Superintendents of Police and Commandants to create a healthy, safe, supportive, and progressive environment for their personnel and officers. He said they must prioritize stress management programs, psychological counselling, and regular health check-ups for their teams. In addition, they must offer platforms for officers and personnel to raise grievances and ensure these are addressed without delay. The Governor also emphasized on fair promotion systems, adequate housing, and timely payment of allowances. He said that no officer of personnel should feel abandoned or unappreciated. Sharing his concerns about substance addiction, the Governor said that the drug menace is a silent war being waged in our communities, affecting our youth, our families, and the future of the State. It demands a response that is both firm and compassionate. He urged the police officers to strengthen community policing programmes. "The unwavering commitment of the Police officers to ensure law, order, and the safety of every citizen under their watch contributes to the development of their district, then State and to the vision of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, 'Viksit Bharat'," the Governor said. Director General of Police Anand Mohan, who also spoke in the inaugural session, highlighted the State Police, achievements and plans. State Home Minister Mama Natung and senior officers of the State Police Department were present in the inaugural session along with Superintendents of Police and Commandants. (ANI)
Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) on Friday announced the delivery of two major warships-- Nilgiri and Surat, to the Indian Navy. The delivery included the First Stealth Frigate of the Project 17A Class and the Fourth Stealth Destroyer of the Project 15B Class, named Yard 12707 (SURAT). According to an official release, both warships have been designed by the Indian Navy's Warship Design Bureau, constructed by MDL and overseen by the Warship Overseeing Team, Mumbai. The Acceptance Document was signed by Sanjeev Singhal, Chairman and Managing Director, MDL and RAdm R Adhisrinivasan, CSO (Tech) at MDL in the presence of MDL Directors, Capt Sandeep Shorey Commanding Officer (Design) Surat, Captain Nitin Kapoor Commanding Officer (Design) Nilgiri, Teams from Warship Design Bureau, Warship Overseeing Team (Mumbai), Project Team and Navy personnel today. Nilgiri is the First of Class (FoC) ship of Project 17A. This Ship features cutting-edge advanced technology and is comparable to the finest ships of similar class anywhere in the world. Nilgiri is designed indigenously by the Indian Navy's Warship Design Bureau, New Delhi. Nilgiri incorporates the design concepts for improved survivability, seakeeping, stealth and ship manoeuvrability. Nilgiri is state of the art having stealth features and the same has been achieved through the shaping of the hull and the use of radar transparent deck fittings which make ships difficult to detect. This ship is packed with an array of state-of-the-art weapons and sensors and has all-round capability against enemy submarines, surface warships, anti-ship missiles, and fighter aircraft. The ship has mounted guns for close-in defence capability and effective naval gunfire. Nilgiri is enabled to operate independently without supporting vessels, and also to function as the flagship of the Naval task force. With significant Indigenous content, this ship is a true hallmark of self-reliance attained by our country in Warship Design and Shipbuilding and a shining example of the 'Make in India' philosophy by the Government of India. Surat is the fourth ship of Project 15B and is a potent platform capable of undertaking a variety of tasks and missions, spanning the full spectrum of maritime warfare. It is armed with supersonic Surface-to-Surface 'Brahmos missiles and 'Barak-8 Medium Range Surface Air Missiles. Towards undersea warfare capability, the Destroyer is fitted with indigenously developed anti-submarine weapons and sensors, prominently the Hull-mounted Sonar Humsa NG, heavy-weight Torpedo Tube Launchers and ASW Rocket Launchers. Significantly more versatile than the previous classes of Destroyer and Frigates in Naval inventory, SURAT's all-round capability against enemy submarines, surface warships, anti-ship missiles and fighter aircraft will enable it to operate independently without supporting vessels and also to function as the flagship of a Naval task force. SURAT has been delivered to the Indian Navy ahead of the contractual time as the most combat-worthy platform to date. This reaffirms MDL's commitment towards continuous improvement and meeting exceeding Global Benchmarks. The Indigenous content in P15B Class Destroyers is 72 per cent which is a notch above their predecessors P15A (59 per cent) and P15 (42 per cent) Class Destroyers, reaffirming the Government's focus on 'Atmanirbhar Bharat"' Programme along with large ecosystem development of sub-vendors. MDL has always been at the forefront of the nation's progressive indigenous warship and submarine-building programme. With the construction of the Leander and Godavari class Frigates, Khukri class Corvettes, Missile Boats, Delhi and Kolkata class Destroyers, Shivalik class Stealth Frigates, Visakhapatanam class Destroyers, Nilgiri class Frigates, the SSK submarines and Scorpene submarines under its belt, the history of modern-day MDL almost traces the trajectory of Indigenous warship and submarine building in India thereby deservedly earning the soubriquet 'Warship and Submarine Builders to the Nation'. (ANI)
In a significant move to streamline the handling of traffic challans, Supreme Court Judge Justice Manmohan inaugurated the Evening Courts dedicated to addressing traffic violations in the national capital. The event was attended by various judicial dignitaries, including Delhi HC's Acting Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru, Justice Jyoti Singh and Sanjay Garg, Principal District and Session Judge of Tis Hazari Court and other Judges of district courts. Justice Manmohan began his address by congratulating the Delhi High Court and the distinguished judiciary for the successful launch of the Evening Courts, describing it as another notable achievement in their pursuit of justice. He then drew a comparison to the efficient traffic enforcement systems in Western countries, such as the United States, where traffic police play a crucial role in asserting the power of the state. He noted how the strict enforcement of traffic rules in cities like New York, where fines are issued for even minor violations, reinforces the state's presence and authority. He pointed out that while Delhi had a similar approach in terms of issuing challans due to the installation of cameras and increased policing, a significant issue had emerged--these challans were not being effectively enforced. Despite numerous traffic violations being recorded, the challans were not appearing in the system or being processed by the courts. This created a major backlog, as the violations were not reflected in the judicial system and remained unresolved. Justice Manmohan credited the current Chief Justice of India, Justice Khanna, for raising the issue with him. He recalled a conversation where Justice Khanna highlighted the ongoing problem with traffic challans not being recorded in the system. In response, Justice Manmohan took the initiative to convene a meeting with district judges to address the issue. He acknowledged the crucial role played by Sanjay Garg and Registrar General Kaljeet Arora in resolving the technical difficulties. The core problem, Justice Manmohan explained, was that the traffic police and the judicial system were operating on separate servers--one connected to NIC Pune and the other to NIC Delhi. This disconnection between the two systems prevented the challans from being accurately recorded. With the support of the eCommittee of the Supreme Court and after overcoming several hurdles, permissions were obtained to integrate the two systems, paving the way for the launch of the Evening Courts. He emphasised that the intent behind the initiative was to promote the rule of law. According to Justice Manmohan, when individuals violate traffic rules and are issued challans, but those fines are ignored or discarded, it signals a weak and ineffective system. The introduction of the Evening Courts ensures that all challans are processed, reflected in the system, and complied with, thus restoring the authority of the law. He highlighted that the main purpose of these rules is not to generate revenue for the state but to make roads safer for the common man. Justice Manmohan also pointed out that over 2.7 crore challans were pending, and this new system would ensure they are properly addressed. The Evening Courts will allow citizens to select a convenient date, time, and location for their hearings, thus making the process more accessible. Initially, 11 pilot courts have been set up across Delhi's districts, with each court handling around 2000 challans. The initiative, he said, offers several benefits: it reduces the backlog of cases, ensures better compliance with traffic laws, prevents the overload of regular day courts, and optimizes the use of evening courts, which were previously underutilized. Moreover, the use of technology to make the justice system more accessible is a step forward in modernizing the judicial process, making it efficient, responsive, and citizen-centric. In conclusion, Justice Manmohan expressed his gratitude to all those who contributed to the initiative, calling it a great achievement for both the High Court and the district courts. He also hoped the scheme would serve as a model for other high courts across the country to adopt. (ANI)
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday arrested an absconding member of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) in BJP leader Praveen Nettaru's murder case in Kerala. Kodaje Mohammed Sherif was picked up on arrival from Bahrain at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here. A lookout circular was issued against Kodaje after his role was established in the murder of BJP Yuva Morcha member Praveen Nettaru. Nettaru was murdered by PFI cadres and members on July 26, 2022, in Bellare village of Sullia Taluk in Dakshina Kannada district in Karnataka. NIA, which took over the investigation on August 4, 2022, has so far arrested 20 persons and chargesheeted 23 accused, including three absconders, in the case. As per NIA investigations, Kodaje Mohammed Sherif was the PFI State Executive Committee member and head of the outfit's service team. Kodaje, along with the co-accused, was involved in imparting arms training to the service team members in the Freedom Community Hall, Mittur. Kodaje was also responsible for conveying the instructions for targeted killing after a discussion at the state executive committee of PFI, said the agency. "It was on these instructions that accused Mustafa Paichar and his team had brutally hacked Praveen Nettaru to death." "The conspiracy was aimed at spreading terror and communal hatred and unrest in the society, NIA investigations further revealed. Investigations to unfold the complete conspiracy and arrest the absconders are continuing," added the NIA. (ANI)
The Supreme Court on Friday said that it is the Punjab authorities' responsibility to ensure the stable health condition of farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who has been on a fast-unto-death for over 20 days at the Khanouri border between Punjab and Haryana to press the Centre to accept the agitating farmers' demands. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan asked the Chief Secretary of Punjab and Chairperson of the Medical Board (constituted to monitor the health of Dallewal) to file an affidavit on the health condition of Dallewal as well as the steps taken to ensure that no harm is caused to his health. It is the entire responsibility of the state of Punjab to ensure the stable health condition of Dallewal, for which, if he requires hospitalisation, the authorities will take a call as to whether he can be shifted to a make-shift hospital which is said to have been set-up at a distance of 700m from the protest site, the bench said. "A fresh medical report about the health stability of Mr. Dallewal and the necessary steps taken meanwhile to ensure that no damage is caused to his health shall be filed by Chief Secretary, Punjab as well as the Chairperson of the Medical Board constituted to monitor the health condition of Mr. Dallewal," the bench stated in its order. The apex court now posted the matter for compliance with its order on January 2, 2025. Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta urged the apex court to pass an order to shift the farmer's leader to a hospital, saying his health was deteriorating. However, the Punjab Advocate General Gurminder Singh said that a coercive direction might create difficulties in the ground situation. Dallewal, the convener of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political), has been on a fast-unto-death at the Khanouri border. The top court has been asking the Punjab government to ensure Dallewal gets proper medical aid during fast unto death. The top court was hearing an appeal against the July 10 Punjab and Haryana High Court order by which it had directed it to open the highway and clear the barricading within seven days. In February, the Haryana government had set up barricades on the Ambala-New Delhi national highway after farmers' bodies announced that farmers would march to Delhi in support of various demands, including a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for crops. (ANI)
Tripura Police have made extensive security arrangements in Agartala ahead of Union Home Minister Amit Shah's visit there on Saturday to chair the plenary session of the North Eastern Council (NEC). The State Director General of Police Amitabh Ranjan said that central forces have also been deployed for the security arrangement. "It is a matter of great pride for us that high-level dignitaries are visiting. Extensive security arrangements have been made during this time. Large-scale deployments have been carried out, checkpoints have been set up, and routes have been earmarked. Detailed deployments have been made at all sensitive venues. Central forces have also been utilized," Ranjan told ANI. He further said that border security has been strengthened in coordination with the Border Security Force (BSF). "Patrols have been intensified outside the city, and checkpoints have been increased. Border security has been strengthened in coordination with the BSF, and patrolling has been enhanced in those areas as well. Every effort is being made to ensure that this event is conducted smoothly and efficiently," the DGP said. "Comprehensive traffic arrangements have also been made, with management planned in such a way that no one faces any inconvenience. We will make every effort to ensure the program is conducted successfully," he added. The 72nd Plenary Session of the North Eastern Council (NEC), started in Agartala on Friday with the opening of a pre-plenary technical session. The main plenary will be held on Saturday with Amit Shah chairing the main session which will also be attended by DoNER Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia and Minister of State Sukanta Majumdar. Key stakeholders, including NEC members, Governors, Chief Ministers, Chief Secretaries, and Planning Secretaries from the eight northeastern states, will participate in strategic discussions aimed at propelling the region's socio-economic growth. Agartala, which has been selected as the host city has evolved in the North Eastern Council, and its iconic venues like Pragna Bhawan and Ujjayanta Palace are adorned with vibrant decorations and lighting. The entire city has been transformed, featuring colourful lights, paintings, and festoons to welcome delegates. Notably, it marks the second time when Agartala has hosted the plenary since 2008, underscoring the city's growing prominence in regional development discussions. (ANI)
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Friday condemned the FIR against the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, calling it a "diversionary tactic" and demanded the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his statement regarding Dr BR Ambedkar. "This is all a diversionary tactic... I don't think Rahul Gandhi or any of us is scared... We demand that the Union Home Minister resign because he has insulted Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar," Thackeray told reporters in Nagpur. Earlier on Thursday, the Delhi Police filed an FIR against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in connection with a scuffle in Parliament. BJP had filed a complaint against Rahul Gandhi under various sections including 109 (attempt to murder), 115 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 117 (voluntary causing grievous hurt), 125 (act of endangering life or personal safety of others), 131 (use of criminal force), 351 (criminal intimidation) and 3(5) (common intention). The Delhi Police removed section 109 (attempt to murder) of BNS and all other sections are the same as given in the complaint. BJP leader Anurag Thakur, along with fellow MP Bansuri Swaraj and Hemang Joshi, filed the complaint at the Parliament Street Police Station for "assault and incitement." "A highly unfortunate incident occurred in Parliament, perpetrated by the Congress Party and its leader, Rahul Gandhi. Congress and Rahul Gandhi have a habit of violating the law. Rahul Gandhi's arrogance leads him to believe he is above the law," Anurag Thakur said while talking to the reporters. As the last day of the Parliament winter session concluded, Congress continued to protest against the remarks of Amit Shah, while BJP also protested against Rahul Gandhi, alleging him of insulting Ambedkar. Congress MP Jairam Ramesh stated that the FIR against Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi was just a drama enacted by the BJP to distract from the real issues at hand. "Today, the anger you see in the all (opposition) parties today is after the way the Home Minister used insulting words for Babasaheb Ambedkar. On this Kharge ji demanded that the PM remove the Home Minister from the Cabinet and an apology from the Home Minister," Ramesh said. "On this, many protests happened across the country. Now, as a part of a conspiracy, this drama was created in front of Makar Dar, two MPs were sent to the ICU and a Rajya Sabha MP was made to write a letter against Rahul Gandhi. This was a planned conspiracy to deviate attention from the Adani issue and Amit Shah's statement," he added. Union Minister Giriraj Singh also condemned Congress, alleging them of spreading anarchy and reducing the stature of Ambedkar. "Those (Congress) who spread anarchy now want to become Babasaheb Ambedkar. Now, Babasaheb Ambedkar is being reduced to the stature of Rahul Gandhi!... It is condemnable. Congress should apologise for this," Singh said. (ANI)
The Delhi High Court has dismissed a petition to quash the FIR filed against Delhi University Professor, Ratan Lal, for a controversial social media post about the Gyanvapi Mosque. In 2022, Professor Lal shared a post on social media platforms commenting on a structure resembling a Shiva Linga discovered at the mosque. The bench of Justice Chandra Dhari Singh in an order passed stated, "This Court is of the view that prima facie, the petitioner has created a disturbance of the harmony of the society and this Court has also found that the said tweet, post were made to hurt the sentiments of a large number of the society and no person being a Professor, Teacher, or an intellectual has the right to make such type of comments, tweets or posts as the freedom of speech and expression or any type of freedom is not absolute." The petitioner, Professor Ratan Lal approached the court and sought the quashing of an FIR registered against him based on his social media post regarding the Gyanvapi Mosque. According to the plea, the complainant, Shiwal Bhalla, filed a complaint that led to the registration of the FIR on May 18, 2022, under Sections 153A and 295A of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, at the Cyber Police Station, Maurice Nagar, Delhi. The petitioner was arrested in connection with the FIR on May 20, 2022, and was granted regular bail by the concerned court on May 21, 2022. In the meantime, the petitioner applied for a UK visa but was informed by the British High Commission that police verification was required. Subsequently, his visa application was rejected. Furthermore, the petitioner claims that on July 7, 2023, his promotion to the position of Professor was put on hold by the Principal, citing the ongoing FIR as the reason. Aggrieved by these developments, the petitioner has filed this petition seeking the quashing of the FIR, noted the court. (ANI)
The Border Security Force (BSF) of Meghalaya successfully intercepted a smuggling attempt, seizing contraband items valued at Rs 10.60 lakh intended for smuggling into Bangladesh, a press release said. Acting on specific intelligence inputs, BSF troops conducted special operations along the Indo-Bangladesh border in the West Jaintia Hills (WJH) and East Khasi Hills (EKH) districts on Thursday. During the operations, the troops observed unidentified individuals attempting to approach the border with head loads. On being challenged, the smugglers fled into the nearby forest under the cover of darkness to avoid apprehension. According to the release, a thorough search of the area resulted in the recovery of the concealed contraband items. The seized items have been handed over to the Customs Office for further investigation and legal action. The BSF remains committed to its mission of safeguarding the nation's borders and preventing illegal activities. This operation highlights the BSF's unwavering dedication to combating smuggling and maintaining the security and integrity of the Indo-Bangladesh border. Earlier, the BSF apprehended seven Bangladeshi nationals trying to infiltrate into India from the Rattachera area in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district, the BSF said on Saturday. The BSF said that the individuals were lured by Bangladeshi touts who facilitated their entry for 7,000 Bangladeshi Taka and promised free medical treatment in Kolkata for two of them. The apprehended individuals were about to reach Kolkata eventually after crossing the Indo-Bangladesh border, the BSF said in a release. However, all the apprehended individuals were handed over to Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) through a flag meeting on Saturday. The statement reads, "On 13th Dec 2024, acting on specific information, the vigilant troops of 172 Bn BSF Meghalaya Frontier, apprehended 07 Bangladeshi nationals while infiltrating into India in Rattachera area under East Jaintia Hills district. During preliminary questioning, it was revealed that they were lured by two Bangladeshi touts who facilitated their crossing on payment of BD Taka 7000/- (Taka 1000/- per head) and also promised free medical treatment at Kolkata for two of the apprehended persons namely Mohammed Shahjahan, 55 yrs, and Miss Aarifa, 20 yrs, D/o Mohammed Shahjahan R/o vill - Tootpalt, PO - Khulna, Thesil & District - Khulna, Bangladesh." "They were bound for Kolkata via Indian village Dona Skur-NH 6- Badarpur railway station (Assam) and further to Kolkata. However, as a goodwill gesture all the apprehended BD nationals were handed over to BGB through flag meeting on 14th Dec' 2024," it added. (ANI)
Maharashtra Congress Chief Nana Patole on Friday attacked Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for his allegations that several organizations associated with Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra were undermining the state and democracy, and promoting "Urban Naxalism." "Congress is never involved in any anti-social activity. Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi sacrificed their lives for the nation and the Constitution of India. Rahul Gandhi received a lot of support in the Bharat Jodo Yatra and he united the nation...I wrote a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis demanding a list of the organizations." In a letter, Nana Patole called for transparency and demanded CM Fadnavis to provide a list of the "Urban Naxal" organizations and the heads of those organizations that participated in the Bharat Jodo Yatra. Patole stated that in "progressive Maharashtra, various social organizations have been doing social work for many years and are working for the welfare of the poor and common citizens of the state. Such organizations are working to strengthen democracy in the state and country." "Along with such social organizations, intellectuals, and senior citizens also participated in Bharat Jodo Yatra. It is very wrong for the Chief Minister of the state to call such organizations Naxalite," he added. Further, speaking to reporters today, Patole pointed out that Congress has "never" been involved in any 'anti-social' activity. "Congress is never involved in any anti-social activity. Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi sacrificed their lives for the nation and the Constitution of India. Rahul Gandhi received a lot of support in the Bharat Jodo Yatra and he united the nation...I wrote a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis demanding a list of the organizations," he said. CM Fadnavis made the allegations during his address in the Maharashtra Assembly this week. Fadnavis also addressed the concerns of the people about the 'Maharashtra Special Public Safety Bill-2024'. Speaking in the Maharashtra assembly on Wednesday, CM Fadnavis stated that the Bill was introduced in the Legislative Assembly to "close down the urban Naxal hideouts". "The threat of Naxalism is not limited to remote areas only. Many front organizations have been formed. They are trying to shake the faith in the Constitution through an ecosystem. Many of these organizations try to rescue the arrested Naxalites. They create a safe haunt for them," he said. Earlier, Chief Fadnavis announced that his government would conduct a performance audit of all ministers to ensure accountability and effective governance. "We will carry out a performance audit of all ministers. If a minister is found lacking in their duties, their position will be reconsidered," he added. The cabinet expansion of the BJP-led Maharashtra government took place on December 15, with 39 ministers sworn in during a ceremony in Nagpur. Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan administered the oath of office to the new ministers. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar were present at the ceremony held at Raj Bhavan. Shiv Sena leader Uday Samant pledged to work under the leadership of CM Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Ministers Shinde and Pawar to advance the Mahayuti government's initiatives. The cabinet expansion came more than two weeks after CM Fadnavis and his deputies were sworn in on December 5. The Mahayuti alliance had faced criticism from the opposition for delaying the announcement of its cabinet despite having a significant majority. In the Maharashtra Assembly Election 2024, the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance achieved a landslide victory, securing 235 seats. The BJP emerged as the single largest party with 132 seats, while Shiv Sena and NCP won 57 and 41 seats, respectively. (ANI)
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla delivered his valedictory address on the concluding day of the third session of the 18th Lok Sabha and underscored the importance of maintaining the dignity and decorum of the Parliament. "It is the collective responsibility of all the members to maintain the dignity and decorum of Parliament," Om Birla said. The Speaker stressed that it is not appropriate to stage dharnas or demonstrations at any of the gates of the Parliament. He noted that in case of violation of such norms, the Parliament has the right to take necessary action to maintain its decorum and dignity and urged the members to ensure compliance with the rules under all circumstances. He reminded Members of Parliament (MPs) that it is their collective responsibility to ensure that the house functions in a respectful manner, without disruptions such as dharnas or demonstrations at any of the gates of Parliament. The Speaker warned that any violation of these norms could lead to necessary actions by Parliament to safeguard its decorum and dignity. He called on all MPs to adhere strictly to the rules under all circumstances. This comes after the Parliament witnessed parallel protests from both the Treasury and Opposition benches outside the parliament on Thursday morning. 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 Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his remarks on Babasaheb Ambedkar. Leaders from both sides alleged pushing and shoving by each other, while two BJP MPs, Pratap Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput were injured. Both the MPs were rushed and admitted to Delhi's Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. The third session of the Lok Sabha, which lasted for approximately 62 hours, saw 20 sittings held. The productivity of the House during this period was reported at 57.87 per cent. The major highlight of the session was the discussion on the "Glorious Journey of 75 years of the Adoption of the Constitution of India," which took place on December 13 and 14, 2024. During this session, five government bills were introduced, and four of them were successfully passed. In addition, 61 starred questions were answered orally, and 182 Matters of Urgent Public Importance were raised by MPs during the Zero Hour. A total of 397 matters were also taken up under Rule 377. On November 28, 2024, two newly elected Members took their Oath of Office. The session also witnessed the visit of a Parliamentary delegation from Armenia, led by HE Alen Simonyan, President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, on December 17, 2024. The session's productivity, legislative outcomes, and international diplomatic engagements were highlighted as significant achievements, as Speaker Om Birla concluded his address, urging members to continue working together for the betterment of the nation while maintaining standards of parliamentary conduct. The Winter Session of Parliament, held from November 25 to December 20, 2024, saw significant legislative activity with the government focusing on various crucial issues. While some bills were passed into law, others were introduced or progressed in discussions. The session reflected the government's continued efforts to address pressing matters across sectors. According to PRS Legislative Research, during the session, two key bills were passed by Parliament. The Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak, 2024, which replaces the Aircraft Act, of 1934, aims to modernize the regulatory framework governing civil aviation while retaining most provisions of the original Act. The Appropriation (No. 3) Bill, 2024, another notable legislation, authorizes additional expenditure from the Consolidated Fund of India for the fiscal year 2024-25. As a Money Bill, it was passed by the Lok Sabha and deemed approved by the Rajya Sabha without amendments. This bill was introduced during the Budget Session, 2024. Five new bills were introduced during this Winter Session, targeting various legislative priorities. The Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024, seeks to enable simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies, a significant step towards electoral reforms. The bill however was moved to a Joint Parliamentary panel on demand by opposition parties. Similarly, the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, aims for synchronized elections for the legislatures of Puducherry, Delhi, and Jammu and Kashmir alongside Lok Sabha polls. Both bills have been referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee for further examination. The Merchant Shipping Bill, of 2024, introduced on December 10, proposes reforms to replace the Merchant Shipping Act, of 1958. It focuses on ship registration, maritime training, seafarer welfare, and pollution control. Another maritime-focused bill, the Coastal Shipping Bill 2024, seeks to regulate vessels engaged in trade within India's coastal waters and is pending in the Lok Sabha. Progress was also made on bills introduced in earlier sessions. Legislation such as the Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, was passed by Lok Sabha. Railways (Amendment) Bill, 2024, and Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024 were also advanced through one House. Several other older bills, including the Pesticide Management Bill, 2020 and the Indian Medicine and Homoeopathy Pharmacy Bill, 2005, continue to await resolution. These examples highlight the extensive legislative backlog and the complexity of parliamentary deliberations. As the session concluded, 33 bills remained pending in Parliament. This includes newer introductions like the Carriage of Goods by Sea Bill, 2024, as well as older proposals such as the Seeds Bill, 2004, and the Delhi Rent (Amendment) Bill, 1997, which have been under consideration for decades. (ANI)
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday, slammed the BJP, accusing them of deceiving farmers for ten years. Taking on Social Media X, she stated farmers deserve a legal guarantee of minimum support price, and demands the government and Prime Minister show sensitivity and accept their demands quoting Vinesh Phogat's post on Sardar Jagjit Singh Dallewal's health condition. https://x.com/priyankagandhi/status/1870031295004176862?t=QAqxmmhX6mtsT5RsjpK6YA&s=08 "BJP has only cheated the farmers in ten years. The farmers' demand for a legal guarantee of minimum support price is justified. The government and the Prime Minister should show sensitivity, accept the farmers' demands, and end the fast unto death by Sardar Jagjit Singh Dallewal," she posted on X. Meanwhile, The Supreme Court on Friday said that it is the Punjab authorities' responsibility to ensure the stable health condition of farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who has been on a fast-unto-death for over 20 days at the Khanouri border between Punjab and Haryana to press the Centre to accept the agitating farmers' demands. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan asked the Chief Secretary of Punjab and Chairperson of the Medical Board (constituted to monitor the health of Dallewal) to file an affidavit on the health condition of Dallewal as well as the steps taken to ensure that no harm is caused to his health. It is the entire responsibility of the state of Punjab to ensure the stable health condition of Dallewal, for which, if he requires hospitalization, the authorities will take a call as to whether he can be shifted to a make-shift hospital which is said to have been set-up at a distance of 700m from the protest site, the bench said. "A fresh medical report about the health stability of Mr. Dallewal and the necessary steps taken meanwhile to ensure that no damage is caused to his health shall be filed by Chief Secretary, Punjab as well as the Chairperson of the Medical Board constituted to monitor the health condition of Mr. Dallewal," the bench stated in its order. The top court said medical assistance should be given to Dallewal, the convener of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) who has been on a fast-unto-death at the Khanouri border, without forcing him to break his fast. (ANI)
With both the BJP and the Congress registering counter complaints in the case of alleged assault during the chaos outside Parliament on Thursday, the Delhi Police on Friday tranferred both case to the Crime Branch. While the Police have registered an FIR against Lok Sabha LoP in the case of the complaint filed by the BJP it is yet to register an FIR based on the complaint of Women MPs of the Congress. Meanwhile, Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi continued to demand the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday, claiming that there has been an "Akraman on Samvidhan" (Full on attack on Constitution) and that the Bharatiya Janata Party, PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah did a grave mistake insulting B R Ambedkar. Posting about the remarks in his accounts on his social media accounts (Facebook and Instagram), Gandhi said, "BJP, Narendra Modi and Amit Shah have committed the biggest mistake of their lives by attacking the Constitution and insulting Baba Saheb. India will not forgive this mistake. The Home Minister should apologize and resign." He posted a montage of the multiple protests, marches and speeches Congress has taken out since the remarks of HM Amit Shah on Ambedkar. Gandhi also highlighted a speech of his parliament, comparing it as a fight between Manusmriti and the Constitution, saying that one side defends the constitution "It is written in the Constitution, prohibition of discrimination on grounds of race, caste, religion and place of birth...There is a battle taking place today in India. This side (pointing to his MPs) are the defenders of the idea of the Constitution," he had said in his speech in Parliament. Earlier, Delhi Police registered an FIR against Rahul Gandhi, in connection to a scuffle that took place in Parliament. The tensions had 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 on Thursday during a scuffle in Parliament. Sarangi had alleged that he was injured after Congress leader 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. In response, multiple BJP MPs have demanded an apology from Rahul Gandhi. Meanwhile, the winter session of the Parliament concluded today. Both Houses were adjourned Sine Die after uproarious scenes. (ANI)
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that the "vitriolic" remarks against BR Ambedkar are a "reflection of the culture of hate" and "intolerance" and urged everyone to join them in their "fight to defend" the Babasahebs legacy and unite to hold the BJP accountable for their "unforgivable actions". https://x.com/MamataOfficial/status/1870077468176011731 The TMC will organise protest rallies across all blocks of Bengal and every ward of Kolkata on December 23 from 2 pm to 3 pm to condemn the remarks of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Mamata Banerjee said. Lashing out at the BJP amid the continued protests against Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks on the father of the Indian Constitution, the ruling Trinamool Congress supremo 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." Babasaheb envisioned a nation built on values of JUSTICE, LIBERTY, EQUALITY, and FRATERNITY, where all classes, castes, creeds, and communities could live in harmony, Mamata said. "This is not just an INSULT to Babasaheb 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," CM Mamata Banerjee said. "I urge you to join us in this fight to defend Babasaheb's legacy and our Constitutional spirit. Let's unite to hold the BJP accountable for their UNFORGIVABLE actions," She said. Meanwhile, Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi continued to demand the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday, claiming that there has been an "Akraman on Samvidhan" (Full on attack on Constitution) and that the Bharatiya Janata Party, PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah did a grave mistake insulting B R Ambedkar. Posting about the remarks in his accounts on his social media accounts (Facebook and Instagram), Gandhi said, "BJP, Narendra Modi and Amit Shah have committed the biggest mistake of their lives by attacking the Constitution and insulting Baba Saheb. India will not forgive this mistake. The Home Minister should apologize and resign." He posted a montage of the multiple protests, marches and speeches Congress has taken out since the remarks of HM Amit Shah on Ambedkar. Gandhi also highlighted a speech of his parliament, comparing it as a fight between Manusmriti and the Constitution, saying that one side defends the constitution "It is written in the Constitution, prohibition of discrimination on grounds of race, caste, religion and place of birth...There is a battle taking place today in India. This side (pointing to his MPs) are the defenders of the idea of the Constitution," he had said in his speech in Parliament. (ANI)
The Tamil Nadu governor, RN Ravi on Friday slammed the state government, saying that the press release and notifications issued by the government regarding the search committee for the appointment of Vice-Chancellor for certain state universities were "misleading and distortion of facts." The Governor, also being the Chancellor of State universities of Tamil Nadu constituted Search Committee for identification of the candidates for appointment as Vice-Chancellor to three universities. According to a statement by Raj Bhavan, the committee is for the appointment in Anna University (Chennai), Bharathidasan University (Tiruchirappalli), and Periyar University (Salem). "The Search Committee of Anna University includes nominees of the Chancellor, Government of Tamil Nadu, Syndicate of the University and UGC Chairman's nominee, as per provision of Anna University Act and as per prevailing regulations of UGC, 2018," read the Raj Bhavan statement. However, in the statement, it mentioned that the three notifications issued by the state government regarding the committee "purposefully excluded the UGC Chairman's nominee, in violation of the judgement of Supreme Court." "The Press Release issued by the Minister for Higher Education is a distortion of facts and misleading. He has mentioned SC's judgement in the case of Jagdish Prasad Sharma and others vs. State of Bihar and others dated Jule 17, 2013, whereas the Supreme Court in its latest judgement dated October 21, 2022 in the case of Prof. (Dr) Sreejith P.S. Vs. Dr.Rajasree M.S. & Others has held that any appointment as a Vice Chancellor made on the recommendation of the Search Committee, which is constituted contrary to the provisions of the UGC Regulations shall be void ab initio." "The Search Committees of Bharathidasan University and Periyar University includes nominees of the Government, Senate & Syndicate of the University and UGC Chairman's nominee, as per provisions of respective Universities Act and as per prevailing regulations of UGC, 2018," it added. The inclusion of UGC Chairman's nominee in the Search Committee of these Universities are held to be mandatory by the Supreme Court. The statement further read that the Chancellor has constituted the committee within the ambit of constitutional and legal provisions, to ensure a fair and impartial selection process. "This decision aligns with the ethos of academic independence which is critical for fostering excellence and innovation in higher education. Governor-Chancellor has directed the Tamil Nadu Government, to notify the constitution of the Search Committee of Anna University (Chennai) and Bharathidasan University (Tiruchirappalli) vide letters dated 11th November, 2024, and for Periyar University (Salem) vide letter dated 5th December 2024," the statement read. The Higher education department has also issued certain government orders regarding the search committee. On December 9, they notified the committee for Bharathidasan University; December 13 for Periyar University and Anna University, all published in the official gazette. Criticising the three notifications further, the statement read, "any selection by the Search Committee constituted without UGC Chairman's nominee is bound to be quashed by the courts. The role of the Vice Chancellor is pivotal in shaping the future of our universities and our students and it is not in the interest of our students to keep the post of Vice-Chancellor vacant." The Chancellor called upon the government to recall the notifications and directed to notify the search committees for appointment of the Vice Chancellor of Anna University (Chennai), Bharathidasan University, (Tiruchirappalli) and Periyar University, (Salem) as constituted by the Chancellor, which includes the UGC Chairman's nominee. (ANI)
China's top political advisor meets with Harvard professor

Xinhua) 08:45, December 20, 2024

Wang Huning, chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, meets with Graham Allison, a professor at Harvard University, in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 19, 2024. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

BEIJING, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- China's top political advisor Wang Huning met with Graham Allison, a professor at Harvard University, in Beijing on Thursday.

Wang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said that under the strong leadership of President Xi Jinping, the Chinese people are working together to advance Chinese modernization.

Wang noted that President Xi has provided fundamental strategic guidance for China-U.S. relations by putting forward the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, and identifying the four red lines that brook no challenge, namely the Taiwan question, democracy and human rights, China's path and system, and China's development right.

China's policy toward the United States has remained consistent and stable, Wang said. Noting that the Thucydides Trap is not a historical inevitability, he added that China and the United States should strengthen dialogue and communication, manage their differences properly, help each other succeed through cooperation, and work together to cope with various global challenges.

Allison said the United States and China should avoid falling into the Thucydides Trap, and finding the right way for them to get along with each other is important for both countries and the world at large.

He expressed his willingness to continue promoting strengthened communication between the United States and China, and to contribute to the stable development of bilateral relations.

Wang Huning, chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, meets with Graham Allison, a professor at Harvard University, in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 19, 2024. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders hold a protest near Mantralay here on Friday against Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his statement in Rajya Sabha during the Constitution debate. Earlier in the day, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs also protested against the Shah's remarks on Ambedkar. The MPs stood together with a picture of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar, the architect of the Constitution and chanted 'Jai Bhim' in front of his statute at Prerna Sthal in the Parliament House Complex. Shah on Wednesday 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." On Thursday, Rahul Gandhi and other MPs from the INDIA alliance led protests in Parliament complex, demanding an apology and resignation of the Union Home Minister for his remarks on former law minister BR Ambedkar. INDIA bloc MPs staged a protest in Parliament premises when a scuffle broke out between the two sides, injuring two BJP MPs. During the scuffle in the Parliament premises, two BJP MPs, Pratap Sarangi, and Mukesh Rajput were injured on their heads. Both parties have alleged that their party members had been pushed around. Moreover, an FIR has been registered against Rahul Gandhi by Delhi police regarding the incident. Earlier, Congress' Pramod Tiwari alleged that the women MPs of the party were barred from entering the Parliament and pushed during the ruckus in Parliament yesterday. "BJP has been charged with their lack of trust in democracy or the Constitution. The recent events suggest, particularly the parliament session, that the BJP-led Modi government is a living example of fascism," Tiwari told reporters here. Meanwhile, several BJP MPs launched a scathing attack on the Congress and its leader Rahul Gandhi. "The arrogance of Rahul Gandhi that was seen yesterday and his attitude towards his fellow MPs is very unfortunate. The way he created a ruckus by violating all the rules and instead of going on the designated path, he deliberately took his supporters along and created a ruckus... this is not forgivable," Thakur said. (ANI)
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday filed a chargesheet against three accused in a case of transnational cyber-enabled Call Center fraud involving cryptocurrencies and bitcoins worth Rs 260 crores, the agency said in a release. The chargesheet has been filed against the individuals involved in committing international call centre fraud targeting foreign nationals of the USA, Canada etc. After a thorough investigation, a chargesheet has been filed against the accused namely Tushar Kharbanda, Gaurav Malik, and Ankit Jain, under sections of IPC, Information Technology Act, and other relevant offences, the release stated. The CBI had registered FIR under various sections of the IPC, along with IT Act, 2000, following information provided by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) through the National Central Bureau, India. The FIR alleged that Tushar Kharbanda impersonating an RCMP officer convinced the victim that his identity was being used for fraudulent purposes. Under duress, the victim was coerced into transferring over 93,000 Canadian Dollars into cryptocurrency via Bitcoin ATMs in Canada, all of which were linked to Kharbanda and his associate's cryptocurrency wallets. As per the release, the CBI investigation revealed that the accused Tushar Kharbanda, a resident of Noida, was involved in defrauding US and Canadian nationals through a fraudulent call centre operating in Delhi and Noida. The call center was managed by Kharbanda in collaboration with co-accused Gaurav Malik and it has employed over 150 tele-callers. These individuals targeted elderly citizens in the U.S. and Canada, deceiving them by posing as representatives from foreign law enforcement agencies, Amazon support, Microsoft tech support, and other services. During the investigation, CBI conducted searches at the premises of the accused persons and the digital devices seized from the residential and official premises of the accused revealed evidence viz scripts for several fraud schemes, including the impersonation of U.S. Social Security Administration officers and fraudulent interactions with fraud prevention departments. The devices also contained credentials of U.S. victims, providing further evidence on the modus operandi and extent of operation by the accused, according to the release. As the investigation progressed, links to other key figures in the fraud network were revealed, including Ankit Jain who played a role in managing crypto wallets and assisting the primary accused, Tushar Kharbanda, in converting the BTCs obtained from foreign victims into USDT. Further investigation revealed that Kharbanda and his associates had received over 316 bitcoins equivalent to INR 260 Crores in their Bitcoin wallets which are proceeds of crime. The same was then withdrawn by the members of the organized gang in Dubai. (ANI)
The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Bhubaneswar Zonal Office has conducted search operations at four locations in Odisha and Delhi on December 18 in connection with an investigation being carried out against Bharat Integrated Social Welfare Agency (BISWA) under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, the agency said on Friday. The agency initiated an investigation on the basis of FIRs registered by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW), Odisha Police and CBI. The Enforcement Directorate investigation revealed that BISWA was being run by Khirod Chandra Mallick and in the guise of financing self-help groups (SHGs) and joint liability firms (JLFs). Khirod Chandra Mallick mis-utilized the fund and also started accepting deposits from the public, which was not allowed as per RBI guidelines. It is also revealed that this group was also involved in a bank loan fraud of more than Rs 200 crore. During the search, suspected 505 benami accounts of individuals and Self-help groups (SHGs) and their related signed and unsigned chequebooks were also recovered. As a result of the search, an amount of more than 72 Lakh lying in these 505 different bank accounts has been frozen and further, shares worth Rs. 10 Lakh have been recovered and seized along with a number of incriminating documents like sale deeds, cheque books and digital devices. Further investigation is under progress. (ANI)
The National Commission for Women (NCW), has expressed "grave concerns" over the alleged 'inappropriate' behaviour by Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, against Nagaland MP, Phangnon Konyak. "The Commission stresses the utmost importance of upholding the principles of respect, equality, and dignity, especially in the temple of democracy. The NCW views this matter as a direct affront to the dignity and rights of female Members of Parliament and calls for immediate action to address the situation," the NCW stated in a press release. Taking suo-motu cognizance of the matter, the Chairperson of the National Commission for Women, Vijaya Rahatkar, has urged the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha to take appropriate action against Rahul Gandhi, ensuring that such unethical behaviour does not go unchecked. The Commission stated that it has come across media reports and Konyak's statement in the Rajya Sabha, detailing an "alarming incident" where Rahul Gandhi allegedly misbehaved with Phangnon Konyak, a Member of Parliament from Nagaland. "Konyak, a prominent Scheduled Tribe woman parliamentarian, reported that Gandhi's behavior was disrespectful, with his loud voice and physical proximity making her feel extremely uncomfortable," the NCW stated. In her statement in the Rajya Sabha, she expressed her discomfort at the situation, saying, "He misbehaved with me in a loud voice, and his physical proximity to me was so close that I, being a lady member, felt extremely uncomfortable. I stepped aside with a heavy heart, denouncing my democratic rights, but I felt that no Member of Parliament should behave this way." Parliament witnessed unprecedented scenes with opposition and BJP-led NDA members holding parallel protests that later led to a face-off. Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge alleged he was pushed, two BJP members were injured. BJP had filed a complaint against Rahul Gandhi under various sections including 109 (attempt to murder), 115 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 117 (voluntary causing grievous hurt), 125 (the act of endangering life or personal safety of others), 131 (use of criminal force), 351 (criminal intimidation) and 3(5) (common intention). The Delhi Police removed section 109 (attempt to murder) of BNS and all other sections are the same as given in the complaint. The Delhi Police had also received a complaint from Congress which is being "investigated". (ANI)
Tripura University, in collaboration with the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA), New Delhi, organised a two-day national workshop on December 19 and 20. The workshop, titled "National Education Policy 2020: Financial Application and Resource Mobilization by Higher Educational Institutions," aimed to address the critical challenges of implementing the NEP 2020 in the Northeastern region. Prof. Ganga Prasad Prasain, VC, Tripura University said, "The theme of the workshop was "National Education Policy 2020: Financial Application and Resource Mobilization by Higher Educational Institutions. This event brought together representatives from all the states of Northeast India, including finance officers, registrars, directors of higher education departments, and other key stakeholders. A total of 50 participants attended the workshop." "The workshop aimed to explore practical ways to implement NEP 2020 in colleges and universities effectively. The event featured eight resource persons from different parts of India who shared their expertise and insights on the subject. Participants gained valuable knowledge, which they can use to strengthen the implementation of NEP 2020 in their respective states," he further said. Discussions focussed on financial planning, resource mobilization, and strategies for higher educational institutions to effectively implement NEP 2020. Prof. Mona Khare, Prof & Head, Dept. of Education Finance, NIEPA said, "This two-day workshop was entirely focused on the Northeastern region, as there are numerous issues and challenges specific to this area. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 has introduced several policies aimed at transforming higher education institutions. For example, skills training, which was previously not a part of higher education, has now been made mandatory. Similarly, there is a strong focus on research and innovation. A significant aspect of NEP 2020 is its emphasis on supporting economically disadvantaged groups and students from underprivileged backgrounds who are now joining colleges and universities. The policy outlines the development of robust support systems for these students. However, implementing these changes requires substantial financial resources." "We know that resources are always limited. As institutions expand and the number of students increases, the financial demands grow proportionally. The new education policies introduce various initiatives that will require significant funding," she added. The workshop featured eight distinguished resource persons from across India who shared their expertise. The sessions aimed to equip participants with actionable insights to strengthen the implementation of NEP 2020 in their respective institutions and states. This workshop was tailored to address the unique challenges faced by the Northeastern region, where higher educational institutions often encounter limited resources and infrastructural constraints. The NEP 2020 introduces transformative policies, such as mandatory skills training, a strong emphasis on research and innovation, and robust support systems for economically disadvantaged students. However, these changes require substantial financial backing, posing a significant challenge for institutions in the region. A key objective of the workshop was to explore ways for higher education institutions to generate their own resources and achieve financial self-reliance. With the rising number of students and the expansion of initiatives under NEP 2020, the financial demands on institutions continue to grow. Participants engaged in discussions to devise sustainable strategies for resource mobilization while ensuring the quality and inclusivity of higher education. This initiative by Tripura University and NIEPA marks an important milestone in addressing the specific needs of the Northeast while aligning with the broader national education goals. (ANI)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday inaugurated a new residential complex for border security force (BSF) personnel at Agartala Land Port, marking a significant milestone for the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and other security forces operating in the region. The inauguration was done virtually from Siliguri, as part of the 61st Foundation Day celebrations of the SSB. Addressing the gathering in Siliguri, Amit Shah praised the SSB for its outstanding service to the nation over the past six decades. Since its formation in 1963, the SSB has been instrumental in securing India's borders with Nepal and Bhutan, covering a vast 2,450-kilometer stretch. The Home Minister highlighted the force's key role in preventing border crimes, smuggling, and human trafficking, and combating the Naxalite insurgency, particularly in the Northeast region. "SSB personnel, along with local police and other central paramilitary forces, have played a crucial role in eradicating Naxalite influence from areas in Bihar, Jharkhand, and the Northeast," Amit Shah said, expressing gratitude to the force for its dedication and tireless efforts. In addition to the inauguration of the residential complex at Agartala Land Port, the Home Minister virtually launched eight housing projects across various states, worth approximately 200 crore rupees. The Agartala complex, built on 2 acres of land with an investment of Rs 25 crore, features an officer block, a women's block, a subordinate officer block, and a jawan block, providing better living conditions for the personnel stationed at the border. The event was attended by various dignitaries, including Colonel GS Sandhu, Project Director of Land Port Authority of India, IG AK Sharma of BSF Tripura Frontier, and other senior officials from the BSF, Land Port Authority, and local government. "To build this residential complex, our Jawan's help will be invaluable, and it will provide them with many conveniences in their work, boosting their morale. It is our good fortune that this project has been initiated through our Home Minister of the Government of India. Through this project, he has inaugurated the residential complex, demonstrating how important this place is to him, which further enhances our morale to work even better," IG BSF Ashwani Kumar Sharma said. "I would urge the Jawans to take full advantage of the amenities provided and perform their duties efficiently and promptly. I also request them to collaborate with other agencies like Immigration, Customs, and others to improve work efficiency. Once again, I would like to thank everyone involved in this project. Today will be a special day for all of us, and we will remember it for years to come," Sharma said. The inauguration marks another significant step in strengthening the infrastructure and morale of security personnel deployed in sensitive border areas. (ANI)
Eight members of Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), an affiliate of Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) terrorist organisation, who were arrested yesterday by Special Task Force (STF) of Assam police, have been sent to police custody for 10 days by a Guwahati court on Friday. Partha Sarathi Mahanta, IGP (STF) told ANI that the court sent them for 10 days police custody. "All arrested 8 accused were produced before the court yesterday (December 19) and they have been remanded 10 days' police custody. We also seized 4 pen drives and other incriminating documents which we are analysing. Among the 8 arrested persons one is Bangladeshi national. All follow up actions are underway," Partha Sarathi Mahanta said. The Assam STF Chief also said that the Bangladeshi national identified as 36-year-old Md. Sad Radi alias Shab Seikh, is a resident of Rajshahi, Bangladesh had entered into India in the month of November 2024 to spread their nefarious ideology and create sleeper-cells amongst like-minded individuals across India, so as to initiate violent and subversive actions. "Md. Sad Radi visited Assam and West Bengal to meet sleeper-cell activists of the banned Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), before he moved to Kerala for the same purpose and Assam STF team arrested him from Kerala with the help of Kerala police. Two other persons named Minarul Sheikh (40) and Md. Abbas Ali (33) arrested from West Bengal with the help of West Bengal police. On the other hand, five others namely Nur Islam Mandal (40), Abdul Karim Mandal (30), Mojibar Rahman (46), Hamidul Islam (34) and Enamul Hoque (29) were arrested from Kokrajhar and Dhubri district of Assam," Partha Sarathi Mahanta said. The STF Assam, lodged an FIR vide STF, Police Station under sections 61(2)/147/148/149 R/W Section 10/13/16/18/18B/20 UA(P) Act 1967 and R/W Section 12 (1)(a) of the Passport Act 1967 and launched the "Operation - Praghat" under the direct supervision of STF Chief, Dr. Partha Sarathi Mahanta and the teams were dispatched to various parts of the country for identifying the Jihadi elements, to apprehend them and during the intervening night of 17-18 December 2024, the teams simultaneously conducted search & seizure operations at the specified & identified locations in Kerala, West Bengal and Assam and arrested 8 persons. "The incriminating documents and mobile phones with technical evidence seized from the arrested accused indicate their continuous communication across the border with Bangladesh & Pakistan based entities over the last couple of months. During the course of the investigation until now, significant revelations have come to light that, the module was working to establish Sleeper Cells across the country, particularly in Assam and West Bengal. These Sleeper Cells were intended to serve as covert operational units, poised for subversive and violent activities that would be initiated to disrupt peace and tranquillity as well as cause destruction of life and property," Partha Sarathi Mahanta said. "The arrested accused played a pivotal role in aiding Md. Sad Radi in his mission to identify, recruit and indoctrinate individuals who share or were inclined towards similar Fundamentalist/Jihadi ideologies. By exploiting local vulnerabilities, religious sentiments and fault lines, they aimed to create a network capable of operating under the radar while remaining loyal to the broader objectives of their organization, to create disruption and chaos in India," he added. (ANI)
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." CM Atishi emphasized that Christmas is the perfect occasion to remember this culture. She expressed her gratitude to Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel, saying, "I thank Speaker Ram Niwas Goel for celebrating every festival with grandeur in the Assembly complex and for embodying the dream of unity in diversity, as envisioned in the Constitution of India." She further remarked, "Christmas is a message of empathy for those who have less than others. It is the duty of every individual, especially governments, to work towards improving the lives of those who have been less fortunate." "Every religion in India gives the message of working for the last person in the line," CM Atishi reiterated. "For the past 10 years, our government has been striving to make this dream a reality for the 2 crore people of Delhi." She concluded, "Every child, even if from a poor family, should have the opportunity to move forward. Even the poorest person should have access to good healthcare. I consider myself fortunate that for the past 10 years, we have had the opportunity to realize the dreams shown by all religions and work for the betterment of 2 crore Delhiites. Together, we will continue working to embody the messages of peace from Lord Krishna, Jesus Christ, and Guru Nanak to make Delhi a better place." On this occasion, Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel said, "Christmas is a celebration of love and peace. When we move towards world peace, only then will the true meaning of this festival be realized." Notably, the event was also attended by Archbishop Anil Joseph Thomas Kutti, Metropolitan Archbishop of Delhi; Bishop Kuriakos Bharanikulangara of Faridabad; Dr Bishop Paul Swaroop, Bishop of Church of North India, Delhi Diocese; Dr Bishop Subodh C. Mondal, Bishop of Methodist Church of India; and Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel. (ANI)
An order has also been issued for all zones to take appropriate action to remove encroachment made by illegal Bangladeshi migrants.

A VC meeting was held under the chairmanship of Principle Secretary Home, GNCTD on December 12 wherein, Addl. Commissioner (HQ) and DC (HQ) represented the Commissioner, MCD.

Accordingly, as discussed during the VC meeting, respective concerned Head of Departments and Zonal Authorities of MCD were requested to take certain preventive measures.

"Education Department to take appropriate preventive measures to identify illegal Bangladeshi Migrants while giving admission in Municipal Schools. It is also requested that proper identification & verification drive may also be undertaken to identify the illegal Bangladeshi migrant children in schools," B P Bhardwaj Deputy Commissioner (HQ) MCD said.

"Public Health Department is requested to take all precautionary preventive measures while doing Birth Registration & issuing Birth certificates and shall ensure that no illegal Bangladeshi migrants are issued birth certificate. In addition to this, they will also undertake identification/verification drive to identify the registrants of Birth Certificate issued to illegal Bangladeshi Migrants," MCD added.

MCD directed that Action Taken Report be submitted to Dy. Commissioner (HQ) for onward forwarding to concerned authorities by every Friday 3:30 pm without fail.

All the Head of Schools have been directed to submit a report by December 31. (ANI)
"He had been battling prolonged illness for a considerable period," as per a statement from CM's office.

Governor Shukla said that Chautala was a committed leader whose dedication to public welfare and tireless efforts for progress left an enduring legacy.

He extended his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and prayed for peace for the departed soul, it added.

CM Sukhu in his condolence message said that Chautala's passing was an immense loss for the political and social spheres of the country.

He emphasized the former leader's lifelong commitment to serving the people and his influence in shaping the development of Haryana. He prayed for the peace of the departed soul and strength for the bereaved family members to bear this irreparable loss, the statement added.

Meanwhile, the Haryana government has declared a three-day state mourning following the demise of the former Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala.

The INLD leader had passed away on Friday at his residence in Gurugram, Haryana.

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." (ANI)
Odisha Deputy Chief Minister KV Singh Deo said that the Odisha Government would come up with a new comprehensive agriculture policy to address the state's farming-related needs. KV Singh Deo said, "We are trying to move forward with the views and opinions of the experts in the field. We will address all the state's agriculture-related needs. We have come to the conclusion that a new agricultural policy is needed in the state, for which I have urged the principal secretary to hold talks with all concerned departments like labour, fishing and animal husbandry, and water resources. We will come up with a holistic agricultural policy." He addressed the policy roundtable on inclusive agricultural transformation as Chief Guest on Friday, highlighting Odisha's commitment to equitable agricultural growth and inclusive reforms to ensure every farmer thrives. "Odisha is poised to lead the way in inclusive and sustainable agricultural reforms. The ideas and collaborations fostered today will shape a resilient agricultural future where every farmer can thrive," he said in a post on X. He joined esteemed thought leaders and experts at the Policy Roundtable by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) to deliberate on advancing Inclusive Agricultural Transformation (IAT) in Odisha. "Together, we aim to create a resilient and inclusive future for our agricultural sector," he said. Earlier on December 19, he chaired a high-level review meeting at Lok Seva Bhavan to finalize preparations for Krushi Odisha 2025. "This landmark event aims at revolutionizing Odisha's agricultural landscape. Discussions today, highlighted the importance of integrating farmers into the Agristack database through statewide registration camps. Also reviewed the Agriculture Department's proposed budget, focusing on strategic initiatives to empower Odisha's farmers and agricultural growth," he said. (ANI)
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia has not been defeated in Syria after rebel groups ousted his ally and longtime leader, Bashar al-Assad, earlier this month, Al Jazeera reported. On Thursday, Putin said he had not yet met the former Syrian ruler who fled to the Russian capital, but that he "will definitely talk to him" and planned to meet him in Moscow, as per Al Jazeera. He mentioned he would ask Assad about the fate of missing US reporter Austin Tice, whose release was described by the White House as a "top priority", Al Jazeera reported. Speaking at his annual end-of-the-year news conference, Putin also denied claims of Russia's loss with the fall of the former regime. Russia intervened in Syria in 2015 and turned the tide of the civil war there in Assad's favour. "You want to present what is happening in Syria as a defeat for Russia," Al Jazeera quoted Putin as saying. "I assure you it is not ... we have achieved our goals." He said Russia intervened in Syria to "prevent a terrorist enclave from being created there" and that "it is not for nothing that today many European countries and the United States want to establish relations with them [Syria's new rulers]". "We maintain relations with all the groups that control the situation there, with all the countries in the region," Putin continued, adding that the "overwhelming majority of them tell us that they would be interested in our military bases remaining in Syria". Russia offered to maintain bases there "for humanitarian purposes", he said. He also admitted to having evacuated 4,000 Iranian fighters in the aftermath of the fall of the Assad government. Notably, Syria's newly appointed Prime Minister, Mohammed al-Bashir, has focused on repatriating Syrian refugees living abroad as one of his key goals. Al-Bashir aims to "bring back the millions of Syrian refugees who are abroad" as part of efforts to restore stability in the country. (ANI)
Speaking at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, US Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer said that Pakistan's missile systems could potentially harm the US. Speaking on the US President Joe Biden administration's efforts to reduce nuclear dangers and adapt US nuclear weapons and non-proliferation policy to an uncertain world, Finer said that it raises questions on Pakistan's intentions. https://x.com/CarnegieEndow/status/1869804960876986663 "Recently, 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. If these trend lines continue, Pakistan will have the capability to strike targets well beyond South Asia, including in the United States, raising real questions about Pakistan's intentions," he said. Finer said that with these reports, Pakistan seems to be a threat to US security. "The list of countries that possess both nuclear weapons and the missile capability to directly reach the US homeland is very small. They tend to be adversarial towards the United States- Russia, North Korea and China so candidly it's hard for us to see Pakistan's actions as anything other than an emerging threat to the United States," he said. Finer said that it posed a question as to why Pakistan would do this, because the US was an ally of Pakistan. "Leaders across our administration myself included have raised these concerns repeatedly with senior Pakistani officials we have been a longtime partner with Pakistan on development on counterterrorism and other security issues including quite sensitive issues. We've provided support to Islamabad during difficult times and we continue to desire a cooperative relationship in these areas of shared interest. That makes us question even more why Pakistan would be motivated to develop capability that could be used against us," he said. Finer further said that Pakistan failed to take seriously the sanctions posed by the US and from other countries in the region and continued building on its capabilities. "Unfortunately, it is our sense that Pakistan has failed to take these concerns and frankly, the concerns of others in the international community seriously and continues to advance these capabilities. As a result, the Biden Administration has implemented a series of steps to contend with further development of long-range missile systems. Over the last year, we've issued three rounds of sanctions against non-Pakistani entities that have provided support to Pakistan's ballistic missile program and yesterday we issued sanctions directly against Pakistan's state-owned National development complex, which the United States assesses is involved in the development and production of Pakistan's long-range ballistic missiles. The first time we have sanctioned a Pakistani state-owned Enterprise tied to missile development," he said. Finer added that the US will continue its pressure Pakistan to mitigate its missile program. "Simply put, we're going to keep the pressure on Pakistan regarding its long-range missile program even as we also continue to seek diplomatic resolutions to address our concerns and we encourage every other nation to do the same finally," he said. Finer further said that it was in everyone's interests to ensure that Weapons of Mass Destruction are limited in the world. "It is in all of our interests to ensure that our nation prioritizes arms control and reduces WMD risks across the world in practice...even as we continue to modernize our nuclear forces," he said. https://x.com/StateDeptSpox/status/1869459617412976752 The US sanctioned four entities that were contributing to Pakistan's Ballistic Missile Program on Wednesday (local time). (ANI)
Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence (MND) stated that it detected 12 Chinese military aircraft and five naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 am (local time) on Thursday and 6 am (local time) on Friday. According to the MND, of the 12 People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, five crossed the Taiwan Strait median line in the country's southwestern air defence identification zone (ADIZ). In a post on X, Taiwan's MND said, "12 PLA aircraft and 5 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 5 of the aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's southwestern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded accordingly." https://x.com/MoNDefense/status/1869910596482703505 Chinese activity spiked around Taiwan. On Thursday, Taiwan reported 10 Chinese military aircraft and five naval vessels around itself. In a post on X, Taiwanese MND said, "10 PLA aircraft and 5 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 4 of the aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's southwestern and southeastern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded accordingly." https://x.com/MoNDefense/status/1869548205358412064 This incident follows a recent pattern of escalated manoeuvres by China around Taiwan, raising concerns over regional stability as Beijing continues to assert its claims over the island. China is set to launch a rocket carrying a satellite that will likely fly over Taiwan's Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) on Friday, Taipei Times reported citing Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense statement. This will be the latest in a series of satellite launches by China, with at least a dozen satellites launched in the past two years having flight paths over Taiwan or its ADIZ. However, none of these launches have posed a threat to Taiwan's security, as the rockets typically leave the Earth's atmosphere before passing over the island. According to Taipei Times, an ADIZ is a self-declared area in which a country claims the right to identify, locate and control approaching foreign aircraft but is not part of its territorial airspace as defined by international law. (ANI)
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan warned Pakistan's federal government of launching a civil disobedience movement if his "legitimate demands" including the release of under-trial political prisoners and a judicial probe into May 9 events and November 26 crackdown on PTI protesters are not met by Sunday. The former Pakistani Prime Minister threatened that if the demands are unmet, the civil disobedience movement, "boycott of remittances", will be launched, Imran Khan said in a statement. https://x.com/ImranKhanPTI/status/1869768418561315096 He also termed November 26 as the "darkest day" in Pakistan's history, as several PTI workers were allegedly shot at with snipers. "November 26th is the darkest day in Pakistan's history. On this day, unarmed people were shot at by snipers; young people were injured and martyred, and several individuals have been missing for three weeks. It is the government's responsibility to find the missing people. The government must answer: where are these people? Our people have made sacrifices for democracy. I direct Barrister Gohar and my parliamentary party to raise their voices in the assembly for these individuals. It is unacceptable that while blood is being shed in the country, the Parliament continues to function as usual," he said. Imran Khan defended his party by saying that the federal government was wrongly accusing him of targeting the country. "Let them be reminded that it is not the country but the illegitimate Parliament: the (National) Assembly, and the Senate that emerged from electoral fraud, which are being targeted. This government did not come to power through people's votes but through a conspiracy," Imran Khan alleged. Earlier, Imran Khan on Wednesday threatened to call for halting remittances if his demands remain unmet, ARY News reported citing a statement by his sister, Aleema Khan. Imran Khan's sister spoke to the media outside Adiala Jail, stating that the founder reiterated his stance that a judicial commission comprising three Supreme Court judges must be formed, and innocent prisoners should be released. (ANI)
Russian President Vladimir Putin while speaking at his annual end-of-the-year news conference said that he was ready to discuss the possibility of reaching a compromise in talks with US President-elect Donald Trump on the issue of Ukraine, Al Jazeera reported. He expressed his readiness to meet Trump at "any time". "I don't know when I'm going to see him. He isn't saying anything about it. I haven't talked to him in more than four years. I am ready for it, of course. Any time," Al Jazeera quoted Putin as saying. Putin also hailed the 'invincibility' of the "Oreshnik" hypersonic missile which Russia has already test-fired at a Ukrainian military factory, saying he was ready to organise another launch at Ukraine and see if Western air defence systems could shoot it down. "Let them determine some target for destruction, say in Kyiv, concentrate all their air defence and missile defence forces there, and we will strike there with Oreshnik and see what happens," Al Jazeera quoted Putin. "We are ready for such an experiment, but is the other side ready?" he said. Earlier, Putin congratulated Donald Trump on winning the US presidential poll and said that Moscow is ready to have dialogue with the Republican president-elect. "I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate him on his victory in the US presidential election. I have already said that we will work with any head of state who is trusted by the American people," Putin said while addressing the plenary session of the Valdai International Discussion Club in Sochi on November 7. As per Al Jazeera, these were the first public remarks from Putin since Trump's victory. He had also praised Trump for displaying courage during the assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 14. "He behaved, in my opinion, in a very correct way - courageously, like a real man," Putin said in his address at the Valdai discussion club, Al Jazeera reported. (ANI)
Principal Deputy Spokesperson of the US Department of State, Vedant Patel on Thursday (local time) said that the US is committed to maintaining the global nonproliferation regime. Patel was commenting on Pakistan's criticism of US's latest sanctions on the former. "Let's take a step back. The US is committed to maintaining the global nonproliferation regime, and Pakistan is an important partner in that. However, we have been clear and consistent about our concerns with Pakistan's long-range ballistic missile program. It is longstanding US policy to deny support to Pakistan's long-range ballistic missile program," he said. Patel further said that the US Department of State will continue to use tools like sanctions to protect its national security. "The Department of State will continue to use sanctions and other tools to protect our national security and ensure that US exporters and US financial systems cannot be abused by proliferators. And it's our hope to continue to engage constructively with the Pakistani Government on these issues," he said. Patel added that these sanctions were not targeted at any other program in Pakistan, but the one that threatened the US. "So these designations are based on our concerns regarding Pakistan's long-range ballistic missile program, but they don't affect other areas of US-Pakistan areas of cooperation... These sanctions are in place because of our longstanding concern about Pakistan's long-range ballistic missile program," Patel said. Pakistan termed the US decision to impose sanctions on NDC and three commercial entities as "unfortunate and biased" and said it defied the objective of peace and security, ARY News reported. "Pakistan considers the US decision to impose sanctions on NDC and three commercial entities as unfortunate and biased," according to a Foreign Office statement issued on late Wednesday night, ARY News quoted. "Pakistan's strategic capabilities are meant to defend its sovereignty and preserve peace and stability in South Asia. The latest installment of sanctions defies the objective of peace and security by aiming to accentuate military asymmetries. Such policies have dangerous implications for strategic stability of our region and beyond," the Foreign Office statement said. The US sanctioned four entities that were contributing to Pakistan's Ballistic Missile Program on Wednesday (local time). https://x.com/StateDeptSpox/status/1869459617412976752 The State Department Spokesperson, Matthew Miller announced that the US has been consistent about their concerns. (ANI)
The United Nations is set to host the first Meditation Day on December 21, with the global spiritual leader and humanitarian, Sri Sri Ravishankar delivering the keynote address at 8:00 PM Indian Standard Time (IST). The Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations in New York will commemorate the first World Meditation Day with a special event at the UN headquarters on December 20, 2024. Themed "Meditation for Global Peace and Harmony," the event will feature a keynote address by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. He will guide a live World Meditation. This marks a significant moment in global recognition of meditation's value, as per an official statement from the Art of Living. This historic event will establish an annual global celebration of meditation, highlighting its transformative benefits for mental and physical health and its potential to foster peace and unity. The Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations in New York will commemorate the first World Meditation Day with a special event at the UN headquarters on December 20, 2024. "The recognition of meditation by the United Nations is a profound step forward," said Gurudev. Key Highlights of the event will include Sri Sri Ravishankar's address to senior UN leaders, diplomats, and global dignitaries, emphasizing meditation's role in fostering peace and unity, global livestream of the event on December 21, the statement by the Art of Living noted. The UN General Assembly's recognition of World Meditation Day is a bold acknowledgment of meditation's capacity to address rising stress, violence, and societal disconnection. Sri Sri Ravishankar, who has dedicated 43 years to spreading meditation across 180 countries, views it as the most effective tool for cultivating mental clarity, emotional resilience, and societal harmony. Gurudev's peace-building efforts underscore meditation's transformative power. He has mediated peace negotiations in conflict-stricken regions such as Sri Lanka, Iraq, Venezuela, and Colombia, where he played a pivotal role in ending the 52-year-long conflict between FARC and the Colombian government. In India, he contributed significantly to resolving the 500-year-old Babri Masjid-Ram Mandir conflict, fostering dialogue and understanding among diverse communities, the press statement by the Art of Living observed. In the fast-paced rhythm of contemporary life, meditation has emerged as a guiding light, leading individuals worldwide towards inner peace and self-discovery. This profound practice, deeply rooted in India's history and culture, has transcended geographical boundaries. In recent decades, meditation has emerged as a powerful tool in fostering international goodwill, promoting mental well-being, and offering a unique philosophical perspective on life. The global popularity of meditation today is a testament to India's growing influence, as the world increasingly turns to India not just for its economic potential but for the wisdom embedded in its spiritual traditions. India's promotion of meditation has bolstered its role as a global thought leader in areas of peacebuilding and conflict resolution. By positioning meditation as a cornerstone of global peace initiatives, India has solidified its reputation as a nation that offers solutions to the world's most pressing challenges, the Art of Living noted. As a part of their global outreach and celebration, to make meditation accessible to all, the Art of Living Foundation is hosting thousands of events worldwide in government centers, diplomatic missions, and places of historical value. This initiative is aimed at leading the world toward a meditative lifestyle, showcasing the universal applicability of meditation as a cornerstone for global peace-building efforts. (ANI)
US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken announced the additional assistance of USD 200 million to Sudan at the United Nations Security Council Meeting. Blinken urged the UN member states to increase emergency relief to Sudan as the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RPF) has yet again intensified their firing against Sudanese Army. Blinken noted that the conflict between RPF and Sudanese Armed Forces, which erupted in April 2023, has "derailed" Sudan's transition to democracy and had plunged Sudan in "worst" humanitarian crisis in the world. Blinken in his remarks at UN Security Council Meeting said, "The brutal fighting that erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces in April 2023 have derailed Sudan's transition to democracy and unleashed what is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. Each day, as you heard from our briefers, brings new atrocities: attacks on hospitals, on markets, displaced persons camps. Summary executions. Women and girls are subjected to unspeakable sexual violence. We continue to see war crimes and crimes against humanity committed across vast parts of Sudan," as quoted by US State Department. "Today, we're announcing an additional roughly $200 million more for food, for shelter, for health care, bringing total U.S. support to more than $2.3 billion since fighting broke out last year," Blinken announced. Blinken suggested four ways to "intensify" humanitarian efforts in Sudan. He urged to increase the aid. He then suggested that the UN Council must press the Sudanese Army and RPF to bring an end to the fighting, Thirdly, he said that the council must stop the outside interest from "fanning the flames" in Sudan. Lastly, Blinken urged the members to use resources to ease Sudan's suffering and not to deepen it. "Use your influence to end the war, not perpetuate it," he said. On December 16, RPF attacked the city of el-Fasher in Sudan killing at least 38 people, as reported by Al Jazeera. A volunteer group coordinating aid in el-Fasher said that RPF targeted el-Fasher "with four high-explosive missiles. The conflict between RPF and the Sudanese army erupted in April 2023, as an aftermath of the Army coup in 2021. (ANI)
71 local residents, 37 women and 34 men, took part in the initiative to enhance their agricultural knowledge and practices.

The programme, led by Commander of the Rumajak Company Operating Base, focused on promoting sustainable agricultural methods and fostering self-reliance among the local population.

The Abyei Area is a border area between South Sudan and Sudan that has been granted "special administrative status" by the 2004 Protocol on the Resolution of the Abyei Conflict (Abyei Protocol) in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended the Second Sudanese Civil War.

In October of 2024, India troops held another outreach programme in Abyei.

They conducted a comprehensive awareness session on the Do's and Don'ts of Pregnancy for the women of Rumajak village.

The initiative is aimed at improving maternal health in the region. As many as 24 women and nine girls from the local community attended the session.

The session conducted by Indian troops was led by Captain Jaspreet Kaur, leader of the coveted Female Engagement Team, and Major Abhijith S, Medical Officer of the Indian Battalion.

The session was focused on critical practices for maintaining a safe and healthy pregnancy, including nutritional guidelines, common health risks, and prenatal care.

To promote the importance of tracking pregnancy progress and medical check-ups, the Indian Battalion also distributed handbooks to the women who participated in the session. These handbooks will help the participants to record health information and medication schedules throughout their pregnancies.

The local woman appreciated Indian troops for conducting the session, noting that it provided crucial information that many were not aware of previously. The local women called for more such educational engagements in the future, recognising the Indian troops' efforts in supporting the health and empowerment of their community.

The initiative was part of the Indian Battalion's ongoing commitment to community support and humanitarian efforts in Abyei, demonstrating their broader mandate under the United Nations to promote peace, stability, and welfare. (ANI)
Press Release

December 20, 2024 Tolentino zaps ERC over inaction on power rate resets Manila, Philippines - Senator Francis 'TOL' Tolentino expressed serious concerns about the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC)'s seeming inefficiency in managing power rate resets, as he noted how it handled the rate reset process for Manila Electric Co. (Meralco). Tolentino zeroed in on the ERC's lack of action on Meralco's case in nearly 10 years, having granted Meralco's request to withdraw its rate reset application last Oct. 30 when the company's last rate reset lapsed in 2015. "It's troubling that the ERC, under both past and present leaderships, has failed to tackle this issue. Why has it taken so long for them to act on the long overdue rate reset process? Dapat ito ay nagawa pa noong 2015, pero hinayaan nilang tumagal, tinulugan lamang nila, kaya hindi na akma ang singilan nila sa ating kuryente (It should have taken action before July 2022, but it allowed the issue to drag on. In short, they were caught napping)," Tolentino said. He also emphasized that while the ERC has a crucial role to uphold consumer welfare, it failed to provide a proper and timely rate review due to lack of rules for setting the distribution wheeling rates. "As a government agency, the ERC must be vigilant and proactive in safeguarding public interests. They cannot afford to be complacent while consumers are exposed to its inefficiencies and exploitation from the power sector," he stated. Because of this, Tolentino called for immediate action from the ERC to ensure accountability and transparency in its operations. He stressed Filipinos deserve a regulatory body that acts swiftly and effectively to protect their rights and interests. "Bawat piso ng ating kababayan ay mula sa dugo't pawis nilang pagtatrabaho para lamang may maipantawid sa araw-araw, sana naman gawin ng ERC ang kanilang tungkulin para masiguradong tama at naayon ang singilan sa kuryente (Our fellow Filipinos worked hard to earn each peso to make ends meet. The least the ERC can do is to do its job)," he said. Meanwhile, Tolentino urged the ERC to ensure the processes in the refund of Meralco customers are timely and transparent. ERC recently ordered Meralco to refund some P987.16 million to its customers for improperly charged fees related to regulatory rate resets. Some 16 other distribution utilities are expected to return to consumers a total of P189.98 million, bringing the total refund amount to around P1.1777 billion. These fees were collected despite no actual regulatory reset taking place, with costs instead covered by the government's budget. "ERC must take proactive measures to prevent such issues from recurring and to uphold its responsibility to protect the consumers welfare," he stressed.
"We have been briefing [the media] regularly that there are approximately 900 U.S. troops in Syria," Pentagon Spokesperson Pat Ryder told reporters on Thursday.

"These forces, which augment the defeat-ISIS (Islamic State, banned in Russia) mission, were there before the fall of the Assad regime," Ryder said.

Ryder did not specify the type of troops that arrived in Syria to fight the Islamic State, describing them as "temporary rotational forces that deploy to meet shifting mission requirements, whereas the core 900 deployers are on longer-term deployments."

He explained that such fluctuations in numbers of personnel are often quite common, and that the additional forces have been in place since before the December 8 downfall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

At the briefing Ryder said the Defence Department is prepared to continue carrying out its mission despite the potential for a partial government shutdown beginning Saturday.

On November 27, Syria's armed opposition led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched a large-scale offensive against government forces in the provinces of Aleppo and Idlib.

By December 7, President Bashar Assad's opponents had seized several major cities, including Aleppo, Hama, Daraa, and Homs.

On December 8, they entered Damascus, forcing the army to withdraw from the capital subsequently Assad resigned and left the country.

It led to the end of more than 50 years of the al-Assad family's iron-fist rule over SyriaOn December 10, Mohammed al-Bashir announced his appointment as head of Syria's interim government until March 1, 2025. (ANI)
At least 35 children were killed and six others critically injured in a crowd crush at a funfair in Nigeria on Wednesday, CNN reported, citing police. An Oyo state police spokesperson said on Thursday that eight people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the incident at the Islamic school in Ibadan. According to police, the event's main sponsor is among those who have been arrested. The organizers of the event, identified as the Women in Need of Guidance and Support (WING), expected to host 5,000 children below the age of 13 years at the free event, where they could win prizes like scholarships, CNN reported, citing local radio station Agidigbo FM. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu offered his condolences through a statement from his spokesperson, CNN reported citing state news agency NAN News. He also urged the Oyo State Government to take necessary steps to stop a similar tragedy from take place. The statement said, "In this moment of mourning, President Tinubu stands in solidarity with the affected families and offers prayers that the Almighty God will grant peace to the souls of those who have departed in this unfortunate event." Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde called it "a very sad day." In a statement shared on Facebook, he stated, "We sympathise with the parents whose joy has suddenly been turned to mourning due to these deaths." Assuring people that action will be taken against those who were involved in the incident, Makinde stated, "I want to reassure our people that anyone directly or remotely involved in this disaster will be held accountable. Please remain calm as the security agencies investigate this unfortunate incident." Police said that the case has been transferred to the homicide section of the state's criminal investigation department. The police spokesperson stated, "The Oyo State Police Command sympathizes with all the families and loved ones affected by the tragedy and assures the good people of the state that justice will be served accordingly." In recent years, Nigeria, which has a population of over 236 million people, has witnessed several deadly crowd rushes. In February, the Nigeria Customs Service said that an unspecified number of people were trampled to death during a crowd surge as they waited for rice to be given at discounted rate at its office in Lagos, according to CNN report. According to police and security officials, many children were among 30 people killed in a crowd crush at a church event in Port Harcourt in 2022. According to CNN report, officials said that at least four people were killed in a crush at a political rally held by Nigeria's President in 2019. (ANI)
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmakers staged a walkout from the National Assembly in protest against absence of government ministers from house proceedings, The Express Tribune reported. Pakistan's Federal Minister for Law, Azam Nazeer Tarar, was the only minister present in the lower house presided over by Deputy Speaker Ghulam Mustafa when the National Assembly session resumed on Thursday. In his remarks in the assembly, PPP leader Naveed Qamar expressed concerns about the ongoing discussions on privatizing the national flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) again. He asked about the timeframe for the privatization process and questioned whether steps had been taken to improve the process. Azam Nazeer Tarar assured the house of a more favourable outcome, stressing that PIA would continue to be a state-owned enterprise, with the government owning majority of the shares, according to The Express Tribune report. There was just one bid of Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 10 billion for 60 per cent stake of PIA during the final bidding process for the privatisation of the national flag carrier in October. Earlier in June, the Pakistan government had pre-qualified six groups. But, only real-estate development firm Blue World City participated in the bidding process, placing a bid that was below the government-set minimum price of PKR 85 billion. Pakistan wanted to offload a 51-100 per cent stake in debt-ridden PIA to raise funds and reform state-owned enterprises as envisaged under a USD 7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme. The Privatisation Commission said it had asked the bidder to match the minimum bid. However, the Blue World City Chairman Saad Nazir remained firm on its bid. During the Thursday sitting, Parliamentary Secretary for Privatization MNA Aasia Ishaque shared detailed update on PIA's fleet and workforce. According to Ishaque, out of PIA's 34 aircraft, only 17 are operational, with 12 unusable, The Express Tribune reported. She said that 7,300 people are employed with PIA, with an annual payroll of PKR 35 billion. Defending the privatisation process, Aasia Ishaque stressed that it is unfair to blame the Privatization Commission and the ministry for past failures. PPP Member of National Assembly (MNA) Nabeel Gabol said there is confusion about the airline's CEO, as the position is currently held by an acting official. Tarar said that the tenure of the previous CEO had ended. PPP MNA Abdul Qadir Patel warned that PIA's privatization could result in higher ticket prices, predicting fare for travelling from Karachi-Lahore and Karachi-Islamabad could increase to PKR 300,000. PPP MNA Mirza Ikhtiar Baig criticized the earlier bidding process, terming it unprofessional, and called for professional roadshows to attract better investors. Meanwhile, Ramesh Lal and other members held protest over the lack of development funds, holding placards in front of the speaker's dais. Later, the PPP lawmakers staged a walkout in protest against the absence of ministers from the house. Subsequently, the assembly session was adjourned indefinitely. (ANI)
A resident of Manhattan has admitted guilt in US federal court for his involvement in operating a secret Chinese police station in New York, as reported by Radio Free Asia. The resident has been identified as Chen Jinping, a US citizen, who helped with administrative duties at the secretive station in Manhattan's Chinatown in 2022, according to Radio Free Asia report. US prosecutors stated that the station was established by officials from China's Fuzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau, a division of its Ministry of Public Security, and was used to threaten and silence opponents of the Chinese government in New York. Chen's plea in Brooklyn on Wednesday marks the first instance of someone involved in these overseas police outposts being held accountable in court. Over 100 Chinese police stations are believed to have been set up in cities globally. According to the RFA report, Chen pleaded guilty to conspiring to serve as an agent of a foreign government, a crime that could lead to a prison sentence of up to five years. The existence of the police station in Chinatown, along with others worldwide, was initially revealed in a 2022 report by the Spain-based human rights organization, Safeguard Defenders. Laura Harth, the campaign director of Safeguard Defenders stated, "I hope the outcome of cases like this will encourage victims of the PRC's transnational repression to come forward in greater numbers." She further highlighted, "I also hope that the 53 countries where 'overseas police stations' have been uncovered take note and take action. This case serves as a warning to anyone considering assisting the CCP in its covert operations: there is no advantage in doing so." Matthew G Olsen, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department emphasised, "Today's guilty plea holds the defendant accountable for his brazen efforts to operate an undeclared overseas police station on behalf of the PRC's national police force -- a clear affront to American sovereignty and danger to our community that will not be tolerated." (ANI)
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said that his recent visit to Bhutan has been reflective of state's role as a "growth hub." Sarma said that Assam is exploring multi sectoral collaboration with Bhutan to ensure mutual growth of Assam and Bhutan, particularly in terms of trade, energy and drinking water. While sharing highlights of his visit to Bhutan on X, Assam CM stated, "The recent visit to Bhutan has been reflective of Assam's role as a growth hub. We are exploring multi sectoral collaboration with Bhutan to ensure mutual growth of both Assam and Bhutan especially in terms of trade, energy and drinking water." He also shared a written statement alongside his video message which mentioned that Assam being invited to Bhutan's National Day showcases its growing recognition as an emerging economic power. The statement said, "Assam's invitation to Bhutan's National Day highlights its growing recognition as an emerging economic power. Assam needs an additional 300 MW of power annually by 2026, 2027, 2028 for economic growth, exploring hydropower options with Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim. "Without hydropower, Assam will remain dependent on co which may be unsustainable after 2035. Water resources from Bhutan and neighboring areas can be used for irrigation and to improve water supply to Guwahati. If water from the Sankosh river can be diverted to BTAD, it will significantly transform the region's economy. The water coming through gravitation can be directed to Guwahati via pipes, improving the city's water supply," the statement added. Himanta Biswa Sarma and his wife, Riniki, were on a four-day visit to Bhutan. After concluding his visit to Bhutan, he expressed gratitude to Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and the people of the country for their warmth and generosity. He stressed Assam plays a pivotal role in strengthening "deep bond" between India and Bhutan. Sharing glimpses of his visit to Bhutan on X, he stated, "As Riniki and I conclude our unforgettable visit to Bhutan, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and the wonderful people of Bhutan for their warmth and generosity. We return home with cherished memories, invaluable learnings, and a renewed commitment to ensuring that Assam plays a pivotal role in strengthening the deep bond between Bharat and Bhutan." On Wednesday, Himanta Biswa Sarma attended an insightful presentation on the Gelephu Mindfulness City Project during his visit to Bhutan. The presentation provided valuable insights into the objectives and framework of the project. Representatives from Druk Holding and Investments Limited highlighted their ongoing initiatives aimed at fostering environmental sustainability alongside economic development. The presentation also showcased Bhutan's energy projects, focusing on their potential to fortify the shared interests of Assam and Bhutan.CM Sarma invited the participating dignitaries and entrepreneurs to attend the upcoming Advantage Assam 2.0 summit, which is dedicated to infrastructure and investment opportunities. Following the presentation, CM Sarma attended a luncheon hosted by Dr Lotay Tshering, Governor of the Gelephu Mindfulness City Project. Later, the Chief Minister, accompanied by his wife Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, met with the revered spiritual leader Sadhguru at India House in Thimphu. They engaged in a discussion on various spiritual matters, which CM Sarma described as a profoundly enriching experience. Bhutan's Prime Minister Dasho Tshering Tobgay and his wife Tashi Doma, as well as India's Ambassador to Bhutan, Sudhakar Dalela, and his wife Namrata Dalela, were also present during the discussion. The CM also held discussions with renowned educationist Arun Kapur, who has rendered over four decades of exemplary service in the education sector. The Chief Minister paid a visit to the historic Simtokha Dzong, an iconic spiritual and cultural landmark of Bhutan, where he offered prayers and sought blessings for peace and prosperity. During his visit, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma met Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck on Tuesday and discussed on strengthening the historical ties between Assam and Bhutan and advancing collaborative efforts between the two regions. The discussion also focussed on fostering Bhutan's development, enhancing the welfare of its people, and promoting broader regional economic development. The Assam Chief Minister in another meeting held over lunch with Bhutanese Prime Minister Tobgay Tshering Togbay also discussed issues addressing matters of mutual interest and exploring avenues to fortify trade partnerships between the two regions. (ANI)
Pakistan reported its eighth case of Mpox this year on Thursday, involving a 30-year-old labourer who arrived at Islamabad Airport from Saudi Arabia, as reported by the Dawn. According to Dawn, the passenger, who was exhibiting fever and other symptoms, was promptly transferred to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), where tests confirmed the diagnosis. The individual, a resident of Upper Dir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is currently in stable condition and has been admitted to an isolation ward. Health officials assured that the patient is out of danger. The official stated, "We have started contact tracing passengers who were sitting near the patient. Moreover, Saudi Arabia has also been informed to trace people where the labourer used to reside and work." In response, health authorities have initiated contact tracing to identify passengers seated near the patient on the flight. Additionally, Saudi authorities have been notified to track people who were in contact with the labourer during his stay in the country. According to officials, all cases of mpox detected in Pakistan have involved travellers arriving from abroad, with no instances of local transmission reported. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern on August 14, 2022. The virus is classified into two primary clades: Clade I and Clade II. The recent global outbreak (2022-2023) has been predominantly linked to Clade II, which is associated with milder symptoms than Clade I. In contrast, Clade Ib, responsible for the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, tends to be more severe. Health authorities in Pakistan confirmed that no cases of Clade I have been reported in the country. Mpox, which spreads through close contact, typically causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled skin lesions. The virus, caused by the monkeypox virus, continues to raise concerns globally, though the current strain in Pakistan has been mild, with no evidence of community transmission. (ANI)
India sent humanitarian assistance consignment to Lesotho compromising of 1000 metric tonnes of rice to help in addressing the food security and nutritional requirements of people in Lesotho. In a post on X, the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal wrote, "India sends humanitarian assistance to Lesotho. A consignment of 1000 MT rice, today departed from Nhava Sheva Port for Lesotho. The consignment will help in addressing food security and nutritional requirements of the friendly people of Lesotho." https://x.com/MEAIndia/status/1869963702901825810 India and Lesotho enjoy a strong relationship that has stood the test of time and is based on shared values and principles, underpinned by the noble objective of South-South cooperation. The two countries have held frequent interactions across various platforms. In October, the India GCC Trade Council organized the UN South-South Cooperation meeting, was attended by the Ambassadors of the Kingdom of Lesotho, amongst other partners. Earlier this year in August, India and Lesotho also held the 5th round of Joint Bilateral Commission for Cooperation. Both sides reviewed bilateral relations and discussed ways for cooperation in areas of development partnership, trade and economic relations, agriculture, health, infrastructure, consular and cultural issues among others. During the meeting, the two sides carried out a comprehensive review of the existing bilateral relations, including enhancing of cooperation in development partnership, trade and economic relations, energy, agriculture, health, art and culture and consular matters. As per the MEA, there are about 4000 Indian expatriates and PIOs in Lesotho working as teachers, accountants and other professionals. Some of them are engaged in business as well. The community has a reasonably high economic profile in the country. There is an Indian Association which organises periodic functions and has hosted well-attended cultural performances by troupes sent by ICCR from time to time. (ANI)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday held a meeting with Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala and discussed the country's defence needs in the conflict against Russia. In his meeting with the Czech PM in Brussels, Zelenskyy emphasised Ukraine's need to bolster the air defence system to protect themselves from Russia's offensive. In a post on X, Zelenskyy said, "I am grateful for the comprehensive support of Ukrainians in their fight against Russian aggression. Ukraine is counting on making the upcoming year as productive as possible for Ukrainian-Czech relations." "Today, we discussed Ukraine's current defence needs, with a particular focus on bolstering air defense systems to protect strategic energy facilities. Strengthening Ukraine and supporting our soldiers on the frontline brings the end of the war and a just peace for all of Europe closer," he added. Zelenskyy arrived in Brussels on Wednesday to hold talks with European partners amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. On Thursday, Zelenskyy called for Europe to work closely with partners in the Global South, including China, India, Saudi Arabia, and Brazil, to end the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, "We must ensure that China, India, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and other Global South partners not only respect Ukraine's territorial integrity but also use their influence on Russia. Europe must engage these countries, as they can push Russia to respect the principle of territorial integrity, aligning with their own interests and bringing peace closer," Zelenskyy wrote in a post on X. Zelenskyy also noted that US President-elect Donald Trump plans to intensify peace efforts in January and urged Europe to support these initiatives with a united stance. "In January, President Trump will intensify efforts to end the war. It's up to us whether Europe supports him with a strong, united voice," Zelenskyy said. He further said, "We've made strong progress in ensuring Ukraine's financial stability. Thanks to long-term support agreements, we feel more security for the next year. However, frozen Russian assets must be used more actively to counter aggression." (ANI)
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Friday said that the climate crisis threatens to only exploit and exacerbate division and polarisation. Taking to X, WHO Chief Ghebreyesus shared his experience testifying about the impact of climate change at the International Court of Justice and reiterated that the world needs peace justice and collaboration. "We live in a time of geopolitical turbulence. The #ClimateCrisis threatens to only exploit and exacerbate division and polarisation. It was an honour and an inspiration to testify about the impact of the climate crisis on health at the International Court of Justice, Peace Palace in The Hague last week, as peace, justice and collaboration is what our world needs more than ever," Ghebreyesus said on X. https://x.com/DrTedros/status/1869856382335496423 According to WHO, Climate Change is expected to cause approximately 250 000 additional deaths per year from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea and heat stress alone between 2030 and 2050. The direct damage costs to health are estimated to be between US$ 2-4 billion per year by 2030. Areas with weak health infrastructure - mostly in developing countries - will be the least able to cope without assistance to prepare and respond. WHO states that the Greenhouse gas emissions that result from the extraction and burning of fossil fuels are major contributors to both climate change and air pollution. Meanwhile, India remains committed in its fight against Climate Change as Union Minister for Environment, Forests, and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav on December 3 outlined India's efforts to address land degradation and desertification, aligning with the objectives of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). While delivering India's statement during the Ministerial Dialogue on Drought Resilience at CoP16 of the UNCCD in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the minister described India's journey in combating land degradation and desertification. "Our journey represents a transformative narration of commitment, innovation, and sustainable development. From global recognition of land degradation as a critical environmental challenge at CoP 5 to emphasising community-driven land restoration at CoP 10, and thereafter the recognition of land restoration as a critical climate change strategy at CoP 14, to the global commitment to restore degraded lands at CoP 15, we have all been equal partners in this journey," he said. (ANI)
A circular issued by the Authority on Friday added that work will resume on Thursday, 2nd January.

On this occasion, FAHR extended its best wishes to the leadership, government and people of the UAE, as well as its residents, praying to God Almighty to bless them with health and well-being. (ANI/WAM)
Assyrian MP Addresses Syrian Conflict in the Turkish Parliament

Assyrian MP during his speech at the Turkish Parliament on December 18, 2024. ( TBMM) Ankara (AINA) -- On the last Turkish Parlamentary session of the yearthe Assyrian MP George Aslan spoke on behalf of the Democracy Party (formerly Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party), and addressed in a passionate speech the actual developments in Syria while shedding light on the situation of the Christian polpulation in the Middle East in general.

Aslan drew a wide historical arc to turn to the situation of Christians today, whose numbers are steadily declining because of wars and conflicts in the region. Aslan stated in his opening,

Although the Middle East is more identified with its Arab and Islamic identity and culture today, it is a geography that has hosted many different religions, beliefs and civilizations throughout the history. It is the region where deep-rooted civilizations such as Sumer, Akkad, Babylon, Assyria and Egypt, which have a history dating back to thousands of years before Christ. Christianity, Islam and Judaism were born here...while Christianity was dominant in the region from the 1st until the 7th century, Christian and Jewish communities continued their existence in a wide geography from the Eastern Mediterranean to Yemen, but after the 7th century, and with the spread of Islam, Christians and Jews tried to continue their existence in small communities.

He further pointed to the fact that there are important religious centers in Turkey, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon, which are considered sacred for Christianity all over the world.

"Until the last century, there was large Christian population in these countries consisting of Greeks, Armenians, Assyrians, Maronites and other different groups. However with the rise of religious extremism in the Middle East, particularly in the last twenty-five years, the armed and bomb attacks of terrorist organizations against churches and Christians, the discriminatory language and practices of governments, the Middle East has become a place where it is impossible for Christian people to breathe."

Aslan touched also upon the demographic decline of the Christian population in Lebanon in context of the civil war that lasted 15 years and referred to extreme challenges and some catastrophs that impacted the demographic situation of the Christians and Yezidis in Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein followed by ISIS attacks.

Turning to the situation in Syria, the MP emphasized that since the beginning of the civil war in Syria in 2011, the Christian population, like all other peoples in the country, has suffered greatly. In terms of population size and loss, "it would not be an exaggeration to say that Christians have suffered the most," he added. The "reason for proportionately high losses has been both their faith and their defenselessness situation compared to other groups in the country."

"Since the beginning of the civil war in 2011, countless terrorist attacks have been carried out by ISIS and similar jihadist groups against Armenians and Assyrians living in Syria. In February 2015 [for instance], ISIS carried out a barbaric terrorist attack on dozens of Assyrian villages on the banks of the Khabur River in the Al-Hasakah [governorate] and occupied many villages. As a result of these attacks, many people were killed [and obducted] while thousands of people were forced to leave their homes. In April 2003 [already], the Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Aleppo, Paulus Yazici, and the Syriac Orthodox Metropolitan of Aleppo, Yuhanna Ibrahim, were kidnapped, and although nearly ten years have passed, their fates are still unknown."

Aslan referred to the dramatic decline of the Christian population in Syria, who prior to the conflict in the country numbered about 10% of the population. Their numbers dropped to a fraction of that. "our people have almost reached the brink of extinction in a country whose name it bears."

Based on the recentt news from the communities, Aslan informed the Parlament that following the the recent developments in Syria, and with the collapse of the Assad regime, Christians, like the Alawites, Druze and people of different faiths, are also in a state of anxiety and uncertainty.

"Although the Christian communities met with new leaders and and were reassured, we can say that their concern is not unfounded when we consider the HTS's jihadist past and its practices in the field as soon as it took over the administration. The HTS administration stated that they wanted to govern the country with Sharia law. This understanding means disaster for women, Alewis, Christians, Druze and the entire country. There is no need to explain what Sharia law means."

According to Mr Aslan the developments described are evidence that "the only way out of this chaotic situation is to implement a governance approach that will build on freedom, equality, democracy and coexistence for all different peoples, religions and beliefs."

Aslan called upon Turkey to exert pressure and spend efforts to steer the interim government established in Damascus to a reasonable approach, "otherwise it will be inevitable for all the people of the region to face new massacres and new pain."

With reference to the trip of the head of the Turkish National Intelligence Service (MIT) Ibrahim Kalin to the Syrian capital Damascus to meet with the HTS leader Abu Muhammad al-Julani, Aslan pointed out that Mr. Kalin prayed at the Umayyad Mosque, which was previously the Mor Yuhanon Church [Johannes the Baptist].

"I would like to draw your attention to the fact that this was a church converted into a mosque. Turkey should of course meet with the Syrian Interim Government officials, but it is not a good image for the Head of MIT to go and pray in a mosque in this context. I am not against praying, but the Head of MIT goes there as representative of the state. The state has no religion, the state is secular. While beeing there, he could have gone to the Bab Touma district - a ten-minute drive from the Umayyad Mosque - and visit the Patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox, the Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox, the Armenian Metropolitan and the Alewi institutions...not just one segment, but representatives of all the peoples and all religious minorities in the country should be met with; their demands should be taken into consideration and efforts should be made to ensure that their rights are constitutionally guaranteed. This will be for the benefit of Turkey as well as Syria. We hope and pray that the incoming administration will be no less beneficial for the people of Syria than the one that left."

Aslan closed his speech by extending his best wishes for Christmas and the New Year for the Christian world in general and for the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek people living in Turkey in particular. He also did not miss the opportunity to wish a happy New Year to all members of Parliament.
After US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti announced the operation of the US Consulate in Bengaluru, Senior Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge welcomed the news that the Consulate would open in January 2025. "This is great and exciting news. The U.S. Consulate is set to open in Bengaluru in January 2025. This will be a huge boost for the Karnataka and it will further enhance the economic prowess of the State. It will help strengthen ties between India and the US, fostering closer diplomatic, technological and economic collaborations," he posted on X citing a news report. Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya welcomed the setting up of the Consulate in Bengaluru in the second week of January 2025 and said that it would be a historic milestone for the city. According to an official release, BJP MP has continuously pushed for the opening of the Consulate in Bengaluru, contributing 40% of India's IT revenue and home to lakhs of tech professionals. Surya had highlighted that the absence of a dedicated US Consulate in the city compelled thousands of residents to travel to Chennai or Hyderabad for US visa-related services. Citing a mews report, Surya Expressed his gratitude to PM Modi, EAM Jiashankar, and US Ambassadors Kenneth Juster and Eric Garcetti. "This milestone wouldn't have been possible without the leadership of PM Sri Narendra Modi Ji and the relentless support of EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar. Their commitment to promoting Bengaluru's interests has ensured the fulfilment of this long-pending demand. I also thank US Ambassadors Kenneth Juster and Eric Garcetti for their unwavering support," Surya wrote on X. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the United States in 2023, he had announced the establishment of a US Consulate in Bengaluru on a reciprocal basis. Since then, plans had been underway to finalise the location for the Consulate in Bengaluru. US Ambassador Eric Garcetti confirmed the consulate's January 2024 inauguration in a US-India Business Council meeting on Thursday. Earlier on Friday, US Envoy Garceti met with MD of US India Business Council Rahul Sharma and said, " Had a great discussion with USIBC MD on how U.S. and Indian businesses can integrate progress, principles, and persistence to fulfill shared commitments. Together, we are driving US India forward for Prosperity--creating opportunities not just for our people, but for the Indo Pacific and the world. Thank you USIBC for the opportunity to highlight how our two nations are advancing economic ties and building a brighter, more prosperous future for all." The establishment of the Consulate is expected to simplify visa application processes for thousands of students, professionals, and entrepreneurs, enhance bilateral trade and collaboration, particularly in the tech and innovation sectors and strengthen Bengaluru's position as a global hub for commerce and technology, the official release stated. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Kuwait is highly significant and is expected to elevate bilateral relations to unprecedented heights, according to India's Ambassador to Kuwait, Adarsh Swaika. "The visit of the honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi is very significant, particularly in the context of three important facts. Firstly, that this visit is taking place to Kuwait after a long gap of 43 years. Secondly, this is the only country in the Gulf region that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had not visited so far. And thirdly, that between the two sides, also, if you see, this is the first high-level visit in the last one decade. Last, I think the last Prime Minister of Kuwait had visited India in 2013 so this makes the visit very special," Swaika told ANI. PM Modi is scheduled to visit Kuwait on December 21-22, at the invitation of Kuwait Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, according to a release by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). During the visit, PM Modi will meet with the leadership of Kuwait and interact with the large and vibrant Indian community in Kuwait. Swaika emphasized that the visit carries strong symbolic value and will likely yield substantial outcomes. "I think it will be higher in symbolism. And I can also tell you for sure that the outcomes will be very concrete and will take our relations to new heights," he stated. Discussing the ties between the two nations, Swaika highlighted the importance of the Indian expatriate community in Kuwait and their contributions. "The two countries have many significant important factors which are necessary for making the relationship important. Firstly, we are the largest expatriate community in Kuwait, this also means that a large amount of remittances are sent back home. In fact, the last year, figures says US dollar 6.3 billion of remittances back back home. Secondly, India is among the top trading partners of Kuwait. For us, Kuwait is the sixth largest import source of crude oil. For Kuwait, food products from India are required to meet their food security. You are seeing increase in bilateral trade in terms of our exports, the first time we touched us dollar 2 billion last year. And within that, you see a lot of Make in India products so," Adarsh Swaika explained. The ambassador also shed light on mutual investments and the alignment of economic goals with Kuwait's Vision 2035. "We are seeing some investment from Kuwaiti companies in India, including from the sovereign wealth fund Kuwait Investment Authority. Similarly, back here, lot of Indian companies are now active in execution of large scale infrastructure projects in Kuwait, and that is in line with the vision of Kuwait vision, 2035, so I think there are lot of synergies between our two sides. Politically, also, there is a very good level of understanding," Swaika said. Adarsh Swaika also noted the uptick in high-level diplomatic engagements in recent months. In the last six months, there have been active exchanges of visits. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Kuwait in August, while Kuwait's Foreign Minister visited India in December. Additionally, Prime Minister Modi met Crown Prince of Kuwait in New York in September. In a press release, MEA stated, "India and Kuwait share traditionally close and friendly relations which are rooted in history and have been underpinned by economic and strong people to people linkages. India is among the top trading partners of Kuwait. The Indian community is the largest expatriate community in Kuwait. The visit will provide an opportunity to further strengthen the multifaceted ties between India and Kuwait." (ANI)
Abu Dhabi [UAE], December 20 (ANI/WAM): The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD) hosted an international forum on "The Role of Law and the Judiciary in Protecting and Promoting Human Rights," aimed at exploring legislative mechanisms that safeguard human rights and improve societal well-being, quality of life, and happiness. Organised by the ADJD through the Abu Dhabi Judicial Academy, the two-day event focused on the judiciary's role in promoting human rights and sustainable development, while emphasising the UAE's leadership in justice, equality, and aligning legal frameworks with global best practices. The forum featured a series of sessions addressing key topics, including the UAE's legal framework, which is in line with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and related international treaties. Other sessions covered the Canadian legal experience in protecting rights, the role of family courts in promoting social justice, the ADJD's human rights initiatives, and the US public prosecution's approach to human rights. Discussions also highlighted Abu Dhabi's efforts to improve inmate rights in rehabilitation centres, aligning with global standards, and the evolving legal framework to protect workers' rights, with a focus on the Abu Dhabi Labour Court. The forum also examined the role of Abu Dhabi courts in applying international human rights conventions, the American judicial system, and the European Convention on Human Rights, along with the role of local courts in its enforcement. The forum concluded with a review of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department's contributions to enhancing human rights through its legal and administrative practices. (ANI/WAM)
Santiago [Chile], December 20 (ANI/WAM): President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has conferred the Zayed the Second Medal on Professor Maisa Rojas, Minister of Environment of Chile, in recognition of her contributions to the success of the 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), which was hosted in the UAE last year. The award ceremony was held during a reception hosted by Rojas in honour of Mohammed Saeed Al Neyadi, UAE Ambassador to Chile, at the Ministry's headquarters in the capital, Santiago. During the ceremony, Rojas expressed her appreciation to President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for this award and commended the historic UAE Consensus concluded in COP28, which became a key reference framework and a cornerstone for global climate action and sustainability. Al Neyadi, for his part, congratulated Rojas on the award and emphasised the need for encouraging greater international partnership and cooperation in the implementation of sustainability concepts on a broader scale, given the rapid changes currently observed worldwide. Furthermore, Al Neyadi commended Chile's participation in COP28, and its support of the historic UAE Consensus, which fosters coordination and collaboration to safeguard humanity and the planet. (ANI/WAM)
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Balochistan Assembly has voiced concern over the financial crisis faced by the University of Balochistan, after review of the university's accounts for the financial years 2019-21, audit paras for 2021-23, and the ongoing protest by teachers demanding their salaries, Dawn reported. While presiding over a meeting of the committee, PAC Chairman Asghar Tareen said that the University of Balochistan needs special attention and stressed that there is a need to understand and address its challenges. Committee members Fazal Qadir Mandokhail, Rehmat Saleh Baloch, Assembly Secretary Tahir Shah Kakar, University of Balochistan Vice Chancellor Zahoor Ahmed Bazai and other officials attended the meeting, according to Dawn report. During the meeting, the officials identified irregularities in financial and administrative matters of the university. The vice chancellor said that the university's endowment fund had been misused in 2016, with unqualified individuals sent abroad for pursuing education. Many of these individuals went missing after they travelled abroad. The PAC chairman said that, in previous administrations, vice chancellors used their final days in office to recruit hundreds of officers and employees, many of whom were their relatives. These people were given protection after the new vice chancellor assumed office. During the meeting, the vice chancellor said that university has to pay pension to 900 retired employees. He said an average fees of student each semester is Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 32,000, which he considered reasonable. However, the rise in student admissions to colleges due to BS programs has reduced the university's student enrollment. In addition, the vice chancellor spoke about a reduction in the financial grant from the Higher Education Commission, according to Dawn report. The committee asked the university to focus on generating its own income because it is an autonomous institution. It also ordered the recovery of PKR 22.87 million from the university for not being able to collect house rent allowance and maintenance expenses from residential employees as per the rules. The committee said that strict action should be taken regarding the distribution of 370 laptops in 2013-2014. Of these, 341 laptops were given to students while the remaining 29 were given to university officials, which violated the rules, Dawn reported. The committee ordered the recovery of the cost of these laptops from the officials, either through deductions from their salaries or pensions. The committee expressed displeasure as its decisions were not being implemented and instead were being referred to the university syndicate. (ANI)
During the meeting which was held virtually, the senior officials reviewed the progress in BIMSTEC since their last meeting in March 2023, according to Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) press release. They deliberated on various priority areas of cooperation in the region including sustainable development, connectivity, security and people to people exchanges.

In a press release, MEA stated, "Several documents with regard to Plans of Action for cooperation in specific areas , certain new mechanisms of cooperation, and cooperation with external partners were finalised. The issues with regard to the forthcoming 6th BIMSTEC Summit were also discussed."

"The Indian delegation reiterated India's steadfast commitment to BIMSTEC and its vision for a robust, vibrant, and prosperous region," it added.

Thailand's Deputy Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Paisan Rupanichkij, chaired the 24th virtual session of BIMSTEC Senior Officials meeting. Nepal's Acting Foreign Secretary Amrit Rai represented Nepal at the meeting.

In a post on X, Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday stated, "Acting Foreign Secretary @amritrai555 led a Nepali delegation to 24th virtual Session of BIMSTEC Senior Officials' Meeting chaired by HE Mr Paisan Rupanichkij, Deputy Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Thailand, today."

Earlier in September, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reiterated India's dedication to strengthening ties with BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) during a meeting of foreign ministers in New York.

He said that this commitment aligns with India's Neighbourhood First Policy, Vision SAGAR, and Act East Policy. Sharing a post on X, Jaishankar wrote, "Chaired the BIMSTEC informal Foreign Ministers' meeting in New York, in preparation for the BIMSTEC Leaders' Summit."

Jaishankar also said that the meeting focused on improving maritime and digital connectivity.

In a post on X, he stated, "Took stock of our close cooperation in health, food security, trade, investment, economy and energy. Focused on improving physical, maritime and digital connectivity across the region. Explored opportunities for capacity building, skill development and improving people-to-people ties. Development of BIMSTEC Centres of Excellence is a collective resolve. Reaffirmed India's commitment for wider engagement with BIMSTEC in line with Neighbourhood First, Vision SAGAR and Act East Policy." (ANI)
India and China 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, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a press briefing on Friday. When asked about no mention of six-point consensus reached between two nations in the press release issued by MEA while China has mentioned it, Jaiswal said that he can speak for press release issued by MEA and share details on that. On the SR level talks between India and China, he said, "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, we can speak for our press release and give you details on that. I can say that what we have said in our press release. We have reaffirmed their commitment, 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's 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 please 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," he added. The 23rd Meeting of the Special Representatives (SRs) of India and China, was held in Beijing on Wednesday, with discussions focussed on maintaining peace and tranquillity along the border. The meeting was attended by Ajit Doval, National Security Advisor (NSA) and Wang Yi, China's Foreign Minister and Member of the CPC Central Committee. Doval also invited Wang Yi to visit India at a mutually convenient date to hold the next round of SR meeting. "The 23d Meeting of the Special Representatives (SRs) of India and China, respectively Ajit Doval, National Security Advisor of India, and Wang Yi, Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, was held in Beijing on December 18, 2024," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a press release. The MEA further said that the SRs met in accordance with the decision taken during the recent meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Xi Jinping in Kazan for them to meet at an early date to oversee the management of peace and tranquillity in border areas and to explore a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution to the boundary question. The SRs also reiterated the importance of maintaining a political perspective of the overall bilateral relationship while seeking a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable framework for the settlement of the boundary question, and resolved to inject more vitality into this process. "Both SRs underlined the importance of maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas to promote the overall development of the India-China bilateral relationship. They emphasised the need to ensure peaceful conditions on the ground so that issues on the border do not hold back the normal development of bilateral relations. Drawing on the learnings from the events of 2020, they discussed various measures to maintain peace and tranquillity on the border and advance effective border management. They decided to use, coordinate and guide the relevant diplomatic and military mechanisms towards this purpose," the MEA added. During the meeting, the two officials also exchanged views on bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest and provided positive directions for cross-border cooperation and exchanges including resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, data sharing on trans-border rivers and border trade. They also agreed on the salience of stable, predictable and amicable India-China relations for regional and global peace and prosperity. Notably, this was the first meeting of the SRs since friction had emerged in the Western Sector of the India-China border areas in 2020. The SRs positively affirmed the implementation of the latest disengagement agreement of October 2024, resulting in patrolling and grazing in relevant areas. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will undertake a visit to Kuwait on 21-22 December 2024, at the invitation of the Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, where he will interact with the Indian diaspora at the community event and also visit a labour camp and also attend the opening ceremony of the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup as a special guest of the Emir of Kuwait. Adressing the Special Briefing on the Prime Minister's visit to Kuwait, Ministry of External Affairs Secretary (CPV and OIA), Arun Kumar Chatterjee gave a brief context on PM Modi's visit and highlighted the strong relationship between both nations, stating "excellent political relations between the two countries." "This marks the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Kuwait in 43 years and therefore assumes considerable significance," he said. "PM Modi will be accorded a ceremonial guard of honor at the Bayan Palace (Kuwait Emir's main palace), following which he will be holding separate meetings with the Emir of Kuwait and the crown prince of Kuwait Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah. There will be delegation-level talks with the prime minister of Kuwait thereafter," he added. During these bilateral discussions, PM Modi will review with the leadership of Kuwait, the entire spectrum of our bilateral relations, including an area such as the political, trade, investment, energy, culture, and people-to-people ties, and the steps that both sides need to take to further enhance them. The Crown Prince will be hosting a banquet in honor of the honourable prime minister. This historic visit by the prime minister is expected to open a new chapter in India and create bilateral relations. It will not only consolidate the partnership in existing spheres but also unveil new avenues for future cooperation, reinforce our shared values and build a stronger and more dynamic partnership for the future. It is also expected to boost the ties between India and the Gulf Cooperation Council. Highlighting PM Modi's visit to a labour camp in Kuwait, Chatterjee stated, "The government of India attaches considerable importance to the welfare of all workers which are abroad. We have a community of around one million in Kuwait...The idea of the visit to the Labour camp is to express the amount of importance the government of India attaches to our workers who are working in a foreign country..." Notably, India and Kuwait share an age-old bond characterised by historical ties, robust economic exchanges, and vibrant cultural connections. There is excellent political relations between the two countries. PM Modi recently met the Crown Prince of Kuwait on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session in September this year. Earlier, External Affairs Minister S. Jayashankar visited Kuwait this year in August. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kuwait, Abdullah Ali Al Hayya, visited India recently on December 3-4. Both the foreign ministers had earlier met in September this year on the sidelines of the inaugural India Gulf Cooperation Council Strategic Dialogue in Riyadh. "These recent high-level engagements have been very successful and other ministerial-level exchanges have infused a fresh momentum into the bilateral relations between India and Kuwait," the MEA secretary stated. To further strengthen the institutional mechanism of cooperation, an MOU to establish a Joint Commission was signed during the recent visit of the Foreign Minister of Kuwait to India in December this year. The Commission will be headed by the Foreign Ministers of both the countries. New joint working groups in the areas of trade, investment, education, technology, agriculture, security and culture will be set up under the Commission. "India ranks among Kuwait's top trading partners with bilateral trade between the two countries at more than US dollars 10 billion during the year 2023-24," MEA said during the special briefing. "Kuwait also remains a reliable energy partner for India, both in terms of supply of crude oil and LPG. There are investments also from Kuwait in India. Kuwait is thus one of India's key partners in the Gulf region today," he added. (ANI)
Dubai [UAE], December 20 (ANI/WAM): In his capacity as the Ruler of Dubai, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister, has issued Law No. (28) of 2024 concerning the establishment of the Al Maktoum Archives. The law establishes a public institution, the Al Maktoum Archives Corporation, to oversee the new entity, which will be affiliated with The Executive Office of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The Al Maktoum Archives is dedicated to documenting and preserving the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of Dubai's rulers and the Al Maktoum family, ensuring its accessibility for future generations. It will serve as a comprehensive repository for His Highness the Ruler of Dubai, encompassing his biography, collections, and literary works, while emphasising his pivotal role in transforming Dubai into a modern global cultural and commercial hub. Additionally, the Archives will disseminate the intellectual, humanitarian, and cultural legacy of Dubai's rulers through publications and media channels, highlighting their contributions to the emirate's development and their role in founding the UAE. As the official custodian of the historical and cultural legacy of Dubai's rulers, the Corporation is tasked with formulating policies and strategies to preserve and promote this heritage. It will document oral histories, produce multimedia content, and conduct research on the lives and legacies of Dubai's rulers, the Al Maktoum family, and the emirate's historical milestones. A comprehensive digital archive will be established to safeguard these records, while national expertise in archiving and record management will be developed to ensure professional oversight. Through the publication and dissemination of works that underscore the leadership and contributions of the emirate's rulers, the Al Maktoum Archives will play a crucial role in preserving this heritage. Collaboration with local, regional, and international organisations will facilitate the exchange of expertise and raise cultural awareness about Dubai's rich historical legacy. The Archives will safeguard historical documents, including official correspondence and records related to Dubai's rulers and the Al Maktoum family, which reflect their achievements and contributions across various domains. The new law mandates that all entities in Dubai possessing such documents must register them with the Al Maktoum Archives within a year of the law's implementation, and unregistered documents will be deemed the property of the Corporation. The disposal of historical documents without prior written approval from the Corporation is strictly prohibited. This initiative ensures the preservation, protection, and accessibility of Dubai's history, providing invaluable resources for decision-makers, researchers, and future generations. (ANI/WAM)
Following the threats issued by US-based Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun against Indian Ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) emphasized India's serious approach to such security threats. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that these matters are promptly raised with the government of the United States. At the weekly MEA press briefing in New Delhi on Friday, Jaiswal said, "As in when such threats are issued, we take the threats very seriously and we raise it with the US government." He also expressed confidence in the US addressing India's security concerns. Jaiswal added, "In this case, also, we have raised it with the US government, and it is our expectation that the US government will take our security concerns seriously." Gurpatwant Singh Pannun is an India-designated terrorist who holds American and Canadian citizenship. Earlier in October, the MEA had confirmed that the individual named in the US Justice Department's indictment case in a foiled assassination plot against Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun was no longer an employee of the government of India. "The US State Department informed us that the individual in the Justice Department indictment is no longer employed by India. I confirm that he is no longer an employee of the Government of India," Jaiswal had said. The US Justice Department had claimed that an Indian government employee (named CC-1), who was not identified in the indictment filed in a federal court in Manhattan, recruited an Indian national named Nikhil Gupta to hire a hitman to carry out the assassination of Pannun, which was foiled by US authorities, according to prosecutors. According to the allegations levelled earlier, the accused Nikhil Gupta, is an associate of an employee of the Indian government and together they and others helped plot the assassination of Pannun in New York City. (ANI)
India has seen reports of "foreign interference" in the country, including those in the international media, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal also said that the issue was also discussed in both houses of Parliament. Being asked about the recent allegations by the Bharatiya Janata Party, accusing the US State Department and the "Deep State" of meddling in India's internal matters, Jaiswal said, "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." Earlier on December 5, the BJP accused the "Deep State" of having a clear objective to destabilise India by targeting PM Modi. Sharing a picture on X, BJP alleged that the US government has been giving funding to OCCRP, instructing organisations to provide material aimed at damaging India's image. It said that Congress then used the material to launch attacks on PM Modi. "The Deep State had a clear objective to destabilise India by targeting Prime Minister Modi. To achieve this, they turned to OCCRP, instructing the organisation to provide material aimed at damaging PM Modi's and India's image. Congress then exploited this material to launch attacks on PM Modi, propagate false narratives, and disrupt the functioning of Parliament. The U.S. Deep State was always working behind the scenes," BJP posted on X. https://x.com/BJP4India/status/1864601370411847915 On December 5, BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said that several activities have been happening to attack India's administration, economic and social system since PM Modi has taken a resolution to make India a developed country. Referring to the Mediapart (French outlet) report about the news portal Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project in Rajya Sabha, he said that this report has claimed that OCCRP has funding from foreign governments and has connections with billionaire George Soros which focuses on India also. Trivedi cited dates to say that the reports, including those on Pegasus, Hindenburg report etc always came just before the commencement of Parliament Sessions. As he referred to the US indictment concerning the Adani group case, opposition members resorted to noisy protests which later, led to the adjournment of the House. During the Rajya Sabha session, Sudhanshu Trivedi said, "There are several activities that are happening to attack on India's administration, economic and social system since PM Modi has started the resolution to make India a developed country. In this regard, a report named 'Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project' has come. French Publication has recently published its report based on its investigation on OCCRP (Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project). This report of new media report has claimed that this project has funding of foreign governments and it focuses on India also." "With foreign governments funding, it has connection with George Soros. We are not just saying on the basis of a report. From last 3 years, is it just a coincidence that whenever a session of Indian Parliament such issues arrive, whether Pegasus, Hindenburg or a documentary of BBC.... In current session, which started on November 25, but on November 20, a report of US attorney comes in reference to the business house," he added. Meanwhile, BJP MP Sambit Patra launched a scathing attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, calling him the "traitor of the highest order." Patra alleged that Gandhi is part of a "triangle" along with billionaire George Soros and news portal Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) aimed at destabilising India. Speaking at a news conference in the capital, BJP MP Sambit Patra said, "We are going to talk about this dangerous triangle which is trying to destabilise India. In this triangle, on one side it is George Soros from America, some agencies of America, another side of the triangle is a big news portal named OCCRP...the last and the most important side of the triangle is Rahul Gandhi, 'traitor of the highest order'. I am not scared to say this word...I don't have any hesitation to call LoP Lok Sabha, a traitor." Patra accused the Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi of betraying the country, claiming that he follows the directives of the OCCRP. "OCCRP is a global media agency, crores of people read what they publish...Open Society Foundation is a big funder of this agency...it is George Soros's foundation...such agencies work for the interest of the people who fund them...LoP Rahul Gandhi betraying the whole country...OCCRP dictates and Rahul Gandhi follows," he added. Patra alleged Rahul Gandhi and US billionaire George Soros of sharing a common goal of destabilizing India. "If OCCRP is hurt, Rahul cries, if Rahul cries, OCCRP feels pain. These are two entities, their soul is one... whatever (George) Soros says, Rahul says the same. Soros wants bad for India, Rahul Gandhi also wants bad for India... Salil Shetty accompanied him on the Bharat Jodo Yatra that he had started. Salil Shetty is Vice President of George Soros' Open Society Foundation. In this way they are two bodies and one soul," he said. (ANI)
Abu Dhabi [UAE], December 20 (ANI/WAM): The United Arab Emirates has reiterated its unwavering commitment to fostering international solidarity and humanitarian cooperation through various programmes and initiatives worldwide. In 2024, the UAE played a pivotal role in humanitarian efforts worldwide, marked by numerous initiatives. President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan launched the Zayed Humanitarian Legacy Initiative, with AED20 billion allocated for humanitarian works in the world's most vulnerable communities. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, launched the Mothers' Endowment campaign, honouring mothers by establishing an AED1 billion endowment fund that aims to support the education and training of millions of individuals around the world. Under the UAE's strategic partnership with the G20, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, announced a USD 100 million contribution to the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty through the UAE Aid Agency. Reaching the Last Mile Initiative, a portfolio of global health programmes driven by the philanthropy of President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has announced an AED55 million commitment to the Global Institute for Disease Elimination (GLIDE). Through Operation Chivalrous Knight 3, the UAE has launched an urgent vaccination campaign in the Gaza Strip, aimed at protecting over 640,000 children from the threat of polio. Additionally, the UAE delivered humanitarian, medical, and water infrastructure aid to Gaza, benefiting over one million people in the region. In Lebanon, President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed directed a USD 100 million emergency relief package and initiated the "UAE Stands with Lebanon" campaign. The UAE also extended USD 30 million to displaced Lebanese citizens in Syria. In April, the UAE pledged USD 100 million to support humanitarian efforts in Sudan and its neighbouring countries. In Chad, new initiatives were launched, and a USD 10.25 million contribution to the United Nations aimed at supporting Sudanese refugee women affected by the ongoing crisis in the country. The UAE continued its humanitarian presence globally in terms of relief and assistance to those affected by natural disasters that occurred in many countries around the world. In this context, the UAE extended a helping hand to many countries around the world, such as Burkina Faso, Brazil, the Philippines, Ethiopia, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mauritania, Nigeria, Nepal, South Africa, Ivory Coast, and Cameroon. The UAE has committed USD 50 million to the second phase of the Lives and Livelihoods Fund 2.0 (LLF 2.0), a major multi-donor development initiative that supports the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) member countries in building sustainable pathways to lift millions out of poverty. (ANI/WAM)
India lodged a strong protest with Bangladesh over a now-deleted post by a senior Bangladeshi leader Mahfuz Alam and sternly asked "all concerned" to be mindful of their public comments. The map of Bangladesh posted by Alam, included Indian territories of Bengal, Assam and Tripura as parts of Bangladesh. Mahfuz Alam, serving as an 'Advisor' in Bangladesh's interim government, is considered a close aide to Muhammad Yunus. He is also one of the key organisers of the protests in Bangladesh that led to the ouster of Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. "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," Jaiswal said in the weekly briefing on Friday. "We would like to remind all concerned to be mindful of their public comments. While India has repeatedly signalled interest in fostering relations with the people and the interim government of Bangladesh, such comments underline the need for responsibility in public articulation," he added. Notably, Bangladesh is currently facing a tumultuous period following a student-led movement that led to the ousting of Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The movement was sparked by a series of violent incidents, including attacks on Hindus and other minorities, as well as the demolition of Hindu temples. Recently, Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus announced that Bangladesh's next general elections could be scheduled between late 2025 and the first half of 2026. Yunus made the statement during his address to the nation on Victory Day, marking Bangladesh's victory in 1971. Yunus emphasised the importance of political consensus to move forward with elections. He said, "If political consensus allows us, again, to conduct elections based on accurate electoral rolls with a few reforms, it may be possible to hold elections by the end of 2025." Yunus acknowledged, however, that additional time might be needed to implement the necessary reforms. The situation in Bangladesh began to escalate in June 2024, when students from various universities in Dhaka united to demand reforms to the country's quota system for government jobs led to the ouster of Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. After weeks of protests and violence that led to over 600 deaths. Hasina fled to India, and an interim government led by Yunus took charge. Following this, Chinmoy Krishna Das, also a former priest of ISKCON, was arrested by police from Dhaka Airport on November 25 on a charge of sedition in Bangladesh, sparking protests worldwide. Bangladesh also reported several attacks on Hindus and other minorities after Muhammad Yunus took charge of the interim government. (ANI)
A delegation of 26 Nepali diplomats and officers, representing 10 key Ministries and Departments of the Government of Nepal underwent Special training at Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service (SSIFS) in New Delhi. The delegates visited India from November 20 - 30, 2024 to partake in the "1st Special Training Programme" for Nepali diplomats and officers, the Indian Embassy said in a release on Friday. After arriving back home, the officials on Friday met the Indian Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava amid an interaction and debriefing session. "During the session, the Ambassador engaged with the participants to gather their insights on how India could assist in designing more targeted and useful courses in the future," the Indian Embassy said. The training covered a wide range of topics, including global geopolitical and geo-economic issues, economic diplomacy (trade, talent, tourism, connectivity, and development partnerships), India-Nepal relations, shared cultural heritage, Digital Public Infrastructure, and Responsible AI for all. "The training also included field visits to the Rashtrapati Bhawan, DAKSHIN - Global South Centre of Excellence, India's National Disaster Management Authority, and the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya. Cultural and touristic visits to Varanasi, Sarnath, and Ayodhya were also part of the course. At the conclusion of the programme, they had the opportunity to interact with the Foreign Secretary of India," it said. The cohort of Nepali diplomats and officers had participants from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ministry of Finance; Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies; Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs; Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration; Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation; Ministry of Urban Development; Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development; Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport; and the Department of Railways. "The first special training programme for Nepali diplomats and officers reflects a continuing commitment to strengthen institutional exchanges between India and Nepal and highlights our close bilateral relationship," the Indian Embassy highlighted. (ANI)
Dubai [UAE], December 20 (ANI/WAM): The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) has launched the National School Health Screening Guideline in partnership with health, education, and social authorities to identify health or developmental conditions among students from kindergarten to grade 12, enabling early intervention and support. The guideline aims to unify student healthcare efforts and build a reliable national database of screening results by standardising school health examinations across the country, ultimately advancing community health and enhancing the quality of life for present and future generations. Dr. Hussain Abdul Rahman Al Rand, Assistant Under-Secretary for the Public Health Sector, attended the launch event in Dubai alongside ministry officials and representatives from health, educational, and social organisations across the UAE. The National School Health Screening Guideline offers a nationwide framework for health professionals to deliver preventive health services in a standardised manner, following a unified approach and a clear timeline. Additionally, the guide features an awareness series tailored to the diverse needs of students at different age levels, aimed at enhancing their health literacy. The guide outlines the detailed steps for the early detection of health and developmental conditions in students. This includes conducting annual school health examinations, updating each student's medical history, and assessing growth indicators such as height, weight, and body mass index. It also includes vision screening and a review of vaccination status, with updates made according to the national immunisation programme. Additionally, the guideline features specialised examinations, including comprehensive physical assessments, scoliosis detection, hearing screening, dental health checks, psychological and behavioural health evaluations, as well as the monitoring of smoking habits among students over the age of ten, to provide necessary medical advice. Dr. Al Rand emphasised that the guideline demonstrates MoHAP's commitment to implementing international best practices in school healthcare. "Leveraging advanced capabilities, the Ministry seeks to establish a national database of health screening results for public and private school students, in line with the standards of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). Our latest initiative will contribute to achieving sustainable development goals and aligns with the UAE Centennial Plan 2071, aiming to prepare future generations with optimal health and readiness and build a sustainable future." He further stated that the UAE government prioritises children and adolescents in all development policies, recognising that investing in their health is an investment in the nation's future. As part of this vision, the Ministry is leading national efforts to promote the public health of school students, ensuring access to preventive and integrated healthcare. "We are committed to constantly developing and upgrading scientific guides for school health screenings, in close collaboration with all strategic partners nationwide." For her part, Dr. Suad Al Awar, Head of the Family Health Department at the Ministry, stressed the importance of collaborative efforts among all health, education, and social authorities across the country to prioritise the health of school students, recognising that this age group forms a critical part of childhood. She also noted national programmes, like the National Programme to Combat Obesity and the National Immunisation Programme, play a key role in supporting these efforts and ensuring the well-being of students. (ANI/WAM)
The Tibetan Youth Congress are carrying out a bike rally from the Bum-la Pass at the Indo-Tibet border in Arunachal Pradesh against the "cultural genocide" being carried out by China in Tibet. This rally started on November 22, and will span 15,000 kilometres across more than 20 states in India. Today, on the 30th day of this rally, Gonpo Dhondup, President Tibetan Youth Congress, Dharamshala highlighted the main objectives of this rally which is to "expose the atrocities committed by the Chinese Communist Regime in Tibet and to oppose its illegitimate rule, which has persisted for over six decades." "We aim to draw urgent international attention to the ongoing cultural genocide in Tibet, where China is implementing hard-line policies designed to systematically eradicate Tibetan culture and identity. These policies include the forced enrolment of Tibetan children into colonial-style boarding schools, restricting access to educational activities related to Tibetan culture, and imprisoning teachers and individuals who strive to preserve the Tibetan language," he added. Further, the Dhondup urgedThe the Indian government along with the international community to raise their voices in demanding that China put an end to this cultural genocide in Tibet. "The forced closure of Tibetan schools and monastic institutions poses a significant threat to the preservation of Tibetan culture, language, and spiritual heritage. This blatant violation of rights and freedoms serves as a stark reminder of the Chinese government's relentless efforts to suppress Tibetan identity. Therefore, we call upon the Indian government, along with the international community and non-governmental organizations, to raise their voices in demanding that China put an end to this cultural genocide in Tibet," he said. "For thousands of years, Tibet existed as an independent country, maintaining harmonious relationships with its neighbours through cultural and civilizational exchanges. However, following the unfortunate occupation of Tibet by the People's Republic of China in 1959, the historically peaceful Indo-Tibet border was shattered. Driven by its expansionist policies, the Chinese Communist Regime has instigated infiltration into Indian territory, posing a direct threat to India's border security and sovereignty. We call on the Indian government to adopt a resolution that supports the historical independent status of Tibet and recognizes the historical Indo-Tibet border," he added. Notably, through this bike rally, we will be visiting Tibetan winter markets across India to promote awareness about the ongoing cultural genocide perpetrated by the Chinese Communist Regime in Tibet, as well as to emphasize the importance of unity against China. Tibetan Youth Congress President also called upon the international community to exert pressure on China to cease its unlawful and ongoing actions aimed at erasing Tibetan culture and to respect the rights of the Tibetan people to preserve the cultural heritage. He also thanked the Indian government for their solidarity and advocated for the Indian government to adopt a resolution supporting the historical independent status of Tibet to ensure long-term security for India. (ANI)
Amid growing calls for resignation, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to announce a cabinet reshuffle on Friday, introducing eight new ministers and altering the roles of four others, according to a report by CBC News. The new ministers joining cabinet include Rachel Bendayan, Minister of Official Languages and Associate Minister of Public Safety; Elisabeth Briere, Minister of National Revenue; Terry Duguid, Minister of Sport and Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada; Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities; Darren Fisher, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence; David McGuinty, Minister of Public Safety; Ruby Sahota, Minister of Democratic Institutions and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario; and Joanne Thompson, Minister of Seniors of Canada. The current ministers who will be changing portfolios include -- Anita Anand remains minister of transport, but adds the internal trade portfolio; Gary Anandasangaree remains minister of Crown-Indigenous relations and northern affairs, and becomes minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency; Steven MacKinnon becomes minister of employment, workforce development and labour; and Ginette Petitpas Taylor becomes president of Treasury Board, CBC News reported. Notably, the cabinet reshuffle follows the resignation of Chrystia Freeland, the Former Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister. Earlier on December 16, hours before the statement on Canada's economy, Freeland announced her resignation from the Cabinet. In the letter addressed to PM Trudeau, Freeland wrote, "It has been the honour of my life to serve in government, working for Canada and Canadians. We have accomplished a lot together. On Friday, you told me you no longer want me to serve as your Finance Minister and offered me another position in the Cabinet." "Upon reflection, I have concluded that the only honest and viable path is for me to resign from the Cabinet. To be effective, a Minister must speak on behalf of the Prime Minister and with his full confidence. In making your decision, you made clear that I no longer credibly enjoy that confidence and possess the authority that comes with it. For the past number of weeks, you and I have found ourselves at odds about the best path forward for Canada," the letter added. Meanwhile, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh on Friday said that his party will vote to bring the government of Trudeau down and will put forward a clear motion of non-confidence in the next sitting of the House of Commons. Sharing a post on X, Singh wrote, "Justin Trudeau failed in the biggest job a Prime Minister has: to work for people, not the powerful. The NDP will vote to bring this government down, and give Canadians a chance to vote for a government who will work for them." https://x.com/theJagmeetSingh/status/1870137427492544549 In a statement posted on X, Singh said, "The Canadian dream is a good job that gets you a home and a fridge full of groceries with enough left over to save for vacations. A country where healthcare is always there as soon as you need it. I believe every Canadian deserves that." "The Trudeau Liberals said a lot of the right things. Then they let people down again and again. Justin Trudeau failed in the biggest job a Prime Minister has: to work for people, not the powerful. To focus on Canadians, not themselves. The Liberals don't deserve another chance. That's why the NDP will vote to bring this government down, and give Canadians a chance to vote for a government who will work for them. No matter who is leading the Liberal Party, this government's time is up. We will put forward a clear motion of non-confidence in the next sitting of the House of Commons," the statement added. Stepping up his criticism, Singh added, "I called for Justin Trudeau to resign, and he should. He can't fix health care. He can't build homes you can afford. He can't lower your bills. I have always fought for people..." He added, "Canadians can come together and build a country where we take better care of each other. A country where we create good jobs. Stand up to the threats of Trump's tariffs. And where everyone has a chance to succeed. I will be working hard to build a movement that can win in the next election. Join me in this fight." Earlier in September, the federal New Democrats withdrew their support from the supply-and-confidence agreement with the Liberal government. (ANI)
Malaysia's government has agreed in principle to restart the search for the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, over a decade after its mysterious disappearance in 2014, Al Jazeera reported. Transport Minister Anthony Loke, made the announcement on Friday, stating that the proposal for a new search in the southern Indian Ocean was submitted by the US-based exploration firm Ocean Infinity, which had previously led the last search effort in 2018. While speaking with the reporters, Loke said, "The proposal for a search operation by Ocean Infinity is a solid one and deserves to be considered. Our responsibility and obligation and commitment is to the next of kin. We hope this time will be positive, that the wreckage will be found and give closure to the families." Notably, Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014, when it went missing over the South China Sea, as per the news report. To date, the plane and the 239 people, which included 227 passengers and 12 crew have not been found despite a multinational search effort that lasted years, as reported by Al Jazeera. Underwater searches were carried out for the flight in the Indian Ocean that covered 120,000 square kilometres and cost about 200 million Australian Dollars. The underwater searches were subsequently suspended indefinitely in January 2017. However, Malaysia accepted a "no-cure, no-fee" offer from US exploration firm Ocean Infinity in 2018. The three-month search effort covered 1,12,000 sq km north of the original target area. However, no discovery was made during the search. The search was called off in May 2018. An official 495-page report in July 2018 stated that MH370 was deliberately taken off course by a person or persons unknown, MalayMail had reported. It has been recorded as the most expensive search operation in aviation history. (ANI)
The Pakistan government is set to form a committee for negotiations with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), with the committee members expected to be announced over the weekend, according to Adviser to the Prime Minister on Law and Justice, Barrister Aqeel Malik, Dawn reported. The development comes in response to the growing political tensions between the ruling government and PTI, particularly after the latter's demands for the release of political prisoners and the creation of a judicial commission to probe events of May 9, 2023, and November 26, 2023. Imran Khan, PTI's founder and former Prime Minister, had previously warned of launching a civil disobedience movement if his demands were not met by December 14. Earlier this month, Imran Khan outlined his demands for political change, which included the release of those facing trial and the formation of a judicial commission. He also announced the creation of a five-member negotiation team comprising prominent PTI members, including National Assembly Opposition Leader Omar Ayub Khan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur. PTI's team further included Sunni Ittehad Council Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza, PTI Secretary-General Salman Akram Raja, and PTI MNA Asad Qaiser. National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq had offered to facilitate the negotiation process, stating, "My office and residence are open 24 hours." Speaking on Dawn News TV's 'Doosra Rukh', Barrister Aqeel Malik confirmed the government's preparations for a negotiation team of its own. "We were waiting for the prime minister to return from the D-8 summit," he explained. "We are preparing our own committee and are going to seek input from our allies so that they are reflected [in the decision making]. I expect this committee to be formed either tomorrow or by the end of this week." While Aqeel did not reveal the names of potential members, he assured that the committee would comprise "senior government leaders" and "senior government allies." Furthermore, he emphasised that National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq's office would be a suitable location for both teams to meet, adding that it would "be beneficial for the committees to meet at the speaker's chamber to establish the terms and the agenda." The prospect of a civil disobedience movement by PTI looms large. Barrister Aqeel responded to PTI's threat, saying that the party "cannot coerce the government on one hand while inviting them to negotiate with the other." He further noted, "If you want to negotiate, then it must be all-encompassing." The government's stance remains that negotiation can only occur on equal terms and without the use of coercive tactics, reported Dawn. Additionally, there are concerns over the government's relationship with its coalition partner, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). In response to rumours of growing tension, Barrister Aqeel stated that there were no significant issues between the two parties. "The PPP aren't angry with us and we are engaging them," he clarified, adding that Finance Minister Ishaq Dar is leading a committee to address PPP's concerns. The committee has already submitted an initial report and will meet with the PPP on December 24 to continue discussions. Meanwhile, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari chaired a meeting at Bilawal House in Karachi to discuss the broader political landscape and their ongoing negotiations with the government. On the topic of political dialogue, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political and Public Affairs Rana Sanaullah spoke on Geo News' 'Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada ke Saath.' He emphasised that the government had the support of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the establishment, both of which have consistently backed the idea of resolving political issues through dialogue. "The PML-N is in favour of resolving political issues through dialogue," he said. Regarding PTI's negotiating stance, Sanaullah expressed that while talks were always welcome, there was no guarantee of agreement. "If they (the PTI) have made a committee, and the speaker is willing to facilitate, then we can talk about anything, but there is no guarantee we will agree to anything -- we have our own stance, as do they." Sanaullah also commented on the potential impact of the ongoing legal case against Imran Khan. While the PTI leader faces charges related to the GBP 190 million case, Sanaullah maintained that the case should not interfere with political discussions. "It is not in our hands, it's with the courts," he remarked, adding, "It should not affect the talks -- it is an entirely separate matter. Political dialogue should happen." PTI's Information Secretary Sheikh Waqqas Akram addressed the matter of the negotiation process, noting that once the concerned parties form their respective committees, "we can show this to Imran Khan and he can make a decision." However, Akram also dismissed the idea that the PTI had failed to initiate talks, countering claims that the party was not serious about negotiation. "Most of our representatives have not said anything of that sort, I've been observing this matter closely," Akram stated, pointing out that the media had misinterpreted the PTI's position, Dawn reported. Akram further clarified the distinction between general engagement and formal political dialogue. "Engagement happens all the time," he said. "It is how we secured the Sangjiani venue for our rally. But this is not the same as political dialogue. Our demands will not be fulfilled this way." PTI's call for meaningful dialogue hinges on addressing their specific demands, including the release of political prisoners and the establishment of an impartial judicial commission. (ANI)
The ongoing siege and hostilities in El Fasher, the capital of Sudan's North Darfur State, have left at least 782 civilians dead and more than 1,143 injured, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said in a report published on Friday. The report further said that thousands of civilians are besieged, without guarantees of safe passage out of the city, and at risk of death or injury from indiscriminate attacks by all parties to the conflict. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk in a statement said that the "alarming situation" in the region "cannot continue" and that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) must end the "horrible siege." Turk said, "The continuing siege of El Fasher and the relentless fighting are devastating lives everyday on a massive scale. This alarming situation cannot continue. The RSF must end this horrible siege. And I urge all parties to the conflict to stop attacks on civilians and civilian objects. I call on them to comply with their obligations and commitments under international law." Notably, for seven months since the siege began, El Fasher has been turned into a battleground between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), backed by its allied Joint Forces - comprised of the Sudan Liberation Movement/Minni Minawi, the Justice and Equality Movement/Jibril Ibrahim, and other smaller armed groups. The report finds that the parties have used explosive weapons in populated areas in a manner raising serious concerns regarding respect for the principle of precaution, and the prohibition of indiscriminate attacks. The report, based on interviews conducted in October and November with 52 people who managed to flee El Fasher, and corroborated by multiple independent sources, says there has been regular and intense shelling by the RSF of densely populated residential areas, recurrent airstrikes by the SAF, and artillery shelling by both the SAF and its allied Joint Forces. It warns that attacks on civilians and civilian objects may amount to war crimes. According to the report, during a major escalation in fighting in June, parties engaged in heavy exchanges of fire in civilian areas killing dozens of civilians. They also used homes for military purposes and attacked and looted markets. "Victims died inside their houses, in markets, in the vicinity of hospitals and in the streets," says the report. In one neighbourhood, Al-Thawra Janoub, it says, "residents were unable to collect the bodies of those who died in the streets for days, due to the continuous shelling and heavy exchanges of fire." Al-Saudi Maternity Hospital, currently the only remaining public hospital in El Fasher capable of providing surgical operations and sexual and reproductive health services, has been shelled repeatedly by the RSF, says the report. The report also documents repeated RSF attacks on camps hosting internally displaced people, in particular Zamzam and Abu Shouk. Zamzam IDP camp, located about 15 kilometres south of El Fasher town and currently home to hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people, has seen an increased presence of the SAF-allied Joint Forces and has been shelled six times by the RSF, reportedly leaving at least 15 displaced people dead. This, coupled with reports of increased mobilisation of fighters by the parties to the conflict along tribal lines across Darfur, indicates preparations for further hostilities may be underway. "Any large-scale attack on Zamzam camp and El Fasher city will catapult civilian suffering to catastrophic levels, deepening the already dire humanitarian situation, including famine conditions," said Turk. "All efforts must be taken, including by the international community, to prevent such an attack and to halt the siege," he added. The UN Human Rights Chief also called on all parties to the conflict to embrace mediation efforts in good faith, with a view to the immediate cessation of hostilities. (ANI)
PANAMA CITY  The Bay Arts Alliance is slated to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Panama City Center for the Arts building.

The old Bay County Jail is now home to the Panama City Center for the Arts. Photographed Tuesday, October 5, 2021.

The Panama City Center for the Arts is housed in Panama City's historic city hall building, which was constructed in 1925. The structure sits on East Fourth Street between Harrison Avenue and Luverne Avenue downtown.

The arts alliance, who manages the building, plans to host a series of events, exhibits, and activities celebrating the rich history of the building.

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Ive had the privilege of witnessing the Panama City Center for the Arts serve as a beacon of creativity, connection, and culture for our community for many years, said Jayson Kretzer, executive director of the Bay Arts Alliance. This iconic building holds a special place in our history, and as it celebrates its centennial, it is both an honor and a joy to be partnered with the City of Panama City to ensure its legacy thrives for generations to come.

The festivities are slated to begin on Friday, Jan. 17, with immersive exhibits showcasing the history of the building. The release from the arts alliance says the exhibits will highlight the building's role in the citys history, architectural evolution, and key moments from the past century. They plan to have multimedia displays, archival photos, and interactive experiences.

A 1925 photo of Panama City, Florida's City Hall under construction. Photo from the Dewey Smith collection. Photograph courtesy of the Bay County Public Library, Local History Department

Beverly Nield, a local author who wrote "Haunted Panama City," will do a book signing on Jan. 25 to highlight ghostly tales of local buildings, such as the center for the arts.

The alliance will also offer commemorative, limited-edition 100th-anniversary merchandise such as stickers, pins, and apparel.

It's a big milestone not just for the arts, but for the city, said Kelsi McLendon, operations manager of the Center for the Arts. We wanted to highlight the historical roots and growth of Downtown Panama City in tandem with our arts community. Thinking about our local foundations and where we were creatively back in 1925 has been very interesting to us, so we're hoping it is for others and we get to share that excitement with them.

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Their celebration will end on Feb. 5, when they'll pack up the exhibits. The center for the arts is open on Tuesday through Saturday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. with Fridays open until 7 p.m.

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Bay Arts Alliance celebrating 100th birthday of downtown building
A sense of optimism and opportunity filled the air as a group of residents of this southern Black Hills city gathered recently to forge a new potential path forward for their community.

The roughly two dozen people brought a wide variety of backgrounds: city council member, hospital administrator, school superintendent, landlord, artist.

Despite their inherent differences, they all shared one critical similarity: They were and remain committed to finding ways to make life better now and into the future in their beloved hometown of Hot Springs.

Watertown inspires Hot Springs in ways to grow.

Challenges were quickly identified.

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Housing availability and affordability. A lack of workers. A need for higher-wage jobs. Indecisiveness in how to move forward.

And then the ideas spilled forth, fast and diverse, both big picture and pinpoint.

Can public-private partnerships attract employers and development of new housing stock? Could Hot Springs repurpose its aging Veterans Affairs hospital into a university satellite campus? Would improved marketing of natural assets drive tourism, especially among young people? Could an enhanced riverwalk use exercise stations or a series of murals to lure more people downtown?

As suggestions flowed freely, no voice went unheard, and contrasting views were celebrated rather than diminished.

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That approach is a key component of a new community betterment pilot program called Engage South Dakota, which is being administered jointly by South Dakota News Watch and the Chiesman Center for Democracy at the University of South Dakota.

Engage South Dakota uses community input, a citywide survey and meetings like the one held at The Space in Hot Springs in October to identify challenges and bring forward potentially replicable solutions. Findings will appear in a final report (available at the end of this story) and in news articles.

The ultimate goal is to inform the community and its leaders on public opinion, identify local challenges, and bring forth potential solutions that can spread to other towns dealing with some of the same issues.

A first step in strategic planning

Engage South Dakota adds a statewide storytelling element to a successful model of community-based strategic planning used in numerous other places, including across the state in Watertown.

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In 2012, Watertown used responses to a community survey and other sources of resident input to drive a decade-long planning process that resulted in the development of a wellness center and ice arena and renovation of the local opera house. The city recently embarked on a second community planning effort using many of those same concepts with expectations of further growth based on the needs and wants of local residents.

The strength of those efforts, and of those intended by Engage South Dakota, is to obtain substantial resident input to guide decisions and actions of local elected and appointed officials, said Julia Hellwege, director of the Chiesman center and a co-leader of the Engage South Dakota program.

"This is a set of bottom-up recommendations, a clear idea of what the community members themselves recommend," she said.

In Hot Springs, more than 300 of the city's 3,600 residents completed the in-depth survey, which Hellwege said created "highly reliable survey data." Based on the surveys and input from the October community meeting, Hellwege's team generated a 43-page final report summarizing the findings and making recommendations for possible action.

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Hellwege said the hope is that Hot Springs residents will use the report as a "lobbying document" to encourage city leaders to take the next step of engaging in a more formal strategic planning process.

"It's one step toward the real strategic planning that is necessary," she said. "This is a document that interested and invested community leaders can use to invest in a broader, more comprehensive plan because that's what helps a community move forward, having a singular voice and knowing what the focus, priorities and goals should be."

Encouraging community conversations

Carson Walker, CEO of News Watch and co-leader of Engage South Dakota, said the strong survey response rate and vibrant conversation at the community meeting show there is a desire and a need for greater resident input in the evolution of cities across the state.

"The information from the survey and the in-person meeting was phenomenal and really shows the value of dialogue," Walker said.

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The hope is that the positive reaction from residents and officials in Hot Springs will form the basis for expansion of Engage South Dakota planning efforts in other cities.

"The goal of this is to go to different places and address different topics, but then tie all the pieces together to address issues but also raise up potential solutions," he said.

Walker said he also sees Engage South Dakota as a way to "equalize" the planning opportunities between urban areas that have the population and spending power to do extensive, formalized planning and within smaller, more rural communities that often do not have the resources to engage in long-range planning. Many small, rural communities in South Dakota are suffering from ongoing losses of population and economic activity, he said.

"What we're doing is creating a blueprint for small communities to do this themselves," he said. "A lot of communities in South Dakota are coming to grips with the fact that they're 10 years away from vacant homes and other problems that come with losing population."

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The role of News Watch in the process, Walker said, is to help facilitate community input and get important conversations started in communities that want to grow and prosper. But moreover, News Watch can then bring those important stories and potentially replicable solutions to a statewide audience as a way to propagate similar planning efforts in other cities and towns.

"We're really on the front edge of something that can jumpstart this process for the 300 communities across South Dakota," he said.

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Watertown preparing a new strategic plan

On Nov. 14, some good news arrived for those in Watertown who are trying to alleviate the city's substantial shortage of day care spots that are needed to allow more parents to work.

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The Governor's Office of Economic Development announced that it was providing a $500,000 South Dakota Works Loan to the Mother of God Monastery in Watertown, where an effort is afoot to convert a building on the monastery campus into a day care center that could house up to 225 children.

In response to a local needs assessment, city and school officials in Watertown are also working together to convert shuttered elementary schools into day care centers.

Watertown leaders expect their next community survey report will be released soon, providing the next step in their ongoing planning journey.

Walker said sharing those solutions to the child care problem with a statewide audience will hopefully prompt similar ideas elsewhere.

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Hot Springs survey reveals community needs

The online survey completed by Hot Springs residents revealed that the city faces many of the same major issues as other South Dakota cities, notably challenges in housing and workforce.

A majority of respondents listed housing (70%), business development (55%), workforce development (54%) and the labor shortage (52%) as major concerns.

Responses showed that residents feel they have the ability to make a difference in their community, but they are less certain of how decisions are made and are somewhat dissatisfied with the performance of local government.

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Residents feel safe in their community and are happy with law enforcement, the survey showed.

But the survey also showed that some residents believe opportunities for greater growth and development are being missed, and concerns arose over the city's positioning for long-term economic stability.

"Community leaders and regular citizens both understand the gravity of the home shortage, price and property tax issues, and largely understand why these issues have occurred. Creating affordable child care opportunities, ensuring the VA hospital remains operational, and capitalizing on the natural beauty of the area and the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally were other major discussion points," the survey noted.

Andrea Powers, executive director of the Southern Hills Development Corp., said she was pleased to see the generally positive attitude in the survey responses and is optimistic that the community can use the process to bring forth positive change.

"There was an overall perception that our community has the capacity for economic growth and an increased quality of life without sacrificing the elegant Victorian character our town is renowned for," she said.

Powers, whose organization has helped support the Engage South Dakota pilot program in Hot Springs, said the residents appear to support "metered growth," in which future development occurs but does not change the overall sense of place, natural offerings and positive attitude now present in the community.

"In a rural community, people know and care for one another, pitch in where help is needed and hold a deep respect for the natural world, and these are all values the community wants to retain," Powers said. "Sometimes that creates hesitancy about growth, but the overall consensus is that we can have positive change and retain our character if it's done strategically."

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Community discussion mirrors survey results

About 25 residents showed up to the two-hour community discussion held at The Space in downtown Hot Springs, and a lively, communal vibe permeated the discussion.

Kyley Cumbow, superintendent of schools, moved to the area this summer to begin work in the fall semester. While planning her move from Pierre, Cumbow said she checked the website Zillow daily starting in April to see if any suitable housing was available in Hot Springs but with limited success. I was in tears several times, she said.

Cumbow, whose husband still works and lives in Pierre, said she considered buying a camper to live in until she found a house in Hot Springs. She said she bought a fixer-upper on the culmination of a dead-end street and started by remodeling a bathroom but has a long way to go in making the house more livable.

Attendees said one reason people might leave Hot Springs is because taxes and the cost of living are relatively high, while wages remain low.

Some brought up the challenges of having a population that is much older than the state median age and that there is a lack of racial, ethnic and age diversity in the local population. At the same time, some survey respondents said Hot Springs should embrace its role as a retirement community and make life better for senior citizen residents.

Resident Carl Hall said Hot Springs growth is held back by the lack of housing, especially affordable housing, and generally low wages. People need to be able to make a living wage, he said.

Hall added that the lack of housing opportunities puts potential homebuyers or renters at the mercy of property owners who sometimes have a strict screening process.

You used to be able to quickly rent an apartment with cash and a handshake, he said. Now, its credit checks, background checks, questions about how much you make, and everything is done through contracts.

City council member Debra Johnson said some people, including elderly residents, can no longer afford to live in Hot Springs.

People are being priced out of their homes, she said. We dont want the locals being pushed out of their homes and only the tourists or rich people being able to afford to live here.

The city also has not done enough marketing of its assets, and the city for years was left off tourism maps that market the Black Hills to tourists, Johnson said.

Val Crawford, a property owner and landlord, said rents she charges have doubled in the past 20 years.

The city needs an influx of young people, and their spending power, so the city doesnt eventually become a dead building, people-waiting-to-die kind of place, she said.

One resident said the city also needs a long-term plan with specific goals in order to grow in a sensible way and that community beautification efforts need to continue.

Jesse Naze, financial officer for Fall River Health Services, said the city should have more young people and a more diverse population to appeal to potential new residents and workers.

Naze said he has noticed a lower number of children engaging in sports, which he attributed to a lower birth rate exacerbated by an aging population.

The housing shortage and high costs of housing are holding back growth in the city, he said. Naze said the hospital has lost several prospective medical workers because they couldn't find or afford suitable housing. He said he has also seen the number of hospital workers who commute from Rapid City rising in recent years.

Naze said Hot Springs has a committed group of people engaged in civic affairs but that it does seem like the same people volunteering all the time.

Potential solutions

Longtime resident Kelly Cape said that while the city has a significant number of income-subsidized houses and apartments, he hopes that more higher-end, market-priced housing units can be built to attract new residents and workers.

Cape also hoped the city could attract or target for relocation a wider range of employers, both large and small. He noted how Ellendale, north of Aberdeen, was able to land a new cyber-security firm that is expected to create between 50 and 100 new jobs.

This story was produced by South Dakota News Watch, an independent, nonprofit news organization. Read more in-depth stories at sdnewswatch.org and sign up for an email every few days to get stories as soon as they're published. Contact Bart Pfankuch at bart.pfankuch@sdnewswatch.org.

This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Engage South Dakota: Resident-driven ideas at heart of pilot program
PANAMA CITY  The Pre-Law Club at Florida State University Panama City will host the president-elect of the Florida State Bar, Rosalyn Sia Baker-Barnes, in January.

Baker-Barnes is the first Black woman to be elected president of the Florida Bar, which dates to 1889.

According to an FSU-PC news release, the Florida Bar is the organization for all lawyers licensed by the Florida Supreme Court to practice law in the state, comprising more than 113,000 members.

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Baker-Barnes serves as a charter board member of the FSU College of Laws Black Alumni Network, where she chairs its Racial Justice Advocacy Committee. She also serves as the Florida Bar Board of Governors liaison.

Baker-Barnes received her law degree from the FSU College of Law, where she earned the Virgil Hawkins Fellowship award, a full scholarship for academic success.

Baker-Barnes was inducted into the Order of the Barristers for her excellence in advocacy. She argued in front of the Florida Supreme Court as a first-year law student.

In a career spanning more than 20 years, Baker-Barnes has pursued justice for victims in personal injury, medical negligence and product liability cases, the release said. Among her numerous multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements was a landmark $20 million compensatory and punitive damages verdict against tobacco giant RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co., which was affirmed by the Florida Supreme Court and reached the U.S. Supreme Court.

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Baker-Barnes will speak at the Holly Academic Centers St. Joe Community Lecture Hall from 5 to 6 p.m. on Jan. 13. The event is free and open to the public.

The Pre-Law Club at FSU Panama City focuses on introducing students to opportunities in the legal profession, the release said. Club members include students from a variety of majors, interests and backgrounds curious to explore the field of law.

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: 1st Black woman elected to lead Florida Bar to speak in Panama City
Rhode Island Housing Secretary Deborah Goddard sits before the 17-members of the Special Legislative Commission to Study Housing Affordability on Dec. 12, 2024. Th hearing was her first public appearance since starting the job 10 days earlier (Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current)

She took over as housing secretary on Dec. 2, but Deborah Goddard must still be confirmed by the Rhode Island Senate, which wont reconvene until Jan. 7, 2025. The veteran housing administrator is spending her first month on the job examining the housing landscape in the smallest state and assessing the many challenges of responding to its lack of affordable homes and rising number of unhoused people. Goddard previously oversaw public housing projects in Massachusetts and New York City. She also has previous experience in Rhode Island, serving as a consultant to the Department of Housing under the states first housing secretary, Joshua Saal, who resigned in January 2023 after about a year on the job. Goddard is now the fourth leader in three years to take the reins of the department created in June 2022, succeeding interim director Daniel Connors who replaced Stefan Pryor in July. Goddard oversees a $36 million state budget and a team that will number 38 people once fully staffed.

How have you been adjusting in the short time since you started?

Well, I love it  it feels good. I feel good leading the department. I feel good supporting the department. I think I can move things forward. That tends to be my MO. Im also transparent. So if theres an issue, Im going to be straightforward about it.

With your background in Massachusetts and New York, what appealed to you about taking the job in Rhode Island?

I originally came under Josh Saal. He wanted someone that had deeper housing experience. I enjoyed working with him. I was winding down. Frankly, the department was hiring up, and when this opportunity came, why would I say no? I want the department to succeed. I know there are people there that are working hard, and I have a sort of clarity and insight because I had been working there for a little while. Honestly, its my passion.

Your tenure from 2016 to 2019 at the New York City Housing Authority saw controversy over elevated levels of mold and lead found inside homes. Care to address that?

All housing authorities have issues, yeah. I do want to be straightforward: The investigations, the mold, the lead paint, were not in my division  they were in operations. I actually worked very closely with the special master on the mold litigation. I was his eyes and ears  trusted eyes and ears inside the department. Thats not to say that the capital division didnt face issues. I reorganized, I dealt with some personnel, and put some stuff on the fast track.

How will you move forward with the $10 million carveout from the housing bond voters approved in November that could seed a public developer of housing?

Yeah, thats the phrase where I keep saying, What do we mean by it? We could mean public housing development. We could mean the Maryland, Montgomery County version. So we all need to come and take a look at that. Montgomery County development economics are not the same as Rhode Island. The Montgomery County model  theyre very straightforward. They cannot serve very low-income households in the model that they have. So I want to move strategically and thoughtfully to make sure that we dont have unintended consequences, that were clear about who were serving, what we can serve. So again, open to all thoughts.

So what does being a public developer look like to you?

I am not clear on the value of the public entity taking on development risk, construction risk in the housing field. If I can be convinced that the public developer model, whatever that is, adds value, is able to expedite things, I absolutely want to pursue it. I want to support public housing authorities. Ive said that this is one of my cautions  the federal government abandoned public housing authorities virtually decades ago. I dont want to replicate that situation. But we have public developers. So is that a platform that we should think about using rather than creating something brand new?

Another important issue in Rhode Island has been construction of affordable homes. And some towns dont want to get on board with the states plan. As housing secretary, how would you try to get these towns to actually address this crisis?

So first of all, its not new, right? This is actually how I got into this. I was in high school in my local small town in Massachusetts when my parents started working to support mixed-income housing. The first development, and the antipathy, was a huge lesson, and thats what set me on the path. That was the 70s.

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So, if we say affordable, what do we mean by that? If we say AMI (area median income), what do we mean by that? Can we give examples? Some of the fastest growing professions are licensed practical nurses, day care providers  lets talk about what they make. And if you put it in that sort of affordability language  theyre very low down on the scale  but theyre not what people think about. So we have to help provide basic English examples that help get people over their assumptions about who needs affordable housing.

There are also the concerns that affordable multi-family housing developments may not fit the character of a community, right?

I think design can be an extremely effective facilitating option. In Massachusetts, we created a design manual that municipalities can use and think about. So, for instance, a lot of people think of the massing of a rental development as being sort of a box, a big box. You go to some neighborhoods, that big box, as long as it looks nice from the outside, is no bigger than the single family next to it.

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Or what if youve got topography? So on the front, youre two or three stories from the street, and in the back, taking advantage of the topography, youre six stories you dont see from the street.

I know there are some folks who object to housing for reasons that are not at all acceptable, I probably cant change that. I can address the folks who really are concerned about traffic or dont know what the design is going to look like. So you kind of inch your way forward.

You certainly have a lot on your plate, the most visible project being ECHO Village, the pallet shelter community on Victor Street in Providence. You recently testified before a legislative commission that heard about delays with the installation of fire suppression equipment because of gaps in how to classify pallet shelters in the state fire code. If you had been housing secretary when this was getting proposed, would you have supported this initiative?

I cant put myself back there. I think I would have asked questions. I think the fire marshal was in a difficult place. I really do. I dont think there was a simple answer on this one. Some of the other states  Vermont  it was a quirk of circumstance. They were considered ADUs to a community center that was on the site already. I think it was Wisconsin that declared them a campground. Im not sure that would have been the life safety provisions that would have been OK, but its brand new to everyone.

Many of the nonprofits in the state have complained about the way contracts are doled out. Is that something youd be looking through?

There have been other factors outside our control that have delayed things in the past. Thats not how I operate, and we will have a calendar, and to the best of my ability, things will run on that calendar.

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Our finance staff are half staff. Our homeless staff are missing about a third of the positions. But also, you know, we dont always know how much money we have to give out if we cant close a year out. And when providers dont get their invoices into us on time.

So it goes both ways. Absolutely, some fault on the part of the department, not because of the people who work there. They are working really hard and care. But yeah, its certainly not easy when youre understaffed still.

This interview has been condensed and edited.

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New Hampshires housing shortage dominated candidate platforms this election season, from the battle for governor to the races for the state House. And it has been top of mind for many voters, polls indicate.

The reality is the public opinion is changing on this, and it is changing in the way of looking for more housing options, said Nick Taylor, the newly chosen director of Housing Action New Hampshire, a coalition of advocacy groups.

A December UNH Survey Center Poll shows that 77% of Manchester residents support zoning code changes to increase housing, Taylor noted. And he pointed to an additional, statewide survey by Saint Anselm College in June that showed that 75% of respondents believe more housing needs to be built in their own communities.

Lawmakers will continue work on addressing New Hampshires housing shortage. Here, a row of houses in downtown Concord on Dec. 18, 2024.

This is really important, as we look at the legislative session, to remember that the loudest voice is not the majority, Taylor said. The majority of New Hampshire residents want action on this and they need action on this.

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Now, with Republican Gov.-elect Kelly Ayotte set to take office in January and expanded Republican majorities in the House and Senate, the challenge is on to meet those expectations.

Heres what housing advocates are watching for in 2025.

Ayotte reiterates promises to reduce state approval processes

Ayotte said the voters she heard from during her campaign convinced her that the housing shortage is constraining the states growth.

This is really about our future, Ayotte said. Its about our now and its about our future.

Speaking to Elissa Margolin, the incoming director of housing programs at Saint Anselm College, Ayotte called for an all of the above housing approach, and repeated her promises to work to streamline the approvals process for housing developers from state agencies such as the Department of Environmental Services and the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

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You can get stuck in one place or the other, and you can languish there for a while, she said. And we all know that if that happens, money dries up, opportunity dries up.

Ayotte also expressed support for public-private partnerships, such as one that led to a $20 million affordable housing development in Rochester. She cited similar developments in Berlin and Swanzey that she visited as a candidate.

During her campaign, Ayotte also said she doesnt want the state to interfere with local zoning policy, a position that could put her at odds with some of the bills this year.

I believe that local voice is important in New Hampshire, so I would not want to interfere with local decision-making, Ayotte said in an Oct. 15 debate.

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But Ayotte also said she is a supporter of legislation that encourages accessory dwelling units.

Lawmakers to push for assistance for affordable housing

As lawmakers enter the 2025 budget year, Taylor highlighted legislation to boost the budget of the states affordable housing fund. That fund is run by New Hampshire Housing, a public agency, and helps to provide financial backing for new developments that include rents with specific affordability criteria.

Housing advocates will push to double the amount that goes into the affordable housing fund by increasing the contribution, Taylor said. Currently, the first $5 million collected by the states real estate transfer tax goes into the affordable housing fund; Housing Action New Hampshire will push for that to change to the first $10 million.

Advocates will also push to double the budget of the Community Development Finance Authority, which helps to fund infrastructure projects that include housing developments. That agency has a program that allows businesses to donate to designated development projects run by nonprofit organizations and receive 75 percent of that donation as a credit against their business taxes. That includes the creation of historic housing preservation tax credit.

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Currently, the authority can offer businesses up to $5 million in tax credits per year; one bill next year would increase that limit to $10 million.

This would continue that and help really amp it up, Taylor said. Theres always more requests than there are resources for it, and so lets unlock that as a continued potential.

Renewed efforts for accessory dwelling units

Ever since Gov. Maggie Hassan signed a law in 2016 that allows New Hampshire residents to create one accessory dwelling unit by right, housing advocates have said more needs to be done.

The 2016 law was intended to encourage the creation of ADUs, which often utilize existing structures on a persons property. But the law allowed cities and towns to impose a number of conditions onto the creation of ADUs, such as a high number of parking spaces, that advocates argue helps prevent homeowners from using them.

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A series of attempts to expand the ADU law in the state have fallen flat in the State House. Most recently, in May, the state Senate killed a House bill that would have expanded the number of allowable ADUs to two per property, and removed many of the restrictions that towns and cities often apply to the first ADU. Senate Republicans argued it could erode property values by preventing neighbors from objecting to over-development.

But in 2025, Taylor and other housing advocates are hoping to pass a specific type of ADU legislation: a bill allowing for detached ADUs by right.

Sponsored by Sen. Dan Innis and Rep. Joe Alexander, the bill would modify the existing accessory dwelling unit statute  which requires that towns and cities must allow for attached accessory dwelling units either by right or by special variance  to also include detached ADUs.

Communities will still have the ability to regulate certain elements of it, but lets make this process really work and start to flush out some of the pieces where were seeing roadblocks across the board, Taylor said.

Soil-based lot sizing

Many New Hampshire towns employ minimum size lots requirements, and tie those minimums to concerns about water and sewer access.

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But housing advocates say the minimum acreage can be arbitrary, and not rooted in what the property could actually support. By setting a minimum lot size for all single-family homes that is unnecessarily large, towns can discourage development of small parcel homes, ideal for starter homes, say advocates.

Enter soil-based lot sizing. Proposed legislation for next year would require towns and cities to use assessments by the Department of Environmental Services to determine the minimum sizes for properties based on water and sewer needs. If the department deems that the property needs only a half an acre of space to sustain a single-family home, the city or town could not require a larger minimum lot size, the legislation states. The bill would not apply to all single-family homes, but it would require towns to apply DES standards to at least half of the single-family homes in its borders, allowing towns to designate denser areas closer to town and less dense areas further away.

(The legislation is) to say that if youre going to create lot size minimums, lets have it be based in science and what the soil can affect, as opposed to arbitrary measures around certain acreage, Taylor said.

This story was originally published by the New Hampshire Bulletin.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: NH's push for more housing: What advocates want government to do
The News

North Korea has suffered at least 100 casualties fighting alongside Russian troops in the Ukraine war, the US and South Korea said, pointing to the increasingly global nature of the conflict.

The announcements by Washington and Seoul came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Brussels to shore up support from European allies ahead of US President-elect Donald Trumps return to office.

The UKs defense secretary, meanwhile, is reportedly considering sending British troops to Ukraine to train Kyivs forces, according to the BBC.

SIGNALS

Dozens of nations are now embroiled in Russias war in Ukraine

Source: Politico

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So many counties are now either directly or indirectly involved in the war that even the most dogged of isolationists would have a hard time selling [it] as a regional conflict, wrote Politico in a piece headlined World War III is already underway. Both Kyiv and Moscow are increasingly framing the war in global terms: Ukraine says it is fighting for democracy, while Russia rails against the collective West. By the same token, however, Ukraines backers are accountable to public opinion at home. Americans are now evenly split on whether the US has a responsibility to help Ukraine, according to the Pew Research Center, and the idea of Ukraine ceding territory appears to have gone from being taboo to lodestar, Politico wrote.

For developing countries, ideological battles come second to the economy

Sources: Chatham House, Heinrich-Boll-Stiftung, LSE Public Policy Review

Many in the West hoped the developing world would rally behind the rules-based order, but Asia has largely rejected the conflict as a battle between might and right in favor of pragmatic non-alignment, an Asia-Pacific expert at Chatham House said. Pro-Russian narratives do have some reach in the Global South, but economic factors may be more significant, a Russia expert wrote for Heinrich-Boll-Stiftung: Countries dependent on Russia for food, grain, and fertilizers find it hard, if not impossible to shun Moscow. The immediacy of the painful economic spillover of conflict translated into a position that supported the cessation of war, even if that would play into the hands of Putin, an international relations expert argued.

Despite losses, North Korea sees much to gain

Sources: Royal United Services Institute, BBC

North Koreas involvement in the war serves its mission of reshaping the Korean Peninsula, an expert argued for the Royal United Services Institute. Russia may now be more likely to come to North Koreas aid in the event of any future conflict with South Korea and the US. North Korea also sees army deployments as a good way to earn money, the director of the Korea Risk Group told the BBC: Moscow pays Pyongyang $2,000 per soldier every month, according to South Korean intelligence estimates.
Last week's news that a cyberattack plaguing Rhode Islands public benefits portal has potentially exposed hundreds of thousands of peoples personal information to bad actors was eerily reminiscent of an attack on the Providence school system this fall.

Or last year's ransomware attack in North Kingstown.

Or last year's data breach at the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility.

The point is, these types of data breaches are becoming frighteningly frequent  or perhaps it just feels that way because so much of our sensitive information is sent and stored online nowadays.

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Take a look back at some of the worst data breaches Rhode Island has faced in the last few years.

RIBridges cyberattack on public benefits system

What was it? Rhode Island's public benefits computer system was shut down Dec. 13 after it was breached by hackers, potentially exposing the personal information of hundreds of thousands of Rhode Islanders, Gov. Dan McKee said.

When did it happen? Deloitte, the information technology vendor that built and runs the computer system known as RIBridges and UHIP, first alerted the state and police about a potential attack on Dec. 5. On Dec. 10, the attackers sent the vendor screenshots showing personal data files. McKee said the decision to shut down the system and the HealthyRhode.ri.gov website came late Friday afternoon after Deloitte discovered that dangerous malware was embedded in the RIBridges computer code.

What information is at stake? For RIBridges users, the leaked details could include Social Security numbers, date of birth, and banking information.

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What can people do? State authorities have advised people to protect their confidential information through measures like password changes and credit freezes. Also, the state launched a call center on Sunday for Rhode Islanders to receive general information about the breach and learn what steps they can take to protect their data. The toll-free hotline can be reached at 833-918-6603. After its Sunday launch, it will operate Mondays to Fridays between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.

When will it be resolved? It's unclear. A negotiator hired by RIBridges contractor Deloitte is holding ransom talks with the hackers, McKee said in a Saturday night news conference. At a press conference on Monday afternoon, officials said theres no clear timeline on when the issue will be resolved, and because its an ongoing investigation, the public isnt privy to any details about how the attack happened.

Is there a lawsuit? Deloitte Consulting LLP is facing multiple class-action lawsuits in Rhode Island and New York over the cyberattack on Rhode Islands public benefits computer system that potentially compromised the private information of hundreds of thousands of people. Potentially impacted people can sign on as plaintiffs by emailing former state Rep. Peter N. Wasylyks law office at pnwlaw@aol.com or calling 401-831-7730.

Providence school department cyberattack

What is it? Hackers may have the names, addresses and Social Security numbers of up to 12,000 current and former Providence Public School District workers.

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When did it happen? On Sept. 12, the school district said computer staff followed security protocols after detecting irregular activity the previous day and quickly isolated and contained the issue. On Sept. 16, the district provided another update that said initial findings of the review did not show evidence that district data was compromised. But on Sept. 25, Superintendent Javier Montanez announced that an anonymous group had hacked into the citys school district computer network two weeks prior.

What other information is at stake? School officials also alerted parents that some student information, such as immunization records and driver's license numbers, may have been compromised. The website The 74 reported that sensitive information had been posted on the platform Telegram that included students special-education plans and medications. It said its analysis also found that details about district investigations into alleged sexual misconduct allegations had also been compromised.

Did they demand ransom? A ransomware group named Medusa posted online that it had files from the school districts computer system and threatened to publicly release them if the district didnt pay a $1 million ransom.

What did officials do about it? Following the data breach, the district unplugged its internet network connection out of an abundance of caution. Those who were affected were offered free credit monitoring services. The district, which reported the incident to law enforcement agencies, said it continues to work with outside cybersecurity experts and has implemented specific steps to safeguard against potential unauthorized access."

Wyatt data breach

What is it? At least 1,454 detainees of the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility, 438 current and former staff members and 92 vendors have been affected by a virus in the facility's computer system.

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When was it? Wyatt discovered the breach on Nov. 2, 2023, but did not publicly announce it until December 2023.

What information was at stake? The FBI investigated the matter, and Wyatt said various types of data were taken from the facilitys systems and posted on the dark web, including certain financial information, certain detainees medical information, certain current and former staff information, and certain vendor information.

What is being done about it? Wyatt expressed regret over the breach, the result of a cyberattack, and said it quickly took steps to minimize its impact and provided free credit monitoring to eligible individuals at the facilitys expense.

Is there a lawsuit? In July 2024, Jacob Hellested, a former job applicant to the federal prison in Central Falls, sued Wyatt on behalf of himself and all similarly situated people who had their information, including Social Security numbers, financial data and private health information, extracted from its internal network and posted on the dark web. He alleged that the prison had neglected to safeguard their private information with the latest cybersecurity measures, and is also suing for breach of contract for allowing the lapse to occur, as well as unjust enrichment.

Fatima Hospital and Roger Williams Medical Center affected by cyberattack

What is it? Two Rhode Island hospitals, Roger Williams Medical Center and Our Lady of Fatima, were affected by a cyberattack on their California-based parent company in 2023.

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When was it? The ransomware attack happened Aug. 3, 2023, at Prospect Medical Holdings of Los Angeles, which has hospitals and clinics in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Texas.

What was at stake? The attack caused emergency rooms in multiple states to close and ambulance services to be redirected, the company said.

What was done about it? Otis Brown, a spokesman for CharterCARE, which owns the two Rhode Island hospitals, said in a statement to The Providence Journal that "upon learning of this, we took our systems offline to protect them and launched an investigation with the help of third-party cybersecurity specialists. While our investigation continues, we are focused on addressing the pressing needs of our patients as we work diligently to return to normal operations as quickly as possible."

North Kingstown ransomware attack

What is it? North Kingstown fell victim to a ransomware attack in April 2023 and mailed out 103,000 notices about the "security incident" in July 2023.

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What information was at stake? The notices inform recipients that their personal information  including name, address, Social Security number and driver's license number  may have been "affected" by the breach. However, there's no indication that data was "used or compromised," the letters say.

Why did so many people get a letter? It wasn't just residents who were affected. Traffic incidents, police reports, fire service, beach passes, marriage certificates, municipal court and probate court matters in North Kingstown could have been involved.

What was done about it? Anyone who received one of the letters was eligible for two years of free credit monitoring from Equifax.

RI housing and mortgage finance agency hit by data breach

What is it? Mortgage customers of Rhode Island Housing received notices from a third-party vendor that their personal information was involved in a data breach in the spring of 2022.

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When did it happen? Though it happened in the spring, the vendor, NewCourse Communications, sent the notices to Rhode Island Housing customers in December 2022.

What information was at stake? Information such as customers' names, addresses and last four digits of their Social Security number were compromised, but not more highly sensitive information such as full Social Security numbers or dates of birth.

What was done about it? There was no evidence that the compromised information was used improperly. NewCourse offered a year of free credit monitoring services to mortgage customers who were involved.

RIPTA breach

What is it? Hackers breached Rhode Island Public Transit Authority computers using a form of ransomware responsible for more recent attacks on U.S. infrastructure than any other. Known as the Conti strain, it was reportedly developed by Russian cybercriminals and was involved in 87 incidents reported to the FBI that victimized critical infrastructure in 2021, according to a report from the federal law enforcement agency.

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When did it happen? August 2021.

What information was at stake? It turned into a much bigger problem than it otherwise would have because RIPTA computers had files from UnitedHealthcare containing the personal information of not just transit agency employees but state employees from other agencies and their families. About 22,000 former and current state employees were affected by the breach.

Did they ask for ransom? RIPTA, with their email and phones down and the personal information of 22,000 Rhode Islanders compromised, decided to pay up. It sent hackers $170,000 to get its digital systems back and prevent further spread of personal information. The ransom was covered by RIPTA's cybersecurity insurance policy.

Was there a lawsuit? The ACLU of Rhode Island filed a class-action suit in October 2022 against the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority and UnitedHealthcare of New England.

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With reporting from Patrick Anderson, Katie Mulvaney, Nish Kohli, Tom Mooney and Antonia Noori Farzan.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RIBridges data breach: Comparing it with other RI cyberattacks
The father of an Australian teenager who died from suspected alcohol poisoning while backpacking through Laos has shared his determination to receive justice.

Shaun Bowles said he was in disbelief when he realised his 19-year-old daughter Holly would not survive, after she and her best friend became violently ill after drinking alcohol believed to have been laced with the toxic substance methanol.

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Bowles said his daughter was everything youd want your daughter to be, who had been travelling through South East Asia to celebrate her graduation from school.

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She and Bianca Jones, also 19, were among six foreign tourists to die after consuming alcohol in the small town of Vang Vieng. Eight people have been arrested in connection with the case, including the manager of the Nana Backpackers Hostel, where many of the victims had been staying.

Holly died alongside her best friend Bianca Jones (BFC)

They were having an unbelievable time, just having so much fun, doing what two 19-year-old girls should be doing, Mr Bowles said.

The two had been have an absolute blast before they were rushed to hospital after being found unresponsive in their hotel room.

After receiving news that the girls were unwell, both of their mothers flew to Thailand that evening, with Mr Bowles and his best friend, Biancas father Mark, travelling the next day.

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When youre getting second hand information... it was really hard to process exactly what sort of condition that they were in, said Mr Bowles.

Despite the best efforts of medical staff, Bianca died on 21 November and Holly died a day later.

Simone White, a British lawyer, also died from suspected methanol poisoning in Laos. (Squire Patton Boggs/PA)

She was just full of life. She was confident, she was loving, she was just a true friend of people. She was everything you want your daughter to be, said Mr Bowles .

His focus is now on raising awareness of methanol poisoning to other young people backpacking through South East Asia.

We absolutely want whoever is responsible for this brought to account and brought to justice, and were going to do everything that we can to make sure that is the case, he says.

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A 28-year-old British lawyer was among those who died, with her parents also making the distressing journey to Laos after receiving a call that she was gravely unwell.

Simone White, from Orpington in south London, had been holidaying with friends when she became ill after drinking the same alcohol, and died in hospital after her brain function deteriorated.

Speaking to the Sunday Times, her mother Sue White urged those travelling abroad: Please be careful when it comes to drinks.

Simone was a university-educated, highly intelligent person, she said.

If it can happen to her, it can happen to anybody.
Democrats in the House of Representatives killed a spending deal approved by President-elect Donald Trump with the help of conservative Republicans after Elon Musk scuttled the original bipartisan deal.

The bill failed with all but two Democrats and 38 Republicans voting against it, and 172 Republicans voting for it.

House Republicans said they had struck a deal on a short-term funding bill 24 hours after Musk and Trump derailed a resolution and steered the government into a shutdown the weekend before Christmas.

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But congressional Democrats called the plan that Trumps billionaire deputy touted hours earlier laughable. House Democrats were heard chanting hell no as they met to review it on Thursday.

News of a newly hashed-out deal arrived one day after the worlds wealthiest person and the incoming president commanded members of Congress to reject a bipartisan stop-gap funding bill as lawmakers prepared to vote.

Its not serious, its laughable. Extreme MAGA Republicans are steering us towards a government shutdown, Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters Thursday of the Trump-backed deal.

Its an absolute slap in the face, Democratic congreswoman Jill Tokuda told The Independent. Its disgusting that they would try to use this as a tool to increase the debt limit for two years, which we know will ultimately result in tax credits for the uber wealthy on the backs of our working people.

House Speaker Mike Johnson is steering Republicans towards a stopgap spending bill to avert a government shutdown (AP)

Congressman Robert Garcia, a Democrat from California, specifically criticized lifting the debt limit.

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This is a complete bulls*** attempt to try to allow Donald Trump to eliminate the debt ceiling for two years and he can give away all this money to all his billionaire friends, he told The Independent.

Trump had called on lawmakers to abolish the debt ceiling, a limit set by lawmakers to determine how much money the federal government can borrow to pay its bills. It was last raised in 2023 through January 1, 2025.

A new deal proposed extending the very unnecessary ceiling through January 30, 2027, Trump said.

Now we can Make America Great Again, very quickly, which is what the People gave us a mandate to accomplish, Trump said.

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Tennessee Republican congressman Tim Burchett told The Independent that the debt ceiling is an arbitrary thing.

And reality is, I dont know why they ever put a debt ceiling on anything, he said. He later voted against the legislation.

Asked whether Musk and his incoming Department of Government Efficiency co-chair Vivek Ramaswamy will have an impact on an upcoming fight for House Speaker, he told The Independent: Of course, they have to. I mean, theyre prominent people, and they have very big checkbooks.

Donald Trump, Elon Musk and JD Vance called on Congress to reject a bipartisan stopgap funding measure, forcing lawmakers to scramble ahead of a government shutdown (AP)

The new proposal would have stripped out provisions to criminalize the distribution of pornographic deepfakes, and cut funding for treatments of sick cell disease, pediatric cancer research, and breast and cervical cancer detection, among other provisions.

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Why would you cut funding for nutritional assistance ... for seniors, for veterans? Jeffries said in remarks on the House floor.

Everything that was there to help with healthcare, the measures that were included to attempt to help the average family  they're all gone, Democratic congresswoman Marcy Kaptur told The Independent.

Is he going to own the United States before it's all over? she wondered of Musk.

He has a lot of personal interests here, and he's not elected to anything, she added. Some people are calling him the president and President Trump the vice president. I have to do some homework on who this man really is.

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Conservative opposition also helped sink the bill, with Republican congressman Chip Roy railing against the legislation on the floor, which led to Democrats applauding him.

The president-elect had said that the country would be far better off closing up for a period of time than agreeing to a deal that was supported by both Republicans and Democrats until Musk spent Wednesday firing off dozens of social media posts condemning the deal and threatening to fund primary challengers against Republicans who voted for it.

Shutting down the government (which doesnt actually shut down critical functions btw) is infinitely better than passing a horrible bill, Musk said.

Congress has until midnight Friday to approve a spending bill that would avert a government shutdown, with potential employee furloughs and service interruptions across federal agencies.

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Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson spent much of Thursday negotiating a deal that extended government funding at its current levels until March, more than a month into Trumps administration and a new Congress.

This shows how much your voice matters!



And having a President like @realDonaldTrump means that your voice is finally heard. https://t.co/0a7QDJx9zt  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 19, 2024

On his Truth Social, Trump lambasted Roy for getting in the way for the sake of some cheap publicity for himself.

Republican obstructionists have to be done away with, Trump added.

In another post, he called Roy just another ambitious guy, with no talent.

By the way, hows Bob Good doing? said Trump, referencing the Virginia congresswoman who lost a primary election to a Trump-endorsed challenger; Good, like Roy, had supported Trumps former rival Ron DeSantis.

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I hope some talented challengers are getting ready in the Great State of Texas to go after Chip in the Primary, Trump said Thursday. He wont have a chance!

The vote puts Johnson in danger. Republicans will have only 220 seats in the House next year, with a handful of members leaving to work in Trumps administration. Only a few Republicans opposing his speakership could prevent him from leading the House of Representatives.

Eric Garcia contributed reporting from Washington, D.C.
Prof Chidi Odinkalu appears on Channels Televisions Politics Today on Wednesday, July 19, 2023.

By Kayode Oyero

A former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Prof Chidi Odinkalu, says defamation has been decriminalised in Ekiti, Lagos and Edo states and as such persons seeking remedies for libel or slander can only do so in civil law and not criminal law.

When you issue a warrant for criminal defamation in Ekiti State, there is no crime of criminal defamation in Ekiti State in 2024, Odinkalu said on the Friday edition of Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, a socio-political programme aired on Channels Television.

There are three states that have decriminalised defamation; Ekiti is the third. Wale Fapounda (SAN) was the Attorney General of the state when that happened. Kayode Fayemi was the governor who signed it into law in 2021. Edo State has decriminalised criminal defamation. Lagos State has decriminalised criminal defamation. Ekiti State decriminalised criminal defamation in 2021.

Odinkalu said the magistrate court in Ekiti should have immediately granted human rights activist and legal practitioner Dele Farotimi bail because the offense was bailable. A magistrate asking you to bring an application for bail on a charge in which the maximum penalty is two years either has not gone to school properly or has a mission to fulfill, he said.

The lawyer said in a country with congested prisons and an average detention without trial of three years, the alleged offense of Farotimi is modest and there are compelling policy reasons for the magistrate court in Ekiti to have granted Farotimi bail much earlier than it did.

Odinkalu described as a travesty of due process the prosecution of Farotimi, saying every due process that should be breached has been violated by the prosecutors in the matter.

Earlier in December, the police in Ekiti State arrested Farotimi at his Lagos office and bundled him to Ekiti State for prosecution.

The police arraigned the author for publishing a book, Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System where he alleged that nonagenarian legal icon Afe Babalola corrupted the judiciary and procured a revised judgment in the Supreme Court.

The defendant pleaded not guilty to all the charges that bordered on criminal defamation levelled against him and was remanded in prison for three weeks while legal fireworks continue in multiple courts. Farotimi is also facing similar charges in Abuja and Oyo states.

All Processes Breached

Odinkalu said Farotimi should be held accountable if guilty of the alleged offence but every rule that can be breached has been breached. Mind you, the context is that Dele, as it is claimed, has made allegations about judicial corruption. This is the gist of the issue and in order to do this, we are showing that there is judicial corruption.

Now that they know that criminal defamation is not a crime in Ekiti State, the argument has mutated. Now, they are saying that they are not charging him under the Criminal Law of Ekiti State 2021, they are charging him under the Criminal Code Act of Nigeria. Now, that does not exist as a source of crime for the state The Federal Government does not have power over general criminal law for the state. That means that the Criminal Code Act does not create any crime for the state; it lapsed as a piece of legislation for the state not later than 1967.

Chief Afe Babalola himself was involved in a 2021 case in which the Supreme Court decided a similar principle: the case of CIL against Ekiti but this was a civil case. In that case, Ekiti State has in this particular case has legislated out of existence a piece of legislation called The Public Officers Protection Act which provided for certain procedural measures in terms suing public officers.

The argument was that since public officers were being sued, the federal act, the Public Officers Protection Act should be imported into Ekiti State to provide for what has been repealed by Ekiti State Law and the Supreme Court said, No, you cannot back-channel legislation.

So, the principle of law here is very clear unless we are trying to manufacture something unknown to law, in which case we should say so.

I am not at all saying there should be no remedies for injuries to reputation at all. Not at all, particularly reputations that have been earned through hard work and investment over time. But those remedies exist in civil law, and it can be slander which is where it is oral or it can be libel where the publication is in writing or more permanent form, he said.
By Nafisat Abdulrahman

The United States has announced the death of Islamic State (IS) leader Abu Yusif, also known as Mahmud, in an airstrike carried out in eastern Syria.

According to the US Central Command (Centcom), the strike also eliminated another IS operative. The operation targeted an area previously under the control of the Syrian regime and Russian forces.

General Michael Erik Kurilla, Centcom commander, emphasised the United States resolve to prevent IS from exploiting the current instability in Syria.

As stated before, the United Statesworking with allies and partners in the regionwill not allow ISIS to take advantage of the current situation in Syria and reconstitute, he said.

Kurilla highlighted IS ongoing attempts to destabilise the region, including efforts to free over 8,000 operatives currently detained in Syrian facilities. We will aggressively target these leaders and operatives, including those trying to conduct operations external to Syria, he added.

LEADERSHIP reports that the strike came amid significant upheaval in Syria, following the recent ousting of Bashar al-Assad. The former Syrian president fled to Russia after a swift and decisive offensive by the Islamist rebel coalition, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. The coalitions victory ended Assads 14-year rule and marked a turning point in Syrias tumultuous history.
By Enahoro Iyemefokhai

A State High Court has ordered the restoration of the suspended local council chairmen in Edo State.

The court, presided by Justice Efe Ikponmwonba, issued the order on Friday, December 20, 2024.

Justice Ikponmwonba gave the order while ruling on a suit filed by the embattled 18 council chairmen and the Edo State chapter of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria, ALGON.

The defendants are the Edo State Government, Edo State Governor, Deputy Governor, the Attorney-General of Edo State, the Accountant-General of Edo State and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government, Community and Chieftaincy Affairs.

The judge granted the claimants/applicants prayers by restraining the defendants from acting on the resolution of the Edo State House of Assembly suspending the claimants.

The court also ordered that the status quo as at December 12, 2024 be maintained pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed on December 12, 2024.

The judge adjourned the suit to February 17, 2025, for hearing and ordered that a hearing notice be issued and served on the defendants.

DAILY POST reported that the Edo State House of Assembly had suspended the 18 LG chairmen and their deputies over alleged misconduct and insubordination.

The lawmakers took the decision following a petition filed against the LG chairmen by Governor Monday Okpebholo.

Okpebholo had in the petition, accused the local council bosses of insubordination for failing to submit their LGAs financial statements to him.

The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, had faulted the suspension of the LG chairmen, describing it as unconstitutional.
By Omeiza Ajayi

The immediate-past Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, has been released from the Kuje Minimum Custodial Centre in Abuja after fulfilling the bail conditions set by a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court.

Adamu Duza, spokesperson for the FCT Command of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), confirmed the development.

He [Yahaya Bello] has been released after meeting the bail conditions. He was released this [Friday] evening, Duza stated.

He added that the Controller of NCoS FCT, Ajibogun Olatubosun, was present to ensure Bellos smooth release and that all necessary protocols were duly observed.
Walking into some of our kids' homes takes us back in time  to our own living rooms in the past when the same furniture sat in our homes. Giving furniture to your children is one of the joys of being a parent of adults.
King Mohammed VI called for speeding up the advanced regionalization process so that it can act as a lever for economic and social development and help address development challenges, unequal growth and regional disparities.

In a message to participants at the 2nd National Conference on Advanced Regionalization held in Tangier December 20-21 , the King underscored the strategic character of administration devolution in consolidating local governance and spurring development.

In this connection, the King called for developing a clear and consensus-based roadmap to define the strategic orientations for the next phase of the implementation of advanced regionalization, and outlined the major challenges related to the effective implementation of the Charter for Administrative Decentralization and urged the continuation of efforts to address both current and future challenges posed by this structural project.

The King cited, in the message, which was read out by the Minister of the Interior, Abdelouafi Laftit, seven major challenges related to the effective implementation of the National Charter for Administrative Decentralization; the auditing and operationalization of the powers of local authorities, especially regional councils; and the strengthening of participatory democracy at regional and local levels, in accordance with the provisions of the Kingdoms Constitution.

These challenges also include issues related to the application of the principle of accountability, improving the attractiveness of territorial areas to entice productive investments, the capacity of regions to design innovative financing mechanisms, and the ability to face crises and adapt to both current transformations and future impacts, the Monarch stated further.

Regarding the challenge of effectively applying the National Charter for Administrative Decentralization, the King emphasized the delays in many ministerial departments in activating the decentralization process, noting that despite its importance, its implementation remains flawed, especially in areas related to investment-related competencies.

Any delay in transferring these devolved powers to the authorities concerned is likely to complicate administrative investment procedures, thus preventing investors from completing those procedures easily, the King remarked.

On the challenge of auditing and operationalizing the powers of local authorities, especially regional councils, the Sovereign stated that this is a key condition for implementing the advanced regionalization project and driving Moroccos economic and social development dynamic.

However, the King regretted that despite the efforts made in this regard, this goal has not yet been achieved in the desired manner, either, calling for a comprehensive approach in which the ministries and local governments concerned would shoulder their responsibilities.

This aims to achieve the objectives sought from a precise determination of powers. This is an essential entry point for the full implementation of advanced regionalization, the Monarch argued.

Regarding the challenge of strengthening participatory democracy at regional and local levels, in accordance with the Constitution, the King stressed the importance of involving citizens and civil society associations in the process of developing, preparing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating public policies, in collaboration with elected councils, to achieve the set goals.

As for the fourth challenge, related to the principle of linking responsibility with accountability in the management of territorial affairs, the Sovereign emphasized that regions and other local authorities have succeeded in the development challenge and have made a break with conventional management practices, adopting governance, democracy, legitimacy, and efficiency mechanisms.

The King therefore deemed it necessary to strengthen the principles of ethics and the fight against corruption, developing a philosophy of control and accountability, in line with the constitutional principle that links the exercise of responsibility with accountability.

Regarding the challenge of improving the attractiveness of territorial areas to attract productive investments as a key lever for strengthening sustainable development, the Sovereign pointed out that regions must now seize favorable opportunities and capitalize on their own assets.

To win this challenge, the King called for a proactive strategy to enhance attractiveness on multiple levels, creating a favorable business environment, developing modern infrastructure, providing a skilled workforce, and implementing appropriate incentive measures. It is also important to leverage the natural resources and cultural and historical heritage found in the various regions of the Kingdom.

This approach necessarily requires adopting an integrated and participatory approach, the Sovereign observed, emphasizing that local authorities, the state, the private sector, and civil society must work together to develop and implement ambitious strategies to enhance attractiveness, taking into account the specifics of each region.

Regarding the challenge of the regions ability to create innovative financing mechanisms, the King indicated that experience and practice have shown that traditional financing methods for strategies and measures are no longer sufficient to meet current challenges.

The Monarch highlighted the need to develop alternative financing methods that would reduce financial pressure on other regions and local authorities, noting that this challenge calls upon territorial actors to operationalize the new local budget model based on efficiency, on one hand, and openness to new financing methods allowed by the current legislative framework for local finances, on the other hand.

The seventh and final challenge mentioned by the King is the ability of regions to face certain crises and adapt to current transformations and future impacts.

Indeed, several regions may face a growing number of threats that, depending on their origin, may be natural, economic, or environmental, the Sovereign pointed out, noting that these challenges, often sudden and unpredictable, can undermine development efforts if not addressed appropriately and in a timely manner.

In this connection, the King stressed the need for regions to take the initiative to strengthen their capacities for anticipation, adaptation, and continuous learning, rather than sticking to rigid work programs.
On December 19, lawyer Abdel Sattar Al Massoudi announced that the Siliana Court of Appeals had dismissed charges in five cases against his client, Ayachi Zammel, a former presidential candidate in Tunisias recent elections. The decision represents a notable legal win for Zammel, who has faced widespread scrutiny over allegations tied to his candidacy.

The Tunisian Siliana Court of Appeals had dismissed charges in five cases against Ayachi Zammel, a former presidential candidate in Tunisias October elections. The decision represents a notable legal win for Zammel, who has faced widespread scrutiny over allegations tied to his candidacy, said his lawyer Abdel Sattar Al Massoudi on Dec. 19.

The lawyer also revealed that the Kairouan Court of Appeals issued mixed rulings in three additional cases. While the court reduced Zammels prison sentence from three and a half years to six months, it dismissed charges in two other cases. These rulings reflect both progress and continued challenges for Zammel as he navigates complex legal battles.

The cases primarily concern allegations of falsified endorsements in Zammels presidential candidacy file. Fraudulent sponsorships, involving the manipulation or fabrication of signatures required for election candidacy, have raised significant concerns about transparency in Tunisias electoral system. The controversy has fueled broader debates on the integrity of the process and the effectiveness of mechanisms to prevent such abuses.

Zammels legal troubles, which have kept him incarcerated since September 4, 2024, have drawn public attention and criticism. To date, he faces a cumulative 35 years in prison stemming from multiple convictions related to the falsification of sponsorships during the October 2024 presidential election. While the recent dismissal of charges offers some relief, the reduction in his prison term underscores the ongoing difficulties in clearing his name.
Libyas House of Representatives and the High State Council agreed to work together to take the necessary steps to form a national unity government and organize fair elections to end the institutional division in the country.

This came in a statement following a consultative meeting between the two institutions held in Moroccos Bouznika.

The two institutions agreed that the solution in Libya requires fair elections, as they also agreed to cooperate with the UN to define a roadmap with clear deadlines to resolve the crisis.

They also agreed to cooperate to address all issues notably elections and the reformation of the executive power in addition to institutional, financial and security reforms, as well as national reconciliation and the fair distribution of resources.

The two institutions also said they would work to unify divided institutions.

The talks came in a series of similar initiatives convened by Morocco which has been urging a Libyan-Libyan solution to the crisis in the Maghreb country.

The Libyan delegates thanked Morocco for its support for Libyans for years to reach a political solution that would safeguard the countrys stability and unity.

We reiterate our deep thanks and our immense gratitude to sister Morocco, its King, its government and its people, for the hospitality, the warm welcome and the great support that the Kingdom has always provided to the Libyan people for many years to end the crisis and re-establish security, stability and unity in Libya, stressed the Final Statement.

The two-day meeting between Libyas House of Representatives and High Council of State was initiated as part of the Inter-Libyan Dialogue in the presence of 120 participants. It is also part of efforts aimed at giving fresh impetus to the political process in Libya and to hold presidential and parliamentary elections, through agreement on a roadmap leading to the formation of a unity government.

Speaking at the opening of the event, foreign minister Bourita said Moroccos approach to the crisis is based on non-interference and respect of the willingness of the Libyans, he said, adding that Morocco supports the choices of the legitimate Libyan institutions.

He recalled the breakthrough made by Libyans in Skhirate when they signed nine years ago a political agreement, which serves as a main referential.

Libya is undergoing a decisive phase that requires putting the interest of the nation above all else, he said.

Morocco hosted a series of inter-Libyan dialogue rounds in Skhirat in December 2015, culminating in the Skhirat Agreement, which marked a turning point in resolving the Libyan crisis.

This agreement led to the formation of a Presidential Council for the Government of National Unity, the establishment of mechanisms for unifying state institutions, and the organization of electoral processes to complete the building of state institutions and ensure the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country, in order to meet the aspirations of the Libyan people for progress, prosperity, and development.
The UK government has said it still sticks to the plan to hand over the contested Chagos Islands to Mauritius even after the countrys new leader backed away from the contentious deal, arguing that it did not benefit his country enough.

London announced it will transfer the sovereignty over the contested Indian Ocean archipelago, which is home to a strategically important military base, to Mauritius, in line with an agreement between both sides signed in October. But British media have now reported that Mauritius new PM has submitted changes to a proposed deal over the future of the Chagos Islands. Under the deal, the UK-US naval and bomber base on the largest of the 60 islands, Diego Garcia, would remain under UK control for at least 99 years. But, since then, voters in Mauritius ousted the government that made the deal, replacing it with one led by Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam.

Ramgoolam told lawmakers he was reopening negotiations with the UK because the draft deal would not produce the benefits that the nation could expect from such an agreement. Britains minister of state for Europe, North America and Overseas Territories, Stephen Doughty, said he was confident the deal would be finalized, and it was completely understandable that the new Mauritian government will want time to study the details. The UKs opposition Conservatives have accused the government of surrendering sovereignty over a British territory. The Chagos archipelago and the Diego Garcia base are strategically located in the Indian Ocean, and the West is fearful they could fall under the influence of a pro-China Mauritius administration.
King Mohammed VI has called on all stakeholders to double efforts in order to make advanced regionalization a lever for economic and social development that can help address development challenges, unequal growth, and regional disparities.

The Monarchs call comes in a message addressed Friday to participants at the 2nd National Conference on Advanced Regionalization, convening in Tangier Dec.20-21.

In this message, read out by Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit, the Monarch said this 2nd conference builds on what has been achieved with respect to implementing advanced regionalization, and to consolidate positive interaction between all the stakeholders concerned  including government officials, representatives of public institutions and elected officials.

The strategic character of the advanced regionalization process requires greater involvement of the parties concerned in a process based on consultation and constructive dialogue for the gradual implementation of advanced regionalization, until this plan is executed in full, said the royal message.

The King called for more efforts to tackle current and future challenges posed by this flagship project, citing in this regard the challenge of the actual implementation of the National Charter for Administrative Devolution and the issue of clearly determining and implementing the powers of local governments, especially regional councils.

I therefore call for the adoption of a comprehensive approach in which the ministries and local governments concerned would shoulder their responsibilities so as to achieve the objectives sought from a precise determination of powers, said the King, affirming that this is an essential entry point for the full implementation of advanced regionalization.

The Monarch also stressed the need to strengthen participatory democracy at the local and regional levels, in line with the Kingdoms Constitution provisions.

The Moroccan Sovereign called for ensuring accountability in the management of local affairs and making regions attractive to investors in todays globalized world facing tough competition.

To rise to this challenge, the King said it is necessary to build on a proactive strategy that seeks to enhance the regions attractiveness on several levels, including by creating a favorable business environment, offering modern infrastructure, a qualified labor force and appropriate incentives, and properly showcasing the natural resources, and the cultural and historical heritage of each region in the Kingdom.

Such a goal necessarily requires an integrated, participatory approach, underlined the Monarch, saying that local governments, the state, the private sector and civil society must work together to develop and implement ambitious strategies in order to enhance attractiveness, taking into account the particularities of each region.

The regions must come up with new financing mechanisms and address certain crises and adapting to todays deep changes and to future impacts, said the Monarch, affirming that the Kingdoms regions are capable of developing more resilient territories that can adapt to change more effectively, face crises, and rise to current and future challenges.

The issues facing the regions include water stress management, the development of the transport and mobility infrastructure, and engaging in the digital transition, said the Moroccan Sovereign.

In view of the major challenges facing the country and considering the ambitions and strategic objectives set by the state, developing a comprehensive, sustainable transportation system has become a basic requirement for the achievement of integrated local and regional development, said the Monarch, calling on participants to come up with a clear, consensual roadmap with strategic guidelines for the next stage for advancing regionalization.
Mauritania will work together with Morocco to advance royal projects aiming to boost connectivity including the Atlantic initiative to offer landlocked Sahel states access to the Atlantic and a gas pipeline project that will connect Nigeria to Morocco benefiting 13 west African states.

This came in a royal office statement following talks between King Mohammed VI and Mauritanian president Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani in the Royal Palace in Casablanca.

The talks are reflective of closer relations of trust and cooperation between the two brotherly countries and peoples.

Here follows a statement by the Royal Office:

His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, received today at the Royal Palace in Casablanca, His Excellency Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.

This meeting falls in line with the strong relations of trust and cooperation between the two countries and sincere brotherly ties between the two brotherly peoples.

During this meeting, the two heads of State praised the positive momentum in the Morocco-Mauritania partnership in all fields.

They also reiterated their keenness to promote strategic projects to connect the two neighboring countries, as well as to coordinate their contributions within the framework of the Royal Initiatives in Africa, notably the Afro-Atlantic gas pipeline and the Initiative to promote access of Sahel countries to the Atlantic Ocean.

Upon his arrival at the Royal Palace, His Excellency Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani reviewed a detachment of the Royal Guard who made the honors before being invited to the traditional ceremony of milk and date offering.
Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

Even if you take every word of the House Oversight Committees report on January 6 as gospel  and, please, dont  Liz Cheney did not commit a crime. Its not close. The suggestion to the contrary by the Republicans who ran the Committee betrays that they either have no clue about criminal law or dont care because the politics of payback reign supreme.

The Oversight Committee spent the past two years putting together a rebuttal to the January 6th Select Committees report, issued in December 2022. In many respects, the dueling doorstops read like a standard exchange of trial briefs. The Select Committee makes the case that the January 6 Capitol attack was primarily Trumps fault. The new Oversight Committee report argues that Trump had nothing to do with it (or at least skims over his involvement) and that the Select Committees members and witnesses had bad political motives. Both reports cite testimony and documents and draw inferences that favor their positions. Theres room for disagreement, though its not all a wash; in my view, the January 6th Committee makes the stronger, though imperfect, case. Its all within the realm of fair political debate. Have at it.

But the Oversight Committee report raises the stakes when it alleges that Cheney committed crimes. Trump predictably piled on with a highly unspecific 3:11 a.m. social-media post claiming that Cheney could be in a lot of trouble.

So what lot of troubleworthy crimes, exactly, might we be looking at here? First, the Committee alleges that Cheney tampered with at least one witness, Cassidy Hutchinson, by secretly communicating with Hutchinson without Hutchinsons attorneys knowledge. This secret communication with a witness is improper and likely violates 18 U.S.C. 1512. Ohhhh, secret communications. Somebody draft an indictment for secretly communicating with a witness. First off, if Cheney indeed encouraged Hutchinson to testify before a congressional investigative committee  as she plainly did  then good. If its a crime to encourage witnesses to come forward to testify  even secretly  then count me guilty a couple thousand times over. I did this every day of my career as a prosecutor. So, too, does every cop, FBI agent, and regulatory and congressional investigator. Its the job.

Then theres the part about how Cheney communicated with Hutchinson without going through her attorneys. First, its entirely unclear that thats what happened, and the Committees report suffers from a lack of clarity on the point. And even if it did happen, an attorney might face  at most  disciplinary action from a bar-licensing committee. Theres nothing criminal about it.

Then theres the allegation from the Oversight Committee that Cheney procur[ed] another person [Hutchinson] to commit perjury. But theres nothing to indicate that Hutchinson committed perjury or that Cheney pushed her to do so. The Oversight Committee takes pains to undermine Hutchinsons testimony, attacking her motives and pointing to aspects of her testimony that were contested by other witnesses. For example, the committee notes that Hutchinson testified that she was told by a Secret Service agent that Trump wanted to go to the Capitol and had a tantrum when he was told he couldnt. But, the Committee writes, other witnesses testified that the incident didnt happen. Fine. This type of factual dispute happens in every trial and is fair game for argument by the advocates. But the committee unilaterally declares its worst suspicions to be correct and then labels testimony it doesnt like as perjury. That wont fly in a criminal court.

The Oversight Committee tries to apply lipstick to its pig by declaring solemnly that it is making a formal criminal referral of Cheney to the Justice Department. Big deal. You know how hard it is to make a criminal referral to DOJ? Just go on the Justice Departments website, click around, and youll find a form you can fill out and submit with a few keystrokes. Congratulations! Youve now made a criminal referral. (To be clear: Dont actually do this.)

Theres a superficially symmetrical bit of tit-for-tat in the Oversight report. Just as the Select Committee ceremonially referred Trump to the Justice Department for criminal investigation, so too does the Oversight Committee refer Cheney for potential criminal charges. Both ways, this act of a formal criminal referral to DOJ is pure political theater and legally meaningless. The Justice Department does not need a criminal referral from anyone to do anything. Nor does a criminal referral require DOJ to do anything.

Of course, I wont be making the calls on this; Trumps soon-to-be-installed Justice Department leadership will. In that sense, this will be an early litmus test for the incoming administration. Attorney-general nominee Pam Bondi has plenty of prosecutorial experience, and she should see the lack of merit in this referral immediately. Same goes for Todd Blanche, who is in line to become deputy AG. (Blanche is a friend and former colleague of mine at the Southern District of New York.)

If DOJ lets the Committees report slide away into the political muck whence it came, thats a sign the new AG is playing it straight. But if the Justice Department takes this seriously and pursues the Committees misguided fantasy of a Cheney prosecution, then well know theyre off the rails.

This article will also appear in the free CAFE Brief newsletter. You can find more analysis of law and politics from Elie Honig, Preet Bharara, Joyce Vance, and other CAFE contributors at cafe.com.
The Third Shanghai International Online Literature Week, which brought together online literature writers and industry professionals from 16 countries, was held in Shanghai from Dec 16 to 18.

During the event, the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association released the "2024 China Online Literature Overseas Trends Report", which revealed that in 2023, the overseas market revenue of China's online literature industry reached 4.35 billion yuan ($597 million), a year-on-year increase of 7.06 percent.

It was noted that Chinese online literature is currently accelerating its growth overseas. Artificial intelligence and "AI translation" are expected to facilitate the global distribution of Chinese online literature in the future.

As one of the main platforms for the international dissemination of Chinese online literature, Webnovel, the overseas portal of China Literature Group, has published approximately 6,000 translated Chinese online novels as of the end of November. This year alone, over 2,000 new AI-translated works have been added, marking a 20-fold increase year-on-year.

Ao Ran, executive vice-chairman of the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association, says that Chinese online literature reflects the changes of the times, social progress, and the spiritual pursuits of people. It provides a wealth of IP resources for cultural consumption, effectively empowering the high-quality development of China's new online literary industry, he says.

Hou Xiaonan, chief executive officer and president of China Literature Group, says that as Chinese online literature goes global, not only can IP be globalized, but the model for creating online literature IP can also be globalized. By leveraging the "content  platform  IP" full industrial chain overseas model, Chinese online literature will have a broader global stage.

The Third Shanghai International Online Literature Week also featured activities such as a roundtable for Chinese and foreign writers, the 2024 Webnovel Annual Writing Contest Awards Ceremony, and the "Reading Tour of Shanghai" cultural exploration event.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, co-chair of the newly announced Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), arrives on Capitol Hill on December 05, 2024 in Washington, D.C. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Elon Musk has spent the better part of this week working to derail Congresss attempt to fund the government, but he found time early Friday morning to express support for the politics of Alternative fur Deutschland or Alternative for Germany, the countrys most prominent far-right political party.

Only the AfD can save Germany, Musk wrote on X early Friday morning.

The comment was in response to a video posted by Naomi Seibt, a German far-right activist, that criticized Friedrich Merz, the leader of the conservative party Christian Democratic Union of Germany. Recently, Merz has been leading in the polls to become the nations next chancellor next year. The caption for Seibts video read, The presumptive next chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) is horrified by the idea that Germany should follow Elon Musks and Javier Mileis example. He staunchly rejects a pro-freedom approach and refuses any discussion with the AfD.

The AfD is a nationalist and anti-immigration party that has seen its popularity steadily grow over the last several years. In September, the party won its first state election, becoming the first far-right party to win an election in Germany since the Nazis, per CNN. AfDs candidate in that race, Bjorn Hocke, is a controversial figure who has been fined for using a Nazi slogan and criticized for a speech many denounced as antisemitic.

Olaf Scholz, the current chancellor of Germany, was dismissive of Musks words when asked about them during an unrelated press conference with Estonian prime minister Kristen Michal on Friday. We have freedom of speech, and that also applies to multibillionaires, Scholz said, per Bloomberg. But freedom of speech also means that you can say things that are not right and do not contain good political advice.

This is not the first time that Musk has indicated support for AfD. Last year, The Guardian reported that Musk shared a pro-AfD post that criticized Germany funding charity groups that operate ships that rescued migrants, referring to the migrants as illegal immigrants.

Lets hope AfD wins the elections to stop this European suicide, the post read.

Musk, who intends to play an starring role in Donald Trumps second term, has similarly shown an affinity for other conservative leaders in Europe. Hes been pictured with Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni and Nigel Farage, a British politician who leads the right-wing populist party Reform UK. In recent days, theres been speculation that Musk might be considering a massive multimillion-dollar donation to Farages party, prompting worries among watchdog groups.
politics

What We Know About the Arrest of Mahmoud Khalil

A DHS official defended Khalils detention in an interview on Thursday but did not provide additional details for his arrest.
the complete novel > the theatrical version of the outsiders so like, yeah. to say nothing of the blade runner cuts.

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Blonde Dakota just reminds me of Ben and Kate, which I still somehow remember after all these years

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I'm still bummed it got canceled lol

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I wish she would do another tv series, preferably comedy

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I can remember not minding the run time when watching it, but another hour? Honey.

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It was a good pace for two hours. Idk what another 70 minutes would even add except maybe answering the question as to how Marianne was supposedly the biggest rock star on the planet or something.

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So, that video thumbnail... it's 3:21am here and I thought it was the cast of Always Sunny (Charlie, Dennis, Dee & Mac) at first glance



Edited at 2024-12-20 10:23 am (UTC)

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OMG. I totally see it. I am dead at Tilda as Dennis.



Edited at 2024-12-20 11:10 am (UTC)

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I just watched A Bigger Splash for the first time this year. I LOVED the first half, but the second half dropped off for me. Im dying to visit the island of Pantelleria because of the movie, and you can even rent the estate the movie was filmed at.



All this to say, Im weirdly excited about an extended cut.

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If theres more musical moments, Im going to be very happy. The use of Emotional Rescue by The Rolling Stones in the film is one of my favorite things ever.

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Luca uses music in his movies so so well

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I thought it was part 2 of Splash with Hanks and Hannah  I'll see myself out.

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Same! The title, briefly glancing at the pic of a blonde near the ocean, and I was all when did Luca redo Splash? And then I got a tiny bit excited. And then I thought it won't be any good. And then I hit the comments and realized I'm classic ONTD.



It was a wild 45 seconds.

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I saw the title "an even bigger splash" and I thought it was a sequel to "splash" movie with Daryl Hannah and Tom Hanks.



could also work as a sequel title to a Splash+Big mashup both starring tom hanks.

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It's kinda funny to me how they adapted this from the original film, and decided to make the women worse and the men more sympathetic. Like they went from straight murder to "it was an accident" but turned the young female character from a teenage daughter to a seductress.

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I listened to a podcast about the movie that posited Harry was just super into Paul and if they'd had sex Harry would have shut up LMAO.

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Omg do you remeber what the podcast was? Id love to listen. I agree with the theory that Harry was into Paul.

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Throwback to when Dakota Johnson was either rumored or fancast as being Oliver's wife in Call Me By Your Name 2.

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Ralph Fiennes was awesome in this

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I don't always have the patience for director's cuts, but this is intriguing?

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I just wonder exactly what there is 70 more minutes of that he thinks is critical to the plot.

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So I saw Queer earlier this week and I hated it. So boring, even though I thought the performances were fine. Whatever, I loved Challengers.

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I really liked this movie. I had a huge gripe with it though: Dakota's character age reveal at the end was totally unbelievable and took me way out of it.

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And why was she fluent in Italian? LMAO I didn't get her character at all.

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There was also some wonky editing and/or missing storyline. Maybe I missed something, but as an example, how did the vinyl end up in the pool in the second half?!

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Lemme take a nap. I thought this was about Luigi and was wondering how the hell was he being released?? 

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- Ukraines President Zelensky ruled out any continuation of Russian pipeline gas transit via Ukraine unless given guarantees that Moscow wont benefit financially while the war continues, whilst Russias President Putin

- For most of the past week it seemed that Europes TTF natural gas futures could weaken below 40 per MWh, but a sudden escalation in the Russia-Ukraine rhetoric triggered a full reversal, with TTF now trading at 43.5 per MWh.

Russia and Ukraine Turn Up the Heat as TTF Spikes Again

- Overall, jet fuel is the only product category that has seen a year-over-year improvement as kerosene exports gained 23% compared to 2023, with outflows totaling 17.63 million tonnes in January-November.

- Slashing the tax rebate would result in an added cost of $3-4 per barrel for clean oil product exports, particularly impacting diesel exports, which anyways would have declined as there is only 3.16 million tonnes of quota space available for December.

- The combined exports of gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel accounted for 920,000 b/d last month, according to Chinese GAC statistics, a whopping 28% month-on-month increase as oil companies flushed out their stocks.

- Chinese companies maximized their exports of oil products in November, ahead of an increase in government levies after Beijing reduced the countrys VAT rebate for product exports from 13% to 9%.

Wary of Worsening Export Economics, Chinese Refiners Flushes Out Stocks

- Chinese companies maximized their exports of oil products in November, ahead of an increase in government levies after Beijing reduced the countrys VAT rebate for product exports from 13% to 9%.

- The combined exports of gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel accounted for 920,000 b/d last month, according to Chinese GAC statistics, a whopping 28% month-on-month increase as oil companies flushed out their stocks.

- Slashing the tax rebate would result in an added cost of $3-4 per barrel for clean oil product exports, particularly impacting diesel exports, which anyways would have declined as there is only 3.16 million tonnes of quota space available for December.

- Overall, jet fuel is the only product category that has seen a year-over-year improvement as kerosene exports gained 23% compared to 2023, with outflows totaling 17.63 million tonnes in January-November.

Russia and Ukraine Turn Up the Heat as TTF Spikes Again

- For most of the past week it seemed that Europes TTF natural gas futures could weaken below 40 per MWh, but a sudden escalation in the Russia-Ukraine rhetoric triggered a full reversal, with TTF now trading at 43.5 per MWh.

- Ukraines President Zelensky ruled out any continuation of Russian pipeline gas transit via Ukraine unless given guarantees that Moscow wont benefit financially while the war continues, whilst Russias President Putin outright rejected the prospect of an extension.

- Countries most dependent on Russian pipeline flows have suggested alternatives such as changing the ownership of gas before it enters Ukrainian territory, but Kyiv has rejected these as games.

- The 5-year transit deal between Ukraine and Russia is running out in late December, Ukraine still ships about 15 bcm per year of Russian natural gas to Europe, with limited time remaining for a negotiated resolution.

Asian Shipyards Bathe in Cash as 2024 Ship Orders Hit Multi-Decade Highs

- The shipbuilding industry has seen a flurry of new orders coming in this year, as owners invested more than $188 billion in new builds in January-November so far, the strongest pace of capacity builds since 2007.

- According to Clarkson Research, two of the worlds three largest shipbuilders indicated that customers would need to wait until 2028 for their newbuilds to be delivered, attesting to shipyards massive order books.

- South Korea has been posting impressive order book numbers, with Hyundai HI taking $20.5 billion of orders for 181 vessels this year so far, exceeding its own target for the year by a whopping 52% and creating a backlog thatll take at least three-and-a-half years to clear.

- Shipping disruptions coming from the Russia-Ukraine war and the Red Sea crisis have heightened interest in new builds as the average age of the current global trade fleet is 17 years.

Iran Floats Millions of Barrels in Southeast Asia

- The volume of Iranian floating storage has soared to the highest level since June, reaching almost 17 million barrels as of December 15, in a sign that looming Trump sanctions on Iran are making Chinese refiners increasingly wary of buying more Iranian oil.

- The Biden administration has sanctioned 9 more tankers this week for their alleged facilitation of Iranian oil flows, with the US Treasury Departments Iran sanction list now totaling 374 tankers and other vessels.

- Iran has been exporting 1.7-1.8 million b/d in September-November, although those flows are increasingly becoming improbable next year, with lower buying interest most probably necessitating production shut-ins in Iran, currently producing around 3.4 million b/d of oil.

- Somewhat counterintuitively, prices of Iranian Light delivered to China have been strengthening lately, with cargoes to Shandong shown at a $2 per barrel discount to ICE Brent, some $5 per barrel more expensive than a year ago.

Demanding Higher Energy Imports, Trump Raises the Tariff Threat with Europe

- US President-elect Donald Trump has threatened the European Union with punitive tariffs if the bloc doesnt buy more American oil and gas to narrow its tremendous deficit.

- Europe might find it difficult to ramp up US imports as it is already the largest buyer of American LNG and has ratcheted up inflows of light sweet WTI to previously unthinkable levels, however the continents refineries are mostly configured to run on heavier and sourer grades.

- According to Kpler data, US exports of crude oil are poised to reach a second consecutive record high of 1.89 million b/d in 2024, with the Netherlands becoming by far the largest buyer of WTI in Europe.

- In contrast to liquids, US LNG exports to Europe will not surpass last years totals, as the Old Continent imported 43.1 million tonnes of LNG this year to date, 12 million tonnes less than in 2023.

Slowdown in Supply Growth Improves Cobalt Outlook

- The huge oversupply that has been weighing on cobalt markets is set to ease into 2025, with the supply/demand surplus forecast to drop to 28,000 metric tonnes after a 53,000 mt surplus recorded this year.

- Cobalt prices have been in a freefall this year as they fell to their lowest since 2015 in October, only to recover slightly to $10 per pound in recent days, however strong Congolese production will most probably push them back to mid-$9/lb in Q1 2025.

- The cobalt markets are rebalancing after a period of intense supply growth from the Democratic Republic of Congo which added more than 60,000 metric tonnes of supply since 2022, accounting for around 50% of global production.

- The pipeline of new projects is gradually drying up, with S&P Global expecting the DRC to add only 5-10,000/mt of production and the threat of US tariffs on critical minerals could finally trigger price hikes for cobalt.

Chinas Booming Coal Output Depresses Miners Profitability

- Chinas booming coal production, rising to a new all-time high in November as the daily output rate climbed to 14.27 million tonnes per day, is becoming a problem for miners as prices struggle to recover.

- Average power-station coal prices across China have shed almost 10% since the end of September to an 18-month low of 790 per metric tonne (equivalent to $108/mt), even though demand would normally surge into the winter months.

- Chinese analysts expect domestic coal prices to plunge even further as stockpiles remain very high across the country, with stocks growing 12% in the two months through October, potentially to 730/mt ahead of the Lunar New Year.

- In a blow to analysts seeing peak coal demand in 2024 already, Chinas consumption of the fossil fuel is expected to increase by 2.3% next year, and a relative slowdown in production (up 1.2% year-over-year) could bring back some balance to the market.
National Grid (NG.L) plans to invest up to 35B ($44.5B) by 2031 in its UK transmission business, focusing on maintaining networks and building new infrastructure for 50 GW of offshore wind. Of this,

Earlier this week, a Russian general indicted by Ukraine for war crimes was killed in an explosion in Moscow, with Putin calling it a failure of his security agencies. Lt. General Igor Kirillov, head of the Russian militarys chemical and biological weapons, was killed by a scooter bomb claimed by Kyiv.

Israel isnt waiting on access to the Red Sea via Somaliland to target Yemen. This week, the Israeli Air Force launched two air strike campaigns against Houthi targets in Yemen, following Houthi ballistic missile attacks on Israel. Israel struck multiple targets in Yemen, including ports, fuel tanks, and vessels.

Venezuelas PDVSA and Indias Reliance Industries have resumed a cautious oil-for-naphtha swap arrangement paused under U.S. sanctions, signaling a recalibration of geopolitical oil strategies. With a U.S. license in hand since July, the swap delivered 1.9M barrels of Merey crude to India and 500,000 barrels of naphtha to Venezuela, reflecting mutual economic necessity as Venezuela leverages barter deals to sustain its oil sector while India cautiously tests the limits of U.S. tolerance. The market is watchful of emerging powers like India as they assert strategic autonomy.

Politics, Geopolitics & Conflict

Venezuelas PDVSA and Indias Reliance Industries have resumed a cautious oil-for-naphtha swap arrangement paused under U.S. sanctions, signaling a recalibration of geopolitical oil strategies. With a U.S. license in hand since July, the swap delivered 1.9M barrels of Merey crude to India and 500,000 barrels of naphtha to Venezuela, reflecting mutual economic necessity as Venezuela leverages barter deals to sustain its oil sector while India cautiously tests the limits of U.S. tolerance. The market is watchful of emerging powers like India as they assert strategic autonomy.

Israel isnt waiting on access to the Red Sea via Somaliland to target Yemen. This week, the Israeli Air Force launched two air strike campaigns against Houthi targets in Yemen, following Houthi ballistic missile attacks on Israel. Israel struck multiple targets in Yemen, including ports, fuel tanks, and vessels.

Earlier this week, a Russian general indicted by Ukraine for war crimes was killed in an explosion in Moscow, with Putin calling it a failure of his security agencies. Lt. General Igor Kirillov, head of the Russian militarys chemical and biological weapons, was killed by a scooter bomb claimed by Kyiv.

Discovery & Development

National Grid (NG.L) plans to invest up to 35B ($44.5B) by 2031 in its UK transmission business, focusing on maintaining networks and building new infrastructure for 50 GW of offshore wind. Of this, 24B will go toward pipeline investments, with 11B allocated to upgrading existing systems and launching Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment projects. These initiatives align with Britain's goal to decarbonize its power sector by 2030, reducing reliance on gas-fired plants.

Portugals Galp Energia (GALP.LS) is set to begin biofuel production in 2026 at its Sines refinery, transforming waste materials like used cooking oils into biodiesel and SAF. A 400M joint venture with Mitsui (8031.T) will power a 270,000-ton annual Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil plant using green hydrogen from wind and solar. Galp is also investing 250M in a 100 MW electrolyzer to decarbonize refinery operations.

Equinor (EQNR), DNO, and Petoro have struck oil and gas in wildcat well 31/1-4 Ringand in the North Sea, estimating 1.9-12.6 million barrels of recoverable oil equivalent. The discovery, located near Troll st and Fram area in production license 923/923B, includes a 112m gas column and a 16m oil column in Jurassic formations. This marks the seventh exploration well in the license, which was part of APA 2017 and 2021 awards, and is being considered for development tied to existing infrastructure.

Var Energi (VAR) has confirmed an oil discovery in the Countach appraisal well near the Goliat field in the Barents Sea, boosting estimated recoverable resources to 10-55 MMboe. The find includes a significant 200-meter oil column in the Klappmyss formation, opening opportunities for deeper exploration in the Goliat Ridge. There are plans to drill three additional wells in 2025, sending the regions potential recoverable resources to as much as 100 MMboe, leveraging existing Goliat infrastructure. The Barents Sea holds half of Norways undiscovered resources, with Var Energi aiming to sustain long-term production at 350,000-400,000 boepd.

Shell Offshore has approved Phase 3 of its Silvertip project, a two-well campaign tied back to its Perdido spar in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, the worlds deepest floating oil platform. The wells, expected to deliver 6,000 boe/d at peak rates by 2026, will tap the Silvertip Frio reservoir at a depth of 2,450 meters. Shell, with a 40% stake, partners with Chevron (60%) to leverage low-carbon intensity oil production in the region. This project underscores Shell's commitment to maximizing high-margin, shorter-cycle opportunities near existing infrastructure in its U.S. deepwater portfolio.

Deals, Mergers & Acquisitions

Orsted (ORSTED.CO) has sold a 50% stake in three U.S. onshore projects to Energy Capital Partners for $572M, while retaining operational control and the remaining equity. The deal includes two Texas solar farmsMockingbird Solar and Sparta Solarand the Eleven Mile Solar Center battery project in Arizona. This aligns with Orsteds strategy to optimize capital while maintaining a strong role in renewable energy development.

Kenya has extended its oil supply deal with Saudi Aramco, ADNOC, and Emirates National Oil Company, initially signed in March 2023, to stabilize its shilling currency and ease dollar demand. The agreement, offering 180-day credit terms, has shifted Kenya away from a monthly open tender system requiring $500M upfront for petroleum imports. This arrangement has reduced pump prices and stabilized the shilling-dollar exchange rate. Such long-term deals highlight a growing trend of financial innovation in energy procurement amid global currency pressures.

Trio Petroleum Corp (NYSE American: TPET) has signed a non-binding LOI to acquire petroleum and natural gas assets in Saskatchewans Lloydminster heavy oil region from Novacor Exploration for CD$2M (US$1.4M). The assets include seven producing wells generating 70 bpd, with the potential to add 90 bpd through reactivations and re-entries. The deal also secures 91.5 MBBL of proved and probable reserves, with payment split between US$650,000 cash and TPET stock. For Trio, the acquisition could double its output, presenting a significant upside for a micro-cap valued at $3.1M.

Kosmos Energy (KOS.N) has ended its pursuit of Tullow Oil (TLW.L), sending Tullow shares down 10% while Kosmos shares surged. The potential merger would have created a producer with over 130,000 boepd across West Africa and the Gulf of Mexico but faced hurdles, including government and creditor support. Tullow, which recently announced its CEOs departure, maintains confidence in its standalone strategy and ability to optimize its capital structure.

Brava Energia, formerly 3R Petroleum, has entered into a 30-day exclusivity agreement with Azevedo e Travassos and Petro-Victory Energy for the potential sale of 11 oil and gas concessions in Brazil's Potiguar Basin. The assets, which averaged 250 boepd from January to November 2024, are part of Bravas strategy to optimize its portfolio following its merger with Enauta.
The total number of active drilling rigs for oil and gas in the United States stayed the same again this week, according to new data that Baker Hughes published on Friday, after seeing no change in the week prior.

The total rig count remained flat at 589 total rigs, according to Baker Hughes, down 31 from this same time last year.

The number of oil rigs rose by 1 to 483down by 15 compared to this time last year. The number of gas rigs fell by one rig, landing at 102, a loss of 18 active gas rigs from this time last year. Miscellaneous rigs stayed the same at 4.

Meanwhile, U.S. crude oil production eased from its highest level ever to 13.604 million bpd for the week ending December 13its highest point ever, the latest Energy Information Administration (EIA) data shows.

Primary Visions Frac Spread Count, an estimate of the number of crews completing wells that are unfinished, fell in the week ending December 13, from 220 to 217down 19 from the beginning of the year.

There was no change in drilling activity in the Permian Basin, hovering at 304 active rigsa figure that is 3 fewer than this same time last year. The count in the Eagle Ford stayed the same at 46. Rigs in the Eagle Ford are now just 8 below where they were this time last year.

Oil prices were trading down on Friday before the data release. At 12:03 p.m. ET, the WTI benchmark was trading down $0.12 per barrel (-0.17%) on the day at $69.26, down almost $2 per barrel compared to last Fridays price. The Brent benchmark was trading down $0.14 (-0.19%) on the day at $72.74down roughly $1.80 per barrel compared to last Fridays price.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

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Somaliland had offered Ethiopia a deal, too: Red Sea access in exchange for recognition as an independent state. That offer is still good, but is it relevant now? In January 2024, Somaliland and Ethiopia signed an MOU to this effect. Somalia took issue with the deal claiming it challenged its sovereignty. In April, Somalia expelled the Ethiopian ambassador and Ethiopias African Union peacekeepers. Then Turkey stepped into the fray to cut a deal that would simultaneously give Ethiopia access to the Red Sea without undermining Somalias sovereignty. The new deal renders Ethiopias January 2024 deal with Somaliland null and void, even if Somaliliand says

So, where does that leave Somaliland, which claimed independence from Somalia in 1991, and has been in a state of flux ever since  until the Israel-Gaza conflict, which Yemens Houthi rebels latched onto with their own agenda, from the Red Sea.

Turkey has mediated a deal between Ethiopia and Somalia to grant the former access to the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, ending a year-long dispute that threatened to spark a regional conflict. But the new deal voids an earlier deal with Somalias breakaway region of Somaliland, which would have given Ethiopia a naval base in Somaliland in return for recognition of independence.

Turkey has mediated a deal between Ethiopia and Somalia to grant the former access to the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, ending a year-long dispute that threatened to spark a regional conflict. But the new deal voids an earlier deal with Somalias breakaway region of Somaliland, which would have given Ethiopia a naval base in Somaliland in return for recognition of independence.

The Turkish deal, dubbed the Ankara Declaration would give Ethiopia alternative access to the Red Sea, without undermining Somalias sovereignty by legitimizing breakaway Somaliland.

So, where does that leave Somaliland, which claimed independence from Somalia in 1991, and has been in a state of flux ever since  until the Israel-Gaza conflict, which Yemens Houthi rebels latched onto with their own agenda, from the Red Sea.

Somaliland had offered Ethiopia a deal, too: Red Sea access in exchange for recognition as an independent state. That offer is still good, but is it relevant now? In January 2024, Somaliland and Ethiopia signed an MOU to this effect. Somalia took issue with the deal claiming it challenged its sovereignty. In April, Somalia expelled the Ethiopian ambassador and Ethiopias African Union peacekeepers. Then Turkey stepped into the fray to cut a deal that would simultaneously give Ethiopia access to the Red Sea without undermining Somalias sovereignty. The new deal renders Ethiopias January 2024 deal with Somaliland null and void, even if Somaliliand says the offer still stands.

This isnt over yet, though. While most analysts predict that Ethiopia has no choice now but to withdraw from the Somaliland deal agreed to in January 2024, theres a fairly long road ahead. The technical talks for this will go down in February, and Ankara thinks a deal will be closed by June, but there is a lot at stake heregeopolitically. This is not a localized situation.

There is an impressive lineup of external players here, as we have mentioned previously, and its all been fomenting fears of a wider regional war that would latch onto the ongoing Israel-Gaza war. Egypt, for one, backs Somalia because Cairo was furious over Ethiopias earlier building of a dam on the River Nile. Turkey has security deals with Ethiopia and Somalia. And now, China is standing by Somalia in the face of a potential push by Washington for Somalilands recognition.

Turkey is attempting to expand its power and influence in Somalia, and Erdogans typical method is a soft-power one not dissimilar to Chinas methodology: Insert yourself economically and then act as the only viable power broker for everything connected geopolitically. As we noted previously, there are rumors that Trump will recognize Somaliland, which would likely give Israel access to the venue from which it can attack Yemens Houthis easily.

Now, from the U.S. perspective, granting Somaliland independence might seem like the obvious play, but this is a serious obstacle course. It would mean rocking the boat with two alliesTurkey and Egyptfor starters. That would have been unthinkable even in 2023, but things have changed and the strategic importance of Somaliland may have trumped diplomacy, and Washington is already butting heads with Turkey in Syria right now.
The European Union is prepared to discuss with U.S. President-elect Trump boosting economic ties, including in the energy sector, an EU spokesperson told Reuters on Friday, hours after Trump threatened to impose tariffs all the way on the bloc if it doesnt buy large volumes of American oil and gas.

The EU is ready to discuss common interests in the energy sector with the U.S. as Europe is looking to phase out imports of Russian energy and diversify its sources of supply, the EU spokesperson told Reuters.

Earlier on Friday, President-elect Trump said that the EU should buy more oil and gas from the United States or risk tariffs.

I told the European Union that they must make up their tremendous deficit with the United States by the large scale purchase of our oil and gas, Trump posted on social media platform Truth Social.

Otherwise, it is TARIFFS all the way!!!

The United States is already the biggest supplier of LNG to Europe.

Now the Trump administration could leverage LNG as a bargaining chip in trade negotiations with Europe, consultancy Rystad Energy said last month.

Tariff negotiations between the U.S. and the EU may well involve the EU buying a lot more U.S. LNG.

Shortly after Trump was elected U.S. President, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in early November that the EU could replace whats left of Russian gas imports with imports of LNG from the United States.

LNG is one of the topics that we touched upon, von der Leyen said at the time, commenting on a phone call with President-elect Trump she had.

We still get a whole lot of LNG via Russia, from Russia. And why not replace it with American LNG, which is cheaper, and brings down our energy prices, von der Leyen said.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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President-elect Trumps proposed tariffs and the heightened risk of trade wars would be major challenges to the global energy transition, Mike Henry, the chief executive of mining giant BHP, told the Financial Times.

Escalating trade tensions and tariffs on many products could delay decision-making about investment in the supply of the minerals that would be crucial to advance the energy transition, Henry told FT in an interview published on Friday.

Protectionism from the United States is likely to ease the aggressiveness with which some countries will pursue the energy transition, the executive added.

BHP is a major producer of copper, which is crucial for energy infrastructure expansion as many countries look to shift to electricity powered by renewable energy sources.

Australia-based BHP is the operator of the Escondida mine in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, the worlds largest copper mine.

BHP as a company is resilient enough to weather any fallout from tariffs, but U.S. protectionism is bad generally for the global economy and for commodities, Henry told FT.

Meanwhile, BHP expects the surge of AI computing and the exponential expansion of data centers to boost global copper demand by 72% by 2050, the miners chief financial officer Vandita Pant told the Financial Times in September.

Copper is vital for power supply and transmission, and it is also used in the cooling systems and processors at data centers.

So the surge in AI technologies and the massive build-out of data centers are expected to boost demand for copper, on top of the demand that will come from the clean energy rollout, BHP reckons.

Global demand for copper is seen at 52.5 million tons per year by 2050, up by 72% compared to 30.4 million tons in 2021, according to the mining giant.

Today, data centres are less than 1 per cent of copper demand, but that is expected to be 6 to 7 per cent by 2050, BHPs Pant told FT.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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You are here: Arts

Beijing's Shijingshan district launched the "Welcome to Hungary - Tourism and Culture Week" exhibition Tuesday to mark the 75th anniversary of China-Hungary diplomatic relations and strengthen bilateral cooperation.

The exhibition entrance displays information about Hungarian Culture Week in Beijing's Shijingshan district, Dec. 17, 2024. [Photo by Yan Bin/China.org.cn]

Chinese and Hungarian officials attended the Dec. 17 opening ceremony of the weeklong event, which runs through Dec. 23. The exhibition showcases Hungary's scenery and culture and is divided into five themed sections: European impressions, Budapest's architecture, traditional crafts, regional cuisine and bilateral partnerships.

A visitor examines the "Heart of Europe" display at the Hungarian cultural exhibition in Beijing, Dec. 17, 2024. [Photo by Yan Bin/China.org.cn]

A Hungarian wine-tasting session was held on-site, allowing visitors to experience the country's wine culture through tastings. The exhibition also offers Hungarian cuisine and coffee for visitors taking breaks. "We hired a Hungarian chef to prepare the local goulash soup and chicken," a staff member said.

A server presents Hungarian chicken at the cultural exhibition in Beijing's Shijingshan district, Dec. 17, 2024. [Photo by Yan Bin/China.org.cn]

The exhibition was organized by the Publicity Department of the Shijingshan District Party Committee and hosted by the Shijingshan District Culture and Tourism Bureau and the Foreign Affairs Office of the Shijingshan District People's Government.
The rise of data centers and their quest for renewable energy to power AI technology will boost the growth of renewables even under President Donald Trump, the Americas head of Japans biggest bank, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, told Reuters.

The new administration will be more constructive on fossil fuels, but that doesn't mean renewables go away, Kevin Cronin, Regional Executive and CEO for The Americas at MUFG, told Reuters in an interview published on Friday.

Surging demand from data centers will boost renewables growth in America and projects will continue to be developed as they take years and multiple election cycles from the planning to the operational stage, according to Cronin.

There have been concerns in the renewables sector that it would suffer under Trump who has vowed to rescind many of the climate and clean energy policies of President Joe Biden.

Trumps transition team is said to be preparing radical changes to U.S. policy toward electric vehicles and tailpipe emissions. These could include axing the EV incentives and the government mandate for federal EV fleets, and rolling back the Biden Administrations rules on tailpipe emissions and fuel economy standards, Reuters reported earlier this week, citing a draft document it has seen.

In a sign of what the energy industry can expect, Trump last month picked a shale boss, Chris Wright, chief executive of Liberty Energy, as his nomination to lead the Department of Energy.

The nomination of Doug Burgum, the Governor of North Dakota, to be the interior secretary and head of a new National Energy Council at the White House, is also a signal to the industry that Americas leadership in fossil fuel production and exports is also high on Trumps agenda.

The common thread in the thinking on energy expressed by both Wright and Burgum is that they want to boost production of all types of energy, including fossil fuels, commented Ed Crooks, Senior Vice President, Americas, at Wood Mackenzie.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Shell secured the Nigerian governments approval of a major asset sale in the country by committing to a fresh large-scale investment in the Bonga North field, the Financial Times reported today, citing unnamed sources familiar with both deals.

The Anglo-Dutch supermajor approved the Bong North deepwater project at the start of this week, with reports putting the total investment in the field at some $5 billion. Bonga North currently has an estimated recoverable resource volume of more than 300 million barrels of oil equivalent and will reach a peak production of 110,000 barrels of oil a day, with first oil anticipated by the end of the decade, the supermajor added.

Three days later, the Nigerian government approved a divestment by Shell that it had been refusing to greenlight for almost a year. Shell wanted to sell onshore and shallow-water assets valued at around $2.4 billion to Renaissance Group but the Nigerian government was against the deal. Now, the FT sources are claiming that the approval of the Renaissance Group deal was contingent on the final investment decision for the Bonga North project.

According to one of the sources, however, the Nigerian government wanted more than just one final investment decision. Rather, they want to make sure Shell will remain in Nigeria as an investor, even after it sells some of its assets there. The sale, one source told the FT, was important  dont get me wrong. But it wasnt just this one deal alone. The conversation was about the larger investment context in Nigeria and how Shell wanted to be a part of that.

Nigeria has been trying to boost its oil production capacity despite OPEC+ production cuts in order to improve its oil revenue stream. At the same time, Big Oil majors have grown colder towards the West African producer as they have sought less challenging jurisdictions to expand in.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Turkey has obtained a waiver from the United States to pay for natural gas to Russia via the now-sanctioned Russian Gazprombank, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar told Reuters on Friday.

In November, the U.S. Department of the Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Gazprombank in what the Treasury said was another major step in implementing commitments made by G7 leaders to curtail Russias use of the international financial system to further its war against Ukraine.

The latest sanction measures include the designation of Gazprombank, more than 50 internationally connected Russian banks, more than 40 Russian securities registrars, and 15 Russian finance officials.

Before November 21, the U.S. Treasury had refrained from imposing sanctions on Gazprombank, which has been used by Russias European customers to pay for the natural gas they still receive from Russia.

Turkey and other remaining customers of Russian gas in Europe are using Gazprombank.

Turkey is importing more than half of its natural gas purchases from Russia. Overall, Turkey currently imports nearly all the natural gas it consumes, and most of it comes from Russia.

Last month, Turkey sought a U.S. sanctions waiver to continue using Gazprombank for paying for its energy imports from Russia, while also talking with Russian officials about the future of energy trade and payments.

Earlier this week, Hungary, another customer of Russian gas, also announced that it had received a waiver for pay for Russian gas after the U.S. sanctioned Gazprombank.

Today they have given an exemption for gas payments relating to Gazprombank, which is good news, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in a video posted on Thursday.

Szijjarto continued, But in the meantime we have worked out a solution with our regional allies, an alternative mode of payment, which does not violate sanctions but allows payments (for gas).

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com
Crude oil exports from the United States to Europe are set to dip next month amid a tightening spread between West Texas Intermediate and Brent, Reuters has reported, citing commodity analysts.

U.S. oil exports to Europe hit an all-time high in November, at 771,000 barrels daily, but since then the price difference has been shrinking, reaching $3.40 per barrel in the past couple of days. This is the smallest closing spread between the two since October last year, Reuters noted in its report.

A discount of $4, in my opinion, is always the line in the sand between a big export number versus a small export number, Mizuhos director of energy futures, Bob Yawger, told the publication.

The tightening of the spread between the two benchmarks is the result of a combination of factors. One of these is the steady decline in U.S. strategic crude oil inventories in Cushing, Oklahoma, which have shrunk to 23 million barrels. This is the lowest mid-December inventory level since 2007, Reuters said. The other reason that Reuters cited was an increase in freight rates.

However, Lloyds List has warned twice in recent weeks that the tanker market is weaker than it normally is at this time of the year. The first warning was issued in early November when the trade journal wrote that the winter market for tankers should have already started pushing rates higher but had not. Then, earlier this month, the List reported that the rates for several commodity carriers were slumping instead of rising seasonallyand those included LNG carriers and Very Large Crude Carriers.

Indeed, the increase in U.S. freight rates for tankers traveling to Europe is a result of higher U.S. benchmark oil prices, not a result of a tighter tanker marketa fact highlighting the sensitive nature of European demand for U.S. crude.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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The Romanian steel plant's decision comes amid a broader economic slowdown and political uncertainty in the country.

ArcelorMittal Hunedoara is temporarily reducing production and worker hours due to a lack of orders and economic difficulties.

Via Metal Miner

Difficult market conditions have prompted Romanian steel industry leader ArcelorMittal Hunedoara to reduce production until years end. According to a notice provided to the Bucharest Stock Exchange, the longs producers board of directors decided to reduce production from December 9-31 and pay 75% of salaries to employees impacted by the steps.

The December 6 notice also cited the economic difficulties faced by the company due to the lack of orders and implicitly of the production volume, as well as a measure to protect employees. It was not immediately clear where or by how much the company would cut production, or at what percentage of capacity the plant is now operating.

A Significant Contributor to the Steel Industry

ArcelorMittals predecessor company, Mittal Steel, acquired Hunedoara in late 2003. The plant has one electric arc furnace with an annual crude steel capacity of 800,000 metric tons, which it casts into 220220 square billets on a two-strand continuous caster.

Further downstream, the plant rolls merchant bar in square, round and flat shapes for the construction and machinery sectors. The plant is in central Romanias historical Transylvania region, about 300 kilometers east of the Hungarian border.

Predictions Mount as Romania Enters 2025

Dutch multinational banking group also downgraded Romanias GDP outlook for 2024 to 1% from 1.3% in late November / early December. The group partly cited the political climate in the region as a result of the East European states parliamentary elections.

That election took place on December 1 and saw far-right parties make significant gains at the expense of the coalition government, which consisted of the Social Democratic Party and the National Liberal Party.

Meanwhile, Presidential elections on November 24 saw right-wing candidate C?lin Georgescu gain a significant amount of votes against incumbent Klaus Iohannis, though the Romanian Constitutional Court annulled that round on the grounds of alleged Russian interference.

However, the ING report sounded a positive note about 2025. Despite the uncertainty brought by the ongoing electoral context, we still anticipate GDP growth to accelerate to 2.6% next year, ING also stated in its December 2 report.

By Christopher Rivituso

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com
The solution to our insecurity, sad to say, is not in drones or CCTV cameras alone.

Mobilising the people of a country as complex and heterogenous as ours, under the banner of a common purpose was never going to be an easy task, but this is not to say it is impossible. Multi-religious and multi-ethnic countries all over the world, grapple daily with tensions that come with diversity VP Yemi Osinbajo

I yield this column today to Ologun Afemikhe, a graduate of the University of Lagos, with a strong bias for international relations, and security matters. He is an advocate for the right security architecture in Nigeria.

Happy reading

Concerning security, Nigeria is in dire straits but we are not totally helpless. A lot could still be done if we are serious. and treat insecurity in our country like a cancer that has metastasized. In analysing our current security situation it is necessary to diligently study the details as they occur. This I have tried to do. After a very painstaking interrogation of the modus-operandi of the criminal elements and the consequential mayhem visited upon communities across the country, I have come to the unmistakable conclusion that rather than being Fulani herdsmen, what we have tormenting Nigeria today are Boko Haram elements, and the earlier we all come to this realisation, the better. One critical question to ask those who finger Fulani herdsmen as the culprit, especially in the Southwest is: where are their cattle, and the farms destroyed?

They cannot be found  well, maybe a few farms as decoy  because they are simply not available. A closer scrutiny would reveal that this is the strategy Boko Haram prefers so that they would not be treated to the pounding they are getting in the theatre of engagement in the Northeast, A brief insight into this will reveal the following: Before the 2015 elections, Boko Haram had reached as far as Okene in Kogi State where the boundaries between it and Edo State is almost non-existent. This is where we have the Ososo hills , Ogori Magogo, and other arteries which are contiguous to the Southwest, especially around Ibillo in Akoko-Edo, dovetailing into Akoko in Ondo State  areas which are so porous, and without any iota of localised policing. From here, through Igarra and Auchi, all the way to the South south, and the south east, there are not very many major highways, so that any one travelling through is largely anonymous, the illegal road blocks littering the few roads in this entire territory are manned by police men who aid the criminals with Intelligence gathering, get paid, and easily look the other way.

After the bombing of both the Louis Edet and U.N offices, in Abuja, subsequent changes in military strategy in the north east, especially by the multinational joint task force, it has become almost impossible for these criminals to move further north. Rather, they moved into the middle belt, gradually gravitating towards other parts of the country. Does it seem reasonable that over 100 people would be killed because of cows and farms? Common sense would not let this fly because it is impossible. Take another look at the killings in Plateau State and it remains a damning amazement that people still think we are dealing with herders.

Believe it or not, Boko Haram is in town, and has become operational all over Nigeria. Only this can explain the efficiency of their operations and the ease with which they elude our security agents that even where a hundred of them operated, policemen would hardly succeed in arresting any. Another surprise is Miyetti Allah, ever eager to protect the herdsmen,is never able to appreciate that Boko Haram elements have since taken over. A major challenge is that any state which successfully dealt with these elements would only have succeeded in pushing them to the next state as borders are not so distinct. Is it even reasonable to think that Boko Haram, which rustles cattle, and robs banks in search of funds, would not want to take part in the stupendously lucrative kidnapping? What exactly have our security forces been thinking?

The solution to our insecurity, sad to say, is not in drones or CCTV cameras alone. First and foremost, all the security personnel on most of the rural arteries connected to major highways, especially in the flash point areas should, as a matter of great urgency, be weeded out as they are, in most cases, working in cahoots with the so called Fulani herders, but who, really, are Boko Haram elements, operating as professional kidnappers and armed robbers but using the Fulanisation of the crises, and the lackadaisical attitude of the police, as cover. 80 percent of the criminals operating between Ore and Benin are indigenous to that area. Or where are their cattle?

I have been pursued twice on that road during which they operated like commercial transporters in a Toyota picnic bus; and the people in that vehicle who pulled a gun at me were not Fulani herders.

What the situation calls for is a solid recruitment process of graduates who are smart, and motivated enough, to form a 1000 per state special forces, drawn mostly from within the localities. The Oba, or his representative, should head a local committee on intelligence gathering, while a central intelligence hub, at the state headquarters, should be manned by a clergy or retired judge, or somebody with the right credentials. Here, prompt response and communication is key. A help desk  more like a public complaints commission  well funded and functional in many locations in each state, where people can promptly report credible observations to the authorities must be available. Special numbers, toll free, should be put on stickers and pasted in homes, as well as public places. Road transport unions should be asked to document travellers on a manifest which must be inspected weekly. If I have my way, new arrivals in a state, anywhere in the country, who would be staying for more than a week must document his/ her itinerary, and purpose of visiting, even though people will shout fundamental human rights. These are no ordinary times in our country and for us to get it right, some inconveniences will have to be suffered since to make an omelette, eggs must be broken. I suspect that people who go to the president to suggest that drones, and CCTV, alone, should be used to fix this massive insecurity, hardly travel by road, and so may not understand the urgency of now as well as what it will take to fight the menace.

Of course, technology is important and will help tremendously but given our level of development, and the extremely poor electricity situation, they cannot form the core of this battle against insecurity.

Amongst the 1000 graduates recruited for each state, there must be, especially in the forest areas to the South, forest rangers as well as those who will monitor the highways under the protection of well armed members of the Nigerian security forces.

The official security agencies must be ready, 24/7, to act on credible intelligence.

In all these, human intelligence will be key and the security agencies must be equipped with tracking equipment which would be pressed into service once any report of a kidnap is made. In such places, prompt investigations must be made to ascertain whether there is collusion or in serious cases, the entire police contingent should be moved out and new ones brought in to replace them. A cardinal aim of the new security architecture must be to allow communities take ownership of their security since they feel the pain the most and know the areas like their palm.

The federal government, since it continues to observe a stranglehold on almost everything in the country, must know that it has to sufficiently fund this and for that reason, special grants must be given to the states.

We are in dire straits and everything must be done to restore sanity into our affairs.

Not only are people no longer able to travel freely, farmers have been run out of their farms meaning that hunger may not be farfetched. Above all, government must realise, and own up to the fact that we are fighting, not against only herders, some of who hug AK47 and still perpetrate truly heinous crimes, killing and destroying farms, but principally against Boko Haram elements most of who are foreigners and, therefore, think nothing of slitting throats or disembowelling pregnant women. They are evil and our response must be equally ferocious. We must exterminate them like ants from our Fatherland.

Government is already far behind in ensuring the security of our lives and properties but it may not be all lost yet, as a stitch in time may still save nine.
Home-made C919 carries more than 1 million passenger trips since launch in May 2023

Global Times) 08:47, December 20, 2024

A passenger surnamed Lin, who took a flight from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport to Xi'an Xianyang International Airport, takes a group photo with a model of the C919 as a memento of her trip as the millionth passenger on December 19, 2024. (Photo/Courtesy of China Eastern Airlines)

The home-made C919 aircraft has carried more than one million passenger trips since it was put into commercial operation on May 28, 2023, Chinese planemaker the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), said on Thursday.

On the same day, a passenger surnamed Lin, who took a flight from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport to Xi'an Xianyang International Airport, won a model of the C919 as a memento of her trip as the millionth passenger.

As of December 19, COMAC has delivered a total of 14 C919 aircraft to China Eastern Airlines, Air China, and China Southern Airlines, which have opened a total of 15 routes and serve 10 cities.

China Eastern Airlines, as the world's first user of the C919, operates nine aircraft for 6,240 commercial flights on eight routes, carrying more than 850,000 passenger trips.

Air China operates four routes with the C919, flying from Beijing to Shanghai, Hangzhou, Chengdu, and Wuhan. China Southern Airlines has also opened four routes from Guangzhou to Shanghai, Chengdu, Hangzhou, and Haikou.

In November, China Eastern Airlines completed an engine replacement on the C919 aircraft, which experts noted that the move marks a key step in enhancing Chinese airlines' operational and maintenance capabilities for the aircraft, further advancing the comprehensive commercial deployment of the C919.

Orders for China's domestically-produced C919 and C909 aircraft reached a record 330 in 2024, with nearly 50 units delivered, said Wei Yingbiao, a vice president of COMAC, at a conference on Thursday, news outlet yicai.com reported.

The C919 aircraft is the first jet-type trunk liner independently developed by China in accordance with international airworthiness standards and owning independent intellectual property rights.

It has a layout of 158 to 192 seats and a range of 4,075 to 5,555 kilometers. The first aircraft rolled out on November 2, 2015. On May 5, 2017, the C919 made its first test flight.

To further expand its overseas footprint, COMAC has opened an office in Singapore, and COMAC vows to participate more deeply in the cooperation and development of the global aviation industry and promote innovation and progress in the industry, according to the official website of COMAC on October 28.

(Web editor: Tian Yi, Zhong Wenxing)
German automotive manufacturer IMS Gear is enhancing its presence in China through its "Local for Local" strategy and multicultural collaboration, backed by strong government support from Taicang, east China's Jiangsu province. The company continues to bolster the region's economic growth, industrial advancement and international partnerships.

Founded in 1863 and based in Donaueschingen, Baden-Wurttemberg, IMS Gear maintains a leading role in global automotive drive systems. Its Asian expansion materialized in 2009 with the establishment of IMS Gear (Taicang) Co., Ltd. in Chengxiang town, Taicang city.

Vice President Zoltan Nemeth noted that government support has been instrumental since the company's founding, with backing from multiple administrative levels, including Jiangsu province, Suzhou city and local authorities in Taicang city and Chengxiang town.

Highlighting China's market potential, Nemeth said understanding local markets and needs remains vital to their success. The company has focused primarily on domestic sales since launching operations in 2009.

"In recent years, we've made significant strides in localizing raw materials, and nearly all our products are sold within China," added Vice President Cai Yu.

IMS Gear (Taicang) Vice President Cai Yu discusses company operations in Taicang, east China's Jiangsu province, Dec. 12, 2024. [Photo by Yang Chuanli/China.org.cn]



The local government's multifaceted support has enhanced the company's development. Nemeth noted: "We received financial support for several projects and activities, such as smart production in our factory. Beyond financial assistance, we received significant additional support. When we faced challenges, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, the local government provided valuable assistance."

Foreign employees of IMS Gear speak with reporters in Taicang, Jiangsu province, east China's Jiangsu province, Dec. 12, 2024. [Photo by Yang Chuanli/China.org.cn]



The company brings together talent from Germany, Austria and other countries, forming an international team that combines multicultural perspectives with shared technical expertise. German employee Sebastian said he was impressed by Chinese engineers' skill in applying mathematical knowledge to work analysis and calculations.

His colleague Thomas observed that Chinese staff members excel at teamwork and show great enthusiasm. "Chinese people are generally much more open. When you have ideas or want to find compromises, Chinese people are more willing to cooperate with people from different backgrounds and with different ideas," Austrian employee Dominik said.

Thomas reflected on life in Taicang: "I'm very impressed by how fast everything has developed here. For example, when I arrived in 2019, there was no high-speed train. And now, after such a short amount of time, we have a high-speed train that can take us to Shanghai in just 25 minutes."

Marius, from Germany, said Taicang is progressing toward internationalization while maintaining its local character. "In China, you can see a lot of cool things and make nice friends. The country boasts amazing cities and diverse landscapes, ranging from towering mountains to deserts and jungles."

According to Taicang Science and Technology Bureau, the company's core products now command 50% of the domestic market share and are used by major automotive brands, including Shanghai Volkswagen, GM, BMW and Audi. In Taicang, both the company and its employees have grown while gaining valuable cross-cultural experience in this dynamic city.
The trial of popular Nigerian musician, Azeez Fashola, popularly known as Naira Marley, resumed on Tuesday at the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court.

During the hearing, the judge, Nicholas Oweibo, ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to furnish the defence counsel, Olalekan Ojo, with witness statements which it (EFCC) took while investigating Naira Marley for alleged internet fraud.

Prior to the commencement of trial, Mr Ojo brought to the notice of the court that he had a motion on notice that he would prefer to be heard and determined before the trial opened.

In the course of pre-trial preparation, it was discovered that certain documents which we require and to which prosecution made reference in their proof of evidence, are not available to us, Mr Ojo said.

The EFCC counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, however, opposed the adjournment application, stating that the prosecution was not in possession of the required documents.

He also added that the defence was not entitled to the statements as a right.

Justice Oweibo, however, gave leave to the defence to raise its motion.

In the motion, the defendant prayed the court to compel the EFCC to furnish him with the prosecution witnesses statements.

After listening to the motion, the judge gave a bench ruling in favour of the defendant.

He then ordered the EFCC to provide the defence with its investigators statements, if any.

In a criminal trial, it must be borne in mind that criminal trial at the Federal High Court is a summary trial, therefore proof of evidence is not required, the judge said.

However, the investigating officers report must be furnished to the defence and the statements of witnesses, if any.

Justice Oweibo subsequently adjourned till October 23 for the commencement of the trial.
The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says with the humiliated Adams Oshiomhole as its face, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has further confirmed that it remains a stinking coven of treasury looters and a fizzling political platform facing an inevitable extinction.

The party lampoons Oshiomhole for his failed attempt to divert public attention from the rot in his party by blaming the PDP and respected Nigerians for the self-inflicted infighting in the APC, for which he is largely responsible.

The PDP in a statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, says it is only in a dysfunctional and disoriented party like the APC that a character like Adams Oshiomhole, who is also overburdened by corruption allegation, can find a space; a development that points only to the decadence that prevail in their party.

The statement reads in parts.

The factional national chairman of the APC needs to know that his party is yet to recover from the shambolic conduct of its affairs, particularly its congresses, in which lingering allegations of bribery, extortions, manipulations, excessive highhandedness and corruption had destroyed the fabrics of their party.

One would have expected Mr. Oshiomhole to eat the humble pie and accept responsibility for leading his party into an irredeemable disarray, rather than accusing respected Nigerians and the PDP for the disgraceful infighting in his party over loot sharing, lust for power and inordinate ambition to continue to pillage our national patrimony.

It is equally appalling that rather than engaging himself in a soul searching and apologize to Nigerians over the destruction which the APC has caused our nation, Mr. Oshiomhole is busy mouthing diatribes against the PDP that created a robust economy which his confused party had vanquished.

The PDP is a focused, organized and purposeful political party, which Nigerians are rallying to rescue our nation from the incompetence, cluelessness, arrogance and mass failures of the APC in the last five years.

It is therefore instructive for Oshiomhole to note that the PDP is too busy to be interested in the APC or engage itself in any brickbat with a failed political party whose end has come.

APC can no longer beguile Nigerians as they have since come to know that it is nothing but a power grabbing vehicle designed to fleece our nation and subjugate the citizens.

Mr. Oshiomhole should thus concentrate on his role as the undertaker of the APC until he buries the ashes of his fizzling party and save Nigerians the trauma of suffering which the APC has come to represent, instead of dabbling into the activities of our great party.

Signed:

Kola Ologbondiyan

National Publicity Secretary
Nigeria is currently in the thick of negativity. First off, our Presidential election is the subject of international scrutiny. A few months ago, Nigeria was named a poverty capital of the world with a significant amount of out youthful population waiting to live the Nigerian dream, which is to travel to far western colonies and tweet a love for Nigeria from there.

Asides that, Nigeria was also ranked amongst the worst places to raise a child. Other statistics have come out to rank Nigeria as one of the worst countries with the highest suicide rates. Terrorism is also a worry as Africa has now become a hotbed for terrorism. There is a problem.

This time, The Economist released a list in 2018, which ranked Lagos amongst the worlds least liveable cities. To arrive at this, The Economist assessed 140 major cities worldwide on stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure. It is already common knowledge that Lagos is dogged with problems of low quality of life, terrible mental health and high stress levels.

Even worse, a Pulse writer last year wrote about how Lagos is messing with his mental health. On the list, as compiled by The Economist, Lagos, Nigeria ranked 138th on the list of 140 countries with a score of 38.0. The bottom ten consists of cities like, Dakar, Senegal at 131; Tripoli, Libya, at 134; and Damascus, Israel at 140.

The top 10 is made of; Vienna, Austria; Melbourne, Australia; Osaka, Japan; Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Sydney, Australia; Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Tokyo, Japan; Copenhagen, Denmark; and Adelaide, Australia.

Incredibly, Lagos also ranked lowest on the list of cities to emigrate to for expatriates.
By Taxpayers Association of Oregon

OregonWatchdog.com

The Oregon League on Conservation Voters put a full-page ad in Wednesdays Oregonian praising retiring Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer for his advancements in energy, safety and health. If this is advancement  please stop advancing now!!!

Clean Energy = Less energy supply, 40% higher utility bills, more blackouts.

Safe = Oregon ranks in top 10 most dangerous states.

Healthy = Oregon ranked #1 for drug use & addiction. #3 for homeless. Record wildfires/smoke. Drove Oregon factory jobs to China where they pollute more for making the same product they made in Oregon (we lose their tax revenue too).

Congressman Earl Blumenauers extreme liberalism is what is making Oregon worse  not better.

Stop praising Earl Blemneaurs failed accomplishments.

 Was this helpful? Consider a donation (it is how we make this article possible)  Contribute online at OregonWatchdog.com (learn about a Charitable Tax Deduction or Political Tax Credit options to promote liberty).
I dont know about you, but Im careful with what I say in public. In case you missed it, Oregons famously restrictive law against one-party recording has been rescinded in public places. In Project Veritas v. Michael Schmidt, the Ninth Circuit ruled that Oregons law banning secret recordings violates the First Amendment. ORS 165.540(1)(c) generally prohibits unannounced recordings of conversations, subject to several exceptions, such as recordings by law enforcement.

This case didnt stem from a prosecution of Project Veritas. Instead, the plaintiff sued Multnomah County and the State of Oregon over the impact of this law on their operations.

Multnomah County and the State of Oregon convinced the Oregon District Court to dismiss the case on the grounds that Project Veritas lacked standing. The Ninth Circuit overruled, stating:

Project Veritass allegations are sufficient to establish standing for a First Amendment pre-enforcement claim. Under Article III of the Constitution, plaintiffs must establish the irreducible constitutional minimum of standing, by showing that they suffered an injury in fact, that there is a causal connection between the injury and the conduct complained of, and that it is likely that the injury will be redressed by a favorable decision.

By winning on standing, Project Veritas got the Ninth Circuit to rule on the merits. The majority opinion states: we conclude that section 165.540 burdens more protected speech than is necessary to achieve its stated interest. Using Animal Legal Def. Fund. v. Wasdena as the key precedent, a similar case that came before the Ninth Circuit in 2018, the Court found a compelling interest in protecting investigative recordings made in the public interest.

So, you better watch what you say in public. Someone might be recording.

Eric Shierman lives in Salem and is the author of We were winning when I was there.
The draft of China's first basic law specifically focused on the development of the private sector will be submitted to lawmakers for its initial reading on Saturday.

This was announced by Wang Xiang, spokesperson for the Legislative Affairs Commission of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, at a press briefing on Thursday.

The formulation of the draft private sector promotion law elevates principles, overarching requirements and key measures for promoting the growth of the private economy into legal norms, Wang said.

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, he added.

The draft was posted on the websites of the Ministry of Justice and the National Development and Reform Commission to solicit public opinion from early October to early November.

The Standing Committee of the 14th NPC will convene its 13th session from Dec. 21 to 25 in Beijing.
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:

An artistic rendition of the schematic diagram for the on-chip full-Stokes polarimeter, highlighting the optoelectronic polarization eigenvectors. Credit: Deng et al.

Reliably measuring the polarization state of light is crucial for various technological applications, ranging from optical communication to biomedical imaging. Yet conventional polarimeters are made of bulky components, which makes them difficult to reduce in size and limits their widespread adoption.

Researchers at the Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics (SITP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and other institutes recently developed an on-chip full-Stokes polarimeter that could be easier to deploy on a large scale. Their device, presented in a paper in Nature Electronics, is based on optoelectronic polarization eigenvectors, mathematical equations that represent the linear relationship between the incident Stokes vector and a detector's photocurrent.

"This work was driven by the growing demand for compact, high-performance polarization analysis devices in optoelectronics," Jing Zhou, corresponding author of the paper, told Phys.org. "Traditional polarimeters, which rely on discrete bulky optical components, present significant challenges to miniaturization and limit their broader applicability. Our main goal is to develop an on-chip solution capable of direct electrical readout to reconstruct full-Stokes polarization states."

Zhou and his colleagues uncovered a new strategy to measure the polarization of light. This strategy is based on a new physical concept known as an optoelectronic polarization eigenvector (OPEV), which mathematically expresses the linear relationship between the incident Stokes vector and the photocurrent flowing in a detector.

"We then establish a novel high-accuracy full-Stokes polarization detection method by configuring four OPEVs to constitute an optimized optoelectronic conversion matrix (OCM)," said Zhou.

"Ultimately, we developed an on-chip full-Stokes polarimeter based on this approach and achieved high-accuracy full-Stokes reconstruction in a compact form, bridging the gap between traditional bulky setups and modern smart optoelectronic systems. The device was designed and optimized based on the concept of optoelectronic polarization eigenvectors."

The device developed by the researchers encodes polarization information into electrical signals via metasurface-enabled eigenvectors. This process allows it to capture the full-Stokes parameters by solving an inverse problem, essentially reconstructing arbitrary unknown polarization states from the four measurable photocurrents of subpixels.

(a) Geometric representation of the optoelectronic polarization eigenvector corresponding to the metasurface-integrated subpixel; (b) Schematic of the onchip full-Stokes polarimeter; (c) The scanning electron microscopy image of the Z-shaped metasurface for subpixel I. Scale bar, 500 nm (red dashed box). The lattice structure of the MoS2 (blue dashed box); (d) Matrix representation of the optoelectronic conversion matrix (OCM); (e) Some random selected input and reconstructed polarization states over the full Poincare sphere; (f) Performance comparison on polarization-state coverage and reconstruction accuracy. Credit: Deng et al.

"In the reconstruction process, a machine learning algorithm (Gaussian process regression) is also employed," said Zhou. "The core innovation lies in the manipulation of these eigenvectors via metasurfaces within the framework of Stokes parameter space, addressing symmetry requirements, geometry and their arrangement. This approach eliminates the need for external optical components commonly required in conventional polarimetric systems. Additionally, the metasurface enhances the photoresponse of infrared detection materials through localized optical fields."

The device developed by Zhou and his colleagues has various advantages over conventional polarimeters. Most notably, it can be miniaturized, while also achieving high accuracy levels and fast operation speeds. In addition, it is compatible with focal plane arrays, thus it could pave the way for more interesting polarimetric applications in the infrared spectrum.

Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matterdaily or weekly.

"One of our most notable findings is the establishment of a clear and concise linear mapping relationship between Stokes vector of incident light and the photocurrent of a photodetector," said Zhou.

"This relationship, which we term the optoelectronic polarization eigenvectors, serves as a crucial framework for exploring various optoelectronic conversions related to optical polarization. This relationship generally works for all square-law detectors, whose photoresponse is proportional to the received light power."

In initial tests, the device developed by the researchers achieved remarkable results, reconstructing the entire range of polarization states at arbitrary light intensities with a root mean square error of less than 1%. The new polarimeter could be used to collect accurate polarization measurements in real-time, which could be advantageous for various applications, including optical communication, remote sensing, cosmology and biomedical diagnostics.

"Our future research will continue to focus on enhancing the efficiency and robustness of the device, extending its application to more mainstream infrared detection materialssuch as MCT, QWIP, InGaAs, and T2SLsand exploring its potential in emerging fields such as quantum communication and autonomous sensing systems," added Zhou.

"Additionally, we plan to pursue further advancements in spectropolarimetry, emphasizing the optoelectronic conversion and electrical readout of multi-dimensional light information and light-matter interactions."

More information: Jie Deng et al, An on-chip full-Stokes polarimeter based on optoelectronic polarization eigenvectors, Nature Electronics (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41928-024-01287-w. Journal information: Nature Electronics

 2024 Science X Network
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: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

EU researchers are braving extreme Arctic conditions to shed light on snow's crucial role in Earth's climate system.

An average temperature of -30C and up to 24 hours of darkness a day. Those were the working conditions for a team of scientists who spent nine months researching snow in the Arctic.

"Very white, vast and cold," is how snow expert Dr. Marie Dumont describes the field campaign in Cambridge Bay, also known as Iqaluktuuttiaq, a hamlet in Canada's far north inhabited mostly by the indigenous Inuit population.

"The coldest temperature we experienced was -50C. It's certainly a special kind of life," she added.

The field research is part of a six-year project named IVORI, that runs until 2027, to improve our understanding of snow, glaciers, ice sheets and permafrost.

Mysteries of snow

Why snow, one might ask? Because there is much more to it than meets the eye. It is, in fact, a pillar of our climate system.

"There are three main properties of snow that impact the Earth's climate system," explains Dumont, IVORI coordinator and director of the Snow Research Center at Meteo-France, the official French meteorological administration.

Firstly, it is white. Snow reflects solar radiation back to the atmosphere and therefore limits the warming of the Earth.

Secondly, snow consists of ice and air, which gives it great insulating properties. A covering of snow insulates the ground and protects everything in the soil from increasing temperatures.

And lastly, melting snow influences the water cycle in nature.

However, despite its considerable impact, snow still holds many unanswered questions.

"Everyone feels that they understand snow, but we actually know very little about it," says Pascal Hagenmuller, a researcher specializing in snow mechanics and avalanche studies at the Snow Research Center, part of France's National Center for Meteorological Research.

"Even simple observations such as why snow sometimes makes sounds when you compress itand sometimes notare unclear. Snow is still a mystery."

Arctic snow

To the untrained eye, all snow looks the same, but the IVORI researchers know that Arctic snow is very different from the type we encounter in Europe.

"We know a bit about how to model snow in the Alpine regions, but we don't know much about the snow in the Arctic Circle, even though this snowpack is much more important for the global climate," said Dumont.

This is why the IVORI team is working to understand the different types of snow and develop a universal numerical model that can represent snow evolution worldwide, with all its physical variables.

"We aim to change the way we describe and model snow," says Hagenmuller, who is an expert on the description of snow's microstructure.

"The snow microstructure is the 3D arrangement of ice and air," he explains. "It determines the properties of the snow, such as whether it is mechanically stable or not, whether it will insulate the ground well or not, and how much water it will produce once it melts."

Monitoring the evolution of the snow's microstructure was the main objective behind the IVORI team's two field campaigns.

While the first one was conducted in the French Alps, the second took the research team to the Canadian High Arctic Research Station. There, they worked stints of two months, collecting and analyzing snow samples on a daily basis with a tomograph, a special X-ray scanner similar to medical scanners.

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Global warming, local impact

Through this experience, the scientists learned first-hand how indigenous communities are being impacted by the warming climate.

"In the Arctic, people live in and with snow in a completely different way than we do in Europe. It is a very big part of their lives, and it is changing very quickly," says Dumont.

"In Europe, we see and feel the effects of climate change, but the North Pole feels it much more."

She explained that Arctic communities face very rapid changes, requiring them to adapt their way of life.

"For instance, the locals would normally use sea ice to travel from one village to the next in the winter because it is much faster, but the sea ice is melting and it is not safe anymore."

As a result, she said, local communities are faced with growing risks ahead. "People were afraid that their house would not be there anymore in a few days," recalls Dumont. This is because the permafrostthe permanently frozen groundis melting. The soil is becoming unstable, which can cause houses to collapse.

"Remembering this constantly reminds me of what I do and why," says Dumont.

Climate forecast

Although the IVORI research is focused on snow, it can also be applied to broader climate models and forecasting.

"We know that snow is a major component of the climate system. If we fail to predict the impact of snow, we fail to predict the climate," stresses Hagenmuller.

Dumont explains that the model IVORI scientists are developing can lead to improved hydrological forecasts, create better predictions for permafrost and possible landslides, and even predict avalanches.

"It can help with climate mitigation and help us adapt to what is going on with more accurate projections."

This way, Dumont hopes, the magic of snow will not be lost.

"Already as a child, I was fascinated by snow. To me, it makes everything look great and perfect. It's the wild, rough nature and I hope we can preserve its beauty."
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Cave setting and speleothem samples. Credit: Communications Earth & Environment (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s43247-024-01876-9

Investigations into precipitation patterns in eastern Central Europe since the end of the last ice age, conducted by an international research team led by Dr. Sophie Warken of Heidelberg University, have shown that dynamic processes in atmospheric circulation, such as the North Atlantic jet stream, influence regional changes in precipitation.

The work is published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment.

The researchers analyzed dripstones from the Closani Cave in Romania, which act as a natural climate archive that allows conclusions to be drawn about precipitation variability over a period of approximately 20,000 years. According to Dr. Warken, the new findings on the dynamics of the climate in Europe could contribute to improving current climate models and the ability to more accurately predict the likelihood of extreme weather events.

Of particular importance for the regional weather and precipitation patterns in Europe's mid-latitudes is the North Atlantic jet stream, an atmospheric air flow that crosses the North Atlantic in a southwest-to-northeast direction carrying precipitation to Europe.

In the past, climatic changes did affect the strength and trajectory of the jet streamthat much is known. But as Dr. Warken explains, our understanding of how climate-induced fluctuations in the jet stream influenced local and regional precipitation patterns in Europe is limited.

Natural climate archives, like the dripstones in the Closani Cave in Romania, can provide information on the climate dynamics of bygone ages. The lime deposits, also known as speleothems, form from precipitation that seeps into the cave's interior over several thousands of years.

Geochemical investigations allow conclusions to be drawn about the chronology of the deposits and thus past environmental conditions and precipitation amounts. The current study focused on three stalagmites that contain information on the hydroclimatic conditions in eastern Central Europe over the past 20,000 years.

Precipitation variability in ECE. Credit: Communications Earth & Environment (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s43247-024-01876-9

The results show how the trajectory of the North Atlantic jet stream changed due to the warming and melting of the ice sheets of the Northern hemispherea process that lasted until about 5,000 years ago. As a result, precipitation in the late last Ice Age about 20,000 years ago and the early to mid-Holocenethe current interglacial epoch that followed the last Ice Age about 7,000 years agowas 20 to 30% higher than it is today.

It turns out that precipitation variability in the region over comparatively short time periods of centuries or even just decades fluctuated irrespective of long-term temperature developments in the North Atlantic region.

"Our research shows that dynamic processes in particular, such as changes in wind patterns and atmospheric currents like the jet stream, influence the precipitation and weather patterns in Central Europe," stresses Dr. Warken.

This helps fill in a research gap, she explains, because former reconstructions mainly refer to thermodynamic processes, i.e., the warming of the atmosphere, and thereby directly connect a rise in temperature to an increase in precipitation. These reconstructions are often based on climate models still fraught with uncertainties in simulating local and regional precipitation patterns.

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"Climate change is already leading to more frequent and intense precipitation events; based on current prognoses, the number of extreme weather events and heavy rainfall in several regions in Europe will continue to rise," states Dr. Warken.

A better understanding of the underlying dynamic processes is key to more accurately predict future precipitation patterns and the likelihood of extreme weather events. Against this backdrop, the current results from the Closani Cave can help improve the accuracy of climate models and prognoses, adds the geoscientist, who together with her research group at the Institutes of Earth Sciences and Environmental Physics of Heidelberg University is reconstructing the climate of past millennia.

The research was carried out in collaboration with scientists from the Universities of Mainz and Innsbruck (Austria). Also involved were other institutions in Germany and Romania.

More information: Sophie F. Warken et al, Dynamic processes determine precipitation variability in Eastern Central Europe since the Last Glacial Maximum, Communications Earth & Environment (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s43247-024-01876-9 Journal information: Communications Earth & Environment
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

In a novel attempt to enforce a longstanding Minnesota rule protecting wild rice, the EPA is investigating U.S. Steel's taconite mine, Keetac, for repeatedly releasing a rice-killing pollutant into surface waters.

The mine and tailings site in Keewatin broke sulfate limits set in two wastewater permits 299 times between 2019 and 2022, the EPA alleged in a May notice that only recently was publicly revealed. The agency could eventually impose fines, but the notice of violation it sent to U.S. Steel is not a final decision.

Sulfate, a mineral salt, does not occur naturally in high levels in water in northeast Minnesota. It comes from multiple sources, like sewage plants, some power stations and mines that process rock containing sulfide. In the mucky bottoms of lakes, it's been shown to smother the roots of growing wild rice plants, gradually snuffing out the plant that re-grows annually from fallen seeds.

U.S. Steel said in a statement that although it has tested several technologies, there is no workable way to stop the sulfate releases. Simultaneously, the company argues it's not violating any water pollution rules because of changes in state law.

The EPA is accusing the company of breaking a standard that limits sulfate to 10 parts per million (ppm) in streams, rivers and lakes where rice has historically grown. The rule has been on the books in Minnesota for more than half a century, but not enforced until recently. In 2011, 2015 and 2016, lawmakers limited the rule or directed regulators to rewrite it.

"The permit states that the sulfate effluent limits in the interim are for monitoring purposes and are effective limits when U.S. Steel is notified by MPCA that limits are considered final. That has not occurred," Andrew Fulton, a spokesman for U.S. Steel, wrote in an email.

MCPA noted in a 2017 inspection report that it could not enforce the standard on the company, according to documents obtained in a Freedom of Information Act request by the environmental group CURE.

But the state has started to enforce the sulfate rule in recent years because the EPA directed it to do so in 2022. That same year, the federal agency started looking closely at Keetac. Federal inspectors visited the mine in October 2022, the first time the EPA noted that the site was releasing more sulfate than the limits in its permits.

"MCPA had two totally contrary orders, one to follow federal law, and one from the Legislature to not follow federal law, and they got caught in that trap," said Hudston Kingston, the legal director of CURE. "Luckily, the EPA is not bound by state law."

The documents Kingston received from the case end in August. It's unclear what has happened in EPA's enforcement case since then.

EPA Region 5 spokeswoman Macy Pressley said the case was still active, but did not answer a list of detailed questions.

Separately, U.S. Steel is arguing in court that it should receive a legal exception to the rule it's accused of violating.

The company asked for a "site specific standard" for Hay Lake, the small body of water downstream of the facility in Keewatin, that would raise the sulfate limit there from 10 ppm to 79 ppm.

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The standard is allowed in law, but the company has to prove the change won't harm the rice. In April, MPCA said U.S. Steel had not met that bar and denied the request. The company appealed.

In court, U.S. Steel has argued that EPA can't preempt laws passed in Minnesota that limited the rule.

There is evidence that rice in Hay Lake has suffered. The group WaterLegacy, arguing in court in support of MPCA's decision, peppered its brief with pictures of flattened rice beds and rotting stalks collected in field surveys by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Paula Maccabee, an attorney for WaterLegacy, said that if U.S. Steel were to prevail in its request for a different standard, it would effectively end EPA's enforcement case.

The MPCA is in the process of updating Keetac's permits now, said agency spokeswoman Becky Lentz. If the company prevails in court, a looser sulfate standard would also likely change those new permits.

A second company, Cleveland Cliffs, has also asked for a looser sulfate standard near its United Taconite mine in Eveleth. Lentz said the agency is not considering that request now, because it is not in the process of re-issuing Cliffs' water permit.

Kingston said that as President-elect Donald Trump comes into office in January, EPA might be directed away from enforcement cases like the one at Keetac. Trump has repeatedly expressed support for mining in northeast Minnesota.

Additionally, Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation blueprint for a second Trump term, stresses that the EPA should "encourage compliance over enforcement" and eliminate its enforcement office.

Asked whether U.S. Steel has discussed the Keetac investigation with any elected officials or the incoming Trump administration. Fulton responded that "no discussions have occurred."

"We look forward to working constructively with EPA to strike a balance between the needs of the environment and the needs of industry," he added.

Not everyone is so concerned about the potential of EPA backing off the case, however. Maccabee said companies will still be accountable to state law, and lawsuits from the public.

"It's really important for people to realize there will be recourse and there are ways to protect the environment," Maccabee said.

2024 The Minnesota Star Tribune. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC
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This illustration provided by researchers depicts a person carving an osteoderm from a giant sloth in Brazil about 25,000 to 27,000 years ago. Credit: Julia d'Oliveira via AP

Sloths weren't always slow-moving, furry tree-dwellers. Their prehistoric ancestors were hugeup to 4 tons (3.6 metric tons)and when startled, they brandished immense claws.

For a long time, scientists believed the first humans to arrive in the Americas soon killed off these giant ground sloths through hunting, along with many other massive animals like mastodons, saber-toothed cats and dire wolves that once roamed North and South America.

But new research from several sites is starting to suggest that people came to the Americas earlierperhaps far earlierthan once thought. These findings hint at a remarkably different life for these early Americans, one in which they may have spent millennia sharing prehistoric savannas and wetlands with enormous beasts.

"There was this idea that humans arrived and killed everything off very quicklywhat's called 'Pleistocene overkill,'" said Daniel Odess, an archaeologist at White Sands National Park in New Mexico. But new discoveries suggest that "humans were existing alongside these animals for at least 10,000 years, without making them go extinct."

Some of the most tantalizing clues come from an archaeological site in central Brazil, called Santa Elina, where bones of giant ground sloths show signs of being manipulated by humans. Sloths like these once lived from Alaska to Argentina, and some species had bony structures on their backs, called osteodermsa bit like the plates of modern armadillosthat may have been used to make decorations.

This photo provided by researchers shows fossils at the excavation site of Arroyo del Vizcaino in Uruguay, where researchers have found evidence suggesting human occupation 30,000 years ago. Credit: Martin Batalles via AP

In a lab at the University of Sao Paulo, researcher Mirian Pacheco holds in her palm a round, penny-sized sloth fossil. She notes that its surface is surprisingly smooth, the edges appear to have been deliberately polished, and there's a tiny hole near one edge.

"We believe it was intentionally altered and used by ancient people as jewelry or adornment," she said. Three similar "pendant" fossils are visibly different from unworked osteoderms on a tablethose are rough-surfaced and without any holes.

These artifacts from Santa Elina are roughly 27,000 years oldmore than 10,000 years before scientists once thought that humans arrived in the Americas.

Originally researchers wondered if the craftsmen were working on already old fossils. But Pacheco's research strongly suggests that ancient people were carving "fresh bones" shortly after the animals died.

Paleontologist Thais Pansani stands in front the reconstructed skeleton of a giant ground sloth at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, on July 11, 2024. Credit: AP Photo/Mary Conlon

Her findings, together with other recent discoveries, could help rewrite the tale of when humans first arrived in the Americasand the effect they had on the environment they found.

"There's still a big debate," Pacheco said.

Scientists know that the first humans emerged in Africa, then moved into Europe and Asia-Pacific, before finally making their way to the last continental frontier, the Americas. But questions remain about the final chapter of the human origins story.

Pacheco was taught in high school the theory that most archaeologists held throughout the 20th century. "What I learned in school was that Clovis was first," she said.

Clovis is a site in New Mexico, where archaeologists in the 1920s and 1930s found distinctive projectile points and other artifacts dated to between 11,000 and 13,000 years ago.

This photo provided by researchers shows the Santa Elina excavation site in the Mato Grosso state of Brazil. Credit: Agueda Vilhena Vialou, Denis Vialou via AP

This date happens to coincide with the end of the last Ice Age, a time when an ice-free corridor likely emerged in North Americagiving rise to an idea about how early humans moved into the continent after crossing the Bering land bridge from Asia.

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And because the fossil record shows the widespread decline of American megafauna starting around the same timewith North America losing 70% of its large mammals, and South America losing more than 80%many researchers surmised that humans' arrival led to mass extinctions.

"It was a nice story for a while, when all the timing lined up," said paleoanthropologist Briana Pobiner at the Smithsonian Institution's Human Origins Program. "But it doesn't really work so well anymore."

In the past 30 years, new research methodsincluding ancient DNA analysis and new laboratory techniquescoupled with the examination of additional archaeological sites and inclusion of more diverse scholars across the Americas, have upended the old narrative and raised new questions, especially about timing.

This image provided by researchers shows an artifact made of bony material from a giant sloth discovered at a rock shelter in Brazil, recovered from archaeological layers dated to 25,000 to 27,000 years ago. Credit: Thais Pansani, Pierre Gueriau via AP

"Anything older than about 15,000 years still draws intense scrutiny," said Richard Farina, a paleontologist at the University of the Republic in Montevideo, Uruguay. "But really compelling evidence from more and more older sites keeps coming to light."

In Sao Paulo and at the Federal University of Sao Carlos, Pacheco studies the chemical changes that occur when a bone becomes a fossil. This allows her team to analyze when the sloth osteoderms were likely modified.

"We found that the osteoderms were carved before the fossilization process" in "fresh bones"meaning anywhere from a few days to a few years after the sloths died, but not thousands of years later.

Her team also tested and ruled out several natural processes, like erosion and animal gnawing. The research was published last year in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Thais Pansani and Kay Behrensmeyer analyze a giant sloth rib bone from central Brazil, in the Smithsonian's National Taphonomy Reference Collection in Washington, D.C. on July 11, 2024. Credit: AP Photo/Mary Conlon

One of her collaborators, paleontologist Thais Pansani, recently based at the Smithsonian Institution, is analyzing whether similar-aged sloth bones found at Santa Elina were charred by human-made fires, which burn at different temperatures than natural wildfires.

Her preliminary results suggest that the fresh sloth bones were present at human campsiteswhether burned deliberately in cooking, or simply nearby, isn't clear. She is also testing and ruling out other possible causes for the black markings, such as natural chemical discoloration.

The first site widely accepted as older than Clovis was in Monte Verde, Chile.

Buried beneath a peat bog, researchers discovered 14,500-year-old stone tools, pieces of preserved animal hides, and various edible and medicinal plants.

"Monte Verde was a shock. You're here at the end of the world, with all this organic stuff preserved," said Vanderbilt University archaeologist Tom Dillehay, a longtime researcher at Monte Verde.

Thais Pansani examines giant sloth bones dated to about 25,000 to 27,000 years ago from central Brazil, some of which appear to be burned by human-made fire, at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, on July 11, 2024. Credit: AP Photo/Mary Conlon

Other archaeological sites suggest even earlier dates for human presence in the Americas.

Among the oldest sites is Arroyo del Vizcaino in Uruguay, where researchers are studying apparent human-made "cut marks" on animal bones dated to around 30,000 years ago.

At New Mexico's White Sands, researchers have uncovered human footprints dated to between 21,000 and 23,000 years ago, as well as similar-aged tracks of giant mammals. But some archaeologists say it's hard to imagine that humans would repeatedly traverse a site and leave no stone tools.

"They've made a strong case, but there are still some things about that site that puzzle me," said David Meltzer, an archaeologist at Southern Methodist University. "Why would people leave footprints over a long period of time, but never any artifacts?"

Odess at White Sands said that he expects and welcomes such challenges. "We didn't set out to find the oldest anythingwe've really just followed the evidence where it leads," he said.

Thais Pansani holds a giant sloth rib bone from central Brazil dated to about 13,000 to 15,000 years ago, which is thought to be burned by human-made fire, in the Smithsonian's National Taphonomy Reference Collection in Washington, on July 11, 2024. Credit: AP Photo/Mary Conlon

This combination of illustrations provided by researchers in 2024 shows large animals which once roamed prehistoric North and South America. Top row from left, a glyptodon, a lestodon, and a horse. Bottom row from left, a mastodon, a saber-toothed cat and a toxodon. Credit: Mauro Muyano via AP

Researcher Mirian Pacheco holds a round, penny-sized sloth fossil dated to around 27,000 years ago, at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Sept 2, 2024, saying that unlike most other specimens, its surface is surprisingly smooth, the edges appear to have been deliberately polished, and theres a tiny hole near one edge. Credit: AP Photo/Christina Larson

This photo provided by researchers shows prehistoric drawings at the Santa Elina excavation site in the Mato Grosso state of Brazil. Credit: Agueda Vilhena Vialou, Denis Vialou via AP

This illustration depicts giant sloths, humans and mastodons living alongside one another in central Brazil 27,000 years ago, during the Pleistocene period. Credit: AP/Peter Hamlin

While the exact timing of humans' arrival in the Americas remains contestedand may never be knownit seems clear that if the first people arrived earlier than once thought, they didn't immediately decimate the giant beasts they encountered.

And the White Sands footprints preserve a few moments of their early interactions.

As Odess interprets them, one set of tracks shows "a giant ground sloth going along on four feet" when it encounters the footprints of a small human who's recently dashed by. The huge animal "stops and rears up on hind legs, shuffles around, then heads off in a different direction."

 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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a) Schematic illustration of N 2 H 4 -assisted doping strategy during hydrothermal synthesis procedure. b) XRD patterns and c) Raman spectrum of all three MoS 2 showing crystal structure. Credit: Advanced Science (2024). DOI: 10.1002/advs.202410825

A team of scientists at UNSW Sydney have developed a highly sensitive miniature sensor that is able to detect low levels of the toxic gas nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ). The tiny, flexible sensor can detect the harmful gas in real-time without requiring an external energy source.

Gas sensors have a wide range of uses, particularly in health and safety regulations, monitoring the presence of combustible, flammable and toxic gases.

The sensor, which is approximately 2cm x 2cm and just 0.4mm thick, has the potential to overcome some of the existing limitations of gas sensors, including their restrictive size, high cost and energy consumption.

This new prototype, which was developed by Ms. Jiyun Kim, Dr. Tao Wan, Dr. Long Hu, Professor Dewei Chu and a team from UNSW's School of Materials Science and Engineering has a high sensitivity to NO 2 and can run at room temperature.

The latest study, published in Advanced Science, also outlines how key components of the sensor have been sustainably produced using sophisticated printing techniques.

"It's exciting because it's not just science for the sake of sciencethis has great potential to apply to practical uses," says Prof. Chu.

"The fact that it's sustainable and has shown excellent performance makes it feel like we're contributing to revolutionizing gas sensors that can be implemented in wearable sensing applications and large-scale production."

What are gas sensors used for?

Gas sensors are widely used for different purposes. Most commonly, they are used for health and safety purposes, such as to detect dangerous levels of toxic gases, including carbon monoxide (CO) and NO 2 . Levels of NO 2 can be particularly high in areas with many sources of emissions, including busy roads, factories, and power plants.

"Other gas sensors include those in car engines, which detect oxygen levels," says Prof. Chu. "This is because you need to tune the ratio of the fuel and oxygen to get a good efficiency.

"They are also used in health care settings, such as to identify the composition of people's breath."

However, there are some limitations to these existing sensors, including size and the high energy consumption they are required to run, as well as limited sensitivity and degradation of the sensor over time.

"Current gas sensors can be complex, which also means they can be quite expensive," says Prof. Chu. "For example, the oxygen sensor in our glove boxes can cost $US 5,000 each."

To address these challenges, there is a need for continuing research and development to improve their accuracy, reliability, and versatility. So, Prof. Chu and his team set out to create a lightweight, affordable sensor to detect NO 2 .

Ms. Jiyun Kim holds up the miniature gas sensor made with sustainable 2D-printing techniques. Credit: University of New South Wales

2D-printing as a sustainable production technique

The team started their investigation with a well-known, promising compound that has previously been used for sensing applications due to its sustainability and biocompatibility: molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ).

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"My research group has been researching the potential of MoS 2 as a sensing device for over eight years," says Prof. Chu.

"There are two different subgroups of MoS 2 , one that is more conductivemeaning it is better at conducting electricityand one that is less conductive.

"We found that combining the two subgroups makes the best gas sensor compound, keeping it conductivewhich is essential for these sensorswhile also sensitive to external gas composition."

After combining the two subtypes of MoS 2 , the team made several additional changes to the soluble compound. "For example, we also added nitrogen to the soluble mixture, to increase its sensitivity," says Prof. Chu.

When an NO 2 molecule scratches the surface, the MoS 2 compound has the capacity to absorb that molecule. "In capturing the NO 2 molecules, the surface electrical resistance is altered, and we can then register a change of the conductivity at room temperature."

What's even more unique about this mini sensor is that it has been constructed using 2D-printing technology.

"2D-printing technology is similar to 3D-printing, except that it happens on a very fine surface to minimize the sensor production costs," says Prof. Chu. "The process involves having small nodules which inject soluble materials onto a flat surface."

The team used this 2D-printing to build two components of the sensor. "We actually print out the conductive nano materials using 2D-printing, which act as our sensor electrodes," says Prof. Chu. "We then print the sensor material itself, which is the MoS 2 that we developed in the lab."

Promising initial results

Existing commercial gas sensors encounter critical issues that limit their development and various applications due to their high energy consumption, low accuracy, slow real-time monitoring, and lack of ability to detect trace concentration.

"The principle of the current gas sensors on the market is that they have to be heated up, sometimes up to 300C, otherwise they cannot detect," says Prof. Chu. "Because our device can work at room temperature, it requires far less energy."

Testing in the lab found that their MoS 2 -based sensor had a high sensitivity of 10ppm NO 2 this means the sensor is able to successfully detect 10 particles of NO 2 in 1 million gas particles.

While NO 2 exists naturally in very small quantities in the air, the main source is human activity, such as from burning coal, and high levels of the gas are a danger to human life. Concentration of 50100ppm NO 2 could cause delayed lung injury and more than 200ppm is considered an immediate danger to life.

Next-gen gas sensing technology

Thanks to its miniature size and low energy consumption, the wearable device has a wide scope of uses, particularly when it comes to safely measuring gas concentrations in different working environments.

"We hope to work on designing wearable sensing devices for monitoring air quality, such as for industrial safety systems at mining sites, or in warehouses, where concentrations of NO 2 can be particularly high," says Prof. Chu.

While this development represents a big step in next-generation gas sensor technology, Prof. Chu explains that there are still improvements to be made, such as testing sensitivity to other gases, which in turn, will broaden the scope of its potential uses.

"We have limited access to a wider range of gases, such as volatile organic compounds or other toxic gases, like ozone3 or CO, due to safety issues," he says. "It would be great if we could test a broader range of gases to evaluate how our sensor can work towards other target gases."

More information: Jiyun Kim et al, Synergetic Phase Modulation and NDoping of MoS2 for Highly Sensitive Flexible NO2 Sensors, Advanced Science (2024). DOI: 10.1002/advs.202410825 Journal information: Advanced Science
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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

The unspoken rule for women of color in academia is to be everything to everyonementor, diversity champion, tireless scholar, and silent workhorse, says York University equity studies Assistant Professor Yvonne Su in her paper published in Nature Human Behaviour.

"We are expected to carry the banner of inclusion, but we are not truly included. Inclusion, as it's currently defined, is about optics, not transformation," observes Su in the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies.

"It's about showing diversity on the surface without addressing the deeper inequalities embedded in the institution. We are asked to fix the system, but we're not allowed to question its foundations."

While delving into her own experiences facing challenges as a Chinese Canadian academic, Su draws attention to the balancing act and the pressure that Kamala Harris had to undergo during her presidential campaign as a woman of color.

"The first Black and South Asian woman vice-president and presidential candidate, Harris was supposed to represent the pinnacle of inclusion in American politics, but the scrutiny she faces is relentless."

Su, who is the director of York's Center for Refugee Studies, expresses her frustration in believing in the promise of inclusion. If she worked hard enough, adapted to the culture, and played her part in promoting diversity, she could be the ideal academic. "But the more I tried to meet these expectations, the more I realized that inclusion in academia is conditional."

She also notes that seemingly collegial advice from male colleagues is a form of benevolent sexism, which reinforces traditional gender roles and subtly undermines women's authority or independence. "It's been two years since I realized benevolent sexism was happening to me and I still have not been able to find a way to stop it."

While challenging the academy to stop tokenizing women of color, she urges proper safeguards and protections are established. "We want to do the work that will fix the system, but you need to give us the space, autonomy and authority to do this work."

Su notes that many of her colleagues who are women of color are afraid to stand up for themselves because it is unsafe. However, she adds that speaking out will not change their status as visible minorities.

"Academia is changing, and institutions need to change with it, or they will be left behind," Su concludes.

More information: Becoming the ideal woman-of-colour academic for everyone but me, Nature Human Behaviour (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41562-024-02092-3 Journal information: Nature Human Behaviour
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The two barium ion clouds (violet) and the green neutral barium cloud from the second release as viewed from the aircraft. Credit: Physics of Plasmas (2024). DOI: 10.1063/5.0228435

Results from a 2021 experiment led by a University of Alaska Fairbanks scientist have begun to reveal the particle-level processes that create the type of auroras that dance rapidly across the sky.

The Kinetic-scale Energy and momentum Transport experimentKiNET-Xlifted off from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on May 16, 2021, in the final minutes of the final night of the nine-day launch window.

UAF professor Peter Delamere's analysis of the experiment's results was published Nov. 19 in Physics of Plasmas.

"The dazzling lights are extremely complicated," Delamere said. "There's a lot happening in there, and there's a lot happening in the Earth's space environment that gives rise to what we observe.

"Understanding causality in the system is extremely difficult, because we don't know exactly what's happening in space that's giving rise to the light that we observe in the aurora," he said. "KiNET-X was a highly successful experiment that will reveal more of the aurora's secrets."

One of NASA's largest sounding rockets soared over the Atlantic Ocean into the ionosphere and released two canisters of barium thermite. The canisters were then detonated, one at about 249 miles high and one 90 seconds later on the downward trajectory at about 186 miles, near Bermuda. The resulting clouds were monitored on the ground at Bermuda and by a NASA research aircraft.

The experiment aimed to replicate, on a minute scale, an environment in which the low energy of the solar wind becomes the high energy that creates the rapidly moving and shimmering curtains known as the discrete aurora. Through KiNET-X, Delamere and colleagues on the experiment are closer to understanding how electrons are accelerated.

"We generated energized electrons," Delamere said. "We just didn't generate enough of them to make an aurora, but the fundamental physics associated with electron energization was present in the experiment."

The experiment aimed to create an Alfven wave, a type of wave that exists in magnetized plasmas such as those found in the sun's outer atmosphere, Earth's magnetosphere and elsewhere in the solar system. Plasmasa form of matter composed largely of charged particlescan also be created in laboratories and experiments such as KiNET-X.

Alfven waves originate when disturbances in plasma affect the magnetic field. Plasma disturbances can be caused in a variety of ways, such as through the sudden injection of particles from solar flares or the interaction of two plasmas with different densities.

KiNET-X created an Alfven wave by disturbing the ambient plasma with the injection of barium into the far upper atmosphere.

Sunlight converted the barium into an ionized plasma. The two plasma clouds interacted, creating the Alfven wave.

That Alfven wave instantly created electric field lines parallel to the planet's magnetic field lines. And, as theorized, that electric field significantly accelerated the electrons on the magnetic field lines.

"It showed that the barium plasma cloud coupled with, and transferred energy and momentum to, the ambient plasma for a brief moment," Delamere said.

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The transfer manifested as a small beam of accelerated barium electrons heading toward Earth along the magnetic field line. The beam is visible only in the experiment's magnetic field line data.

"That's analogous to an auroral beam of electrons," Delamere said.

He calls it the experiment's "golden data point."

Analysis of the beam, visible only as varying shades of green, blue and yellow pixels in Delamere's data imagery, can help scientists learn what is happening to the particles to create the dancing northern lights.

The results so far show a successful project, one that can even allow more information to be gleaned from its predecessor experiments.

"It's a question of trying to piece together the whole picture using all of the data products and numerical simulations," Delamere said.

Three UAF students doing their doctoral research at the UAF Geophysical Institute also participated. Matthew Blandin supported optical operations at Wallops Flight Facility, Kylee Branning operated cameras on a NASA Gulfstream III aircraft out of Langley Research Center, also in Virginia, and Nathan Barnes assisted with computer modeling in Fairbanks.

The experiment also included researchers and equipment from Dartmouth College, the University of New Hampshire and Clemson University.

More information: P. A. Delamere et al, Alfven wave generation and electron energization in the KiNET-X sounding rocket mission, Physics of Plasmas (2024). DOI: 10.1063/5.0228435 Read the story of the KiNET-X mission in 12 short installments that include videos, animations and additional photographs. Journal information: Physics of Plasmas
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Credit: CC0 Public Domain

The war in Ukraine is causing hunger thousands of miles from the battlefields, according to a study in Communications Earth & Environment. Nearly three years of war in the "breadbasket of the world" has left croplands destroyed and forced laborers who grow, harvest and process a bounty of wheat, barley and oats to flee. Combined with export bans from other countries, ripple effects resonated through global trade and upended food supply systems.

But understanding how far those disruptions reached, who suffered and who gained has been difficult. Researchers at Michigan State University's Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability (CSIS) lead a unique effort, relying on satellite images to quantify loss of cropland and employing a holistic method called the metacoupling framework and network analysis to analyze connections within a region, between neighboring areas, and across distant ones.

"The most striking aspect of our research is its ability to connect a regional conflict to its far-reaching impacts on global food accessibility," said Nan Jia, a Ph.D. student and lead author.

The stakes are high. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization models suggest that 13 million more people would be undernourished in 2022 due to the Russia-Ukraine war. Ukraine's lost production of three winter cereals in 2021 could have met the caloric needs of 76 million adults for a year.

The study revealed that regarding wheat, barley, and oats, the war has had a much greater impact on distant countries than on countries next to the Ukraine and disproportionately harms poor countries.

"It's remarkable how interconnected our world isan event in one part of the globe can lead to food insecurity thousands of kilometers away," said Jianguo "Jack" Liu, Rachel Carson Chair in Sustainability and senior author.

"By using the metacoupling framework to trace these connections, we were able to reveal the unequal impact of the war, highlighting how distant and low-income nations are often left more vulnerable in times of crisis."

Countries far from Ukraine were disproportionately affected, facing higher costs and fewer options to secure food supplies. Among these, lower-income nations in Africa, such as Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Somaliaand Montenegro, Albania and Belarus in Europe, bore the brunt of the crisis, as they lacked the resources to adapt to soaring prices or find alternative suppliers.

However, amidst this challenge, the study also revealed hope: over time, major exporting countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia stepped up, partially filling the gaps left by Ukraine.

But these changes can compromise biodiversity in these exporting countries, as shown in another paper "Telecoupled impacts of the Russia-Ukraine war on global cropland expansion and biodiversity " published in Nature Sustainability by Liu and collaborators.

"By revealing the hidden vulnerabilities in global food systems, our study emphasizes the need for international cooperation to ensure food security," Jia said. "Policymakers and global organizations can use these insights to build more resilient food networks, invest in local production in vulnerable countries, and create strategies to mitigate the impacts of future crises."
China is considering expanding public access to science and technology knowledge through a draft law revision.

The second draft revision to the Science and Technology Popularization Law will be submitted to a session of the country's top legislature for deliberation from Saturday to next Wednesday, Wang Xiang, a spokesperson for the Legislative Affairs Commission of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, told a press conference on Thursday.

The latest draft proposes the designation of September as an annual national science popularization month.

It also includes provisions to encourage social entities to establish awards for science popularization according to law, support enterprises to open their laboratories and production lines to the public, and help organizations and individuals to utilize new media to undertake diverse forms of science outreach.

The draft includes new provisions related to talent training, the establishment of volunteer service teams, and an incentive mechanism for science popularization personnel.

If adopted, this would be the first revision to the Science and Technology Popularization Law since it was enacted in 2002.
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Scientists spurred stem cells to generate a large heart-like structure. Credit: UCSF

Investigators from Cedars-Sinai and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) have identified a new way to deliver instructions that tell stem cells to grow into specific bodily structures, a critical step in eventually regenerating and repairing tissues and organs.

The scientists engineered cells that form structures called "synthetic organizers." These organizers provided instructions to the stem cells through biochemical signals called morphogens, which stimulated and enabled the stem cells to grow into specific complex tissues and organ-like assemblies.

The research was conducted with mouse embryonic stem cells, and the findings were published in Cell.

"We can use these synthetic organizers to push the stem cells toward making different parts of the early embryo or toward making a heart or other organs," said Ophir Klein, MD, Ph.D., co-corresponding author of the study, executive vice dean of Children's Health and executive director of Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children's.

In one instance, scientists were able to induce the stem cells to begin to form a mouse body that stretched from head to tail, similar to regular embryonic development in the womb. In another instance, the scientists were able to spur the stem cells to generate a large heart-like structure complete with a central chamber and a regular beat, along with a network of early blood vessels.

Graphical abstract. Credit: Cell (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.11.017

"This type of synthetic organizer cell platform provides a new way to interface with stem cells and to program what they develop into," said Wendell Lim, Ph.D., co-corresponding author and professor of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology at UCSF.

"By controlling and reshaping how stem cells differentiate and develop, it might allow us to grow better organs for transplantation or organoids for disease modeling and eventually utilize it to drive tissue regeneration in living patients."

To steer organizer cells and control stem cell development, the scientists uploaded genetic codes into the cells and engineered two key features in the cells.

First, they instructed the cells to stick to the stem cells in the form of a node or a shell clustering around the clump of stem cells. Second, the investigators engineered the organizer cells to produce specific biochemical signals crucial to inducing early embryonic development.

To effectively and precisely control the organizer cells, researchers developed a chemical switch within the cells, allowing scientists to turn the delivery of instructions to stem cells on or off. Additionally, they installed a "suicide" switch to eliminate the organizer cells when needed.

"These synthetic organizers show that we can provide more refined developmental instructions to stem cells by engineering where and when specific morphogen signals are provided," Lim said. "The organizer cells carry both spatial information and biochemical information, thus giving us an incredible amount of control that we have not had before."

Klein said the use of engineered synthetic organizer cells could ultimately allow the team to build real-world applications in the future.

"The remarkable science of programming instructions to coax stem cells could one day open the door to tackle complex diseases," Klein said.

"We could generate specific cell types, like a beta cell to make insulin or a neuron to treat Parkinson's disease, within the context of a larger piece of tissue or even a whole organ. This work opens many new and exciting possibilities."

More information: Toshimichi Yamada et al, Synthetic organizer cells guide development via spatial and biochemical instructions, Cell (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.11.017 Journal information: Cell
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

The five areas in Great Britain where disabled people are least likely to be in employment compared with non-disabled people have been revealed in a new report from the University of Sheffield.

Researchers from the University's School of Economics investigating the gap in employment between disabled and non-disabled peopleknown as the Disability Employment Gap (DEG)looked at the geographic variation.

They identified North Lanarkshire, followed by East Ayrshire & North Ayrshire mainland, Bridgend & Neath Port Talbot, Dumfries & Galloway and Durham as the areas with the biggest DEG, where disabled people will find it hardest to be in work compared with their non-disabled counterparts.

Meanwhile, Buckinghamshire was found to be the area with some of the best employment prospects for disabled people and had the lowest DEG.

The UK is one of the most spatially unequal countries in the developed world. Many parts of the country are thriving economically, particularly in the south of England, but other areas have become "left behind." Strategies to deliver the government's growth mission locally and devolve powers aim to address these spatial disparities and share prosperity more evenly across the country.

The study found disabled people are particularly disadvantaged when living in a "left behind" area and have the most to gain from areas becoming more even.

With UK Disability History Month currently taking place (November 18December 20)and this year's theme "Disability Livelihood and Employment"the report's authors have made some key recommendations to help close the gap.

"We have found that disabled people may have more to lose from living in a 'left behind' area; they experience a particularly large variation in their employment prospects depending on the local economy where they live," said Dr. Mark Bryan, lead investigator on the project.

"This may be due to finding themselves at the back of the 'job queue'the last to be recruited when there are not enough jobs to go round."

Findings in the report showed areas with a high concentration of people working in knowledge industries, including IT, finance, professional services and education, and areas with a high concentration of people working in elementary occupations, for example, cleaning and hospitality, tend to have the lowest DEGs.

In contrast, local differences in health care provision, social institutions and policies towards the employment of disabled people have very little correlation with the DEG.

"Our research shows how attracting high-value investment has the potential to improve the employment prospects of disabled people living in 'left behind' areas and hence reduce geographical disparities in the DEG," added Dr. Bryan.

"Strong local labor markets characterized by low unemployment and a thriving knowledge sector, coupled with good availability of elementary jobs, can disproportionately improve the employment prospects of disabled people and narrow the DEG.

"However, investment is not a magic bullet. We find that, even if all areas of Great Britain had the same characteristics, there would still be considerable variation in the DEG. This indicates that there is scope for bespoke area interventions, such as work, health and skills plans, to address specific barriers to disabled people's ability to access employment at a local level."

Dr. Catherine Dennison, program head, welfare, at the Nuffield Foundation, said, "We welcome the team's systematic analysis of why the employment rate for disabled people remains significantly lower than that of non-disabled people, including important regional differences.

"We encourage national and local governments to work together to improve employment prospects for disabled people, ensuring that support is effectively tailored to address barriers in local areas."
Students take a fitness class during a night class at Wuhan Donghu High-Tech Development Zone in Wuhan, Hubei province, April 22, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

From "workplace vibe" to "youth night schools," the top 10 new buzzwords of 2024 offer a snapshot of the evolving lifestyles and priorities of China's younger generation, according to a list unveiled Tuesday by the National Language Resources Monitoring and Research Center.

"Workplace vibe," or banweier in Chinese, humorously encapsulates the exhaustion and cynicism of overworked young professionals navigating burnout and the perceived inevitability of adopting the habits and routines of seasoned office workers. Despite these challenges, optimism shines through in another trending term, "hard control," which describes a magnetic enthusiasm for new trends and opportunities.

"Youth night schools" emerged as a fresh trend this year, offering cultural and educational experiences during evenings. These spaces combine knowledge, art, and social interaction, providing a creative outlet for young adults to recharge and pursue self-improvement outside traditional work hours.

"2024 has been a year of self-discovery and cultural revival," the center said in a statement.

Other entries on the list reflect broader economic and technological developments. The issuance of "ultra-long-term special treasury bonds" by China's Ministry of Finance injected new momentum into the country's economy. Policies aimed at upgrading equipment and encouraging trade-in consumption programs, referred to as the "two new" policies, have supported China's carbon neutrality goals while bolstering market vitality.

In science and technology, the debut of "Origin Wukong," China's third-generation superconducting quantum computer, marked a significant breakthrough. Meanwhile, the operation of the "Fuxi No 1" wind power-fishery integrated project in Shanwei, Guangdong province, showcased progress in green energy and marine ecosystem restoration.

On the global stage, the year was highlighted by the United Nations "Summit of the Future" in September, where approximately 130 world leaders gathered in New York to address unprecedented challenges to peace and development.

The annual buzzword list was compiled using linguistic data from over 1 billion Chinese characters collected between Jan 1 and Nov 30 from 15 newspapers, 12 TV stations, seven radio stations, and two leading online platforms. Advanced language processing technology and expert review guided the selection process, the center said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday said Macao will surely open up new horizons for development and keep creating new glories, as long as the policy of "one country, two systems" is comprehensively, accurately and unwaveringly implemented.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks at a gathering celebrating the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland and the inauguration of the sixth-term government of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR).

New glories can surely be made through concerted efforts of the Macao SAR government and people from all walks of life, and with the strong backing of the motherland, said Xi.

He also expressed firm confidence that Macao can make greater contributions to the cause of building China into a strong country on all fronts and advancing national rejuvenation through Chinese modernization.
Chetumal worker rushed to hospital after gas blast on first day of new job

Chetumal, Q.R.  A restaurant worker in Chetumal remains hospitalized with serious burns after an LP gas explosion. Emergency services were called to the El Barrilito eatery early Thursday afternoon in response to the kitchen blast.

Municipal police were at the Cedro Street scene around 1:00 p.m. with paramedics and city firemen in response to the emergency call. According to available information, the young male worker was in the vicinity of the tank when it suddenly exploded.

Witnesses reported flames and intense heat as a result of the sudden blast. The young worker suffered extensive burns to his arms and face. It was his first day on the job. He was reportedly transferred to hospital conscious.

Civil Protection are still investigating the reason for the sudden kitchen explosion. The eatery remains closed.
Costa Rican fugitive extradited by Mexican officials

Mexico City, Mexico  A Costa Rican national has been returned to her country by Mexico. The female fugitive was extradited Thursday to serve her eight-year sentence for drug trafficking.

Leidy M was handed over to country officials in compliance with the Extradition Treaty signed between Mexico and the Republic of Costa Rica.

The Attorney General of the Republic (FGR) extradited a person of Costa Rican nationality required by the Criminal Court of the First Judicial Circuit of San Jose, Costa Rica, to serve an eight-year prison sentence imposed on her for the crime of transporting drugs for trafficking, they reported.

In August 2009, Leidy M was arrested in San Jose, along with other people aboard a vehicle in which they were transporting packages wrapped in plastic containing marijuana.

For this reason, an arrest warrant was served on her in July of this year in Atizapan, State of Mexico, and subsequently, the Government of Mexico granted the extradition of the wanted person to the Government of the Republic of Costa Rica.

The fugitive was handed over at the Mexico City International Airport (AICM) to the Costa Rican agents for her transfer back to that country, the FGR reported.
Cozumel receives first direct seasonal Delta flight from Atlanta

Cozumel, Q.R.  The Cozumel International Airport welcomed the return of Delta Vacations direct flight from Atlanta, Georgia, Thursday. Mayor Jose Luis Chacon Mendez was on the tarmac greeting the arriving passengers.

Delta landed on the island from Atlanta Thursday with 147 passengers on a Boeing 737-800.This return reaffirms the confidence of international airlines in Cozumel as a world-class tourist destination, Chacon Mendez said.

We are pleased to welcome our visitors, to tell them that Cozumel welcomes them with open arms and to let them enjoy our natural beauty, he added.

The flight, which had been suspended since June of this year, will operate again with a daily frequency until April 13, 2025 and subsequently, will offer flights on Saturdays from April 19 to May 3, 2025, expanding air connectivity with the island.

Deputy Director of Tourism, Jose Elias Farah Ceh along with Pablo Alfonso Aguilar Torres, representative of the CPTQ and Andres Navarrete, Delta station manager for Cancun, Cozumel and Tulum, were also at the airport.

Pablo Aguilar highlighted that this route will offer competitive tourist packages that include flights and lodging in Cozumel to further boost overnight stays for tourists who visit us and strengthen local economic activity.

With this restart, Cozumel strengthens its international connectivity and positions itself as a favorite destination for American tourists looking to enjoy the islands natural and cultural wonders.
Driver critical after crashing into concrete post

Cancun, Q.R.  A Cancun taxi driver was rushed to hospital with serious injuries Thursday after slamming into a concrete pole. The accident happened in the morning on the Periferico, near Ramal Norte.

The driver reportedly lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a concrete Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) post destroying the front of his vehicle.

According to Municipal Traffic Department report, the 9-1-1 caller identified the driver as Miguel Angel N. He was traveling north when he crashed into the post.

An ambulance transferred him to a Cancun hospital in critical condition from the 6:00 a.m. accident scene. Transit called a tow truck to remove the wreck from the side of the road and towed it to the corresponding impound lot.

Police did not provide information on a cause for the crash.
Former Cancun commander turned cartel member transferred to face charges

Cancun, Q.R.  A former Cancun police commander has entered the municipal prison system after being arrested in the state of Hidalgo. Miguel Angel, alias El Tigre, was transferred to Quintana Roo Wednesday night.

His transfer was made after his arrest in the city of Pachuca two days earlier. He was captured on two outstanding arrest warrants for homicide. He has been accused of being a main generator of violence in the city of Cancun.

According to the Quintana Roo Investigative Police (PDI), Miguel Angel Cuellar Rangel once held the position of Commander of the Specialized Prosecutors Office for Combating Drug Dealing.

Omar Garcia Harfuch, the Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection of Mexico, said Tuesday, thanks to the coordination between institutions of the security cabinet, the arrest of Miguel Angel N was achieved. He is a priority target in Quintana Roo. He has two arrest warrants for aggravated homicide.

The current Sinola cartel member was flown to Cancun and transported to the prison yard in an armored vehicle. Local authorities have yet to comment publicly on his arrest or his return to Cancun.
Pastry thieves returned to the scene by Cancun police to pay up

Cancun, Q.R.  Two women caught stealing 700 pesos in pastries from a Cancun bakery were returned and made to pay. The pair pretended to be customers Wednesday night while inside the shop.

Both women were arrested and the cheesecakes retrieved from the dumpster.

Before they left, each woman stuffed a cheesecake inside her purse. The on-duty sales clerk saw what happened and shouted at them to leave the cakes or else she would be forced to pay from her wages.

However, the two thieves made a run for it with the bakery woman shouting after them. Her shouts caught the attention of nearby residents in Villas del Mar who happened upon a passing police unit.

When told what was going on, police arrested both women and searched for the stolen cakes. They were located in a nearby dumpster.

Cancun police returned them to the bakery to pay for the stolen products.

The cheesecake robbery inside the high-end Arco Vial Avenue bakery was captured on surveillance cameras. Once police were able to collaborate the story, the two women were returned to the bakery and made to pay in an act of mediation. Each stolen cheesecake was worth 350 pesos.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, reviews the troops during his inspection of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) garrison stationed in the Macao Special Administrative Region, south China, Dec. 20, 2024. [Photo by Li Gang/Xinhua]



President Xi Jinping on Friday inspected the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) garrison stationed in the Macao Special Administrative Region.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the inspection after attending a gathering in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland.

On Friday afternoon, Xi reviewed the troops and met with representatives of the military personnel.

He urged the military personnel to enhance defense capabilities in all aspects and contribute more to breaking new ground in the practice of "one country, two systems" with Macao characteristics.

Over the past 25 years, the troops have played a vital role in safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests, as well as Macao's long-term prosperity and stability, Xi noted.

Highlighting the need to unwaveringly uphold the Party's absolute leadership over the military, Xi stressed efforts to comprehensively strengthen military discipline and maintain high levels of unity, security and stability in the armed forces.

Cai Qi and other officials attended the activities.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, meets with representatives of the military personnel of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) garrison stationed in the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), south China, Dec. 20, 2024. [Photo by Li Gang/Xinhua]


When he was working in Australia, actor Josh Lawson wore multiple hats  writer, director, producer, actor.

Now, as a member of the cast of St. Denis Medical he can focus on one job and I can creatively express myself in other ways after the job, he says.

He can also dig into the role  an egotistical trauma surgeon who keeps other staffers on edge whenever hes around.

It does liberate me in a way, Lawson says. And I feel very focused. Very often (on other projects), Im always looking for the next branch to grab onto. That wasnt the cast with St. Denis. I was really, really focused on each day as it came.

Now on its winter break, St. Denis Medical is one of the hits of the new comedy season.

Shot in mockumentary style (its from the producers of Superstore, a series Lawson appeared on, too), it gives the actors ample opportunity to offer suggestions and add something more to the atmosphere. As the self-centered Dr. Bruce, Lawson can bring plenty of nuance to pre-surgery consultations and interactions with staff.

When the hospitals executive director (played by Wendi McLendon-Covey) looks for a new featured employee of the quarter, she goes to Dr. Bruce and asks his opinion. Immediately, he sees this as a way to extend his run and own the competition for another quarter.

Dr. Bruce Schweitz, Lawson says, has ties to an actual surgeon. I went to school with a guy whos an orthopedic surgeon and Ive told him he has provided a great deal of inspiration. But there are a lot of different characters from different things that Ive stolen little bits from.

While Superstore had a similar format (he played the stores pharmacist), it didnt offer interaction with the filmmaking crew. With this, Lawson says of St. Denis, you hear the documentary team off camera ask certain questions and they become sort of an additional character in the ensemble. It was definitely a new skill. I had to train myself to look at the camera because, my entire career, Ive been told to do the opposite.

That career began in Australia, his home, where he attended St. Josephs College, Gregory Terrace, and graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art, before moving to Los Angeles to study comedy.

Like many of his Australian peers, Lawson tried his hand at all aspects of the business. The industry (there) is small, he explains. In order to keep creatively active, you really are left very little choice but to do your own things, find people and do co-op theater or write theater or write short films. Its not so departmentalized as it is in the States. In indie films, of which Ive done an awful lot, there is a real kind of camaraderie where were all in this together whether youre in front of or behind the camera.

The Eleven OClock, a short subject Lawson wrote, produced and starred in, brought him an Oscar nomination and an introduction to another aspect of the business. It was a game changer for my career, he says. I dont know if any of us expected that it would be, but it was. It's an amazing experience that Im awfully proud of. As I get older, I fall more and more in love with creating my own stuff.

I think the whole life you live, the more you feel like you have something to say about the human condition.

St. Denis affords him the opportunity to observe even more people.

Because he hasnt been to his own doctor since the series started airing, hes not sure how it might have landed.

But Im off to see the doctor today, he says with a smile, so Ill be sure to ask what he thinks.

More than likely, the doctor may not even make the connection.

Schweitz is an American; Lawson has a distinct Australian accent.

I quite like being as far away from me as possible, he says. But I expect if Bruce ever does have to do an Australian accent, hed be quite bad at it. So, Im looking forward to the day when I get to do a bad Australian accent.

St. Denis Medical airs on NBC and streams on Peacock.
If theres one novel that dominated 2024, it was The Women, by Kristin Hannah. The only thing more amazing than its reported 1-million-copy first printing is that it seems likely the book warranted it: The Women debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times fiction bestseller list in February, and is still hanging out at No. 4. It won the Goodreads Choice Award for Historical Fiction, and over 850,000 Goodreads users have given it an eye-popping average rating of 4.62. (As point of comparison, Pride and Prejudice has a 4.29.) The reviews were largely positive, even in the snooty New York Times, where a critic argued that Hannahs superpower is her ability to hook you along from catastrophe to catastrophe, sometimes peering between your fingers, because you simply cannot give up on her characters.

I enjoy womens fiction thats also historical fiction, and am always curious about books in this subgenre that are brave enough to test out settings that, if treated honestly and interestingly, might provoke difficult political reactions among contemporary readers. Sure, you can set your historical novel during World War II or the reign of Henry VIIIto popular fiction readers, these are familiar, safe historical milieus that feel like wallpaper by now. But The Women is set during Vietnam, a more difficult moment in history to digest into safe genre storytelling; writers tend to tread carefully when dealing with this war, or the 19th-century American West, or other knotty moments in history, and for good reason.

And then I read The Women. Hoo boy! Remember when It Ends With Us hit movie theaters this year, and a wave of people unfamiliar with Colleen Hoover cracked her books and started posting incredulously about how simultaneously melodramatic and wooden they feel? That was how I felt reading, presumably, the one millionth copy of The Women sold by St. Martins Press. The Women is just like a Colleen Hooverin fact, its worse, because the trauma being described is not only personal, but world-historical in scale. Imagine a Colleen Hoover novel, with an idealistic young heroine who has horrible things happen to her over and overand then someone says, I heard rumors of something bad up near My Lai.

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The story starts in 1966. Twenty-year-old Frankie McGrath is a younger daughter in a wealthy Coronado Island family that prides itself on a tradition of military service. Hoping to impress her parents, Frankie enlists as a nurse in the Army. Her brother is also on his way to Vietnam, but is killed in action before Frankie can get over there to start her tour. Only the first third of the book takes place in Vietnam, where Frankie weathers the stress of her new job, learns to tolerate unsanitary conditions and awful food, becomes a really good nurse, and befriends her roommates, fellow nurses Barb (Black, from Georgia) and Ethel (white, from Virginia). She falls in love twice, only to see both men disappear in action. She goes from being an FNG to an old hand, and sees lots of men she knows die on stretchers.

Hannah seems to have wanted to make this story more about change in American society than about Vietnam per se, and has assigned Frankie avatar status. Heres a child of privilege, who has a window into what the war is doing to American soldiers and Vietnamese civilians, yet who always has a wealthy family to fall back on. She says of the men who die under her care: The majority were Black or Hispanic or poor, straight out of high school. They didnt have parents who could pull strings to get them out of service. Frankie is also a safe portal for us to observe some of the dire things about Vietnam, but always the dire things youve vaguely heard of before, like the effects of napalm. Indeed, at one point, the word napalm gets a whole paragraph all to itself, just so you can see how terrible it is.

Napalm.

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In the following scene, as shes holding a burned infant as the baby dies, Frankie says, Im so sorry, baby, and thinks, How could this be done, even in the name of war? The babys namelessness upsets her. No one will ever know who this child was, she thinks. But this book is not in the business of giving this baby, or any other Vietnamese person, a namejust in the business of gesturing toward a death, and feeling bad about it. If Frankies reactions to holding an infant horribly killed by American airstrikes seem oddly muted, the charitable interpretation is that shes stressed and compartmentalizing. The uncharitable interpretation is that this is the kind of book where characters feel only one emotion at a time. Reading The Women feels like consuming a series of Facebook memes or conservative copypasta, chock-full of incoherent political opinions, reactionary positions, and incomprehensible actions taken by humans who barely seem real.

Most of the story takes place after Frankies return, and you can see that Hannah probably made this choice out of authorly ambition. It is certainly harder to read this part, without the inherent drama of wartime to push a reader along; all the bluntness of the characterizations and choices around setting become more and more obvious. Frankie was destined (her mother hoped, and she vaguely assumed) for marriage and a family, but postwar she cant manage to get her life together, struggling through periods of depression, dating inappropriate men, struggling to hold down a job, and, finally, becoming addicted to pills. Like the most abject Colleen Hoover heroine, she hits rock bottom too many times to count. While Barb stabilizes herself by becoming politically active (joining, of course, the most well-known of the pacifist veterans organizations, Vietnam Veterans Against the Warthis book always goes for the low-hanging fruit), and Ethel gets married, Frankie cant seem to figure out what kind of person she should be.

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Frankies trajectory might be mistaken for a trenchant portrayal of the veteran experience post-Vietnam, except for the straw men that Hannah strews across the American landscape: those damn dirty hippies. In The Women, the children of the Summer of Love seem barely to have time to drop acid, so busy are they harassing and spitting upon Frankie when they see her in her uniform. The spat-upon Vietnam veteran has a history so contested that it has been the subject of an academic monograph and has its own Wikipedia page. Without stepping into the debate over whether this even ever happened in real life, I will simply report that in The Women, Frankie arrives home at LAX after her tour, and in the course of her trip back home to San Diego is spat upon four times, called a Nazi bitch and a baby killer, and left alone on the street as taxis speed by, refusing to pick her up.

I lost track of how many times Frankie tries to seek help from support groups or veterans organizations for her PTSD, depression, and addiction, only to be turned away by someone who says a version of the statement: There were no women in Vietnam. The little scene recurs so often, it starts to feel eternal. Surely at some point, she could have shown someone her military ID? Women were unappreciated, I know, but in historical fiction, a bit of direct observation of that fact goes a long way.

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The story reaches a fever pitch of unbelievability in its resolutions of Frankies two romances. (Spoilers ahead, but you have got to hear how these work out.) Recall that both of her beaux were service members injured or captured in-countrymen Frankie presumed to be dead. Would you believe that each one of them comes back? Would you believe that the book ends at the unveiling of Maya Lins Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.? Would you believe Frankie looks for her love interests name on the memorial, and right as shes scanning the granite to find it, he presents himself to her, after years of allowing her to believe that he is dead, because he just wasnt ready? Once again Hannah makes a paragraph out of a single word: miraculous.

Miraculous.

Thats one way to put it!
Donna Marie Perrie Roberts, 77, of White Plains, MD, peacefully passed away on December 14, 2024, surrounded by loved ones. On December 4, 1947, Donna was born in Maryland to Albert and Dorothy Perrie.



For over forty years, Donna worked as a secretary for Prince George's County Public Schools. She enjoyed what she did for a living. Her dedication and commitment were evident to all who worked with her, and she made a lasting impact on both her colleagues and the students. Her warmth and kindness were felt by everyone she met, and she was often the first to offer a helping hand or a listening ear. Donna was known for her meticulous attention to detail and her ability to keep everything running smoothly, qualities that made her an invaluable member of the school community.



On June 28, 1975 Donna married the love of her life, James Roberts, Sr. Donna and James were blessed with one son, James Roberts, Jr. of White Plains MD.



In her free time, she enjoyed being with her sisters, out shopping and spending time together. She also loved her dog, Lady. In her early years, she loved to ride her bike and be in her yard.



Donna was predeceased by her parents and brother William, and beloved husband. She is survived by her son James, his wife C.J, along with his daughter Brianna as well as sisters Betty Parsons, Dorothy Underwood, Mary Thomas, and Linda Bowie.



In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation towards Immanuel United Methodist Church.



A service to celebrate Donna's life will be held on December 23, 2024, with visitation from 10:00 am to 11:00 am with the service beginning at 11:00 am at Immanuel United Methodist Church, 17400 Aquasco Rd, Brandywine, MD 20613. Interment will follow after the service in the church cemetery.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20241220/advisers-had-to-babysit-diminished-biden-from-the-very-first-day--reports-1121219644.html

Advisers Had to Babysit "Diminished" Biden From the Very First Day  Reports

Advisers Had to Babysit "Diminished" Biden From the Very First Day  Reports

Sputnik International

Joe Biden, the oldest president in US history, has repeatedly been criticized for his cognitive decline and a tendency to fall.

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Outgoing US President Joe Bidens entourage has covered up the extent of his mental decline since he entered office in 2021, the Wall Street Journal reported in its bombshell investigation."There were limits over who Biden spoke with, limits on what they said to him, and limits around the sources of information he consumed," the sources argued. "They body him to such a high degree," one insider claimed, adding that there has been more "hand-holding" as compared to other presidents.The advisers did their best to keep Bidens meeting short as his public interactions became more scripted. The strategy, however, collapsed during Bidens June 27 debate with Donald Trump, which saw the former being unable to complete his thoughts.US media reported at the time that the disastrous debate became an eye-opener and a turning point in discussions of Bidens mental state and his suitability to serve as the next president. The 82-year-old finally dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed Kamala Harris as his replacement in late July.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20241220/could-european-peacekeepers-really-be-deployed-to-ukraine-1121225469.html

Could European Peacekeepers Really be Deployed to Ukraine?

Could European Peacekeepers Really be Deployed to Ukraine?

Sputnik International

Few European countries would risk sending their soldiers to Ukraine as part of some kind of a peacekeeping force, former Swedish military officer and politician Mikael Valtersson told Sputnik.

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He outlined two potential scenarios of peacekeeper deployment in the Ukrainian conflict zone, with the basis for both being a ceasefire along the current front lines and no Ukrainian NATO membership in the foreseeable future.The first scenario involves an international peacekeeping force comprised of troops from countries or regions unaffiliated with the participants of the Ukrainian conflict, such as Turkiye, India, Latin America, Africa, ASEAN and maybe European countries like Hungary and Slovakia.The second scenario, where EU troops would be sent as peacekeepers, would likely result in Russia perceiving it as a breach of any ceasefire and would restart the fighting long before the Western forces reached the front lines.As a result, Europe would be left with a conflict involving several European countries, but without the backing of NATO or the US, so it is small wonder that, as Valtersson put it, it would be impossible to get unity within Europe about such a mission.A much more plausible scenario for European military involvement on the ground in Ukraine is that some of the more hawkish nations send support units and 'instructors' to Ukraine, Valtersson warned. These European troops would become prime targets for Russia, he added, without actually having much impact on the outcome of the conflict.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20241220/europe-us-spent-dreadful-3222bln-on-ukraine---orban-1121222448.html

Europe, US Spent 'Dreadful' $322.2Bln on Ukraine - Orban

Europe, US Spent 'Dreadful' $322.2Bln on Ukraine - Orban

Sputnik International

Europe and the United States have spent a total of 310 billion euros ($322.2 billion) on Ukraine, a "dreadful" amount, that could have been invested in European economy, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday.

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"During talks with the Americans, I received data from it that Europe and the United States have spent a total of 310 billion euros on Ukraine so far. This is a huge amount, just a dreadful amount," Orban told Hungarys Kossuth radio. These funds could "do wonders" if they were invested in the European economy, Orban said, adding that they could have been used to reduce energy prices, accelerate economic growth in Europe, reduce the flow of illegal migrants from the Sahel, or develop the European defense industry.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20241220/fighting-between-turkiye-backed-syrian-forces-and-kurds-will-increase---expert-1121224772.html

Fighting Between Turkiye-Backed Syrian Forces and Kurds Will Increase - Expert

Fighting Between Turkiye-Backed Syrian Forces and Kurds Will Increase - Expert

Sputnik International

The US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has vowed to resist the advance of Turkiye and Ankara-backed Syrian militant groups in Kobani, as quoted by Reuters, after a Turkish defense official rejected a US-brokered ceasefire deal with the Kurds.

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"Fighting between Turkish groups and the Turkish army on one side and the Kurds on the other side will not subside. On the contrary, it will increase," Sonia Mansour, Middle East observer and analyst, told Sputnik. Earlier, commander of the Syrian Kurdish-led forces Mazloum Abdi proposed creating a demilitarized zone in the Syrian town of Kobani, located on the Turkish border, under US supervision. Abdi also admitted the presence of non-Syrian Kurdish fighters in the region, vowing that they would leave if the truce were to be established. Abdi had two goals, according to Mansour: She noted that it was clear from the start that Ankara would not accept the Kurdish proposal. Turks consider the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), the backbone of the SDF, to be an affiliate of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) that is designated as a terrorist organization by Ankara. Meanwhile, the US doesn't seem interested in maintaining any demilitarized zone in Syria, given that the SDF's role of depriving Bashar al-Assad's Syria of its oil and gas reserves has de facto been accomplished, according to the pundit. *terrorist organization banned in Russia and other countries.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20241217/syrian-kurds-between-a-rock-and-a-hard-place-1121201122.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20241220/gop-government-funding-bill-not-adopted-by-house-of-representatives-1121218303.html

GOP Government Funding Bill Not Adopted by House of Representatives

GOP Government Funding Bill Not Adopted by House of Representatives

Sputnik International

A government funding bill, proposed by Republicans to avoid a government shutdown on Saturday, has not passed the House of Representatives, according to the voting results.

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US President-elect Donald Trump said earlier that House Speaker Mike Johnson and the House of Representatives came to a "very good deal" for Americans over the government spending bill. He also said that the legislation would allow the date of the debt ceiling to be pushed to January 30, 2027, and called on both Republicans and Democrats to support the bill. US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has said that a deal to avoid a government shutdown, reached by House Republicans earlier on Thursday, is not serious, "its laughable."To approve the bill, half of the House members - 218 people - had to vote for it. However, the bill was supported by 174 lawmakers, while 235 voted against it. If the Congress does not reach a deal on funding, a US government shutdown could begin on Saturday.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20241220/pepe-escobar-putins-qa-and-the-forever-wars-riddle--1121223428.html

Pepe Escobar: Putins Q&A and the Forever Wars Riddle

Pepe Escobar: Putins Q&A and the Forever Wars Riddle

Sputnik International

Putin spoke for four and a half hours, virtually non-stop, reviewing the results of 2024, mastering all the facts.

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His Direct Line received over 2 million questions, from Russia and around the world. And he had to crown the performance with a flourish, in an "I did it, my way" vein:"I believe that not only did I simply save [Russia], we moved away from the edge of the abyss."The record would confirm it, compared to the appalling state of the Russia he inherited when first elected president in March 2000.President Putins end of the year Q&A contains enough substance to be unpacked for weeks, if not months. Lets focus here on our current geopolitical crossroads: the Forever Wars in West Asia and Ukraine, two vectors of the standard imperial drive, now united in an Omni-War.Putin stated that, we have come to Syria in order to prevent a terrorists enclave () In general, our goal has been achieved.Whether Syria remains terrorist free remains to be seen: the new, inclusive, rebranded as woke Emir of Damascus, al-Jolani, a Saudi national, is a certified Salafi-jihadi still with a $10 million American bounty on his head. The enclave now encompasses most of former Syrian sovereign territory, otherwise illegally occupied by jihadi gangs and Zionist lebensraum practitioners.Its important to remember that Russia first intervened in Syria in 2015 not so much to keep access to the warm waters of the Eastern Mediterranean: but mostly to protect holy Christian Orthodox sites in Damascus. Christianity was born in Damascus (remember St. Paul)  not in Jerusalem. When Putin went to Damascus, he was on an Orthodox Christian pilgrimage: coming from the Third Rome (Moscow) to pay his respects to the precursor of the first Rome, the cradle of Christianity.It all started with Timber SycamoreOn the larger Levantine geopolitical picture, Putin is correct. The CIA invented Operation Timber Sycamore way back in 2012 to train and weaponize moderate rebels to overthrow Assad  spending over $1 billion a year: the most extensive CIA covert op since the jihad in Afghanistan in the 1980s.The UK, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Jordan were Sycamore partners. Over the final years, the Pentagon jumped in to prepare Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the soft ISIS splinter group.Ultimately it was nearly 14 years of toxic US sanctions and relentless siege warfare that led to the final act, complete with Ukrainian drone instructors, mountains of Qatari cash and the Turk-assembled crypto-al Qaeda infantry (no more than 350 fighters, according to Putin himself).Now its a matter of adapting. Putin said that, we have established relations with all those that control the situation on the ground () Most countries expect the Russian bases to remain () Our interests should coincide, a question that requires painstaking examination.He also reminded everyone that politics is the art of compromise  and Russias strategic priority is to keep the bases in Tartus and Hmeimim.Putin brushed aside the notion that Russia has been weakened by Assads downfall in Syria, quoting Mark Twain: Rumors about my death have been greatly exaggerated.Instead, he practically proposed that the Russian bases could provide humanitarian aid: one can imagine the population of a deeply polarized, fragmented Syria arguing with the Salafi-jihadis to get their share. Were that to happen, Russia would be in direct aid competition with the collective West.The EU, via its new, deranged Estonian ultra-Russophobic foreign policy chief, has already ordered that there will be no sanctions relief if the Russian bases stay.Erdogan thinking like its 1919Turkiye is the ultimate thorny issue. Erdogan is relentlessly promoting the notion that Turkiye is greater than Turkiye itself  which some have interpreted as Ankara being ready to annex large swathes of Syria.And potentially more. A Greater Turkiye would historically have included Thessaloniki, Cyprus, Aleppo and even Mosul.Putin for his part was supremely diplomatic, focusing on Turkiye trying to safeguard its safety on its southern frontiers, and to create conditions for the return of refugees back home from its territory to Syrian land. And those territories are now under more or less control of actually Turkiye.He also acknowledged that Turkiye has had problems with the Kurdish Workers Party for decades. I hope there will not be an aggravation.Well, there will (italics mine) be aggravation.Turkish diplomatic sources are relentlessly spinning that everything that happened in Syria was decided by the Astana process troika of Russia, Iran and Turkiye. Moscow keeping its embassy in Damascus and  for the moment  the bases in Tartus and Hmeimim might point to a deal.Add to it Erdogan gleefully stating on the record thatPutin and himself are the most experienced politicians on the planet.As it stands, all that may be classified as fog of war.Immediately after Assads fall, the Israelis started bombing every warehouse holding heavy military equipment across Syria, including classified weapons. Its unclear who provided the exact locations.The Americans, predictably, were furious. No wonder: the lame duck White House and the Deep State were betting on transferring all that weaponry to Kiev.The exact tone of the secret deals struck between the Astana process troika and between two of them with Israel will remain predictably murky  and the way Putin talked about them suggests that the Long Game is just starting.Russia may not have been weakened by the loss of Syria, but quite uncomfortable questions remain. The sacredness of Syrias national sovereignty has taken a hit. Same goes for the fight against terrorism.On the other hand, Putin increased the tone on Tel Aviv  an extremely touchy dossier in Russia. He named Israel as the main beneficiary in Syria; directly condemned Israeli invasion and annexation of sovereign Syrian territory; and confessed he does not know what ultimate goals Israel is pursuing in Gaza, but "this is only worthy of condemnation".'Lets have a 21st century tech duel'Putin all but admitted that Russia should have moved against Kiev earlier  and that the Russian Army was not fully prepared for the start of the SMO in February 2022. Whats implied is that over 10 years ago, a simple Russian police operation might have taken care of Maidan; Yanukovych could have been transported to Crimea; the coup would have fizzled; and there would have been no war.Putin is adamant that Russia is always ready to negotiate with Kiev. The key takeaways: no preconditions; talks grounded in the 2022 Istanbul deal (aborted by the Americans) and the current conditions on the battlefield; Russia will talk to Zelensky only if he holds elections and gains legitimacy; and Russia will only sign peace deals with the legitimate leader of Ukraine.A lot to unpack here. In sum: Istanbul for all practical purposes does not apply anymore - considering the ever-changing "conditions on the battlefield." Zelensky will not hold elections - so he will remain illegitimate. So who to talk to? Moreover, signing peace deals with a "legitimate" Ukrainian leader means nothing because the Ultimate Decider is always the non-agreement capable (copyright Lavrov) Hegemon.All that implies that the SMO may keep rumblin' on for quite a while.The whole Forever Wars riddle directly links with BRICS, because this is a Hegemon war against BRICS (especially top three existential threats Russia, China and Iran), inscribed in the Big Picture of the Eurasia v. NATOstan war.Putin was adamant that BRICS is not a tool for countering the West. Out work is not aimed against anyone () We adopt all decisions by consensus () this is a group based on common interests. And there is one common interest: development.BRICS, added Putin, is driven to generate more economic growth and transforming the structure of the economy in order for it to be in step with the global development agenda, positioning BRICS at the forefront of this progressive movement. Expect the usual lot accusing Putin of being a Davos/Great Reset shill.Arguably the prime cliffhanger of the Q&A was Putin proposing to test the hypersonic Oreshnik against NATOs Aegis Ashore: Lets have a 21st century tech duel. NATOstan brings all their top defense systems to Kiev and lets see if they can stop Oreshnik. Could be London instead of Kiev. Or for that matter, NATOs HQ outside Brussels.Will that happen? Of course not. Already utterly humiliated in the black soil of Novorossiya, collective West cowards will flee from being totally humiliated all over again in front of the whole planet.

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Trugreen Agribiotech offers potent, easy-to-use extracts that make traditional wellness accessible & effective for todays health needs

ways to consume Ayurvedic cannabis products, each designed to optimize absorption and convenience. Sublingual oil, which is dropped beneath the tongue for quick bloodstream absorption, is one of the best techniques. Similar to homeopathy, this technique is perfect for immediate, focused treatment because it employs an oil base instead of alcohol. Another option is capsules, which are preferred by elderly patients or those who incorporate the medicine into their regular medication regimen. Capsules offer a constant, doctor-recommended dosage appropriate for patients with certain medical histories, but taking longer to absorb than sublingual oils.The gummy is a more recent hybrid delivery method that combines the accurate dosage control of capsules with the quick-acting properties of sublingual oils. This approach is both practical and efficient because it eliminates the possibility of sublingual drop variations and gives patients a consistent dosage. Trugreen Agribiotech also provides topical cosmetics that use the regenerative qualities of cannabis to treat eczema, stretch marks, and discomfort. For those who want to experience the medicinal effects of cannabis without a prescription, these over-the-counter (OTC) medicines offer a convenient, non-ingestible way."Ayurvedic cannabis falls under Schedule E1, necessitating guidance from an Ayurvedic practitioner. Cannabis may interact with other medications, so doctors carefully assess individual body conditions and advise on dosage and intake methods", informs Devanshi.With a background in B2B services and a recent foray into consumer outreach with its Medicann brand, Trugreen Agribiotech uses state-of-the-art technology to bring contemporary Ayurveda to life. Medicann was established to expand Trugreen Agribiotech's `Cannabis for India' objective to people looking for natural solutions for long-term lifestyle problems like pain, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. The company also aims to modernize Ayurveda by improving bioavailability and usability by emphasizing extracts over dry herb powders and vatis which have low levels of actives. The company aims to connect ancient Ayurveda with contemporary wellness solutions by using technical breakthroughs in extraction and quality control, hence increasing the accessibility of natural health for individuals throughout India.Devanshi, the force behind Trugreen Agribiotech, is working fervently to dispel the social stigmas associated with cannabis-based medicine in India. She acknowledges that although cannabis has many therapeutic advantages, particularly for long-term conditions like pain, anxiety, and sleep difficulties, it is nevertheless stigmatized and misunder -stood because of ingrained social standards. A lot of individuals are receptive to traditional medicines, even those that have the potential to cause addiction, but are hesitant to use cannabis products despite their natural origins and apparent health advantages.Devanshi is attempting to shift this perception with Trugreen Agribiotech by stressing the medicinal benefits of cannabis and its potential as a secure, efficient, and environmentally responsible substitute for conventional therapies. Her goal is to educate and promote tolerance so that more people may get help without being judged, in addition to offering high-quality products. Devanshi intends to raise awareness and help reframe cannabis from a forbidden substance to a reliable part of contemporary well-being by working with media and healthcare platforms."Starting at just 24 in a village like Mangeli, Madhya Pradesh, was challenging, especially as a young woman introducing medicinal crops amidst societal and logistical hurdles. But with my father's unwavering support and a mission to break the taboo around cannabis, I have pushed forward to make its benefits more accepted and shall continue to do so in the future", adds Devanshi.Her goal is to establish cannabis-based medications as standard in-home medical kits, offering rapid relief from common conditions including pain and anxiety. Through its consumer-focused brand, MediCann, Trugreen Agribiotech hopes to increase accessibility and legitimize cannabis as a re-liable component of holistic medicine. The company's mission is to offer people practical and efficient natural health man-agement solutions to incorporate these natural solutions into everyday life.
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Drug trafficking and other criminal activities on social media have become a growing social concern. To evade detection by law enforcement and automated monitoring systems, offenders use dark jargons, often combining multiple common words to form "dark jargon"covert dark jargons that are difficult to identify. Once authorities recognize these dark jargons, offenders quickly switch to new ones, making it a constant race to keep up with the evolving words.

A team of researchers from the University of Electro-Communications (UEC), including Takuro Hada, Yuichi Sei, Yasuyuki Tahara, and Akihiko Ohsuga, has developed a groundbreaking method to tackle this challenge. Their new system leverages the power of artificial intelligence to detect these elusive, compound-type dark jargons with greater accuracy than ever before. This innovative approach focuses on the relationships between words within posts to identify terms that are often used together as part of a dark jargon.

The work is published in the Journal of Information Processing.

Traditional methods struggle to detect dark jargons when it consists of multiple words because most text analysis tools automatically break down sentences into smaller word units. This process often separates words that should be treated as a single phrase, like "Green-Crack" or "Pineapple-Chunk," both known as dark jargons for illegal substances.

The new AI system overcomes this by identifying pairs of words that frequently appear together in similar contexts. By analyzing large datasets of social media posts, the AI can recognize when two or more words form dark jargons, even if it's a newly emerging term.

The impact of this development is significant. In experiments, the system identified more dark jargons than previous methods, with a 7% improvement in accuracy. Notably, during interviews with police officers experienced in organized crime investigations, 93% of the newly detected dark jargons were confirmed as previously unknown. This highlights the potential of the AI to reveal emerging dark jargons that evade current detection efforts.

With crime increasingly moving to online spaces, this technology provides law enforcement with a vital tool to stay ahead of offenders. By automating the detection of new dark jargons, police forces and monitoring systems can respond more swiftly, reducing the risk of illegal activity on social media platforms. This innovation not only strengthens public safety but also supports social media companies in keeping their platforms safer for all users.

This research marks a major step forward in the fight against online crime, offering an adaptable, AI-driven solution that evolves as quickly as the dark jargon it aims to detect. With its high accuracy and ability to detect previously unknown terms, this system has the potential to become a key element of future cybercrime prevention strategies.

In Japan, where "yami baito"a term referring to illegal part-time jobs often linked to criminal activitieshas become a growing social issue, this AI technology is expected to play a critical role. Detecting the dark jargon used in online recruitment for these illicit activities, supports law enforcement and enhances public safety.

More information: Detection of Compound-Type Dark Jargons Using Similar Words, Journal of Information Processing (2024). DOI: 10.20729/00241632. www.scitepress.org/Papers/2023/119188/119188.pdf

Provided by The University of Electro-Communications
An aerial drone photo taken on Dec. 11, 2024 shows a view of the Macao Peninsula in south China. [Photo/Xinhua]

The 25th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland stands as yet another occasion to observe the practical success and institutional strengths of China's "one country, two systems" policy, which has brought enduring stability and prosperity to the region.

Over the past quarter century, the practice of "one country, two systems" with Macao characteristics has garnered global recognition for its success, and demonstrated great vitality and unique charm.

In stark contrast to sluggish development and poor public security before Macao's return to the motherland in 1999, the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) has witnessed rapid socioeconomic development and substantial improvement in people's living standards.

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. The region has seen historic achievements in economic and social development, and Macao residents' sense of gain, happiness and security has been constantly enhanced.

The region is also unleashing new development potential and vitality. It has made preliminary progress in the appropriate diversification of its economy, fostering key industries such as modern financing and the high-tech sector. From 2019 to 2023, the gaming industry's share of the region's GDP fell 14 percentage points to 37.2 percent. The regional economy is thus becoming more robust and vibrant.

The prosperity and stability of the Macao SAR are solid proof that the "one country, two systems" policy serves the fundamental interests of Macao and the whole country. Residents of Macao have consistently shown a high level of confidence in this policy.

In the early 1980s, then Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping put forward the concept of "one country, two systems" with the aim of realizing the peaceful reunification of the nation. According to Deng, the concept means there is only one China and under this premise, the mainland adheres to the socialist system while Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan may retain their capitalist systems over a long time to come.

Under the "one country, two systems" policy, the SAR enjoys executive, legislative and independent judicial power, including that of final adjudication. The people of Macao administer Macao, with a high degree of autonomy. Its capitalist system and way of life remain unchanged.

As a case in point, the gaming industry, which is banned on the mainland, continues to be a pillar of Macao's economy. Residents of Macao now enjoy a wider range of rights and freedoms than at any other time in history.

"One country, two systems" is a great innovation in the practice of politics, providing the international community with a Chinese solution to similar problems. With no precedent to follow and no ready-made experience to draw upon, the central government has led the governments of the Hong Kong and Macao SARs, as well as all sectors of society, to actively explore this new path and move forward with firm steps. Hong Kong and Macao have integrated themselves into overall national development, and embarked on a bright path of mutual complementarity and common development with the mainland.

Thanks to the policy, Macao has also become a window for China's opening up to the world. The World Trade Organization recognizes Macao as one of the most open economies in the world for trade and investment. It has maintained its status as a separate customs territory and a free port, and played a unique role in promoting economic cooperation and cultural exchanges between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.

The central government has significantly increased the SAR's land and maritime areas to bolster its development. Cooperative mechanisms and infrastructure -- such as the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, and the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin -- have provided Macao with ample development headroom and rich opportunities.

Macao's current prosperity and stability show China's capability of encompassing two social systems within one country. The "one country, two systems" policy has proved to be the best institutional arrangement to ensure Macao's sustained prosperity and stability.

With the full support of the motherland, Macao has overcome various challenges and maintained good momentum in its long-term, stable development.

As China adheres to and improves its implementation of the "one country, two systems" policy, Macao will write new chapters in its success story. Further success of the policy will play a key role in realizing China's full reunification and national rejuvenation, and contribute more to world peace and development.